247 research outputs found
Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies
At luminosities above ~10^{11} L_sun, infrared galaxies become the dominant
population of extragalactic objects in the local Universe (z < 0.5), being more
numerous than optically selected starburst and Seyfert galaxies, and QSOs at
comparable bolometric luminosity. At the highest luminosities, ultraluminous
infrared galaxies (ULIGs: L_ir > 10^{12} L_sun), outnumber optically selected
QSOs by a factor of ~1.5-2. All of the nearest ULIGs (z < 0.1) appear to be
advanced mergers that are powered by both a circumnuclear starburst and AGN,
both of which are fueled by an enormous concentration of molecular gas
(~10^{10} M_sun) that has been funneled into the merger nucleus. ULIGs may
represent a primary stage in the formation of massive black holes and
elliptical galaxy cores. The intense circumnuclear starburst that accompanies
the ULIG phase may also represent a primary stage in the formation of globular
clusters, and the metal enrichment of the intergalactic medium by gas and dust
expelled from the nucleus due to the combined forces of supernova explosions
and powerful stellar winds.Comment: LaTex, 6 pages with 4 embedded .eps figures. Postscript version plus
color plates available at
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/users/sanders/astroph/s186/plates.html To appear in
"Galaxy Interactions at Low and High Redshift" IAU Symposium 186, Kyoto,
Japan, eds. J.E. Barnes and D.B. Sander
The Imprint of Galaxy Formation on X-ray Clusters
It is widely believed that structure in the Universe evolves hierarchically,
as primordial density fluctuations, amplified by gravity, collapse and merge to
form progressively larger systems. The structure and evolution of X-ray
clusters, however, seems at odds with this hierarchical scenario for structure
formation. Poor clusters and groups, as well as most distant clusters detected
to date, are substantially fainter than expected from the tight relations
between luminosity, temperature and redshift predicted by these models. Here we
show that these discrepancies arise because, near the centre, the entropy of
the hot, diffuse intracluster medium (ICM) is higher tha possible if the ICM
is heated at modest redshift (z \ltsim 2) but prior to cluster collapse,
indicating that the formation of galaxies precedes that of clusters and that
most clusters have been assembled very recently.Comment: 5 pages, plus 2 postscript figures (one in colour), accepted for
publication in Natur
Star Formation in Galaxies Along the Hubble Sequence
Observations of star formation rates (SFRs) in galaxies provide vital clues
to the physical nature of the Hubble sequence, and are key probes of the
evolutionary properties of galaxies. The focus of this review is on the broad
patterns in the star formation properties of galaxies along the Hubble
sequence, and their implications for understanding galaxy evolution and the
physical processes that drive the evolution. Star formation in the disks and
nuclear regions of galaxies are reviewed separately, then discussed within a
common interpretive framework. The diagnostic methods used to measure SFRs are
also reviewed, and a self-consistent set of SFR calibrations is presented as an
aid to workers in the field.Comment: 41 pages, with 9 figures. To appear in Volume 36 of the Annual Review
of Astronomy and Astrophysic
The Lyman-alpha glow of gas falling into the dark matter halo of a z=3 galaxy
Quasars are the visible signatures of super-massive black holes in the
centres of distant galaxies. It has been suggested that quasars are formed
during ``major merger events'' when two massive galaxies collide and merge,
leading to the prediction that quasars should be found in the centres of the
regions of largest overdensity in the early Universe. In dark matter
(DM)-dominated models of the early Universe, massive DM halos are predicted to
attract the surrounding gas, which falls towards its centre. The neutral gas is
not detectable in emission by itself, but gas falling into the ionizing cone of
such a quasar will glow in the Lyman-alpha line of hydrogen, effectively
imaging the DM halo. Here we present a Lyman-alpha image of a DM halo at
redshift 3, along with a two-dimensional spectrum of the gaseous halo. Our
observations are best understood in the context of the standard model for DM
halos; we infer a mass of (2-7) x 10^12 solar masses (Msun) for the halo.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Published as a Letter to Nature in the August 26,
2004 issue; see accompanying News and Views article by Z. Haiman in the same
issu
Controlling passively-quenched single photon detectors by bright light
Single photon detectors based on passively-quenched avalanche photodiodes can
be temporarily blinded by relatively bright light, of intensity less than a
nanowatt. I describe a bright-light regime suitable for attacking a quantum key
distribution system containing such detectors. In this regime, all single
photon detectors in the receiver Bob are uniformly blinded by continuous
illumination coming from the eavesdropper Eve. When Eve needs a certain
detector in Bob to produce a click, she modifies polarization (or other
parameter used to encode quantum states) of the light she sends to Bob such
that the target detector stops receiving light while the other detector(s)
continue to be illuminated. The target detector regains single photon
sensitivity and, when Eve modifies the polarization again, produces a single
click. Thus, Eve has full control of Bob and can do a successful
intercept-resend attack. To check the feasibility of the attack, 3 different
models of passively-quenched detectors have been tested. In the experiment, I
have simulated the intensity diagrams the detectors would receive in a real
quantum key distribution system under attack. Control parameters and side
effects are considered. It appears that the attack could be practically
possible.Comment: Experimental results from a third detector model added. Minor
corrections and edits made. 11 pages, 10 figure
Recommended from our members
SDSS IV MaNGA-spatially resolved diagnostic diagrams: A proof that many galaxies are LIERs
We study the spatially resolved excitation properties of the ionised gas in a
sample of 646 galaxies using integral field spectroscopy data from SDSS-IV
MaNGA. Making use of Baldwin-Philips-Terlevich diagnostic diagrams we
demonstrate the ubiquitous presence of extended (kpc scale) low ionisation
emission-line regions (LIERs) in both star forming and quiescent galaxies. In
star forming galaxies LIER emission can be associated with diffuse ionised gas,
most evident as extra-planar emission in edge-on systems. In addition, we
identify two main classes of galaxies displaying LIER emission: `central LIER'
(cLIER) galaxies, where central LIER emission is spatially extended, but
accompanied by star formation at larger galactocentric distances, and `extended
LIER' (eLIER) galaxies, where LIER emission is extended throughout the whole
galaxy. In eLIER and cLIER galaxies, LIER emission is associated with radially
flat, low H equivalent width of line emission ( 3 \AA) and stellar
population indices demonstrating the lack of young stellar populations,
implying that line emission follows tightly the continuum due to the underlying
old stellar population. The H surface brightness radial profiles are
always shallower than and the line ratio
[OIII]5007/[OII]3727,29 (a tracer of the ionisation parameter
of the gas) shows a flat gradient. This combined evidence strongly supports the
scenario in which LIER emission is not due to a central point source but to
diffuse stellar sources, the most likely candidates being hot, evolved
(post-asymptotic giant branch) stars. Shocks are observed to play a significant
role in the ionisation of the gas only in rare merging and interacting systems.STFCThis is the author accepted manuscript. It is currently under an indefinite embargo pending publication by Oxford University Press
Ram pressure feeding super-massive black holes
When supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies accrete matter
(usually gas), they give rise to highly energetic phenomena named Active
Galactic Nuclei (AGN). A number of physical processes have been proposed to
account for the funneling of gas towards the galaxy centers to feed the AGN.
