1,729 research outputs found
Disc galaxies with multiple triaxial structures. II. JHK surface photometry and numerical simulations
We present detailed JHK surface photometry with ellipse fits of 13 galaxies
selected from previous optical observations as likely candidates for having a
secondary bar or a triaxial bulge within the primary bar. We have found 7
double-barred galaxies, 3 double-barred galaxies with an additional
intermediate structure with twisted isophotes, and 3 galaxies with a bar and
central twisted isophotes. A global analysis of the structural parameter
characteristics in the I- and K-bands is presented. Various numerical models of
galaxies with bars within bars are also analysed using the ellipse fitting
technique and compared to the observations. A thorough review of the possible
hypotheses able to explain this phenomenon is given with emphasis on the most
likely ones.Comment: 12 pages, AATEX. Accepted for publication in A&A. Large color
postscript figures omitted (Figs. 1), figures 2-9 included; gzip'ed
postscript files of the paper and Figs. 1 available via anonymous ftp at
ftp://obsftp.unige.ch/pub/fri/aasjhk/ , files fri_aasjhk.ps.gz and ngc*.ps.g
Near-Infrared and Star-forming properties of Local Luminous Infrared Galaxies
We use HST NICMOS continuum and Pa-alpha observations to study the
near-infrared and star-formation properties of a representative sample of 30
local (d ~ 35-75Mpc) luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs, infrared 8-1000um
luminosities of L_IR=11-11.9[Lsun]). The data provide spatial resolutions of
25-50pc and cover the central ~3.3-7.1kpc regions of these galaxies. About half
of the LIRGs show compact (~1-2kpc) Pa-alpha emission with a high surface
brightness in the form of nuclear emission, rings, and mini-spirals. The rest
of the sample show Pa-alpha emission along the disk and the spiral arms
extending over scales of 3-7kpc and larger. About half of the sample contains
HII regions with H-alpha luminosities significantly higher than those observed
in normal galaxies. There is a linear empirical relationship between the mid-IR
24um and hydrogen recombination (extinction-corrected Pa-alpha) luminosity for
these LIRGs, and the HII regions in the central part of M51. This relation
holds over more than four decades in luminosity suggesting that the mid-IR
emission is a good tracer of the star formation rate (SFR). Analogous to the
widely used relation between the SFR and total IR luminosity of Kennicutt
(1998), we derive an empirical calibration of the SFR in terms of the
monochromatic 24um luminosity that can be used for luminous, dusty galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. Contact first author for high
qualitity version of figure
Extended Emission by Dust in the Dwarf Galaxy UGC 10445
We present Spitzer Space Telescope images of the isolated dwarf galaxy UGC
10445. The galaxy is detected at all photometric bands (3.6-160um) as well as
in the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) spectral energy
distribution mode (55-95um). We derive a star formation rate of 0.25 M_sun/yr
based on H-alpha and infrared flux densities. There is over 10^6 solar masses
of cold dust (T~18K) in the galaxy, represented by 160um emission, that extends
to a larger radius than the ultraviolet (UV), optical and near-infrared light.
Such extended emission has been seen previously only in dwarf galaxies in
cluster environments. We suggest the source of heating for this dust is UV
light originating in star forming complexes. To produce the large quantity of
dust requires a higher rate of star formation in the past than is observed
currently.Comment: 11 pages, 5 pages, accepted to ApJ, color high res figures available
upon reques
Neuronal assembly dynamics in supervised and unsupervised learning scenarios
The dynamic formation of groups of neurons—neuronal assemblies—is believed to mediate cognitive phenomena at many levels, but their detailed operation and mechanisms of interaction are still to be uncovered. One hypothesis suggests that synchronized oscillations underpin their formation and functioning, with a focus on the temporal structure of neuronal signals. In this context, we investigate neuronal assembly dynamics in two complementary scenarios: the first, a supervised spike pattern classification task, in which noisy variations of a collection of spikes have to be correctly labeled; the second, an unsupervised, minimally cognitive evolutionary robotics tasks, in which an evolved agent has to cope with multiple, possibly conflicting, objectives. In both cases, the more traditional dynamical analysis of the system’s variables is paired with information-theoretic techniques in order to get a broader picture of the ongoing interactions with and within the network. The neural network model is inspired by the Kuramoto model of coupled phase oscillators and allows one to fine-tune the network synchronization dynamics and assembly configuration. The experiments explore the computational power, redundancy, and generalization capability of neuronal circuits, demonstrating that performance depends nonlinearly on the number of assemblies and neurons in the network and showing that the framework can be exploited to generate minimally cognitive behaviors, with dynamic assembly formation accounting for varying degrees of stimuli modulation of the sensorimotor interactions
