We present a close companion search around sixteen known early-L dwarfs using
aperture masking interferometry with Palomar laser guide star adaptive optics.
The use of aperture masking allows the detection of close binaries,
corresponding to projected physical separations of 0.6-10.0 AU for the targets
of our survey. This survey achieved median contrast limits of Delta_K ~ 2.3 for
separations between 1.2 - 4 lambda/D, and Delta_K ~ 1.4 at (2/3)lambda/D.
We present four candidate binaries detected with moderate to high confidence
(90-98%). Two have projected physical separations less than 1.5 AU. This may
indicate that tight-separation binaries contribute more significantly to the
binary fraction than currently assumed, consistent with spectroscopic and
photometric overluminosity studies.
Ten targets of this survey have previously been observed with the Hubble
Space Telescope as part of companion searches. We use the increased resolution
of aperture masking to search for close or dim companions that would be
obscured by full aperture imaging, finding two candidate binaries.
This survey is the first application of aperture masking with laser guide
star adaptive optics at Palomar. Several new techniques for the analysis of
aperture masking data in the low signal to noise regime are explored.
Concentrations of matter, such as galaxies and galactic clusters, originated as very small density fluctuations in the early universe. The existence of galaxy clusters and super-clusters suggests that a natural scale for the matter distribution may not exist. A point of controversy is whether the distribution is fractal and, if so, over what range of scales. One-dimensional models demonstrate that the important dynamics for cluster formation occurs in the position-velocity plane. Here we investigate the development of scaling behavior and multifractal geometry for a family of one dimensional models for three different, scale-free, initial conditions. We show that hierarchical cluster formation depends sensitively on the initial power spectrum. Under special circumstances we confirm a simple relation between the power spectrum, correlation function, and correlation dimension.
We compare current and forecasted constraints on dynamical dark energy models from Type Ia supernovae and the cosmic microwave background using figures of merit based on the volume of the allowed dark energy parameter space. For a two-parameter dark energy equation of state that varies linearly with the scale factor, and assuming a flat universe, the area of the error ellipse can be reduced by a factor of ~10 relative to current constraints by future space-based supernova data and CMB measurements from the Planck satellite. If the dark energy equation of state is described by a more general basis of principal components, the expected improvement in volume-based figures of merit is much greater. While the forecasted precision for any single parameter is only a factor of 2-5 smaller than current uncertainties, the constraints on dark energy models bounded by -1<w<1 improve for approximately 6 independent dark energy parameters resulting in a reduction of the total allowed volume of principal component parameter space by a factor of ~100. Typical quintessence models can be adequately described by just 2-3 of these parameters even given the precision of future data, leading to a more modest but still significant improvement. In addition to advances in supernova and CMB data, percent-level measurement of absolute distance and/or the expansion rate is required to ensure that dark energy constraints remain robust to variations in spatial curvature.
We present the historic photographic light curves of three little known Blazars (two BL Lacs and one FSRQ), BZB J1058+5628, BZQ J1148+5254 and BZB J1209+4119 spanning a time interval of about 50 years, mostly built using the Asiago plate archive. All objects show evident long-term variability, over which short-term variations are superposed. One source, BZB J1058+5628, showed a marked quasi-periodic variability of 1 mag on time scale of about 6.3 years, making it one of the few BL Lac objects with a quasi-periodic behavior.
Among the known Ap stars, HD101065 is probably one of the most interesting objects, demonstrating very rich spectra of rare-earth elements (REE). Strongly peculiar photometric parameters of this star that can not be fully reproduced by any modern theoretical calculations, even those accounting for realistic chemistry of its atmosphere. In this study we investigate a role of missing REE line opacity and construct a self-consistent atmospheric model based on accurate abundance and chemical stratification analysis. We employed the LLmodels stellar model atmosphere code together with DDAFit and SynthMag software packages to derive homogeneous and stratified abundances for 52 chemical elements and to construct a self-consistent model of HD101065 atmosphere. The opacity in REE lines is accounted for in details, by using up-to-date extensive theoretical calculations. We show that REE elements play a key role in the radiative energy balance in the atmosphere of HD101065, leading to the strong suppression of the Balmer jump and energy redistribution very different from that of normal stars. Introducing new line lists of REEs allowed us to reproduce, for the first time, spectral energy distribution of HD101065 and achieve a better agreement between the unusually small observed Str\"omgren c1 index and the model predictions. Using combined photometric and spectroscopic approaches and based on the iterative procedure of abundance and stratification analysis we find effective temperature of HD101065 to be Teff=6400K.
We present a new mechanism for the ejection of a common envelope in a massive binary, where the energy source is nuclear energy rather than orbital energy. This can occur during the slow merger of a massive primary with a secondary of 1-3 Msun when the primary has already completed helium core burning. We show that, in the final merging phase, hydrogen-rich material from the secondary can be injected into the helium-burning shell of the primary. This leads to a nuclear runaway and the explosive ejection of both the hydrogen and the helium layer, producing a close binary containing a CO star and a low-mass companion. We argue that this presents a viable scenario to produce short-period black-hole binaries and long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs). We estimate a LGRB rate of about 1.e-6 per year at solar metallicity, which implies that this may account for a significant fraction of all LGRBs, and that this rate should be higher at lower metallicity.
We study the effect of noise in the density field, such as would arise from a finite number density of tracers, on reconstruction of the acoustic peak within the context of Lagrangian perturbation theory. Reconstruction performs better when the density field is determined from denser tracers, but the gains saturate at n~1e-4(h/Mpc)^3. For low density tracers it is best to use a large smoothing scale to define the shifts, but the optimum is very broad.
To investigate the black hole mass vs. stellar velocity dispersion (\msigma) relation of active galaxies, we measured the velocity dispersions of a sample of local Seyfert 1 galaxies, for which we have recently determined black hole masses using reverberation mapping. For most objects, stellar velocity dispersions were measured from high signal-to-noise ratio optical spectra centered on the \ion{Ca}{2} triplet region ($\sim 8500$ \AA), obtained at the Keck, Palomar, and Lick Observatories. For two objects, in which the \ion{Ca}{2} triplet region was contaminated by nuclear emission, the measurement was based on high-quality $H$-band spectra obtained with the OH-Suppressing Infrared Imaging Spectrograph at the Keck-II Telescope. Combining our new measurements with data from the literature, we assemble a sample of 24 active galaxies with stellar velocity dispersions {\it and} reverberation-based black hole mass measurements in the range of black hole mass $10^{6}< \mbh/\msun < 10^{9}$. We use this sample to obtain reverberation mapping constraints on the slope and intrinsic scatter of the \msigma\ relation of active galaxies. Assuming a constant virial coefficient $f$ for the reverberation mapping black hole masses, we find a slope $\beta=3.55\pm0.60$ and the intrinsic scatter $\sigma_{\rm int}=0.43\pm0.08$ dex in the relation $\log (M_{\rm BH} / M_{\odot}) = \alpha + \beta \log (\sigma_{\ast} / {200}$ \kms), which are consistent with those found for quiescent galaxies. We derive an updated value of the virial coefficient $f$ by finding the value which places the reverberation masses in best agreement with the \msigma\ relation of quiescent galaxies; using the quiescent \msigma\ relation determined by G\"ultekin et al.\ we find $\log f=0.72^{+0.09}_{-0.10}$ with an intrinsic scatter of $0.44\pm0.07$ dex. No strong correlations between $f$ and parameters connected to the physics of accretion (such as the Eddington ratio or line-shape measurements) are found. The uncertainty of the virial coefficient remains one of the main sources of the uncertainty in black hole mass determinations using reverberation mapping, and therefore also in single-epoch spectroscopic estimates of black hole masses in active galaxies.
We study the gravitational fragmentation of cold accretion streams flowing into a typical first galaxy. We use a one-zone hydrodynamical model to examine the thermal evolution of the gas entering a 10^8 M_sun DM halo at z=10. The goal is to find the expected fragmentation mass scale and thus a characteristic mass of the first population of stars to form by shock fragmentation at high redshift. Our model accurately describes the chemical and thermal evolution of the gas as we are specifically concerned with how the cooling of the gas alters its fragmentation properties. We find there to be a sharp drop in the fragmentation mass at a metallicity of ~10^-4 Z_sun when a strong molecule destroying, LW background is present. However, If molecules can efficiently form, they dominate the cooling at T < 10^4 K, demonstrating no 'critical metallicity'. We also find that this physical scenario allows for the formation of a cluster of solar mass fragments, or a single 10^4 M_sun fragment, possibly the precursors to primeval clusters and SMBHs. Lastly, we conclude that the usual assumption of isobaricity for galactic shocks breaks down in gas of sufficiently high metallicity, suggesting that metal cooling may lead to thermal instabilities.
Our goal is to understand primary accretion of the first planetesimals. The primitive meteorite record suggests that sizeable planetesimals formed in the asteroid belt over a period longer than a million years, each composed entirely of an unusual, but homogeneous, mixture of mm-size particles. We sketch a scenario in which primary accretion of 10-100km size planetesimals proceeds directly, if sporadically, from aerodynamically-sorted mm-size particles (generically "chondrules"). These planetesimal sizes are in general agreement with the currently observed asteroid mass peak near 100km diameter, which has been identified as a "fossil" property of the pre-erosion, pre-depletion population. We extend our primary accretion theory to make predictions for outer solar system planetesimals, which may also have a preferred size in the 100km diameter range. We estimate formation rates of planetesimals and assess the conditions needed to match estimates of both asteroid and Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) formation rates. For nebula parameters that satisfy observed mass accretion rates of Myr-old protoplanetary nebulae, the scenario is roughly consistent with not only the "fossil" sizes of the asteroids, and their estimated production rates, but also with the observed spread in formation ages of chondrules in a given chondrite, and with a tolerably small radial diffusive mixing during this time between formation and accretion (the model naturally helps explain the peculiar size distribution of chondrules within such objects). The scenario also produces 10-100km diameter primary KBOs. The optimum range of parameters, however, represents a higher gas density and fractional abundance of solids, and a smaller difference between keplerian and pressure-supported orbital velocities, than "canonical" models of the solar nebula. We discuss several potential explanations for these differences.
Ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrinos and cosmic rays initiate particle cascades underneath the Moon's surface. These cascades have a negative charge excess and radiate Cherenkov radio emission in a process known as the Askaryan effect. The optimal frequency window for observation of these pulses with radio telescopes on the Earth is around 150 MHz. By observing the Moon with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope array we are able to set a new limit on the UHE neutrino flux. The PuMa II backend is used to monitor the Moon in 4 frequency bands between 113 and 175 MHz with a sampling frequency of 40 MHz. The narrowband radio interference is digitally filtered out and the dispersive effect of the Earth's ionosphere is compensated for. A trigger system is implemented to search for short pulses. By inserting simulated pulses in the raw data, the detection efficiency for pulses of various strength is calculated. With 47.6 hours of observation time, we are able to set a limit on the UHE neutrino flux. This new limit is an order of magnitude lower than existing limits. In the near future, the digital radio array LOFAR will be used to achieve an even lower limit.
We model the time variability of ~9,000 spectroscopically confirmed quasars in SDSS Stripe 82 as a damped random walk. Using 2.7 million photometric measurements collected over 10 years, we confirm the results of Kelly et al. (2009) and Koz{\l}owski et al. (2010) that this model can explain quasar light curves at an impressive fidelity level (0.01-0.02 mag). The damped random walk model provides a simple, fast [O(N) for N data points], and powerful statistical description of quasar light curves by a characteristic time scale (tau) and an asymptotic rms variability on long time scales (SF_inf). We searched for correlations between these two variability parameters and physical parameters such as luminosity and black hole mass, and rest-frame wavelength. We find that tau increases with increasing wavelength with a power law index of 0.17, remains nearly constant with redshift and luminosity, and increases with increasing black hole mass with power law index of 0.21+/-0.07. The amplitude of variability is anti-correlated with the Eddington ratio, which suggests a scenario where optical fluctuations are tied to variations in the accretion rate. The radio-loudest quasars have systematically larger variability amplitudes by about 30%, when corrected for the other observed trends, while the distribution of their characteristic time scale is indistinguishable from that of the full sample. We do not detect any statistically robust differences in the characteristic time scale and variability amplitude between the full sample and the small subsample of quasars detected by ROSAT. Our results provide a simple quantitative framework for generating mock quasar light curves, such as currently used in LSST image simulations. (abridged)
We extend the concept of galaxy environment from the local galaxy number density to the gravitational potential and its functions like the shear tensor. For this purpose we examine whether or not one can make an accurate estimation of the gravitational potential from an observational sample which is finite in volume, biased due to galaxy biasing, and subject to redshift space distortion. Dark halos in a $\Lambda$CDM simulation are used in this test. We find that one needs to stay away from the sample boundaries by more than 30$h^{-1}$Mpc to reduce the error within 20% of the root mean square values of the potential or the shear tensor. The error due to the galaxy biasing can be significantly reduced by using the galaxy mass density field instead of the galaxy number density field. The error caused by the redshift space distortion can be effectively removed by correcting galaxy positions for the peculiar velocity effects. We inspect the dependence of dark matter halo properties on four environmental parameters; local density, gravitational potential, and the ellipticity and prolateness of the shear tensor. We find the local density has the strongest correlation with halo properties. This is evidence that the internal physical properties of dark halos are mainly controlled by small-scale physics. In high density regions dark halos are on average more massive and spherical, and have higher spin parameter and velocity dispersion. In high density regions dark halos are on average more massive and spherical, and have higher spin parameter and velocity dispersion. We also study the relation between the environmental parameters and the subtypes of dark halos. The spin parameter of satellite halos depends only weakly on the local density for all mass ranges studied while that of isloated or central halos depends more sensitively on the local density. (abridged)
The impact of Type Ia supernova ejecta on a helium-star companion is investigated via high-resolution, two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations. For a range of helium-star models and initial binary separations it is found that the mass unbound in the interaction, $\delta M_{\rm ub}$, is related to the initial binary separation, $a$, by a power law of the form $\delta M_{\rm ub} \propto a^{m}$. This power-law index is found to vary from -3.1 to -4.0, depending on the mass of the helium star. The small range of this index brackets values found previously for hydrogen-rich companions, suggesting that the dependence of the unbound mass on orbital separation is not strongly sensitive to the nature of the binary companion. The kick velocity is also related to the initial binary separation by a power law with an index in a range from -2.7 to -3.3, but the power-law index differs from those found in previous studies for hydrogen-rich companions. The space motion of the companion after the supernova is dominated by its orbital velocity in the pre-supernova binary system. The level of Ni/Fe contamination of the companion resulting from the passage of the supernova ejecta is difficult to estimate, but an upper limit on the mass of bound nickel is found to be $\sim 5\times 10^{-4}\ M_\odot$.
The detection of neutrinos from massive stellar collapses can teach us a lot not only about source objects but also about microphysics working deep inside them. In this study we discuss quantitatively the possibility to extract information on the properties of dense and hot hadronic matter from neutrino signals coming out of black-hole-forming collapses of non-rotational massive stars. Based on our detailed numerical simulations we evaluate the event numbers for SuperKamiokande with neutrino oscillations being fully taken into account. We demonstrate that the event numbers from a Galactic event are large enough not only to detect it but also to distinguish one hadronic equation of state from another by our statistical method assuming the same progenitor model and non-rotation. This means that the massive stellar collapse can be a unique probe into hadron physics and will be a promising target of the nascent neutrino astronomy.
We review X-ray properties of the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients following from their observations with INTEGRAL and show that a compact object in these systems is a neutron star with strong magnetic field accreting from the stellar wind of a donor star. We show that presence of a centrifugal barrier at the magnetospheric boundary of the neutron star may be a key to understanding of abrupt short X-ray outbursts of these transients and long intervals of their quiescence.
We present a sample of 68 low-z MgII low-ionization broad absorption-line (loBAL) quasars. The sample is uniformly selected from the SDSS5 according to the following criteria: (1) 0.4<z<0.8, (2) median S/N>7, and (3) MgII absorption-line width > 1600 \kms. The last criterion is a trade-off between the completeness and consistency with respect to the canonical definition of BAL quasars that have the `balnicity index' BI>0 in CIV BAL. We adopted such a criterion to ensure that ~90% of our sample are classical BAL quasars and the completeness is ~80%, based on extensive tests using high-z quasar samples with measurements of both CIV and MgII BALs. We found (1) MgII BAL is more frequently detected in quasars with narrower Hbeta emission-line, weaker [OIII] emission-line, stronger optical FeII multiplets and higher luminosity. In term of fundamental physical parameters of a black hole accretion system, loBAL fraction is significantly higher in quasars with a higher Eddington ratio than those with a lower Eddington ratio. The fraction is not dependent on the black hole mass in the range concerned. The overall fraction distribution is broad, suggesting a large range of covering factor of the absorption material. (2) [OIII]-weak loBAL quasars averagely show undetected [NeV] emission line and a very small line ratio of [NeV] to [OIII]. However, the line ratio in non-BAL quasars, which is much larger than that in [OIII]-weak loBAL quasars, is independent of the strength of the [OIII] line. (3) loBAL and non-loBAL quasars have similar colors in near-infrared to optical band but different colors in ultraviolet. (4) Quasars with MgII absorption lines of intermediate width are indistinguishable from the non-loBAL quasars in optical emission line properties but their colors are similar to loBAL quasars, redder than non-BAL quasars. We also discuss the implication of these results.
Context. The formation of vortices in accretion disks is of high interest in various astrophysical contexts, in particular for planet formation or in the disks of compact objects. But despite numerous attempts it has thus far not been possible to produce strong vortices in fully three-dimensional simulations of disks. Aims. The aim of this paper is to present the first 3D simulation of a strong vortex, established across the vertically stratified structure of a disk by the Rossby Wave Instability. Methods. Using the Versatile Advection Code (VAC), we set up a fully 3D cylindrical stratified disk potentially prone to the Rossby Wave Instability. Results. The simulation confirms the basic expectations obtained from previous 2D analytic and numerical works. The simulation exhibits a strong vortex that grows rapidly and saturates at a finite amplitude. On the other hand the third dimension shows unexpected additional behaviours that could be of strong importance in the astrophysical roles that such vortices can play.
Brown dwarfs are bodies with masses in the range between those of giant planets and the lightest stars. Some are isolated, while others orbit normal stars or exist in star clusters. Since 1995, more than 100 methane brown dwarfs, or T dwarfs, have been found with spectra similar to that of the planet Jupiter and effective temperatures in the range 500-1300 K. The detection of even cooler bodies will open up a new arena for atmospheric physics and help to determine the formation rate of stars and brown dwarfs in our Galaxy as a function of both mass and of time. Here we report the discovery in the UKIDSS Galactic Plane Survey of a brown dwarf, UGPS J0722-05, that is not only far less luminous and significantly cooler than previously known objects but also the nearest to the Solar System. The measured distance is 2.9 +/- 0.4 pc, from which we deduce an effective temperature in the range 400-500 K. The Gemini/NIRI near infrared spectrum displays deeper water vapour and methane absorption bands than the coolest known T dwarfs, and an unidentified absorption feature at 1.275 microns. Time will tell whether this object is regarded as a T10 dwarf or the first example of a new spectral type.
We provide a physical interpretation and explanation of the morphology-density relation for galaxies, drawing on stellar masses, star-formation rates, axis ratios and group halo masses from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We first re-cast the classical morphology-density relation in more quantitative terms, using low-star formation rate (quiescence) as a proxy for early-type morphology and dark matter halo mass from a group catalog as a proxy for environmental density: for galaxies of a given stellar mass the quiescent fraction is found to increase with increasing dark matter halo mass. Our novel result is that - at a given stellar mass - quiescent galaxies are significantly flatter in dense environments, implying a higher fraction of disk galaxies. Supposing that the denser environments differ simply by a higher incidence of quiescent disk galaxies that are structurally similar to star-forming disk galaxies of similar mass, explains simultaneously and quantitatively these quiescence-environment and shape-environment relations. Our findings add considerable weight to the slow removal of gas as the main physical driver of the morphology-density relation, at the expense of other explanations.
We discuss new limits on masses and radii of compact stars and we conclude that they can be interpreted as an indication of the existence of two classes of stars: "normal" compact stars and "ultra-compact" stars. We estimate the critical mass at which the first configuration collapses into the second.
Results are presented from NIR spectroscopy of a sample of BzK-selected, massive star-forming galaxies (sBzKs) at 1.5<z<2.3 that were obtained with OHS/CISCO at Subaru and with SINFONI at VLT. Among the 28 sBzKs observed, Ha emission was detected in 14 objects, and for 11 of them the [NII]6583 was also measured. Multiwavelength photometry was also used to derive stellar masses and extinction parameters, whereas Ha and [NII] have allowed us to estimate SFR, metallicities, ionization mechanisms, and dynamical masses. In order to enforce agreement between SFRs from Ha with those derived from rest-frame UV and MIR, additional obscuration for the emission lines (that originate in HII regions) was required compared to the extinction derived from the slope of the UV continuum. We have also derived the stellar mass-metallicity relation, as well as the relation between stellar mass and specific SFR, and compared them to the results in other studies. At a given stellar mass, the sBzKs appear to have been already enriched to metallicities close to those of local star-forming galaxies of similar mass. The sBzKs presented here tend to have higher metallicities compared to those of UV-selected galaxies, indicating that NIR selected galaxies tend to be a chemically more evolved population. The sBzKs show specific SFRs that are systematically higher, by up to ~2 orders of magnitude, compared to those of local galaxies of the same mass. The empirical correlations between stellar mass and metallicity, and stellar mass and specific SFR are then compared with those of population synthesis models constructed either with the simple closed-box assumption, or within an infall scenario. Within the assumptions that are built-in such models, it appears that a short timescale for the star-formation (~100 Myr) and large initial gas mass appear to be required if one wants to reproduce both relations simultaneously.
This paper presents light curves and the first systematic characterization of variability of the 106 objects in the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) Bright AGN Sample (LBAS). Weekly light curves obtained during the first 11 months of survey (August 04, 2008 - July 04, 2009), are tested for variability, and their properties are quantified through autocorrelation and structure function analysis. For the brightest sources power density spectra (PDS) and fit of the temporal structure of major flares is performed. More than 50% of the sources are variable, where high states do not exceed 1/4 of the total observation range. Variation amplitudes are larger for FSRQs and low/intermediate synchrotron peaked (LSP/ISP) BL Lac objects. Autocorrelation time scales vary from 4 to a dozen of weeks. Variable sources of the sample have 1/(f^{a}) PDS and show two modes: (1) rather constant baseline with sporadic flaring activity characterized by flatter PDS slopes resembling flickering and red-noise with occasional intermittence, and (2) - measured for a few blazars showing strong activity - complex and structured temporal profiles characterized by longer-term memory and steeper PDS slopes typical of a random-walk underlying mechanism. The average PDS slope of the brightest 22 FSRQs and the 6 brightest BL Lacs is 1.5 and 1.7 respectively. The study of temporal profiles of well resolved flares shows that they generally have symmetric profiles and that their total duration vary between 10 and 100 days.
We present an investigation of Cepheid distances using theory and observations. Cepheid models indicate that the slope of the Period-Luminosity (P-L) relation covering the entire period range (0.40<= logP <=2.0) becomes steeper when moving from optical to NIR bands, and that the metallicity dependence of the slope decreases from the B- to the K-band. We estimated V- and I-band slopes for 87 Cepheid data sets belonging to 48 external galaxies with nebular oxygen abundance 7.5<= 12+log (O/H) <=8.9. By using Cepheid samples including more than 20 Cepheids, the chi^2 test indicates that the hypothesis of a steepening of the P-L_{V,I} relations with increased metallicity can be discarded at the 99% level. On the contrary, the observed slopes agree with the metallicity trend predicted by pulsation models, i.e. the slope is roughly constant for galaxies with 12+log (O/H) < 8.17 and becomes shallower in the metal-rich regime, with a confidence level of 62% and 92%, respectively. The chi^2 test concerning the hypothesis that the slope does not depend on metallicity gives confidence levels either similar (P-L_V, 62%) or smaller (P-L_I, 67%). We found that the slopes of optical and NIR Period-Wesenheit (P-W) relations in external galaxies are similar to the slopes of LMC. On this ground, the P-W relations provide robust distances relative to the LMC, but theory and observations indicate that the metallicity dependence of the zero-point in the different passbands has to be taken into account. We compared the galaxy distances provided by Rizzi et al. (2007) using the TRGB with our set of Cepheid distances based on the P-W relations. We found that the metallicity correction on distances based on the P-WBV relation is gamma_(B,V)=-0.52 mag dex^-1, whereas it is vanishing for the distances based on the P-WVI and on the P-WJK relations. These findings fully support Cepheid theoretical predictions.
High spatial resolution observations of the H\alpha-emitting wind structure associated with the Luminous Blue Variable star P Cygni were obtained with the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI). These observations represent the most comprehensive interferometric data set on P Cyg to date. We demonstrate how the apparent size of the H\alpha-emitting region of the wind structure of P Cyg compares between the 2005, 2007 and 2008 observing seasons and how this relates to the H\alpha line spectroscopy. Using the data sets from 2005, 2007 and 2008 observing seasons, we fit a circularly symmetric Gaussian model to the interferometric signature from the H\alpha-emitting wind structure of P Cyg. Based on our results we conclude that the radial extent of the H\alpha-emitting wind structure around P Cyg is stable at the 10% level. We also show how the radial distribution of the H\alpha flux from the wind structure deviates from a Gaussian shape, whereas a two-component Gaussian model is sufficient to fully describe the H\alpha-emitting region around P Cyg.
To understand the correlation and the radiation mechanism of flare emission in different wavelength bands, we have coordinated a number of telescopes to observe SgrA* simultaneously. We focus only on one aspect of the preliminary results of our multi-wavelength observing campaigns, namely, the short time scale variability of emission from SgrA* in near-IR, X-ray and radio wavelengths. The structure function analysis indicate most of the power spectral density is detected on hourly time scales in all wavelength bands. We also report minute time scale variability at 7 and 13mm placing a strong constraint on the nature of the variable emission. The hourly time scale variability can be explained in the context of a model in which the peak frequency of emission shifts toward lower frequencies as a self-absorbed synchrotron source expands adiabatically near the acceleration site. The short time scale variability, on the other hand, places a strong constraint on the size of the emitting region. Assuming that rapid minute time scale fluctuations of the emission is optically thick in radio wavelength, light travel arguments requires relativistic particle energy, thus suggesting the presence of outflow from SgrA*.
Is Dark Energy justified as an alternative to the cosmological constant $\Lambda$ in order to explain the acceleration of the cosmic expansion ? It turns out that a straightforward dimensional analysis of Einstein equation provides us with clear evidences that the geometrical nature of $\Lambda$ is the only viable source to this phenomenon, in addition of the application of Ockham's razor principle. This contribution is primarily a review of the main stream in the interpretation of $\Lambda$ because it is at the origin of such a research program.
We calculate the equation of state (EoS) of dense matter, using a relativistic mean field (RMF) model with a density dependent coupling that is a slightly modified form of the original NL3 interaction. For nonuniform nuclear matter we approximate the unit lattice as a spherical Wigner-Seitz cell, wherein the meson mean fields and nucleon Dirac wave functions are solved fully self-consistently. We also calculate uniform nuclear matter for a wide range of temperatures, densities, and proton fractions, and match them to non-uniform matter as the density decreases. The calculations took over 6,000 CPU days in Indiana University's supercomputer clusters. We tabulate the resulting EoS at over 107,000 grid points in the proton fraction range $Y_P$ = 0 to 0.56. For the temperature range $T$ = 0.16 to 15.8 MeV we cover the density range $n_B$ = 10$^{-4}$ to 1.6 fm$^{-3}$; and for the higher temperature range $T$ = 15.8 to 80 MeV we cover the larger density range $n_B$ = 10$^{-8}$ to 1.6 fm$^{-3}$. In the future we plan to study low density, low temperature (T$<$15.8 MeV), nuclear matter using a Virial expansion, and we will match the low density and high density results to generate a complete EoS table for use in astrophysical simulations of supernova and neutron star mergers.
