arXiv subjects

A. Puglisi

Publications and source records attributed to A. Puglisi.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

High Contrast Imaging in the Visible: First Experimental Results at the Large Binocular Telescope

In February 2014, the SHARK-VIS (System for High contrast And coronography from R to K at VISual bands) Forerunner, a high contrast experimental imager operating at visible wavelengths, was installed at LBT (Large Binocular Telescope). Here we report on the first results obtained by recent on-sky tests. These results show the extremely good performance of the LBT ExAO (Extreme Adaptive Optics) system at visible wavelengths, both in terms of spatial resolution and contrast achieved. Similarly to what was done by (Amara et al. 2012), we used the SHARK-VIS Forerunner data to quantitatively assess the contrast enhancement. This is done by injecting several different synthetic faint objects in the acquired data and applying the ADI (angular differential imaging) technique. A contrast of the order of $5 \times 10^{-5}$ is obtained at 630 nm for angular separations from the star larger than 100 mas. These results are discussed in light of the future development of SHARK-VIS and compared to those obtained by other high contrast imagers operating at similar wavelengths.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2016

PASSATA - Object oriented numerical simulation software for adaptive optics

We present the last version of the PyrAmid Simulator Software for Adaptive opTics Arcetri (PASSATA), an IDL and CUDA based object oriented software developed in the Adaptive Optics group of the Arcetri observatory for Monte-Carlo end-to-end adaptive optics simulations. The original aim of this software was to evaluate the performance of a single conjugate adaptive optics system for ground based telescope with a pyramid wavefront sensor. After some years of development, the current version of PASSATA is able to simulate several adaptive optics systems: single conjugate, multi conjugate and ground layer, with Shack Hartmann and Pyramid wavefront sensors. It can simulate from 8m to 40m class telescopes, with diffraction limited and resolved sources at finite or infinite distance from the pupil. The main advantages of this software are the versatility given by the object oriented approach and the speed given by the CUDA implementation of the most computational demanding routines. We describe the software with its last developments and present some examples of application.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2016

The ERIS Adaptive Optics System

ERIS is the new AO instrument for VLT-UT4 led by a Consortium of Max-Planck Institut fuer Extraterrestrische Physik, UK-ATC, ETH-Zurich, ESO and INAF. The ERIS AO system provides NGS mode to deliver high contrast correction and LGS mode to extend high Strehl performance to large sky coverage. The AO module includes NGS and LGS wavefront sensors and, with VLT-AOF Deformable Secondary Mirror and Laser Facility, will provide AO correction to the high resolution imager NIX (1-5um) and the IFU spectrograph SPIFFIER (1-2.5um). In this paper we present the preliminary design of the ERIS AO system and the estimated correction performance.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2016

Lattice models for granular-like velocity fields: Finite-size effects

Long-range spatial correlations in the velocity and energy fields of a granular fluid are discussed in the framework of a 1d lattice model. The dynamics of the velocity field occurs through nearest-neighbour inelastic collisions that conserve momentum but dissipate energy. A set of equations for the fluctuating hydrodynamics of the velocity and energy mesoscopic fields give a first approximation for (i) the velocity structure factor and (ii) the finite-size correction to the Haff law, both in the homogeneous cooling regime. At a more refined level, we have derived the equations for the two-site velocity correlations and the total energy fluctuations. First, we seek a perturbative solution thereof, in powers of the inverse of system size. On the one hand, when scaled with the granular temperature, the velocity correlations tend to a stationary value in the long time limit. On the other hand, the scaled standard deviation of the total energy diverges, that is, the system shows multiscaling. Second, we find an exact solution for the velocity correlations in terms of the spectrum of eigenvalues of a certain matrix. The results of numerical simulations of the microscopic model confirm our theoretical results, including the above described multiscaling phenomenon.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2016

Modelling Early Stages of Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions: Coupling Relativistic Transport Theory to Decaying Color-electric Flux Tubes

