106 research outputs found
Red-shifted H2O emission in NGC 3079: more evidence for a pc-scale circumnuclear torus?
Using the Effelsberg 100-m telescope, sensitive measurements of the H2O
megamaser in NGC 3079 are presented. During 2000 - 2001, `high velocity'
features are seen that are red-shifted up to 225 km/s with respect to the
systemic velocity of the galaxy (about 1120 km/s). Symmetrically bracketing the
systemic velocity, the H2O emission covers a velocity range of 450 km/s with
only one potential narrow gap (20 km/s) near the systemic velocity itself.
Velocity drifts of individual components are not convincingly detected. It is
shown that the presence of red-shifted emission and the absence of detectable
velocity drifts are not inconsistent with the existence of a rotating
circumnuclear maser disk at the very center of the galaxy. Significant
differences in the overall line profile compared to NGC 4258 and a complex
morphology of the radio continuum leave, however, space for scepticism.Comment: 4 pages, including 3 figures. Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters,
accepte
Effects of precipitating electrons in the ionosphere
As early as 1896, around the time of the discovery of the electron by J.J. Thompson, Birkeland was led to propose that aurorae were caused by fast moving electrons or similarly charged particles emitted by the sun and 'sucked in towards' the auroral zones by the geomagnetic field. He later supported this idea by firing electrons at a dipole field surrounding a sphere covered with a fluorescent coating. Extensive ground based observations of auroral features eventually led, in 1950, to the initial direct evidence of the fact that auroral emissions are due to energetic charged particles, consisting partly of protons, entering the earth's atmosphere (Meinel, 1951). However, it was only in 1952 and 1953 that the first measurements of what was later interpreted as bremsstrahlung X- rays from precipitating electrons were made at auroral latitudes. (Meredith et aI, 1955) During the IGY, 1957 - 1958, a number of rockets were fired through and near, visible aurorae and large fluxes of low energy electrons were detected ... Intro., p. 1
Reproductive behaviour of the skunk clownfish, Amphiprion akallopisos, under captive conditions
The objectives of the study were to determine whether or not behaviour could be used to predict spawning in Amphiprion akallopisos, and to document the behaviour of this species under various environmental conditions in captivity. The spawning behaviour of A. akallopisos was studied and quantified. Three behaviour patterns - belly touching, nest cleaning by the female and mutual nest cleaning (by the male and the female) were identified as predictors for spawning. The reproductive behaviour of A.akallopisos under three photoperiods was investigated. The photoperiods were: 14L:10D, 10hr15minL:13hr45minD and a natural photoperiod cycle condensed into three months. A. akallopisos maintained under 14 L:10D exhibited a significantly higher frequency and duration of chasing, nest cleaning and total interaction compared to fish kept under 10hr15minL:13hr45minD. A photoperiod of 14L:10D was selected for further studies. As manipulation of photoperiod did not induce spawning, GnRHa was administered to the fish in the diet at levels of 10, 20, 40 and 80 μg/kg BW. Control groups were fed untreated food. None of the dosages were successful in inducing spawning, or spawning behaviour in A. akallopisos. It is possible that the method of hormone application was not suitable for this species. It is also possible that behaviour may regulate blood hormone levels as opposed to endocrine status influencing behaviour. In the third trial, A. akallopisos was maintained with, and without sea anemones in order to determine whether or not anemone hosts are necessary for spawning. The presence of anemones did not induce spawning and A. akallopisos kept without anemones exhibited significantly more interactive behaviour than fish kept with hosts. Spawning of A. akallopisos at a later date without anemones suggests that anemones are not necessary for spawning in A. akallopisos. Light intensity was investigated as a cue for spawning. The reproductive behaviour of A. akallopisos was then studied under light intensities of 