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Astrop | Simultaneous Swift and REM monitoring of the blazar PKS0537-441 in 2005 | The blazar PKS0537-441 has been observed by Swift between the end of 2004 and November 2005. The BAT monitored it recurrently for a total of 2.7 Ms, and the XRT and UVOT pointed it on seven occasions for a total of 67 ks, making it one of the AGNs best monitored by Swift. The automatic optical and infrared telescope REM has monitored simultaneously the source at all times. In January-February 2005 PKS0537-441 has been detected at its brightest in optical and X-rays: more than a factor of 2 brighter in X-rays and about a factor 60 brighter in the optical than observed in December 2004. The July 2005 observation recorded a fainter X-ray state. The simultaneous optical state, monitored by both Swift UVOT and REM, is high, and in the VRI bands it is comparable to what was recorded in early January 2005, before the outburst. In November 2005, the source subsided both in X-rays and optical to a quiescent state, having decreased by factors of ~4 and ~60 with respect to the January-February 2005 outburst, respectively. Our monitoring shows an overall well correlated optical and X-ray decay. On the shorter time scales (days or hours), there is no obvious correlation between X-ray and optical variations, but the former tend to be more pronounced, opposite to what is observed on monthly time scales. The widely different amplitude of the long term variability in optical and X-rays is very unusual and makes this observation a unique case study for blazar activity. The spectral energy distributions are interpreted in terms of the synchrotron and inverse Compton mechanisms within a jet where the plasma radiates via internal shocks and the dissipation depends on the distance of the emitting region from the central engine (abridged). |
Astrop | On the orbital period of the magnetic Cataclysmic Variable HS 0922+1333 | Context: The object HS 0922+1333 was visited briefly in 2002 in a mini survey of low accretion rate polars (LARPs) in order to test if they undergo high luminosity states similar to ordinary polars. On the basis of that short observation the suspicion arose that the object might be an asynchronous polar (Tovmassian et al. 2004). The disparity between the presumed orbital and spin period appeared to be quite unusual. Aims: We performed follow-up observations of the object to resolve the problem. Methods: New simultaneous spectroscopic and photometric observations spanning several years allowed measurements of radial velocities of emission and absorption lines from the secondary star and brightness variations due to synchrotron emission from the primary. Results: New observations show that the object is actually synchronous and its orbital and spin period are equal to 4.04 hours. Conclusions: We identify the source of confusion of previous observations to be a high velocity component of emission line arousing from the stream of matter leaving L1 point. |
Astrop | Nova Geminorum 1912 and the Origin of the Idea of Gravitational Lensing | Einstein's early calculations of gravitational lensing, contained in a scratch notebook and dated to the spring of 1912, are reexamined. A hitherto unknown letter by Einstein suggests that he entertained the idea of explaining the phenomenon of new stars by gravitational lensing in the fall of 1915 much more seriously than was previously assumed. A reexamination of the relevant calculations by Einstein shows that, indeed, at least some of them most likely date from early October 1915. But in support of earlier historical interpretation of Einstein's notes, it is argued that the appearance of Nova Geminorum 1912 (DN Gem) in March 1912 may, in fact, provide a relevant context and motivation for Einstein's lensing calculations on the occasion of his first meeting with Erwin Freundlich during a visit in Berlin in April 1912. We also comment on the significance of Einstein's consideration of gravitational lensing in the fall of 1915 for the reconstruction of Einstein's final steps in his path towards general relativity. |
Astrop | Criteria in the Selection of Target Events for Planetary Microlensing Follow-Up Observation | To provide criteria in the selection of target events preferable for planetary lensing follow-up observations, we investigate the variation of the probability of detecting planetary signals depending on the observables of the lensing magnification and source brightness. In estimating the probability, we consider variation of the photometric precision by using a quantity defined as the ratio of the fractional deviation of the planetary perturbation to the photometric precision. From this investigation, we find consistent result from previous studies that the probability increases with the increase of the magnification. The increase rate is boosted at a certain magnification at which perturbations caused by central caustic begin to occur. We find this boost occurs at moderate magnifications of $A\lesssim 20$, implying that probability can be high even for events with moderate magnifications. The probability increases as the source brightness increases. We find that the probability of events associated with stars brighter than clump giants is not negligible even at magnifications as low as $A\sim 5$. In the absence of rare the prime target of very high-magnification events, we, therefore, recommend to observe events with brightest source stars and highest magnifications among the alerted events. Due to the increase of the source size with the increase of the brightness, however, the probability rapidly drops off beyond a certain magnification, causing detections of low mass ratio planets ($q\lesssim 10^{-4}$) difficult from the observations of events involved with giant stars with magnifications $A\gtrsim 70$. |
Astrop | Magnetic fields in protoplanetary disks | Magnetic fields likely play a key role in the dynamics and evolution of protoplanetary discs. They have the potential to efficiently transport angular momentum by MHD turbulence or via the magnetocentrifugal acceleration of outflows from the disk surface, and magnetically-driven mixing has implications for disk chemistry and evolution of the grain population. However, the weak ionisation of protoplanetary discs means that magnetic fields may not be able to effectively couple to the matter. I present calculations of the ionisation equilibrium and magnetic diffusivity as a function of height from the disk midplane at radii of 1 and 5 AU. Dust grains tend to suppress magnetic coupling by soaking up electrons and ions from the gas phase and reducing the conductivity of the gas by many orders of magnitude. However, once grains have grown to a few microns in size their effect starts to wane and magnetic fields can begin to couple to the gas even at the disk midplane. Because ions are generally decoupled from the magnetic field by neutral collisions while electrons are not, the Hall effect tends to dominate the diffusion of the magnetic field when it is able to partially couple to the gas. For a standard population of 0.1 micron grains the active surface layers have a combined column of about 2 g/cm^2 at 1 AU; by the time grains have aggregated to 3 microns the active surface density is 80 g/cm^2. In the absence of grains, x-rays maintain magnetic coupling to 10% of the disk material at 1 AU (150 g/cm^2). At 5 AU the entire disk thickness becomes active once grains have aggregated to 1 micron in size. |
Astrop | X-ray Timing Observations of PSR J1930+1852 in the Crab-like SNR G54.1+0.3 | We present new X-ray timing and spectral observations of PSR J1930+1852, the young energetic pulsar at the center of the non-thermal supernova remnant G54.1+0.3. Using data obtained with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and Chandra X-ray observatories we have derived an updated timing ephemeris of the 136 ms pulsar spanning 6 years. During this interval, however, the period evolution shows significant variability from the best fit constant spin-down rate of $\dot P = 7.5112(6) \times 10^{-13}$ s s$^{-1}$, suggesting strong timing noise and/or glitch activity. The X-ray emission is highly pulsed ($71\pm5%$ modulation) and is characterized by an asymmetric, broad profile ($\sim 70%$ duty cycle) which is nearly twice the radio width. The spectrum of the pulsed emission is well fitted with an absorbed power law of photon index $\Gamma = 1.2\pm0.2$; this is marginally harder than that of the unpulsed component. The total 2-10 keV flux of the pulsar is $1.7 \times 10^{-12}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. These results confirm PSR J1930+1852 as a typical Crab-like pulsar. |
Astrop | Distribution of the molecular absorption in front of the quasar B0218+357 | The line of sight to the quasar B0218+357, one of the most studied lensed systems, intercepts a z=0.68 spiral galaxy, which splits its image into two main components A and B, separated by ca. 0.3'', and gives rise to molecular absorption. Although the main absorption component has been shown to arise in front of image A, it is not established whether some absorption from other velocity components is also occuring in front of image B. To tackle this question, we have observed the HCO+(2-1) absorption line during the commissioning phase of the new very extended configuration of the Plateau de Bure Interferometer, in order to trace the position of the absorption as a function of frequency. Visibility fitting of the self-calibrated data allowed us to achieve position accuracy between ~12 and 80 mas per velocity component. Our results clearly demonstrate that all the different velocity components of the HCO+(2-1) absorption arise in front of the south-west image A of the quasar. We estimate a flux ratio fA/fB = 4.2 (-1.0;+1.8 at 106 GHz. |
Astrop | Cosmogenic neutrinos as a probe of the transition from Galactic to extragalactic cosmic rays | There are two promising scenarios that explain the ankle, which is a dip in the spectrum of cosmic rays at $\sim 10^{19}$ eV. A scenario interprets the ankle as the transition from Galactic to extragalactic cosmic rays ({\it ankle-transition scenario}), while the other is that the dip caused by pair production on the cosmic microwave background radiation ({\it proton-dip scenario}). In this paper, we consider whether cosmogenic neutrinos can be a clue to judge which scenario is favored. We calculated the fluxes of cosmogenic neutrinos following these scenarios with plausible physical parameter sets, and found several important features as follows. First of all, the neutrino flux at $\sim 10^{20}$ eV becomes much higher in the ankle-transition scenario as long as the maximum energy of the cosmic rays at sources is sufficiently high. On the other hand, the neutrino spectrum has a characteristic peak at $\sim 10^{16}$ eV in the proton-dip scenario on the condition that extragalactic protons significantly contribute to the observed cosmic rays down to $10^{17}$ eV. Thus, we conclude cosmogenic neutrinos should give us a clue to judge which scenario is favored, unless these features are masked by the neutrino background coming from possible, powerful neutrino sources such as AGNs and GRBs. We also found an interesting feature that the neutrino flux at $\sim 10^{18}$ eV depends only on the cosmological evolution of the cosmic ray sources. That means cosmogenic neutrinos with the energy bring us information on the cosmological evolution of the sources of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. Finally, we compare the fluxes of cosmogenic neutrinos with the expected sensitivity curves of several neutrino detectors, and conclude the detection of cosmogenic neutrinos in the near future is promising. |
Astrop | Evidence for a Massive Protocluster in S255N | S255N is a luminous far-infrared source that contains many indications of active star formation but lacks a prominent near-infrared stellar cluster. We present mid-infrared through radio observations aimed at exploring the evolutionary state of this region. Our observations include 1.3mm continuum and spectral line data from the Submillimeter Array, VLA 3.6cm continuum and 1.3cm water maser data, and multicolor IRAC images from the Spitzer Space Telescope. The cometary morphology of the previously-known UCHII region G192.584-0.041 is clearly revealed in our sensitive, multi-configuration 3.6cm images. The 1.3mm continuum emission has been resolved into three compact cores, all of which are dominated by dust emission and have radii < 7000AU. The mass estimates for these cores range from 6 to 35 Msun. The centroid of the brightest dust core (SMA1) is offset by 1.1'' (2800 AU) from the peak of the cometary UCHII region and exhibits the strongest HC3N, CN, and DCN line emission in the region. SMA1 also exhibits compact CH3OH, SiO, and H2CO emission and likely contains a young hot core. We find spatial and kinematic evidence that SMA1 may contain further multiplicity, with one of the components coincident with a newly-detected H2O maser. There are no mid-infrared point source counterparts to any of the dust cores, further suggesting an early evolutionary phase for these objects. The dominant mid-infrared emission is a diffuse, broadband component that traces the surface of the cometary UCHII region but is obscured by foreground material on its southern edge. An additional 4.5 micron linear feature emanating to the northeast of SMA1 is aligned with a cluster of methanol masers and likely traces a outflow from a protostar within SMA1. Our observations provide direct evidence that S255N is forming a cluster of intermediate to high-mass stars. |
Astrop | SBF: multi-wavelength data and models | Recent applications have proved that the Surface Brightness Fluctuations (SBF) technique is a reliable distance indicator in a wide range of distances, and a promising tool to analyze the physical and chemical properties of unresolved stellar systems, in terms of their metallicity and age. We present the preliminary results of a project aimed at studying the evolutionary properties and distance of the stellar populations in external galaxies based on the SBF method. On the observational side, we have succeeded in detecting I-band SBF gradients in six bright ellipticals imaged with the ACS, for these same objects we are now presenting also B-band SBF data. These B-band data are the first fluctuations magnitude measurements for galaxies beyond 10 Mpc. To analyze the properties of stellar populations from the data, accurate SBF models are essential. As a part of this project, we have evaluated SBF magnitudes from Simple Stellar Population (SSP) models specifically optimized for the purpose. A wide range of chemical compositions and ages, as well as different choices of the photometric system have been investigated. All models are available at the Teramo-Stellar Populations Tools web site: www.oa-teramo.inaf.it/SPoT. |