The existence of magnetohydrodynamic mean-field alpha^2-dynamos with spherically symmetric, isotropic helical turbulence function alpha is related to a non-self-adjoint spectral problem for a coupled system of two singular second order ordinary differential equations. We establish global estimates for the eigenvalues of this system in terms of the turbulence function alpha and its derivative alpha'. They allow us to formulate an anti-dynamo theorem and a non-oscillation theorem. The conditions of these theorems, which again involve alpha and alpha', must be violated in order to reach supercritical or oscillatory regimes.
The gyrokinetic simulation code AstroGK is developed to study fundamental aspects of kinetic plasmas and for applications mainly to astrophysical problems. AstroGK is an Eulerian slab code that solves the electromagnetic Gyrokinetic-Maxwell equations in five-dimensional phase space, and is derived from the existing gyrokinetics code GS2 by removing magnetic geometry effects. Algorithms used in the code are described. The code is benchmarked using linear and nonlinear problems. Serial and parallel performance scalings are also presented.
It is known that strong electric fields produce electron and positron pairs from the vacuum, and due to the back-reaction these pairs oscillate back and forth coherently with the alternating electric fields in time. We study this phenomenon in spatially inhomogeneous and bound electric fields by integrating the equations of energy-momentum and particle-number conservations and Maxwell equations. The space and time evolutions of the pair-induced electric field, electric charge- and current-densities are calculated. The results show that non-vanishing electric charge-density and the propagation of pair-induced electric fields, differently from the case of homogeneous and unbound electric fields. The space and time variations of pair-induced electric charges and currents emit an electromagnetic radiation. We obtain the narrow spectrum and intensity of this radiation, whose peak $\omega_{\rm peak}$ locates in the region around $5\sim 70$ KeV depending on electric field strengths. We discuss their relevances to both the laboratory experiments for electron and positron pair-productions and the astrophysical observations of compact stars with an electromagnetic structure.
In the future several Spallation Source facilities will be available worldwide. Spallation Sources produce large amount of neutrinos from decay-at-rest muons and thus can be well adapted to accommodate state-of-the-art neutrino experiments. In this paper low energy neutrino scattering experiments that can be performed at such facilities are reviewed. Estimation of expected event rates are given for several nuclei, electrons and protons at a detector located close to the source. A neutrino program at Spallation Sources comprises neutrino-nucleus cross section measurements relevant for neutrino and core-collapse supernova physics, electroweak tests and lepton-flavor violation searches.
In searches for gravitational waves emitted by known isolated pulsars in data collected by a detector one can assume that the frequency of the wave, its spindown parameters, and the position of the source in the sky are known, so the almost monochromatic gravitational-wave signal we are looking for depends on at most four parameters: overall amplitude, initial phase, polarization angle, and inclination angle of the pulsar's rotation axis with respect to the line of sight. We derive two statistics by means of which one can test whether data contains such gravitational-wave signal: the $\mathcal{G}$-statistic for signals which depend on only two unknown parameters (overall amplitude and initial phase), and the $\mathcal{F}$-statistic for signals depending on all four parameters. We study, by means of the Fisher matrix, the theoretical accuracy of the maximum-likelihood estimators of the signal's parameters and we present the results of the Monte Carlo simulations we performed to test the accuracy of these estimators.
The German / British gravitational wave detector GEO 600 is in the process of being upgraded. The upgrading process of GEO 600, called GEO-HF, will concentrate on the improvement of the sensitivity for high frequency signals and the demonstration of advanced technologies. In the years 2009 to 2011 the detector will undergo a series of upgrade steps, which are described in this paper.
The scintillation light yield of liquid argon from nuclear recoils relative to electronic recoils has been measured as a function of recoil energy from 10 keVr up to 250 keVr. The scintillation efficiency, defined as the ratio of the nuclear recoil scintillation response to the electronic recoil response, is 0.25 \pm 0.02 + 0.01(correlated) above 20 keVr.
We show that a possible astrophysical experiment, detection of lensed images of stars orbiting close to Sgr A*, can provide insight into the form of the metric around a black hole. We model Sgr A* as a black hole and add in a $\frac{1}{r^2}$ term to the potential near the black hole. This scenario is motivated by the Randall-Sundrum II braneworld scenario and we model the black hole using a Tidal Reissner-Nordstrom (TRN) metric with values of the tidal charge parameter $q$ ranging from 0 to -1.6. A negative value of $q$ enhances the brightness of images at all times and creates an increase in brightness of up to .4 magnitudes for the secondary image of the star S2 at periapse. We show that for other stars with brighter secondary images and positions more aligned with the optic axis, using the Tidal Reissner-Nordstrom metric enhances the images as well, but the effect is less pronounced. This effect is mostly proportional to the increase in the size of the photon sphere, and therefore, should be noticeable in other metrics with a similar effect on the photon sphere. With the next generation of instruments and increased knowledge of radiation from Sgr A*, using properties of secondary images to place constraints on the size of the $\frac{1}{r^2}$ term.
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The new Wide Field Camera 3/IR observations on the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field started investigating the properties of galaxies during the reionization epoch. To interpret these observations, we present a novel approach inspired by the conditional luminosity function method. We calibrate our model to observations at z=6 and assume a non-evolving galaxy luminosity versus halo mass relation. We first compare model predictions against the luminosity function measured at z=5 and z=4. We then predict the luminosity function at z>=7 under the sole assumption of evolution in the underlying dark-matter halo mass function. Our model is consistent with the observed z>6.5 galaxy number counts in the HUDF survey and suggests a possible steepening of the faint-end slope of the luminosity function: alpha(z>8)< -1.9 compared to alpha=-1.74 at z=6. Although we currently see only the brightest galaxies, a hidden population of lower luminosity objects (L/L_{*}> 10^{-4}) might provide >75% of the total reionizing flux. Assuming escape fraction f_{esc}~0.2, clumping factor C~5, top heavy-IMF and low metallicity, galaxies below the detection limit produce complete reionization at z>8. For solar metallicity and normal stellar IMF, reionization finishes at z>6, but a smaller C/f_{esc} is required for an optical depth consistent with the WMAP measurement. Our model highlights that the star formation rate in sub-L_* galaxies has a quasi-linear relation to dark-matter halo mass, suggesting that radiative and mechanical feedback were less effective at z>6 than today.
We investigate the generation of intrinsically asymmetric or {\it one-sided}
outflows or jets from disk accretion onto rotating stars with complex magnetic
fields using axisymmetric (2.5D) magnetohydrodynamic simulations.
The intrinsic magnetic field of the star is assumed to consist of a
superposition of an aligned dipole and an aligned quadrupole in different
proportions. The star is assumed to be rapidly rotating in the sense that the
star's magnetosphere is in the propeller regime where strong outflows occur.
Our simulations show that for conditions where there is a significant
quadrupole component in addition to the dipole component, then a dominantly
{\it one-sided} conical wind tends to form on the side of the equatorial plane
with the larger value of the intrinsic axial magnetic field at a given
distance. For cases where the quadrupole component is absent or very small, we
find that dominantly one-sided outflows also form, but the direction of the
flow "flip-flops" between upward and downward on a time-scale of $\sim 30$ days
for a protostar. The average outflow will thus be symmetrical. In the case of a
pure quadrupole field we find symmetric outflows in the upward and downward
directions.
By combining advances in observational astrophysics with recent progress in stellar evolution, we show that there will be a remarkably high number of black holes with compact object (neutron star or black hole) companions in the local Universe. Data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (300,000 galaxies) indicates that recent star formation (within the last 1 billion years) is bimodal: half the stars form from gas with high amounts of metals (solar metallicity), and the other half form with small contribution of elements heavier than Helium (20% solar). Theoretical studies of mass loss derive significantly higher stellar-origin black hole masses (30-80 Msun) than previously estimated for sub-solar compositions. We combine these findings to estimate the probability for detection of gravitational waves arising from the inspiral of double compact objects. Our results show that a low metallicity environment significantly boosts the formation of double compact object binaries with at least one black hole. In particular, we find the gravitational-wave detection rate is increased by a factor of 20 if the metallicity is decreased from solar (as in all previous estimates) to a 50-50 mixture of solar and 10% solar metallicity. The current sensitivity of the largest instruments to double neutron-star binaries (VIRGO: 9 Mpc; LIGO: 18) is not high enough to ensure a first detection. However, our results indicate that if a future instrument increased the reach to 50-100Mpc, a detection of gravitational waves would be expected within the first year of observation. It was previously thought that binary neutron stars were the most likely source, but our results indicate that black-hole binaries are 25-times more likely. We are therefore truly on the cusp of seeing gravitational waves, and the first source ever to be seen is likely to be a black hole binary.
We present Hubble Space Telescope UV and optical imaging of the radio galaxy 3C 236, whose relic 4 Mpc radio jet lobes and inner 2 kpc CSS radio source are evidence of multiple epochs of AGN activity. Our data confirm the presence of four bright knots of FUV emission in an arc along the edge of the inner circumnuclear dust disk in the galaxy's nucleus, as well as FUV emission cospatial with the nucleus itself. We interpret these to be sites of recent or ongoing star formation. We present photometry of these knots, as well as an estimate for the internal extinction in the source using the Balmer decrement from SDSS spectroscopy. We estimate the ages of the knots by comparing our extinction-corrected photometry with stellar population synthesis models. We find the four knots cospatial with the dusty disk to be young, of order 10^7 yr old. The FUV emission in the nucleus is likely due to an episode of star formation triggered ~10^9 yr ago. We argue that the young 10^7 yr old knots stem from an episode of star formation that was roughly coeval with the event resulting in reignition of radio activity, creating the CSS source. The 10^9 yr old stars in the nucleus may be associated with the previous epoch of activity that generated the 4 Mpc relic source, before it was cut off by exhaustion or interruption. The ages of the knots, considered in context with the disturbed morphology of the nuclear dust and the double-double morphology of the "old" and "young" radio sources, present evidence for an episodic AGN/starburst connection. We suggest that the AGN fuel supply was interrupted for ~10^7 yr due to a minor merger event and has now been restored, and the resultant non-steady flow of gas toward the nucleus is likely responsible for both the new episode of infall-induced star formation and also the multiple epochs of radio activity.
Proposals for ground-based laser remediation of space debris rely on the creation of appropriately directed ablation-driven impulses to either divert the fragment or drive it into an orbit with a perigee allowing atmospheric capture. For a spherical fragment, the ablation impulse is a function of the orbital parameters and the laser engagement angle. If, however, the target is irregularly shaped and arbitrarily oriented, new impulse effects come into play. Here we present an analysis of some of these effects.
We have mapped over 50 massive, dense clumps with four dense gas tracers: HCN
J=1-0 and 3-2; and CS J=2-1 and 7-6 transitions. Spectral lines of optically
thin H^{13}CN 3-2 and C^{34}S 5-4 were also obtained towards the map centers.
These maps usually demonstrate single well-peaked distributions at our
resolution, even with higher J transitions. The size, virial mass, surface
density, and mean volume density within a well-defined angular size (FWHM) were
calculated from the contour maps for each transition. We found that transitions
with higher effective density usually trace the more compact, inner part of the
clumps but have larger linewidths, leading to an inverse linewidth-size
relation using different tracers. The mean surface densities are 0.29, 0.33,
0.78, 1.09 g cm^{-2} within FWHM contours of CS 2-1, HCN 1-0, HCN 3-2 and CS
7-6, respectively. We find no correlation of L_{IR} with surface density and a
possible inverse correlation with mean volume density, contrary to some
theoretical expectations. We see no evidence in the data for the relation
between L'_{mol} and mean density posited by modelers.
The correlation between L'_{mol} and the virial mass is roughly linear for
each dense gas tracer. A nearly linear correlation was found between the
infrared luminosity and the line luminosity of all dense gas tracers for these
massive, dense clumps, with a lower cutoff in luminosity at L_{IR}=10^{4.5}
Lsun. The L_{IR}-L'_{HCN1-0} correlation agrees well with the one found in
galaxies. These correlations indicate a constant star formation rate per unit
mass from the scale of dense clumps to that of distant galaxies when the mass
is measured for dense gas. These results support the suggestion that starburst
galaxies may be understood as having a large fraction of gas in dense clumps.
We have discovered a large number of circular and elliptical shells at 24 microns around luminous central sources with the MIPS instrument on-board the Spitzer Space Telescope. Our archival follow-up effort has revealed 90% of these circumstellar shells to be previously unknown. The majority of the shells is only visible at 24 microns, but many of the central stars are detected at multiple wavelengths from the mid- to the near-IR regime. The general lack of optical counterparts, however, indicates that these sources represent a population of highly obscured objects. We obtained optical and near-IR spectroscopic observations of the central stars and find most of these objects to be massive stars. In particular, we identify a large population of sources that we argue represents a narrow evolutionary phase, closely related or identical to the LBV stage of massive stellar evolution.
An initial state for the observable universe consisting of a finite region with a large vacuum energy will break-up due to near horizon quantum critical fluctuations. This will lead to a Freidman-like early universe consisting of an expanding cloud of dark energy stars and radiation. In this note we point out that this scenario provides a simple explanation for the present day density of dark matter as well as the level of CMB temperature flucuations. It is also predicted that all dark matter will be clumped on mass scales ~ 10E3 solar masses.
Drain away the earth's oceans and a global pattern of great ridges appears. Adjacent to these continental and undersea mountain ranges are layers of silt and clay, so thick that they fill the gaps between ridges, creating extensive plateaus. Ranging across this planet's higher latitudes are thousands of tiny replicas of these ridge systems. These esker and drumlin swarms run up hills and across streams in roughly parallel discontinuous strands for hundreds of kilometers. Preserved by encapsulation in the ice and snow of our last ice age, eskers, drumlins and their related structures will be the focus of this paper. We contend that Greater and lesser ridge systems alike, including the water and sediments that fill them are cometary debris. Each ridge may be traced to a single stream, or 'jet' of disintegrating materials emanating from shifting areas on a comet's nucleus. A band of these jets, captured into planetary orbit, will land its debris in a unique manner. All debris will be laid down in a sheet perpendicular to the planetary surface, this process which results in the sharp ridge profile, is consistent with the manner in which comets discharge debris along the plane of their orbit. The jet particles, massive enough to resist planetary atmosphere [sands, gravel and boulders] once landed become robust structures through compacting and immediate concretization. The water and lighter materials, diverted by winds and post-depositional melting, flowed and settled into the inter-ridge basins. The establishment of the ridge complexes found on earth is therefore consistent with its initial encounter with a great comet. The ancestral body's return in reduced and fragmented form laid down the lesser esker and drumlin formations.
Nova V2491 Cyg was discovered on April 10.72 UT 2008 (Nakano, 2008). Here we present spectrophotometric premises that V2491 Cyg can be a good candidate for recurrent nova (RNe). Its properties are compared to five well known RNe with red dwarf secondaries (U Sco, V394 Cra, T Pyx, CI Aql, IM Nor) and recently confirmed as recurrent nova V2487 Oph (Pagnotta et al.,2008). Photometric $U, B, V, R_C, I_C$ and moderate resolution (R$\sim 1500$) spectral observations of V2491 Cyg were carried out in the Torun Observatory (Poland) between April 14 and May 20 2008.
We present photometric and spectral observation for four novae: V2362 Cyg, V2467 Cyg, V458 Vul, V2491 Cyg. All objects belongs to the "fast novae" class. For these stars we observed different departures from a typical behavior in the light curve and spectrum.
Doppler tomography of emission line profiles in low mass X-ray binaries allows us to disentangle the different emission sites and study the structure and variability of accretion disks. We present UVES high-resolution spectroscopic observations of the black hole binary A0620-00 at quiescence.These spectroscopic data constrain the orbital parameters Porb=0.32301405(1) d and K2=437.1+-2.0 km/s. These values, together with the mass ratio q=M2/M1=0.062+-0.010, imply a minimum mass for the compact object of M1(sin i)^3=3.15+-0.10 Msun, consistent with previous works.The H$\alpha$ emission from the accretion disk is much weaker than in previous studies, possibly due to a decrease in disk activity. Doppler imaging of the H$\alpha$ line shows for the first time a narrow component coming from the secondary star, with an observed equivalent width of 1.4+-0.3 Angstroms, perhaps associated to chromospheric activity. Subtracting a K-type template star and correcting for the veiling of the accretion disk yields to an equivalent width of 2.8+-0.3 Angstroms. A bright hot-spot is also detected at the position where the gas stream trajectory intercepts with the accretion disk. The H$\alpha$ flux associated to the secondary star is too large to be powered by X-ray irradiation. It is comparable to those observed in RS CVn binaries with similar orbital periods and, therefore, is probably triggered by the rapid stellar rotation.
We study a class of early dark energy (EDE) models, in which, unlike in standard dark energy models, a substantial amount of dark energy exists in the matter-dominated era. We self-consistently include dark energy perturbations, and show that these models may be successfully constrained using future observations of galaxy clusters, in particular the redshift abundance, and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) power spectrum. We make predictions for EDE models, as well as $\Lambda$CDM for incoming X-ray (eROSITA) and microwave (South Pole Telescope) observations. We show that galaxy clusters' mass function and the SZ power spectrum will put strong constraints both on the equation of state of dark energy today and the redshift at which EDE transits to present-day $\Lambda$CDM like behavior for these models, thus providing complementary information to the geometric probes of dark energy. Not including perturbations in EDE models leads to those models being practically indistinguishable from $\Lambda$CDM.
We show an analytic method to construct a bivariate distribution function (DF) with given marginal distributions and correlation coefficient. We introduce a convenient mathematical tool, called a copula, to connect two DFs with any prescribed dependence structure. If the correlation of two variables is weak (Pearson's correlation coefficient $|\rho| <1/3 $), the Farlie-Gumbel-Morgenstern (FGM) copula provides an intuitive and natural way for constructing such a bivariate DF. When the linear correlation is stronger, the FGM copula cannot work anymore. In this case, we propose to use a Gaussian copula, which connects two given marginals and directly related to the linear correlation coefficient between two variables. Using the copulas, we constructed the BLFs and discuss its statistical properties. Especially, we focused on the FUV--FIR BLF, since these two luminosities are related to the star formation (SF) activity. Though both the FUV and FIR are related to the SF activity, the univariate LFs have a very different functional form: former is well described by the Schechter function whilst the latter has a much more extended power-law like luminous end. We constructed the FUV-FIR BLFs by the FGM and Gaussian copulas with different strength of correlation, and examined their statistical properties. Then, we discuss some further possible applications of the BLF: the problem of a multiband flux-limited sample selection, the construction of the SF rate (SFR) function, and the construction of the stellar mass of galaxies ($M_*$)--specific SFR ($SFR/M_*$) relation. The copulas turned out to be a very useful tool to investigate all these issues, especially for including the complicated selection effects.
We demonstrate that it is possible to calculate not only the mean of an underlying population but also its dispersion, given only a single observation and physically reasonable constraints (i.e., that the quantities under consideration are non-negative and bounded). We suggest that this counter-intuitive conclusion is in fact at the heart of most modeling of astronomical data.
The CoRoT 5-month long observation runs give us the opportunity to analyze a large variety of red-giant stars and to derive fundamental stellar parameters from their asteroseismic properties. We perform an analysis of more than 4\,600 CoRoT light curves to extract as much information as possible. We take into account the characteristics of the star sample and of the method in order to provide asteroseismic results as unbiased as possible. We also study and compare the properties of red giants of two opposite regions of the Galaxy. We analyze the time series with the envelope autocorrelation function in order to extract precise asteroseismic parameters with reliable error bars. We examine first the mean large frequency separation of solar-like oscillations and the frequency of maximum seismic amplitude, then the parameters of the excess power envelope. With the additional information of the effective temperature, we derive the stellar mass and radius. We have identified more than 1\,800 red giants among the 4\,600 light curves and have obtained accurate distributions of the stellar parameters for about 930 targets. We were able to reliably measure the mass and radius of several hundred red giants. We have derived precise information on the stellar population distribution and on the red clump. Comparison between the stars observed in two different fields shows that the stellar asteroseismic properties are globally similar, but with different characteristics for red-clump stars. This study shows the efficiency of statistical asteroseismology: validating scaling relations allows us to infer fundamental stellar parameters, to derive precise information on the red-giant evolution and interior structure and to analyze and compare stellar populations from different fields.
We calculate the quadra-spectrum and quint-spectrum, corresponding to five and six point correlation functions of the curvature perturbation. For single field inflation with standard kinetic term, the quadra-spectrum and quint-spectrum are small, which are suppressed by slow roll parameters. The calculation can be generalized to multiple fields. When there is no entropy perturbation, the quadra-spectrum and quint-spectrum are suppressed as well. With the presence of entropy perturbation, the quadra-spectrum and quint-spectrum can get boosted. We illustrate this boost in the multi-brid inflation model. For the curvaton scenario, the quadra-spectrum and quint-spectrum are also large in the small r limit. We also calculate representative terms of quadra-spectrum and quint-spectrum for inflation with generalized kinetic terms, and estimate their order of magnitude for quasi-single field inflation.
We present first results of a Chandra X-ray observation of the rare oxygen-type Wolf-Rayet star WR 142 (= Sand 5 = St 3) harbored in the young, heavily-obscured cluster Berkeley 87. Oxygen type WO stars are thought to be the most evolved of the WRs and progenitors of supernovae or gamma ray bursts. As part of an X-ray survey of supposedly single Wolf-Rayet stars, we observed WR 142 and the surrounding Berkeley 87 region with Chandra ACIS-I. We detect WR 142 as a faint, yet extremely hard X-ray source. Due to weak emission, its nature as a thermal or nonthermal emitter is unclear and thus we discuss several emission mechanisms. Additionally, we report seven detections and eight non-detections by Chandra of massive OB stars in Berkeley 87, two of which are bright yet soft X-ray sources whose spectra provide a dramatic contrast to the hard emission from WR 142.
In this paper, we present the consistent evolution of short-period exoplanets
coupling the tidal and gravothermal evolution of the planet. Contrarily to
previous similar studies, our calculations are based on the complete tidal
evolution equations of the Hut model, valid at any order in eccentricity,
obliquity and spin. We demonstrate, both analytically and numerically, that,
except if the system was formed with a nearly circular orbit (e<0.2), solving
consistently the complete tidal equations is mandatory to derive correct tidal
evolution histories. We show that calculations based on tidal models truncated
at second order in eccentricity, as done in all previous studies, lead to
erroneous tidal evolutions. As a consequence, tidal energy dissipation rates
are severely underestimated in all these calculations and the characteristic
timescales for the various orbital parameters evolutions can be wrong by up to
three orders in magnitude.
Based on these complete, consistent calculations, we revisit the viability of
the tidal heating hypothesis to explain the anomalously large radius of
transiting giant planets. We show that, even though tidal dissipation does
provide a substantial contribution to the planet's heat budget and can explain
some of the moderately bloated hot-Jupiters, this mechanism can not explain
alone the properties of the most inflated objects, including HD 209458b.
Indeed, solving the complete tidal equations shows that enhanced tidal
dissipation and thus orbit circularization occur too early during the planet's
evolution to provide enough extra energy at the present epoch. In that case
another mechanisms, such as stellar irradiation induced surface winds
dissipating in the planet's tidal bulges, or inefficient convection in the
planet's interior must be invoked, together with tidal dissipation, to provide
all the pieces of the abnormally large exoplanet puzzle.
We have examined trapping of two-armed nearly vertical oscillations in polytropic disks. Two-armed nearly vertical oscillations are interesting in the sense that they are trapped in an inner region of disks with proper frequencies, if the inner edge of disks is a boundary that reflects oscillations. The frequencies of the trapped oscillations cover the frequency range of kHz QPOs to low frequency QPOs in LMXBs, depending on the modes of oscillations. Low frequency trapped oscillations are particularly interesting since their trapped region is wide. These low frequency oscillations are, however, present only when $\Gamma(\equiv 1+1/N)$ is close to but smaller than 4/3 (when spin parameter $a_*$ is zero), where $N$ is the polytropic index. The above critical value 4/3 slightly increases as $a_*$ increases.
The origin of life and the origin of the universe represent two of the most important problems of science. Both are resolved by hydro-gravitational dynamics (HGD) cosmology (Gibson 1996, Schild 1996, Gibson 2009ab), which predicts frozen primordial hydrogen-helium gas planets in clumps as the dark matter of galaxies. Merging Earth-mass planets formed stars, moons and comets to incubate and cosmically seed the first life. Cometary panspermia (Hoyle and Wickramasinghe 1981, 1982; Wickramasinghe et al. 2009) occurs naturally by HGD mechanisms. Comets and moons are fragments from mergers of stardust covered frozen gas planets in their step-wise growth to star mass. Supernovae from stellar over-accretion of planets produce stardust (C, N, O, P etc.) chemical fertilizer. Planets collect this infected radioactive dust gravitationally, to provide liquid water domains in contact with life nutrients seeded with life prototypes. The first mutating, evolving, life from HGD likely occurred promptly, following the plasma to gas transition 300,000 years after the big bang when high densities of galaxies and a superabundance of hot primordial soup kitchens first overcame enormous odds against spontaneous creation (Wickramasinghe 2010, Joseph 2000). Images from optical, radio, and infrared space telescopes suggest life on Earth was neither first nor inevitable.
Gamma-ray binaries could be compact pulsar wind nebulae formed when a young pulsar orbits a massive star. The pulsar wind is contained by the stellar wind of the O or Be companion, creating a relativistic comet-like structure accompanying the pulsar along its orbit. The X-ray and the very high energy (>100 GeV, VHE) gamma-ray emissions from the binary LS 5039 are modulated on the orbital period of the system. Maximum and minimum flux occur at the conjunctions of the orbit, suggesting that the explanation is linked to the orbital geometry. The VHE modulation has been proposed to be due to the combined effect of Compton scattering and pair production on stellar photons, both of which depend on orbital phase. The X-ray modulation could be due to relativistic Doppler boosting in the comet tail where both the X-ray and VHE photons would be emitted. Relativistic aberrations change the seed stellar photon flux in the comoving frame so Doppler boosting affects synchrotron and inverse Compton emission differently. The dependence with orbital phase of relativistic Doppler-boosted (isotropic) synchrotron and (anisotropic) inverse Compton emission is calculated, assuming that the flow is oriented radially away from the star (LS 5039) or tangentially to the orbit (LS I +61 303, PSR B1259-63). Doppler boosting of the synchrotron emission in LS 5039 produces a lightcurve whose shape corresponds to the X-ray modulation. The observations imply an outflow velocity of 0.15-0.33c consistent with the expected flow speed at the pulsar wind termination shock. In LS I +61 303, the calculated Doppler boosted emission peaks in phase with the observed VHE and X-ray maximum. Doppler boosting might provide an explanation for the puzzling phasing of the VHE peak in this system.
We present UV broadband photometry and optical emission-line measurements for a sample of 32 Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) in clusters of the Representative XMM-Newton Cluster Structure Survey (REXCESS) with z = 0.06-0.18. The REXCESS clusters, chosen to study scaling relations in clusters of galaxies, have X-ray measurements of high quality. The trends of star formation and BCG colors with BCG and host properties can be investigated with this sample. The UV photometry comes from the XMM Optical Monitor, supplemented by existing archival GALEX photometry. We detected H\alpha and forbidden line emission in 7 (22%) of these BCGs, in optical spectra. All of the emission-line BCGs occupy clusters classified as cool cores, for an emission-line incidence rate of 70% for BCGs in cool core clusters. Significant correlations between the H\alpha equivalent widths, excess UV production in the BCG, and the presence of dense, X-ray bright intracluster gas with a short cooling time are seen, including the fact that all of the H\alpha emitters inhabit systems with short central cooling times and high central ICM densities. Estimates of the star formation rates based on H\alpha and UV excesses are consistent with each other in these 7 systems, ranging from 0.1-8 solar masses per year. The incidence of emission-line BCGs in the REXCESS sample is intermediate, somewhat lower than in other X-ray selected samples (-35%), and somewhat higher than but statistically consistent with optically selected, slightly lower redshift BCG samples (-10-15%). The UV-optical colors (UVW1-R-4.7\pm0.3) of REXCESS BCGs without strong optical emission lines are consistent with those predicted from templates and observations of ellipticals dominated by old stellar populations. We see no trend in UV-optical colors with optical luminosity, R-K color, X-ray temperature, redshift, or offset between X-ray centroid and X-ray peak (<w>).