In this study we model early times dynamics of the system produced in relativistic heavy ion collisions by an initial color electric field which then decays to a plasma by the Schwinger mechanism, coupling the dynamical evolution of the initial color field to the dynamics of the many particles system produced by the decay. The latter is described by relativistic kinetic theory in which we fix the ratio $η/s$ rather than insisting on specific microscopic processes. We study isotropization and thermalization of the system produced by the field decay for a static box and for a $1+1$D expanding geometry. We find that regardless of the viscosity of the produced plasma, the initial color electric field decays within $1$ fm/c; however in the case $η/s$ is large, oscillations of the field are effective along all the entire time evolution of the system, which affect the late times evolution of the ratio between longitudinal and transverse pressure. In case of small $η/s$ ($η/s\lesssim0.3$) we find $τ_{isotropization}\approx 0.8$ fm/c and $τ_{thermalization}\approx 1$ fm/c in agreement with the common lore of hydrodynamics. Moreover we have investigated the effect of turning from the relaxation time approximation to the Chapman-Enskog one: we find that this improvement affects mainly the early times evolution of the physical quantities, the effect being milder in the late times evolution.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

Nulling Data Reduction and On-Sky Performance of the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer

The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) is a versatile instrument designed for high-angular resolution and high-contrast infrared imaging (1.5-13 microns). In this paper, we focus on the mid-infrared (8-13 microns) nulling mode and present its theory of operation, data reduction, and on-sky performance as of the end of the commissioning phase in March 2015. With an interferometric baseline of 14.4 meters, the LBTI nuller is specifically tuned to resolve the habitable zone of nearby main-sequence stars, where warm exozodiacal dust emission peaks. Measuring the exozodi luminosity function of nearby main-sequence stars is a key milestone to prepare for future exoEarth direct imaging instruments. Thanks to recent progress in wavefront control and phase stabilization, as well as in data reduction techniques, the LBTI demonstrated in February 2015 a calibrated null accuracy of 0.05% over a three-hour long observing sequence on the bright nearby A3V star beta Leo. This is equivalent to an exozodiacal disk density of 15 to 30 zodi for a Sun-like star located at 10pc, depending on the adopted disk model. This result sets a new record for high-contrast mid-infrared interferometric imaging and opens a new window on the study of planetary systems.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2015

Dust attenuation in z $\sim$ 1 galaxies from Herschel and 3D-HST H$α$ measurements

We combined the spectroscopic information from the 3D-HST survey with \textit{Herschel} data to characterize the H$α$ dust attenuation properties of a sample of 79 main sequence star-forming galaxies at $z \sim 1$ in the GOODS-S field. The sample was selected in the far-IR, at $λ$=100 and/or 160 $μ$m, and only includes galaxies with a secure H$α$ detection (S/N$>$3). From the low resolution 3D-HST spectra we measured the redshifts and the H$α$ fluxes for the whole sample (a factor of 1/1.2 was applied to the observed fluxes to remove the [NII] contamination). The stellar masses (M$_{\star}$), infrared (L$_{IR}$) and UV luminosities (L$_{UV}$) were derived from the SEDs by fitting multi-band data from GALEX near-UV to SPIRE 500 $μ$m. We estimated the continuum extinction E$_{star}$(B-V) from both the IRX=L$_{IR}$/L$_{UV}$ ratio and the UV-slope, $β$, and found an excellent agreement between the two. The nebular extinction was estimated from comparison of the observed SFR$_{Hα}$ and SFR$_{UV}$. We obtained \emph{f}=E$_{star}$(B-V)/E$_{neb}$(B-V)=0.93$\pm$0.06, i.e. higher than the canonical value of \emph{f}=0.44 measured in the local Universe. Our derived dust correction produces good agreement between the H$α$ and IR+UV SFRs for galaxies with SFR$\gtrsim$ 20 M$_{\odot}$/yr and M$_{\star} \gtrsim 5 \times 10^{10}$ M$_{\odot}$, while objects with lower SFR and M$_{\star}$ seem to require a smaller \emph{f}-factor (i.e. higher H$α$ extinction correction). Our results then imply that the nebular extinction for our sample is comparable to that in the optical-UV continuum and suggest that the \emph{f}-factor is a function of both M$_{\star}$ and SFR, in agreement with previous studies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

