The role of AGN in the colour transformation of galaxies at redshifts z≈ 1

We explore the role of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in establishing and/or maintaining the bimodal colour distribution of galaxies by quenching their star formation and hence, causing their transition from the blue to the red cloud. Important tests for this scenario include (i) the X-ray properties of galaxies in the transition zone between the two clouds and (ii) the incidence of AGN in post-starbursts, i.e. systems observed shortly after (<1 Gyr) the termination of their star formation. We perform these tests by combining deep Chandra observations with multiwavelength data from the All-wavelength Extended Groth strip International Survey (AEGIS). Stacking the X-ray photons at the positions of galaxies  (0.4 < z < 0.9)  not individually detected at X-ray wavelengths suggests a population of obscured AGN among sources in the transition zone and in the red cloud. Their mean X-ray and mid-infrared (IR) properties are consistent with moderately obscured low-luminosity AGN, Compton thick sources or a mix of both. Morphologies show that major mergers are unlikely to drive the evolution of this population but minor interactions may play a role. The incidence of obscured AGN in the red cloud (both direct detections and stacking results) suggests that black hole (BH) accretion outlives the termination of the star formation. This is also supported by our finding that post-starburst galaxies at z ≈ 0.8 and AGN are associated, in agreement with recent results at low z . A large fraction of post-starbursts and red cloud galaxies show evidence for at least moderate levels of AGN obscuration. This implies that if AGN outflows cause the colour transformation of galaxies, then some nuclear gas and dust clouds either remain unaffected or relax to the central galaxy regions after quenching their star formation.     

Star formation in galaxies falling into clusters along supercluster-scale filaments

With the help of a statistical parameter derived from optical spectra, we show that the current star formation rate of a galaxy, falling into a cluster along a supercluster filament, is likely to undergo a sudden enhancement before the galaxy reaches the virial radius of the cluster. From a sample of 52 supercluster-scale filaments of galaxies joining a pair of rich clusters of galaxies within the two-degree Field Redshift Survey region, we find a significant enhancement of star formation, within a narrow range between ∼2 and  3  h ⁻¹₇₀ Mpc  of the centre of the cluster into which the galaxy is falling. This burst of star formation is almost exclusively seen in the fainter dwarf galaxies  ( M _B ≥−20)  . The relative position of the peak does not depend on whether the galaxy is a member of a group or not, but non-group galaxies have on average a higher rate of star formation immediately before falling into a cluster. From the various trends, we conclude that the predominant process responsible for this rapid burst is the close interaction with other galaxies falling into the cluster along the same filament, if the interaction occurs before the gas reservoir of the galaxy gets stripped off due to the interaction with the intracluster medium.     

Bulk flow and shear moments of the SFI++ survey

We find the nine bulk flow and shear moments from the SFI++ survey, as well as for subsamples of group and field galaxies. We constrain the velocity power spectrum shape parameter Γ in linear theory using these moments. A likelihood function for Γ was found after marginalizing over the power spectrum amplitude  σ₈Ω^0.6_m  using constraints obtained from comparisons between redshift surveys and peculiar velocity data. We have estimated the velocity noise  σ_*  from the data since without it our results may be biased. We also performed a statistical analysis of the difference between the field and group catalogues and found that the results from each reflect the same underlying large-scale flows. We found that we can constrain the power spectrum shape parameter to be  Γ= 0.15^+0.18_−0.08  for the groups catalogue and  Γ= 0.09^+0.04_−0.04  for the field galaxy catalogue in fair agreement with the value from Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe .     

Unbiased estimates of galaxy scaling relations from photometric redshift surveys

Many physical properties of galaxies correlate with one another, and these correlations are often used to constrain galaxy formation models. Such correlations include the colour–magnitude relation, the luminosity–size relation, the fundamental plane, etc. However, the transformation from observable (e.g. angular size, apparent brightness) to physical quantity (physical size, luminosity) is often distance dependent. Noise in the distance estimate will lead to biased estimates of these correlations, thus compromising the ability of photometric redshift surveys to constrain galaxy formation models. We describe two methods which can remove this bias. One is a generalization of the V _max method, and the other is a maximum-likelihood approach. We illustrate their effectiveness by studying the size–luminosity relation in a mock catalogue, although both methods can be applied to other scaling relations as well. We show that if one simply uses photometric redshifts one obtains a biased relation; our methods correct for this bias and recover the true relation.     

Spitzer IRAC infrared colours of submillimetre-bright galaxies

High-redshift submillimetre-bright galaxies identified by blank field surveys at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths appear in the region of the Infra Red Array Camera (IRAC) colour–colour diagrams previously identified as the domain of luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Our analysis using a set of empirical and theoretical dusty starburst spectral energy distribution (SED) models shows that power-law continuum sources associated with hot dust heated by young (≲100 Myr old), extreme starbursts at z > 2 also occupy the same general area as AGNs in the IRAC colour–colour plots. A detailed comparison of the IRAC colours and SEDs demonstrates that the two populations are distinct from each other, with submillimetre-bright galaxies having a systematically flatter IRAC spectrum (≳1 mag bluer in the observed [4.5]–[8.0] colour). Only about 20 per cent of the objects overlap in the colour–colour plots, and this low fraction suggests that submillimetre galaxies powered by a dust-obscured AGN are not common. The red infrared colours of the submillimetre galaxies are distinct from those of the ubiquitous foreground IRAC sources, and we propose a set of infrared colour selection criteria for identifying SMG counterparts that can be used even in the absence of radio or Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) 24 μm data.     

