On the rate of black hole binary mergers in galactic nuclei due to dynamical hardening

We assess the contribution of dynamical hardening by direct three-body scattering interactions to the rate of stellar-mass black hole binary (BHB) mergers in galactic nuclei. We derive an analytic model for the single-binary encounter rate in a nucleus with spherical and disk components hosting a super-massive black hole (SMBH). We determine the total number of encounters $N_{\rm GW}$ needed to harden a BHB to the point that inspiral due to gravitational wave emission occurs before the next three-body scattering event. This is done independently for both the spherical and disk components. Using a Monte Carlo approach, we refine our calculations for $N_{\rm GW}$ to include gravitational wave emission between scattering events. For astrophysically plausible models we find that typically $N_{\rm GW} \lesssim$ 10. We find two separate regimes for the efficient dynamical hardening of BHBs: (1) spherical star clusters with high central densities, low velocity dispersions and no significant Keplerian component; and (2) migration traps in disks around SMBHs lacking any significant spherical stellar component in the vicinity of the migration trap, which is expected due to effective orbital inclination reduction of any spherical population by the disk. We also find a weak correlation between the ratio of the second-order velocity moment to velocity dispersion in galactic nuclei and the rate of BHB mergers, where this ratio is a proxy for the ratio between the rotation- and dispersion-supported components. Because disks enforce planar interactions that are efficient in hardening BHBs, particularly in migration traps, they have high merger rates that can contribute significantly to the rate of BHB mergers detected by the advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

In-situ optical characterisation of the spatial dynamics of liquid crystalline nanocomposites

Liquid crystalline nanocomposites are a novel class of hybrid fluid materials, which are currently attracting significant interest from the photonics community. Such fluid nano-composites are based on low-dimensional nanoparticles (carbon nanotubes, graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), metal nanoparticles etc.) dispersed in a fluidic host material. Liquid crystalline properties can either be provided by using a liquid crystal host fluid, or, through the solvent-induced self-assembly of particles. They possess a unique capability to interact with light, utilising many possibilities in plasmonics and quantum optics while they can also be integrated on Si chip by means of microfluidic technology. Integration of the nanocomposites on chip allows for dynamic control of the dispersed particle ordering through the application of various external stimuli. However, this dynamic control requires a suitable characterisation technique to fully understand the time evolution of metastructure formation. Integrated nanocomposites are characterised by the particle concentration at different points on chip, while the individual particles are defined by their sizes, xyz positions and orientation relative to the chip architecture. Here, we present a method by which all the required information for complete characterisation of the system can be obtained using a single spectroscopic technique- Raman spectroscopy- and how changes in the system can then be monitored during device operation. Liquid crystalline nanocomposites have been synthesised based on two-dimensional (2D) materials including graphene oxide (GO) and TMDCs dispersed in either commercially available liquid crystals or various organic solvents. We present both numerical analysis of the theoretical practicability of the use of Raman spectroscopy to extrapolate the desired nanocomposite properties and the experimental confirmation of the achievability of these measurements for the full range of synthesised nanocomposites

The first VLBI image of an Infrared-Faint Radio Source

Context: To investigate the joint evolution of active galactic nuclei and star formation in the Universe. Aims: In the 1.4 GHz survey with the Australia Telescope Compact Array of the Chandra Deep Field South and the European Large Area ISO Survey - S1 we have identified a class of objects which are strong in the radio but have no detectable infrared and optical counterparts. This class has been called Infrared-Faint Radio Sources, or IFRS. 53 sources out of 2002 have been classified as IFRS. It is not known what these objects are. Methods: To address the many possible explanations as to what the nature of these objects is we have observed four sources with the Australian Long Baseline Array. Results: We have detected and imaged one of the four sources observed. Assuming that the source is at a high redshift, we find its properties in agreement with properties of Compact Steep Spectrum sources. However, due to the lack of optical and infrared data the constraints are not particularly strong.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 5 pages, needs aa.cl

