SMAUG: a new technique for the deprojection of galaxy clusters

This paper presents a new technique for reconstructing the spatial distributions of hydrogen, temperature and metal abundance of a galaxy cluster. These quantities are worked out from the X-ray spectrum, modeled starting from few analytical functions describing their spatial distributions. These functions depend upon some parameters, determined by fitting the model to the observed spectrum. We have implemented this technique as a new model in the XSPEC software analysis package. We describe the details of the method, and apply it to work out the structure of the cluster A1795. We combine the observation of three satellites, exploiting the high spatial resolution of Chandra for the cluster core, the wide collecting area of XMM-Newton for the intermediate regions and the large field of view of Beppo-SAX for the outer regions. We also test the validity and precision of our method by i) comparing its results with those from a geometrical deprojection, ii) examining the spectral residuals at different radii of the cluster and iii) reprojecting the unfolded profiles and comparing them directly to the measured quantities. Our analytical method yields the parameters defining the spatial functions directly from the spectra. Their explicit knowledge allows a straightforward derivation of other indirect physical quantities like the gravitating mass, as well as a fast and easy estimate of the profiles uncertainties.Comment: 24 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables; emulateapj; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Radiative cooling, heating and thermal conduction in M87

The crisis of the standard cooling flow model brought about by Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of galaxy clusters, has led to the development of several models which explore different heating processes in order to assess if they can quench the cooling flow. Among the most appealing mechanisms are thermal conduction and heating through buoyant gas deposited in the ICM by AGNs. We combine Virgo/M87 observations of three satellites (Chandra, XMM-Newton and Beppo-SAX) to inspect the dynamics of the ICM in the center of the cluster. Using the spectral deprojection technique, we derive the physical quantities describing the ICM and determine the extra-heating needed to balance the cooling flow assuming that thermal conduction operates at a fixed fraction of the Spitzer value. We assume that the extra-heating is due to buoyant gas and we fit the data using the model developed by Ruszkowski and Begelman (2002). We derive a scale radius for the model of $\sim 5$ kpc, which is comparable with the M87 AGN jet extension, and a required luminosity of the AGN of a $few \times 10^{42}$ erg s$^{-1}$, which is comparable to the observed AGN luminosity. We discuss a scenario where the buoyant bubbles are filled of relativistic particles and magnetic field responsible for the radio emission in M87. The AGN is supposed to be intermittent and to inject populations of buoyant bubbles through a succession of outbursts. We also study the X-ray cool component detected in the radio lobes and suggest that it is structured in blobs which are tied to the radio buoyant bubbles.Comment: 25 pages, 10 figures and 2 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap

On the Nature of Feedback Heating in Cooling Flow Clusters

We study the feedback between heating and cooling of the intra-cluster medium (ICM) in cooling flow (CF) galaxies and clusters. We adopt the popular view that the heating is due to an active galactic nucleus (AGN), i.e. a central black hole accreting mass and launching jets and/or winds. We propose that the feedback occurs with the entire cool inner region (r <~ 5-30 kpc), where the non-linear over-dense blobs of gas with a density contrast >~2 cool fast and are removed from the ICM before experiencing the next major AGN heating event. We term this scenario "cold-feedback". Some of these blobs cool and sink toward the central black hole, while others might form stars and cold molecular clouds. We derive the conditions under which the dense blobs formed by perturbations might cool to low temperatures (T <~ 10^4 K), and feed the black hole. The main conditions are found to be: (1) An over-dense blob must be prevented from reaching an equilibrium position in the ICM: therefore it has to cool fast, and the density profile of the ambient gas should be shallow; (2) Non-linear perturbations are required: they might have chiefly formed by previous AGN activity; (3) The cooling time of these non-linear perturbations should be short relative to few times the typical interval between successive AGN outbursts. (4) The blobs should be magnetically disconnected from their surroundings, in order not to be evaporated by thermal conduction.Comment: Replaced wiht the version accepted by the Ap

AGN effect on cooling flow dynamics

We analyzed the feedback of AGN jets on cooling flow clusters using three-dimensional AMR hydrodynamic simulations. We studied the interaction of the jet with the intracluster medium and creation of low X-ray emission cavities (Bubbles) in cluster plasma. The distribution of energy input by the jet into the system was quantified in its different forms, i.e. internal, kinetic and potential. We find that the energy associated with the bubbles, (pV + gamma pV/(gamma-1)), accounts for less than 10 percent of the jet energy.Comment: "Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Science

Is the gas in cooling-flows multi-phase?

