Mass Density (mass + density)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Axisymmetric orbit models of N -body merger remnants: a dependency of reconstructed mass on viewing angle

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007
J. Thomas
ABSTRACT We model mock observations of collisionless N -body disc,disc mergers with the same axisymmetric orbit superposition program that has been used to model elliptical galaxies in Coma. The remnants sample representatively the shape distribution of disc,disc mergers, including the most extreme cases, like highly prolate, maximally triaxial and dominantly oblate objects. The aim of our study is to better understand how the assumption of axial symmetry affects reconstructed masses and stellar motions of systems which are intrinsically not axisymmetric, whether the axisymmetry assumption then leads to a bias and how such a potential bias can be recognized in models of real galaxies. The mass recovery at the half-light radius depends on viewing angle and intrinsic shape: edge-on views allow to reconstruct total masses with an accuracy between 20 per cent (triaxial/prolate remnants) and 3 per cent (oblate remnant). Masses of highly flattened, face-on systems are underestimated by up to 50 per cent. Deviations in local mass densities can be larger where remnants are strongly triaxial or prolate. Luminous mass-to-light ratios are sensitive to box orbits in the remnants. Box orbits cause the central value of the Gauss,Hermite parameter H4 to vary with viewing angle. Reconstructed luminous mass-to-light ratios, as well as reconstructed central masses, follow this variation. Luminous mass-to-light ratios are always underestimated (up to a factor of 2.5). Respective dark haloes in the models can be overestimated by about the same amount, depending again on viewing angle. Reconstructed velocity anisotropies , depend on viewing angle as well as on the orbital composition of the remnant and are mostly accurate to about ,,= 0.2. Larger deviations can occur towards the centre or the outer regions, respectively. We construct N -body realizations of the Schwarzschild models to discuss chaotic orbits and the virial equilibrium in our models. In this study we explore the extreme limits of axisymmetric models. Apparently flattened, rotating ellipticals of intermediate mass are likely close to both, axial symmetry and edge-on orientation. Our results imply that Schwarzschild models allow a reconstruction of their masses and stellar anisotropies with high accuracy. [source]


Optimization of Cr8O21 targets for Pulsed Laser Deposition

CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 12 2005
L. Tortet
Abstract This work describes the preparation of Cr8O21 pellets with optimised mass density to be used as targets for Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) of chromium dioxide thin films. Cr8O21 is synthesised by thermal decomposition of CrO3, at 270 °C. An attempt to reduce the grain size of the Cr8O21 powder to the nanometer scale has been made in order to increase the density of the pressed and sintered pellets serving as targets. The morphology of those starting fine powders as well as of targets (before and after laser ablation) and the corresponding thin films were characterized and studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The composition of the films is a mixture of crystallised Cr2O3 and amorphous CrO2. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Determination of mechanical properties of traditional masonry walls in dwellings of Faial Island, Azores

EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 7 2002
Aníbal Costa
Abstract The determination of mechanical properties of masonry walls is a fundamental pre-requisite for the characterization of the seismic response of traditional buildings, which helps on the definition of adequate rehabilitation and strengthening procedures. This paper presents a testing campaign carried out in the Cedros region of Faial Island, Azores, hit by the July 98 earthquake, aiming at the determination of physical and mechanical properties of stone masonry walls, namely the mass density and Young's modulus. The paper describes the developed testing techniques as a contribution to the study and the preservation of traditional masonry buildings. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Axial symmetric elasticity analysis in non-homogeneous bodies under gravitational load by triple-reciprocity boundary element method

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 7 2009
Yoshihiro Ochiai
Abstract In general, internal cells are required to solve elasticity problems by involving a gravitational load in non-homogeneous bodies with variable mass density when using a conventional boundary element method (BEM). Then, the effect of mesh reduction is not achieved and one of the main merits of the BEM, which is the simplicity of data preparation, is lost. In this study, it is shown that the domain cells can be avoided by using the triple-reciprocity BEM formulation, where the density of domain integral is expressed in terms of other fields that are represented by boundary densities and/or source densities at isolated interior points. Utilizing the rotational symmetry, the triple-reciprocity BEM formulation is developed for axially symmetric elasticity problems in non-homogeneous bodies under gravitational force. A new computer program was developed and applied to solve several test problems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Non-local dispersive model for wave propagation in heterogeneous media: multi-dimensional case

