The Ultraviolet (UV) continuum slope beta, typically observed at z=7 in Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFC3/IR bands via the J-H colour, is a useful indicator of the age, metallicity, and dust content of high-redshift stellar populations. Recent studies have shown that the redward evolution of beta with cosmic time from redshift 7 to 4 can be largely explained by a build up of dust. However, initial claims that faint z=7 galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field WFC3/IR imaging (HUDF09) were blue enough to require stellar populations of zero reddening, low metallicity and young ages, hitherto unseen in star-forming galaxies, have since been refuted and revised. Here we revisit the question of how best to measure the UV slope of z=7 galaxies through source recovery simulations, within the context of present and future ultra-deep imaging from HST. We consider how source detection, selection and colour measurement have each biased the measurement of beta in previous studies. After finding a robust method for measuring beta in the simulations (via a power law fit to all the available photometry), we remeasure the UV slopes of a sample of previously published low luminosity z=7 galaxy candidates. This sample appears consistent with an intrinsic distribution of normal star-forming galaxies with beta=-2, although properly decoding the underlying distribution will require further imaging from the ongoing HUDF12 programme. We therefore go on to consider strategies for obtaining better constraints on the underlying distribution of UV slopes at z=7 from these new data, which will benefit particularly from the addition of imaging in a second J-band filter: F140W. We find that a precise and unbiased measurement of beta should then be possible.
We present 18 GHz Australia Telescope Compact Array imaging of the Mpc-scale quasar jet PKS 0637-752 with angular resolution ~0.58 arcseconds. We draw attention to a spectacular train of quasi-periodic knots along the inner 11 arcseconds of the jet, with average separation ~1.1 arcsec (7.6 kpc projected). We consider two classes of model to explain the periodic knots: those that involve a static pattern through which the jet plasma travels (e.g. stationary shocks); and those that involve modulation of the jet engine. Interpreting the knots as re-confinement shocks implies the jet kinetic power Q ~ 10^{46} erg/s, but the constant knot separation along the jet is not expected in a realistic external density profile. For models involving modulation of the jet engine, we find that the required modulation period is 2 x 10^3 yr < \tau < 3 x 10^5 yr. The lower end of this range is applicable if the jet remains highly relativistic on kpc-scales, as implied by the IC/CMB model of jet X-ray emission. We suggest that the quasi-periodic jet structure in PKS 0637-752 may be analogous to the quasi-periodic jet modulation seen in the microquasar GRS 1915+105, believed to result from limit cycle behaviour in an unstable accretion disk. If variations in the accretion rate are driven by a binary black hole, the predicted orbital radius is 0.7 < a < 30 pc, which corresponds to a maximum angular separation of ~0.1 - 5 mas.
Aims. We analyze the multiplicity properties of the massive O-type star
population. With 360 O-type stars, this is the largest homogeneous sample of
massive stars analyzed to date.
Methods. We use multi-epoch spectroscopy and variability analysis to identify
spectroscopic binaries. We also use a Monte-Carlo method to correct for
observational biases.
Results. We observe a spectroscopic binary fraction of 0.35\pm0.03, which
corresponds to the fraction of objects displaying statistically significant
radial velocity variations with an amplitude of at least 20km/s. We compute the
intrinsic binary fraction to be 0.51\pm0.04. We adopt power-laws to describe
the intrinsic period and mass-ratio distributions: f_P ~ (log P)^\pi\ (with
0.15 < log P < 3.5) and f_q ~ q^\kappa\ with 0.1 < q=M_2/M_1 < 1.0. The
power-law indexes that best reproduce the observed quantities are \pi = -0.45
+/- 0.30 and \kappa = -1.0\pm0.4. The obtained period distribution thus favours
shorter period systems compared to an Oepik law. The mass ratio distribution is
slightly skewed towards low mass ratio systems but remains incompatible with a
random sampling of a classical mass function. The binary fraction seems mostly
uniform across the field of view and independent of the spectral types and
luminosity classes. The binary fraction in the outer region of the field of
view (r > 7.8', i.e. approx117 pc) and among the O9.7 I/II objects are however
significantly lower than expected from statistical fluctuations.
Conclusions. Using simple evolutionary considerations, we estimate that over
50% of the current O star population in 30 Dor will exchange mass with its
companion within a binary system. This shows that binary interaction is greatly
affecting the evolution and fate of massive stars, and must be taken into
account to correctly interpret unresolved populations of massive stars.
It has been proposed that the cool cores of galaxy clusters are stably heated by cosmic rays (CRs). If this is the case, radio mini-halos, which are often found in the central regions of cool core clusters, may be attributed to the synchrotron emission from the CRs. Based on this idea, we investigate the radial profiles of the mini-halos. First, using numerical simulations, we confirm that it is appropriate to assume that radiative cooling of the intracluster medium (ICM) is balanced with the heating by CR streaming. In these simulations, we assume that the streaming velocity of the CRs is the sound velocity of the ICM, and indicate that the heating is even more stable than the case where the streaming velocity is the Alfven velocity. Then, actually assuming the balance between cooling and heating, we estimate the radial profiles of CR pressure in six clusters only from X-ray observations. Since the CR protons interact with the ICM protons, we can predict the radial profiles of the resultant synchrotron radiation. We compare the predictions with the observed radial profiles of the mini-halos in the six clusters and find that they are consistent if the momentum spectra of the CRs are steep. These results may indicate that the cores are actually being heated by the CRs. We also predict broad-band spectra of the six clusters, and show that the non-thermal fluxes from the clusters are small in hard X-ray and gamma-ray bands.
We present direct measures of the ionization fractions of several sulfur ions in the Galactic warm ionized medium (WIM). We obtained high resolution ultraviolet absorption line spectroscopy of post-asymptotic giant branch stars in the the globular clusters Messier 3 [(l,b)=(42.2, +78.7); d=10.2 kpc, z=10.0 kpc] and Messier 5 [(l,b)=(3.9, +46.8); d=7.5 kpc, z = +5.3 kpc] with the Hubble Space Telescope and Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer to measure, or place limits on, the column densities of S I, S II, S III, S IV, S VI, and H I. These clusters also house millisecond pulsars, whose dispersion measures give an electron column density from which we infer the H II column in these directions. We find fractions of S+2 in the WIM for the M 3 and M 5 sight lines x(S+2) = N(S+2)/N(S) = 0.33+/-0.07 and 0.47+/-0.09, respectively, with variations perhaps related to location. With negligible quantities of the higher ionization states, we conclude S+ and S+2 account for all of the S in the WIM. We extend the methodology to study the ion fractions in the warm and hot ionized gas of the Milky Way, including the high ions Si+3, C+3, N+4, and O+5. The vast majority of the Galactic ionized gas is warm (T ~ 10^4 K) and photoionized (the WIM) or very hot (T > 4x10^5 K) and collisionally ionized. The common tracer of ionized gas beyond the Milky Way, O+5, traces <1% of the total ionized gas mass of the Milky Way.
Multiwavelength studies of radio relics at merger shocks set powerful constraints on the relics origin and formation mechanism. However, for X-ray observations, a main difficulty is represented by the low X-ray surface brightness far out in the cluster outskirts, where relics are typically found. Here, we present XMM-Newton results from a 130-ks observation of CIZA J2242.8+5301, a cluster at z=0.19 that hosts a double radio relic. We focus on the well-defined northern relic. There is a difference of ~55% between the temperature we measure behind the relic, and the temperature measured with Suzaku. We analyse the reasons for this large discrepancy, and discuss the possibility of reliably measuring the temperature beyond the northern relic.
We present a Subaru weak lensing measurement of ACT-CL J0022.2-0036, one of the most luminous, high-redshift (z=0.81) Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) clusters discovered in the 268 deg^2 equatorial region survey of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. For the weak lensing analysis using i'-band images, we use a model-fitting (Gauss-Laguerre shapelet) method to measure shapes of galaxy images, where we fit galaxy images in different exposures simultaneously to obtain best-fit ellipticities taking into account the different PSFs in each exposure. We also take into account the astrometric distortion effect on galaxy images by performing the model fitting in the world coordinate system. To select background galaxies behind the cluster at z=0.81, we use photometric redshift (photo-z) estimates for every galaxy derived from the co-added images of multi-passband Br'i'z'Y, with PSF matching/homogenization. After a photo-z cut for background galaxy selection, we detect the tangential weak lensing distortion signal with a total signal-to-noise ratio of about 3.7. By fitting a Navarro-Frenk-White model to the measured shear profile, we find the cluster mass to be M_200\bar{\rho}_m = [7.5^+3.2_-2.8(stat.)^+1.3_-0.6(sys.)] x 10^14 M_\odot/h. The weak lensing-derived mass is consistent with previous mass estimates based on the SZ observation, with assumptions of hydrostatic equilibrium and virial theorem, as well as with scaling relations between SZ signal and mass derived from weak lensing, X-ray, and velocity dispersion, within the measurement errors. We also show that the existence of ACT-CL J0022.2-0036 at z=0.81 is consistent with the cluster abundance prediction of the \Lambda-dominated cold dark matter structure formation model. We thus demonstrate the capability of Subaru-type ground-based images for studying weak lensing of high-redshift clusters.
It is proposed that the luminosity function, the comoving-frame spectral correlations and distributions of cosmological Long-duration Gamma-Ray Bursts (LGRBs) may be very well described as multivariate log-normal distribution. This result is based on careful selection, analysis and modeling of the spectral parameters of LGRBs in the largest catalog of Gamma-Ray Bursts available to date: 2130 BATSE GRBs, while taking into account the detection threshold and possible selection effects on observational data. Constraints on the joint quadru-variate distribution of the isotropic peak luminosity, the total isotropic emission, the comoving-frame time-integrated spectral peak energy and the comoving-frame duration of LGRBs are derived. Extensive goodness-of-fit tests are performed. The presented analysis provides evidence for a relatively large fraction of LGRBs that have been missed by BATSE detector with total isotropic emissions extending down to 10^49 [erg] and observed spectral peak energies as low as 5 [KeV]. The model predicts a fairly strong but significant correlation (Pearson's \rho=0.58\pm0.04 at >14\sigma) for the Amati relation and a moderate correlation for the Yonetoku relation. The strength and significance of the correlations found, encourage the search for the underlying mechanisms, though undermines their capabilities as probes of Dark Energy's equation of state at high redshifts. Corroborating recent reports on the apparent observed flattening in the Number-Intensity distribution (log(N)-log(P) diagram) of LGRBs, the model further extends the reported flattening to a turnover at the bolometric 1-second peak energy flux Pbol~5*10^(-8) [erg/s/cm^2]. The presented analysis favors - but does not necessitate - a cosmic rate for BATSE LGRBs tracing the metallicity evolution consistent with a cutoff ~0.2-0.5, assuming no luminosity-redshift evolution.
Star clusters are known to have smaller intrinsic metallicity spreads than dwarf galaxies due to their shorter star formation timescales. Here we use individual spectroscopic [Fe/H] measurements of stars in 19 Local Group dwarf galaxies, 13 Galactic open clusters, and 49 globular clusters to show that star cluster and dwarf galaxy linear metallicity distributions are binomial in form, with all objects showing strong correlations between their mean linear metallicity $\bar{Z}$ and intrinsic spread in metallicity $\sigma(Z)^{2}$. A plot of $\sigma(Z)^{2}$ versus $\bar{Z}$ shows that the correlated relationships are offset for the dwarf galaxies from the star clusters. The common binomial nature of these linear metallicity distributions can be explained with a simple inhomogeneous chemical evolution model (e.g., Oey 2000), where the star cluster and dwarf galaxy behaviour in the $\sigma(Z)^{2}-\bar{Z}$ diagram is reproduced in terms of the number of enrichment events, covering fraction, and intrinsic size of the enriched regions. The inhomogeneity of the self-enrichment sets the slope for the observed dwarf galaxy $\sigma(Z)^{2}-\bar{Z}$ correlation. The offset of the star cluster sequence from that of the dwarf galaxies is due to pre-enrichment, and the slope of the star cluster sequence represents the remnant signature of the self-enriched history of their host galaxies. The offset can be used to separate star clusters from dwarf galaxies without a priori knowledge of their luminosity or dynamical mass. The application of the inhomogeneous model to the $\sigma(Z)^{2}-\bar{Z}$ relationship provides a numerical formalism to connect the self-enrichment and pre-enrichment between star clusters and dwarf galaxies using physically motivated chemical enrichment parameters.
The Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey (HeViCS) is the deepest, confusion-limited survey of the Virgo Cluster at far-infrared (FIR) wavelengths. The entire survey at full depth covers $\sim$55 sq. deg. in 5 bands (100-500 \micron), encompassing the areas around the central dominant elliptical galaxies (M87, M86 & M49) and extends as far as the NW cloud, the W cloud and the Southern extension. The survey extends beyond this region with lower sensitivity so that the total area covered is 84 sq. deg. In this paper we describe the data, the data acquisition techniques and present the detection rates of the optically selected Virgo Cluster Catalogue (VCC). We detect 254 (34%) of 750 VCC galaxies found within the survey boundary in at least one band and 171 galaxies are detected in all five bands. For the remainder of the galaxies we have measured strict upper limits for their FIR emission. The population of detected galaxies contains early- as well as late-types although the latter dominate the detection statistics. We have modelled 168 galaxies, showing no evidence of a strong synchrotron component in their FIR spectra, using a single-temperature modified blackbody spectrum with a fixed emissivity index ($\beta = 2$). A study of the $\chi^2$ distribution indicates that this model is not appropriate in all cases, and this is supported by the FIR colours which indicate a spread in $\beta$=1--2. Statistical comparison of the dust mass and temperature distributions from 140 galaxies with $\chi^2_{dof=3} < 7.8$ (95% confidence level) shows that late-types have typically colder, more massive dust reservoirs; the early-type dust masses have a mean of ${\rm log}(<M> / M_{\sun}) = 6.3 \pm 0.3 $, while for late-types ${\rm log}(<M> / M_{\sun}) =7.1 \pm 0.1$... (abridged)
The isolation, simple apparent structure, and low luminosity of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 6503 make it an ideal candidate for an in-depth kinematic and photometric study. We introduce a new publicly available code, DiskFit, that implements procedures for fitting non-axisymmetries in either kinematic or photometric data. We use DiskFit to analyze new Halpha and CO velocity field data as well as HI kinematics from Greisen et al. to search for non-circular motions in the disc of NGC 6503. We find NGC 6503 to have remarkably regular gas kinematics that are well-described by rotation only. We also use DiskFit and a new Ks-band image of NGC 6503 to constrain photometric models of the disc, bar and bulge. We find the galaxy to be photometrically dominated by the disc. We find NGC 6503 to contain a faint bar and an exponential bulge which together contribute only ~5% of the total galaxy light. The combination of our kinematic and photometric DiskFit models suggest that NGC 6503 contains a weak, end-on bar that may have produced its Type II surface brightness profile but is unlikely to be responsible for its strong sigma-drop.
We present X-ray, optical, near-infrared, and radio observations of GRBs 110709B and 111215A, as well as optical and near-IR observations of their host galaxies. The combination of X-ray detections and deep optical/near-infrared limits establish both bursts as "dark". Sub-arcsecond positions enabled by radio detections lead to robust host galaxy associations, with optical detections that indicate z < 4 (110709B) and 1.8 < z < 2.7 (111215A). Using the radio and X-ray data for each burst we find that GRB 110709B requires A_V > 5.3 mag and GRB 111215A requires A_V > 8.5 mag (z=2), among the largest extinction values inferred for dark bursts to-date. The two bursts also exhibit large neutral hydrogen column densities (N_H > 10^22/cm^2; z=2) as inferred from their X-ray spectra, in agreement with the trend for dark GRBs. Finally, we find that for both bursts the afterglow emission is best explained by a collimated outflow with a total beaming-corrected energy of E_gamma+E_K ~ 7-9 x 10^51 erg (z=2) expanding into a wind medium with a high density (n~100-350 cm^-3 at 10^17 cm). While the energy release is typical of long GRBs, the inferred density may be indicative of larger mass loss rates for GRB progenitors in dusty (and hence metal rich) environments. This study establishes the critical role of radio observations in determining the origin and properties of dark GRBs. Observations with the JVLA and ALMA will provide a sample with sub-arcsecond positions and robust host associations that will help shed light on obscured star formation and the role of metallicity in GRB progenitors.
Using high-quality, broad-band afterglow data for GRB 091029, we test the validity of the forward-shock model for gamma-ray burst afterglows. We used multi-wavelength (NIR to X-ray) follow-up observations obtained with the GROND, BOOTES-3/YA and Stardome optical ground-based telescopes, and the UVOT and the XRT onboard the Swift satellite. To explain the almost totally decoupled light curves in the X-ray and optical/NIR domains, a two-component outflow is proposed. Several models are tested, including continuous energy injection, components with different electron energy indices and components in two different stages of spectral evolution. Only the last model can explain both the decoupled light curves with asynchronous peaks and the peculiar SED evolution. However, this model has so many unknown free parameters that we are unable to reliably confirm or disprove its validity, making the afterglow of GRB 091029 difficult to explain in the framework of the simplest fireball model.
[Abridged] Sub-mm observations of the William Herschel Deep Field using
LABOCA revealed possible counterparts for 2 X-ray absorbed QSOs. The aim here
is to exploit EVLA imaging at 8.4 GHz to establish the QSOs as radio/sub-mm
sources. The challenge in reducing the EVLA data was the presence of a strong
4C source in the field. A new calibration algorithm was applied to the data to
subtract it. The resulting thermal noise limited radio map covers the 16'x16'
Extended WHDF. It contains 41 sources above a 4-sigma limit, 17 of which have
primary beam corrected flux. The radio observations show that the absorbed AGN
with LABOCA detections are coincident with radio sources, confirming the
tendency for X-ray absorbed AGN to be sub-mm bright. These sources show strong
ultraviolet excess (UVX) suggesting the nuclear sightline is gas- but not
dust-absorbed. Of the 3 remaining LABOCA sources within the ~5' half-power beam
width, 1 is identified with a faint nuclear X-ray/radio source in a nearby
galaxy, 1 with a faint radio source and 1 is unidentified in any other band.
More generally, differential radio source counts are in good agreement with
previous observations, showing at S<50 micro-Jy a significant excess over a
pure AGN model. In the full area, of 10 sources fainter than this limit, 6 have
optical counterparts of which 3 are UVX (i.e. likely QSOs) including the 2
absorbed quasar LABOCA sources. The other faint radio counterparts are not UVX
but are only slightly less blue and likely to be star-forming/merging galaxies,
predominantly at lower luminosities and redshifts. The 4 faint, optically
unidentified radio sources may be either dust obscured QSOs or galaxies. These
high-z obscured AGN and lower-z star-forming populations are thus the main
candidates to explain the observed excess in faint source counts and hence the
excess radio background found previously by the ARCADE2 experiment.
The extragalactic background light (EBL) is one of the fundamental observational quantities in cosmology. All energy releases from resolved and unresolved extragalactic sources, and the light from any truly diffuse background, excluding the cosmic microwave background (CMB), contribute to its intensity and spectral energy distribution. It therefore plays a crucial role in cosmological tests for the formation and evolution of stellar objects and galaxies, and for setting limits on exotic energy releases in the universe. The EBL also plays an important role in the propagation of very high energy gamma-rays which are attenuated en route to Earth by pair producing gamma-gamma interactions with the EBL and CMB. The EBL affects the spectrum of the sources, predominantly blazars, in the ~10 GeV to 10 TeV energy regime. Knowledge of the EBL intensity and spectrum will allow the determination of the intrinsic blazar spectrum in a crucial energy regime that can be used to test particle acceleration mechanisms and VHE gamma-ray production models. Conversely, knowledge of the intrinsic gamma-ray spectrum and the detection of blazars at increasingly higher redshifts will set strong limits on the EBL and its evolution. This paper reviews the latest developments in the determination of the EBL and its impact on the current understanding of the origin and production mechanisms of gamma-rays in blazars, and on energy releases in the universe. The review concludes with a summary and future directions in Cherenkov Telescope Array techniques and in infrared ground-based and space observatories that will greatly improve our knowledge of the EBL and the origin and production of very high energy gamma-rays.
Linear analysis of the formation of protostellar cores in planar magnetic interstellar clouds shows that molecular clouds exhibit a preferred length scale for collapse that depends on the mass-to-flux ratio and neutral-ion collision time within the cloud. We extend this linear analysis to the context of clustered star formation. By combining the results of the linear analysis with a realistic ionization profile for the cloud, we find that a molecular cloud may evolve through two fragmentation events in the evolution toward the formation of stars. Our model suggests that the initial fragmentation into clumps occurs for a transcritical cloud on parsec scales while the second fragmentation can occur for transcritical and supercritical cores on subparsec scales. Comparison of our results with several star forming regions (Perseus, Taurus, Pipe Nebula) shows support for a two-stage fragmentation model.
Space based gravitational wave astronomy will open a completely new window on the Universe and massive black holes binaries are expected to be among the primary actors on this upcoming stage. The New Gravitational-wave Observatory (NGO) is a space interferometer proposal derived from the former Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) concept. We describe here its capabilities of observing massive black hole binaries throughout the Universe, measuring their relevant parameters (masses, spins, distance to the observer) to high precision. The statistical properties of the population of detected systems can be used to constrain the massive black hole cosmic history, providing deep insights into the faint, high redshift Universe.
Using long-slit optical spectroscopy obtained at the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias, we have examined the gaseous environment of the radio-loud quasar TXS 1436+157 (z=2.54), previously known to be associated with a large Ly-alpha nebula and a spatially extended Ly-alpha-absorbing structure. From the Ly-alpha nebula we measure kinematic properties consistent with infall at a rate of about 10-100 M./yr - more than sufficient to power a quasar at the top of the luminosity function. The absorbing structure lies outside of the Ly-alpha nebula, at a radius of >40 kpc from the quasar. Against the bright unresolved continuum and line emission from the quasar, we detect in absorption the NV 1239,1241, CIV 1548,1551 and SiIV 1394,1403 doublets, with no unambiguous detection of absorption lines from any low-ionization species of metal. The metal column densities, taken together with the HI column density measurement from the literature, indicate that the absorbing gas is predominantly ionized by the quasar, has a mass of hydrogen of >1.6 x 10E11 M., a gas density of <18 per cubic cm, a line of sight thickness of >18 pc, and a covering factor approaching unity. While this absorbing structure is clearly not composed of pristine gas, it has an extremely low metallicity, with ionization models providing a 3-sigma limit of 12+log(O/H)<7.3. To explain these results, we discuss a scenario involving starburst-driven super-bubbles and the creation of infalling filaments of cold gas which fuel/trigger the quasar. We also discuss the possibility of detecting large-scale absorbers such as this in emission when illuminated by a powerful quasar.
We carry out the first multi-dimensional radiative transfer calculations to simultaneously compute synthetic spectra and light curves for models of supernovae driven by fast bipolar outflows. These allow us to make self-consistent predictions for the orientation dependence of both colour evolution and spectral features. We compare models with different degrees of asphericity and metallicity and find significant observable consequences of both. In aspherical models, we find spectral and light curve features that vary systematically with observer orientation. In particular, we find that the early phase light curves are brighter and bluer when viewed close to the polar axis but that the peak flux is highest for equatorial (off-axis) inclinations. Spectral line features also depend systematically on observer orientation, including the velocity of the SiII 6355A line. Consequently, our models predict a correlation between line velocity and color that could assist the identification of supernovae associated with off-axis jet-driven explosions. The amplitude and range of this correlation depends on the degree of asphericity, the metallicity and the epoch of observation but we find that it is always present and acts in the same direction.
Pop III stars are the key to the character of primeval galaxies, the first heavy elements, the onset of cosmological reionization, and the seeds of supermassive black holes. Unfortunately, in spite of their increasing sophistication, numerical models of Pop III star formation cannot yet predict the masses of the first stars. Because they lie at the edge of the observable universe, individual Pop III stars will also remain beyond the reach of telescopes for the foreseeable future, and so their properties remain unknown. However, it will soon be possible to constrain their masses by the direct detection of their supernovae and by reconciling their nucleosynthetic yields to the chemical abundances measured in ancient metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo, some of which may be bear the ashes of the first stars. Here, I review current problems on the simulation frontier in Pop III star formation and discuss the best prospects for constraining their properties observationally in the near term.
Accurate and densely populated BVRcIc lightcurves of supernovae SN 2011fe in M101, SN 2012aw in M95 and SN 2012cg in NGC 4424 are presented and discussed. The SN 2011fe lightcurve spans a total range of 342 days, from 17 days pre- to 325 days post-maximum. The observations of both SN 2012aw and SN 2012cg were stopped by solar conjunction, when the objects were still bright. The lightcurve for SN 2012aw covers 92 days, that of SN 2012cg spans 44 days. Time and brightness of maxima are measured, and from the lightcurve shapes and decline rates the absolute magnitudes are obtained, and the derived distances are compared to that of the parent galaxies. The color evolution and the bolometric lightcurves are evaluated in comparison with those of other well observed supernovae, showing no significant deviations.
The Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) is a project aimed to discover transients in the Universe, including Type Ia supernovae, core-collapse supernovae, and other exotic and rare transient events. PTF utilizes the Palomar 48-inch Telescope (P48) for discovering the transients, and follow-up mainly by the Palomar 60-inch Telescope (P60, for photometric light and color curves), as well as other telescopes. The discovery rate of PTF is about 7000 candidate transients per year, but currently only about 10% of the candidates are being followed-up and classified. To overcome this shortcoming, a dedicated spectrograph, called the SED Machine, is being designed and built at the California Institute of Technology for the P60 Telescope, aiming to maximize the classification efficiency of transients discovered by PTF. The SED Machine is a low resolution (R ~ 100) IFU spectrograph. It consists of a rainbow camera for spectrophotometric calibration, and a lenslet array plus 3-prism optics system for integrated field spectra. An overview of the science and design of the SED Machine is presented here.
Galactic Cepheids are necessary tools for calibrating the period-luminosity relation, but distances to individual Galactic Cepheids are difficult to precisely measure and are limited to a small number of techniques such as direct parallax, main-sequence fitting to open clusters that host Cepheids and Baade-Wesselink (BW) methods. In this work, we re-examine the application of Wesenheit function in determining distances to more than 300 Galactic Cepheids, by taking advantage of the fact that the Wesenheit function is extinction free by definition. The Wesenheit distances were used to calibrate the projection factor (p-factor) for Galactic Cepheids that also possess BW distances. Based on ~70 Cepheids, we found that a period-p factor relation may exhibit a non-linear trend with a considerable scatter. During our investigation, discrepant p factors for delta Cephei were found in the literature. This may be due to inconsistent measurements of the angular diameters using different empirical techniques. We discuss the reason for the inconsistency of angular diameter measurements and offer a possible remedy for this problem.
We use a sample of radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with measured black hole masses to explore the jet formation mechanisms in these sources. Based on the K\"{o}nigl's inhomogeneous jet model, the jet parameters, such as the bulk motion Lorentz factor, magnetic field strength, and electron density in the jet, can be estimated with the very long-baseline interferometry and X-ray data. We find a significant correlation between black hole mass and the bulk Lorentz factor of the jet components for this sample, while no significant correlation is present between the bulk Lorentz factor and the Eddington ratio. The massive black holes will be spun up through accretion, as the black holes acquire mass and angular momentum simultaneously through accretion. Recent investigation indeed suggested that most supermassive black holes in elliptical galaxies have on average higher spins than the black holes in spiral galaxies, where random, small accretion episodes (e.g., tidally disrupted stars, accretion of molecular clouds) might have played a more important role. If this is true, the correlation between black hole mass and the bulk Lorentz factor of the jet components found in this work implies that the motion velocity of the jet components is probably governed by the black hole spin. No correlation is found between the magnetic field strength at $10R_{\rm S}$ ($R_{\rm S}=2GM/c^2$ is the Schwarzschild radius) in the jets and the bulk Lorentz factor of the jet components for this sample. This is consistent with the black hole spin scenario, i.e., the faster moving jets are magnetically accelerated by the magnetic fields threading the horizon of more rapidly rotating black holes. The results imply that the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) mechanism may dominate over the Blandford-Payne (BP) mechanism for the jet acceleration at least in these radio-loud AGNs.
Relativistic jets are launched from black hole (BH) X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei when the disk accretion rate is below a certain limit (i.e., when the ratio of the accretion rate to the Eddingtion accretion rate, $\dot{m}$, is below about 0.01) but quenched when above. We propose a new paradigm to explain this observed coupling between the jet and the accretion disk by investigating the extraction of the rotational energy of a BH when it is surrounded by different types of accretion disk. At low accretion rates (e.g., when $\dot{m}\lesssim0.1$), the accretion near the event horizon is quasi-spherical. The accreting plasmas fall onto the event horizon in a wide range of latitudes, breaking down the force-free approximation near the horizon. To incorporate the plasma inertia effect, we consider the magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) extraction of the rotational energy from BHs by the accreting MHD fluid, as described by the MHD Penrose process. It is found that the energy extraction operates, and hence a relativistic jet is launched, preferentially when the accretion disk consists of an outer Shakura-Sunyaev disk (SSD) and an inner advection-dominated accretion flow. When the entire accretion disk type changes into an SSD, the jet is quenched because the plasmas brings more rest-mass energy than what is extracted from the hole electromagnetically to stop the extraction. Several other observed BH disk-jet couplings, such as why the radio luminosity increases with increasing X-ray luminosity until the radio emission drops, are also explained.
The ability to simulate atmospheric turbulence in the lab is a crucial part of testing and developing astronomical adaptive optics technology. We report on the development of a technique for creating phase plates, which involves the strategic application of clear acrylic paint onto a transparent substrate. Results of interferometric characterization of these plates is described and compared to Kolmogorov statistics. The range of r0 (Fried's parameter) achieved thus far is 0.2 - 1.2 mm, with a Kolmogorov power law. These phase plates have been successfully used by the lab for Adaptive Optics at University of California, Santa Cruz, in the Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics testbed, as part of the Villages (Visible Light Laser Guidestar Experiments) calibration system, and during integration and testing of the Gemini Planet Imager. This method has proven to be an effective and low cost means to simulate turbulence. We are now distributing the plates to other members of the AO community.
After the occurrence of the type cIIb SN 2011dh in the nearby spiral galaxy M 51 numerous observations were performed with different telescopes in various bands ranging from radio to gamma-rays. We analysed the XMM-Newton and Swift observations taken 3 to 30 days after the SN explosion to study the X-ray spectrum of SN 2011dh. We extracted spectra from the XMM-Newton observations, which took place ~7 and 11 days after the SN. In addition, we created integrated Swift/XRT spectra of 3 to 10 days and 11 to 30 days. The spectra are well fitted with a power-law spectrum absorbed with Galactic foreground absorption. In addition, we find a harder spectral component in the first XMM-Newton spectrum taken at t ~ 7 d. This component is also detected in the first Swift spectrum of t = 3 - 10 d. While the persistent power-law component can be explained as inverse Compton emission from radio synchrotron emitting electrons, the harder component is most likely bremsstrahlung emission from the shocked stellar wind. Therefore, the harder X-ray emission that fades away after t ~ 10 d can be interpreted as emission from the shocked circumstellar wind of SN 2011dh.
We report the discovery of an extremely close, eclipsing binary system. A white dwarf is orbited by a core He-burning compact hot subdwarf star with a period as short as $\simeq0.04987 {\rm d}$ making this system the most compact hot subdwarf binary discovered so far. The subdwarf will start to transfer helium-rich material on short timescales of less than $50 {\rm Myr}$. The ignition of He-burning at the surface may trigger carbon-burning in the core although the WD is less massive than the Chandrasekhar limit ($>0.74\,M_{\rm \odot}$) making this binary a possible progenitor candidate for a supernova type Ia event.
We present the results of deep I-band imaging of two BL Lacerate objects, RGB 0136+391 and PKS 0735+178, during an epoch when the optical nucleus was in a faint state in both targets. In PKS 0735+178 we find a significant excess over a point source, which, if fitted by the de Vaucouleurs model, corresponds to a galaxy with I = 18.64 +- 0.11 and r_eff = 1.8 +- 0.4 arcsec. Interpreting this galaxy as the host galaxy of PKS 0735+178 we derive z = 0.45 +- 0.06 using the host galaxy as a "standard candle". We also discuss the immediate optical environment of PKS 0735+178 and the identity of the MgII absorber at z = 0.424. Despite of the optimally chosen epoch and deep imaging we find the surface brightness profile of RGB 0136+391 to be consistent with a point source. By determining a lower limit for the host galaxy brightness by simulations, we derive z > 0.40 for this target.
It has been suggested that turbulent motions are responsible for the transport of angular momentum during the formation of Population III stars, however the exact details of this process have never been studied. We report the results from three dimensional SPH simulations of a rotating self-gravitating primordial molecular cloud, in which the initial velocity of solid-body rotation has been changed. We also examine the build-up of the discs that form in these idealized calculations.
Stereology allows shifting from the 3D distribution of the volumes of Poissonian Voronoi Diagrams to their 2D cross-sections. The basic assumption is that the 3D statistics of the volumes of the voids in the local Universe has a distribution function of the gamma-type. The standard rule of conversion from 3D volumes to 2D circles, adopting the standard rules of stereology, produces a new probability density function of the radii which contains the Meijer $G$-function. A non-Poissonian distribution of volumes is also considered. The distribution of the 3D radii of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 is best fitted by a non-Poissonian distribution in volumes as given by the Kiang function with argument of about two.
