2,365 research outputs found
Faint M-dwarfs and the structure of the Galactic disk
We use broadband photometry and low-resolution spectra of a complete sample
of late-K and M dwarfs brighter than I=22 in three fields at high galactic
latitude to study issues relating to galactic structure and large scale
abundance gradients in the Galaxy. The observed starcounts in each field are a
good match to the predictions of models based on deep starcount data in other
intermediate-latitude fields, and these models identify the late-type stars as
members of the Galactic disk. Abundances for these late type stars are
estimated via narrowband indices that measure the strength of the TiO and CaH
bands in their spectra. Our results show that the average abundance in the
Galactic disk remains close to solar even at heights of more than 2 kpc above
the Plane.Comment: to appear in PASP; 17 pages, including 7 embedded, postscript figures
and 1 embedded table; uses AAS LaTeX style files (not included); also
available at http://astro.caltech.edu/~map/map.bibliography.htm
Exponential Distributions in a Mechanical Model for Earthquakes
We study statistical distributions in a mechanical model for an earthquake
fault introduced by Burridge and Knopoff [R. Burridge and L. Knopoff, {\sl
Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am.} {\bf 57}, 341 (1967)]. Our investigations on the size
(moment), time duration and number of blocks involved in an event show that
exponential distributions are found in a given range of the paramenter space.
This occurs when the two kinds of springs present in the model have the same,
or approximately the same, value for the elastic constants. Exponential
distributions have also been seen recently in an experimental system to model
earthquake-like dynamics [M. A. Rubio and J. Galeano, {\sl Phys. Rev. E} {\bf
50}, 1000 (1994)].Comment: 11 pages, uuencoded (submitted to Phys. Rev. E
The evolution of mass loaded supernova remnants: II. Temperature dependent mass injection rates
We investigate the evolution of spherically symmetric supernova remnants in which mass loading takes place due to conductively driven evaporation of embedded clouds. Numerical simulations reveal significant differences between the evolution of conductively mass loaded and the ablatively mass loaded remnants studied in Paper I. A main difference is the way in which conductive mass loading is extinguished at fairly early times, once the interior temperature of the remnant falls below ~ 107 K. Thus, at late times remnants that ablatively mass load are dominated by loaded mass and thermal energy, while those that conductively mass load are dominated by swept-up mass and kinetic energy. Simple approximations to the remnant evolution, complementary to those in Paper I, are given
New Insight on Galaxy Formation and Evolution from Keck Spectroscopy of the Hawaii Deep Fields
We present the results of spectroscopic studies with the LRIS spectrograph on
Keck of two of the Hawaii deep survey fields. The 393 objects observed cover an
area of 26.2 square arcmin and constitute a nearly complete sample down to K =
20, I = 23, and B = 24.5. The rest-frame K-band luminosity function and its
evolution with redshift are described. Comparisons are made with other
optically selected (B and I) samples in the literature, and the corresponding
rest-frame B-band luminosity function evolution is presented. The B-band counts
near B = 24 are shown to be a mixture of normal galaxies at modest redshifts
and galaxies undergoing rapid star formation, which have a wide range of masses
and which are spread over the redshift interval from z = 0.2 to beyond z = 1.7.
The luminosity functions, number counts, and color distributions at optical and
IR wavelengths are discussed in terms of a consistent picture of the
star-forming history of the galaxy sample. [OII] emission-line diagnostics or
rest-frame ultra-violet--infrared color information are used in combination
with rest-frame absolute K magnitudes to construct a ``fundamental plane'' in
which the evolution of the global star-formation rate with redshift can be
shown, and we find that the maximum rest-frame K luminosity of galaxies
undergoing rapid star formation has been declining smoothly with decreasing
redshift from a value near L* at z > 1. This smooth decrease in the
characteristic luminosity of galaxies dominated by star formation can
simultaneously account for the high B-band galaxy counts at faint magnitudes
and the redshift distribution at z < 1 in both the B- and K-selected samples.
