We analyze the 3-year WMAP data and look for a deviation from Gaussianity in the form of a 3-point function that has either of the two theoretically motivated shapes: local and equilateral. There is no evidence of departure from Gaussianity and the analysis gives the presently tightest bounds on the parameters f_ NL^local and f_NL^equil., which define the amplitude of respectively the local and the equilateral non-Gaussianity: -36 < f_NL^local < 100, -256 < f_NL^equil. < 332 at 95% C.L. In models with modified kinetic term for the inflaton, like DBI inflation, where a large equilateral non-Gaussianity is related to a reduced speed of sound c_s, our analysis gives the lower bound: c_s > 0.028 (at 95% C.L.).
Binary properties are an important diagnostic of the star and brown dwarf formation processes. While wide binaries appear to be rare in the sub-stellar regime, recent observations have revealed Ophiuchus 162225-240515 (2MASS J16222521-2405139) as a likely young ultra-low-mass binary with an apparent separation of ~240 AU. Here, we present low-resolution near-infrared spectra of the pair from NTT/SOFI (R~600) and VLT/ISAAC (R~1400), covering the 1.0-2.5um spectral region. By comparing to model atmospheres from Chabrier & Baraffe and Burrows et al., we confirm the surface temperatures to be T_A = (2350+/-150) K and T_B = (2100+/-100) K for the two components of the binary, consistent with earlier estimates from optical spectra. Using gravity sensitive K I features, we find the surface gravity to be significantly lower than field dwarfs of the same spectral type, providing the best evidence so far that these objects are indeed young. However, we find that models are not sufficiently reliable to infer accurate ages/masses from surface gravity. Instead, we derive masses of M_A = 13 (+8/-4) M_J and M_B = 10 (+5/-4) M_J for the two objects using the well-constrained temperatures and assuming an age of 1-10 Myr, consistent with the full range of ages reported for the Oph region.
We investigate the baryon fraction in dark matter haloes formed in non-radiative gas-dynamical simulations of the LambdaCDM cosmogony. By combining a realisation of the Millennium Simulation (Springel et al.) with a simulation of a smaller volume focussing on dwarf haloes, our study spans five decades in halo mass, from 10^10 Msun/h to 10^15 Msun/h. We find that the baryon fraction within the halo virial radius is typically 90% of the cosmic mean, with an rms scatter of 6%, independently of redshift and of halo mass down to the smallest resolved haloes. Our results show that, contrary to the proposal of Mo et al. (2005), pre-virialisation gravitational heating is unable to prevent the collapse of gas within galactic and proto-galactic haloes, and confirm the need for non-gravitational feedback in order to reduce the efficiency of gas cooling and star formation in dwarf galaxy haloes. Simulations including a simple photoheating model (where a gas temperature floor of T_{floor} = 2x10^4 K is imposed from z=11) confirm earlier suggestions that photoheating can only prevent the collapse of baryons in systems with virial temperatures T_{200} < ~2.2 T_{floor} ~ 4.4x10^4 K (corresponding to a virial mass of M_{200} ~ 10^10 Msun/h and a circular velocity of V_{200} ~ 35 km/s). Photoheating may thus help regulate the formation of dwarf spheroidals and other galaxies at the extreme faint-end of the luminosity function, but it cannot, on its own, reconcile the abundance of sub-L* galaxies with the vast number of dwarf haloes expected in the LambdaCDM cosmogony. The lack of evolution or mass dependence seen in the baryon fraction augurs well for X-ray cluster studies that assume a universal and non-evolving baryon fraction to place constraints on cosmological parameters.
Driven by the incomplete understanding of the formation of gas giant extrasolar planets and of their mass-radius relationship, several ground-based, wide-field photometric campaigns are searching the skies for new transiting extrasolar gas giants. As part of the Trans-atlantic Exoplanet Survey (TrES), we monitored approximately 30,000 stars (9 .5 < V < 15.5) in a 5.7 degree x 5.7 degree field in Andromeda with three telescopes over five months. We identified six candidate transiting planets from the stellar light curves. From subsequent follow-up observations, we rejected each of these as an astrophysical false positive, i.e. a stellar system containing an eclipsing binary, whose light curve mimics that of a Jupiter-sized planet transiting a sun-like star. We present these candidates as an example of the procedures followed by the TrES team to reject false positives from our list of candidate transiting hot Jupiters.
We investigate heating of the cool core of a galaxy cluster through the dissipation of sound waves and weak shocks excited by the activities of the central active galactic nucleus (AGN). Using a weak shock theory, we show that this heating mechanism alone cannot reproduce observed temperature and density profiles of a cluster, because the dissipation length of the waves is much smaller than the size of the core and thus the wave energy is not distributed to the whole core.
We perform a search for faint, common proper motion companions of Hipparcos stars using the recently published LSPM-north catalog of stars with proper motion mu>0.15 arcsec/yr. Our survey uncovers a total of 521 systems with angular separations 3" < Delta theta < 1500", with 15 triples and 1 quadruple. Our new list of wide systems with Hipparcos primaries includes 130 systems identified here for the first time, including 44 in which the secondary star has V>15.0. Our census is statistically complete for secondaries with angular separations 20" < Delta theta < 300" and apparent magnitudes V<19.0. Overall, we find that at least 9.5 % of nearby (d<100 pc) Hipparcos stars have distant stellar companions with projected orbital separations s>1,000 AU. We observe that the distribution in orbital separations is consistent with Opik's law f(s) ds ~ s^{-1} ds only up to separation s~4,000 AU, beyond which it follows a more steeply decreasing power law f(s) ds ~ s^{-l} ds with l=1.6+/-0.1. We also find that the luminosity function of the secondaries is significantly different from that of the single stars field population, showing a relative deficiency in low-luminosity (8<M_V<14) objects. The observed trends suggest either a formation mechanism biased against low-mass companions, or a disruption over time of systems with low gravitational binding energy.
We describe a new technique for measuring accurate galaxy colours from images taken under different seeing conditions. The method involves two ingredients. First we define the Gaussian-aperture-and-PSF flux, which is the Gaussian-weighted flux a galaxy would have if it were observed with a Gaussian PSF. This theoretical aperture flux is independent of the PSF or pixel scale that the galaxy was observed with. Second we develop a procedure to measure such a `GaaP' flux from observed, pixellated images. This involves modelling source and PSF as a superposition of orthogonal shapelets. A correction scheme is also described, which approximately corrects for any residuals to the shapelet expansions. A series of tests on simulated images shows that with this method it is possible to reduce systematic errors in the matched-aperture fluxes to a percent, which makes it useful for deriving photometric redshifts from large imaging surveys.
Galaxy disks are characterised by star formation histories that vary systematically along the Hubble sequence. We study global star formation, incorporating supernova feedback, gas accretion and enriched outflows in disks modelled by a multiphase interstellar medium in a fixed gravitational potential. The star formation histories, gas distributions and chemical evolution can be explained in a simple sequence of models which are primarily regulated by the cold gas accretion history.
We present the results of an H-alpha monitoring campaign on the BeXRB and microquasar system LS I +61 303. We use radial velocity measurements of HeI lines in our spectra to re-evaluate the orbital elements and to better establish the time of periastron. We list equivalent widths and other parameters for the H-alpha emission line and discuss the orbital phase related variations observed. We call attention to a dramatic episode of emission weakening that occurred in less than a day that probably resulted from exposure to a transient source of ionizing radiation. We argue that the increase in H-alpha and X-ray emission following periastron probably results from the creation of an extended density wave in the disk created by tidal forces. We also discuss estimates of the size of the disk from the H-alpha equivalent width measurements, and we suggest that the disk radius from the average equivalent width corresponds to a resonant truncation radius of the disk while the maximum equivalent width corresponds to a radius limited by the separation of the stars at periastron. We note that a nearby faint companion is probably an unrelated foreground object.
We discuss results of our study on AM CVn binaries formed with donors that never ignited He before contact. For the first time, we treat the donor's in these systems in the context of a full stellar structure evolution theory and find that the binary's evolution can described in terms of 3 phases: contact, adiabatic donor expansion, and late-time donor cooling. Details of the first and third phase are new results from this study and we focus on generally characterizing these two phases. Finally, we present our predictions for the donor's light in these systems.
I have investigated what coordinate systems, other than the Robertson-Walker system, there might be to describe a homogeneous and isotropic universe that are physical close to the origin, i.e.,covariant transforms from RW that there have a Minkowski metric. I show that all possible such systems must have the same variable photon velocity close to their origin, which is consistent with the RW system also having the same variable photon velocity. Implausible though it may seem, if the criteria for physicality are valid, it seems inescapable that this must represent the physical photon velocity c(t). The assumption of homogeneity makes it applicable to physical processes throughout the universe. I find that the analytic expression for it is c(t) = aH, the cosmic scale factor times the Hubble ratio in appropriate units. The existence of physicality derives from the physicality criteria being applied to the transformed coordinates expanded from the origin out to the lowest order of the RW radial coordinate, and not to gravitatioal energy density, which determines its magnitude. I show that there are covariant transforms which are physical over a large fraction of the univers's space-time. The replacement of the RW time by a generalized time, for which the differential is c(t)dt, keeps invariant the Lorentz transform, the Minkowski metric, and the Einstein field equation. These can be used to preserve and extend all our physical laws. Other physical "constants" that depend on the photon velocity may also change.
The abundance anomalies in chemically peculiar B-F stars are usually explained by diffusion of chemical elements in the stable atmospheres of these stars. But it is well known that Cp stars with similar temperatures and gravities show very different chemical compositions. We show that the abundance patterns of several stars can be influenced by accretion and (or) nuclear reactions in stellar atmospheres. We report the result of determination of abundances of elements in the atmosphere of hot Am star: Sirius A and show that Sirius A was contaminated by s-process enriched matter from Sirius B (now a white dwarf). The second case is Przybylski's star. The abundance pattern of this star is the second most studied one after the Sun with the abundances determined for about 60 chemical elements. Spectral lines of radioactive elements with short decay times were found in the spectrum of this star. We report the results of investigation on the stratification of chemical elements in the atmosphere of Przybylski's star and the new identification of lines corresponding to short lived actinides in its spectrum. Possible explanations of the abundances pattern of Przybylski's star (as well as HR465 and HD965) can be the natural radioactive decay of thorium, and uranium, the explosion of a companion as a Supernova or nucleosynthesis events at stellar surface.
The distribution of the intensities of individual pulses of PSR B0950+08 as a function of the longitudes at which they appear is analyzed. The flux density of the pulsar at 111 MHz varies strongly from day to day (by up to a factor of 13) due to the passage of the radiation through the interstellar plasma (interstellar scintillation). The intensities of individual pulses can exceed the amplitude of the mean pulse profile, obtained by accumulating 770 pulses, by more than an order of magnitude. The intensity distribution along the mean profile is very different for weak and strong pulses. The differential distribution function for the intensities is a power law with index n = -1.1 +- 0.06 up to peak flux densities for individual pulses of the order of 160 Jy.
There exists observational evidence that the interstellar medium has a fractal structure in a wide range of spatial scales. The measurement of the fractal dimension (Df) of interstellar clouds is a simple way to characterize this fractal structure, but several factors, both intrinsic to the clouds and to the observations, may contribute to affect the values obtained. In this work we study the effects that opacity and noise have on the determination of Df. We focus on two different fractal dimension estimators: the perimeter-area based dimension (Dper) and the mass-size dimension (Dm). We first use simulated fractal clouds to show that opacity does not affect the estimation of Dper. However, Dm tends to increase as opacity increases and this estimator fails when applied to optically thick regions. In addition, very noisy maps can seriously affect the estimation of both Dper and Dm, decreasing the final estimation of Df. We apply these methods to emission maps of Ophiuchus, Perseus and Orion molecular clouds in different molecular lines and we obtain that the fractal dimension is always in the range 2.6 < Df < 2.8 for these regions. These results support the idea of a relatively high (> 2.3) average fractal dimension for the interstellar medium, as traced by different chemical species.
Major progress has been made in helio- and asteroseismology in recent years. In helioseismology, much of the activity has been in local helioseismology. However, the recent revision of solar surface abundances, and the resulting problems in reconciling solar models with the helioseismic inferences, have lead to renewed activity in solar modelling and global helioseismology. Interesting, although perhaps not compelling, evidence has been found for solar g modes in observations with the GOLF instrument on the SOHO spacecraft. Extensive asteroseismic results have been obtained from ground-based observations as well as from the WIRE and MOST satellites, and much is expected from the upcoming launch of the CoRoT satellite and, in a few years, from the Kepler mission. In parallel, stellar modelling is being extended to take some account of hydrodynamical effects, while large-scale hydrodynamical calculations are providing increasingly realistic simulations of these effects. The outcome of these activities will undoubtedly be a far better understanding of stellar internal properties and stellar evolution, together with an improved insight into the physics of matter under the extreme conditions found in stars.
We study the expansion of the ionization and dissociation fronts (DFs) in a radially stratified molecular cloud, whose density distribution is represented as n(r) \propto r^-w. We focus on cases with w \leq 1.5, when the ionization front is ``trapped'' in the cloud and expands with the preceding shock front. The simultaneous evolution of the outer photodissociation region (PDR) is examined in detail. First, we analytically probe the time evolution of the column densities of the shell and envelope outside the HII region, which are key physical quantities for the shielding of dissociating photons. Next, we perform numerical calculations, and study how the thermal/chemical structure of the outer PDR changes with different density gradients. We apply our numerical model to the Galactic HII region, Sharpless 219 (Sh219). The time evolution of the column densities of the shell and outer envelope depends on w, and qualitatively changes across w = 1. In the cloud with w < 1, the shell column density increases as the HII region expands. The DFs are finally trapped in the shell, and the molecular gas gradually accumulates in the shell. The molecular shell and envelope surround the HII region. With w > 1, on the other hand, the shell column density initially increases, but finally decreases. The column density of the outer envelope also quickly decreases as the HII region swells up. It becomes easier and easier for the dissociating photons to penetrate the shell and envelope. The PDR broadly extends around the trapped HII region. A model with w = 1.5 successfully explains the observational properties of Sh219. Our model suggests that a density-bounded PDR surrounds the photon-bounded HII region in Sh219.
We present T-ReCS high spatial resolution N-band (8-13 micron) spectroscopy of the central regions (a few kpc) of 3 local LIRGs. The nuclear spectra show deep 9.7 micron silicate absorption feature and the high ionization [SIV]10.5 micron emission line, consistent with their optical classification as AGN. The two LIRGs with unresolved mid-IR emission do not show PAH emission at 11.3 micron in their nuclear spectra. The spatially resolved mid-IR spectroscopy of NGC 5135 allows us to separate out the spectra of the Seyfert nucleus, an HII region, and the diffuse region between them on scales of less than 2.5 arcsec ~ 600 pc. The diffuse region spectrum is characterized by strong PAH emission with almost no continuum, whereas the HII region shows PAH emission with a smaller equivalent width as well as [NeII]12.8 micron line.
We perform a detailed photometric study of the stellar populations in a Galactic Field at l = 232, b = -6 in the Canis Major (CMa) constellation. We present the first U,B,V,I photometry of the old open cluster Auner1 and determine it to be 3.25 Gyr old and to lie at 8.9 kpc from the Sun. In the background of the cluster, at more than 9 kpc, we detect a young population most probably associated to the Norma Cygnus spiral arm. Furthermore, we detect the signature of an older population and identify its Turn Off and Red Giant Branch. This population is found to have a mean age of 7 Gyrs and a mean metallicity of Z = 0.006 . We reconstruct the geometry of the stellar distribution and argue that this older population - often associated to the Canis Major {\it galaxy}- belongs in fact to the warped old thin/thick disk component along this line of sight.
The rotation curves and the relative mass distributions of the two nearby Local Group spiral galaxies, M31 and M33, show discrepancies with Modified Newtonian dynamic (MOND) predictions. In M33 the discrepancy lies in the kinematics of the outermost regions. It can be alleviated by adopting tilted ring models compatible with the 21-cm datacube but different from the one that best fits the data. In M31 MOND fails to fit the falling part of the rotation curve at intermediate radii, before the curve flattens out in the outermost regions. Newtonian dynamics in a framework of a stellar disc embedded in a dark halo can explain the complex rotation curve profiles of these two galaxies, while MOND has some difficulties. However, given the present uncertainties in the kinematics of these nearby galaxies, we cannot address the success or failure of MOND theory in a definite way. More sensitive and extended observations around the critical regions, suggested by MOND fits discussed in this paper, may lead to a definite conclusion.
The dwarf planet Eris (2003 UB313, formerly known also as ``Xena'') is the largest KBO up to now discovered. Despite being larger than Pluto and bearing many similarities with it, it has not been possible insofar to detect any significant variability in its light curve, preventing the determination of its period and axial ratio. We attempt to assess the level of variability of the Eris light curve by determining its BVRI photometry with a target accuracy of 0.03 mag/frame in R and a comparable or better stability in the calibration. Eris has been observed between November $30^\mathrm{th}$ and December $5^\mathrm{th}$ 2005 with the Y4KCam on-board the 1.0m Yale telescope at Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory, Chile in photometric nights. We obtain 7 measures in B, 23 in V, 62 in R and 20 in I. Averaged B, V, and I magnitudes as colors are in agreement within $\approx 0.03$ mag with measures from Rabinowitz et al. (2006) taken in the same nights. Night-averaged magnitudes in R shows a statistically significant variability over a range of about $0.05\pm0.01$ mag. This can not be explained by known systematics, background objects or some periodical variation with periods less than two days in the light-curve. The same applies to B, V and to less extent to I due to larger errors. In analogy with Pluto and if confirmed by future observations, this ``long term'' variability might be ascribed to a slow rotation of Eris, with periods longer than 5 days, or to the effect of its unresolved satellite ``Dysnomea'' which may contribute for $\approx0.02$ mag to the total brightness.
