1,844 research outputs found
On the Mass of Dense Star Clusters in Starburst Galaxies from Spectro-Photometry
The mass of unresolved young star clusters derived from spectro-photometric
data may well be off by a factor of 2 or more once the migration of massive
stars driven by mass segregation is accounted for. We quantify this effect for
a large set of cluster parameters, including variations in the stellar IMF, the
intrinsic cluster mass, and mean mass density. Gas-dynamical models coupled
with the Cambridge stellar evolution tracks allow us to derive a scheme to
recover the real cluster mass given measured half-light radius, one-dimensional
velocity dispersion and age. We monitor the evolution with time of the ratio of
real to apparent mass through the parameter eta. When we compute eta for rich
star clusters, we find non-monotonic evolution in time when the IMF stretches
beyond a critical cutoff mass of 25.5 solar mass. We also monitor the rise of
color gradients between the inner and outer volume of clusters: we find trends
in time of the stellar IMF power indices overlapping well with those derived
for the LMC cluster NGC 1818 at an age of 30 Myr. We argue that the core region
of massive Antennae clusters should have suffered from much segregation despite
their low ages. We apply these results to a cluster mass function, and find
that the peak of the mass distribution would appear to observers shifted to
lower masses by as much as 0.2 dex. The star formation rate (SFR) derived for
the cluster population is then underestimated by from 20 to 50 per cent.Comment: 20 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
New Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of the High Redshift Quasar B 1422+231 at z=3.62
We present new near-infrared (rest-frame UV-to-optical) spectra of the high
redshift, gravitationally lensed quasar B 1422+231 (z=3.62). Diagnostic
emission lines of FeII, [OIII]5007, and Hb, commonly used to determine the
excitation, ionization, and chemical abundances of radio-quiet and radio-loud
quasars, were detected. Our new data show that the ratio FeII(UV)/Hb=18.1+-4.6
and FeII(optical)/Hb=2.3+-0.6 are higher than those reported by Kawara et al.
(1996) by factors of 1.6 and 3.3, respectively, although the ration
[OIII]5007/Hb=0.19+-0.02 is nearly the same between the two measurements. The
discrepancy of the line flux ratios between the measurements is likely due to
improved data and fitting procedures rather that to intrinsic variability.
While approximately half of the high-z quasars observed to date have much more
extreme FeII(optical)/Hb ratios, the line ratio measured for B 422+231 are
consistent with the observed range of FeII(optical) ratios of low-z quasars.Comment: 5 pages, 1 table, 4 figures. To appear in The Astronomical Journa
Dynamical Mass Estimates for Five Young Massive Stellar Clusters
We have obtained high-dispersion spectra for four massive star clusters in
the dwarf irregular galaxies NGC 4214 and NGC 4449, using the HIRES
spectrograph on the Keck I telescope. Combining the velocity dispersions of the
clusters with structural parameters and photometry from images taken with HST,
we estimate mass-to-light ratios and compare these with simple stellar
population (SSP) models in order to constrain the stellar mass functions (MFs).
For all clusters we find mass-to-light ratios which are similar to or slightly
higher than for a Kroupa MF, and thereby rule out any MF which is deficient in
low-mass stars compared to a Kroupa-type MF. The four clusters have virial
masses ranging between 2.1E5 Msun and 1.5E6 Msun, half-light radii between 3.0
and 5.2 pc, estimated core densities in the range 2E3 Msun pc^-3 to 2E5 Msun
pc^-3 and ages between 200 Myr and 800 Myr. We also present new high-dispersion
near-infrared spectroscopy for a luminous young (about 15 Myr) cluster in the
nearby spiral galaxy NGC 6946, which we have previously observed with HIRES.
The new measurements in the infrared agree well with previous estimates of the
velocity dispersion, yielding a mass of about 1.7E6 Msun. The properties of the
clusters studied here are all consistent with the clusters being young versions
of the old globular clusters found around all major galaxies.Comment: 30 pages, including 7 figures and 9 tables. Corrected an error in
Table 2: The colors listed for N6946-1447 were not reddening corrected. This
also affected Table 9 and Fig 2, 6 and
The Dusty Starburst Nucleus of M33
We have thoroughly characterized the ultraviolet to near-infrared (0.15 - 2.2
micron) spectral energy distribution (SED) of the central parsec of the M33
nucleus through new infrared photometry and optical/near-infrared spectroscopy,
combined with ultraviolet/optical observations from the literature and the HST
archive. The SED shows evidence for a significant level of attenuation, which
we model through a Monte Carlo radiative transfer code as a shell of clumpy
Milky Way-type dust (tau_V ~ 2 +/- 1). The discovery of Milky Way-type dust
(with a strong 2175 A bump) internal to the M33 nucleus is different from
previous work which has found SMC-like dust (no bump) near starburst regions.