Astrop | Simulating CCD images of elliptical galaxies | We introduce a procedure developed by the ``Teramo Stellar Populations Tools'' group (Teramo-SPoT), specifically optimized to obtain realistic simulations of CCD images of elliptical galaxies. Particular attention is devoted to include the Surface Brightness Fluctuation (SBF) signal observed in ellipticals and to simulate the Globular Cluster (GC) system in the galaxy, and the distribution of background galaxies present in real CCD frames. In addition to the physical properties of the simulated objects - galaxy distance and brightness profile, luminosity function of GC and background galaxies, etc. - the tool presented allows the user to set some of the main instrumental properties - FoV, zero point magnitude, exposure time, etc. |
Astrop | Unstable and Stable Galaxy Models | To determine the stability and instability of a given steady galaxy configuration is one of the fundamental problems in the Vlasov theory for galaxy dynamics. In this article, we study the stability of isotropic spherical symmetric galaxy models $f_{0}(E)$, for which the distribution function $f_{0}$ depends on the particle energy $E$ only. In the first part of the article, we derive the first sufficient criterion for linear instability of $f_{0}(E):$ $f_{0}(E)$ is linearly unstable if the second-order operator \[ A_{0}\equiv-\Delta+4\pi\int f_{0}^{\prime}(E)\{I-\mathcal{P}\}dv \] has a negative direction, where $\mathcal{P}$ is the projection onto the function space $\{g(E,L)\},$ $L$ being the angular momentum [see the explicit formula (\ref{A0-radial})]. In the second part of the article, we prove that for the important King model, the corresponding $A_{0}$ is positive definite. Such a positivity leads to the nonlinear stability of the King model under all spherically symmetric perturbations. |
Astrop | Simulation of Ultra High Energy Neutrino Interactions in Ice and Water | The CORSIKA program, usually used to simulate extensive cosmic ray air showers, has been adapted to work in a water or ice medium. The adapted CORSIKA code was used to simulate hadronic showers produced by neutrino interactions. The simulated showers have been used to study the spatial distribution of the deposited energy in the showers. This allows a more precise determination of the acoustic signals produced by ultra high energy neutrinos than has been possible previously. The properties of the acoustic signals generated by such showers are described. |
Astrop | The Measure for the Multiverse and the Probability for Inflation | We investigate the measure problem in the framework of inflationary cosmology. The measure of the history space is constructed and applied to inflation models. Using this measure, it is shown that the probability for the generalized single field slow roll inflation to last for $N$ e-folds is suppressed by a factor $\exp(-3N)$, and the probability for the generalized $n$-field slow roll inflation is suppressed by a much larger factor $\exp(-3nN)$. Some non-inflationary models such as the cyclic model do not suffer from this difficulty. |
Astrop | Cool Stars in Hot Places | During the last three decades, evidence has mounted that star and planet formation is not an isolated process, but is influenced by current and previous generations of stars. Although cool stars form in a range of environments, from isolated globules to rich embedded clusters, the influences of other stars on cool star and planet formation may be most significant in embedded clusters, where hundreds to thousands of cool stars form in close proximity to OB stars. At the cool stars 14 meeting, a splinter session was convened to discuss the role of environment in the formation of cool stars and planetary systems; with an emphasis on the ``hot'' environment found in rich clusters. We review here the basic results, ideas and questions presented at the session. We have organized this contribution into five basic questions: what is the typical environment of cool star formation, what role do hot star play in cool star formation, what role does environment play in planet formation, what is the role of hot star winds and supernovae, and what was the formation environment of the Sun? The intention is to review progress made in addressing each question, and to underscore areas of agreement and contention. |
Astrop | Bar-Halo Friction in Galaxies III: Particle Number Requirements for Simulations | The question whether the dark matter halo density in the centers of galaxies could be changed through interactions with a rotating bar in the baryonic disk is of considerable current interest. While N-body simulations have been used to address this question, it has also been claimed that results from such simulations cannot be trusted. Based on a perturbative treatment of resonant exchanges between orbits and a rotating perturbation, Weinberg & Katz contend that N-body simulations of this process will not reveal the continuum result unless many more than the usual numbers of particles are employed. Here I report a study designed to examine their contention, finding results that show no dependence on the number of particles over the range usually employed up to that advocated by these authors. I show that my results are independent of all numerical parameters, and that field methods perform equally with grid methods in this respect. I also identify the reasons that the required particle number suggested by Weinberg & Katz is excessive. |
Astrop | The Angular Separation of the Components of the Cepheid AW Per | The 6.4 day classical Cepheid AW Per is a spectroscopic binary with a period of 40 years. Analyzing the centroids of HST/STIS spectra obtained in November 2001, we have determined the angular separation of the binary system. Although we currently have spatially resolved data for a single epoch in the orbit, the success of our approach opens the possibility of determining the inclination, sini, for the system if the measurements are repeated at additional epochs. Since the system is potentially a double lined spectroscopic binary, the combination of spectroscopic orbits for both components and the visual orbit would give the distance to the system and the masses of its components, thereby providing a direct measurement of a Cepheid mass. |
Astrop | Probing the Structure of Gamma-Ray Burst Jets with Steep Decay Phase of their Early X-ray Afterglows | We show that the jet structure of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) can be investigated with the tail emission of the prompt GRB. The tail emission which we consider is identified as a steep-decay component of the early X-ray afterglow observed by the X-ray Telescope onboard Swift. Using a Monte Carlo method, we derive, for the first time, the distribution of the decay index of the GRB tail emission for various jet models. The new definitions of the zero of time and the time interval of a fitting region are proposed. These definitions for fitting the light curve lead us an unique definition of the decay index, which is useful to investigate the structure of the GRB jet. We find that if the GRB jet has a core-envelope structure, the predicted distribution of the decay index of the tail has a wide scatter and has multiple peaks, which cannot be seen for the case of the uniform and the Gaussian jet. Therefore, the decay index distribution tells us the information on the jet structure. Especially, if we observe events whose decay index is less than about 2, both the uniform and the Gaussian jet models will be disfavored according to our simulation study. |
Astrop | Dark energy, gravitation and supernovae | The discovery of the acceleration of the rate of expansion of the Universe fosters new explorations of the behavior of gravitation theories in the cosmological context. Either the GR framework is valid but a cosmic component with a negative equation of state is dominating the energy--matter contents or the Universe is better described at large by a theory that departs from GR. In this review we address theoretical alternatives that have been explored through supernovae. |
Astrop | SiO maser observations of a wide dust-temperature range sample | We present the results of SiO line observations of a sample of known SiO maser sources covering a wide dust-temperature range. The aim of the present research is to investigate the causes of the correlation between infrared colors and SiO maser intensity ratios among different transition lines. We observed in total 75 SiO maser sources with the Nobeyama 45m telescope quasi-simultaneously in the SiO J=1-0 v=0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and J=2-1 v=1, 2 lines. We also observed the sample in the 29SiO J=1-0 v=0 and J=2-1 v=0, and 30SiO J=1-0 v=0 lines, and the H2O 6(1,6)-5(2,3) line. As reported in previous papers, we confirmed that the intensity ratios of the SiO J=1-0 v=2 to v=1 lines clearly correlate with infrared colors. In addition, we found possible correlation between infrared colors and the intensity ratios of the SiO J=1-0 v=3 to v=1&2 lines. |
Astrop | Expected Planets in Globular Clusters | We argue that all transient searches for planets in globular clusters have a very low detection probability. Planets of low metallicity stars typically do not reside at small orbital separations. The dependance of planetary system properties on metallicity is clearly seen when the quantity Ie=Mp[a(1-e)]^2 is considered; Mp, a, e, are the planet mass, semi-major axis, and eccentricity, respectively. In high metallicity systems there is a concentration of systems at high and low values of Ie, with a low-populated gap near Ie~0.3 M_J AU^2, where M_J is Jupiter's mass. In low metallicity systems the concentration is only at the higher range of I_e, with a tail to low values of Ie. Therefore, it is still possible that planets exist around main sequence stars in globular clusters, although at small numbers because of the low metallicity, and at orbital periods of >~10 days. We discuss the implications of our conclusions on the role that companions can play in the evolution of their parent stars in globular clusters, e.g., influencing the distribution of horizontal branch stars on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram of some globular clusters, and in forming low mass white dwarfs. |
Astrop | Bulk viscosity of superfluid neutron stars | The hydrodynamics, describing dynamical effects in superfluid neutron stars, essentially differs from the standard one-fluid hydrodynamics. In particular, we have four bulk viscosity coefficients in the theory instead of one. In this paper we calculate these coefficients, for the first time, assuming they are due to non-equilibrium beta-processes (such as modified or direct Urca process). The results of our analysis are used to estimate characteristic damping times of sound waves in superfluid neutron stars. It is demonstrated that all four bulk viscosity coefficients lead to comparable dissipation of sound waves and should be considered on the same footing. |
Astrop | Higher harmonics increase LISA's mass reach for supermassive black holes | Current expectations on the signal to noise ratios and masses of supermassive black holes which the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) can observe are based on using in matched filtering only the dominant harmonic of the inspiral waveform at twice the orbital frequency. Other harmonics will affect the signal-to-noise ratio of systems currently believed to be observable by LISA. More significantly, inclusion of other harmonics in our matched filters would mean that more massive systems that were previously thought to be {\it not} visible in LISA should be detectable with reasonable SNRs. Our estimates show that we should be able to significantly increase the mass reach of LISA and observe the more commonly occurring supermassive black holes of masses $\sim 10^8M_\odot.$ More specifically, with the inclusion of all known harmonics LISA will be able to observe even supermassive black hole coalescences with total mass $\sim 10^8 M_\odot (10^9M_\odot)$ (and mass-ratio 0.1) for a low frequency cut-off of $10^{-4}{\rm Hz}$ $(10^{-5}{\rm Hz})$ with an SNR up to $\sim 60$ $(\sim 30)$ at a distance of 3 Gpc. This is important from the astrophysical viewpoint since observational evidence for the existence of black holes in this mass range is quite strong and binaries containing such supermassive black holes will be inaccessible to LISA if one uses as detection templates only the dominant harmonic. |
Astrop | Bouncing Universe with Quintom Matter | The bouncing universe provides a possible solution to the Big Bang singularity problem. In this paper we study the bouncing solution in the universe dominated by the Quintom matter with an equation of state (EoS) crossing the cosmological constant boundary. We will show explicitly the analytical and numerical bouncing solutions in three types of models for the Quintom matter with an phenomenological EoS, the two scalar fields and a scalar field with a modified Born-Infeld action. |
Astrop | SUBARU HDS Observations of a Balmer-Dominated Shock in Tycho's Supernova Remnant | We present an Ha spectral observation of a Balmer-dominated shock on the eastern side of Tycho's supernova remnant using the Subaru Telescope. Utilizing the High Dispersion Spectrograph (HDS), we measure the spatial variation of the line profile between preshock and postshock gas. Our observation clearly shows a broadening and centroid shift of the narrow-component postshock Ha line relative to the Ha emission from the preshock gas. The observation supports the existence of a thin precursor where gas is heated and accelerated ahead of the shock. Furthermore, the spatial profile of the emission ahead of the Balmer filament shows a gradual gradient in the Ha intensity and line width ahead of the shock. We propose that this region (~10^16 cm) is likely to be the spatially resolved precursor. The line width increases from ~30 up to ~45 km/s, and its central velocity shows a redshift of ~5 km/s across the shock front. The characteristics of the precursor are consistent with a cosmic-ray precursor, although the possibility of a fast neutral precursor is not ruled out. |
