Array ( [0] => tag/core/ ) core « Vox Charta

# Posts Tagged core

## Recent Postings from core

### Mapping the particle acceleration in the cool core of the galaxy cluster RX J1720.1+2638

We present new deep, high-resolution radio images of the diffuse minihalo in the cool core of the galaxy cluster RX ,J1720.1+2638. The images have been obtained with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope at 317, 617 and 1280 MHz and with the Very Large Array at 1.5, 4.9 and 8.4 GHz, with angular resolutions ranging from 1" to 10". This represents the best radio spectral and imaging dataset for any minihalo. Most of the radio flux of the minihalo arises from a bright central component with a maximum radius of ~80 kpc. A fainter tail of emission extends out from the central component to form a spiral-shaped structure with a length of ~230 kpc, seen at frequencies 1.5 GHz and below. We observe steepening of the total radio spectrum of the minihalo at high frequencies. Furthermore, a spectral index image shows that the spectrum of the diffuse emission steepens with the increasing distance along the tail. A striking spatial correlation is observed between the minihalo emission and two cold fronts visible in the Chandra X-ray image of this cool core. These cold fronts confine the minihalo, as also seen in numerical simulations of minihalo formation by sloshing-induced turbulence. All these observations provide support to the hypothesis that the radio emitting electrons in cluster cool cores are produced by turbulent reacceleration.

### Core-assisted gas capture instability: a new mode of giant planet formation by gravitationally unstable discs

Giant planet formation in the core accretion (CA) paradigm is predicated by the formation of a core, assembled by the coagulation of grains and later by planetesimals within a protoplanetary disc. In contrast, in the disc instability paradigm, giant planet formation is believed to be independent of core formation: massive self-gravitating gas fragments cool radiatively and collapse as a whole. We show that giant planet formation in the disc instability model may be also enhanced by core formation for reasons physically very similar to the CA paradigm. In the model explored here, efficient grain sedimentation within an initial fragment (rather than the disc) leads to the formation of a core composed of heavy elements. We find that massive atmospheres form around cores and undergo collapse as a critical core mass is exceeded, analogous to CA theory. The critical mass of the core to initiate such a collapse depends on the fragment mass and metallicity, as well as core luminosity, but ranges from less than 1 to as much as $\sim80$ Earth masses. We therefore suggest that there are two channels for the collapse of a gaseous fragment to planetary scales within the disc instability model: (i) H$_2$ dissociative collapse of the entire gaseous clump, and (ii) core-assisted gas capture, as presented here. We suggest that the first of these two is favoured in metal-poor environments and for fragments more massive than $\sim 5-10$ Jupiter masses, whereas the second is favored in metal-rich environments and fragments of lower mass. [Abridged]

### Detecting scattered light from low-mass molecular cores at 3.6 $\mu$m - Impact of global effects on the observation of coreshine

Recently discovered scattered light at 3-5 $\mu$m from low-mass cores (so-called "coreshine") reveals the presence of grains around 1 $\mu$m, which is larger than the grains found in the low-density interstellar medium. But only about half of the 100+ cores investigated so far show the effect. This prompts further studies on the origin of this detection rate. From the 3D continuum radiative transfer equation, we derive the expected scattered light intensity from a core placed in an arbitrary direction seen from Earth. We use the approximation of single scattering, consider extinction up to 2nd-order Taylor approximation, and neglect spatial gradients in the dust size distribution. The impact of the directional characteristics of the scattering on the detection of scattered light from cores is calculated for a given grain size distribution, and local effects like additional radiation field components are discussed. The surface brightness profiles of a core with a 1D density profile are calculated for various Galactic locations, and the results are compared to the approximate detection limits. We find that for optically thin radiation and a constant size distribution, a simple limit for detecting scattered light from a low-mass core can be derived that holds for grains with sizes smaller than 0.5 $\mu$m. The extinction by the core prohibits detection in bright parts of the Galactic plane, especially near the Galactic center. For scattered light received from low-mass cores with grain sizes beyond 0.5 $\mu$m, the directional characteristics of the scattering favors the detection of scattered light above and below the Galactic center, and to some extent near the Galactic anti-center. We identify the local incident radiation field as the major unknown causing deviations from this simple scheme.

### Effect of core--mantle and tidal torques on Mercury's spin axis orientation

The rotational evolution of Mercury’s mantle and its core under conservative and dissipative torques is important for understanding the planet’s spin state. Dissipation results from tides and viscous, magnetic and topographic core–mantle interactions. The dissipative core–mantle torques take the system to an equilibrium state wherein both spins are fixed in the frame precessing with the orbit, and in which the mantle and core are differentially rotating. This equilibrium exhibits a mantle spin axis that is offset from the Cassini state by larger amounts for weaker core–mantle coupling for all three dissipative core–mantle coupling mechanisms, and the spin axis of the core is separated farther from that of the mantle, leading to larger differential rotation. The relatively strong core–mantle coupling necessary to bring the mantle spin axis to its observed position close to the Cassini state is not obtained by any of the three dissipative core–mantle coupling mechanisms. For a hydrostatic ellipsoidal core–mantle boundary, pressure coupling dominates the dissipative effects on the mantle and core positions, and dissipation together with pressure coupling brings the mantle spin solidly to the Cassini state. The core spin goes to a position displaced from that of the mantle by about 3.55 arcmin nearly in the plane containing the Cassini state. With the maximum viscosity considered of $\nu\sim 15.0\,{\rm cm^2/s}$ if the coupling is by the circulation through an Ekman boundary layer or $\nu\sim 8.75\times 10^5\,{\rm cm^2/s}$ for purely viscous coupling, the core spin lags the precessing Cassini plane by 23 arcsec, whereas the mantle spin lags by only 0.055 arcsec. Larger, non hydrostatic values of the CMB ellipticity also result in the mantle spin at the Cassini state, but the core spin is moved closer to the mantle spin.

### Seismic constraints on the radial dependence of the internal rotation profiles of six Kepler subgiants and young red giants

Context : We still do not know which mechanisms are responsible for the transport of angular momentum inside stars. The recent detection of mixed modes that contain the signature of rotation in the spectra of Kepler subgiants and red giants gives us the opportunity to make progress on this issue. Aims: Our aim is to probe the radial dependance of the rotation profiles for a sample of Kepler targets. For this purpose, subgiants and early red giants are particularly interesting targets because their rotational splittings are more sensitive to the rotation outside the deeper core than is the case for their more evolved counterparts. Methods: We first extract the rotational splittings and frequencies of the modes for six young Kepler red giants. We then perform a seismic modeling of these stars using the evolutionary codes CESAM2k and ASTEC. By using the observed splittings and the rotational kernels of the optimal models, we perform inversions of the internal rotation profiles of the six stars. Results: We obtain estimates of the mean rotation rate in the core and in the convective envelope of these stars. We show that the rotation contrast between the core and the envelope increases during the subgiant branch. Our results also suggest that the core of subgiants spins up with time, contrary to the RGB stars whose core has been shown to spin down. For two of the stars, we show that a discontinuous rotation profile with a deep discontinuity reproduces the observed splittings significantly better than a smooth rotation profile. Interestingly, the depths that are found most probable for the discontinuities roughly coincide with the location of the H-burning shell, which separates the layers that contract from those that expand. These results will bring observational constraints to the scenarios of angular momentum transport in stars.

