ALBERT

Description: We report on the development of a three-axis absolute vector magnetometer suited for mobile operation in the Earth’s magnetic field. It is based on low critical temperature dc superconducting quantum interference devices (LTS dc SQUIDs) with sub-micrometer sized cross-type Josephson junctions and exhibits a white noise level of about 10 fT/Hz 1/2 . The width of superconducting strip lines is restricted to less than 6 μ m in order to avoid flux trapping during cool-down in magnetically unshielded environment. The long-term stability of the flux-to-voltage transfer coefficients of the SQUID electronics is investigated in detail and a method is presented to significantly increase their reproducibility. We further demonstrate the long-term operation of the setup in a magnetic field varying by about 200 μ T amplitude without the need for recalibration.

Description: We present a new technique for the statistical evaluation of the Tully–Fisher relation (TFR) using spectral line stacking. This technique has the potential to extend TFR observations to lower masses and higher redshifts than possible through a galaxy-by-galaxy analysis. It further avoids the need for individual galaxy inclination measurements. To quantify the properties of stacked H i emission lines, we consider a simplistic model of galactic discs with analytically expressible line profiles. Using this model, we compare the widths of stacked profiles with those of individual galaxies. We then follow the same procedure using more realistic mock galaxies drawn from the S 3 -SAX model (a derivative of the Millennium simulation). Remarkably, when stacking the apparent H i lines of galaxies with similar absolute magnitude and random inclinations, the width of the stack is very similar to the width of the deprojected (= corrected for inclination) and dedispersed (= after removal of velocity dispersion) input lines. Therefore, the ratio between the widths of the stack and the deprojected/dedispersed input lines is approximately constant – about 0.93 – with very little dependence on the gas dispersion, galaxy mass, galaxy morphology and shape of the rotation curve. Finally, we apply our technique to construct a stacked TFR using H i Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS) data which already has a well-defined TFR based on individual detections. We obtain a B -band TFR with a slope of –8.5 ± 0.4 and a K -band relation with a slope of –11.7 ± 0.6 for the HIPASS data set which is consistent with the existing results.

Description: High-energy e – and π – were measured by the multichannel plate (MCP) detector at the PiM1 beam line of the High Intensity Proton Accelerator Facilities located at the Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland. The measurements provide the absolute detection efficiencies for these particles: 5.8% ± 0.5% for electrons in the beam momenta range 17.5–300 MeV/c and 6.0% ± 1.3% for pions in the beam momenta range 172–345 MeV/c. The pulse height distribution determined from the measurements is close to an exponential function with negative exponent, indicating that the particles penetrated the MCP material before producing the signal somewhere inside the channel. Low charge extraction and nominal gains of the MCP detector observed in this study are consistent with the proposed mechanism of the signal formation by penetrating radiation. A very similar MCP ion detector will be used in the Neutral Ion Mass (NIM) spectrometer designed for the JUICE mission of European Space Agency (ESA) to the Jupiter system, to perform measurements of the chemical composition of the Galilean moon exospheres. The detection efficiency for penetrating radiation determined in the present studies is important for the optimisation of the radiation shielding of the NIM detector against the high-rate and high-energy electrons trapped in Jupiter’s magnetic field. Furthermore, the current studies indicate that MCP detectors can be useful to measure high-energy particle beams at high temporal resolution.

Description: We use a new, improved version of the H i Parkes All-Sky Survey to search for H i emission from nine new, ultrafaint Milky Way satellite galaxy candidates recently discovered in data from the Dark Energy Survey. None of the candidates is detected in H i , implying upper limits for their H i masses of typically several hundred to a few thousand solar masses. The resulting upper limits on $M_{\rm H\small {I}} / L_{\rm V}$ and $M_{\rm H\small {I}} / M_{\star }$ suggest that at least some of the new galaxy candidates are H i deficient. This finding is consistent with the general H i deficiency of satellite galaxies located within the Milky Way's virial radius and supports the hypothesis that gas is being removed from satellites by tidal and ram-pressure forces during perigalactic passages. In addition, some of the objects may be embedded in, and interacting with, the extended neutral and ionized gas filaments of the Magellanic Stream.

