4,159 research outputs found
Dark Matter Constraints from the Sagittarius Dwarf and Tail System
2MASS has provided a three-dimensional map of the >360 degree, wrapped tidal
tails of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal galaxy, as traced by M giant
stars. With the inclusion of radial velocity data for stars along these tails,
strong constraints exist for dynamical models of the Milky Way-Sgr interaction.
N-body simulations of Sgr disruption with model parameters spanning a range of
initial conditions (e.g., Sgr mass and orbit, Galactic rotation curve, halo
flattening) are used to find parameterizations that match almost every extant
observational constraint of the Sgr system. We discuss the implications of the
Sgr data and models for the orbit, mass and M/L of the Sgr bound core as well
as the strength, flattening, and lumpiness of the Milky Way potential.Comment: 6 pages, 0 figures. Contribution to proceedings of ``IAU Symposium
220: Dark Matter in Galaxies'', eds. S. Ryder, D.J. Pisano, M. Walker, and K.
Freema
Multimodal Imaging of Photoreceptor Structure in Choroideremia
Purpose
Choroideremia is a progressive X-linked recessive dystrophy, characterized by degeneration of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), choroid, choriocapillaris, and photoreceptors. We examined photoreceptor structure in a series of subjects with choroideremia with particular attention to areas bordering atrophic lesions. Methods
Twelve males with clinically-diagnosed choroideremia and confirmed hemizygous mutations in the CHM gene were examined. High-resolution images of the retina were obtained using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and both confocal and non-confocal split-detector adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) techniques. Results
Eleven CHM gene mutations (3 novel) were identified; three subjects had the same mutation and one subject had two mutations. SD-OCT findings included interdigitation zone (IZ) attenuation or loss in 10/12 subjects, often in areas with intact ellipsoid zones; RPE thinning in all subjects; interlaminar bridges in the imaged areas of 10/12 subjects; and outer retinal tubulations (ORTs) in 10/12 subjects. Only split-detector AOSLO could reliably resolve cones near lesion borders, and such cones were abnormally heterogeneous in morphology, diameter and density. On split-detector imaging, the cone mosaic terminated sharply at lesion borders in 5/5 cases examined. Split-detector imaging detected remnant cone inner segments within ORTs, which were generally contiguous with a central patch of preserved retina. Conclusions
Early IZ dropout and RPE thinning on SD-OCT are consistent with previously published results. Evidence of remnant cone inner segments within ORTs and the continuity of the ORTs with preserved retina suggests that these may represent an intermediate state of retinal degeneration prior to complete atrophy. Taken together, these results supports a model of choroideremia in which the RPE degenerates before photoreceptors
The Most Massive Black Holes in the Universe: Effects of Mergers in Massive Galaxy Clusters
Recent observations support the idea that nuclear black holes grew by gas
accretion while shining as luminous quasars at high redshift, and they
establish a relation of the black hole mass with the host galaxy's spheroidal
stellar system. We develop an analytic model to calculate the expected impact
of mergers on the masses of black holes in massive clusters of galaxies. We use
the extended Press-Schechter formalism to generate Monte Carlo merger histories
of halos with a mass 10^{15} h^{-1} Msun. We assume that the black hole mass
function at z=2 is similar to that inferred from observations at z=0 (since
quasar activity declines markedly at z<2), and we assign black holes to the
progenitor halos assuming a monotonic relation between halo mass and black hole
mass. We follow the dynamical evolution of subhalos within larger halos,
allowing for tidal stripping, the loss of orbital energy by dynamical friction,
and random orbital perturbations in gravitational encounters with subhalos, and
we assume that mergers of subhalos are followed by mergers of their central
black holes. Our analytic model reproduces numerical estimates of the subhalo
mass function. We find that the most massive black holes in massive clusters
typically grow by a factor ~ 2 by mergers after gas accretion has stopped. In
our ten realizations of 10^{15} h^{-1} Msun clusters, the highest initial (z=2)
black hole masses are 5-7 x 10^9 Msun, but four of the clusters contain black
holes in the range 1-1.5 x 10^{10} Msun at z=0. Satellite galaxies may host
black holes whose mass is comparable to, or even greater than, that of the
central galaxy. Thus, black hole mergers can significantly extend the very high
end of the black hole mass function.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
Microscopic Inner Retinal Hyper-reflective Phenotypes in Retinal and Neurologic Disease
Purpose.
