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At least 523 records · Page 29

Radio continuum polarimetric imaging of high redshift radio galaxies

Multifrequency images of total and polarized radio continuum emission from the two high redshift radio galaxies 0902+343 (z = 3.40) and 0647+415 (4C 41.17, z = 3.80) are presented. These images represent the most sensitive polarimetric study of high redshift ratio galaxies to date. The emission from both galaxies is substantially polarized, up to 30% in some regions, and both sources sit behind deep 'Faraday screens,' producing large rotation measures, over 10(exp 3) rad/sq. m in magnitude, and large rotation measure gradients across the sources. Such large rotation measures provide further evidence that high redshift radio galaxies are situated in very dense environments. Drawing the analogy to a class of low redshift powerful radio galaxies with similarly large rotation measures, we suggest that 0902+343 and 0647+415 are situated at the centers of dense, x-ray 'colling flow' clusters, and that the cluster gas is substantially magnetized. The remarkable similarity between the optical and radio morphologies of 0647+415 on scales as small as 0.1 sec is presented. We consider, and reject, both synchrotron and inverse Compton radiation as possible sources of the optical emission. We also consider both scattering of light out of a 'cone' of radiation from an obscured nucleus, and jet-induced star formation, and find that both models encounter difficulties in explaining this remarkably close radio-optical alignment. High resolution spectral index images reveal compact, flat spectrum components in both sources. We suggest that these components are the active nuclei of the galaxies. Lastly, high resolution images of 0902+343 show that the southernmost component forms a 'ring' of 0.2 sec radius. We discuss the possibility that this ring is the result of gravitational lensing, along the lines proposed by Kochanek & Lawrence (1990).

Carilli, C. L.↗

A kinematic search for supernova remnants in giant extragalactic H II regions

We have obtained velocity fields of the Giant H II complexes NGC 5471 in M101, NGC 2363 in NGC 2366, and the largest H II region in NGC 2403 from H-alpha observations using the TAURUS imaging Fabry-Perot interferometer. We have detected five H-alpha sources with velocity profiles which are broad when compared with the surrounding H II region. Region B in NGC 5471 has been previously determined to contain a supernova remnant by the presence of nonthermal radio continuum radiation and enhanced (O I) and (S II) emission (Skillman 1985) and broad H-alpha emission (Chu & Kennicutt 1986). Two broad H-alpha sources in NGC 2363 coincide with regions where strong splitting has been found in the (O III) line (Roy et al. 1991). Two more broad H-alpha sources have been identified in the largest H II region in NGC 2403. Very Large Array (VLA) radio continuum observations with a resolution of 2 sec at lambda(6) and lambda(20) cm of all 3 H II complexes are presented. In addition, high resolution (subarcsecond) VLA images of NGC 5471 were made at lambda(2) and lambda(6) cm. The presence of a nonthermal source in region NGC 5471 B was confirmed while region NGC 5471 A appears to be dominated by thermal emission. The nonthermal spectral index in NGC 2363 A indicates the existence of none or more supernova remnants at the position of a large velocity width source detected in H-alpha emission. No similar nonthermal sources were detected in NGC 2403 #1. Supernovae explosions and stellar winds are considered as causes for these large velocity width sources (LVWS). If the emission from the LVWSs is attributed to single supernova remnants, they are unusually luminous in both nonthermal radio continuum and H-alpha emision. The very large H-alpha luminosities could be a result of high velocity gas being ionized by the neighboring stellar cluster.

