General Spectral Properties Research Articles

Sub-mJy radio emission from high-redshift active galactic nuclei in the footprint of the VLA Sky Survey

ABSTRACT Using empty-field ‘Quick Look’ images from the first two epochs of the VLA Sky Survey (VLASS) observations, centred on the positions of ∼3700 individually radio-non-detected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z ≥ 4, we performed image stacking analysis to examine the sub-mJy emission at 3 GHz. We found characteristic monochromatic radio powers of Pchar = (2–13) × 1024 W Hz−1, indicating that AGN-related radio emission is widespread in the sample. The signal-to-noise ratios of the redshift-binned median stacked maps are between 4–6, and we expect that with the inclusion of the yet to be completed third-epoch VLASS observations, the detection limit defined as signal-to-noise ratio SNR ≥ 6 could be reached, and the redshift dependence can be determined. To obtain information on the general spectral properties of the faint radio emission in high-redshift AGNs, we confined the sample to ∼3000 objects covered by both the VLASS and the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-centimeters (FIRST) survey. We found that the flux densities from the median stacked maps show a characteristic spectral index of α* = −0.30 ± 0.15, which is in agreement with the median spectral index of the radio-detected z ≥ 4 AGNs from our high-redshift AGN catalogue. The three-band mid-infrared colour–colour diagram based on Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer observations provides further support regarding the AGN contribution to the radio emission in the sub-mJy sample.

Boundary conditions for the quantum Hall effect

We formulate a self-consistent model of the integer quantum Hall effect on an infinite strip, using boundary conditions to investigate the influence of finite-size effects on the Hall conductivity. By exploiting the translation symmetry along the strip, we determine both the general spectral properties of the system for a large class of boundary conditions respecting such symmetry, and the full spectrum for (fibered) Robin boundary conditions. In particular, we find that the latter introduce a new kind of states with no classical analogues, and add a finer structure to the quantization pattern of the Hall conductivity. Moreover, our model also predicts the breakdown of the quantum Hall effect at high values of the applied electric field.

Chandra View of the LINER-type Nucleus in the Radio-loud Galaxy CGCG 292–057: Ionized Iron Line and Jet–ISM Interactions

Abstract We present an analysis of the new, deep (94 ksec) Chandra ACIS-S observation of radio-loud active galaxy CGCG 292−057, characterized by a LINER-type nucleus and a complex radio structure that indicates intermittent jet activity. On the scale of the host galaxy bulge, we detected excess X-ray emission with a spectrum best fit by a thermal plasma model with a temperature of ∼0.8 keV. We argue that this excess emission results from compression and heating of the hot diffuse fraction of the interstellar medium displaced by the expanding inner, ∼20 kpc-scale lobes observed in this restarted radio galaxy. The nuclear X-ray spectrum of the target clearly displays an ionized iron line at ∼6.7 keV, and is best fitted with a phenomenological model consisting of a power-law (photon index ≃ 1.8) continuum absorbed by a relatively large amount of cold matter (hydrogen column density ≃0.7 × 1023 cm−2), and partly scattered (fraction ∼3%) by ionized gas, giving rise to a soft excess component and Kα line from iron ions. We demonstrate that the observed X-ray spectrum, particularly the equivalent width of Fe XXV Kα (of order 0.3 keV) can in principle, be explained in a scenario involving a Compton-thin gas located at the scale of the broad-lined region in this source and photoionized by nuclear illumination. We compare the general spectral properties of the CGCG 292−057 nucleus, with those of other nearby LINERs studied in X-rays.

Edge Reconstruction of the Ihara Zeta Function

We show that if a graph $G$ has average degree $\overline d \geq 4$, then the Ihara zeta function of $G$ is edge-reconstructible. We prove some general spectral properties of the edge adjacency operator $T$: it is symmetric for an indefinite form and has a "large" semi-simple part (but it can fail to be semi-simple in general). We prove that this implies that if $\overline d>4$, one can reconstruct the number of non-backtracking (closed or not) walks through a given edge, the Perron-Frobenius eigenvector of $T$ (modulo a natural symmetry), as well as the closed walks that pass through a given edge in both directions at least once.

