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K. Aoki

Publications and source records attributed to K. Aoki.

180 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

A Strong Lyman-alpha Emitter at z=6.33 in the Subaru Deep Field Selected as an i' Dropout

We report on the discovery of a star-forming galaxy at z=6.33 in the Subaru Deep Field. This object is selected as a candidate of an i'-dropout, high-redshift galaxy around z=6 because of its red i'-z' color in our deep optical imaging survey in the Subaru Deep Field. Our follow up optical spectroscopy reveals that this object is a strong Ly-alpha emitter with only very faint ultraviolet continuum. The rest-frame equivalent width of the detected Ly-alpha emission is as much as 130 A. Thus the light detected in our z' image is largely attributed to the Ly-alpha emission, i.e., ~40% of the z'-band flux is the strong Ly-alpha emission, giving a very red i'-z' color. This is consistent with the photometric property of this object because the narrow-band data obtained with the NB921 filter shows a significant depression, z'-NB921 = -0.54 mag. By using the photometric data, we show that some other objects among the 48 i'-dropout high-redshift galaxy candidates found in the Subaru Deep Field also show a significant NB921 depression. We briefly discuss the nature of these NB921-depressed objects.

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Neutron and proton energy spectra from the non-mesonic weak decays of 5_Lambda-He and 12_Lambda-C

We have simultaneously measured the energy spectra of neutrons and protons emitted in the non-mesonic weak decays of 5_Lambda-He and 12_Lambda-C hypernuclei produced via the (pi^+,k^+) reaction with much higher statistics over those of previous experiments. The neutron-to-proton yield ratios for both hypernuclei at a high energy threshold (60 MeV) were approximately equal to two, which suggests that the ratio of the neutron- and proton-induced decay channels, Gn(Lambda n -> nn)/Gp(Lambda p -> np), is about 0.5. In the neutron energy spectra, we found that the yield of the low-energy component is unexpectedly large, even for 5_Lambda-He.

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Study of the Sigma-nucleus potential by the (pi^-,K^+) reaction on medium-to-heavy nuclear targets

In order to study the Sigma-nucleus optical potential, we measured inclusive (pi^-,K^+) spectra on medium-to-heavy nuclear targets: CH_2, Si, Ni, In and Bi. The CH_2 target was used to calibrate the excitation energy scale by using the elementary process p + pi^- -> K^+ + Sigma^-, where the C spectrum was also extracted. The calibration was done with +-0.1 MeV precision. The angular distribution of the elementary cross section was measured, and agreed well with the previous bubble chamber data, but with better statistics, and the magnitudes of the cross sections of the measured inclusive (pi^-,K^+) spectra were also well calibrated. All of the inclusive spectra were found to be similar in shape at a region near to the Sigma^- binding energy threshold, showing a weak mass-number dependence on the magnitude of the cross section. The measured spectra were compared with a theoretical calculation performed within the framework of the Distorted Wave Impulse Approximation (DWIA). It has been demonstrated that a strongly repulsive \sig-nucleus potential with a non-zero size of the imaginary part is required to reproduce the shape of the measured spectra.

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Growth of massive black holes by super-Eddington accretion

Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) and Narrow-Line quasars (NLQs) seem to amount to ~ 10-30 % of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the local universe. Together with their average accretion rate, we argue that the black hole (BH) growth by factor of 8-800 happens in these super-Eddington accretion phase of AGNs. Moreover, there is a possible, systematic underestimation of accretion rates (in the Eddington unit) due to an overestimation of BH mass by massive accretion discs for super-Eddington objects. If it is true, the factor of BH growth above may be larger by order(s) of magnitude. In contrast, the growth factor expected in sub-Eddington phase is only ~ 2. Therefore, the cosmic BH growth by accretion is likely dominated by super-Eddington phase, rather than sub-Eddington phase which is the majority among AGNs. This analysis is based on the fraction and the average accretion rate of NLS1s and NLQs obtained for z ~< 0.5. If those numbers are larger at higher redshift (where BHs were probably less grown), super-Eddington accretion would be even more important in the context of cosmic BH growth history.

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Measurement of the $π^-$ decay width of $^5_Λ$He

We have precisely measured $Λ\to pπ^-$ decay width of \5LHe and demonstrated significantly larger $α$ -$Λ$ overlap than expected from the central repulsion $α$-$Λ$ potential, which is derived from YNG Λ$-nucleon interaction.