We have performed a survey for substellar companions to young brown dwarfs in the Taurus star-forming region using the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on board the Hubble Space Telescope. In these data, we have discovered a candidate companion at a projected separation of 0.105" from one of the brown dwarfs, corresponding to 15 AU at the distance of Taurus. To determine if this object is a companion, we have obtained images of the pair at a second epoch with the adaptive optics system at Gemini Observatory. The astrometry from the Hubble and Gemini data indicates that the two objects share similar proper motions and thus are likely companions. We estimate a mass of 5-10 Mjup for the secondary based on a comparison of its bolometric luminosity to the predictions of theoretical evolutionary models. This object demonstrates that planetary-mass companions to brown dwarfs can form on a timescale of <=1 Myr. Companion formation on such a rapid timescale is more likely to occur via gravitational instability in a disk or fragmentation of a cloud core than through core accretion. The Gemini images also reveal a possible substellar companion (rho=0.23") to a young low-mass star that is 12.4" from the brown dwarf targeted by Hubble. If these four objects comprise a quadruple system, then its hierarchical configuration would suggest that the fragmentation of molecular cloud cores can produce companions below 10 Mjup.
In order to study the origin of high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations observed in X-ray binaries, Kato (2004) suggested a resonant excitation mechanism of disk oscillations in deformed disks. In this paper, we study numerically, following his formulation, whether trapped g-mode oscillations in a warped disk, where the warp amplitude varies with radius, can be excited by this mechanism. For simplicity, we adopt Newtonian hydrodynamic equations with relativistic expressions for the characteristic frequencies of disks. We also assume that the accretion disk is isothermal. We find that the fundamental modes of trapped g-mode oscillations with eigenfrequencies close to the maximum of epycyclic frequency are excited. The intermediate oscillations found are isolated in a narrow region around the resonance radius. After varying some parameters, we find that the growth rate increases as the warp amplitude or the black hole spin parameter increases, while it decreases as the sound speed increases.
We present the Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph spectrum of the main-sequence star HD165014, which is a warm (>~ 200 K) debris disk candidate discovered by the AKARI All-Sky Survey. The star possesses extremely large excess emission at wavelengths longer than 5 \mum. The detected flux densities at 10 and 20 \mum are ~ 10 and ~ 30 times larger than the predicted photospheric emission, respectively. The excess emission is attributable to the presence of circumstellar warm dust. The dust temperature is estimated as 300-750 K, corresponding to the distance of 0.7-4.4 AU from the central star. Significant fine-structured features are seen in the spectrum and the peak positions are in good agreement with those of crystalline enstatite. Features of crystalline forsterite are not significantly seen. HD165014 is the first debris disk sample that has enstatite as a dominant form of crystalline silicate rather than forsterite. Possible formation of enstatite dust from differentiated parent bodies is suggested according to the solar system analog. The detection of an enstatite-rich debris disk in the current study suggests the presence of large bodies and a variety of silicate dust processing in warm debris disks.
We investigate the implications of energy-dependence of the speed of photons, one of the candidate effects of quantum-gravity theories that has been most studied recently, from the perspective of observations in different reference frames. We examine how a simultaneous burst of photons would be measured by two observers with a relative velocity, establishing some associated conditions for the consistency of theories. For scenarios where the Lorentz transformations remain valid these consistency conditions allow us to characterize the violations of Lorentz symmetry through an explicit description of the modification of the quantum gravity scale in boosted frames with respect to its definition in a preferred frame. When applied to relativistic scenarios with a deformation of Lorentz invariance that preserves the equivalence of inertial observers we find that events that are at the same spacetime point for one observer cannot be considered at the same spacetime point for other observers. This provides an insightful characterization of the necessity to adopt in such frameworks non-classical features of spacetime geometry. Our findings also suggest that, at least in principle (and perhaps one day even in practice), measurements of the dispersion of photons in relatively boosted frames can be particularly valuable for the purpose of testing these scenarios.
We present X-ray emission characteristics of the massive O-type stars DH Cep and HD 97434 using archival XMM-Newton observations. There is no convincing evidence for short term variability in the X-ray intensity during the observations. However, the analysis of their spectra reveals X-ray structure being consistent with two-temperature plasma model. The hydrogen column densities derived from X-ray spectra of DH Cep and HD 97434 are in agreement with the reddening measurements for their corresponding host clusters NGC 7380 and Trumpler 18, indicating that the absorption by stellar wind is negligible. The X-ray emission from these hot stars is interpreted in terms of the standard instability-driven wind shock model.
We argue that observations of old neutron stars can impose constraints on dark matter candidates even with very small elastic or inelastic cross section, and self-annihilation cross section. We find that old neutron stars close to the galactic center or in globular clusters can maintain a surface temperature that could in principle be detected. Due to their compactness, neutron stars can acrete WIMPs efficiently even if the WIMP-to-nucleon cross section obeys the current limits from direct dark matter searches, and therefore they could constrain a wide range of dark matter candidates.
We compute the one-point probability distribution function (pdf) of small-angle CMB temperature fluctuations due to curved cosmic (super-)strings with a simple model of string network by performing Monte Carlo simulations. Taking into account of the correlation between the curvature and the velocity of string segments, there appear non-Gaussian features, specifically non-Gaussian tails and a skewness, in the one-point pdf. The obtained sample skewness for the intercommuting probability P=1 is $g_1\approx -0.14$, which is consistent with the result reported by Fraisse et al.. We also discuss the dependence of the pdf on $P$. We find that the standard deviation of the Gaussian part increases and non-Gaussian features are suppressed as $P$ decreases. For sufficiently small $P$, the skewness is given by $\lesssim \text{(a\ few)}\times 10^{-2}$.
Rotationally-split modes can provide valuable information about the internal rotation profile of stars. This has been used for years to infer the internal rotation behavior of the Sun. The present work discusses the potential additional information that rotationally splitting asymmetries may provide when studying the internal rotation profile of stars. We present here some preliminary results of a method, currently under development, which intends: 1) to understand the variation of the rotational splitting asymmetries in terms of physical processes acting on the angular momentum distribution in the stellar interior, and 2) how this information can be used to better constrain the internal rotation profile of the stars. The accomplishment of these two objectives should allow us to better use asteroseismology as a test-bench of the different theories describing the angular momentum distribution and evolution in the stellar interiors.
In the last years we have witnessed a dramatic change in the research infrastructures: Advances in communication networks, computational resources and data storage devices are fostering new and more efficient science. In this new scenario, the Virtual Observatory (VO) is the framework where a new methodology for astronomical research is being built. This poster shows the natural connection between Asteroseismology and VO. We describe the current status of a project developed by the Spanish Virtual Observatory in which, for the first time, asteroseismic models together with visualization tools for asteroseismology are managed within VO.
We use the first compilation of 72 core-collapse supernovae (SNe) from the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) to study their observed subtype distribution in dwarf galaxies compared to giant galaxies. The nature of the PTF survey provides a minimally biased sample, rich in SNe from dwarf hosts, with spectroscopic classifications. With 15 events detected in dwarf galaxies, our results are still limited by small-number statistics. However, several interesting trends emerge. We find more core-collapse SNe in dwarf galaxies than expected, with a similar N(Ib/c)/N(II) ratio in dwarf and giant hosts (0.25_{-0.15}^{+0.3} and 0.23_{-0.08}^{+0.11}, respectively), although our uncertainties (1 sigma) are still too large to distinguish between these results and those of previous studies and theoretical predictions. We use detailed subclassifications of stripped-envelope core-collapse SNe and find that all Type I core-collapse events occurring in dwarf galaxies are either SNe Ib or broad-lined SNe Ic (SNe Ic-BL), while "normal" SNe Ic dominate in giant galaxies. We also see a significant excess of SNe IIb in dwarf hosts. We hypothesize that in lower metallicity hosts, metallicity-driven mass loss is reduced, allowing massive stars that would have appeared as "normal" SNe Ic in metal-rich galaxies to retain some He and H, exploding as Ib/IIb events. At the same time, another mechanism allows some stars to undergo extensive stripping and explode as SNe Ic-BL (and presumably also as long-duration gamma-ray bursts). As additional PTF data accumulate, more robust statistical analyses will be possible, allowing the evolution of massive stars to be probed via the dwarf-galaxy SN population.
(Abridged) We performed a multiwavelength analysis of a sample of starburst galaxies that show the presence of a substantial population of very young massive (WR) stars. Here we present the global analysis of the derived photometric and chemical properties. We compare optical/NIR colours and the physical properties (reddening coefficient, equivalent widths of the emission and underlying absorption lines, ionization degree, electron density, and electron temperature) and chemical properties with previous observations and galaxy evolution models. Attending to their absolute B-magnitude many of them are not dwarf galaxies, but they should be during their quiescent phase. We found that both C(Hb) and Wabs increase with increasing metallicity. We detected a high N/O ratio in objects showing strong WR features. The ejecta of the WR stars may be the origin of the N enrichment in these galaxies. We compared the abundances provided by the direct method with those obtained using empirical calibrations, finding that (i) the Pilyugin method is the best suitable empirical calibration, (ii) the relations between the oxygen abundance and the N2 or the O3N2 parameters provided by Pettini & Pagel (2004) give acceptable results for objects with 12+log(O/H)>8.0, and (iii) the results provided by empirical calibrations based on photoionization models are systematically 0.2-0.3 dex higher than the values derived from the direct method. The O and N abundances and the N/O ratios are related to the optical/NIR luminosity; the dispersion is consequence of the differences in the star-formation histories. Galaxies with redder colours tend to have higher oxygen and nitrogen abundances. Our detailed analysis is fundamental to understand the nature of galaxies showing strong starbursts, as well as to know their star formation history and the relationships with the environment.
We examine whether the accretion of dark matter onto neutron stars could ever have any visible external effects. Captured dark matter which subsequently annihilates will heat the neutron stars, although it seems the effect will be too small to heat close neutron stars at an observable rate whilst those at the galactic centre are obscured by dust. Non-annihilating dark matter would accumulate at the centre of the neutron star. In a very dense region of dark matter such as that which may be found at the centre of the galaxy, a neutron star might accrete enough to cause it to collapse within a period of time less than the age of the Universe. We calculate what value of the stable dark matter-nucleon cross section would cause this to occur for a large range of masses.
We study the linearized kinetic equation of relaxation model which was proposed by Bhatnagar, Gross and Krook (also called BGK model) and solve the dispersion relation. Using the solution of the dispersion relation, we analyze the relaxation of the macroscopic mode and kinetic mode. Since BGK model is not based on the expansion in the mean free path in contrast to the Chapman-Enskog expansion, the solution can describe accurate relaxation of initial disturbance with any wavelength. This non-relativistic analysis gives suggestions for our next work of relativistic analysis of relaxation.
We present deep high angular resolution observations of the high-mass protostar NGC 7538S, which is in the center of a cold dense cloud core with a radius of 0.5 pc and a mass of ~2,000 Msun. These observations show that NGC 7538S is embedded in a compact elliptical core with a mass of 85 - 115 Msun. The star is surrounded by a rotating accretion disk, which powers a very young, hot molecular outflow approximately perpendicular to the rotating accretion disk. The accretion rate is very high, ~ 1.4 - 2.8 10^-3 Msun yr^-1. Evidence for rotation of the disk surrounding the star is seen in all largely optically thin molecular tracers, H13CN J = 1-0, HN13C J = 1-0, H13CO+ J = 1-0, and DCN J = 3-2. Many molecules appear to be affected by the hot molecular outflow, including DCN and H13CO+. The emission from CH3CN, which has often been used to trace disk rotation in young high-mass stars, is dominated by the outflow, especially at higher K-levels. Our new high-angular resolution observations show that the rotationally supported part of the disk is smaller than we previously estimated. The enclosed mass of the inner, rotationally supported part of the disk (D ~ 5", i.e 14,000 AU) is ~ 14 - 24 Msun.
(Abridged) Studies of debris discs have shown that most systems are analogous to the EKB. In this study we aim to determine how many IRAS 25um excesses towards A stars are real, and investigate where the dust lies. We observe with TIMMI2, VISIR, Michelle and TReCS a sample of A and B-type main sequence stars reported as having mid-IR excess. We constrain the location of the debris through combined modelling of the emission spectrum and a modelling technique designed to constrain the radial extent of emission in mid-IR imaging. We independently confirm the presence of warm dust around 3 of the candidates: HD3003, HD80950 and eta Tel. For the binary HD3003 a stability analysis indicates the dust is either circumstellar and lying at ~4 AU with the binary orbiting at >14AU, or the dust lies in an unstable location; there is some evidence for temporal evolution of its excess emission on a ~20 year timescale. For 7 of the targets we present quantitative limits on the location of dust around the star. We demonstrate that the disc around HD71155 must have spatially distinct components at 2 and 60AU. We model the limits of current instrumentation and show that most of the known A star debris discs which could be readily resolved at 18um on 8m instruments have been resolved. Limits from unresolved imaging can help distinguish between competing models of the disc emission, but resolved imaging is key to the determination of the disc location. Modelling of the detection limits for extended emission can be useful for targeting future observational campaigns. MIRI on the JWST will be able to resolve most of the known A star debris disc population. METIS on the E-ELT will provide the opportunity to explore the hot disc population more thoroughly by detecting extended emission where calibration accuracy limits disc detection through photometry, reaching levels below 1 zodi for stars at <10pc.
Using simulations of geosynchrotron radiation from extensive air showers, we present a relation between the shape of the geosynchrotron radiation front and the distance of the observer to the maximum of the air shower. By analyzing the relative arrival times of radio pulses at several radio antennas in an air shower array, this relation may be employed to estimate the depth of maximum of an extensive air shower if its impact position is known, allowing an estimate for the primary particle's species. Vice versa, the relation provides an estimate for the impact position of the shower's core if an external estimate of the depth of maximum is available. In realistic circumstances, the method delivers reconstruction uncertainties down to 30 g/cm^2 when the distance to the shower core does not exceed 7 km. The method requires that the arrival direction is known with high precision.
We present a study of the compact H II region N66A in the SMC pre-eminent starburst region N66/NGC346. Despite extensive research on various components of the N66/NGC346 complex, few studies have so far focused on N66A, which is a special object in the whole complex and therefore deserves scrutiny. The study of this compact H II region and its fellow objects seems important in the framework of massive star formation in the Magellanic Clouds. This analysis is mainly based on our ESO NTT observations, both imaging and spectroscopy, coupled with archive HST ACS data and Spitzer IRAC data. We derive a number of physical characteristics of the compact H II region N66A. Moreover, we present the spectral classification of the main exciting star of N66A for the first time using spectroscopy. Its spectral features indicate a main sequence massive star of type O8. We compare this result with that based on the stellar Lyman continuum flux estimated from the ionized gas H-beta flux. The compact H II region belongs to a rare class of H II regions in the Magellanic Clouds, called High-excitation Blobs (HEBs). N66A most probably represents a very young massive star formation event in the N66 complex, which has a range of ages.
Observations made during the last ten years with the Chandra X-ray Observatory have shed much light on the cooling gas in the centers of clusters of galaxies and the role of active galactic nucleus (AGN) heating. Cooling of the hot intracluster medium in cluster centers can feed the supermassive black holes found in the nuclei of the dominant cluster galaxies leading to AGN outbursts which can reheat the gas, suppressing cooling and large amounts of star formation. AGN heating can come in the form of shocks, buoyantly rising bubbles that have been inflated by radio lobes, and the dissipation of sound waves.
We present the McMaster Unbiased Galaxy Simulations (MUGS), the first 9 galaxies of an unbiased selection ranging in total mass from 5$\times10^{11}$ M$_\odot$ to 2$\times10^{12}$ M$_\odot$ simulated using n-body smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) at high resolution. The simulations include a treatment of low temperature metal cooling, UV background radiation, star formation, and physically motivated stellar feedback. Mock images of the simulations show that the simulations lie within the observed range of relations such as that between color and magnitude and that between brightness and circular velocity (Tully-Fisher). The greatest discrepancy between the simulated galaxies and observed galaxies is the high concentration of material at the center of the galaxies as represented by the centrally peaked rotation curves and the high bulge-to-total ratios of the simulations determined both kinematically and photometrically. This central concentration represents the excess of low angular momentum material that long has plagued morphological studies of simulated galaxies and suggests that higher resolutions and a more accurate description of feedback will be required to simulate more realistic galaxies. Even with the excess central mass concentrations, the simulations suggest the important role merger history and halo spin play in the formation of disks.
Spitzer Space Telescope observations revealed powerful mid-infrared (mid-IR) H2 rotational line emission from the Stephan's Quintet (SQ) X-ray emitting large scale shock associated with a collision between two galaxies. Because H2 forms on dust grains, the presence of H2 is physically linked to the survival of dust, and we expect some dust emission to come from the molecular gas. To test this interpretation, IR observations and dust modeling are used to identify and characterize the thermal dust emission from the shocked molecular gas. The spatial distribution of the IR emission allows us to isolate the faint PAH and dust continuum emission associated with the molecular gas in the SQ shock. We model the spectral energy distribution (SED) of this emission, and fit it to Spitzer observations. Faint PAH and dust continuum emission are detected in the SQ shock, outside star-forming regions. The 12/24um flux ratio in the shock is remarkably close to that of the diffuse Galactic interstellar medium, leading to a Galactic PAH/VSG abundance ratio. However, the properties of the PAH emission spectrum in the shock differ from that of the Galaxy, which may suggest an enhanced fraction of large and neutrals PAHs. The IR SED is consistent with the expected emission from dust associated with the warm (>150K) H2 gas, heated by a UV radiation field of intensity comparable to that of the solar neighborhood, in agreement with GALEX UV observations. The presence of PAHs and dust grains in the high-speed (1000km/s) galaxy collision suggests that dust survives. We propose that the dust that survived destruction was in pre-shock gas at densites larger than a few 0.1cm-3, which was not shocked at velocities larger than 200km/s. [abridged]
We investigate the stellar masses of strongly barred spiral galaxies. Our analysis is based on a sample of ~14000 visually-classified nearby galaxies given in Nair & Abraham 2010(a). The fraction of barred spiral galaxies is found to be a strong function of stellar mass and star formation history, with a minimum near the characteristic mass at which bimodality is seen in the stellar populations of galaxies. We also find bar fractions are very sensitive to the central concentration of galaxies below the transition mass but not above it. This suggests that whatever process is causing the creation of the red and blue sequences is either influencing, or being influenced by, structural changes which manifest themselves in the absence of bars. As a consequence of strong bar fractions being sensitive to the mass range probed, our analysis helps resolve discrepant results on the reported evolution of bar fractions with redshift.
Aims: The test-field method for computing turbulent transport coefficients from simulations of hydromagnetic flows is extended to the regime with a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) background. Methods: A generalized set of test equations is derived using both the induction equation and a modified momentum equation. By employing an additional set of auxiliary equations, we derive linear equations describing the response of the system to a set of prescribed test fields. Purely magnetic and MHD backgrounds are emulated by applying an electromotive force in the induction equation analogously to the ponderomotive force in the momentum equation. Both forces are chosen to have Roberts flow-like geometry. Results: Examples with an MHD background are studied where the previously used quasi-kinematic test-field method breaks down. In cases with homogeneous mean fields it is shown that the generalized test-field method produces the same results as the imposed-field method, where the field-aligned component of the actual electromotive force from the simulation is used. Furthermore, results for the turbulent diffusivity tensor are given, which are inaccessible to the imposed-field method. For MHD backgrounds, new mean-field effects are found that depend on the occurrence of cross-correlations between magnetic and velocity fluctuations. For strong imposed fields, $\alpha$ is found to be quenched proportional to the fourth power of the field strength, regardless of the type of background studied.
Previous studies of the active galactic nuclei (AGN) contribution to the cosmic X-ray background (CXB) consider only observable parameters such as luminosity and absorbing column. Here, for the first time, we extend the study of the CXB to physical parameters including the Eddington ratio of the sources and the black hole mass. In order to calculate the contribution to the CXB of AGN accreting at various Eddington ratios, an evolving Eddington ratio space density model is calculated. In particular, Compton thick (CT) AGN are modeled as accreting at specific, physically motivated Eddington ratios instead of as a simple extension of the Compton thin type 2 AGN population. Comparing against the observed CT AGN space densities and log N-log S relation indicates that CT AGN are likely a composite population of AGN made up of sources accreting either at >90% or <1% of their Eddington rate.
We consider the effect of radial fluid injection and suction on Taylor-Couette flow. Injection at the outer cylinder and suction at the inner cylinder generally results in a linearly unstable steady spiralling flow, even for cylindrical shears that are linearly stable in the absence of a radial flux. We study nonlinear aspects of the unstable motions with the energy stability method. Our results, though specialized, may have implications for drag reduction by suction, accretion in astrophysical disks, and perhaps even in the flow in the earth's polar vortex.
The collisions of cosmic strings loops and the dynamics of junctions formations in expanding backgrounds are studied. The key parameter controlling the dynamics of junctions formation, the cosmic strings zipping and unzipping is the relative size of the loops compared to the Hubble expansion rate at the time of collision. We study analytically and numerically these processes for large super-horizon size loops, for small sub-horizon size loops as well as for loops with the radii comparable to the Hubble expansion rate at the time of collision.
We study, using both theory and molecular dynamics simulations, the relaxation dynamics of a microcanonical two dimensional self-gravitating system. After a sufficiently large time, a gravitational cluster of $N$ particles relaxes to the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. The time to reach the thermodynamic equilibrium, however, scales with the number of particles. In the thermodynamic limit, $N\to\infty$ at fixed total mass, equilibrium state is never reached and the system becomes trapped in a non-ergodic stationary state. An analytical theory is presented which allows us to quantitatively described this final stationary state, without any adjustable parameters.
We study how well the mass of the graviton can be constrained from gravitational-wave (GW) observations of coalescing binary black holes. Whereas the previous investigations employed post-Newtonian (PN) templates describing only the inspiral part of the signal, the recent progress in analytical and numerical relativity has provided analytical waveform templates coherently describing the inspiral-merger-ringdown (IMR) signals. We show that a search for binary black holes employing IMR templates will be able to constrain the mass of the graviton much more accurately (about an order of magnitude) than a search employing PN templates. The best expected bound from GW observatories (lambda_g > 7.8 x 10^13 km from Adv. LIGO, lambda_g > 7.1 x 10^14 km from Einstein Telescope, and lambda_g > 5.9 x 10^17 km from LISA) are several orders-of-magnitude better than the best available model-independent bound (lambda_g > 2.8 x 10^12 km, from Solar system tests). Most importantly, GW observations will provide the first constraints from the highly dynamical, strong-field regime of gravity.
In this work, we consider the cosmological constraints on the interacting dark energy models. We generalize the models considered previously by Guo {\it et al.}, Costa and Alcaniz, and try to discuss two general types of models: type I models are characterized by $\rho_{_X}/\rho_m=f(a)$ and $f(a)$ can be any function of scale factor $a$, whereas type II models are characterized by $\rho_m=\rho_{m0}\,a^{-3+\epsilon(a)}$ and $\epsilon(a)$ can be any function of $a$. We obtain the cosmological constraints on the type I and II models with power-law, CPL-like, logarithmic $f(a)$ and $\epsilon(a)$ by using the latest observational data.
We provide a geometric explanation for the existence of magnification relations for the A, D, E family of caustic singularities, which were established in recent work. In particular, it was shown that for families of general mappings between planes exhibiting any of these caustic singularities, and for any non-caustic target point, the total signed magnification of the corresponding pre-images vanishes. As an application to gravitational lensing, it was also shown that, independent of the choice of a lens model, the total signed magnification vanishes for a light source anywhere in the four-image region close to elliptic and hyperbolic umbilic caustics. This is a more global and higher-order analog of the well-known fold and cusp magnification relations. We now extend each of these mappings to weighted projective space, which is a compact orbifold, and show that magnification relations translate into a statement about the behavior of these extended mappings at infinity. This generalizes multi-dimensional residue techniques developed in previous work, and introduces weighted projective space as a new tool in the theory of caustic singularities and gravitational lensing.
We investigate the possibility that the behavior of the rotational velocities of test particles gravitating around galaxies can be explained in the framework of modified gravity models with non-minimal matter-geometry coupling. Generally, the dynamics of test particles around galaxies, as well as the corresponding mass deficit, is explained by postulating the existence of dark matter. The extra-terms in the gravitational field equations with geometry-matter coupling modify the equations of motion of test particles, and induce a supplementary gravitational interaction. Starting from the variational principle describing the particle motion in the presence of the non-minimal coupling, the expression of the tangential velocity of a test particle, moving in the vacuum on a stable circular orbit in a spherically symmetric geometry, is derived. The tangential velocity depends on the metric tensor components, as well as of the coupling function between matter and geometry. The Doppler velocity shifts are also obtained in terms of the coupling function. If the tangential velocity profile is known, the coupling term between matter and geometry can be obtained explicitly in an analytical form. The functional form of this function is obtained in two cases, for a constant tangential velocity, and for an empirical velocity profile obtained from astronomical observations, respectively. Therefore, these results open the possibility of directly testing the modified gravity models with non-minimal coupling between matter and geometry by using direct astronomical and astrophysical observations at the galactic or extra-galactic scale.
In a large class of models we show that the light scalar field responsible for the Sommerfeld enhancement in the annihilation of dark matter leads to observable direct detection rates, due to its mixing with the standard model Higgs. As a result the large annihilation cross-section of dark matter at present epoch, required to explain the observed cosmic ray anomalies, can be strongly constrained by direct searches. In particular Sommerfeld boost factors of order of a few hundred are already out of the CDMS-II upper bound at 90% confidence level for reasonable values of the model parameters.
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We present new spectroscopic and photometric observations of the transiting exoplanetary system WASP-3. Spectra obtained during two separate transits exhibit the Rossiter-McLaughlin (RM) effect and allow us to estimate the sky-projected angle between the planetary orbital axis and the stellar rotation axis, lambda = 3.3^{+2.5}_{-4.4} degrees. This alignment between the axes suggests that WASP-3b has a low orbital inclination relative to the equatorial plane of its parent star. During our first night of spectroscopic measurements, we observed an unexpected redshift briefly exceeding the expected sum of the orbital and RM velocities by 140 m/s. This anomaly could represent the occultation of material erupting from the stellar photosphere, although it is more likely to be an artifact caused by moonlight scattered into the spectrograph.
Scaling relations of observed galaxy cluster properties are useful tools for constraining cosmological parameters as well as cluster formation histories. One of the key cosmological parameters, sigma8, is constrained using observed clusters of galaxies, although current estimates of sigma8 from the scaling relations of dynamically relaxed galaxy clusters are limited by the large scatter in the observed cluster mass-temperature (M-T) relation. With a sample of eight strong lensing clusters at 0.3 < z <0.8, we find that the observed cluster concentration-mass relation can be used to reduce the M-T scatter by a factor of 6. Typically only relaxed clusters are used to estimate sigma8, but combining the cluster concentration-mass relation with the M-T relation enables the inclusion of unrelaxed clusters as well. Thus, the resultant gains in the accuracy of sigma8 measurements from clusters are twofold: the errors on sigma8 are reduced and the cluster sample size is increased. Therefore, the statistics on sigma8 determination from clusters are greatly improved by the inclusion of unrelaxed clusters. Exploring cluster scaling relations further, we find that the correlation between brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) luminosity and cluster mass offers insight into the assembly histories of clusters. We find preliminary evidence for a steeper BCG luminosity - cluster mass relation for strong lensing clusters than the general cluster population, hinting that strong lensing clusters may have had more active merging histories.