Yang, Hui↗

Searching for cluster magnetic fields in the cooling flows of 0745-191, A2029, and A4059

We have performed sensitive polarimetric radio observations with the Very Large Array (VLA) of three galaxies: PKS 0745-191, PKS 1508+059, and PKS 2354-350, embedded in x-ray cooling flow clusters. High sensitivity, multifrequency maps of all three, along with spectral index and Faraday rotation measure (RM) maps of PKS 1508+059 and PKS 2354-350 are presented. For PKS 1508+059 and PKS 2354-350 models of the electron density of the intracluster medium (ICM) have been used to set lower limits of 0.1 and 2.7 microG, respectively, on the magnetic field in the ICM based on the observed RMs. In an x-ray selected sample of cooling flow clusters with an associated radio source, 57% (8/14) are found to have absolute RMs in excess of 800 radians/sq m. This sample includes the three sources of this study and all the other high RM sources found to date at zeta less than 0.4. These facts are consistent with the high RM phenomenon being produced by magnetic fields associated with the relatively dense, hot x-ray gas in cooling flow clusters.

Taylor, Gregory B.↗

Gamma-ray burst spectral breaks and source beaming

The principal discovery of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (GRO) concerning gamma-ray bursts is that these sources are isotropic but with a comparative deficiency of fainter sources, suggesting that they are probably cosmological in origin. If they are at such large distances from Earth then they are extremely luminous and compact. A consequence of this is that two-photon pair production attenuation of the gamma-ray continuum cannot be avoided unless the source radiation is substantially beamed. Most sources do not display gamma-ray turnovers although a few gamma-ray bursts (GRB) detected by GRO exhibit distinct spectral breaks in the MeV range. A derivation of the relationship defining of the degree of beaming in burst sources with spectral breaks due to gamma-gamma attenuation, as a function of source spectral index and break energy, is presented. It is found that sources at distances of approximately 1 Gpc must typically be beamed with bulk Lorentz factors of around 10(exp 3)-10(exp 4), indicating powerful bulk acceleration in bursts, although these Lorentz factors are reduced markedly for steep source spectra. Since the source spectra are not strongly Comptonized, such beaming will blueshift the gamma-gamma attenuation breaks to energies much higher than 1 MeV; an absolute lower bound to the source bulk Lorentz factor is determined from this additional constraint. This blueshifting suggests that those sources with MeV breaks may not be cosmological, or that their breaks are produced by a mechanism that dominates gamma-gamma attenuation at these energies.

Baring, Matthew G.↗

Hot accretion disks with pairs: Effects of magnetic field and thermal cyclocsynchrotron radiation

We show the effects of thermal cyclosynchrotron radiation and magnetic viscosity on the structure of hot, two-temperature accretion disks. Magnetic field, B, is assumed to be randomly oriented and the ratio of magnetic pressure to either gas pressure, alpha = P(sub mag)/P(sub gas), or the sum of the gas and radiation pressures, alpha = (P(sub mag)/P(sub gas) + P(sub rad)), is fixed. We find those effects do not change the qualitative properties of the disks, i.e., there are still two critical accretion rates related to production of e(sup +/-) pairs, (M dot)((sup U)(sub cr)) and (M dot)((sup L)(sub cr)), that affect the number of local and global disk solutions, as recently found by Bjoernsson and Svensson for the case with B = 0. However, a critical value of the alpha-viscosity parameter above which those critical accretion rates disappear becomes smaller than alpha(sub cr) = 1 found in the case of B = 0, for P(sub mag) = alpha(P(sub gas) + P(sub rad)). If P(sub mag) = alpha P(sub gas), on the other hand, alpha(sub cr) is still about unity. Moreover, when Comptonized cyclosynchrotron radiation dominates Comptonized bremsstrahlung, radiation from the disk obeys a power law with the energy spectral index of approximately 0.5, in a qualitative agreement with X-ray observations of active galactic nuclei (AGNS) and Galactic black hole candidates. We also extend the hot disk solutions for P(sub mag) = alpha(P(sub gas) + P(sub rad)) to the effectively optically thick region, where they merge with the standard cold disk solutions. We find that the mapping method by Bjoernsson and Svensson gives a good approximation to the disk structure in the hot region and show where it breaks in the transition region. Finally, we find a region in the disk parameter space with no solutions due to the inability of Coulomb heating to supply enough energy to electrons.