Astrop | Protostellar clusters in intermediate-mass (IM) star forming regions | The transition between the low density groups of T Tauri stars and the high density clusters around massive stars occurs in the intermediate-mass (IM) range (M$_*$$\sim$2--8 M$_\odot$). High spatial resolution studies of IM young stellar objects (YSO) can provide important clues to understand the clustering in massive star forming regions. Aims: Our aim is to search for clustering in IM Class 0 protostars. The high spatial resolution and sensitivity provided by the new A configuration of the Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) allow us to study the clustering in these nearby objects. Methods: We have imaged three IM Class 0 protostars (Serpens-FIRS 1, IC 1396 N, CB 3) in the continuum at 3.3 and 1.3mm using the PdBI. The sources have been selected with different luminosity to investigate the dependence of the clustering process on the luminosity of the source. Results: Only one millimeter (mm) source is detected towards the low luminosity source Serpens--FIRS 1. Towards CB 3 and IC1396 N, we detect two compact sources separated by $\sim$0.05 pc. The 1.3mm image of IC 1396 N, which provides the highest spatial resolution, reveal that one of these cores is splitted in, at least, three individual sources. |
Astrop | Neutrino Astronomy with High Spatial Resolution is Already Existing | By basing on observations of skeletal structures of the Sun and assuming that some of them are located inside of star, and also that a filamentary (linear) matter (whose a model earlier was put forward by B.U. Rodionov) is in basis of these internal structures the author consider possible processes of images formation of these structures inside the Sun and theirs coming out into space and also gives an elementary estimations of its parameters, which allow: i) to form their images in a flux of electronic neutrinos; ii) to carry out these images from within of the Sun into space; iii) to develop these images in form of a concomitant flux of soft x-ray, which next is recorded by telescope of soft x-ray. It is supposed the processes considered here, actually, can be accepted as future base of neutrino astronomy with high spatial resolution. |
Astrop | The dependence of the estimated luminosities of ULX on spectral models | Data from {\it Chandra} observations of thirty nearby galaxies were analyzed and 365 X-ray point sources were chosen whose spectra were not contaminated by excessive diffuse emission and not affected by photon pile up. The spectra of these sources were fitted using two spectral models (an absorbed power-law and a disk blackbody) to ascertain the dependence of estimated parameters on the spectral model used. It was found that the cumulative luminosity function depends on the choice of the spectral model, especially for luminosities $> 10^{40}$ ergs/s. In accordance with previous results, a large number ($\sim 80$) of the sources have luminosities $> 10^{39}$ ergs/s (Ultra-Luminous X-ray sources) with indistinguishable average spectral parameters (inner disk temperature $\sim 1$ keV and/or photon index $\Gamma \sim 2$) with those of the lower luminosities ones. After considering foreground stars and known background AGN,we identify four sources whose minimum luminosity exceed $10^{40}$ ergs/s, and call them Extremely Luminous X-ray sources (ELX). The spectra of these sources are in general better represented by the disk black body model than the power-law one. These ELX can be grouped into two distinct spectral classes. Two of them have an inner disk temperature of $< 0.5$ keV and hence are called ``supersoft'' ELX, while the other two have temperatures $\gtrsim 1.3$ keV and are called ``hard'' ELX. The estimated inner disk temperatures of the supersoft ELX are compatible with the hypothesis that they harbor intermediate size black holes, which are accreting at $\sim 0.5$ times their Eddington Luminosity. The radiative mechanism for hard ELX, seems to be Inverse Comptonization, which in contrast to standard black holes systems, is probably saturated. |
Astrop | On spherically symmetrical accretion in fractal media | We use fractional integrals to generalize the description of hydrodynamic accretion in fractal media. The fractional continuous medium model allows the generalization of the equations of balance of mass density and momentum density. These make it possible to consider the general case of spherical hydrodynamic accretion onto a gravitating mass embedded in a fractal medium. The general nature of the solution is similar to the "Bondi solution", but the accretion rate may vary substantially and the dependence on central mass may change significantly depending on dimensionality of the fractal medium. The theory shows consistency with the observational data and numerical simulation results for the particular case of accretion onto pre-main-sequence stars. |
Astrop | Can GLAST detect gamma-rays from the extended radio features of radio galaxies? | A few FRI radio galaxies were detected at GeV gamma-rays with CGRO EGRET, with peroperties suggesting that the gamma-ray flux originates from the core. Here we discuss the possibility that the extended radio features of radio galaxies could be detected with the LAT, focusing on the particularly promising case of the nearby giant radio galaxy Fornax A. |
Astrop | The VLT-FLAMES survey of massive stars: Wind properties and evolution of hot massive stars in the LMC | [Abridged] We have studied the optical spectra of 28 O- and early B-type stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, 22 of which are associated with the young star-forming region N11. Stellar parameters are determined using an automated fitting method, combining the stellar atmosphere code FASTWIND with the genetic-algorithm optimisation routine PIKAIA. Results for stars in the LH9 and LH10 associations of N11 are consistent with a sequential star formation scenario, in which activity in LH9 triggered the formation of LH10. Our sample contains four stars of spectral type O2, of which the hottest is found to be ~49-54 kK (cf. ~45-46 kK for O3 stars). The masses of helium-enriched dwarfs and giants are systematically lower than those implied by non-rotating evolutionary tracks. We interpret this as evidence for efficient rotationally-enhanced mixing, leading to the surfacing of primary helium and to an increase of the stellar luminosity. This result is consistent with findings for SMC stars by Mokiem et al. For bright giants and supergiants no such mass-discrepancy is found, implying that these stars follow tracks of modestly (or non-)rotating objects. Stellar mass-loss properties were found to be intermediate to those found in massive stars in the Galaxy and the SMC, and comparisons with theoretical predictions at LMC metallicity yielded good agreement over the luminosity range of our targets, i.e. 5.0 < log L/L(sun) < 6.1. |
Astrop | Identification of Absorption Features in an Extrasolar Planet Atmosphere | Water absorption is identified in the atmosphere of HD209458b by comparing models for the planet's transmitted spectrum to recent, multi-wavelength, eclipse-depth measurements (from 0.3 to 1 microns) published by Knutson et al. (2007). A cloud-free model which includes solar abundances, rainout of condensates, and photoionization of sodium and potassium is in good agreement with the entire set of eclipse-depth measurements from the ultraviolet to near-infrared. Constraints are placed on condensate removal by gravitational settling, the bulk metallicity, and the redistribution of absorbed stellar flux. Comparisons are also made to the Charbonneau et al. (2002) sodium measurements. |
Astrop | VIMOS-VLT spectroscopy of the giant Ly-alpha nebulae associated with three z~2.5 radio galaxies | The morphological and spectroscopic properties of the giant (>60 kpc) Ly-alpha nebulae associated with three radio galaxies at z~2.5 (MRC 1558-003, MRC 2025-218 and MRC 0140-257) have been investigated using integral field spectroscopic data obtained with VIMOS on VLT. The morphologies are varied. The nebula of one source has a centrally peaked, rounded appearance. In the other two objects, it consists of two spatial components. The three nebulae are aligned with the radio axis within <30 deg. The total Ly-alpha luminosities are in the range (0.3-3.4) x 1e44 erg s-1. The Ly-alpha spectral profile shows strong variation through the nebulae, with FWHM values in the range ~400-1500 km s-1 and velocity shifts V~120-600 km s-1. We present an infall model which can explain successfully most Ly-alpha morphological and spectroscopic properties of the nebula associated with MRC 1558-003. This adds further support to our previous conclusion that the _quiescent_ giant nebulae associated with this and other high redshift powerful radio galaxies are in infall. A problem for this model is the difficulty to reproduce the large Ly-alpha FWHM values. We have discovered a giant (~85 kpc) Ly-alpha nebula associated with the radio galaxy MRC 0140-257 at z=2.64. It shows strikingly relaxed kinematics (FWHM< 300 km s-1 and V<120 km s-1), unique among high z (>2) radio galaxies. |
Astrop | Observation of Anti-correlation between Scintillation and Ionization for MeV Gamma-Rays in Liquid Xenon | A strong anti-correlation between ionization and scintillation signals produced by MeV gamma-rays in liquid xenon has been measured and used to improve the energy resolution by combining the two signals. The improvement is explained by reduced electron-ion recombination fluctuations of the combined signal compared to fluctuations of the individual signals. Simultaneous measurements of ionization and scintillation signals were carried out with Cs-137, Na-22 and Co-60 gamma rays, as a function of electric field in the liquid. A resolution of 1.7%(sigma) at 662 keV was measured at 1 kV/cm, significantly better than the resolution from either scintillation or ionization alone. A detailed analysis indicates that further improvement to less than 1%(sigma) is possible with higher light collection efficiency and lower electronic noise. |
Astrop | Massive Stars: From the VLT to the ELT | New facilities and technologies have advanced our understanding of massive stars significantly over the past 30 years. Here I introduce a new large survey of massive stars using VLT-FLAMES, noting the target fields and observed binary fractions. These data have been used for the first empirical test of the metallicity dependence of the intensity of stellar winds, finding good agreement with theory -- an important result for the evolutionary models that are used to interpret distant clusters, starbursts, and star-forming galaxies. Looking ahead, plans for future Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs) are now undergoing significant development, and offer the exciting prospect of observing spatially-resolved massive stars well beyond the Local Group. |
Astrop | Investigation of Energy Spectrum of EGRET Gamma-ray Sources by an Extensive Air Shower Experiment | Ultra-High-Energy (UHE) ($E>100 $TeV) Extensive Air Showers (EASs) have been monitored for a period of five years (1997-2003), using a small array of scintillation detectors in Tehran, Iran. The data have been analyzed to take in to account of the dependence of source counts on zenith angle. Because of varying thickness of the overlaying atmosphere, the shower count rate is extremely dependent on zenith angle. During a calendar year different sources come in the field of view of the array at varying zenith angles and have different effective observation time equivalent to zenith in a day. High energy gamma-ray sources from the EGRET third catalogue where observed and the data were analyzed using an excess method. Upper limits were obtained for 10 EGRET sources. Then we investigated the EAS event rates for these 10 sources and obtained a flux for each of them using parameters of our experiment results and simulations. Finally we investigated the gamma-ray spectrum in the UHE range using these fluxes with reported fluxes of the EGRET sources. |
Astrop | High Galactic Latitude Interstellar Neutral Hydrogen Structure and Associated (WMAP) High Frequency Continuum Emission | Spatial associations have been found between interstellar neutral hydrogen (HI) emission morphology and small-scale structure observed by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) in an area bounded by l = 60 & 180 deg, b = 30 & 70 deg, which was the primary target for this study. This area is marked by the presence of highly disturbed local HI and a preponderance of intermediate- and high-velocity gas. The HI distribution toward the brightest peaks in the WMAP Internal Linear Combination (ILC) map for this area is examined and by comparing with a second area on the sky it is demonstrated that the associations do not appear to be the result of chance coincidence. Close examination of several of the associations reveals important new properties of diffuse interstellar neutral hydrogen structure. In the case of high-velocity cloud MI, the HI and WMAP ILC morphologies are similar and an excess of soft X-ray emission and H-alpha emission have been reported for this feature. It is suggested that the small angular-scale, high frequency continuum emission observed by WMAP may be produced at the surfaces of HI features interacting one another, or at the interface between moving HI structures and regions of enhanced plasma density in the surrounding interstellar medium. It is possible that dust grains play a role in producing the emission. However, the primary purpose of this report is to draw attention to these apparent associations without offering an unambiguous explanation as to the relevant emission mechanism(s). |
Astrop | Sensitivity of solar off-limb line profiles to electron density stratification and the velocity distribution anisotropy | The effect of the electron density stratification on the intensity profiles of the H I Ly-$\alpha$ line and the O VI and Mg X doublets formed in solar coronal holes is investigated. We employ an analytical 2-D model of the large scale coronal magnetic field that provides a good representation of the corona at the minimum of solar activity. We use the mass-flux conservation equation to determine the outflow speed of the solar wind at any location in the solar corona and take into account the integration along the line of sight (LOS). The main assumption we make is that no anisotropy in the kinetic temperature of the coronal species is considered. We find that at distances greater than 1 Rsun from the solar surface the widths of the emitted lines of O VI and Mg X are sensitive to the details of the adopted electron density stratification. However, Ly-$\alpha$, which is a pure radiative line, is hardly affected. The calculated total intensities of Ly-$\alpha$ and the O VI doublet depend to a lesser degree on the density stratification and are comparable to the observed ones for most of the considered density models. The widths of the observed profiles of Ly-$\alpha$ and Mg X are well reproduced by most of the considered electron density stratifications, while for the O VI doublet only few stratifications give satisfying results. The densities deduced from SOHO data result in O VI profiles whose widths and intensity ratio are relatively close to the values observed by UVCS although only isotropic velocity distributions are employed. These density profiles also reproduce the other considered observables with good accuracy. Thus the need for a strong anisotropy of the velocity distribution (i.e. a temperature anisotropy) is not so clear cut as previous investigations of UVCS data suggested. ... |
