VizieR Online Data Catalog: JMDC : JMMC Measured Stellar Diameters Catalogue (Duvert, 2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duvert, G.

2016-11-01

Several star diameter compilations exist that contain a fair amount of stellar angular diameter measurements. The CADARS (2011, Cat. II/224) has entries for 6888 stars and claims completeness up to 1997. CHARM2 (2005, Cat. J/A+A/431/773) lists 8231 measurements of 3243 stars, up to 2005. However all these catalogs mix results from very direct methods, such as intensity interferometry, with indirect methods, or spectrophotometric estimates of various kind (always including some model of the star), or linear diameters from eclipsing binaries (1600 entries in CADARS), which need some modelling of the two stars, as well as a good estimate of the distance to be converted into an angular diameter. In contrary, the present catalogue, called JMDC (for JMMC Measured stellar Diameters Catalog) is focussed on direct methods only, and selects only one value of the uniform-disk diameter (UDD) and limb-darkened diameter (LDD) for each historical measurement. It should be regularly updated via a specialized submission tool that will be made available on the JMMC website (www.jmmc.fr). The current version gathers 1478 measurements that have been published since the first experiments by Michelson. Prior to 1997, our bibliography relies only on the reference list of CADARS, carefully reviewed. After this date we used NASA's ADS hosted at CDS. We retained only the measurements obtained from visible/IR interferometry, intensity interferometry and lunar occultation in the database. We always retrieved the values in the original text and used SIMBAD to properly and uniquely identify the stars. The three techniques retained share the same method of converting the measurements (squared visibilities for optical interferometry, correlation of photon-counts for intensity interferometry, fast photometry for lunar occultations) into an angular diameter: fitting a geometrical function into the values, in many cases a uniform disk, which provides a uniform disk diameter (UDD) value. This UDD is wavelength-dependent owing to the limb-darkening effect of the upper layers of a star's photosphere, and JMDC retains the wavelength or photometric band at which the observation was made. To measure a star's apparent diameter consistently, i.e., with the same meaning as our Sun's well-resolved apparent diameter, it was necessary for the authors of these measurements to take into account the star's limb-darkening, for which only theoretical estimates exist as yet. They chose one of the various limb-darkening parameters available in the literature, either by multiplying the UDD by a coefficient function of the wavelength and the star's adopted effective temperature, or directly fitting a limb-darkened disk model in the data. Of course this adds some amount of theoretical bias in the published measurements, which however diminishes as the wavelength increases. An additional difficulty for the lunar occultations is that the result depends on the exact geometry of the occulting portion of the lunar limb, which can, more or less, be correctly estimated. To deal with the limb-darkening problem as efficiently as possible, in the publications where reported diameters are measured in several optical/IR bands, we retain the measurement with the best accuracy and favor the measurement at the longest wavelength to minimize the effect of limb-darkening correction. When the publication include both LDD and UDD values, we report both, and, if available, the conversion coefficient used. We provide in the Notes additional information, such as the eventual binarity of the star, possible erroneous measurements, origin the of limb-darkening factor used, duplication with other publications etc... as weel as more "in-house" comments related to the proper use of this database in the companion publication 2016A&A...589A.112C. In the paper 2016A&A...589A.112C, we further use the published UDD measurement, or retrieve the original, unpublished UDD measurement from the LDD value and the limb-darkening coefficient used by the authors. We then convert these UDD values into limb-darkened angular diameters using mainly the coefficients from J/A+A/556/A86/table16 and J/A+A/554/A98/table16 when possible (compatible spectral types) and following the prescriptions of the JMMC report JMMC-MEM-2610-001 (http://www.mariotti.fr/doc/approved/JMMC-MEM-2610-0001.pdf) in all other cases. As the limb-darkening coefficients depend on the effective temperature and surface gravity as well as some model of the stellar photosphere, these "revised" LDDs are not part of the present catalog. (2 data files).

Observing the Sun with micro-interferometric devices: a didactic experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Defrère, D.; Absil, O.; Hanot, C.; Riaud, P.; Magette, A.; Marion, L.; Wertz, O.; Finet, F.; Steenackers, M.; Habraken, S.; Surdej, A.; Surdej, J.

2014-04-01

Measuring the angular diameter of celestial bodies has long been the main purpose of stellar interferometry and was its historical motivation. Nowadays, stellar interferometry is widely used for various other scientific purposes that require very high angular resolution measurements. In terms of angular spatial scales probed, observing distant stars located 10 to 100~pc away with a large hectometric interferometer is equivalent to observing our Sun with a micrometric baseline. Based on this idea, we have manufactured a set of micro-interferometric devices and tested them on the sky. The micro-interferometers consist of a chrome layer deposited on a glass plate that has been drilled by laser lithography to produce micron-sized holes with configurations corresponding to proposed interferometer projects such as CARLINA, ELSA, KEOPS, and OVLA. In this paper, we describe these interferometric devices and present interferometric observations of the Sun made in the framework of Astrophysics lectures being taught at the Liège University. By means of a simple photographic camera placed behind a micro-interferometric device, we observed the Sun and derived its angular size. This experiment provides a very didactic way to easily obtain fringe patterns similar to those that will be obtained with future large imaging arrays. A program written in C also allows to reproduce the various point spread functions and fringe patterns observed with the micro-interferometric devices for different types of sources, including the Sun.

STELLAR PARAMETERS FOR HD 69830, A NEARBY STAR WITH THREE NEPTUNE MASS PLANETS AND AN ASTEROID BELT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanner, Angelle; Boyajian, Tabetha S.; Brewer, John M.

We used the CHARA Array to directly measure the angular diameter of HD 69830, home to three Neptune mass planets and an asteroid belt. Our measurement of 0.674 ± 0.014 mas for the limb-darkened angular diameter of this star leads to a physical radius of R {sub *} = 0.9058 ± 0.0190 R {sub ☉} and luminosity of L {sub *} = 0.622 ± 0.014 L {sub ☉} when combined with a fit to the spectral energy distribution of the star. Placing these observed values on an Hertzsprung-Russel diagram along with stellar evolution isochrones produces an age of 10.6 ± 4 Gyr and mass of 0.863 ± 0.043 M {sub ☉}. We usemore » archival optical echelle spectra of HD 69830 along with an iterative spectral fitting technique to measure the iron abundance ([Fe/H] = –0.04 ± 0.03), effective temperature (5385 ± 44 K), and surface gravity (log g = 4.49 ± 0.06). We use these new values for the temperature and luminosity to calculate a more precise age of 7.5 ± 3 Gyr. Applying the values of stellar luminosity and radius to recent models on the optimistic location of the habitable zone produces a range of 0.61-1.44 AU; partially outside the orbit of the furthest known planet (d) around HD 69830. Finally, we estimate the snow line at a distance of 1.95 ± 0.19 AU, which is outside the orbit of all three planets and its asteroid belt.« less

An independent Cepheid distance scale: Current status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, T. G., III

1980-01-01

An independent distance scale for Cepheid variables is discussed. The apparent magnitude and the visual surface brightness, inferred from an appropriate color index, are used to determine the angular diameter variation of the Cepheid. When combined with the linear displacement curve obtained from the integrated radial velocity curve, the distance and linear radius are determined. The attractiveness of the method is its complete independence of all other stellar distance scales, even though a number of practical difficulties currently exist in implementing the technique.

Obituary: David Stanley Evans, 1916-2004

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bash, Frank N.

2005-12-01

David Stanley Evans died on 14 November 2004 in Austin, Texas. He was a noted observational astronomer whose career was divided between South Africa and Texas. He also used the extensive historical collections at the University of Texas to write several books on the history of astronomy. He was born in Cardiff, Wales on 28 January 1916. David received his BA degree in mathematics in 1937 from Kings College, Cambridge. He became a PhD student at Cambridge Observatory in 1937, and was one of Sir Arthur Eddington's last surviving students. He received his PhD degree in 1941 with a dissertation entitled, "The Formation of the Balmer Series of Hydrogen in Stellar Atmospheres." He was a conscientious objector to war and, thus, spent the war years at Oxford working with physicist Kurt Mendelssohn on medical problems, involving cadavers, relating to the war. During these years, David was scientific editor of "Discovery", and he was editor of "The Observatory". David left England in 1946 in order to take up the position of Second Assistant at the Radcliffe Observatory, Pretoria, South Africa. He and H. Knox Shaw were the entire staff after R. O. Redman left, and they aluminized and installed the mirrors in the 74-inch telescope. His notable scientific contribution was to use lunar occultations to measure stellar angular diameters during the 1950s. He succeeded in determining the angular diameter of Antares and determined that Arcturus was not circular but had an elliptical shape. The elliptical shape was later shown to be an instrumental artifact, but the utility of using lunar occultations to measure stellar diameters and stellar multiplicity was conclusively demonstrated. T. Gold presented David's paper on lunar occultation angular diameters at the January 1953 meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society. For the rest of his life, David resented Gold's remarks, because he felt that he had been ridiculed. By 1953, David Evans was Chief Assistant at the Royal Observatory headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa. David had designed and built a Newtonian spectrograph for the 74-inch Radcliffe Telescope with which he measured the first southern galaxy redshifts. David and his family spent 1965-66 in Austin, Texas, where he was a National Science Foundation Senior Visiting Scientist at the University of Texas and McDonald Observatory. They moved permanently to Austin in 1968 and David became a Professor of Astronomy and Associate Director of McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin. At McDonald Observatory, R. E. Nather had devised a high-speed photometer capable of measuring millisecond time-scale changes in brightness and with Brian Warner, he invented "high-speed astronomy". This instrument caused Evans to revive his occultation program and, over the next twenty years, he produced the major part of the angular diameters of late-type stars with his students and collaborators. In addition, David and collaborators used the extensive collections of the University of Texas to write "Herschel at the Cape". David was also involved in observing the occultation of ? Sco by Jupiter in 1972 and in observing, during a solar eclipse in 1973, the gravitational deflections in the positions of stars whose light passes near to the Sun. The eclipse was observed from Mauritania, and the observations confirmed Einstein's prediction again. David Evans and his students studied late-type stars that have large star-spots and others that flare. In addition, they studied stars whose lunar occultation observations had revealed them to be double or even more than two stars. David Evans's major scientific contribution was an application of his stellar angular diameters to deduce the surface brightness of stars with the result that with suitable color indices one could use photometry to deduce the angular diameter of stars. This is applicable to stars which can never be occulted by the Moon, and its application to Cepheid variable stars has yielded their distances. This relation between angular diameters and a V-R color index is called the Barnes-Evans Relation. Tom Barnes gives most of the credit to Evans, but said that David insisted that the authors be listed in alphabetical order. This work was greeted with initial skepticism but it stimulated an enormous amount of interest and has been used to measure distances to 100 Cepheid variable stars in our galaxy. The method gives a distance to one of them, Delta Cephei, that agrees closely with recently measured parallaxes using HST. The Barnes-Evans method yields distances which are accurate to a few percent and is applicable to Cepheids in nearby galaxies. Before coming to Texas, David Evans had never given a large lecture course at a university, and his efforts met with mixed success especially in introductory classes for freshmen facing a "science requirement." David had considerably more success supervising PhD dissertations. He was supervisor for four. He was promoted to the position of Jack S. Josey Centennial Professor of Astronomy in 1984, which is the position he held until his retirement in 1986. He was awarded the Gill Medal of the Astronomical Society of South Africa in 1988. David Evans had a remarkable facility for language, especially English. He was an author of eight books including a 1966 edition of "Teach Yourself Astronomy", which was an introduction to astronomy and an inspiration to a number of currently active astronomers. He also loved history, especially of Southern Hemisphere astronomy but also of the McDonald Observatory. In fact, David continued to be very active after retirement and when he died he had completed a book (with Karen Winget) on the eclipse expedition to Mauritania, which is not yet printed.

