1,281 research outputs found
A structure in the early Universe at z 1.3 that exceeds the homogeneity scale of the R-W concordance cosmology
A Large Quasar Group (LQG) of particularly large size and high membership has been identified in the DR7QSO catalogue of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. It has characteristic size (volume^1/3) ~ 500 Mpc (proper size, present epoch), longest dimension ~ 1240 Mpc, membership of 73 quasars, and mean redshift = 1.27. In terms of both size and membership it is the most extreme LQG found in the DR7QSO catalogue for the redshift range 1.0 = 1.28, which is itself one of the more extreme examples. Their boundaries approach to within ~ 2 deg (~ 140 Mpc projected). This new, huge LQG appears to be the largest structure currently known in the early universe. Its size suggests incompatibility with the Yadav et al. scale of homogeneity for the concordance cosmology, and thus challenges the assumption of the cosmological principle
The properties of highly luminous IRAS galaxies
From a complete sample of 154 galaxies identified with IRAS sources in a 304 sq deg area centered on the South Galactic Pole, a subsample of 58 galaxies with L sub IR/L sub B > 3 was chosen. Low resolution spectra were obtained for 30% of the subsample and redshifts and relative emission line intensities were derived. As a class these galaxies are very luminous with = 2.9 x 10 to the 11th power L sub 0 and (L sub IR) max = 1.3 x 10 to the 12th power L sub 0. CCD images and JHK photometry were obtained for many of the subsample. The galaxies are for the most part newly identified and are optically faint, with a majority showing evidence of a recent interaction. Radio continuum observations of all galaxies of the subsample were recently obtained at 20 cm VLA with about 75% being detected in a typical integration time of about 10 minutes
Searching High Redshift Large-Scale Structures: Photometry of Four Fields Around Quasar Pairs at z~1
We have studied the photometric properties of four fields around the
high-redshift quasar pairs QP1310+0007, QP1355-0032, QP0110-0219, and
QP0114-3140 at z ~ 1 with the aim of identifying large-scale structures- galaxy
clusters or groups- around them. This sample was observed with GMOS in Gemini
North and South telescopes in the g', r', i', and z' bands, and our photometry
is complete to a limiting magnitude of i' ~ 24 mag (corresponding to ~ M*_i' +
2 at the redshift of the pairs). Our analysis reveals that QP0110-0219 shows
very strong and QP1310+0007 and QP1355-0032 show some evidence for the presence
of rich galaxy clusters in direct vicinity of the pairs. On the other hand,
QP0114-3140 could be an isolated pair in a poor environment. This work suggest
that z ~ 1 quasar pairs are excellent tracers of high density environments and
this same technique may be useful to find clusters at higher redshifts.Comment: 29 pages, 7 figures, ApJ accepted. Added one figure and 3 references.
Some paragraphs was rewritten in sections 1, 3, 5, and 6, as suggested by
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A structure in the early Universe at z 1.3 that exceeds the homogeneity scale of the R-W concordance cosmology
A Large Quasar Group (LQG) of particularly large size and high membership has been identified in the DR7QSO catalogue of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. It has characteristic size (volume^1/3) ~ 500 Mpc (proper size, present epoch), longest dimension ~ 1240 Mpc, membership of 73 quasars, and mean redshift = 1.27. In terms of both size and membership it is the most extreme LQG found in the DR7QSO catalogue for the redshift range 1.0 = 1.28, which is itself one of the more extreme examples. Their boundaries approach to within ~ 2 deg (~ 140 Mpc projected). This new, huge LQG appears to be the largest structure currently known in the early universe. Its size suggests incompatibility with the Yadav et al. scale of homogeneity for the concordance cosmology, and thus challenges the assumption of the cosmological principle
Scaling of Horizontal and Vertical Fixational Eye Movements
Eye movements during fixation of a stationary target prevent the adaptation
of the photoreceptors to continuous illumination and inhibit fading of the
image. These random, involuntary, small, movements are restricted at long time
scales so as to keep the target at the center of the field of view. Here we use
the Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) in order to study the properties of
fixational eye movements at different time scales. Results show different
scaling behavior between horizontal and vertical movements. When the small
ballistics movements, i.e. micro-saccades, are removed, the scaling exponents
in both directions become similar. Our findings suggest that micro-saccades
enhance the persistence at short time scales mostly in the horizontal component
and much less in the vertical component. This difference may be due to the need
of continuously moving the eyes in the horizontal plane, in order to match the
stereoscopic image for different viewing distance.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Competitive aminal formation during the synthesis of a highly soluble, isopropyl-decorated imine porous organic cage
The synthesis of a new porous organic cage decorated with isopropyl moieties (CC21) was achieved from the reaction of triformylbenzene and an isopropyl functionalised diamine. Unlike structurally analogous porous organic cages, its synthesis proved challenging due to competitive aminal formation, rationalised using control experiments and computational modelling. The use of an additional amine was found to increase conversion to the desired cage
A Renormalization Group Approach to Relativistic Cosmology
We discuss the averaging hypothesis tacitly assumed in standard cosmology.
Our approach is implemented in a "3+1" formalism and invokes the coarse
graining arguments, provided and supported by the real-space Renormalization
Group (RG) methods. Block variables are introduced and the recursion relations
written down explicitly enabling us to characterize the corresponding RG flow.
To leading order, the RG flow is provided by the Ricci-Hamilton equations
studied in connection with the geometry of three-manifolds. The properties of
the Ricci-Hamilton flow make it possible to study a critical behaviour of
cosmological models. This criticality is discussed and it is argued that it may
be related to the formation of sheet-like structures in the universe. We
provide an explicit expression for the renormalized Hubble constant and for the
scale dependence of the matter distribution. It is shown that the Hubble
constant is affected by non-trivial scale dependent shear terms, while the
spatial anisotropy of the metric influences significantly the scale-dependence
of the matter distribution.Comment: 57 pages, LaTeX, 15 pictures available on request from the Author
Investigation of biofuel as a potential renewable energy source
An accelerating global energy demand, paired with the harmful environmental effects of
fossil fuels, has triggered the search for alternative, renewable energy sources. Biofuels are arguably
a potential renewable energy source in the transportation industry as they can be used within current
infrastructures and require less technological advances than other renewable alternatives, such as
electric vehicles and nuclear power. The literature suggests biofuels can negatively impact food
security and production; however, this is dependent on the type of feedstock used in biofuel production.
Advanced biofuels, derived from inedible biomass, are heavily favoured but require further
research and development to reach their full commercial potential. Replacing fossil fuels by biofuels
can substantially reduce particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, but simultaneously
increase emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) and peroxyacetyl nitrate
(PAN), resulting in debates concerning the way biofuels should be implemented. The potential biofuel
blends (FT-SPK, HEFA-SPK, ATJ-SPK and HFS-SIP) and their use as an alternative to kerosene-type
fuels in the aviation industry have also been assessed. Although these fuels are currently more
costly than conventional aviation fuels, possible reduction in production costs has been reported as a
potential solution. A preliminary study shows that i-butanol emissions (1.8 Tg/year) as a biofuel can
increase ozone levels by up to 6% in the upper troposphere, highlighting a potential climate impact.
However, a larger number of studies will be needed to assess the practicalities and associated cost
of using the biofuel in existing vehicles, particularly in terms of identifying any modifications to
existing engine infrastructure, the impact of biofuel emissions, and their chemistry on the climate
and human health, to fully determine their suitability as a potential renewable energy source
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