HST Planetary Camera images of quasar host galaxies

We present Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) images of seven low-redshift quasars (six taken with the Planetary Camera, one with the Wide Field Camera). These complete the sample of 14 quasars observed by the Faint Object Camera Investigation Definition Team (FOC IDT). Following subtraction of the quasar nuclear light, host galaxies can be seen in all seven cases. A combination of the optical morphology and luminosity profiles of the residual host galaxies and the results of 2D cross-correlation model fitting implies that five of the objects have elliptical host galaxies and two have disc host galaxies. The luminosities vary from slightly fainter than L ^* to about 1.3 mag brighter than L ^*.   We discuss the properties of the complete sample of 14 quasars. Nine of the objects appear to have elliptical host galaxies (all six of the radio-loud quasars in the sample as well as three radio-quiet quasars). Two further radio-quiet quasars appear to lie in disc galaxies. The other three objects (radio-quiet, ultraluminous infrared quasars) all lie in violently interacting systems. The sample as a whole has an average luminosity about 0.8 mag brighter than L ^*, although the radio-loud objects have hosts on average 0.7 mag brighter than the radio-quiet objects.   We compare our results with those from HST imaging of quasars by other authors. Taken together, our observations are in broad agreement with those of Bahcall et al. Radio-loud quasars appear to lie in luminous elliptical galaxies whereas radio-quiet quasars are found to lie in either elliptical or spiral hosts. Host galaxy luminosities (of radio-quiet and radio-loud quasars) are much brighter than would be expected if they followed a Schechter luminosity function.     

Foreground separation methods for satellite observations of the cosmic microwave background

A maximum entropy method (MEM) is presented for separating the emission resulting from different foreground components from simulated satellite observations of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR). In particular, the method is applied to simulated observations by the proposed Planck Surveyor satellite. The simulations, performed by Bouchet &38; Gispert, include emission from the CMBR and the kinetic and thermal Sunyaev–Zel'dovich (SZ) effects from galaxy clusters, as well as Galactic dust, free–free and synchrotron emission. We find that the MEM technique performs well and produces faithful reconstructions of the main input components. The method is also compared with traditional Wiener filtering and is shown to produce consistently better results, particularly in the recovery of the thermal SZ effect.     

HST colour–magnitude diagrams of six old globular clusters in the LMC

We report on HST observations of six candidate old globular clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC): NGC 1754, 1835, 1898, 1916, 2005 and 2019. Deep exposures with the F555W and F814W filters provide us with colour–magnitude diagrams that reach to an apparent magnitude in V of ∼25, well below the main-sequence turn-off. These particular clusters are associated with significantly high LMC field star densities and care was taken to subtract the field stars from the cluster colour–magnitude diagrams accurately. In two cases there is significant variable reddening across at least part of the image, but only for NGC 1916 does the differential reddening preclude accurate measurements of the CMD characteristics. The morphologies of the colour–magnitude diagrams match well those of Galactic globular clusters of similar metallicity. All six have well-developed horizontal branches, while four clearly have stars on both sides of the RR Lyrae gap. The abundances obtained from measurements of the height of the red giant branch above the level of the horizontal branch are 0.3 dex higher, on average, than previously measured spectroscopic abundances. Detailed comparisons with Galactic globular cluster fiducials show that all six clusters are old objects, very similar in age to classical Galactic globulars such as M5, with little age spread among the clusters. This result is consistent with ages derived by measuring the magnitude difference between the horizontal branch and main-sequence turn-off. We also find a similar chronology by comparing the horizontal branch morphologies and abundances with the horizontal branch evolutionary tracks of Lee, Demarque &38; Zinn. Our results imply that the LMC formed at the same time as the Milky Way Galaxy.     

