1,977 research outputs found
The SKA view of the Neutral Interstellar Medium in Galaxies
Two major questions in galaxy evolution are how star-formation on small
scales leads to global scaling laws and how galaxies acquire sufficient gas to
sustain their star formation rates. HI observations with high angular
resolution and with sensitivity to very low column densities are some of the
important observational ingredients that are currently still missing. Answers
to these questions are necessary for a correct interpretation of observations
of galaxy evolution in the high-redshift universe and will provide crucial
input for the sub-grid physics in hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy
evolutions. In this chapter we discuss the progress that will be made with the
SKA using targeted observations of nearby individual disk and dwarf galaxies.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures, to appear as part of 'Neutral Hydrogen' in
Proceedings 'Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA (AASKA14)', PoS(AASKA14)12
Discovery of magnetic fields along stacked cosmic filaments as revealed by radio and X-ray emission
Diffuse filaments connect galaxy clusters to form the cosmic web. Detecting these filaments could yield information on the magnetic field strength, cosmic ray population and temperature of intercluster gas, yet, the faint and large-scale nature of these bridges makes direct detections very challenging. Using multiple independent all-sky radio and X-ray maps we stack pairs of luminous red galaxies as tracers for cluster pairs. For the first time, we detect an average surface brightness between the clusters from synchrotron (radio) and thermal (X-ray) emission with 73 5\u3c3 significance, on physical scales larger than observed to date ( 653 Mpc). We obtain a synchrotron spectral index of \u3b1 43 -1.0 and estimates of the average magnetic field strength of 30 64 B 64 60 nG, derived from both equipartition and Inverse Compton arguments, implying a 5 to 15 per cent degree of field regularity when compared with Faraday rotation measure estimates. While the X-ray detection is inline with predictions, the average radio signal comes out higher than predicted by cosmological simulations and dark matter annihilation and decay models. This discovery demonstrates that there are connective structures between mass concentrations that are significantly magnetised, and the presence of sufficient cosmic rays to produce detectable synchrotron radiation
A low H I column density filament in NGC 2403 : signature of interaction or accretion
Date of acceptance: 12/07/2014Observed H i accretion around nearby galaxies can only account for a fraction of the gas supply needed to sustain the currently observed star formation rates. It is possible that additional accretion occurs in the form of low column density cold flows, as predicted by numerical simulations of galaxy formation. To constrain the presence and properties of such flows, we present deep H i observations obtained with the NRAO Green Bank Telescope of an area measuring 4° × 4° around NGC 2403. These observations, with a 5σ detection limit of 2.4 × 1018 cm-2 over a 20 km s-1 linewidth, reveal a low column density, extended cloud outside the main H i disk, about 17′ (~ 16 kpc or ~ 2 R25) to the NW of the center of the galaxy. The total H i mass of the cloud is 6.3 × 106 M⊙, or 0.15 percent of the total H i mass of NGC 2403. The cloud is associated with an 8 kpc anomalous-velocity H i filament in the inner disk, that was previously observed in deep VLA observations. We discuss several scenarios for the origin of the cloud, and conclude that it is either accreting from the intergalactic medium, or is the result of a minor interaction with a neigboring dwarf galaxyPeer reviewe
Atomic and Molecular Gas Components in Spiral Galaxies of the Virgo Cluster
Based on two models, we investigate the molecular-to-atomic gas ratio in
Virgo cluster galaxies in comparison with field galaxies. We show that the
enhanced metallicity for cluster members and the ram pressure stripping of
atomic gas from the disk periphery cannot fully explain the observed gas
component ratios. The additional environmental factors affecting the
interstellar medium and leading to an increase in the molecular gas fraction
should be taken into account for cluster galaxies.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
Stress-driven phase transformation and the roughening of solid-solid interfaces
The application of stress to multiphase solid-liquid systems often results in
morphological instabilities. Here we propose a solid-solid phase transformation
model for roughening instability in the interface between two porous materials
with different porosities under normal compression stresses. This instability
is triggered by a finite jump in the free energy density across the interface,
and it leads to the formation of finger-like structures aligned with the
principal direction of compaction. The model is proposed as an explanation for
the roughening of stylolites - irregular interfaces associated with the
compaction of sedimentary rocks that fluctuate about a plane perpendicular to
the principal direction of compaction.Comment: (4 pages, 4 figures
The nature of the low-frequency emission of M51: First observations of a nearby galaxy with LOFAR
