The Chandra Fornax Survey - I: The Cluster Environment

We present the first results of a deep Chandra survey of the inner 1 degree of the Fornax cluster of galaxies. Ten 50 ksec pointings were obtained in a mosaic centered on the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 1399 at the nominal cluster center. Emission and temperature maps of Fornax are presented, and an initial study of 771 detected X-ray point sources is made. Regions as small as 100pc are resolved. The intra-cluster gas in Fornax exhibits a highly asymmetric morphology and temperature structure, dominated by a 180 kpc extended ``plume'' of low surface brightness, cool, ~1 keV) gas to the North-East of NGC 1399 with a sharper edge to the South West. The elliptical galaxy NGC 1404 also exhibits a cool halo of X-ray gas within the cluster, with a highly sharpened leading edge as it presumably falls into the cluster, and a cometary-like tail. We estimate that some ~200-400 point sources are physically associated with Fornax. Confirming earlier works, we find that the globular cluster population in NGC 1399 is highly X-ray active, extending to globulars which may in fact be intra-cluster systems. We have also found a remarkable correlation between the location of giant and dwarf cluster galaxies and the presence of X-ray counterparts, such that systems inhabiting regions of low gas density are more likely to show X-ray activity. Not only does this correlate with the asymmetry of the intra-cluster gas but also with the axis joining the center of Fornax to an infalling group 1 Mpc to the South-West. We suggest that Fornax may be experiencing an intergalactic ``headwind'' due to motion relative to the surrounding large-scale structure.Comment: 35 pages, 15 figures, submitted to ApJ. Most figures not included owing to severe compression degradation - we strongly recommend downloading the full resolution paper from http://www.astro.columbia.edu/~caleb/ms_highres.pdf (1.9Mb

HI and Hot Gas in the Outskirts of the M81 Group

Results are presented from a wide area, high resolution HI synthesis survey of the outer regions of the nearby M81 group, where internal (galactic) and external (group-related) evolution processes can be studied simultaneously in great detail. The survey encompasses the star forming dwarf galaxies M81dwA, UGC4483, and HoII, where evidence of ram pressure stripping was recently discovered. The data do not reveal any intergalactic HI, but the outer parts of HoII are reminiscent of tidal tails. We argue however that those structures are equally consistent with the latest ram pressure models including cooling. The case for a hot intergalactic medium in this poor, spiral-only group is thus still open. The survey also puts tight constraints on possible counterparts to the local high velocity cloud population in an external group, reaching a 3 sigma column density of 10^19 atom/cm^2 and a 6 sigma limiting mass of 1.5x10^5 M_sun.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to be published in "Recycling Intergalactic and Interstellar Matter," eds. P.-A. Duc, J. Braine, & E. Brinks (ASP: San Francisco

Gap Probabilities for Edge Intervals in Finite Gaussian and Jacobi Unitary Matrix Ensembles

The probabilities for gaps in the eigenvalue spectrum of the finite dimension $N \times N$ random matrix Hermite and Jacobi unitary ensembles on some single and disconnected double intervals are found. These are cases where a reflection symmetry exists and the probability factors into two other related probabilities, defined on single intervals. Our investigation uses the system of partial differential equations arising from the Fredholm determinant expression for the gap probability and the differential-recurrence equations satisfied by Hermite and Jacobi orthogonal polynomials. In our study we find second and third order nonlinear ordinary differential equations defining the probabilities in the general $N$ case. For N=1 and N=2 the probabilities and thus the solution of the equations are given explicitly. An asymptotic expansion for large gap size is obtained from the equation in the Hermite case, and also studied is the scaling at the edge of the Hermite spectrum as $N \to \infty$, and the Jacobi to Hermite limit; these last two studies make correspondence to other cases reported here or known previously. Moreover, the differential equation arising in the Hermite ensemble is solved in terms of an explicit rational function of a {Painlev\'e-V} transcendent and its derivative, and an analogous solution is provided in the two Jacobi cases but this time involving a {Painlev\'e-VI} transcendent.Comment: 32 pages, Latex2

Developing Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) Curves From Satellite-Based Precipitation: Methodology and Evaluation

Given the continuous advancement in the retrieval of precipitation from satellites, it is important to develop methods that incorporate satellite-based precipitation data sets in the design and planning of infrastructure. This is because in many regions around the world, in situ rainfall observations are sparse and have insufficient record length. A handful of studies examined the use of satellite-based precipitation to develop intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves; however, they have mostly focused on small spatial domains and relied on combining satellite-based with ground-based precipitation data sets. In this study, we explore this issue by providing a methodological framework with the potential to be applied in ungauged regions. This framework is based on accounting for the characteristics of satellite-based precipitation products, namely, adjustment of bias and transformation of areal to point rainfall. The latter method is based on previous studies on the reverse transformation (point to areal) commonly used to obtain catchment-scale IDF curves. The paper proceeds by applying this framework to develop IDF curves over the contiguous United States (CONUS); the data set used is Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information Using Artificial Neural Networks – Climate Data Record (PERSIANN-CDR). IDFs are then evaluated against National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atlas 14 to provide a quantitative estimate of their accuracy. Results show that median errors are in the range of (17–22%), (6–12%), and (3–8%) for one-day, two-day and three-day IDFs, respectively, and return periods in the range (2–100) years. Furthermore, a considerable percentage of satellite-based IDFs lie within the confidence interval of NOAA Atlas 14

Coalition theories: empirical evidence for dutch municipalities

The paper analyzes coalition formation in Dutch municipalities. After discussing the main features of the institutional setting, several theories are discussed, which are classified as size oriented, policy oriented and actor oriented models. A test statistic is proposed to determine the predictive power of these models. The empirical analysis shows that strategic positions as well as some of the distinguished preferences are important in the setting of Dutch municipalities. Especially, the dominant minimum number principle yields highly significant results for coalition formations in the period 1978–1986