145 research outputs found
Tracing Ghost Cavities with Low Frequency Radio Observations
We present X-ray and multi-frequency radio observations of the central radio
sources in several X-ray cavity systems. We show that targeted radio
observations are key to determining if the lobes are being actively fed by the
central AGN. Low frequency observations provide a unique way to study both the
lifecycle of the central radio source as well as its energy input into the ICM
over several outburst episodes.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, To appear in the Proceedings of "Heating vs.
Cooling in Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies", eds. H. Boehringer, P.
Schuecker, G. W. Pratt & A. Finoguenov (ESO Astrophysics Symposia,
Springer-Verlag), Garching (Germany), August 200
The temperature structure in the core of Sersic 159-03
We present results from a new 120 ks XMM-Newton observation of the cluster of
galaxies Sersic 159-03. In this paper we focus on the high-resolution X-ray
spectra obtained with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS). The spectra
allow us to constrain the temperature structure in the core of the cluster and
determine the emission measure distribution as a function of temperature. We
also fit the line widths of mainly oxygen and iron lines.Comment: 7 pages and 4 figures. Contribution to the proceedings of the COSPAR
Scientific Assembly, session E1.2 "Clusters of Galaxies: New Insights from
XMM-Newton, Chandra and INTEGRAL", july 2004, Paris (France). Accepted for
publication in Advances in Space Researc
X-ray Spectroscopy of Cooling Clusters
We review the X-ray spectra of the cores of clusters of galaxies. Recent high
resolution X-ray spectroscopic observations have demonstrated a severe deficit
of emission at the lowest X-ray temperatures as compared to that expected from
simple radiative cooling models. The same observations have provided compelling
evidence that the gas in the cores is cooling below half the maximum
temperature. We review these results, discuss physical models of cooling
clusters, and describe the X-ray instrumentation and analysis techniques used
to make these observations. We discuss several viable mechanisms designed to
cancel or distort the expected process of X-ray cluster cooling.Comment: To appear in Physics Reports, 71 pages, 20 figure
Cold Feedback in Cooling-Flow Galaxy Clusters
We put forward an alternative view to the Bondi-driven feedback between
heating and cooling of the intra-cluster medium (ICM) in cooling flow galaxies
and clusters. We adopt the popular view that the heating is due to an active
galactic nucleus (AGN), i.e. a central black hole accreting mass and launching
jets and/or winds. We propose that the feedback occurs with the entire cool
inner region (5-30 kpc). A moderate cooling flow does exist here, and
non-linear over-dense blobs of gas cool fast and are removed from the ICM
before experiencing the next major AGN heating event. Some of these blobs may
not accrete on the central black hole, but may form stars and cold molecular
clouds. We discuss the conditions under which the dense blobs may cool to low
temperatures and feed the black hole.Comment: 6 pages, no figures, to appear in the Proceedings of "Heating vs.
Cooling in Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies", August 2006, Garching
(Germany
Electron spin coherence in semiconductors: Considerations for a spin-based solid state quantum computer architecture
We theoretically consider coherence times for spins in two quantum computer
architectures, where the qubit is the spin of an electron bound to a P donor
impurity in Si or within a GaAs quantum dot. We show that low temperature
decoherence is dominated by spin-spin interactions, through spectral diffusion
and dipolar flip-flop mechanisms. These contributions lead to 1-100 s
calculated spin coherence times for a wide range of parameters, much higher
than former estimates based on measurements.Comment: Role of the dipolar interaction clarified; Included discussion on the
approximations employed in the spectral diffusion calculation. Final version
to appear in Phys. Rev.
