CBERN-NNK Knowledge Needs Research Summary:Report to the CBERN/Naskapi Steering Committee and the Naskapi Community

This report has been prepared for the Naskapi Steering Committee and the Naskapi community by Peter Siebenmorgen Research Assistantand Dr. Wesley Cragg, Project Director. The Canadian Business Ethics Research Network (CBERN) has been working in collaboration with the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach (NNK) since early 2007. This relationship was initiated by former NNK Chief Phil Einish. The goal has been to ensure that the Naskapi people benefitted from mining on their traditional territories and avoided the negative impacts caused by previous mining activity by the Iron Ore Company of Canada. Working with Naskapi leadership, Dr. Cragg and Dr. Bradshaw developed a plan to identify community concerns and hopes for mining development on their traditional territory and provide access to the information and knowledge the community needed to address those concerns and hopes. The goal is to provide the community with the information it requires to benefit from development now taking place.The first step in the plan has now been completed. This report to the Naskapi community describes what the research team found.The second part of the plan is to improve access to information that will help the community address its concerns and realize its hopes for building a better and stronger future

Optical depth in polarised Monte Carlo radiative transfer

Context: The Monte Carlo method is the most widely used method to solve radiative transfer problems in astronomy, especially in a fully general 3D geometry. A crucial concept in any Monte Carlo radiative transfer code is the random generation of the next interaction location. In polarised Monte Carlo radiative transfer with aligned non-spherical grains, the nature of dichroism complicates the concept of optical depth. Aims: We investigate, in detail, the relation between optical depth and the optical properties and density of the attenuating medium in polarised Monte Carlo radiative transfer codes that take dichroic extinction into account. Methods: Based on solutions for the radiative transfer equation, we discuss the optical depth scale in polarised radiative transfer with spheroidal grains. We compare the dichroic optical depth to the extinction and total optical depth scale. Results: In a dichroic medium, the optical depth is not equal to the usual extinction optical depth, nor to the total optical depth. For representative values of the optical properties of dust grains, the dichroic optical depth can differ from the extinction or total optical depth by several tens of percent. A closed expression for the dichroic optical depth cannot be given, but it can be derived efficiently through an algorithm that is based on the analytical result corresponding to elongated grains with a uniform grain alignment. Conclusions: Optical depth is more complex in dichroic media than in systems without dichroic attenuation, and this complexity needs to be considered when generating random free path lengths in Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations. There is no benefit in using approximations instead of the dichroic optical depth

Polarization in Monte Carlo radiative transfer and dust scattering polarization signatures of spiral galaxies

Polarization is an important tool to further the understanding of interstellar dust and the sources behind it. In this paper we describe our implementation of polarization that is due to scattering of light by spherical grains and electrons in the dust Monte Carlo radiative transfer code SKIRT. In contrast to the implementations of other Monte Carlo radiative transfer codes, ours uses co-moving reference frames that rely solely on the scattering processes. It fully supports the peel-off mechanism that is crucial for the efficient calculation of images in 3D Monte Carlo codes. We develop reproducible test cases that push the limits of our code. The results of our program are validated by comparison with analytically calculated solutions. Additionally, we compare results of our code to previously published results. We apply our method to models of dusty spiral galaxies at near-infrared and optical wavelengths. We calculate polarization degree maps and show them to contain signatures that trace characteristics of the dust arms independent of the inclination or rotation of the galaxy

Disentangling the AGN and star-formation contributions to the radio-X-ray emission of radio-loud quasars at 1<z<21<z<2

To constrain the emission mechanisms responsible for generating the energy powering the active galactic nuclei (AGN) and their host galaxies, it is essential to disentangle the contributions from both as a function of wavelength. Here we introduce a state-of-the-art AGN radio-to-X-ray spectral energy distribution fitting model (ARXSED). ARXSED uses multiple components to replicate the emission from the AGN and their hosts. At radio wavelengths, ARXSED accounts for radiation from the radio structures (e.g., lobes,jets). At near-infrared to far-infrared wavelengths, ARXSED combines a clumpy medium and a homogeneous disk to account for the radiation from the torus. At the optical-UV and X-ray, ARXSED accounts for the emission from the accretion disk. An underlying component from radio to UV wavelengths accounts for the emission from the host galaxy. Here we present the results of ARXSED fits to the panchromatic SEDs of 20 radio-loud quasars from the 3CRR sample at $1<z\lesssim2$. We find that a single power-law is unable to fit the radio emission when compact radio structures (core, hot spots) are present. We find that the non-thermal emission from the quasars' radio structures contributes significantly ($>70\%$) to the submm luminosity in half the sample, impacting the submm-based star formation rate estimates. We present the median intrinsic SED of the radio-loud quasars at $z>1$ and find that the median SED of \cite{Elvis1994} is unable to describe the SED of the radio-selected AGN at $z>1$. The AGN torus and accretion disk parameters inferred from our fitting technique agree with those in the literature for similar samples. We find that the orientation of the torus/accretion disk does not line up with the inclination of the radio jets in our sample

NEAR: New Earths in the Alpha Cen Region (bringing VISIR as a "visiting instrument" to ESO-VLT-UT4)