Spectra of Generalized Ces\xe0ro Operators Acting on Growth Spaces

We study the spectrum of generalized Cesàro operators T_g acting on the class of growth spaces A^{-alpha }. We show how the problem of determining the spectrum is related to boundedness of standard weighted Bergman projections on weighted L^infty -spaces. Using this relation we establish some general spectral properties of these operators, and explicitly compute the spectrum for a large class of symbols g.

The XMM deep survey in the CDF-S

We aim to study the variability properties of bright hard X-ray selected Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) with redshift between 0.3 and 1.6 detected in the Chandra Deep Field South (XMM-CDFS) by a long XMM observation. Taking advantage of the good count statistics in the XMM CDFS we search for flux and spectral variability using the hardness ratio techniques. We also investigated spectral variability of different spectral components. The spectra were merged in six epochs (defined as adjacent observations) and in high and low flux states to understand whether the flux transitions are accompanied by spectral changes. The flux variability is significant in all the sources investigated. The hardness ratios in general are not as variable as the fluxes. Only one source displays a variable HR, anti-correlated with the flux (source 337). The spectral analysis in the available epochs confirms the steeper when brighter trend consistent with Comptonisation models only in this source. Finding this trend in one out of seven unabsorbed sources is consistent, within the statistical limits, with the 15 % of unabsorbed AGN in previous deep surveys. No significant variability in the column densities, nor in the Compton reflection component, has been detected across the epochs considered. The high and low states display in general different normalisations but consistent spectral properties. X-ray flux fluctuations are ubiquitous in AGN. In general, the significant flux variations are not associated with a spectral variability: photon index and column densities are not significantly variable in nine out of the ten AGN over long timescales (from 3 to 6.5 years). The photon index variability is found only in one source (which is steeper when brighter) out of seven unabsorbed AGN. These results are consistent with previous deep samples.

Density of states of many-body quantum systems from tensor networks

We present a technique to compute the microcanonical thermodynamical properties of a manybody quantum system using tensor networks. The Density Of States (DOS), and more general spectral properties, are evaluated by means of a Hubbard-Stratonovich transformation performed on top of a real-time evolution, which is carried out via numerical methods based on tensor networks. As a consequence, the free energy and thermal averages can be also calculated. We test this approach on the one-dimensional Ising and Fermi-Hubbard models. Using matrix product states, we show that the thermodynamical quantities as a function of temperature are in very good agreement with the exact results. This approach can be extended to higher-dimensional system by properly employing other types of tensor networks.

Unique substrate specificity of ornithine aminotransferase from Toxoplasma gondii.

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite of medical and veterinary relevance responsible for toxoplasmosis in humans. As an efficacious vaccine remains a challenge, chemotherapy is still the most effective way to combat the disease. In search of novel druggable targets, we performed a thorough characterization of the putative pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme ornithine aminotransferase from T. gondii ME49 (TgOAT). We overexpressed the protein in Escherichia coli and analysed its molecular and kinetic properties by UV-visible absorbance, fluorescence and CD spectroscopy, in addition to kinetic studies of both the steady state and pre-steady state. TgOAT is largely similar to OATs from other species regarding its general transamination mechanism and spectral properties of PLP; however, it does not show a specific ornithine aminotransferase activity like its human homologue, but exhibits both N-acetylornithine and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transaminase activity in vitro, suggesting a role in both arginine and GABA metabolism in vivo The presence of Val79 in the active site of TgOAT in place of Tyr, as in its human counterpart, provides the necessary room to accommodate N-acetylornithine and GABA, resembling the active site arrangement of GABA transaminases. Moreover, mutation of Val79 to Tyr results in a change of substrate preference between GABA, N-acetylornithine and L-ornithine, suggesting a key role of Val79 in defining substrate specificity. The findings that TgOAT possesses parasite-specific structural features as well as differing substrate specificity from its human homologue make it an attractive target for anti-toxoplasmosis inhibitor design that can be exploited for chemotherapeutic intervention.

Open quantum reaction-diffusion dynamics: Absorbing states and relaxation.

