SELF-CONSISTENT MODELS OF TRIAXIAL GALAXIES IN MOND GRAVITY
The Bekenstein-Milgrom gravity theory with a modified Poisson equation is tested here for the existence of triaxial equilibrium solutions. Using the nonnegative least-square method, we show that self-consistent triaxial galaxies exist for baryonic models with a mild density cusp, -->ρ ~ Σ/r. Self-consistency is achieved for a wide range of central concentrations, -->Σ ~ 10-1000 M☉ pc−2, representing low to high surface brightness galaxies. Our results demonstrate for the first time that the orbit superposition technique is fruitful for constructing galaxy models beyond Newtonian gravity, and triaxial cuspy galaxies might exist without the help of cold dark matter.

title: N-body simulations for testing the stability of triaxial galaxies in MOND
abstract: We perform a stability test of triaxial models in Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) using N-body simulations. The triaxial models considered here have densities that vary with r −1 in the centre and r −4 at large radii. The total mass of the model varies from 10 8 to 10 10 M� , representing the mass scale of dwarfs to medium-mass elliptical galaxies, respectively, from deep MOND to quasi-Newtonian gravity. We build triaxial galaxy models using the Schwarzschild technique, and evolve the systems for 200 Keplerian dynamical times (at the typical length-scale of 1.0 kpc). We find that the systems are virial overheating, and in quasi-equilibrium with the relaxation taking approximately 5 Keplerian dynamical times (1.0 kpc). For all systems, the change of the inertial (kinetic) energy is less than 10 per cent (20 per cent) after relaxation. However, the central profile of the model is flattened during the relaxation and the (overall) axis ratios change by roughly 10 per cent within 200 Keplerian dynamical times (at 1.0 kpc) in our simulations. We further find that the systems are stable once they reach the equilibrium state.

title: A new model for the Milky Way bar
abstract: We use Schwarzschild's orbit-superposition technique to construct self-consistent models of the Galactic bar. Using χ2 minimization, we find that the best-fitting Galactic bar model has a pattern speed Ωp = 60 km s−1 kpc−1, disc mass Md = 1.0 × 1011 M⊙ and bar angle θbar = 20° for an adopted bar mass Mbar = 2 × 1010 M⊙. The model can reproduce not only the three-dimensional and projected density distributions but also velocity and velocity dispersion data from the Bulge Radial Velocity Assay (BRAVA) survey. We also predict the proper motions in the range l = [−12°, 12°], b = [−10°, 10°], which appear to be higher than observations in the longitudinal direction. The model is stable within a time-scale of 0.5 Gyr, but appears to deviate from steady state on longer time-scales. Our model can be further tested by future observations such as those from GAIA.

title: Effects of correlation between merging steps on the global halo formation
abstract: The excursion set theory of halo formation is modified by adopting the fractional Brownian motion, to account for possible correlation between merging steps. We worked out analytically the conditional mass function, halo merging rate and formation time distribution in the spherical collapse model. We also developed an approximation for the ellipsoidal collapse model and applied it to the calculation of the conditional mass function and the halo formation time distribution. For models in which the steps are positively correlated, the halo merger rate is enhanced when the accreted mass is less than similar to 25M*, while for the negatively correlated case this rate is reduced. Compared with the standard model in which the steps are uncorrelated, the models with positively correlated steps produce more aged population in small mass haloes and more younger population in large mass haloes, while for the models with negatively correlated steps the opposite is true. An examination of simulation results shows that a weakly positive correlation between successive merging steps appears to fit best. We have also found a systematic effect in the measured mass function due to the finite volume of simulations. In future work, this will be included in the halo model to accurately predict the three-point correlation function estimated from simulations.

title: BSG alignment of SDSS galaxy groups
abstract: We study the alignment signal between the distribution of brightest satellite galaxies (BSGs) and the major axis of their host groups using SDSS group catalog constructed by Yang et al. (2007). After correcting for the effect of group ellipticity, a statistically significant (∼ 5σ) major-axis alignment is detected and the alignment angle is found to be 43.0 ± 0.4. More massive and richer groups show stronger BSG alignment. The BSG alignment around blue BCGs is slightly stronger than that around red BCGs. And red BSGs have much stronger major-axis alignment than blue BSGs. Unlike BSGs, other satellites do not show very significant alignment with group major axis. We further explore the BSG alignment in semi-analytic model (SAM) constructed by Guo et al. (2011). We found general good agreement with observations: BSGs in SAM show strong major-axis alignment which depends on group mass and richness in the same way as observations; and none of other satellites exhibit prominent alignment. However, discrepancy also exists in that the SAM shows opposite BSG color dependence, which is most probably induced by the missing of large scale environment ingredient in SAM. The combination of two popular scenarios can explain the detected BSG alignment. The first one: satellites merged into the group preferentially along the surrounding filaments, which is strongly aligned with the major axis of the group. The second one: BSGs enter their host group more recently than other satellites, then will preserve more information about the assembling history and so the major-axis alignment. In SAM, we found positive evidence for the second scenario by the fact that BSGs merged into groups statistically more recently than other satellites. We also found that most of BSGs (80%) were BCGs before they merged into groups and earlier merged BSGs tend to be closer to their BCGs than other BSGs. On the other hand, although is opposite in SAM, the BSG color dependence in observation might indicate the first scenario as well.  BSG – alignment – group of galaxies – SAM – SDSS

