4,760 research outputs found
Environmental Effects in Clusters: Modified Far-Infrared--Radio Relations within Virgo Cluster Galaxies
(abridged) We present a study on the effects of the intracluster medium (ICM)
on the interstellar medium (ISM) of 10 Virgo cluster spiral galaxies using {\it
Spitzer} far-infrared (FIR) and VLA radio continuum imaging. Relying on the
FIR-radio correlation within normal galaxies, we use our infrared data to
create model radio maps which we compare to the observed radio images. For 6 of
our sample galaxies we find regions along their outer edges that are highly
deficient in the radio compared with our models. We believe these observations
are the signatures of ICM ram pressure. For NGC 4522 we find the radio deficit
region to lie just exterior to a region of high radio polarization and flat
radio spectral index, although the total 20 cm radio continuum in this region
does not appear strongly enhanced. These characteristics seem consistent for
other galaxies with radio polarization data in the literature. The strength of
the radio deficit is inversely correlated with the time since peak pressure as
inferred from stellar population studies and gas stripping simulations,
suggesting the strength of the radio deficit is good indicator of the strength
of the current ram pressure. We also find that galaxies having {\it local}
radio {\it deficits} appear to have {\it enhanced global} radio fluxes. Our
preferred physical picture is that the observed radio deficit regions arise
from the ICM wind sweeping away cosmic-ray (CR) electrons and the associated
magnetic field, thereby creating synchrotron tails as observed for some of our
galaxies. We propose that CR particles are also re-accelerated by ICM-driven
shocklets behind the observed radio deficit regions which in turn enhances the
remaining radio disk brightness.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures; Astrophysical Journa
The cool wake around 4C 34.16 as seen by XMM-Newton
We present XMM-Newton observations of the wake-radiogalaxy system 4C34.16,
which shows a cool and dense wake trailing behind 4C34.16's host galaxy. A
comparison with numerical simulations is enlightening, as they demonstrate that
the wake is produced mainly by ram pressure stripping during the galactic
motion though the surrounding cluster. The mass of the wake is a substantial
fraction of the mass of an elliptical galaxy's X-ray halo. This observational
fact supports a wake formation scenario similar to the one demonstrated
numerically by Acreman et al (2003): the host galaxy of 4C34.16 has fallen into
its cluster, and is currently crossing its central regions. A substantial
fraction of its X-ray halo has been stripped by ram pressure, and remains
behind to form the galaxy wake.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
The Infrared Luminosity of Galaxy Clusters
The aim of this study is to quantify the infrared luminosity of clusters as a
function of redshift and compare this with the X-ray luminosity. This can
potentially constrain the origin of the infrared emission to be intracluster
dust and/or dust heated by star formation in the cluster galaxies. We perform a
statistical analysis of a large sample of galaxy clusters selected from
existing databases and catalogues.We coadd the infrared IRAS and X-ray RASS
images in the direction of the selected clusters within successive redshift
intervals up to z = 1. We find that the total infrared luminosity is very high
and on average 20 times higher than the X-ray luminosity. If all the infrared
luminosity is to be attributed to emission from diffuse intracluster dust, then
the IR to X-ray ratio implies a dust-to-gas mass abundance of 5e-4. However,
the infrared luminosity shows a strong enhancement for 0.1 < z < 1, which
cannot be attributed to cluster selection effects. We show that this
enhancement is compatible with a star formation rate in the member galaxies
that is typical of the central Mpc of the Coma cluster at z = 0 and evolves
with the redshift as (1+z)^5. It is likely that most of the infrared luminosity
that we measure is generated by the ongoing star formation in the member
galaxies. From theoretical predictions calibrated on extinction measurements
(dust mass abundance equal to 1e-5), we expect only a minor contribution, of a
few percent, from intracluster dust.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted july 31st 2008 for publication in
Astronomy and Astrophysics, language improved for this versio
Two-Phased Intra-Cluster Medium in the Centaurus Cluster of Galaxies
ASCA and ROSAT data of the Centaurus cluster were analyzed. A central excess
in the radial brightness profile is found in the hard energy band up to 10keV.
This requires a deeper central potential than a King-type one. A double-beta
brightness distribution gives a good account of the data. A deprojected energy
spectrum within a spherical region of radius 30 kpc at the cluster center
indicates that the ICM cannot be isothermal there. Simultaneous fitting of the
three (PSPC, GIS, and SIS) energy spectra extracted from the central 3' region
showed that a two-temperature model that has temperatures of 1.4keV and 4.4keV
and a common metallicity of 1.0 solar with the Galactic absorption gives the
best description to the spectra. A cooling-flow spectral model did not give
satisfactory fit. A 3-dimensional cluster model incorporating the two-phase
picture, the double-beta brightness distribution, and the central metallicity
increase reproduced the overall ASCA and ROSAT data successfully. The derived
spatial distribution of the dark matter deviates from a King-type profile
exhibiting a central excess, which is consistent with the Navvaro-Frenk-White
model. The iron is revealed to be more widely spread than stars, which may have
been caused by energetic supernovae and the motion of the cD galaxy. Since the
derived characteristics of the cool phase including the temperature, angular
extent, gas mass, and metallicity, are on a smooth extension of those of
inter-stellar medium (ISM) of elliptical galaxies, the cool phase can be
regarded as the ISM associated with the cD galaxy. The cool-phase X-ray
emission is presumably sustained by energies dissipated by infalling mass to
the cD galaxy in the course of cluster evolution.Comment: accepted for publication in Ap
The elemental abundances in the intracluster medium as observed with XMM-Newton
XMM-Newton observations of 19 galaxy clusters are used to measure the
elemental abundances and their spatial distributions in the intracluster
medium. The sample mainly consists of X-ray bright and relaxed clusters with a
cD galaxy. Along with detailed Si, S and Fe radial abundance distributions
within 300-700 kpc in radius, the O abundances are accurately derived in the
central region of the clusters. The Fe abundance maxima towards the cluster
center, possibly due to the metals from the cD galaxy,are spatially resolved.
