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Terms modified by Kpc Selected AbstractsKuwait: Have its oil and gas prospects been exaggerated?OIL AND ENERGY TRENDS, Issue 1 2007Article first published online: 16 JAN 200 Despite what appears to be abundant hydrocarbon reserves, Kuwait's oil and gas industries are in trouble. Plans to increase oil and gas production are behind schedule; the state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and the Ministry of Energy have been heavily criticized for failures of strategy by the country's Audit Bureau; and even the size of the emirate's oil and gas reserves is being called into question. [source] Genetic analysis and QTL mapping of stalk digestibility and kernel composition in a high-oil maize mutant (Zea mays L.)PLANT BREEDING, Issue 3 2010H.-W. Wang With 1 figure and 5 tables Abstract A high-oil maize inbred line Ce03005 derived from ethylmethane-sulphonate mutagenesis was used to study the genetic basis of stalk digestibility and kernel chemical compositions, and evaluate the genetic relationship between traits. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping employed 211 lines of F3 and F4 generations derived from Ce03005 × B73. Nuclear magnetic resonance and near-infrared reflectance spectrometry were used to analyse the following phenotypic traits: stalk digestibility and related traits including in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), in vitro cell wall digestibility (IVNDFD), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), water soluble carbohydrate (WSC), and kernel composition including kernel oil content (KOC), kernel protein content (KPC) and kernel starch content (KSC). Correlation analysis indicated that IVDMD, IVNDFD and WSC were significantly (P = 0.01) positively correlated with KOC, while ADF and NDF were negatively correlated with KOC. Six QTL for IVDMD, five for IVNDFD, six for NDF, eight for ADF, three for WSC, eight for KOC, seven for KPC and 10 for KSC were detected in F3 and F4 generations. Five major QTL (R2 > 10) of qIVDMD6, qIVNDFD6, qNDF6, qADF6, qWSC6 andOlicm6 shared the same confidence interval on chromosome 6. The results suggested that KOC may be closely related or share the same QTL for stalk quality traits, and its change may have influences to the stalk components. [source] SCG0018-4854: A young and dynamic compact groupASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 9-10 2009V. Presotto Abstract It is widely recognized in the literature that processes taking place within the group environment are among the main drivers of galaxy evolution. SCG0018-4854 is a compact group of galaxies located at a distance of v , 3200 km s,1. It is composed of four galaxy members, very close to each other on the sky: their median projected distance is only ,20 Kpc (H = 70 km s,1Mpc,1). The remarkably high local galaxy density coupled with the low velocity dispersion (,100 km s,1) characterizing this group, makes SCG001 8-4854 a test case to study in detail the interplay between the environment and the galaxy properties. We present here some of the properties of the group members that are related to their mutual interaction, as derived from our kinematical and morphological analysis (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] The Kinetic Modeling of Strong Diffusion-Limited Reaction with Cyclization for Three Isomers , Diallyl Ortho-, Iso- and Tere - Phthalate in a BulkMACROMOLECULAR REACTION ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2007Iztok Hace Abstract Free radical polymerization kinetic in a bulk for three diallyl phthalate isomers , diallyl orthophthalate, diallyl isophthalate and diallyl terephthalate was investigated in a temperature range from 50 to 70,°C initiated with dicyclohexan peroxydicarbonate as initiator at three different initiator concentrations. Conversion points were measured using Fourier Transform Raman measurements. A new kinetic model for polymerization of three diallyl phthalate isomers was developed. It demands the inclusion of only two new kinetic parameters kDegC and kpc which were obtained as a ratio kDegC/kpc from an additional set of experiments conducted. Computed conversions from the proposed kinetic model show good agreement with the conversion and molecular weight measured data for all three investigated diallyl phthalate isomers. [source] Feedback under the microscope , I. Thermodynamic structure and AGN-driven shocks in M87MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2010E. T. Million ABSTRACT We present the first in a series of papers discussing the thermodynamic properties of M87 and the central regions of the Virgo Cluster in unprecedented detail. Using a deep Chandra exposure (574 ks), we present high-resolution thermodynamic maps created from the spectra of ,16 000 independent regions, each with ,1000 net counts. The excellent spatial resolution of the thermodynamic maps reveals the dramatic and complex temperature, pressure, entropy and metallicity structure of the system. The ,X-ray arms', driven outwards from M87 by the central active galactic nuclei (AGN), are prominent in the brightness, temperature and entropy maps. Excluding the ,X-ray arms', the diffuse cluster gas at a given radius is strikingly isothermal. This suggests either that the ambient cluster gas, beyond the arms, remains relatively undisturbed by AGN uplift or that conduction in the intracluster medium (ICM) is efficient along azimuthal directions, as expected under action of the heat-flux-driven buoyancy instability (HBI). We confirm the presence of a thick (,40 arcsec or ,3 kpc) ring of high-pressure gas at a radius of ,180 arcsec (,14 kpc) from the central AGN. We verify that this feature is associated with a classical shock front, with an average Mach number M= 1.25. Another, younger shock-like feature is observed at a radius of ,40 arcsec (,3 kpc) surrounding the central AGN, with an estimated Mach number M, 1.2. As shown previously, if repeated shocks occur every ,10 Myr, as suggested by these observations, then AGN-driven weak shocks could produce enough energy to offset radiative cooling of the ICM. A high significance enhancement of Fe abundance is observed at radii 350,400 arcsec (27,31 kpc). This ridge is likely formed in the wake of the rising bubbles filled with radio-emitting plasma that drag cool, metal-rich gas out of the central galaxy. We estimate that at least ,1.0 × 106 solar masses of Fe has been lifted and deposited at a radius of 350,400 arcsec; approximately the same mass of Fe is measured in the X-ray bright arms, suggesting that a single generation of buoyant radio bubbles may be responsible for the observed Fe excess at 350,400 arcsec. [source] The dust-free symbiotic Mira K4,46 = LL CasMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2010U. Munari ABSTRACT Accurate BVRCIC light and colour curves of the Mira variable in the dust-free symbiotic system K4,46 are presented and discussed. They cover several consecutive pulsations cycles. The Mira mean period is 284.2 d, the reddening sums to E(B,V) = 0.35 and the distance is 10 kpc. Absolute spectrophotometry at both maximum and minimum brightness of the Mira is presented. The rich emission line and continuum spectrum of the H ii region ionized by the hard radiation of the white dwarf dominates at Mira minimum. From its photoionization analysis, it is found that the H ii region extends to a radius of 210 au, has a mass 1.8 × 10,4 M, and it is ionized by a white dwarf of 158 000 K temperature and 0.06 R, radius, stably burning hydrogen at its surface. The derived [Fe/H]=,0.45 well match the ambient metallicity expected at K4,46 at its 15 kpc galactocentric distance, and the overabundances in N, Ne and He are those expected if the H ii region is fed by the wind of the Mira and polluted by nuclearly processed material lost by the white dwarf companion. [source] The physical scale of the far-infrared emission in the most luminous submillimetre galaxies , II.MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2010Evidence for merger-driven star formation ABSTRACT We present high-resolution 345-GHz interferometric observations of two extremely luminous (Lir, 1013 L,), submillimetre-selected galaxies (SMGs) in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) field with the Submillimeter Array (SMA). Both targets were previously detected as unresolved point sources by the SMA in its compact configuration, also at 345 GHz. These new data, which provide a factor of ,3 improvement in resolution, allow us to measure the physical scale of the far-infrared in the submillimetre directly. The visibility functions of both targets show significant evidence for structure on ,0.5,1-arcsec scales, which at z, 1.5 translates into a physical scale of ,5,8 kpc. Our results are consistent with the angular and physical scales of two comparably luminous objects with high-resolution SMA follow-up, as well as radio continuum and CO sizes of other SMGs. These relatively compact sizes (,5,10 kpc) argue strongly for merger-driven starbursts, rather than extended gas-rich discs, as the preferred channel for forming SMGs. [source] Swimming against the current: simulations of central AGN evolution in dynamic galaxy clustersMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2010Brian J. Morsony ABSTRACT We present a series of three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of central active galactic nuclei (AGN)-driven jets in a dynamic, cosmologically evolved galaxy cluster. Extending previous work, we study jet powers ranging from Ljet= 1044 erg s,1 to Ljet= 1046 erg s,1 and in duration from 30 to 200 Myr. We find that large-scale motions of cluster gas disrupt the AGN jets, causing energy to be distributed throughout the centre of the cluster, rather than confined to a narrow angle around the jet axis. Disruption of the jet also leads to the appearance of multiple disconnected X-ray bubbles from a long-duration AGN with a constant luminosity. This implies that observations of multiple bubbles in a cluster are not necessarily an expression of the AGN duty cycle. We find that the ,sphere of influence' of the AGN, the radial scale within which the cluster is strongly affected by the jet, scales as R,L1/3jet. Increasing the duration of AGN activity does not increase the radius affected by the AGN significantly, but does change the magnitude of the AGN's effects. How an AGN delivers energy to a cluster will determine where that energy is deposited: a high luminosity is needed to heat material outside the core of the cluster, while a low-luminosity, long-duration AGN is more efficient at heating the inner few tens of kpc. [source] UBVRI observations of the flickering of RS Ophiuchi at quiescence,MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2010R. K. Zamanov ABSTRACT We report observations of the flickering variability of the recurrent nova RS Oph at quiescence on the basis of simultaneous observations in five bands (UBVRI). RS Oph has a flickering source with (U,B)0=,0.62 ± 0.07, (B,V)0= 0.15 ± 0.10 and (V,R)0= 0.25 ± 0.05. We find for the flickering source a temperature Tfl, 9500 ± 500 K, and luminosity Lfl, 50,150 L, (using a distance of d= 1.6 kpc). We also find that on a (U,B) versus (B,V) diagram, the flickering of the symbiotic stars differs from that of the cataclysmic variables. The possible source of the flickering is discussed. The data are available upon request from the authors. [source] A QSO host galaxy and its Ly, emission at z= 6.43,MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2009Tomotsugu Goto ABSTRACT Host galaxies of highest redshift quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) are of interest; they provide us with a valuable opportunity to investigate physics relevant to the starburst,active galactic nuclei (AGN) connection at the earliest epoch of the Universe, with the most luminous black holes. Here, we report an optical detection of an extended structure around a QSO at z= 6.43 in deep z,- and zr -band images of the Subaru/Suprime-Cam. Our target is CFHQS J2329-0301 (z= 6.43), the highest redshift QSO currently known. We have carefully subtracted a point spread function (PSF) constructed using nearby stars from the images. After the PSF (QSO) subtraction, a structure in the z, band extends more than 4 arcsec on the sky (Re= 11 kpc), and, thus, is well resolved (16, detection). The PSF-subtracted zr -band structure is in a similar shape to that in the z, band, but less significant with a 3, detection. In the z, band, a