462 research outputs found
A new test of uniformity for object orientations in astronomy
We briefly present a new coordinate-invariant statistical test dedicated to
the study of the orientations of transverse quantities of non-uniformly
distributed sources on the celestial sphere. These quantities can be projected
spin-axes or polarization vectors of astronomical sources.Comment: Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 306, 201
Polarization alignments of radio quasars in JVAS/CLASS surveys
We test the hypothesis that the polarization vectors of flat-spectrum radio
sources (FSRS) in the JVAS/CLASS 8.4-GHz surveys are randomly oriented on the
sky. The sample with robust polarization measurements is made of objects
and redshift information is known for of them. We performed two
statistical analyses: one in two dimensions and the other in three dimensions
when distance is available. We find significant large-scale alignments of
polarization vectors for samples containing only quasars (QSO) among the
varieties of FSRS's. While these correlations prove difficult to explain either
by a physical effect or by biases in the dataset, the fact that the QSO's which
have significantly aligned polarization vectors are found in regions of the sky
where optical polarization alignments were previously found is striking.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, submitted to MNRA
A new analysis of quasar polarisation alignments
We propose a new method to analyse the alignment of optical polarisation
vectors from quasars. This method leads to a definition of intrinsic preferred
axes and to a determination of the probability that the
distribution of polarisation directions is random. This probability is found to
be as low as 0.003% for one of the regions of redshift.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figure
Alignment of quasar polarizations with large-scale structures
We have measured the optical linear polarization of quasars belonging to
Gpc-scale quasar groups at redshift z ~ 1.3. Out of 93 quasars observed, 19 are
significantly polarized. We found that quasar polarization vectors are either
parallel or perpendicular to the directions of the large-scale structures to
which they belong. Statistical tests indicate that the probability that this
effect can be attributed to randomly oriented polarization vectors is of the
order of 1%. We also found that quasars with polarization perpendicular to the
host structure preferentially have large emission line widths while objects
with polarization parallel to the host structure preferentially have small
emission line widths. Considering that quasar polarization is usually either
parallel or perpendicular to the accretion disk axis depending on the
inclination with respect to the line of sight, and that broader emission lines
originate from quasars seen at higher inclinations, we conclude that quasar
spin axes are likely parallel to their host large-scale structures.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Polarization power spectra and dust cloud morphology
In the framework of studies of the CMB polarization and its Galactic
foregrounds, the angular power spectra of thermal dust polarization maps have
revealed an intriguing E/B asymmetry and a positive TE correlation. In
interpretation studies of these observations, magnetized ISM dust clouds have
been treated as filamentary structures only; however, sheet-like shapes are
also supported by observational and theoretical evidence. In this work, we
study the influence of cloud shape and its connection to the local magnetic
field on angular power spectra of thermal dust polarization maps. We simulate
realistic filament-like and sheet-like interstellar clouds, and generate
synthetic maps of their thermal dust polarized emission using the software
. We compute their polarization power spectra in multipole range
and quantify the E/B power asymmetry through the
ratio, and the correlation coefficient between T and E modes. We
quantify the dependence of and values on the offset angle
(between longest cloud axis and magnetic field) and inclination angle (between
line-of-sight and magnetic field) for both cloud shapes embedded either in a
regular or a turbulent magnetic field. We find that both cloud shapes cover the
same regions of the (, ) parameter space. The dependence on
inclination and offset angles are similar for both shapes although sheet-like
structures generally show larger scatter. In addition to the known dependence
on the offset angle, we find a strong dependence of and on
the inclination angle. The fact that filament-like and sheet-like structures
may lead to polarization power spectra with similar (, ) values
complicates their interpretation. In future analyses, this degeneracy should be
accounted for as well as the connection to the magnetic field geometry.Comment: 16 pages, 24 figures. Accepted for publication by A&
Anisotropic Orientations of Polarisations from quasar light
Presentation of the foundations of a new statistical test dedicated to the polarisation orientations analysis
Local alignments of parsec-scale AGN radiojets
Context.Coherence in the characteristics of neighboring sources in 2D and 3D
space may suggest the existence of large-scale cosmic structures, which are
useful for cosmological studies. Numerous works have been conducted to detect
such features in global scalesas well as in confined areas of the sky. However,
results are often contradictory and their interpretation remains controversial.
