Energy versus information based estimations of dissipation using a pair of magnetic colloidal particles

Using the framework of stochastic thermodynamics, we present an experimental study of a doublet of magnetic colloidal particles which is manipulated by a time-dependent magnetic field. Due to hydrodynamic interactions, each bead experiences a state-dependent friction, which we characterize using a hydrodynamic model. In this work, we compare two estimates of the dissipation in this system: the first one is energy based since it relies on the measured interaction potential, while the second one is information based since it uses only the information content of the trajectories. While the latter only offers a lower bound of the former, we find it to be simple to implement and of general applicability to more complex systems.Comment: Main text: 5 pages, 4 figures. Supplementary material: 5 pages, 5 figure

HI asymmetry in the isolated galaxy CIG 85 (UGC 1547)

We present the results from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) interferometric HI and 20 cm radio continuum observations of CIG 85, an isolated asymmetric galaxy from the AMIGA (Analysis of the Interstellar Medium of Isolated GAlaxies) sample. Despite being an isolated galaxy, CIG 85 showed an appreciable optical and HI spectral asymmetry and therefore was an excellent candidate for resolved HI studies to understand the reasons giving rise to asymmetries in isolated galaxies. The galaxy was imaged in HI and 20 cm radio continuum using the GMRT. For a detailed discussion of the results we also made use of multi-wavelength data from archival SDSS, GALEX and Halpha imaging. We find the HI in CIG 85 to have a clumpy, asymmetric distribution which in the NW part is correlated with optical tail like features, but the HI velocity field displays a relatively regular rotation pattern. Evaluating all the observational evidence, we come to a conclusion that CIG 85 is most likely a case of a disturbed spiral galaxy which now appears to have the morphology of an irregular galaxy. Although it is currently isolated from major companions, the observational evidence is consistent with HI asymmetries, a highly disturbed optical disk and recent increase in star formation having been caused by a minor merger, remnants of which are now projected in front of the optical disk. If this is correct, the companion will be fully accreted by CIG 85 in the near future.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, accepted in A&

Setting the normalcy level of HI properties in isolated galaxies

Studying the atomic gas (HI) properties of the most isolated galaxies is essential to quantify the effect that the environment exerts on this sensitive component of the interstellar medium. We observed and compiled HI data for a well defined sample of ~ 800 galaxies in the Catalog of Isolated Galaxies, as part of the AMIGA project (Analysis of the ISM in Isolated GAlaxies, http://amiga.iaa.es), which enlarges considerably previous samples used to quantify the HI deficiency in galaxies located in denser environments. By studying the shape of 182 HI profiles, we revisited the usually accepted result that, independently of the environment, more than half of the galaxies present a perturbed HI disk. In isolated galaxies this would certainly be a striking result if these are supposed to be the most relaxed systems, and has implications in the relaxation time scales of HI disks and the nature of the most frequent perturbing mechanisms in galaxies. Our sample likely exhibits the lowest HI asymmetry level in the local Universe. We found that other field samples present an excess of ~ 20% more asymmetric HI profiles than that in CIG. Still a small percentage of galaxies in our sample present large asymmetries. Follow-up high resolution VLA maps give insight into the origin of such asymmetries.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Conference 'Galaxies in Isolation: Exploring Nature vs. Nurture', Granada, 12-15 May 2009. To be published in the ASP Conference Serie

Modified Fluctuation-dissipation theorem for non-equilibrium steady-states and applications to molecular motors

We present a theoretical framework to understand a modified fluctuation-dissipation theorem valid for systems close to non-equilibrium steady-states and obeying markovian dynamics. We discuss the interpretation of this result in terms of trajectory entropy excess. The framework is illustrated on a simple pedagogical example of a molecular motor. We also derive in this context generalized Green-Kubo relations similar to the ones derived recently by Seifert., Phys. Rev. Lett., 104, 138101 (2010) for more general networks of biomolecular states.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, submitted in EP

The AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies - II. Morphological refinement