THE IMPACT OF STELLAR FEEDBACK ON THE STRUCTURE, SIZE, AND MORPHOLOGY OF GALAXIES IN MILKY-WAY-SIZED DARK MATTER HALOS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Agertz, Oscar; Kravtsov, Andrey V., E-mail: o.agertz@surrey.ac.uk

We use cosmological zoom-in simulations of galaxy formation in a Milky-Way-sized halo started from identical initial conditions to investigate the evolution of galaxy sizes, baryon fractions, morphologies, and angular momenta in runs with different parameters of the star formation–feedback cycle. Our fiducial model with a high local star formation efficiency, which results in efficient feedback, produces a realistic late-type galaxy that matches the evolution of basic properties of late-type galaxies: stellar mass, disk size, morphology dominated by a kinematically cold disk, stellar and gas surface density profiles, and specific angular momentum. We argue that feedback’s role in this success ismore » twofold: (1) removal of low angular momentum gas, and (2) maintaining a low disk-to-halo mass fraction, which suppresses disk instabilities that lead to angular momentum redistribution and a central concentration of baryons. However, our model with a low local star formation efficiency, but large energy input per supernova, chosen to produce a galaxy with a similar star formation history as our fiducial model, leads to a highly irregular galaxy with no kinematically cold component, overly extended stellar distribution, and low angular momentum. This indicates that only when feedback is allowed to become vigorous via locally efficient star formation in dense cold gas do resulting galaxy sizes, gas/stellar surface density profiles, and stellar disk angular momenta agree with observed z = 0 galaxies.« less

POET: Planetary Orbital Evolution due to Tides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penev, Kaloyan

2014-08-01

POET (Planetary Orbital Evolution due to Tides) calculates the orbital evolution of a system consisting of a single star with a single planet in orbit under the influence of tides. The following effects are The evolutions of the semimajor axis of the orbit due to the tidal dissipation in the star and the angular momentum of the stellar convective envelope by the tidal coupling are taken into account. In addition, the evolution includes the transfer of angular momentum between the stellar convective and radiative zones, effect of the stellar evolution on the tidal dissipation efficiency, and stellar core and envelope spins and loss of stellar convective zone angular momentum to a magnetically launched wind. POET can be used out of the box, and can also be extended and modified.

Spectroscopic and Interferometric Measurements of Nine K Giant Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baines, Ellyn K.; Döllinger, Michaela P.; Guenther, Eike W.; Hatzes, Artie P.; Hrudkovu, Marie; van Belle, Gerard T.

2016-09-01

We present spectroscopic and interferometric measurements for a sample of nine K giant stars. These targets are of particular interest because they are slated for stellar oscillation observations. Our improved parameters will directly translate into reduced errors in the final masses for these stars when interferometric radii and asteroseismic densities are combined. Here, we determine each star’s limb-darkened angular diameter, physical radius, luminosity, bolometric flux, effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, and mass. When we compare our interferometric and spectroscopic results, we find no systematic offsets in the diameters and the values generally agree within the errors. Our interferometric temperatures for seven of the nine stars are hotter than those determined from spectroscopy with an average difference of about 380 K.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baines, Ellyn K.; Armstrong, J. Thomas, E-mail: ellyn.baines@nrl.navy.mil, E-mail: tarmstr@crater.nrl.navy.mil

We measured the angular diameter of the exoplanet host star {epsilon} Eridani using the Navy Optical Interferometer. We determined its physical radius, effective temperature, and mass by combining our measurement with the star's parallax, photometry from the literature, and the Yonsei-Yale isochrones, respectively. We used the resulting stellar mass of 0.82 {+-} 0.05 M{sub Sun} plus the mass function from Benedict et al. to calculate the planet's mass, which is 1.53 {+-} 0.22 M{sub Jupiter}. Using our new effective temperature, we also estimated the extent of the habitable zone for the system.

Galaxy spin as a formation probe: the stellar-to-halo specific angular momentum relation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Posti, Lorenzo; Pezzulli, Gabriele; Fraternali, Filippo; Di Teodoro, Enrico M.

2018-03-01

We derive the stellar-to-halo specific angular momentum relation (SHSAMR) of galaxies at z = 0 by combining (i) the standard Λcold dark matter tidal torque theory, (ii) the observed relation between stellar mass and specific angular momentum (the Fall relation), and (iii) various determinations of the stellar-to-halo mass relation (SHMR). We find that the ratio fj = j*/jh of the specific angular momentum of stars to that of the dark matter (i) varies with mass as a double power law, (ii) always has a peak in the mass range explored and iii) is three to five times larger for spirals than for ellipticals. The results have some dependence on the adopted SHMR and we provide fitting formulae in each case. For any choice of the SHMR, the peak of fj occurs at the same mass where the stellar-to-halo mass ratio f* = M*/Mh has a maximum. This is mostly driven by the straightness and tightness of the Fall relation, which requires fj and f* to be correlated with each other roughly as f_j∝ f_\\ast ^{2/3}, as expected if the outer and more angular momentum rich parts of a halo failed to accrete on to the central galaxy and form stars (biased collapse). We also confirm that the difference in the angular momentum of spirals and ellipticals at a given mass is too large to be ascribed only to different spins of the parent dark-matter haloes (spin bias).

THE DEPENDENCE OF STELLAR MASS AND ANGULAR MOMENTUM LOSSES ON LATITUDE AND THE INTERACTION OF ACTIVE REGION AND DIPOLAR MAGNETIC FIELDS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garraffo, Cecilia; Drake, Jeremy J.; Cohen, Ofer

Rotation evolution of late-type stars is dominated by magnetic braking and the underlying factors that control this angular momentum loss are important for the study of stellar spin-down. In this work, we study angular momentum loss as a function of two different aspects of magnetic activity using a calibrated Alfvén wave-driven magnetohydrodynamic wind model: the strengths of magnetic spots and their distribution in latitude. By driving the model using solar and modified solar surface magnetograms, we show that the topology of the field arising from the net interaction of both small-scale and large-scale field is important for spin-down rates andmore » that angular momentum loss is not a simple function of large scale magnetic field strength. We find that changing the latitude of magnetic spots can modify mass and angular momentum loss rates by a factor of two. The general effect that causes these differences is the closing down of large-scale open field at mid- and high-latitudes by the addition of the small-scale field. These effects might give rise to modulation of mass and angular momentum loss through stellar cycles, and present a problem for ab initio attempts to predict stellar spin-down based on wind models. For all the magnetogram cases considered here, from dipoles to various spotted distributions, we find that angular momentum loss is dominated by the mass loss at mid-latitudes. The spin-down torque applied by magnetized winds therefore acts at specific latitudes and is not evenly distributed over the stellar surface, though this aspect is unlikely to be important for understanding spin-down and surface flows on stars.« less

Protomagnetar and black hole formation in high-mass stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obergaulinger, M.; Aloy, M. Á.

2017-07-01

Using axisymmetric simulations coupling special relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), an approximate post-Newtonian gravitational potential and two-moment neutrino transport, we show different paths for the formation of either protomagnetars or stellar mass black holes. The fraction of prototypical stellar cores which should result in collapsars depends on a combination of several factors, among which the structure of the progenitor star and the profile of specific angular momentum are probably the foremost. Along with the implosion of the stellar core, we also obtain supernova-like explosions driven by neutrino heating and hydrodynamic instabilities or by magneto-rotational effects in cores of high-mass stars. In the latter case, highly collimated, mildly relativistic outflows are generated. We find that after a rather long post-collapse phase (lasting ≳1 s) black holes may form in cases both of successful and failed supernova-like explosions. A basic trend is that cores with a specific angular momentum smaller than that obtained by standard, one-dimensional stellar evolution calculations form black holes (and eventually collapsars). Complementary, protomagnetars result from stellar cores with the standard distribution of specific angular momentum obtained from prototypical stellar evolution calculations including magnetic torques and moderate to large mass-loss rates.

The growth of discs and bulges during hierarchical galaxy formation - II. Metallicity, stellar populations and dynamical evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonini, C.; Mutch, S. J.; Wyithe, J. S. B.; Croton, D. J.

