5,629 research outputs found
Feeding the fire: Tracing the mass-loading of 10^7 K galactic outflows with O VI absorption
Galactic outflows regulate the amount of gas galaxies convert into stars.
However, it is difficult to measure the mass outflows remove because they span
a large range of temperatures and phases. Here, we study the rest-frame
ultraviolet spectrum of a lensed galaxy at z~2.9 with prominent interstellar
absorption lines from O I, tracing neutral gas, up to O VI, tracing
transitional phase gas. The O VI profile mimics weak low-ionization profiles at
low velocities, and strong saturated profiles at high velocities. These trends
indicate that O VI gas is co-spatial with the low-ionization gas. Further, at
velocities blueward of -200 km/s the column density of the low-ionization
outflow rapidly drops while the O VI column density rises, suggesting that O VI
is created as the low-ionization gas is destroyed. Photoionization models do
not reproduce the observed O VI, but adequately match the low-ionization gas,
indicating that the phases have different formation mechanisms. Photoionized
outflows are more massive than O VI outflows for most of the observed
velocities, although the O VI mass outflow rate exceeds the photoionized
outflow at velocities above the galaxy's escape velocity. Therefore, most gas
capable of escaping the galaxy is in a hot outflow phase. We suggest that the O
VI absorption is a temporary by-product of conduction transferring mass from
the photoionized phase to an unobserved hot wind, and discuss how this
mass-loading impacts the observed circum-galactic medium.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Soft networks for bridging the gap between research and practice: illuminative evaluation of CHAIN
Objectives To explore the process of knowledge exchange in an informal email network for evidence based health care, to illuminate the value of the service and its critical success factors, and to identify areas for improvement.Design Illuminative evaluationSetting Targeted email and networking service for UK healthcare practitioners and researchers.Participants 2800 members of a networking service.Main outcome measures Tracking of email messages, interviews with core staff, and a qualitative analysis of messages, postings from focus groups, and invited and unsolicited feedback to the service.Results The informal email network helped to bridge the gap between research and practice by serving as a rich source of information, providing access to members' experiences, suggestions, and ideas, facilitating cross boundary collaboration, and enabling participation in networking at a variety of levels. Ad hoc groupings and communities of practice emerged spontaneously as members discovered common areas of interest.Conclusion This study illuminated how knowledge for evidence based health care can be targeted, personalised, and made meaningful through informal social processes. Critical success factors include a broad based membership from both the research and service communities; a loose and fluid network structure; fight targeting of messages based on members' interests; the presence of a strong network identity and culture of reciprocity; and the opportunity for new members to learn through passive participation
Time Delay Measurements for the Cluster-lensed Sextuple Quasar SDSS J2222+2745
We report first results from an ongoing monitoring campaign to measure time
delays between the six images of the quasar SDSS\,J22222745, gravitationally
lensed by a galaxy cluster. The time delay between A and B, the two most highly
magnified images, is measured to be days (95\%
confidence interval), consistent with previous model predictions for this lens
system. The strong intrinsic variability of the quasar also allows us to derive
a time delay value of days between image C and A,
in spite of modest overlap between their light curves in the current data set.
Image C, which is predicted to lead all the other lensed quasar images, has
undergone a sharp, monotonic flux increase of 60-75\% during 2014. A
corresponding brightening is firmly predicted to occur in images A and B during
2016. The amplitude of this rise indicates that time delays involving all six
known images in this system, including those of the demagnified central images
D-F, will be obtainable from further ground-based monitoring of this system
during the next few years.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, Version accepted for publication in Ap
Constraining the metallicities, ages, star formation histories, and ionizing continua of extragalactic massive star populations
We infer the properties of massive star populations using the far-ultraviolet
stellar continua of 61 star-forming galaxies: 42 at low-z observed with HST and
19 at z~2 from the Megasaura sample. We fit each stellar continuum with a
linear combination of up to 50 single age and single metallicity Starburst99
models. From these fits, we derive light-weighted ages and metallicities, which
agree with stellar wind and photospheric spectral features, and infer the
spectral shapes and strengths of the ionizing continua. Inferred light-weighted
stellar metallicities span 0.05-1.5 Z and are similar to the measured
nebular metallicities. We quantify the ionizing continua using the ratio of the
ionizing flux at 900\AA\ to the non-ionizing flux at 1500\AA\ and demonstrate
the evolution of this ratio with stellar age and metallicity using theoretical
single burst models. These single burst models only match the inferred ionizing
continua of half of the sample, while the other half are described by a mixture
of stellar ages. Mixed age populations produce stronger and harder ionizing
spectra than continuous star formation histories, but, contrary to previous
studies that assume constant star formation, have similar stellar and nebular
metallicities. Stellar population age and metallicity affect the far-UV
continua in different and distinguishable ways; assuming a constant star
formation history diminishes the diagnostic power. Finally, we provide simple
prescriptions to determine the ionizing photon production efficiency
() from the stellar population properties. has a range
of log( Hz erg that depends on stellar age,
metallicity, star formation history, and contributions from binary star
evolution. These stellar population properties must be observationally
determined to determine the number of ionizing photons generated by massive
stars.Comment: 31 pages, 23 figures, resubmitted to ApJ after incorporating the
referee's comments. Comments encourage
The Employment Situation of Migrant Workers and Their Experience of Work Life Pressures
The chapters in this book cover different aspects of the migrant experience of social life and employment in contemporary societ
