Frame-dragging effects on magnetic fields near a rotating black hole

We discuss the role of general relativity frame dragging acting on magnetic field lines near a rotating (Kerr) black hole. Near ergosphere the magnetic structure becomes strongly influenced and magnetic null points can develop. We consider aligned magnetic fields as well as fields inclined with respect to the rotation axis, and the two cases are shown to behave in profoundly different ways. Further, we construct surfaces of equal values of local electric and magnetic intensities, which have not yet been discussed in the full generality of a boosted rotating black hole.Comment: to appear in the proceedings of "The Central Kiloparsec in Galactic Nuclei (AHAR 2011)", Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS), IOP Publishin

Experimental study of skull bones reconstruction with the use of autografts and hydroxyapatitical gel

Introduction. To conduct reconstructive surgical interventions at pathological processes of skull base bone, defects of the temporal bone and dura mater, is especially complicated with the appearance of liquorrhea. This necessitates the improvement of operative technique and the use of new plastic materials. Objective: to study the features of meninges and skull bone defects plastic using autobone, fascia and HAP gel based on clinical observation, and macroscopic and microscopic experimental studies. Materials and methods: 36 mature nonlinear rats of both sexes up to 6 months old, weighing 190-250 g were divided into 2 groups. In the 1st (experimental) group there were 18 animals and autofragments of fascia and tibia with the addition of GAP gel were used for implantation; and in the 2nd group (comparison, n=18) the same plastic material without gel was used. The introduction of implant was carried out under general anesthesia in a standardized defect of skull frontal bones. The method of clinical observation, stereoscopic, common histological examination after staining with hematoxylin-eosin was applied. Results: The introduction of bone’s and fascia autografts into skull defect and dura mater provides the structural function of the damage tightly closing, preventing or stopping of liquorrhea, besides fascia contributes to vascularization of tissues in the healing zone. Additional administration of HAP ge, provides pronounced adhesion to bone tissue, gaps filling in the graft bed, creates a microenvironment for metabolism in the zone, shows a positive effect on osteogenesis, promotes calcification and bone reconstruction in the area of the defect. The results obtained also indicate the peculiarities of reparative processes in the bones of the skull, expressed in the dependence of bone repair and / or the development of fibrous tissue in the defect area and the density of adherence of the bone to the mother tissue, which is accompanied by improved bone restructuring under tight contact of the mother bone with the implanted material and the prevalence of fibrous tissue in case of their violation. This data confirm the effectiveness and promise HAPG use along with autofascia and autobone to close the defects of the meninges and skull bones and are important for improving reconstructive-restorative surgical interventions

Paper Session II-A - Lockheed Martin\u27s Next Generation Launch Systems

The space launch industry is experiencing a tremendous transition from a government dominated customer base to a commercial customer base. According to the Teal Group World Space Briefing, nearly 75 percent of satellites launched from 1997 to 2006 will be civil and commercial satellites (figure 1). Of these, the vast majority are commercial ventures in mobile communications, broadband multi-media services, or direct broadcast television satellites. Nearly three quarters of all proposed payloads are destined for Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Virtually all LEO satellites will belong to multi-satellite systems involving mobile communications or multimedia services. Lockheed Martin is a world leader in the expendable launch vehicle industry. Our heritage which began with the Titan and Atlas launch systems in the late 1950’s, has spanned four decades and over 1,000 launches. In the late 1980’s, the former General Dynamics Space Systems (GD), recognized the need to develop a launch vehicle that could compete in the international commercial market. In 1987, GDinitiated the first commercial launch vehicle, the Atlas II. TheAtlas vehicle has successfully evolved from II to IIA to IIAS and into today’s newest most powerful system yet - the Atlas IIAR which will be operational in late 1998. The driving force behind each system upgrade has been to improve performance while reducing cost and increasing reliability. Lockheed Martin combined the commercial industry expertise of the Atlas program with the heritage hardware of both the Atlas and Titan programs to develop their next generation launch vehicle the Common Core BoosterTM family. The Common Core BoosterTM family of launch vehicles will accommodate a wide range of customers, by providing a highly reliable, responsive system with streamlined launch operations. The Common Core BoosterTM vehicle allows Lockheed Martin tol effectively compete in international commercial markets, while satisfying the United States government requirements for low cost, reliable access to space. The purpose of this paper is to describe Lockheed Martin’s approach to incorporating the benefits and lessons learned from the Atlas and Titan launch systems into a launch vehicle family that will serve the payload community well into the 21st Century

Upper limits on the mass of supermassive black holes from HST/STIS archival data

The growth of supermassive black holes (SBHs) appears to be closely linked with the formation of spheroids. There is a pressing need to acquire better statistics on SBH masses, since the existing samples are preferentially weighted toward early-type galaxies with very massive SBHs. With this motivation we started a project aimed at measuring upper limits on the mass of the SBHs in the center of all the nearby galaxies (D<100 Mpc) for which STIS/G750M spectra are available in the HST archive. These upper limits will be derived by modeling the central emission-line widths observed in the Halpha region over an aperture of ~0.1''. Here we present our results for a subsample of 20 S0-Sb galaxies within 20 Mpc.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure. To appear in the proceedings of "Black Holes: from Stars to Galaxies", IAU Symp. No. 238, V. Karas & G. Matt (eds.), Cambridge University Pres

A theoretical study of the time-lags due to Comptonization and the constraints on the X-ray corona in AGN

We study the Fourier time-lags due to the Comptonization of disc-emitted photons in a spherical, uniform, and stationary X-ray corona, which located on the rotational axis of the black hole. We use Monk, a general relativistic Monte-Carlo radiative transfer code, to calculate Compton scattering of photons emitted by a thin disc with a Novikov-Thorne temperature profile. We find that the model time-lags due to Comptonization remain constant up to a characteristic frequency and then rapidly decrease to zero at higher frequencies. We provide equations which can be used to determine the time-lags and cross spectra for a wide range of values for the corona radius, temperature, optical depth, height, and for various accretion rates and black hole masses. We also provide an equation for the X-ray luminosity of a single corona, as a function of the its characteristics and location above the disc. Remarkably, the observed X-ray time-lags of nearby, bright active galaxies can be successfully reproduced by inverse Comptonization process of multiple dynamic coronae.Comment: 16 pages, 17 figures; accepted for publication in MNRA