We update cosmological hot dark matter constraints on neutrinos and hadronic axions. Our most restrictive limits use 7-year data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe for the cosmic microwave background anisotropies, the halo power spectrum (HPS) from the 7th data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the Hubble constant from Hubble Space Telescope observations. We find 95% C.L. upper limits of \sum m_\nu<0.44 eV (no axions), m_a<0.91 eV (assuming \sum m_\nu=0), and \sum m_\nu<0.41 eV and m_a<0.72 eV for two hot dark matter components after marginalising over the respective other mass. CMB data alone yield \sum m_\nu<1.19 eV (no axions), while for axions the HPS is crucial for deriving m_a constraints. This difference can be traced to the fact that for a given hot dark matter fraction axions are much more massive than neutrinos.
A significant fraction of the mature FGK stars have cool dusty disks at least an orders of magnitudes brighter than the solar system's outer zodiacal light. Since such dusts must be continually replenished, they are generally assumed to be the collisional fragments of residual planetesimals analogous to the Kuiper Belt objects. At least 10% of solar type stars also bear gas giant planets. The fraction of stars with known gas giants or detectable debris disks (or both) appears to increase with the stellar mass. Here, we examine the dynamical evolution of systems of long-period gas giant planets and residual planetesimals as their host stars evolve off the main sequence, lose mass, and form planetary nebula around remnant white dwarf cores. The orbits of distant gas giant planets and super-km-size planetesimals expand adiabatically. During the most intense AGB mass loss phase, sub-meter-size particles migrate toward their host stars due to the strong hydrodynamical drag by the intense stellar wind. Along their migration paths, gas giant planets capture and sweep up sub-km-size planetesimals onto their mean-motion resonances. These planetesimals also acquire modest eccentricities which are determined by the mass of the perturbing planets, the rate and speed of stellar mass loss. The swept-up planetesimals undergo disruptive collisions which lead to the production of grains with an extended size range. The radiation drag on these particles is ineffective against the planets' resonant barrier and they form 30-to-150-AU-sizes rings which can effective reprocess the stellar irradiation in the form of FIR continuum. We identify the recently discovered dust ring around the white dwarf WD 2226-210 at the center of the Helix nebula as a prototype of such disks and suggest such rings may be common.
The solar chromosphere is a vigorously dynamic region of the sun, where waves and magnetic fields play an important role. To improve chromospheric diagnostics, we present new observations in Ca II 8542 carried out with the SST/CRISP on La Palma, working in full-Stokes mode. We measured Stokes line profiles in active regions. The line profiles observed close to the solar limb show signals in all four Stokes parameters, while profiles observed close to disk center only show signals above the noise level in Stokes I and V. We used the LTE inversion code 'NICOLE' to derive atmospheric parameters in umbral flashes present in a small round sunspot without penumbra.
Using a combined analysis of strong lensing and galaxy dynamics, we characterize the mass distributions and M/L ratios of galaxy groups, which form an important transition regime in Lambda-CDM cosmology. By mapping the underlying mass distribution, we test whether groups are dark matter dominated as hypothesized by the standard cosmogony, or isothermal as observed in baryon rich field galaxies. We present our lensing + galaxy dynamics formalism built around the dark matter dominant NFW and Hernquist distributions, compared against the Isothermal Sphere observed in galaxy scale objects. We show that mass measurement in the core of the group (r ~ 0.2 r_{vir}), determined jointly from a lens model and from differential velocity dispersion estimates, may effectively distinguish between these density distributions. We apply our method to MOS observations of two groups, SL2SJ1430+5546 and SL2SJ1431+5533, drawn from our CFHTLS lens catalog. With the measured lensing and dynamical masses, combined with a maximum likelihood estimator built around our model, we estimate the concentration index characterizing each density distribution and the corresponding virial mass of each group. Our results indicate that both groups are dark matter dominant, and reject the Isothermal distribution at >>3 sigma level. For both groups, the estimated i-band M/L ratios of ~260 Msun/Lsun, are similar to other published values for groups. The Gaussian distributions of the velocities of their member galaxies support a high degree of virialization. The differences in their virial masses, 2.8 and 1.6 x 10^14 Msun, and velocity dispersions, 720 and 560 km/s respectively, may indicate however that each group is at a different stage of transition to a cluster. We aim to populate this important transition regime with additional results from ongoing observations of the remaining lensing groups in our catalog.
Low-ionization broad absorption line quasars probe the relatively obscured quasar population, and could be at the early evolutionary stage for quasars. We study the intrinsic fraction of low-ionization (MgII, FeII) broad absorption quasars (LoBALs) using the SDSS, 2MASS, and FIRST surveys. We find that the LoBAL fractions of near infra-red (NIR) and radio samples are 4.0\pm0.5%, 7.2\pm0.6%, and 3.6\pm1.0%, respectively, for Bi-LoBALs, Ai-LoBALs, and FeLoBALs, approximately 5-7 times higher than those measured in the optical sample. This suggests that the fractions measured in the NIR and radio bands are the intrinsic fractions of the populations, and that the optical fractions are significantly biased due to the obscuration effects, similar to high-ionization broad absorption line quasars (HiBALs). We also find that the LoBAL fractions decrease with increasing radio luminosity, again, similar to the HiBALs. The similarity between LoBALs and HiBALs in their NIR and radio properties suggests that the majority of LoBALs and HiBALs can be unified under the same physical scheme. Using a geometric model, we are able to reproduce the NIR, radio properties, and the intrinsic fractions for the majority of broad absorption line quasars including the low-ionization ones. In addition, we find tentative evidence for high fractions of LoBALs at high NIR luminosities, especially for FeLoBALs with a fraction of ~18% for M_K_s < -31 mag. This population of most NIR luminous low-ionization broad absorption line quasars may be at an early evolutionary stage of quasar evolution.
We propose a two-temperature radial inflow-outflow model near Sgr A* with self-consistent feeding and conduction. Stellar winds from individual stars are considered to find the rates of mass injection and energy injection. These source terms help to partially eliminate the boundary conditions on the inflow. Electron thermal conduction is crucial for inhibiting the accretion. Energy diffuses out from several gravitational radii, unbinding more gas at several arcseconds and limiting the accretion rate to <1% of Bondi rate. We successfully fit the X-Ray surface brightness profile found from the extensive Chandra observations and reveal the X-Ray point source in the center. The super-resolution technique allows us to infer the presence and estimate the unabsorbed luminosity $L\approx4\cdot10^{32}{\rm erg s^{-1}}$ of the point source. The employed relativistic heat capacity and direct heating of electrons naturally lead to low electron temperature $T_e\approx 4\cdot10^{10}$ K near the black hole. Within the same model we fit 86 GHz optically thick emission and obtain the order of magnitude agreement of Faraday rotation measure, thus achieving a single accretion model suitable at all radii.
We report results from a survey of MgII absorbers in the spectra of background QSOs that are within close angular distances to a foreground galaxy at z<0.5, using the Magellan Echellette Spectrograph. We have established a spectroscopic sample of 94 galaxies at a median redshift of <z> = 0.24 in fields around 70 distant background QSOs (z_QSO>0.6), 71 of which are in an 'isolated' environment with no known companions and located at rho <~ 120 h^-1 kpc from the line of sight of a background QSO. The rest-frame absolute B-band magnitudes span a range from M_B-5log h=-16.4 to M_B-5log h=-21.4 and rest-frame B_AB-R_AB colors range from B_AB-R_AB~0 to B_AB-R_AB~1.5. Of these 'isolated' galaxies, we find that 47 have corresponding MgII absorbers in the spectra of background QSOs and rest-frame absorption equivalent width W_r(2796)=0.1-2.34 A, and 24 do not give rise to MgII absorption to sensitive upper limits. Our analysis shows that (1) Wr(2796) declines with increasing distance from 'isolated' galaxies but shows no clear trend in 'group' environments; (2) more luminous galaxies possess more extended MgII absorbing halos with the gaseous radius scaled by B-band luminosity according to R_gas=75x(L_B/L_B*)^(0.35+/-0.03) h^{-1} kpc; (3) there is little dependence between the observed absorber strength and galaxy intrinsic colors; and (4) within R_gas, we find a mean covering fraction of <kappa_0.3>~70% for absorbers of Wr(2796)>=0.3 A and <kappa_0.1>~80% for absorbers of Wr(2796)>=0.1 A. The lack of correlation between Wr(2796) and galaxy colors suggests a lack of physical connection between the origin of extended MgII halos and recent star formation history of the galaxies. Finally, we discuss the total gas mass in galactic halos as traced by MgII absorbers. We also compare our results with previous studies.
Semi-analytic models are a powerful tool for studying the formation of galaxies. However, these models inevitably involve a significant number of poorly constrained parameters that must be adjusted to provide an acceptable match to the observed universe. In this paper, we set out to quantify the degree to which observational data-sets can constrain the model parameters. By revealing degeneracies in the parameter space we can hope to better understand the key physical processes probed by the data. We use novel mathematical techniques to explore the parameter space of the GALFORM semi-analytic model. We base our investigation on the Bower et al. 2006 version of GALFORM, adopting the same methodology of selecting model parameters based on an acceptable match to the local bJ and K luminosity functions. The model contains 16 parameters that are poorly constrained, and we investigate this parameter space using the Model Emulator technique, constructing a Bayesian approximation to the GALFORM model that can be rapidly evaluated at any point in parameter space. By combining successive waves of emulation, we show that only 0.26% of the initial volume is of interest for further exploration. However, within this region we show that the Bower et al. 2006 model is only one choice from an extended sub-space of model parameters that can provide equally acceptable fits. We explore the geometry of this region and begin to explore the physical connections between parameters that are exposed by this analysis. We also consider the impact of adding additional observational data to further constrain the parameter space.
(abbrev.) Linear acceleration emission occurs when a charged particle is accelerated parallel to its velocity. We evaluate the spectral and angular distribution of this radiation for several special cases, including constant acceleration (hyperbolic motion) of finite duration. Based on these results, we find the following general properties of the emission from an electron in a linear accelerator that can be characterized by an electric field E acting over a distance L: (i) the spectrum extends to a cut-off photon energy ~ LE^2 MeV, where E is in units of the Schwinger critical field and L in units of the Compton wavelength of the electron. (ii) the total energy emitted by a particle traversing the accelerator is in agreement with the standard Larmor formula (iii) the low frequency spectrum is flat for hyperbolic trajectories, but in general depends on the details of the accelerator. We also show that linear acceleration emission complements curvature radiation in the strongly magnetized pair formation regions in pulsar magnetospheres. It dominates when the length L of the accelerator is less than the formation length of curvature photons, which is given by the ratio of the radius of curvature of the magnetic field lines to the Lorentz factor of the particle. In standard static models of pair creating regions linear acceleration emission is negligible, but it is important in more realistic dynamical models in which the accelerating field fluctuates on a short length-scale.
We study the stability regions and families of periodic orbits of two planets locked in a co-orbital configuration. We consider different ratios of planetary masses and orbital eccentricities, also we assume that both planets share the same orbital plane. Initially we perform numerical simulations over a grid of osculating initial conditions to map the regions of stable/chaotic motion and identify equilibrium solutions. These results are later analyzed in more detail using a semi-analytical model. Apart from the well known quasi-satellite (QS) orbits and the classical equilibrium Lagrangian points L4 and L5, we also find a new regime of asymmetric periodic solutions. For low eccentricities these are located at $(\sigma,\Delta\omega) = (\pm 60\deg, \mp 120\deg)$, where \sigma is the difference in mean longitudes and \Delta\omega is the difference in longitudes of pericenter. The position of these Anti-Lagrangian solutions changes with the mass ratio and the orbital eccentricities, and are found for eccentricities as high as ~ 0.7. Finally, we also applied a slow mass variation to one of the planets, and analyzed its effect on an initially asymmetric periodic orbit. We found that the resonant solution is preserved as long as the mass variation is adiabatic, with practically no change in the equilibrium values of the angles.
The PLATO satellite mission project is a next generation ESA Cosmic Vision satellite project dedicated to the detection of exo-planets and to asteroseismology of their host-stars using ultra-high precision photometry. The main goal of the PLATO mission is to provide a full statistical analysis of exo-planetary systems around stars that are bright and close enough for detailed follow-up studies. Many aspects concerning the design trade-off of a space-based instrument and its performance can best be tackled through realistic simulations of the expected observations. The complex interplay of various noise sources in the course of the observations made such simulations an indispensable part of the assessment study of the PLATO Payload Consortium. We created an end-to-end CCD simulation software-tool, dubbed PLATOSim, which simulates photometric time-series of CCD images by including realistic models of the CCD and its electronics, the telescope optics, the stellar field, the pointing uncertainty of the satellite (or Attitude Control System [ACS] jitter), and all important natural noise sources. The main questions that were addressed with this simulator were the noise properties of different photometric algorithms, the selection of the optical design, the allowable jitter amplitude, and the expected noise budget of light-curves as a function of the stellar magnitude for different parameter conditions. The results of our simulations showed that the proposed multi-telescope concept of PLATO can fulfil the defined scientific goal of measuring more than 20000 cool dwarfs brighter than mV =11 with a precision better than 27 ppm/h which is essential for the study of earth-like exo-planetary systems using the transit method.
We report on observations of the superbubbles (SBs) N11 and N51D in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) with Suzaku and XMM-Newton. The interior of both SBs exhibits diffuse X-ray emission, which is well represented by thin thermal plasma models with a temperature of 0.2-0.3keV. The presence of nonthermal emission, claimed in previous works, is much less evident in our careful investigation. The 3-sigma upper limits of 2-10keV flux are 3.6*10^{-14}ergs/cm^2/s and 4.7*10^{-14}ergs/cm^2/s for N11 and N51D, respectively. The previous claims of the detection of nonthermal emission are probably due to the inaccurate estimation of the non X-ray background. We conclude that no credible nonthermal emission has been detected from the SBs in the LMC, with the exception of 30 Dor C.
We carefully analyze how the abundance of Nitrogen over Oxygen evolves when dependent on metallicity stellar yields with a primary component of N proceeding from AGBs stars are used. We show the results obtained with a chemical evolution models grid, calculated with variable star formation efficiencies, which produce different star formation histories. Finally we see how the N/O abundance is related on the evolutionary history.
We present chemical evolution models with different Z-dependent yields to reproduce the O/H gradient of the Galactic disk. We find that moderate Z-dependent yields for massive stars produce an excellent fit to the observed C/H, and O/H gradients of the disk of the Galaxy derived from HII regions. The best model also fits: the H, He, C, and O abundances derived from recombination lines of the HII region M17, the protosolar H, He, O, and C abundances, the C/O versus O/H relationship derived from stars of the solar vicinity, and the C/H and O/H values for young F and G stars of the solar vicinity. The simultaneous fit of the HII regions and the protosolar abundances supports the method to derive abundances based on HII regions recombination lines. We obtain a good agreement between our model for the present day abundances and the C/O versus O/H relationship derived from extragalactic HII regions in nearby spiral galaxies.
From multi-wavelength observations of LAEs,we know that while many LAEs appear to be young and less massive,a noticeable fraction of LAEs possess much older populations of stars and larger stellar mass.How these two classes of LAEs are concordant with the hierarchical galaxy formation scenario has not been understood clearly so far.In this paper,we model LAEs by three-dimensional cosmological simulations of dark halo merger in a CDM universe.As a result,it is shown that the age of simulated LAEs can spread over a wide range from 2*10^6yr to 9*10^8yr.Also,we find that there are two types of LAEs, in one of which the young half-mass age is comparable to the mean age of stellar component,and in the other of which the young half-mass age is appreciably shorter than the mean age.We define the former as Type 1 LAEs and the latter as Type 2 LAEs.A Type 1 corresponds to early starburst in a young galaxy,whereas a Type 2 does to delayed starburst in an evolved galaxy,as a consequence of delayed accretion of a subhalo onto a larger parent halo.Thus,the same halo can experience a Type 2 LAE-phase as well as a Type 1 LAE-phase in the merger history.Type 1s are expected to be younger than 1.5*10^8yr,less dusty,and less massive with stellar mass M*<10^8 Msun,while Type 2s are older than 1.5*10^8yr,even dustier,and as massive as M*~10^8-10^10Msun.The fraction of Type 2s in all LAEs is a function of redshift.Type 2s discriminated clearly from Type 1s in two color diagram of z'-H vs J-K.We find that the brightness distribution of LyA in Type 2s is more extended than the main stellar component,in contrast to Type 1s.This is not only because delayed starbursts tend to occur in the outskirts of a parent galaxy,but also because LyA photons are effectively absorbed by dust in an evolved galaxy.Hence,the extent of LyA emission may be an additional measure to distinguish Type 2s from Type 1s
(Abridged) A procedure is suggested to explore the value of F = alpha^2/mu, where mu = m_e/m_p is the electron-to-proton mass ratio, and alpha is the fine-structure constant. The fundamental physical constants, which are measured in different physical environments of high (terrestrial) and low (interstellar) densities of baryonic matter are supposed to vary in chameleon-like scalar field models, which predict that both masses and coupling constant may depend on the local matter density. The parameter Delta F/F = (F_obs - F_lab)/F_lab can be estimated from the radial velocity offset, Delta V = V_rot-V_fs, between the low-laying rotational transitions in carbon monoxide 13CO and the fine-structure transitions in atomic carbon [CI]. A model-dependent constraint on Delta alpha/alpha can be obtained from Delta F/F using Delta mu/mu independently measured from the ammonia method. Currently available radio astronomical datasets provide an upper limit on |Delta V| < 110 m/s (1sigma). When interpreted in terms of the spatial variation of F, this gives |Delta F/F| < 3.7*10^-{7}. An order of magnitude improvement of this limit will allow us to test independently a non-zero value of Delta mu/mu = (2.2 +/- 0.4_stat +/- 0.3_sys)*10^{-8} recently found with the ammonia method. Taking into account that the ammonia method restricts the spatial variation of mu at the level of |Delta mu/mu| <= 3*10^{-8} and assuming that Delta F/F is the same in the entire interstellar medium, one obtains that the spatial variation of alpha does not exceed the value |Delta alpha/alpha| < 2*10^{-7}. Since extragalactic gas clouds have densities similar to those in the interstellar medium, the bound on Delta alpha/alpha is also expected to be less than 2*10^{-7} at high redshift if no significant temporal dependence of alpha is present.
We present new observations of a transit of the 111-day-period exoplanet HD80606b. Using the Spitzer Space Telescope and its IRAC camera on the post-cryogenic mission, we performed a 19-hour-long photometric observation of HD80606 that covers the full transit of 13-14 January 2010. We complement this photometric data by new spectroscopic observations that we simultaneously performed with SOPHIE at Haute-Provence Observatory. This provides radial velocity measurements of the first half of the transit that was previously uncovered with spectroscopy. This new data set allows the parameters of this singular planetary system to be significantly refined. We obtained a planet-to-star radius ratio R_p/R_* = 0.1001 +/- 0.0006 that is slightly lower than the one measured from previous ground observations. We detected a feature in the Spitzer light curve that could be due to a stellar spot. We also found a transit timing about 20 minutes earlier than the ephemeris prediction; this could be caused by actual TTVs due to an additional body in the system or by underestimated systematic uncertainties. The sky-projected angle between the spin-axis of HD80606 and the normal to the planetary orbital plane is found to be lambda = 42 +/- 8 degrees thanks to the fit of the Rossiter-McLaughlin anomaly. This allows scenarios with aligned spin-orbit to be definitively rejected. Over the twenty planetary systems with measured spin-orbit angles, a few of them are misaligned; this is probably the signature of two different evolution scenarios for misaligned and aligned systems, depending if they experienced or not gravitational interaction with a third body. As in the case of HD80606b, most of the planetary systems including a massive planet are tilted; this could be the signature of a separate evolution scenario for massive planets in comparison with Jupiter-mass planets.
Long-lived >100MeV emission has been a common feature of most Fermi-LAT detected gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), e.g., detected up to ~10^3s in long GRBs 080916C and 090902B and ~10^2s in short GRB 090510. This emission is consistent with being produced by synchrotron emission of electrons accelerated to high energy by the relativistic collisionless shock propagating into the weakly magnetized medium. Here we show that this high-energy afterglow emission constrains the preshock magnetic field to satisfy 5n^{5/8}mG<B_u<10^2n^{3/8}mG, where n is the preshock density in unit of cm^{-3}, much more stringent than the previous one by X-ray afterglow observations on day scale. This suggests that the preshock magnetic field is strongly amplified, most likely by the streaming of high energy shock accelerated particles, and that the postshock magnetic field might be produced by shock compression of the amplified preshock field only.
We calculate the trispectrum in ghost inflation where both the contact diagram and scale-exchange diagram are taken into account. The shape of trispectrum is discussed carefully and we find that the local form is absent in ghost inflation. In general, for the non-local shape trispectrum there are not analogous parameters to $\tau_{NL}^{loc.}$ and $g_{NL}^{loc.}$ which can completely characterize the size of local form trispectrum.
The non-Gaussian distribution of primordial perturbations has the potential to reveal the physical processes at work in the very early Universe. Local models provide a well-defined class of non-Gaussian distributions that arise naturally from the non-linear evolution of density perturbations on super-Hubble scales starting from Gaussian field fluctuations during inflation. I describe the delta-N formalism used to calculate the primordial density perturbation on large scales and then review several models for the origin of local primordial non-Gaussianity, including the cuvaton, modulated reheating and ekpyrotic scenarios. I include an appendix with a table of sign conventions used in specific papers.
We present SHARC-2 350 micron data on 20 luminous z~2 starbursts with S(1.2mm) > 2 mJy from the Spitzer-selected samples of Lonsdale et al. 2009 and Fiolet et al. 2009. All the sources were detected, with S(350um) > 25 mJy for 18. With the data we determine precise dust temperatures and luminosities for these galaxies, using on both single-temperature fits and models with powerlaw mass--temperature distributions. We derive appropriate formulae to use when optical depths are non-negligible. Our models provide an excellent fit to the 6um -- 2mm measurements of local starbursts. We find characteristic single-component temperatures T1 ~ 35.5 +- 2.2 K and integrated IR luminosities around 10^(12.9+-0.1) Lsun for the SWIRE-selected sources. Molecular gas masses are estimated at ~4*10^(10) Msun, assuming kappa(850um)=0.15 m^2/kg and an SMG-like gas-to-dust mass ratio. The best-fit models imply >~2 kpc emission scales. We also note a tight correlation between rest-frame 1.4 GHz radio and IR luminosities confirming star-formation as the predominant power source. The far-infrared properties of our sample are indistinguishable from the purely submillimeter-selected galaxy (SMG) populations from current surveys. We therefore conclude that our original selection criteria, based on mid-infrared IRAC colors and 24 micron flux densities, provides an effective means for the study of SMGs at z ~ 1.5--2.5.
The initial mass function determines the fraction of stars of different intial mass born per stellar generation. In this paper, we test the effects of the integrated galactic initial mass function (IGIMF) on the chemical evolution of the solar neighbourhood. The IGIMF (Weidner & Kroupa 2005) is computed from the combination of the stellar intial mass function (IMF), i.e. the mass function of single star clusters, and the embedded cluster mass function, i.e. a power law with index beta. By taking into account also the fact that the maximum achievable stellar mass is a function of the total mass of the cluster, the IGIMF becomes a time-varying IMF which depends on the star formation rate. We applied this formalism to a chemical evolution model for the solar neighbourhood and compared the results obtained by assuming three possible values for beta with the results obtained by means of a standard, well-tested, constant IMF. In general, a lower absolute value of beta implies a flatter IGIMF, hence a larger number of massive stars and larger metal ejection rates. This translates into higher type Ia and II supernova rates, higher mass ejection rates from massive stars and a larger amount of gas available for star formation, coupled with lower present-day stellar mass densities. (abridged) We also discuss the importance of the present day stellar mass function (PDMF) in providing a way to disentangle among various assumptions for beta. Our results indicate that the model adopting the IGIMF computed with beta ~2 should be considered the best since it allows us to reproduce the observed PDMF and to account for most of the chemical evolution constraints considered in this work.
We present a comparative study of the thermal emission of the transiting exoplanets WASP-1b and WASP-2b using the Spitzer Space Telescope. The two planets have very similar masses but suffer different levels of irradiation and are predicted to fall either side of a sharp transition between planets with and without hot stratospheres. WASP-1b is one of the most highly irradiated planets studied to date. We measure planet/star contrast ratios in all four of the IRAC bands for both planets (3.6-8.0um), and our results indicate the presence of a strong temperature inversion in the atmosphere of WASP-1b, particularly apparent at 8um, and no inversion in WASP-2b. In both cases the measured eclipse depths favor models in which incident energy is not redistributed efficiently from the day side to the night side of the planet. We fit the Spitzer light curves simultaneously with the best available radial velocity curves and transit photometry in order to provide updated measurements of system parameters. We do not find significant eccentricity in the orbit of either planet, suggesting that the inflated radius of WASP-1b is unlikely to be the result of tidal heating. Finally, by plotting ratios of secondary eclipse depths at 8um and 4.5um against irradiation for all available planets, we find evidence for a sharp transition in the emission spectra of hot Jupiters at an irradiation level of 2 x 10^9 erg/s/cm^2. We suggest this transition may be due to the presence of TiO in the upper atmospheres of the most strongly irradiated hot Jupiters.
We investigate the evolution of Type Ib/c supernova (SN Ib/c) progenitors in close binary systems, using new evolutionary models that include the effects of rotation, with initial masses of 12 - 25 Msun for the primary components, and of single helium stars with initial masses of 2.8 - 20 Msun. We find that, despite the impact of tidal interaction on the rotation of primary stars, the amount of angular momentum retained in the core at the presupernova stage in different binary model sequences converge to a value similar to those found in previous single star models. This amount is large enough to produce millisecond pulsars, but too small to produce magnetars or long gamma-ray bursts. We employ the most up-to-date estimate for the Wolf-Rayet mass loss rate, and its implications for SN Ib/c progenitors are discussed in detail. In terms of stellar structure, SN Ib/c progenitors in binary systems are predicted to have a wide range of final masses even up to 10 Msun, with helium envelopes of 0.16 - 1.7 Msun. Our results indicate that, if the lack of helium lines in the spectra of SNe Ic were due to small amounts of helium, the distribution of both initial and final masses of SN Ic progenitors should be bimodal. Furthermore, we find that a thin hydrogen layer (0.001 - 0.01 Msun) is expected to be present in many SN Ib progenitors at the presupernova stage. We show that the presence of hydrogen, together with a rather thick helium envelope, can lead to a significant expansion of some SN Ib/c progenitors by the time of supernova explosion. This may have important consequences for the shock break-out and supernova light curve. We also argue that some SN progenitors with thin hydrogen layers produced via Case AB/B transfer might be related to Type IIb supernova progenitors with relatively small radii of about 10 Rsun.
We present the observation of Cyg X-1 in hard spectral state performed during
the AGILE Science Verification Phase and Observing Cycle 1 in hard X-rays (with
SuperAGILE) and gamma rays (with the GRID) and lasting for about 160 days with
a live time of $\sim 6$ Ms.
We investigate the variability of Cyg X-1 in hard X-rays at different
timescales, from $\sim 300$ s up to one day, and we apply different tools of
timing analysis, such as the autocorrelation function, the first order
structure function and the Lomb-Scargle periodogram, to our data (from
SuperAGILE) and to the simultaneous data in soft X-rays (from RXTE/ASM). We
conclude our investigation with a search for emission in the energy range above
100 MeV with the maximum likelihood technique. In the hard X-ray band the flux
of Cyg X-1 shows its typical erratic fluctuations at all timescales with
variations of about a factor of two that do not affect significantly the shape
of the energy spectrum. From the first order structure function we find that
the X-ray emission of Cyg X-1 is characterized by \textit{antipersistence},
indication of a negative feedback mechanism at work. In the gamma ray data a
statistically significant point-like source at the position of Cyg X-1 is not
found and the upper limit on the flux is $\mathrm{5 \times 10^{-8} \; ph \;
cm^{-2} \; s^{-1}}$, over the whole observation (160 days).
