353 research outputs found
Isolating Triggered Star Formation
Galaxy pairs provide a potentially powerful means of studying triggered star
formation from galaxy interactions. We use a large cosmological N-body
simulation coupled with a well-tested semi-analytic substructure model to
demonstrate that the majority of galaxies in close pairs reside within cluster
or group-size halos and therefore represent a biased population, poorly suited
for direct comparison to ``field'' galaxies. Thus, the frequent observation
that some types of galaxies in pairs have redder colors than ``field'' galaxies
is primarily a selection effect. We select galaxy pairs that are isolated in
their dark matter halos with respect to other massive subhalos (N=2 halos) and
a control sample of isolated galaxies (N=1 halos) for comparison. We then apply
these selection criteria to a volume-limited subset of the 2dF Galaxy Redshift
Survey with M_Bj <= -19 and obtain the first clean measure of the typical
fraction of galaxies affected by triggered star formation and the average
elevation in the star formation rate. We find that 24% (30.5%) of these L^\star
and sub-L^{\star} galaxies in isolated 50 (30) kpc/h pairs exhibit star
formation that is boosted by a factor of >~ 5 above their average past value,
while only 10% of isolated galaxies in the control sample show this level of
enhancement. Thus, 14% (20 %) of the galaxies in these close pairs show clear
triggered star formation. The isolation criteria we develop provide a means to
constrain star formation and feedback prescriptions in hydrodynamic simulations
and a very general method of understanding the importance of triggered star
formation in a cosmological context. (Abridged.)Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, emulateapj format, accepted by Ap
Upper Bound on the First Star Formation History
Our understanding of the nature of the extragalactic background light (EBL)
has improved with the recent development of gamma-ray observation techniques.
An open subject in the context of the EBL is the reionization epoch, which is
an important probe of the formation history of first stars, the so-called
Population III (Pop III) stars. Although the mechanisms for the formation of
Pop III stars are rather well understood on theoretical grounds, their
formation history is still veiled in mystery because of their faintness. To
shed light into this matter, we study jointly the gamma-ray opacity of distant
objects and the reionization constraints from studies of intergalactic gas. By
combining these studies, we obtain a sensitive upper bound on the Pop III star
formation rate density as at
, where and are the escape fraction of ionizing
photons from galaxies and the clumping factor of the intergalactic hydrogen
gas. This limit is a times tighter constraint compared with previous
studies that take into account gamma-ray opacity constraints only. Even if we
do not include the current gamma-ray constraints, the results do not change.
This is because the detected gamma-ray sources are still at where
the reionization has already finished.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
Discovery of GeV Emission from the Circinus galaxy with the Fermi-LAT
We report the discovery of gamma-ray emission from the Circinus galaxy using
the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.
Circinus is a nearby (~4 Mpc) starburst with a heavily obscured Seyfert-type
active nucleus, bipolar radio lobes perpendicular to the spiral disk, and
kpc-scale jet-like structures. Our analysis of 0.1-100 GeV events collected
during 4 years of LAT observations reveals a significant (~ 7.3 sigma) excess
above the background. We find no indications of variability or spatial
extension beyond the LAT point-spread function. A power-law model used to
describe the 0.1-100 GeV gamma-ray spectrum yields a flux of
(18.8+/-5.8)x10^{-9} ph cm^{-2} s^{-1} and photon index 2.19+/-0.12,
corresponding to an isotropic gamma-ray luminosity of 3 x 10^{40} erg s^{-1}.