By adding a dedicated coronagraph, ESO in collaboration with the Breakthrough Initiatives, modifies the Very Large Telescope mid-IR imager (VISIR) to further boost the high dynamic range imaging capability this instru- ment has. After the VISIR upgrade in 2012, where coronagraphic masks were first added to VISIR, it became evident that coronagraphy at a ground-based 8m-class telescope critically needs adaptive optics, even at wavelengths as long as 10μm. For VISIR, a work-horse observatory facility instrument in normal operations, this is ”easiest” achieved by bringing VISIR as a visiting instrument to the ESO-VLT-UT4 having an adaptive M2. This “visit” enables a meaningful search for Earth-like planets in the habitable zone around both α-Cen1,2. Meaningful here means, achieving a contrast of ≈ 10^(-6) within ≈ 0.8arcsec from the star while maintaining basically the normal sensitivity of VISIR. This should allow to detect a planet twice the diameter of Earth. Key components will be a diffractive coronagraphic mask, the annular groove phase mask (AGPM), optimized for the most sensitive spectral band-pass in the N-band, complemented by a sophisticated apodizer at the level of the Lyot stop. For VISIR noise filtering based on fast chopping is required. A novel internal chopper system will be integrated into the cryostat. This chopper is based on the standard technique from early radio astronomy, conceived by the microwave pioneer Robert Dicke in 1946, which was instrumental for the discovery of the 3K radio background

Mapping Circumstellar Matter with Polarized Light: The Case of Supernova 2014J in M82

Optical polarimetry is an effective way of probing the environment of a supernova for dust. We acquired linear HST ACS/WFC polarimetry in bands F W 475 , F606W, and F775W of the supernova (SN) 2014J in M82 at six epochs from ∼277 days to ∼1181 days after the B-band maximum. The polarization measured at day 277 shows conspicuous deviations from other epochs. These differences can be attributed to at least ∼10-6 M of circumstellar dust located at a distance of ~ ´5 10 c 17 m from the SN. The scattering dust grains revealed by these observations seem to be aligned with the dust in the interstellar medium that is responsible for the large reddening toward the supernova. The presence of this circumstellar dust sets strong constraints on the progenitor system that led to the explosion of SN 2014J; however, it cannot discriminate between single- and double-degenerate models

Les « Ententes sur les répercussions et les avantages » et le bien-être des communautés : Des occasions ratées ?

Depuis deux décennies, de plus en plus d’ententes sur les répercussions et les avantages (ERA) ont été négociées entre les minières et les communautés autochtones ou leurs représentants régionaux. Ces ententes sont perçues comme un outil très utile pour promouvoir le développement économique et améliorer certaines conditions socioéconomiques des communautés, plus particulièrement l’accroissement du revenu. Il n’est pas toujours évident toutefois que les communautés ainsi enrichies soient choyées au point de vue santé et bien-être communautaire. Plus frustrant encore, il n’y a qu’une minorité d’ERA qui se préoccupent directement de santé et de bien-être communautaire car la plupart sont conçues plutôt pour apporter des avantages en présumant que ceux-ci amélioreront le bien-être en général. C’est trompeur et insuffisant. En prenant pour exemple les ERA signées par les organisations inuites du Canada, le présent article reflète celui de Knotsch et Warda (2009) dans lequel les auteurs proposent plus de recherches sur les ERA et sur le bien-être des communautés. De plus, nous suggérons ici que les négociateurs des ERA mettent l’accent sur les questions et les besoins reliés à la santé communautaire en les intégrant dans les futures ententes.Over the past two decades, Impact and Benefit Agreements (IBAs) have increasingly been established between mine developers and Aboriginal communities or their regional representatives. These agreements are widely seen as a powerful tool to promote economic development and improve certain socio-economic conditions in communities, most especially income levels. Problematically, however, it is not always evident that enriched communities are wholly better off with respect to their health and well-being. More frustrating, few if any IBAs explicitly address community health and well-being; typically, IBAs are designed to deliver benefits, and these benefits are simply assumed to produce improved health. This is misguided and insufficient. Giving special attention to IBAs signed with Inuit organizations in Canada, this article echoes Knotsch and Warda’s (2009) call for more research on IBAs and community well-being, and suggests, in the meanwhile, that IBA negotiators more explicitly consider community health issues and needs in developing the next generation of IBAs.Desde hace veinte años, continuamente se han negociado acuerdos sobre las repercusiones y las ventajas (ERA) entre las empresas mineras y las comunidades autóctonas y sus representantes regionales. Estos acuerdos son interpretados como un medio muy útil para promover el desarrollo económico y mejorar algunas condiciones socio-económicas de las comunidades. Particularmente el crecimiento de de los ingresos económicos. Sin embargo no es siempre evidente que las comunidades que se enriquecieron estén privilegiadas desde el punto de vista de la salud y del bienestar comunitario, y todavía más frustrante aún es el hecho que hay una minoría de ERA que se preocupa de salud y de bienestar comunitarios porque la mayoría están creadas sobre todo para aportar ventajas pensando que esto mejorará el bienestar general. Es engañoso e insuficiente. Si se toma como ejemplo las ERA firmadas por las organizaciones inuit del Canadá el presente artículo refleja el de Knotsch y Warda (2009) en el que los autores proponen mas trabajos de investigación sobre las ERA y el bienestar de las comunidades. En este nosotros sugerimos que los negociadores de las ERA se concentren sobre las cuestiones y necesidades relacionadas con la salud comunitaria para integrarlas en los futuros acuerdo

Dust Formation in Substellar Atmospheres: A Multi-Scale Problem

The large scales of substellar atmospheres are determined by an interplay between convection, dust formation and gravitational settling. The consequence is an element depletion of the upper dust forming regions and an element enrichment of the dust evaporating sites. The formation of dust cloud structures in substellar atmospheres is investigated based on a consistent theoretical description of hydrodynamics, dust formation and destruction, gravitational settling, and element depletion including the effect of mixing by convective overshoot. Results of the calculation are, e.g., the mean size of the dust particles and the element depletion which both vary with atmospheric height