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2002
Jacob Fish
Abstract Three non-dispersive models in multi-dimensions have been developed. The first model consists of a leading-order homogenized equation of motion subjected to the secularity constraints imposing uniform validity of asymptotic expansions. The second, non-local model, contains a fourth-order spatial derivative and thus requires C1 continuous finite element formulation. The third model, which is limited to the constant mass density and a macroscopically orthotropic heterogeneous medium, requires C0 continuity only and its finite element formulation is almost identical to the classical local approach with the exception of the mass matrix. The modified mass matrix consists of the classical mass matrix (lumped or consistent) perturbed with a stiffness matrix whose constitutive matrix depends on the unit cell solution. Numerical results are presented to validate the present formulations. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Models of the Cosmic Horseshoe gravitational lens J1004+4112

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008
S. 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]


A census of metals and baryons in stars in the local Universe

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2008
Anna Gallazzi
ABSTRACT We combine stellar metallicity and stellar mass estimates for a large sample of galaxies drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 2 (SDSS DR2) spanning wide ranges in physical properties, in order to derive an inventory of the total mass of metals and baryons locked up in stars in the local Universe. Physical parameter estimates are derived from galaxy spectra with high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) (of at least 20). Co-added spectra of galaxies with similar velocity dispersions, absolute r -band magnitudes and 4000-Å break values are used for those regions of parameter space where individual spectra have lower S/N. We estimate the total density of metals ,Z and of baryons ,* in stars and, from these two quantities, we obtain a mass- and volume-averaged stellar metallicity of ,Z*,= 1.04 ± 0.14 Z,, i.e. consistent with solar. We also study how metals are distributed in galaxies according to different properties, such as mass, morphology, mass- and light-weighted age, and we then compare these distributions with the corresponding distributions of stellar mass. We find that the bulk of metals locked up in stars in the local Universe reside in massive, bulge-dominated galaxies, with red colours and high 4000-Å break values corresponding to old stellar populations. Bulge-dominated and disc-dominated galaxies contribute similar amounts to the total stellar mass density, but have different fractional contributions to the mass density of metals in stars, in agreement with the mass,metallicity relation. Bulge-dominated galaxies contain roughly 40 per cent of the total amount of metals in stars, while disc-dominated galaxies less than 25 per cent. Finally, at a given galaxy stellar mass, we define two characteristic ages as the median of the distributions of mass and metals as a function of age. These characteristic ages decrease progressively from high-mass to low-mass galaxies, consistent with the high formation epochs of stars in massive galaxies. [source]


Dynamical modelling of luminous and dark matter in 17 Coma early-type galaxies

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2007
J. Thomas
ABSTRACT Dynamical models for 17 early-type galaxies in the Coma cluster are presented. The galaxy sample consists of flattened, rotating as well as non-rotating early-types including cD and S0 galaxies with luminosities between MB=,18.79 and ,22.56. Kinematical long-slit observations cover at least the major-axis and minor-axis and extend to 1,4reff. Axisymmetric Schwarzschild models are used to derive stellar mass-to-light ratios and dark halo parameters. In every galaxy, the best fit with dark matter matches the data better than the best fit without. The statistical significance is over 95 per cent for eight galaxies, around 90 per cent for five galaxies and for four galaxies it is not significant. For the highly significant cases, systematic deviations between models without dark matter and the observed kinematics are clearly seen; for the remaining galaxies, differences are more statistical in nature. Best-fitting models contain 10,50 per cent dark matter inside the half-light radius. The central dark matter density is at least one order of magnitude lower than the luminous mass density, independent of the assumed dark matter density profile. The central phase-space density of dark matter is often orders of magnitude lower than that in the luminous component, especially when the halo core radius is large. The orbital system of the stars along the major-axis is slightly dominated by radial motions. Some galaxies show tangential anisotropy along the minor-axis, which is correlated with the minor-axis Gauss,Hermite coefficient H4. Changing the balance between data-fit and regularization constraints does not change the reconstructed mass structure significantly: model anisotropies tend to strengthen if the weight on regularization is reduced, but the general property of a galaxy to be radially or tangentially anisotropic does not change. This paper is aimed to set the basis for a subsequent detailed analysis of luminous and dark matter scaling relations, orbital dynamics and stellar populations. [source]


