Stellar evolution tracks and isochrones are key inputs for a wide range of
astrophysical studies; in particular, they are essential to the interpretation
of photometric and spectroscopic observations of resolved and unresolved
stellar populations. We have made available to the astrophysical community a
large, homogenous database of up-to-date stellar tracks and isochrones, and a
set of programs useful in population synthesis studies.
In this paper we first summarize the main properties of our stellar model
database (BaSTI) already introduced in Pietrinferni et al. (2004) and
Pietrinferni et al. (2006). We then discuss an important update of the
database, i.e., the extension of all stellar models and isochrones until the
end of the thermal pulses along the Asymptotic Giant Branch. This extension of
the library is particularly relevant for stellar population analyses in the
near-infrared, or longer wavelengths, where the contribution to the integrated
photometric properties by cool and bright Asymptotic Giant Branch stars is
significant. A few comparisons with empirical data are also presentend and
briefly discussed. We then present three web-tools that allow an interactive
access to the database, and make possible to compute user-specified
evolutionary tracks, isochrones, stellar luminosity functions, plus synthetic
Color-Magnitude-Diagrams and integrated magnitudes for arbitrary Star Formation
Histories. All these web tools are available at the BaSTI database official
site: this http URL
We have observed seven powerful FR2 radiogalaxies and seven quasars with the Spitzer IRS. Both samples are comparable in both, redshift range and isotropic 178 Hz luminosity. Both samples are found to have similar distributions in the luminosity ratios of Mid-IR high- and low-excitation lines ([NeV]/[NeII]), and of Mid-IR high-excitation line to radio power ratio ([NeV]/P_178MHz). However, the MIR/FIR ratio is generally higher for quasars. We further observed Silicate features at 10 and 18micron in emission. In our sample only quasars show emission features, while silicate absorption is seen only in the radio galaxies. These observations are all in agreement with unification schemes that explain both groups as the same class of objects seen under different orientation angles.
To aid in the physical interpretation of planetary radii constrained through observations of transiting planets, or eventually direct detections, we compute model radii of pure hydrogen-helium, water, rock, and iron planets, along with various mixtures. Masses ranging from 0.01 Earth masses to 10 Jupiter masses at orbital distances of 0.02 to 10 AU are considered. For hydrogen-helium rich planets, our models are the first to couple planetary evolution to stellar irradiation over a wide range of orbital separations (0.02 to 10 AU) through a non-gray radiative-convective equilibrium atmosphere model. Stellar irradiation retards the contraction of giant planets, but its effect is not a simple function of the irradiation level: a planet at 1 AU contracts as slowly as a planet at 0.1 AU. For hydrogen-helium planets, we consider cores up to 90% of the total planet mass, comparable to those of Uranus and Neptune. If "hot Neptunes" have maintained their original masses and are not remnants of more massive planets, radii of 0.30-0.45 times Jupiter's radius are expected. Water planets are ~40-50% larger than rocky planets, independent of mass. Finally, we provide tables of planetary radii at various ages and compositions, and for ice-rock-iron planets we fit our results to analytic functions, which will allow for quick composition estimates, given masses and radii, or mass estimates, given only planetary radii. These results will assist in the interpretation of observations for both the current transiting planet surveys as well as upcoming space missions, including CoRoT and Kepler.
We compare a large set of cosmologies with WMAP data, performing a fit based
on a MCMC algorithm. Besides of LCDM models, we take dynamical DE models, where
DE and DM are uncoupled or coupled, both in the case of constant coupling and
in the case when coupling varies with suitable laws. DE however arises from a
scalar field self-interacting through a SUGRA potential. We find that the best
fitting model is SUGRA dynamical DE, almost indipendently from the exponent
alpha in the self-interaction potential.
The main target of this work are however coupled DE models, for which we find
limits on the DE-DM coupling strength. In the case of variable coupling, we
also find that greater values of the Hubble constant are preferred.
We study the acceleration of the star HE0437-5439, to hypervelocity and discuss its possible origin in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The star has a radial velocity of 723 km/s and is located at a distance of 61 kpc from the Sun. With a mass of about 8 Msun, the travel time from the Galactic centre is of about 100 Myr, much longer than its main sequence lifetime. Given the relatively small distance to the LMC (18 kpc), we consider it likely that HE0437-5439 originated in the cloud rather than in the Galactic centre, like the other hypervelocity stars. The minimum ejection velocity required to travel from the LMC to its current location within its lifetime is of about 500 kms. Such a high velocity can only be obtained in a dynamical encounter with a massive black hole. We perform 3-body scattering simulations in which a stellar binary encounters a massive black hole and find that a black hole more massive than 1000 Msun is necessary to explain the high velocity of HE0437-5439. We argue that the most likely birth place for HE0437-5439 in the LMC is the star cluster NGC 330, which is young enough to host stars coeval to HE0437-5439, and dense enough to produce an intermediate mass black hole able to eject an 8 Msun star with hypervelocity.
We present an investigation of massive star formation that results from the gravitational collapse of massive, magnetized molecular cloud cores. We investigate this by means of highly resolved, numerical simulations of initial magnetized Bonnor-Ebert-Spheres that undergo collapse and cooling. By comparing three different cases - an isothermal collapse, a collapse with radiative cooling, and a magnetized collapse - we show that massive stars assemble quickly with mass accretion rates exceeding 10^-3 Msol/yr. We confirm that the mass accretion during the collapsing phase is much more efficient than predicted by selfsimilar collapse solutions, i.e. dM/dt ~ c^3/G. We find that during protostellar assembly the mass accretion reaches 20 - 100 c^3/G. Furthermore, we determined the self-consistent structure of bipolar outflows that are produced in our three dimensional magnetized collapse simulations. These outflows produce cavities out of which radiation pressure can be released, thereby reducing the limitations on the final mass of massive stars formed by gravitational collapse. Moreover, we argue that the extraction of angular momentum by disk-threaded magnetic fields and/or by the appearance of bars with spiral arms significantly enhance the mass accretion rate, thereby helping the massive protostar to assemble more quickly.
We present a model of Fourier Power Density Spectrum (PDS) formation in accretion powered X-ray binary systems derived from the first principles of the diffusion theory. Timing properties of X-ray emission are considered to be a result of diffusive propagation of the driving perturbations in a bounded medium. We prove that the integrated power P_x of the resulting PDS is only a small fraction of the integrated power P_dr of the driving oscillations, which is distributed over the disk. The resulting PDS continuum is a sum of two components, a low frequency (LF) component which presumably originates in an extended accretion disk and a high frequency (HF) component which originates in the innermost part of the source (Compton cloud or corona). The LF PDS component has a power-law shape with index of 1.0-1.5 at higher frequencies (``red'' noise) and a flat spectrum below a characteristic (break) frequency (``white'' noise). This white-red noise (WRN) continuum spectrum holds information about the physical parameters of the bounded extended medium, diffusion time scale and the dependence law of viscosity vs radius. We apply our model of the PDS to a sample of RXTE and EXOSAT timing data from Cyg X-1 and Cyg X-2 which describes adequately the spectral transitions in these sources.
To derive physical properties of the neutron star surface with observed spectra, a realistic model spectrum of neutron star surface emission is essential. Limited by computing resources, a full computation of the radiative transfer equations without the diffusion approximation has been conducted up to date only for the case of local magnetic fields being perpendicular to the stellar surface. In this paper we report the full-computation result for an arbitrary field direction. For comparison we also compute the radiative transfer equation using the diffusion approximation. For a given effective temperature, the computed spectrum with the diffusion approximation is always softer than that of a full computation at a non-negligible level. It leads to an over-estimate of the effective temperature if the diffusion approximation spectrum is employed in the spectral fitting. Other characteristics for different magnetic field orientations, such as the beaming pattern of the two polarization modes and the structure of the atmosphere, are also discussed.
We investigate a pair creation cascade in the magnetosphere of a rapidly rotating neutron star. We solve the set of the Poisson equation for the electro-static potential and the Boltzmann equations for electrons, positrons, and gamma-ray photons simultaneously. In this paper, we first examine the time-dependent nature of particle accelerators by solving the non-stationary Boltzmann equations on the two-dimensional poloidal plane in which both the rotational and magnetic axes reside. Evaluating the temperature of the heated polar cap surface, which is located near the magnetic pole, by the bombardment of gap-accelerated particles, and applying the scheme to millisecond pulsar parameters, we demonstrate that the solution converges to a stationary solution of which pair-creation cascade is maintained by the heated polar-cap emission, in a wide range of three-dimensional parameter space (period, period derivative, magnetic inclination angle). We also present the deathlines of millisecond pulsars.
This paper reviews some of the most recent advances in the application of the Hanle effect to solar physics, and how these developments are allowing us to explore the magnetism of the photospheric regions that look ``empty'' in solar magnetograms--that is, the Sun's ``hidden'' magnetism. In particular, we show how a joint analysis of the Hanle effect in atomic and molecular lines indicates that there is a vast amount of hidden magnetic energy and unsigned magnetic flux localized in the (intergranular) downflowing regions of the quiet solar photosphere, carried mainly by tangled fields at sub-resolution scales with strengths between the equipartition field values and 1 kG.
Electrostatic oscillations in cold electron-positron plasmas can be coupled to a propagating electromagnetic mode if the background magnetic field is inhomogeneous. Previous work considered this coupling in the quasi-linear regime, successfully simulating the electromagnetic mode. Here we present a stability analysis of the non-linear problem, perturbed from dynamical equilibrium, in order to gain some insight into the modes present in the system.
The spin periods of the neutron stars in most Low Mass X-ray Binary (LMXB) systems still remain undetected. One of the models to explain the absence of coherent pulsations has been the suppression of the beamed signal by Compton scattering of X-ray photons by electrons in a surrounding corona. We point out that simultaneously with wiping out the pulsation signal, such a corona will upscatter (pulsating or not) X-ray emission originating at and/or near the surface of the neutron star leading to appearance of a hard tail of Comptonized radiation in the source spectrum. We analyze the hard X-ray spectra of a selected set of LMXBs and demonstrate that the optical depth of the corona is not likely to be large enough to cause the pulsations to disappear.
It is shown that the slow glitches in the spin rate of the pulsar B1822-09 can be explained by the reconstruction of the neutron star shape, which is not matched with the star rotation axis. Owing to the evolution of the inclination angle, i.e. the angle between the rotation axis and the axis of the magnetic dipole, under the action of the braking torque, there appears the disagreement between the rotation axis and the symmetry axis. After the angle between the axis of symmetry and the axis of the rotation achieves the maximum value of alpha ~ 2x10^-4 the shape of the neutron star becomes matching with the rotation axis. Such reconstruction is observed as the slow glitch.
We solve the time-dependent dynamics of axisymmetric, general relativistic MHD winds from rotating neutron stars. The mass loss rate is obtained self consistently as a solution of the MHD equations, subject to a finite thermal pressure at the stellar surface. Conditions are chosen to be representative of the neutrino driven phase in newly born magnetars, which have been considered as a possible engine for GRBs. We compute the angular momentum and energy losses as a function of $\sigma$ and compare them with the analytic expectation from the classical theory of pulsar winds. We observe the convergence to the force-free limit in the energy loss and we study the evolution of the closed zone for increasing magnetization. Results also show that the dipolar magnetic field and the presence of a closed zone do not modify significantly the acceleration and collimation properties of the wind.
We propose a model, which naturally explains an unusual thermal X-ray emission, observed from PSR J1119-6127. The model is based on the assumption that the pulsar magnetic field near the stellar surface differs significantly from the pure dipole field. We show that the structure and curvature of the field lines can be of the kind that allows the pair creation in the closed field line region. The created pairs propagate along the closed field lines and heat the stellar surface beyond the local poles. It is demonstrated that such a configuration can be easily realized.
Here we present the results from an analysis of a multifrequency simultaneous observation of PSR B0031$-$07. We have constructed a geometrical model, based on an empirical relationship between height and frequency of emission, that reproduces many of the observed characteristics. The model suggests very low emission altitudes for this pulsar of only a few kilometers above the star's surface.
Accretion of interstellar material by a magnetized, slowly rotating isolated neutron star is discussed. We show that the average persistent X-ray luminosity of these objects is unlikely to exceed 4x10^26 erg/s. They can also appear as X-ray bursters with the burst duration of ~30 minutes and repetition time of \~10^5 yr. This indicates that the number of the accreting isolated neutron stars which could be observed with recent X-ray missions is a few orders of magnitude smaller than that previously estimated. Our findings argue against models in which the magnetic field of neutron stars is assumed to decay exponentially on a time scale shorter than 500 Myr.
Raytracing computations for light emitted from the surface of a rapidly rotating neutron star are carried out in order to construct light curves for accreting millisecond pulsars. These calculations are for realistic models of rapidly rotating neutron stars which take into account both the correct exterior metric and the oblate shape of the star. We find that the most important effect, comparing the full raytracing computations with simpler approximations currently in use, arises from the oblate shape of the rotating star. Approximating a rotating neutron star as a sphere introduces serious errors in fitted values of the star's radius and mass if the rotation rate is very large. However, for lower rotation rates acceptable mass and radius values can be obtained using the spherical approximation.
Model atmospheres of isolated neutron stars with low magnetic field are calculated with Compton scattering taking into account. Models with effective temperatures 1, 3 and 5 MK, with two values of surface gravity log(g)g = 13.9 and 14.3), and different chemical compositions are calculated. Radiation spectra computed with Compton scattering are softer than the computed with Thomson scattering at high energies (E > 5 keV) for hot (T_eff > 1 MK) atmospheres with hydrogen-helium composition. Compton scattering is more significant to hydrogen models with low surface gravity. The emergent spectra of the hottest (T_eff > 3 MK) model atmospheres can be described by diluted blackbody spectra with hardness factors ~ 1.6 - 1.9. Compton scattering is less important for models with solar abundance of heavy elements.
We derive optimal filters on the sphere in the context of detecting compact objects embedded in a stochastic background process. The matched filter and the scale adaptive filter are derived on the sphere in the most general setting, allowing for directional template profiles and filters. The performance and relative merits of the two optimal filters are discussed. The application of optimal filter theory on the sphere to the detection of compact objects is demonstrated on simulated mock data. A naive detection strategy is adopted, with an initial aim of illustrating the application of the new optimal filters derived on the sphere. Nevertheless, this simple object detection strategy is demonstrated to perform well, even a low signal-to-noise ratio. Code written to compute optimal filters on the sphere (S2FIL), to perform fast directional filtering on the sphere (FastCSWT) and to construct the simulated mock data (COMB) are all made publicly available. (Accompanying code will be made publicly available on publication of this paper.)
Our goal is to study the effects of the UV radiation from the first stars, quasars and decays of the hypothetical Super Heavy Dark Matter (SHDM) particles on the formation of primordial bound objects in the Universe. We trace the evolution of a spherically symmetric density perturbation in the Lambda Cold Dark Matter ($\Lambda$CDM) and MOND models, solving the frequency-dependent radiative transfer equation, non-equilibrium chemistry, and one-dimensional gas hydrodynamics. We concentrate on the destruction and formation processes of the H$_2$ molecule, which is the main coolant in the primordial objects.
We present a method to analyze the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of young stellar objects (YSOs). Our approach is to fit data with pre-computed 2-D radiation transfer models spanning a large region of parameter space. This allows us to determine not only a single set of physical parameter values but the entire range of values consistent with the multi-wavelength observations of a given source. In this way we hope to avoid any over-interpretation when modeling a set of data. We have constructed spectral energy distributions from optical to sub-mm wavelengths, including new Spitzer IRAC and MIPS photometry, for 30 young and spatially resolved sources in the Taurus-Auriga star-forming region. We demonstrate fitting model SEDs to these sources, and find that we correctly identify the evolutionary stage and physical parameters found from previous independent studies, such as disk mass, disk accretion rate, and stellar temperature. We also explore how fluxes at various wavelengths help to constrain physical parameters, and show examples of degeneracies that can occur when fitting SEDs. A web-based version of this tool is available to the community at this http URL .
We present an analysis of the broadband radio spectrum (from 22 to 3900 MHz) of the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) HB3 (G132.7+1.3). Published observations have revealed that a curvature is present in the radio spectrum of this SNR, indicating that a single synchrotron component appears is insufficient to adequately fit the spectrum. We present here a fit to this spectrum using a combination of a synchrotron component and a thermal bremsstrahlung component. We discuss properties of this latter component and estimate the ambient density implied by the presence of this component to be n \~ 10 cm^-3. We have also analyzed extracted X-ray spectra from archived {\it ASCA} GIS observations of different regions of HB3 to obtain independent estimates of the density of the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). From this analysis, we have derived electron densities of 0.1-0.4 f^-1/2 cm^-3 for the ISM for the three different regions of the SNR, where f is the volume filling factor. By comparing these density estimates with the estimate derived from the thermal bremsstrahlung component, we argue that the radio thermal bremsstrahlung emission is emitted from a thin shell enclosing HB3. The presence of this thermal bremsstrahlung component in the radio spectrum of HB3 suggests that this SNR is in fact interacting with an adjacent molecular cloud associated with the HII region W3. By extension, we argue that the presence of thermal emission at radio wavelengths may be a useful tool for identifying interactions between SNRs and molecular clouds, and for estimating the ambient density near SNRs using radio continuum data.
We use FUSE, HST, and SDSS spectra of the cataclysmic variable SDSSJ0809 to illustrate procedures for calculating and testing system models. Our final model has an accretion disk temperature profile similar to the SW Sextantis profile determined from tomographic reconstruction.
We study the origin of the predictive skill of some methods to forecast the strength of solar activity cycles. A simple flux transport model for the azimuthally averaged radial magnetic field at the solar surface is used, which contains a source term describing the emergence of new flux based on observational sunspot data. We consider the magnetic flux diffusing over the equator as a predictor, since this quantity is directly related to the global dipole field from which a Babcock-Leighton dynamo generates the toroidal field for the next activity cycle. If the source is represented schematically by a narrow activity belt drifting with constant speed over a fixed range of latitudes between activity minima, our predictor shows considerable predictive skill with correlation coefficients up to 0.95 for past cycles. However, the predictive skill is completely lost when the actually observed emergence latitudes are used. This result originates from the fact that the precursor amplitude is determined by the sunspot activity a few years before solar minimum. Since stronger cycles tend to rise faster to their maximum activity (known as the Waldmeier effect), the temporal overlapping of cycles leads to a shift of the minimum epochs that depends on the strength of the following cycle. This information is picked up by precursor methods and also by our flux transport model with a schematic source. Therefore, their predictive skill does not require a memory, i.e., a physical connection between the surface manifestations of subsequent activity cycles.
Neutrinos are the best candidates to test the extreme Universe and ideas beyond the Standard Model of particle Physics. Once produced, neutrinos do not suffer any kind of attenuation by intervening radiation fields like the Cosmic Microwave Background and are not affected by magnetic fields. In this sense neutrinos are useful messengers from the far and young Universe. In the present paper we will discuss a particular class of sources of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays introduced to explain the possible excess of events with energy larger than the Graisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cut-off. These sources, collectively called top-down, share a common feature: UHE particles are produced in the decay or annihilation of superheavy, exotic, particles. As we will review in the present paper, the largest fraction of Ultra High Energy particles produced in the top-down scenario are neutrinos. The study of these radiation offers us a unique opportunity to test the exotic mechanisms of the top-down scenario.
Large numbers of young stars are formed in merging galaxies, such as the Antennae galaxies. Most of these stars are formed in compact star clusters (i.e., super star clusters), which have been the focus of a large number of studies. However, an increasing number of projects are beginning to focus on the individual stars as well. In this contribution, we examine a few results relevant to the triggering of star and star cluster formation; ask what fraction of stars form in the field rather than in clusters; and begin to explore the demographics of both the massive stars and star clusters in the Antennae.
We use analysis results from a low state of the VY Sculptoris system MV Lyrae, considered in an earlier paper (Hoard et al., 2004, ApJ, 604, 346), to study archival IUE spectra taken during an intermediate state and a HST spectrum taken during a high state. The intermediate state spectrum can be best fit by an isothermal accretion disk extending half way to the tidal cutoff radius. The high state spectrum can be best fit by a standard model extending from an inner truncation radius to an intermediate radius and an isothermal accretion disk beyond.
The destiny of planetary systems through the late evolution of their host stars is very uncertain. We report a metal-rich gas disk around a moderately hot and young white dwarf. A dynamical model of the double-peaked emission lines constrains the outer disk radius to just 1.2 solar radii. The likely origin of the disk is a tidally disrupted asteroid, which has been destabilised from its initial orbit at a distance of more than 1000 solar radii by the interaction with a relatively massive planetesimal object or a planet. The white dwarf mass of 0.77 solar masses implies that planetary systems may form around high-mass stars.
Theoretical nucleosynthetic yields from supernovae are sensitive to both the details of the progenitor star and the explosion calculation. We attempt to comprehensively identify the sources of uncertainties in these yields. In this paper we concentrate on the variations in yields from a single progenitor arising from common 1-dimensional methods of approximating a supernova explosion. Subsequent papers will examine 3-dimensional effects in the explosion and the progenitor, and trends in mass and composition. For the 1-dimensional explosions we find that both elemental and isotopic yields for Si and heavier elements are a sensitive function of explosion energy. Also, piston-driven and thermal bomb type explosions have different yields for the same explosion energy. Yields derived from 1-dimensional explosions are non-unique.
Stellar evolution tracks and isochrones are key inputs for a wide range of
astrophysical studies; in particular, they are essential to the interpretation
of photometric and spectroscopic observations of resolved and unresolved
stellar populations. We have made available to the astrophysical community a
large, homogenous database of up-to-date stellar tracks and isochrones, and a
set of programs useful in population synthesis studies.
In this paper we first summarize the main properties of our stellar model
database (BaSTI) already introduced in Pietrinferni et al. (2004) and
Pietrinferni et al. (2006). We then discuss an important update of the
database, i.e., the extension of all stellar models and isochrones until the
end of the thermal pulses along the Asymptotic Giant Branch. This extension of
the library is particularly relevant for stellar population analyses in the
near-infrared, or longer wavelengths, where the contribution to the integrated
photometric properties by cool and bright Asymptotic Giant Branch stars is
significant. A few comparisons with empirical data are also presentend and
briefly discussed. We then present three web-tools that allow an interactive
access to the database, and make possible to compute user-specified
evolutionary tracks, isochrones, stellar luminosity functions, plus synthetic
Color-Magnitude-Diagrams and integrated magnitudes for arbitrary Star Formation
Histories. All these web tools are available at the BaSTI database official
site: this http URL
We have observed seven powerful FR2 radiogalaxies and seven quasars with the Spitzer IRS. Both samples are comparable in both, redshift range and isotropic 178 Hz luminosity. Both samples are found to have similar distributions in the luminosity ratios of Mid-IR high- and low-excitation lines ([NeV]/[NeII]), and of Mid-IR high-excitation line to radio power ratio ([NeV]/P_178MHz). However, the MIR/FIR ratio is generally higher for quasars. We further observed Silicate features at 10 and 18micron in emission. In our sample only quasars show emission features, while silicate absorption is seen only in the radio galaxies. These observations are all in agreement with unification schemes that explain both groups as the same class of objects seen under different orientation angles.
To aid in the physical interpretation of planetary radii constrained through observations of transiting planets, or eventually direct detections, we compute model radii of pure hydrogen-helium, water, rock, and iron planets, along with various mixtures. Masses ranging from 0.01 Earth masses to 10 Jupiter masses at orbital distances of 0.02 to 10 AU are considered. For hydrogen-helium rich planets, our models are the first to couple planetary evolution to stellar irradiation over a wide range of orbital separations (0.02 to 10 AU) through a non-gray radiative-convective equilibrium atmosphere model. Stellar irradiation retards the contraction of giant planets, but its effect is not a simple function of the irradiation level: a planet at 1 AU contracts as slowly as a planet at 0.1 AU. For hydrogen-helium planets, we consider cores up to 90% of the total planet mass, comparable to those of Uranus and Neptune. If "hot Neptunes" have maintained their original masses and are not remnants of more massive planets, radii of 0.30-0.45 times Jupiter's radius are expected. Water planets are ~40-50% larger than rocky planets, independent of mass. Finally, we provide tables of planetary radii at various ages and compositions, and for ice-rock-iron planets we fit our results to analytic functions, which will allow for quick composition estimates, given masses and radii, or mass estimates, given only planetary radii. These results will assist in the interpretation of observations for both the current transiting planet surveys as well as upcoming space missions, including CoRoT and Kepler.
We compare a large set of cosmologies with WMAP data, performing a fit based
on a MCMC algorithm. Besides of LCDM models, we take dynamical DE models, where
DE and DM are uncoupled or coupled, both in the case of constant coupling and
in the case when coupling varies with suitable laws. DE however arises from a
scalar field self-interacting through a SUGRA potential. We find that the best
fitting model is SUGRA dynamical DE, almost indipendently from the exponent
alpha in the self-interaction potential.
The main target of this work are however coupled DE models, for which we find
limits on the DE-DM coupling strength. In the case of variable coupling, we
also find that greater values of the Hubble constant are preferred.
We study the acceleration of the star HE0437-5439, to hypervelocity and discuss its possible origin in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The star has a radial velocity of 723 km/s and is located at a distance of 61 kpc from the Sun. With a mass of about 8 Msun, the travel time from the Galactic centre is of about 100 Myr, much longer than its main sequence lifetime. Given the relatively small distance to the LMC (18 kpc), we consider it likely that HE0437-5439 originated in the cloud rather than in the Galactic centre, like the other hypervelocity stars. The minimum ejection velocity required to travel from the LMC to its current location within its lifetime is of about 500 kms. Such a high velocity can only be obtained in a dynamical encounter with a massive black hole. We perform 3-body scattering simulations in which a stellar binary encounters a massive black hole and find that a black hole more massive than 1000 Msun is necessary to explain the high velocity of HE0437-5439. We argue that the most likely birth place for HE0437-5439 in the LMC is the star cluster NGC 330, which is young enough to host stars coeval to HE0437-5439, and dense enough to produce an intermediate mass black hole able to eject an 8 Msun star with hypervelocity.
We present an investigation of massive star formation that results from the gravitational collapse of massive, magnetized molecular cloud cores. We investigate this by means of highly resolved, numerical simulations of initial magnetized Bonnor-Ebert-Spheres that undergo collapse and cooling. By comparing three different cases - an isothermal collapse, a collapse with radiative cooling, and a magnetized collapse - we show that massive stars assemble quickly with mass accretion rates exceeding 10^-3 Msol/yr. We confirm that the mass accretion during the collapsing phase is much more efficient than predicted by selfsimilar collapse solutions, i.e. dM/dt ~ c^3/G. We find that during protostellar assembly the mass accretion reaches 20 - 100 c^3/G. Furthermore, we determined the self-consistent structure of bipolar outflows that are produced in our three dimensional magnetized collapse simulations. These outflows produce cavities out of which radiation pressure can be released, thereby reducing the limitations on the final mass of massive stars formed by gravitational collapse. Moreover, we argue that the extraction of angular momentum by disk-threaded magnetic fields and/or by the appearance of bars with spiral arms significantly enhance the mass accretion rate, thereby helping the massive protostar to assemble more quickly.
We present a model of Fourier Power Density Spectrum (PDS) formation in accretion powered X-ray binary systems derived from the first principles of the diffusion theory. Timing properties of X-ray emission are considered to be a result of diffusive propagation of the driving perturbations in a bounded medium. We prove that the integrated power P_x of the resulting PDS is only a small fraction of the integrated power P_dr of the driving oscillations, which is distributed over the disk. The resulting PDS continuum is a sum of two components, a low frequency (LF) component which presumably originates in an extended accretion disk and a high frequency (HF) component which originates in the innermost part of the source (Compton cloud or corona). The LF PDS component has a power-law shape with index of 1.0-1.5 at higher frequencies (``red'' noise) and a flat spectrum below a characteristic (break) frequency (``white'' noise). This white-red noise (WRN) continuum spectrum holds information about the physical parameters of the bounded extended medium, diffusion time scale and the dependence law of viscosity vs radius. We apply our model of the PDS to a sample of RXTE and EXOSAT timing data from Cyg X-1 and Cyg X-2 which describes adequately the spectral transitions in these sources.
To derive physical properties of the neutron star surface with observed spectra, a realistic model spectrum of neutron star surface emission is essential. Limited by computing resources, a full computation of the radiative transfer equations without the diffusion approximation has been conducted up to date only for the case of local magnetic fields being perpendicular to the stellar surface. In this paper we report the full-computation result for an arbitrary field direction. For comparison we also compute the radiative transfer equation using the diffusion approximation. For a given effective temperature, the computed spectrum with the diffusion approximation is always softer than that of a full computation at a non-negligible level. It leads to an over-estimate of the effective temperature if the diffusion approximation spectrum is employed in the spectral fitting. Other characteristics for different magnetic field orientations, such as the beaming pattern of the two polarization modes and the structure of the atmosphere, are also discussed.
We investigate a pair creation cascade in the magnetosphere of a rapidly rotating neutron star. We solve the set of the Poisson equation for the electro-static potential and the Boltzmann equations for electrons, positrons, and gamma-ray photons simultaneously. In this paper, we first examine the time-dependent nature of particle accelerators by solving the non-stationary Boltzmann equations on the two-dimensional poloidal plane in which both the rotational and magnetic axes reside. Evaluating the temperature of the heated polar cap surface, which is located near the magnetic pole, by the bombardment of gap-accelerated particles, and applying the scheme to millisecond pulsar parameters, we demonstrate that the solution converges to a stationary solution of which pair-creation cascade is maintained by the heated polar-cap emission, in a wide range of three-dimensional parameter space (period, period derivative, magnetic inclination angle). We also present the deathlines of millisecond pulsars.
This paper reviews some of the most recent advances in the application of the Hanle effect to solar physics, and how these developments are allowing us to explore the magnetism of the photospheric regions that look ``empty'' in solar magnetograms--that is, the Sun's ``hidden'' magnetism. In particular, we show how a joint analysis of the Hanle effect in atomic and molecular lines indicates that there is a vast amount of hidden magnetic energy and unsigned magnetic flux localized in the (intergranular) downflowing regions of the quiet solar photosphere, carried mainly by tangled fields at sub-resolution scales with strengths between the equipartition field values and 1 kG.
Electrostatic oscillations in cold electron-positron plasmas can be coupled to a propagating electromagnetic mode if the background magnetic field is inhomogeneous. Previous work considered this coupling in the quasi-linear regime, successfully simulating the electromagnetic mode. Here we present a stability analysis of the non-linear problem, perturbed from dynamical equilibrium, in order to gain some insight into the modes present in the system.
The spin periods of the neutron stars in most Low Mass X-ray Binary (LMXB) systems still remain undetected. One of the models to explain the absence of coherent pulsations has been the suppression of the beamed signal by Compton scattering of X-ray photons by electrons in a surrounding corona. We point out that simultaneously with wiping out the pulsation signal, such a corona will upscatter (pulsating or not) X-ray emission originating at and/or near the surface of the neutron star leading to appearance of a hard tail of Comptonized radiation in the source spectrum. We analyze the hard X-ray spectra of a selected set of LMXBs and demonstrate that the optical depth of the corona is not likely to be large enough to cause the pulsations to disappear.
