Detection of background gravitational radiation by Doppler tracking of spacecraft

Low-frequency gravitational radiation, with wavelengths reaching or exceeding interplanetary distances, and with a mean energy density of the order of the critical cosmological density _c , generates a frequency-shift of order/10^–15 h ₀(1/10⁸km)(/ _c )^1/2 in electromagnetic signals transponded by interplanetary spacecraft at a distancel from the Earth.     

The distribution of interstellar matter in NGC 654

The young cluster NGC 654 is studied using UBV photographic photometry with a view to determining the distribution of interstellar matter in a region where star formation recently occurred.NGC 654 is found to be enclosed in a shell of interstellar matter of mass 1500M . The mass of all stars in the cluster is 4000M .     

Color gradients in four king type globular clusters: NGC 2298, NGC 6402, NGC 6934, and NGC 7089

We present CCD surface photometry for four globular clusters: NGC 2298, NGC 6402, NGC 6934 and NGC 7089. Our photometry was aimed at the central 3 arcmin region in each cluster. We show that the surface brightness distributions of these clusters are well described by the isothermal King (1966) models. Our color analysis shows that NGC 7089 exhibits a remarkable color gradient in which the central region is bluer than the outer parts by the amplitude inB-V 0.1 mag/. Color gradients have also been detected in the central regions of NGC 6402 and NGC 6934, although the variation does not extend to outer part. No gradient has been detected in NGC 2298. Similar color gradients have been previsouly observed exclusively in highly concentrated systems classified as post core collapse clusters.     

Plane and cylindrical hydromagnetic shock waves

The Chisnell-Chester-Whitham method has been used to investigate the propagation of diverging plane and cylindrical shock waves through an ideal gas in presence of a magnetic field having only constant axial and variable azimuthal components, simultaneously for both weak and strong cases. Assuming an initial density distribution ₀=r ^–w , where is the density at the plane/axis of symmetry andw is a constant, the analytical expressions for shock velocity and shock strength have been obtained. The expressions for the pressure, the density, and the particle velocity immediately behind the shock have also been derived for both cases.     

A static theory of the stability of the equilibrium

A static relativistic theory of the stability of the equilibrium of an isentropic spherically-symmetric star is deduced from the properties of a functionu which is solution of a second-order differential equation, and which is related to the model by means of the formulau = m(v, c)/c, wherem is the mass-energy inside the coordinate volumev and c is the central mass-energy density.Work done in the Laboratorio Astrofisico di Frascati, Roma.     

Some peculiarities of four host galaxies,containing Seyfert nuclei

Star-like objects are found in Seyfert galaxies Markarian 290, Markarian 298, NGC 1275, and NGC 7469, being connected with the structure peculiarities of the galaxies. The absolute magnitudes of these objects are –16 ^m M–19 ^m . It has been supposed that these star formations must stimulate the instability in the disk of the galaxy followed by the matter fall toward the centre of the galaxy. The gas inflow toward the centre will allow the recent star formations and Seyfert nuclei generation.Paper presented at the 11th European Regional Astronomical Meetings of the IAU on New Windows to the Universe, held 3–8 July, 1989, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.     

Der offene Sternhaufen NGC 5617

Zusammenfassung Der offene Sternhaufen NGC 5617 wurde nach dem Streifenverfahren auf Karten von photographischen Aufnahmen verschiedener Belichtungszeiten mit dem 1m-Schmidt-Teleskop des European Southern Observatory in Chile untersucht. Der Haufen enthält etwa 460 Sterne mit einer Gesamtmasse von 700 . Der Radius beträgt 3.7 pc, die Sterndichte im Zentrum 50 Sterne pc^–3, und die mittlere Sterngeschwindigkeit 0.89 km s^–1. Auf den länger belichteten Aufnahmen taucht im Abstand von 12.3 in Richtung SSE ein unbekannter offener Sternhaufen auf, der einen Radius von etwa 4.3 hat und etwa 150 Sterne bis zur GrenzgrößeV19^m enthält.

