Two-dimensional materials with high charge carrier mobility and tunable band gaps have attracted intense research effort for their potential use in nanoelectronics. Two-dimensional π-conjugated ...polymers constitute a promising subclass because the band structure can be manipulated by varying the molecular building blocks while preserving key features such as Dirac cones and high charge mobility. The major barriers to the application of two-dimensional π-conjugated polymers have been the small domain size and high defect density attained in the syntheses explored so far. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of mesoscale ordered two-dimensional π-conjugated polymer kagome lattices with semiconducting properties, Dirac cone structures and flat bands on Au(111). This material has been obtained by combining a rigid azatriangulene precursor and a hot dosing approach, which favours molecular diffusion and eliminates voids in the network. These results open opportunities for the synthesis of two-dimensional π-conjugated polymer Dirac cone materials and their integration into devices.
ABSTRACT
We present a Bayesian full-spectral-fitting analysis of 75 massive ($M_* \gt 10^{10.3} \, \mathrm{M_\odot }$) UVJ-selected galaxies at redshifts of 1.0 < z < 1.3, combining extremely deep ...rest-frame ultraviolet spectroscopy from VANDELS with multiwavelength photometry. By the use of a sophisticated physical plus systematic uncertainties model, constructed within the bagpipes code, we place strong constraints on the star-formation histories (SFHs) of individual objects. We first constrain the stellar mass versus stellar age relationship, finding a steep trend towards earlier average formation time with increasing stellar mass (downsizing) of $1.48^{+0.34}_{-0.39}$ Gyr per decade in mass, although this shows signs of flattening at $M_* \gt 10^{11} \, \mathrm{M_\odot }$. We show that this is consistent with other spectroscopic studies from 0 < z < 2. This relationship places strong constraints on the AGN-feedback models used in cosmological simulations. We demonstrate that, although the relationships predicted by simba and illustristng agree well with observations at z = 0.1, they are too shallow at z = 1, predicting an evolution of ≲0.5 Gyr per decade in mass. Secondly, we consider the connections between green-valley, post-starburst, and quiescent galaxies, using our inferred SFH shapes and the distributions of galaxy physical properties on the UVJ diagram. The majority of our lowest-mass galaxies ($M_* \sim 10^{10.5} \, \mathrm{M_\odot }$) are consistent with formation in recent (z < 2), intense starburst events, with time-scales of ≲500 Myr. A second class of objects experience extended star-formation epochs before rapidly quenching, passing through both green-valley and post-starburst phases. The most massive galaxies in our sample are extreme systems: already old by z = 1, they formed at z ∼ 5 and quenched by z = 3. However, we find evidence for their continued evolution through both AGN and rejuvenated star-formation activity.
The estimate of stellar metallicities (
Z
*
) of high-
z
galaxies are of paramount importance in order to understand the complexity of dust effects and the reciprocal interrelations among stellar ...mass, dust attenuation, stellar age, and metallicity. Benefiting from uniquely deep far-UV spectra of > 500 star-forming galaxies at redshifts 2 <
z
< 5 extracted from the VANDELS survey and stacked in bins of stellar mass (
M
*
) and UV continuum slope (
β
), we estimate their stellar metallicities
Z
*
from stellar photospheric absorption features at 1501 and 1719 Å, which are calibrated with Starburst99 models and are largely unaffected by stellar age, dust, IMF, nebular continuum, or interstellar absorption. Comparing them to photometric-based spectral slopes in the 1250–1750 Å range, we find that the stellar metallicity increases by ∼0.5 dex from
β
∼ −2 to
β
∼ −1 (1 ≲
A
1600
≲ 3.2), and a dependence with
β
holds at fixed UV absolute luminosity
M
UV
and stellar mass up to ∼10
9.65
M
⊙
. As a result, metallicity is a fundamental ingredient for properly rescaling dust corrections based on
M
UV
and
M
*
. Using the same absorption features, we analyzed the mass-metallicity relation (MZR), and find it to be consistent with the previous VANDELS estimation based on a global fit of the FUV spectra. Similarly, we do not find a significant evolution between
z
∼ 2 and
z
∼ 3.5. Finally, the slopes of our MZR and
Z
*
−
β
relation are in agreement with the predictions of well-studied semi-analytic models (SAM) of galaxy formation, while some tensions remain concerning the absolute metallicity normalization. The relation between the UV slope and stellar metallicity is fundamental to the exploitation of large volume surveys with next-generation telescopes and for the physical characterization of galaxies in the first billion years of our Universe.