4.16 x 10¹⁵ quanta.sec⁻¹.cm⁻², 8.85 x 10¹⁵ quanta.sec⁻¹.cm⁻² and this intensity plus natural light. Spawning occurred mainly under 8.85 x 10¹⁵ quanta.sec⁻¹.cm⁻². Fish maintained under this light intensity exhibited significantly more of nest cleaning behaviour in terms of frequency and duration than fish maintained under low light intensity. A minimum light intensity of 8.85 x 10¹⁵ quanta. sec⁻¹.cm⁻² is recommended for conditioning of this species. This study can be of practical relevance to hatchery managers who can use the methods developed and record predictors for spawning in A. akallopisos and other Amphiprion species. In this way imminence of spawning may be estimated. Most importantly, the study also has academic merit as little work has been undertaken in this field. Although the observational method used in this study was adequate for the purposes of the investigation, future work of this nature should incorporate other methods of documenting gonadal development such as gonadal staging and GSI in order to obtain more conclusive results
GMRT mini-survey to search for 21-cm absorption in Quasar-Galaxy Pairs at z~0.1
We present the results from our 21-cm absorption survey of a sample of 5
quasar-galaxy pairs (QGPs), with the redshift of the galaxies in the range
0.03<zg<0.18, selected from the SDSS. The HI 21-cm absorption was searched
towards the 9 sight lines with impact parameters ranging from 10 to 55 kpc
using GMRT. 21-cm absorption was detected only in one case i.e. towards the
Quasar (zq=2.625 SDSS J124157.54+633241.6)-galaxy (zg=0.143 SDSS
J124157.26+633237.6) pair with the impact parameter 11 kpc. The quasar sight
line in this case pierces through the stellar disk of a galaxy having near
solar metallicity (i.e (O/H)+12=8.7) and star formation rate uncorrected for
dust attenuation of 0.1 M_odot/yr. The quasar spectrum reddened by the
foreground galaxy is well fitted with the Milky Way extinction curve (with an
Av of 0.44) and the estimated HI column density is similar to the value
obtained from 21-cm absorption assuming spin temperature of 100K. Combining our
sample with the z<0.1 data available in the literature, we find the
detectability of 21-cm absorption with integrated optical depth greater than
0.1 km\s to be 50% for the impact parameter less than 20 kpc. Using the surface
brightness profiles and relationship between the optical size and extent of the
HI disk known for nearby galaxies, we conclude that in most of the cases of
21-cm absorption non-detection, the sight lines may not be passing through the
HI gas. We also find that in comparison to the absorption systems associated
with these QGPs, z<1 DLAs with 21-cm absorption detections have lower CaII
equivalent widths despite having higher 21-cm optical depths and smaller impact
parameters. This suggests that the current sample of DLAs may be a biased
population that avoids sight lines through dusty star-forming galaxies. A
systematic survey of QGPs is needed to confirm these findings and understand
the nature of 21-cm absorbers.Comment: 17 pages, 5 tables, 19 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS
(abstract abridged
High resolution imaging of the radio continuum and neutral gas in the inner kiloparsec of the radio galaxy 3C293
Using a combination of observations involving the VLA, MERLIN and global VLBI
networks we have made a detailed study of the radio continuum and the neutral
hydrogen (HI) kinematics and distribution within the central kiloparsec of the
radio galaxy 3C293. These observations trace the complex jet structure and
identify the position of the steeply inverted radio core at 1.3GHz.
Strong HI absorption is detected against the majority of the inner kiloparsec
of 3C293. This absorption is separated into two dynamically different and
spatially resolved systems. Against the eastern part of the inner radio jet
narrow HI absorption is detected and shown to have higher optical depths in
areas co-spatial with a central dust lane. Against the western jet emission and
core component, broad and complex HI absorption is detected. This broad and
complex absorption structure is discussed in terms of two possible
interpretations for the gas kinematics observed: that the gas is situated in
two gas layers or that it is in a sub-kiloparsec disk rotating about the core.
