20,095 research outputs found
Changes in mineral metabolism with immobilization/space flight
Researchers are still unsure of the accuracy of previous bone density measurements of their significance following a period of weightlessness. Rapid technological advances in the measurement of bone density will enable us now to measure bone density accurately at multiple sites in the skeleton with doses of radiation less than that given by a spine x ray. It may not be possible to obtain this type of information before the next series of space flights take place, although the bed-rest model may provide supporting information. Extensive testing of bone density on every astronaut should be performed before and after the space flight. Prevention and treatment can only be undertaken after gathering sufficient baseline information. The use of exercise in preventing bone loss is still highly speculative, but represents a relatively easy approach to the problem in terms of study
On stability and spiral patterns in polar disks
To investigate the stability properties of polar disks we performed
two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations for flat polytropic gaseous
self-gravitating disks which were perturbed by a central S0-like component. Our
disk was constructed to resemble that of the proto-typical galaxy NGC 4650A.
This central perturbation induces initially a stationary two-armed
tightly-wound leading spiral in the polar disk. For a hot disk (Toomre
parameter Q>1.7), the structure does not change over the simulation time of 4.5
Gyr. In case of colder disks, the self-gravity of the spiral becomes dominant,
it decouples from the central perturbation and grows, until reaching a
saturation stage in which an open trailing spiral is formed, rather similar to
that observed in NGC4650A. The timescale for developing non-linear structures
is 1-2 Gyr; saturation is reached within 2-3 Gyr. The main parameter
controlling the structure formation is the Toomre parameter. The results are
surprisingly insensitive to the properties of the central component. If the
polar disk is much less massive than that in NGC4650A, it forms a weaker
tightly-wound spiral, similar to that seen in dust absorption in the dust disk
of NGC2787. Our results are derived for a polytropic equation of state, but
appear to be generic as the adiabatic exponent is varied between \gamma = 1
(isothermal) and \gamma = 2 (very stiff).Comment: 14 pages including 23 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy
& Astrophysic
Galaxy Aggregates in the Coma Cluster
We present evidence for a new morphologically defined form of small-scale
substructure in the Coma Cluster, which we call galaxy aggregates. These
aggregates are dominated by a central galaxy, which is on average three
magnitudes brighter than the smaller aggregate members nearly all of which lie
to one side of the central galaxy. We have found three such galaxy aggregates
dominated by the S0 galaxies RB 55, RB 60, and the star-bursting SBb, NGC 4858.
RB 55 and RB 60 are both equi-distant between the two dominate D galaxies NGC
4874 and NGC 4889, while NGC 4858 is located next to the larger E0 galaxy NGC
4860. All three central galaxies have redshifts consistant with Coma Cluster
membership. We describe the spatial structures of these unique objects and
suggest several possible mechanisms to explain their origin. These include:
chance superpositions from background galaxies, interactions between other
galaxies and with the cluster gravitational potential, and ram pressure. We
conclude that the most probable scenario of creation is an interaction with the
cluster through its potential.Comment: Ten Pages with six figures; submitted to MNRAS letter
Many-body Rabi oscillations of Rydberg excitation in small mesoscopic samples
We investigate the collective aspects of Rydberg excitation in ultracold
mesoscopic systems. Strong interactions between Rydberg atoms influence the
excitation process and impose correlations between excited atoms. The
manifestations of the collective behavior of Rydberg excitation are the
many-body Rabi oscillations, spatial correlations between atoms as well as the
fluctuations of the number of excited atoms. We study these phenomena in detail
by numerically solving the many-body Schr\"edinger equation.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Stellar Populations and Ages of M82 Super Star Clusters
We present high signal-to-noise optical spectra of two luminous super star
clusters in the starburst galaxy M82. The data for cluster F and the nearby,
highly reddened cluster L were obtained with the William Herschel Telescope
(WHT) at a resolution of 1.6A. The blue spectrum (3250-5540A) of cluster F
shows features typical of mid-B stars. The red spectra (5730-8790A) of clusters
F and L show the Ca II triplet and numerous F and G-type absorption features.
Strong Ca II and Na I interstellar absorption lines arising in M82 are also
detected, and the 6283A diffuse interstellar band appears to be present. The
quality of the WHT spectra allows us to considerably improve previous age
estimates for cluster F. By comparing the blue spectrum with theoretical model
cluster spectra using the PEGASE spectral synthesis code (Fioc &
Rocca-Volmerange 1997), we derive an age of 60+/-20 Myr. The strength of the Ca
II triplet is also in accord with this age. Cluster L appears to have a similar
age, although this is much less certain. The measured radial velocities for the
two clusters differ substantially, indicating that they are located in
different regions of the M82 disk. Cluster F appears to be deep in M82,
slightly beyond the main starburst region while the highly obscured cluster L
lies near the outer edges of the disk. We derive an absolute V magnitude of
-16.5 for F indicating that it is an extremely massive cluster. The presence of
such a luminous super star cluster suggests that the M82 starburst experienced
an episode of intense star formation approximately 60 Myr ago.Comment: 10 pages and 5 figures for publication in MNRA
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