1,194 research outputs found
The BLAST Survey of the Vela Molecular Cloud: Physical Properties of the Dense Cores in Vela-D
The Balloon-borne Large-Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (BLAST) carried out
a 250, 350 and 500 micron survey of the galactic plane encompassing the Vela
Molecular Ridge, with the primary goal of identifying the coldest dense cores
possibly associated with the earliest stages of star formation. Here we present
the results from observations of the Vela-D region, covering about 4 square
degrees, in which we find 141 BLAST cores. We exploit existing data taken with
the Spitzer MIPS, IRAC and SEST-SIMBA instruments to constrain their
(single-temperature) spectral energy distributions, assuming a dust emissivity
index beta = 2.0. This combination of data allows us to determine the
temperature, luminosity and mass of each BLAST core, and also enables us to
separate starless from proto-stellar sources. We also analyze the effects that
the uncertainties on the derived physical parameters of the individual sources
have on the overall physical properties of starless and proto-stellar cores,
and we find that there appear to be a smooth transition from the pre- to the
proto-stellar phase. In particular, for proto-stellar cores we find a
correlation between the MIPS24 flux, associated with the central protostar, and
the temperature of the dust envelope. We also find that the core mass function
of the Vela-D cores has a slope consistent with other similar (sub)millimeter
surveys.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. Data and maps
are available at http://blastexperiment.info
The Multi-Object, Fiber-Fed Spectrographs for SDSS and the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey
We present the design and performance of the multi-object fiber spectrographs
for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and their upgrade for the Baryon
Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). Originally commissioned in Fall 1999
on the 2.5-m aperture Sloan Telescope at Apache Point Observatory, the
spectrographs produced more than 1.5 million spectra for the SDSS and SDSS-II
surveys, enabling a wide variety of Galactic and extra-galactic science
including the first observation of baryon acoustic oscillations in 2005. The
spectrographs were upgraded in 2009 and are currently in use for BOSS, the
flagship survey of the third-generation SDSS-III project. BOSS will measure
redshifts of 1.35 million massive galaxies to redshift 0.7 and Lyman-alpha
absorption of 160,000 high redshift quasars over 10,000 square degrees of sky,
making percent level measurements of the absolute cosmic distance scale of the
Universe and placing tight constraints on the equation of state of dark energy.
The twin multi-object fiber spectrographs utilize a simple optical layout
with reflective collimators, gratings, all-refractive cameras, and
state-of-the-art CCD detectors to produce hundreds of spectra simultaneously in
two channels over a bandpass covering the near ultraviolet to the near
infrared, with a resolving power R = \lambda/FWHM ~ 2000. Building on proven
heritage, the spectrographs were upgraded for BOSS with volume-phase
holographic gratings and modern CCD detectors, improving the peak throughput by
nearly a factor of two, extending the bandpass to cover 360 < \lambda < 1000
nm, and increasing the number of fibers from 640 to 1000 per exposure. In this
paper we describe the original SDSS spectrograph design and the upgrades
implemented for BOSS, and document the predicted and measured performances.Comment: 43 pages, 42 figures, revised according to referee report and
accepted by AJ. Provides background for the instrument responsible for SDSS
and BOSS spectra. 4th in a series of survey technical papers released in
Summer 2012, including arXiv:1207.7137 (DR9), arXiv:1207.7326 (Spectral
Classification), and arXiv:1208.0022 (BOSS Overview
Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial
Background
Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy
Signatures of large composite Dark Matter states
We investigate the interactions of large composite dark matter (DM) states
with the Standard Model (SM) sector. Elastic scattering with SM nuclei can be
coherently enhanced by factors as large as A^2, where A is the number of
constituents in the composite state (there exist models in which DM states of
very large A > 10^8 may be realised). This enhancement, for a given direct
detection event rate, weakens the expected signals at colliders by up to 1/A.
