1,243 research outputs found
The Evolution of the Stellar Hosts of Radio Galaxies
We present new near-infrared images of z>0.8 radio galaxies from the
flux-limited 7C-III sample of radio sources for which we have recently obtained
almost complete spectroscopic redshifts. The 7C objects have radio luminosities
about 20 times fainter than 3C radio galaxies at a given redshift. The absolute
magnitudes of the underlying host galaxies and their scale sizes are only
weakly dependent on radio luminosity. Radio galaxy hosts at z~2 are
significantly brighter than the hosts of radio-quiet quasars at similar
redshifts and the model AGN hosts of Kauffmann & Haehnelt (2000). There is no
evidence for strong evolution in scale size, which shows a large scatter at all
redshifts. The hosts brighten significantly with redshift, consistent with the
passive evolution of a stellar population that formed at z>~3. This scenario is
consistent with studies of host galaxy morphology and submillimeter continuum
emission, both of which show strong evolution at z>~2.5. The lack of a strong
``redshift cutoff'' in the radio luminosity function to z>4 suggests that the
formation epoch of the radio galaxy host population lasts >~1Gyr from z>~5 to
z~3. We suggest these facts are best explained by models in which the most
massive galaxies and their associated AGN form early due to high baryon
densities in the centres of their dark matter haloes.Comment: To appear in A
Silicon isotopic abundance toward evolved stars and its application for presolar grains
Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) is important for understanding the
composition of the present-day interstellar medium (ISM) and of our solar
system. In this paper, we aim to track the GCE by using the 29Si/30Si ratios in
evolved stars and tentatively relate this to presolar grain composition. We
used the APEX telescope to detect thermal SiO isotopologue emission toward four
oxygen-rich M-type stars. Together with the data retrieved from the Herschel
science archive and from the literature, we were able to obtain the 29Si/30Si
ratios for a total of 15 evolved stars inferred from their optically thin 29SiO
and 30SiO emission. These stars cover a range of masses and ages, and because
they do not significantly alter 29Si/30Si during their lifetimes, they provide
excellent probes of the ISM metallicity (or 29Si/30Si ratio) as a function of
time. The 29Si/30Si ratios inferred from the thermal SiO emission tend to be
lower toward low-mass oxygen-rich stars (e.g., down to about unity for W Hya),
and close to an interstellar or solar value of 1.5 for the higher-mass carbon
star IRC+10216 and two red supergiants. There is a tentative correlation
between the 29Si/30Si ratios and the mass-loss rates of evolved stars, where we
take the mass-loss rate as a proxy for the initial stellar mass or current
stellar age. This is consistent with the different abundance ratios found in
presolar grains. We found that older objects (up to possibly 10 Gyr old) in our
sample trace a previous, lower 29Si/30Si value of about 1. Material with this
isotopic ratio is present in two subclasses of presolar grains, providing
independent evidence of the lower ratio. Therefore, the 29Si/30Si ratio derived
from the SiO emission of evolved stars is a useful diagnostic tool for the
study of the GCE and presolar grains.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Expression of soluble, active fragments of the morphogenetic protein SpoIIE from Bacillus subtilis using a library-based construct screen
SpoIIE is a dual function protein that plays important roles during sporulation in Bacillus subtilis. It binds to the tubulin-like protein FtsZ causing the cell division septum to relocate from mid-cell to the cell pole, and it dephosphorylates SpoIIAA phosphate leading to establishment of differential gene expression in the two compartments following the asymmetric septation. Its 872 residue polypeptide contains a multiple-membrane spanning sequence at the N-terminus and a PP2C phosphatase domain at the C-terminus. The central segment that binds to FtsZ is unlike domains of known structure or function, moreover the domain boundaries are poorly defined and this has hampered the expression of soluble fragments of SpoIIE at the levels required for structural studies. Here we have screened over 9000 genetic constructs of spoIIE using a random incremental truncation library approach, ESPRIT, to identify a number of soluble C-terminal fragments of SpoIIE that were aligned with the protein sequence to map putative domains and domain boundaries. The expression and purification of three fragments were optimised, yielding multimilligram quantities of the PP2C phosphatase domain, the putative FtsZ-binding domain and a larger fragment encompassing both these domains. All three fragments are monomeric and the PP2C domain-containing fragments have phosphatase activity
MESMER: MeerKAT Search for Molecules in the Epoch of Reionization
[Abridged] Observations of molecular gas at all redshifts are critical for
measuring the cosmic evolution in molecular gas density and understanding the
star-formation history of the Universe. The 12CO molecule (J=1-0 transition =
115.27 GHz) is the best proxy for extragalactic H2, which is the gas reservoir
from which star formation occurs, and has been detected out to z~6. Typically,
redshifted high-J lines are observed at mm-wavelengths, the most commonly
targeted systems exhibiting high SFRs (e.g. submm galaxies), and far-IR-bright