The stellar mass density at z, 6 from Spitzer imaging of i,-drop galaxies

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2007
Laurence P. Eyles
ABSTRACT We measure the ages, stellar masses, and star formation histories of z, 6 galaxies, observed within 1 Gyr of the big bang. We use imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Spitzer Space Telescope from the public ,Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey' (GOODS), coupled with ground-based near-infrared imaging, to measure their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from 0.8,5 ,m, spanning the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) and optical. From our sample of ,50 ,i,-drop' Lyman-break star-forming galaxies in GOODS-South with z,AB < 27, we focus on ,30 with reliable photometric or spectroscopic redshifts. Half of these are confused with foreground sources at Spitzer resolution, but from the 16 with clean photometry we find that a surprisingly large fraction (40 per cent) have evidence for substantial Balmer/4000-Å spectral breaks. This indicates the presence of old underlying stellar populations that dominate the stellar masses. For these objects, we find ages of ,200,700 Myr, implying formation redshifts of 7 ,zf, 18, and large stellar masses in the range ,1,3 × 1010 M,. Analysis of seven i,-drops that are undetected at 3.6 ,m indicates that these are younger, considerably less massive systems. We calculate that emission line contamination should not severely affect our photometry or derived results. Using SED fits out to 8 ,m, we find little evidence for substantial intrinsic dust reddening in our sources. We use our individual galaxy results to obtain an estimate of the global stellar mass density at z, 6. Correcting for incompleteness in our sample, we find the z, 6 comoving stellar mass density to be 2.5 × 106 M, Mpc,3. This is a lower limit, as post-starburst and dust-obscured objects, and also galaxies below our selection thresholds, are not accounted for. From our results, we are able to explore the star formation histories of our selected galaxies, and we suggest that the past global star formation rate may have been much higher than that observed at the z, 6 epoch. The associated UV flux we infer at z > 7 could have played a major role in reionizing the Universe. [source]


Cosmological simulations of intergalactic medium enrichment from galactic outflows

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2006
Benjamin D. Oppenheimer
ABSTRACT We investigate models of self-consistent chemical enrichment of the intergalactic medium (IGM) from z= 6.0 , 1.5, based on hydrodynamic simulations of structure formation that explicitly incorporate outflows from star-forming galaxies. Our main result is that outflow parametrizations derived from observations of local starburst galaxies, in particular momentum-driven wind scenarios, provide the best agreement with observations of C iv absorption at z, 2,5. Such models sufficiently enrich the high- z IGM to produce a global mass density of C iv absorbers that is relatively invariant from z= 5.5 , 1.5, in agreement with observations. This occurs despite continual IGM enrichment causing an increase in volume-averaged metallicity by ,× 5,10 over this redshift range, because energy input accompanying the enriching outflows causes a drop in the global ionization fraction of C iv. Comparisons to observed C iv column density and linewidth distributions and C iv -based pixel optical depth ratios provide significant constraints on wind models. Our best-fitting outflow models show mean IGM temperatures only slightly above our no-outflow case, metal filling factors of just a few per cent with volume-weighted metallicities around 10,3 at z, 3, significant amounts of collisionally ionized C iv absorption and a metallicity,density relationship that rises rapidly at low overdensities and flattens at higher ones. In general, we find that outflow speeds must be high enough to enrich the low-density IGM at early times but low enough not to overheat it, and concurrently must significantly suppress early star formation while still producing enough early metals. It is therefore non-trivial that locally calibrated momentum-driven wind scenarios naturally yield the desired strength and evolution of outflows, and suggest that such models represent a significant step towards understanding the impact of galactic outflows on galaxies and the IGM across cosmic time. [source]