Quadrupole deformation of deuterons and final state interaction in scattering on tensor polarized deuterons at CEBAF energies
The strength of final state interaction (FSI) between struck proton and
spectator neutron in scattering depends on the alignment of
the deuteron. We study the resulting FSI effects in the tensor analyzing power
in detail and find substantial FSI effects starting at still low missing
momentum p_m \gsim 0.9 fm^{-1}. At larger p_m \gsim 1.5 fm^{-1}, FSI
completely dominates both missing momentum distribution and tensor analyzing
power. We find that to a large extent FSI masks the sensitivity of the tensor
analyzing power to models of the deuteron wave function. For the transversely
polarized deuterons the FSI induced forward-backward asymmetry of the missing
momentum distribution is shown to have a node at precisely the same value of
as the PWIA missing momentum distribution. The position of this node is
not affected by FSI and can be a tool to distinguish experimentally between
different models for the deuteron wave function.Comment: 24 pages, figures available from the authors on reques
Changes in mediators of inflammation and pro-thrombosis after 12 months of dietary modification in adults with metabolic syndrome
Objective: This study evaluated the effects of a 12-month dietary modification on indices of inflammation and pro-thrombosis in adults with metabolic syndrome (MS).Materials and methods: This longitudinal study involved 252 adults with MS recruited from the Bodija market, Ibadan and its environs. Participants were placed on 20%, 30% and 50% calories obtained from protein, total fat and carbohydrate respectively and were followed up monthly for 12 months. Anthropometry and blood pressure were measured using standard methods. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), fibrinogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)], interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were measured using spectrophotometric methods and ELISA as appropriate. Data was analysed using ANCOVA, Studentâs t-test, Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. P-values less than 0.05 were considered significant.Results: After 6 months of dietary modification, there was a significant reduction in waist circumference (WC), while the levels of HDL-C, fibrinogen and PAI-1 were significantly increased when compared with the corresponding baseline values. However, WC and fibrinogen reduced significantly, while HDL-C and IL-10 significantly increased after 12 months of dietary modification as compared with the respective baseline values.Conclusion: Long-term regular dietary modification may be beneficial in ameliorating inflammation and pro-thrombosis in metabolic syndrome.Keywords: Dietary modification, fibrinogen, interleukins, metabolic syndrome, plasminogen activator inhibito
On the lack of cold dust in IRAS P09104+4109 and IRAS F15307+3252 -- their spectral energy distributions and implications for finding dusty AGNs at high redshift
We present upper limits on the 850 micron and 450 micron fluxes of the warm
hyperluminous (bolometric luminosity L_bol > 10^13 L_sun galaxies IRAS
P09104+4109 (z=0.442) and IRAS F15307+3252 (z=0.926), derived from measurements
using the SCUBA bolometer array on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. Hot
luminous infrared sources like these are thought to differ from more normal
cold ultraluminous infrared (L_bol > 10^12 L_sun) galaxies in that they derive
most of their bolometric luminosities from dusty AGNs as opposed to starbursts.
Such hot, dusty AGNs at high redshift are thought to be responsible for much of
the mass accretion of the Universe that is in turn responsible for the
formation of the supermassive black holes seen in the centres of local
galaxies. The galaxy IRAS P09104+4109 is also unusual in that it is a cD galaxy
in the center of a substantial cooling-flow cluster, not an isolated
interacting galaxy like most ultraluminous infrared galaxies. Previously it was
known to have large amounts of hot (T > 50 K) dust from IRAS observations. We
now show that the contribution of cold dust to the bolometric luminosity is
less than 3 per cent. Most ultraluminous infrared galaxies possess large
amounts of cold dust, and it is now known that some cooling flow cluster cD
galaxies do as well. Yet this object, which is an extreme example of both, does
not have enough cold gas to contribute significantly to the bolometric
luminosity. We outline physical reasons why this could have happened. We then
provide a discussion of stategies for finding hot dusty AGNs, given the
limitations on submillimetre surveys implied by this work.Comment: MNRAS in press, accepted version, minor revision
The Physics of Cluster Mergers
Clusters of galaxies generally form by the gravitational merger of smaller
clusters and groups. Major cluster mergers are the most energetic events in the
Universe since the Big Bang. Some of the basic physical properties of mergers
will be discussed, with an emphasis on simple analytic arguments rather than
numerical simulations. Semi-analytic estimates of merger rates are reviewed,
and a simple treatment of the kinematics of binary mergers is given. Mergers
drive shocks into the intracluster medium, and these shocks heat the gas and
should also accelerate nonthermal relativistic particles. X-ray observations of
shocks can be used to determine the geometry and kinematics of the merger. Many
clusters contain cooling flow cores; the hydrodynamical interactions of these
cores with the hotter, less dense gas during mergers are discussed. As a result
of particle acceleration in shocks, clusters of galaxies should contain very
large populations of relativistic electrons and ions. Electrons with Lorentz
factors gamma~300 (energies E = gamma m_e c^2 ~ 150 MeV) are expected to be
particularly common. Observations and models for the radio, extreme
ultraviolet, hard X-ray, and gamma-ray emission from nonthermal particles
accelerated in these mergers are described.Comment: 38 pages with 9 embedded Postscript figures. To appear in Merging
Processes in Clusters of Galaxies, edited by L. Feretti, I. M. Gioia, and G.
Giovannini (Dordrecht: Kluwer), in press (2001
X-Ray Spectral Constraints for z â 2 Massive Galaxies: The Identification of Reflection-dominated Active Galactic Nuclei
We use the 4 Ms Chandra Deep Field-South (CDF-S) survey to place direct constraints on the ubiquity of z 2 heavily obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in K 10 keV observatories. On the basis of these analyses, we estimate the space density for typical (intrinsic X-ray luminosities of L 2-10 keV 1043 erg sâ1) heavily obscured and Compton-thick AGNs at z 2. Our space-density constraints are conservative lower limits but they are already consistent with the range of predictions from X-ray background models
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