Search

Recently we have found an analytic integration formula that describes the dependence of the luminosity distance on the redshift for the flat cosmological model with a non-zero cosmological constant. The purpose of this article is to search for a similar relation for the non-flat models. A Taylor series was used. The elliptic integral of the first kind can indeed be applied. The result shows that a combination of the numerical integration with the previous analytic formula can also be useful for the nearly flat cosmological models., Comment: two pages, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 573, A54

We derive age constraints for 1639 red giants in the APOKASC sample for which seismic parameters from Kepler, as well as effective temperatures, metallicities and [alpha/Fe] values from APOGEE DR12 are available. We investigate the relation between age and chemical abundances for these stars, using a simple and robust approach to obtain ages. We first derive stellar masses using standard seismic scaling relations, then determine the maximum possible age for each star as function of its mass and metallicity, independently of its evolutionary stage. While the overall trend between maximum age and chemical abundances is a declining fraction of young stars with increasing [alpha/Fe], at least 14 out of 241 stars with [alpha/Fe]>0.13 are younger than 6 Gyr. Five stars with [alpha/Fe]>0.2 have ages below 4 Gyr. We examine the effect of modifications in the standard seismic scaling relations, as well as the effect of very low helium fractions, but these changes are not enough to make these stars as old as usually expected for alpha-rich stars (i.e., ages greater than 8-9 Gyr). Such unusual alpha-rich young stars have also been detected by other surveys, but defy simple explanations in a galaxy evolution context., Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, 2 tables. MNRAS in press

The GRB central engine intrinsic activity time $T_{\rm ce}$ is usually described through either the $\gamma$-ray duration $T_{90}$ or through a generalized burst duration $t_{\rm burst}$ which includes both the $\gamma$-ray emission and (when present) an extended flaring X-ray plateau. Here, we define a more specific operational description of $T_{\rm ce}$, and within the framework of the internal-external shock model, we develop a numerical code to study the relationship between $T_{90}$ and $T_{\rm ce}$, as well as between $t_{\rm burst}$ and $T_{\rm ce}$, for different initial conditions. We find that when $T_{\rm ce}\lesssim 10^4$ s, late internal collisions or refreshed external collisions result in values of $T_{\rm 90}$ and $t_{\rm burst}$ larger than $T_{\rm ce}$, usually by factors of $2-3$. For $T_{\rm ce}\gtrsim 10^4$ s, the $t_{\rm burst}$ is always a good estimator for $T_{\rm ce}$, while $T_{90}$ can underpredict $T_{\rm ce}$ when the late central engine activity is moderate. We find a clear bimodal distribution for $T_{\rm ce}$, based on our simulations as well as on the observational data for $T_{90}$ and $t_{\rm burst}$. We suggest that $t_{\rm burst}$ is a reliable measure for defining "ultra-long" GRBs. Bursts with $T_{90}$ of order $10^3$ s need not belong to a special population, while bursts with $t_{\rm burst} > 10^4$ s, where the late central engine activity is more moderate and shows up in X-rays, may represent a new population. These conclusions are insensitive to the initial conditions assumed in the models., Comment: Accepted by ApJ

The open cluster NGC 6791 is among the oldest, most massive and metal-rich open clusters in the Galaxy. High-resolution $H$-band spectra from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) of 11 red giants in NGC 6791 are analyzed for their chemical abundances of iron, oxygen, and sodium. The abundances of these three elements are found to be homogeneous (with abundance dispersions at the level of $\sim$ 0.05 - 0.07 dex) in these cluster red giants, which span much of the red-giant branch (T$_{\rm eff}$ $\sim$ 3500K - 4600K), and include two red-clump giants. From the infrared spectra, this cluster is confirmed to be among the most metal-rich clusters in the Galaxy ($<$[Fe/H]$>$ = 0.34 $\pm$ 0.06), and is found to have a roughly solar value of [O/Fe] and slightly enhanced [Na/Fe]. Non-LTE calculations for the studied Na I lines in the APOGEE spectral region ($\lambda$16373.86\AA\ and $\lambda$16388.85\AA) indicate only small departures from LTE ($\leq$ 0.04 dex) for the parameter range and metallicity of the studied stars. The previously reported double population of cluster members with different Na abundances is not found among the studied sample., Comment: Accepted for publication at ApJ Letters

