178 research outputs found
Modified Fluctuation-dissipation theorem for non-equilibrium steady-states and applications to molecular motors
We present a theoretical framework to understand a modified
fluctuation-dissipation theorem valid for systems close to non-equilibrium
steady-states and obeying markovian dynamics. We discuss the interpretation of
this result in terms of trajectory entropy excess. The framework is illustrated
on a simple pedagogical example of a molecular motor. We also derive in this
context generalized Green-Kubo relations similar to the ones derived recently
by Seifert., Phys. Rev. Lett., 104, 138101 (2010) for more general networks of
biomolecular states.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, submitted in EP
Star formation in isolated AMIGA galaxies: dynamical influence of bars
Star formation depends strongly both on the local environment of galaxies,
and on the internal dynamics of the interstellar medium. To disentangle the two
effects, we obtained, in the framework of the AMIGA project, Ha and Gunn r
photometric data for more than 200 spiral galaxies lying in very low-density
regions of the local Universe. We characterise the Ha emission, tracing current
star formation, of the 45 largest and less inclined galaxies observed for which
we estimate the torques between the gas and the bulk of the optical matter. We
could subsequently study the Ha morphological aspect of these isolated spiral
galaxies. Using Fourier analysis, we focus on the modes of the spiral arms and
also on the strength of the bars, computing the torques between the gas and
newly formed stars (Ha) and the bulk of the optical matter (Gunn r). We
interpret the various bar/spiral morphologies observed in terms of the secular
evolution experienced by galaxies in isolation. We also classify the different
spatial distributions of star forming regions in barred galaxies. The observed
frequency of particular patterns brings constraints on the lifetime of the
various evolution phases. We propose an evolutive sequence accounting for the
transitions between the different phases we could observe. Isolated galaxies
appear not to be preferentially barred or unbarred. Through numerical
simulations, trying to fit the Ha distributions yields constraints on the star
formation law, which is likely to differ from a genuine Schmidt law. In
particular, it is probable that the relative velocity of the gas in the bar
also needs to be taken into account.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures (low resolution), 2 tables, accepted by A&
The AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies - II. Morphological refinement
We present a complete POSS II-based refinement of the optical morphologies
for galaxies in the Karatchenseva's Catalog of Isolated Galaxies that forms the
basis of the AMIGA project. Comparison with independent classifications made
for an SDSS overlap sample of more than 200 galaxies confirms the reliability
of the early vs. late-type discrimination and the accuracy of spiral subtypes
within DeltaT = 1-2. CCD images taken at the OSN were also used to solve
ambiguities. 193 galaxies are flagged for the presence of nearby companions or
signs of distortion likely due to interaction. This most isolated sample of
galaxies in the local Universe is dominated by 2 populations: 1) 82% spirals
(Sa-Sd) with the bulk being luminous systems with small bulges (63% between
types Sb-Sc) and 2) a significant population of early-type E-S0 galaxies (14%).
Most of the types later than Sd are low luminosity galaxies concentrated in the
local supercluster where isolation is difficult to evaluate. The late-type
spiral majority of the sample spans a luminosity range M_B-corr = -18 to -22
mag. Few of the E/S0 population are more luminous than -21.0 marking an absence
of, an often sought, super L* merger (eg fossil elliptical) population. The
rarity of high luminosity systems results in a fainter derived M* for this
population compared to the spiral optical luminosity function (OLF). The E-S0
population is from 0.2 to 0.6 mag fainter depending how the sample is defined.
This marks the AMIGA sample as almost unique among samples that compare early
and late-type OLFs separately. In other samples, which always involve galaxies
in higher density environments, M*(E/S0) is almost always 0.3-0.5 mag brighter
than M*(S), presumably reflecting a stronger correlation between M* and
environmental density for early-type galaxies.Comment: A&A accepted, 13 pages, 9 figures, 8 tables. Higher resolution Fig. 1
and full tables are available on the AMIGA (Analysis of the interstellar
Medium of Isolated GAlaxies) website at http://www.iaa.es/AMIGA.htm
Cool and warm dust emission from M33 (HerM33es)
We study the far-infrared emission from the nearby spiral galaxy M33 in order
to investigate the dust physical properties such as the temperature and the
luminosity density across the galaxy. Taking advantage of the unique wavelength
coverage (100, 160, 250, 350 and 500 micron) of the Herschel Space Observatory
and complementing our dataset with Spitzer-IRAC 5.8 and 8 micron and
Spitzer-MIPS 24 and 70 micron data, we construct temperature and luminosity
density maps by fitting two modified blackbodies of a fixed emissivity index of
1.5. We find that the 'cool' dust grains are heated at temperatures between 11
and 28 K with the lowest temperatures found in the outskirts of the galaxy and
the highest ones in the center and in the bright HII regions. The
infrared/submillimeter total luminosity (5 - 1000 micron) is estimated to be
1.9x10^9 Lsun. 59% of the total luminosity of the galaxy is produced by the
'cool' dust grains (~15 K) while the rest 41% is produced by 'warm' dust grains
(~55 K). The ratio of the cool-to-warm dust luminosity is close to unity
(within the computed uncertainties), throughout the galaxy, with the luminosity
of the cool dust being slightly enhanced in the center of the galaxy.
Decomposing the emission of the dust into two components (one emitted by the
diffuse disk of the galaxy and one emitted by the spiral arms) we find that the
fraction of the emission in the disk in the mid-infrared (24 micron) is 21%,
while it gradually rises up to 57% in the submillimeter (500 micron). We find
that the bulk of the luminosity comes from the spiral arm network that produces
70% of the total luminosity of the galaxy with the rest coming from the diffuse
dust disk. The 'cool' dust inside the disk is heated at a narrow range of
temperatures between 18 and 15 K (going from the center to the outer parts of
the galaxy).Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in A&
100 mum and 160 mum emission as resolved star-formation rate estimators in M33 (HERM33ES)
Over the past few years several studies have provided estimates of the SFR
(star-formation rate) or the total infrared luminosity from just one infrared
band. However these relations are generally derived for entire galaxies, which
are known to contain a large scale diffuse emission that is not necessarily
related to the latest star-formation episode. We provide new relations to
estimate the SFR from resolved star-forming regions at 100 mum and 160 mum. We
select individual star-forming regions in the nearby (840 kpc) galaxy M33. We
estimate the SFR combining the emission in Halpha and at 24 mum to calibrate
the emission at 100 mum and 160 mum as SFR estimators, as mapped with
PACS/Herschel. The data are obtained in the framework of the HERM33ES open time
key project. There is less emission in the HII regions at 160 mum than at 100
mum. Over a dynamic range of almost 2 dex in Sigma(SFR) we find that the 100
mum emission is a nearly linear estimator of the SFR, whereas that at 160 mum
is slightly superlinear. The behaviour of individual star-forming regions is
surprisingly similar to that of entire galaxies. At high Sigma(SFR), star
formation drives the dust temperature, whereas uncertainties and variations in
radiation-transfer and dust-heated processes dominate at low Sigma(SFR).
Detailed modelling of both galaxies and individual star forming regions will be
needed to interpret similarities and differences between the two and assess the
fraction of diffuse emission in galaxies.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in the A&A Herschel
special issu
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