What is the right way to quench star formation in semi-analytic models of galaxy formation?

Semi-analytic models of galaxy formation are powerful tools to study the evolution of a galaxy population in a cosmological context. However, most models overpredict the number of lowmass galaxies at high redshifts and the colors of model galaxies are not right in the sense that low-mass satellite galaxies are too red and centrals are too blue. The recent version of the L-Galaxies model by Henriques et al.(H15) is a step forward to solve these problems by reproducing the evolution of stellar mass function and the overall fraction of red galaxies. In this paper we compare the two model predictions of L-Galaxies(the other is Guo et al., G13) to SDSS data in detail. We find that in the H15 model the red fraction of central galaxies now agrees with the data due to their implementation of strong AGN feedback, but the stellar mass of centrals in massive halos is now slightly lower than what is indicated by the data. For satellite galaxies, the red fraction of low-mass galaxies(log M*/M⊙ 10)also agrees with the data, but the color of massive satellites(10 log M*/M⊙ 11) is slightly bluer.The correct color of centrals and the bluer color of massive satellites indicate that quenching in massive satellites is not strong enough. We also find that there are too many red spirals and less bulge-dominated galaxies in both H15 and G13 models. Our results suggest that additional mechanisms, such as more minor mergers or disk instability, are needed to slightly increase the stellar mass of the central galaxy in massive galaxies, mainly in the bulge component, and bulge dominated galaxies will be quenched not only by minor mergers, but also by some other mechanisms.     

A class of regular and well behaved charge analogue of?Kuchowicz’s relativistic super-dense star model

We obtain a well behaved class of charge analogues of neutral superdense star model due to Kuchowicz, by using a particular electric field, which involves a parameter K and vanishes when K=0. The members of this class are seen to satisfy the various physical conditions e.g. c ² ρ≥3p≥0, dp/dr<0, dρ/dr<0, along with the velocity of sound, dp/c ² dρ<1 and the adiabatic index ((p+c ² ρ)/p)(dp/(c ² dρ))>1, for the interval 0<K<1 with the maximum mass 6.8374M _Θ and the radius 23.4679 km with the central red shift Z _c =0.75364. In the interval, 0<K≤0.1179, the velocity of sound and the ratio p/c ² ρ are found monotonically decreasing towards the pressure free interface, which presents a relevant model for massive star like Neutron star or pulsar with the maximum mass as 4.1474M _Θ and the radius 20.5481 km with the central red shift Z _c =0.6654.     

What is the most simple solution of Wheeler-DeWitt equation?

The Wheeler-DeWitt equation in Vilenkin model is solved via the ansatz approach when all terms related to vacuum, domain walls, strings, dust, relativistic matter, bosons and fermions and ultra stiff matter are present.     

Too large and overlooked? Extended free–free emission towards massive star formation regions

We present Australia Telescope Compact Array observations towards six massive star formation regions, which, from their strong 24 GHz continuum emission but no compact 8 GHz continuum emission, appeared good candidates for hypercompact H  ii regions. However, the properties of the ionized gas derived from the 19 to 93 GHz continuum emission and  H70α+ H57α  radio recombination line data show the majority of these sources are, in fact, regions of spatially extended, optically thin free–free emission. These extended sources were missed in the previous 8 GHz observations due to a combination of spatial filtering, poor surface brightness sensitivity and primary beam attenuation.
We consider the implications that a significant number of these extended H  ii regions may have been missed by previous surveys of massive star formation regions. If the original sample of 21 sources is representative of the population as a whole, the fact that six contain previously undetected extended free–free emission suggests a large number of regions have been mis-classified. Rather than being very young objects prior to UCH  ii region formation, they are, in fact, associated with extended H  ii regions and thus significantly older. In addition, inadvertently ignoring a potentially substantial flux contribution (up to ∼0.5 Jy) from free–free emission has implications for dust masses derived from sub-mm flux densities. The large spatial scales probed by single-dish telescopes, which do not suffer from spatial filtering, are particularly susceptible and dust masses may be overestimated by up to a factor of ∼2.     

SWIFT J1749.4-2807: A neutron or quark star?