### Limits on core driven ILOT outbursts of asymptotic giant branch stars [Replacement]

We find that single-star mechanisms for Intermediate Luminosity Optical Transients (ILOTs; Red Transients; Red Novae) which are powered by energy release in the core of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are likely to eject the entire envelope, and hence cannot explain ILOTs in AGB and similar stars. There are single-star and binary models for the powering of ILOTs, which are eruptive stars with peak luminosities between those of novae and supernovae. In single-star models the ejection of gas at velocities of ~500-1000 km/s and a possible bright ionizing flash, require a shock to propagate from the core outward. Using a self similar solution to follow the propagation of the shock through the envelope of two evolved stellar models, a 6Mo AGB star and an 11Mo yellow supergiant (YSG) star, we find that the shock that is required to explain the observed mass loss also ejects most of the envelope. We also show that for the event to have a strong ionizing flash the required energy expels most of the envelope. The removal of most of the envelope is in contradiction with observations. We conclude that single-star models for ILOTs of evolved giant stars encounter severe difficulties.

### Limits on core driven ILOT outbursts of asymptotic giant branch stars

We find that single-star mechanisms for Intermediate Luminosity Optical Transients (ILOTs; Red Transients; Red Novae) which are powered by energy release in the core of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are likely to eject the entire envelope, and hence cannot explain ILOTs in AGB and similar stars. There are singe-star and binary models for the powering of ILOTs, which are eruptive stars with peak luminosities between those of novae and supernovae. In single-star models the ejection of gas at velocities of ~500-1000 km/s and a possible bright ionizing flash, require a shock to propagate from the core outward. Using a self similar solution to follow the propagation of the shock through the envelope of two evolved stellar models, 6Mo AGB star and 11Mo yellow supergiant (YSG) star, we find that the shock that is required to explain the observed mass loss also ejects most of the envelope. We also show that for the event to have a strong ionizing flash the required energy also removes most of the envelope. The removal of most of the envelope is in contradiction with observations. We conclude that single-star models for ILOTs of evolved giant stars encounter severe difficulties.

### Photo-Disintegration of Heavy Nuclei at the Core of Cen A [Replacement]

Fermi LAT has detected gamma ray emissions from the core of Cen A. More recently, a new component in the gamma ray spectrum from the core has been reported in the energy range of 4 GeV to tens of GeV. We show that the new component and the HESS detected spectrum of gamma rays from the core at higher energy have possibly a common origin in photo-disintegration of heavy nuclei. Assuming the cosmic rays are mostly Fe nuclei inside the core and their spectrum has a low energy cut-off at 52 TeV in the wind frame moving with a Doppler factor 0.25 with respect to the observer on earth, the cosmic ray luminosity required to explain the observed gamma ray flux above 1 GeV is found to be $1.5\times 10^{43}$ erg/sec.

### Photo-Disintegration of Heavy Nuclei at the Core of Cen A [Replacement]

Fermi LAT has detected gamma ray emissions from the core of Cen A. More recently, a new component in the gamma ray spectrum from the core has been reported in the energy range of 4 GeV to tens of GeV. We show that the new component and the HESS detected spectrum of gamma rays from the core at higher energy have possibly a common origin in photo-disintegration of heavy nuclei. Assuming the cosmic rays are mostly Fe nuclei inside the core and their spectrum has a low energy cut-off at 52 TeV in the wind frame moving with a Doppler factor 0.25 with respect to the observer on earth, the cosmic ray luminosity required to explain the observed gamma ray flux above 1 GeV is found to be $1.5\times 10^{43}$ erg/sec.

### Photo-Disintegration of Heavy Nuclei at the Core of Cen A

Fermi LAT has detected gamma ray emissions from the core of Cen A. More recently, a new component in the gamma ray spectrum from the core has been reported in the energy range of 4 GeV to tens of GeV. We show that the new component and the HESS detected spectrum of gamma rays from the core at higher energy have possibly a common origin in photo-disintegration of heavy nuclei. This gives an indirect evidence of ultrahigh energy cosmic ray composition at the core of Cen A.

### Constraining the Origin of Magnetar Flares [Replacement]

Sudden relaxation of the magnetic field in the core of a magnetar produces mechanical energy primarily in the form of shear waves which propagate to the surface and enter the magnetosphere as relativistic Alfv\’en waves. Due to a strong impedance mismatch, shear waves excited in the star suffer many reflections before exiting the star. If mechanical energy is deposited in the core and is converted {\em directly} to radiation upon propagation to the surface, the rise time of the emission is at least seconds to minutes, and probably minutes to hours for a realistic magnetic field geometry, at odds with observed rise times of $\lap 10$ ms for both small bursts and for giant flares. Mechanisms for both small and giant flares that rely on the sudden relaxation of the magnetic field of the core are rendered unviable by the impedance mismatch, requiring the energy that drives these events to be stored in the magnetosphere just before the flare. A corollary to this conclusion is that if the quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) seen in giant flares represent stellar oscillations, they must be excited {\em by the magnetosphere}, not by mechanical energy released inside the star. Excitation of stellar oscillations by relativistic Alfv\’en waves in the magnetosphere could be quick enough to excite stellar modes well before a giant flare ends, unless the waves are quickly damped.

### Prospects of Turbulence Studies in High-Energy Density Laser-Generated Plasma: Numerical Investigations in Two Dimensions [Cross-Listing]

We investigate the possibility of generating and studying turbulence in plasma by means of high-energy density laser-driven experiments. Our focus is to create supersonic, self-magnetized turbulence with characteristics that resemble those found in the interstellar medium (ISM). We consider a target made of a spherical core surrounded by a shell made of denser material. The shell is irradiated by a sequence of laser pulses sending inward-propagating shocks that convert the inner core into plasma and create turbulence. In the context of the evolution of the ISM, the shocks play the role of supernova remnant shocks and the core represents the ionized interstellar medium. We consider the effects of both pre-existing and self-generating magnetic fields and study the evolution of the system by means of two-dimensional numerical simulations. We find that the evolution of the turbulent core is generally, subsonic with rms-Mach number $M_t\approx 0.2$. We observe an isotropic, turbulent velocity field with an inertial range power spectra of $P(k)\propto k^{-2.3}$. We account for the effects of self-magnetization and find that the resulting magnetic field has characteristic strength $\approx 3\times 10^{4}$ G. The corresponding plasma beta is $\approx 1\times 10^{4}$–$1\times 10^{5}$, indicating that the magnetic field does not play an important role in the dynamical evolution of the system. The natural extension of this work is to study the system evolution in three-dimensions, with various laser drive configurations, and targets with shells and cores of different masses. The latter modification may help to increase the turbulent intensity and possibly create transonic turbulence. One of the key challenges is to obtain transonic turbulent conditions in a quasi-steady state environment.

