1,822 research outputs found
The Discovery of a Spatially-Resolved Supernova Remnant in M31 with Chandra
Chandra observations of M31 allow the first spatially resolved X-ray image of
a supernova remnant (SNR) in an external spiral galaxy. CXOM31 J004327.7+411829
is a slightly elongated ring-shaped object with a diameter of ~11'' (42 pc). In
addition, the X-ray image hints that the chemical composition of the SNR is
spatial dependent. The X-ray spectrum of the SNR can be well fitted with a
Raymond-Smith model or a non-equilibrium ionization model. Depending on the
spectral model, the 0.3-7 keV luminosity is between 3.2x10^36 erg/s and
4.5x10^37 erg/s. The age of the SNR is estimated to be 3210-22300 years and the
number density of ambient gas is ~0.003-0.3 cm^-3. This suggests that the local
interstellar medium around the SNR is low.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; accepted for publication in ApJ
Chandra Studies of the X-ray Point Source Luminosity Functions of M31
Three different M31 disk fields, spanning a range of stellar populations,
were observed by Chandra. We report the X-ray point source luminosity function
(LF) of each region, and the LF of M31's globular clusters, and compare these
with each other and with the LF of the galaxy's bulge. To interpret the results
we also consider tracers of the stellar population, such as OB associations and
supernova remnants. We find differences in the LFs among the fields, but cannot
definitively relate them to the stellar content of the fields. We find that
stellar population information, average and maximum source luminosities, X-ray
source densities, and slopes of the LF are useful in combination.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ.
Higher-resolution figures available on reques
Aerodynamic and Aeroelastic Characteristics of a Tension Cone Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator
The supersonic aerodynamic and aeroelastic characteristics of a tension cone inflatable aerodynamic decelerator were investigated by wind tunnel testing. Two sets of tests were conducted: one using rigid models and another using textile models. Tests using rigid models were conducted over a Mach number range from 1.65 to 4.5 at angles of attack from -12 to 20 degrees. The axial, normal, and pitching moment coefficients were found to be insensitive to Mach number over the tested range. The axial force coefficient was nearly constant (C(sub A) = 1.45 +/- 0.05) with respect to angle of attack. Both the normal and pitching moment coefficients were nearly linear with respect to angle of attack. The pitching moment coefficient showed the model to be statically stable about the reference point. Schlieren images and video showed a detached bow shock with no evidence of large regions of separated flow and/or embedded shocks at all Mach numbers investigated. Qualitatively similar static aerodynamic coefficient and flow visualization results were obtained using textile models at a Mach number of 2.5. Using inflatable textile models the torus pressure required to maintain the model in the fully-inflated configuration was determined. This pressure was found to be sensitive to details in the structural configuration of the inflatable models. Additional tests included surface pressure measurements on rigid models and deployment and inflation tests with inflatable models
X-ray Point Sources in The Central Region of M31 as seen by Chandra
We report on \chandra observations of the central region of M31. By combining
eight \chandra ACIS-I observations taken between 1999 and 2001, we have
identified 204 X-ray sources within the central region of
M31, with a detection limit of \lum. Of these 204 sources,
22 are identified with globular clusters, 2 with supernova remnants, 9 with
planetary nebula, and 9 as supersoft sources. By comparing individual images,
about 50% of the sources are variable on time scales of months. We also found
13 transients, with light curves showing a variety of shapes. We also extracted
the energy spectra of the 20 brightest sources; they can be well fit by a
single power-law with a mean photon index of 1.8. The spectral shapes of 12
sources are shown to be variable, suggesting that they went through state
changes. The luminosity function of all the point sources is consistent with
previous observations (a broken power-law with a luminosity break at
\lum). However, when the X-ray sources in different regions
are considered separately, different luminosity functions are obtained. This
indicates that the star-formation history might be different in different
regions.Comment: 42 pages, 9 figures, ApJ, accepted, Higher-resolution figures
available on reques
Identification of Ambient Molecular Clouds Associated with Galactic Supernova Remnant IC443
The Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) IC443 is one of the most studied
core-collapse SNRs for its interaction with molecular clouds. However, the
ambient molecular clouds with which IC443 is interacting have not been
thoroughly studied and remain poorly understood. Using Five College Radio
Astronomy Observatory 14m telescope, we obtained fully sampled maps of ~
1{\deg} \times 1{\deg} region toward IC443 in the 12CO J=1-0 and HCO+ J=1-0
lines. In addition to the previously known molecular clouds in the velocity
range v_lsr = -6 to -1 km/s (-3 km/s clouds), our observations reveal two new
ambient molecular cloud components: small (~ 1') bright clouds in v_lsr = -8 to
-3 km/s (SCs), and diffuse clouds in v_lsr = +3 to +10 km/s (+5 km/s clouds).