We consider an extension of classical stochastic reaction-diffusion (RD) dynamics to open quantum systems. We study a class of models of hard-core particles on a one-dimensional lattice whose dynamics is generated by a quantum master operator. Particle hopping is coherent while reactions, such as pair annihilation or pair coalescence, are dissipative. These are quantum open generalizations of the A+A→⌀ and A+A→A classical RD models. We characterize the relaxation of the state towards the stationary regime via a decomposition of the system Hilbert space into transient and recurrent subspaces. We provide a complete classification of the structure of the recurrent subspace (and the nonequilibrium steady states) in terms of the dark states associated to the quantum master operator and its general spectral properties. We also show that, in one dimension, relaxation towards these absorbing dark states is slower than that predicted by a mean-field analysis due to fluctuation effects, in analogy with what occurs in classical RD systems. Numerical simulations of small systems suggest that the decay of the density in one dimension, in both the open quantum A+A→⌀ and A+A→A systems, behaves asymptotically as t-b with 1/2<b<1.

New results of structured VLF emissions observed simultaneously at two closely located stations near &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;L&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; ~ 5.5

Abstract. Simultaneous records of VLF (very low frequencies) emissions have been carried out at two ground-based stations located at similar geomagnetic latitudes near L ~ 5.5 and spaced in the longitude by ~ 400 km, Kannuslehto (KAN) in Finland and Lovozero (LOZ) in Russia, using quite similar VLF receivers with two calibrated orthogonal air-core loop antennas. We found that the general spectral properties of the VLF chorus emissions at these two stations were similar and typically have right-hand polarization. Contrary to VLF chorus, the short-period VLF emissions (periodic emissions, PE) in which separated spectral elements are repeated with the periodicity of 3–4 s were mostly left-hand polarized. Usually, these waves propagated in the north–south direction. We suppose that PEs are generated inside of the plasmasphere by the cyclotron instability under a quasi-linear relaxation of the energetic electron distribution function. However, sometimes PE occurred only at an individual station. We speculated that this could be due to the influence of the local inhomogeneities to the VLF waves during the propagation through the ionospheric trough to the ground. Unusual series of short-duration (10–100 s) bursts of VLF emissions, lasting several hours, were also found in the morning under very quiet geomagnetic conditions (Kp ~ 0–1). Generally, these emissions were observed simultaneously at KAN and LOZ showing both right-hand and left-hand polarization, and different arrival directions provided the rather extended ionospheric exit area.

Composite spectra of quasars with different UV spectral index

The composite spectra of quasars are widely used as templates for redshift determination, as well as for measurements of the mean transmission in Ly\alpha-forest studies, and for investigation of general spectral properties of quasars. Possibility of composite spectra utilisation in these fields is related to remarkable similarity of quasar spectra in UV-optical range. But despite of general similarity in spectral shapes, they differ in several parameters, one of which is the spectral index. In the present paper we study the possible effects, related to neglect of this difference. We compiled 16 composite spectra from subsamples of individual SDSS DR7 quasar spectra with different spectral indices \alpha_\lambda within the wavelength range 1270-1480 \AA, and show that (i) the redshifts measured for a test sample of high signal-to-noise ratio quasar spectra using these composites as templates appear to be systematically higher than those calculated with a traditional template, compiled from spectra with different \alpha_\lambda, with 1.5 times smaller errors in the former case; (ii) the difference in \alpha_\lambda in individual spectra used for compilation of composites can yield the mean transmission uncertainty up to 20%; (iii) a number of emission lines indistinguishable in ordinary composites, but seen in individual high-resolution spectra, can be detected in such composites. It is also shown, that there is no dependence of \alpha_\lambda on quasar luminosity in SDSS u, g, r and i bands, and monochromatic luminosity at 1450 \AA.

A discrete Schrödinger operator on a graph

We consider the discrete Schrodinger operator on the graph obtained in the strong-coupling approximation from the standard electron Schrodinger operator in the system composed of a quantum wire and quantum dot. We investigate the general spectral properties of this operator and the problem of the existence and behavior of the eigenvalues and resonances depending on the small coupling constant. We study the scattering problem for weak potentials in the stationary approach.

General spectral properties of Makyoh imaging of quasi-periodic surfaces

Imaging properties of the Makyoh imaging of periodic and quasi-periodic surfaces are analysed using a spectral approach based on a geometrical optical model. It is shown that in spite of the nonlinear nature of imaging, the Fourier representation can be used with some restrictions and limitations. Ray-tracing simulations are performed to illustrate the results.

