7,650 research outputs found
The extraordinary mid-infrared spectral properties of FeLoBAL Quasars
We present mid-infrared spectra of six FeLoBAL QSOs at 1<z<1.8, taken with
the Spitzer space telescope. The spectra span a range of shapes, from hot dust
dominated AGN with silicate emission at 9.7 microns, to moderately obscured
starbursts with strong Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) emission. The
spectrum of one object, SDSS 1214-0001, shows the most prominent PAHs yet seen
in any QSO at any redshift, implying that the starburst dominates the mid-IR
emission with an associated star formation rate of order 2700 solar masses per
year. With the caveats that our sample is small and not robustly selected, we
combine our mid-IR spectral diagnostics with previous observations to propose
that FeLoBAL QSOs are at least largely comprised of systems in which (a) a
merger driven starburst is ending, (b) a luminous AGN is in the last stages of
burning through its surrounding dust, and (c) which we may be viewing over a
restricted line of sight range.Comment: ApJ, accepte
Communications technology satellite output-tube design and development
The design and development of a 200-watt-output, traveling-wave tube (TWT) for the Communications Technology Satellite (CTS) is discussed, with emphasis on the design evolution during the manufacturing phase of the development program. Possible further improvements to the tube design are identified
Hybrid expansions for local structural relaxations
A model is constructed in which pair potentials are combined with the cluster
expansion method in order to better describe the energetics of structurally
relaxed substitutional alloys. The effect of structural relaxations away from
the ideal crystal positions, and the effect of ordering is described by
interatomic-distance dependent pair potentials, while more subtle
configurational aspects associated with correlations of three- and more sites
are described purely within the cluster expansion formalism. Implementation of
such a hybrid expansion in the context of the cluster variation method or Monte
Carlo method gives improved ability to model phase stability in alloys from
first-principles.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur
A study of 60 Gigahertz intersatellite link applications
Applications of intersatellite links operating at 60 GHz are reviewed. Likely scenarios, ranging from transmission of moderate and high data rates over long distances to low data rates over short distances are examined. A limited parametric tradeoff is performed with system variables such as radiofrequency power, receiver noise temperature, link distance, data rate, and antenna size. Present status is discussed and projections are given for both electron tube and solid state transmitter technologies. Monolithic transmit and receive module technology, already under development at 20 to 30 GHz, is reviewed and its extension to 60 GHz, and possible applicability is discussed
Accurate molecular energies by extrapolation of atomic energies using an analytic quantum mechanical model
Using a new analytic quantum mechanical method based on Slater's Xalpha
method, we show that a fairly accurate estimate of the total energy of a
molecule can be obtained from the exact energies of its constituent atoms. The
mean absolute error in the total energies thus determined for the G2 set of 56
molecules is about 16 kcal/mol, comparable to or better than some popular pure
and hybrid density functional models.Comment: 5 pages, REVTE
Spectral Templates from Multicolor Redshift Surveys
Understanding how the physical properties of galaxies (e.g. their spectral
type or age) evolve as a function of redshift relies on having an accurate
representation of galaxy spectral energy distributions. While it has been known
for some time that galaxy spectra can be reconstructed from a handful of
orthogonal basis templates, the underlying basis is poorly constrained. The
limiting factor has been the lack of large samples of galaxies (covering a wide
range in spectral type) with high signal-to-noise spectrophotometric
observations. To alleviate this problem we introduce here a new technique for
reconstructing galaxy spectral energy distributions directly from samples of
galaxies with broadband photometric data and spectroscopic redshifts.
Exploiting the statistical approach of the Karhunen-Loeve expansion, our
iterative training procedure increasingly improves the eigenbasis, so that it
provides better agreement with the photometry. We demonstrate the utility of
this approach by applying these improved spectral energy distributions to the
estimation of photometric redshifts for the HDF sample of galaxies. We find
that in a small number of iterations the dispersion in the photometric
redshifts estimator (a comparison between predicted and measured redshifts) can
decrease by up to a factor of 2.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures, LaTeX AASTeX, accepted for publication in A
An Evolutionary Paradigm for Dusty Active Galaxies at Low Redshift
We apply methods from Bayesian inferencing and graph theory to a dataset of
102 mid-infrared spectra, and archival data from the optical to the millimeter,
to construct an evolutionary paradigm for z<0.4 infrared-luminous galaxies
(ULIRGs). We propose that the ULIRG lifecycle consists of three phases. The
first phase lasts from the initial encounter until approximately coalescence.
It is characterized by homogeneous mid-IR spectral shapes, and IR emission
mainly from star formation, with a contribution from an AGN in some cases. At
the end of this phase, a ULIRG enters one of two evolutionary paths depending
on the dynamics of the merger, the available quantities of gas, and the masses
of the black holes in the progenitors. On one branch, the contributions from
the starburst and the AGN to the total IR luminosity decline and increase
respectively. The IR spectral shapes are heterogeneous, likely due to feedback
from AGN-driven winds. Some objects go through a brief QSO phase at the end. On
the other branch, the decline of the starburst relative to the AGN is less
pronounced, and few or no objects go through a QSO phase. We show that the 11.2
micron PAH feature is a remarkably good diagnostic of evolutionary phase, and
identify six ULIRGs that may be archetypes of key stages in this lifecycle.Comment: ApJ accepted. Comments welcome. We suggest reading section 2 before
looking at the figures. 26 pages, 21 figures, 1 tabl
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