The DSS-14 C-band exciter

The development and implementation of a C-band exciter for use with the Block IV Receiver-Exciter Subsystem at Deep Space Station 14 (DSS-14) has been completed. The exciter supplements the standard capabilities of the Block IV system by providing a drive signal for the C-band transmitter while generating coherent translation frequencies for C-band (5-GHz) to S-band (2.2- to 2.3-GHz) Doppler extraction, C-band to L-band (1.6-GHz) zero delay measurements, and a level calibrated L-band test signal. Exciter functions are described, and a general explanation and description of the C-band uplink controller is presented

HST imaging of hyperluminous infrared galaxies

We present HST WFPC2 I band imaging for a sample of 9 Hyperluminous Infrared Galaxies spanning a redshift range 0.45 < z < 1.34. Three of the sample have morphologies showing evidence for interactions, six are QSOs. Host galaxies in the QSOs are reliably detected out to z ~ 0.8. The detected QSO host galaxies have an elliptical morphology with scalelengths spanning 6.5 < r_{e}(Kpc) < 88 and absolute k corrected magnitudes spanning -24.5 < M_{I} < -25.2. There is no clear correlation between the IR power source and the optical morphology. None of the sources in the sample, including F15307+3252, show any evidence for gravitational lensing. We infer that the IR luminosities are thus real. Based on these results, and previous studies of HLIRGs, we conclude that this class of object is broadly consistent with being a simple extrapolation of the ULIRG population to higher luminosities; ULIRGs being mainly violently interacting systems powered by starbursts and/or AGN. Only a small number of sources whose infrared luminosities exceed 10^{13}Lsun are intrinsically less luminous objects which have been boosted by gravitational lensing.Comment: 16 Pages. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Faint Radio Sources and Star Formation History

Faint extragalactic radio sources provide important information about the global history of star formation. Sensitive radio observations of the Hubble Deep Field and other fields have found that sub-mJy radio sources are predominantly associated with star formation activity rather than AGN. Radio observations of star forming galaxies have the advantage of being independent of extinction by dust. We use the FIR-radio correlation to compare the radio and FIR backgrounds, and make several conclusions about the star forming galaxies producing the FIR background. We then use the redshift distribution of faint radio sources to determine the evolution of the radio luminosity function, and thus estimate the star formation density as a function of redshift.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, latex using texas.sty, to appear in the CD-ROM Proceedings of the 19th Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology, held in Paris, France, Dec. 14-18, 1998. Eds.: J. Paul, T. Montmerle, and E. Aubourg (CEA Saclay). No changes to paper, just updated publication info in this commen

Thermal Emission from HII Galaxies: Discovering the Youngest Systems

We studied the radio properties of very young massive regions of star formation in HII galaxies, with the aim of detecting episodes of recent star formation in an early phase of evolution where the first supernovae start to appear. Our sample consists of 31 HII galaxies, characterized by strong Hydrogen emission lines, for which low resolution VLA 3.5cm and 6cm observations were obtained. The radio spectral energy distribution has a range of behaviours; 1) there are galaxies where the SED is characterized by a synchrotron-type slope, 2) galaxies with a thermal slope, and, 3) galaxies with possible free-free absorption at long wavelengths. The latter SEDs were found in a few galaxies and represent a signature of heavily embedded massive star clusters closely related to the early stages of massive star formation. Based on the comparison of the star formation rates determined from the recombination lines and those determined from the radio emission we find that SFR(Ha) is on average five times higher than SFR(1.4GHz). We confirm this tendency by comparing the ratio between the observed flux at 20 cm and the expected one, calculated based on the Ha star formation rates, both for the galaxies in our sample and for normal ones. This analysis shows that this ratio is a factor of 2 smaller in our galaxies than in normal ones, indicating that they fall below the FIR/radio correlation. These results suggest that the emission of these galaxies is dominated by a recent and massive star formation event in which the first supernovae (SN) just started to explode. We conclude that the systematic lack of synchrotron emission in those systems with the largest equivalent width of Hb can only be explained if those are young starbursts of less than 3.5Myr of age.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