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pi^0 decay branching ratios of 5_Lambda-He and 12_Lambda-C hypernuclei

We precisely measured pi^0 branching ratios of 5_Lambda-He and 12_Lambda-C hypernuclei produced via (pi^+,k^+) reaction. Using these pi^0 branching ratios with the pi^- branching ratios and the lifetimes, we obtained the pi^0 decay widths and the non-mesonic weak decay widths at high statistics with the accuracy of ~5 % (stat) for both hypernuclei.

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Proton asymmetry in non-mesonic weak decay of light hypernuclei

We have obtained the decay asymmetry parameters in non-mesonic weak decay of polarized Lambda-hypernuclei by measuring the proton asymmetry. The polarized Lambda-hypernuclei, 5_Lambda-He, 12_Lambda-C, and 11_Lambda-B, were produced in high statistics via the (pi^+,k^+) reaction at 1.05 GeV/c in the forward angles. Preliminary analysis shows that the decay asymmetry parameters are very small for these s-shell and p-shell hypernuclei.

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Subaru Deep Spectroscopy of the Very Extended Emission-Line Region of NGC 4388: Ram Pressure Stripped Gas Ionized by the Nuclear Radiation

We report here the results of deep optical spectroscopy of the very extended emission-line region (VEELR) found serendipitously around the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 4388 in the Virgo cluster using the Subaru Telescope. The H-alpha recession velocities of most of the filaments of the region observed are highly blue-shifted with respect to the systemic velocity of the galaxy. The velocity field is complicated, and from the kinematic and morphological points of view, there seem to be several streams of filaments: low velocity (v = -100 km/s) filaments, high velocity (v = -300 km/s) filaments, and a very high velocity (v > -500 km/s) cloud complex. The emission-line ratios of the VEELR filaments are well explained by power-law photoionization models with solar abundances, suggesting that the Seyfert nucleus of NGC 4388 is the dominant ionization source of the VEELR and that the VEELR gas has moderate metallicity. In addition to photoionization, shock heating probably contributes to the ionization of the gas. In particular, the filaments outside the ionization cone of the Seyfert nucleus are mainly excited by shocks. We conclude that the VEELR was formerly the disk gas of NGC 4388, which has been stripped by ram pressure due to the interaction between the hot intra-cluster medium (ICM) and the galaxy. The velocity field and the morphology of the VEELR closely resemble snapshots from some numerical simulations of this process. In the case of NGC 4388, the ram pressure-stripped gas, which is normally seen as extended HI filaments, happens to be exposed and ionized by the radiation from the AGN, and so can be seen as optical emission-line gas.

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Infrared Spectroscopy of 15 Radio Galaxies at 2<z<2.6

Near-infrared spectra of 15 high-redshift radio galaxies (HzRGs) located at $2<z<2.6$ were obtained by the OH Airglow Suppressor spectrograph mounted on the Subaru telescope. The UV-optical line ratio diagnostic diagrams indicate that half of the observed HzRGs have extended emission-line regions with low metal abundance, photoionized by a flat-continuum active galactic nucleus such as a quasar. We also found two probable correlations between radio and rest-optical parameters: (1) HzRGs with massive hosts tend to have a redder rest-optical continuum, and (2) HzRGs with smaller radio sizes also show a redder optical continuum. On the basis of the correlations, the nature of HzRGs at $2<z<2.6$ is discussed.

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On The Spectrum and Spectropolarimetry of Type Ic Hypernova SN 2003dh/GRB 030329

Spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric observations of SN 2003dh/GRB 030329 obtained in 2003 May using the Subaru 8.2 m telescope are presented. The properties of the SN are investigated through a comparison with spectra of the Type Ic hypernovae SNe 1997ef and 1998bw. (Hypernovae being a tentatively defined class of SNe with very broad absorption features: these features suggest a large velocity of the ejected material and possibly a large explosion kinetic energy.) Comparison with spectra of other hypernovae shows that the spectrum of SN 2003dh obtained on 2003 May 8 and 9, i.e., 34-35 rest-frame days after the GRB (for z=0.1685), are similar to those of SN 1997ef obtained ~34-42 days after the fiducial time of explosion of that SN. The match with SN 1998bw spectra is not as good (at rest 7300-8000 A, but again spectra obtained ~33-43 days after GRB 980425 are preferred. This indicates that the SN may have intermediate properties between SNe 1997ef and 1998bw. Based on the analogy with the other hypernovae, the time of explosion of SN 2003dh is then constrained to be between -8 and +2 days of the GRB. The Si and O P-Cygni lines of SN 2003dh seem comparable to those of SN 1997ef, which suggests that the ejected mass in SN 2003dh may match that in SN 1997ef. Polarization was marginally detected at optical wavelengths. This is consistent with measurements of the late afterglow, implying that it mostly originated in the interstellar medium of the host galaxy.

