2,949 research outputs found
Simulation Study of Chic -> J/Psi + gamma Detection with J/Psi -> e+ e- in pp Collisions
We present Monte Carlo preliminary results about the feasibility to detect
the Chic family in p-p collisions at 14 TeV in the ALICE Central Barrel at CERN
LHC. The Chic1 and Chic2 were forced to decay in the channel J/Psi + gamma ->
e+ e- + gamma and were merged with a proton-proton non-biased collision. After
MonteCarlo transport and simulation of the detector response, the e+, e- and
converted gamma were reconstructed and identified in the ALICE ITS, TPC and TRD
detectors. Separate signals corresponding to gamma from Chic1 and from Chic2
were observed. The position and relative weight of the fit to gaussians agreed
with the input values within the statistical limits. Similar studies will be
done for Pb-Pb collisions
Ionized gas kinematics of galaxies in the CALIFA survey : I. Velocity fields, kinematic parameters of the dominant component, and presence of kinematically distinct gaseous systems
J.M.A. acknowledges support from the European Research Council Starting Grant (SEDmorph; P.I. V. Wild). Date of Acceptance: 01/08/2014Context. Ionized gas kinematics provide important clues to the dynamical structure of galaxies and hold constraints to the processes driving their evolution. Aims. The motivation of this work is to provide an overall characterization of the kinematic behavior of the ionized gas of the galaxies included in the Calar Alto Legacy Integral field Area (CALIFA), offering kinematic clues to potential users of the CALIFA survey for including kinematical criteria in their selection of targets for specific studies. From the first 200 galaxies observed by CALIFA survey in its two configurations, we present the two-dimensional kinematic view of the 177 galaxies satisfaying a gas content/detection threshold. Methods. After removing the stellar contribution, we used the cross-correlation technique to obtain the radial velocity of the dominant gaseous component for each spectrum in the CALIFA data cubes for different emission lines (namely, [O ii] λλ3726,3729, [O iii] λλ4959,5007, Hα+[N ii] λλ6548,6584, and [SII]λλ6716,6730). The main kinematic parameters measured on the plane of the sky were directly derived from the radial velocities with no assumptions on the internal prevailing motions. Evidence of the presence of several gaseous components with different kinematics were detected by using [O iii] λλ4959,5007 emission line profiles. Results. At the velocity resolution of CALIFA, most objects in the sample show regular velocity fields, although the ionized-gas kinematics are rarely consistent with simple coplanar circular motions. Thirty-five percent of the objects present evidence of a displacement between the photometric and kinematic centers larger than the original spaxel radii. Only 17% of the objects in the sample exhibit kinematic lopsidedness when comparing receding and approaching sides of the velocity fields, but most of them are interacting galaxies exhibiting nuclear activity (AGN or LINER). Early-type (E+S0) galaxies in the sample present clear photometric-kinematic misaligments. There is evidence of asymmetries in the emission line profiles in 117 out of the 177 analyzed galaxies, suggesting the presence of kinematically distinct gaseous components located at different distances from the optical nucleus. The kinematic decoupling between the dominant and secondary component/s suggested by the observed asymmetries in the profiles can be characterized by a limited set of parameters. Conclusions. This work constitutes the first determination of the ionized gas kinematics of the galaxies observed in the CALIFA survey. The derived velocity fields, the reported kinematic distortions/peculiarities and the identification of the presence of several gaseous components in different regions of the objects might be used as additional criteria for selecting galaxies for specific studies.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
ESPRESSO: The next European exoplanet hunter
The acronym ESPRESSO stems for Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanets and
Stable Spectroscopic Observations; this instrument will be the next VLT high
resolution spectrograph. The spectrograph will be installed at the
Combined-Coud\'e Laboratory of the VLT and linked to the four 8.2 m Unit
Telescopes (UT) through four optical Coud\'e trains. ESPRESSO will combine
efficiency and extreme spectroscopic precision. ESPRESSO is foreseen to achieve
a gain of two magnitudes with respect to its predecessor HARPS, and to improve
the instrumental radial-velocity precision to reach the 10 cm/s level. It can
be operated either with a single UT or with up to four UTs, enabling an
additional gain in the latter mode. The incoherent combination of four
telescopes and the extreme precision requirements called for many innovative
design solutions while ensuring the technical heritage of the successful HARPS
experience. ESPRESSO will allow to explore new frontiers in most domains of
astrophysics that require precision and sensitivity. The main scientific
drivers are the search and characterization of rocky exoplanets in the
habitable zone of quiet, nearby G to M-dwarfs and the analysis of the
variability of fundamental physical constants. The project passed the final
design review in May 2013 and entered the manufacturing phase. ESPRESSO will be
installed at the Paranal Observatory in 2016 and its operation is planned to
start by the end of the same year.Comment: 12 pages, figures included, accepted for publication in Astron. Nach