It is shown that the slow glitches in the spin rate of the pulsar B1822-09 can be explained by the reconstruction of the neutron star shape, which is not matched with the star rotation axis. Owing to the evolution of the inclination angle, i.e. the angle between the rotation axis and the axis of the magnetic dipole, under the action of the braking torque, there appears the disagreement between the rotation axis and the symmetry axis. After the angle between the axis of symmetry and the axis of the rotation achieves the maximum value of alpha ~ 2x10^-4 the shape of the neutron star becomes matching with the rotation axis. Such reconstruction is observed as the slow glitch.
We solve the time-dependent dynamics of axisymmetric, general relativistic MHD winds from rotating neutron stars. The mass loss rate is obtained self consistently as a solution of the MHD equations, subject to a finite thermal pressure at the stellar surface. Conditions are chosen to be representative of the neutrino driven phase in newly born magnetars, which have been considered as a possible engine for GRBs. We compute the angular momentum and energy losses as a function of $\sigma$ and compare them with the analytic expectation from the classical theory of pulsar winds. We observe the convergence to the force-free limit in the energy loss and we study the evolution of the closed zone for increasing magnetization. Results also show that the dipolar magnetic field and the presence of a closed zone do not modify significantly the acceleration and collimation properties of the wind.
We propose a model, which naturally explains an unusual thermal X-ray emission, observed from PSR J1119-6127. The model is based on the assumption that the pulsar magnetic field near the stellar surface differs significantly from the pure dipole field. We show that the structure and curvature of the field lines can be of the kind that allows the pair creation in the closed field line region. The created pairs propagate along the closed field lines and heat the stellar surface beyond the local poles. It is demonstrated that such a configuration can be easily realized.
Here we present the results from an analysis of a multifrequency simultaneous observation of PSR B0031$-$07. We have constructed a geometrical model, based on an empirical relationship between height and frequency of emission, that reproduces many of the observed characteristics. The model suggests very low emission altitudes for this pulsar of only a few kilometers above the star's surface.
Accretion of interstellar material by a magnetized, slowly rotating isolated neutron star is discussed. We show that the average persistent X-ray luminosity of these objects is unlikely to exceed 4x10^26 erg/s. They can also appear as X-ray bursters with the burst duration of ~30 minutes and repetition time of \~10^5 yr. This indicates that the number of the accreting isolated neutron stars which could be observed with recent X-ray missions is a few orders of magnitude smaller than that previously estimated. Our findings argue against models in which the magnetic field of neutron stars is assumed to decay exponentially on a time scale shorter than 500 Myr.
Raytracing computations for light emitted from the surface of a rapidly rotating neutron star are carried out in order to construct light curves for accreting millisecond pulsars. These calculations are for realistic models of rapidly rotating neutron stars which take into account both the correct exterior metric and the oblate shape of the star. We find that the most important effect, comparing the full raytracing computations with simpler approximations currently in use, arises from the oblate shape of the rotating star. Approximating a rotating neutron star as a sphere introduces serious errors in fitted values of the star's radius and mass if the rotation rate is very large. However, for lower rotation rates acceptable mass and radius values can be obtained using the spherical approximation.
Model atmospheres of isolated neutron stars with low magnetic field are calculated with Compton scattering taking into account. Models with effective temperatures 1, 3 and 5 MK, with two values of surface gravity log(g)g = 13.9 and 14.3), and different chemical compositions are calculated. Radiation spectra computed with Compton scattering are softer than the computed with Thomson scattering at high energies (E > 5 keV) for hot (T_eff > 1 MK) atmospheres with hydrogen-helium composition. Compton scattering is more significant to hydrogen models with low surface gravity. The emergent spectra of the hottest (T_eff > 3 MK) model atmospheres can be described by diluted blackbody spectra with hardness factors ~ 1.6 - 1.9. Compton scattering is less important for models with solar abundance of heavy elements.
We derive optimal filters on the sphere in the context of detecting compact objects embedded in a stochastic background process. The matched filter and the scale adaptive filter are derived on the sphere in the most general setting, allowing for directional template profiles and filters. The performance and relative merits of the two optimal filters are discussed. The application of optimal filter theory on the sphere to the detection of compact objects is demonstrated on simulated mock data. A naive detection strategy is adopted, with an initial aim of illustrating the application of the new optimal filters derived on the sphere. Nevertheless, this simple object detection strategy is demonstrated to perform well, even a low signal-to-noise ratio. Code written to compute optimal filters on the sphere (S2FIL), to perform fast directional filtering on the sphere (FastCSWT) and to construct the simulated mock data (COMB) are all made publicly available. (Accompanying code will be made publicly available on publication of this paper.)
Our goal is to study the effects of the UV radiation from the first stars, quasars and decays of the hypothetical Super Heavy Dark Matter (SHDM) particles on the formation of primordial bound objects in the Universe. We trace the evolution of a spherically symmetric density perturbation in the Lambda Cold Dark Matter ($\Lambda$CDM) and MOND models, solving the frequency-dependent radiative transfer equation, non-equilibrium chemistry, and one-dimensional gas hydrodynamics. We concentrate on the destruction and formation processes of the H$_2$ molecule, which is the main coolant in the primordial objects.
We present a method to analyze the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of young stellar objects (YSOs). Our approach is to fit data with pre-computed 2-D radiation transfer models spanning a large region of parameter space. This allows us to determine not only a single set of physical parameter values but the entire range of values consistent with the multi-wavelength observations of a given source. In this way we hope to avoid any over-interpretation when modeling a set of data. We have constructed spectral energy distributions from optical to sub-mm wavelengths, including new Spitzer IRAC and MIPS photometry, for 30 young and spatially resolved sources in the Taurus-Auriga star-forming region. We demonstrate fitting model SEDs to these sources, and find that we correctly identify the evolutionary stage and physical parameters found from previous independent studies, such as disk mass, disk accretion rate, and stellar temperature. We also explore how fluxes at various wavelengths help to constrain physical parameters, and show examples of degeneracies that can occur when fitting SEDs. A web-based version of this tool is available to the community at this http URL .
We present an analysis of the broadband radio spectrum (from 22 to 3900 MHz) of the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) HB3 (G132.7+1.3). Published observations have revealed that a curvature is present in the radio spectrum of this SNR, indicating that a single synchrotron component appears is insufficient to adequately fit the spectrum. We present here a fit to this spectrum using a combination of a synchrotron component and a thermal bremsstrahlung component. We discuss properties of this latter component and estimate the ambient density implied by the presence of this component to be n \~ 10 cm^-3. We have also analyzed extracted X-ray spectra from archived {\it ASCA} GIS observations of different regions of HB3 to obtain independent estimates of the density of the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). From this analysis, we have derived electron densities of 0.1-0.4 f^-1/2 cm^-3 for the ISM for the three different regions of the SNR, where f is the volume filling factor. By comparing these density estimates with the estimate derived from the thermal bremsstrahlung component, we argue that the radio thermal bremsstrahlung emission is emitted from a thin shell enclosing HB3. The presence of this thermal bremsstrahlung component in the radio spectrum of HB3 suggests that this SNR is in fact interacting with an adjacent molecular cloud associated with the HII region W3. By extension, we argue that the presence of thermal emission at radio wavelengths may be a useful tool for identifying interactions between SNRs and molecular clouds, and for estimating the ambient density near SNRs using radio continuum data.
We use FUSE, HST, and SDSS spectra of the cataclysmic variable SDSSJ0809 to illustrate procedures for calculating and testing system models. Our final model has an accretion disk temperature profile similar to the SW Sextantis profile determined from tomographic reconstruction.
We study the origin of the predictive skill of some methods to forecast the strength of solar activity cycles. A simple flux transport model for the azimuthally averaged radial magnetic field at the solar surface is used, which contains a source term describing the emergence of new flux based on observational sunspot data. We consider the magnetic flux diffusing over the equator as a predictor, since this quantity is directly related to the global dipole field from which a Babcock-Leighton dynamo generates the toroidal field for the next activity cycle. If the source is represented schematically by a narrow activity belt drifting with constant speed over a fixed range of latitudes between activity minima, our predictor shows considerable predictive skill with correlation coefficients up to 0.95 for past cycles. However, the predictive skill is completely lost when the actually observed emergence latitudes are used. This result originates from the fact that the precursor amplitude is determined by the sunspot activity a few years before solar minimum. Since stronger cycles tend to rise faster to their maximum activity (known as the Waldmeier effect), the temporal overlapping of cycles leads to a shift of the minimum epochs that depends on the strength of the following cycle. This information is picked up by precursor methods and also by our flux transport model with a schematic source. Therefore, their predictive skill does not require a memory, i.e., a physical connection between the surface manifestations of subsequent activity cycles.
Neutrinos are the best candidates to test the extreme Universe and ideas beyond the Standard Model of particle Physics. Once produced, neutrinos do not suffer any kind of attenuation by intervening radiation fields like the Cosmic Microwave Background and are not affected by magnetic fields. In this sense neutrinos are useful messengers from the far and young Universe. In the present paper we will discuss a particular class of sources of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays introduced to explain the possible excess of events with energy larger than the Graisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cut-off. These sources, collectively called top-down, share a common feature: UHE particles are produced in the decay or annihilation of superheavy, exotic, particles. As we will review in the present paper, the largest fraction of Ultra High Energy particles produced in the top-down scenario are neutrinos. The study of these radiation offers us a unique opportunity to test the exotic mechanisms of the top-down scenario.
Large numbers of young stars are formed in merging galaxies, such as the Antennae galaxies. Most of these stars are formed in compact star clusters (i.e., super star clusters), which have been the focus of a large number of studies. However, an increasing number of projects are beginning to focus on the individual stars as well. In this contribution, we examine a few results relevant to the triggering of star and star cluster formation; ask what fraction of stars form in the field rather than in clusters; and begin to explore the demographics of both the massive stars and star clusters in the Antennae.
We use analysis results from a low state of the VY Sculptoris system MV Lyrae, considered in an earlier paper (Hoard et al., 2004, ApJ, 604, 346), to study archival IUE spectra taken during an intermediate state and a HST spectrum taken during a high state. The intermediate state spectrum can be best fit by an isothermal accretion disk extending half way to the tidal cutoff radius. The high state spectrum can be best fit by a standard model extending from an inner truncation radius to an intermediate radius and an isothermal accretion disk beyond.
The destiny of planetary systems through the late evolution of their host stars is very uncertain. We report a metal-rich gas disk around a moderately hot and young white dwarf. A dynamical model of the double-peaked emission lines constrains the outer disk radius to just 1.2 solar radii. The likely origin of the disk is a tidally disrupted asteroid, which has been destabilised from its initial orbit at a distance of more than 1000 solar radii by the interaction with a relatively massive planetesimal object or a planet. The white dwarf mass of 0.77 solar masses implies that planetary systems may form around high-mass stars.
Theoretical nucleosynthetic yields from supernovae are sensitive to both the details of the progenitor star and the explosion calculation. We attempt to comprehensively identify the sources of uncertainties in these yields. In this paper we concentrate on the variations in yields from a single progenitor arising from common 1-dimensional methods of approximating a supernova explosion. Subsequent papers will examine 3-dimensional effects in the explosion and the progenitor, and trends in mass and composition. For the 1-dimensional explosions we find that both elemental and isotopic yields for Si and heavier elements are a sensitive function of explosion energy. Also, piston-driven and thermal bomb type explosions have different yields for the same explosion energy. Yields derived from 1-dimensional explosions are non-unique.
Stellar evolution tracks and isochrones are key inputs for a wide range of
astrophysical studies; in particular, they are essential to the interpretation
of photometric and spectroscopic observations of resolved and unresolved
stellar populations. We have made available to the astrophysical community a
large, homogenous database of up-to-date stellar tracks and isochrones, and a
set of programs useful in population synthesis studies.
In this paper we first summarize the main properties of our stellar model
database (BaSTI) already introduced in Pietrinferni et al. (2004) and
Pietrinferni et al. (2006). We then discuss an important update of the
database, i.e., the extension of all stellar models and isochrones until the
end of the thermal pulses along the Asymptotic Giant Branch. This extension of
the library is particularly relevant for stellar population analyses in the
near-infrared, or longer wavelengths, where the contribution to the integrated
photometric properties by cool and bright Asymptotic Giant Branch stars is
significant. A few comparisons with empirical data are also presentend and
briefly discussed. We then present three web-tools that allow an interactive
access to the database, and make possible to compute user-specified
evolutionary tracks, isochrones, stellar luminosity functions, plus synthetic
Color-Magnitude-Diagrams and integrated magnitudes for arbitrary Star Formation
Histories. All these web tools are available at the BaSTI database official
site: this http URL
We have observed seven powerful FR2 radiogalaxies and seven quasars with the Spitzer IRS. Both samples are comparable in both, redshift range and isotropic 178 Hz luminosity. Both samples are found to have similar distributions in the luminosity ratios of Mid-IR high- and low-excitation lines ([NeV]/[NeII]), and of Mid-IR high-excitation line to radio power ratio ([NeV]/P_178MHz). However, the MIR/FIR ratio is generally higher for quasars. We further observed Silicate features at 10 and 18micron in emission. In our sample only quasars show emission features, while silicate absorption is seen only in the radio galaxies. These observations are all in agreement with unification schemes that explain both groups as the same class of objects seen under different orientation angles.
To aid in the physical interpretation of planetary radii constrained through observations of transiting planets, or eventually direct detections, we compute model radii of pure hydrogen-helium, water, rock, and iron planets, along with various mixtures. Masses ranging from 0.01 Earth masses to 10 Jupiter masses at orbital distances of 0.02 to 10 AU are considered. For hydrogen-helium rich planets, our models are the first to couple planetary evolution to stellar irradiation over a wide range of orbital separations (0.02 to 10 AU) through a non-gray radiative-convective equilibrium atmosphere model. Stellar irradiation retards the contraction of giant planets, but its effect is not a simple function of the irradiation level: a planet at 1 AU contracts as slowly as a planet at 0.1 AU. For hydrogen-helium planets, we consider cores up to 90% of the total planet mass, comparable to those of Uranus and Neptune. If "hot Neptunes" have maintained their original masses and are not remnants of more massive planets, radii of 0.30-0.45 times Jupiter's radius are expected. Water planets are ~40-50% larger than rocky planets, independent of mass. Finally, we provide tables of planetary radii at various ages and compositions, and for ice-rock-iron planets we fit our results to analytic functions, which will allow for quick composition estimates, given masses and radii, or mass estimates, given only planetary radii. These results will assist in the interpretation of observations for both the current transiting planet surveys as well as upcoming space missions, including CoRoT and Kepler.
We compare a large set of cosmologies with WMAP data, performing a fit based
on a MCMC algorithm. Besides of LCDM models, we take dynamical DE models, where
DE and DM are uncoupled or coupled, both in the case of constant coupling and
in the case when coupling varies with suitable laws. DE however arises from a
scalar field self-interacting through a SUGRA potential. We find that the best
fitting model is SUGRA dynamical DE, almost indipendently from the exponent
alpha in the self-interaction potential.
The main target of this work are however coupled DE models, for which we find
limits on the DE-DM coupling strength. In the case of variable coupling, we
also find that greater values of the Hubble constant are preferred.
