Kinematics of Gas and Stars in 20 Disc Galaxies

In this paper we present the kinematics of the gas and/or the stars of a sample of 20 disc galaxies. We investigate whether there is any relation between the kinematics of the gas and stars and the classical morphological type of the galaxies in the sample. We deduce that, in most of the late-type spirals we have studied, the stars and the ionized gas are moving with virtually circular velocity, except when the spectroscopic slit crosses a bar region. On the other hand, we found in the central parts of early-type disc galaxies a wider variety of different behaviour of stars and gas. We find many possible factors that complicate the classification of the kinematical properties of the galaxies by their morphological type: the presence of counter-rotations (star vs. stars or star vs. gas), misalignment between the different kinematic components present in the galaxy, the presence of a bar structure and its orientation with respect to the line of nodes of the galaxy, and interactions and mergers or external accretion processes are some of the problems we find in the study of the kinematics of a galaxy.     

Prediction of Stellar Atmospheric Parameters using Instance-Based Machine Learning and Genetic Algorithms

In this article we present a method for the automated prediction of stellar atmospheric parameters from spectral indices. This method uses a genetic algorithm (GA) for the selection of relevant spectral indices and prototypical stars and predicts their properties, using the k-nearest neighbors method (KNN). We have applied the method to predict the effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, luminosity class and spectral class of stars from spectral indices. Our experimental results show that the feature selection performed by the genetic algorithm reduces the running time of KNN up to 92%, and the predictive accuracy error up to 35%. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The biomass of macro- and interstitial fauna on clean and wrack-covered beaches in Western Australia

The benthic faunal spectrum including bacteria, protozoans, meiofauna, wrack epifauna and macrofauna, was quantitatively surveyed on two modally reflective, moderate energy, Western Australian beaches. The more exposed beach had coarser sand, no intertidal macrofauna and a poor interstitial fauna. The less exposed beach had a large deposit of wrack totalling 161 kg m^?1 dry mass concentrated on the lower shore. The amphipod Allorchestes compressa was abundant in the fresh wrack comprising most of the macrofauna. There were also fairly abundant small epifauna on the wrack. Dry biomass of macrofauna, epifauna, meiofauna, protozoans and bacteria was 0, 0, 15, 4 and 180 g m^?1 on the more exposed beach and 160, 3, 112, 9 and 901 g m^?1 on the less exposed beach with wrack. On the latter beach there was an inverse correlation between meiofaunal densities and the densities of protozoans and bacteria, suggesting grazing by the former on the latter. On both beaches meiofauna was concentrated in the mid- to upper beach, protozoans near the surface and bacteria in the mid- to lower beach. It is estimated that bacteria are responsible for most of the secondary production on both beaches.     

The expansive nondecelerative universe

(a) Hubble's discovery of the expansion of the Universe makes it possible to choose unambiguously from the models described by Friedmann's equations of universe dynamics. (b) From the present temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation, the specific entropy in the matter era and the model properties of the expansive nondecelerative universe, we can determine the present parameters of our Universe with deviations smaller than 2.2%.     

Testing the consistency of the Starburst scenario for active galactic nuclei

In the frame of the Starburst Model, we show that the evolution of a massive stellar cluster in a high metallicity environment can reproduce the observed emission-line spectrum and the UV-optical Spectral Energy Distribution of the Seyfert 2 galaxies and LINERs. We apply the results of our models to three objects: NGC 5506, NGC 5643 and Mk 348.     

The Scattered Disk Population and the Oort Cloud

The trans-Neptunian belt has been subject to a strong depletion that has reduced its primordial population by a factor of one hundred over the solar system's age. One by-product of such a depletion process is the existence of a scattered disk population in transit from the belt to other places, such as the Jupiter zone, the Oort cloud or interstellar space. We have integrated the orbits of the scattered disk objects (SDOs) so far discovered by 2500 Myr to study their dynamical time scales and the probability of falling in each of the end states mentioned above, paying special attention to their contribution to the Oort cloud. We found that their dynamical half-time is close to 2.5 Gyr and that about one third of the SDOs end up in the Oort cloud.     

Deuterated hydrogen molecule and search for early structure-formation signatures in the Universe

Possible detection of signatures of structure formation at the end of the 'dark age' epoch  ( z ∼ 40–20)  is examined. We discuss the spectral–spatial fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) temperature produced by elastic resonant scattering of CMBR photons on deuterated hydrogen (HD) molecules located in protostructures moving with peculiar velocity. Detailed chemical kinematic evolution of HD molecules in the expanding homogeneous medium is calculated. Then, the HD abundances are linked to protostructures at their maximum expansion, whose properties are estimated by using the top-hat spherical approach and the Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmology. We find that the optical depths in the HD three lowest pure rotational lines for high-peak protohaloes at their maximum expansion are much higher than those in LiH molecule. The corresponding spectral–spatial fluctuation amplitudes, however, are probably too weak to be detected by current and forthcoming millimetre telescope facilities. We extend our estimates of spectral–spatial fluctuations to gas clouds inside collapsed CDM haloes by using results from a crude model of HD production in these clouds. The fluctuations for the highest peak CDM haloes at redshifts ∼20–30 could be detected in the future. Observations will be important to test model predictions of early structure formation in the Universe.     

Beam Mode Expansion of Corrugated Conical Horns with Phase Correcting Lens: Application to Radioastronomy Receivers

A classical radioastronomy receiver is fed with a corrugated horn and an independent lens, both placed in a cryostat to lower the noise temperature. The beam is focused and directed using a combination of elliptical and plane mirrors. This paper proposes modifying the initial feeding system by placing the lens onto the horn aperture, thereby allowing a size reduction of the horn and lens, and a simplification of their mechanical design. The profiled lens is shaped to correct the phase error on the horn aperture. A quasi-optical model of the horn-plus-lens system has been developed using a Beam Mode Expansion (BME). Results using both a hyperbolic-planar lens and a spherical-elliptical lens, as well as results obtained by using Geometrical Optics (GO) with a Kirchoff–Huygens integration to get the far-field pattern, have been compared with measurements. As a direct application, a full focusing system for the new 40-m radiotelescope at the “Centro Astronómico de Yebes” is presented for the 22, 30 and 45 GHz bands. This paper has developed a QO model for a corrugated conical horn with a phase-correcting lens. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Astronomical Site Testing in Northwest of Argentina

We present the preliminary results of the astronomical site testing, which the group IATE of the OAC is developing in northwest of Argentine in collaboration with ESO and the Department of Astronomy of Cornell University. We show the results, which we have obtained from the analysis of GOES 8 satellite images in the 10.7 μm band, which allowed us to configurate a map of clear sky regions in an area between 23° and 28° S, and 66° 30′ and 69° W. We also comment logistical and tectonic aspects, and discuss next steps to follow in the research.