1,131 research outputs found
COLA II - Radio and Spectroscopic Diagnostics of Nuclear Activity in Galaxies
We present optical spectroscopic observations of 93 galaxies taken from the
infra-red selected COLA (Compact Objects in Low Power AGN) sample. The sample
spans the range of far-IR luminosities from normal galaxies to LIRGs. Of the
galaxies observed, 78 (84%) exhibit emission lines. Using a theoretically-based
optical emission-line scheme we classify 15% of the emission-line galaxies as
Seyferts, 77% as starbursts, and the rest are either borderline AGN/starburst
or show ambiguous characteristics. We find little evidence for an increase in
the fraction of AGN in the sample as a function of far-IR luminosity but our
sample covers only a small range in infrared luminosity and thus a weak trend
may be masked. As a whole the Seyfert galaxies exhibit a small, but
significant, radio excess on the radio-FIR correlation compared to the galaxies
classified as starbursts. Compact (<0.05'') radio cores are detected in 55% of
the Seyfert galaxies, and these galaxies exhibit a significantly larger radio
excess than the Seyfert galaxies in which cores were not detected. Our results
indicate that there may be two distinct populations of Seyferts,
``radio-excess'' Seyferts, which exhibit extended radio structures and compact
radio cores, and ``radio-quiet'' Seyferts, in which the majority of the radio
emission can be attributed to star-formation in the host galaxy. No significant
difference is seen between the IR and optical spectroscopic properties of
Seyferts with and without radio cores. (Abridged)Comment: 24 pages, 4 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ,
February 200
SBF Distances to Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies in the Sculptor Group
As part of an ongoing search for dwarf elliptical galaxies (dE) in the
vicinity of the Local Group, we acquired deep B and R-band images for five dE
candidates identified in the Sculptor (Scl) group region. We carried out a
surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) analysis on the R-band images to measure
the apparent fluctuation magnitude \bar{m}_R for each dE. Using predictions
from stellar population synthesis models the galaxy distances were determined.
All of these dE candidates turned out to be satellites of Scl group major
members. A redshift measurement of the dE candidate ESO294-010 yielded an
independent confirmation of its group membership: the [OIII] and H
emission lines from a small HII region gave a heliocentric velocity of 117(\pm
5) km s-1, in close agreement with the velocity of its parent galaxy NGC 55
(v_\odot=125 km s-1). The precision of the SBF distances (5 to 10%) contributes
to delineating the cigar-like distribution of the Scl group members, which
extend over distances from 1.7 to 4.4 Mpc and are concentrated in three,
possibly four subclumps. The Hubble diagram for nine Scl galaxies, including
two of our dEs, exhibits a tight linear velocity--distance relation with a
steep slope of 119 km s-1 Mpc-1. The results indicate that gravitational
interaction among the Scl group members plays only a minor role in the dynamics
of the group. However, the Hubble flow of the entire system appears strongly
disturbed by the large masses of our Galaxy and M31 leading to the observed
shearing motion. From the distances and velocities of 49 galaxies located in
the Local Group and towards the Scl group, we illustrate the continuity of the
galaxy distribution which strongly supports the view that the two groups form a
single supergalactic structure.Comment: To appear in The Astronomical Journal, December 1998; 28 pages with
22 figure
Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy of Chlorophyll a: Solvent Dependent Spectral Evolution
The interaction of the monomeric chlorophyll Q-band electronic transition with solvents of differing physical-chemical properties is investigated through two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2DES). Chlorophyll constitutes the key chromophore molecule in light harvesting complexes. It is well-known that the surrounding protein in the light harvesting complex fine-tunes chlorophyll electronic transitions to optimize energy transfer. Therefore, an understanding of the influence of the environment on the monomeric chlorophyll electronic transitions is important. The Q-band 2DES is inhomogeneous at early times, particularly in hydrogen bonding polar solvents, but also in nonpolar solvents like cyclohexane. Interestingly this inhomogeneity persists for long times, even up to the nanosecond time scale in some solvents. The reshaping of the 2DES occurs over multiple time scales and was assigned mainly to spectral diffusion. At early times the reshaping is Gaussian-like, hinting at a strong solvent reorganization effect. The temporal evolution of the 2DES response was analyzed in terms of a Brownian oscillator model. The spectral densities underpinning the Brownian oscillator fitting were recovered for the different solvents. The absorption spectra and Stokes shift were also properly described by this model. The extent and nature of inhomogeneous broadening was a strong function of solvent, being larger in H-bonding and viscous media and smaller in nonpolar solvents. The fastest spectral reshaping components were assigned to solvent dynamics, modified by interactions with the solute