radial profile of the QSO+host shows a clear excess over that of the averaged PSF in 0.8,3 arcsec radius. Since the z, band includes a Ly, emission at z= 6.43, we suggest the z, flux is a mixture of the host (continuum light) and its Ly, emission, whereas the zr -band flux is from the host. Through a SED modelling, we estimate 40 per cent of the PSF-subtracted z,-band light is from the host (continuum) and 60 per cent is from Ly, emission. The absolute magnitude of the host is M1450=,23.9 (cf. M1450=,26.4 for the QSO). A lower limit of the SFR(Ly,) is 1.6 M, yr,1 with stellar mass ranging from 6.2 × 108 to 1.1 × 1010 M, when 100 Myr of age is assumed. The detection shows that a luminous QSO is already harboured by a large, star-forming galaxy in the early Universe only after ,840 Myr after the big bang. The host may be a forming giant galaxy, co-evolving with a super-massive black hole. [source] The first broad-band X-ray study of the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient SAX J1818.6,1703 in outburstMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2009L. Sidoli ABSTRACT The Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient (SFXT) SAX J1818.6,1703 underwent an outburst on 2009 May 6 and was observed with Swift. We report on these observations which, for the first time, allow us to study the broad-band spectrum from soft to hard X-rays of this source. No X-ray spectral information was available on this source before the Swift monitoring. The spectrum can be deconvolved well with models usually adopted to describe the emission from HMXB X-ray pulsars, and is characterized by a very high absorption, a flat power law (photon index ,0.1,0.5) and a cut-off at about 7,12 keV. Alternatively, the SAX J1818.6,1703 emission can be described with a Comptonized emission from a cold and optically thick corona, with an electron temperature kTe= 5,7 keV, a hot seed photon temperature, kT0, of 1.3,1.4 keV and an optical depth for the Comptonizing plasma, ,, of about 10. The 1,100 keV luminosity at the peak of the flare is 3 × 1036 erg s,1 (assuming the optical counterpart distance of 2.5 kpc). These properties of SAX J1818.6,1703 resemble those of the prototype of the SFXT class, XTE J1739,302. The monitoring with Swift/XRT reveals an outburst duration of about 5 d, similar to other members of the class of SFXTs, confirming SAX J1818.6,1703 as a member of this class. [source] An HST/ACS view of the inhomogeneous outer halo of M31,MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2009J. C. Richardson ABSTRACT We present a high precision photometric view of the stellar populations in the outer halo of M31, using data taken with the Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys. We analyse the field populations adjacent to 11 luminous globular clusters which sample the galactocentric radial range 18 ,R, 100 kpc and reach a photometric depth of ,2.5 mag below the horizontal branch (mF814W, 27 mag). The colour,magnitude diagrams are well populated out to ,60 kpc and exhibit relatively metal-rich red giant branches, with the densest fields also showing evidence for prominent red clumps. We use the Dartmouth isochrones to construct metallicity distribution functions which confirm the presence of dominant populations with ,[Fe/H],,,0.6 to ,1.0 dex and considerable metallicity dispersions of 0.2 to 0.3 dex (assuming a 10 Gyr population and scaled-solar abundances). The average metallicity over the range 30,60 kpc is [Fe/H]=,0.80 ± 0.14 dex, with no evidence for a significant radial gradient. Metal-poor stars ([Fe/H],,1.3) typically account for ,10,20 per cent of the population in each field, irrespective of radius. Assuming our fields are unbiased probes of the dominant stellar populations in these parts, we find that the M31 outer halo remains considerably more metal rich than that of the Milky Way out to at least 60 kpc. [source] Major dry mergers in early-type brightest cluster galaxiesMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2009F. S. Liu ABSTRACT We search for ongoing major dry mergers in a well-selected sample of local brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) from the C4 cluster catalogue. 18 out of 515 early-type BCGs with redshift between 0.03 and 0.12 are found to be in major dry mergers, which are selected as pairs (or triples) with r -band magnitude difference ,mr < 1.5 and projected separation rp < 30 kpc, and showing signatures of interaction in the form of significant asymmetry in residual images. We find that the fraction of BCGs in major dry mergers increases with the richness of the clusters, consistent with the fact that richer clusters usually have more massive (or luminous) BCGs. We estimate that present-day early-type BCGs may have experienced on average ,0.6 (tmerge/0.3 Gyr),1 major dry mergers and through this process increases their luminosity (mass) by 15 per cent (tmerge/0.3 Gyr),1 (fmass/0.5) on average since z= 0.7, where tmerge is the merging time-scale and fmass is the mean mass fraction of companion galaxies added to the central ones. We also find that major dry mergers do not seem to elevate radio activities in BCGs. Our study shows that major dry mergers involving BCGs in clusters of galaxies are not rare in the local Universe, and they are an important channel for the formation and evolution of BCGs. [source] The stellar population content of the thick disc and halo of the Milky Way analogue NGC 891MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2009M. Rejkuba ABSTRACT We present deep VI images obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the Hubble Space Telescope, covering three fields in the north-east side of the edge-on disc galaxy NGC 891. The observed fields span a wide range of galactocentric distances along the eastern minor axis, extending from the plane of the disc to 12 kpc, and out to ,25 kpc along the major axis. The photometry of individual stars reaches ,2.5 mag below the tip of the red giant branch. We use the astrophotometric catalogue to probe the stellar content and metallicity distribution across the thick disc and spheroid of NGC 891. The colour,magnitude diagrams of thick disc and spheroid population are dominated by old red giant branch stars with a wide range of metallicities, from