A triple of vertices in a graph is a \emph{frustrated triangle} if it induces an odd number of edges. We study the set $F_n\subset[0,\binom{n}{3}]$ of possible number of frustrated triangles $f(G)$ in a graph $G$ on $n$ vertices. We prove that about two thirds of the numbers in $[0,n^{3/2}]$ cannot appear in $F_n$, and we characterise the graphs $G$ with $f(G)\in[0,n^{3/2}]$. More precisely, our main result is that, for each $n\geq 3$, $F_n$ contains two interlacing sequences $0=a_0\leq b_0\leq a_1\leq b_1\leq \dots \leq a_m\leq b_m\sim n^{3/2}$ such that $F_n\cap(b_t,a_{t+1})=\emptyset$ for all $t$, where the gaps are $|b_t-a_{t+1}|=(n-2)-t(t+1)$ and $|a_t-b_t|=t(t-1)$. Moreover, $f(G)\in[a_t,b_t]$ if and only if $G$ can be obtained from a complete bipartite graph by flipping exactly $t$ edges/nonedges. On the other hand, we show, for all $n$ sufficiently large, that if $m\in[f(n),\binom{n}{3}-f(n)]$, then $m\in F_n$ where $f(n)$ is asymptotically best possible with $f(n)\sim n^{3/2}$ for $n$ even and $f(n)\sim \sqrt{2}n^{3/2}$ for $n$ odd. Furthermore, we determine the graphs with the minimum number of frustrated triangles amongst those with $n$ vertices and $e\leq n^2/4$ edges., Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures, submitted

We present the first APOKASC catalog of spectroscopic and asteroseismic properties of 1916 red giants observed in the Kepler fields. The spectroscopic parameters provided from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment project are complemented with asteroseismic surface gravities, masses, radii, and mean densities determined by members of the Kepler Asteroseismology Science Consortium. We assess both random and systematic sources of error and include a discussion of sample selection for giants in the Kepler fields. Total uncertainties in the main catalog properties are of order 80 K in Teff , 0.06 dex in [M/H], 0.014 dex in log g, and 12% and 5% in mass and radius, respectively; these reflect a combination of systematic and random errors. Asteroseismic surface gravities are substantially more precise and accurate than spectroscopic ones, and we find good agreement between their mean values and the calibrated spectroscopic surface gravities. There are, however, systematic underlying trends with Teff and log g. Our effective temperature scale is between 0-200 K cooler than that expected from the Infrared Flux Method, depending on the adopted extinction map, which provides evidence for a lower value on average than that inferred for the Kepler Input Catalog (KIC). We find a reasonable correspondence between the photometric KIC and spectroscopic APOKASC metallicity scales, with increased dispersion in KIC metallicities as the absolute metal abundance decreases, and offsets in Teff and log g consistent with those derived in the literature. We present mean fitting relations between APOKASC and KIC observables and discuss future prospects, strengths, and limitations of the catalog data., Comment: 49 pages. ApJSupp, in press. Full machine-readable ascii files available under ancillary data. Categories: Kepler targets, asteroseismology, large spectroscopic surveys

We present a first determination of distances and extinctions for individual stars in the first release of the APOKASC catalogue, built from the joint efforts of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) and the Kepler Asteroseismic Science Consortium (KASC). Our method takes into account the spectroscopic constraints derived from the APOGEE Stellar Parameters and Chemical Abundances Pipeline, together with the asteroseismic parameters from KASC. These parameters are then employed to estimate intrinsic stellar properties, including absolute magnitudes, using the Bayesian tool PARAM. We then find the distance and extinction that best fit the observed photometry in SDSS, 2MASS, and WISE passbands. The first 1989 giants targeted by APOKASC are found at typical distances between 0.5 and 5 kpc, with individual uncertainties of just ~1.8 per cent. Our extinction estimates are systematically smaller than provided in the Kepler Input Catalogue and by the Schlegel, Finkbeiner and Davis maps. Distances to individual stars in the NGC 6791 and NGC 6819 star clusters agree to within their credible intervals. Comparison with the APOGEE red clump and SAGA catalogues provide another useful check, exhibiting agreement with our measurements to within a few percent. Overall, present methods seem to provide excellent distance and extinction determinations for the bulk of the APOKASC sample. Approximately one third of the stars present broad or multiple-peaked probability density functions and hence increased uncertainties. Uncertainties are expected to be reduced in future releases of the catalogue, when a larger fraction of the stars will have seismically-determined evolutionary status classifications., Comment: 21 pages, 20 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The invisibility graph $I(X)$ of a set $X \subseteq \mathbb{R}^d$ is a (possibly infinite) graph whose vertices are the points of $X$ and two vertices are connected by an edge if and only if the straight-line segment connecting the two corresponding points is not fully contained in $X$. We consider the following three parameters of a set $X$: the clique number $\omega(I(X))$, the chromatic number $\chi(I(X))$ and the convexity number $\gamma(X)$, which is the minimum number of convex subsets of $X$ that cover $X$. We settle a conjecture of Matou\v{s}ek and Valtr claiming that for every planar set $X$, $\gamma(X)$ can be bounded in terms of $\chi(I(X))$. As a part of the proof we show that a disc with $n$ one-point holes near its boundary has $\chi(I(X)) \ge \log\log(n)$ but $\omega(I(X))=3$. We also find sets $X$ in $\mathbb{R}^5$ with $\chi(X)=2$, but $\gamma(X)$ arbitrarily large., Comment: 28 pages, 9 figures; minor changes, added a few definitions and two references regarding metabelian groups