The ROSAT Bright Survey: I. Identification of an AGN sample with hard ROSAT X-ray spectra

The ROSAT Bright Survey (RBS) aims to completely optically identify the more than 2000 brightest sources detected in the ROSAT all-sky survey at galactic latitudes |b| > 30° (excluding LMC, SMC, Virgo cluster). This paper presents a subsample of 66 bright point-like ROSAT survey sources with almost hard PSPC spectra, the hardness ratio HR1 is > 0.5 for most of the sources. Teh subsample could be nearly completely identified by low-resolution optical spectroscopy with the following breakdown into object classes: 31 Seyfert galaxies, 22 BL Lac candidates, 5 clusters of galaxies, 1 cataclysmic variable, and 5 bright stars. Only one object remained unidentified and one X-ray source was a spurious detection. The redshift distrbution peaks around 0.06 for the Seyferts and around 0.13 for the BL Lac candidates. Observations with medium spectral resolution were obtained for most of the new Seyfert galaxies. A large fraction (20 objects) are type 1 Seyfert galaxies, the other fraction includes Seyfert galaxies of type 1.5 – 1.8 (5 objects), two LINERs, and 4 possible narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1). About one third of the new Seyfert's have nearby companion galaxies displaying either emission or absorption lines at the same redshift. Among them are a couple of systems showing direct morphological evidence for interaction. The large fraction of interacting galaxies among our sample suggests a scenario where interaction is the main trigger of AGN activity.     

High Angular Resolution Studies of Coronal Structures with SOHO

Since January 1996, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)has been providing unprecedented views of the extended solar coronato heliocentric distances of up to 32 solar radii. During the past threeyears we carried out studies of the morphology and dynamical evolutionof various structures in the solar corona using two instruments on boardSOHO: the Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) and the ExtremeUltraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT). We have applied advanced image resolutionenhancement techniques to explore in detail the characteristics of thesmall-scale structures and/or the low contrast structures in the solarcorona. We describe here the results from these high-angular resolutionstudies, including of the kinematics of several Coronal Mass Ejections andpolar jets.     

The stratigraphy of western Australia

Abstract

Measurements of intensity of magnetization and susceptibility have been made at intervals of 5 ft. on some bore cores from Tasmanian tholeiites of Jurassic age. In all cases the direction of magnetization was nearly vertical. One sill appears to have its upper 700 ft. magnetized normally and its lower part reversed.

The magnetic properties vary very rapidly and show a structure in which narrow regions with high values are superposed on a general increase to a maximum at about 300 ft. from the top of the sill. This coincides with a minimum of the density and a maximum of normative magnetite and total iron and also in the size of the areas of mesostasis.

It is suggested that this behaviour is due to differentiation and that magnetic measurements form an extremely sensitive tool for the study of this process. An attempt is made to show that differentiation by the settling of individual crystals through the sill is impossible in thick sills in which convection does not occur. and that the mechanism must be one of roof stoping in which large blocks of mixed crystals and residual magma fall from the roof to the floor of the sill. The regions with exceptionally high magnetic values which have been observed are regarded as composed of magma trapped between these blocks.     

Matt Wilson structure: record of an impact event of possible Early Mesoproterozoic age,Northern Territory