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Lyman Break Galaxies at z~5: Luminosity Function

(abridged) We present results of a search for Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at z ~ 5 in a 618 square-arcmin field including the HDF-N taken by Subaru Prime Focus Camera. Utilizing the published redshift data of the HDF-N and its flanking fields, the color selection criteria are chosen so that LBGs are picked out most efficiently and least contaminated by foreground objects. The numbers of LBG candidates detected are 310 in 23.0 < I_c < 25.5. The rest-frame UV luminosity function(LF) of LBGs at z ~ 5 is derived statistically. The fraction of contamination is estimated to be ~50% in the faintest magnitude range. The completeness of the survey is ~80% at the bright part of the sample, and ~20% in the faintest magnitude range (25.0 < I_c <= 25.5). The LF of LBG candidates at z ~ 5 does not show a significant difference from those at z ~ 3 and 4, though there might be a slight decrease in the fainter part. The UV luminosity density within the observational limit is 0.56 - 0.69 times smaller than that obtained for LBGs at z ~ 3, depending on the adopted cosmology and the integration range of the LF. The similarity of the LFs at redshifts 5 to 3 implies that most of LBGs at z ~ 5 should have faded out at z ~ 3 and LBGs at z \~ 5 are different galaxies from those seen at z ~ 3, if we take face values for ages of the LBGs at z ~ 3 obtained by the SED fitting in which a continuous star formation in an individual galaxy is assumed. However, if the star formation in LBGs is sporadic, the similarity of the LF at z ~ 3 and 5 would be explained. Such sporadic star formation has been suggested by hydrodynamical simulations and semi-analytic models with collisional starbursts, and the trend of the cosmic star formation history predicted by these studies resembles to that estimated from the UV luminosity density within the observational limit.

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Remarks on NonHamiltonian Statistical Mechanics: Lyapunov Exponents and Phase-Space Dimensionality Loss

The dissipation associated with nonequilibrium flow processes is reflected by the formation of strange attractor distributions in phase space. The information dimension of these attractors is less than that of the equilibrium phase space, corresponding to the extreme rarity of nonequilibrium states. Here we take advantage of a simple model for heat conduction to demonstrate that the nonequilibrium dimensionality loss can definitely exceed the number of phase-space dimensions required to thermostat an otherwise Hamiltonian system.

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Optical Spectropolarimetry of SN 2002ap: High Velocity Asymmetric Explosion

We present spectropolarimetry of the Type Ic supernova SN 2002ap and give a preliminary analysis: the data were taken at two epochs, close to and one month later than the visual maximum (2002 February 8). In addition we present June 9 spectropolarimetry without analysis. The data show the development of linear polarization. Distinct polarization profiles were seen only in the O I λ7773 multiplet/Ca II IR triplet absorption trough at maximum light and in the Ca II IR triplet absorption trough a month later, with the latter showing a peak polarization as high as ~2 %. The intrinsic polarization shows three clear position angles: 80 degs for the February continuum, 120 degs for the February line feature, and 150 degs for the March data. We conclude that there are multiple asymmetric components in the ejecta. We suggest that the supernova has a bulk asymmetry with an axial ratio projected on the sky that is different from 1 by of order 10 %. Furthermore, we suggest very speculatively that a high velocity ejecta component moving faster than ~0.115c (e.g., a jet) contributes to polarization in the February epoch.

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A New High-Redshift Lyman alpha Emitter: Possible Superwind Galaxy at z = 5.69

During the course of our deep optical imaging survey for Ly alpha emitters at z approximately 5.7 in the field around the z=5.74 quasar SDSSp J104433.04-012502.2, we have found a candidate strong emission-line source. Follow-up optical spectroscopy shows that the emission line profile of this object is asymmetric, showing excess red-wing emission. These properties are consistent with an identification of Ly alpha emission at a redshift of z=5.687 +/- 0.002. The observed broad line width, Delta V_{FWHM} ~= 340 km s^{-1} and excess red-wing emission also suggest that this object hosts a galactic superwind.