We surveyed inner retinal microscopic features in retinal and neurologic disease using a reflectance confocal adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscope (AOSLO).
Methods.
Inner retinal images from 101 subjects affected by one of 38 retinal or neurologic conditions and 11 subjects with no known eye disease were examined for the presence of hyper-reflective features other than vasculature, retinal nerve fiber layer, and foveal pit reflex. The hyper-reflective features in the AOSLO images were grouped based on size, location, and subjective texture. Clinical imaging, including optical coherence tomography (OCT), scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, and fundus photography was analyzed for comparison.
Results.
Seven categories of hyper-reflective inner retinal structures were identified, namely punctate reflectivity, nummular (disc-shaped) reflectivity, granular membrane, waxy membrane, vessel-associated membrane, microcysts, and striate reflectivity. Punctate and nummular reflectivity also was found commonly in normal volunteers, but the features in the remaining five categories were found only in subjects with retinal or neurologic disease. Some of the features were found to change substantially between follow up imaging months apart.
Conclusions.
Confocal reflectance AOSLO imaging revealed a diverse spectrum of normal and pathologic hyper-reflective inner and epiretinal features, some of which were previously unreported. Notably, these features were not disease-specific, suggesting that they might correspond to common mechanisms of degeneration or repair in pathologic states. Although prospective studies with larger and better characterized populations, along with imaging of more extensive retinal areas are needed, the hyper-reflective structures reported here could be used as disease biomarkers, provided their specificity is studied further
Hierarchical galaxy formation and substructure in the Galaxy's stellar halo
We develop an explicit model for the formation of the stellar halo from
tidally disrupted, accreted dwarf satellites in the cold dark matter (CDM)
framework, focusing on predictions testable with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
(SDSS) and other wide-field surveys. Subhalo accretion and orbital evolution
are calculated using a semi-analytic approach within the Press-Schechter
formalism. Motivated by our previous work, we assume that low-mass subhalos (v
< 30 km/s) can form significant populations of stars only if they accreted a
substantial fraction of their mass before the epoch of reionization. With this
assumption, the model reproduces the observed velocity function of galactic
satellites in the Local Group, solving the ``dwarf satellite problem'' without
modifying the popular LCDM cosmology. The disrupted satellites yield a stellar
distribution with a total mass and radial density profile consistent with those
observed for the Milky Way stellar halo. Most significantly, the model predicts
the presence of many large-scale, coherent substructures in the outer halo.
These substructures are remnants of individual, tidally disrupted dwarf
satellite galaxies. Substructure is more pronounced at large galactocentric
radii because of the smaller number density of tidal streams and the longer
orbital times. This model provides a natural explanation for the coherent
structures in the outer stellar halo found in the SDSS commissioning data, and
it predicts that many more such structures should be found as the survey covers
more of the sky. The detection (or non-detection) and characterization of such
structures could eventually test variants of the CDM scenario, especially those
that aim to solve the dwarf satellite problem by enhancing satellite
disruption.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, Submitted to Ap
Neutral Meson Photoproduction in PT
We present the results for the electric dipole amplitude for at threshold at the level in SU(3) chiral perturbation
theory. We find that the SU(3) results differ only slightly from the
SU(2) results. At the level one encounters new, unknown
counterterms to fix which one is likely to need the threshold photoproduction
data themselves, thus losing predictive power. We suggest, instead, that the
{\it difference} between the proton and neutron photoproduction
amplitudes may provide a test of the convergence properties of the PT in
the present context. We urge that the neutron's electric dipole amplitude be
measured.Comment: Revised version with corrected value of the Kaon loop contributio
Assessing Photoreceptor Structure Associated with Ellipsoid Zone Disruptions Visualized with Optical Coherence Tomography