We introduce the Tesler polytope Tes_n(a_1,a_2,...,a_n), whose integer points are the Tesler matrices of size n with nonnegative integer hook sums a_1,a_2,...,a_n. We show that Tes_n(a) is a flow polytope and therefore the number of Tesler matrices is counted by the type A_n Kostant partition function evaluated at (a_1,a_2,...,a_n,-a_1-...-a_n). We describe the faces of this polytope in terms of "Tesler tableaux" and characterize when the polytope is simple. We prove that the h-vector of Tes_n(a) when all a_i>0 is given by the Mahonian numbers and calculate the volume of Tes_n(1,1,...,1) to be a product of consecutive Catalan numbers multiplied by the number of standard Young tableaux of staircase shape., Comment: 26 pages, 4 figures. v3 has a corrected proof of Lemma 2.4, updated references

APOGEE has amassed the largest ever collection of multi-epoch, high-resolution (R~22,500), H-band spectra for B-type emission line (Be) stars. The 128/238 APOGEE Be stars for which emission had never previously been reported serve to increase the total number of known Be stars by ~6%. We focus on identification of the H-band lines and analysis of the emission peak velocity separations (v_p) and emission peak intensity ratios (V/R) of the usually double-peaked H I and non-hydrogen emission lines. H I Br11 emission is found to preferentially form in the circumstellar disks at an average distance of ~2.2 stellar radii. Increasing v_p toward the weaker Br12--Br20 lines suggests these lines are formed interior to Br11. By contrast, the observed IR Fe II emission lines present evidence of having significantly larger formation radii; distinctive phase lags between IR Fe II and H I Brackett emission lines further supports that these species arise from different radii in Be disks. Several emission lines have been identified for the first time including ~16895, a prominent feature in the spectra for almost a fifth of the sample and, as inferred from relatively large v_p compared to the Br11-Br20, a tracer of the inner regions of Be disks. Unlike the typical metallic lines observed for Be stars in the optical, the H-band metallic lines, such as Fe II 16878, never exhibit any evidence of shell absorption, even when the H I lines are clearly shell-dominated. The first known example of a quasi-triple-peaked Br11 line profile is reported for HD 253659, one of several stars exhibiting intra- and/or extra-species V/R and radial velocity variation within individual spectra. Br11 profiles are presented for all discussed stars, as are full APOGEE spectra for a portion of the sample., Comment: accepted in AJ

We employ the first two years of data from the near-infrared, high-resolution SDSS-III/APOGEE spectroscopic survey to investigate the distribution of metallicity and alpha-element abundances of stars over a large part of the Milky Way disk. Using a sample of ~10,000 kinematically-unbiased red-clump stars with ~5% distance accuracy as tracers, the [alpha/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] distribution of this sample exhibits a bimodality in [alpha/Fe] at intermediate metallicities, -0.9<[Fe/H]<-0.2, but at higher metallicities ([Fe/H]=+0.2) the two sequences smoothly merge. We investigate the effects of the APOGEE selection function and volume filling fraction and find that these have little qualitative impact on the alpha-element abundance patterns. The described abundance pattern is found throughout the range 5

I review gamma-ray burst models (GRBs) and observations, and discuss the possible production of ultra-high energy cosmic rays and neutrinos in both the standard internal shock models and the newer generation of photospheric and hadronic GRB models, in the light of current constraints imposed by IceCube, Auger and TA observations. I then discuss models that have been proposed to explain the recent astrophysical PeV neutrino observations, including star-forming and star-burst galaxies, hypernovae and galaxy accretion and merger shocks., Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures. Based on a talk given at the "Cosmic Ray Origins: Beyond the Standard Models" international conference in San Vito di Cadore, Dolomites, Italy, 16-22 March 2014. To be published in the conference proceedings, in Nucl. Phys. B; Editors: O. Tibolla, L. Drury, M. Persic, S. Kaufmann, H. Voelk, K. Mannheim and A. de Angelis

We introduce a new class of poset edge labelings for locally finite lattices which we call $SB$-labelings. We prove for finite lattices which admit an $SB$-labeling that each open interval has the homotopy type of a ball or of a sphere of some dimension. Natural examples include the weak order, the Tamari lattice, and the finite distributive lattices., Comment: 16 pages; 3 figures; accepted to Journal of Combinatorial Theory Series A