We have used semi-numerical simulations of reionization to study the behaviour of the power spectrum of the EoR 21-cm signal in both real and redshift space. We have considered two models of reionization, one which has homogeneous recombination (HR) and the other incorporating inhomogeneous recombination (IR). Considering the large scales first, we find that the predictions of these two models are similar. Both the real space HI power spectrum P^r(k) and the monopole moment of the redshift space HI power spectrum P^s_0(k), fall sharply to a minima as the neutral fraction declines from x_{HI} =1 to 0.8 in the early stages of reionization. As reionization proceeds, P^r and P^s_0 subsequently rise to a maxima at x_{HI} ~ 0.4-0.5, and then declines in the later stages of reionization. In the early stages of reionization (x_{HI} >= 0.8) the quadrupole moment of the HI power spectrum has a value consistent with P^s_2 /P^s_0=50/49 predicted by the linear theory of redshift space distortion. This ratio falls abruptly at x_{HI} = 0.7, and is negative with P^s_2 /P^s_0 ~ (-0.5) through the subsequent stages of reionization. The predictions of the HR and IR models, we find, differ at small and intermediate length-scales. It is possible to qualitatively interpret the results of the simulations in terms of the fluctuations in the matter distribution and the fluctuations in the neutral fraction which have power spectra and dimensionless cross-correlation P_{\Delta \Delta}(k), P_{xx}(k) and R=P_{\Delta x}/\sqrt{P_{\Delta \Delta} P_{xx}} respectively. We find R=-1 at large scales through all stages of reionization. This provides a simple picture where we are able to qualitatively interpret the behaviour of both the real space and redshift space power spectra at large scales with varying x_{HI} entirely in terms of a just two quantities, namely x_{HI} and the ratio P_{xx}/P_{\Delta \Delta}.
The exosphere, the tenuous collisionless cloud of gas surrounding Mercury is still a poorly known object because it is the result of many various interactions between the surface, the interplanetary medium (Solar wind, photons and meteoroids), the planetary and the interplanetary magnetic fields. Many ground-based observations have allowed the detection of intense and variable sodium emissions at global and local spatial scales, the latter being mostly concentrated in the polarmid latitude regions. These regions are indeed the preferred location of solar wind precipitation on the surface of the planet. In the present paper, by using high resolution Na observations obtained at the Canary Islands with the THEMIS solar telescope, we analyze the variability of the sodium exosphere on time-scale of 1 hour and investigate the possible mechanisms that could explain the exospheric sodium emission distribution and its dynamics. Our interpretation relates the observed sodium asymmetries to the combined effects of plasma and photons impacts onto the Mercury's surface and of sodium diffusion through the upper layer of the surface. The comparison between data and simulations seems to evidence that, similarly to what occurs at the Earth, both the magnetic reconnection regimes of pulsed or quasi-steady reconnection could occur on Mercury, and be responsible for the observed Na short term variations. In addition to this, a progressive broadening of the peak regions together with an increase of the equatorial region seem to corroborate the idea of the role of photon stimulated desorption, in association with ion sputtering and with global sodium migration around Mercury as the cause of the observed evolution of the Na exosphere.
The accurate and precise removal of 21-cm foregrounds from Epoch of Reionization redshifted 21-cm emission data is essential if we are to gain insight into an unexplored cosmological era. We apply a non-parametric technique, Generalized Morphological Component Analysis or GMCA, to simulated LOFAR-EoR data and show that it has the ability to clean the foregrounds with high accuracy. We recover the 21-cm 1D, 2D and 3D power spectra with high accuracy across an impressive range of frequencies and scales. We show that GMCA preserves the 21-cm phase information, especially when the smallest spatial scale data is discarded. While it has been shown that LOFAR-EoR image recovery is theoretically possible using image smoothing, we add that wavelet decomposition is an efficient way of recovering 21-cm signal maps to the same or greater order of accuracy with more flexibility. By comparing the GMCA output residual maps (equal to the noise, 21-cm signal and any foreground fitting errors) with the 21-cm maps at one frequency and discarding the smaller wavelet scale information, we find a correlation coefficient of 0.689, compared to 0.588 for the equivalently smoothed image. Considering only the central 50% of the maps, these coefficients improve to 0.905 and 0.605 respectively and we conclude that wavelet decomposition is a significantly more powerful method to denoise reconstructed 21-cm maps than smoothing.
The recent discovery by Fermi/LAT of high-energy (E>100 MeV) gamma rays from Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies (NLS1s) made evident the existence of a third class of gamma-ray emitting Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), after blazars and radio galaxies. It is now possible to study a rather unexplored range of low masses (10^6-8 Msun) and high accretion rates (up to the Eddington limit) of AGN with relativistic jets. A comparison with the jet emission from Galactic compact objects shows some striking similarities, indicating that NLS1s are the low-mass counterpart of blazars as neutron stars are the low-mass jet systems analogue of stellar mass black holes.
It has now become recognised that damped Lyman alpha systems play an important role in helping us unravel the origin of chemical elements. In this presentation, we describe the main results of a recently completed survey of the most metal-poor DLAs, aimed at complementing and extending studies of the oldest stars in the Galaxy. The survey has clarified a number of lingering issues concerning the abundances of C, N, O in the low metallicity regime, has revealed the existence of DLA analogues to Carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars, and is providing some of the most precise measures of the primordial abundance of Deuterium.
[Abridged] Context. The CoRoT space mission has been searching for transiting planets since the end of December 2006. Aims. We aim to investigate the capability of CoRoT to detect small-size transiting planets in short-period orbits, and to compare the number of CoRoT planets with 2 \leq R_p \leq 4 Rearth with the occurrence rate of small-size planets provided by the distribution of Kepler planetary candidates (Howard et al. 2012). Methods. We performed a test that simulates transits of super-Earths and Neptunes in real CoRoT light curves and searches for them blindly by using the LAM transit detection pipeline. Results. The CoRoT detection rate of planets with radius between 2 and 4 Rearth and orbital period P \leq 20 days is 59% (31%) around stars brighter than r'=14.0 (15.5). By properly taking the CoRoT detection rate for Neptune-size planets and the transit probability into account, we found that according to the Kepler planet occurrence rate, CoRoT should have discovered 12 \pm 2 Neptunes orbiting G and K dwarfs with P \leq 17 days in six observational runs. This estimate must be compared with the validated Neptune CoRoT-24b and five CoRoT planetary candidates in the considered range of planetary radii. We thus found a disagreement with expectations from Kepler at 3 \sigma or 5 \sigma, assuming a blend fraction of 0% (six Neptunes) and 100% (one Neptune) for these candidates. Conclusions. This underabundance of CoRoT Neptunes with respect to Kepler may be due to several reasons. Regardless of the origin of the disagreement, which needs to be investigated in more detail, the noticeable deficiency of CoRoT Neptunes at short orbital periods seems to indirectly support the general trend found in Kepler data, i.e. that the frequency of small-size planets increases with increasing orbital periods and decreasing planet radii.
The importance of the physical environment in the evolution of newly formed low-mass stars remains an open question. In particular, radiation from nearby more massive stars may affect both the physical and chemical structure of these kinds of young stars. Aims: To constrain the physical characteristics of a group of embedded low-mass protostars in Corona Australis in the vicinity of the young luminous Herbig Be star R CrA. Methods: Millimetre wavelength maps of molecular line and continuum emission towards the low-mass star forming region IRS7 near R CrA from the SMA and APEX are presented. The maps show the distribution of 18 lines from 7 species (H2CO, CH3OH, HC3N, c-C3H2, HCN, CN and SiO) on scales from 3" to 60" (400-8000 AU). Using a set of H2CO lines, we estimate the temperatures and column densities in the region using LTE and non-LTE methods. The results are compared with 1-D radiative transfer modelling of the protostellar cores. These models constrain which properties of the central source, envelope, and environment can give rise to the observed line and continuum emission. Results: Most of the H2CO emission from the regions emerges from two elongated narrow ridges dominating the emission picked up in both interferometric and single-dish measurements. The temperatures inferred from the H2CO lines are no less than ~30 K and more likely 50-60 K, and the line emission peaks are offset by ~2500 AU from the location of the embedded protostars. The temperatures can not be explained by the heating from the young stellar objects themselves. Irradiation by the nearby Herbig Be star R CrA could, however, explain the high temperatures. The elevated temperatures can in turn impact the physical and chemical characteristics of protostars and lead to enhanced abundances of typical tracers of photon dominated regions seen in single-dish line surveys of embedded protostars in the region.
We perform some experimental simulations in spherical symmetry and axisymmetry to understand the post-shock-revival evolution of core-collapse supernovae. Assuming that the stalled shock wave is relaunched by neutrino heating and employing the so-called light bulb approximation, we induce shock revival by raising the neutrino luminosity by hand up to the critical value, which is also determined by dynamical simulations. We incorporate nuclear network calculations with a consistent equation of state in the simulations to account for the energy release by nuclear reactions and their feedback to hydrodynamics. Varying the shock-relaunch time rather arbitrarily, we investigate the ensuing long-term evolutions systematically, paying particular attention to the explosion energy and nucleosynthetic yields as a function of this relaunch time, or equivalently the accretion rate at shock revival. We study in detail how the diagnostic explosion energy approaches the asymptotic value and which physical processes contribute to the explosion energy in what proportions as well as their dependence on the relaunch time and the dimension of dynamics. We find that the contribution of nuclear reactions to the explosion energy is comparable to or greater than that of neutrino heating. In particular, recombinations are dominant over burnings in the contributions of nuclear reactions. Interestingly 1D models studied in this paper cannot produce the appropriate explosion energy and nickel mass simultaneously, overproducing nickels, whereas this problem is resolved in 2D models.
In a previous paper, we argued that the inversion of Stokes profiles applied to spectropolarimetric observations of the solar internetwork yield unrealistically large values of the inclination of the magnetic field vector ($\gamma$). This is because photon noise in Stokes $Q$ and $U$ are interpreted by the inversion code as valid signals, that leads to an overestimation of the transverse component $B_\perp$, thus the inclination $\gamma$. However, our study was based on the analysis of linear polarization signals that featured only uncorrelated noise. In this paper, we develop this idea further and study this effect in Stokes $Q$ and $U$ profiles that also show correlated noise. In addition, we extend our study to the three components of the magnetic field vector, as well as the magnetic filling factor $\alpha$. With this, we confirm the tendency to overestimate $\gamma$ when inverting linear polarization profiles that, although non-zero, are still below the noise level. We also establish that the overestimation occurs mainly for magnetic fields that are nearly vertical $\gamma \lesssim 20\deg$. This indicates that a reliable inference of the inclination of the magnetic field vector cannot be achieved by analyzing only Stokes $I$ and $V$. In addition, when inverting Stokes $Q$ and $U$ profiles below the noise, the inversion code retrieves a randomly uniform distribution of the azimuth of the magnetic field vector $\phi$. To avoid these problems, we propose only inverting Stokes profiles for which the linear polarization signals are sufficiently above the noise level. However, this approach is also biased because, in spite of allowing for a very accurate retrieval of the magnetic field vector from the selected Stokes profiles, it selects only profiles arising from highly inclined magnetic fields.
Two years of Kepler data of KIC 8054146 (delta Sct/gamma Dor hybrid) revealed 349 statistically significant frequencies between 0.54 and 191.36 c/d (6.3 microHz to 2.21 mHz). The 117 low frequencies cluster in specific frequency bands, but do not show the equidistant period spacings predicted for gravity modes of successive radial order, n, and reported for at least one other hybrid pulsator. The four dominant low frequencies in the 2.8 to 3.0 c/d (32 to 35 microHz) range show strong amplitude variability with timescales of months and years. These four low frequencies also determine the spacing of the higher frequencies in and beyond the delta Sct pressure-mode frequency domain. In fact, most of the higher frequencies belong to one of three families with spacings linked to a specific dominant low frequency. In the Fourier spectrum, these family regularities show up as triplets, high-frequency sequences with absolutely equidistant frequency spacings, side lobes (amplitude modulations) and other regularities in frequency spacings. Furthermore, within two families the amplitude variations between the low and high frequencies are related. We conclude that the low frequencies (gravity modes, rotation) and observed high frequencies (mostly pressure modes) are physically connected. This unusual behavior may be related to the very rapid rotation of the star: from a combination of high and low-resolution spectroscopy we determined that KIC 8054146 is a very fast rotator (v sin i = 300 +/- 20 km/s) with an effective temperature of 7600 +/- 200 K and a surface gravity log g of 3.9 +/- 0.3. Several astrophysical ideas explaining the origin of the relationship between the low and high frequencies are explored.
We study the dynamics of a planet on an orbit inclined with respect to a disc. If the initial inclination of the orbit is larger than some critical value, the gravitational force exerted by the disc on the planet leads to a Kozai cycle in which the eccentricity of the orbit is pumped up to large values and oscillates with time in antiphase with the inclination. On the other hand, both the inclination and the eccentricity are damped by the frictional force that the planet is subject to when it crosses the disc. We show that, by maintaining either the inclination or the eccentricity at large values, the Kozai effect provides a way of delaying alignment with the disc and circularization of the orbit. We find the critical value to be characteristically as small as about 20 degrees. Typically, Neptune or lower mass planets would remain on inclined and eccentric orbits over the disc lifetime, whereas orbits of Jupiter or higher mass planets would align and circularize. This could play a significant role in planet formation scenarios.
We report the detection of radio recombination line emission (RRL) using the Arecibo Observatory at X-band (9GHz, 3cm) from 37 previously unknown HII regions in the Galactic zone 66 deg. > l > 31 deg. and |b| < 1 deg. This Arecibo HII Region Discovery Survey (Arecibo HRDS) is a continuation of the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) HRDS. The targets for the Arecibo HRDS have spatially coincident 24 micron and 20 cm emission of a similar angular morphology and extent. To take advantage of Arecibo's sensitivity and small beam size, sources in this sample are fainter, smaller in angle, or in more crowded fields compared to those of the GBT HRDS. These Arecibo nebulae are some of the faintest HII regions ever detected in RRL emission. Our detection rate is 58%, which is low compared to the 95% detection rate for GBT HRDS targets. We derive kinematic distances to 23 of the Arecibo HRDS detections. Four nebulae have negative LSR velocities and are thus unambiguously in the outer Galaxy. The remaining sources are at the tangent point distance or farther. We identify a large, diffuse HII region complex that has an associated HI and 13CO shell. The ~90 pc diameter of the G52L nebula in this complex may be the largest Galactic HII region known, and yet it has escaped previous detection.
Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXT) are a class of High-Mass X-ray Binaries whose optical counterparts are O or B supergiant stars, and whose X-ray outbursts are ~ 4 orders of magnitude brighter than the quiescent state. LOFT, the Large Observatory For X-ray Timing, with its coded mask Wide Field Monitor (WFM) and its 10 m^2 class collimated X-ray Large Area Detector (LAD), will be able to dramatically deepen the knowledge of this class of sources. It will provide simultaneous high S/N broad-band and time-resolved spectroscopy in several intensity states, and long term monitoring that will yield new determinations of orbital periods, as well as spin periods. We show the results of an extensive set of simulations performed using previous observational results of these sources obtained with Swift and XMM-Newton. The WFM will detect all SFXT flares within its field of view down to a 15-20 mCrab in 5ks. Our simulations describe the outbursts at several intensities (F_(2-10keV)=5.9x10^-9 to 5.5x10^-10 erg cm^-2 s^-1), the intermediate and most common state (10^-11 erg cm^-2 s^-1), and the low state (1.2x10^-12 to 5x10^-13 erg cm^-2 s^-1). We also considered large variations of N_H and the presence of emission lines, as observed by Swift and XMM-Newton.
The observation of blank fields, defined as regions of the sky that are devoid of stars down to a given threshold magnitude, constitutes one of the most relevant calibration procedures required for the proper reduction of astronomical data obtained following typical observing strategies. In this work, we have used the Delaunay triangulation to search for deep blank fields throughout the whole sky, with a minimum size of 10 arcmin in diameter and an increasing threshold magnitude from 15 to 18 in the R band of the USNO-B Catalog of the United States Naval Observatory. The result is a catalogue with the deepest blank fields known so far. A short sample of these regions has been tested with the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias, and it has been shown to be extremely useful for medium and large size telescopes. Because some of the regions found could also be suitable for new extragalactic studies, we have estimated the galactic extinction in the direction of each deep blank field. This catalogue is accessible through the Virtual Observatory tool TESELA, and the user can retrieve - and visualize using Aladin - the deep blank fields available near a given position in the sky.
We present a new method that derives both velocity components in the equatorial plane of a barred stellar disc from the observed line-of-sight velocity, assuming geometry of a thin disc. The method can be applied to large departures from circular motion, and does not require multipole decomposition. It is based on assumptions that the bar is close to steady-state (i.e. does not evolve fast), and that both morphology and kinematics are symmetrical with respect to the major axis of the bar. We derive the equations used in the method, and analyze the effect of observational errors on the inferred velocity fields. We show that this method produces meaningful results via a simple toy model. We also apply the method on integral-field data of NGC 936, for which we recover both velocity components in the disc. Knowing both velocity components in the disc, i.e. the non-observable transverse velocity in addition to the line-of-sight velocity, puts additional constraints on dynamical models and allows for new ways of determining parameters that are crucial in characterizing galaxies.
We performed 3D numerical simulations of the solar surface wave field for the quiet Sun and for three models with different localized sound-speed variations in the interior with: (i) deep, (ii) shallow, and (iii) two-layer structures. We used simulated data generated by two different codes which use the same standard solar model as a background model, but utilize two different integration techniques and use different models of stochastic wave excitation. Acoustic travel times were measured from all data sets using the time-distance helioseismology technique and compared with the ray theory predictions, frequently used for helioseismic travel-time inversions. It is found that the measured travel-time shifts agree well with the ray theory in both cases with and without phase-speed filtering for the shallow and deep perturbations. This testing verifies the whole measuring-filtering-inversion procedure for sound-speed anomalies inside the Sun. It is shown, that the phase-speed filtering, frequently used to improve the signal-to-noise ratio does not introduce significant systematic errors. Results of the sound-speed inversion procedure show good agreement with the background sound-speed profiles in all cases. Due to its smoothing nature, the inversion procedure overestimates sound speed variations in areas with sharp gradients of the sound-speed profile.
Physical (and weak) regularity conditions are used to determine and classify all the possible types of spherically symmetric dust spacetimes in general relativity. This work unifies and completes various earlier results. The junction conditions are described for general non-comoving (and non-null) surfaces, and the limits of kinematical quantities are given on all comoving surfaces where there is Darmois matching. We show that an inhomogeneous generalisation of the Kantowski-Sachs metric may be joined to the Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi metric. All the possible spacetimes are explicitly divided into four groups according to topology, including a group in which the spatial sections have the topology of a 3-torus. The recollapse conjecture (for these spacetimes) follows naturally in this approach.
Understanding the dependence of entanglement entropy on the renormalized mass in quantum field theories can provide insight into phenomena such as quantum phase transitions, since the mass varies in a singular way near the transition. Here we perturbatively calculate the entanglement entropy in interacting scalar field theory, focussing on the dependence on the field's mass. We study lambda phi^4 and g phi^3 theories in their ground state. By tracing over a half space, using the replica trick and position space Green's functions on the cone, we show that space-time volume divergences cancel and renormalization can be consistently performed in this conical geometry. We establish finite contributions to the entanglement entropy up to two-loop order, involving a finite area law. The resulting entropy is simple and intuitive: the free theory result in d=3 (that we included in an earlier publication) Delta S ~ A m^2 ln(m^2) is altered, to leading order, by replacing the bare mass m by the renormalized mass m_r evaluated at the renormalization scale of zero momentum.
The path integral, which generates in-in correlation functions of a scalar field in a cosmological spacetime, is shown to admit nontrivial classical solutions as stationary phases. Although the solutions exist for Lorentzian signature, their contribution to the path integral is reminiscent that of the instantons in Euclidean field theories, and hence we give the same name to them. When the scalar potential has more than one locally stable vacua, the correlation functions receive contributions from all of them via these instantons, which is similar to tunneling. We present some explicit solutions for toy models and discuss possible implications of our results.
We investigate the cosmological reconstruction in anisotropic universe for both homogeneous and inhomogeneous content of the universe. Special attention is attached to three interesting cases: Bianchi type-I, and Bianchi type-III and Kantowski-Sachs models. The de Sitter, power-law and general exponential solutions are assumed for the scale factor in each spatial direction and the corresponding cosmological models are reconstructed. Moreover, for the general exponential solutions, from which the de Sitter and power-law solutions may be obtained, we obtain models which reproduce the early universe, assumed as the inflation, and the late time accelerated expanding universe. The models obtained for the late time universe are consistent with a known result in literature where a power-law type correction in T is added to a power-law type of f(T) for guaranteeing the avoidance of the Big Rip and the Big Freeze.
In this paper we propose indirect probes of the scale of supersymmetry breaking, through observations in the Extreme Universe Space Observatory onboard Japanese Experiment Module (JEM-EUSO). We consider scenarios where the lightest supersymmetric particle is the gravitino, and the next to lightest (NLSP) is a long lived slepton. We demonstrate that JEM-EUSO will be able to probe models where the NLSP decays, therefore probing supersymmetric breaking scales below $5 \times 10^6$ GeV. The observatory field of view will be large enough to detect a few tens of events per year, depending on its energy threshold. This is complementary to a previous proposal (Albuquerque et al., 2004) where it was shown that 1 Km$^3$ neutrino telescopes can directly probe this scale. NLSPs will be produced by the interaction of high energy neutrinos in the Earth. Here we investigate scenarios where they subsequently decay, either in the atmosphere after escaping the Earth or right before leaving the Earth, producing taus. These can be detected by JEM-EUSO and have two distinctive signatures: one, they are produced in the Earth and go upwards in the atmosphere, which allows discrimination from atmospheric taus and, second, as NLSPs are always produced in pairs, coincident taus will be a strong signature for these events. Assuming that the neutrino flux is equivalent to the Waxman-Bahcall limit, we determine the rate of taus from NLSP decays reaching JEM-EUSO's field of view.
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Interpretation of He II Lyman alpha absorption spectra after the epoch of He II reionization requires knowledge of the He II ionizing background. While past work has modelled the evolution of the average background, the standard cosmological radiative transfer technique assumes a uniform radiation field despite the discrete nature of the (rare) bright quasars that dominate the background. We implement a cosmological radiative transfer model that includes the most recent constraints on the ionizing spectra and luminosity function of quasars and the distribution of IGM absorbers. We also estimate, for the first time, the effects of fluctuations on the evolving continuum opacity of the IGM. Our model results in a He II ionizing background that evolves steeply with redshift, increasing by a factor of >~3.5 from z = 3.5 to z = 2.5. This causes rapid evolution in the mean He II Lyman alpha optical depth -- as recently observed -- without appealing to the reionization of He II. Such behaviour could instead result from rapid evolution in the mean free path of ionizing photons as the helium in higher H I column density absorbers becomes fully ionized
We present an empirical determination of the white dwarf cooling sequence in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae. Using spectral models, we determine temperatures for 887 objects from Wide Field Camera 3 data, as well as 292 objects from data taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys. We make the assumption that the rate of white dwarf formation in the cluster is constant. Stellar evolution models are then used to determine the rate at which objects are leaving the main sequence, which must be the same as the rate at which objects are arriving on the white dwarf sequence in our field. The result is an empirically derived relation between temperature ($T_{eff}$) and time ($t$) on the white dwarf cooling sequence. Comparing this result to theoretical cooling models, we find general agreement with the expected slopes between 20,000K and 30,000K and between 6,000K and 20,000K, but the transition to the Mestel cooling rate of $T_{eff} \propto t^{-0.4}$ is found to occur at hotter temperatures, and more abruptly than is predicted by any of these models.
We explore the effects of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and star formation activity on the infrared (0.3-1000 microns) spectral energy distributions of luminous infrared galaxies from z = 0.5 to 4.0. We have compiled a large sample of 151 galaxies selected at 24 microns (S24 > 100 uJy) in the GOODS-N and ECDFS fields for which we have deep Spitzer IRS spectroscopy, allowing us to decompose the mid-IR spectrum into contributions from star formation and AGN activity. A significant portion (~25%) of our sample is dominated by an AGN in the mid-IR. Based on the mid-IR classification, we divide our full sample into four sub-samples: z~1 star-forming (SF) sources; z~2 SF sources; AGN with clear 9.7 micron silicate absorption; and AGN with featureless mid-IR spectra. From our large spectroscopic sample and wealth of multi-wavelength data, including deep Herschel imaging at 100, 160, 250, 350, and 500 microns, we use 95 galaxies with complete spectral coverage to create a composite spectral energy distribution (SED) for each sub-sample. We then fit a two-temperature component modified blackbody to the SEDs. We find that the IR SEDs have similar cold dust temperatures, regardless of the mid-IR power source, but display a marked difference in the warmer dust temperatures. We calculate the average effective temperature of the dust in each sub-sample and find a significant (~20 K) difference between the SF and AGN systems. We compare our composite SEDs to local templates and find that local templates do not accurately reproduce the mid-IR features and dust temperatures of our high redshift systems. High redshift IR luminous galaxies contain significantly more cool dust than their local counterparts. We find that a full suite of photometry spanning the IR peak is necessary to accurately account for the dominant dust temperature components in high redshift IR luminous galaxies.
We study large-scale outflows in a sample of 96 star-forming galaxies at 1<z<2, using near-UV spectroscopy of FeII and MgII absorption and emission. The average blueshift of the FeII interstellar absorption lines with respect to the systemic velocity is -85+/-10 km/s at z~1.5, with standard deviation 87 km/s; this is a decrease of a factor of two from the average blueshift measured for far-UV interstellar absorption lines in similarly selected galaxies at z~2. The profiles of the MgII 2796, 2803 lines show much more variety than the FeII profiles, which are always seen in absorption; MgII ranges from strong emission to pure absorption, with emission more common in galaxies with blue UV slopes and at lower stellar masses. Outflow velocities, as traced by the centroids and maximum extent of the absorption lines, increase with increasing stellar mass with 2-3sigma significance, in agreement with previous results. We study fine structure emission from FeII*, finding several lines of evidence in support of the model in which this emission is generated by the re-emission of continuum photons absorbed in the FeII resonance transitions in outflowing gas. In contrast, photoionization models indicate that MgII emission arises from the resonant scattering of photons produced in HII regions, accounting for the differing profiles of the MgII and FeII lines. A comparison of the strengths of the FeII absorption and FeII* emission lines indicates that massive galaxies have more extended outflows and/or greater extinction, while two-dimensional composite spectra indicate that emission from the outflow is stronger at a radius of ~10 kpc in high mass galaxies than in low mass galaxies.
Context. The QUBIC collaboration is building a bolometric interferometer dedicated to the detection of B-mode polarization fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background. Aims. We introduce a self-calibration procedure related to those used in radio-interferometry to control a large range of instrumental systematic errors in polarization-sensitive instruments. Methods. This procedure takes advantage of the fact that in the absence of systematic effects, measurements on redundant baselines should exactly match each other. For a given systematic error model, measuring each baseline independently therefore allows to write a system of nonlinear equations whose unknowns are the systematic error model parameters (gains and couplings of Jones matrices for instance). Results. We give the mathematical basis of the self-calibration. We implement this method numerically in the context of bolometric interferometry. We show that, for large enough arrays of horns, the nonlinear system can be solved numerically using a standard nonlinear least-squares fitting and that the accuracy achievable on systematic effects is only limited by the time spent on the calibration mode for each baseline apart from the validity of the systematic error model.
We present a new, approximate method for modelling the acceleration and
collimation of relativistic jets in the presence of gravity. This method is
self-similar throughout the computational domain where gravitational effects
are negligible and, where significant, self-similar within a flux tube. These
solutions are applicable to jets launched from a small region (e.g., near the
inner edge of an accretion disk). As implied by earlier work, the flow can
converge onto the rotation axis, potentially creating a collimation shock.
In this first version of the method, we derive the gravitational contribution
to the relativistic equations by analogy with non-relativistic flow. This
approach captures the relativistic kinetic gravitational mass of the flowing
plasma, but not that due to internal thermal and magnetic energies. A more
sophisticated treatment, derived from the basic general relativistic
magnetohydrodynamical equations, is currently being developed.
Here we present an initial exploration of parameter space, describing the
effects the model parameters have on flow solutions and the location of the
collimation shock. These results provide the groundwork for new, semi-analytic
models of relativistic jets which can constrain conditions near the black hole
by fitting the jet break seen increasingly in X-ray binaries.
Aims: To compare simple analytical closure models of turbulent Boussinesq convection for stellar applications with direct three-dimensional simulations both in homogeneous and inhomogeneous (bounded) setups. Methods: We use simple analytical closure models to compute the fluxes of angular momentum and heat as a function of rotation rate measured by the Taylor number. We also investigate cases with varying angles between the angular velocity and gravity vectors, corresponding to locating the computational domain at different latitudes ranging from the pole to the equator of the star. We perform three-dimensional numerical simulations in the same parameter regimes for comparison. The free parameters appearing in the closure models are calibrated by two fit methods using simulation data. Unique determination of the closure parameters is possible only in the non-rotating case and when the system is placed at the pole. In the other cases the fit procedures yield somewhat differing results. The quality of the closure is tested by substituting the resulting coefficients back into the closure model and comparing with the simulation results. Results: The simulation data for the Reynolds stress and heat fluxes in the homogeneous case broadly agree with previous compressible simulations. The closure works fairly well in the homogeneous case with slow rotation but its quality degrades as the rotation rate is increased. We find that the closure parameters depend not only on $\Tay$ but also on latitude. Furthermore, in the inhomogeneous case the closure is unable to reproduce the vertical profiles of the horizontal components of the Reynolds stress.
Radon (Rn) and its decay daughters are a well-known source of background in direct WIMP detection experiments, as either a Rn decay daughter or an alpha particle emitted from a thin inner surface layer of a detector could produce a WIMP-like signal. Different surface treatment and cleaning techniques have been employed in the past to remove this type of contamination. A new method of dealing with the problem has been proposed and used for a prototype acrylic DEAP-1 detector. Inner surfaces of the detector were coated with a layer of ultra pure acrylic, meant to shield the active volume from alphas and recoiling nuclei. An acrylic purification technique and two coating techniques are described: a solvent-borne (tested on DEAP-1) and solvent-less (being developed for the full scale DEAP-3600 detector).
The digital revolution is transforming astronomy from a data-starved to a
data-submerged science. Instruments such as the Atacama Large Millimeter Array
(ALMA), the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), and the Square Kilometer
Array (SKA) will measure their accumulated data in petabytes. The capacity to
produce enormous volumes of data must be matched with the computing power to
process that data and produce meaningful results. In addition to handling huge
data rates, we need adaptive calibration and beamforming to handle atmospheric
fluctuations and radio frequency interference, and to provide a user
environment which makes the full power of large telescope arrays accessible to
both expert and non-expert users. Delayed calibration and analysis limit the
science which can be done. To make the best use of both telescope and human
resources we must reduce the burden of data reduction.
Our instrumentation comprises of a flexible correlator, beam former and
imager with digital signal processing closely coupled with a computing cluster.
This instrumentation will be highly accessible to scientists, engineers, and
students for research and development of real-time processing algorithms, and
will tap into the pool of talented and innovative students and visiting
scientists from engineering, computing, and astronomy backgrounds.
Adaptive real-time imaging will transform radio astronomy by providing
real-time feedback to observers. Calibration of the data is made in close to
real time using a model of the sky brightness distribution. The derived
calibration parameters are fed back into the imagers and beam formers. The
regions imaged are used to update and improve the a-priori model, which becomes
the final calibrated image by the time the observations are complete.
New photometric material is presented for 6 outer disk supposedly old, Galact
ic star clusters: Berkeley 76, Haffner 4, Ruprecht 10, Haffner 7, Haffner 11,
and Haffner 15, that are projected against the rich and complex Canis Major
overde nsity at $225^o \leq l \leq 248^o $, $-7^o \leq b \leq -2^o$. This CCD
data-set, in the UBVI pass-bands, is used to derive their fundamental
parameters, in particular age and distance. Four of the program clusters turn
out to be older than 1 Gyr. This fact makes them ideal targets for future
spectroscopic campaigns aiming at deriving their metal abundances. This, in
turn, contributes to increase the number of well-studied outer disk o ld open
clusters. Only Haffner 15, previously considered an old cluster, is found to be
a young, significantly reddened cluster, member of the Perseus arm in the third
Galactic quadrant.
As for Haffner~4, we suggest an age of about half a Gyr. The most interesting
result we found is that Berkeley~76 is probably located at more than 17 kpc
from the Galactic center, and therefore is among the most peripherical old open
clusters so far detected. Besides, for Ruprecht~10 and Haffner~7, which were
never studied before, we pr opose ages larger than 1 Gyr. All the old clusters
of this sample are scarcely populated and show evidence o f tidal interaction
with the Milky Way, and are therefore most probably in advanced st ages of
dynamical dissolution.