Astrop | SW Sextantis stars: the dominant population of CVs with orbital periods between 3-4 hours | [Abridged] We present time-series optical photometry of five new CVs identified by the Hamburg Quasar Survey. The eclipses observed in HS 0129+2933, HS 0220+0603, and HS 0455+8315 provided very accurate orbital periods of 3.35129827(65), 3.58098501(34), and 3.56937674(26) h, respectively. HS 0805+3822 shows grazing eclipses and has a likely orbital period of 3.2169(2) h. Time-resolved optical spectroscopy of the new CVs (with the exception of HS 0805+3822) is also presented. Radial velocity studies provided an orbital period of 3.55 h for HS 1813+6122, which allowed us to identify the observed photometric signal at 3.39 h as a negative superhump wave. The spectroscopic behaviour clearly identifies these new CVs as new SW Sextantis stars. These new additions increase the number of known SW Sex stars to 35. Almost 40 per cent of the total SW Sex population do not show eclipses, invalidating the requirement of eclipses as a defining characteristic of the class and the models based on a high orbital inclination geometry alone. On the other hand, the predominance of orbital periods in the narrow 3-4.5 h range is becoming more pronounced. In fact, almost half the CVs which populate the 3-4.5 h period interval are definite members of the class. These statistics are confirmed by our results from the Hamburg Quasar Survey CVs. Remarkably, 54 per cent of the Hamburg nova-like variables have been identified as SW Sex stars with orbital periods in the 3-4.5 h range. The observation of this pile-up of systems close to the upper boundary of the period gap is difficult to reconcile with the standard theory of CV evolution, as the SW Sex stars are believed to have the highest mass transfer rates among CVs. Finally, we review the full range of common properties that the SW Sex stars exhibit. |
Astrop | Finding (or not) New Gamma-ray Pulsars with GLAST | Young energetic pulsars will likely be the largest class of Galactic sources observed by GLAST, with many hundreds detected. Many will be unknown as radio pulsars, making pulsation detection dependent on radio and/or x-ray observations or on blind periodicity searches of the gamma-rays. Estimates for the number of pulsars GLAST will detect in blind searches have ranged from tens to many hundreds. I argue that the number will be near the low end of this range, partly due to observations being made in a scanning as opposed to a pointing mode. This paper briefly reviews how blind pulsar searches will be conducted using GLAST, what limits these searches, and how the computations and statistics scale with various parameters. |
Astrop | Did time begin? Will time end? | Did time begin at a Big Bang? Will the present expansion of the universe last for a finite or infinite time? These questions sound philosophical but are becoming, now in the twenty-first century, central to the scientific study of cosmology. The answers, which should become clarified in the next decade or two, could have profound implications for how we see our own role in the universe. Since the original publication of Stephen Hawking's {\it A Brief History of Time} in 1988, the answers to these questions have progressed as a result of research by the community of active theoretical physicists including myself. To present the underlying ideas requires discussion of a wide range of topics in cosmology, especially the make up of the energy content of the universe. A brief summary of my conclusions, that of three different possibilities concerning the history and future of time, the least likely is the conventional wisdom (time began and will never end) and most likely is a cyclic model (time never begins or ends), is in the short final Chapter which could be read first. To understand the reasoning leading to my conclusions could encourage reading of my entire book. My hope in writing this, my first popular book, is that it will engender reflection about time. Many a non-scientist may already hold a philosophical opinion about whether time begins and ends. This book's aim is to present some recently discovered scientific facts which can focus the reader's consideration of the two short questions in my title. |
Astrop | FUSE Observations of the Dwarf Novae UU Aql, BV Cen, and CH UMa in Quiescence | We report on FUSE spectra of three U Gem-type, long period, dwarf novae, UU Aql, BV Cen and CH UMa taken during their quiescence intervals. We discuss the line identifications in their spectra and attempt to characterize the source(s) of their FUV flux distribution. Archival IUE spectrum of CH UMa and BV Cen in quiescence were identified as having a matching flux level with the FUSE spectra and these were combined with each FUSE spectrum to broaden the wavelength coverage and further constrain model fits. Multi-component synthetic spectral fits from our model grids, consisting of single temperature white dwarfs, two-temperature white dwarfs, accretion disks and white dwarfs plus accretion disks, were applied to the FUSE spectra alone and to the combined FUSE + IUE spectra. We present the results of our model analyses and their implications. |
Astrop | Inflation, bifurcations of nonlinear curvature Lagrangians and dark energy | A possible equivalence of scalar dark matter, the inflaton, and modified gravity is analyzed. After a conformal mapping, the dependence of the effective Lagrangian on the curvature is not only singular but also bifurcates into several almost Einsteinian spaces, distinguished only by a different effective gravitational strength and cosmological constant. A swallow tail catastrophe in the bifurcation set indicates the possibility for the coexistence of different Einsteinian domains in our Universe. This `triple unification' may shed new light on the nature and large scale distribution not only of dark matter but also on `dark energy', regarded as an effective cosmological constant, and inflation. |
Astrop | Testing Disk Instability Models for Giant Planet Formation | Disk instability is an attractive yet controversial means for the rapid formation of giant planets in our solar system and elsewhere. Recent concerns regarding the first adiabatic exponent of molecular hydrogen gas are addressed and shown not to lead to spurious clump formation in the author's disk instability models. A number of disk instability models have been calculated in order to further test the robustness of the mechanism, exploring the effects of changing the pressure equation of state, the vertical temperature profile, and other parameters affecting the temperature distribution. Possible reasons for differences in results obtained by other workers are discussed. Disk instability remains as a plausible formation mechanism for giant planets. |
Astrop | Observations of chemical differentiation in clumpy molecular clouds | We have extensively mapped a sample of dense molecular clouds (L1512, TMC-1C, L1262, Per 7, L1389, L1251E) in lines of HC3N, CH3OH, SO and C^{18}O. We demonstrate that a high degree of chemical differentiation is present in all of the observed clouds. We analyse the molecular maps for each cloud, demonstrating a systematic chemical differentiation across the sample, which we relate to the evolutionary state of the cloud. We relate our observations to the cloud physical, kinematical and evolutionary properties, and also compare them to the predictions of simple chemical models. The implications of this work for understanding the origin of the clumpy structures and chemical differentiation observed in dense clouds are discussed. |
Astrop | Distortion of Gravitational-Wave Packets Due to their Self-Gravity | When a source emits a gravity-wave (GW) pulse over a short period of time, the leading edge of the GW signal is redshifted more than the inner boundary of the pulse. The GW pulse is distorted by the gravitational effect of the self-energy residing in between these shells. We illustrate this distortion for GW pulses from the final plunge of black hole (BH) binaries, leading to the evolution of the GW profile as a function of the radial distance from the source. The distortion depends on the total GW energy released and the duration of the emission, scaled by the total binary mass, M. The effect should be relevant in finite box simulations where the waveforms are extracted within a radius of <~ 100M. For characteristic emission parameters at the final plunge between binary BHs of arbitrary spins, this effect could distort the simulated GW templates for LIGO and LISA by a fraction of 0.001. Accounting for the wave distortion would significantly decrease the waveform extraction errors in numerical simulations. |
Astrop | Old Main-Sequence Turnoff Photometry in the Small Magellanic Cloud. I. Constraints on the Star Formation History in Different Fields | We present ground-based B and R-band color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs), reaching the oldest main-sequence turnoffs with good photometric accuracy for twelve fields in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Our fields, located between ~1 and ~4 degrees from the center of the galaxy, are situated in different parts of the SMC such as the "Wing'' area, and towards the West and South. In this paper we perform a first analysis of the stellar content in our SMC fields through comparison with theoretical isochrones and color functions (CFs). We find that the underlying spheroidally distributed population is composed of both intermediate-age and old stars and that its age composition does not show strong galacto-centric gradients. The three fields situated toward the east, in the Wing region, show very active current star formation. However, only in the eastern field closest to the center do we find an enhancement of recent star formation with respect to a constant SFR(t). The fields corresponding to the western side of the SMC present a much less populated young MS, and the CF analysis indicates that the SFR(t) greatly diminished around 2 Gyr ago in these parts. Field smc0057, the closest to the center of the galaxy and located in the southern part, shows recent star formation, while the rest of the southern fields present few bright MS stars. The structure of the red clump in all the CMDs is consistent with the large amount of intermediate-age stars inferred from the CMDs and color functions. None of the SMC fields presented here are dominated by old stellar populations, a fact that is in agreement with the lack of a conspicuous horizontal branch in all these SMC CMDs. This could indicate that a disk population is ruling over a possible old halo in all the observed fields. |
Astrop | Curvature perturbations from ekpyrotic collapse with multiple fields | A scale-invariant spectrum of isocurvature perturbations is generated during collapse in the ekpyrotic scaling solution in models where multiple fields have steep negative exponential potentials. The scale invariance of the spectrum is realized by a tachyonic instability in the isocurvature field. This instability drives the scaling solution to the late time attractor that is the old ekpyrotic collapse dominated by a single field. We show that the transition from the scaling solution to the single field dominated ekpyrotic collapse automatically converts the initial isocurvature perturbations about the scaling solution to comoving curvature perturbations about the late-time attractor. The final amplitude of the comoving curvature perturbation is determined by the Hubble scale at the transition. |
Astrop | The Mid-Infrared Emission of M87 | We discuss Subaru and Spitzer Space Telescope imaging and spectroscopy of M87 in the mid-infrared from 5-35 um. These observations allow us to investigate mid-IR emission mechanisms in the core of M87 and to establish that the flaring, variable jet component HST-1 is not a major contributor to the mid-IR flux. The Spitzer data include a high signal-to-noise 15-35 $\mu$m spectrum of the knot A/B complex in the jet, which is consistent with synchrotron emission. However, a synchrotron model cannot account for the observed {\it nuclear} spectrum, even when contributions from the jet, necessary due to the degrading of resolution with wavelength, are included. The Spitzer data show a clear excess in the spectrum of the nucleus at wavelengths longer than 25 um, which we model as thermal emission from cool dust at a characteristic temperature of 55 \pm 10 K, with an IR luminosity \sim 10^{39} {\rm ~erg ~s^{-1}}. Given Spitzer's few-arcsecond angular resolution, the dust seen in the nuclear spectrum could be located anywhere within ~5'' (390 pc) of the nucleus. In any case, the ratio of AGN thermal to bolometric luminosity indicates that M87 does not contain the IR-bright torus that classical unified AGN schemes invoke. However, this result is consistent with theoretical predictions for low-luminosity AGNs |
Astrop | Characterization of open cluster remnants | Despite progress in the theoretical knowledge of open cluster remnants and the growing search for observational identifications in recent years, open questions still remain. The methods used to analyze open cluster remnants and criteria to define them as physical systems are not homogeneous. In this work we present a systematic method for studying these objects that provides a view of their properties and allows their characterization. Eighteen remnant candidates are analyzed by means of photometric and proper motion data. These data provide information on objects and their fields. We establish criteria for characterizing open cluster remnants, taking observational uncertainties into account. 2MASS J and H photometry is employed (i) to study structural properties of the objects by means of radial stellar density profiles, (ii) to test for any similarity between objects and fields with a statistical comparison method applied to the distributions of stars in the CMDs, and (iii) to obtain ages, reddening values, and distances from the CMD, taking an index of isochrone fit into account. The UCAC2 proper motions allowed an objective comparison between objects and large solid angle offset fields. The objective analysis based on the present methods indicates 13 open-cluster remnants in the sample. Evidence of the presence of binary stars is found, as expected for dynamically evolved systems. Finally, we infer possible evolutionary stages among remnants from the structure, proper motion, and CMD distributions. The low stellar statistics for individual objects is overcome by means of the construction of composite proper motion and CMD diagrams. The distributions of remnants in the composite diagrams resemble the single-star and unresolved binary star distributions of open clusters. |
