We use Chandra and XMM-Newton to study the hot gas content in a sample of field early-type galaxies. We find that the L_X-L_K relationship is steeper for field galaxies than for comparable galaxies in groups and clusters. The low hot gas content of field galaxies with L_K < L_star suggests that internal processes such as supernovae driven winds or AGN feedback expel hot gas from low mass galaxies. Such mechanisms may be less effective in groups and clusters where the presence of an intragroup or intracluster medium can confine outflowing material. In addition, galaxies in groups and clusters may be able to accrete gas from the ambient medium. While there is a population of L_K < L_star galaxies in groups and clusters that retain hot gas halos, some galaxies in these rich environments, including brighter galaxies, are largely devoid of hot gas. In these cases, the hot gas halos have likely been removed via ram pressure stripping. This suggests a very complex interplay between the intragroup/intracluster medium and hot gas halos of galaxies in rich environments with the ambient medium helping to confine or even enhance the halos in some cases and acting to remove gas in others. In contrast, the hot gas content of more isolated galaxies is largely a function of the mass of the galaxy, with more massive galaxies able to maintain their halos, while in lower mass systems the hot gas escapes in outflowing winds.
In recent work (Seljak, Hamaus and Desjacques 2009) it was found that weighting central halo galaxies by halo mass can significantly suppress their stochasticity relative to the dark matter, well below the Poisson model expectation. In this paper we extend this study with the goal of finding the optimal mass-dependent halo weighting and use $N$-body simulations to perform a general analysis of halo stochasticity and its dependence on halo mass. We investigate the stochasticity matrix, defined as $C_{ij}\equiv<(\delta_i -b_i\delta_m)(\delta_j-b_j\delta_m)>$, where $\delta_m$ is the dark matter overdensity in Fourier space, $\delta_i$ the halo overdensity of the $i$'th halo mass bin and $b_i$ the halo bias. In contrast to the Poisson model predictions we detect non-vanishing correlations between different mass bins. We also find the diagonal terms to be sub-Poissonian for the highest mass halos. The diagonalization of this matrix results in one large and one low eigenvalue, with the remaining eigenvalues close to the Poisson prediction $1/\bar{n}$, where $\bar{n}$ is the mean halo number density. The eigenmode with the lowest eigenvalue contains most of the information and the corresponding eigenvector provides an optimal weighting function to minimize the stochasticity between halos and dark matter. We find this optimal weighting function to match linear mass-weighting at high masses, while at the low-mass end the weights approach a constant whose value depends on the low-mass cut in the halo mass function. Finally, we employ the halo model to derive the stochasticity matrix and the scale-dependent bias from an analytical perspective. It is remarkably successful in reproducing our numerical results and predicts that the stochasticity between halos and the dark matter can be reduced further when going to halo masses lower than we can resolve in current simulations.
We present the first results of an ongoing spectroscopic follow-up of close luminous red galaxy (LRGs) and MgII {\lambda}{\lambda} 2796,2803 absorber pairs for an initial sample of 15 photometrically selected LRGs at physical projected separations {\rho} \le 350 kpc/h from a QSO sightline. Our moderate-resolution spectra confirm a physical association between the cool gas (T ~ 1e4 K) revealed by the presence of MgII absorption features and the LRG halo in five cases. In addition, we report an empirical estimate of the maximum covering fraction (\kappa_max) of cool gas in massive, \ge 1e13 Msun/h dark matter halos hosting LRGs at z ~ 0.5. This study is performed using a sample of foreground LRGs that are located at {\rho} < 400 kpc/h from a QSO sightline. The LRGs are selected to have a robust photometric redshift \sigma_z/(1+z_ph) \approx 0.03. We determine \kappa_max based on the incidence of MgII absorption systems that occur within z_ph +/- 3sigma_z in the spectra of the background QSOs. Despite the large uncertainties in z_ph, this experiment provides a conservative upper limit to the covering fraction of cool gas in the halos of LRGs. We find that \kappa_max \approx 0.07 at W_r(2796) \ge 1.0 A and \kappa_max \approx 0.18 at W_r(2796) \ge 0.5 A, averaged over 400 kpc/h radius. Our study shows that while cool gas is present in \ge 1e13 Msun/h halos, the mean covering fraction of strong absorbers is no more than 7%.
In this Paper we report the discovery of CXO J122518.6+144545; a peculiar X-ray source with a position 3.6+-0.2",off-nuclear from an SDSS DR7 z=0.0447 galaxy. The 3.6" offset corresponds to 3.2 kpc at the distance of the galaxy. The 0.3-8 keV X-ray flux of this source is 5x10^-14 erg cm^-2 s^-1 and its 0.3-8 keV luminosity is 2.2x10^41 erg/s (2.7x10^41 erg/s; 0.5-10 keV) assuming the source belongs to the associated galaxy. We find a candidate optical counterpart in archival HST/ACS g'-band observations of the field containing the galaxy obtained on June 16, 2003. The observed magnitude of g'=26.4+-0.1 corresponds to an absolute magnitude of -10.1. We discuss the possible nature of the X-ray source and its associated candidate optical counterpart and conclude that the source is either a very blue type IIn supernova, a ULX with a very bright optical counterpart or a recoiling super-massive black hole.
The predictive power of mean-field theory is emphasized by comparing theory with simulations under controlled conditions. The recently developed test-field method is used to extract turbulent transport coefficients both in kinematic as well as nonlinear and quasi-kinematic cases. A striking example of the quasi-kinematic method is provided by magnetic buoyancy-driven flows that produce an alpha effect and turbulent diffusion.
We report Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope and Arecibo Telescope observations of the redshifted satellite OH-18cm lines at $z \sim 0.247$ towards PKS1413+135. The "conjugate" nature of these lines, with one line in emission and the other in absorption, but with the same shape, implies that the lines arise in the same gas. The satellite OH-18cm line frequencies also have different dependences on the fine structure constant $\alpha$, the proton-electron mass ratio $\mu = m_p/m_e$, and the proton gyromagnetic ratio $g_p$. Comparisons between the satellite line redshifts in conjugate systems can hence be used to probe changes in $\alpha$, $\mu$, and $g_p$, with few systematic effects. The technique yields the expected null result when applied to Cen.A, a nearby conjugate satellite system. For the $z \sim 0.247$ system towards PKS1413+135, we find, on combining results from the two telescopes, that $[\Delta G/G] = (-1.18 \pm 0.46) \times 10^{-5}$ (weighted mean), where $G = g_p [\mu \alpha^2]^{1.85}$; this is tentative evidence (with $2.6 \sigma$ significance, or at 99.1% confidence) for a smaller value of $\alpha$, $\mu$, and/or $g_p$ at z~0.247, i.e. at a lookback time of ~2.9 Gyrs. If we assume that the dominant change is in $\alpha$, this implies $[\Delta \alpha /\alpha ] = (-3.1 \pm 1.2) \times 10^{-6}$. We find no evidence that the observed offset might be produced by systematic effects, either due to observational or analysis procedures, or local conditions in the molecular cloud.
We study the properties of simulated high-redshift galaxies using cosmological N-body/gasdynamical runs from the OverWhelmingly Large Simulations (OWLS) project. The runs contrast several feedback implementations of varying effectiveness: from no-feedback, to supernova-driven winds to powerful AGN-driven outflows. These different feedback models result in large variations in the abundance and structural properties of bright galaxies at z=2. We find that feedback affects the baryonic mass of a galaxy much more severely than its spin, which is on average roughly half that of its surrounding dark matter halo in our runs. Feedback induces strong correlations between angular momentum content and galaxy mass that leave their imprint on galaxy scaling relations and morphologies. Encouragingly, we find that galaxy disks are common in moderate-feedback runs, making up typically ~50% of all galaxies at the centers of haloes with virial mass exceeding 1e11 M_sun. The size, stellar masses, and circular speeds of simulated galaxies formed in such runs have properties that straddle those of large star-forming disks and of compact early-type galaxies at z=2. Once the detailed abundance and structural properties of these rare objects are well established it may be possible to use them to gauge the overall efficacy of feedback in the formation of high redshift galaxies.
In this paper we present simulated observations of massive self-gravitating circumstellar discs using the Atacama Large Millimetre/sub-millimetre Array (ALMA). Using a smoothed particle hydrodynamics model of a $0.2M_{\odot}$ disc orbiting a $1M_{\odot}$ protostar, with a cooling model appropriate for discs at temperatures below $\sim 160$K and representative dust opacities, we have constructed maps of the expected emission at sub-mm wavelengths. We have then used the CASA ALMA simulator to generate simulated images and visibilities with various array configurations and observation frequencies, taking into account the expected thermal noise and atmospheric opacities. We find that at 345 GHz (870 $\mu$m) spiral structures at a resolution of a few AU should be readily detectable in approximately face-on discs out to distances of the Taurus-Auriga star-forming complex.
We investigate scaling relations of bulges using bulge-disk decompositions at 3.6 micron and present bulge classifications for 173 E-Sd galaxies within 20 Mpc. Pseudobulges and classical bulges are identified using Sersic index, HST morphology, and star formation activity (traced by 8 micron emission). In the near-IR pseudobulges have n_b<2 and classical bulges have n_b>2, as found in the optical. Sersic index and morphology are essentially equivalent properties for bulge classification purposes. We confirm, using a much more robust sample, that the Sersic index of pseudobulges is uncorrelated with other bulge structural properties, unlike for classical bulges and elliptical galaxies. Also, the half-light radius of pseudobulges is not correlated with any other bulge property. We also find a new correlation between surface brightness and pseudobulge luminosity; pseudobulges become more luminous as they become more dense. Classical bulges follow the well known scaling relations between surface brightness, luminosity and half-light radius that are established by elliptical galaxies. We show that those pseudobulges (as indicated by Sersic index and nuclear morphology) that have low specific star formation rates are very similar to models of galaxies in which both a pseudobulge and classical bulge exist. Therefore, pseudobulge identification that relies only on structural indicators is incomplete. Our results, especially those on scaling relations, imply that pseudobulges are very different types of objects than elliptical galaxies.
The mass of molecular gas in an interstellar cloud is often measured using line emission from low rotational levels of CO, which are sensitive to the CO mass, and then scaling to the assumed molecular hydrogen H_2 mass. However, a significant H_2 mass may lie outside the CO region, in the outer regions of the molecular cloud where the gas phase carbon resides in C or C+. Here, H_2 self-shields or is shielded by dust from UV photodissociation, where as CO is photodissociated. This H_2 gas is "dark" in molecular transitions because of the absence of CO and other trace molecules, and because H_2 emits so weakly at temperatures 10 K < T < 100 K typical of this molecular component. This component has been indirectly observed through other tracers of mass such as gamma rays produced in cosmic ray collisions with the gas and far-infrared/submillimeter wavelength dust continuum radiation. In this paper we theoretically model this dark mass and find that the fraction of the molecular mass in this dark component is remarkably constant (~ 0.3 for average visual extinction through the cloud with mean A_V ~ 8) and insensitive to the incident ultraviolet radiation field strength, the internal density distribution, and the mass of the molecular cloud as long as mean A_V, or equivalently, the product of the average hydrogen nucleus column and the metallicity through the cloud, is constant. We also find that the dark mass fraction increases with decreasing mean A_V, since relatively more molecular H_2 material lies outside the CO region in this case.
We present the first ultraviolet (UV) and multi-epoch optical spectroscopy of 30 Dor 016, a massive O2-type star on the periphery of 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The UV data were obtained with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope as part of the Servicing Mission Observatory Verification program after Servicing Mission 4, and reveal #016 to have one of the fastest stellar winds known. From analysis of the CIV 1548-51 doublet we find a terminal velocity, v_infty=3450 +/- 50km/s. Optical spectroscopy is from the VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey, from which we rule out a massive companion (with 2d<P<1yr) to a confidence of 98%. The radial velocity of #016 is offset from the systemic value by -85km/s, suggesting that the star has traveled the 120pc from the core of 30 Doradus as a runaway, ejected via dynamical interactions.
The profiles of emission lines formed in the corona contain information on the dynamics and the heating of the hot plasma. Only recently data with sufficiently high spectral resolution became available to investigate the details of the profiles of emission lines formed well above 10^6 K. These show enhanced emission in the line wings, which is not understood yet. Line profiles of Fe XV formed at 2.5 MK acquired by the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) onboard the Hinode solar space observatory are studied using multi Gaussian fits, with emphasis on the resulting line widths and Doppler shifts. In the major part of the active region the spectra are best fit by a narrow line core and a broad minor component. The latter contributes some 10% to 20% to the total emission, is about a factor of 2 broader than the core and shows strong blueshifts of up to 50 km/s, especially in the footpoint regions of the loops. On average the line width increases from the footpoints to the loop top for both components. In small restricted areas also a component with high upflow speeds can be found. The coronal structures consist of at least two classes which are not resolved spatially but only spectroscopically, associated with the line core and the minor component. Because of their huge line width and strong upflows it is proposed that the major part of the heating and the mass supply to the corona is actually located in source regions of the minor component. The siphon flows and draining loops as seen in the line core component are consistent with structures found in a 3D MHD coronal model. Despite the quite different appearance of the large active region corona and small network elements seen in transition region lines, both show similar line profile characteristics. This indicates that the same processes govern the heating and dynamics of the transition region and the corona.
We have discovered strong gravitational lensing features in the core of the nearby cluster Abell 3827 by analyzing Gemini South GMOS images. The most prominent strong lensing feature is a highly-magnified, ring-shaped configuration of four images around the central cD galaxy. GMOS spectroscopic analysis puts this source at z~0.2. Located ~20" away from the central galaxy is a secondary tangential arc feature which has been identified as a background galaxy with z~0.4. We have modeled the gravitational potential of the cluster core, taking into account the mass from the cluster, the BCG and other galaxies. We derive a total mass of (2.7 +- 0.4) x 10^13 Msun within 37 h^-1 kpc. This mass is an order of magnitude larger than that derived from X-ray observations. The total mass derived from lensing data suggests that the BCG in this cluster is perhaps the most massive galaxy in the nearby Universe.
The coalescence of a supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) is thought to be accompanied by an electromagnetic (EM) afterglow, produced by the viscous infall of the surrounding circumbinary gas disk after the merger. It has been proposed that once the merger has been detected in gravitational waves (GWs) by LISA, follow-up EM searches for this afterglow can help identify the EM counterpart of the LISA source. Here we study whether the afterglows may be sufficiently bright and numerous to be detectable in EM surveys alone. The viscous afterglow, which lasts for years to decades for SMBHBs in LISA's sensitivity window, is characterized by rapid increases in both the bolometric luminosity and in the spectral hardness of the source. If quasar activity is triggered by the same major galaxy mergers that produce SMBHBs, then the afterglow could be interpreted as a signature of the birth of a quasar. Using an idealized model for the post-merger viscous spreading of the circumbinary disk and the resulting light curve, and using the observed luminosity function of quasars as a proxy for the SMBHB merger rate, we delineate the survey requirements for identifying such birthing quasars. If circumbinary disks have a high disk surface density and viscosity, an all-sky soft X-ray survey with a sensitivity of ~<3x10^-14 erg s^-1 cm^-2 and a time resolution of ~months could identify dozens of birthing quasars with sustained brightening rates of >10%/yr. If >1% of the X-ray emission is reprocessed into optical frequencies, birthing quasars could also be identified in optical transient surveys such as the LSST. Distinguishing a birthing quasar from other variable sources may be facilitated by the monotonic hardening of its spectrum, but will likely remain challenging. This reinforces the notion that joint EM-plus-GW observations offer the best prospects for identifying the EM signatures of SMBHB mergers.
In the recent years, the "Nice" model of solar system formation has attained an unprecedented level of success in reproducing much of the observed orbital architecture of the solar system by evolving the planets to their current locations from a more compact configuration. Within the context of this model, the formation of the classical Kuiper belt requires a phase during which the ice giants have a high eccentricity. An outstanding question of this model is the initial configuration from which the Solar System started out. Recent work has shown that multi-resonant initial conditions can serve as good candidates, as they naturally prevent vigorous type-II migration. In this paper, we use analytical arguments, as well as self-consistent numerical N-body simulations to identify fully-resonant initial conditions, whose dynamical evolution is characterized by an eccentric phase of the ice-giants, as well as planetary scattering. We find a total of eight such initial conditions. Four of these primordial states are compatible with the canonical "Nice" model, while the others imply slightly different evolutions. The results presented here should prove useful in further development of a comprehensive model for solar system formation.
We present a set of low resolution empirical SED templates for AGNs and galaxies in the wavelength range from 0.03 to 30 microns. These templates form a non-negative basis of the color space of such objects and have been derived from a combination 14448 galaxies and 5347 likely AGNs in the NDWFS Bootes field. We briefly describe how the templates are derived and discuss some applications of them. In particular, we discuss biases in commonly used AGN mid-IR color selection criteria and the expected distribution of sources in the current WISE satellite mission.
The gullies on Mars were discovered in the year 1999.Since then several hypotheses have appeared trying to explain the presence of these gullies. The main hypotheses are the ones which suggest that some liquid, water or CO2, was responsible for modeling the gullies and ones that propose dry flows as the modeling agents. The aim of this work is to develop an alternative hypotetical mechanism of formation of Martian gullies.Our model proposes that the Martian gullies were formed as a result of a fluidization process of the material deposited on the slopes of the impact craters, plateaux and other geomorphologic structures. This fluidization is caused by the sublimation of carbon dioxide ice deposited in the form of snow, due to the daily and seasonal temperature changes. We also present the results of an experimental simulation.Structures similar to the Martian gullies were reproduced using the air injection mechanism, as a substitute to gaseous CO2, on a sandy slope. The Reynolds number for our experimental flow and for the flow in the Martian gullies was calculated and we found that they are of the same order, whilst the water flows have much higher Reynolds numbers.Taking into account the current environmental conditions for Mars, from our results it may be suggested that this mechanism is the possible modeling agent for the Martian gullies. Two of the most important characteristics of the proposed model are: a) It offers a simple explanation of how recurrent fluidization events occur in the same place, a necessary recurrence of the formation of a gully, offering a recharging mechanism for the system after every fluidization event, and b) It considers the formation of gullies possible even in angles smaller than the angle of repose. These characteristics of the model solve these two problems present in current theories.
Detecting dark matter as it streams through detectors on Earth relies on know-ledge of its phase space density on a scale comparable to the size of our solar system. Numerical simulations predict that our Galactic halo contains an enormous hierarchy of substructures, streams and caustics, the remnants of the merging hierarchy \cite{Moore1999,Sikivie1999} that began with tiny Earth mass microhalos \cite{Bergstrom1999,Berezinsky2003,Diemand2005}. If these bound or coherent structures persist until the present time, they could dramatically alter signatures for the detection of weakly interacting elementary particle dark matter (WIMP). Using numerical simulations that follow the coarse grained tidal disruption within the Galactic potential and fine grained heating from stellar encounters, we find that microhalos, streams and caustics have a negligible likelihood of impacting direct detection signatures implying that dark matter constraints derived using simple smooth halo models are relatively robust. We also find that many dense central cusps survive, yielding a small enhancement in the signal for indirect detection experiments.
Interplanetary dust (IPD) scatters solar radiation which results in the zodiacal light that dominates the celestial diffuse brightness at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. Both asteroid collisions and cometary ejections produce the IPD, but the relative contribution from these two sources is still unknown. The Low Resolution Spectrometer (LRS) onboard the Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment (CIBER) observed the astrophysical sky spectrum between 750 and 2100 nm over a wide range of ecliptic latitude. The resulting zodiacal light spectrum is redder than the solar spectrum, and shows a broad absorption feature, previously unreported, at approximately 900 nm, suggesting the existence of silicates in the IPD material. The spectral shape of the zodiacal light is isotropic at all ecliptic latitudes within the measurement error. The zodiacal light spectrum, including the extended wavelength range to 2500 nm using IRTS data, is qualitatively similar to the reflectance of S-type asteroids. This result can be explained by the proximity of S-type asteroidal dust to Earth's orbit, and the relativily high albedo of asteridal dust compared with cometary dust.
We present CCD photometric observations of the W UMa type contact binary EK Comae Berenices using the 2 metre telescope of $IUCAA$ Girawali Observatory, India. The star was classified as a W UMa type binary of subtype-W by \citet{sam1996}. The new V band photometric observations of the star reveal that shape of the light curve has changed significantly from the one observed by \citet{sam1996}. A detailed analysis of the light curve obtained from the high-precision CCD photometric observations of the star indicates that EK Comae Berenices is not a W-type but an A-type totally eclipsing W UMa contact binary. The photometric mass ratio is determined to be 0.349 $\pm$ 0.005. A temperature difference of $\Delta T = 141 \pm 10 $ K between the components and an orbital inclination of $i [^{o}] = 89.800 \pm 0.075$ were obtained for the binary system. Absolute values of masses, radii and luminosities are estimated by means of the standard mass-luminosity relation for zero age main-sequence stars. The star shows O'Connell effect, asymmetries in the light curve shape around the primary and secondary maximum. The observed O'Connell effect is explained by the presence of a hot spot on the primary component.
Recently, Buta etal. (2009) examined the question "Do Bars Drive Spiral Density Waves?", an idea supported by theoretical studies and also from a preliminary observational analysis Block etal (2004). They estimated maximum bar strengths Q_b, maximum spiral strengths Q_s, and maximum m=2 arm contrasts A_2s for 23 galaxies with deep AAT K_s-band images. These were combined with previously published Q_b and Q_s values for 147 galaxies from the OSUBSGS sample and with the 12 galaxies from Block etal(2004). Weak correlation between Q_b and Q_s was confirmed for the combined sample, whereas the AAT subset alone showed no significant correlations between Q_b and Q_s, nor between Q_b and A_2s. A similar negative result was obtained in Durbala etal. (2009) for 46 galaxies. Based on these studies, the answer to the above question remains uncertain. Here we use a novel approach, and show that although the correlation between the maximum bar and spiral parameters is weak, these parameters do correlate when compared locally. For the OSUBSGS sample a statistically significant correlation is found between the local spiral amplitude, and the forcing due to the bar's potential at the same distance, out to 1.6 bar radii (the typical bar perturbation is then of the order of a few percent). Also for the sample of 23 AAT galaxies we find a significant correlation between local parameters out to 1.4 bar radii. Our new results confirm that, at least in a statistical sense, bars do indeed drive spiral density waves.
The LMC star BI 108 is photometrically variable with the unique light curve: Two strong periods are present in a strict 3:2 resonance, staying coherent over several observing seasons. A spectroscopic data collected at VLT/UVES reveals unexpected and still not fully understood behavior of the system, that has not been observed in any other early-type multiple systems.
We place new constraints on the primordial local non-Gaussianity parameter f_NL using recent Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropy and galaxy clustering data. We model the galaxy power spectrum according to the halo model, accounting for a scale dependent bias correction proportional to f_NL/k^2. We first constrain f_NL in a full 13 parameters analysis that includes 5 parameters of the halo model and 7 cosmological parameters. Using the WMAP7 CMB data and the SDSS DR4 galaxy power spectrum, we find f_NL=171\pm+140 at 68% C.L. and -69<f_NL<+492 at 95% C.L.. We discuss the degeneracies between f_NL and other cosmological parameters. Including SN-Ia data and priors on H_0 from Hubble Space Telescope observations we find a stronger bound: -35<f_NL<+479 at 95% C.L.. We also fit the more recent SDSS DR7 halo power spectrum data finding, for a \Lambda-CDM+f_NL model, f_NL=-93\pm128 at 68% C.L. and -327<f_{NL}<+177 at 95% C.L.. We finally forecast the constraints on f_NL from future surveys as EUCLID and from CMB missions as Planck showing that their combined analysis could detect f_NL\sim 5.
The aim of this paper is to examine the effects of the horizontal turbulence in differentially rotating stars on the GSF instability and apply our results to pre-supernova models. For this purpose we derive the expression for the GSF instability with account of the thermal transport and smoothing of the mu-gradient by the horizontal turbulence. We apply the new expressions in numerical models of a 20 solar mass star. We show that if N^2_{Omega} < 0 the Rayleigh-Taylor instability cannot be killed by the stabilizing thermal and mu-gradients, so that the GSF instability is always there and we derive the corresponding diffusion coefficient. The GSF instability grows towards the very latest stages of stellar evolution. Close to the deep convective zones in pre-supernova stages, the transport coefficient of elements and angular momentum by the GSF instability can very locally be larger than the shear instability and even as large as the thermal diffusivity. However the zones over which the GSF instability is acting are extremely narrow and there is not enough time left before the supernova explosion for a significant mixing to occur. Thus, even when the inhibiting effects of the mu-gradient are reduced by the horizontal turbulence, the GSF instability remains insignificant for the evolution. We conclude that the GSF instability in pre-supernova stages cannot be held responsible for the relatively low rotation rate of pulsars compared to the predictions of rotating star models.
Among multi-planet planetary systems there are a large fraction of resonant systems. Studying the dynamics and formation of these systems can provide valuable informations on processes taking place in protoplanetary disks where the planets are thought have been formed. The recently discovered resonant system HD 60532 is the only confirmed case, in which the central star hosts a pair of giant planets in 3:1 mean motion resonance. We intend to provide a physical scenario for the formation of HD 60532, which is consistent with the orbital solutions derived from the radial velocity measurements. Observations indicate that the system is in an antisymmetric configuration, while previous theoretical investigations indicate an asymmetric equilibrium state. The paper aims at answering this discrepancy as well. We performed two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of thin disks with an embedded pair of massive planets. Additionally, migration and resonant capture are studied by gravitational N-body simulations that apply properly parametrized non-conservative forces. Our simulations suggest that the capture into the 3:1 mean motion resonance takes place only for higher planetary masses, thus favouring orbital solutions having relatively smaller inclination i=20 degrees. The system formed by numerical simulations qualitatively show the same behaviour as HD 60532. We also find that the presence of an inner disk (between the inner planet and the star) plays a very important role in determining the final configurations of resonant planetary systems. Its damping effect on the inner planet's eccentricity is responsible for the observed antisymmetric state of HD 60532.
We point out that the non-gaussianity arising from cubic self interactions of the inflaton field is proportional to \xi N_e where \xi ~ V''' and N_e is the number of e-foldings from horizon exit till the end of inflation. For scales of interest N_e = 60, and for models of inflation such as new inflation, natural inflation and running mass inflation \xi is large compared to the slow roll parameter \epsilon ~ V'^{2}. Therefore the contribution from self interactions should not be outrightly ignored while retaining other terms in the non-gaussianity parameter f_{NL}. But the N_e dependent term seems to imply the growth of non-gaussianities outside the horizon. Therefore we briefly discuss the issue of the constancy of correlations of the curvature perturbation \zeta outside the horizon. We then calculate the 3-point function of the inflaton fluctuations using the canonical formalism and further obtain the 3-point function of \zeta_k. We find that the N_e dependent contribution to f_{NL} from self interactions of the inflaton field is cancelled by contributions from other terms associated with non-linearities in cosmological perturbation theory.
