The Luminosity Function of Omega Centauri

Deep HST-WFPC2 observations of the stellar population in the globular cluster Omega Cen (NGC 5139) have been used to measure the luminosity function of main sequence stars at the low-mass end. Two fields have been investigated, located respectively ~4.6' and ~7' away from the cluster center, or near the half-light radius of this cluster (~4.8'). The color-magnitude diagrams derived from these data show the cluster main sequence extending to the detection limit at I ~ 24. Information on both color and magnitude is used to build the luminosity functions of main sequence stars in these fields and the two independent determinations are found to agree very well with each other within the observational uncertainty. Both functions show a peak in the stellar distribution around M_I ~ 9 followed by a drop at fainter magnitudes well before photometric incompleteness becomes significant, as is typical of other globular clusters observed with the HST. This result is at variance with previous claims that the luminosity function of Omega Cen stays flat at low masses, but is in excellent agreement with recent near-IR NICMOS observations of the same cluster.Comment: To appear in The Astronomical Journal. Contains 7 pages, 4 figures, prepared with the AAS LaTeX macr

Why haven't loose globular clusters collapsed yet?

We report on the discovery of a surprising observed correlation between the slope of the low-mass stellar global mass function (GMF) of globular clusters (GCs) and their central concentration parameter c=log(r_t/r_c), i.e. the logarithmic ratio of tidal and core radii. This result is based on the analysis of a sample of twenty Galactic GCs with solid GMF measurements from deep HST or VLT data. All the high-concentration clusters in the sample have a steep GMF, most likely reflecting their initial mass function. Conversely, low-concentration clusters tend to have a flatter GMF implying that they have lost many stars via evaporation or tidal stripping. No GCs are found with a flat GMF and high central concentration. This finding appears counter-intuitive, since the same two-body relaxation mechanism that causes stars to evaporate and the cluster to eventually dissolve should also lead to higher central density and possibly core-collapse. Therefore, more concentrated clusters should have lost proportionately more stars and have a shallower GMF than low concentration clusters, contrary to what is observed. It is possible that severely depleted GCs have also undergone core collapse and have already recovered a normal radial density profile. It is, however, more likely that GCs with a flat GMF have a much denser and smaller core than suggested by their surface brightness profile and may well be undergoing collapse at present. In either case, we may have so far seriously underestimated the number of post core-collapse clusters and many may be lurking in the Milky Way.Comment: Four pages, one figure, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

The Mass Function of Main Sequence Stars in NGC6397 from Near IR and Optical High Resolution HST Observations

We have investigated the properties of the stellar mass function in the globular cluster NGC6397 using a large set of HST observations that include WFPC2 images in V and I, obtained at ~4' and 10' radial distances, and a series of deep images in the J and H bands obtained with the NIC2 and NIC3 cameras of NICMOS pointed to regions located ~4.5' and ~3.2' from the center. These observations span the region from ~1 to ~3 times the cluster's half-light radius. All luminosity functions, derived from color magniutde diagrams, increase with decreasing luminosity up to a peak at M_I~8.5 or M_H~7 and then precipitously drop well before photometric incompleteness becomes significant. Within the observational uncertainties, at M_I~12 or M_H~10.5 (~0.09 Msun) the luminosity functions are compatible with zero. By applying the best available mass- luminosity relation appropriate to the metallicity of NGC6397 to both the optical and IR data, we obtain a mass function that shows a break in slope at \~0.3 Msun. No single exponent power-law distribution is compatible with these data, regardless of the value of the exponent. We find that a dynamical model of the cluster can simultaneously reproduce all the luminosity functions observed throughout the cluster only if the IMF rises as m**-1.6 in the range 0.8-0.3 Msun and then drops as m**0.2 below ~0.3 Msun. Adopting a more physical log-normal distribution for the IMF, all these data taken together imply a best fit distribution with characteristic mass m_c~0.3 and sigma~1.8.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures (ps). Accepted for publication in Ap

On the Globular Cluster IMF below 1 Solar Mass

(Abridged) Accurate luminosity functions (LF) for a dozen globular clusters have now been measured at or just beyond their half-light radius using HST. They span almost the entire cluster main sequence below ~ 0.75 Msolar. All these clusters exhibit LF that rise continuously from an absolute I magnitude M_I ~ 6 to a peak at M_I ~ 8.5-9 and then drop with increasing M_I. Transformation of the LF into mass functions (MF) by means of the most recent mass luminosity relations that are consistent with all presently available data on the physical properties of low mass, low metallicity stars shows that all the LF observed so far can be obtained from MF having the shape of a log-normal distribution with characteristic mass m_c=0.33 +/- 0.03 Msolar and standard deviation sigma = 1.81 +/- 0.19. After correction for the effects of mass segregation, the variation of the ratio of the number of higher to lower mass stars with cluster mass or any simple orbital parameter or the expected time to disruption recently computed for these clusters shows no statistically significant trend over a range of this last parameter of more than a factor of 100. We conclude that the global MF of these clusters have not been measurably modified by evaporation and tidal interactions with the Galaxy and, thus, should reflect the initial distribution of stellar masses. Since the log-normal function that we find is also very similar to the one obtained independently for much younger clusters and to the form expected theoretically, the implication seems to be unavoidable that it represents the true stellar IMF for this type of stars in this mass range.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. Contains 28 pages with 6 figure

Learning from a well-documented geotechnical cold case : the Two Towers of Bologna, Italy.

