15,334 research outputs found
High spatial resolution and high contrast optical speckle imaging with FASTCAM at the ORM
In this paper, we present an original observational approach, which combines,
for the first time, traditional speckle imaging with image post-processing to
obtain in the optical domain diffraction-limited images with high contrast
(1e-5) within 0.5 to 2 arcseconds around a bright star. The post-processing
step is based on wavelet filtering an has analogy with edge enhancement and
high-pass filtering. Our I-band on-sky results with the 2.5-m Nordic Telescope
(NOT) and the lucky imaging instrument FASTCAM show that we are able to detect
L-type brown dwarf companions around a solar-type star with a contrast DI~12 at
2" and with no use of any coronographic capability, which greatly simplifies
the instrumental and hardware approach. This object has been detected from the
ground in J and H bands so far only with AO-assisted 8-10 m class telescopes
(Gemini, Keck), although more recently detected with small-class telescopes in
the K band. Discussing the advantage and disadvantage of the optical regime for
the detection of faint intrinsic fluxes close to bright stars, we develop some
perspectives for other fields, including the study of dense cores in globular
clusters. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that high
contrast considerations are included in optical speckle imaging approach.Comment: Proceedings of SPIE conference - Ground-based and Airborne
Instrumentation for Astronomy III (Conference 7735), San Diego 201
Discovery of faint double-peak Halpha emission in the halo of low redshift galaxies
Aiming at the detection of cosmological gas being accreted onto galaxies of
the local Universe, we examined the Halpha emission in the halo of 164 galaxies
in the field of view of the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer Wide survey
(\musew ) with observable Halpha (redshift < 0.42). An exhaustive screening of
the corresponding Halpha images led us to select 118 reliable Halpha emitting
gas clouds. The signals are faint, with a surface brightness of 10**(-17.3 pm
0.3) erg/s/cm2/arcsec2. Through statistical tests and other arguments, we ruled
out that they are created by instrumental artifacts, telluric line residuals,
or high redshift interlopers. Around 38% of the time, the Halpha line profile
shows a double peak with the drop in intensity at the rest-frame of the central
galaxy, and with a typical peak-to-peak separation of the order of pm 200 km/s.
Most line emission clumps are spatially unresolved. The mass of emitting gas is
estimated to be between one and 10**(-3) times the stellar mass of the central
galaxy. The signals are not isotropically distributed; their azimuth tends to
be aligned with the major axis of the corresponding galaxy. The distances to
the central galaxies are not random either. The counts drop at a distance > 50
galaxy radii, which roughly corresponds to the virial radius of the central
galaxy. We explore several physical scenarios to explain this Halpha emission,
among which accretion disks around rogue intermediate mass black holes fit the
observations best.Comment: pay attention to the last sentence of the abstract! Accepted for
publication in Ap
Optimum control strategies for maximum thrust production in underwater undulatory swimming
Fish, cetaceans and many other aquatic vertebrates undulate their bodies to
propel themselves through water. Numerous studies on natural, artificial or
analogous swimmers are dedicated to revealing the links between the kinematics
of body oscillation and the production of thrust for swimming. One of the most
open and difficult questions concerns the best kinematics to maximize this
later quantity for given constraints and how a system strategizes and adjusts
its internal parameters to reach this maximum. To address this challenge, we
exploit a biomimetic robotic swimmer to determine the control signal that
produces the highest thrust. Using machine learning techniques and intuitive
models, we find that this optimal control consists of a square wave function,
whose frequency is fixed by the interplay between the internal dynamics of the
swimmer and the fluid-structure interaction with the surrounding fluid. We then
propose a simple implementation for autonomous robotic swimmers that requires
no prior knowledge of systems or equations. This application to aquatic
locomotion is validated by 2D numerical simulations
Fossil group origins V. The dependence of the luminosity function on the magnitude gap
In nature we observe galaxy aggregations that span a wide range of magnitude
gaps between the two first-ranked galaxies of a system (). There
are systems with gaps close to zero (e.g., the Coma cluster), and at the other
extreme of the distribution, the largest gaps are found among the so-called
fossil systems. Fossil and non-fossil systems could have different galaxy
populations that should be reflected in their luminosity functions. In this
work we study, for the first time, the dependence of the luminosity function
parameters on using data obtained by the fossil group origins
(FOGO) project. We constructed a hybrid luminosity function for 102 groups and
clusters at . We stacked all the individual luminosity functions,
dividing them into bins of , and studied their best-fit
