1,029 research outputs found
Possible detection of singly-ionized oxygen in the Type Ia SN 2010kg
We present direct spectroscopic modeling of 11 high-S/N observed spectra of
the Type Ia SN 2010kg, taken between -10 and +5 days with respect to B-maximum.
The synthetic spectra, calculated with the SYN++ code, span the range between
4100 and 8500 \r{A}. Our results are in good agreement with previous findings
for other Type Ia SNe. Most of the spectral features are formed at or close to
the photosphere, but some ions, like Fe II and Mg II, also form features at
~2000 - 5000 km s above the photosphere. The well-known high-velocity
features of the Ca II IR-triplet as well as Si II 6355 are also
detected.
The single absorption feature at ~4400 \r{A}, which usually has been
identified as due to Si III, is poorly fit with Si III in SN 2010kg. We find
that the fit can be improved by assuming that this feature is due to either C
III or O II, located in the outermost part of the ejecta, ~4000 - 5000 km
s above the photosphere. Since the presence of C III is unlikely,
because of the lack of the necessary excitation/ionization conditions in the
outer ejecta, we identify this feature as due to O II. The simultaneous
presence of O I and O II is in good agreement with the optical depth
calculations and the temperature distribution in the ejecta of SN 2010kg. This
could be the first identification of singly ionized oxygen in a Type Ia SN
atmosphere.Comment: Submitted to MNRA
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Lies, Damn Lies and Viral Content
To track and analyze the way news sites handle online rumors and unverified claims, I and research assistant Jocelyn Jurich identified rumors circulating in online media, and captured and analyzed them using the Emergent database and related public website. I also spoke with journalists, skeptics and others engaged in efforts to debunk online misinformation. This report is the result of our research.
One key conclusion is that journalists are squandering much of the value of rumors and emerging news by moving too quickly and thoughtlessly to propagation. News websites dedicate far more time and resources to propagating questionable and often false claims than they do working to verify and/or debunk viral content and online rumors. The debunking efforts that do exist at news organizations are scattershot and are not rooted in best practices identified in previous research.
Rather than acting as a source of accurate information, online media frequently promote misinformation in an attempt to drive traffic and social engagement. The result is a situation where lies spread much farther than the truth, and news organizations play a powerful role in making this happen.This research has quantified many bad practices of online media. In doing so, it clearly articulates areas for improvement. I also believe it reveals a way forward where news organizations move to occupy the middle ground between mindless propagation and wordless restraint.
Journalists today have an imperativeâand an opportunityâto sift through the mass of content being created and shared in order to separate true from false, and to help the truth to spread. This report includes a set of specific and, where possible, data driven recommendations for how this anti-viral viral strategy can be executed.
My hope is that this report helps newsrooms see the bad practices that must be stopped, and to apply better strategies for reporting in our new world of emergent news
High-Velocity Features of Calcium and Silicon in the Spectra of Type Ia Supernovae
"High-velocity features" (HVFs) are spectral features in Type Ia supernovae
(SNe Ia) that have minima indicating significantly higher (by greater than
about 6000 km/s) velocities than typical "photospheric-velocity features"
(PVFs). The PVFs are absorption features with minima indicating typical
photospheric (i.e., bulk ejecta) velocities (usually ~9000-15,000 km/s near
B-band maximum brightness). In this work we undertake the most in-depth study
of HVFs ever performed. The dataset used herein consists of 445 low-resolution
optical and near-infrared (NIR) spectra (at epochs up to 5 d past maximum
brightness) of 210 low-redshift SNe Ia that follow the "Phillips relation." A
series of Gaussian functions is fit to the data in order to characterise
possible HVFs of Ca II H&K, Si II {\lambda}6355, and the Ca II NIR triplet. The
temporal evolution of the velocities and strengths of the PVFs and HVFs of
these three spectral features is investigated, as are possible correlations
with other SN Ia observables. We find that while HVFs of Ca II are regularly
observed (except in underluminous SNe Ia, where they are never found), HVFs of
Si II {\lambda}6355 are significantly rarer, and they tend to exist at the
earliest epochs and mostly in objects with large photospheric velocities. It is
also shown that stronger HVFs of Si II {\lambda}6355 are found in objects that
lack C II absorption at early times and that have red ultraviolet/optical
colours near maximum brightness. These results lead to a self-consistent
connection between the presence and strength of HVFs of Si II {\lambda}6355 and
many other mutually correlated SN~Ia observables, including photospheric
velocity.Comment: 48 pages (22 of which are tables), 15 figures, 5 tables, re-submitted
to MNRAS (after first referee report
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Social media, surveillance and news work: On the apps promising journalists a âcrystal ballâ