Finally we compare our upper limit in gamma rays with the expectation of
various models of the Cyg X-1 emission, of both hadronic and leptonic origin,
in the GeV -- TeV band. The time history of Cyg X-1 in the hard X-ray band over
13 months (not continuous) is shown. Different tools of analysis do not provide
fully converging results of the characteristic timescales in the system,
suggesting that the timescales found in the structure function are not
intrinsic to the physics of the source.
Force balance considerations put a limit on the rate of AGN radiation momentum output, $L/c$, capable of driving galactic superwinds. We show that this condition is insufficient: black holes obeying the observed $\mbh -\sigma $ relation cannot supply enough energy in radiation which can drive the gas out by pressure alone. The shortfall is by up to an order of magnitude in most, but not all, cases. We propose that outflow-triggering of star formation by enhancing the intercloud medium turbulent pressure and squeezing clouds can supply the necessary boost, and suggest possible tests of this hypothesis. We further point out that the time-scales for Bondi accretion and for orbital decay of merging clumps by dynamical friction in the nuclear disk around a central black hole both follow a similar scaling with mass, favoring the most massive black holes, but the latter process is up to two orders of magnitude more rapid at $z\gtsim 10.$ The combination of accretion and coalescence results in earlier formation of more massive black holes, and, in particular, can account for the masses of the black holes inferred to power AGN at $z\sim 6.$
One of the most important factors in determining the stellar lithium abundance is the effective temperature. In a previous study by the authors, new effective temperatures Teff for sixteen metal-poor halo dwarfs were derived using a local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) description of the formation of Fe lines. This new Teff scale reinforced the discrepancy. For six of the stars from our previous study we calculate revised temperatures using a non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) approach. These are then used to derive a new mean primordial lithium abundance in an attempt to solve the lithium discrepancy. Using the code MULTI we calculate NLTE corrections to the LTE abundances for the Fe I lines measured in the six stars, and determine new Teff's. We keep other physical parameters, i.e. log g, [Fe/H] and xi, constant at the values calculated in Paper I. With the revised Teff scale we derive new Li abundances. We compare the NLTE values of Teff with the photometric temperatures of Ryan et al. (1999, ApJ, 523, 654), the infrared flux method (IRFM) temperatures of Melendez & Ramirez (2004, ApJ, 615, 33), and the Balmer line wing temperatures of Asplund et al. (2006, ApJ, 644, 229). We find that our temperatures are hotter than both the Ryan et al. and Asplund et al. temperatures by typically ~ 110 K - 160 K, but are still cooler than the temperatures of Melendez & Ramirez by typically ~ 190 K. The temperatures imply a primordial Li abundance of 2.19 dex or 2.21 dex, depending on the magnitude of collisions with hydrogen in the calculations, still well below the value of 2.72 dex inferred from WMAP + BBN. We discuss the effects of collisions on trends of 7Li abundances with [Fe/H] and Teff, as well as the NLTE effects on the determination of log g through ionization equilibrium, which imply a collisional scaling factor SH > 1 for collisions between Fe and H atoms.
We present the results of a comprehensive infrared, submillimetre, and millimetre continuum emission study of isolated low-mass star-forming cores in 32 Bok globules, with the aim to investigate the process of star formation in these regions. The submillimetre and millimetre dust continuum emission maps together with the spectral energy distributions are used to model and derive the physical properties of the star-forming cores, such as luminosities, sizes, masses, densities, etc. Comparisons with ground-based near-infrared and space-based mid and far-infrared images from Spitzer are used to reveal the stellar content of the Bok globules, association of embedded young stellar objects with the submm dust cores, and the evolutionary stages of the individual sources. Submm dust continuum emission was detected in 26 out of the 32 globule cores observed. For 18 globules with detected (sub)mm cores we derive evolutionary stages and physical parameters of the embedded sources. We identify nine starless cores, most of which are presumably prestellar, nine Class 0 protostars, and twelve Class I YSOs. Specific source properties like bolometric temperature, core size, and central densities are discussed as function of evolutionary stage. We find that at least two thirds (16 out of 24) of the star-forming globules studied here show evidence of forming multiple stars on scales between 1,000 and 50,000 AU. However, we also find that most of these small prototstar and star groups are comprised of sources with different evolutionary stages, suggesting a picture of slow and sequential star formation in isolated globules
We compute the contribution of kinks on cosmic string loops to stochastic background of gravitational waves (SBGW).We find that kinks contribute at the same order as cusps to the SBGW.We discuss the accessibility of the total background due to kinks as well as cusps to current and planned gravitational wave detectors, as well as to the big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), the cosmic microwave background (CMB), and pulsar timing constraints. As in the case of cusps, we find that current data from interferometric gravitational wave detectors, such as LIGO, are sensitive to areas of parameter space of cosmic string models complementary to those accessible to pulsar, BBN, and CMB bounds.
The methods of effective field theory are used to study generic theories of inflation with a single inflaton field and to perform a general analysis of the associated non-Gaussianities. We investigate the amplitudes and shapes of the various generic three-point correlators, the bispectra, which may be generated by different classes of single-field inflationary models. Besides the well-known results for the DBI-like models and the ghost inflationary theories, we point out that curvature-related interactions may give rise to large non-Gaussianities in the form of bispectra characterized by a flat shape which is rather uncommon in single-field models of inflation. In a subsequent work, we will perform a similar general analysis for the non-Gaussianities generated by the generic four-point correlator, the trispectrum.
We present an updated catalog of 113 X-ray flares detected by Swift in the ~33% of the X-ray afterglows of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB). 43 flares have a measured redshift. For the first time the analysis is performed in 4 different X-ray energy bands, allowing us to constrain the evolution of the flare temporal properties with energy. We find that flares are narrower at higher energies: their width follows a power-law relation w~E^{-0.5} reminiscent of the prompt emission. Flares are asymmetric structures, with a decay time which is twice the rise time on average. Both time scales linearly evolve with time, giving rise to a constant rise-to-decay ratio: this implies that both time scales are stretched by the same factor. As a consequence, the flare width linearly evolves with time to larger values: this is a key point that clearly distinguishes the flare from the GRB prompt emission. The flare 0.3-10 keV peak luminosity decreases with time, following a power-law behaviour with large scatter: L_{pk}~ t_{pk}^{-2.7}. When multiple flares are present, a global softening trend is established: each flare is on average softer than the previous one. The 0.3-10 keV isotropic energy distribution is a log-normal peaked at 10^{51} erg, with a possible excess at low energies. The flare average spectral energy distribution (SED) is found to be a power-law with spectral energy index beta~1.1. These results confirmed that the flares are tightly linked to the prompt emission. However, after considering various models we conclude that no model is currently able to account for the entire set of observations.
Observing inversion lines of ammonia (NH3), complemented by rotational lines of NH3 and other molecular species, provides stringent constraints on potential variations of the proton-to-electron mass ratio. While a limit of one part per million is derived for a lookback time of 7 billion years, nearby dark clouds might show a statistically significant variation of order 20-30 parts per billion, possibly being related to chameleon fields. The detection of radio-loud quasars with strong molecular absorption lines at redshifts z > 1 as well as the identification of a larger sample of nearby dark clouds with exceptionally narrow lines (<0.2 km/s) would be essential to improve present limits and to put the acquired results onto a firmer statistical basis.
We calculate the screening of the ion-ion potential due to electrons in the presence of a large background magnetic field, at densities of relevance to neutron star crusts. Using the standard approach to incorporate electron screening through the one-loop polarization function, we show that the magnetic field produces important corrections both at short and long distances. In extreme fields, realized in highly magnetized neutron stars called magnetars, electrons occupy only the lowest Landau levels in the relatively low density region of the crust. Here our results show that the screening length for Coulomb interactions between ions can be smaller than the inter-ion spacing. More interestingly, we find that the screening is anisotropic and the screened potential between two static charges exhibits long range Friedel oscillations parallel to the magnetic field. This long-range oscillatory behavior is likely to affect the lattice structure of ions, and can possibly create rod-like structures in the magnetar crusts. We also calculate the imaginary part of the electron polarization function which determines the spectrum of electron-hole excitations and plays a role in damping lattice phonon excitations. We demonstrate that even for modest magnetic fields this damping is highly anisotropic and will likely lead to anisotropic phonon heat transport in the outer neutron star crust.
We have used the Spitzer satellite to monitor the mid-IR evolution of SN 1987A over a 5 year period spanning the epochs between days 6000 and 8000 since the explosion. The supernova (SN) has evolved into a supernova remnant (SNR) and its radiative output is dominated by the interaction of the SN blast wave with the pre-existing equatorial ring (ER). The mid-IR spectrum is dominated by emission from ~180 K silicate dust, collisionally-heated by the hot X-ray emitting gas with a temperature and density of ~5x10^6 K and 3x10^4 cm-3, respectively. The mass of the radiating dust is ~1.2x10^(-6) Msun on day 7554, and scales linearly with IR flux. The infrared to soft-X-ray flux ratio is roughly constant with a value of 2.5. Gas-grain collisions therefore dominate the cooling of the shocked gas. The constancy of of this ratio suggests that very little grain processing or gas cooling have occurred throughout this epoch. The shape of the dust spectrum remained unchanged during the observations while the total flux increased with a time dependence of t^(0.87), t being the time since the first encounter between the blast wave and the ER. These observations are consistent with the transitioning of the blast wave from free expansion to a Sedov phase as it propagates into the main body of the ER.
Solar supergranulation plays an important role in generating and structuring the solar magnetic field and as a mechanism responsible for the 11-year solar cycle. It is clearly detected within SOHO/MDI Dopplergrams, from which a variety of properties may be derived. Techniques that extract spatial, temporal and kinematic characteristics and provide comparisons for the two most recent solar minima are described. Although supergranule lifetimes are comparable between these minima, their sizes maybe slightly smaller during the recent minimum.
In radio astronomy, reference signals from auxiliary antennas that receive only the radio frequency interference (RFI) can be modified to model the RFI environment at the astronomy receivers. The RFI can then be canceled from the astronomy signal paths. However, astronomers typically only require signal statistics. If the RFI statistics are changing slowly, the cancellation can be applied to the signal correlations at a much lower rate than is required for standard adaptive filters. In this paper we describe five canceler setups; precorrelation and postcorrelation cancelers that use one or two reference signals in different ways. The theoretical residual RFI and added noise levels are examined and are demonstrated using microwave television RFI at the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The RFI is attenuated to below the system noise, a reduction of at least 20 dB. While dual-reference cancelers add more reference noise than single-reference cancelers, this noise is zero-mean and only adds to the system noise, decreasing the sensitivity. The residual RFI that remains in the output of single-reference cancelers (but not dual-reference cancelers) sets a nonzero noise floor that does not act like random system noise and may limit the achievable sensitivity. Thus, dual-reference cancelers often result in superior cancellation. Dual-reference precorrelation cancelers require a double-canceler setup to be useful and to give equivalent results to dual-reference postcorrelation cancelers.
We discuss how simultaneous observations by multiple heliospheric imagers can provide some important information about the azimuthal properties of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) in the heliosphere. We propose two simple models of CME geometry that can be used to derive information about the azimuthal deflection and the azimuthal expansion of CMEs from SECCHI/HI observations. We apply these two models to four CMEs well-observed by both STEREO spacecraft during the year 2008. We find that in three cases, the joint STEREO-A and B observations are consistent with CMEs moving radially outward. In some cases, we are able to derive the azimuthal cross-section of the CME fronts, and we are able to measure the deviation from self-similar evolution. The results from this analysis show the importance of having multiple satellites dedicated to space weather forecasting, for example in orbits at the Lagrangian L4 and L5 points.
By the application of the generalized Israel junction conditions we derive cosmological equations for the fourth-order $f(R)$ brane gravity and study their cosmological solutions. We show that there exists a solution which describes a four-dimensional de-Sitter $(dS_4)$ brane embedded in a five-dimensional anti-de-Sitter $(AdS_5)$ bulk for a vanishing Weyl tensor contribution. On the other hand, for the case of a non-vanishing Weyl tensor contribution, there exists a static Einstein universe brane. We claim that in order to get some more general non-static $f(R)$ brane configurations, one needs to admit a dynamical matter energy-momentum tensor in the bulk rather than just a bulk cosmological constant.
TeV-mass dark matter charged under a new GeV-scale gauge force can explain electronic cosmic-ray anomalies. We propose that the CoGeNT and DAMA direct detection experiments are observing scattering of light stable states -- "GeV-Matter" -- that are charged under this force and constitute a small fraction of the dark matter halo. Dark higgsinos in a supersymmetric dark sector are natural candidates for GeV-Matter that scatter off protons with a universal cross-section of 5 x 10^{-38} cm^2 and can naturally be split by 10-30 keV so that their dominant interaction with protons is down-scattering. As an example, down-scattering of an O(5) GeV dark higgsino can simultaneously explain the spectra observed by both CoGeNT and DAMA. The event rates in these experiments correspond to a GeV-Matter abundance of 0.2-1% of the halo mass density. This abundance can arise directly from thermal freeze-out at weak coupling, or from the late decay of an unstable TeV-scale WIMP. Our proposal can be tested by searches for exotics in the BaBar and Belle datasets.
We present a complete explicit N=1, d=4 supergravity action in an arbitrary Jordan frame with non-minimal scalar-curvature coupling of the form $\Phi(z, \bar z)\, R$. The action is derived by suitably gauge-fixing the superconformal action. The theory has a modified Kaehler geometry, and it exhibits a significant dependence on the frame function $\Phi (z, \bar z)$ and its derivatives over scalars, in the bosonic as well as in the fermionic part of the action. Under certain simple conditions, the scalar kinetic terms in the Jordan frame have a canonical form. We consider an embedding of the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) gauge theory into supergravity, clarifying the Higgs inflation model recently proposed by Einhorn and Jones. We find that the conditions for canonical kinetic terms are satisfied for the NMSSM scalars in the Jordan frame, which leads to a simple action. However, we find that the gauge singlet field experiences a strong tachyonic instability during inflation in this model. Thus, a modification of the model is required to support the Higgs-type inflation.
We consider spherically symmetric inhomogeneous dust models with a positive cosmological constant, $\Lambda$, given by the Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi metric. These configurations provide a simple but useful generalization of the Lambda-CDM model describing cold dark matter (CDM) and a Lambda term, which seems to fit current cosmological observations. The dynamics of these models can be fully described by scalar evolution equations that can be given in the form of a proper dynamical system associated with a 4-dimensional phase space whose critical points and invariant subspaces are examined and classified. The phase space evolution of various configurations is studied in detail by means of two 2-dimensional subspaces: a projection into the invariant homogeneous subspace associated with Lambda-CDM solutions with FLRW metric, and a projection into a subspace generated by suitably defined fluctuations that convey the effects of inhomogeneity. We look at cases with perpetual expansion, bouncing and loitering behavior, as well as configurations with "mixed" kinematic patters, such as a collapsing region in an expanding background. In all cases, phase space trajectories emerge from and converge to stable past and future attractors in a qualitatively analogous way as in the case of the FLRW limit. However, we can identify in both projections of the phase space various qualitative features absent in the FLRW limit that can be useful in the construction of toy models of astrophysical and cosmological inhomogeneities.
This is a summary of presentations delivered at the OC1 parallel session "Primordial Gravitational Waves and the CMB" of the 12th Marcel Grossmann meeting in Paris, July 2009. The reports and discussions demonstrated significant progress that was achieved in theory and observations. It appears that the existing data provide some indications of the presence of gravitational wave contribution to the CMB anisotropies, while ongoing and planned observational efforts are likely to convert these indications into more confident statements about the actual detection.
The gravitational energy shift for photons is extended to all mass-equivalent energies $E = mc^2$, obeying the quantum condition $E = h\nu$.On an example of a relativistic binary system, it was shown that the gravitational energy shift would imply,in contrast to Newtonian gravity, the gravitational attraction between full mass-equivalent energies. The corresponding space-time metric becomes exponential. A good agreement was found with all results of weak field tests of General relativity. The strong field effects in a binary system can be easily studied. A long standing problems of Pioneer and other flyby anomalies were also discussed in connection with the violation of total energy conservation. It was shown that relatively small energy non-conservation during the change of the orbit type could explain these persistent anomalies.
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We present a statistical characterization of the carbon-star to M-giant (C/M) ratio in the halo of M31. Based on application of pseudo-filter band passes to our Keck/DEIMOS spectra we measure the 81-77-color index of 1288 stars in the giant stellar stream and in halo fields out to large distances. From this well-established narrow-band system, supplemented by V-I colors, we find only a low number (five in total) of C-star candidates. The resulting low C/M ratio of 10% is consistent with the values in the M31 disk and inner halo from the literature. Although our analysis is challenged by small number statistics and our sample selection, there is an indication that the oxygen-rich M-giants occur in similar number throughout the entire halo. We also find no difference in the C-star population of the halo fields compared to the giant stream. The very low C/M ratio is at odds with the observed low metallicities and the presence of intermediate-age stars at large radii. Our observed absence of a substantial carbon star population in the these regions indicates that the (outer) M31 halo cannot be dominated by the debris of disk-like or SMC-type galaxies, but rather resemble the dwarf elliptical NGC 147.
We present a catalog of 5324 massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), with accurate spectral types compiled from the literature, and a photometric catalog for a subset of 3654 of these stars, with the goal of exploring their infrared properties. The photometric catalog consists of stars with infrared counterparts in the Spitzer, SAGE-SMC survey database, for which we present uniform photometry from 0.3-24 um in the UBVIJHKs+IRAC+MIPS24 bands. We compare the color magnitude diagrams and color-color diagrams to those of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), finding that the brightest infrared sources in the SMC are also the red supergiants, supergiant B[e] (sgB[e]) stars, luminous blue variables, and Wolf-Rayet stars, with the latter exhibiting less infrared excess, the red supergiants being less dusty and the sgB[e] stars being on average less luminous. Among the objects detected at 24 um are a few very luminous hypergiants, 4 B-type stars with peculiar, flat spectral energy distributions, and all 3 known luminous blue variables. We detect a distinct Be star sequence, displaced to the red, and suggest a novel method of confirming Be star candidates photometrically. We find a higher fraction of Oe and Be stars among O and early-B stars in the SMC, respectively, when compared to the LMC, and that the SMC Be stars occur at higher luminosities. We estimate mass-loss rates for the red supergiants, confirming the correlation with luminosity even at the metallicity of the SMC. Finally, we confirm the new class of stars displaying composite A & F type spectra, the sgB[e] nature of 2dFS1804 and find the F0 supergiant 2dFS3528 to be a candidate LBV with cold dust.
The sixth part of the OGLE-III catalog of Variable Stars presents \delta Sct pulsators in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Altogether 2786 variable stars were found and amongst them 92 are multi-mode objects, including 67 stars pulsating in the fundamental mode and the first overtone (F/1O), nine double-mode pulsators with various combinations of the first three overtones excited (1O/2O, 2O/3O and 1O/3O pulsators), and two triple mode (F/1O/2O) \delta Sct stars. In total 1490 of stars are marked as uncertain, due to scattered photometry and small amplitudes. For single-mode objects it was not possible to unambiguously identify pulsation mode, however we suggest the most of the single-mode variable stars pulsate in the first overtone.
We present low- and high-resolution mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectra and photometry for eight compact symmetric objects (CSOs) taken with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The hosts of these young, powerful radio galaxies show significant diversity in their mid-IR spectra. This includes multiple atomic fine-structure lines, H2 gas, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission, warm dust from T = 50 to 150 K, and silicate features in both emission and absorption. There is no evidence in the mid-IR of a single template for CSO hosts, but 5/8 galaxies show similar moderate levels of star formation (<10 M_sun/yr from PAH emission) and silicate dust in a clumpy torus. The total amount of extinction ranges from A_V ~ 10 to 30, and the high-ionization [Ne V] 14.3 and 24.3 um transitions are not detected for any galaxy in the sample. Almost all CSOs show contributions both from star formation and active galactic nuclei (AGNs), suggesting that they occupy a continuum between pure starbursts and AGNs. This is consistent with the hypothesis that radio galaxies are created following a galactic merger; the timing of the radio activity onset means that contributions to the IR luminosity from both merger-induced star formation and the central AGN are likely. Bondi accretion is capable of powering the radio jets for almost all CSOs in the sample; the lack of [Ne V] emission suggests an advection-dominated accretion flow mode as a possible candidate. Merging black holes (BHs) with M_BH > 10^8 M_sun likely exist in all of the CSOs in the sample; however, there is no direct evidence from these data that BH spin energy is being tapped as an alternative mode for powering the radio jets.
We present 2323 High-Amplitude \delta-Scuti (HADS) candidates discovered in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) by the SuperMACHO survey (Rest et al. 2005). Frequency analyses of these candidates reveal that several are multimode pulsators, including 119 whose largest amplitude of pulsation is in the fundamental (F) mode and 19 whose largest amplitude of pulsation is in the first overtone (FO) mode. Using Fourier decomposition of the HADS light curves, we find that the period-luminosity (PL) relation defined by the FO pulsators does not show a clear separation from the PL-relation defined by the F pulsators. This differs from other instability strip pulsators such as type c RR Lyrae. We also present evidence for a larger amplitude, subluminous population of HADS similar to that observed in Fornax (Poretti et al. 2008).
We study the coherent temperature and polarization patterns produced in homogeneous but anisotropic cosmological models. We show results for all Bianchi types with a Friedman-Robertson-Walker limit (i.e. Types I, V, VII$_{0}$, VII$_{h}$ and IX) to illustrate the range of possible behaviour. We discuss the role of spatial curvature, shear and rotation in the geodesic equations for each model and establish some basic results concerning the symmetries of the patterns produced. We also give examples of the time-evolution of these patterns in terms of the Stokes parameters $I$, $Q$ and $U$.
We report the discovery of three nearby old halo white dwarf candidates in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), including two stars in a common proper motion binary system. These candidates are selected from our 2800 square degree proper motion survey on the Bok and U.S. Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station 1.3m telescopes, and they display proper motions of 0.4-0.5 arcsec/yr. Follow-up MMT spectroscopy and near-infrared photometry demonstrate that all three objects are hydrogen-dominated atmosphere white dwarfs with Teff = 3700 - 4100 K. For average mass white dwarfs, these temperature estimates correspond to cooling ages of 9-10 Gyr, distances of 70-80 pc, and tangential velocities of 140-200 km/s. Based on the UVW space velocities, we conclude that they most likely belong to the halo. Furthermore, the combined main-sequence and white dwarf cooling ages are 10-11 Gyr. Along with SDSS J1102+4113, they are the oldest field white dwarfs currently known. These three stars represent only a small fraction of the halo white dwarf candidates in our proper motion survey, and they demonstrate that deep imaging surveys like the Pan-STARRS and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope should find many old thick disk and halo white dwarfs that can be used to constrain the age of the Galactic thick disk and halo.
(Abridged) The properties of highly magnetized ("high-sigma") relativistic outflows have been studied extensively in steady state, where there is no variation in the properties of the outflow from the central source. Here we study the acceleration of an impulsive high-sigma spherical flow, over a timescale much longer than the timescale of strong variation of the source. We find a new acceleration mechanism, which we call the "magnetic rocket" effect. If the source is active for a time t_0, and the flow starts with Gamma ~ 1 and sigma_0 = B_0^2/(4 pi rho_0 c^2) >> 1, then at R_0 ~ ct_0 the typical Lorentz factor and magnetization of the outflow are Gamma ~ sigma_0^{1/3} and sigma ~ sigma_0^{2/3}. At this point the magnetized shell of width Delta ~ R_0 loses causal contact with the source and continues to accelerate by pushing against itself: the front part pushes against the back, and while the expansion is roughly symmetric in the comoving frame, in the lab frame most of the energy and momentum remain in a shell of width Delta ~ R_0 at the head of the flow. This "magnetic rocket" acceleration proceeds as Gamma ~ (sigma_0 R/R_0)^{1/3} and sigma ~ sigma_0^{2/3} (R/R_0)^{-1/3} until reaching a coasting radius where most of the energy is converted to kinetic form: Gamma ~ sigma_0 and sigma ~ 1. Then the shell starts radially spreading, causing its magnetization to drop further. Our results also apply to collimated outflows, and especially to "wide" jets, where collimation-induced acceleration is inefficient. The addition of impulsive driving (strong time dependence) allows for more efficient acceleration of magnetized outflows than is possible in a time-steady flow. It also allows the outflow to reach a low magnetization, which enables further efficient dissipation in shocks and high radiative efficiency.
We use the Om statistic and the Genetic Algorithms (GA) in order to derive a null test on the spatially flat cosmological constant model $\Lambda$CDM. This is done in two steps: first, we apply the GA to the Constitution SNIa data in order to acquire a model independent reconstruction of the expansion history of the Universe $H(z)$ and second, we use the reconstructed $H(z)$ in conjunction with the Om statistic, which is constant only for the $\Lambda$CDM model, to derive our constraints. We find that while $\Lambda$CDM is consistent with the data at the $2\sigma$ level, some deviations from $\Lambda$CDM model at low redshifts seems to be mildly preferred.
We investigate the stellar populations of Lyman alpha emitters (LAEs) at z=5.7 and 6.6 in a 0.65 deg^2 sky of the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Survey (SXDS) Field, using deep images from the SXDS, UKIDSS/UDS, and Spitzer/SpUDS programs. We produce stacked multiband images at each redshift from 165 (z=5.7) and 91 (z=6.6) objects, to derive typical spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of z~6-7 LAEs for the first time. The stacked LAEs have as blue UV continua as the HST/WFC3 z-dropout galaxies of similar Muv, with a spectral slope beta-3, but at the same time they have red UV-to-optical colors with detection in the 3.6um bnd. Using SED fitting we find that the stacked LAEs have low stellar masses of ~(3-10)*10^7 Msun, very young ages of ~1-3 Myr, negligible dust extinction, and strong nebular emission from the ionized ISM, although the z=6.6 object is fitted similarly well with high-mass models without nebular emission; inclusion of nebular emission reproduces the red UV-to-optical color while keeping the UV color sufficiently blue. We infer that typical LAEs at z~6-7 are building blocks of normal galaxies seen gt lower redshifts. We find a tentative decrease in the Lyman alpha escape fraction from z=5.7 to 6.6, which may implyn increase in the IGM neutral fraction. From the minimum contribution of nebular emission required to fit the observed SEDs, we place an upper limit on the escape fraction of ionizing photons to be f_esc~0.6 at z=5.7 and ~0.9 at z=6.6. We also compare the stellar populations of our LAEs with that of stacked HST/WFC3 z-dropout galaxies.
We analyse observational correlations for three elements entering into the composition of interstellar silicate and oxide grains. Using current solar abundances (Asplund et al. 2009), we convert the gas-phase abundances into dust-phase abundances for 196 sightlines. We deduce a sharp difference in abundances for sightlines located at low ($|b|<30\degr$) and high ($|b|>30\degr$) galactic latitudes. For high-latitude stars the ratios Mg/Si and Fe/Si in dust are close to 1.5. For disk stars they are reduced to ${\rm Mg/Si} \sim 1.2$ and ${\rm Fe/Si} \sim 1.05$. The derived numbers indicate that 1) the dust grains cannot be the mixture of silicates with olivine and pyroxene composition only and some amount of magnesium or iron (or both) should be in another population and 2) the destruction of Mg-rich grains in the warm medium is more effective than of Fe-rich grains. We reveal a decrease of dust-phase abundances and correspondingly an increase of gas-phase abundances with distance $D$ for stars with $D\ga 400$\,pc. We attribute this fact to an observational selection effect: a systematic trend toward smaller observed hydrogen column density for distant stars. We find differences in abundances for disk stars with low ($E({\rm B-V}) \la 0.2$) and high ($E({\rm B-V}) \ga 0.2$) reddenings which reflect the distinction between the sightlines passing through diffuse and translucent interstellar clouds. For Scorpius-Ophiuchus we detect an uniform increase of dust-phase abundances of Mg and Si with an increase of the ratio of total to selective extinction $R_{\rm V}$ and a decrease of the strength of the far-UV extinction. This is the first evidence for a growth of Mg-Si grains due to accretion in the interstellar medium.
