1,447 research outputs found
Unveiling radio halos in galaxy clusters in the LOFAR era
Giant radio halos are mega-parsec scale synchrotron sources detected in a
fraction of massive and merging galaxy clusters. Radio halos provide one of the
most important pieces of evidence for non-thermal components in large scale
structure. Statistics of their properties can be used to discriminate among
various models for their origin. Therefore, theoretical predictions of the
occurrence of radio halos are important as several new radio telescopes are
about to begin to survey the sky at low frequencies with unprecedented
sensitivity. In this paper we carry out Monte Carlo simulations to model the
formation and evolution of radio halos in a cosmological framework. We extend
previous works on the statistical properties of radio halos in the context of
the turbulent re-acceleration model. First we compute the fraction of galaxy
clusters that show radio halos and derive the luminosity function of radio
halos. Then, we derive differential and integrated number count distributions
of radio halos at low radio frequencies with the main goal to explore the
potential of the upcoming LOFAR surveys. By restricting to the case of clusters
at redshifts <0.6, we find that the planned LOFAR all sky survey at 120 MHz is
expected to detect about 350 giant radio halos. About half of these halos have
spectral indices larger than 1.9 and substantially brighten at lower
frequencies. If detected they will allow for a confirmation that turbulence
accelerates the emitting particles. We expect that also commissioning surveys,
such as MSSS, have the potential to detect about 60 radio halos in clusters of
the ROSAT Brightest Cluster Sample and its extension (eBCS). These surveys will
allow us to constrain how the rate of formation of radio halos in these
clusters depends on cluster mass.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Diffuse radio emission in the merging cluster MACS J0717.5+3745: the discovery of the most powerful radio halo
Hierarchical models of structure formation predict that galaxy clusters grow
via mergers of smaller clusters and galaxy groups, as well as through
continuous accretion of gas. MACS J0717.5+3745 is an X-ray luminous and complex
merging cluster, located at a redshift of 0.55. Here we present Giant Metrewave
Radio Telescope (GMRT) radio observations at 610 MHz of this cluster. The main
aim of the observations is to search for diffuse radio emission within the
galaxy cluster MACS J0717.5+3745 related to the ongoing merger. These GMRT
observations are complemented by Very Large Array (VLA) archival observations
at 1.4, 4.9 and 8.5 GHz. We have discovered a radio halo in the cluster MACS
J0717.5+3745 with a size of about 1.2 Mpc. The radio power P_1.4 GHz is 5 x
10^25 W/Hz, which makes it the most powerful radio halo known till date. A 700
kpc radio structure, which we classify as a radio relic, is located in between
the merging substructures of the system. The location of this relic roughly
coincides with regions of the intra-cluster medium (ICM) that have a
significant enhancement in temperature as shown by Chandra. The major axis of
the relic is also roughly perpendicular to the merger axis. This shows that the
relic might be the result of a merger-related shock wave, where particles are
accelerated via the diffuse shock acceleration (DSA) mechanism. Alternatively,
the relic might trace an accretion shock of a large-scale galaxy filament to
the south-west. The global spectral index of radio emission within the cluster
is found to be -1.24 +/-0.05 between 4.9 GHz and 610 MHz. We derive a value of
5.8 microGauss for the equipartition magnetic field strength at the location of
the radio halo. [abridged].Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&A on August 3, 200
Particle Acceleration on Megaparsec Scales in a Merging Galaxy Cluster
Galaxy clusters form through a sequence of mergers of smaller galaxy clusters
and groups. Models of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) suggest that in shocks
that occur during cluster mergers, particles are accelerated to relativistic
energies, similar to supernova remnants. Together with magnetic fields these
particles emit synchrotron radiation and may form so-called radio relics. Here
we report the detection of a radio relic for which we find highly aligned
magnetic fields, a strong spectral index gradient, and a narrow relic width,
giving a measure of the magnetic field in an unexplored site of the universe.
