6,256 research outputs found
ROSAT PSPC detection of soft X-ray absorption in GB 1428+4217: The most distant matter yet probed with X-ray spectroscopy
We report on a ROSAT PSPC observation of the highly-luminous z = 4.72
radio-loud quasar GB 1428+4217 obtained between 1998 December 11 and 17, the
final days of the ROSAT satellite. The low-energy sensitivity of the PSPC
detector was employed to constrain the intrinsic X-ray absorption of the
currently most distant X-ray detected object. Here we present the detection of
significant soft X-ray absorption towards GB 1428+4217, making the absorbing
material the most distant matter yet probed with X-ray spectroscopy. X-ray
variability by 25+-8 per cent is detected on a timescale of 6500 s in the rest
frame. The X-ray variation requires an unusually high radiative efficiency of
at least 4.2, further supporting the blazar nature of the source.Comment: 6 pages incl. 6 figures, accepted for publication in Monthly Notice
X-ray absorption in the strong FeII narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 507
We present results from spectral analysis of ASCA data on the NLS1 Mrk 507.
This galaxy was found to have an exceptionally flat ROSAT spectrum among the
NLS1s. The ASCA spectrum however shows a clear absorption feature in the energy
band below 2 keV, which partly accounts for the flat spectrum observed with the
ROSAT PSPC. The absorption is mainly due to cold gas with a column density of
(2-3)E21 cm-2. A reanalysis of the PSPC data indicates that the absorber is
slightly ionized, covers only part of the central source, or there is extra
soft thermal emission from an extended region. There is also evidence that the
X-ray absorption is complex; an edge feature marginally detected at 0.84 keV
suggests the presence of an additional high ionization absorber which imposes a
strong OVIII edge on the spectrum. After correction for the absorption, the
photon index of the intrinsic continuum, 1.8, obtained from the ASCA data is
quite similar to that of ordinary Seyfert 1 galaxies. Mrk 507 still has one of
the flattest continuum slopes among NLS1, but is no longer exceptional. The
strong optical FeII emission remains unusual in the light of the correlation
between FeII strengths and steepness of soft X-ray slope.Comment: 6 pages, 3 Postscript figures, to be published in MNRA
Small gain theorems for large scale systems and construction of ISS Lyapunov functions
We consider interconnections of n nonlinear subsystems in the input-to-state
stability (ISS) framework. For each subsystem an ISS Lyapunov function is given
that treats the other subsystems as independent inputs. A gain matrix is used
to encode the mutual dependencies of the systems in the network. Under a small
gain assumption on the monotone operator induced by the gain matrix, a locally
Lipschitz continuous ISS Lyapunov function is obtained constructively for the
entire network by appropriately scaling the individual Lyapunov functions for
the subsystems. The results are obtained in a general formulation of ISS, the
cases of summation, maximization and separation with respect to external gains
are obtained as corollaries.Comment: provisionally accepted by SIAM Journal on Control and Optimizatio
A Simple Measurement of Turbulence in Cores of Galaxy Clusters
Using a simple model, we study the effects of turbulence on the motion of
bubbles produced by AGN jet activities in the core of a galaxy cluster. We
focus on the turbulence with scales larger then the size of the bubbles. We
show that for a bubble pair with an age of ~10^8 yr, the projected angle
between the two vectors from the cluster center to the two bubbles should be ~>
90 degree and the ratio of their projected distances from the cluster center
should be ~< 2.5, if the velocity and scale of the turbulence are ~250 km s^-1
and ~20 kpc, respectively. The positions of the bubbles observed in the Perseus
cluster suggest that the turbulent velocity is ~>100 km s^-1 for the cluster.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ
Investigating ionized disc models of the variable narrow-line Seyfert 1 PG 1404+226
We investigate the use of relativistically blurred photoionized disc models
on an XMM-Newton observation of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxy PG 1404+226.
The model is designed to reproduce the radiation from the inner accretion disc
around a Kerr black hole, and is more successful at fitting the spectrum than
models based on a thermal soft excess. The source varies strongly over the
course of the observation, and the disc model works over all observed flux
states. We conclude that it is a useful tool in the study of certain quasars.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Numerical Tests of Rotational Mixing in Massive Stars with the new Population Synthesis Code BONNFIRES
We use our new population synthesis code BONNFIRES to test how surface
abundances predicted by rotating stellar models depend on the numerical
treatment of rotational mixing, such as spatial resolution, temporal resolution
and computation of mean molecular weight gradients. We find that even with
identical numerical prescriptions for calculating the rotational mixing
coefficients in the diffusion equation, different timesteps lead to a deviation
of the coefficients and hence surface abundances. We find the surface
abundances vary by 10-100% between the model sequences with short timestep of
0.001Myr to model sequences with longer timesteps. Model sequences with
stronger surface nitrogen enrichment also have longer main-sequence lifetimes
because more hydrogen is mixed to the burning cores. The deviations in
main-sequence lifetimes can be as large as 20%. Mathematically speaking, no
numerical scheme can give a perfect solution unless infinitesimally small
timesteps are used. However, we find that the surface abundances eventually
converge within 10% between modelling sequences with sufficiently small
timesteps below 0.1Myr. The efficiency of rotational mixing depends on the
implemented numerical scheme and critically on the computation of the mean
molecular weight gradient. A smoothing function for the mean molecular weight
gradient results in stronger rotational mixing. If the discretization scheme or
the computational recipe for calculating the mean molecular weight gradient is
altered, re-calibration of mixing parameters may be required to fit
observations. If we are to properly understand the fundamental physics of
rotation in stars, it is crucial that we minimize the uncertainty introduced
into stellar evolution models when numerically approximating rotational mixing
processes.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted by A&
ROSAT monitoring of persistent giant and rapid variability in the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy IRAS 13224-3809
We report evidence for persistent giant and rapid X-ray variability in the
radio-quiet, ultrasoft, strong Fe II, narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy IRAS
13224-3809. Within a 30 day ROSAT High Resolution Imager (HRI) monitoring
observation at least five giant amplitude count rate variations are visible,
with the maximum observed amplitude of variability being about a factor of 60.
We detect a rise by a factor of about 57 in just two days. IRAS 13224-3809
appears to be the most X-ray variable Seyfert known, and its variability is
probably nonlinear. We carefully check the identification of the highly
variable X-ray source with the distant galaxy, and it appears to be secure. We
examine possible explanations for the giant variability. Unusually strong
relativistic effects and partial covering by occulting structures on an
accretion disc can provide plausible explanations of the X-ray data, and we
explore these two scenarios. Relativistic boosting effects may be relevant to
understanding the strong X-ray variability of some steep spectrum Seyferts more
generally.Comment: 14 pages, submitted to MNRA
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