900 research outputs found
A Photometric Study of the Outer Halo Globular Cluster NGC 5824
Multi-wavelength CCD photometry over 21 years has been used to produce deep
color-magnitude diagrams together with light curves for the variables in the
Galactic globular cluster NGC 5824. Twenty-one new cluster RR Lyrae stars are
identified, bringing the total to 47, of which 42 have reliable periods
determined for the first time. The color-magnitude diagram is matched using
BaSTI isochrones with age of ~Gyr. and reddening is found to be ; using the period-Wesenheit relation in two colors the distance
modulus is corresponding to a distance of 30.9 Kpc.
The observations show no signs of populations that are significantly younger
than the ~Gyr stars. The width of the red giant branch does not allow for a
spread in [Fe/H] greater than dex, and there is no photometric
evidence for widened or parallel sequences. The pseudo-color
magnitude diagram shows a bifurcation of the red giant branch that by analogy
with other clusters is interpreted as being due to differing spectral
signatures of the first (75\%) and second (25\%) generations of stars whose age
difference is close enough that main sequence turnoffs in the color-magnitude
diagram are unresolved. The cluster main sequence is visible against the
background out to a radial distance of arcmin. We conclude that NGC
5824 appears to be a classical Oosterhoff Type II globular cluster, without
overt signs of being a remnant of a now-disrupted dwarf galaxy.Comment: 26 pages, 15 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in
Astronomical Journa
Variable Stars in Local Group Galaxies. IV. RR Lyrae stars in the central regions of the low-density galaxy Crater II
We present a search and analysis of variable stars in the recently discovered
Crater~II dwarf galaxy. Based on , , data collected with the Isaac
Newton Telescope (FoV0.44 square degrees) we detected 37 variable stars,
of which 34 are bone-fide RR Lyrae stars of Crater~II (28 RRab, 4 RRc, 2 RRd).
We applied the metal-independent (, ) Period--Wesenheit relation and
derived a true distance modulus ( = 20.300.08 mag (=0.16
mag). Individual metallicities for RR Lyrae stars were derived by inversion of
the predicted -band Period-Luminosity relation. We find a mean metallicity
of [Fe/H]=-1.64 and a standard deviation of =0.21 dex,
compatible with either negligible or vanishing intrinsic metallicity
dispersion. The analysis of the Colour-Magnitude Diagram reveals a stark
paucity of blue horizontal branch stars, at odds with other Galactic dwarfs,
and globular clusters with similar metal abundances.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publications on MNRAS. Time series
photometry is available in the manuscript source ta
Next-generation ophthalmic diagnostics
We are developing a fully automated mobile application (app) to test for contrast sensitivity by measuring the ability of the patient to follow a moving dot on a digital screen. The test results are evaluated automatically using algorithms that measure the gaze direction of the user. Here we present preliminary results of the app development
Magnetic anisotropy in ordered textured Co nanowires
The following article appeared in Applied Physics Letters 100.25 (2012): 252405 and may be found at http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/apl/100/25/10.1063/1.4729782The magnetization reversal in ordered arrays of Co nanowires with tailored hcp-phase texture, controlled by pH synthesis and nanowires length, has been investigated. The angular dependence of coercivity has been experimentally determined for different crystal textures, and the corresponding magnetization reversal mode is interpreted by analytical modelling. The results show that reversal takes place by propagation of a transverse-like domain wall mode. The fitting of experimental and calculated data allows us the quantitative evaluation of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant strength whose magnetization easy direction evolves from parallel to the wires toward in-plane orientation with the change of hcp-phase textureThe project has been performed under bilateral Chile-Spain project 2010CL0018. Additional financial support is acknowledged from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, MICINN, and MAT2010-20798-C05-01. Financial support from FONDECYT No. 1110784, Grant ICM P10-061-F by Fondo de Innovación para la Competitividad-MINECON and Financiamiento Basal para Centros Científicos y Tecnológicos de Excelencia, under project FB0807
Substructure revealed by RR Lyraes in SDSS Stripe 82
We present an analysis of the substructure revealed by 407 RR Lyraes in Sloan
Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82. Period estimates are determined to high
accuracy using a string-length method. A subset of 178 RR Lyraes with
spectrally derived metallicities are employed to derive
metallicity-period-amplitude relations, which are then used to find
metallicities and distances for the entire sample. The RR Lyraes lie between 5
and 115 kpc from the Galactic center. They are divided into subsets of 316 RRab
types and 91 RRc types based on their period, colour and metallicity. The
density distribution is not smooth, but dominated by clumps and substructure.
Samples of 55 and 237 RR Lyraes associated with the Sagittarius Stream and the
Hercules-Aquila Cloud respectively are identified. Hence, ~ 70 % of the RR
Lyraes in Stripe 82 belong to known substructure. There is a sharp break in the
density distribution at Galactocentric radii of 40 kpc, reflecting the fact
that the dominant substructure in Stripe 82 - the Hercules-Aquila Cloud and the
Sagittarius Stream - lies within 40 kpc. In fact, almost 60 % of all the RR
Lyraes in Stripe 82 are associated with the Hercules-Aquila Cloud alone, which
emphasises its pre-eminence. Additionally, evidence of a new and distant
substructure - the Pisces Overdensity - is found, consisting of 28 faint RR
Lyraes centered on Galactic coordinates (80 deg, -55 deg) and with distances of
~ 80 kpc. The total stellar mass in the Pisces Overdensity is ~10000 solar
masses and its metallicity is [Fe/H] ~ -1.5.Comment: 15 pages, submitted to MNRA
Elaboration of Essential Oil From the Oregano for Medicinal Use Sheet
The extraction and industrialization of the oregano oil in Ecuador can represent an important source of work, from the harvest to the transformation of the raw material into finished product. The oregano is a plant known from many years back and has always been used for medicinal purposes and is currently being used in many fields such as perfumery, gastronomy, toiletries; But its main use is in medicine. The work proposes a methodology that allows extracting the essential oil of the plant for different medical uses such as: anti - inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant and antibiotic, being of social benefit representing an economic impact in its industrializatio
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