G181.1+9.5, a new high-latitude low-surface brightness supernova remnant

More than 90% of the known Milky Way supernova remnants are within 5 degrees of the Galactic Plane. We present the discovery of the supernova remnant G181.1+9.5, a new high-latitude SNR, serendipitously discovered in an ongoing survey of the Galactic Anti-centre High-Velocity Cloud complex, observed with the DRAO Synthesis Telescope in the 21~cm radio continuum and HI spectral line. We use radio continuum observations (including the linearly polarized component) at 1420~MHz (observed with the DRAO ST) and 4850~MHz (observed with the Effelsberg 100-m radio telescope) to map G181.1+9.5 and determine its nature as a SNR. High-resolution 21~cm HI line observations and HI emission and absorption spectra reveal the physical characteristics of its local interstellar environment. Finally, we estimate the basic physical parameters of G181.1+9.5 using models for highly-evolved SNRs. G181.1+9.5 has a circular shell-like morphology with a radius of about 16~pc at a distance of 1.5 kpc some 250 pc above the mid-plane. The radio observations reveal highly linearly polarized emission with a non-thermal spectrum. Archival ROSAT X-ray data reveal high-energy emission from the interior of G181.1+9.5 indicative of the presence of shock-heated ejecta. The SNR is in the advanced radiative phase of SNR evolution, expanding into the HVC inter-cloud medium with a density of 1$~cm$^{-3}$. Basic physical attributes of G181.1+9.5 calculated with radiative SNR models show an upper-limit age of 16,000 years, a swept-up mass of more than 300 solar masses, and an ambient density in agreement with that estimated from HI observations. G181.1+9.5 shows all characteristics of a typical mature shell-type SNR, but its observed faintness is unusual and requires further study.Comment: A&A accepted, 11 pages, 13 figure

Magnetic fields of the W4 superbubble

Superbubbles and supershells are the channels for transferring mass and energy from the Galactic disk to the halo. Magnetic fields are believed to play a vital role in their evolution. We study the radio continuum and polarized emission properties of the W4 superbubble to determine its magnetic field strength. New sensitive radio continuum observations were made at 6 cm, 11 cm, and 21 cm. The total intensity measurements were used to derive the radio spectrum of the W4 superbubble. The linear polarization data were analysed to determine the magnetic field properties within the bubble shells. The observations show a multi-shell structure of the W4 superbubble. A flat radio continuum spectrum that stems from optically thin thermal emission is derived from 1.4 GHz to 4.8 GHz. By fitting a passive Faraday screen model and considering the filling factor fne , we obtain the thermal electron density ne = 1.0/\sqrt{fne} (\pm5%) cm^-3 and the strength of the line-of-sight component of the magnetic field B// = -5.0/\sqrt{fne} (\pm10%) {\mu}G (i.e. pointing away from us) within the western shell of the W4 superbubble. When the known tilted geometry of the W4 superbubble is considered, the total magnetic field Btot in its western shell is greater than 12 {\mu}G. The electron density and the magnetic field are lower and weaker in the high-latitude parts of the superbubble. The rotation measure is found to be positive in the eastern shell but negative in the western shell of the W4 superbubble, which is consistent with the case that the magnetic field in the Perseus arm is lifted up from the plane towards high latitudes. The magnetic field strength and the electron density we derived for the W4 superbubble are important parameters for evolution models of superbubbles breaking out of the Galactic plane.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

A radio continuum survey of the southern sky at 1420 MHz. Observations and data reduction

We describe the equipment, observational method and reduction procedure of an absolutely calibrated radio continuum survey of the South Celestial Hemisphere at a frequency of 1420 MHz. These observations cover the area 0h < R.A. < 24h for declinations less than -10 degree. The sensitivity is about 50 mK T_B (full beam brightness) and the angular resolution (HPBW) is 35.4', which matches the existing northern sky survey at the same frequency.Comment: 9 pages with 9 figures, A&A, in pres

Synchrotron Polarization at High Galactic Latitude

We present preliminary results from mapping the high-latitude Galactic polarization with the Effelsberg Telescope at $\lambda$21 cm. Structures on the resulting maps are mostly on the scale of several degrees. The results show detection of polarization over most of the field, at the level of tens of percent of the synchrotron emission. The evidence of more structure in Stokes Q and U rather than in $\sqrt{Q^2+U^2}$ suggests the existence of Faraday rotation.Comment: To be published in the proceedings of "The Cosmic Microwave Background and its Polarization", New Astronomy Reviews, (eds. S. Hanany and K.A. Olive

