23,508 research outputs found
Rotational Spectroscopy of PAHs: Acenaphthene, Acenaphthylene and Fluorene
Pure rotational spectra of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons -
acenaphthene, acenaphthylene and fluorene - have been obtained by Fourier
transform microwave spectroscopy of a molecular beam and subsequently by
millimeter wave absorption spectroscopy for acenaphthene and fluorene. The data
presented here will be useful for deep radio astronomical searches for PAHs
employing large radio telecopes.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure (uses iaus.sty), to appear in IAU Symposium No.
231, Astrochemistry - Recent Successes and Current Challenges, eds. D. C.
Lis, G. A. Blake & E. Herbst (Cambridge Univ. Press
Evocative computing – creating meaningful lasting experiences in connecting with the past
We present an approach – evocative computing – that demonstrates how ‘at hand’ technologies can be ‘picked up’ and used by people to create meaningful and lasting experiences, through connecting and interacting with the past. The approach is instantiated here through a suite of interactive technologies configured for an indoor-outdoor setting that enables groups to explore, discover and research the history and background of a public cemetery. We report on a two-part study where different groups visited the cemetery and interacted with the digital tools and resources. During their activities serendipitous uses of the technology led to connections being made between personal memo-ries and ongoing activities. Furthermore, these experiences were found to be long-lasting; a follow-up study, one year later, showed them to be highly memorable, and in some cases leading participants to take up new directions in their work. We discuss the value of evocative computing for enriching user experiences and engagement with heritage practices
The Las Campanas Infra-red Survey. V. Keck Spectroscopy of a large sample of Extremely Red Objects
(Abridged) We present deep Keck spectroscopy, using the DEIMOS and LRIS
spectrographs, of a large and representative sample of 67 ``Extremely Red
Objects'' (EROs) to H=20.5, with I-H>3.0, in three of the Las Campanas Infrared
Survey fields. Spectroscopic redshifts are determined for 44 sources, of which
only two are contaminating low mass stars. When allowance is made for
incompleteness, the spectroscopic redshift distribution closely matches that
predicted earlier on the basis of photometric data. Our spectra are of
sufficient quality that we can address the important question of the nature and
homogeneity of the z>0.8 ERO population. A dominant old stellar population is
inferred for 75% of our spectroscopic sample; a higher fraction than that seen
in smaller, less-complete samples with broader photometric selection criteria
(e.g. R-K). However, only 28% have spectra with no evidence of recent star
formation activity, such as would be expected for a strictly passively-evolving
population. More than ~30% of our absorption line spectra are of the `E+A' type
with prominent Balmer absorption consistent, on average, with mass growth of
5-15% in the past Gyr. We use our spectroscopic redshifts to improve earlier
estimates of the spatial clustering of this population as well as to understand
the significant field-to-field variation. Our spectroscopy enables us to
pinpoint a filamentary structure at z=1.22 in the Chandra Deep Field South.
Overall, our study suggests that the bulk of the ERO population is an
established population of clustered massive galaxies undergoing intermittent
activity consistent with continued growth over the redshift interval 0.8<z<1.6.Comment: 27 pages, including 14 figures and appendix of spectra (at low
resolution). Full resolution paper can be found at
http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~md . To appear in MNRA
Distant radio galaxies in the near IR
We are carrying out a program of near IR imaging and spectroscopy of radio galaxies with redshifts of 1.5 and greater. One of its principal goals is to constrain the ages and star formation histories of massive galaxies at early epochs. The radio galaxies are drawn from the survey of 1Jy class sources by McCarthy et al (1989) and McCarthy (1990). The sample contains 18 radio galaxies with redshifts greater than 2 and an additional 10 objects with 1.5 less than z less than 2.0. The redshifts were obtained from long slit spectra with the CTIO 4 m. While the galaxies are quite faint (r approximately = 21-24.5) all have Lyman alpha emission with rest frame equivalent widths of 100 - 1000 A. Multicolor photometry in the g,r,i and J,H,K bands has been obtained with the 2.5-m Du Pont Telescope on Las Campanas and with the Hale 5 m telescope at Palomar. We have recently obtained near IR spectra, using the 4 m telescopes at KPNO and CTIO, of a few objects with the goal of determining the Lyman alpha/H-alpha ratio and hence the reddening
Inclination-Independent Galaxy Classification
We present a new method to classify galaxies from large surveys like the
Sloan Digital Sky Survey using inclination-corrected concentration,
inclination-corrected location on the color-magnitude diagram, and apparent
axis ratio. Explicitly accounting for inclination tightens the distribution of
each of these parameters and enables simple boundaries to be drawn that
delineate three different galaxy populations: Early-type galaxies, which are
red, highly concentrated, and round; Late-type galaxies, which are blue, have
low concentrations, and are disk dominated; and Intermediate-type galaxies,
which are red, have intermediate concentrations, and have disks. We have
validated our method by comparing to visual classifications of high-quality
imaging data from the Millennium Galaxy Catalogue. The inclination correction
is crucial to unveiling the previously unrecognized Intermediate class.
