Black Holes and Galactic Density Cusps Spherically Symmetric Anisotropic Cusps

Aims: In this paper we study density cusps that may contain central black holes. The actual co-eval self-similar growth would not distinguish between the central object and the surroundings. Methods: To study the environment of a growing black hole we seek descriptions of steady `cusps' that may contain a black hole and that retain at least a memory of self-similarity. We refer to the environment in brief as the `bulge' and on smaller scales, the `halo'. Results: We find simple descriptions of the simulations of collisionless matter by comparing predicted densities, velocity dispersions and distribution functions with the simulations. In some cases central point masses may be included by iteration. We emphasize that the co-eval self-similar growth allows an explanation of the black hole bulge mass correlation between approximately similar collisionless systems. Conclusions: We have derived our results from first principles assuming adiabatic self-similarity and either self-similar virialisation or normal steady virialisation. We conclude that distribution functions that retain a memory of self-similar evolution provide an understanding of collisionless systems. The implied energy relaxation of the collisionless matter is due to the time dependence. Phase mixing relaxation may be enhanced by clump-clump interactions.Comment: 9 pp, 3 figs, accepted by A\&

Structure, stability and evolution of 3D Rossby vortices in protoplanetary disks

Large-scale persistent vortices are known to form easily in 2D disks via the Rossby wave or the baroclinic instability. In 3D, however, their formation and stability is a complex issue and still a matter of debate. We study the formation of vortices by the Rossby wave instability in a stratified inviscid disk and describe their three dimensional structure, stability and long term evolution. Numerical simulations are performed using a fully compressible hydrodynamical code based on a second order finite volume method. We assume a perfect gas law and a non-homentropic adiabatic flow.The Rossby wave instability is found to proceed in 3D in a similar way as in 2D. Vortices produced by the instability look like columns of vorticity in the whole disk thickness; the small vertical motions are related to a weak inclination of the vortex axis appearing during the development of the RWI. Vortices with aspect ratios larger than 6 are unaffected by the elliptical instability. They relax to a quasi-steady columnar structure which survives hundred of rotations while slowly migrating inward toward the star at a rate that reduces with the vortex aspect ratio. Vortices with a smaller aspect ratio are by contrast affected by the elliptic instability. Short aspect ratio vortices are completely destroyed in a few orbital periods. Vortices with an intermediate aspect ratio are partially destroyed by the elliptical instability in a region away from the mid-plane where the disk stratification is sufficiently large. Elongated Rossby vortices can survive a large number of orbital periods in protoplanetary disks in the form of vorticity columns. They could play a significant role in the evolution of the gas and the gathering of the solid particles to form planetesimals or planetary cores, a possibility that receives a renewed interest with the recent discovery of a particle trap in the disk of Oph IRS48.Comment: 12 pages, 15 figures, Accepted for publication in A&

Sard Property for the endpoint map on some Carnot groups

In Carnot-Caratheodory or sub-Riemannian geometry, one of the major open problems is whether the conclusions of Sard's theorem holds for the endpoint map, a canonical map from an infinite-dimensional path space to the underlying finite-dimensional manifold. The set of critical values for the endpoint map is also known as abnormal set, being the set of endpoints of abnormal extremals leaving the base point. We prove that a strong version of Sard's property holds for all step-2 Carnot groups and several other classes of Lie groups endowed with left-invariant distributions. Namely, we prove that the abnormal set lies in a proper analytic subvariety. In doing so we examine several characterizations of the abnormal set in the case of Lie groups.Comment: 39 page

VANET Applications: Hot Use Cases

Current challenges of car manufacturers are to make roads safe, to achieve free flowing traffic with few congestions, and to reduce pollution by an effective fuel use. To reach these goals, many improvements are performed in-car, but more and more approaches rely on connected cars with communication capabilities between cars, with an infrastructure, or with IoT devices. Monitoring and coordinating vehicles allow then to compute intelligent ways of transportation. Connected cars have introduced a new way of thinking cars - not only as a mean for a driver to go from A to B, but as smart cars - a user extension like the smartphone today. In this report, we introduce concepts and specific vocabulary in order to classify current innovations or ideas on the emerging topic of smart car. We present a graphical categorization showing this evolution in function of the societal evolution. Different perspectives are adopted: a vehicle-centric view, a vehicle-network view, and a user-centric view; described by simple and complex use-cases and illustrated by a list of emerging and current projects from the academic and industrial worlds. We identified an empty space in innovation between the user and his car: paradoxically even if they are both in interaction, they are separated through different application uses. Future challenge is to interlace social concerns of the user within an intelligent and efficient driving

