259 research outputs found
Resolving the obscuring torus in NGC 1068 with the power of infrared interferometry: Revealing the inner funnel of dust
We present new interferometric data obtained with MIDI (MID infrared
Interferometric instrument) for the Seyfert II galaxy NGC 1068, with an
extensive coverage of sixteen uv points. These observations resolve the nuclear
mid-infrared emission from NGC 1068 in unprecedented detail with a maximum
resolution of 7 mas. For the first time, sufficient uv points have been
obtained, allowing us to generate an image of the source using maximum entropy
image reconstruction. The features of the image are similar to those obtained
by modelling. We find that the mid-infrared emission can be represented by two
components, each with a Gaussian brightness distribution. The first, identified
as the inner funnel of the obscuring torus, is hot (800K), 1.35 parsec long,
and 0.45 parsec thick in FWHM at a PA=-42 degrees (from north to east). It has
an absorption profile different than standard interstellar dust and with
evidence for clumpiness. The second component is 3 by 4 pc in FWHM with T=300K,
and we identify it with the cooler body of the torus. The compact component is
tilted by 45 degrees with respect to the radio jet and has similar size and
orientation to the observed water maser distribution. We show how the dust
distribution relates to other observables within a few parsecs of the core of
the galaxy such as the nuclear masers, the radio jet, and the ionization cone.
We compare our findings to a similar study of the Circinus galaxy and other
relevant studies. Our findings shed new light on the relation between the
different parsec-scale components in NGC 1068 and the obscuring torus.Comment: Accepted to MNRA
Resolving the nucleus of Centaurus A at mid-IR wavelengths
We have observed Centaurus A with the MID-infrared Interferometric instrument
(MIDI) at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) at resolutions of 7 -
15 mas (at 12.5 micron) and filled gaps in the (u,v) coverage in comparison to
earlier measurements. We are now able to describe the nuclear emission in terms
of geometric components and derive their parameters by fitting models to the
interferometric data. With simple geometrical models, the best fit is achieved
for an elongated disk with flat intensity profile with diameter 76 +/- 9 mas x
35 +/- 2 mas (1.41 +/- 0.17 pc x 0.65 +/- 0.03 pc) whose major axis is oriented
at a position angle (PA) of 10.1 +/- 2.2 degrees east of north. A point source
contributes 47 +/- 11 % of the nuclear emission at 12.5 micron. There is also
evidence that neither such a uniform nor a Gaussian disk are good fits to the
data. This indicates that we are resolving more complicated small-scale
structure in AGNs with MIDI, as has been seen in Seyfert galaxies previously
observed with MIDI. The PA and inferred inclination i = 62.6 +2.1/-2.6 degrees
of the dust emission are compared with observations of gas and dust at larger
scales.Comment: Accepted for the PASA special issue on Centaurus
Influence of near-surface stratigraphy on coastal landslides at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Lake Michigan, USA
This paper is not subject to U.S. copyright. The definitive version was published in Journal of Coastal Research 20 (2004): 510-522, doi:10.2112/1551-5036(2004)020[0510:IONSOC]2.0.CO;2.Lake-level change and landslides are primary controls on the development of coastal environments along the coast of northeastern Lake Michigan. The late Quaternary geology of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was examined with high-resolution seismic reflection profiles, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and boreholes. Based on sequence-stratigraphic principles, this study recognizes ten stratigraphic units and three major unconformities that were formed by late Pleistocene glaciation and postglacial lake-level changes. Locally high sediment supply, and reworking by two regressions and a transgression have produced a complex stratigraphy that is prone to episodic failure. In 1995, a large landslide deposited approximately 1 million m3 of sediment on the lake floor. The highly deformed landslide deposits, up to 18 m thick, extend 3–4 km offshore and unconformably overlie well-stratified glacial and lacustrine sediment. The landslide-prone bluff is underlain by channel-fill deposits that are oriented nearly perpendicular to the shoreline. The paleochannels are at least 10 m deep and 400 m wide and probably represent stream incision during a lake-level lowstand about 10.3 ka B.P. The channels filled with sediment during the subsequent transgression and lake-level highstand, which climaxed about 4.5 ka B.P. As lake level fell from the highstand, the formation of beach ridges and sand dunes sealed off the channel and isolated a small inland lake (Glen Lake), which lies 5 m above the level of Lake Michigan and may be a source of piped groundwater. Our hypothesis is that the paleochannels act as conduits for pore water flow, and thereby locally reduce soil strength and promote slope failure.Generous support for this project was provided by Max Holden and Steve Yancho of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Large stellar disks in small elliptical galaxies
We present the rotation velocities V and velocity dispersions sigma along the
principal axes of seven elliptical galaxies less luminous than M_B= -19.5.
