ALBERT

Description: The Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, containing the Curiosity rover, was launched to Mars on 26 November 2011, and for most of the 253-day, 560-million-kilometer cruise to Mars, the Radiation Assessment Detector made detailed measurements of the energetic particle radiation environment inside the spacecraft. These data provide insights into the radiation hazards that would be associated with a human mission to Mars. We report measurements of the radiation dose, dose equivalent, and linear energy transfer spectra. The dose equivalent for even the shortest round-trip with current propulsion systems and comparable shielding is found to be 0.66 +/- 0.12 sievert.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Zeitlin, C -- Hassler, D M -- Cucinotta, F A -- Ehresmann, B -- Wimmer-Schweingruber, R F -- Brinza, D E -- Kang, S -- Weigle, G -- Bottcher, S -- Bohm, E -- Burmeister, S -- Guo, J -- Kohler, J -- Martin, C -- Posner, A -- Rafkin, S -- Reitz, G -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 2013 May 31;340(6136):1080-4. doi: 10.1126/science.1235989.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO, USA. zeitlin@boulder.swri.edu〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23723233" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉

Description: We report on results of an all-sky search for high-energy neutrino events interacting within the IceCube neutrino detector conducted between May 2010 and May 2012. The search follows up on the previous detection of two PeV neutrino events, with improved sensitivity and extended energy coverage down to about 30 TeV. Twenty-six additional events were observed, substantially more than expected from atmospheric backgrounds. Combined, both searches reject a purely atmospheric origin for the 28 events at the 4sigma level. These 28 events, which include the highest energy neutrinos ever observed, have flavors, directions, and energies inconsistent with those expected from the atmospheric muon and neutrino backgrounds. These properties are, however, consistent with generic predictions for an additional component of extraterrestrial origin.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉IceCube Collaboration -- Aartsen, M G -- Abbasi, R -- Abdou, Y -- Ackermann, M -- Adams, J -- Aguilar, J A -- Ahlers, M -- Altmann, D -- Auffenberg, J -- Bai, X -- Baker, M -- Barwick, S W -- Baum, V -- Bay, R -- Beatty, J J -- Bechet, S -- Becker Tjus, J -- Becker, K-H -- Benabderrahmane, M L -- BenZvi, S -- Berghaus, P -- Berley, D -- Bernardini, E -- Bernhard, A -- Bertrand, D -- Besson, D Z -- Binder, G -- Bindig, D -- Bissok, M -- Blaufuss, E -- Blumenthal, J -- Boersma, D J -- Bohaichuk, S -- Bohm, C -- Bose, D -- Boser, S -- Botner, O -- Brayeur, L -- Bretz, H-P -- Brown, A M -- Bruijn, R -- Brunner, J -- Carson, M -- Casey, J -- Casier, M -- Chirkin, D -- Christov, A -- Christy, B -- Clark, K -- Clevermann, F -- Coenders, S -- Cohen, S -- Cowen, D F -- Cruz Silva, A H -- Danninger, M -- Daughhetee, J -- Davis, J C -- Day, M -- De Clercq, C -- De Ridder, S -- Desiati, P -- de Vries, K D -- de With, M -- DeYoung, T -- Diaz-Velez, J C -- Dunkman, M -- Eagan, R -- Eberhardt, B -- Eichmann, B -- Eisch, J -- Ellsworth, R W -- Euler, S -- Evenson, P A -- Fadiran, O -- Fazely, A R -- Fedynitch, A -- Feintzeig, J -- Feusels, T -- Filimonov, K -- Finley, C -- Fischer-Wasels, T -- Flis, S -- Franckowiak, A -- Frantzen, K -- Fuchs, T -- Gaisser, T K -- Gallagher, J -- Gerhardt, L -- Gladstone, L -- Glusenkamp, T -- Goldschmidt, A -- Golup, G -- Gonzalez, J G -- Goodman, J A -- Gora, D -- Grandmont, D T -- Grant, D -- Gross, A -- Ha, C -- Haj Ismail, A -- Hallen, P -- Hallgren, A -- Halzen, F -- Hanson, K -- Heereman, D -- Heinen, D -- Helbing, K -- Hellauer, R -- Hickford, S -- Hill, G C -- Hoffman, K D -- Hoffmann, R -- Homeier, A -- Hoshina, K -- Huelsnitz, W -- Hulth, P O -- Hultqvist, K -- Hussain, S -- Ishihara, A -- Jacobi, E -- Jacobsen, J -- Jagielski, K -- Japaridze, G S -- Jero, K -- Jlelati, O -- Kaminsky, B -- Kappes, A -- Karg, T -- Karle, A -- Kelley, J L -- Kiryluk, J -- Klas, J -- Klein, S R -- Kohne, J-H -- Kohnen, G -- Kolanoski, H -- Kopke, L -- Kopper, C -- Kopper, S -- Koskinen, D J -- Kowalski, M -- Krasberg, M -- Krings, K -- Kroll, G -- Kunnen, J -- Kurahashi, N -- Kuwabara, T -- Labare, M -- Landsman, H -- Larson, M J -- Lesiak-Bzdak, M -- Leuermann, M -- Leute, J -- Lunemann, J -- Madsen, J -- Maggi, G -- Maruyama, R -- Mase, K -- Matis, H S -- McNally, F -- Meagher, K -- Merck, M -- Meures, T -- Miarecki, S -- Middell, E -- Milke, N -- Miller, J -- Mohrmann, L -- Montaruli, T -- Morse, R -- Nahnhauer, R -- Naumann, U -- Niederhausen, H -- Nowicki, S C -- Nygren, D R -- Obertacke, A -- Odrowski, S -- Olivas, A -- O'Murchadha, A -- Paul, L -- Pepper, J A -- Perez de los Heros, C -- Pfendner, C -- Pieloth, D -- Pinat, E -- Posselt, J -- Price, P B -- Przybylski, G T -- Radel, L -- Rameez, M -- Rawlins, K -- Redl, P -- Reimann, R -- Resconi, E -- Rhode, W -- Ribordy, M -- Richman, M -- Riedel, B -- Rodrigues, J P -- Rott, C -- Ruhe, T -- Ruzybayev, B -- Ryckbosch, D -- Saba, S M -- Salameh, T -- Sander, H-G -- Santander, M -- Sarkar, S -- Schatto, K -- Scheriau, F -- Schmidt, T -- Schmitz, M -- Schoenen, S -- Schoneberg, S -- Schonwald, A -- Schukraft, A -- Schulte, L -- Schulz, O -- Seckel, D -- Sestayo, Y -- Seunarine, S -- Shanidze, R -- Sheremata, C -- Smith, M W E -- Soldin, D -- Spiczak, G M -- Spiering, C -- Stamatikos, M -- Stanev, T -- Stasik, A -- Stezelberger, T -- Stokstad, R G -- Stossl, A -- Strahler, E A -- Strom, R -- Sullivan, G W -- Taavola, H -- Taboada, I -- Tamburro, A -- Tepe, A -- Ter-Antonyan, S -- Tesic, G -- Tilav, S -- Toale, P A -- Toscano, S -- Unger, E -- Usner, M -- van Eijndhoven, N -- Van Overloop, A -- van Santen, J -- Vehring, M -- Voge, M -- Vraeghe, M -- Walck, C -- Waldenmaier, T -- Wallraff, M -- Weaver, Ch -- Wellons, M -- Wendt, C -- Westerhoff, S -- Whitehorn, N -- Wiebe, K -- Wiebusch, C H -- Williams, D R -- Wissing, H -- Wolf, M -- Wood, T R -- Woschnagg, K -- Xu, D L -- Xu, X W -- Yanez, J P -- Yodh, G -- Yoshida, S -- Zarzhitsky, P -- Ziemann, J -- Zierke, S -- Zoll, M -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 2013 Nov 22;342(6161):1242856. doi: 10.1126/science.1242856.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24264993" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉

Description: The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) on the Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover began making detailed measurements of the cosmic ray and energetic particle radiation environment on the surface of Mars on 7 August 2012. We report and discuss measurements of the absorbed dose and dose equivalent from galactic cosmic rays and solar energetic particles on the martian surface for ~300 days of observations during the current solar maximum. These measurements provide insight into the radiation hazards associated with a human mission to the surface of Mars and provide an anchor point with which to model the subsurface radiation environment, with implications for microbial survival times of any possible extant or past life, as well as for the preservation of potential organic biosignatures of the ancient martian environment.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Hassler, Donald M -- Zeitlin, Cary -- Wimmer-Schweingruber, Robert F -- Ehresmann, Bent -- Rafkin, Scot -- Eigenbrode, Jennifer L -- Brinza, David E -- Weigle, Gerald -- Bottcher, Stephan -- Bohm, Eckart -- Burmeister, Soenke -- Guo, Jingnan -- Kohler, Jan -- Martin, Cesar -- Reitz, Guenther -- Cucinotta, Francis A -- Kim, Myung-Hee -- Grinspoon, David -- Bullock, Mark A -- Posner, Arik -- Gomez-Elvira, Javier -- Vasavada, Ashwin -- Grotzinger, John P -- MSL Science Team -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 2014 Jan 24;343(6169):1244797. doi: 10.1126/science.1244797. Epub 2013 Dec 9.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24324275" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉

Description: Over the last 40 years variations in the systemic velocity and the observed minus computed time of first conjunction have been observed in the RS Cha binary system. Our goal is to determine the probability for the existence of a third body in this system, and to calculate an orbital solution for this component. A total of 381 high-resolution echelle spectra were obtained at Mount John University Observatory using the 1.0-m McLellan telescope and High Efficiency and Resolution Canterbury University Large Echelle Spectrograph (HERCULES; echelle spectrograph). The spectra were collected during three observing runs occurring over a 15 month period spanning from 2005 November 18 to 2007 February 17, and the data were reduced using the HERCULES reduction software package 2.3. Radial velocities for the 46 echelle orders were generated using Two-Dimensional Correlation, and the velocities from the best 15 orders were selected and used in the calculation of a weighted mean. The weight for each order was determined by generating a preliminary orbital solution for that particular order, using Stern's method, with the rms of the orbital fit used to calculate the associated weight on the order. Systemic velocities for each of the three observing runs were computed by applying a linear regression to the radial velocities of one star against its companion (i.e. V 1 versus V 2 ). The value of the slope and intercept of the regression line are required for calculating the systemic velocity. Analysis of the 381 spectra confirmed the suspected variation of the system velocity during the time-span over which these data were collected. The systemic velocity for each observing run differs significantly (12.13 ± 0.26, 11.41 ± 0.22 and 9.68 ± 0.78 km s –1 ) and combined with four historical (previously published) values they failed the 2 test, and imply a 99.9 per cent confidence that a third body exists. Three possible orbital solutions for the third body, with respect to the close binary, were generated using the historical and current systemic velocity values ( P  = 12.69 ± 0.01 or 24.17 ± 0.01 or 74.45 ± 0.02 d). The orbital solution for the binary was calculated after the effects of the shift in systemic velocity during the course of our data were removed. Values for the period and masses are P  = 1.66988 ± 0.00002 d, M 1  = 1.823 ± 0.012 M and M 2  = 1.764 ± 0.012 M , with the lowest possible mass range obtained from the orbital solutions of the third body ranging from M 3  = 0.30 to 0.52 M .

Description: We analyse the Tully–Fisher relation at moderate redshift from the point of view of the underlying stellar populations, by comparing optical and NIR photometry with a phenomenological model that combines population synthesis with a simple prescription for chemical enrichment. The sample comprises 108 late-type galaxies extracted from the FORS Deep Field and William Herschel Deep Field surveys at z   1 (median redshift z  = 0.45). A correlation is found between stellar mass and the parameters that describe the star formation history, with massive galaxies forming their populations early ( z FOR  ~ 3), with star formation time-scales, 1  ~ 4 Gyr, although with very efficient chemical enrichment time-scales ( 2  ~ 1 Gyr). In contrast, the stellar-to-dynamical mass ratio – which, in principle, would track the efficiency of feedback in the baryonic processes driving galaxy formation – does not appear to correlate with the model parameters. On the Tully–Fisher plane, no significant age segregation is found at fixed circular speed, whereas at fixed stellar-to-dynamical mass fraction, age splits the sample, with older galaxies having faster circular speeds at fixed M s / M dyn . Although our model does not introduce any prior constraint on dust reddening, we obtain a strong correlation between colour excess and stellar mass.