519 research outputs found
Early Results from the Chandra X-ray Observatory
We present some early results on AGN from the Chandra X-ray Observatory,
highlighting high resolution spectroscopy using the High Energy Transmission
Grating Spectrometer (HETGS). The quasar PKS 0637-752 was found to have a very
bright X-ray jet whose shape is remarkably similar to that of the radio jet on
a size scale of 100 kpc, but the X-ray emission is still inexplicably bright.
Two BL Lac objects, PKS 2155-304 and Mrk 421, observed with the spectrometer
were found to have no strong absorption or emission features. Other radio loud
AGN observed with the HETGS show simple power law spectra without obvious
features.Comment: Contributed talk presented at the Joint MPE,AIP,ESO workshop on
NLS1s, Bad Honnef, Dec. 1999, to appear in New Astronomy Reviews; also
available at http://wave.xray.mpe.mpg.de/conferences/nls1-worksho
CHANDRA Observations of X-ray Jet Structure on kpc to Mpc Scales
With its exquisite spatial resolution of better than 0.5 arcsecond, the
Chandra observatory is uniquely capable of resolving and studying the spatial
structure of extragalactic X-ray jets on scales of a few to a few hundred
kilo-parsec. Our analyses of four recent Chandra images of quasar jets
interpret the X-ray emission as inverse Compton scattering of high energy
electrons on the cosmic microwave background. We infer that these jets are in
bulk relativistic motion, carrying kinetic powers upwards of 10^46 ergs/s to
distances of hundreds of kpc, with very high efficiency.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to be published in the proceedings of the Bologna
jet workshop, "The Physics of Relativistic Jets in the CHANDRA and XMM Era.
Tests for exponentiality against NBUE alternatives: a Monte Carlo comparison
Testing of various classes of life distributions has been addressed in the
literature for more than 45 years. In this paper, we consider the problem of
testing exponentiality (which essentially implies no ageing) against positive
ageing which is captured by the fairly large class of new better than used in
expectation (NBUE) distributions. These tests of exponentiality against NBUE
alternatives are discussed and compared. The empirical size of the tests is
obtained by simulations. Power comparisons for different popular alternatives
are done using Monte Carlo simulations. These comparisons are made for both
small and large sample sizes. The paper concludes with a discussion in which
suggestions are made regarding the choices of the test when a particular
alternative is suspected
On the nature of the unidentified X-ray/gamma-ray sources IGR J18027-1455 and IGR J21247+5058
We present a multiwavelength study of the environment of the unidentified
X-ray/gamma-ray sources IGR J18027-1455 and IGR J21247+5058, recently
discovered by the IBIS/ISGRI instrument, onboard the INTEGRAL satellite. The
main properties of the sources found inside their position error circles, give
us clues about the nature of these high-energy sources.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, Proceedings of the Conference "The
Multiwavelength Approach to Unidentified Sources", to appear in the journal
Astrophysics and Space Scienc
Quantifying heterogeneous responses of fish community size structure using novel combined statistical techniques
To understand changes in ecosystems, the appropriate scale at which to study them must be determined. Large marine ecosystems (LMEs) cover thousands of square kilometres and are a useful classification scheme for ecosystem monitoring and assessment. However, averaging across LMEs may obscure intricate dynamics within. The purpose of this study is to mathematically determine local and regional patterns of ecological change within an LME using empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs). After using EOFs to define regions with distinct patterns of change, a statistical model originating from control theory is applied (Nonlinear AutoRegressive Moving Average with eXogenous input – NARMAX) to assess potential drivers of change within these regions. We have selected spatial data sets (0.5° latitude × 1°longitude) of fish abundance from North Sea fisheries research surveys (spanning 1980–2008) as well as of temperature, oxygen, net primary production and a fishing pressure proxy, to which we apply the EOF and NARMAX methods. Two regions showed significant changes since 1980: the central North Sea displayed a decrease in community size structure which the NARMAX model suggested was linked to changes in fishing; and the Norwegian trench region displayed an increase in community size structure which, as indicated by NARMAX results, was primarily linked to changes in sea-bottom temperature. These regions were compared to an area of no change along the eastern Scottish coast where the model determined the community size structure was most strongly associated to net primary production. This study highlights the multifaceted effects of environmental change and fishing pressures in different regions of the North Sea. Furthermore, by highlighting this spatial heterogeneity in community size structure change, important local spatial dynamics are often overlooked when the North Sea is considered as a broad-scale, homogeneous ecosystem (as normally is the case within the political Marine Strategy Framework Directive)
Theoretical overview on high-energy emission in microquasars
Microquasar (MQ) jets are sites of particle acceleration and synchrotron
emission. Such synchrotron radiation has been detected coming from jet regions
of different spatial scales, which for the instruments at work nowadays appear
as compact radio cores, slightly resolved radio jets, or (very) extended
structures. Because of the presence of relativistic particles and dense photon,
magnetic and matter fields, these outflows are also the best candidates to
generate the very high-energy (VHE) gamma-rays detected coming from two of
these objects, LS 5039 and LS I +61 303, and may be contributing significantly
to the X-rays emitted from the MQ core. In addition, beside electromagnetic
radiation, jets at different scales are producing some amount of leptonic and
hadronic cosmic rays (CR), and evidences of neutrino production in these
