Instruments, Detectors and the Future of Astronomy with Large Ground Based Telescopes

Results of a survey of instrumentation and detector systems, either currently deployed or planned for use at telescopes larger than 3.5 m, in ground based observatories world-wide, are presented. This survey revealed a number of instrumentation design trends at optical, near, and mid-infrared wavelengths. Some of the most prominent trends include the development of vastly larger optical detector systems (> 10⁹ pixels) than anything built to date, and the frequent use of mosaics of near-infrared detectors – something that was quite rare only a decade ago in astronomy. Some future science applications for detectors are then explored, in an attempt to build a bridge between current detectors and what will be needed to support the research ambitions of astronomers in the future.     

On the origin of the galactic ridge recombination lines

Radio recombination lines are known to be observable at positions along the galactic ridge which are free of discrete continuum sources. Based on the results of a recent survey of H272α lines it is shown that most of the observed galactic ridge recombination lines can be explained as emission from outer low-density envelopes of normal Hn regions. The distribution of low-density ionized gas and discrete HII regions as a function of the distance from the galactic centre is also derived.     

Spatially resolved mid-infrared spectroscopy of IC 5063

We present spatially resolved 10-μm spectra of the nucleus of IC 5063 that are near-diffraction-limited. The observations were obtained with T-ReCS, the mid-infrared (mid-IR) imager and spectrometer on the 8.1-m Gemini South telescope, with the slit aligned at a position angle on the sky along the direction of the cone of narrow-line emission. The spectra cover the nucleus and the inner reaches of the ionization cones at a spatial resolution of approximately 0.4 arcsec (90 pc). Individual spectra, extracted in steps in the spatial direction along the slit, reveal variations in continuum slope and silicate feature profile and depth on subarcsecond scales, illustrating in unprecedented detail the complexity of the circumnuclear regions of this galaxy at mid-IR wavelengths. The dust population in the vicinity of the narrow-line region, north-west of the nuclear position, is significantly warmer than that to the south-east of the nucleus. This is consistent with an observation of the cooler dust associated with the outer reaches of the postulated torus that obscures the type 1 nucleus in this object.     

Active galactic nuclei dust tori at low and high luminosities

A cornerstone of active galactic nuclei (AGN) unification schemes is the presence of an optically and a geometrically thick dust torus. It provides the obscuration to explain the difference between type 1 and type 2 AGN. We investigate the influence of the dust distribution on the Eddington limit of the torus. For smooth dust distributions, the Eddingtion limit on the dust alone is five orders of magnitudes below the limit for electron scattering in a fully ionized plasma, while a clumpy dust torus has an Eddington limit slightly larger than the classical one. We study the behaviour of a clumpy torus at low and high AGN luminosities. For low luminosities of the order of  ∼10⁴² erg s⁻¹  , the torus changes its characteristics and obscuration becomes insufficient. In the high-luminosity regime, the clumpy torus can show a behaviour which is consistent with the 'receding torus' picture. The derived luminosity-dependent fraction of type 2 objects agrees with recent observational results. Moreover, the luminosity-dependent covering factor in a clumpy torus may explain the presence of broad-line AGN with high column densities in X-rays.     

The influence of central black holes on gravitational lenses

Recent observations indicate that many if not all galaxies host massive central black holes. In this paper we explore the influence of black holes on the lensing properties. We model the lens as an isothermal ellipsoid with a finite core radius plus a central black hole. We show that the presence of the black hole substantially changes the critical curves and caustics. If the black hole mass is above a critical value, then it will completely suppress the central images for all source positions. Realistic central black holes are likely to have masses below this critical value. Even in such subcritical cases, the black hole can suppress the central image when the source is inside a zone of influence, which depends on the core radius and black hole mass. In the subcritical cases, an additional image may be created by the black hole in some regions, which for some radio lenses may be detectable with high-resolution and large dynamic range VLBI maps. The presence of central black holes should also be taken into account when one constrains the core radius from the lack of central images in gravitational lenses.     

A Polarization Study of Radio Galaxies and Quasars selected from the Molonglo Complete Sample

We present total intensity and linear polarization observations made with the Very Large Array at λλ20 and 6 cm of a representative sample of 42 radio galaxies and quasars selected from the Molonglo complete sample. The sources have been chosen to be of large size to probe the depolarizing medium on these scales using our present data and later with observations at lower frequencies with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope. The λ20 and 6 cm data are of similar resolutions and show that depolarization between these two wavelengths is seen largely only in those lobes which are within about 300 kpc of the parent galaxy. Examination of the depolarization of the lobes with arm-length asymmetry shows that depolarization is observed predominantly for the lobe which is closer to the nucleus. There is also a trend for the lobe closer to the nucleus to be brighter, consistent with the scenario that the nearer lobe is interacting with a denser environment which is responsible for the higher depolarization and greater dissipation of energy. We have also examined the depolarization asymmetry of the lobes on opposite sides of the nucleus for galaxies and quasars. This shows that the depolarization asymmetry for quasars is marginally higher than that for galaxies. The depolarization properties of our sample are possibly determined by an asymmetric environment as well as the effects of orientation.     

A steady-state solution for warped accretion discs

We consider a thin accretion disc warped due to the Bardeen–Petterson effect, presenting both analytical and numerical solutions for the situation in which the two viscosity coefficients vary with radius as a power law, with the two power-law indices not necessarily equal. The analytical solutions are compared with numerical ones, showing that our new analytical solution is more accurate than the previous one, which overestimated the inclination change in the outer disc. Our new analytical solution is appropriate for moderately warped discs, while for extremely misaligned discs only a numerical solution is appropriate.     

Oort Cloud Comet Perihelion Asymmetries: Galactic Tide, Shower or Observational Bias?

We investigate the distribution of Oort cloud comet perihelia. The data considered includes comets having orbital elements of the two highest quality classes with original energies designated as new or young. Perihelion directions are determined in galactic, ecliptic and geocentric equatorial coordinates. Asymmetries are detected in the scatter and are studied statistically for evidence of adiabatic galactic tidal dynamics, an impulse-induced shower and observational bias. The only bias detected is the well-known deficiency of observations with perihelion distances q > 2.5 AU. There is no significant evidence of a seasonal dependence. Nor is there a substantive hemispherical bias in either ecliptic or equatorial coordinates. There is evidence for a weak stellar shower previously detected by Biermann which accounts for ≈ 10% of the total observations. Both the q bias and the Biermann star track serve to weaken the evidence for a galactic tidal imprint. Nevertheless, statistically significant asymmetries in galactic latitude and longitude of perihelia remain. A latitude asymmetry is produced by a dominant tidal component perpendicular to the galactic disk. The longitude signal implies that ≈ 20% of new comets need an additional dynamical mechanism. Known disk non-uniformities and an hypothetical bound perturber are discussed as potential explanations. We conclude that the detected dynamical signature of the galactic tide is real and is not an artifact of observational bias, impulsive showers or poor data. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.