5,043 research outputs found
Dynamical Masses in Luminous Infrared Galaxies
We have studied the dynamics and masses of a sample of ten nearby luminous
and ultraluminous infrared galaxies (LIRGS and ULIRGs), using 2.3 micron CO
absorption line spectroscopy and near-infrared H- and Ks-band imaging. By
combining velocity dispersions derived from the spectroscopy, disk
scale-lengths obtained from the imaging, and a set of likely model density
profiles, we calculate dynamical masses for each LIRG. For the majority of the
sample, it is difficult to reconcile our mass estimates with the large amounts
of gas derived from millimeter observations and from a standard conversion
between CO emission and H_2 mass. Our results imply that LIRGs do not have huge
amounts of molecular gas (10^10-10^11 Msolar) at their centers, and support
previous indications that the standard conversion of CO to H_2 probably
overestimates the gas masses and cannot be used in these environments. This in
turn suggests much more modest levels of extinction in the near-infrared for
LIRGs than previously predicted (A_V~10-20 versus A_V~100-1000). The lower gas
mass estimates indicated by our observations imply that the star formation
efficiency in these systems is very high and is triggered by cloud-cloud
collisions, shocks, and winds rather than by gravitational instabilities in
circumnuclear gas disks.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, accepted to Ap
The 400d Galaxy Cluster Survey weak lensing programme: II: Weak lensing study of seven clusters with MMT/Megacam
Evolution in the mass function of galaxy clusters sensitively traces both the
expansion history of the Universe and cosmological structure formation. Robust
cluster mass determinations are a key ingredient for a reliable measurement of
this evolution, especially at high redshift. Weak gravitational lensing is a
promising tool for, on average, unbiased mass estimates. This weak lensing
project aims at measuring reliable weak lensing masses for a complete X-ray
selected sample of 36 high redshift (0.35<z<0.9) clusters. The goal of this
paper is to demonstrate the robustness of the methodology against commonly
encountered problems, including pure instrumental effects, the presence of
bright (8--9 mag) stars close to the cluster centre, ground based measurements
of high-z (z~0.8) clusters, and the presence of massive unrelated structures
along the line-sight. We select a subsample of seven clusters observed with
MMT/Megacam. Instrumental effects are checked in detail by cross-comparison
with an archival CFHT/MegaCam observation. We derive mass estimates for seven
clusters by modelling the tangential shear with an NFW profile, in two cases
with multiple components to account for projected structures in the
line-of-sight. We firmly detect lensing signals from all seven clusters at more
than and determine their masses, ranging from
to , despite the presence of nearby bright stars. We
retrieve the lensing signal of more than one cluster in the CL 1701+6414 field,
while apparently observing CL 1701+6414 through a massive foreground filament.
We also find a multi-peaked shear signal in CL 1641+4001. Shear structures
measured in the MMT and CFHT images of CL 1701+6414 are highly correlated.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics; A&A 546, A7
A Search for the Optical/Infrared Counterpart of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 1841-045
We have carried out a search for the optical and infrared counterpart of the
Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 1841-045, which is located at the center of the
supernova remnant Kes73. We present the first deep optical and infrared images
of the field of 1E 1841-045, as well as optical spectroscopy results that
exclude the brightest objects in the error circle as possible counterparts. A
few of the more reddened objects in this region can be considered as
particularly interesting candidates, in consideration of the distance and
absorption expected from the association with Kes73. The strong interstellar
absorption in the direction of the source does not allow to completely exclude
the presence of main sequence massive companions.Comment: 8 pages, latex, 6 figures, Submitted to Mon. Not. R. Astron. So
On the stability of the shear-free condition
The evolution equation for the shear is reobtained for a spherically
symmetric anisotropic, viscous dissipative fluid distribution, which allows us
to investigate conditions for the stability of the shear-free condition. The
specific case of geodesic fluids is considered in detail, showing that the
