4,891 research outputs found
rPICARD: A CASA-based Calibration Pipeline for VLBI Data
Currently, HOPS and AIPS are the primary choices for the time-consuming
process of (millimeter) Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) data
calibration. However, for a full end-to-end pipeline, they either lack the
ability to perform easily scriptable incremental calibration or do not provide
full control over the workflow with the ability to manipulate and edit
calibration solutions directly. The Common Astronomy Software Application
(CASA) offers all these abilities, together with a secure development future
and an intuitive Python interface, which is very attractive for young radio
astronomers. Inspired by the recent addition of a global fringe-fitter, the
capability to convert FITS-IDI files to measurement sets, and amplitude
calibration routines based on ANTAB metadata, we have developed the the
CASA-based Radboud PIpeline for the Calibration of high Angular Resolution Data
(rPICARD). The pipeline will be able to handle data from multiple arrays: EHT,
GMVA, VLBA and the EVN in the first release. Polarization and phase-referencing
calibration are supported and a spectral line mode will be added in the future.
The large bandwidths of future radio observatories ask for a scalable reduction
software. Within CASA, a message passing interface (MPI) implementation is used
for parallelization, reducing the total time needed for processing. The most
significant gain is obtained for the time-consuming fringe-fitting task where
each scan be processed in parallel.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, EVN 2018 symposium proceeding
An accretion model for the growth of the central black hole associated with ionization instability in quasars
A possible accretion model associated with the ionization instability of
quasar disks is proposed to address the growth of the central black hole
harbored in the host galaxy.The mass ratio between black hole and its host
galactic bulge is a nature consequence of our model.Comment: submitted to ApJ, 15 page
Elastic energy of polyhedral bilayer vesicles
In recent experiments [M. Dubois, B. Dem\'e, T. Gulik-Krzywicki, J.-C.
Dedieu, C. Vautrin, S. D\'esert, E. Perez, and T. Zemb, Nature (London) Vol.
411, 672 (2001)] the spontaneous formation of hollow bilayer vesicles with
polyhedral symmetry has been observed. On the basis of the experimental
phenomenology it was suggested [M. Dubois, V. Lizunov, A. Meister, T.
Gulik-Krzywicki, J. M. Verbavatz, E. Perez, J. Zimmerberg, and T. Zemb, Proc.
Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. Vol. 101, 15082 (2004)] that the mechanism for the
formation of bilayer polyhedra is minimization of elastic bending energy.
Motivated by these experiments, we study the elastic bending energy of
polyhedral bilayer vesicles. In agreement with experiments, and provided that
excess amphiphiles exhibiting spontaneous curvature are present in sufficient
quantity, we find that polyhedral bilayer vesicles can indeed be energetically
favorable compared to spherical bilayer vesicles. Consistent with experimental
observations we also find that the bending energy associated with the vertices
of bilayer polyhedra can be locally reduced through the formation of pores.
However, the stabilization of polyhedral bilayer vesicles over spherical
bilayer vesicles relies crucially on molecular segregation of excess
amphiphiles along the ridges rather than the vertices of bilayer polyhedra.