Astrop | Binary Capture Rates for Massive Protostars | The high multiplicity of massive stars in dense, young clusters is established early in their evolution. The mechanism behind this remains unresolved. Recent results suggest that massive protostars may capture companions through disk interactions with much higher efficiency than their solar mass counterparts. However, this conclusion is based on analytic determinations of capture rates and estimates of the robustness of the resulting binaries. We present the results of coupled n-body and SPH simulations of star-disk encounters to further test the idea that disk-captured binaries contribute to the observed multiplicity of massive stars. |
Astrop | Externally-polluted white dwarfs with dust disks | We report Spitzer Space Telescope photometry of eleven externally-polluted white dwarfs. Of the nine stars for which we have IRAC photometry, we find that GD 40, GD 133 and PG 1015+161 each has an infrared excess that can be understood as arising from a flat, opaque, dusty disk. GD 56 also has an infrared excess characteristic of circumstellar dust, but a flat-disk model cannot reproduce the data unless there are grains as warm as 1700 K and perhaps not even then. Our data support the previous suggestion that the metals in the atmosphere of GD 40 are the result of accretion of a tidally-disrupted asteroid with a chondritic composition. |
Astrop | Hydrodynamical model atmospheres and 3D spectral synthesis | We discuss three issues in the context of three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamical model atmospheres for late-type stars, related to spectral line shifts, radiative transfer in metal-poor 3D models, and the solar oxygen abundance. We include a brief overview about the model construction, taking the radiation-hydrodynamics code CO5BOLD (COnservative COde for the COmputation of COmpressible COnvection in a BOx of L Dimensions with L=2,3) and the related spectral synthesis package Linfor3D as examples. |
Astrop | An Optical Source Catalog of the North Ecliptic Pole Region | We present a five (u*,g',r',i',z') band optical photometry catalog of the sources in the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP) region based on deep observations made with MegaCam at CFHT. The source catalog covers about 2 square degree area centered at the NEP and reaches depths of about 26 mag for u*, g', r' bands, about 25 mag for i' band, and about 24 mag for z' band (4 sigma detection over an 1 arcsec aperture). The total number of cataloged sources brighter than r'= 23 mag is about 56,000 including both point sources and extended sources. From the investigation of photometric properties using the color-magnitude diagrams and color-color diagrams, we have found that the colors of extended sources are mostly (u*-r') < 3.0 and (g'-z') > 0.5. This can be used to separate the extended sources from the point sources reliably, even for the faint source domain where typical morphological classification schemes hardly work efficiently. We have derived an empirical color-redshift relation of the red sequence galaxies using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data. By applying this relation to our photometry catalog and searching for any spatial overdensities, we have found two galaxy clusters and one nearby galaxy group. |
Astrop | The Kinematics and Dynamics of the Globular Clusters and the Planetary Nebulae of NGC 5128 | A new kinematic and dynamic study of the halo of the giant elliptical galaxy, NGC 5128, is presented. From a spectroscopically confirmed sample of 340 globular clusters and 780 planetary nebulae, the rotation amplitude, rotation axis, velocity dispersion, and the total dynamical mass are determined for the halo of NGC 5128. The globular cluster kinematics were searched for both radial dependence and metallicity dependence by subdividing the globular cluster sample into 158 metal-rich ([Fe/H] > -1.0) and 178 metal-poor ([Fe/H] < -1.0) globular clusters. Our results show the kinematics of the metal-rich and metal-poor subpopulations are quite similar. The kinematics are compared to the planetary nebula population where differences are apparent in the outer regions of the halo. The total mass of NGC 5128 is found using the Tracer Mass estimator (Evans et al. 2003), to determine the mass supported by internal random motions, and the spherical component of the Jeans equation to determine the mass supported by rotation. We find a total mass of (1.0+/-0.2) x 10^(12) Msun from the planetary nebulae data out to a projected radius of 90 kpc and (1.3+/-0.5) x 10^(12) Msun from the globular clusters out to a projected radius of 50 kpc. Lastly, we present a new and homogeneous catalog of known globular clusters in NGC 5128. This catalog combines all previous definitive cluster identifications from radial velocity studies and HST imaging studies, as well as 80 new globular clusters from a study of M.A. Beasley et al. (2007, in preparation). |
Astrop | Five Intermediate-Period Planets from the N2K Sample | We report the detection of five Jovian mass planets orbiting high metallicity stars. Four of these stars were first observed as part of the N2K program and exhibited low RMS velocity scatter after three consecutive observations. However, follow-up observations over the last three years now reveal the presence of longer period planets with orbital periods ranging from 21 days to a few years. HD 11506 is a G0V star with a planet of \msini = 4.74 \mjup in a 3.85 year orbit. HD 17156 is a G0V star with a 3.12 \mjup planet in a 21.2 day orbit. The eccentricity of this orbit is 0.67, one of the highest known for a planet with a relatively short period. The orbital period for this planet places it in a region of parameter space where relatively few planets have been detected. HD 125612 is a G3V star with a planet of \msini = 3.5 \mjup in a 1.4 year orbit. HD 170469 is a G5IV star with a planet of \msini = 0.67 \mjup in a 3.13 year orbit. HD 231701 is an F8V star with planet of 1.08 \mjup in a 142 day orbit. All of these stars have supersolar metallicity. Three of the five stars were observed photometrically but showed no evidence of brightness variability. A transit search conducted for HD 17156 was negative but covered only 25% of the search space and so is not conclusive. |
Astrop | Statistical properties of giant pulses from the Crab pulsar | We have studied the statistics of giant pulses from the Crab pulsar for the first time with particular reference to their widths. We have analyzed data collected during 3.5 hours of observations conducted with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope operated in a tied-array mode at a frequency of 1200 MHz. The PuMa pulsar backend provided voltage recording of X and Y linear polarization states in two conjugate 10 MHz bands. We restricted the time resolution to 4 microseconds to match the scattering on the interstellar inhomogeneities. In total about 18000 giant pulses (GP) were detected in full intensity with a threshold level of 6 sigma. Cumulative probability distributions (CPD) of giant pulse energies were analyzed for groups of GPs with different effective widths in the range 4 to 65 microseconds. The CPDs were found to manifest notable differences for the different GP width groups. The slope of a power-law fit to the high-energy portion of the CPDs evolves from -1.7 to -3.2 when going from the shortest to the longest GPs. There are breaks in the CPD power-law fits indicating flattening at low energies with indices varying from -1.0 to -1.9 for the short and long GPs respectively. The GPs with a stronger peak flux density were found to be of shorter duration. We compare our results with previously published data and discuss the importance of these peculiarities in the statistical properties of GPs for the heoretical understanding of the emission mechanism responsible for GP generation. |
Astrop | Colour pairs for constraining the age and metallicity of stellar populations | Using a widely used stellar population synthesis model, we study the ability of using pairs of AB system colours to break the well-known stellar age--metallicity degeneracy and give constraints on the two stellar-population parameters (age and metallicity). The relative age and metallicity sensitivities of AB system colours that relate to u, B, g, V, r, R, i, I, z, J, H, and K bands are presented, and the abilities of various colour pairs for breaking the age--metallicity degeneracy are quantified by an uncertainty parameter (UP) method. Our results suggest that a few pairs of colours can be used to constrain the two above stellar-population parameters. This will be very useful for exploring the stellar populations of distant galaxies. In detail, colour pairs [(r-K), (u-R)] and [(r-K), (u-r)] are shown to be the best pairs for estimating stellar ages and metallicities. They can constrain two stellar-population parameters on average with age uncertainties less than 3.89 Gyr and metallicity uncertainties less than 0.34 dex for typical uncertainties in colours. Some other colour pairs, such as [(R-K), (u-R)], [(I-K), (u-R)], [(R-K), (u-r)] and [(i-J), (u-R)], can possibly be used for constraining the two parameters, too. As a whole, our results suggest that colours relating to both UBVRIJHK and ugriz magnitudes are much better than either UBVRIJHK colours or ugriz colours for breaking the well-known degeneracy. The results also show that the stellar ages and metallicities of galaxies observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) can be estimated via photometry data. It is also shown that the colours can be used in conjunction with line indices to measure stellar-population parameters. |
Astrop | The effect of supernova asymmetry on coalescence rates of binary neutron stars | We study the effect of the kick velocity -- neutron star spin alignment observed in young radio pulsars on the coalescence rate of binary neutron stars. The effect is shown to be especially strong for large kick amplitudes and tight alignments, reducing the galactic rate of binary neutron star coalescences up to an order of magnitude with respect to the rates calculated for random kicks. The spin-kick correlation also leads to much narrower NS spin-orbit misalignments compared to random kicks. |
Astrop | The dynamics of Jupiter and Saturn in the gaseous proto-planetary disk | We study the possibility that the mutual interactions between Jupiter and Saturn prevented Type II migration from driving these planets much closer to the Sun. Our work extends previous results by Masset and Snellgrove (2001), by exploring a wider set of initial conditions and disk parameters, and by using a new hydrodynamical code that properly describes for the global viscous evolution of the disk. Initially both planets migrate towards the Sun, and Saturn's migration tends to be faster. As a consequence, they eventually end up locked in a mean motion resonance. If this happens in the 2:3 resonance, the resonant motion is particularly stable, and the gaps opened by the planets in the disk may overlap. This causes a drastic change in the torque balance for the two planets, which substantially slows down the planets' inward migration. If the gap overlap is substantial, planet migration may even be stopped or reversed. As the widths of the gaps depend on disk viscosity and scale height, this mechanism is particularly efficient in low viscosity, cool disks. We discuss the compatibility of our results with the initial conditions adopted in Tsiganis et al. (2005) and Gomes et al. (2005) to explain the current orbital architecture of the giant planets and the origin of the Late Heavy Bombardment of the Moon. |
Astrop | Possible origin of Larson's lows | It was found that approximately constant column densities of giant molecular clouds (Larson's low) can be explained as cloud existence condition in external (galactic) gravitational field. This condition can be also applied to objects (clumps and cores) embedded into the cloud and its gravitational field. Derived existence condition do not rely on any internal dynamic of a cloud and embedded objects. |
Astrop | Double Neutron Stars: Evidence For Two Different Neutron-Star Formation Mechanisms | Six of the eight double neutron stars known in the Galactic disk have low orbital eccentricities (< 0.27) indicating that their second-born neutron stars received only very small velocity kicks at birth. This is similar to the case of the B-emission X-ray binaries, where a sizable fraction of the neutron stars received hardly any velocity kick at birth (Pfahl et al. 2002). The masses of the second-born neutron stars in five of the six low-eccentricity double neutron stars are remarkably low (between 1.18 and 1.30 Msun). It is argued that these low-mass, low-kick neutron stars were formed by the electron-capture collapse of the degenerate O-Ne-Mg cores of helium stars less massive than about 3.5 Msun, whereas the higher-mass, higher kick-velocity neutron stars were formed by the collapses of the iron cores of higher initial mass. The absence of low-velocity single young radio pulsars (Hobbs et al. 2005) is consistent with the model proposed by Podsiadlowski et al. (2004), in which the electron-capture collapse of degenerate O-Ne-Mg cores can only occur in binary systems, and not in single stars. |
Astrop | Large Scale Self-Similar Skeletal Structure of the Universe | An analysis of the redshift maps of galaxies and quasars has revealed large-scale self-similar skeletal structures of the Universe of the same topology which had been found earlier in a wide range of phenomena, spatial scales and environments. The "cartwheel" type of structure with diameter ~ 1.5 10^27 cm is discovered in this analysis by means of the method of multi-level dynamical contrasting. Similar skeletal structures in size up to 1.5 10^28 cm are found also in the redshift maps of quasars. |