OH megamasers, starburst and AGN activity in Markarian 231

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2005
A. M. S. Richards
ABSTRACT We present Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) observations of OH maser and radio continuum emission within a few hundred pc of the core of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) Markarian 231. This is the only known OH megamaser galaxy classed as a Seyfert 1. Maser emission is identified with the 1665- and 1667-MHz transitions over a velocity extent of 720 km s,1. Both lines show a similar position,velocity structure including a gradient of 1.7 km s,1 pc,1 from NW to SE along the 420-pc major axis. The (unresolved) inner few tens of pc possess a much steeper velocity gradient. The maser distribution is modelled as a torus rotating about an axis inclined at ,45° to the plane of the sky. We estimate the enclosed mass density to be 320 ± 90 M, pc,3 in a flattened distribution. This includes a central unresolved mass of ,8 × 106 M,. All the maser emission is projected against a region with a radio continuum brightness temperature ,105 K, giving a maser gain of ,2.2. The 1667:1665 MHz line ratio is close to 1.8 (the value predicted for thermal emission) consistent with radiatively pumped, unsaturated masers. This behaviour and the kinematics of the torus suggest that the size of individual masing regions is in the range 0.25,4 pc with a covering factor close to unity. There are no very bright compact masers, in contrast to galaxies such as the Seyfert 2 Markarian 273, where the masing torus is viewed nearer edge-on. The comparatively modest maser amplification seen from Markarian 231 is consistent with its classification in the unification scheme for Seyfert galaxies. Most of the radio continuum emission on 50,500 pc scales is probably of starburst origin but the compact peak is 0.4 per cent polarized by a magnetic field running north,south, similar to the jet direction on these scales. There is no close correlation between maser and continuum intensity, suggesting that much of the radio continuum must originate in the foreground and indeed the relative continuum brightness is slightly greater in the direction of the approaching jet. Comparisons with other data show that the jet changes direction close the nucleus and suggest that the sub-kpc disc hosting the masers and starburst activity is severely warped. [source]


Consistent , values from density,density and velocity,velocity comparisons

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2002
Saleem Zaroubi
Abstract We apply a new algorithm, called the unbiased minimal variance (hereafter UMV) estimator, to reconstruct the cosmic density and peculiar velocity fields in our local Universe from the SEcat catalogue of peculiar velocities comprising both early- (ENEAR) and late-type (SFI) galaxies. The reconstructed fields are compared with those predicted from the IRAS PSCz galaxy redshift survey to constrain the value of ,=,0.6m/b, where ,m and b are the mass density and the bias parameters. The comparison of the density and velocity fields is carried out within the same methodological framework, and leads, for the first time, to consistent values of ,, yielding ,= 0.57+0.11,0.13 and ,= 0.51 ± 0.06, respectively. We find that the distribution of the density and velocity residuals, relative to their respective errors, is consistent with a Gaussian distribution with ,, 1, indicating that the density field predicted from the PSCz is an acceptable fit to that deduced from the peculiar velocities of the SEcat galaxies. [source]


Oral anticoagulants and the risk of osteoporotic fractures among elderly,,

PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 5 2004
Danielle Pilon MD
Abstract Purpose Coumadin-based oral anticoagulants are associated with a decrease in bone mass density, but their role in fracture risk is equivocal. Because the use of oral anticoagulants is prevalent among the elderly, as is the risk and morbidity of osteoporotic fractures, the association between osteoporotic fractures and oral anticoagulants needs to be clarified. Method We conducted a case-control study on a 10% random sample of subjects aged 70 years and older enrolled in the Quebec universal health insurance plan between 1992 and 1994. Incident cases of a first osteoporotic fracture were identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes. Exposure was defined as one or more prescriptions of oral anticoagulants dispensed before the osteoporotic fracture. Ten controls for each case, matched by age and date of osteoporotic fracture, were identified. Results Among 1523 cases, 48 (3.2%) were ever exposed to oral anticoagulants; among 15,205 controls, 461 (3.0%) were ever exposed (crude odds ratio: 1.0: 95% confidence interval: 0.7,1.5). These negative results persisted after adjusting for potential confounding variables and stratifying exposure into cumulative dose and treatment duration. Conclusions Coumadin-based oral anticoagulants are not significantly associated with osteoporotic fractures among the elderly, providing reassurance for elderly patients on long-term oral anticoagulants. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Negative mass sound shielding structures: Early results