We take a sample of early-type galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-DR7, $\sim$ 90 000 galaxies) spanning a range of approximately 7 $mag$ in both $g$ and $r$ filters and analyse the behaviour of the Faber-Jackson relation parameters as functions of the magnitude range. We calculate the parameters in two ways: i) We consider the faintest (brightest) galaxies in each sample and we progressively increase the width of the magnitude interval by inclusion of the brighter (fainter) galaxies (increasing-magnitude-intervals), and ii) we consider narrow-magnitude intervals of the same width ($\Delta M = 1.0$ $mag$) over the whole magnitude range available (narrow-magnitude-intervals). Our main results are that: i) in both increasing and narrow-magnitude-intervals the Faber-Jackson relation parameters change systematically, ii) non-parametric tests show that the fluctuations in the values of the slope of the Faber-Jackson relation are not products of chance variations. We conclude that the values of the Faber-Jackson relation parameters depend on the width of the magnitude range and the luminosity of galaxies within the magnitude range. This dependence is caused, to a great extent by the selection effects and because the geometrical shape of the distribution of galaxies on the $M - \log (\sigma_{0})$ plane depends on luminosity. We therefore emphasize that if the luminosity of galaxies or the width of the magnitude range or both are not taken into consideration when comparing the structural relations of galaxy samples for different wavelengths, environments, redshifts and luminosities, any differences found may be misinterpreted.
Using observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, we examine the interaction between the intracluster medium and central radio source in the poor cluster AWM 4. In the Chandra observation a small cool core or galactic corona is resolved coincident with the radio core. This corona is capable of fuelling the active nucleus, but must be inefficiently heated by jet interactions or conduction, possibly precluding a feedback relationship between the radio source and cluster. A lack of clearly detected X-ray cavities suggests that the radio lobes are only partially filled by relativistic plasma. We estimate a filling factor of phi=0.21 (3 sigma upper limit phi<0.42) for the better constrained east lobe. We consider the particle population in the jets and lobes, and find that the standard equipartition assumptions predict pressures and ages which agree poorly with X-ray estimates. Including an electron population extending to low Lorentz factors either reduces (gamma_min=100) or removes (gamma_min=10) the pressure imbalance between the lobes and their environment. Pressure balance can also be achieved by entrainment of thermal gas, probably in the first few kiloparsecs of the radio jets. We estimate the mechanical power output of the radio galaxy, and find it to be marginally capable of balancing radiative cooling.
Assuming that the universe contains a dark energy fluid with a constant linear equation of state and a constant sound speed, we study the prospects of detecting dark energy perturbations using CMB data from Planck, cross-correlated with galaxy distribution maps from a survey like LSST. We update previous analytical estimates by carrying a full Bayesian analysis of mock data. We find that it will only be possible to exclude values of the sound speed very close to zero, while Planck data alone is not powerful enough for achieving any detection, even with lensing extraction. We also discuss the issue of initial conditions for dark energy perturbations in the radiation and matter epochs, generalizing the usual adiabatic conditions to include the sound speed effect. However, for most purposes, the existence of attractor solutions renders the perturbation evolution nearly independent of these initial conditions.
Several X-ray pulsars have been observed to experience torque reversals, which provide important observational clues to the interaction between the neutron star magnetic field and the accretion disk. We review the current models proposed for the torque reversals and discuss their viability based on the observations of the quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in 4U 1626-67. Most of these models seem to be incompatible with the evolution of the QPO frequencies if they are interpreted in terms of the beat frequency model. We suggest that winds or outflows from the neutron star and the accretion disk may play an important role in accounting for the spin-down in disk-fed neutron stars.
We present the first Bayesian constraints on the single field inflationary reheating era obtained from Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data. After demonstrating that this epoch can be fully characterized by the so-called reheating parameter, we show that it is constrained by the seven years Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropies Probe (WMAP7) data for all large and small field models. An interesting feature of our approach is that it yields lower bounds on the reheating temperature which can be combined with the upper bounds associated with gravitinos production. For large field models, we find the energy scale of reheating to be higher than those probed at the Large Hadron Collider, Ereh > 17.3 TeV at 95% of confidence. For small field models, we obtain the two-sigma lower limits Ereh > 890 TeV for a mean equation of state during reheating <wreh> = -0.3 and Ereh > 390 GeV for <wreh> = -0.2. The physical origin of these constraints is pedagogically explained by means of the slow-roll approximation. Finally, when marginalizing over all possible reheating history, the WMAP7 data push massive inflation under pressure (p < 2.2 at 95% of confidence where p is the power index of the large field potentials) while they slightly favor super-Planckian field expectation values in the small field models.
We present results from a joint X-ray/Sunyaev-Zel'dovich modeling of the intra-cluster gas using XMM-Newton and APEX-SZ imaging data. The goal is to study the physical properties of the intra-cluster gas with a non-parametric de-projection method that is, aside from the assumption of spherical symmetry, free from modeling bias. We demonstrate a decrease of gas temperature in the cluster outskirts, and also measure the gas entropy profile, both of which are obtained for the first time independently of X-ray spectroscopy, using Sunyaev-Zel'dovich and X-ray imaging data. The contribution of the APEX-SZ systematic uncertainties in measuring the gas temperature at large radii is shown to be small compared to the XMM-Newton and Chandra systematic spectroscopic errors.
Star forming galaxies represent a small yet sizable fraction of the X-ray sky (1%-20%, depending on the flux). X-ray surveys allow to derive their luminosity function and evolution, free from uncertainties due to absorption. However, much care must be put in the selection criteria to build samples clean from contamination by AGN. Here we review the possibilities offered by the proposed WFXT mission for their study. We analyze the expected luminosity and redshift distributions of star forming galaxies in the proposed WFXT surveys. We discuss the impact of such a mission on the knowledge of the cosmic star formation history, and provide a few suggestions.
The main results from a deep X-ray observation of M82 are summarised: spatially-dependent chemical abundances, temperature structure of the gas, charge-exchange emission lines in the spectrum. We also present an update of the chemical bundances, based on a more refined extraction of spectra.
We present a comprehensive review of MHD wave behaviour in the neighbourhood of coronal null points: locations where the magnetic field, and hence the local Alfven speed, is zero. The behaviour of all three MHD wave modes, i.e. the Alfven wave and the fast and slow magnetoacoustic waves, has been investigated in the neighbourhood of 2D, 2.5D and (to a certain extent) 3D magnetic null points, for a variety of assumptions, configurations and geometries. In general, it is found that the fast magnetoacoustic wave behaviour is dictated by the Alfven-speed profile. In a $\beta=0$ plasma, the fast wave is focused towards the null point by a refraction effect and all the wave energy, and thus current density, accumulates close to the null point. Thus, null points will be locations for preferential heating by fast waves. Independently, the Alfven wave is found to propagate along magnetic fieldlines and is confined to the fieldlines it is generated on. As the wave approaches the null point, it spreads out due to the diverging fieldlines. Eventually, the Alfven wave accumulates along the separatrices (in 2D) or along the spine or fan-plane (in 3D). Hence, Alfven wave energy will be preferentially dissipated at these locations. It is clear that the magnetic field plays a fundamental role in the propagation and properties of MHD waves in the neighbourhood of coronal null points. This topic is a fundamental plasma process and results so far have also lead to critical insights into reconnection, mode-coupling, quasi-periodic pulsations and phase-mixing.
Over the last few years, needlets have a emerged as a useful tool for the analysis of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data. Our aim in this paper is first to introduce in the CMB literature a different form of needlets, known as Mexican needlets, first discussed in the mathematical literature by Geller and Mayeli (2009a,b). We then proceed with an extensive study of the properties of both standard and Mexican needlets; these properties depend on some parameters which can be tuned in order to optimize the performance for a given application. Our second aim in this paper is then to give practical advice on how to adjust these parameters in order to achieve the best properties for a given problem in CMB data analysis. In particular we investigate localization properties in real and harmonic spaces and propose a recipe on how to quantify the influence of galactic and point source masks on the needlet coefficients. We also show that for certain parameter values, the Mexican needlets provide a close approximation to the Spherical Mexican Hat Wavelets (whence their name), with some advantages concerning their numerical implementation and the derivation of their statistical properties.
The present paper focuses on the high-mass star-forming region G23.01-0.41. Methods: Using the VLBA and the EVN arrays, we conducted phase-referenced observations of the three most powerful maser species in G23.01-0.41: H2O at 22.2 GHz (4 epochs), CH3OH at 6.7 GHz (3 epochs), and OH at 1.665 GHz (1 epoch). In addition, we performed high-resolution (> 0".1), high-sensitivity (< 0.1 mJy) VLA observations of the radio continuum emission from the HMC at 1.3 and 3.6 cm. Results: We have detected H2O, CH3OH, and OH maser emission clustered within 2000 AU from the center of a flattened HMC, oriented SE-NW, from which emerges a massive 12CO outflow, elongated NE-SW, extended up to the pc-scale. Although the three maser species show a clearly different spatial and velocity distribution and sample distinct environments around the massive YSO, the spatial symmetry and velocity field of each maser specie can be explained in terms of expansion from a common center, which possibly denotes the position of the YSO driving the maser motion. Water masers trace both a fast shock (up to 50 km/s) closer to the YSO, powered by a wide-angle wind, and a slower (20 km/s) bipolar jet, at the base of the large-scale outflow. Since the compact free-free emission is found offset from the putative location of the YSO along a direction consistent with that of the maser jet axis, we interpret the radio continuum in terms of a thermal jet. The velocity field of methanol masers can be explained in terms of a composition of slow (4 km/s in amplitude) motions of radial expansion and rotation about an axis approximately parallel to the maser jet. Finally, the distribution of line of sight velocities of the hydroxyl masers suggests that they can trace gas less dense (n(H2) < 10^6 cm^-3) and more distant from the YSO than that traced by the water and methanol masers, which is expanding toward the observer. (Abridged)
Antares is currently the largest neutrino telescope operating in the Northern Hemisphere, aiming at the detection of high-energy neutrinos from astrophysical sources. Such observations would provide important clues about the processes at work in those sources, and possibly help solve the puzzle of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. In this context, Antares is developing several programs to improve its capabilities of revealing possible spatial and/or temporal correlations of neutrinos with other cosmic messengers: photons, cosmic rays and gravitational waves. The neutrino telescope and its most recent results are presented, together with these multi-messenger programs.
We report on evidence of the inhomogeneity (multiplicity) of the stellar population in the Galactic globular cluster (GC) NGC 3201, which is irregularly reddened across its face. We carried out a more detailed and careful analysis of our recently published new multi-color photometry in a wide field of the cluster with particular emphasis on the U band. Using the photometric data corrected for differential reddening, we found for the first time two key signs of the inhomogeneity in the cluster's stellar population and of its radial variation in the GC. These are (1) an obvious trend in the color-position diagram, based on the (U-B) color-index, of red giant branch (RGB) stars, which shows that the farther from the cluster's center, the bluer on average the (U-B) color of the stars is; and (2) the dependence of the radial distribution of sub-giant branch (SGB) stars in the cluster on their U magnitude, where brighter stars are less centrally concentrated than their fainter counterparts at a confidence level varying between 99.2% and 99.9% depending on the color-index used to select the stars. The same effects were recently found by us in the GC NGC 1261. However, contrary to NGC 1261, we are not able to unambiguously suggest which of the sub-populations of SGB/RGB stars can be the progenitor of blue and red horizontal branch stars of the cluster. Apart from M4, NGC 3201 is another GC very probably with an inhomogeneous stellar population, which has essentially lower mass than the most massive Galactic GCs where multiple stellar populations were unambiguously detected for the first time
We study the Generalized Chaplygin gas model (GCGM) using Gamma-ray bursts as cosmological probes. In order to avoid the so-called circularity problem we use cosmology-independent data set and Bayesian statistics to impose constraints on the model parameters. We observe that a negative value for the parameter $\alpha$ is favoured if we adopt a flat Universe and the estimated value of the parameter $H_{0}$ is lower than that found in literature.
We present a new systematic way of setting up galactic gas disks based on the assumption of detailed hydrodynamic equilibrium. To do this, we need to specify the density distribution and the velocity field which supports the disk. We first show that the required circular velocity has no dependence on the height above or below the midplane so long as the gas pressure is a function of density only. The assumption of disks being very thin enables us to decouple the vertical structure from the radial direction. Based on that, the equation of hydrostatic equilibrium together with the reduced Poisson equation leads to two sets of second-order non-linear differential equation, which are easily integrated to set-up a stable disk. We call one approach `density method' and the other one `potential method'. Gas disks in detailed balance are especially suitable for investigating the onset of the gravitational instability. We revisit the question of global, axisymmetric instability using fully three-dimensional disk simulations. The impact of disk thickness on the disk instability and the formation of spontaneously induced spirals is studied systematically with or without the presence of the stellar potential. In our models, the numerical results show that the threshold value for disk instability is shifted from unity to 0.69 for self-gravitating thick disks and to 0.75 for combined stellar and gas thick disks. The simulations also show that self-induced spirals occur in the correct regions and with the right numbers as predicted by the analytic theory.
We review the recently found large-scale anomalies in the maps of temperature anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background. These include alignments of the largest modes of CMB anisotropy with each other and with geometry and direction of motion of the Solar System, and the unusually low power at these largest scales. We discuss these findings in relation to expectation from standard inflationary cosmology, their statistical significance, the tools to study them, and the various attempts to explain them.
It has been pointed out that the slope of the nuclear symmetry energy at saturation density ($L$) is a crucial quantity to determine the mass and width of neutron-star crusts. This letter intends to clarify the relation between $L$ and the core-crust transition. We confirm that the transition density is soundly correlated with $L$ despite differences in the nuclear models, and we propose a clear understanding of this correlation based on a generalized liquid drop model (GLDM). Using a large number of nuclear models, we evaluate the dispersion affecting the correlation between the transition pressure $P_t$ and $L$. Furthermore, from a detailed analysis it is shown that this correlation is weak due to a cancellation between different terms. We point out that the correlation between the isovector coefficients $K_{sym}$ and $L$ plays a crucial role in this discussion.
We present a new mechanism for slow-roll inflation based on higher dimensional supersymmetric gauge theory compactified to four dimensions with twisted (supersymmetry breaking) boundary conditions. These boundary conditions lead to a potential for directions in field space that would have been flat were supersymmetry preserved. For field values in these directions much larger than the supersymmetry-breaking scale, the flatness of the potential is nearly restored. Starting in this nearly flat region, inflation can occur as the theory relaxes towards the origin of field space. Near the origin, the potential becomes steep and the theory quickly descends to a confining gauge theory in which the inflaton does not exist as a particle. This confining gauge theory could be part of the Standard Model (QCD) or a natural dark matter sector; we comment on various scenarios for reheating. As a specific illustration of this mechanism, we discuss 4+1 dimensional maximally supersymmetric gauge theory on a circle with antiperiodic boundary conditions for fermions. When the theory is weakly coupled at the compactification scale, we calculate the inflaton potential directly in field theory by integrating out the heavy W-bosons and their superpartners. At strong coupling the model can be studied using a gravity dual, which realizes a new model of brane inflation on a non-supersymmetric throat geometry. Assuming there exists a UV completion that avoids the eta-problem, predictions from our model are consistent with present observations, and imply a small tensor-to-scalar ratio.
It is shown how high energy neutrino beams from very distant sources can be utilised to learn about many neutrino properties such as lifetimes, mass hierarchy, mixing, minuscule pseudo-Dirac mass splittings and other exotic properties. In addition, the production mechanism of neutrinos in the astrophysical sources can also be elucidated.
We investigate baryogenesis in the $\nu$MSM, which is the Minimal Standard Model (MSM) extended by three right-handed neutrinos with Majorana masses smaller than the weak scale. In this model the baryon asymmetry of the universe (BAU) is generated via flavour oscillation between right-handed neutrinos. We consider the case when BAU is solely originated from the CP violation in the mixing matrix of active neutrinos. We perform analytical and numerical estimations of the yield of BAU, and show how BAU depends on mixing angles and CP violating phases. It is found that the asymmetry in the inverted hierarchy for neutrino masses receives a suppression factor of about 4% comparing with the normal hierarchy case. It is, however, pointed out that, when $\theta_{13}=0$ and $\theta_{23} = \pi/4$, baryogenesis in the normal hierarchy becomes ineffective, and hence the inverted hierarchy case becomes significant to account for the present BAU.
Cosmological Gravitational Waves (GWs) are usually associated with the transverse-traceless part of the metric perturbations in the context of the theory of cosmological perturbations. These modes are just the usual polarizations `+' and `x' which appear in the general relativity theory. However, in the majority of the alternative theories of gravity, GWs can present more than these two polarization states. In this context, the Newman-Penrose formalism is particularly suitable for evaluating the number of non-null GW modes. In the present work we intend to take into account these extra polarization states for cosmological GWs in alternative theories of gravity. As an application, we derive the dynamical equations for cosmological GWs for two specific theories, namely, a general scalar-tensor theory which presents four polarization states and a massive bimetric theory which is in the most general case with six polarization states for GWs. The mathematical tool presented here is quite general, so it can be used to study cosmological perturbations in all metric theories of gravity.
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We show that the mass-metallicity relation observed in the local universe is due to a more general relation between stellar mass M*, gas-phase metallicity and SFR. Local galaxies define a tight surface in this 3D space, the Fundamental Metallicity Relation (FMR), with a small residual dispersion of ~0.05 dex in metallicity, i.e, ~12%. At low stellar mass, metallicity decreases sharply with increasing SFR, while at high stellar mass, metallicity does not depend on SFR. High redshift galaxies, up to z~2.5 are found to follow the same FMR defined by local SDSS galaxies, with no indication of evolution. The evolution of the mass-metallicity relation observed up to z=2.5 is due to the fact that galaxies with progressively higher SFRs, and therefore lower metallicities, are selected at increasing redshifts, sampling different parts of the same FMR. By introducing the new quantity mu_alpha=log(M*)-alpha log(SFR), with alpha=0.32, we define a projection of the FMR that minimizes the metallicity scatter of local galaxies. The same quantity also cancels out any redshift evolution up to z~2.5, i.e, all galaxies have the same range of values of mu_0.32. At z>2.5, evolution of about 0.6 dex off the FMR is observed, with high-redshift galaxies showing lower metallicities. The existence of the FMR can be explained by the interplay of infall of pristine gas and outflow of enriched material. The former effect is responsible for the dependence of metallicity with SFR and is the dominant effect at high-redshift, while the latter introduces the dependence on stellar mass and dominates at low redshift. The combination of these two effects, together with the Schmidt-Kennicutt law, explains the shape of the FMR and the role of mu_0.32. The small metallicity scatter around the FMR supports the smooth infall scenario of gas accretion in the local universe.
(Abriged)This work studies in more detail the stellar population, including its photometric properties and characteristics, in the rarely studied southern Galactic globular cluster NGC 1261. We focus on the brighter sequences of the cluster's color-magnitude diagram (CMD). Like in our previous works, we rely upon photometry in several passbands to achieve more reliable results and conclusions. We carried out and analyzed new multi-color photometry of NGC 1261 in UBVI reaching below the turnoff point in all passbands in a fairly extended cluster field, about 14'x14'. We found several signs of the inhomogeneity ("multiplicity") in the stellar population. The most prominent of them are: (1) the dependence of the radial distribution of sub-giant branch (SGB) stars in the cluster on their U magnitude, with brighter stars less centrally concentrated at the 99.9 \% level than their fainter counterparts; (2) the dependence of the location of red giant branch (RGB) stars in the U-(U-B) CMD on their radial distance from the cluster center, with the portion of stars bluer in the (U-B) color increasing towards the cluster outskirts. Additionally, the radial variation of the RGB luminosity function in the bump region is suspected. We assume that both the SGB stars brighter in the U and the RGB stars bluer in the (U-B) color are probably associated with blue horizontal branch stars, because of a similarity in their radial distribution in the cluster. We estimated the metalicity of NGC 1261 from the slope of the RGB in U-based CMDs and the location of the RGB bump on the branch. These metallicity indicators give [Fe/H]zw = -1.34 +/- 0.16 dex and [Fe/H]zw = -1.41 +/- 0.10 dex, respectively. We isolated 18 probable blue straggler candidates. They are more centrally concentrated than the lower red giants of comparable brightness at the 97.9 \% level.
The Fundamental Plane has finite thickness and is tilted from the virial relation, indicating that dynamical mass-to-light ratios (Mdyn/L) vary among early type galaxies. We use a sample of 16,000 quiescent galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to map out variations in Mdyn/L through the 3D Fundamental Plane space defined by velocity dispersion (sigma), effective radius (R_e), and effective surface brightness. We consider contributions to Mdyn/L variation due to stellar population effects, IMF variations, and variations in the dark matter fraction within one R_e. Along the FP, we find that the stellar population contribution scales as M*/L ~ f(sigma), while the dark matter and/or IMF contribution scales as Mdyn/M* ~ g(Mdyn). The two contributions to the tilt of the FP rotate the plane around different axes in the 3D space, with dark matter/IMF variations likely dominating. Through the thickness of the FP, we find that Mdyn/L variations must be dominated either by IMF variations or by real differences in dark matter fraction with R_e. Thus the finite thickness of the FP is due to variations in the stellar mass surface density within R_e, not the fading of passive stellar populations. These structural variations are correlated with galaxy star formation histories such that galaxies with higher Mdyn/M* at a given sigma have higher [Mg/Fe], lower metallicities, and older mean stellar ages. It is difficult to explain the observed correlations by allowing the IMF to vary, suggesting difference in dark matter fraction dominate. These can be produced by variations in the "conversion efficiency" of baryons into stars or by the redistribution of stars and dark matter through dissipational merging. A model in which some galaxies experience low conversion efficiencies due to premature truncation of star formation provides a natural explanation for the observed trends.
We report on the study of an intriguing active galaxy that was selected as a potential multiple supermassive black hole merger in the early-type host SDSS J151709.20+335324.7 (z=0.135). Ground-based SDSS imaging reveals two blue structures on either side of the photometric center of the host galaxy, separated from each other by about 5.7 kpc. The analysis of spatially resolved emission line profiles from a Keck/HIRES spectrum reveal three distinct kinematic subcomponents, one at rest and the other two moving at -350 km/s and 500 km/s with respect to the systemic velocity of the host galaxy. A comparison of imaging and spectral data confirm a strong association between the kinematic components and the spatial knots, which implies a highly disturbed and complex active region in this object. Subsequent VLA radio imaging reveals a clear jet aligned with the emission line gas, confirming that a jet-gas interaction is the best explanation for emission line region. We use the broadband radio measurements to examine the impact of the jet on the ISM of the host galaxy, and find that the energy in the radio lobes can heat a significant fraction of the gas to the virial temperature. Finally, we discuss tests that may help future surveys distinguish between jet-driven kinematics and true black-hole binaries. SDSS J151709.20+335324.7 is a remarkable laboratory for AGN feedback and warrants deeper follow-up study. In the Appendix, we present high-resolution radio imaging of a second AGN with double-peaked [O III] lines, SDSS J112939.78+605742.6, which shows a sub-arcsecond radio jet. If the double-peaked nature of the narrow lines in radio-loud AGN are generally due to radio jet interactions, we suggest that extended radio structure should be expected in most of such systems.
We present results from our continuing program to identify new, low-mass, members of the nearby young moving groups (NYMGs) using a proper motion selection algorithm and various observational techniques. We have three goals: 1) To provide high priority targets for exoplanet searches by direct imaging, 2) To complete the census of the membership in the NYMGs down to ~0.1 Msun, and thus 3) Provide a well-characterized sample of nearby (median distances at least twice as close as the Taurus and Ophiuchus SFR's), young (8-50 Myr) stars for detailed study of their physical properties and multiplicity. Our program proceeds as follows: we apply the selection algorithm to a proper motion catalog where initial selection cuts of candidate members are based on the mean motion of known NYMG members and the proper motions and photometric distances of the candidates. NYMG membership is investigated further using possible signs of youth, including H-alpha emission and X-ray flux, and then verified through radial velocity (RV) measurements. We identify TYC 1766-1431-1 (M3), TYC 1208-468-1 and 2 (K3), TYC 7558-655-1 (K5), and PM I04439+3723W and E (M3) as likely members of the Beta Pictoris moving group (BPMG) and TYC 1741-2117-1N and S (K7), TYC 1752-63-1 (K7), TYC 523-573-1 (K7), and TYC 4943-192-1 (M0) as likely members of the AB Doradus moving group (ABDMG). We also rule out the membership of several BPMG and ABDMG candidates. To date our program has identified 16 new NYMG members of spectral type K3 or later.
The discovery of the accelerated expansion of the universe using Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) has stimulated a tremendous amount of interest in the use of SNe Type Ia events as standard cosmological candles, and as a probe of the fundamental physics of dark energy. Recent observations of SNe Ia have indicated a significant population difference depending on the host galaxy. These observational findings are consistent with SNe Ia Ni-56 production in star-forming spiral galaxies some 0.1 solar masses higher - and therefore more luminous than in elliptical galaxies. We present recent full-star, 3D simulations of Type Ia supernovae which may help explain the nature of this systematic variation in SNe Ia luminosities, as well as the nature of the Ia explosion mechanism. These insights may in turn eventually shed light on the mystery of dark energy itself.
The Karhunen-Loeve (KL) transform can compactly represent the information contained in large, complex datasets, cleanly eliminating noise from the data and identifying elements of the dataset with extreme or inconsistent characteristics. We develop techniques to apply the KL transform to the 4000-5700A region of 9,800 QSO spectra with z < 0.619 from the SDSS archive. Up to 200 eigenspectra are needed to fully reconstruct the spectra in this sample to the limit of their signal/noise. We propose a simple formula for selecting the optimum number of eigenspectra to use to reconstruct any given spectrum, based on the signal/noise of the spectrum, but validated by formal cross-validation tests. We show that such reconstructions can boost the effective signal/noise of the observations by a factor of 6 as well as fill in gaps in the data. The improved signal/noise of the resulting set will allow for better measurement and analysis of these spectra. The distribution of the QSO spectra within the eigenspace identifies regions of enhanced density of interesting subclasses, such as Narrow Line Seyfert 1s (NLS1s). The weightings, as well as the inability of the eigenspectra to fit some of the objects, also identifies "outliers," which may be objects that are not valid members of the sample or objects with rare or unique properties. We identify 48 spectra from the sample that show no broad emission lines, 21 objects with unusual [O III] emission line properties, and 9 objects with peculiar H-beta emission line profiles. We also use this technique to identify a binary supermassive black hole candidate. We provide the eigenspectra and the reconstructed spectra of the QSO sample.