The Nature of the Optical Light in Seyfert 2 Galaxies with Polarized Continuum
We investigate the nature of the optical continuum and stellar population in
the central kpc of the Seyfert 2s Mrk 348, Mrk 573, NGC 1358 and Mrk 1210 using
long-slit spectra obtained along the radio or extended emission axis. These
galaxies are known to have polarized continuum-including polarized broad lines
in Mrk 348 and Mrk 1210--and previous studies indicate featureless continuum
(FC) contributions in the 20-50% range at 5500 A. Nevertheless, our
measurements of the equivalent widths of absorption lines and continuum ratios
as a function of distance from the nuclei show no dilution of the lines nor
bluening of the spectrum, as expected if a blue FC was present at the nucleus
in the above proportions. We investigate one possibility to account for this
effect: that the stellar population at the nucleus is the same as that from the
surrounding bulge and dominates the nuclear light. A spectral analysis confirms
that this hypothesis works for Mrk 348, NGC 1358 and Mrk 1210, for which we
find stellar contributions at the nucleus larger than 90% at all wavelengths.
We find that a larger stellar population contribution to the nuclear spectra
can play the role of the ``second FC'' source inferred from previous studies.
Stellar population synthesis shows that the nuclear regions of Mrk 348 and Mrk
1210 have important contributions of young to intermediate age stars (0--100
Myr), not present in templates of elliptical galaxies. In the case of Mrk 1210,
this is further confirmed by the detection of a ``Wolf-Rayet feature'' in the
nuclear emission-line spectrum.Comment: ApJ, accepted. Uses aaspp4.sty. [22 pages
Radio-Luminous Southern Seyfert Galaxies. I. Radio Images and Selected Optical/Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
This is the first of two papers in which a study is made of a sample of 12
southern radio-luminous Seyfert galaxies. Our aim is to investigate possible
correlations between radio morphology and nuclear/circumnuclear emission-line
properties. In this paper we present radio images at 13, 6, and 3 cm taken with
the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), global far-infrared (FIR)
properties for the whole sample, and optical and near-infrared (NIR)
spectroscopy of an interesting subset. We find a mixture of radio morphologies,
including linear, diffuse and compact sources. When the FIR colors of the
galaxies are considered there is an indication that the compact radio sources
have warmer FIR colors than the diffuse sources, whereas the linear sources
span a wide range of FIR colors. There is a wide variation in radio
spectral-indices, suggesting that free-free absorption is significant in some
systems, particularly IRAS 11249-2859, NGC 4507, and NGC 7213. Detailed
emission-line studies are presented of 4 galaxies IC 3639, NGC 5135, NGC 3393 &
IRAS 11249-2859. In IC 3639 we present evidence of vigorous, compact star
formation enclosed by very extended [OI]6300 emission, suggestive of the
boundary between a diffuse outflow and the surrounding ISM. In another galaxy,
IC 5063, we see evidence for the possible interaction of a highly collimated
outflow and the surrounding rotating inner disk. Of the 5 galaxies which show
compact radio emission, 4 have radio/FIR flux ratios consistent with an
energetically dominant AGN, whereas IC 4995 exhibits evidence for a very
compact starburst.Comment: 42 pages, including 7 tables, latex, 19 jpeg figures, Accepted to
ApJ. Replacement updates coordintes of galaxies in Table
A brainstem to hypothalamic arcuate nucleus GABAergic circuit drives feeding
Open Access via the Elsevier Open Access Agreement. We gratefully acknowledge Dr F. Naneix for advice on optogenetics and editorial advice, and staff within the University of Aberdeen Medical Research Facility and the Microscopy Facility for their technical assistance. This work was supported by the ERC (MSCA-IF-NeuroEE-660219) to PBM, Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund (204815/Z/16/Z) to PBM and LKH, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/V010557/1) to JAG and (BB/V016849/1) to LKH and SS. GKCD is funded by a BBSRC CASE 4-year PhD studentship, co-funded by Novo Nordisk. GSHY is funded by the UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00014/1).Peer reviewe
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