### Measuring the Angular Momentum Distribution in Core-Collapse Supernova Progenitors with Gravitational Waves

The late collapse, core bounce, and the early postbounce phase of rotating core collapse leads to a characteristic gravitational wave (GW) signal. The precise shape of the signal is governed by the interplay of gravity, rotation, nuclear equation of state (EOS), and electron capture during collapse. We explore the dependence of the signal on total angular momentum and its distribution in the progenitor core by means of a large set of axisymmetric general-relativistic core collapse simulations in which we vary the initial angular momentum distribution in the core. Our simulations include a microphysical finite-temperature EOS, an approximate electron capture treatment during collapse, and a neutrino leakage scheme for the postbounce evolution. We find that the precise distribution of angular momentum is relevant only for very rapidly rotating cores with T/|W|>~8% at bounce. We construct a numerical template bank from our baseline set of simulations, and carry out additional simulations to generate trial waveforms for injection into simulated advanced LIGO noise at a fiducial galactic distance of 10 kpc. Using matched filtering, we show that for an optimally-oriented source and Gaussian noise, advanced Advanced LIGO could measure the total angular momentum to within ~20%, for rapidly rotating cores. For most waveforms, the nearest known degree of precollapse differential rotation is correctly inferred by both our matched filtering analysis and an alternative Bayesian model selection approach. We test our results for robustness against systematic uncertainties by injecting waveforms from simulations using a different EOS and and variations in the electron fraction in the inner core. The results of these tests show that these uncertainties significantly reduce the accuracy with which the total angular momentum and its precollapse distribution can be inferred from observations.

### Measuring the Angular Momentum Distribution in Core-Collapse Supernova Progenitors with Gravitational Waves [Cross-Listing]

The late collapse, core bounce, and the early postbounce phase of rotating core collapse leads to a characteristic gravitational wave (GW) signal. The precise shape of the signal is governed by the interplay of gravity, rotation, nuclear equation of state (EOS), and electron capture during collapse. We explore the dependence of the signal on total angular momentum and its distribution in the progenitor core by means of a large set of axisymmetric general-relativistic core collapse simulations in which we vary the initial angular momentum distribution in the core. Our simulations include a microphysical finite-temperature EOS, an approximate electron capture treatment during collapse, and a neutrino leakage scheme for the postbounce evolution. We find that the precise distribution of angular momentum is relevant only for very rapidly rotating cores with T/|W|>~8% at bounce. We construct a numerical template bank from our baseline set of simulations, and carry out additional simulations to generate trial waveforms for injection into simulated advanced LIGO noise at a fiducial galactic distance of 10 kpc. Using matched filtering, we show that for an optimally-oriented source and Gaussian noise, advanced Advanced LIGO could measure the total angular momentum to within ~20%, for rapidly rotating cores. For most waveforms, the nearest known degree of precollapse differential rotation is correctly inferred by both our matched filtering analysis and an alternative Bayesian model selection approach. We test our results for robustness against systematic uncertainties by injecting waveforms from simulations using a different EOS and and variations in the electron fraction in the inner core. The results of these tests show that these uncertainties significantly reduce the accuracy with which the total angular momentum and its precollapse distribution can be inferred from observations.

### Thermal conduction by dark matter with velocity and momentum-dependent cross-sections

We use the formalism of Gould and Raffelt [1] to compute the dimensionless thermal conduction coefficients for scattering of dark matter particles with standard model nucleons via cross-sections that depend on the relative velocity or momentum exchanged between particles. Motivated by models invoked to reconcile various recent results in direct detection, we explicitly compute the conduction coefficients $\alpha$ and $\kappa$ for cross-sections that go as $v_{\rm rel}^2$, $v_{\rm rel}^4$, $v_{\rm rel}^{-2}$, $q^2$, $q^4$ and $q^{-2}$, where $v_{\rm rel}$ is the relative DM-nucleus velocity and $q$ is the momentum transferred in the collision. We find that a $v_{\rm rel}^{-2}$ dependence can significantly enhance energy transport from the inner solar core to the outer core. The same can true for any $q$-dependent coupling, if the dark matter mass lies within some specific range for each coupling. This effect can complement direct searches for dark matter; combining these results with state-of-the-art Solar simulations should greatly increase sensitivity to certain DM models. It also seems possible that the so-called Solar Abundance Problem could be resolved by enhanced energy transport in the solar core due to such velocity- or momentum-dependent scatterings.

### Thermal conduction by dark matter with velocity and momentum-dependent cross-sections [Replacement]

We use the formalism of Gould and Raffelt to compute the dimensionless thermal conduction coefficients for scattering of dark matter particles with standard model nucleons via cross-sections that depend on the relative velocity or momentum exchanged between particles. Motivated by models invoked to reconcile various recent results in direct detection, we explicitly compute the conduction coefficients $\alpha$ and $\kappa$ for cross-sections that go as $v_{\rm rel}^2$, $v_{\rm rel}^4$, $v_{\rm rel}^{-2}$, $q^2$, $q^4$ and $q^{-2}$, where $v_{\rm rel}$ is the relative DM-nucleus velocity and $q$ is the momentum transferred in the collision. We find that a $v_{\rm rel}^{-2}$ dependence can significantly enhance energy transport from the inner solar core to the outer core. The same can true for any $q$-dependent coupling, if the dark matter mass lies within some specific range for each coupling. This effect can complement direct searches for dark matter; combining these results with state-of-the-art Solar simulations should greatly increase sensitivity to certain DM models. It also seems possible that the so-called Solar Abundance Problem could be resolved by enhanced energy transport in the solar core due to such velocity- or momentum-dependent scatterings.

### Thermal conduction by dark matter with velocity and momentum-dependent cross-sections [Replacement]

We use the formalism of Gould and Raffelt to compute the dimensionless thermal conduction coefficients for scattering of dark matter particles with standard model nucleons via cross-sections that depend on the relative velocity or momentum exchanged between particles. Motivated by models invoked to reconcile various recent results in direct detection, we explicitly compute the conduction coefficients $\alpha$ and $\kappa$ for cross-sections that go as $v_{\rm rel}^2$, $v_{\rm rel}^4$, $v_{\rm rel}^{-2}$, $q^2$, $q^4$ and $q^{-2}$, where $v_{\rm rel}$ is the relative DM-nucleus velocity and $q$ is the momentum transferred in the collision. We find that a $v_{\rm rel}^{-2}$ dependence can significantly enhance energy transport from the inner solar core to the outer core. The same can true for any $q$-dependent coupling, if the dark matter mass lies within some specific range for each coupling. This effect can complement direct searches for dark matter; combining these results with state-of-the-art Solar simulations should greatly increase sensitivity to certain DM models. It also seems possible that the so-called Solar Abundance Problem could be resolved by enhanced energy transport in the solar core due to such velocity- or momentum-dependent scatterings.

