3,955 research outputs found
Optical and X-ray properties of the RIXOS AGN: II - Emission lines
We present the optical and UV emission line properties of 160 X-ray selected
AGN taken from the RIXOS survey (including Halpha, Hbeta, [OIII]5007, MgII2798
and CIII]1909). This sample is believed to contain a mixture of absorbed and
unabsorbed objects, with column densities up to 4e21 cm-2. Although the
distribution of the [OIII] EW for the RIXOS AGN is typical of optically
selected samples, the Balmer line EWs are relatively low. This is consistent
with the presence of a dust absorber between the broad and narrow line regions
(eg. a molecular torus), and intrinsically weak optical line emission. We find
Baldwin effects in CIII] and MgII, and a positive response of the MgII line to
its ionizing continuum. There is a strong correlation between the EW and FWHM
of MgII, which may be similar to that seen in other samples for Hbeta. We
demonstrate that this is consistent with models which suggest two line-emitting
zones, a `very broad line region' (VBLR) and an `intermediate line region'
(ILR). The correlation between EW and FWHM in MgII may be a physical
characteristic of the ILR or it may reflect a geometric dependence. We found no
correlation between the Hbeta FWHM and the slope of the X-ray spectrum, however
this may be due to the effects of dust absorption which suppresses the broad
Hbeta component, masking any relationship. The Halpha FWHM does tend to be
narrow when alpha_X is soft, and broadens as alpha_X hardens, although the
formal probability for this correlation is low (91 per cent). If the
distribution of alpha_X in the RIXOS sample reflects the level of intrinsic
absorption in these AGN, the data suggest a possible link between the velocity
of the Balmer line-emitting region and the amount of absorbing material beyond.Comment: 29 pages, 14 figures, to be published in Monthly Notices of the Royal
Astronomical Society. Also available from
http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/www_astro/preprints/preprints.htm
New H-band Stellar Spectral Libraries for the SDSS-III/APOGEE survey
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey--III (SDSS--III) Apache Point Observatory
Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) has obtained high resolution (R
22,500), high signal-to-noise ratio ( 100) spectra in the Hband
(1.51.7 m) for about 146,000 stars in the Milky Way galaxy. We
have computed spectral libraries with effective temperature ()
ranging from 3500 to 8000 K for the automated chemical analy\-sis of the survey
data. The libraries, used to derive stellar parameters and abundances from the
APOGEE spectra in the SDSS--III data release 12 (DR12), are based on ATLAS9
model atmospheres and the ASST spectral synthesis code. We present a
second set of libraries based on MARCS model atmospheres and the spectral
synthesis code Turbospectrum. The ATLAS9/ASST ( =
35008000 K) and MARCS/Turbospectrum ( = 35005500 K) grids
cover a wide range of metallicity (2.5 [M/H] 0.5 dex),
surface gravity (0 log 5 dex), microturbulence (0.5
8 km~s), carbon (1 [C/M] 1 dex),
nitrogen (1 [N/M] 1 dex), and -element (1
[/M] 1 dex) variations, having thus seven dimensions. We
compare the ATLAS9/ASST and MARCS/Turbospectrum libraries and apply
both of them to the analysis of the observed Hband spectra of the Sun and
the K2 giant Arcturus, as well as to a selected sample of well-known giant
stars observed at very high-resolution. The new APOGEE libraries are publicly
available and can be employed for chemical studies in the Hband using other
high-resolution spectrographs.Comment: 45 pages, 11 figures; accepted for publication in the Astronomical
Journa
Sodium and Oxygen Abundances in the Open Cluster NGC 6791 from APOGEE H-Band Spectroscopy
The open cluster NGC 6791 is among the oldest, most massive and metal-rich
open clusters in the Galaxy. High-resolution -band spectra from the Apache
Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) of 11 red giants in
NGC 6791 are analyzed for their chemical abundances of iron, oxygen, and
sodium. The abundances of these three elements are found to be homogeneous
(with abundance dispersions at the level of 0.05 - 0.07 dex) in these
cluster red giants, which span much of the red-giant branch (T
3500K - 4600K), and include two red-clump giants. From the infrared
spectra, this cluster is confirmed to be among the most metal-rich clusters in