Ground Level Enhancement (GLE)} events represent the largest class of solar energetic particle (SEP) events that require acceleration processes to produce >1 GeV ions in order to produce showers of secondary particles in the Earth's atmosphere with sufficient intensity to be detected by ground-level neutron monitors, above the background of cosmics rays. Although the association of GLE events with solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) is unambiguous, the question arises about the location of the responsible acceleration site: coronal flare sites or interplanetary CME-associated shocks? To answer this question we scrutinize the timing of GLE events with respect to hard X-ray production in solar flares, the height and magnetic topology of active regions, the role of extended acceleration and particle trapping, as well as the maximum observed energies in solar gamma rays. We conclude that 70 % of most recent 13 GLE events are consistent with acceleration during the impulsive flare phase, while the remaining 30 % could be subject to extended acceleration and trapping, or partially originate in CME-associated shocks.
We report the discovery of very high energy gamma-ray emission from the direction of the SNR G54.1+0.3 using the VERITAS ground-based gamma-ray observatory. The TeV signal has an overall significance of 6.8$\sigma$ and appears point-like given the 5$^{arcminute}$ resolution of the instrument. The integral flux above 1 TeV is 2.5\% of the Crab Nebula flux and significant emission is measured between 250 GeV and 4 TeV, well described by a power-law energy spectrum dN/dE $\sim$ E$^{-\Gamma}$ with a photon index $\Gamma= 2.39\pm0.23_{stat}\pm0.30_{sys}$. We find no evidence of time variability among observations spanning almost two years. Based on the location, the morphology, the measured spectrum, the lack of variability and a comparison with similar systems previously detected in the TeV band, the most likely counterpart of this new VHE gamma-ray source is the PWN in the SNR G54.1+0.3. The measured X-ray to VHE gamma-ray luminosity ratio is the lowest among all the nebulae supposedly driven by young rotation-powered pulsars, which could indicate a particle-dominated PWN.
We report the observation of sixteen cosmic ray events of mean energy of $1.5 \times 10^{19}$ eV, via radio pulses originating from the interaction of the cosmic ray air shower with the Antarctic geomagnetic field, a process known as geosynchrotron emission. We present the first ultra-wideband, far-field measurements of the radio spectral density of geosynchrotron emission in the range from 300-1000 MHz. The emission is 100% linearly polarized in the plane perpendicular to the projected geomagnetic field. Fourteen of our observed events are seen to have a phase-inversion due to reflection of the radio beam off the ice surface, and two additional events are seen directly from above the horizon.
HII regions are the birth places of stars, and as such they provide the best measure of current star formation rates (SFRs) in galaxies. The close proximity of the Magellanic Clouds allows us to probe the nature of these star forming regions at small spatial scales. We aim to determine the monochromatic IR band that most accurately traces the bolometric IR flux (TIR), which can then be used to estimate an obscured SFR. We present the spatial analysis, via aperture/annulus photometry, of 16 LMC and 16 SMC HII region complexes using the Spitzer IRAC and MIPS bands. UV rocket data and SHASSA H-alpha data are also included. We find that nearly all of the LMC and SMC HII region SEDs peak around 70um, from ~10 to ~400 pc from the central sources. As a result, the sizes of HII regions as probed by 70um is approximately equal to the sizes as probed by TIR (about 70 pc in radius); the radial profile of the 70um flux, normalized by TIR, is constant at all radii (70um ~ 0.45 TIR); the 1-sigma standard deviation of the 70um fluxes, normalized by TIR, is a lower fraction of the mean (0.05 to 0.12 out to ~220 pc) than the normalized 8, 24, and 160um normalized fluxes (0.12 to 0.52); and these results are invariant between the LMC and SMC. From these results, we argue that 70um is the most suitable IR band to use as a monochromatic obscured star formation indicator because it most accurately reproduces the TIR of HII regions in the LMC and SMC and over large spatial scales. We also explore the general trends of the 8, 24, 70, and 160um bands in the LMC and SMC HII region SEDs, radial surface brightness profiles, sizes, and normalized (by TIR) radial flux profiles. We derive an obscured SFR equation that is modified from the literature to use 70um luminosity, SFR(Mo/yr) = 9.7(0.7)x10^{-44} L(70)(ergs/s), which is applicable from 10 to 300 pc distance from the center of an HII region.
We discuss the properties of orbits within the influence sphere of a supermassive black hole (BH), in the case that the surrounding star cluster is nonaxisymmetric. There are four major orbit families; one of these, the pyramid orbits, have the interesting property that they can approach arbitrarily closely to the BH. We derive the orbit-averaged equations of motion and show that in the limit of weak triaxiality, the pyramid orbits are integrable: the motion consists of a two-dimensional libration of the major axis of the orbit about the short axis of the triaxial figure, with eccentricity varying as a function of the two orientation angles, and reaching unity at the corners. Because pyramid orbits occupy the lowest angular momentum regions of phase space, they compete with collisional loss cone repopulation and with resonant relaxation in supplying matter to BHs. We derive expressions for the capture rate, including the effects of general relativistic precession which imposes an upper limit to the eccentricity. We show that capture from pyramid orbits can dominate the feeding of BHs, particularly in giant galaxies, at least until such a time as the pyramid orbits are depleted; however this time can be of order a Hubble time. Our results provide new insight into the mechanism of resonant relaxation, particularly as it applies to very eccentric orbits.
The high-frequency-peaked BL Lacertae object RGB J0710+591 was observed in the very high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) wave band by the VERITAS array of atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The observations, taken between 2008 December and 2009 March and totaling 22.1 hr, yield the discovery of VHE gamma rays from the source. RGB J0710+591 is detected at a statistical significance of 5.5 standard deviations (5.5{\sigma}) above the background, corresponding to an integral flux of (3.9 +/- 0.8) x 10-12 cm-2 s-1 (3% of the Crab Nebula's flux) above 300 GeV. The observed spectrum can be fit by a power law from 0.31 to 4.6 TeV with a photon spectral index of 2.69 +/- 0.26stat +/- 0.20sys. These data are complemented by contemporaneous multiwavelength data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope, the Swift X-ray Telescope, the Swift Ultra-Violet and Optical Telescope, and the Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT observatory. Modeling the broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) with an equilibrium synchrotron self-Compton model yields a good statistical fit to the data. The addition of an external-Compton component to the model does not improve the fit nor brings the system closer to equipartition. The combined Fermi and VERITAS data constrain the properties of the high-energy emission component of the source over 4 orders of magnitude and give measurements of the rising and falling sections of the SED.
Acoustic peaks in the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background in spherically symmetric inhomogeneous cosmological models are studied. At the photon-baryon decoupling epoch, the universe may be assumed to be dominated by non-relativistic matter, and thus we may treat radiation as a test field in the universe filled with dust which is described by the Lema\^itre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) solution. First, we give an LTB model whose distance-redshift relation agrees with to that of the concordance $\Lambda$CDM model in the whole redshift domain and which is well approximated by the Einstein-de Sitter universe at and before decoupling. We determine the decoupling epoch in this LTB universe by Gamow's criterion and then calculate the positions of acoustic peaks. Thus obtained results are not consistent with the WMAP data. However, we find that one can fit the peak positions by appropriately modifying the LTB model, namely, by allowing the deviation of the distance-redshift relation from that of the concordance $\Lambda$CDM model at $z>2$ where no observational data are available at present. Thus there is still a possibility of explaining the apparent accelerated expansion of the universe by inhomogeneity without resorting to dark energy if we abandon the Copernican principle. Even if we do not take this extreme attitude, it also suggests that local, isotropic inhomogeneities around us may seriously affect the determination of the density contents of the universe unless the possible existence of such inhomogeneities is properly taken into account.
We report the Suzaku observation of 1E 1740.7-2942, a black hole candidate called the "Great Annihilator" (GA). The high-quality spectrum of Suzaku provides the severest constraints on the parameters of the GA. Two clumpy structures are found around the GA in the line images of FeI Kalpha at 6.4 keV and SXV Kalpha at 2.45 keV. One clump named M359.23-0.04 exhibits the 6.4-keV line with an equivalent width of ~ 1.2 keV, and is associated with a molecular cloud in the radio CS(J=1-0) map. Thus the 6.4-keV line from M359.23-0.04 is likely due to X-ray fluorescence irradiated by an external X-ray source. The irradiating X-rays would be either the past flare of Sagittarius A* or the bright nearby source, the GA. The other clump named G359.12-0.05 is associated with the radio supernova remnant candidate G359.07-0.02. We therefore propose that G359.12-0.05 is an X-ray counterpart of G359.07-0.02. G359.12-0.05 has a thin thermal plasma spectrum with a temperature of kT ~ 0.9 keV. The plasma parameters of G359.12-0.05 are consistent with those of a single supernova remnant in the Galactic center region.
Despite our present-day inability to predict the topology of the universe it is expected that we should be able to detect it in the near future. A nontrivial detectable topology of the space section of the universe can be probed for all homogeneous and isotropic universes through the circles-in-the-sky. We discuss briefly how one can use this observable attribute to set constraints on the dark energy equation of state parameters.
A new type of high-energy binary system has been revealed by the INTEGRAL satellite. These sources are being unveiled by means of multi-wavelength optical, near- and mid-infrared observations. Among these sources, two distinct classes are appearing: the first one is constituted of intrinsically obscured high-energy sources, of which IGR J16318-4848 seems to be the most extreme example. The second one is populated by the so-called supergiant fast X-ray transients, with IGR J17544-2619 being the archetype. We first give here a general introduction on INTEGRAL sources, before reporting on multi-wavelength optical to mid-infrared observations of a sample constituted of 21 INTEGRAL sources. We show that in the case of obscured sources our observations suggest the presence of absorbing material (dust and/or cold gas) enshrouding the whole binary system. We finally discuss the nature of these two different types of sources, in the context of high energy binary systems, and give a scenario of unification of all these different types of high energy sources, based on their high energy properties.
The Large Area Telescope on the Fermi gamma-ray Space Telescope provides unprecedented sensitivity for all-sky monitoring of gamma-ray activity. It has detected a few Galactic sources, including 2 gamma-ray binaries and a microquasar. In addition, it is an adequate telescope to detect other transient sources. The observatory scans the entire sky every three hours and allows a general search for flaring activity on daily timescales. This search is conducted automatically as part of the ground processing of the data and allows a fast response to transient events, typically less than a day. Most of the outbursts detected are spatially associated with known blazars, but in several cases during the first years of observations, gamma-ray flares occurring near the Galactic plane did not reveal any initially compelling counterparts. This prompted follow-up observations in X-ray, optical, and radio to attempt to identify the origin of the emission and probe the possible existence of a class of transient gamma-ray sources in the Galaxy. Here we report on these LAT events and the results of the multiwavelength counterpart searches.
Many astrophysical phenomena are highly subsonic, requiring specialized numerical methods suitable for long-time integration. In a series of earlier papers we described the development of MAESTRO, a low Mach number stellar hydrodynamics code that can be used to simulate long-time, low-speed flows that would be prohibitively expensive to model using traditional compressible codes. MAESTRO is based on an equation set derived using low Mach number asymptotics; this equation set does not explicitly track acoustic waves and thus allows a significant increase in the time step. MAESTRO is suitable for two- and three-dimensional local atmospheric flows as well as three-dimensional full-star flows. Here, we continue the development of MAESTRO by incorporating adaptive mesh refinement (AMR). The primary difference between MAESTRO and other structured grid AMR approaches for incompressible and low Mach number flows is the presence of the time-dependent base state, whose evolution is coupled to the evolution of the full solution. We also describe how to incorporate the expansion of the base state for full-star flows, which involves a novel mapping technique between the one-dimensional base state and the Cartesian grid, as well as a number of overall improvements to the algorithm. We examine the efficiency and accuracy of our adaptive code, and demonstrate that it is suitable for further study of our initial scientific application, the convective phase of Type Ia supernovae.
We present a new code, CASTRO, that solves the multicomponent compressible hydrodynamic equations for astrophysical flows including self-gravity, nuclear reactions and radiation. CASTRO uses an Eulerian grid and incorporates adaptive mesh refinement (AMR). Our approach to AMR uses a nested hierarchy of logically-rectangular grids with simultaneous refinement in both space and time. The radiation component of CASTRO will be described in detail in the next paper, Part II, of this series.
We present the Hubble diagram (HD) of 66 Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) derived using only data from their X - ray afterglow lightcurve. To this end, we use the recently updated L_X - T_a correlation between the break time T_a and the X - ray luminosity L_X measured at T_a calibrated from a sample of Swift GRBs with lightcurves well fitted by the Willingale et al. (2007) model. We then investigate the use of this HD to constrain cosmological parameters when used alone or in combination with other data showing that the use of GRBs leads to constraints in agreement with previous results in literature. We finally argue that a larger sample of high luminosity GRBs can provide a valuable information in the search for the correct cosmological model.
We model the evolution of buoyant magnetic flux tubes in the Sun's convection zone. A flux tube is assumed to lie initially near the top of the stably stratified radiative core below the convection zone, but a segment of it is perturbed into the convection zone by gradual heating and convective overshoot motions. The ends ("footpoints") of the segment remain anchored at the base of the convection zone, and if the segment is sufficiently long, it may be buoyantly unstable, rising through the convection zone in a short time. The length of the flux tube determines the ratio of buoyancy to magnetic tension: short loops of flux are arrested before reaching the top of the convection zone, while longer loops emerge to erupt through the photosphere. Using Spruit's convection zone model, we compute the minimum footpoint separation $L_c$ required for erupting flux tubes. We explore the dependence of $L_c$ on the initial thermal state of the perturbed flux tube segment and on its initial magnetic field strength. Following an investigation of thermal diffusion time scales and the dynamic rise times of unstable flux tube segments, we conclude that the most likely origin for magnetic flux which erupts to the surface is from short length scale perturbations ($L < L_c$) which are initially stable, but which are subsequently destabilized either by diffusion of heat into the tube or by stretching of the anchor points until $L$ just exceeds $L_c$. In either case, the separation of the anchor points of the emergent tube should lie between the critical distance for a tube in mechanical equilibrium and one in thermal equilibrium. Finally, after comparing the dispersion of dynamic rise times with the much shorter observed active region formation time scales, we conclude that active regions form from the emergence of a single flux tube segment.
The structure of relativistic radiation mediated shocks (RRMS) propagating into a cold electron-proton plasma is calculated and analyzed. A qualitative discussion of the physics of relativistic and non relativistic shocks, including order of magnitude estimates for the relevant temperature and length scales, is presented. Detailed numerical solutions are derived for shock Lorentz factors $\Gamma_u$ in the range $6\le\Gamma_u\le30$, using a novel iteration technique solving the hydrodynamics and radiation transport equations (the protons, electrons and positrons are argued to be coupled by collective plasma processes and are treated as a fluid). The shock transition (deceleration) region, where the Lorentz factor $ \Gamma $ drops from $ \Gamma_u $ to $ \sim 1 $, is characterized by high plasma temperatures $ T\sim \Gamma m_ec^2 $ and highly anisotropic radiation, with characteristic shock-frame energy of upstream and downstream going photons of a few~$\times\, m_ec^2$ and $\sim \Gamma^2 m_ec^2$, respectively.Photon scattering is dominated by e$^\pm$ pairs, with pair to proton density ratio reaching $\approx10^2\Gamma_u$. The width of the deceleration region, in terms of Thomson optical depths for upstream going photons, is large, $\Delta\tau\sim\Gamma_u^2$ ($\Delta\tau\sim1$ neglecting the contribution of pairs) due to Klein Nishina suppression of the scattering cross section. A high energy photon component, narrowly beamed in the downstream direction, with a nearly flat power-law like spectrum, $\nu I_\nu\propto\nu^0$, and an energy cutoff at $ \sim \Gamma_u^2 m_ec^2 $ carries a fair fraction of the energy flux at the end of the deceleration region. An approximate analytic model of RRMS, reproducing the main features of the numerical results, is provided.
The observed relation between the X-ray radiation from AGNs, originating in the corona, and the optical/UV radiation from the disk is usually described by the anticorrelation between the UV to X-ray slope alpha_ox and the UV luminosity. Many factors can affect this relation, including: enhanced X-ray emission associated with the jets of radio-loud AGNs; X-ray absorption associated with the UV Broad Absorption Line (BAL) outflows; other X-ray absorption not associated with BALs; intrinsic X-ray weakness; UV and X-ray variability, and non-simultaneity of UV and X-ray observations. The separation of these effects provides information on the intrinsic alpha_ox-L_UV relation and its dispersion, constraining models of disk-corona coupling. We extract simultaneous data from the second XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue and from the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor Serendipitous UV Source Survey Catalog, and derive the single-epoch alpha_ox indexes. We use ensemble Structure Functions to analyse multi-epoch data. We confirm the anticorrelation of alpha_ox with L_UV, and we do not find evidence for a dependence of alpha_ox on z. The dispersion of our simultaneous data (0.12) is not significantly smaller w.r.t. previous non-simultaneous studies, suggesting that "artificial alpha_ox variability" introduced by non-simultaneity is not the main cause of dispersion. "Intrinsic alpha_ox variability", i.e. true variability of the X-ray to optical ratio, is instead important, and accounts for ~30% of the total variance, or more. "Inter-source dispersion", due to intrinsic differences in the average alpha_ox values from source to source, is also important. The dispersion introduced by variability is mostly contributed by the long time scale variations, which are expected to be driven by the optical variations.
We constrain a stochastic background (SB) of primordial magnetic field (PMF) by its contribution to angular power spectrum of cosmic microwave background anisotropies. We parametrize such stochastic background by a power-law spectrum with index $n_B$ and by its Gaussian smoothed amplitude $B_\lambda$ on a comoving length $\lambda$. We give an approximation for the spectra of the relevant correlators of the energy-momentum of the SB of PMF for any $n_B$. By using the WMAP 7 year data in combination with ACBAR, BICEP and QUAD we obtain the follwing constraints for a SB of non-helical PMF: $B_{1 {\rm Mpc}} < 5.0$ nG and $n_B < - 0.12$ at $95\%$ CL. We discuss the relative importance of the scalar and vector contribution in obtaining these constraints. We then forecast {\sc Planck} capabilities in constraining $B_{1 {\rm Mpc}}$ and $n_B$.
We have identified nine new SNR candidates in M74 with [S II]/H$\alpha$ $\geq$ 0.4 as the basic criterion. We obtain [S II]/H$\alpha$ ratio in the range from 0.40 to 0.91 and H$\alpha$ intensities from 2.8 $\times$ $10^{-15}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ to 1.7 $\times$ $10^{-14}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. We also present spectral follow-up observations of the SNR candidates and can confirm only three of them (SNR2, SNR3, and SNR5). The lack of confirmation for the rest might be due to the contamination by the nearby H II emission regions as well as due to the inaccurate positioning of the long slit on these objects. In addition, we search the $Chandra$ Observatory archival data for the X-ray counterparts to the optically identified candidates. We find positional coincidence with only three SNR candidates, SNR1, SNR2, and SNR8. The spectrum of SNR2 yields a shock temperature of 10.8 keV with an ionization timescale of 1.6 $\times$ 10$^{10}$ s cm$^{-3}$ indicating a relatively young remnant in an early Sedov phase which is not supported by our optical wavelength analysis. Given the high luminosity of 10$^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$ and the characteristics of the X-ray spectrum, we favor an Ultra Luminous X-ray Source interpretation for this source associated with an SNR. We calculate an X-ray flux upper limit of 9.0 $\times$ $10^{-15}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ for the rest of the SNRs including spectroscopically identified SNR3 and SNR5.
We present an analysis of the science image quality obtained on the twin 6.5 metre Magellan telescopes over a 1.5 year period, using images of ~10^5 stars. We find that the telescopes generally obtain significantly better image quality than the DIMM-measured seeing. This is qualitatively consistent with expectations for large telescopes, where the wavefront outer scale of the turbulence spectrum plays a significant role. However, the dominant effect is found to be wind speed with Magellan outperforming the DIMMs most markedly when the wind is strongest. Excluding data taken during strong wind conditions (>10 m/s), we find that the Magellan telescopes still significantly outperform the DIMM seeing, and we estimate the site to have L_0 ~ 25 m on average. We also report on the first detection of a negative bias in DIMM data. This is found to occur, as predicted, when the DIMM is affected by certain optical aberrations and the turbulence profile is dominated by the upper layers of the atmosphere.
A kinetic equation for the collisional evolution of stable, bound, self gravitating and slowly relaxing systems is established, which is valid when the number of constituents is very large. It accounts for the detailed dynamics and self consistent dressing by collective gravitational interaction of the colliding particles, for the system's inhomogeneity and for different constituent's masses. The evolution of the one-body distribution function is described in action angle space. The collision operators are expressed in terms of the collective response function allowed by the existing distribution functions at any given time and involve particles in resonant motions. The set of equations which describe the coupled evolution of the distribution functions and of the potential is derived for spherical systems. In the homogeneous limit, which sacrifices the description of the evolution of the spatial structure of the system, but retains the effects of collective gravitational dressing, the kinetic equation reduces to a form similar to the Balescu-Lenard equation of plasma physics.
We study the spherical collapse model for several dark energy scenarios using the fully nonlinear differential equation for the evolution of the density contrast within homogeneous spherical overdensities derived from Newtonian hydrodynamics. While mathematically equivalent to the more common approach based on the differential equation for the radius of the perturbation, this approach has substantial conceptual as well as numerical advantages. Among the most important are that no singularities at early times appear, which avoids numerical problems in particular in applications to cosmologies with dynamical and early dark energy, and that the assumption of time-reversal symmetry can easily be dropped where it is not strictly satisfied. We use this approach to derive the two parameters characterising the spherical-collapse model, i.e.~the linear density threshold for collapse $\delta_\mathrm{c}$ and the virial overdensity $\Delta_\mathrm{V}$, for a broad variety of dark-energy models and to reconsider these parameters in cosmologies with early dark energy. We find that, independently of the model under investigation, $\delta_\mathrm{c}$ and $\Delta_\mathrm{V}$ are always very close to the values obtained for the standard $\Lambda$CDM model, arguing that the abundance of and the mean density within non-linear structures are quite insensitive to the differences between dark-energy cosmologies. Regarding early dark energy, we thus arrive at a different conclusion than some earlier papers, including one from our group, and we explain why.
While usually cosmological initial conditions are assumed to be Gaussian, inflationary theories can predict a certain amount of primordial non-Gaussianity which can have an impact on the statistical properties of the lensing observables. In order to evaluate this effect, we build a large set of realistic maps of different lensing quantities starting from light-cones extracted from large dark-matter only N-body simulations with initial conditions corresponding to different levels of primordial local non-Gaussianity strength $f_{\rm NL}$. Considering various statistical quantities (PDF, power spectrum, shear in aperture, skewness and bispectrum) we find that the effect produced by the presence of primordial non-Gaussianity is relatively small, being of the order of few per cent for values of $|f_{\rm NL}|$ compatible with the present CMB constraints and reaching at most 15-20 per cent for the most extreme cases with $|f_{\rm NL}|=1000$. We also discuss the degeneracy of this effect with the uncertainties due to the power spectrum normalization $\sigma_8$, finding that an error in the determination of $\sigma_8$ of about 3 per cent gives differences comparable with non-Gaussian models having $f_{\rm NL}=\pm 1000$. These results suggest that the possible presence of an amount of primordial non-Gaussianity corresponding to $|f_{\rm NL}|=100$ is not hampering a robust determination of the main cosmological parameters in present and future weak lensing surveys, while a positive detection of deviations from the Gaussian hypothesis is possible only breaking the degeneracy with other cosmological parameters and using data from deep surveys covering a large fraction of the sky.
The stellar helium-to-metal enrichment ratio, \Delta Y/\Delta Z, is a widely studied astrophysical quantity. However, its value is still not precisely constrained. This paper is focused on the study of the main sources of uncertainty which affect the \Delta Y/\Delta Z derived from the analysis of the low-main sequence (MS) stars in the solar neighborhood. The possibility to infer the value of \Delta Y/\Delta Z from the study of low-MS stars relies on the dependence of the stellar luminosity and effective temperature on the initial Y and Z. The \Delta Y/\Delta Z ratio is obtained by comparing the magnitude difference between the observed stars and a reference theoretical zero age main sequence (ZAMS) with the related theoretical magnitude differences computed from a new set of stellar models with up-to-date input physics and a fine grid of chemical compositions. A Monte Carlo approach has been used to evaluate the impact on the result of different sources of uncertainty, i.e. observational errors, evolutionary effects, systematic uncertainties of the models. As a check of the procedure, the method has been applied to a different data set, namely the low-MS of the Hyades. Once a set of ZAMS and atmosphere models have been chosen, we found that the inferred value of \Delta Y/\Delta Z is sensitive to the age of the stellar sample, even if we restricted the data set to low luminosity stars. The lack of an accurate age estimate of low mass field stars leads to an underestimate of the inferred \Delta Y/\Delta Z of ~2 units. On the contrary the method firmly recovers the \Delta Y/\Delta Z value for not evolved samples of stars such as the Hyades low-MS. Adopting a solar calibrated mixing-length parameter and the PHOENIX GAIA v2.6.1 atmospheric models, we found \Delta Y/\Delta Z = 5.3 +/- 1.4 once the age correction has been applied. The Hyades sample provided a perfectly consistent value.
Context: In 6 years of operation, INTEGRAL/ISGRI revealed more than 500 sources. Many of these sources are variable. Taking into account that nearly half of INTEGRAL/ISGRI sources are new and many of them are still unidentified, the variability properties of the sources can serve as additional parameters that may help to classify and identify the unknown sources. Aims: In order to study the variability properties of the sources detected by INTEGRAL/ISGRI we develop a method to quantify the variability of a source. We describe here our techniques and compile a catalog of the sources that fit our criteria of variability. Methods: We use the natural time binning of INTEGRAL observations called Science Window ($\approx 2000$ seconds) and test the hypothesis that the detected sources are constant using a $\chi^2$ all-sky map in three energy bands (20-40, 40-100, 100-200 keV). We calculate an intrinsic variance of the flux in individual pixels and use it to define the fractional variability of a source. The method is sensitive to the source variability on time scales of one Science Window and higher. We concentrate only on the sources which were already reported to be detected by INTEGRAL. Results: We present a catalog of 202 sources which are found to be significantly variable. For the catalog sources we give the measure of variability and fluxes with corresponding errors in 20-40, 40-100, 100-200 keV energy bands, and we present some statistics about the population of variable sources. The description of the physical properties of the variable sources will be given in a forthcoming paper.