Furthermore, our analysis implies that, contrary to what has been suggested on
the basis of experiments, the icosahedron does not minimize elastic bending
energy among arbitrary polyhedral shapes and sizes. Instead, we find that, for
large polyhedron sizes, the snub dodecahedron and the snub cube both have lower
total bending energies than the icosahedron
Condensation of Silica Nanoparticles on a Phospholipid Membrane
The structure of the transient layer at the interface between air and the
aqueous solution of silica nanoparticles with the size distribution of
particles that has been determined from small-angle scattering has been studied
by the X-ray reflectometry method. The reconstructed depth profile of the
polarizability of the substance indicates the presence of a structure
consisting of several layers of nanoparticles with the thickness that is more
than twice as large as the thickness of the previously described structure. The
adsorption of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine molecules at the
hydrosol/air interface is accompanied by the condensation of anion silica
nanoparticles at the interface. This phenomenon can be qualitatively explained
by the formation of the positive surface potential due to the penetration and
accumulation of Na+ cations in the phospholipid membrane.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
The Relation Between Quasar and Merging Galaxy Luminosity Functions and the Merger-Induced Star Formation Rate of the Universe
Using a model for self-regulated growth of black holes (BHs) in mergers
involving gas-rich galaxies, we study the relationship between quasars and the
population of merging galaxies and predict the merger-induced star formation
rate density of the Universe. Mergers drive nuclear gas inflows, fueling
starbursts and 'buried quasars' until accretion feedback expels the gas,
rendering a briefly visible optical quasar. Star formation is shut down and
accretion declines, leaving a passively evolving remnant with properties
typical of red, elliptical galaxies. Based on evolution of these events in our
simulations, we demonstrate that the observed statistics of merger rates,
luminosity functions (LFs) and mass functions, SFR distributions, specific
SFRs, quasar and quasar host galaxy LFs, and elliptical/red galaxy LFs are
self-consistent and follow from one another as predicted by the merger
hypothesis. We use our simulations to de-convolve both quasar and merging
galaxy LFs to determine the birthrate of black holes of a given final mass and
merger rates as a function of stellar mass. We use this to predict the merging
galaxy LF in several observed wavebands, color-magnitude relations, mass
functions, absolute and specific SFR distributions and SFR density, and quasar
host galaxy LFs, as a function of redshift from z=0-6. We invert this and
predict e.g. quasar LFs from observed merger LFs or SFR distributions. Our
results agree well with observations, but idealized models of quasar
lightcurves are ruled out by comparison of merger and quasar observations at
>99.9% confidence. Using only observations of quasars, we estimate the
contribution of mergers to the SFR density of the Universe even to high
redshifts z~4.Comment: 26 pages, 15 figures, matches version accepted to Ap
K Corrections For Type Ia Supernovae and a Test for Spatial Variation of the Hubble Constant
Cross-filter K corrections for a sample of "normal" Type Ia supernovae (SNe)
have been calculated for a range of epochs. With appropriate filter choices,
the combined statistical and systematic K correction dispersion of the full
sample lies within 0.05 mag for redshifts z<0.7. This narrow dispersion of the
calculated K correction allows the Type Ia to be used as a cosmological probe.
We use the K corrections with observations of seven SNe at redshifts 0.3 < z
<0.5 to bound the possible difference between the locally measured Hubble
constant (H_L) and the true cosmological Hubble constant (H_0).Comment: 6 pages, 3 Postscript figures, uuencoded uses crckapb.sty and
psfig.sty. To appear in Thermonuclear Supernovae (NATO ASI), eds. R. Canal,
P. Ruiz-LaPuente, and J. Isern. Postscript version is also available at
http://www-supernova.lbl.gov
Coherent Moving States in Highway Traffic (Originally: Moving Like a Solid Block)
Recent advances in multiagent simulations have made possible the study of
realistic traffic patterns and allow to test theories based on driver
behaviour. Such simulations also display various empirical features of traffic
flows, and are used to design traffic controls that maximise the throughput of
vehicles in heavily transited highways. In addition to its intrinsic economic
value, vehicular traffic is of interest because it may throw light on some
social phenomena where diverse individuals competitively try to maximise their
own utilities under certain constraints.
In this paper, we present simulation results that point to the existence of
cooperative, coherent states arising from competitive interactions that lead to
a new phenomenon in heterogeneous highway traffic. As the density of vehicles
increases, their interactions cause a transition into a highly correlated state
in which all vehicles practically move with the same speed, analogous to the
motion of a solid block. This state is associated with a reduced lane changing
rate and a safe, high and stable flow. It disappears as the vehicle density
exceeds a critical value. The effect is observed in recent evaluations of Dutch
traffic data.Comment: Submitted on April 21, 1998. For related work see
http://www.theo2.physik.uni-stuttgart.de/helbing.html and
http://www.parc.xerox.com/dynamics
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