Stellar population studies of globular clusters have suggested that the brightest clusters in the Galaxy might actually be the remnant nuclei of dwarf spheroidal galaxies. If the present Galactic globular clusters formed within larger stellar systems
, they are likely surrounded by extra-tidal halos and/or tails made up of stars that were tidally stripped from their parent systems. The stellar surroundings around globular clusters are therefore one of the best places to look for the remnants of an ancient dwarf galaxy. Here an attempt is made to search for tidal debris around the supernovae enriched globular clusters M22 and NGC 1851 as well as the kinematically unique cluster NGC 3201. The stellar parameters from the Radial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) are used to identify stars with RAVE metallicities, radial velocities and elemental-abundances consistent with the abundance patterns and properties of the stars in M22, NGC 1851 and NGC 3201. The discovery of RAVE stars that may be associated with M22 and NGC 1851 are reported, some of which are at projected distances of ~10 degrees away from the core of these clusters. Numerous RAVE stars associated with NGC 3201 suggest that either the tidal radius of this cluster is underestimated, or that there are some unbound stars extending a few arc minutes from the edge of the clusters radius. No further extra-tidal stars associated with NGC 3201 could be identified. The bright magnitudes of the RAVE stars make them easy targets for high resolution follow-up observations, allowing an eventual further chemical tagging to solidify (or exclude) stars outside the tidal radius of the cluster as tidal debris. In both our radial velocity histograms of the regions surrounding NGC 1851 and NGC 3201, a peak of stars at 230 km/s is seen, consistent with extended tidal debris from omega Centauri.
Recent observations reveal that the central star of the planetary nebula Abell 48 exhibits spectral features similar to massive nitrogen-sequence Wolf-Rayet stars. This raises a pertinent question, whether it is still a planetary nebula or rather a r
ing nebula of a massive star. In this study, we have constructed a three-dimensional photoionization model of Abell 48, constrained by our new optical integral field spectroscopy. An analysis of the spatially resolved velocity distributions allowed us to constrain the geometry of Abell 48. We used the collisionally excited lines to obtain the nebular physical conditions and ionic abundances of nitrogen, oxygen, neon, sulphur and argon, relative to hydrogen. We also determined helium temperatures and ionic abundances of helium and carbon from the optical recombination lines. We obtained a good fit to the observations for most of the emission-line fluxes in our photoionization model. The ionic abundances deduced from our model are in decent agreement with those derived by the empirical analysis. However, we notice obvious discrepancies between helium temperatures derived from the model and the empirical analysis, as overestimated by our model. This could be due to the presence of a small fraction of cold metal-rich structures, which were not included in our model. It is found that the observed nebular line fluxes were best reproduced by using a hydrogen-deficient expanding model atmosphere as the ionizing source with an effective temperature of 70 kK and a stellar luminosity of 5500 L_sun, which corresponds to a relatively low-mass progenitor star (~ 3 M_sun) rather than a massive Pop I star.
Algorithms for (nondeterministic) finite-state tree automata (FTAs) are often tested on random FTAs, in which all internal transitions are equiprobable. The run-time results obtained in this manner are usually overly optimistic as most such generated
random FTAs are trivial in the sense that the number of states of an equivalent minimal deterministic FTA is extremely small. It is demonstrated that nontrivial random FTAs are obtained only for a narrow band of transition probabilities. Moreover, an analytic analysis yields a formula to approximate the transition probability that yields the most complex random FTAs, which should be used in experiments.
The exquisite photometric precision of the Kepler space telescope now puts the detection of extrasolar moons at the horizon. Here, we firstly review observational and analytical techniques that have recently been proposed to find exomoons. Secondly,
we discuss the prospects of characterizing potentially habitable extrasolar satellites. With moons being much more numerous than planets in the solar system and with most exoplanets found in the stellar habitable zone being gas giants, habitable moons could be as abundant as habitable planets. However, satellites orbiting planets in the habitable zones of cool stars will encounter strong tidal heating and likely appear as hot moons.
Detections of massive extrasolar moons are shown feasible with the Kepler space telescope. Keplers findings of about 50 exoplanets in the stellar habitable zone naturally make us wonder about the habitability of their hypothetical moons. Illumination
from the planet, eclipses, tidal heating, and tidal locking distinguish remote characterization of exomoons from that of exoplanets. We show how evaluation of an exomoons habitability is possible based on the parameters accessible by current and near-future technology.