The Nuclear Starburst in NGC 253
We have obtained long-slit spectra of NGC 253 in the J, H, K, and N bands,
broadband images in the J, H, and Ks bands, narrowband images centered at the
wavelengths of BrGamma and H2(1,0)S(1), and imaging spectroscopy centered on
[NeII](12.8um). We use these data and data from the literature in a
comprehensive re-assessment of the starburst in this galaxy. We derive the
supernova rate from the strength of the infrared [FeII] lines. We find that
most of the H2 infrared luminosity is excited by fluorescence in low density
gas. We derive a strong upper limit of ~37,000K for the stars exciting the
emission lines. We use velocity-resolved infrared spectra to determine the mass
in the starburst region. Most of this mass appears to be locked up in the old,
pre-existing stellar population. Using these constraints and others to build an
evolutionary synthesis model, we find that the IMF originally derived to fit
the starburst in M 82 (similar to a Salpeter IMF) also accounts for the
properties of NGC 253. The models indicate that rapid massive star formation
has been ongoing for 20-30 million years in NGC 253---that is, it is in a late
phase of its starburst. We model the optical emission line spectrum expected
from a late phase starburst and demonstrate that it reproduces the observed
HII/weak-[OI] LINER characteristics.Comment: 48 pages, 14 figures, uses AASTeX macros, to appear in Ap
Extremely Red Objects in The Lockman Hole
We investigate Extremely Red Objects (EROs) using near- and mid-infrared
observations in five passbands (3.6 to 24 micron) obtained from the Spitzer
Space Telescope, and deep ground-based R and K imaging. The great sensitivity
of the IRAC camera allows us to detect 64 EROs in only 12 minutes of IRAC
exposure time, by means of an R-[3.6] color cut (analogous to the traditional
red R-K cut). A pure infrared K-[3.6] red cut detects a somewhat different
population and may be more effective at selecting z > 1.3 EROs. We find 17% of
all galaxies detected by IRAC at 3.6 or 4.5 micron to be EROs. These
percentages rise to about 40% at 5.8 micron, and about 60% at 8.0 micron. We
utilize the spectral bump at 1.6 micron to divide the EROs into broad redshift
slices using only near-infrared colors (2.2/3.6/4.5 micron). We conclude that
two-thirds of all EROs lie at redshift z > 1.3. Detections at 24 micron imply
that at least 11% of 0.6 1.3 EROs are
dusty star-forming galaxies.Comment: to appear in the special Spitzer issue of the ApJ
Absolute Flux Calibration of the IRAC Instrument on the Spitzer Space Telescope using Hubble Space Telescope Flux Standards
The absolute flux calibration of the James Webb Space Telescope will be based
on a set of stars observed by the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. In order
to cross-calibrate the two facilities, several A, G, and white dwarf (WD) stars
are observed with both Spitzer and Hubble and are the prototypes for a set of
JWST calibration standards. The flux calibration constants for the four Spitzer
IRAC bands 1-4 are derived from these stars and are 2.3, 1.9, 2.0, and 0.5%
lower than the official cold-mission IRAC calibration of Reach et al. (2005),
i.e. in agreement within their estimated errors of ~2%. The causes of these
differences lie primarily in the IRAC data reduction and secondarily in the
SEDs of our standard stars. The independent IRAC 8 micron band-4 fluxes of
Rieke et al. (2008) are about 1.5 +/- 2% higher than those of Reach et al. and
are also in agreement with our 8 micron result.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure
The Mid-Infrared Instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope, V: Predicted Performance of the MIRI Coronagraphs
The imaging channel on the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) is equipped with
four coronagraphs that provide high contrast imaging capabilities for studying
faint point sources and extended emission that would otherwise be overwhelmed
by a bright point-source in its vicinity. Such bright sources might include
stars that are orbited by exoplanets and circumstellar material, mass-loss
envelopes around post-main-sequence stars, the near-nuclear environments in
active galaxies, and the host galaxies of distant quasars. This paper describes
the coronagraphic observing modes of MIRI, as well as performance estimates
based on measurements of the MIRI flight model during cryo-vacuum testing. A
brief outline of coronagraphic operations is also provided. Finally, simulated
MIRI coronagraphic observations of a few astronomical targets are presented for
illustration
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