199 research outputs found
The dust emission of high-redshift quasars
The detection of powerful near-infrared emission in high redshift (z>5)
quasars demonstrates that very hot dust is present close to the active nucleus
also in the very early universe. A number of high-redshift objects even show
significant excess emission in the rest frame NIR over more local AGN spectral
energy distribution (SED) templates. In order to test if this is a result of
the very high luminosities and redshifts, we construct mean SEDs from the
latest SDSS quasar catalogue in combination with MIR data from the WISE
preliminary data release for several redshift and luminosity bins. Comparing
these mean SEDs with a large sample of z>5 quasars we could not identify any
significant trends of the NIR spectral slope with luminosity or redshift in the
regime 2.5 < z < 6 and 10^45 < nuL_nu(1350AA) < 10^47 erg/s. In addition to the
NIR regime, our combined Herschel and Spitzer photometry provides full infrared
SED coverage of the same sample of z>5 quasars. These observations reveal
strong FIR emission (L_FIR > 10^13 L_sun) in seven objects, possibly indicating
star-formation rates of several thousand solar masses per year. The FIR excess
emission has unusally high temperatures (T ~ 65 K) which is in contrast to the
temperature typically expected from studies at lower redshift (T ~ 45 K). These
objects are currently being investigated in more detail.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings to "The Central
Kiloparsec in Galactic Nuclei (AHAR2011)", Journal of Physics: Conference
Series (JPCS), IOP Publishin
The Electron Energy Distribution in the Hotspots of Cygnus A: Filling the Gap with the Spitzer Space Telescope
Here we present Spitzer Space Telescope imaging of Cyg A with the Infrared
Array Camera, resulting in the detection of the high-energy tails or cut-offs
in the synchrotron spectra for all four hotspots of this archetype radio
galaxy. When combined with the other data collected from the literature, our
observations allow for detailed modeling of the broad-band emission for the
brightest spots A and D. We confirm that the X-ray flux detected previously
from these features is consistent with the synchrotron self-Compton radiation
for the magnetic field intensity 170 muG in spot A, and 270 muG in spot D. We
also find that the energy density of the emitting electrons is most likely
larger by a factor of a few than the energy density of the hotspots' magnetic
field. We construct energy spectra of the radiating ultrarelativistic
electrons. We find that for both hotspots A and D these spectra are consistent
with a broken power-law extending from at least 100 MeV up to 100 GeV, and that
the spectral break corresponds almost exactly to the proton rest energy of 1
GeV. We argue that the shape of the electron continuum reflects two different
regimes of the electron acceleration process at mildly relativistic shocks,
rather than resulting from radiative cooling and/or absorption effects. In this
picture the protons' inertia defines the critical energy for the hotspot
electrons above which Fermi-type acceleration processes may play a major role,
but below which the operating acceleration mechanism has to be of a different
type. At energies >100 GeV, the electron spectra cut-off/steepen again, most
likely as a result of spectral aging due to radiative loss effects. We discuss
several implications of the presented analysis for the physics of extragalactic
jets.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures and 2 tables included. Accepted for publication
in Ap
Particle Diffusion and Acceleration by Shock Wave in Magnetized Filamentary Turbulence
We expand the off-resonant scattering theory for particle diffusion in
magnetized current filaments that can be typically compared to astrophysical
jets, including active galactic nucleus jets. In a high plasma beta region
where the directional bulk flow is a free-energy source for establishing
turbulent magnetic fields via current filamentation instabilities, a novel
version of quasi-linear theory to describe the diffusion of test particles is
proposed. The theory relies on the proviso that the injected energetic
particles are not trapped in the small-scale structure of magnetic fields
wrapping around and permeating a filament but deflected by the filaments, to
open a new regime of the energy hierarchy mediated by a transition compared to
the particle injection. The diffusion coefficient derived from a quasi-linear
type equation is applied to estimating the timescale for the stochastic
acceleration of particles by the shock wave propagating through the jet. The
generic scalings of the achievable highest energy of an accelerated ion and
electron, as well as of the characteristic time for conceivable energy
restrictions, are systematically presented. We also discuss a feasible method
of verifying the theoretical predictions. The strong, anisotropic turbulence
reflecting cosmic filaments might be the key to the problem of the acceleration
mechanism of the highest energy cosmic rays exceeding 100 EeV (10^{20} eV),
detected in recent air shower experiments.Comment: 39 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Transitive X-ray spectrum and PeV gamma-ray cutoff in the M87 jet: Electron "Pevatron"
We propose a modified version of the X-ray spectral index and an intrinsic
cutoff frequency of inverse Compton radiation from the brightest knot of the
M87 jet, in conjunction with an application of the new conceptions of injection
and diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) of electrons in magnetized filamentary
plasma to the specified source. The drop of the X-ray flux density in a
transitive frequency region is associated with the interplay of ordinary
synchrotron cooling and weaker magnetic fields concomitant with the smaller
scale filaments that allow the electron injection, while the radio-optical
synchrotron continuum is dominantly established by the major electrons that are
quasi-secularly bound to larger filaments. With reference to, particularly, the
updated external Compton model, we demonstrate that in the Klein-Nishina regime
fading inverse Comptonization, the injected electrons can be stochastically
energized up to a Lorentz factor as high as in the temporal
competition with diffuse synchrotron cooling; this value is larger than that
attainable for a simple DSA scenario based on the resonant scattering diffusion
of the gyrating electrons bound to a supposed magnetic field homogeneously
pervading the entire knot. The upper limits of the photon frequency boosted via
conceivable inverse Compton processes are predicted to be of the common order
of Hz. The variability of the broadband spectrum is also
discussed in comparison to the features of a blazar light curve. The present
scenario of a peta-eV (PeV; eV) electron accelerator, the "Pevatron,"
might provide some guidance for exploring untrod hard X-ray and gamma-ray bands
in forthcoming observations.Comment: 34 pages, 6 figures, matches version published in Ap
Filamentary jets as a cosmic-ray "Zevatron"
Strong, anisotropic turbulence reflecting magnetized filaments is considered,
to model the diffusive acceleration of particles by shock waves in active
galactic nucleus jets. We address that at knot A of the nearby M87 jet, the
shock involving the filamentary turbulence can accelerate an iron nucleus to
zetta-eV (ZeV; 10^{21} eV) ranges. A smaller value of the particle diffusion
coefficient is found to be essential to achieve a ZeV cosmic-ray accelerator, a
"Zevatron."Comment: 5 pages, 2 color figures, emulateap
The Apparent Host Galaxy of PKS 1413+135: HST, ASCA and VLBA Observations
PKS 1413+135 (z=0.24671) is one of very few radio-loud AGN with an apparent
spiral host galaxy. Previous authors have attributed its nearly exponential
infrared cutoff to heavy absorption but have been unable to place tight limits
on the absorber or its location in the optical galaxy. In addition, doubts
remain about the relationship of the AGN to the optical galaxy given the
observed lack of re-emitted radiation. We present new HST, ASCA and VLBA
observations which throw significant new light on these issues. The HST
observations reveal an extrremely red color (V-H = 6.9 mag) for the active
nucleus of PKS 1413+135, requiring both a spectral turnover at a few microns
due to synchrotron aging and a GMC-sized absorber. We derive an intrinsic
column N_H = 4.6^{+2.1}_{-1.6} times 10^{22}cm^{-2} and covering fraction f =
0.12^{+0.07}_{-0.05}. As the GMC is likely in the disk of the optical galaxy,
our sightline is rather unlikely (P ~ 2 times 10^{-4}). The properties of the
GMC typical of GMCs in our own galaxy. The HI absorber appears centered 25
milliarcseconds away from the nucleus, while the X-ray and nearly all of the
molecular absorbers must cover the nucleus, implying a complicated geometry and
cloud structure, with a molecular core along our line of sight to the nucleus.
Interestingly, the HST/NICMOS data require the AGN to be decentered relative to
the optical galaxy by 13 +/- 4 milliarcseconds. This could be interpreted as
suggestive of an AGN location far in the background compared to the optical
galaxy, but it can also be explained by obscuration and/or nuclear structure,
which is more consistent with the observed lack of multiple images.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures; accepted to A
Characterization of wetting using topological principles
Hypothesis Understanding wetting behavior is of great importance for natural
systems and technological applications. The traditional concept of contact
angle, a purely geometrical measure related to curvature, is often used for
characterizing the wetting state of a system. It can be determined from Young's
equation by applying equilibrium thermodynamics. However, whether contact angle
is a representative measure of wetting for systems with significant complexity
is unclear. Herein, we hypothesize that topological principles based on the
Gauss-Bonnet theorem could yield a robust measure to characterize wetting.
Theory and Experiments We introduce a macroscopic contact angle based on the
deficit curvature of the fluid interfaces that are imposed by contacts with
other immiscible phases. We perform sessile droplet simulations followed by
multiphase experiments for porous sintered glass and Bentheimer sandstone to
assess the sensitivity and robustness of the topological approach and compare
the results to other traditional approaches.
Findings We show that the presented topological principle is consistent with
thermodynamics under the simplest conditions through a variational analysis.
Furthermore, we elucidate that at sufficiently high image resolution the
proposed topological approach and local contact angle measurements are
comparable. While at lower resolutions, the proposed approach provides more
accurate results being robust to resolution-based effects. Overall, the
presented concepts open new pathways to characterize the wetting state of
complex systems and theoretical developments to study multiphase systems.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl
Resistivity due to a Domain Wall in Ferromagnetic Metal
The resistivity due to a domain wall in ferromagnetic metallic wire is
calculated based on the linear response theory. The interaction between
conduction electrons and the wall is expressed in terms of a classical gauge
field which is introduced by the local gauge transformation in the electron
spin space. It is shown that the wall contributes to the decoherence of
electrons and that this quantum correction can dominate over the Boltzmann
resisitivity, leading to a decrease of resisitivity by nucleation of a wall.
The conductance fluctuation due to the motion of the wall is also investigated.
The results are compared with recent experiments.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
The Wide Field Imager Lyman-Alpha Search (WFILAS) for Galaxies at Redshift ~5.7: II. Survey Design and Sample Analysis
Context: Wide-field narrowband surveys are an efficient way of searching
large volumes of high-redshift space for distant galaxies.
Aims: We describe the Wide Field Imager Lyman-Alpha Search (WFILAS) over 0.74
sq. degree for bright emission-line galaxies at z~5.7.
Methods: WFILAS uses deep images taken with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) on
the ESO/MPI 2.2m telescope in three narrowband (70 A), one encompassing
intermediate band (220 A) and two broadband filters, B and R. We use the novel
technique of an encompassing intermediate band filter to exclude false
detections. Images taken with broadband B and R filters are used to remove low
redshift galaxies from our sample.
Results: We present a sample of seven Lya emitting galaxy candidates, two of
which are spectroscopically confirmed. Compared to other surveys all our
candidates are bright, the results of this survey complements other narrowband
surveys at this redshift. Most of our candidates are in the regime of bright
luminosities, beyond the reach of less voluminous surveys. Adding our
candidates to those of another survey increases the derived luminosity density
by ~30%. We also find potential clustering in the Chandra Deep Field South,
supporting overdensities discovered by other surveys. Based on a FORS2/VLT
spectrum we additionally present the analysis of the second confirmed Lya
emitting galaxy in our sample. We find that it is the brightest Lya emitting
galaxy (1 x 10^-16 erg s^-1 cm^-2) at this redshift to date and the second
confirmed candidate of our survey. Both objects exhibit the presence of a
possible second Lya component redward of the line.Comment: 15 pages, accepted for publication in A&A Replaced with published
versio
The ALHAMBRA Project: A large area multi medium-band optical and NIR photometric survey
(ABRIDGED) We describe the first results of the ALHAMBRA survey which
provides cosmic tomography of the evolution of the contents of the Universe
over most of Cosmic history. Our approach employs 20 contiguous, equal-width,
medium-band filters covering from 3500 to 9700 A, plus the JHKs bands, to
observe an area of 4 sqdeg on the sky. The optical photometric system has been
designed to maximize the number of objects with accurate classification by SED
and redshift, and to be sensitive to relatively faint emission lines. The
observations are being carried out with the Calar Alto 3.5m telescope using the
cameras LAICA and O-2000. The first data confirm that we are reaching the
expected magnitude limits of AB<~25 mag in the optical filters from the blue to
8300 A, and from AB=24.7 to 23.4 for the redder ones. The limit in the NIR is
(Vega) K_s~20, H~21, J~22. We expect to obtain accurate redshift values, Delta
z/(1+z) <~ 0.03 for about 5x10^5 galaxies with I<~25 (60% complete), and
z_med=0.74. This accuracy, together with the homogeneity of the selection
function, will allow for the study of the redshift evolution of the large scale
structure, the galaxy population and its evolution with redshift, the
identification of clusters of galaxies, and many other studies, without the
need for any further follow-up. It will also provide targets for detailed
studies with 10m-class telescopes. Given its area, spectral coverage and its
depth, apart from those main goals, the ALHAMBRA-Survey will also produce
valuable data for galactic studies.Comment: Accepted to the Astronomical Journal. 43 pages, 18 figures. The
images have been reduced in resolution to adapt to standard file sizes.
Readers can find the full-resolution version of the paper at the ALHAMBRA web
site (http://www.iaa.es/alhambra) under the "Publications" lin
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