These kinematics extend beyond the half-light radii for all systems in this
photometrically selected sample. At large radii the kinematics not only confirm
that rotation and "diskiness" are important in faint ellipticals, as was
previously known, but also demonstrate that in most sample galaxies the stars
at large galactocentric distances have (V/sigma)_max of about 2, similar to the
disks in bona-fide S0 galaxies. Comparing this high degree of ordered stellar
motion in all sample galaxies with numerical simulations of dissipationless
mergers argues against mergers with mass ratios <=3:1 as an important mechanism
in the final shaping of low-luminosity ellipticals, and favors instead the
dissipative formation of a disk.Comment: 11 pages LaTex with 4 Postscript figure
A diversity of dusty AGN tori: Data release for the VLTI/MIDI AGN Large Program and first results for 23 galaxies
The AGN-heated dust distribution (the "torus") is increasingly recognized not
only as the absorber required in unifying models, but as a tracer for the
reservoir that feeds the nuclear Super-Massive Black Hole. Yet, even its most
basic structural properties (such as its extent, geometry and elongation) are
unknown for all but a few archetypal objects. Since most AGNs are unresolved in
the mid-infrared, we utilize the MID-infrared interferometric Instrument (MIDI)
at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) that is sensitive to
structures as small as a few milli-arcseconds (mas). We present here an
extensive amount of new interferometric observations from the MIDI AGN Large
Program (2009 - 2011) and add data from the archive to give a complete view of
the existing MIDI observations of AGNs. Additionally, we have obtained
high-quality mid-infrared spectra from VLT/VISIR. We present correlated and
total flux spectra for 23 AGNs and derive flux and size estimates at 12 micron
using simple axisymmetric geometrical models. Perhaps the most surprising
result is the relatively high level of unresolved flux and its large scatter:
The median "point source fraction" is 70 % for type 1 and 47 % for type 2 AGNs
meaning that a large part of the flux is concentrated on scales smaller than
about 5 mas (0.1 - 10 pc). Among sources observed with similar spatial
resolution, it varies from 20 % - 100 %. For 18 of the sources, two nuclear
components can be distinguished in the radial fits. While these models provide
good fits to all but the brightest sources, significant elongations are
detected in eight sources. The half-light radii of the fainter sources are
smaller than expected from the size ~ L^0.5 scaling of the bright sources and
show a large scatter, especially when compared to the relatively tight
size--luminosity relation in the near-infrared.Comment: A&A in press; 93 pages, 63 figures, 39 tables; data available only
via CD
WFPC2 Images of the Central Regions of Early-Type Galaxies - I. The Data
We present high resolution R-band images of the central regions of 67
early-type galaxies obtained with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2)
aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Our sample strikingly confirms the
complex morphologies of the central regions of early-type galaxies. In
particular, we detect dust in 43 percent of all galaxies, and evidence for
embedded stellar disks in a remarkably large fraction of 51 percent. In 14 of
those galaxies the disk-like structures are misaligned with the main galaxy,
suggesting that they correspond to stellar bars in S0 galaxies. We analyze the
luminosity profiles of the galaxies in our sample, and classify galaxies
according to their central cusp slope. To a large extent we confirm the clear
dichotomy found in previous HST surveys: bright, boxy ellipticals with shallow
inner cusps (`core' galaxies) on one hand and faint, disky ellipticals with
steep central cusps (`power-law' galaxies) on the other hand. The advantages
and shortcomings of classification schemes utilizing the extrapolated central
cusp slope are discussed, and it is shown that this cusp slope might be an
inadequate representation for galaxies whose luminosity profile slope changes
smoothly with radius rather than resembling a broken power-law. In fact, we
find evidence for an `intermediate' class of galaxies, that cannot
unambiguously be classified as either core or power-law galaxies, and which
have central cusp slopes and absolute magnitudes intermediate between those of
core and power-law galaxies.Comment: 44 pages, 7 Postscript figures. Accepted for publication in the
Astronomical Journal. The associated Appendix with figures of luminosity
profiles, contour plots and isophotal parameters for all galaxies is
available at http://www.astro.washington.edu/rest/centralpro
Second harmonic generation and birefringence of some ternary pnictide semiconductors
A first-principles study of the birefringence and the frequency dependent
second harmonic generation (SHG) coefficients of the ternary pnictide
semiconductors with formula ABC (A = Zn, Cd; B = Si, Ge; C = As, P) with
the chalcopyrite structures was carried out. We show that a simple empirical
observation that a smaller value of the gap is correlated with larger value of
SHG is qualitatively true. However, simple inverse power scaling laws between
gaps and SHG were not found. Instead, the real value of the nonlinear response
is a result of a very delicate balance between different intraband and
interband terms.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figure
Static Interactions of non-Abelian Vortices
