211 research outputs found
NuSTAR observation of the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient IGR J11215-5952 during its 2017 outburst
We report on the results of a NuSTAR observation of the Supergiant Fast X-ray
Transient pulsar IGRJ11215-5952 during the peak of its outburst in June 2017.
IGRJ11215-5952 is the only SFXT undergoing strictly periodic outbursts, every
165 days. NuSTAR caught several X-ray flares, spanning a dynamic range of 100,
and detected X-ray pulsations at 187.0 s, consistent with previous
measurements. The spectrum from the whole observation is well described by an
absorbed power-law (with a photon index of 1.4) modified, above 7 keV, by a
cutoff with an e-folding energy of 24 keV. A weak emission line is present at
6.4 keV, consistent with Kalpha emission from cold iron in the supergiant wind.
The time-averaged flux is 1.5E-10 erg/cm2/s (3-78 keV, corrected for the
absorption), translating into an average luminosity of about 9E35 erg/s (1-100
keV, assuming a distance of 6.5 kpc). The NuSTAR observation allowed us to
perform the most sensitive search for cyclotron resonant scattering features in
the hard X-ray spectrum, resulting in no significant detection in any of the
different spectral extractions adopted (time-averaged, temporally-selected,
spin-phase-resolved and intensity-selected spectra). The pulse profile showed
an evolution with both the energy (3-12 keV energy range compared with 12-78
keV band) and the X-ray flux: a double peaked profile was evident at higher
fluxes (and in both energy bands), while a single peaked, sinusoidal profile
was present at the lowest intensity state achieved within the NuSTAR
observations (in both energy bands). The intensity-selected analysis allowed us
to observe an anti-correlation of the pulsed fraction with the X-ray
luminosity. The pulse profile evolution can be explained by X-ray photon
scattering in the accreting matter above magnetic poles of a neutron star at
the quasi-spherical settling accretion stage.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics (Received 3
April 2020 / Accepted 17 April 2020). 14 pages, 5 Tables, 9 Figure
Ginzburg-Landau Expansion in Non-Fermi Liquid Superconductors: Effect of the Mass Renormalization Factor
We reconsider the Ginzburg-Landau expansion for the case of a non-Fermi
liquid superconductor. We obtain analytical results for the Ginzburg-Landau
functional in the critical region around the superconducting phase transition,
T <= T_c, in two special limits of the model, i.e., the spin-charge separation
case and the anomalous Fermi liquid case. For both cases, in the presence of a
mass renormalization factor, we derived the form and the specific dependence of
the coherence length, penetration depth, specific heat jump at the critical
point, and the magnetic upper critical field. For both limits the obtained
results reduce to the usual BCS results for a two dimensional s-wave
superconductor. We compare our results with recent and relevant theoretical
work. The results for a d--wave symmetry order parameter do not change
qualitatively the results presented in this paper. Only numerical factors
appear additionally in our expressions.Comment: accepted for publication in Physical Review
Tidal evolution of exo-planetary systems: WASP-50, GJ 1214 and CoRoT-7
We perform numerical simulations to investigate tidal evolution of two
single-planet systems, that is, WASP-50 and GJ 1214 and a two-planet system
CoRoT-7. The results of orbital evolution show that tidal decay and
circularization may play a significant role in shaping their final orbits,
which is related to the initial orbital data in the simulations. For GJ 1214
system, different cases of initial eccentricity are also considered as only an
upper limit of its eccentricity (0.27) is shown, and the outcome suggests a
possible maximum initial eccentricity (0.4) in the adopted dynamical model.