Hygroscopic and chemical characterisation of Po Valley aerosol

Continental summer-time aerosol in the Italian Po Valley was characterised in terms of hygroscopic properties and the influence of chemical composition therein. Additionally, the ethanol affinity of particles was analysed. The campaign-average minima in hygroscopic growth factors (HGFs, at 90% relative humidity) occurred just before and during sunrise from 03:00 to 06:00 LT (all data are reported in the local time), but, more generally, the hygroscopicity during the whole night is very low, particularly in the smaller particle sizes. The average HGFs recorded during the low HGF period were in a range from 1.18 (for the smallest, 35nm particles) to 1.38 (for the largest, 165 nm particles). During the day, the HGF gradually increased to achieve maximum values in the early afternoon hours 12:00–15:00, reaching 1.32 for 35 nm particles and 1.46 for 165 nm particles. Two contrasting case scenarios were encountered during the measurement period: Case 1 was associated with westerly air flow moving at a moderate pace and Case 2 was associated with more stagnant, slower moving air from the north-easterly sector. Case 1 exhibited weak diurnal temporal patterns, with no distinct maximum or minimum in HGF or chemical composition, and was associated with moderate non-refractory aerosol mass concentrations (for 50% size cut at 1 μ) of the order of 4.5 μg m⁻³. For Case 1, organics contributed typically 50% of the mass. Case 2 was characterised by >9.5 μg m⁻³ total non-refractory mass (<1 μ) in the early morning hours (04:00), decreasing to ~3 μg m⁻³ by late morning (10:00) and exhibited strong diurnal changes in chemical composition, particularly in nitrate mass but also in total organic mass concentrations. Specifically, the concentrations of nitrate peaked at night-time, along with the concentrations of hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA) and of semi-volatile oxygenated organic aerosol (SV-OOA). In general, organic growth factors (OGFs) followed a trend which was opposed to HGF and also to the total organic mass as measured by the aerosol mass spectrometer. The analysis of the HGF probability distribution function (PDF) reveals an existence of a predominant "more hygroscopic" (MH) mode with HGF of 1.5 around noon, and two additional modes: one with a "less hygroscopic" (LH) HGF of 1.26, and another with a "barely hygroscopic" (BH) mode of 1.05. Particles sized 165 nm exhibited moderate diurnal variability in HGF, ranging from 80% at night to 95% of "more hygroscopic" growth factors (i.e. HGFs 1.35–1.9) around noon. The diurnal changes in HGF progressively became enhanced with decreasing particle size, decreasing from 95% "more hygroscopic" growth factor fraction at noon to 10% fraction at midnight, while the "less hygroscopic" growth factor fraction (1.13–1.34) increased from 5% at noon to > 60% and the "barely hygroscopic" growth factor fraction (1.1–1.2) increased from less than 2% at noon to 30% at midnight. Surprisingly, the lowest HGFs occurred for the period when nitrate mass reached peak concentrations (Case 2). We hypothesised that the low HGFs of nitrate-containing particles can be explained by a) an organic coating suppressing the water-uptake, and/or by b) the existence of nitrates in a less hygroscopic state, e.g. as organic nitrates. The latter hypothesis allows us to explain also the reduced OGFs observed during the early morning hours (before dawn) when nitrate concentrations peaked, based on the evidence that organic nitrates have significant lower ethanol affinity than other SV-OOA compounds

Investigating organic aerosol loading in the remote marine environment

Aerosol loading in the marine environment is investigated using aerosol composition measurements from several research ship campaigns (ICEALOT, MAP, RHaMBLe, VOCALS and OOMPH), observations of total AOD column from satellite (MODIS) and ship-based instruments (Maritime Aerosol Network, MAN), and a global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem). This work represents the most comprehensive evaluation of oceanic OM emission inventories to date, by employing aerosol composition measurements obtained from campaigns with wide spatial and temporal coverage. The model underestimates AOD over the remote ocean on average by 0.02 (21 %), compared to satellite observations, but provides an unbiased simulation of ground-based Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) observations. Comparison with cruise data demonstrates that the GEOS-Chem simulation of marine sulfate, with the mean observed values ranging between 0.22 μg m−3 and 1.34 μg m−3, is generally unbiased, however surface organic matter (OM) concentrations, with the mean observed concentrations between 0.07 μg m−3 and 0.77 μg m−3, are underestimated by a factor of 2–5 for the standard model run. Addition of a sub-micron marine OM source of approximately 9 TgC yr−1 brings the model into agreement with the ship-based measurements, however this additional OM source does not explain the model underestimate of marine AOD. The model underestimate of marine AOD is therefore likely the result of a combination of satellite retrieval bias and a missing marine aerosol source (which exhibits a different spatial pattern than existing aerosol in the model)

