6,935 research outputs found
Young and embedded clusters in Cygnus-X: evidence for building up the IMF?
We provide a new view on the Cygnus-X north complex by accessing for the
first time the low mass content of young stellar populations in the region.
CFHT/WIRCam camera was used to perform a deep near-IR survey of this complex,
sampling stellar masses down to ~0.1 M. Several analysis tools,
including a extinction treatment developed in this work, were employed to
identify and uniformly characterise a dozen unstudied young star clusters in
the area. Investigation of their mass distributions in low-mass domain revealed
a relatively uniform log-normal IMF with a characteristic mass of 0.320.08
M and mass dispersion of 0.400.06. In the high mass regime, their
derived slopes showed that while the youngest clusters (age < 4 Myr) presented
slightly shallower values with respect to the Salpeter's, our older clusters (4
Myr < age < 18 Myr) showed IMF compliant values and a slightly denser stellar
population. Although possibly evidencing a deviation from an 'universal' IMF,
these results also supports a scenario where these gas dominated young clusters
gradually 'build up' their IMF by accreting low-mass stars formed in their
vicinity during their first ~3 Myr, before the gas expulsion phase, emerging at
the age of ~4 Myr with a fully fledged IMF. Finally, the derived distances to
these clusters confirmed the existence of at least 3 different star forming
regions throughout Cygnus-X north complex, at distances of 500-900 pc, 1.4-1.7
kpc and 3.0 kpc, and revealed evidence of a possible interaction between some
of these stellar populations and the Cygnus-OB2 association.Comment: 20 pages, 19 figures. Contains an appendix with 10 extra figure
Mass distribution and structural parameters of Small Magellanic Cloud star clusters
In this work we estimate, for the first time, the total masses and mass
function slopes of a sample of 29 young and intermediate-age SMC clusters from
CCD Washington photometry. We also derive age, interstellar reddening and
structural parameters for most of the studied clusters by employing a
statistical method to remove the unavoidable field star contamination. Only
these 29 clusters out of 68 originally analysed cluster candidates present
stellar overdensities and coherent distribution in their colour-magnitude
diagrams compatible with the existence of a genuine star cluster. We employed
simple stellar population models to derive general equations for estimating the
cluster mass based only on its age and integrated light in the B, V, I, C and
T1 filter. These equations were tested against mass values computed from
luminosity functions, showing an excellent agreement. The sample contains
clusters with ages between 60 Myr and 3 Gyr and masses between 300 and 3000 Mo
distributed between ~0.5 deg. and ~2 deg. from the SMC optical centre. We
determined mass function slopes for 24 clusters, of which 19 have slopes
compatible with that of Kroupa IMF (2.3 +/- 0.7), considering the
uncertainties. The remaining clusters - H86-188, H86-190, K47, K63 and NGC242 -
showed flatter MFs. Additionally, only clusters with masses lower than ~1000 Mo
and flatter MF were found within ~0.6 deg. from the SMC rotational centre.Comment: 12 pages, 19 figures. Includes another 29 full-page figures of
supplementary material. Accepted for publication in the MNRA
Mass distribution and structural parameters of Small Magellanic Cloud star clusters
In this work, we estimate, for the first time, the total masses and mass function (MF) slopes of a sample of 29 young and intermediate-age Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) clusters from CCD Washington photometry. We also derive age, interstellar reddening and structural parameters for most of the studied clusters by employing a statistical method to remove the unavoidable field star contamination. Only these 29 clusters out of 68 originally analysed cluster candidates present stellar overdensities and coherent distribution in their colour–magnitude diagrams compatible with the existence of a genuine star cluster. We employed simple stellar population models to derive general equations for estimating the cluster mass based only on its age and integrated light in the B, V, I, C and T1 filter. These equations were tested against mass values computed from luminosity functions, showing an excellent agreement. The sample contains clusters with ages between 60 Myr and 3 Gyr and masses between 300 and 3000 M ⊙ distributed between ∼0_{.}^{\circ}5 and ∼2° from the SMC optical centre. We determined MF slopes for 24 clusters, of which 19 have slopes compatible with that of Kroupa's initial mass function (α = 2.3 ± 0.7), considering the uncertainties. The remaining clusters – H86-188, H86-190, K47, K63 and NGC 242 – showed flatter MFs. Additionally, only clusters with masses lower than ∼1000 M ⊙ and flatter MF were found within ∼0$ $_{.}^{\circ}6 from the SMC rotational centre.Fil: Maia, F.F.S.. Universidade Federal do Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Piatti, Andres Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Observatorio Astronomico de Cordoba; ArgentinaFil: Santos Jr., João F. C.. Universidade Federal do Minas Gerais; Brasi
Coupled quintessence and vacuum decay
We discuss observational consequences of a class of cosmological models
characterized by the dilution of pressureless matter attenuated with respect to
the usual scaling due to the decay of vacuum energy. We carry out a
joint statistical analysis of observational data from the new \emph{gold}
sample of 182 SNe Ia, recent estimates of the CMB shift parameter, and BAO
measurements from the SDSS to show that such models favor the decay of vacuum
only into the dark matter sector, and that the separately conserved baryons
cannot be neglected. In order to explore ways to more fundamentally motivated
models, we also derive a coupled scalar field version for this general class of
vacuum decay scenarios.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, LaTe
Dynamical Casimir effect with cylindrical waveguides
I consider the quantum electromagnetic field in a coaxial cylindrical
waveguide, such that the outer cylindrical surface has a time-dependent radius.
