30,010 research outputs found
The central molecular gas structure in LINERs with low luminosity AGN: evidence for gradual disappearance of the torus
We present observations of the molecular gas in the nuclear environment of
three prototypical low luminosity AGN (LLAGN), based on VLT/SINFONI AO-assisted
integral-field spectroscopy of H2 1-0 S(1) emission at angular resolutions of
~0.17". On scales of 50-150 pc the spatial distribution and kinematics of the
molecular gas are consistent with a rotating thin disk, where the ratio of
rotation (V) to dispersion (sigma) exceeds unity. However, in the central 50
pc, the observations reveal a geometrically and optically thick structure of
molecular gas (V/sigma10^{23} cm^{-2}) that is likely to be
associated with the outer extent of any smaller scale obscuring structure. In
contrast to Seyfert galaxies, the molecular gas in LLAGN has a V/sigma<1 over
an area that is ~9 times smaller and column densities that are in average ~3
times smaller. We interpret these results as evidence for a gradual
disappearance of the nuclear obscuring structure. While a disk wind may not be
able to maintain a thick rotating structure at these luminosities, inflow of
material into the nuclear region could provide sufficient energy to sustain it.
In this context, LLAGN may represent the final phase of accretion in current
theories of torus evolution. While the inflow rate is considerable during the
Seyfert phase, it is slowly decreasing, and the collisional disk is gradually
transitioning to become geometrically thin. Furthermore, the nuclear region of
these LLAGN is dominated by intermediate-age/old stellar populations (with
little or no on-going star formation), consistent with a late stage of
evolution.Comment: 15 pages, including 4 figures and 1 table, Accepted for publication
in ApJ Letter
Compositional analysis of InAs-GaAs-GaSb heterostructures by low-loss electron energy loss spectroscopy
As an alternative to Core-Loss Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy, Low-Loss EELS is suitable for compositional analysis of complex heterostructures, such as the InAs-GaAs-GaSb system, since in this energy range the edges corresponding to these elements are better defined than in Core-Loss. Furthermore, the analysis of the bulk plasmon peak, which is present in this energy range, also provides information about the composition. In this work, compositional information in an InAs-GaAs-GaSb heterostructure has been obtained from Low-Loss EEL spectra
Inner and outer star forming regions over the disks of spiral galaxies. I. Sample characterization
Context. The knowledge of abundance distributions is central to understanding
the formation and evolution of galaxies. Most of the relations employed for the
derivation of gas abundances have so far been derived from observations of
outer disk HII regions, despite the known differences between inner and outer
regions. Aims. Using integral field spectroscopy (IFS) observations we aim to
perform a systematic study and comparison of two inner and outer HII regions
samples. The spatial resolution of the IFS, the number of objects and the
homogeneity and coherence of the observations allow a complete characterization
of the main observational properties and differences of the regions. Methods.
We analyzed a sample of 725 inner HII regions and a sample of 671 outer HII
regions, all of them detected and extracted from the observations of a sample
of 263 nearby, isolated, spiral galaxies observed by the CALIFA survey.
Results. We find that inner HII regions show smaller equivalent widths, greater
extinction and luminosities, along with greater values of
[NII]{\lambda}6583/H{\alpha} and [OII]{\lambda}3727/[OIII]{\lambda}5007
emission-line ratios, indicating higher metallicites and lower ionization
parameters. Inner regions have also redder colors and higher photometric and
ionizing masses, although Mion/Mphot is slighty higher for the outer regions.
Conclusions. This work shows important observational differences between inner
and outer HII regions in star forming galaxies not previously studied in
detail. These differences indicate that inner regions have more evolved stellar
populations and are in a later evolution state with respect to outer regions,
which goes in line with the inside-out galaxy formation paradigm.Comment: 16 page
Nitrogen dynamics in the shallow groundwater of a riparian wetland zone of the Garonne, SW France: nitrate inputs, bacterial densities, organic matter supply and denitrification measurements
This study highlights the role of interactions between surface and sub-surface water of the riparian zone of a large river (the Garonne, SW
France). Information is given about the role of surface water in supplying Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC ) to the riparian zone for nitrate
removal processes. The densities of bacteria (up to 3.3106 cell m L-1) in groundwater are strongly conditioned by the water moving during
flood events. Total bacterial densities in groundwater were related to surface water bacterial densities. In sediment, total bacteria are attached
mainly to fine particles (90 % in the fraction < 1 mm). Spatial variations in organic carbon and nitrate content in groundwater at the site
studied are correlated with exchanges between the groundwater and the river, from the upstream to the downstream part of the meander. Total
bacterial densities, nitrate and decressing organic carbon concentrations follow the same pattern. These results suggest that, in this kind of
riparian wetland, nitrate from alluvial groundwater influenced by agricultural practices may be denitrified by bacteria in the presence of
organic carbon from river surface water
Selective Transparence of Single-Mode Waveguides with Surface Scattering
A random surface scattering in a one-mode waveguide is studied in the case
when the surface profile has long-range correlations along the waveguide.
Analytical treatment of this problem shows that with a proper choice of the
surface, one can arrange any desired combination of transparent and
non-transparent frequency windows. We suggest a method to find such profiles,
and demonstrate its effectiveness by making use of direct numerical
simulations.Comment: RevTex, 3 pages including 2 ps-figure
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