18,512 research outputs found
Jamming, two-fluid behaviour and 'self-filtration' in concentrated particulate suspensions
We study the flow of model experimental hard sphere colloidal suspensions at
high volume fraction driven through a constriction by a pressure
gradient. Above a particle-size dependent limit , direct microscopic
observations demonstrate jamming and unjamming--conversion of fluid to solid
and vice versa--during flow. We show that such a jamming flow produces a
reduction in colloid concentration downstream of the constriction.
We propose that this `self-filtration' effect is the consequence of a
combination of jamming of the particulate part of the system and continuing
flow of the liquid part, i.e. the solvent, through the pores of the jammed
solid. Thus we link the concept of jamming in colloidal and granular media with
a 'two-fluid'-like picture of the flow of concentrated suspensions. Results are
also discussed in the light of Osborne Reynolds' original experiments on
dilation in granular materials.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Searching for additional heating - [OII] emission in the diffuse ionized gas of NGC891, NGC4631 and NGC3079
We present spectroscopic data of ionized gas in the disk--halo regions of
three edge-on galaxies, NGC 891, NGC 4631 and NGC 3079, covering a wavelength
range from [\ion{O}{2}] 3727\AA to [\ion{S}{2}] 6716.4\AA.
The inclusion of the [\ion{O}{2}] emission provides new constraints on the
properties of the diffuse ionized gas (DIG), in particular, the origin of the
observed spatial variations in the line intensity ratios. We used three
different methods to derive electron temperatures, abundances and ionization
fractions along the slit. The increase in the [\ion{O}{2}]/H line ratio
towards the halo in all three galaxies requires an increase either in electron
temperature or in oxygen abundance. Keeping the oxygen abundance constant
yields the most reasonable results for temperature, abundances, and ionization
fractions. Since a constant oxygen abundance seems to require an increase in
temperature towards the halo, we conclude that gradients in the electron
temperature play a significant role in the observed variations in the optical
line ratios from extraplanar DIG in these three spiral galaxies.Comment: 43 pages, 29 figure
On the lack of X-ray iron line reverberation in MCG-6-30-15: Implications for the black hole mass and accretion disk structure
We use the method of Press, Rybicki & Hewitt (1992) to search for time lags
and time leads between different energy bands of the RXTE data for MCG-6-30-15.
We tailor our search in order to probe any reverberation signatures of the
fluorescent iron Kalpha line that is thought to arise from the inner regions of
the black hole accretion disk. In essence, an optimal reconstruction algorithm
is applied to the continuum band (2-4keV) light curve which smoothes out noise
and interpolates across the data gaps. The reconstructed continuum band light
curve can then be folded through trial transfer functions in an attempt to find
lags or leads between the continuum band and the iron line band (5-7keV). We
find reduced fractional variability in the line band. The spectral analysis of
Lee et al. (1999) reveals this to be due to a combination of an apparently
constant iron line flux (at least on timescales of few x 10^4s), and flux
correlated changes in the photon index. We also find no evidence for iron line
reverberation and exclude reverberation delays in the range 0.5-50ksec. This
extends the conclusions of Lee et al. and suggests that the iron line flux
remains constant on timescales as short as 0.5ksec. The large black hole mass
(>10^8Msun) naively suggested by the constancy of the iron line flux is
rejected on other grounds. We suggest that the black hole in MCG-6-30-15 has a
mass of M_BH~10^6-10^7Msun and that changes in the ionization state of the disk
may produce the puzzling spectral variability. Finally, it is found that the
8-15keV band lags the 2-4keV band by 50-100s. This result is used to place
constraints on the size and geometry of the Comptonizing medium responsible for
the hard X-ray power-law in this AGN.Comment: 11 pages, 13 postscript figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
The Equilibrium Photoionized Absorber in 3C351
We present two ROSAT PSPC observations of the radio-loud, lobe-dominated
quasar 3C 351, which shows an `ionized absorber' in its X-ray spectrum. The
factor 1.7 change in flux in the 2~years between the observations allows
a test of models for this ionized absorber.
