A Collimated Stellar Wind Emanating from a Massive Protostar

We report multi-wavelength observations towards IRAS 16547–4247, a luminous infrared source with a bolometric luminosity of 6.2 × 10⁴ L _⊙. Dust continuum observations at 1.2-mm indicate that this object is associated with a dust cloud with a size of about 0.4 pc in diameter and a mass of about 1.3 × 10³ M _⊙. Radio continuum observations show the presence of a triple radio source consisting of a compact central object and two outer lobes, separated by about 0.3 pc, symmetrically located from the central source. Molecular hydrogen line observations show a chain of knots that trace a collimated flow extending over 1.5 pc. We suggest that IRAS 16547–4247 corresponds to a dense massive core which hosts near its central region a high-mass star in an early stage of evolution. This massive YSO is undergoing the ejection of a collimated stellar wind which drives the H₂ flow. The radio emission from the lobes arises in shocks resulting from the interaction of the collimated wind with the surrounding medium. We conclude that the thermal jets found in the formation of low-mass stars are also produced in high-mass stars.     

Very long baseline interferometry detection of an Infrared-Faint Radio Source

Infrared-Faint Radio Sources represent a new and unexpected class of object which is bright at radio wavelengths but unusually faint at infrared wavelengths. If, like most mJy radio sources, they were either conventional active or star-forming galaxies in the local Universe, we would expect them to be detectable at infrared wavelengths, and so their non-detection by the Spitzer Space Telescope is surprising. Here, we report the detection of one of these sources using very long baseline interferometry, from which we conclude that the sources are driven by active galactic nuclei. We suggest that these sources are either normal radio-loud quasars at high redshift or abnormally obscured radio galaxies.     

Evolutionary Map of the Universe: Tracing Clusters to High Red-shift

The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) is a new radio-telescope being built in Western Australia. One of the key surveys for which it is being built is EMU (Evolutionary Map of the Universe), which will make a deep (∼10 μJy/bm rms) radio continuum survey covering the entire sky as far North as +30°. EMU may be compared to the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS), except that it will have about 45 times the sensitivity, and five times the resolution. EMU will also have much better sensitivity to diffuse emission than previous large surveys, and is expected to produce a large catalogue of relics, tailed galaxies, and halos, and will increase the number of known clusters by a significant factor. Here we describe the EMU project and its impact on the astrophysics of clusters.     

Cainozoic history of southern New Zealand: An accord between geological observations and plate-tectonic predictions

Sea-floor spreading data from the Southwest Pacific have recently been used to predict the Cainozoic geological history along the Indo-Australian/Pacific plate boundary. Geologic and sedimentologic data pertaining to this plate boundary where it crosses southern New Zealand, as the Alpine Fault, are summarised and discussed. It is concluded that there is a close accord between the plate-tectonic predictions and South Island Cainozoic geological history. In particular, (1) no Cainozoic plate boundary traversed the New Zealand region prior to 38 m.y. B.P. (late Eocene); (2) transcurrent movement on the Alpine Fault took place largely between ca. 30 m.y. B.P. (middle Oligocene) and ca. 10 m.y. B.P. (late Miocene); and (3) the period 10 m.y. B.P. to present corresponds to a phase of oblique compression, continental collision, and mountain building along the Alpine Fault sector of the plate boundary. There is a close correlation between the sites and histories of Cainozoic sedimentation and this tectonic timetable.     

OBC signal fidelity

A suite of three tests was performed to characterize the signal fidelity of OBC 4C acquisition systems. The test methodology was to evaluate individual sensor stations by acquiring source lines that were parallel to the in‐line and cross‐line horizontal sensors and source lines that were at 45° to the in‐line and cross‐line sensors. This technique provides constant azimuth gathers with a uniform offset range and removes issues associated with source array directivity. Characterization of the test data identified the frequency content of the geophone signals and the correlation between the vertical and cross‐line geophones as the most sensitive indicators of signal infidelity. In the former case, stations with questionable signal fidelity exhibited a very reverberatory signal. This signal was most evident on the cross‐line sensor. In the latter case, when normalized cross‐correlation coefficients are computed in a moving window, the cross‐line sensor and the vertical sensor are highly correlated, beginning several hundred milliseconds after the first arrivals. These characteristics can be exploited to allow stations with questionable signal fidelity to be programmatically identified. One means of identifying questionable stations is to compute the histogram of the instantaneous frequency. The frequency distributions from questionable stations are unambiguously distinguishable from stations that exhibit better signal fidelity. It was noted that signal fidelity appeared as a range, between acceptable and poor. To characterize the signal fidelity of an acquisition system adequately, the number of test samples must be statistically significant.     

Non-destructive damage evaluation of a structure from limited modal parameters

A method to predict structural damage in its location and severity from modal characteristics of the damaged structure is proposed. No a priori knowledge of the modal characteristics of a corresponding baseline structure is required in the proposed formulation. Instead, information on the geometry of the structure which is reflected in its mass and stiffness distribution is needed. From matrix structural analysis, a system of equations is generated which relates the relative change of stiffness of structural members to a load vector generated from modal parameters of the damaged structure. Different solution techniques are suggested to determine the damage from the generated equations. The feasibility of the proposed formulation is demonstrated via a numerical example of a 10-storey building. Further, an error investigation on the error in the damage predictions due to uncertainties in the input data is carried out.