We say that a set system $\mathcal{F}\subseteq 2^{[n]}$ shatters a given set $S\subseteq [n]$ if $2^S=\{F \cap S : F \in \mathcal{F}\}$. The Sauer inequality states that in general, a set system $\mathcal{F}$ shatters at least $|\mathcal{F}|$ sets. Here we concentrate on the case of equality. A set system is called shattering-extremal if it shatters exactly $|\mathcal{F}|$ sets. In this paper we characterize shattering-extremal set systems of Vapnik-Chervonenkis dimension $2$ in terms of their inclusion graphs, and as a corollary we answer an open question from \cite{VC1} about leaving out elements from shattering-extremal set systems in the case of families of Vapnik-Chervonenkis dimension $2$., Comment: 20 pages

Reduction trees are a way of encoding a substitution procedure dictated by the relations of an algebra. We use reduction trees in the subdivision algebra to construct canonical triangulations of flow polytopes which are shellable. We explain how a shelling of the canonical triangulation can be read off from the corresponding reduction tree in the subdivision algebra. We then introduce the notion of shellable reduction trees in the subdivision and related algebras and define h-polynomials of reduction trees. In the case of the subdivision algebra, the h-polynomials of the canonical triangulations of flow polytopes equal the h-polynomials of the corresponding reduction trees, which motivated our definition. We show that the reduced forms in various algebras, which can be read off from the leaves of the reduction trees, specialize to the shifted h-polynomials of the corresponding reduction trees. This yields a technique for proving nonnegativity properties of reduced forms. As a corollary we settle a conjecture of A.N. Kirillov., Comment: 23 pages, 3 figures

The flow polytope $\mathcal{F}_{\widetilde{G}}$ is the set of nonnegative unit flows on the graph $\widetilde{G}$. The subdivision algebra of flow polytopes prescribes a way to dissect a flow polytope $\mathcal{F}_{\widetilde{G}}$ into simplices. Such a dissection is encoded by the terms of the so called reduced form of the monomial $\prod_{(i,j)\in E(G)}x_{ij}$. We prove that we can use the subdivision algebra of flow polytopes to construct not only dissections, but also regular flag triangulations of flow polytopes. We prove that reduced forms in the subdivision algebra are generalizations of $h$-polynomials of the triangulations of flow polytopes. We deduce several corollaries of the above results, most notably proving certain cases of a conjecture of Kirillov about the nonnegativity of reduced forms in the noncommutative quasi-classical Yang-Baxter algebra., Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1407.2684

This paper describes the advantages and challenges of applying microelectromechanical accelerometer systems (MEMS accelerometers) in order to attain precise, accurate and stateless positioning of telescope mounts. This provides a completely independent method from other forms of electronic, optical, mechanical or magnetic feedback or real-time astrometry. Our goal is to reach the sub-arcminute range which is well smaller than the field-of-view of conventional imaging telescope systems. Here we present how this sub-arcminute accuracy can be achieved with very cheap MEMS sensors and we also detail how our procedures can be extended in order to attain even finer measurements. In addition, our paper discusses how can a complete system design be implemented in order to be a part of a telescope control system., Comment: Accepted for publication in PASP, 12 pages

We investigate the shock acceleration of particles in massive galaxy mergers or collisions, and show that cosmic rays (CRs) can be accelerated up to the second knee energy ~0.1-1 EeV and possibly beyond, with a hard spectral index Gamma ~ 2. Such CRs lose their energy via hadronuclear interactions within a dynamical timescale of the merger shock, producing gamma rays and neutrinos as a by-product. If ~ 10 % of the shock dissipated energy goes into CR acceleration, some local merging galaxies will produce gamma-ray counterparts detectable by CTA. Also, based on the concordance cosmology, where a good fraction of the massive galaxies experience a major merger in a cosmological timescale, the neutrino counterparts can constitute ~ 20-60 % of the isotropic background detected by IceCube., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure, published in ApJL