The Carnegie Hubble Program (CHP) is designed to calibrate the extragalactic
distance scale using data from the post-cryogenic era of the Spitzer Space
Telescope. The ultimate goal of the CHP is a systematic improvement in the
distance scale leading to a determination of the Hubble Constant to within an
accuracy of 2%. This paper focuses on the measurement and calibration of the
Galactic Cepheid Period-Luminosity (Leavitt) Relation using the warm Spitzer
IRAC 1 and 2 bands at 3.6 and 4.5 \mu m. We present photometric measurements
covering the period range 4 - 70 days for 37 Galactic Cepheids. Data at 24
phase points were collected for each star.
Three PL relations of the form M=a(Log(P)-1)+b are derived. The method
adopted here takes the slope a to be -3.31, as determined from the Spitzer LMC
data of Scowcroft et al. (2012). Using the geometric HST guide-star distances
to ten Galactic Cepheids we find a calibrated 3.6 micron PL zero-point of
-5.80\pm0.03. Together with our value for the LMC zero-point we determine a
reddening-corrected distance modulus of 18.48\pm0.04 mag to the LMC.
The mid-IR Period-Color diagram and the [3.6] - [4.5] color variation with
phase are interpreted in terms of CO absorption at 4.5 \mu m. This situation
compromises the use of the 4.5 \mu m data for distance determinations.
In `A Bayesian Approach to Locating the Red Giant Branch Tip Magnitude (PART I),' a new technique was introduced for obtaining distances using the TRGB standard candle. Here we describe a useful complement to the technique with the potential to further reduce the uncertainty in our distance measurements by incorporating a matched-filter weighting scheme into the model likelihood calculations. In this scheme, stars are weighted according to their probability of being true object members. We then re-test our modified algorithm using random-realization artificial data to verify the validity of the generated posterior probability distributions (PPDs) and proceed to apply the algorithm to the satellite system of M31, culminating in a 3D view of the system. Further to the distributions thus obtained, we apply a satellite-specific prior on the satellite distances to weight the resulting distance posterior distributions, based on the halo density profile. Thus in a single publication, using a single method, a comprehensive coverage of the distances to the companion galaxies of M31 is presented, encompassing the dwarf spheroidals Andromedas I - III, V, IX-XXVII and XXX along with NGC147, NGC 185, M33 and M31 itself. Of these, the distances to Andromeda XXIV - XXVII and Andromeda XXX have never before been derived using the TRGB. Object distances are determined from high-resolution tip magnitude posterior distributions generated using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique and associated sampling of these distributions to take into account uncertainties in foreground extinction and the absolute magnitude of the TRGB as well as photometric errors. The distance PPDs obtained for each object both with, and without the aforementioned prior are made available to the reader in tabular form...
The truncation of an optically thick, geometrically thin accretion disk is investigated in the context of low luminosity AGN (LLAGN). We generalize the disk evaporation model used in the interpretative framework of black hole X-ray binaries by including the effect of a magnetic field in accretion disks surrounding supermassive black holes. The critical transition mass accretion rate for which the disk is truncated is found to be insensitive to magnetic effects, but its inclusion leads to a smaller truncation radius in comparison to a model without its consideration. That is, a thin viscous disk is truncated for LLAGN at an Eddington ratio less than 0.03 for a standard viscosity parameter ($\alpha = 0.3$). An increase of the viscosity parameter results in a higher critical transition mass accretion rate and a correspondingly smaller truncation distance, the latter accentuated by greater magnetic energy densities in the disk. Based on these results, the truncation radii inferred from spectral fits of LLAGN published in the literature are consistent with the disk evaporation model. The infrared emission arising from the truncated geometrically thin accretion disks may be responsible for the red bump seen in such LLAGN.
We elaborate on a recently proposed model for subsonic quasi-spherical accretion onto slowly rotating pulsars, in which accretion is mediated through a hot quasi-static shell above the neutron star magnetosphere. We show that under the same external conditions, two regimes of subsonic accretion are possible, depending on if plasma cooling in the transition zone is dominated by Compton or radiative processes. We suggest that a transition from the higher luminosity Compton cooling regime to the lower luminosity radiative cooling regime can be responsible for the onset of the `off'-states repeatedly observed in several low luminosity slowly accreting pulsars, such as Vela X-1, GX 301-2 and 4U 1907+09. We further suggest that the triggering of the transition may be due to a switch in the X-ray beam pattern in response to a change in the optical depth in the accretion column with changing luminosity.
The relatively high abundance of carbon in the hot DO white dwarf RE0503-289 indicates that it is a descendant of a PG1159 star. This is corroborated by the recent detection of the extremely high abundances of trans-Fe elements which stem from s-process nucleosynthesis in the precursor AGB star, dredged up by a late He-shell flash and possibly amplified by radiative levitation. On the other hand, the hottest known DO white dwarf, KPD0005+5106, cannot have evolved from a PG1159 star but represents a distinct He-rich evolutionary sequence that possibly originates from a binary white dwarf merger.
We analyzed the relation between the corotation radii and the galactic radii at which breaks or changes of slope of the metallicity gradients occur in spiral galaxies. With this purpose we compiled the results from the literature on rotation curves, corotation radii and radial metallicity distributions of 27 galaxies, of which 16 were considered qualified to be studied in the context of this work. We re-scaled all references of each galaxy to a same framework in order to compare the results and to identify the radii where breaks and changes of slopes are found, when non-linear models fit the radial metallicities better than a linear model. In most galaxies we have found minima and breaks in radial metallicity near the corotation radius, revealing a significant correlation between these two radii, as it occurs in our Galaxy. The results are interpreted as a consequence of long-lived spiral structures, in which the star-formation rate depends on the distance to the corotation radius, producing secular effects in the observed radial metallicity distributions.
We carry out an analysis of a set of cosmological SPH hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy clusters and groups aimed at studying the total baryon budget in clusters, and how this budget is shared between the hot diffuse component and the stellar component. Using the TreePM+SPH GADGET-3 code, we carried out one set of non-radiative simulations, and two sets of simulations including radiative cooling, star formation and feedback from supernovae (SN), one of which also accounting for the effect of feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN). The analysis is carried out with the twofold aim of studying the implication of stellar and hot gas content on the relative role played by SN and AGN feedback, and to calibrate the cluster baryon fraction and its evolution as a cosmological tool. We find that both radiative simulation sets predict a trend of stellar mass fraction with cluster mass that tends to be weaker than the observed one. However this tension depends on the particular set of observational data considered. Including the effect of AGN feedback alleviates this tension on the stellar mass and predicts values of the hot gas mass fraction and total baryon fraction to be in closer agreement with observational results. We further compute the ratio between the cluster baryon content and the cosmic baryon fraction, Y_b, as a function of cluster-centric radius and redshift. At R_500 we find for massive clusters with M_500>2\times10^{14} h^{-1} M_sun that Y_b is nearly independent of the physical processes included and characterized by a negligible redshift evolution: Y_{b,500}=0.85+/-0.05 with the error accounting for the intrinsic r.m.s. scatter within the set of simulated clusters. At smaller radii, R_2500, the typical value of Y_b slightly decreases, by an amount that depends on the physics included in the simulations, while its scatter increases by about a factor of two.
Hot gas in filamentary structures induces CMB aniostropy through the SZ effect. Guided by results from N-body simulations, we model the morphology and gas properties of filamentary gas and determine the power spectrum of the anisotropy. Our treatment suggests that power levels can be an appreciable fraction of the cluster contribution at multipoles $\ell\lesssim 1500$. Its spatially irregular morphology and larger characteristic angular scales can help to distinguish this SZ signature from that of clusters. In addition to intrinsic interest in this most extended SZ signal as a probe of filaments, its impact on cosmological parameter estimation should also be assessed. We find that filament `noise' can potentially bias determination of $A_s$, $n_s$, and $w$ (the normalization of the primordial power spectrum, the scalar index, and the dark energy equation of state parameter, respectively) by more than the nominal statistical uncertainty in Planck SZ survey data. More generally, when inferred from future optimal cosmic-variance-limited CMB experiments, we find that virtually all parameters will be biased by more than the nominal statistical uncertainty estimated for these next generation CMB experiments.
We compare the observed probability distribution function of the transmission in the \HI\ Lyman-alpha forest, measured from the UVES 'Large Programme' sample at redshifts z=[2,2.5,3], to results from the GIMIC cosmological simulations. Our measured values for the mean transmission and its PDF are in good agreement with published results. Errors on statistics measured from high-resolution data are typically estimated using bootstrap or jack-knife resampling techniques after splitting the spectra into chunks. We demonstrate that these methods tend to underestimate the sample variance unless the chunk size is much larger than is commonly the case. We therefore estimate the sample variance from the simulations. We conclude that observed and simulated transmission statistics are in good agreement, in particular, we do not require the temperature-density relation to be 'inverted'.
We present here the detection of giant-pulse emission from PSR B0950+08, a normal-period pulsar. The observations, made at 103 MHz and lasting for about ten months, have shown on a number of days the frequency of occurrence of giant pulses to be the highest among the known pulsars. The flux--density level of successive giant pulses fluctuates rapidly and their occurrence rates within a day's observations as well as between neighboring days show large variations. While on some days PSR B0950+08 shows a large number of giant pulses, there are other days when it shows only "quasi-nulls" with no detectable emission in the power spectrum or in the folded pulse data. The cumulative intensity distribution of these giant pulses appears to follow a power law, with index -2.2. After eliminating instrumental, ionospheric, interplanetary and interstellar diffractive and refractive scintillation effects as the cause, it appears that these intensity variations are intrinsic to the pulsar. We suggest that the giant pulse emission and nulling may be opposite manifestations of the same physical process, in the former case an enhanced number of charges partaking in the coherent radiation process giving rise to an extremely high intensity while in the latter case the coherence could be minimal.
Stellar activity cycles are known to be a widespread phenomenon amongst moderately active solar- and late-type stars from long-term periodic variations in chromospheric Ca II H and K emission lines, yet to date only a handful of coronal X-ray cycles are known. We have surveyed serendipitously observed stellar sources in fields observed multiple times in the last decade by XMM-Newton and present our analysis of 9 stars from 6 fields. Since our sample is flux-limited, it is strongly biased towards higher levels of X-ray activity. We fit a single temperature APEC spectrum to each source and search for significant periodicities using a Lomb-Scargle Periodogram (LSP). We use a Monte Carlo (MC) algorithm to yield robust analysis of the statistical significance of cycle detections and non-detections. None of the 9 stellar lightcurves show any convincing indications of periodicity. From MC simulations we simulate the detection capabilities of our methodology and, assuming a uniform distribution of cycle periods and strengths over the domain searched, we conclude with 95% confidence that less than 72% of the stars represented by our sample of active stars have 5-13 year coronal X-ray cycles.
In order to test for non-Gaussianities with respect to scale-dependencies we use so-called surrogate maps, in which possible phase correlations of the Fourier phases of the original WMAP data and simulations, respectively, are destroyed by applying a shuffling scheme to the maps. A statistical comparison of the original maps with the surrogate maps then allows to test for the existence of higher order correlations in the original maps, also and especially on well-defined Fourier modes. Using Minkowski functionals as an image analysis technique we calculate the deviation between the original data and 500 surrogates for different hemispheres in the sky and find ecliptic hemispherical asymmetries between northern and southern ecliptic sky. We find strong deviations from Gaussianity in the WMAP data when considering the low-l range with l = [2,20]. The analysis technique of the scaling indices leads to a slightly lower deviation. Although the underlying foreground reduction methods of the maps differ from each other, we find similar results for the WMAP 7yr ILC map and the WMAP 7yr (needlet-based) NILC map in the low-l range. Our results point once more to a cosmological nature of the signal. For a higher l range with l = [120,300] the results differ between the two image analysis techniques and between the two maps which makes an intrinsic nature of the signal on this l range less likely. When we decrease the size of the analysed sky regions for the low-l study, we do not find signatures of NG in the northern sky. In the south we find individual spots which show deviations from Gaussianity. In addition, we investigate non-Gaussian CMB simulations that depend on the f_NL parameter of the local type. These simulations cannot account for the detected signatures on the low-l range.
We present here a detailed pulsational study applied to low-mass He-core white dwarfs, based on full evolutionary models representative of these objects. The background stellar models on which our pulsational analysis was carried out were derived by taking into account the complete evolutionary history of the progenitor stars, with special emphasis on the diffusion processes acting during the white dwarf cooling phase. We computed nonradial $g$-modes to assess the dependence of the pulsational properties of these objects with stellar parameters such as the stellar mass and the effective temperature, and also with element diffusion processes. We also performed a g- and p-mode pulsational stability analysis on our models and found well-defined blue edges of the instability domain, where these stars should start to exhibit pulsations. We found substantial differences in the seismic properties of white dwarfs with $M_* \gtrsim 0.20 M_{\odot}$ and the extremely low-mass (ELM) white dwarfs ($M_* \lesssim 0.20 M_{\odot}$). Specifically, $g$-mode pulsation modes in ELM white dwarfs mainly probe the core regions and are not dramatically affected by mode-trapping effects by the He/H interface, whereas the opposite is true for more massive He-core white dwarfs. We found that element diffusion processes substantially affects the shape of the He/H chemical transition region, leading to non-negligible changes in the period spectrum of low-mass white dwarfs. Our stability analysis successfully predicts the pulsations of the only known variable low-mass white dwarf (SDSS J184037.78+642312.3), and also predicts both $g$- and $p$-mode pulsational instabilities in a significant number of known low-mass and ELM white dwarfs.
Pulsar efficiency, defined as the ratio of the pulsed bolometric luminosity to the spin-down power, is calculated to be about 15% (averaged over the spin-dipole inclination angle, ranging between about 50% for the aligned and 10% for the orthogonal). We also estimate the characteristic photon energy and argue that our results agree with the Fermi pulsar catalog -- in a sense.
Prior work has found that a variety of terrestrial planetary compositions are expected to occur within known extrasolar planetary systems. However, such studies ignored the effects of giant planet migration, which is thought to be very common in extra-solar systems. Here we present calculations of the compositions of terrestrial planets that formed in dynamical simulations incorporating varying degrees of giant planet migration. We used chemical equilibrium models of the solid material present in the disks of five known planetary host stars: the Sun, GJ 777, HD4203, HD19994 and HD213240. Giant planet migration has a strong effect on the compositions of simulated terrestrial planets as the migration results large-scale mixing between terrestrial planet building blocks that condensed at a range of temperatures. This mixing acts to 1) increase the typical abundance of Mg-rich silicates in the terrestrial planets feeding zones and thus increase the frequency of planets with Earth-like compositions compared with simulations with static giant planet orbits; and 2) drastically increase the efficiency of the delivery of hydrous phases (water and serpentine) to terrestrial planets and thus produce water worlds and/or wet Earths. Our results demonstrate that although a wide variety of terrestrial planet compositions can still be produced, planets with Earth-like compositions should be common within extrasolar planetary systems.
We describe in detail our characterization of the compact radio source population in 140 GHz Bolocam observations of a set of 45 massive galaxy clusters. We use a combination of 1.4 and 30 GHz data to select a total of 28 probable cluster member radio galaxies and also to predict their 140 GHz flux densities. All of these galaxies are steep-spectrum radio sources and they are found preferentially in the cool-core clusters within our sample. In particular, 11 of the 12 brightest cluster member radio sources are associated with cool-core systems. Although none of the individual galaxies are robustly detected in the Bolocam data, the ensemble-average flux density at 140 GHz is consistent with, but slightly lower than, the extrapolation from lower frequencies assuming a constant spectral index. Specifically, we find a multiplicative factor of 0.85 +- 0.16 between the flux densities observed at 140 GHz and those predicted from a power-law extrapolation. In addition, our data indicate an intrinsic scatter of 30 percent around the power-law extrapolated flux densities at 140 GHz, although our data do not tightly constrain this scatter. For our cluster sample, which is composed of high mass and moderate redshift systems, we find that the maximum fractional change in the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich signal integrated over any single cluster due to the presence of these radio sources is 20 percent, and only 1/4 of the clusters show a fractional change of more than 1 percent. The amount of contamination is strongly dependent on cluster morphology, and nearly all of the clusters with more than 1 percent contamination are cool-core systems. This result indicates that radio contamination is not significant compared to current noise levels in 140 GHz images of massive clusters and is in good agreement with the level of radio contamination found in previous results based on lower frequency data or simulations.
We present an analysis of the long-term stability of fibre-optic transmission properties for fibre optics in astronomy. Data from six years of operation of the AAOmega multi-object spectrograph at the Anglo-Australian Telescope is presented. We find no evidence for significant degradation in the bulk transmission properties of the 38 m optical fibre train. Significant losses (<20% relative, 4% absolute) are identified and associated with the end termination of the optical fibres in the focal plane. Improved monitoring and maintenance can rectify the majority of this performance degradation.
Cool neutral gas provides the raw material for all star formation in the Universe, and yet, from a survey of the hosts of high redshift radio galaxies and quasars, we find a complete dearth of atomic (HI 21-cm) and molecular (OH, CO, HCO+ & HCN) absorption at redshifts z > 3. Upon a thorough analysis of the optical photometry, we find that all of our targets have ionising ultra-violet continuum luminosities of logL > 23 W/Hz. We therefore attribute this deficit to the traditional optical selection of targets biasing surveys towards the most ultra-violet luminous objects, where the intense radiation excites the neutral gas to the point where it cannot engage in star formation. However, this hypothesis does not explain why there is a critical luminosity, rather than a continuum where the detections gradually become fewer and fewer as the harshness of the radiation increases. We show that by placing a quasar within a galaxy of gas there is always a finite ultra-violet luminosity above which all of the gas is ionised. This demonstrates that these galaxies are probably devoid of star-forming material rather than this being at abundances below the sensitivity limits of current radio telescopes.
A method for designing physically path length matched, three-dimensional photonic circuits is described. We focus specifically on the case where all the waveguides are uniquely routed from the input to output; a problem which has not been addressed to date and allows for the waveguides to be used in interferometric measurements. Circuit elements were fabricated via the femtosecond laser direct-write technique. We demonstrate via interferometric methods that the fabricated circuits were indeed optically path length matched to within 45 um which is within the coherence length required for many applications.
We consider the 3-form field, which has been considered as a candidate for realizing inflation, coupled to a scalar field which models the relativistic matter particles produced during the reheating epoch. We have investigated the stability conditions for this theory and found that introducing such a coupling does not lead to any ghosts or Laplacian instabilities. We have also investigated the reheating temperature and the production of particles due to parametric resonances. We have found that this process is more efficient in this theory compared to the result of the standard-scalar-field inflationary scenario.
We explore how wave-particle interactions affect diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) at astrophysical shocks by performing time-dependent kinetic simulations, in which phenomenological models for magnetic field amplification (MFA), Alfvenic drift, thermal leakage injection, Bohm-like diffusion, and a free escape boundary are implemented. If the injection fraction of cosmic-ray (CR) particles is greater than 2x10^{-4}, for the shock parameters relevant for young supernova remnants, DSA is efficient enough to develop a significant shock precursor due to CR feedback, and magnetic field can be amplified up to a factor of 20 via CR streaming instability in the upstream region. If scattering centers drift with Alfven speed in the amplified magnetic field, the CR energy spectrum can be steepened significantly and the acceleration efficiency is reduced. Nonlinear DSA with self-consistent MFA and Alfvenic drift predicts that the postshock CR pressure saturates roughly at 10 % of the shock ram pressure for strong shocks with a sonic Mach number ranging 20< M_s< 100. Since the amplified magnetic field follows the flow modification in the precursor, the low energy end of the particle spectrum is softened much more than the high energy end. As a result, the concave curvature in the energy spectra does not disappear entirely even with the help of Alfvenic drift. For shocks with a moderate Alfven Mach number (M_A<10), the accelerated CR spectrum can become as steep as E^{-2.1}-E^{-2.3}, which is more consistent with the observed CR spectrum and gamma-ray photon spectrum of several young supernova remnants.
We present a new improved version of our force-free electrodynamics (FFE) numerical code in spherical coordinates that extrapolates the magnetic field in the inner solar corona from a photospheric vector magnetogram. The code satisfies the photospheric boundary condition and the condition divB=0 to machine accuracy. The performance of our method is evaluated with standard convergence parameters, and is found to be comparable to that of other nonlinear force-free extrapolations.
We examine the morphology of magnetic structures in thin plasma accretion discs, generalizing a stationary ideal MHD model to the time-dependent visco-resistive case. Our analysis deals with small scale perturbations to a central dipole-like magnetic field, giving rise to the periodic modulation of magnetic flux surfaces along the radial direction, which corresponds to the formation of a sequence of toroidal current channels. These microstructures exhibit an exponential damping in time because of the non-zero resistivity coefficient, allowing us to define a lifetime of the configuration which mainly depends on the midplane temperature and on the length scale of the structure itself. If we try to identify a suitable phenomenological scenario where this framework could be applied, it turns out that the steady-state assumption adopted in literature is inconsistent with the evolution time-scale of typical stellar accretion disc systems; we can instead aim to describe peculiar transient events whose duration ranges from months or years.
We perform an analysis of the X-ray superbubble in the N 206 HII region in the Large Magellanic Cloud using current generation facilities to gain a better understanding of the physical processes at work in the superbubble and to improve our knowledge of superbubble evolution. We used XMM-Newton observations of the N 206 region to produce images and extract spectra of the superbubble diffuse emission. Morphological comparisons with Halpha images from the Magellanic Cloud Emission Line Survey were performed, and spectral analysis of the diffuse X-ray emission was carried out. We derived the physical properties of the hot gas in the superbubble based on the results of the spectral analysis. We also determined the total energy stored in the superbubble and compared this to the expected energy input from the stellar population to assess the superbubble growth rate discrepancy for N 206. We find that the brightest region of diffuse X-ray emission is confined by a Halpha shell, consistent with the superbubble model. In addition, faint emission extending beyond the Halpha shell was found, which we attribute to a blowout region. The spectral analysis of both emission regions points to a hot shocked gas as the likely origin of the emission. We determine the total energy stored in the bubble and the expected energy input by the stellar population. However, due to limited data on the stellar population, the input energy is poorly constrained and, consequently, no definitive indication of a growth rate discrepancy is seen. Using the high-sensitivity X-ray data from XMM-Newton and optical data from the Magellanic Cloud Emission Line Survey has allowed us to better understand the physical properties of the N 206 superbubble and address some key questions of superbubble evolution.
We study the nature of quiet-Sun oscillations using multi-wavelength observations from TRACE, Hinode, and SOHO. The aim is to investigate the existence of propagating waves in the solar chromosphere and the transition region via analyzing the statistical distribution of power in different locations, e.g. in bright magnetic (network), bright non-magnetic and dark non-magnetic (inter-network) regions, separately. We use Fourier power and phase-difference techniques combined with a wavelet analysis. Two-dimensional Fourier power maps were constructed in the period bands 2-4 minutes, 4-6 minutes, 6-15 minutes, and beyond 15 minutes. We detect the presence of long-period oscillations with periods between 15 and 30 minutes in bright magnetic regions. These oscillations were detected from the chromosphere to the transition region. The Fourier power maps show that short-period powers are mainly concentrated in dark regions whereas long-period powers are concentrated in bright magnetic regions. This is the first report of long-period waves in quiet-Sun network regions. We suggest that the observed propagating oscillations are due to magnetoacoustic waves which can be important for the heating of the solar atmosphere.
We study the collimation of a highly magnetized jet by a surrounding cocoon that forms as a result of the interaction of the jet with the external medium. We show that in regions where the jet is well confined by the cocoon, current-driven instabilities should develop over timescales shorter than the expansion time of the jet's head. We speculate that these instabilities would give rise to complete magnetic field destruction, whereby the jet undergoes a transition from high-to-low sigma above the collimation zone. Using this assumption, we construct a self-consistent model for the evolution of the jet-cocoon system in an ambient medium of arbitrary density profile. We apply the model to jet breakout in long GRBs, and show that the jet is highly collimated inside the envelope of the progenitor star, and is likely to remain confined well after breakout. We speculate that this strong confinement may provide a channel for magnetic field conversion in GRB outflows, whereby the hot, low-sigma jet section thereby produced is the source of the photospheric emission observed in many bursts.
We report the discovery of the high-ionisation [Ne v] 3426A emission line in the spectra of five blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxies. Adding the three previously known BCDs with [Ne v] emission, the entire sample of such galaxies now contains eight objects. The detection of this line implies the presence of intense hard ionising radiation. Such radiation cannot be reproduced by models of high-mass X-ray binaries or massive stellar populations. Other mechanisms, such as AGN and/or fast radiative shocks, are needed. We consider that fast radiative shocks is the most likely mechanism. The observed [Ne v] 3426/He ii 4686 flux ratios in all eight galaxies can be reproduced by radiative shock models with shock velocities in the ~300-500 km/s range, and with the shock ionising contribution being ~10% of the stellar ionising contribution. However, we cannot rule out that this 10% part is produced by an AGN rather than by radiative shocks.
We report on the first scientific results with the recently commissioned PUCHEROS spectrograph, mounted at the 50cm telescope of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica near Santiago, Chile. A hitherto unknown candidate Be+sdO binary was identified, omicron Pup. If confirmed, it would be the fourth member of this class. Such stars have obtained their rapid rotation through binary mass transfer and now consist of a Be star and a hot subdwarf.
We simulate the effects of massive star feedback, via winds and SNe, on inhomogeneous molecular material left over from the formation of a massive stellar cluster. We use 3D hydrodynamic models with a temperature dependent average particle mass to model the separate molecular, atomic, and ionized phases. We find that the winds blow out of the molecular clump along low-density channels, and gradually ablate denser material into these. However, the dense molecular gas is surprisingly long-lived and is not immediately affected by the first star in the cluster exploding.
Using data obtained by the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) onboard Hinode, we have per- formed a survey of obvious and persistent (without significant damping) Doppler shift oscillations in the corona. We have found mainly two types of oscillations from February to April in 2007. One type is found at loop footpoint regions, with a dominant period around 10 minutes. They are characterized by coherent behavior of all line parameters (line intensity, Doppler shift, line width and profile asymmetry), apparent blue shift and blueward asymmetry throughout almost the en- tire duration. Such oscillations are likely to be signatures of quasi-periodic upflows (small-scale jets, or coronal counterpart of type-II spicules), which may play an important role in the supply of mass and energy to the hot corona. The other type of oscillation is usually associated with the upper part of loops. They are most clearly seen in the Doppler shift of coronal lines with forma- tion temperatures between one and two million degrees. The global wavelets of these oscillations usually peak sharply around a period in the range of 3-6 minutes. No obvious profile asymmetry is found and the variation of the line width is typically very small. The intensity variation is often less than 2%. These oscillations are more likely to be signatures of kink/Alfven waves rather than flows. In a few cases there seems to be a pi/2 phase shift between the intensity and Doppler shift oscillations, which may suggest the presence of slow mode standing waves according to wave theories. However, we demonstrate that such a phase shift could also be produced by loops moving into and out of a spatial pixel as a result of Alfvenic oscillations. In this scenario, the intensity oscillations associated with Alfvenic waves are caused by loop displacement rather than density change.
We present the discovery with WISE of a significant infrared excess associated with the eclipsing post-common envelope binary SDSSJ 030308.35+005443.7, the first excess discovered around a non-interacting white dwarf+main sequence M dwarf binary. The spectral energy distribution of the white dwarf+M dwarf companion shows significant excess longwards of 3-microns. A T_eff of 8940K for the white dwarf is consistent with a cooling age >2 Gyr, implying that the excess may be due to a recently formed circumbinary dust disk of material that extends from the tidal truncation radius of the binary at 1.96 Rsun out to <0.8 AU, with a total mass of ~10^20 g. We also construct WISE and follow-up ground-based near-infrared light curves of the system, and find variability in the K-band that appears to be in phase with ellipsoidal variations observed in the visible. The presence of dust might be due to a) material being generated by the destruction of small rocky bodies that are being perturbed by an unseen planetary system or b) dust condensing from the companion's wind. The high inclination of this system, and the presence of dust, make it an attractive target for M dwarf transit surveys and long term photometric monitoring.
We report far-IR Herschel observations obtained between 70 $\mu$m and 500 $\mu$m of two star-forming dusty condensations, B1-bS and B1-bN, in the B1 region of the Perseus star-forming cloud. In the Western part of the Perseus cloud, B1-bS is the only source detected in all of the 6 PACS and SPIRE photometric bands without being visible in the Spitzer map at 24 $\mu$m. B1-bN is clearly detected between 100 $\mu$m and 250 $\mu$m. We have fitted the spectral energy distributions of these sources to derive their physical properties, and find that a simple greybody model fails to reproduce the observed SEDs. At least a two-component model, consisting of a central source surrounded by a dusty envelope is required. The properties derived from the fit, however, suggest that the central source is not a Class 0 object. We then conclude that while B1-bS and B1-bN appear to be more evolved than a pre-stellar core, the best-fit models suggest that their central objects are younger than a Class 0 source. Hence, they may be good candidates to be examples of the first hydrostatic core phase. The projected distance between B1-bS and B1-bN is a few Jeans lengths. If their physical separation is close to this value, this pair would allow the mutual interactions between two forming stars at a very early stage of their evolution to be studied.
Some hot DA stars exhibit circumstellar absorption in the metal resonance lines in their spectra. In many cases, these circumstellar features are unresolved from those originating in the photosphere. To better understand the effect this circumstellar blending has on photospheric abundance estimates, we present here an analysis of the unresolved metal high ion absorption features of six hot white dwarfs. In all cases, given the strong circumstellar C IV detections, the photospheric C IV abundances are reduced; conversely the weak circumstellar Si IV leads to modest photospheric abundance revisions. A possible new technique for modelling these line profiles is discussed, that can better reproduce the observations and provide a greater insight into the conditions of the circumstellar medium.
We study the dynamical evolution of the gravitational-wave driven instability of the f-mode in rapidly rotating relativistic stars. With an approach based on linear perturbation theory we describe the evolution of the mode amplitude and follow the trajectory of a newborn neutron star through its instability window. The influence on the f-mode instability of the magnetic field and the presence of an unstable r-mode is also considered. Two different configurations are studied in more detail; a standard N = 1 polytrope with a typical mass and radius and a more extreme polytropic N = 2/3 model which describes a supramassive neutron star. We study several evolutions with different initial rotation rates and temperature and determine the gravitational waves radiated during the instability. For reasonable values of the mode saturation amplitude, i.e. with a mode energy of about 1e6 Msun c^2, the gravitational-wave signal can be detected by the Einstein Telescope detector from the Virgo cluster. The magnetic field affects the evolution and then the detectability of the gravitational radiation when its strength is higher than 1e12 G, while the effects of an unstable r-mode become dominant when this mode reaches the maximum saturation value allowed by non-linear mode couplings. However, the relative saturation amplitude of the f- and r-modes must be known more accurately in order to provide a definitive answer to this issue. From the thermal evolution we find also that the heat generated by shear viscosity during the saturation phase completely balances the neutrino cooling and prevents the star from entering the regime of mutual friction. The evolution time of the instability is therefore longer and the star loses significantly larger amounts of angular momentum via gravitational waves.
Radial velocities, elemental abundances, and accretion properties of members of star-forming regions (SFRs) are important for understanding star and planet formation. While infrared observations reveal the evolutionary status of the disk, optical spectroscopy is fundamental to acquire information on the properties of the central star and on the accretion characteristics. 2MASS archive data and the Spitzer c2d survey of the Chamaeleon II dark cloud have provided disk properties of a large number of young stars. We complement these data with spectroscopy with the aim of providing physical stellar parameters and accretion properties. We use FLAMES/UVES+GIRAFFE observations of 40 members of Cha II to measure radial velocities through cross-correlation technique, Li abundances by means of curves of growth, and for a suitable star elemental abundances of Fe, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, and Ni using the code MOOG. From the equivalent widths of the Halpha, Hbeta, and the HeI-5876, 6678, 7065 Angstrom emission lines, we estimate the mass accretion rates, dMacc/dt, for all the objects. We derive a radial velocity distribution for the Cha II stars (<Vrad>=11.4+-2.0 km/s). We find dMacc/dt prop. to Mstar^1.3 and to Age^(-0.82) in the 0.1-1.0 Msun mass regime, and a mean dMacc/dt for Cha II of ~7*10^(-10) Msun/yr. We also establish a relationship between the HeI-7065 Angstrom line emission and the accretion luminosity. The radial velocity distributions of stars and gas in Cha II are consistent. The spread in dMacc/dt at a given stellar mass is about one order of magnitude and can not be ascribed entirely to short timescale variability. Analyzing the relation between dMacc/dt and the colors in Spitzer and 2MASS bands, we find indications that the inner disk changes from optically thick to optically thin at dMacc/dt~10^(-10) Msun/yr. Finally, the disk fraction is consistent with the age of Cha II.