### The IRAM-30m line survey of the Horsehead PDR: IV. Comparative chemistry of H2CO and CH3OH

Aims. We investigate the dominant formation mechanism of H2CO and CH3OH in the Horsehead PDR and its associated dense core. Methods. We performed deep integrations of several H2CO and CH3OH lines at two positions in the Horsehead, namely the PDR and dense core, with the IRAM-30m telescope. In addition, we observed one H2CO higher frequency line with the CSO telescope at both positions. We determine the H2CO and CH3OH column densities and abundances from the single-dish observations complemented with IRAM-PdBI high-angular resolution maps (6") of both species. We compare the observed abundances with PDR models including either pure gas-phase chemistry or both gas-phase and grain surface chemistry. Results. We derive CH3OH abundances relative to total number of hydrogen atoms of ~1.2e-10 and ~2.3e-10 in the PDR and dense core positions, respectively. These abundances are similar to the inferred H2CO abundance in both positions (~2e-10). We find an abundance ratio H2CO/CH3OH of ~2 in the PDR and ~1 in the dense core. Pure gas-phase models cannot reproduce the observed abundances of either H2CO or CH3OH at the PDR position. Both species are therefore formed on the surface of dust grains and are subsequently photodesorbed into the gas-phase at this position. At the dense core, on the other hand, photodesorption of ices is needed to explain the observed abundance of CH3OH, while a pure gas-phase model can reproduce the observed H2CO abundance. The high-resolution observations show that CH3OH is depleted onto grains at the dense core. CH3OH is thus present in an envelope around this position, while H2CO is present in both the envelope and the dense core itself. Conclusions. Photodesorption is an efficient mechanism to release complex molecules in low FUV-illuminated PDRs, where thermal desorption of ice mantles is ineffective.

### Collapse of a molecular cloud core to stellar densities: stellar core and outflow formation in radiation magnetohydrodynamics simulations

We have performed smoothed particle radiation magnetohydrodynamics (SPRMHD) simulations of the collapse of rotating, magnetised molecular cloud cores to form protostars. The calculations follow the formation and evolution of the first hydrostatic core, the collapse to form a stellar core, the launching of outflows from both the first hydrostatic core and stellar cores, and the breakout of the stellar outflow from the remnant of the first core. We investigate the roles of magnetic fields and thermal feedback on the outflow launching process, finding that both magnetic and thermal forces contribute to the launching of the stellar outflow. We also follow the stellar cores until they grow to masses of up to 20 Jupiter-masses, and determine their properties. We find that at this early stage, before fusion begins, the stellar cores have radii of $\approx 3$ R$_\odot$ with radial entropy profiles that increase outward (i.e. are convectively stable) and minimum entropies per baryon of $s/k_{\rm B} \approx 14$ in their interiors. The structure of the stellar cores is found to be insensitive to variations in the initial magnetic field strength. With reasonably strong initial magnetic fields, accretion on to the stellar cores occurs through inspiralling magnetised pseudo-discs with negligible radiative losses, as opposed to first cores which effectively radiate away the energy liberated in the accretion shocks at their surfaces. We find that magnetic field strengths of >10 kG can be implanted in stellar cores at birth.

### Exploding Core-Collapse Supernovae by Jets-Driven Feedback Mechanism [Replacement]

We study the flow structure in the jittering-jets explosion model of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) using 2.5D hydrodynamical simulations and find that some basic requirements for explosion are met by the flow. In the jittering-jets model jets are launched by intermittent accretion disk around the newly born neutron star and in stochastic directions. They deposit their kinetic energy inside the collapsing core and induce explosion by ejecting the outer core. The accretion and launching of jets is operated by a feedback mechanism: when the jets manage to eject the core, the accretion stops. We find that even when the jets’ directions are varied around the symmetry axis they inflate hot bubbles that manage to expel gas in all directions. We also find that although most of the ambient core gas is ejected outward, sufficient mass to power the jets is accreted (0.1Mo), mainly from the equatorial plane direction. This is compatible with the jittering jets explosion mechanism being a feedback mechanism.

### Does a prestellar core always become protostellar? Tracing the evolution of cores from the prestellar to protostellar phase

Recently, a subset of starless cores whose thermal Jeans mass is apparently overwhelmed by the mass of the core has been identified, e.g., the core {\small L183}. In literature, massive cores such as this one are often referred to as "super-Jeans cores". As starless cores are perhaps on the cusp of forming stars, a study of their dynamics will improve our understanding of the transition from the prestellar to the protostellar phase. In the present work we use non-magnetic polytropes belonging originally to the family of the Isothermal sphere. For the purpose, perturbations were applied to individual polytropes, first by replacing the isothermal gas with a gas that was cold near the centre of the polytrope and relatively warm in the outer regions, and second, through a slight compression of the polytrope by raising the external confining pressure. Using this latter configuration we identify thermodynamic conditions under which a core is likely to remain starless. In fact, we also argue that the attribute "super-Jeans" is subjective and that these cores do not formally violate the Jeans stability criterion. On the basis of our test results we suggest that gas temperature in a star-forming cloud is crucial towards the formation and evolution of a core. Simulations in this work were performed using the particle-based Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics algorithm. However, to establish numerical convergence of the results we suggest similar tests with a grid-scheme, such as the Adaptive mesh refinement.

### Unveiling a network of parallel filaments in the Infrared Dark Cloud G14.225-0.506

We present the results of combined NH3(1,1) and (2,2) line emission observed with the Very Large Array and the Effelsberg 100m telescope of the Infrared Dark Cloud G14.225-0.506. The NH3 emission reveals a network of filaments constituting two hub-filament systems. Hubs are associated with gas of rotational temperature Trot \sim 25 K, non-thermal velocity dispersion ~1.1 km/s, and exhibit signs of star formation, while filaments appear to be more quiescent (Trot \sim 11 K, non-thermal velocity dispersion ~0.6 km/s). Filaments are parallel in projection and distributed mainly along two directions, at PA \sim 10 deg and 60 deg, and appear to be coherent in velocity. The averaged projected separation between adjacent filaments is between 0.5 pc and 1pc, and the mean width of filaments is 0.12 pc. Cores within filaments are separated by ~0.33 pc, which is consistent with the predicted fragmentation of an isothermal gas cylinder due to the ‘sausage’-type instability. The network of parallel filaments observed in G14.225-0.506 is consistent with the gravitational instability of a thin gas layer threaded by magnetic fields. Overall, our data suggest that magnetic fields might play an important role in the alignment of filaments, and polarization measurements in the entire cloud would lend further support to this scenario.

### The Nature of the H2-Emitting Gas in the Crab Nebula

Understanding how molecules and dust might have formed within a rapidly expanding young supernova remnant is important because of the obvious application to vigorous supernova activity at very high redshift. In previous papers, we found that the H2 emission is often quite strong, correlates with optical low-ionization emission lines, and has a surprisingly high excitation temperature. Here we study Knot 51, a representative, bright example, for which we have available long slit optical and NIR spectra covering emission lines from ionized, neutral, and molecular gas, as well as HST visible and SOAR Telescope NIR narrow-band images. We present a series of CLOUDY simulations to probe the excitation mechanisms, formation processes and dust content in environments that can produce the observed H2 emission. We do not try for an exact match between model and observations given Knot 51′s ambiguous geometry. Rather, we aim to explain how the bright H2 emission lines can be formed from within the volume of Knot 51 that also produces the observed optical emission from ionized and neutral gas. Our models that are powered only by the Crab’s synchrotron radiation are ruled out because they cannot reproduce the strong, thermal H2 emission. The simulations that come closest to fitting the observations have the core of Knot 51 almost entirely atomic with the H2 emission coming from just a trace molecular component, and in which there is extra heating. In this unusual environment, H2 forms primarily by associative detachment rather than grain catalysis. In this picture, the 55 H2-emitting cores that we have previously catalogued in the Crab have a total mass of about 0.1 M_sun, which is about 5% of the total mass of the system of filaments. We also explore the effect of varying the dust abundance. We discuss possible future observations that could further elucidate the nature of these H2 knots.

