1,617 research outputs found
Performance improvement of an optical network providing services based on multicast
Operators of networks covering large areas are confronted with demands from
some of their customers who are virtual service providers. These providers may
call for the connectivity service which fulfils the specificity of their
services, for instance a multicast transition with allocated bandwidth. On the
other hand, network operators want to make profit by trading the connectivity
service of requested quality to their customers and to limit their
infrastructure investments (or do not invest anything at all).
We focus on circuit switching optical networks and work on repetitive
multicast demands whose source and destinations are {\em \`a priori} known by
an operator. He may therefore have corresponding trees "ready to be allocated"
and adapt his network infrastructure according to these recurrent
transmissions. This adjustment consists in setting available branching routers
in the selected nodes of a predefined tree. The branching nodes are
opto-electronic nodes which are able to duplicate data and retransmit it in
several directions. These nodes are, however, more expensive and more energy
consuming than transparent ones.
In this paper we are interested in the choice of nodes of a multicast tree
where the limited number of branching routers should be located in order to
minimize the amount of required bandwidth. After formally stating the problem
we solve it by proposing a polynomial algorithm whose optimality we prove. We
perform exhaustive computations to show an operator gain obtained by using our
algorithm. These computations are made for different methods of the multicast
tree construction. We conclude by giving dimensioning guidelines and outline
our further work.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, extended version from Conference ISCIS 201
The M87 Black Hole Mass From Gas-Dynamical Models Of Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph Observations
The supermassive black hole of M87 is one of the most massive black holes known and has been the subject of several stellar and gas-dynamical mass measurements; however, the most recent revision to the stellar-dynamical black hole mass measurement is a factor of about two larger than the previous gas-dynamical determinations. Here, we apply comprehensive gas-dynamical models that include the propagation of emission-line profiles through the telescope and spectrograph optics to new Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations from the Hubble Space Telescope. Unlike the previous gas-dynamical studies of M87, we map out the complete kinematic structure of the emission-line disk within similar to 40 pc from the nucleus, and find that a small amount of velocity dispersion internal to the gas disk is required to match the observed line widths. We examine a scenario in which the intrinsic velocity dispersion provides dynamical support to the disk, and determine that the inferred black hole mass increases by only 6%. Incorporating this effect into the error budget, we ultimately measure a mass of M-BH = (3.5(-0.7)(+0.9)) x 10(9)M circle dot (68% confidence). Our gas-dynamical black hole mass continues to differ from the most recent stellar-dynamical mass by a factor of two, underscoring the need for carrying out more cross-checks between the two main black hole mass measurement methods.NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship 1102845Space Telescope Science Institute 12162NASA NAS 5-26555NSF AST-1108835Astronom
A Stellar Dynamical Mass Measurement of the Black Hole in NGC 3998 from Keck Adaptive Optics Observations
We present a new stellar dynamical mass measurement of the black hole in the
nearby, S0 galaxy NGC 3998. By combining laser guide star adaptive optics
observations obtained with the OH-Suppressing Infrared Imaging Spectrograph on
the Keck II telescope with long-slit spectroscopy from the Hubble Space
Telescope and the Keck I telescope, we map out the stellar kinematics on both
small spatial scales, well within the black hole sphere of influence, and on
large scales. We find that the galaxy is rapidly rotating and exhibits a sharp
central peak in the velocity dispersion. Using the kinematics and the stellar
luminosity density derived from imaging observations, we construct
three-integral, orbit-based, triaxial stellar dynamical models. We find the
black hole has a mass of M_BH = (8.1_{-1.9}^{+2.0}) x 10^8 M_sun, with an
I-band stellar mass-to-light ratio of M/L = 5.0_{-0.4}^{+0.3} M_sun/L_sun
(3-sigma uncertainties), and that the intrinsic shape of the galaxy is very
round, but oblate. With the work presented here, NGC 3998 is now one of a very
small number of galaxies for which both stellar and gas dynamical modeling have
been used to measure the mass of the black hole. The stellar dynamical mass is
nearly a factor of four larger than the previous gas dynamical black hole mass
measurement. Given that this cross-check has so far only been attempted on a
few galaxies with mixed results, carrying out similar studies in other objects
is essential for quantifying the magnitude and distribution of the cosmic
scatter in the black hole mass - host galaxy relations.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Symmetry Breakdown Related Fracture in 42CrMo4 Steel
Austenite grains that underwent the f.c.c. to b.c.c. (or b.c.t.)
transformation are typically composed of 24 Kurdjumov-Sachs variants that can
be categorized by three axes of Bain transformations; thus, a complete
transformation generally displays 3-fold symmetry in (001) pole figures. In the
present work, crystallographic symmetry in 42CrMo4 steel austempered below
martensite start temperature was investigated with the help of the orientation
distribution function (ODF) analysis based on the FEG-SEM/EBSD technique. It is
shown that, upon phase transformations, the specimens contained 6-fold symmetry
in all (001), (011), and (111) pole figures of an ODF. The ODF analysis,
verified by theoretical modeling, showed that under plane-strain conditions
cracks prefer to propagate through areas strongly offset by the high symmetry.
The origin of high symmetry was investigated, and the mechanism of the symmetry
breakdown was explained.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure
Serendipitous XMM-Newton discovery of a cluster of galaxies at z=0.28
We report the discovery of a galaxy cluster serendipitously detected as an
extended X-ray source in an offset observation of the group NGC 5044. The
cluster redshift, z=0.281, determined from the optical spectrum of the
brightest cluster galaxy, agrees with that inferred from the X-ray spectrum
using the Fe K alpha complex of the hot ICM (z=0.27 +/- 0.01). Based on the 50
ks XMM observation, we find that within a radius of 383 kpc the cluster has an
unabsorbed X-ray flux, f_X (0.5-2 keV) = 3.34 (+0.08, -0.13) x 10^{-13}
erg/cm^2/s, a bolometric X-ray luminosity, L_X = 2.21 (+0.34, -0.19) x 10^{44}
erg/s, kT = 3.57 +/- 0.12 keV, and metallicity, 0.60 +/- 0.09 solar. The
cluster obeys the scaling relations for L_X and T observed at intermediate
redshift. The mass derived from an isothermal NFW model fit is, M_vir = 3.89
+/- 0.35 x 10^{14} solar masses, with a concentration parameter, c = 6.7 +/-
0.4, consistent with the range of values expected in the concordance
cosmological model for relaxed clusters. The optical properties suggest this
could be a ``fossil cluster''.Comment: 5 pages, 4 colour figures, accepted for publication in Ap
A Composite Seyfert 2 X-ray Spectrum: Implications for the Origin of the Cosmic X-ray Background
We present a composite 1-10 keV Seyfert 2 X-ray spectrum, derived from ASCA
observations of a distance-limited sample of nearby galaxies. All 29 observed
objects were detected. Above ~3 keV, the composite spectrum is inverted,
confirming that Seyfert 2 galaxies as a class have the spectral properties
necessary to explain the flat shape of the cosmic X-ray background spectrum.
Integrating the composite spectrum over redshift, we find that the total
emission from Seyfert 2 galaxies, combined with the expected contribution from
unabsorbed type 1 objects, provides an excellent match to the spectrum and
intensity of the hard X-ray background. The principal uncertainty in this
procedure is the cosmic evolution of the Seyfert 2 X-ray luminosity function.
Separate composite spectra for objects in our sample with and without polarized
broad optical emission lines are also presented.Comment: 11 pages (AASTeX), including 3 figures. Accepted for publication in
ApJ Letter
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