The detection of moons orbiting extrasolar planets ("exomoons") has now become feasible. Once discovered in the circumstellar habitable zone, questions about their habitability will emerge. Exomoons are likely to be tidally locked to their planet, and hence experience days much shorter than their orbital period around the star, and have seasons - all of which works in favor of habitability. These satellites can receive more illumination per area than their host planets, as the planet reflects stellar light and emits thermal photons. On the contrary, eclipses can significantly alter local climates on exomoons by reducing stellar illumination. In addition to radiative heating, tidal heating can be very large on exomoons, possibly even large enough for sterilization. We identify combinations of physical and orbital parameters for which radiative and tidal heating are strong enough to trigger a runaway greenhouse. By analogy with the circumstellar habitable zone, these constraints define a circum-planetary "habitable edge". We apply our model to hypothetical moons around the recently discovered exoplanet Kepler-22b and the giant planet candidate KOI211.01 and describe, for the first time, the orbits of habitable exomoons. If either planet hosted a satellite at a distance greater than ten planetary radii, then this could indicate the presence of a habitable moon.
The existence of K giant stars with high Li abundance continues to challenge the standard theory of stellar evolution. All recent extensive surveys in the Galaxy show the same result: about 1 % of the mainly normal slow rotating K giants are Li rich. We explore here a model with two scenarios based on the important relation of Li-rich and Li-poor K giants with IR excesses. In this model, all K giant stars suffer a rapid enrichment and depletion of Li inducing the formation and ejection of circumstellar shells. The observational detection of these shells will not only validate this model, but also will give important hints on the mechanism of Li enrichment of these stars.
Solar flare accelerated electrons escaping into the interplanetary space and seen as type III solar radio bursts are often detected near the Earth. Using numerical simulations we consider the evolution of energetic electron spectrum in the inner heliosphere and near the Earth. The role of Langmuir wave generation, heliospheric plasma density fluctuations, and expansion of magnetic field lines on the electron peak flux and fluence spectra is studied to predict the electron properties as could be observed by Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus. Considering various energy loss mechanisms we show that the substantial part of the initial energetic electron energy is lost via wave-plasma processes due to plasma inhomogeneity. For the parameters adopted, the results show that the electron spectra changes mostly at the distances before $\sim20 R_\odot$. Further into the heliosphere, the electron flux spectra of electrons forms a broken power-law relatively similar to what is observed at 1 AU.
We describe a probabilistic method to cross-identify astrophysical sources in
different catalogs from their positions, and provide the probability that an
object is associated with a source from another catalog or that it has no
counterpart. We first consider the classical case of several-to-one
associations, and then the more realistic but more difficult problem of
one-to-one associations.
In either case, we compute the likelihood to observe the objects in the two
catalogs at their registered positions, and build a maximum likelihood
estimator of the fraction of sources with a counterpart. When the positional
uncertainty in one or both catalogs is unknown, this method may be used to
derive its typical value and even to study its dependence on the size of
objects; it may also be applied when the true centers of a source and of its
counterpart at another wavelength do not coincide.
To compute the likelihood and association probabilities in the various cases,
a Fortran 95 code called "Aspects" ([asp{\epsilon}], ASsociation
PositionnellE/ProbabilistE de CaTalogues de Sources" in French) was developed;
we make its source files freely available. To test Aspects, we created all-sky
mock catalogs containing up to 10^5 objects. After analysis of these
simulations, we are able to make some recommendations on the choice of the
source association model and of estimators of unknown parameters.
We present the first astronomical detection of the 14NH3 (J,K) = (10,6) line: nonthermal emission at several velocities in the Galactic star-forming region NGC 7538. Using the VLA we have imaged the (10,6) and (9,6) ammonia masers at several positions within NGC 7538 IRS 1. The individual sources have angular sizes < 0.1 arcseconds corresponding to brightness temperatures T_B > 1E6 K. We apply the pumping model of Brown & Cragg, confirming the conjecture that multiple ortho-ammonia masers can occur with the same value of K. The positions and velocities of the (10,6) and (9,6) masers are modeled as motion in a possible disk or torus and are discussed in the context of recent models of the region.
Working with the assumption of non-zero photon mass and a trajectory that is described by the relativistic world-line of a spinning top we find, by deriving new astrophysical bounds, that this assumption is in contradiction with todays experimental results. This yields the conclusion that the photon has to be exactly massless.
We consider collision of two geodesic particles moving around rotating stationary axially symmetric black holes. It is shown for arbitrary nonequatorial motion that under certain conditions the energy in their centre of mass frame can grow unbound (the so-called BSW effect). This generalizes the previous results for equatorial motion around dirty (surrounded by matter) black holes and nonequatorial motion around the Kerr metric. It turns out that the BSW effect occurs near any point of the horizon surface. We do not use special symmetries of space-time typical of the Kerr metric, so the results are quite generic. The general scheme classifying all possible scenarios is discussed.
Background: The triple-alpha reaction is the key to our understanding about the nucleosynthesis and the observed abundance of $^{12}$C in stars. The theory of this process is well established at high temperatures but rather ambiguous in the low temperature regime where measurements are impossible. Purpose: Develop a new three-body method, which tackles properly the scattering boundary condition for three charged particles and takes into account both the resonant and the non-resonant reaction mechanisms on the same footing, to compute the triple-alpha reaction rate at low temperatures. Methods: We combine the R-matrix expansion, the R-matrix propagation method, and the screening technique in the hyperspherical harmonics basis. Results: Both the $2^+_1$ bound state and the $0^+_2$ resonant state in $^{12}$C are well reproduced. We also study the cluster structure of these states. We calculate the triple-alpha reaction rate for $\mathrm{T}=0.01-0.1$ GK. Conclusions: We obtain the same rate as NACRE for temperatures above 0.07 GK, but the new rate is largely enhanced at lower temperatures ($\approx 10^{12}$ at 0.02 GK). The differences are caused by the direct capture contribution to the reaction when three alpha particles can not reach the resonant energies.
"The Center is Everywhere" is a sculpture by Josiah McElheny, currently (through October 14, 2012) on exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. The sculpture is based on data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), using hundreds of glass crystals and lamps suspended from brass rods to represent the three-dimensional structure mapped by the SDSS through one of its 2000+ spectroscopic plugplates. This article describes the scientific ideas behind this sculpture, emphasizing the principle of the statistical homogeneity of cosmic structure in the presence of local complexity. The title of the sculpture is inspired by the work of the French revolutionary Louis Auguste Blanqui, whose 1872 book "Eternity Through The Stars: An Astronomical Hypothesis" was the first to raise the spectre of the infinite replicas expected in an infinite, statistically homogeneous universe. Puzzles of infinities, probabilities, and replicas continue to haunt modern fiction and contemporary discussions of inflationary cosmology.
The thermal relaxation time ($\tau_{\kappa_{ee}}$) for the degenerate electron plasma has been calculated by incorporating non-Fermi liquid (NFL) corrections both for the thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity. Perturbative results are presented by making expansion in $T/m_D$ with next to leading order corrections. It is seen that unlike the normal Fermi liquid (FL) result where $\tau_{\kappa_{ee}}\propto 1/T^2$, NFL corrections in leading order (LO) changes the temperature dependence of $\tau_{\kappa_{ee}}$ to 1/T. Incorporation of the phase space correction driven by the medium modified Fermion dispersion relation increases the relaxation time further.
In general relativity, it has been shown that the effective gravitational stress-energy tensor for short-wavelength metric perturbations acts just like that for a radiation fluid, and thus, in particular, cannot provide any effects that mimic dark energy. However, it is far from obvious if this property of the effective gravitational stress-energy tensor is a specific nature held only in the Einstein gravity, or holds also in other theories of gravity. In particular, when considering modified gravity theories that involve higher order derivative terms, one may expect to have some non-negligible effects arising from higher order derivatives of short-wavelength perturbations. In this paper, we argue this is not the case at least in the cosmological context. We show that when the background, or coarse-grained metric averaged over several wavelengths has FLRW symmetry, the effective gravitational stress-energy tensor for metric perturbations of a cosmological model in a simple class of f(R) gravity theories, as well as that obtained in the corresponding scalar-tensor theory, takes a similar form to that in general relativity and is in fact traceless, hence acting again like a radiation fluid.
Preferred frame effects (PFEs) are predicted by a number of alternative gravity theories which include vector or additional tensor fields, besides the canonical metric tensor. In the framework of parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism, we investigate PFEs in the orbital dynamics of binary pulsars, characterized by the two strong-field PPN parameters, \alpha_1 and \alpha_2. In the limit of a small orbital eccentricity, \alpha_1 and \alpha_2 contributions decouple. By utilizing recent radio timing results and optical observations of PSRs J1012+5307 and J1738+0333, we obtained the best limits of \alpha_1 and \alpha_2 in the strong-field regime. The constraint on \alpha_1 also surpasses its counterpart in the weak-field regime.
The electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) phenomenon in earlier universe is considered. We evaluated the elementary processes of the single scattering of photon on the hydrogen atom with the purpose of their use in the tasks of the radiation transfer theory. The additional function $f$, which depends on external conditions, is found. This function can be considered as an adjustment of the optical depth that leads to the necessity of modernization of the escape probability $p_{ij}(\tau_S)\rightarrow p_{ij}(\tau_S(1+f))$. The numerical values of $f$ for the different schemes of atom in three-level approximation are given. It is found that the magnitude of function $f$ could influence significantly on the formation of CMB in some partial cases.
The evolution of matter in the expanding FRW universe during the time interval between the end of inflation and the beginning of the radiation-dominated era is studied. A constraint between the global geometry and total amount of matter in the universe as a whole, which is valid during the phase of an intensive transfer of energy to the matter degrees of freedom, is introduced. The matter is considered as a perfect fluid with two components between which there is energy exchange. The analytical solutions of the Einstein equations are found. The limiting cases of the the Hubble expansion rate and the total energy density, which correspond to matter production, pressure-free and radiation-dominated phases are investigated. The transition to the inflationary phase and a unidirectional evolution of matter in the universe at all phases are discussed.
We study the dynamics of Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) dark energy interacting with dark matter. The DBI dark energy model considered here has a scalar field with a non-standard kinetic energy term, and has potential and brane tension that are power-law functions. The new feature considered here is an interaction between the DBI dark energy and dark matter through a phenomenological interaction between the DBI scalar field and the dark matter fluid. We analyze two different types of interactions between the DBI scalar field and the dark matter fluid. In particular we study the phase space diagrams of and look for critical points of the phase space that are both stable and lead to accelerated, late-time expansion. In general we find that the interaction between the two dark components does not appear to give rise to late time accelerated expansion. However, the interaction can make the critical points in the phase space of the system stable. Whether such stabilization occurs or not depends on the form of the interaction between the two dark components.
In general neutron stars in binaries are spinning. Recently, a new quasi-equilibrium approximation that includes a rotational velocity piece for each star has been proposed to describe binary neutron stars with arbitrary rotation states in quasi-circular orbits. We have implemented this approximation numerically for the first time, to generate initial data for neutron star binaries with spin. If we choose the rotational velocity piece such that it equals the Newtonian rigid rotation law, we obtain stars with fluid 4-velocities that have expansion and shear of approximately zero, as one would expect for quasi-equilibrium configurations. We also use the new approach to construct and study initial data sequences for irrotational, corotating and fixed rotation binaries.
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Astronomical observations indicate an accelerated cosmic expansion, the cause of which is explained by the action of `dark energy'. Here we show that in discrete expanding space-time, only a tiny fraction of the vacuum fluctuations can become gravitationally effective and act as a driving `dark' agent. The analytically derived effective vacuum energy density is found to be closely related to the critical cosmic energy density, thus helping to solve the cosmological constant problem as well as the coincidence problem. The proposed model implies that in the present day universe only the vacuum field of the photon and that of the lightest neutrino contribute to the effective vacuum. This allows one to fix the neutrino masses within a narrow range. The model also implies that the (real) universe has to be considered as a thermodynamically open system which exchanges energy and momentum with the virtual reservoir of the vacuum.
Due to its proximity (9 Mpc) and the strongly bimodal color distribution of its spectroscopically well-sampled globular cluster (GC) system, the early-type galaxy NGC 3115 provides one of the best available tests of whether the color bimodality widely observed in GC systems generally reflects a true metallicity bimodality. Color bimodality has alternatively been attributed to a strongly nonlinear color--metallicity relation reflecting the influence of hot horizontal branch stars. Here we couple Subaru Suprime-Cam gi photometry with Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy to accurately measure GC colors and a CaT index that measures the CaII triplet. We find the NGC 3115 GC system to be unambiguously bimodal in both color and the CaT index. Using simple stellar population models, we show that the CaT index is essentially unaffected by variations in horizontal branch morphology over the range of metallicities relevant to GC systems (and is thus a robust indicator of metallicity) and confirm bimodality in the metallicity distribution. We assess the existing evidence for and against multiple metallicity subpopulations in early and late-type galaxies and conclude that metallicity bi/multimodality is common. We briefly discuss how this fundamental characteristic links directly to the star formation and assembly histories of galaxies.
We present evidence for a new Milky Way stellar tidal stream in the direction of the Andromeda and Triangulum (M31 and M33) galaxies. Using a matched-filter technique, we search the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 8 by creating stellar density maps which probe the Milky Way halo at distances between 8 and 40 kpc. A visual search of these maps recovers all of the major known stellar streams, as well as a new stream in the direction of M31/M33 which we name the Triangulum stream. The stream spans 0.2 deg by 12 deg on the sky, or 75 pc by 5.5 kpc in physical units with a best fitting distance of 26+/-4 kpc. The width of the stream is consistent with being the tidal remnant of a globular cluster. A color magnitude diagram of the stream region shows an overdensity which, if identified as a main sequence turn-off, corresponds to an old (~12 Gyr) and metal-poor ([Fe/H] \sim -1.0 dex) stellar population. Future kinematic studies of this and similar cold streams will provide tight constraints on the shape of the Galactic gravitational potential.
Using multiwavelength surveys of active galactic nuclei across a wide range of bolometric luminosities (10^{43}<L_{bol}(erg/s<5x10^{46}) and redshifts (0<z<3), we find a strong, redshift-independent correlation between the AGN luminosity and the fraction of host galaxies undergoing a major merger. That is, only the most luminous AGN phases are connected to major mergers, while less luminous AGN appear to be driven by secular processes. Combining this trend with AGN luminosity functions to assess the overall cosmic growth of black holes, we find that ~50% by mass is associated with major mergers, while only 10% of AGN by number, the most luminous, are connected to these violent events. Our results suggest that to reach the highest AGN luminosities -where the most massive black holes accreted the bulk of their mass - a major merger appears to be required. The luminosity dependence of the fraction of AGN triggered by major mergers can successfully explain why the observed scatter in the M-\sigma relation for elliptical galaxies is significantly lower than in spirals. The lack of a significant redshift dependence of the L_{bol}-f_{merger} relation suggests that downsizing, i.e., the general decline in AGN and star formation activity with decreasing redshift, is driven by a decline in the frequency of major mergers combined with a decrease in the availability of gas at lower redshifts.
It has been demonstrated that the inclusion of baryonic physics can alter the dark matter densities in the centers of low-mass galaxies, making the central dark matter slope more shallow than predicted in pure cold dark matter simulations. This flattening of the dark matter profile can occur in the most luminous subhalos around Milky Way-mass galaxies. Zolotov et al. (2012) have suggested a correction to be applied to the central masses of dark matter-only satellites in order to mimic the affect of (1) the flattening of the dark matter cusp due to supernova feedback in luminous satellites, and (2) enhanced tidal stripping due to the presence of a baryonic disk. In this paper, we apply this correction to the z=0 subhalo masses from the high resolution, dark matter-only Via Lactea II (VL2) simulation, and find that the number of massive subhalos is dramatically reduced. After adopting a stellar mass to halo mass relationship for the VL2 halos, and identifying subhalos that are (1) likely to be destroyed by stripping and (2) likely to have star formation suppressed by photo-heating, we find that the number of massive, luminous satellites around a Milky Way-mass galaxy is in agreement with the number of observed satellites around the Milky Way or M31. We conclude that baryonic processes have the potential to solve the missing satellites problem.
The apparent age and mass of a stellar cluster can be strongly affected by stochastic sampling of the stellar initial mass function, when inferred from the integrated color of low mass clusters (less than ~10^4 solar masses). We use simulated star clusters to show that these effects are minimized when the brightest, rapidly evolving stars in a cluster can be resolved, and the light of the fainter, more numerous unresolved stars can be analyzed separately. When comparing the light from the less luminous cluster members to models of unresolved light, more accurate age estimates can be obtained than when analyzing the integrated light from the entire cluster under the assumption that the initial mass function is fully populated. We show the success of this technique first using simulated clusters, and then with a stellar cluster in M31. This method represents one way of accounting for the discrete, stochastic sampling of the stellar initial mass function in less massive clusters and can be leveraged in studies of clusters throughout the Local Group and other nearby galaxies.
Dust particles sediment toward the midplanes of protoplanetary disks, forming dust-rich sublayers encased in gas. What densities must the particle sublayer attain before it can fragment by self-gravity? We describe various candidate threshold densities. One of these is the Roche density, which is that required for a strengthless satellite to resist tidal disruption by its primary. Another is the Toomre density, which is that required for de-stabilizing self-gravity to defeat the stabilizing influences of pressure and rotation. We show that for sublayers containing aerodynamically well-coupled dust, the Toomre density exceeds the Roche density by many (up to about 4) orders of magnitude. We present 3D shearing box simulations of self-gravitating, stratified, dust-gas mixtures to test which of the candidate thresholds is relevant for collapse. All our simulations indicate that the larger Toomre density is required for collapse. This result is sensible because sublayers are readily stabilized by pressure. Sound-crossing times for thin layers are easily shorter than free-fall times, and the effective sound speed in dust-gas suspensions decreases only weakly with the dust-to-gas ratio (as the inverse square root). Our findings assume that particles are small enough that their stopping times in gas are shorter than all other timescales. Relaxing this assumption may lower the threshold for gravitational collapse back down to the Roche criterion. In particular, if the particle stopping time becomes longer than the sound-crossing time, sublayers may lose pressure support and become gravitationally unstable.
This paper investigates what constraints can be placed on the fraction of Compton-thick (CT) AGN in the Universe from the modeling of the spectrum of the diffuse X-ray background (XRB). We present a model for the synthesis of the XRB that uses as input a library of AGN X-ray spectra generated by the Monte Carlo simulations described by Brightman & Nandra. This is essential to account for the Compton scattering of X-ray photons in a dense medium and the impact of that process on the spectra of obscured AGN. We identify a small number of input parameters to the XRB synthesis code which encapsulate the minimum level of uncertainty in reconstructing the XRB spectrum. These are the power-law index and high energy cutoff of the intrinsic X-ray spectra of AGN, the level of the reflection component in AGN spectra and the fraction of CT AGN in the Universe. We then map the volume of the space allowed to these parameters by current observations of the XRB spectrum in the range 3-100 keV. One of the least constrained parameters is the fraction of CT AGN. Statistically acceptable fits to the XRB spectrum at the 68% confidence level can be obtained for CT fractions in the range 5-50%. This is because of degeneracies among input parameters to the XRB synthesis code and uncertainties in the modeling of AGN spectra (e.g. reflection). The most promising route for constraining the fraction of CT AGN in the Universe is via the direct detection of those sources in high energy (>10keV) surveys. It is shown that the observed fraction of CT sources identified in the SWIFT/BAT survey, limits the intrinsic fraction of CT AGN, at least at low redshift, to 10-20% (68% confidence level). We also make predictions on the number density of CT sources that current and future X-ray missions are expected to discover. Testing those predictions will constrain the intrinsic fraction of CT AGN as a function of redshift.
We examine the relative orientation of radio jets and dusty tori surrounding the AGN in powerful radio galaxies at z > 1. The radio core dominance R = P(20 GHz) /P(500 MHz) serves as an orientation indicator, measuring the ratio between the anisotropic Doppler-beamed core extended core emission and the isotropic lobe emission. Assuming a fixed cylindrical geometry for the hot, dusty torus, we derive its inclination i by fitting optically-thick radiative transfer models to spectral energy distributions obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope. We find a highly significant anti-correlation (p < 0.0001) between R and i in our sample of 35 type 2 AGN combined with a sample of 18 z = 1 3CR sources containing both type 1 and 2 AGN. This analysis provides observational evidence both for the Unified scheme of AGN and for the common assumption that radio jets are in general perpendicular to the plane of the torus. The use of inclinations derived from mid-infrared photometry breaks several degeneracies which have been problematic in earlier analyses. We illustrate this by deriving the core Lorentz factor Gamma from the R-i anti-correlation, finding Gamma > 1.3.
The sheer range of scales in the Universe makes it impossible to model all at once. It is necessary, therefore, when conducting numerical experiments, that we employ sub-resolution prescriptions that can represent the scales we are unable to model directly. In this article we present a prescription for black hole growth that incorporates a different accretion regime from the standard approach used in the literature, and discuss the results of dedicated simulations of intermediate processes between small-scale accretion flows and large-scale cosmological volumes that can strongly enhance the accretion rate onto the black hole at the centre of a galaxy.
Kiloparsec-scale binary active galactic nuclei (AGNs) signal active supermassive black hole (SMBH) pairs in merging galaxies. Despite their significance, unambiguously confirmed cases remain scarce and most have been discovered serendipitously. In a previous systematic search, we optically identified four kpc-scale binary AGNs from candidates selected with double-peaked narrow emission lines at redshifts of 0.1--0.2. Here we present Chandra and Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) imaging of these four systems. We critically examine and confirm the binary-AGN scenario for two of the four targets, by combining high angular resolution X-ray imaging spectroscopy with Chandra ACIS-S, better nuclear position constraints from WFC3 F105W imaging, and direct starburst estimates from WFC3 F336W imaging; for the other two targets, the existing data are still consistent with the binary-AGN scenario, but we cannot rule out the possibility of only one AGN ionizing gas in both merging galaxies. We find tentative evidence for a systematically smaller X-ray-to-[O III] luminosity ratio and/or higher Compton-thick fraction in optically selected kpc-scale binary AGNs than in single AGNs, possibly caused by a higher nuclear gas column due to mergers and/or a viewing angle bias related to the double-peak narrow line selection. While our result lends some further support to the general approach of optically identifying kpc-scale binary AGNs, it also highlights the challenge and ambiguity of X-ray confirmation.
Linear stability of a current sheet that is subject to an impulsive acceleration due to a shock passage is studied with the effect of guide magnetic field. We find that the current sheet embedded in relativistically magnetized plasma always shows a Richtmyer-Meshkov type instability, while it depends on the density structure in the Newtonian limit. The growth of the instability is expected to generate turbulence around the current sheet that can induce so-called turbulent reconnection whose rate is essentially free from plasma resistivity. Thus, the instability can be applied as a triggering mechanism of rapid magnetic energy release in variety of high-energy astrophysical phenomena such as pulsar wind nebulae, gamma-ray bursts, and active galactic nuclei, where the shock wave is supposed to play a crucial role.
We present the optical discovery and sub-arcsecond optical and X-ray localization of the afterglow of the short GRB 120804A, as well as optical, near-IR, and radio detections of its host galaxy. X-ray observations with Swift/XRT, Chandra, and XMM-Newton to ~19 d reveal a single power law decline. The optical afterglow is faint, and comparison to the X-ray flux indicates that GRB 120804A is "dark", with a rest-frame extinction of A_V~2.5 mag (at z~1.3). The intrinsic neutral hydrogen column density inferred from the X-ray spectrum, N_H~2x10^22 cm^-2, is commensurate with the large extinction. The host galaxy exhibits red optical/near-IR colors. Equally important, JVLA observations at 0.9-11 d reveal a constant 5.8 GHz flux density and an optically-thin spectrum, unprecedented for GRB afterglows, but suggestive instead of emission from the host galaxy. The optical/near-IR and radio fluxes are well fit with the scaled spectral energy distribution of the local ultra-luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) Arp 220 at z~1.3, with a resulting star formation rate of ~300 Msun/yr. The inferred extinction and small projected offset (2.2+/-1.2 kpc) are also consistent with the ULIRG scenario, as is the presence of a companion galaxy at a separation of about 11 kpc. The limits on radio afterglow emission, in conjunction with the observed X-ray and optical emission, require a circumburst density of ~10^-3 cm^-3 an isotropic-equivalent energy scale of E_gamma,iso ~ E_K,iso ~ 7x10^51 erg, and a jet opening angle of >8 deg. The expected fraction of luminous infrared galaxies in the short GRB host sample is ~0.01-0.3 (for pure stellar mass and star formation weighting, respectively). Thus, the observed fraction of 2 events in about 25 hosts (GRBs 120804A and 100206A), provides additional support to our previous conclusion that short GRBs track both stellar mass and star formation activity.
The flux and nuclear composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays depend on the cosmic distribution of their sources. Data from cosmic ray observatories are yet inconclusive about their exact location or distribution, but provide a measure for the average local density of these emitters. Due to the discreteness of the emitters the flux and nuclear composition is expected to show ensemble fluctuations on top of the statistical variations, i.e. "cosmic variance". This effect is strongest for the most energetic cosmic rays due to the limited propagation distance in the cosmic radiation background and is hence a local phenomenon. For the statistical analysis of cosmic ray emission models it is important to quantify the possible level of this variance. In this paper we present a completely analytic method that describes the variation of the flux and nuclear composition with respect to the local source density. We highlight that proposed future space-based observatories with exposures of O(10^6 km^2 sr yr) will attain sensitivity to observe these spectral fluctuations in the cosmic ray energy spectrum at Earth relative to the overall power-law fit.
We present photometry at 3-24um for all known members of the Upper Scorpius association (~11 Myr) based on all images of these objects obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. We have used these data to identify the members that exhibit excess emission from circumstellar disks and estimate the evolutionary stages of these disks. Through this analysis, we have found ~50 new candidates for transitional, evolved, and debris disks. The fraction of members harboring inner primordial disks is <10% for B--G stars (M>1.2 Msun) and increases with later types to a value of ~25% at >=M5 (M<=0.2 Msun), in agreement with the results of previous disk surveys of smaller samples of Upper Sco members. These data indicate that the lifetimes of disks are longer at lower stellar masses, and that a significant fraction of disks of low-mass stars survive for at least ~10 Myr. Finally, we demonstrate that the distribution of excess sizes in Upper Sco and the much younger Taurus star-forming region (~1 Myr) are consistent with the same, brief timescale for clearing of inner disks.
We report new observations of circumgalactic gas in the halos of early type galaxies obtained by the COS-Halos Survey with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. We find that detections of HI surrounding early type galaxies are typically as common and strong as around star-forming galaxies, implying that the total mass of circumgalactic material is comparable in the two populations. For early type galaxies, the covering fraction for HI absorption above 10^16 cm^2 is ~40-50% within ~150 kpc. Line widths and kinematics of the detected material show it to be cold (T ~< 10^5 K) in comparison to the virial temperature of the host halos. The implied masses of cool, photoionized CGM baryons may be up to 10^9 --- 10^11 Msun. Contrary to some theoretical expectations, strong halo HI absorbers do not disappear as part of the quenching of star-formation. Even passive galaxies retain significant reservoirs of halo baryons which could replenish the interstellar gas reservoir and eventually form stars. This halo gas may feed the diffuse and molecular gas that is frequently observed inside ETGs.
(Abridged) We present a deep Chandra observation of the late-type barred spiral galaxy NGC 2903. The Chandra data reveal soft (kT_e ~ 0.2-0.5keV) diffuse emission in the nuclear starburst region and extending ~5kpc to the north and west of the nucleus. Much of this soft hot gas is likely to be from local active star-forming regions; however, besides the nuclear region, the morphology of hot gas does not strongly correlate with sites of active star formation. The central ~650 pc radius starburst zone exhibits much higher surface brightness diffuse emission than the surrounding regions and a harder spectral component in addition to its soft component. We interpret the hard component as being of thermal origin with kT_e~3.6keV and to be directly associated with a wind fluid produced by supernovae and massive star winds. The inferred terminal velocity for this hard component, ~1100 km/s, exceeds the local galaxy escape velocity suggesting a potential outflow. The softer extended emission does not display an obvious outflow geometry. However, the column density through which the X-rays are transmitted is lower to the west of the nucleus compared to the east and the surface brightness is higher there suggesting some soft hot gas originates from above the disk; viewed directly from the western zone but through the intervening galaxy disk from the eastern zone. There are several point-like sources in the nuclear region with X-ray spectra typical of compact binaries. None of these are coincident with the mass center of the galaxy and we place an upper limit luminosity from any point-like nuclear source to be < 2x10^38 ergs/s in the 0.5-8.0keV band which indicates that NGC 2903 lacks an active galactic nucleus. Heating from the nuclear starburst and a galactic wind may be responsible for preventing cold gas from accreting onto the galactic center.
In this work we characterize the recently discovered active main belt object P/2012 F5 (Gibbs), which was discovered with a dust trail > 7' in length in the outer main belt, 7 months prior to aphelion. We use optical imaging obtained on UT 2012 March 27 to analyze the central condensation and the long trail. We find nuclear B-band and R-band apparent magnitudes of 20.96 and 19.93 mag, respectively, which give an upper limit on the radius of the nucleus of 2.1 km. The geometric cross-section of material in the trail was ~ 4 x 10^8 m^2, corresponding to a dust mass of ~ 5 x 10^7 kg. Analysis of infrared images taken by the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer in September 2010 reveals that the object was below the detection limit, suggesting that it was less active than it was during 2012, or possibly inactive, just 6 months after it passed through perihelion. We set a 1-sigma upper limit on its radius during this time of 2.9 km. P/2012 F5 (Gibbs) is dynamically stable in the outer main belt on timescales of ~ 1 Gyr, pointing towards an asteroidal origin. We find that the morphology of the ejected dust is consistent with it being produced by a single event that occurred on UT 2011 July 7 $\pm$ 20 days, possibly as the result of a collision with a small impactor.
Understanding the properties of Pop III stars is prerequisite to elucidating the nature of primeval galaxies, the chemical enrichment and reionization of the early IGM, and the origin of supermassive black holes. While the primordial IMF remains unknown, recent evidence from numerical simulations and stellar archaeology suggests that some Pop III stars may have had lower masses than previously thought, 15 - 50 \Ms in addition to 50 - 500 \Ms. The detection of Pop III supernovae by JWST, WFIRST or the TMT could directly probe the primordial IMF for the first time. We present numerical simulations of 15 - 40 \Ms Pop III core-collapse SNe done with the Los Alamos radiation hydrodynamics code RAGE. We find that they will be visible in the earliest galaxies out to z ~ 10 - 15, tracing their star formation rates and in some cases revealing their positions on the sky. Since the central engines of Pop III and solar-metallicity core-collapse SNe are quite similar, future detection of any Type II supernovae by next-generation NIR instruments will in general be limited to this epoch.
We report our multi-band infrared (IR) imaging of the transitional millisecond pulsar system J1023+0038, a rare pulsar binary known to have an accretion disk in 2000--2001. The observations were carried out with ground-based and space telescopes from near-IR to far-IR wavelengths. We detected the source in near-IR JH bands and Spitzer 3.6 and 4.5 $\mu$m mid-IR channels. Combined with the previously-reported optical spectrum of the source, the IR emission is found to arise from the companion star, with no excess emission detected in the wavelength range. Because our near-IR fluxes are nearly equal to those obtained by the 2MASS all-sky survey in 2000 Feb., the result indicates that the binary did not contain the accretion disk at the time, whose existence would have raised the near-IR fluxes to 2-times larger values. Our observations have thus established the short-term nature of the interacting phase seen in 2000--2001: the accretion disk at most existed for 2.5 yrs. The binary was not detected by the WISE all-sky survey carried out in 2010 at its 12 and 22 $\mu$m bands and our Herschel far-IR imaging at 70 and 160 $\mu$m. Depending on the assumed properties of the dust, the resulting flux upper limits provide a constraint of <3x10^{22}--3x10^{25} g on the mass of the dust grains that possibly exist as the remnant of the previously-seen accretion disk.
We present R-Band light curves of Type II supernovae (SNe) from the Caltech Core Collapse Program (CCCP). With the exception of interacting (Type IIn) SNe and rare events with long rise times, we find that most light curve shapes belong to one of three distinct classes: plateau, slowly declining and rapidly declining events. The latter class is composed solely of Type IIb SNe which present similar light curve shapes to those of SNe Ib, suggesting, perhaps, similar progenitor channels. We do not find any intermediate light curves, implying that these subclasses are unlikely to reflect variance of continuous parameters, but rather might result from physically distinct progenitor systems, strengthening the suggestion of a binary origin for at least some stripped SNe. We find a large plateau luminosity range for SNe IIP, while the plateau lengths seem rather uniform at approximately 100 days. We present also host galaxy trends from the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) core collapse SN sample, which augment some of the photometric results.
The NGC 2024 FIR 6 region was observed in the water maser line at 22 GHz and the methanol class I maser lines at 44, 95, and 133 GHz. The water maser spectra displayed several velocity components and month-scale time variabilities. Most of the velocity components may be associated with FIR 6n, while one component was associated with FIR 4. A typical life time of the water-maser velocity-components is about 8 months. The components showed velocity fluctuations with a typical drift rate of about 0.01 km/s/day. The methanol class I masers were detected toward FIR 6. The methanol emission is confined within a narrow range around the systemic velocity of the FIR 6 cloud core. The methanol masers suggest the existence of shocks driven by either the expanding H II region of FIR 6c or the outflow of FIR 6n.
