Oscillatory behavior of chromospheric fine structures in a network and a semi-active regions

In the present work, we study the periodicities of oscillations in dark fine structures using observations of a network and a semi-active region close to the solar disk center. We simultaneously obtained spatially high resolution time series of white light images and narrow band images in the H$\alpha$ line using the 2D G\"ottingen spectrometer, which were based on two Fabry-Perot interferometers and mounted in the VTT/Observatorio del Teide/Tenerife. During the observations, the H$\alpha$ line was scanned at 18 wavelength positions with steps of 125 m\AA. We computed series of Doppler and intensity images by subtraction and addition of the H$\alpha$ $\pm$ 0.3 \AA\ and $\pm$ 0.7 \AA\ pairs, sampling the upper chromosphere and the upper photosphere, respectively. Then we obtained power, coherence and phase difference spectra by performing a wavelet analysis to the Doppler fluctuations. Here, we present comparative results of oscillatory properties of dark fine structures seen in a network and a semi-active region.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Short Gamma-Ray Bursts with Extended Emission Observed with Swift/BAT and Fermi/GBM

Some short GRBs are followed by longer extended emission, lasting anywhere from ~10 to ~100 s. These short GRBs with extended emission (EE) can possess observational characteristics of both short and long GRBs (as represented by GRB 060614), and the traditional classification based on the observed duration places some of them in the long GRB class. While GRBs with EE pose a challenge to the compact binary merger scenario, they may therefore provide an important link between short and long duration events. To identify the population of GRBs with EE regardless of their initial classifications, we performed a systematic search of short GRBs with EE using all available data (up to February 2013) of both Swift/BAT and Fermi/GBM. The search identified 16 BAT and 14 GBM detected GRBs with EE, several of which are common events observed with both detectors. We investigated their spectral and temporal properties for both the spikes and the EE, and examined correlations among these parameters. Here we present the results of the systematic search as well as the properties of the identified events. Finally, their properties are also compared with short GRBs with EE observed with BATSE, identified through our previous search effort. We found several strong correlations among parameters, especially when all of the samples were combined. Based on our results, a possible progenitor scenario of two-component jet is discussed.Comment: Published in MNRAS; matched to the published versio

Metallicity Calibration and Photometric Parallax Estimation: I. UBV photometry

We present metallicity and photometric parallax calibrations for the F and G type dwarfs with photometric, astrometric and spectroscopic data. The sample consists of 168 dwarf stars covering the colour, iron abundance and absolute magnitude intervals $0.30<(B-V)_0<0.68$ mag, $-2.0<[Fe/H]<0.4$ dex and $3.4<M_V<6.0$ mag, respectively. The means and standard deviations of the metallicity and absolute magnitude residuals are small, i.e. $\langle\Delta[Fe/H]_{res}\rangle=0$ and $\sigma=0.134$ dex, and $\langle\Delta (M_V)_{res}\rangle=0$ and $\sigma=0.174$ mag, respectively, which indicate accurate metallicity and photometric parallax estimations.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures and 2 tables, accepted for publication in Astrophysics and Space Scienc

Local Stellar Kinematics from RAVE data - VII. Metallicity Gradients from Red Clump Stars

We investigate the Milky Way Galaxy's radial and vertical metallicity gradients using a sample of 47,406 red clump stars from the RAVE DR4. This sample is more than twice the size of the largest sample in the literature investigating radial and vertical metallicity gradients. The absolute magnitude of Groenewegen (2008) is used to determine distances to our sample stars. The resulting distances agree with the RAVE DR4 distances Binney et al. (2014) of the same stars. Our photometric method also provides distances to 6185 stars that are not assigned a distance in RAVE DR4. The metallicity gradients are calculated with their current orbital positions ($R_{gc}$ and $Z$) and with their orbital properties (mean Galactocentric distance, $R_{m}$ and $z_{max}$), as a function of the distance to the Galactic plane: d[Fe/H]/d$R_{gc}=$-$0.047\pm0.003$ dex/kpc for $0\leq |Z|\leq0.5$ kpc and d[Fe/H]/d$R_m=$-$0.025\pm0.002$ dex/kpc for $0\leq z_{max}\leq0.5$ kpc. This reaffirms the radial metallicity gradient in the thin disc but highlights that gradients are sensitive to the selection effects caused by the difference between $R_{gc}$ and $R_{m}$. The radial gradient is flat in the distance interval 0.5-1 kpc from the plane and then becomes positive greater than 1 kpc from the plane. The radial metallicity gradients are also eccentricity dependent. We showed that d[Fe/H]/d$R_m=$-$0.089\pm0.010$, -$0.073\pm0.007$, -$0.053\pm0.004$ and -$0.044\pm0.002$ dex/kpc for $e_p\leq0.05$, $e_p\leq0.07$, $e_p\leq0.10$ and $e_p\leq0.20$ sub-samples, respectively, in the distance interval $0\leq z_{max}\leq0.5$ kpc. Similar trend is found for vertical metallicity gradients. Both the radial and vertical metallicity gradients are found to become shallower as the eccentricity of the sample increases. These findings can be used to constrain different formation scenarios of the thick and thin discs.Comment: 18 pages, including 16 figures and 6 tables, accepted for publication in PAS

A Navigation System for the Visually Impaired: A Fusion of Vision and Depth Sensor

For a number of years, scientists have been trying to develop aids that can make visually impaired people more independent and aware of their surroundings. Computer-based automatic navigation tools are one example of this, motivated by the increasing miniaturization of electronics and the improvement in processing power and sensing capabilities. This paper presents a complete navigation system based on low cost and physically unobtrusive sensors such as a camera and an infrared sensor. The system is based around corners and depth values from Kinect’s infrared sensor. Obstacles are found in images from a camera using corner detection, while input from the depth sensor provides the corresponding distance. The combination is both efficient and robust. The system not only identifies hurdles but also suggests a safe path (if available) to the left or right side and tells the user to stop, move left, or move right. The system has been tested in real time by both blindfolded and blind people at different indoor and outdoor locations, demonstrating that it operates adequately.</jats:p