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The open cluster NGC 5617 was investigated by the strip method on charts of photographs with different exposure times taken with the 1-m Schmidt telescope of the European Southern Observatory. The cluster contains about 460 stars with a total mass of 700 . Its radius amounts to 3.7 pc; the star density in the center is 50 stars pc^–3; and the mean stellar velocity, 0.89 km s^–1. On longerexposed photographs at a distance of 12.3 in direction to SSE an unknown open star cluster becomes visible with a radius of 4.3, containing about 150 stars to the limiting magnitudeV19^m.

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Mitteilungen Serie A.     

The interrelationship between cosmic dust and the microwave background

Attention is given to the radiation of microwaves by charged dust in space. Presently-used particle distributions do not restrict the presence in space of large numbers of small (r<10^–6 cm) silicate grains, but it is shown that such densities (10^–25–10^–26 g cm^–3) of small grains would produce a microwave background with an energy density of the same order of magnitude as the energy density of the (presumed) cosmological 3 K background. Limits set by the isotropy of the latter are: (HI clouds)10^–26, (Galactic plane)10^–30, (Halo)10^–32, (Local Group)10^–34 g cm^–3. These limits imply that either there is a cutoff in particle distributions atr10^–6 cm, or that the density of silicate grains in space has been generally overestimated, or that cosmic rays have broken up a lot of grains so that they now form a population of grains of very small size (10^–7 cm) which are difficult to detect by conventional methods. One way to look for the latter population is by studying expected distortions of the 3 K spectrum to the short wavelength side of the portion hitherto observed (grains may have a size distribution able to give an approximate black-body curve for radiation from larger grains of 10^–6 cm size), and by testing the effective energy density of the 3 K field in other galaxies.     

Spatial density fluctuations in the radiation era of the Universe

It is shown that in the radiation era of the Universe spatial temperature fluctuations (T/T)<10^–5 in the cosmic plasma lead to huge changes of the density up to (/)10⁴. This effect results from the fact that the cosmic plasma in the radiation era can be considered as a general relativistic Boltzmann gas which is found in the very vincinity of equilibrium.     

Properties of a spherical galaxy with exponential energy distribution

Some analytical relations for the phase space functions of a self-consistent spherical stellar system are derived. The integral constraints on the distribution function by imposing a given (r) density distribution andN(E) fractional energy distribution are determined. For the case of radially-anisotropic velocity distribution in theE0 limit the constraint by an exponentialN(E) implies thatf(E, J ²) tends to zero in the order (–E)^3/2. This lends analytical support to the use of the Stiavelli and Bertin (1985) distribution function for modeling elliptical galaxies. Maximum phase space density constraint confirms the necessity of high collapse factors to produce such a distribution function. Limits on the steepness of an exponentialN(E) for the case when (r) resembles the emissivity law of ellipticals are also derived.     

Annihilation radiation from thermal electron-positron plasma on the ground Landau level: The case of low magnetic fields

The intensity and polarization of two-photon annihilation in a magnetic fuieldBB _cr =4.4×10¹³ G are studied in detail for a, one-dimensional thermal distribution of annihilating electrons and positrons on the ground Landau level. With the increase of temperatureT the total annihilation rate and energy losses decrease, being higher than for the isotropic thermal distributions at the sameT. The shapes of intensity spectra at sin =0 ( is the angle betweenB and wave-vector) are close to those in the isotropic case. The widths and blue-shifts of the spectra decrease with increasing sin and increase with increasingT. Logarthmic singularities arise in the spectra atE»mc ²/sin . Power-like parts are formed in the wings of the spectra forkTmc ² and not too small sin . The direction-integrated spectra reach their (finite) maxima, atE=mc ² for anyT. The radiation concentrates near the plane, perpendicular to the magnetic field forE close tomc ² and is beamed along the magnetic field forE far frommc ². Energy-integrated angular distributions are stretched alongB, the stronger the higherT. The rediation is linearly polarized in the plane formed by the magnetic field and weve-vector. Typical values of the polarization inside the cores of the annihilation spectra are (kT/mc ²) sin and [ln (kT/mc ²)]^–1 forkTmc ² andkT sin mc ², respectively. Annihilation radiation dominates over Bremsstrahlung in thee plasma atkT7mc ². The results are useful for interpretation of the annihilation radiation in the gamma-ray bursts. They permit to estimate temperature, gravitational potential, and emission measure of radiating regions and the beaming of the radiation.     