We present a complete POSS II-based refinement of the optical morphologies for galaxies in the Karatchenseva's Catalog of Isolated Galaxies that forms the basis of the AMIGA project. Comparison with independent classifications made for an SDSS overlap sample of more than 200 galaxies confirms the reliability of the early vs. late-type discrimination and the accuracy of spiral subtypes within DeltaT = 1-2. CCD images taken at the OSN were also used to solve ambiguities. 193 galaxies are flagged for the presence of nearby companions or signs of distortion likely due to interaction. This most isolated sample of galaxies in the local Universe is dominated by 2 populations: 1) 82% spirals (Sa-Sd) with the bulk being luminous systems with small bulges (63% between types Sb-Sc) and 2) a significant population of early-type E-S0 galaxies (14%). Most of the types later than Sd are low luminosity galaxies concentrated in the local supercluster where isolation is difficult to evaluate. The late-type spiral majority of the sample spans a luminosity range M_B-corr = -18 to -22 mag. Few of the E/S0 population are more luminous than -21.0 marking an absence of, an often sought, super L* merger (eg fossil elliptical) population. The rarity of high luminosity systems results in a fainter derived M* for this population compared to the spiral optical luminosity function (OLF). The E-S0 population is from 0.2 to 0.6 mag fainter depending how the sample is defined. This marks the AMIGA sample as almost unique among samples that compare early and late-type OLFs separately. In other samples, which always involve galaxies in higher density environments, M*(E/S0) is almost always 0.3-0.5 mag brighter than M*(S), presumably reflecting a stronger correlation between M* and environmental density for early-type galaxies.Comment: A&A accepted, 13 pages, 9 figures, 8 tables. Higher resolution Fig. 1 and full tables are available on the AMIGA (Analysis of the interstellar Medium of Isolated GAlaxies) website at http://www.iaa.es/AMIGA.htm

Brownian Carnot engine

The Carnot cycle imposes a fundamental upper limit to the efficiency of a macroscopic motor operating between two thermal baths. However, this bound needs to be reinterpreted at microscopic scales, where molecular bio-motors and some artificial micro-engines operate. As described by stochastic thermodynamics, energy transfers in microscopic systems are random and thermal fluctuations induce transient decreases of entropy, allowing for possible violations of the Carnot limit. Despite its potential relevance for the development of a thermodynamics of small systems, an experimental study of microscopic Carnot engines is still lacking. Here we report on an experimental realization of a Carnot engine with a single optically trapped Brownian particle as working substance. We present an exhaustive study of the energetics of the engine and analyze the fluctuations of the finite-time efficiency, showing that the Carnot bound can be surpassed for a small number of non-equilibrium cycles. As its macroscopic counterpart, the energetics of our Carnot device exhibits basic properties that one would expect to observe in any microscopic energy transducer operating with baths at different temperatures. Our results characterize the sources of irreversibility in the engine and the statistical properties of the efficiency -an insight that could inspire novel strategies in the design of efficient nano-motors.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

A photoionization model of the spatial distribution of the optical and mid-IR properties in NGC595

We present a set of photoionization models that reproduce simultaneously the observed optical and mid-infrared spatial distribution of the HII region NGC595 in the disk of M33 using the code CLOUDY. Both optical (PMAS-Integral Field Spectroscopy) and mid-infrared (8 mi and 24 mi bands from Spitzer) data provide enough spatial resolution to model in a novel approach the inner structure of the HII region. We define a set of elliptical annular regions around the central ionizing cluster with an uniformity in their observed properties and consider each annulus as an independent thin shell structure. For the first time our models fit the relative surface brightness profiles in both the optical (Halpha, [OII], [OIII]) and the mid-infrared emissions (8 mi and 24 mi), under the assumption of a uniform metallicity (12+log(O/H) = 8.45; Esteban et al. 2009) and an age for the stellar cluster of 4.5 Myr (Malumuth et al. 1996). Our models also reproduce the observed uniformity of the R23 parameter and the increase of the [OII]/[OIII] ratio due to the decrease of the ionization parameter. The variation of the Halpha profile is explained in terms of the differences of the occupied volume (the product of filling factor and total volume of the shell) in a matter-bounded geometry, which also allows to reproduce the observed pattern of the extinction. The 8 mi/24 mi ratio is low (ranging between 0.04 and 0.4) because it is dominated by the surviving of small dust grains in the HII region, while the PAHs emit more weakly because they cannot be formed in these thin HII gas shells. The ratio is also well fitted in our models by assuming a dust-to-gas ratio in each annulus compatible with the integrated estimate for the whole HII region after the 70 mi, and 160 mi Spitzer observations.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 9 pages, 17 figure

