A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, May 23, 2014. / A systematic experimental investigation was performed of the phenomenon of fine structure, with emphasis on the region of the Isoscalar Giant Quadrupole Resonance (ISGQR), in nuclei across stable even-even neodymium isotopes. The 200 MeV proton beams were delivered by the Separated Sector Cyclotron (SSC) facility of iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences (iThemba LABS). Measurements were made using the state-of-the-art K = 600 magnetic spectrometer, where unique high energy-resolution ( E ≈ 42 − 48 keV FWHM) proton inelastic scattering results were obtained on 142Nd, 144Nd, 146Nd, 148Nd and 150Nd targets. All measurements were taken at θLab = 8◦, where the cross-section of the ISGQR is at a maximum. An additional measurement was also made for the 142Nd at θLab = 7◦. Nuclei with mass number A ≈ 150 and neutron number N ≈ 90 are of special interest since they occupy that region of the nuclide chart wherein the onset of permanent prolate deformation occurs. The stable neodymium (Z = 60) isotopes have been chosen in the present study in order to investigate the effects accompanying the onset of deformation on the excitation energy spectra in the ISGQR region (9 ≤ Ex ≤ 15 MeV). The neodymium isotopes extend from the semi-magic N = 82 nucleus (142Nd) to the permanently deformed N = 90 (150Nd) nucleus. In order to emphasize the ISGQR in the measured excitation energy spectra, a Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) background subtraction was carried out. This model independent method for background determination decomposes the spectrum into various approximations and details through the application of high pass and low pass filters. A comparison of the resonance widths extracted shows a systematic broadening of the ISGQR (􀀀 = 3.220 MeV to 5.100 MeV), moving from spherical 142Nd to highly deformed 150Nd nuclei as has already been observed for the Isovector Giant Dipole Resonance (IVGDR) excited by γ-capture. Even though it is known that the IVGDR spectacularly splits and shows a double bump for the deformed 150Nd, no obvious splitting of the ISGQR was observed. In order to investigate the fine structure of the ISGQR, a theoretical microscopic calculation termed the Quasiparticle-Phonon Model (QPM) was applied to predict excitation energy spectra for 142−146Nd targets. These calculations were based on the one- plus two-phonon configuration. Characteristic energy scales were extracted for the resonance region using the Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) technique, on both experimental data and theoretical predictions. Comparison of the resulting characteristic energy scales suggests the coupling to low-lying collective vibrations as the dominant contributor to the ISGQR decay width. Level densities of 2+ states were extracted through the application of a fluctuation analysis technique, for full spectra from the ground state upwards in all five Nd targets. Comparisons are made with theoretical predictions from the Back Shifted Fermi Gas, Hartree-Fock-BCS and Hartree-Fock-Bogoluibov models. While there is generally an excellent agreement between experimental level densities and theoretical predictions from the ground state up to less than 10 MeV excitation, there is a marked disagreement beyond 10 MeV in all target nuclei. Comparison of the experimental results for the Nd isotope chain shows a clear systematic trend in which the onset of this disagreement occurs at lower and lower excitation energies, moving from low to high mass. For the spherical 142Nd nucleus the deviation occurs at about 9 MeV while in the case of the deformed 150Nd this occurs much earlier at about 4 MeV, all limited to a maximum of 103 MeV−1 by the energy resolution of the present experiment. Additionally, measurements of elastic scattering and inelastic excitation of lowlying collective states in 144−150Nd has also been possible. Excitation energy spectra in all targets predominantly exhibited various 2+ states, owing to the “spin-filter” effects. A single strong 3− 1 state, together with a weak 4+ 1 state were observed in each target nucleus. Angular distributions were obtained for the various ground and excited states by applying the optical model of elastic scattering and Distorted Wave Born Approximation (DWBA) of inelastic scattering. Deformation lengths δL were obtained for most of the states and these were in good agreement with previously obtained results from the literature.

