2,015 research outputs found
An imaging K-band survey - I: The catalogue, star and galaxy counts
We present results from a large area (552\,\sqamin) imaging -band survey
to a 5 limit of . We have optical-infrared colours of
almost all the objects in the sample. Star-galaxy discrimination is performed
and the results used to derive the infrared star and galaxy counts. -band
``no-evolution'' galaxy-count models are constructed and compared with the
observed data. In the infrared, there is no counterpart for the large excess of
faint galaxies over the no-evolution model seen in optical counts. However, we
show that the counts can be remarkably insensitive to evolution under
certain reasonable assumptions. Finally, model predictions for -selected
redshift surveys are derived.Comment: MNRAS in press. 21 pages plain TeX; figs plus table 4 available via
anonymous ftp from /pub/kgb/paper1/sissa.uu at ftp.ast.cam.ac.u
Deep H-band Galaxy Counts and Half-light Radii from HST/NICMOS Parallel Observations
We present deep galaxy counts and half-light radii from F160W
() images obtained with NICMOS on HST. Nearly 9 arcmin
have been imaged with camera 3, with depths ranging from H = 24.3 to
25.5 in a 0.6 diameter aperture. The slope of the counts fainter than H~ is 0.31, and the integrated surface density to H is galaxies per square degree. The half-light radii of the galaxies declines
steeply with apparent magnitude. At H~ we are limited by both the
delivered FWHM and the detection threshold of the images.Comment: 8 pages. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
A faint galaxy redshift survey to B=24
Using the multislit LDSS-2 spectrograph on the {\it William Herschel
Telescope} we have completed a redshift survey in the magnitude range which has produced 73 redshifts representing a 73\% complete sample
uniformly-selected from four deep fields at high Galactic latitude. The survey
extends out to and includes the highest redshift galaxy () yet
discovered in a field sample. The median redshift, \zmed=0.46, and form of
the redshift distribution constitute compelling evidence against simple
luminosity evolution as an explanation of the large excess of faint galaxies
(2--4 no-evolution) seen in this magnitude range. Rather we
identify the excess population as blue objects with and \,
luminosities similar to local galaxies indicating a dramatic decrease in
the density of such objects over the last Hubble time, confirming the trends
found in brighter redshift surveys. We also find a marked absence of {\it very}
low redshift galaxies (0.1) at faint limits, severely constraining any
significant steepening of the local field galaxy luminosity function at low
luminosities.Comment: uuencoded compressed postscript. The preprint are also available at
URL http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/preprint/PrePrint.htm
Tranformation of Neurospora pyr-4 with defective donor genes
Using the Vollmer/Orbach transformation protocol, transformation frequencies of a pyr-4 (OMP decarboxylase) strain of Neurospora crassa of circa 10(3)/µg are routinely achievable. At these levels of transformation, it is feasible to screen out ectopic integrations and look specifically for homologous integration events. Homologous integrants were sought by transforming a pyr-4 recipient with interrupted or incomplete copies of the cloned pyr-4 gene derived from the pyr+ clone in plasmid pFB6, selecting by complementation of the pyrimidine auxotrophy in the recipien
The Mass Assembly Histories of Galaxies of Various Morphologies in the GOODS Fields
We present an analysis of the growth of stellar mass with cosmic time
partitioned according to galaxy morphology. Using a well-defined catalog of
2150 galaxies based, in part, on archival data in the GOODS fields, we assign
morphological types in three broad classes (Ellipticals, Spirals,
Peculiar/Irregulars) to a limit of z_AB=22.5 and make the resulting catalog
publicly available. We combine redshift information, optical photometry from
the GOODS catalog and deep K-band imaging to assign stellar masses. We find
little evolution in the form of the galaxy stellar mass function from z~1 to
z=0, especially at the high mass end where our results are most robust.
Although the population of massive galaxies is relatively well established at
z~1, its morphological mix continues to change, with an increasing proportion
of early-type galaxies at later times. By constructing type-dependent stellar
mass functions, we show that in each of three redshift intervals, E/S0's
dominate the higher mass population, while spirals are favored at lower masses.
This transition occurs at a stellar mass of 2--3 times 10^{10} Msun at z~0.3
(similar to local studies) but there is evidence that the relevant mass scale
moves to higher mass at earlier epochs. Such evolution may represent the
morphological extension of the ``downsizing'' phenomenon, in which the most
massive galaxies stop forming stars first, with lower mass galaxies becoming
quiescent later. We infer that more massive galaxies evolve into spheroidal
systems at earlier times, and that this morphological transformation may only
be completed 1--2 Gyr after the galaxies emerge from their active star forming
phase. We discuss several lines of evidence suggesting that merging may play a
key role in generating this pattern of evolution.Comment: 24 pages, 1 table, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Why Fast Trains Work: An Assessment of a Fast Regional Rail System in Perth, Australia
Perth’s new 72 km long Southern Rail System opened in 2007. With a maximum speed of 137 km/hr and an average speed of almost 90 km/hr this system acts more like a new high speed rail than a suburban rail system, which in Australia typically averages around 40 km/hr for an all-stops services. The Southern Rail Line was very controversial when being planned as the urban areas served are not at all typical of those normally provided with rail but instead were highly car dependent and scattered low density land uses. Nevertheless it has been remarkably successful, carrying over 70,000 people per day (five times the patronage on the express buses it replaced) and has reached the patronage levels predicted for 2021 a decade ahead of time. The reasons for this success are analyzed and include well-designed interchanges, careful integration of bus services, the use of integrated ticketing and fares without transfer penalties and, crucially the high speed of the system when compared to competing car based trips. The Southern Rail Line in effect explodes the current paradigm of transfer penalties, exposing this as a myth. The lessons for transport planning in low density cities are significant, and are explored further in the paper
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