We study the acceleration of the star HE0437-5439, to hypervelocity and discuss its possible origin in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The star has a radial velocity of 723 km/s and is located at a distance of 61 kpc from the Sun. With a mass of about 8 Msun, the travel time from the Galactic centre is of about 100 Myr, much longer than its main sequence lifetime. Given the relatively small distance to the LMC (18 kpc), we consider it likely that HE0437-5439 originated in the cloud rather than in the Galactic centre, like the other hypervelocity stars. The minimum ejection velocity required to travel from the LMC to its current location within its lifetime is of about 500 kms. Such a high velocity can only be obtained in a dynamical encounter with a massive black hole. We perform 3-body scattering simulations in which a stellar binary encounters a massive black hole and find that a black hole more massive than 1000 Msun is necessary to explain the high velocity of HE0437-5439. We argue that the most likely birth place for HE0437-5439 in the LMC is the star cluster NGC 330, which is young enough to host stars coeval to HE0437-5439, and dense enough to produce an intermediate mass black hole able to eject an 8 Msun star with hypervelocity.
We present an investigation of massive star formation that results from the gravitational collapse of massive, magnetized molecular cloud cores. We investigate this by means of highly resolved, numerical simulations of initial magnetized Bonnor-Ebert-Spheres that undergo collapse and cooling. By comparing three different cases - an isothermal collapse, a collapse with radiative cooling, and a magnetized collapse - we show that massive stars assemble quickly with mass accretion rates exceeding 10^-3 Msol/yr. We confirm that the mass accretion during the collapsing phase is much more efficient than predicted by selfsimilar collapse solutions, i.e. dM/dt ~ c^3/G. We find that during protostellar assembly the mass accretion reaches 20 - 100 c^3/G. Furthermore, we determined the self-consistent structure of bipolar outflows that are produced in our three dimensional magnetized collapse simulations. These outflows produce cavities out of which radiation pressure can be released, thereby reducing the limitations on the final mass of massive stars formed by gravitational collapse. Moreover, we argue that the extraction of angular momentum by disk-threaded magnetic fields and/or by the appearance of bars with spiral arms significantly enhance the mass accretion rate, thereby helping the massive protostar to assemble more quickly.
We present a model of Fourier Power Density Spectrum (PDS) formation in accretion powered X-ray binary systems derived from the first principles of the diffusion theory. Timing properties of X-ray emission are considered to be a result of diffusive propagation of the driving perturbations in a bounded medium. We prove that the integrated power P_x of the resulting PDS is only a small fraction of the integrated power P_dr of the driving oscillations, which is distributed over the disk. The resulting PDS continuum is a sum of two components, a low frequency (LF) component which presumably originates in an extended accretion disk and a high frequency (HF) component which originates in the innermost part of the source (Compton cloud or corona). The LF PDS component has a power-law shape with index of 1.0-1.5 at higher frequencies (``red'' noise) and a flat spectrum below a characteristic (break) frequency (``white'' noise). This white-red noise (WRN) continuum spectrum holds information about the physical parameters of the bounded extended medium, diffusion time scale and the dependence law of viscosity vs radius. We apply our model of the PDS to a sample of RXTE and EXOSAT timing data from Cyg X-1 and Cyg X-2 which describes adequately the spectral transitions in these sources.
To derive physical properties of the neutron star surface with observed spectra, a realistic model spectrum of neutron star surface emission is essential. Limited by computing resources, a full computation of the radiative transfer equations without the diffusion approximation has been conducted up to date only for the case of local magnetic fields being perpendicular to the stellar surface. In this paper we report the full-computation result for an arbitrary field direction. For comparison we also compute the radiative transfer equation using the diffusion approximation. For a given effective temperature, the computed spectrum with the diffusion approximation is always softer than that of a full computation at a non-negligible level. It leads to an over-estimate of the effective temperature if the diffusion approximation spectrum is employed in the spectral fitting. Other characteristics for different magnetic field orientations, such as the beaming pattern of the two polarization modes and the structure of the atmosphere, are also discussed.
We investigate a pair creation cascade in the magnetosphere of a rapidly rotating neutron star. We solve the set of the Poisson equation for the electro-static potential and the Boltzmann equations for electrons, positrons, and gamma-ray photons simultaneously. In this paper, we first examine the time-dependent nature of particle accelerators by solving the non-stationary Boltzmann equations on the two-dimensional poloidal plane in which both the rotational and magnetic axes reside. Evaluating the temperature of the heated polar cap surface, which is located near the magnetic pole, by the bombardment of gap-accelerated particles, and applying the scheme to millisecond pulsar parameters, we demonstrate that the solution converges to a stationary solution of which pair-creation cascade is maintained by the heated polar-cap emission, in a wide range of three-dimensional parameter space (period, period derivative, magnetic inclination angle). We also present the deathlines of millisecond pulsars.
This paper reviews some of the most recent advances in the application of the Hanle effect to solar physics, and how these developments are allowing us to explore the magnetism of the photospheric regions that look ``empty'' in solar magnetograms--that is, the Sun's ``hidden'' magnetism. In particular, we show how a joint analysis of the Hanle effect in atomic and molecular lines indicates that there is a vast amount of hidden magnetic energy and unsigned magnetic flux localized in the (intergranular) downflowing regions of the quiet solar photosphere, carried mainly by tangled fields at sub-resolution scales with strengths between the equipartition field values and 1 kG.
Electrostatic oscillations in cold electron-positron plasmas can be coupled to a propagating electromagnetic mode if the background magnetic field is inhomogeneous. Previous work considered this coupling in the quasi-linear regime, successfully simulating the electromagnetic mode. Here we present a stability analysis of the non-linear problem, perturbed from dynamical equilibrium, in order to gain some insight into the modes present in the system.
The spin periods of the neutron stars in most Low Mass X-ray Binary (LMXB) systems still remain undetected. One of the models to explain the absence of coherent pulsations has been the suppression of the beamed signal by Compton scattering of X-ray photons by electrons in a surrounding corona. We point out that simultaneously with wiping out the pulsation signal, such a corona will upscatter (pulsating or not) X-ray emission originating at and/or near the surface of the neutron star leading to appearance of a hard tail of Comptonized radiation in the source spectrum. We analyze the hard X-ray spectra of a selected set of LMXBs and demonstrate that the optical depth of the corona is not likely to be large enough to cause the pulsations to disappear.
It is shown that the slow glitches in the spin rate of the pulsar B1822-09 can be explained by the reconstruction of the neutron star shape, which is not matched with the star rotation axis. Owing to the evolution of the inclination angle, i.e. the angle between the rotation axis and the axis of the magnetic dipole, under the action of the braking torque, there appears the disagreement between the rotation axis and the symmetry axis. After the angle between the axis of symmetry and the axis of the rotation achieves the maximum value of alpha ~ 2x10^-4 the shape of the neutron star becomes matching with the rotation axis. Such reconstruction is observed as the slow glitch.
We solve the time-dependent dynamics of axisymmetric, general relativistic MHD winds from rotating neutron stars. The mass loss rate is obtained self consistently as a solution of the MHD equations, subject to a finite thermal pressure at the stellar surface. Conditions are chosen to be representative of the neutrino driven phase in newly born magnetars, which have been considered as a possible engine for GRBs. We compute the angular momentum and energy losses as a function of $\sigma$ and compare them with the analytic expectation from the classical theory of pulsar winds. We observe the convergence to the force-free limit in the energy loss and we study the evolution of the closed zone for increasing magnetization. Results also show that the dipolar magnetic field and the presence of a closed zone do not modify significantly the acceleration and collimation properties of the wind.
We propose a model, which naturally explains an unusual thermal X-ray emission, observed from PSR J1119-6127. The model is based on the assumption that the pulsar magnetic field near the stellar surface differs significantly from the pure dipole field. We show that the structure and curvature of the field lines can be of the kind that allows the pair creation in the closed field line region. The created pairs propagate along the closed field lines and heat the stellar surface beyond the local poles. It is demonstrated that such a configuration can be easily realized.
Here we present the results from an analysis of a multifrequency simultaneous observation of PSR B0031$-$07. We have constructed a geometrical model, based on an empirical relationship between height and frequency of emission, that reproduces many of the observed characteristics. The model suggests very low emission altitudes for this pulsar of only a few kilometers above the star's surface.
Accretion of interstellar material by a magnetized, slowly rotating isolated neutron star is discussed. We show that the average persistent X-ray luminosity of these objects is unlikely to exceed 4x10^26 erg/s. They can also appear as X-ray bursters with the burst duration of ~30 minutes and repetition time of \~10^5 yr. This indicates that the number of the accreting isolated neutron stars which could be observed with recent X-ray missions is a few orders of magnitude smaller than that previously estimated. Our findings argue against models in which the magnetic field of neutron stars is assumed to decay exponentially on a time scale shorter than 500 Myr.
Raytracing computations for light emitted from the surface of a rapidly rotating neutron star are carried out in order to construct light curves for accreting millisecond pulsars. These calculations are for realistic models of rapidly rotating neutron stars which take into account both the correct exterior metric and the oblate shape of the star. We find that the most important effect, comparing the full raytracing computations with simpler approximations currently in use, arises from the oblate shape of the rotating star. Approximating a rotating neutron star as a sphere introduces serious errors in fitted values of the star's radius and mass if the rotation rate is very large. However, for lower rotation rates acceptable mass and radius values can be obtained using the spherical approximation.
Model atmospheres of isolated neutron stars with low magnetic field are calculated with Compton scattering taking into account. Models with effective temperatures 1, 3 and 5 MK, with two values of surface gravity log(g)g = 13.9 and 14.3), and different chemical compositions are calculated. Radiation spectra computed with Compton scattering are softer than the computed with Thomson scattering at high energies (E > 5 keV) for hot (T_eff > 1 MK) atmospheres with hydrogen-helium composition. Compton scattering is more significant to hydrogen models with low surface gravity. The emergent spectra of the hottest (T_eff > 3 MK) model atmospheres can be described by diluted blackbody spectra with hardness factors ~ 1.6 - 1.9. Compton scattering is less important for models with solar abundance of heavy elements.
We derive optimal filters on the sphere in the context of detecting compact objects embedded in a stochastic background process. The matched filter and the scale adaptive filter are derived on the sphere in the most general setting, allowing for directional template profiles and filters. The performance and relative merits of the two optimal filters are discussed. The application of optimal filter theory on the sphere to the detection of compact objects is demonstrated on simulated mock data. A naive detection strategy is adopted, with an initial aim of illustrating the application of the new optimal filters derived on the sphere. Nevertheless, this simple object detection strategy is demonstrated to perform well, even a low signal-to-noise ratio. Code written to compute optimal filters on the sphere (S2FIL), to perform fast directional filtering on the sphere (FastCSWT) and to construct the simulated mock data (COMB) are all made publicly available. (Accompanying code will be made publicly available on publication of this paper.)
Our goal is to study the effects of the UV radiation from the first stars, quasars and decays of the hypothetical Super Heavy Dark Matter (SHDM) particles on the formation of primordial bound objects in the Universe. We trace the evolution of a spherically symmetric density perturbation in the Lambda Cold Dark Matter ($\Lambda$CDM) and MOND models, solving the frequency-dependent radiative transfer equation, non-equilibrium chemistry, and one-dimensional gas hydrodynamics. We concentrate on the destruction and formation processes of the H$_2$ molecule, which is the main coolant in the primordial objects.
We present a method to analyze the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of young stellar objects (YSOs). Our approach is to fit data with pre-computed 2-D radiation transfer models spanning a large region of parameter space. This allows us to determine not only a single set of physical parameter values but the entire range of values consistent with the multi-wavelength observations of a given source. In this way we hope to avoid any over-interpretation when modeling a set of data. We have constructed spectral energy distributions from optical to sub-mm wavelengths, including new Spitzer IRAC and MIPS photometry, for 30 young and spatially resolved sources in the Taurus-Auriga star-forming region. We demonstrate fitting model SEDs to these sources, and find that we correctly identify the evolutionary stage and physical parameters found from previous independent studies, such as disk mass, disk accretion rate, and stellar temperature. We also explore how fluxes at various wavelengths help to constrain physical parameters, and show examples of degeneracies that can occur when fitting SEDs. A web-based version of this tool is available to the community at this http URL .
We present an analysis of the broadband radio spectrum (from 22 to 3900 MHz) of the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) HB3 (G132.7+1.3). Published observations have revealed that a curvature is present in the radio spectrum of this SNR, indicating that a single synchrotron component appears is insufficient to adequately fit the spectrum. We present here a fit to this spectrum using a combination of a synchrotron component and a thermal bremsstrahlung component. We discuss properties of this latter component and estimate the ambient density implied by the presence of this component to be n \~ 10 cm^-3. We have also analyzed extracted X-ray spectra from archived {\it ASCA} GIS observations of different regions of HB3 to obtain independent estimates of the density of the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). From this analysis, we have derived electron densities of 0.1-0.4 f^-1/2 cm^-3 for the ISM for the three different regions of the SNR, where f is the volume filling factor. By comparing these density estimates with the estimate derived from the thermal bremsstrahlung component, we argue that the radio thermal bremsstrahlung emission is emitted from a thin shell enclosing HB3. The presence of this thermal bremsstrahlung component in the radio spectrum of HB3 suggests that this SNR is in fact interacting with an adjacent molecular cloud associated with the HII region W3. By extension, we argue that the presence of thermal emission at radio wavelengths may be a useful tool for identifying interactions between SNRs and molecular clouds, and for estimating the ambient density near SNRs using radio continuum data.
We use FUSE, HST, and SDSS spectra of the cataclysmic variable SDSSJ0809 to illustrate procedures for calculating and testing system models. Our final model has an accretion disk temperature profile similar to the SW Sextantis profile determined from tomographic reconstruction.
We study the origin of the predictive skill of some methods to forecast the strength of solar activity cycles. A simple flux transport model for the azimuthally averaged radial magnetic field at the solar surface is used, which contains a source term describing the emergence of new flux based on observational sunspot data. We consider the magnetic flux diffusing over the equator as a predictor, since this quantity is directly related to the global dipole field from which a Babcock-Leighton dynamo generates the toroidal field for the next activity cycle. If the source is represented schematically by a narrow activity belt drifting with constant speed over a fixed range of latitudes between activity minima, our predictor shows considerable predictive skill with correlation coefficients up to 0.95 for past cycles. However, the predictive skill is completely lost when the actually observed emergence latitudes are used. This result originates from the fact that the precursor amplitude is determined by the sunspot activity a few years before solar minimum. Since stronger cycles tend to rise faster to their maximum activity (known as the Waldmeier effect), the temporal overlapping of cycles leads to a shift of the minimum epochs that depends on the strength of the following cycle. This information is picked up by precursor methods and also by our flux transport model with a schematic source. Therefore, their predictive skill does not require a memory, i.e., a physical connection between the surface manifestations of subsequent activity cycles.
Neutrinos are the best candidates to test the extreme Universe and ideas beyond the Standard Model of particle Physics. Once produced, neutrinos do not suffer any kind of attenuation by intervening radiation fields like the Cosmic Microwave Background and are not affected by magnetic fields. In this sense neutrinos are useful messengers from the far and young Universe. In the present paper we will discuss a particular class of sources of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays introduced to explain the possible excess of events with energy larger than the Graisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cut-off. These sources, collectively called top-down, share a common feature: UHE particles are produced in the decay or annihilation of superheavy, exotic, particles. As we will review in the present paper, the largest fraction of Ultra High Energy particles produced in the top-down scenario are neutrinos. The study of these radiation offers us a unique opportunity to test the exotic mechanisms of the top-down scenario.