Kusunose, Masaaki↗

High-energy gamma rays from the intense 1993 January 31 gamma-ray burst

The intense gamma-ray burst of 1993 January 31 was detected by the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Observatory. Sixteen gamma rays above 30 MeV were imaged in the telescope when only 0.04 gamma rays were expected by chance. Two of these gamma rays have energies of approximately 1 GeV, and the five bin spectrum of the 16 events is fitted by a power law of photon spectral index -2.0 +/- 0.4. The high-energy emission extends for at least 25 s. The most probable direction for this burst is determined from the directions of the 16 gamma rays observed by Egret and also by requiring the position to lie on annulus derived by the Interplanetary Network.

Sommer, M.↗

Comptel measurements of the gamma-ray burst GRB 930131

On 1993 January 31 at 1857:12 Universal Time (UT), the Imaging Compton Telescope COMPTEL onboard the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) detected the cosmic gamma-ray burst GRB 930131. COMPTEL's MeV imaging capability was employed to locate the source to better than 2 deg (1 sigma error radius) within 7 hr of the event, initiating a world-wide search for an optical and radio counterpart. The maximum likelihood position of the burst from the COMPTEL data is alpha(sub 2000) = 12h 18m, delta(sub 2000) = -9 deg 42 min, consistent with independent CGRO-Burst and Transient Source Experiment (CGRO-BATSE) and Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) locations as well as with the triangulation annulus constructed using BATSE and Ulysses timing data. The combined COMPTEL and EGRET burst data yield a better estimate of the burst location: alpha(sub 2000) = 12h 18m and delta(sub 2000) = -10 deg 21 min, with a 1 sigma error radius of 32 min. In COMPTEL's energy range, this burst was short, consisting of two separate spikes occurring within a approximately 1 s interval with a low intensity tail for approximately 1 s after the second spike. No statistically significant flux is present for a 30 s period after the main part of the burst. This is consistent with the EGRET data. The COMPTEL telescope events indicate a hard, power-law emission extending to beyond 10 MeV with a spectral index of -1.8 +/- 0.4. The rapid fluctuations and high intensities of the gamma-ray flux greater than 10 MeV place the burst object no farther than 250 pc if the burst emission is not beamed.

Ryan, J.↗

Joint ROSAT-Compton GRO observations of the X-ray bright Seyfert galaxy IC 4329A

We report a simultaneous ROSAT and Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) observation of the X-ray-bright Seyfert galaxy IC 4329A. For the GRO Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE) detector, we also present the sum of the data for this and earlier observations. The overall spectrum is very well described as a power law with an energy spectral index of approximately 1 absorbed at low energies plus a strong Compton reflection component, typical for Seyfert 1 galaxies. The low energy absorption can be well described by a sum of a neutral column density of approximately 3 x 10(exp 21)sq cm, most of which is associated with the edge-on galactic disk of IC 4329A, plus an edgelike feature at approximately 700 eV; this feature implies either complex absorption (due to additional ionized material, or due to a partial covering), or a soft excess. The data only weakly constrain the presence of a high-energy cutoff in the underlying power law; they are compatible with an exponential cutoff at any energy E(sub c) approximately greater than 100 keV. The relative steepness of the OSSE data, with the power-law energy index of 1.6 +/- 0.2, can be accounted for entirely by the contribution of the high-energy tail of the reflection component when E(sub c) approaches infinity. (We find that the definite cutoff at an energy E(sub c)approximately 130 keV suggested in the recently published analysis of the OSSE data for this subject is due to a data reduction error.) Including nonsimultaneous Ginga observations with 2 keV fluxes matching well that of ROSAT gives us likely broad-band X-ray/gamma-ray spectra of the object from approximately 0.1 keV up to several hundred keV. We also report the ROSAT spectrum of the companion object to the Seyfert galaxy, the elliptical galaxy IC 4329.

Madejski, G. M.↗

Absorption in X-ray spectra of high-redshift quasars

We present evidence that X-ray absorption is common in high-redshift quasars. We have studied six high-redshift (z approximately 3) quasars with the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) of which four are in directions of low Galactic N(sub H). Three out of these four show excess absorption, while only three in approximately 50 z approximately less than 0.4 quasars do, indicating that such absorption must be common, but not ubiquitous, at high redshifts, and that the absorbers must lie at z greater than 0.4. The six quasars were: S5 0014+81, Q0420-388, PKS 0438-436, S4 0636+680. PKS 2000-330, PKS 2126-158, which have redshifts between 2.85 and 3.78. PKS 0438-436 and PKS 2126-158 show evidence for absorption above the local Galactic value at better than 99.999% confidence level. If the absorber is at the redshift of the quasar, then values of N(sub H) = (0.86(+0.49, -0.28)) x 10(exp 22) atoms/sq cm for PKS 0438-436, and N(sub H) = (1.45(+1.20, -0.64)) x 10(exp 22) atoms/ sq cm for PKS 2126-158, are implied, assuming solar abundances. The spectrum of S4 0636+680 also suggests the presence of a similarly large absorption column density at the 98% confidence level. This absorption reverses the trend for the most luminous active galactic nuclei (AGN) to have the least X-ray absorption, so a new mechanism is likely to be responsible. Intervening absorption due to damped Lyman(alpha) systems is a plausible cause. We also suggest, as an intrinsic model, that intracluster material, e.g., a cooling flow, around the quasar could account for both the X-ray spectrum and other properties of these quasars. All the quasars are radio-loud and three are gigahertz peaked (two of the three showing absorption). No excess absorption above the Galactic value is seen toward Q0420-388. This quasar has two damped Lyman(alpha) systems at z = 3.08. The limit on the X-ray column density implies a low ionization fraction, N(H I)/N(H) approximately greater than 4 x 10(exp -3) (3 (sigma)), for solar abundances, for these systems, and can set a weak limit on the size of the absorber. In the emitted frame these PSPC spectra cover the band approximately 0.5-10 keV, which has been well observed for low-redshift quasars and AGN. Comparison of high and low-redshift spectra in this emitted band shows no change of mean spectral index greater than Delta alpha(sub E) greater than 0.3 (99% confidence) with either redshift or luminosity, for radio-loud quasars.

Elvis, Martin↗

Gamma-ray and millimeter-wave emissions from the 1991 June X-class solar flares

We have studied the spectacular 1991 June X-class flares using gamma-ray data from the Charged Particle Detectors (CPDs) of the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) and 80 GHz millimeter data from Nobeyama, Japan. The CPDs were the only CGRO instrument that did not saturate during the extremely intense 1991 June 4 flare. We have shown that for this flare the CPDs respond to MeV photons, most of which are due to bremsstrahlung produced by relativistic electrons at the Sun. We have further shown that the gamma-ray and millimeter observations agree numerically if the 80 GHz radiation is gyrosynchrotron radiation produced by trapped electrons and the gamma rays are thick-target bremsstrahlung due to electrons precipitating out of the trap. The requirement that the trapping time obtained from the numerical comparison be consistent with the observed time profiles implies a magnetic field between about 200 and 300 G and an electron spectral index between about 3 to 5. By comparing the CPD observations with both the 80 GHz data and nuclear line data from the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) and the Oriented Scintillation Spectroscopy Experiment (OSSE) on CGRO for the flares of June 4, 6, 9, and 11, we found that the ratio of the CPD counts to both the millimeter flux densities and the nuclear line fluences decreases with decreasing flare heliocentric angle. All of these flares were produced in the same active region. We interpreted this result in terms of a loop model in which the gyrosynchrotron emission is produced in the coronal portion of the loop where the electrons are kept isotropic by pitch angle scattering due to plasma turbulence, while the bremsstrahlung is produced by precipitating electrons that interact anisotropically. We found that the trapping time in the coronal portion is time dependent, reaching a minimum of about 10 s at the peak of the CPD count rate. We suggested the damping of the turbulence as a possible reason for the variation of the trapping time. turbulence as a possible reason for the variation of the trapping time.

