6,053 research outputs found
A comparison of stellar populations in galaxy spheroids across a wide range of Hubble types
We present line-strengths and kinematics from the central regions of 32 galaxies with Hubble types ranging from E to Sbc. Spectral indices, based on the Lick system, are measured in the optical and near-infrared (NIR). The 24 indices measured, in conjunction with models of the effects of varying abundance ratios, permit the breaking of age/metallicity degeneracy, and allow estimation of enhancements in specific light elements (particularly C and Mg). The large range of Hubble types observed allows direct comparison of line-strengths in the centres of early-type galaxies (E and S0) with those in spiral bulges, free from systematic differences that have plagued comparisons of results from different studies. Our sample includes field and Virgo cluster galaxies. For early-type galaxies our data are consistent with previously reported trends of Mg2 and Mgb with velocity dispersion. In spiral bulges we find trends in all indices with velocity dispersion. We estimate luminosity-weighted ages, metallicities and heavy-element abundance ratios (enhancements) from optical indices. These show that bulges are less enhanced in light (α-capture) elements and have lower average age than early-type galaxies. Trends involving age and metallicity also differ sharply between early and late types. An anticorrelation exists between age and metallicity in early types, while, in bulges, metallicity is correlated with velocity dispersion. We consider the implications of these findings for models of the formation of these galaxies. We find that primordial collapse models of galaxy formation are ruled out by our observations, while several predictions of hierarchical clustering (merger) models are confirmed
Pre-enriched, not primordial ellipticals
We follow the chemical evolution of a galaxy through star formation and its
feedback into the inter-stellar medium, starting from primordial gas and
allowing for gas to inflow into the region being modelled. We attempt to
reproduce observed spectral line-strengths for early-type galaxies to constrain
their star formation histories. The efficiencies and times of star formation
are varied as well as the amount and duration of inflow. We evaluate the
chemical enrichment and the mass of stars made with time. Single stellar
population (SSP) data are then used to predict line-strengths for composite
stellar populations. The results are compared with observed line-strengths in
ten ellipticals, including some features which help to break the problem of
age-metallicity degeneracy in old stellar populations. We find that the
elliptical galaxies modelled require high metallicity SSPs (>3 x solar) at
later times. In addition the strong lines observed cannot be produced by an
initial starburst in primordial gas, even if a large amount of inflow is
allowed for during the first few x 10E+8 years. This is because some
pre-enrichment is required for lines in the bulk of the stars to approach the
observed line-strengths in ellipticals.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, Latex, accepted for publication in MNRA
Viewpoint : graphene is thin, but not infinitely so
Atomically thin graphene is considered a prototypical 2D material, but high-pressure experiments now reveal the 3D nature of its mechanical properties
On the relation between viscoelastic and magnetohydrodynamic flows and their instabilities
We demonstrate a close analogy between a viscoelastic medium and an
electrically conducting fluid containing a magnetic field. Specifically, the
dynamics of the Oldroyd-B fluid in the limit of large Deborah number
corresponds to that of a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fluid in the limit of large
magnetic Reynolds number. As a definite example of this analogy, we compare the
stability properties of differentially rotating viscoelastic and MHD flows. We
show that there is an instability of the Oldroyd-B fluid that is physically
distinct from both the inertial and elastic instabilities described previously
in the literature, but is directly equivalent to the magnetorotational
instability in MHD. It occurs even when the specific angular momentum increases
outwards, provided that the angular velocity decreases outwards; it derives
from the kinetic energy of the shear flow and does not depend on the curvature
of the streamlines. However, we argue that the elastic instability of
viscoelastic Couette flow has no direct equivalent in MHD.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, to be published in J. Fluid Mec
Random Field XY Model in Three Dimensions: The Role of Vortices
We study vortex states in a 3d random-field XY model of up to one billion
lattice spins. Starting with random spin orientations, the sample freezes into
the vortex-glass state with a stretched-exponential decay of spin correlations,
having short correlation length and a low susceptibility, compared to
vortex-free states. In a field opposite to the initial magnetization, peculiar
topological objects -- walls of spins still opposite to the field -- emerge
along the hysteresis curve. On increasing the field strength, the walls develop
cracks bounded by vortex loops. The loops then grow in size and eat the walls
away. Applications to magnets and superconductors are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 8 figure
A self-sustaining nonlinear dynamo process in Keplerian shear flows
A three-dimensional nonlinear dynamo process is identified in rotating plane
Couette flow in the Keplerian regime. It is analogous to the hydrodynamic
self-sustaining process in non-rotating shear flows and relies on the
magneto-rotational instability of a toroidal magnetic field. Steady nonlinear
solutions are computed numerically for a wide range of magnetic Reynolds
numbers but are restricted to low Reynolds numbers. This process may be
important to explain the sustenance of coherent fields and turbulent motions in
Keplerian accretion disks, where all its basic ingredients are present.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Letter
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