title: Alignment between the host and the nearest neighbor Groups
abstract: We measure four different types of alignment signals using the galaxy groups of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4 to probe the impact of large scale environment on the distribution of satellite galaxies, on the the orientation of the central and satellite galaxies: (1) the alignment between the distributions of the satellites relative to the direction of the nearest neighbor group (NNG); (2) the alignment between the major axis direction of the central galaxy of the host group (HG) and the direction of the NNG; (3) the alignment between the two major axes of the central galaxies of the HG and NNG; and (4) the alignment between the major axes of the satellites of the HG and the direction of the NNG. We find strong alignment signals of satellite distribution and orientation of central galaxy relative to the direction of the NNG even when the NNG locates beyond $3r_{\rm vir}$ of the host group. The alignment signals are stronger for groups that are more massive and with early type central galaxies. For the orientation of satellite galaxies, however, we do not find any significant alignment signals relative to the direction of the NNG. From these four types of the alignment measures, we conclude that the large scale environment traced by the nearby group mainly impacts the shape of the host dark matter halo, hence impacts the distribution of satellite galaxies and the orientation of central galaxies. Apart from these, there is additional impacts by the large scale environment directly onto the distribution of satellite galaxies.

title: Investigation of neutron spectrum emitted from 44 GeV 12C+Cu interactions with nuclear emulsion
abstract: The Energy Spectrum of fast neutrons produced in 44 GeV 12 C+Cu interactions has been measured and analysed with nuclear emulsion of 8 cm in length, 2.2 cm in width and 400 μm in thickness made in China Institute of Atomic Energy, Beijing, China. The irradiation of the emulsion was carried out at the accelerator SYNCHROPHASOTRON of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia. The neutron spectrum was obtained through measuring the recoil protons in emulsion and the track parameters of α particles from interactions of 12 C(n,n′)3α in emulsion. The experimental neutron spectrum was compared with the results of a Monte-Carlo calculation, which shows that the shapes of both neutron spectra are identical within the limits of their statistical accuracy.

title: Probing dark energy using its density instead of its equation of state
abstract: The variation of dark energy density with redshift, ρ X ( z ) , provides a critical clue to the nature of dark energy. Since ρ X ( z ) depends on the dark energy equation of state w X ( z ) through an integral, ρ X ( z ) can be constrained more tightly than w X ( z ) given the same observational data. We demonstrate this explicitly using current type Ia supernova (SN Ia) data [the Tonry/Barris sample], together with the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) shift parameter from CMB data (WMAP, CBI, and ACBAR), and the large scale structure (LSS) growth factor from 2dF galaxy survey data. We assume a flat universe, and use Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique in our analysis. We find that, while w X ( z ) extracted from current data is consistent with a cosmological constant at 68% C.L., ρ X ( z ) (which has far smaller uncertainties) is not. Our results clearly show the advantage of using ρ X ( z ) , instead of w X ( z ) , to probe the variation of dark energy.

title: The three-point correlation function of galaxies: comparing halo occupation models with observations
abstract: We present models for the three-point correlation function (3PCF) of both dark matter and galaxies. We show that models based on the halo model can reasonably match the dark-matter 3PCF obtained from high-resolution N-body simulations. On small scales (r ≤ 0.5 h -1 Mpc) the 3PCF is sensitive to details regarding the density distributions of dark-matter haloes. On larger scales (r ≥ 2.0 h -1 Mpc) the results are very sensitive to the abundance of the few most prominent haloes. Using the conditional luminosity function, we also construct models for the 3PCF of galaxies, which we test against large mock galaxy samples. The bias of the galaxy distribution with respect to the dark matter, and the finite number of galaxies that can be hosted by individual haloes, significantly reduce the normalized three-point correlation function with respect to that of dark matter. Contrary to the 3PCF of the dark matter, the galaxy 3PCF is much less sensitive to details regarding the spatial number density distribution of galaxies in individual haloes or to the abundance of the few most massive systems. Finally, we show that our model based on the conditional luminosity function is in good agreement with results obtained from the 2-degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey. In particular, the model nicely reproduces the observational finding that the 3PCF for early-type galaxies is slightly higher than that of late-type galaxies, and that there is no significant dependence of the 3PCF on galaxy luminosity.

title: On neutron generation in massive Cu-target at irradiation with 22 and 44 GeV carbon ions

title: An S matrix analysis of the Z resonance
abstract: The S matrix ansatz is a rigorously model independent approach to describe the cross-sections and asymetries in e + e − annihilation. Using the cross-sections and asymetries measured with the L3 detector during the 1990 and 1991 running period, we determine the mass and the width of the Z boson, the contributions of the Z exchange and the γZ interference. Including the polarization of the τ lepton in the analysis, the leptonic helicity amplitudes of the scattering process are determined assuming lepton universality. The results are compared with other model independent ansatzes as realized in ZFITTER. A systematic bias of the Z mass due to the γZ interference term is detected, which leads to an underestimation of the error on m Z for model independent determinations.