We investigate a unique accreting millisecond pulsar with X-ray eclipses,SWIFT J1749.4-2807(hereafter J1749),and try to set limits on the binary system by various methods including use of the Roche lobe,the mass-radius relations of both main sequence(MS)and white dwarf(WD)companion stars,as well as the measured mass function of the pulsar.The calculations are based on the assumption that the radius of the companion star has reached its Roche radius(or is at 90%),but the pulsar's mass has not been assumed to be a certain value.Our results are as follows.The companion star should be an MS one.For the case that the radius equals its Roche one,we have a companion star with mass M(～-)0.51 M⊙ and radius Rc(～-)0.52 R⊙,and the inclination angle is i(～-)76.5°; for the case that the radius reaches 90% of its Roche one,we have M(～-)0.43 M⊙,Re()0.44 R⊙ and i(～-)75.7°.We also obtain the mass of J1749,Mp(～-)1 M⊙,and conclude that the pulsar could be a quark star if the ratio of the critical frequency of rotation-mode instability to the Keplerian one is higher than～0.3.The relatively low pulsar mass(about～M⊙)may also challenge the conventional recycling scenario for the origin and evolution of millisecond pulsars.The results presented in this paper are expected to be tested by future observations.     

Measurements of radial velocities of α and: A spotted HgMn star?

Measurements of radial velocities from the SiII 6347A and 6371Alines and the HeI 6678A line based on observations of 1989–1994 are examined. The variability of the line shapes over the 96.6-day orbital period is analyzed. Evidence for a second component is found from lines in the spectrum of And which correspond to the silicon lines 6347 and 6371A. The preliminary value for the rotational velocity of the secondary component is 100–120 km/sec. Analysis of the variability of the radial velocities of the HeI 6678A line during the night has given the rotational period of the star of P_rot=I^d.012344 and indicates an inhomogeneous distribution either of the helium abundance or of the physical conditions over the surface. Thus, we have the first evidence for the existence of spots on the surface of an HgMn star.Translated fromAstrofizika, Vol. 39, No. 3, pp. 375–384, July–September, 1996.     

Interstellar colonization: A new parameter for the Drake equation?

M.H. Hart (1975, Quart. J. Roy. Astron. Soc.16, 128–135) has argued that the absence of evidence for extraterrestrial visits to Earth indicates that there are no other advanced civilizations in our galaxy capable of interstellar colonization. If so, the possible success of any SETI program must be questioned. The authors propose that limited interstellar colonization may occur and an attempt is made to show the effects of such a journey on the Drake equation.     

The nonlinear solar dynamo and differential rotation: A Taylor number puzzle?

We consider dynamically consistent mean-field dynamos in a spherical shell of incompressible fluid. The generation of magnetic field and differential rotation is parameterized by the - and -effects, respectively. Extending previous investigations, we include now the cases of moderate and rapid rotation in the sense that the inverse Rossby number can approach or exceed unity: This can lead to disk-shaped -contours, which are in better accordance with recent results of helioseismology than cylindrical -contours. On the other hand, in order to obtain -dynamo cycles the Taylor number has to be so large, that eventually cylindrical -contours become unavoidable (cf. Taylor-Proudman theorem). We discuss the different possibilities in a state diagram, where the inverse Rossby number and the relative correlation length are taken as the elementary parameters for mean-field dynamos.     

LRS Bianchi type-I perfect fluid cosmological model with?modified generalized Chaplygin gas equation of state

A class of non-singular bouncing FRW models are obtained by constraining the deceleration parameter in the presence of an interacting dark energy represented by a time-varying cosmological constant. The models being geometrically closed, initially accelerate for a certain period of time and decelerate thereafter and are also free from the entropy and cosmological constant problems. Taking a constant of integration equal to zero one particular model is discussed in some detail and the variation of different cosmological parameters are shown graphically for specific values of the parameters of the model. For some specific choice of the parameters of the model the ever expanding models of Ozer & Taha and Abdel-Rahman and the decelerating models of Berman and also the Einstein de-Sitter model may be obtained as special cases of this particular model.     