The Si and S abundances also exhibit central increases in general, resulting in
uniform Fe-Si-S ratios within the cluster. In contrast, the O abundances are in
general uniform over the cluster. The mean O to Fe ratio within the cluster
core is sub-solar, while that of the cluster scale is larger than the solar
ratio. These measurements indicate that most of the Fe-Si-S and O in the
intracluster medium have different origins, presumably in supernovae Ia and II,
respectively. The obtained Fe and O mass are also used to discuss the past star
formation history in clusters.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Three-Dimensional Simulations of Bi-Directed Magnetohydrodynamic Jets Interacting with Cluster Environments
We report on a series of three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of
active galactic nucleus (AGN) jet propagation in realistic models of magnetized
galaxy clusters. We are primarily interested in the details of energy transfer
between jets and the intracluster medium (ICM) to help clarify what role such
flows could have in the reheating of cluster cores. Our simulated jets feature
a range of intermittency behaviors, including intermittent jets that
periodically switch on and off and one model jet that shuts down completely,
naturally creating a relic plume. The ICM into which these jets propagate
incorporates tangled magnetic field geometries and density substructure
designed to mimic some likely features of real galaxy clusters. We find that
our jets are characteristically at least 60% efficient at transferring thermal
energy to the ICM. Irreversible heat energy is not uniformly distributed,
however, instead residing preferentially in regions very near the jet/cocoon
boundaries. While intermittency affects the details of how, when, and where
this energy is deposited, all of our models generically fail to heat the
cluster cores uniformly. Both the detailed density structure and nominally weak
magnetic fields in the ICM play interesting roles in perturbing the flows,
particularly when the jets are non-steady. Still, this perturbation is never
sufficient to isotropize the jet energy deposition, suggesting that some other
ingredient is required for AGN jets to successfully reheat cluster cores.Comment: 19 pages, 18 figures, Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Structure and Turbulence in Simulated Galaxy Clusters and the Implications for the Formation of Radio Halos
We track the histories of massive clusters of galaxies formed within a
cosmological hydrodynamic simulation. Specifically, we track the time evolution
of the energy in random bulk motions of the intracluster medium and X-ray
measures of cluster structure and their relationship to cluster mergers. We aim
to assess the viability of the turbulent re-acceleration model for the
generation of giant radio halos by comparing the level of turbulent kinetic
energy in simulated clusters with the observed properties of radio halo
clusters, giving particular attention to the association of radio halos to
clusters with disturbedX-ray structures. The evolution of X-ray cluster
structure and turbulence kinetic energy, k, in simulations can then inform us
about the expected lifetime of radio halos and the fraction of clusters as a
function of redshift expected to host them. We find strong statistical
correlation of disturbed structure measures and the presence of enhancements in
k. Specifically, quantitatively "disturbed", radio halo-like X-ray morphology
in our sample indicates a 92% chance of the cluster in question having k
elevated to more than twice its minimum value over the cluster's life. The
typical lifetime of episodes of elevated turbulence is on the order of 1 Gyr,
though these periods can last 5 Gyrs or more. This variation reflects the wide
range of cluster histories; while some clusters undergo complex and repeated
mergers spending a majority of their time in elevated k states, other clusters
are relaxed over nearly their entire history. We do not find a bimodal
relationship between cluster X-ray luminosity and the total energy in
turbulence that might account directly for a bimodal L_X-P_{1.4 GHz} relation.
However, our result may be consistent with the observed bimodality, as here we
are not including a full treatment of cosmic rays sources and magnetic fields.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, MNRAS Submitte
The 3D model control of image processing
Telerobotics studies remote control of distant robots by a human operator using supervisory or direct control. Even if the robot manipulators has vision or other senses, problems arise involving control, communications, and delay. The communication delays that may be expected with telerobots working in space stations while being controlled from an Earth lab have led to a number of experiments attempting to circumvent the problem. This delay in communication is a main motivating factor in moving from well understood instantaneous hands-on manual control to less well understood supervisory control; the ultimate step would be the realization of a fully autonomous robot. The 3-D model control plays a crucial role in resolving many conflicting image processing problems that are inherent in resolving in the bottom-up approach of most current machine vision processes. The 3-D model control approach is also capable of providing the necessary visual feedback information for both the control algorithms and for the human operator
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