Sizes of Confirmed Globular Clusters in NGC 5128: A Wide-Field High-Resolution Study

Using Magellan/IMACS images covering a 1.2 x 1.2 sq. degree FOV with seeing of 0.4"-0.6", we have applied convolution techniques to analyse the light distribution of 364 confirmed globular cluster in the field of NGC 5128 and to obtain their structural parameters. Combining these parameters with existing Washington photometry from Harris et al. (2004), we are able to examine the size difference between metal-poor (blue) and metal-rich (red) globular clusters. For the first time, this can be addressed on a sample of confirmed clusters that extends to galactocentric distances about 8 times the effective radius, R$_{eff}$, of the galaxy. Within 1 R$_{eff}$, red clusters are about 30% smaller on average than blue clusters, in agreement with the vast majority of extragalactic globular cluster systems studied. As the galactocentric distance increases, however, this difference becomes negligible. Thus, our results indicate that the difference in the clusters' effective radii, r$_e$, could be explained purely by projection effects, with red clusters being more centrally concentrated than blue ones and an intrinsic r$_e$--R$_{gc}$ dependence, like the one observed for the Galaxy.Comment: 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Lepton flavor violating Higgs Boson Decays in Supersymmetric High Scale Seesaw Models

Within the MSSM, we have evaluated the decay rates for the lepton flavour violating Higgs boson decays (LFVHD) $h \rightarrow l_i l_j$ where $l_{i,j}$ are charged leptons and $i\neq j$. This has been done in a model independent (MI) way as well as in supersymmetric high scale seesaw models, in particular Type I see-saw model. Lepton flavour violation (LFV) is generated by non-diagonal entries in the mass matrix of the sleptons. In a first step we use the model independent approach where LFV (off-diagonal entries in the mass matrix) is introduced by hand while respecting the direct search constraints from the charged lepton flavor violating (cLFV) processes. In the second step we use high scale see-saw models where LFV is generated via renormalization group equations (RGE) from the grand unification scale (GUT) down to electroweak scale. cLFV decays are the most restrictive ones and exclude a large part of the parameter space for the MI as well as the high scale see-saw scenarios. Due to very strict constraints from cLFV, it is difficult to find large corrections to LFVHD. This applies in particular to $h \rightarrow \tau \mu$ where hints of an excess have been observed. If this signal is confirmed, it could not be explained with the models under investigation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Journal of Particle Physic

On the Ages of Exoplanet Host Stars

We obtained spectra, covering the CaII H and K region, for 49 exoplanet host (EH) stars, observable from the southern hemisphere. We measured the chromospheric activity index, Rhk. We compiled previously published values of this index for the observed objects as well as the remaining EH stars in an effort to better smooth temporal variations and derive a more representative value of the average chromospheric activity for each object. We used the average index to obtain ages for the group of EH stars. In addition we applied other methods, such as: Isochrone, lithium abundance, metallicity and transverse velocity dispersions, to compare with the chromospheric results. The kinematic method is a less reliable age estimator because EH stars lie red-ward of Parenago's discontinuity in the transverse velocity dispersion vs dereddened B-V diagram. The chromospheric and isochrone techniques give median ages of 5.2 and 7.4 Gyr, respectively, with a dispersion of 4 Gyr. The median age of F and G EH stars derived by the isochrone technique is 1--2 Gyr older than that of identical spectral type nearby stars not known to be associated with planets. However, the dispersion in both cases is large, about 2--4 Gyr. We searched for correlations between the chromospheric and isochrone ages and Lir/L* (the excess over the stellar luminosity) and the metallicity of the EH stars. No clear tendency is found in the first case, whereas the metallicy dispersion seems to slightly increase with age.Comment: 22 pages, 25 figures, A&A accepte

Ambipolar Filamentation of Turbulent Magnetic Fields : A numerical simulation

We present the results of a 2-D, two fluid (ions and neutrals) simulation of the ambipolar filamentation process, in which a magnetized, weakly ionized plasma is stirred by turbulence in the ambipolar frequency range. The higher turbulent velocity of the neutrals in the most ionized regions gives rise to a non-linear force driving them out of these regions, so that the initial ionization inhomogeneities are strongly amplified. This effect, the ambipolar filamentation, causes the ions and the magnetic flux to condense and separate from the neutrals, resulting in a filamentary structure.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&