Recovering 3D structural properties of galaxies from SDSS-like photometry

Because of the 3D nature of galaxies, an algorithm for constructing spatial density distribution models of galaxies on the basis of galaxy images has many advantages over surface density distribution approximations. We present a method for deriving spatial structure and overall parameters of galaxies from images and estimate its accuracy and derived parameter degeneracies on a sample of idealised model galaxies. The test galaxies consist of a disc-like component and a spheroidal component with varying proportions and properties. Both components are assumed to be axially symmetric and coplanar. We simulate these test galaxies as if observed in the SDSS project through ugriz filters, thus gaining a set of realistically imperfect images of galaxies with known intrinsic properties. These artificial SDSS galaxies were thereafter remodelled by approximating the surface brightness distribution with a 2D projection of a bulge+disc spatial distribution model and the restored parameters were compared to the initial ones. Down to the r-band limiting magnitude 18, errors of the restored integral luminosities and colour indices remain within 0.05 mag and errors of the luminosities of individual components within 0.2 mag. Accuracy of the restored bulge-to-disc ratios (B/D) is within 40% in most cases, and becomes worse for galaxies with low B/D, but the general balance between bulges and discs is not shifted systematically. Assuming that the intrinsic disc axial ratio is < 0.3, the inclination angles can be estimated with errors < 5deg for most of the galaxies with B/D < 2 and with errors < 15deg up to B/D = 6. Errors of the recovered sizes of the galactic components are below 10% in most cases. In general, models of disc components are more accurate than models of spheroidal components for geometrical reasons.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in RA

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor Stars. I. A SOAR/OSIRIS Pilot Study

We report on an abundance analysis for a pilot study of seven Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor (CEMP) stars, based on medium-resolution optical and near-infrared spectroscopy. The optical spectra are used to estimate [Fe/H], [C/Fe], [N/Fe], and [Ba/Fe] for our program stars. The near-infrared spectra, obtained during a limited early science run with the new SOAR 4.1m telescope and the Ohio State Infrared Imager and Spectrograph (OSIRIS), are used to obtain estimates of [O/Fe] and 12C/13C. The chemical abundances of CEMP stars are of importance for understanding the origin of CNO in the early Galaxy, as well as for placing constraints on the operation of the astrophysical s-process in very low-metallicity Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars. This pilot study includes a few stars with previously measured [Fe/H], [C/Fe], [N/Fe],[O/Fe], 12C/13C, and [Ba/Fe], based on high-resolution optical spectra obtained with large-aperture telescopes. Our analysis demonstrates that we are able to achieve reasonably accurate determinations of these quantities for CEMP stars from moderate-resolution optical and near-infrared spectra. This opens the pathway for the study of significantly larger samples of CEMP stars in the near future. Furthermore, the ability to measure [Ba/Fe] for (at least the cooler) CEMP stars should enable one to separate stars that are likely to be associated with s-process enhancements (the CEMP-s stars) from those that do not exhibit neutron-capture enhancements (the CEMP-no stars).Comment: 27 pages, including 5 tables, 6 figures, accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa

Variability in content and dissolution profiles of MDMA tablets collected in the UK between 2001 and 2018-A potential risk to users?

Official Student Newspaper Issue is 12 pages long

Antiferromagnetic Ising spin glass competing with BCS pairing interaction in a transverse field

The competition among spin glass (SG), antiferromagnetism (AF) and local pairing superconductivity (PAIR) is studied in a two-sublattice fermionic Ising spin glass model with a local BCS pairing interaction in the presence of an applied magnetic transverse field $\Gamma$. In the present approach, spins in different sublattices interact with a Gaussian random coupling with an antiferromagnetic mean $J_0$ and standard deviation $J$. The problem is formulated in the path integral formalism in which spin operators are represented by bilinear combinations of Grassmann variables. The saddle-point Grand Canonical potential is obtained within the static approximation and the replica symmetric ansatz. The results are analysed in phase diagrams in which the AF and the SG phases can occur for small $g$ ($g$ is the strength of the local superconductor coupling written in units of $J$), while the PAIR phase appears as unique solution for large $g$. However, there is a complex line transition separating the PAIR phase from the others. It is second order at high temperature that ends in a tricritical point. The quantum fluctuations affect deeply the transition lines and the tricritical point due to the presence of $\Gamma$.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, accepted Eur. Phys. J.