### The Abundance, Ortho/Para Ratio, and Deuteration of Water in the High-Mass Star Forming Region NGC 6334 I

We present Herschel/HIFI observations of 30 transitions of water isotopologues toward the high-mass star forming region NGC 6334 I. The line profiles of H_2^{16}O, H_2^{17}O, H_2^{18}O, and HDO show a complex pattern of emission and absorption components associated with the embedded hot cores, a lower-density envelope, two outflow components, and several foreground clouds, some associated with the NGC 6334 complex, others seen in projection against the strong continuum background of the source. Our analysis reveals an H2O ortho/para ratio of 3 +/- 0.5 in the foreground clouds, as well as the outflow. The water abundance varies from ~10^{-8} in the foreground clouds and the outer envelope to ~10^{-6} in the hot core. The hot core abundance is two orders of magnitude below the chemical model predictions for dense, warm gas, but within the range of values found in other Herschel/HIFI studies of hot cores and hot corinos. This may be related to the relatively low gas and dust temperature (~100 K), or time dependent effects, resulting in a significant fraction of water molecules still locked up in dust grain mantles. The HDO/H_2O ratio in NGC 6334 I, ~2 10^{-4}, is also relatively low, but within the range found in other high-mass star forming regions.

### Quark-hybrid matter in the cores of massive neutron stars

Using a nonlocal extension of the SU(3) Nambu-Jona Lasinio model, which reproduces several of the key features of Quantum Chromodynamics, we show that mixed phases of deconfined quarks and confined hadrons (quark-hybrid matter) may exist in the cores of neutron stars as massive as around 2.1 M_Sun. The radii of these objects are found to be in the canonical range of $\sim 12-13$ km. According to our study, the transition to pure quark matter does not occur in stable neutron stars, but is shifted to neutron stars which are unstable against radial oscillations. The implications of our study for the recently discovered, massive neutron star PSR J1614-2230, whose gravitational mass is $1.97 \pm 0.04 M_Sun$, are that this neutron star may contain an extended region of quark-hybrid matter at it center, but no pure quark matter.

### The structure and kinematics of dense gas in NGC 2068

We have carried out a survey of the NGC 2068 region in the Orion B molecular cloud using HARP on the JCMT, in the 13CO and C18O (J = 3-2) and H13CO+ (J = 4-3) lines. We used 13CO to map the outflows in the region, and matched them with previously defined SCUBA cores. We decomposed the C18O and H13CO+ into Gaussian clumps, finding 26 and 8 clumps respectively. The average deconvolved radii of these clumps is 6200 +/- 2000 AU and 3600 +/- 900 AU for C18O and H13CO+ respectively. We have also calculated virial and gas masses for these clumps, and hence determined how bound they are. We find that the C18O clumps are more bound than the H13CO+ clumps (average gas mass to virial mass ratio of 4.9 compared to 1.4). We measure clump internal velocity dispersions of 0.28 +/- 0.02 kms-1 and 0.27 +/- 0.04 kms-1 for C18O and H13CO+ respectively, although the H13CO+ values are heavily weighted by a majority of the clumps being protostellar, and hence having intrinsically greater linewidths. We suggest that the starless clumps correspond to local turbulence minima, and we find that our clumps are consistent with formation by gravoturbulent fragmentation. We also calculate inter-clump velocity dispersions of 0.39 +/- 0.05 kms-1 and 0.28 +/- 0.08 kms-1 for C18O and H13CO+ respectively. The velocity dispersions (both internal and external) for our clumps match results from numerical simulations of decaying turbulence in a molecular cloud. However, there is still insufficient evidence to conclusively determine the type of turbulence and timescale of star formation, due to the small size of our sample.

### CosmoHammer: Cosmological parameter estimation with the MCMC Hammer

We study the benefits and limits of parallelised Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling in cosmology. MCMC methods are widely used for the estimation of cosmological parameters from a given set of observations and are typically based on the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm. Some of the required calculations, such as evaluating the likelihood, can however be computationally intensive, meaning that a single long chain can take several hours or days to calculate. In practice, this can be limiting, since the MCMC process needs to be performed many times to test the impact of possible systematics and to understand the robustness of the measurements being made. To achieve greater speed through parallelisation, algorithms need to have short auto-correlation times and minimal overheads caused by tuning and burn-in. In order to efficiently distribute the MCMC sampling over thousands of cores on modern cloud computing infrastructure, we developed a Python framework called CosmoHammer which embeds emcee, an implementation by Foreman-Mackey et al. (2012) of the affine invariant ensemble sampler by Goodman and Weare (2010). We test the performance of CosmoHammer for cosmological parameter estimation from cosmic microwave background data. While Metropolis-Hastings is constrained by overheads, CosmoHammer is able to accelerate the sampling process from a wall time of 30 hours on a single machine to 16 minutes by the efficient use of 2048 cores. Such short wall times for complex data sets opens possibilities for extensive model testing and control of systematics.

### The Correlation of Dust and Gas Emission in Star-Forming Environments

We present ammonia maps of portions of the W3 and Perseus molecular clouds in order to compare gas emission with continuum thermal emission. These are commonly expected to trace the same mass component in star-forming regions, often under the assumption of LTE. The star-forming regions are found to have different physical characteristics consistent with their identification as low-mass and high-mass respectively. Accounting for the distance of the W3 region does not fully reconcile these differences, suggesting that there is an underlying difference in the structure of the two regions. Peak positions of submillimetre and ammonia emission do not correlate strongly. Also, the extent of diffuse emission is only moderately matched between ammonia and thermal emission. Source sizes measured from our observations are consistent between regions, although there is a noticeable difference between the submillimeter source sizes in the two observed regions. Fractional abundance measurements of ammonia indicate a dip in abundance at the positions of peak submillimetre flux. Although, we find that depletion of ammonia in our sources is unlikely. Virial ratios are determined which show that sources in Perseus are generally not gravitationally bound and that sources in W3 are, although there is considerable scatter in both samples. We find that this that external pressure is necessary for cores at small scales to be bound while sources and clusters are gravitationally bound on larger scales. Our results indicate that assumptions of local thermal equilibrium and/or the coupling of the dust and gas phases in star-forming regions may not be as robust as commonly assumed. Alternatively, the assumption that ammonia and thermal emission trace the same mass component in these regions may need to be revisited, along with the degree to which the excitation conditions within a star-forming region vary.

