1,521 research outputs found
Ballistic magnon heat conduction and possible Poiseuille flow in the helimagnetic insulator CuOSeO
We report on the observation of magnon thermal conductivity 70
W/mK near 5 K in the helimagnetic insulator CuOSeO, exceeding that
measured in any other ferromagnet by almost two orders of magnitude. Ballistic,
boundary-limited transport for both magnons and phonons is established below 1
K, and Poiseuille flow of magnons is proposed to explain a magnon mean-free
path substantially exceeding the specimen width for the least defective
specimens in the range 2 K 10 K. These observations establish
CuOSeO as a model system for studying long-wavelength magnon dynamics.Comment: 10pp, 9 figures, accepted PRB (Editor's Suggestion
From Starburst to Quiescence: Testing AGN feedback in Rapidly Quenching Post-Starburst Galaxies
Post-starbursts are galaxies in transition from the blue cloud to the red
sequence. Although they are rare today, integrated over time they may be an
important pathway to the red sequence. This work uses SDSS, GALEX, and WISE
observations to identify the evolutionary sequence from starbursts to fully
quenched post-starbursts in the narrow mass range , and identifies "transiting" post-starbursts which are intermediate
between these two populations. In this mass range, of galaxies are
starbursts, are quenched post-starbursts, and are the
transiting types in between. The transiting post-starbursts have stellar
properties that are predicted for fast-quenching starbursts and morphological
characteristics that are already typical of early-type galaxies. The AGN
fraction, as estimated from optical line ratios, of these post-starbursts is
about 3 times higher () than that of normal star-forming
galaxies of the same mass, but there is a significant delay between the
starburst phase and the peak of nuclear optical AGN activity (median age
difference of Myr), in agreement with previous studies.
The time delay is inferred by comparing the broad-band near NUV-to-optical
photometry with stellar population synthesis models. We also find that
starbursts and post-starbursts are significantly more dust-obscured than normal
star-forming galaxies in the same mass range. About of the starbursts
and of the transiting post-starbursts can be classified as the
"Dust-Obscured Galaxies" (DOGs), while only of normal galaxies are
DOGs.The time delay between the starburst phase and AGN activity suggests that
AGN do not play a primary role in the original quenching of starbursts but may
be responsible for quenching later low-level star formation during the
post-starburst phase.Comment: 30 pages, 18 figures,accepted to Ap
Calcification in Aging Canine Aortic Valve
Aging changes of aortic valves are thought to underlie the mechanism of calcification, which leads to calcific aortic stenosis in humans. The study of calcification in the aging valvular connective tissue has been hindered by the lack of a suitable animal model. In search of the model, canine aortic valves demonstrated age changes including calcification remarkably similar to those in humans. The mechanism of calcification was studied in the aortic valves of aged Beagles by electron microscopy. Fibroblasts in the canine aortic valves showed the most prominent age changes. The cells accumulated numerous residual bodies and appeared to disintegrate. The resultant membranous cellular degradation products which sequestered in the extracellular space were the nidi of calcification. It appeared that the membrane of cell debris played an important role in calcification. Canine aortic valve is an ideal model for the study of calcification in relation to aging of the valvular connective tissue
Testing Diagnostics of Nuclear Activity and Star Formation in Galaxies at z>1
We present some of the first science data with the new Keck/MOSFIRE
instrument to test the effectiveness of different AGN/SF diagnostics at z~1.5.
MOSFIRE spectra were obtained in three H-band multi-slit masks in the GOODS-S
field, resulting in two hour exposures of 36 emission-line galaxies. We compare
X-ray data with the traditional emission-line ratio diagnostics and the
alternative mass-excitation and color-excitation diagrams, combining new
MOSFIRE infrared data with previous HST/WFC3 infrared spectra (from the 3D-HST
survey) and multiwavelength photometry. We demonstrate that a high [OIII]/Hb
ratio is insufficient as an AGN indicator at z>1. For the four X-ray detected
galaxies, the classic diagnostics ([OIII]/Hb vs. [NII]/Ha and [SII]/Ha) remain
consistent with X-ray AGN/SF classification. The X-ray data also suggest that
"composite" galaxies (with intermediate AGN/SF classification) host bona-fide
AGNs. Nearly 2/3 of the z~1.5 emission-line galaxies have nuclear activity
detected by either X-rays or the classic diagnostics. Compared to the X-ray and
line ratio classifications, the mass-excitation method remains effective at
z>1, but we show that the color-excitation method requires a new calibration to
successfully identify AGNs at these redshifts.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. Accepted to ApJ Letter
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