Moreover, the spatially extended nature of the DM states leads to an
additional, characteristic, form factor modifying the momentum dependence of
scattering processes, altering the recoil energy spectra in direct detection
experiments. In particular, energy recoil spectra with peaks and troughs are
possible, and such features could be confirmed with only O(50) events,
independently of the assumed halo velocity distribution. Large composite states
also generically give rise to low-energy collective excitations potentially
relevant to direct detection and indirect detection phenomenology. We compute
the form factor for a generic class of such excitations - quantised surface
modes - finding that they can lead to coherently-enhanced, but generally
sub-dominant, inelastic scattering in direct detection experiments. Finally, we
study the modifications to capture rates in astrophysical objects that follow
from the elastic form factor, as well as the effects of inelastic interactions
between DM states once captured. We argue that inelastic interactions may lead
to the DM collapsing to a dense configuration at the centre of the object.Comment: 30 pages, 5 figures, v2; references and minor additional comments
adde
Discovery of a z = 0.65 post-starburst BAL quasar in the DES supernova fields
We present the discovery of a z = 0.65 low-ionization broad absorption line (LoBAL) quasar in a post-starburst galaxy in data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and spectroscopy from the Australian Dark Energy Survey (OzDES). LoBAL quasars are a minority of all BALs, and rarer still is that this object also exhibits broad Fe II (an FeLoBAL) and Balmer absorption. This is the first BAL quasar that has signatures of recently truncated star formation, which we estimate ended about 40 Myr ago. The characteristic signatures of an FeLoBAL require high column densities, which could be explained by the emergence of a young quasar from an early, dust-enshrouded phase, or by clouds compressed by a blast wave. The age of the starburst component is comparable to estimates of the lifetime of quasars, so if we assume the quasar activity is related to the truncation of the star formation, this object is better explained by the blast wave scenario
Microwave multiplexing on the Keck Array
We describe an on-sky demonstration of a microwave-multiplexing readout
system in one of the receivers of the Keck Array, a polarimetry experiment
observing the cosmic microwave background at the South Pole. During the austral
summer of 2018-2019, we replaced the time-division multiplexing readout system
with microwave-multiplexing components including superconducting microwave
resonators coupled to radio-frequency superconducting quantum interference
devices at the sub-Kelvin focal plane, coaxial-cable plumbing and amplification
between room temperature and the cold stages, and a SLAC Microresonator Radio
Frequency system for the warm electronics. In the range 5-6 GHz, a single
coaxial cable reads out 528 channels. The readout system is coupled to
transition-edge sensors, which are in turn coupled to 150-GHz slot-dipole
phased-array antennas. Observations began in April 2019, and we report here on
an initial characterization of the system performance.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, Accepted by the Journal of Low Temperature
Physics (Proceedings of the 18th International Workshop on Low Temperature
Detectors
Multi-ancestry GWAS of the electrocardiographic PR interval identifies 202 loci underlying cardiac conduction
The electrocardiographic PR interval reflects atrioventricular conduction, and is associated with conduction abnormalities, pacemaker implantation, atrial fibrillation (AF), and cardiovascular mortality. Here we report a multi-ancestry (N=293,051) genome-wide association meta-analysis for the PR interval, discovering 202 loci of which 141 have not previously been reported. Variants at identified loci increase the percentage of heritability explained, from 33.5% to 62.6%. We observe enrichment for cardiac muscle developmental/contractile and cytoskeletal genes, highlighting key regulation processes for atrioventricular conduction. Additionally, 8 loci not previously reported harbor genes underlying inherited arrhythmic syndromes and/or cardiomyopathies suggesting a role for these genes in cardiovascular pathology in the general population. We show that polygenic predisposition to PR interval duration is an endophenotype for cardiovascular disease, including distal conduction disease, AF, and atrioventricular pre-excitation. These findings advance our understanding of the polygenic basis of cardiac conduction, and the genetic relationship between PR interval duration and cardiovascular disease. On the electrocardiogram, the PR interval reflects conduction from the atria to ventricles and also serves as risk indicator of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Here, the authors perform genome-wide meta-analyses for PR interval in multiple ancestries and identify 141 previously unreported genetic loci.Peer reviewe
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Technical Summary
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) will provide the data to support detailed
investigations of the distribution of luminous and non- luminous matter in the
Universe: a photometrically and astrometrically calibrated digital imaging
survey of pi steradians above about Galactic latitude 30 degrees in five broad
optical bands to a depth of g' about 23 magnitudes, and a spectroscopic survey
of the approximately one million brightest galaxies and 10^5 brightest quasars
found in the photometric object catalog produced by the imaging survey. This
paper summarizes the observational parameters and data products of the SDSS,
and serves as an introduction to extensive technical on-line documentation.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, AAS Latex. To appear in AJ, Sept 200
The Third Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
This paper describes the Third Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
(SDSS). This release, containing data taken up through June 2003, includes
imaging data in five bands over 5282 deg^2, photometric and astrometric
catalogs of the 141 million objects detected in these imaging data, and spectra
of 528,640 objects selected over 4188 deg^2. The pipelines analyzing both
images and spectroscopy are unchanged from those used in our Second Data
Release.Comment: 14 pages, including 2 postscript figures. Submitted to AJ. Data
available at http://www.sdss.org/dr
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