The star-formation history of the universe - an infrared perspective

A simple and versatile parameterized approach to the star formation history allows a quantitative investigation of the constraints from far infrared and submillimetre counts and background intensity measurements. The models include four spectral components: infrared cirrus (emission from interstellar dust), an M82-like starburst, an Arp220-like starburst and an AGN dust torus. The 60 $\mu$m luminosity function is determined for each chosen rate of evolution using the PSCz redshift data for 15000 galaxies. The proportions of each spectral type as a function of 60 $\mu$m luminosity are chosen for consistency with IRAS and SCUBA colour-luminosity relations, and with the fraction of AGN as a function of luminosity found in 12 $\mu$m samples. The luminosity function for each component at any wavelength can then be calculated from the assumed spectral energy distributions. With assumptions about the optical seds corresponding to each component and, for the AGN component, the optical and near infrared counts can be accurately modelled. A good fit to the observed counts at 0.44, 2.2, 15, 60, 90, 175 and 850 $\mu$m can be found with pure luminosity evolution in all 3 cosmological models investigated: $\Omega_o$ = 1, $\Omega_o$ = 0.3 ($\Lambda$ = 0), and $\Omega_o$ = 0.3, $\Lambda$ = 0.7. All 3 models also give an acceptable fit to the integrated background spectrum. Selected predictions of the models, for example redshift distributions for each component at selected wavelengths and fluxes, are shown. The total mass-density of stars generated is consistent with that observed, in all 3 cosmological models.Comment: 20 pages, 25 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ. Full details of models can be found at http://astro.ic.ac.uk/~mrr/countmodel

New Results from a Near-Infrared Search for Hidden Broad-Line Regions in Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies

This paper reports the latest results from a near-infrared search for hidden broad-line regions (BLRs: FWHM >~ 2,000 km/s) in ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIGs). The new sample contains thirty-nine ULIGs from the 1-Jy sample selected for their lack of BLRs at optical wavelengths. The results from this new study are combined with those from our previous optical and near-infrared surveys to derive the fraction of all ULIGs with optical or near-infrared signs of genuine AGN activity (either a BLR or [Si VI] emission). Comparisons of the dereddened emission-line luminosities of the optical or obscured BLRs detected in the ULIGs of the 1-Jy sample with those of optical quasars indicate that the obscured AGN/quasar in ULIGs is the main source of energy in at least 15 -- 25% of all ULIGs in the 1-Jy sample. This fraction is 30 -- 50% among ULIGs with L_ir > 10^{12.3} L_sun. These results are compatible with those from recent mid-infrared spectroscopic surveys carried out with ISO. (abridged)Comment: 40 pages including 10 figures and 3 tables (Table 3 should be printed in landscape mode

More shock recovery experiments on mesosiderite analogs

Mesosiderites, a small but unique group of stony-iron meteorites with affinities to howardites, eucrites, and pallasites, remain enigmatic in terms of their petrogenesis. They are composed of approximately equal weight proportions of Fe-Ni metal plus troilite and gabbroic, basaltic, and orthopyroxenitic materials. The metal and silicates, which display variable grain sizes and shapes, are delicately intermingled, forming irregular grain boundaries that have been attributed to a wide range of origins from subsolidus metamorphism to supersolidus igneous processes. Perhaps the most relevant question regarding the petrogenesis of mesosiderites is: what is the source and duration of heating that could produce the unequilibrated textures and chemistry of these meteorites? A leading candidate appears to be impacts of metallic core fragments with a differentiated asteroidal surface. This provides not only a suitable source of heat, but also the metal component uniquely required by mesosiderites. A series of shock recovery experiments on mesosiderite analogs has been continued. Textural and chemical similarities have been found that support an impact-derived origin for these unusual meteorites

Hybridisation:A ‘double-edged sword’ for neotropical plant diversity

Hybridization can facilitate both evolutionary diversification and extinction and has had a critical role in plant evolution, with c. 25% of species known to hybridize in some temperate floras. However, in the species-rich Neotropical flora, the role of hybridization in the evolution of diversity remains unclear. Our review examines studies of hybridization in seed plants from across the Neotropics and explores its outcomes on Neotropical plant evolution. We review studies on a per-biome basis and a spectrum of evolutionary outcomes from hybridization are evident across Neotropical biomes and taxa. These range from short-term impacts, such as the broadening of ecological amplitude in hybrid progeny with transgressive phenotypes and genetic swamping, through to long term impacts, such as the generation of new lineages. Among these studies certain themes emerge, such as the pervasive hybridization among species-rich plant radiations from the Andean páramos, suggesting a role for hybridization in rapid diversification events. Finally, we highlight that hybridization is relatively understudied in the Neotropical flora, despite its remarkable species richness. The advent of genomic techniques can facilitate the study of hybridization and its effects in understudied biomes and plant groups. The increasing availability of genomic resources will eventually allow comparisons between tropical and temperate floras and therefore shed light on the evolutionary impacts of hybridization across the latitudinal biodiversity gradient

NIR Spectroscopy with the VLT of a sample of ISO selected Hubble Deep Field South Galaxies

A new population of faint galaxies characterized by an extremely high rate of evolution with redshift up to z~1.5 has recently been discovered by ISO. These sources are likely to contribute significantly to the cosmic far-IR extragalactic background. We have carried out near-infrared VLT-ISAAC spectroscopy of a sample of ISOCAM galaxies from the Hubble Deep Field South. The rest-frame R-band spectral properties of the ISO population resembles that of powerful dust-enshrouded active starburst galaxies.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, to appear in "ISO Surveys of a Dusty Universe", eds. D. Lemke, M. Stickel, K. Wilke, typos correcte