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- ItemThe STELLA robotic observatory on tenerife(New York : Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2010) Strassmeier, K.G.; Granzer, T.; Weber, M.; Woche, M.; Popow, E.; Jrvinen, A.; Bartus, J.; Bauer, S.-M.; Dionies, F.; Fechner, T.; Bittner, W.; Paschke, J.The Astrophysical Institute Potsdam (AIP) and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) inaugurated the robotic telescopes STELLA-I and STELLA-II (STELLar Activity) on Tenerife on May 18, 2006. The observatory is located on the Izaa ridge at an elevation of 2400m near the German Vacuum Tower Telescope. STELLA consists of two 1.2m alt-az telescopes. One telescope fiber feeds a bench-mounted high-resolution echelle spectrograph while the other telescope feeds a wide-field imaging photometer. Both scopes work autonomously by means of artificial intelligence. Not only that the telescopes are automated, but the entire observatory operates like a robot, and does not require any human presence on site. Copyright © 2010 Klaus G. Strassmeier et al.
- ItemThree years of experience with the STELLA robotic observatory(New York : Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2010) Granzer, T.; Weber, M.; Strassmeier, K.G.Since May 2006, the two STELLA robotic telescopes at the Izaa observatory in Tenerife, Spain, delivered an almost uninterrupted stream of scientific data. To achieve such a high level of autonomous operation, the replacement of all troubleshooting skills of a regular observer in software was required. Care must be taken on error handling issues and on robustness of the algorithms used. In the current paper, we summarize the approaches we followed in the STELLA observatory. Copyright © 2010 Thomas Granzer et al.
- ItemAre nuclear star clusters the precursors of massive black holes?(New York, NY [u.a.] : Hindawi, 2012) Neumayer, N.; Walcher, C.J.We present new upper limits for black hole masses in extremely late type spiral galaxies. We confirm that this class of galaxies has black holes with masses less than 10 6M⊙, if any. We also derive new upper limits for nuclear star cluster masses in massive galaxies with previously determined black hole masses. We use the newly derived upper limits and a literature compilation to study the low mass end of the global-to-nucleus relations. We find the following. (1) The M BH-δ relation cannot flatten at low masses, but may steepen. (2) The M BH-M bulge relation may well flatten in contrast. (3) The M B H -Sersic n relation is able to account for the large scatter in black hole masses in low-mass disk galaxies. Outliers in the M BH-Sersic n relation seem to be dwarf elliptical galaxies. When plotting M BH versus M NC we find three different regimes: (a) nuclear cluster dominated nuclei, (b) a transition region, and (c) black hole-dominated nuclei. This is consistent with the picture, in which black holes form inside nuclear clusters with a very low-mass fraction. They subsequently grow much faster than the nuclear cluster, destroying it when the ratio M BH/M NC grows above 100. Nuclear star clusters may thus be the precursors of massive black holes in galaxy nuclei.
- ItemMagnetic field dynamos and magnetically triggered flow instabilities(London [u.a.] : Institute of Physics, 2017) Stefani, F.; Albrecht, T.; Arlt, R.; Christen, M.; Gailitis, A.; Gellert, M.; Giesecke, A.; Goepfert, O.; Herault, J.; Kirillov, O.N.; Mamatsashvili, G.; Priede, J.; Rüdiger, G.; Seilmayer, M.; Tilgner, A.; Vogt, T.; Gerbeth, Gunther; Stieglitz, RobertThe project A2 of the LIMTECH Alliance aimed at a better understanding of those magnetohydrodynamic instabilities that are relevant for the generation and the action of cosmic magnetic fields. These comprise the hydromagnetic dynamo effect and various magnetically triggered flow instabilities, such as the magnetorotational instability and the Tayler instability. The project was intended to support the experimental capabilities to become available in the framework of the DREsden Sodium facility for DYNamo and thermohydraulic studies (DRESDYN). An associated starting grant was focused on the dimensioning of a liquid metal experiment on the newly found magnetic destabilization of rotating flows with positive shear. In this survey paper, the main results of these two projects are summarized.