Aims.We investigate the potential alignment of parsec-scale radio jets in
localized regions of the coordinates-redshift space. Methods.We use data from
the Astrogeo VLBI FITS image database to deduce jet directions of radio
sources. We perform the search for statistical alignments between nearby
sources and explore the impact of instrumental biases. Results.We unveil four
regions for which the alignment between jet directions deviates from randomness
at a significance level of more than 5 sigma and is unlikely due to
instrumental systematics. Intriguingly, their locations coincide with other
known large-scale cosmic structures and/or regions of alignments.
Conclusions.If the alignments found are the result of physical processes, the
discovered regions may designate some of the largest structures known to date.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figure
Between liveability and accessibility in the Bois de la Cambre
Il s’agit d’étudier les tensions qui existent entre accessibilité géographique et habitabilité urbaine à Bruxelles, en examinant le cas du Bois de la Cambre en tant que lieu de loisir et de passage. Nous nous intéressons d’abord aux 150 ans d’histoire de ce parc, avant de présenter une enquête exploratoire sur les préférences de la population en ce qui concerne l’aménagement du parc eu égard à la circulation automobile. L’étude fait apparaître une étroite corrélation entre cet aménagement et le mode de vie de chacun. Au fil de son histoire, l’aménagement du parc s’est fait surtout en réponse à des changements sociétaux d’ordre général au niveau des modes d’organisation de la vie des populations, plutôt qu’à un projet urbain explicite. De nos jours, les priorités exprimées par différents groupes de population pour l’aménagement du parc sont fonction de leur lieu de résidence, de leur mode de déplacement, de leur utilisation des espaces verts et de leur accès à ces derniers. Dans ce contexte, l’étude met en évidence la nécessité d’œuvrer autant à la mise en place d’autres solutions de mobilité concrètes qu’à l’élaboration de nouveaux imaginaires pour la ville et la mobilité.Aan de hand van het geval van het Ter Kamerenbos, dat zowel als doorgangsruimte als voor vrijetijdsdoeleinden wordt gebruikt, onderzoeken we de spanning tussen geografische bereikbaarheid en stedelijke leefbaarheid in Brussel. Eerst bespreken we de 150-jarige geschiedenis van het park. Vervolgens presenteren we een verkennend onderzoek naar de voorkeuren van burgers omtrent de inrichting van het park in relatie tot de aanwezigheid van gemotoriseerd verkeer. Uit dat onderzoek blijkt een sterk verband tussen de voorkeursinrichting en persoonlijke levensstijl. In de loop der jaren weerspiegelde de inrichting van het park veeleer de bredere maatschappelijke veranderingen in de manier waarop mensen hun leven organiseren, dan een concreet stadsproject. Tegenwoordig sluit de prioriteit die verschillende sociale groepen formuleren voor de inrichting van het park aan bij hun woonplaats, hun vervoerswijze en hun gebruik van en toegang tot groene ruimten. In dat kader benadrukt het onderzoek dat het noodzakelijk is om zowel concrete mobiliteitsalternatieven als nieuwe denkbeelden over mobiliteit en de stad te ontwikkelen.We explore the tensions that exist between geographical accessibility and urban liveability in Brussels, by examining the case of the Bois de la Cambre, as a place of leisure as well as transiting. First, we study the park’s 150 years of history. Second, we present an explorative survey into citizens’ preferences for the park’s set-up in relation to the presence of motorized traffic. The research reveals a strong relation between the preferred set-up and the personal way of life. Through history, the set-up of the park has reflected broader societal changes in the way people organized their life, more than it reflected an explicit urban project. Today, the priority different social groups express for the setup of the park, reflects their residential location, mode of transport, and use of and access to green spaces. In this context, the study stresses the need to work as much on the construction of concrete mobility alternatives than on the construction of new urban and mobility imaginaries
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