Large numbers of young stars are formed in merging galaxies, such as the Antennae galaxies. Most of these stars are formed in compact star clusters (i.e., super star clusters), which have been the focus of a large number of studies. However, an increasing number of projects are beginning to focus on the individual stars as well. In this contribution, we examine a few results relevant to the triggering of star and star cluster formation; ask what fraction of stars form in the field rather than in clusters; and begin to explore the demographics of both the massive stars and star clusters in the Antennae.
We use analysis results from a low state of the VY Sculptoris system MV Lyrae, considered in an earlier paper (Hoard et al., 2004, ApJ, 604, 346), to study archival IUE spectra taken during an intermediate state and a HST spectrum taken during a high state. The intermediate state spectrum can be best fit by an isothermal accretion disk extending half way to the tidal cutoff radius. The high state spectrum can be best fit by a standard model extending from an inner truncation radius to an intermediate radius and an isothermal accretion disk beyond.
The destiny of planetary systems through the late evolution of their host stars is very uncertain. We report a metal-rich gas disk around a moderately hot and young white dwarf. A dynamical model of the double-peaked emission lines constrains the outer disk radius to just 1.2 solar radii. The likely origin of the disk is a tidally disrupted asteroid, which has been destabilised from its initial orbit at a distance of more than 1000 solar radii by the interaction with a relatively massive planetesimal object or a planet. The white dwarf mass of 0.77 solar masses implies that planetary systems may form around high-mass stars.
Theoretical nucleosynthetic yields from supernovae are sensitive to both the details of the progenitor star and the explosion calculation. We attempt to comprehensively identify the sources of uncertainties in these yields. In this paper we concentrate on the variations in yields from a single progenitor arising from common 1-dimensional methods of approximating a supernova explosion. Subsequent papers will examine 3-dimensional effects in the explosion and the progenitor, and trends in mass and composition. For the 1-dimensional explosions we find that both elemental and isotopic yields for Si and heavier elements are a sensitive function of explosion energy. Also, piston-driven and thermal bomb type explosions have different yields for the same explosion energy. Yields derived from 1-dimensional explosions are non-unique.
Intriguing evidence has been accumulating for the production of cosmic rays in the Cygnus region of the Galactic plane. We here show that the IceCube experiment can produce incontrovertible evidence for cosmic ray acceleration by observing neutrinos from the decay of charged pions accompanying the TeV photon flux observed in the HEGRA, Whipple, Tibet and Milagro experiments. Our assumption is that the TeV photons observed are the decay products of neutral pions produced by cosmic ray accelerators in the nearby spiral arm of the Galaxy. Because of the proximity of the sources, IceCube will obtain evidence at the 5sigma level in 10 years of observation.
Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect is a direct probe of thermal energy content of the Universe, induced in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) sky through scattering of CMB photons off hot electrons in the intracluster medium (ICM). We report a 9-sigma detection of the SZ signal in the CMB maps of Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) 3yr data, through study of a sample of 193 massive galaxy clusters with observed X-ray temperatures greater than 3 keV. For the first time, we make a model-independent measurement of the pressure profile in the outskirts of the ICM, and show that it closely follows the profiles obtained by X-ray observations and numerical simulations. We find that our measurements of the SZ effect would account for only half of the thermal energy of the cluster, if all the cluster baryons were in the hot ICM phase. Our measurements indicate that a significant fraction (32 +/- 10 %) of baryonic mass is missing from the hot ICM, and thus must have cooled to form galaxies, intracluster stars, or an unknown cold phase of the ICM. There does not seem to be enough mass in the form of stars or cold gas in the cluster galaxies or intracluster space, signaling the need for a yet-unknown baryonic component, or otherwise new astrophysical processes in the ICM.
I address the question of what can be learned from the observation of the diffuse supernova neutrino flux in the precision phase, at next generation detectors of Megaton scale. An analytical study of the spectrum of the diffuse flux shows that, above realistic detection thresholds of 10 MeV or higher, the spectrum essentially reflects the exponential-times-polynomial structure of the original neutrino spectrum at the emission point. There is only a weak (tens of per cent) dependence on the power \beta describing the growth of the supernova rate with the redshift. Different original neutrino spectra correspond to large differences in the observed spectrum of events at a water Cerenkov detector: for typical supernova rates, the ratio of the numbers of events in the first and second energy bins (of 5 MeV width) varies in the interval 1.5 - 4.3 for pure water (energy threshold 18 MeV) and in the range 1 - 2.5 for water with Gadolinium (10 MeV threshold). In the first case discrimination would be difficult due to the large errors associated with background. With Gadolinium, instead, the reduction of the total error down to 10-20 % level would allow spectral sensitivity, with a dramatic improvement of precision with respect to the SN1987A data. Even in this latter case, for typical neutrino luminosity the dependence on \beta is below sensitivity, so that it can be safely neglected in data analysis.
We have measured mid-infrared radiation from an orientation-unbiased sample of 3CRR galaxies and quasars at redshifts 0.4 < z < 1.2 with the IRS and MIPS instruments on the Spitzer Space Telescope. Powerful emission (L_24micron > 10^22.4 W/Hz/sr) was detected from all but one of the sources. We fit the Spitzer data as well as other measurements from the literature with synchrotron and dust components. The IRS data provide powerful constraints on the fits. At 15 microns, quasars are typically four times brighter than radio galaxies with the same isotropic radio power. Based on our fits, half of this difference can be attributed to the presence of non-thermal emission in the quasars but not the radio galaxies. The other half is consistent with dust absorption in the radio galaxies but not the quasars. Fitted optical depths are anti-correlated with core dominance, from which we infer an equatorial distribution of dust around the central engine. The median optical depth at 9.7 microns for objects with core-dominance factor R > 10^-2 is approximately 0.4; for objects with R < 10^-2, it is 1.1. We have thus addressed a long-standing question in the unification of FR II quasars and galaxies: quasars are more luminous in the mid-infrared than galaxies because of a combination of Doppler-boosted synchrotron emission in quasars and extinction in galaxies, both orientation-dependent effects.
We calculate the theoretical evolution of the radii of all fourteen of the known transiting extrasolar giant planets (EGPs) for a variety of atmospheric metallicities, dense inner core masses, and possible internal power sources. We incorporate the effects of stellar irradiation and customize such effects for each EGP and star. Looking collectively at the family as a whole, we find that there are in fact two radius anomalies to be explained. Not only are the radii of a subset of the known transiting EGPs larger than expected from previous theory, but many of the other objects are smaller than the default theory would allow. We suggest that the larger EGPs can be explained by invoking super-solar metallicity atmospheres and opacities that naturally retain internal heat and straightforwardly comport with the observed correlation between the statistics of EGPs and parent metallicity. This explanation might obviate the necessity for an extra internal power source. We explain the smaller radii by the presence in perhaps all the known transiting EGPs of dense cores, such as have been inferred for Saturn and Jupiter. Importantly, we derive a rough correlation between the masses of our "best-fit" cores and the stellar metallicity that seems to buttress the core-accretion model of their formation. Though caveats and uncertainties remain, the resulting comprehensive theory that incorporates super-solar atmospheres and dense cores is in reasonable accord with all the current structural data for the known transiting giant planets.
The Angstrom Project is undertaking an optical survey of stellar microlensing events across the bulge region of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) using a distributed network of two-meter class telescopes. The Angstrom Project Alert System (APAS) has been developed to identify in real time candidate microlensing and transient events using data from the Liverpool and Faulkes North robotic telescopes. This is the first time that real-time microlensing discovery has been attempted outside of the Milky Way and its satellite galaxies. The APAS is designed to enable follow-up studies of M31 microlensing systems, including searches for gas giant planets in M31. Here we describe the APAS and we present a few example light curves obtained during its commissioning phase which clearly demonstrate its real-time capability to identify microlensing candidates as well as other transient sources.
The measured proper motion of Fornax, expressed in the equatorial coordinate system, is $(\mu_{\alpha},\mu_{\delta})=(47.6\pm 4.6,-36.0\pm 4.1)$ mas century$^{-1}$. This proper motion is a weighted mean of four independent measurements for three distinct fields. Each measurement uses a quasi-stellar object as a reference point. Removing the contribution of the motion of the Sun and of the Local Standard of Rest to the measured proper motion produces a Galactic rest-frame proper motion of $(\mu_{\alpha}^{\mbox{\tiny{Grf}}}, \mu_{\delta}^{\mbox{\tiny{Grf}}}) = (24.4\pm 4.6,-14.3\pm 4.1)$ mas century$^{-1}$. The implied space velocity with respect to the Galactic center has a radial component of $V_{r}=-31.8 \pm 1.7$ km s$^{-1}$ and a tangential component of $V_{t}=196 \pm 29$ km s$^{-1}$. Integrating the motion of Fornax in a realistic potential for the Milky Way produces orbital elements. The perigalacticon and apogalacticon are 118 (66, 137) kpc and 152 (144, 242) kpc, respectively, where the values in the parentheses represent the 95% confidence intervals derived from Monte Carlo experiments. The eccentricity of the orbit is 0.13 (0.11, 0.38), and the orbital period is 3.2 (2.5, 4.6) Gyr. The orbit is retrograde and inclined by $101^{\circ}$ ($94^{\circ}$, $107^{\circ}$) to the Galactic plane. Fornax could be a member of a proposed ``stream'' of galaxies and globular clusters, however the membership of another proposed galaxy in the stream, Sculptor, has been previously ruled out. Fornax is in the Kroupa-Theis-Boily plane that contains eleven of the Galactic satellite galaxies, but its orbit will take it out of that plane.
We introduce a new technique to detect discrete temperature steps from cosmic string left on Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy map and discuss the detecting power of the method. Simulation of our new technique shows that its capability is only constrained by fundamental limitations of CMB measurements: finite pixelization of sky map and Gaussian fluctuation from instrumental noise and primordial anisotropy. We show that the magnitude of temperature step signal has to be greater than 44\mu K so that it can be successfully identified for Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) data set. We also find the upper limit on cosmic string parameter as G\mu =< 3.7*10^{-6} at 95% CL.
In astronomy multiple images are frequently obtained at the same position of the sky for follow-up co-addition as it helps one go deeper and look for fainter objects. With large scale panchromatic synoptic surveys becoming more common, image co-addition has become even more necessary as new observations start to get compared with co-added fiducial sky in real time. The standard co-addition techniques have included straight averages, variance weighted averages, medians etc. A more sophisticated nonlinear response chi-square method is also used when it is known that the data are background noise limited and the point spread function is homogenized in all channels. A more robust object detection technique capable of detecting faint sources, even those not seen at all epochs which will normally be smoothed out in traditional methods, is described. The analysis at each pixel level is based on a formula similar to Mahalanobis distance. The method does not depend on the point spread function.
In a search for evidence of the short wavelength increment in the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect, we have analyzed archival galaxy cluster data from the Sub-millimetre Common User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, resulting in the most complete pointed survey of clusters at 850 microns to date. SCUBA's 850 microns passband overlaps the peak of the SZ increment. The sample consists of 44 galaxy clusters in the range 0 < z < 1.3. Maps of each of the clusters have been made and sources have been extracted; as an ancillary product we generate the most thorough galaxy cluster point source list yet from SCUBA. Seventeen of these clusters are free of obvious AGN and have data deep enough to provide interesting measurements of the expected SZ signal. Specialized analysis techniques are employed to extract the SZ effect signal from these SCUBA data, including using SCUBA's short wavelength band as an atmospheric monitor and fitting the long wavelength channel to a model of the spatial distribution of each cluster's SZ effect. By explicitly excising the exact cluster centre from our analysis we demonstrate that emission from galaxies within the cluster does not contaminate our measurement. The SZ amplitudes from our measurements are consistently higher than the amplitudes inferred from low frequency measurements of the SZ decrement.
The unexpectedly hard spectra measured by HESS for the BLLacs 1ES 1101-232 and H 2356-309 has allowed an upper limit on the Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) to be derived in the optical/near-infrared range, which is very close to the lower limit given by the resolved galaxy counts. This result seems to exclude a large contribution to the EBL from other sources (e.g. Population III stars) and indicates that the intergalactic space is more transparent to gamma-rays than previously thought. A brief discussion of EBL absorption effects on blazar spectra and further observational tests to check this conclusion are presented, including the selection of new candidates for observations with Cherenkov telescopes.
Aims: To measure the beryllium abundance in two TO stars of the Globular Cluster NGC 6752, one oxygen rich and sodium poor, the other presumably oxygen poor and sodium rich. Be abundances in these stars are used to put on firmer grounds the hypothesis of Be as cosmochronometer and to investigate the formation of Globular Clusters. Method:We present near UV spectra with resolution R$\sim 45000$ obtained with the UVES spectrograph on the 8.2m VLT Kueyen telescope, analysed with spectrum synthesis based on plane parallel LTE model atmospheres. Results:Be is detected in the O rich star with log(Be/H)=-12.04 $\pm$0.15, while Be is not detected in the other star for which we obtain the upper limit log(Be/H)$<$-12.2. A large difference in nitrogen abundance (1.6 dex) is found between the two stars. Conclusions:The Be measurement is compatible with what found in field stars with the same [Fe/H] and [O/H]. The 'Be age' of the cluster is found to be 13.3 Gyrs, in excellent agreement with the results from main sequence fitting and stellar evolution. The presence of Be confirms the results previously obtained for the cluster NGC 6397 and supports the hypothesis that Be can be used as a clock for the early formation of the Galaxy. Since only an upper limit is found for the star with low oxygen abundance, we cannot decide between competing scenarios of Globular Cluster formation, but we can exclude that 'polluted' stars are substantially younger than 'unpolluted' ones. We stress that the Be test might be the only measurement capable of distinguishing between these scenarios.
We present optical photometry and spectra of the peculiar type Ib supernova (SN) 2006jc. Strong He I emission lines indicate the progenitor star exploded inside a dense circumstellar medium (CSM) rich in He. An exceptionally blue continuum persists from our first spectrum obtained 15 days after discovery through our last spectrum ~1 month later. Based on the presence of isolated Fe II emission lines, we interpret the blue continuum as fluorescent Fe emission, although we do not understand the cause of this unusual fluorescence. The red He I line profiles are double peaked, suggesting that the CSM has a highly aspherical geometry. The He I lines that are superposed on the blue continuum show P-Cygni profiles, while the redder He I lines do not, implying that the blue continuum is related to the aspherical geometry. The He-rich CSM, aspherical geometry, and a recent coincident luminous outburst indicate that the progenitor star was a WNE Wolf-Rayet (WR) star, possibly transitioning from the luminous blue variable stage. We also present unpublished spectral and photometric data of SN 2002ao, which along with SN 1999cq, is very similar to SN 2006jc. We propose these three objects may represent a new and distinct class of SNe with dense environments around WR stars.
In this paper a discussion of kinematics and physics of the Broad Line Region (BLR) is given. The possible physical conditions in the BLR and problems in determination of the physical parameters (electron temperature and density) are considered. Moreover, one analyses the geometry of the BLR and the probability that (at least) a fraction of the radiation in the Broad Emission Lines (BELs) originates from a relativistic accretion disk.
We present a new formalism, together with efficient numerical methods, to directly calculate the CMB bispectrum today from a given primordial bispectrum using the full linear radiation transfer functions. Unlike previous analyses which have assumed simple separable ansatze for the bispectrum, this work applies to a primordial bispectrum of almost arbitrary functional form, for which there may have been both horizon-crossing and superhorizon contributions. We employ adaptive methods on a hierarchical triangular grid and we establish their accuracy by direct comparison with an exact analytic solution, valid on large angular scales. We demonstrate that we can calculate the full CMB bispectrum to greater than 1% precision out to multipoles l<1800 on reasonable computational timescales. We plot the bispectrum for both the superhorizon ('local') and horizon-crossing ('equilateral') asymptotic limits, illustrating its oscillatory nature which is analogous to the CMB power spectrum.