Absorption, Steady-State Fluorescence, Fluorescence Lifetime, and 2D Self-Assembly Properties of Engineered Fluorescent S-Layer Fusion Proteins of Geobacillus stearothermophilus NRS 2004/3a

S-layer fusion protein technology was used to design four different fluorescent fusion proteins with three different GFP mutants and the red fluorescent protein mRFP1. Their absorption spectra, steady-state fluorescence, and fluorescence lifetime were investigated as a function of pH. It was found that fluorescence intensities and lifetime of the GFP mutant S-layer fusion proteins decreased about 50% between pH 6 and pH 5. The spectral properties of the red S-layer fusion protein were minimally affected by pH variations. These results were compared with His-tagged reference fluorescent proteins, demonstrating that the S-layer protein did not change the general spectral properties of the whole fusion protein. In addition, the pK(a) values of the fluorescent S-layer fusion proteins were calculated. Finally, it was shown that the S-layer fusion proteins were able to self-assemble forming 2D nanostructures of oblique p2 symmetry with lattice parameters of about a = 11 nm, b = 14 nm, and gamma = 80 degrees . The fluorescence tag did not hinder the natural self-assembly process of the S-layer protein. The combination of the fluorescence properties and the self-assembly ability of the engineered fusion proteins make them a promising tool to generate biomimetic surfaces for future applications in nanobiotechnology at a wide range of pH.

Verifying black hole orbits with gravitational spectroscopy

Gravitational waves from test masses bound to geodesic orbits of rotating black holes are simulated, using Teukolsky's black hole perturbation formalism, for about ten thousand generic orbital configurations. Each binary radiates power exclusively in modes with frequencies that are integer-linear combinations of the orbit's three fundamental frequencies. General spectral properties are found with a survey of orbits about a black hole taken to be rotating at 80% of the maximal spin. The orbital eccentricity is varied from 0.1 to 0.9. Inclination ranges from 20\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to 160\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and comes to within 20\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} of polar. Semilatus rectum is varied from 1.2 to 3 times the value at the innermost stable circular orbits. The following general spectral properties are found: (i) 99% of the radiated power is typically carried by a few hundred modes, and at most by about a thousand modes, (ii) the dominant frequencies can be grouped into a small number of families defined by fixing two of the three integer frequency multipliers, and (iii) the specifics of these trends can be qualitatively inferred from the geometry of the orbit under consideration. Detections using triperiodic analytic templates modeled on these general properties would constitute a verification of radiation from an adiabatic sequence of black hole orbits and would recover the evolution of the fundamental orbital frequencies. In an analogy with ordinary spectroscopy, this would compare to observing the Bohr model's atomic hydrogen spectrum without being able to rule out alternative atomic theories or nuclei. The suitability of such a detection technique is demonstrated using snapshots computed at 12-hour intervals throughout the last three years before merger of a kludged inspiral. The system chosen is typical of those thought to occur in galactic nuclei and to be observable with space-based gravitational wave detectors like LISA. Because of circularization, the number of excited modes decreases as the binary evolves. A hypothetical detection algorithm that tracks mode families dominating the first 12 hours of the inspiral would capture 98% of the total power over the remaining three years.

Spectrum of the non-abelian phase in Kitaev’s honeycomb lattice model

The spectral properties of Kitaev’s honeycomb lattice model are investigated both analytically and numerically with the focus on the non-abelian phase of the model. After summarizing the fermionization technique which maps spins into free Majorana fermions, we evaluate the spectrum of sparse vortex configurations and derive the interaction between two vortices as a function of their separation. We consider the effect vortices can have on the fermionic spectrum as well as on the phase transition between the abelian and non-abelian phases. We explicitly demonstrate the 2 n -fold ground state degeneracy in the presence of 2 n well separated vortices and the lifting of the degeneracy due to their short-range interactions. The calculations are performed on an infinite lattice. In addition to the analytic treatment, a numerical study of finite size systems is performed which is in exact agreement with the theoretical considerations. The general spectral properties of the non-abelian phase are considered for various finite toroidal systems.