2017-03-01

We investigate the properties of the stellar populations of model galaxies as a function of galaxy evolutionary history and angular momentum content. We use the new semi-analytic model presented in Tonini et al. This new model follows the angular momentum evolution of gas and stars, providing the base for a new star formation recipe, and treatment of the effects of mergers that depends on the central galaxy dynamical structure. We find that the new recipes have the effect of boosting the efficiency of the baryonic cycle in producing and recycling metals, as well as preventing minor mergers from diluting the metallicity of bulges and ellipticals. The model reproduces the stellar mass-stellar metallicity relation for galaxies above 1010 solar masses, including Brightest Cluster Galaxies. Model discs, galaxies dominated by instability-driven components, and merger-driven objects each stem from different evolutionary channels. These model galaxies therefore occupy different loci in the galaxy mass-size relation, which we find to be in accord with the ATLAS 3D classification of disc galaxies, fast rotators and slow rotators. We find that the stellar populations' properties depend on the galaxy evolutionary type, with more evolved stellar populations being part of systems that have lost or dissipated more angular momentum during their assembly history.

Stellar Angular Momentum Distributions and Preferential Radial Migration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyse, Rosemary; Daniel, Kathryne J.

2018-04-01

I will present some results from our recent investigations into the efficiency of radial migration in stellar disks of differing angular momentum distributions, within a given adopted 2D spiral disk potential. We apply to our models an analytic criterion that determines whether or not individual stars are in orbits that could lead to radial migration around the corotation resonance. We couch our results in terms of the local stellar velocity dispersion and find that the fraction of stars that could migrate radially decreases as the velocity dispersion increases. I will discuss implications and comparisons with the results of other approaches.

Interferometric observations of main-sequence stars: fundamental stellar astrophysics, circumstellar matter, and kinematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakker, Eric J.; Eiroa, Carlos

2003-10-01

With our minds focussed on the direct detection of planets using the space interferometry mission DARWIN/TPF, we have made an attempt to identify how the set of ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer instruments available now, and in the near future (VINCI, MIDI, AMBER, GENIE, FINITO and PRIMA) could contribute to the DARWIN/TPF precursory science program. In particular related to the identification of a short list of science stars to be observed with DARWIN/TPF. We have identified two research projects which can be viewed as DARWIN/TPF precursory science and can be embarked upon shortly using the available VLTI instruments: (1) the direct measurement of stellar angular diameters of a statistically meaningful sample of main-sequence stars with AMBER; (2) an interferometric study of those main-sequence stars that exhibit an infrared excess with either AMBER or MIDI. On the longer run, VLTI can obviously make a significant impact through the exploitation of the infrared nuller GENIE and the astrometric facility PRIMA.

Abundances of disk and bulge giants from high-resolution optical spectra. I. O, Mg, Ca, and Ti in the solar neighborhood and Kepler field samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jönsson, H.; Ryde, N.; Nordlander, T.; Pehlivan Rhodin, A.; Hartman, H.; Jönsson, P.; Eriksson, K.

2017-02-01

Context. The Galactic bulge is an intriguing and significant part of our Galaxy, but it is hard to observe because it is both distant and covered by dust in the disk. Therefore, there are not many high-resolution optical spectra of bulge stars with large wavelength coverage, whose determined abundances can be compared with nearby, similarly analyzed stellar samples. Aims: We aim to determine the diagnostically important alpha elements of a sample of bulge giants using high-resolution optical spectra with large wavelength coverage. The abundances found are compared to similarly derived abundances from similar spectra of similar stars in the local thin and thick disks. In this first paper we focus on the solar neighborhood reference sample. Methods: We used spectral synthesis to derive the stellar parameters as well as the elemental abundances of both the local and bulge samples of giants. We took special care to benchmark our method of determining stellar parameters against independent measurements of effective temperatures from angular diameter measurements and surface gravities from asteroseismology. Results: In this first paper we present the method used to determine the stellar parameters and elemental abundances, evaluate them, and present the results for our local disk sample of 291 giants. Conclusions: When comparing our determined spectroscopic temperatures to those derived from angular diameter measurements, we reproduce these with a systematic difference of +10 K and a standard deviation of 53 K. The spectroscopic gravities reproduce those determined from asteroseismology with a systematic offset of +0.10 dex and a standard deviation of 0.12 dex. When it comes to the abundance trends, our sample of local disk giants closely follows trends found in other works analyzing solar neighborhood dwarfs, showing that the much brighter giant stars are as good abundance probes as the often used dwarfs. Based on observations made with the Nordic Optical Telescope (programs 51-018 and 53-002), operated by the Nordic Optical Telescope Scientific Association at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma, Spain, of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, and on spectral data retrieved from PolarBase at Observatoire Midi Pyrénées.Full Tables A.1 and A.3 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/598/A100

Evidence for the distribution of angular velocity inside the sun and stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

A round table discussion of problems of solar and stellar spindown and theory is presented. Observational evidence of the angular momentum of the solar wind is included, emphasizing the distribution of angular velocity inside the sun and stars.

AME - Asteroseismology Made Easy. Estimating stellar properties by using scaled models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lundkvist, Mia; Kjeldsen, Hans; Silva Aguirre, Victor

2014-06-01

Context. Stellar properties and, in particular stellar radii of exoplanet host stars, are essential for measuring the properties of exoplanets, therefore it is becoming increasingly important to be able to supply reliable stellar radii fast. Grid-modelling is an obvious choice for this, but that only offers a low degree of transparency to non-specialists. Aims: Here we present a new, easy, fast, and transparent method of obtaining stellar properties for stars exhibiting solar-like oscillations. The method, called Asteroseismology Made Easy (AME), can determine stellar masses, mean densities, radii, and surface gravities, as well as estimate ages. We present AME as a visual and powerful tool that could be useful, in particular, in light of the large number of exoplanets being found. Methods: AME consists of a set of figures from which the stellar parameters can be deduced. These figures are made from a grid of stellar evolutionary models that cover masses ranging from 0.7 M⊙ to 1.6 M⊙ in steps of 0.1 M⊙ and metallicities in the interval -0.3 dex ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ +0.3 dex in increments of 0.1 dex. The stellar evolutionary models are computed using the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) code with simple input physics. Results: We have compared the results from AME with results for three groups of stars: stars with radii determined from interferometry (and measured parallaxes), stars with radii determined from measurements of their parallaxes (and calculated angular diameters), and stars with results based on modelling their individual oscillation frequencies. We find that a comparison of the radii from interferometry to those from AME yields a weighted mean of the fractional differences of just 2%. This is also the level of deviation that we find when we compare the parallax-based radii to the radii determined from AME. Conclusions: The comparison between independently determined stellar parameters and those found using AME show that our method can provide reliable stellar masses, radii, and ages, with median uncertainties in the order of 4%, 2%, and 25%, respectively. http://sac.au.dk/scientific-data/ame

POET: A Model for Planetary Orbital Evolution Due to Tides on Evolving Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penev, Kaloyan; Zhang, Michael; Jackson, Brian

2014-06-01

We make publicly available an efficient, versatile, easy to use and extend tool for calculating the evolution of circular aligned planetary orbits due to the tidal dissipation in the host star. This is the first model to fully account for the evolution of the angular momentum of the stellar convective envelope by the tidal coupling, the transfer of angular momentum between the stellar convective and radiative zones, the effects of the stellar evolution on the tidal dissipation efficiency and stellar core and envelope spins, the loss of stellar convective zone angular momentum to a magnetically launched wind and frequency dependent tidal dissipation. This is only a first release and further development is under way to allow calculating the evolution of inclined and eccentric orbits, with the latter including the tidal dissipation in the planet and its feedback on planetary structure. Considerable effort has been devoted to providing extensive documentation detailing both the usage and the complete implementation details, in order to make it as easy as possible for independent groups to use and/or extend the code for their purposes. POET represents a significant improvement over some previous models for planetary tidal evolution and so has many astrophysical applications. In this article, we describe and illustrate several key examples.

Stellar Rotation on the Main Sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soderblom, D.; Murdin, P.

2000-11-01

The conservation of ANGULAR MOMENTUM is the one effective counterbalance to the inexorable pull of gravity in the universe, and so everything rotates. Stars acquire their angular momentum when they form, and, indeed, the manner in which nearly all this initial angular momentum is dissipated remains poorly understood, but without substantial angular momentum loss an interstellar cloud could never ...

The Fourier-Kelvin Stellar Interferometer (FKSI): Infrared Detection and Characterization of Exozodiacal Dust to Super-Earths, A Progress Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Danchi, W.

2010-01-01

The Fourier-Kelvin Stellar Interferometer (FKSI) is a structurally connected infrared space interferometer with 0.5 m diameter telescopes on a 12.5 m baseline, and is passively cooled to approx.60K. The FKSI operates in the thermal infrared from 3-8 microns in a nulling (or starlight suppressing) mode for the detection and characterization of exoplanets, debris disks, extrasolar zodiacal dust levels. The FKSI will have the highest angular resolution of any infrared space instrument ever made with its nominal resolution of 40 mas at a 5 micron center wavelength. This resolution exceeds that of Spitzer by a factor of 38 and JWST by a factor of 5. The FKSI mission is conceived as a "probe class" or "mid-sized" strategic mission that utilizes technology advances from flagship projects like JWST, SIM, Spitzer, and the technology programs of TPF-I/Darwin. During the past year we began investigating an enhanced version of FKSI with 1-2 m diameter telescopes, passively cooled to 40K, on a 20-m baseline, with a sunshade giving a +/- 45 degree Field-of-Regard. This enhanced design is capable of detecting and characterizing the atmospheres of many 2 Earth-radius super-Earths and a few Earth-twins. We will report progress on the design of the enhanced mission concept and current status of the technologies needed for this mission.

Evidence for changes in the angular velocity of the surface regions of the sun and stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

A round table discussion of problems of solar and stellar spindown and theory is presented. Observational evidence of the angular momentum of the solar wind is included, emphasizing changes in the angular velocity of the surface regions of the sun and stars.