Astrop | The impact of radio feedback from active galactic nuclei in cosmological simulations: Formation of disk galaxies | In this paper, we present a new implementation of feedback due to active galactic nuclei (AGN) in cosmological simulations of galaxy formation. We assume that a fraction of jet energy, which is generated by an AGN, is transferred to the surrounding gas as thermal energy. Combining a theoretical model of mass accretion onto black holes with a multiphase description of star-forming gas, we self-consistently follow evolution of both galaxies and their central black holes. The novelty in our model is that we consider two distinct accretion modes: standard radiatively efficient thin accretion disks and radiatively inefficient accretion flows which we will generically refer to as RIAFs; motivated by theoretical models for jet production in accretion disks, we assume that only the RIAF is responsible for the AGN feedback. We find that, after an initial episode of bursting star formation, the accretion rate onto the central black hole drops so that the accretion disk switches to a RIAF structure. At this point, the feedback from the AGN becomes efficient and slightly suppresses star formation in the galactic disk and almost completely halts star formation in the bulge. As a result, the nucleus becomes a stochastically fuelled low-luminosity AGN (Seyfert galaxy) with recurrent short-lived episodes of activity after the star bursts. Our model predicts several properties of the low-luminosity AGN including the bolometric luminosity, jet powers, the effect on kpc-scale of the radio jet and the AGN lifetime, which are in broad agreement with observations of Seyfert galaxies and their radio activity. We also find that the mass ratios between the central black hole and the the host spheroid at z = 0 are ~10^{-3} regardless of the strength of either supernova feedback or AGN feedback. (abridged) |
Astrop | A multi-transition molecular line study of candidate massive young stellar objects associated with methanol masers | We characterize the molecular environment of candidate massive young stellar objects (MYSOs) signposted by methanol masers. Single pixel observations of 10 transitions of HCO^+, CO and CS isotopomers were carried out, using the IRAM 30m telescope. We studied a sample of 28 targets for which the 6.7GHz maser emission positions are known with a sub-arcsecond accuracy. The systemic velocity inferred from the optically thin lines agrees within 3km/s with the central velocity of the maser emission for most of the sources. About 64% of the sources show line wings in one or more transitions of CO, HCO^+ and CS species, indicating the presence of molecular outflows. Comparison of the widths of line wings and methanol maser emission suggests that the 6.7GHz maser line traces the environment of MYSO of various kinematic regimes. Therefore conditions conducive for the methanol maser can exist in the inner parts of molecular clouds or circumstellar discs as well as in the outer parts associated with molecular outflows. Calculations of the physical conditions based on the CO and HCO^+ lines and the CS line intensity ratios refine the input parameters for maser models. |
Astrop | Plasmaneutrino spectrum | Spectrum of the neutrinos produced in the massive photon and longitudal plasmon decay process has been computed with four levels of approximation for the dispersion relations. Some analytical formulae in limiting cases are derived. Interesting conclusions related to previous calculations of the energy loss in stars are presented. High energy tail of the neutrino spectrum is shown to be proportional to exp(-E/kT), where E is the neutrino energy and kT is the temperature of the plasma. |
Astrop | Non-minimal Wu-Yang wormhole | We discuss exact solutions of three-parameter non-minimal Einstein-Yang-Mills model, which describe the wormholes of a new type. These wormholes are considered to be supported by SU(2)-symmetric Yang-Mills field, non-minimally coupled to gravity, the Wu-Yang ansatz for the gauge field being used. We distinguish between regular solutions, describing traversable non-minimal Wu-Yang wormholes, and black wormholes possessing one or two event horizons. The relation between the asymptotic mass of the regular traversable Wu-Yang wormhole and its throat radius is analysed. |
Astrop | Hydrogen 2p--2s transition: signals from the epochs of recombination and reionization | We propose a method to study the epoch of reionization based on the possible observation of 2p--2s fine structure lines from the neutral hydrogen outside the cosmological H {\sc ii} regions enveloping QSOs and other ionizing sources in the reionization era. We show that for parameters typical of luminous sources observed at $z \simeq 6.3$ the strength of this signal, which is proportional to the H {\sc i} fraction, has a brightness temperature $\simeq 20 \mu K$ for a fully neutral medium. The fine structure line from this redshift is observable at $\nu \simeq 1 \rm GHz$ and we discuss prospects for the detection with several operational and future radio telescopes. We also compute the characteristics of this signal from the epoch of recombination: the peak brightness is expected to be $\simeq 100 \mu K$; this signal appears in the frequency range 5-10 MHz. The signal from the recombination era is nearly impossible to detect owing to the extreme brightness of the Galactic emission at these frequencies. |
Astrop | Near- and Far-Infrared Counterparts of Millimeter Dust Cores in the Vela Molecular Ridge Cloud D | The aim of this paper is to identify the young protostellar counterparts associated to dust millimeter cores of the Vela Molecular Ridge Cloud D through new IR observations (H_2 narrow-band at 2.12 micron and N broad band at 10.4 micron) along with an investigation performed on the existing IR catalogues. The association of mm continuum emission with infrared sources from catalogues (IRAS, MSX, 2MASS), JHK data from the literature and new observations, has been established according to spatial coincidence, infrared colours and spectral energy distributions. Only 7 out of 29 resolved mm cores (and 16 out of the 26 unresolved ones) do not exhibit signposts of star formation activity. The other ones are clearly associated with: far-IR sources, H_2 jets or near-IR objects showing a high intrinsic colour excess. The distribution of the spectral indices pertaining to the associated sources is peaked at values typical of Class I objects, while three objects are signalled as candidates Class 0 sources. We remark the high detection rate (30%) of H_2 jets driven by sources located inside the mm-cores. They appear not driven by the most luminous objects in the field, but rather by less luminous objects in young clusters, testifying the co-existence of both low- and intermediate-mass star formation. The presented results reliably describe the young population of VMR-D. However, the statistical evaluation of activity vs inactivity of the investigated cores, even in good agreement with results found for other star forming regions, seems to reflect the limiting sensitivity of the available facilities rather than any property intrinsic to the mm-condensations. |
Astrop | Infrared High-Resolution Spectroscopy of Post-AGB Circumstellar Disks. I. HR 4049 - The Winnowing Flow Observed? | High-resolution infrared spectroscopy in the 2.3-4.6 micron region is reported for the peculiar A supergiant, single-lined spectroscopic binary HR 4049. Lines from the CO fundamental and first overtone, OH fundamental, and several H2O vibration-rotation transitions have been observed in the near-infrared spectrum. The spectrum of HR 4049 appears principally in emission through the 3 and 4.6 micron region and in absorption in the 2 micron region. The 4.6 micron spectrum shows a rich 'forest' of emission lines. All the spectral lines observed in the 2.3-4.6 micron spectrum are shown to be circumbinary in origin. The presence of OH and H2O lines confirm the oxygen-rich nature of the circumbinary gas which is in contrast to the previously detected carbon-rich material. The emission and absorption line profiles show that the circumbinary gas is located in a thin, rotating layer near the dust disk. The properties of the dust and gas circumbinary disk and the spectroscopic orbit yield masses for the individual stars, M_AI~0.58 Msolar and M_MV~0.34 Msolar. Gas in the disk also has an outward flow with a velocity of $\gtrsim$ 1 km/s. The severe depletion of refractory elements but near-solar abundances of volatile elements observed in HR 4049 results from abundance winnowing. The separation of the volatiles from the grains in the disk and the subsequent accretion by the star are discussed. Contrary to prior reports, the HR 4049 carbon and oxygen isotopic abundances are typical AGB values: 12C/13C=6^{+9}_{-4} and 16O/17O>200. |
Astrop | SN 2003du: 480 days in the Life of a Normal Type Ia Supernova | An extensive set of optical and NIR photometry and low-resolution spectra the Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 2003du was obtained using a number of facilities. The observations started 13 days before B-band maximum light and continued for 480 days with exceptionally good time sampling. The optical photometry was calibrated through the S-correction technique. The UBVRIJHK light curves and the color indices of SN 2003du closely resemble those of normal SNe Ia. SN 2003du reached a B-band maximum of 13.49 (+/-0.02) mag on JD2452766.38 (+/-0.5). We derive a B-band stretch parameter of 0.988 (+/-0.003), which corresponds to dM15=1.02 (+/-0.05), indicative of a SN Ia of standard luminosity. The reddening in the host galaxy was estimated by three methods, and was consistently found to be negligible. We estimate a distance modulus of 32.79 (+/-0.15) mag to the host galaxy, UGC 9391. The peak UVOIR bolometric luminosity of 1.35(+/-0.20) 10^43 erg/s and Arnett's rule implies that M(Ni56)=0.68 (+/-0.14)M_sun of Ni56 was synthesized during the explosion. Modeling of the UVOIR bolometric light curve also indicates M(Ni56) in the range 0.6-0.8 M_sun. The spectral evolution of SN 2003du at both optical and NIR wavelengths also closely resembles normal SNe Ia. In particular, the Si II ratio at maximum R(Si II)=0.22 (+/-0.02) and the time evolution of the blueshift velocities of the absorption line minima are typical. The pre-maximum spectra of SN 2003du showed conspicuous high-velocity features in the Ca II H&K doublet and infrared triplet, and possibly in Si II 6355, lines. We compare the time evolution of the profiles of these lines with other well-observed SNe Ia and we suggest that the peculiar pre-maximum evolution of Si II 6355 line in many SNe Ia is due to the presence of two blended absorption components. |
Astrop | Outflow and Infall in a Sample of Massive Star Forming Regions | We present single pointing observations of SiO, HCO$^+$ and H$^{13}$CO$^+$ from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope towards 23 massive star forming regions previously known to contain molecular outflows and ultracompact HII regions. We detected SiO towards 14 sources and suggest that the non-detections in the other nine sources could be due to those outflows being older and without ongoing shocks to replenish the SiO. We serendipitously detected SO$_2$ towards 17 sources in the same tuning as HCO$^+$. We detected HCO$^+$ towards all sources, and suggest that it is tracing infall in nine cases. For seven infall candidates, we estimate mass infall rates between 1$\times10^{-2}$ and 2$\times10^{-5}$ M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$. Seven sources show both SiO detections (young outflows) and HCO$^+$ infall signatures. We also find that the abundance of H$^{13}$CO$^+$ tends to increase along with the abundance of SiO in sources for which we could determine abundances. We discuss these results with respect to current theories of massive star formation via accretion. From this survey, we suggest that perhaps both models of ionized accretion and halted accretion may be important in describing the evolution of a massive protostar (or protostars) beyond the formation of an HII region. |
Astrop | Gemini Mid-IR Polarimetry of NGC1068: Polarized Structures Around the Nucleus | We present diffraction limited, 10um imaging polarimetry data for the central regions of the archetypal Seyfert AGN, NGC1068. The position angle of polarization is consistent with three dominant polarizing mechanisms. We identify three distinct regions of polarization: (a) north of the nucleus, arising from aligned dust in the NLR, (b) south, east and west of the nucleus, consistent with dust being channeled toward the central engine and (c) a central minimum of polarization consistent with a compact (<22pc) torus. These observations provide continuity between the geometrically and optically thick torus and the host galaxy's nuclear environments. These images represent the first published mid-IR polarimetry from an 8-m class telescope and illustrate the potential of such observations. |
Astrop | LNRF-velocity hump-induced oscillations of a Keplerian disc orbiting near-extreme Kerr black hole: A possible explanation of high-frequency QPOs in GRS 1915+105 | At least four high-frequency quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) at frequencies 41Hz, 67Hz, 113Hz, and 167Hz were reported in a binary system GRS 1915+105 hosting near-extreme Kerr black hole with a dimensionless spin a>0.98. We use the idea of oscillations induced by the hump of the orbital velocity profile (related to locally non-rotating frames - LNRF) in discs orbiting near-extreme Kerr black holes, which are characterized by a "humpy frequency" f_h, that could excite the radial and vertical epicyclic oscillations with frequencies f_r, f_v. Due to non-linear resonant phenomena the combinational frequencies are allowed as well. Assuming mass M=14.8M_sun and spin a=0.9998 for the GRS 1915+105 Kerr black hole, the model predicts frequencies f_h=41Hz, f_r=67Hz, (f_h+f_r)=108Hz, (f_v-f_r)=170Hz corresponding quite well to the observed ones. For black-hole parameters being in good agreement with those given observationally, the forced resonant phenomena in non-linear oscillations, excited by the "hump-induced" oscillations in a Keplerian disc, can explain high-frequency QPOs in GRS 1915+105 within the range of observational errors. |
Astrop | Compton thick AGN in the Suzaku era | Suzaku observations of two hard X-ray (> 10 keV) selected nearby Seyfert 2 galaxies are presented. Both sources were clearly detected with the PIN Hard X-ray Detector up to several tens of keV, allowing for a fairly good characterization of the broad band X-ray continuum. Both sources are heavily obscured, one of which (NGC 5728) being Compton thick, while at lower energies the shape and intensity of the scattered/reflected continuum is very different. Strong iron Kalpha lines are detected in both sources. There are also hints for the presence of a broad relativistic iron line in NGC 4992. |
