The efficiency of the spiral-in of a black hole to the Galactic Centre

We study the efficiency at which a black hole or dense star cluster spirals in to the Galactic Centre. This process takes place on a dynamical friction time-scale, which depends on the value of the Coulomb logarithm (ln Λ). We determine the accurate value of this parameter using the direct N -body method, a tree algorithm and a particle-mesh technique with up to two million plus one particles. The three different techniques are in excellent agreement. Our measurement for the Coulomb logarithm appears to be independent of the number of particles. We conclude that  ln Λ= 6.6 ± 0.6  for a massive point particle in the inner few parsec of the Galactic bulge. For an extended object, such as a dense star cluster, ln Λ is smaller, with a value of the logarithm argument Λ inversely proportional to the object size.     

HD 82943行星系统的2:1共振与稳定性

用直接数值积分方法通过模拟不同的行星构型探讨了HD82943行星系统(由两颗共振的巨行星组成)的长期动力演化,同时,还研究了在相空间的轨道运动.在对系统长达107年数值积分中,发现所有的稳定轨道均与2:1共振相关联.典型地,在相同的时标内,两个共振幅角θ1和θ2同时(或其中之一)存在秤动.由于共振幅角在一定范围内的秤动,因而使两颗行星轨道半长径被约束而表现为规则运动模式.另外,利用分析模型(包含了外行星偏心率e2的因素),还讨论了对于不同取值的e2和相对近星点经度θ时,内行星在相空间的运动,并发现2:1轨道共振对于相对较小的e2以及当θ=0°时易于保持.此外,适中的e2将导致系统的两颗行星进入深度共振状态.再者,分析模型和数值计算的结果吻合得很好,两者都揭示了行星系统的2:1共振结构.     

Automatic Determination of Stellar Atmospheric Parameters Using Neural Networks and Instance-Based Machine Learning

In this article we show how machine learning methods can beeffectively applied to the problem of automatically predictingstellar atmospheric parameters from spectral information, a veryimportant problem in stellar astronomy. We apply feedforwardneural networks, Kohonen's self-organizing maps andlocally-weighted regression to predict the stellar atmosphericparameters effective temperature, surface gravity and metallicityfrom spectral indices. Our experimental results show that thethree methods are capable of predicting the parameters with verygood accuracy. Locally weighted regression gives slightly betterresults than the other methods using the original dataset asinput, while self-organizing maps outperform the other methods when significant amounts of noise are added. We also implemented a heterogeneous ensemble of predictors, combining the results given by the three algorithms. This ensemble yields better results than any of the three algorithms alone, using both the original and the noisy data.     

Multiple stellar populations in the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy?

We present wide-field     multiband ( BVI ) CCD photometry (down to     of the very low surface brightness dwarf spheroidal galaxy Sextans. In the derived colour–magnitude diagrams we find evidence suggesting the presence of multiple stellar populations in this dwarf spheroidal. In particular, we discover (i) a blue horizontal branch tail that appears to lie on a brighter sequence with respect to the prominent red horizontal branch and the RR Lyrae stars, very similar to what was found by Majewski et al. for the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal, (ii) hints of a bimodal distribution in colour of the red giant branch stars, (iii) a double red giant branch bump. All of these features suggest that (at least) two components are present in the old stellar population of this galaxy: the main one with     and a minor component around     . The similarity to the Sculptor case may indicate that multiple star formation episodes are also common in the most nearby dwarf spheroidals that ceased their star formation activity at very early epochs.     

Chemo-spectrophotometric evolution of spiral galaxies – IV. Star formation efficiency and effective ages of spirals

We study the star formation history of normal spirals by using a large and homogeneous data sample of local galaxies. For our analysis we utilize detailed models of chemical and spectrophotometric galactic evolution, calibrated on the Milky Way disc. We find that star formation efficiency is independent of galactic mass, while massive discs have, on average, lower gas fractions and are redder than their low-mass counterparts; put together, these findings convincingly suggest that massive spirals are older than low-mass ones. We evaluate the effective ages of the galaxies of our sample and we find that massive spirals must be several Gyr older than low-mass ones. We also show that these galaxies (having rotational velocities in the 80–400 km s⁻¹ range) cannot have suffered extensive mass losses, i.e. they cannot have lost during their lifetime an amount of mass much larger than their current content of gas+stars.     

天文学研究发展趋势分析--恒星与恒星系统

对在1981-2000年世界上所发表的和中国学者所发表的有关恒星与恒星系统的论文作统计发现：此期间世界上这一领域的发展较平稳，而我国的发展快速．这反映了改革开放后，我国基础学科研究大有进展．从各分支所占的比重和发展来看，我国在恒星与恒星系统的研究与世界同期有几乎相同的分布，因此总体上我国在这一领域的发展基本正常．当然有些分支发展较快，如有关超新星及其遗迹、星际介质和恒星形成区、化学丰度的研究等，这和一些较强的研究团组形成有关；在双星研究方面，我国则与世界发展一致，双星研究始终是恒星研究领域的重点；而在世界范围内较突出的关于银河系的研究，在我国却相对较弱．恒星和恒星系统这一研究领域20年的论文数统计显示，我国学者所发表的论文只占世界总论文数的1．3％，虽然在最后5年有大幅上升，但也只占2．0％，这与我国IAU会员数所占比例相比是偏少的．就世界整体而言，恒星领域的研究进展与整个天文学领域相比是较慢的，显然这与一批能做深空探测和高能波段观测的设备投入有关．因此，除了对恒星及恒星系统领域作统计分析外，对整个天文学领域各大分支作分析可能对制定今后我国天文学发展计划更有利。     

Stellar populations in the nuclear regions of nearby radio galaxies

We present optical spectra of the nuclei of seven luminous ( P _178 MHz≳10²⁵ W Hz⁻¹ Sr⁻¹) nearby ( z <0.08) radio galaxies, which mostly correspond to the FR II class. In two cases, Hydra A and 3C 285, the Balmer and λ 4000-Å break indices constrain the spectral types and luminosity classes of the stars involved, revealing that the blue spectra are dominated by blue supergiant and/or giant stars. The ages derived for the last burst of star formation in Hydra A are between 7 and 40 Myr, and in 3C 285 about 10 Myr. The rest of the narrow-line radio galaxies (four) have a λ 4000-Å break and metallic indices consistent with those of elliptical galaxies. The only broad-line radio galaxy in our sample, 3C 382, has a strong featureless blue continuum and broad emission lines that dilute the underlying blue stellar spectra. We are able to detect the Ca  ii triplet in absorption in the seven objects, with good quality data for only four of them. The strengths of the absorptions are similar to those found in normal elliptical galaxies, but these values are consistent both with stellar populations of roughly similar ages (as derived from the Balmer absorption and break strengths) and with mixed young+old populations.