Dynamical friction in modified Newtonian dynamics
We have tested a previous analytical estimate of the dynamical friction time-scale in modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) with fully non-linear N-body simulations. The simulations confirm that the dynamical friction time-scale is significantly shorter in MOND than in equivalent Newtonian systems, i.e. systems with the same phase-space distribution of baryons and additional dark matter. An apparent conflict between this result and the long time-scales determined for bars to slow and mergers to be completed in previous N-body simulations of MOND systems is explained. The confirmation of the short dynamical-friction time-scale in MOND underlines the challenge that the Fornax dwarf spheroidal poses to the viability of MOND.

title: Dissipationless collapses in MOND
abstract: Dissipationless collapses in Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) are studied by using a new particle-mesh N-body code based on our numerical MOND potential solver. We found that low surface-density end-products have shallower inner density profile, flatter radial velocity-dispersion profile, and more radially anisotropic orbital distribution than high surface-density end-products. The projected density profiles of the final virialized systems are well described by Sersic profiles with index m~4, down to m~2 for a deep-MOND collapse. Consistently with observations of elliptical galaxies, the MOND end-products, if interpreted in the context of Newtonian gravity, would appear to have little or no dark matter within the effective radius. However, we found impossible (under the assumption of constant mass-to-light ratio) to simultaneously place the resulting systems on the observed Kormendy, Faber-Jackson and Fundamental Plane relations of elliptical galaxies. Finally, the simulations provide strong evidence that phase mixing is less effective in MOND than in Newtonian gravity.

title: The mode of gas accretion on to star-forming galaxies
abstract: It is argued that galaxies like ours sustain their star formation by transferring gas from an extensive corona to the star-forming disc. The transfer is effected by the galactic fountain – cool clouds that are shot up from the plane to kiloparsec heights above the plane. The Kelvin–Helmholtz instability strips gas from these clouds. If the pressure and the metallicity of the corona are high enough, the stripped gas causes a similar mass of coronal gas to condense in the cloud's wake. Hydrodynamical simulations of cloud–corona interaction are presented. These confirm the existence of a critical ablation rate above which the corona is condensed and imply that for the likely parameters of the Galactic corona this rate lies near the actual ablation rate of clouds. In external galaxies, trails of H i behind individual clouds will not be detectable, although the integrated emission from all such trails should be significant. Parts of the trails of the clouds that make up the Galaxy's fountain should be observable and may account for features in targeted 21-cm observations of individual high-velocity clouds and surveys of Galactic H i emission. Taken in conjunction with the known decline in the availability of cold infall with increasing cosmic time and halo mass, the proposed mechanism offers a promising explanation of the division of galaxies between the blue cloud to the red sequence in the colour–luminosity plane.

title: Galaxy merging and the Fundamental Plane of elliptical galaxies
abstract: We present preliminary results of numerical simulations of dissipationless merging of stellar systems, aimed at exploring the consequences of merging between gas free, spheroidal systems. In particular, we study the dynamical and structural characteristics of hierarchical merging between equal mass stellar systems, and we compare the properties of the end-products with the most important structural and dynamical scaling relations obeyed by spheroids. In the explored hierarchy of four successive mergings we find that the FP tilt is marginally conserved, but both the Faber-Jackson and Kormendy relations are not conserved.

title: Three-dimensional evolution of magnetic and velocity shear driven instabilities in a compressible magnetized jet
abstract: The problem of three-dimensional combined magnetic and velocity shear driven instabilities of a compressible magnetized jet modeled as a plane neutral/current double vortex sheet in the framework of the resistive magnetohydrodynamics is addressed. The resulting dynamics given by the stream+current sheet interaction is analyzed and the effects of a variable geometry of the basic fields are considered. Depending on the basic asymptotic magnetic field configuration, a selection rule of the linear instability modes can be obtained. Hence, the system follows a two-stage path developing either through a fully three-dimensional dynamics with a rapid evolution of kink modes leading to a final turbulent state, or rather through a driving two-dimensional instability pattern that develops on parallel planes on which a reconnection+coalescence process takes place.

title: N-BODY SIMULATIONS IN MODIFIED NEWTONIAN DYNAMICS
abstract: We describe some results obtained with N-MODY, a code for N-body simulations of collisionless stellar systems in modified Newto- nian dynamics (MOND). We found that a few fundamental dynamical processes are profoundly different in MOND and in Newtonian gravity with dark matter. In particular, violent relaxation, phase mixing and galaxy merging take significantly longer in MOND than in Newtonian gravity, while dynamical friction is more effective in a MOND system than in an equivalent Newtonian system with dark matter.