Exoplanet science with the LBTI: instrument status and plans

The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) is a strategic instrument of the LBT designed for high-sensitivity, high-contrast, and high-resolution infrared (1.5-13 $μ$m) imaging of nearby planetary systems. To carry out a wide range of high-spatial resolution observations, it can combine the two AO-corrected 8.4-m apertures of the LBT in various ways including direct (non-interferometric) imaging, coronagraphy (APP and AGPM), Fizeau imaging, non-redundant aperture masking, and nulling interferometry. It also has broadband, narrowband, and spectrally dispersed capabilities. In this paper, we review the performance of these modes in terms of exoplanet science capabilities and describe recent instrumental milestones such as first-light Fizeau images (with the angular resolution of an equivalent 22.8-m telescope) and deep interferometric nulling observations.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2015

Shear Viscosity of a strongly interacting system: Green-Kubo vs. Chapman-Enskog and Relaxation Time Approximation

The shear viscosity $η$ has been calculated by using the Green-Kubo relation in the framework of a partonic transport approach solved at cascade level. We compare the numerical results for $η$ obtained from the Green-Kubo correlator with the analytical formulas in both the Relaxation Time Approximation (RTA) and the Chapman-Enskog approximation (CE). We investigate and emphasize the differences between the isotropic and anisotropic cross sections and between the massless and massive particles. We show that in the range of temperature explored in a Heavy Ion collision and for pQCD-like cross section the RTA significantly underestimates the viscosity by about a factor of 2-3, while a good agreement is found between the CE approximation and Gree-Kubo relation already at first order of approximation. The agreement with the CE approximation supplies an analytical formula that allows to develop kinetic transport theory at fixed shear viscosity to entropy density ratio, $η/s$. This open the possibility to explore dissipative non-equilibrium evolution of the distribution functions vs T-dependent $η/s$ and particle momenta in the dynamics of the Quark-Gluon Plasma created in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2015

An Itinerant Oscillator model with cage inertia for mesorheological granular experiments

Recent experiments with a rotating probe immersed in weakly fluidized granular materials show a complex behavior on a wide range of timescales. Viscous-like relaxation at high frequency is accom- panied by an almost harmonic dynamical trapping at intermediate times, with possibly anomalous long time behavior in the form of super-diffusion. Inspired by the Itinerant Oscillator model for dif- fusion in molecular liquids, and other models with coupled thermostats acting at different timescales, here we discuss a new model able to account for fast viscous relaxation, dynamical trapping and super-diffusion at long times. The main difference with respect to liquids, is a non-negligible cage inertia for the surrounding (granular) fluid, which allows it to sustain a slow but persistent mo- tion for long times. The computed velocity power density spectra and mean-squared displacement qualitatively reproduce the experimental findings. We also discuss the linear response to external perturbations and the tail of the distribution of persistency time, which is associated with superdif- fusion, and whose cut-off time is determined by cage inertia.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2015

The absolute age of the globular cluster M15 using near-infrared adaptive optics images from PISCES/LBT

We present deep near-infrared (NIR) J, Ks photometry of the old, metal-poor Galactic globular cluster M\,15 obtained with images collected with the LUCI1 and PISCES cameras available at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). We show how the use of First Light Adaptive Optics system coupled with the (FLAO) PISCES camera allows us to improve the limiting magnitude by ~2 mag in Ks. By analyzing archival HST data, we demonstrate that the quality of the LBT/PISCES color magnitude diagram is fully comparable with analogous space-based data. The smaller field of view is balanced by the shorter exposure time required to reach a similar photometric limit. We investigated the absolute age of M\,15 by means of two methods: i) by determining the age from the position of the main sequence turn-off; and ii) by the magnitude difference between the MSTO and the well-defined knee detected along the faint portion of the MS. We derive consistent values of the absolute age of M15, that is 12.9+-2.6 Gyr and 13.3+-1.1 Gyr, respectively.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

Fluctuating hydrodynamics and mesoscopic effects of spatial correlations in dissipative systems with conserved momentum

We introduce a model described in terms of a scalar velocity field on a 1d lattice, evolving through collisions that conserve momentum but do not conserve energy. Such a system posseses some of the main ingredients of fluidized granular media and naturally models them. We deduce non-linear fluctuating hydrodynamics equations for the macroscopic velocity and temperature fields, which replicate the hydrody- namics of shear modes in a granular fluid. Moreover, this Landau-like fluctuating hydrodynamics predicts an essential part of the peculiar behaviour of granular flu- ids, like the instability of homogeneous cooling state at large size or inelasticity. We compute also the exact shape of long range spatial correlations which, even far from the instability, have the physical consequence of noticeably modifying the cooling rate. This effect, which stems from momentum conservation, has not been previously reported in the realm of granular fluids.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2015

