1,597 research outputs found
Contribution of Extragalactic Infrared Sources to CMB Foreground Anisotropy
We estimate the level of confusion to Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropy
measurements caused by extragalactic infrared sources. CMB anisotropy
observations at high resolution and high frequencies are especially sensitive
to this foreground. We use data from the COBE satellite to generate a Galactic
emission spectrum covering mm and sub-mm wavelengths. Using this spectrum as a
template, we predict the microwave emission of the 5319 brightest infrared
galaxies seen by IRAS. We simulate skymaps over the relevant range of
frequencies (30-900 GHz) and instrument resolutions (10'-10 degrees Full Width
Half Max). Analysis of the temperature anisotropy of these skymaps shows that a
reasonable observational window is available for CMB anisotropy measurements.Comment: 14 pages (LaTex source), 3 PostScript figures. Final version, to
appear in ApJLetters May 1. Expanded discussion of systematic error
Submillimetre point sources from the Archeops experiment: Very Cold Clumps in the Galactic Plane
Archeops is a balloon-borne experiment, mainly designed to measure the Cosmic
Microwave Background (CMB) temperature anisotropies at high angular resolution
(~ 12 arcminutes). By-products of the mission are shallow sensitivity maps over
a large fraction of the sky (about 30 %) in the millimetre and submillimetre
range at 143, 217, 353 and 545 GHz. From these maps, we produce a catalog of
bright submillimetre point sources. We present in this paper the processing and
analysis of the Archeops point sources. Redundancy across detectors is the key
factor allowing to sort out glitches from genuine point sources in the 20
independent maps. We look at the properties of the most reliable point sources,
totalling 304. Fluxes range from 1 to 10,000 Jy (at the frequencies covering
143 to 545 GHz). All sources are either planets (2) or of galactic origin.
Longitude range is from 75 to 198 degrees. Some of the sources are associated
with well-known Lynds Nebulae and HII compact regions in the galactic plane. A
large fraction of the sources have an IRAS counterpart. Except for Jupiter,
Saturn, the Crab and Cas A, all sources show a dust-emission-like modified
blackbody emission spectrum. Temperatures cover a range from 7 to 27 K. For the
coldest sources (T<10 K), a steep nu^beta emissivity law is found with a
surprising beta ~ 3 to 4. An inverse relationship between T and beta is
observed. The number density of sources at 353 GHz with flux brighter than 100
Jy is of the order of 1 per degree of Galactic longitude. These sources will
provide a strong check for the calibration of the Planck HFI focal plane
geometry as a complement to planets. These very cold sources observed by
Archeops should be prime targets for mapping observations by the Akari and
Herschel space missions and ground--based observatories.Comment: Version matching the published article (English improved). Published
in Astron. Astrophys, 21 pages, 13 figures, 4 tables Full article (with
complete tables) can be retrieved at
http://www.archeops.org/Archeops_Publicatio
CSL-1: a chance projection effect or serendipitous discovery of a gravitational lens induced by a cosmic string?
CSL-1 (Capodimonte--Sternberg--Lens Candidate, No.1) is an extragalactic
double source detected in the OAC-DF (Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte -
Deep Field). It can be interpreted either as the chance alignment of two
identical galaxies at z=0.46 or as the first case of gravitational lensing by a
cosmic string. Extensive modeling shows in fact that cosmic strings are the
only type of lens which (at least at low angular resolution) can produce
undistorted double images of a background source. We propose an experimentum
crucis to disentangle between these two possible explanations. If the lensing
by a cosmic string should be confirmed, it would provide the first measurements
of energy scale of symmetry breaking and of the energy scale of Grand Unified
Theory (GUT).Comment: Accepted for publication in the Mon. Not. Royal Astron. Societ
High Mass Star Formation. II. The Mass Function of Submillimeter Clumps in M17
We have mapped an approximately 5.5 by 5.5 pc portion of the M17 massive
star-forming region in both 850 and 450 micron dust continuum emission using
the Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) on the James Clerk
Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). The maps reveal more than 100 dusty clumps with
deconvolved linear sizes of 0.05--0.2 pc and masses of 0.8--120 solar masses,
most of which are not associated with known mid-infrared point sources. Fitting
the clump mass function with a double power law gives a mean power law exponent
of alpha_high = -2.4 +/- 0.3 for the high-mass power law, consistent with the
exponent of the Salpeter stellar mass function. We show that a lognormal clump
mass distribution with a peak at about 4 solar masses produces as good a fit to
the clump mass function as does a double power law. This 4 solar mass peak mass
is well above the peak masses of both the stellar initial mass function and the
mass function of clumps in low-mass star-forming regions. Despite the
difference in intrinsic mass scale, the shape of the M17 clump mass function
appears to be consistent with the shape of the core mass function in low-mass
star-forming regions. Thus, we suggest that the clump mass function in
high-mass star-forming regions may be a scaled-up version of that in low-mass
regions, instead of its extension to higher masses.Comment: 33 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journa
Insights into the off-state breakdown mechanisms in power GaN HEMTs