Intermediate-type galaxies, roughly corresponding to lenticulars and early
spirals, lie on the red sequence. The red sequence is therefore composed of two
distinct morphological types, suggesting that there are two distinct mechanisms
for transiting to the red sequence. We propose that Intermediate-type galaxies
are those that have lost their cold gas via strangulation, while Early-type
galaxies are those that have experienced a major merger that either consumed
their cold gas, or whose merger progenitors were already devoid of cold gas
(the ``dry merger'' scenario).Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 7 pages in emulateap
Extremely red objects in the fields of high redshift radio galaxies
We are engaged in a program of infrared imaging photometry of high redshift radio galaxies. The observations are being done using NICMOS2 and NICMOS3 arrays on the DuPont 100-inch telescope at Las Campanas Observatory. In addition, Persson and Matthews are measuring the spectral energy distributions of normal cluster galaxies in the redshift range 0 to 1. These measurements are being done with a 58 x 62 InSb array on the Palomar 5-m telescope. During the course of these observations we have imaged roughly 20 square arcminutes of sky to limiting magnitudes greater than 20 in the J, H, and K passbands (3 sigma in 3 square arcseconds). We have detected several relatively bright, extremely red, extended objects during the course of this work. Because the radio galaxy program requires Thuan-Gunn gri photometry, we are able to construct rough photometric energy distributions for many of the objects. A sample of the galaxy magnitudes within 4 arcseconds diameter is given. All the detections are real; either the objects show up at several wavelengths, or in subsets of the data. The reddest object in the table, 9ab'B' was found in a field of galaxies in a rich cluster at z = 0.4; 9ab'A' lies 8 arcseconds from it
The Serendipitous Discovery of a Group or Cluster of young Galaxies at z=2.40 in Deep Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 Images
We report the serendipitous discovery of a group or cluster of young galaxies
at 2.40 in a 24-orbit HST/WFPC2 exposure of the field around the weak
radio galaxy 53W002. Potential cluster members were identified on ground-based
narrow-band redshifted Ly images and confirmed via spectroscopy.
In addition to the known weak radio galaxy 53W002 at z=2.390, two other
objects were found to have excess narrow-band Ly emission at
2.40. Both have been spectroscopically confirmed, and one clearly
contains a weak AGN. They are located within one arcminute of 53W002, or
Mpc (=0.5) at 2.40, which is the physical
scale of a group or small cluster of galaxies. Profile fitting of the WFPC2
images shows that the objects are very compact, with scale lengths
0\farcs 1 (kpc), and are rather faint
(luminosities < L*), implying that they may be sub-galactic sized objects. We
discuss these results in the context of galaxy and cluster evolution and the
role that weak AGN may play in the formation of young galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal (Letters). 13
pages of gzip compressed and uuencoded PS. Figures are available at
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~spd/bib.htm
Estimation of mean sea surfaces in the north Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean using GEOS-3 altimeter data
The mean surfaces of several regions of the world's oceans were estimated using GEOS-3 altimeter data. The northwest Atlantic, the northeast Pacific off the coast of California, the Indian Ocean, the southwest Pacific, and the Phillipine Sea are included. These surfaces have been oriented with respect to a common earth center-of-mass system by constraining the separate solutions to conform to precisely determined laser reference control orbits. The same reference orbits were used for all regions assuring continuity of the separate solutions. Radial accuracies of the control orbits were in the order of one meter. The altimeter measured sea surface height crossover differences were minimized by the adjustment of tilt and bias parameters for each pass with the exception of laser reference control passes. The tilt and bias adjustments removed long wavelength errors which were primarily due to orbit error. Ocean tides were evaluated. The resolution of the estimated sea surfaces varied from 0.25 degrees off the east coast of the United States to about 2 degrees in part of the Indian Ocean near Australia. The rms crossover discrepancy after adjustment varied from 30 cm to 70 cm depending upon geographic location. Comparisons of the altimeter derived mean sea surface in the North Atlantic with the 5 feet x 5 feet GEM-8 detailed gravimetric geoid indicated a relative consistency of better than a meter
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