- ItemDwarf galaxies in voids: Dark matter halos and gas cooling(New York : Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2010) Hoeft, M.; Gottlber, S.Galaxy surveys have shown that luminous galaxies are mainly distributed in large filaments and galaxy clusters. The remaining large volumes are virtually devoid of luminous galaxies. This is in concordance with the formation of the large-scale structure in the universe as derived from cosmological simulations. However, the numerical results indicate that cosmological voids are abundantly populated with dark matter haloes which may in principle host dwarf galaxies. Observational efforts have in contrast revealed that voids are apparently devoid of dwarf galaxies. We investigate the formation of dwarf galaxies in voids by hydrodynamical cosmological simulations. Due to the cosmic ultraviolet background radiation low-mass haloes show generally a reduced baryon fraction. We determine the characteristic mass below which dwarf galaxies are baryon deficient. We show that the circular velocity below which the accretion of baryons is suppressed is approximately 40km s-1. The suppressed baryon accretion is caused by the photo-heating due to the UV background. We set up a spherical halo model and show that the effective equation of the state of the gas in the periphery of dwarf galaxies determines the characteristic mass. This implies that any process which heats the gas around dwarf galaxies increases the characteristic mass and thus reduces the number of observable dwarf galaxies. Copyright © 2010 M. Hoeft and S. Gottlöber.
- ItemChemical composition of the RS CVn-type star lambda andromedae(Berlin : de Gruyter, 2010) Tautvaišiené, G.; Barisevičius, G.; Berdyugina, Svetlana V.; Chorniy, Yuriy; Ilyin, Ilya V.Photospheric parameters and chemical composition are determined for the single-lined chromospherically active RS CVn-type star λ And (HD 222107). From the high resolution spectra obtained on the Nordic Optical Telescope, abundances of 22 chemical elements and isotopes, including such key elements as 12C, 13C, N and O, were investigated. The differential line analysis with the MARCS model atmospheres gives Teff = 4830 K, log g = 2.8, [Fe/H] = -0.53, [C/Fe] = 0.09, [N/Fe] = 0.35, [O/Fe] = 0.45, C/N = 2.21, 12C/13C = 14. The 12C/13C ratio for a star of the RS CVn-type is determined for the first time, and its low value gives a hint that extra-mixing processes may start acting in low-mass chromospherically active stars below the bump of the luminosity function of red giants.
- ItemLarge-scale globally propagating coronal waves(Katlenburg-Lindau : MPS, 2015) Warmuth, AlexanderLarge-scale, globally propagating wave-like disturbances have been observed in the solar chromosphere and by inference in the corona since the 1960s. However, detailed analysis of these phenomena has only been conducted since the late 1990s. This was prompted by the availability of high-cadence coronal imaging data from numerous spaced-based instruments, which routinely show spectacular globally propagating bright fronts. Coronal waves, as these perturbations are usually referred to, have now been observed in a wide range of spectral channels, yielding a wealth of information. Many findings have supported the “classical” interpretation of the disturbances: fast-mode MHD waves or shocks that are propagating in the solar corona. However, observations that seemed inconsistent with this picture have stimulated the development of alternative models in which “pseudo waves” are generated by magnetic reconfiguration in the framework of an expanding coronal mass ejection. This has resulted in a vigorous debate on the physical nature of these disturbances. This review focuses on demonstrating how the numerous observational findings of the last one and a half decades can be used to constrain our models of large-scale coronal waves, and how a coherent physical understanding of these disturbances is finally emerging.
