Deep high spectral resolution spectroscopy and chemical composition of ionized nebulae

High spectral resolution spectroscopy has proved to be very useful for the advancement of chemical abundances studies in photoionized nebulae, such as H II regions and planetary nebulae (PNe). Classical analyses make use of the intensity of bright collisionally excited lines (CELs), which have a strong dependence on the electron temperature and density. By using high resolution spectrophotometric data, our group has led the determination of chemical abundances of some heavy element ions, mainly O⁺⁺, O⁺, and C⁺⁺ from faint recombination lines (RLs), allowing us to deblend them from other nearby emission lines or sky features. The importance of these lines is that their emissivity depends weakly on the temperature and density structure of the gas. The unresolved issue in this field is that recombination lines of heavy element ions give abundances that are about 2–3 times higher than those derived from CELs – in H II regions – for the same ion, and can even be a factor of 70 times higher in some PNe. This uncertainty puts into doubt the validity of face values of metallicity that we use as representative not only for ionized nebulae in the Local Universe, but also for star‐forming dwarf and spiral galaxies at different redshifts. Additionally, high‐resolution data can allow us to detect and deblend faint lines of neutron capture element ions in PNe. This information would introduce further restrictions to evolution models of AGBs and would help to quantify the chemical enrichment in s‐elements produced by low and intermediate mass stars. The availability of an échelle spectrograph at the E‐ELT will be of paramount interest to: (a) extend the studies of heavyelement recombination lines to low metallicity objects, (b) to extend abundance determinations of s‐elements to planetary nebulae in the extragalactic domain and to bright Galactic and extragalactic H II regions. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Detecting filaments in the ultra-high energy cosmic ray distribution

We propose and test new statistical tools to study the distribution of cosmic rays based on the use of the minimal spanning tree. The method described is particularly sensitive to filamentary structures, as those expected to arise from strong sources of charged cosmic rays which get deflected by intervening magnetic fields. We also test the method with data available from the AGASA and SUGAR surface detector arrays.     

Interactions and star-formation activity in Wolf–Rayet galaxies

We present the main results of the Ph.D. thesis carried out by López-Sánchez (Ph.D. thesis, 2006), in which a detailed morphological, photometric and spectroscopic analysis of a sample of 20 Wolf–Rayet (WR) galaxies was performed. The main aims are the study of the star formation and O and WR stellar populations in these galaxies, and the role that interactions between low surface brightness companion objects have in the triggering of the bursts. We analyze the morphology, stellar populations, physical conditions, chemical abundances and kinematics of the ionized gas, as well as the star-formation activity of each system.     

Use of discrete element modeling to study the stress and strain distribution in cyclic torsional shear tests

In this research, a torsional cyclic shear test was modeled using the 3D discrete element method (DEM). The results are compared against experimental data and micro-mechanical aspects of the soil during the loading are discussed. The aim of the work is to study the homogeneity of strains during this laboratory test and to compare the micro-mechanical behavior of the soil sample for different strain levels. The experimental investigation was performed using a synthetic soil material made of glass beads, which simplifies the modeling and calibration since normal interaction forces do not induce rotation of the particles. Both the model and experimental tests used the same grading distribution and particle size. We showed that the hysteresis cycles can be properly reproduced in terms of shape and magnitude. Thus, we obtained a robust estimation for the secant shear modulus and damping ratio at different strain levels. With this, it was possible to build stiffness degradation and damping increase curve to compare it with experimental data obtained from torsional shear tests. Based on this validation of the DEM model, we discuss the micro-mechanical behavior of the soil and its relation with the macroscopic parameters obtained. It is shown that shear strain distribution on the sample is not uniform and that large values of strains concentrate close to the top of the sample as top rotation increases, which differs from the standard assumption of a constant value across the height of the sample. Additionally, it is observed that at 0.8 times radius, the cumulative torque reaches approximately 90% of the total torque applied to sample.     

Spatial modelling of air temperature and precipitation for Andorra (Pyrenees) from daily circulation patterns

Based on the daily sea level pressure (SLP) circulation catalogue obtained by Esteban, Martin-Vide and Mases, Int J Climatol 26:1501–1515, (2006) for Western Europe, high-resolution maps of daily maximum and minimum temperature, mean daily precipitation and daily precipitation probability have been obtained for Andorra (Pyrenees). The 20 daily-circulation patterns cover the period 1960–2001 and were generated using new approaches based on the rotated principal component analysis (PCA) and clustering technique. The final maps of Andorra associated with each circulation pattern have been constructed using altitude, latitude, continentality and solar radiation as multiple regression predictors (Ninyerola, Pons and Roure, Int J Climatol 20:1823–1841, 2000). The daily temperature and rainfall series used from Andorran, French and Catalan/Spanish weather stations have been checked for data quality. The results confirm the complexity of the spatial distribution of meteorological phenomena over mountainous areas such as in Andorra, and show the importance of the Mediterranean and Atlantic influence upon the climate of this country of the Pyrenees. On the other hand, different tests have been made showing that the classification results could improve the resulting interpolated climate maps by the use of the circulation-pattern frequencies.     

