Context. About half of the baryons in the local Universe are invisible and – according to simulations – their dominant fraction resides in filaments connecting clusters of galaxies in the form of low ...density gas with temperatures in the range of 105 < T < 107 K. This warm-hot intergalactic medium has never been detected indisputably using X-ray observations. Aims. We aim to probe the low gas densities expected in the large-scale structure filaments by observing a filament connecting the massive clusters of galaxies A 222 and A 223 ($z = 0.21$), which has a favorable orientation approximately along our line-of-sight. This filament has been previously detected using weak lensing data and as an over-density of colour-selected galaxies. Methods. We analyse X-ray images and spectra obtained from a deep observation (144 ks) of A 222/223 with XMM-Newton. Results. We present observational evidence of X-ray emission from the filament connecting the two clusters. We detect the filament in the wavelet-decomposed soft-band (0.5–2.0 keV) X-ray image with a 5σ significance. Following the emission down to the 3σ significance level, the observed filament is ≈1.2 Mpc wide. The temperature of the gas associated with the filament, determined from the spectra, is kT = 0.91±0.25 keV, and its emission measure corresponds to a baryon density of (3.4±1.3)$\times$10-5(l/15 Mpc)-1/2 cm-3, where l is the length of the filament along the line-of-sight. This density corresponds to a baryon over-density of $\rho/<\rho_{\mathrm{C}}> \approx$150. The properties of the gas in the filament are consistent with results of simulations of the densest and hottest parts of the warm-hot intergalactic medium.
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Transition-metal-containing rotaxanes can behave as linear motors at the molecular level. The molecules are set into motion either by an electrochemical reaction or using a chemical signal. In a ...first example, a simple rotaxane is described that consists of a ring threaded by a two-coordination-site axle. The ring contains a bidentate ligand, coordinated to a copper center. The axle incorporates both a bidentate and a terdentate ligand. By oxidizing or reducing the copper center to Cu(II) or Cu(I) respectively, the ring glides from a given position on the axle to another position and vice versa. By generalizing the concept to a rotaxane dimer, whose synthesis involves a quantitative double-threading reaction triggered by copper(I) complexation, a molecular assembly reminiscent of a muscle is constructed. By exchanging the two metal centers of the complex (copper(I)/zinc(II)), a large-amplitude movement is generated, which corresponds to a contraction/stretching process. The copper(I)-containing rotaxane dimer is in a stretched situation (overall length ∼8 nm), whereas the zinc(II) complexed compound is contracted (length ∼6.5 nm). The stretching/contraction process is reversible and it is hoped that, in the future, other types of signals can be used (electrochemical or light pulse) to trigger the motion.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Microcystins are toxins produced by freshwater cyanobacteria. They are cyclic heptapeptides that exhibit hepato- and neurotoxicity. However, the transport systems that mediate uptake of microcystins ...into hepatocytes and across the blood–brain barrier have not yet been identified. Using the
Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system we tested whether members of the organic anion transporting polypeptide superfamily (rodent: Oatps; human: OATPs) are involved in transport of the most common microcystin variant microcystin-LR by measuring uptake of a radiolabeled derivative dihydromicrocystin-LR. Among the tested Oatps/OATPs, rat Oatp1b2, human OATP1B1, human OATP1B3, and human OATP1A2 transported microcystin-LR 2- to 5-fold above water-injected control oocytes. This microcystin-LR transport was inhibited by co-incubation with the known Oatp/OATP substrates taurocholate (TC) and bromosulfophthalein (BSP). Microcystin-LR transport mediated by the human OATPs was further characterized and showed saturability with increasing microcystin-LR concentrations. The apparent
K
m values amounted to 7 ± 3 μM for OATP1B1, 9 ± 3 μM for OATP1B3, and 20 ± 8 μM for OATP1A2. No microcystin-LR transport was observed in oocytes expressing Oatp1a1, Oatp1a4, and OATP2B1. These results may explain some of the observed organ-specific toxicity of microcystin-LR. Oatp1b2, OATP1B1, and OATP1B3 are responsible for microcystin transport into hepatocytes, whereas OATP1A2 mediates microcystin-LR transport across the blood–brain barrier.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
We present a detection of the enhancement in the number densities of background galaxies induced from lensing magnification and use it to test the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect (SZE-) inferred masses in ...a sample of 19 galaxy clusters with median redshift z ≃ 0.42 selected from the South Pole Telescope SPT-SZ survey. These clusters are observed by the Megacam on the Magellan Clay Telescope though gri filters. Two background galaxy populations are selected for this study through their photometric colours; they have median redshifts z
median ≃ 0.9 (low-z background) and z
median ≃ 1.8 (high-z background). Stacking these populations, we detect the magnification bias effect at 3.3σ and 1.3σ for the low- and high-z backgrounds, respectively. We fit Navarro, Frenk and White models simultaneously to all observed magnification bias profiles to estimate the multiplicative factor η that describes the ratio of the weak lensing mass to the mass inferred from the SZE observable-mass relation. We further quantify systematic uncertainties in η resulting from the photometric noise and bias, the cluster galaxy contamination and the estimations of the background properties. The resulting η for the combined background populations with 1σ uncertainties is 0.83 ± 0.24(stat) ± 0.074(sys), indicating good consistency between the lensing and the SZE-inferred masses. We use our best-fitting η to predict the weak lensing shear profiles and compare these predictions with observations, showing agreement between the magnification and shear mass constraints. This work demonstrates the promise of using the magnification as a complementary method to estimate cluster masses in large surveys.