I present a brief review of some of the mid-infrared properties of interacting galaxies as these were revealed using observations from the Infrared Space Observatory and Spitzer Space Telescope over the last decade. The variation of the infrared spectral energy distribution in interacting galaxies can be used as an extinction free tracer not only of the location of the star formation activity but also of the physical mechanism dominating their energy production.
We are engaged in a comprehensive program to find reliable elemental abundances in and to probe the physical structure of the Orion Nebula, the brightest and best-resolved H II region. In the course of developing a robust extinction correction covering our optical and ultraviolet FOS and STIS observations, we examined the decrement within various series of He I lines. The decrements of the 2^3S-n^3P, 2^3P-n^3S and 3^3S-n^3P series are not in accord with caseB recombination theory. None of these anomalous He I decrements can be explained by extinction, indicating the presence of additional radiative transfer effects in He I lines ranging from the near-IR to the near-UV. CLOUDY photoionization equilibrium models including radiative transfer are developed to predict the observed He I decrements and the quantitative agreement is quite remarkable. Following from these results, select He I lines are combined with H I and [O II] lines and stellar extinction data to validate a new normalizable analytic expression for the wavelength dependence of the extinction. In so doing, the He+/H+ abundance is also derived.
We report some results from one of the largest hydrodynamical cosmological simulations of large scale structures that has been done up to date. The MareNostrum Universe SPH simulation consists of 2 billion particles (2 times 1024^3) in a cubic box of 500 h^-1 Mpc on a side. This simulation has been done in the MareNostrum parallel supercomputer at the Barcelona SuperComputer Center. Due to the large simulated volume and good mass resolution, our simulated catalog of dark matter halos comprises more than half a million objects with masses larger than a typical Milky Way galaxy halo. From this dataset we have studied several statistical properties such as the evolution of the halo mass function, the void distribution, the shapes of dark and gas halos and the large scale distribution of baryons.
The statistical properties of planets in binaries were investigated. Any difference to planets orbiting single stars can shed light on the formation and evolution of planetary systems. As planets were found around components of binaries with very different separation and mass ratio, it is particularly important to study the characteristics of planets as a function of the effective gravitational influence of the companion. A compilation of planets in binary systems was made; a search for companions orbiting stars recently shown to host planets was performed, resulting in the addition of two further binary planet hosts (HD 20782 and HD 109749). The probable original properties of the three binary planet hosts with white dwarfs companions were also investigated. Using this updated sample of planets in binaries we performed a statistical analysis of the distributions of planet mass, period, and eccentricity, fraction of multiplanet systems, and stellar metallicity for planets orbiting components of tight and wide binaries and single stars. The only highly significant difference revealed by our analysis concerns the mass distribution of short-period planets. Massive planets in short period orbits are found in most cases around the components of rather tight binaries. The properties of exoplanets orbiting the components of wide binaries are compatible with those of planets orbiting single stars, except for a possible greater abundance of high-eccentricity planets. The previously suggested lack of massive planets with P>100 days in binaries is not confirmed. We conclude that the presence of a stellar companion with separation smaller than 100-300 AU is able to modify the formation and/or migration and/or the dynamical evolution history of giant planets while wide companions play a more limited role
The growth of supermassive black holes (SBHs) appears to be closely linked with the formation of spheroids. There is a pressing need to acquire better statistics on SBH masses, since the existing samples are preferentially weighted toward early-type galaxies with very massive SBHs. With this motivation we started a project aimed at measuring upper limits on the mass of the SBHs in the center of all the nearby galaxies (D<100 Mpc) for which STIS/G750M spectra are available in the HST archive. These upper limits will be derived by modeling the central emission-line widths observed in the Halpha region over an aperture of ~0.1''. Here we present our results for a subsample of 20 S0-Sb galaxies within 20 Mpc.
We have observed four X-ray underluminous groups of galaxies using the Giant Meterwave RadioTelescope. The groups NGC 524, 720, 3607, and 4697 are underluminous in relation to the extrapolation of the Lx - T relation from rich clusters and do not show any evidence of current AGN activities that can account for such a departure. The GMRT observations carried out at low frequencies (235 and 610 MHz) were aimed at detecting low surface brightness, steep-spectrum sources indicative of past AGN activities in these groups. No such radio emissions were detected in any of these four groups. The corresponding upper limits on the total energy in relativistic particles is about 3 X 10$^{57}$ erg. This value is more than a factor of 100 less than that required to account for the decreased X-ray luminosities (or, enhanced entropies) of these four groups in the AGN-heating scenario. Alternatively, the AGN activity must have ceased about 4 Gyr ago, allowing the relativistic particles to diffuse out to such a large extent (about 250 kpc) that their radio emission could have been undetected by the current observations. If the latter scenario is correct, the ICM was pre-heated before the assembly of galaxy clusters.
A good fraction of GRBs detected by Swift are at a large redshift (up to z=6.3, so far). Their study allows us to investigate, among other things, the cosmic star formation in the early Universe (possibly up to the re-ionization era) and the chemical enrichment of the high-redshift gas. Here we present and discuss a method of selection which identifies high-redshift candidates based only upon promptly-available information provided by Swift. This method relies upon, Galactic extinction, GRB duration time and absence of an optical counterpart in the UVOT telescope onboard Swift. This tool may provide an extremely effective way to locate high-redshift astrophysical objects and to follow them in the optical/NIR band in near real time.
One of the hypothesis to explain the outburst of V838 Mon is the engulfment of planets. More than 170 extrasolar planets were discovered in the past years. Their properties and the characteristics of their host stars can be used to evaluate of the plausibility of this hypothesis. However, the large mass and young age of V838 Mon make the object rather different from the typical targets of current planet searches. Therefore, the expectations of planet engulfing events derived from them are not directly applicable to the case of V838 Mon. Some of the properties of V838 Mon (as the probable large stellar mass and sub-solar metallicity) make somewhat unlikely the presence of planets around it, but the uncertainty on the mass and age of the progenitor and the lack of knowledge of planet formation around massive star do not allow a firm conclusion.
The standard model for gravitational structure formation in astrophysics, astronomy, and cosmology is questioned. Cold dark matter (CDM) hierarchical clustering cosmology neglects particle collisions, viscosity, turbulence and diffusion and makes predictions in conflict with observations. From Jeans 1902 and CDMHC, the non-baryonic dark matter NBDM forms small clumps during the plasma epoch after the big bang that ``cluster'' into larger clumps. CDM halo clusters collect the baryonic matter (H and He) by gravity so that after 300 Myr of ``dark ages'', huge, explosive (Population III) first stars appear, and then galaxies and galaxy clusters. Contrary to CDMHC cosmology, ``hydro-gravitational-dynamics'' HGD cosmology suggests the diffusive NBDM material cannot clump and the clumps cannot cluster. From HGD, the big bang results from an exothermic turbulent instability at Planck scales (10^{-35} m). Turbulent stresses cause an inflation of space and fossil density turbulence remnants that trigger gravitational instability at protosupercluster masses (10^{46} kg) in the H-He plasma. These fragment along plasma turbulence vortex lines to form protogalaxy masses (10^{42} kg) just before the transition to gas. The gas has x10^{-13} smaller viscosity, so it fragments at planetary and globular-star-cluster masses (10^{25} and 10^{36} kg) to form the baryonic dark matter (BDM). Observations from the Hubble Space Telescope show protogalaxies (PGs) in linear clusters reflecting their likely fragmentation on plasma vortex lines. From merging BDM planets, these PGs gently form small stars in globular clusters <1 Myr after the big bang without the dark ages, superstars, or reionization of CDM cosmology.
The Arecibo Galaxy Environments Survey (AGES) is a 2000-hour neutral hydrogen (HI) survey using the new Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFA) multibeam instrument at Arecibo Observatory. It will cover 200 square degrees of sky, sampling a range of environments from the Local Void through to the Virgo Cluster with higher sensitivity, spatial resolution and velocity resolution than previous neutral hydrogen surveys.
Outflows can be loaded and accelerated to high speeds along rapidly rotating, open magnetic field lines by centrifugal forces. Whether such magnetocentrifugally driven winds are stable is a longstanding theoretical problem. As a step towards addressing this problem, we perform the first large-scale 3D MHD simulations that extend to a distance $\sim 10^2$ times beyond the launching region, starting from steady 2D (axisymmetric) solutions. In an attempt to drive the wind unstable, we increase the mass loading on one half of the launching surface by a factor of $\sqrt{10}$, and reduce it by the same factor on the other half. The evolution of the perturbed wind is followed numerically. We find no evidence for any rapidly growing instability that could disrupt the wind during the launching and initial phase of propagation, even when the magnetic field of the magnetocentrifugal wind is toroidally dominated all the way to the launching surface. The strongly perturbed wind settles into a new steady state, with a highly asymmetric mass distribution. The distribution of magnetic field strength is, in contrast, much more symmetric. We discuss possible reasons for the apparent stability, including stabilization by an axial poloidal magnetic field, which is required to bend field lines away from the vertical direction and produce a magnetocentrifugal wind in the first place.
The ARIANNA concept utilizes the Ross Ice Shelf near the coast of Antarctica to increase the sensitivity to cosmogenic neutrinos by roughly an order of magnitude when compared to the sensitivity of existing detectors and those under construction. Therefore, ARIANNA can test a wide variety of scenarios for GZK neutrino production, and probe for physics beyond the standard model by measuring the neutrino cross-section at center of momentum energies near 100 TeV. ARIANNA capitalizes on several remarkable properties of the Ross Ice Shelf: shelf ice is relatively transparent to electromagnetic radiation at radio frequencies and the water-ice boundary below the shelf creates a good mirror to reflect radio signals from neutrino interactions in any downward direction. The high sensitivity results from nearly six months of continuous operation, low energy threshold (~3x10^17 eV), and more than 2*pi of sky coverage. The baseline concept for ARIANNA consists of moderately high gain antenna stations arranged on a 100 x 100 square grid, separated by about 300m. Each station consists of a small group of cross-polarized antennas residing just beneath the snow surface and facing downwards. They communicate with a central control hub by wireless links to generate global triggers.
Two recent observations regarding the halo of M33 seem to contradict each other. First, the star clusters in the halo of M33 exhibit an age range of 5 to 7 Gyr suggesting a formation scenario that involves the chaotic fragmentation and accretion of dwarf satellites. In contrast, deep photometric searches for the resultant tidal tails and stellar streams in the vicinity of M33 have turned up nothing significant. In this contribution, we have tried to reconcile these apparently disparate observations. We suggest that M33 is situated within a 'superhalo' which contains many other dwarf spheroidal and dwarf irregular galaxies that are satellites of M31. In such a scenario, the tidal field of M31 could have disrupted and/or diluted the leftover tails and streams leaving little to be detected in the present day.
Most massive stars are found in the center of dense clusters, and have a companion fraction much higher than their lower mass siblings; the massive stars of the Trapezium core in Orion have ~ 1.5 companions each. This high multiplicity could be a consequence of formation via a capture scenario, or it could be due to fragmentation of the cores that form the massive stars. During stellar formation circumstellar disks appear to be nearly ubiquitous. Their large radii compared to stellar sizes increase the interaction radius significantly, suggesting that disk interactions with neighboring stars could assist in capturing binary companions. This mechanism has been studied for stars of approximately solar mass and found to be inefficient. In this paper we present simulations of interactions between a 22 Msun star-disk system and less massive impactors, to study the disk-assisted capture formation of binaries in a regime suited to massive stars. The formation of binaries by capture is found to be much more efficient for massive capturers. We discuss the effects of a mass dependent velocity dispersion and mass segregation on the capture rates, and consider the long term survival of the resultant binaries in a dense cluster.
We have surveyed submillimeter continuum emission from relatively quiescent regions in the Orion molecular cloud to determine how the core mass function in a high mass star forming region compares to the stellar initial mass function. Such studies are important for understanding the evolution of cores to stars, and for comparison to formation processes in high and low mass star forming regions. We used the SHARC II camera on the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory telescope to obtain 350 \micron data having angular resolution of about 9 arcsec, which corresponds to 0.02 pc at the distance of Orion. Our analysis combining dust continuum and spectral line data defines a sample of 51 Orion molecular cores with masses ranging from 0.1 \Ms to 46 \Ms and a mean mass of 9.8 \Ms, which is one order of magnitude higher than the value found in typical low mass star forming regions, such as Taurus. The majority of these cores cannot be supported by thermal pressure or turbulence, and are probably supercritical.They are thus likely precursors of protostars. The core mass function for the Orion quiescent cores can be fitted by a power law with an index equal to -0.85$\pm$0.21. This is significantly flatter than the Salpeter initial mass function and is also flatter than the core mass function found in low and intermediate star forming regions. Thus, it is likely that environmental processes play a role in shaping the stellar IMF later in the evolution of dense cores and the formation of stars in such regions.
Gamma ray bursts (GRBs) are known to come in two duration classes, separated at ~2 s. Long bursts originate from star forming regions in galaxies, have accompanying supernovae (SNe) when near enough to observe and are likely caused by massive-star collapsars. Recent observations show that short bursts originate in regions within their host galaxies with lower star formation rates consistent with binary neutron star (NS) or NS - black hole (BH) mergers. Moreover, although their hosts are predominantly nearby galaxies, no SNe have been so far associated with short GRBs. We report here on the bright, nearby GRB 060614 that does not fit in either class. Its ~102 s duration groups it with long GRBs, while its temporal lag and peak luminosity fall entirely within the short GRB subclass. Moreover, very deep optical observations exclude an accompanying supernova, similar to short GRBs. This combination of a long duration event without accompanying SN poses a challenge to both a collapsar and merging NS interpretation and opens the door on a new GRB classification scheme that straddles both long and short bursts.
We report the first detection of the 205 um 3P1 - 3P0 [NII] line from a ground-based observatory using a direct detection spectrometer. The line was detected from the Carina star formation region using the South Pole Imaging Fabry-Perot Interferometer (SPIFI) on the Antarctic Submillimeter Telescope and Remote Observatory (AST/RO) at South Pole. The [NII] 205 um line strength indicates a low-density (n ~ 32 cm^-3 ionized medium, similar to the low-density ionized halo reported previously in its [OIII] 52 and 88 um line emission. When compared with the ISO [CII] observations of this region, we find that ~27% of the [CII] line emission arises from this low-density ionized gas, but the large majority ~ 73% of the observed [CII] line emission arises from the neutral interstellar medium. This result supports and underpins prior conclusions that most of the observed [CII] 158 um line emission from Galactic and extragalactic sources arises from the warm, dense photodissociated surfaces of molecular clouds. The detection of the [NII] line demonstrates the utility of Antarctic sites for THz spectroscopy.
We present the analysis of the observations of standard stars for linear polarization obtained from 1999 to 2005 within the context of the calibration plan of the FORS1 instrument of the ESO VLT. We have considered observations carried out both in imaging polarimetric and in spectropolarimetric mode. Broadband polarization was obtained in the Bessel BVRI filters; spectropolarimetry was obtained with various grisms covering different optical ranges and with a typical resolution of a few hundreds. Spectropolarimetric data have been convolved with the transmission functions of the Bessel filters, which enabled us to calculate polarization values equivalent to broadband polarization measurements in imaging mode. Finally, for each star, instrument mode, and for each Bessel filter band, we have calculated an average polarization value obtained after filtering all available data with a k-sigma clipping algorithm.
ABRIDGED: We use HSTACS and NICMOS imaging to study the structure and colors of a sample of nine late-type spirals. We find: (1) A correlation between bulge and disks scale-lengths, and a correlation between the colors of the bulges and those of the inner disks. Our data show a trend for bulges to be more metal-enriched than their surrounding disks, but otherwise no simple age-metallicity connection between these systems; (2) A large range in bulge stellar population properties, and, in particular, in stellar ages. Specifically, in about a half of the late-type bulges in our sample the bulk of the stellar mass was produced recently. Thus, in a substantial fraction of the z=0 disk-dominated bulged galaxies, bulge formation occurs after the formation/accretion of the disk; (3) In about a half of the late-type bulges in our sample, however, the bulk of the stellar mass was produced at early epochs; (4) Even these "old" late-type bulges host a significant fraction of stellar mass in a young(er) c component; (5) A correlation for bulges between stellar age and stellar mass, in the sense that more massive late-type bulges are older than less massive late-type bulges. Since the overall galaxy luminosity (mass) also correlates with the bulge luminosity (mass), it appears that the galaxy mass regulates not only what fraction of itself ends up in the bulge component, but also "when" bulge formation takes place. We show that dynamical friction of massive clumps in gas-rich disks is a plausible disk-driven mode for the formation of "old" late-type bulges. If disk evolutionary processes are responsible for the formation of the entire family of late-type bulges, CDM simulations need to produce a similar number of initially bulgeless disks in addition to the disk galaxies that are observed to be bulgeless at z=0.
We present template spectra of low-mass (M0-L0) dwarfs derived from over 4,000 Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) spectra. These composite spectra are suitable for use as medium-resolution (R ~ 1,800) radial velocity standards. We report mean spectral properties (molecular bandhead strengths,equivalent widths) and use the templates to investigate the effects of magnetic activity and metallicity on the spectroscopic and photometric properties of low-mass stars.
We present a total of 57 days of contiguous, high-cadence photometry (14 days in 2004 and 43 in 2005) of the star BD+18 4914 obtained with the MOST satellite. We detect 16 frequencies down to a signal-to-noise of 3.6 (amplitude \~ 0.5 mmag). Six of these are less than 3 cycles/day, and the other ten are between 7 and 16 cycles/day. We intrepret the low frequencies as g-mode $\gamma$ Doradus-type pulsations and the others as $\delta$ Scuti-type p-modes, making BD+18 4914 one of the few known hybrid pulsators of its class. If the g-mode pulsations are high-overtone non-radial modes with identical low degree l, we can assign a unique mode classification of n={12, 20, 21, 22, 31, 38} based on the frequency ratio method.
