National Autonomous University of Mexico

About: National Autonomous University of Mexico is a education organization based out in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Galaxy. The organization has 72868 authors who have published 127797 publications receiving 2285543 citations. The organization is also known as: UNAM & Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Optical Properties of Metal Nanoparticles with Arbitrary Shapes

Abstract: We have studied the optical properties of metallic nanoparticles with arbitrary shape. We performed theoretical calculations of the absorption, extinction, and scattering efficiencies, which can be directly compared with experiments, using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA). In this work, the main features in the optical spectra have been investigated depending of the geometry and size of the nanoparticles. The origin of the optical spectra are discussed in terms of the size, shape, and material properties of each nanoparticle, showing that a nanoparticle can be distinguish by its optical signature.

First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. II. Array and Instrumentation

Abstract: The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) array that comprises millimeter- and submillimeter-wavelength telescopes separated by distances comparable to the diameter of the Earth. At a nominal operating wavelength of ~1.3 mm, EHT angular resolution (λ/D) is ~25 μas, which is sufficient to resolve nearby supermassive black hole candidates on spatial and temporal scales that correspond to their event horizons. With this capability, the EHT scientific goals are to probe general relativistic effects in the strong-field regime and to study accretion and relativistic jet formation near the black hole boundary. In this Letter we describe the system design of the EHT, detail the technology and instrumentation that enable observations, and provide measures of its performance. Meeting the EHT science objectives has required several key developments that have facilitated the robust extension of the VLBI technique to EHT observing wavelengths and the production of instrumentation that can be deployed on a heterogeneous array of existing telescopes and facilities. To meet sensitivity requirements, high-bandwidth digital systems were developed that process data at rates of 64 gigabit s^(−1), exceeding those of currently operating cm-wavelength VLBI arrays by more than an order of magnitude. Associated improvements include the development of phasing systems at array facilities, new receiver installation at several sites, and the deployment of hydrogen maser frequency standards to ensure coherent data capture across the array. These efforts led to the coordination and execution of the first Global EHT observations in 2017 April, and to event-horizon-scale imaging of the supermassive black hole candidate in M87.

Caribbean corals in crisis: record thermal stress, bleaching, and mortality in 2005.

Abstract: Background: The rising temperature of the world's oceans has become a major threat to coral reefs globally as the severity and frequency of mass coral bleaching and mortality events increase. In 2005, high ocean temperatures in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean resulted in the most severe bleaching event ever recorded in the basin. Methodology/Principal Findings: Satellite-based tools provided warnings for coral reef managers and scientists, guiding both the iming and location of researchers' field observations as anomalously warm conditions developed and spread across the greater Caribbean region from June to October 2005. Field surveys of bleaching and mortality exceeded prior efforts in detail and extent, and provided a new standard for documenting the effects of bleaching and for testing nowcast and forecast products. Collaborators from 22 countries undertook the most comprehensive documentation of basin-scale bleaching to date and found that over 80% of corals bleached and over 40% died at many sites. The most severe bleaching coincided with waters nearest a western Atlantic warm pool that was centered off the northern end of the Lesser Antilles. Conclusions/Significance: Thermal stress during the 2005 event exceeded any observed from the Caribbean in the prior 20 years, and regionally-averaged temperatures were the warmest in over 150 years. Comparison of satellite data against field surveys demonstrated a significant predictive relationship between accumulated heat stress (measured using NOAA Coral Reef Watch's Degree Heating Weeks) and bleaching intensity. This severe, widespread bleaching and mortality will undoubtedly have long-term consequences for reef ecosystems and suggests a troubled future for tropical marine ecosystems under a warming climate.

The Stellar Population Histories of Early-Type Galaxies. II. Controlling Parameters of the Stellar Populations

Abstract: This paper analyzes single stellar population (SSP)–equivalent parameters for 50 local elliptical galaxies as a function of their structural parameters. The galaxy sample is drawn from the high-quality spectroscopic surveys of Gonzalez (1993) and Kuntschner (1998). The basic data are central values of SSP-equivalent ages, t, metallicities, [Z/H], and enhancement ratios, [E/Fe], derived in Paper I, together with global structural parameters including velocity dispersions, radii, surface brightnesses, masses, and luminosities. The galaxies fill a two-dimensional plane in the four-dimensional space of [Z/H], log t, log σ, and [E/Fe]. SSP age, t, and velocity dispersion, σ, can be taken as the two independent parameters that specify a galaxy's location in this hyperplane. The hyperplane can be decomposed into two subrelations: (1) a Z-plane, in which [Z/H] is a linear function of log σ and log t and (2) a relation between [E/Fe] and σ in which [E/Fe] is larger in high-σ galaxies. Velocity dispersion is the only structural parameter that is found to modulate the stellar populations; adding other structural variables such as Ie or re does not predict [Z/H] or [E/Fe] more accurately. Cluster and field ellipticals follow the same hyperplane, but their (σ,t) distributions within it differ. Most Fornax and Virgo cluster galaxies are old, with a only a small sprinkling of galaxies to younger ages. The field ellipticals span a larger range in SSP age, with a tendency for lower σ galaxies to be younger. The present sample thus suggests that the distribution of local ellipticals in the (σ,t) plane may depend on environment. Since the (σ,t) distribution affects all two-dimensional projections involving SSP parameters, many of the familiar scaling laws attributed to ellipticals may also depend on environment. Some evidence for this is seen in the current sample. For example, only Fornax ellipticals show the classic mass-metallicity relation, whereas other subsamples do not. The tight Mg-σ relations of these ellipticals can be understood as two-dimensional projections of the metallicity hyperplane showing it edge-on. At fixed σ, young age tends to be offset by high [Z/H], preserving Mg nearly constant. The tightness of the Mg-σ relations does not necessarily imply a narrow range of ages at fixed σ. Although SSP parameters are heavily weighted by young stars, modeling them still places tight constraints on the total star formation history of elliptical galaxies. The relation between [E/Fe] and σ is consistent with a higher effective yield of Type II SNe elements at higher σ. This might occur if the IMF is enhanced in massive stars at high σ, or if more SNe II–enriched gas is retained by deeper galactic potential wells. Either way, modulating Type II yields versus σ seems to fit the data better than modulating Type Ia yields. The Z-plane is harder to explain and may be a powerful clue to star formation in elliptical galaxies if it proves to be general. Present data favor a frosting model in which low apparent SSP ages are produced by adding a small frosting of younger stars to an older base population (assuming no change in σ). If the frosting abundances are close to or slightly greater than the base population, simple two-component models run along lines of constant σ in the Z-plane, as required. This favors star formation from well-mixed pre-enriched gas rather than unmixed low-metallicity gas from an accreted object.

Speech coding based upon vector quantization

Abstract: With rare exception, all presently available narrow-band speech coding systems implement scalar quantization (independent quantization) of the transmission parameters (such as reflection coefficients or transformed reflection coefficients in LPC systems). This paper presents a new approach called vector quantization. For very low data rates, realistic experiments have shown that vector quantization can achieve a given level of average distortion with 15 to 20 fewer bits/frame than that required for the optimized scalar quantizing approaches presently in use. The vector quantizing approach is shown to be a mathematically and computationally tractable method which builds upon knowledge obtained in linear prediction analysis studies. This paper introduces the theory in a nonrigorous form, along with practical results to date and an extensive list of research topics for this new area of speech coding.