2,966 research outputs found
Invoice from E. & H. Hummel & Co. to Robert Goelet
https://digitalcommons.salve.edu/goelet-personal-expenses/1285/thumbnail.jp
A 3D radiative transfer framework: I. non-local operator splitting and continuum scattering problems
We describe a highly flexible framework to solve 3D radiation transfer
problems in scattering dominated environments based on a long characteristics
piece-wise parabolic formal solution and an operator splitting method. We find
that the linear systems are efficiently solved with iterative solvers such as
Gauss-Seidel and Jordan techniques. We use a sphere-in-a-box test model to
compare the 3D results to 1D solutions in order to assess the accuracy of the
method. We have implemented the method for static media, however, it can be
used to solve problems in the Eulerian-frame for media with low velocity
fields.Comment: A&A, in press. 14 pages, 19 figures. Full resolution figures
available at ftp://phoenix.hs.uni-hamburg.de/preprints/3DRT_paper1.pdf HTML
version (low res figures) at
http://hobbes.hs.uni-hamburg.de/~yeti/PAPERS/3drt_paper1/index.htm
Note pertaining to package; Invoice from E. & H. Hummel & Co. to Robert Goelet
https://digitalcommons.salve.edu/goelet-personal-expenses/1286/thumbnail.jp
Constraints on Cold Dark Matter in the Gamma-ray Halo of NGC 253
A gamma-ray halo in a nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 was found by the
CANGAROO-II Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope (IACT). By fitting the
energy spectrum with expected curves from Cold Dark Matter (CDM) annihilations,
we constrain the CDM-annihilation rate in the halo of NGC 253. Upper limits for
the CDM density were obtained in the wide mass range between 0.5 and 50 TeV.
Although these limits are higher than the expected values, it is complementary
important to the other experimental techniques, especially considering the
energy coverage. We also investigate the next astronomical targets to improve
these limits.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, aastex.cls, natbib.sty, To appear in ApJ v596n1,
Oct. 10, 200
Radio Sources in Low-Luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei. I. VLA Detections of Compact, Flat-Spectrum Cores
We report a 0.2" resolution, 15 GHz survey of a sample of 48 low-luminosity
active galactic nuclei with the Very Large Array. Compact radio emission has
been detected in 57% (17 of 30) of LINERs and low-luminosity Seyferts, at least
15 of which have a flat to inverted radio spectrum (alpha > -0.3). The compact
radio cores are found in both type 1 (i.e. with broad Halpha) and type 2
(without broad Halpha) nuclei. The 2 cm radio power is significantly correlated
with the emission-line ([OI] lambda6300) luminosity. While the present
observations are consistent with the radio emission originating in star-forming
regions, higher resolution radio observations of 10 of the detected sources,
reported in a companion paper (Falcke et al. 2000), show that the cores are
very compact (= 10^8K) and
probably synchrotron self-absorbed, ruling out a starburst origin. Thus, our
results suggest that at least 50% of low-luminosity Seyferts and LINERs in the
sample are accretion powered, with the radio emission presumably coming from
jets or advection-dominated accretion flows. We have detected only 1 of 18
`transition' (i.e. LINER + HII) nuclei observed, indicating their radio cores
are significantly weaker than those of `pure' LINERs.Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journal, October 20, 200
On the identity of broad-shelled mussels (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Mytilus) from the Dutch delta region
Late Quaternary (Eemian) deposits of the Netherlands contain
shells that resemble those of living Mytilus galloprovincialis.
Similar broad-shelled mytilids also occur in estuaries of the
southwestern Netherlands together with slender individuals
typical of M. edulis. We sampled living mussels along a depth
gradient in the Oosterschelde to a) investigate whether a relation
exists between shell shape and depth, b) test if the broadshelled
specimens might represent M. galloprovincialis (or a
hybrid with M. edulis) and c) assess by inference if the Quaternary
specimens might be attributed to M. galloprovincialis as
well. In order to do so, we compared genetic (length polymorphism
of Me 15/16, COIII sequences and AFLPs) and shellmorphological
characteristics (juvenile L/W ratios and socalled
Verduin parameters) of the same specimens. The obtained
dataset indicates that all studied mussels from the Oosterschelde
should be attributed to M. edulis, including those with
broad shell outlines. No correlation of shell-morphology and
depth-distribution was found. The worn and generally damaged
state of the Eemian specimens precluded measurement of the
Verduin parameters, while juvenile L/W ratios turned out not to
be diagnostic. Therefore the shell characters examined in this
study are insufficient to demonstrate the possible presence of
M. galloprovincialis shells in Quaternary deposits of the Netherlands.
Chandra Observations of NGC 4438: An Environmentally Damaged Galaxy in the Virgo Cluster
We present results from a 25 ksec CHANDRA ACIS-S observation of galaxies
NGC4438 and NGC4435 in the Virgo Cluster. X-ray emission in NGC4438 is observed
in a ~700 pc nuclear region, a 2.3 kpc spherical bulge, and a network of
filaments extending 4-10 kpc to the W and SW of the galaxy. The X-ray emission
in all 3 regions is highly correlated to similar features observed in Halpha.
