35,896 research outputs found
X-ray reverberation in NLS1
Reverberation from scattering material around the black hole in active
galactic nuclei is expected to produce a characteristic signature in a Fourier
analysis of the time delays between directly-viewed continuum emission and the
scattered light. Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1) are highly variable at
X-ray energies, and are ideal candidates for the detection of X-ray
reverberation. We show new analysis of a small sample of NLS1 that clearly
shows the expected time-delay signature, providing strong evidence for the
existence of a high covering fraction of scattering and absorbing material a
few tens to hundreds of gravitational radii from the black hole. We also show
that an alternative interpretation of time delays in the NLS1 1H0707-495, as
arising about one gravitational radius from the black hole, is strongly
disfavoured in an analysis of the energy-dependence of the time delays.Comment: Published online in Proceedings of Science, "Narrow-line Seyfert 1
Galaxies and their place in the Universe", held in Milan, Italy April 4-6,
201
The hard X-ray spectrum of NGC 1365: scattered light, not black hole spin
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) show excess X-ray emission above 10 keV compared
with extrapolation of spectra from lower energies. Risaliti et al. have
recently attempted to model the hard X-ray excess in the type 1.8 AGN NGC 1365,
concluding that the hard excess most likely arises from Compton-scattered
reflection of X-rays from an inner accretion disk close to the black hole.
Their analysis disfavored a model in which the hard excess arises from a high
column density of circumnuclear gas partially covering a primary X-ray source,
despite such components being required in the NGC 1365 data below 10 keV. Using
a Monte Carlo radiative transfer approach, we demonstrate that this conclusion
is invalidated by (i) use of slab absorption models, which have unrealistic
transmission spectra for partial covering gas, (ii) neglect of the effect of
Compton scattering on transmitted spectra and (iii) inadequate modeling of the
spectrum of scattered X-rays. The scattered spectrum is geometry dependent and,
for high global covering factors, may dominate above 10 keV. We further show
that, in models of circumnuclear gas, the suppression of the observed hard
X-ray flux by reprocessing may be no larger than required by the `light
bending' model invoked for inner disk reflection, and the expected emission
line strengths lie within the observed range. We conclude that the
time-invariant `red wing' in AGN X-ray spectra is probably caused by continuum
transmitted through and scattered from circumnuclear gas, not by highly
redshifted line emission, and that measurement of black hole spin is not
possible.Comment: Revised version, accepted for publication by Ap.J. Letter
X-ray Signatures of Circumnuclear Gas in AGN
X-ray spectra of AGN are complex. X-ray absorption and emission features
trace gas covering a wide range of column densities and ionization states. High
resolution spectra show the absorbing gas to be outflowing, perhaps in the form
of an accretion disk wind. The absorbing complex shapes the form of the X-ray
spectrum while X-ray reverberation and absorption changes explain the spectral
and timing behaviour of AGN. We discuss recent progress, highlighting some new
results and reviewing the implications that can be drawn from the data.Comment: Proceedings of the conference "Suzaku 2011, Exploring the X-ray
Universe: Suzaku and Beyond
Confabulation: damage to a specific inferior medial prefrontal system
Confabulation, the pathological production of false memories, occurs following a variety of aetiologies involving the frontal lobes, and is frequently held to be underpinned by combined memory and executive deficits. However, the critical frontal regions and specific cognitive deficits involved are unclear. Studies in amnesic patients have associated confabulation with damage to the orbital and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. However neuroimaging studies have associated memory control processes which are assumed to underlie confabulation with the right lateral prefrontal cortex. We used a confabulation battery to investigate the occurrence and localisation of confabulation in an unselected series of 38 patients with focal frontal lesions. 12 patients with posterior lesions and 50 healthy controls were included for comparison. Significantly higher levels of confabulation were found in the Frontal group, confirming previous reports. More detailed grouping according to lesion location within the frontal lobe revealed that patients with orbital, medial and left lateral damage confabulated in response to questions probing personal episodic memory. Patients with orbital, medial and right lateral damage confabulated in response to questions probing orientation to time. Performance-led analysis revealed that all patients who produced a total number of confabulations outside the normal range had a lesion affecting either the orbital region or inferior portion of the anterior cingulate. These data provide striking evidence that the critical deficit for confabulation has its anatomical location in the inferior medial frontal lobe. Performance on tests of memory and executive functioning showed considerable variability. Although a degree of memory impairment does seem necessary, performance on traditional executive tests is less helpful in explaining confabulation
Correlation of electrical conductivity and radiation-induced free radical concentration in poly/ethylene terephthalate/ and related compounds
Gamma and ultraviolet radiation effects on electronic properties of polyethylene terephthalate and related compound
The Extraordinary Infrared Spectrum of NGC 1222 (Mkn 603)
The infrared spectra of starburst galaxies are dominated by the