Ultrahigh energy neutrons and pions are likely to be produced in particle interactions inside cosmic ray sources and subsequently decay to neutrinos and other secondary particles ($\pi^\pm \rightarrow \mu^\pm\nu_\mu(\bar \nu_\mu),\mu^\pm \rightarrow e^\pm \bar\nu_\mu(\nu_\mu) \nu_e(\bar\nu_e)$). In high magnetic fields of the cosmic acceleration sites, the ultrahigh energy charged particles may lose energy significantly due to synchrotron radiation before decay. We show that for gamma ray bursts in the internal shock model the flux of very high energy antineutrinos ($\bar \nu_e$) produced from decaying ultrahigh energy neutrons can be more than the total neutrino flux produced in pion decay depending on the values of their Lorentz factors, luminosities and variability times.
We examine the nonlinear magnetofrictional extrapolation scheme using the solar active region model by Titov and D\'emoulin as test field. This model consists of an arched, line-tied current channel held in force-free equilibrium by the potential field of a bipolar flux distribution in the bottom boundary. A modified version, having a parabolic current density profile, is employed here. We find that the equilibrium is reconstructed with very high accuracy in a representative range of parameter space, using only the vector field in the bottom boundary as input. Structural features formed in the interface between the flux rope and the surrounding arcade-"hyperbolic flux tube" and "bald patch separatrix surface"-are reliably reproduced, as are the flux rope twist and the energy and helicity of the configuration. This demonstrates that force-free fields containing these basic structural elements of solar active regions can be obtained by extrapolation. The influence of the chosen initial condition on the accuracy of reconstruction is also addressed, confirming that the initial field that best matches the external potential field of the model quite naturally leads to the best reconstruction. Extrapolating the magnetogram of a Titov-D\'emoulin equilibrium in the unstable range of parameter space yields a sequence of two opposing evolutionary phases which clearly indicate the unstable nature of the configuration: a partial buildup of the flux rope with rising free energy is followed by destruction of the rope, losing most of the free energy.
We measure the topology of the main galaxy distribution using the Seventh Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, examining the dependence of galaxy clustering topology on galaxy properties. The observational results are used to test galaxy formation models. A volume-limited sample defined by $M_r<-20.19$ enables us to measure the genus curve with amplitude of $G=378$ at $6h^{-1}$Mpc smoothing scale, with 4.8\% uncertainty including all systematics and cosmic variance. The clustering topology over the smoothing length interval from 6 to $10 h^{-1}$Mpc reveals a mild scale-dependence for the shift ($\Delta\nu$) and void abundance ($A_V$) parameters of the genus curve. We find substantial bias in the topology of galaxy clustering with respect to the predicted topology of the matter distribution, which varies with luminosity, morphology, color, and the smoothing scale of the density field. The distribution of relatively brighter galaxies shows a greater prevalence of isolated clusters and more percolated voids. Even though early (late)-type galaxies show topology similar to that of red (blue) galaxies, the morphology dependence of topology is not identical to the color dependence. In particular, the void abundance parameter $A_V$ depends on morphology more strongly than on color. We test five galaxy assignment schemes applied to cosmological N-body simulations of a $\Lambda$CDM universe to generate mock galaxies: the Halo-Galaxy one-to-one Correspondence model, the Halo Occupation Distribution model, and three implementations of Semi-Analytic Models (SAMs). None of the models reproduces all aspects of the observed clustering topology; the deviations vary from one model to another but include statistically significant discrepancies in the abundance of isolated voids or isolated clusters and the amplitude and overall shift of the genus curve. (Abridged)
We provide hot star wind models with radiative force calculated using the solution of comoving frame (CMF) radiative transfer equation. The wind models are calculated for first stars, O stars, and central stars of planetary nebulae. We show that without line overlaps and with solely thermal line broadening the pure Sobolev approximation gives reliable estimate of the radiative force even close to the wind sonic point. Consequently, models with the Sobolev line force provide good approximation for solutions obtained with non-Sobolev transfer. Taking line overlaps into account, the radiative force becomes slightly lower, which leads to the decrease of the wind mass-loss rate by roughly 40%. Below the sonic point the CMF line force is significantly lower than the Sobolev one. In the case of pure thermal broadening this does not influence the mass-loss rate, as the wind mass-loss rate is set in the supersonic part of the wind. However, when additional line broadening is present (e.g., the turbulent one) the region of low CMF line force may extend outwards to the regions where the mass-loss rate is set. This results in decrease of the wind mass-loss rate. This effect can at least partly explain low wind mass-loss rates derived from some observational analyses of luminous O stars.
CCD photometric observations in VRI colors and spectroscopic observations of the newly discovered eclipsing binary GSC 2314-0530 (NSVS 6550671) with dMe components and very short period of P=0.192636 days are presented. The simultaneous light-curve solution and radial velocity solution allows to determine the global parameters of GSC 2314-0530: T_{1}=3735 K; T_{2}=3106 K; M_{1}=0.51 M_sun; M_{2}=0.26 M_sun; R_{1}=0.55 R_sun; R_{2}=0.29 R_sun; L_{1}=0.053 L_sun; L_{2}=0.007 L_sun; i=72.5 degr; a=1.28 R_sun; d=59 pc. The chromospheric activity of its components is revealed by strong emission in the H_alpha line (with mean EW=5 A) and observed several flares. Empirical relations mass-M_{bol}, mass-radius and mass-temperature are derived on the basis of the parameters of known binaries with low-mass dM components.
It is shown that the Hubble constant can be derived from the standard luminosity function of galaxies as well as from a new luminosity function as deduced from the mass-luminosity relationship for galaxies. An analytical expression for the Hubble constant can be found from the maximum number of galaxies (in a given solid angle and flux) as a function of the redshift. A second analytical definition of the Hubble constant can be found from the redshift averaged over a given solid angle and flux. The analysis of two luminosity functions for galaxies brings to four the new definitions of the Hubble constant. The equation that regulates the Malmquist bias for galaxies is derived and as a consequence it is possible to extract a complete sample. The application of these new formulae to the data of the two-degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey provides a Hubble constant of $( 65.26 \pm 8.22 ) \mathrm{\ km\ s}^{-1}\mathrm{\ Mpc}^{-1}$ for a redshift lower than 0.042. All the results are deduced in a Euclidean universe because the concept of space-time curvature is not necessary as well as in a static universe because two mechanisms for the redshift of galaxies alternative to the Doppler effect are invoked.
We present the angular correlation function of the X-ray population of 1063 XMM-Newton observations at high Galactic latitudes, comprising up to ~30000 sources over a sky area of ~125 sq. degrees in the energy bands: soft (0.5-2 keV) and hard (2-10 keV). This is the largest sample of serendipitous X-ray sources ever used for clustering analysis purposes to date and the results have been determined with unprecedented accuracy. We detect significant clustering signals in the soft and hard bands (~10 sigma and ~5 sigma, respectively). We deproject the angular correlation function via Limber's equation and calculate the typical spatial lengths. We infer that AGN at redshifts ~1 are embedded in dark matter halos with typical masses of log M ~ 12.6/h Msol and lifetimes in the range ~3-5 x 10^8 years, which indicates that AGN activity is a transient phase in the life of galaxies.
CoRoT and Kepler missions are now providing high-quality asteroseismic data for a large number of stars. Among intermediate-mass and massive stars, fast rotators are common objects. Taking into account the rotation effects is needed to correctly understand, identify, and interpret the observed oscillation frequencies of these stars. A classical approach is to consider the rotation as a perturbation. In this paper, we focus on gravity modes, such as those occurring in gamma Doradus, Slowly Pulsating B (SPB), or Be stars. We aim to define the suitability of perturbative methods. With the Two-dimensional Oscillation Program (TOP), we performed complete computations of gravity modes (including the Coriolis force, the centrifugal distortion and compressible effects) in 2-D distorted polytropic models of stars. We started with the modes l=1, n=1-14, and l=2-3, n=1-5, 16-20 of a non-rotating star, and followed these modes by increasing the rotation rate up to 70% of the break-up rotation rate. We then derived perturbative coefficients and determined the domains of validity of the perturbative methods. Second-order perturbative methods are suited for computing low-order low-degree mode frequencies up to rotation speeds ~100 km/s for typical gamma-Dor stars or ~150 km/s for B stars. The domains of validity can be extended by a few tens of km/s thanks to the third-order terms. For higher-order modes, the domains of validity are noticeably reduced. Moreover, for modes with frequencies smaller than the Coriolis frequency, perturbative methods are inefficient. We interpret this failure as a consequence of a modification in the shape of the resonant cavity that is not taken into account in the perturbative approach.
We collected rich series of RV measurements covering last 110 years and photometric observations from the past 6 primary eclipses, complemented them by our new observations and derived a new precise ephemeris and an orbital solution of epsilon Aur.
Our analysis is aimed at characterizing the properties of the integrated spectrum of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) such as the ubiquity of the Fe K{\alpha} emission in AGNs and the dependence of the spectral parameters on the X-ray luminosity and redshift. We selected 2646 point sources from the 2XMM catalogue at high galactic latitude (|BII| > 25 degrees) and with the sum of EPIC-PN and EPIC-MOS 0.2-12 keV counts greater than 1000. Redshifts were obtained for 916 sources from the NED. The final sample consists of 507 AGN. Individual source spectra have been summed in the observed frame to compute the integrated spectra in different redshift and luminosity bins over the range 0<z<5. Detailed analysis of these spectra has been performed. We find that the narrow Fe K{\alpha} line at 6.4 keV is significantly detected up to z=1. The line equivalent width decreases with increasing X-ray luminosity in the 2-10 keV band (''IT effect''). The anti-correlation is characterized by the relation log(EWFe) = (1.66 +/- 0.09) + (-0.43 +/- 0.07) log(LX,44), where EWFe is the rest frame equivalent width of the neutral iron K{\alpha} line in eV and LX,44 is the 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity in units of 10^{44} erg s^{-1}. The equivalent width is nearly independent of redshift up to z ~ 0.8 with an average value of 101+/-40 (rms dispersion) eV in the luminosity range 43.5<= logLX <= 44.5. Our analysis also confirmed the hardening of the spectral indices at low luminosities implying a dependence of obscuration on luminosity. We confirm that the neutral narrow Fe K{\alpha} line is an almost ubiquitous feature of AGNs. We find compelling evidence for the ''IT effect'' over a redshift interval larger than probed in any previous study. We detect no evolution of the average rest frame equivalent width of the Fe K{\alpha} line with redshift.
Stellar activity has a particularly strong influence on planets at small orbital distances, such as close-in exoplanets. For such planets, we present two extreme cases of stellar variability, namely stellar coronal mass ejections and stellar wind, which both result in the planetary environment being variable on a timescale of billions of years. For both cases, direct interaction of the streaming plasma with the planetary atmosphere would entail servere consequences. In certain cases, however, the planetary atmosphere can be effectively shielded by a strong planetary magnetic field. The efficiency of this shielding is determined by the planetary magnetic dipole moment, which is difficult to constrain by either models or observations. We present different factors which influence the strength of the planetary magnetic dipole moment. Implications are discussed, including nonthermal atmospheric loss, atmospheric biomarkers, and planetary habitability.
We study a coupled dark energy-dark matter model in which the energy-momentum exchange is proportional to the Hubble expansion rate. The inclusion of its perturbation is required by gauge invariance. We derive the linear perturbation equations for the gauge invariant energy density contrast and velocity of the coupled fluids, and we determine the initial conditions. The latter turn out to be adiabatic for dark energy, when assuming adiabatic initial conditions for all the standard fluids. We perform a full Monte Carlo Markov Chain likelihood analysis of the model, using WMAP 7-year data.
Blue straggler, which are stars that appear to be younger than they should be, are an important population of unusual stars in both stellar clusters and the halo field of the Galaxy. Most formation scenarios evoke either stellar collisions or binary stars that transfer mass or merge. We investigate high-velocity stars in the Galactic halo and perform a spectral and kinematical analysis to shed light on their nature and origin. Here we report that SDSSJ130005.62+042201.6 (J1300+0422 for short) is an A-type star of unusually large radial velocity (504.6 $\pm$ 5 \kms). From a quantitative NLTE (and LTE) spectral analysis of medium-resolution optical spectra, the elemental composition is derived. Proper motion measurements combined with a spectroscopic distance estimate allow us to determine its present space velocity. Its kinematical properties are derived by integrating the equation of motion in the Galactic potential. We find J1300+0422 to be metal poor ([M/H]=$-1.2$) and exhibit an $\alpha$-element enrichment ($0.3-0.4$~dex) that is characteristic of the halo population, as confirmed by a kinematical analysis of its 3D space motions, which places it on a highly eccentric retrograde Galactic orbit. The mass of J1300+0422 (1.15 $\pm$ 0.10 M$_\odot$) is higher than the globular cluster turn-off masses indicating that it is a halo blue straggler star. At a Galactic rest-frame velocity of $\approx$467~\kms, the star travels faster than any known blue straggler but is still bound to the Galaxy.
We present deep XMM observations and ESO WFI optical imaging of two X-ray-selected fossil group candidates, RXCJ0216.7-4749 and RXCJ2315.7-0222. Using the X-ray data, we derive total mass profiles under the hydrostatic equilibrium assumption. The central regions of RXCJ0216.7-4749 are found to be dominated by an X-ray bright AGN, and although we derive a mass profile, uncertainties are large and the constraints are significantly weakened due to the presence of the central source. The total mass profile of RXCJ2315.7-0222 is of high quality, being measured in fifteen bins from [0.075 - 0.75]R500 and containing three data points interior to 30 kpc, allowing comprehensive investigation of its properties. We probe several mass models based on the standard NFW profile or on the Sersic-like model recently suggested by high-resolution N-body simulations. We find that the addition of a stellar component due to the presence of the central galaxy is necessary for a good analytical model fit. In all mass profile models fitted, the mass concentration is not especially high compared to non-fossil systems. In addition, the modification of the dark matter halo by adiabatic contraction slightly improves the fit. However, our result depends critically on the choice of IMF used to convert galaxy luminosity to mass, which leads to a degeneracy between the central slope of the dark matter profile and the normalisation of the stellar component. While we argue on the basis of the range of M_*/L_R ratios that lower M_*/L_R ratios are preferred on physical grounds and that adiabatic contraction has thus operated in this system, better theoretical and observational convergence on this problem is needed to make further progess.
With a state-of-the-art numerical method for solving the integral-differential equation of radiative transfer, we investigate the flux of the Ly$\alpha$ photon $\nu_0$ emergent from an optically thick halo containing a central light source. Our focus is on the time-dependent effects of the resonant scattering. We first show that the frequency distribution of photons in the halo are quickly approaching to a locally thermalized state around the resonant frequency, even when the mean intensity of the radiation is highly time-dependent. Since initial conditions are forgotten during the thermalization, some features of the flux, such as the two peak structure of its profile, actually are independent of the intrinsic width and time behavior of the central source, if the emergent photons are mainly from photons in the thermalized state. In this case, the difference $|\nu_{\pm}-\nu_0|$, where $\nu_{\pm}$ are the frequencies of the two peaks of the flux, cannot be less than $2$ times of Doppler broadening. We then study the radiative transfer in the case where the light emitted from the central source is a flash. We calculate the light curves of the flux from the halo. It shows that the flux is still a flash. The time duration of the flash for the flux, however, is independent of the original time duration of the light source but depends on the optical depth of the halo. Therefore, the spatial transfer of resonant photons is a diffusion process, even though it is not a purely Brownian diffusion. This property enables an optically thick halo to trap and store thermalized photons around $\nu_0$ for a long time after the cease of the central source emission. The photons trapped in the halo can yield delayed emission, of which the profile also shows typical two peak structure as that from locally thermalized photons. Possible applications of these results are addressed.
We summarize observations with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) of 571 starbursts (strong PAH emission features), 128 obscured AGN (strong silicate absorption), and 39 unobscured AGN (silicate emission). Sources range in luminosity from 10^{8} to 10^{14} solar luminosities and continuously in redshift for 0 < z < 3. The most luminous starbursts and AGN evolve as (1+z)^{2.5} to z ~ 2.5; no clear evidence is found that this evolution ceases beyond z = 2.5. Dust obscuration in starbursts is determined by comparing PAH luminosity with ultraviolet luminosity and indicates severe obscuration in most starbursts, even those selected in the ultraviolet; the median ratio (intrinsic ultraviolet/observed ultraviolet) is ~ 50 for infrared selected starbursts and ~ 8 for ultraviolet selected starbursts. Obscuration increases with bolometric luminosity, but starbursts which appear most luminous in the ultraviolet are those with the least obscuration. This result indicates that extinction corrections are significantly underestimated for ultraviolet selected sources, suggesting that galaxies at z ~> 2 are more luminous than deduced only from rest frame ultraviolet observations.
Using a 3D GCM, we create dynamical model atmospheres of a representative transiting giant exoplanet, HD 209458b. We post-process these atmospheres with an opacity code to obtain transit radius spectra during the primary transit. Using a spectral atmosphere code, we integrate over the face of the planet seen by an observer at various orbital phases and calculate light curves as a function of wavelength and for different photometric bands. The products of this study are generic predictions for the phase variations of a zero-eccentricity giant planet's transit spectrum and of its light curves. We find that for these models the temporal variations in all quantities and the ingress/egress contrasts in the transit radii are small ($< 1.0$\%). Moreover, we determine that the day/night contrasts and phase shifts of the brightness peaks relative to the ephemeris are functions of photometric band. The $J$, $H$, and $K$ bands are shifted most, while the IRAC bands are shifted least. Therefore, we verify that the magnitude of the downwind shift in the planetary ``hot spot" due to equatorial winds is strongly wavelength-dependent. The phase and wavelength dependence of light curves, and the associated day/night contrasts, can be used to constrain the circulation regime of irradiated giant planets and to probe different pressure levels of a hot Jupiter atmosphere. We posit that though our calculations focus on models of HD 209458b similar calculations for other transiting hot Jupiters in low-eccentricity orbits should yield transit spectra and light curves of a similar character.
Modern radio interferometers sensitive to low frequencies will make use of wide-band detectors. For such wide bandwidths, dispersive atmospheric effects introduce variations in the fringe delay which change through the band of the receivers. These undesired dispersive effects must be estimated and calibrated with the highest precision. We studied the achievable precision in the estimate of the ionospheric dispersion and the dynamic range of the correlated fringes for different distributions of sub-bands in low-frequency and wide-band interferometric observations. Our study is focused on the case of sub-bands with a bandwidth much narrower than that of the total covered spectrum (case of LOFAR). We computed the uncertainty of the ionospheric delay, the delay ambiguity, and the dynamic range of the fringes using four different kinds of sub-band distributions: constant spacing between sub-bands, random spacings, spacings based on a power-law distribution, and spacings based on Golomb rulers (sets of integers whose sets of differences have non-repeated elements). For a large number of sub-bands ($> 20$, depending on the delay window) spacings based on Golomb rulers give the most precise estimates of dispersive effects and the highest fringe dynamic ranges. Spacings based on the power-law distribution give similar results, although better than those with the Golomb rulers for smaller number of sub-bands. Random distributions result in large fringe dynamic ranges, but the estimate of dispersive effects is worse. A constant spacing of sub-bands results in very bad fringe dynamic ranges, but good estimates of ionospheric dispersion. Combining all the results, the power-law distribution gives the best compromise between homogeneity in the bandwidth sampling, precision in the estimate of ionospheric effects, dynamic range of the correlated fringes, and group-delay ambiguity.
M87 is a nearby radio galaxy that is detected at energies ranging from radio to VHE gamma-rays. Its proximity and its jet, misaligned from our line-of-sight, enable detailed morphological studies and extensive modeling at radio, optical, and X-ray energies. Flaring activity was observed at all energies, and multi-wavelength correlations would help clarify the origin of the VHE emission. In this paper, we describe a detailed temporal and spectral analysis of the VERITAS VHE gamma-ray observations of M87 in 2008 and 2009. In the 2008 observing season, VERITAS detected an excess with a statistical significance of 7.2 sigma from M87 during a joint multi-wavelength monitoring campaign conducted by three major VHE experiments along with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. In February 2008, VERITAS observed a VHE flare from M87 occurring over a 4-day timespan. The peak nightly flux above 250GeV was 7.7% of the Crab Nebula flux. M87 was marginally detected before this 4-day flare period, and was not detected afterwards. Spectral analysis of the VERITAS observations showed no significant change in the photon index between the flare and pre-flare states. Shortly after the VHE flare seen by VERITAS, the Chandra X-ray Observatory detected the flux from the core of M87 at a historical maximum, while the flux from the nearby knot HST-1 remained quiescent. Acciari et al. (2009) presented the 2008 contemporaneous VHE gamma-ray, Chandra X-ray, and VLBA radio observations which suggest the core as the most likely source of VHE emission, in contrast to the 2005 VHE flare that was simultaneous with an X-ray flare in the HST-1 knot. In 2009, VERITAS continued its monitoring of M87 and marginally detected a 4.2 sigma excess corresponding to a flux of ~1% of the Crab Nebula. No VHE flaring activity was observed in 2009.
A general class of gravitational models driven by a nonlocal scalar field with a linear or quadratic potential is considered. We study the action with an arbitrary analytic function $F(\Box)$, which has both simple and double roots. The way of localization of nonlocal Einstein equations is generalized on models with linear potentials. Exact solutions in the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker and Bianchi I metrics are presented.
We investigate the possibility of using the ratio between the 2-10 keV flux and the [Ne V]3426 emission line flux (X/NeV) as a diagnostic diagram to discover heavily obscured, possibly Compton-Thick Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) up to z~1.5. First, we calibrate a relation between X/NeV and the cold absorbing column density N_H using a sample of 74 bright, nearby Seyferts with both X-ray and [Ne V] data available in the literature. Similarly to what is found for the X-ray to [O III]5007 flux ratio (X/OIII), we found that the X/NeV ratio decreases towards large column densities. Essentially all local Seyferts with X/NeV values below 15 are found to be Compton-Thick objects. Second, we apply this diagnostic diagram to different samples of distant obscured and unobscured QSOs in the SDSS: blue, unobscured, type-1 QSOs in the redshift range z=[0.1-1.5] show X/NeV values typical of unobscured Seyfert 1s in the local Universe. Conversely, SDSS type-2 QSOs at z~0.5 classified either as Compton-Thick or Compton-Thin on the basis of their X/OIII ratio, would have been mostly classified in the same way based on the X/NeV ratio. We apply the X/NeV diagnostic diagram to 9 SDSS obscured QSOs in the redshift range z=[0.85-1.31], selected by means of their prominent [Ne V]3426 line and observed with Chandra ACIS-S for 10ks each. Based on the X/NeV ratio, complemented by X-ray spectral analysis, 2 objects appear good Compton-Thick QSO candidates, 4 objects appear as Compton-Thin QSOs, while 3 have an ambiguous classification. When excluding from the sample broad lined QSOs with a red continuum and thus considering only genuine narrow-line objects, the efficiency in selecting Compton-Thick QSOs through the [Ne V] line is about 50% (with large errors, though), more similar to what is achieved with [O III] selection. [abridged]
The XENON100 experiment, in operation at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy, is designed to search for dark matter WIMPs scattering off 62 kg of liquid xenon in an ultra-low background dual-phase time projection chamber. In this letter, we present first dark matter results from the analysis of 11.17 live days of non-blind data, acquired in October and November 2009. In the selected fiducial target of 40 kg, and within the pre-defined signal region, we observe no events and hence exclude spin-independent WIMP-nucleon elastic scattering cross-sections above 3 x 10^-44 cm^2 for 50 GeV/c^2 WIMPs at 90% confidence level. Below 20 GeV/c^2, this result challenges the interpretation of the CoGeNT or DAMA signals as being due to spin-independent, elastic, light mass WIMP interactions.
Past and current X-ray mission allow us to observe only a fraction of the volume occupied by the ICM. After reviewing the state of the art of cluster outskirts observations we discuss some important constraints that should be met when designing an experiment to measure X-ray emission out to the virial radius. From what we can surmise, WFXT is already designed to meet most of the requirements and should have no major difficulty in accommodating the remaining few.
We use a generalized delta N formalism, together with the in-in formalism to study the generation of the primordial curvature perturbation in the curvaton brane scenario inspired by stringy compactifications. We note that the non-Gaussian features, especially the trispectra, crucially depend on the decay mechanism in a general curvaton scenario. Specifically, we study the bispectra and trispectra of the curvaton brane model in detail to illustrate the importance of curvaton decay in generating nonlinear fluctuations. When the curvaton brane moves non-relativistically during inflation, the shape of non-Gaussianity is local, but the corresponding size is different from that in the standard curvaton scenario. When the curvaton brane moves relativistically in inflationary stage, the shape of non-Gaussianity is of equilateral type.
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(abridged) Significant progress has been made in the last years in the understanding of the jet formation mechanism through a combination of numerical simulations and analytical MHD models for outflows characterized by the symmetry of self-similarity. In a previous article we introduced models of truncated jets from disks, i.e. evolved in time numerical simulations based on a radially self-similar MHD solution, but including the effects of a finite radius of the jet-emitting disk and thus the outflow. These models need now to be compared with available observational data. A direct comparison of the results of combined analytical theoretical models and numerical simulations with observations has not been performed as yet. In order to compare our models with observed jet widths inferred from recent optical images taken with HST and AO observations, we use a new set of tools to create emission maps in different forbidden lines, from which we determine the jet width as the FWHM of the emission. It is shown that the untruncated analytical disk outflow solution considered here cannot fit the small jet widths inferred by observations of several jets. Various truncated disk-wind models are examined, whose extracted jet widths range from higher to lower values compared to the observations. Thus we can fit the observed range of jet widths by tuning our models. We conclude that truncation is necessary to reproduce the observed jet widths and our simulations limit the possible range of truncation radii. We infer that the truncation radius, which is the radius on the disk mid-plane where the jet-emitting disk switches to a standard disk, must be between around 0.1 up to about 1 AU in the observed sample for the considered disk-wind solution. One disk-wind simulation with an inner truncation radius at about 0.11 AU also shows potential for reproducing the observations, but a parameter study is needed.