### Velocity width measurements of the coolest X-ray emitting material in the cores of clusters, groups and elliptical galaxies

We examine the velocity width of cool X-ray emitting material using XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) spectra of a sample of clusters and group of galaxies and elliptical galaxies. Improving on our previous analyses, we apply a spectral model which accounts for broadening due to the spatial extent of the source. With both conventional and Markov Chain Monte Carlo approaches we obtain limits, or in a few cases measurements, of the velocity broadening of the coolest X-ray material. In our sample, we include new observations targeting objects with compact, bright, line-rich cores. One of these, MACSJ2229.7-2755, gives a velocity limit of 280 km/s at the 90 per cent confidence level. Other systems with limits close to 300 km/s include A1835, NGC4261 and NGC4472. For more than a third of the targets we find limits better than 500 km/s. HCG62, NGC1399 and A3112 show evidence for ~400 km/s velocity broadening. For a smaller sample of objects, we use continuum-subtracted emission line surface brightness profiles to account for the spatial broadening. Although there are significant systematic errors associated with the technique (~150 km/s), we find broadening at the level of 280 to 500 km/s in A3112, NGC1399 and NGC4636.

### Dust continuum and Polarization from Envelope to Cores in Star Formation: A Case Study in the W51 North region

We present the first high-angular resolution (up to 0.7", ~5000 AU) polarization and thermal dust continuum images toward the massive star-forming region W51 North. The observations were carried out with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) in both the subcompact (SMA-SubC) and extended (SMA-Ext) configurations at a wavelength of 870 micron. W51 North is resolved into four cores (SMA1 to SMA4) in the 870 micron continuum image. The associated dust polarization exhibits more complex structures than seen at lower angular resolution. We analyze the inferred morphologies of the plane-of-sky magnetic field (B_bot) in the SMA1 to SMA4 cores and in the envelope using the SMA-Ext and SMA-SubC data. These results are compared with the B_bot archive images obtained from the CSO and JCMT. A correlation between dust intensity gradient position angles (phi_{nabla I}) and magnetic field position angles (phi_B) is found in the CSO, JCMT and both SMA data sets. This correlation is further analyzed quantitatively. A systematically tighter correlation between phi_{nabla I} and phi_B is found in the cores, whereas the correlation decreases in outside-core regions. Magnetic field-to-gravity force ratio (Sigma_B) maps are derived using the newly developed polarization – intensity gradient method by Koch, Tang & Ho 2012. We find that the force ratios tend to be small (Sigma_B <= 0.5) in the cores in all 4 data sets. In regions outside of the cores, the ratios increase or the field is even dominating gravity (Sigma_B > 1). This possibly provides a physical explanation of the tightening correlation between phi_{nabla I} and phi_B in the cores: the more the B field lines are dragged and aligned by gravity, the tighter the correlation is. Finally, we propose a schematic scenario for the magnetic field in W51 North to interpret the four polarization observations at different physical scales.

### Misalignment of Magnetic Fields and Outflows in Protostellar Cores

Theoretical models of star formation generally assume that bipolar outflows are parallel to the mean magnetic-field direction in protostellar cores. Here we present results of \lambda1.3 mm dust polarization observations toward 16 nearby, low-mass protostars, mapped with ~2.5" resolution at CARMA. The results show that magnetic fields in protostellar cores on scales of ~1000 AU are not tightly aligned with outflows from the protostars. If one assumes that outflows emerge along the rotation axes of circumstellar disks, then our results imply that these disks are not aligned with the fields in the cores from which they formed.

### Nonlinear Gravitational Recoil from the Mergers of Precessing Black-Hole Binaries [Cross-Listing]

We present results from an extensive study of 83 precessing, equal-mass black-hole binaries with large spins, a/m=0.8, and use these data to model new nonlinear contributions to the gravitational recoil imparted to the merged black hole. We find a new effect, the "cross kick", that enhances the recoil for partially aligned binaries beyond the "hangup kick" effect. This has the consequence of increasing the probabilities (by nearly a factor two) of recoils larger than 2000 km/s, and, consequently, of black holes getting ejected from galaxies and globular clusters, as well as the observation of large differential redshifts/blueshifts in the cores of recently merged galaxies.

### Associated 21-cm absorption towards the cores of radio galaxies

We present the results of Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) observations to detect H{\sc i} in absorption towards the cores of a sample of radio galaxies. From observations of a sample of 16 sources, we detect H{\sc i} in absorption towards the core of only one source, the FR\,II radio galaxy 3C\,452 which has been reported earlier by Gupta & Saikia (2006a). In this paper we present the results for the remaining sources which have been observed to a similar optical depth as for a comparison sample of compact steep-spectrum (CSS) and giga-hertz peaked spectrum (GPS) sources. We also compile available information on H{\sc i} absorption towards the cores of extended radio sources observed with angular resolutions of a few arcsec or better. The fraction of extended sources with detection of H{\sc i} absorption towards their cores is significantly smaller (7/47) than the fraction of H{\sc i} detection towards CSS and GPS objects (28/49). For the cores of extended sources, there is no evidence of a significant correlation between H{\sc i} column density towards the cores and the largest linear size of the sources. The distribution of the relative velocity of the principal absorbing component towards the cores of extended sources is not significantly different from that of the CSS and GPS objects. However, a few of the CSS and GPS objects have blue-shifted components $\gapp$1000 km s$^{-1}$, possibly due to jet-cloud interactions. With the small number of detections towards cores, the difference in detection rate between FR\,I (4/32) and FR\,II (3/15) sources is within the statistical uncertainties.

### Implementation of Sink Particles in the Athena Code

We describe implementation and tests of sink particle algorithms in the Eulerian grid-based code Athena. Introduction of sink particles enables long-term evolution of systems in which localized collapse occurs, and it is impractical (or unnecessary) to resolve the accretion shocks at the centers of collapsing regions. We discuss similarities and differences of our methods compared to other implementations of sink particles. Our criteria for sink creation are motivated by the properties of the Larson-Penston collapse solution. We use standard particle-mesh methods to compute particle and gas gravity together. Accretion of mass and momenta onto sinks is computed using fluxes returned by the Riemann solver. A series of tests based on previous analytic and numerical collapse solutions is used to validate our method and implementation. We demonstrate use of our code for applications with a simulation of planar converging supersonic turbulent flow, in which multiple cores form and collapse to create sinks; these sinks continue to interact and accrete from their surroundings over several Myr.