Methodology for the estimation of the increase in time loss due to future increase in tropical cyclone intensity in Japan

The present paper develops a methodology for estimating the risks and consequences of possible future increases in tropical cyclone intensities that would allow policy makers to relatively quickly evaluate the cost of different mitigation strategies. The methodology simulates future tropical cyclones by modifying the intensity of historical tropical cyclones between the years 1978 and 2007. It then uses a Monte Carlo Simulation to obtain the expected number of hours that a certain area can expect to be affected by winds of a given strength. The methodology outlined has a range of applications, and the present paper shows as an example the calculation of the expected cost of mitigation of the increased downtime for Japanese ports by 2085 for a variety of economic growth scenarios.     

Evidence for high velocity gas in giantHii regions

Spectroscopy of selected areas of the two GiantHii Regions (GHR) NGC 5471 and NGC 604 shows convincing evidence for the existence of ionised gas at high velocities (1000 km s^–1) from the analysis of the profile of the Balmer (in NGC 604) and the [Oiii] (in NGC 5471) lines. The association of these effects with the presence of WR clusters and possible SNR inside the complex are analysed and the results are compared with previous indications in the literature for 30 Dor (in front of R 136) as well as with recent evidence from high-dispersion spectroscopy for some GHRs in M101.     

Impact of diagenesis on reservoir quality in a sedimentary geothermal play: a case study in the Cooper Basin,South Australia

Geothermal resources hosted within sedimentary basins with high natural permeability have been targeted for the production of energy in Australia. The Hutton Sandstone (Cooper‐Eromanga Basin) – a prolific oil and gas producer known to have good reservoir quality and high reservoir volume – was recently tested for its geothermal potential in the Cooper Region. However, recent exploratory drilling did not produce the anticipated flow rates, raising the question of the impact of diagenesis on the reservoir quality of this sedimentary formation. The combined characterization of the petrology, diagenesis and petrophysical properties of the Hutton Sandstone at Celsius‐1 and other surrounding wells indicates variable reservoir properties in the Cooper Region. This integrated study demonstrates that low formation permeability occurs at geothermal target depth and explains the negligible flow rates obtained at Celsius‐1. These low permeabilities are the results of the preservation of widespread detrital clayey matrix and the extensive occurrence of authigenic kaolinite, illite and silica cements at the top and base of the Hutton Sandstone. This aspect is confirmed by NMR T₂ transversal relaxation time becoming shorter at similar depths. Petrography analysis also reveals that sandstones are affected by diagenetic processes of the eogenetic and mesogenetic phases. However, the Hutton Sandstone at Celsius‐1 is presently at pressure‐temperature conditions that are below the mesogenetic conditions, which suggests a late episode of uplift and cooling from maximum palaeotemperatures.     

Chemical composition of the Orion nebula derived from echelle spectrophotometry

We present echelle spectroscopy in the 3500- to 7060-... range for two positions of the Orion nebula. The data were obtained using the 2.1-m telescope at Observatorio Astronómico Nacional in San Pedro Mártir, Baja California. We have measured the intensities of about 220 emission lines, in particular 81 permitted lines of C⁺, N⁺, N⁺⁺, O⁰, O⁺, Ne⁰, Si⁺, Si⁺⁺ and S⁺, some of them produced by recombination only and others mainly by fluorescence. We have determined electron temperatures, electron densities and ionic abundances using different continuum and line intensity ratios. We derived the He, C and O abundances from recombination lines and find that the C/H and O/H values are very similar to those derived from B stars of the Orion association, and that these nebular values are independent of the temperature structure. We have also derived abundances from collisionally excited lines. These abundances depend on the temperature structure; accurate t ² values have been derived comparing the O II recombination lines with the [O III ] collisionally excited lines. The gaseous abundances of Mg, Si and Fe show significant depletions, implying that a substantial fraction of these atoms is tied up in dust grains. The derived depletions are similar to those found in warm clouds of the Galactic disc, but are not as large as those found in cold clouds. A comparison of the solar and Orion chemical abundances is made.