the sparsely populated metal-poor tail at [Fe/H],,2.4 dex, up to about half-solar metallicity. The peak of the metallicity distribution function of the thick disc is at ,0.9 dex. The inner parts of the thick disc, within ,14 kpc along the major axis show no vertical colour/metallicity gradient. In the outer parts, a mild vertical gradient of ,(V,I)0/,|Z| = 0.1 ± 0.05 kpc,1 or less than 0.1 dex kpc,1 is detected, with bluer colours or more metal-poor stars at larger distances from the plane. This gradient is, however, accounted for by the mixing with the metal-poor halo stars. No metallicity gradient along the major axis is present for thick-disc stars, but strong variations of about 0.35 dex around the mean of [Fe/H]=,1.13 dex are found. The properties of the asymmetric metallicity distribution functions of the thick-disc stars show no significant changes in both the radial and the vertical directions. The stellar populations situated within the solar-cylinder-like distances show strikingly different properties from those of the Galaxy populating similar distances. This suggests that the accretion histories of both galaxies have been different. The spheroid population, composed of the inner spheroid and the halo, shows remarkably uniform stellar population properties. The median metallicity of the halo stellar population shows a shallow gradient from about ,1.15 dex in the inner parts to ,1.27 dex at 24 kpc distance from the centre, corresponding to ,13reff. Similar to the thick-disc stars, large variations around the mean relation are present. [source] GEMINI 3D spectroscopy of BAL + IR + Fe ii QSOs , I. Decoupling the BAL, QSO, starburst, NLR, supergiant bubbles and galactic wind in Mrk 231MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2009S. Lipari ABSTRACT In this paper we present the first results of a study of BAL QSOs (at low and high redshift), based on very deep Gemini GMOS integral field spectroscopy. In particular, the results obtained for the nearest BAL IR,QSO Mrk 231 are presented. For the nuclear region of Mrk 231, the QSO and host galaxy components were modelled, using a new technique of decoupling 3D spectra. From this study, the following main results were found: (i) in the pure host galaxy spectrum an extreme nuclear starburst component was clearly observed, as a very strong increase in the flux, at the blue wavelengths; (ii) the BAL system I is observed in the spectrum of the host galaxy; (iii) in the clean/pure QSO emission spectrum, only broad lines were detected. 3D GMOS individual spectra (specially in the near-infrared Ca ii triplet) and maps confirm the presence of an extreme and young nuclear starburst (8 < age < 15 Myr), which was detected in a ring or toroid with a radius r= 0.3 arcsec , 200 pc, around the core of the nucleus. The extreme continuum blue component was detected only to the south of the core of the nucleus. This area is coincident with the region where we previously suggested that the galactic wind is cleaning the nuclear dust. Very deep 3D spectra and maps clearly show that the BAL systems I and II , in the strong ,absorption lines' Na iD,5889,95 and Ca ii K,3933 , are extended (reaching ,1.4,1.6 arcsec , 1.2,1.3 kpc, from the nucleus) and clearly elongated at the position angle (PA) close to the radio jet PA, which suggest that the BAL systems I and II are ,both' associated with the radio jet. The physical properties of the four expanding nuclear bubbles were analysed, using the GMOS 3D spectra and maps. In particular, we found strong multiple LINER/OF emission-line systems and Wolf,Rayet features in the main knots of the more external super bubble S1 (r= 3.0 kpc). The kinematics of these knots , and the internal bubbles , suggest that they are associated with an area of rupture of the shell S1 (at the south-west). In addition, in the more internal superbubble S4 and close to the core of the nucleus (for r < 0.7 arcsec , 0.6 kpc), two similar narrow emission-line systems were detected, with strong [S ii] and [O i] emission and ,V,,200 km s,1. These results suggest that an important part of the nuclear NLR is generated by the OF process and the associated low-velocity ionizing shocks. Finally, the nature of the composite BAL systems and very extended OF process , of 50 kpc , in Mrk 231 (and similar QSOs) are discussed. In addition, the ,composite hyperwind scenario' (already proposed for BALs) is suggested for the origin of giant Ly, blobs. The importance of study the end phases of Mrk 231, and similar evolving elliptical galaxies and QSOs (i.e. galaxy remnants) is discussed. [source] Structures of the magnetoionic media around the Fanaroff,Riley Class I radio galaxies 3C 31 and Hydra AMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2008R. A. Laing ABSTRACT We use high-quality Very Large Array (VLA) images of the Fanaroff,Riley Class I radio galaxy 3C 31 at six frequencies in the range 1365,8440 MHz to explore the spatial scale and origin of the rotation measure (RM) fluctuations on the line of sight to the radio source. We analyse the distribution of the degree of polarization to show that the large depolarization asymmetry between the north and south sides of the source seen in earlier work largely disappears as the resolution is increased. We show that the depolarization seen at low resolution results primarily from unresolved gradients in a Faraday screen in front of the synchrotron-emitting plasma. We establish that the residual degree of polarization in the short-wavelength limit should follow a Burn law and we fit such a law to our data to estimate the residual depolarization at high resolution. We discuss how to interpret the structure function of RM fluctuations in the presence of a finite observing beam and how to address the effects of incomplete sampling of RM distribution using a Monte Carlo approach. We infer that the observed RM variations over selected areas of 3C 31, and the small residual depolarization found at high resolution, are consistent with a power spectrum of magnetic fluctuations in front of 3C 31 whose power-law slope changes significantly on the scales sampled by our data. The power spectrum P(f) can only have the form expected for Kolmogorov turbulence [P(f) ,f,11/3] on scales ,5 kpc. On larger scales, we find . We briefly discuss the physical interpretation of these results. We also compare the global variations of RM across 3C 31 with the results of three-dimensional simulations of the magnetic-field fluctuations in the surrounding magnetoionic medium. We infer that the RM variation across 3C 31 is qualitatively as expected from relativistic-jet models of the brightness asymmetry wherein the apparently brighter jet is on the near side of the nucleus and is seen through less magnetoionic material than the fainter jet. We show that our data are inconsistent with observing 3C 31 through a spherically symmetric magnetoionic medium, but that they are consistent with a field distribution that favours the plane perpendicular to the jet axis , probably because the radio source has evacuated a large cavity in the surrounding medium. We also apply our analysis techniques to the case of Hydra A, where the shape and the size of the cavities produced by the source in the surrounding medium are known from X-ray data. We emphasize that it is essential to account for the potential exclusion of magnetoionic material from a large volume containing the radio source when using the RM variations to derive statistical properties of the fluctuations in the foreground magnetic field. [source] Probing feedback in protogalaxies: multiphase gas in a DLA at z, 2.4MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008N. Lehner ABSTRACT We investigate the physical processes occurring in the multiphase gas of a damped Ly, absorber (DLA). We base our analysis on a high-quality Keck High-Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) spectrum of the QSO J1211+0422 in which a DLA is detected at z, 2.377. There is little contamination of the high-ion (O vi, N v, C iv, Si iv) absorption, allowing us to explore the properties of the highly ionized gas and its connection to other gas phases. The metallicity ([Z/H]=,1.41 ± 0.08), H i column density [], full-width velocity (,vneut, 70 km s,1) and relative abundances ([Si/Fe]=+0.23 ± 0.05 and [N/Si]=,0.88 ± 0.07) of this DLA are not unusual. However, we derive the lowest C ii* cooling rate in a DLA, lc < 10,27.8 erg s,1 per H atom (3,). Using this stringent limit, we show that the neutral gas (confined at |v| < +39 km s,1) must be warm and the star formation rate is <7.1 × 10,3 M, yr,1 kpc,2. Surprisingly, the gas shows strong, complex absorption profiles from highly ionized gas whose kinematics appear connected to each other and the low ions. The total amount of highly and weakly ionized gas is very large with ,1.5. At |v| ,+39 km s,1, the gas is fully and highly ionized []. Based on ionization models, O vi and N v are generally difficult to produce by hard photons, while Si iv and C iv can be photoionized to a large extent. There is, however, no evidence of O vi -bearing gas at T, 106 K associated with this DLA. In contrast, there is some evidence for narrow O vi, N v and C iv components (unexplained by photoionization), implying too low temperatures (T < 105 K) for simple collisional ionization models to produce their observed column densities. Stellar feedback is a possible source for producing the high ions, but we cannot rule out accretion of non-pristine material on to the protogalaxy. [source] MOND plus classical neutrinos are not enough for cluster lensingMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008Priyamvada Natarajan ABSTRACT Clusters of galaxies offer a robust test bed for probing the nature of dark matter that is insensitive to the assumption of the gravity theories. Both Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) and General Relativity (GR) would require similar amounts of non-baryonic matter in clusters as MOND boosts the gravity only mildly on cluster scales. Gravitational lensing allows us to estimate the enclosed mass in clusters on small (,20,50 kpc) and large (,several 100 kpc) scales independent of the assumptions of equilibrium. Here, we show for the first time that a combination of strong and weak gravitational lensing effects can set interesting limits on the phase-space density of dark matter in the centres of clusters. The phase-space densities derived from lensing observations are inconsistent with neutrino masses ranging from 2,7 eV, and hence do not support the 2 eV-range particles required by MOND. To survive, the most plausible modification for MOND may be an additional degree of dynamical freedom in a covariant incarnation. [source] Understanding the halo-mass and galaxy-mass cross-correlation functionsMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008Eric Hayashi ABSTRACT We use the Millennium Simulation (MS) to measure the cross-correlation between halo centres and mass (or equivalently the average density profiles of dark haloes) in a Lambda cold dark matter (,CDM) cosmology. We present results for radii in the range 10 h,1 kpc < r < 30 h,1 Mpc and for halo masses in the range 4 × 1010 < M200 < 4 × 1014 h,1 M,. Both at z= 0 and at z= 0.76 these cross-correlations are surprisingly well fitted if the inner region is approximated by a density profile of NFW or Einasto form, the outer region by a biased version of the linear mass autocorrelation function, and the maximum of the two is adopted where they are comparable. We use a simulation of galaxy formation within the MS to explore how these results are reflected in cross-correlations between galaxies and mass. These are directly observable through galaxy,galaxy lensing. Here also we find that simple models can represent the simulation results remarkably well, typically to ,10 per cent. Such models can be used to extend our results to other redshifts, to cosmologies with other parameters, and to other assumptions about how galaxies populate dark haloes. Our galaxy formation simulation already reproduces current galaxy,galaxy lensing data quite well. The characteristic features predicted in the galaxy,galaxy lensing signal should provide a strong test of the ,CDM cosmology as well as a route to understanding how galaxies form within it. [source] Models of the Cosmic Horseshoe gravitational lens J1004+4112MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008S. Dye ABSTRACT We model the extremely massive and luminous lens galaxy in the Cosmic Horseshoe Einstein ring system