Finding Faint Intermediate-mass Black Holes in the Radio Band

We discuss the prospects for detecting faint intermediate-mass black holes, such as those predicted to exist in the cores of globular clusters and dwarf spheroidal galaxies. We briefly summarize the difficulties of stellar dynamical searches, then show that recently discovered relations between black hole mass, X-ray luminosity and radio luminosity imply that in most cases, these black holes should be more easily detected in the radio than in the X-rays. Finally, we show upper limits from some radio observations of globular clusters, and discuss the possibility that the radio source in the core of the Ursa Minor dwarf spheroidal galaxy might be a $\sim 10,000-100,000 M_\odot$ black hole.Comment: 10 pages, no figures, to appear in From X-ray Binaries to Quasars: Black Hole Accretion on All Mass Scales, ed. T. J. Maccarone, R. P. Fender, and L. C. Ho (Dordrecht: Kluwer

Photoemission and x-ray absorption spectroscopy study of electron-doped colossal magnetoresistance manganite: La0.7Ce0.3MnO3 film

The electronic structure of La0.7Ce0.3MnO3 (LCeMO) thin film has been investigated using photoemission spectroscopy (PES) and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The Ce 3d core-level PES and XAS spectra of LCeMO are very similar to those of CeO2, indicating that Ce ions are far from being trivalent. A very weak 4f resonance is observed around the Ce 4d $\to$ 4f absorption edge, suggesting that the localized Ce 4f states are almost empty in the ground state. The Mn 2p XAS spectrum reveals the existence of the Mn(2+) multiplet feature, confirming the Mn(2+)-Mn(3+) mixed-valent states of Mn ions in LCeMO. The measured Mn 3d PES/XAS spectra for LCeMO agrees reasonably well with the calculated Mn 3d PDOS using the LSDA+U method. The LSDA+U calculation predicts a half-metallic ground state for LCeMO.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Active Galactic Nuclei at the Crossroads of Astrophysics

Over the last five decades, AGN studies have produced a number of spectacular examples of synergies and multifaceted approaches in astrophysics. The field of AGN research now spans the entire spectral range and covers more than twelve orders of magnitude in the spatial and temporal domains. The next generation of astrophysical facilities will open up new possibilities for AGN studies, especially in the areas of high-resolution and high-fidelity imaging and spectroscopy of nuclear regions in the X-ray, optical, and radio bands. These studies will address in detail a number of critical issues in AGN research such as processes in the immediate vicinity of supermassive black holes, physical conditions of broad-line and narrow-line regions, formation and evolution of accretion disks and relativistic outflows, and the connection between nuclear activity and galaxy evolution.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures; review contribution; "Exploring the Cosmic Frontier: Astrophysical Instruments for the 21st Century", ESO Astrophysical Symposia Serie