429 research outputs found
Modeling complex crack paths in ceramic laminates: A novel variational framework combining the phase field method of fracture and the cohesive zone model
The steady-state Archard adhesive wear problem revisited based on the phase field approach to fracture
WATCAT: a tale of wide-angle tailed radio galaxies
We present a catalog of 47 wide-angle tailed radio galaxies (WATs), the
WATCAT; these galaxies were selected by combining observations from the
National Radio Astronomy Observatory/Very Large Array Sky Survey (NVSS), the
Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters (FIRST), and the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and mainly built including a radio morphological
classification. We included in the catalog only radio sources showing two-sided
jets with two clear "warmspots" (i.e., jet knots as bright as 20% of the
nucleus) lying on the opposite side of the radio core, and having classical
extended emission resembling a plume beyond them. The catalog is limited to
redshifts z 0.15, and lists only sources with radio emission extended
beyond 30 kpc from the host galaxy. We found that host galaxies of WATCAT
sources are all luminous (-20.5 Mr -23.7), red early-type
galaxies with black hole masses in the range M M. The spectroscopic classification indicates that they
are all low-excitation galaxies (LEGs). Comparing WAT multifrequency properties
with those of FRI and FRII radio galaxies at the same redshifts, we conclude
that WATs show multifrequency properties remarkably similar to FRI radio
galaxies, having radio power of typical FRIIs
Identification of elasto-plastic and nonlinear fracture mechanics parameters of silver-plated copper busbars for photovoltaics
Crack arrest through branching at curved weak interfaces: an experimental and numerical study
The phenomenon of arrest of an unstably-growing crack due to a curved weak
interface is investigated. The weak interface can produce the deviation of the
crack path, trapping the crack at the interface, leading to stable crack growth
for certain interface geometries. This idea could be used as a technical
solution for a new type of crack arrester, with a negligible impact on the
global stiffness, strength and weight of the structure. In order to exploit
this concept, an experimental campaign based on photo-elasticity and digital
image correlation is carried out, showing the capability of curved weak
interfaces to arrest cracks. The experiment is repeated for several geometrical
configurations through the modification of the interface curvature radii. The
phenomenon of crack deviation and subsequent arrest at the interface is also
investigated with the assistance of a computational model based on the finite
element method. The computational predictions provide the rationale for the
interpretation of the experimental observations, and distinguish between the
different behaviour of concave and convex interfaces. Consequently, as is shown
in the present study, the curved interface concept fosters new routes for the
attainment of structures with enhanced fracture resistance capacities, which
are of paramount importance for materials and components used in extreme
conditions.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figure
Optical archival spectra of blazar candidates of uncertain type in the 3 Fermi Large Area Telescope Catalog
Despite the fact that blazars constitute the rarest class among active
galactic nuclei (AGNs) they are the largest known population of associated
-ray sources. Many of the -ray objects listed in the
Fermi-Large Area Telescope Third Source catalog (3FGL) are classified as blazar
candidates of uncertain type (BCUs), either because they show multifrequency
behaviour similar to blazars but lacking optical spectra in the literature, or
because the quality of such spectra is too low to confirm their nature. Here we
select, out of 585 BCUs in the 3FGL, 42 BCUs which we identify as probable
blazars by their WISE infrared colors and which also have optical spectra that
are available in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and/or Six-Degree Field
Galaxy Survey Database (6dFGS). We confirm the blazar nature of all of the
sources. We furthermore conclude that 28 of them are BL Lacs, 8 are radio-loud
quasars with flat radio spectrum and 6 are BL Lac whose emission is dominated
by their host galaxy
Refining the associations of the Fermi Large Area Telescope Source Catalogs
The Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) First Source Catalog (1FGL) was released
in February 2010 and the Fermi-LAT 2-Year Source Catalog (2FGL) appeared in
April 2012, based on data from 24 months of operation. Since their releases,
many follow up observations of unidentified gamma-ray sources (UGSs) were
performed and new procedures to associate gamma-ray sources with potential
counterparts at other wavelengths were developed. Here we review and
characterize all the associations as published in the 1FGL and 2FGL catalog on
the basis of multifrequency archival observations. In particular we located 177
spectra for the low-energy counterparts that were not listed in the previous
Fermi catalogs, and in addition we present new spectroscopic observations of 8
gamma-ray blazar candidates. Based on our investigations, we introduce a new
counterpart category of "candidate associations" and propose a refined
classification for the candidate low-energy counterparts of the Fermi sources.
We compare the 1FGL-assigned counterparts with those listed in the 2FGL to
determine which unassociated sources became associated in later releases of the
Fermi catalogs. We also search for potential counterparts to all the remaining
unassociated Fermi sources. Finally, we prepare a refined and merged list of
all the associations of the 1FGL plus 2FGL catalogs that includes 2219 unique
Fermi objects. This is the most comprehensive and systematic study of all the
associations collected for the gamma-ray sources available to date. We conclude
that 80% of the Fermi sources have at least one known plausible gamma-ray
emitter within their positional uncertainty regions.Comment: 26 pages, 24 figures, 7 tables, ApJS accepted for publication
(pre-proof version uploaded
Current-voltage characteristics of silicon based solar cells in the presence of cracks: MD simulations
The Gamma-ray Blazar Quest: new optical spectra, state of art and future perspectives
We recently developed a procedure to recognize gamma-ray blazar candidates
within the positional uncertainty regions of the unidentified/unassociated
gamma-ray sources (UGSs). Such procedure was based on the discovery that Fermi
blazars show peculiar infrared colors. However, to confirm the real nature of
the selected candidates, optical spectroscopic data are necessary. Thus, we
performed an extensive archival search for spectra available in the literature
in parallel with an optical spectroscopic campaign aimed to reveal and confirm
the nature of the selected gamma-ray blazar candidates. Here, we first search
for optical spectra of a selected sample of gamma-ray blazar candidates that
can be potential counterparts of UGSs using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS
DR12). This search enables us to update the archival search carried out to
date. We also describe the state-of-art and the future perspectives of our
campaign to discover previously unknown gamma-ray blazars.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, 5 tables, pre-proof version, accepted for
publication of Astrophysics and Space Scienc
Power for dry BL Lacertae objects
Is it significant that the intrinsic outputs of several BL Lacs are observed
to level off at values of about 10^46 erg s^-1? In searching for an answer, we
compare gamma-ray observations by the AGILE satellite of the BL Lac S5 0716+714
with those of Mrk 421 and Mrk 501; the former are particularly marked by
intense flares up to fluxes of 2 x 10^-6 photons cm^-2 s^-1 in the 0.1-10 GeV
energy range. These "dry" BL Lacs show evidence of neither thermal disk
emissions nor emission lines signaling any accreting or surrounding gas; the
spectral distributions of their pure non-thermal radiations are effectively
represented by the synchrotron self-Compton process. With source parameters
correspondingly derived and tuned with simultaneous multiwavelength
observations, we find for S5 0716+714 a total jet power of about 3 x 10^45 erg
s^-1, which makes it one of the brightest dry BL Lacs so far detected in gamma
rays. We evaluate the mass of the associated Kerr hole to be around 5 x 10^8
M_sun, implying that the source is significantly gauged in terms of the maximal
power around 4 x 10^45 erg s^-1 extractable via the Blandford-Znajek
electrodynamical mechanism; other dry BL Lacs observed in gamma rays remain
well below that threshold. These findings and those forthcoming from Fermi-LAT
will provide a powerful test of electrodynamics in the surroundings of the
hole, that are dominated by GR effects.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted by A&
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