There are also several physical processes that can strip gas from a galaxy, and
one of them is ram pressure stripping in galaxy clusters due to the hot and
dense gas filling the space between galaxies. We report the discovery of a
strong connection between severe ram pressure stripping and the presence of AGN
activity. Searching in galaxy clusters at low redshift, we have selected the
most extreme examples of jellyfish galaxies, which are galaxies with long
tentacles of material extending for dozens of kpc beyond the galaxy disk. Using
the MUSE spectrograph on the ESO Very Large Telescope, we find that 6 out of
the 7 galaxies of this sample host a central AGN, and two of them also have
galactic-scale AGN ionization cones. The high incidence of AGN among the most
striking jellyfishes may be due to ram pressure causing gas to flow towards the
center and triggering the AGN activity, or to an enhancement of the stripping
caused by AGN energy injection, or both. Our analysis of the galaxy position
and velocity relative to the cluster strongly supports the first hypothesis,
and puts forward ram pressure as another, yet unforeseen, possible mechanism
for feeding the central supermassive black hole with gas.Comment: published in Nature, Vol.548, Number 7667, pag.30
Star forming dwarf galaxies
Star forming dwarf galaxies (SFDGs) have a high gas content and low
metallicities, reminiscent of the basic entities in hierarchical galaxy
formation scenarios. In the young universe they probably also played a major
role in the cosmic reionization. Their abundant presence in the local volume
and their youthful character make them ideal objects for detailed studies of
the initial stellar mass function (IMF), fundamental star formation processes
and its feedback to the interstellar medium. Occasionally we witness SFDGs
involved in extreme starbursts, giving rise to strongly elevated production of
super star clusters and global superwinds, mechanisms yet to be explored in
more detail. SFDGs is the initial state of all dwarf galaxies and the relation
to the environment provides us with a key to how different types of dwarf
galaxies are emerging. In this review we will put the emphasis on the exotic
starburst phase, as it seems less important for present day galaxy evolution
but perhaps fundamental in the initial phase of galaxy formation.Comment: To appear in JENAM Symposium "Dwarf Galaxies: Keys to Galaxy
Formation and Evolution", P. Papaderos, G. Hensler, S. Recchi (eds.). Lisbon,
September 2010, Springer Verlag, in pres
Extragalactic Radio Continuum Surveys and the Transformation of Radio Astronomy
Next-generation radio surveys are about to transform radio astronomy by
discovering and studying tens of millions of previously unknown radio sources.
These surveys will provide new insights to understand the evolution of
galaxies, measuring the evolution of the cosmic star formation rate, and
rivalling traditional techniques in the measurement of fundamental cosmological
parameters. By observing a new volume of observational parameter space, they
are also likely to discover unexpected new phenomena. This review traces the
evolution of extragalactic radio continuum surveys from the earliest days of
radio astronomy to the present, and identifies the challenges that must be
overcome to achieve this transformational change.Comment: To be published in Nature Astronomy 18 Sept 201
Propensity score matching in estimating the effect of managerial education on academic planning behavior. Study design: a cross-sectional study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In many academic settings teaching a particular topic is applied to every student enrolled in the same academic year, it is a difficult task for researchers to design a randomized control group study. This research aimed to estimate the effect of teaching management and planning on increasing academic planning behavior (APB), using propensity score matching (PSM).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a cross-sectional survey utilizing a self-reported structured questionnaire on a systematic random sample of 421 students in Hanoi Medical University, one of the eight medical schools in Vietnam, this evaluation study adopted regression procedures to assess model fit, then PSM to create a matched control group in order to allow for evaluating the effect of management education.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The study showed both direct and indirect effects of the education on behavior. After PSM to adjust for the possible confounders to balance statistically two groups - with and without management education, there is statistically a significant difference in APB between these two groups, making a net difference of 18.60% (p < .05). The estimated 18.6 percentage point increase can be translated into the practice of APB by 670 students in the population. This number of academic planners can be attributed to a high recall of important management and planning education.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The study provided theoretical as well as practical implications to guide the design of the education and evaluation of teaching.</p
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