223 research outputs found
Changes in the long term intensity variations in Cyg X-2 and LMC X-3
We report the detection of changes in the long-term intensity variations in
two X-ray binaries, Cyg X-2 and LMC X-3. In this work, we have used the
long-term light curves obtained with the All-Sky Monitors (ASMs) of the Rossi
X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), Ginga, Ariel 5, and Vela 5B and the scanning
modulation collimator of HEAO 1. It is found that in the light curves of both
the sources, obtained with these instruments at various times over the last 30
years, more than one periodic or quasi-periodic component is always present.
The multiple prominent peaks in the periodograms have frequencies unrelated to
each other. In Cyg X-2, RXTE-ASM data show strong peaks at 40.4 and 68.8 days,
and Ginga-ASM data show strong peaks at 53.7 and 61.3 days. Multiple peaks are
also observed in LMC X-3. The various strong peaks in the periodograms of LMC
X-3 appear at 104, 169, and 216 days (observed with RXTE-ASM) and 105, 214, and
328 days (observed with Ginga-ASM). The present results, when compared with the
earlier observations of periodicities in these two systems, demonstrate the
absence of any stable long period. The 78 day periodicity detected earlier in
Cyg X-2 was probably due to the short time base in the RXTE data that were
used, and the periodicity of 198 days in LMC X-3 was due to a relatively short
duration of observation with HEAO 1.Comment: 11 pages, 7 postscript figures include
Evolution of the Most Massive Galaxies to z ~ 0.6: II. The link between radio AGN activity and star formation
We analyze the optical spectra of massive (log M*/Msun > 11.4) radio-loud
galaxies at z~0.2 and z~0.6. By comparing stellar population parameters of
these radio-loud samples with radio-quiet control samples, we investigate how
the presence of a radio-emitting jet relates to the recent star formation
history of the host galaxy. We also investigate how the emission-line
properties of the radio galaxies evolve with redshift by stacking their
spectra. Our main results are the following. (1) Both at low and at high
redshift, half as many radio-loud as radio-quiet galaxies have experienced
significant star formation in the past Gyr. (2) The Balmer absorption line
properties of massive galaxies that have experienced recent star formation show
that star formation occurred as a burst in many of these systems. (3) Both the
radio and the emission-line luminosity of radio AGN evolve significantly with
redshift. However, radio galaxies with similar stellar population parameters,
have similar emission-line properties both at high- and at low-redshift. These
results suggest that massive galaxies experience cyclical episodes of gas
accretion, star formation and black hole growth, followed by the production of
a radio jet that shuts down further activity. The behaviour of galaxies with
log M*/Msun > 11.4 is the same at z = 0.6 as it is at z = 0.2, except that
higher redshift galaxies experience more star formation and black hole growth
and produce more luminous radio jets during each accretion cycle.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures, submitted to MNRA
Spin-polarized current amplification and spin injection in magnetic bipolar transistors
The magnetic bipolar transistor (MBT) is a bipolar junction transistor with
an equilibrium and nonequilibrium spin (magnetization) in the emitter, base, or
collector. The low-injection theory of spin-polarized transport through MBTs
and of a more general case of an array of magnetic {\it p-n} junctions is
developed and illustrated on several important cases. Two main physical
phenomena are discussed: electrical spin injection and spin control of current
amplification (magnetoamplification). It is shown that a source spin can be
injected from the emitter to the collector. If the base of an MBT has an
equilibrium magnetization, the spin can be injected from the base to the
collector by intrinsic spin injection. The resulting spin accumulation in the
collector is proportional to , where is the proton
charge, is the bias in the emitter-base junction, and is the
thermal energy. To control the electrical current through MBTs both the
equilibrium and the nonequilibrium spin can be employed. The equilibrium spin
controls the magnitude of the equilibrium electron and hole densities, thereby
controlling the currents. Increasing the equilibrium spin polarization of the
base (emitter) increases (decreases) the current amplification. If there is a
nonequilibrium spin in the emitter, and the base or the emitter has an
equilibrium spin, a spin-valve effect can lead to a giant magnetoamplification
effect, where the current amplifications for the parallel and antiparallel
orientations of the the equilibrium and nonequilibrium spins differ
significantly. The theory is elucidated using qualitative analyses and is
illustrated on an MBT example with generic materials parameters.Comment: 14 PRB-style pages, 10 figure
Evidence for overwintering and autochthonous transmission of Usutu virus to wild birds following its redetection in the United Kingdom
Usutu virus (USUV) is an emerging zoonotic arbovirus in Europe, where it primarily impacts Eurasian blackbirds (Turdus merula). For mosquito-borne viruses to persist in temperate areas, transovarial transmission in vectors or overwintering in either hosts or diapausing vectors must occur to facilitate autochthonous transmission. We undertook surveillance of hosts and vectors in 2021 to elucidate whether USUV had overwintered in the United Kingdom (UK) following its initial detection there in 2020. From 175 dead bird submissions, we detected 1 case of USUV infection, in a blackbird, from which a full USUV genome was derived. Using a molecular clock analysis, we demonstrate that the 2021 detection shared a most recent common ancestor with the 2020 Greater London, UK, USUV sequence. In addition, we identified USUV-specific neutralizing antibodies in 10 out of 86 serum samples taken from captive birds at the index site, demonstrating in situ cryptic infection and potential sustained transmission. However, from 4966 mosquitoes, we detected no USUV RNA suggesting that prevalence in the vector community was absent or low during sampling. Combined, these results suggest that USUV overwintered in the UK, thus providing empirical evidence for the continued northward expansion of this vector-borne viral disease. Currently, our detection indicates geographically restricted virus persistence. Further detections over time will be required to demonstrate long-term establishment. It remains unclear whether the UK, and by extension other high-latitude regions, can support endemic USUV infection