Ramaty, Reuven↗

The average X-ray/gamma-ray spectra of Seyfert galaxies from Ginga and OSSE and the origin of the cosmic X-ray background

We have obtained the first average 2-500 keV spectra of Seyfert galaxies, using the data from Ginga and Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory's (CGRO) Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE). Our sample contains three classes of objects with markedly different spectra: radio-quiet Seyfert 1's and 2's, and radio-loud Seyfert 1's. The average radio-quiet Seyfert 1 spectrum is well-fitted by a power law continuum with the energy spectral index alpha approximately equals 0.9, a Compton reflection component corresponding to a approximately 2 pi covering solid angle, and ionized absorption. There is a high-energy cutoff in the incident power law continuum: the e-folding energy is E(sub c) approximately equals 0.6(sup +0.8 sub -0.3) MeV. The simplest model that describes this spectrum is Comptonization in a relativistic optically-thin thermal corona above the surface of an accretion disk. Radio-quiet Seyfert 2's show strong netural absorption, and there is an indication that their X-ray power laws are intrinsically harder. Finally, the radio-loud Seyfert spectrum has alpha approximately equals 0.7, moderate neutral absorption E(sub C) = 0.4(sup +0.7 sub -0.2) MeV, and no or little Compton reflection. This is incompatible with the radio-quiet Seyfert 1 spectrum, and probably indicating that the X-rays are beamed away from the accretion disk in these objects. The average spectra of Seyferts integrated over redshift with a power-law evolution can explain the hard X-ray spectrum of the cosmic background.

Zdziarski, Andrzej A.↗

Miocrowave spectral imaging, H-alpha and hard X-ray observations of a solar limb flare

We compare the microwave, H-alpha, and hard X-ray observations for a west limb C7.3 flare that occurred at 17:10 UT, 1992 June 26. H-alpha movies were obtained at Big Bear Solar Observatory. Before the onset of the flare, overexposed H-alpha images show the complicated flux loop structure above the limb. Material was observed to descend along the loops toward the site where the flare occurred hours later. Using the five-antenna solar array at Owens Valley Radio Observatory, we obtain two-dimensional maps of flare emission from 1.4 to 14 GHz. In all three temporal peaks of the microwave bursts, the maps show the same characteristics. The peak low-frequency emission comes from the top of one bundle of the H-alpha loops and gradually shifts to the foot-point of the loops (the location of H-alpha flare) as the frequency increases. The location of the emission peak shifts 88 sec between 1 and 14 GHz. Seventy percent of the shift occurs between 1 and 5 GHz. The locus of the shift of the emission peak follows the shape of an H-alpha surge that occurred after the flare. For each point along the locus, we create the microwave brightness temperature spectrum and compare the radio-derived electron distribution with that derived from the high-resolution hard X-ray spectra measured with Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on board the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO). We find that the peak frequency changes from approximately 3 GHz at the loop top to approximately 7 GHz at the footprint, presumably due to the increase of the magnetic field from approximately 160 GHz at the loop top to approximately 300 G at the footpoint. The high-frequency slope of the microwave power-law spectrum decreases from approximately 10 at the loop top to approximately 5 at the footprint due to a change in the energy distribution of the dominant electrons. The microwave brightness temperature spectral index predicted by the BATSE power-law hard X-ray spectra agrees with the measured value only at the footpoint. At the loop top, the emission may be thermal gyrosynchrotron with a temperature of 3.5 x 10(exp 7) K, which is likely to correspond to the superhot component seen in the hard X-ray emission.

Wang, H.↗

Amplitude of primeval fluctuations from cosmological mass density reconstructions

We use the POTENT reconstruction of the mass density field in the nearby universe to estimate the amplitude of the density fluctuation power spectrum for various cosmological models. We find that sigma(sub 8) Omega(sub m sup 0.6) = 1.3(sub -0.3 sup +0.4), almost independently of the power spectrum. This value agrees well with the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) normalization for the standard cold dark matter model, while alternative models predict an excessive amplitude compared with COBE. Flat, low Omega(sub m) models and tilted models with spectral index n less than 0.8 are particularly discordant.

