How galaxies lose their angular momentum

The processes are investigated by which gas loses its angular momentum during the protogalactic collapse phase, leading to disk galaxies that are too compact with respect to the observations. High-resolution N-body/SPH simulations in a cosmological context are presented including cold gas and dark matter. A halo with quiet merging activity since z~3.8 and with a high spin parameter is analysed that should be an ideal candidate for the formation of an extended galactic disk. We show that the gas and the dark matter have similar specific angular momenta until a merger event occurs at z~2 with a mass ratio of 5:1. All the gas involved in the merger loses a substantial fraction of its specific angular momentum due to tidal torques and falls quickly into the center. Dynamical friction plays a minor role,in contrast to previous claims. In fact, after this event a new extended disk begins to form from gas that was not involved in the 5:1 merger event and that falls in subsequently. We argue that the angular momentum problem of disk galaxy formation is a merger problem: in cold dark matter cosmology substantial mergers with mass ratios of 1:1 to 6:1 are expected to occur in almost all galaxies. We suggest that energetic feedback processes could in principle solve this problem, however only if the heating occurs at the time or shortly before the last substantial merger event. Good candidates for such a coordinated feedback would be a merger-triggered star burst or central black hole heating. If a large fraction of the low angular momentum gas would be ejected as a result of these processes, late-type galaxies could form with a dominant extended disk component, resulting from late infall, a small bulge-to-disk ratio and a low baryon fraction, in agreement with observations.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to MNRAS. Request for high resolution figures to the author

Tidally Induced Offset Disks in Magellanic Spiral Galaxies

Magellanic spiral galaxies are a class of one-armed systems that often exhibit an offset stellar bar, and are rarely found around massive spiral galaxies. Using a set of N-body and hydrodynamic simulations we consider a dwarf-dwarf galaxy interaction as the driving mechanism for the formation of this peculiar class of systems. We investigate here the relation between the dynamical, stellar and gaseous disk center and the bar. In all our simulations the bar center always coincides with the dynamical center, while the stellar disk becomes highly asymmetric during the encounter causing the photometric center of the Magellanic galaxy disk to become mismatched with both the bar and the dynamical center. The disk asymmetries persist for almost 2 Gyrs, the time that it takes for the disk to be re-centered with the bar, and well after the companion has passed. This explains the nature of the offset bar found in many Magellanic-type galaxies, including the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and NGC 3906. In particular, these results, once applied to the LMC, suggest that the dynamical center should reside in the bar center instead of the HI center as previously assumed, pointing to a variation in the current estimate of the north component of the LMC proper motion.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, corrected for referee comment

Fossil group origins: VIII RXJ075243.6+455653 a transitionary fossil group

It is thought that fossil systems are relics of structure formation in the primitive Universe. They are galaxy aggregations that have assembled their mass at high redshift with few or no subsequent accretion. Observationally these systems are selected by large magnitude gaps between their 1st and 2nd ranked galaxies. Nevertheless, there is still debate over whether or not this observational criterium selects dynamically evolved ancient systems. We have studied the properties of the nearby fossil group RXJ075243.6+455653 in order to understand the mass assembly of this system. Deep spectroscopic observations allow us to construct the galaxy luminosity function (LF) of RXJ075243.6+455653 down to M*+ 6. The analysis of the faint-end of the LF in groups and clusters provides valuable information about the mass assembly of the system. In addition, we have analyzed the nearby large-scale structure around this group. We identified 26 group members within r200=0.9 Mpc. The LF of the group shows a flat faint-end slope ( -1.08 +/- 0.33). This low density of dwarf galaxies is confirmed by the low value of the dwarf-to-giant ratio (DGR = 0.99 +/- 0.49) for this system. Both the lack of dwarf galaxies and the low luminosity of the BGG suggests that RXJ075243.6+455653 still has to accrete mass from its nearby environment. This mass accretion will be achieved because it is the dominant structure of a rich environment formed by several groups of galaxies (15) within 7 Mpc from the group center and with +/- 1000$ km/s. RXJ075243.6+455653 is a group of galaxies that has not yet completed the process of its mass assembly. This new mass accretion will change the fossil state of the group. This group is an example of a galaxy aggregation selected by a large magnitude gap but still in the process of the accretion of its mass (Abridged).Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted in A&

