767 research outputs found
A Semi-automatic Search for Giant Radio Galaxy Candidates and their Radio-Optical Follow-up
We present results of a search for giant radio galaxies (GRGs) with a
projected largest linear size in excess of 1 Mpc. We designed a computational
algorithm to identify contiguous emission regions, large and elongated enough
to serve as GRG candidates, and applied it to the entire 1.4-GHz NRAO VLA Sky
survey (NVSS). In a subsequent visual inspection of 1000 such regions we
discovered 15 new GRGs, as well as many other candidate GRGs, some of them
previously reported, for which no redshift was known. Our follow-up
spectroscopy of 25 of the brighter hosts using two 2.1-m telescopes in Mexico,
and four fainter hosts with the 10.4-m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), yielded
another 24 GRGs. We also obtained higher-resolution radio images with the Karl
G. Jansky Very Large Array for GRG candidates with inconclusive radio
structures in NVSS.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, to appear in the proceedings of The Universe of
Digital Sky Surveys, Naples, Italy, Nov 25-28, 2014; Astrophysics and Space
Science, eds. N.R. Napolitano et a
Spectroscopy of the extended emission associated with two high-z quasars
Wetensch. publicatieFaculteit der Wiskunde en Natuurwetenschappe
Biodiversity loss underlies the dilution effect of biodiversity
The dilution effect predicts increasing biodiversity to reduce the risk of infection, but the generality of this effect remains unresolved. Because biodiversity loss generates predictable changes in host community competence, we hypothesised that biodiversity loss might drive the dilution effect. We tested this hypothesis by reanalysing four previously published meta-analyses that came to contradictory conclusions regarding generality of the dilution effect. In the context of biodiversity loss, our analyses revealed a unifying pattern: dilution effects were inconsistently observed for natural biodiversity gradients, but were commonly observed for biodiversity gradients generated by disturbances causing losses of biodiversity. Incorporating biodiversity loss into tests of generality of the dilution effect further indicated that scale-dependency may strengthen the dilution effect only when biodiversity gradients are driven by biodiversity loss. Together, these results help to resolve one of the most contentious issues in disease ecology: the generality of the dilution effect.Non peer reviewe
Spin polarons in triangular antiferromagnets
The motion of a single hole in a 2D triangular antiferromagnet is
investigated using the t-J model. The one-hole states are described by strings
of spin deviations around the hole. Using projection technique the one-hole
spectral function is calculated. For large J/t we find low-lying
quasiparticle-like bands which are well separated from an incoherent background
by a gap of order J. However, for small J/t this gap vanishes and the spectrum
becomes broad over an energy range of several t. The results are compared with
SCBA calculations and numerical data.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figs, to be publish in PR
The mechanically induced structural disorder in barium hexaferrite, BaFe12O19, and its impact on magnetism
The response of the structure of the M-type barium hexaferrite (BaFe12O19) to mechanical action through high-energy milling and its impact on the magnetic behaviour of the ferrite are investigated. Due to the ability of the Fe-57 Mossbauer spectroscopic technique to probe the environment of the Fe nuclei, a valuable insight on a local atomic scale into the mechanically induced changes in the hexagonal structure of the material is obtained. It is revealed that the milling of BaFe12O19 results in the deformation of its constituent polyhedra (FeO6 octahedra, FeO4 tetrahedra and FeO5 triangular bi-pyramids) as well as in the mechanically triggered transition of the Fe3+ cations from the regular 12k octahedral sites into the interstitial positions provided by the magnetoplumbite structure. The response of the hexaferrite to the mechanical treatment is found to be accompanied by the formation of a non-uniform nanostructure consisting of an ordered crystallite surrounded/separated by a structurally disordered surface shell/interface region. The distorted polyhedra and the non-equilibrium cation distribution are found to be confined to the amorphous near-surface layers of the ferrite nanoparticles with the thickness extending up to about 2 nm. The information on the mechanically induced short-range structural disorder in BaFe12O19 is complemented by an investigation of its magnetic behaviour on a macroscopic scale. It is demonstrated that the milled ferrite nanoparticles exhibit a pure superparamagnetism at room temperature. As a consequence of the far-from-equilibrium structural disorder in the surface shell of the nanoparticles, the mechanically treated BaFe12O19 exhibits a reduced magnetization and an enhanced coercivity.DFG/SPP/1415APVV/0528-11VEGA/2/0097/1
Primordial magnetic fields and the HI signal from the epoch of reionization
The implication of primordial magnetic-field-induced structure formation for
the HI signal from the epoch of reionization is studied. Using semi-analytic
models, we compute both the density and ionization inhomogeneities in this
scenario. We show that: (a) The global HI signal can only be seen in emission,
unlike in the standard CDM models, (b) the density perturbations
