A database of circumstellar OH masers

We present a new database of circumstellar OH masers at 1612, 1665, and 1667 MHz in the Milky Way galaxy. The database (version 2.4) contains 13655 observations and 2341 different stars detected in at least one transition. Detections at 1612\,MHz are considered to be complete until the end of 2014 as long as they were published in refereed papers. Detections of the main lines (1665 and 1667 MHz) and non-detections in all transitions are included only if published after 1983. The database contains flux densities and velocities of the two strongest maser peaks, the expansion velocity of the shell, and the radial velocity of the star. Links are provided for about 100 stars ($<$5\% of all stars with OH masers) to interferometric observations and monitoring programs of the maser emission published since their beginnings in the 1970s. Access to the database is possible over the Web (www.hs.uni-hamburg.de/maserdb), allowing cone searches for individual sources and lists of sources. A general search is possible in selected regions of the sky and by defining ranges of flux densities and/or velocities. Alternative ways to access the data are via the German Virtual Observatory and the VizieR library of astronomical catalogs.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Replaced because of faulty compilation of the pdf fil

Detection of the first X-ray selected large AGN group

We have examined the spatial distribution of 856 AGN detected by the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS) using a direct search for structures with the minimal spanning tree. The AGNs were compiled from an area of 7000 deg^2, in which optical identifications of RASS sources were made with the help of the digitized objective prism plates of the Hamburg Quasar Survey (HQS). Redshifts were taken from the literature or from own follow-up observations. The sample probes the spatial distribution at low redshifts, since the redshift distribution peaks at z=0.1. The application of the minimal spanning tree led to a 1.8 sigma discovery of an AGN group with 7 members in a volume V=140*75*75 h^-3Mpc^3 in the Pisces constellation. With a mean redshift z=0.27 this group is only the third discovered group at redshifts z<0.5. The RASS offers excellent possibilities to study large scale structure with AGNs at low redshifts, once these redshifts are determined.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Study of extremely reddened AGB stars in the Galactic bulge

Context. Extremely reddened AGB stars lose mass at high rates of >10^-5 Msun/yr. This is the very last stage of AGB evolution, in which stars in the mass range 2.0--4.0 Msun (for solar metallicity) should have been converted to C stars already. The extremely reddened AGB stars in the Galactic bulge are however predominantly O-rich, implying that they might be either low-mass stars or stars at the upper end of the AGB mass range. Aims. To determine the mass range of the most reddened AGB stars in the Galactic bulge. Methods. Using Virtual Observatory tools, we constructed spectral energy distributions of a sample of 37 evolved stars in the Galactic bulge with extremely red IRAS colours. We fitted DUSTY models to the observational data to infer the bolometric fluxes. Applying individual corrections for interstellar extinction and adopting a common distance, we determined luminosities and mass-loss rates, and inferred the progenitor mass range from comparisons with AGB evolutionary models. Results. The observed spectral energy distributions are consistent with a classification as reddened AGB stars, except for two stars, which are proto-planetary nebula candidates. For the AGB stars, we found luminosities in the range 3000--30,000 Lsun and mass-loss rates 10^-5--3x10^-4 Msun/yr. The corresponding mass range is 1.1--6.0 Msun assuming solar metallicity. Conclusions. Contrary to the predictions of the evolutionary models, the luminosity distribution is continuous, with many O-rich AGB stars in the mass range in which they should have been converted into C stars already. We suspect that bulge AGB stars have higher than solar metallicity and therefore may avoid the conversion to C-rich. The presence of low-mass stars in the sample shows that their termination of the AGB evolution also occurs during a final phase of very high mass-loss rate, leading to optically thick circumstellar shells

Non-perturbative determination of anisotropy coefficients in lattice gauge theories

We propose a new non-perturbative method to compute derivatives of gauge coupling constants with respect to anisotropic lattice spacings (anisotropy coefficients), which are required in an evaluation of thermodynamic quantities from numerical simulations on the lattice. Our method is based on a precise measurement of the finite temperature deconfining transition curve in the lattice coupling parameter space extended to anisotropic lattices by applying the spectral density method. We test the method for the cases of SU(2) and SU(3) gauge theories at the deconfining transition point on lattices with the lattice size in the time direction $N_t=4$ -- 6. In both cases, there is a clear discrepancy between our results and perturbative values. A longstanding problem, when one uses the perturbative anisotropy coefficients, is a non-vanishing pressure gap at the deconfining transition point in the SU(3) gauge theory. Using our non-perturbative anisotropy coefficients, we find that this problem is completely resolved: we obtain $\Delta p/T^4 = 0.001(15)$ and $-0.003(17)$ on $N_t=4$ and 6 lattices, respectively.Comment: 24pages,7figures,5table

An Analysis

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. Molière, complying with the demands of Louis XIV of France, presented in 1670 a remarkable parody on Turkish customs and language. Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme has brought the plaudits of critics and audiences alike since that time. The play or piece is composed of three acts of character comedy in the folly on Monsieur Jourdain, and two of exaggeration and parody in the events leading up to and the Turkish ceremony. The action develops through a series of episodes rather than a well knit, unified intrigue. Superimposed on the satire on society is a whole-hearted humor prompted by the ignorance and credulity of the central figure, Jourdain, a tradesman who wishes to become a gentleman. He is not an arbitrary figure or character type, but a real human being with exaggerated idiosyncrasies. Molière had associated with this type character in his father\u27s shop. Some critics say that the author would have liked to write of this subject with a more exalted humor, but hurriedly debased it to farce in an effort to suit the wishes of the king

Critical behaviour and scaling functions of the three-dimensional O(6) model

We numerically investigate the three-dimensional O(6) model on 12^3 to 120^3 lattices within the critical region at zero magnetic field, as well as at finite magnetic field on the critical isotherm and for several fixed couplings in the broken and the symmetric phase. We obtain from the Binder cumulant at vanishing magnetic field the critical coupling J_c=1.42865(3). The universal value of the Binder cumulant at this point is g_r(J_c)=-1.94456(10). At the critical coupling, the critical exponents \gamma=1.604(6), \beta=0.425(2) and \nu=0.818(5) are determined from a finite-size-scaling analysis. Furthermore, we verify predicted effects induced by massless Goldstone modes in the broken phase. The results are well described by the perturbative form of the model's equation of state. Our O(6)-result is compared to the corresponding Ising, O(2) and O(4) scaling functions. Finally, we study the finite-size-scaling behaviour of the magnetisation on the pseudocritical line.Comment: 13 pages, 20 figures, REVTEX, fixed an error in the determination of R_\chi and changed the corresponding line in figure 13