X-ray absorption in Seyfert 2 galaxies

We have studied the correlation among X-ray absorption, optical reddening and nuclear dust morphology in Seyfert 2 galaxies. Two main conclusions emerge: (i) the Balmer decrement and the amount of X-ray absorption are anticorrelated over a wide range of column density,     – the correlation no longer applies to Compton-thick objects     , although they span a comparable range in Balmer decrement; (ii) Compton-thin Seyfert 2s seem to prefer nuclear environments, which are rich in dust on scales of hundreds of parsecs. On the other hand, Compton-thick Seyferts indifferently exhibit 'dust-poor' and 'dust-rich' environments. These results support an extension of the Seyfert unification scenario (as recently proposed by Matt ), where Compton-thick Seyfert 2s are observed through compact 'torii', whereas Compton-thin ones are obscured by dust on much larger scales.     

A simulation tool for high data-rate acoustic communication in ashallow-water, time-varying channel

The paper discusses the development of a simulation tool to model high data-rate acoustic communication in shallow water. The simulation tool is able to generate synthetic time series of signals received at a transducer array after transmission across a shallow-water communication channel. The simulation tool is suitable for testing advanced signal processing techniques for message recovery. A channel model has been developed based on the physical aspects of the acoustic channel. Special emphasis has been given to fluctuations of the signal transmission caused by time-varying multipath effects. At shorter ranges, the temporal variations are dominated by acoustic scattering from the moving sea surface. Therefore, the channel model produces a coherence function which may be interpreted as a time-varying reflection coefficient for the surface scattered acoustical path. A static, range-independent ray model identifies the significant multipaths, and the surface path is modulated with the time-varying reflection coefficient. The advantages and limitations of the channel model are discussed and assumptions necessary to overcome the limitations are emphasised. Based on the assumptions, an algorithm has been developed and implemented to model how a binary message will be modulated when transmitted by a transducer, is distorted in the channel and finally is received by a transducer array     

Cepheid Limb Darkening Models for the VLTI

We present a new method to compute wavelength- and phase-dependent limb darkening corrections for classical Cepheids. These corrections are derived from hydrodynamic simulations and radiative transfer modeling with a full set of atomic and molecular opacities. Comparison with hydrostatic models having the same stellar parameters show a larger limb darkening for most phases in our models, and temporal variations related to the hydrodynamics of the stellar pulsation. Weassess the implications of our results with respect to the geometric Baade-Wesselink method, which uses interferometric measurements of Cepheid angular diameters to determine their distances and radii. The relevance of the hydrodynamic effects predicted by our model on the limb darkening of pulsating Cepheids is finally discussed in terms of the predicted capabilities of the VLTI. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

MS 1603.6+2600: an accretion disc corona source?

We have observed the eclipsing low-mass X-ray binary MS 1603.6+2600 with Chandra for 7 ks. The X-ray spectrum is well fit with a single absorbed power law with an index of ∼2. We find a clear sinusoidal modulation in the X-ray light curve with a period of  1.7 ± 0.2 h  , consistent with the period of 1.85 h found before. However, no (partial) eclipses were found. We argue that if the X-ray flare observed in earlier X-ray observations was a type I X-ray burst, then the source can only be an accretion disc corona source at a distance of ∼11–24 kpc (implying a height above the Galactic disc of ∼8–17 kpc). It has also been proposed in the literature that MS 1603.76+2600 is a dipper at ∼75 kpc. We argue that, in this dipper scenario, the observed optical properties of MS 1603.6+2600 are difficult to reconcile with the optical properties one would expect on the basis of comparisons with other high-inclination, low-mass X-ray binaries, unless the X-ray flare was not a type I X-ray burst. In that case, the source can be a nearby soft X-ray transient accreting at a quiescent rate, as was proposed by Hakala et al., or a high-inclination source at ∼15–20 kpc.     

On a new species ofPavlova (Prymnesiophyceae) from China

Pavlova viridis sp. nov. is described on the basis of light and electron microscope observations. The material was collected from the coast of haiyang county of Shandong, China. It is characterized by 1) yellowish green to green chloroplast, 2) rudimentary short flagellum 0.3 μm long and hook-shaped, 3) long flagellum with small spherical knob-scales, 4) absence of pyrenoid and stigma, and 5) marine habitat. This new species andP. salina seem to be most closely related to each other but their colour, the insertion of their three appendages, the shape of their knob scales, and their cell periplasts are quite different from one another. Contribution No. 1879 from the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica