25,531 research outputs found
High-energy signatures of binary systems of supermassive black holes
Context. Binary systems of supermassive black holes are expected to be strong
sources of long gravitational waves prior to merging. These systems are good
candidates to be observed with forthcoming space-borne detectors. Only a few of
these systems, however, have been firmly identified to date.
Aims. We aim at providing a criterion for the identification of some
supermassive black hole binaries based on the characteristics of the
high-energy emission of a putative relativistic jet launched from the most
massive of the two black holes.
Methods. We study supermassive black hole binaries where the less massive
black hole has carved an annular gap in the circumbinary disk, but nevertheless
there is a steady mass flow across its orbit. Such a perturbed disk is hotter
and more luminous than a standard thin disk in some regions. Assuming that the
jet contains relativistic electrons, we calculate its broadband spectral energy
distribution focusing on the inverse Compton up-scattering of the disk photons.
We also compute the opacity to the gamma rays produced in the jet by photon
annihilation with the disk radiation and take into account the effects of the
anisotropy of the target photon field as seen from the jet.
Results. We find that the excess of low-energy photons radiated by the
perturbed disk causes an increment in the external Compton emission from the
jet in the X-ray band, and a deep absorption feature at energies of tens of
TeVs for some sets of parameters. According to our results, observations with
Cherenkov telescopes might help in the identification of supermassive black
hole binaries, especially those black hole binaries that host primaries from
tens to hundreds of million of solar masses.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Isolated vacua in supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories
An explicit proof of the existence of nontrivial vacua in the pure
supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories with higher orthogonal SO(N), N>=7 or the
G_2 gauge group defined on a 3-torus with periodic boundary conditions is
given. Extra vacuum states are separated by an energy barrier from the
perturbative vacuum A_i=0 and its gauge copies.Comment: 8 pages, no figures, late
A survey of HC_3N in extragalactic sources: Is HC_3N a tracer of activity in ULIRGs?
Context. HC_3N is a molecule that is mainly associated with Galactic star-forming regions, but it has also been detected in extragalactic environments.
Aims. To present the first extragalactic survey of HC_3N, when combining earlier data from the literature with six new single-dish detections, and to compare HC_3N with other molecular tracers (HCN, HNC), as well as other properties (silicate absorption strength, IR flux density ratios, C_(II) flux, and megamaser activity).
Methods. We present mm IRAM 30 m, OSO 20 m, and SEST observations of HC_3N rotational lines (mainly the J = 10–9 transition) and of the J = 1–0 transitions of HCN and HNC. Our combined HC_3N data account for 13 galaxies (excluding the upper limits reported for the non-detections), while we have HCN and HNC data for more than 20 galaxies.
Results. A preliminary definition “HC_3N-luminous galaxy” is made based upon the HC_3N/HCN ratio. Most (~80%) HC_3N-luminous galaxies seem to be deeply obscured galaxies and (U)LIRGs. A majority (~60% or more) of the HC3N-luminous galaxies in the sample present OH mega- or strong kilomaser activity. A possible explanation is that both HC_3N and OH megamasers need warm dust for their excitation. Alternatively, the dust that excites the OH megamaser offers protection against UV destruction of HC_3N. A high silicate absorption strength is also found in several of the HC_3N-luminous objects, which may help the HC3N to survive. Finally, we find that a high HC_3N/HCN ratio is related to a high dust temperature and a low C_(II) flux
Evidence for azimuthal variations of the oxygen abundance gradient tracing the spiral structure of the galaxy HCG91c
Context. The distribution of elements in galaxies forms an important
diagnostic tool to characterize the system's formation and evolution. This tool
is however complex to use in practice, as galaxies are subject to a range of
simultaneous physical processes active from pc to kpc scales. This renders
observations of the full optical extent of galaxies down to sub-kpc scales
essential. Aims. Using the WiFeS integral field spectrograph, we previously
detected abrupt and localized variations in the gas-phase oxygen abundance of
the spiral galaxy HCG91c. Here, we follow-up on these observations to map
HCG91c's disk out to ~2Re at a resolution of 600pc, and characterize the
non-radial variations of the gas-phase oxygen abundance in the system. Methods.
We obtained deep MUSE observations of the target under ~0.6 arcsec seeing
conditions. We perform both a spaxel-based and aperture-based analysis of the
data to map the spatial variations of 12+log(O/H) across the disk of the
galaxy. Results. We confirm the presence of rapid variations of the oxygen
abundance across the entire extent of the galaxy previously detected with
WiFeS, for all azimuths and radii. The variations can be separated in two
categories: a) localized and associated with individual HII regions, and b)
extended over kpc scales, and occurring at the boundaries of the spiral
structures in the galaxy. Conclusions. Our MUSE observations suggest that the
enrichment of the interstellar medium in HGC91c has proceeded preferentially
along spiral structures, and less efficiently across them. Our dataset
highlights the importance of distinguishing individual star-forming regions
down to scales of a few 100pc when using integral field spectrographs to
spatially resolve the distribution of oxygen abundances in a given system, and
accurately characterize azimuthal variations and intrinsic scatter.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&A. Supplementary
movie assocociated with Fig. 8 is available (until publication) at:
http://www.sc.eso.org/~fvogt/supp_mat/HCG91c/O_gradient.mp
Microbial community dynamics and coexistence in a sulfide-driven phototrophic bloom
© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Bhatnagar, S., Cowley, E. S., Kopf, S. H., Pérez Castro, S., Kearney, S., Dawson, S. C., Hanselmann, K., & Ruff, S. E. Microbial community dynamics and coexistence in a sulfide-driven phototrophic bloom. Environmental Microbiome, 15(1),(2020): 3, doi:10.1186/s40793-019-0348-0.Background: Lagoons are common along coastlines worldwide and are important for biogeochemical element cycling, coastal biodiversity, coastal erosion protection and blue carbon sequestration. These ecosystems are frequently disturbed by weather, tides, and human activities. Here, we investigated a shallow lagoon in New England. The brackish ecosystem releases hydrogen sulfide particularly upon physical disturbance, causing blooms of anoxygenic sulfur-oxidizing phototrophs. To study the habitat, microbial community structure, assembly and function we carried out in situ experiments investigating the bloom dynamics over time.
Results: Phototrophic microbial mats and permanently or seasonally stratified water columns commonly contain multiple phototrophic lineages that coexist based on their light, oxygen and nutrient preferences. We describe similar coexistence patterns and ecological niches in estuarine planktonic blooms of phototrophs. The water column showed steep gradients of oxygen, pH, sulfate, sulfide, and salinity. The upper part of the bloom was dominated by aerobic phototrophic Cyanobacteria, the middle and lower parts by anoxygenic purple sulfur bacteria (Chromatiales) and green sulfur bacteria (Chlorobiales), respectively. We show stable coexistence of phototrophic lineages from five bacterial phyla and present metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of two uncultured Chlorobaculum and Prosthecochloris species. In addition to genes involved in sulfur oxidation and photopigment biosynthesis the MAGs contained complete operons encoding for terminal oxidases. The metagenomes also contained numerous contigs affiliating with Microviridae viruses, potentially affecting Chlorobi. Our data suggest a short sulfur cycle within the bloom in which elemental sulfur produced by sulfide-oxidizing phototrophs is most likely reduced back to sulfide by Desulfuromonas sp.
Conclusions: The release of sulfide creates a habitat selecting for anoxygenic sulfur-oxidizing phototrophs, which in turn create a niche for sulfur reducers. Strong syntrophism between these guilds apparently drives a short sulfur cycle that may explain the rapid development of the bloom. The fast growth and high biomass yield of Chlorobi-affiliated organisms implies that the studied lineages of green sulfur bacteria can thrive in hypoxic habitats. This oxygen tolerance is corroborated by oxidases found in MAGs of uncultured Chlorobi. The findings improve our understanding of the ecology and ecophysiology of anoxygenic phototrophs and their impact on the coupled biogeochemical cycles of sulfur and carbon.This work was carried out at the Microbial Diversity summer course at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The course was supported by grants from National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the US Department of Energy, the Simons Foundation, the Beckman Foundation, and the Agouron Institute. Additional funding for SER was provided by the Marine Biological Laboratory
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