752 research outputs found
Evidence for a meteoritic origin of the September 15, 2007, Carancas crater
On September 15th, 2007, around 11:45 local time in Peru, near the Bolivian border, the
atmospheric entry of a meteoroid produced bright lights in the sky and intense detonations. Soon after,
a crater was discovered south of Lake Titicaca. These events have been detected by the Bolivian
seismic network and two infrasound arrays operating for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
Organization, situated at about 80 and 1620 km from the crater. The localization and origin time
computed with the seismic records are consistent with the reported impact. The entry elevation and
azimuthal angles of the trajectory are estimated from the observed signal time sequences and backazimuths.
From the crater diameter and the airwave amplitudes, the kinetic energy, mass and
explosive energy are calculated. Using the estimated velocity of the meteoroid and similarity criteria
between orbital elements, an association with possible parent asteroids is attempted. The favorable
setting of this event provides a unique opportunity to evaluate physical and kinematic parameters of
the object that generated the first actual terrestrial meteorite impact seismically recorded
Stellar Content from high resolution galactic spectra via Maximum A Posteriori
This paper describes STECMAP (STEllar Content via Maximum A Posteriori), a
flexible, non-parametric inversion method for the interpretation of the
integrated light spectra of galaxies, based on synthetic spectra of single
stellar populations (SSPs). We focus on the recovery of a galaxy's star
formation history and stellar age-metallicity relation. We use the high
resolution SSPs produced by PEGASE-HR to quantify the informational content of
the wavelength range 4000 - 6800 Angstroms.
A detailed investigation of the properties of the corresponding simplified
linear problem is performed using singular value decomposition. It turns out to
be a powerful tool for explaining and predicting the behaviour of the
inversion. We provide means of quantifying the fundamental limitations of the
problem considering the intrinsic properties of the SSPs in the spectral range
of interest, as well as the noise in these models and in the data.
We performed a systematic simulation campaign and found that, when the time
elapsed between two bursts of star formation is larger than 0.8 dex, the
properties of each episode can be constrained with a precision of 0.04 dex in
age and 0.02 dex in metallicity from high quality data (R=10 000,
signal-to-noise ratio SNR=100 per pixel), not taking model errors into account.
The described methods and error estimates will be useful in the design and in
the analysis of extragalactic spectroscopic surveys.Comment: 31 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Galaxy merger histories and the role of merging in driving star formation at z>1
This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.We use Horizon-AGN, a hydrodynamical cosmological simulation, to explore the role of mergers in the evolution of massive (M > 10^10 MSun) galaxies around the epoch of peak cosmic star formation (1zR(4:1 3 are 'blue' (i.e. have significant associated star formation), the proportion of 'red' mergers increases rapidly at ztodays stellar mass was formed.Peer reviewe
Assimilation of atmospheric infrasound data to constrain tropospheric and stratospheric winds
This data assimilation study exploits infrasound from explosions to probe an atmospheric wind component from the ground up to stratospheric altitudes. Planned explosions of old ammunition in Finland generate transient infrasound waves that travel through the atmosphere. These waves are partially reflected back towards the ground from stratospheric levels, and are detected at a receiver station located in northern Norway at 178 km almost due North from the explosion site. The difference between the true horizontal direction towards the source and the backazimuth direction(the horizontal direction of arrival) of the incoming infrasound wave-fronts, in combination with the pulse propagation time, are exploited to provide an estimate of the average cross-wind component in the penetrated atmosphere. We perform offline assimilation experiments with an ensemble Kalman filter and these observations, using the ERA5 ensemble reanalysis atmospheric product as background(prior) for the wind at different vertical levels. We demonstrate that information from both source scan be combined to obtain analysis (posterior) estimates of cross-winds at different vertical levels of the atmospheric slice between the explosion site and the recording station. The assimilation makes greatest impact at the 12â60 km levels, with some changes with respect to the prior of the order of 0.1â1.0 m/s, which is a magnitude larger than the typical standard deviation of the ERA5 background. The reduction of background variance in the higher levels often reached 2â5%. This is the first published study demonstrating techniques to implement assimilation of infrasound data into atmospheric models. It paves the way for further exploration in the use of infrasound observationsâ especially natural and continuous sources â to probe the middle atmospheric dynamics and to assimilate these data into atmospheric model products
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Meteorological source variability in atmospheric gravity wave parameters derived from a tropical infrasound station
Gravity waves are an important part of the momentum budget of the atmosphere. Despite this, parameterizations of gravity wave spectra in atmospheric models are poorly constrained. Gravity waves are formed by jet streams, flow over topography and convection, all of which produce pressure perturbations as they propagate over the Earthâs surface, detectable by microbarometer arrays used for sensing infrasound. In this study, observations of gravity waves between 2007 and 2011 at an infrasound station in the Ivory Coast, West Africa are combined with meteorological data to calculate parameters such as intrinsic phase speed and wavenumber. Through spectral analysis, the seasonal and daily variations in all gravity wave parameters are examined. The gravity wave back azimuth varies with the migration of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, a region of intense convection, supporting previous studies. Daily variations in gravity wave arrivals at the station can be linked to two distinct convective cycles over the land and ocean. This was achieved by combining the gravity wave parameters with lightning strikes detected by the Met Officeâs Arrival Time Difference lightning detection system. Noise generated by turbulence in the middle of the day was found to attenuate smaller pressure amplitude gravity waves, artificially amplifying the daily variations in some gravity wave parameters. Detection of daily and seasonal variations in gravity wave parameters has the potential be used to improve the representation of gravity wave spectra in atmospheric models
STEllar Content and Kinematics from high resolution galactic spectra via Maximum A Posteriori
We introduce STECKMAP (STEllar Content and Kinematics via Maximum A
Posteriori), a method to recover the kinematical properties of a galaxy
simultaneously with its stellar content from integrated light spectra. It is an
extension of STECMAP (astro-ph/0505209) to the general case where the velocity
distribution of the underlying stars is also unknown.
