19 research outputs found
Guide star probabilities
Probabilities are calculated for acquiring suitable guide stars (GS) with the fine guidance system (FGS) of the space telescope. A number of the considerations and techniques described are also relevant for other space astronomy missions. The constraints of the FGS are reviewed. The available data on bright star densities are summarized and a previous error in the literature is corrected. Separate analytic and Monte Carlo calculations of the probabilities are described. A simulation of space telescope pointing is carried out using the Weistrop north galactic pole catalog of bright stars. Sufficient information is presented so that the probabilities of acquisition can be estimated as a function of position in the sky. The probability of acquiring suitable guide stars is greatly increased if the FGS can allow an appreciable difference between the (bright) primary GS limiting magnitude and the (fainter) secondary GS limiting magnitude
CENSORS: A Combined EIS-NVSS Survey Of Radio Sources. I. Sample definition, radio data and optical identifications
A new sample of radio sources, with the designated name CENSORS (A Combined
EIS-NVSS Survey Of Radio Sources), has been defined by combining the NRAO VLA
Sky Survey (NVSS) at 1.4 GHz with the ESO Imaging Survey (EIS) Patch D, a 3 by
2 degree region of sky centred at 09 51 36.0, -21 00 00 (J2000). New radio
observations of 199 NVSS radio sources with NVSS flux densities S(1.4GHz) >
7.8mJy are presented, and compared with the EIS I-band imaging observations
which reach a depth of I~23; optical identifications are obtained for over
two-thirds of the ~150 confirmed radio sources within the EIS field. The radio
sources have a median linear size of 6 arcseconds, consistent with the trend
for lower flux density radio sources to be less extended. Other radio source
properties, such as the lobe flux density ratios, are consistent with those of
brighter radio source samples. From the optical information, 30-40% of the
sources are expected to lie at redshifts z >~ 1.5.
One of the key goals of this survey is to accurately determine the high
redshift evolution of the radio luminosity function. These radio sources are at
the ideal flux density level to achieve this goal; at redshifts z~2 they have
luminosities which are around the break of the luminosity function and so
provide a much more accurate census of the radio source population at those
redshifts than the existing studies of extreme, high radio power sources. Other
survey goals include investigating the dual--population unification schemes for
radio sources, studying the radio luminosity dependence of the evolution of
radio source environments, and understanding the radio power dependence of the
K-z relation for radio galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 28 pages plus 36 reduced
resolution jpeg figures. A postscript version with full resolution figures
included in the text is available from
http://www.roe.ac.uk/~pnb/censors.ps.g
Fractal Dimensions and Scaling Laws in the Interstellar Medium and Galaxy Distributions: a new Field Theory Approach
We develop a field theoretical approach to the cold interstellar medium (ISM) and large structure of the universe. We show that a non-relativistic self- gravitating gas in thermal equilibrium with variable number of atoms or fragments is exactly equivalent to a field theory of a scalar field phi(x) with exponential self-interaction. We analyze this field theory perturbatively and non-perturbatively through the renormalization group(RG).We show scaling behaviour (critical) for a continuous range of the physical parameters as the temperature. We derive in this framework the scaling relation M(R) \sim R^{d_H} for the mass on a region of size R, and Delta v \sim R^\frac12(d_H -1) for the velocity dispersion. For the density-density correlations we find a power-law behaviour for large distances \sim |r_1 - r_2|^{2D - 6}.The fractal dimension D turns to be related with the critical exponent \nu by D = 1/ \nu. Mean field theory yields \nu = 1/2, D = 2. Both the Ising and the mean field values are compatible with the present ISM observational data:1.4\leq D \leq 2. We develop a field theoretical approach to the galaxy distribution considering a gas of self-gravitating masses on the FRW background, in quasi-thermal equi- librium. We show that it exhibits scaling behaviour by RG methods. The galaxy correlations are computed without assuming homogeneity. We find \sim r^{D-3} r_1 >> r_i
A theoretical investigation on the spectrum of the Ar trimer for high rotational excitations
Abstract: A detailed study of the rovibrational spectrum of the Ar trimer is performed by means of an exact hyperspherical coordinate (HC) method and a variational approach based on distributed Gaussian functions (DGFs) to describe the interparticle distances. The good agreement observed between the energy levels obtained with both procedures for high values of the total angular momentum (J=15 and 20) reveals the quality of the DGF method to describe the rotation of the title system. Rotational constants for the lowest bound states, obtained as averages for each vibrational state, have been obtained and compared to previous results. A detailed analysis of density probability functions obtained by means of the HC approach for rovibrational states at J=0 and 20 shows close similitudes thus supporting the vibration-rotation separation adopted within the DGF scheme for the Ar(3) system
Systematic review of the efficacy, effectiveness and safety of MF59® adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccines for the prevention of laboratory-confirmed influenza in individuals ≥18 years of age
The most effective means of preventing seasonal influenza is through vaccination. In this systematic review, we investigated the efficacy, effectiveness and safety of MF59® adjuvanted trivalent and quadrivalent influenza vaccines to prevent laboratory-confirmed influenza. A systematic literature search was conducted in electronic databases and grey literature sources up to 7 February 2020. Randomised controlled trials and non-randomised studies of interventions (NRSIs) were eligible for inclusion. The search returned 28,846 records, of which 48 studies on MF59® adjuvanted vaccines met our inclusion criteria. No efficacy trials were identified. In terms of vaccine effectiveness (VE), MF59® adjuvanted trivalent influenza vaccines were effective in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza in older adults (aged ≥65 years) compared with no vaccination (VE = 45%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 23%–61%, 5 NRSIs across 3 influenza seasons). By subtype, significant effect was found for influenza A(H1N1) (VE = 61%, 95% CI 44%–73%) and B (VE = 29%, 95% CI 5%–46%), but not for A(H3N2). In terms of relative VE, there was no significant difference comparing MF59® adjuvanted trivalent vaccines with either non-adjuvanted trivalent or quadrivalent vaccines. Compared with traditional trivalent influenza vaccines, MF59® adjuvanted trivalent influenza vaccines were associated with a greater number of local adverse events (RR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.50–2.39) and systemic reactions (RR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.02–1.38). In conclusion, MF59® adjuvanted trivalent influenza vaccines were found to be more effective than ‘no vaccination’. Based on limited data, there was no significant difference comparing the effectiveness of MF59® adjuvanted vaccines with their non-adjuvanted counterparts. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd