272 research outputs found
Revisiting the Stellar Velocity Ellipsoid - Hubble type relation: observations versus simulations
The stellar velocity ellipsoid (SVE) in galaxies can provide important information on the processes that participate in the dynamical heating of their disc components (e.g. giant molecular clouds, mergers, spiral density waves, bars). Earlier findings suggested a strong relation between the shape of the disc SVE and Hubble type, with later-type galaxies displaying more anisotropic ellipsoids and early-types being more isotropic. In this paper, we revisit the strength of this relation using an exhaustive compilation of observational results from the literature on this issue. We find no clear correlation between the shape of the disc SVE and morphological type, and show that galaxies with the same Hubble type display a wide range of vertical-to-radial velocity dispersion ratios. The points are distributed around a mean value and scatter of . With the aid of numerical simulations, we argue that different mechanisms might influence the shape of the SVE in the same manner and that the same process (e.g. mergers) does not have the same impact in all the galaxies. The complexity of the observational picture is confirmed by these simulations, which suggest that the vertical-to-radial axis ratio of the SVE is not a good indicator of the main source of disc heating. Our analysis of those simulations also indicates that the observed shape of the disc SVE may be affected by several processes simultaneously and that the signatures of some of them (e.g. mergers) fade over time
Why Buckling Stellar Bars Weaken in Disk Galaxies
Young stellar bars in disk galaxies experience a vertical buckling
instability which terminates their growth and thickens them, resulting in a
characteristic peanut/boxy shape when viewed edge on. Using N-body simulations
of galactic disks embedded in live halos, we have analyzed the bar structure
throughout this instability and found that the outer third of the bar dissolves
completely while the inner part (within the vertical inner Lindblad resonance)
becomes less oval. The bar acquires the frequently observed peanut/boxy-shaped
isophotes. We also find that the bar buckling is responsible for a mass
injection above the plane, which is subsequently trapped by specific 3-D
families of periodic orbits of particular shapes explaining the observed
isophotes, in line with previous work. Using a 3-D orbit analysis and surfaces
of sections, we infer that the outer part of the bar is dissolved by a rapidly
widening stochastic region around its corotation radius -- a process related to
the bar growth. This leads to a dramatic decrease in the bar size, decrease in
the overall bar strength and a mild increase in its pattern speed, but is not
expected to lead to a complete bar dissolution. The buckling instability
appears primarily responsible for shortening the secular diffusion timescale to
a dynamical one when building the boxy isophotes. The sufficiently long
timescale of described evolution, ~1 Gyr, can affect the observed bar fraction
in local universe and at higher redshifts, both through reduced bar strength
and the absence of dust offset lanes in the bar.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, ApJ Letters, in pres
Observational constraints to boxy/peanut bulge formation time
Boxy/peanut bulges are considered to be part of the same stellar structure as
bars and both could be linked through the buckling instability. The Milky Way
is our closest example. The goal of this letter is determining if the mass
assembly of the different components leaves an imprint in their stellar
populations allowing to estimate the time of bar formation and its evolution.
To this aim we use integral field spectroscopy to derive the stellar age
distributions, SADs, along the bar and disc of NGC 6032. The analysis shows
clearly different SADs for the different bar areas. There is an underlying old
(>=12 Gyr) stellar population for the whole galaxy. The bulge shows star
formation happening at all times. The inner bar structure shows stars of ages
older than 6 Gyrs with a deficit of younger populations. The outer bar region
presents a SAD similar to that of the disc. To interpret our results, we use a
generic numerical simulation of a barred galaxy. Thus, we constrain, for the
first time, the epoch of bar formation, the buckling instability period and the
posterior growth from disc material. We establish that the bar of NGC 6032 is
old, formed around 10 Gyr ago while the buckling phase possibly happened around
8 Gyr ago. All these results point towards bars being long-lasting even in the
presence of gas.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter
ON the CONSERVATION of the VERTICAL ACTION in GALACTIC DISKS
We employ high-resolution N-body simulations of isolated spiral galaxy models, from low-amplitude, multi-armed galaxies to Milky Way-like disks, to estimate the vertical action of ensembles of stars in an axisymmetrical potential. In the multi-armed galaxy the low-amplitude arms represent tiny perturbations of the potential, hence the vertical action for a set of stars is conserved, although after several orbital periods of revolution the conservation degrades significantly. For a Milky Way-like galaxy with vigorous spiral activity and the formation of a bar, our results show that the potential is far from steady, implying that the action is not a constant of motion. Furthermore, because of the presence of high-amplitude arms and the bar, considerable in-plane and vertical heating occurs that forces stars to deviate from near-circular orbits, reducing the degree at which the actions are conserved for individual stars, in agreement with previous results, but also for ensembles of stars. If confirmed, this result has several implications, including the assertion that the thick disk of our Galaxy forms by radial migration of stars, under the assumption of the conservation of the action describing the vertical motion of stars. © 2016. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved
The intrinsic shape of galaxy bulges
The knowledge of the intrinsic three-dimensional (3D) structure of galaxy
components provides crucial information about the physical processes driving
their formation and evolution. In this paper I discuss the main developments
and results in the quest to better understand the 3D shape of galaxy bulges. I
start by establishing the basic geometrical description of the problem. Our
understanding of the intrinsic shape of elliptical galaxies and galaxy discs is