Extrasolar planet host stars have been found to be enriched in key planet-building elements. These enrichments have the potential to drastically alter the composition of material available for terrestrial planet formation. Here we report on the combination of dynamical models of late-stage terrestrial planet formation within known extrasolar planetary systems with chemical equilibrium models of the composition of solid material within the disk. This allows us to determine the bulk elemental composition of simulated extrasolar terrestrial planets. A wide variety of resulting planetary compositions are found, ranging from those that are essentially "Earth-like", containing metallic Fe and Mg-silicates, to those that are dominated by graphite and SiC. This shows that a diverse range of terrestrial planets may exist within extrasolar planetary systems.
A detection or nondetection of primordial non-Gaussianity in the CMB data is essential not only to test alternative models of the physics of the early universe but also to discriminate among classes of inflationary models. Given this far reaching consequences of such a non-Gaussianity detection for our understanding of the physics of the early universe, it is important to employ alternative indicators in order to have further information about the Gaussianity features of CMB that may be helpful for identifying their origins. In this way, a considerable effort has recently gone into the design of non-Gaussianity indicators, and in their application in the search for deviation from Gaussianity in the CMB data. Recently we have proposed two new large-angle non-Gaussianity indicators which provide measures of the departure from Gaussianity on large angular scales. We have used these indicators to carry out analyses of Gaussianity of the single frequency bands and of the available foreground-reduced {\it five-year} maps with and without the KQ75 mask. Here we extend and complement these studies by performing a new analysis of deviation from Gaussianity of the {\it three-year} harmonic ILC (HILC) foreground-reduced full-sky and KQ75 masked maps obtained from WMAP data. We show that this full-sky foreground-reduced maps presents a significant deviation from Gaussianity, which is brought down to a level of consistency with Gaussianity when the KQ75 mask is employed.
Effects of a new triple-alpha reaction rate on the ignition of carbon-oxygen
white dwarfs accreting helium in a binary systems have been investigated. The
ignition points determine the properties of a thermonuclear explosion of a Type
Ia supernova. We examine the cases of different accretion rates of helium and
different initial masses of the white dwarf, which was studied in detail by
Nomoto. We find that for all cases from slow to intermediate accretion rates,
nuclear burnings are ignited at the helium layers. As a consequence, carbon
deflagration would be triggered for the lower accretion rate compared to that
of $dM/dt\simeq 4\times10^{-8} M_{\odot} \rm yr^{-1}$ which has been believed
to the lower limit of the accretion rate for the deflagration supernova.
Furthermore, off-center helium detonation should result for intermediate and
slow accretion rates and the region of carbon deflagration for slow accretion
rate is disappeared.
The Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS) consists of a complete sample of 202 Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) selected from the IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Sample (RBGS). The galaxies span the full range of interaction stages, from isolated galaxies to interacting pairs to late stage mergers. We present a comparison of the UV and infrared properties of 135 galaxies in GOALS observed by GALEX and Spitzer. For interacting galaxies with separations greater than the resolution of GALEX and Spitzer (2-6"), we assess the UV and IR properties of each galaxy individually. The contribution of the FUV to the measured SFR ranges from 0.2% to 17.9%, with a median of 2.8% and a mean of 4.0 +/- 0.4%. The specific star formation rate of the GOALS sample is extremely high, with a median value (3.9*10^{-10} yr^{-1}) that is comparable to the highest specific star formation rates seen in the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey sample. We examine the position of each galaxy on the IR excess-UV slope (IRX-beta) diagram as a function of galaxy properties, including IR luminosity and interaction stage. The LIRGs on average have greater IR excesses than would be expected based on their UV colors if they obeyed the same relations as starbursts with L_IR < 10^{11}L_0 or normal late-type galaxies. The ratio of L_IR to the value one would estimate from the IRXg-beta relation published for lower luminosity starburst galaxies ranges from 0.2 to 68, with a median value of 2.7. A minimum of 19% of the total IR luminosity in the RBGS is produced in LIRGs and ULIRGs with red UV colors (beta > 0). Among resolved interacting systems, 32% contain one galaxy which dominates the IR emission while the companion dominates the UV emission. Only 21% of the resolved systems contain a single galaxy which dominates both wavelengths.
Recent cosmic ray, gamma ray, and microwave signals observed by Fermi, PAMELA, and WMAP indicate an unexpected primary source of e+e- at 10-1000 GeV. We fit these data to "standard backgrounds" plus a new source, assumed to be a separable function of position and energy. For the spatial part, we consider three cases: annihilating dark matter, decaying dark matter, and pulsars. In each case, we use GALPROP to inject energy in log-spaced energy bins and compute the expected cosmic-ray and photon signals for each bin. We then fit a linear combination of energy bins, plus backgrounds, to the data. We use a non-parametric fit, with no prior constraints on the spectrum except smoothness and non-negativity. In addition, we consider arbitrary modifications to the energy spectrum of the "ordinary" primary source function, fixing its spatial part, finding this alone to be inadequate to explain the PAMELA or WMAP signals. We explore variations in the fits due to choice of magnetic field, primary electron injection index, spatial profiles, propagation parameters, and fit regularization method. Dark matter annihilation fits well, where our fit finds a mass of ~1 TeV and a boost factor times energy fraction of ~70. While it is possible for dark matter decay and pulsars to fit the data, unconventionally high magnetic fields and radiation densities are required near the Galactic Center to counter the relative shallowness of the assumed spatial profiles. We also fit to linear combinations of these three scenarios, though the fit is much less constrained.
Recently Kashlinsky et al.(2008), Kashlinsky et al.(2010) discovered a $\sim 10^3$ km/$s$ bulk flow of the universe out to $z\simeq 0.3$, through the dark flow induced CMB dipole in directions of clusters. We point out that this dark flow also induces CMB temperature fluctuations at much smaller angular scales, through modulation of the inhomogeneous electron distribution on the uniform dark flow. This dark flow induced small scale kinetic Sunyaev Zel'dovich (SZ) effect is a non-negligible component of the CMB sky, only a factor of $\sim 2$ smaller than the conventional kinetic SZ effect at $\ell\sim 10^3-10^4$. Its existence worsens the low SZ problem recently found by the South Pole Telescope (Lueker et al. 2009), although no conclusive constraints can be drawn. It is also correlated with the large scale structure (LSS) and its correlation with 2MASS galaxy distribution reaches $0.3 \mu$K at $\ell=10^3$, under a directional dependent optimal weighting scheme. We estimate that, WMAP plus 2MASS is already able to detect this dark flow induced small scale kinetic SZ effect with $\sim 6\sigma$ confidence. Deeper galaxy surveys such as SDSS can further improve the measurement. Planck plus existing galaxy surveys can reach $\ga 14\sigma$ detection. Existing CMB-LSS cross correlation measurements shall be reanalyzed to probe the dark flow and to eliminate possible bias on the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect measurement through the CMB-LSS cross correlation.
We investigate the formation of terrestrial planets in the late stage of planetary formation using two-planet model. At that time, the protostar has formed for about 3 Myr and the gas disk has dissipated. In the model, the perturbations from Jupiter and Saturn are considered. We also consider variations of the mass of outer planet, and the initial eccentricities and inclinations of embryos and planetesimals. Our results show that, terrestrial planets are formed in 50 Myr, and the accretion rate is about 60% - 80%. In each simulation, 3 - 4 terrestrial planets are formed inside "Jupiter" with masses of $0.15 - 3.6 M_{\oplus}$. In the 0.5 - 4AU, when the eccentricities of planetesimals are excited, planetesimals are able to accrete material from wide radial direction. The plenty of water material of the terrestrial planet in the Habitable Zone may be transferred from the farther places by this mechanism. Accretion may also happen a few times between two giant planets only if the outer planet has a moderate mass and the small terrestrial planet could survive at some resonances over time scale of $10^8$ yr.
We present the correlations between the spectroscopic metallicities and ninety-three different intrinsic colors of M31 globular clusters, including seventy-eight BATC colors and fifteen SDSS and near infrared ugrizK colors. The BATC colors were derived from the archival images of thirteen filters (from c to p), which were taken by Beijing-Arizona-Taiwan-Connecticut (BATC) Multicolor Sky Survey with a 60/90 cm f/3 Schmidt telescope. The spectroscopic metallicities adopted in our work were from literature. We fitted the correlations of seventy-eight different BATC colors and the metallicities for 123 old confirmed globular clusters, and the result implies that correlation coefficients of twenty-three colors r>0.7. Especially, for the colors $(f-k)_0$, $(f-o)_0$, and $(h-k)_0$, the correlation coefficients are r>0.8. Meanwhile, we also note that the correlation coefficients (r) approach zero for $(g-h)_0$, $(k-m)_0$, $(k-n)_0$, and $(m-n)_0$, which are likely to be independent of metallicity. Similarity, we fitted the correlations of metallicity and ugrizK colors for 127 old confirmed GCs. The result indicates that all these colors are metal-sensitive (r>0.7), of which $(u-K)_0$ is the most metal-sensitive color. Our work provides an easy way to simply estimate the metallicity from colors.
We consider a class of late-decaying dark-matter models, in which a dark matter particle decays to a heavy stable daughter of approximately the same mass, together with one or more relativistic particles which carry away only a small fraction of the parent rest mass. Such decays can affect galactic halo structure and evolution, and have been invoked as a remedy to some of the small scale structure-formation problems of cold dark matter. There are existing stringent limits on the dark matter lifetime if the decays produce photons. By considering examples in which the relativistic decay products instead consist of neutrinos or electron-position pairs, we derive stringent limits on these scenarios for a wide range of dark matter masses. We thus eliminate a sizable portion of the parameter space for these late decay models if the dominant decay channel involves Standard Model final states.
The white-light continuum emission of a solar flare remains a puzzle as regards its height of formation and its emission mechanism(s). This continuum, and its extension into the near UV, contain the bulk of the energy radiated by a flare, and so its explanation is a high priority. We describe a method to determine the optical depth of the emitting layer and apply it to the well-studied flare of 2002 July~15, making use of MDI pseudo-continuum intensity images. We find the optical depth of the visible continuum in all flare images, including an impulsive ribbon structure to be small, consistent with the observation of Balmer and Paschen edges in other events.
We study the problem of searching for cosmic string signal patterns in the present high resolution and high sensitivity observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). This article discusses a technique capable of recognizing Kaiser-Stebbins effect signatures in total intensity anisotropy maps, and shows that the biggest factor that produces confusion is represented by the acoustic oscillation features of the scale comparable to the size of horizon at recombination. Simulations show that the distribution of null signals for pure Gaussian maps converges to a $\chi^2$ distribution, with detectability threshold corresponding to a string induced step signal with an amplitude of about 100 $\muK$ which corresponds to a limit of roughly $G\mu < 1.5\times 10^{-6}$. We study the statistics of spurious detections caused by extra-Galactic and Galactic foregrounds. For diffuse Galactic foregrounds, which represents the dominant source of contamination, we derive sky masks outlining the available region of the sky where the Galactic confusion is sub-dominant, specializing our analysis to the case represented by the frequency coverage and nominal sensitivity and resolution of the Planck experiment.
The non-linear Hall term present in the induction equation in the electron-magneto-hydrodynamics limit is responsible for the Hall drift of the magnetic field and, in some cases, for the so-called Hall instability. We investigate whether or not the growth rates and eigenfunctions found in the linear analysis are consistent with the results of non-linear numerical simulations. Following the linear analysis of Rheinhardt & Geppert, we study the same cases for which the Hall instability was predicted by solving the non-linear Hall induction equation using a two-dimensional conservative and divergence-free finite difference scheme that overcomes intrinsic difficulties of pseudo-spectral methods and can describe situations with arbitrarily high magnetic Reynolds numbers. We show that unstable modes can grow to the level of the background field without being overwhelmed by the Hall cascade, and cause a complete rearrangement of the field geometry. We confirm both the growth rates and eigenfunctions found in the linearized analysis and hence the instability. In the non-linear regime, after the unstable modes grow to the background level, the naturally selected modes become stable and oscillatory. Later on, the evolution tends to select the modes with the longest possible wavelengths, but this process occurs on the magnetic diffusion timescale. We confirm the existence of the Hall instability. We argue against using the misleading terminology that associates the non-linear Hall term with a turbulent Hall cascade, since small-scale structures are not created everywhere. The field evolves instead in a Burgers-like manner, forms local structures with strong gradients which become shocks in the zero resistivity limit, and Hall waves are launched and propagated through the entire domain.
The ATCA has been used to measure positions with arcsecond accuracy for 379 masers at the 22-GHz transition of water. The principal observation targets were 202 OH masers of the variety associated with star formation regions (SFR)s in the Southern Galactic plane. At a second epoch, most of these targets were observed again, and new targets of methanol masers were added. Many of the water masers reported here are new discoveries. Variability in the masers is often acute, with very few features directly corresponding to those discovered two decades ago. Within our current observations, less than a year apart, spectra are often dissimilar, but positions at the later epoch, even when measured for slightly different features, mostly correspond to the detected maser site measured earlier, to within the typical extent of the whole site, of a few arcseconds. The precise water positions show that approximately 79% (160 of 202) of the OH maser sites show coincident water maser emission, the best estimate yet obtained for this statistic; however, there are many instances where additional water sites are present offset from the OH target, and consequently less than half of the water masers coincide with a 1665-MHz ground-state OH maser counterpart. We explore the differences between the velocities of peak emission from the three species (OH, methanol and water), and quantify the typically larger deviations shown by water maser peaks from systemic velocities. Clusters of two or three distinct but nearby sites, each showing one or several of the principal molecular masing transitions, are found to be common. In combination with an investigation of correlations with IR sources from the GLIMPSE catalogue, these comparative studies allow further progress in the use of the maser properties to assign relative evolutionary stages in star formation to individual sites.
In studies of accreting black holes in binary systems, empirical relations have been proposed to quantify the coupling between accretion processes and ejection mechanisms. These processes are probed respectively by means of X-ray and radio/optical-infrared observations. The relations predict, given certain accretion conditions, the expected energy output in the form of a jet. We investigated this coupling by studying the black hole candidate Swift J1753.5-0127, via multiwavelength coordinated observations over a period of ~4 years. We present the results of our campaign showing that, all along the outburst, the source features a jet that is fainter than expected from the empirical correlation between the radio and the X-ray luminosities in hard spectral state. Because the jet is so weak in this system the near-infrared emission is, unusually for this state and luminosity, dominated by thermal emission from the accretion disc. We briefly discuss the importance and the implications of a precise determination of both the slope and the normalisation of the correlations, listing some possible parameters that broadband jet models should take into account to explain the population of sources characterized by a dim jet. We also investigate whether our data can give any hint about the nature of the compact object in the system, since its mass has not been dynamically measured.
The PASTEL catalogue is an update of the [Fe/H] catalogue, published in 1997 and 2001. It is a bibliographical compilation of stellar atmospheric parameters providing (Teff,logg,[Fe/H]) determinations obtained from the analysis of high resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra, carried out with model atmospheres. PASTEL also provides determinations of the one parameter Teff based on various methods. It is aimed in the future to provide also homogenized atmospheric parameters and elemental abundances, radial and rotational velocities. A web interface has been created to query the catalogue on elaborated criteria. PASTEL is also distributed through the CDS database and VizieR. To make it as complete as possible, the main journals have been surveyed, as well as the CDS database, to find relevant publications. The catalogue is regularly updated with new determinations found in the literature. As of Febuary 2010, PASTEL includes 30151 determinations of either Teff or (Teff,logg,[Fe/H]) for 16649 different stars corresponding to 865 bibliographical references. Nearly 6000 stars have a determination of the three parameters (Teff,logg,[Fe/H]) with a high quality spectroscopic metallicity.
We report optical long-slit spectra and direct imaging (ground-based and with HST) of the pre-planetary nebula (pPN) M2-56 obtained at different epochs. The optical nebula is composed by shock-excited material distributed in two pairs of nested lobes with different sizes and surface brightness. The compact, bright inner lobes (ILs) have an angular size of ~1.5"x1" each and display closed, bow-shaped ends. The extended, faint outer lobes (OLs), which enclose the inner ones, have an agular size of ~13"x10". Within the ILs and the OLs the velocity increases with the distance to the center, however, the ILs show expansion velocities larger than the OLs. Consistent with the large speeds reached by the ILs (of up to ~350 km/s at the tips), we have measured the expansive proper motions of the knots (~0.03 arcsec/yr) by comparing two-epoch HST images. Moreover, we have discovered remarkable changes with time in the continuum and line emission spectrum of M2-56. In 1998, we detected a burst of Halpha emission from the nebula nucleus that is interpreted as an indication of a dense, fast (~350-500 km/s) bipolar wind from the nebula's core (referred to as "F1-wind"). Such a wind has been recently ejected (after 1989) probably as a short-duration mass-loss event. Our data also reveal an optically thick, compact structure (cocoon?) and a HII region around the central star that result from further post-AGB mass-loss after the F1-wind. Recent brightening of the scattered stellar continuum as well as an increase of scattered Halpha emission along the lobes is reported, both results pointing to a decrease of the optical depth of the circumstellar material enshrouding the star. The data presented here unveil the complex post-AGB mass-loss history of this object, whose rapid evolution is driven by multiple episodes of mass outflow, not regularly spaced in time... (abridged).
We study the excitation of fine structure levels of C I, II and O I by ultraviolet (UV) photons around strong UV sources which are also ionizing sources of the cosmological reionization at redshift of $\sim$ 10. The evolutions of ionized regions around a point source are calculated by solving rate equations for non-equilibrium chemistry. Signals of UV photons through the fine structure lines are considered to be stronger at locations of more abundant chemical species of C I, II and O I. Such environments would be realized where strong fluxes of non-ionizing UV line photons available for the pumping up of fine structure levels exist, and simultaneously ionizing UV photons are effectively shielded by dense H I regions. Signals from H I regions of moderately large densities induced by redshifted UV photons emitted at the point sources are found to be dominantly large over those of others. We discuss the detectability of the signals, and show that signals from idealized environments will be possibly detected by radio observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) under construction or next-generation arrays.
Gravitational and electronic forces produce a correlation between the mass and shape of objects in the universe. For example, at an average radius of ~ 200 km - 300 km, the icy moons and rocky asteroids of our Solar System transition from a rounded potato shape to a sphere. We derive this potato-to-sphere transition radius -- or "potato radius" -- from first principles. Using the empirical potato radii of asteroids and icy moons, we derive a constraint on the yield strength of these bodies during their formative years when their shapes were determined. Our proposed ~ 200 km potato radius for icy moons would substantially increase the number of trans-Neptunian objects classified as dwarf planets.
Context: Part of the very high energy $\gamma$-ray radiation coming from
extragalactic sources is absorbed through the pair production process on the
extragalactic background light photons. Extragalactic magnetic fields alter the
trajectories of these cascade pairs and, in turn, convert cosmic background
photons to gamma-ray energies by inverse Compton scattering. These secondary
photons can form an extended halo around bright VHE sources.
Aims: We searched for an extended emission around the bright blazars Mrk 421
and Mrk 501 using the MAGIC telescope data.
Methods: If extended emission is present, the angular distribution of
reconstructed gamma-ray arrival directions around the source is broader than
for a point-like source. In the analysis of a few tens of hours of
observational data taken from Mrk 421 and Mrk 501 we used a newly developed
method that provides better angular resolution. This method is based on the
usage of multidimensional decision trees. Comparing the measured shapes of
angular distributions with those expected from a point-like source one can
detect or constrain possible extended emission around the source. We also
studied the influence of different types of systematic errors on the shape of
the distribution of reconstructed gamma-ray arrival directions for a point
source.
Results: We present upper limits for an extended emission calculated for both
sources for various source extensions and emission profiles. We discuss
possible constraints on the extragalactic magnetic fields strength. We obtain
upper limits on the extended emission around the Mrk 421 (Mrk 501) on the level
of < 5% C.U. (< 4% C.U.) above the energy threshold of 300 GeV. These results
are used for putting constraints on the existence of extragalactic magnetic
fields with strength around a few times $10^{-15}$ G.
We present the results of our investigation into the stellar populations of 24 radio galaxies at z~0.5 drawn from four complete, low-frequency selected radio surveys. We use the strength of the 4000A break as an indicator of recent star formation, and compare this with radio luminosity, optical spectral classification and morphological classification. We find evidence of different star formation histories for high- and low-luminosity radio sources; our group of low radio luminosity sources (typically FRI-type sources) has systematically older stellar populations than the higher radio luminosity group. Our sample is also fairly well divided by optical spectral classification. We find that galaxies classified as having low excitation spectra (LEGs) possess older stellar populations than high excitation line objects (HEGs), with the HEGs showing evidence for recent star formation. We also investigate the link between radio morphology, as used by Owen & Laing (1989), and the stellar populations. We find that there is a preference for the "fat-double" sources to have older stellar populations than the "classical double" sources, although this is also linked to these sources lying predominantly in the LEG and HEG categories respectively. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that HEGs are powered by accretion of cold gas, which could be supplied, for example, by recent mergers, secular instabilities, or filamentary cold flows. These processes could also trigger star formation in the host galaxy. The host galaxies of the LEGs do not show evidence for recent star formation and an influx of cold gas, and are consistent with being powered by the accretion of the hot phase of the inter-stellar medium.
We have examined the luminosity-size relationship as a function of environment for 12150 SDSS galaxies with precise visual classifications from the catalog of Nair & Abraham (2010a). Our analysis is subdivided into investigations of early-type galaxies and late-type galaxies. Early-type galaxies reveal a surprisingly tight luminosity-size relation. The dispersion in luminosity about the fiducial relation is only ~0.14 dex (0.35 mag), even though the sample contains galaxies which differ by a factor of almost 100 in luminosity. The dispersion about the luminosity-size relation is comparable to the dispersion about the fundamental plane, even though the luminosity-size relation is fundamentally simpler and computed using purely photometric parameters. The key contributors to the dispersion about the luminosity-size relation are found to be color and central concentration. Expanding our analysis to the full range of morphological types, we show that the slope, zero point, and scatter about the luminosity-size relation is independent of environmental density. Our study thus indicates that whatever process is building galaxies is doing so in a way that preserves fundamental scaling laws even as the typical luminosity of galaxies changes with environment. However, the distribution of galaxies along the luminosity-size relation is found to be strongly dependent on galaxy environment. This variation is in the sense that, at a given morphology, larger and more luminous galaxies are rarer in sparser environments. Our analysis of late-type galaxy morphologies reveals that scatter increases towards later Hubble types. Taken together, these results place strong constraints on conventional hierarchical models in which galaxies are built up in an essentially stochastic way.
We present results from simultaneous observations of the high-mass X-ray binary system Cygnus X-1 / HDE 226868 with Suzaku, Chandra-HETGS, XMM-Newton, RXTE, INTEGRAL, and Swift in 2008 April. Performed shortly after orbital phase 0, when our line of sight to the black hole passes through the densest part of the O-star's wind, these obervations show common transient absorption dips in the soft X-ray band. For the first time, however, we detect a simultaneous scattering trough in the hard X-ray light curves. The more neutral clump is thus only the core of a larger ionized blob, which contains a significant fraction of the total wind mass. The diluted wind outside of these clumps is almost completely photoionized.
We calculate the energy spectra of cosmic rays (CR) and their secondaries produced in a supernova remnant (SNR), taking into account the time-dependence of the SNR shock. We model the trajectories of charged particles as a random walk with a prescribed diffusioncoefficient, accelerating the particles at each shock crossing. Secondary production by CRs colliding with gas is included as a Monte Carlo process. We find that SNRs produce less antimatter than suggested previously: The positron/electron ratio and the antiproton/proton ratio are a few percent and few $\times 10^{-5}$, respectively. Both ratios do not rise with energy.
The balloon-borne Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM) experiment launched five times from Antarctica has achieved a cumulative flight duration of about 156 days above 99.5% of the atmosphere. The instrument is configured with complementary and redundant particle detectors designed to extend direct measurements of cosmic-ray composition to the highest energies practical with balloon flights. All elements from protons to iron nuclei are separated with excellent charge resolution. Here we report results from the first two flights of ~70 days, which indicate hardening of the elemental spectra above ~200 GeV/nucleon and a spectral difference between the two most abundant species, protons and helium nuclei. These results challenge the view that cosmic-ray spectra are simple power laws below the so-called knee at ~1015 eV. This discrepant hardening may result from a relatively nearby source, or it could represent spectral concavity caused by interactions of cosmic rays with the accelerating shock. Other possible explanations should also be investigated.
We analyse the distribution of matter around the progenitor star of gamma-ray burst GRB 021004 as well as the properties of its host galaxy with high-resolution echelle as well as near-infrared spectroscopy. Observations were taken by the 8.2m Very Large Telescope with the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle spectrograph (UVES) and the Infrared Spectrometer And Array Camera (ISAAC) between 10 and 14 hours after the onset of the event. We report the first detection of emission lines from a GRB host galaxy in the near-infrared, detecting H-alpha and the [O III] doublet. These allow an independent measurement of the systemic redshift (z = 2.3304 +/- 0.0005) which is not contaminated by absorption as the Ly-alpha line is, and the deduction of properties of the host galaxy. From the visual echelle spectroscopy, we find several absorption line groups spanning a range of about 3,000 km/s in velocity relative to the redshift of the host galaxy. The absorption profiles are very complex with both velocity-broadened components extending over several 100 km/s and narrow lines with velocity widths of only 20 km/s. By analogy with QSO absorption line studies, the relative velocities,widths, and degrees of ionization of the lines ("line-locking", "ionization--velocity correlation") show that the progenitor had both an extremely strong radiation field and several distinct mass loss phases (winds). These results are consistent with GRB progenitors being massive stars, such as Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) or Wolf--Rayet stars, providing a detailed picture of the spatial and velocity structure of the GRB progenitor star at the time of explosion. The host galaxy is a prolific star-forming galaxy with a SFR of about 40 solar masses per year.
Dwarf galaxies provide opportunities for drawing inferences about the processes in the early universe by observing our "cosmological backyard"-the Local Group and its vicinity. This special issue of the open-access journal Advances in Astronomy is a snapshot of the current state of the art of dwarf-galaxy cosmology.
We analyze radio continuum and line observations from the archives of the Very Large Array, as well as X-ray observations from the \emph{Chandra} archive of the region of massive star formation W75N. Five radio continuum sources are detected: VLA 1, VLA 2, VLA 3, Bc, and VLA 4. VLA 3 appears to be a radio jet; we detect J=1-0, v=0 SiO emission towards it, probably tracing the inner parts of a molecular outflow. The radio continuum source Bc, previously believed to be tracing an independent star, is found to exhibit important changes in total flux density, morphology, and position. These results suggest that source Bc is actually a radio Herbig-Haro object, one of the brightest known, powered by the VLA~3 jet source. VLA 4 is a new radio continuum component, located a few arcsec to the south of the group of previously known radio sources. Strong and broad (1,1) and (2,2) ammonia emission is detected from the region containing the radio sources VLA~1, VLA~2, and VLA~3. Finally, the 2-10 keV emission seen in the \emph{Chandra}/ACIS image shows two regions that could be the termination shocks of the outflows from the multiple sources observed in W75N.