We present the results of CANDELSz7, a European Southern Observatory (ESO) Large Program aimed at spectroscopically confirming a homogeneous sample of z ≃ 6 and z ≃ 7 star forming galaxies. The ...candidates were selected in the GOODS-South, UDS, and COSMOS fields using the official CANDELS catalogs based on H160-band detections. Standard color criteria, which were tailored depending on the ancillary multi-wavelength data available for each field, were applied to select more than 160 candidate galaxies at z ≃ 6 and z ≃ 7. Deep, medium-resolution FORS2 spectroscopic observations were then conducted with integration times ranging from 12 to 20 h to reach a Lyα flux limit of approximately 1 − 3 × 10−18 erg s−1 cm−2 at 3σ. We could determine a spectroscopic redshift for about 40% of the galaxies, mainly through the detection of a single emission line that we interpret as Lyα emission, or for some of the brightest objects (H160 ≤ 25.5) from the presence of faint continuum and a sharp drop that we interpret as a Lyα break. In this paper we present the redshifts and main properties of 65 newly confirmed high-redshift galaxies. Adding previous proprietary and archival data we assemble a sample of ≃260 galaxies that we use to explore the evolution of the Lyα fraction in Lyman break galaxies and the change in the shape of the emission line between z ∼ 6 and z ∼ 7. We also discuss the accuracy of the CANDELS photometric redshifts in this redshift range.
Background
The aim of this prospective, double‐blinded study in patients with aortic sclerosis was to determine whether a new calcification propensity measure in the serum could predict disease ...progression.
Methods
We included 129 consecutive patients with aortic sclerosis as assessed during a routine clinical echocardiographic exam. Clinical, echocardiographic, and serum laboratory parameters were collected, including a new blood test providing an overall measure of calcification propensity by monitoring the maturation time of calciprotein particles (T50 test). The echocardiographic exam was repeated after 1 year. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of the annual increase of peak transvalvular Doppler velocity (∆vmax). Furthermore, the accuracy of the T50 test to detect patients with the most marked stenosis progression was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC)‐analysis.
Results
Mean age was 75 ± 9 years, 79% were men. The T50 was 271 ± 58 min. Overall, there was no significant stenosis progression between baseline and follow‐up (∆vmax 3.8 ± 29.8 cm/s, p = ns). The T50 test was not found to be an independent linear predictor in multivariate testing. By ROC‐analysis, however, a T50‐value ≤ 242 min was able to significantly detect a ∆vmax above the 90th percentile (∆vmax ≥ 43 cm/s, AUC = 0.67, p = .04, Sensitivity = 69%, Specificity = 70%).
Conclusions
The T50 test showed a modest but significant ability to identify a pronounced aortic stenosis progression in patients with aortic sclerosis. The test could not be established as an independent linear predictor of disease progression, possibly due to the low valvular disease burden and short follow‐up interval.
Assisted reproductive technology (ART) involves the manipulation of early embryos at a time when they may be particularly vulnerable to external disturbances. Environmental influences during the ...embryonic and fetal development influence the individual's susceptibility to cardiovascular disease, raising concerns about the potential consequences of ART on the long-term health of the offspring.
We assessed systemic (flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery, pulse-wave velocity, and carotid intima-media thickness) and pulmonary (pulmonary artery pressure at high altitude by Doppler echocardiography) vascular function in 65 healthy children born after ART and 57 control children. Flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery was 25% smaller in ART than in control children (6.7 ± 1.6% versus 8.6 ± 1.7%; P<0.0001), whereas endothelium-independent vasodilation was similar in the 2 groups. Carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity was significantly (P<0.001) faster and carotid intima-media thickness was significantly (P<0.0001) greater in children conceived by ART than in control children. The systolic pulmonary artery pressure at high altitude (3450 m) was 30% higher (P<0.001) in ART than in control children. Vascular function was normal in children conceived naturally during hormonal stimulation of ovulation and in siblings of ART children who were conceived naturally.
Healthy children conceived by ART display generalized vascular dysfunction. This problem does not appear to be related to parental factors but to the ART procedure itself.
URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00837642.