Our data also reveal the detailed kinematics of the shocked molecular gas in
IC443, however the focus of this paper is the physical relationship between the
shocked clumps and the ambient cloud components. We find strong evidence that
the SCs are associated with the shocked clumps. This is supported by the
positional coincidence of the SCs with shocked clumps and other tracers of
shocks. Furthermore, the kinematic features of some shocked clumps suggest that
these are the ablated material from the SCs upon the impact of the SNR shock.
The SCs are interpreted as dense cores of parental molecular clouds that
survived the destruction by the pre-supernova evolution of the progenitor star
or its nearby stars. We propose that the expanding SNR shock is now impacting
some of the remaining cores and the gas is being ablated and accelerated
producing the shocked molecular gas. The morphology of the +5 km/s clouds
suggests an association with IC443. On the other hand, the -3 km/s clouds show
no evidence for interaction.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 15 pages (with emulateapj.cls), 17
figures, and 2 table
Dissipation time and decay of correlations
We consider the effect of noise on the dynamics generated by
volume-preserving maps on a d-dimensional torus. The quantity we use to measure
the irreversibility of the dynamics is the dissipation time. We focus on the
asymptotic behaviour of this time in the limit of small noise. We derive
universal lower and upper bounds for the dissipation time in terms of various
properties of the map and its associated propagators: spectral properties,
local expansivity, and global mixing properties. We show that the dissipation
is slow for a general class of non-weakly-mixing maps; on the opposite, it is
fast for a large class of exponentially mixing systems which include uniformly
expanding maps and Anosov diffeomorphisms.Comment: 26 Pages, LaTex. Submitted to Nonlinearit
Two New X-ray/Optical/Radio Supernova Remnants in M31
We compare a deep (37 ks) Chandra ACIS-S image of the M31 bulge to Local
Group Survey narrow-band optical data and Very Large Array (VLA) radio data of
the same region. Our precisely registered images reveal two new optical shells
with X-ray counterparts. These shells have sizes, [S II]/H-alpha flux ratios,
and X-ray spectral properties typical of supernova remnants (SNRs) with ages of
9 and 17 kyr. Analysis of complementary VLA data
reveals the radio counterparts, further confirming that they are SNRs. We
discuss and compare the properties and morphologies of these SNRs at the
different wavelengths.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Constraining the Ratio in TeV Cosmic Rays with Observations of the Moon Shadow by HAWC
An indirect measurement of the antiproton flux in cosmic rays is possible as
the particles undergo deflection by the geomagnetic field. This effect can be
measured by studying the deficit in the flux, or shadow, created by the Moon as
it absorbs cosmic rays that are headed towards the Earth. The shadow is
displaced from the actual position of the Moon due to geomagnetic deflection,
which is a function of the energy and charge of the cosmic rays. The
displacement provides a natural tool for momentum/charge discrimination that
can be used to study the composition of cosmic rays. Using 33 months of data
comprising more than 80 billion cosmic rays measured by the High Altitude Water
Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory, we have analyzed the Moon shadow to search for
TeV antiprotons in cosmic rays. We present our first upper limits on the
fraction, which in the absence of any direct measurements, provide
the tightest available constraints of on the antiproton fraction for
energies between 1 and 10 TeV.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by Physical Review
Secreted Bacterial Effectors and Host-Produced Eiger/TNF Drive Death in a Salmonella-Infected Fruit Fly
Death by infection is often as much due to the host's reaction as it is to the direct result of microbial action. Here we identify genes in both the host and microbe that are involved in the pathogenesis of infection and disease in Drosophila melanogaster challenged with Salmonella enterica serovartyphimurium (S. typhimurium). We demonstrate that wild-type S. typhimurium causes a lethal systemic infection when injected into the hemocoel of D. melanogaster. Deletion of the gene encoding the secreted bacterial effector Salmonella leucine-rich (PslrP) changes an acute and lethal infection to one that is persistent and less deadly. We propose a model in which Salmonella secreted effectors stimulate the fly and thus cause an immune response that is damaging both to the bacteria and, subsequently, to the host. In support of this model, we show that mutations in the fly gene eiger, a TNF homolog, delay the lethality of Salmonella infection. These results suggest that S. typhimurium-infected flies die from a condition that resembles TNF-induced metabolic collapse in vertebrates. This idea provides us with a new model to study shock-like biology in a genetically manipulable host. In addition, it allows us to study the difference in pathways followed by a microbe when producing an acute or persistent infection
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