Hot Populations in M87 Globular Clusters

We have obtained HST/STIS far- and near-UV photometry of globular clusters in four fields in the gE galaxy M87. To a limit of m(FUV) = 25 we detect a total of 66 globular clusters (GCs) in common with the deep HST optical-band study of Kundu et al. (1999). Despite strong overlap in V- and I-band properties, the M87 GCs have UV/optical properties that are distinct from clusters in the Milky Way and in M31. M87 clusters, especially metal-poor ones, produce larger hot HB populations than do Milky Way analogues. Cluster mass is probably not a factor in these distinctions. The most metal-rich M87 GCs in our sample are near Z_sun and overlap the local E galaxy sample in estimated Mg_2 line indices. Nonetheless, the clusters produce much more UV light at a given Mg_2, being up to 1 mag bluer than any gE galaxy in (FUV-V) color. The M87 GCs do not appear to represent a transition between Milky Way-type clusters and E galaxies. The differences are in the correct sense if the clusters are significantly older than the E galaxies. Comparisons with Galactic open clusters indicate that the hot stars lie on the extreme horizontal branch, rather than being blue stragglers, and that the EHB becomes well populated for ages > 5 Gyr. We find that 43 of our UV detections have no optical-band counterparts. Most appear to be UV-bright background galaxies, seen through M87. Eleven NUV variable sources detected at only one epoch in the central field are probably classical novae. [Abridged]Comment: 70 pages, 25 figures (including 4 jpgs), 7 tables. To appear in AJ. Full resolution version available at http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~rwo/m87/m87-hotpops.pd

Ballistic dynamics of a convex smooth-wall billiard with finite escape rate along the boundary

We focus on the problem of an impurity-free billiard with a random position-dependent boundary coupling to the environment. The response functions of such an open system can be obtained non-perturbatively from a supersymmetric generating functional. The derivation of this functional is based on averaging over the escape rates and results in a non-linear ballistic $\sigma$-model, characterized by system-specific parameters. Particular emphasis is placed on the {}``whispering gallery modes'' as the origin of surface diffusion modes in the limit of large dimensionless conductance.Comment: 12 pages, no figure

The magnetic field structure in CTA 102 from high-resolution mm-VLBI observations during the flaring state in 2016-2017

CONTEXT: Investigating the magnetic field structure in the innermost regions of relativistic jets is fundamental to understanding the crucial physical processes giving rise to jet formation, as well as to their extraordinary radiation output up to γ-ray energies. AIMS: We study the magnetic field structure of the quasar CTA 102 with 3 and 7 mm VLBI polarimetric observations, reaching an unprecedented resolution (∼50 μas). We also investigate the variability and physical processes occurring in the source during the observing period, which coincides with a very active state of the source over the entire electromagnetic spectrum. METHODS: We perform the Faraday rotation analysis using 3 and 7 mm data and we compare the obtained rotation measure (RM) map with the polarization evolution in 7 mm VLBA images. We study the kinematics and variability at 7 mm and infer the physical parameters associated with variability. From the analysis of γ-ray and X-ray data, we compute a minimum Doppler factor value required to explain the observed high-energy emission. RESULTS: Faraday rotation analysis shows a gradient in RM with a maximum value of ∼6 × 104⁴ rad m⁻² and intrinsic electric vector position angles (EVPAs) oriented around the centroid of the core, suggesting the presence of large-scale helical magnetic fields. Such a magnetic field structure is also visible in 7 mm images when a new superluminal component is crossing the core region. The 7 mm EVPA orientation is different when the component is exiting the core or crossing a stationary feature at ∼0.1 mas. The interaction between the superluminal component and a recollimation shock at ∼0.1 mas could have triggered the multi-wavelength flares. The variability Doppler factor associated with such an interaction is large enough to explain the high-energy emission and the remarkable optical flare occurred very close in time.Accepted manuscrip

Possible Glassiness in a Periodic Long-Range Josephson Array

We present an analytic study of a periodic Josephson array with long-range interactions in a transverse magnetic field. We find that this system exhibits a first-order transition into a phase characterized by an extensive number of states separated by barriers that scale with the system size; the associated discontinuity is small in the limit of weak applied field, thus permitting an explicit analysis in this regime.Comment: 4 pages, 2 Postscript figures in a separate file

Quantum chaotic scattering in time-dependent external fields: random matrix approach

We review the random matrix description of electron transport through open quantum dots, subject to time-dependent perturbations. All characteristics of the current linear in the bias can be expressed in terms of the scattering matrix, calculated for a time-dependent Hamiltonian. Assuming that the Hamiltonian belongs to a Gaussian ensemble of random matrices, we investigate various statistical properties of the direct current in the ensemble. Particularly, even at zero bias the time-dependent perturbation induces current, called photovoltaic current. We discuss dependence of the photovoltaic current and its noise on the frequency and the strength of the perturbation. We also describe the effect of time-dependent perturbation on the weak localization correction to the conductance and on conductance fluctuations.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures; contribution for the special issue of J. Phys. A: "Trends in Quantum Chaotic Scattering