The SAGE-Spec Spitzer Legacy program is a spectroscopic follow-up to the SAGE-LMC photometric survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud carried out with the Spitzer Space Telescope. We present an overview of SAGE-Spec and some of its first results. The SAGE-Spec program aims to study the life cycle of gas and dust in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and to provide information essential to the classification of the point sources observed in the earlier SAGE-LMC photometric survey. We acquired 224.6 hours of observations using the InfraRed Spectrograph and the SED mode of the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer. The SAGE-Spec data, along with archival Spitzer spectroscopy of objects in the Large Magellanic Cloud, are reduced and delivered to the community. We discuss the observing strategy, the specific data reduction pipelines applied and the dissemination of data products to the scientific community. Initial science results include the first detection of an extragalactic "21 um" feature towards an evolved star and elucidation of the nature of disks around RV Tauri stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Towards some young stars, ice features are observed in absorption. We also serendipitously observed a background quasar, at a redshift of z~0.14, which appears to be host-less.
It has been suggested that moons around transiting exoplanets may cause observable signal in transit photometry or in the Rossiter-McLaughlin (RM) effect. In this paper a detailed analysis of parameter reconstruction from the RM effect is presented for various planet-moon configurations, described with 20 parameters. We also demonstrate the benefits of combining photometry with the RM effect. We simulated 2.7x10^9 configurations of a generic transiting system to map the confidence region of the parameters of the moon, find the correlated parameters and determine the validity of reconstructions. The main conclusion is that the strictest constraints from the RM effect are expected for the radius of the moon. In some cases there is also meaningful information on its orbital period. When the transit time of the moon is exactly known, for example, from transit photometry, the angle parameters of the moon's orbit will also be constrained from the RM effect. From transit light curves the mass can be determined, and combining this result with the radius from the RM effect, the experimental determination of the density of the moon is also possible.
One of the key unresolved problems in the study of space plasmas is to explain the production of energetic electrons as magnetic field lines `reconnect' and release energy in a exposive manner. Recent observations suggest possible roles played by small scale magnetic islands in the reconnection region, but their precise roles and the exact mechanism of electron energization have remained unclear. Here we show that secondary islands generated in the reconnection region are indeed efficient electron accelerators. We found that, when electrons are trapped inside the islands, they are energized continuously by the reconnection electric field prevalent in the reconnection diffusion region. The size and the propagation speed of the secondary islands are similar to those of islands observed in the magnetotail containing energertic electrons.
Energetic electrons of up to tens of MeV are created during explosive phenomena in the solar corona. While many theoretical models consider magnetic reconnection as a possible way of generating energetic electrons, the precise roles of magnetic reconnection during acceleration and heating of electrons still remain unclear. Here we show from 2D particle-in-cell simulations that coalescence of magnetic islands that naturally form as a consequence of tearing mode instability and associated magnetic reconnection leads to efficient energization of electrons. The key process is the secondary magnetic reconnection at the merging points, or the `anti-reconnection', which is, in a sense, driven by the converging outflows from the initial magnetic reconnection regions. By following the trajectories of the most energetic electrons, we found a variety of different acceleration mechanisms but the energization at the anti-reconnection is found to be the most important process. We discuss possible applications to the energetic electrons observed in the solar flares. We anticipate our results to be a starting point for more sophisticated models of particle acceleration during the explosive energy release phenomena.
A generic expectation for gas accreted by high mass haloes is that it is shock heated to the virial temperature of the halo. In low mass haloes, or at high redshift, however, the gas cooling rate is sufficiently rapid that an accretion shock is unlikely to form. Instead, gas can accrete directly into the centre of the halo in a `cold mode' of accretion. Although semi-analytic models have always made a clear distinction between hydrostatic and rapid cooling they have not made a distinction between whether or not an accretion shock forms. Starting from the well-established Galform code, we investigate the effect of explicitly accounting for cold mode accretion using the shock stability model of Birnboim & Dekel. When we modify the code so that there is no effective feedback from galaxy formation, we find that cold mode accretion is the dominant channel for feeding gas into the galaxies at high redshifts. However, this does not translate into a significant difference in the star formation history of the universe compared to the previous code. When effective feedback is included in the model, we find that the the cold mode is much less apparent because of the presence of gas ejected from the galaxy. Thus the inclusion of the additional cold mode physics makes little difference to basic results from earlier semi-analytic models which used a simpler treatment of gas accretion. For more sophisticated predictions of its consequences, we require a better understanding of how the cold mode delivers angular momentum to galaxies and how it interacts with outflows.
In Lyman-alpha forest measurements it is generally assumed that quasars are mere background light sources which are uncorrelated with the forest. Gravitational lensing of the quasars violates this assumption. This effect leads to a measurement bias, but more interestingly it provides a valuable signal. The lensing signal can be extracted by correlating quasar magnitudes with the flux power spectrum and with the flux decrement. These correlations will be challenging to measure but their detection provides a direct measure of how features in the Lyman-alpha forest trace the underlying mass density field. Observing them will test the fundamental hypothesis that fluctuations in the forest are predominantly driven by fluctuations in mass, rather than in the ionizing background, helium reionization or winds. We discuss ways to disentangle the lensing signal from other sources of such correlations, including dust, continuum and background residuals. The lensing-induced measurement bias arises from sample selection: one preferentially collects spectra of magnified quasars which are behind overdense regions. This measurement bias is ~0.1-1% for the flux power spectrum, optical depth and the flux probability distribution. Since the effect is systematic, quantities such as the amplitude of the flux power spectrum averaged across scales should be interpreted with care.
Recent work on the engines of active galactic nuclei jets suggests their power depends strongly and perhaps counter-intuitively on black hole spin. We explore the consequences of this on the radio-loud population of active galactic nuclei and find that the time evolution of the most powerful radio galaxies and radio-loud quasars fits into a picture in which black hole spin varies from retrograde to prograde with respect to the accreting material. Unlike the current view, according to which jet powers decrease in tandem with a global downsizing effect, we argue for a drop in jet power resulting directly from the paucity of retrograde accretion systems at lower redshift $z$ caused by a continuous history of accretion dating back to higher $z$. In addition, the model provides simple interpretations for the basic spectral features differentiating radio-loud and radio-quiet objects, such as the presence or absence of disk reflection, broadened iron lines and signatures of disk winds. We also briefly describe our models' interpretation of microquasar state transitions. We highlight our result that the most radio-loud and most radio-quiet objects both harbor highly spinning black holes but in retrograde and prograde configurations, respectively.
We present the fifth edition of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Quasar Catalog, which is based upon the SDSS Seventh Data Release. The catalog, which contains 105,783 spectroscopically confirmed quasars, represents the conclusion of the SDSS-I and SDSS-II quasar survey. The catalog consists of the SDSS objects that have luminosities larger than M_i = -22.0 (in a cosmology with H_0 = 70 km/s/Mpc Omega_M = 0.3, and Omega_Lambda = 0.7) have at least one emission line with FWHM larger than 1000 km/s or have interesting/complex absorption features, are fainter than i > 15.0 and have highly reliable redshifts. The catalog covers an area of 9380 deg^2. The quasar redshifts range from 0.065 to 5.46, with a median value of 1.49; the catalog includes 1248 quasars at redshifts greater than four, of which 56 are at redshifts greater than five. The catalog contains 9210 quasars with i < 18; slightly over half of the entries have i< 19. For each object the catalog presents positions accurate to better than 0.1" rms per coordinate, five-band (ugriz) CCD-based photometry with typical accuracy of 0.03 mag, and information on the morphology and selection method. The catalog also contains radio, near-infrared, and X-ray emission properties of the quasars, when available, from other large-area surveys. The calibrated digital spectra cover the wavelength region 3800-9200 Ang. at a spectral resolution R = 2000 the spectra can be retrieved from the SDSS public database using the information provided in the catalog. Over 96% of the objects in the catalog were discovered by the SDSS. We also include a supplemental list of an additional 207 quasars with SDSS spectra whose archive photometric information is incomplete.
We study the general properties of fluid spheres satisfying the heuristic assumption that their areas and proper radius are equal (the Euclidean condition). Dissipative and non-dissipative models are considered. In the latter case, all models are necessarily geodesic and a subclass of the Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi solution is obtained. In the dissipative case solutions are non-geodesic and are characterized by the fact that all non-gravitational forces acting on any fluid element produces a radial three-acceleration independent on its inertial mass.
In this work, we explore the "degenerate gravitino" scenario where the mass difference between the gravitino and the lightest MSSM particle is much smaller than the gravitino mass itself. In this case, the energy released in the decay of the next to lightest sypersymmetric particle (NLSP) is reduced. Consequently the cosmological and astrophysical constraints on the gravitino abundance, and hence on the reheating temperature, become softer than in the usual case. On the other hand, such small mass splittings generically imply a much longer lifetime for the NLSP. We find that, in the constrained MSSM (CMSSM), for neutralino LSP or NLSP, reheating temperatures compatible with thermal leptogenesis are reached for small splittings of order 10^{-2} GeV. While for stau NLSP, temperatures of 4x10^9 GeV can be obtained even for splittings of order of tens of GeVs. This "degenerate gravitino" scenario offers a possible way out to the gravitino problem for thermal leptogenesis in supersymmetric theories.
Recently a mechanism to generate mass from gravitational interaction, based on Mach principle, according to which the inertia of a body is a property of matter as well as of the background provided by the rest-of-the-universe was presented in \cite{novello} \cite{novello2}. In these papers such an idea was realized for scalar and spinor fields treating the rest-of-the-universe in its vacuum state. In the present paper, using an extended version of Mach principle, the same strategy will be applied to show how the Heisenberg-Nambu-Jona-Lasinio non-linear equation for fermions $\Psi$ arises as a consequence of the gravitational interaction of $ \Psi$ with the rest-of-the-universe.
Most analyses of dark matter within supersymmetry assume the entire cold dark matter arising only from weakly interacting neutralinos. We study a new class of models consisting of $U(1)^n$ hidden sector extensions of MSSM that includes several stable particles, both fermionic and bosonic, which can be interpreted as constituents of dark matter. In one such class of models, dark matter is made up of both a Majorana dark matter particle, i.e., a neutralino, and a Dirac fermion with the current relic density of dark matter as given by WMAP being composed of the relic density of the two species. These models can explain the PAMELA positron data and are consistent with the anti-proton flux data, as well as the photon data from FERMI-LAT. Further, it is shown that such models can also simultaneously produce spin independent cross sections which can be probed in CDMS-II, XENON-100 and other ongoing dark matter experiments. The implications of the models at the LHC and at the NLC are also briefly discussed.
The quantum theory of cosmological perturbations in single field inflation is formulated in terms of a path integral, starting from first principles and a canonical formulation. The free propagators are obtained from the well known gauge-invariant quadratic action for both scalar and tensor perturbations and the interaction terms are given in a form which allows the determination of vertices to arbitrary order. Any correlation function can be calculated by a diagrammatic expansion which, apart from the propagating physical degrees of freedom, also contains various commuting and anti-commuting auxiliary fields in internal lines and loops. We briefly discuss the tree-level 3-point and 4-point functions of the inflaton perturbations.
We propose a novel mechanism for dark matter to explain the observed annual modulation signal at DAMA/LIBRA which avoids existing constraints from every other dark matter direct detection experiment including CRESST, CDMS, and XENON10. The dark matter consists of at least two light states with mass ~few GeV and splittings ~5 keV. It is natural for the heavier states to be cosmologically long-lived and to make up an O(1) fraction of the dark matter. Direct detection rates are dominated by the exothermic reactions in which an excited dark matter state down-scatters off of a nucleus, becoming a lower energy state. In contrast to (endothermic) inelastic dark matter, the most sensitive experiments for exothermic dark matter are those with light nuclei and low threshold energies. Interestingly, this model can also naturally account for the observed low-energy events at CoGeNT. The only significant constraint on the model arises from the DAMA/LIBRA unmodulated spectrum but it can be tested in the near future by a low-threshold analysis of CDMS-Si and possibly other experiments including CRESST, COUPP, and XENON100.
Several recent studies have considered the implications for astrophysics and cosmology of some possible nonclassical properties of spacetime at the Planck scale. The new effects, such as a Planck-scale-modified energy-momentum (dispersion) relation, are often inferred from the analysis of some quantum versions of Minkowski spacetime, and therefore the relevant estimates depend heavily on the assumption that there could not be significant interplay between Planck-scale and curvature effects. We here scrutinize this assumption, using as guidance a quantum version of de Sitter spacetime with known Inonu-Wigner contraction to a quantum Minkowski spacetime. And we show that, contrary to common (but unsupported) beliefs, the interplay between Planck-scale and curvature effects can be significant. Within our illustrative example, in the Minkowski limit the quantum-geometry deformation parameter is indeed given by the Planck scale, while in the de Sitter picture the parameter of quantization of geometry depends both on the Planck scale and the curvature scalar. For the much-studied case of Planck-scale effects that intervene in the observation of gamma-ray bursts we can estimate the implications of "quantum spacetime curvature" within robust simplifying assumptions. For cosmology at the present stage of the development of the relevant mathematics one cannot go beyond semiheuristic reasoning, and we here propose a candidate approximate description of a quantum FRW geometry, obtained by patching together pieces (with different spacetime curvature) of our quantum de Sitter. This semiheuristic picture, in spite of its limitations, provides rather robust evidence that in the early Universe the interplay between Planck-scale and curvature effects could have been particularly significant.
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We measure the mass and size of cloud fragments in several molecular clouds continuously over a wide range of spatial scales (0.05 < r / pc < 3). Based on the recently developed "dendrogram-technique", this characterizes dense cores as well as the enveloping clouds. "Larson's 3rd Law" of constant column density, m(r) = C*r^2, is not well suited to describe the derived mass-size data. Solar neighborhood clouds not forming massive stars (< 10 M_sun; Pipe Nebula, Taurus, Perseus, and Ophiuchus) obey m(r) < 870 M_sun (r / pc)^1.33 . In contrast to this, clouds forming massive stars (Orion A, G10.15$-$0.34, G11.11$-$0.12) do exceed the aforementioned relation. Thus, this limiting mass-size relation may approximate a threshold for the formation of massive stars. Across all clouds, cluster-forming cloud fragments are found to be---at given radius---more massive than fragments devoid of clusters. The cluster-bearing fragments are found to roughly obey a mass-size law m = C*r^1.27 (where the exponent is highly uncertain in any given cloud, but is certainly smaller than 1.5).
In this paper we show expectations on the radio--X-ray luminosity correlation of radio halos at 120 MHz. According to the "turbulent re-acceleration scenario", low frequency observations are expected to detect a new population of radio halos that, due to their ultra-steep spectra, are missed by present observations at ~ GHz frequencies. These radio halos should also be less luminous than presently observed halos hosted in clusters with the same X-ray luminosity. Making use of Monte Carlo procedures, we show that the presence of these ultra-steep spectrum halos at 120 MHz causes a steepening and a broadening of the correlation between the synchrotron power and the cluster X-ray luminosity with respect to that observed at 1.4 GHz. We investigate the role of future low frequency radio surveys, and find that the upcoming LOFAR surveys will be able to test these expectations.
We use Shen et al.'s (2009) measurements of luminosity-dependent clustering in the SDSS Data Release 5 Quasar Catalog, at redshifts 0.4 < z < 2.5, to constrain the relation between quasar luminosity and host halo mass and to infer the duty cycle f_opt, the fraction of black holes that shine as optically luminous quasars at a given time. We assume a monotonic mean relation between quasar luminosity and host halo mass, with log-normal scatter \Sigma. For specified f_opt and \Sigma, matching the observed quasar space density determines the normalization of the luminosity-halo mass relation, from which we predict the clustering bias. The data show no change of bias between the faint and bright halves of the quasar sample but a modest increase in bias for the brightest 10%. At the mean redshift z=1.45 of the sample, the data can be well described either by models with small intrinsic scatter (\Sigma=0.1 dex) and a duty cycle f_opt=6*10^(-4) or by models with much larger duty cycles and larger values of the scatter. "Continuity equation" models of the black hole mass population imply f_opt > 2*10^(-3) in this range of masses and redshifts, and the combination of this constraint with the clustering measurements implies scatter \Sigma > 0.4 dex. These findings contrast with those inferred from the much stronger clustering of high-luminosity quasars at z~4, which require minimal scatter between luminosity and halo mass and duty cycles close to one.
We have carried out a redshift survey using the VIMOS spectrograph on the VLT towards the Cosmic Microwave Background cold spot. A possible cause of the cold spot is the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect imprinted by an extremely large void (hundreds of Mpc in linear dimension) at intermediate or low redshifts. The redshift distribution of over seven hundred z<1 emission-line galaxies drawn from an I-band flux limited sample of galaxies in the direction of the cold spot shows no evidence of a gap on scales of Delta-z> 0.05 as would be expected if such a void existed at 0.35<z<1. There are troughs in the redshift distribution on smaller scales (Delta-z ~0.01) indicating that smaller scale voids may connect regions separated by several degrees towards the cold spot. A comparison of this distribution with that generated from similarly-sized subsamples drawn from widely-spaced pointings of the VVDS survey does not indicate that the redshift distribution towards the cold spot is anomalous or that these small gaps can be uniquely attributed to real voids.
There is a strong decrease in scatter in the black hole mass versus bulge luminosity relationship with increasing luminosity and very little scatter for the most luminous galaxies. It is shown that this is a natural consequence of the substantial initial dispersion in the ratio of black hole mass to total stellar mass and of subsequent galaxy growth through hierarchical mergers. "Fine-tuning" through feedback between black hole growth and bulge growth is neither necessary nor desirable.
Vortex-type motions have been measured by tracking bright points in high-resolution observations of the solar photosphere. These small-scale motions are thought to be determinant in the evolution of magnetic footpoints and their interaction with plasma and therefore likely to play a role in heating the upper solar atmosphere by twisting magnetic flux tubes. We report the observation of magnetic concentrations being dragged towards the center of a convective vortex motion in the solar photosphere from high-resolution ground-based and space-borne data. We describe this event by analyzing a series of images at different solar atmospheric layers. By computing horizontal proper motions, we detect a vortex whose center appears to be the draining point for the magnetic concentrations detected in magnetograms and well-correlated with the locations of bright points seen in G-band and CN images.
We present new far-ultraviolet observations of the young M8 brown dwarf 2MASS J12073346-3932539, which is surrounded by an accretion disk. The data were obtained using the Hubble Space Telescope-Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. Moderate resolution spectra (R~17,000-18,000) obtained in the 1150-1750 A and 2770-2830 A bandpasses reveal H2 emission excited by HI Ly$\alpha$ photons, several ionization states of carbon (CI - CIV), and hot gas emission lines of HeII and NV (T ~ 10^4-5 K). Emission from some species that would be found in a typical thermal plasma at this temperature (SiII, SiIII, SiIV, and MgII) are not detected. The non-detections indicate that these refractory elements are depleted into grains, and that accretion shocks dominate the production of the hot gas observed on 2MASS J12073346-3932539. We use the observed CIV luminosity to constrain the mass accretion rate in this system. We use the kinematically broadened H2 profile to confirm that the majority of the molecular emission arises in the disk, measure the radius of the inner hole of the disk (R_{hole}~3R_{*}), and constrain the physical conditions of the warm molecular phase of the disk (T(H2)~2500-4000 K). A second, most likely unresolved H2 component is identified. This feature is either near the stellar surface in the region of the accretion shock or in a molecular outflow, although the possibility that this Jovian-like emission arises on the day-side disk of a 6 M_{J} companion (2M1207b) cannot be conclusively ruled out. In general, we find that this young brown dwarf disk system is a low-mass analog to classical T Tauri stars that are observed to produce H2 emission from a warm layer in their disks, such as the well studied TW Hya and DF Tau systems.
Analyses have found a "haze" of anomalous microwave emission surrounding the Galactic Center in the WMAP sky maps. A recent study using Fermi data detected a similar haze in the gamma-ray. Several studies have modeled these hazes as radiation from the leptonic byproducts of dark matter annihilations, and arguably no convincing astrophysical alternative has been suggested. We discuss the characteristics of astrophysical cosmic ray sources that could potentially explain this microwave and gamma-ray emission. The most promising astrophysical scenarios involve cosmic ray sources that are clustered such that many fall within ~1 kpc of the Galactic Center. For example, we show that several hundred Galactic Center supernovae in the last million years plus a diffusion-hardened electron spectrum may be consistent with present constraints on this emission. Alternatively, it could be due to a burst of activity probably associated with Sagittarius A* occurring ~1 Myr ago and producing >10^51 erg in cosmic ray electrons. Different models predict different trends for the spectral index of the microwave and gamma-ray spectrum as a function of angle from the Galactic Center that should be robust to cosmic ray propagation uncertainties. In particular, if the haze is from dark matter annihilations, it should have a very hard microwave and gamma-ray spectrum for which the spectral shape does not change significantly with angle, which we argue would be difficult to achieve with any astrophysical mechanism. Observations with the Planck and Fermi satellites can distinguish between viable haze models using these signatures.
This paper is crucial part of an experiment aimed to investigate whether Social Networks can be of help for Astrophysics. In the present case, in helping to eliminate the deep-routed wrong misconception of Flat Rotation Curves of Spiral Galaxies, more rapidly and efficiently than the traditional method of publishing peer-reviewed papers and organizing a number of international conferences. To reach this goal we created the Facebook Group "Rotation Curve are not Flat" that we filled with all the evidence necessary for an immediate and definite confrontation with the above fallacious legendary belief. In this paper, we solicit the interested Astrophysicist/Cosmologist FB users to join this group. Finally, the paper informs the Astrophysical Community that a widespread belief is instead an hoax, whose consideration may slow down the progress of science and that must be taken care by innovative means of communicating scientific advances. This test case may anticipate the future in which Web n.0 will become an effective scientific tool for Astrophysics.
In order for a white dwarf (WD) to achieve the Chandrasekhar mass, M_C, and explode as a Type Ia supernova (SNIa), it must interact with another star, either accreting matter from or merging with it. The failure to identify the types of binaries which produce SNeIa is the "progenitor problem". Its solution is required if we are to utilize the full potential of SNeIa to elucidate basic cosmological and physical principles. In single-degenerate models, a WD accretes and burns matter at high rates. Nuclear-burning WDs (NBWDs) with mass close to M_C are hot and luminous, potentially detectable as supersoft x-ray sources (SSSs). In previous work we showed that > 90-99% of the required number of progenitors do not appear as SSSs during most of the crucial phase of mass increase. The obvious implication is that double-degenerate (DD) binaries form the main class of progenitors. We show in this paper, however, that many binaries that later become DDs must pass through a long-lived NBWD phase during which they are potentially detectable as SSSs. The paucity of SSSs is therefore not a strong argument in favor of DD models. Those NBWDs that are the progenitors of DD binaries are likely to appear as symbiotic binaries for intervals > 10^6 years. In fact, symbiotic pre-DDs should be common, whether or not the WDs eventually produce SNeIa. The key to solving the progenitor problem lies in understanding the appearance of NBWDs. Most do not appear as SSSs most of the time. We therefore consider the evolution of NBWDs to address the question of what their appearance may be and how we can hope to detect them.
We present a method that we developed to discern where the optical microvariability (OM) in quasars originates: in the accretion disk (related to thermal processes) or in the jet (related to non-thermal processes). Analyzing nearly simultaneous observations in three different optical bands of continuum emission, we are able to determine the origin of several isolated OM events. In particular, our method indicates that from nine events reported by Ramirez et al. (2009), three of them are consistent with a thermal origin, three to non-thermal, and three cannot be discerned. The implications for the emission models of OM are briefly discussed.
We present a calculation of the atomic and low-ionisation emission line
spectra of photoevaporating protoplanetary discs. Line luminosities and
profiles are obtained from detailed photoionisation calculations of the disc
and wind structures surrounding young active solar-type stars. The disc and
wind density and velocity fields were obtained from the recently developed
radiation-hydrodynamic models of Owen et al., that include stellar X-ray and
EUV irradiation of protoplanetary discs at various stages of clearing, from
primordial sources to inner hole sources of various hole sizes.
Our models compare favourably with currently available observations, lending
support to an X-ray driven photoevaporation model for disc dispersal. In
particular, we find that X-rays drive a warm, predominantly neutral flow where
the OI 6300A line can be produced by neutral hydrogen collisional excitation.
Our models can, for the first time, provide a very good match to both
luminosities and profiles of the low-velocity component of the OI 6300A line
and other forbidden lines observed by Hartigan et al., which covered a large
sample of T-Tauri stars.
We find that the OI 6300A and the NeII 12.8um lines are predominantly
produced in the X-ray-driven wind and thus appear blue-shifted by a few km/s
for some of the systems when observed at non-edge-on inclinations. We note
however that blue-shifts are only produced under certain conditions: X-ray
luminosity, spectral shape and inner hole size all affect the location of the
emitting region and the physical conditions in the wind. We caution therefore
that while a blueshifted line is a tell-tale sign of an outflow, the lack of a
blueshift should not be necessarily interpreted as a lack of outflow.
SN 2007od exhibits characteristics that have rarely been seen in a Type IIP supernova (SN). Optical V band photometry reveals a very steep brightness decline between the plateau and nebular phases of ~4.5 mag, likely due to SN 2007od containing a low mass of 56Ni. The optical spectra show an evolution from normal Type IIP with broad Halpha emission, to a complex, four component Halpha emission profile exhibiting asymmetries caused by dust extinction after day 232. This is similar to the spectral evolution of the Type IIn SN 1998S, although no early-time narrow (~200 km s-1) Halpha component was present in SN 2007od. In both SNe, the intermediate-width Halpha emission components are thought to arise in the interaction between the ejecta and its circumstellar medium (CSM). SN 2007od also shows a mid-IR excess due to new dust. The evolution of the Halpha profile and the presence of the mid-IR excess provide strong evidence that SN 2007od formed new dust before day 232. Late-time observations reveal a flattening of the visible lightcurve. This flattening is a strong indication of the presence of a light echo, which likely accounts for much of the broad, underlying Halpha component seen at late-times. We believe the multi-peaked Halpha emission is consistent with the interaction of the ejecta with a circumstellar ring or torus (for the inner components at \pm1500 km s-1), and a single blob or cloud of circumstellar material out of the plane of the CSM ring (for the outer component at -5000 km s-1). The most probable location for the formation of new dust is in the cool dense shell created by the interaction between the expanding ejecta and its CSM. Monte Carlo radiative transfer modeling of the dust emission from SN 2007od implies that up to 4x 10-4Msun of new dust has formed. This is similar to the amounts of dust formed in other CCSNe such as SNe 1999em, 2004et, and 2006jc.
We show that oblique propagation of electrons in crystals of Ge and Si, where the electron velocity does not follow the electric field even on average, can be explained using standard anisotropic theory for indirect gap semiconductors. These effects are pronounced at temperatures below ~1K and for electric fields below ~5V/cm because inter-valley transitions are energetically suppressed forcing electrons to remain in the same band valley throughout their motion and the valleys to separate in position space. To model, we start with an isotropic approximation which incorporates the average properties of the crystals with one phonon mode, and include the ellipsoidal electron valleys by transforming into a momentum space where constant energy surfaces are spheres. We include comparisons of simulated versus measured drift velocities for holes and electrons, and explain the large discrepancy between electrons and holes for shared events in adjacent electrodes.
We discuss outer gap closure mechanism in the trans-field direction with the magnetic pair-creation process near the stellar surface. The gap closure by the magnetic pair-creation is possible if some fraction of the pairs are produced with an outgoing momentum. By assuming that multiple magnetic field will affect the local field near the stellar surface, we show a specific magnetic field geometry near the stellar surface resulting in the outflow of the pairs. Together with the fact that the electric field is weak below null charge surface, the characteristic curvature photon energy emitted by incoming particles, which were accelerated in the outer gap, decreases drastically to $\sim 100$MeV near the stellar surface. We estimate the height measured from the last-open field line, above which 100MeV photons is converted into pairs by the magnetic pair-creation. We also show the resultant multiplicity due to the magnetic pair-creation process could acquire $M_{e^{\pm}}\sim 10^4-10^5$. In this model the fractional outer gap size is proportional to $P^{-1/2}$. The predicted gamma-ray luminosity ($L_{\gamma}$) and the characteristic curvature photon energy ($E_c$) emitted from the outer gap are proportional to $B^2P^{-5/2}$ and $B^{3/4}P^{-1}$ respectively. This model also predicts that $L_{\gamma}$ and $E_c$ are related to the spin down power ($L_{sd}$) or the spin down age of pulsars ($\tau$) as $L_{\gamma} \propto L_{sd}^{5/8}$ or $L_{\gamma} \propto \tau^{-5/4}$, and $E_c \propto L_{sd}^{1/4}$ or $E_c \propto \tau^{-1/2}$ respectively.