In this paper we discuss models of the X-rays and TeV gamma-ray emission from BL Lac objects based on parallel electron-positron or electron-proton beams that form close to the central black hole owing to the strong electric fields generated by the accretion disk and possibly also by the black hole itself. Fitting the energy spectrum of the BL Lac object Mrk 501, we obtain tight constrains on the beam properties. Launching a sufficiently energetic beam requires rather strong magnetic fields close to the black hole 100-1000 G. However, the model fits imply that the magnetic field in the emission region is only 0.02 G. Thus, the particles are accelerated close to the black hole and propagate a considerable distance before instabilities trigger the dissipation of energy through synchrotron and self-Compton emission. We discuss various approaches to generate enough power to drive the jet and, at the same time, to accelerate particles to 20 TeV energies. Although the parallel beam model has its own problems, it explains some of the long-standing problems that plague models based on Fermi type particle acceleration, like the presence of a very high minimum Lorentz factor of accelerated particles. We conclude with a brief discussion of the implications of the model for the difference between the processes of jet formation in BL Lac type objects and in quasars.
Deep surveys conducted during the past decades have shown that galaxies in the distant universe are generally of more irregular shapes, and are disky in appearance and in their star formation rate, compared to galaxies in similar environments in the nearby universe. Given that the merger rate between z=2 and the local universe is far from adequate to account for this observed morphological transformation rate, an internal mechanism for the morphological transformation of galaxies is to be sought, whose operation can be further aided by environmental factors. The secular evolution mechanism, especially with the discovery of a collisionless dissipation mechanism for stars within the secular evolution paradigm, has provided just such a framework for understanding the morphological evolution of galaxies across the Hubble time. In this paper we will summarize the past theoretical results on the dynamical mechanisms for secular evolution, and highlight new results in the analysis of the observational data, which confirmed that density waves in physical galaxies possess the kind of characteristics which could produce the observed rates of morphological transformation for both cluster and field galaxies.
The apparatus of correlation gamma function (\Gamma*(r)) is used to analyze volume-limited samples from the DR4 Main Galaxy Sample of the SDSS survey with the aim of determining the characteristic scales of galaxy clustering. Up to 20 h^{-1} Mpc (H_0 = 65 km s^{-1}Mpc^{-1}), the distribution of galaxies is described by a power-law density-distance dependence, \Gamma*(r) proportional to r^{-\gamma}, with an index \gamma approximately 1.0. A change in the state of clustering (a significant deviation from the power law) was found on a scale of 20-25 h^{-1}Mpc. The distribution of SDSS galaxies becomes homogeneous (\gamma approximately 0) from a scale of ~60 h^{-1}Mpc. The dependence of \gamma on the luminosity of galaxies in volume-limited samples was obtained. The power-law index \gamma increases with decreasing absolute magnitude of sample galaxies M_abs. At M_abs ~ -21.4, which corresponds to the characteristic value Mr* of the SDSS luminosity function, this dependence exhibits a break followed by a more rapid increase in \gamma.
Broad- and narrow-band images covering the 1 - 4um wavelength interval are used to investigate the properties of the brightest AGB stars in the Local Group galaxy M32. The brightest AGB stars near the center of M32 have peak M_L' brightnesses and K-L' colors that are similar to those of luminous AGB stars in the Galactic disk, while the density of bright AGB stars per unit visible and near-infrared surface brightness is found to be constant out to projected major axis distances of 1 kpc. The J-K color distribution of bright AGB stars throughout much of the galaxy is consistent with that of a single population of AGB stars, the majority of which are long period variables, having a common metallicity and age. Thus, these data do not support spectroscopic studies that find an age gradient in M32. The well-mixed AGB content of M32 is consistent with tidal stirring. The stellar content of M32 is compared with that of the M31 bulge. While the peak K-band brightnesses of AGB stars in the two systems agree to within a few tenths of a magnitude, M32 contains more bright AGB stars per unit integrated brightness than the outer bulge of M31.
We present high spectral resolution (v~12-16 km/s) Brackett line spectroscopy of the blue compact dwarf galaxy Henize 2-10 made with NIRSPEC on the Keck Telescope. The spatial resolution is seeing limited, at 1". We detect two distinct kinematic features separated by approximately 3", with heliocentric velocities of ~860 and ~890 km/s. In addition to a narrow core, the line profiles also display a broad, low intensity feature on the blue side of the centroid, which we attribute to an outflow. This may be a sign of aging in the clusters. We compare to archival high resolution Very Large Array (VLA) data at 1.3 cm, and find that the centimeter wavelength emission is resolved into six sources. These radio sources are organized into two larger groups, which we associate with the two kinematic peaks in the Brackett spectrum. We estimate a Lyman continuum rate of at least 7 x 10^52 s^-1, with a corresponding stellar mass of 6 x 10^6 M_sun is required to ionize the nebulae. We also estimate the size of the nebulae from the radio continuum brightness and find that the observed sources probably contain many HII regions in smaller, unresolved clumps. Brackett line profiles have supersonic line widths, but, aside from the blue wing, are comparable to line widths observed in Galactic ultracompact HII regions, which are excited by a single star, or a few stars.
Near-infrared images are used to investigate the brightest red stars in the disk of the nearby spiral galaxy M81. Red supergiants (RSGs) form a well-defined sequence on the color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) that peaks near M_K = -11.5; RSGs with this peak brightness are seen throughout all fields that were studied, indicating that star formation occured over a large part of the M81 disk only ~ 10 Myr in the past. The number of RSGs per unit integrated K-band light is compared at various locations in the disk. We conclude that star-forming activity in M81 during the past 10 - 25 Myr (1) was distributed over a larger fraction of the disk than it is at the present day, and (2) was not restricted to a given radial interval, but was distributed in a manner that closely followed the stellar mass profile. Star counts indicate that the mean SFR of M81 between 10 and 25 Myr in the past was ~ 0.1 solar masses per year, which is not greatly different from the present day SFR estimated from Halpha and FUV emission.
The new B and V photoelectric observations of the beta Lyrae eclipsing binary DO Cas were obtained on 6 nights form December 2000 to January 2001. The observations were made at the Biruni Observatory, Shiraz, Iran and the light curves are analyzed using the Wilson light curve synthesis and differential correction code. So, the relative surface luminosities, new light elements, and new orbital elements have been obtained, and from times of minimum the period is improved. With these and previously published times, the period variation is studied and a constant period is approved, though some authors has mentioned some variations. The solutions of the light curves suggest that DO Cas is a contact binary.
Large differences between the properties of the known sample of cataclysmic variable stars (CVs) and the predictions of the theory of binary star evolution have long been recognised. However, because all existing CV samples suffer from strong selection effects, observational bias must be considered before it is possible to tell whether there is an inconsistency, which would imply a failure of the evolutionary model. We have modelled common selection effects and illustrate their influence on observed CV samples.
The purpose of this study is to explore the population of X-ray point sources in the bulge of M31, with the primary goal to contrast properties of various subpopulations, such as persistent and transient sources, primordial LMXBs and dynamically formed ones. Based on the data from 26 archival Chandra observations we study the source content and properties of various subpopulations of X-ray sources to a maximum distance of 12 arcmin from the centre of M31. A study of the spatial distribution and the luminosity function of the X-ray sources shows that the distribution of primordial LMXBs is consistent with the distribution of the K-band light and that their luminosity function flattens below ~10^{37} erg/s to the dN/dL proportional to 1/L law in agreement with the behaviour found earlier for LMXBs in the Milky Way and in Cen A. The luminosity function of dynamically formed LMXBs shows a prominent fall-off below log(L_X)<36.5. Although the statistics is insufficient to claim a genuine low-luminosity cut-off in the luminosity function, the best fit powerlaw with a slope of -0.6+-0.2 is significantly flatter than the dN/dL proportional to 1/L law. We found 28 transient X-ray sources. Their spatial distribution follows the distribution of the persistent LMXBs within the accuracy allowed by the limited number of transients.
Rotating transonic flows are long known to admit standing or oscillating shocks and that the excess thermal energy in the post shock flow drives a part of the infalling matter as bipolar outflows. We compute massloss from a viscous advective disc. We show that the mass outflow rate decreases with increasing viscosity of the accretion disc, since viscosity weakens the centrifugal barrier that generates the shock. We also show that the optical depth of the post-shock matter decreases due to massloss which may soften the spectrum from such a mass losing disc.
We investigate the behaviour of dissipative accreting matter close to a black hole as it provides the important observational features of galactic and extra-galactic black holes candidates. We find the complete set of global solutions in presence of viscosity and synchrotron cooling. We show that advective accretion flow can have standing shock wave and the dynamics of the shock is controlled by the dissipation parameters (both viscosity and cooling). We study the effective region of the parameter space for standing as well as oscillating shock. We find that shock front always moves towards the black hole as the dissipation parameters are increased. However, viscosity and cooling have opposite effects in deciding the solution topologies. We obtain two critical cooling parameters that separate the nature of accretion solution.
LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) is an innovative radio telescope optimized for the frequency range 30-240 MHz. The telescope is realized as a phased aperture array without any moving parts. Digital beam forming allows the telescope to point to any part of the sky within a second. Transient buffering makes retrospective imaging of explosive short-term events possible. The scientific focus of LOFAR will initially be on four key science projects (KSPs): 1) detection of the formation of the very first stars and galaxies in the universe during the so-called epoch of reionization by measuring the power spectrum of the neutral hydrogen 21-cm line (Shaver et al. 1999) on the ~5' scale; 2) low-frequency surveys of the sky with of order $10^8$ expected new sources; 3) all-sky monitoring and detection of transient radio sources such as gamma-ray bursts, x-ray binaries, and exo-planets (Farrell et al. 2004); and 4) radio detection of ultra-high energy cosmic rays and neutrinos (Falcke & Gorham 2003) allowing for the first time access to particles beyond 10^21 eV (Scholten et al. 2006). Apart from the KSPs open access for smaller projects is also planned. Here we give a brief description of the telescope.
We report the serendipitous discovery of a peculiar main sequence in archived Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 observations of the young star cluster NGC 2011 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The bright part of this main sequence exhibits a prominent double, fork-like feature, as if it consists of twin main sequences, one of them being redder. The color-magnitude diagram, constructed from the stars found in the only available WFPC2 field of the cluster, is used to distinguish the stars according to their membership to each of these sequences and to study their spatial distribution. We find that there are two well distinguished populations in the sense that the redder main sequence is dominated by stars that belong to the main body of the cluster, while the stars of the bluer main sequence belong to the surrounding region. Providing that NGC 2011 is a verified binary cluster, with the second companion unfortunately not observed, and taking into account the general region where this cluster is located, we discuss the possible scenarios from both star formation, and early dynamical evolution point-of-view that might explain this unique discovery.
Analysis of the experimental data on cosmic ray spectra in the framework of the proposed model with two types of sources leads to conclusion, that sources with particle generation spectral exponent $p\sim 2.85$ give the major contribution to the all-particle spectrum in the energy range $10^5-10^7$ GeV. `Fine structure' of spectrum around the `knee' may arise due to presence of nearby supernova type source, accelerating particles up to the energies $\sim3\cdot 10^4 Z$ GeV, if the energy output of such source is $\sim2\cdot10^{48}$ erg/source.
I compare the structures of the bipolar nebulae around the massive binary system Eta Carinae and around the low mass binary system HD 44179. While Eta Carinae is on its way to become a supernova, the Red Rectangle is on its way to form a planetary nebula. Despite the two orders of magnitude difference in mass, these two systems show several similarities, both in the properties of the stellar binary systems and the nebulae. From this comparison and further analysis of the accretion process during the 20 years Great Eruption of Eta Carinae, I strengthen the binary model for the formation of its bipolar nebula--the Homunculus. In the binary model a large fraction of the mass lost by the primary star during the Great Eruption was transferred to the secondary star (the companion); An accretion disk was formed around the companion, and the companion launched two opposite jets. I show that the gravitational energy of the mass accreted onto the secondary star during the Great Eruption can account for the extra energy of the Great Eruption, both the radiated energy and the kinetic energy in the Homunculus. I also conclude that neither the proximity of the primary star in Eta Car to the Eddington luminosity, nor the rotation of the primary star are related directly to the shaping of the Homunculus. I speculate that the Great Eruption of Eta Carinae was triggered by disturbance in the outer boundary of the convective region, most likely by magnetic activity, that expelled the outer radiative zone.
We present a time-variability analysis of 29 broad absorption line quasars (BALQSOs) observed in two epochs by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). These spectra are selected from a larger sample of BALQSOs with multiple observations by virtue of exhibiting a broad CIV $\lambda$1549 absorption trough separated from the rest frame of the associated emission peak by more than 3600 km s$^{-1}$. Detached troughs facilitate higher precision variability measurements, since the measurement of the absorption in these objects is not complicated by variation in the emission line flux. We have undertaken a statistical analysis of these detached-trough BALQSO spectra to explore the relationships between BAL features that are seen to vary and the dynamics of emission from the quasar central engine. We have measured variability within our sample, which includes three strongly variable BALs. We have also verified that the statistical behavior of the overall sample agrees with current model predictions and previous studies of BAL variability. Specifically, we observe that the strongest BAL variability occurs among the smallest equivalent width features and at velocities exceeding 12,000 km s$^{-1}$, as predicted by recent disk-wind modeling.
This set of lectures is an introduction to black-hole astrophysics. The emphasis is made on the phenomenology of X-ray binaries and of supermassive compact objects at galactic centers.
We report laboratory results of a coronagraphic test bench to assess the intensity reduction differences between a "Gaussian" tapered focal plane coronagraphic mask and a classical hard-edged "Top Hat" function mask at Extreme Adaptive Optics (ExAO) Strehl ratios of ~94%. However, unlike a traditional coronagraph design, we insert a reflective focal plane mask at 45 degree to the optical axis. We also used an intermediate secondary mask ("Mask_2") before a final image in order to block additional mask-edge diffracted light. The test bench simulates the 8.1m Gemini North telescope. It includes one spider vane, different mask radii (r= 1.9, 3.7, 7.4 lambda/D) and two types of reflective focal plane masks (hard-edged "Top Hat" and "Gaussian" tapered profiles). In order to investigate the relative performance of these competing coronagraphic designs with regard to extra-solar planet detection sensitivity, we utilize the simulation of realistic extra-solar planet populations (Nielson et al. 2006). With an appropriate translation of our laboratory results to expected telescope performance, a "Gaussian" tapered mask radius of 3.7 lambda/D with an additional mask ("Mask_2") performs best (highest planet detection sensitivity). For a full survey with this optimal design, the simulation predicts ~30% more planets detected compared to a similar sized "Top Hat" function mask with "Mask_2." Using the best design, the point contrast ratio between the stellar PSF peak and the coronagraphic PSF at 10 lambda/D (0.4" in H band if D = 8.1m) is ~10 times higher than a classical Lyot "Top Hat" coronagraph. Hence, we find a Gaussian apodized mask with an additional blocking mask is a superior (~10x higher contrast) than use of a classical Lyot coronagraph for ExAO-like Strehls.
We reconstruct the initial two-body relaxation time at the half mass radius for a sample of young $\aplt 300$ Myr star clusters in the large Magellanic cloud. We achieve this by simulating star clusters with 12288 to 131072 stars using direct $N$-body integration. The equations of motion of all stars are calculated with high precision direct $N$-body simulations which include the effects of the evolution of single stars and binaries. We find that the initial relaxation times of the sample of observed clusters in the large Magellanic cloud ranges from about 200 Myr to about 2 Gyr. The reconstructed initial half-mass relaxation times for these clusters has a much narrower distribution than the currently observed distribution, which ranges over more than two orders of magnitude.
We present a multiwavelength analysis of Swift GRB 061007. The 2-m robotic Faulkes Telescope South (FTS) began observing 137 s after the onset of the gamma-ray emission, when the optical counterpart was already decaying from R~10.3 mag, and continued observing for the next 5.5 hours. These observations begin during the final gamma-ray flare and continue through and beyond a long, soft tail of gamma-ray emission whose flux shows an underlying simple power law decay identical to that seen at optical and X-ray wavelengths, with temporal slope alpha~1.7. This remarkably simple decay in all of these bands is rare for Swift bursts, which often show much more complex light curves. We suggest the afterglow emission begins as early as 30-100 s and is contemporaneous with the on-going variable prompt emission from the central engine, but originates from a physically distinct region dominated by the forward shock. The afterglow continues unabated until at least ~10^5 seconds showing no evidence of a break. The observed multiwavelength evolution of GRB 061007 is explained by an expanding fireball whose optical, X-ray and late-time gamma-ray emission is dominated by emission from a forward shock with typical synchrotron frequency, nu_m, that is already below the optical band as early as t=137s and a cooling frequency, nu_c, above the X-ray band to at least t=10^5s. In contrast, the typical frequency of the reverse shock lies in the radio band at early time. We suggest that the unexpected lack of bright optical flashes from the majority of Swift GRBs may be explained with a low $\nu_m$ originating from small microphysics parameters, epsilon_e and epsilon_B. The minimum jet opening angle theta=5.7deg implies that GRB 061007 will be secure outlier to spectral energy correlations if no jet break has occurred before t=5x10^5 s.