Taking advantage of the simple 1D framework, the goal of this paper is threefold: i) we first repeat and clarify the origin of astrophysical uncertainties for antiproton exotic fluxes; ii) in the perspective of on-going and forthcoming experiments, we remind how these uncertainties should be reduced using nuclear cosmic ray data; and iii) we explore other likely spatial dependences of the transport parameters and the consequences on the exotic fluxes. An important finding is that present models may overestimate by a factor of 10 the exotic antiproton flux. The same conclusions apply to antideuterons.
Using a so-called hemispherical model we derive a general transport equation for cosmic ray and thermal particles scattered in pitch angle by magnetic inhomogeneities in a moving collisionless plasma. The weak scattering through 90 degrees results in isotropic particle distributions in each hemisphere. The consideration is not limited by small anisotropies and by the condition that particle velocities are higher than characteristic flow velocity differences. For high velocities and small anisotropies the standard cosmic ray transport equation is recovered. We apply the equations derived for investigation of injection and acceleration of particles by collisionless shocks.
We present additional tests of our algorithm aimed at filtering out systematics due to data reduction and instrumental imperfections in time series obtained by ensemble photometry. Signal detection efficiency is demonstrated, and a method of decreasing the false alarm probability is presented. Including the recently discovered transiting extrasolar planet HAT-P-1, we show various examples on the signal reconstruction capability of the method.
%context {Recent observations of hard X-rays and very high energy gamma-rays from a number of young shell type supernova remnants indicate the importance of detailed quantitative studies of energy spectra of relativistic electrons formed via diffusive shock acceleration accompanied by intense nonthermal emission through synchrotron radiation and inverse Compton scattering.} %aim {The aim of this work was derivation of exact asymptotic solutions of the kinetic equation which describes the energy distribution of shock-accelerated electrons for an arbitrary energy-dependence of the diffusion coefficient.} %method {The asymptotic solutions at low and very high energy domains coupled with numerical calculations in the intermediate energy range allow analytical presentations of energy spectra of electrons for the entire energy region.} %results {Under the assumption that the energy losses of electrons are dominated by synchrotron cooling, we derived the exact asymptotic spectra of electrons without any restriction on the diffusion coefficient. We also obtained simple analytical approximations which describe, with accuracy better than ten percent, the energy spectra of nonthermal emission of shock-accelerated electrons due to the synchrotron radiation and inverse Compton scattering.} %conclusions {The results can be applied for interpretation of X-ray and gamma-ray observations of shell type supernova remnants, as well as other nonthermal high energy source populations like microquasars and large scale synchrotron jets of active galactic nuclei.
Paper describes a novel wide field Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope based on modified Ritchey-Chretien design. Its performance characteristics are compared with traditional Davies-Cotton reflector.
Using the Galactica code of Benson et al., we obtain quantitative measurements of spheroid-to-disk ratios for a sample of 8839 galaxies observed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We carry out extensive tests of this code and of Gim2D, finding that they perform similarly in all respects. From the spheroid and disk luminosities, we construct luminosity and stellar mass functions for each component and estimate the relative luminosity and stellar mass densities of disks and spheroids in the local Universe. Assuming a simple one-to-one mapping between between spheroid mass and the mass of a central supermassive black hole, we provide the most accurate determination so far of the black hole mass function in the local universe. From this, we infer a cosmological mass density of black holes of rho_HB=(2.40 +/- 0.13) x 10^5 h M_Sun Mpc^-3. We compare our results to predictions from current hierarchical models of galaxy formation and these are found to fare well in predicting the qualitative trends observed. In units of the critical density of the Universe, we find Omega_stars,disks = (0.656 +/- 0.005)h^-1 10^-3 and Omega_stars,spheroids = (0.383 +/- 0.005) h^-1 10^-3, implying that the Universe contains almost twice as much stellar mass in disks as in the spheroidal components of galaxies.
I briefly review some of the main scientific outputs expected from the upcoming Planck mission. Planck will map the CMB sky with 5' resolution and $\mu$K sensitivity, with minimal foreground contribution and superb control on systematics. It will collect the entire information enclosed in the temperature primary anisotropy signal and will also get a good measurement of the polarized component of the CMB. This will have profound implications on our knowledge of the physics of the early universe and on the determination of cosmological parameters.
In this paper, we have made a statistical analysis of solar H$\alpha$ flares that occurred during the period 1996 to 2005 to investigate their spatial distribution with respect to northern and southern hemispheres of the Sun. The analysis includes a total of 21608 single events. The study shows a significant N$-$S asymmetry which is persistent with the evolution of the solar cycle. The flare activity favors the northern hemisphere in general during the rising and maximum phase of the solar cycle (i.e., in 1997, 1999 and 2000), while the declining phase (i.e., from 2001 to 2005) shows a southern dominance. Further, the monthly N$-$S asymmetry index for flares, sunspot numbers and sunspot areas suggests similar variations for these phenomena with the progress of solar cycle. We also find that in terms of asymmetric behavior of solar flares, cycle 23 seems to act quite differently from previous cycle (i.e. cycle 22) but is comparable to cycle 21.
Reverberation mapping of nearby active galactic nuclei has led to estimates of broad-line-region (BLR) sizes and central-object masses for some 37 objects to date. However, successful reverberation mapping has yet to be performed for quasars of either high luminosity (above L_opt~10^{46} erg/s) or high redshift (z>0.3). Over the past six years, we have carried out, at the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, rest-frame-ultraviolet spectrophotometric monitoring of a sample of six quasars at redshifts z=2.2--3.2, with luminosities of L_opt~10^{46.4}--10^{47.6} erg/s, an order of magnitude greater than those of previously mapped quasars. The six quasars, together with an additional five having similar redshift and luminosity properties, were monitored photometrically at the Wise Observatory during the past decade. All 11 quasars monitored show significant continuum variations of order 10%--70%. This is about a factor of two smaller variability than for lower luminosity quasars monitored over the same rest-frame period. In the six objects which have been spectrophotometrically monitored, significant variability is detected in the CIV1550 broad emission line. In several cases the variations track the continuum variations in the same quasar, with amplitudes comparable to, or even greater than, those of the corresponding continua. In contrast, no significant Ly\alpha variability is detected in any of the four objects in which it was observed. Thus, UV lines may have different variability trends in high-luminosity and low-luminosity AGNs. For one quasar, S5~0836+71 at z=2.172, we measure a tentative delay of 595 days between CIV and UV-continuum variations, corresponding to a rest-frame delay of 188 days and a central black-hole mass of 2.6\times10^9 M_\odot.
Using the CHARA Array and the Palomar Testbed Interferometer, the chemically peculiar star $\lambda$ Bo\"{o}tis has been spatially resolved. We have measured the limb darkened angular diameter to be $\theta_{LD} = 0.533\pm0.029$ mas, corresponding to a linear radius of $R_{\star} = 1.70 \pm 0.10 R_\odot$. The measured angular diameter yields an effective temperature for $\lambda$ Boo of $T_{eff} = 8887 \pm 242$ K. Based upon literature surface gravity estimates spanning $\log{(g)} = 4.0-4.2$ $[\rm{cm s}^{-\rm{2}}]$, we have derived a stellar mass range of $M_{\star} = 1.1 - 1.7$ $M_\odot$. For a given surface gravity, the linear radius uncertainty contributes approximately $\sigma(M_\star) = 0.1-0.2 M_\odot$ to the total mass uncertainty. The uncertainty in the mass (i.e., the range of derived masses) is primarily a result of the uncertainty in the surface gravity. The upper bound of our derived mass range ($\log(g)=4.2, M_\star = 1.7\pm0.2 M_\odot$) is consistent with 100-300 MYr solar-metallicity evolutionary models. The mid-range of our derived masses ($\log(g)=4.1, M_\star = 1.3\pm0.2 M_\odot$) is consistent with 2-3 GYr metal-poor evolutionary models. A more definitive surface gravity determination is required to determine a more precise mass for $\lambda$ Boo.
We made a multi-wavelength study of young massive star clusters (YSCs) in the interacting galaxy ARP 24, using the optical and ultraviolet images from Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and Galaxy Evolution Explorer; the mid-infrared images from Spitzer Space Telescope; and the narrow-band Ha image and optical spectra from the NAOC 2.16m telescope. Based on the HST images, we found that the brightest infrared knot in ARP 24 is associated with a complex of five young massive star clusters, within a region of ~ 0.95" radius (127pc) in size. The ages and masses of the star clusters in this complex and other regions were estimated using HST broadband photometries and the Starburst99 synthesis models. The star clusters in this complex are very young (within ages of ~ 3-5 Myr) and massive (masses of ~ 10^5 Msun). The ionization parameter and metallicity of the complex were estimated using the emission line ratios, and the star formation rates were calculated using monochromatic 24um, FUV, and Ha line luminosities. We speculate that ARP 24 may formed by a retrograde fly-by encounter indicated by its one-armed appearance and fan-like structure, and the formation of the YSCs in this galaxy is triggered by the interaction. The clusters in the YSC complex may formed in a single giant molecular cloud simultaneously. From the ultraviolet to mid-infrared spectral energy distributions, we found that the region of the YSC complex is relatively bluer in optical and has higher 24um dust emission relative to the starlight and 8um emission. This warm infrared color may due to strong UV radiation field or other mechanisms (e.g., shocks) within this region which may destroy the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and enhance the small grain emission at 24um.
We consider torsional oscillations of magnetars. This problem features rich dynamics due to the strong interaction between the normal modes of a magnetar's crust and a continuum of Magneto-Hydro-Dynamic (MHD) modes in its fluid core. We study the dynamics using a simple model of a magnetar possessing a uniform magnetic field and a thin spherical crust. Firstly, we show that global torsional modes only exist when one introduces unphysically large dissipative terms into the equations of motion; thus global modes are not helpful for understanding the magnetar Quasi-Periodic Oscillations (QPOs). Secondly, we solve the initial-value problem by simulating the sudden release of an initially strained crust and monitoring the subsequent crustal motion. We find that the crustal torsional modes quickly exchange their energy with the MHD continuum in the core, and decay by several orders of magnitude over the course of about 10 oscillation periods. After the initial rapid decay, the crustal motion is stabilized and several time-varying QPOs are observed. The dynamical spectrum of the simulated crustal motion is in qualitative agreement with that of the x-ray light-curve in the tail of a giant magnetar flare. The asymptotic frequencies of some of the QPOs are associated with the special spectral points--the turning points or edges--of the MHD continuum, and are not related to those of the crust. The observed steady low-frequency QPO at 18 Hz is almost certainly associated with the lowest frequency of the MHD continuum, or its first overtone. We also find that drifting QPOs get amplified when they come near the frequencies of the crustal modes. This explains why some of the observed QPOs have frequencies close to the expected crustal frequencies, and why these QPOs are highly variable with time.
Exo-planet migration is assumed to have occurred to explain close-to-star gas giant exo-planets within the context of the so-called standard model of solar system formation, rather than giving cause to question the validity of that particular model. I present evidence against the concept of planet migration, evidence that is historical, interdisciplinary, and model-independent. First, I demonstrate a flaw in the standard model of solar system formation that would lead to the contradiction of terrestrial planets having insufficiently massive cores. Then, I discuss the evidence that points to the Earth previously having been a Jupiter-like close-to-Sun gas giant and the consequences that arise there from. Observations of close-to-star gas giant exo-planets orbiting stars other than our own Sun, rather than being evidence for planet migration, I submit, are evidence for differing degrees of violence associated with the thermonuclear ignition of their particular stars. As observational resolution improves, one might expect to find other exo-planetary systems, like our own, with their innermost planets stripped of gaseous envelopes. Such systems may be a necessary requirement for the existence of life.
We compare the performance of Bayesian Belief Networks (BBN), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) networks and Alternating Decision Trees (ADtree) on separating quasars from stars with the database from the 2MASS and FIRST survey catalogs. Having a training sample of sources of known object types, the classifiers are trained to separate quasars from stars. By the statistical properties of the sample, the features important for classification are selected. We compare the classification results with and without feature selection. Experiments show that the results with feature selection are better than those without feature selection. From the high accuracy, it is concluded that these automated methods are robust and effective to classify point sources, moreover they all may be applied for large survey projects (e.g. selecting input catalogs) and for other astronomical issues, such as the parameter measurement of stars and the redshift estimation of galaxies and quasars.
We use the newly released 182 Type Ia supernova data combined with the third-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropic Probe data (WMAP3) and large scale structure (LSS) information including SDSS and 2dFGRS to constrain the dark energy equation of state (EoS) as well as the curvature of universe $\Omega_K$. Using the full dataset of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and LSS rather than the shift parameter and linear growth factor, we make a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) global fit, while paying particular attention to the dark energy perturbation. Parameterizing the EoS as $w_{DE}(a) = w_{0} + w_{1}(1-a)$, we find the best fit of ($w_0,w_1$) is ($-1.053,0.944$) and for $w_{DE}(a) = w_{0} + w_{1}\sin({3/2}\pi \ln(a))$, the best fit for ($w_0,w_1$) is ($-1.614,-1.046$). We find that a flat universe is a good approximation, namely, $|\Omega_K|>0.06$ has been excluded by 2$\sigma$ yet the inclusion of $\Omega_K$ can affect the measurement of DE parameters owing to their correlation and the present systematic effects of SNIa measurements.
Observational evidence of a hydrodynamically evaporating upper atmosphere of HD209458b (Vidal-Madjar et al. 2003; 2004) and recent theoretical studies on evaporation scenarios of ``Hot Jupiters'' in orbits around solar-like stars with the age of the Sun indicate that the upper atmospheres of short-periodic exoplanets experience hydrodynamic blow-off conditions resulting in loss rates of the order of about 10^10 - 10^12 g s^-1 (Lammer et al. 2003; Yelle 2004; Baraffe et al. 2004; Lecavlier des Etangs et al. 2004; Jaritz et al. 2005, Tian et al. 2005; Penz et al. 2007). By studying the effect of the Roche lobe on the atmospheric loss from short-periodic gas giants we found, that the effect of the Roche lobe can enhance the hydrodynamic evaporation from HD209458b by about 2 and from OGLE-TR-56b by about 2.5 times. For similar exoplanets which are closer to their host star than OGLE-TR-56b, the enhancement of the mass loss can be even larger. Moreover, we show that the effect of the Roche lobe raises the possibility that ``Hot Jupiters'' can reach blow-off conditions at temperatures which are less than expected (< 10000 K) due to the stellar X-ray and EUV (XUV) heating.
We briefly discuss the theory of epicyclic motion near rotating black holes and its relation to the origin of high frequency Quasi-Periodic Oscillations (QPOs) seen in many cases of accreting black hole systems. We also point out some new frequency ratios predicted by the theory.
The Southern Pierre Auger Observatory is now nearing completion and the accumulating data sample has already allowed to extract scientific results of relevance for ultra-high energy cosmic-ray (UHECR) physics. This lecture focuses on the description and outcomes of the studies on the UHECR arrival directions (and in particular the anisotropy searches around the Galactic Center) and composition (with the extraction of a limit on the flux of UHE photons and its implications). Perspectives concerning the study of inclined showers and the potential of detection of UHE neutrinos are also briefly discussed.