title: Detection of SUSY Signals in Stau Neutralino Co‐annihilation Region at the LHC
abstract: We study the prospects of detecting the signal in the stau neutralino (τ1−χ10) co‐annihilation region at the LHC using tau (τ) leptons. The co‐annihilation signal is characterized by the τ1 and χ10 mass difference (ΔM) to be 5–15 GeV to be consistent with the WMAP measurement of the cold dark matter relic density as well as all other experimental bounds within the minimal supergravity model. Focusing on τ’s from χ20 → ττ → ττχ10 decays in g and q production, we consider inclusive E/T+jet+3 τ production, with two τ’s above a high ET threshold and a third τ above a lower threshold. Two observables, the number of opposite‐signed τ pairs minus the number of like‐signed τ pairs and the peak position of the di‐tau invariant mass distribution, allow for the simultaneous determination of ΔM and Mg. For ΔM = 9 GeV and Mg = 850 GeV with 30 fb−1 of data, we can measure ΔM to 15% and Mg to 6%.

title: COSMOGRAIL: the COSmological MOnitoring of GRAvItational Lenses - VIII. Deconvolution of high resolution near-IR images and simple mass models for 7 gravitationally lensed quasars
abstract: We attempt to place very accurate positional constraints on seven gravitationally lensed quasars currently being monitored by the COSMOGRAIL collaboration, and shape parameters for the light distribution of the lensing galaxy. We attempt to determine simple mass models that reproduce the observed configuration and predict time delays. We finally test, for the quads, whether there is evidence of astrometric perturbations produced by substructures in the lensing galaxy, which may preclude a good fit with the simple models.  We apply the iterative MCS deconvolution method to near-IR HST archival data of seven gravitationally lensed quasars. This deconvolution method allows us to differentiate the contributions of the point sources from those of extended structures such as Einstein rings. This method leads to an accuracy of 1–2 mas in the relative positions of the sources and lens. The limiting factor of the method is the uncertainty in the instrumental geometric distortions. We then compute mass models of the lensing galaxy using state-of-the-art modeling techniques.  We determine the relative positions of the lensed images and lens shape parameters of seven lensed quasars: HE 0047-1756, RX J1131-1231, SDSS J1138+0314, SDSS J1155+6346, SDSS J1226-0006, WFI J2026-4536, and HS 2209+1914. The lensed image positions are derived with 1–2 mas accuracy. Isothermal and de Vaucouleurs mass models are calculated for the whole sample. The effect of the lens environment on the lens mass models is taken into account with a shear term. Doubly imaged quasars are equally well fitted by each of these models. A large amount of shear is necessary to reproduce SDSS J1155+6346 and SDSS J1226-006. In the latter case, we identify a nearby galaxy as the dominant source of shear. The quadruply imaged quasar SDSS J1138+0314 is reproduced well by simple lens models, which is not the case for the two other quads, RX J1131-1231 and WFI J2026-4536. This might be the signature of astrometric perturbations caused by massive substructures in the galaxy, which are unaccounted for by the models. Other possible explanations are also presented.

title: Mass Functions of the Active Black Holes in Distant Quasars from the Large Bright Quasar Survey, the Bright Quasar Survey, and the Color-selected Sample of the SDSS Fall Equatorial Stripe
abstract: We present mass functions of distant actively accreting supermassive black holes residing in luminous quasars discovered in the Large Bright Quasar Survey (LBQS), the Bright Quasar Survey (BQS), and the Fall Equatorial Stripe of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The quasars cover a wide range of redshifts from the local universe to z = 5 and were subject to different selection criteria and flux density limits. This makes these samples complementary and can help us gain additional insight on the true underlying black hole mass distribution free from selection effects and mass estimation errors through future studies. By comparing these quasar samples, we see evidence that the active black hole population at redshift four is somewhat different than that at lower redshifts, including that in the nearby universe. In particular, there is a sharp increase in the space density of the detected active black holes (M BH 108 M ☉) between redshifts ~4 and ~2.5. Also, the mass function of the SDSS quasars at 3.6 ≤ z ≤ 5 has a somewhat flatter high-mass-end slope of β = –1.75 ± 0.56, compared to the mass functions based on quasars below z of 3 (BQS and LBQS quasars), which display typical slopes of β ≈ –3.3; the latter are consistent with the mass functions at similar redshifts based on the SDSS Data Release 3 quasar catalog presented by Vestergaard et al. We see clear evidence of cosmic downsizing in the comoving space density distribution of active black holes in the LBQS sample alone. In forthcoming papers, further analysis, comparison, and discussion of these mass functions will be made with other existing black hole mass functions, notably that based on the SDSS DR3 quasar catalog. We present the relationships used to estimate the black hole mass based on the Mg II emission line; the relations are calibrated to the Hβ and C IV relations by means of several thousand high-quality SDSS spectra. Mass estimates of the individual black holes of these samples are also presented.