Solar System tests give nowadays constraints on the estimated value of the cosmological constant, which can be accurately derived from different experiments regarding gravitational redshift, light deflection, gravitational time-delay and geodesic precession. Assuming that each reasonable theory of gravitation should satisfy Solar System tests we use this limits on the estimated value of the cosmological constant to constrain alternative theories of Gravity, which are nowadays studied as possible theories for cosmological models and provide viable solutions to the cosmological constant problem and the explanation of the present acceleration of the Universe. We obtain that the estimated values, from Solar System tests, for the parameters appearing in the alternative theories of Gravity are orders of magnitude bigger than the values obtained in the framework of cosmologically relevant theories.
In this review we discuss the evidence for galaxy interactions and mergers in the distant universe and the role of mergers in forming galaxies. Observations show that the fraction of massive (M> M_*) galaxies involved in major mergers is roughly 5-10% at z~1. The merger fraction however increases steeply for the most massive galaxies up to z~3, where the merger fraction is 50+/-20%. Using N-body models of the galaxy merger process at a variety of merger conditions, merger mass ratios, and viewing angles this merger fraction can be converted into a merger rate, and mass accretion rate due to mergers. A simple integration of the merger rate shows that a typical massive galaxy at z~3 will undergo 4-5 major mergers between z~3 and z~0, with most of this activity, and resulting mass assembly, occurring at z > 1.5.
We present a study of a peculiar nebula MF16 associated with an Ultraluminous X-ray Source NGC6946 ULX-1. We use integral-field and long-slit spectral data obtained with the 6-m telescope (Russia). The nebula was for a long time considered powered by strong shocks enhancing both high-excitation and low-excitation lines. However, kinematical properties point to rather moderate expansion rates (V ~ 100-200 km/s). The total power of the emission-line source exceeds by one or two orders of magnitude the power observed expansion rate can provide, that points towards the existence of an additional source of excitation and ionization. Using CLOUDY96.01 photoionization code we derive the properties of the photoionizing source. Its total UV/EUV luminosity must be about 10^{40} erg/s.
SS433 is the only known persistent supercritical accretor, it may be very important for understanding ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) located in external galaxies. We describe main properties of the SS433 supercritical accretion disk and jets. Basing on observational data of SS433 and published 2D simulations of supercritical accretion disks we estimate parameters of the funnel in the disk/wind of SS 433. We argue that the UV radiation of the SS433 disk (~50000 K, ~10^{40}erg/s) is roughly isotropic, but X-ray radiation (~10^7 K, ~10^{40}erg/s) of the funnel is midly anisotropic. A face-on SS433 object has to be ultraluminous in X-rays (10^{40-41}erg/s). Typical time-scales of the funnel flux variability are estimated. Shallow and very broad (0.1-0.3c) and blue-shifted absorption lines are expected in the funnel X-ray spectrum.
I review the theoretical motivation for varying fundamental couplings and discuss how these measurements can be used to constrain a number of fundamental physics scenarios that would otherwise be inacessible to experiment. As a case study I will focus on the relation between varying couplings and dark energy, and explain how varying coupling measurements can be used to probe the nature of dark energy, with important advantages over the standard methods. Assuming that the current observational evidence for varying $\alpha$ and $\mu$ is correct, a several-sigma detection of dynamical dark energy is feasible within a few years, using currently operational ground-based facilities. With forthcoming instruments like CODEX, a high-accuracy reconstruction of the equation of state may be possible all the way up to redshift $z\sim4$.
It is shown that a number of key observations of the Galactic ISM can be understood, if it is treated as a highly compressible and turbulent medium energized predominantly by supernova explosions (and stellar winds). We have performed extensive numerical high resolution 3D hydrodynamical and magnetohydrodynamical simulations with adaptive mesh refinement over sufficiently long time scales to erase memory effects of the initial setup. Our results show, in good agrement with observations, that (i) volume filling factors of the hot medium are modest (typically below 20%), (ii) global pressure is far from uniform due to supersonic (and to some extent superalfvenic) turbulence, (iii) a significant fraction of the mass (about 60%) in the warm neutral medium is in the thermally unstable regime (500 K < T < 5000 K), (iv) the average number density of OVI in absorption is 1.81 10^{-8} cm^{-3}, in excellent agreement with Copernicus and FUSE data, and its distribution is rather clumpy, consistent with its measured dispersion with distance.
CONTEXT - Low-mass stars form with disks in which the coagulation of grains may eventually lead to the formation of planets. It is not known when and where grain growth occurs, as models that explain the observations are often degenerate. A way to break this degeneracy is to resolve the sources under study. AIMS - To find evidence for the existence of grains of millimetre sizes in disks around in T Tauri stars, implying grain growth. METHODS - The Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) was used to observe 15 southern T Tauri stars, five in the constellation Lupus and ten in Chamaeleon, at 3.3 millimetre. The five Lupus sources were also observed with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) at 1.4 millimetre. Our new data are complemented with data from the literature to determine the slopes of the spectral energy distributions in the millimetre regime. RESULTS - Ten sources were detected at better than 3sigma with the ATCA, with sigma ~1-2 mJy, and all sources that were observed with the SMA were detected at better than 15sigma, with sigma ~4 mJy. Six of the sources in our sample are resolved to physical radii of ~100 AU. Assuming that the emission from such large disks is predominantly optically thin, the millimetre slope can be related directly to the opacity index. For the other sources, the opacity indices are lower limits. Four out of six resolved sources have opacity indices <~1, indicating grain growth to millimetre sizes and larger. The masses of the disks range from < 0.01 to 0.08 MSun, which is comparable to the minimum mass solar nebula. A tentative correlation is found between the millimetre slope and the strength and shape of the 10-micron silicate feature, indicating that grain growth occurs on similar (short) timescales in both the inner and outer disk.
We study the migration and resonant capture of planetesimals in a planetary system consisting of a gaseous disc analogous to the primordial solar nebula and a Neptune-like planet. Using a simple treatment of the drag force we find that planetesimals are mainly trapped in the 3:2 and 2:1 resonances and that the resonant populations are correlated with the gaseous drag strength in a sense that the 3:2 resonant population increases with the stronger gaseous drag, but the 2:1 resonant population does not. Since planetesimals can lead to the formation of larger bodies similar to asteroids and Kuiper Belt Objects, the gaseous drag can play an important role in the configuration of a planetary system.
We present the results of global VLBI observations of the BL Lac object PKS 0003-066 at 2.3 and 8.6 GHz, over a 10 year period using data from new and archived VLBA, geodetic VLBI, and global VLBI (including the use of new disk-based recording and software correlation systems) observations. Inter-continental baselines resolve this source into a compact core and three jet components that move away from the core with proper motions ranging between \~0.1 mas/yr for the outer jet component and ~1.4 mas/yr for the fastest inner jet component, i.e. apparent speeds of ~2.0 c to ~21.6 c respectively. This result is in contrast to previous studies of this source which did not reveal significant jet motions from limited data sets. We find that the fast inner jet components catch up to the more slowly moving outer jet components and interact strongly, causing local brightening of the jet in the interaction. We document the body of VLBI data for this source, as well as other supporting radio observations, as a basis for future work that will investigate the underlying physics of the pc-scale jet in PKS 0003-066.
It is known that the carbon-enhanced, extremely metal-poor (CEMP) stars constitute a substantial proportion in the extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars of the Galactic Halo, by far larger than CH stars in Population II stars. We investigate their origin with taking into account an additional evolutionary path to the surface carbon-enrichment, triggered by hydrogen engulfment by the helium flash convection, in EMP stars of $[Fe/H] \lesssim -2.5$. This process is distinct from the third dredge-up operating in more metal-rich stars and also in EMP stars. In binary systems of EMP stars, the secondary stars become CEMP stars through mass transfer from the primary stars of low and intermediate masses, which have developed the surface carbon-enhancement. Our binary scenario can predict the variations in the abundances not only for carbon but also for nitrogen and s-process elements and reasonably explain the observed properties such as the stellar distributions with respect to the carbon abundances, the binary periods, and the evolutionary stages. Furthermore, from the observed frequencies of CEMP stars with and without s-process element enhancement, we demonstrate that the initial mass function of EMP stars need to give the mean mass $~10\msun$ under the reasonable assumptions on the distributions of orbital separations and mass ratio of binary components. This also indicates that the currently observed EMP stars were exclusively born as the secondary members of binaries, making up $\sim 10%$ remnants of EMP binary systems of mass $~10^8\msun$ in total; in addition to CEMP stars with white dwarf companions, a significant fraction of them have experienced supernova explosions of their companions. We discuss the implications of the present results in relation to the formation of Galactic halo.
The intensity of Galactic cosmic rays is nearly isotropic because of the influence of magnetic fields in the Milky Way. Here, we present two-dimensional high-precision anisotropy measurement for energies from a few to several hundred teraelectronvolts (TeV), using the large data sample of the Tibet Air Shower Arrays. Besides revealing finer details of the known anisotropies, a new component of Galactic cosmic ray anisotropy in sidereal time is uncovered around the Cygnus region direction. For cosmic-ray energies up to a few hundred TeV, all components of anisotropies fade away, showing a corotation of Galactic cosmic rays with the local Galactic magnetic environment. These results have broad implications for a comprehensive understanding of cosmic rays, supernovae, magnetic fields, and heliospheric and Galactic dynamic environments.
We investigate the velocity transition in the low-mass protostar L1489 IRS, which is known to be embedded in a flattened, disc-like structure that shows both infall and rotation. We construct a model for L1489 IRS consisting of an flattened envelope and a velocity field that can vary from pure infall to pure rotation. We obtain best-fit parameters by comparison to 24 molecular transitions from the literature, and using a molecular excitation code and a Voronoi optimisation algorithm. We test the model against existing millimeter interferometric observations, near-infrared scattered light imaging, and 12CO ro-vibrational lines.We find that L1489 IRS is well described by a central stellar mass of 1.3M$_\odot$ surrounded by a 0.10M$_\odot$ flattened envelope with approximate scale height h\approx 0.57 R, inclined at 74^\circ. The velocity field is strongly dominated by rotation, with the velocity vector making an angle of 15^\circ with the azimuthal direction. Reproducing low-excitation transitions requires that the emission and absorption by the starless core 1' (8400 AU) east of L1489 IRS is included properly, implying that L1489 IRS is located partially behind this core. We speculate that L1489 IRS was originally formed closer to the center of this core, but has migrated to its current position over the past few times 10^5 yr, consistent with their radial velocity difference of 0.4 kms-1. This suggests that L1489 IRS' unusual appearance may be result of its migration, and that it would appear as a `normal' embedded protostar if it were still surrounded by an extended cloud core. Conversely, we hypothesize that the inner envelopes of embedded protostars resemble the rotating structure seen around L1489 IRS.
The recently puplished Barber-Tennyson (BT2) synthetic H$_2$O water line list
is the most complete and accurate line list in existence. It is finding
application in a wide range of astrophysical environments.
UKIRT spectra of comet Tempel 1, obtained after the 'Deep Impact' event,
revealed several known H$_2$O solar pumped fluorescent (SPF)lines in the 2.8945
to 2.8985 $\mu$m region. In addition, using synthetic spectra produced with
BT2, several emission lines were identified that had not previously been
recorded in cometary spectra. Unlike the SPF lines, which are transitions from
doubly-excited stretch states, these transitions, that we label 'SH', are from
states with three or four quanta of vibrational excitation. The SH features
were particularly strong during the period 20-40 minutes after impact.
In a serie of three papers, the dynamical interplay between environments and
dark matter haloes is investigated, while focussing on the dynamical flows
through their virial sphere. Our method relies on both cosmological
simulations, to constrain the environments, and an extension to the classical
matrix method to derive the response of the halo (see Pichon & Aubert (2006),
paper I).
The current paper focuses on the statistical characterisation of the
environments surrounding haloes, using a set of large scale simulations. Our
description relies on a `fluid' halocentric representation where the
interactions between the halo and its environment are investigated in terms of
a time dependent external tidal field and a source term characterizing the
infall. The method is applied to 15000 haloes, with masses between 5 x 10^12 Ms
and 10^14 Ms evolving between z = 1 and z = 0.
The net accretion at the virial radius is found to decrease with time,
resulting from both an absolute decrease of infall and from a growing
contribution of outflows. Infall is found to be mainly radial and occurring at
velocities ~ 0.75 V200. Outflows are also detected through the virial sphere
and occur at lower velocities ~ 0.6 V200 on more circular orbits. The external
tidal field is found to be strongly quadrupolar and mostly stationnary,
possibly reflecting the distribution of matter in the halo's near environment.
The coherence time of the small scale fluctuations of the potential hints a
possible anisotropic distribution of accreted satellites. The flux density of
mass on the virial sphere appears to be more clustered than the potential while
the shape of its angular power spectrum seems stationnary.
We study the accretion of dust particles of various sizes onto embedded massive gas giant planets, where we take into account the structure of the gas disk due to the presence of the planet. The accretion rate of solids is important for the structure of giant planets: it determines the growth rate of the solid core that may be present as well as their final enrichment in solids. We use the RODEO hydrodynamics solver to solve the flow equations for the gas, together with a particle approach for the dust. The solver for the particles' equations of motion is implicit with respect to the drag force, which allows us to treat the whole dust size spectrum. We find that dust accretion is limited to the smallest particle sizes. The largest particles get trapped in outer mean-motion resonances with the planet, while particles of intermediate size are pushed away from the orbit of the planet by the density structure in the gas disk. Only particles smaller than approximately s_max =10 micron may accrete on a planet with the mass of Jupiter. For a ten times less massive planet s_max=100 micron. The strongly reduced accretion of dust makes it very hard to enrich a newly formed giant planet in solids.
We explore the motivation behind large stellar surveys in Galactic astronomy, in particular, surveys that measure the photometric, phase space and abundance properties of thousands or millions of stars. These observations are essential to unravelling the sequence of events involved in galaxy formation and evolution, although disentangling key signatures from the complexity continues to be very challenging. The new data will require major advances in our understanding of stellar atmospheres, stellar chemistry, the dynamics of the Galaxy and the Local Group.
Recent results of advanced experiments with sophisticated measurements of cosmic rays in the energy range of the so called knee at a few PeV indicate a distinct knee in the energy spectra of light primary cosmic rays and an increasing dominance of heavy ones towards higher energies. This leads to the expectation of knee-like features of the heavy primaries at around 100 PeV. To investigate in detail this energy region several new experiments are or will be devised.
We present results from a study of X-shaped sources based on observations using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). These observations were motivated by our low frequency study of 3C 223.1 (Lal & Rao 2005), an X-shaped radio source, which showed that the wings (or low-surface-brightness jets) have flatter spectral indices than the active lobes (or high-surface-brightness jets), a result not easily explained by most models. We have now obtained GMRT data at 240 and 610 MHz for almost all the known X-shaped radio sources and have studied the distribution of the spectral index across the sources. While the radio morphologies of all the sources at 240 and 610 MHz show the characteristic X-shape, the spectral characteristics of the X-shaped radio sources, seem to fall into three categories, namely, sources in which (A) the wings have flatter spectral indices than the active lobes, (B) the wings and the active lobes have comparable spectral indices, and (C) the wings have steeper spectral indices than the active lobes. We discuss the implications of the new observational results on the various formation models that have been proposed for X-shaped sources.
Clusters are the dense inner regions of a wide-spread hierarchy of young stellar structures. They often reveal a continuation of this hierarchy inside of them, to smaller scales, when they are young, but orbital mixing eventually erases these subparts and a only smooth cluster or smooth unbound group remains. The stellar hierarchy follows a similar structure in the interstellar gas, which is presumably scale-free because of supersonic motions in the presence of turbulence and self-gravity. The efficiency of star formation increases automatically with density in a hierarchical ISM, causing most dense stellar groups to be initially bound for local conditions. In lower pressure environments, the infant mortality rates should be higher. Also following from hierarchical structure is the cluster mass distribution function and perhaps also the cluster size distribution function, although the predicted mass-size relation is not observed. Cluster destruction is from a variety of causes. The destruction time should depend on cluster mass, but the various groups who have studied this dependence have gotten significantly different results so far.
We consider a model in which massive stars form in a self-gravitating accretion disk around an active galactic nucleus (AGN). These stars may evolve and collapse to form compact objects on a time scale shorter than the accretion time, thus producing an important family of sources for LISA. Assuming the compact object formation/inspiral rate is proportional to the steady-state gas accretion rate, we use the intrinsic hard X-ray AGN luminosity function to estimate expected event rates and signal strengths. We find that these sources will produce a continuous low-frequency (<~ mHz) background detectable by LISA if more than 1% of the accreted matter is in the form of compact objects. For compact objects with masses >~ 10 solar masses the last stages of the inspiral events should be resolvable above a few mHz, with rates as high as a few hundred per year.
An influence of the weak microlensing effect on the pulsar timing is investigated for pulsar B1937+21. Average residuals of Time of Arrival (TOA) due to the effect would be as large as 10 ns in 20 years observation span. These residuals can be much greater (up to 1 ms in 20 years span) if pulsar is located in globular cluster (or behind it).
In this manuscript we track the evolution of a system consisting of two self-gravitating virialized objects made of a scalar field in the newtonian limit. The Schr\"odinger-Poisson system contains a potential with self-interaction of the Gross-Pitaevskii type for Bose Condensates. Our results indicate that solitonic behavior is allowed in the scalar field dark matter model when the total energy of the system is positive, that is, the two blobs pass through each other as should happen for solitons; on the other hand, there is a true collision of the two blobs when the total energy is negative.
By being the first observatory to survey the source rich low frequency region of the gravitational wave spectrum, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will revolutionize our understanding of the Cosmos. For the first time we will be able to detect the gravitational radiation from millions of galactic binaries, the coalescence of two massive black holes, and the inspirals of compact objects into massive black holes. The signals from multiple sources in each class, and possibly others as well, will be simultaneously present in the data. To achieve the enormous scientific return possible with LISA, sophisticated data analysis techniques must be developed which can mine the complex data in an effort to isolate and characterize individual signals. This proceedings paper very briefly summarizes the challenges associated with analyzing the LISA data, the current state of affairs, and the necessary next steps to move forward in addressing the imminent challenges.
