13,242 research outputs found
Mapping CS in Starburst Galaxies: Disentangling and Characterising Dense Gas
Aims. We observe the dense gas tracer CS in two nearby starburst galaxies to
determine how the conditions of the dense gas varies across the circumnuclear
regions in starburst galaxies. Methods. Using the IRAM-30m telescope, we mapped
the distribution of the CS(2-1) and CS(3-2) lines in the circumnuclear regions
of the nearby starburst galaxies NGC 3079 and NGC 6946. We also detected the
formaldehyde (H2CO) and methanol (CH3OH) in both galaxies. We marginally detect
the isotopologue C34S. Results. We calculate column densities under LTE
conditions for CS and CH3OH. Using the detections accumulated here to guide our
inputs, we link a time and depth dependent chemical model with a molecular line
radiative transfer model; we reproduce the observations, showing how conditions
where CS is present are likely to vary away from the galactic centres.
Conclusions. Using the rotational diagram method for CH3OH, we obtain a lower
limit temperature of 14 K. In addition to this, by comparing the chemical and
radiative transfer models to observations, we determine the properties of the
dense gas as traced by CS (and CH3OH). We also estimate the quantity of the
dense gas. We find that, provided that there are a between 10^5 and 10^6 dense
cores in our beam, for both target galaxies, emission of CS from warm (T = 100
- 400 K), dense (n(H2) = 10^5-6 cm-3) cores, possibly with a high cosmic ray
ionisation rate (zeta = 100 zeta0) best describes conditions for our central
pointing. In NGC 6946, conditions are generally cooler and/or less dense
further from the centre, whereas in NGC 3079, conditions are more uniform. The
inclusion of shocks allows for more efficient CS formation, leading to an order
of magnitude less dense gas being required to replicate observations in some
cases.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, accepted to A&
On some aspects of the noise propagation from supersonic aircraft
The noise problem associated with an aircraft flying at supersonic speeds is shown to depend primarily on the shock wave pattern formed by the aircraft. The noise intensity received by a ground observer from a supersonic aircraft flying at high as well as low altitudes, is shown to be high although it is of a transient nature. Continues
The morphology of Sersic-Pastoriza galaxies
The authors present the preliminary results of their radio-continuum and neutral hydrogen observations of Sersic-Pastoriza (S-P) galaxies. They show that the central regions contain a population of compact features thought to be young supernova remnants (SNRs) and discuss the overall morphology of the nuclei
A five year record of high-frequency in situ measurements of non-methane hydrocarbons at Mace Head, Ireland
Continuous high-frequency in situ measurements of a range of non-methane hydrocarbons have been made at Mace Head since January 2005. Mace Head is a background Northern Hemispheric site situated on the eastern edge of the Atlantic. Five year measurements (2005–2009) of six C<sub>2</sub>–C<sub>5</sub> non-methane hydrocarbons have been separated into baseline Northern Hemispheric and European polluted air masses, among other sectors. Seasonal cycles in baseline Northern Hemispheric air masses and European polluted air masses arriving at Mace Head have been studied. Baseline air masses show a broad summer minima between June and September for shorter lived species, longer lived species show summer minima in July/August. All species displayed a winter maxima in February. European air masses showed baseline elevated mole fractions for all non-methane hydrocarbons. Largest elevations (of up to 360 ppt for ethane maxima) from baseline data were observed in winter maxima, with smaller elevations observed during the summer. Analysis of temporal trends using the Mann-Kendall test showed small (<6 % yr<sup>&minus;1</sup>) but statistically significant decreases in the butanes and <i>i</i>-pentane between 2005 and 2009 in European air. No significant trends were found for any species in baseline air
Energy-Efficient Algorithms
We initiate the systematic study of the energy complexity of algorithms (in
addition to time and space complexity) based on Landauer's Principle in
physics, which gives a lower bound on the amount of energy a system must
dissipate if it destroys information. We propose energy-aware variations of
three standard models of computation: circuit RAM, word RAM, and
transdichotomous RAM. On top of these models, we build familiar high-level
primitives such as control logic, memory allocation, and garbage collection
with zero energy complexity and only constant-factor overheads in space and
time complexity, enabling simple expression of energy-efficient algorithms. We
analyze several classic algorithms in our models and develop low-energy
variations: comparison sort, insertion sort, counting sort, breadth-first
search, Bellman-Ford, Floyd-Warshall, matrix all-pairs shortest paths, AVL
trees, binary heaps, and dynamic arrays. We explore the time/space/energy
trade-off and develop several general techniques for analyzing algorithms and
reducing their energy complexity. These results lay a theoretical foundation
for a new field of semi-reversible computing and provide a new framework for
the investigation of algorithms.Comment: 40 pages, 8 pdf figures, full version of work published in ITCS 201
Aerobic Exercise Attenuates Risk of Coronary Artery Disease and Improves Mobility in SCI
Please see the pdf version of the abstract
Probing the Evolution of the Galaxy Interaction/Merger Rate Using Collisional Ring Galaxies
We present the results from our program to determine the evolution of the
galaxy interaction/merger rate with redshift using the unique star-forming
characteristics of collisional ring galaxies. We have identified 25 distant
collisional ring galaxy candidates (CRGCs) in a total of 162 deep Hubble Space
Telescope Wide Field/Planetary Camera-2 images obtained from the HST Archives.
Based on measured and estimated redshifts, these 25 CRGCs all lie in the
redshift interval of 0.1 < z < 1. Using the local collisional ring galaxy
volume density and the new ``standard'' cosmology, we find that in order to
account for the number of identified CRGCs in our surveyed fields, the galaxy
interaction/merger rate, parameterized as (1 + z)^m, must increase steeply with
redshift.We determine a minimum value of m = 5.2 0.7, though m could be
as high as 7 or 8. We can rule out a non-evolving (m = 0) and weakly evolving
(m = 1-2) galaxy interaction/merger rate at greater than the 4 sigma level of
confidence.Comment: Accepted in the Astrophysical Journal (11 pages, 4 figures). Higher
resolution version of the figures is available at
http://www.astro.cornell.edu/~vassilis/papers
- …