[Abridged] We have analysed the mass and velocity distributions of two samples of relaxed elliptical-like-objects (ELOs) identified, at z=0, in a set of self-consistent hydrodynamical simulations operating in the context of a concordance cosmological model. Our analysis shows that they are embedded in extended, massive dark matter haloes, and they also have an extended corona of hot diffuse gas. Dark matter haloes have experienced adiabatic contraction along their assembly process. The relative ELO dark- to bright-mass content and space distributions show broken homology, and they are consistent with observational results on the dark matter fraction at the central regions, as well as on the gradients of the mass-to-light ratio profiles for boxy ellipticals, as a function of their stellar masses. These results indicate that massive ellipticals miss stars at their central regions, as compared with less massive ones. Our simulations indicate that these missing baryons could be found beyond the virial radii as a hot, diffuse plasma. The projected stellar mass profiles of our ELOs can be well fit by the S\'ersic (1968) formula. Parameters of these fits reproduce observational correlations of the shape parameter with size, luminosity and velocity dispersion. The total mass density profiles show a power-law behaviour over a large r/r_{vir} interval, consistent with data on massive lens ellipticals at shorter radii. The velocity dispersion profiles show kinematical segregation, with no systematic mass dependence and a positive anisotropy, roughly independent of the radial distance outside the central regions. The consistency with observations strongly suggests that they could also describe important intrinsic characteristics of real ellipticals, as well as some of their properties recently inferred from observational data.
We describe the anisotropy of Dark Matter (DM) clump distribution caused by the tidal destruction of clumps in the Galactic disk. Tidal destruction of clumps with orbits near the disk plane occurs more efficiently as compared with the near-polar orbits. The corresponding annihilation of DM particles in the small-scale clumps produces anisotropic gamma-ray signal with respect to the Galactic disk. This anisotropy is superimposed on that due to off-centering position of the Sun in the Milky Way. The discussed anisotropy is rather small, \~5%, and has an angular dependence different from that of the Sun off-centering. This anisotropy provides a possibility to discriminate the DM annihilation signal from the diffuse gamma-ray backgrounds of other origin.
Radio observations of Type Ib/c supernovae suggest that circumstellar interaction takes place with a wide range of wind densities, comparable to that seen in Galactic Wolf-Rayet stars. Efficient production of magnetic field in the shocked region is needed. The X-ray emission observed from some Type Ib/c supernovae is higher than would be expected by the thermal or inverse Compton mechanisms; a synchrotron interpretation requires a flattening of the electron energy spectrum at high energies, as might occur in a cosmic ray dominated shock wave. The wind density variations that are indicated in two supernovae may be due to a binary companion, although variable mass loss from a single star remains a possibility. Other than the optical supernova radiation, the emission from the nearby SN 2006aj/GRB 060218 appears to be powered by a central engine, while that from SN 1998bw/GRB 980425 could be powered by either a central engine or the outer supernova ejecta.
We present a Kerr-Newman type stationary and axisymmetric solution that describes rotating black holes with a tidal charge in the Randall-Sundrum braneworld. The tidal charge appears as an imprint of nonlocal gravitational effects from the bulk space. We also discuss the physical properties of these black holes and their possible astrophysical appearance.
In this paper, I have attempted to highlight key results from deep extragalactic surveys at mid-infrared wavelengths. I discuss advances in our understanding of dust enshrouded star-formation and AGN activity at 0<z<3 from IRAS, ISO and Spitzer. The data seem to indicate that about 70% of the co-moving star-formation rate density at 0.5<z<3 is obscured by dust and that AGN, including obscured sources, account for <20% of the co-moving bolometric luminosity density. There is tentative evidence that the mode of star-formation changes as a function of redshift; star-formation at z~2 is preferentially in massive, ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) while z~1 sources are luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) which are about 1 mag fainter than ULIRGs in the near-infrared. This evolution of the star-formation mode, is similar to the evolution of the redshift distribution of X-ray sources as a function of X-ray luminosity and would suggest an extension of the downsizing hypothesis to include both AGN and star-forming galaxies. Measuring dust-enshrouded star-formation at z>3 will become possible only with future facilities like ALMA. Currently, the presence of dust can only be assessed in a small fraction of the youngest starbursts at z>5 by looking for redshifted large equivalent width H_alpha emission in broadband filters like the IRAC 4.5 micron passband. H_alpha to UV ratios in these objects are a tracer of dust extinction and measuring this ratio in GOODS galaxies indicate dust in ~20% of star-forming galaxies at z>5. Finally, implications for reionization based on the measured stellar mass density and star-formation rates of galaxies at these redshifts are discussed.
Arp102B is a nearby radio galaxy which displays the presence of double peaked Balmer emission lines. Sub-arcsec Keck mid-infrared imaging and Spitzer spectroscopy reveal a spatially compact mid-infrared source which displays tentative evidence for variability. The F$_{\nu}\propto\nu^{-1.2}$ spectral energy distribution is suggestive of an advection dominated accretion flow. The absence of dust features over the 5-40 micron range make it unlikely that thermal dust emission dominates the mid-infrared luminosity. We also detect the presence of molecular hydrogen in emission which is asymmetrically redshifted by ~500-1000 km/s from the systemic velocity of the galaxy. Since the forbidden, low ionization lines in this galaxy are at the systemic velocity, we suggest that the molecular hydrogen emission arises from a rotating molecular gas structure surrounding the nuclear black hole at a distance of ~1 pc.
For the Poincare gauge theory of gravity we consider the dynamical scalar torsion mode in a cosmological context. We explore in particular the possibility of using dynamical torsion to explain the current state of the accelerating Universe. With certain suitable sets of chosen parameters, this model can give a (qualitatively) proper description of the current universe without a cosmological constant, and the universe described is oscillating with a period of the Hubble time.
We investigate observational constraints on the curvature of the universe not restricting ourselves to a cosmological constant as dark energy, especially allowing a dark energy equation of state to evolve with time in several ways. We use type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) data from the latest gold data set which includes 182 SNeIa, along with the CMB shift parameter and the baryon acoustic oscillation peak. We show quantitatively that the constraint on the curvature of the universe depends on dark energy model: some popular parametrizations give constraints well around flat universe at 5% level (2 sigma C.L.) whereas some parametrizations allow the universe to be as open as Omega_k ~ 0.2.
Astrophysical bounds on the properties and abundances of primordial quark nuggets and cosmic ray strangelets are reviewed. New experiments to search for cosmic ray strangelets in lunar soil and from the International Space Station are described. Analogies with baryonic and supersymmetric Q-balls are briefly mentioned, as are prospects for strangelets as ultra-high energy cosmic rays.
(Abridged) Spiral galaxies often have extended outflows that permeate beyond the region of the disk. Such outflows have been seen both in starburst galaxies, actively star forming galaxies and galaxies with an AGN. In the latter galaxies it is unknown whether the large-scale outflows are driven by star formation activity or purely by the active nucleus. The aim of our investigation is to study the frequency of extended minor-axis outflows in edge-on Seyfert galaxies to investigate the role of the AGN, the circumnuclear environment and star formation activity within the disk regions, and their importance for IGM enrichment on large scales. Narrowband imaging in two different ionizational stages (H-alpha and [OIII]) was performed to attempt a discrimination between processes associated with the active nucleus and those connected to star forming activity within the disk. The H-alpha morphology of the Seyfert galaxies is usually complex, but only in three out of 14 galaxies did we find evidence for minor axis disk outflows. At the sensitivity of our observations [OIII] emission is generally detected only in the nuclear region. Overall, our results show that extraplanar emission of similar brightness and extent as in the previously known cases of NGC3079 and NGC4388 is not common in Seyfert galaxies of otherwise similar properties. Comparison with our previous results shows that for nearby edge-on spiral galaxies star formation may be a more powerful mechanism for producing DIG than AGN activity. While in general AGN activity undoubtedly plays some role in driving minor-axis outflows, this probably requires higher AGN luminosities than are encountered in our small distance-limited sample.
Accretion disks are three-dimensional, turbulent, often self-gravitating, magnetohydrodynamic flows, which can be modeled in detail with numerical simulations. In this paper, we present a new algorithm that is based on a spectral decomposition method to simulate such flows. Because of the high order of the method, we can solve the induction equation in terms of the magnetic potential and, therefore, ensure trivially that the magnetic fields in the numerical solution are divergence free. The spectral method also suffers minimally from numerical dissipation and allows for an easy implementation of models for sub-grid physics. Both properties make our method ideal for studying MHD turbulent flows such as those found in accretion disks around compact objects. We verify our algorithm with a series of standard tests and use it to show the development of MHD turbulnce in a simulation of an accretion disk. Finally, we study the evolution and saturation of the power spectrum of MHD turbulence driven by the magnetorotational instability.
Recent measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB), particularly when combined with other datasets, have revolutionised our knowledge of the values of the basic cosmological parameters. Here we summarize the state of play at the end of 2006, focusing on the combination of CMB measurements with the power spectrum of galaxy clustering. We compare the constraints derived from the extant CMB data circa 2005 and the final 2dFGRS galaxy power spectrum, with the results obtained when the WMAP 1-year data is replaced by the 3-year measurements (hereafter WMAP1 and WMAP3). Remarkably, the picture has changed relatively little with the arrival of WMAP3, though some aspects have been brought into much sharper focus. One notable example of this is the index of primordial scalar fluctuations, n_s. Prior to WMAP3, Sanchez et al. (2006) found that the scale invariant value of n_s = 1 was excluded at the 95% level. With WMAP3, this becomes a 3sigma result, with implications for models of inflation. We find some disagreement between the constraints on certain parameters when the 2dFGRS P(k) is replaced by the SDSS measurement. This suggests that more work is needed to understand the relation between the clustering of different types of galaxies and the linear perturbation theory prediction for the power spectrum of matter fluctuations.
A transiting planet eclipses part of the rotating stellar surface, thereby producing an anomalous Doppler shift of the stellar spectrum. Here I review how this "Rossiter-McLaughlin Effect" can be used to characterize exoplanetary systems. In particular, one can measure the angle on the sky between the orbital axis and the stellar rotation axis. This may help to discriminate among migration theories. Measurements have been made for 4 exoplanets, and in all cases the spin and orbital axes are fairly well-aligned. In the future, the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect may also be important as an alternative means of probing exoplanetary atmospheres, and for confirming the transits of objects identified by the satellite missions Corot and Kepler.
Neutrino masses might be as light as a few time the atmospheric neutrino mass splitting. High Energy ZeV cosmic neutrinos (in Z-Showering model) might hit relic ones at each mass in different resonance energies in our nearby Universe. This non-degenerated density and energy must split UHE Z-boson secondaries (in Z-Burst model) leading to multi injection of UHECR nucleons within future extreme AUGER energy. Secondaries of Z-Burst as neutral gamma, below a few tens EeV are better surviving local GZK cut-off and they might explain recent Hires BL-Lac UHECR correlations at small angles. A different high energy resonance must lead to Glashow's anti-neutrino showers while hitting electrons in matter. In air, Glashow's anti-neutrino showers lead to collimated and directional air-showers offering a new Neutrino Astronomy. At greater energy around PeV, Tau escaping mountains and Earth and decaying in flight are effectively showering in air sky. These Horizontal showering is splitting by geomagnetic field in forked shapes. Such air-showers secondaries release amplified and beamed gamma bursts (like observed TGF), made also by muon and electron pair bundles, with their accompanying rich Cherenkov flashes. Also planet' s largest (Saturn, Jupiter) atmosphere limbs offer an ideal screen for UHE GZK and Z-burst tau neutrino, because their largest sizes. Titan thick atmosphere and small radius are optimal for discovering up-going resonant Glashow resonant showers. Earth detection of Neutrino showering by twin Magic Telescopes on top mountains, or by balloons and satellites arrays facing the limbs are the simplest and cheapest way toward UHE Neutrino Astronomy .
Recently, many efforts have been made to build dark energy model whose equation-of-state parameter can cross the so-called phantom divide $w_{de}=-1$. One of them is the so-called hessence dark energy model in which the role of dark energy is played by a non-canonical complex scalar field. In this work, we develop a simple method based on Hubble parameter $H(z)$ to reconstruct the hessence dark energy. As examples, we use two familiar parameterizations for $H(z)$ and fit them to the latest 182 type Ia supernovae Gold dataset. In the reconstruction, measurement errors are fully considered.
In a previous paper, we described new analytic formulae for optically-thick
supercritical accretion flows (Watarai 2006, hereafter paper 1). Here we
present analytic formulae for optically-thin one-temperature accretion flows
including the advection-dominated regime, using the ``semi-iterative'' method
described in paper 1. Our analytic formulae have two real solutions. The first
solution corresponds to the advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF), and the
second solution corresponds to the radiation-dominated accretion flow described
by Shapiro, Lightman, & Eardley (the so-called SLE model). Both solutions are
given by a cubic equation for the advection parameter $f$, which is the ratio
of the advection cooling rate $Q_{\rm adv}$ to the viscous heating rate
$Q_{\rm vis}$, i.e., $f=Q_{\rm adv}/Q_{\rm vis}$. Most previous studies
assume that $f$ is constant ($f \sim 1$ for the ADAF). However, it is clear
that $f$ should be a function of the physical parameters of the
radiative-cooling dominated regime. We found that the ratio $f$ can be written
as a function of the radius, mass accretion rate, and viscous parameter
$\alpha$. Using this formula, we can estimate the transition radius from the
inner optically-thin ADAF to the outer optically-thick standard disk, which can
be measured using observations of the quiescent state in black hole X-ray
binaries.
High resolution spectra of the Spitzer Space Telescope show vibration-rotation absorption bands of gaseous C2H2, HCN, and CO2 molecules toward a sample of deeply obscured (U)LIRG nuclei. The observed bands reveal the presence of dense (n>~ 10^7 cm^-3), warm (T_ex = 200-700 K) molecular gas with high column densities of these molecules ranging from a few 10^15 - 10^17 cm^-2. Abundances relative to H2, inferred from the silicate optical depth, range from ~10^-7 to 10^-6 and show no correlation with temperature. Theoretical studies show that the high abundances of both C2H2 and HCN exclude a X-ray dominated region (XDR) associated with the toroid surrounding an AGN as the origin of this dense warm molecular gas. Galactic massive protostars in the so-called Hot Core phase have similar physical characteristics with comparable high abundances of C2H2, HCN, and CO2 in the hot phase. However, the abundances of C2H2 and HCN and the C2H2/CO2 and HCN/CO2 ratios are much higher toward the (U)LIRGs in the cooler (T_ex <= 400 K) phase. We suggest that the warm dense molecular gas revealed by the mid-IR absorption lines is associated with a phase of deeply embedded star formation where the extreme pressures and densities of the nuclear starburst environment have inhibited the expansion of HII regions and the global disruption of the star forming molecular cloud cores, and `trapped' the star formation process in an `extended' Hot Core phase.
We calculate photometric redshifts from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 2 Galaxy Sample using artificial neural networks (ANNs). Different input patterns based on various parameters (e.g. magnitude, color index, flux information) are explored and their performances for redshift prediction are compared. For ANN technique, any parameter may be easily incorporated as input, but our results indicate that using reddening magnitude produces photometric redshift accuracies often better than the Petrosian magnitude or model magnitude. Similarly, the model magnitude is also superior to Petrosian magnitude. In addition, ANNs also show better performance when the more effective parameters increase in the training set. Finally, the method is tested on a sample of 79, 346 galaxies from the SDSS DR2. When using 19 parameters based on the reddening magnitude, the rms error in redshift estimation is sigma(z)=0.020184. The ANN is highly competitive tool when compared with traditional template-fitting methods where a large and representative training set is available.
