On the Geometry of Broad-Line Regions in BL Lac Objects

The geometry of broad-line regions (BLRs) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is still controversial. We use a sample of BL Lac objects, of which the black hole masses Mbh are estimated from their host galaxy absolute magnitude at R-band, MR, by using the empirical relation between MR and black hole mass Mbh. The sizes of the broad-line regions for Mgn are derived from the widths of Mgn lines and the black hole masses. Compared with the empirical relation between BLR size RBLR and MgII line luminosity LMgII, it is found the BLR sizes in the BL Lac objects derived in this paper are 2-3 orders of magnitude higher. If the BLR geometry of these sources is disklike, then the viewing angle between the axis and the line of sight is in the range of ~ 2°-15°, which is consistent with the unification scheme.     

A rotational light curve for the Kuiper belt object 1997 CV29

We present R- and V-band rotational light curves for classical Kuiper belt object 1997 CV₂₉. The imaging data was obtained from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) archive located at the Canadian Astronomical Data Center (CADC). The data consist of one nights observations of a series of 42, 8 minute exposures in R band followed by 33, 8 minute exposures in V band acquired on the following night. Using relative photometry we determined a highly significant variation in the brightness of 1997 CV₂₉. Using phase-dispersion-minimization we find 8.0, 11.2, and 15.8 hrs to be the most likely, periods of rotation and we argue that the ∼16 hr period is the most likely based on our limited observing window. The phased light curve has a peak-to-peak range of Δm?0.4±0.1 mag suggesting an axial ratio of a/b?1.45.     

Diverse albedos of small trans-neptunian objects

Discovery of trans-neptunian object (TNO) satellites and determination of their orbits has recently enabled estimation of the size and albedo of several small TNOs, extending the size range of objects having known size and albedo down into the sub-100 km range. In this paper we compute albedo and size estimates or limits for 20 TNOs, using a consistent method for all binary objects and a consistent method for all objects having reported thermal fluxes. As is true for larger TNOs, the small objects show a remarkable diversity of albedos. Although the sample is limited, there do not yet appear to be any trends relating albedo to other observable properties or to dynamical class, with the possible exception of inclination. The observed albedo diversity of TNOs has important implications for computing the size-frequency distribution, the mass, and other global properties of the Kuiper belt derived from observations of objects' apparent magnitudes and may also point the way toward an improved compositional taxonomy based on albedo in addition to color.     

Faraday rotation in the VLBI core of BL Lacertae

External Faraday rotation has been detected in both the core and the parsec-scale jet of BL Lac in a four-frequency very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) experiment. This unexpected result indicates the presence of significant amounts of thermal gas close to the nucleus of this object. The rotation measure (RM) in the jet components is constant, and differs from the currently accepted Galactic RM, indicating that this value (−205 rad m⁻²) is not applicable to the components in the parsec-scale jet. The similarity of the RM in these jet components leads us to suspect that the jet RM is caused by a foreground screen in our Galaxy, although we cannot rule out a combination of Galactic RM and RM local to the jet. If the jet RM is due solely to the Galaxy, this would mean that the currently accepted value of the foreground RM (−205 rad m⁻² ) is not correct, either because the value changed between 1982 and 1997, or because the assumption of no intrinsic source rotation was incorrect, as it was at our later epoch of observation. Our observations suggest a value of     .
After correcting for the foreground RM, the core value is −427 rad m⁻², which is unexpected since, owing to the weakness of their line emission, BL Lac objects are often assumed to be depleted in gas. The core RM appears to be variable, probably because of the presence of at least two polarized components close to the core the relative contributions of which vary with time.     

Methods and Results of an Optical Search for Extraterrestrial Civilizations

I summarize fully-sampled observations of the 3 mm emission from CO and HCN in the inner arcminute of NGC 1068. The CO emission is distributed in the form of a molecular bar, coincident with the infrared bar, from which emanate two spiral arms. A relatively weak concentration of CO line emission is found at the nucleus. By contrast, the HCN emission is strongly concentrated at the center, with relatively weak emission in the region of the star-forming arms. The ratio of HCN to CO integrated intensities is about 0.6 over the central r ≉ 175 pc and is the highest ratio measured in the center of any galaxy; the ratio reflects the high thermal pressure (TK ~ 50 K, n[H2] ~ 4 × 106 cm-3) in the few hundred parsecs surrounding the nucleus. The kinematics in the star-forming arms are well described by circular orbits, with ordered noncircular motions of < 30 km s-1 that may be attributed to spiral density wave streaming. Interior to the bar, noncircular motions dominate the gas kinematics. A model of the CO kinematics contrains any Inner Lindblad Resonance to be close to the location of the hundred-parsec scale HCN ‘disk’. At the nucleus, the spatially unresolved CO emission shows a triplet velocity structure characteristic of kinematically independent regions. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A Possible 456-Day Optical Period of OQ 530

The post-1994observationsof the blazar OQ 530 in optical BV RI bands, and radio observations at 22GHz and 37GHz were collected. The date compensated discrete Fourier transform (DCDFT) and CLEANest methods were used to search for possible periodicities. Two possible periods of 456±100 days and 258±29 days were found in the optical bands. The existence of possible correlations between the optical and radio emissions was investigated by means of discrete correlation function (DCF) analysis, and no significant correlation was found. Some possible mechanisms for the periodic variability are discussed.     

复合面状对象拓扑关系的表达模型

为表达复合面状对象间的细节拓扑关系,对经典9-交集模型进行了改进,给出两种基于分解思想的9-交集模型,其中分解成简单区域的9-交集模型方法相对简单,但表现形式繁琐;分解成点集的9-交集模型的表现形式符合经典9-交集模型,但计算较为复杂。通过示例比较了两种扩展9-交集模型及经典9-交集模型的表达能力。结果表明,两种扩展交集模型均能准确地表达出复合面状对象各子部分之间的拓扑关系的细节,扩充了9-交集模型的表达能力。