A relation between the characteristic stellar ages of galaxies and their intrinsic shapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van de Sande, Jesse; Scott, Nicholas; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Brough, Sarah; Bryant, Julia J.; Colless, Matthew; Cortese, Luca; Croom, Scott M.; d'Eugenio, Francesco; Foster, Caroline; Goodwin, Michael; Konstantopoulos, Iraklis S.; Lawrence, Jon S.; McDermid, Richard M.; Medling, Anne M.; Owers, Matt S.; Richards, Samuel N.; Sharp, Rob

2018-06-01

Stellar population and stellar kinematic studies provide unique but complementary insights into how galaxies build-up their stellar mass and angular momentum1-3. A galaxy's mean stellar age reveals when stars were formed, but provides little constraint on how the galaxy's mass was assembled. Resolved stellar dynamics4 trace the change in angular momentum due to mergers, but major mergers tend to obscure the effect of earlier interactions5. With the rise of large multi-object integral field spectroscopic surveys, such as SAMI6 and MaNGA7, and single-object integral field spectroscopic surveys (for example, ATLAS3D (ref. 8), CALIFA9, MASSIVE10), it is now feasible to connect a galaxy's star formation and merger history on the same resolved physical scales, over a large range in galaxy mass, morphology and environment4,11,12. Using the SAMI Galaxy Survey, here we present a combined study of spatially resolved stellar kinematics and global stellar populations. We find a strong correlation of stellar population age with location in the (V/σ, ɛe) diagram that links the ratio of ordered rotation to random motions in a galaxy to its observed ellipticity. For the large majority of galaxies that are oblate rotating spheroids, we find that characteristic stellar age follows the intrinsic ellipticity of galaxies remarkably well.

A relation between the characteristic stellar ages of galaxies and their intrinsic shapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van de Sande, Jesse; Scott, Nicholas; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Brough, Sarah; Bryant, Julia J.; Colless, Matthew; Cortese, Luca; Croom, Scott M.; d'Eugenio, Francesco; Foster, Caroline; Goodwin, Michael; Konstantopoulos, Iraklis S.; Lawrence, Jon S.; McDermid, Richard M.; Medling, Anne M.; Owers, Matt S.; Richards, Samuel N.; Sharp, Rob

2018-04-01

Stellar population and stellar kinematic studies provide unique but complementary insights into how galaxies build-up their stellar mass and angular momentum1-3. A galaxy's mean stellar age reveals when stars were formed, but provides little constraint on how the galaxy's mass was assembled. Resolved stellar dynamics4 trace the change in angular momentum due to mergers, but major mergers tend to obscure the effect of earlier interactions5. With the rise of large multi-object integral field spectroscopic surveys, such as SAMI6 and MaNGA7, and single-object integral field spectroscopic surveys (for example, ATLAS3D (ref. 8), CALIFA9, MASSIVE10), it is now feasible to connect a galaxy's star formation and merger history on the same resolved physical scales, over a large range in galaxy mass, morphology and environment4,11,12. Using the SAMI Galaxy Survey, here we present a combined study of spatially resolved stellar kinematics and global stellar populations. We find a strong correlation of stellar population age with location in the (V/σ, ɛe) diagram that links the ratio of ordered rotation to random motions in a galaxy to its observed ellipticity. For the large majority of galaxies that are oblate rotating spheroids, we find that characteristic stellar age follows the intrinsic ellipticity of galaxies remarkably well.

Fast core rotation in red-giant stars as revealed by gravity-dominated mixed modes.

PubMed

Beck, Paul G; Montalban, Josefina; Kallinger, Thomas; De Ridder, Joris; Aerts, Conny; García, Rafael A; Hekker, Saskia; Dupret, Marc-Antoine; Mosser, Benoit; Eggenberger, Patrick; Stello, Dennis; Elsworth, Yvonne; Frandsen, Søren; Carrier, Fabien; Hillen, Michel; Gruberbauer, Michael; Christensen-Dalsgaard, Jørgen; Miglio, Andrea; Valentini, Marica; Bedding, Timothy R; Kjeldsen, Hans; Girouard, Forrest R; Hall, Jennifer R; Ibrahim, Khadeejah A

2011-12-07

When the core hydrogen is exhausted during stellar evolution, the central region of a star contracts and the outer envelope expands and cools, giving rise to a red giant. Convection takes place over much of the star's radius. Conservation of angular momentum requires that the cores of these stars rotate faster than their envelopes; indirect evidence supports this. Information about the angular-momentum distribution is inaccessible to direct observations, but it can be extracted from the effect of rotation on oscillation modes that probe the stellar interior. Here we report an increasing rotation rate from the surface of the star to the stellar core in the interiors of red giants, obtained using the rotational frequency splitting of recently detected 'mixed modes'. By comparison with theoretical stellar models, we conclude that the core must rotate at least ten times faster than the surface. This observational result confirms the theoretical prediction of a steep gradient in the rotation profile towards the deep stellar interior.

Planet Formation in Disks with Inclined Binary Companions: Can Primordial Spin-Orbit Misalignment be Produced?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanazzi, J. J.; Lai, Dong

2018-04-01

Many hot Jupiter (HJ) systems have been observed to have their stellar spin axis misaligned with the planet's orbital angular momentum axis. The origin of this spin-orbit misalignment and the formation mechanism of HJs remain poorly understood. A number of recent works have suggested that gravitational interactions between host stars, protoplanetary disks, and inclined binary companions may tilt the stellar spin axis with respect to the disk's angular angular momentum axis, producing planetary systems with misaligned orbits. These previous works considered idealized disk evolution models and neglected the gravitational influence of newly formed planets. In this paper, we explore how disk photoevaporation and planet formation and migration affect the inclination evolution of planet-star-disk-binary systems. We take into account planet-disk interactions and the gravitational spin-orbit coupling between the host star and the planet. We find that the rapid depletion of the inner disk via photoevaporation reduces the excitation of stellar obliquities. Depending on the formation and migration history of HJs, the spin-orbit coupling between the star and the planet may reduces and even completely suppress the excitation of stellar obliquities. Our work constrains the formation/migration history of HJs. On the other hand, planetary systems with "cold" Jupiters or close-in super-earths may experience excitation of stellar obliquities in the presence of distant inclined companions.

Planet formation in discs with inclined binary companions: can primordial spin-orbit misalignment be produced?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanazzi, J. J.; Lai, Dong

2018-07-01

Many hot Jupiter (HJ) systems have been observed to have their stellar spin axis misaligned with the planet's orbital angular momentum axis. The origin of this spin-orbit misalignment and the formation mechanism of HJs remain poorly understood. A number of recent works have suggested that gravitational interactions between host stars, protoplanetary discs, and inclined binary companions may tilt the stellar spin axis with respect to the disc's angular angular momentum axis, producing planetary systems with misaligned orbits. These previous works considered idealized disc evolution models and neglected the gravitational influence of newly formed planets. In this paper, we explore how disc photoevaporation and planet formation and migration affect the inclination evolution of planet-star-disc-binary systems. We take into account planet-disc interactions and the gravitational spin-orbit coupling between the host star and the planet. We find that the rapid depletion of the inner disc via photoevaporation reduces the excitation of stellar obliquities. Depending on the formation and migration history of HJs, the spin-orbit coupling between the star and the planet may reduces and even completely suppress the excitation of stellar obliquities. Our work constrains the formation/migration history of HJs. On the other hand, planetary systems with `cold' Jupiters or close-in super-earths may experience excitation of stellar obliquities in the presence of distant inclined companions.

Spectral irradiance calibration in the infrared. I - Ground-based and IRAS broadband calibrations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Martin; Walker, Russell G.; Barlow, Michael J.; Deacon, John R.

1992-01-01

Absolutely calibrated versions of realistic model atmosphere calculations for Sirius and Vega by Kurucz (1991) are presented and used as a basis to offer a new absolute calibration of infrared broad and narrow filters. In-band fluxes for Vega are obtained and defined to be zero magnitude at all wavelengths shortward of 20 microns. Existing infrared photometry is used differentially to establish an absolute scale of the new Sirius model, yielding an angular diameter within 1 sigma of the mean determined interferometrically by Hanbury Brown et al. (1974). The use of Sirius as a primary infrared stellar standard beyond the 20 micron region is suggested. Isophotal wavelengths and monochromatic flux densities for both Vega and Sirius are tabulated.

A grid of MHD models for stellar mass loss and spin-down rates of solar analogs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cohen, O.; Drake, J. J.

2014-03-01

Stellar winds are believed to be the dominant factor in the spin-down of stars over time. However, stellar winds of solar analogs are poorly constrained due to observational challenges. In this paper, we present a grid of magnetohydrodynamic models to study and quantify the values of stellar mass loss and angular momentum loss rates as a function of the stellar rotation period, magnetic dipole component, and coronal base density. We derive simple scaling laws for the loss rates as a function of these parameters, and constrain the possible mass loss rate of stars with thermally driven winds. Despite the successmore » of our scaling law in matching the results of the model, we find a deviation between the 'solar dipole' case and a real case based on solar observations that overestimates the actual solar mass loss rate by a factor of three. This implies that the model for stellar fields might require a further investigation with additional complexity. Mass loss rates in general are largely controlled by the magnetic field strength, with the wind density varying in proportion to the confining magnetic pressure B {sup 2}. We also find that the mass loss rates obtained using our grid models drop much faster with the increase in rotation period than scaling laws derived using observed stellar activity. For main-sequence solar-like stars, our scaling law for angular momentum loss versus poloidal magnetic field strength retrieves the well-known Skumanich decline of angular velocity with time, Ω{sub *}∝t {sup –1/2}, if the large-scale poloidal magnetic field scales with rotation rate as B{sub p}∝Ω{sub ⋆}{sup 2}.« less

The origin of kinematically distinct cores and misaligned gas discs in galaxies from cosmological simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Philip; Federrath, Christoph; Kobayashi, Chiaki

2018-06-01

Integral field spectroscopy surveys provide spatially resolved gas and stellar kinematics of galaxies. They have unveiled a range of atypical kinematic phenomena, which require detailed modelling to understand. We present results from a cosmological simulation that includes stellar and AGN feedback. We find that the distribution of angles between the gas and stellar angular momenta of galaxies is not affected by projection effects. We examine five galaxies (≈6 per cent of well resolved galaxies) that display atypical kinematics; two of the galaxies have kinematically distinct cores (KDC), while the other three have counter-rotating gas and stars. All five form the majority of their stars in the field, subsequently falling into cosmological filaments where the relative orientation of the stellar angular momentum and the bulk gas flow leads to the formation of a counter-rotating gas disc. The accreted gas exchanges angular momentum with pre-existing co-rotating gas causing it to fall to the centre of the galaxy. This triggers low-level AGN feedback, which reduces star formation. Later, two of the galaxies experience a minor merger (stellar mass ratio ˜1/10) with a galaxy on a retrograde orbit compared to the spin of the stellar component of the primary. This produces the KDCs, and is a different mechanism than suggested by other works. The role of minor mergers in the kinematic evolution of galaxies may have been under-appreciated in the past, and large, high-resolution cosmological simulations will be necessary to gain a better understanding in this area.

