A multi-method approach to radial-velocity measurement for single-object spectra

The derivation of radial velocities from large numbers of spectra that typically result from survey work, requires automation. However, except for the classical cases of slowly rotating late-type spectra, existing methods of measuring Doppler shifts require fine-tuning to avoid a loss of accuracy due to the idiosyncrasies of individual spectra. The radial velocity spectrometer (RVS) on the Gaia mission, which will start operating very soon, prompted a new attempt at creating a measurement pipeline to handle a wide variety of spectral types. The present paper describes the theoretical background on which this software is based. However, apart from the assumption that only synthetic templates are used, we do not rely on any of the characteristics of this instrument, so our results should be relevant for most telescope-detector combinations. We propose an approach based on the simultaneous use of several alternative measurement methods, each having its own merits and drawbacks, and conveying the spectral information in a different way, leading to different values for the measurement. A comparison or a combination of the various results either leads to a "best estimate" or indicates to the user that the observed spectrum is problematic and should be analysed manually. We selected three methods and analysed the relationships and differences between them from a unified point of view; with each method an appropriate estimator for the individual random error is chosen. We also develop a procedure for tackling the problem of template mismatch in a systematic way. Furthermore, we propose several tests for studying and comparing the performance of the various methods as a function of the atmospheric parameters of the observed objects. Finally, we describe a procedure for obtaining a knowledge-based combination of the various Doppler-shift measurements.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure

Converting sporting capacity to entrepreneurial capacity: A process perspective

Managing a personal sporting career and conducting an entrepreneurial initiative are two vitally connected processes. Most athletes require a second career and many engage in entrepreneurship. Research on the similarities and differences of the sports career management process and entrepreneurial process with a special emphasis on the necessary capacities will have a ready audience among practitioners. This study begins the task of closing a surprising gap. In entrepreneurship literature, there is (1) growing research on entrepreneurial process and entrepreneurial capacity as the key driver; (2) strong work in generic, descriptive and explanatory modelling of process as a whole and capacity as a sub-process; and (3) the presence of a generic model of entrepreneurial process based of what distinguishes entrepreneurial capacity from other human capacities. In sports management literature, these research strands are virtually absent. The study indicates how the deficiency might be remedied

Self-gravitating clouds of generalized Chaplygin and modified anti-Chaplygin Gases

The Chaplygin gas has been proposed as a possible dark energy, dark matter candidate. As a working fluid in a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe, it exhibits early behavior reminiscent of dark matter, but at later times is more akin to a cosmological constant. In any such universe, however, one can expect local perturbations to form. Here we obtain the general equations for a self-gravitating relativistic Chaplygin gas. We solve these equations and obtain the mass-radius relationship for such structures, showing that only in the phantom regime is the mass-radius relationship large enough to be a serious candidate for highly compact massive objects at the galaxy core. In addition, we study the cosmology of a modified anti-Chaplygin gas. A self-gravitating cloud of this matter is an exact solution to Einstein's equations.Comment: 16 page

Preliminary investigation on visual finger-counting with the icub robot cameras and hands

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019. This short paper describes an approach for collecting a dataset of hand's pictures and training a Deep Learning network that could enable the iCub robot to count on its fingers using solely its own cameras. Such a skill, mimicking children's habits, can support arithmetic learning in a baby robot, an important step in creating artificial intelligence for robots that could learn like children in the context of cognitive developmental robotics. Preliminary results show the approach is promising in terms of accuracy

CH 3 GHz Observations of Molecular Clouds Along the Galactic Plane

Spectra in the CH $^2\Pi_{1/2}$, J=1/2, F=1-1 transition at 3335 MHz were obtained in three 5-point crosses centered on the Galactic plane at $\ell =$ 50\arcdeg, 100\arcdeg, and 110\arcdeg. The lines of sight traverse both Giant Molecular Clouds (GMCs) and local, smaller entities. This transition is a good tracer of low-density molecular gas and the line profiles are very similar to CO(1-0) data at nearly the same resolution. In addition, the CH 3335 MHz line can be used to calibrate the CO-H$_2$ conversion factor (X$_{\rm CO}$) in low-density molecular gas. Although this technique underestimates X$_{\rm CO}$ in GMCs, our results are within a factor of two of X$_{\rm CO}$ values calibrated for GMCs by other techniques. The similarity of CH and CO line profiles, and that of X$_{\rm CO}$ values derived from CH and more traditional techniques, implies that most of the molecular gas along the observed lines of sight is at relatively low densities ($n \le$ 10$^3$ cm$^{-3}$).Comment: 26 pages, 12 figures, submitted to the AJ, revised after referee repor

CH 3 GHz Observations of the Galactic Center

A 3 $\times$ 3 map of the Galactic Center was made at 9\arcmin resolution and 10\arcmin spacing in the CH $^2\Pi_{1/2}$, J=1/2, F=1-1 transition at 3335 MHz. The CH emission shows a velocity extent that is nearly that of the CO(1-0) line, but the CH line profiles differ markedly from the CO. The 3335 MHz CH transition primarily traces low-density molecular gas and our observations indicate that the mass of this component within $\sim$ 30 pc of the Galactic Center is $\sim$ 9 $\times$ 10$^6$ M$_\odot$. The CO-H$_2$ conversion factor obtained for the low-density gas in the mapped region is greater than that thought to apply to the dense molecular gas at the Galactic Center. In addition to tracing the low-density molecular gas at the Galactic Center, the CH spectra show evidence of emission from molecular clouds along the line of sight both in the foreground and background. The scale height of these clouds ranges from 27 - 109 pc, consistent with previous work based on observations of molecular clouds in the inner Galaxy.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figure