Spatio-temporal changes of Munida Rutllanti Zariquiey-Alvarez, 1952 (Decapoda: Galatheidae) in the North-Western Ionian Sea (Central Mediterranean)

The spatio-temporal pattern of Munida rutllanti distribution in the north-western Ionian Sea has been studied. Data were collected during 14 experimental trawl surveys conducted from 1997 to 2010 as part of the international MEDITS project. The hauls were carried out during day-light hours between depths of 10 and 800 m in the spring season. A progressive increase in the abundance index (N/km2) of M. rutllanti was observed from 2000 to 2008, then a sharp decrease was shown in the last two years. The greatest and lowest abundance indices were observed in the Apulian and central Calabrian sub-areas, respectively. The species was collected between 107 and 795 m in depth, with a significant increase and decrease over time in the maximum and minimum depth of finding, respectively. A highly significant increase over time in the mean carapace length was also observed in the whole study area. The widespread occurrence and increasing abundance of this species in the Ionian Sea could be related to the increase in temperature and the variation in hydrographic conditions which occurred in the Ionian basin during the EMT-BiOS phenomenon

Early detection of Aspergillus carbonarius and A. niger on table grapes: a tool for quality improvement

Aspergillus carbonarius and A. niger aggregate are the main fungal contaminants of table grapes. Besides their ability to cause black rot, they can produce ochratoxin A (OTA), a mycotoxin that has attracted increasing attention worldwide. The objective of this work was to set up a simple and rapid molecular method for the early detection of both fungi in table grapes before fungal development becomes evident. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays were developed by designing species-specific primers based on the polyketide synthases (PKSS) sequences of A. carbonarius and A. niger that have recently been demonstrated to be involved in OTA biosynthesis. Three table grape varieties (Red globe, Crimson seedless, and Italia) were inoculated with A. carbonarius and A. niger aggregate strains producing OTA. The extracted DNA from control (non-inoculated) and inoculated grapes was amplified by PCR using ACPKS2F-ACPKS2R for A. carbonarius and ANPKS5-ANPKS6 for A. niger aggregate. Both primers allowed a clear detection, even in symptomless samples. PCR-based methods are considered to be a good alternative to traditional diagnostic means for the early detection of fungi in complex matrix for their high specificity and sensitivity. The results obtained could be useful for the definition of a 'quality label' for tested grapes to improve the safety measures taken to guarantee the production of fresh table grapes

Antagonism and Antimicrobial Capacity of Epiphytic and Endophytic Bacteria against the Phytopathogen Xylella fastidiosa

Olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS), which is caused by Xylella fastidiosa, poses a severe threat to the agriculture of Mediterranean countries and causes severe damage to the olive trees in Italy. Since no effective control measures are currently available, the objective of this study was the screening of antagonistic bacteria that are potentially deployable as biocontrol agents against X. fastidiosa. Therefore, two approaches were used, i.e., the evaluation of the antagonistic activity of (i) endophytic bacteria isolated from two different cultivars of olive trees (Leccino and Ogliarola salentina) and (ii) epiphytic bacteria isolated from the phyllospheres of different host plant species of X. fastidiosa. In vitro dual culture tests showed that 12 out of 200 isolates inhibited X. fastidiosa growth, with appearances of clear zones between 4.0 and 38.6 mm. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed different species of the genera Paenibacillus, Bacillus, Pantoea, Microbacterium, Stenotrophomonas, Delftia, and Pseudomonas. Furthermore, an investigation for antimicrobial activity identified 5 out of the 12 antagonistic bacteria, Paenibacillus rigui, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilus, Microbacterium oxydans, and Stenotrophomonas rhizophila, that were able to produce culture filtrates with inhibitory activities. Our results are promising for further investigation to develop an eco-sustainable strategy to control X. fastidiosa using biocontrol agents or their secreted metabolites