Gas kinematics, morphology and angular momentum in the FIRE simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Badry, Kareem; Quataert, Eliot; Wetzel, Andrew; Hopkins, Philip F.; Weisz, Daniel R.; Chan, T. K.; Fitts, Alex; Boylan-Kolchin, Michael; Kereš, Dušan; Faucher-Giguère, Claude-André; Garrison-Kimmel, Shea

2018-01-01

We study the z = 0 gas kinematics, morphology and angular momentum content of isolated galaxies in a suite of cosmological zoom-in simulations from the FIRE project spanning Mstar = 106-11 M⊙. Gas becomes increasingly rotationally supported with increasing galaxy mass. In the lowest mass galaxies (Mstar < 108 M⊙), gas fails to form a morphological disc and is primarily dispersion and pressure supported. At intermediate masses (Mstar = 108-10 M⊙), galaxies display a wide range of gas kinematics and morphologies, from thin, rotating discs to irregular spheroids with negligible net rotation. All the high-mass (Mstar = 1010-11 M⊙) galaxies form rotationally supported gas discs. Many of the haloes whose galaxies fail to form discs harbour high angular momentum gas in their circumgalactic medium. The ratio of the specific angular momentum of gas in the central galaxy to that of the dark matter halo increases significantly with galaxy mass, from 〈jgas〉/〈jDM〉 ∼ 0.1 at M_star=10^{6-7} M_{⊙} to 〈jgas〉/〈jDM〉 ∼ 2 at Mstar = 1010-11 M⊙. The reduced rotational support in the lowest mass galaxies owes to (a) stellar feedback and the UV background suppressing the accretion of high angular momentum gas at late times, and (b) stellar feedback driving large non-circular gas motions. We broadly reproduce the observed scaling relations between galaxy mass, gas rotation velocity, size and angular momentum, but may somewhat underpredict the incidence of disky, high angular momentum galaxies at the lowest observed masses (Mstar = (106-2 × 107) M⊙). Stars form preferentially from low angular momentum gas near the galactic centre and are less rotationally supported than gas. The common assumption that stars follow the same rotation curve as gas thus substantially overestimates the simulated galaxies' stellar angular momentum, particularly at low masses.

GALACTIC ANGULAR MOMENTUM IN THE ILLUSTRIS SIMULATION: FEEDBACK AND THE HUBBLE SEQUENCE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Genel, Shy; Fall, S. Michael; Snyder, Gregory F.

We study the stellar angular momentum of thousands of galaxies in the Illustris cosmological simulation, which captures gravitational and gas dynamics within galaxies, as well as feedback from stars and black holes. We find that the angular momentum of the simulated galaxies matches observations well, and in particular two distinct relations are found for late-type versus early-type galaxies. The relation for late-type galaxies corresponds to the value expected from full conservation of the specific angular momentum generated by cosmological tidal torques. The relation for early-type galaxies corresponds to retention of only ∼30% of that, but we find that those early-typemore » galaxies with low angular momentum at z = 0 nevertheless reside at high redshift on the late-type relation. Some of them abruptly lose angular momentum during major mergers. To gain further insight, we explore the scaling relations in simulations where the galaxy formation physics is modified with respect to the fiducial model. We find that galactic winds with high mass-loading factors are essential for obtaining the high angular momentum relation typical for late-type galaxies, while active galactic nucleus feedback largely operates in the opposite direction. Hence, feedback controls the stellar angular momentum of galaxies, and appears to be instrumental for establishing the Hubble sequence.« less

Rotation of the asymptotic giant branch star R Doradus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlemmings, W. H. T.; Khouri, T.; Beck, E. De; Olofsson, H.; García-Segura, G.; Villaver, E.; Baudry, A.; Humphreys, E. M. L.; Maercker, M.; Ramstedt, S.

2018-05-01

High-resolution observations of the extended atmospheres of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars can now directly be compared to the theories that describe stellar mass loss. Using Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) high angular resolution (30 × 42 mas) observations, we have for the first time resolved stellar rotation of an AGB star, R Dor. We measure an angular rotation velocity of ωR sin i = (3.5 ± 0.3) × 10-9 rad s-1, which indicates a rotational velocity of |υrot sin i| = 1.0 ± 0.1 km s-1 at the stellar surface (R* = 31.2 mas at 214 GHz). The rotation axis projected on the plane of the sky has a position angle Φ = 7 ± 6°. We find that the rotation of R Dor is two orders of magnitude faster than expected for a solitary AGB star that will have lost most of its angular momentum. Its rotational velocity is consistent with angular momentum transfer from a close companion. As a companion has not been directly detected, we suggest R Dor has a low-mass, close-in companion. The rotational velocity approaches the critical velocity, set by the local sound speed in the extended envelope, and is thus expected to affect the mass-loss characteristics of R Dor.

RADIUS-DEPENDENT ANGULAR MOMENTUM EVOLUTION IN LOW-MASS STARS. I

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reiners, Ansgar; Mohanty, Subhanjoy, E-mail: Ansgar.Reiners@phys.uni-goettingen.de

2012-02-10

Angular momentum evolution in low-mass stars is determined by initial conditions during star formation, stellar structure evolution, and the behavior of stellar magnetic fields. Here we show that the empirical picture of angular momentum evolution arises naturally if rotation is related to magnetic field strength instead of to magnetic flux and formulate a corrected braking law based on this. Angular momentum evolution then becomes a strong function of stellar radius, explaining the main trends observed in open clusters and field stars at a few Gyr: the steep transition in rotation at the boundary to full convection arises primarily from themore » large change in radius across this boundary and does not require changes in dynamo mode or field topology. Additionally, the data suggest transient core-envelope decoupling among solar-type stars and field saturation at longer periods in very low mass stars. For solar-type stars, our model is also in good agreement with the empirical Skumanich law. Finally, in further support of the theory, we show that the predicted age at which low-mass stars spin down from the saturated to unsaturated field regimes in our model corresponds remarkably well to the observed lifetime of magnetic activity in these stars.« less

Angular momentum transport by heat-driven g-modes in slowly pulsating B stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Townsend, R. H. D.; Goldstein, J.; Zweibel, E. G.

2018-03-01

Motivated by recent interest in the phenomenon of waves transport in massive stars, we examine whether the heat-driven gravity (g) modes excited in slowly pulsating B (SPB) stars can significantly modify the stars' internal rotation. We develop a formalism for the differential torque exerted by g modes, and implement this formalism using the GYRE oscillation code and the MESASTAR stellar evolution code. Focusing first on a 4.21M⊙ model, we simulate 1 000 yr of stellar evolution under the combined effects of the torque due to a single unstable prograde g mode (with an amplitude chosen on the basis of observational constraints), and diffusive angular momentum transport due to convection, overshooting, and rotational instabilities. We find that the g mode rapidly extracts angular momentum from the surface layers, depositing it deeper in the stellar interior. The angular momentum transport is so efficient that by the end of the simulation, the initially non-rotating surface layers are spun in the retrograde direction to ≈ 30 per cent of the critical rate. However, the additional inclusion of magnetic stresses in our simulations almost completely inhibits this spin-up. Expanding our simulations to cover the whole instability strip, we show that the same general behaviour is seen in all SPB stars. After providing some caveats to contextualize our results, we hypothesize that the observed slower surface rotation of SPB stars (as compared to other B-type stars) may be the direct consequence of the angular momentum transport that our simulations demonstrate.

S0 galaxies are faded spirals: clues from their angular momentum content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizzo, Francesca; Fraternali, Filippo; Iorio, Giuliano

2018-05-01

The distribution of galaxies in the stellar specific angular momentum versus stellar mass plane (j⋆ - M⋆) provides key insights into their formation mechanisms. In this paper, we determine the location in this plane of a sample of 10 field/group unbarred lenticular (S0) galaxies from the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area survey. We performed a bulge-disc decomposition both photometrically and kinematically to study the stellar specific angular momentum of the disc components alone and understand the evolutionary links between S0s and other Hubble types. We found that eight of our S0 discs have a distribution in the j⋆ - M⋆ plane that is fully compatible with that of spiral discs, while only two have values of j⋆ lower than the spirals. These two outliers show signs of recent merging. Our results suggest that merger and interaction processes are not the dominant mechanisms in S0 formation in low-density environments. Instead, S0s appear to be the result of secular processes and the fading of spiral galaxies after the shutdown of star formation.

Chromospheric Activity in Cool Luminous Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dupree, Andrea

2018-04-01

Spatially unresolved spectra of giant and supergiant stars demonstrate ubiquitous signatures of chromospheric activity, variable outflows, and winds. The advent of imaging techniques and spatially resolved spectra reveal complex structures in these extended stellar atmospheres that we do not understand. The presence and behavior of these atmospheres is wide ranging and impacts stellar activity, magnetic fields, angular momentum loss, abundance determinations, and the understanding of stellar cluster populations.

First results from stellar occultations in the "GAIA era"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedetti-Rossi, G.; Vieira-Martins, R.; Sicardy, B.

