2,012 research outputs found
Anatomy of helical relativistic jets: The case of S5 0836+710
Helical structures are common in extragalactic jets. They are usually
attributed in the literature to periodical phenomena in the source (e.g.,
precession). In this work, we use VLBI data of the radio-jet in the quasar S5
0836+710 and hypothesize that the ridge-line of helical jets like this
corresponds to a pressure maximum in the jet and assume that the helically
twisted pressure maximum is the result of a helical wave pattern. For our
study, we use observations of the jet in S5 0836+710 at different frequencies
and epochs. The results show that the structures observed are physical and not
generated artificially by the observing arrays. Our hypothesis that the
observed intensity ridge-line can correspond to a helically twisted pressure
maximum is confirmed by our observational tests. This interpretation allows us
to explain jet misalignment between parsec and kiloparsec scales when the
viewing angle is small, and also brings us to the conclusion that
high-frequency observations may show only a small region of the jet flow
concentrated around the maximum pressure ridge-line observed at low
frequencies. Our work provides a potential explanation for the apparent
transversal superluminal speeds observed in several extragalactic jets by means
of transversal shift of an apparent core position with time.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Future prospects for the 137 Cs technique for estimating soil erosion and sedimentation rates
Over the past five years the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has sponsored the implementation of two projects dealing with the application of the 137Cs technique in soil erosion and sedimentation studies respectively. The standardisation process of the technique undertaken worldwide by 25 scientists across a wide range of environments has brought forward several new issues requiring further development. For convenience, they have been arbitrarily grouped into three main topics: a) Improvement of the 137Cs technique itself, b) Potential use of other fallout radionuclides, and c) Practical applications of the technique for agricultural and environmental purposes. The overall aim of this review paper is to provide a consistent background on the important problems and limitations encountered by users of the 137Cs technique as a means to contribute to its improvement. Furt h e rmore ways/means to take advantage or greatly benefit of the technique are described for future development. Though the scientists participating in the projects mentioned above have made significant progress towards a standardised application of the 137Cs technique, considerable scope remains to improve further the technique and to exploit additional applications. The IAEA through research networks and other mechanisms is promoting further applications of 137Cs and other fallout radionuclides in soil erosion and sedimentation
Future prospects for the 137 Cs technique for estimating soil erosion and sedimentation rates
Over the past five years the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has sponsored the implementation of two projects dealing with the application of the 137Cs technique in soil erosion and sedimentation studies respectively. The standardisation process of the technique undertaken worldwide by 25 scientists across a wide range of environments has brought forward several new issues requiring further development. For convenience, they have been arbitrarily grouped into three main topics: a) Improvement of the 137Cs technique itself, b) Potential use of other fallout radionuclides, and c) Practical applications of the technique for agricultural and environmental purposes. The overall aim of this review paper is to provide a consistent background on the important problems and limitations encountered by users of the 137Cs technique as a means to contribute to its improvement. Furt h e rmore ways/means to take advantage or greatly benefit of the technique are described for future development. Though the scientists participating in the projects mentioned above have made significant progress towards a standardised application of the 137Cs technique, considerable scope remains to improve further the technique and to exploit additional applications. The IAEA through research networks and other mechanisms is promoting further applications of 137Cs and other fallout radionuclides in soil erosion and sedimentation
On the nature of an ejection event in the jet of 3C111
We present a possible scenario for the ejection of a superluminal component
in the jet of the Broad Line Radio Galaxy 3C111 in early 1996. VLBI
observations at 15 GHz discovered the presence of two jet features on scales
smaller than one parsec. The first component evolves downstream, whereas the
second one fades out after 1 parsec. We propose the injection of a perturbation
of dense material followed by a decrease in the injection rate of material in
the jet as a plausible explanation. This scenario is supported by 1D
relativistic hydrodynamics and emission simulations. The perturbation is
modeled as an increase in the jet density, without modifying the original
Lorentz factor in the initial conditions. We show that an increase of the
Lorentz factor in the material of the perturbation fails to reproduce the
observed evolution of this flare. We are able to estimate the lifetime of the
ejection event in 3C111 to be 36\pm7 days.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics Letter
Multiwavelength Variations of 3C 454.3 during the November 2010 to January 2011 Outburst
We present multiwavelength data of the blazar 3C 454.3 obtained during an
extremely bright outburst from November 2010 through January 2011. These
include flux density measurements with the Herschel Space Observatory at five
submillimeter-wave and far-infrared bands, the Fermi Large Area Telescope at
gamma-ray energies, Swift at X-ray, ultraviolet (UV), and optical frequencies,
and the Submillimeter Array at 1.3 mm. From this dataset, we form a series of
52 spectral energy distributions (SEDs) spanning nearly two months that are
unprecedented in time coverage and breadth of frequency. Discrete correlation
anlaysis of the millimeter, far-infrared, and gamma-ray light curves show that
the variations were essentially simultaneous, indicative of co-spatiality of
the emission, at these wavebands. In contrast, differences in short-term
fluctuations at various wavelengths imply the presence of inhomegeneities in
physical conditions across the source. We locate the site of the outburst in
the parsec-scale core, whose flux density as measured on 7 mm Very Long
Baseline Array images increased by 70 percent during the first five weeks of
the outburst. Based on these considerations and guided by the SEDs, we propose
a model in which turbulent plasma crosses a conical standing shock in the
parsec-scale region of the jet. Here, the high-energy emission in the model is
produced by inverse Compton scattering of seed photons supplied by either
nonthermal radiation from a Mach disk, thermal emission from hot dust, or (for
X-rays) synchrotron radiation from plasma that crosses the standing shock. For
the two dates on which we fitted the model SED to the data, the model
corresponds very well to the observations at all bands except at X-ray
energies, where the spectrum is flatter than observed.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal. 82 pages, 13
figure
Interaction effects and transport properties of Pt capped Co nanoparticles
We studied the magnetic and transport properties of Co nanoparticles (NPs)
being capped with varying amounts of Pt. Beside field and temperature dependent
magnetization measurements we performed delta-M measurements to study the
magnetic interactions between the Co NPs. We observe a transition from
demagnetizing towards magnetizing interactions between the particles for an
increasing amount of Pt capping. Resistivity measurements show a crossover from
giant magnetoresistance towards anisotropic magnetoresistance
Jet stability and the generation of superluminal and stationary components
We present a numerical simulation of the response of an expanding
relativistic jet to the ejection of a superluminal component. The simulation
has been performed with a relativistic time-dependent hydrodynamical code from
which simulated radio maps are computed by integrating the transfer equations
for synchrotron radiation. The interaction of the superluminal component with
the underlying jet results in the formation of multiple conical shocks behind
the main perturbation. These trailing components can be easily distinguished
because they appear to be released from the primary superluminal component,
instead of being ejected from the core. Their oblique nature should also result
in distinct polarization properties. Those appearing closer to the core show
small apparent motions and a very slow secular decrease in brightness, and
could be identified as stationary components. Those appearing farther
downstream are weaker and can reach superluminal apparent motions. The
existence of these trailing components indicates that not all observed
components necessarily represent major perturbations at the jet inlet; rather,
multiple emission components can be generated by a single disturbance in the
jet. While the superluminal component associated with the primary perturbation
exhibits a rather stable pattern speed, trailing components have velocities
that increase with distance from the core but move at less than the jet speed.
The trailing components exhibit motion and structure consistent with the
triggering of pinch modes by the superluminal component.Comment: Accepted by ApJ Letters. LaTeX, 19 pages, 4 PostScript figure
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