The sporadic accretion following the tidal disruption of a star by a super-massive black hole (TDE) leads to a bright. UV and soft X-ray flare in the galactic nucleus. The gas and dust surrounding the black hole responses to such a flare with an echo in emission lines and infrared emission. In this paper, we report the detection of long fading mid-IR emission lasting up to 14 years after the flare in four TDE candidates with transient coronal lines using the WISE public data release. We estimate that the reprocessed mid-IR luminosities are in the range between 4 x 10(42) and 2 x 10(43) erg s(-1) and dust temperature in the range of 570-800 K when WISE first detected these sources three to five years after the flare. Both luminosity and dust temperature decrease with time. We interpret the mid-IR emission as the infrared echo of the tidal disruption flare. We estimate the UV luminosity at the peak flare to be 1 to 30 times 10(44) erg s(-1) and that for. warm dust masses to be. in the range of 0.05-1.3 M-circle dot within a few parsecs. Our results suggest that the. mid-infrared echo is a general signature of TDE in the gas-rich environment.

No description available.

The efficiency of the Bowen fluorescence mechanism in models of planetary nebulae and Seyfert galaxy nuclei has been calculated by solving the equation of transfer for He II Ly -o( and the Bowen lines using the Feautrier method. The calculated efficiencies, which do not show significant differences between planetary nebulae and Seyfert galaxies, range from about 40% to 50% for realistic models. These values are somewhat higher than recent empirical determinations of Bowen conversion in planetary nebulae. Certain discrepancies between theoretical and observed line ratios are noted, however, which make the comparison with observation ambiguous. The efficiencies are shown to be rather insensitive to changes in various parameters. It is also noted that observations do not necessarily show that the Bowen lines are systematically weaker in Seyfert galaxy nuclei than in planetary nebulae.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / The 9Be - 9B isospin doublet carries fundamental significance for both nuclear structure and nuclear astrophysics studies. The first excited 1/2+ state in 9Be is already well established. However, its isobaric analogue 1/2+ state in 9B has not been unambigously determined yet. Theoretically, two popular descriptions of the 9Bnucleus either use a cluster model with two unbound alpha particles held together by a covalent proton or using the shell model, as a 8Be core + proton in the sd shell. An experimental determination of the excitation energy of the first 1/2+ state in 9B will provide valuable information in validating the theoretical model that adequately describes such light unbound nuclei. Further, it will also provide a robust test of mirror (isospin) symmetry violations via measurements of mirror energy differences in the doublet. Although there have been several experimental attempts to characterize the first 1/2+ state in 9B several discrepancies still exist in reported values of the excitation energies. This thesis describes an experiment performed at iThemba LABS using the 9Be(3He,t)9B reaction to address the above issue. As a byproduct, the thesis also describes an additional determination of the excitation energy of the second J-pi = 1/2+, T = 3/2 state in 9B from the same experiment. This was performed in order to resolve a discrepancy related to the excitation energy of this state. The consequence of this measurement related to Isobaric Multiplet Mass Equation (IMME) for the excited T = 3/2, A = 9 quartet is discussed briefly.