We analyze the off-state, three-terminal, lateral breakdown in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs for power switching applications by comparing two-dimensional numerical device simulations with experimental data from device structures with different gate-to-drain spacing and with either undoped or Carbon-doped GaN buffer layer. Our simulations reproduce the different breakdown-voltage dependence on the gate-drain-spacing exhibited by the two types of device and attribute the breakdown to: i) a combination of gate electron injection and source-drain punch-through in the undoped HEMTs; and ii) avalanche generation triggered by gate electron injection in the C-doped HEMTs
6-Methylquinazolin-4(3H)-one Based Compounds as BRD9 Epigenetic Reader Binders: A Rational Combination of in silico Studies and Chemical Synthesis
6-methylquinazolin-4(3H)-one-based compounds were here identified and synthesized as novel binders of bromodomain-containing protein 9 (BRD9) epigenetic reader. Accounting a fast and efficient synthetic route aimed to easily obtain differently 2- and 8-disubstituted 6-methylquinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives, a virtual library of synthesizable items was built and submitted to molecular docking experiments. Based on two 3D structure-based pharmacophore models recently developed by us on BRD9, 16 compounds were selected and synthesized, using mild conditions with good yields in relatively short reaction times. Among them, 14, 16, 18, 22, and 26 emerged as the most potent compounds of these series, able to bind BRD9 at the low micromolar range of concentrations. These molecules also showed a promising selective behavior when tested against BRD4 bromodomain. These results highlighted the quinazolin-4(3H)-one chemical core as a valuable scaffold for developing promising BRD9 binders
Mapping the CMB II: the second flight of the QMAP experiment
We report the results from the second flight of QMAP, an experiment to map
the cosmic microwave background near the North Celestial Pole. We present maps
of the sky at 31 and 42 GHz as well as a measurement of the angular power
spectrum covering the l-range 40-200. Anisotropy is detected at about 20 sigma
and is in agreement with previous results at these angular scales. We also
report details of the data reduction and analysis techniques which were used
for both flights of QMAP.Comment: 4 pages, with 5 figures included. Submitted to ApJL. Window functions
and color figures are available at
http://pupgg.princeton.edu/~cmb/welcome.htm
Generalized Quasilinear Approximation: Application to Zonal Jets
Quasilinear theory is often utilized to approximate the dynamics of fluids exhibiting significant interactions between mean flows and eddies. We present a generalization of quasilinear theory to include dynamic mode interactions on the large scales. This generalized quasilinear (GQL) approximation is achieved by separating the state variables into large and small zonal scales via a spectral filter rather than by a decomposition into a formal mean and fluctuations. Nonlinear interactions involving only small zonal scales are then removed. The approximation is conservative and allows for scattering of energy between small-scale modes via the large scale (through nonlocal spectral interactions). We evaluate GQL for the paradigmatic problems of the driving of large-scale jets on a spherical surface and on the beta plane and show that it is accurate even for a small number of large-scale modes. As GQL is formally linear in the small zonal scales, it allows for the closure of the system and can be utilized in direct statistical simulation schemes that have proved an attractive alternative to direct numerical simulation for many geophysical and astrophysical problems
Energy balance of algal biomass production in a 1-ha "Green Wall Panel" plant: How to produce algal biomass in a closed reactor achieving a high Net Energy Ratio
AbstractThe annual productivity of Tetraselmis suecica in a 1-ha Green Wall Panel-II (GWP-II) plant in Tuscany (Italy) is 36t (dry weight)ha−1year−1, which corresponds to an energy output of 799GJha−1year−1. The energy inputs necessary to attain that productivity amount to 1362GJha−1year−1, mainly given by the embodied energy of the reactor (about 30%), mixing (about 40%), fertilizers (11%) and harvesting (10%). The Net Energy Ratio (NER) of T. suecica production is thus 0.6. In a more suitable location (North Africa) productivity nearly doubles, reaching 66tha−1year−1, but the NER increases only by 40% and the gain (difference between output and inputs) remains negative. In a GWP-II integrated with photovoltaics (PV), the NER becomes 1.7 and the gain surpasses 600GJha−1year−1. Marine microalgae cultivation in a GWP plant, in a suitable location, can attain high biomass productivities and protein yields 30times higher than those achievable with traditional crops (soya). When the GWP reactor is integrated with PV, the process attains a positive energy balance, which substantially enhances its sustainability
Hole Virtual Gate Model Explaining Surface-Related Dynamic RON in p-GaN Power HEMTs
Dynamic on-resistance ( RON) affects the stability of p-GaN power HEMTs. In Schottky-gate HEMTs, dynamic RON is associated to either electron trapping at device surface or dynamic effects occurring in the buffer. However, in p-GaN HEMTs the floating p-GaN region can have an additional role on dynamic RON , due to removal/injection of holes from/into the barrier with relatively long time constants, which can be erroneously interpreted as a reliability issue. In this letter, we present a model to explain the dynamic RON due to surface-related effects in p-GaN power HEMTs. The model, called ‘hole virtual gate’, attributes the experimentally observed RON instability due to negative/positive gate bias stress (NGS/PGS) to the charging/discharging of surface traps in the AlGaN barrier by the removal/injection of holes through the gate metal/p-GaN Schottky junction. We verify the validity of the model by means of calibrated numerical simulations, that correlate the activation energy EA ≈ 0.4 eV of both RON increase/decrease during NGS/PGS to the thermal ionization energy of traps in the barrier
- …