Seljak, Uros↗

Low-luminosity active galaxies: Are they similar to Seyfert galaxies?

A careful X-ray study of five low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs) was conducted to address specifically the issue of whether the dominant X-ray production mechanism is the same at all luminosities in AGNs. The sample consists of three Seyfert 1 galaxies (NGC 4639, NGC 5033, and NGC 5273), and two low-ionization nuclear emission-line regions (NGC 3642 and NGC 4278) having a weak broad component of H-alpha emission. We find that the X-ray emission (ROSAT High Resolution Interferometer (HRI)) is mostly or entirely nuclear (less than or approximately = 500 pc) despite the low X-ray luminosities (approximately 9 x 10(exp 40) ergs/s) of the sample. The correlation between X-ray luminosity and the broad H-alpha emission-line luminosity observed in high-luminosity active galaxies continues down to the low-luminosity range; the mean L(sub X)/L(sub H-alpha) ratio of LLAGNs is approximately 14, while that of AGNs is approximately 29. ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) observations of three LLAGNs in our sample indicate that the 0.2-2.2 keV X-ray spectral energy distributions are similar to those seen in Seyfert nuclei but do not have high intrinsic absorbing columns. Using existing ultraviolet data for four LLAGNs, we find that the 'optical' (2500 A) to X-ray spectral index (alpha(sub OX)) has an average upper limit of 1.6; for comparison, the measured value in AGNs is typically 1.4, while that in M81 (the prototypical LLAGN) is 1.0.

Koratkar, A.↗

Galaxies with spectral energy distributions peaking near 60 micrometers. 1: Optical spectroscopy, infrared photometry, and radio continuum data

We present and discuss broadband infrared photometry in the 1-100 micrometer wavelength range, optical spectroscopy, and radio continuum observations of a sample of IRAS galaxies with unusual spectral energy distributions that peak near 60 micrometers. For inclusion in this sample of '60 PKs', the galaxies must have satisfied the following criteria: IRAS flux ratios f(sub 60)/f(sub 100) greater than 1 and 1 less than f(sub 60)/f(sub 25) less than 4, and galactic latitude absolute value of b greater than 10 deg. In this paper, which is the first of a series, we show that the 60PKs are relatively scarce objects that represent about 2% of the spatial density of 60 micrometer-selected galaxies in the range L(60 micrometers) = 10(exp 9) to 10(exp 12) solar luminosity, but have a far-infrared luminosity function of nearly identical shape. They are detected up to redshifts of 0.2. Besides having the usual high percentage of active galaxies (approximately 30% H II-region like, 50% Seyfert 2, 10% Seyfert 1, 10% unknown) associated with a flat 25 to 60 micrometer spectral index, the sample also includes most of the galaxies that have been found to have a dust-obscured broadline region. We show that the additional f(sub 60)/f(sub 100) greater than 1 constraint selects galaxies with dust that is more centrally concentrated and exposed to a more intense radiation field than in most other IRAS galaxies. In particular, the cirrus component of the far-infrared radiation, which is typically the dominant contributor to the 100 micrometer emission from spiral galaxies, is negligible or missing. This is consistent with the fact that the most distinctive optical signature of 60PKs is the absence of spiral structure: they tend to be peculiar and/or amorphous objects.

