907 research outputs found
Star formation history of galaxies from z=0 to z=0.7 A backward approach to the evolution of star-forming galaxies
We investigate whether the mean star formation activity of star-forming
galaxies from z=0 to z=0.7 in the GOODS-S field can be reproduced by simple
evolution models of these systems. In this case, such models might be used as
first order references for studies at higher z to decipher when and to what
extent a secular evolution is sufficient to explain the star formation history
in galaxies.
We selected star-forming galaxies at z=0 and at z=0.7 in IR and in UV to have
access to all the recent star formation. We focused on galaxies with a stellar
mass ranging between 10^{10} and 10^{11} M_sun for which the results are not
biased by the selections. We compared the data to chemical evolution models
developed for spiral galaxies and originally built to reproduce the main
characteristics of the Milky Way and nearby spirals without fine-tuning them
for the present analysis. We find a shallow decrease in the specific star
formation rate (SSFR) when the stellar mass increases. The evolution of the
SSFR characterizing both UV and IR selected galaxies from z=0 to z=0.7 is
consistent with the models built to reproduce the present spiral galaxies.
There is no need to strongly modify of the physical conditions in galaxies to
explain the average evolution of their star formation from z=0 to z=0.7. We use
the models to predict the evolution of the star formation rate and the
metallicity on a wider range of redshift and we compare these predictions with
the results of semi-analytical models.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures. accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Female biased sex-ratio in Schistosoma mansoni after exposure to an allopatric intermediate host strain of Biomphalaria glabrata.
International audience: For parasites that require multiple hosts to complete their development, the interaction with the intermediate host may have an impact on parasite transmission and development in the definitive host. The human parasite Schistosoma mansoni needs two different hosts to complete its life cycle: the freshwater snail Biomphalaria glabrata (in South America) as intermediate host and a human or rodents as final host. To investigate the influence of the host environment on life history traits in the absence of selection, we performed experimental infections of two B. glabrata strains of different geographic origin with the same clonal population of S. mansoni. One B. glabrata strain is the sympatric host and the other one the allopatric host. We measured prevalence in the snail, the cercarial infectivity, sex-ratio, immunopathology in the final host and microsatellite frequencies of individual larvae in three successive generations. We show that, even if the parasite population is clonal based on neutral markers, S. mansoni keeps the capacity of generating phenotypic plasticity and/or variability for different life history traits when confront to an unusual environment, in this study the intermediate host. The most dramatic change was observed in sex-ratio: in average 1.7 times more female cercariae were produced when the parasite developed in an allopatric intermediate host
Ammonia and other parent molecules in comet 10P/Tempel 2 from Herschel/HIFI and ground-based radio observations
The Jupiter-family comet 10P/Tempel 2 was observed during its 2010 return
with the Herschel Space Observatory. We present here the observation of the (J,
K) = (1, 0)-(0, 0) transition of ammonia at 572 GHz in this comet with the
Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared (HIFI) of Herschel. We also report
on radio observations of other molecules (HCN, CH3OH, H2S and CS) obtained
during the 1999 return of the comet with the CSO telescope and the JCMT, and
during its 2010 return with the IRAM 30-m telescope. Molecular abundances
relative to water are 0.09%, 1.8%, 0.4%, and 0.08% for HCN, CH3OH, H2S, and CS,
respectively. An abundance of 0.5% for NH3 is obtained, which is similar to the
values measured in other comets. The hyperfine structure of the ammonia line is
resolved for the first time in an astronomical source. Strong anisotropy in the
outgassing is present in all observations from 1999 to 2010 and is modelled to
derive the production rates.Comment: 6 pages and 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
UV properties of early-type galaxies in the Virgo cluster
We study the UV properties of a volume limited sample of early-type galaxies
in the Virgo cluster combining new GALEX far- (1530 A) and near-ultraviolet
(2310 A) data with spectro-photometric data available at other wavelengths. The
sample includes 264 ellipticals, lenticulars and dwarfs spanning a large range
in luminosity (M(B)<-15). While the NUV to optical or near-IR color magnitude
relations (CMR) are similar to those observed at optical wavelengths, with a
monotonic reddening of the color index with increasing luminosity, the (FUV-V)
and (FUV-H) CMRs show a discontinuity between massive and dwarf objects. An
even more pronounced dichotomy is observed in the (FUV-NUV) CMR. For
ellipticals the (FUV-NUV) color becomes bluer with increasing luminosity and
with increasing reddening of the optical or near-IR color indices. For the
dwarfs the opposite trend is observed. These observational evidences are
consistent with the idea that the UV emission is dominated by hot, evolved
stars in giant systems, while in dwarf ellipticals residual star formation
activity is more common.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in
Astrophysical Journal Letter
Large excess of heavy nitrogen in both hydrogen cyanide and cyanogen from comet 17P/Holmes
From millimeter and optical observations of the Jupiter-family comet
17P/Holmes performed soon after its huge outburst of October 24, 2007, we
derive 14 N/15N = 139 +/- 26 in HCN, and 14N/15N = 165 +/- 40 in CN,
establishing that HCN has the same non-terrestrial isotopic composition as CN.