Our observations prove that DSA also operates on scales much larger than in
supernova remnants and that shocks in galaxy clusters are capable of producing
extremely energetic cosmic rays.Comment: Published in Science Express on 23 September 2010, 6 figures,
Supporting Online Material included. This is the author's version of the
work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use, not for
redistribution. The definitive version was published in Science, volume 330,
15 October 201
Electron microscopic and biochemical characterization of Fraction 1 protein
High resolution electron microscopy of Fraction I protein from plant leave
AGN heating and dissipative processes in galaxy clusters
Recent X-ray observations reveal growing evidence for heating by active
galactic nuclei (AGN) in clusters and groups of galaxies. AGN outflows play a
crucial role in explaining the riddle of cooling flows and the entropy problem
in clusters. Here we study the effect of AGN on the intra-cluster medium in a
cosmological simulation using the adaptive mesh refinement FLASH code. We pay
particular attention to the effects of conductivity and viscosity on the
dissipation of weak shocks generated by the AGN activity in a realistic galaxy
cluster. Our 3D simulations demonstrate that both viscous and conductive
dissipation play an important role in distributing the mechanical energy
injected by the AGN, offsetting radiative cooling and injecting entropy to the
gas. These processes are important even when the transport coefficients are at
a level of 10% of the Spitzer value. Provided that both conductivity and
viscosity are suppressed by a comparable amount, conductive dissipation is
likely to dominate over viscous dissipation. Nevertheless, viscous effects may
still affect the dynamics of the gas and contribute a significant amount of
dissipation compared to radiative cooling. We also present synthetic Chandra
observations. We show that the simulated buoyant bubbles inflated by the AGN,
and weak shocks associated with them, are detectable with the Chandra
observatory.Comment: accepted to ApJ, minor change
The provision of education and training for healthcare professionals through the medium of the internet
This paper describes a new initiative to provide Internet based courses to student and professional occupational therapists in four centres in the UK, Belgium the Netherlands and Sweden. The basis of this collaborative Occupational Therapy Internet School (OTIS) is the concept of the “Virtual College”. This comprises the design and implementation of a sophisticated Internet-based system through which courses can be managed, prepared and delivered online in an effective fashion, and where students can communicate both with the staff and their peers. The aim is to support and facilitate the whole range of educational activities within a remote electronic environment. A major feature of the course organisation is the adoption of a problem-based approach in which students will collaborate internationally to propose effective intervention in given case study scenarios.
The paper outlines the rationale for OTIS, the content and structure of the courseware, the technical specification of the system and evaluation criteria. In addition to the more conventional web-based learning facilities generally offered, a number of agent-based approaches are being adopted to assist in the management of the course by ensuring the proper delivery of course materials and to assist the functioning of project groups. </p
Complex diffuse radio emission in the merging PLANCK ESZ cluster Abell 3411
We present VLA radio and Chandra X-ray observations of the merging galaxy
cluster Abell 3411. For the cluster, we find an overall temperature of 6.4 keV
and an X-ray luminosity of 2.8 x 10^{44} erg s^{-1} between 0.5 and 2.0 keV.
The Chandra observation reveals the cluster to be undergoing a merger event.
The VLA observations show the presence of large-scale diffuse emission in the
central region of the cluster, which we classify as a 0.9 Mpc size radio halo.
In addition, a complex region of diffuse, polarized emission is found in the
southeastern outskirts of the cluster, along the projected merger axis of the
system. We classify this region of diffuse emission as a radio relic. The total
extent of this radio relic is 1.9 Mpc. For the combined emission in the cluster
region, we find a radio spectral index of -1.0 \pm 0.1 between 74 MHz and 1.4
GHz. The morphology of the radio relic is peculiar, as the relic is broken up
into five fragments. This suggests that the shock responsible for the relic has
been broken up due to interaction with a large-scale galaxy filament connected
to the cluster or other substructures in the ICM. Alternatively, the complex
morphology reflects the presence of electrons in fossil radio bubbles that are
re-accelerated by a shock.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 8 pages, 5 figure
- …