1,573 research outputs found
Handicapped car lifting seat
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2005.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references.Currently there is a lack of assistance in automobile usage for the older people of our society. In an attempt to combat this problem, this thesis designs and builds a working conceptual model of a handicapped car lifting seat. An initial cost analysis is performed, an apparatus is designed, all necessary materials are gathered, an apparatus is constructed, and the device is tested. The result was the successful completion of a device that successfully assists in the lifting of up to a 300 lb. person out of their car. With some further development, this handicapped car lifting seat could hopefully be used in real life.by Sean A. Schoenmakers.S.B
Modeling Non-Circular Motions in Disk Galaxies: Application to NGC 2976
We present a new procedure to fit non-axisymmetric flow patterns to 2-D
velocity maps of spiral galaxies. We concentrate on flows caused by bar-like or
oval distortions to the total potential that may arise either from a
non-axially symmetric halo or a bar in the luminous disk. We apply our method
to high-quality CO and Halpha data for the nearby, low-mass spiral NGC 2976
previously obtained by Simon et al., and find that a bar-like model fits the
data at least as well as their model with large radial flows. We find
supporting evidence for the existence of a bar in the baryonic disk. Our model
suggests that the azimuthally averaged central attraction in the inner part of
this galaxy is larger than estimated by these authors. It is likely that the
disk is also more massive, which will limit the increase to the allowed dark
halo density. Allowance for bar-like distortions in other galaxies may either
increase or decrease the estimated central attraction.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ. v2: minor
changes to match proofs. For version with high-resolution figures, see
http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~spekkens/papers/noncirc.pd
The radio source B 1834+620: A double-double radio galaxy with interesting properties
We present a study of the peculiar radio galaxy B 1834+620. It is
characterised by the presence of a 420-kpc large edge-brightened radio source
which is situated within, and well aligned with, a larger (1.66 Mpc) radio
source. Both sources apparently originate in the same host galaxy, which has a
R_s-magnitude of 19.7 and a redshift of 0.5194, as determined from the strong
emission-lines in the spectrum. We have determined the rotation measures
towards this source, as well as the radio spectral energy distribution of its
components. The radio spectrum of the large outer source is steeper than that
of the smaller inner source. The radio core has a spectrum that peaks at a
frequency of a few GHz. The rotation measures towards the four main components
are quite similar, within rad m of 58 rad m. They are
probably largely galactic in origin. We have used the presence of a bright
hotspot in the northern outer lobe to constrain the advance velocity of the
inner radio lobes to the range between 0.19c and 0.29c, depending on the
orientation of the source. This corresponds to an age of this structure in the
range between 2.6 and 5.8 Myr. We estimate a density of the ambient medium of
the inner lobes of \la 1.6 \times 10^{-30} gr\,cm (particle density
\la 8 \times 10^{-7} cm). A low ambient density is further supported
by the discrepancy between the large optical emission-line luminosity of the
host galaxy and the relatively low radio power of the inner lobes.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
Three episodes of jet activity in the FRII radio galaxy B0925+420
We present Very Large Array images of a "Double-Double Radio Galaxy", a class
of objects in which two pairs of lobes are aligned either side of the nucleus.
In this object, B0925+420, we discover a third pair of lobes, close to the core
and again in alignment with the other lobes. This first-known "Triple-Double"
object strongly increases the likelihood that these lobes represent mutiple
episodes of jet activity, as opposed to knots in an underlying jet. We model
the lobes in terms of their dynamical evolution. We find that the inner pair of
lobes is consistent with the outer pair having been displaced buoyantly by the
ambient medium. The middle pair of lobes is more problematic - to the extent
where an alternative model interpreting the middle and inner "lobes" as
additional bow shocks within the outer lobes may be more appropriate - and we
discuss the implications of this on our understanding of the density of the
ambient medium.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Figure 2 is best viewed in colou
Double-double radio galaxies: further insights into the formation of the radio structures
Double-double radio galaxies (DDRGs) offer a unique opportunity for us to
study multiple episodes of jet activity in large-scale radio sources. We use
radio data from the Very Large Array and the literature to model two DDRGs,
B1450+333 and B1834+620, in terms of their dynamical evolution. We find that
the standard Fanaroff-Riley II model is able to explain the properties of the
two outer lobes of each source, whereby the lobes are formed by ram-pressure
balance of a shock at the end of the jet with the surrounding medium. The inner
pairs of lobes, however, are not well-described by the standard model. Instead
we interpret the inner lobes as arising from the emission of relativistic
electrons within the outer lobes, which are compressed and re-accelerated by
the bow-shock in front of the restarted jets and within the outer lobes. The
predicted rapid progression of the inner lobes through the outer lobes requires
the eventual development of a hotspot at the edge of the outer lobe, causing
the DDRG ultimately to resemble a standard Fanaroff-Riley II radio galaxy. This
may suggest that DDRGs are a brief, yet normal, phase of the evolution of
large-scale radio galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 17 pages; 15 figures, 2 of which
are in colou
A Complete Sample of Megaparsec Size Double Radio Sources from SUMSS
We present a complete sample of megaparsec-size double radio sources compiled
from the Sydney University Molonglo Sky Survey (SUMSS). Almost complete
redshift information has been obtained for the sample. The sample has the
following defining criteria: Galactic latitude |b| > 12.5 deg, declination <
-50 deg and angular size > 5 arcmin. All the sources have projected linear size
larger than 0.7 Mpc (assuming H_o = 71 km/s/Mpc). The sample is chosen from a
region of the sky covering 2100 square degrees. In this paper, we present
843-MHz radio images of the extended radio morphologies made using the Molonglo
Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST), higher resolution radio observations of
any compact radio structures using the Australia Telescope Compact Array
(ATCA), and low resolution optical spectra of the host galaxies from the 2.3-m
Australian National University (ANU) telescope at Siding Spring Observatory.
The sample presented here is the first in the southern hemisphere and
significantly enhances the database of known giant radio sources. The giant
radio sources with linear size exceeding 0.7 Mpc have an abundance of (215
Mpc)^(-3) at the sensitivity of the survey. In the low redshift universe, the
survey may be suggesting the possibility that giant radio sources with relict
lobes are more numerous than giant sources in which beams from the centre
currently energize the lobes.Comment: 67 pages, 29 figures, for full resolution figures see
http://www.astrop.physics.usyd.edu.au/SUMSS/PAPERS/Submit-May11-ms.pd
A study of the environments of large radio galaxies using SDSS
The distributions of galaxies in the environments of 16 large radio sources
have been examined using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. In the giant radio
galaxy J1552+2005 (3C326) which has the highest arm-length ratio, the shorter
arm is found to interact with a group of galaxies which forms part of a
filamentary structure. Although most large sources occur in regions of low
galaxy density, the shorter arm is brighter in most cases suggesting
asymmetries in the intergalactic medium which may not be apparent in the
distribution of galaxies. In two cases with strong and variable cores,
J0313+4120 and J1147+3501, the large flux density asymmetries are possibly also
caused by the effects of relativistic motion.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
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