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Detection of Iron Emission in the z = 5.74 QSO SDSSp J104433.04-012502.2

We obtained near-infrared spectroscopy of the z=5.74 QSO, SDSSp J104433.04-012 502.2 with the Infrared Camera and Spectrograph of the Subaru telescope. The redshift of 5.74 corresponds to a cosmological age of 1.0 Gyr for the current Lambda-dominated cosmology. We found a similar strength of the Fe II (3000-3500 A) emission lines in SDSSp J104433.04-012502.2 as in low redshift QSOs. This is the highest redshift detection of iron. We subtracted a power-law continuum from the spectrum and fitted model Fe II emission and Balmer continuum. The rest equivalent width of Fe II (3000-3500 A) is ~30 A which is similar to those of low redshift QSOs measured by the same manner. The chemical enrichment models that assume the life time of the progenitor of SNe Ia is longer than 1 Gyr predict that weaker Fe II emission than low red shift. However, none of the observed high redshift (z > 3) QSOs show a systematic dec rease of Fe II emission compared with low redshift QSOs. This may due to a shorter lifetime of SNe Ia in QSO nuclei than in the solar neighborhood. Another reason of strong Fe II emission at z=5.74 may be longer cosmological age due to smaller Omega_M.

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The "devil's staircase" type phase transition in NaV2O5 under high pressure

The "devil's staircase" type phase transition in the quarter-filled spin-ladder compound NaV2O5 has been discovered at low temperature and high pressure by synchrotron radiation x-ray diffraction. A large number of transitions are found to successively take place among higher-order commensurate phases with 2a * 2b * zc type superstructures. The observed temperature and pressure dependence of modulation wave number qc, defined by 1/z, is well reproduced by the Axial Next Nearest Neighbor Ising (ANNNI) model. The qc is suggested to reflect atomic displacements coupled with charge ordering in this system. The experimental fact implies that two competitive inter-layer interactions between the Ising spins, i.e., the nearest neighbor J1>0 (ferro) and the next nearest neighbor J2<0 (antiferro) along the c-axis, are intrinsic in this compound. A microscopic origin of the inter-layer interaction is not yet known; however, the nearest neighbor interaction J1>0 between the V2O5 layers is especially interesting. It is very surprising that the phase transition of such a complicated charge-lattice-spin coupled system NaV2O5 can be described by the simple ANNNI model.

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The Correlation between Si III] 1892/ C III] 1909 and Fe II 4500/ H beta in low redshift QSOs

HST archival FOS spectra of 40 QSOs with z <= 0.5 in the Bright Quasar Survey have been analyzed. The spectra cover the region 1800-2000 A in the QSOs' rest frames, including the Al III 1859, Si III] 1892, C III] 1909, and Fe III UV34 emission-lines. We measured the flux of these UV emission-lines, and analyzed the correlations among UV and optical (H beta, Fe II, and [O III]) emission-line properties as well as soft X-ray photon indices. We found a significant correlation between Si III]/C III] and Fe II/H beta. Si III and C III have similar ionization potentials, but Si III] has one order magnitude larger critical density than C III]. Si III]/C III] is thus a density indicator and becomes larger when density is higher. The correlation between Si III]/C III] and Fe II/H beta indicates that optical Fe II becomes strong when the density of the broad line region becomes high. Our correlation analysis shows that large Si III]/C III] associates with weak [O III] 5007, large soft X-ray photon index, and narrow H beta width as well as with large Fe II/H beta. Our results support the previous suggestions that the density of the broad line region gas and the mass accretion rate govern this correlation.

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The Radio Emission of the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 7319

We present VLA maps of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 7319 at 3.6, 6, and 20 cm. Sub-arcsecond resolution is achieved at 3.6 and 6 cm. The radio emission exhibits a triple structure on a scale of ~4'' (1.7 kpc). All three components have steep spectra, consistent with synchrotron radiation. We have also analyzed an HST archival, broad-band red image, which contains structure related to the radio components. In particular, a V-shaped feature in the HST image some 3.7'' (1.6 kpc) southwest of the nucleus is associated with highly blueshifted emission lines seen in ground-based spectra. We interpret the V-shaped feature as emission from gas compressed by the bow shock driven by the outwardly moving radio plasmoid.

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