Shear viscosity $η$ to electric conductivity $σ_{el}$ ratio for the Quark-Gluon Plasma

The transport coefficients of strongly interacting matter are currently subject of intense theoretical and phenomenological studies due to their relevance for the characterization of the quark-gluon plasma produced in ultra relativistic heavy-ion collisions (uRHIC). We discuss the connection between the shear viscosity to entropy density ratio, $η/s$, and the electric conductivity, $σ_{el}$. Once the relaxation time is tuned to have a minimum value of $η/s=1/4π$ near the critical temperature $T_c$, one simultaneously predicts $σ_{el}/T$ very close to recent lQCD data. More generally, we discuss why the ratio of $(η/s)/(σ_{el}/T)$ supplies a measure of the quark to gluon scattering rates whose knowledge would allow to significantly advance in the understanding of the QGP phase. We also predict that $(η/s)/(σ_{el}/T)$, independently on the running coupling $α_s(T)$, should increase up to about $\sim 20$ for $T \rightarrow T_c$, while it goes down to a nearly flat behavior around $\simeq 4$ for $T \geq 4\, T_c$. Therefore we in general predict a stronger T dependence of $σ_{el}/T$ with respect to $η/s$ that in a quasiparticle approach is constrained by lQCD thermodynamics. A conformal theory, instead, predicts a similar T dependence of $η/s$ and $σ_{el}/T$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

First-light LBT nulling interferometric observations: warm exozodiacal dust resolved within a few AU of eta Corvi

We report on the first nulling interferometric observations with the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI), resolving the N' band (9.81 - 12.41 um) emission around the nearby main-sequence star eta Crv (F2V, 1-2 Gyr). The measured source null depth amounts to 4.40% +/- 0.35% over a field-of-view of 140 mas in radius (~2.6\,AU at the distance of eta Corvi) and shows no significant variation over 35° of sky rotation. This relatively low null is unexpected given the total disk to star flux ratio measured by Spitzer/IRS (~23% across the N' band), suggesting that a significant fraction of the dust lies within the central nulled response of the LBTI (79 mas or 1.4 AU). Modeling of the warm disk shows that it cannot resemble a scaled version of the Solar zodiacal cloud, unless it is almost perpendicular to the outer disk imaged by Herschel. It is more likely that the inner and outer disks are coplanar and the warm dust is located at a distance of 0.5-1.0 AU, significantly closer than previously predicted by models of the IRS spectrum (~3 AU). The predicted disk sizes can be reconciled if the warm disk is not centrosymmetric, or if the dust particles are dominated by very small grains. Both possibilities hint that a recent collision has produced much of the dust. Finally, we discuss the implications for the presence of dust at the distance where the insolation is the same as Earth's (2.3 AU).

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2014

Electric Conductivity from the solution of the Relativistic Boltzmann Equation

We present numerical results of electric conductivity $σ_{el}$ of a fluid obtained solving the Relativistic Transport Boltzmann equation in a box with periodic boundary conditions. We compute $σ_{el}$ using two methods: the definition itself, i.e. applying an external electric field, and the evaluation of the Green-Kubo relation based on the time evolution of the current-current correlator. We find a very good agreement between the two methods. We also compare numerical results with analytic formulas in Relaxation Time Approximation (RTA) where the relaxation time for $σ_{el}$ is determined by the transport cross section $σ_{tr}$, i.e. the differential cross section weighted with the collisional momentum transfer. We investigate the electric conductivity dependence on the microscopic details of the 2-body scatterings: isotropic and anisotropic cross-section, and massless and massive particles. We find that the RTA underestimates considerably $σ_{el}$; for example at screening masses $m_D \sim \,T$ such underestimation can be as large as a factor of 2. Furthermore, we study a more realistic case for a quark-gluon system (QGP) considering both a quasi-particle model, tuned to lQCD thermodynamics, as well as the case of a pQCD gas with running coupling. Also for these cases more directly related to the description of the QGP system, we find that RTA significantly underestimate the $σ_{el}$ by about a $60-80\%$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