A New Bolide Station at the High Tatra Mountains

The European Fireball Network (EN) is operating since 1963 and one of its stable stations, from the very beginning, is the station at the Skalnate Pleso Observatory in the High Tatras. The station is sited at a height of 1788 m. More than 2900 expositions has been made at the Skalnate Pleso station since 1964 and among them one significant and spectacular event was recorded––bolide Turji-Remety in 2001 followed by a fall of about 450 kg meteorite (Spurny and Porubcan [in: Warmbein (ed.) Asteroids Comets Meteors, 2002]). A systematic search for the meteorite was unsuccessful. The new station having an ideal horizon will be operating since July 2007 on the top of Lomnicky Stit (2636 m above the sea level). This station will be equipped with an Autonomous Fireball Observatory of the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, which are already utilized in the Czech part of the EN for several years.     

Estimation of surface albedo increase during the eighties Sahel drought from Meteosat observations

The devastating drought in the Sahel during the 70s and the 80s is among the most undisputed and largest recent climate event recognized by the research community. This dramatic climate event has generated numerous sensitivity analyses on land-atmosphere feedback mechanisms with contradicting conclusions on surface albedo response to precipitation changes. Recent improvements in the calibration and quantitative exploitation of archived Meteosat data for the retrieval of surface albedo have permitted to compare surface albedo of 1884, the driest year of the 80s, with year 2003 which had similar precipitation rate than conditions prevailing prior to the 80s drought. This analysis reveals detailed information on the geographical extension and magnitude of the surface albedo increase during from the 80s drought. A mean zonal increase in broadband surface albedo of about 0.06 between 1984 and 2003 has been estimated from the analysis of Meteosat observations. Regions particularly affected by the 1980s drought are essentially located into a narrow band of about 2° width along 16°N running from 18°W up to 20°E. Within this geographical area, surface albedo changes are not homogeneous and largest differences might locally exceed 0.15 whereas other places remained almost unaffected. The variety of previously published results might be explained by these important spatial variations observed around 16°N.     

Earth’s precession–nutation motion: the error analysis of the theories IAU 2000 and IAU 2006 applying the VLBI data of the years 1984–2006

The long-term systematic errors of the analytical theories IAU 2000 and IAU 2006 of the Earth’s precession–nutational motion are studied making use of the VLBI data of 1984–2007. Several independent methods give indubitable evidence of the significant quadratic error in the IAU 2000 residuals of the precessional angle while the adopted value of the secular decrease /cy of the Earth’s ellipticity e (derived from Satellite Laser Ranging data) should manifest itself in the residuals of as the negative quadratic trend . The problem with the precession of the IAU 2006 theory adopted as a new international standard and based on the precession model P03 (Capitaine et al., Astron Astrophys 432:355–367, 2005) appears to be even more serious because the above mentioned quadratic term has already been incorporated into the P03 precession. Our analysis of the VLBI data demonstrates that the quadratic trend of the IAU 2006 residuals does amount to the expected value (30.0 ± 3) mas/cy². It means, first, that the theoretical precession rate of IAU 2006 should be augmented by the large secular correction and, second, that the available VLBI data have potentiality of estimating the rate . And indeed, processing these data by the numerical theory ERA of the Earth’s rotation (Krasinsky, Celest Mech Dyn Astron 96:169–217, 2006, Krasinsky and Vasilyev, Celest Mech Dyn Astron 96:219–237, 2006) yields the estimate /cy statistically in accordance with the satellite-based . On the other hand, applying IAU 2000/2006 models, the positive value /cy is found which is incompatible with the SLR estimate and, evidently, has no physical meaning. The large and steadily increasing error of the precession motion of the IAU 2006 theory makes the task of replacing IAU 2006 by a more accurate model be most pressing.     

东海小黄鱼(Pseudosciaena polyactis)热泵-热风联合干燥技术优化及品质分析

为了改善东海小黄鱼(Pseudosciaena polyactis)干制品的质量, 采用热泵等各种干燥技术, 对干制品复水比、色差值、T-VBN值、细菌总数以及能耗值等指标进行分析测定。结果表明, 热泵联合干燥技术明显优于传统热风干燥技术。进一步对联合干燥过程中影响干燥速率和干制品品质的因素进行分析(包括装填物料量、循环风速、干燥室温度和相对湿度等)。研究得出: 对重量为150g左右的小黄鱼, 干燥室温度为50℃、循环风速为2.0m/s、装填物料量为10kg、干燥室相对湿度控制在30%时干燥效果最佳, 并且节能明显, 降低能耗达到34.6%。该成果的推广应用将大大降低水产品干燥过程中的能耗问题。