38,664 research outputs found
FERMI transient J1544-0649: a flaring radio-weak BL Lac
On May 15th, 2017, the \emph{FERMI}/LAT gamma-ray telescope observed a
transient source not present in any previous high-energy catalogue: J1544-0649.
It was visible for two consecutive weeks, with a flux peak on May 21st.
Subsequently observed by a \emph{Swift}/XRT follow-up starting on May 26, the
X-ray counterpart position was coincident with the optical transient
ASASSN-17gs = AT2017egv, detected on May 25, with a potential host galaxy at
=0.171. We conducted a 4-months follow-up in radio (Effelsberg-100m) and
optical (San Pedro M\'artir, 2.1m) bands, in order to build the overall
Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) of this object. The radio data from 5 to 15
GHz confirmed the flat spectrum of the source, favoring a line of sight close
to jet axis, not showing significant variability in the explored post-burst
time-window. The Rx ratio, common indicator of radio loudness, gives a value at
the border between the radio-loud and radio-quiet AGN populations. The
Ca H\&K break value (0.290.05) is compatible with the range
expected for the long-sought intermediate population between BL Lacs and FRI
radio galaxies. An overall SED fitting from Radio to -ray band shows
properties typical of a low-power BL Lac. As a whole, these results suggest
that this transient could well be a new example of the recently discovered
class of radio-weak BL Lac, showing for the first time a flare in the
gamma/X-ray bands.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Diverse Structural Evolution at z > 1 in Cosmologically Simulated Galaxies
From mock Hubble Space Telescope images, we quantify non-parametric
statistics of galaxy morphology, thereby predicting the emergence of
relationships among stellar mass, star formation, and observed rest-frame
optical structure at 1 < z < 3. We measure automated diagnostics of galaxy
morphology in cosmological simulations of the formation of 22 central galaxies
with 9.3 < log10 M_*/M_sun < 10.7. These high-spatial-resolution zoom-in
calculations enable accurate modeling of the rest-frame UV and optical
morphology. Even with small numbers of galaxies, we find that structural
evolution is neither universal nor monotonic: galaxy interactions can trigger
either bulge or disc formation, and optically bulge-dominated galaxies at this
mass may not remain so forever. Simulated galaxies with M_* > 10^10 M_sun
contain relatively more disc-dominated light profiles than those with lower
mass, reflecting significant disc brightening in some haloes at 1 < z < 2. By
this epoch, simulated galaxies with specific star formation rates below 10^-9.7
yr^-1 are more likely than normal star-formers to have a broader mix of
structural types, especially at M_* > 10^10 M_sun. We analyze a cosmological
major merger at z ~ 1.5 and find that the newly proposed MID morphology
diagnostics trace later merger stages while G-M20 trace earlier ones. MID is
sensitive also to clumpy star-forming discs. The observability time of typical
MID-enhanced events in our simulation sample is less than 100 Myr. A larger
sample of cosmological assembly histories may be required to calibrate such
diagnostics in the face of their sensitivity to viewing angle, segmentation
algorithm, and various phenomena such as clumpy star formation and minor
mergers.Comment: 23 pages, 16 figures, MNRAS accepted versio
How Many CMEs Have Flux Ropes? Deciphering the Signatures of Shocks, Flux Ropes, and Prominences in Coronagraph Observations of CMEs
We intend to provide a comprehensive answer to the question on whether all
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) have flux rope structure. To achieve this, we
present a synthesis of the LASCO CME observations over the last sixteen years,
assisted by 3D MHD simulations of the breakout model, EUV and coronagraphic
observations from STEREO and SDO, and statistics from a revised LASCO CME
database. We argue that the bright loop often seen as the CME leading edge is
the result of pileup at the boundary of the erupting flux rope irrespective of
whether a cavity or, more generally, a 3-part CME can be identified. Based on
our previous work on white light shock detection and supported by the MHD
simulations, we identify a new type of morphology, the `two-front' morphology.
It consists of a faint front followed by diffuse emission and the bright
loop-like CME leading edge. We show that the faint front is caused by density
compression at a wave (or possibly shock) front driven by the CME. We also
present high-detailed multi-wavelength EUV observations that clarify the
relative positioning of the prominence at the bottom of a coronal cavity with
clear flux rope structure. Finally, we visually check the full LASCO CME
database for flux rope structures. In the process, we classify the events into
two clear flux rope classes (`3-part', `Loop'), jets and outflows (no clear
structure). We find that at least 40% of the observed CMEs have clear flux rope
structures. We propose a new definition for flux rope CMEs (FR-CMEs) as a
coherent magnetic, twist-carrying coronal structure with angular width of at
least 40 deg and able to reach beyond 10 Rsun which erupts on a time scale of a
few minutes to several hours. We conclude that flux ropes are a common
occurrence in CMEs and pose a challenge for future studies to identify CMEs
that are clearly not FR-CMEs.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figs, to be published in Solar Physics Topical Issue
"Flux Rope Structure of CMEs
Research on Target Detection Algorithm of Radar and Visible Image Fusion Based on Wavelet Transform
The target detection rate of unmanned surface vehicle is low because of waves, fog, background clutter and other environmental factors on the interference. Therefore, the paper studies the target detection algorithm of radar and visible image fusion based on wavelet transform. The visible image is preprocessed to ensure the detection effect. The multi-scale fractal model is used to extract the target features, and the difference between the fractal features of the target and the background is used to detect the target. The radar image is denoised by a combination of median filtering and wavelet transform. The processed visible light and radar image are fused with wavelet transform strategy. The coefficients of the low frequency sub-band are processed by the average fusion strategy. The coefficients of the high frequency sub-band are processed using a strategy with a higher absolute value. The standard deviation, the spatial frequency and the contrast resolution of the image fusion result are compared. The simulation results show that the processed image is better than the unprocessed image after the fusion
Stochastic `Beads on a String' in the Accretion Tail of Arp 285
We present Spitzer infrared, GALEX UV, and SDSS and SARA optical images of
the peculiar interacting galaxy pair Arp 285 (NGC 2856/4), and compare with a
new numerical model of the interaction. We estimate the ages of clumps of star
formation in these galaxies using population synthesis models, carefully
considering the uncertainties on these ages. This system contains a striking
example of `beads on a string': a series of star formation complexes ~1 kpc
apart. These `beads' are found in a tail-like feature that is perpendicular to
the disk of NGC 2856, which implies that it was formed from material accreted
from the companion NGC 2854. The extreme blueness of the optical/UV colors and
redness of the mid-infrared colors implies very young stellar ages (~4 - 20
Myrs) for these star forming regions. Spectral decomposition of these `beads'
shows excess emission above the modeled stellar continuum in the 3.6 micron and
4.5 micron bands, indicating either contributions from interstellar matter to
these fluxes or a second older stellar population. These clumps have -12.0 <
M(B) < -10.6, thus they are less luminous than most dwarf galaxies. Our model
suggests that bridge material falling into the potential of the companion
overshoots the companion. The gas then piles up at apo-galacticon before
falling back onto the companion, and star formation occurs in the pile-up. A
luminous (M(B) ~ -13.6) extended (FWHM ~ 1.3 kpc) `bright spot' is visible at
the northwestern edge of the NGC 2856 disk, with an intermediate stellar
population (400 - 1500 Myrs). Our model suggests that this feature is part of a
expanding ripple-like `arc' created by an off-center ring-galaxy-like collision
between the two disks.Comment: Accepted by the Astronomical Journal. For color figures and appendix
material, go
tohttp://www.etsu.edu/physics/bsmith/research/sg/arp285/arp285.htm
Hubble Space Telescope Imaging in the Chandra Deep Field South: III. Quantitative Morphology of the 1Ms Chandra Counterparts and Comparison with the Field Population
We present quantitative morphological analyses of 37 HST/WFPC2 counterparts
of X-ray sources in the 1 Ms Chandra Deep Field-South (CDFS). We investigate:
1) 1-D surface brightness profiles via isophotal ellipse fitting; 2) 2-D, PSF-
convolved, bulge+disk+nucleus profile-fitting; 3) asymmetry and concentration
indices compared with all ~3000 sources in our three WFPC2 fields; and 4) near-
neighbor analyses comparing local environments of X-ray sources versus the
field control sample. Significant nuclear point-source optical components
appear in roughly half of the resolved HST/WFPC2 counterparts, showing a narrow
range of F_X/F_{opt,nuc} consistent with the several HST-unresolved X-ray
sources (putative type-1 AGN) in our fields. We infer roughly half of the
HST/WFPC2 counterparts host unobscured AGN, which suggests no steep decline in
the type-1/type-2 ratio out to the redshifts z~0.5-1 typical of our sources.
The concentration indices of the CDFS counterparts are clearly larger on
average than those of the field distribution, at 5-sigma, suggesting that the
strong correlation between central black hole mass and host galaxy properties
(including concentration index) observed in nearby galaxies is already evident
by z~0.5-1. By contrast, the asymmetry index distribution of the 21 resolved
CDFS sources at I<23 is indistinguishable from the I<23 field. Moreover, the
frequency of I<23 near neighbors around the CDFS counterparts is not
significantly different from the field sample. These results, combined with
previous similar findings for local samples, suggest that recent merger/
interaction history is not a good indicator of AGN activity over a substantial
range of look-back time.Comment: 30 pages, incl. 8 figures; accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journa
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