Numerical simulation of three-dimensional collisionless disk of NGC 1566 galaxy

This paper reports the results of the numerical N-body simulations of the dynamics of collisionless disk of the galaxy NGC 1566. Using recent observational data for this galaxy, we construct equilibrium three-dimensional collisionless model of its disk and study the disk dynamics using direct N-body simulations. Results of our simulations show that the most unstable global mode in the collisionless disk is the two-armed spiral.

Characteristic time variability of gravitational-wave and neutrino signals from three-dimensional simulations of non-rotating and rapidly rotating stellar core collapse

ABSTRACT We present results from full general relativistic 3D hydrodynamics simulations of stellar core collapse of a 70 M⊙ star with spectral neutrino transport. To investigate the impact of rotation on non-axisymmetric instabilities, we compute three models by parametrically changing the initial strength of rotation. The most rapidly rotating model exhibits a transient development of the low-T/|W| instability with one-armed spiral flow at the early post-bounce phase. Subsequently, the two-armed spiral flow appears, which persists during the simulation time. The moderately rotating model also shows the growth of the low-T/|W| instability, but only with the two-armed spiral flow. In the non-rotating model, a vigorous activity of the standing accretion-shock instability (SASI) is only observed. The SASI is first dominated by the sloshing mode, which is followed by the spiral SASI until the black hole (BH) formation. We present a spectrogram analysis of the gravitational waves (GWs) and neutrinos, focusing on the time correlation. Our results show that characteristic time modulations in the GW and neutrino signals can be linked to the growth of the non-axisymmetric instabilities. We find that the degree of the protoneutron star (PNS) deformation, depending upon which modes of the non-axisymmetric instabilities develop, predominantly affects the characteristic frequencies of the correlated GW and neutrino signals. We point out that these signals would be simultaneously detectable by the current-generation detectors up to ∼10 kpc. Our findings suggest that the joint observation of GWs and neutrinos is indispensable for extracting information on the PNS evolution preceding the BH formation.

Analysis of spiral structure in the accretion disc of the nova-like cataclysmic variable EC21178–5417

ABSTRACT We present an extensive Doppler tomography study of the eclipsing nova-like EC21178–5417, which exhibits the classic accretion disc signature in the form of double-peak emission lines in its spectrum. Doppler tomograms confirm the presence of a strong, two-armed spiral pattern visible in the majority of the spectral lines studied. This makes EC21178–5417 one of the very few nova-likes that show spiral structure in their discs. We also report night-to-night changes in the position and relative strength of the spiral arms, revealing fluctuations on the conditions in the accretion disc.

The spiral potential of the Milky Way

Context. The location of young sources in the Galaxy suggests a four-armed spiral structure, whereas tangential points of spiral arms observed in the integrated light at infrared and radio wavelengths indicate that only two arms are massive. Aims. Variable extinction in the Galactic plane and high light-to-mass ratios of young sources make it difficult to judge the total mass associated with the arms outlined by such tracers. The current objective is to estimate the mass associated with the Sagittarius arm by means of the kinematics of the stars across it. Methods. Spectra of 1726 candidate B- and A-type stars within 3◦ of the Galactic center (GC) were obtained with the FLAMES instrument at the VLT with a resolution of ≈6000 in the spectral range of 396–457 nm. Radial velocities were derived by least-squares fits of the spectra to synthetic ones. The final sample was limited to 1507 stars with either Gaia DR2 parallaxes or main-sequence B-type stars having reliable spectroscopic distances. Results. The solar peculiar motion in the direction of the GC relative to the local standard of rest (LSR) was estimated to U⊙ = 10.7 ± 1.3kms−1. The variation in the median radial velocity relative to the LSR as a function of distance from the sun shows a gradual increase from slightly negative values near the sun to almost 5 km s−1 at a distance of around 4 kpc. A sinusoidal function with an amplitude of 3.4 ± 1.3kms−1 and a maximum at 4.0 ± 0.6 kpc inside the sun is the best fit to the data. A positive median radial velocity relative to the LSR around 1.8 kpc, the expected distance to the Sagittarius arm, can be excluded at a 99% level of confidence. A marginal peak detected at this distance may be associated with stellar streams in the star-forming regions, but it is too narrow to be associated with a major arm feature. Conclusions. A comparison with test-particle simulations in a fixed galactic potential with an imposed spiral pattern shows the best agreement with a two-armed spiral potential having the Scutum–Crux arm as the next major inner arm. A relative radial forcing dFr ≈ 1.5% and a pattern speed in the range of 20–30 km s−1 kpc−1 yield the best fit. The lack of a positive velocity perturbation in the region around the Sagittarius arm excludes it from being a major arm. Thus, the main spiral potential of the Galaxy is two-armed, while the Sagittarius arm is an inter-arm feature with only a small mass perturbation associated with it.

Search for QPOs in the Light Curve of the Blazar OJ287: Preliminary Results from 2015/16 Observing Campaign

We analyse the light curve in the R-band gathered during the 2015/16 observing season of OJ287. We did a search for QPOs using several methods in wide time domain. No statistically significant periods were found in the high frequency domain both in the ground data and also in K2 observations. In the longer periods domain the Lomb-Scargle periodogram revealed several peaks above the 99\% significance level. The longest one, about 95-day, corresponds to the ISCO period of the more massive SMBH. The 43-day period could be an alias or can be attributed to accretion in the form of two armed spiral wave.