Full polarimetric radio interferometric calibration is performed by estimating 2 by 2 Jones matrices representing instrumental and propagation effects. The solutions obtained in this way differ from the true solutions by a 2 by 2 unitary matrix ambiguity. This ambiguity is common to all stations for which a solution is obtained but it is different for solutions obtained at different time and frequency intervals. Therefore, straightforward interpolation of solutions obtained at different time and frequency intervals is not possible. In this paper, we propose to use the theory of quotient manifolds for obtaining correct interpolants that are immune to unitary matrix ambiguities.
We present high-resolution X-ray spectra of cloud-shock interaction regions in the eastern and northern rims of the Galactic supernova remnant Puppis A, using the Reflection Grating Spectrometer onboard the XMM-Newton satellite. A number of emission lines including K alpha triplets of He-like N, O, and Ne are clearly resolved for the first time. Intensity ratios of forbidden to resonance lines in the triplets are found to be higher than predictions by thermal emission models having plausible plasma parameters. The anomalous line ratios cannot be reproduced by effects of resonance scattering, recombination, or inner-shell ionization processes, but could be explained by charge-exchange emission that should arise at interfaces between the cold/warm clouds and the hot plasma. Our observations thus provide observational support for charge-exchange X-ray emission in supernova remnants.
The chemical abundances of the metal-poor stars in the stellar stream provide important information for setting constraints on models of neutron-capture processes. The study of these stars could give us a better understanding of r-process nucleosynthesis and chemical composition of the early Galaxy. Using the updated main r-process and weak r-process patterns, we fit abundances in the stellar stream stars. The weak r-process component coefficients are almost constant for the sample stars, including r-rich stars, which means that both weak r-process and Fe are produced as primary elements from SNeII and their yields have nearly a constant mass fraction. The difference between the stream stars and r-rich stars is obvious. For the stream stars, that the increase trend in the main r-process component coefficients as metallicity increases means the gradual increase in the production of main r-process elements relative to iron. This behavior implies that the masses of progenitors for the main r-process are smaller than those of the weak r-process. Furthermore, we find metal-poor stream star HD 237846 is a weak r-process star.
Star formation is evolving very fast in the second half of the Universe, and
it is yet unclear whether this is due to evolving gas content, or evolving star
formation efficiency (SFE). We have carried out a survey of ultra-luminous
galaxies (ULIRG) between z=0.2 and 1, to check the gas fraction in this domain
of redshift which is still poorly known.
Our survey with the IRAM-30m detected 33 galaxies out of 69, and we derive a
significant evolution of both the gas fraction and SFE of ULIRGs over the whole
period, and in particular a turning point around z=0.35.
The result is sensitive to the CO-to-H2, conversion factor adopted, and both
gas fraction and SFE have comparable evolution, when we adopt the low starburst
conversion factor of \alpha =0.8 Mo/(K km/s pc^2). Adopting a higher \alpha
will increase the role of the gas fraction.
Using \alpha =0.8, the SFE and the gas fraction for z=0.2-1.0 ULIRGs are
found to be significantly higher, by a factor 3, than for local ULIRGs, and are
comparable to high redshift ones. We compare this evolution to the expected
cosmic H2 abundance and the cosmic star formation history.
The potential role of magnetic fields and cosmic ray propagation for feedback processes in the early Universe can be probed by studies of local starburst counterparts with an equivalent star-formation rate. Archival data from the WSRT was reduced and a new calibration technique introduced to reach the high dynamic ranges needed for the complex source morphology of M82. This data was combined with archival VLA data, yielding total power maps at 3cm, 6cm, 22cm and 92cm. The data shows a confinement of the emission at wavelengths of 3/6cm to the core region and a largely extended halo reaching up to 4kpc away from the galaxy midplane at wavelengths of 22/92cm up to a sensitivity limit of 90muJy and 1.8mJy respectively. The results are used to calculate the magnetic field strength in the core region to 98muG and to 24muG in the halo regions. From the observation of ionisation losses the filling factor of the ionised medium could be estimated to 2%. We find that the radio emission from the core region is dominated by very dense HII-regions and supernova remnants, while the surrounding medium is filled with hot X-ray and neutral gas. Cosmic rays radiating at frequencies higher than 1.4 GHz are suffering from high synchrotron and inverse Compton losses in the core region and are not able to reach the halo. Even the cosmic rays radiating at longer wavelengths are only able to build up the observed kpc sized halo, when several starbursting periods are assumed where the photon field density varies by an order of magnitude. These findings together with the strong correlation between Halpha, PAH+, and our radio continuum data suggests a magnetic field which is frozen into the ionised medium and driven out of the galaxy kinematically.
We have performed a series of numerical experiments to investigate how the primordial thermal velocities of fermionic dark matter particles affect the physical and phase space density profiles of the dark matter haloes into which they collect. The initial particle velocities induce central cores in both profiles, which can be understood in the framework of phase space density theory. We find that the maximum coarse-grained phase space density of the simulated haloes (computed in 6 dimensional phase space using the EnBid code) is very close to the theoretical fine-grained upper bound, while the pseudo phase space density, Q ~ {\rho}/{\sigma}^3, overestimates the maximum phase space density by up to an order of magnitude. The density in the inner regions of the simulated haloes is well described by a 'pseudo-isothermal' profile with a core. We have developed a simple model based on this profile which, given the observed surface brightness profile of a galaxy and its central velocity dispersion, accurately predicts its central phase space density. Applying this model to the dwarf spheroidal satellites of the Milky Way yields values close to 0.5 keV for the mass of a hypothetical thermal warm dark matter particle, assuming the satellite haloes have cores produced by warm dark matter free streaming. Such a small value is in conflict with the lower limit of 1.2 keV set by observations of the Lyman-{\alpha} forest. Thus, if the Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellites have cores, these are likely due to baryonic processes associated with the forming galaxy, perhaps of the kind proposed by Navarro, Eke and Frenk and seen in recent simulations of galaxy formation in the cold dark matter model.
Observational growth rate data had been derived from observations of redshift distortions in galaxy redshift surveys. Here we use the growth rate data to place constraints on the dark energy model parameters. By performing a joint analysis with the Type Ia supernova, baryon acoustic oscillation and cosmic microwave background data, it is found that the growth rate data are useful for improving the constraints. The joint constraints show that the $\Lambda$CDM model is still in good agreement with current observations, although a time-variant dark energy still cannot be ruled out. It is argued that the growth rate data are helpful for understanding the dark energy. With more accurate data available in the future, we will have a powerful tool for constraining the cosmological and dark energy parameters.
We propose a dedicated analysis approach for indirect Dark Matter searches with Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes. By using the full likelihood analysis, we take complete advantage of the distinct features expected in the gamma ray spectrum of Dark Matter origin, achieving better sensitivity with respect to the standard analysis chains. We describe the method and characterize its general performance. We also compare its sensitivity with that of the current standards for several Dark Matter annihilation models, obtaining gains of up to factors of order of 10. We compute the improved limits that can be reached using this new approach, taking as an example existing estimates for several benchmark models as well as the recent results from VERITAS on observations of the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Segue 1. Furthermore, we estimate the sensitivity of Cherenkov Telescopes for monochromatic line signals. Predictions are made on improvement that can be achieved for MAGIC and CTA. Lastly, we discuss how this method can be applied in a global, sensitivity-optimized indirect Dark Matter search that combines the results of all Cherenkov observatories of the present generation.
I present an algorithm for inverting the luminosity function for white dwarfs to obtain a maximum likelihood estimate of the star formation rate of the host stellar population. The algorithm is of the general class of Expectation Maximization, and involves iteratively improving an initial guess of the star formation rate. Tests show that the inversion results are quite sensitive to the assumed metallicity and initial mass function, but relatively insensitive to the initial-final mass relation and ratio of H/He atmosphere white dwarfs. Application to two independent determinations of the Solar neighbourhood white dwarf luminosity function gives similar results: the star formation rate is characterised by an early burst, and more recent peak at 2-3 Gyr in the past.
Expanding on an earlier work that relied on linear force-free magnetic fields, we self-consistently derive the instantaneous free magnetic energy and relative magnetic helicity budgets of an unknown three-dimensional nonlinear force-free magnetic structure extending above a single, known lower-boundary magnetic field vector. The proposed method does not rely on the detailed knowledge of the three-dimensional field configuration but is general enough to employ only a magnetic connectivity matrix on the lower boundary. The calculation yields a minimum free magnetic energy and a relative magnetic helicity consistent with this free magnetic energy. The method is directly applicable to photospheric or chromospheric vector magnetograms of solar active regions. Upon validation, it basically reproduces magnetic energies and helicities obtained by well-known, but computationally more intensive and non-unique, methods relying on the extrapolated three-dimensional magnetic field vector. We apply the method to three active regions, calculating the photospheric connectivity matrices by means of simulated annealing, rather than a model-dependent nonlinear force-free extrapolation. For two of these regions we correct for the inherent linear force-free overestimation in free energy and relative helicity that is larger for larger, more eruptive, active regions. In the third studied region, our calculation can lead to a physical interpretation of observed eruptive manifestations. We conclude that the proposed method, including the proposed inference of the magnetic connectivity matrix, is practical enough to contribute to a physical interpretation of the dynamical evolution of solar active regions.
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory with its 1-km^3 in-ice detector and the 1-km^2 surface detector (IceTop) constitutes a three-dimensional cosmic ray detector well suited for general cosmic ray physics. Various measurements of cosmic ray properties, such as energy spectra, mass composition and anisotropies, have been obtained from analyses of air showers at the surface and/or atmospheric muons in the ice.
Compact stars with strong magnetic fields (magnetars) have been observationally determined to have surface magnetic fields of order of 10^{14}-10^{15} G, the implied internal field strength being several orders larger. We study the equation of state and composition of dense hypernuclear matter in strong magnetic fields in a range expected in the interiors of magnetars. Within the non-linear Boguta-Bodmer-Walecka model we find that the magnetic field has sizable influence on the properties of matter for central magnetic field B \ge 10^{17} G, in particular the matter properties become anisotropic. Moreover, for the central fields B_{\rm cr} \ge 10^{19} G, the magnetized hypernuclear matter becomes unstable, which limits the range of admissible fields in magnetars to fields below the critical value B_{\rm cr}.
Using a recently proposed nonlinear force-free method designed for single vector magnetograms of solar active regions we calculate the instantaneous free magnetic energy and relative magnetic helicity budgets in 162 vector magnetograms corresponding to 42 different active regions. We find a statistically robust, monotonic correlation between the free magnetic energy and the relative magnetic helicity in the studied regions. This correlation implies that magnetic helicity, besides free magnetic energy, may be an essential ingredient for major solar eruptions. Eruptive active regions appear well segregated from non-eruptive ones in both free energy and relative helicity with major (at least M-class) flares occurring in active regions with free energy and relative helicity exceeding 4x10^{31} erg and 2x10^{42} Mx^2, respectively. The helicity threshold agrees well with estimates of helicity contents of typical coronal mass ejections.
Very high precision seismic space missions such as CoRoT and Kepler provide the means of testing the modeling of transport processes in stellar interiors. For some stars, such as solar-like and red giant stars, a rotational splitting is measured. However, in order to fully exploit these splittings and constrain the rotation profile, one needs to be able to calculate them accurately. For some other stars, such as $\delta$ Scuti and Be stars, for instance, the observed pulsation spectra are modified by rotation to such an extent that a perturbative treatment of the effects of rotation is no longer valid. We present here a new two-dimensional non-perturbative code, called ACOR (\textit{Adiabatic Code of Oscillation including Rotation}) which allows us to compute adiabatic non-radial pulsations of rotating stars, without making any assumptions on the sphericity of the star, the fluid properties (i.e. baroclinicity) or the rotation profile. The 2D non-perturbative calculations fully take into account the centrifugal distortion of the star and include the full influence of the Coriolis acceleration. The numerical method is based on a spectral approach for the angular part of the modes, and a fourth-order finite differences approach for the radial part. We test and evaluate the accuracy of the calculations by comparing them with those coming from TOP (\textit{Two-dimensional Oscillation Program}) for the same polytropic models. We illustrate the effects of rapid rotation on stellar pulsations through the phenomenon of avoided crossings. As shown by the comparison with TOP for simple models, the code is stable, and gives accurate results up to near-critical rotation rates.
Context: Nonthermal radio emission in massive stars is expected to arise in wind-wind collisions occurring inside a binary system. One such case, the O-type star Cyg OB2 #9, was proven to be a binary only four years ago, but the orbital parameters remained uncertain. The periastron passage of 2011 was the first one to be observable under good conditions since the discovery of binarity. Aims: In this context, we have organized a large monitoring campaign to refine the orbital solution and to study the wind-wind collision. Methods: This paper presents the analysis of optical spectroscopic data, as well as of a dedicated X-ray monitoring performed with Swift and XMM. Results: In light of our refined orbital solution, Cyg OB2 #9 appears as a massive O+O binary with a long period and high eccentricity; its components (O5-5.5I for the primary and O3-4III for the secondary) have similar masses and similar luminosities. The new data also provide the first evidence that a wind-wind collision is present in the system. In the optical domain, the broad Ha line varies, displaying enhanced absorption and emission components at periastron. X-ray observations yield the unambiguous signature of an adiabatic collision because, as the stars approach periastron, the X-ray luminosity closely follows the 1/D variation expected in that case. The X-ray spectrum appears, however, slightly softer at periastron, which is probably related to winds colliding at slightly lower speeds at that time. Conclusions: It is the first time that such a variation has been detected in O+O systems, and the first case where the wind-wind collision is found to remain adiabatic even at periastron passage.
We present evidence for chaotic dynamics within the spin-down rates of 17 pulsars originally presented by Lyne et al. Using techniques that allow us to re-sample the original measurements without losing structural information, we have searched for evidence of a strange attractor in the time series of frequency derivatives for each of the 17 pulsars. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our methods by applying them to a component of the Lorenz and R\"ossler attractors that were sampled with similar cadence to the pulsar time series. Our measurements of correlation dimension and Lyapunov exponent show that the underlying behaviour appears to be driven by a strange attractor with approximately three governing non-linear differential equations. This is particularly apparent in the case of PSR B1828$-$11 where a correlation dimension of 2.06\pm0.03 and a Lyapunov exponent of $(4.0\pm0.3)\times10^{-4}$ inverse days were measured. These results provide an additional diagnostic for testing future models of this behaviour.
Large galaxy redshift surveys have long been used to constrain cosmological models and structure formation scenarios. In particular, the largest structures discovered observationally are thought to carry critical information on the amplitude of large-scale density fluctuations or homogeneity of the universe, and have often challenged the standard cosmological framework. The Sloan Great Wall (SGW) recently found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) region casts doubt on the concordance cosmological model with a cosmological constant (i.e. the flat LCDM model). Here we show that the existence of the SGW is perfectly consistent with the LCDM model, a result that only our very large cosmological N-body simulation (the Horizon Run 2, HR2) could supply. In addition, we report on the discovery of a void complex in the SDSS much larger than the SGW, and show that such size of the largest void is also predicted in the LCDM paradigm. Our results demonstrate that an initially homogeneous isotropic universe with primordial Gaussian random phase density fluctuations growing in accordance with the General Relativity, can explain the richness and size of the observed large-scale structures in the SDSS. Using the HR2 simulation we predict that a future galaxy redshift survey about four times deeper or with 3 magnitude fainter limit than the SDSS should reveal a largest structure of bright galaxies about twice as big as the SGW.
We present Herschel Space Observatory PACS spectra of GQ Lup, a protoplanetary disk in the Lupus star-forming region. Through SED fitting from 0.3{\mu}m to 1.3mm, we construct a self-consistent model of this system's temperature and density structures, finding that although it is 3 Myr old, its dust has not settled to the midplane substantially. The disk has a radial gradient in both the silicate dust composition and grain size, with large amorphous grains in the upper layers of the inner disk and an enhancement of submicron, crystalline grains in the outer disk. We detect an excess of emission in the Herschel PACS B2A band near 63{\mu}m and model it with a combination of {\sim}15 to 70{\mu}m crystalline water ice grains with a size distribution consistent with ice recondensation-enhanced grain growth and a mass fraction half of that of our solar system. The combination of crystalline water ice and silicates in the outer disk is suggestive of disk-wide heating events or planetesimal collisions. If confirmed, this would be the first detection of water ice by Herschel.
Cluster mass profiles are tests of models of structure formation. Only two current observational methods of determining the mass profile, gravitational lensing and the caustic technique, are independent of the assumption of dynamical equilibrium. Both techniques enable determination of the extended mass profile at radii beyond the virial radius. For 19 clusters, we compare the mass profile based on the caustic technique with weak lensing measurements taken from the literature. This comparison offers a test of systematic issues in both techniques. Around the virial radius, the two methods of mass estimation agree to within about 30%, consistent with the expected errors in the individual techniques. At small radii, the caustic technique overestimates the mass as expected from numerical simulations. The ratio between the lensing profile and the caustic mass profile at these radii suggests that the weak lensing profiles are a good representation of the true mass profile. At radii larger than the virial radius, the lensing mass profile exceeds the caustic mass profile possibly as a result of contamination of the lensing profile by large-scale structures within the lensing kernel. We highlight the case of the closely neighboring clusters MS0906+11 and A750 to illustrate the potential seriousness of contamination of the the weak lensing signal by unrelated structures.
Whether supernovae are major sources of dust in galaxies is a long-standing debate. We present infrared and submillimeter photometry and spectroscopy from the Herschel Space Observatory of the Crab Nebula between 51 and 670 micron as part of the Mass Loss from Evolved StarS program (MESS). We compare the emission detected with Herschel with multiwavelength data including millimetre, radio, mid-infrared and archive optical images. We carefully remove the synchrotron component using the Herschel and Planck fluxes measured in the same epoch. The contribution from line emission is removed using Herschel spectroscopy combined with Infrared Space Observatory archive data. Several forbidden lines of carbon, oxygen and nitrogen are detected where multiple velocity components are resolved, deduced to be from the nitrogen-depleted, carbon-rich ejecta. No spectral lines are detected in the SPIRE wavebands; in the PACS bands, the line contribution is 5 and 10% at 70 and 100 micron and negligible at 160 micron. After subtracting the synchrotron and line emission, the remaining far-infrared continuum can be fit with two dust components. Assuming standard interstellar silicates, the mass of the cooler component is 0.24(+0.32)(-0.08) Msolar for T = 28.1(+5.5)(-3.2)K. Amorphous carbon grains require 0.11 +/- 0.01 Msolar of dust with T = 33.8(+2.3)(-1.8) K. A single temperature modified-blackbody with 0.14Msolar and 0.08Msolar for silicate and carbon dust respectively, provides an adequate fit to the far- infrared region of the SED but is a poor fit at 24-500 micron. The Crab Nebula has condensed most of the relevant refractory elements into dust, suggesting the formation of dust in core-collapse supernova ejecta is efficient.
We analyze the time series of CaII H-line obtained from Hinode/SOT on the solar limb. The time-distance analysis shows that the axis of spicule undergos quasi-periodic transverse displacement at different heights from the photosphere. The mean period of transverse displacement is ~180 s and the mean amplitude is 1 arcsec. Then, we solve the dispersion relation of magnetic tube waves and plot the dispersion curves with upward steady flows. The theoretical analysis shows that the observed oscillation may correspond to the fundamental harmonic of standing kink waves.
The numerous results obtained with asteroseismology thanks to space missions such as CoRoT and Kepler are providing a new insight on stellar evolution. After five years of observations, CoRoT is going on providing high-quality data. We present here the analysis of the double star HD169392 complemented by ground-based spectroscopic observations. This work aims at characterizing the fundamental parameters of the two stars, their chemical composition, the acoustic-mode global parameters including their individual frequencies, and their dynamics. We have analysed HARPS observations of the two stars to retrieve their chemical compositions. Several methods have been used and compared to measure the global properties of acoustic modes and their individual frequencies from the photometric data of CoRoT. The new spectroscopic observations and archival astrometric values suggest that HD169392 is a wide binary system weakly bounded. We have obtained the spectroscopic parameters for both components, suggesting the origin from the same cloud. However, only the mode signature of HD169392 A has been measured within the CoRoT data. The signal-to-noise ratio of the modes in HD169392B is too low to allow any confident detection. We were able to extract mode parameters of modes for l=0, 1, 2, and 3. The study of the splittings and inclination angle gives two possible solutions with splittings and inclination angles of 0.4-1.0 muHz and 20-40 degrees for one case and 0.2-0.5 muHz and 55-86 degrees for the other case. The modeling of this star with the Asteroseismic Modeling Portal led to a mass of 1.15+/-0.01 Ms, a radius of 1.88+/-0.02 Rs, and an age of 4.33+/-0.12 Gyr, where the uncertainties are the internal ones.
The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has observed two sun-grazing comets as they passed through the solar atmosphere. Both passages resulted in a measurable enhancement of Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) radiance in several of the AIA bandpasses. We explain this EUV emission by considering the evolution of the cometary atmosphere as it interacts with the ambient solar atmosphere. Molecules in the comet rapidly sublimate as it approaches the Sun. They are then photodissociated by the solar radiation field to create atomic species. Subsequent ionization of these atoms produces a higher abundance of ions than normally present in the corona and results in EUV emission in the wavelength ranges of the AIA telescope passbands.
We show that the constant time lag prescription for tidal dissipation follows directly from the equations of motion of a tidally-forced fluid body, given some basic assumptions. They are (i) the equilibrium structure of the forced body is spherically-symmetric (ii) the tidal forcing is weak and non-resonant (iii) dissipation is weak. The lag time is an intrinsic property of the tidally-forced body and is independent of the orbital configuration.
A significant fraction of the hot Jupiters with final circularized orbital periods of less than 5 days are thought to form through the channel of high-eccentricity migration. Tidal dissipation at successive periastron passages removes orbital energy of the planet, which has the potential for changes in semi-major axis of a factor of ten to a thousand. In the equilibrium tide approximation we show that, in order for high-eccentricity migration to take place, the relative level of tidal dissipation in Jupiter analogues must be at least 10 times higher than the upper-limit attributed to the Jupiter-Io interaction. While this is not a severe problem for high-e migration, it contradicts the results of several previous calculations. We show that these calculations of high-e migration inadvertently over-estimated the strength of tidal dissipation by three to four orders of magnitude. These discrepancies were obscured by the use of various parameters, such as lag time \tau, tidal quality factor Q and viscous time t_V. We provide the values of these parameters required for the Jupiter-Io interaction, tidal circularization and high-e migration. Implications for tidal theory as well as models of the inflated radii of hot Jupiters are discussed. Though the tidal Q is not, in general, well-defined, we derive a formula for it during high-eccentricity migration where Q is approximately constant throughout evolution.
Using a combination of N-body simulations, semi-analytic models and radiative transfer calculations, we have estimated the theoretical cross power spectrum between galaxies and the 21cm emission from neutral hydrogen during the epoch of reionization. In accordance with previous studies, we find that the 21cm emission is initially correlated with halos on large scales (> 30 Mpc), anti-correlated on intermediate (~ 5 Mpc), and uncorrelated on small (< 3 Mpc) scales. This picture quickly changes as reionization proceeds and the two fields become anti-correlated on large scales. The normalization of the cross power spectrum can be used to set constraints on the average neutral fraction in the intergalactic medium and its shape can be a tool to study the topology of reionization. When we apply a drop-out technique to select galaxies and add to the 21cm signal the noise expected from the LOFAR telescope, we find that while the normalization of the cross power spectrum remains a useful tool for probing reionization, its shape becomes too noisy to be informative. On the other hand, for a Lyalpha Emitter (LAE) survey both the normalization and the shape of the cross power spectrum are suitable probes of reionization. A closer look at a specific planned LAE observing program using Subaru Hyper-Suprime Cam reveals concerns about the strength of the 21cm signal at the planned redshifts. If the ionized fraction at z ~ 7 is lower that the one estimated here, then using the cross power spectrum may be a useful exercise given that at higher redshifts and neutral fractions it is able to distinguish between two toy models with different topologies.
After a hundred years of searching for the origin of cosmic rays, where and how they are made has finally become clear. Here we briefly trace that odyssey through both astronomical observations and cosmic ray measurements.
An extreme-mass-ratio burst (EMRB) is a gravitational wave signal emitted when a compact object passes through periapsis on a highly eccentric orbit about a much more massive body, in our case a stellar mass object about the 4.31 \times 10^6 M_sol massive black hole (MBH) in the Galactic Centre. We investigate how EMRBs could constrain the parameters of the Galaxy's MBH. EMRBs should be detectable if the periapsis is r_p < 65 r_g for a \mu = 10 M_sol orbiting object, where r_g = GM/c^2 is the gravitational radius. The signal-to-noise ratio \rho scales like log(\rho) = -2.7 log(r_p/r_g) + log(\mu/M_sol) + 4.9. For periapses smaller than ~ 10 r_g, EMRBs can be informative, providing good constraints on both the MBH's mass and spin.
For the first time, we report a unified microscopic-macroscopic Monte Carlo simulation of gas-grain chemistry in cold interstellar clouds in which both the gas-phase and the grain surface chemistry are simulated by a stochastic technique. The surface chemistry is simulated with a microscopic Monte Carlo method in which the chemistry occurs on an initially flat surface. The surface chemical network consists of 29 reactions initiated by the accreting species H, O, C, and CO. Four different models are run with diverse but homogeneous physical conditions including temperature, gas density, and diffusion-barrier-to-desorption energy ratio. As time increases, icy interstellar mantles begin to grow. Our approach allows us to determine the morphology of the ice, layer by layer, as a function of time, and to ascertain the environment or environments for individual molecules. Our calculated abundances can be compared with observations of ices and gas-phase species, as well as the results of other models.
Loops of magnetic field in the corona are observed to oscillate and these oscillations have been posited to be the superposition of resonant kink waves. To date, most analyses of these oscillations have concentrated on calculating the frequency shifts that result from spatial variation in the kink wave speed. Further, most have ignored gravity and treated the loop as a straight tube. Here we ignore spatial variation in the wave speed, but self-consistently include the effects of gravity and loop curvature in both the equilibrium loop model and in the wave equation. We model a coronal loop as an isolated, thin, magnetic fibril that is anchored at two points in the photosphere. The equilibrium shape of the loop is determined by a balance between magnetic buoyancy and magnetic tension, which is characterized by a Magnetic Bond Number \epsilon, that is typically small |\epsilon| << 1. This balance produces a loop that has a variable radius of curvature. The resonant kink waves of such a loop come in two polarizations that are decoupled from each other: waves with motion completely within the plane of the loop (normal oscillations) and waves with motions that are completely horizontal, perpendicular to the plane of the loop (binormal oscillations). We solve for the eigensolutions of both polarizations using perturbation theory for small Magnetic Bond Number. For modes of the same order, normal oscillations have smaller eigenfrequencies than binormal oscillations. The additional forces of buoyancy and magnetic tension from the curvature of the loop increase and decrease the mode frequencies, respectively. The ratio of the frequencies of the first overtone to the fundamental mode is modified by the inclusion of buoyancy and curvature. We find that the normal polarization possesses a frequency ratio that exceeds the canonical value of 2, whereas the binormal polarization has a ratio less than 2.
We calculate the quantum corrections to the Newtonian potential induced by a massless, nonminimally coupled scalar field on Minkowski background. We make use of the graviton vacuum polarization calculated in our previous work and solve the equation of motion non-perturbatively. When written as the quantum-corrected gauge invariant Bardeen potentials, our results show that quantum effects generically antiscreen the Newtonian singularity 1/r. This result supports the point of view that gravity on (super-)Planckian scales is an asymptotically safe theory. In addition, we show that, in the presence of quantum fluctuations of a massless, (non)minimally coupled scalar field, dynamical gravitons propagate superluminally. The effect is, however, unbservably small and it is hence of academic interest only.
The thermal relaxation time ($\tau_{\kappa_{ee}}$) for the degenerate electron plasma has been calculated by incorporating non-Fermi liquid (NFL) corrections both for the thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity. Perturbative results are presented by making expansion in $T/m_D$ with next to leading order corrections. It is seen that unlike the normal Fermi liquid (FL) result where $\tau_{\kappa_{ee}}\propto 1/T^2$, NFL corrections in leading order (LO) changes the temperature dependence of $\tau_{\kappa_{ee}}$ to 1/T. Incorporation of the phase space correction driven by the medium modified Fermion dispersion relation increases the relaxation time further.
Reactor neutrino experiments have now observed a nonzero value for $\theta_{13}$ at $5\sigma$, and global fits to data imply a nonzero value above $10\sigma$. Nonzero values for $\theta_{13}$ and/or $\theta_{32}-\pi/4$ break a $\nu_\mu-\nu_\tau$ symmetry, which has qualitative as well as quantitative implications for the time-evolution of neutrino flavors. In particular, the large-distance flavor evolution matrix, non-invertible with $\nu_\mu-\nu_\tau$ symmetry, is now invertible. This means that measurements of neutrino flavor ratios at Earth can now be inverted to directly reveal the flavor ratios injected at cosmically distant sources. With the updated values of the three neutrino mixing angles, we obtain the inverted large-distance evolution matrix and use it to derive several phenomenological relations between the injection flavor ratios and the observable ratios at Earth. Taking the three popular injection models as examples, we also exhibit the shift of Earthly observed flavor ratios from the corresponding values in the case with $\nu_\mu-\nu_\tau$ symmetry.
The search for cosmic antideuterons has been proposed as a promising method to indirectly detect dark matter, due to the very small background flux from spallations expected at the energies relevant to experiments. The antideuteron flux from dark matter annihilations or decays is, however, severely constrained by the non-observation of an excess in the antiproton-to-proton fraction measured by PAMELA. In this paper we calculate, for representative dark matter annihilation and decay channels, upper limits on the number of antideuteron events at AMS-02 and GAPS from requiring that the associated antiproton flux is in agreement with the PAMELA data. To this end, we first analyze in detail the formation of antideuterons in the coalescence model using an event-by-event montecarlo simulation and using data from various high energy experiments. We find that the resulting coalescence momentum shows a dependence on the underlying process and on the center of mass energy involved. Then, we calculate, using a diffusion model, the flux of antideuterons at the Earth from dark matter annihilations or decays. Our results indicate that, despite the various sources of uncertainty, the observation of an antideuteron flux at AMS-02 or GAPS from dark matter annihilations or decays will be challenging.
Can we learn about New Physics with astronomical and astro-particle data? Understanding how this is possible is key to unraveling one of the most pressing mysteries at the interface of cosmology and particle physics: the fundamental nature of dark matter. I will discuss some of the recent puzzling findings in cosmic-ray electron-positron data and in gamma-ray observations that might be related to dark matter. I will argue that recent cosmic-ray data, most notably from the Pamela and Fermi satellites, indicate that previously unaccounted-for powerful sources in the Galaxy inject high-energy electrons and positrons. Interestingly, this new source class might be related to new fundamental particle physics, and specifically to pair-annihilation or decay of galactic dark matter. This exciting scenario is directly constrained by Fermi gamma-ray observations, which also inform us on astrophysical source counterparts that could also be responsible for the high-energy electron-positron excess. Observations of gamma-ray emission from the central regions of the Galaxy as well as claims on a gamma-ray line at around 130 GeV also recently triggered a wide-spread interest: I will address the question of whether we are really observing signals from dark matter annihilation, how to test this hypothesis, and which astrophysical mechanisms constitute the relevant background.
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We present HST/WFC3 narrowband imaging of the H-alpha emission in a sample of eight gravitationally-lensed galaxies at z = 1 - 1.5. The magnification caused by the foreground clusters enables us to obtain a median source plane spatial resolution of 360pc, as well as providing magnifications in flux ranging from ~10x to ~50x. This enables us to identify resolved star-forming HII regions at this epoch and therefore study their H-alpha luminosity distributions for comparisons with equivalent samples at z ~ 2 and in the local Universe. We find evolution in the both luminosity and surface brightness of HII regions with redshift. The distribution of clump properties can be quantified with an HII region luminosity function, which can be fit by a power law with an exponential break at some cut-off, and we find that the cut-off evolves with redshift. We therefore conclude that `clumpy' galaxies are seen at high redshift because of the evolution of the cut-off mass; the galaxies themselves follow similar scaling relations to those at z = 0, but their HII regions are larger and brighter and thus appear as clumps which dominate the morphology of the galaxy. A simple theoretical argument based on gas collapsing on scales of the Jeans mass in a marginally unstable disk shows that the clumpy morphologies of high-z galaxies are driven by the competing effects of higher gas fractions causing perturbations on larger scales, partially compensated by higher epicyclic frequencies which stabilise the disk.
We have used the Swedish ESO Submillimetre Telescope (SEST) to search for new class II methanol maser transitions towards the southern source G345.01+1.79. Over a period of 5 days we observed 11 known or predicted class II methanol maser transitions. Emission with the narrow line width and characteristic velocity of class II methanol masers (in this source) was detected in 8 of these transitions, two of which have not previously been reported as masers. The new class II methanol maser transitions are the 13(-3)-12(-4)E transition at 104.1 GHz and the 5(1)-4(2)E transition at 216.9 GHz. Both of these are from transition series for which there are no previous known class II methanol maser transitions. This takes the total number of known class II methanol maser series to 10, and the total number of transitions (or transition groups) to 18. The observed 104.1 GHz maser suggests the presence of two or more regions of masing gas with similar line of sight velocities, but quite different physical conditions. Although these newly discovered transitions are likely to be relatively rare, where they are observed combined studies using the Australia Telescope Compact Array and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array offer the prospect to be able to undertake multi-transition methanol maser studies with unprecedented detail.