J1004+4112, recently discovered in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We use the semilinear method of Warren & Dye, which pixelizes the source surface brightness distribution, to invert the Einstein ring for sets of parametrized lens models. Here, the method is refined by exploiting Bayesian inference to optimise adaptive pixelization of the source plane and to choose between three differently parametrized models: a singular isothermal ellipsoid, a power-law model and a Navarro, Frenk & White (NFW) profile. The most probable lens model is the power law with a volume mass density ,,r,1.96±0.02 and an axis ratio of ,0.8. The mass within the Einstein ring (i.e. within a cylinder with projected distance of ,30 kpc from the centre of the lens galaxy) is (5.02 ± 0.09) × 1012 M ,, and the mass-to-light ratio is ,30. Even though the lens lies in a group of galaxies, the preferred value of the external shear is almost zero. This makes the Cosmic Horseshoe unique amongst large separation lenses, as almost all the deflection comes from a single, very massive galaxy with little boost from the environment. [source] Is the sky falling?MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008RAVE surveys, Searching for stellar streams in the local Milky Way disc in the CORAVEL ABSTRACT We have searched for in-falling stellar streams on to the local Milky Way disc in the CORrelation RAdial VELocities (CORAVEL) and RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) surveys. The CORAVEL survey consists of local dwarf stars (Nördstrom et al. Geneva,Copenhagen survey) and local Famaey et al. giant stars. We select RAVE stars with radial velocities that are sensitive to the Galactic vertical space velocity (Galactic latitude b < ,45°). Kuiper statistics have been employed to test the symmetry of the Galactic vertical velocity distribution functions in these samples for evidence of a net vertical flow that could be associated with a (tidal?) stream of stars with vertically coherent kinematics. In contrast to the ,Field of Streams' found in the outer halo, we find that the local volumes of the solar neighbourhood sampled by the CORAVEL dwarfs (complete within ,3 × 10,4 kpc3), CORAVEL giants (complete within ,5 × 10,2 kpc3) and RAVE (5,15 per cent complete within ,8 kpc3) are devoid of any vertically coherent streams containing hundreds of stars. This is sufficiently sensitive to allow our RAVE sample to rule out the passing of the tidal stream of the disrupting Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf galaxy through the solar neighbourhood. This agrees with the most-recent determinations of its orbit and dissociates it from the Helmi et al. halo stream. Our constraints on the absence of the Sgr stream near the Sun could prove a useful tool for discriminating between Galactic potential models. The lack of a net vertical flow through the solar neighbourhood in the CORAVEL giants and RAVE samples argues against the Virgo overdensity crossing the disc near the Sun. There are no vertical streams in the CORAVEL giants and RAVE samples with stellar densities ,1.6 × 104 and 1.5 × 103 stars kpc,3, respectively, and therefore no evidence for locally enhanced dark matter. [source] The remarkable properties of the symbiotic star AE CircinusMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2008R. Mennickent ABSTRACT We present new optical spectroscopy and photometry, Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) infrared observations and 24 yr of combined American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) and Association Francaise des Observateurs d'Etoiles Variables (AFOEV) photometry of the symbiotic star candidate AE Cir. The long-term light curve is characterized by outbursts lasting several years and having a slow decline of ,2 × 10,4 mag d,1. The whole range of variability of the star in the V band is about 4 mag. The periodogram of the photometric data reveals strong signals at ,342 and 171 d. The presence of the emission feature at ,6830 Ĺ at minimum and the detection of absorption lines of a ,K5 type star confirm the symbiotic classification and suggest that AE Cir is a new member of the small group of s-type yellow symbiotic stars. We estimate a distance of 9.4 kpc. Our spectrum taken at the high state shows a much flatter spectral energy distribution, the disappearance of the ,6830 Ĺ emission feature and the weakness of the He ii 4686 emission relative to the Balmer emission lines. Our observations indicate the presence of emission-line flickering in time-scales of minutes in 2001. The peculiar character of AE Cir is revealed in the visibility of the secondary star at the high and low state, the light curve resembling a dwarf nova superoutburst and the relatively short low states. The data are hard to reconciliate with standard models for symbiotic star outbursts. [source] Stellar contents and star formation in the young star cluster Be 59MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2008A. K. Pandey ABSTRACT We present UBV Ic CCD photometry of the young open cluster Be 59 with the aim to study the star formation scenario in the cluster. The radial extent of the cluster is found to be ,10 arcmin (2.9 pc). The interstellar extinction in the cluster region varies between E(B,V) , 1.4 to 1.8 mag. The ratio of total-to-selective extinction in the cluster region is estimated as 3.7 ± 0.3. The distance of the cluster is found to be 1.00 ± 0.05 kpc. Using near-infrared (NIR) colours and slitless spectroscopy, we have identified young stellar objects (YSOs) in the open cluster Be 59 region. The ages of these YSOs range between <1 and ,2 Myr, whereas the mean age of the massive stars in the cluster region is found to be ,2 Myr. There is evidence for second-generation star formation outside the boundary of the cluster, which may be triggered by massive stars in the cluster. The slope of the initial mass function, ,, in the mass range 2.5 < M/M,, 28 is found to be ,1.01 ± 0.11 which is shallower than the Salpeter value (,1.35), whereas in the mass range 1.5 < M/M,, 2.5 the slope is almost flat. The slope of the K -band luminosity function is estimated as 0.27 ± 0.02, which is smaller than the average value (,0.4) reported for young embedded clusters. Approximately 32 