5,264 research outputs found
Accretion Disc Particle Accretion in Major Merger Simulations
A recent approach to simulating localized feedback from active galactic
nuclei by Power et al. (2011) uses an accretion disc particle to represent both
the black hole and its accretion disc. We have extrapolated and adapted this
approach to simulations of Milky Way-sized galaxy mergers containing black
holes and explored the impact of the various parameters in this model as well
as its resolution dependence. The two key parameters in the model are an
effective accretion radius, which determines the radius within which gas
particles are added to the accretion disc, and a viscous time-scale which
determines how long it takes for material in the accretion disc to accrete on
to the black hole itself. We find that there is a limited range of permitted
accretion radii and viscous time-scales, with unphysical results produced
outside this range. For permitted model parameters, the nuclear regions of
simulations with the same resolution follow similar evolutionary paths,
producing final black hole masses that are consistent within a factor of two.
When comparing the resolution dependence of the model, there is a trend towards
higher resolution producing slightly lower mass black holes, but values for the
two resolutions studied again agree within a factor of two. We also compare
these results to two other AGN feedback algorithms found in the literature.
While the evolution of the systems vary, most notably the intermediate total
black hole mass, the final black hole masses differ by less than a factor of
five amongst all of our models, and the remnants exhibit similar structural
parameters. The implication of this accretion model is that, unlike most
accretion algorithms, a decoupling of the accretion rate on to the black hole
and the local gas properties is permitted and obtained; this allows for black
hole growth even after feedback has prevented additional accretion events on to
the disc.Comment: 17 pages, accepted to MNRA
On the Spatial Correlations of Lyman Break Galaxies
Motivated by the observed discrepancy between the strong spatial correlations
of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) and their velocity dispersions, we consider a
theoretical model in which these starbursting galaxies are associated with dark
matter halos that experience appreciable infall of material. We show using
numerical simulation that selecting halos that substantially increase in mass
within a fixed time interval introduces a ``temporal bias'' which boosts their
clustering above that of the underlying population. If time intervals
consistent with the observed LBGs star formation rates of 50 solar masses per
year are chosen, then spatial correlations are enhanced by up to a factor of
two. These values roughly correspond to the geometrical bias of objects three
times as massive. Thus, it is clear that temporal biasing must be taken into
account when interpreting the properties of Lyman break galaxies.Comment: 5 Pages, 2 Figures, Accepted for Publication in ApJ Letter
AGN Feedback models: Correlations with star formation and observational implications of time evolution
We examine the correlation between the star formation rate (SFR) and black
hole accretion rate (BHAR) across a suite of different AGN feedback models,
using the time evolution of a merger simulation. By considering three different
stages of evolution, and a distinction between the nuclear and outer regions of
star formation, we consider 63 different cases. Despite many of the feedback
models fitting the M-\sigma\ relationship well, there are often distinct
differences in the SFR-BHAR correlations, with close to linear trends only
being present after the merger. Some of the models also show evolution in the
SFR-BHAR parameter space that is at times directly across the long-term
averaged SFR-BHAR correlation. This suggests that the observational SFR-BHAR
correlation found for ensembles of galaxies is an approximate statistical
trend, as suggested by Hickox et al. Decomposing the SFR into nuclear and outer
components also highlights notable differences between models and there is only
modest agreement with observational studies examining this in Seyfert galaxies.
For the fraction of the black hole mass growth from the merger event relative
to the final black hole mass, we find as much as a factor of three variation
among models. This also translates into a similar variation in the
post-starburst black hole mass growth. Overall, we find that while qualitative
features are often similar amongst models, precise quantitative analysis shows
there can be quite distinct differences.Comment: Accepted to MNRAS. Comments welcom
Does suspicion of motives mediate the relationship between social exclusion and smile discrimination? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
Individuals who are socially excluded or suspicious of other’s motives show increased sensitivity to social cues signalling positive affect. Facial expressions such as smiles are cues that signal affiliative intent. They may occur in the presence or absence of positive felt emotion, creating uncertainty for perceivers about affiliative motives underlying the expression. Excluded or suspicious individuals are better able to determine authenticity of such expressions and use the information to guide their social interactions with others. Despite shared theoretical frameworks, no research has examined a potential relationship between social exclusion and suspicion of motives themselves. Sample frames used have also lacked cultural diversity, inhibiting ability to generalise findings beyond Western European or American populations. The current study seeks to address both issues. This study predicted that feelings of social exclusion would make a person more suspicious of others’ social motives and that changes in levels of suspicion would mediate the relationship between a person’s feelings of exclusion and their ability to differentiate the social content of smiles. One hundred and eleven students of East and Southeast Asian origin, aged 18 to 50 years, were recruited to participate in the study from Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand. They completed an online survey where they were randomly assigned to one of two experimental social pain conditions (exclusion or inclusion). Cyberball was used to manipulate feelings of social pain, before participants were administered the Suspicion of Motive Index, a smile discrimination task, and the Needs Threat Scale. Results indicated that Cyberball reliably elicited feelings of exclusion and inclusion but found no significant evidence to support the hypothesised relationships between social exclusion, suspicion of motive and smile discrimination. The findings indicate that effects measured in previous research cannot be generalised to the present sample frame in the New Zealand context. The current study raises questions about the theoretical and methodological universality of the constructs and how they may be influenced by underlying cultural differences in intergroup relations, situational context, emotion expression, perception and recognition
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