We present a review of the current state of the art of cosmological dark matter simulations, with particular emphasis on the implications for dark matter detection efforts and studies of dark energy. This review is intended both for particle physicists, who may find the cosmological simulation literature opaque or confusing, and for astro-physicists, who may not be familiar with the role of simulations for observational and experimental probes of dark matter and dark energy. Truly massive dark matter-only simulations are being conducted on national supercomputing centers, employing from several billion to over half a trillion particles to simulate the formation and evolution of cosmologically representative volumes (cosmic scale) or to zoom in on individual halos (cluster and galactic scale). These simulations cost millions of core-hours, require tens to hundreds of terabytes of memory, and use up to petabytes of disk storage. The field is quite internationally diverse, with top simulations having been run in China, France, Germany, Korea, Spain, and the USA. Predictions from such simulations touch on almost every aspect of dark matter and dark energy studies, and we give a comprehensive overview of this connection. We also discuss the limitations of the cold and collisionless DM-only approach, and describe in some detail efforts to include different particle physics as well as baryonic physics in cosmological galaxy formation simulations, including a discussion of recent results highlighting how the distribution of dark matter in halos may be altered. We end with an outlook for the next decade, presenting our view of how the field can be expected to progress. (abridged)
Comparison of linewidths of spectral line profiles of ions and neutral molecules have been recently used to estimate the strength of the magnetic field in turbulent star-forming regions. However, the ion (HCO+) and neutral (HCN) species used in such studies may not be necessarily co-evolving at every scale and density and may thus not trace the same regions. Here, we use coupled chemical/dynamical models of evolving prestellar molecular cloud cores including non-equilibrium chemistry, with and without magnetic fields, to study the spatial distribution of HCO+ and HCN, which have been used in observations of spectral linewidth differences to date. In addition, we seek new ion-neutral pairs that are good candidates for such observations because they have similar evolution and are approximately co-spatial in our models. We identify three such good candidate pairs: HCO+/NO, HCO+/CO, and NO+/NO.
We propose a possibility of ultra-relativistic electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational waves from binary neutron star mergers at any viewing angle. Mechanisms include the merger-shock propagation accelerating a smaller fraction of the neutron star surface to larger Lorentz factor, with the outer parts carrying less energy, ~10^{47} \Gamma^{-1} erg. This mechanism is difficult to resolve by current 3D numerical simulations, and depends on the neutron star equation of state. The outflows emit synchrotron flares for seconds to days by shocking the surrounding medium. Ultra-relativistic flares shine at early times and high energies, potentially detectable by current X-ray to radio instruments, such as Swift XRT and Pan-STARRS, and even in low ambient density ~10^{-2} cm^{-3} by EVLA. The flares probe the merger position and time, and the merger types as black hole-neutron star outflows would be non/mildly-relativistic.
AGN jets carry more than sufficient energy to stave off catastrophic cooling of the intracluster medium (ICM) in the cores of cool-core clusters. However, in order to prevent catastrophic cooling, the ICM must be heated in a near-isotropic fashion and narrow bipolar jets are inefficient at heating the gas in the transverse direction to the jets. We argue that due to existent conditions in cluster cores, the SMBHs will, in addition to accreting gas via radiatively inefficient flows, experience short stochastic episodes of enhanced accretion via thin discs. In general, the orientation of these accretion discs will be misaligned with the spin axis of the black holes and the ensuing torques will cause the black hole's spin axis (and therefore, the jet axis) to slew and rapidly change direction. This model not only explains recent observations showing successive generations of jet-lobes-bubbles in individual cool-core clusters that are offset from each other in the angular direction with respect to the cluster center, but also shows that AGN jets {\it can} heat the cluster core nearly isotropically on the gas cooling timescale. One implication of our proposed model is that since SMBHs that host thin accretion discs will manifest as quasars, we predicts that roughly 1--2 rich clusters within $z<0.5$ should have quasars at their centers. Also, recurrent accretion via misaligned accretion discs implies that as a population, the SMBHs at the centers of cool-core clusters should be spinning slowly. Our model, in fact, requires SMBHs to be spinning slowly. Torques from misaligned discs are ineffective at tilting rapidly spinning black holes by more a few degrees whereas slowly spinning SMBHs can, under optimal conditions, slew by as much as $\sim 30^\circ$ during any one accretion event.
Recent studies have identified several young stellar objects (YSOs) which exhibit significant mid-infrared (mid-IR) variability. A wide range of physical mechanisms may be responsible for these variations, including changes in a YSO's accretion rate or in the extinction or emission from the inner disk. We have obtained and analyzed multi-epoch near-infrared (NIR) spectra for five actively accreting YSOs in the $\rho$ Oph star-forming region along with contemporaneous mid-IR light curves obtained as part of the YSOVAR Spitzer/IRAC survey. Four of the five YSOs exhibit mid-IR light curves with modest ($\sim 0.2$--0.4 mag) but statistically significant variations over our 40-day observation window. Measuring the strengths of prominent photospheric absorption lines and accretion sensitive \ion{H}{1} and \ion{He}{1} lines in each NIR spectrum, we derive estimates of each YSO's spectral type, effective temperature ({\Teff}), and $H$ band extinction ($A_H$), and analyze the time evolution of their NIR veiling ($r_H$ and $r_K$) and mass accretion rates ({\Macc}). Defining a YSO's evolutionary stage such that heavily veiled, high accretion rate objects are less evolved than those with lower levels of veiling and ongoing accretion, we infer that GY 314 is the most evolved YSO in our sample, with GY 308 and GY 292 at progressively earlier evolutionary stages. Leveraging our multi-epoch, multi-wavelength dataset, we detect significant variations in mass accretion rates over timescales of days to weeks, but find that extinction levels in these YSOs remain relatively constant. We find no correlation between these YSO mid-IR light curves and time-resolved veiling or mass accretion rates, such that we are unable to link their mid-IR variability with physical processes localized near the inner edge of the circumstellar disk or within regions which are directly responsive to mass accretion...
During cosmic reionization, the 21-cm brightness fluctuations were highly non-Gaussian, and complementary statistics can be extracted from the distribution of pixel brightness temperatures that are not derivable from the 21-cm power spectrum. One such statistic is the 21-cm difference PDF, the probability distribution function of the difference in the 21-cm brightness temperatures between two points, as a function of the distance between the points. Guided by 21-cm difference PDFs extracted from simulations, we perform a maximum likelihood analysis on mock observational data, and analyze the ability of present and future low-frequency radio array experiments to estimate the shape of the 21-cm difference PDF, and measure the history of cosmic reionization. We find that one-year data with an experiment such as the Murchison Wide-field Array should suffice for probing large scales during the mid-to-late stages of reionization, while a second-generation experiment should yield detailed measurements over a wide range of scales during most of the reionization era.
While, to ensure successful cosmology, dark matter (DM) must kinematically decouple from the standard model plasma very early in the history of the Universe, it can remain coupled to a bath of "dark radiation" until a relatively late epoch. One minimal theory that realizes such a scenario is the Atomic Dark Matter model, in which two fermions oppositely charged under a new U(1) dark force are initially coupled to a thermal bath of "dark photons" but eventually recombine into neutral atom-like bound states and begin forming gravitationally-bound structures. Delayed kinetic decoupling in this scenario predicts novel DM properties on small scales but retains the success of cold DM on larger scales. We calculate the atomic physics necessary to capture the thermal history of this dark sector and show significant improvements over the standard atomic hydrogen calculation are needed. We solve the Boltzmann equations that govern the evolution of cosmological fluctuations in this model and find in detail the impact of the atomic DM scenario on the matter power spectrum and the cosmic microwave background (CMB). This scenario imprints a new length scale, the Dark-Acoustic-Oscillation (DAO) scale, on the matter density field. This DAO scale shapes the small-scale matter power spectrum and determines the minimal DM halo mass at late times which may be many orders of magnitude larger than in a typical WIMP scenario. This model necessarily includes an extra dark radiation component, which may be favoured by current CMB experiments, and we quantify CMB signatures that distinguish an atomic DM scenario from a standard \Lambda CDM model containing extra free-streaming particles. We finally discuss the impacts of atomic DM on galactic dynamics and show that these provide the strongest constraints on the model.
Gaia is an ambitious ESA space mission which will provide photometric and astrometric measurements with the accuracies needed to produce a kinematic census of almost one billion stars in our Galaxy. These data will revolutionize our understanding of the dynamics of the Milky Way, and our knowledge of its detailed gravitational potential and mass distribution, including the putative dark matter component and the non-axisymmetric features such as spiral arms. The Gaia mission will help to answer various currently unsettled questions by using kinematic information on both disk and halo stellar populations. Among many others: what does the rotation curve of the outer Galaxy look like? How far from axisymmetry and equilibrium is the Galaxy? What are the respective roles of hierarchical formation and secular evolution in shaping the Galaxy and its various components? Are the properties of the Galaxy in accordance with expectations from the standard model of cosmology?
High-resolution CTIO 4-m/HYDRA spectroscopy of the super-metal-rich open cluster NGC 6253 ([Fe/H]=+0.43+/-0.01) has been used to study the stellar lithium (Li) abundances near the cluster's turnoff. NGC 6253 greatly expands the range of [Fe/H] for clusters that have a Li abundance analysis. This is important for studying the complicated effects of, and potential correlations with, stellar Fe abundance on surface Li abundance. Comparisons to the younger and less-metal-rich Hyades and to the similarly-aged but solar-metallicity M67 show that NGC 6253's Li abundances are qualitatively consistent with the prediction, from Standard Stellar Evolution Theory, that higher-metallicity stars have a greater Li depletion. Comparison with M67 provides evidence that the more-metal-rich NGC 6253 had a higher initial Li, which is consistent with expectations from models of Galactic Li production. NGC 6253 is also compared to the intermediate-aged NGC 3680, NGC 752, and IC 4651 open clusters. Comparison of the Li-gap positions in all six clusters shows: a) the gap's position in Teff is independent of metallicity, but b) higher-metallicity clusters have their gaps in higher-mass stars. In addition, the Li gap's position is shown not to evolve with age, which provides an important constraint for the non-standard depletion mechanisms that may create the Li gap.
Aims. We studied the characteristics of planetary nebulae (PNe) that show both OH maser and radio continuum emission (hereafter OHPNe). These have been proposed to be very young PNe, and therefore, they could be key objects for understanding the formation and evolution of PNe. Methods. We consulted the literature searching for interferometric observations of radio continuum and OH masers toward evolved stars, including the information from several surveys. We also processed radio continuum and OH maser observations toward PNe in the Very Large Array data archive. The high positional accuracy provided by interferometric observations allow us to confirm or reject the association between OH maser and radio continuum emission. Results. We found a total of six PNe that present both OH maser and radio continuum emissions, as confirmed with radio interferometric observations. These are bona fide OHPNe. The confirmed OHPNe present a bipolar morphology in resolved images of their ionized emission at different wavelengths, suggesting that the OH maser emission in PNe is related to nonspherical mass-loss phenomena. The OH maser spectra in PNe present a clear asymmetry, tending to show blueshifted emission with respect to the systemic velocity. Their infrared colors suggest that most of these objects are very young PNe. OHPNe do not form a homogeneous group, and seem to represent a variety of different evolutionary stages. We suggest that OH masers pumped in the AGB phase may disappear during the post-AGB phase, but reappear once the source becomes a PN and its radio continuum emission is amplified by the OH molecules. Therefore, OH maser emission could last significantly longer than the previously assumed 1000 yr after the end of the AGB phase. This maser lifetime may be longer in PNe with more massive central stars, which ionize a larger amount of gas in the envelope.
We present a study of the B and Be star populations of the Double Cluster h and chi Persei. Blue optical spectroscopy is used to first measure projected rotational velocity, V sin i, effective surface temperature, T_eff, and surface gravity, log g, for B-type sample stars, while available Stromgren photometry is used to calculate T_eff and log g for the Be stars showing emission. In our sample of 104 objects for which we measured these stellar parameters, 28 are known or proposed Be stars. Of these Be stars, 22 show evidence of emission at the times of our observations, and furthermore, we find evidence in our data and the literature for at least 8 transient Be stars in the clusters. We find that the Be stars are not rotating near their critical velocity, contrary to the results of studies of similar open clusters. We compare the results of our analysis with other previous studies, and find that the cluster members are more evolved than found by Huang & Gies but still retain much of their initial rotational angular momentum.
Context. Time-dependent, 3D radiation transfer calculations are important for the modeling of a variety of objects, from supernovae and novae to simulations of stellar variability and activity. Furthermore, time-dependent calculations can be used to obtain a 3D radiative equilibrium model structure via relaxation in time. Aims. We extend our 3D radiative transfer framework to include direct time dependence of the radiation field; i.e., the $\partial I/ \partial t$ terms are fully considered in the solution of radiative transfer problems. Methods. We build on the framework that we have described in previous papers in this series and develop a subvoxel method for the $\partial I/\partial t$ terms. Results. We test the implementation by comparing the 3D results to our well tested 1D time dependent radiative transfer code in spherical symmetry. A simple 3D test model is also presented. Conclusions. The 3D time dependent radiative transfer method is now included in our 3D RT framework and in PHOENIX/3D.
We present preliminary diameters and albedos for 13511 MBAs that were observed during the 3-Band Cryo phase of the WISE survey (after the outer cryogen tank was exhausted) and as part of the NEOWISE Post-Cryo Survey (after the inner cryogen tank was exhausted). With a reduced or complete loss of sensitivity in the two long wavelength channels of WISE, the uncertainty in our fitted diameters and albedos is increased to ~20% for diameter and ~40% for albedo. Diameter fits using only the 3.4 and 4.6 um channels are shown to be dependent on the literature optical H absolute magnitudes. These data allow us to increase the number of size estimates for large MBAs which have been identified as members of dynamical families. We present thermal fits for 14 asteroids previously identified as the parents of a dynamical family that were not observed during the fully cryogenic mission.
Recent targeted studies of associated HI absorption in radio galaxies are starting to map out the location, and potential cosmological evolution, of the cold gas in the host galaxies of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). The observed 21 cm absorption profiles often show two distinct spectral-line components: narrow, deep lines arising from cold gas in the extended disc of the galaxy, and broad, shallow lines from cold gas close to the AGN (e.g. Morganti et al. 2011). Here, we present results from a targeted search for associated HI absorption in the youngest and most recently-triggered radio AGN in the local universe (Allison et al. 2012b). So far, by using the recently commissioned Australia Telescope Compact Array Broadband Backend (CABB; Wilson et al. 2011), we have detected two new absorbers and one previously-known system. While two of these show both a broad, shallow component and a narrow, deep component (see Fig. 1), one of the new detections has only a single broad, shallow component. Interestingly, the host galaxies of the first two detections are classified as gas-rich spirals, while the latter is an early-type galaxy. These detections were obtained using a spectral-line finding method, based on Bayesian inference, developed for future large-scale absorption surveys (Allison et al. 2012a).
A sequence of apparently coupled eruptions was observed on 2010 August 1-2 by
SDO and STEREO. The eruptions were closely synchronized with one another, even
though some of them occurred at widely separated locations. In an attempt to
identify a plausible reason for such synchronization, we study the large-scale
structure of the background magnetic configuration. The coronal field was
computed from the photospheric magnetic field observed at the appropriate time
period by using the potential field source-surface model.
We investigate the resulting field structure by analyzing the so-called
squashing factor calculated at the photospheric and source-surface boundaries,
as well as at different coronal cross-sections. Using this information as a
guide, we determine the underlying structural skeleton of the configuration,
including separatrix and quasi-separatrix surfaces. Our analysis reveals, in
particular, several pseudo-streamers in the regions where the eruptions
occurred. Of special interest to us are the magnetic null points and separators
associated with the pseudo-streamers. We propose that magnetic reconnection
triggered along these separators by the first eruption likely played a key role
in establishing the assumed link between the sequential eruptions. The present
work substantiates our recent simplified magnetohydrodynamic model of
sympathetic eruptions and provides a guide for further deeper study of these
phenomena. Several important implications of our results for the S-web model of
the slow solar wind are also addressed.
We present high-quality, medium resolution X-shooter/VLT spectra in the range 300-2500 nm for a sample of 12 very low-mass stars in the \sigma Orionis cluster. The sample includes stars with masses ranging from 0.08 to 0.3 M$_\odot$. The aim of this first paper is to investigate the reliability of the many accretion tracers currently used to measure the mass accretion rate in low-mass, young stars. We use our spectra to measure the accretion luminosity from the continuum excess emission in the UV and visual; the derived mass accretion rates range from 10$^{-9}$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$ down to 5$\times10^{-11}$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$, allowing us to investigate the behavior of the accretion-driven emission lines in very-low mass accretion rate regimes. We compute the luminosity of ten accretion-driven emission lines, from the UV to the near-IR, obtained simultaneously. Most of the secondary tracers correlate well with the accretion luminosity derived from the continuum excess emission. We confirm the validity of the correlations between accretion luminosities and line luminosities given in the literature, with the possible exception of H\alpha. When looking at individual objects, we find that the Hydrogen recombination lines, from the UV to the near-IR, give good and consistent measurements of accretion luminosities, often in better agreement than the uncertainties introduced by the adopted correlations. The average accretion luminosity derived from several Hydrogen lines, measured simultaneously, have a much reduced error. This suggests that some of the spread in the literature correlations may be due to the use of non-simultaneous observations of lines and continuum. Three stars in our sample deviate from this behavior, and we discuss them individually.
Image subtraction in astronomy is a tool for transient object discovery such as asteroids, extra-solar planets and supernovae. To match point spread functions (PSFs) between images of the same field taken at different times a convolution technique is used. Particularly suitable for large-scale images is a computationally intensive spatially-varying kernel. The underlying algorithm is inherently massively parallel due to unique kernel generation at every pixel location. The spatially-varying kernel cannot be efficiently computed through the Convolution Theorem, and thus does not lend itself to acceleration by Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). This work presents results of accelerated implementation of the spatially-varying kernel image convolution in multi-cores with OpenMP and graphic processing units (GPUs). Typical speedups over ANSI-C were a factor of 50 and a factor of 1000 over the initial IDL implementation, demonstrating that the techniques are a practical and high impact path to terabyte-per-night image pipelines and petascale processing.
We report on the detection of sporadic, strong single pulses co-existing with a periodic weak emission in the duration of weak mode of PSR B0826-34. The intensities and durations of these pulses are comparable with that of the sub-pulses in the strong mode, and these pulses are distributed within the phase ranges of the main-pulse and interpulse of the strong-mode average profile. These results suggest that there are most possibly sporadic, very short timescale turn-on of strong-mode emission during the weak-mode state of the pulsar. The emission features of the bursts of strong pulses of PSR B0826-34 during its weak-mode state are similar to those of the rotating radio transients (RRATs). PSR B0826-34 is the second pulsar known which oscillates between pulsar-like and RRAT-like modes.
The nearby young stellar association Epsilon Cha association has an estimated age of 3-5 Myr, making it an ideal laboratory to study the disk dissipation process and provide empirical constraints on the timescale of planet formation. We combine the available literature data with our Spitzer IRS spectroscopy and VLT/VISIR imaging data. The very low mass stars USNO-B120144.7 and 2MASS J12005517 show globally depleted spectral energy distributions pointing at strong dust settling. 2MASS J12014343 may have a disk with a very specific inclination where the central star is effectively screened by the cold outer parts of a flared disk but the 10 micron radiation of the warm inner disk can still reach us. We find the disks in sparse stellar associations are dissipated more slowly than those in denser (cluster) environments. We detect C_{2}H_{2} rovibrational band around 13.7 micron on the IRS spectrum of USNO-B120144.7. We find strong signatures of grain growth and crystallization in all Epsilon Cha members with 10 micron features detected in their IRS spectra. We combine the dust properties derived in the Epsilon Cha sample with those found using identical or similar methods in the MBM 12, Coronet cluster, Eta Cha associations, and in the cores to disks (c2d) legacy program. We find that disks around low-mass young stars show a negative radial gradient in the mass-averaged grain size and mass fraction of crystalline silicates. A positive correlation exists between the mass-averaged grain sizes of amorphous silicates and the accretion rates if the latter is above ~10^{-9} Msun/yr, possibly indicating that those disks are sufficiently turbulent to prevent grains of several microns in size to sink into the disk interior.
We investigate the effects of primordial non-Gaussianities in the primordial Universe on the baryonic structure formation process. By relating the cosmic star formation rate in Gaussian and non-Gaussian scenarios to the detectability of high-redshift sources of reionization, we derive the expected Gamma-Ray Burst rate in the different models. We find that counts of high-redshift Gamma-Ray Bursts can be used as cosmological probes of non-Gaussianities and that they are suitable candidates to distinguish non-Gaussian effects at early epochs.
A large number of high-redshift galaxies have been discovered through narrow-band Lya line or broad-band continuum in recent years. The escaping process of photons from these early galaxies is crucial to understanding galaxy evolution and the cosmic reionization. Here, we investigate the escape of Lya, non-ionizing UV-continuum (l = 1300 - 1600 angs in rest frame), and ionizing photons (l < 912 angs) from galaxies by combining cosmological hydrodynamic simulations with three-dimensional multi-wavelength radiative transfer calculations. We find that the escape fraction (fesc) of these different photons shows a complex dependance on redshift and galaxy properties: fesc(Lya) and fesc(UV) appear to evolve with redshift, and they show similar, weak correlations with galaxy properties such as mass, star formation, metallicity, and dust content, while fesc(Ion) remains roughly constant at ~ 0.2 from z ~ 0 - 10, and it does not show clear dependence on the properties of the galaxy. The fesc(Lya) correlates more strongly with fesc(UV) than with fesc(Ion). In addition, we estimate the ionizing photon emissivity of Lyman Alpha Emitters (LAEs) and their contribution to the ionization of intergalactic medium (IGM), by combining our simulations with the observed luminosity functions of LAEs at different redshift. Our result suggests that ionizing photons from LAEs alone are not sufficient to ionize IGM at z > 6, but they can maintain the ionization of IGM at z ~ 0 - 5.
The coronal magnetic field cannot be directly observed, but in principle it can be reconstructed from the comparatively well observed photospheric magnetic field. A popular approach uses a nonlinear force-free model. Non-magnetic forces at the photosphere are significant meaning the photospheric data are inconsistent with the force-free model, and this causes problems with the modeling (De Rosa et al., Astrophys. J. 696, 1780, 2009). In this paper we present a numerical implementation of the Grad-Rubin method for reconstructing the coronal magnetic field using a magnetostatic model. This model includes a pressure force and a non-zero magnetic Lorentz force. We demonstrate our implementation on a simple analytic test case and obtain the speed and numerical error scaling as a function of the grid size.
An accurate estimation of the star formation-related properties of galaxies is crucial for understanding the evolution of galaxies. In galaxies, ultraviolet (UV) light emitted by recently formed massive stars is attenuated by dust, which is also produced by star formation (SF) activity, and is reemitted at mid- and far- infrared (IR) wavelengths. In this study, we investigate the star formation rate (SFR) and dust extinction using UV and IR data. We selected local galaxies which are detected at AKARI FIS 90 um and matched the IRAS IIFSCz 60 um select catalog. We measured FUV and NUV flux densities from GALEX images. We examined the SF and extinction of Local galaxies using four bands of AKARI. Then, we calculated FUV and total IR luminosities, and obtained the SF luminosity, L_{SF}, the total luminosity related to star formation activity, and the SFR. We find that in most galaxies, L_{SF} is dominated by L_{dust}. We also find that galaxies with higher SF activity have a higher fraction of their SF hidden by dust. In fact, the SF of galaxies with SFRs >20 M_{sun}/yr is almost completely hidden by dust. Our results boast a significantly higher precision with respect to previously published works, due to the use of much larger object samples from the AKARI and GALEX all sky surveys.
IceCube is the first representative of the km^3 class of neutrino telescopes and currently the most sensitive detector to high-energy neutrinos. Its main mission is to search for Galactic and extragalactic sources of high-energy neutrinos, but it is also an excellent detector for the investigation of a variety of other highly topical astrophysics and particle physics topics like supernovae, dark matter and neutrino oscillations. After an introduction to neutrino astronomy and neutrino telescopes, this article presents a selection of latest results from the IceCube neutrino detector with respect to searches for cosmic high-energy neutrino sources.
The formation of massive stars exceeding 10 solar masses usually results in large-scale molecular outflows. Numerical simulations, including ionization, of the formation of such stars show evidence for ionization-driven molecular outflows. We here examine whether the outflows seen in these models reproduce the observations. We compute synthetic ALMA and CARMA maps of CO emission lines of the outflows, and compare their signatures to existing single-dish and interferometric data. We find that the ionization-driven models can only reproduce weak outflows around high-mass star-forming regions. We argue that expanding H II regions probably do not represent the dominant mechanism for driving observed outflows. We suggest instead that observed outflows are driven by the collective action of the outflows from the many lower-mass stars that inevitably form around young massive stars in a cluster.
Stars form by the gravitational collapse of interstellar gas. The
thermodynamic response of the gas can be characterized by an effective equation
of state. It determines how gas heats up or cools as it gets compressed, and
hence plays a key role in regulating the process of stellar birth on virtually
all scales, ranging from individual star clusters up to the galaxy as a whole.
We present a systematic study of the impact of thermodynamics on gravitational
collapse in the context of high-redshift star formation, but argue that our
findings are also relevant for present-day star formation in molecular clouds.
We consider a polytropic equation of state, P = k rho^Gamma, with both
sub-isothermal exponents Gamma < 1 and super-isothermal exponents Gamma > 1. We
find significant differences between these two cases. For Gamma > 1, pressure
gradients slow down the contraction and lead to the formation of a virialized,
turbulent core. Weak magnetic fields are strongly tangled and efficiently
amplified via the small-scale turbulent dynamo on timescales corresponding to
the eddy-turnover time at the viscous scale. For Gamma < 1, on the other hand,
pressure support is not sufficient for the formation of such a core.
Gravitational contraction proceeds much more rapidly and the flow develops very
strong shocks, creating a network of intersecting sheets and extended
filaments. The resulting magnetic field lines are very coherent and exhibit a
considerable degree of order. Nevertheless, even under these conditions we
still find exponential growth of the magnetic energy density in the kinematic
regime.
We present more than three years of observations at different frequencies, from radio to high-energy gamma-rays, of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) Galaxy PMN J0948+0022 (z=0.585). This source is the first NLS1 detected at energies above 100 MeV and therefore can be considered the prototype of this emerging new class of gamma-ray emitting active galactic nuclei (AGN). The observations performed from 2008 August 1 to 2011 December 31 confirmed that PMN J0948+0022 generates a powerful relativistic jet, able to develop an isotropic luminosity at gamma-rays of the order of 10^48 erg s^-1, at the level of powerful quasars. The evolution of the radiation emission of this source in 2009 and 2010 followed the canonical expectations of relativistic jets, with correlated multiwavelength variability (gamma-rays followed by radio emission after a few months), but it was difficult to retrieve a similar pattern in the light curves of 2011. The comparison of gamma-ray spectra before and including 2011 data suggested that there was a softening of the high-energy spectral slope. We selected five specific epochs to be studied by modelling the broad-band spectrum, characterised by an outburst at gamma-rays or very low/high flux at other wavelengths. The observed variability can largely be explained either by changes in the injected power, the bulk Lorentz factor of the jet or the electron spectrum. The characteristic time scale of doubling/halving flux ranges from a few days to a few months, depending on the frequency and the sampling rate. The shortest doubling time scale at gamma-rays is 2.3+-0.5 days. These small values underline the need of highly-sampled multiwavelength campaigns to better understand the physics of these sources.
We report on Chandra observations of the black widow pulsar, PSR B1957+20. Evidence for a binary-phase dependence of the X-ray emission from the pulsar is found with a deep observation. The binary-phase resolved spectral analysis reveals non-thermal X-ray emission of PSR B1957+20, confirming the results of previous studies. This suggests that the X-rays are mostly due to intra-binary shock emission which is strongest when the pulsar wind interacts with the ablated material from the companion star. The geometry of the peak emission is determined in our study. The marginal softening of the spectrum of the non-thermal X-ray tail may indicate that particles injected at the termination shock is dominated by synchrotron cooling.
We report on the Swift observations of the candidate supergiant fast X-ray transient (SFXT) IGR J16418-4532, which has an orbital period of ~3.7 d. Our monitoring, for a total of ~43 ks, spans over three orbits and represents the most intense and complete sampling along the orbital period of the light curve of this source. If one assumes a circular orbit, the X-ray emission from this source can be explained by accretion from a spherically symmetric clumpy wind from a blue supergiant, composed of clumps with different masses, ranging from ~5x10^16 g to 10^21g.
Core collapse supernovae are unique laboratories to study many aspects of neutrino physics. The vicinity of the proto-neutron star in a core-collapse supernova is characterized by large matter and neutrino densities. A salient feature of this region is the impact of neutrino-neutrino interactions. Properties of the ensuing non-linear many-neutrino system are examined with a particular emphasis on its collective behavior and its symmetries. The impact of neutrino properties and interactions on the r-process nucleosynthesis that may take place in the supernova environment is discussed.
We employ three-dimensional state of the art magnetohydrodynamic models of the early solar wind and heliosphere and a two-dimensional model for cosmic ray transport to investigate the cosmic ray spectrum and flux near the Archean Earth. We assess how sensitive the cosmic ray spectrum is to changes in the sunspot placement and magnetic field strength, the large scale dipole magnetic field strength, the wind ram pressure, and the Sun's rotation period. Overall, our results confirm earlier work that suggested the Archean Earth would have experienced a greatly reduced cosmic ray flux than is the case today. The cosmic ray reduction for the early Sun is mainly due to the shorter solar rotation period and tighter winding of the Parker spiral, and to the different surface distribution of the more active solar magnetic field. These effects lead to a global reduction of the cosmic ray flux at 1AU by up to two orders of magnitude or more. Variations in the sunspot magnetic field have more effect on the flux than variations in the dipole field component. The wind ram pressure affects the cosmic ray flux through its influence on the size of the heliosphere via the pressure balance with the ambient interstellar medium. Variations in the interstellar medium pressure experienced by the solar system in orbit through Galaxy could lead to order of magnitude changes in the cosmic ray flux at Earth on timescales of a few million years.
We present here observational evidence that the snowline plays a significant role in the formation and evolution of gas giant planets. When considering the population of observed exoplanets, we find a boundary in mass-semimajor axis space that suggests planets are preferentially found beyond the snowline prior to undergoing gap-opening inward migration and associated gas accretion. This is consistent with theoretical models suggesting that sudden changes in opacity -- as would occur at the snowline -- can influence core migration. Furthermore, population synthesis modelling suggests that this boundary implies that gas giant planets accrete ~ 70 % of the inward flowing gas, allowing ~ 30$ % through to the inner disc. This is qualitatively consistent with observations of transition discs suggesting the presence of inner holes, despite there being ongoing gas accretion.
The fate of massive stars up to 300 Msun is highly uncertain. Do these objects produce pair-instability explosions, or normal Type Ic supernovae? In order to address these questions, we need to know their mass-loss rates during their lives. Here we present mass-loss predictions for very massive stars (VMS) in the range of 60-300 Msun. We use a novel method that simultaneously predicts the wind terminal velocities (vinf) and mass-loss rate (dM/dt) as a function of the stellar parameters: (i) luminosity/mass Gamma, (ii) metallicity Z, and (iii) effective temperature Teff. Using our results, we evaluate the likely outcomes for the most massive stars.
We investigate the radial number density profile and the abundance distribution of faint satellites around central galaxies in the low redshift universe using the CFHT Legacy Survey. We consider three samples of central galaxies with magnitudes of M_r=-21, -22, and -23 selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) group catalog of Yang et al.. The satellite distribution around these central galaxies is obtained by cross-correlating these galaxies with the photometric catalogue of the CFHT Legacy Survey. The projected radial number density of the satellites obeys a power law form with the best-fit logarithmic slope of -1.05, independent of both the central galaxy luminosity and the satellite luminosity. The projected cross correlation function between central and satellite galaxies exhibits a non-monotonic trend with satellite luminosity. It is most pronounced for central galaxies with M_r=-21, where the decreasing trend of clustering amplitude with satellite luminosity is reversed when satellites are fainter than central galaxies by more than 2 magnitudes. A comparison with the satellite luminosity functions in the Milky Way and M31 shows that the Milky Way/M31 system has about twice as many satellites as around a typical central galaxy of similar luminosity. The implications for theoretical models are briefly discussed.
(shortened) The first couple of stellar generations may have been massive, of order 100 Msun, and to have played a dominant role in galaxy formation and the chemical enrichment of the early Universe. Some fraction of these objects may have died as pair-instability supernovae or gamma-ray bursts. The winds if these stars may have played an important role in determining these outcomes. As the winds are driven by radiation pressure on spectral lines, their strengths are expected to vary with metallicity. Until now, most mass-loss predictions for metal-poor O-type stars have assumed a scaled-down solar-abundance pattern. However, Population III evolutionary tracks show significant surface enrichment through rotational mixing of CNO-processed material, because even metal-poor stars switch to CNO-burning early on. We address the question of whether the CNO surface enhanced self-enrichment in the first few generations of stars could impact their mass-loss properties. For this, we employ Monte Carlo simulations to establish the local line-force and solve for the momentum equation of the stellar outflow, testing whether an outflow can actually be established by assessing the net acceleration at the sonic point of the flow. Stellar evolution models of rotating metal-poor stars are used to specify the surface chemical composition, focussing on the phases of early enrichment. We find that the mass-loss rates of CNO enhanced metal-poor stars are higher than those of non-enriched stars, but they are much lower than those rates where the CNO abundance is included in the total abundance Z. We present a heuristic formula that provides mass-loss estimates for CNO-dominated winds in relation to scaled-down solar abundances.
