Lyapunov exponents from geodesic spread in configuration space

The exact form of the Jacobi -- Levi-Civita (JLC) equation for geodesic spread is here explicitly worked out at arbitrary dimension for the configuration space manifold M_E = {q in R^N | V(q) < E} of a standard Hamiltonian system, equipped with the Jacobi (or kinetic energy) metric g_J. As the Hamiltonian flow corresponds to a geodesic flow on (M_E,g_J), the JLC equation can be used to study the degree of instability of the Hamiltonian flow. It is found that the solutions of the JLC equation are closely resembling the solutions of the standard tangent dynamics equation which is used to compute Lyapunov exponents. Therefore the instability exponents obtained through the JLC equation are in perfect quantitative agreement with usual Lyapunov exponents. This work completes a previous investigation that was limited only to two-degrees of freedom systems.Comment: REVTEX file, 10 pages, 2 figure

DLAs and Galaxy Formation

Damped Lyman-alpha systems (DLAs) are useful probes of star formation and galaxy formation at high redshift. We study the physical properties of DLAs and their relationship to Lyman-break galaxies using cosmological hydrodynamic simulations based on the concordance Lambda cold dark matter model. Fundamental statistics such as global neutral hydrogen (HI) mass density, HI column density distribution function, DLA rate-of-incidence and mean halo mass of DLAs are reproduced reasonably well by the simulations, but with some deviations that need to be understood better in the future. We discuss the feedback effects by supernovae and galactic winds on the DLA distribution. We also compute the [C_II] emission from neutral gas in high-z galaxies, and make predictions for the future observations by ALMA and SPICA. Agreement and disagreement between simulations and observations are discussed, as well as the future directions of our DLA research.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures. Invited brief review for Modern Physics Letters A, in pres

Catching homologies by geometric entropy

A geometric entropy is defined as the Riemannian volume of the parameter space of a statistical manifold associated with a given network. As such it can be a good candidate for measuring networks complexity. Here we investigate its ability to single out topological features of networks proceeding in a bottom-up manner: first we consider small size networks by analytical methods and then large size networks by numerical techniques. Two different classes of networks, the random graphs and the scale--free networks, are investigated computing their Betti numbers and then showing the capability of geometric entropy of detecting homologies.Comment: 12 pages, 2 Figure

Galaxy Clustering at z~3

Galaxies at very high redshift (z~3 or greater) are now accessible to wholesale observation, making possible for the first time a robust statistical assessment of their spatial distribution at lookback times approaching ~90% of the age of the Universe. This paper summarizes recent progress in understanding the nature of these early galaxies, concentrating in particular on the clustering properties of photometrically selected ``Lyman break'' galaxies. Direct comparison of the data to predictions and physical insights provided by galaxy and structure formation models is particularly straightforward at these early epochs, and results in critical tests of the ``biased'', hierarchical galaxy formation paradigm.Comment: Presented at Royal Society Discussion Meeting, March 1998, "Large Scale Structure in the Universe", 14 pages LaTeX, 7 ps figures, uses rspublic.sty (included

Cosmological Conductive/Cooling Fronts as Lyman Alpha Forest Clouds

We propose a simple model for the origin and evolution of \lya clouds based on cosmological conductive/cooling fronts. In this model the \lya arises in the interfaces between the IGM and cold clouds that could be tentatively identified with protogalaxies. Most of the properties of the \lya absorbers are reproduced with a very restricted number of assumptions. Among these are the correct range of HI column density, cloud sizes and redshift and HI column density distributions for the absorbers. Several predictions and implications of the model are briefly discussed.Comment: 9 pages, plain TeX, 3 figures; ApJ Letters, accepte

The Abundances of Nitrogen and Oxygen in Damped Lyman Alpha Systems

We take a fresh look at the abundance of nitrogen in DLAs with oxygen abundances between 1/10 and 1/100 of solar. This is a metallicity regime poorly sampled in the local universe and where QSO absorbers may hold clues to both the nucleosynthetic origin of N and the chemical evolution of high redshift galaxies. We combine new VLT UVES observations with others from the literature to form a sample of 10 DLAs in which the abundances of N and of one of the two alpha-capture elements O or S have been measured. We confirm earlier reports that the (N/O) ratio exhibits a larger range of values than other ratios of heavy elements in DLAs; however, all 10 DLAs fall in the region of the (N/O) vs. (O/H) plot delimited by the primary and secondary levels of nitrogen production. Our results provide empirical evidence in support of the proposal that intermediate mass stars (with masses less than 7 solar masses) are the main source of primary nitrogen, so that its release into the ISM lags behind that of oxygen, which is produced by Type II SNae. A high proportion (40%) of the DLAs in our sample have apparently not yet attained the full primary level of N enrichment; this finding may be an indication that the metallicity regime we are studying preferentially picks out galaxies which have only recently condensed out of the IGM and begun forming stars. Alternatively, the delay in the release of N following an episode of star formation may increase with decreasing metallicity, if stars of progressively lower masses than 4 solar masses can synthesize N in their hotter interiors.Comment: 17 pages, LaTeX, 7 Postscript Figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Physical properties of 6dF dwarf galaxies

Spectral synthesis is basically the decomposition of an observed spectrum in terms of the superposition of a base of simple stellar populations of various ages and metallicities, producing as output the star formation and chemical histories of a galaxy, its extinction and velocity dispersion. The STARLIGHT code provides one of the most powerful spectral synthesis tools presently available. We have applied this code to the entire Six-Degree-Field Survey (6dF) sample of nearby star-forming galaxies, selecting dwarf galaxy candidates with the goal of: (1) deriving the age and metallicity of their stellar populations and (2) creating a database with the physical properties of our sample galaxies together with the FITS files of pure emission line spectra (i.e. the observed spectra after subtraction of the best-fitting synthetic stellar spectrum). Our results yield a good qualitative and quantitative agreement with previous studies based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). However, an advantage of 6dF spectra is that they are taken within a twice as large fiber aperture, much reducing aperture effects in studies of nearby dwarf galaxies.Comment: To appear in JENAM Symposium "Dwarf Galaxies: Keys to Galaxy Formation and Evolution", P. Papaderos, S. Recchi, G. Hensler (eds.). Lisbon, September 2010, Springer Verlag, in pres