The Garisenda Tower and the Asinelli Tower, also widely known as the Two Towers, are the best preserved and famous medieval towers in the city of Bologna (Northern Italy). Standing one close to the other, right in the heart of the city centre, the Two Towers are delicate remains of the old towered city, which counted more than 75 towers in the 12th century. The foundations of historic towers and the surrounding soil often hide major hazards for the long-term preservation of these heritage structures. The initial fundamental step to this aim is indeed a deep understanding of their original conception, foundations and subsoil. However, the idea that also such elements are an integral part of the overall structure, and thus subjected to the same conservation rules, is relatively new. The present paper outlines the investigation criteria applied to the soil-foundation systems of the Two Towers of Bologna and describes the authenticity of their characteristics, through the interpretation of new experimental data and the analysis of historical documents. A geotechnical perspective on this type of monuments turns out to be crucial in order to effectively understand the soil-structure interaction mechanisms, which govern their safety conditions over time. This study also aims to better understand the reasons why the Two Towers of Bologna, despite their numerous similarities, have reached completely different structural configurations. The methodology described to investigate this case study, which required the integration of several aspects, can be usefully applied to any historic tower

Enhancement of the convective cooling of two heaters in a rectangular duct by impinging jets

A numerical investigation was performed to compare two alternative configurations for the convective air cooling of two heaters flush mounted on the lower horizontal wall of a rectangular duct. One configuration consisted of duct flow with uniform airflow velocity and temperature at the duct inlet and the heaters were located in the flow entrance region. In the other, the cooling was obtained by impinging air jets exiting with uniform velocity and temperature from two square holes on the upper duct wall just above the heaters. The simulations were performed under steady state conditions considering the three dimensional flow region of each configuration, where the conservation equations were solved. The results were presented in the form of the adiabatic Nusselt number and a dimensionless pressure drop for both configurations, in the range of the duct Reynolds number from 500 to 9,00013148COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESNão te

A systems biology approach to dissection of the effects of small bicyclic peptidomimetics on a panel of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants

In recent years, an approach called “chemical genetics” has been adopted in drug research to discover and validate new targets and to identify and optimize leads by high throughput screening. In this work, we tested the ability of a library of small peptidomimetics to induce phenotypic effects with functional implications on a panel of strains of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, both wild type and mutants, for respiratory function and multidrug resistance. Further elucidation of the function of these peptidomimetics was assessed by testing the effects of the compound with the most prominent inhibitory activity, 089, on gene expression using DNA microarrays. Pathway analysis showed the involvement of such a molecule in inducing oxidative damage through alterations in mitochondrial functions. Transcriptional experiments were confirmed by increased levels of ROS and activation of mitochondrial membrane potential. Our results demonstrate the influence of a functional HAP1 gene in the performance of S. cerevisiae as a model system

BVRIJHK photometry and proper motion analysis of NGC 6253 and the surrounding field

Context. We present a photometric and astrometric catalog of 187963 stars located in the field around the old super-metal-rich Galactic open cluster NGC 6253. The total field-of-view covered by the catalog is 34' x 33'. In this field, we provide CCD BVRI photometry. For a smaller region close to the cluster's center, we also provide near-infrared JHK photometry. Aims. We analyze the properties of NGC 6253 by using our new photometric data and astrometric membership. Methods. In June 2004, we targeted the cluster during a 10 day multi-site campaign, which involved the MPG/ESO 2.2m telescope with its wide-field imager and the Anglo-Australian 3.9m telescope, equipped with the IRIS2 near-infrared imager. Archival CCD images of NGC 6253 were used to derive relative proper motions and to calculate the cluster membership probabilities. Results. We have refined the cluster's fundamental parameters, deriving (V_0-M_v)=11.15, E(B - V)=0.15, E(V - I)=0.25, E(V - J)=0.50, and E(V - H)=0.55. The color excess ratios obtained using both the optical and near infrared colors indicate a normal reddening law in the direction of NGC 6253. The age of NGC 6253 at 3.5 Gyr, determined from our best-fitting isochrone appears to be slightly older than the previous estimates. Finally, we estimated the binary fraction among the cluster members to be \sim20%-30% and identified 11 blue straggler candidates.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, 11 tables. Accepted for publication in A&A. Catalog avaiable via CD