Starburst activity in a ROSAT narrow emission-line galaxy     

Katherine F. Gunn  I. M. MHardy  O. Almaini  T. Shanks  T. J. Sumner  T. W. B. Muxlow  A. Efstathiou  L. R. Jones  S. M. Croom  J. C. Manners  A. M. Newsam  K. O. Mason  S. B. G. Serjeant  M. Rowan-Robinson 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2001,324(2):305-312

We present multiwaveband photometric and optical spectropolarimetric observations of the R =15.9 narrow emission-line galaxy R117_A which lies on the edge of the error circle of the ROSAT X-ray source R117. The overall spectral energy distribution of the galaxy is well modelled by a combination of a normal spiral galaxy and a moderate-strength burst of star formation. The far-infrared and radio emission is extended along the major axis of the galaxy, indicating an extended starburst.
On positional grounds, the galaxy is a good candidate for the identification of R117, and the observed X-ray flux is very close to what would be expected from a starburst of the observed far-infrared and radio fluxes. Although an obscured high-redshift QSO cannot be entirely ruled out as contributing some fraction of the X-ray flux, we find no candidates to K =20.8 within the X-ray error box, and so conclude that R117_A is responsible for a large fraction, if not all, of the X-ray emission from R117.
Searches for indicators of an obscured AGN in R117_A have so far proven negative; deep spectropolarimetric observations show no signs of broad lines to a limit of 1 per cent and, for the observed far-infrared and radio emission, we would expect 10 times greater X-ray flux if the overall emission were powered by an AGN. We therefore conclude that the X-ray emission from R117 is dominated by starburst emission from the galaxy R117_A.  相似文献   

Microphysical modeling of ethane ice clouds in titan’s atmosphere     

Erika L. Barth  Owen B. Toon 《Icarus》2003,162(1):94-113

A time-dependent microphysical model is used to study the evolution of ethane ice clouds in Titan’s atmosphere. The model simulates nucleation, condensational growth, evaporation, coagulation, and transport of particles. For a critical saturation of 1.15 (a lower limit, determined by laboratory experiments), we find that ethane clouds can be sustained between altitudes of 8 and 50 km. Growth due to coalescence is inefficient, limiting the peak in the size distribution (by number) to 10 μm. These clouds vary with a period of about 20 days. This periodicity disappears for higher critical saturation values where clouds remain subvisible. Rainout of ethane due to methane cloud formation raises the altitude of the ethane cloud bottom to near the tropopause and may eliminate ethane clouds entirely if methane cloud formation occurs up to 30 km. However, clouds formed above the troposphere from other gases in Titan’s atmosphere could be sustained even with rainout up to 30 km. Although the optical depth of ethane clouds above 20 km is typically low, short-lived clouds with optical depths of order 0.1-1 can be created sporadically by dynamically driven atmospheric cooling. Ethane cloud particles larger than 25 μm can fall to the surface before total evaporation. However, ethane clouds remain only a small sink for tholin particles. At the peak of their cycle, the optical depth of ethane clouds could be comparable to that of tholin in the near-infrared, resulting in a 5% increase in Titan’s albedo for wavelengths between 1 and 2 μm. A number of factors limit our ablility to predict the ethane cloud properties. These factors include the mixing time in the troposphere, the critical saturation ratio for ethane ice, the existence of a surface reservoir of ethane, the magnitude and timing of dynamically driven temperature perturbations, and the abundance and life cycle of methane clouds.  相似文献   

The influence of macrophyte growth,typical of eutrophic conditions,on river flow velocities and turbulence production     

Pamela Naden  Ponnambalam Rameshwaran  Owen Mountford  Coralie Robertson 《水文研究》2006,20(18):3915-3938