Linear spectropolarimetry is a powerful tool to probe circumstellar structures on spatial scales that cannot yet be achieved through direct imaging. In this review I discuss the role that emission-line polarimetry can play in constraining geometrical and physical properties of a wide range of circumstellar environments, varying from the accretion disks around pre-main sequence T Tauri and Herbig Ae/Be stars, to the issue of stellar wind clumping, and the aspherical outflows from the massive star progenitors of supernovae and long gamma-ray bursts at low metallicity.
This work attains a threefold objective: first, we derived the richness-mass scaling in the local Universe from data of 53 clusters with individual measurements of mass. We found a 0.46+-0.12 slope and a 0.25+-0.03 dex scatter measuring richness with a previously developed method. Second, we showed on a real sample of 250 0.06<z<0.9 clusters, most of which are at z<0.3, with spectroscopic redshift that the colour of the red sequence allows us to measure the clusters' redshift to better than Delta z=0.02. Third, we computed the predicted prior of the richness-mass scaling to forecast the capabilities of future wide-field-area surveys of galaxy clusters to constrain cosmological parameters. We computed the uncertainty and the covariance matrix of the (evolving) richness-mass scaling of a PanStarrs 1+Euclid-like survey accounting for a large suite of sources of errors. We find that the richness-mass scaling parameters, which are the input ingredients of cosmological forecasts using cluster counts, can be determined 10^5 times better than estimated in previous works that did not use weak-lensing mass estimates. The better knowledge of the scaling parameters likely has a strong impact on the relative importance of the different probes used to constrain cosmological parameters. Richness-mass scaling parameters were recovered, but only if the cluster mass function and the weak-lensing redshift-dependent selection function were accounted for in the fitting of the mass-richness scaling. This emphasizes the limitations of often adopted simplifying assumptions, such as having a mass-complete redshift-independent sample. The fitting code used for computing the predicted prior, including the treatment of the mass function and of the weak-lensing selection function, is provided in the appendix. [Abridged]
Utrecht has a long tradition in both spectroscopy and mass-loss studies. Here we present a novel methodology to calibrate mass-loss rates on purely spectroscopic grounds. We utilize this to predict the final fates of massive stars, involving pair-instability and long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) at low metallicity Z.
Some hot DA white dwarfs have circumstellar high ion absorption features in their spectra, in addition to those originating in the photosphere. In many cases, the line profiles of these absorbing components are unresolved. Given the importance of the atmospheric composition of white dwarfs to studies of stellar evolution, extra-solar planetary systems and the interstellar medium, we examine the effect of including circumstellar line profiles in the abundance estimates of photospheric metals in six DA stars. The photospheric C and Si abundances are reduced in five cases where the circumstellar contamination is strong, though the relative weakness of the circumstellar Si IV absorption introduces minimal contamination, resulting in a small change in abundance. The inability of previous, approximate models to reproduce the photospheric line profiles here demonstrates the need for a technique that accounts for the physical line profiles of both the circumstellar and photospheric lines when modelling these blended absorption features.
A nonlocal gravity model is considered which does not assume the existence of a new dimensional parameter in the action and includes a function $f(\Box^{-1} R)$, with $\Box$ the d'Alembertian operator. Using a reconstruction procedure for the local scalar-tensor formulation of this model, a function f is obtained for which the model exhibits power-law solutions with the Hubble parameter $H=n/t$, for any value of the constant n. For generic n - namely except for a few special values which are characterized and also specifically studied - the corresponding function f is a sum of exponential functions. Corresponding power-law solutions are found explicitly. Also the case is solved in all detail of a function f such that the model contains both de Sitter and power-law solutions.
Studying the frequency and temperature evolution of a compact star can give us valuable information about the microscopic properties of the matter inside the star. In this paper we study the effect of dissipative reheating of a neutron star due to r-mode oscillations on its temperature evolution. We find that there is still an impact of an r-mode phase on the temperature long after the star has left the instability region and the r-mode is damped completely. With accurate temperature measurements it may be possible to detect this trace of a previous r-mode phase in observed pulsars.
For solar activity cycles 20 and 21 (1966-1985) the solar differential rotation has been investigated using H{\alpha} filaments and relatively small-scale long-lived magnetic features with negative and positive polarities. We used annual averaged angular velocities of quiescent H{\alpha} filaments from H{\alpha} photoheliograms of the Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory film collection and selected long-lived magnetic features from the McIntosh atlas (McIntosh, Willock, and Thompson, Atlas of Stackplots, NGDC, 1991). We have determined coefficients of Faye's formulas for H{\alpha} filaments as well as for long-lived magnetic features and have found that for solar cycles 20 and 21 the H{\alpha} filaments have lower rotation rates and rotated more differentially than the long-lived magnetic features.
We review the basic features of particle acceleration theory around collisionless shocks in supernova remnants (SNRs). We show how non linear effects induced by the back reaction of accelerated particles onto the shock dynamics are of paramount importance to support the hipotesys that SNRs are the factories of Galactic cosmic rays. Recent developments in the modeling of the mechanism of diffusive shock acceleration are discussed, with emphasis on the role of magnetic field amplification and the presence of neutrals in the circumstellar environment. Special attention will be devoted to observational consequences of non linear effects on the multi-wavelength spectrum of SNRs, with emphasis on X-ray and gamma-ray emission. Finally we also discuss how Balmer lines, detected from several young SNRs, can be used to estimate the shock dynamical properties and the efficiency of CR acceleration.
The Andromedid meteor shower underwent spectacular outbursts in 1872 and
1885, producing thousands of visual meteors per hour and described as `stars
fell like rain' in Chinese records of the time. The shower originates from
comet 3D/Biela whose disintegration in the mid-1800's is linked to the
outbursts, but the shower has been weak or absent since the late 19th Century.
This shower returned in December 2011 with a zenithal hourly rate of
approximately 50, the strongest return in over a hundred years. Some 122
probable Andromedid orbits were detected by the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar.
The shower outburst occurred during 2011 Dec 3-5. The radiant at RA
+$18\degree$ and Dec +$56\degree$ is typical of the `classical' Andromedids of
the early 1800's, whose radiant was actually in Cassiopeia. The orbital
elements indicate that the material involved was released before 3D/Biela's
breakup prior to 1846. The observed shower in 2011 had a slow geocentric speed
(16 km s$^{-1}$) and was comprised of small particles: the mean measured mass
from the radar is $\sim5 \times 10^{-7}$ kg corresponding to radii of 0.5 mm at
a bulk density of 1000 kg/m$^3$.
Numerical simulations of the parent comet indicate that the meteoroids of the
2011 return of the Andromedids shower were primarily ejected during 3D/Biela's
1649 perihelion passage. The orbital characteristics, radiant, timing as well
as the absence of large particles in the streamlet are all consistent with
simulations. Predictions are made regarding other appearances of the shower in
the years 2000-2047 based on our numerical model. We note that the details of
the 2011 return can, in principle, be used to better constrain the orbit of
3D/Biela prior to the comets first recorded return in 1772.
We study the interaction of an equal mass binary with an isothermal circumbinary disk motivated by the theoretical and observational evidence of the formation of massive black holes binaries surrounded by gas, after a major merger of gas-rich galaxies. We focus on the torques that the binary produces on the disk and how the exchange of angular momentum can drive the formation of a gap on it. We propose that the angular momentum exchange between the binary and the disk is through the gravitational interaction of the binary and a (tidally formed) global non-axisymmetric perturbation in the disk. Using this gravitational interaction we derive an analytic criterion for the formation of a gap in the disk that can be expressed on the structural parameters h/a and M(< r)/M_{bin}. Using SPH simulations we show that the simulations where the binary opens a gap in the disk and the simulations where the disk does not have a gap are distributed in two well separate regions. Our analytic gap-opening criterion predicts a shape of the threshold between this two regions that is consistent with our simulations and the other ones in the literature. We propose an analogy between the regime without (with) a gap in the disk and the Type I (Type II) migration that is observed in simulations of planet-disk interaction (binaries with extreme mass ratios), emphasizing that the interaction that drives the formation of a gap on the disk is different in the regime that we analyze (comparable mass binary).
Since the formulation of the problem by Newton, and during three centuries, astronomers and mathematicians have sought to demonstrate the stability of the Solar System. Thanks to the numerical experiments of the last two decades, we know now that the motion of the planets in the Solar System is chaotic, which prohibits any accurate prediction of their trajectories beyond a few tens of millions of years. The recent simulations even show that planetary collisions or ejections are possible on a period of less than 5 billion years, before the end of the life of the Sun.
By considering adiabatic contraction of the dark matter (DM) during the star formation, we estimate the amount of DM trapped in stars at their birth in different astrophysical environments. If the DM consists partly of primordial black holes (PBHs), they will be trapped together with the rest of the DM and will be finally inherited by a star compact remnant --- a white dwarf (WD) or a neutron star (NS), which they will destroy in a short time. Observations of WDs and NSs thus impose constraints on the abundance of PBH. We show that the best constraints come from WDs and NSs in globular clusters which exclude the DM consisting entirely of PBH in the mass range $10^{16}{\rm g} - 10^{26}{\rm g}$, the strongest constraint on the fraction $\Omega_{\rm PBH} /\Omega_{DM}\lesssim 10^{-5}$ being in the range of PBH masses $10^{17}{\rm g} - 10^{18}$ g.
Context. We study the surface properties of transneptunian populations of Solar-system bodies. Aims. We investigate the surface characteristics of the dwarf planet (136472) Makemake and the resonant object (90482) Orcus. Methods. Using the FORS2 instrument of the ESO-VLT we have carried out linear polarisation measurements of Makemake and Orcus. Results. Polarisation of Orcus is similar to that of smaller size objects. The polarimetric properties of Makemake are very close to those of Eris and Pluto. We have not found any significant differences in the polarisation properties of objects from different dynamical classes. However, there are significant differences in polarisation of large and smaller size objects, and between large TNOs with water-ice and methane-ice dominated surfaces. Conclusions. We confirm the different types of polarisation phase behavior for the largest and smaller size TNOs. To explain subtle surface polarisation of Pluto, Makemake and Eris we assume that their surfaces are covered by a thin layer of hoarfrost masking the surface structure.
High levels of exozodiacal dust are observed around a growing number of main sequence stars. The origin of such dust is not clear, given that it has a short lifetime against both collisions and radiative forces. Even a collisional cascade with km-sized parent bodies, as suggested to explain outer debris discs, cannot survive sufficiently long. In this work we investigate whether the observed exozodiacal dust could originate from an outer planetesimal belt. We investigate the scattering processes in stable planetary systems in order to determine whether sufficient material could be scattered inwards in order to retain the exozodiacal dust at its currently observed levels. We use N-body simulations to investigate the efficiency of this scattering and its dependence on the architecture of the planetary system. The results of these simulations can be used to assess the ability of hypothetical chains of planets to produce exozodi in observed systems. We find that for older (>100Myr) stars with exozodiacal dust, a massive, large radii (>20AU) outer belt and a chain of tightly packed, low-mass planets would be required in order to retain the dust at its currently observed levels. This brings into question how many, if any, real systems possess such a contrived architecture and are therefore capable of scattering at sufficiently high rates to retain exozodi dust on long timescales.
A total of 81 DA white dwarfs have been observed with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope in a snapshot program. The targets were selected to be in the $T_{\rm eff}$ range from 17000 - 25000 K, where optical metal lines become weak and difficult to detect. Because of the strong Si, C, and O resonance lines in the UV, this survey has a sensitivity that is comparable to that of the Keck/VLT searches for CaII K in cooler white dwarfs. These objects also have no convection zone and thus very short diffusion timescales, assuring that accretion is currently ongoing. The spectra have high resolution and in most cases fairly good S/N. About 60% of them show photospheric metal pollution, predominantly of Si, but in some cases additional metals are present. We report the results of a preliminary analysis and discuss the sources of the accreted matter and the possible r\^ole of radiative levitation.
We examine the motion of light fields near the bottom of a potential valley in a multi-dimensional field space. In the case of two fields we identify three general scales, {\em all} of which must be large in order to justify an effective low-energy approximation involving only the light field, $\ell$. (Typically only one of these -- the mass of the heavy field transverse to the trough -- is used in the literature when justifying the truncation of heavy fields.) We explicitly compute the resulting effective field theory, which has the form of a $P(\ell,X)$ model, with $X = - 1/2(\partial \ell)^2$, as a function of these scales. This gives the leading ways each scale contributes to {\em any} low-energy dynamics, including (but not restricted to) those relevant for cosmology. We check our results with the special case of a homogeneous roll near the valley floor, placing into a broader context recent cosmological calculations that show how the truncation approximation can fail. By casting our results covariantly in field space, we provide a geometrical criterion for model-builders to decide whether or not the single-field and/or the truncation approximation is justified, identify its leading deviations, and to efficiently extract cosmological predictions.
The Affleck-Dine mechanism, which is one of the most attractive candidates for the baryogenesis in supersymmetric theories, often predicts the existence of baryonic Q balls in the early universe. In this scenario, there is a possibility to explain the observed baryon-to-dark matter ratio because Q balls decay into supersymmetric particles as well as into quarks. If the gravitino mass is small compared to the typical interaction energy, the longitudinal component of the gravitino behaves like the massless goldstino. We numerically calculate the goldstino production rates from Q balls in the leading semi-classical approximation without using large radius limit or effective coupling. We also calculate the quark production rates from Q balls in the Yukawa theory with a massive fermion. In deriving the decay rate we also take into account the scalar field configuration of the Q ball. These results are applied to a realistic model in the gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking and yield the branching ratio of the Q ball decay into the gravitino. We obtain the branching ratio much smaller than the one estimated in the previous analysis.
Recently, a modified theory of gravity was presented, which consists of the superposition of the metric Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian with an $f(\cal R)$ term constructed \`{a} la Palatini. The theory possesses extremely interesting features such as predicting the existence of a long-range scalar field, that explains the late-time cosmic acceleration and passes the local tests, even in the presence of a light scalar field. In this brief report, we consider the possibility that wormholes are supported by this hybrid metric-Palatini gravitational theory. We present here the general conditions for wormhole solutions according to the null energy conditions at the throat and find specific examples. In the first solution, we specify the redshift function, the scalar field and choose the potential that simplifies the modified Klein-Gordon equation. This solution is not asymptotically flat and needs to be matched to a vacuum solution. In the second example, by adequately specifying the metric functions and choosing the scalar field, we find an asymptotically flat spacetime.
We propose a model of inflation in the framework of brane cosmology driven by background supergravity. Starting from bulk supergravity we construct the inflaton potential on the brane and employ it to investigate for the consequences to inflationary paradigm. To this end, we derive the expressions for the important parameters in brane inflation, which are somewhat different from their counterparts in standard cosmology, using the one loop radiative corrected potential. We further estimate the observable parameters and find them to fit well with recent observational data. We have studied extensively reheating phenomenology, which explains the thermal history of the universe and leptogenesis through the production of thermal gravitino pertaining to the particle physics phenomenology of the early universe.
Large-scale calculations of the E1 strength are performed within the random phase approximation (RPA) based on the relativistic point-coupling mean field approach in order to derive the radiative neutron capture cross sections for all nuclei of astrophysical interest. While the coupling to the single-particle continuum is taken into account in an explicit and self-consistent way, additional corrections like the coupling to complex configurations and the temperature and deformation effects are included in a phenomenological way to account for a complete description of the nuclear dynamical problem. It is shown that the resulting E1-strength function based on the PCF1 force is in close agreement with photoabsorption data as well as the available experimental E1 strength data at low energies. For neutron-rich nuclei, as well as light neutron-deficient nuclei, a low-lying so-called pygmy resonance is found systematically in the 5-10 MeV region. The corresponding strength can reach 10% of the giant dipole strength in the neutron-rich region and about 5% in the neutron-deficient region, and is found to be reduced in the vicinity of the shell closures. Finally, the neutron capture reaction rates of neutron-rich nuclei is found to be about 2-5 times larger than those predicted on the basis of the nonrelativistic RPA calculation and about a factor 50 larger than obtained with traditional Lorentzian-type approaches.
The concept of Universal Shower Profile is used to characterize the average behavior of high energy cosmic rays. The shape variables contain important information about composition. They are independent of the primary cross-section by construction, but affected by other hadronic parameters, like multiplicity. The two variables give access to the average nuclear mass of the sample and their compatibility serves as a test of hadronic models.
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The spectacular head-on collision of the two gas-rich galaxies of the Taffy system, UGC 12914/15, gives us a unique opportunity to study the consequences of a direct ISM-ISM collision. To interpret existing multi-wavelength observations, we made dynamical simulations of the Taffy system including a sticky particle component. To compare simulation snapshots to HI and CO observations, we assume that the molecular fraction of the gas depends on the square root of the gas volume density. For the comparison of our simulations with observations of polarized radio continuum emission, we calculated the evolution of the 3D large-scale magnetic field for our simulations. The induction equations including the time-dependent gas-velocity fields from the dynamical model were solved for this purpose. Our simulations reproduce the stellar distribution of the primary galaxy, UGC 12914, the prominent HI and CO gas bridge, the offset between the CO and HI emission in the bridge, the bridge isovelocity vectors parallel to the bridge, the HI double-line profiles in the bridge region, the large line-widths (~200 km/s) in the bridge region, the high field strength of the bridge large-scale regular magnetic field, the projected magnetic field vectors parallel to the bridge and the strong total power radio continuum emission from the bridge. The stellar distribution of the secondary model galaxy is more perturbed than observed. The observed distortion of the HI envelope of the Taffy system is not reproduced by our simulations which use initially symmetric gas disks. The model allows us to define the bridge region in three dimensions. We estimate the total bridge gas mass (HI, warm and cold H2) to be 5 to 6 10^9 M_sun, with a molecular fraction M_H2/M_HI of about unity (abrigded).
Thermonuclear bursts from slowly accreting neutron stars (NSs) have proven difficult to detect, yet they are potential probes of the thermal properties of the neutron star interior. During the first year of a systematic all-sky search for X-ray bursts using the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) aboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope we have detected 15 thermonuclear bursts from the NS low-mass X-ray binary 4U 0614+09, when it was accreting at nearly 1% of the Eddington limit. We measured an average burst recurrence time of 12+/-3 d (68% confidence interval) between March 2010 and March 2011, classified all bursts as normal duration bursts and placed a lower limit on the recurrence time of long/intermediate bursts of 62 d (95% confidence level). We discuss how observations of thermonuclear bursts in the hard X-ray band compare to pointed soft X-ray observations, and quantify such bandpass effects on measurements of burst radiated energy and duration. We put our results for 4U 0614+09 in the context of other bursters and briefly discuss the constraints on ignition models. Interestingly, we find that the burst energies in 4U 0614+09 are on average between those of normal duration bursts and those measured in long/intermediate bursts. Such a continuous distribution in burst energy provides a new observational link between normal and long/intermediate bursts. We suggest that the apparent bimodal distribution that defined normal and long/intermediate duration bursts during the last decade could be due to an observational bias towards detecting only the longest and most energetic bursts from slowly accreting NSs.
Stern et al.(2012) presented a study of WISE selection of AGN in the 2 deg^2 COSMOS field, finding that a simple criterion W1-W2>=0.8 provides a highly reliable and complete AGN sample for W2<15.05, where the W1 and W2 passbands are centered at 3.4 and 4.6 microns, respectively. Here we extend this study using the larger 9 deg^2 NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey Bootes field which also has considerably deeper WISE observations than the COSMOS field, and find that this simple color-cut significantly loses reliability at fainter fluxes. We define a modified selection criterion combining the W1-W2 color and the W2 magnitude to provide highly reliable or highly complete AGN samples for fainter WISE sources. In particular, we define a color-magnitude cut that finds 130+/-4 deg^-2 AGN candidates for W2<17.11 with 90% reliability. Using the extensive UV through mid-IR broad-band photometry available in this field, we study the spectral energy distributions of WISE AGN candidates. As expected, the WISE AGN selection is biased towards objects where the AGN dominates the bolometric luminosity output, and that it can identify highly obscured AGN. We study the distribution of reddening in the AGN sample and discuss a formalism to account for sample incompleteness based on the step-wise maximum-likelihood method of Efstathiou et al.(1988). The resulting dust obscuration distributions depend strongly on AGN luminosity, consistent with the trend expected for a Simpson (2005) receding torus. At L_AGN~3x10^44 erg/s, 29+/-7% of AGN are observed as Type 1, while at ~4x10^45 erg/s the fraction is 64+/-13%. The distribution of obscuration values suggests that dust in the torus is present as both a diffuse medium and in optically thick clouds.
(abridged) The Magellanic Clouds provide a nearby laboratory for metal-poor dwarf galaxies. The low dust abundance enhances the penetration of UV photons into the interstellar medium (ISM), resulting in a relatively larger filling factor of the ionized gas. Furthermore, there is likely a hidden molecular gas reservoir probed by the [CII]157um line. We present Herschel/PACS maps in several tracers, [CII], [OI]63um,145um, [NII]122um, [NIII]57um, and [OIII]88um in the HII region N11B in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Halpha and [OIII]5007A images are used as complementary data to investigate the effect of dust extinction. Observations are interpreted with photoionization models to infer the gas conditions and estimate the ionized gas contribution to the [CII] emission. Photodissociation regions (PDRs) are probed through polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We first study the distribution and properties of the ionized gas. We then constrain the origin of [CII]157um by comparing to tracers of the low-excitation ionized gas and of PDRs. [OIII] is dominated by extended emission from the high-excitation diffuse ionized gas; it is the brightest far-infrared line, ~4 times brighter than [CII]. The extent of the [OIII] emission suggests that the medium is rather fragmented, allowing far-UV photons to permeate into the ISM to scales of >30pc. Furthermore, by comparing [CII] with [NII], we find that 95% of [CII] arises in PDRs, except toward the stellar cluster for which as much as 15% could arise in the ionized gas. We find a remarkable correlation between [CII]+[OI] and PAH emission, with [CII] dominating the cooling in diffuse PDRs and [OI] dominating in the densest PDRs. The combination of [CII] and [OI] provides a proxy for the total gas cooling in PDRs. Our results suggest that PAH emission describes better the PDR gas heating as compared to the total infrared emission.
We compare the locations of 82 X-ray binaries (XRBs) detected in the merging Antennae galaxies by Zezas et al., based on observations taken with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, with a catalog of optically selected star clusters presented by Whitmore et al., based on observations taken with the Hubble Space Telescope. Within the 2 sigma positional uncertainty of 0.58", we find 22 XRBs are coincident with star clusters, where only 2-3 chance coincidences are expected. The ages of the clusters were estimated by comparing their UBVI, Halpha colors with predictions from stellar evolutionary models. We find that 14 of the 22 coincident XRBs (64%) are hosted by star clusters with ages of 6 Myr or less. Five of the XRBs are hosted by young clusters with ages 10-100 Myr, while three are hosted by intermediate age clusters with 100-300 Myr. Based on the results from recent N-body simulations, which suggest that black holes are far more likely to be retained within their parent clusters than neutron stars, we suggest that our sample consists primarily of black hole binaries with different ages.
We present detailed radiative transfer simulations of the reionization
history of the Milky Way by metal-poor globular clusters. We identify potential
metal-poor globular cluster candidates within the Aquarius simulation using
dark matter halo velocity dispersions. We calculate the local ionization fields
via a photon-conserving, three dimensional non-equilibrium chemistry code and
allow the model to propagate through to the present day. The key feature of the
model is that globular cluster formation is suppressed if the local gas is
ionized.
We find that our spatial treatment of the ionization field leads to
drastically different numbers and spatial distributions when compared to models
where globular cluster formation is simply truncated at a given redshift. We
find that it is possible for metal-poor globular clusters to have formed via
the dark matter halo formation channel as our secondary model (delayed
formation) combined with truncation at z = 10 produces radial distributions
statistically consistent with that of the Milky Way metal-poor globular
clusters.
If globular clusters do indeed form within high-redshift dark matter halos,
if only in-part, their contributions to the reionization of the local (i.e. 2^3
h^-3 Mpc^3 centred on the host galaxy) volume and mass by redshift 10 could be
as high as 98% and 90%, respectively. In our photon poorest model, this
contribution drops to 60% and 50%. The surviving clusters in all models have a
narrow average age range (mean = 13.34 Gyr, \sigma = 0.04 Gyr) consistent with
current ages estimates of the Milky Way metal-poor globular clusters.
We also test a simple dynamical destruction model and estimate that ~60% of
all metal-poor globular clusters formed at high redshift have since been
destroyed via tidal interactions with the host galaxy.
Gamma-ray binaries allow us to study physical processes such as particle acceleration up to TeV energies and VHE gamma-ray emission and absorption with changing geometrical configurations on a periodic basis. These sources produce outflows of radio-emitting particles whose structure can be imaged with VLBI. LS 5039 is a gamma-ray binary that has shown variable VLBI structures in the past. We aim to characterise the radio morphological changes of LS 5039 and discriminate if they are either repeatable or erratic. We observed LS 5039 with the VLBA at 5 GHz during five consecutive days to cover the 3.9-day orbit and an extra day to disentangle between orbital or secular variability. We also compiled the available high-resolution radio observations of the source to study its morphological variability at different orbital phases. We used a simple model to interpret the obtained images. The new observations show that the morphology of LS 5039 up to projected distances of 10 milliarcseconds changes in 24 h. The observed radio morphological changes display a periodic orbital modulation. Multifrequency and multiepoch VLBI observations confirm that the morphological periodicity is stable on timescales of years. Using a simple model we show that the observed behaviour is compatible with the presence of a young non-accreting pulsar with an outflow behind it. The morphology is reproduced for inclinations of the orbit of 60-75 deg. For masses of the companion star in the range 20-50 Msun, this range of inclinations implies a mass of the compact object of 1.3-2.7 Msun. The periodic orbital modulation of the radio morphology of LS 5039 suggests that all gamma-ray binaries are expected to show a similar behaviour. The changes in the radio structure of LS 5039 are compatible with the presence of a young non-accreting neutron star, which suggests that the known gamma-ray binaries contain young pulsars.
Using multi-site spectroscopic data collected from three sites, the frequencies and pulsational modes of the {\gamma} Doradus star HD 12901 were identified. A total of six frequencies in the range 1-2 c/d were observed, their identifications supported by multiple line-profile measurement techniques and previously-published photometry. Five frequencies were of sufficient signal-to-noise for mode identification and all five displayed similar three-bump standard deviation profiles which were fitted well with (l,m)=(1,1) modes. These fits had reduced chi-squared values of less than 18. We propose that this star is an excellent candidate to test models of non-radially pulsating {\gamma} Doradus stars as a result of the presence of multiple (1,1) modes.
Most carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars are thought to result from past mass transfer of He-burning material from an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star to a low-mass companion star, which we now observe as a CEMP star. Because AGB stars of intermediate mass efficiently cycle carbon into nitrogen in their envelopes, the same evolution scenario predicts the existence of a population of nitrogen-enhanced metal-poor (NEMP) stars, with [N/Fe] > 1 and [N/C] > 0.5. Such NEMP stars are rare, although their occurrence depends on metallicity: they appear to be more common at [Fe/H] < -2.8 by about a factor of 10 compared to less metal-poor stars. We analyse the observed sample of metal-poor stars with measurements of both carbon and nitrogen to derive firm constraints on the occurrence of NEMP stars as a function of metallicity. We compare these constraints to binary population synthesis calculations in which we vary the initial distributions of mass, mass ratio and binary orbital periods. We show that the observed paucity of NEMP stars at [Fe/H] > -2.8 does not allow for large modifications in the initial mass function, as have been suggested in the literature to account for the high frequency of CEMP stars. The situation at lower metallicity is less clear, and we do not currently have stellar models to perform this comparison for [Fe/H] < -2.8. However, unless intermediate-mass AGB stars behave very differently at such low metallicity, the observed NEMP frequency at [Fe/H] < -2.8 appears incompatible with the top-heavy forms of the initial mass function suggested in the literature.
UHECR (Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays) were expected to be protons, whose spectra suffer of photopion opacity on cosmic CMB, the so called GZK cut off; AUGER did claimed on 2007 that such events were along the expected Super-Galactic plane with GZK cut off. However the same AUGER composition was favoring nuclei (and not nucleon); the recent absence of narrow angle clustering of UHECR as expected by protons, the missing of events along nearest Cluster Virgo, the wide spread angles of UHECR along Cen A, the more diffused events are in disagreement with first proton-UHECR-Super Galactic AUGER understanding. We claimed on 2008 a light nuclei role for Cen A crowded area. On the other side the ICECUBE absence of TeVs neutrino clustering or anisotropy, its spectra steepening is favoring mostly a ruling atmospheric neutrino noise up to tens TeV. However recent two PeV neutrino event cannot easily coexist or being extrapolate with such atmospheric ruling scenario, nor with GZK cut off (either nucleon or nuclei) secondaries expected spectra. We suggested and we reconfirm that an radioactive light and heavy UHECR component, while decaying in flight, may paint in the sky (by gamma, electrons and neutrinos) their trajectories and bending, connecting UHECR with TeV gamma anisotropy in ARGO-ICECUBE, as well offering a very realistic source of first observed PeV neutrinos.
In preparation for a study of their circumnuclear gas we have surveyed 60% of a complete sample of elliptical galaxies within 75 Mpc that are radiosources. Some 20% of our nuclear spectra have infrared emission lines, mostly Paschen lines, Brackett gamma and [FeII]. We consider the influence of radio power and black hole mass in relation to the spectra. Access to the spectra is provided as a community resource.
Asteroid detections in astronomical images may appear as trails due to a combination of their apparent rate of motion and exposure duration. Nearby asteroids in particular typically have high apparent rates of motion and acceleration. Their recovery, especially on their discovery apparition, depends upon obtaining good astrometry from the trailed detections. We present an analytic function describing a trailed detection under the assumption of a Gaussian point spread function (PSF) and constant rate of motion. We have fit the function to both synthetic and real trailed asteroid detections from the Pan-STARRS1 survey telescope to obtain accurate astrometry and photometry. For short trails our trailing function yields the same astrometric and photometry accuracy as a functionally simpler 2-d Gaussian but the latter underestimates the length of the trail - a parameter that can be important for measuring the object's rate of motion and assessing its cometary activity. For trails longer than about 10 pixels (> 3xPSF) our trail fitting provides 3-times better astrometric accuracy and up to 2 magnitudes improvement in the photometry. The trail fitting algorithm can be implemented at the source detection level for all detections to provide trail length and position angle that can be used to reduce the false tracklet rate.
We have used methane imaging techniques to identify the near-infrared counterpart of the bright WISE source WISEJ163940.83-684738.6. The large proper motion of this source (around 3.0arcsec/yr) has moved it, since its original WISE identification, very close to a much brighter background star -- it currently lies within 1.5" of the J=14.90+-0.04 star 2MASS16394085-6847446. Observations in good seeing conditions using methane sensitive filters in the near-infrared J-band with the FourStar instrument on the Magellan 6.5m Baade telescope, however, have enabled us to detect a near-infrared counterpart. We have defined a photometric system for use with the FourStar J2 and J3 filters, and this photometry indicates strong methane absorption, which unequivocally identifies it as the source of the WISE flux. Using these imaging observations we were then able to steer this object down the slit of the FIRE spectrograph on a night of 0.6" seeing, and so obtain near-infrared spectroscopy confirming a Y0-Y0.5 spectral type. This is in line with the object's near-infrared-to-WISE J3--W2 colour. Preliminary astrometry using both WISE and FourStar data indicates a distance of 5.0+-0.5pc and a substantial tangential velocity of 73+-8km/s. WISEJ163940.83-684738.6 is the brightest confirmed Y dwarf in the WISE W2 passband and its distance measurement places it amongst the lowest luminosity sources detected to date.
A metric representing a slow rotating object with quadrupole moment is obtained using the Newman-Janis formalism to include rotation into the weak limit of the Erez-Rosen metric. This metric is intended to tackle relativistic astrometry and gravitational lensing problems in which a quadrupole moment has to be taken into account.
Solar infrared colors provide powerful constraints on the stellar effective temperature scale, but to this purpose they must be measured with both accuracy and precision. We achieve this requirement by using line-depth ratios to derive in a model independent way the infrared colors of the Sun, and use the latter to test the zero-point of the Casagrande et al. (2010) effective temperature scale, confirming its accuracy. Solar colors in the widely used 2MASS -J H K- and WISE -W1 W2 W3 W4- systems are provided. A cross check of the effective temperatures derived implementing 2MASS or WISE magnitudes in the infrared flux method confirms that the absolute calibration of the two systems agree within the errors, possibly suggesting a 1% offset between the two, thus validating extant near and mid infrared absolute calibrations. While 2MASS magnitudes are usually well suited to derive effective temperatures, we find that a number of solar like stars exhibit anomalous WISE colors. In most cases this effect is spurious and traceable to lower quality measurements, although for a couple of objects (3 +/- 2 % of the total sample) it might be real and hints towards the presence of warm/hot debris disks.