2017-09-01

Stellar occultation is a powerful technique to study distant solar system bodies. It allows high angular resolution of the occulting body from the analysis of a light curve acquired with high temporal resolution with uncertainties comparable as probes. In the "GAIA era", stellar occultations is now able to obtain even more impressive results such as the presence of atmosphere, rings and topographic features.

CHARRON: Code for High Angular Resolution of Rotating Objects in Nature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domiciano de Souza, A.; Zorec, J.; Vakili, F.

2012-12-01

Rotation is one of the fundamental physical parameters governing stellar physics and evolution. At the same time, spectrally resolved optical/IR long-baseline interferometry has proven to be an important observing tool to measure many physical effects linked to rotation, in particular, stellar flattening, gravity darkening, differential rotation. In order to interpret the high angular resolution observations from modern spectro-interferometers, such as VLTI/AMBER and VEGA/CHARA, we have developed an interferometry-oriented numerical model: CHARRON (Code for High Angular Resolution of Rotating Objects in Nature). We present here the characteristics of CHARRON, which is faster (≃q10-30 s per model) and thus more adapted to model-fitting than the first version of the code presented by Domiciano de Souza et al. (2002).

Spin Evolution of Stellar Progenitors in Compact Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinle, Nathan; Kesden, Michael

2018-01-01

Understanding the effects of various processes on the spins of stellar progenitors in compact binary systems is important for modeling the binary’s evolution and thus for interpreting the gravitational radiation emitted during inspiral and merger. Tides, winds, and natal kicks can drastically modify the binary parameters: tidal interactions increase the spin magnitudes, align the spins with the orbital angular momentum, and circularize the orbit; stellar winds decrease the spin magnitudes and cause mass loss; and natal kicks can misalign the spins and orbital angular momentum or even disrupt the binary. Also, during Roche lobe overflow, the binary may experience either stable mass transfer or common envelope evolution. The former can lead to a mass ratio reversal and alter the component spins, while the latter can dramatically shrink the binary separation. For a wide range of physically reasonable stellar-evolution scenarios, we compare the timescales of these processes to assess their relative contributions in determining the initial spins of compact binary systems.

Dynamical Scaling Relations and the Angular Momentum Problem in the FIRE Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitz, Denise; Hopkins, Philip F.; Quataert, Eliot; Keres, Dusan; Faucher-Giguere, Claude-Andre

2015-01-01

Simulations are an extremely important tool with which to study galaxy formation and evolution. However, even state-of-the-art simulations still fail to accurately predict important galaxy properties such as star formation rates and dynamical scaling relations. One possible explanation is the inadequacy of sub-grid models to capture the range of stellar feedback mechanisms which operate below the resolution limit of simulations. FIRE (Feedback in Realistic Environments) is a set of high-resolution cosmological galaxy simulations run using the code GIZMO. It includes more realistic models for various types of feedback including radiation pressure, supernovae, stellar winds, and photoionization and photoelectric heating. Recent FIRE results have demonstrated good agreement with the observed stellar mass-halo mass relation as well as more realistic star formation histories than previous simulations. We investigate the effects of FIRE's improved feedback prescriptions on the simulation "angular momentum problem," i.e., whether FIRE can reproduce observed scaling relations between galaxy stellar mass and rotational/dispersion velocities.

Neutron tori around Kerr black holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Witt, H. J.; Jaroszynski, M.; Haensel, P.; Paczynski, B.; Wambsganss, J.

1994-01-01

Models of stationary, axisymmetric, non-self-gravitating tori around stellar mass Kerr black holes are calculated. Such objects may form as a result of a merger between two neutron stars, a neutron star and a stellar mass black hole, or a 'failed supernova' collapse of a single rapidly rotating star. We explore a large range of parameters: the black hole mass and angular momentum, the torus mass, angular momentum and entropy. Physical conditions within the tori are similar to those in young and hot neutron stars, but their topology is different, and the range of masses and energies is much larger.

Introducing galactic structure finder: the multiple stellar kinematic structures of a simulated Milky Way mass galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obreja, Aura; Macciò, Andrea V.; Moster, Benjamin; Dutton, Aaron A.; Buck, Tobias; Wang, Gregory S. Stinson Liang

2018-04-01

We present the first results of applying Gaussian Mixture Models in the stellar kinematic space of normalized angular momentum and binding energy on NIHAO high resolution galaxies to separate the stars into multiple components. We exemplify this method using a simulated Milky Way analogue, whose stellar component hosts: thin and thick discs, classical and pseudo bulges, and a stellar halo. The properties of these stellar structures are in good agreement with observational expectations in terms of sizes, shapes and rotational support. Interestingly, the two kinematic discs show surface mass density profiles more centrally concentrated than exponentials, while the bulges and the stellar halo are purely exponential. We trace back in time the Lagrangian mass of each component separately to study their formation history. Between z ˜ 3 and the end of halo virialization, z ˜ 1.3, all components lose a fraction of their angular momentum. The classical bulge loses the most (˜95%) and the thin disc the least (˜60%). Both bulges formed their stars in-situ at high redshift, while the thin disc formed ˜98% in-situ, but with a constant SFR ˜ 1.5M⊙yr-1 over the last ˜ 11 Gyr. Accreted stars (6% of total stellar mass) are mainly incorporated to the thick disc or the stellar halo, which formed ex-situ 8% and 45% of their respective masses. Our analysis pipeline is freely available at https://github.com/aobr/gsf.

Stellar dynamics around a massive black hole - III. Resonant relaxation of razor-thin axisymmetric discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sridhar, S.; Touma, Jihad R.

2017-02-01

We study the resonant relaxation (RR) of an axisymmetric, low-mass (or Keplerian) stellar disc orbiting a more massive black hole (MBH). Our recent work on the general kinetic theory of RR is simplified in the standard manner by the neglect of 'gravitational polarization' and applied to a razor-thin axisymmetric disc. The wake of a stellar orbit is expressed in terms of the angular momenta exchanged with other orbits, and used to derive a kinetic equation for RR under the combined actions of self-gravity, 1 PN and 1.5 PN general relativistic effects of the MBH and an arbitrary external axisymmetric potential. This is a Fokker-Planck equation for the stellar distribution function (DF), wherein the diffusion coefficients are given self-consistently in terms of contributions from apsidal resonances between pairs of stellar orbits. The physical kinetics is studied for the two main cases of interest. (1) 'Lossless' discs in which the MBH is not a sink of stars, and disc mass, angular momentum and energy are conserved: we prove that general H-functions can increase or decrease during RR, but the Boltzmann entropy is (essentially) unique in being a non-decreasing function of time. Therefore, secular thermal equilibria are maximum entropy states, with DFs of the Boltzmann form; the two-ring correlation function at equilibrium is computed. (2) Discs that lose stars to the MBH through an 'empty loss cone': we derive expressions for the MBH feeding rates of mass, angular momentum and energy in terms of the diffusive fluxes at the loss-cone boundaries.

Review and latest news from the VEGA/CHARA facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nardetto, N.; Mourard, D.; Perraut, K.; Tallon-Bosc, I.; Meilland, A.; Stee, P.; Ligi, R.; Challouf, M.; Clausse, J.-M.; Berio, P.; Spang, A.

2014-12-01

The VEGA instrument located at the focus of the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) array in California is a collaborating project between the Lagrange laboratory in Nice, where it has been developed (Mourard et al. 2009, 2011), the IPAG (Grenoble) and CRAL (Lyon) laboratories, and the CHARA group at Mount Wilson Observatory. The outcome from this international collaboration is to provide to the community a visible spectro-interferometer with an unprecedented angular resolution of 0.3 milli-second of arc (mas) together with a spectral resolution of 5000 or 30000. With such an instrument it becomes possible to determine simultaneously the size and the kinematic of the photosphere and/or of the circumstellar environment of the star as a function of the wavelength, which basically means for each spectral channel in the continuum and/or within spectral lines (in Hα for instance). The only limitation is to get enough signal to noise ratio in each spectral channel. We can currently reach a limiting magnitude of 8 in visible in medium spectral resolution (5000) and 4.5 in high resolution (30000). In this proceeding, we illustrate the two main subjects studied with the VEGA instrument, namely (1) how angular diameters are useful to accurately derive the fundamental parameters of stars, (2) how the spectral resolution can allow to study the kinematical structure of stars or even to derive chromatic images of stellar objects.

Vortex coronagraphs for the Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission concept: theoretical performance and telescope requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruane, Garreth; Mawet, Dimitri; Mennesson, Bertrand; Jewell, Jeffrey; Shaklan, Stuart

2018-01-01

The Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission concept requires an optical coronagraph that provides deep starlight suppression over a broad spectral bandwidth, high throughput for point sources at small angular separation, and insensitivity to temporally varying, low-order aberrations. Vortex coronagraphs are a promising solution that performs optimally on off-axis, monolithic telescopes and may also be designed for segmented telescopes with minor losses in performance. We describe the key advantages of vortex coronagraphs on off-axis telescopes such as (1) unwanted diffraction due to aberrations is passively rejected in several low-order Zernike modes relaxing the wavefront stability requirements for imaging Earth-like planets from <10 to >100 pm rms, (2) stars with angular diameters >0.1 λ / D may be sufficiently suppressed, (3) the absolute planet throughput is >10 % , even for unfavorable telescope architectures, and (4) broadband solutions (Δλ / λ > 0.1) are readily available for both monolithic and segmented apertures. The latter make use of grayscale apodizers in an upstream pupil plane to provide suppression of diffracted light from amplitude discontinuities in the telescope pupil without inducing additional stroke on the deformable mirrors. We set wavefront stability requirements on the telescope, based on a stellar irradiance threshold set at an angular separation of 3 ± 0.5λ / D from the star, and discuss how some requirements may be relaxed by trading robustness to aberrations for planet throughput.

The CERGA Small Interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koechlin, L.; di Benedetto, G. P.; Thom, C.; Nisenson, P.

