246 research outputs found
Cosmic ray production in supernova remnants including reacceleration: the secondary to primary ratio
We study the production of cosmic rays (CRs) in supernova remnants (SNRs),
including the reacceleration of background galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) - thus
refining the early considerations by Blandford & Ostriker (1980) and Wandel et
al. (1987) - and the effects of the nuclear spallation inside the sources (the
SNRs). This combines for the first time nuclear spallation inside CR sources
and in the diffuse interstellar medium, as well as reacceleration, with the
injection and subsequent acceleration of suprathermal particles from the
postshock thermal pool. Selfconsistent CR spectra are calculated on the basis
of the nonlinear kinetic model. It is shown that GCR reacceleration and CR
spallation produce a measurable effect at high energies, especially in the
secondary to primary (s/p) ratio, making its energy-dependence substantially
flatter than predicted by the standard model. Quantitatively, the effect
depends strongly upon the density of the surrounding circumstellar matter. GCR
reacceleration dominates secondary CR production for a low circumstellar
density. It increases the expected s/p ratio substantially and flattens its
spectrum to an almost energy-independent form for energies larger than 100
GeV/n if the supernovae explode on average into a hot dilute medium with
hydrogen number density cm. The contribution of CR spallation
inside SNRs to the s/p ratio increases with increasing circumstellar density
and becomes dominant for N_H\gsim 1 cm, leading at high energies to a
flat s/p ratio which is only by a factor of three lower than in the case of the
hot medium. Measurements of the boron to carbon ratio at energies above 100
GeV/n could be used in comparison with the values predicted here as a
consistency test for the supernova origin of the GCRs.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Evidence for Orbital Motion of Material Close to the Central Black Hole of Mrk 766
Time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy has been obtained for the narrow line
Seyfert galaxy Mrk766 from XMM-Newton observations. We present analysis in the
energy-time plane of EPIC pn data in the 4-8 keV band with energy resolution
R~50. A component of Fe Ka emission detected in the maps shows a variation of
photon energy with time that appears both to be statistically significant and
to be consistent with sinusoidal variation. We investigate the interpretation
that there exists a component of line emission from matter in a Keplerian orbit
around a supermassive black hole. The orbit has a period ~165 ks and a
line-of-sight velocity ~13,500 km/s. This yields a lower limit for the central
mass of M > 4.9x10^5 solar masses within a radius of 3.6 x 10^13 cm (2.4 A.U.).
The orbit parameters are consistent with higher black hole masses, but the lack
of any substantial gravitational redshift of the orbit implies an upper limit
to the black hole mass of 4.5x10^7 solar masses.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures (some colour). Accepted for publication in A&A.
Only minor changes since V1 (including reordering of Figs 1a & b
Simultaneous X-ray and UV spectroscopy of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548.II. Physical conditions in the X-ray absorber
We present the results from a 500 ks Chandra observation of the Seyfert 1
galaxy NGC 5548. We detect broadened emission lines of O VII and C VI in the
spectra, similar to those observed in the optical and UV bands. The source was
continuously variable, with a 30 % increase in luminosity in the second half of
the observation. No variability in the warm absorber was detected between the
spectra from the first 170 ks and the second part of the observation. The
velocity structure of the X-ray absorber is consistent with the velocity
structure measured simultaneously in the ultraviolet spectra. We find that the
highest velocity outflow component, at -1040 km/s, becomes increasingly
important for higher ionization parameters. This velocity component spans at
least three orders of magnitude in ionization parameter, producing both highly
ionized X-ray absorption lines (Mg XII, Si XIV) as well as UV absorption lines.
A similar conclusion is very probable for the other four velocity components.