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey III's Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) is a high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopic survey covering all of the major components of the Galaxy, including the dust-obscured regions of the inner Milky Way disk and bulge. Here we present a sample of 10,341 likely red-clump stars (RC) from the first two years of APOGEE operations, selected based on their position in color-metallicity-surface-gravity-effective-temperature space using a new method calibrated using stellar-evolution models and high-quality asteroseismology data. The narrowness of the RC locus in color-metallicity-luminosity space allows us to assign distances to the stars with an accuracy of 5 to 10%. The sample extends to typical distances of about 3 kpc from the Sun, with some stars out to 8 kpc, and spans a volume of approximately 100 kpc^3 over 5 kpc <~ R <~ 14 kpc, |Z| <~ 2 kpc, and -15 deg <~ Galactocentric azimuth <~ 30 deg. The APOGEE red-clump (APOGEE-RC) catalog contains photometry from 2MASS, reddening estimates, distances, line-of-sight velocities, stellar parameters and elemental abundances determined from the high-resolution APOGEE spectra, and matches to major proper motion catalogs. We determine the survey selection function for this data set and discuss how the RC selection samples the underlying stellar populations. We use this sample to limit any azimuthal variations in the median metallicity within the ~45 degree-wide azimuthal region covered by the current sample to be <= 0.02 dex, which is more than an order of magnitude smaller than the radial metallicity gradient. This result constrains coherent non-axisymmetric flows within a few kpc from the Sun.

The first gravitational-wave (GW) observations will greatly benefit from the detection of coincident electromagnetic counterparts. Electromagnetic follow-ups will nevertheless be challenging for GWs with poorly reconstructed directions. GW source localization can be inefficient (i) if only two GW observatories are in operation; (ii) if the detectors' sensitivities are highly non-uniform; (iii) for events near the detectors' horizon distance. For these events, follow-up observations will need to cover 100-1000 square degrees of the sky over a limited period of time, reducing the list of suitable telescopes. We demonstrate that the Cherenkov Telescope Array will be capable of following up GW event candidates over the required large sky area with sufficient sensitivity to detect short gamma-ray bursts, which are thought to originate from compact binary mergers, out to the horizon distance of advanced LIGO/Virgo. CTA can therefore be invaluable starting with the first multimessenger detections, even with poorly reconstructed GW source directions. This scenario also provides a further scientific incentive for GW observatories to further decrease the delay of their event reconstruction.

The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) - one of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III programs -- is using near-infrared spectra of $\sim 100,000$ red giant branch star candidates to study the structure of the Milky Way. In the course of the survey, APOGEE also acquires spectra of hot field stars to serve as telluric calibrators for the primary science targets. We report the serendipitous discovery of two rare, fast-rotating B stars of the $\sigma$ Ori E type among those blue field stars observed during the first year of APOGEE operations. Both of the discovered stars display the spectroscopic signatures of the rigidly rotating magnetospheres (RRM) common to this class of highly-magnetized ($B \sim 10$ kiloGauss) stars, increasing the number of known RRM stars by $\sim 10 \%$. One (HD 345439) is a main-sequence B star with unusually strong He absorption (similar to $\sigma$ Ori E), while the other (HD 23478) fits a "He-normal" B3IV classification. We combine the APOGEE discovery spectra with other optical and near-infrared spectra of these two stars, and of $\sigma$ Ori E itself, to show how near-infrared spectroscopy can be a uniquely powerful tool for discovering more of these rare objects, which may show little/no RRM signatures in their optical spectra. We discuss the potential for further discovery of $\sigma$ Ori E type stars, as well as the implications of our discoveries for the population of these objects and insights into their origin and evolution., Comment: 14 pages, incl. 5 figures; accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

Recent observations by the $Fermi$ Gamma-ray Space Telescope have confirmed the existence of thermal and non-thermal components in the prompt photon spectra of some Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Through an analysis of six bright Fermi GRBs, we have discovered a correlation between the observed photospheric and non-thermal $\gamma$-ray emission components of several GRBs using a physical model that has previously been shown to be a good fit to the Fermi data. From the spectral parameters of these fits we find that the characteristic energies, $E_{\rm p}$ and $kT$, of these two components are correlated via the relation $E_{\rm p} \propto T^{\alpha}$ which varies from GRB to GRB. We present an interpretation in which the value of index $\alpha$ indicates whether the jet is dominated by kinetic or magnetic energy. To date, this jet composition parameter has been assumed in the modeling of GRB outflows rather than derived from the data.

We revisit the neutrino and ultra high-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) production from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with time-dependent simulations for the proton-induced cascades. This method can generate self-consistent photon, neutrino and escaped neutron spectra. To obtain the integrated background spectra, we take into account the distributions of the burst luminosity and pulse duration timescale. A benchmark case with standard GRB luminosity function, a bulk Lorentz factor $\Gamma=300$ and a proton to gamma-ray luminosity fraction $f_{\rm p}=10$, is consistent with both the neutrino upper-limits and the observed UHECR intensity at $\sim 10^{20}$ eV, while requiring a different type of UHECR source at the ankle. For the benchmark case the GRBs in the bright end of the luminosity function, which contribute most of the neutrinos, have their photon spectrum substantially distorted by secondary photons. Such bright GRBs are few in number, and reducing their $f_p$ eliminates the distortion, while reducing the neutrino production. Even if we neglect the contribution of the brightest GRBs, the UHECR production rate at GZK energies is almost unchanged. These nominal GRB models, especially with $L_{\rm iso} \lesssim 10^{53} ~\mbox{erg} ~\mbox{s}^{-1}$, appear to meet the current constraints as far as being candidate UHECR sources above the ankle energy., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

A graph on $2k$ vertices is path-pairable if for any pairing of the vertices the pairs can be joined by edge-disjoint paths. The so far known families of path-pairable graphs have diameter of length at most 3. In this paper we present an infinite family of path-pairable graphs with diameter $d(G)=O(\sqrt{n})$ where $n$ denotes the number of vertices of the graph. We prove that our example is extremal up to a constant factor.