Non-thermal emission from AGN coronae

Accretion disk coronae are believed to account for X-ray emission in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs). In this paper the observed emission is assumed to be due to a population of relativistic, non-thermal electrons (e.g. produced in a flare) injected at the top of an accretion disk magnetic loop. While electrons stream along magnetic field lines, their energy distribution evolves in time essentially because of inverse Compton and synchrotron losses. The corresponding time-dependent emission due, in the X-ray energy range, to the inverse Compton mechanism, has been computed. Since the typical decay time of a flare is shorter than the integration time for data acquisition in the X-ray domain, the resulting spectrum is derived as the temporal mean of the real, time-dependent emission, as originated from a series of consecutive and identical flares. The model outcome is compared to both the broad band BeppoSAX X-ray data of the bright Seyfert 1 NGC 5548 and to a few general X-ray spectral properties of Seyfert 1s as a class. The good agreement between model and observations suggests that the presently proposed non-thermal, non-stationary model could be a plausible explanation of AGN X-ray emission as an alternative to thermal coronae models.

On the weak decomposition property (δw)

We study a new class of bounded linear operators which strictly contains the class of bounded linear operators with the decomposition property ($\delta $) or the weak spectral decomposition property (weak-SDP). We treat general local spectral properties f

ChandraObservations of “The Antennae” Galaxies (NGC 4038/4039). IV. The X‐Ray Source Luminosity Function and the Nature of Ultraluminous X‐Ray Sources

We derive the X-ray luminosity function (XLF) of the X-ray source population detected in the Chandra observation of NGC4038/39 (the Antennae). We explicitly include photon counting and spectral parameter uncertainties in our calculations. The cumulative XLF is well represented by a flat power law ($\alpha=-0.47$), similar to those describing the XLFs of other star-forming systems (e.g. M82, the disk of M81), but different from those of early type galaxies. This result associates the X-ray source population in the Antennae with young High Mass X-ray Binaries. In comparison with less actively star-forming galaxies, the XLF of the Antennae has a highly significant excess of sources with luminosities above 10^{39} erg\s (Ultra Luminous Sources; ULXs). We discuss the nature of these sources, based on the XLF and on their general spectral properties, as well as their optical counterparts discussed in Paper III. We conclude that the majority of the ULXs cannot be intermediate mass black-holes (M > 10-1000 \msun) binaries, unless they are linked to the remnants of massive Population III stars (the Madau & Rees model). Instead, their spatial and multiwavelength properties can be well explained by beamed emission as a consequence of supercritical accretion. Binaries with a neutron star or moderate mass black-hole (up to 20\msun), and B2 to A type star companions would be consistent with our data. In the beaming scenario, the XLF should exibit caracteristic breaks that will be visible in future deeper observations of the Antennae.

RXTE observations of Galactic microquasar XTE J1748-288 during its 1998 outburst

We present an analysis of the RXTE observations of the recently discovered Galactic microquasar XTE J1748-288 during its 1998 outburst. General spectral and temporal properties of the source and their evolution were very typical for the Galactic black hole candidates (BHC) and, in particular, black hole X-ray novae. The spectral evolution of the source during the outburst can be considered a sequence of qualitatively distinct states. During the first observations, corresponding to a maximum of the X-ray flux, the spectrum of the source consisted of a dominating hard power-law component and a soft thermal component, which can be described by a model for the multicolour-disc emission. The hard component contributed ≥80 per cent to the X-ray luminosity in the 3–25 keV energy band. Overall the two-component spectral shape is an attribute of the very high state observed previously in BHC, but the domination of the hard component is unusual. Later on, as the X-ray source faded, its energy spectrum qualitatively changed, showing high and then low states, both typical for black hole binaries. As the energy spectrum changed, the fast variability also evolved dramatically. Initially the power-density spectrum was formed by a dominating band-limited noise component, quasi periodical oscillation features at 20–30 Hz and at |0.5 Hz, and a very low-frequency noise component. After a significant decrease of the contribution of the hard spectral component, the amplitude of the fractional variability decreased by an order of magnitude and the power-density spectrum adopted a power-law shape with a broad quasi periodical oscillation peak around 0.03 Hz. When the system switched to the low state, the power-density spectrum shape changed again and the quasi periodical oscillations have not been detected since. When the source was observed in the very high state, a clear correlation between quasi periodical oscillation parameters and X-ray flux was seen. Such a correlation gives an insight into our understanding of the accretion process in X-ray black hole binaries.