The influence of emergent and submerged macrophytes on flow velocity and turbulence production is demonstrated in a 140 m reach of the River Blackwater in Farnborough, Hampshire, UK. Macrophyte growth occurs in patches and is dominated by Sparganium erectum and Sparganium emersum. In May 2001, patches of S. erectum were already established and occupied 18% of the channel area. The flow adjusted to these (predominantly lateral) patches by being channelled through a narrower cross‐section. The measured velocity profiles showed a logarithmic form, with deviations attributable to topographic control. The channel bed was the main source of turbulence. In September 2001, in‐stream macrophytes occupied 27% of the channel, and overhanging bank vegetation affected 32% of the area. Overall flow resistance, described by Manning's n, showed a threefold increase that could be attributed to the growth of S. emersum in the middle of the channel. Velocity profiles showed different characteristic forms depending on their position relative to plant stems and leaves. The overall velocity field had a three‐dimensional structure. Turbulence intensities were generally higher and turbulence profiles tended to mirror the velocity profiles. Evidence for the generation of coherent eddies was provided by ratios of the root mean square velocities. Spectral analysis identified deviations from the Kolmogorov ?5/3 power law and provided statistical evidence for a spectral short‐cut, indicative of additional turbulence production. This was most marked for the submerged vegetation and, in some instances, the overhanging bank vegetation. The long strap‐like leaves of S. emersum being aligned approximately parallel to the flow and the highly variable velocity field created by the patch arrangement of macrophytes suggest that the dominant mechanism for turbulence production is vortex shedding along shear zones. Wake production around individual stems of S. emersum close to the bed may also be important locally. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Time travel and chemical evolution: a look at the outer solar system     

Owen T 《The Planetary report》1987,7(6):16-18

Many space scientists think that the chemical conditions today on planets and moons of the outer solar system are similar to conditions on Earth soon after it formed. If so, we can learn much about the chemistry that led to life on this planet. We can also speculate about exotic habitats that might have given rise to other types of life. And if we are able to discern the chemical reactions now occurring in the outer solar system, we may be able to extrapolate these rules to other solar systems, and so define the habitable zones around other stars where the potential for life is high.  相似文献   

Anoxic nitrification: Evidence from Humber Estuary sediments (UK)   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

Rebecca Bartlett  Robert J.G. Mortimer  Katherine Morris 《Chemical Geology》2008,250(1-4):29-39

Conventional understanding of the nitrogen cycle in marine sediments has changed in recent years with the discovery of an alternative pathway for ammonia oxidation via the reduction of manganese oxides (during anoxic nitrification). In anoxic sediments, the potential for manganese oxides to serve as oxidant for nitrification may be considerable yet previous work on manganese-rich sediments has suggested anoxic nitrification may not be significant. In this study, the potential for anoxic nitrification in a range of sediment types was investigated. Laboratory incubation of sediment from three sites on the Humber Estuary, a microbially diverse environment, showed anoxic accumulation of nitrate, nitrite and dinitrogen gas, with and without the addition of synthetic manganese oxides. Incubation experiments confirmed anoxic nitrification as microbially mediated, with heat-killed controls yielding negative results. The anoxic nitrification reaction significantly depleted ammonia concentrations, and occurred simultaneously with manganese-, iron- and sulphate reduction, and methanogenesis. Taken in conjunction with other studies, results suggest anoxic nitrification may not only be dependent on total manganese concentrations but on manganese dynamics. Anoxic nitrification may be explained as a non-steady state reaction, dependent on the recent stability of a sediment system. Physical perturbation of sediments may cause the redistribution and/or introduction of manganese oxides and promote anoxic nitrification. The significance and persistence of anoxic nitrification is likely to depend on the frequency and magnitude of sediment perturbation, which explains why the reaction varies so widely across studied sites, and why it may not occur in some manganese-rich sediment.  相似文献   

Memorial landscapes: analytic questions and metaphors   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Owen J. Dwyer  Derek H. Alderman 《GeoJournal》2008,73(3):165-178

Over the past two decades, geographers have probed the intersection of collective memory and urban space. Their sustained interest in the subject reflects an understanding of the social condition of commemoration and the important role that space plays in the process and politics of collective memory. Along with other critical social scientists, geographers envision these public symbols as part of larger cultural landscapes that reflect and legitimate the normative social order. A review of the extant literature indicates that geographers scrutinize memorial landscapes through three conceptual lenses that may be understood via the metaphors of ‘text,’ ‘arena,’ and ‘performance.’ These metaphors are in turn mobilized through a series of analytic questions that serve to identify the interests served and denied by landscape ‘texts,’ the ‘arenas’ in which they are produced, and the ways in which they are enacted via ‘performance.’ This article’s synopsis of the subfield’s predominant metaphors and its attendant questions contributes to the ongoing cultural geographic project of articulating and implementing methods for interpreting landscapes as open-ended symbolic systems.

