1,527 research outputs found
Self-Generated Magnetic Fields in Galactic Cooling Flows
Interstellar magnetic fields in elliptical galaxies are assumed to have their
origin in stellar fields that accompany normal mass loss from an evolving
population of old stars. The seed fields are amplified by interstellar
turbulence driven by stellar mass loss and supernova events. These disordered
fields are further amplified by time-dependent compression in the inward moving
galactic cooling flow and are expected to dominate near the galactic core.
Under favorable circumstances, fields similar in strength to those observed G can be generated solely from these natural
galactic processes. In general the interstellar field throughout elliptical
galaxies is determined by the outermost regions in the interstellar gas where
the turbulent dynamo process can occur. Because of the long hydrodynamic flow
times in galactic cooling flows, currently observed magnetic fields may result
from periods of intense turbulent field amplification that occurred in the
outer galaxy in the distant past. Particularly strong fields in ellipticals may
result from ancient galactic mergers or shear turbulence introduced at the
boundary between the interstellar gas and ambient cluster gas.Comment: 21 pages in AASTEX LaTeX with 2 figures; accepted by Astrophysical
Journa
Shuffle relations for regularised integrals of symbols
We prove shuffle relations which relate a product of regularised integrals of
classical symbols to regularised nested (Chen) iterated integrals, which hold
if all the symbols involved have non-vanishing residue. This is true in
particular for non-integer order symbols. In general the shuffle relations hold
up to finite parts of corrective terms arising from renormalisation on tensor
products of classical symbols, a procedure adapted from renormalisation
procedures on Feynman diagrams familiar to physicists. We relate the shuffle
relations for regularised integrals of symbols with shuffle relations for
multizeta functions adapting the above constructions to the case of symbols on
the unit circle.Comment: 40 pages,latex. Changes concern sections 4 and 5 : an error in
section 4 has been corrected, and the link between section 5 and the previous
ones has been precise
ROSAT Evidence for Intrinsic Oxygen Absorption in Cooling Flow Galaxies and Groups
Using spatially resolved, deprojected ROSAT PSPC spectra of 10 of the
brightest cooling flow galaxies and groups with low Galactic column densities
we have detected intrinsic absorption over energies ~0.4-0.8 keV in half of the
sample. Since no intrinsic absorption is indicated for energies below ~0.4 keV,
the most reasonable model for the absorber is collisionally ionized gas at
temperatures T=10^{5-6} K with most of the absorption arising from ionized
states of oxygen but with a significant contribution from carbon and nitrogen.
The soft X-ray emission of this warm gas can explain the sub-Galactic column
densities of cold gas inferred within the central regions of most of the
systems. Attributing the absorption to ionized gas reconciles the large columns
of cold H and He inferred from EINSTEIN and ASCA with the lack of such columns
inferred from ROSAT. Within the central ~10-20 kpc, where the constraints are
most secure, the estimated mass of the ionized absorber is consistent with most
(perhaps all) of the matter deposited by a cooling flow over the lifetime of
the flow. Since the warm absorber produces no significant H or He absorption
the large absorber masses are consistent with the negligible atomic and
molecular H inferred from HI and CO observations of cooling flows. It is also
found that if T > ~2x10^5 K then the optical and UV emission implied by the
warm gas does not violate published constraints. Finally, we discuss how the
prediction of warm ionized gas as the product of mass drop-out in these and
other cooling flows can be verified with new CHANDRA and XMM observations.
(Abridged)Comment: 17 pages (5 figures), Accepted for publication in ApJ, expanded
discussion of multiphase spectral models, theoretical implications of warm
gas in cooling flows, and the statistical significance of the oxygen
absorptio
The Giant Danio (D. aequipinnatus) as a Model of Cardiac Remodeling and Regeneration
The paucity of mammalian adult cardiac myocytes (CM) proliferation following myocardial infarction (MI) and the remodeling of the necrotic tissue that ensues, result in non-regenerative repair. In contrast, zebrafish (ZF) can regenerate after an apical resection or cryoinjury of the heart. There is considerable interest in models where regeneration proceeds in the presence of necrotic tissue. We have developed and characterized a cautery injury model in the giant danio (GD), a species closely related to ZF, where necrotic tissue remains part of the ventricle, yet regeneration occurs. By light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we have documented four temporally overlapping processes: 1) a robust inflammatory response analogous to that observed in MI, 2) concomitant proliferation of epicardial cells leading to wound closure, 3) resorption of necrotic tissue and its replacement by granulation tissue, 4) regeneration of the myocardial tissue driven by 5-EDU and [3H]thymidine incorporating CMs. In conclusion, our data suggest that the GD possesses robust repair mechanisms in the ventricle, and can serve as an important model of cardiac inflammation, remodeling and regeneration
Non-thermal Processes in Black-Hole-Jet Magnetospheres
The environs of supermassive black holes are among the universe's most
extreme phenomena. Understanding the physical processes occurring in the
vicinity of black holes may provide the key to answer a number of fundamental
astrophysical questions including the detectability of strong gravity effects,
the formation and propagation of relativistic jets, the origin of the highest
energy gamma-rays and cosmic-rays, and the nature and evolution of the central
engine in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). As a step towards this direction, this
paper reviews some of the progress achieved in the field based on observations
in the very high energy domain. It particularly focuses on non-thermal particle
acceleration and emission processes that may occur in the rotating
magnetospheres originating from accreting, supermassive black hole systems.