low-excitation lines of [NeII] and [SIII], and the stellar populations deduced
from these spectra appear to lack stars larger than about 35 Msun. The only
exceptions to this result until now were low metallicity dwarf galaxies. We
report our analysis of the mid-infrared spectra obtained with IRS on Spitzer of
the starburst galaxy NGC 1222 (Mkn 603). NGC 1222 is a large spheroidal galaxy
with a starburst nucleus that is a compact radio and infrared source, and its
infrared emission is dominated by the [NeIII] line. This is the first starburst
of solar or near-solar metallicity, known to us, which is dominated by the
high-excitation lines and which is a likely host of high mass stars. We model
the emission with several different assumptions as to the spatial distibution
of the high- and low-excitation lines and find that the upper mass cutoff in
this galaxy is 40-100 Msun.Comment: accepted, Astronomical Journal. 29 pp, 4 figures. In replacement
version an acknowledgment to NRAO is adde
The Global Implications of the Hard X-ray Excess in Type 1 AGN
Recent evidence for a strong 'hard excess' of flux at energies > 20 keV in
some Suzaku observations of type 1 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) has motivated
an exploratory study of the phenomenon in the local type 1 AGN population. We
have selected all type 1 AGN in the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) 58-month
catalog and cross-correlated them with the holdings of the Suzaku public
archive. We find the hard excess phenomenon to be a ubiquitous property of type
1 AGN. Taken together, the spectral hardness and equivalent width of Fe K alpha
emission are consistent with reprocessing by an ensemble of Compton-thick
clouds that partially cover the continuum source. In the context of such a
model, ~ 80 % of the sample has a hardness ratio consistent with > 50% covering
of the continuum by low-ionization, Compton-thick gas. More detailed study of
the three hardest X-ray spectra in our sample reveal a sharp Fe K absorption
edge at ~ 7 keV in each of them, indicating that blurred reflection is not
responsible for the very hard spectral forms. Simple considerations place the
distribution of Compton-thick clouds at or within the optical broad line
region.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
The influence of grazing on surface climatological variables of tallgrass prairie
Mass and energy exchange between most grassland canopies and the atmosphere are mediated by grazing activities. Ambient temperatures can be increased or decreased by grazers. Data have been assembled from simulated grazing experiments on Konza Prairie Research Natural Area and observations on adjacent pastures grazed by cattle show significant changes in primary production, nutrient content, and bidirectional reflectance characteristics as a function of grazing intensity. The purpose of this research was to provide algorithms that would allow incorporation of grazing effects into models of energy budgets using remote sensing procedures. The approach involved: (1) linking empirical measurements of plant biomass and grazing intensities to remotely sensed canopy reflectance, and (2) using a higher resolution, mechanistic grazing model to derive plant ecophysiological parameters that influence reflectance and other surface climatological variables
The Variable X-ray Spectrum of Markarian 766 - II. Time-Resolved Spectroscopy
CONTEXT: The variable X-ray spectra of AGN systematically show steep
power-law high states and hard-spectrum low states. The hard low state has
previously been found to be a component with only weak variability. The origin
of this component and the relative importance of effects such as absorption and
relativistic blurring are currently not clear. AIMS: In a follow-up of previous
principal components analysis, we aim to determine the relative importance of
scattering and absorption effects on the time-varying X-ray spectrum of the
narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk~766. METHODS: Time-resolved spectroscopy,
slicing XMM and Suzaku data down to 25 ks elements, is used to investigate
whether absorption or scattering components dominate the spectral variations in
Mrk 766.Time-resolved spectroscopy confirms that spectral variability in Mrk
766 can be explained by either of two interpretations of principal components
analysis. Detailed investigation confirm rapid changes in the relative
strengths of scattered and direct emission or rapid changes in absorber
covering fraction provide good explanations of most of the spectral
variability. However, a strong correlation between the 6.97 keV absorption line
and the primary continuum together with rapid opacity changes show that
variations in a complex and multi-layered absorber, most likely a disk wind,
are the dominant source of spectral variability in Mrk 76
Cosmic Ray Spallation in Radio-Quiet Active Galactic Nuclei: A Case Study of NGC 4051
We investigate conditions for and consequences of spallation in radio-quiet
Seyfert galaxies. The work is motivated by the recent discovery of significant
line emission at 5.44 keV in Suzaku data from NGC 4051. The energy of the new
line suggests an identification as Cr I Ka emission, however the line is much
stronger than would be expected from material with cosmic abundances, leading
to a suggestion of enhancement owing to nuclear spallation of Fe by low energy
cosmic rays from the active nucleus. We find that the highest abundance
enhancements are likely to take place in gas out of the plane of the accretion
disk and that timescales for spallation could be as short as a few years. The
suggestion of a strong nuclear flux of cosmic rays in a radio-quiet Seyfert
galaxy is of particular interest in light of the recent suggestion from Pierre
Auger Observatory data that ultra-high-energy cosmic rays may originate in such
sources.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
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