Astrop | Evidence for a merger of binary white dwarfs: the case of GD 362 | GD 362 is a massive white dwarf with a spectrum suggesting a H-rich atmosphere which also shows very high abundances of Ca, Mg, Fe and other metals. However, for pure H-atmospheres the diffusion timescales are so short that very extreme assumptions have to be made to account for the observed abundances of metals. The most favored hypothesis is that the metals are accreted from either a dusty disk or from an asteroid belt. Here we propose that the envelope of GD 362 is dominated by He, which at these effective temperatures is almost completely invisible in the spectrum. This assumption strongly alleviates the problem, since the diffusion timescales are much larger for He-dominated atmospheres. We also propose that the He-dominated atmosphere of GD 362 is likely to be the result of the merger of a binary white dwarf. |
Astrop | Radio and X-ray nebulae associated with PSR J1509-5850 | We have discovered a long radio trail at 843 MHz which is apparently associated with middle age pulsar PSR J1509-5850. The radio trail has a length of ~7 arcmin. In X-rays, Chandra observations of PSR J1509-5850 reveal an associated X-ray trail which extends in the same orientation as the radio trail. Moreover, two clumpy structures are observed along the radio trail. The larger one is proposed to be the supernova remnant (SNR) candidate MSC 319.9-0.7. Faint X-ray enhancement at the position of the SNR candidate is found in the Chandra data. |
Astrop | Core-Corona Separation in Ultra-Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions | Simple geometrical considerations show that the collision zone in high energy nuclear collisions may be divided into a central part (``core''), with high energy densities, and a peripheral part (``corona''), with smaller energy densities, more like in pp or pA collisions. We present calculations which allow to separate these two contributions, and which show that the corona contribution is quite small (but not negligible) for central collisions, but gets increasingly important with decreasing centrality. We will discuss consequences concerning results obtained in heavy ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS). |
Astrop | On the Structure and Properties of Differentially Rotating Main-Sequence Stars in the 1-2 M_sun Range | We conduct a systematic examination of the properties of models for chemically homogeneous, differentially rotating, main-sequence stars of mass 1-2 M_sun. The models were constructed using a code based on a reformulation of the self-consistent field method of computing the equilibrium stellar structure for a specified conservative internal rotation law. [abridged] Relative to nonrotating stars of the same mass, these models all have reduced luminosities and effective temperatures, and flattened photospheric shapes (i.e., decreased polar radii) with equatorial radii that can be larger or smaller, depending on the degree of differential rotation. For a fixed ratio of the axial rotation rate to the surface equatorial rotation rate, increasingly rapid rotation generally deepens convective envelopes, shrinks convective cores, and can lead to the presence of a convective core (envelope) in a 1 M_sun (2 M_sun) model, a feature that is absent in a nonrotating star of the same mass. The positions of differentially rotating models for a given mass M in the H-R diagram can be shifted in such a way as to approximate the nonrotating ZAMS over ranges in luminosity and effective temperature that correspond to a mass interval between M and about 0.7 M. We briefly note a few of the implications of these results, including (i) possible ambiguities arising from similarities between the properties of rotating and nonrotating models of different masses, (ii) a reduced radiative luminosity for a young, rapidly rotating Sun, (iii) the nuclear destruction of lithium and other light metallic species in the layers beneath an outer convective envelope, and (iv), the excitation of solar-like oscillations and the operation of a solar-like hydromagnetic dynamo in some 1.5-2 M_sun stars. |
Astrop | SDSS J102146.44+234926.3: New WZ Sge-type dwarf nova | We report CCD photometry and spectroscopy during 2006 outburst of the dwarf nova SDSS J102146.44+234926.3 (SDSS J1021). The photographic plates from the MAO, SAI and CrAO plate archives, which cover the position of the SDSS J1021, were inspected for the presence of previous outbursts. We also present the BVRcIc photometric calibration of 52 stars in SDSS J1021 vicinity, which have V-magnitude in the range of 11.21-17.23m and can serve as comparison stars. The large amplitude of the SDSS J1021 outburst of 7m, superhumps with a period below the ''period gap'', rebrightening during the declining stage of superoutburst, rarity of outbursts and obtained spectrum allow to classify this object as a WZ Sge type dwarf nova. |
Astrop | Turbulent Mixing in the Surface Layers of Accreting Neutron Stars | During accretion a neutron star (NS) is spun up as angular momentum is transported through its surface layers. We study the resulting differentially rotating profile, focusing on the impact this has for type I X-ray bursts. The predominant viscosity is likely provided by the Tayler-Spruit dynamo. The radial and azimuthal magnetic field components have strengths of ~10^5 G and ~10^10 G, respectively. This leads to nearly uniform rotation at the depths of interest for X-ray bursts. A remaining small shear transmits the accreted angular momentum inward to the NS interior. Though this shear gives little viscous heating, it can trigger turbulent mixing. Detailed simulations will be required to fully understand the consequences of mixing, but our models illustrate some general features. Mixing has the greatest impact when the buoyancy at the compositional discontinuity between accreted matter and ashes is overcome. This occurs at high accretion rates, at low spin frequencies, or may depend on the ashes from the previous burst. We then find two new regimes of burning. The first is ignition in a layer containing a mixture of heavier elements from the ashes. If ignition occurs at the base of the mixed layer, recurrence times as short as ~5-30 minutes are possible. This may explain the short recurrence time of some bursts, but incomplete burning is still needed to explain these bursts' energetics. When mixing is sufficiently strong, a second regime is found where accreted helium mixes deep enough to burn stably, quenching X-ray bursts. We speculate that the observed change in X-ray burst properties near one-tenth the Eddington accretion rate is from this mechanism. The carbon-rich material produced by stable helium burning would be important for triggering and fueling superbursts. (abridged) |
Astrop | The Galactic Center | In the past decade high resolution measurements in the infrared employing adaptive optics imaging on 10m telescopes have allowed determining the three dimensional orbits stars within ten light hours of the compact radio source at the center of the Milky Way. These observations show the presence of a three million solar mass black hole in Sagittarius A* beyond any reasonable doubt. The Galactic Center thus constitutes the best astrophysical evidence for the existence of black holes which have long been postulated, and is also an ideal `lab' for studying the physics in the vicinity of such an object. Remarkably, young massive stars are present there and probably have formed in the innermost stellar cusp. Variable infrared and X-ray emission from Sagittarius A* are a new probe of the physical processes and space-time curvature just outside the event horizon. |
Astrop | Prospects of using simulations to study the photospheres of brown dwarfs | We discuss prospects of using multi-dimensional time-dependent simulations to study the atmospheres of brown dwarfs and extrasolar giant planets, including the processes of convection, radiation, dust formation, and rotation. We argue that reasonably realistic simulations are feasible, however, separated into two classes of local and global models. Numerical challenges are related to potentially large dynamic ranges, and the treatment of scattering of radiation in multi-D geometries. |
Astrop | The exceptionally extended flaring activity in the X-ray afterglow of GRB 050730 observed with Swift and XMM-Newton | We present the results of a detailed spectral and temporal analysis of Swift and XMM-Newton observations of the high redshift (z=3.969) GRB 050730. The X-ray afterglow of GRB 050730 was found to decline with time with superimposed intense flaring activity that extended over more than two orders of magnitude in time. Seven distinct re-brightening events starting from 236 s up to 41.2 ks after the burst were observed. The underlying decay of the afterglow was well described by a double broken power-law model with breaks at t_1= 237 +/- 20 s and t_2 = 10.1 (-2.2) (+4.6) ks. The temporal decay slopes before, between and after these breaks were alpha_1 = 2.1 +/- 0.3, alpha_2 = 0.44 (-0.08) (+0.14) and alpha_3 = 2.40 (+0.07) (-0.09), respectively. The spectrum of the X-ray afterglow was well described by a photoelectrically absorbed power-law with an absorbing column density N_H=(1.28 +/- 0.26) 10^22 cm^-2 in the host galaxy. Strong X-ray spectral evolution during the flaring activity was present. In the majority of the flares (6/7) the ratio Delta_t/t_p between the duration of the event and the time when the flare peaks was nearly constant and about 0.6-0.7. We showed that the observed spectral and temporal properties of the first three flares are consistent with being due both to high-latitude emission, as expected if the flares were produced by late internal shocks, or to refreshed shocks, i.e. late time energy injections into the main afterglow shock by slow moving shells ejected from the central engine during the prompt phase. The event fully satisfies the E_p-E_iso Amati relation while is not consistent with the E_p-E_jet Ghirlanda relation. |
Astrop | The obscured quasar population from optical, mid-infrared, and X-ray surveys | Over the last few years, optical, mid-infrared and X-ray surveys have brought to light a significant number of candidate obscured AGN and, among them, many Type 2 quasars, the long-sought after "big cousins'' of local Seyfert 2 galaxies. However, despite the large amount of multi-wavelength data currently available, a proper census and a panchromatic view of the obscured AGN/quasar population are still missing, mainly due to observational limitations. Here we provide a review of recent results on the identification of obscured AGN, focusing primarily on the population of Type 2 quasars selected in the optical band from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. |
Astrop | The Realm of the First Quasars in the Universe: the X-ray View | We review the X-ray studies of the highest redshift quasars, focusing on the results obtained with Chandra and XMM-Newton. Overall, the X-ray and broad-band properties of z>4 quasars and local quasars are similar, suggesting that the small-scale X-ray emission regions of AGN are insensitive to the significant changes occurring at z=0-6. |
Astrop | The obscured X-ray source population in the HELLAS2XMM survey: the Spitzer view | Recent X-ray surveys have provided a large number of high-luminosity, obscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), the so-called Type 2 quasars. Despite the large amount of multi-wavelength supporting data, the main parameters related to the black holes harbored in such AGN are still poorly known. Here we present the results obtained for a sample of eight Type 2 quasars in the redshift range 0.9-2.1 selected from the HELLAS2XMM survey, for which we used Ks-band, Spitzer IRAC and MIPS data at 24 micron to estimate bolometric corrections, black hole masses, and Eddington ratios. |
Astrop | IRAS 18317-0757: A Cluster of Embedded Massive Stars and Protostars | We present high-resolution, multiwavelength continuum and molecular-line images of the massive star forming region IRAS 18317-0757. The IR through mm spectral energy distribution can be approximated by a two-temperature model (25 and 63 K) with a total luminosity of approximately log(L/Lsun)=5.2. Previous submm imaging resolved this region into a cluster of 5 dust cores, one of which is associated with the UCHII region G23.96+0.15, and another with an H2O maser. In our new 2.7 mm continuum image, only the UCHII region is detected, with total flux and morphology in good agreement with the free-free emission in VLA cm-wave maps. For the other four objects, the nondetections at 2.7 mm and in the MSX mid-IR bands are consistent with cool dust emission with a temperature of 13-40K and luminosity of 1000-40000 Lsun. By combining single-dish and interferometric data, we have identified over two dozen virialized C18O cores in this region that contain ~40% of the total molecular gas mass present. While the overall extent of the C18O and dust emission is similar, the emission peaks do not correlate well in detail. At least 11 of the 123 stars identified by 2MASS in this region are likely to be within the star-forming cluster. Two stars (both associated with the UCHII region) were previously identified as O stars via IR spectroscopy. Most of the rest of the reddened stars have no obvious correlation with the C18O cores or the dust cores. In summary, our observations indicate that considerable fragmentation of the molecular cloud has taken place during the time required for the UCHII region to form and the O stars to become detectable at IR wavelengths. Additional star formation appears to be ongoing on the periphery of the central region, where up to four B-type (proto)stars have formed among a substantial number of C18O molecular cores. |
Astrop | Photometry of the SW Sex-type nova-like BH Lyncis in high state | Aims: We present a photometric study of the deeply eclipsing SW Sex-type nova-like cataclysmic variable star BH Lyn Methods: Time-resolved V-band CCD photometry was obtained for seven nights between 1999 and 2004. Results: We determined 11 new eclipse timings of BH Lyn and derived a refined orbital ephemeris with an orbital period of 0.155875577(14) day. During the observations, BH Lyn was in high-state with V~15.5 mag. The star presents ~1.5 mag deep eclipses with mean full-width at half-flux of 0.0683(+/-0.0054)P_orb. The eclipse shape is highly variable, even changing form cycle to cycle. This is most likely due to accretion disc surface brightness distribution variations, most probably caused by strong flickering. Time-dependent accretion disc self-occultation or variations of the hot spot(s) intensity are also possible explanations. Negative superhumps with period of ~0.145 day are detected in two long runs in 2000. A possible connection between SW Sex and negative superhump phenomena through the presence of tilted accretion disc is discussed, and a way to observationally test this is suggested. |