Purpose: To compare images of photoreceptor layer disruptions obtained with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO) in a variety of pathologic states.Methods: Five subjects with photoreceptor ellipsoid zone disruption as per OCT and clinical diagnoses of closed-globe blunt ocular trauma (n = 2), macular telangiectasia type 2 (n = 1), blue-cone monochromacy (n = 1), or cone-rod dystrophy (n = 1) were included. Images were acquired within and around photoreceptor lesions using spectral domain OCT, confocal AOSLO, and split-detector AOSLO.Results: There were substantial differences in the extent and appearance of the photoreceptor mosaic as revealed by confocal AOSLO, split-detector AOSLO, and spectral domain OCT en face view of the ellipsoid zone.Conclusion: Clinically available spectral domain OCT, viewed en face or as B-scan, may lead to misinterpretation of photoreceptor anatomy in a variety of diseases and injuries. This was demonstrated using split-detector AOSLO to reveal substantial populations of photoreceptors in areas of no, low, or ambiguous ellipsoid zone reflectivity with en face OCT and confocal AOSLO. Although it is unclear if these photoreceptors are functional, their presence offers hope for therapeutic strategies aimed at preserving or restoring photoreceptor function
Non-equilibrium phase transitions in biomolecular signal transduction
We study a mechanism for reliable switching in biomolecular
signal-transduction cascades. Steady bistable states are created by system-size
cooperative effects in populations of proteins, in spite of the fact that the
phosphorylation-state transitions of any molecule, by means of which the switch
is implemented, are highly stochastic. The emergence of switching is a
nonequilibrium phase transition in an energetically driven, dissipative system
described by a master equation. We use operator and functional integral methods
from reaction-diffusion theory to solve for the phase structure, noise
spectrum, and escape trajectories and first-passage times of a class of minimal
models of switches, showing how all critical properties for switch behavior can
be computed within a unified framework
Reionization and the abundance of galactic satellites
One of the main challenges facing standard hierarchical structure formation
models is that the predicted abundance of galactic subhalos with circular
velocities of 10-30 km/s is an order of magnitude higher than the number of
satellites actually observed within the Local Group. Using a simple model for
the formation and evolution of dark halos, based on the extended
Press-Schechter formalism and tested against N-body results, we show that the
theoretical predictions can be reconciled with observations if gas accretion in
low-mass halos is suppressed after the epoch of reionization. In this picture,
the observed dwarf satellites correspond to the small fraction of halos that
accreted substantial amounts of gas before reionization. The photoionization
mechanism naturally explains why the discrepancy between predicted halos and
observed satellites sets in at about 30 km/s, and for reasonable choices of the
reionization redshift (z_re = 5-12) the model can reproduce both the amplitude
and shape of the observed velocity function of galactic satellites. If this
explanation is correct, then typical bright galaxy halos contain many low-mass
dark matter subhalos. These might be detectable through their gravitational
lensing effects, through their influence on stellar disks, or as dwarf
satellites with very high mass-to-light ratios. This model also predicts a
diffuse stellar component produced by large numbers of tidally disrupted
dwarfs, perhaps sufficient to account for most of the Milky Way's stellar halo.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, Submitted to Ap
Testing Cosmological Models Against the Abundance of Damped Lyman-Alpha Absorbers
We calculate the number of damped Lyman-alpha absorbers expected in various
popular cosmological models as a function of redshift and compare our
predictions with observed abundances. The Press-Schechter formalism is used to
obtain the distribution of halos with circular velocity in different
cosmologies, and we calibrate the relation between circular velocity and
absorption cross-section using detailed gas dynamical simulations of a
``standard'' cold dark matter (CDM) model. Because of this calibration, our
approach makes more realistic assumptions about the absorption properties of
collapsed objects than previous, analytic calculations of the damped
Lyman-alpha abundance. CDM models with Omega_0=1, H_0=50, baryon density
Omega_b=0.05, and scale-invariant primeval fluctuations reproduce the observed
incidence and redshift evolution of damped Lyman-alpha absorption to within
observational uncertainty, for both COBE normalization (sigma_8=1.2) and a
lower normalization (sigma_8=0.7) that better matches the observed cluster
abundance at z=0. A tilted (n=0.8, sigma_8=0.7) CDM model tends to underproduce
absorption, especially at z=4. With COBE normalization, a CDM model with
Omega_0=0.4, Omega_{Lambda}=0.6 gives an acceptable fit to the observed
absorption; an open CDM model is marginally acceptable if Omega_0 is at least
0.4 and strongly inconsistent with the z=4 data if Omega_0=0.3. Mixed dark
matter models tend not to produce sufficient absorption, being roughly
comparable to tilted CDM models if Omega_{nu} = 0.2 and failing drastically if
Omega_{nu} = 0.3.Comment: AASlatex, 13 pages w/ 2 embedded ps figures. To be published in ApJ,
Sept. 1, 199
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