Contents: 1. Stellar diameters at λ = 0.6 μm (1985 - 86). 2. Stellar diameters at λ = 2.2 μm and 1.6 μm. 3. γ Cassiopeiae envelope in the Hα emission line. 4. Observations of α Cyg with the PAPA detector at λ = 0.6 μm.

Massive star formation by accretion. II. Rotation: how to circumvent the angular momentum barrier?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haemmerlé, L.; Eggenberger, P.; Meynet, G.; Maeder, A.; Charbonnel, C.; Klessen, R. S.

2017-06-01

Context. Rotation plays a key role in the star-formation process, from pre-stellar cores to pre-main-sequence (PMS) objects. Understanding the formation of massive stars requires taking into account the accretion of angular momentum during their PMS phase. Aims: We study the PMS evolution of objects destined to become massive stars by accretion, focusing on the links between the physical conditions of the environment and the rotational properties of young stars. In particular, we look at the physical conditions that allow the production of massive stars by accretion. Methods: We present PMS models computed with a new version of the Geneva Stellar Evolution code self-consistently including accretion and rotation according to various accretion scenarios for mass and angular momentum. We describe the internal distribution of angular momentum in PMS stars accreting at high rates and we show how the various physical conditions impact their internal structures, evolutionary tracks, and rotation velocities during the PMS and the early main sequence. Results: We find that the smooth angular momentum accretion considered in previous studies leads to an angular momentum barrier and does not allow the formation of massive stars by accretion. A braking mechanism is needed in order to circumvent this angular momentum barrier. This mechanism has to be efficient enough to remove more than two thirds of the angular momentum from the inner accretion disc. Due to the weak efficiency of angular momentum transport by shear instability and meridional circulation during the accretion phase, the internal rotation profiles of accreting stars reflect essentially the angular momentum accretion history. As a consequence, careful choice of the angular momentum accretion history allows circumvention of any limitation in mass and velocity, and production of stars of any mass and velocity compatible with structure equations.

A Universal Angular Momentum Profile for Dark Matter Halos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Shihong; Chen, Jianxiong; Chu, M.-C.

2017-07-01

The angular momentum distribution in dark matter halos and galaxies is a key ingredient in understanding their formation. Specifically, the internal distribution of angular momenta is closely related to the formation of disk galaxies. In this article, we use halos identified from a high-resolution simulation, the Bolshoi simulation, to study the spatial distribution of specific angular momenta, j(r,θ ). We show that by stacking halos with similar masses to increase the signal-to-noise ratio, the profile can be fitted as a simple function, j{(r,θ )={j}s{\\sin }2{(θ /{θ }s)(r/{r}s)}2/(1+r/{r}s)}4, with three free parameters, {j}s,{r}s, and {θ }s. Specifically, j s correlates with the halo mass M vir as {j}s\\propto {M}{vir}2/3, r s has a weak dependence on the halo mass as {r}s\\propto {M}{vir}0.040, and {θ }s is independent of M vir. This profile agrees with that from a rigid shell model, though its origin is unclear. Our universal specific angular momentum profile j(r,θ ) is useful in modeling the angular momenta of halos. Furthermore, by using an empirical stellar mass-halo mass relation, we can infer the average angular momentum distribution of a dark matter halo. The specific angular momentum-stellar mass relation within a halo computed from our profile is shown to share a similar shape as that from the observed disk galaxies.

Measurements of eight early-type stars angular diameters using VEGA/CHARA interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Challouf, M.; Nardetto, N.; Mourard, D.; Aroui, H.; Delaa, O.

2014-12-01

The surface brightness color (SBC) relation is an important tool to derive the distance of extragalatic eclipsing binaries. We determined the uniform disc angular diameter of the eight following early-type stars using VEGA/CHARA interferometric observations: θ_{UD}[δ Cyg] = 0.766 ± 0.047 mas, θ_{UD}[γ Lyr] = 0.742& ± 0.010 mas, θ_{UD}[γ Ori] = 0.701 ± 0.005 mas, θ_{UD}[ζ Peg] = 0.539 ± 0.009 mas, θ_{UD}[λ Aql] = 0.529 ± 0.003 mas, θ_{UD}[ζ Per] = 0.531 ± 0.007 mas, θ_{UD}[ι Her] = 0.304 ± 0.010 mas and θ_{UD}[8 Cyg] = 0.229 ± 0.011 mas (by extending V-K range from -0.76 to 0.02) with typical precision of about 1.5%. By combining these data with previous angular diameter determinations available in the literature, Challouf et al. (2014) provide for the very first time a SBC relation for early-type stars (-1≤V-K≤0) with a precision of about 0.16 magnitude or 7% in term of angular diameter (when using this SBC relation to derive the angular diameter of early-type stars).

Introducing galactic structure finder: the multiple stellar kinematic structures of a simulated Milky Way mass galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obreja, Aura; Macciò, Andrea V.; Moster, Benjamin; Dutton, Aaron A.; Buck, Tobias; Stinson, Gregory S.; Wang, Liang

2018-07-01

We present the first results of applying Gaussian Mixture Models in the stellar kinematic space of normalized angular momentum and binding energy on NIHAO high-resolution galaxies to separate the stars into multiple components. We exemplify this method, using a simulated Milky Way analogue, whose stellar component hosts thin and thick discs, classical and pseudo bulges, and a stellar halo. The properties of these stellar structures are in good agreement with observational expectations in terms of sizes, shapes, and rotational support. Interestingly, the two kinematic discs show surface mass density profiles more centrally concentrated than exponentials, while the bulges and the stellar halo are purely exponential. We trace back in time the Lagrangian mass of each component separately to study their formation history. Between z ˜ 3 and the end of halo virialization, z ˜ 1.3, all components lose a fraction of their angular momentum. The classical bulge loses the most (˜ 95 per cent) and the thin disc the least (˜ 60 per cent). Both bulges formed their stars in situ at high redshift, while the thin disc formed ˜ 98 per cent in situ, but with a constant SFR ˜ 1.5 M⊙ yr-1 over the last ˜11 Gyr. Accreted stars (6 per cent of total stellar mass) are mainly incorporated to the thick disc or the stellar halo, which formed ex situ 8 per cent and 45 per cent of their respective masses. Our analysis pipeline is freely available at https://github.com/aobr/gsf.

CONNECTING ANGULAR MOMENTUM AND GALACTIC DYNAMICS: THE COMPLEX INTERPLAY BETWEEN SPIN, MASS, AND MORPHOLOGY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Teklu, Adelheid F.; Remus, Rhea-Silvia; Dolag, Klaus

The evolution and distribution of the angular momentum of dark matter (DM) halos have been discussed in several studies over the past decades. In particular, the idea arose that angular momentum conservation should allow us to infer the total angular momentum of the entire DM halo from measuring the angular momentum of the baryonic component, which is populating the center of the halo, especially for disk galaxies. To test this idea and to understand the connection between the angular momentum of the DM halo and its galaxy, we use a state-of-the-art, hydrodynamical cosmological simulation taken from the set of Magneticummore » Pathfinder simulations. Thanks to the inclusion of the relevant physical processes, the improved underlying numerical methods, and high spatial resolution, we successfully produce populations of spheroidal and disk galaxies self-consistently. Thus, we are able to study the dependence of galactic properties on their morphology. We find that (1) the specific angular momentum of stars in disk and spheroidal galaxies as a function of their stellar mass compares well with observational results; (2) the specific angular momentum of the stars in disk galaxies is slightly smaller compared to the specific angular momentum of the cold gas, in good agreement with observations; (3) simulations including the baryonic component show a dichotomy in the specific stellar angular momentum distribution when splitting the galaxies according to their morphological type (this dichotomy can also be seen in the spin parameter, where disk galaxies populate halos with slightly larger spin compared to spheroidal galaxies); (4) disk galaxies preferentially populate halos in which the angular momentum vector of the DM component in the central part shows a better alignment to the angular momentum vector of the entire halo; and (5) the specific angular momentum of the cold gas in disk galaxies is approximately 40% smaller than the specific angular momentum of the total DM halo and shows a significant scatter.« less

Quantifying the impact of mergers on the angular momentum of simulated galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lagos, Claudia del P.; Stevens, Adam R. H.; Bower, Richard G.; Davis, Timothy A.; Contreras, Sergio; Padilla, Nelson D.; Obreschkow, Danail; Croton, Darren; Trayford, James W.; Welker, Charlotte; Theuns, Tom

2018-02-01

We use EAGLE to quantify the effect galaxy mergers have on the stellar specific angular momentum of galaxies, jstars. We split mergers into dry (gas-poor)/wet (gas-rich), major/minor and different spin alignments and orbital parameters. Wet (dry) mergers have an average neutral gas-to-stellar mass ratio of 1.1 (0.02), while major (minor) mergers are those with stellar mass ratios ≥0.3 (0.1-0.3). We correlate the positions of galaxies in the jstars-stellar mass plane at z = 0 with their merger history, and find that galaxies of low spins suffered dry mergers, while galaxies of normal/high spins suffered predominantly wet mergers, if any. The radial jstars profiles of galaxies that went through dry mergers are deficient by ≈0.3 dex at r ≲ 10 r50 (with r50 being the half-stellar mass radius), compared to galaxies that went through wet mergers. Studying the merger remnants reveals that dry mergers reduce jstars by ≈30 per cent, while wet mergers increase it by ≈10 per cent, on average. The latter is connected to the build-up of the bulge by newly formed stars of high rotational speed. Moving from minor to major mergers accentuates these effects. When the spin vectors of the galaxies prior to the dry merger are misaligned, jstars decreases by a greater magnitude, while in wet mergers corotation and high orbital angular momentum efficiently spun-up galaxies. We predict what would be the observational signatures in the jstars profiles driven by dry mergers: (i) shallow radial profiles and (ii) profiles that rise beyond ≈10 r50, both of which are significantly different from spiral galaxies.

Sizing up the stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyajian, Tabetha S.

