Valuing the attributes of renewable energy investments in Scotland

This study was funded by a grant from the Scottish Economic Policy Network (SEPN) with funding assistance provided by the University of Glasgow, Department of Economics (Professor Nick Hanley) and the University of Sterling (Robert Wright). The goal of the project was to determine the value of differing types of renewable energy projects by how they would effect environmental and community quality of life factors. The key issues examined include; air quality, landscape, wildlife, and long term local employment. Stated preference methods were employed through the use of a discrete choice experiment survey approach. Willingness-to-pay for different types of renewable energy projects was estimated, i.e., moderate onshore windmill farms, large onshore windmill farms, offshore windmill farms, and biomass fueled power plants. The most significant findings were that rural areas likely to be most highly impacted by the new energy projects were willing to accept low or moderate environmental damage in exchange for commercial development gains. Urban respondents on the other hand were more likely to oppose any disturbance to the landscape or wildlife and had no value placed on the economics development gains for the rural areas; income level of households showed no significant difference in environmental values

OUTLINE OF A GENERALLY COVARIANT QUANTUM FIELD THEORY AND A QUANTUM THEORY OF GRAVITY

We study a tentative generally covariant quantum field theory, denoted the T-Theory, as a tool to investigate the consistency of quantum general relativity. The theory describes the gravitational field and a minimally coupled scalar field; it is based on the loop representation, and on a certain number of quantization choices. Four-dimensional diffeomorphism-invariant quantum transition probabilities can be computed from the theory. We present the explicit calculation of the transition probability between two volume eigenstates as an example. We discuss the choices on which the T-theory relies, and the possibilities of modifying them.Comment: Latex file, 33 page

Feeding Versus Feedback in AGNs from Near-Infrared IFU Observations: The Case of Mrk79

We have mapped the gaseous kinematics and the emission-line flux distributions and ratios from the inner ~680pc radius of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk79, using two-dimensional (2D) near-IR J- and Kl-band spectra obtained with the Gemini instrument NIFS at a spatial resolution of ~100pc and velocity resolution of ~40km/s. The molecular hydrogen flux distribution presents two spiral arms extending by ~700pc, one to the north and another to the south of the nucleus, with an excitation indicating heating by X-rays from the central source. The low velocity dispersion (sigma~50km/s) and rotation pattern supports a location of the H2 gas in the disk of the galaxy. Blueshifts observed along the spiral arm in the far side of the galaxy and redshifts in the spiral arm in the near side, suggest that the spiral arms are feeding channels of H2 to the inner 200pc. From channel maps along the H2 l2.1218um emission-line profile we estimate a mass inflow rate of ~4E-3 M_Sun/year, which is one order of magnitude smaller than the mass accretion rate necessary to power the AGN of Mrk79. The emission from the ionized gas (traced by Pabeta and [FeII]l1.2570um emission lines) is correlated with the radio jet and with the narrow-band [OIII] flux distribution. Its kinematics shows both rotation and outflows to the north and south of the nucleus. The ionized gas mass outflow rate through a cross section with radius ~320pc located at a distance of ~455pc from the nucleus is 3.5 MSun/year, which is much larger than the AGN mass accretion rate, indicating that most of the outflowing gas originates in the interstellar medium surrounding the galaxy nucleus, which is pushed away by a nuclear jet.Comment: Accepted by MNRA

An outflow perpendicular to the radio jet in the Seyfert nucleus of NGC5929

We report the observation of an outflow perpendicular to the radio jet in near-infrared integral field spectra of the inner 250 pc of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 5929. The observations were obtained with the Gemini Near infrared Integral Field Spectrograph at a spatial resolution of ~20 pc and spectral resolution R~5300 and reveal a region 50 pc wide crossing the nucleus and extending by 300 pc perpendicularly to the known radio jet in this galaxy. Along this structure - which we call SE-NW strip - the emission-line profiles show two velocity components, one blueshifted and the other redshifted by -150 km/s and 150 km/s, respectively, relative to the systemic velocity. We interpret these two components as due to an outflow perpendicular to the radio jet, what is supported by low frequency radio emission observed along the same region. We attribute this feature to the interaction of ambient gas with an "equatorial outflow" predicted in recent accretion disk and torus wind models. Perpendicularly to the SE-NW strip, thus approximately along the radio jet, single component profiles show blueshifts of ~-150 km/s to the north-east and similar redshifts to the south-west, which can be attributed to gas counter-rotating relative to the stellar kinematics. More double-peaked profiles are observed in association with the two radio hot-spots, attributed to interaction of the radio jet with surrounding gas.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJL; 5 page

Feeding Versus Feedback in AGNs from Near-Infrared IFU Observations: The Case of Mrk 766