Employing XMM-Newton EPIC data we perform a detailed comparison between different spectral models to test whether the gas in cooling-flows is multi-phase or not. Our findings all point in the same direction, namely that gas in cooling-flows does not show the wide distribution of temperatures expected from standard multi-phase models. This result has profound implications for cooling-flow models. Firstly, the large absorption column depths inferred by previous analysis of cooling-flow spectra are most likely an artifact following from the application of an incorrect spectral model to the data. Secondly, the mass deposition and mass flow are likely to be much smaller than previously thought. Last, but perhaps not least, the term "cooling-flow" cluster is probably no longer appropriate, as it describes a phenomenon of smaller entity and impact than previously thought. We propose to substitute it with that of "cool-core" cluster. The latter definition is less ambitious than the first, as it reflects only an observational fact rather than an inferred physical property, the flow, but has the undeniable advantage of being firmer.Comment: To appear in Ap

Towards co-design of rehabilitation technologies: a collaborative approach to prioritize usability issues

IntroductionEarly stakeholder engagement is critical to the successful development and translation of rehabilitation technologies, a pivotal step of which is usability testing with intended end-users. To this end, several methods employ end-user feedback to identify usability and implementation issues. However, the process of prioritizing identified issues seldom leverages the knowledge and expertise of the range of stakeholders who will ultimately affect the demand and supply of a device. This paper describes a novel method to prioritize end-user feedback using transdisciplinary stakeholder consultation and address it in subsequent product development. The proposed approach was demonstrated using a case study relating to the development of a novel technology for neural recovery after spinal cord injury.MethodFeedback from five individuals with chronic spinal cord injury was collected during two-hour usability evaluation sessions with a fully functional high-fidelity system prototype. A think-aloud and semi-structured interview protocol was used with each participant to identify usability and acceptability issues relating to the system in a 3-phase approach. Phase 1 involved extracting usability issues from think-aloud and semi-structured interview data. Phase 2 involved rating the usability issues based on their significance, technical feasibility, and implementation priority by relevant internal and external stakeholders. Finally, Phase 3 involved aggregating the usability issues according to design and implementation elements to facilitate solution generation, and these solutions were then raised as action tasks for future design iterations.ResultsSixty usability issues representing nine facets of usability were rated. Eighty percent of issues were rated to be of moderate to high significance, 83% were rated as being feasible to address, and 75% were rated as addressable using existing project resources. Fifty percent of the issues were rated to be a high priority for implementation. Evaluation of the grouped issues identified 21 tasks which were mapped to the product roadmap for integration into future design iterations.DiscussionThis paper presents a method for meaningful transdisciplinary stakeholder engagement in rehabilitation technology development that can extended to other projects. Alongside a worked example, we offer practical considerations for others seeking to co-develop rehabilitation technologies

Are Radio AGN Powered by Accretion or Black Hole Spin?

We compare accretion and black hole spin as potential energy sources for outbursts from AGN in brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). Based on our adopted spin model, we find that the distribution of AGN power estimated from X-ray cavities is consistent with a broad range of both spin parameter and accretion rate. Sufficient quantities of molecular gas are available in most BCGs to power their AGN by accretion alone. However, we find no correlation between AGN power and molecular gas mass over the range of jet power considered here. For a given AGN power, the BCG's gas mass and accretion efficiency, defined as the fraction of the available cold molecular gas that is required to power the AGN, both vary by more than two orders of magnitude. Most of the molecular gas in BCGs is apparently consumed by star formation or is driven out of the nucleus by the AGN before it reaches the nuclear black hole. Bondi accretion from hot atmospheres is generally unable to fuel powerful AGN, unless their black holes are more massive than their bulge luminosities imply. We identify several powerful AGN that reside in relatively gas-poor galaxies, indicating an unusually efficient mode of accretion, or that their AGN are powered by another mechanism. If these systems are powered primarily by black hole spin, rather than by accretion, spin must also be tapped efficiently in some systems, i.e., $P_{\rm jet} > \dot Mc^2$, or their black hole masses must be substantially larger than the values implied by their bulge luminosities. We constrain the (model dependent) accretion rate at the transition from radiatively inefficient to radiatively efficient accretion flows to be a few percent of the Eddington rate, a value that is consistent with other estimates.Comment: Accepted for Publication in ApJ, January 2011, 21 pages, 4 figures; One new data point added to figures; clarifications and minor corrections in response to referee repor

