20 research outputs found
Photon Spectrum Produced by the Late Decay of a Cosmic Neutrino Background
We obtain the photon spectrum induced by a cosmic background of unstable
neutrinos. We study the spectrum in a variety of cosmological scenarios and
also we allow for the neutrinos having a momentum distribution (only a critical
matter dominated universe and neutrinos at rest have been considered until
now). Our results can be helpful when extracting bounds on neutrino electric
and magnetic moments from cosmic photon background observations.Comment: RevTex, 14 pages, 3 figures; minor changes, references added. To
appear in Phys. Rev.
ATM Mutations and Phenotypes in Ataxia-Telangiectasia Families in the British Isles: Expression of Mutant ATM and the Risk of Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Breast Cancer
SummaryWe report the spectrum of 59 ATM mutations observed in ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) patients in the British Isles. Of 51 ATM mutations identified in families native to the British Isles, 11 were founder mutations, and 2 of these 11 conferred a milder clinical phenotype with respect to both cerebellar degeneration and cellular features. We report, in two A-T families, an ATM mutation (7271T→G) that may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in both homozygotes and heterozygotes (relative risk 12.7; P=.0025), although there is a less severe A-T phenotype in terms of the degree of cerebellar degeneration. This mutation (7271T→G) also allows expression of full-length ATM protein at a level comparable with that in unaffected individuals. In addition, we have studied 18 A-T patients, in 15 families, who developed leukemia, lymphoma, preleukemic T-cell proliferation, or Hodgkin lymphoma, mostly in childhood. A wide variety of ATM mutation types, including missense mutations and in-frame deletions, were seen in these patients. We also show that 25% of all A-T patients carried in-frame deletions or missense mutations, many of which were also associated with expression of mutant ATM protein
Dark energy and key physical parameters of clusters of galaxies
We study physics of clusters of galaxies embedded in the cosmic dark energy
background. Under the assumption that dark energy is described by the
cosmological constant, we show that the dynamical effects of dark energy are
strong in clusters like the Virgo cluster. Specifically, the key physical
parameters of the dark mater halos in clusters are determined by dark energy:
1) the halo cut-off radius is practically, if not exactly, equal to the
zero-gravity radius at which the dark matter gravity is balanced by the dark
energy antigravity; 2) the halo averaged density is equal to two densities of
dark energy; 3) the halo edge (cut-off) density is the dark energy density with
a numerical factor of the unity order slightly depending on the halo profile.
The cluster gravitational potential well in which the particles of the dark
halo (as well as galaxies and intracluster plasma) move is strongly affected by
dark energy: the maximum of the potential is located at the zero-gravity radius
of the cluster.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur
The evolution of galaxy groups and of galaxies therein
Properties of groups of galaxies depend sensitively on the algorithm for
group selection, and even the most recent catalogs of groups built from
redshift-space selection should suffer from projections and infalling galaxies.
The cosmo-dynamical evolution of groups from initial Hubble expansion to
collapse and virialization leads to a fundamental track (FT) in
virial-theorem-M/L vs crossing time. The increased rates of mergers, both
direct and after dynamical friction, in groups relative to clusters, explain
the higher fraction of elliptical galaxies at given local number density in
X-ray selected groups, relative to clusters, even when the hierarchical
evolution of groups is considered. Galaxies falling into groups and clusters
should later travel outwards to typically 2 virial radii, which is somewhat
less than the outermost radius where observed galaxy star formation
efficiencies are enhanced relative to field galaxies of same morphological
type. An ongoing analysis of the internal kinematics of X-ray selected groups
suggests that the radial profiles of line of sight velocity dispersion are
consistent with isotropic NFW distributions for the total mass density, with
higher (lower) concentrations than LambdaCDM predictions in groups of high
(low) mass. The critical mass, at M200 ~ 10^13 M_sun is consistent with
possible breaks in the X-ray luminosity-temperature and Fundamental Plane
relations. The internal kinematics of groups indicate that the M-T relation of
groups should agree with that extrapolated from clusters with no break at the
group scale. The analyses of observed velocity dispersion profiles and of the
FT both suggest that low velocity dispersion groups (compact and loose, X-ray
emitting or undetected) are quite contaminated by chance projections.Comment: Invited review, ESO workshop "Groups of Galaxies in the Nearby
Universe", held in Santiago, Chile, 5-9 December 2005, ed. I. Saviane, V.
Ivanov & J. Borissova, 16 page
Tidal spiral arms in two-component galaxies - Density waves and swing amplification
The tidal spiral arms in galaxies are studied using the two-dimensional polar coordinate N-body program of Miller (1976, 1978) and a two-component disk galaxy perturbed by a point-mass model. The density wave theory, which explains spiral arms in the presence of differential rotation, and the components of the model and computer program are discussed. The spiral arms in the cold (spiral arm population) and hot (old stars) components and their velocity dispersions are examined, and consideration is given to density waves and swing amplification. The data reveal that a grand design spiral pattern can develop in the gaseous component of a disk galaxy as a result of tidal triggering from a companion, and the spiral pattern and kinematics of the particles correlate with predictions from the density wave theory
Tidal spiral arms in two-component galaxies - Density waves and swing amplification
The tidal spiral arms in galaxies are studied using the two-dimensional polar coordinate N-body program of Miller (1976, 1978) and a two-component disk galaxy perturbed by a point-mass model. The density wave theory, which explains spiral arms in the presence of differential rotation, and the components of the model and computer program are discussed. The spiral arms in the cold (spiral arm population) and hot (old stars) components and their velocity dispersions are examined, and consideration is given to density waves and swing amplification. The data reveal that a grand design spiral pattern can develop in the gaseous component of a disk galaxy as a result of tidal triggering from a companion, and the spiral pattern and kinematics of the particles correlate with predictions from the density wave theory
Formation of leading spiral arms in retrograde galaxy encounters
The formation of spiral structures in retrograde galaxy encounters was studied theoretically and with N-body simulations. A one-armed leading spiral dominates in a disk if the tidal perturbation from the retrograde companion is large enough, and the disk is surrounded by a massive halo. The leading arm is made up of particles in slightly elongated orbits, the turning points of which outline the arm. The orbits precess in such a way that the arm structure survives while it rotates in the opposite sense to the disk rotation. From the literature it is found that very few spirals in a sample of galaxies with a large companion have leading spiral arms. A possible reason for this is that very few spiral galaxies have a halo with larger mass than the disk mass
Formation of leading spiral arms in retrograde galaxy encounters
The formation of spiral structures in retrograde galaxy encounters was studied theoretically and with N-body simulations. A one-armed leading spiral dominates in a disk if the tidal perturbation from the retrograde companion is large enough, and the disk is surrounded by a massive halo. The leading arm is made up of particles in slightly elongated orbits, the turning points of which outline the arm. The orbits precess in such a way that the arm structure survives while it rotates in the opposite sense to the disk rotation. From the literature it is found that very few spirals in a sample of galaxies with a large companion have leading spiral arms. A possible reason for this is that very few spiral galaxies have a halo with larger mass than the disk mass