We present high-resolution X-ray images taken with the {\em Chandra X-ray Observatory} of the field that contains the unidentified TeV gamma-ray source HESS J1804-216. A total of eleven discrete sources were detected with {\it a posteriori} significance of $> 5\sigma$ over the entire field of view. Among them, only one, designated as CXOU J180351.4-213707, is significantly extended. The source is about 40\arcsec away from the radio pulsar PSR J1803-2137, which was the target of the {\em Chandra} observation but was not detected in X-rays. A natural question is whether the two sources are physically related. While it is conceivable that CXOU J180351.4-213707 could be associated with a previously unknown supernova remnant (SNR), in which the pulsar was born, it seems equally plausible that it might be a pulsar wind nebula (PWN) that is powered by a different pulsar whose emission is beamed away from us. In either case, we argue that CXOU J180351.4-213707 is likely the X-ray counterpart of HESS J1804-216, based on the fact that the Galactic TeV gamma-ray sources are predominantly SNRs or PWNe. The X-ray spectrum of the source can be fitted well with a power law, although the model is not well constrained due to large statistical uncertainties. The spectrum seems to be very hard, with the best-fit photon index about $\sim 1.2$. Under the assumption that CXOU J180351.4-213707 is the X-ray counterpart of HESS J1804-216, we attempted to model the X-ray and TeV emission as synchrotron and inverse Compton scattered radiation from relativistic electrons. We briefly discuss the results.
We report on observations of the radio-emitting anomalous X-ray pulsar XTE J1810-197 during 2006 May-October using the Nancay, Parkes, GBT, and VLA telescopes at a frequency of 1.4 GHz. The torque experienced by the neutron star during this period, as inferred from a measurement of its rotational frequency derivative, decreased by 30%, although not in a steady manner. We have also observed very large ongoing fluctuations in flux density and pulse shape. Superimposed on these, a general diminution of flux density and a broadening of the pulse profile components occurred nearly contemporaneously with a decrease in torque of about 10% that took place in late July over an interval of two weeks. In addition, a simultaneous observation of the pulsar with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the GBT allows us to show how the X-ray and radio profiles are aligned. We discuss briefly the implications of these results for the magnetospheric currents in this remarkable object.
We use the conditional luminosity function (CLF) and data from the 2dFGRS to constrain the average relation between light and mass in a LCDM cosmology with Omega_m=0.23 and sigma_8=0.74 (hereafter WMAP3 cosmology). Reproducing the observed luminosity dependence of the galaxy two-point correlation function results in average mass-to-light ratios that are about 35 percent lower than in a LCDM cosmology with Omega_m=0.3 and sigma_8=0.9 (hereafter WMAP1 cosmology). This removes an important problem with previous halo occupation models which had a tendency to predict cluster mass-to-light ratios that were too high. For the WMAP3 cosmology our model yields average mass-to-light ratios, central galaxy luminosities, halo occupation numbers, satellite fractions, and luminosity-gap statistics, that are all in excellent agreement with those obtained from a 2dFGRS group catalogue and from other independent studies. We also use our CLF model to compute the probability distribution P(M|L_cen), that a central galaxy of luminosity L_cen resides in a halo of mass M. We find this distribution to be much broader than what is typically assumed in HOD models, which has important implications for the interpretation of galaxy-galaxy lensing data. Finally, reproducing the luminosity dependence of the pairwise velocity dispersions in the 2dFGRS requires relatively low mass-to-light ratios for clusters and a satellite fraction that decreases strongly with increasing luminosity. This is only marginally consistent with our CLF constraints. We argue that a cosmology with parameters between those of the WMAP1 and WMAP3 cosmologies is likely to yield results with a higher level of consistency.
The stellar initial mass function (IMF) in star clusters is reviewed. Uncertainties in the observations are emphasized. We suggest there is a distinct possibility that cluster IMFs vary systematically with density or pressure. Dense clusters could have additional formation processes for massive stars that are not present in low density regions, making the slope of the upper mass IMF somewhat shallower in clusters. Observations of shallow IMFs in some super star clusters and in elliptical galaxies are reviewed. We also review mass segregation and the likelihood that peculiar IMFs, as in the Arches cluster, result from segregation and stripping, rather than an intrinsically different IMF. The theory of the IMF is reviewed in some detail. Several problems introduced by the lack of a magnetic field in SPH simulations are discussed. The universality of the IMF in simulations suggests that something more fundamental than the physical details of a particular model is at work. Hierarchical fragmentation by any of a variety of processes may be the dominant cause of the power law slope. Physical differences from region to region may make a slight difference in the slope and also appear in the low-mass turnover point.
The ultraviolet-to-radio continuum spectral energy distributions are presented for all 75 galaxies in the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS). A principal component analysis of the sample shows that most of the sample's spectral variations stem from two underlying components, one representative of a galaxy with a low infrared-to-ultraviolet ratio and one representative of a galaxy with a high infrared-to-ultraviolet ratio. The influence of several parameters on the infrared-to-ultraviolet ratio is studied (e.g., optical morphology, disk inclination, far-infrared color, ultraviolet spectral slope, and star formation history). Consistent with our understanding of normal star-forming galaxies, the SINGS sample of galaxies in comparison to more actively star-forming galaxies exhibits a larger dispersion in the infrared-to-ultraviolet versus ultraviolet spectral slope correlation. Early type galaxies, exhibiting low star formation rates and high optical surface brightnesses, have the most discrepant infrared-to-ultraviolet correlation. These results suggest that the star formation history may be the dominant regulator of the broadband spectral variations between galaxies. Finally, a new discovery shows that the 24 micron morphology can be a useful tool for parametrizing the global dust temperature and ultraviolet extinction in nearby galaxies. The dust emission in dwarf/irregular galaxies is clumpy and warm accompanied by low ultraviolet extinction, while in spiral galaxies there is typically a much larger diffuse component of cooler dust and average ultraviolet extinction. For galaxies with nuclear 24 micron emission, the dust temperature and ultraviolet extinction are relatively high compared to disk galaxies.
A method for detecting voids in the galaxy distribution is presented. Using this method, we have identified 732 voids with a radius of the seed sphere Rseed > 4.0h^{-1}Mpc in a volume-limited sample of galaxies from the southern part of the 2dFGRS survey. 110 voids with Rseed > 9.0h^{-1}Mpc have a positive significance. The mean volume of such voids is 19000 h^{-3}Mpc^3. Voids with Rseed > 9.0h^{-1}Mpc occupy 55% of the sample volume. We construct a dependence of the volumes of all the identified voids on their ranks and determine parameters of the galaxy distribution. The dependence of the volume of voids on their rank is consistent with a fractal model (Zipf's power law) of the galaxy distribution with a fractal dimension D ~ 2.1 (given the uncertainty in determining the dimension using our method and the results of a correlation analysis) up to scales of 25h^{-1}Mpc with the subsequent transition to homogeneity. The directions of the greatest elongations of voids and their ellipticities (oblateness) are determined from the parameters of equivalent ellipsoids. The directions of the greatest void elongations have an enhanced concentration to the directions perpendicular to the line of sight.
I present deep spectroscopy of four HII regions in the inner, metal-rich zone of the spiral galaxy M101 obtained with the LRIS spectrograph at the Keck telescope. From the analysis of the collisionally excited lines in two of the target HII regions, H1013 and H493, I have obtained oxygen abundances 12+log(O/H)=8.52 and 12+log(O/H)=8.74, respectively. These measurements extend the determination of the oxygen abundance gradient of M101 via the direct method to only 3 kpc from the center. The intensity of the CII 4267 line in H1013 leads to a carbon abundance 12+log(C/H)=8.66, corresponding to nearly twice the solar value. From a comparison of the continuum temperature derived from the Balmer discontinuity, T(Bac)=5000 K, and the line temperature derived from [OIII]4363/5007, T[OIII]=7700 K, an average temperature T0=5500 K and a mean square temperature fluctuation t^2=0.06 have been derived. Accounting for the spatial inhomogeneity in temperature raises the oxygen abundance obtained from the oxygen auroral lines to 12+log(O/H)=8.93. These findings are discussed in the context of the calibration of strong-line metallicity indicators, in particular of the upper branch of R23. There is no evidence for the strong abundance biases arising from temperature gradients predicted theoretically for metal-rich HII regions.
More than half of the atoms in the Universe recombined via forbidden transitions, so that accurate treatment of the forbidden channels is important in order to follow the cosmological recombination process with the level of precision required by future microwave anisotropy experiments. We perform a multi-level calculation of the recombination of hydrogen (H) and helium (He) with the addition of the triplet 2P to singlet 1S spin-forbidden transition for neutral helium (He I), plus the nS--1S and nD--1S two-photon transitions for H (up to n=40) and among singlet states of He I (n<=10 and l<=7). The potential importance of such transitions was first proposed by Dubrovich & Grachev (2005) using an effective three-level atom model. Here, we relax the thermal equilibrium assumption among the higher excited states to investigate the effect of these extra forbidden transitions on the ionization fraction x_e and the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) angular power spectrum C_l. The spin-forbidden transition brings more than a percent change in x_e. The two-photon transitions may also give non-negligible effects, but currently accurate rates exist only for n<=3. We find that changes in both x_e and C_l would be at about the percent level with the approximate rates given by Dubrovich & Grachev (2005). However, the two-photon rates from 3S to 1S and 3D to 1S of H appear to have been overestimated and our best estimate makes the effect on x_e and C_l below the percent level. Sub-percent level computation of the C_ls requires improved calculations of atomic transition rates as well as increasingly complex multi-level atom calculations.
We study a non-dissipative hydrodynamical mechanism that can stabilize the
spin of the accretor in an ultra-compact double white dwarf binary. This novel
synchronization mechanism relies on a nonlinear wave interaction spinning down
the background star. The essential physics of the synchronization mechanism is
summarized as follows. As the compact binary coalesces due to gravitational
wave emission, the largest star eventually fills its Roche lobe and accretion
starts. Some of the accretor then spins up due to infalling material and
eventually reaches a spin frequency where a normal mode of the star is
resonantly driven by the gravitational tidal field of the companion. If the
resonating mode satisfies a set of specific criteria, which we elucidate in
this paper, it exchanges angular momentum with the background star at a rate
such that the spin of the accretor locks at this resonant frequency, even
though accretion is ongoing. Some of the accreted angular momentum that would
otherwise spin up the accretor is fed back into the orbit through this resonant
tidal interaction.
Two modes capable of stabilizing the accretor's spin are the l=4,m=2 and
l=5,m=3 CFS unstable hybrid r-modes, which stabilize the spin of the accretor
at frequency 2.6 and 1.5 times the binary's orbital frequency respectively.
Since the stabilization mechanism relies on continuously driving a mode at
resonance, its lifetime is limited since eventually the mode amplitude
saturates due to non-linear mode-mode coupling. Rough estimates of the lifetime
of the effect lie from a few orbits to thousands of years.
Motivated by the irregular and little-understood morphologies of z ~ 2 - 3 galaxies, we use non-parametric coefficents to quantify the morphologies of 216 galaxies which have been spectroscopically confirmed to lie at redshifts z = 1.8 - 3.4 in the GOODS-N field. Using measurements of ultraviolet (UV) and optical spectral lines, multi-band photometric data, and stellar population models we statistically assess possible correlations between galaxy morphology and physical observables such as stellar mass, star formation rate, and the strength of galaxy-scale outflows. We find evidence that dustier galaxies have more nebulous UV morphologies and that larger, more luminous galaxies may drive stronger outflows, but otherwise conclude that UV morphology is either statistically decoupled from the majority of physical observables or determined by too complex a combination of physical processes to provide characterizations with predictive power. Given the absence of strong correlations between UV morphology and physical parameters such as star formation rates, we are therefore unable to support the hypothesis that morphologically irregular galaxies predominantly represent major galaxy mergers. Comparing galaxy samples, we find that IR-selected BzK galaxies and radio-selected submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) have UV morphologies similar to the optically selected sample, while distant red galaxies (DRGs) are more nebulous.
The enormous range of X-ray luminosities among elliptical galaxies with similar optical luminosities can be attributed to large scatter and systematic variations in the dark halo mass determined from X-ray observations. The mean halo mass decreases sharply with both the X-ray and K-band luminosities. Smaller halos contain less diffuse hot gas and have lower X-ray luminosities. In addition the hot gas in low mass halos is more easily depleted by supernova-driven outflows, further lowering the X-ray luminosity.
We use both the conventional and more recently developed methods of cluster analysis to study the data of extra-solar planets. Using the data set with planetary mass M, orbital period P, and orbital eccentricity e, we investigate the possible clustering in the ln M, ln P, ln P-ln M, e, and ln P-e spaces. There are two main implications: (1) mass distribution is continuous and (2) orbital population could be classified into three clusters, which correspond to the exoplanets in the regimes of tidal, on-going tidal and disc interaction, respectively.
We argue that gravitational instability in the outer parts of collapsar disks may lead to fragmentation near the radius where helium photodisintegrates, because of the strong cooling provided by this process. This physics sets clear physical scales for the fragmentation conditions and the properties of gravitationally bound clumps. Collapse of a fragment proceeds until the neutrons become degenerate; a neutron star of mass ~0.1-1Msun may result. We find that tidal disruption of a fragment and accretion by the central black hole are too rapid to account for the durations of observed X-ray flares from long gamma-ray bursts. Prior to disruption, migration of the fragment is driven by gravitational radiation and disk viscosity, which act together to produce a unique gravitational-wave signature. Advanced LIGO may be able to detect such sources within ~100 Mpc.
I derive analytic scalings for coronagraphic imaging searches for extrasolar planets. I compute the efficiency of detecting planets about any given star, and from this compute dimensionless distribution functions for the detected planets as a function of planet-star distance and distance to the host stars. I find the following for blind planet surveys: (1) the optimum wavelength is between 4000-5000 Angstroms for Earth-like planets and 4200-5800 Angstroms for Jovian planets; (2) between 21-32% of the number of planets per decade of radius can be detected with an optimized survey; (3) target stars should be ranked from greatest to least by their luminosity divided by distance to the sixth or eighth power, depending on the dominant source of noise for the survey; (4) surveys targeting all main sequence stars will detect ~3 times as many planets as surveys only targeting G-type stars; and (5) stellar populations with different metallicities should have exposure times that vary with the cube of the metallicity. I apply these results to the current suite of proposed coronagraphic satellite telescopes, of which TPF-C is the most powerful, but a much smaller telescope, TOPS, may have a significant chance of detecting Earth-sized planets due to its small inner working angle and high throughput. The most significant uncertainty in these results is the noise contribution of Exo-zodiacal light. These results can be applied to designing coronagraphs, comparing proposed telescope designs, optimizing the observing strategies, determining the properties of detected planet populations, and selecting target stars.
Two series of solar-granulation images -- the La Palma series of 5 June 1993 and the SOHO MDI series of 17--18 January 1997 -- are analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. New evidence is presented for the existence of long-lived, quasi-regular structures (first reported by Getling and Brandt (2002)), which no longer appear unusual in images averaged over 1--2-h time intervals. Such structures appear as families of light and dark concentric rings or families of light and dark parallel strips (``ridges'' and ``trenches'' in the brightness distributions). In some cases, rings are combined with radial ``spokes'' and can thus form ``web'' patterns. The characteristic width of a ridge or trench is somewhat larger than the typical size of granules. Running-average movies constructed from the series of images are used to seek such structures. An algorithm is developed to obtain, for automatically selected centres, the radial distributions of the azimuthally averaged intensity, which highlight the concentric-ring patterns. We also present a time-averaged granulation image processed with a software package intended for the detection of geological structures in aerospace images. A technique of running-average-based correlations between the brightness variations at various points of the granular field is developed and indications are found for a dynamical link between the emergence and sinking of hot and cool parcels of the solar plasma. In particular, such a correlation analysis confirms our suggestion that granules -- overheated blobs -- may repeatedly emerge on the solar surface. Based on our study, the critical remarks by Rast (2002) on the original paper by Getling and Brandt (2002) can be dismissed.
An atlas of high resolution (R=60000) in the poor studied wavelength range 3550-5000 AA for 4 metal-deficient stars in the interval of metallicity -3.0<[Fe/H]< -0.6, effective temperature 4750<Teff<5900K, surface gravity 1.6<log g<5.0 is produced. Details of the method of producing a spectral atlas, line identifications, stellar atmospheric parameters determination are described. Based on these spectral data, we determined model atmosphere parameters and calculated abundances of 25 chemical elements.
Primordial fluctuations in inflationary cosmology acquire classical properties through decoherence when their wavelengths become larger than the Hubble scale. Although decoherence is effective, it is not complete, so a significant part of primordial correlations remains up to the present moment. We address the issue of the pointer states which provide a classical basis for the fluctuations with respect to the influence by an environment (other fields). Applying methods from the quantum theory of open systems (the Lindblad equation), we show that this basis is given by narrow Gaussians that approximate eigenstates of field amplitudes. We calculate both the von Neumann and linear entropy of the fluctuations. Their ratio to the maximal entropy per field mode defines a degree of partial decoherence in the entropy sense. We also determine the time of partial decoherence making the Wigner function positive everywhere which, for super-Hubble modes during inflation, is virtually independent of coupling to the environment and is only slightly larger than the Hubble time. On the other hand, assuming a representative environment (a photon bath), the decoherence time for sub-Hubble modes is finite only if some real dissipation exists.
