686 research outputs found
Stochastic heating of cooling flows
It is generally accepted that the heating of gas in clusters of galaxies by
active galactic nuclei (AGN) is a form of feedback. Feedback is required to
ensure a long term, sustainable balance between heating and cooling. This work
investigates the impact of proportional stochastic feedback on the energy
balance in the intracluster medium. Using a generalised analytical model for a
cluster atmosphere, it is shown that an energy equilibrium can be reached
exponentially quickly. Applying the tools of stochastic calculus it is
demonstrated that the result is robust with regard to the model parameters,
even though they affect the amount of variability in the system.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, accepted by MNRAS,
http://www.astro.soton.ac.uk/~gbp/pub/pavlovski_stochh.pd
A new bound on axion-like particles
Axion-like particles (ALPs) and photons can quantum mechanically interconvert
when propagating through magnetic fields, and ALP-photon conversion may induce
oscillatory features in the spectra of astrophysical sources. We use deep (370
ks), short frame time Chandra observations of the bright nucleus at the centre
of the radio galaxy M87 in the Virgo cluster to search for signatures of light
ALPs. The absence of substantial irregularities in the X-ray power-law spectrum
leads to a new upper limit on the photon-ALP coupling, : using a
conservative model of the cluster magnetic field consistent with Faraday
rotation measurements from M87 and M84, we find GeV at 95% confidence level for ALP masses eV. Other consistent magnetic field models lead to stronger limits of
-- GeV. These bounds are
all stronger than the limit inferred from the absence of a gamma-ray burst from
SN1987A, and rule out a substantial fraction of the parameter space accessible
to future experiments such as ALPS-II and IAXO
The imprints of AGN feedback within a supermassive black hole's sphere of influence
We present a new 300 ks Chandra observation of M87 that limits pileup to only
a few per cent of photon events and maps the hot gas properties closer to the
nucleus than has previously been possible. Within the supermassive black hole's
gravitational sphere of influence, the hot gas is multiphase and spans
temperatures from 0.2 to 1 keV. The radiative cooling time of the lowest
temperature gas drops to only 0.1-0.5 Myr, which is comparable to its free fall
time. Whilst the temperature structure is remarkably symmetric about the
nucleus, the density gradient is steep in sectors to the N and S, with
, and significantly shallower along the jet axis
to the E, where . The density structure within
the Bondi radius is therefore consistent with steady inflows perpendicular to
the jet axis and an outflow directed E along the jet axis. By putting limits on
the radial flow speed, we rule out Bondi accretion on the scale resolved at the
Bondi radius. We show that deprojected spectra extracted within the Bondi
radius can be equivalently fit with only a single cooling flow model, where gas
cools from 1.5 keV down below 0.1 keV at a rate of 0.03 M/yr. For the
alternative multi-temperature spectral fits, the emission measures for each
temperature component are also consistent with a cooling flow model. The lowest
temperature and most rapidly cooling gas in M87 is therefore located at the
smallest radii at ~100 pc and may form a mini cooling flow. If this cooling gas
has some angular momentum, it will feed into the cold gas disk around the
nucleus, which has a radius of ~80 pc and therefore lies just inside the
observed transition in the hot gas structure
Simulating Reionization: Character and Observability
In recent years there has been considerable progress in our understanding of
the nature and properties of the reionization process. In particular, the
numerical simulations of this epoch have made a qualitative leap forward,
reaching sufficiently large scales to derive the characteristic scales of the
reionization process and thus allowing for realistic observational predictions.
Our group has recently performed the first such large-scale radiative transfer
simulations of reionization, run on top of state-of-the-art simulations of
early structure formation. This allowed us to make the first realistic
observational predictions about the Epoch of Reionization based on detailed
radiative transfer and structure formation simulations. We discuss the basic
features of reionization derived from our simulations and some recent results
on the observational implications for the high-redshift Ly-alpha sources.Comment: 3 pages, to appear in the Proceedings of First Stars III, Santa Fe,
July 2007, AIP Conference Serie
Driving massive molecular gas flows in central cluster galaxies with AGN feedback
We present an analysis of new and archival ALMA observations of molecular gas in 12 central cluster galaxies. We examine emerging trends in molecular filament morphology and gas velocities to understand their origins. Molecular gas masses in these systems span 109−−1011M⊙, far more than most gas-rich galaxies. ALMA images reveal a distribution of morphologies from filamentary to disc-dominated structures. Circumnuclear discs on kiloparsec scales appear rare. In most systems, half to nearly all of the molecular gas lies in filamentary structures with masses of a few ×108--10M⊙ that extend radially several to several tens of kpc. In nearly all cases the molecular gas velocities lie far below stellar velocity dispersions, indicating youth, transience, or both. Filament bulk velocities lie far below the galaxy’s escape and free-fall speeds indicating they are bound and being decelerated. Most extended molecular filaments surround or lie beneath radio bubbles inflated by the central active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Smooth velocity gradients found along the filaments are consistent with gas flowing along streamlines surrounding these bubbles. Evidence suggests most of the molecular clouds formed from low entropy X-ray gas that became thermally unstable and cooled when lifted by the buoyant bubbles. Uplifted gas will stall and fall back to the galaxy in a circulating flow. The distribution in morphologies from filament to disc-dominated sources therefore implies slowly evolving molecular structures driven by the episodic activity of the AGNs
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The mass distribution of the unusual merging cluster Abell 2146 from strong lensing