Model evaluation of marine primary organic aerosol emission schemes

In this study, several marine primary organic aerosol (POA) emission schemes have been evaluated using the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model in order to provide guidance for their implementation in air quality and climate models. These emission schemes, based on varying dependencies of chlorophyll &lt;i&gt;a&lt;/i&gt; concentration ([chl &lt;i&gt;a&lt;/i&gt;]) and 10 m wind speed (&lt;i&gt;U&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt;), have large differences in their magnitude, spatial distribution, and seasonality. Model comparison with weekly and monthly mean values of the organic aerosol mass concentration at two coastal sites shows that the source function exclusively related to [chl &lt;i&gt;a&lt;/i&gt;] does a better job replicating surface observations. Sensitivity simulations in which the negative &lt;i&gt;U&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt; and positive [chl &lt;i&gt;a&lt;/i&gt;] dependence of the organic mass fraction of sea spray aerosol are enhanced show improved prediction of the seasonality of the marine POA concentrations. A top-down estimate of submicron marine POA emissions based on the parameterization that compares best to the observed weekly and monthly mean values of marine organic aerosol surface concentrations has a global average emission rate of 6.3 Tg yr&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt;. Evaluation of existing marine POA source functions against a case study during which marine POA contributed the major fraction of submicron aerosol mass shows that none of the existing parameterizations are able to reproduce the hourly-averaged observations. Our calculations suggest that in order to capture episodic events and short-term variability in submicron marine POA concentration over the ocean, new source functions need to be developed that are grounded in the physical processes unique to the organic fraction of sea spray aerosol

Primary marine aerosol emissions: size resolved eddy covariance measurements with estimates of the sea salt and organic carbon fractions

International audiencePrimary marine aerosol fluxes were measured using eddy covariance (EC), a condensation particle counter (CPC) and an optical particle counter (OPC) with a heated inlet. The later was used to discriminate between sea salt and total aerosol. Measurements were made from the 25 m tower at the research station Mace Head at the Irish west coast, May to September 2002. The aerosol fluxes were dominated by upward fluxes, sea spray from bubble bursting at the ocean surface. The sea salt aerosol number emissions increased two orders of magnitude with declining diameter from 1 to 0.1 ?m where it peaked at values of 105 to 107 particles m?2s?1. The sea salt emissions increased at all sizes in the wind range 4 to 22 ms?1, in consistency with a power function of the wind speed. The sea salt emission data were compared to three recent sub micrometer sea salt source parameterisations. The best agreement was with Mårtensson et al. (2003), which appear to apply from 0.1 to 1.1 ?m diameters in temperate water (12°C) as well as tropical water (25°C). The total aerosol emissions were independent of the wind speed below 10 ms?1, but increased with the wind above 10 ms?1. The aerosol volume emissions were larger for the total aerosol than for the sea salt at all wind speeds, while the sea salt number emissions approached the total number emissions at 15 ms?1. It is speculated that this is caused by organic carbon in the surface water that is depleted at high wind speeds. The data are consistent with an internal aerosol mixture of sea salt, organic carbon and water. Using the aerosol model by Ellison et al. (1999) (a mono-layer of organic carbon surrounding a water-sea-salt brine) we show that the total and sea salt aerosol emissions are consistent. This predict that the organic carbon fraction increase with decreasing diameter from a few % at 1 ?m over 50% at about 0.5 ?m to about 90% at 0.1 ?m, in consistency with simultaneous chemical data by Cavalli et al. (2004). The combined models of Mårtensson et al. (2003) and Ellison et al. (1999) reproduce the observed total aerosol emissions and offer an approach to model the organic sea spray fraction