Spectra of the filaments and bulge are well represented by a 0.4 keV MEKAL
model with combined 0.3-2 keV intrinsic luminosity of 1.24x10^{40}erg/s,
electron densities ~ 0.02-0.04 cm^{-3}, cooling times of 400-700 Myr and X-ray
gas mass <~ 3.7x10^8 Msolar. In the nuclear region of NGC4438 X-ray emission is
seen from the nucleus and from two outflow bubbles extending 360(730) pc to the
NW(SE) of the nucleus. The spectrum of the NW outflow bubble plus nucleus is
well fitted by an absorbed (n_H=1.9x10^{21} cm^{-2}) 0.58 keV MEKAL plasma
model plus a heavily absorbed (n_H = 2.9 x10^{22} cm^{-2}) Gamma = 2, power law
component. The electron density, cooling time, and X-ray gas mass in the NW
outflow are ~0.5 cm^{-3}, 30 Myr and 3.5x10^6 Msolar. Weak X-ray emission is
observed in the central region of NGC4435 with the peak of the hard emission
coincident with the galaxy's optical center; while the peak of the soft X-ray
emission is displaced 316 pc to the NE. The spectrum of NGC 4435 is well fitted
by a non-thermal power law plus a thermal component from 0.2-0.3 keV diffuse
ISM gas. We argue that the X-ray properties of gas outside the nuclear region
in NGC4438 and in NGC4435 favor a high velocity, off-center collision between
these galaxies ~ 100 Myr ago; while the nuclear X-ray emitting outflow gas in
NGC4438 has been heated only recently (within ~ 1-2 Myr) by shocks (v_s ~ 600
kms^{-1}) possibly powered by a central AGN.Comment: 40 pages, 7 figures; minor changes to conform to published version,
improved spectral fits to NGC 4435, improved figures 3,5; new figures 6b,
A Close Look at Star Formation around Active Galactic Nuclei
We analyse star formation in the nuclei of 9 Seyfert galaxies at spatial
resolutions down to 0.085arcsec, corresponding to length scales of less than
10pc in some objects. Our data were taken mostly with the near infrared
adaptive optics integral field spectrograph SINFONI. The stellar light profiles
typically have size scales of a few tens of parsecs. In two cases there is
unambiguous kinematic evidence for stellar disks on these scales. In the
nuclear regions there appear to have been recent - but no longer active -
starbursts in the last 10-300Myr. The stellar luminosity is less than a few
percent of the AGN in the central 10pc, whereas on kiloparsec scales the
luminosities are comparable. The surface stellar luminosity density follows a
similar trend in all the objects, increasing steadily at smaller radii up to
10^{13}L_sun/kpc^2 in the central few parsecs, where the mass surface density
exceeds 10^4M_sun/pc^2. The intense starbursts were probably Eddington limited
and hence inevitably short-lived, implying that the starbursts occur in
multiple short bursts. The data hint at a delay of 50--100Myr between the onset
of star formation and subsequent fuelling of the black hole. We discuss whether
this may be a consequence of the role that stellar ejecta could play in
fuelling the black hole. While a significant mass is ejected by OB winds and
supernovae, their high velocity means that very little of it can be accreted.
On the other hand winds from AGB stars ultimately dominate the total mass loss,
and they can also be accreted very efficiently because of their slow speeds.Comment: 51 pages, including 27 figures; accepted by ApJ (paper reorganised,
but results & conclusions the same
What is marine biodiversity? Towards common concepts and their implications for assessing biodiversity status
Biodiversity' is one of the most common keywords used in environmental sciences, spanning from research to management, nature conservation, and consultancy. Despite this, our understanding of the underlying concepts varies greatly, between and within disciplines as well as among the scientists themselves. Biodiversity can refer to descriptions or assessments of the status and condition of all or selected groups of organisms, from the genetic variability, to the species, populations, communities, and ecosystems. However, a concept of biodiversity also must encompass understanding the interactions and functions on all levels from individuals up to the whole ecosystem, including changes related to natural and anthropogenic environmental pressures. While biodiversity as such is an abstract and relative concept rooted in the spatial domain, it is central to most international, European, and national governance initiatives aimed at protecting the marine environment. These rely on status assessments of biodiversity which typically require numerical targets and specific reference values, to allow comparison in space and/or time, often in association with some external structuring factors such as physical and biogeochemical conditions. Given that our ability to apply and interpret such assessments requires a solid conceptual understanding of marine biodiversity, here we define this and show how the abstract concept can and needs to be interpreted and subsequently applied in biodiversity assessments
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