310 research outputs found
Lunar impact flashes from Geminids, analysis of luminous efficiencies and the flux of large meteoroids on Earth
We analyze lunar impact flashes recorded by our team during runs in December
2007, 2011, 2013 and 2014. In total, 12 impact flashes with magnitudes ranging
between 7.1 and 9.3 in V band were identified. From these, 9 events could be
linked to the Geminid stream. Using these observations the ratio of luminous
energy emitted in the flashes with respect to the kinetic energy of the
impactors for meteoroids of the Geminid stream is estimated. By making use of
the known Geminids meteoroid flux on Earth we found this ratio to be
2.1x10 on average. We compare this luminous efficiency with other
estimations derived in the past for other meteoroid streams and also compare it
with other estimations that we present here for the first time by making use of
crater diameter measurements. We think that the luminous efficiency has to be
revised downward, not upward, at least for sporadic impacts. This implies an
increase in the influx of kilogram-sized and larger bodies on Earth that has
been derived thus far through the lunar impact flash monitoring technique
Sonic hedgehog specifies flight feather positional information in avian wings
Classical tissue recombination experiments performed in the chick embryo provide evidence that signals operating during early limb development specify the position and identity of feathers. Here, we show that Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signalling in the embryonic chick wing bud specifies positional information required for the formation of adult flight feathers in a defined spatial and temporal sequence that reflects their different identities. We also reveal that Shh signalling is interpreted into specific patterns of Sim1 and Zic transcription factor expression, providing evidence of a putative gene regulatory network operating in flight feather patterning. Our data suggest that flight feather specification involved the co-option of the pre-existing digit patterning mechanism and therefore uncovers an embryonic process that played a fundamental step in the evolution of avian flight
CAFE: Calar Alto Fiber-fed Echelle spectrograph
We present here CAFE, the Calar Alto Fiber-fed Echelle spectrograph, a new
instrument built at the Centro Astronomico Hispano Alem\'an (CAHA). CAFE is a
single fiber, high-resolution (70000) spectrograph, covering the
wavelength range between 3650-9800\AA. It was built on the basis of the common
design for Echelle spectrographs. Its main aim is to measure radial velocities
of stellar objects up to 13-14 mag with a precision as good as a few
tens of . To achieve this goal the design was simplified at maximum,
removing all possible movable components, the central wavelength is fixed, so
the wavelentgth coverage; no filter wheel, one slit and so on, with a
particular care taken in the thermal and mechanical stability. The instrument
is fully operational and publically accessible at the 2.2m telescope of the
Calar Alto Observatory.
In this article we describe (i) the design, summarizing its manufacturing
phase; (ii) characterize the main properties of the instrument; (iii) describe
the reduction pipeline; and (iv) show the results from the first light and
commissioning runs. The preliminar results indicate that the instrument fulfill
the specifications and it can achieve the foreseen goals. In particular, they
show that the instrument is more efficient than anticipated, reaching a
20 for a stellar object as faint as 14.5 mag in 2700s
integration time. The instrument is a wonderful machine for exoplanetary
research (by studying large samples of possible systems cotaining massive
planets), galactic dynamics (high precise radial velocities in moving groups or
stellar associations) or astrochemistry.Comment: 12 pages, 23 figures; Acepted for publishing in A&A, 201
Characterisation of night-time outdoor lighting in urban centres using cluster analysis of remotely sensed light emissions
Evidence of the negative impact of light pollution on ecosystems is
increasing every year. Its monitoring and study requires the identification,
characterisation and control of the emitting sources. This is the case of urban
centres with outdoor lighting that spills light outside the place it is
intended to illuminate. The quantity and nature of the pollutant (artificial
light at night) depends on the lamps used and how they are positioned. This is
important because a greater proportion of blue light means a greater scattering
effect. In this study, we analysed the emissions of 100 urban centres in the
north of Granada province (Spain), using International Space Station (ISS)
images from 2012 and 2021, in order to compare the results with public lighting
inventories and verify the validity of these data for characterising night-time
lighting emissions. Using inference and cluster analysis techniques, we
confirmed an overall increase in emissions and a shift in their colour towards
blue, consistent with the results of the lighting inventory analysis. We
concluded that it is possible to use ISS imagery to characterise artificial
light emissions and the lighting that causes them, none the less there are a
number of inherent problems with the data and the way it was collected that
require the results to be interpreted with caution
Constraints on a second planet in the WASP-3 system
There have been previous hints that the transiting planet WASP-3 b is
accompanied by a second planet in a nearby orbit, based on small deviations
from strict periodicity of the observed transits. Here we present 17 precise
radial velocity measurements and 32 transit light curves that were acquired
between 2009 and 2011. These data were used to refine the parameters of the
host star and transiting planet. This has resulted in reduced uncertainties for
the radii and masses of the star and planet. The radial-velocity data and the
transit times show no evidence for an additional planet in the system.