Nuclear positioning occurs in different cellular contexts: from dividing yeast to more specialized cells like neuronal glial progenitor and skeletal muscle cells. Interestingly, abnormal nuclear positioning is associated with diseases such as muscular dystrophy where nuclei occupy a central rather than peripheral location. Moreover, rearward nuclear positioning is typical of migratory cells. Active nuclear movement in most cases involves coupling of cytoskeletal components with the nucleus by a group of transmembrane proteins in the nuclear envelope called the LINC (linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton) complex. It is composed of the inner nuclear membrane SUN (Sad1p, UNC-84) proteins associated with nuclear lamins and the outer nuclear membrane KASH (Klarsicht, ANC-1, Syne Homology) proteins, which interact with the cytoskeleton. In my thesis, the murine fibroblast cell line NIH3T3 was used as a model system to study nuclear positioning in states of active movement and static homeostatic positioning. Nuclear positioning and centrosome reorientation are hallmarks of cell polarity in migrating fibroblasts. The Gundersen lab has established that the nucleus moves rearward to orient the centrosome in serum starved fibroblast monolayers stimulated by the serum-derived factor lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). LPA stimulates the GTPase Cdc42, which in turn activates the Cdc42 effector MRCK to phosphorylate myosin II and activate actin retrograde flow to move the nucleus to the rear. A second Cdc42 effector, Par6 functions with Par3 and dynein to maintain the centrosome in the cell centroid. The nucleus is moved rearward by the attachment of retrograde dorsal actin cables to the nucleus through transmembrane actin-associated nuclear (TAN) lines. TAN lines are composed linear arrays of the LINC complex proteins nesprin-2G (N2G) and SUN2 and dorsal actin cables. Disrupting TAN lines components blocks nuclear movement and efficient cell migration. Interestingly, TAN lines are analogous to other membrane adhesions, such as focal adhesions, in that they are transmembrane structures linked to the actin cytoskeleton and transmit force. Given the large number of proteins composing structures such as focal adhesions, we predicted there would be additional components in TAN lines necessary for their formation and function. Thus, I set out to identify and study cytoplasmic factors required for TAN line formation and/or function during active nuclear positioning in fibroblast. A collaborator detected N2G as a hit in a yeast two-hybrid screen for FHOD1 interactors. FHOD1 is an actin regulator and belongs to the formin family. Like other formin family members, it has an FH2 actin binding domain, an FH1 domain and DID and DAD domains that interact to autoinhibit FHOD1. Unlike other formins, FHOD1 is not activated by GTPase binding and contains a second actin binding domain (ABS domain), giving it actin bundling activity. We show that spectrin repeats (SRs) 10-13 of N2G and the N-terminus of FHOD1 interacts with each other directly by biochemical assays with purified proteins. SiRNA against FHOD1 and overexpression of either FHOD1 or N2G interacting domains prevented LPA-stimulated nuclear movement in wounded monolayers of NIH3T3 fibroblasts, suggesting that the interaction between FHOD1 and N2G is required for nuclear movement and centrosome reorientation. FHOD1 was required for TAN line formation, but was dispensable for the formation of dorsal actin cables and retrograde actin flow. By re-expressing an artificial construct containing the N2G-binding domain of FHOD1 and the actin-binding domain of α–actinin in FHOD1 depleted cells, we show that the FHOD1 ABS domain provides N2G with an additional contact to actin filaments required for nuclear movement. This study thus identifies FHOD1 as a new TAN line component and suggests that the interaction of FHOD1 with N2G may reinforce TAN lines so that they can resist the force necessary to move the nucleus. The above study identifies a new component in a pathway that actively moves the nucleus. We have far less knowledge about the mechanism that maintains the nucleus in position when it is not moving. For example, it is unknown whether the static nuclear positioning is an active process or simply an inactivation of mechanisms that actively move nuclei. To answer this question, I developed a novel method to artificially displace the nucleus in adherent cells by centrifugation and used this system to identify active mechanisms of homeostatic nuclear positioning. By subjecting wounded monolayers of starved NIH3T3 fibroblast on coverslips to centrifugal force perpendicular to the wound, I find that nuclei are displaced towards the direction of centrifugal force, so that on one wound edge, the nuclei are in the cell rear while on the other, in the cell front. After returning centrifuged cells to the incubator, I used fixed and live cell recordings to show that the displaced nuclei actively re-center within one hour, although nuclei moving rearward did so faster than those moving forward. Treating centrifuged cells with cytoskeletal drugs, revealed an actin/myosin II-dependent rearward recentration and a microtubule (MT)/dynein-dependent forward recentration. I knocked down LINC complex components to test their involvement in these movements. N2G was required for both rearward and forward movement while SUN1 and SUN2 were required for forward and rearward movement, respectively. Overexpression of different N2G constructs in N2G-depleted cells showed that different regions of N2G were necessary for each direction of movement: N-terminal constructs rescued rearward nuclear recentration whereas C-terminal constructs rescued forward recentration. Based on the minimal N2G construct that rescued forward (MT dependent) nuclear recentration, I identified a dynein and dynactin site in the C terminus of N2G. To test whether the homeostatic nuclear positioning mechanisms were active in uncentrifuged cells, I depleted cells of nesprin-2 and then re-expressed nesprin-2 constructs capable of interacting with actin, MTs or both cytoskeletal elements. Nuclei in nesprin-2-depleted cells were no longer maintained at the cell centroid and only re-expression of a construct that contained sites for interaction with both actin and MTs rescued this defect. Thus, both actin- and MT- interaction domains of N2G are required for homeostatic nuclear positioning. To test whether the actin and MT activities of N2G were important for cell migration, I depleted NIH3T3 fibroblasts of nesprin-2 and re-expressed N2G constructs capable of interaction with actin, MTs or both and tested these cells in single and collective cell migration assays. I found that only the MT-dependent activity of N2G is required for the directionality of single cell migration while both N- and C- terminal (actin- and MT- dependent) N2G are required for the velocity of collective cell migration. These results show that different cytoskeletal linkages are used in different modes of cell migration. My thesis studies identify the first cytoplasmic factor required for TAN lines structure, establish a novel method to artificially displace the nucleus in adherent cells, and reveal different mechanisms of LINC complex coupling cytoskeletons during active and homeostatic nuclear positioning, as well as specific cytoskeleton-dependent contributions of nuclear envelope protein N2G during cell migration.

