Though S0 galaxies are usually thought to be `red and dead, they often demonstrate star formation organized in ring structures. We try to clarify the nature of this phenomenon and its difference from star formation in spiral galaxies. Two early-type
galaxies with outer rings, NGC 6534 and MCG 11-22-015, are selected to be studied. The ionized gas is excited by young stars in the ring of NGC 6534 and partly by shocks -- in MCG 11-22-015. The oxygen abundances in the HII regions of the rings are close to solar. We estimate the star formation rates (SFR) in the two outer rings of the galaxies by using several SFR indicators derived from narrow-band photometry in the H-alpha emission line and archival GALEX ultraviolet images of the galaxies. The derived SFRs allow to qualitatively restore star formation histories (SFH) in the rings: in NGC 6534 the SFH is flat during the last 100-200 Myr, and in MCG 11-22-015 the star formation has started only a few Myr ago. We suggest that the rings in NGC 6534 and MCG 11-22-015 have different natures: the former is a resonant one supplied with gas perhaps through tidal effects, and the latter has been produced by a satellite accretion. Recent outer gas accretion is implied in both cases.
We present a method to reconstruct the complete statistical mode structure and optical losses of multimode conjugated optical fields using an experimentally measured joint photon-number probability distribution. We demonstrate that this method evalua
tes classical and non-classical properties using a single measurement technique and is well-suited for quantum mesoscopic state characterization. We obtain a nearly-perfect reconstruction of a field comprised of up to 10 modes based on a minimal set of assumptions. To show the utility of this method, we use it to reconstruct the mode structure of an unknown bright parametric down-conversion source.
Krypton-85 is an anthropogenic beta-decaying isotope which produces low energy backgrounds in dark matter and neutrino experiments, especially those based upon liquid xenon. Several technologies have been developed to reduce the Kr concentration in s
uch experiments. We propose to augment those separation technologies by first adding to the xenon an 85Kr-free sample of krypton in an amount much larger than the natural krypton that is already present. After the purification system reduces the total Kr concentration to the same level, the final 85Kr concentration will have been reduced even further by the dilution factor. A test cell for measurement of the activity of various Kr samples has been assembled, and the activity of 25-year-old Krypton has been measured. The measured activity agrees well with the expected activity accounting for the 85Kr abundance of the earth atmosphere in 1990 and the half-life of the isotope. Additional tests with a Kr sample produced in the year 1944 (before the atomic era) have been done in order to demonstrate the sensitivity of the test cell.