QSOs. While the most luminous objects are the most readily observed, detections
of more typical galaxies with modest SFRs are essential for completing the
picture. ALMA will be revolutionary in terms of increasing the detection rate
and pushing the sensitivity limit down to include such galaxies, however the
limited FoV when observing at such high frequencies makes it difficult to use
ALMA for studies of the large-scale structure traced out by molecular gas in
galaxies. This article introduces a strategy for a systematic search for
molecular gas during the EoR (z~7 and above), capitalizing on the fact that the
J=1-0 transition of 12CO enters the upper bands of cm-wave instruments at
high-z. The FoV advantage gained by observing at such frequencies, coupled with
modern broadband correlators allows significant cosmological volumes to be
probed on reasonable timescales. In this article we present an overview of our
future observing programme which has been awarded 6,500 hours as one of the
Large Survey Projects for MeerKAT, the forthcoming South African SKA pathfinder
instrument. Its large FoV and correlator bandwidth, and high-sensitivity
provide unprecedented survey speed for such work. An existing astrophysical
simulation is coupled with instrumental considerations to demonstrate the
feasibility of such observations and predict detection rates.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, to appear in the proceedings of "Astronomy with
megastructures: Joint science with the E-ELT and SKA", 10-14 May 2010, Crete,
Greece (Eds: Isobel Hook, Dimitra Rigopoulou, Steve Rawlings and Aris
Karastergiou
Modeling of Protostellar Clouds and their Observational Properties
A physical model and two-dimensional numerical method for computing the
evolution and spectra of protostellar clouds are described. The physical model
is based on a system of magneto-gasdynamical equations, including ohmic and
ambipolar diffusion, and a scheme for calculating the thermal and ionization
structure of a cloud. The dust and gas temperatures are determined during the
calculations of the thermal structure of the cloud. The results of computing
the dynamical and thermal structure of the cloud are used to model the
radiative transfer in continuum and in molecular lines. We presented the
results for clouds in hydrostatic and thermal equilibrium. The evolution of a
rotating magnetic protostellar cloud starting from a quasi-static state is also
considered. Spectral maps for optically thick lines of linear molecules are
analyzed. We have shown that the influence of the magnetic field and rotation
can lead to a redistribution of angular momentum in the cloud and the formation
of a characteristic rotational velocity structure. As a result, the
distribution of the velocity centroid of the molecular lines can acquire an
hourglass shape. We plan to use the developed program package together with a
model for the chemical evolution to interpret and model observed starless and
protostellar cores.Comment: Accepted to Astronomy Report
The Updated Zwicky Catalog (UZC)
The Zwicky Catalog of galaxies (ZC), with m_Zw<=15.5mag, has been the basis
for the Center for Astrophysics (CfA) redshift surveys. To date, analyses of
the ZC and redshift surveys based on it have relied on heterogeneous sets of
galaxy coordinates and redshifts. Here we correct some of the inadequacies of
previous catalogs by providing: (1) coordinates with <~2 arcsec errors for all
of the Nuzc catalog galaxies, (2) homogeneously estimated redshifts for the
majority (98%) of the data taken at the CfA (14,632 spectra), and (3) an
estimate of the remaining "blunder" rate for both the CfA redshifts and for
those compiled from the literature. For the reanalyzed CfA data we include a
calibrated, uniformly determined error and an indication of the presence of
emission lines in each spectrum. We provide redshifts for 7,257 galaxies in the
CfA2 redshift survey not previously published; for another 5,625 CfA redshifts
we list the remeasured or uniformly re-reduced value. Among our new
measurements, Nmul are members of UZC "multiplets" associated with the original
Zwicky catalog position in the coordinate range where the catalog is 98%
complete. These multiplets provide new candidates for examination of tidal
interactions among galaxies. All of the new redshifts correspond to UZC
galaxies with properties recorded in the CfA redshift compilation known as
ZCAT. About 1,000 of our new measurements were motivated either by inadequate
signal-to-noise in the original spectrum or by an ambiguous identification of
the galaxy associated with a ZCAT redshift. The redshift catalog we include
here is ~96% complete to m_Zw<=15.5, and ~98% complete (12,925 galaxies out of
a total of 13,150) for the RA(1950) ranges [20h--4h] and [8h--17h] and
DEC(1950) range [-2.5d--50d]. (abridged)Comment: 34 pp, 7 figs, PASP 1999, 111, 43
A miniaturized 4 K platform for superconducting infrared photon counting detectors
We report on a miniaturized platform for superconducting infrared photon counting detectors. We have implemented a fibre-coupled superconducting nanowire single photon detector in a Stirling/Joule–Thomson platform with a base temperature of 4.2 K. We have verified a cooling power of 4 mW at 4.7 K. We report 20% system detection efficiency at 1310 nm wavelength at a dark count rate of 1 kHz. We have carried out compelling application demonstrations in single photon depth metrology and singlet oxygen luminescence detection
HST NIR Snapshot Survey of 3CR Radio Source Counterparts II: An Atlas and Inventory of the Host Galaxies, Mergers and Companions