We study linkedness of Cartesian product of graphs and prove that the product of an $a$-linked and a $b$-linked graphs is $(a+b-1)$-linked if the graphs are sufficiently large. Further bounds in terms of connectivity are shown. We determine linkedness of product of paths and product of cycles.

We study inheritance of path-pairability in the Cartesian product of graphs, and prove different (such as additive and multiplicative) inheritance patterns of path-pairability, depending on the size of the Cartesian product. We present path-pairable graph families, that improve the known upper bound on the minimal maximum degree of a path-pairable graph. Further results and open questions about path-pairability are also presented.

High energy astrophysics is one of the most active branches in contemporary astrophysics. It studies astrophysical objects that emit X-ray and gamma-ray photons, such as accreting super-massive and stellar-size black holes, and various species of neutron stars. With the operations of many space-borne and ground-based observational facilities, high energy astrophysics has enjoyed a rapid development in the past decades. It is foreseen that the field will continue to advance rapidly in the coming decade, with possible ground-breaking discoveries of astrophysical sources in the high-energy neutrino and gravitational wave channels. This Special Issue of Frontiers of Physics is dedicated to a systematic survey of the field of high energy astrophysics as it stands in 2013., Comment: Preface for Special Issue of Frontiers of Physics dedicated to High Energy Astrophysics, 3 pages

Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous explosions in the Universe. They appear connected to supernova remnants from massive stars or the merger of their remnants, and their brightness makes them temporarily detectable out to the larges distances yet explored in the Universe. After pioneering breakthroughs from space and ground experiments, their study is entering a new phase with observations from recently launched satellites, as well as the prospect of detections or limits from large neutrino and gravitational wave detectors. The interplay between such observations and theoretical models of gamma-ray bursts and related objects is reviewed., Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures. To be published in "General Relativity and Gravitation: A Centennial Perspective", Editors: A. Ashtekar, B. Berger, J. Isenberg and M.A.H. MacCallum, Cambridge University Press

In this paper we briefly summarize the design concepts of the Fly's Eye Camera System, a proposed high resolution all-sky monitoring device which intends to perform high cadence time domain astronomy in multiple optical passbands while still accomplish a high \'etendue. Fundings have already been accepted by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in order to design and build a Fly's Eye device unit. Beyond the technical details and the actual scientific goals, this paper also discusses the possibilities and yields of a network operation involving $\sim10$ sites distributed geographically in a nearly homogeneous manner. Currently, we expect to finalize the mount assembly -- that performs the sidereal tracking during the exposures -- until the end of 2012 and to have a working prototype with a reduced number of individual cameras sometimes in the spring or summer of 2013.

The driving objective of the Fly's Eye Project is a high resolution, high coverage time-domain survey in multiple optical passbands: our goal is to cover the entire visible sky above the 30 deg horizontal altitude with a cadence of 3 min. Imaging is intended to perform with 19 wide-field cameras mounted on a hexapod platform. The essence of the hexapod allows us to build an instrument that does not require any kind of precise alignment and, in addition, the similar mechanics can be involved independently from the geographical location of the device. Here we summarize our early results with a single camera, focusing on the sidereal tracking as it is performed with the hexapod built by our group., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, to appear in proceedings of "Observing techniques, instrumentation and science for metre-class telescopes" workshop

The low energy spectra of some gamma-ray bursts' show excess components beside the power-law dependence. The consequences of such a feature allows to estimate the gamma photometric redshift of the long gamma-ray bursts in the BATSE Catalog. There is good correlation between the measured optical and the estimated gamma photometric redshifts. The estimated redshift values for the long bright gamma-ray bursts are up to z=4, while for the the faint long bursts - which should be up to z=20 - the redshifts cannot be determined unambiguously with this method. The redshift distribution of all the gamma-ray bursts with known optical redshift agrees quite well with the BATSE based gamma photometric redshift distribution., Comment: published in Baltic Astronomy