per cent of H, emission stars of Be 59 exhibit NIR excess indicating that inner discs of the T Tauri star (TTS) population have not dissipated. The Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) and IRAS-HIRES images around the cluster region are also used to study the emission from unidentified infrared bands and to estimate the spatial distribution of optical depth of warm and cold interstellar dust. [source] Life in the last lane: star formation and chemical evolution in an extremely gas rich dwarfMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2008Ayesha Begum ABSTRACT We present an analysis of H i, H, and oxygen abundance data for NGC 3741. This galaxy has a very extended gas disc (,8.8 times the Holmberg radius), and a dark-to-luminous (i.e. stellar) mass ratio of ,149, which makes it one of the ,darkest' dwarf irregular galaxies known. However, its ratio of baryon (i.e. gas + stellar) mass to dark mass is typical of that in galaxies. Our new high-resolution H i images of the galaxy show evidence for a large-scale (purely gaseous) spiral arm and central bar. From our H i data, a rotation curve can be derived out to ,37,44 disc scalelengths in the J and B bands, respectively. This is just slightly short of the radius at which one would expect a Navarro,Frenk,White type rotation curve to start falling. The galaxy has an integrated star formation rate (SFR) of ,0.0034 M, yr,1, while the average SFR within the optical disc is ,0.0049 M, yr,1 kpc,2. Despite the gaseous spiral feature and the ongoing star formation, we find that the global gas density in NGC 3741 is significantly lower than the Toomre instability criterion. This is consistent with the behaviour seen in other dwarf galaxies. We also find that the SFR is consistent with that expected from the observed correlations between H i mass and SFR and the global Kennicutt,Schmidt law, respectively. We measure the oxygen abundance to be 12 + log(O/H) = 7.66 ± 0.10, which is consistent with that expected from the metallicity,luminosity relation, despite its extreme gas mass ratio. We also examine the issue of chemical evolution of NGC 3741 in the context of the closed-box model of chemical evolution. The effective oxygen yield of NGC 3741 is consistent with recent model estimates of closed-box yields, provided one assumes that the gas has been efficiently mixed all the way to the edge of the H i disc (i.e. greater than eight times the optical radius). This seems a priori unlikely. On the other hand, using a sample of galaxies with both interferometric H i maps and chemical abundance measurements, we find that the effective yield is anticorrelated with the total dynamical mass, as expected in leaky box models. [source] Environments of z > 5 quasars: searching for protoclusters at submillimetre wavelengthsMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008R. S. Priddey ABSTRACT We present submillimetre (submm) continuum images of the fields of three luminous quasars at z > 5, obtained at 850 and 450 ,m using the Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). N -body simulations predict that such quasars evolve to become the central dominant galaxies of massive clusters at z= 0, but at z= 5,6 they are actively forming stars and surrounded by a rich protofilamentary structure of young galaxies. Our purpose in taking these images was to search for other luminous, star-forming galaxies in the vicinity of the signpost active galactic nuclei and thus associated with such a protocluster. Two of the quasar host galaxies are luminous submm galaxies (SMGs) in their own right, implying star formation rates ,103 M, yr,1. Despite the coarse 850-,m beam of the JCMT, our images show evidence of extended emission on a scale of ,100 kpc from at least one quasar , indicative of a partially resolved merger or a colossal host galaxy. In addition, at >3, significance we detect 12 (5) SMGs at 850 ,m (450 ,m) in the surrounding fields. Number counts of these SMGs are comparable with those detected in the fields of z, 4 radio galaxies, and both samples are, at the bright end, overabundant by a factor of ,4 relative to blank-field submm surveys. Whilst the redshift-sensitive 850 ,m/450 ,m and 850 ,m/1.4 GHz flux density ratios indicate that some of these SMGs are likely foreground objects, the counts suggest that ,60 per cent lie in the same large-scale structures as the quasars. [source] Measuring the spin up of the accreting millisecond pulsar XTE J1751,305MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008A. Papitto ABSTRACT We perform a timing analysis on RXTE data of the accreting millisecond pulsar XTE J1751,305 observed during the 2002 April outburst. After having corrected for Doppler effects on the pulse phases due to the orbital motion of the source, we performed a timing analysis on the phase delays, which gives, for the first time for this source, an estimate of the average spin frequency derivative . We discuss the torque resulting from the spin-up of the neutron star deriving a dynamical estimate of the mass accretion rate and comparing it with the one obtained from X-ray flux. Constraints on the distance to the source are discussed, leading to a lower limit of , 6.7 kpc. [source] The polar ring galaxy AM1934,563 revisited,MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007Noah Brosch ABSTRACT We report long-slit spectroscopic observations of the dust-lane polar ring galaxy AM1934,563 obtained with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) during its performance verification phase. The observations target the spectral region of the H,, [N ii] and [S ii] emission lines, but also show deep Na i absorption lines, that we interpret as being produced by stars in the galaxy. We derive rotation curves along the major axis of the galaxy that extend out to about 8 kpc from the centre for both the gaseous and the stellar components, using the emission and absorption lines. We derive similar rotation curves along the major axis of the polar ring and point out differences between these and the ones of the main galaxy. We identify a small diffuse object visible only in H, emission and with a low velocity dispersion as a dwarf H ii galaxy and argue that it is probably metal poor. Its velocity indicates that it is a fourth