the Galaxy ( = 0.34 0.06), and is found to have a roughly
solar value of [O/Fe] and slightly enhanced [Na/Fe]. Non-LTE calculations for
the studied Na I lines in the APOGEE spectral region (16373.86\AA\ and
16388.85\AA) indicate only small departures from LTE ( 0.04 dex)
for the parameter range and metallicity of the studied stars. The previously
reported double population of cluster members with different Na abundances is
not found among the studied sample.Comment: Accepted for publication at ApJ Letter
LAT-1 and GLUT-1 Carrier Expression and Its Prognostic Value in Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
Cancer cells develop mechanisms that increase nutrient uptake, including key nutrient carriers, such as amino acid transporter 1 (LAT-1) and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT-1), regulated by the oxygen-sensing Von Hippel Lindau-hypoxia-inducible factor (VHL-HIF) transcriptional pathway. We aimed to analyze these metabolic players in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NET) and correlate them with tumor malignancy and progression. LAT-1, GLUT-1, and pVHL expression was analyzed in 116 GEP-NETs and 48 peritumoral tissue samples by immunohistochemistry. LAT-1 was stably silenced using specific shRNA in the human NET BON cell line. LAT-1 expression was significantly increased in tumor tissue compared to non-tumor tissue in both gastrointestinal (67% vs. 44%) and pancreatic NETs (54% vs. 31%). Similarly, GLUT-1 was substantially elevated in gastrointestinal (74% vs. 19%) and pancreatic (58% vs. 4%) NETs. In contrast, pVHL expression was decreased (85% vs. 58%) in pancreatic NETs. Tumors with metastases at diagnosis displayed increased LAT-1 and GLUT-1 and decreased pVHL expression (p < 0.001). In accordance with these data, silencing LAT-1 curtailed cell proliferation in BON cells. These findings suggest that specific mechanisms that increase nutrient uptake, such as LAT-1 and GLUT-1, are increased in GEP-NETs, whereas pVHL is decreased. These markers might be related to the proliferation and metastatic capacity of these tumors
Simulating infrared spectro-photometric surveys with a S pritz
Mid- and far-infrared (IR) photometric and spectroscopic observations are fundamental to a full understanding of the dust-obscured Universe and the evolution of both star formation and black hole accretion in galaxies. In this work, using the specifications of the SPace Infrared telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA) as a baseline, we investigate the capability to study the dust-obscured Universe of mid- and far-IR photometry at 34 and and low-resolution spectroscopy at using the state-of-the-art Spectro-Photometric Realisations of Infrared-selected Targets at all-z (Spritz) simulation. This investigation is also compared to the expected performance of the Origins Space Telescope and the Galaxy Evolution Probe. The photometric view of the Universe of a SPICA-like mission could cover not only bright objects (e.g. 10^{12},{
m L}_{odot} ]]>) up to, but also normal galaxies ( L_{IR}) up to. At the same time, the spectroscopic observations of such mission could also allow us to estimate the redshifts and study the physical properties for thousands of star-forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei by observing the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and a large set of IR nebular emission lines. In this way, a cold, 2.5-m size space telescope with spectro-photometric capability analogous to SPICA, could provide us with a complete three-dimensional (i.e. images and integrated spectra) view of the dust-obscured Universe and the physics governing galaxy evolution up to
The ROSAT International X-ray/Optical Survey (RIXOS): source catalogue
We describe the ROSAT International X-ray/Optical Survey (RIXOS), a medium-sensitivity survey and optical identification of X-ray sources discovered in ROSAT high Galactic latitude fields (|b|>28°) and observed with the Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) detector. The survey made use of the central 17 arcmin of each ROSAT field. A flux limit of 3×10−14 erg cm−2 s−1 (0.5–2 keV) was adopted for the survey, and a minimum exposure time of 8000 s was required for qualifying ROSAT observations. X-ray sources in the survey are therefore substantially above the detection threshold of each field used, and many contain enough counts to allow the X-ray spectral slope to be estimated.
