Kinematics in the Central Kiloparsec of Spiral Galaxies

Results from kinematic observations of the central regions of spiral galaxies are reviewed, with particular emphasis on starburst and AGN hosts. While morphological studies lead to important insight, a more complete understanding of the physical processes that drive the evolution of the central regions can be achieved with measurements of the kinematics of gas and stars. Here, a variety of observational techniques at different wavelengths is critically discussed, and specific areas of interest are highlighted, such as inflow in barred galaxies and the origin of nuclear spiral arms. A brief discussion of a number of case studies is presented to illustrate recent progress.Comment: Invited review, to appear in The Central kpc of Starbursts and AGN: the La Palma Connection, eds. J. H. Knapen, J. E. Beckman, I. Shlosman, and T. J. Mahoney (ASP: San Francisco), Vol. 249. 18 pages latex, includes 9 postscript figures. Uses newpasp.sty (included

Higgs Mediation with Strong Hidden Sector Dynamics

We present a simple model that achieves $m_h\approx 126$ GeV in the MSSM with large $A$-terms and TeV-scale stops through a combination of gauge mediation and Higgs-messenger interactions. The $\mu$/$B_\mu$ and $A$/$m_H^2$ problems are both solved by a common mechanism -- partial sequestering from strong hidden sector dynamics. Using the framework of General Messenger Higgs Mediation, we explicitly calculate the soft masses in terms of the vacuum expectation values, operator dimensions and OPE coefficients of the strongly-coupled hidden sector. Along the way, we also present a general analysis of the various constraints on sequestered Higgs mediation models. The phenomenology of such models is similar to gaugino mediation, but with large $A$-terms. The NLSP is always long-lived and is either the lightest stau or the Higgsino. The colored states are typically out of reach of the 8 TeV LHC, but may be accessible at 14 TeV, especially if the NLSP is the lightest stau.Comment: 40 pages, 8 figures, corrected minor typos, updated collider bounds, version accepted in JHE

Stellar and Gas Kinematics in the core and bar regions of M100

Original paper can be found at http://www.virtualjournals.org/proceedings/confproceed/783.jsp Copyright American Institute of Physics. DOI: 10.1063/1.2034969 [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]Two-dimensional maps of the stellar and gas kinematics of the bar and starbursting circumnuclear region in the barred spiral galaxy M100 are presented. In this progress report, we present maps of the total intensity, mean velocity and velocity dispersion for the stars and the gas. The gas velocity field shows significant kinematic signatures of gas streaming along the inner part of the bar, and across the miniature spiral arms in the nuclear pseudo-ring. The stellar velocity field, presented here for the first time, also shows non-circular motions. The gas velocity dispersion is notably smaller where the star formation occurs in the nuclear zone and HII regions. We outline our further plans with the data set.otherPeer reviewe