Levantamento florístico de um componente arbóreo de mata ciliar do Rio Paraná, Marechal Cândido Rondon, PR

The objective this study was to conduct a floristic survey in the tree component of riparian forest area in the left bank of the Paran&aacute; river, Marechal C&acirc;ndido Rondon, district of Iguipor&atilde;, PR. The study was conducted in an area of 600 m2, in six parcels of 20m x 5m, and were used to sample trees with DAP&nbsp; &ge; 10 cm. Frequency, density parameters and Shannon-Weaver index were calculated for each species. The survey resulted in 54 individuals belonging to ten species, ten genera and eight families. The most frequent and abundant species was Parapiptadenia rigida. The family with greater frequency of species was the Leguminosae-Mimosoideae. The Shannon-Weaver index found was 2.05.Objetivou-se realizar um levantamento flor&iacute;stico no componente arb&oacute;reo de uma &aacute;rea de mata ciliar na margem esquerda do rio Paran&aacute;, munic&iacute;pio de Marechal C&acirc;ndido Rondon, distrito de Iguipor&atilde;, PR. O estudo foi realizado em uma &aacute;rea de 600 m2, em seis parcelas amostrais de 5 x 20 m, tendo-se como crit&eacute;rio de inclus&atilde;o um di&acirc;metro &agrave; altura do peito (DAP) m&iacute;nimo de 10 cm. Para cada esp&eacute;cie amostrada foram estimados par&acirc;metros relativos &agrave; frequ&ecirc;ncia, densidade e &iacute;ndice de diversidade de Shannon-Weaver. O levantamento resultou em 54 indiv&iacute;duos pertencentes a dez esp&eacute;cies, dez g&ecirc;neros e oito fam&iacute;lias. A esp&eacute;cie mais abundante e frequente foi&nbsp; Parapiptadenia rigida. A fam&iacute;lia com maior frequ&ecirc;ncia de esp&eacute;cies foi a Leguminosae-Mimosoideae. O &iacute;ndice de diversidade de Shannon-Weaver obtido foi de 2,05

The Kr85 s-process Branching and the Mass of Carbon Stars

We present new spectroscopic observations for a sample of C(N)-type red giants. These objects belong to the class of Asymptotic Giant Branch stars, experiencing thermal instabilities in the He-burning shell (thermal pulses). Mixing episodes called third dredge-up enrich the photosphere with newly synthesized C12 in the He-rich zone, and this is the source of the high observed ratio between carbon and oxygen (C/O > 1 by number). Our spectroscopic abundance estimates confirm that, in agreement with the general understanding of the late evolutionary stages of low and intermediate mass stars, carbon enrichment is accompanied by the appearance of s-process elements in the photosphere. We discuss the details of the observations and of the derived abundances, focusing in particular on rubidium, a neutron-density sensitive element, and on the s-elements Sr, Y and Zr belonging to the first s-peak. The critical reaction branching at Kr85, which determines the relative enrichment of the studied species, is discussed. Subsequently, we compare our data with recent models for s-processing in Thermally Pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch stars, at metallicities relevant for our sample. A remarkable agreement between model predictions and observations is found. Thanks to the different neutron density prevailing in low and intermediate mass stars, comparison with the models allows us to conclude that most C(N) stars are of low mass (M < 3Mo). We also analyze the C12/C13 ratios measured, showing that most of them cannot be explained by canonical stellar models. We discuss how this fact would require the operation of an ad hoc additional mixing, currently called Cool Bottom Process, operating only in low mass stars during the first ascent of the red giant branch and, perhaps, also during the asymptotic giant branch.Comment: 54 pages + 6 figures + 6 tables. ApJ accepte