I elaborate on my prediction that an indirect detection of cold dark matter (CDM) may be possible by observing the gravitational lensing effects of the CDM cusp caustics at cosmological distances. Cusps in the distribution of CDM are plentiful once density perturbations enter the nonlinear regime of structure formation. Caustic ring model of galactic halo formation provides a well defined density profile and geometry near the cusps of the caustic rings. I calculate the gravitational lensing effects of the cusps in this model. As a pointlike background source passes behind a cusp of a cosmological foreground halo, the magnification in its image may be detected by present instruments. Depending on the strength of detected effect and the time scale of brightness change, it may even be possible to discriminate between the CDM candidates: axions and weakly interacting massive particles.
We present time-dependent simulations of a two-phase accretion flow around a black hole. The accretion flow initially is composed of an optically thick and cool disc close to the midplane, while on top and below the disc there is a hot and optically thin corona. We consider several interaction mechanisms as heating of the disc by the corona and Compton cooling of the corona by the soft photons of the disc. Mass and energy can be exchanged between the disc and the corona due to thermal conduction. For the course of this more exploratory work, we limit ourselves to one particular model for a stellar mass black hole accreting at a low accretion rate. We confirm earlier both theoretical and observational results which show that at low accretion rates the disc close to the black hole cannot survive and is evaporated. Given the framework of this model, we now can follow through this phase of disc evaporation time dependently.
We present an extension of the King et al. (2004) model for the flickering of
black hole accretion discs by taking proper account for the thermal properties
of the disc.
First we develop a one-dimensional, vertically averaged, one-zone model for
an optically thick accretion disc and study the temporal evolution. This limits
the current model to the so-called high/soft state, where the X-Ray spectrum is
dominated by a thermal black-body component.
Then we couple this disc model to the flickering process as described in King
et al. (2004). Thus we consider the evolution of a poloidal magnetic field
subject to a magnetic dynamo. By comparing to observations of X-Ray binaries in
the high-soft state, we can constrain the strength of the energy density of the
poloidal magnetic field to a few percent of the energy density of the intrinsic
disc magnetic field.
X-ray spectra of groups of galaxies, obtained with the GIS instrument onboard ASCA, were investigated for diffuse hard X-rays in excess of the soft thermal emission from their inter-galactic medium (IGM). In total, 18 objects with the IGM temperature of 0.7--1.7 keV were studied, including HCG 62 in particular. Non X-ray backgrounds in the GIS spectra were carefully estimated and subtracted. The IGM emission was represented by up to two temperature thermal models, which was determined in a soft energy band below 2.5 keV mainly by the SIS data. When extrapolated to a higher energy range of 4--8 keV, this thermal model under-predicted the background-subtracted GIS counts in HCG 62 and RGH 80 by > 2 sigma significance, even though the background uncertainties and the IGM modeling errors are carefully accounted. A hard excess could be also present in NGC 1399. The excess was successfully explained by a power-law model with a photon index ~ 2, or a thermal emission with a temperature exceeding ~ 3 keV. In HCG 62, the 2--10 keV luminosity of the excess hard component was found to be 5.5E41 erg/s at 2--10 keV, which is ~ 30% of the thermal IGM luminosity in 0.7--2.5 keV. Non-thermal and thermal interpretations of this excess components are discussed.
Broad line radio galaxies (BLRGs) are a rare type of radio-loud AGN, in which the broad optical permitted emission lines have been detected in addition to the extended jet emission. Here we report on deep (40ksec x4) observations of the bright BLRG 3C~120 using Suzaku. The observations were spaced a week apart, and sample a range of continuum fluxes. An excellent broadband spectrum was obtained over two decades of frequency (0.6 to 50 keV) within each 40 ksec exposure. We clearly resolved the iron K emission line complex, finding that it consists of a narrow K_a core (sigma ~ 110 eV or an EW of 60 eV), a 6.9 keV line, and an underlying broad iron line. Our confirmation of the broad line contrasts with the XMM-Newton observation in 2003, where the broad line was not required. The most natural interpretation of the broad line is iron K line emission from a face-on accretion disk which is truncated at ~10 r_g. Above 10 keV, a relatively weak Compton hump was detected (reflection fraction of R ~ 0.6), superposed on the primary X-ray continuum of Gamma ~ 1.75. Thanks to the good photon statistics and low background of the Suzaku data, we clearly confirm the spectral evolution of 3C120, whereby the variability amplitude decreases with increasing energy. More strikingly, we discovered that the variability is caused by a steep power-law component of Gamma ~2.7, possibly related to the non-thermal jet emission. We discuss our findings in the context of similarities and differences between radio-loud/quiet objects.
We develop a numerical solver for radiative transfer problems based on the weighted essentially nonoscillatory (WENO) scheme modified with anti-diffusive flux corrections, in order to solve the temperature and ionization profiles around a point source of photons in the reionization epoch. Algorithms for such simulation must be able to handle the following two features: 1. the sharp profiles of ionization and temperature at the ionizing front (I-front) and the heating front (T-front), and 2. the fraction of neutral hydrogen within the ionized sphere is extremely small due to the stiffness of the rate equations of atom processes. The WENO scheme can properly handle these two features, as it has been shown to have high order of accuracy and good convergence in capturing discontinuities and complicated structures in fluid as well as to be significantly superior over piecewise smooth solutions containing discontinuities. With this algorithm, we show the time-dependence of the preheated shell around a UV photon source. In the first stage the I-front and T-front are coincident, and propagate with almost the speed of light. In later stage, when the frequency spectrum of UV photons is hardened, the speeds of propagation of the ionizing and heating fronts are both significantly less than the speed of light, and the heating front is always beyond the ionizing front. In the spherical shell between the I- and T-fronts, the IGM is heated, while atoms keep almost neutral. The time scale of the preheated shell evolution is dependent on the intensity of the photon source. We also find that the details of the pre-heated shell and the distribution of neutral hydrogen remained in the ionized sphere are actually sensitive to the parameters used. The WENO algorithm can provide stable and robust solutions to study these details.
We present a simple semi-analytical model of nonlinear, mean-field galactic dynamos and use it to study the effects of various magnetic helicity fluxes. The dynamo equations are reduced using the `no-$z$' approximation to a nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations in time; we demonstrate that the model reproduces accurately earlier results, including those where nonlinear behaviour is driven by a magnetic helicity flux. We discuss the implications and interplay of two types of magnetic helicity flux, one produced by advection (e.g., due to the galactic fountain or wind) and the other, arising from anisotropy of turbulence as suggested by Vishniac & Cho(2001). We argue that the latter is significant if the galactic differential rotation is strong enough: in our model, for $\Rw\la-10$ in terms of the corresponding turbulent magnetic Reynolds number. We confirm that the intensity of gas outflow from the galactic disc optimal for the dynamo action is close to that expected for normal spiral galaxies. The steady-state strength of the large-scale magnetic field supported by the helicity advection is still weaker than that corresponding to equipartition with the turbulent energy. However, the Vishniac-Cho helicity flux can boost magnetic field further to achieve energy equipartition with turbulence. For stronger outflows that may occur in starburst galaxies, the Vishniac-Cho flux can be essential for the dynamo action. However, this mechanism requires a large-scale magnetic field of at least $\simeq1\mkG$ to be launched, so that it has to be preceded by a conventional dynamo assisted by the advection of magnetic helicity by the fountain or wind.
Stars are generally formed in clusters. Prior to the the dispersal of small clusters, which occurs on the time scale of 10^8 yr, dynamical interaction between young stars may also affect the stability and dynamical evolution of their companion planetary systems. Through a series of numerical simulations, we show that distant stellar encounters generally do not strongly modify the compact and nearly circular orbits of those planetary systems formed with kinematic properties similar to the solar system. But, the stellar encounters can strongly perturb the dynamical structure of planetary systems with extended and eccentric orbits. Close stellar encounters can also excite modest eccentricity for all planets including those with relatively short periods and small eccentricities and induce dynamical instability in systems which are closely packed with multiple planets. The highly eccentric planets are much more prone to be detached from their host stars by the stellar encounters. We explore the possibility that this process may have led to the formation of ``freely floating planets'' in young stellar clusters such as sigma Orionis. We also discuss the differential cross section for the eccentricity and the relative binding energy changes, which are in a good agreement with analytical formulae. The results of numerical simulations, both $N$-body and Hybrid Monte Carlo, are in a reasonable agreement with analytical predictions for a tidal adiabatic and an impulsive limits.
The three objects have been identified as members of the recently recognized class of Gamma Doradus stars, which exhibit multi-periodic photometric variations that are thought to arise from non-radial pulsation. The particular objects treated here also prove to be spectroscopic binaries, for which we provide reliable orbits. The radial velocities exhibit unusually large residuals, in which some of the photometric periodicities can be traced. Some of the same periodicities are also demonstrated by the observed variations in the line profiles, which are quantified here simply in terms of the line-widths.
Miriad is a radio interferometry data-reduction package, designed for taking raw data through to the image analysis stage. The Miriad project, begun in 1988, is now middle-aged. With the wisdom of hindsight, we review design decisions and some of Miriad's characteristics.
We conduct two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of jets expanding in the intra-cluster medium (ICM). We find that for a fat, i.e. more or less spherical, bubble attached to the center to be formed the jet should have high momentum flux and a large opening angle. Typically, the half opening angle should be >50 degrees, and the large momentum flux requires a jet speed of \~10,000 km/sec. The inflation process involves vortices and local instabilities which mix some ICM with the hot bubble. These results predict that most of the gas inside the bubble has a temperature of 3x10^8<T<3x10^9 K, and that large quantities of the cooling gas in cooling flow clusters are expelled back to the intra-cluster medium, and heated up. The magnetic fields and relativistic electrons that produce the synchrotron radio emission might be formed in the shock wave of the jet.
We have carried out the first survey of the pulsational line profile variability in rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) stars. We analysed high signal-to-noise time-series observations of ten sharp-lined roAp stars obtained with the high-resolution spectrographs attached to the VLT and CFHT telescopes. We investigated in detail the variations of Pr III, Nd II, Nd III and Tb III lines and discovered a prominent change of the profile variability pattern with height in the atmospheres of all studied roAp stars. In every investigated star profile variability of at least one rare-earth ion is characterized by unusual blue-to-red moving features - a behaviour inexplicable in the framework of the standard oblique pulsator model of slowly rotating roAp stars. Using analysis of the line profile moments and spectrum synthesis calculations, we demonstrate that unusual oscillations in spectral lines of roAp stars arise from the pulsational modulation of line widths. This variation occurs approximately in quadrature with the radial velocity changes, and its amplitude rapidly increases with height in stellar atmosphere. We propose that the line width modulation is a consequence of the periodic expansion and compression of turbulent layers in the upper atmospheres of roAp stars. Thus, the line profile changes observed in slowly rotating magnetic pulsators should be interpreted as a superposition of two types of variability: the usual time-dependent velocity field due to an oblique low-order pulsation mode and an additional line width modulation, synchronized with the changes of stellar radius. Our explanation of the line profile variations of roAp stars solves the long-standing observational puzzle and opens new possibilities for constraining geometric and physical properties of the stellar magnetoacoustic pulsations.
We summarise recent deep, rapid GRB follow-up observations using the RoboNet-1.0 network which comprises three fully-robotic 2-m telescopes, the Liverpool Telescope and the Faulkes Telescopes North and South. Observations begin automatically within minutes of receipt of a GRB alert and may continue for hours or days to provide well-sampled multi-colour light curves or deep upper limits. Our light curves show a variety of early afterglow behaviour, from smooth, simple or broken power laws to 'bumpy', for a wide range of optical brightness (from the unprecedented faint detections of GRB 060108 and GRB 060510B to classical bright ones). We discuss GRB 051111 as an example of how the combination of optical and X-ray light curves can provide insight into the circumburst environment, in particular the role played by intrinsic extinction soon after the burst.
Many of the planets discovered via the radial velocity technique are hot Jupiters in 3-5 day orbits with ~10$% chance of transiting their parent star. However, radial velocity surveys for extra-solar planets generally require substantial amounts of large telescope time in order to monitor a sufficient number of stars due to the single-object capabilities of the spectrograph. A multi-object Doppler survey instrument has been developed which is based on the dispersed fixed-delay interferometer design. We present simulations of the expected results from the Sloan Doppler survey based on calculated noise models and sensitivity for the instrument and the known distribution of exoplanetary system parameters. We have developed code for automatically sifting and fitting the planet candidates produced by the survey to allow for fast follow-up observations to be conducted. A transit ephemeris is automatically calculated by the code for each candidate and updated when new data becomes available. The techniques presented here may be applied to a wide range of multi-object planet surveys.
We compute the primordial scalar, vector and tensor metric perturbations arising from quantum field inflation. Quantum field inflation takes into account the nonperturbative quantum dynamics of the inflaton consistently coupled to the dynamics of the (classical) cosmological metric. For chaotic inflation, the quantum treatment avoids the unnatural requirements of an initial state with all the energy in the zero mode. For new inflation it allows a consistent treatment of the explosive particle production due to spinodal instabilities. Quantum field inflation (under conditions that are the quantum analog of slow roll) leads, upon evolution, to the formation of a condensate starting a regime of effective classical inflation. We compute the primordial perturbations taking the dominant quantum effects into account. The results for the scalar, vector and tensor primordial perturbations are expressed in terms of the classical inflation results. For a N-component field in a O(N) symmetric model, adiabatic fluctuations dominate while isocurvature or entropy fluctuations are negligible. The results agree with the current WMAP observations and predict corrections to the power spectrum in classical inflation. Such corrections are estimated to be of the order of m^2/H^2 where m is the inflaton mass and H the Hubble constant at horizon crossing. This turns to be about 4% for the cosmologically relevant scales. This quantum field treatment of inflation provides the foundations to the classical inflation and permits to compute quantum corrections to it.
Here we present the results of panoramic and long-slit observations of eight ULX nebular counterparts held with the 6m SAO telescope. In two ULXNe we detected for the first time signatures of high excitation ([OIII]5007 / H\beta > 5). Two of the ULXs were identified with young (T ~ 5-10 Myr) massive star clusters. Four of the eight ULX Nebulae (ULXNe) show bright high-excitation lines. This requires existence of luminous (~ 10^{38} .. 10^{40} erg/s) UV/EUV sources coinciding with the X-ray sources. Other 4 ULXNe require shock excitation of the gas with shock velocities of 20-100km/s. However, all the studied ULXN spectra show signatures of shock excitation, but even those ULXNe where the shocks are prevailing show presence of a hard ionizing source with the luminosity at least ~10^{38} erg/s. Most likely shock waves, X-ray and EUV ionization act simultaneously in all the ULXNe, but they may be roughly separated in two groups, shock-dominated and photoionization-dominated ULXNe. The ULXs have to produce strong winds and/or jets powering their nebulae with \~10^{39} erg/s. Both the wind/jet activity and the EUV source needed are consistent with the suggestion that ULXs are high-mass X-ray binaries with the supercritical accretion disks of the SS433 type.
The Local Group galaxy Phoenix has the properties of a dwarf spheroidal galaxy, but an adjacent HI cloud has been found to be at the same radial velocity as the stars. The proximity suggests that this cloud is associated with the most recent ($\le 100$ Myr) star formation in Phoenix. We have obtained relatively high sensitivity and high resolution HI imaging with the VLA with the goal of distinguishing between different processes for displacing the gas from the galaxy. Due to the outer curvature of the HI cloud, it appears that expulsion from the galaxy by winds from supernovae is more likely than ram-pressure stripping. The isolation of the galaxy makes tidal stripping highly unlikely. Using a star formation history constructed from HST imaging, we construct a simple kinematic model which implies that the HI cloud is still gravitationally bound to the galaxy. Gas which is expelled from the centers of dwarf galaxies but which remains gravi tationally bound may explain the episodic star formation observed in several dwarfs. In the specific case of Phoenix, there may be future star formation in this currently dSph-like galaxy.