This observed gamma-ray luminosity exceeds the luminosity expected from
cosmic-ray interactions in the interstellar medium and inverse Compton
radiation from the radio lobes. Thus the origin of the GeV excess requires
further investigation.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Generation of Nitric Oxide in the Opossum Lower Esophageal Sphincter during Physiological Experimentation
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), given in vivo, modulates opossum esophageal motor functions by inducing the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which increases nitric oxide (NO) production. Superoxide, a NO scavenger, is generated during this endotoxemia. Superoxide is cleared by superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) to protect the physiological function of NO. This study examined whether lower esophageal sphincter (LES) motility, NO release, and iNOS and nitrotyrosine accumulation in the LES are affected by LPS in vitro. Muscle strips from the opossum LES were placed in tissue baths containing oxygenated Krebs buffer. NO release was measured with a chemiluminescence NOx analyzer, and Western blots were performed to analyze iNOS and nitrotyrosine production. The percent change in resting LES tone after a 6-hour exposure to LPS was significantly increased compared to pretreatment values. The percent LES relaxation upon electrical stimulation was significantly decreased in the control group at 6 hours, indicating that the LPS treatment had an effect. The NO concentration in the tissue bath of LPS-treated muscle without nerve stimulation was significantly less than that of LPS treatment combined with SOD/CAT or SOD/CAT alone. iNOS and nitrotyrosine were detectable and increased over time in the LES muscle of both the control and LPS-treated groups. Antioxidant enzymes may play a role in regulating NO-mediated neuromuscular functions in the LES
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Fallback and Black Hole Production in Massive Stars
The compact remnants of core collapse supernovae--neutron stars and black holes--have properties that reflect both the structure of their stellar progenitors and the physics of the explosion. In particular, the masses of these remnants are sensitive to the density structure of the presupernova star and to the explosion energy. To a considerable extent, the final mass is determined by the ''fallback'', during the explosion, of matter that initially moves outwards, yet ultimately fails to escape. We consider here the simulated explosion of a large number of massive stars (10 to 100 M{sub {circle_dot}}) of Population I (solar metallicity) and III (zero metallicity), and find systematic differences in the remnant mass distributions. As pointed out by Chevalier (1989), supernovae in more compact progenitor stars have stronger reverse shocks and experience more fallback. For Population III stars above about 25 M{sub {circle_dot}} and explosion energies less than 1.5 x 10{sup 51} erg, black holes are a common outcome, with masses that increase monotonically with increasing main sequence mass up to a maximum hole mass of about 35 M{sub {circle_dot}}. If such stars produce primary nitrogen, however, their black holes are systematically smaller. For modern supernovae with nearly solar metallicity, black hole production is much less frequent and the typical masses, which depend sensitively on explosion energy, are smaller. We explore the neutron star initial mass function for both populations and, for reasonable assumptions about the initial mass cut of the explosion, find good agreement with the average of observed masses of neutron stars in binaries. We also find evidence for a bimodal distribution of neutron star masses with a spike around 1.2 M{sub {circle_dot}} (gravitational mass) and a broader distribution peaked around 1.4 M{sub {circle_dot}}
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Models for Gamma-Ray Bursts and Diverse Transients
The observational diversity of ''gamma-ray bursts'' (GRBs) has been increasing, and the natural inclination is a proliferation of models. We explore the possibility that at least part of this diversity is a consequence of a single basic model for the central engine operating in a massive star of variable mass, differential rotation rate, and mass loss rate. Whatever that central engine may be--and here the collapsar is used as a reference point--it must be capable of generating both a narrowly collimated, highly relativistic jet to make the GRB, and a wide angle, sub-relativistic outflow responsible for exploding the star and making the supernova bright. To some extent, the two components may vary independently, so it is possible to produce a variety of jet energies and supernova luminosities. We explore, in particular, the production of low energy bursts and find a lower limit, {approx} 10{sup 48} erg s{sup -1} to the power required for a jet to escape a massive star before that star either explodes or is accreted. Lower energy bursts and ''suffocated'' bursts may be particularly prevalent when the metallicity is high, i.e., in the modern universe at low redshift
The VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey at 5 GHz
We present the first results of the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey
(VIPS), a 5 GHz VLBI survey of 1,127 sources with flat radio spectra. Through
automated data reduction and imaging routines, we have produced publicly
available I, Q, and U images and have detected polarized flux density from 37%
of the sources. We have also developed an algorithm to use each source's I
image to automatically classify it as a point-like source, a core-jet, a
compact symmetric object (CSO) candidate, or a complex source. The mean ratio
of the polarized to total 5 GHz flux density for VIPS sources with detected
polarized flux density ranges from 1% to 20% with a median value of about 5%.