General-relativistic hierarchical cosmology: An exact model

An exact solution of Einstein's equation is stated in which the density (), pressure (p), scale factorS and metric coefficients are functions of only one dimensionless self-similar variable,ct/R, wheret is cosmic time andR is a co-moving radial coordinate. The solution represents a cosmology that begins as a static sphere having R ^–2 and evolves into an expanding model which is pressure-free and has a hierarchical type of density law ( R ^–, approximately, with =a number, 02). It is suggested that this model should supersede the previous models of Wesson and other workers, since it appears to be the simplest cosmology for a hierarchy.     

Physical conditions of ionized gas and mass-luminosity distribution in NGC 7793

The physical state of ionized gas in NGC 7793 was studied by spectroscopical means: the electronic temperature isT _e10⁴K while the electronic density ranges fromN _e1400 cm^–3 in the nucleus toN _e1000 cm^–3 in the emission regions. There are also indications of an excess of nitrogen in the nucleus. TheM/L ratio suggests for NGC 7793, a high proportion of young objects quite uniformly distributed over its body, with a slight concentration towards the nuclear region.     

Internal temperature of isothermal neutron star core matter

Two new equations of state obtained for matter constituting isothermal neutron star core by using isentropic nature of matter for the equalities =₂ and =₃ (where 's are usual adiabatic exponents) have been utilised to discuss the internal temperature of core. The temperature of matter has been obtained asT=T _a(P+E)/. Variation ofT/T _a(t) with energy density has been discussed for these new equations of state and some standard equations of state for nuclear matter.     

Intergalactic ionized hydrogen in nearby groups of galaxies

Stability of the nearest 14 groups of galaxies is investigated by means of Jacobi's criterion. In this way these groups are found strongly unstable, except perhaps two. The result is unaltered when we discuss the validity of the assumptions needed for the computations and when we take into account the inaccuracy of the data. This apparent instability is tentatively explained by presence of intergalactic ionized hydrogen in each group. Physical parameters of the gas are derived by means of the general modified form of the virial theorem and through the assumption of the equiparatition among several modes of energy.The main results are the following: the ratios of the gas mass to the sum of the masses of the member galaxies are of the order of 10, densitiesg of the gas are about 10^–29 to 10^–28 g cm^–3, and temperatures are of the order of 10⁵K. Values of each physical parameter of the gas show little change from one group to the next. As significant correlation:G g ^0.9 is obtained betweeng and the densityG of the visible matter for the various groups; it may be compatible with the assumption that the intergalactic gas is a remnant of the condensation of the galaxies. Then it is shown that, at present, the observations are not opposed to our treatment. Finally, it is noticed that detection of intergalactic gas in the groups investigated will be very difficult, except if this gas is strongly cloudy.     

Near-Infrared Spectral Mapping of NGC 1614

We present the spatial distribution of the bright near-infrared emission lines, Br, H₂, He I, [Fe II], and the CO band longwards of 2.3 m, for the luminous infrared galaxy NGC 1614. The morphology of the ionised gas is different from that of the stellar light, and possibly forms a circumnuclear ring. Our data imply that the stellar population is older and the extinction is lower in the nucleus relative to the surrounding circumnuclear ring. We suggest that NGC 1614 is a galaxy whose recent interaction triggered massive star formation in the nucleus, which in turn caused a radially outward progression of star formation thereby producing the circumnuclear ring we observe today. There is no evidence for a buried AGN, and it is difficult to reconcile our data with the simple evolutionary model of ultraluminous galaxies proposed by Sanders et al (1988).     

