3,420 research outputs found
ALFA & 3D: integral field spectroscopy with adaptive optics
One of the most important techniques for astrophysics with adaptive optics is
the ability to do spectroscopy at diffraction limited scales. The extreme
difficulty of positioning a faint target accurately on a very narrow slit can
be avoided by using an integral field unit, which provides the added benefit of
full spatial coverage. During 1998, working with ALFA and the 3D integral field
spectrometer, we demonstrated the validity of this technique by extracting and
distinguishing spectra from binary stars separated by only 0.26". The
combination of ALFA & 3D is also ideally suited to imaging distant galaxies or
the nuclei of nearby ones, as its field of view can be changed between
1.2"x1.2" and 4"x4", depending on the pixel scale chosen. In this contribution
we present new results both on galactic targets, namely young stellar objects,
as well as extra-galactic objects including a Seyfert and a starburst nucleus.Comment: SPIE meeting 4007 on Adaptive Optical Systems Technology, March 200
Global phylogeography and evolution of chelonid fibropapilloma-associated herpesvirus
A global phylogeny for chelonid fibropapilloma-associated herpesvirus (CFPHV), the most likely aetiological agent of fibropapillomatosis (FP) in sea turtles, was inferred, using dated sequences, through Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis and used to estimate the virus evolutionary rate independent of the evolution of the host, and to resolve the phylogenetic positions of new haplotypes from Puerto Rico and the Gulf of Guinea. Four phylogeographical groups were identified: eastern Pacific, western Atlantic/eastern Caribbean, mid-west Pacific and Atlantic. The latter comprises the Gulf of Guinea and Puerto Rico, suggesting recent virus gene flow between these two regions. One virus haplotype from Florida remained elusive, representing either an independent lineage sharing a common ancestor with all other identified virus variants or an Atlantic representative of the lineage giving rise to the eastern Pacific group. The virus evolutionary rate ranged from 1.62x10(-4) to 2.22x10(-4) substitutions per site per year, which is much faster than what is expected for a herpesvirus. The mean time for the most recent common ancestor of the modern virus variants was estimated at 192.90-429.71 years ago, which, although more recent than previous estimates, still supports an interpretation that the global FP pandemic is not the result of a recent acquisition of a virulence mutation(s). The phylogeographical pattern obtained seems partially to reflect sea turtle movements, whereas altered environments appear to be implicated in current FP outbreaks and in the modern evolutionary history of CFPHV.DNER-PR; US NMFS (NMFS-NOAA) [NA08NMF4720436]; US-Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); Sociedad Chelonia; WIDECAST; US Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA); Lisbon Oceanarium, Portugal; Interdisciplinary Research Center for Animal Health of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Technical University of Lisbon (FMV/TUL)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Constraints on the Space Density of Methane Dwarfs and the Substellar Mass Function from a Deep Near-Infrared Survey
We report preliminary results of a deep near-infrared search for
methane-absorbing brown dwarfs; almost five years after the discovery of Gl
229b, there are only a few confirmed examples of this type of object. New J
band, wide-field images, combined with pre-existing R band observations, allow
efficient identification of candidates by their extreme (R-J) colours.
Follow-up measurements with custom filters can then confirm objects with
methane absorption. To date, we have surveyed a total of 11.4 square degrees to
J~20.5 and R~25. Follow-up CH_4 filter observations of promising candidates in
1/4 of these fields have turned up no methane absorbing brown dwarfs. With 90%
confidence, this implies that the space density of objects similar to Gl 229b
is less than 0.012 per cubic parsec. These calculations account for the
vertical structure of the Galaxy, which can be important for sensitive
measurements. Combining published theoretical atmospheric models with our
observations sets an upper limit of alpha <= 0.8 for the exponent of the
initial mass function power law in this domain.Comment: 11 pages + 2 figures To be published in Astrophysical Journal Letter
Diffusion-limited reactions on disordered surfaces with continuous distributions of binding energies
We study the steady state of a stochastic particle system on a
two-dimensional lattice, with particle influx, diffusion and desorption, and
the formation of a dimer when particles meet. Surface processes are thermally
activated, with (quenched) binding energies drawn from a \emph{continuous}
distribution. We show that sites in this model provide either coverage or
mobility, depending on their energy. We use this to analytically map the system
to an effective \emph{binary} model in a temperature-dependent way. The
behavior of the effective model is well-understood and accurately describes key
quantities of the system: Compared with discrete distributions, the temperature
window of efficient reaction is broadened, and the efficiency decays more
slowly at its ends. The mapping also explains in what parameter regimes the