Galactic nuclei are important for studies of galaxy evolution, stellar dynamics and general relativity. Many have Supermassive Black Holes (SMBHs) (with one million to one billion times the mass of the sun) that affect the large scale properties of their hosts. They are also the densest known stellar systems, and produce unique electromagnetic and gravitational wave sources via close encounters between stars and compact objects. For example, stars that wander too close to an SMBH are tidally disrupted, producing a bright flare known as a TDE. This thesis investigates the gas and stellar environments in galactic nuclei. In Chapters 2 and 3, we develop an analytic model for the gas environment around quiescent SMBHs. In the absence of large scale inflows, winds from the local stellar population will supply most of the gas. The gas density on parsec scales depends strongly on the star formation history, and can plausibly vary by four orders of magnitude. In Chapter 3, we use this model to constrain the presence of jets in a large sample of TDE candidates. In Chapter 4 we construct observationally motivated models for the distributions of stars and stellar remnants in our Galactic Center. We then calculate rates of various collisional stellar interactions, including the tidal capture of stars by stellar mass black holes. This process produces ~100 black hole LMXBs in the central parsec of the Galaxy (comparable to the number inferred from recent X-ray studies).

No description available.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The cadmium nuclei have traditionally been regarded as among the best examples of spherical vibrational nuclei. However, advances in nuclear spectroscopy have begun to detail the properties of these nuclei at the two and three vibrational phonon levels, casting doubts on the vibrational assumptions. In particular, the properties of the excited 0+n (for n 2) levels are key to any vibrational model. Excited 0+ states can arise in nuclei in association with the nucleon pairing degrees of freedom, and in model spaces with collective shape degrees of freedom. This thesis reports details of the excited 0+n levels in the even-even nuclei 110;112Cd and 116Sn, and the excited 9 2 + states in 117Sb, investigated using two-proton stripping reactions. The 108;110Pd(3He, n )110;112Cd, 114Cd(3He, n )116Sn and 115In(3He, n )117Sb reactions were investigated using AFRODITE spectrometer in conjunction with a wall of 12 plastic scintillator detectors placed 2 m away from the target chamber.

During the close approach of two galaxies in a merger, tidally induced gas inflows can trigger simultaneous black hole accretion which are observed as dual active galactic nuclei (dAGNs). Merger simulations predict that the resulting increased nuclear gas reservoirs will obscure the X-ray emissions from the AGNs. We investigate whether dAGNs in mergers are observed to be more obscured than their isolated counterparts by combining the results of previous radio and optical spectroscopy studies with new Chandra X-ray observations for a sample of 4 dAGN systems in the Stripe 82 field. For the 6 detected components, we find the rest-frame X-ray luminosities range between 39.8 < log LX /erg s-1 < 42.0. The sources have redshifts between 0.04 < z < 0.22 and projected separations between 4.3 and 9.2 kpc, as well as multi-wavelength properties most closely resembling low-luminosity AGNs. However, we determine that the X-ray emissions for 2 of the sources likely has strong contributions from hot interstellar medium, and star-formation and X-ray binaries may contribute to the X-ray luminosities of several sources. We do not find evidence of enhanced obscuration through our analysis of X-ray hardness ratios, optical [O III] emission line luminosities, and mid-infrared luminosities. Therefore, we suggest that the unobscured low-level accretion observed for the AGNs in this sample is driven through stochastic processes rather than the massive gas inflows predicted for a merger-driven scenario.