Optical and infrared diagnostics of SDSS galaxies in the SWIRE survey

We present the rest-frame optical and infrared colours of a complete sample of  1114 z < 0.3  galaxies from the Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic (SWIRE) Legacy Survey and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We discuss the optical and infrared colours of our sample and analyse in detail the contribution of dusty star-forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGN) to optically selected red sequence galaxies.
We propose that the optical  ( g − r )  colour and infrared  log( L ₂₄/ L _3.6)  colour of galaxies in our sample are determined primarily by a bulge-to-disc ratio. The  ( g − r )  colour is found to be sensitive to the bulge-to-disc ratio for disc-dominated galaxies, whereas the  log( L ₂₄/ L _3.6)  colour is more sensitive for bulge-dominated systems.
We identify ∼18 per cent (195 sources) of our sample as having red optical colours and infrared excess. Typically, the infrared luminosities of these galaxies are found to be at the high end of star-forming galaxies with blue optical colours. Using emission-line diagnostic diagrams, 78 are found to have an AGN contribution and 117 are identified as star-forming systems. The red  ( g − r )  colour of the star-forming galaxies could be explained by extinction. However, their high optical luminosities cannot. We conclude that they have a significant bulge component.
The number densities of optically red star-forming galaxies are found to correspond to ∼13 per cent of the total number density of our sample. In addition, these systems contribute ∼13 per cent of the total optical luminosity density, and 28 per cent of the total infrared luminosity density of our SWIRE/SDSS sample. These objects may reduce the need for 'dry mergers'.     

InFOCμS Hard X-ray Imaging Telescope

InFOCμS is a new generation balloon-borne hard X-ray telescope with focusing optics and spectroscopy. We had a successful 22.5-hour flight from Fort Sumner, NM on September 16,17, 2004. In this paper, we present the performance of the hard X-ray telescope, which consists of a depth-graded platinum/carbon multilayer mirror and a CdZnTe detector. The telescope has an effective area of 49 cm² at 30 keV, an angular resolution of 2.4 arcmin (HPD), and a field of view of 11 arcmin (FWHM) depending on energies. The CdZnTe detector is configured with a 12 × 12 segmented array of detector pixels. The pixels are 2 mm square, and are placed on 2.1 mm centers. An averaged energy resolution is 4.4 keV at 60 keV and its standard deviation is 0.36 keV over 128 pixels. The detector is surrounded by a 3-cm thick CsI anti coincidence shield to reduce background from particles and photons not incident along the mirror focal direction. The inflight background is 2.9 × 10⁻⁴ cts cm⁻² sec⁻¹ keV⁻¹ in the 20–50 keV band.     

Small D-Spacing WC/SiC Multilayers for Future Hard X-Ray Telescope Designs

Multilayer coatings for reflecting hard X-rays up to 80 keV, like W/Si and Pt/C, have been studied for several years. To go to higher energies, in the range of 100 keV to 250 keV, one needs coatings with smaller d-spacings than can currently be made with these material combinations, and a lower interfacial roughness. With the new material combinations of WC/SiC the interface roughness can be reduced down to between 0.23 nm and 0.25 nm enabling bi-layer thicknesses down to 1.0 nm to reflect efficiently. The production of thinner period coatings thus enables the possibility for focusing optic designs with reasonable focal lengths and throughput up to 250 keV.     

In between β Lyrae and Algol: The Case Of V356 Sgr

The eclipsing binary system V356 Sgr is of considerable interest, since it is probably at the very end of its mass transfer phase, i.e. between β Lyrae and Algol. Hence, the binary provides an opportunity to directly examine the exposed core of a star for signatures of nuclear burning, and to test stellar evolution models. The system is composed of an early B star accreting matter from a Roche-lobe filling A2 II star. Recently, with progress in the UV spectral region, significant revision of previous values for absolute parameters has been made. Therefore, we find it justified and important to present a new photometric solution. Our model is compared to an early disk model, and is discussed in the framework of mass transfer processes in this binary system.     

Evidence for multiple 4.0–3.7 Ga impact events within the Apollo 16 collection

In a histogram of lunar impact ages from the Apollo 16 site, there is a spike circa 3.9 Ga that has been interpreted to represent either a large number of nearly synchronous events or an abundance of samples that were affected slightly differently by the event that produced the Imbrium basin. To further scrutinize those age relationships, we extracted six centimeter‐sized clasts of impact melt from ancient regolith breccia 60016 and performed petrological and geochronological (⁴⁰Ar‐³⁹Ar) analyses. Three clasts have similar poikilitic textures, while others have porphyritic, aphanitic, or intergranular textures. Compositions and abundances of relict minerals are different in all six clasts and variously imply Mg‐suite and ferroan anorthosite target sequences. Estimated bulk compositions of four clasts are similar to previously defined group 1 Apollo 16 impact melt rocks, while the other two have higher Al₂O₃ and lower FeO+MgO compositions. All six clasts have similar K₂O and P₂O₅ concentrations, which could have been derived from a KREEP‐bearing component among target sequences. Eighteen ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar analyses of the six clasts produced an age range from 3823 ± 75 to 4000 ± 23 Ma, consistent with estimates for the proposed late heavy bombardment. Four clasts have multiple temperature steps that define plateau ages. These ages are distinct, so they cannot be explained by a single impact event, such as the one that produced the Imbrium impact basin. The conclusion that these represent distinct ages remains after considering the possibility of artifacts in defining plateaus.     

The value of the superstring tension and dark matter

We start from our extended scenario for the formation of astronomical objects from fragmenting macroscopic superstrings, and we combine it with our view of an “orderly” fragmentation applied to the formation of black holes (Brosche, Lentes & Tassie 2003), now to the whole objects: the radial order of the matter should be preserved. Then we have to adapt the value of the superstring tension derived from the observed ratios of κ = (angular momentum)/(mass squared). If we calculate potential energies on the basis of a fragmentation until baryonic elementary particles, it turns out that the changed string tension explains as well the mechanical state of observed astronomical objects (without large energy loss on the way from the parent string parts) as also the fraction of bound to unbound matter (about 1:10). The implied superstring tension is about μ = (1/3000) c ²/G . This corresponds to a string tension of 4 × 10⁴⁰ Newton. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)