PACS and SPIRE photometer maps of M33: First results of the Herschel M33 extended survey (HERM33ES)

Within the framework of the HERM33ES key project, we are studying the star forming interstellar medium in the nearby, metal-poor spiral galaxy M33, exploiting the high resolution and sensitivity of Herschel. We use PACS and SPIRE maps at 100, 160, 250, 350, and 500 micron wavelength, to study the variation of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with galacto-centric distance. Detailed SED modeling is performed using azimuthally averaged fluxes in elliptical rings of 2 kpc width, out to 8 kpc galacto-centric distance. Simple isothermal and two-component grey body models, with fixed dust emissivity index, are fitted to the SEDs between 24 and 500 micron using also MIPS/Spitzer data, to derive first estimates of the dust physical conditions. The far-infrared and submillimeter maps reveal the branched, knotted spiral structure of M33. An underlying diffuse disk is seen in all SPIRE maps (250-500 micron). Two component fits to the SEDs agree better than isothermal models with the observed, total and radially averaged flux densities. The two component model, with beta fixed at 1.5, best fits the global and the radial SEDs. The cold dust component clearly dominates; the relative mass of the warm component is less than 0.3% for all the fits. The temperature of the warm component is not well constrained and is found to be about 60K plus/minus 10K. The temperature of the cold component drops significantly from about 24K in the inner 2 kpc radius to 13K beyond 6 kpc radial distance, for the best fitting model. The gas-to-dust ratio for beta=1.5, averaged over the galaxy, is higher than the solar value by a factor of 1.5 and is roughly in agreement with the subsolar metallicity of M33.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in the A&A Herschel Special Issu

Multiwavelength study of the star formation in the bar of NGC 2903

NGC 2903 is a nearby barred spiral with an active starburst in the center and Hii regions distributed along its bar. We aim to analyse the star formation properties in the bar region of NGC 2903 and study the links with the typical bar morphological features. A combination of space and ground-based data from the far-ultraviolet to the sub-millimeter spectral ranges is used to create a panchromatic view of the NGC 2903 bar. We produce two catalogues: one for the current star formation regions, as traced by the halpha compact emission, and a second one for the ultraviolet (UV) emitting knots, containing positions and luminosities. From them we have obtained ultraviolet colours, star formation rates, dust attenuation and halpha EWs, and their spatial distribution have been analysed. Stellar cluster ages have been estimated using stellar population synthesis models (Starburst99). NGC 2903 is a complex galaxy, with a very different morphology on each spectral band. The CO(J=1-0) and the 3.6 micron emission trace each other in a clear barred structure, while the halpha leads both components and it has an s-shape distribution. The UV emission is patchy and does not resemble a bar. The UV emission is also characterised by a number of regions located symmetrically with respect to the galaxy center, almost perpendicular to the bar, in a spiral shape covering the inner ~2.5 kpc. These regions do not show a significant halpha nor 24 micron emission. We have estimated ages for these regions ranging from 150 to 320 Myr, being older than the rest of the UV knots, which have ages lower than 10 Myr. The SFR calculated from the UV emission is ~0.4 M$_{\odot}$/yr, compatible with the SFR as derived from halpha calibrations (M$_{\odot}$/yr).Comment: Accepted for publication in A&