566 research outputs found
Strongly Time-Variable Ultra-Violet Metal Line Emission from the Circum-Galactic Medium of High-Redshift Galaxies
We use cosmological simulations from the Feedback In Realistic Environments
(FIRE) project, which implement a comprehensive set of stellar feedback
processes, to study ultra-violet (UV) metal line emission from the
circum-galactic medium of high-redshift (z=2-4) galaxies. Our simulations cover
the halo mass range Mh ~ 2x10^11 - 8.5x10^12 Msun at z=2, representative of
Lyman break galaxies. Of the transitions we analyze, the low-ionization C III
(977 A) and Si III (1207 A) emission lines are the most luminous, with C IV
(1548 A) and Si IV (1394 A) also showing interesting spatially-extended
structures. The more massive halos are on average more UV-luminous. The UV
metal line emission from galactic halos in our simulations arises primarily
from collisionally ionized gas and is strongly time variable, with
peak-to-trough variations of up to ~2 dex. The peaks of UV metal line
luminosity correspond closely to massive and energetic mass outflow events,
which follow bursts of star formation and inject sufficient energy into
galactic halos to power the metal line emission. The strong time variability
implies that even some relatively low-mass halos may be detectable. Conversely,
flux-limited samples will be biased toward halos whose central galaxy has
recently experienced a strong burst of star formation. Spatially-extended UV
metal line emission around high-redshift galaxies should be detectable by
current and upcoming integral field spectrographs such as the Multi Unit
Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on the Very Large Telescope and Keck Cosmic Web
Imager (KCWI).Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Observation of a Griffiths-like phase in the paramagnetic regime of ErCo_2
A systematic x-ray magnetic circular dichroism study of the paramagnetic
phase of ErCo2 has recently allowed to identify the inversion of the net
magnetization of the Co net moment with respect to the applied field well above
the ferrimagnetic ordering temperature, Tc. The study of small angle neutron
scattering measurements has also shown the presence of short range order
correlations in the same temperature region. This phenomenon, which we have
denoted parimagnetism, may be related with the onset of a Griffiths-like phase
in paramagnetic ErCo2. We have measured ac susceptibility on ErCo2 as a
function of temperature, applied field, and excitation frequency. Several
characteristics shared by systems showing a Griffiths phase are present in
ErCo2, namely the formation of ferromagnetic clusters in the disordered phase,
the loss of analyticity of the magnetic susceptibility and its extreme
sensitivity to an applied magnetic field. The paramagnetic susceptibility
allows to establish that the magnetic clusters are only formed by Co moments as
well as the intrinsic nature of those Co moments
Galactic neutron stars I. Space and velocity distributions in the disk and in the halo
Aims. Neutron stars (NSs) produced in the Milky Way are supposedly ten to the
eighth - ten to the ninth, of which only are observed.
Constraining the phase space distribution of NSs may help to characterize the
yet undetected population of stellar remnants. Methods. We perform Monte Carlo
simulations of NS orbits, under different assumptions concerning the Galactic
potential and the distribution of progenitors and birth velocities. We study
the resulting phase space distributions, focusing on the statistical properties
of the NS populations in the disk and in the solar neighbourhood. Results. It
is shown that percent of NSs are in bound orbits. The fraction of NSs
located in a disk of radius 20 kpc and width 0.4 kpc is percent.
Therefore the majority of NSs populate the halo. Fits for the surface density
of the disk, the distribution of heights on the Galactic plane and the velocity
distribution of the disk, are given. We also provide sky maps of the projected
number density in heliocentric Galactic coordinates (l, b). Our results are
compared with previous ones reported in the literature. Conclusions. Obvious
applications of our modelling are in the revisiting of accretion luminosities
of old isolated NSs, the issue of the observability of the nearest NS and the
NS optical depth for microlensing events. These will be the scope of further
studies.Comment: 11 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Birth and Evolution of Isolated Radio Pulsars
We investigate the birth and evolution of Galactic isolated radio pulsars. We
begin by estimating their birth space velocity distribution from proper motion
measurements of Brisken et al. (2002, 2003). We find no evidence for
multimodality of the distribution and favor one in which the absolute
one-dimensional velocity components are exponentially distributed and with a
three-dimensional mean velocity of 380^{+40}_{-60} km s^-1. We then proceed
with a Monte Carlo-based population synthesis, modelling the birth properties
of the pulsars, their time evolution, and their detection in the Parkes and
Swinburne Multibeam surveys. We present a population model that appears
generally consistent with the observations. Our results suggest that pulsars
are born in the spiral arms, with a Galactocentric radial distribution that is
well described by the functional form proposed by Yusifov & Kucuk (2004), in
which the pulsar surface density peaks at radius ~3 kpc. The birth spin period
distribution extends to several hundred milliseconds, with no evidence of
multimodality. Models which assume the radio luminosities of pulsars to be
independent of the spin periods and period derivatives are inadequate, as they
lead to the detection of too many old simulated pulsars in our simulations.