We investigate the velocity dispersion of Pal 14, an outer Milky-Way globular cluster at Galactocentric distance of 71 kpc with a very low stellar density (central density 0.1-0.2 Msun/pc^3). Due to this low stellar density the binary population of Pal 14 is likely to be close to the primordial binary population. Artificial clusters are generated with the observed properties of Pal 14 and the velocity dispersion within these clusters is measured as Jordi et al. (2009) have done with 17 observed stars of Pal 14. We discuss the effect of the binary population on these measurements and find that the small velocity dispersion of 0.38 km/s which has been found by Jordi et al. (2009) would imply a binary fraction of less than 0.1, even though from the stellar density of Pal 14 we would expect a binary fraction of more than 0.5. We also discuss the effect of mass segregation on the velocity dispersion as possible explanation for this discrepancy, but find that it would increase the velocity dispersion further. Thus, either Pal 14 has a very unusual stellar population and its birth process was significantly different than we see in today's star forming regions, or the binary population is regular and we would have to correct the observed 0.38 km/s for binarity. In this case the true velocity dispersion of Pal 14 would be much smaller than this value and the cluster would have to be considered as "kinematically frigid", thereby possibly posing a challenge for Newtonian dynamics but in the opposite sense to MOND.
Bulges are commonly believed to form in the dynamical violence of galaxy collisions and mergers. Here we model the stellar kinematics of the Bulge Radial Velocity Assay (BRAVA), and find no sign that the Milky Way contains a classical bulge formed by scrambling pre-existing disks of stars in major mergers. Rather, the bulge appears to be a bar, seen somewhat end-on, as hinted from its asymmetric boxy shape. We construct a simple but realistic N-body model of the Galaxy that self-consistently develops a bar. The bar immediately buckles and thickens in the vertical direction. As seen from the Sun, the result resembles the boxy bulge of our Galaxy. The model fits the BRAVA stellar kinematic data covering the whole bulge strikingly well with no need for a merger-made classical bulge. The bar in our best fit model has a half-length of ~ 4kpc and extends 20 degrees from the Sun-Galactic Center line. We use the new kinematic constraints to show that any classical bulge contribution cannot be larger than ~ 8% of the disk mass. Thus the Galactic bulge is a part of the disk and not a separate component made in a prior merger. Giant, pure-disk galaxies like our own present a major challenge to the standard picture in which galaxy formation is dominated by hierarchical clustering and galaxy mergers.
We explore a technique for identifying the highest redshift (z>4) sources in Herschel/SPIRE and BLAST submillimeter surveys by localizing the position of the far-infrared dust peak. Just as Spitzer/IRAC was used to identify stellar `bump' sources, the far-IR peak is also a redshift indicator; although, the latter also depends on the average dust temperature. We demonstrate the wide range of allowable redshifts for a reasonable range of dust temperatures and show that it is impossible to constraint the redshift of individual objects using solely the position of the far-IR peak. By fitting spectral energy distribution models to simulated Herschel/SPIRE photometry we show the utility of radio and/or far-infrared data in breaking this degeneracy. With prior knowledge of the dust temperature distribution it is possible to obtain statistical samples of high redshift submillimeter galaxy candidates. We apply this technique to the BLAST survey of ECDFS to constrain the number of dusty galaxies at z>4. We find 8 +/- 2 galaxies with flux density ratios of S500>S350; this sets an upper limit of 17 +/- 4 deg-2 if we assume all are at z>4. This is <35% of all 500 micron-selected galaxies down to S500>45 mJy (LIR>2e13Lsun for z>4). Modeling with conventional temperature and redshift distributions estimates the percentage of these 500 micron peak galaxies at z>4 to be between 10-85%. Our results are consistent with other estimates of the number density of very high redshift submillimeter galaxies and follows the decline in the star formation rate density at z>4.
We show the advantages of a wedding cake design for Sunyaev-Zel'dovich cluster surveys. We show that by dividing up a cluster survey into a wide and a deep survey, one can essentially recover the cosmological information that would be diluted in a single survey of the same duration due to the uncertainties in our understanding of cluster physics. The parameter degeneracy directions of the deep and wide surveys are slightly different, and combining them breaks these degeneracies effectively. A variable depth survey with a few thousand clusters is as effective at constraining cosmological parameters as a single depth survey with a much larger cluster sample.
We show a promising new application for clusters detected in upcoming and ongoing cluster surveys in X-Rays and SZE. In surveys having overlap in sky coverage, a fraction of the clusters discovered jointly in SZE and X-Ray surveys can be used to construct an ensemble of rulers and hence estimate the angular diameter distance, d_A(z). These d_A measurements from clusters come at no extra observational costs. We find that cosmological constraints are significantly improved when the extra information from d_A(z) is added to those from cluster number counts. Specifically, we find that the dark energy constraints can improve by factors of, at least, 2-3. In certain cases, one finds better improvements in cosmological constraints from adding d_A(z) compared to having a observationally costly mass follow-up of ~100 clusters needed for mass-calibration. Adding d_A(z) from clusters is similar to adding extra information from luminosity distance, d_L(z), got from SNe observations. We demonstrate that addition of either (i) information on $d_{A}$ using clusters found in both eROSITA + Planck surveys or (ii) information on d_L(z) obtained using the current Union compilation of SNe Ia data, to the cosmological information in cluster number counts measurement from Planck, yields similar improvements in cosmological constraints.
The emission from Sgr A*, the supermassive black hole in the Galactic Center, shows order of magnitude variability ("flares") a few times a day that is particularly prominent in the near-infrared (NIR) and X-rays. We present a time-dependent model for these flares motivated by the hypothesis that dissipation of magnetic energy powers the flares. We show that episodic magnetic reconnection can occur near the last stable circular orbit in time-dependent magnetohydrodynamic simulations of black hole accretion - the timescales and energetics of these events are broadly consistent with the flares from Sgr A*. Motivated by these results, we present a spatially one-zone time-dependent model for the electron distribution function in flares, including energy loss due to synchrotron cooling and adiabatic expansion. Synchrotron emission from transiently accelerated particles can explain the NIR/X-ray lightcurves and spectra of a luminous flare observed 4 April 2007. A significant decrease in the magnetic field strength during the flare (coincident with the electron acceleration) is required to explain the simultaneity and symmetry of the simultaneous lightcurves. Our models predict that the NIR and X-ray spectral indices differ by 0.5 and that there is only modest variation in the spectral index during flares. We also explore implications of this model for longer wavelength (radio-submm) emission seemingly associated with X-ray and NIR flares; we argue that a few hour decrease in the submm emission is a more generic consequence of large-scale magnetic reconnection than delayed radio emission from adiabatic expansion.
In this work, decision tree learning algorithms and fuzzy inferencing systems are applied for galaxy morphology classification. In particular, the CART, the C4.5, the Random Forest and fuzzy logic algorithms are studied and reliable classifiers are developed to distinguish between spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies or star/unknown galactic objects. Morphology information for the training and testing datasets is obtained from the Galaxy Zoo project while the corresponding photometric and spectra parameters are downloaded from the SDSS DR7 catalogue.
The EAGLE instrument for the E-ELT is a multi-IFU spectrograph, that uses a MOAO system for wavefront correction of interesting lines of sight. We present a Monte-Carlo AO simulation package that has been used to model the performace of EAGLE, and provide results, including comparisons with an analytical code. These results include an investigation of the performance of compressed reconstructor representations that have the potential to significantly reduce the complexity of a real-time control system when implemented.
We present a strong lensing mass model of Abell 1689 which resolves substructures ~25 kpc across (including about ten individual galaxy subhalos) within the central ~400 kpc diameter. We achieve this resolution by perfectly reproducing the observed (strongly lensed) input positions of 168 multiple images of 55 knots residing within 135 images of 42 galaxies. Our model makes no assumptions about light tracing mass, yet we reproduce the brightest visible structures with some slight deviations. A1689 remains one of the strongest known lenses on the sky, with an Einstein radius of RE = 47.0" +/- 1.2" (143 +3/-4 kpc) for a lensed source at zs = 2. We find a single NFW or Sersic prole yields a good fit simultaneously (with only slight tension) to both our strong lensing (SL) mass model and published weak lensing (WL) measurements at larger radius (out to the virial radius). According to this NFW fit, A1689 has a mass of Mvir = 2.0 +0.5/-0.3 x 10^15 Msun / h70 (M200 = 1.8 +0.4/-0.3 x 10^15 Msun / h70) within the virial radius rvir = 3.0 +/- 0.2 Mpc / h70 (r200 = 2.4 +0.1/-0.2 Mpc / h70), and a central concentration cvir = 11.5 +1.5/-1.4 (c200 = 9.2 +/- 1.2). Our SL model prefers slightly higher concentrations than previous SL models, bringing our SL+WL constraints in line with other recent derivations. Our results support those of previous studies which find A1689 has either an anomalously large concentration or significant extra mass along the line of sight (perhaps in part due to triaxiality). If clusters are generally found to have higher concentrations than realized in simulations, this could indicate they formed earlier, perhaps as a result of early dark energy.
I provide notes on the NFW, Einasto, Sersic, and other mass profiles which provide good fits to simulated dark matter halos (S3). I summarize various published c(M) relations: halo concentration as a function of mass (S1). The definition of the virial radius is discussed and relations are given to convert c_vir, M_vir, and r_vir between various defined values of the halo overdensity (S2).
We study the dynamical stability of planetary systems consisting of one hypothetical terrestrial mass planet ($1 $ or $10 \mearth$) and one massive planet ($10 \mearth - 10 \mjup$). We consider masses and orbits that cover the range of observed planetary system architectures (including non-zero initial eccentricities), determine the stability limit through N-body simulations, and compare it to the analytic Hill stability boundary. We show that for given masses and orbits of a two planet system, a single parameter, which can be calculated analytically, describes the Lagrange stability boundary (no ejections or exchanges) but which diverges significantly from the Hill stability boundary. However, we do find that the actual boundary is fractal, and therefore we also identify a second parameter which demarcates the transition from stable to unstable evolution. We show the portions of the habitable zones of $\rho$ CrB, HD 164922, GJ 674, and HD 7924 which can support a terrestrial planet. These analyses clarify the stability boundaries in exoplanetary systems and demonstrate that, for most exoplanetary systems, numerical simulations of the stability of potentially habitable planets are only necessary over a narrow region of parameter space. Finally we also identify and provide a catalog of known systems which can host terrestrial planets in their habitable zones.
We examine the constraints imposed by helioseismic data on the solar heavy element abundances. In prior work we argued that the measured depth of the surface convection zone R_CZ and the surface helium abundance Y_surf were good metallicity indicators which placed separable constraints on light metals (CNONe) and the heavier species with good relative meteoritic abundances. The resulting interiors-based abundance scale was higher than some published studies based on 3D model atmospheres at a highly significant level. In this paper we explore the usage of the solar sound speed in the radiative interior as an additional diagnostic, and find that it is sensitive to changes in the Ne/O ratio even for models constructed to have the same R_CZ and Y_surf. Three distinct helioseismic tests (opacity in the radiative core, ionization in the convection zone, and the core mean molecular weight) yield consistent results. Our preferred O, Ne and Fe abundances are 8.86 +/-0.04, 8.15 +/-0.17 and 7.50 +/-0.05 respectively. They are consistent with the midrange of recently published 3D atmospheric abundances measurements. The values for O, Ne and Fe which combine interiors and atmospheric inferences are 8.83 +/-0.04, 8.08 +/-0.09 and 7.49 +/-0.04 respectively.
FBS0107-082 is an emission line object previously classi?ed as a nova-like cataclysmic variable star. New optical spectroscopy shows very strong hydrogen Balmer lines, along with a nebular forbidden line spectrum and absorption features from an early-F photosphere. When combined with other IR and optical data from the literature, these data point to the object being a symbiotic nova seen in a prolonged outburst. Photometry on time scales of minutes, days, and years show only very weak variability.
The spin of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) is directly related to the radiative efficiency of accretion on to the hole, and therefore impacts the amount of fuel required for the black hole to reach a certain mass. Thus, a knowledge of the SMBH spin distribution and evolution is necessary to develop a comprehensive theory of the growth of SMBHs and their impact on galaxy formation. Currently, the only direct measurement of SMBH spin is through fitting the broad Fe K line in AGNs. The evolution of spins could be determined by fitting the broad line in the integrated spectra of AGNs over different redshift intervals. The accuracy of these measurements will depend on the observed integrated line strength. Here, we present theoretical predictions of the integrated relativistic Fe K line strength as a function of redshift and AGN luminosity. The equivalent widths of the integrated lines are much less than 300 eV. Searches for the integrated line will be easiest for unobscured AGNs with 2-10 keV luminosities between 44 < log L_{X} <= 45. The total integrated line makes up less than 4% of the X-ray background, but its shape is sensitive to the average SMBH spin. By following these recommendations, future International X-ray Observatory surveys of broad Fe K lines should be able to determine the spin evolution of SMBHs.
$Om$ diagnostic can differentiate between different models of dark energy without the accurate current value of matter density. We apply this geometric diagnostic to dilaton dark energy(DDE) model and differentiate DDE model from LCDM. We also investigate the influence of coupled parameter $\alpha$ on the evolutive behavior of $Om$ with respect to redshift $z$. According to the numerical result of $Om$, we get the current value of equation of state $\omega_{\sigma0}$=-0.952 which fits the WMAP5+BAO+SN very well.
We report on the identification of a third, new ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) in the starburst galaxy M82. Previously, the source was observed at fluxes consistent with the high state of Galactic black hole binaries (BHBs). We observe fluxes up to (6.5 +/- 0.3)E39 ergs/s in the ultraluminous regime. When the source is not in the the low/hard state, spectral fitting using a multicolor disk model shows that the disk luminosity varies as the disk inner temperature raised to the power 4.8 +/- 0.9, consistent with the behavior of Galactic BHBs in the thermal dominant state. Fitting the spectrum with a multicolor disk model with general relativistic corrections suggests that the source harbors a rapidly spinning black hole with a mass less than 100 solar masses. A soft excess was found in the source spectrum that could be blackbody emission from a photosphere created by a massive outflow. The source also showed soft dips during a flare.
We derive the black hole mass density as a function of redshift with the bolometric luminosity function of AGN assuming that massive black holes grew via accreting the circumnuclear gases, in which the derived black hole mass density is required to match the measured local black hole mass density at z=0. ADAFs are supposed to present in low luminosity AGNs/normal galaxies, which are very hot and radiate mostly in the hard X-ray band. Most of the XRB is contributed by bright AGNs, and a variety of AGN population synthesis models were developed to model the observed XRB in the last two decades. Based on our derived black hole mass density, we calculate the contribution to the XRB from the ADAFs in faint AGNs/normal galaxies with a given Eddington ratio distribution, which is mostly in hard X-ray energy band with an energy peak at ~200 keV. The growth of massive black holes during ADAF phase can therefore be constrained with the observed XRB. Combining an AGN population synthesis model with our results, we find that the fitting on the observed XRB, especially at hard X-ray energy band with \ga 100 keV, is improved provided the contribution of the ADAFs in low luminosity AGNs/normal galaxies is properly included. It is found that less than ~15 per cent of local massive black hole mass density was accreted during ADAF phases. We suggest that more accurate measurements of the XRB in the energy band with \ga 100 keV in the future may help constrain the growth of massive black holes at their late stage. We also calculate their contribution to the extragalactic gamma-ray background, and find that less than ~1% of the observed EGRB is contributed by the ADAFs in these faint sources.
We re-examine the constraints on the cosmic string tension from Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and matter power spectra, and also from limits on a stochastic background of gravitational waves provided by pulsar timing. We discuss the different approaches to modeling string evolution and radiation. In particular, we show that the unconnected segment model can describe CMB spectra expected from thin string (Nambu) and field theory (Abelian-Higgs) simulations using the computed values for the correlation length, rms string velocity and small-scale structure relevant to each variety of simulation. Applying the computed spectra in a fit to CMB and SDSS data we find that $G\mu/c^2< 2.6\times 10^{-7}$ ($2 \sigma$) if the Nambu simulations are correct and $G\mu /c^2< 6.4\times 10^{-7}$ in the Abelian-Higgs case. The degeneracy between $G\mu/c^2$ and the power spectrum slope $n_{\rm S}$ is substantially reduced from previous work. Inclusion of constraints on the baryon density from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) imply that $n_{\rm S} <1$ at around the $4\sigma$ level for both the Nambu and Abelian-Higgs cases. As a by-product of our results, we find there is "moderate-to-strong" Bayesian evidence that the Harrison-Zel'dovich spectrum is excluded (odds ratio of $\sim 100:1$) by the combination of CMB, SDSS and BBN when compared to the standard 6 parameter fit. Using the contribution to the gravitational wave background from radiation era loops as a conservative lower bound on the signal for specific values of $G\mu/c^2$ and loop production size, $\alpha$, we find that $G\mu /c^2< 7\times 10^{-7} $ for $\alpha c^2/(\Gamma G\mu)\ll1$ and $G\mu/c^2 < 5\times 10^{-11}/\alpha$ for $\alpha c^2/(\Gamma G\mu) \gg1$.
The aim of this paper is to study the latitudinal variation in the solar rotation in soft X-ray corona. The time series bins are formed on different latitude regions of the solar full disk (SFD) images that extend from 80 degree South to 80 degree North. These SFD images are obtained with the soft X-ray telescope (SXT) on board the Yohkoh solar observatory. The autocorrelation analyses are performed with the time series that track the SXR flux modulations in the solar corona. Then for each year, extending from 1992 to 2001, we obtain the coronal sidereal rotation rate as a function of the latitude. The present analysis from SXR radiation reveals that; (i) the equatorial rotation rate of the corona is comparable to the rotation rate of the photosphere and the chromosphere, (ii) the differential profile with respect to the latitude varies throughout the period of the study; it is more in the year 1999 and least in 1994 and (iii) the equatorial rotation period varies systematically with sunspot numbers and indicates its dependence on the phases of the solar activity cycle.
One of the major challenges in modern astrophysics is to understand the origin and the evolution of galaxies, the bright, massive early type galaxies (ETGs) in particular. Therefore, these galaxies are likely to be good probes of galaxy evolution, star formation and, metal enrichment in the early Universe. In this context it is very important to set up a diagnostic tool able to combine results from chemo-dynamical N-Body-TSPH (NB-TSPH) simulations of ETGs with those of spectro-photometric population synthesis and evolution so that all key properties of galaxies can be investigated. The main goal of this paper is to provide a preliminary validation of the software package before applying it to the analysis of observational data. The galaxy models in use where calculated by the Padova group in two different cosmological scenarios: the SCDM, and the Lambda CDM. For these models, we recover their spectro-photometric evolution through the entire history of the Universe. We computed magnitudes and colors and their evolution with the redshift along with the evolutionary and cosmological corrections for the model galaxies at our disposal, and compared them with data for ETGs taken from the COSMOS and the GOODS databases. Starting from the dynamical simulations and photometric models at our disposal, we created synthetic images from which we derived the structural and morphological parameters. The theoretical results are compared with observational data of ETGs selected form the SDSS database. The simulated colors for the different cosmological scenarios follow the general trend shown by galaxies of the COSMOS and GOODS. Within the redshift range considered, all the simulated colors reproduce the observational data quite well.
Secular evolution gradually shapes galaxies by internal processes, in contrast to early cosmological evolution which is more rapid. An important driver of secular evolution is the flow of gas from the disk into the central regions, often under the influence of a bar. In this paper, we review several new observational results on bars and nuclear rings in galaxies. They show that these components are intimately linked to each other, and to the properties of their host galaxy. We briefly discuss how upcoming observations, e.g., imaging from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G), will lead to significant further advances in this area of research.
We report on the first asteroseismic analysis of solar-type stars observed by Kepler. Observations of three G-type stars, made at one-minute cadence during the first 33.5d of science operations, reveal high signal-to-noise solar-like oscillation spectra in all three stars: About 20 modes of oscillation can clearly be distinguished in each star. We discuss the appearance of the oscillation spectra, including the presence of a possible signature of faculae, and the presence of mixed modes in one of the three stars.
Star formation rate (SFR), metallicity and stellar mass are within the important parameters of star--forming galaxies that characterize their formation and evolution. They are known to be related to each other at low and high redshift in the mass--metallicity, mass--SFR, and metallicity--SFR relations. In this work we demonstrate the existence of a plane in the 3D space defined by the axes SFR [log(SFR)(M_sun yr^-1)], gas metallicity [12+log(O/H)], and stellar mass [log(M_star/M_sun)] of star-forming galaxies. We used star--forming galaxies from the "main galaxy sample" of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey--Data Release 7 (SDSS-DR7) in the redshift range 0.04 < z < 0.1 and r-magnitudes between 14.5 and 17.77. Metallicities, SFRs, and stellar masses were taken from the Max-Planck-Institute for Astrophysics-John Hopkins University (MPA-JHU) emission line analysis database. From a final sample of 44214 galaxies, we find for the first time a fundamental plane for field galaxies relating the SFR, gas metallicity, and stellar mass for star--forming galaxies in the local universe. One of the applications of this plane would be estimating stellar masses from SFR and metallicity. High redshift data from the literature at redshift ~2.2 and 3.5, do not show evidence for evolution in this fundamental plane.
We compare the radial locations of 178 core-collapse supernovae to the R-band and H alpha light distributions of their host galaxies. When the galaxies are split into `disturbed' and `undisturbed' categories, a striking difference emerges. The disturbed galaxies have a central excess of core-collapse supernovae, and this excess is almost completely dominated by supernovae of types Ib, Ic and Ib/c, whereas type II supernovae dominate in all other environments. The difference cannot easily be explained by metallicity or extinction effects, and thus we propose that this is direct evidence for a stellar initial mass function that is strongly weighted towards high mass stars, specifically in the central regions of disturbed galaxies.
The Cherenkov radio pulse emitted by hadronic showers in ice is calculated for showers of energies in the EeV range. This is obtained with three dimensional simulations of both shower development and the coherent radio pulse emitted as the excess charge develops in the shower. A Monte Carlo, ZHAireS, has been developed for this purpose combining the high energy hadronic interaction capabilities of AIRES, and the dense media propagation capabilities of TIERRAS, with the precise low energy tracking and specific algorithms developed to calculate the radio emission in ZHS. A thinning technique is implemented and optimized to allow the simulation of radio pulses induced by showers up to 10 EeV in ice. The code is validated comparing the results for electromagnetic and hadronic showers to those obtained with GEANT4 and ZHS codes. The contribution to the pulse of other shower particles in addition to electrons and positrons, mainly pions and muons, is found to be below 1%. The characteristics of hadronic showers and the corresponding Cherenkov frequency spectra are compared with those from purely electromagnetic showers. The dependence of the spectra on shower energy and high-energy hadronic model is addressed and parameterizations for the radio emission in hadronic showers in ice are given for practical applications.
A compact overview of the status of CMB anisotropy results and their cosmological interpretation up until the end of 2009. Section headings: Introduction; Description of CMB Anisotropies; Cosmological Parameters; Physics of Anisotropies; Current Anisotropy Data; CMB Polarization; Complications; Constraints on Cosmologies; Particle Physics Constraints; Fundamental Lessons; and Future Directions.
This paper makes two points. First, we show that the line-of-sight solution to cosmic microwave anisotropies in Fourier space, even though formally defined for arbitrarily large wavelengths, leads to position-space solutions which only depend on the sources of anisotropies inside the past light-cone of the observer. This happens order by order in a series expansion in powers of the visibility $\gamma=e^{-\mu}$, where $\mu$ is the optical depth to Thompson scattering. We show that the CMB anisotropies are regulated by spacetime window functions which have support only inside the past light-cone of the point of observation. Second, we show that the Fourier-Bessel expansion of the physical fields (including the temperature and polarization momenta) is an alternative to the usual Fourier basis as a framework to compute the anisotropies. In that expansion, for each multipole $l$ there is a discrete tower of momenta $k_{i,l}$ (not a continuum) which can affect physical observables, with the smallest momenta being $k_{1,l} ~ l$. The Fourier-Bessel modes take into account precisely the information from the sources of anisotropies that propagates from the initial value surface to the point of observation - no more, no less. We also show that the physical observables (the temperature and polarization maps), and hence the angular power spectra, are unaffected by that choice of basis. This implies that the Fourier-Bessel expansion is the optimal scheme with which one can compute CMB anisotropies. (Abridged)
We present the results of contemporaneous spectroscopic and photometric monitoring of the young solar-type star HD171488 (Prot~1.337 d) aimed at studying surface inhomogeneities at photospheric/chromospheric levels. Echelle FOCES spectra (R~40000) and Johnson photometry have been performed in 2006. Spectral type, rotational velocity, metallicity, and gravity were determined using a code developed by us. The metallicity was measured from the analysis of iron lines. The spectral subtraction technique was applied to the most relevant chromospheric diagnostics included in the FOCES spectral range (CaII IRT, Halpha, HeI-D3, Hbeta, CaII H&K). A model with two large high-latitude spots is sufficient to reproduce the B/V light curves and the radial velocity modulation, if a temperature difference between photosphere and spots of 1500 K is used. A Doppler imaging analysis of photospheric lines confirms a similar spot distribution. With the help of an analogous geometric two-spot model, we are able to reproduce the modulations in the residual chromospheric emissions adopting different values of ratios between the flux of plages and quiet chromosphere (5 for Halpha and 3 for CaII). Facular regions of solar type appear to be the main responsible for the modulations of chromospheric diagnostics. Both the spot/plage model and the cross-correlation between the light curve and the chromospheric line fluxes display a lead effect of plages with respect to spots (20-40 deg in longitude). The active regions of the rapidly rotating star HD171488 are similar to the solar ones in some respect, because the spot temperature is close to that of sunspot umbrae and the plage flux-contrast is consistent with the average solar values. The main differences with respect to the Sun are larger sizes and higher latitudes.
We report spectroscopic observations with the Gemini South Telescope of 5 faint V~20 RR Lyrae stars associated with the Pisces overdensity. At a heliocentric and galactocentric distance of ~80 kpc, this is the most distant substructure in the Galactic halo known to date. We combined our observations with literature data and confirmed that the substructure is composed of two different kinematic groups. The main group contains 8 stars and has <V_{gsr}> = 50 km/s, while the second group contains four stars at a velocity of <V_{gsr}> = -52 km/s, where V_{gsr} is the radial velocity in the galactocentric standard of rest. The metallicity distribution of RR Lyrae stars in the Pisces overdensity is centered on [Fe/H]=-1.5 dex and has a width of 0.3 dex. The new data allowed us to establish that both groups are spatially extended making it very unlikely that they are bound systems, and are more likely to be debris of a tidally disrupted galaxy or galaxies. Due to small sky coverage, it is still unclear whether these groups have the same or different progenitors.