Vader, J Patricia↗

Ammonia downstream from HH 80 North

HH 80-81 are two optically visible Herbig-Haro (HH) objects located about 5 minutes south of their exciting source IRAS 18162-2048. Displaced symmetrically to the north of this luminous IRAS source, a possible HH counterpart was recently detected as a radio continuum source with the very large array (VLA). This radio source, HH 80 North, has been proposed to be a member of the Herbig-Haro class since its centimeter flux density, angular size, spectral index, and morphology are all similar to those of HH 80. However, no object has been detected at optical wavelengths at the position of HH 80 North, possibly because of high extinction, and the confirmation of the radio continuum source as an HH object has not been possible. In the prototypical Herbig-Haro objects HH 1 and 2, ammonia emission has been detected downstream of the flow in both objects. This detection has been intepreted as a result of an enhancement in the ammonia emission produced by the radiation field of the shock associated with the HH object. In this Letter we report the detection of the (1,1) and (2,2) inversion transitions of ammonia downstream HH 80 North. This detection gives strong suppport to the interpretation of HH 80 North as a heavily obscured HH object. In addition, we suggest that ammonia emission may be a tracer of embedded Herbig-Haro objects in other regions of star formation. A 60 micrometer IRAS source could be associated with HH 80 North and with the ammonia condensation. A tentative explanation for the far-infrared emission as arising in dust heated by their optical and UV radiation of the HH object is presented.

Girart, Jose M.↗

Massive black holes and light-element nucleosynthesis in a baryonic universe

We reexamine the model proposed by Gnedin & Ostriker (1992) in which Jeans mass black holes (M(sub BH) approximately = 10(exp 6) solar mass) form shortly after decoupling. There is no nonbaryonic dark matter in this model, but we examine the possibility that Omega(sub b) is considerably larger than given by normal nucleosynthesis. Here we allow for the fact that much of the high baryon-to-photon ratio material will collapse leaving the universe of remaining material with light-element abundances more in accord with the residual baryonic density (approximately = 10(exp -2)) than with Omega(sub 0) and the initial baryonic density (approximately = 10(exp -1)). We find that no reasonable model can be made with random-phase density fluctuations, if the power on scales smaller than 10(exp 6) solar mass is as large as expected. However, phase-correlated models of the type that might occur in connection with topological singularities can be made with Omega(sub b) h(exp 2) = 0.013 +/- 0.001, 0.15 approximately less than Omega(sub 0) approximately less than 0.4, which are either flat (Omega(sub lambda) = 1 - Omega(sub 0)) or open (Omega(sub lambda) = 0) and which satisfy all the observational constraints which we apply, including the large baryon-to-total mass ratio found in the X-ray clusters. The remnant baryon density is thus close to that obtained in the standard picture (Omega(sub b) h(exp 2) = 0.0125 +/- 0.0025; Walker et al. 1991). The spectral index implied for fluctuations in the baryonic isocurvature scenario, -1 less than m less than 0, is in the range expected by other arguments based on large-scale structure and microwave fluctuation constraints. The dark matter in this picture is in the form of massive black holes. Accretion onto them at early epochs releases high-energy photons which significantly heat and reionize the universe. But photodissociation does not materially change light-element abundances. A typical model gives bar-y approximately = 1 x 10(exp -5), n(sub e)/n(sub H)(z = 30) approximately = 0.1, and a diffuse gamma-ray background at 100 keV near the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (COBE) limit of the order of 10% of that observed which originates from high-redshift quasars. Reionization in this model occurs at redshift 600 and reaches (H II/H(sub tot) approximately = 0.1-0.2.

Gnedin, Nickolay Y.↗

Monte Carlo simulations of particle acceleration at oblique shocks: Including cross-field diffusion

The Monte Carlo technique of simulating diffusive particle acceleration at shocks has made spectral predictions that compare extremely well with particle distributions observed at the quasi-parallel region of the earth's bow shock. The current extension of this work to compare simulation predictions with particle spectra at oblique interplanetary shocks has required the inclusion of significant cross-field diffusion (strong scattering) in the simulation technique, since oblique shocks are intrinsically inefficient in the limit of weak scattering. In this paper, we present results from the method we have developed for the inclusion of cross-field diffusion in our simulations, namely model predictions of particle spectra downstream of oblique subluminal shocks. While the high-energy spectral index is independent of the shock obliquity and the strength of the scattering, the latter is observed to profoundly influence the efficiency of injection of cosmic rays into the acceleration process.

Baring, M. G.↗