Interactions between non-BPS non-Abelian vortices are studied in non-Abelian
U(1) x SU(N) extensions of the Abelian-Higgs model in four dimensions. The
distinctive feature of a non-Abelian vortex is the presence of an internal
CP^{N-1} space of orientational degrees of freedom. For fine-tuned values of
the couplings, the vortices are BPS and there is no net force between two
static parallel vortices at arbitrary distance. On the other hand, for generic
values of the couplings the interactions between two vortices depend
non-trivially on their relative internal orientations. We discuss the problem
both with a numerical approach (valid for small deviations from the BPS limit)
and in a semi-analytical way (valid at large vortex separations). The
interactions can be classified with respect to their asymptotic property at
large vortex separation. In a simpler fine-tuned model, we find two regimes
which are quite similar to the usual type I/II Abelian superconductors. In the
generic model we find other two new regimes: type I*/II*. Unlike the type I
(type II) case, where the interaction is always attractive (repulsive), the
type I* and II* have both attractive and repulsive interactions depending on
the relative orientation. We have found a rich variety of interactions at small
vortex separations. For some values of the couplings, a bound state of two
static vortices at a non-zero distance exists.Comment: 36 pages, 13 figures; v2 a small comment and a reference adde
The dusty heart of Circinus II. Scrutinizing the LM-band dust morphology using MATISSE
In this paper we present the first-ever - and -band interferometric
observations of Circinus, building upon a recent -band analysis. We used
these observations to reconstruct images and fit Gaussian models to the and
bands. Our findings reveal a thin edge-on disk whose width is marginally
resolved and is the spectral continuation of the disk imaged in the band to
shorter wavelengths. Additionally, we find a point-like source in the and
bands that, based on the -band spectral energy distribution fit,
corresponds to the -band point source. We also demonstrate that there is no
trace of direct sightlines to hot dust surfaces in the circumnuclear dust
structure of Circinus. By assuming the dust is present, we find that
obscuration of A mag is necessary to reproduce the
measured fluxes. Hence, the imaged disk could play the role of the obscuring
"torus" in the unified scheme of active galactic nuclei. Furthermore, we
explored the parameter space of the disk + hyperbolic cone radiative transfer
models and identify a simple modification at the base of the cone. Adding a
cluster of clumps just above the disk and inside the base of the hyperbolic
cone provides a much better match to the observed temperature distribution in
the central aperture. This aligns well with the radiation-driven fountain
models that have recently emerged. Only the unique combination of sensitivity
and spatial resolution of the VLTI allows such models to be scrutinized and
constrained in detail. We plan to test the applicability of this detailed dust
structure to other MATISSE-observed active galactic nuclei in the future.Comment: Main article: 12 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A.
arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2205.0157
On Vanishing Theorems For Vector Bundle Valued p-Forms And Their Applications
Let be a strictly increasing function
with . We unify the concepts of -harmonic maps, minimal
hypersurfaces, maximal spacelike hypersurfaces, and Yang-Mills Fields, and
introduce -Yang-Mills fields, -degree, -lower degree, and generalized
Yang-Mills-Born-Infeld fields (with the plus sign or with the minus sign) on
manifolds. When and
the -Yang-Mills field becomes an ordinary Yang-Mills field,
-Yang-Mills field, a generalized Yang-Mills-Born-Infeld field with the plus
sign, and a generalized Yang-Mills-Born-Infeld field with the minus sign on a
manifold respectively. We also introduce the energy functional (resp.
-Yang-Mills functional) and derive the first variational formula of the
energy functional (resp. -Yang-Mills functional) with
applications. In a more general frame, we use a unified method to study the
stress-energy tensors that arise from calculating the rate of change of various
functionals when the metric of the domain or base manifold is changed. These
stress-energy tensors, linked to -conservation laws yield monotonicity
formulae. A "macroscopic" version of these monotonicity inequalities enables us
to derive some Liouville type results and vanishing theorems for forms with
values in vector bundles, and to investigate constant Dirichlet boundary value
problems for 1-forms. In particular, we obtain Liouville theorems for
harmonic maps (e.g. -harmonic maps), and Yang-Mills fields (e.g.
generalized Yang-Mills-Born-Infeld fields on manifolds). We also obtain
generalized Chern type results for constant mean curvature type equations for
forms on and on manifolds with the global doubling property
by a different approach. The case and is due to Chern.Comment: 1. This is a revised version with several new sections and an
appendix that will appear in Communications in Mathematical Physics. 2. A
"microscopic" approach to some of these monotonicity formulae leads to
celebrated blow-up techniques and regularity theory in geometric measure
theory. 3. Our unique solution of the Dirichlet problems generalizes the work
of Karcher and Wood on harmonic map
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