Evaluation of remote sensing techniques on selected forest sites in Florida

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Radio continuum and polarization study of SNR G57.2+0.8 associated with magnetar SGR1935+2154

We present a radio continuum and linear polarization study of the Galactic supernova remnant G57.2+0.8, which may host the recently discovered magnetar SGR1935+2154. The radio SNR shows the typical radio continuum spectrum of a mature supernova remnant with a spectral index of $\alpha = -0.55 \pm 0.02$ and moderate polarized intensity. Magnetic field vectors indicate a tangential magnetic field, expected for an evolved SNR, in one part of the SNR and a radial magnetic field in the other. The latter can be explained by an overlapping arc-like feature, perhaps a pulsar wind nebula, emanating from the magnetar. The presence of a pulsar wind nebula is supported by the low average braking index of 1.2, we extrapolated for the magnetar, and the detection of diffuse X-ray emission around it. We found a distance of 12.5 kpc for the SNR, which identifies G57.2+0.8 as a resident of the Outer spiral arm of the Milky Way. The SNR has a radius of about 20 pc and could be as old as 41,000 years. The SNR has already entered the radiative or pressure-driven snowplow phase of its evolution. We compared independently determined characteristics like age and distance for both, the SNR and SGR1935+2154, and conclude that they are physically related.Comment: accepted by The Astrophysical Journal, 16 pages, 10 figure

Analysis of the thin layer of Galactic warm ionized gas in the range 20 < l < 30 deg, -1.5 < b < +1.5 deg

We present an analysis of the thin layer of Galactic warm ionized gas at an angular resolution ~ 10'. This is carried out using radio continuum data at 1.4 GHz, 2.7 GHz and 5 GHz in the coordinate region 20 < l < 30 deg, -1.5 < b < +1.5 deg. For this purpose, we evaluate the zero level of the 2.7 and 5 GHz surveys using auxiliary data at 2.3 GHz and 408 MHz. The derived zero level corrections are T_{zero}(2.7 GHz)=0.15 +/- 0.06 K and T_{zero}(5 GHz)=0.1 +/- 0.05 K. We separate the thermal (free-free) and non-thermal (synchrotron) component by means of a spectral analysis performed adopting an antenna temperature spectral index -2.1 for the free-free emission, a realistic spatial distribution of indices for the synchrotron radiation and by fitting, pixel-by-pixel, the Galactic spectral index. We find that at 5 GHz, for |b| = 0 deg, the fraction of thermal emission reaches a maximum value of 82%, while at 1.4 GHz, the corresponding value is 68%. In addition, for the thermal emission, the analysis indicates a dominant contribution of the diffuse component relative to the source component associated with discrete HII regions.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted to MNRA

Processes, Roles and Their Interactions

Taking an interaction network oriented perspective in informatics raises the challenge to describe deterministic finite systems which take part in networks of nondeterministic interactions. The traditional approach to describe processes as stepwise executable activities which are not based on the ordinarily nondeterministic interaction shows strong centralization tendencies. As suggested in this article, viewing processes and their interactions as complementary can circumvent these centralization tendencies. The description of both, processes and their interactions is based on the same building blocks, namely finite input output automata (or transducers). Processes are viewed as finite systems that take part in multiple, ordinarily nondeterministic interactions. The interactions between processes are described as protocols. The effects of communication between processes as well as the necessary coordination of different interactions within a processes are both based on the restriction of the transition relation of product automata. The channel based outer coupling represents the causal relation between the output and the input of different systems. The coordination condition based inner coupling represents the causal relation between the input and output of a single system. All steps are illustrated with the example of a network of resource administration processes which is supposed to provide requesting user processes exclusive access to a single resource.Comment: In Proceedings IWIGP 2012, arXiv:1202.422

The DRAO 26-m Large Scale Polarization Survey at 1.41 GHz

The Effelsberg telescope as well as the DRAO synthesis telescope are currently surveying the Galactic polarized emission at 21 cm in detail. These new surveys reveal an unexpected richness of small-scale structures in the polarized sky. However, observations made with synthesis or single-dish telescopes are not on absolute intensity scales and therefore lack information about the large-scale distribution of polarized emission to a different degree. Until now, absolutely calibrated polarization data from the Leiden/Dwingeloo polarization surveys are used to recover the missing spatial information. However, these surveys cannot meet the requirements of the recent survey projects regarding sampling and noise and new polarization observation were initiated to complement the Leiden/Dwingeloo Survey. In this paper we will outline the observation and report on the progress for a new polarization survey of the northern sky with the 26-m telescope of the DRAO.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure