Moving the needle—what does RSAP look for and what does it aim to do?

Peer reviewe

ISO far-infrared observations of rich galaxy clusters II. Sersic 159-03

The far-infrared emission from rich galaxy clusters is investigated. Maps have been obtained by ISO at 60, 100, 135, and 200 microns using the PHT-C camera. Ground based imaging and spectroscopy were also acquired. Here we present the results for the cooling flow cluster Sersic 159-03. An infrared source coincident with the dominant cD galaxy is found. Some off-center sources are also present, but without any obvious counterparts.Comment: 6 pages, 4 postscript figures, accepted for publication in `Astronomy and Astrophysics

TrainMiC, Training in Metrology in Chemistry.

Abstract not availableJRC.D-Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (Geel

Keck Spectroscopy of Candidate Proto-globular Clusters in NGC 1275

Keck spectroscopy of 5 proto-globular cluster candidates in NGC 1275 has been combined with HST WFPC2 photometry to explore the nature and origin of these objects and discriminate between merger and cooling flow scenarios for globular cluster formation. The objects we have studied are not HII regions, but rather star clusters, yet their integrated spectral properties do not resemble young or intermediate age Magellanic Cloud clusters or Milky Way open clusters. The clusters' Balmer absorption appears to be too strong to be consistent with any of the standard Bruzual & Charlot evolutionary models at any metallicity. If these models are adopted, an IMF which is skewed to high masses provides a better fit to the data. A truncated IMF with a mass range of 2-3 Mo reproduces the observed Balmer equivalent widths and colors at about 450 Myr. Formation in a continuous cooling flow appears to be ruled out since the age of the clusters is much larger than the cooling time, the spatial scale of the clusters is much smaller than the cooling flow radius, and the deduced star formation rate in the cooling flow favors a steep rather than a flat IMF. A merger would have to produce clusters only in the central few kpc, presumably from gas in the merging galaxies which was channeled rapidly to the center. Widespread shocks in merging galaxies cannot have produced these clusters. If these objects are confirmed to have a relatively flat, or truncated, IMF it is unclear whether or not they will evolve into objects we would regard as bona fide globular clusters.Comment: 30 pages (AAS two column style, including 9 tables and 7 figures) to appear in the AJ (August issue), also available at http://www.ucolick.org/~mkissler/Sages/sages.html (with a full resolution Fig.1) Revised Version: previous posted version was an uncorrect ealier iteration, parts of the text, tables and figures changed. The overall conclusions remain unchange

Recent results and perspectives on cosmic backgrounds from radio to far-infrared

© 2019 World Scientific Publishing Company. Cosmological and astrophysical surveys from radio to far-infrared, in both temperature and polarization, offer a unique view of the universe properties and of the formation and evolution of its structures. The last release, close to be finalized, of the Planck mission results sets the scene for cosmological models and parameters, while the comparison with other types of data sets raises the issue of possible tensions about some parameters, first of all the Hubble constant. At the same time, on the extragalactic side, Planck carried out the deepest systematic all-sky survey of SZ galaxy clusters and detected thousands of dusty galaxies and many hundreds of extragalactic radio sources, also allowing us to investigate many specific topics, including molecular hydrogen clouds in galactic halos. The exploitation of future generation of CMB missions and the next radio facilities will allow us to deeply investigate several topics in cosmology and astrophysics, from the existence of primordial gravitational waves to the energy releases in the primeval plasma, from the dawn ages and the epoch of reionization to the formation and evolution of early galaxies and clusters, while a wide set of open astrophysical problems can be studied with future IR missions