Therefore, we have determined the upper limit on the mass of any hypothetical
second planet, as a function of its orbital period.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa
The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs: Radial-velocity variations of active stars in visual-channel spectra
Previous simulations predicted the activity-induced radial-velocity (RV)
variations of M dwarfs to range from cm/s to km/s, depending on
various stellar and activity parameters. We investigate the observed relations
between RVs, stellar activity, and stellar parameters of M dwarfs by analyzing
CARMENES high-resolution visual-channel spectra (m), which were
taken within the CARMENES RV planet survey during its first months of
operation. During this time, of the CARMENES-sample stars were observed
at least five times. From each spectrum we derived a relative RV and a measure
of chromospheric H emission. In addition, we estimated the chromatic
index (CRX) of each spectrum, which is a measure of the RV wavelength
dependence. Despite having a median number of only measurements per star,
we show that the RV variations of the stars with RV scatter of m/s and a
projected rotation velocity km/s are caused mainly by activity.
We name these stars `active RV-loud stars' and find their occurrence to
increase with spectral type: from for early-type M dwarfs
(MV) through for mid-type M dwarfs (MV) to
for late-type M dwarfs (MV). Their RV-scatter amplitude is
found to be correlated mainly with . For about half of the stars, we
also find a linear RVCRX anticorrelation, which indicates that their
activity-induced RV scatter is lower at longer wavelengths. For most of them we
can exclude a linear correlation between RV and H emission. Our results
are in agreement with simulated activity-induced RV variations in M dwarfs. The
RV variations of most active RV-loud M dwarfs are likely to be caused by dark
spots on their surfaces, which move in and out of view as the stars rotate.Comment: A&A accepte
High Levels of Genetic Divergence Detected in Sacramento Perch Suggests Two Divergent Translocation Sources
Translocation has been used to conserve imperiled fishes and create new fisheries. One species for which translocation has played a significant role is the Sacramento Perch Archoplites interruptus. Extirpated from its native range, the Sacramento Perch has been introduced throughout California and Nevada through multiple translocation events, though historical records are incomplete. Recent assessments of eight previously uncharacterized Sacramento Perch populations have prompted reevaluation of range-wide population structure to inform a genetic management plan for long-term resiliency of this species. We examined Sacramento Perch genetic diversity and population structure across the current range of the species using 12 microsatellite markers. We analyzed samples from the eight uncharacterized populations and seven populations previously studied by Schwartz and May (2008). Bayesian clustering supported two distinct clusters of Sacramento Perch herein designated as A and B. Within these two clusters we detected hierarchical substructure, likely due to genetic drift after population founding. Genetic differentiation among populations within the same cluster was relatively low (FST = 0.023–0.176), while differentiation among populations from different clusters was higher (FST = 0.190–0.320). The existence of two strongly divergent genetic clusters in Sacramento Perch suggests two distinct translocation sources, and we recommend that these clusters be treated as genetic management units (GMUs). The B GMU populations had fairly low levels of genetic diversity relative to the A GMU populations. All populations showed evidence of past bottlenecks, and most had effective population sizes placing them at risk for inbreeding depression. Human-facilitated gene flow is recommended to prevent further genetic diversity loss. Due to uncertainty surrounding Sacramento Perch translocation history and strong levels of divergence between the two GMUs, translocations should be facilitated only between populations within the same GMU
Coherent oscillations of electrons in tunnel-coupled wells under ultrafast intersubband excitation
Ultrafast intersubband excitation of electrons in tunnell-coupled wells is
studied depending on the structure parameters, the duration of the infrared
pump and the detuning frequency. The temporal dependencies of the photoinduced
concentration and dipole moment are obtained for two cases of transitions: from
the single ground state to the tunnel-coupled excited states and from the
tunnel-coupled states to the single excited state. The peculiarities of
dephasing and population relaxation processes are also taken into account. The
nonlinear regime of the response is also considered when the splitting energy
between the tunnel-coupled levels is renormalized by the photoexcited electron
concentration. The dependencies of the period and the amplitude of oscillations
on the excitation pulse are presented with a description of the nonlinear
oscillations damping.Comment: 8 pages, 12 figure
- …