We have mapped the emission-line flux distributions and ratios as well as the gaseous kinematics of the inner 450 pc radius of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 766 using integral field near-IR J- and Kl-band spectra obtained with the Gemini nifs at a spatial resolution of 60 pc and velocity resolution of 40 km/s. Emission-line flux distributions in ionized and molecular gas extend up to ~ 300 pc from the nucleus. Coronal [S IX]{\lambda}1.2523{\mu}m line emission is resolved, being extended up to 150 pc from the nucleus. At the highest flux levels, the [Fe II]{\lambda}1.257{\mu}m line emission is most extended to the south-east, where a radio jet has been observed.The emission-line ratios [Fe II]{\lambda}1.2570{\mu}m/Pa{\beta} and $H_2${\lambda}2.1218{\mu}m/Br{\gamma} show a mixture of Starburst and Seyfert excitation; the Seyfert excitation dominates at the nucleus, to the north-west and in an arc-shaped region between 0.2" and 0.6" to the south-east at the location of the radio jet. A contribution from shocks at this location is supported by enhanced [Fe II]/[P II] line ratios and increased [Fe II] velocity dispersion. The gas velocity field is dominated by rotation that is more compact for $H_2$ than for Pa{\beta}, indicating that the molecular gas has a colder kinematics and is located in the galaxy plane. There is about $10^3$ solar masses of hot $H_2$, implying ~ $10^9$ solar masses of cold molecular gas. At the location of the radio jet, we observe an increase in the [Fe II] velocity dispersion (150 km/s), as well as both blueshift and redshifts in the channel maps, supporting the presence of an outflow there. The ionized gas mass outflow rate is estimated to be ~ 10 solar masses/yr, and the power of the outflow ~ 0.08 $L_{bol}$

Extended Gas in Seyfert Galaxies: Near Infrared Observations of NGC 2110 and Circinus

We present results of near--IR long-slit spectroscopy in the J and K bands of the Seyfert 2 galaxies NGC 2110 and Circinus, investigating the gaseous distribution, excitation, reddening and kinematics. In NGC 2110, the emission line ratio [FeII]/Pa beta increases towards the nucleus (to ~ 7). The nuclear [Fe II]1.257 (microns) and Pa beta lines are broader (FWHM ~ 500 km/s) than the H2 (2.121) line (FWHM ~ 300 km/s). Both these results suggest that shocks, driven by the radio jet, are an important source of excitation of [Fe II]. The H2 excitation appears to be dominated by X-rays from the nucleus. In Circinus, both [FeII]/Pa beta and H2/Br gamma decrease from ~ 2 at 4 arcsec from the nucleus to nuclear values of ~ 0.6 and ~ 1, respectively, suggesting that the starburst dominates the nuclear excitation, while the AGN dominates the excitation further out (r > 2 arcsec). For both galaxies, the gaseous kinematics are consistent with circular rotation in the plane of the disk. Our rotation curves suggest that the nucleus (identified with the peak of the IR continuum) is displaced from the kinematic centre of the galaxies. This effect has been observed previously in NGC 2110 based on the kinematics of optical emission lines, but the displacement is smaller in the infrared, suggesting the effect is related to obscuration. The continuum J-K colours of the nuclear region indicate a red stellar population in NGC 2110 and a reddened young stellar population in Circinus. Right at the nucleus of both galaxies, the colours are redder, apparently a result of hot dust emission from the inner edge of a circumnuclear torus.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

The Spectral Energy Distribution of Normal, Starburst and Active Galaxies

We present the results of an extensive literature search of multiwavelength data for a sample of 59 galaxies, consisting of 26 Starbursts, 15 Seyfert 2's, 5 LINER's, 6 normal spirals and 7 normal elliptical galaxies. The data include soft X-ray fluxes, ultraviolet and optical spectra, near, mid/far infrared photometry and radio measurements, selected to match as closely as possible the IUE aperture (10" X 20"). The galaxies are separated into 6 groups with similar characteristics, namely, Ellipticals, Spirals, LINER's, Seyfert 2's, Starbursts of Low and High reddening, for which we create average spectral energy distributions (SED). The individual groups SED's are normalized to the $\lambda$7000\AA flux and compared, looking for similarities and differences among them.The bolometric fluxes of different types of galaxies were calculated integrating their SED's. These values are compared with individual waveband flux densities, in order to determine the wavebands which contribute most to the bolometric flux. Linear regressions were performed between the bolometric and individual band fluxes for each kind of galaxy. These fits can be used in the calculation of the bolometric flux for other objects of similar activity type, but with reduced waveband information. We have also collected multiwavelength data for 4 HII regions, a thermal supernova remnant, and a non-thermal supernova remnant (SNR), which are compared with the Starburst SED's.Comment: 29 pages, 13 postscript figures and 10 tables. To appear in The Astronomical Journa