Recent results and perspectives on cosmic backgrounds from radio to far-infrared

© 2019 World Scientific Publishing Company. Cosmological and astrophysical surveys from radio to far-infrared, in both temperature and polarization, offer a unique view of the universe properties and of the formation and evolution of its structures. The last release, close to be finalized, of the Planck mission results sets the scene for cosmological models and parameters, while the comparison with other types of data sets raises the issue of possible tensions about some parameters, first of all the Hubble constant. At the same time, on the extragalactic side, Planck carried out the deepest systematic all-sky survey of SZ galaxy clusters and detected thousands of dusty galaxies and many hundreds of extragalactic radio sources, also allowing us to investigate many specific topics, including molecular hydrogen clouds in galactic halos. The exploitation of future generation of CMB missions and the next radio facilities will allow us to deeply investigate several topics in cosmology and astrophysics, from the existence of primordial gravitational waves to the energy releases in the primeval plasma, from the dawn ages and the epoch of reionization to the formation and evolution of early galaxies and clusters, while a wide set of open astrophysical problems can be studied with future IR missions

Electronic structure, magnetism and superconductivity of MgCNi3_{3}

The electronic structure of the newly discovered superconducting perovskite MgCNi$_3$ is calculated using the LMTO and KKR methods. The states near the Fermi energy are found to be dominated by Ni-d. The Stoner factor is low while the electron-phonon coupling constant is estimated to be about 0.7, which suggests that the material is a conventional type of superconductor where T$_C$ is not affected by magnetic interactions. However, the proximity of the Fermi energy to a large peak in the density of states in conjunction with the reported non-stoichiometry of the compound, has consequences for the stability of the results.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figure

The Spectrum of Integrated Millimeter Flux of the Magellanic Clouds and 30-Doradus from TopHat and DIRBE Data

We present measurements of the integrated flux relative to the local background of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds and the region 30-Doradus (the Tarantula Nebula) in the LMC in four frequency bands centered at 245, 400, 460, and 630 GHz, based on observations made with the TopHat telescope. We combine these observations with the corresponding measurements for the DIRBE bands 8, 9, and 10 to cover the frequency range 245 - 3000 GHz (100 - 1220 micrometers) for these objects. We present spectra for all three objects and fit these spectra to a single-component greybody emission model and report best-fit dust temperatures, optical depths, and emissivity power-law indices, and we compare these results with other measurements in these regions and elsewhere. Using published dust grain opacities, we estimate the mass of the measured dust component in the three regions.Comment: 41 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journa

Ultraviolet Imaging Observations of the cD Galaxy in Abell 1795: Further Evidence for Massive Star Formation in a Cooling Flow

We present images from the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope of the Abell 1795 cluster of galaxies. We compare the cD galaxy morphology and photometry of these data with those from existing archival and published data. The addition of a far--UV color helps us to construct and test star formation model scenarios for the sources of UV emission. Models of star formation with rates in the range \sim5-20M_{\sun}yr$^{-1}$ indicate that the best fitting models are those with continuous star formation or a recent ($\sim4$ Myr old) burst superimposed on an old population. The presence of dust in the galaxy, dramatically revealed by HST images complicates the interpretation of UV data. However, we find that the broad--band UV/optical colors of this cD galaxy can be reasonably matched by models using a Galactic form for the extinction law with $E_{B-V}=0.14$. We also briefly discuss other objects in the large UIT field of view.Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journal. 14 AAS preprint style pages plus 7 figure

Using the stated preference method for the calculation of social discount rate

The aim of this paper is to build the stated preference method into the social discount rate methodology. The first part of the paper presents the results of a survey about stated time preferences through pair-choice decision situations for various topics and time horizons. It is assumed that stated time preferences differ from calculated time preferences and that the extent of stated rates depends on the time period, and on how much respondents are financially and emotionally involved in the transactions. A significant question remains: how can the gap between the calculation and the results of surveys be resolved, and how can the real time preferences of individuals be interpreted using a social time preference rate. The second part of the paper estimates the social time preference rate for Hungary using the results of the survey, while paying special attention to the pure time preference component. The results suggest that the current method of calculation of the pure time preference rate does not reflect the real attitudes of individuals towards future generations