Hydrogen recombination is one of the most important atomic processes
in many astrophysical objects such as Type II supernova (SN~II)
atmospheres, the high redshift universe during the cosmological recombination
era, and H II regions in the interstellar medium. Accurate predictions of
the ionization fraction can be quite different from those given by a
simple solution
if one takes into account many angular momentum sub-states,
non-resonant processes, and calculates the rates of all atomic
processes from the solution of the radiative transfer equation
instead of using a Planck function under the assumption of thermal
equilibrium. We use the general
purpose model atmosphere code PHOENIX 1D to
compare how the fundamental probabilities such as the photo-ionization
probability, the escape probability, and the collisional de-excitation
probability are affected by the presence of other metals in the
environment, multiple angular momentum sub-states, and
non-resonant processes. Our comparisons are based on a model of SN
1999em, a SNe Type II, 20 days after its explosion.
Many global circulation models predict supersonic zonal winds and large vertical shears in the atmospheres of short-period jovian exoplanets. Using linear analysis and nonlinear local simulations, we investigate hydrodynamic dissipation mechanisms to balance the thermal acceleration of these winds. The adiabatic Richardson criterion remains a good guide to linear stability, although thermal diffusion allows some modes to violate it at very long wavelengths and very low growth rates. Nonlinearly, wind speeds saturate at Mach numbers $\approx 2$ and Richardson numbers $\lesssim 1/4$ for a broad range of plausible diffusivities and forcing strengths. Turbulence and vertical mixing, though accompanied by weak shocks, dominate the dissipation, which appears to be the outcome of a recurrent Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. An explicit shear viscosity, as well as thermal diffusivity, is added to ZEUS to capture dissipation outside of shocks. The wind speed is not monotonic nor single valued for shear viscosities larger than about $10^{-3}$ of the sound speed times the pressure scale height. Coarsening the numerical resolution can also increase the speed. Hence global simulations that are incapable of representing vertical turbulence and shocks, either because of reduced physics or because of limited resolution, may overestimate wind speeds. We recommend that such simulations include artificial dissipation terms to control the Mach and Richardson numbers and to capture mechanical dissipation as heat.
The newly developed X-ray visibility forward fitting technique is applied to Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) data of a limb flare to investigate the energy and height dependence on sizes, shapes, and position of hard X-ray chromospheric footpoint sources. This provides information about the electron transport and chromospheric density structure. The spatial distribution of two footpoint X-ray sources is analyzed using PIXON, Maximum Entropy Method, CLEAN and visibility forward fit algorithms at nonthermal energies from $\sim 20$ to $\sim 200$ keV. We report, for the first time, the vertical extents and widths of hard X-ray chromospheric sources measured as a function of energy for a limb event. Our observations suggest that both the vertical and horizontal sizes of footpoints are decreasing with energy. Higher energy emission originates progressively deeper in the chromosphere consistent with downward flare accelerated streaming electrons. The ellipticity of the footpoints grows with energy from $\sim 0.5$ at $ \sim 20$ keV to $\sim 0.9$ at $\sim 150$ keV. The positions of X-ray emission are in agreement with an exponential density profile of scale height $\sim 150$~km. The characteristic size of the hard X-ray footpoint source along the limb is decreasing with energy suggesting a converging magnetic field in the footpoint. The vertical sizes of X-ray sources are inconsistent with simple collisional transport in a single density scale height but can be explained using a multi-threaded density structure in the chromosphere.
Continuous gravitational-wave (CW) signals such as emitted by spinning neutron stars are an important target class for current detectors. However, the enormous computational demand prohibits fully-coherent broadband all-sky searches for prior unknown CW sources over wide ranges of parameter space and for year-long observation times. More efficient hierarchical "semicoherent" search strategies divide the data into segments much shorter than one year, which are analyzed coherently; then detection statistics from different segments are combined incoherently. To optimally perform the incoherent combination, understanding of the underlying parameter-space structure is requisite. This problem is addressed here by using new coordinates on the parameter space, which yield the first analytical parameter-space metric for the incoherent combination step. This semicoherent metric applies to broadband all-sky surveys (also embedding directed searches at fixed sky position) for isolated CW sources. Furthermore, the additional metric resolution attained through the combination of segments is studied. From the search parameters (sky position, frequency and frequency derivatives), solely the metric resolution in the frequency derivatives is found to significantly increase with the number of segments.
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Sun-like stars are promising candidates to host exoplanets and are often
included in exoplanet surveys by radial velocity (RV) and direct imaging. In
this paper we report on the detection of a stellar companion to the nearby
solar-analogue star HD 104304, which previously was considered to host a
planetary mass or brown dwarf companion. We searched for close stellar and
substellar companions around extrasolar planet host stars with high angular
resolution imaging to characterize planet formation environments. The detection
of the stellar companion was achieved by high angular resolution measurements,
using the "Lucky Imaging" technique at the ESO NTT 3.5m with the AstraLux Sur
instrument. We combined the results with VLT/NACO archive data, where the
companion could also be detected. The results were compared to precise RV
measurements of HD 104304, obtained at the Lick and Keck observatories from
2001-2010.
We confirmed common proper motion of the binary system. A spectral type of
M4V of the companion and a mass of 0.21 M_Sun was derived. Due to comparison of
the data with RV measurements of the unconfirmed planet candidate listed in the
Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia, we suggest that the discovered companion is
the origin of the RV trend and that the inclination of the orbit of
approximately 35 degrees explains the relatively small RV signal.
In this article, we test the hypothesis that Cepheids have infrared excesses due to mass loss. We fit a model using the mass-loss rate and the stellar radius as free parameters to optical observations from the OGLE-III survey and infrared observations from the 2MASS and SAGE data sets. The sample of Cepheids have predicted minimum mass-loss rates ranging from zero to $10^{-8}M_\odot$ $yr^{-1}$, where the rates depend on the chosen dust properties. We use the predicted radii to compute the Period-Radius relation for LMC Cepheids, and to estimate the uncertainty caused by the presence of infrared excess for determining angular diameters with the infrared surface brightness technique. Finally, we calculate the linear and non-linear Period-Luminosity (P-L) relations for the LMC Cepheids at VIJHK + IRAC wavelengths and we find that the P-L relations are consistent with being non-linear at infrared wavelengths, contrary to previous results.
The rapid circularization and synchronization of the stellar components in an eccentric binary system at the onset of mass transfer is a fundamental assumption common to all binary stellar evolution and population synthesis codes, even though the validity of this assumption is questionable both theoretically and observationally. Here we calculate the evolution of the orbital elements of an eccentric binary through the direct three-body integration of a massive particle ejected through the inner Lagrangian point of the donor star at periastron. The trajectory of this particle leads to three possible outcomes: direct accretion onto the companion star within a single orbit, self-accretion back onto the donor star within a single orbit, or a quasi-periodic orbit around the companion star, possibly leading to the formation of a disk. We calculate the secular evolution of the binary orbit in the first two cases and conclude that direct impact accretion can increase as well as decrease the orbital semi-major axis and eccentricity, while self-accretion always decreases the orbital semi-major axis and eccentricity. In cases where mass transfer contributes to circularizing the orbit, circularization can set in on timescales as short as a few per cent of the mass transfer timescale. In cases where mass transfer increases the eccentricity, the orbital evolution is governed by competition between mass transfer and tidal torques. In the absence of tidal torques, mass transfer in direct impact systems can lead to substantially subsynchronously rotating donor stars. Contrary to assumptions common in the literature, direct impact accretion furthermore does not always provide a strong sink of orbital angular momentum in close mass-transferring binaries; in fact we instead find that a significant part can be returned to the orbit during the particle orbit.
Interacting binaries typically have separations in the milli-arcsecond regime and hence it has been challenging to resolve them at any wavelength. However, recent advances in optical interferometry have improved our ability to discern the components in these systems and have now enabled the direct determination of physical parameters. We used the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer to produce for the first time images resolving all three components in the well-known Algol triple system. Specifically, we have separated the tertiary component from the binary and simultaneously resolved the eclipsing binary pair, which represents the nearest and brightest eclipsing binary in the sky. We present revised orbital elements for the triple system, and we have rectified the 180-degree ambiguity in the position angle of Algol C. Our directly determined magnitude differences and masses for this triple star system are consistent with earlier light curve modeling results.
The ACS and NICMOS have been used to obtain new HST images of NGC 4038/4039 ("The Antennae"). These new observations allow us to better differentiate compact star clusters from individual stars, based on both size and color. We use this ability to extend the cluster luminosity function by approximately two magnitudes over our previous WFPC2 results, and find that it continues as a single power law, dN/dL propto L^alpha with alpha=-2.13+/-0.07, down to the observational limit of Mv~-7. Similarly, the mass function is a single power law dN/dM propto M^beta with beta=-2.10+/-0.20 for clusters with ages t<3x10^8 yr, corresponding to lower mass limits that range from 10^4 to 10^5 Msun, depending on the age range of the subsample. Hence the power law indices for the luminosity and mass functions are essentially the same. The luminosity function for intermediate-age clusters (i.e., ~100-300 Myr old objects found in the loops, tails, and outer areas) shows no bend or turnover down to Mv~-6, consistent with relaxation-driven cluster disruption models which predict the turnover should not be observed until Mv~-4. An analysis of individual ~0.5-kpc sized areas over diverse environments shows good agreement between values of alpha and beta, similar to the results for the total population of clusters in the system. Several of the areas studied show evidence for age gradients, with somewhat older clusters appearing to have triggered the formation of younger clusters. The area around Knot B is a particularly interesting example, with an ~10-50 Myr old cluster of estimated mass ~10^6 Msun having apparently triggered the formation of several younger, more massive (up to 5x10^6 Msun) clusters along a dust lane.
We present deep {\it Spitzer} mid-infrared spectroscopy, along with 16, 24, 70, and 850\,$\micron$\ photometry, for 22 galaxies located in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-North (GOODS-N) field. The sample spans a redshift range of $0.6\la z \la 2.6$, 24~$\mu$m flux densities between $\sim$0.2$-$1.2 mJy, and consists of submillimeter galaxies (SMGs), X-ray or optically selected active galactic nuclei (AGN), and optically faint ($z_{AB}>25$\,mag) sources. We find that infrared (IR; $8-1000~\micron$) luminosities derived by fitting local spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with 24~$\micron$ photometry alone are well matched to those when additional mid-infrared spectroscopic and longer wavelength photometric data is used for galaxies having $z\la1.4$ and 24~$\micron$-derived IR luminosities typically $\la 3\times 10^{12}~L_{\sun}$. However, for galaxies in the redshift range between $1.4\la z \la 2.6$, typically having 24~$\micron$-derived IR luminosities $\ga 3\times 10^{12}~L_{\sun}$, IR luminosities are overestimated by an average factor of $\sim$5 when SED fitting with 24~$\micron$ photometry alone. This result arises partly due to the fact that high redshift galaxies exhibit aromatic feature equivalent widths that are large compared to local galaxies of similar luminosities. Through a spectral decomposition of mid-infrared spectroscopic data, we are able to isolate the fraction of IR luminosity arising from an AGN as opposed to star formation activity. This fraction is only able to account for $\sim$30\% of the total IR luminosity among the entire sample.
We present Chandra X-ray Observatory archival observations of the supernova remnant 1E0102.2-7219, a young Oxygen-rich remnant in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Combining 28 ObsIDs for 324 ks of total exposure time, we present an ACIS image with an unprecedented signal-to-noise ratio (mean S/N ~ sqrt(S) ~6; maximum S/N > 35) . We search within the remnant, using the source detection software {\sc wavdetect}, for point sources which may indicate a compact object. Despite finding numerous detections of high significance in both broad and narrow band images of the remnant, we are unable to satisfactorily distinguish whether these detections correspond to emission from a compact object. We also present upper limits to the luminosity of an obscured compact stellar object which were derived from an analysis of spectra extracted from the high signal-to-noise image. We are able to further constrain the characteristics of a potential neutron star for this remnant with the results of the analysis presented here, though we cannot confirm the existence of such an object for this remnant.
Gas-phase complex organic molecules have been detected toward a range of high- and low-mass star-forming regions at abundances which cannot be explained by any known gas-phase chemistry. Recent laboratory experiments show that UV irradiation of CH3OH-rich ices may be an important mechanism for producing complex molecules and releasing them into the gas-phase. To test this ice formation scenario we mapped the B1-b dust core and nearby protostar in CH3OH gas using the IRAM 30m telescope to identify locations of efficient non-thermal ice desorption. We find three CH3OH abundance peaks tracing two outflows and a quiescent region on the side of the core facing the protostar. The CH3OH gas has a rotational temperature of ~10 K at all locations. The quiescent CH3OH abundance peak and one outflow position were searched for complex molecules. Narrow, 0.6-0.8 km s-1 wide, HCOOCH3 and CH3CHO lines originating in cold gas are clearly detected, CH3OCH3 is tentatively detected and C2H5OH and HOCH2CHO are undetected toward the quiescent core, while no complex molecular lines were found toward the outflow. The core abundances with respect to CH3OH are ~2.3% and 1.1% for HCOOCH3 and CH3CHO, respectively, and the upper limits are 0.7-1.1%, which is similar to most other low-mass sources. The observed complex molecule characteristics toward B1-b and the pre-dominance of HCO-bearing species suggest a cold ice (below 25 K, the sublimation temperature of CO) formation pathway followed by non-thermal desorption through e.g. UV photons traveling through outflow cavities. The observed complex gas composition together with the lack of any evidence of warm gas-phase chemistry provide clear evidence of efficient complex molecule formation in cold interstellar ices.
We recently predicted the existence of random primordial magnetic fields (RPMF) in the form of randomly oriented cells with dipole-like magnetic field. We investigate here the effect of RPMF on the formation of the first galaxies. We show that these RPMF could influence the formation of galaxies by altering the filtering mass and, thus, the baryon gas fraction of a halo. The effect is particularly strong in small galaxies. The filtering mass, $M_F$, is the halo mass below which baryon accretion is severely depressed. We characterize the RPMF by the comoving magnetic energy per cell, $E_m$. We find, for example, for a reionization epoch that starts at $z_s=11$ and ends at $z_r=8$, at redshift $z=10$, a $E_m=10^{47}\text{ergs}$ creates a 10% increase of $M_F$, a $E_m=10^{49}\text{ergs}$ a 80% increase and a $E_m=10^{51}\text{ergs}$ a 950% increase of $M_F$. Knowing the filtering mass, the mass fraction of baryons, $f_b$, can be determined as a function of halo mass. For example, at $z=12$ and for $f_b=10%$, we find that a $E_m=0$ corresponds to a halos mass $M_h=9\times 10^4\msun$, $E_m=10^{46}\text{ergs}$ to $M_h=2\times 10^5\msun$, $E_m=10^{48}\text{ergs}$ to $M_h=10^6\msun$, $E_m=10^{50}\text{ergs}$ to $M_h=10^7\msun$ and $E_m=10^{51}\text{ergs}$ to $M_h=2\times 10^8\msun$.
We introduce two new methods that are designed to improve the realism and utility of large, active region-scale 3D MHD models of the solar atmosphere. We apply these methods to RADMHD, a code capable of modeling the Sun's upper convection zone, photosphere, chromosphere, transition region, and corona within a single computational volume. We first present a way to approximate the physics of optically-thick radiative transfer without having to take the computationally expensive step of solving the radiative transfer equation in detail. We then briefly describe a rudimentary assimilative technique that allows a time series of vector magnetograms to be directly incorporated into the MHD system.
(Abridged) We have performed a comprehensive analysis of a sample of 20 starburst galaxies, most of them classified as Wolf-Rayet galaxies. In this paper, the last of the series, we analyze the global properties of our galaxy sample using multiwavelength data (X-ray, FUV, optical, NIR, FIR, and radio). The agreement between our Ha-based SFR and those provided by indicators at other wavelengths is remarkable, but we consider that the new Ha-based calibration provided by Calzetti et al. (2007) should be preferred over older calibrations. The FUV-based SFR provides a powerful tool to analyze the star-formation activity in both global and local scales independently to the Ha emission. We provide empirical relationships between the ionized gas mass, neutral gas mass, dust mass, stellar mass, and dynamical mass with the B-luminosity. Although all mass estimations increase with increasing luminosity, we find important deviations to the general trend in some objects, that seem to be consequence of their particular evolutionary histories. We investigate the mass-metallicity relations and conclude that both the nature and the star-formation history are needed to understand the relationships between both properties. The majority of the galaxies follow a Schmidt-Kennicutt scaling law of star-formation that agrees with that reported in individual star-forming regions within M~51 but not with that found in normal spiral galaxies. We found a relation between the reddening coefficient and the warm dust mass indicating that the extinction is mainly internal to the galaxies. Considering all data, we found that 17 up to 20 galaxies are clearly interacting or merging with low-luminosity dwarf objects or HI clouds. We conclude that interactions do play a fundamental role in the triggering mechanism of the strong star-formation activity observed in dwarf starburst galaxies.
This paper presents an investigation into the gravitational microlensing of quasars by stars and stellar remnants in the Milky Way. We present predictions for the all-sky microlensing optical depth, time-scale distributions and event rates for future large-area sky surveys. As expected, the total event rate increases rapidly with increasing magnitude limit, reflecting the fact that the number density of quasars is a steep function of magnitude. Surveys such as Pan-STARRS and LSST should be able to detect more than ten events per year, with typical event durations of around one month. Since microlensing of quasar sources suffers from fewer degeneracies than lensing of Milky Way sources, they could be used as a powerful tool for recovering the mass of the lensing object in a robust, often model-independent, manner. As a consequence, for a subset of these events it will be possible to directly `weigh' the star (or stellar remnant) that is causing the lensing signal, either through higher order microlensing effects and/or high-precision astrometric observations of the lens star (using, for example, Gaia or SIM-lite). This means that such events could play a crucial role in stellar astronomy. Given the current operational timelines for Pan-STARRS and LSST, by the end of the decade they could potentially detect up to 100 events. Although this is still too few events to place detailed constraints on Galactic models, consistency checks can be carried out and such samples could lead to exciting and unexpected discoveries.
An interesting paper has recently been published claiming that the long-sought Rosetta Stone needed to decipher the nature of pulsar radio emission has been finally identified as the double features in averaged pulsar profiles. The authors argue that highly symmetric bifurcated features are produced by a split-fan beams of extraordinary-mode curvature radiation emitted by thin microscopic streams of magnetospheric plasma conducted by a very narrow bundle of magnetic field lines. We examined arguments leading to these intriguing conclusions and found a number of flaws. At least one of them is fatal, namely there is not enough available energy within such thin microscopic plasma streams. Using an elementary pulsar physics we show that if the stream is so thin that its emission can reveal the signatures of elementary radiation mechanism, then the energy deficit tends to be severe and reaches a few to several orders of magnitude (depending on the actual efficiency of converting the available kinetic energy of relativistic charged particles into the coherent radio emission). We are certain that the answer to the question contained in the title of this paper is definitely negative.
We analysed the IGR J16465-4507 Burst Alert Teelescope survey data collected during the first 54 months of the Swift mission. The source is in a crowded field and it is revealed through an ad hoc imaging analysis at a significance level of ~14 standard deviations. The 15-50 keV average flux is ~3E-11 erg/cm^2/s. The timing analysis reveals an orbital period of 30.243 +/- 0.035 days. The folded light curve shows the presence of a wide phase interval of minimum intensity, lasting ~20% of the orbital period. This could be explained with a full eclipse of the compact object in an extremely eccentric orbit or with the passage of the compact source through a lower density wind at the orbit apastron. The modest dynamical range observed during the BAT monitoring suggests that IGR J16465-4507 is a wind-fed system, continuously accreting from a rather homogeneous wind, and not a member of the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient class.
The protostellar jet driven by L1448C was observed in the SiO J=8-7 and CO J=3-2 lines and 350 GHz dust continuum at ~1" resolution with the Submillimeter Array (SMA). A narrow jet from the northern source L1448C(N) was observed in the SiO and the high-velocity CO. The jet consists of a chain of emission knots with an inter-knot spacing of ~2" (500 AU) and a semi-periodic velocity variation. The innermost pair of knots, which are significant in the SiO map but barely seen in the CO, are located at ~1" (250 AU) from the central source, L1448C(N). Since the dynamical time scale for the innermost pair is only ~10 yr, SiO may have been formed in the protostellar wind through the gas-phase reaction, or been formed on the dust grain and directly released into the gas phase by means of shocks. It is found that the jet is extremely active with a mechanical luminosity of ~7 L_sun, which is comparable to the bolometric luminosity of the central source (7.5 L_sun). The mass accretion rate onto the protostar derived from the mass-loss rate is ~10^{-5} M_sun/yr. Such a high mass accretion rate suggests that the mass and the age of the central star are 0.03-0.09 M_sun and (4-12)x10^3 yr, respectively, implying that the central star is in the very early stage of protostellar evolution. The low-velocity CO emission delineates two V-shaped shells with a common apex at L1448C(N). The kinematics of these shells are reproduced by the model of a wide opening angle wind. The co-existence of the highly-collimated jets and the wide-opening angle shells can be explained by the unified X-wind model" in which highly-collimated jet components correspond to the on-axis density enhancement of the wide-opening angle wind. The CO $J$=3--2 map also revealed the second outflow driven by the southern source L1448C(S) located at ~8.3" (2000 AU) from L1448C(N).
IGR J16493-4348 is a supergiant high mass X-ray binary discovered by INTEGRAL in 2004. The source is detected at a significance level of $\sim21$ standard deviations in the Swift-BAT survey data collected during the first 54 months of the Swift mission. The timing analysis reveals an orbital period of $\sim$6.78 days and the presence of a full eclipse of the compact ob\ ject. The dynamical range (variability up to a factor $\sim$20) observed during the BAT monitoring suggests that IGR J16493-4348 is a wind-fed system. The derived semi-major axis of the binary system is $\sim55 R_{\sun}$ with an orbit eccentr\ icity lower than 0.15.
Hydrodynamical simulations of two giant planets embedded in a gaseous disk have shown that in case of a smooth convergent migration they end up trapped into a mean motion resonance. These findings have led to the conviction that the onset of dynamical instability causing close encounters between the planets can occur only after the dissipation of the gas when the eccentricity damping is over. We show that a system of three giant planets may undergo planet-planet scattering when the gaseous disk, with density values comparable to that of the Minimum Mass Solar Nebula, is still interacting with the planets. The hydrodynamical code FARGO--2D--1D is used to model the evolution ofthe disk and planets, modified to properly handle close encounters between the massive bodies. Our simulations predict a variety of different outcomes of the scattering phase which includes orbital exchange, planet merging and scattering of a planet in a hyperbolic orbit. This implies thatthe final fate of a multiplanet system under the action of the disk torques is not necessarily a packed resonant configuration.
Cygnus X-3 is a microquasar consisting of an accreting compact object orbiting around a Wolf-Rayet star. It has been detected at radio frequencies and up to high-energy gamma rays (above 100 MeV). However, many models predict also a very-high-energy (VHE) emission (above hundreds of GeV) when the source displays relativistic persistent/transient ejections. Therefore, detecting such emission would improve the understanding of the jet physics. The imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope MAGIC observed Cygnus X-3 for about 70 hours between 2006 March and 2009 August in different X-ray/radio spectral states and also during a period of enhanced gamma-ray emission. MAGIC found no evidence for a VHE signal from the direction of the microquasar. An upper limit to the integral flux for energies higher than 250 GeV has been set to 2.2 x 10-12 photons cm-2 s-1 (95% confidence level). This is the best limit so far to the VHE emission from this source. The non-detection of a VHE signal during the period of activity in the high-energy band sheds light on the location of the possible VHE radiation favoring the emission from the innermost region of the jets, where absorption is significant. The current and future generations of Cherenkov telescopes may detect a signal under precise spectral conditions.
<PART1> According to the standard LCDM model, the matter and dark energy densities (rho_m and rho_DE) are only comparable for a brief time. We address the cosmic coincidence problem under LCDM and generalized dark energy models by considering the temporal distribution of terrestrial planets. <PART2> We compare the Sun to representative stellar samples in 11 properties plausibly related to life. We find the Sun to be most anomalous in mass and galactic orbital eccentricity. When the 11 properties are considered together, the observed "anomalies" are consistent with statistical noise. This contrasts with previous work suggesting anthropic explanations for the Sun's high mass. <PART3> The long-term future of dissipative processes (such as life) depends on the continued ability to use free energy to increase the total entropy. The entropy budget of the present observable Universe is dominated by supermassive black holes in galactic cores. We report a new entropy budget of the Universe with quantified uncertainties for all components. We find the total entropy in the observable Universe to be S_{obs} = 3.1^{+3.0}_{-1.7} x 10^{104} k, at least an order of magnitude higher than previous estimates due to improved measurements of the mass function of supermassive black holes (which dominate the budget). We evaluate upper bounds on the entropy of a comoving volume. Under the assumption that energy in matter is constant in a comoving volume, the availability of free energy is found to be finite and the future entropy in the volume is limited to a constant of order 10^{123} k. Through this work we uncover a number of unresolved questions with implications for the ultimate fate of the Universe.
We construct a model for delayed electroweak symmetry breaking that takes place in a cold Universe with T<<100 GeV and which proceeds by a fast quench rather than by a conventional, slow, phase transition. This is achieved by coupling the Standard Model Higgs to an additional scalar field. We show that the quench transition can be made fast enough for successful Cold Electroweak Baryogenesis, while leaving known electroweak physics unchanged.
We model the detectability of exoplanets around stars in the Beta Pic Moving Group (BPMG) using the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), a coronagraphic instrument designed to detect companions by imaging. Members of the BPMG are considered promising targets for exoplanet searches because of their youth (~12 MY) and proximity (median distance ~35 pc). We wrote a modeling procedure to generate hypothetical companions of given mass, age, eccentricity, and semi-major axis, and place them around BPMG members that fall within the V-band range of the GPI. We count as possible detections companions lying within the GPI's field of view and H-band fluxes that have a host-companion flux ratio placing them within its sensitivity. The fraction of companions that could be detected depends on their brightness at 12 Myr, and hence formation mechanism, and on their distribution of semi-major axes. We used brightness models for formation by disk instability and core-accretion. We considered the two extreme cases of the semi-major axis distribution - the log-normal distribution of the nearby F and G type stars and a power-law distribution indicated by the exoplanets detected by the radial velocity technique. We find that the GPI could detect exoplanets of all the F and G spectral type stars in the BPMG sample with a probability that depends on the brightness model and semi-major axis distribution. At spectral type K to M1, exoplanet detectability depends on brightness and hence distance of the host star. GPI will be able to detect the companions of M stars later than M1 only if they are closer than 10 pc. Of the four A stars in BPMG sample, only one has V-band brightness in the range of GPI; the others are too bright.