The Matt Wilson structure is a circular 5.5 km-diameter structure in Early Mesoproterozoic or Neoproterozoic rocks of the Victoria Basin, Northern Territory. It lies in regionally horizontal to gently dipping Wondoan Hill and Stubb Formations (Tijunna Group) and Jasper Gorge Sandstone (Auvergne Group). An outer circumferential syncline with dips of 5?–?40° in the limbs surrounds an intermediate zone with faulted sandstone displaying horizontal to low dips, and a central steeply dipping zone about 1.5 km across. Several thrust faults in the outer syncline appear to indicate outward-directed forces. The central zone, marked by steeply dipping to overturned Tijunna Group and possibly Bullita Group sandstone and mudstone, indicates uplift of at least 300 m. The rocks are intensely fractured with some brecciation, and contain numerous planar to subtly undulating surfaces displaying striae which resemble shatter cleavage. Thin-sections of sandstone from the central area show zones of intense microbrecciation and irregular and planar fractures in quartz, but no melt-rocks have been identified. The planar fractures occur in multiple intersecting parallel sets typical of relatively low-level (5?–?10 GPa) shock-pressure effects. Alternative mechanisms, i.e. igneous intrusion, carbonate collapse, diapirism and regional deformation processes, have been discounted. The circular nature, central uplift, faulting, shatter features and planar fractures are all consistent with an impact origin. The Matt Wilson structure is most likely a deeply eroded impact structure in which the more highly shocked rocks of the original crater floor have been removed by erosion. Estimates of the age of the Auvergne and Tijunna Groups range from Early Mesoproterozoic (which we favour) to Late Neoproterozoic. Early Cambrian Antrim Plateau Volcanics near the impact structure show no signs of impact effects, allowing the age of impact to be constrained between Early Mesoproterozoic and Early Cambrian. The presence of widespread soft-sediment deformation features, apparently confined to a single horizon in the Saddle Creek Formation some 700?–?1000 m stratigraphically higher in the Auvergne Group than the rocks at the impact site, and apparently increasing in thickness towards the Matt Wilson structure, lead us to speculate that this probable event horizon is related to the impact event: if correct the impact occurred during deposition of the Saddle Creek Formation.     

On the correlation of certain lower Dalradian successions in northwest Donegal

Within the Dalradian Series of Donegal, the Creeslough, Maas and Fintown successions, which have hitherto been regarded as stratigraphically distinct, are correlated. A standard terminology for this sequence is proposed and a detailed correlation is made with the Ballachulish Succession, which thus forms all the country around the Donegal Granites, northwest of the faults and thrusts which separate it from the Islay Succession.     

Structural and tectonothermal evolution of the ultrahigh-temperature Bakhuis Granulite Belt,Guiana Shield,Surinam:Palaeoproterozoic to recent

We constrain the multistage tectonic evolution of the Palaeoproterozoic UHT metamorphic(P=0.9–1.0 GPa,T>1000℃,t=2088–2031 Ma)Bakhuis Granulite Belt(BGB)in Surinam on the Guiana Shield,using large-to small-scale structures,Al-in-hornblende thermobarometry and published fluid inclusion and zircon geochronological data.The BGB forms a narrow,NE–SW striking belt between two formerly connected,~E–W oriented granite-greenstone belts,formed between converging Amazonian and West African continental masses prior to collision and Transamazonian orogeny.Inherited detrital zircon in BGB metasediments conforms agewise to Birimian zircon of West Africa and suggests derivation from the subsequently subducted African passive margin.Ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism may have followed slab break-off and asthenospheric heat advection.Peak metamorphic structures result from layer-parallel shearing and folding,reflecting initial transtensional exhumation of the subducted African margin after slab break-off.A second HT event involves intrusion,at ca.0.49 GPa,of charnockites and metagabbros at 1993–1984 Ma and a layered anorthosite at 1980 Ma,after the BGB had already cooled to<400℃.The event is related to northward subduction under the greenstone belts,along a new active margin to their south.A pronounced syntaxial bend in the new margin points northward towards the BGB and is likely the result of indentation by an anticlinorial flexural bulge of the subducting plate.Tearing of the subducting oceanic plate along this bulge explains why the charnockites are restricted to the BGB.The BGB subsequently experienced doming under an extensional detachment exposed in its southwestern border zone.Exhumation was focused in the BGB as a result of the flexural bulge in the subducting plate and localised heating of the overriding plate by charnockite magmatism.The present,straight NE–SW long-side boundaries of the BGB are superimposed mylonite zones,overprinted by pseudotachylites,previously dated at ca.1200 Ma and 950 Ma,respectively.The 1200 Ma mylonites reflect transpressional popping-up of the BGB,caused by EW-directed intraplate principal compressive stresses from Grenvillian collision preserved under the eastern Andes.Further exhumation of the BGB involved the 950 Ma pseudotachylite decorated faulting,and Phanerozoic faulting along reactivated Meso-and Neoproterozoic lineaments.