The space density of white dwarfs is highly uncertain even nearby. This results from the fact that the known sample of white dwarfs is largely incomplete in part because most white dwarfs have been discovered as by-products in non-dedicated surveys. In order to obtain more accurate white dwarf space densities and scale heights we must build up a complete sample of white dwarfs. The European Galactic Plane Surveys (EGAPS) are the best database to search for white dwarfs as they will provide broad band (U, g', r', i') and narrow band (Halpha and HeI) measurements for one per cent of all the stars in the Galaxy. By looking at the Galactic Plane, where most stars are, we ensure that we are obtaining a complete sample. The space densities obtained from EGAPS can then be compared with those found in high latitude surveys such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The methods used to identify white dwarfs using the colours available in EGAPS are described and some preliminary results presented.
We observed a sample of three Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs), Abell 1836-BCG, Abell 2052-BCG, and Abell 3565-BCG, with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and the Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on board the Space Telescope. For each target galaxy we obtained high-resolution spectroscopy of the Halpha and [NII]lambda6583 emission lines at three slit positions, to measure the central ionized-gas kinematics. ACS images in three different filters (F435W, F625W, and FR656N) have been used to determine the optical depth of the dust, stellar mass distribution near the nucleus, and intensity map. We present supermassive black hole (SBH) mass estimates for two galaxies which show regular rotation curves and strong central velocity gradients, and an upper limit on the SBH mass of the third one. For the SBHs of Abell 1836-BCG and Abell 3565-BCG, we derived M_bh=4.8(-0.7,+0.8)10**9 M_sun and M_bh=1.3(-0.4,+0.3)10**9 M_sun at 1 sigma confidence level, respectively. For the SBH of Abell 2052-BCG, we found M_bh < 7.3 10**9 M_sun.
Flux-dominated solar dynamo models, which have demonstrated to be quite successful in reproducing most of the observed features of the large scale solar magnetic cycle, generally produce an inappropriate latitudinal distribution of the toroidal magnetic fields, showing fields of large magnitude in polar regions where the radial shear has a maximum amplitude. Employing a kinematic solar dynamo model, we here explore the contribution of both the radial and the latitudinal shear in the generation of the toroidal magnetic fields by varying the shape and the thickness of the solar tachocline. We also explore the effects of the diffusivity profile of the convective zone. We find that the latitudinal component is always dominant over the radial component at producing toroidal field amplification. These results are very sensitive to the adopted diffusivity profile, specially in the inner convection zone. A diagram of the toroidal field at a latitude of 60 degrees versus the diffusivity at the convection layer for different values of the tachocline width has revealed that these fields are mainly eliminated for tachoclines with width d_1>0.08 Ro, for a restric range of diffusivites; or for d_1<0.02 and almost any value of eta_c in the appropriate solar range. For intermediate values of d_1=0.04Ro-0.06Ro, strong toroidal fields should survive at high latitudes in the butterfly diagram and those values are therefore not suitable.
We present a variable star catalog of an extensive ground-based wide-field
variability survey in the globular cluster omega Centauri. Using the ANU
40-inch (1m) telescope at Siding Spring Observatory, the cluster was observed
with a 52'x52' (0.75 deg^2) field for 25 nights. A total of 187 variable stars
were identified in the field, 81 of which are new discoveries. This work
comprises the widest field variability survey yet undertaken for this cluster.
Here we present the V+R lightcurves and preliminary analysis of the detected
variable stars, comprising 58 eclipsing binaries, 69 RR Lyrae stars, 36 long
period variables (P>=2d) and 24 miscellaneous pulsators including 15 SX
Phoenicis stars and two Type II Cepheids.
Analysis of the eclipsing binary radial distribution has revealed an apparent
lack of binaries in the 8'-15' range, perhaps indicating two separate binary
populations. Four detached binaries have short periods (<2.5d) and are likely
composed of low-mass M-dwarf components, useful for testing stellar evolution
models. One further detached system has a period of 0.8 days and due to the
blueness of the system could be composed of white dwarf stars. Analysis of the
RR Lyrae sample has produced a reddening corrected distance modulus (also
accounting for metallicity spread) for the cluster of 13.68+-0.27, a result
consistent with previously published values. This paper also presents a total
stellar database comprising V and I photometry (with astrometry better than
0.25'') for 203,892 stars with 12.0<V<21.0 and 25-night V+R lightcurves for
109,726 stars (14.0<V<22.0) for both the cluster and the field.
ESO's two FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrographs (FORS) are the
primary imaging cameras for the VLT. Since they are not direct-imaging cameras,
the accuracy of photometry which can routinely be obtained is limited by
significant sky concentration and other effects.
Photometric standard observations are routinely obtained by ESO, and nightly
zero points are computed mainly for the purpose of monitoring the instrument
performance. The accuracy of these zero points is about 10%.
Recently, we have started a program to investigate, if and how percent-level
absolute photometric accuracy with FORS can be achieved. The main results of
this project are presented in this paper. We first discuss the quality of the
flatfields and how it can be improved. We then use data with improved
flat-fielding to investigate the usefulness of Stetson standard fields for FORS
calibration and the accuracy which can be achieved. The main findings of the
FORS Absolute Photometry Project program are as follows. There are significant
differences between the sky flats and the true photometric response of the
instrument which partially depend on the rotator angle. A second order
correction to the sky flat significantly improves the relative photometry
within the field. Percent level photometric accuracy can be achieved with
FORS1. To achieve this accuracy, observers need to invest some of the assigned
science time for imaging of photometric standard fields in addition to the
routine nightly photometric calibration.
We use the relativistic hydrodynamics code Cosmos++ to model the evolution of the radio nebula triggered by the Dec. 27, 2004 giant flare event of soft gamma repeater 1806-20. We primarily focus on the rebrightening and centroid motion occurring subsequent to day 20 following the flare event. We model this period as a mildly relativistic (gamma ~ 1.07 - 1.67) jetted outflow expanding into the interstellar medium (ISM). We demonstrate that a jet with total energy ~ 10^46 ergs confined to a half opening angle ~ 20 degrees fits the key observables of this event, e.g. the flux lightcurve, emission map centroid position, and aspect ratio. In particular, we find excellent agreement with observations if the rebrightening is due to the jet, moving at 0.5c and inclined ~ 0 - 40 degrees toward the observer, colliding with a density discontinuity in the ISM at a radius of several 10^16 cm. We also find that a jet with a higher velocity, >~ 0.7c, and larger inclination, >~ 70 degrees, moving into a uniform ISM can fit the observations in general, but tends to miss the details of rebrightening. The latter, uniform ISM model predicts an ISM density more than 100 times lower than that of the former model, and thus suggests an independent test which might discriminate between the two. One of the strongest constraints of both models is that the data seems to require a non-uniform jet in order to be well fit.
Recent observations have shown that some compact stellar binaries radiate the highest energy light in the universe. The challenge has been to determine the nature of the compact object and whether the very high energy gamma-rays are ultimately powered by pulsar winds or relativistic jets. Multiwavelength observations have shown that one of the three gamma-ray binaries known so far, PSR B1259-63, is a neutron star binary and that the very energetic gamma-rays from this source and from another gamma-ray binary, LS I +61 303, may be produced by the interaction of pulsar winds with the wind from the companion star. At this time it is an open question whether the third gamma-ray binary, LS 5039, is also powered by a pulsar wind or a microquasar jet, where relativistic particles in collimated jets would boost the energy of the wind from the stellar companion to TeV energies.
We report the first XMM detection of the SNR candidate G337.2+0.1 (=AX J1635.9-4719). The object shows centrally filled and diffuse X-ray emission. The emission peaks in the hard 3.0-10.0 keV band. A spatially resolved spectral study confirms that the column density of the central part of the SNR is about N_{H}~5.9 +/- 1.5*10^{22} cm^{-2} and its X-ray spectrum is well represented by a single power-law with a photon index Gamma=0.96 +/- 0.56. The non-detection of line emission in the central spectrum is consistent with synchrotron radiation from a population of relativistic electrons. Detailed spectral analysis indicates that the outer region is highly absorbed and quite softer than the inner region, with N_{H}~16.2(+/-5.2)*10^{22} cm^{-2} and kT=4.4(+/-2.8) keV. Such characteristics are already observed in other X-ray plerions. Based on the morphological and spectral X-ray information, we confirm the SNR nature of G337.2+0.1, and suggest that the central region of the source is a pulsar wind nebula (PWN), originated by an energetic though yet undetected pulsar, that is currently losing energy at a rate of ~ 10^{36} erg s^{-1}.
Recent observational and theoretical advances have called into question traditional OH maser pumping models in evolved (OH/IR) stars. The detection of excited-state OH lines would provide additional constraints to discriminate amongst these theoretical models. In this Letter, we report on VLA observations of the 4750 MHz and 4765 MHz lines of OH toward 45 sources, mostly evolved stars. We detect 4765 MHz emission in the star forming regions Mon R2 and LDN 1084, but we do not detect excited-state emission in any evolved stars. The flux density and velocity of the 4765 MHz detection in Mon R2 suggests that a new flaring event has begun.
The International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF, Ma et al. 1998) is currently the best realization of a quasi-inertial reference system. It is based on more than 10 years of cumulated geodetic and astrometric VLBI observations of compact extragalactic objects at centimetric wavelengths. In the perspective of the realization of an accurate optical counterpart of the ICRF using future space astrometry missions like GAIA or SIM, this paper investigates the consistency of celestial reference frames realized through the same subset of compact extragalactic radio sources at optical wavelengths. Celestial reference frames realized in radio wavelengths with the VLBA Calibrator Survey (VCS) data and in optical wavelengths with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data (DR3 quasar catalogue and DR5) are compared in terms of radio-optical distances between the common sources, global rotation of the axes and offset of the equator.
A proper analysis of the evolution of sources emitting in the Mid-Infrared is strongly dependent on their broad-band spectral properties (SEDs) at different redshifts and luminosities and on a reliable classification allowing to disentangle AGN from star-formation activity. The diagnostic diagrams based on the optical line ratios are often ambiguous and/or misleading not allowing a proper separation of the galaxy/AGN populations. Thanks to the combination of deep Spitzer and X-rays data a much better census of the hidden AGN activity and dust-obscured star-forming galaxies can be obtained, constraining galaxy and AGN evolutionary models.
Radio observations with Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) provide the highest resolution in astronomy. Combining earth-bound with space-based telescopes and advancing the observations to mm-wavelengths increases the resolution even further. These methods enable us to probe directly the vicinities of the presumed central black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGN) and the powerful jets emanating from these objects. We provide a brief review of recent results in this exciting research domain and we discuss the opportunities for future work possible with the advent of new instrumental developments.
This is a summary of the `Astronomy Perspective' of the 4th meeting on 'Statistical Challenges in Modern Astronomy' held at Penn State University in June 2006. We comment on trends in the Astronomy community towards Bayesian methods and model selection criteria. We describe two examples where Bayesian methods have improved our inference: (i) photometric redshift estimation (ii) orbital parameters of extra-solar planets. We also comment on the pros and cons of Globalization of scientific research. Communities like Astronomy, High Energy Physics and Statistics develop ideas separately, but also have frequent interaction. This illustrates the benefits of 'comparing notes'.
Energetic electrons are a common feature of interplanetary shocks and planetary bow shocks, and they are invoked as a key component of models of nonthermal radio emission, such as solar radio bursts. A simulation study is carried out of electron acceleration for high Mach number, quasi-perpendicular shocks, typical of the shocks in the solar wind. Two dimensional self-consistent hybrid shock simulations provide the electric and magnetic fields in which test particle electrons are followed. A range of different shock types, shock normal angles, and injection energies are studied. When the Mach number is low, or the simulation configuration suppresses fluctuations along the magnetic field direction, the results agree with theory assuming magnetic moment conserving reflection (or Fast Fermi acceleration), with electron energy gains of a factor only 2 - 3. For high Mach number, with a realistic simulation configuration, the shock front has a dynamic rippled character. The corresponding electron energization is radically different: Energy spectra display: (1) considerably higher maximum energies than Fast Fermi acceleration; (2) a plateau, or shallow sloped region, at intermediate energies 2 - 5 times the injection energy; (3) power law fall off with increasing energy, for both upstream and downstream particles, with a slope decreasing as the shock normal angle approaches perpendicular; (4) sustained flux levels over a broader region of shock normal angle than for adiabatic reflection. All these features are in good qualitative agreement with observations, and show that dynamic structure in the shock surface at ion scales produces effective scattering and can be responsible for making high Mach number shocks effective sites for electron acceleration.
We present results of a high-resolution soft X-ray (0.2-2 keV) spectroscopic study of a sample of 69 nearby obscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) observed with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) on board XMM-Newton. This is the largest sample ever studied with this technique so far. The main conclusions of our study can be summarized as follows: a) narrow Radiative Recombination Continua are detected in about 36% of the objects in our sample (in 26% their intrinsic width is <10 eV); b) higher order transitions are generally enhanced with respect to pure photoionization, indicating that resonant scattering plays an important role in the ionization/excitation balance. These results support the scenario, whereby the active nucleus is responsible for the X-ray ``soft excess'' almost ubiquitously observed in nearby obscured AGN via photoionization of circumnuclear gas. They confirm on a statistical basis the conclusions drawn from the detailed study of the brightest spectra in the sample. Furthermore, we propose a criterion to statistically discriminate between AGN-photoionized sources and starburst galaxies, based on intensity of the forbidden component of the OVII He-alpha triplet (once normalized to the OVIII Ly-alpha) coupled with the integrated luminosity in He-like and H-like oxygen lines.
Clover is a new instrument being built to detect the B-mode polarization of the CMB. It consists of three telescopes operating at 97, 150, and 220 GHz and will be sited in Chile at the Llano de Chajnantor. Each telescope assembly is scaled to give a constant beam size of 8 arcmin and feeds an array of between 320 and 512 finline-coupled TES bolometers. Here we describe the design, current status and scientific prospects of the instrument.
Comet 9P/Tempel 1 was the target of a multi-wavelength worldwide
investigation in 2005. The NASA Deep Impact mission reached the comet on 4.24
July 2005, delivering a 370 kg impactor which hit the comet at 10.3 km/s.
Following this impact, a cloud of gas and dust was excavated from the comet
nucleus. The comet was observed in 2005 prior to and after the impact, at 18-cm
wavelength with the Nan\c{c}ay radio telescope, in the millimetre range with
the IRAM and CSO radio telescopes, and at 557 GHz with the Odin satellite.
Post-impact observations at IRAM and CSO did not reveal a significant change
of the outgassing rates and relative abundances, with the exception of CH_3OH
which may have been more abundant by up to one order of magnitude in the
ejecta. Most other variations are linked to the intrinsic variability of the
comet. The Odin satellite monitored nearly continuously the H_2O line at 557
GHz during the 38 hours following the impact on the 4th of July, in addition to
weekly monitoring. Once the periodic variations related to the nucleus rotation
are removed, a small increase of outgassing related to the impact is present,
which corresponds to the release of \approx 5000+/-2000 tons of water. Two
other bursts of activity, also observed at other wavelengths, were seen on 23
June and 7 July; they correspond to even larger releases of gas.
We explore the sensitivity of limb darkening coefficients computed from stellar atmosphere models to different least-squares fitting methods. We demonstrate that conventional methods are strongly biased to fitting the stellar limb. Our suggested method of fitting by minimizing the radially integrated squared residual yields improved fits with better flux conservation. The differences of the obtained coefficients from commonly used values are observationally significant. We show that the new values are in better agreement with solar limb darkening measurements as well as with coefficients reported from analyses of eclipsing binary light curves.
We present host-galaxy velocity dispersions of 12 local (mainly Palomar-Green) quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) measured directly from the stellar CO absorption features in the H band. The mean bulge velocity dispersion of the QSOs in our sample is 186 km/s with a standard deviation of 24 km/s. The measurement of the stellar velocity dispersion in QSOs enables us to place them on observational diagrams such as the local black-hole mass to bulge-velocity-dispersion relation and the fundamental plane of early-type galaxies. Concerning the former relation, these QSOs have higher black hole masses than most Seyfert 1 AGNs with similar velocity dispersions. On the fundamental plane, PG QSOs are located between the regions occupied by moderate-mass and giant ellipticals. The QSO bulge and black hole masses, computed from the stellar velocity dispersions, are of order 10^11 M_sun and 10^8 M_sun respectively. The Eddington efficiency of their black holes is on average 0.25, assuming that all of the bolometric luminosity originates from the active nucleus. Our data are consistent with other lines of evidence that Palomar-Green QSOs are related to galaxy mergers with gas-rich components and that they are formed in a manner similar to the most massive Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies, regardless of their far-infrared emission. However, PG QSOs seem to have smaller host dispersions and different formation mechanisms than QSOs with supermassive black holes of 5x10^8-10^9 M_sun that accrete at low rates and reside in massive spheroids.
We present an alternative explanation for the nature of turbulence in
molecular clouds. Often associated with classical models of turbulence, we
instead interpret the observed gas dynamics as random motions, induced when
clumpy gas is subject to a shock. From simulations of shocks, we show that a
supersonic velocity dispersion occurs in the shocked gas provided the initial
distribution of gas is sufficiently non-uniform. We investigate the velocity
size-scale relation $\sigma \propto r^{\alpha}$ for simulations of clumpy and
fractal gas, and show that clumpy shocks can produce realistic velocity
size-scale relations with mean $\alpha \thicksim 0.5$. For a fractal
distribution, with a fractal dimension of 2.2 similar to what is observed in
the ISM, we find $\sigma \propto r^{0.4}$. The form of the velocity size-scale
relation can be understood as due to mass loading, i.e. the post-shock velocity
of the gas is determined by the amount of mass encountered as the gas enters
the shock. We support this hypothesis with analytical calculations of the
velocity dispersion relation for different initial distributions.
A prediction of this model is that the line-of sight velocity dispersion
should depend on the angle at which the shocked gas is viewed.
We explore the dependence of the ratio of a galaxy's circular velocity, Vcirc, to its central velocity dispersion, sigma_0, on morphology, or equivalently light concentration, for rotationally and pressure supported galaxies. Such a dependence is expected if light traces the mass. Over the full range of galaxy types, masses and brightnesses, and assuming that the gas velocity traces the circular velocity, we find that galaxies obey the relation log(Vcirc/sigma_0)= 0.63-0.11*C28 where C28=5log(r80/r20) and the radii are measured at 80 percent and 20 percent of the total light. Massive galaxies scatter about the Vcirc = sqrt(2)*sigma_0 line expected for isothermal stellar systems. Disk galaxies follow the simple relation Vcirc/sigma_0=2(1-B/T), where B/T is the bulge-to-total light ratio. For pure disks, C28~2.8, B/T -> 0, and Vcirc~=2*sigma_0. Self-consistent equilibrium galaxy models from Widrow & Dubinski (2005) constrained to match the size-luminosity and velocity-luminosity relations of disk galaxies fail to match the observed Vcirc/sigma_0 distribution. Furthermore, the matching of dynamical models for Vcirc(r)/sigma(r) with observations of dwarf and elliptical galaxies suffers from limited radial coverage, and relatively large error bars; for dwarf systems, however, kinematical measurements at the galaxy center and optical edge suggest Vcirc(Rmax) > 2*sigma_0 (in contrast with past assumptions that Vcirc = sqrt(2)*sigma_0 for dwarfs.) The Vcirc-sigma_0-C28 relation has direct implications for galaxy formation and dynamical models, galaxy scaling relations, the mass function of galaxies, and the links between respective formation and evolution processes for a galaxy's central massive object, bulge, and dark matter halo.
We analyzed HST/WFPC2 colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of 15 populous Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) stellar clusters with ages between ~ 0.3 Gyr and ~ 3 Gyr. These (V, B-V) CMDs are photometrically homogeneous and typically reach V \~ 22. Accurate and self-consistent physical parameters (age, metallicity, distance modulus and reddening) were extracted for each cluster by comparing the observed CMDs with synthetic ones. These determinations involved simultaneous statistical comparisons of the main-sequence fiducial line and the red clump position, offering objective and robust criteria to determine the best models. The models explored a regular grid in the parameter space covered by previous results found in the literature. In general, the best models show a satisfactory fit to the data, constraining well the physical parameters of each cluster. The age-metallicity relation derived by us presents a lower spread than similar results found in the literature for the same clusters. Our results are in accordance with the published ages for the oldest clusters, but reveal a possible underestimation of ages by previous authors for the youngest clusters. Our metallicity results in general agree with the ones based on spectroscopy of giant stars and with recent works involving CMD analyses. The derived distance moduli implied by the most reliable solutions, correlate with the reddening values, as expected from the non-negligible three-dimensional distribution of the clusters within the LMC. The inferred spatial distribution for these clusters is roughly aligned with the LMC disk, being also more scattered than recent numerical predictions, indicating that they were not formed in the LMC disk. The set of ages and metallicities homogeneously derived here can be used to calibrate integrated light studies applied to distant galaxies.
We use the spectra of 22,000 nearby early-type galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to determine the age distribution of these galaxies as a function of their velocity dispersion sigma_v in the range 100 km/s < sigma_v < 280 km/s. We then combine the inferred age-distributions with the local abundance of spheroids, including early-type galaxies and late-type bulges, to predict the evolution of the quasar luminosity function (LF) in the redshift range 0<z<6. We make the following simple assumptions: (i) the formation of stars in each galaxy, at the epoch identified with the mean mass-weighted stellar age, is accompanied by the prompt assembly of the nuclear supermassive black hole (SMBH); (ii) the mass of the SMBH obeys the M_bh-sigma_v correlation observed in nearby galaxies; (iii) the SMBH radiates at a fraction f_Edd of the Eddington limit for a fixed duration t_Q, and is identified as a luminous quasar during this epoch, (iv) the intrinsic dispersions in the Eddington ratio and the M_bh-sigma_v relation produce a combined scatter of Delta(log L_Q) around the mean logarithmic quasar luminosity <log L_Q> at fixed sigma_v. These assumptions require that the SMBH remnants of quasars with bolometric luminosity below L_bol=10^{12.5} f_Edd L_sun reside predominantly in bulges of late type galaxies. We find that evolution of the observed quasar LF can be fit over the entire redshift range in this simple model, 0<z<6 with the choices of Delta(log L_Q)=0.6-0.9, t_Q= (6-8)x10^7 yr, and <f_Edd>=0.3-0.5. We find no evidence that any of the model parameters evolves with redshift, supporting the strong connection between the formation of stars and nuclear SMBHs in spheroids.
We use the spectra of ~ 22,000 early-type galaxies, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, to infer the ages, metallicities and star formation histories of these galaxies. We find clear evidence of "downsizing", i.e. galaxies with larger velocity dispersion have older stellar populations. In particular, most early-type galaxies with velocity dispersion exceeding 200 km s-1 formed more than 90% of their current stellar mass at redshift z > 2.5. Therefore, star formation was suppressed around this redshift. We also show that chemical enrichment was rapid, lasting 1-2 Gyr and find evidence that [Fe/H] is sub-solar. We study the robustness of these results by comparing three different approaches: using (i) Lick absorption line indices; (ii) fitting a single-burst stellar population model to the whole spectrum (lines+continuum); and (iii) reconstructing the star formation and metallicity histories in multiple age-bins, providing a method to measure mass-weighted ages and metallicities. We find good agreement between the luminosity-weighted ages and metallicities computed with these three methods.
Ultra High Energy (UHE) Cosmic Rays, UHECR, may graze high altitude atmosphere leading to horizontal upward air-showers. Also PeVs electron antineutrino hitting electron in atmosphere may air-shower at W boson resonant mass. On the other side ultra high energy muon and electron neutrinos may also lead, by UHE neutrinos mass state mixing, to the rise of a corresponding UHE Tau neutrino flavor; the consequent UHE tau neutrinos, via charge current interactions in matter, may create UHE taus at horizons (Earth skimming neutrinos or Hor-taus) whose escape in atmosphere and whose consequent decay in flight, may be later amplified by upward showering on terrestrial, planetary atmospheres. Indeed because of the finite terrestrial radius, its thin atmosphere size its dense crust, the UHE tau cannot extend much more than 360 kilometers in air, corresponding to an energy of about 7.2 EeV, near but below GZK cut-off ones; on the contrary Jupiter (or even Saturn) may offer a wider, less dense and thicker gaseous layer at the horizons where Tau may loose little energy, travel longer before decay and rise and shower at 4-6 10^{19} eV or ZeV extreme energy. Titan atmosphere may open a rare window of opportunity for Up-ward Taus at PeVs. Also solar atmosphere may play a role, but unfortunately tau-showers secondaries maybe are too noisy to be disentangled, while Jupiter atmosphere, or better, Saturn one, may offer a clearer imprint for GZK (and higher Z-Burst) Tau showering, well below the horizons edges.
We present the results of a survey for super Lyman limit systems (SLLS; defined to be absorbers with 19.0 <= log(NHI) <= 20.3 cm^-2) from a large sample of high resolution spectra acquired using the Keck and Magellan telescopes. Specifically, we present 47 new SLLS from 113 QSO sightlines. We focus on the neutral hydrogen frequency distribution f(N,X) of the SLLS and its moments, and compare these results with the Lyman-alpha forest and the damped Lyman alpha systems (DLA; absorbers with log(NHI) >= 20.3 cm^-2). We find that that f(N,X) of the SLLS can be reasonably described with a power-law of index alpha = -1.43^{+0.15}_{-0.16} or alpha = -1.19^{+0.20}_{-0.21} depending on whether we set the lower N(HI) bound for the analysis at 10^{19.0} cm^-2 or 10^{19.3}$ cm^-2, respectively. The results indicate a flattening in the slope of f(N,X) between the SLLS and DLA. We find little evidence for redshift evolution in the shape of f(N,X) for the SLLS over the redshift range of the sample 1.68 < z < 4.47 and only tentative evidence for evolution in the zeroth moment of f(N,X), the line density l_lls(X). We introduce the observable distribution function O(N,X) and its moment, which elucidates comparisons of HI absorbers from the Lyman-alpha through to the DLA. We find that a simple three parameter function can fit O(N,X) over the range 17.0 <= log(NHI) <=22.0. We use these results to predict that f(N,X) must show two additional inflections below the SLLS regime to match the observed f(N,X) distribution of the Lyman-alpha forest. Finally, we demonstrate that SLLS contribute a minor fraction (~15%) of the universe's hydrogen atoms and, therefore, an even small fraction of the mass in predominantly neutral gas.
We review our recent work on the formation and evolution of disks with in triaxial dark matter (DM) halos by means of numerical simulations, including star formation and feedback from stellar evolution. The growing disks are strongly in fluenced by shapes of DM halos and modify them in turn. Disk parameters are in a broad agreement with those in the local universe. Gas-rich stellar bars grow in tandem with the disk and facilitate the angular momentum redistribution in the system and radial gas inflow. Nested bars appear to form as a by-product. Interactions between various non-axisymmetric components -- bars, disks and halos lead to decay of bars or washing out of ellipticity in the inner halo.
We have developed a new method for determining the corotation radii of density waves in disk galaxies, which makes use of the radial distribution of an azimuthal phase shift between the potential and density wave patterns. The approach originated from improved theoretical understandings of the relation between the morphology and kinematics of galaxies, and on the dynamical interaction between density waves and the basic-state disk stars which results in the secular evolution of disk galaxies. In this paper, we present the rationales behind the method, and the first application of it to several representative barred and grand-design spiral galaxies, using near-infrared images to trace the mass distributions, as well as to calculate the potential distributions used in the phase shift calculations. We compare our results with those from other existing methods for locating the corotations, and show that the new method both confirms the previously-established trends of bar-length dependence on galaxy morphological types, as well as provides new insights into the possible extent of bars in disk galaxies. Application of the method to a larger sample and the preliminary analysis of which show that the phase shift method is likely to be a generally-applicable, accurate, and essentially model-independent method for determining the pattern speeds and corotation radii of single or nested density wave patterns in galaxies. Other implications of this work are: most of the nearby bright disk galaxies appear to possess quasi-stationary spiral modes; that these density wave modes and the associated basic state of the galactic disk slowly transform over time; and that self-consistent N-particle systems contain physics not revealed by the passive orbit analysis approaches.
We analyze HST and FUSE ultraviolet spectroscopic data for eleven sight lines passing through the infalling high velocity cloud (HVC) Complex C. These sight lines pass through regions with HI column densities ranging from N(HI) = 10^(18.1) to 10^(20.1). From [OI/HI] abundances, we find that Complex C metallicities range from 0.09 to 0.29 Z_solar, with a column density weighted mean of 0.13 Z_solar. Nitrogen (NI) is underabundant by factors of (0.01-0.07) (N/H)_solar, significantly less than oxygen relative to solar abundances. This pattern suggests nucleosynthetic enrichment by Type II SNe, consistent with an origin in the Galactic fountain or infalling gas produced in winds from Local Group galaxies. The range of metallicity and its possible (2 sigma) dependence on N(HI) could indicate some mixing of primordial material with enriched gas from the Milky Way, but the mixing mechanism is unclear. We also investigate the significant highly ionized component of Complex C, detected in CIV, SiIV, and OVI, but not in NV. High-ion column density ratios show little variance and are consistent with shock ionization or ionization at interfaces between Complex C and a hotter surrounding medium. Evidence for the former mechanism is seen in the Mrk 876 line profiles, where the offset in line centroids between low and high ions suggests a decelerating bowshock.
The detection of bright X-ray flares superimposed on the regular afterglow decay in Swift gamma-ray bursts has triggered theoretical speculations on their origin. We study the temporal properties of flares due to internal dissipation and external shock mechanisms. We first show that at least a sizable fraction of the flares cannot be related to external shock mechanisms, since external shock flares evolve on much longer time scales than observed. We then study flares from internal dissipation, showing that the temporal properties allow us to distinguish the emission of slow early shells from that of late faster shells. We show that, due to the rapid evolution of the detected flares, it is most likely that the flares are produced by relatively fast shells ejected by the central engine shortly before they are observed. This implies that the central engine must be active for, in some cases, as long as one day. We finally discuss the constraints and implications that this observation has on the properties and physics of the inner engine, and we elaborate on possible future observational tests on the flare sample to further understand their origin and physics.
The nature of the cosmic dark matter is unknown. The most compelling hypothesis is that dark matter consists of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) in the 100 GeV mass range. Such particles would annihilate in the galactic halo, producing high-energy gamma rays which might be detectable in gamma ray telescopes such as the GLAST satellite. We investigate the ability of GLAST to distinguish between the WIMP annihilation spectrum and the spectrum of known astrophysical source classes. Focusing on the emission from the galactic satellite halos predicted by the cold dark matter model, we find that the WIMP gamma-ray spectrum is unique; the separation from known source classes can be done in a convincing way. We discuss the follow-up of possible WIMP sources with Imaging Atmospheric Cerenkov Telescopes. Finally we discuss the impact that Large Hadron Collider data might have on the study of galactic dark matter.
We present the results of applying a percolation algorithm to the initial release of the Two Micron All-Sky Survey Extended Source Catalog, using subsequently measured redshifts for almost all of the galaxies with K < 11.25 mag. This group catalog is based on the first near-IR all-sky flux-limited survey that is complete to |b| = 5 deg. We explore the dependence of the clustering on the length and velocity scales involved. The paper describes a group catalog, complete to a limiting redshift of 10,000 km/s, created by maximizing the number of groups containing 3 or more members. A second catalog is also presented, created by requiring a minimum density contrast of 80 to identify groups. We identify known nearby clusters in the catalogs and contrast the groups identified in the two catalogs. We examine and compare the properties of the determined groups and verify that the results are consistent with the UZC-SSRS2 and northern CfA redshift survey group catalogs. The all-sky nature of the catalog will allow the development of a flow-field model based on the density field inferred from the estimated cluster masses.
The effect of variations of the fundamental nuclear parameters on big-bang nucleosynthesis are modeled and discussed in detail taking into account the interrelations between the fundamental parameters arising in unified theories. Considering only \he4, strong constraints on the variation of the neutron lifetime, neutron-proton mass difference are set. These constraints are then translated into constraints on the time variation of the Yukawa couplings and the fine structure constant. Furthermore, we show that a variation of the deuterium binding energy is able to reconcile the \li7 abundance deduced from the WMAP analysis with its spectroscopically determined value while maintaining concordance with D and \he4.
The Dolgov-Kawasaki instability discovered in the matter sector of the modified gravity scenario incorporating a 1/R correction to Einstein gravity is studied in general f(R) theories. A stability condition is found in both the metric and Palatini versions of these theories to help ruling out models that are unviable from the theoretical point of view.
Following Papadakis (2005)'s numerical exploration of the Chermnykh's problem, we here study a Chermnykh-like problem motivated by the astrophysical applications. We find that both the equilibrium points and solution curves become quite different from the ones of the classical planar restricted three-body problem. In addition to the usual Lagrangian points, there are new equilibrium points in our system. We also calculate the Lyapunov Exponents for some example orbits. We conclude that it seems there are more chaotic orbits for the system when there is a belt to interact with.
Star formation rates (SFRs) obtained via extinction corrected H alpha are compared to dense gas as traced by CO(J=3-2) emission at the centers of nearby galaxies, observed with the ASTE telescope. It is found that, although many of the observed positions are dusty and therefore heavily absorbed at H alpha, the SFR shows a striking correlation with dense gas in the form of the Schmidt law with an index 1.0. The correlation is also compared between gas traced by CO(J=1-0) and application of H alpha extinction correction. We find that dense gas produces a far better correlation with SFR in view of surface density values.
Several radio-wave scintillation phenomena exhibit properties which are difficult to accommodate within the standard propagation model based on distributed Kolmogorov turbulence in the ionised ISM; here we discuss one such phenomenon, namely Extreme Scattering Events. By analysis of the data we demonstrate that these events are caused by ionised gas associated with self-gravitating, AU-sized gas clouds. The data also show that the ionised gas is confined by ram pressure, with the clouds moving at hundreds of km/s relative to the diffuse ISM and causing strong shocks. These conclusions are supported by a quantitative model in which heat from the shocked ISM evaporates gas from the surface of a cold cloud; this model readily explains the physical conditions which are required for Extreme Scattering and yields passable reproductions of the light-curves. The magnetotail of the cloud provides a site in which two other ``anomalous'' radio-wave propagation phenomena -- IntraDay Variability of quasars, and pulsar parabolic arcs -- can plausibly arise, thus linking three anomalous propagation phenomena in a single physical model. Locally there must be thousands of these neutral clouds per cubic parsec and by mass they are the primary constituent of interstellar matter.
Some previous investigations have found that the fraction (f_AGN) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is lower in clusters than in the field. This can result from the suppression of galaxy-galaxy mergers in high-velocity dispersion (sigma_v) clusters, if the formation and/or fueling of AGNs is directly related to the merging process. We investigate the existence of a relation between f_AGN and sigma_v in galaxy clusters in order to shed light on the formation and evolution processes of AGNs and cluster galaxies. Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey we determine f_AGN and sigma_v for the clusters in two samples, extracted from the catalogs of Popesso et al. (2006a) and Miller et al. (2005), and excluding clusters with significant evidence for substructures. We find a significant f_AGN-sigma_v anti-correlation. Clusters with sigma_v lower and, respectively, higher than 500 km/s have AGN fractions of $0.21 \pm 0.01$ and $0.15 \pm 0.01$, on average. The f_AGN-sigma_v relation can be described by a model that assumes f_AGN is proportional to the galaxies merging rate, plus a constant. Since f_AGN increases with decreasing sigma_v, AGNs are likely to have played a significant role in heating the intra-cluster medium and driving galaxy evolution in cluster precursors and groups.