Based upon our observations, we argue that the warm absorber probably does not
manifest itself in the form of photoionized clumps in pressure equilibrium with
a surrounding wind. Instead, a model with a continuous distribution of column
density versus ionization parameter gives an excellent fit to our data. From
the shape of this distribution and the assumption that the mass loss through
the wind should be smaller than the accretion rate onto the black hole, we
derive upper limits to the solid angle as small as 10^{-4} sr. From this we
argue that the outflow occurs in density-stratified streamers. The density
stratification across the stream then produces the wide range of ionization
parameter observed in this source. Abridged.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures accepted for publication in A&
The Link Between Star Formation and Accretion in LINERs: A Comparison with other AGN Subclasses
We present archival high resolution X-ray imaging observations of 25 nearby
LINERs observed by ACIS on board Chandra. This sample builds on our previously
published proprietary and archival X-ray observations, and includes the
complete set of LINERs with published black hole masses and FIR luminosities
that have been observed by Chandra. Of the 82 LINERs observed by Chandra, 41
(50%) display hard nuclear cores consistent with an AGN. The nuclear 2-10 keV
luminosities of these AGN-LINERs range from ~ 2 X 10^38 ergs s^-1 to ~ 1 X
10^44 ergs s^-1. Reinforcing our previous work, we find a significant
correlation between the Eddington ratio, L bol/LEdd, and the far-IR (FIR)
luminosity, LFIR, as well as the IR brightness ratio, LFIR/LB in the host
galaxy of AGN-LINERs that extends over seven orders of magnitude in Lbol/LEdd.
Combining our AGN-LINER sample with galaxies from other AGN subclasses, we find
that this correlation is reinforced in the full sample of 129 AGN, extending
over almost nine orders of magnitude in Lbol/LEdd. Using archival and
previously published observations of the 6.2 mm PAH feature from the Infrared
Space Observatory (ISO), we find that it is unlikely that dust heating by the
AGN dominates the FIR luminosity in our sample of AGN. Our results may
therefore imply a fundamental link between the mass accretion rate (Mdot), as
measured by the Eddington ratio, and the star formation rate (SFR), as measured
by the FIR luminosity.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figures. Paper excepted for publication by ApJ in
Novembe
The X-ray spectrum of a disk illuminated by ions
The X-ray spectrum from a cool disk embedded in an ion supported torus is
computed. The interaction of the hot ions with the disk increases the hard
X-ray luminosity of the system}. A surface layer of the disk is heated by the
protons from the torus. The Comptonized spectrum produced by this layer has a
shape that depends only weakly on the incident energy flux and the distance
from the accreting compact object. It consists of a `blue bump' of
unComptonized soft photons and a flat high energy tail, reminiscent of the
observed spectra. The hard tail becomes flatter as the thermalization depth in
the cool disk is increased. Further evidence for ion illumination are the Li
abundance in the secondaries of low mass X-ray binaries and the 450 keV lines
sometimes seen in black-hole transient spectra.Comment: 7p, to appear in Monthly Notice
Nearby quasar remnants and ultra-high energy cosmic rays
As recently suggested, nearby quasar remnants are plausible sites of
black-hole based compact dynamos that could be capable of accelerating
ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). In such a model, UHECRs would originate
at the nuclei of nearby dead quasars, those in which the putative underlying
supermassive black holes are suitably spun-up. Based on galactic optical
luminosity, morphological type, and redshift, we have compiled a small sample
of nearby objects selected to be highly luminous, bulge-dominated galaxies,
likely quasar remnants. The sky coordinates of these galaxies were then
correlated with the arrival directions of cosmic rays detected at energies EeV. An apparently significant correlation appears in our data. This
correlation appears at closer angular scales than those expected when taking
into account the deflection caused by typically assumed IGM or galactic
magnetic fields over a charged particle trajectory. Possible scenarios
producing this effect are discussed, as is the astrophysics of the quasar
remnant candidates. We suggest that quasar remnants be also taken into account
in the forthcoming detailed search for correlations using data from the Auger
Observatory.Comment: 2 figures, 4 tables, 11 pages. Final version to appear in Physical
Review
Relative efficacy of different types of exercise for treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis: Protocol for network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Background: âExerciseâ is universally recommended as a core treatment for knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA). However, there are very few head-to-head comparative trials to determine the relative efficacy between different types of exercise. The aim of this study is to benchmark different types of exercises against each other through the use of a common comparator in a network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs).
Methods: This study will include only RCTs published in peer-reviewed journals. A systematic search will be conducted in several electronic databases and other relevant online resources. No limitations are imposed on language or publication date. Participants must be explicitly identified by authors as having OA. Interventions that involved exercise or comparators in any form will be included. Pain is the primary outcome of interest; secondary outcomes will include function and quality of life measures. Quality assessment of studies will be based on the modified Cochraneâs risk of bias assessment tool. At least two investigators will be involved throughout all stages of screening and data acquisition. Conflicts will be resolved through discussion. Conventional meta-analysis will be performed based on random effects model and network meta-analysis on a Bayesian model. Subgroup analysis will also be conducted based on study, patient and disease characteristics.