Revealing the last 13,500 years of environmental history from the multiproxy record of a mountain lake (Lago Enol, northern Iberian Peninsula)
This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10933-009-9387-7.We present the Holocene sequence from Lago Enol (43°16′N, 4°59′W, 1,070 m a.s.l.), Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain. A multiproxy analysis provided comprehensive information about regional humidity and temperature changes. The analysis included sedimentological descriptions, physical properties, organic carbon and carbonate content, mineralogy and geochemical composition together with biological proxies including diatom and ostracod assemblages. A detailed pollen study enabled reconstruction of variations in vegetation cover, which were interpreted in the context of climate changes and human impact. Four distinct stages were recognized for the last 13,500 years: (1) a cold and dry episode that includes the Younger Dryas event (13,500–11,600 cal. year BP); (2) a humid and warmer period characterizing the onset of the Holocene (11,600–8,700 cal. year BP); (3) a tendency toward a drier climate during the middle Holocene (8,700–4,650 cal. year BP); and (4) a return to humid conditions following landscape modification by human activity (pastoral activities, deforestation) in the late Holocene (4,650–2,200 cal. year BP). Superimposed on relatively stable landscape conditions (e.g. maintenance of well established forests), the typical environmental variability of the southern European region is observed at this site.The Spanish Inter-Ministry Commission of Science and
Technology (CICYT), the
Spanish National Parks agency, the European Commission, the
Spanish Ministry of Science, and the European
Social Fund
Revealing the last 13,500 years of environmental history from the multiproxy record of a mountain lake (Lago Enol, northern Iberian Peninsula)
This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10933-009-9387-7.We present the Holocene sequence from Lago Enol (43°16′N, 4°59′W, 1,070 m a.s.l.), Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain. A multiproxy analysis provided comprehensive information about regional humidity and temperature changes. The analysis included sedimentological descriptions, physical properties, organic carbon and carbonate content, mineralogy and geochemical composition together with biological proxies including diatom and ostracod assemblages. A detailed pollen study enabled reconstruction of variations in vegetation cover, which were interpreted in the context of climate changes and human impact. Four distinct stages were recognized for the last 13,500 years: (1) a cold and dry episode that includes the Younger Dryas event (13,500–11,600 cal. year BP); (2) a humid and warmer period characterizing the onset of the Holocene (11,600–8,700 cal. year BP); (3) a tendency toward a drier climate during the middle Holocene (8,700–4,650 cal. year BP); and (4) a return to humid conditions following landscape modification by human activity (pastoral activities, deforestation) in the late Holocene (4,650–2,200 cal. year BP). Superimposed on relatively stable landscape conditions (e.g. maintenance of well established forests), the typical environmental variability of the southern European region is observed at this site.The Spanish Inter-Ministry Commission of Science and
Technology (CICYT), the
Spanish National Parks agency, the European Commission, the
Spanish Ministry of Science, and the European
Social Fund
Bar pattern speeds in CALIFA galaxies: I. Fast bars across the Hubble sequence
The bar pattern speed () is defined as the rotational
frequency of the bar, and it determines the bar dynamics. Several methods have
been proposed for measuring . The non-parametric method
proposed by Tremaine \& Weinberg (1984; TW) and based on stellar kinematics is
the most accurate. This method has been applied so far to 17 galaxies, most of
them SB0 and SBa types. We have applied the TW method to a new sample of 15
strong and bright barred galaxies, spanning a wide range of morphological types
from SB0 to SBbc. Combining our analysis with previous studies, we investigate
32 barred galaxies with their pattern speed measured by the TW method. The
resulting total sample of barred galaxies allows us to study the dependence of
on galaxy properties, such as the Hubble type. We measured
using the TW method on the stellar velocity maps provided by
the integral-field spectroscopy data from the CALIFA survey. Integral-field
data solve the problems that long-slit data present when applying the TW
method, resulting in the determination of more accurate . In
addition, we have also derived the ratio of the corotation radius to
the bar length of the galaxies. According to this parameter, bars can be
classified as fast ( \cal{R}\%\cal{R}$ and the galaxy morphological
type. Our results indicate that independent of the Hubble type, bars have been
formed and then evolve as fast rotators. This observational result will
constrain the scenarios of formation and evolution of bars proposed by
numerical simulations.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Imprints of galaxy evolution on H ii regions Memory of the past uncovered by the CALIFA survey
H ii regions in galaxies are the sites of star formation and thus particular
places to understand the build-up of stellar mass in the universe. The line
ratios of this ionized gas are frequently used to characterize the ionization
conditions. We use the Hii regions catalogue from the CALIFA survey (~5000 H ii
regions), to explore their distribution across the classical [OIII]/Hbeta vs.