Spectroscopic observations of potential counterparts were obtained of all sources down to the survey limit in 64 fields, totalling a sky area of 15.77 deg2. Positive optical identifications are made for 94 per cent of the 296 sources thus examined. A further 18 fields (4.44 deg2), containing 105 sources above the 3×10−14 erg cm−2 s−1 survey limit, are completely optically identified to a higher flux of 8×10−14 erg cm−2 s−1 (0.5–2 keV). Optical spectroscopic data are supplemented by deep CCD imaging of many sources to reveal the morphology of the optical counterparts, and objects too faint to register on Sky Survey plates. The faintest optical counterparts have R∼22.
This paper describes the survey method, and presents a catalogue of the RIXOS sources and their optical identifications. Finding charts based on Sky Survey data are given for each source, supplemented by CCD imaging where necessary
APOGEE chemical abundances of globular cluster giants in the inner Galaxy
We report chemical abundances obtained by Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-III/Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment for giant stars in five globular clusters located within 2.2 kpc of the Galactic Centre. We detect the presence of multiple stellar populations in four of those clusters (NGC 6553, NGC 6528, Terzan 5 and Palomar 6) and find strong evidence for their presence in NGC 6522. All clusters with a large enough sample present a significant spread in the abundances of N, C, Na and Al, with the usual correlations and anticorrelations between various abundances seen in other globular clusters. Our results provide important quantitative constraints on theoretical models for self-enrichment of globular clusters, by testing their predictions for the dependence of yields of elements such as Na, N, C and Al on metallicity. They also confirm that, under the assumption that field N-rich stars originate from globular cluster destruction, they can be used as tracers of their parental systems in the high-metallicity regime
Atypical Mg-poor Milky Way Field Stars with Globular Cluster Second-generation-like Chemical Patterns
We report the peculiar chemical abundance patterns of 11 atypical Milky Way (MW) field red giant stars observed by the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). These atypical giants exhibit strong Al and N enhancements accompanied by C and Mg depletions, strikingly similar to those observed in the so-called second-generation (SG) stars of globular clusters (GCs). Remarkably, we find low Mg abundances ([Mg/Fe] < 0.0) together with strong Al and N overabundances in the majority (5/7) of the metal-rich ([Fe/H] gsim −1.0) sample stars, which is at odds with actual observations of SG stars in Galactic GCs of similar metallicities. This chemical pattern is unique and unprecedented among MW stars, posing urgent questions about its origin. These atypical stars could be former SG stars of dissolved GCs formed with intrinsically lower abundances of Mg and enriched Al (subsequently self-polluted by massive AGB stars) or the result of exotic binary systems. We speculate that the stars Mg-deficiency as well as the orbital properties suggest that they could have an extragalactic origin. This discovery should guide future dedicated spectroscopic searches of atypical stellar chemical patterns in our Galaxy, a fundamental step forward to understanding the Galactic formation and evolution
Double parton interactions in photon+3 jet events in ppbar collisions sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV
We have used a sample of photon+3 jets events collected by the D0 experiment
with an integrated luminosity of about 1 fb^-1 to determine the fraction of
events with double parton scattering (f_DP) in a single ppbar collision at
sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV. The DP fraction and effective cross section (sigma_eff), a
process-independent scale parameter related to the parton density inside the
nucleon, are measured in three intervals of the second (ordered in pT) jet
transverse momentum pT_jet2 within the range 15 < pT_jet2 < 30 GeV. In this
range, f_DP varies between 0.23 < f_DP < 0.47, while sigma_eff has the average
value sigma_eff_ave = 16.4 +- 0.3(stat) +- 2.3(syst) mb.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figure
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