shear-free condition, in this particular case, may be unstable, the departure
from the shear-free condition being controlled by the expansion scalar and a
single scalar function defined in terms of the anisotropy of the pressure, the
shear viscosity and the Weyl tensor or, alternatively, in terms of the
anisotropy of the pressure, the dissipative variables and the energy density
inhomogeneity.Comment: 19 pages Latex. To appear in Gen. Rel. Gra
The Pfaffian solution of a dimer-monomer problem: Single monomer on the boundary
We consider the dimer-monomer problem for the rectangular lattice. By mapping
the problem into one of close-packed dimers on an extended lattice, we rederive
the Tzeng-Wu solution for a single monomer on the boundary by evaluating a
Pfaffian. We also clarify the mathematical content of the Tzeng-Wu solution by
identifying it as the product of the nonzero eigenvalues of the Kasteleyn
matrix.Comment: 4 Pages to appear in the Physical Review E (2006
H_2 Absorption and Fluorescence for Gamma Ray Bursts in Molecular Clouds
If a gamma ray burst with strong UV emission occurs in a molecular cloud,
there will be observable consequences resulting from excitation of the
surrounding H2. The UV pulse from the GRB will pump H2 into
vibrationally-excited levels which produce strong absorption at wavelengths <
1650 A. As a result, both the prompt flash and later afterglow will exhibit
strong absorption shortward of 1650 A, with specific spectroscopic features.
Such a cutoff in the emission from GRB 980329 may already have been observed by
Fruchter et al.; if so, GRB 980329 was at redshift 3.0 < z < 4.4 . BVRI
photometry of GRB 990510 could also be explained by H2 absorption if GRB 990510
is at redshift 1.6 < z < 2.3. The fluorescence accompanying the UV pumping of
the H2 will result in UV emission from the GRB which can extend over days or
months, depending on parameters of the ambient medium and beaming of the GRB
flash. The 7.5-13.6 eV fluorescent luminosity is \sim 10^{41.7} erg/s for
standard estimates of the parameters of the GRB and the ambient medium.
Spectroscopy can distinguish this fluorescent emission from other possible
sources of transient optical emission, such as a supernova.Comment: 13 pages, including 4 figures. submitted to Ap.J.(Letters
Thermal Conduction in Systems out of Hydrostatic Equilibrium
We analyse the effects of thermal conduction in a relativistic fluid, just
after its departure from hydrostatic equilibrium, on a time scale of the order
of thermal relaxation time. It is obtained that the resulting evolution will
critically depend on a parameter defined in terms of thermodynamic variables,
which is constrained by causality requirements.Comment: 16 pages, emTex (LaTex 2.09). To appear in Classical and Quantum
Gravit
Gauss-Bonnet brane gravity with a confining potential
A brane scenario is envisaged in which the -dimensional bulk is endowed
with a Gauss-Bonnet term and localization of matter on the brane is achieved by
means of a confining potential. The resulting Friedmann equations on the brane
are modified by various extra terms that may be interpreted as the X-matter,
providing a possible phenomenological explanation for the accelerated expansion
of the universe. The age of the universe in this scenario is studied and shown
to be consistent with the present observational data.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, to appear in PR
Volume Expansion of Swiss-Cheese Universe
In order to investigate the effect of inhomogeneities on the volume expansion
of the universe, we study modified Swiss-Cheese universe model. Since this
model is an exact solution of Einstein equations, we can get an insight into
non-linear dynamics of inhomogeneous universe from it. We find that
inhomogeneities make the volume expansion slower than that of the background
Einstein-de Sitter universe when those can be regarded as small fluctuations in
the background universe. This result is consistent with the previous studies
based on the second order perturbation analysis. On the other hand, if the
inhomogeneities can not be treated as small perturbations, the volume expansion
of the universe depends on the type of fluctuations. Although the volume
expansion rate approaches to the background value asymptotically, the volume
itself can be finally arbitrarily smaller than the background one and can be
larger than that of the background but there is an upper bound on it.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev.
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