Comparison between stability limits for satellite motion

Numerical and analytical comparisons are made between three methods of obtaining stability information on satellite motion using the model of the restricted problem of three bodies. Kuiper's (1961) and Szebehely's (1978) approximate results are compared with computer solutions obtained by successive iterations. The three methods show close agreement regarding the maximum values of the orbital radii for stability. The lowest result and therefore the most conservative estimate is obtained by the simplest formula, _max=(/81)^1/3 where is the ratio of the satellite's orbital radius to the distance between the primaries with massesm ₁>m ₂ and is the mass-ratio given bym ₂/(m ₁+m ₂).     

The interaction of matter and radiation in the hot model of the Universe,II

Heating of the primaeval plasma prior to the epoch of recombination results in distortions in the Rayleigh-Jeans region of the microwave relic radiation spectrum (1–60 cm, or more exactly =2.5_–7/8 cm). The present observational data allow limits to be set to such energy injection from which follow upper limits to (a) the amount of antimatter in the universe; (b) the parameters of primaeval turbulence; and (c) the adiabatic fluctuation spectrum for small masses (M<10¹¹ M ).If the heating takes place prior to the epocht=10_1012/5 sec (and in particular at the annihilation of electron-positron pairs atT10⁸–10¹⁰ K,t<300 sec), no observable distortions are expected in the relic radiation spectrum. Here =/_crit is the dimensionless average density of matter in the universe.Translated from the Russian by D. F. Smith.     

B,V surface photometry of the UV continuum galaxy NGC 838

Surface photometry of the UV continuum galaxy NGC 838 has been carried out in theB, V system using photographic plates obtained with the 74 Kottamia telescope, Egypt. Isophotes, luminosity profiles, integrated photographic magnitudes, effective diameters and other photometric parameters are derived.The photoelectrically calibrated total apparent magnitudes areB _T =13.57 with maximum diameters 1.57×1.34 (at threshold _m =27.7 mag.//) andV _T =12.91 with maximum diameters 1.54×1.32 (at threshold _m =27.7 mag./). The integrated colour index(B–V) _T =0.66 and the effective surface brightness _e (B=19.0 mag./) and _e (V=19.7 mag./. The major axis is at position angle =85°±1°.The nucleus of NGC 838 is quite blue (integrated colour(B–V)=0.41 forr ^*<0.1) compared to normal galaxies while the colour becomes redder from the nucleus outwards. The UV excess, H emission and radio continuum emission previously observed from this galaxy by other investigators may be attributed to a recent burst of star formation in the nucleus of the galaxy of duration slightly greater than 2×10⁷ yr.     

Radio AGNs among Luminous Infrared Galaxies

An analysis of radio and FIR emission in over 1500IRAS selected galaxies produces a good linear correlationbetween radio and FIR luminosity, indicating that star formationin normal field galaxies dominates the infrared luminosityin the local volume. Galaxies with clear radio-excess (definedas having at least5 times larger radio flux over expected from FIR) are identified as hosting a radio AGN, and they account for onlyabout 1% of the whole sample. This fraction increases to 10% among themore luminous galaxies with L _1.4GHz 10²³ W Hz^-1 (equivalently L _60m 10¹¹ L), however. The characteristic mid-IR excess of a Seyfert nucleus is ubiquitously present amongthe radio-excess objects, suggesting that mid-IR excess isa robust tracer of an AGN despite the high mid-IR opacity.We conclude that about 30% of the luminous infrared galaxies(L _60m 10¹¹ L) host an AGN based on themid-IR excess, and about 40% of the mid-IR excess AGNs alsohost a radio AGN. A VLA imaging survey of a distance limited sample of IR luminousgalaxies has revealed the presence of 100 kpc scale giant radioplumes in 3 out of 9 cases (Mrk 231, Mrk 273, NGC 6240). Theirlarge spatial extent, energetics, and presence of a powerful AGN in each case suggests that an AGN is the power source. Such plumesare not detected in other ultraluminous infrared galaxies which lack clear evidence for an AGN, such as Arp 220.