We present the second part of an H-band (1.6 microns) atlas of z<0.3 3CR
radio galaxies, using the Hubble Space Telescope Near Infrared Camera and
Multi-Object Spectrometer (HST NICMOS2). We present new imaging for 21 recently
acquired sources, and host galaxy modeling for the full sample of 101
(including 11 archival) -- an 87% completion rate. Two different modeling
techniques are applied, following those adopted by the galaxy morphology and
the quasar host galaxy communities. Results are compared, and found to be in
excellent agreement, although the former breaks down in the case of strongly
nucleated sources. Companion sources are tabulated, and the presence of
mergers, tidal features, dust disks and jets are catalogued. The tables form a
catalogue for those interested in the structural and morphological dust-free
host galaxy properties of the 3CR sample, and for comparison with morphological
studies of quiescent galaxies and quasar host galaxies. Host galaxy masses are
estimated, and found to typically lie at around 2*10^11 solar masses. In
general, the population is found to be consistent with the local population of
quiescent elliptical galaxies, but with a longer tail to low Sersic index,
mainly consisting of low-redshift (z<0.1) and low-radio-power (FR I) sources. A
few unusually disky FR II host galaxies are picked out for further discussion.
Nearby external sources are identified in the majority of our images, many of
which we argue are likely to be companion galaxies or merger remnants. The
reduced NICMOS data are now publicly available from our website
(http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/3cr/)Comment: ApJS, 177, 148: Final version; includes revised figures 1, 15b, and
section 7.5 (and other minor changes from editing process. 65 pages, inc. 17
figure
Charting Circumstellar Chemistry of Carbon-rich AGB Stars: I. ALMA 3 mm spectral surveys
AGB stars are major contributors to the chemical enrichment of the ISM
through nucleosynthesis and extensive mass loss. Most of our current knowledge
of AGB atmospheric and circumstellar chemistry, in particular in a C-rich
environment, is based on observations of the carbon star IRC+10216. We aim to
obtain a more generalised understanding of the chemistry in C-rich AGB CSEs by
studying a sample of three carbon stars, IRAS15194-5115, IRAS15082-4808, and
IRAS07454-7112, and test the archetypal status often attributed to IRC+10216.
We performed spatially resolved, unbiased spectral surveys in ALMA Band 3. We
identify a total of 132 rotational transitions from 49 molecular species. There
are two main morphologies of the brightness distributions: centrally-peaked
(e.g. HCN) and shell-like (e.g. CH). We estimated the sizes of the
molecular emitting regions using azimuthally-averaged radial profiles of the
line brightness distributions, and derived abundance estimates. Of the shell
distributions, the cyanopolyynes peak at slightly smaller radii than the
hydrocarbons, and CN and HNC show the most extended emission. The emitting
regions for each species are the smallest for IRAS07454-7112. We find that,
within the uncertainties of the analysis, the three stars present similar
abundances for most species, also compared to IRC+10216. We find that SiO is
more abundant in our three stars compared to IRC+10216. Our estimated isotopic
ratios match well the literature values for the sources. The observed
circumstellar chemistry appears very similar across our sample and compared to
that of IRC+10216, both in terms of the relative location of the emitting
regions and molecular abundances. This implies that, to a first approximation,
the chemical models tailored to IRC+10216 are able to reproduce the observed
chemistry in C-rich envelopes across roughly an order of magnitude in wind
density.Comment: 21 pages. 13 figures and 8 tables in the main text. 5 appendices
contain additional figures and tables. Appendix tables are available in
electronic form at the CDS, along with the reprocessed ALMA cubes and
spectra, at http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/ or via anonymous
ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.128.5). Accepted for publication in
Astronomy & Astrophysic
Development of a T cell-based immunodiagnostic system to effectively distinguish SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination status
Both SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 vaccines elicit memory T cell responses. Here, we report the development of 2 pools of experimentally defined SARS-CoV-2 T cell epitopes that, in combination with spike, were used to discriminate 4 groups of subjects with different SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccine status. The overall T cell-based classification accuracy was 89.2% and 88.5% in the experimental and validation cohorts. This scheme was applicable to different mRNA vaccines and different lengths of time post infection/post vaccination and yielded increased accuracy when compared to serological readouts. T cell responses from breakthrough infections were also studied and effectively segregated from vaccine responses, with a combined performance of 86.6% across all 239 subjects from the 5 groups. We anticipate that a T cell-based immunodiagnostic scheme to classify subjects based on their vaccination and natural infection history will be an important tool for longitudinal monitoring of vaccinations and for establishing SARS-CoV-2 correlates of protection
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