Turbulence dynamo deals with amplification of a seed magnetic field in a turbulent medium and has been studied mostly for uniform or spatially homogeneous seed magnetic fields. However, some astrophysical processes (e.g. jets from active galaxies, galactic winds, or ram-pressure stripping in galaxy clusters) can provide localized seed magnetic fields. In this paper, we numerically study amplification of localized seed magnetic fields in a turbulent medium. Throughout the paper, we assume that driving scale of turbulence is comparable to the size of the system. Our findings are as follows. First, turbulence can amplify a localized seed magnetic field very efficiently. The growth rate of magnetic energy density is as high as that for a uniform seed magnetic field. This result implies that a magnetic field ejected from an astrophysical object can be a viable source of magnetic field in a cluster. Second, the localized seed magnetic field disperses and fills the whole system very fast. If turbulence in a system (e.g. a galaxy cluster or a filament) is driven at large scales, we expect that it takes a few large-eddy turnover times for magnetic field to fill the whole system. Third, growth and turbulence diffusion of a localized seed magnetic field are also fast in high magnetic Prandtl number turbulence. Fourth, even in decaying turbulence, a localized seed magnetic field can ultimately fill the whole system. Although the dispersal rate of magnetic field is not fast in purely decaying turbulence, it can be enhanced by an additional forcing.
We analyze the temporal evolution of the three-dimensional (3D) magnetic structure of the flaring active region (AR) NOAA 10930 by using the nonlinear force-free fields extrapolated from the photospheric vector magnetic fields observed by the Solar Optical Telescope on board {\it Hinode}. This AR consisted mainly of two types of twisted magnetic field lines: One has a strong negative (left-handed) twist due to the counterclockwise motion of the positive sunspot and is rooted in the regions of both polarities in the sunspot at a considerable distance from the polarity inversion line (PIL). In the flare phase, dramatic magnetic reconnection occurs in those negatively twisted lines in which the absolute value of the twist is greater than a half-turn. The other type consists of both positively and negatively twisted field lines formed relatively close to the PIL between two sunspots. A strong CaII image began to brighten in this region of mixed polarity, in which the positively twisted field lines were found to be injected within one day across the pre-existing negatively twisted region, along which strong currents were embedded. Consequently, the central region near the PIL distributed with a mix of differently twisted field lines and the strong currents may play a prominent role in flare onset.
Solar cycle activity forecasting, mainly its magnitude and timing, is an essential issue for numerous scientific and technological applications: in fact, during an active solar period, many strong eruptions occur on the Sun with increasing frequency, such as flares, coronal mass ejections, high velocity solar wind photons and particles, which can severely affect the Earth's ionosphere and the geomagnetic field, with impacts on the low atmosphere. Thus it is very important to develop reliable solar cycle prediction methods for the incoming solar activity. The current solar cycle 24 appeared unusual from many points of view: an unusually extended minimum period, and a global low activity compared to those of the previous three or four cycles. Currently, there are many different evidences that the peak in the northern hemisphere already occurred at 2011.6 but not yet in the southern hemisphere. In this brief note we update the peak prediction and its timing, based on the most recent observations.
I analyse the maps recording the travel-time shifts caused by averaged plasma anomalies under an "average supergranule", constructed by means of statistical averaging over 5582 individual supergranules with large divergence signals detected in two months of HMI Dopplergrams. By utilising a three-dimensional validated time-distance inversion code, I measure the peak vertical velocity of 117+/-2 m/s in depths around 1.2 Mm in the centre of the supergranule and root-mean-square vertical velocity of 21 m/s over the area of the supergranule. A discrepancy between this measurement and the measured surface vertical velocity (a few m/s) can be explained by the existence of the large-amplitude vertical flow under the surface of supergranules with large divergence signals, recently suggested by Duvall & Hanasoge (2012).
This paper proposes a simple model for the 19th century eruption of Eta Carinae that consists of two components: (1) a strong wind (MdotM=0.33 Msun/yr; v=200 km/s), blowing for 30 years, followed by (2) a 1e50 erg explosion in 1844. The ensuing collision between the fast ejecta and the CSM causes an increase in brightness observed at the end of 1844, followed by a sustained high-luminosity phase lasting for 10-15 years that matches the historical light curve. The emergent luminosity is powered by CSM interaction, analogous to the process in luminous Type IIn supernovae, except with 10 times lower explosion energy and at slower speeds (causing a longer duration and lower emergent luminosity). Such an explosive event provides a natural explanation for the light curve evolution, but also accounts for a number of puzzling attributes of the Homunculus nebula: (1) rough equipartition of total radiated and kinetic energy, (2) the double-shell structure of the Homunculus, (3) the apparent single age and Hubble-like flow resulting from the thin swept-up shell, (4) the complex mottled appearance of the polar lobes in HST images, arising from Raleigh-Taylor or Vishniac instabilities, (5) efficient and rapid dust formation, as seen in Type IIn supernovae, and (6) the fast (5000 km/s) material outside the Homunculus, arising from the acceleration of the forward shock upon exiting the dense CSM. In principle, the bipolar shape has already been explained in earlier studies of interacting winds, except that here the CSM interaction occurs over only 10 years, producing a thin shell with the resulting structures then frozen-in to the expanding bipolar nebula. This self-consistent picture has a number of implications for other eruptive transients, many of which may also be powered by CSM interaction.
We use contemporary evolutionary models for Very Massive Stars (VMS) to assess whether the Eddington limit constrains the upper stellar mass limit. We also consider the interplay between mass and age for the wind properties and spectral morphology of VMS, with reference to the recently modified classification scheme for O2-3.5If*/WN stars. Finally, the death of VMS in the local universe is considered in the context of pair instability supernovae.
Observationally confirming spatial homogeneity on sufficiently large cosmological scales is of importance to test one of the underpinning assumptions of cosmology, and is also imperative for correctly interpreting dark energy. A challenging aspect of this is that homogeneity must be probed inside our past lightcone, while observations take place on the lightcone. The history of star formation rates (SFH) in the galaxy fossil record provides a novel way to do this. We calculate the SFH of stacked Luminous Red Galaxy (LRG) spectra obtained from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We divide the LRG sample into 12 equal area contiguous sky patches and 10 redshift slices (0.2<z<0.5), which correspond to 120 blocks of volume 0.04Gpc^3. Using the SFH in a time period which samples the history of the Universe between look-back times 11.5 to 13.4 Gyrs as a proxy for homogeneity, we calculate the posterior distribution for the excess large-scale variance due to inhomogeneity, and find that the most likely solution is no extra variance at all. At 95% credibility, there is no evidence of deviations larger than 5.8%.
We derive exact expressions for the degree of lineal polarization over a resolved or integrated stellar disc due to resonance scattering and the Hanle effect from a dipolar or quadrupolar distribution of magnetic fields. We apply the theory of scattering polarization within the formalism of the spherical tensors representation for the density matrix and radiation field. The distribution of linear polarization over the stellar disk for different configurations of the magnetic field is studied and its topology discussed. For an unresolved dipole, the resulting polarization can be expressed in terms of just three functions (of the inclination angle and effective dipole strength), that are calculated numerically and their behaviour discussed. Dipolar and (aligned) quadrupoles are considered in some detail, but the techniques here ---in particular, the extensive use of the spherical tensor formalism for polarization---, can easily be applied to more general field configurations.
The magnetic non-potentiality is important for understanding flares and other solar activities in active regions (ARs). Five non-potential parameters, i.e., electric current, current helicity, source field, photospheric free energy, and angular shear, are calculated in this work to quantify the non-potentiality of NOAA AR 11158. Benefited from high spatial resolution, high cadence, and continuously temporal coverage of vector magnetograms from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, both the long-term evolution of the AR and the rapid change during flares have been studied. We confirmed that, comparing with the magnetic flux, the magnetic non-potentiality has a closer connection with the flare, and the emerging flux regions are important for the magnetic non-potentiality and flares. The main results of this work are as follows. (1) The vortex in the source field directly displays the deflection of horizontal magnetic field. The deflection is corresponding to the fast rotated sunspot with a time delay, which suggests that the sunspot rotation leads to an increase of the non-potentiality. (2) Two areas that have evident changes of the azimuth of the vector magnetic field are found near the magnetic polarity inversion line. The change rates of the azimuth are about 1.3 deg/h and 3.6 deg/h, respectively. (3) Rapid and prominent increases are found in the variation of helicity during four flares in their initial brightening regions. The recovery of the increases takes 3-4 h for the two biggest flares (X2.2 and M6.6), while only takes about 2 h for the other two smaller flares (M2.2 and M1.6).
The Ca II H line is one of the strongest lines in the solar spectrum and provides continuous information on the solar atmosphere from the photosphere to the lower chromosphere. We describe an inversion approach that reproduces observed Ca II H spectra assuming LTE. We developed an inversion strategy based on the SIR code. The approach uses a two-step procedure with an archive of pre-calculated spectra to fit the line core and a subsequent iterative modification to improve the fit in the line wing. Simultaneous spectra in the 630nm range can optionally be used to fix the continuum temperature. The method retrieves 1D temperature stratifications neglecting lateral radiative transport. LOS velocities are included by an empirical approach. An archive of about 300.000 pre-calculated spectra is more than sufficient to reproduce the line core of observed Ca II H spectra both in quiet Sun and in active regions. The final thermodynamical stratifications match observed and best-fit spectra to a level of about 0.5 (1) % of Ic in the line wing (core). Inversion schemes based on pre-calculated spectra allow one a reliable and relatively fast retrieval of solar properties from observed chromospheric spectra. The approach can be easily extended to an 1D NLTE case by a simple exchange of the pre-calculated archive spectra.
We present a comprehensive analysis of the far UV spectrum of G191-B2B over the range of 900-1700{\AA} using co-added data from the FUSE and STIS archives. While previous identifications made by Holberg et al. (2003) are reaffirmed in this work, it is found that many previously unidentified lines can now be attributed to Fe, Ni, and a few lighter metals. Future work includes extending this detailed analysis to a wider range of DA objects, in the expectation that a more complete analysis of their atmospheres can be realised.
We present a unified parameterization of the fitting functions suitable for density profiles of dark matter haloes or elliptical galaxies. A notable feature is that the classical Einasto profile appears naturally as the continuous limiting case of the cored subfamily amongst the double power-law profiles of Zhao (1996). Based on this, we also argue that there is basically no qualitative difference between halo models well-fitted by the Einasto profile and the standard NFW model. This may even be the case quantitatively unless the resolutions of simulations and the precisions of fittings are sufficiently high to make meaningful distinction possible.
The distribution of magnetic field strength at different levels in the solar photosphere outside active regions was obtained on the basis of the 2D MHD simulation of magnetogranulation and the synthesis of the V profiles of the Fe I 1564.8 nm line. The shape of the distribution varies essentially with depth in the photosphere. The distribution maximum lies about at 25 mT, but it is found near 35 mT when the spatial averaging of profiles (about 0.5") is taken into account. Our analysis reveals that the use of the Fe I 1564.8 nm line for determination of field strength from V profile splitting is the most efficient and reliable means of measuring fields above 50 mT. The field strength distribution obtained with the 1564.8 nm line in the fields above 50 mT can serve as a standard for testing other techniques and spectral lines. The analysis of the synthesized Fe I 630.2 nm line profiles supports the conclusion that this line is less suitable for studying field strength distributions because of its weak magnetic sensitivity to fields below 120 mT. The derived magnetic field distributions as well as the distributions of asymmetry parameters and V profile zero-crossings are in good agreement with IR polarimetry data. They convincingly confirm the assumption that the structure and strength of photospheric magnetic fields of mixed polarity have continuous spectra down to scales considerably smaller than the resolution threshold. They also suggest that the structure and the scales of magnetic fields are closely related to the granulation structure.
More than half of the sources identified by recent radio sky surveys have not been detected by wide-field optical surveys. We present a study based on our co-added image stacking technique, in which our aim is to detect the optical emission from unresolved, isolated radio sources of the Very Large Array (VLA) Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-cm (FIRST) survey that have no identified optical counterparts in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 co-added data set. From the FIRST catalogue, 2116 such radio point sources were selected, and cut-out images, centred on the FIRST coordinates, were generated from the Stripe 82 images. The already co-added cut-outs were stacked once again to obtain images of high signal-to-noise ratio, in the hope that optical emission from the radio sources would become detectable. Multiple stacks were generated, based on the radio luminosity of the point sources. The resulting stacked images show central peaks similar to point sources. The peaks have very red colours with steep optical spectral energy distributions. We have found that the optical spectral index alpha_nu falls in the range -2.9 < alpha_nu < -2.2, depending only weakly on the radio flux. The total integration times of the stacks are between 270 and 300 h, and the corresponding 5 sigma detection limit is estimated to be about m_r = 26.6 mag. We argue that the detected light is mainly from the central regions of dust-reddened Type 1 active galactic nuclei. Dust-reddened quasars might represent an early phase of quasar evolution, and thus they can also give us an insight into the formation of massive galaxies. The data used in the paper are available on-line at this http URL
It has long been accepted that a possible mechanism for explaining the existence of magnetic white dwarfs is the merger of a binary white dwarf system, as there are viable mechanisms for producing sustainable magnetism within the merger product. However, the lack of rapid rotators in the magnetic white dwarf population has been always considered a problematic issue of this scenario. In order to explain this discrepancy we build a model in which the interaction between the magnetosphere of the star and the disk induces angular momentum transfer. Our model predicts that the magnetospheric interaction of magnetic white dwarfs with their disks results in a significant spin down, and we show that the observed rotation period of REJ 0317-853, which is suggested to be a product of a double degenerate merger, can be reproduced.
We present optical HST/STIS spectroscopy of RZ 2109, a globular cluster in the elliptical galaxy NGC 4472. This globular cluster is notable for hosting an ultraluminous X-ray source as well as associated strong and broad [OIII] 4959, 5007 emission. We show that the HST/STIS spectroscopy spatially resolves the [OIII] emission in RZ 2109. While we are unable to make a precise determination of the morphology of the emission line nebula, the best fitting models all require that the [OIII] 5007 emission has a half light radius in the range 3-7 pc. The extended nature of the [OIII] 5007 emission is inconsistent with published models that invoke an intermediate mass black hole origin. It is also inconsistent with the ionization of ejecta from a nova in the cluster. The spatial scale of the nebula could be produced via the photoionization of a strong wind driven from a stellar mass black hole accreting at roughly its Eddington rate.
The high density interior of a neutron star is expected to contain superconducting protons and superfluid neutrons. Theoretical estimates suggest that the protons will form a type II superconductor in which the stellar magnetic field is carried by flux tubes. The strong interaction between the flux tubes and the neutron rotational vortices could lead to strong 'pinning', i.e. vortex motion could be impeded. This has important implications especially for pulsar glitch models as it would lead to a large part of the vorticity of the star being decoupled from the 'normal' component, to which the electromagnetic emission is locked. In this paper we explore the consequences of strong pinning in the core on the 'snowplow' model for pulsar glitches (Pizzochero 2011), making use of realistic equations of state and relativistic background models for the neutron star. We find that in general a large fraction of pinned vorticity in the core is not compatible with observations of giant glitches in the Vela pulsar. The conclusion is thus that either most of the core is in a type I superconducting state or that the interaction between vortices and flux tubes is weaker than previously assumed.
We show how the observed hydrogen Balmer and Lyman emission lines constrain the modeling of quiescent solar prominences. We compare space observations of Lyman lines with ground-based observations of Balmer lines for quiescent solar prominences of comparable brightness defined by their H-beta emission. The effective number densities of hydrogen atoms emitting from the same upper level u deduced from the corresponding emerging Lyman and Balmer line emissions show large differences that diminish with increasing level number and converge at the highest level numbers. Hydrogen atoms excited in u=5 contribute 250 times less, and those in u=8 still contribute 65 times less to the Lyman than to the corresponding Balmer emission, supporting the idea of distinct spatial origin of the emissions of both series. This is also indicated by the line widths. The high optical thickness of all Lyman members allows the brightness temperature T_b to be estimated from the spectral radiance at line center, where T_b is found to be largely independent of the upper level number, in contrast to the (known) behavior of the Balmer lines.
Recent studies showed that at low metallicities Doppler-detected planet-hosting stars have preferably high \alpha-content and belong to the thick disk. We used the reconnaissance spectra of 87 Kepler planet candidates and data available from the HARPS planet search survey to explore this phenomena. Using the traditional spectroscopic abundance analysis methods we derived Ti, Ca, and Cr abundances for the Kepler stars. In the metallicity region -0.65 < [Fe/H] < -0.3 dex the fraction of Ti-enhanced thick-disk HARPS planet harboring stars is 12.3 +/- 4.1 % and for their thin-disk counterparts this fraction is 2.2 +/- 1.3 %. The binomial statistics gives a probability of 0.008 that this could have occurred by chance. Combining the two samples (HARPS + Kepler) reinforces the significance of this result (P ~ 99.97 %). Since most of these stars are harboring small-mass/size planets we can assume that, although terrestrial planets can be found at low-iron regime, they are mostly enhanced by \alpha-elements. This implies that early formation of rocky planets could get started in the Galactic thick disk, where the chemical conditions for their formation were more favorable.
The Gaia mission, with its unprecedented astrometric and photometric precision, combined with its Radial Velocity Spectrometer, will provide to the astronomical community a wealth of necessary constraints to disentangle between the different formation scenarios of the Galactic thick disc. The aim of this review is to present some of the recent results obtained spectroscopically concerning this Galactic structure, and highlight the open questions that still remain to be answered under the Gaia era. These concern mainly the measurement of the chemo-dynamical properties of the Milky Way at the inner and outer parts, which allow us to determine the total accreted mass from the mergers with satellite galaxies, and will give us an estimate of the strength of the radial migration phenomena to form such a structure.
Context. We present a method for including gas extinction of cosmic-ray-generated UV photons in chemical models of the midplane of protoplanetary disks, focusing on its implications on ice formation and chemical evolution. Aims. Our goal is to improve on chemical models by treating cosmic rays, the main source of ionization in the midplane of the disk, in a way that is consistent with current knowledge of the gas and grain environment present in those regions. We trace the effects of cosmic rays by identifying the main chemical reaction channels and also the main contributors to the gas opacity to cosmic-ray-induced UV photons. This information is crucial in implementing gas opacities for cosmic-ray-induced reactions in full 2D protoplanetary disk models. Methods. We considered time-dependent chemical models within the range 1-10 AU in the midplane of a T Tauri disk. The extinction of cosmic-ray-induced UV photons by gaseous species was included in the calculation of photorates at each timestep. We integrated the ionization and dissociation cross sections of all atoms/molecules over the cosmic-ray-induced UV emission spectrum of H_2. By analyzing the relative contribution of each gas phase species over time, we were able to identify the main contributors to the gas opacity in the midplane of protoplanetary disks. Results. At 1 AU the gas opacity contributes up to 28.2% of the total opacity, including the dust contribution. At 3-5 AU the gas contribution is 14.5% of the total opacity, and at 7-8 AU it reaches a value of 12.2%. As expected, at 10-15 AU freeze-out of species causes the gas contribution to the total opacity to be very low (6%). The main contributors to the gas opacity are CO, CO_2, S, SiO, and O_2. OH also contributes to the gas opacity, but only at 10-15 AU.
I discuss recent work on gas expulsion and triggered star formation in, and unbinding of, embedded clusters, by ionizing radiation from O-type stars. Photoionization is not as effective a driver of any of these process as was perhaps once thought. Although structures such as pillars, bubble and champagne flows emerge naturally from the action of ionization on turbulent clouds, the association of stars with such structures does not necessarily imply that they have been triggered.
Some reports of supernova (SN) discoveries turn out not to be true core-collapse explosions. One such case was SN 2009ip, which was recognized to be a luminous blue variable (LBV) eruption. This source had a massive (50-80 Msun) hot progenitor star identified in pre-explosion data, it had documented evidence of pre-outburst variability, and it was subsequently discovered to have a 2nd outburst in 2010. This same source rebrightened again in 2012, and early spectra showed the same narrow-line profiles as before, suggesting another LBV-like eruption. We present new photometry and spectroscopy of SN 2009ip, indicating that its 3rd observed outburst in under 4 years appears to have transitioned into a genuine SN. The most striking discovery in these data is that unlike previous reports, the spectrum exhibited Balmer lines with very broad P-Cygni profiles characteristic of normal Type II supernovae (SNe II), in addition to narrow emission lines seen in SNe IIn and LBVs. Emission components have FWHM 8000 km/s, while the P-Cygni absorption component has blue wings extending to about -13,000 km/s. These features are typical of Type II SNe, but have never been seen in a nonterminal LBV-like eruption. Initially, the peak absolute magnitude of M_V \sim -14.5 seemed fainter than that of normal SNe and faded much more rapidly. However, the source quickly brightened again to M_R=-17.6 mag, indicating that it is indeed consistent with a true SN. In this bright phase, the broad lines mostly disappeared, and the spectrum became dominated by broad-winged Lorentzian profiles of H-alpha and HeI that are characteristic of the early optically thick phases of luminous SNe IIn. We conclude that the most recent 2012 outburst of SN 2009ip is most likely a true core-collapse SN IIn that was initially faint, but then rapidly achieved high luminosities, as a result of interaction with circumstellar material (abridged).
We report the detection of a strong, organized magnetic field in the secondary component of the massive O8III/I+O7.5V/III double-lined spectroscopic binary system HD 47129 (Plaskett's star), in the context of the Magnetism in Massive Stars (MiMeS) survey. Eight independent Stokes $V$ observations were acquired using the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and the Narval spectropolarimeter at the T\'elescope Bernard Lyot. Using Least-Squares Deconvolution we obtain definite detections of signal in Stokes $V$ in 3 observations. No significant signal is detected in the diagnostic null ($N$) spectra. The Zeeman signatures are broad and track the radial velocity of the secondary component; we therefore conclude that the rapidly-rotating secondary component is the magnetized star. Correcting the polarized spectra for the line and continuum of the (sharp-lined) primary, we measured the longitudinal magnetic field from each observation. The longitudinal field of the secondary is variable and exhibits extreme values of $-810\pm 150$ G and $+680\pm 190$ G, implying a minimum surface dipole polar strength of $2850\pm 500$ G. In contrast, we derive an upper limit ($3\sigma$) to the primary's surface magnetic field of 230 G. The combination of a strong magnetic field and rapid rotation leads us to conclude that the secondary hosts a centrifugal magnetosphere fed through a magnetically confined wind. We revisit the properties of the optical line profiles and X-ray emission - previously interpreted as a consequence of colliding stellar winds - in this context. We conclude that HD 47129 represents a heretofore unique stellar system - a close, massive binary with a rapidly rotating, magnetized component - that will be a rich target for further study.
The origin of astrophysical magnetic fields observed in galaxies and clusters of galaxies is still unclear. One possibility is that primordial magnetic fields generated in the early Universe provide seeds that grow through compression and turbulence during structure formation. A cosmological magnetic field present prior to recombination would produce substantial matter clustering at intermediate/small scales, on top of the standard inflationary power spectrum. In this work we study the effect of this alteration on one particular cosmological observable, cosmic shear. We adopt the semi-analytic halo model in order to describe the non-linear clustering of matter, and feed it with the altered mass variance induced by primordial magnetic fields. We find that the convergence power spectrum is, as expected, substantially enhanced at intermediate/small angular scales, with the exact amplitude of the enhancement depending on the magnitude and power-law index of the magnetic field power spectrum. We use the predicted statistical errors for a future wide-field cosmic shear survey, on the model of the ESA Cosmic Vision mission \emph{Euclid}, in order to forecast constraints on the amplitude of primordial magnetic fields as a function of the spectral index. We find that the amplitude will be constrained at the level of $\sim 0.1$ nG for $n_B\sim -3$, and at the level of $\sim 10^{-7}$ nG for $n_B\sim 3$. The latter is at the same level of lower bounds coming from the secondary emission of gamma-ray sources, implying that for high spectral indices \emph{Euclid} will certainly be able to detect primordial magnetic fields, if they exist. The present study shows how large-scale structure surveys can be used for both understanding the origins of astrophysical magnetic fields and shedding new light on the physics of the pre-recombination Universe. (abridged)
Starting in 2012, we began an unprecedented observational program focused on the supermassive black hole in the center of our Galaxy, Sgr A*, utilizing the High Energy Transmission Gratings Spectrometer (HETGS) instrument on the Chandra X-ray Observatory. These observations will allow us to measure the quiescent X-ray spectra of Sgr A* for the first time at both high spatial and spectral resolution. The X-ray emission of Sgr A*, however, is known to flare roughly daily by factors of a few to ten times over quiescent emission levels, with rarer flares extending to factors of greater than 100 times quiescence. Here were report an observation performed on 2012 February 9 wherein we detected what is the highest peak flux and fluence flare ever observed from Sgr A*. The flare, which lasted for 5.6 ks and had a decidedly asymmetric profile with a faster decline than rise, achieved a mean absorbed 2-8 keV flux of (8.5+/-0.9)X10^{-12} erg cm^{-2} s^{-1}. The peak flux was 2.5 times higher, and the total 2-10 keV emission of the event was approximately 10^{39} erg. Only one other flare of comparable magnitude, but shorter duration, has been observed in Sgr A* by XMM-Newton in 2002 October. We perform spectral fits of this Chandra observed flare, and compare our results to the two brightest flares ever observed with XMM-Newton. We find good agreement among the fitted spectral slopes (Gamma~2) and X-ray absorbing columns (N_H~15X10^{22} cm^{-2}) for all three of these events, resolving prior differences (which are most likely due to the combined effects of pileup and spectral modeling) among Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of Sgr A* flares. We also discuss fits to the quiescent spectra of Sgr A*.
The pseudo-conformal universe is an alternative to inflation in which the early universe is described by a conformal field theory on approximately flat space-time. The fields develop time-dependent expectation values, spontaneously breaking the conformal symmetries to a de Sitter subalgebra, and fields of conformal weight zero acquire a scale invariant spectrum of perturbations. In this paper, we show that the pseudo-conformal scenario can be naturally realized within theories that would ordinarily be of interest for DBI inflation, such as the world-volume theory of a probe brane in an AdS bulk space-time. In this approach, the weight zero spectator field can be associated with a geometric flat direction in the bulk, and its scale invariance is protected by a shift symmetry.
We present a novel class of dark matter models in which the dark matter is a baryonic composite particle of a confining gauge group and also a pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson associated with the breaking of an enhanced chiral symmetry group. The approximate symmetry decouples the dark matter mass from the confinement scale of the new gauge group, leading to correct thermal relic abundances for dark matter masses far below the unitary bound, avoiding the typical conclusion of thermally produced confining dark matter. We explore the available parameter space in a minimal example model based on an SU(2) gauge group, and discuss prospects for experimental detection.
An outline of a proof of the decomposition of the linear metric perturbation into gauge-invariant and gauge-variant parts on an arbitrary background spacetime is discussed through an exlicit construction of gauge-invariant and gauge-variant parts. Although this outline is incomplete, yet, due to our assumptions, we propose a conjecture which states that the linear metric perturbation is always decomposed into its gauge-invariant and gageu-variant parts. If this conjecture is true, we can develop the higher-order gauge-invariant perturbation theory on an arbitrary background spacetime.
Determining the conditions under which a black hole can be produced is a long-standing and fundamental problem in general relativity. We use numerical simulations of colliding selfgravitating fluid objects to study the conditions of black-hole formation when the objects are boosted to ultrarelativistic speeds. Expanding on previous work, we show that the collision is characterized by a type-I critical behaviour, with a black hole being produced for masses above a critical value, M_c, and a partially bound object for masses below the critical one. More importantly, we show for the first time that the critical mass varies with the initial average Lorentz factor <\gamma> following a simple scaling of the type M_c ~ K <\gamma>^{-1.18}, thus indicating that a black hole of infinitesimal mass is produced in the limit of a diverging Lorentz factor. Exploiting this scaling with <\gamma>, we take the risk of extrapolating our results by almost 60 orders of magnitude and conjecture that the energies attainable by particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider, are not sufficient to produce micro black holes.
The possibility of existence of hyperons in the recently measured $2M_\odot$ pulsar PSRJ1614-2230 is explored using a diverse set of nuclear equations of state calculated within the relativistic mean-field models. Our results indicate that the nuclear equations of state compatible with heavy-ion data allow the hyperons to exist in the PSRJ1614-2230 only for significantly larger values for the meson-hyperon coupling strengths. The maximum mass configurations for these cases contain sizable hyperon fractions ($\sim 60%$) and yet masquared their counterpart composed of only nucleonic matter.
We discuss the event rate in DeepCore array due to neutrino flux produced by annihilations and decays of galactic dark matter. This event rate is calculated with a 10 GeV threshold energy, which is smaller than the threshold energy taken in previous works. Taking into account the background event rate due to the atmospheric neutrino flux, we evaluate the sensitivity of DeepCore array for probing dark matter annihilation cross section and decay time. The sensitivity studies include the annihilation modes $\chi\chi\to b\bar{b}, \ \tau^+ \tau^-$, \ $\mu^+\mu^-$, and $\nu\bar{\nu}$, and decay modes $\chi\to b\bar{b}, \ \tau^+ \tau^-$, \ $\mu^+\mu^-$, and $\nu\bar{\nu}$. We compare our results with corresponding constraints derived from observations of WMAP, ACT and Fermi-LAT.
You and I are highly unlikely to exist in a civilization that has produced only 70 billion people, yet we find ourselves in just such a civilization. Our circumstance, which seems difficult to explain, is easily accounted for if (1) many other civilizations exist and if (2) nearly all of these civilizations (including our own) die out sooner than usually thought, i.e., before trillions of people are produced. Because the combination of (1) and (2) make our situation likely and alternatives do not, we should drastically increase our belief that (1) and (2) are true. These results follow immediately when considering a many worlds version of the "Doomsday Argument" and are immune to the main criticism of the original Doomsday Argument.
We consider mathematical aspects of the axion electrodynamics in application to the problem of evolution of geomagnetic and terrestrial electric fields, which are coupled by relic axions born in the early Universe and (hypothetically) forming now the cold dark matter. We find axionic analogs of the Debye potentials, well-known in the standard Faraday - Maxwell electrodynamics, and discuss exact solutions to the equations of the axion electrodynamics describing the state of axionically coupled electric and magnetic fields in a spherical resonator Earth-Ionosphere. We focus on the properties of the specific electric and magnetic oscillations, which appeared as a result of the axion-photon coupling in the dark matter environment. We indicate such electric and magnetic field configurations as longitudinal electro-magnetic clusters.
Theoretical studies in gravitational wave astronomy have mostly focused on the information that can be extracted from individual detections, such as the mass of a binary system and its location in space. Here we consider how the information from multiple detections can be used to constrain astrophysical population models. This seemingly simple problem is made challenging by the high dimensionality and high degree of correlation in the parameter spaces that describe the signals, and by the complexity of the astrophysical models, which can also depend on a large number of parameters, some of which might not be directly constrained by the observations. We present a method for constraining population models using a Hierarchical Bayesian modeling approach which simultaneously infers the source parameters and population model and provides the joint probability distributions for both. We illustrate this approach by considering the constraints that can be placed on population models for galactic white dwarf binaries using a future space based gravitational wave detector. We find that a mission that is able to resolve ~5000 of the shortest period binaries will be able to constrain the population model parameters, including the chirp mass distribution and a characteristic galaxy disk radius to within a few percent. This compares favorably to existing bounds, where electromagnetic observations of stars in the galaxy constrain disk radii to within 20%.
We find first nonlinear correction to the field, produced by a static charge at rest in a background constant magnetic field. It is quadratic in the charge and purely magnetic. The third-rank polarization tensor - the nonlinear response function - is written within the local approximation of the effective action in an otherwise model- and approximation-independent way within any P-invariant nonlinear electrodynamics, QED included.
The status of the solar axion search with the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) will be presented. Recent results obtained by the use of $^3$He as a buffer gas has allowed us to extend our sensitivity to higher axion masses than our previous measurements with $^4$He. With about 1 h of data taking at each of 252 different pressure settings we have scanned the axion mass range 0.39 eV$ \le m_{a} \le $ 0.64 eV. From the absence of an excess of x rays when the magnet was pointing to the Sun we set a typical upper limit on the axion-photon coupling of g$_{a\gamma} \le 2.3\times 10^{-10}$ GeV$^{-1}$ at 95% C.L., the exact value depending on the pressure setting. CAST published results represent the best experimental limit on the photon couplings to axions and other similar exotic particles dubbed WISPs (Weakly Interacting Slim Particles) in the considered mass range and for the first time the limit enters the region favored by QCD axion models. Preliminary sensitivities for axion masses up to 1.16 eV will also be shown reaching mean upper limits on the axion-photon coupling of g$_{a\gamma} \le 3.5\times 10^{-10}$ GeV$^{-1}$ at 95% C.L. Expected sensibilities for the extension of the CAST program up to 2014 will be presented. Moreover long term options for a new helioscope experiment will be evoked.
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