2,335 research outputs found
Thermodynamics of R-charged Black Holes in AdS(5) From Effective Strings
It is well known that the thermodynamics of certain near-extremal black holes
in asymptotically flat space can be lifted to an effective string description
created from the intersection of D-branes. In this paper we present evidence
that the semiclassical thermodynamics of near-extremal R-charged black holes in
AdS(5)xS(5) is described in a similar manner by effective strings created from
the intersection of giant gravitons on the S(5). We also present a free fermion
description of the supersymmetric limit of the one-charge black hole, and we
give a crude catalog of the microstates of the two and three-charge black holes
in terms of operators in the dual conformal field theory.Comment: v2: references and typos corrected, 24 pages, latex2
The Lopsidedness of Present-Day Galaxies: Results from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
Large-scale asymmetries in the stellar mass distribution in galaxies are
believed to trace non-equilibrium situations in the luminous and/or dark matter
component. These may arise in the aftermath of events like mergers, accretion,
and tidal interactions. These events are key in the evolution of galaxies. In
this paper we quantify the large-scale lopsidedness of light distributions in
25155 galaxies at z < 0.06 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4
using the m = 1 azimuthal Fourier mode. We show that the lopsided distribution
of light is primarily due to a corresponding lopsidedness in the stellar mass
distribution. Observational effects, such as seeing, Poisson noise, and
inclination, introduce only small errors in lopsidedness for the majority of
this sample. We find that lopsidedness correlates strongly with other basic
galaxy structural parameters: galaxies with low concentration, stellar mass,
and stellar surface mass density tend to be lopsided, while galaxies with high
concentration, mass, and density are not. We find that the strongest and most
fundamental relationship between lopsidedness and the other structural
parameters is with the surface mass density. We also find, in agreement with
previous studies, that lopsidedness tends to increase with radius. Both these
results may be understood as a consequence of several factors. The outer
regions of galaxies and low-density galaxies are more susceptible to tidal
perturbations, and they also have longer dynamical times (so lopsidedness will
last longer). They are also more likely to be affected by any underlying
asymmetries in the dark matter halo.Comment: 42 pages, 13 figures, 3 tables, accepted to Ap
The Higgs as a Probe of Supersymmetric Extra Sectors
We present a general method for calculating the leading contributions to h ->
gg and h -> gamma gamma in models where the Higgs weakly mixes with a nearly
supersymmetric extra sector. Such mixing terms can play an important role in
raising the Higgs mass relative to the value expected in the MSSM. Our method
applies even when the extra sector is strongly coupled, and moreover does not
require a microscopic Lagrangian description. Using constraints from holomorphy
we fix the leading parametric form of the contributions to these Higgs
processes, including the Higgs mixing angle dependence, up to an overall
coefficient. Moreover, when the Higgs is the sole source of mass for a
superconformal sector, we show that even this coefficient is often calculable.
For appropriate mixing angles, the contribution of the extra states to h -> gg
and h -> gamma gamma can vanish. We also discuss how current experimental
limits already lead to non-trivial constraints on such models. Finally, we
provide examples of extra sectors which satisfy the requirements necessary to
use the holomorphic approximation.Comment: v4: 34 pages, 2 figures, typo corrected and clarification adde
Non-simply-laced Lie algebras via F theory strings
In order to describe the appearance in F theory of the non--simply--laced Lie
algebras, we use the representation of symmetry enhancements by means of string
junctions. After an introduction to the techniques used to describe symmetry
enhancement, that is algebraic geometry, BPS states analysis and string
junctions, we concentrate on the latter. We give an explicit description of the
folding of D_{2n} to B_n of the folding of E_6 to F_4 and that of D_4 to G_2 in
terms of junctions and Jordan strings. We also discuss the case of C_n, but we
are unable in this case to provide a string interpretation.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure
The Nuclear Ionized Gas in the Radio Galaxy M84 (NGC 4374)
We present optical images of the nucleus of the nearby radio galaxy M84 (NGC
4374 = 3C272.1) obtained with the Wide Field/Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) aboard
the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Our three images cover the H + [N II]
emission lines as well as the V and I continuum bands. Analysis of these images
confirms that the H + [N II] emission in the central 5'' (410 pc) is
elongated along position angle (P.A.) \approx 72\arcdeg, which is roughly
parallel to two nuclear dust lanes.Our high-resolution images reveal that the
H + [N II] emission has three components, namely a nuclear gas disk,an
`ionization cone', and outer filaments. The nuclear disk of ionized gas has
diameter pc and major axis P.A. \approx 58\arcdeg \pm
6\arcdeg. On an angular scale of 0\farcs5, the major axis of this nuclear
gas disk is consistent with that of the dust. However, the minor axis of the
gas disk (P.A. \approx 148\arcdeg) is tilted with respect to that of the
filamentary H + [N II] emission at distances > 2'' from the nucleus;
the minor axis of this larger scale gas is roughly aligned with the axis of the
kpc-scale radio jets (P.A. \approx 170\arcdeg). The ionization cone (whose
apex is offset by \approx 0\farcs3 south of the nucleus) extends 2'' from the
nucleus along the axis of the southern radio jet. This feature is similar to
the ionization cones seen in some Seyfert nuclei, which are also aligned with
the radio axes.Comment: 11 pages plus 4 figure
Automorphisms of Real 4 Dimensional Lie Algebras and the Invariant Characterization of Homogeneous 4-Spaces
The automorphisms of all 4-dimensional, real Lie Algebras are presented in a
comprehensive way. Their action on the space of , real, symmetric
and positive definite, matrices, defines equivalence classes which are used for
the invariant characterization of the 4-dimensional homogeneous spaces which
possess an invariant basis.Comment: LaTeX2e, 23 pages, 2 Tables. To appear in Journal of Physics A:
Mathematical & Genera
What Powers the Compact Radio Emission in Nearby Elliptical and S0 Galaxies?