Very High-Redshift Lensed Galaxies

We review in this paper the main results recently obtained on the identification and study of very high-z galaxies usinglensing clusters as natural gravitational telescopes. We present in detail our pilot survey with ISAAC/VLT, aimed at the detection of z>7 sources. Evolutionary synthesis models for extremely metal-poor and PopIII starbursts have been used to derive the observational properties expected for these high-z galaxies, such as expected magnitudes and colors, line fluxes for the main emission lines, etc. These models have allowed to define fairly robust selection criteria to find z~7-10 galaxies based on broad-band near-IR photometry in combination with the traditional Lyman drop-out technique. The first results issued from our photometric and spectroscopic survey are discussed, in particular the preliminary confirmation rate, and the global properties of our high-z candidates, including the latest results on the possible z=10.0 candidate A1835-1916. The search efficiency should be significantly improved by the future near-IR multi-object ground-based and space facilities. However, strong lensing clusters remain a factor of ~5-10 more efficient than blank fields in this redshift domain, within the FOV of a few arcminutes around the cluster core, for the typical depth required for this survey project.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, Proceedings of IAU Symposium No. 225: The Impact of Gravitational Lensing on Cosmology, Y. Mellier and G. Meylan, Ed

ISAAC/VLT observations of a lensed galaxy at z=10.0

We report the first likely spectroscopic confirmation of a z 10.0 galaxy from our ongoing search for distant galaxies with ISAAC/VLT. Galaxy candidates at z >~ 7 are selected from ultra-deep JHKs images in the core of gravitational lensing clusters for which deep optical imaging is also available, including HST data. The object reported here, found behind Abell 1835, exhibits a faint emission line detected in the J band, leading to z=10.0 when identified as Ly-a, in excellent agreement with the photometric redshift determination. Redshifts z < 7 are very unlikely for various reasons we discuss. The object is located on the critical lines corresponding to z=9 to 11. The magnification factor \mu ranges from 25 to 100. For this object we estimate SFR(Ly-a) (0.8-2.2) Msun/yr and SFR(UV) (47-75) Msun/yr, both uncorrected for lensing. The steep UV slope indicates a young object with negligible dust extinction. SED fits with young low-metallicity stellar population models yield (adopting mu=25) a lensing corrected stellar mass of M*~8.e+6 Msun, and luminosities of 2.e+10 Lsun, corresponding to a dark matter halo of a mass of typically M_tot>~ 5.e+8 Msun. In general our observations show that under excellent conditions and using strong gravitational lensing direct observations of galaxies close to the ``dark ages'' are feasible with ground-based 8-10m class telescopes.Comment: To be published in A&A, Vol. 416, p. L35. Press release information, additional figures and information available at http://obswww.unige.ch/sfr and http://webast.ast.obs-mip.fr/galaxie

Territoire, industrie et " bien système " : Le cas de l'émergence d'une industrie du Véhicule Électrique en Californie

International audienceThis article addresses the issue linking economical and territorial dynamics in the emergence of the electric vehicle (EV). It analyses the case of California from a mission on the EV sector and from further research embracing territorial and industrial economics. In that sense, emerging EV sector dynamics are analyzed over long period and in the light of the role of local governments, especially in the organization of proximities effectively combined in California. The main results are that California is the crucible of an EV sector whose emergence reflects both its force, as its physiognomy. This vigour is captured through a demographic analysis of EV producers in the United States. Furthermore, we show that the emergence of this industry is characterized by a market with opportunities enlarged by crossing traditional sectoral boundaries of energy, transport and telecommunications.L'article traite du rapport entre " territoire " et " bien système " en étudiant l'émergence du Véhicule Électrique (VE) sous l'angle des dynamiques économique et territoriale. Il analyse ce cas à partir d'une mission d'étude de la filière du VE effectuée en Californie et de travaux de recherche complémentaires empruntant à l'économie territoriale et industrielle. Les dynamiques d'émergence sont analysées sur longue période et à l'aune du rôle des pouvoirs publics, en particulier dans l'organisation de proximités se combinant effectivement en Californie. Par le biais d'une analyse démographique des firmes, nous montrons que la Californie est le creuset d'une industrie du VE dont l'émergence dénote par sa vigueur et ses propriétés. Nous montrons également que l'émergence de cette industrie se singularise par un marché aux perspectives élargies par le franchissement des frontières sectorielles traditionnelles des industries de réseaux que sont celles de l'énergie, des transports et des télécommunications