Discovery of H-alpha Emission from the Close Companion Inside the Gap of Transitional Disk HD142527

We utilized the new high-order 585 actuator Magellan Adaptive Optics system (MagAO) to obtain very high-resolution visible light images of HD142527 with MagAO's VisAO science camera. In the median seeing conditions of the 6.5m Magellan telescope (0.5-0.7"), we find MagAO delivers 24-19% Strehl at H-alpha (0.656 microns). We detect a faint companion (HD142527B) embedded in this young transitional disk system at just 86.3+/-1.9 mas (~12 AU) from the star. The companion is detected in both H-alpha and a continuum filter (Delta_mag=6.33+/-0.20 mag at H-alpha and 7.50+/-0.25 mag in the continuum filter). This provides confirmation of the tentative companion discovered by Biller and co-workers with sparse aperture masking at the 8m VLT. The H-alpha emission from the ~0.25 solar mass companion (EW=180 Angstroms) implies a mass accretion rate of ~5.9x10^-10 Msun/yr, and a total accretion luminosity of 1.2% Lsun. Assuming a similar accretion rate, we estimate that a 1 Jupiter mass gas giant could have considerably better (50-1,000x) planet/star contrasts at H-alpha than at H band (COND models) for a range of optical extinctions (3.4-0 mag). We suggest that ~0.5-5 Mjup extrasolar planets in their gas accretion phase could be much more luminous at H-alpha than in the NIR. This is the motivation for our new MagAO GAPplanetS survey for extrasolar planets.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2013

High Resolution H alpha Images of the Binary Low-mass Proplyd LV 1 with the Magellan AO System

We utilize the new Magellan adaptive optics system (MagAO) to image the binary proplyd LV 1 in the Orion Trapezium at H alpha. This is among the first AO results in visible wavelengths. The H alpha image clearly shows the ionization fronts, the interproplyd shell, and the cometary tails. Our astrometric measurements find no significant relative motion between components over ~18 yr, implying that LV 1 is a low-mass system. We also analyze Large Binocular Telescope AO observations, and find a point source which may be the embedded protostar's photosphere in the continuum. Converting the H magnitudes to mass, we show that the LV 1 binary may consist of one very-low-mass star with a likely brown dwarf secondary, or even plausibly a double brown dwarf. Finally, the magnetopause of the minor proplyd is estimated to have a radius of 110 AU, consistent with the location of the bow shock seen in H alpha.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

Diffraction-limited Visible Light Images of Orion Trapezium Cluster With the Magellan Adaptive Secondary AO System (MagAO)

We utilized the new high-order (250-378 mode) Magellan Adaptive Optics system (MagAO) to obtain very high spatial resolution observations in "visible light" with MagAO's VisAO CCD camera. In the good-median seeing conditions of Magellan (0.5-0.7") we find MagAO delivers individual short exposure images as good as 19 mas optical resolution. Due to telescope vibrations, long exposure (60s) r' (0.63 micron) images are slightly coarser at FWHM=23-29 mas (Strehl ~28%) with bright (R<9 mag) guide stars. These are the highest resolution filled-aperture images published to date. Images of the young (~1 Myr) Orion Trapezium Theta 1 Ori A, B, and C cluster members were obtained with VisAO. In particular, the 32 mas binary Theta 1 Ori C1/C2 was easily resolved in non-interferometric images for the first time. Relative positions of the bright trapezium binary stars were measured with ~0.6-5 mas accuracy. We now are sensitive to relative proper motions of just ~0.2 mas/yr (~0.4 km/s at 414 pc) - this is a ~2-10x improvement in orbital velocity accuracy compared to previous efforts. For the first time, we see clear motion of the barycenter of Theta 1 Ori B2/B3 about Theta 1 Ori B1. All five members of the Theta 1 Ori B system appear likely a gravitationally bound "mini-cluster", but we find that not all the orbits can be both circular and co-planar. The lowest mass member of the Theta 1 Ori B system (B4; mass ~0.2 Msun) has a very clearly detected motion (at 4.1+/-1.3 km/s; correlation=99.9%) w.r.t B1 and will likely be ejected in the future. This "ejection" process of the lowest mass member of a "mini-cluster" could play a major role in the formation of low mass stars and brown dwarfs.(slightly abridged abstract)

astro-ph.SR↗