Discussion: This study will provide for the first time comprehensive research evidence for the relative efficacy of different exercise regimens for treatment of OA. We will use network meta-analysis of existing RCT data to answer this question
Relative efficacy of topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and topical capsaicin in osteoarthritis: protocol for an individual patient data meta-analysis
Background
Pain is the most troubling issue to patients with osteoarthritis (OA), yet current pharmacological treatments offer only small-to-moderate pain reduction. Current guidelines therefore emphasise the need to identify predictors of treatment response. In line with these recommendations, an individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis will be conducted. The study aims to investigate the relative treatment effects of topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and topical capsaicin in OA and to identify patient-level predictors of treatment response.
Methods
IPD will be collected from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of topical NSAIDs and capsaicin in OA. Multilevel regression modelling will be conducted to determine predictors for the specific and the overall treatment effect.
Discussion
Through the identification of treatment responders, this IPD meta-analysis may improve the current understanding of the pain mechanisms in OA and guide clinical decision-making. Identifying and prescribing the treatment most likely to be beneficial for an individual with OA will improve the efficiency of patient management
A Revised Broad-Line Region Radius and Black Hole Mass for the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 NGC 4051
We present the first results from a high sampling rate, multi-month
reverberation mapping campaign undertaken primarily at MDM Observatory with
supporting observations from telescopes around the world. The primary goal of
this campaign was to obtain either new or improved Hbeta reverberation lag
measurements for several relatively low luminosity AGNs. We feature results for
NGC 4051 here because, until now, this object has been a significant outlier
from AGN scaling relationships, e.g., it was previously a ~2-3sigma outlier on
the relationship between the broad-line region (BLR) radius and the optical
continuum luminosity - the R_BLR-L relationship. Our new measurements of the
lag time between variations in the continuum and Hbeta emission line made from
spectroscopic monitoring of NGC 4051 lead to a measured BLR radius of R_BLR =
1.87 (+0.54 -0.50) light days and black hole mass of M_BH = 1.73 (+0.55 -0.52)
x 10^6 M_sun. This radius is consistent with that expected from the R_BLR-L
relationship, based on the present luminosity of NGC 4051 and the most current
calibration of the relation by Bentz et al. (2009a). We also present a
preliminary look at velocity-resolved Hbeta light curves and time delay
measurements, although we are unable to reconstruct an unambiguous
velocity-resolved reverberation signal.Comment: 38 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, changes from v1
reflect suggestions from anonymous refere
The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2011: Dynamical Modeling of the Broad Line Region in Mrk 50
We present dynamical modeling of the broad line region (BLR) in the Seyfert 1
galaxy Mrk 50 using reverberation mapping data taken as part of the Lick AGN
Monitoring Project (LAMP) 2011. We model the reverberation mapping data
directly, constraining the geometry and kinematics of the BLR, as well as
deriving a black hole mass estimate that does not depend on a normalizing
factor or virial coefficient. We find that the geometry of the BLR in Mrk 50 is
a nearly face-on thick disk, with a mean radius of 9.6(+1.2,-0.9) light days, a
width of the BLR of 6.9(+1.2,-1.1) light days, and a disk opening angle of
25\pm10 degrees above the plane. We also constrain the inclination angle to be
9(+7,-5) degrees, close to face-on. Finally, the black hole mass of Mrk 50 is
inferred to be log10(M(BH)/Msun) = 7.57(+0.44,-0.27). By comparison to the
virial black hole mass estimate from traditional reverberation mapping
analysis, we find the normalizing constant (virial coefficient) to be log10(f)
= 0.78(+0.44,-0.27), consistent with the commonly adopted mean value of 0.74
based on aligning the M(BH)-{\sigma}* relation for AGN and quiescent galaxies.
While our dynamical model includes the possibility of a net inflow or outflow
in the BLR, we cannot distinguish between these two scenarios.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 8 pages, 6 figure
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