KIC 8263801: A clump star in the Kepler open cluster NGC 6866 field?

In this paper we study the field of Kepler open cluster NGC 6866 using the data obtained from Kepler mission collected for a period of 4 years. We search for the red clump (RC) stars amongst the red giant (RG) stars showing solar-like oscillations using median gravity-mode period spacings (ΔP). We find a RG star KIC 8263801 having median gravity-mode period spacing 173.7 ± 6.4 s. We claim based on the median gravity-mode period spacing that KIC 8263801 is a secondary red clump (SRC) star which is massive enough to have ignited Helium burning in a non degenerate core. In the literature, no classification for KIC 8263801 has been provided. This is the first time that a star located in the field of NGC 6866 is classified in this manner.     

The plausible source(s) of 26Al in the early solar system: A massive star or the X‐wind irradiation scenario?

Abstract— A quantitative analysis is presented for the irradiation contributions of the short‐lived nuclides, specifically ²⁶Al, by the X‐wind scenario in the early solar system. The analysis is based on the comprehensive numerical simulations of the scenario that involves thermal processing of protoCAIs during the decades long X‐wind cycle. It would be difficult to explain the canonical value of ²⁶Al/²⁷Al in Ca‐Al‐rich inclusions on the basis of its inferred irradiation yields. Hence, the bulk inventory of ²⁶Al in the early solar system was not produced by the X‐wind scenario. We suggest the predominant occurrence of gradual flares compared to impulsive flares in the early solar system as in the case of the modern solar flares. One tenth of the bulk ²⁶Al was only produced by irradiation in case the entire solar inventory of ¹⁰Be was produced by local irradiation. The bulk ²⁶Al inventory along with ⁶⁰Fe was probably synthesized by a massive star. We present a qualitative model of the astrophysical settings for the formation of the solar system on the basis of a survey of the presently active star forming regions. We hypothesize that the formation of the solar system could have occurred almost contemporaneously with the formation of the massive star within a single stellar cluster. As the massive star eventually exploded as supernova Ib/c subsequent to Wolf‐Rayet stages, the short‐lived nuclides were probably injected into the solar proto‐planetary disc. The dynamically evolving stellar cluster eventually dispersed within the initial ?10 million years prior to the major planetary formation episodes.     

One hundred years of observations of the Be star HDE 245770 (the X-ray binary A0535+26/V725 Tau): The end of an active phase?

UBV observations of the X-ray binary system A0535+26/V725 Tau at the Crimean Station of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute in 1980–1998 are presented. Based on our and published data, we analyze the photometric history of the star from 1898. Over a period of 100 years, the star apparently showed all three activity phases (B, Be, Be-shell) of Be stars. We conclude that the X-ray activity of the object is attributable to the 1970–1997 outburst of the Be star due to envelope ejection. The star's colors during the minimum light of 1998 and its 1953–1956 colors (before the outburst) correspond to the spectral type B0–B1 at the color excesses E _B-V = 0.74 and E _U-B = 0.48, in agreement with the current spectral type O9.7. The minimum light of 1998 and the color excesses are used to determine the colors of the additional radiation, analyze their evolution during the 1973–1997 outburst, and refine the distance to the object (3 kpc). The colors of the additional radiation at maximum light of the star (1973–1980) match the colors of a hydrogen plasma with T _e = 1.5 × 10⁴ K which is optically thick in the Balmer continuum. The brightness decline corresponds to a decrease in the optical depth of the plasma; at $V \simeq 9_.^m 1$ , it becomes optically thin in the Balmer continuum with T _e = 10⁴ K and N _e = 10¹⁰ ? 10¹² cm^?3. This conclusion is consistent with the model of a circumstellar envelope but is inconsistent with the existence of an accretion disk around the neutron star. All the additional radiation responsible for the optical variability is produced by a single source. The intensity of the Hα emission line at maximum light (1975–1980) is triple its intensity in 1987–1997, when quasi-periodic light fluctuations with P ≈ 1400^d were observed [1]. At this time, the line intensity correlated with brightness. The Hα line was in absorption at the minimum of 1998, and, at present, the star's active phase appears to have ended.