member of the galaxy group in which AM1934,563 belongs. We discuss the observations in the context of the proposal that the object is the result of tidal mater transfer from a major neighbour galaxy and point out some observational discrepancies from this explanation. We argue that an alternative scenario that could better fit the observations may be the slow accretion of cold intergalactic gas, focused by a dense filament of galaxies in which this object is embedded. Given the pattern of rotation we found, with the asymptotic rotation of the gas in the ring being slower than that in the disc while both components have approximately the same extent, we point out that AM1934,563 may be a galaxy in which a dark matter halo is flattened along the galactic disc and the first object in which this predicted behaviour of polar ring galaxies in dark matter haloes is fulfilled. [source] Kinematics of hypervelocity stars in the triaxial halo of the Milky WayMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007Qingjuan Yu ABSTRACT Hypervelocity stars (HVSs) ejected by the massive black hole at the Galactic Centre have unique kinematic properties compared to other halo stars. Their trajectories will deviate from being exactly radial because of the asymmetry of the Milky Way potential produced by the flattened disc and the triaxial dark matter halo, causing a change of angular momentum that can be much larger than the initial small value at injection. We study the kinematics of HVSs and propose an estimator of dark halo triaxiality that is determined only by instantaneous position and velocity vectors of HVSs at large Galactocentric distances (r, 50 kpc). We show that, in the case of a substantially triaxial halo, the distribution of deflection angles (the angle between the stellar position and velocity vector) for HVSs on bound orbits is spread uniformly over the range 10°,180°. Future astrometric and deep wide-field surveys should measure the positions and velocities of a significant number of HVSs, and provide useful constraints on the shape of the Galactic dark matter halo. [source] The UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS)MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007A. Lawrence ABSTRACT We describe the goals, design, implementation, and initial progress of the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS), a seven-year sky survey which began in 2005 May. UKIDSS is being carried out using the UKIRT Wide Field Camera (WFCAM), which has the largest étendue of any infrared astronomical instrument to date. It is a portfolio of five survey components covering various combinations of the filter set ZYJHK and H2. The Large Area Survey, the Galactic Clusters Survey, and the Galactic Plane Survey cover approximately 7000 deg2 to a depth of K, 18; the Deep Extragalactic Survey covers 35 deg2 to K, 21, and the Ultra Deep Survey covers 0.77 deg2 to K, 23. Summed together UKIDSS is 12 times larger in effective volume than the 2MASS survey. The prime aim of UKIDSS is to provide a long-term astronomical legacy data base; the design is, however, driven by a series of specific goals , for example, to find the nearest and faintest substellar objects, to discover Population II brown dwarfs, if they exist, to determine the substellar mass function, to break the z= 7 quasar barrier; to determine the epoch of re-ionization, to measure the growth of structure from z= 3 to the present day, to determine the epoch of spheroid formation, and to map the Milky Way through the dust, to several kpc. The survey data are being uniformly processed. Images and catalogues are being made available through a fully queryable user interface , the WFCAM Science Archive (http://surveys.roe.ac.uk/wsa). The data are being released in stages. The data are immediately public to astronomers in all ESO member states, and available to the world after 18 months. Before the formal survey began, UKIRT and the UKIDSS consortia collaborated in obtaining and analysing a series of small science verification (SV) projects to complete the commissioning of the camera. We show some results from these SV projects in order to demonstrate the likely power of the eventual complete survey. Finally, using the data from the First Data Release, we assess how well UKIDSS is meeting its design targets so far. [source] Coincident, 100 kpc scale damped Ly, absorption towards a binary QSO: how large are galaxies at z, 3?MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2007Sara L. Ellison ABSTRACT We report coincident damped Ly, (DLA) and sub-DLA absorption at zabs= 2.66 and zabs= 2.94 towards the z, 3, 13.8 arcsec separation binary quasar SDSS 1116+4118 AB. At the redshifts of the absorbers, this angular separation corresponds to a proper transverse separation of ,110 h,170 kpc. A third absorber, a sub-DLA at zabs= 2.47, is detected towards SDSS 1116+4118 B, but no corresponding high column density absorber is present towards SDSS 1116+4118 A. We use high-resolution galaxy simulations and a clustering analysis to interpret the coincident absorption and its implications for galaxy structure at z, 3. We conclude that the common absorption in the two lines of sight is unlikely to arise from a single galaxy, or a galaxy plus satellite system, and is more feasibly explained by a group of two or more galaxies with separations ,100 kpc. The impact of these findings on single line-of-sight observations is also discussed; we show that abundances of DLAs may be affected by up to a few tenths of a dex by line-of-sight DLA blending. From a Keck Echellette Spectrograph and Imager spectrum of the two quasars, we measure metal column densities for all five absorbers and determine abundances for the three absorbers with log N(H i) > 20. For the two highest N(H i) absorbers, we determine high levels of metal enrichment, corresponding to 1/3 and 1/5 Z,. These metallicities are amongst the highest measured for DLAs at any redshift and are consistent with values measured in Lyman-break galaxies at 2 < z < 3. For the DLA at zabs= 2.94 we also infer an approximately solar ratio of ,-to-Fe peak elements from [S/Zn]=+0.05, and measure an upper limit for the molecular fraction in this particular line of sight of log f (H 2) < ,5.5. [source] | |||||||||||||