2,877 research outputs found
Geospatial modeling approach to monument construction using Michigan from A.D. 1000–1600 as a case study
Building monuments was one way that past societies reconfigured their landscapes in response to shifting social and ecological factors. Understanding the connections between those factors and monument construction is critical, especially when multiple types of monuments were constructed across the same landscape. Geospatial technologies enable past cultural activities and environmental variables to be examined together at large scales. Many geospatial modeling approaches, however, are not designed for presence-only (occurrence) data, which can be limiting given that many archaeological site records are presence only. We use maximum entropy modeling (MaxEnt), which works with presence-only data, to predict the distribution of monuments across large landscapes, and we analyze MaxEnt output to quantify the contributions of spatioenvironmental variables to predicted distributions. We apply our approach to co-occurring Late Precontact (ca. A.D. 1000–1600) monuments in Michigan: (i) mounds and (ii) earthwork enclosures. Many of these features have been destroyed by modern development, and therefore, we conducted archival research to develop our monument occurrence database. We modeled each monument type separately using the same input variables. Analyzing variable contribution to MaxEnt output, we show that mound and enclosure landscape suitability was driven by contrasting variables. Proximity to inland lakes was key to mound placement, and proximity to rivers was key to sacred enclosures. This juxtaposition suggests that mounds met local needs for resource procurement success, whereas enclosures filled broader regional needs for intergroup exchange and shared ritual. Our study shows how MaxEnt can be used to develop sophisticated models of past cultural processes, including monument building, with imperfect, limited, presence-only data
Kinematics of Circumgalactic Gas: Feeding Galaxies and Feedback
We present observations of 50 pairs of redshift z ~ 0.2 star-forming galaxies
and background quasars. These sightlines probe the circumgalactic medium (CGM)
out to half the virial radius, and we describe the circumgalactic gas
kinematics relative to the reference frame defined by the galactic disks. We
detect halo gas in MgII absorption, measure the equivalent-width-weighted
Doppler shifts relative to each galaxy, and find that the CGM has a component
of angular momentum that is aligned with the galactic disk. No net
counter-rotation of the CGM is detected within 45 degrees of the major axis at
any impact parameter. The velocity offset of the circumgalactic gas correlates
with the projected rotation speed in the disk plane out to disk radii of
roughly 70 kpc. We confirm previous claims that the MgII absorption becomes
stronger near the galactic minor axis and show that the equivalent width
correlates with the velocity range of the absorption. We cannot directly
measure the location of any absorber along the sightline, but we explore the
hypothesis that individual velocity components can be associated with gas
orbiting in the disk plane or flowing radially outward in a conical outflow. We
conclude that centrifugal forces partially support the low-ionization gas and
galactic outflows kinematically disturb the CGM producing excess absorption.
Our results firmly rule out schema for the inner CGM that lack rotation and
suggest that angular momentum as well as galactic winds should be included in
any viable model for the low-redshift CGM.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Weak double layers in the auroral ionosphere
Previous work on the evolution of weak double layers in a hydrogen plasma was extended to include H(+) and O(+) with relative drift. The relative drift between hydrogen and oxygen ions due to a quasi-static parallel electric field gives rise to a strong linear fluid instability which dominates the ion-acoustic mode at the bottom of the auroral acceleration region. This ion-ion instability can modify ion distributions at lower altitudes and the subsequent nonlinear evolution of weak double layers at higher altitudes in the ion-acoustic regime. Ion hole formation can occur for smaller relative electron-ion drifts than seen in previous simulations, due to the hydrogen-oxygen two-stream instability. This results in local modification of the ion distributions in phase space, and a partial filling of the valley between the hydrogen and oxygen peaks, which would be expected at higher altitudes on auroral field lines. The observed velocity diffusion does not necessarily preclude ion hole and double layer formation in hydrogen in the ion-acoustic regime. These simulation results are consistent with the experimentally measured persistence of separate hydrogen and oxygen peaks, and the observation of weak double layers above an altitude of 3000 km on auroral field lines
The LyAlpha Line Profiles of Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies: Fast Winds and Lyman Continuum Leakage
We present new Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph
far-ultraviolet (far-UV) spectroscopy and Keck Echellete optical spectroscopy
of 11 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs), a rare population of local
galaxies experiencing massive gas inflows, extreme starbursts, and prominent
outflows. We detect H Lyman alpha emission from 8 ULIRGs and the companion to
IRAS09583+4714. In contrast to the P Cygni profiles often seen in galaxy
spectra, the H Lyman alpha profiles exhibit prominent, blueshifted emission out
to Doppler shifts exceeding -1000 km/s in three HII-dominated and two
AGN-dominated ULIRGs. To better understand the role of resonance scattering in
shaping the H Lyman alpha line profiles, we directly compare them to
non-resonant emission lines in optical spectra. We find that the line wings are
already present in the intrinsic nebular spectra, and scattering merely
enhances the wings relative to the line core. The H Lyman alpha attenuation (as
measured in the COS aperture) ranges from that of the far-UV continuum to over
100 times more. A simple radiative transfer model suggests the H Lyman alpha
photons escape through cavities which have low column densities of neutral
hydrogen and become optically thin to the Lyman continuum in the most advanced
mergers. We show that the properties of the highly blueshifted line wings on
the H Lyman alpha and optical emission-line profiles are consistent with
emission from clumps of gas condensing out of a fast, hot wind. The luminosity
of the H Lyman alpha emission increases non-linearly with the ULIRG bolometric
luminosity and represents about 0.1 to 1% of the radiative cooling from the hot
winds in the HII-dominated ULIRGs.Comment: Submitted to Ap
Pulsar Wind Nebulae in EGRET Error Boxes
A remarkable number of pulsar wind nebulae (PWN) are coincident with EGRET
gamma-ray sources. X-ray and radio imaging studies of unidentified EGRET
sources have resulted in the discovery of at least 6 new pulsar wind nebulae
(PWN). Stationary PWN (SPWN) appear to be associated with steady EGRET sources
with hard spectra, typical for gamma-ray pulsars. Their toroidal morphologies
can help determine the geometry of the pulsar which is useful for constraining
models of pulsed gamma-ray emission. Rapidly moving PWN (RPWN) with more
cometary morphologies seem to be associated with variable EGRET sources in
regions where the ambient medium is dense compared to what is typical for the
ISM.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the proceedings of "The
Multiwavelength Approach to Unidentified Sources", ed. G. Romero & K.S. Chen
Indians and Equal Protection
This article analyzes the recent Indian equal protection cases in an attempt to formulate the equal protection doctrine as applied to Indians, to examine the theoretical foundation for that doctrine, and to indicate how that doctrine will likely be applied in situations not yet addressed by the courts
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