Supernova remnants (SNRs) are believed to be the main sources of Galactic cosmic rays. Molecular clouds associated with SNRs can produce gamma-ray emission through the interaction of accelerated particles with the concentrated gas. The middle aged SNR W28, for its associated system of dense molecular clouds, provides an excellent opportunity to test this hypothesis. We present the AGILE/GRID observations of SNR W28, and compare them with observations at other wavelengths (TeV and 12CO J=1-->0 molecular line emission). The gamma-ray flux detected by AGILE from the dominant source associated with W28 is (14 +- 5) 10^-8 ph cm^-2 s^-1 for E > 400 MeV. This source is positionally well correlated with the TeV emission observed by the HESS telescope. The local variations of the GeV to TeV flux ratio suggest a difference between the CR spectra of the north-west and south molecular cloud complexes. A model based on a hadronic-induced interaction and diffusion with two molecular clouds at different distances from the W28 shell can explain both the morphological and spectral features observed by AGILE in the MeV-GeV energy range and by the HESS telescope in the TeV energy range. The combined set of AGILE and H.E.S.S. data strongly support a hadronic model for the gamma-ray production in W28.
We present an X-ray analysis and a model of the nonthermal emission of the pulsar wind nebula (PWN) MSH15-52. We analyzed XMM-Newton data to obtain the spatially resolved spectral parameters around the pulsar PSRB1509-58. A steepening of the fitted power-law spectra and decrease in the surface brightness is observed with increasing distance from the pulsar. In the second part of this paper, we introduce a model for the nonthermal emission, based on assuming the ideal magnetohydrodynamic limit. This model is used to constrain the parameters of the termination shock and the bulk velocity of the leptons in the PWN. Our model is able to reproduce the spatial variation of the X-ray spectra. The parameter ranges that we found agree well with the parameter estimates found by other authors with different approaches. In the last part of this paper, we calculate the inverse Compton emission from our model and compare it to the emission detected with the H.E.S.S. telescope system. Our model is able to reproduce the flux level observed with H.E.S.S., but not the spectral shape of the observed TeV {\gamma}-ray emission.
We present an adaptation of the standard scenario of disk-galaxy formation to the concordant LCDM cosmology aimed to derive analytical expressions for the scale length and rotation speed of present-day disks that form within four different, cosmologically motivated protogalactic dark matter halo-density profiles. We invoke a standard galaxy-formation model that includes virial equilibrium of spherical dark halos, specific angular momentum conservation during gas cooling, and adiabatic halo response to the gas inflow. The mean mass-fraction and mass-to-light ratio of the central stellar disk are treated as free parameters whose values are tuned to match the zero points of the observed size-luminosity and circular speed-luminosity relations of galaxies. We supply analytical formulas for the characteristic size and rotation speed of disks built inside Einasto r^{1/6}, Hernquist, Burkert, and Navarro-Frenk-White dark matter halos. These expressions match simultaneously the observed zero points and slopes of the different correlations that can be built in the RVL space of disk galaxies from plausible values of the galaxy- and star-formation efficiencies.
In a sub-arcsec near-infrared survey of the Crab Nebula using the new Spartan Infrared Camera, we have found several knots with high surface brightness in the H_2 2.12 micron line and a very large H_2 2.12 micron to Br-gamma ratio. The brightest of these knots has an intensity ratio I(H_2 2.12 micron)/I(Br-gamma) = 18+/-9, which we show sets a lower limit on the ratio of masses in the molecular and recombination (i.e. ionized) zones M_mol / M_rec >/- 0.9, and a total molecular mass within this single knot M_mol >/- 5E-5 M_sun. We argue that the knot discussed here probably is able to emit so strongly in the 2.12 micron line because its physical conditions are better tuned for such emission than is the case in other filaments. It is unclear whether this knot has an unusually large M_mol / M_rec ratio, or if many other Crab filaments also have similar amounts of molecular gas which is not emitting because the physical conditions are not so well tuned.
The high-mass microquasar Cygnus X-1, the best-established candidate for a stellar-mass black hole in the Galaxy, has been detected in a flaring state at very high energies (VHE), E > 200 GeV, by the Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope MAGIC. The flare occurred at orbital phase 0.91, where phase 1 is the configuration with the black hole behind the companion high-mass star, when the absorption of gamma-ray photons by photon-photon annihilation with the stellar field is expected to be highest. We aim to set up a model for the high-energy emission and absorption in Cyg X-1 that can explain the nature of the observed gamma-ray flare. We study the gamma-ray opacity due to pair creation along the whole orbit, and for different locations of the emitter. Then we consider a possible mechanism for the production of the VHE emission. We present detailed calculations of the gamma-ray opacity and infer from these calculations the distance from the black hole where the emitting region was located. We suggest that the flare was the result of a jet-clump interaction where the decay products of inelastic proton-proton collisions dominate the VHE outcome. We are able to reproduce the spectrum of Cyg X-1 during the observed flare under reasonable assumptions. The flare may be the first event of jet-cloud interaction ever detected at such high energies.
We determine an empirical dense matter equation of state (EOS) from a heterogeneous set of seven neutron stars with well-determined distances. Our dataset consists of the three type I X-ray bursters with photospheric radius expansion studied by Ozel et al., along with thermal emission from three transient low-mass X-ray binaries and the isolated cooling neutron star, RX J1856-3754. We critically assess the mass and radius determinations from the X-ray bursts and show explicitly how the systematic uncertainties, such as the radius of the photosphere at touchdown, affect the best-fit masses and radii. As a result of including these uncertainties, our mass and radius constraints are weaker than previously found. Nevertheless, when combined with radius constraints from neutron star transients and the isolated neutron star RX J1856-3754, we do find significant constraints on the mass-radius relation for neutron stars, and hence on the pressure-density relation of dense matter. We introduce a parameterized EOS and use Markov Chain Monte Carlo within a Bayesian framework to determine nuclear parameters, such as the incompressibility, the bulk symmetry energy, and the density dependence of the symmetry energy. We show, for the first time, that the values of these parameters, predicted solely on the basis of astrophysical observations, all lie in ranges expected from nuclear systematics and laboratory experiments. The predicted symmetry energy and the EOS near the saturation density is soft, resulting in relatively small neutron star radii around 11-12 km for M=1.4 Msun. However, the predicted EOS is not soft over the entire range of densities, and our preferred model for X-ray bursts suggests that the neutron star maximum mass is relatively large, 1.9-2.3 Msun. Finally, our results suggest that several commonly used equations of state are inconsistent with observations.
The XENON100 collaboration has recently released new dark matter limits \cite{xenon100}, placing particular emphasis on their impact on searches known to be sensitive to light-mass (below $\sim$10 GeV/c$^{2}$) Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), such as DAMA \cite{DAMA} and CoGeNT \cite{cogent}. We describe here several sources of uncertainty and bias in their analysis that make their new claimed sensitivity presently untenable. In particular, we point out additional work in this field and simple kinematic arguments that indicate that liquid xenon (LXe) may be a relatively insensitive detection medium for the recoil energies (few keV$_{r}$) expected from such low mass WIMPs.
One of the greatest problems of standard cosmology is the Big Bang singularity. Previously it has been shown that non-local ghostfree higher-derivative modifications of Einstein gravity in the ultra-violet regime can admit non-singular bouncing solutions. In this paper we study in more details the dynamical properties of the equations of motion for these theories of gravity in presence of positive and negative cosmological constants and radiation. We find stable inflationary attractor solutions in the presence of a positive cosmological constant which renders inflation {\it geodesically complete}, while in the presence of a negative cosmological constant a cyclic universe emerges. We also provide an algorithm for tracking the super-Hubble perturbations during the bounce and show that the bouncing solutions are free from any perturbative instability.
Free fall has signed the greatest markings in the history of physics through the leaning Pisa tower, the Cambridge apple tree and the Einstein lift. The perspectives offered by the capture of stars by supermassive black holes are to be cherished, because the study of the motion of falling stars will constitute a giant step forward in the understanding of gravitation in the regime of strong field. After an account on the perception of free fall in ancient times and on the behaviour of a gravitating mass in Newtonian physics, this chapter deals with last century debate on the repulsion for a Schwarzschild black hole and mentions the issue of an infalling particle velocity at the horizon. Further, black hole perturbations and numerical methods are presented, paving the way to the introduction of the self-force and other back-action related methods. The impact of the perturbations on the motion of the falling particle is computed via the tail, the back-scattered part of the perturbations, or via a radiative Green function. In the former approach, the self-force acts upon the background geodesic; in the latter, the geodesic is conceived in the total (background plus perturbations) field. Regularisation techniques (mode-sum and Riemann-Hurwitz $z$ function) intervene to cancel divergencies coming from the infinitesimal size of the particle. An account is given on the state of the art, including the last results obtained in this most classical problem, together with a perspective encompassing future space gravitational wave interferometry and head-on particle physics experiments. As free fall is patently non-adiabatic, it requires the most sophisticated techniques for studying the evolution of the motion. In this scenario, the potential of the self-consistent approach, by means of which the background geodesic is continuously corrected by the self-force contribution, is examined.
We investigate the dark matter and the cosmological baryon asymmetry in a simple theory where baryon (B) and lepton (L) number are spontaneously broken. In this model, the cold dark matter candidate is the lightest new field with baryon number and its stability is an automatic consequence of the gauge symmetry. Dark matter annihilation is either through a leptophobic gauge boson whose mass must be below a TeV or through the Higgs boson. Even though baryon number is gauged and not spontaneously broken until the weak scale, a cosmologically acceptable baryon excess is possible. If L is broken at a high scale the baryon excess can be generated by right-handed neutrino decays using the usual leptogenesis scenario.
Black holes of mass M must have a spin angular momentum S below the Kerr limit chi = S/M^2 < 1, but whether astrophysical black holes can attain this limiting spin depends on their accretion history. Gas accretion from a thin disk limits the black-hole spin to chi_gas < 0.9980 +- 0.0002, as electromagnetic radiation from this disk with retrograde angular momentum is preferentially absorbed by the black hole. Extrapolation of numerical-relativity simulations of equal-mass binary black-hole mergers to maximum initial spins suggests these mergers yield a maximum spin chi_eq < 0.95. Here we show that for smaller mass ratios q = m/M << 1, the superradiant extraction of angular momentum from the larger black hole imposes a fundamental limit chi_lim < 0.9979 +- 0.0001 on the final black-hole spin even in the test-particle limit q -> 0 of binary black-hole mergers. The nearly equal values of chi_gas and chi_lim imply that measurement of supermassive black-hole spins cannot distinguish a black hole built by gas accretion from one assembled by the gravitational inspiral of a disk of compact stellar remnants. We also show how superradiant scattering alters the mass and spin predicted by models derived from extrapolating test-particle mergers to finite mass ratios.
We study the gravitational dynamics in the early inspiral phase of coalescing compact binaries using Non-Relativistic General Relativity (NRGR) - an effective field theory formalism based on the post-newtonian expansion, but which provides a consistent lagrangian framework and a systematic way in which to study binary dynamics and gravitational wave emission. We calculate in this framework the spin-orbit correction to the newtonian potential at 2.5 PN.
By introducing a quasi--local scalar representation for regular Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) dust models, we undertake a comprehensive and rigorous analytic study of the evolution of radial profiles of covariant scalars in these models. We consider specifically the phenomenon of "profile inversions" in which an initial clump profile of density, spatial curvature or the expansion scalar, might evolve into a void profile (and vice versa). Previous work in the literature on models with density void profiles and/or allowing for density profile inversions is given full generalization, with some erroneous results corrected. We prove rigorously that if an evolution without shell crossings is assumed, then only the 'clump to void' density profile inversion can occur, and only in hyperbolic models or regions. The profiles of spatial curvature follow similar patterns as those of the density, with 'clump to void' inversions only possible for hyperbolic models or regions. However, profiles of the expansion scalar are less restrictive, with profile inversions necessarily taking place in elliptic models. We also examine radial profiles in special LTB configurations: closed elliptic models, models with a simultaneous big-bang singularity, and a locally collapsing region with positive spatial curvature surrounded by an expanding background with negative curvature. The general analytic statements that we obtain allow for setting up the right initial conditions to construct fully regular LTB models with any specific qualitative requirements for the profiles of all scalars and their time evolution. The results presented can be very useful in guiding future numerical work on these models and in revising previous analytic work on all their applications.
We perform a comparative study of the neutralino dark matter scattering on nucleon in three popular supersymmetric models: the minimal (MSSM), the next-to-minimal (NMSSM) and the nearly minimal (nMSSM). First, we give the predictions of the elastic cross section by scanning over the parameter space allowed by various direct and indirect constraints, which are from the measurement of the cosmic dark matter relic density, the collider search for Higgs boson and sparticles, the precision electroweak measurements and the muon anomalous magnetic moment. Then we demonstrate the property of the allowed parameter space with/without the new limits from CDMS II. We obtain the following observations: (i) For each model the new CDMS limits can exclude a large part of the parameter space allowed by current collider constraints; (ii) The property of the allowed parameter space is similar for MSSM and NMSSM, but quite different for nMSSM; (iii) The future SuperCDMS can cover most part of the allowed parameter space for each model.
We present the gravitational wave signatures for a suite of axisymmetric core collapse supernova models with progenitors masses between 12 and 25 sollar masses. These models are distinguished by the fact they explode and contain essential physics (in particular, multi-frequency neutrino transport and general relativity) needed for a more realistic description. Thus, we are able to compute complete waveforms (i.e., through explosion) based on non-parameterized, first-principles models. This is essential if the waveform amplitudes and time scales are to be computed more precisely. Fourier decomposition shows that the peak in the AdvLIGO-observable component of the gravitational wave signature stems from the SASI. The fundamental limitation of these models is in their imposition of axisymmetry. Further progress will require counterpart three-dimensional models.
We construct a cosmological model consisting of a large number of identical, regularly spaced masses. The model does not rely on any averaging procedures, or on a global Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) background. It is a solution of Einstein's equations up to higher order corrections in a perturbative expansion, but has large-scale dynamics that can differ from those of FRW. In particular, we find solutions that are attracted toward expansion of the form R~t^0.71, as well as solutions without dark energy that undergo accelerating expansion at late-times.
In this paper we study possible observational consequences of the bouncing cosmology. We consider a model where a phase of inflation is preceded by a cosmic bounce. While we consider in this paper only that the bounce is due to loop quantum gravity, most of the results presented here can be applied for different bouncing cosmologies. We concentrate on the scenario where the scalar field, as the result of contraction of the universe, is driven from the bottom of the potential well. The field is amplified, and finally the phase of the standard slow-roll inflation is realized. Such an evolution modifies the standard inflationary spectrum of perturbations by the additional oscillations and damping on the large scales. We extract the parameters of the model from the observations of the cosmic microwave background radiation. In particular, the value of inflaton mass is equal to $m=(2.6 \pm 0.6) \cdot 10^{13}$ GeV. In our considerations we base on the seven years of observations made by the WMAP satellite. We propose the new observational consistency check for the phase of slow-roll inflation. We investigate the conditions which have to be fulfilled to make the observations of the Big Bounce effects possible. We translate them to the requirements on the parameters of the model and then put the observational constraints on the model. Based on assumption usually made in loop quantum cosmology, the Barbero-Immirzi parameter was shown to be constrained by $\gamma<1100$ from the cosmological observations. We have compared the Big Bounce model with the standard Big Bang scenario and showed that the present observational data is not informative enough to distinguish these models.
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We derived the absolute proper motion (PM) of the old, solar-metallicity Galactic open cluster M67 using observations collected with CFHT (1997) and with LBT (2007). About 50 galaxies with relatively sharp nuclei allow us to determine the absolute PM of the cluster. We find (mu_alpha cos(delta),mu_delta)_J2000.0 = (-9.6+/-1.1,-3.7+/-0.8) mas/yr. By adopting a line-of-sight velocity of 33.8+/-0.2 km/s, and assuming a distance of 815+/-50 pc, we explore the influence of the Galactic potential, with and without the bar and/or spiral arms, on the galactic orbit of the cluster.
We present a comprehensive spectral analysis of all INTEGRAL data obtained so far for the X-ray-bright Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151. We also use all contemporaneous data from RXTE, XMM-Newton, Swift and Suzaku. We find a linear correlation between the medium and hard-energy X-ray fluxes measured by INTEGRAL, which indicates an almost constant spectral index over six years. The majority of INTEGRAL observations were made when the source was either at a very bright or very dim hard-X-ray state. We find that thermal Comptonization models applied to the bright state yields the plasma temperature of ~ 50-70 keV and its optical depth of ~ 1.3-2.6, depending on the assumed source geometry. For the dim state, these parameters are in the ranges of ~ 180-230 keV and ~ 0.3-0.7, respectively. The Compton parameter is y ~ 1 for all the spectra, indicating a stable geometry. Using this result, we can determine the reflection effective solid angles associated with the close and distant reprocessing media as ~ 0.3x2pi and 0.2x2pi, respectively. The plasma energy balance, the weak disc reflection and a comparison of the UV fluxes incident of the plasma to the observed ones are all consistent with an inner hot accretion surrounded by an outer cold disc. The disc truncation radius can be determined from an approximate equipartition between the observed UV and X-ray emission, and from the fitted disc blackbody model, as ~ 15 gravitational radii. Alternatively, our results can be explained by a mildly relativistic coronal outflow.
We perform a detailed study of the sensitivity to the anisotropies related to Dark Matter (DM) annihilation in the Isotropic Gamma-Ray Background (IGRB) as measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT). For the first time, we take into account the effects of the Galactic foregrounds and use a realistic representation of the Fermi-LAT. We consider DM anisotropies of extra-galactic origin and of Galactic origin (which can be generated through annihilation in the Milky Way sub-structures) as opposed to a background of anisotropies generated by sources of astrophysical origin, blazars for example. We find that with statistics from 5 years of observation Fermi is sensitive to a DM contribution at the level of the thermal-relic cross section depending on the DM mass and annihilation mode. The anisotropy method for DM searches has a sensitivity comparable to the usual methods based only on the energy spectrum and thus constitutes an independent and complementary piece of information in the DM puzzle. (abridged)
The growth of the supermassive black holes (BHs) that reside at the centres of most galaxies is intertwined with the physical processes that drive the formation of the galaxies themselves. The evolution of the relations between the mass of the BH, m_BH, and the properties of its host therefore represent crucial aspects of the galaxy formation process. We use a cosmological simulation, as well as an analytical model, to investigate how and why the scaling relations for BHs evolve with cosmic time. We find that a simulation that reproduces the observed redshift zero relations between m_BH and the properties of its host galaxy, as well as the thermodynamic profiles of the intragroup medium, also reproduces the observed evolution in the ratio m_BH/m_s for massive galaxies. The simulation predicts that the relations between m_BH and the binding energies of both the galaxy and its dark matter halo do not evolve, while the ratio m_BH/m_halo increases with redshift. The simple, analytic model of Booth & Schaye (2010), in which the mass of the BH is controlled by the gravitational binding energy of its host halo, quantitatively reproduces the latter two results. Finally, we can explain the evolution in the relations between m_BH and the mass and binding energy of the stellar component of its host galaxy if massive galaxies at low redshift grow primarily through dry mergers.
We extend our maximum likelihood method for reconstructing the cluster-mass cross-correlation from cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropies and develop new estimators that utilize six different quadratic combinations of CMB temperature and polarization fields. Our maximum likelihood estimators are constructed with delensed CMB temperature and polarization fields by using an assumed model of the convergence field and they can be iteratively applied to a set of clusters, approaching to the optimal condition for the lensing reconstruction as the assumed initial model is refined. Using smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations, we create a catalog of realistic clusters obtainable from the current Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) surveys, and we demonstrate the ability of the maximum likelihood estimators to reconstruct the cluster-mass cross-correlation from the massive clusters. The iTT temperature estimator provides a signal-to-noise ratio of a factor 3 larger than the iEB polarization estimator, unless the detector noise for measuring polarization anisotropies is controlled under 3 microK.
High precision astrometry requires an accurate geometric distortion solution. In this work, we present an average correction for the Blue Camera of the Large Binocular Telescope which enables a relative astrometric precision of ~15 mas for the B_Bessel and V_Bessel broad-band filters. The result of this effort is used in two companion papers: the first to measure the absolute proper motion of the open cluster M67 with respect to the background galaxies; the second to decontaminate the color-magnitude diagram of M67 from field objects, enabling the study of the end of its white dwarf cooling sequence. Many other applications might find this distortion correction useful.
Fireball model of the GRBs predicts generation of numerous internal shocks, which then efficiently accelerate charged particles and generate magnetic and electric fields. These fields are produced in the form of relatively small-scale stochastic ensembles of waves, thus, the accelerated particles diffuse in space due to interaction with the random waves and so emit so called Diffusive Synchrotron Radiation (DSR) in contrast to standard synchrotron radiation they would produce in a large-scale regular magnetic fields. In this paper we present first results of comprehensive modeling of the GRB spectral parameters within the fireball/internal shock concept. We have found that the non-perturbative DSR emission mechanism in a strong random magnetic field is consistent with observed distributions of the Band parameters and also with cross-correlations between them; this analysis allowed to restrict GRB physical parameters from the requirement of consistency between the model and observed distributions.
Like the majority of spiral galaxies, NGC 6155 exhibits an exponential surface brightness profile that steepens significantly at large radii. Using the VIRUS-P IFU spectrograph, we have gathered spatially resolved spectra of the system. Modifying the GANDALF spectral fitting routine for use on the complex stellar populations found in spirals, we find that the average stellar ages increase significantly beyond the profile break radius. This result is in good agreement with recent simulations that predict the outskirts of disk galaxies are populated through stellar migration. With the ability to bin multiple fibers, we are able to measure stellar population ages down to mu_V~24 mag/sq arcsec.
Recent observational results for the masses and radii of some neutron stars are in contrast with typical observations and theoretical predictions for "normal" neutron stars. We propose that their unusual properties can be interpreted as the signature of a dark matter core inside them. This interpretation requires that the dark matter is made of some form of stable, long-living or in general non-annihilating particles, that can accumulate in the star. In the proposed scenario all mass-radius measurements can be explained with one nuclear matter equation of state and a dark core of varying relative size. This hypothesis will be challenged by forthcoming observations and could eventually be a useful tool for the determination of dark matter.
We present optical spectra and high-resolution multi-wavelength radio observations of the compact steep-spectrum radio source MRC B1221-423 (z=0.1706). MRC B1221-423 is a very young (~10^5 yr), powerful radio source which is undergoing a tidal interaction with a companion galaxy. We find strong evidence of interaction between the AGN and its environment. The radio morphology is highly distorted, showing a dramatic interaction between the radio jet and the host galaxy, with the jet being turned almost back on itself. H I observations show strong absorption against the nucleus at an infall velocity of ~250 km/s compared to the stellar velocity, as well as a second, broader component which may represent gas falling into the nucleus. Optical spectra show that star formation is taking place across the whole system. Broad optical emission lines in the nucleus show evidence of outflow. Our observations confirm that MRC B1221-423 is a young radio source in a gas-rich nuclear environment, and that there was a time delay of a few x 100 Myr between the onset of star formation and the triggering of the AGN.
We present a model for the rotational evolution of a young, solar mass star interacting with an accretion disk. The model incorporates a description of the angular momentum transfer between the star and disk due to a magnetic connection, and includes changes in the star's mass and radius and a decreasing accretion rate. The model also includes, for the first time in a spin evolution model, the opening of the stellar magnetic field lines, as expected to arise from twisting via star-disk differential rotation. In order to isolate the effect that this has on the star-disk interaction torques, we neglect the influence of torques that may arise from open field regions connected to the star or disk. For a range of magnetic field strengths, accretion rates, and initial spin rates, we compute the stellar spin rates of pre-main-sequence stars as they evolve on the Hayashi track to an age of 3~Myr. How much the field opening affects the spin depends on the strength of the coupling of the magnetic field to the disk. For the relatively strong coupling (i.e., high magnetic Reynolds number) expected in real systems, all models predict spin periods of less than $\sim3$ days, in the age range of 1--3~Myr. Furthermore, these systems typically do not reach an equilibrium spin rate within 3~Myr, so that the spin at any given time depends upon the choice of initial spin rate. This corroborates earlier suggestions that, in order to explain the full range of observed rotation periods of approximately $1$--$10$ days, additional processes, such as the angular momentum loss from powerful stellar winds, are necessary.
In Brans-Dicke theory a non-linear self interaction of a scalar field allows a possibility of realizing the late-time cosmic acceleration, while recovering the General Relativistic behavior at early cosmological epochs. We extend this to more general modified gravitational theories in which a de Sitter solution for dark energy exists without using a field potential. We derive a condition for the stability of the de Sitter point and study the background cosmological dynamics of such theories. We also restrict the allowed region of model parameters from the demand for the avoidance of ghosts and instabilities. A peculiar evolution of the field propagation speed allows us to distinguish those theories from the LCDM model.
The last decade has shown us that the observational properties of neutron stars are remarkably diverse. From magnetars to rotating radio transients, from radio pulsars to `isolated neutron stars,' from central compact objects to millisecond pulsars, observational manifestations of neutron stars are surprisingly varied, with most properties totally unpredicted. The challenge is to establish an overarching physical theory of neutron stars and their birth properties that can explain this great diversity. Here I survey the disparate neutron stars classes, describe their properties, and highlight results made possible by the Chandra X-ray Observatory, in celebration of its tenth anniversary. Finally, I describe the current status of efforts at physical `grand unification' of this wealth of observational phenomena, and comment on possibilities for Chandra's next decade in this field.
We compare non-locality of interactions between different scales in hydrodynamic (HD) turbulence and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in a strongly magnetized medium. We use 3-dimensional incompressible direct numerical simulations to evaluate non-locality of interactions. Our results show that non-locality in MHD turbulence is much more pronounced than that in HD turbulence. Roughly speaking, non-local interactions count for more than 10\% of total interactions in our MHD simulation on a grid of $512^3$ points. However, there is no evidence that non-local interactions are important in our HD simulation with the same numerical resolution. We briefly discuss how non-locality affects energy spectrum.
We designed and built a new Four-Stokes-Parameter spectral line Polarimeter (FSPPol) for the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO). The simple design of FSPPol does not include any mirrors or optical components to redirect or re-image the radiation beam and simply transmits the beam to the receiver through its retarder plates. FSPPol is currently optimized for observation in the 200-260 GHz range and measures all four Stokes parameters, I, Q, U, and V. The very low level of instrument polarization makes it possible to obtain reliable measurements of the Goldreich-Kylafis effect in molecular spectral lines. Accordingly, we measured a polarization fraction of a few percent in the spectral line wings of ^{12}\mathrm{CO} (J=2\rightarrow1) in Orion KL/IRc2, which is consistent with previous observations. We also used FSPPol to study the Zeeman effect in the N=2\rightarrow1 transition of CN in DR21(OH) for the first time. At this point we cannot report a Zeeman detection, but more observations are ongoing.