- ItemThe first SEPServer event catalogue ~68-MeV solar proton events observed at 1 AU in 1996-2010(Les Ulis : EDP Sciences, 2013) Vainio, R.; Valtonen, E.; Heber, B.; Malandraki, O.E.; Papaioannou, A.; Klein, K.-L.; Afanasiev, A.; Agueda, N.; Aurass, H.; Battarbee, M.; Braune, S.; Dröge, W.; Ganse, U.; Hamadache, C.; Heynderickx, D.; Huttunen-Heikinmaa, K.; Kiener, J.; Kilian, P.; Kopp, A.; Kouloumvakos, A.; Maisala, S.; Mishev, A.; Miteva, R.; Nindos, A.; Oittinen, T.; Raukunen, O.; Riihonen, E.; Rodríguez-Gasén, R.; Saloniemi, O.; Sanahuja, B.; Scherer, R.; Spanier, F.; Tatischeff, V.; Tziotziou, K.; Usoskin, I.G.; Vilmer, N.SEPServer is a three-year collaborative project funded by the seventh framework programme (FP7-SPACE) of the European Union. The objective of the project is to provide access to state-of-the-art observations and analysis tools for the scientific community on solar energetic particle (SEP) events and related electromagnetic (EM) emissions. The project will eventually lead to better understanding of the particle acceleration and transport processes at the Sun and in the inner heliosphere. These processes lead to SEP events that form one of the key elements of space weather. In this paper we present the first results from the systematic analysis work performed on the following datasets: SOHO/ERNE, SOHO/EPHIN, ACE/EPAM, Wind/WAVES and GOES X-rays. A catalogue of SEP events at 1 AU, with complete coverage over solar cycle 23, based on high-energy (~68-MeV) protons from SOHO/ERNE and electron recordings of the events by SOHO/EPHIN and ACE/EPAM are presented. A total of 115 energetic particle events have been identified and analysed using velocity dispersion analysis (VDA) for protons and time-shifting analysis (TSA) for electrons and protons in order to infer the SEP release times at the Sun. EM observations during the times of the SEP event onset have been gathered and compared to the release time estimates of particles. Data from those events that occurred during the European day-time, i.e., those that also have observations from ground-based observatories included in SEPServer, are listed and a preliminary analysis of their associations is presented. We find that VDA results for protons can be a useful tool for the analysis of proton release times, but if the derived proton path length is out of a range of 1 AU < s a 2 3 AU, the result of the analysis may be compromised, as indicated by the anti-correlation of the derived path length and release time delay from the associated X-ray flare. The average path length derived from VDA is about 1.9 times the nominal length of the spiral magnetic field line. This implies that the path length of first-arriving MeV to deka-MeV protons is affected by interplanetary scattering. TSA of near-relativistic electrons results in a release time that shows significant scatter with respect to the EM emissions but with a trend of being delayed more with increasing distance between the flare and the nominal footpoint of the Earth-connected field line.
- ItemThe PAC2MAN mission: A new tool to understand and predict solar energetic events(Les Ulis : EDP Sciences, 2015) Amaya, Jorge; Musset, Sophie; Andersson, Viktor; Diercke, Andrea; Höller, Christian; Iliev, Sergiu; Juhász, Lilla; Kiefer, René; Lasagni, Riccardo; Lejosne, Solène; Madi, Mohammad; Rummelhagen, Mirko; Scheucher, Markus; Sorba, Arianna; Thonhofer, StefanAn accurate forecast of flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) initiation requires precise measurements of the magnetic energy buildup and release in the active regions of the solar atmosphere. We designed a new space weather mission that performs such measurements using new optical instruments based on the Hanle and Zeeman effects. The mission consists of two satellites, one orbiting the L1 Lagrangian point (Spacecraft Earth, SCE) and the second in heliocentric orbit at 1AU trailing the Earth by 80° (Spacecraft 80, SC80). Optical instruments measure the vector magnetic field in multiple layers of the solar atmosphere. The orbits of the spacecraft allow for a continuous imaging of nearly 73% of the total solar surface. In-situ plasma instruments detect solar wind conditions at 1AU and ahead of our planet. Earth-directed CMEs can be tracked using the stereoscopic view of the spacecraft and the strategic placement of the SC80 satellite. Forecasting of geoeffective space weather events is possible thanks to an accurate surveillance of the magnetic energy buildup in the Sun, an optical tracking through the interplanetary space, and in-situ measurements of the near-Earth environment.
- ItemHigh-Resolution Arrayed-Waveguide-Gratings in Astronomy: Design and Fabrication Challenges(Basel : MDPI, 2017) Stoll, Andreas; Zhang, Ziyang; Haynes, Roger; Roth, MartinA comprehensive design of a folded-architecture arrayed-waveguide-grating (AWG)-device, targeted at applications as integrated photonic spectrographs (IPS) in near-infrared astronomy, is presented. The AWG structure is designed for the astronomical H-band (1500 nm-1800 nm) with a theoretical maximum resolving power R = 60,000 at 1630 nm. The geometry of the device is optimized for a compact structure with a footprint of 5.5 cm × 3.93 cm on SiO2 platform. To evaluate the fabrication challenges of such high-resolution AWGs, effects of random perturbations of the effective refractive index (RI) distribution in the free propagation region (FPR), as well as small variations of the array waveguide optical lengths are numerically investigated. The results of the investigation show a dramatic degradation of the point spread function (PSF) for a random effective RI distribution with variance values above ~10-4 for both the FPR and the waveguide array. Based on the results, requirements on the fabrication technology for high-resolution AWG-based spectrographs are given in the end.