Derek H. AldermanEmail:

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An ocean-bottom hydrophone recorder for seismic refraction experiments     

M. C. Sinha  T. R. E. Owen  M. Mason 《Marine Geophysical Researches》1981,5(2):173-187

A new and inexpensive pop-up ocean-bottom hydrophone recorder has been developed for use in seismic refraction experiments. It is capable of operating in water depths of up to 4000 m and in very rugged topography, and uses an acoustic command system built by the U.K. Institute of Oceanographic Sciences for recovery. The instrument is mounted in an inexpensive cylindrical pressure case based on commercially available extruded aluminium alloy tubing, and uses glass spheres and syntactic foam for buoyancy. Hydrophone and clock signals are frequency modulated and recorded on tape cassettes, with a recording duration of three hours allowing up to 18 programmed shot windows. The prototype has made seven free descents on the Mid-Atlantic ridge and in the Gulf of Oman, and successfully recorded shots under operational conditions for the first time in September 1979. The total component cost of the prototype was £2740 (1979 prices).(Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge Contribution No. ES135).  相似文献   

Otec cold water pipe design for problems caused by vortex-excited oscillations     

Owen M. Griffin 《Ocean Engineering》1981,8(2):129-209

Vortex-excited oscillations of marine structures result in reduced fatigue life, large hydrodynamic forces and induced stresses, and sometimes lead to structural damage and to destructive failures. The cold water pipe of an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) plant is nominally a bluff, flexible cylinder with a large aspect ratio (L/D = length/diameter), and is likely to be susceptible to resonant vortex-excited oscillations. The objective of this paper is to survey recent results pertaining to the vortex-excited oscillations of structures in general and to consider the application of these findings to the design of the OTEC cold water pipe. Practical design calculations are given as examples throughout the various sections of the report.This paper is limited in scope to the problems of vortex shedding from bluff, flexible structures in steady currents and the resulting vortex-excited oscillations. The effects of flow non-uniformities, surface roughness of the cylinder, and inclination to the incident flow are considered in addition to the case of a smooth cylinder in a uniform stream. Emphasis is placed upon design procedures, hydrodynamic coefficients applicable in practice, and the specification of structural response parameters relevant to the OTEC cold water pipe. There are important problems associated with the shedding of vortices from cylinders in waves and from the combined action of waves and currents, but these complex fluid/structure interactions are not considered in this paper.  相似文献   

Cross-shelf distribution of copepods and the role of event-scale winds in a northern California upwelling zone     

Katherine M. Papastephanou  Stephen M. Bollens  Anne M. Slaughter 《Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography》2006,53(25-26):3078

Cross-shelf distribution and abundance of copepod nauplii and copepodids were measured during three summer upwelling seasons (2000–2002) in a coastal upwelling zone off northern California. These 3 years varied considerably in the intensity of winds, abundance of chlorophyll, and water temperature. The cruises in 2000 were characterized by relaxation conditions, with generally high levels of chlorophyll and high water temperature. The cruises in 2001 and 2002 were dominated by strong and persistent upwelling events, leading to lower chlorophyll and water temperatures. The copepod assemblage was dominated by Oithona spp., Acartia spp. and Pseudocalanus spp., with Metridia pacifica (lucens), Microsetella rosea, Oncaea spp. and Tortanus discaudatus also common during all 3 years. The cross-shelf distribution of copepods was generally shifted offshore during upwelling and onshore during relaxation events, although some variability between species occurred. Abundance of all life stages generally exhibited a negative correlation with cross-shelf transport averaged over at least 1–4 days and lagged by 0–3 days, indicating lower abundances during and immediately after active upwelling. However, copepod nauplii seemed to respond positively to wind events lasting 1–5 days followed by a period of relaxation lasting 6 or 7 days. These rapid rates of change in abundance are probably too great to be due to in situ growth and reproduction alone; physical processes must also play a role. These results suggest a highly dynamic relationship between copepods and upwelling events off northern California, with species-specific responses to upwelling to be expected.  相似文献   

Near-infrared spectroscopy of dark asteroids     

Barucci MA  Lazzarin M  Owen T  Barbieri C  Fulchignoni M 《Icarus》1994,110(2):287-291

Near-infrared (J, H and K bands) spectra of nine dark asteroids (chosen among a sample of supposed primitive objects between C and D classes) have been obtained at the Mauna Kea Observatory (Hawaii) with the 2.2-m telescope using KSPEC as spectrograph. The aim of this work was to search for evidence of the presence of organic materials in these objects as found in other planetary bodies as 5145 Pholus, and in some cometary nuclei. A careful analysis of the data has revealed flat or slightly redder spectra than the solar one for all observed asteroids. No evidence of distinct absorption features was found.  相似文献