%and can be used as is for the analysis of large sets of data. The
reconstructions of the stellar age distribution, the age-metallicity relation,
and the Line-Of-Sight Velocity Distribution (LOSVD) are all non-parametric,
i.e. no specific shape is assumed. The only a propri we use are positivity and
the requirement that the solution is smooth enough. The smoothness parameter
can be set by GCV according to the level of noise in the data in order to avoid
overinterpretation. We use single stellar populations (SSP) from PEGASE-HR
(R=10000, lambda lambda = 4000-6800 Angstrom, Le Borgne et al. 2004) to test
the method through realistic simulations. Non-Gaussianities in LOSVDs are
reliably recovered with SNR as low as 20 per 0.2 Angstrom pixel. It turns out
that the recovery of the stellar content is not degraded by the simultaneous
recovery of the kinematic distribution, so that the resolution in age and error
estimates given in Ocvirk et al. 2005 remain appropriate when used with
STECKMAP. We also explore the case of age-dependent kinematics (i.e. when each
stellar component has its own LOSVD). We separate the bulge and disk components
of an idealized simplified spiral galaxy in integrated light from high quality
pseudo data (SNR=100 per pixel, R=10000), and constrain the kinematics (mean
projected velocity, projected velocity dispersion) and age of both components.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Yield scaling, size hierarchy and fluctuations of observables in fragmentation of excited heavy nuclei
Multifragmentation properties measured with INDRA are studied for single
sources produced in Xe+Sn reactions in the incident energy range 32-50 A MeV
and quasiprojectiles from Au+Au collisions at 80 A MeV. A comparison for both
types of sources is presented concerning Fisher scaling, Zipf law, fragment
size and fluctuation observables. A Fisher scaling is observed for all the
data. The pseudo-critical energies extracted from the Fisher scaling are
consistent between Xe+Sn central collisions and Au quasi-projectiles. In the
latter case it also corresponds to the energy region at which fluctuations are
maximal. The critical energies deduced from the Zipf analysis are higher than
those from the Fisher analysis.Comment: 30 pages, accepted for publication in Nuclear Physics A, references
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Hyperactivity in the Gunn rat model of neonatal jaundice: age-related attenuation and emergence of gait deficits
Background
Neonatal jaundice resulting from elevated unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) occurs in 60â80% of newborn infants. Although mild jaundice is generally considered harmless, little is known about its long-term consequences. Recent studies have linked mild bilirubin-induced neurological dysfunction (BIND) with a range of neurological syndromes, including attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. The goal of this study was to measure BIND across the lifespan in the Gunn rat model of BIND.
Methods
Using a sensitive force plate actometer, we measured locomotor activity and gait in jaundiced (jj) Gunn rats versus their non-jaundiced (Nj) littermates. Data were analyzed for young adult (3â4 months), early middle-aged (9â10 months), and late middle-aged (17â20 months) male rats.
Results
jj rats exhibited lower body weights at all ages and a hyperactivity that resolved at 17â20 months of age. Increased propulsive force and gait velocity accompanied hyperactivity during locomotor bouts at 9â10 months in jj rats. Stride length did not differ between the two groups at this age. Hyperactivity normalized and gait deficits, including decreased stride length, propulsive force, and gait velocity, emerged in the 17â20-month-old jj rats.
Conclusions
These results demonstrate that, in aging, hyperactivity decreases with the onset of gait deficits in the Gunn rat model of BIND
Using dense seismo-acoustic network to provide timely warning of the 2019 paroxysmal Stromboli eruptions
Stromboli Volcano is well known for its persistent explosive activity. On July 3rd and August 28th 2019, two paroxysmal explosions occurred, generating an eruptive column that quickly rose up to 5Â km above sea level. Both events were detected by advanced local monitoring networks operated by Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) and Laboratorio di Geofisica Sperimentale of the University of Firenze (LGS-UNIFI). Signals were also recorded by the Italian national seismic network at a range of hundreds of kilometres and by infrasonic arrays up to distances of 3700Â km. Using state-of-the-art propagation modeling, we identify the various seismic and infrasound phases that are used for precise timing of the eruptions. We highlight the advantage of dense regional seismo-acoustic networks to enhance volcanic signal detection in poorly monitored regions, to provide timely warning of eruptions and reliable source amplitude estimate to Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAAC)
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