### The faint source population at 15.7 GHz - I. The radio properties

We have studied a sample of 296 faint (> 0.5 mJy) radio sources selected from an area of the Tenth Cambridge (10C) survey at 15.7 GHz in the Lockman Hole. By matching this catalogue to several lower frequency surveys (e.g. including a deep GMRT survey at 610 MHz, a WSRT survey at 1.4 GHz, NVSS, FIRST and WENSS) we have investigated the radio spectral properties of the sources in this sample; all but 30 of the 10C sources are matched to one or more of these surveys. We have found a significant increase in the proportion of flat spectrum sources at flux densities below approximately 1 mJy – the median spectral index between 15.7 GHz and 610 MHz changes from 0.75 for flux densities greater than 1.5 mJy to 0.08 for flux densities less than 0.8 mJy. This suggests that a population of faint, flat spectrum sources is emerging at flux densities below 1 mJy. The spectral index distribution of this sample of sources selected at 15.7 GHz is compared to those of two samples selected at 1.4 GHz from FIRST and NVSS. We find that there is a significant flat spectrum population present in the 10C sample which is missing from the samples selected at 1.4 GHz. The 10C sample is compared to a sample of sources selected from the SKADS Simulated Sky by Wilman et al. and we find that this simulation fails to reproduce the observed spectral index distribution and significantly underpredicts the number of sources in the faintest flux density bin. It is likely that the observed faint, flat spectrum sources are a result of the cores of FRI sources becoming dominant at high frequencies. These results highlight the importance of studying this faint, high frequency population.

### The BOSS Lyman-alpha Forest Sample from SDSS Data Release 9

We present the BOSS Lyman-alpha (Lya) Forest Sample from SDSS Data Release 9, comprising 54,468 quasar spectra with zqso > 2.15 suitable for Lya forest analysis. This data set probes the intergalactic medium with absorption redshifts 2.0 < z_alpha < 5.7 over an area of 3275 square degrees, and encompasses an approximate comoving volume of 20 h^-3 Gpc^3. With each spectrum, we have included several products designed to aid in Lya forest analysis: improved sky masks that flag pixels where data may be unreliable, corrections for known biases in the pipeline estimated noise, masks for the cores of damped Lya systems and corrections for their wings, and estimates of the unabsorbed continua so that the observed flux can be converted to a fractional transmission. The continua are derived using a principal component fit to the quasar spectrum redwards of restframe Lya (lambda > 1216 Ang), extrapolated into the forest region and normalized by a linear function to fit the expected evolution of the Lya forest mean-flux. The estimated continuum errors are ~5% rms. We also discuss possible systematics arising from uncertain spectrophotometry and artifacts in the flux calibration; global corrections for the latter are provided. Our sample provides a convenient starting point for users to analyze clustering in BOSS Lya forest data, and it provides a fiducial data set that can be used to compare results from different analyses of baryon acoustic oscillations in the Lya forest. The full data set is available from the SDSS-III DR9 web site.

### The BOSS Lyman-alpha Forest Sample from SDSS Data Release 9 [Replacement]

We present the BOSS Lyman-alpha (Lya) Forest Sample from SDSS Data Release 9, comprising 54,468 quasar spectra with zqso > 2.15 suitable for Lya forest analysis. This data set probes the intergalactic medium with absorption redshifts 2.0 < z_alpha < 5.7 over an area of 3275 square degrees, and encompasses an approximate comoving volume of 20 h^-3 Gpc^3. With each spectrum, we have included several products designed to aid in Lya forest analysis: improved sky masks that flag pixels where data may be unreliable, corrections for known biases in the pipeline estimated noise, masks for the cores of damped Lya systems and corrections for their wings, and estimates of the unabsorbed continua so that the observed flux can be converted to a fractional transmission. The continua are derived using a principal component fit to the quasar spectrum redwards of restframe Lya (lambda > 1216 Ang), extrapolated into the forest region and normalized by a linear function to fit the expected evolution of the Lya forest mean-flux. The estimated continuum errors are ~5% rms. We also discuss possible systematics arising from uncertain spectrophotometry and artifacts in the flux calibration; global corrections for the latter are provided. Our sample provides a convenient starting point for users to analyze clustering in BOSS Lya forest data, and it provides a fiducial data set that can be used to compare results from different analyses of baryon acoustic oscillations in the Lya forest. The full data set is available from the SDSS-III DR9 web site.

### The Universe at Extreme Scale: Multi-Petaflop Sky Simulation on the BG/Q [Cross-Listing]

Remarkable observational advances have established a compelling cross-validated model of the Universe. Yet, two key pillars of this model — dark matter and dark energy — remain mysterious. Sky surveys that map billions of galaxies to explore the `Dark Universe’, demand a corresponding extreme-scale simulation capability; the HACC (Hybrid/Hardware Accelerated Cosmology Code) framework has been designed to deliver this level of performance now, and into the future. With its novel algorithmic structure, HACC allows flexible tuning across diverse architectures, including accelerated and multi-core systems. On the IBM BG/Q, HACC attains unprecedented scalable performance — currently 13.94 PFlops at 69.2% of peak and 90% parallel efficiency on 1,572,864 cores with an equal number of MPI ranks, and a concurrency of 6.3 million. This level of performance was achieved at extreme problem sizes, including a benchmark run with more than 3.6 trillion particles, significantly larger than any cosmological simulation yet performed.

### Scaling laws in spherical shell dynamos with free-slip boundaries

Numerical simulations of convection driven rotating spherical shell dynamos have often been performed with rigid boundary conditions, as is appropriate for the metallic cores of terrestrial planets. Free-slip boundaries are more appropriate for dynamos in other astrophysical objects, such as gas-giants or stars. Using a set of 57 direct numerical simulations, we investigate the effect of free-slip boundary conditions on the scaling properties of heat flow, flow velocity and magnetic field strength and compare it with earlier results for rigid boundaries. We find that the nature of the mechanical boundary condition has only a minor influence on the scaling laws. We also find that although dipolar and multipolar dynamos exhibit approximately the same scaling exponents, there is an offset in the scaling pre-factors for velocity and magnetic field strength. We argue that the offset can be attributed to the differences in the zonal flow contribution between dipolar and multipolar dynamos.

### Photon-Plasma: a modern high-order particle-in-cell code [Replacement]

We present the Photon-Plasma code, a modern high order charge conserving particle-in-cell code for simulating relativistic plasmas. The code is using a high order implicit field solver and a novel high order charge conserving interpolation scheme for particle-to-cell interpolation and charge deposition. It includes powerful diagnostics tools with on-the-fly particle tracking, synthetic spectra integration, 2D volume slicing, and a new method to correctly account for radiative cooling in the simulations. A robust technique for imposing (time-dependent) particle and field fluxes on the boundaries is also presented. Using a hybrid OpenMP and MPI approach the code scales efficiently from 8 to more than 250.000 cores with almost linear weak scaling on a range of architectures. The code is tested with the classical benchmarks particle heating, cold beam instability, and two-stream instability. We also present particle-in-cell simulations of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, and new results on radiative collisionless shocks.

### Photon-Plasma: a modern high-order particle-in-cell code

We present the Photon-Plasma code, a modern high order charge conserving particle-in-cell code used for simulating relativistic plasmas. The code is using a high order implicit field solver and a novel high order charge conserving interpolation scheme for particle-to-cell interpolation and charge deposition. It includes powerful diagnostics tools with on-the-fly particle tracking, synthetic spectra integration, and 2D volume slicing, and a new method to correctly account for radiative cooling in the simulations. A robust technique for (time-dependent) particle and field fluxes on the boundaries is also presented. Using a hybrid OpenMP and MPI approach the code scales efficiently from 8 to more than 250.000 cores with almost linear scale up on a range of architectures. The code is tested with the classical benchmarks particle heating, cold beam instability, and two-stream instability. We also present particle-in-cell simulations of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, and new results on radiative collisionless shocks.