Abell 2146 consists of two galaxy clusters that have recently collided close to the plane of the sky, and it is unique in showing two large shocks on images. With an early stage merger, shortly after first core passage, one would expect the cluster galaxies and the dark matter to be leading the X-ray emitting plasma. In this regard, the cluster Abell 2146-A is very unusual in that the X-ray cool core appears to lead, rather than lag, the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in their trajectories. Here we present a strong-lensing analysis of multiple-image systems identified on images. In particular, we focus on the distribution of mass in Abell 2146-A in order to determine the centroid of the dark matter halo. We use object colours and morphologies to identify multiple-image systems; very conservatively, four of these systems are used as constraints on a lens mass model. We find that the centroid of the dark matter halo, constrained using the strongly lensed features, is coincident with the BCG, with an offset of ≈2 kpc between the centres of the dark matter halo and the BCG. Thus from the strong-lensing model, the X-ray cool core also leads the centroid of the dark matter in Abell 2146-A, with an offset of ≈30 kpc.JEC acknowledges support from The University of Texas at Dallas, and NASA through a Fellowship of the Texas Space Grant Consortium. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA HST, obtained through programme 12871 through the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. Additional funding supporting JEC, LJK, and DIC came from a grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute under the same programme 12871. Additional funding supporting JEC and LJK came from a grant from the National Science Foundation, number 1517954. This work was supported in part by World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI Initiative), MEXT, Japan, and JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 26800093 and 15H05892
Relationship between treatment delay and final infarct size in STEMI patients treated with abciximab and primary PCI
Background Studies on the impact of time to treatment on myocardial infarct size have yielded conflicting results. In this study of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), we set out to investigate the relationship between the time from First Medical Contact (FMC) to the demonstration of an open infarct related artery (IRA) and final scar size. Between February 2006 and September 2007, 89 STEMI patients treated with primary PCI were studied with contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (ceMRI) 4 to 8 weeks after the infarction. Spearman correlation was computed for health care delay time (defined as time from FMC to PCI) and myocardial injury. Multiple linear regression was used to determine covariates independently associated with infarct size. Results An occluded artery (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction, TIMI flow 0-1 at initial angiogram) was seen in 56 patients (63%). The median FMC-to-patent artery was 89 minutes. There was a weak correlation between time from FMC-to-patent IRA and infarct size, r = 0.27, p = 0.01. In multiple regression analyses, LAD as the IRA, smoking and an occluded vessel at the first angiogram, but not delay time, correlated with infarct size. Conclusions In patients with STEMI treated with primary PCI we found a weak correlation between health care delay time and infarct size. Other factors like anterior infarction, a patent artery pre-PCI and effects of reperfusion injury may have had greater influence on infarct size than time-to-treatment per se
The Hot and Energetic Universe: AGN feedback in galaxy clusters and groups
Mechanical feedback via Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) jets in the centres of
galaxy groups and clusters is a crucial ingredient in current models of galaxy
formation and cluster evolution. Jet feedback is believed to regulate gas
cooling and thus star formation in the most massive galaxies, but a robust
physical understanding of this feedback mode is currently lacking. The large
collecting area, excellent spectral resolution and high spatial resolution of
Athena+ will provide the breakthrough diagnostic ability necessary to develop
this understanding, via: (1) the first kinematic measurements on relevant
spatial scales of the hot gas in galaxy, group and cluster haloes as it absorbs
the impact of AGN jets, and (2) vastly improved ability to map thermodynamic
conditions on scales well-matched to the jets, lobes and gas disturbances
produced by them. Athena+ will therefore determine for the first time how jet
energy is dissipated and distributed in group and cluster gas, and how a
feedback loop operates in group/cluster cores to regulate gas cooling and AGN
fuelling. Athena+ will also establish firmly the cumulative impact of powerful
radio galaxies on the evolution of baryons from the epoch of group/cluster
formation to the present day
Evolution of self-organized division of labor in a response threshold model
Division of labor in social insects is determinant to their ecological success. Recent models emphasize that division of labor is an emergent property of the interactions among nestmates obeying to simple behavioral rules. However, the role of evolution in shaping these rules has been largely neglected. Here, we investigate a model that integrates the perspectives of self-organization and evolution. Our point of departure is the response threshold model, where we allow thresholds to evolve. We ask whether the thresholds will evolve to a state where division of labor emerges in a form that fits the needs of the colony. We find that division of labor can indeed evolve through the evolutionary branching of thresholds, leading to workers that differ in their tendency to take on a given task. However, the conditions under which division of labor evolves depend on the strength of selection on the two fitness components considered: amount of work performed and on worker distribution over tasks. When selection is strongest on the amount of work performed, division of labor evolves if switching tasks is costly. When selection is strongest on worker distribution, division of labor is less likely to evolve. Furthermore, we show that a biased distribution (like 3:1) of workers over tasks is not easily achievable by a threshold mechanism, even under strong selection. Contrary to expectation, multiple matings of colony foundresses impede the evolution of specialization. Overall, our model sheds light on the importance of considering the interaction between specific mechanisms and ecological requirements to better understand the evolutionary scenarios that lead to division of labor in complex systems
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