We provided separate bivariate log-normal distribution fits to the BATSE short and long burst samples using the durations and fluences. We show that these fits present an evidence for a power-law dependence between the fluence and the duration, with a statistically significant different index for the long and short groups. We argue that the effect is probably real, and the two subgroups are different physical phenomena. This may provide a potentially useful constraint for models of long and short bursts., Comment: 2 figures

Until 6 October 2005 sixteen redshifts have been measured of long gamma-ray bursts discovered by the Swift satellite. Further 45 redshifts have been measured of the long gamma-ray bursts discovered by other satellites. Here we perform five statistical tests comparing the redshift distributions of these two samples assuming - as the null hypothesis - identical distribution for the two samples. Three tests (Student's $t$-test, Mann-Whitney test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test) reject the null hypothesis on the significance levels between 97.19 and 98.55%. Two different comparisons of the medians show extreme $(99.78-99.99994)$% significance levels of rejection. This means that the redshifts of the Swift sample and the redshifts of the non-Swift sample are distributed differently - in the Swift sample the redshifts are on average larger. This statistical result suggests that the long GRBs should on average be at the higher redshifts of the Swift sample., Comment: 4 pages, accepted as an A&A Research Note

We present an analysis indicating that there is a correlation between the fluences and the durations of gamma-ray bursts, and provide arguments that this reflects a correlation between the total emitted energies and the intrinsic durations. For the short (long) bursts the total emitted energies are roughly proportional to the first (second) power of the intrinsic duration. This difference in the energy-duration relationship is statistically significant, and may provide an interesting constraint on models aiming to explain the short and long gamma-ray bursts., Comment: In Gamma-Ray Burst in the Afterglow Era. Springer. ed by E. Costa, F. Frontera, and J. Hjorth

We argue that the distributions of both the intrinsic fluence and the intrinsic duration of the gamma-ray emission in gamma-ray bursts from the BATSE sample are well represented by log-normal distributions, in which the intrinsic dispersion is much larger than the cosmological time dilatation and redshift effects. We perform separate bivariate log-normal distribution fits to the BATSE short and long burst samples. The bivariate log-normal behaviour results in an ellipsoidal distribution, whose major axis determines an overall statistical relation between the fluence and the duration. We show that this fit provides evidence for a power-law dependence between the fluence and the duration, with a statistically significant different index for the long and short groups. We discuss possible biases, which might affect this result, and argue that the effect is probably real. This may provide a potentially useful constraint for models of long and short bursts., Comment: A.A. in press ; significantly revised version of astro-ph/0007438; 16 pages 5 PS figures

We discuss the GeV to TeV photon emission of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) within the refreshed shock and the continuous injection scenarios, motivated by the observation of extended emission in a substantial fraction of short GRBs. In the first model we assume that the central engine emits promptly material with a range of Lorentz factors. When the fastest shell starts to decelerate, it drives a forward shock into the ambient medium and a reverse shock in the ejecta. These shocks are reenergized by the slower and later arriving material. In the second model we assume that there is a continued ejection of material over an extended time, and the continuously arriving new material keeps reenergizing the shocks formed by the preceding shells of ejecta. We calculate the synchrotron and synchrotron self-Compton radiation components for the forward and reverse shocks and find that prospective and current GeV to TeV range instruments such as CTA, HAWC, VERITAS, MAGIC and HESS have a good chance to detect afterglows of short bursts with extended emission, assuming a reasonable response time., Comment: 9 pages, 17 figures, accepted by ApJ. Added discussion and corrections to accomodate referee's requests. New compared to previous version: X-ray lightcurve, MAGIC telescope sensitivity and brief discussion on the effects of intergalactic magnetic field

The Fomin-Kirillov algebra $\mathcal E_n$ is a noncommutative quadratic algebra with a generator for every edge of the complete graph on $n$ vertices. For any graph $G$ on $n$ vertices, we define $\mathcal E_G$ to be the subalgebra of $\mathcal E_n$ generated by the edges of $G$. We show that these algebras have many parallels with Coxeter groups and their nil-Coxeter algebras: for instance, $\mathcal E_G$ is a free $\mathcal E_H$-module for any $H\subseteq G$, and if $\mathcal E_G$ is finite-dimensional, then its Hilbert series has symmetric coefficients. We determine explicit monomial bases and Hilbert series for $\mathcal E_G$ when $G$ is a simply-laced finite Dynkin diagram or a cycle, in particular showing that $\mathcal E_G$ is finite-dimensional in these cases. We also present conjectures for the Hilbert series of $\mathcal E_{\tilde{D}_n}$, $\mathcal E_{\tilde{E}_6}$, and $\mathcal E_{\tilde{E}_7}$, as well as for which graphs $G$ on six vertices $\mathcal E_G$ is finite-dimensional., Comment: 38 pages, 10 figures + appendix