A detection of the level of non-Gaussianity in the CMB data is essential to discriminate among inflationary models and also to test alternative primordial scenarios. However, the extraction of primordial non-Gaussianity is a difficult endeavor since several effects of non-primordial nature can produce non-Gaussianity. On the other hand, different statistical tools can in principle provide information about distinct forms of non-Gaussianity. Thus, any single statistical estimator cannot be sensitive to all possible forms of non-Gaussianity. In this context, to shed some light in the potential sources of deviation from Gaussianity in CMB data it is important to use different statistical indicators. In a recent paper we proposed two new large-angle non-Gaussianity indicators which provide measures of the departure from Gaussianity on large angular scales. We used these indicators to carry out analyses of non-Gaussianity of the bands and of the foreground-reduced WMAP maps with and without the KQ75 mask. Here we briefly review the formulation of the non-Gaussianity indicators, and discuss the analyses made by using our indicators.
The dependence of the long-term optical/UV variability on the spectral and the fundamental physical parameters for radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is investigated. The multi-epoch repeated photometric scanning data in the Stripe-82 region of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) are exploited for two comparative AGN samples (mostly quasars) selected therein, a broad-line Seyfert\,1 (BLS1) type sample and a narrow-line Seyfert\,1 (NLS1) type AGN sample within redshifts 0.3--0.8. Their spectral parameters are derived from the SDSS spectroscopic data. It is found that on rest-frame timescales of several years the NLS1-type AGNs show systematically smaller variability compared to the BLS1-type. In fact, the variability amplitude is found to correlate, though only moderately, with the Eigenvector\,1 parameters, i.e., the smaller the \hb\ linewidth, the weaker the [O\,III] and the stronger the \feii\ emission, the smaller the variability amplitude is. Moreover, an interesting inverse correlation is found between the variability and the Eddington ratio, which is perhaps more fundamental. The previously known dependence of the variability on luminosity is not significant, and that on black hole mass---as claimed in recent papers and also present in our data---fades out when controlling for the Eddington ratio in the correlation analysis, though these may be partly due to the limited ranges of luminosity and black hole mass of our samples. Our result strongly supports that an accretion disk is likely to play a major role in producing the opitcal/UV variability.
SDSS J094857.3+002225 is a very radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxy. Here, we report our discovery of the intranight optical variability (INOV) of this galaxy through the optical monitoring in the B and R bands that covered seven nights in 2009. Violent rapid variability in the optical bands was identified in this RL-NLS1 for the first time, and the amplitudes of the INOV reaches 0.5 mag in both the B and R bands on the timescale of several hours. The detection of the INOV provides a piece of strong evidence supporting the fact that the object carries a relativistic jet with a small viewing angle, which confirms the conclusion drawn from the previous multi-wavelength studies.
We build a simple, {\it top-down} model for the gas density and temperature profiles for galaxy clusters which, by construction, satisfies the observed \xr scaling relation between mass and temperature. The gas is assumed to be in hydrostatic equilibrium along with a component of non-thermal pressure taken from simulations and the gas fraction reaches the cosmic mean value only at the virial radius or beyond. The temperature profiles are motivated by recent \xr observations. From the resultant pressure profiles, we calculate the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect (SZE) scaling relations, within $r_{2500}$, between the integrated SZE flux, $Y$, and the cluster gas temperature, $T_{\rm sl}$, the cluster mass, $M_{\rm tot}$, and the gas mass, $M_{\rm gas}$. These are in excellent agreement with the recently observed SZE scaling relations by \cite{Bonamente08}. The gas mass fraction increases with cluster mass and is found to be given by $f_{\rm gas}(r_{500}) = 0.1324 + 0.0284 \,\rm{log}\, (\frac{M_{500}}{10^{15}h^{-1}M_\odot})$. For our best fit model to the observed SZE data at $r_{2500}$, the $Y-M_{200}$ relation is given, which can now be used for forecasting/analysis of cluster number counts from SZE surveys. The consistency between the global properties of clusters detected in X-Ray's and in SZE shows that we are looking at a common population of clusters as a whole, and there is no deficit of SZE flux relative to expectations from \xr scaling properties. Thus, it makes it easier to compare and cross-calibrate clusters from upcoming \xr and SZE surveys.
The circumgalactic medium (CGM) around galaxies is believed to record various forms of galaxy feedback and contain a significant portion of the "missing baryons" of individual dark matter halos. However, clear observational evidence for the existence of the hot CGM is still absent. We use intervening galaxies along 12 background AGNs as tracers to search for X-ray absorption lines produced in the corresponding CGM. Stacking Chandra grating observations with respect to galaxy groups and different luminosities of these intervening galaxies, we obtain spectra with signal-to-noise ratios of 46-72 per 20-mA spectral bin at the expected OVII Kalpha line. We find no detectable absorption lines of CVI, NVII, OVII, OVIII, or NeIX. The high spectral quality allows us to tightly constrain upper limits to the corresponding ionic column densities (in particular log[N(OVII)(cm^{-2})]<=14.2--14.8). These nondetections are inconsistent with the Local Group hypothesis of the X-ray absorption lines at z~0 commonly observed in the spectra of AGNs. These results indicate that the putative CGM in the temperature range of 10^{5.5}-10^{6.3} K may not be able to account for the missing baryons unless the metallicity is less than 10% solar.
We give an estimation of the masses of light dark matter particle and dark energy quasiparticle which can be extracted from the astrophysical data about the contributions of baryon, dark matter, and dark energy densities to the total matter-energy density budget in our universe. We use the quantum cosmological model in which dark energy is a condensate of quantum oscillations of primordial scalar field. The dark energy quasiparticle with the mass ~ 15 GeV is consistent with the 7-year WMAP and other data. The quasiparticles can decay with violation of CP-invariance into baryons, leptons, and dark matter. The WIMP mass ~ 5 GeV corresponds to observed values of baryon and dark matter energy densities. Such a mass agrees with the observations of CoGeNT, DAMA, and CDMS. Quasiparticles of dark energy can be registered as a constant background of radiation with the frequency ~ 3.64 x 10^{24} 1/s. Dark matter particles must exhibit themselves in the form of signals with the frequency ~ 1.21 x 10^{24} 1/s of radiation from galaxy clusters where the intensive gravitational fields produced by dark matter exist.
Context: Intermediate mass protostars provide a bridge between low- and high-mass protostars. Furthermore, they are an important component of the UV interstellar radiation field. Despite their relevance, little is known about their formation process. Aims: We present a systematic study of the physical structure of five intermediate mass, candidate Class 0 protostars. Our two goals are to shed light on the first phase of intermediate mass star formation and to compare these protostars with low- and high-mass sources. Methods: We derived the dust and gas temperature and density profiles of the sample. We analysed all existing continuum data on each source and modelled the resulting SED with the 1D radiative transfer code DUSTY. The gas temperature was then predicted by means of a modified version of the code CHT96. Results: We found that the density profiles of five out of six studied intermediate mass envelopes are consistent with the predictions of the "inside-out" collapse theory.We compared several physical parameters, like the power law index of the density profile, the size, the mass, the average density, the density at 1000 AU and the density at 10 K of the envelopes of low-, intermediate, and high-mass protostars. When considering these various physical parameters, the transition between the three groups appears smooth, suggesting that the formation processes and triggers do not substantially differ.
Quasi-equilibrium sequences of binary neutron stars are constructed for a variety of equations of state in general relativity. Einstein's constraint equations in the Isenberg-Wilson-Mathews approximation are solved together with the relativistic equations of hydrostationary equilibrium under the assumption of irrotational flow. We focus on unequal-mass sequences as well as equal-mass sequences, and compare those results. We investigate the behavior of the binding energy and total angular momentum along a quasi-equilibrium sequence, the endpoint of sequences, and the orbital angular velocity as a function of time, changing the mass ratio, the total mass of the binary system, and the equation of state of a neutron star. It is found that the orbital angular velocity at the mass-shedding limit can be determined by an empirical formula derived from an analytic estimation. We also provide tables for 160 sequences which will be useful as a guideline of numerical simulations for the inspiral and merger performed in the near future.
This paper presents the chemical abundance analysis of a sample of 18 giant stars in 3 old globular clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud, namely NGC 1786, NGC 2210 and NGC 2257. The derived iron content is [Fe/H]= --1.75+-0.01 dex (sigma= 0.02 dex), --1.65+-0.02 dex (sigma= 0.04 dex) and --1.95+-0.02 dex (sigma= 0.04 dex) for NGC 1786, NGC 2210 and NGC 2257, respectively. All the clusters exhibit similar abundance ratios, with enhanced values (+0.30 dex) of [alpha/Fe], consistent with the Galactic Halo stars, thus indicating that these clusters have formed from a gas enriched by Type II SNe. We also found evidence that r-process are the main channel of production of the measured neutron capture elements (Y, Ba, La, Nd, Ce and Eu). In particular the quite large enhancement of [Eu/Fe] (+0.70 dex) found in these old clusters clearly indicates a relevant efficiency of the r-process mechanism in the LMC environment.
Gravitational microlensing is not only a successful tool for discovering distant exoplanets, but it also enables characterization of the lens and source stars involved in the lensing event. In high magnification events, the lens caustic may cross over the source disk, which allows a determination of the angular size of the source and additionally a measurement of its limb darkening. When such extended-source effects appear close to maximum magnification, the resulting light curve differs from the characteristic Paczynski point-source curve. The exact shape of the light curve close to the peak depends on the limb darkening of the source. Dense photometric coverage permits measurement of the respective limb-darkening coefficients. In the case of microlensing event OGLE 2008-BLG-290, the K giant source star reached a peak magnification of about 100. Thirteen different telescopes have covered this event in eight different photometric bands. Subsequent light-curve analysis yielded measurements of linear limb-darkening coefficients of the source in six photometric bands. The best-measured coefficients lead to an estimate of the source effective temperature of about 4700 +100-200 K. However, the photometric estimate from colour-magnitude diagrams favours a cooler temperature of 4200 +-100 K. As the limb-darkening measurements, at least in the CTIO/SMARTS2 V and I bands, are among the most accurate obtained, the above disagreement needs to be understood. A solution is proposed, which may apply to previous events where such a discrepancy also appeared.
We present the first results of our program to study a sample of local luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs, L_IR = 10^11-10^12 L_sun) with the Spitzer infrared spectrograph (IRS). In these proceedings we investigate the behavior of the 9.7 um silicate feature in LIRGs. As opposed to the extreme silicate absorptions observed in ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs, L_IR = 10^12-10^13 L_sun), LIRGs exhibit intermediate silicate absorption features, comparable to those of starburst galaxies. We also find that most of the LIRGs have the minima of the [NeIII]/[NeII] ratio located at their nuclei. It is likely that increased densities in the nuclei are responsible for the smaller nuclear ratios. In the nuclei, it is also possible that the most massive stars are either absent, or still embedded in ultracompact HII regions. Finally we discuss the possible contribution of an AGN to the nuclear mid-IR emission of the galaxy, which in general is low in these local LIRGs.
Astrophysical sources emit gravitational waves in a large variety of processes occurred since the beginning of star and galaxy formation. These waves permeate our high redshift Universe, and form a background which is the result of the superposition of different components, each associated to a specific astrophysical process. Each component has different spectral properties and features that it is important to investigate in view of a possible, future detection. In this contribution, we will review recent theoretical predictions for backgrounds produced by extragalactic sources and discuss their detectability with current and future gravitational wave observatories.
Stellar rotation is a crucial parameter driving stellar magnetism, activity and mixing of chemical elements. Furthermore, the evolution of stellar rotation is coupled to the evolution of circumstellar disks. Disk-braking mechanisms are believed to be responsible for rotational deceleration during the accretion phase, and rotational spin-up during the contraction phase after decoupling from the disk for fast rotators arriving at the ZAMS. We investigate the projected rotational velocities vsini of a sample of young stars with respect to the stellar mass and disk evolutionary state to search for possible indications of disk-braking mechanisms. We analyse the stellar spectra of 220 nearby (mostly <100pc) young (2-600 Myr) stars for their vsini, stellar age, Halpha emission, and accretion rates. The stars have been observed with FEROS and HARPS in La Silla, Chile. The spectra have been cross-correlated with appropriate theoretical templates. We build a new calibration to be able to derive vsini values from the cross-correlated spectra. Stellar ages are estimated from the LiI equivalent width at 6708 Ang. The equivalent width and width at 10% height of the Halpha emission are measured to identify accretors and used to estimate accretion rates. The vsini is then analysed with respect to the evolutionary state of the circumstellar disks to search for indications of disk-braking mechanisms in accretors. We find that the broad vsini distribution of our targets extends to rotation velocities of up to more than 100 km/s and peaks at a value of 7.8+-1.2 km/s, and that ~70% of our stars show vsini<30 km/s. Furthermore, we can find indications for disk-braking in accretors and rotational spin-up of stars which are decoupled from their disks. In addition, we show that a number of young stars are suitable for precise radial-velocity measurements for planet-search surveys.
We present results of our 5-years-long program of ground-based spectroscopic and photometric observations of individual Kepler asteroseismic targets and the open clusters NGC6866 and NGC6811 from the Kepler field of view.We determined the effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, the projected rotational velocity and the radial velocity of 119 Kepler asteroseismic targets for which we acquired high-resolution spectra. For many of these stars the derived atmospheric parameters agree with Teff, log g, and [Fe/H] from the Kepler Input Catalog (KIC) to within their error bars. Only for stars hotter than 7000K we notice significant differences between the effective temperature derived from spectroscopy and Teff given in the KIC. For 19 stars which we observed photoelectrically, we measured the interstellar reddening and we found it to be negligible. Finally, our discovery of the delta Sct and gamma Dor pulsating stars in the open cluster NGC6866 allowed us to discuss the frequency of the occurrence of gamma Dor stars in the open clusters of different age and metallicity and show that there are no correlations between these parameters.
We report on the ground-based follow-up program of spectroscopic and photometric observations of solar-like asteroseismic targets for the Kepler space mission. These stars constitute a large group of more than thousand objects which are the subject of an intensive study of the Kepler Asteroseismic Science Consortium Working Group 1 (KASC WG-1). The main goal of this coordinated research is the determination of the fundamental stellar atmospheric parameters, which are used for the computing of their asteroseismic models, as well as for the verification of the Kepler Input Catalogue (KIC).
Recommendations by the Origins Working Group for EJSM mission - JGO and JEO spacecrafts.
The Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) includes photons with wavelengths from ultraviolet to infrared, which are effective at attenuating gamma rays with energy above ~10 GeV during propagation from sources at cosmological distances. This results in a redshift- and energy-dependent attenuation of the gamma-ray flux of extragalactic sources such as blazars and Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). The Large Area Telescope onboard Fermi detects a sample of gamma-ray blazars with redshift up to z~3, and GRBs with redshift up to z~4.3. Using photons above 10 GeV collected by Fermi over more than one year of observations for these sources, we investigate the effects of the EBL on the gamma-ray flux. We constrain the gamma-ray opacity of the Universe at various energies and redshifts, and compare this with predictions from well-known EBL models. We find that an EBL intensity in the optical-ultraviolet wavelengths as great as predicted by the "fast-evolution" and "baseline" models of Stecker et al (2006) can be ruled out with high confidence.
We compare the expected abundance of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons from pulsars and magnetars. We assume that the distribution of infant pulsars and magnetars follows that of high-mass stars in the Milky Way and that the production rate of cosmic rays is proportional to the spin-down and magnetic-decay power of pulsars and magnetars, respectively. In combination with primary and secondary cosmic-ray leptons from other sources (especially supernova remnants), we find that both magnetars and pulsars can easily account for the observed cosmic-ray spectrum, in particular the dip seen by HESS at several TeV and the increase in positron fraction found by PAMELA.
Red Supergiants (RSGs) are among the brightest stars in the local universe, making them ideal candidates with which to probe the properties of their host galaxies. However, current quantitative spectroscopic techniques require spectral resolutions of R>17,000, making observations of RSGs at distances greater than 1Mpc unfeasible. Here we explore the potential of quantitative spectroscopic techniques at much lower resolutions, R ~2-3000. We take archival J-band spectra of a sample of RSGs in the Solar neighbourhood. In this spectral region the metallic lines of FeI, MgI, SiI and TiI are prominent, while the molecular absorption features of OH, H_2O, CN and CO are weak. We compare these data with synthetic spectra produced from the existing grid of model atmospheres from the MARCS project, with the aim of deriving chemical abundances. We find that all stars studied can be unambiguously fit by the models, and model parameters of log g, effective temperatures Teff, microturbulence and global metal content may be derived. We find that the abundances derived for the stars are all very close to Solar and have low dispersion, with an average of [logZ]=0.13+/-0.14. The values of Teff fit by the models are ~150K cooler than the stars' literature values for earlier spectral types when using the Levesque et al. temperature scale, though this temperature discrepancy has very little systematic effect on the derived abundances as the equivalent widths (EWs) of the metallic lines are roughly constant across the full temperature range of RSGs. Instead, elemental abundances are the dominating factor in the EWs of the diagnostic lines. Our results suggest that chemical abundance measurements of RSGs are possible at low- to medium-resolution, meaning that this technique is a viable infrared-based alternative to measuring abundance trends in external galaxies. [Abridged]
Long observation (1972 - 2009) of the powerful discrete source in Galaxy Cygnus X-3 discovered its main properties and let to develop a real model of this unique object. It is short binary system with 4.8 hour orbital period including relativistic object (neutron star or black hole) and massive star. Source most activity is seen in gamma-rays from tens MeV to thousands TeV.
RTS2 is an open source observatory manager. It was written from scratch in the C++ language, with portability and modularity in mind. Its driving requirements originated from quick follow-ups of Gamma Ray Bursts. After some years of development it is now used to carry tasks it was originally not intended to carry. This article presents the current development status of the RTS2 code. It focuses on describing strategies which worked as well as things which failed to deliver expected results.
The transiting exoplanet WASP-18b was discovered in 2008 by the Wide Angle
Search for Planets (WASP) project. The \textit{Spitzer}\
Exoplanet Target of Opportunity Program observed secondary eclipses of
WASP-18b using \textit{Spitzer}'s Infrared Array Camera (IR\ AC) in the
3.6-{\micron} and 5.8-{\micron} bands on 2008 December 20, and in the
4.5-{\micron} and 8.0-{\micron} bands on 2008 Dece\ mber 24. We report eclipse
depths of \math{0.31\pm{0.02}, 0.38\pm{0.03}, 0.41\pm{0.02}, 0.43\pm{0.03}\%},
and brightness temperatu\ res of 2920 \pm {90}, 3150 \pm {130}, 3040 \pm {130}
and 2960 \pm {130} K, respectively. WASP-18b is one of the hottest planets ye\
t discovered - as hot as an M-class star. The planet's pressure-temperature
profile features a thermal inversion. The observation\ s also require WASP-18b
to have near-zero albedo and almost no redistribution of energy from the
day-side to the night side of the \ planet.
During an X-ray survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud, carried out with the XMM-Newton satellite, we detected significant soft X-ray emission from the central star of the high-excitation planetary nebula SMP SMC 22. Its very soft spectrum is well fit with a non local thermodynamical equilibrium model atmosphere composed of H, He, C, N, and O, with abundances equal to those inferred from studies of its nebular lines. The derived effective temperature of 1.5x10^5 K is in good agreement with that found from the optical/UV data. The unabsorbed flux in the 0.1-0.5 keV range is about 3x10^{-11} erg cm^-2 s^-1, corresponding to a luminosity of 1.2x10^37 erg/s at the distance of 60 kpc. We also searched for X-ray emission from a large number of SMC planetary nebulae, confirming the previous detection of SMP SMC 25 with a luminosity of (0.2-6)x10^35 erg/s (0.1-1 keV). For the remaining objects that were not detected, we derived flux upper limits corresponding to luminosity values from several tens to hundreds times smaller than that of SMP SMC 22. The exceptionally high X-ray luminosity of SMP SMC 22 is probably due to the high mass of its central star, quickly evolving toward the white dwarf's cooling branch, and to a small intrinsic absorption in the nebula itself.
We continue to explore the validity of the reflected shock structure (RSS) picture in SNR 1987A that was proposed in our previous analyses of the X-ray emission from this object. We used an improved version of our RSS model in a global analysis of 14 CCD spectra from the monitoring program with Chandra. In the framework of the RSS picture, we are able to match both the expansion velocity curve deduced from the analysis of the X-ray images and light curve. Using a simplified analysis, we also show that the X-rays and the non-thermal radio emission may originate from the same shock structure (the blast wave). We believe that using the RSS model in the analysis of grating data from the Chandra monitoring program of SNR 1987A that cover a long enough time interval, will allow us to build a more realistic physical picture and model of SNR 1987A.
The disc around the Herbig Ae/Be star HD 100546 is one of the most extensively studied discs in the southern sky. Although there is a wealth of information about its dust content and composition, not much is known about its gas and large scale kinematics. We detect and study the molecular gas in the disc at spatial resolution from 7.7" to 18.9" using the APEX telescope. The lines 12CO J=7-6, J=6-5, J=3-2, 13CO J=3-2 and [C I] 3P2-3P1 are observed, diagnostic of disc temperature, size, chemistry, and kinematics. We use parametric disc models that reproduce the low-J 12CO emission from Herbig~Ae stars and vary the basic disc parameters - temperature, mass and size. Using the molecular excitation and radiative transfer code RATRAN we fit the observed spectral line profiles. Our observations are consistent with more than 0.001 Msun of molecular gas in a disc of approximately 400 AU radius in Keplerian rotation around a 2.5 Msun star, seen at an inclination of 50 degrees. The detected 12CO lines are dominated by gas at 30-70~K. The non-detection of the [C I] line indicates excess ultraviolet emission above that of a B9 type model stellar atmosphere. Asymmetry in the 12CO line emission suggests that one side of the outer disc is colder by 10-20~K than the other, possibly due to a shadow by a warped geometry of the inner disc. Pointing offsets, foreground cloud absorption and asymmetry in the disc extent are excluded scenarios. Efficient heating of the outer disc ensures that low- and high-J 12CO lines are dominated by the outermost disc regions, indicating a 400 AU radius. The 12CO J=6--5 line arises from a disc layer higher above disc midplane, and warmer by 15-20~K than the layer emitting the J=3--2 line. The existing models of discs around Herbig Ae stars, assuming a B9.5 type model stellar atmosphere overproduce the [CI] 3P2--3P1 line intensity from HD 100546 by an order of magnitude.
GRB 090510 is the first burst whose afterglow emission above 100 MeV was measured by Fermi over two decades in time. Owing to its power-law temporal decay and power-law spectrum, it seems likely that the high-energy emission is from the forward-shock energizing the ambient medium (the standard blast-wave model for GRB afterglows), the GeV flux and its decay rate being consistent with that model's expectations. However, the synchrotron emission from a collimated outflow (the standard jet model) has difficulties in accounting for the lower-energy afterglow emission, where a simultaneous break occurs in the optical and X-ray light-curves at 2 ks, but with the optical flux decay (before and after the break) being much slower than in the X-rays (at same time). The measured X-ray and GeV fluxes are incompatible with the higher-energy afterglow emission being from same spectral component as the lower-energy afterglow emission, which suggests a synchrotron self-Compton model for this afterglow. Cessation of energy injection in the blast-wave can account for the optical and X-ray light-curves provided that the ambient medium has a wind-like n propto r^{-2} density. The latter is incompatible with this short-GRB originating from the merger of two compact stars.
The Pulsar Search Collaboratory [PSC, NSF #0737641] is a joint project between the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and West Virginia University (WVU) designed to interest high school students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics [STEM] related career paths by helping them to conduct authentic scientific research. The 3- year PSC program, which began in summer 2008, teaches students to analyze astronomical radio data acquired with the 100-m Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope for the purpose of discovering new pulsars. We present the results of the first complete year of the PSC, which includes two astronomical discoveries.
Supermassive black holes are found at the centers of most galaxies and their inspiral is a natural outcome when galaxies merge. The inspiral of these systems is of utmost astrophysical importance as prodigious producers of gravitational waves and in their possible role in energetic electromagnetic events. We study such binary black hole coalescence under the influence of an external magnetic field produced by the expected circumbinary disk surrounding them. Solving the Einstein equations to describe the spacetime and using the force-free approach for the electromagnetic fields and the tenuous plasma, we present numerical evidence for possible jets driven by these systems. Extending the process described by Blandford and Znajek for a single spinning black hole, the picture that emerges suggests the electromagnetic field extracts energy from the orbiting black holes, which ultimately merge and settle into the standard Blandford-Znajek scenario. Emissions along dual and single jets would be expected that could be observable to large distances.
The effects of astrophysical uncertainties on the exclusion limits at dark matter direct detection experiments are investigated for three scenarios: elastic, momentum dependent and inelastically scattering dark matter. We find that varying the dark matter galactic escape velocity and the Sun's circular velocity can lead to significant variations in the exclusion limits for light ($\lesssim10$ GeV) elastic and inelastic scattering dark matter. We also calculate the limits using one hundred velocity distributions extracted from the Via Lactea II and GHALO N-body simulations and find that a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution with the same astrophysical parameters generally sets less constraining limits. The elastic and momentum dependent limits remain robust for masses $\gtrsim50$ GeV under variations of the astrophysical parameters and the form of the velocity distribution.
Motivated by possible astrophysical and biological applications we calculate visible and near UV spectral lines of proflavine (C13H11N3, 3,6-diaminoacridine) in vacuum, as well as its anion, cation, and dication. The pseudopotential density functional and time-dependent density functional methods are used. We find a good agreement in spectral line positions calculated by two real-time propagation methods and the Lanczos chain method. Spectra of proflavine and its ions show characteristic UV lines which are good candidates for a detection of these molecules in interstellar space and various biological processes.
It is shown that an effective anisotropic spherically symmetric fluid model with heat flow can absorb the addition to a perfect fluid of pressure anisotropy, heat flow, bulk and shear viscosity, electric field and null fluid. In most cases the induction of effective heat flow can be avoided.
We calculate IR divergent graviton one-loop corrections to scalar correlators in de Sitter space, and show that the leading IR contribution may be reproduced via simple semiclassical consistency relations. One can likewise use such semiclassical relations to calculate leading IR corrections to correlators in slow-roll inflation. The regulated corrections shift the tensor/scalar ratio and consistency relation of single field inflation, and non-gaussianity parameters averaged over very large distances. For inflation of sufficient duration, for example arising from a chaotic inflationary scenario, these corrections become of order unity. First-order corrections of this size indicate a breakdown of the perturbative expansion, and suggest the need for a non-perturbative description of the corresponding regime. This is analogous to a situation argued to arise in black hole evolution, and to interfere with a sharp perturbative calculation of "missing information" in Hawking radiation.
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