The amount by which dust can be processed may be related to the mass and age of
the starburst as well as the extent to which the dust can shield itself. Our
starburst models include the effects of this dust and can fit the SED if the
nucleus was the site of a moderate (~10^8 L_sun at 10 Myrs) episode of coeval
star formation about 70 Myrs ago. This result is quite different from previous
studies which resorted to multiple stellar populations (between 2 and 7)
attenuated by either no or very little internal dust. The M33 nuclear starburst
is remarkably similar to an older version (70 Myr versus 10 Myr) of the
ultra-compact starburst in the center of the Milky Way.Comment: 29 pages, 9 embedded figures, ApJ, in pres
Hyperspectral imaging to characterize table grapes
Table grape quality is of importance for consumers and thus for producers. Its objective quality is usually determined by destructive methods mainly based on sugar content. This study proposed to evaluate the possibility of hyperspectral imaging to characterize table grapes quality through its sugar (TSS), total flavonoid (TF), and total anthocyanin (TA) contents. Different data pretreatments (WD, SNV, and 1st and 2nd derivative) and different methods were tested to get the best prediction models: PLS with full spectra and then Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) were realized after selecting the optimal wavelengths thanks to the regression coefficients (coefficients) and the Variable Importance in Projection (VIP) scores. All models were good at showing that hyperspectral imaging is a relevant method to predict sugar, total flavonoid, and total anthocyanin contents. The best predictions were obtained from optimal wavelength selection based on coefficients for TSS and from VIPs optimal wavelength windows using SNV pre-treatment for total flavonoid and total anthocyanin content. Thus, good prediction models were proposed in order to characterize grapes while reducing the data sets and limit the data storage to enable an industrial use
Increase of precuneus metabolism correlates with reduction of PTSD symptoms after EMDR therapy in military veterans: an 18F-FDG PET study during virtual reality exposure to war
International audienc
Profile scaling in decay of nanostructures
The flattening of a crystal cone below its roughening transition is studied
by means of a step flow model. Numerical and analytical analyses show that the
height profile, h(r,t), obeys the scaling scenario dh/dr = F(r t^{-1/4}). The
scaling function is flat at radii r<R(t) \sim t^{1/4}. We find a one parameter
family of solutions for the scaling function, and propose a selection criterion
for the unique solution the system reaches.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex, 3 eps figure
The Nature of Starburst Activity in M82
We present new evolutionary synthesis models of M82 based mainly on
observations consisting of near-infrared integral field spectroscopy and
mid-infrared spectroscopy. The models incorporate stellar evolution, spectral
synthesis, and photoionization modeling, and are optimized for 1-45 micron
observations of starburst galaxies. The data allow us to model the starburst
regions on scales as small as 25 pc. We investigate the initial mass function
(IMF) of the stars and constrain quantitatively the spatial and temporal
evolution of starburst activity in M82. We find a typical decay timescale for
individual burst sites of a few million years. The data are consistent with the
formation of very massive stars (> 50-100 Msun) and require a flattening of the
starburst IMF below a few solar masses assuming a Salpeter slope at higher
masses. Our results are well matched by a scenario in which the global
starburst activity in M82 occurred in two successive episodes each lasting a
few million years, peaking about 10 and 5 Myr ago. The first episode took place
throughout the central regions of M82 and was particularly intense at the
nucleus while the second episode occurred predominantly in a circumnuclear ring
and along the stellar bar. We interpret this sequence as resulting from the
gravitational interaction M82 and its neighbour M81, and subsequent bar-driven
evolution. The short burst duration on all spatial scales indicates strong
negative feedback effects of starburst activity, both locally and globally.
Simple energetics considerations suggest the collective mechanical energy
released by massive stars was able to rapidly inhibit star formation after the
onset of each episode.Comment: 48 pages, incl. 16 Postscript figures; accepted for publication in
the Astrophysical Journa
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