system exhibits realization dependence.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures. Submitted to: Journal of Statistical Mechanics:
Theory and Experimen
Exploring pre-main sequence variables of ONC: The new variables
Since 2004, we have been engaged in a long-term observing program to monitor
young stellar objects in the Orion Nebula Cluster. We have collected about two
thousands frames in V, R, and I broad-band filters on more than two hundred
nights distributed over five consecutive observing seasons. The high-quality
and time-extended photometric data give us an opportunity to address various
phenomena associated with young stars. The prime motivations of this project
are i) to explore various manifestations of stellar magnetic activity in very
young low-mass stars; ii) to search for new pre-main sequence eclipsing
binaries; and iii) to look for any EXor and FUor like transient activities
associated with YSOs. Since this is the first paper on this program, we give a
detailed description of the science drivers, the observation and the data
reduction strategies as well. In addition to these, we also present a large
number of new periodic variables detected from our first five years of
time-series photometric data. Our study reveals that about 72% of CTTS in our
FoV are periodic, whereas, the percentage of periodic WTTS is just 32%. This
indicates that inhomogeneities patterns on the surface of CTTS of the ONC stars
are much more stable than on WTTS. From our multi-year monitoring campaign we
found that the photometric surveys based on single-season are incapable of
identifying all periodic variables. And any study on evolution of angular
momentum based on single-season surveys must be carried out with caution.Comment: Accepted for publication by MNRAS, 26 pages, 17 figures, 6 table
The model of dynamo with small number of modes and magnetic activity of T Tauri stars
The model that describes operation of dynamo in fully convective stars is
presented. It is based on representation of stellar magnetic field as a
superposition of finite number of poloidal and toroidal free damping modes. In
the frame of adopted low of stellar differential rotation we estimated minimal
value of dynamo number D, starting from which generation of cyclic magnetic
field in stars without radiative core is possible. We also derived expression
for period of the cycle. It was found that dynamo cycles of fully convective
stars and stars with thin convective envelopes differ in a qualitative way: 1)
distribution of spots over latitude during the cycle is different in these
stars; 2) the model predicts that spot formation in fully convective stars
should be strongly suppressed at some phases of the cycle.
We have analyzed historical lightcurve of WTTS star V410 Tau and found that
long term activity of the star is not periodic process. Rather one can speak
about quasi cyclic activity with characteristic time of yr and chaotic
component over imposed. We concluded also that redistribution of cool spots
over longitude is the reason of long term variations of V410 Tau brightness. It
means that one can not compare directly results of photometric observations
with predictions of our axially symmetric (for simplicity) model which allows
to investigate time evolution of spot's distribution over latitude. We then
discuss what kind of observations and in which way could be used to check
predictions of the dynamo theory.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, accepted to Astron. Let
Non-commutative gauge theory on D-branes in Melvin Universes
Non-commutative gauge theory with a non-constant non-commutativity parameter
can be formulated as a decoupling limit of open strings ending on D3-branes
wrapping a Melvin universe. We construct the action explicitly and discuss
various physical features of this theory. The decoupled field theory is not
supersymmetric. Nonetheless, the Coulomb branch appears to remain flat at least
in the large N and large 't Hooft coupling limit. We also find the analogue of
Prasad-Sommerfield monopoles whose size scales with the non-commutativity
parameter and is therefore position dependent.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure, reference adde
The matrix factorisations of the D-model
The fundamental matrix factorisations of the D-model superpotential are found
and identified with the boundary states of the corresponding conformal field
theory. The analysis is performed for both GSO-projections. We also comment on
the relation of this analysis to the theory of surface singularities and their
orbifold description.Comment: 23 pages, LaTe
Integrability of the N=2 boundary sine-Gordon model
We construct a boundary Lagrangian for the N=2 supersymmetric sine-Gordon
model which preserves (B-type) supersymmetry and integrability to all orders in
the bulk coupling constant g. The supersymmetry constraint is expressed in
terms of matrix factorisations.Comment: LaTeX, 19 pages, no figures; v2: title changed, minor improvements,
refs added, to appear in J. Phys. A: Math. Ge
Lieb-Thirring Bound for Schr\"odinger Operators with Bernstein Functions of the Laplacian
A Lieb-Thirring bound for Schr\"odinger operators with Bernstein functions of
the Laplacian is shown by functional integration techniques. Several specific
cases are discussed in detail.Comment: We revised the first versio
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