The detection of moons orbiting extrasolar planets (exomoons) has now become feasible. Once they are discovered in the circumstellar habitable zone, questions about their habitability will emerge. Exomoons are likely to be tidally locked to their pla
net and hence experience days much shorter than their orbital period around the star and have seasons, all of which works in favor of habitability. These satellites can receive more illumination per area than their host planets, as the planet reflects stellar light and emits thermal photons. On the contrary, eclipses can significantly alter local climates on exomoons by reducing stellar illumination. In addition to radiative heating, tidal heating can be very large on exomoons, possibly even large enough for sterilization. We identify combinations of physical and orbital parameters for which radiative and tidal heating are strong enough to trigger a runaway greenhouse. By analogy with the circumstellar habitable zone, these constraints define a circumplanetary habitable edge. We apply our model to hypothetical moons around the recently discovered exoplanet Kepler-22b and the giant planet candidate KOI211.01 and describe, for the first time, the orbits of habitable exomoons. If either planet hosted a satellite at a distance greater than 10 planetary radii, then this could indicate the presence of a habitable moon.
We study the properties of two bars formed in fully cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of the formation of Milky Way-mass galaxies. In one case, the bar formed in a system with disc, bulge and halo components and is relatively strong and long, a
s could be expected for a system where the spheroid strongly influences the evolution. The second bar is less strong, shorter, and formed in a galaxy with no significant bulge component. We study the strength and length of the bars, the stellar density profiles along and across the bars and the velocity fields in the bar region. We compare them with the results of dynamical (idealised) simulations and with observations, and find, in general, a good agreement, although we detect some important differences as well. Our results show that more or less realistic bars can form naturally in a $Lambda$CDM cosmology, and open up the possibility to study the bar formation process in a more consistent way than previously done, since the host galaxies grow, accrete matter and significantly evolve during the formation and evolution of the bar.
The new results of our observing campaign targeting the isolated neutron star 2XMM J104608.7-594306 in the Carina Nebula are used to understand how peculiar groups of isolated neutron stars relate to each other, as well as to the bulk of the normal radio pulsar population.
We use SDSS spectra and optical to far-infrared photometry for a sample of 31 FeLoBAL QSOs to study the relationship between the AGN-driven outflows, and obscured star formation in their host galaxies. We find that FeLoBAL QSOs invariably have IR lum
inosities exceeding 10^12 Solar luminosities. The AGN supplies 75% of the total IR emission, on average, but with a range from 20% to 100%. We find a clear anticorrelation between the strength of the AGN-driven outflows and the contribution from star formation to the total IR luminosity, with a much higher chance of seeing a starburst contribution in excess of 25% in systems with weak outflows than in systems with strong outflows. Moreover, we find no evidence that this effect is driven by the IR luminosity of the AGN. We conclude that radiatively driven outflows from AGN act to curtail obscured star formation in the host galaxies of reddened QSOs to less than ~25% of the total IR luminosity. This is the most direct evidence yet obtained for `quasar mode AGN feedback.
We present optical to far-infrared photometry of 31 reddened QSOs that show evidence for radiatively driven outflows originating from AGN in their rest-frame UV spectra. We use these data to study the relationships between the AGN-driven outflows, an
d the AGN and starburst infrared luminosities. We find that FeLoBAL QSOs are invariably IR-luminous, with IR luminosities exceeding 10^{12} Solar luminosities in all cases. The AGN supplies 76% of the total IR emission, on average, but with a range from 20% to 100%. We find no evidence that the absolute luminosity of obscured star formation is affected by the AGN-driven outflows. Conversely, we find an anticorrelation between the strength of AGN-driven outflows, as measured from the range of outflow velocities over which absorption exceeds a minimal threshold, and the contribution from star formation to the total IR luminosity, with a much higher chance of seeing a starburst contribution in excess of 25% in systems with weak outflows than in systems with strong outflows. Moreover, we find no convincing evidence that this effect is driven by the IR luminosity of the AGN. We conclude that radiatively driven outflows from AGN can have a dramatic, negative impact on luminous star formation in their host galaxies. We find that such outflows act to curtail star formation such that star formation contributes less than ~25% of the total IR luminosity. We also propose that the degree to which termination of star formation takes place is not deducible from the IR luminosity of the AGN.