In the internal shock model for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the synchrotron spectrum from the fast cooling electrons in a homogeneous downstream magnetic field (MF) is too soft to produce the low-energy slope of GRB spectra. However the magnetic field may decay downstream with distance from the shock front. Here we show that the synchrotron spectrum becomes harder if electrons undergo synchrotron and inverse-Compton cooling in a decaying MF. To reconcile this with the typical GRB spectrum with low energy slope $\nu F_\nu\propto\nu$, it is required that the postshock MF decay time is comparable to the cooling time of the bulk electrons (corresponding to a MF decaying length typically of $\sim10^5$ skin depths); that the inverse-Compton cooling should dominate synchrotron cooling after the MF decay time; and/or that the MF decays with comoving time roughly as $B\propto t^{-1.5}$. An internal shock synchrotron model with a decaying MF can account for the majority of GRBs with low energy slopes not harder than $\nu^{4/3}$., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

Papers on ice properties, reconstruction and future developments submitted to the 33nd International Cosmic Ray Conference (Rio de Janeiro 2013) by the IceCube Collaboration., Comment: 28 pages, 38 figures; Papers submitted to the 33nd International Cosmic Ray Conference, Rio de Janeiro 2013; version 2 corrects errors in the author list

Papers on point source searches submitted to the 33nd International Cosmic Ray Conference (Rio de Janeiro 2013) by the IceCube Collaboration., Comment: 51 pages, 51 figures; Papers submitted to the 33nd International Cosmic Ray Conference, Rio de Janeiro 2013; version 2 corrects errors in the author list

Papers on cosmic rays submitted to the 33nd International Cosmic Ray Conference (Rio de Janeiro 2013) by the IceCube Collaboration., Comment: 40 pages, 53 figures; Papers submitted to the 33nd International Cosmic Ray Conference, Rio de Janeiro 2013; version 2 corrects errors in the author list

Papers on neutrino oscillation and supernova searches submitted to the 33nd International Cosmic Ray Conference (Rio de Janeiro 2013) by the IceCube Collaboration., Comment: 27 pages, 30 figures; Papers submitted to the 33nd International Cosmic Ray Conference, Rio de Janeiro 2013; version 2 corrects errors in the author list

Papers on searches for Dark Matter and exotic particles submitted to the 33nd International Cosmic Ray Conference (Rio de Janeiro 2013) by the IceCube Collaboration., Comment: 32 pages, 38 figures; Papers submitted to the 33nd International Cosmic Ray Conference, Rio de Janeiro 2013; version 2 corrects errors in the author list

Papers on atmospheric and diffuse UHE neutrino searches of all flavors submitted to the 33nd International Cosmic Ray Conference (Rio de Janeiro 2013) by the IceCube Collaboration., Comment: 32 pages, 33 figures; Papers submitted to the 33nd International Cosmic Ray Conference, Rio de Janeiro 2013; version 3 adds the missing contribution on evidence for an extraterrestrial diffuse neutrino flux

The dynamics of the core of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy are explored using high-resolution (R~22,500), H-band, near-infrared spectra of over 1,000 giant stars in the central 3 deg^2 of the system, of which 328 are identified as Sgr members. These data, among some of the earliest observations from the SDSS-III/Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) and the largest published sample of high resolution Sgr dSph spectra to date, reveal a distinct gradient in the velocity dispersion of Sgr from 11-14 km/s for radii >0.8 degrees from center to a dynamical cold point of 8 km/s in the Sgr center --- a trend differing from that found in previous kinematical analyses of Sgr over larger scales that suggest a more or less flat dispersion profile at these radii. Well-fitting mass models with either cored and cusped dark matter distributions can be found to match the kinematical results, although the cored profile succeeds with significantly more isotropic stellar orbits than required for a cusped profile. It is unlikely that the cold point reflects an unusual mass distribution. The dispersion gradient may arise from variations in the mixture of populations with distinct kinematics within the dSph; this explanation is suggested (e.g., by detection of a metallicity gradient across similar radii), but not confirmed, by the present data. Despite these remaining uncertainties about their interpretation, these early test data (including some from instrument commissioning) demonstrate APOGEE's usefulness for precision dynamical studies, even for fields observed at extreme airmasses., Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures

We present a dissipative photospheric model for gamma-ray bursts where the usual Band peak around MeV energies arises as synchrotron emission from around the photosphere. We treat the initial acceleration in a general way and the GeV emission arises as the interaction of photospheric radiation and the shocked electrons at the deceleration radius. We show some applications of this model., Comment: 7th Huntsville Gamma-Ray Burst Symposium, GRB 2013: paper 8 in eConf Proceedings C1304143 ; typo corrected in Fig 1