### Photon-Plasma: a modern high-order particle-in-cell code [Replacement]

We present the Photon-Plasma code, a modern high order charge conserving particle-in-cell code for simulating relativistic plasmas. The code is using a high order implicit field solver and a novel high order charge conserving interpolation scheme for particle-to-cell interpolation and charge deposition. It includes powerful diagnostics tools with on-the-fly particle tracking, synthetic spectra integration, 2D volume slicing, and a new method to correctly account for radiative cooling in the simulations. A robust technique for imposing (time-dependent) particle and field fluxes on the boundaries is also presented. Using a hybrid OpenMP and MPI approach the code scales efficiently from 8 to more than 250.000 cores with almost linear weak scaling on a range of architectures. The code is tested with the classical benchmarks particle heating, cold beam instability, and two-stream instability. We also present particle-in-cell simulations of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, and new results on radiative collisionless shocks.

### A Unified Monte Carlo Treatment of Gas-Grain Chemistry for Large Reaction Networks. II. A Multiphase Gas-Surface-Layered Bulk Model

The observed gas-phase molecular inventory of hot cores is believed to be significantly impacted by the products of chemistry in interstellar ices. In this study, we report the construction of a full macroscopic Monte Carlo model of both the gas-phase chemistry and the chemistry occurring in the icy mantles of interstellar grains. Our model treats icy grain mantles in a layer-by-layer manner, which incorporates laboratory data on ice desorption correctly. The ice treatment includes a distinction between a reactive ice surface and an inert bulk. The treatment also distinguishes between zeroth and first order desorption, and includes the entrapment of volatile species in more refractory ice mantles. We apply the model to the investigation of the chemistry in hot cores, in which a thick ice mantle built up during the previous cold phase of protostellar evolution undergoes surface reactions and is eventually evaporated. For the first time, the impact of a detailed multilayer approach to grain mantle formation on the warm-up chemistry is explored. The use of a multilayer ice structure has a mixed impact on the abundances of organic species formed during the warm-up phase. For example, the abundance of gaseous HCOOCH3 is lower in the multilayer model than in previous grain models that do not distinguish between layers (so-called "two phase" models). Other gaseous organic species formed in the warm-up phase are affected slightly. Finally, we find that the entrapment of volatile species in water ice can explain the two-jump behavior of H2CO previously found in observations of protostars.

### A Unified Monte Carlo Treatment of Gas-Grain Chemistry for Large Reaction Networks. II. A Multiphase Gas-Surface-Layered Bulk Model [Replacement]

The observed gas-phase molecular inventory of hot cores is believed to be significantly impacted by the products of chemistry in interstellar ices. In this study, we report the construction of a full macroscopic Monte Carlo model of both the gas-phase chemistry and the chemistry occurring in the icy mantles of interstellar grains. Our model treats icy grain mantles in a layer-by-layer manner, which incorporates laboratory data on ice desorption correctly. The ice treatment includes a distinction between a reactive ice surface and an inert bulk. The treatment also distinguishes between zeroth and first order desorption, and includes the entrapment of volatile species in more refractory ice mantles. We apply the model to the investigation of the chemistry in hot cores, in which a thick ice mantle built up during the previous cold phase of protostellar evolution undergoes surface reactions and is eventually evaporated. For the first time, the impact of a detailed multilayer approach to grain mantle formation on the warm-up chemistry is explored. The use of a multilayer ice structure has a mixed impact on the abundances of organic species formed during the warm-up phase. For example, the abundance of gaseous HCOOCH3 is lower in the multilayer model than in previous grain models that do not distinguish between layers (so-called "two phase" models). Other gaseous organic species formed in the warm-up phase are affected slightly. Finally, we find that the entrapment of volatile species in water ice can explain the two-jump behavior of H2CO previously found in observations of protostars.

### The intrinsic shapes of prestellar cores

Using observations of prestellar cores to infer their intrinsic properties requires the solution of several poorly constrained inverse problems. Here we address one of these problems, namely to deduce from the observed aspect ratios of prestellar cores their intrinsic three-dimensional shapes. Four models are proposed, all based on the standard assumption that prestellar cores are ellipsoidal, and on the further assumption that a core’s shape is not correlated with its absolute size. The first and simplest model, M1, has a single free parameter, and assumes that the relative axes of a prestellar core are drawn randomly from a log-normal distribution with zero mean and standard deviation \tauO. The second model, M2a, has two free parameters, and assumes that the log-normal distribution (with standard deviation \tauO) has a finite mean, \nuO, defined so that \nuO<0 means elongated (or filamentary) cores are favoured, whereas \nuO>0 means flattened (or disc-like) cores are favoured. Details of the third model (M2b, two free parameters) and the fourth model (M4, four free parameters) are given in the text. Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling and Bayesian analysis are used to map out the posterior probability density functions of the model paramaters, and the relative merits of the models are compared using Bayes factors. We show that M1 provides an acceptable fit to the data with \tauO=0.57+/-0.06; and that, although the other models sometimes provide an improved fit, there is no strong justification for the introduction of their additional parameters.

### Evolution in cluster cores since z~1

A large fraction of the stellar mass in galaxy clusters is thought to be contained in the diffuse low surface brightness intracluster light (ICL). Being bound to the gravitational potential of the cluster rather than any individual galaxy, the ICL contains much information about the evolution of its host cluster and the interactions between the galaxies within. However due its low surface brightness it is notoriously difficult to study. We present the first detection and measurement of the flux contained in the ICL at z~1. We find that the fraction of the total cluster light contained in the ICL may have increased by factors of 2-4 since z~1, in contrast to recent findings for the lack of mass and scale size evolution found for brightest cluster galaxies. Our results suggest that late time buildup in cluster cores may occur more through stripping than merging and we discuss the implications of our results for hierarchical simulations.

### Seismic diagnostics for transport of angular momentum in stars 2. Interpreting observed rotational splittings of slowly-rotating red giant stars

Asteroseismology with the space-borne missions CoRoT and Kepler provides a powerful mean of testing the modeling of transport processes in stars. Rotational splittings are currently measured for a large number of red giant stars and can provide stringent constraints on the rotation profiles. The aim of this paper is to obtain a theoretical framework for understanding the properties of the observed rotational splittings of red giant stars with slowly rotating cores. This allows us to establish appropriate seismic diagnostics for rotation of these evolved stars. Rotational splittings for stochastically excited dipolar modes are computed adopting a first-order perturbative approach for two $1.3 M_\odot$ benchmark models assuming slowly rotating cores. For red giant stars with slowly rotating cores, we show that the variation of the rotational splittings of $\ell=1$ modes with frequency depends only on the large frequency separation, the g-mode period spacing, and the ratio of the average envelope to core rotation rates (${\cal R}$). This leds us to propose a way to infer directly ${\cal R}$ from the observations. This method is validated using the Kepler red giant star KIC 5356201. Finally, we provide a theoretical support for the use of a Lorentzian profile to measure the observed splittings for red giant stars.