objects may be eventually found. In this work, we review on the different
physical processes that may be at work in or related to MQ jets. The jet
regions capable to produce significant amounts of emission at different
wavelengths have been reduced to the jet base, the jet at scales of the order
of the size of the system orbital semi-major axis, the jet middle scales (the
resolved radio jets), and the jet termination point. The surroundings of the
jet could be sites of multiwavelegnth emission as well, deserving also an
insight. We focus on those scenarios, either hadronic or leptonic, in which it
seems more plausible to generate both photons from radio to VHE and high-energy
neutrinos. We briefly comment as well on the relevance of MQ as possible
contributors to the galactic CR in the GeV-PeV range.Comment: Astrophysics & Space Science, in press (invited talk in the
conference: The multimessenger approach to the high-energy gamma-ray
sources", Barcelona/Catalonia, in July 4-7); 10 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables
(one reference corrected
Active Galactic Nuclei at the Crossroads of Astrophysics
Over the last five decades, AGN studies have produced a number of spectacular
examples of synergies and multifaceted approaches in astrophysics. The field of
AGN research now spans the entire spectral range and covers more than twelve
orders of magnitude in the spatial and temporal domains. The next generation of
astrophysical facilities will open up new possibilities for AGN studies,
especially in the areas of high-resolution and high-fidelity imaging and
spectroscopy of nuclear regions in the X-ray, optical, and radio bands. These
studies will address in detail a number of critical issues in AGN research such
as processes in the immediate vicinity of supermassive black holes, physical
conditions of broad-line and narrow-line regions, formation and evolution of
accretion disks and relativistic outflows, and the connection between nuclear
activity and galaxy evolution.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures; review contribution; "Exploring the Cosmic
Frontier: Astrophysical Instruments for the 21st Century", ESO Astrophysical
Symposia Serie
Dispersion of Ordered Stripe Phases in the Cuprates
A phase separation model is presented for the stripe phase of the cuprates,
which allows the doping dependence of the photoemission spectra to be
calculated. The idealized limit of a well-ordered array of magnetic and charged
stripes is analyzed, including effects of long-range Coulomb repulsion.
Remarkably, down to the limit of two-cell wide stripes, the dispersion can be
interpreted as essentially a superposition of the two end-phase dispersions,
with superposed minigaps associated with the lattice periodicity. The largest
minigap falls near the Fermi level; it can be enhanced by proximity to a (bulk)
Van Hove singularity. The calculated spectra are dominated by two features --
this charge stripe minigap plus the magnetic stripe Hubbard gap. There is a
strong correlation between these two features and the experimental
photoemission results of a two-peak dispersion in LaSrCuO, and
the peak-dip-hump spectra in BiSrCaCuO. The
differences are suggestive of the role of increasing stripe fluctuations. The
1/8 anomaly is associated with a quantum critical point, here expressed as a
percolation-like crossover. A model is proposed for the limiting minority
magnetic phase as an isolated two-leg ladder.Comment: 24 pages, 26 PS figure
Radio emission and jets from microquasars
To some extent, all Galactic binary systems hosting a compact object are
potential `microquasars', so much as all galactic nuclei may have been quasars,
once upon a time. The necessary ingredients for a compact object of stellar
mass to qualify as a microquasar seem to be: accretion, rotation and magnetic
field. The presence of a black hole may help, but is not strictly required,
since neutron star X-ray binaries and dwarf novae can be powerful jet sources
as well. The above issues are broadly discussed throughout this Chapter, with a
a rather trivial question in mind: why do we care? In other words: are jets a
negligible phenomenon in terms of accretion power, or do they contribute
significantly to dissipating gravitational potential energy? How do they
influence their surroundings? The latter point is especially relevant in a
broader context, as there is mounting evidence that outflows powered by
super-massive black holes in external galaxies may play a crucial role in
regulating the evolution of cosmic structures. Microquasars can also be thought
of as a form of quasars for the impatient: what makes them appealing, despite
their low number statistics with respect to quasars, are the fast variability
time-scales. In the first approximation, the physics of the jet-accretion
coupling in the innermost regions should be set by the mass/size of the
accretor: stellar mass objects vary on 10^5-10^8 times shorter time-scales,
making it possible to study variable accretion modes and related ejection
phenomena over average Ph.D. time-scales. [Abridged]Comment: 28 pages, 13 figures, To appear in Belloni, T. (ed.): The Jet
Paradigm - From Microquasars to Quasars, Lect. Notes Phys. 794 (2009
Improved W boson mass measurement with the D0 detector
We have measured the W boson mass using the D0 detector and a data sample of
82 pb^-1 from the Tevatron collider. This measurement used W -> e nu decays,
where the electron is close to a boundary of a central electromagnetic
calorimeter module. Such 'edge' electrons have not been used in any previous D0
analysis, and represent a 14% increase in the W boson sample size. For these
electrons, new response and resolution parameters are determined, and revised
backgrounds and underlying event energy flow measurements are made. When the
current measurement is combined with previous D0 W boson mass measurements, we
obtain M_W = 80.483 +/- 0.084 GeV. The 8% improvement from the previous D0
measurement is primarily due to the improved determination of the response
parameters for non-edge electrons using the sample of Z bosons with non-edge
and edge electrons.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. D; 20 pages, 18 figures, 9 table
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