We have also found significant evidence that the directions of the jets in
core-jet systems tend to be perpendicular to the electric vector position
angles (EVPAs). The data is consistent with a scenario in which ~24% of the
polarized core-jets have EVPAs that are anti-aligned with the directions of
their jet components and which have a substantial amount of Faraday rotation.
In addition to these initial results, plans for future follow-up observations
are discussed.Comment: 36 pages, 3 tables, 13 figures; accepted for publication in Ap
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The Gamma-Ray Albedo of the Moon
We use the GEANT4 Monte Carlo framework to calculate the {gamma}-ray albedo of the Moon due to interactions of cosmic ray (CR) nuclei with moon rock. Our calculation of the albedo spectrum agrees with the EGRET data. We show that the spectrum of {gamma}-rays from the Moon is very steep with an effective cutoff around 3-4 GeV (600 MeV for the inner part of the Moon disk) and exhibits a narrow pion-decay line at 67.5 MeV, perhaps unique in astrophysics. Apart from other astrophysical sources, the albedo spectrum of the Moon is well understood, including its absolute normalization; this makes it a useful 'standard candle' for {gamma}-ray telescopes. The steep albedo spectrum also provides a unique opportunity for energy calibration of {gamma}-ray telescopes, such as the forthcoming Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST). Since the albedo flux depends on the incident CR spectrum which changes over the solar cycle, it is possible to monitor the CR spectrum using the albedo {gamma}-ray flux. Simultaneous measurements of CR proton and helium spectra by the Payload for Antimatter-Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics (PAMELA), and observations of the albedo {gamma}-rays by the GLAST Large Area Telescope (LAT), can be used to test the model predictions and will enable the LAT to monitor the CR spectrum near the Earth beyond the lifetime of the PAMELA
Three Gravitational Lenses for the Price of One: Enhanced Strong Lensing through Galaxy Clustering
We report the serendipitous discovery of two strong gravitational lens
candidates (ACS J160919+6532 and ACS J160910+6532) in deep images obtained with
the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope, each less than
40 arcsec from the previously known gravitational lens system CLASS B1608+656.
The redshifts of both lens galaxies have been measured with Keck and Gemini:
one is a member of a small galaxy group at z~0.63, which also includes the
lensing galaxy in the B1608+656 system, and the second is a member of a
foreground group at z~0.43. By measuring the effective radii and surface
brightnesses of the two lens galaxies, we infer their velocity dispersions
based on the passively evolving Fundamental Plane (FP) relation. Elliptical
isothermal lens mass models are able to explain their image configurations
within the lens hypothesis, with a velocity dispersion compatible with that
estimated from the FP for a reasonable source-redshift range. Based on the
large number of massive early-type galaxies in the field and the number-density
of faint blue galaxies, the presence of two additional lens systems around
CLASS B1608+656 is not unlikely in hindsight. Gravitational lens galaxies are
predominantly early-type galaxies, which are clustered, and the lensed quasar
host galaxies are also clustered. Therefore, obtaining deep high-resolution
images of the fields around known strong lens systems is an excellent method of
enhancing the probability of finding additional strong gravitational lens
systems.Comment: Submitted to ApJ. 8 pages, 6 figure
Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab: S1 Dark Matter Working Group
A study of the current status of WIMP dark matter searches has been made in
the context of scientific and technical planning for a Deep Underground Science
and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) in the U.S. The table of contents follows:
1. Overview
2. WIMP Dark Matter: Cosmology, Astrophysics, and Particle Physics
3. Direct Detection of WIMPs
4. Indirect Detection of WIMPs
5. Dark Matter Candidates and New Physics in the Laboratory
6. Synergies with Other Sub-Fields
7. Direct Detection Experiments: Status and Future Prospects
8. Infrastructure
9. International Context
10. Summary and Outlook
11. AcknowledgmentsComment: Final working group report of 17 Feb 2007 updated to address reviewer
comments (Latex, 32 pages
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