The field propagates parallel to the axis, inside the annular region between
the two cylindrical surfaces. When the mechanical frequency and the thickness
of the annular region are small enough, only Transverse Electromagnetic (TEM)
photons may be generated by the dynamical Casimir effect. The photon emission
rate is calculated in this regime, and compared with the case of parallel
plates in the limit of very short distances between the two cylindrical
surfaces. The proximity force approximation holds for the transition matrix
elements in this limit, but the emission rate scales quadratically with the
mechanical frequency, as opposed to the cubic dependence for parallel plates.Comment: 6 page
GeMs/GSAOI observations of La Serena 94: an old and far open cluster inside the solar circle
Physical properties were derived for the candidate open cluster La Serena 94,
recently unveiled by the VVV collaboration. Thanks to the exquisite angular
resolution provided by GeMS/GSAOI, we could characterize this system in detail,
for the first time, with deep photometry in JHK - bands. Decontaminated
JHK diagrams reach about 5 mag below the cluster turnoff in H. The locus
of red clump giants in the colour - colour diagram, together with an extinction
law, was used to obtain an average extinction of . The
same stars were considered as standard - candles to derive the cluster
distance, kpc. Isochrones were matched to the cluster colour -
magnitude diagrams to determine its age, , and
metallicity, . A core radius of pc was
found by fitting King models to the radial density profile. By adding up the
visible stellar mass to an extrapolated mass function, the cluster mass was
estimated as M, consistent with an
integrated magnitude of and a tidal radius of
pc. The overall characteristics of La Serena 94 confirm that
it is an old open cluster located in the Crux spiral arm towards the fourth
Galactic quadrant and distant kpc from the Galactic centre. The
cluster distorted structure, mass segregation and age indicate that it is a
dynamically evolved stellar system.Comment: 16 pages, 24 figures, 2 Tables, accepted by MNRAS; corrected typo
Future dynamics in f(R) theories
The gravity theories provide an alternative way to explain the current
cosmic acceleration without invoking dark energy matter component. However, the
freedom in the choice of the functional forms of gives rise to the
problem of how to constrain and break the degeneracy among these gravity
theories on theoretical and/or observational grounds. In this paper to proceed
further with the investigation on the potentialities, difficulties and
limitations of gravity, we examine the question as to whether the future
dynamics can be used to break the degeneracy between gravity theories by
investigating the future dynamics of spatially homogeneous and isotropic dust
flat models in two gravity theories, namely the well known gravity and another by A. Aviles et al., whose motivation comes
from the cosmographic approach to gravity. To this end we perform a
detailed numerical study of the future dynamic of these flat model in these
theories taking into account the recent constraints on the cosmological
parameters made by the Planck team. We show that besides being powerful for
discriminating between gravity theories, the future dynamics technique
can also be used to determine the fate of the Universe in the framework of
these gravity theories. Moreover, there emerges from our numerical
analysis that if we do not invoke a dark energy component with
equation-of-state parameter one still has dust flat FLRW solution
with a big rip, if gravity deviates from general relativity via . We also show that FLRW dust solutions with do not
necessarily lead to singularity.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures. V2: Generality and implications of the results
are emphasized, connection with the recent literature improved, typos
corrected, references adde
Creep and shrinkage of high-strength self-compacting concrete: Experimental and analytical analysis
In the present paper, a numerical and experimental study about creep and shrinkage behavior of a high strength selfcompacting concrete is performed. Two new creep and shrinkage prediction models based on the comprehensive analysis on the available models of both conventional concrete and self-compacting concrete are proposed for high strength self-compacting concrete structures. In order to evaluate the predictability of the proposed models, an experimental program was carried out. A concrete which develops 60 MPa within 24 h was used to obtain experimental results. Several specimens were loaded: (i) at different ages and (ii) with different stress-to-strength ratios. Deformation in non-loaded specimens was also measured to assess shrinkage. All specimens were kept under constant stress during at least 600 days in a climatic chamber with temperature and relative humidity of 208C and 50%, respectively. Results showed that the new models were able to predict deformations with good accuracy, although provided deformations overestimated slightly
- …