In this paper we discuss the age and spatial distribution of young (age$<$1Gyr) SMC and LMC clusters using data from the Magellanic Cloud Photometric Surveys. Luminosities are calculated for all age-dated clusters. Ages of 324 and 1193 populous star clusters in the Small and the Large Magellanic Cloud have been determined fitting Padova and Geneva isochrone models to their resolved color-magnitude diagrams. The clusters cover an age range between 10Myr and 1Gyr in each galaxy. For the SMC a constant distance modulus of $(m-M)_0$ = 18.90 and a metallicity of Z = 0.004 were adopted. For the LMC, we used a constant distance modulus of $(m-M)_0$ = 18.50 and a metallicity of Z = 0.008. For both galaxies, we used a variable color excess to derive the cluster ages. We find two periods of enhanced cluster formation in both galaxies at 160Myr and 630Myr (SMC) and at 125Myr and 800Myr (LMC). We present the spatially resolved recent star formation history of both Clouds based on young star clusters. The first peak may have been triggered by a close encounter between the SMC and the LMC. In both galaxies the youngest clusters reside in the supergiant shells, giant shells, the inter-shell regions, and toward regions with a high H$\alpha$ content, suggesting that their formation is related to expansion and shell-shell interaction. Most of the clusters are older than the dynamical age of the supergiant shells. No evidence for cluster dissolution was found. Computed V band luminosities show a trend for fainter magnitudes with increasing age as well as a trend for brighter magnitudes with increasing apparent cluster radii.
The first stars to form in the Universe may be powered by the annihilation of weakly interacting dark matter particles. These so-called dark stars, if observed, may give us a clue about the nature of dark matter. Here we examine which models for particle dark matter satisfy the conditions for the formation of dark stars. We find that in general models with thermal dark matter lead to the formation of dark stars, with few notable exceptions: heavy neutralinos in the presence of coannihilations, annihilations that are resonant at dark matter freeze-out but not in dark stars, some models of neutrinophilic dark matter annihilating into neutrinos only and lighter than about 50 GeV. In particular, we find that a thermal DM candidate in standard Cosmology always forms a dark star as long as its mass is heavier than about 50 GeV and the thermal average of its annihilation cross section is the same at the decoupling temperature and during the dark star formation, as for instance in the case of an annihilation cross section with a non-vanishing s-wave contribution.
I present a simple, and hopefully convincing, discussion of a solution to the dark energy problem, which arises because the visible universe is well approximated by a black hole.
(Abridged) We study the predictions of various annihilating Dark Matter (DM) models in order to interpret the origin of non-thermal phenomena in galaxy clusters. We consider three neutralino DM models with light (9 GeV), intermediate (60 GeV) and high (500 GeV) mass. The secondary particles created by neutralino annihilation produce a multi-frequency Spectral Energy Distribution (SED), as well as heating of the intracluster gas, that are tested against the observations available for the Coma cluster. The DM produced SEDs are normalized to the Coma radio halo spectrum. We find that it is not possible to interpret all non-thermal phenomena observed in Coma in terms of DM annihilation. The DM model with 9 GeV mass produces too small power at all frequencies, while the DM model with 500 GeV produces a large excess power at all frequencies. The DM model with 60 GeV and $\tau^{\pm}$ composition is consistent with the HXR and gamma-ray data but fails to reproduce the EUV and soft X-ray data. The DM model with 60 GeV and $b{\bar b}$ composition is always below the observed fluxes. The radio halo spectrum of Coma is well fitted only in the $b{\bar b}$ or light and intermediate mass DM models. The heating produced by DM annihilation in the center of Coma is always larger than the intracluster gas cooling rate for an NFW DM density profile and it is substantially smaller than the cooling rate only for a cored DM density profile in DM model with 9 GeV. We conclude that the possibility of interpreting the origin of non-thermal phenomena in galaxy clusters with DM annihilation models requires a low neutralino mass and a cored DM density profile. If we then consider the multimessenger constraints to the neutralino annihilation cross-section, it turns out that such scenario would also be excluded unless we introduce a substantial boost factor due to the presence of DM substructures.
In this article we give an overview of the developments in the field of spectral classification and its continued importance in the fields of stellar and galactic evolution. The extension of MK system to cool stars as well as refined classification of the hot stars using the new data obtained from modern ground based facilities and space missions has been described. A brief summary of automated methods of spectral classifications developed for the quick and objective classification of the ongoing and future surveys is presented. A new spectral class encoding system developed for exploitation of databases is described. Recent large scale spectral classification catalogues are listed.
The kinetic Sunyaev Zel'dovich effect (kSZ) effect is a potentially powerful probe to the missing baryons. However, the kSZ signal is overwhelmed by various contaminations and the cosmological application is hampered by loss of redshift information due to the projection effect. We propose a kSZ tomography method to alleviate these problems, with the aid of galaxy spectroscopic redshift surveys. We propose to estimate the large scale peculiar velocity through the 3D galaxy distribution, weigh it by the 3D galaxy density and adopt the product projected along the line of sight with a proper weighting as an estimator of the true kSZ temperature fluctuation $\Theta$. We thus propose to measure the kSZ signal through the $\Hat{\Theta}$-$\Theta$ cross correlation. This approach has a number of advantages (see details in the abstract of the paper). We test the proposed kSZ tomography against non-adiabatic and adiabatic hydrodynamical simulations. We confirm that $\hat{\Theta}$ is indeed tightly correlated with $\Theta$ at $k\la 1h/$Mpc, although nonlinearities in the density and velocity fields and nonlinear redshift distortion do weaken the tightness of the $\hat{\Theta}$-$\Theta$ correlation. We further quantify the reconstruction noise in $\Hat{\Theta}$ from galaxy distribution shot noise. Based on these results, we quantify the applicability of the proposed kSZ tomography for future surveys. We find that, in combination with the BigBOSS-N spectroscopic redshift survey, the PLANCK CMB experiment will be able to detect the kSZ with an overall significance of $\sim 50\sigma$ and further measure its redshift distribution at many redshift bins over $0<z<2$.
The scientific community is presently witnessing an unprecedented growth in the quality and quantity of data sets coming from simulations and real-world experiments. To access effectively and extract the scientific content of such large-scale data sets (often sizes are measured in hundreds or even millions of Gigabytes) appropriate tools are needed. Visual data exploration and discovery is a robust approach for rapidly and intuitively inspecting large-scale data sets, e.g. for identifying new features and patterns or isolating small regions of interest within which to apply time-consuming algorithms. This paper presents a high performance parallelized implementation of Splotch, our previously developed visual data exploration and discovery algorithm for large-scale astrophysical data sets coming from particle-based simulations. Splotch has been improved in order to exploit modern massively parallel architectures, e.g. multicore CPUs and CUDA-enabled GPUs. We present performance and scalability benchmarks on a number of test cases, demonstrating the ability of our high performance parallelized Splotch to handle efficiently large-scale data sets, such as the outputs of the Millennium II simulation, the largest cosmological simulation ever performed.
The idea of a magnetic axion helioscope was first proposed by Pierre Sikivie in 1983. Tokyo axion helioscope was built exploiting its detection principle with a dedicated cryogen-free superconducting magnet and PIN photodiodes for x-ray detectors. Solar axions, if exist, would be converted into x-ray photons in the magnetic field. Conversion is coherently enhanced even for massive axions by filling the conversion region with helium gas. Its start up, search results so far and prospects are presented.
We present a Chandra observation of the exceptional planet bearing A5V star HR 8799, more precisely classified as a kA5hF0mA5 star and search for intrinsic X-ray emission. We clearly detect HR 8799 at soft X-ray energies with the ACIS-S detector in a 10 ks exposure; minor X-ray brightness variability is present during the observation. The coronal plasma is described well by a model with a temperature of around 3 MK and an X-ray luminosity of about Lx = 1.3 x 10^28 erg/s in the 0.2-2.0 keV band, corresponding to an activity level of log Lx/Lbol ~ -6.2. Altogether, these findings point to a rather weakly active and given a RASS detection, long-term stable X-ray emitting star. The X-ray emission from HR 8799 resembles those of a late A/early F-type stars, in agreement with its classification from hydrogen lines and effective temperature determination and thus resolving the apparent discrepancy with the standard picture of magnetic activity that predicts mid A-type stars to be virtually X-ray dark.
TeV photons from blazars at relatively large distances, interacting with the optical-IR cosmic background, are efficiently converted into electron-positron pairs. The produced pairs are extremely relativistic (Lorentz factors of the order of 1e6 1e7 and promptly loose their energy through inverse Compton scatterings with the photons of the microwave cosmic background, producing emission in the GeV band. The spectrum and the flux level of this reprocessed emission is critically dependent on the intensity of the intergalactic magnetic field, B, that can deflect the pairs diluting the intrinsic emission over a large solid angle. We derive a simple relation for the reprocessed spectrum expected from a steady source. We apply this treatment to the blazar 1ES 0229+200, whose intrinsic very hard TeV spectrum is expected to be approximately steady. Comparing the predicted reprocessed emission with the upper limits measured by the Fermi/Large Area Telescope, we constrain the value of the intergalactic magnetic field to be larger than B ~5e-15 Gauss.
The 3D magnetic topology of a solar active region (NOAA 10956) was reconstructed using a linear force-free field extrapolation constrained using the twin perspectives of \emph{STEREO}. A set of coronal field configurations was initially generated from extrapolations of the photospheric magnetic field observed by the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) on \emph{SOHO}. Using an EUV intensity-based cost function, the extrapolated field lines that were most consistent with 171\AA\ passband images from the Extreme UltraViolet Imager (EUVI) on \emph{STEREO} were identified. This facilitated quantitative constraints to be placed on the twist ($\alpha$) of the extrapolated field lines, where $\nabla \times {\bf B} = \alpha {\bf B}$. Using the constrained values of $\alpha$, the evolution in time of twist, connectivity, and magnetic energy were then studied. A flux emergence event was found to result in significant changes in the magnetic topology and total magnetic energy of the region.
We present deep Keck spectroscopy for 12 morphologically-selected field spheroidals in the redshift range 1.05<z<1.41 in order to investigate the continuity in physical properties between the claimed massive compact red galaxies ("nuggets") at z~2 and well-established data for massive spheroidal galaxies below z~1. By combining Keck-based stellar velocity dispersions with HST-based sizes, we find that the most massive systems (Mdyn > 10^11 Msol) grew in size over 0<z<1.4 as (1+z)^(-0.70 +- 0.11) whereas intermediate mass systems (10^11 Msol > Mdyn > 10^10 Msol) did not grow significantly. These trends are consistent with a picture in which more massive spheroidals formed at higher redshift via "wetter" mergers involving greater dissipation. To examine growth under the favored "dry" merger hypothesis, we also examine size growth at a fixed velocity dispersion. This test, uniquely possible with our dynamical data, allows us to consider the effects of "progenitor bias." Above our completeness limit (sigma > 200 km/s), we find size growth consistent with that inferred for the mass-selected sample, thus ruling out strong progenitor bias. To maintain continuity in the growth of massive galaxies over the past 10 Gyr, our new results imply that size evolution over 1.4<z<2.3, a period of 1.7 Gyr, must have been even more dramatic than hitherto claimed if the red sources at z>2 are truly massive and compact.
Acoustic waves and pulses propagating from the solar photosphere upwards may quickly develop into shocks due to the rapid decrease of atmospheric density. However, if they propagate along a magnetic flux tube, then the nonlinear steepening may be balanced by tube dispersion effects. This may result in the formation of sausage soliton. The aim of this letter is to report an observational evidence of sausage soliton in the solar chromosphere. Time series of Ca II H line obtained at the solar limb with the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) on the board of Hinode is analysed. Observations show an intensity blob, which propagates from 500 km to 1700 km above the solar surface with the mean apparent speed of 35 km s$^{-1}$. The speed is much higher than expected local sound speed, therefore the blob can not be a simple pressure pulse. The blob speed, length to width ratio and relative intensity correspond to slow sausage soliton propagating along a magnetic tube. The blob width is increased with height corresponding to the magnetic tube expansion in the stratified atmosphere. Propagation of the intensity blob can be the first observational evidence of slow sausage soliton in the solar atmosphere.
Aims: We present an automatised fitting procedure for the IR range of AGB star spectra. Furthermore we explore the possibilities and boundaries of this method. Methods: We combine the radiative transfer code DUSTY with the genetic algorithm PIKAIA in order to improve an existing spectral fit significantly. Results: In order to test the routine we carried out a performance test by feeding an artificially generated input spectrum into the program. Indeed the routine performed as expected, so, as a more realistic test set-up, we tried to create model fits for ISO spectra of selected AGB stars. Here we were not only able to improve existing fits, but also to show that a slightly altered dust composition may give a better fit for some objects. Conclusion: The use of a genetic algorithm in order to automatise the process of fitting stellar spectra seems to be very promising. We were able to improve existing fits and further offer a quantitative method to compare different models with each other. Nevertheless this method still needs to be studied and tested in more detail.
We present optical emission-line spectra for outlying HII regions in the extended neutral gas disk surrounding the blue compact dwarf galaxy NGC 2915. Using a combination of strong-line R23 and direct oxygen abundance measurements, we report a flat, possibly increasing, metallicity gradient out to 1.2 times the Holmberg radius. We find the outer-disk of NGC 2915 to be enriched to a metallicity of 0.4 Z_solar. An analysis of the metal yields shows that the outer disk of NGC 2915 is overabundant for its gas fraction, while the central star-foming core is similarly under-abundant for its gas fraction. Star formation rates derived from very deep ~14 ks GALEX FUV exposures indicate that the low-level of star formation observed at large radii is not sufficient to have produced the measured oxygen abundances at these galactocentric distances. We consider 3 plausible mechanisms that may explain the metal-enriched outer gaseous disk of NGC 2915: radial redistribution of centrally generated metals, strong galactic winds with subsequent fallback, and galaxy accretion. Our results have implications for the physical origin of the mass-metallicity relation for gas-rich dwarf galaxies.
We present results from the Spitzer/IRS spectral mapping observations of 15 local luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs). In this paper we investigate the spatial variations of the mid-IR emission which includes: fine structure lines, molecular hydrogen lines, polycyclic aromatic features (PAHs), continuum emission and the 9.7um silicate feature. We also compare the nuclear and integrated spectra. We find that the star formation takes place in extended regions (several kpc) as probed by the PAH emission as well as the [NeII] and [NeIII] emissions. The behavior of the integrated PAH emission and 9.7um silicate feature is similar to that of local starburst galaxies. We also find that the minima of the [NeIII]/[NeII] ratio tends to be located at the nuclei and its value is lower than that of HII regions in our LIRGs and nearby galaxies. It is likely that increased densities in the nuclei of LIRGs are responsible for the smaller nuclear [NeIII]/[NeII] ratios. This includes the possibility that some of the most massive stars in the nuclei are still embedded in ultracompact HII regions. In a large fraction of our sample the 11.3um PAH emission appears more extended than the dust 5.5um continuum emission. We find a dependency of the 11.3um PAH/7.7 um PAH and [NeII]/11.3um PAH ratios with the age of the stellar populations. Smaller and larger ratios respectively indicate recent star formation. The estimated warm (300 K < T < 1000 K) molecular hydrogen masses are of the order of 10^8 M_Sun, which are similar to those found in ULIRGs, local starbursts and Seyfert galaxies. Finally we find that the [NeII] velocity fields for most of the LIRGs in our sample are compatible with a rotating disk at ~kpc scales, and they are in a good agreement with H-alpha velocity fields.
The published Mount Wilson Doppler-shift measurements of the solar velocity field taken in 1967--1982 are revisited with a more accurate model, which includes two terms representing the meridional flow and three terms corresponding to the convective limb shift. Integration of the recomputed data over the visible hemisphere reveals significant variability of the net radial velocity at characteristic time scales of 0.1--10 years, with a standard deviation of 1.4 \ms. This result is supported by independent published observations. The implications for exoplanet detection include reduced sensitivity of the Doppler method to Earth-like planets in the habitable zone, and an elevated probability of false detections at periods of a few to several years.
In the recent years, MRI-driven turbulent transport has been found to depend in a significant way on fluid viscosity $\nu$ and resistivity $\eta$ through the magnetic Prandtl number $Pm=\nu/\eta$. In particular, the transport decreases with decreasing $Pm$; if persistent at very large Reynolds numbers, this trend may lead to question the role of MRI-turbulence in YSO disks, whose Prandtl number is usually very small. In this context, the principle objective of the present investigation is to characterize in a refined way the role of dissipation. Another objective is to characterize the effect of linear (channel modes) and quasi-linear (parasitic modes) physics in the behavior of the transport. These objectives are addressed with the help of a number of incompressible numerical simulations. The horizontal extent of the box size has been increased in order to capture all relevant (fastest growing) linear and secondary parasitic unstable modes. The major results are the following: i- The increased accuracy in the computation of transport averages shows that the dependence of transport on physical dissipation exhibits two different regimes: for $Pm \lesssim 1$, the transport has a power-law dependence on the magnetic Reynolds number rather than on the Prandtl number; for $Pm > 1$, the data are consistent with a primary dependence on $Pm$ for large enough ($\sim 10^3$) Reynolds numbers. ii- The transport-dissipation correlation is not clearly or simply related to variations of the linear modes growth rates. iii- The existence of the transport-dissipation correlation depends neither on the number of linear modes captured in the simulations, nor on the effect of the parasitic modes on the saturation of the linear modes growth. iv- The transport is usually not dominated by axisymmetric (channel) modes
Eclipsing binary systems form the fundamental basis of Astronomy in the sense that they are the primary means to determine fundamental stellar astrophysical quantities such as mass, radius, and temperature. Furthermore, they allow us to study the internal dynamos and resulting magnetic cycles of stars that we would normally only be able to study for one star, our Sun. The systems themselves are extremely interesting objects, consisting of a multitude of configurations that are tied together by a complex evolutionary history. Finally, they allow us to test theories of stellar structure and even General Relativity. Thus the accurate observation and modeling of these systems is of great importance to the field. The first three chapters of this thesis are devoted to acquainting a reader with a general science background, but no knowledge of Astronomy, to eclipsing binaries and the field in general, and should provide the reader with an adequate background to understand the rest of the thesis. The subsequent eight chapters are each devoted to the analysis of eight separate systems, (RT And, TU Boo, KV Gem, UU Lyn, MY Cyg, KR Per, RU Eri, and YY Cet), with each chapter arranged as would be generally found in a journal article. The collected data, models, and derived parameters for each system are analyzed in context to previous findings and general trends seen throughout the thesis. An evolutionary scenario for the formation of A and W type W Uma systems, with two types of near-contact systems as precursors and intermediates, is proposed.
Transmission spectroscopy at UV wavelengths is a rich and largely unexplored source of information about the upper atmospheres of extrasolar planets. So far, UV transit observations have led to the detection of atomic hydrogen, oxygen and ionized carbon in the upper atmosphere of HD209458b. The interpretation of these observations is controversial - it is not clear if the absorption arises from an escaping atmosphere interacting with the stellar radiation and stellar wind, or the thermosphere inside the Roche lobe. Here we introduce an empirical model that can be used to analyze UV transit depths of extrasolar planets and use it to interpret the transits of HD209458b in the H Ly alpha and the OI triplet emission lines. The results indicate that the mean temperature of the thermosphere is 8,000-11,000 K and that the H2/H dissociation front is located at pressures between 0.1-1 microbar, which correspond to an altitude of 1.1 Rp. The upper boundary of the model thermosphere is located at altitudes between 2.7-3 Rp, above which the atmosphere is mostly ionized. We find that the HI transit depth reflects the optical depth of the thermosphere in the wings of the H Ly alpha line but that the atmosphere also overflows the Roche lobe. By assuming a solar mixing ratio of oxygen, we obtain an OI transit depth that is statistically consistent with the observations. An OI transit depth comparable to or slightly larger than the HI transit depth is possible if the atmosphere is undergoing fast hydrodynamic escape, the O/H ratio is supersolar, or if a significant quantity of neutral oxygen is found outside the Roche lobe. Due to the large uncertainty in the data, repeated observations are necessary to better constrain the OI transit depths and thus the composition of the thermosphere.
Broad-band images in the Ca II H line, from the BFI instrument on the Hinode spacecraft, show emission from spicules emerging from and visible right down to the observed limb. Surprisingly, little absorption of spicule light is seen along their lengths. We present formal solutions to the transfer equation for given (ad-hoc) source functions, including a stratified chromosphere from which spicules emanate. The model parameters are broadly compatible with earlier studies of spicules. The visibility of Ca II spicules down to the limb in Hinode data seems to require that spicule emission be Doppler shifted relative to the stratified atmosphere, either by supersonic turbulent or organized spicular motion. The non-spicule component of the chromosphere is almost invisible in the broad band BFI data, but we predict that it will be clearly visible in high spectral resolution data. Broad band Ca II H limb images give the false impression that the chromosphere is dominated by spicules. Our analysis serves as a reminder that the absence of a signature can be as significant as its presence.
Cassini radio science experiments have provided multiple occultation optical depth profiles of Saturn's rings that can be used in combination to analyze density waves. This paper establishes an accurate procedure of inversion of the wave profiles to reconstruct the wave kinematic parameters as a function of semi-major axis, in the nonlinear regime. This procedure is achieved from simulated data in the presence of realistic noise perturbations, to control the reconstruction error. By way of illustration we have applied our procedure to the Mimas 5:3 density wave. We were able to recover precisely the kinematic parameters from the radio experiment occultation data in most of the propagation region; a preliminary analysis of the pressure-corrected dispersion allowed us to determine new but still uncertain values for the opacity ($K\simeq 0.02$ cm$^2$/g) and velocity dispersion of ($c_o\simeq 0.6$ cm/s) in the wave region. Our procedure constitutes the first step in our planned analysis of the density waves of Saturn's rings. It is very accurate and efficient in the far-wave region. However, improvements are required within the first wavelength. The ways in which this method can be used to establish diagnostics of ring physics are outlined.
We present an analytical derivation of the Sachs Wolfe effect sourced by a primordial magnetic field. In order to consistently specify the initial conditions, we assume that the magnetic field is generated by a causal process, namely a first order phase transition in the early universe. As for the topological defects case, we apply the general relativistic junction conditions to match the perturbation variables before and after the phase transition which generates the magnetic field, in such a way that the total energy momentum tensor is conserved across the transition and Einstein's equations are satisfied. We further solve the evolution equations for the metric and fluid perturbations at large scales analytically including neutrinos, and derive the magnetic Sachs Wolfe effect. We find that the relevant contribution to the magnetic Sachs Wolfe effect comes from the metric perturbations at next-to-leading order in the large scale limit. The leading order term is in fact strongly suppressed due to the presence of free-streaming neutrinos. We derive the neutrino compensation effect dynamically and confirm that the magnetic Sachs Wolfe spectrum from a causal magnetic field behaves as l(l+1)C_l^B \propto l^2 as found in the latest numerical analyses.
We develop a simple model of planetary formation, focusing our attention on those planets with masses less than 10 Earth masses and studying particularly the primordial spin parameters of planets resulting from the accretion of planetesimals and produced by the collisions between the embryos. As initial conditions, we adopt the oligarchic growth regime of protoplanets in a disc where several embryos are allowed to form. We take different initial planetary system parameters and for each initial condition, we consider an evolution of 20 millon of years of the system. We perform simulations for 1000 different discs, and from their results we derive the statistical properties of the assembled planets. We have taken special attention to the planetary obliquities and rotation periods, such as the information obtained from the mass and semi major axis diagram, which reflects the process of planetary formation. The distribution of obliquities was found to be isotropic, which means that planets can rotate in direct or indirect sense, regardless of their mass. Our results regarding the primordial rotation periods show that they are dependent on the region where the embryo was formed and evolved. According to our results, most of the planets have rotation periods between 10 and 10000 hours and there are also a large population of planets similar to terrestrial planets in the Solar System.
An extension of the MSSM called the munuSSM does not allow a conventional thermal leptogenesis scenario because of the low scale seesaw that it utilizes. Hence, we investigate the possibility of electroweak baryogenesis. Specifically, we identify a parameter region for which the electroweak phase transition is sufficiently strongly first order to realize electroweak baryogenesis. In addition to transitions that are similar to those in the NMSSM, we find a novel class of phase transitions in which there is a rotation in the singlet vector space.
Non-Gaussianities of the primordial density perturbations have emerged as a very powerful possible signal to test the dynamics that drove the period of inflation. While in general the most sensitive observable is the three-point function in this paper we show that there are technically natural inflationary models where the leading source of non-Gaussianity is the four-point function. Using the recently developed Effective Field Theory of Inflation, we are able to show that it is possible to impose an approximate parity symmetry and an approximate continuous shift symmetry on the inflaton fluctuations that allow for a unique quartic operator, while approximately forbidding all the cubic ones. The resulting four-point function can have only two shapes depending on the two possible dispersion relations for the fluctuations: either $\omega\sim c_s k$ or $\omega\sim k^2/M$.
We discuss the recent progress in calculating the properties of 'hybrid stars' (stellar objects similar to neutron stars, classified by the incorporation of non-nucleonic degrees of freedom, including but not limited to hyperons and/or a quark-matter core) using the octet-baryon Quark-Meson Coupling (QMC) model. The version of QMC used is a recent improvement which includes the in-medium modification of the quark-quark hyperfine interaction.
We study quasinormal modes and scattering properties via calculation of $S$-matrix for scalar and electromagnetic fields propagating in he background of traversable Lorentzian wormholes of a generic shape. Such wormholes are described by the general Morris-Thorne anzats. The properties of quasinormal ringing and scattering are shown to be determined by the behavior of the wormhole's shape function $b(r)$ and shift-factor $\Phi(r)$ \emph{near the throat}. In particular, wormholes with the shape function $b(r)$ such that $b'(r) \approx 1$, have very long-lived quasinormal modes in the spectrum. We have proved that the axially symmetric traversable Lorentzian wormholes, unlike black holes and other compact rotating objects, does not allows for super-radiance. As a by product we have shown that the 6-th order WKB formula used for scattering problems of black or wormholes provides high accuracy and thus can be used for quite accurate calculations of the Hawking radiation processes around various black holes.
We study the effect of turbulence in supernovae upon the neutrinos and derive from a Monte Carlo ensemble the distributions of the square amplitudes of the elements of the S-matrix, which have the physical interpretation of being the survival and crossing probabilities i.e. |S_ij|^2 = P(nu_j -> nu_i) = P_ij. We consider both inverted and normal hierarchies including a case of broken HL factorization. We demonstrate that these results can be derived from random matrix theory and show how the distribution, mean and variances of the P_ij from N-flavor unitary random matrices are functions of the number of flavors mixing in the turbulent region.
The work is an attempt to model a scenario of inflation in the framework of Anti de Sit- ter/Conformal Field theory (AdS/CFT) duality, a potentially complete nonperturbative description of quantum gravity via string theory. We look at bubble geometries with de Sitter interiors within an ambient Schwarzschild anti-de Sitter black hole spacetime and obtain a characterization for the states in the dual CFT on boundary of the asymptotic AdS which code the expanding dS bubble. These can then in turn be used to specify initial conditions for cosmology. Our scenario naturally interprets the entropy of de Sitter space as a (logarithm of) subspace of states of the black hole microstates. Consistency checks are performed and a number of implications regarding cosmology are discussed including how the key problems or paradoxes of conventional eternal inflation are overcome.
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