Astrop | The Reverse Shock of SNR 1987A | The reverse shock of supernova remnant (SNR) 1987A emits in H-alpha and Ly-alpha, and comes in two flavors: surface and interior. The former is due to direct, impact excitation of hydrogen atoms crossing the shock, while the latter is the result of charge transfer reactions between these atoms and slower, post-shock ions. Interior and surface emission are analogous to the broad- and narrow-line components observed in Balmer-dominated SNRs. I summarize a formalism to derive line intensities and ratios in these SNRs, as well as a study of the transition zone in supernova shocks; I include an appendix where I derive in detail the ratio of broad to narrow H-alpha emission. Further study of the reverse shock emission from SNR 1987A will allow us to predict when it will vanish and further investigate the origins of the interior emission. |
Astrop | 3.8-Micron Photometry During the Secondary Eclipse of the Extrasolar Planet HD 209458b | We report infrared photometry of the extrasolar planet HD 209458b during the time of secondary eclipse (planet passing behind the star). Observations were acquired during two secondary eclipses at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) in September 2003. We used a circular variable filter (1.5-percent bandpass) centered at 3.8 microns to isolate the predicted flux peak of the planet at this wavelength. Residual telluric absorption and instrument variations were removed by offsetting the telescope to nearby bright comparison stars at a high temporal cadence. Our results give a secondary eclipse depth of 0.0013 +/- 0.0011, not yet sufficient precision to detect the eclipse, whose expected depth is approximately 0.002 - 0.003. We here elucidate the current observational limitations to this technique, and discuss the approach needed to achieve detections of hot Jupiter secondary eclipses at 3.8 microns from the ground. |
Astrop | Colliding Branes and Formation of Spacetime Singularities | We construct a class of analytic solutions with two free parameters to the five-dimensional Einstein field equations, which represents the collision of two timelike 3-branes. We study the local and global properties of the spacetime, and find that spacelike singularities generically develop after the collision, due to the mutual focus of the two branes. Non-singular spacetime can be constructed only in the case where both of the two branes violate the energy conditions. |
Astrop | Observations towards early-type stars in the ESO-POP survey: II -- searches for intermediate and high velocity clouds | We present CaII K and TiII optical spectra of early-type stars taken mainly from the UVES Paranal Observatory Project, plus HI 21-cm spectra from the Vila-Elisa and Leiden-Dwingeloo surveys, which are employed to obtain distances to intermediate and high velocity clouds. HI emission at a velocity of -117 km/s towards the sightline HD 30677 with NHI=1.7x10^19 cm-2 has no corresponding CaII K absorption, which has a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 610. The star has a spectroscopically determined distance of 2.7-kpc, and hence sets this as a firm lower distance limit towards Anti-Centre cloud ACII. Towards another sightline (HD 46185), HI at +122 km/s and NHI=1.2x10^19 cm-2 is seen. The CaII K spectrum has a S/N = 780, although no absorption is observed at the cloud velocity. This similarly places a firm lower distance limit of 2.9-kpc towards this parcel of gas that may be an intermediate velocity cloud. The lack of intermediate velocity (IV) CaII K absorption towards HD 196426 at a S/N = 500 reinforces a lower distance limit of 700-pc towards this part of Complex gp, where NHI is 1.1x10^19 cm-2 and velocity is +78 km/s. Additionally, no IV CaII K is seen in absorption in the spectrum of HD 19445, which is strong in HI with NHI=8x10^19 cm-2 at -42 km/s, placing a firm although uninteresting lower distance limit of 39-pc to this part of IV South. Finally, no HV CaII K absorption is seen towards HD 115363 at a S/N = 410, placing a lower distance of 3.2-kpc towards the HVC gas at velocity of +224 km/s and NHI=5.2x10^19 cm-2. This gas is in the same region of the sky as complex WE (Wakker 2001), but at higher velocities. The non-detection of CaII K absorption sets a lower distance of 3.2-kpc towards the HVC, which is unsurprising if this feature is indeed related to the Magellanic System. |
Astrop | The Haunted Halos of Andromeda and Triangulum: A panorama of galaxy formation in action | We present a deep photometric survey of M31, conducted with the CFHT and INT, covering the inner 50 kpc of the galaxy, the Southern quadrant out to 150 kpc, and extending to M33. This is the first systematic panoramic study of this very outermost region of galaxies. We detect several streams and other large-scale structures, and two new dwarf galaxies: And XV and XVI. The discovery of substructure on the minor axis, together with the fact that the light profile between 0.5 < R < 1.3 follows the exponential ``extended disk'', is particularly important in shedding light on the mixed and sometimes conflicting results reported in previous studies. Underlying the substructures lies a faint, metal-poor, smooth and extremely extended halo, reaching out to at least 150 kpc. The smooth halo component in M31 has a profile that can be fit with a Hernquist model of immense scale radius ~55 kpc, almost a factor of 4 larger than theoretical predictions. Alternatively a power-law with exponent -1.91 +/- 0.11 can be fit to the profile. The total luminosity of this structure is similar to that of the halo of the Milky Way. This vast, smooth, underlying halo is reminiscent of a classical monolithic model and completely unexpected from modern galaxy formation models. M33 is also found to have an extended metal-poor halo component, which can be fit with a Hernquist model also of scale radius ~55 kpc. These extended slowly-decreasing halos will provide a challenge and strong constraints for further modeling. [Abridged] |
Astrop | Identifying Dark Matter Burners in the Galactic center | If the supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the center of our Galaxy grew adiabatically, then a dense "spike" of dark matter is expected to have formed around it. Assuming that dark matter is composed primarily of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), a star orbiting close enough to the SMBH can capture WIMPs at an extremely high rate. The stellar luminosity due to annihilation of captured WIMPs in the stellar core may be comparable to or even exceed the luminosity of the star due to thermonuclear burning. The model thus predicts the existence of unusual stars, i.e. "WIMP burners", in the vicinity of an adiabatically grown SMBH. We find that the most efficient WIMP burners are stars with degenerate electron cores, e.g. white dwarfs (WD) or degenerate cores with envelopes. If found, such stars would provide evidence for the existence of particle dark matter and could possibly be used to establish its density profile. In our previous paper we computed the luminosity from WIMP burning for a range of dark matter spike density profiles, degenerate core masses, and distances from the SMBH. Here we compare our results with the observed stars closest to the Galactic center and find that they could be consistent with WIMP burners in the form of degenerate cores with envelopes. We also cross-check the WIMP burner hypothesis with the EGRET observed flux of gamma-rays from the Galactic center, which imposes a constraint on the dark matter spike density profile and annihilation cross-section. We find that the EGRET data is consistent with the WIMP burner hypothesis. New high precision measurements by GLAST will confirm or set stringent limits on a dark matter spike at the Galactic center, which will in turn support or set stringent limits on the existence of WIMP burners at the Galactic center. |
Astrop | Instabilities in the time-dependent neutrino disc in Gamma-Ray Bursts | We investigate the properties and evolution of accretion tori formed after the coalescence of two compact objects. At these extreme densities and temperatures, the accreting torus is cooled mainly by neutrino emission produced primarily by electron and positron capture on nucleons (beta reactions). We solve for the disc structure and its time evolution by introducing a detailed treatment of the equation of state which includes photodisintegration of helium, the condition of beta-equilibrium, and neutrino opacities. We self-consistently calculate the chemical equilibrium in the gas consisting of helium, free protons, neutrons and electron-positron pairs and compute the chemical potentials of the species, as well as the electron fraction throughout the disc. We find that, for sufficiently large accretion rates (> 10 solar masses per second), the inner regions of the disk become opaque and develop a viscous and thermal instability. The identification of this instability might be relevant for GRB observations. |
Astrop | Developing the Galactic diffuse emission model for the GLAST Large Area Telescope | Diffuse emission is produced in energetic cosmic ray (CR) interactions, mainly protons and electrons, with the interstellar gas and radiation field and contains the information about particle spectra in distant regions of the Galaxy. It may also contain information about exotic processes such as dark matter annihilation, black hole evaporation etc. A model of the diffuse emission is important for determination of the source positions and spectra. Calculation of the Galactic diffuse continuum gamma-ray emission requires a model for CR propagation as the first step. Such a model is based on theory of particle transport in the interstellar medium as well as on many kinds of data provided by different experiments in Astrophysics and Particle and Nuclear Physics. Such data include: secondary particle and isotopic production cross sections, total interaction nuclear cross sections and lifetimes of radioactive species, gas mass calibrations and gas distribution in the Galaxy (H_2, H I, H II), interstellar radiation field, CR source distribution and particle spectra at the sources, magnetic field, energy losses, gamma-ray and synchrotron production mechanisms, and many other issues. We are continuously improving the GALPROP model and the code to keep up with a flow of new data. Improvement in any field may affect the Galactic diffuse continuum gamma-ray emission model used as a background model by the GLAST LAT instrument. Here we report about the latest improvements of the GALPROP and the diffuse emission model. |
Astrop | Prompt Emission of High Energy Photons from Gamma Ray Bursts | Within the internal shock scenario we consider different mechanisms of high energy ($>1$ MeV) photon production inside a Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) fireball and derive the expected high energy photon spectra from individual GRBs during the prompt phase. The photon spectra of leptonic and hadronic origins are compared within different sets of parameter regimes. Our results suggest that the high energy emission is dominated by the leptonic component if fraction of shock energy carried by electrons is not very small (e.g. $\epsilon_e > 10^{-3}$). For very small values of $\epsilon_e$ the hadronic emission component could be comparable to or even exceed the leptonic component in the GeV-TeV regime. However, in this case a much larger energy budget of the fireball is required to account for the same level of the observed sub-MeV spectrum. The fireballs are therefore extremely inefficient in radiation. For a canonical fireball bulk Lorentz factor (e.g. $\Gamma=400$), emissions above $\sim 10$ GeV are attenuated by two-photon pair production processes. For a fireball with an even higher Lorentz factor, the cutoff energy is higher, and emissions of 10 TeV - PeV due to $\pi^0$-decay can also escape from the internal shocks. The flux level is however too low to be detected by current TeV detectors, and these photons also suffer attenuation by external soft photons. |
Astrop | SkyMapper and the Southern Sky Survey - a resource for the southern sky | SkyMapper is amongst the first of a new generation of dedicated, wide-field survey telescopes. The 1.3m SkyMapper telescope features a 5.7 square degree field-of-view Cassegrain imager and will see first light in late 2007. The primary goal of the facility is to conduct the Southern Sky Survey a six colour, six epoch survey of the southern sky. The survey will provide photometry for objects between 8th and 23rd magnitude with global photometric accuracy of 0.03 magnitudes and astrometry to 50 mas. This will represent a valuable scientific resource for the southern sky and in addition provide a basis for photometric and astrometric calibration of imaging data. |
Astrop | Prediction of future fifteen solar cycles | In the previous study (Hiremath 2006a), the solar cycle is modeled as a forced and damped harmonic oscillator and from all the 22 cycles (1755-1996), long-term amplitudes, frequencies, phases and decay factor are obtained. Using these physical parameters of the previous 22 solar cycles and by an {\em autoregressive model}, we predict the amplitude and period of the future fifteen solar cycles. Predicted amplitude of the present solar cycle (23) matches very well with the observations. The period of the present cycle is found to be 11.73 years. With these encouraging results, we also predict the profiles of future 15 solar cycles. Important predictions are : (i) the period and amplitude of the cycle 24 are 9.34 years and 110 ($\pm 11$), (ii) the period and amplitude of the cycle 25 are 12.49 years and 110 ($\pm$ 11), (iii) during the cycles 26 (2030-2042 AD), 27 (2042-2054 AD), 34 (2118-2127 AD), 37 (2152-2163 AD) and 38 (2163-2176 AD), the sun might experience a very high sunspot activity, (iv) the sun might also experience a very low (around 60) sunspot activity during cycle 31 (2089-2100 AD) and, (v) length of the solar cycles vary from 8.65 yrs for the cycle 33 to maximum of 13.07 yrs for the cycle 35. |
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