Dithered radio luminosities proportional to the square root of the spin-down
luminosity accommodate the observations well and provide a natural mechanism
for the pulsars to dim uniformly as they approach the death line, avoiding an
observed pile-up on the latter. There is no evidence for significant torque
decay (due to magnetic field decay or otherwise) over the lifetime of the
pulsars as radio sources (~100 Myr). Finally, we estimate the pulsar birthrate
and total number of pulsars in the Galaxy.Comment: 27 pages, including 15 figures, accepted by Ap
The Origins of the Circumgalactic Medium in the FIRE Simulations
We use a particle tracking analysis to study the origins of the
circumgalactic medium (CGM), separating it into (1) accretion from the
intergalactic medium (IGM), (2) wind from the central galaxy, and (3) gas
ejected from other galaxies. Our sample consists of 21 FIRE-2 simulations,
spanning the halo mass range log(Mh/Msun) ~ 10-12 , and we focus on z=0.25 and
z=2. Owing to strong stellar feedback, only ~L* halos retain a baryon mass
>~50% of their cosmic budget. Metals are more efficiently retained by halos,
with a retention fraction >~50%. Across all masses and redshifts analyzed >~60%
of the CGM mass originates as IGM accretion (some of which is associated with
infalling halos). Overall, the second most important contribution is wind from
the central galaxy, though gas ejected or stripped from satellites can
contribute a comparable mass in ~L* halos. Gas can persist in the CGM for
billions of years, resulting in well-mixed halo gas. Sight lines through the
CGM are therefore likely to intersect gas of multiple origins. For low-redshift
~L* halos, cool gas (T<10^4.7 K) is distributed on average preferentially along
the galaxy plane, however with strong halo-to-halo variability. The metallicity
of IGM accretion is systematically lower than the metallicity of winds
(typically by >~1 dex), although CGM and IGM metallicities depend significantly
on the treatment of subgrid metal diffusion. Our results highlight the multiple
physical mechanisms that contribute to the CGM and will inform observational
efforts to develop a cohesive picture.Comment: 23 pages, 22 figures. Minor revisions from previous version. Online
interactive visualizations available at zhafen.github.io/CGM-origins and
zhafen.github.io/CGM-origins-pathline
Role of Esrrg in the Fibrate-Mediated Regulation of Lipid Metabolism Genes in Human ApoA-I Transgenic Mice
We have used a new ApoA-I transgenic mouse model to identify by global gene expression profiling, candidate genes that affect lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in response to fenofibrate treatment. Multilevel bioinformatical analysis and stringent selection criteria (2-fold change, 0% false discovery rate) identified 267 significantly changed genes involved in several molecular pathways. The fenofibrate-treated group did not have significantly altered levels of hepatic human APOA-I mRNA and plasma ApoA-I compared with the control group. However, the treatment increased cholesterol levels to 1.95-fold mainly due to the increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The observed changes in HDL are associated with the upregulation of genes involved in phospholipid biosynthesis and lipid hydrolysis, as well as phospholipid transfer protein. Significant upregulation was observed in genes involved in fatty acid transport and β-oxidation, but not in those of fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis, Krebs cycle and gluconeogenesis. Fenofibrate changed significantly the expression of seven transcription factors. The estrogen receptor-related gamma gene was upregulated 2.36-fold and had a significant positive correlation with genes of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and mitochondrial functions, indicating an important role of this orphan receptor in mediating the fenofibrate-induced activation of a specific subset of its target genes.National Institutes of Health (HL48739 and HL68216); European Union (LSHM-CT-2006-0376331, LSHG-CT-2006-037277); the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens; the Hellenic Cardiological Society; the John F Kostopoulos Foundatio
The Subaru Ly-alpha blob survey: A sample of 100 kpc Ly-alpha blobs at z=3
We present results of a survey for giant Ly-alpha nebulae (LABs) at z=3 with
Subaru/Suprime-Cam. We obtained Ly-alpha imaging at z=3.09+-0.03 around the
SSA22 protocluster and in several blank fields. The total survey area is 2.1
square degrees, corresponding to a comoving volume of 1.6 x 10^6 Mpc^3. Using a
uniform detection threshold of 1.4 x 10^{-18} erg s^{-1} cm^{-2} arcsec^{-2}
for the Ly-alpha images, we construct a sample of 14 LAB candidates with
major-axis diameters larger than 100 kpc, including five previously known blobs
and two known quasars. This survey triples the number of known LABs over 100
kpc. The giant LAB sample shows a possible "morphology-density relation":
filamentary LABs reside in average density environments as derived from compact
Ly-alpha emitters, while circular LABs reside in both average density and
overdense environments. Although it is hard to examine the formation mechanisms
of LABs only from the Ly-alpha morphologies, more filamentary LABs may relate
to cold gas accretion from the surrounding inter-galactic medium (IGM) and more
circular LABs may relate to large-scale gas outflows, which are driven by
intense starbursts and/or by AGN activities. Our survey highlights the
potential usefulness of giant LABs to investigate the interactions between
galaxies and the surrounding IGM from the field to overdense environments at
high-redshift.Comment: MNRAS Letters accepted (6 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables
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