Social media platforms are becoming an indispensable resource for journalists. Their use involves both direct interaction with the platforms themselves and, increasingly, the use of specialist third-party apps to find, filter, and follow content and contributors. This article explores some of the ways social media platforms, and their technological ecosystems, are infusing news work. A range of platforms and appsâincluding Geofeedia, Spike, and Twitterâwere critically examined, and their use by trainee journalists (N=81) analysed. The results reveal how journalists canâand doâsurveil social network users and their content via sophisticated, professional apps that are also utilised by the police and security forces. While journalists recognise the value of such apps in news work, they also have concerns, including about privacy and popularism. And although the participants in this study thought the apps they used could help with verification, there were warning signs that an over-reliance on the technology could develop, dulling journalistsâ critical faculties
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The Antiviral RNA Interference Response Provides Resistance to Lethal Arbovirus Infection and Vertical Transmission in Caenorhabditis elegans
The recent discovery of the positive-sense single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) Orsay virus (OV) as a natural pathogen of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has stimulated interest in exploring virus-nematode interactions. However, OV infection is restricted to a small number of intestinal cells, even in nematodes defective in their antiviral RNA interference (RNAi) response, and is neither lethal nor vertically transmitted. Using a fluorescent reporter strain of the negative-sense ssRNA vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), we show that microinjection of VSV particles leads to a dose-dependent, muscle tissue-tropic, lethal infection in C. elegans. Furthermore, we find nematodes deficient for components of the antiviral RNAi pathway, such as Dicer-related helicase 1 (DRH-1), to display hypersusceptibility to VSV infection as evidenced by elevated infection rates, virus replication in multiple tissue types, and earlier mortality. Strikingly, infection of oocytes and embryos could also be observed in drh-1 mutants. Our results suggest that the antiviral RNAi response not only inhibits vertical VSV transmission but also promotes transgenerational inheritance of antiviral immunity. Our study introduces a new, in vivo virus-host model system for exploring arbovirus pathogenesis and provides the first evidence for vertical pathogen transmission in C. elegans
High-Velocity Line Forming Regions in the Type Ia Supernova 2009ig
We report measurements and analysis of high-velocity (> 20,000 km/s) and
photospheric absorption features in a series of spectra of the Type Ia
supernova (SN) 2009ig obtained between -14d and +13d with respect to the time
of maximum B-band luminosity. We identify lines of Si II, Si III, S II, Ca II
and Fe II that produce both high-velocity (HVF) and photospheric-velocity (PVF)
absorption features. SN 2009ig is unusual for the large number of lines with
detectable HVF in the spectra, but the light-curve parameters correspond to a
slightly overluminous but unexceptional SN Ia (M_B = -19.46 mag and Delta_m15
(B) = 0.90 mag). Similarly, the Si II lambda_6355 velocity at the time of B-max
is greater than "normal" for a SN Ia, but it is not extreme (v_Si = 13,400
km/s). The -14d and -13d spectra clearly resolve HVF from Si II lambda_6355 as
separate absorptions from a detached line forming region. At these very early
phases, detached HVF are prevalent in all lines. From -12d to -6d, HVF and PVF
are detected simultaneously, and the two line forming regions maintain a
constant separation of about 8,000 km/s. After -6d all absorption features are
PVF. The observations of SN 2009ig provide a complete picture of the transition
from HVF to PVF. Most SN Ia show evidence for HVF from multiple lines in
spectra obtained before -10d, and we compare the spectra of SN 2009ig to
observations of other SN. We show that each of the unusual line profiles for Si
II lambda_6355 found in early-time spectra of SN Ia correlate to a specific
phase in a common development sequence from HVF to PVF.Comment: 19 pages, 11figures, 4 tables, submitted to Ap
The Very Young Type Ia Supernova 2012cg: Discovery and Early-Time Follow-Up Observations
On 2012 May 17.2 UT, only 1.5 +/- 0.2 d after explosion, we discovered SN
2012cg, a Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) in NGC 4424 (d ~ 15 Mpc). As a result of
the newly modified strategy employed by the Lick Observatory SN Search, a
sequence of filtered images was obtained starting 161 s after discovery.
Utilizing recent models describing the interaction of SN ejecta with a
companion star, we rule out a ~1 M_Sun companion for half of all viewing angles
and a red-giant companion for nearly all orientations. SN 2012cg reached a
B-band maximum of 12.09 +/- 0.02 mag on 2012 June 2.0 and took ~17.3 d from
explosion to reach this, typical for SNe Ia. Our pre-maximum brightness
photometry shows a narrower-than-average B-band light curve for SN 2012cg,
though slightly overluminous at maximum brightness and with normal color
evolution (including some of the earliest SN Ia filtered photometry ever
obtained). Spectral fits to SN 2012cg reveal ions typically found in SNe Ia at
early times, with expansion velocities >14,000 km/s at 2.5 d past explosion.
Absorption from C II is detected early, as well as high-velocity components of
both Si II 6355 Ang. and Ca II. Our last spectrum (13.5 d past explosion)
resembles that of the somewhat peculiar SN Ia 1999aa. This suggests that SN
2012cg will have a slower-than-average declining light curve, which may be
surprising given the faster-than-average rising light curve.Comment: re-submitted to ApJL, 4 figures, 1 tabl
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