445 research outputs found
Grey Water Capture
Many households today do not implement any kind of grey water recycling system. People do not get a grey water system for a variety of reasons; the benefits could be unknown, the uses for grey water could be limited in their specific home, or the economic gain is too minimal to constitute a modification to the house.
For our project, we are going to design an easy to install product that enables the reuse of grey water from household sources. Examples of our final product could be something that lets the customer use grey water from the bathroom sink to the toilet or from the shower to the toilet in an easy manner
NuSTAR Reveals the Comptonizing Corona of the Broad-Line Radio Galaxy 3C 382
Broad-line radio galaxies (BLRGs) are active galactic nuclei that produce
powerful, large-scale radio jets, but appear as Seyfert 1 galaxies in their
optical spectra. In the X-ray band, BLRGs also appear like Seyfert galaxies,
but with flatter spectra and weaker reflection features. One explanation for
these properties is that the X-ray continuum is diluted by emission from the
jet. Here, we present two NuSTAR observations of the BLRG 3C 382 that show
clear evidence that the continuum of this source is dominated by thermal
Comptonization, as in Seyfert 1 galaxies. The two observations were separated
by over a year and found 3C 382 in different states separated by a factor of
1.7 in flux. The lower flux spectrum has a photon-index of
, while the photon-index of the higher flux
spectrum is . Thermal and anisotropic
Comptonization models provide an excellent fit to both spectra and show that
the coronal plasma cooled from keV in the low flux data to
keV in the high flux observation. This cooling behavior is
typical of Comptonizing corona in Seyfert galaxies and is distinct from the
variations observed in jet-dominated sources. In the high flux observation,
simultaneous Swift data are leveraged to obtain a broadband spectral energy
distribution and indicates that the corona intercepts % of the optical
and ultraviolet emitting accretion disk. 3C 382 exhibits very weak reflection
features, with no detectable relativistic Fe K line, that may be best
explained by an outflowing corona combined with an ionized inner accretion
disk.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, accepted by Ap
NuSTAR and Suzaku X-ray Spectroscopy of NGC 4151: Evidence for Reflection from the Inner Accretion Disk
We present X-ray timing and spectral analyses of simultaneous 150 ks Nuclear
Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) and Suzaku X-ray observations of the
Seyfert 1.5 galaxy NGC 4151. We disentangle the continuum emission, absorption,
and reflection properties of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) by applying
inner accretion disk reflection and absorption-dominated models. With a
time-averaged spectral analysis, we find strong evidence for relativistic
reflection from the inner accretion disk. We find that relativistic emission
arises from a highly ionized inner accretion disk with a steep emissivity
profile, which suggests an intense, compact illuminating source. We find a
preliminary, near-maximal black hole spin a>0.9 accounting for statistical and
systematic modeling errors. We find a relatively moderate reflection fraction
with respect to predictions for the lamp post geometry, in which the
illuminating corona is modeled as a point source. Through a time-resolved
spectral analysis, we find that modest coronal and inner disk reflection flux
variation drives the spectral variability during the observations. We discuss
various physical scenarios for the inner disk reflection model, and we find
that a compact corona is consistent with the observed features.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
The broad-band X-ray spectrum of IC 4329A from a joint NuSTAR/Suzaku observation
We have obtained a deep, simultaneous observation of the bright, nearby
Seyfert galaxy IC 4329A with Suzaku and NuSTAR. Through a detailed spectral
analysis, we are able to robustly separate the continuum, absorption and
distant reflection components in the spectrum. The absorbing column is found to
be modest at cm, and does not introduce any
significant curvature in the Fe K band. We are able to place a strong
constraint on the presence of a broadened Fe K{\alpha} line: keV rest frame with keV
and eV, though we are not able to constrain any of the
parameters of a relativistic reflection model. These results highlight the
range in broad Fe K{\alpha} line strengths observed in nearby, bright AGN
(roughly an order of magnitude), and imply a corresponding range in the
physical properties of the inner accretion disk in these sources. We have also
updated our previously reported measurement of the high-energy cutoff of the
hard X-ray emission using both observatories rather than just NuSTAR alone:
keV. This high-energy cutoff acts as a proxy for the
temperature of the coronal electron plasma, enabling us to further separate
this parameter from the optical depth of the plasma and to update our results
for these parameters as well. We derive keV with using a spherical geometry, keV with
for a slab geometry, with both having an equivalent
goodness-of-fit.Comment: 36 pages (preprint format), 12 figures, accepted for publication in
Ap
A rapidly spinning supermassive black hole at the centre of NGC 1365
Broad X-ray emission lines from neutral and partially ionized iron observed in active galaxies have been interpreted as fluorescence produced by the reflection of hard X-rays off the inner edge of an accretion disk. In this model, line broadening and distortion result from rapid rotation and relativistic effects near the black hole, the line shape being sensitive to its spin. Alternative models in which the distortions result from absorption by intervening structures provide an equally good description of the data, and there has been no general agreement on which is correct. Recent claims that the black hole (2 × 10^6 solar masses) at the centre of the galaxy NGC 1365 is rotating at close to its maximum possible speed rest on the assumption of relativistic reflection. Here we report X-ray observations of NGC 1365 that reveal the relativistic disk features through broadened Fe-line emission and an associated Compton scattering excess of 10–30 kiloelectronvolts. Using temporal and spectral analyses, we disentangle continuum changes due to time-variable absorption from reflection, which we find arises from a region within 2.5 gravitational radii of the rapidly spinning black hole. Absorption-dominated models that do not include relativistic disk reflection can be ruled out both statistically and on physical grounds