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 9 2009
Emilio P. Calius
Abstract Elastic meta-materials or meta-composites can be designed to have a negative effective mass density at certain vibration frequencies, thus blocking wave propagation through the material within that frequency band. The negative mass behaviour is generated by resonant structures within the material that oscillate 180° out of phase with the acoustic pressure waves applied to the surface. As this research is in its initial stages this paper describes work in progress in both the experimental and numerical domains, and some early results from solids containing geometrically simple spring,mass resonant structures. Behaviour is characterized experimentally by dynamic tests of individual resonators as well as impedance tube measurements of panel-like structures containing multiple resonant elements. The experimental results exhibit clear evidence of the expected resonances, and partial band gap behaviour. Finite element models of both single resonant elements and impedance tube specimens are being developed, and the current status of these models is described. Their results to date show good agreement with the mass law and qualitative agreement with the experimental results. [source]


Chain stiffness of heteropolysaccharide from Aeromonas gum in dilute solution by dynamic light scattering

BIOPOLYMERS, Issue 6 2002
Xiaojuan Xu
Abstract Dynamic light scattering measurements have been made on 15 fractions of aeromonas (A) gum, an extracellular heteropolysaccharide produced by the strain Aeromonas nichidenii, with dimethylsulfoxide containing 0.2M lithium chloride as the solvent at 25°C. Data for the translational diffusion coefficient D covering a molecular weight range from 4.5 × 105 to 2.1 × 106 and ratios of the z -average radius of gyration ,s2,z1/2 to the hydrodynamic radius RH (calculated with previous ,s2,z data) suggest that the polymer behaves like a semiflexible chain in this solvent similar to the stiffness of cellulose derivatives. Thus the D data are analyzed on the basis of the Yamakawa,Fujii theory for the translational friction coefficient of a wormlike cylinder by coarse-graining the heteropolysaccharide molecule. Excluded-volume effects are taken into account in the quasi-two-parameter scheme, as was done previously for ,s2,z and [,] (the intrinsic viscosity) of A gum in the same solvent. The molecular weight dependence of RH is found to be explained by the perturbed wormlike chain with a persistence length of 10 nm, a linear mass density of 1350 nm,1, an excluded-volume strength parameter of 1.3 nm, and a chain diameter of 2.8 nm. These parameters are in substantial agreement with those estimated previously from ,s2,z and [,] data, demonstrating that the solution properties (D, ,s2,z, and [,]) of the heteropolysaccharide are almost quantitatively described by the current theories for wormlike chains in the molecular weight range studied. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 65: 387,394, 2002 [source]


Material Modelling of Porous Media for Wave Propagation Problems

PROCEEDINGS IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS & MECHANICS, Issue 1 2003
M. Schanz PD Dr.-Ing.
Under the assumption of a linear geometry description and linear constitutive equations, the governing equations are derived for two poroelastic theories, Biot's theory and Theory of Porous Media (TPM), using solid displacements and pore pressure as unknowns. In both theories, this is only possible in the Laplace domain. Comparing the sets of differential equations of Biot's theory and of TPM, they show different constant coefficients but the same structure of coupled differential equations. Identifying these coefficients with the material data and correlating them leads to the known problem with Biot's ,apparent mass density'. Further, in trying to find a correlation between Biot's stress coefficient to parameters used in TPM yet unsolved inconsistencies are found. For studying the numerical effect of these differences, wave propagation results of a one-dimensional poroelastic column are analysed. Differences between both theories are resolved only for compressible constituents. [source]