Topics covered include direct electric field acceleration in the black hole's
magnetosphere, ultra-high energy cosmic ray production, Blandford-Znajek
mechanism, centrifugal acceleration and magnetic reconnection, along with the
relevant efficiency constraints imposed by interactions with matter, radiation
and fields. By way of application, a detailed discussion of well-known sources
(Sgr A*; Cen A; M87; NGC1399) is presented.Comment: invited review for International Journal of Modern Physics D, 49
pages, 15 figures; minor typos corrected to match published versio
Magnetic Field Limitations on Advection Dominated Flows
Recent papers discussing advection dominated accretion flows (ADAF) as a
solution for astrophysical accretion problems should be treated with some
caution because of their uncertain physical basis. The suggestions underlying
ADAF involve ignoring the magnetic field reconnection in heating of the plasma
flow, assuming electron heating due only to binary Coulomb collisions with
ions. Here, we analyze the physical processes in optically thin accretion flows
at low accretion rates including the influence of an equipartition turbulent
magnetic field. For these conditions there is continuous destruction of
magnetic flux by reconnection.
The reconnection is expected to significantly heat the electrons which can
efficiently emit magnetobremstrahlung radiation. Because of this electron
emission, the radiative efficiency of the ADAF is not small. We suggest that
the small luminosities of nearby galactic black holes is due to outflows rather
than ADAF accretion.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, Submitted to Ap
Inflation-Produced Magnetic Fields in Nonlinear Electrodynamics
We study the generation of primeval magnetic fields during inflation era in
nonlinear theories of electrodynamics. Although the intensity of the produced
fields strongly depends on characteristics of inflation and on the form of
electromagnetic Lagrangian, our results do not exclude the possibility that
these fields could be astrophysically interesting.Comment: 6 page
Observations of Non-radial Pulsations in Radio Pulsars
We introduce a model for pulsars in which non-radial oscillations of high
spherical degree (l) aligned to the magnetic axis of a spinning neutron star
reproduce the morphological features of pulsar beams. In our model, rotation of
the pulsar carries a pattern of pulsation nodes underneath our sightline,
reproducing the longitude stationary structure seen in average pulse profiles,
while the associated time-like oscillations reproduce "drifting
subpulses"--features that change their longitude between successive pulsar
spins. We will show that the presence of nodal lines can account for observed
180 degree phase jumps in drifting subpulses and their otherwise poor phase
stability, even if the time-like oscillations are strictly periodic. Our model
can also account for the "mode changes" and "nulls" observed in some pulsars as
quasiperiodic changes between pulsation modes of different l or radial overtone
n, analogous to pulsation mode changes observed in oscillating white dwarf
stars. We will discuss other definitive and testable requirements of our model
and show that they are qualitatively supported by existing data. While
reserving judgment until the completion of quantitative tests, we are inspired
enough by the existing observational support for our model to speculate about
the excitation mechanism of the non-radial pulsations, the physics we can learn
from them, and their relationship to the period evolution of pulsars.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figures (as separate png files), Astrophysical Journal,
in pres
The critical velocity effect as a cause for the H\alpha emission from the Magellanic stream
Observations show significant H\alpha-emissions in the Galactic halo near the
edges of cold gas clouds of the Magellanic Stream. The source for the
ionization of the cold gas is still a widely open question. In our paper we
discuss the critical velocity effect as a possible explanation for the observed
H\alpha-emission. The critical velocity effect can yield a fast ionization of
cold gas if this neutral gas passes through a magnetized plasma under suitable
conditions. We show that for parameters that are typical for the Magellanic
Stream the critical velocity effect has to be considered as a possible
ionization source of high relevance.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures. accepted, to appear in The Astrophysical Journa
- …