564 research outputs found
Three-dimensional extinction mapping using Gaussian random fields
We present a scheme for using stellar catalogues to map the three-dimensional
distributions of extinction and dust within our Galaxy. Extinction is modelled
as a Gaussian random field, whose covariance function is set by a simple
physical model of the ISM that assumes a Kolmogorov-like power spectrum of
turbulent fluctuations. As extinction is modelled as a random field, the
spatial resolution of the resulting maps is set naturally by the data
available; there is no need to impose any spatial binning. We verify the
validity of our scheme by testing it on simulated extinction fields and show
that its precision is significantly improved over previous dust-mapping
efforts. The approach we describe here can make use of any photometric,
spectroscopic or astrometric data; it is not limited to any particular survey.
Consequently, it can be applied to a wide range of data from both existing and
future surveys.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures. Submitted for publication in MNRAS. Text
revise
Marginal likelihoods of distances and extinctions to stars: computation and compact representation
We present a method for obtaining the likelihood function of distance and
extinction to a star given its photometry. The other properties of the star
(its mass, age, metallicity and so on) are marginalised assuming a simple
Galaxy model. We demonstrate that the resulting marginalised likelihood
function can be described faithfully and compactly using a Gaussian mixture
model. For dust mapping applications we strongly advocate using monochromatic
over bandpass extinctions, and provide tables for converting from the former to
the latter for different stellar types.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Source code
is available at https://github.com/stuartsal
Stacking domains and dislocation networks in marginally twisted bilayers of transition metal dichalcogenides
We apply a multiscale modeling approach to study lattice reconstruction in
marginally twisted bilayers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD). For
this, we develop DFT-parametrized interpolation formulae for interlayer
adhesion energies of MoSe, WSe, MoS, and WS, combine those with
elasticity theory, and analyze the bilayer lattice relaxation into mesoscale
domain structures. Paying particular attention to the inversion asymmetry of
TMD monolayers, we show that 3R and 2H stacking domains, separated by a network
of dislocations develop for twist angles and for,
respectively, bilayers with parallel (P) and antiparallel (AP) orientation of
the monolayer unit cells and suggest how the domain structures would manifest
itself in local probe scanning of marginally twisted P- and AP-bilayers
Nuclear Spirals in the inner Milky Way
We use hydrodynamical simulations to construct a new coherent picture for the
gas flow in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), the region of our Galaxy within
. We relate connected structures observed in
data cubes of molecular tracers to nuclear spiral arms. These arise naturally
in hydrodynamical simulations of barred galaxies, and are similar to those that
can be seen in external galaxies such as NGC4303 or NGC1097. We discuss a
face-on view of the CMZ including the position of several prominent molecular
clouds, such as Sgr B2, the and
clouds, the polar arc, Bania Clump 2 and Sgr C. Our model is also consistent
with the larger scale gas flow, up to , thus providing a
consistent picture of the entire Galactic bar region.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 12 pages, 12 figure
The relativistic Iron K-alpha line from an accretion disc onto a static non-baryonic compact object
This paper continues the study of the properties of an accretion disc
rotating around a non-baryonic (assumed super-massive) compact object. This
kind of objects, generically known as boson stars, were earlier proposed as a
possible alternative scenario to the existence of super-masive black holes in
the center of every galaxy. A dilute boson star has also been proposed as a
large part of the non-baryonic dark matter, flattening galactic rotational
velocities curves. In this contribution, we compute the profile of the emission
lines of Iron; its shape has been for long known as a useful diagnosis of the
space-time geometry. We compare with the case of a Schwarzschild black hole,
concluding that the differences are observationally distinguishable.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure
Polarization memory in the nonpolar magnetic ground state of multiferroic CuFeO2
We investigate polarization memory effects in single-crystal CuFeO2, which
has a magnetically-induced ferroelectric phase at low temperatures and applied
B fields between 7.5 and 13 T. Following electrical poling of the ferroelectric
phase, we find that the nonpolar collinear antiferromagnetic ground state at B
= 0 T retains a strong memory of the polarization magnitude and direction, such
that upon re-entering the ferroelectric phase a net polarization of comparable
magnitude to the initial polarization is recovered in the absence of external
bias. This memory effect is very robust: in pulsed-magnetic-field measurements,
several pulses into the ferroelectric phase with reverse bias are required to
switch the polarization direction, with significant switching only seen after
the system is driven out of the ferroelectric phase and ground state either
magnetically (by application of B > 13 T) or thermally. The memory effect is
also largely insensitive to the magnetoelastic domain composition, since no
change in the memory effect is observed for a sample driven into a
single-domain state by application of stress in the [1-10] direction. On the
basis of Monte Carlo simulations of the ground state spin configurations, we
propose that the memory effect is due to the existence of helical domain walls
within the nonpolar collinear antiferromagnetic ground state, which would
retain the helicity of the polar phase for certain magnetothermal histories.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
The importance of radio sources in accounting for the highest mass black holes
The most massive black holes lie in the most massive elliptical galaxies, and
at low-z all radio-loud AGNs lie in giant ellipticals. This strongly suggests a
link between radio-loudness and black hole mass. We argue that the increase in
the radio-loud fraction with AGN luminosity in optically-selected quasar
samples is consistent with this picture. We also use the ratio of black holes
today to quasars at z~2 to conclude that the most bolometrically-luminous AGN,
either radio-loud or radio quiet, are constrained to have lifetimes <~10^8 yr.
If radio sources are associated with black holes of >~10^9 M_sun at all
redshifts, then the same lifetime constraint applies to all radio sources with
luminosities above L_5GHz ~ 10^24 W/Hz/sr.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. To appear in "Lifecycles of Radio Galaxies", ed
J. Biretta et al., New Astronomy Review
A theoretical explanation for the Central Molecular Zone asymmetry
It has been known for more than thirty years that the distribution of
molecular gas in the innermost 300 parsecs of the Milky Way, the Central
Molecular Zone, is strongly asymmetric. Indeed, approximately three quarters of
molecular emission comes from positive longitudes, and only one quarter from
negative longitudes. However, despite much theoretical effort, the origin of
this asymmetry has remained a mystery. Here we show that the asymmetry can be
neatly explained by unsteady flow of gas in a barred potential. We use
high-resolution 3D hydrodynamical simulations coupled to a state-of-the-art
chemical network. Despite the initial conditions and the bar potential being
point-symmetric with respect to the Galactic Centre, asymmetries develop
spontaneously due to the combination of a hydrodynamical instability known as
the "wiggle instability" and the thermal instability. The observed asymmetry
must be transient: observations made tens of megayears in the past or in the
future would often show an asymmetry in the opposite sense. Fluctuations of
amplitude comparable to the observed asymmetry occur for a large fraction of
the time in our simulations, and suggest that the present is not an exceptional
moment in the life of our Galaxy.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Videos of the simulations are
available at http://www.ita.uni-heidelberg.de/~mattia/download.htm
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