The cosmic evolution of radio-AGN feedback to z=1
This paper presents the first measurement of the radio luminosity function of
'jet-mode' (radiatively-inefficient) radio-AGN out to z=1, in order to
investigate the cosmic evolution of radio-AGN feedback. Eight radio source
samples are combined to produce a catalogue of 211 radio-loud AGN with
0.5<z<1.0, which are spectroscopically classified into jet-mode and
radiative-mode (radiatively-efficient) AGN classes. Comparing with large
samples of local radio-AGN from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the cosmic
evolution of the radio luminosity function of each radio-AGN class is
independently derived. Radiative-mode radio-AGN show an order of magnitude
increase in space density out to z~1 at all luminosities, consistent with these
AGN being fuelled by cold gas. In contrast, the space density of jet-mode
radio-AGN decreases with increasing redshift at low radio luminosities (L_1.4 <
1e24 W/Hz) but increases at higher radio luminosities. Simple models are
developed to explain the observed evolution. In the best-fitting models, the
characteristic space density of jet-mode AGN declines with redshift in
accordance with the declining space density of massive quiescent galaxies,
which fuel them via cooling of gas in their hot haloes. A time delay of 1.5-2
Gyr may be present between the quenching of star formation and the onset of
jet-mode radio-AGN activity. The behaviour at higher radio luminosities can be
explained either by an increasing characteristic luminosity of jet-mode
radio-AGN activity with redshift (roughly as (1+z) cubed) or if the jet-mode
radio-AGN population also includes some contribution of cold-gas-fuelled
sources seen at a time when their accretion rate was low. Higher redshifts
measurements would distinguish between these possibilities.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
On the lack of correlation between Mg II 2796, 2803 Angstrom and Lyman alpha emission in lensed star-forming galaxies
We examine the Mg II 2796, 2803 Angstrom, Lyman alpha, and nebular line
emission in five bright star-forming galaxies at 1.66<z<1.91 that have been
gravitationally lensed by foreground galaxy clusters. All five galaxies show
prominent Mg II emission and absorption in a P Cygni profile. We find no
correlation between the equivalent widths of Mg II and Lyman alpha emission.
The Mg II emission has a broader range of velocities than do the nebular
emission line profiles; the Mg II emission is redshifted with respect to
systemic by 100 to 200 km/s. When present, Lyman alpha is even more redshifted.
The reddest components of Mg II and Lyman alpha emission have tails to 500-600
km/s, implying a strong outflow. The lack of correlation in the Mg II and Lyman
alpha equivalent widths, the differing velocity profiles, and the high ratios
of Mg II to nebular line fluxes together suggest that the bulk of Mg II
emission does not ultimately arise as nebular line emission, but may instead be
reprocessed stellar continuum emission.Comment: The Astrophysical Journal, in press. 6 pages, 2 figure
A Multiwavelength Study on the Fate of Ionizing Radiation in Local Starbursts
The fate of ionizing radiation is vital for understanding cosmic ionization,
energy budgets in the interstellar and intergalactic medium, and star formation
rate indicators. The low observed escape fractions of ionizing radiation have
not been adequately explained, and there is evidence that some starbursts have
high escape fractions. We examine the spectral energy distributions of a sample
of local star-forming galaxies, containing thirteen local starburst galaxies
and ten of their ordinary star-forming counterparts, to determine if there
exist significant differences in the fate of ionizing radiation in these
galaxies. We find that the galaxy-to-galaxy variations in the SEDs is much
larger than any systematic differences between starbursts and non-starbursts.
For example, we find no significant differences in the total absorption of
ionizing radiation by dust, traced by the 24um, 70um, and 160um MIPS bands of
the Spitzer Space Telescope, although the dust in starburst galaxies appears to
be hotter than that of non-starburst galaxies. We also observe no excess
ultraviolet flux in the GALEX bands that could indicate a high escape fraction
of ionizing photons in starburst galaxies. The small H-alpha fractions of the
diffuse, warm ionized medium in starburst galaxies are apparently due to
temporarily boosted H-alpha luminosity within the star-forming regions
themselves, with an independent, constant WIM luminosity. This independence of
the WIM and starburst luminosities contrasts with WIM behavior in non-starburst
galaxies and underscores our poor understanding of radiation transfer in both
ordinary and starburst galaxies.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, accepted to ApJ 10/11/1
Accurately predicting the escape fraction of ionizing photons using restframe ultraviolet absorption lines
The fraction of ionizing photons that escape high-redshift galaxies
sensitively determines whether galaxies reionized the early universe. However,
this escape fraction cannot be measured from high-redshift galaxies because the
opacity of the intergalactic medium is large at high redshifts. Without methods
to indirectly measure the escape fraction of high-redshift galaxies, it is
unlikely that we will know what reionized the universe. Here, we analyze the
far-ultraviolet (UV) H I (Lyman series) and low-ionization metal absorption
lines of nine low-redshift, confirmed Lyman continuum emitting galaxies. We use
the H I covering fractions, column densities, and dust attenuations measured in
a companion paper to predict the escape fraction of ionizing photons. We find
good agreement between the predicted and observed Lyman continuum escape
fractions (within ) using both the H I and ISM absorption lines. The
ionizing photons escape through holes in the H I, but we show that dust
attenuation reduces the fraction of photons that escape galaxies. This means
that the average high-redshift galaxy likely emits more ionizing photons than
low-redshift galaxies. Two other indirect methods accurately predict the escape
fractions: the Ly escape fraction and the optical [O III]/[O II] flux
ratio. We use these indirect methods to predict the escape fraction of a sample
of 21 galaxies with rest-frame UV spectra but without Lyman continuum
observations. Many of these galaxies have low escape fractions (\%), but 11 have escape fractions \%. The methods presented here will
measure the escape fractions of high-redshift galaxies, enabling future
telescopes to determine whether star-forming galaxies reionized the early
universe.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 12 pages, 5 figure
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