Description: The scale-eating cichlid fish, Perissodus microlepis , from Lake Tanganyika are a well-known example of an asymmetry dimorphism because the mouth/head is either left-bending or right-bending. However, how strongly its pronounced morphological laterality is affected by genetic and environmental factors remains unclear. Using quantitative assessments of mouth asymmetry, we investigated its origin by estimating narrow-sense heritability ( h 2 ) using midparent–offspring regression. The heritability estimates [field estimate: h 2  = 0.22 ± 0.06, P  =   0.013; laboratory estimate: h 2  = 0.18 ± 0.05, P  =   0.004] suggest that although variation in laterality has some additive genetic component, it is strongly environmentally influenced. Family-level association analyses of a putative microsatellite marker that was claimed to be linked to gene(s) for laterality revealed no association of this locus with laterality. Moreover, the observed phenotype frequencies in offspring from parents of different phenotype combinations were not consistent with a previously suggested single-locus two-allele model, but they neither were able to reject with confidence a random asymmetry model. These results reconcile the disputed mechanisms for this textbook case of mouth asymmetry where both genetic and environmental factors contribute to this remarkable case of morphological asymmetry. Using quantitative assessments of mouth asymmetry of scale-eating cichlid fish Perissodus microlepis, we investigated its origin by estimating narrow-sense heritability ( h 2 ) using midparent-offspring regression. The heritability estimates [field-estimate: h 2  = 0.22 ± 0.06, P  = 0.013; laboratory-estimate: h 2  = 0.18 ± 0.05, P  = 0.004] suggest that although variation in laterality has some additive genetic component, it is strongly environmentally influenced. These results reconcile the disputed mechanisms for this textbook case of mouth asymmetry where both genetic and environmental factors contribute to this remarkable case of morphological asymmetry.

Description: We examine the properties of galaxies in the Galaxies and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey located in voids with radii 〉10 h –1  Mpc. Utilizing the GAMA equatorial survey, 592 void galaxies are identified out to z   0.1 brighter than M r  = –18.4, our magnitude completeness limit. Using the W Hα versus [N  ii ]/Hα (WHAN) line strength diagnostic diagram, we classify their spectra as star forming, AGN, or dominated by old stellar populations. For objects more massive than 5  x  10 9 M , we identify a sample of 26 void galaxies with old stellar populations classed as passive and retired galaxies in the WHAN diagnostic diagram, else they lack any emission lines in their spectra. When matched to Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mid-IR photometry, these passive and retired galaxies exhibit a range of mid-IR colour, with a number of void galaxies exhibiting [4.6] – [12] colours inconsistent with completely quenched stellar populations, with a similar spread in colour seen for a randomly drawn non-void comparison sample. We hypothesize that a number of these galaxies host obscured star formation, else they are star forming outside of their central regions targeted for single-fibre spectroscopy. When matched to a randomly drawn sample of non-void galaxies, the void and non-void galaxies exhibit similar properties in terms of optical and mid-IR colour, morphology, and star formation activity, suggesting comparable mass assembly and quenching histories. A trend in mid-IR [4.6] – [12] colour is seen, such that both void and non-void galaxies with quenched/passive colours 〈1.5 typically have masses higher than 10 10 M , where internally driven processes play an increasingly important role in galaxy evolution.

Description: The solid state reaction of WCl 6 with copper powder and a reactive source of carbon leads to a new trigonal prismatic carbon-centered tungsten cluster containing copper ions. Cu[W 6 CCl 18 ] dissolves in organic solvents (dimethylsulfoxide, acetone), resulting in two air stable products Cu(C 2 H 6 OS) 6 [W 6 CCl 18 ] and Cu(C 2 H 6 OS) 4 [W 6 CCl 18 ] 2 . Both of them contain carbon-centered trigonal prismatic tungsten clusters [W 6 CCl 18 ] n – ( n = 1, 2) and Jahn-Teller distorted octahedral copper(II) ions. Crystal structures of all compounds were investigated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The presence of carbon as an interstitial atom in the cluster is confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Description: We report the discovery of a low-mass companion to the nearby ( d = 47 pc) F7V star HD 984. The companion is detected 0.19 arcsec away from its host star in the L ' band with the Apodized Phase Plate on NaCo/Very Large Telescope and was recovered by L '-band non-coronagraphic imaging data taken a few days later. We confirm the companion is comoving with the star with SINFONI integral field spectrograph H + K data. We present the first published data obtained with SINFONI in pupil-tracking mode. HD 984 has been argued to be a kinematic member of the 30 Myr-old Columba group, and its HR diagram position is not altogether inconsistent with being a zero-age main sequence star of this age. By consolidating different age indicators, including isochronal age, coronal X-ray emission, and stellar rotation, we independently estimate a main-sequence age of 115 ± 85 Myr (95 per cent CL) which does not rely on this kinematic association. The mass of directly imaged companions are usually inferred from theoretical evolutionary tracks, which are highly dependent on the age of the star. Based on the age extrema, we demonstrate that with our photometric data alone, the companion's mass is highly uncertain: between 33 and 96 M Jup (0.03–0.09 M ) using the COND evolutionary models. We compare the companion's SINFONI spectrum with field dwarf spectra to break this degeneracy. Based on the slope and shape of the spectrum in the H band, we conclude that the companion is an M6.0 ± 0.5 dwarf. The age of the system is not further constrained by the companion, as M dwarfs are poorly fit on low-mass evolutionary tracks. This discovery emphasizes the importance of obtaining a spectrum to spectral type companions around F-stars.