Moreover, additional runs with alternative values of dissipation factor
are carried out to explore tidal evolution for GJ 1214b, and these
results further indicate that the real of GJ 1214b may be much
larger than its typical value, which may reasonably suggest that GJ 1214b bears
a present-day larger eccentricity, undergoing tidal circularization at a slow
rate. For the CoRoT-7 system, tidal forces make two planets migrating towards
their host star as well as producing tidal circularization, and in this process
tidal effects and mutual gravitational interactions are coupled with each
other. Various scenarios of the initial eccentricity of the outer planet have
also been done to investigate final planetary configuration. Tidal decay
arising from stellar tides may still work for each system as the eccentricity
decreases to zero, and this is in association with the remaining lifetime of
each planet used to predict its future.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in "SCIENCE CHINA
Physics,Mechanics & Astronomy
OMEGA - OSIRIS Mapping of Emission-line Galaxies in A901/2 - II. Environmental influence on integrated star formation properties and AGN activity
We present a study of the star formation and AGN activity for galaxies in CP 15051 the Abell 901/2 multicluster system at z ⌠0.167 as part of the OSIRIS Mapping of Emission-line Galaxies in A901/2 (OMEGA) survey. Using Tuneable Filter data obtained with the OSIRIS instrument at the Gran Telescopio Canarias, we produce spectra covering the Hα and [N II] spectral lines for more than 400 galaxies. Using optical emission-line diagnostics, we identify a significant number of galaxies hosting AGN, which tend to have high masses and a broad range of morphologies.Moreover, within the environmental densities probed by our study, we find no environmental dependence on the fraction of galaxies hosting AGN. The analysis of the integrated Hα emission shows that the specific star formation rates of a majority of the cluster galaxies are below the field values for a given stellar mass.We interpret this result as evidence for a slow decrease in the star formation activity of star-forming galaxies as they fall into higher density regions, contrary to some previous studies that suggested a rapid truncation of star formation.We find that most of the intermediate- and high-mass spiral galaxies go through a phase in which their star formation is suppressed but still retain significant star formation activity. During this phase, these galaxies tend to retain their spiral morphology while their colours become redder. The presence of this type of galaxies in high-density regions indicates that the physical mechanism responsible for suppressing star formation affects mainly the gas component of the galaxies, suggesting that ram-pressure stripping or starvation is potentially responsible.We acknowledge financial support from STFC. This work has made use of The University of Nottingham HPC facility, âMinervaâ. BRP acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the Plan Nacional de AstronomŽıa y AstrofŽısica grant AYA2012-032295. ACS acknowledges funding from a CNPq, BJT-A fellowship (400857/2014-6). SPB and MEG gratefully acknowledge the receipt of an STFC Advanced Fellowship. AB is funded by the Austrian Science Foundation FWF (grant P23946-N16)
Deep X-ray and radio observations of the first outburst of the young magnetar Swift J1818.0-1607
Swift J1818.0-1607 is a radio-loud magnetar with a spin period of 1.36 s and
a dipolar magnetic field strength of B~3E14 G, which is very young compared to
the Galactic pulsar population. We report here on the long-term X-ray
monitoring campaign of this young magnetar using XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and Swift
from the activation of its first outburst in March 2020 until October 2021, as
well as INTEGRAL upper limits on its hard X-ray emission. The 1-10 keV magnetar
spectrum is well modeled by an absorbed blackbody with a temperature of
kT_BB~1.1 keV, and apparent reduction in the radius of the emitting region from
~0.6 to ~0.2 km. We also confirm the bright diffuse X-ray emission around the
source extending between ~50'' and ~110''. A timing analysis revealed large
torque variability, with an average spin-down rate nudot~-2.3E-11 Hz^2 that
appears to decrease in magnitude over time. We also observed Swift J1818.0-1607
with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) on 2021 March 22. We detected
the radio counterpart to Swift J1818.0-1607 measuring a flux density of S_v =
4.38+/-0.05 mJy at 3 GHz, and a half ring-like structure of bright diffuse
radio emission located at ~90'' to the west of the magnetar. We tentatively
suggest that the diffuse X-ray emission is due to a dust scattering halo and
that the radio structure may be associated with the supernova remnant of this
young pulsar, based on its morphology.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication on Ap
Photoperiodic Modulation of Circadian Clock and Reproductive Axis Gene Expression in the Pre-Pubertal European Sea Bass Brain