ABSTRACT X-ray cavities are key tracers of mechanical (or radio mode) heating arising from the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). We report on a survey for X-ray ...cavities in 83 massive, high-redshift ( ) clusters of galaxies selected by their Sunyaev-Zel'dovich signature in the South Pole Telescope data. Based on Chandra X-ray images, we find a total of six clusters having symmetric pairs of surface brightness depressions consistent with the picture of radio jets inflating X-ray cavities in the intracluster medium (ICM). The majority of these detections are of relatively low significance and require deeper follow-up data in order to be confirmed. Further, this search will miss small (<10 kpc) X-ray cavities that are unresolved by Chandra at high ( ) redshift. Despite these limitations, our results suggest that the power generated by AGN feedback in BCGs has remained unchanged for over half of the age of the universe ( Gyr at ). On average, the detected X-ray cavities have powers of , enthalpies of , and radii of ∼17 kpc. Integrating over 7 Gyr, we find that the supermassive black holes in BCGs may have accreted 108 to several of material to power these outflows. This level of accretion indicates that significant supermassive black hole growth may occur not only at early times, in the quasar era, but at late times as well. We also find that X-ray cavities at high redshift may inject an excess heat of 0.1-1.0 keV per particle into the hot ICM above and beyond the energy needed to offset cooling. Although this result needs to be confirmed, we note that the magnitude of excess heating is similar to the energy needed to preheat clusters, break self-similarity, and explain the excess entropy in hot atmospheres.
With gigaelectron-volts per centimetre energy gains and femtosecond electron beams, laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) is a promising candidate for applications, such as ultrafast electron ...diffraction, multistaged colliders and radiation sources (betatron, compton, undulator, free electron laser). However, for some of these applications, the beam performance, for example, energy spread, divergence and shot-to-shot fluctuations, need a drastic improvement. Here, we show that, using a dedicated transport line, we can mitigate these initial weaknesses. We demonstrate that we can manipulate the beam longitudinal and transverse phase-space of the presently available LWFA beams. Indeed, we separately correct orbit mis-steerings and minimise dispersion thanks to specially designed variable strength quadrupoles, and select the useful energy range passing through a slit in a magnetic chicane. Therefore, this matched electron beam leads to the successful observation of undulator synchrotron radiation after an 8 m transport path. These results pave the way to applications demanding in terms of beam quality.
Recent measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) by the Planck Collaboration have produced arguably the most powerful observational evidence in support of the standard model of cosmology, ...i.e. the spatially flat ...CDM paradigm. In this work, we perform model selection tests to examine whether the base CMB temperature and large scale polarization anisotropy data from Planck 2015 (P15; Planck Collaboration XIII) prefer any of eight commonly used one-parameter model extensions with respect to flat ...CDM. We find a clear preference for models with free curvature, ..., or free amplitude of the CMB lensing potential, A sub( L). We also further develop statistical tools to measure tension between data sets. We use a Gaussianization scheme to compute tensions directly from the posterior samples using an entropy-based method, the surprise, as well as a calibrated evidence ratio presented here for the first time. We then proceed to investigate the consistency between the base P15 CMB data and six other CMB and distance data sets. In flat ...CDM we find a 4.8... tension between the base P15 CMB data and a distance ladder measurement, whereas the former are consistent with the other data sets. In the curved ...CDM model we find significant tensions in most of the cases, arising from the well-known low power of the low-l multipoles of the CMB data. In the flat ...CDM+A sub( L) model, however, all data sets are consistent with the base P15 CMB observations except for the CMB lensing measurement, which remains in significant tension. This tension is driven by the increased power of the CMB lensing potential derived from the base P15 CMB constraints in both models, pointing at either potentially unresolved systematic effects or the need for new physics beyond the standard flat ...CDM model. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)
We detect the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (kSZ) effect with a statistical significance of 4.2σ by combining a cluster catalogue derived from the first year data of the Dark Energy Survey with cosmic ...microwave background temperature maps from the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Survey. This measurement is performed with a differential statistic that isolates the pairwise kSZ signal, providing the first detection of the large-scale, pairwise motion of clusters using redshifts derived from photometric data. By fitting the pairwise kSZ signal to a theoretical template, we measure the average central optical depth of the cluster sample,
$\bar{\tau }_e = (3.75 \pm 0.89)\times 10^{-3}$
. We compare the extracted signal to realistic simulations and find good agreement with respect to the signal to noise, the constraint on
$\bar{\tau }_e$
, and the corresponding gas fraction. High-precision measurements of the pairwise kSZ signal with future data will be able to place constraints on the baryonic physics of galaxy clusters, and could be used to probe gravity on scales ≳100 Mpc.
The origin of peak-offsets in weak-lensing maps Dietrich, J. P; Böhnert, A; Lombardi, M ...
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
February 2012, Volume:
419, Issue:
4
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Centroid positions of peaks identified in weak-lensing mass maps often show offsets with respect to other means of identifying halo centres, such as position of the brightest cluster galaxy or X-ray ...emission centroid. Here we study the effect of projected large-scale structure (LSS), smoothing of mass maps, and shape noise on the weak-lensing peak positions. In addition, we compare the offsets in mass maps to those found in parametric model fits. Using ray-tracing simulations through the Millennium Run N-body simulation, we find that projected LSS does not alter the weak-lensing peak position within the limits of our simulations' spatial resolution, which exceeds the typical resolution of weak-lensing maps. We conclude that projected LSS, although a major contaminant for weak-lensing mass estimates, is not a source of confusion for identifying halo centres. The typically reported offsets in the literature are caused by a combination of shape noise and smoothing alone. This is true for centroid positions derived both from mass maps and model fits.
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