The UTMOST pulsar timing programme II:Timing noise across the pulsar population
While pulsars possess exceptional rotational stability, large scale timing
studies have revealed at least two distinct types of irregularities in their
rotation: red timing noise and glitches. Using modern Bayesian techniques, we
investigated the timing noise properties of 300 bright southern-sky radio
pulsars that have been observed over 1.0-4.8 years by the upgraded Molonglo
Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST). We reanalysed the spin and spin-down
changes associated with nine previously reported pulsar glitches, report the
discovery of three new glitches and four unusual glitch-like events in the
rotational evolution of PSR J18250935. We develop a refined Bayesian
framework for determining how red noise strength scales with pulsar spin
frequency () and spin-down frequency (), which we apply to a
sample of 280 non-recycled pulsars. With this new method and a simple power-law
scaling relation, we show that red noise strength scales across the
non-recycled pulsar population as , where and . This method can be
easily adapted to utilise more complex, astrophysically motivated red noise
models. Lastly, we highlight our timing of the double neutron star PSR
J07373039, and the rediscovery of a bright radio pulsar originally found
during the first Molonglo pulsar surveys with an incorrectly catalogued
position.Comment: Accepted by MNRAS. 28 pages, 8 figures, 8 table
Finite-temperature dynamical magnetic susceptibility of quasi-one-dimensional frustrated spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnets
We study the dynamical response of frustrated, quasi-one-dimensional spin-1/2
Heisenberg antiferromagnets at finite temperatures. We allow for the presence
of a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. We concentrate on a model of weakly
coupled planes of anisotropic triangular lattices. Combining exact results for
the dynamical response of one dimensional Heisenberg chains with a Random Phase
Approximation (RPA) in the frustrated interchain couplings, we calculate the
dynamical susceptibility in the disordered phase. We investigate the
instability of the disordered phase to the formation of collective modes. We
find a very weak instability to the formation of incommensurate magnetic order
and determine the ordering temperature and wave vector. We also determine the
effects of uniform magnetic fields on the ordering transition.Comment: 17 pages, 17 Postscript figure
Combining host and vector data informs emergence and potential impact of an Usutu virus outbreak in UK wild birds
Following the first detection in the United Kingdom of Usutu virus (USUV) in wild birds in 2020, we undertook a multidisciplinary investigation that combined screening host and vector populations with interrogation of national citizen science monitoring datasets to assess the potential for population impacts on avian hosts. Pathological findings from six USUV-positive wild passerines were non-specific, highlighting the need for molecular and immunohistochemical examinations to confirm infection. Mosquito surveillance at the index site identified USUV RNA in Culex pipiens s.l. following the outbreak. Although the Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula) is most frequently impacted by USUV in Europe, national syndromic surveillance failed to detect any increase in occurrence of clinical signs consistent with USUV infection in this species. Furthermore, there was no increase in recoveries of dead blackbirds marked by the national ringing scheme. However, there was regional clustering of blackbird disease incident reports centred near the index site in 2020 and a contemporaneous marked reduction in the frequency with which blackbirds were recorded in gardens in this area, consistent with a hypothesis of disease-mediated population decline. Combining results from multidisciplinary schemes, as we have done, in real-time offers a model for the detection and impact assessment of future disease emergence events
Clusters of galaxies : observational properties of the diffuse radio emission
Clusters of galaxies, as the largest virialized systems in the Universe, are
ideal laboratories to study the formation and evolution of cosmic
structures...(abridged)... Most of the detailed knowledge of galaxy clusters
has been obtained in recent years from the study of ICM through X-ray
Astronomy. At the same time, radio observations have proved that the ICM is
mixed with non-thermal components, i.e. highly relativistic particles and
large-scale magnetic fields, detected through their synchrotron emission. The
knowledge of the properties of these non-thermal ICM components has increased
significantly, owing to sensitive radio images and to the development of
theoretical models. Diffuse synchrotron radio emission in the central and
peripheral cluster regions has been found in many clusters. Moreover
large-scale magnetic fields appear to be present in all galaxy clusters, as
derived from Rotation Measure (RM) studies. Non-thermal components are linked
to the cluster X-ray properties, and to the cluster evolutionary stage, and are
crucial for a comprehensive physical description of the intracluster medium.
They play an important role in the cluster formation and evolution. We review
here the observational properties of diffuse non-thermal sources detected in
galaxy clusters: halos, relics and mini-halos. We discuss their classification
and properties. We report published results up to date and obtain and discuss
statistical properties. We present the properties of large-scale magnetic
fields in clusters and in even larger structures: filaments connecting galaxy
clusters. We summarize the current models of the origin of these cluster
components, and outline the improvements that are expected in this area from
future developments thanks to the new generation of radio telescopes.Comment: Accepted for the publication in The Astronomy and Astrophysics
Review. 58 pages, 26 figure
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