The same conclusion is obtained for the long-period comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp)
after a reanalysis of previously published measurements. These results are
compatible with HCN being the prime parent of CN in cometary atmospheres. The
15N excess relative to the Earth atmospheric value indicates that N-bearing
volatiles in the solar nebula underwent important N isotopic fractionation at
some stage of Solar System formation. HCN molecules never isotopically
equilibrated with the main nitrogen reservoir in the solar nebula before being
incorporated in Oort-cloud and Kuiper-belt comets. The 12C/13C ratios in HCN
and CN are measured to be consistent with the terrestrial value.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (Letters) 4
page
Towards understanding the relation between the gas and the attenuation in galaxies at kpc scales
[abridged]
Aims. The aim of the present paper is to provide new and more detailed
relations at the kpc scale between the gas surface density and the face-on
optical depth directly calibrated on galaxies, in order to compute the
attenuation not only for semi-analytic models but also observationally as new
and upcoming radio observatories are able to trace gas ever farther in the
Universe.
Methods. We have selected a sample of 4 nearby resolved galaxies and a sample
of 27 unresolved galaxies from the Herschel Reference Survey and the Very
Nearby Galaxies Survey, for which we have a large set of multi-wavelength data
from the FUV to the FIR including metallicity gradients for resolved galaxies,
along with radio HI and CO observations. For each pixel in resolved galaxies
and for each galaxy in the unresolved sample, we compute the face-on optical
depth from the attenuation determined with the CIGALE SED fitting code and an
assumed geometry. We determine the gas surface density from HI and CO
observations with a metallicity-dependent XCO factor.
Results. We provide new, simple to use, relations to determine the face-on
optical depth from the gas surface density, taking the metallicity into
account, which proves to be crucial for a proper estimate. The method used to
determine the gas surface density or the face-on optical depth has little
impact on the relations except for galaxies that have an inclination over 50d.
Finally, we provide detailed instructions on how to compute the attenuation
practically from the gas surface density taking into account possible
information on the metallicity.
Conclusions. Examination of the influence of these new relations on simulated
FUV and IR luminosity functions shows a clear impact compared to older oft-used
relations, which in turn could affect the conclusions drawn from studies based
on large scale cosmological simulations.Comment: 24 pages, 21 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Stellar Kinematics and Structural Properties of Virgo Cluster Dwarf Early-Type Galaxies from the SMAKCED Project. I. Kinematically Decoupled Cores and Implications for Infallen Groups in Clusters
We present evidence for kinematically decoupled cores (KDCs) in two dwarf
early-type (dE) galaxies in the Virgo cluster, VCC 1183 and VCC 1453, studied
as part of the SMAKCED stellar absorption-line spectroscopy and imaging survey.
These KDCs have radii of 1.8'' (0.14 kpc) and 4.2'' (0.33 kpc), respectively.
Each of these KDCs is distinct from the main body of its host galaxy in two
ways: (1) inverted sense of rotation; and (2) younger (and possibly more
metal-rich) stellar population. The observed stellar population differences are
probably associated with the KDC, although we cannot rule out the possibility
of intrinsic radial gradients in the host galaxy. We describe a statistical
analysis method to detect, quantify the significance of, and characterize KDCs
in long-slit rotation curve data. We apply this method to the two dE galaxies
presented in this paper and to five other dEs for which KDCs have been reported
in the literature. Among these seven dEs, there are four significant KDC
detections, two marginal KDC detections, and one dE with an unusual central
kinematic anomaly that may be an asymmetric KDC.The frequency of occurence of
KDCs and their properties provide important constraints on the formation
history of their host galaxies. We discuss different formation scenarios for
these KDCs in cluster environments and find that dwarf-dwarf wet mergers or gas
accretion can explain the properties of these KDCs. Both of these mechanisms
require that the progenitor had a close companion with a low relative velocity.
This suggests that KDCs were formed in galaxy pairs residing in a poor group
environment or in isolation whose subsequent infall into the cluster quenched
star formation.Comment: 14 pages, accepted for publication in Ap
Searches for HCl and HF in comets 103P/Hartley 2 and C/2009 P1 (Garradd) with the Herschel space observatory
HCl and HF are expected to be the main reservoirs of fluorine and chlorine
wherever hydrogen is predominantly molecular. They are found to be strongly
depleted in dense molecular clouds, suggesting freeze-out onto grains in such
cold environments. We can then expect that HCl and HF were also the major
carriers of Cl and F in the gas and icy phases of the outer solar nebula, and
were incorporated into comets. We aimed to measure the HCl and HF abundances in
cometary ices as they can provide insights on the halogen chemistry in the
early solar nebula. We searched for the J(1-0) lines of HCl and HF at 626 and
1232 GHz, respectively, using the HIFI instrument on board the Herschel Space
Observatory. HCl was searched for in comets 103P/Hartley 2 and C/2009 P1
(Garradd), whereas observations of HF were conducted in comet C/2009 P1. In
addition, observations of HO and HO lines were performed in C/2009
P1 to measure the HO production rate. Three lines of CHOH were
serendipitously observed in the HCl receiver setting. HCl is not detected,
whereas a marginal (3.6-) detection of HF is obtained. The upper limits
for the HCl abundance relative to water are 0.011% and 0.022%, for 103P and
C/2009 P1, respectively, showing that HCl is depleted with respect to the solar
Cl/O abundance by a factor more than 6 in 103P, where the error is
related to the uncertainty in the chlorine solar abundance. The marginal HF
detection obtained in C/2009 P1 corresponds to an HF abundance relative to
water of (1.80.5) 10, which is approximately consistent
with a solar photospheric F/O abundance. The observed depletion of HCl suggests
that HCl was not the main reservoir of chlorine in the regions of the solar
nebula where these comets formed. HF was possibly the main fluorine compound in
the gas phase of the outer solar nebula.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
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