Many nearby early-type (elliptical and S0) galaxies contain weak
(milli-Jansky level) nuclear radio sources on scales a few hundred parsecs or
less. The origin of the radio emission, however, has remained unclear,
especially in volume-limited samples that select intrinsically less luminous
galaxies. Both active galactic nuclei and nuclear star formation have been
suggested as possible mechanisms for producing the radio emission. This paper
utilizes optical spectroscopic information to address this issue. A substantial
fraction of the early-type galaxies surveyed with the Very Large Array by
Wrobel & Heeschen (1991) exhibits detectable optical emission lines in their
nuclei down to very sensitive limits. Comparison of the observed radio
continuum power with that expected from the thermal gas traced by the optical
emission lines implies that the bulk of the radio emission is nonthermal. Both
the incidence and the strength of optical line emission correlate with the
radio power. At a fixed line luminosity, ellipticals have stronger radio cores
than S0s. The relation between radio power and line emission observed in this
sample is consistent with the low-luminosity extension of similar relations
seen in classical radio galaxies and luminous Seyfert nuclei. A plausible
interpretation of this result is that the weak nuclear sources in nearby
early-type galaxies are the low-luminosity counterparts of more powerful AGNs.
The spectroscopic evidence supports this picture. Most of the emission-line
objects are optically classified as Seyfert nuclei or low-ionization nuclear
emission-line regions (LINERs), the majority of which are likely to be
accretion-powered sources.Comment: LaTex, 16 pages including embedded figures. Accepted for publication
in the Astrophysical Journa
Poststarburst Models of LINERs
Since the discovery of low-ionization nuclear emission-line regions in many
galaxies (LINERs), it has been recognized that they constitute a class of
active galactic nuclei (AGNs) which are thought to be powered by gas accretion
onto a central, supermassive black hole. LINERs are observed in approximately
one third of galaxies in the local universe and it has been often thought that
they harbor an AGN-like central engine with moderate activity. However, some
LINERs show no direct evidence for AGNs such as broad emission lines, radio
jets, hard X-ray emission, spectral energy distributions which are inconsistent
with starlight, and so on. For such LINERs (a subset of type 2 LINERs), we
present new poststarburst models which explain some of their most important
optical narrow emission-line ratios. In these models, the ionization sources
are planetary nebula nuclei (PNNs) with temperature of ~ 10^5 K which appear in
the late-phase evolution of intermediate-mass stars with mass between ~ 3
M_solar and ~ 6 M_solar. Such PNNs left in a typical starburst nucleus can
produce an Halpha luminosity of L(Halpha) ~ 10^38 ergs s^-1 for typical
poststarburst LINERs and ~ 10^39 ergs s^-1 only in exceptionally bright cases.
The PNN phase lasts until the death of the lowest-mass stars formed in the
starburst, which is ~ 5 x 10^8 yr for an assumed lower limit of the initial
mass function of 3 M_solar. This long duration appears consistent with the
observed higher frequency of occurrence of LINERs if every galaxy could
experience the starburst activity several times in its life. We therefore
propose that some LINERs which show no direct evidence for AGNs may be
poststarburst nuclei powered by a cluster of PNNs.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, emulateapj.sty; To appear in the September 2000
issue of the Astronomical Journa
Radio Sources in Low-Luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei. I. VLA Detections of Compact, Flat-Spectrum Cores
We report a 0.2" resolution, 15 GHz survey of a sample of 48 low-luminosity
active galactic nuclei with the Very Large Array. Compact radio emission has
been detected in 57% (17 of 30) of LINERs and low-luminosity Seyferts, at least
15 of which have a flat to inverted radio spectrum (alpha > -0.3). The compact
radio cores are found in both type 1 (i.e. with broad Halpha) and type 2
(without broad Halpha) nuclei. The 2 cm radio power is significantly correlated
with the emission-line ([OI] lambda6300) luminosity. While the present
observations are consistent with the radio emission originating in star-forming
regions, higher resolution radio observations of 10 of the detected sources,
reported in a companion paper (Falcke et al. 2000), show that the cores are
very compact (= 10^8K) and
probably synchrotron self-absorbed, ruling out a starburst origin. Thus, our
results suggest that at least 50% of low-luminosity Seyferts and LINERs in the
sample are accretion powered, with the radio emission presumably coming from
jets or advection-dominated accretion flows. We have detected only 1 of 18
`transition' (i.e. LINER + HII) nuclei observed, indicating their radio cores
are significantly weaker than those of `pure' LINERs.Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journal, October 20, 200
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