The absorption feature at ~0.7 keV (quasar frame) is present in both spectra
but with a lower optical depth when the source intensity - and hence the
ionizing flux at the absorber - is higher, in accordance with a simple,
single-zone, equilibrium photoionization model. Detailed modeling confirms this
agrement quantitatively. The maximum response time of 2 years allows us to
limit the gas density: n_e > 2 x 10^4 cm^{-3}; and the distance of the ionized
gas from the central source R < 19 pc. This produces a strong test for a
photoionized absorber in 3C~351: a factor 2 flux change in ~1 week in this
source must show non-equilibrium effects in the ionized absorber.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, accepted by Ap
Critical behavior for mixed site-bond directed percolation
We study mixed site-bond directed percolation on 2D and 3D lattices by using
time-dependent simulations. Our results are compared with rigorous bounds
recently obtained by Liggett and by Katori and Tsukahara. The critical
fractions and of sites and bonds are extremely well
approximated by a relationship reported earlier for isotropic percolation,
, where and are the critical fractions in
pure site and bond directed percolation.Comment: 10 pages, figures available on request from [email protected]
The EXOSAT medium-energy slew survey catalog
We present a catalog of X-ray sources observed during slew maneuvers by the
Medium Energy Detector Array onboard the EXOSAT Observatory. The EXOSAT Medium
Energy slew-survey catalog (EXMS) provides a unique record of the 1--8 keV
X-ray sky between 1983 and 1986. 98% of the sky was observed, with 85%
receiving an exposure of >60 s. 1210 sources were detected. By comparing these
source positions with other catalogs, identifications are given for 992
detections (82% of the sample). These identifications consist of 250 distinct
objects, including 95 different X-ray binary systems, and 14 different AGN. A
further 58 detections have multiple candidates, while 160 detections remain
unidentified. Collimator transmission corrected 1-8 keV count rates are given
for the identified sources, together with raw count rates for the other
detections. The construction of the EXMS and the checks performed to ensure the
validity of the derived source properties are discussed. A publically available
version of this catalog is maintained on the EXOSAT database and archive system
(telnet://[email protected]).Comment: 52 pages. 22 Figures. To be published in A&AS. For more information,
see http://astro.estec.esa.nl/SA-general/Projects/Exosat/exmsintro.htm
Spectral Statistics and Local Luminosity Function of a Hard X-ray Complete Sample of Brightest AGNs
We have measured the X-ray spectral properties of a complete flux-limited
sample of bright AGNs from HEAO-1 all-sky catalogs to investigate their
statistics and provide greater constraints on the bright-end of the hard X-ray
luminosity function (HXLF) of AGNs and the AGN population synthesis model of
the X-ray background. Spectral studies using data from ASCA, XMM-Newton and/or
Beppo-SAX observations have been made for almost all AGNs in this sample.
The spectral measurements enable us to construct the neutral absorbing column
density (Log nH) distribution and separate HXLFs for absorbed (Log nH[cm-2]>
21.5) and unabsorbed AGNs in the local universe. Our results show evidence for
a difference in the shapes of HXLFs of absorbed and unabsorbed AGNs in that
absorbed AGN HXLF drops more rapidly at higher luminosities than that of
unabsorbed AGNs, which is similar to that previously reported. In the Lx - nH
plot, we found no AGN in the high-luminosity high-intrinsic absorption regime
(Log Lx[erg/s]> 44.5, Log nH[cm-2]> 21.5) in our sample, where we expect about
5 AGNs if we assume that absorbed and unabsorbed having identical AGN HXLF
shapes. We also find that the observed flux with ASCA or XMM-Newton is smaller
than that with HEAO-1 by a factor of 0.29 on average, which is expected for
re-observation of sources with a factor 2.5 variability amplitude scale.Comment: 43 pages(one column), 10 figures(5 electronic only figures have been
included in the preprint source (tar.gz file)), accepted by The Astronomical
Journal, 9. Mar 200
The EXOSAT database and archive
The EXOSAT database provides on-line access to the results and data products (spectra, images, and lightcurves) from the EXOSAT mission as well as access to data and logs from a number of other missions (such as EINSTEIN, COS-B, ROSAT, and IRAS). In addition, a number of familiar optical, infrared, and x ray catalogs, including the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) guide star catalog are available. The complete database is located at the EXOSAT observatory at ESTEC in the Netherlands and is accessible remotely via a captive account. The database management system was specifically developed to efficiently access the database and to allow the user to perform statistical studies on large samples of astronomical objects as well as to retrieve scientific and bibliographic information on single sources. The system was designed to be mission independent and includes timing, image processing, and spectral analysis packages as well as software to allow the easy transfer of analysis results and products to the user's own institute. The archive at ESTEC comprises a subset of the EXOSAT observations, stored on magnetic tape. Observations of particular interest were copied in compressed format to an optical jukebox, allowing users to retrieve and analyze selected raw data entirely from their terminals. Such analysis may be necessary if the user's needs are not accommodated by the products contained in the database (in terms of time resolution, spectral range, and the finesse of the background subtraction, for instance). Long-term archiving of the full final observation data is taking place at ESRIN in Italy as part of the ESIS program, again using optical media, and ESRIN have now assumed responsibility for distributing the data to the community. Tests showed that raw observational data (typically several tens of megabytes for a single target) can be transferred via the existing networks in reasonable time
The shallow depth emplacement of mafic intrusions on a magma-poor rifted margin : An example from the Bight Basin, Southern Australia
This work comprises a part of the Great Australian Bight Deepwater Marine Program (GABDMP) for funding this project. The GABDMP is a CSIRO research program, sponsored by Chevron Australia the results of which will be made publically available. 3D seismic data was gratefully provided by TGS. Dougal Jerram and Craig Magee are thanked for constructive reviews; Adam Bumby is thanked for editorial handling.Peer reviewedPostprin
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