[NII]/Halpha diagnostic diagram, and how it depends on the oxygen abundance,
ionization parameter, electron density, and dust attenuation. We compared the
line ratios with predictions from photoionization models. Finally, we explore
the dependences on the properties of the host galaxies, the location within
those galaxies and the properties of the underlying stellar population. We
found that the location within the BPT diagrams is not totally predicted by
photoionization models. Indeed, it depends on the properties of the host
galaxies, their galactocentric distances and the properties of the underlying
stellar population. These results indicate that although H ii regions are short
lived events, they are affected by the total underlying stellar population. One
may say that H ii regions keep a memory of the stellar evolution and chemical
enrichment that have left an imprint on the both the ionizing stellar
population and the ionized gasComment: 18 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publishing in A&
The O3N2 and N2 abundance indicators revisited: improved calibrations based on CALIFA and Te-based literature data
The use of IFS is since recently allowing to measure the emission line fluxes
of an increasingly large number of star-forming galaxies both locally and at
high redshift. The main goal of this study is to review the most widely used
empirical oxygen calibrations, O3N2 and N2, by using new direct abundance
measurements. We pay special attention to the expected uncertainty of these
calibrations as a function of the index value or abundance derived and the
presence of possible systematic offsets. This is possible thanks to the
analysis of the most ambitious compilation of Te-based HII regions to date.
This new dataset compiles the Te-based abundances of 603 HII regions extracted
from the literature but also includes new measurements from the CALIFA survey.
Besides providing new and improved empirical calibrations for the gas
abundance, we also present here a comparison between our revisited calibrations
with a total of 3423 additional CALIFA HII complexes with abundances derived
using the ONS calibration by Pilyugin et al. (2010). The combined analysis of
Te-based and ONS abundances allows us to derive their most accurate calibration
to date for both the O3N2 and N2 single-ratio indicators, in terms of all
statistical significance, quality and coverage of the space of parameters. In
particular, we infer that these indicators show shallower abundance
dependencies and statistically-significant offsets compared to those of Pettini
and Pagel (2004), Nagao et al. (2006) and P\'erez-Montero and Contini (2009).
The O3N2 and N2 indicators can be empirically applied to derive oxygen
abundances calibrations from either direct abundance determinations with random
errors of 0.18 and 0.16, respectively, or from indirect ones (but based on a
large amount of data) reaching an average precision of 0.08 and 0.09 dex
(random) and 0.02 and 0.08 dex (systematic; compared to the direct
estimations),respectively.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Charged Lepton Flavour Violation from Massive Neutrinos in Z Decays
Present evidences for neutrino masses and lepton flavour mixings allow to
predict, in the Standard Model with light neutrinos, branching rates for the
decays Z --> e mu, mu tau, e tau of less than 10^{-54}, while present
experimental exclusion limits from LEP 1 are of order 10^{-5}. The GigaZ option
of the TESLA Linear Collider project will extend the sensitivity down to about
10^{-8}. We study in a systematic way some minimal extensions of the Standard
Model and show that GigaZ might well be sensitive to the rates predicted from
these scenarios.Comment: 24 pages, 4 figures, LaTeX, uses axodraw.st
The intrinsic shape of galaxy bulges
The knowledge of the intrinsic three-dimensional (3D) structure of galaxy
components provides crucial information about the physical processes driving
their formation and evolution. In this paper I discuss the main developments
and results in the quest to better understand the 3D shape of galaxy bulges. I
start by establishing the basic geometrical description of the problem. Our
understanding of the intrinsic shape of elliptical galaxies and galaxy discs is
then presented in a historical context, in order to place the role that the 3D
structure of bulges play in the broader picture of galaxy evolution. Our
current view on the 3D shape of the Milky Way bulge and future prospects in the
field are also depicted.Comment: Invited Review to appear in "Galactic Bulges" Editors: Laurikainen
E., Peletier R., Gadotti D. Springer Publishing. 24 pages, 7 figure
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