induced by primordial fields, leave distinctive signatures of the magnetic
field Jeans' length on the HI two-point correlation function, (c) the length
scale of ionization inhomogeneities is \la 1 \rm Mpc. We find that the peak
expected signal (two-point correlation function) is in
the range of scales for magnetic field strength in the
range . We also discuss the
detectability of the HI signal. The angular resolution of the on-going and
planned radio interferometers allows one to probe only the largest magnetic
field strengths that we consider. They have the sensitivity to detect the
magnetic field-induced features. We show that thefuture SKA has both the
angular resolution and the sensitivity to detect the magnetic field-induced
signal in the entire range of magnetic field values we consider, in an
integration time of one week.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures, to appear in JCA
Cosmological Magnetogenesis driven by Radiation Pressure
The origin of large scale cosmological magnetic fields remains a mystery,
despite the continuous efforts devoted to that problem. We present a new model
of magnetic field generation, based on local charge separation provided by an
anisotropic and inhomogeneous radiation pressure. In the cosmological context,
the processes we explore take place at the epoch of the reionisation of the
Universe. Under simple assumptions, we obtain results (i) in terms of the order
of magnitude of the field generated at large scales and (ii) in terms of its
power spectrum. The amplitudes obtained (B ~ 8.10^(-6) micro-Gauss) are
considerably higher than those obtained in usual magnetogenesis models and
provide suitable seeds for amplification by adiabatic collapse and/or dynamo
during structure formation.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure
A new displacement-based approach to calculate stress intensity factors with the boundary element method
The analysis of cracked brittle mechanical components considering linear elastic fracture mechanics is usually reduced to the evaluation of stress intensity factors (SIFs). The SIF calculation can be carried out experimentally, theoretically or numerically. Each methodology has its own advantages but the use of numerical methods has be-come very popular. Several schemes for numerical SIF calculations have been developed, the J-integral method being one of the most widely used because of its energy-like formulation. Additionally, some variations of the J-integral method, such as displacement-based methods, are also becoming popular due to their simplicity. In this work, a simple displacement-based scheme is proposed to calculate SIFs, and its performance is compared with contour integrals. These schemes are all implemented with the Boundary Element Method (BEM) in order to exploit its advantages in crack growth modelling. Some simple examples are solved with the BEM and the calculated SIF values are compared against available solutions, showing good agreement between the different schemes
Reionization: Characteristic Scales, Topology and Observability
Recently the numerical simulations of the process of reionization of the
universe at z>6 have made a qualitative leap forward, reaching sufficient sizes
and dynamic range to determine the characteristic scales of this process. This
allowed making the first realistic predictions for a variety of observational
signatures. We discuss recent results from large-scale radiative transfer and
structure formation simulations on the observability of high-redshift Ly-alpha
sources. We also briefly discuss the dependence of the characteristic scales
and topology of the ionized and neutral patches on the reionization parameters.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures (4 in color), to appear in Astronomy and Space
Science special issue "Space Astronomy: The UV window to the Universe",
proceedings of 1st NUVA Conference ``Space Astronomy: The UV window to the
Universe'' in El Escorial (Spain
The Anatomy of a Magnetar: XMM Monitoring of the Transient Anomalous X-ray Pulsar XTE J1810-197
We present the latest results from a multi-epoch timing and spectral study of
the Transient Anomalous X-ray Pulsar XTE J1810-197. We have acquired seven
observations of this pulsar with the Newton X-ray Multi-mirror Mission
(XMM-Newton) over the course of two and a half years, to follow the spectral
evolution as the source fades from outburst. The spectrum is arguably best
characterized by a two-temperature blackbody whose luminosities are decreasing
exponentially with tau_1 = 870 days and tau_2 = 280 days, respectively. The
temperatures of these components are currently cooling at a rate of 22% per
year from a nearly constant value recorded at earlier epochs of kT_1 = 0.25 keV
and kT_2 = 0.67 keV, respectively. The new data show that the temperature T_1
and luminosity of that component have nearly returned to their historic
quiescent levels and that its pulsed fraction, which has steadily decreased
with time, is now consistent with the previous lack of detected pulsations in
quiescence. We also summarize the detections of radio emission from XTE
J1810-197, the first confirmed for any AXP. We consider possible models for the
emission geometry and mechanisms of XTE J1810-197.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, latex. To appear in the proceedings of
"Isolated Neutron Stars", Astrophysics & Space Science, in pres
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