Turbulence in Global Simulations of Magnetized Thin Accretion Disks
We use a global magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a geometrically thin
accretion disk to investigate the locality and detailed structure of turbulence
driven by the magnetorotational instability (MRI). The model disk has an aspect
ratio , and is computed using a higher-order Godunov MHD
scheme with accurate fluxes. We focus the analysis on late times after the
system has lost direct memory of its initial magnetic flux state. The disk
enters a saturated turbulent state in which the fastest growing modes of the
MRI are well-resolved, with a relatively high efficiency of angular momentum
transport . The accretion stress
peaks at the disk midplane, above and below which exists a moderately
magnetized corona with patches of superthermal field. By analyzing the spatial
and temporal correlations of the turbulent fields, we find that the spatial
structure of the magnetic and kinetic energy is moderately well-localized (with
correlation lengths along the major axis of and respectively),
and generally consistent with that expected from homogenous incompressible
turbulence. The density field, conversely, exhibits both a longer correlation
length and a long correlation time, results which we ascribe to the importance
of spiral density waves within the flow. Consistent with prior results, we show
that the mean local stress displays a well-defined correlation with the local
vertical flux, and that this relation is apparently causal (in the sense of the
flux stimulating the stress) during portions of a global dynamo cycle. We argue
that the observed flux-stress relation supports dynamo models in which the
structure of coronal magnetic fields plays a central role in determining the
dynamics of thin-disk accretion.Comment: 24 pages and 25 figures. MNRAS in press. Version with high resolution
figures available from
http://jila.colorado.edu/~krb3u/Thin_Disk/thin_disk_turbulence.pd
Measuring Black Hole Spin using X-ray Reflection Spectroscopy
I review the current status of X-ray reflection (a.k.a. broad iron line)
based black hole spin measurements. This is a powerful technique that allows us
to measure robust black hole spins across the mass range, from the stellar-mass
black holes in X-ray binaries to the supermassive black holes in active
galactic nuclei. After describing the basic assumptions of this approach, I lay
out the detailed methodology focusing on "best practices" that have been found
necessary to obtain robust results. Reflecting my own biases, this review is
slanted towards a discussion of supermassive black hole (SMBH) spin in active
galactic nuclei (AGN). Pulling together all of the available XMM-Newton and
Suzaku results from the literature that satisfy objective quality control
criteria, it is clear that a large fraction of SMBHs are rapidly-spinning,
although there are tentative hints of a more slowly spinning population at high
(M>5*10^7Msun) and low (M<2*10^6Msun) mass. I also engage in a brief review of
the spins of stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binaries. In general,
reflection-based and continuum-fitting based spin measures are in agreement,
although there remain two objects (GROJ1655-40 and 4U1543-475) for which that
is not true. I end this review by discussing the exciting frontier of
relativistic reverberation, particularly the discovery of broad iron line
reverberation in XMM-Newton data for the Seyfert galaxies NGC4151, NGC7314 and
MCG-5-23-16. As well as confirming the basic paradigm of relativistic disk
reflection, this detection of reverberation demonstrates that future large-area
X-ray observatories such as LOFT will make tremendous progress in studies of
strong gravity using relativistic reverberation in AGN.Comment: 19 pages. To appear in proceedings of the ISSI-Bern workshop on "The
Physics of Accretion onto Black Holes" (8-12 Oct 2012). Revised version adds
a missing source to Table 1 and Fig.6 (IRAS13224-3809) and corrects the
referencing of the discovery of soft lags in 1H0707-495 (which were in fact
first reported in Fabian et al. 2009
Acute traumatic abdominal wall hernia
Although blunt abdominal trauma is frequent, traumatic abdominal wall hernias (TAWH) are rare. We describe a large TAWH with associated intra-abdominal lesions that were caused by high-energy trauma. The diagnosis was missed by clinical examination but was subsequently revealed by a computed tomography (CT) scan. Repair consisted of an open anatomical reconstruction of the abdominal wall layers with reinforcement by an intraperitoneal composite mesh. The patient recovered well and the results of a post-operative CT scan are presented
Nitric Oxide Facilitates Delivery and Mediates Improved Outcome of Autologous Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells in a Rodent Stroke Model
Bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNC) represent an investigational treatment for stroke. The objective of this study was to determine the relevance of vasoactive mediators, generated in response to MNC injection, as factors regulating cerebral perfusion (CP), the biodistribution of MNC, and outcome in stroke.Long Evans rats underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. MNC were extracted from the bone marrow at 22 hrs and injected via the internal carotid artery or the femoral vein 2 hours later. CP was measured with MRI or continuous laser Doppler flowmetry. Serum samples were collected to measure vasoactive mediators. Animals were treated with the Nitric Oxide (NO) inhibitor, L-NAME, to establish the relevance of NO-signaling to the effect of MNC. Lesion size, MNC biodistribution, and neurological deficits were assessed.CP transiently increased in the peri-infarct region within 30 min after injecting MNC compared to saline or fibroblast control. This CP increase corresponded temporarily to serum NO elevation and was abolished by L-NAME. Pre-treatment with L-NAME reduced brain penetration of MNC and prevented MNC from reducing infarct lesion size and neurological deficits.NO generation in response to MNC may represent a mechanism underlying how MNC enter the brain, reduce lesion size, and improve outcome in ischemic stroke
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