Three Wide-Separation L dwarf Companions from the Two Micron All Sky Survey: Gl 337C, Gl 618.1B, and HD 89744B

We present two confirmed wide separation L-dwarf common proper motion companions to nearby stars and one candidate identified from the Two Micron All Sky Survey. Spectral types from optical spectroscopy are L0 V, L2.5 V, and L8 V. Near-infrared low resolution spectra of the companions are provided as well as a grid of known objects spanning M6 V -- T dwarfs to support spectral type assignment for these and future L-dwarfs in the z'JHK bands. Using published measurements, we estimate ages of the companions from physical properties of the primaries. These crude ages allow us to estimate companion masses using theoretical low-mass star and brown dwarf evolutionary models. The new L-dwarfs in this paper bring the number of known wide-binary (Separation >= 100 AU) L-dwarf companions of nearby stars to nine. One of the L-dwarfs is a wide separation companion to the F7 IV-V + extrasolar planet system HD89744Ab.Comment: 20 pages including 6 tables and 4 figures, AJ, in pres

X-rays in the Orion Nebula Cluster: Constraints on the origins of magnetic activity in pre-main sequence stars

A recent Chandra/ACIS observation of the Orion Nebula Cluster detected 1075 sources (Feigelson et al. 2002), providing a uniquely large and well-defined sample to study the dependence of magnetic activity on bulk properties for stars descending the Hayashi tracks. The following results are obtained: (1) X-ray luminosities L_t in the 0.5-8 keV band are strongly correlated with bolometric luminosity with = -3.8 for stars with masses 0.7<M<2 Mo, an order of magnitude below the main sequence saturation level; (2) the X-ray emission drops rapidly below this level in some or all stars with 2<M<3 Mo; (3) the presence or absence of infrared circumstellar disks has no apparent relation to X-ray levels; and (4) X-ray luminosities exhibit a slight rise as rotational periods increase from 0.4 to 20 days. This last finding stands in dramatic contrast to the strong anticorrelation between X-rays and period seen in main sequence stars. The absence of a strong X-ray/rotation relationship in PMS stars, and particularly the high X-ray values seen in some very slowly rotating stars, is a clear indication that the mechanisms of magnetic field generation differ from those operating in main sequence stars. The most promising possibility is a turbulent dynamo distributed throughout the deep convection zone, but other models such as alpha-Omega dynamo with `supersaturation' or relic core fields are not immediately excluded. The drop in magnetic activity in intermediate-mass stars may reflect the presence of a significant radiative core. The evidence does not support X-ray production in large-scale star-disk magnetic fields.Comment: 51 pages, 8 figures. To appear in the Astrophysical Journa

HST Observations of Chromospheres in Metal Deficient Field Giants

HST high resolution spectra of metal-deficient field giants more than double the stars in previous studies, span about 3 magnitudes on the red giant branch, and sample an abundance range [Fe/H]= -1 to -3. These stars, in spite of their age and low metallicity, possess chromospheric fluxes of Mg II (2800 Angstrom) that are within a factor of 4 of Population I stars, and give signs of a dependence on the metal abundance at the lowest metallicities. The Mg II k-line widths depend on luminosity and correlate with metallicity. Line profile asymmetries reveal outflows that occur at lower luminosities (M_V = -0.8) than detected in Ca K and H-alpha lines in metal-poor giants, suggesting mass outflow occurs over a larger span of the red giant branch than previously thought, and confirming that the Mg II lines are good wind diagnostics. These results do not support a magnetically dominated chromosphere, but appear more consistent with some sort of hydrodynamic, or acoustic heating of the outer atmospheres.Comment: 36 pages, 12 figures, 7 tables, and accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa