1,286 research outputs found
Steps toward a classifier for the Virtual Observatory. I. Classifying the SDSS photometric archive
Modern photometric multiband digital surveys produce large amounts of data
that, in order to be effectively exploited, need automatic tools capable to
extract from photometric data an objective classification. We present here a
new method for classifying objects in large multi-parametric photometric data
bases, consisting of a combination of a clustering algorithm and a cluster
agglomeration tool. The generalization capabilities and the potentialities of
this approach are tested against the complexity of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
archive, for which an example of application is reported.Comment: To appear in the Proceedings of the "1st Workshop of Astronomy and
Astrophysics for Students" - Naples, 19-20 April 200
WATCAT: a tale of wide-angle tailed radio galaxies
We present a catalog of 47 wide-angle tailed radio galaxies (WATs), the
WATCAT; these galaxies were selected by combining observations from the
National Radio Astronomy Observatory/Very Large Array Sky Survey (NVSS), the
Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters (FIRST), and the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and mainly built including a radio morphological
classification. We included in the catalog only radio sources showing two-sided
jets with two clear "warmspots" (i.e., jet knots as bright as 20% of the
nucleus) lying on the opposite side of the radio core, and having classical
extended emission resembling a plume beyond them. The catalog is limited to
redshifts z 0.15, and lists only sources with radio emission extended
beyond 30 kpc from the host galaxy. We found that host galaxies of WATCAT
sources are all luminous (-20.5 Mr -23.7), red early-type
galaxies with black hole masses in the range M M. The spectroscopic classification indicates that they
are all low-excitation galaxies (LEGs). Comparing WAT multifrequency properties
with those of FRI and FRII radio galaxies at the same redshifts, we conclude
that WATs show multifrequency properties remarkably similar to FRI radio
galaxies, having radio power of typical FRIIs
A nearly zero-energy microgrid testbed laboratory: Centralized control strategy based on SCADA system
Currently, despite the use of renewable energy sources (RESs), distribution networks are facing problems, such as complexity and low productivity. Emerging microgrids (MGs) with RESs based on supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) are an effective solution to control, manage, and finally deal with these challenges. The development and success of MGs is highly dependent on the use of power electronic interfaces. The use of these interfaces is directly related to the progress of SCADA systems and communication infrastructures. The use of SCADA systems for the control and operation of MGs and active distribution networks promotes productivity and efficiency. This paper presents a real MG case study called the LAMBDA MG testbed laboratory, which has been implemented in the electrical department of the Sapienza University of Rome with a centralized energy management system (CEMS). The real-time results of the SCADA system show that a CEMS can create proper energy balance in a LAMBDA MG testbed and, consequently, minimize the exchange power of the LAMBDA MG and main grid
Probing BH mass and accretion through X-ray variability in the CDFS
Recent work on nearby AGNs has shown that X-ray variability is correlated
with the mass and accretion rate onto the central SMBH. Here we present the
application of the variability-luminosity relation to high redshift AGNs in the
CDFS, making use of XMM-Newton observations. We use Monte Carlo simulations in
order to properly account for bias and uncertainties introduced by the sparse
sampling and the very low statistics. Our preliminary results indicate that BH
masses span over the range from 10^5 to 10^9 solar mass while accretion rates
range from 10^-3 up to values greater than 1, in unit of Eddington accretion
rate.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures,in press in the X-ray 2009 Conference Proceedings
(Bologna, 7-11 September 2009
Estimation of signal parameters in the frequency domain in the presence of harmonic interference: a comparative analysis
In this paper, a novel method for the estimation of the parameters of the spectral components of a signal, also in the case of harmonic interference, is characterized and compared to other methods proposed in literature. The comparison criteria include the evaluation of residual errors and uncertainties on estimated parameters for different multicomponent signals
Prevalence of X-ray variability in the Chandra Deep Field South
We studied the X-ray variability of sources detected in the Chandra Deep
Field South (Giacconi et al. 2002), nearly all of which are low to moderate z
AGN (Tozzi et al. 2001). We find that 45% of the sources with >100 counts
exhibit significant variability on timescales ranging from a day up to a year.
The fraction of sources found to be variable increases with observed flux,
suggesting that >90% of all AGNs possess intrinsic variability. We also find
that the fraction of variable sources appears to decrease with increasing
intrinsic absorption; a lack of variability in hard, absorbed AGNs could be due
to an increased contribution of reflected X-rays to the total flux. We do not
detect significant spectral variability in the majority (~70%) of our sources.
In half of the remaining 30%, the hardness ratio is anti-correlated with flux,
mimicking the high/soft-low/hard states of galactic sources. The X-ray
variability appears anti-correlated with the luminosity of the sources, in
agreement with previous studies. High redshift sources, however, have larger
variability amplitudes than expected from extrapolations of their low-z
counterparts, suggesting a possible evolution in the accretion rate and/or size
of the X-ray emitting region. Finally, we discuss some effects that may produce
the observed decrease in the fraction of variable sources from z=0.5 out to
z=2.Comment: 24 pages, including 15 figures and 1 table. In press on Ap
Probing the Low Mass X-ray Binaries/Globular Cluster connection in NGC1399
We present a wide field study of the Globular Clusters/Low Mass X-ray
Binaries connection in the cD elliptical NGC1399, combining HST/ACS and Chandra
high resolution data. We find evidence that LMXB formation likelihood is
influenced by GCs structural parameters, in addition to the well known effects
of mass and metallicity, independently from galactocentric distance.Comment: in press in the Proceedings of the X-ray 2009 Conference, 7-11
September 2009, Bologna, Ital
Globular Cluster Scale Sizes in Giant Galaxies: Orbital Anisotropy and Tidally Under-filling Clusters in M87, NGC 1399, and NGC 5128
We investigate the shallow increase in globular cluster half-light radii with
projected galactocentric distance observed in the giant galaxies M87,
NGC 1399, and NGC 5128. To model the trend in each galaxy, we explore the
effects of orbital anisotropy and tidally under-filling clusters. While a
strong degeneracy exists between the two parameters, we use kinematic studies
to help constrain the distance beyond which cluster orbits become
anisotropic, as well as the distance beyond which clusters are
tidally under-filling. For M87 we find kpc and kpc and kpc.
The connection of with each galaxy's mass profile indicates the
relationship between size and may be imposed at formation, with only
inner clusters being tidally affected. The best fitted models suggest the
dynamical histories of brightest cluster galaxies yield similar present-day
distributions of cluster properties. For NGC 5128, the central giant in a small
galaxy group, we find kpc and kpc. While we
cannot rule out a dependence on , NGC 5128 is well fitted by a tidally
filling cluster population with an isotropic distribution of orbits, suggesting
it may have formed via an initial fast accretion phase. Perturbations from the
surrounding environment may also affect a galaxy's orbital anisotropy profile,
as outer clusters in M87 and NGC 1399 have primarily radial orbits while outer
NGC 5128 clusters remain isotropic.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables, Accepted for publication in MNRA
The XMM deep survey in the CDF-S. X. X-ray variability of bright sources
We aim to study the variability properties of bright hard X-ray selected
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) with redshift between 0.3 and 1.6 detected in the
Chandra Deep Field South (XMM-CDFS) by a long XMM observation. Taking advantage
of the good count statistics in the XMM CDFS we search for flux and spectral
variability using the hardness ratio techniques. We also investigated spectral
variability of different spectral components. The spectra were merged in six
epochs (defined as adjacent observations) and in high and low flux states to
understand whether the flux transitions are accompanied by spectral changes.
The flux variability is significant in all the sources investigated. The
hardness ratios in general are not as variable as the fluxes. Only one source
displays a variable HR, anti-correlated with the flux (source 337). The
spectral analysis in the available epochs confirms the steeper when brighter
trend consistent with Comptonisation models only in this source. Finding this
trend in one out of seven unabsorbed sources is consistent, within the
statistical limits, with the 15 % of unabsorbed AGN in previous deep surveys.
No significant variability in the column densities, nor in the Compton
reflection component, has been detected across the epochs considered. The high
and low states display in general different normalisations but consistent
spectral properties. X-ray flux fluctuations are ubiquitous in AGN. In general,
the significant flux variations are not associated with a spectral variability:
photon index and column densities are not significantly variable in nine out of
the ten AGN over long timescales (from 3 to 6.5 years). The photon index
variability is found only in one source (which is steeper when brighter) out of
seven unabsorbed AGN. These results are consistent with previous deep samples.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures. Accepted in A&
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