Finally, the overall K-band light density evolution is discussed as a tracer of
the baryonic mass in stars and compared with the rate of star formation.Comment: 38 pages plus 2 tables, 28 Postscript figures, Figure 1 (finding
charts) and Figure 2 (sample spectra) available at
http://galileo.ifa.hawaii.edu/~cowie/insight.html . To be published in
Astronomical Journal (9/96
The Chandra Large Area Synoptic X-ray Survey (CLASXS) of the Lockman Hole-Northwest: The X-ray Catalog
We present the X-ray catalog and basic results from our Chandra Large Area
Synoptic X-ray Survey (CLASXS) of the Lockman Hole-Northwest field. Our 9
ACIS-I fields cover a contiguous solid angle of ~0.4 sq. deg. and reach fluxes
of 5E-16 cgs (0.4-2 keV) and 3E-15 cgs (2-8keV). Our survey bridges the gap
between ultradeep pencil-beam surveys, such as the Chandra Deep Fields (CDFs),
and shallower, large area surveys, allowing a better probe of the X-ray sources
that contribute most of the 2-10 keV cosmic X-ray background (CXB). We find a
total of 525 X-ray point sources and 4 extended sources. At ~10E-14 cgs 2-8
keV, our number counts are significantly higher than those of several
non-contiguous, large area surveys. On the other hand, the integrated flux from
the CLASXS field, combined with ASCA and Chandra ultradeep surveys, is
consistent with results from other large area surveys, within the variance of
the CXB. Spectral evolution is seen in the hardening of the sources at fluxes
below 1E-14 cgs Above 4E1-14 cgs(0.4-8 keV), ~60 of the sources are variable.
Four extended sources in CLASXS is consistent with the previously measured
LogN-LogS of galaxy clusters. We report the discovery of a gravitational
lensing arc associated with one of these sources. (Abridged)Comment: 67 pages, 26 figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomical
Journa
Evaluating train protection systems
This paper arose from the work carried out for the Cullen/Uff Joint Inquiry into Train Protection Systems. It is concerned with the problem of evaluating the benefits of safety enhancements in order to avoid rare, but catastrophic accidents, and the role of Operations Research in the process. The problems include both input values and representation of outcomes. A key input is the value of life. This paper briefly discusses why the value of life might vary from incident to incident and reviews alternative estimates before producing a 'best estimate' for rail. When the occurrence of an event is uncertain, the normal method is to apply a single 'expected' value. This paper argues that a more effective method of representing such situations is through Monte-Carlo simulation and demonstrates the use of the methodology on a case study of the decision as to whether or not advanced train protection (ATP) should have been installed on a route to the west of London. This paper suggests that the output is more informative than traditional cost-benefit appraisals or engineering event tree approaches. It also shows that, unlike the results from utilizing the traditional approach, the value of ATP on this route would be positive over 50% of the time
A Deep Look at the Emission-Line Nebula in Abell 2597
The close correlation between cooling flows and emission-line nebulae in
clusters of galaxies has been recognized for over a decade and a half, but the
physical reason for this connection remains unclear. Here we present deep
optical spectra of the nebula in Abell 2597, one of the nearest strong
cooling-flow clusters. These spectra reveal the density, temperature, and metal
abundances of the line-emitting gas. The abundances are roughly half-solar, and
dust produces an extinction of at least a magnitude in V. The absence of [O
III] 4363 emission rules out shocks as a major ionizing mechanism, and the
weakness of He II 4686 rules out a hard ionizing source, such as an active
galactic nucleus or cooling intracluster gas. Hot stars are therefore the best
candidate for producing the ionization. However, even the hottest O stars
cannot power a nebula as hot as the one we see. Some other nonionizing source
of heat appears to contribute a comparable amount of power. We show that the
energy flux from a confining medium can become important when the ionization
level of a nebula drops to the low levels seen in cooling-flow nebulae. We
suggest that this kind of phenomenon, in which energy fluxes from the
surrounding medium augment photoelectric heating, might be the common feature
underlying the diverse group of objects classified as LINERS.Comment: 33 Latex pages, including 16 Postscript figures, to appear in 1997
September 1 Astrophysical Journa
Mass-loaded spherical accretion flows
We have calculated the evolution of spherical accretion flows undergoing mass-loading from embedded clouds through either conduction or hydrodynamical ablation. We have observed the effect of varying the ratios of the mass-loading timescale and the cooling timescale to the ballistic crossing timescale through the mass-loading region.
We have also varied the ratio of the potential energy of a particle injected into the flow near the outer region of mass-loading to the temperature at which a minimum occurs in the cooling curve. The two types of mass-loading produce qualitatively different types of behaviour in the accretion flow, since mass-loading through conduction requires the ambient gas to be hot, whereas mass ablation from clumps occurs throughout the flow. Higher ratios of injected to accreted mass typically occur with hydrodynamical ablation, in agreement with previous work on wind-blown bubbles and supernova remnants. We find that mass-loading damps the radiative overstability of such flows, in agreement with our earlier work. If the mass-loading is high enough it can stabilize the accretion shock at a constant radius, yielding an almost isothermal subsonic post-shock flow. Such solutions may be relevant to cooling flows onto massive galaxies. Mass-loading can also lead to the formation of isolated shells of high temperature material, separated by gas at cooler temperatures
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