(Abridged)Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, To be published in MNRAS. High resolution
version is available at http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~rbeswick/3c293-paper.htm
The extremely collimated bipolar H_2O jet from the NGC 1333-IRAS 4B protostar
We have performed observations of water maser emission towards a sample of
low-mass protostars, in order to investigate the properties of jets associated
with the earliest stages of star formation and their interaction with the
surrounding medium. The main aim is to measure the absolute positions and
proper motions of the H_2O spots in order to investigate the kinematics of the
region from where the jet is launched. We imaged the protostars in the nearby
region NGC 1333-IRAS 4 in the water maser line at 22.2 GHz by using the VLBA in
phase-reference mode at the milliarcsecond scale over four epochs, spaced by
one month to measure proper motions. Two protostars (A2 and B) were detected in
a highly variable H_2O maser emission, with an active phase shorter than four
weeks. The H_2O maps allow us to trace the fast jet driven by the B protostar:
we observed both the red- and blue-shifted lobes very close to the protostar,
=< 35 AU, moving away with projected velocities of ~10-50 km/s. The comparison
with the molecular outflow observed at larger scale suggests a jet precession
with a 18'/yr rate. By measuring the positional spread of the H_2O spots we
estimate a jet width of ~2 AU at a distance of ~12 AU from the driving
protostar.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, A&A accepte
A search for 85.5- and 86.6-GHz methanol maser emission
We have used the Australia Telescope National Facility Mopra 22m millimetre
telescope to search for emission from the 85.5-GHz and 86.6-GHz transitions of
methanol. The search was targeted towards 22 star formation regions which
exhibit maser emission in the 107.0-GHz methanol transition, as well as in the
6.6-GHz transition characteristic of class II methanol maser sources. A total
of 22 regions were searched at 85.5 GHz resulting in 5 detections, of which 1
appears to be a newly discovered maser. For the 86.6-GHz transition
observations were made of 18 regions which yielded 2 detections, but no new
maser sources. This search demonstrates that emission from the 85.5- and
86.6-GHz transitions is rare. Detection of maser emission from either of these
transitions therefore indicates the presence of special conditions, different
from those in the majority of methanol maser sources. We have observed temporal
variability in the 86.6-GHz emission towards 345.010+1.792, which along with
the very narrow line width, confirms that the emission is a maser in this
source. We have combined our current observations with published data for the
6.6-, 12.1-, 85.5-, 86.6-, 107.0-, 108.8- and 156.6-GHz transitions for
comparison with the maser model of Sobolev & Deguchi (1994). This has allowed
us to estimate the likely ranges of dust temperature, gas density, and methanol
column density, both for typical methanol maser sources and for those sources
which also show 107.0-GHz emission.Comment: 11 pages, accepted for publication in MNRAS, Latex, mn2e.cl
The wideband backend at the MDSCC in Robledo. A new facility for radio astronomy at Q- and K- bands
The antennas of NASA's Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex (MDSCC) in
Robledo de Chavela are available as single-dish radio astronomical facilities
during a significant percentage of their operational time. Current
instrumentation includes two antennas of 70 and 34 m in diameter, equipped with
dual-polarization receivers in K (18 - 26 GHz) and Q (38 - 50 GHz) bands,
respectively. We have developed and built a new wideband backend for the
Robledo antennas, with the objectives (1) to optimize the available time and
enhance the efficiency of radio astronomy in MDSCC; and (2) to tackle new
scientific cases impossible to that were investigated with the old, narrow-band
autocorrelator. The backend consists of an IF processor, a FFT spectrometer
(FFTS), and the software that interfaces and manages the events among the
observing program, antenna control, the IF processor, the FFTS operation, and
data recording. The whole system was end-to-end assembled in August 2011, at
the start of commissioning activities, and the results are reported in this
paper. Frequency tunings and line intensities are stable over hours, even when
using different synthesizers and IF channels; no aliasing effects have been
measured, and the rejection of the image sideband was characterized. The first
setup provides 1.5 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth in a single polarization,
using 8192 channels and a frequency resolution of 212 kHz; upgrades under way
include a second FFTS card, and two high-resolution cores providing 100 MHz and
500 MHz of bandwidth, and 16384 channels. These upgrades will permit
simultaneous observations of the two polarizations with instantaneous
bandwidths from 100 MHz to 3 GHz, and spectral resolutions from 7 to 212 kHz.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures. Accepted to Astronomy and Astrophysic
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