86 GHz polarimetry of OVV1633+382 after a major mm flare

The 18 mag QSO 1633+382 (4C38.41, z=1.807) showed a very pronounced outburst in 2001/2002. With a peak amplitude of more than 9 Jy at 90GHz, this flare was brighter than any known previous flare in this source (data available since 1980).During onset, the mm-flare was particulary fast, with an increase of more than 2 Jy at 230 GHz in less than 8 days. Since January 2002, the mm-flux of 1633+382 is decaying. During this decline, however, local flux variations with amplitudes of 1-3 Jy were seen, indicative of underlying and more rapid source activity on time scales of 1-2 months. After the main peak occurring in 2001.99, the 90 GHz flux showed secondary maxima at approximately half year intervals in 2002.3, 2002.7 and 2003.13. This kind of periodicity might be explained via the lighthouse model (Camenzind and Krockenberger 1992), which is based on the magnetic accelerator of Blanford and Payne (1982). At present the millimeter flux is nearly back to its quiescent level of 2-2.5 Jy, which the source had before the flare began. Our VLBA Polarimetry monitoring started June 2002 during the onset of the flare. At cm wavelength, the flare is only marginally detected which implies very high opacity of the source.Comment: 4 pages. 5 figures. Proceedings of the 7th European VLBI Network Symposium held in Toledo, Spain on October 12-15, 2004. Editors: R. Bachiller, F. Colomer, J.-F. Desmurs, P. de Vicente (Observatorio Astronomico Nacional), p. 85-88. Needs evn2004.cl

Composite fermion theory of collective excitations in fractional quantum Hall effect

The low energy neutral excitations of incompressible fractional quantum Hall states are called collective modes or magnetic excitons. This work develops techniques for computing their dispersion at general filling fractions for reasonably large systems. New structure is revealed; in particular, the collective mode at 1/3 is found to possess several minima, with the energy of the principal minimum significantly smaller than the earlier estimate. \pacs{73.40.Hm, 73.20.Dx, 73.20.Mf}Comment: 4 pages, 3 postscript figure

The Extended Shapes of Galactic Satellites

We are exploring the extended stellar distributions of Galactic satellite galaxies and globular clusters. For seven objects studied thus far, the observed profile departs from a King function at large r, revealing a ``break population'' of stars. In our sample, the relative density of the ``break'' correlates to the inferred M/L of these objects. We discuss opposing hypotheses for this trend: (1) Higher M/L objects harbor more extended dark matter halos that support secondary, bound, stellar ``halos''. (2) The extended populations around dwarf spheroidals (and some clusters) consist of unbound, extratidal debris from their parent objects, which are undergoing various degrees of tidal disruption. In this scenario, higher M/L ratios reflect higher degrees of virial non-equilibrium in the parent objects, thus invalidating a precept underlying the use of core radial velocities to obtain masses.Comment: 8 pages, including 2 figures Yale Cosmology Workshop: The Shapes of Galaxies and Their Halo

The F-GAMMA program: Multi-frequency study of Active Galactic Nuclei in the Fermi era. Program description and the first 2.5 years of monitoring

To fully exploit the scientific potential of the Fermi mission, we initiated the F-GAMMA program. Between 2007 and 2015 it was the prime provider of complementary multi-frequency monitoring in the radio regime. We quantify the radio variability of gamma-ray blazars. We investigate its dependence on source class and examine whether the radio variability is related to the gamma-ray loudness. Finally, we assess the validity of a putative correlation between the two bands. The F-GAMMA monitored monthly a sample of about 60 sources at up to twelve radio frequencies between 2.64 and 228.39 GHz. We perform a time series analysis on the first 2.5-year dataset to obtain variability parameters. A maximum likelihood analysis is used to assess the significance of a correlation between radio and gamma-ray fluxes. We present light curves and spectra (coherent within ten days) obtained with the Effelsberg 100-m and IRAM 30-m telescopes. All sources are variable across all frequency bands with amplitudes increasing with frequency up to rest frame frequencies of around 60 - 80 GHz as expected by shock-in-jet models. Compared to FSRQs, BL Lacs show systematically lower variability amplitudes, brightness temperatures and Doppler factors at lower frequencies, while the difference vanishes towards higher ones. The time scales appear similar for the two classes. The distribution of spectral indices appears flatter or more inverted at higher frequencies for BL Lacs. Evolving synchrotron self-absorbed components can naturally account for the observed spectral variability. We find that the Fermi-detected sources show larger variability amplitudes as well as brightness temperatures and Doppler factors, than non-detected ones. Flux densities at 86.2 and 142.3 GHz correlate with 1 GeV fluxes at a significance level better than 3sigma, implying that gamma rays are produced very close to the mm-band emission region.Comment: Accepted for publication in section 4. Extragalactic astronomy of Astronomy and Astrophysics (18 pages, 9 figures