The grand-design spiral galaxy M51 was observed with the LOFAR High Frequency
Antennas (HBA) and imaged in total intensity and polarisation. This observation
covered the frequencies between 115 MHz and 175 MHz. We produced an image of
total emission of M51 at the mean frequency of 151 MHz with 20 arcsec
resolution and 0.3 mJy rms noise, which is the most sensitive image of a galaxy
at frequencies below 300 MHz so far. The integrated spectrum of total radio
emission is described well by a power law, while flat spectral indices in the
central region indicate thermal absorption. We observe that the disk extends
out to 16 kpc and see a break in the radial profile near the optical radius of
the disk. Our main results, the scale lengths of the inner and outer disks at
151 MHz and 1.4 GHz, arm--interarm contrast, and the break scales of the
radio--far-infrared correlations, can be explained consistently by CRE
diffusion, leading to a longer propagation length of CRE of lower energy. The
distribution of CRE sources drops sharply at about 10 kpc radius, where the
star formation rate also decreases sharply. We find evidence that thermal
absorption is primarily caused by HII regions. The non-detection of
polarisation from M51 at 151 MHz is consistent with the estimates of Faraday
depolarisation. Future searches for polarised emission in this frequency range
should concentrate on regions with low star formation rates.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Linear Momentum Density in Quasistatic Electromagnetic Systems
We discuss a couple of simple quasistatic electromagnetic systems in which
the density of electromagnetic linear momentum can be easily computed. The
examples are also used to illustrate how the total electromagnetic linear
momentum, which may also be calculated by using the vector potential, can be
understood as a consequence of the violation of the action-reaction principle,
because a non-null external force is required to maintain constant the
mechanical linear momentum. We show how one can avoid the divergence in the
interaction linear electromagnetic momentum of a system composed by an
idealization often used in textbooks (an infinite straight current) and a point
charge.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Eur. J. Phy
First LOFAR results on galaxy clusters
Deep radio observations of galaxy clusters have revealed the existence of
diffuse radio sources related to the presence of relativistic electrons and
weak magnetic fields in the intracluster volume. The role played by this
non-thermal intracluster component on the thermodynamical evolution of galaxy
clusters is debated, with important implications for cosmological and
astrophysical studies of the largest gravitationally bound structures of the
Universe. The low surface brightness and steep spectra of diffuse cluster radio
sources make them more easily detectable at low-frequencies. LOFAR is the first
instrument able to detect diffuse radio emission in hundreds of massive galaxy
clusters up to their formation epoch. We present the first observations of
clusters imaged by LOFAR and the huge perspectives opened by this instrument
for non-thermal cluster studies.Comment: Proceedings of the 2012 week of the French Society of Astronomy and
Astrophysics (SF2A) held in Nice, June 5th-8t
Total Observed Organic Carbon (TOOC): A synthesis of North American observations
Measurements of organic carbon compounds in both the gas and particle phases measured upwind, over and downwind of North America are synthesized to examine the total observed organic carbon (TOOC) over this region. These include measurements made aboard the NOAA WP-3 and BAe-146 aircraft, the NOAA research vessel Ronald H. Brown, and at the Thompson Farm and Chebogue Point surface sites during the summer 2004 ICARTT campaign. Both winter and summer 2002 measurements during the Pittsburgh Air Quality Study are also included. Lastly, the spring 2002 observations at Trinidad Head, CA, surface measurements made in March 2006 in Mexico City and coincidentally aboard the C-130 aircraft during the MILAGRO campaign and later during the IMPEX campaign off the northwestern United States are incorporated. Concentrations of TOOC in these datasets span more than two orders of magnitude. The daytime mean TOOC ranges from 4.0 to 456 μgC m^−3 from the cleanest site (Trinidad Head) to the most polluted (Mexico City). Organic aerosol makes up 3–17% of this mean TOOC, with highest fractions reported over the northeastern United States, where organic aerosol can comprise up to 50% of TOOC. Carbon monoxide concentrations explain 46 to 86% of the variability in TOOC, with highest TOOC/CO slopes in regions with fresh anthropogenic influence, where we also expect the highest degree of mass closure for TOOC. Correlation with isoprene, formaldehyde, methyl vinyl ketene and methacrolein also indicates that biogenic activity contributes substantially to the variability of TOOC, yet these tracers of biogenic oxidation sources do not explain the variability in organic aerosol observed over North America. We highlight the critical need to develop measurement techniques to routinely detect total gas phase VOCs, and to deploy comprehensive suites of TOOC instruments in diverse environments to quantify the ambient evolution of organic carbon from source to sink
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