The acquisition of reproductive competence requires the activation of the brain-pituitary-gonad (BPG) axis, which in most vertebrates, including fishes, is initiated by changes in photoperiod. In the European sea bass long-term exposure to continuous light (LL) alters the rhythm of reproductive hormones, delays spermatogenesis and reduces the incidence of precocious males. In contrast, an early shift from long to short photoperiod (AP) accelerates spermatogenesis. However, how photoperiod affects key genes in the brain to trigger the onset of puberty is still largely unknown. Here, we investigated if the integration of the light stimulus by clock proteins is sufficient to activate key genes that trigger the BPG axis in the European sea bass. We found that the clock genes clock, npas2, bmal1 and the BPG genes gnrh, kiss and kissr share conserved transcription factor frameworks in their promoters, suggesting co-regulation. Other gene promoters of the BGP axis were also predicted to be co-regulated by the same frameworks. Co-regulation was confirmed through gene expression analysis of brains from males exposed to LL or AP photoperiod compared to natural conditions: LL fish had suppressed gnrh1, kiss2, galr1b and esr1, while AP fish had stimulated npas2, gnrh1, gnrh2, kiss2, kiss1rb and galr1b compared to NP. It is concluded that fish exposed to different photoperiods present significant expression differences in some clock and reproductive axis related genes well before the first detectable endocrine and morphological responses of the BPG axis.European Community [222719 - LIFECYCLE]; Foundation for Science and Technology of Portugal (FCT) [SFRH/BPD/66742/2009, PEst-C/MAR/LA0015/2011]; Valencian Regional Goverment [Prometeo II/2014/051]; Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) [CSD 2007-0002]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Anisotropy and chemical composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays using arrival directions measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Pierre Auger Collaboration has reported evidence for anisotropy in the
distribution of arrival directions of the cosmic rays with energies
eV. These show a correlation with the distribution
of nearby extragalactic objects, including an apparent excess around the
direction of Centaurus A. If the particles responsible for these excesses at
are heavy nuclei with charge , the proton component of the
sources should lead to excesses in the same regions at energies . We here
report the lack of anisotropies in these directions at energies above
(for illustrative values of ). If the anisotropies
above are due to nuclei with charge , and under reasonable
assumptions about the acceleration process, these observations imply stringent
constraints on the allowed proton fraction at the lower energies
Random scenarios generation with minimun energy consumption model for sectoring optimization in pressurized irrigation networks using a simulated annealing approach
A pressurized irrigation network may operate in two ways, namely, on demand and organized under operating sectors. In the first case, the user decides when to irrigate, and the pumping station has to meet the discharge and pressure head requirements of the group of users that is demanding water at any time. In the second case, the operating hydrants at a given moment are previously established, which permits identification of scenarios related to lesser energy consumption. In this work, a new model was developed that identifies such scenarios. The optimization process is carried out by means of simulated annealing (SA). The model was applied to an example and the result obtained was compared with the same network operating on demand and sectorized using the criterion of hydrant elevation with respect to the pumping station. The scenario adopted for SA saved 11.8% and 15.5% in energy consumption compared with the two other scenarios, and decreased the installed power requirement by 38.3% and 21.6%, respectively.GarcĂa Prats, A.; Guillem PicĂł, S.; MartĂnez Alzamora, F.; JimĂ©nez Bello, MA. (2012). Random scenarios generation with minimun energy consumption model for sectoring optimization in pressurized irrigation networks using a simulated annealing approach. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering. 138(7):613-624. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)IR.1943-4774.0000452S613624138
Microbiological and chemical monitoring of Marsala base wine obtained by spontaneous fermentation during large-scale production
The present work was undertaken to evaluate the effect of the natural winemaking on
the microbial and chemical composition of Marsala base wine. To this purpose, a
large-scale vinification process of Grillo grape cultivar was monitored from harvesting
to the final product. Total yeasts (TY) showed a rapid increase after must pressing and
reached values almost superimposable to those registered during the conventional
winemakings. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were registered at the highest levels
simultaneously to yeast growth at the beginning of the process. Saccharomyces
cerevisiae was the species found at the highest concentrations in all samples
analysed. Several strains (n= 16) was registered at high levels during the alcoholic
fermentation and/or aging of wine; only two of them were detected on the grape
surface. Lactobacillus plantarum was the LAB species most frequently isolated during
the entire vinification process. Ethanol content was approximately 14% (v/v) at the end
of vinification. The value of pH did not greatly vary during the process and the volatile
acidity (VA) was detected at low concentrations during the entire transformation. The
concentration of malic acid rapidly decreased during the AF; on the other hand, lactic
acid showed an irregular trend during the entire process. trans-caffeil tartaric acid was
the most abundant hydroxycinnamoyl tartaric acid and volatile organic compounds
(VOC) were mainly represented by isoamylic alcohol and isobutanol
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