Schechter parameters. We additionally computed a relative luminosity function,
expressed as a function of the central galaxy luminosity, which boosts our
capacity to detect differences, especially at the bright end. We find trends as
a function of at both the bright and faint ends of the
luminosity function. In particular, at the bright end, the larger the magnitude
gap, the fainter the characteristic magnitude . We also find
differences at the faint end. In this region, the larger the gap, the flatter
the faint-end slope . The differences found at the bright end support a
dissipationless, dynamical friction-driven merging model for the growth of the
central galaxy in group- and cluster-sized halos. The differences in the faint
end cannot be explained by this mechanism. Other processes, such as enhanced
tidal disruption due to early infall and/or prevalence of eccentric orbits, may
play a role. However, a larger sample of systems with is
needed to establish the differences at the faint end.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Microperimetry and Optical Coherence Tomography Changes in Type-1 Diabetes Mellitus without Retinopathy
Background: We aimed to measure and correlate inner retinal layer (IRL) thickness and macular sensitivity by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and by microperimetry, respectively, in type 1 diabetes mellitus patients (DM1) without diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods: Fifty-one DM1 patients and 81 age-matched healthy subjects underwent measurement of the axial length (AL), retinal thickness in the macular ETDRS areas by swept source (SS)-OCT and macular sensitivity by microperimeter. Results: The total retinal and IRL thicknesses were thicker in the DM1 group (p < 0.05) in practically all ETDRS areas, and they had a generalized decrease in sensitivity (p < 0.05) in 9 areas between both groups. There was a significant negative correlation between retinal sensitivity and age in all areas and in visual acuity (VA) in 5 out of the 9 areas for DM1 patients. Only a mild negative correlation was observed between retinal sensitivity in the 5 degrees nasal inner (5NI) area and in IRL thickness in the temporal inner (TI) area (-0.309 with p = 0.029) in the DM1 group. Conclusion: Aging and disease evolution in DM1 patients without DR signs generate a decrease in retinal sensitivity. There was a direct relationship between retinal sensitivity and macular thickness in the DM1 group
The constant-velocity highly collimated outflows of the planetary nebula He 2-90
We present high-dispersion echelle spectroscopic observations and a
narrow-band [N II] image of the remarkable jet-like features of He 2-90. They
are detected in the echelle spectra in the H-alpha and [N II] lines but not in
other nebular lines. The [N II]/H-alpha ratio is uniformly high, ~1. The
observed kinematics reveals bipolar collimated outflows in the jet-like
features and shows that the southeast (northwest) component expands towards
(away from) the observer at a remarkably constant line-of-sight velocity,
26.0+-0.5 km/s. The observed expansion velocity and the opening angle of the
jet-like features are used to estimate an inclination angle of ~5 degrees with
respect to the sky plane and a space expansion velocity of ~290 km/s. The
spectrum of the bright central nebula reveals a profusion of Fe lines and
extended wings of the H-alpha line, similar to those seen in symbiotic stars
and some young planetary nebulae that are presumed to host a mass-exchanging
binary system. If this is the case for He 2-90, the constant velocity and
direction of the jets require a very stable dynamic system against precession
and warping.Comment: 8 pages (emulate ApJ), 5 figure, 1 tabl
Effect of Co-Inoculation with Mycorrhiza and Rhizobia on the Nodule Trehalose Content of Different Bean Genotypes
Studies on Rhizobium-legume symbiosis show that trehalose content in nodules under drought stress correlates positively with an increase in plant tolerance to this stress. Fewer reports describe trehalose accumulation in mycorrhiza where, in contrast with rhizobia, there is no flux of carbohydrates from the microsymbiont to the plant. However, the trehalose dynamics in the Mycorrhiza-Rhizobium-Legume tripartite symbiosis is unknown. The present study explores the role of this tripartite symbiosis in the trehalose content of nodules grown under contrasting moisture conditions. Three wild genotypes (P. filiformis, P. acutifolis and P. vulgaris) and two commercial genotypes of Phaseolus vulgaris (Pinto villa and Flor de Mayo) were used. Co-inoculation treatments were conducted with Glomus intraradices and a mixture of seven native rhizobial strains, and trehalose content was determined by GC/MS. The results showed a negative effect of mycorrhizal inoculation on nodule development, as mycorrhized plants showed fewer nodules and lower nodule dry weight compared to plants inoculated only with Rhizobium. Mycorrhizal colonization was also higher in plants inoculated only with Glomus as compared to plants co-inoculated with both microsymbionts. In regard to trehalose, co-inoculation negatively affects its accumulation in the nodules of each genotype tested. However, the correlation analysis showed a significantly positive correlation between mycorrhizal colonization and nodule trehalose content
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