then presented in a historical context, in order to place the role that the 3D
structure of bulges play in the broader picture of galaxy evolution. Our
current view on the 3D shape of the Milky Way bulge and future prospects in the
field are also depicted.Comment: Invited Review to appear in "Galactic Bulges" Editors: Laurikainen
E., Peletier R., Gadotti D. Springer Publishing. 24 pages, 7 figure
Rings and spirals in barred galaxies. I Building blocks
In this paper we present building blocks which can explain the formation and
properties both of spirals and of inner and outer rings in barred galaxies. We
first briefly summarise the main results of the full theoretical description we
have given elsewhere, presenting them in a more physical way, aimed to an
understanding without the requirement of extended knowledge of dynamical
systems or of orbital structure. We introduce in this manner the notion of
manifolds, which can be thought of as tubes guiding the orbits. The dynamics of
these manifolds can govern the properties of spirals and of inner and outer
rings in barred galaxies. We find that the bar strength affects how unstable
the L1 and L2 Lagrangian points are, the motion within the 5A5A5Amanifold tubes
and the time necessary for particles in a manifold to make a complete turn
around the galactic centre. We also show that the strength of the bar, or, to
be more precise, of the non-axisymmetric forcing at and somewhat beyond the
corotation region, determines the resulting morphology. Thus, less strong bars
give rise to R1 rings or pseudorings, while stronger bars drive R2, R1R2 and
spiral morphologies. We examine the morphology as a function of the main
parameters of the bar and present descriptive two dimensional plots to that
avail. We also derive how the manifold morphologies and properties are modified
if the L1 and L2 Lagrangian points become stable. Finally, we discuss how
dissipation affects the manifold properties and compare the manifolds in
gas-like and in stellar cases. Comparison with observations, as well as clear
predictions to be tested by observations will be given in an accompanying
paper.Comment: Typos corrected to match the version in press in MNRA
α,γ-Peptide nanotube templating of one-dimensional parallel fullerene arrangements
(Figure Presented) The formation and full characterization of single self-assembling α,γ-peptide nanotubes (α,γ-SPNs) is described. The introduction of C60 into cyclic peptides allows the preparation of supramolecular 1D fullerene arrangements induced by peptide nanotube formation under appropriate conditions. © 2009 American Chemical Society.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of
Education and Science and the ERDF [SAF2007-61015 and Consolider
Ingenio 2010 (CSD2007-00006)] and the Xunta de Galicia (GRC2006/ 132,
PGIDIT06PXIB209018PR, PGIDIT08CSA047209PR, and R2006/ 124). The
work by J.M.V. and J.L.C. was supported by Grants BFU2007- 62382/BMC
from the Spanish MEC (J.M.V.) and S-0505/MAT/0283 from the Madrid
Regional Government (J.M.V. and J.L.C.). C.R. and R.J.B. thank the Spanish
MEC for their FPU Fellowships. We also thank Dr. Carmen Serra
(Nanotechnology and Surface Analysis Service at C.A.C.T.I., University of
Vigo) for her help with STM. We also thank Dowpharma for their kind gift of
ENZA enzymes used in the preparation of D-Boc-Îł-Acp-OH.Peer reviewe
Caught in the act: direct detection of Galactic Bars in the buckling phase
The majority of massive disk galaxies, including our own, have stellar bars with vertically thick inner region, known as âboxy/peanut-shapedâ (B/P) bulges. The most commonly suggested mechanism for the formation of B/P bulges is a violent vertical âbucklingâ instability in the bar, something that has been seen in N-body simulations for over 20 years, but never identiïŹed in real galaxies. Here, we present the ïŹrst direct observational evidence for ongoing buckling in two nearby galaxies (NGC 3227 and NGC 4569), including characteristic asymmetric isophotes and (in NGC 4569) stellar kinematic asymmetries that match buckling in simulations. This conïŹrms that the buckling instability takes place and produces B/P bulges in real galaxies. A toy model of bar evolution yields a local fraction of buckling bars consistent with observations if the buckling phase lasts
âŒ0.5â1 Gyr, in agreement with simulations
Ethylene is involved in strawberry fruit ripening in an organ-specific manner
The fruit of the strawberry FragariaĂananassa has traditionally been classified as non-climacteric because its ripening process is not governed by ethylene. However, previous studies have reported the timely endogenous production of minor amounts of ethylene by the fruit as well as the differential expression of genes of the ethylene synthesis, reception, and signalling pathways during fruit development. Mining of the Fragaria vesca genome allowed for the identification of the two main ethylene biosynthetic genes, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase and ACC oxidase. Their expression pattern during fruit ripening was found to be stage and organ (achene or receptacle) specific. Strawberry plants with altered sensitivity to ethylene could be employed to unravel the role of ethylene in the ripening process of the strawberry fruit. To this end, independent lines of transgenic strawberry plants were generated that overexpress the Arabidopsis etr1-1 mutant ethylene receptor, which is a dominant negative allele, causing diminished sensitivity to ethylene. Genes involved in ethylene perception as well as in its related downstream processes, such as flavonoid biosynthesis, pectin metabolism, and volatile biosynthesis, were differently expressed in two transgenic tissues, the achene and the receptacle. The different transcriptional responsiveness of the achene and the receptacle to ethylene was also revealed by the metabolic profiling of the primary metabolites in these two organs. The free amino acid content was higher in the transgenic lines compared with the control in the mature achene, while glucose and fructose, and citric and malic acids were at lower levels. In the receptacle, the most conspicuous change in the transgenic lines was the depletion of the tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates at the white stage of development, most probably as a consequence of diminished respiration. The results are discussed in the context of the importance of ethylene during strawberry fruit ripening.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasInstituto de FisiologĂa Vegeta
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