We present deep spectroscopic follow-up observations of the Bremer Deep Field (BDF), where the two z ∼ 7 bright Ly emitters (LAE) BDF521 and BDF3299 were previously discovered by Vanzella et al. and ...where a factor of ∼3-4 overdensity of faint LBGs has been found by Castellano et al. We confirm a new bright Ly emitter, BDF2195, at the same redshift of BDF521, z = 7.008 and at only ∼90 kpc physical distance from it, confirming that the BDF area is likely an overdense, reionized region. A quantitative assessment of the Ly fraction shows that the number of detected bright emitters is much higher than the average found at z ∼ 7, suggesting a high Ly transmission through the intergalactic medium. However, the line visibility from fainter galaxies is at odds with this finding, as no Ly emission is found in any of the observed candidates with MUV > −20.25. This discrepancy can be understood either if some mechanism prevents Ly emission from fainter galaxies within the ionized bubbles from reaching the observer, or if faint galaxies are located outside the reionized area and bright LAEs are solely responsible for the creation of their own H ii regions. A thorough assessment of the nature of the BDF region and of its sources of re-ionizing radiation will be made possible by James Webb Space Telescope spectroscopic capabilities.
Context. Determining the average fraction of Lyman continuum (LyC) photons escaping high redshift galaxies is essential for understanding how reionization proceeded in the z> 6 Universe. Aims. We ...want to measure the LyC signal from a sample of sources in the Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS) and COSMOS fields for which ultra-deep VIMOS spectroscopy as well as multi-wavelength Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging are available. Methods. We select a sample of 46 galaxies at z ~ 4 from the VIMOS Ultra Deep Survey (VUDS) database, such that the VUDS spectra contain the LyC part, that is, the rest-frame range 880−910 Å. Taking advantage of the HST imaging, we apply a careful cleaning procedure and reject all the sources showing nearby clumps with different colours, that could potentially be lower-redshift interlopers. After this procedure, the sample is reduced to 33 galaxies. We measure the ratio between ionizing flux (LyC at 895 Å) and non-ionizing emission (at ~ 1500 Å) for all individual sources. We also produce a normalized stacked spectrum of all sources. Results. Assuming an intrinsic average Lν(1470) /Lν(895) of 3, we estimate the individual and average relative escape fraction. We do not detect ionizing radiation from any individual source, although we identify a possible LyC emitter with very high Lyα equivalent width (EW). From the stacked spectrum and assuming a mean transmissivity for the sample, we measure a relative escape fraction f escrel = 0.09 ± 0.04. We also look for correlations between the limits in the LyC flux and source properties and find a tentative correlation between LyC flux and the EW of the Lyα emission line. Conclusions. Our results imply that the LyC flux emitted by V = 25−26 star-forming galaxies at z ~ 4 is at most very modest, in agreement with previous upper limits from studies based on broad and narrow band imaging.
This paper describes the observations and the first data release (DR1) of the ESO public spectroscopic survey “VANDELS, a deep VIMOS survey of the CANDELS CDFS and UDS fields”. The main targets of ...VANDELS are star-forming galaxies at redshift 2.4 < z < 5.5, an epoch when the Universe had not yet reached 20% of its current age, and massive passive galaxies in the range 1 < z < 2.5. By adopting a strategy of ultra-long exposure times, ranging from a minimum of 20 h to a maximum of 80 h per source, VANDELS is specifically designed to be the deepest-ever spectroscopic survey of the high-redshift Universe. Exploiting the red sensitivity of the refurbished VIMOS spectrograph, the survey is obtaining ultra-deep optical spectroscopy covering the wavelength range 4800–10 000 Å with a sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratio to investigate the astrophysics of high-redshift galaxy evolution via detailed absorption line studies of well-defined samples of high-redshift galaxies. VANDELS-DR1 is the release of all medium-resolution spectroscopic data obtained during the first season of observations, on a 0.2 square degree area centered around the CANDELS-CDFS (Chandra deep-field south) and CANDELS-UDS (ultra-deep survey) areas. It includes data for all galaxies for which the total (or half of the total) scheduled integration time was completed. The DR1 contains 879 individual objects, approximately half in each of the two fields, that have a measured redshift, with the highest reliable redshifts reaching zspec ~ 6. In DR1 we include fully wavelength-calibrated and flux-calibrated 1D spectra, the associated error spectrum and sky spectrum, and the associated wavelength-calibrated 2D spectra. We also provide a catalog with the essential galaxy parameters, including spectroscopic redshifts and redshift quality flags measured by the collaboration. We present the survey layout and observations, the data reduction and redshift measurement procedure, and the general properties of the VANDELS-DR1 sample. In particular, we discuss the spectroscopic redshift distribution and the accuracy of the photometricredshifts for each individual target category, and we provide some examples of data products for the various target typesand the different quality flags. All VANDELS-DR1 data are publicly available and can be retrieved from the ESO archive. Two further data releases are foreseen in the next two years, and a final data release is currently scheduled for June 2020, which will include an improved rereduction of the entire spectroscopic data set.