We present a catalog of galaxy clusters detected in a new ROSAT PSPC survey. The survey is optimized to sample, at high redshifts, the mass range corresponding to T> keV clusters at z=0. Technically, our survey is the extension of the 160 square degrees survey (Vikhlinin etal 98a, Mullis etal 2003). We use the same detection algorithm, thus preserving high quality of the resulting sample; the main difference is a significant increase in sky coverage. The new survey covers 397 square degrees and is based on 1610 high Galactic latitude ROSAT PSPC pointings, virtually all pointed ROSAT data suitable for the detection of distant clusters. The search volume for X-ray luminous clusters within z<1 exceeds that of the entire local Universe (z<0.1). We detected 287 extended X-ray sources with fluxes f>1.4e-13 erg/s/cm^2 in the 0.5-2 keV energy band, of which 266 (93%) are optically confirmed as galaxy clusters, groups or individual elliptical galaxies. This paper provides a description of the input data, the statistical calibration of the survey via Monte-Carlo simulations, and the catalog of detected clusters. We also compare the basic results to those from previous, smaller area surveys and find good agreement for the log N - log S distribution and the local X-ray luminosity function. Our sample clearly shows a decrease in the number density for the most luminous clusters at z>0.3. The comparison of our ROSAT-derived fluxes with the accurate Chandra measurements for a subset of high-redshift clusters demonstrates the validity of the 400 square degree survey's statistical calibration.
We present a detailed analysis of the selection effects that plague GRB observations. We find that these effects may partially explain the different redshift distributions between BeppoSax/HETE2 and Swift bursts. It is mandatory to consider these effects to determine the redshift evolution of GRBs.
Although the theoretical study of very low metallicity (Z) and metal-free stars is not new, their importance has recently greatly increased since two related fields have been developing rapidly. The first is cosmological simulations of the formation of the first stars and of the reionisation period. The second is the observations of extremely metal poor stars. In this paper, we present pre-supernova evolution models of massive rotating stars at very low Z (Z=1e-8) and at Z=0. Rotation has a strong impact on mass loss and nucleosynthesis. Models reaching break-up velocities lose up to ten percents of their initial mass. In very low Z models, rotational and convective mixing enhances significantly the surface content in carbon, nitrogen and oxygen (CNO) when the star becomes a red supergiant. This induces a strong mass loss for stars more massive than about 60 solar masses. Our models predict type Ib,c supernovae and gamma-ray bursts at very low Z. Rotational mixing also induces a large production of CNO elements, in particular of primary nitrogen. The stellar wind chemical composition is compatible with the most metal-poor star know to date, HE 1327-2326, for CNO elements. Our models reproduce the early evolution of nitrogen in the Milky Way.
Although the Eddington limit has originally been derived for stars, recently
its relevance for the evolution of accretion discs has been realized. We
discuss the question whether the classical Eddington limit - which has been
applied globally for almost all calculations on accretion discs - is a good
approximation if applied locally in the disc. For this purpose, a critical
accretion rate corresponding to this type of modified classical Eddington limit
is calculated from thin alpha-disc models and slim disc models. We account for
the non-spherical symmetry of the disc models by computing the local upper
limits on the accretion rate from vertical and radial force equilibria
separately.
It is shown that the results can differ considerably from the classical
(global) value: The vertical radiation force limits the maximum accretion rate
in the inner disc region to much less than the classical Eddington value in
thin alpha-discs, while it allows for significantly higher accretion rates in
slim discs. We discuss the implications of these results for the evolution of
accretion discs and their central objects.
We report results from a Spitzer GO-1 program of IRS spectroscopy of a large sample of Luminous Infrared Galaxies and quasars selected from the European Large Area ISO Survey (ELAIS) which have a wide multiwavelength coverage, including ISOCAM, ISOPHOT, IRAC and MIPS (from SWIRE), and optical photometry. We present the sample selection and results from the IRS spectroscopy.
We present a spectral analysis of 16 DAO white dwarfs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4. With our NLTE H+He model grid, we derived photospheric parameters for these objects. We compare our new results to literature values and divide the DAOs into two distinct groups: post-AGB and EHB progenitors.
A central step in time-distance local helioseismology techniques is to obtain travel times of packets of wave signals between points or sets of points on the visible surface. Standard ways of determining group or phase travel times involve cross-correlating the signal between locations at the solar photosphere and determining the shift of the envelope of this cross correlation function, or a zero crossing, using a standard wavelet or a reference wave packet. Here a novel method is described which makes use of triple correlations, i.e. cross-correlating signal between three locations. By using an average triple correlation as reference, differential travel times can be extracted in a straightforward manner.
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey has provided spectra of a large number of new PG 1159 stars and DO white dwarfs. This increase in known hot H-deficient compact objects significantly improves the statistics and helps to investigate late stages of stellar evolution. We have finished our analyses of nine PG 1159 stars and 23 DO white dwarfs by means of detailed NLTE model atmospheres. From the optical SDSS spectra, effective temperatures, surface gravities, and element abundances are derived by using our new automated chi^2-fitting in order to place the observed objects in an evolutionary context. Especially the connection between PG 1159 stars and DO white dwarfs has been investigated.
We investigate the accretion onto luminous bodies with hard surfaces within the framework of newtonian theory. The accreting gases are assumed to be polytropes and their selfgravitation is included. A remarkable feature of the model is that under proper boundary conditions some parameters of the sonic point are the same as in the Bondi model and the relation between luminosity and the gas abundance reduces to an algebraic relation. All that holds under assumptions of stationarity and spherical symmetric. Assuming data that are required for the complete specification of the system, one finds that generically for a given luminosity there exist two solutions with different compact cores.
We address the hypothesis that High Velocity Clouds correspond to the "missing" dwarf galaxies of the Local Group predicted by cosmological simulations. To this end, we present optical and near-infrared photometry of five additional High Velocity Clouds, one of which produces Lyman series absorption on the sight line towards the Quasar Ton S210, with sufficient resolution and sensitivity to enable the detection of an associated stellar content. We do not detect significant stellar populations intrinsic to any of the five clouds. In combination with the results from our paper I, which had yielded non detections of stellar content in another five cases, we find that there is a 50% chance of getting a null result in ten trials if fewer than 7% of all High Velocity Clouds contain stars. We conclude that the population of High Velocity Clouds is an unlikely repository for the "missing" dwarfs of the Local Group.
Our analysis of the Deep CFHT M33 variability survey database has uncovered 5 Beat Cepheids (BCs) that are pulsating in the fundamental and first overtone modes. With {\it only} the help of stellar pulsation theory and of mass--luminosity (M-L) relations, derived from evolutionary tracks, we can accurately determine the metallicities Z of these stars. The [O/H] metallicity gradient of -0.16 dex/kpc that is inferred from the M33 galacto-centric distances of these Cepheids and from their 'pulsation' metallicities is in excellent agreement with the standard spectroscopic metallicity gradients that are determined from H II regions, early B supergiant stars and planetary nebulae. Beat Cepheids can thus provide an additional, independent probe of galactic metallicity distributions.
We present a nonparametric method to determine the sign of $w+1$ in the equation of state of dark energy. It is more tolerant to uncertainties of other cosmological parameters than fitting methods, and permits to distinguish between different classes of dark energy models even with relatively low resolution data. We apply this method to SNLS supernovae and to gold sample of re-analyzed supernovae data from Riess et al 2004 \cite{sncp}. Both data sets show strong indication of $w < -1$. If this result is confirmed by more extended and precise data avalable in near future, many of dark energy models, including simple cosmological constant, standard quintessence models without interaction between quintessence scalar field(s) and matter, and scaling models are ruled out.
H2O is the most abundant component of astrophysical ices. In most lines of sight it is not possible to fit both the H2O 3 um stretching, the 6 um bending and the 13 um libration band intensities with a single pure H2O spectrum. Recent Spitzer observations have revealed CO2 ice in high abundances and it has been suggested that CO2 mixed into H2O ice can affect relative strengths of the 3 um and 6 um bands. We used laboratory infrared transmission spectroscopy of H2O:CO2 ice mixtures to investigate the effects of CO2 on H2O ice spectral features at 15-135 K. We find that the H2O peak profiles and band strengths are significantly different in H2O:CO2 ice mixtures compared to pure H2O ice. In all H2O:CO2 mixtures, a strong free-OH stretching band appears around 2.73 um, which can be used to put an upper limit on the CO2 concentration in the H2O ice. The H2O bending mode profile also changes drastically with CO2 concentration; the broad pure H2O band gives way to two narrow bands as the CO2 concentration is increased. This makes it crucial to constrain the environment of H2O ice to enable correct assignments of other species contributing to the interstellar 6 um absorption band. The amount of CO2 present in the H2O ice of B5:IRS1 is estimated by simultaneously comparing the H2O stretching and bending regions and the CO2 bending mode to laboratory spectra of H2O, CO2, H2O:CO2 and HCOOH.
Galaxy bimodality is caused by the bulge-disc nature of galaxies as opposed to two distinct galaxy classes. This is evident in the colour-structure plane which clearly shows that elliptical galaxies (bulge-only) lie in the red compact peak and late-type spiral galaxies (disc-dominated) lie in the blue diffuse peak. Early-type spirals (bulge plus disc systems) sprawl across both peaks. However after bulge-disc decomposition the bulges of early-type spirals lie exclusively in the red compact peak and their discs in the blue diffuse peak (exceptions exist but are rare, e.g., dust reddened edge-on discs and blue pseudo-bulges). Movement between these two peaks is not trivial because whilst switching off star-formation can transform colours from blue to red, modifying the orbits of ~1 billion stars from a planar diffuse structure to a triaxial compact structure is problematic (essentially requiring an equal mass merger). We propose that the most plausible explanation for the dual structure of galaxies is that galaxy formation proceeds in two stages. First an initial collapse phase (forming a centrally concentrated core and black hole), followed by splashback, infall and accretion (forming a planar rotating disc). Dwarf systems could perhaps follow the same scenario but the lack of low luminosity bulge-disc systems would imply that the two components must rapidly blend to form a single flattened spheroidal system.
A convection-driven MHD dynamo in a rotating spherical shell, with clearly defined structural elements in the flow and magnetic field, is simulated numerically. Such dynamos can be called deterministic, in contrast to those explicitly dependent on the assumed properties of turbulence. The cases most interesting from the standpoint of studying the nature of stellar magnetism demonstrate the following features. On a global scale, the convective flows can maintain a ``general'' magnetic field with a sign-alternating dipolar component. Local (in many cases, bipolar) magnetic structures are associated with convection cells. Disintegrating local structures change into background fields, which drift toward the poles. From time to time, reversals of the magnetic fields in the polar regions occur, as ``new'' background fields expel the ``old'' fields.
Using the MIKE spectrograph, mounted on the 6.5 m Magellan/Clay telescope at the Las Campanas observatory in Chile, we have obtained high-resolution spectra for 60 F and G dwarf stars, all likely members of a density enhancement in the local velocity distribution, referred to as the Hercules stream. Comparing with an existing sample of 102 thin and thick disk stars we have used space velocities, detailed elemental abundances, and stellar ages to trace the origin of the Hercules stream. We find that the Hercules stream stars show a wide spread in stellar ages, metallicities, and element abundances. However, the spreads are not random but separate the Hercules stream into the abundance and age trends as outlined by either the thin disk or the thick disk. We hence claim that the major part of the Hercules stream actually are thin and thick disk stars. These diverse properties of the Hercules stream point toward a dynamical origin, probably caused by the Galactic bar. However, we can at the moment not entirely rule out that the Hercules stream could be the remnants of a relatively recent merger event.
We investigate the variations of the magnetic field, Doppler factor, and relativistic particle density along the jet of a quasar at z=0.72. We chose 4C 19.44 for this study because of its length and straight morphology. The 18 arcsec length of the jet provides many independent resolution elements in the Chandra X-ray image. The straightness suggests that geometry factors, although uncertain, are almost constant along the jet. We assume the X-ray emission is from inverse Compton scattering of the cosmic microwave background. With the aid of assumptions about jet alignment, equipartition between magnetic-field and relativistic-particle energy, and filling factors, we find that the jet is in bulk relativistic motion with a Doppler factor about 6 at an angle no more than 10 degrees to the line of sight over deprojected distances about 150--600 kpc from the quasar, and with a magnetic field approximately 10 micro Gauss.
The high 6-Li abundances recently measured in metal-poor halo stars are far above the value predicted by Big Bang nucleosynthesis. They cannot be explained by galactic cosmic-ray interactions in the interstellar medium either. Various pre-galactic sources of 6-Li have been proposed in the literature. We study the possibility that the observed 6-Li was produced by repeated solar-like flares on the main sequence of these low-metallicity stars. The time-dependent flaring activity of these objects is estimated from the observed evolution of rotation-induced activity in Pop I dwarf stars. As in solar flares, 6-Li could be mainly created in interactions of flare-accelerated 3-He with stellar atmospheric 4-He, via the reaction 4-He(3-He,p)6-Li. Stellar dilution and destruction of flare-produced 6-Li are evaluated from the evolutionary models of metal-poor stars developed by Richard and co-workers. Stellar depletion should be less important for 6-Li atoms synthesized in flares than for those of protostellar origin. Theoretical frequency distributions of 6-Li/7-Li ratios are calculated using a Monte-Carlo method and compared with the observations. Excellent agreement is found with the measured 6-Li/7-Li distribution, when taking into account the contribution of protostellar 6-Li originating from galactic cosmic-ray nucleosynthesis. We propose as an observational test of the model to seek for a positive correlation between 6-Li/7-Li and stellar rotation velocity. We also show that the amounts of 7-Li, Be and B produced in flares of metal-poor halo stars are negligible as compared with the measured abundances of these species. 6-Li in low-metallicity stars may be a unique evidence of the nuclear processes occuring in stellar flares.
We build and test Parker-wind models to apply to observations of large-scale (of order 100 pc) outflows from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs). These models include detailed photoionization simulations, the observed radially varying mass profile, adiabatic cooling, and approximations for clouds dragged along in the wind and the interaction of the wind with the circumnuclear ISM of the galaxy. We test this model against recent HST/STIS observations of [O III] emission-line kinematics (in particular, we test against those observed in NGC 4151, but approximately the same kinematics is observed in NGC 1068 and Mrk 3) to constrain the viability of large-scale thermal winds in AGNs. We find that adiabatic cooling dominates in these outflows, decelerating Parker winds on large scales, making them highly unlikely as explanations of the observed kinematics.
We have obtained high resolution spectropolarimetric data for the
planet-hosting star $\tau$ Bootis, using the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter at
CFHT. A weak but clear Stokes $V$ signature is detected on three of the four
nights of June 2006 during which we have recorded data. This polarimetric
signature indicates with no ambiguity the presence of a magnetic field at the
star's surface, with intensity of just a few Gauss.
The analysis of the photospheric lines of $\tau$ Boo at ultra-high
signal-to-noise reveals the presence of an 18% relative differential rotation.
Tentative Zeeman-Doppler imaging, using our spectropolarimetric observations
covering only a fraction of the star's rotational phase, indicates a magnetic
field with a dominant potential field component. The data are best fitted when
a 3.1d period of modulation and an intermediate inclination are assumed.
Considering the level of differential rotation of $\tau$ Boo, this implies a
rotation period of 3.0d at the equator and of 3.7d at the pole, and a topology
of the magnetic field where its main non-axisymmetric part is located at low
latitudes.
The planet is probably synchronised with the star's rotation at intermediate
latitudes, while the non-axisymmetric part of the magnetic field seems located
at lower latitudes. Our limited data do not provide sufficient constraints on
the magnetic field to study a possible interaction of the planet with the
star's magnetosphere. Investigating this issue will require data with much
better phase coverage. Similar studies should also be performed for other stars
hosting close-in giant planets.
Solar wind magnetic fluctuation spectra exhibit a significant power law steepening at frequencies f>1Hz. The origin of this multi-scaling is investigated through dispersive Hall magnetohydrodynamics. We perform three-dimensional numerical simulations in the framework of a highly turbulent shell model and show that the large-scale magnetic fluctuations are characterized by a k^-5/3-type spectrum which steepens at scales smaller than the ion inertial length d_i, to k^-7/3 if the magnetic energy overtakes the kinetic energy, or to k^-11/3 in the opposite case. These results are in agreement both with a heuristic description a la Kolmogorov, and with the range of power law indices found in the solar wind.
We present r'- or i'-band WIYN images of the fields of 15 Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasars that have spectra exhibiting intervening MgII absorption-line systems with rest equivalent widths 2.7A \le REW \le 6.0A and redshifts 0.42 < z_{abs} < 0.84. Such systems are rare and exhibit projected absorption velocity spreads in excess of \approx 300-650 km/s. Approximately 60% are expected to be damped Ly\alpha systems. In each of our fields we detect at least one galaxy that, if at the absorption redshift, would have impact parameter b \lesssim 40 kpc and luminosity L \gtrsim 0.3 L*. We measure a significant excess of galaxies at low-b to the sightlines over a large range of luminosity. Many of the sightlines are found to pass either through or close to the optically-luminous extent of a galaxy. Considering the very large velocity spreads seen in absorption, this suggests that these absorbing regions are more kinematically complex than local spirals such as the Milky Way. Our data indicate that interactions and galaxy pairs may be a contributing factor to the production of such large velocity spreads. Finally, we also find evidence that a population of galaxies with luminosities in the range 4L* \lesssim L \lesssim 13 L* may contribute to the presence of ultra-strong MgII absorption. Thus, some of the absorbing galaxies may represent a population intermediate to the very luminous high-redshift Lyman break galaxies and the fainter local starburst population.