Local Swift-BAT active galactic nuclei prefer circumnuclear star formation

We use Herschel data to analyze the size of the far-infrared 70micron emission for z<0.06 local samples of 277 hosts of Swift-BAT selected active galactic nuclei (AGN), and 515 comparison galaxies that are not detected by BAT. For modest far-infrared luminosities 8.5<log(LFIR)<10.5, we find large scatter of half light radii Re70 for both populations, but a typical Re70 <~ 1 kpc for the BAT hosts that is only half that of comparison galaxies of same far-infrared luminosity. The result mostly reflects a more compact distribution of star formation (and hence gas) in the AGN hosts, but compact AGN heated dust may contribute in some extremely AGN-dominated systems. Our findings are in support of an AGN-host coevolution where accretion onto the central black hole and star formation are fed from the same gas reservoir, with more efficient black hole feeding if that reservoir is more concentrated. The significant scatter in the far-infrared sizes emphasizes that we are mostly probing spatial scales much larger than those of actual accretion, and that rapid accretion variations can smear the distinction between the AGN and comparison categories. Large samples are hence needed to detect structural differences that favour feeding of the black hole. No size difference AGN host vs. comparison galaxies is observed at higher far-infrared luminosities log(LFIR)>10.5 (star formation rates >~ 6 Msun/yr), possibly because these are typically reached in more compact regions in the first place.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Polarization-dependence of anomalous scattering in brominated DNA and RNA molecules, and importance of crystal orientation in single- and multiple-wavelength anomalous diffraction phasing

In this paper the anisotropy of anomalous scattering at the Br K-absorption edge in brominated nucleotides is investigated, and it is shown that this effect can give rise to a marked directional dependence of the anomalous signal strength in X-ray diffraction data. This implies that choosing the correct orientation for crystals of such molecules can be a crucial determinant of success or failure when using single- and multiple-wavelength anomalous diffraction (SAD or MAD) methods to solve their structure. In particular, polarized absorption spectra on an oriented crystal of a brominated DNA molecule were measured, and were used to determine the orientation that yields a maximum anomalous signal in the diffraction data. Out of several SAD data sets, only those collected at or near that optimal orientation allowed interpretable electron density maps to be obtained. The findings of this study have implications for instrumental choices in experimental stations at synchrotron beamlines, as well as for the development of data collection strategy programs

Evaluation de l'impact de travaux anti-érosifs sur l'écoulement et le transport solide : résultats de la troisième campagne de mesures sur les micro-bassins de Tebaga (Djebel Semmama, Tunisie centrale)

Analyse de l'écoulement et du transport solide. Mise en évidence des premières conséquences des intensités de pluie sur le transport solide. Caractéristiques de l'ensemble des crues et bilan hydrologique annuel sur les 3 micro-bassins versants. (Résumé d'auteur

Spectral fluctuations of Schr\"odinger operators generated by critical points of the potential

Starting from the spectrum of Schr\"odinger operators on $\mathbb{R}^n$, we propose a method to detect critical points of the potential. We argue semi-classically on the basis of a mathematically rigorous version of Gutzwiller's trace formula which expresses spectral statistics in term of classical orbits. A critical point of the potential with zero momentum is an equilibrium of the flow and generates certain singularities in the spectrum. Via sharp spectral estimates, this fluctuation indicates the presence of a critical point and allows to reconstruct partially the local shape of the potential. Some generalizations of this approach are also proposed.\medskip keywords : Semi-classical analysis; Schr\"odinger operators; Equilibriums in classical mechanics.Comment: 18 pages, Final versio

[C II] 158 μm Emission as a Star Formation Tracer

The [C II] 157.74 μm transition is the dominant coolant of the neutral interstellar gas, and has great potential as a star formation rate (SFR) tracer. Using the Herschel KINGFISH sample of 46 nearby galaxies, we investigate the relation of [C II] surface brightness and luminosity with SFR. We conclude that [C II] can be used for measurements of SFR on both global and kiloparsec scales in normal star-forming galaxies in the absence of strong active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The uncertainty of the Σ_([C II]) – Σ_(SFR) calibration is ±0.21 dex. The main source of scatter in the correlation is associated with regions that exhibit warm IR colors, and we provide an adjustment based on IR color that reduces the scatter. We show that the color-adjusted Σ_([C II]) – Σ_(SFR) correlation is valid over almost five orders of magnitude in Σ_(SFR), holding for both normal star-forming galaxies and non-AGN luminous infrared galaxies. Using [C II] luminosity instead of surface brightness to estimate SFR suffers from worse systematics, frequently underpredicting SFR in luminous infrared galaxies even after IR color adjustment (although this depends on the SFR measure employed). We suspect that surface brightness relations are better behaved than the luminosity relations because the former are more closely related to the local far-UV field strength, most likely the main parameter controlling the efficiency of the conversion of far-UV radiation into gas heating. A simple model based on Starburst99 population-synthesis code to connect SFR to [C II] finds that heating efficiencies are 1%-3% in normal galaxies

Heating and cooling of the neutral ISM in the NGC4736 circumnuclear ring

The manner in which gas accretes and orbits within circumnuclear rings has direct implications for the star formation process. In particular, gas may be compressed and shocked at the inflow points, resulting in bursts of star formation at these locations. Afterwards the gas and young stars move together through the ring. In addition, star formation may occur throughout the ring, if and when the gas reaches sufficient density to collapse under gravity. These two scenarios for star formation in rings are often referred to as the `pearls on a string' and `popcorn' paradigms. In this paper, we use new Herschel PACS observations, obtained as part of the KINGFISH Open Time Key Program, along with archival Spitzer and ground-based observations from the SINGS Legacy project, to investigate the heating and cooling of the interstellar medium in the nearby star-forming ring galaxy, NGC4736. By comparing spatially resolved estimates of the stellar FUV flux available for heating, with the gas and dust cooling derived from the FIR continuum and line emission, we show that while star formation is indeed dominant at the inflow points in NGC 4736, additional star formation is needed to balance the gas heating and cooling throughout the ring. This additional component most likely arises from the general increase in gas density in the ring over its lifetime. Our data provide strong evidence, therefore, for a combination of the two paradigms for star formation in the ring in NGC4736.Comment: accepted for publication in A&