For the main part of this dissertation, I have executed a survey of nearby, main sequence A, F, and G-type stars with the CHARA Array, successfully measuring the angular diameters of forty-four stars to better than 4% accuracy. The results of these observations also yield empirical determinations of stellar linear radii and effective temperatures for the stars observed. In addition, these CHARA-determined temperatures, radii, and luminosities are fit to Yonsei-Yale isochrones to constrain the masses and ages of the stars. These quantities are compared to the results found in Allende Prieto & Lambert (1999), Holmberg et al. (2007), and Takeda (2007), who indirectly determine these same properties by fitting models to observed photometry. I find that for most cases, the models underestimate the radius of the star by ~ 12%, while in turn they overestimate the effective temperature by ~ 1.5-4%, when compared to my directly measured values, with no apparent correlation to the star's metallicity or color index. These overestimated temperatures and underestimated radii in these works appear to cause an additional offset in the star's surface gravity measurements, which consequently yield higher masses and younger ages, in particular for stars with masses greater than ~ 1.3 [Special characters omitted.] . Alternatively, these quantities I measure are also compared to direct measurements from a large sample of eclipsing binary stars in Andersen (1991), and excellent agreement is seen within both data sets. Finally, a multi-parameter solution is found to fit color-temperature-metallicity values of the stars in this sample to provide a new calibration of the effective temperature scale for these types of stars. Published work in the field of stellar interferometry and optical spectroscopy of early-type stars are presented in Appendix D and E, respectively. INDEX WORDS: Interferometry, Infrared, Stellar Astronomy, Fundamental Properties, Effective Temperatures, Stellar Radii

Rotational evolution of slow-rotator sequence stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lanzafame, A. C.; Spada, F.

2015-12-01

Context. The observed relationship between mass, age and rotation in open clusters shows the progressive development of a slow-rotator sequence among stars possessing a radiative interior and a convective envelope during their pre-main sequence and main-sequence evolution. After 0.6 Gyr, most cluster members of this type have settled on this sequence. Aims: The observed clustering on this sequence suggests that it corresponds to some equilibrium or asymptotic condition that still lacks a complete theoretical interpretation, and which is crucial to our understanding of the stellar angular momentum evolution. Methods: We couple a rotational evolution model, which takes internal differential rotation into account, with classical and new proposals for the wind braking law, and fit models to the data using a Monte Carlo Markov chain (MCMC) method tailored to the problem at hand. We explore to what extent these models are able to reproduce the mass and time dependence of the stellar rotational evolution on the slow-rotator sequence. Results: The description of the evolution of the slow-rotator sequence requires taking the transfer of angular momentum from the radiative core to the convective envelope into account. We find that, in the mass range 0.85-1.10 M⊙, the core-envelope coupling timescale for stars in the slow-rotator sequence scales as M-7.28. Quasi-solid body rotation is achieved only after 1-2 Gyr, depending on stellar mass, which implies that observing small deviations from the Skumanich law (P ∝ √{t}) would require period data of older open clusters than is available to date. The observed evolution in the 0.1-2.5 Gyr age range and in the 0.85-1.10 M⊙ mass range is best reproduced by assuming an empirical mass dependence of the wind angular momentum loss proportional to the convective turnover timescale and to the stellar moment of inertia. Period isochrones based on our MCMC fit provide a tool for inferring stellar ages of solar-like main-sequence stars from their mass and rotation period that is largely independent of the wind braking model adopted. These effectively represent gyro-chronology relationships that take the physics of the two-zone model for the stellar angular momentum evolution into account.

Strömgren survey for asteroseismology and galactic archaeology: Let the saga begin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Casagrande, L.; Dotter, A.; Milone, A. P.

2014-06-01

Asteroseismology has the capability of precisely determining stellar properties that would otherwise be inaccessible, such as radii, masses, and thus ages of stars. When coupling this information with classical determinations of stellar parameters, such as metallicities, effective temperatures, and angular diameters, powerful new diagnostics for Galactic studies can be obtained. The ongoing Strömgren survey for Asteroseismology and Galactic Archaeology has the goal of transforming the Kepler field into a new benchmark for Galactic studies, similar to the solar neighborhood. Here we present the first results from a stripe centered at a Galactic longitude of 74° and covering latitude from aboutmore » 8° to 20°, which includes almost 1000 K giants with seismic information and the benchmark open cluster NGC 6819. We describe the coupling of classical and seismic parameters, the accuracy as well as the caveats of the derived effective temperatures, metallicities, distances, surface gravities, masses, and radii. Confidence in the achieved precision is corroborated by the detection of the first and secondary clumps in a population of field stars with a ratio of 2 to 1 and by the negligible scatter in the seismic distances among NGC 6819 member stars. An assessment of the reliability of stellar parameters in the Kepler Input Catalog is also performed, and the impact of our results for population studies in the Milky Way is discussed, along with the importance of an all-sky Strömgren survey.« less

Characterization of the Wolf 1061 Planetary System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kane, Stephen R.; Waters, Miranda A.; Von Braun, Kaspar

A critical component of exoplanetary studies is an exhaustive characterization of the host star, from which the planetary properties are frequently derived. Of particular value are the radius, temperature, and luminosity, which are key stellar parameters for studies of transit and habitability science. Here we present the results of new observations of Wolf 1061, known to host three super-Earths. Our observations from the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy interferometric array provide a direct stellar radius measurement of 0.3207±0.0088 R{sub ⊙}, from which we calculate the effective temperature and luminosity using spectral energy distribution models. We obtained 7 yr ofmore » precise, automated photometry that reveals the correct stellar rotation period of 89.3±1.8 days, finds no evidence of photometric transits, and confirms that the radial velocity signals are not due to stellar activity. Finally, our stellar properties are used to calculate the extent of the Habitable Zone (HZ) for the Wolf 1061 system, for which the optimistic boundaries are 0.09–0.23 au. Our simulations of the planetary orbital dynamics show that the eccentricity of the HZ planet oscillates to values as high as ∼0.15 as it exchanges angular momentum with the other planets in the system.« less

The Angular Momentum Distribution and Baryon Content of Star-forming Galaxies at z ˜ 1-3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burkert, A.; Förster Schreiber, N. M.; Genzel, R.; Lang, P.; Tacconi, L. J.; Wisnioski, E.; Wuyts, S.; Bandara, K.; Beifiori, A.; Bender, R.; Brammer, G.; Chan, J.; Davies, R.; Dekel, A.; Fabricius, M.; Fossati, M.; Kulkarni, S.; Lutz, D.; Mendel, J. T.; Momcheva, I.; Nelson, E. J.; Naab, T.; Renzini, A.; Saglia, R.; Sharples, R. M.; Sternberg, A.; Wilman, D.; Wuyts, E.

2016-08-01

We analyze the angular momenta of massive star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at the peak of the cosmic star formation epoch (z ˜ 0.8-2.6). Our sample of ˜360 log(M */M ⊙) ˜ 9.3-11.8 SFGs is mainly based on the KMOS3D and SINS/zC-SINF surveys of Hα kinematics, and collectively provides a representative subset of the massive star-forming population. The inferred halo scale angular momentum distribution is broadly consistent with that theoretically predicted for their dark matter halos, in terms of mean spin parameter < λ > ˜ 0.037 and its dispersion (σ logλ ˜ 0.2). Spin parameters correlate with the disk radial scale and with their stellar surface density, but do not depend significantly on halo mass, stellar mass, or redshift. Our data thus support the long-standing assumption that on average, even at high redshifts, the specific angular momentum of disk galaxies reflects that of their dark matter halos (j d = j DM). The lack of correlation between λ × (j d /j DM) and the nuclear stellar density Σ*(1 kpc) favors a scenario where disk-internal angular momentum redistribution leads to “compaction” inside massive high-redshift disks. For our sample, the inferred average stellar to dark matter mass ratio is ˜2%, consistent with abundance matching results. Including the molecular gas, the total baryonic disk to dark matter mass ratio is ˜5% for halos near 1012 M ⊙, which corresponds to 31% of the cosmologically available baryons, implying that high-redshift disks are strongly baryon dominated. Based on observations obtained at the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory, Paranal, Chile (ESO Programme IDs 075.A-0466, 076.A-0527, 079.A-0341, 080.A-0330, 080.A-0339, 080.A-0635, 081.B-0568, 081.A-0672, 082.A-0396, 183.A-0781, 087.A-0081, 088.A-0202, 088.A-0209, 091.A-0126, 092.A-0091, 093.A-0079, 094.A-0217, 095.A-0047, 096.A-0025).

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Evolution of rotating very massive LC stars (Kohler, 2015)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, K.; Langer, N.; de Koter, A.; de Mink, S. E.; Crowther, P. A.; Evans, C. J.; Grafener, G.; Sana, H.; Sanyal, D.; Schneider, F. R. N.; Vink, J. S.

2014-11-01

A dense model grid with chemical composition appropriate for the Large Magellanic Cloud is presented. A one-dimensional hydrodynamic stellar evolution code was used to compute our models on the main sequence, taking into account rotation, transport of angular momentum by magnetic fields and stellar wind mass loss. We present stellar evolution models with initial masses of 70-500M⊙ and with initial surface rotational velocities of 0-550km/s. (2 data files).

Imaging Stellar Surface with The CHARA Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaefer, Gail

2018-04-01

I will provide an overview of results on imaging stellar surfaces with the CHARA Array. These include imaging gravity darkening on rapid rotators, starspots on magnetically active stars, convective cells on red supergiants, and stellar winds from massive stars. In binary systems, the CHARA Array has been used to observe tidal distortions from Roche lobe filling in interactive binaries, transiting companions as they move through eclipse, and the angular expansion of novae explosions. I will discuss the impact of these results in an astrophysical context.

Rotation of Giant Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kissin, Yevgeni; Thompson, Christopher

2015-07-01

The internal rotation of post-main sequence stars is investigated, in response to the convective pumping of angular momentum toward the stellar core, combined with a tight magnetic coupling between core and envelope. The spin evolution is calculated using model stars of initial mass 1, 1.5, and 5 {M}⊙ , taking into account mass loss on the giant branches. We also include the deposition of orbital angular momentum from a sub-stellar companion, as influenced by tidal drag along with the excitation of orbital eccentricity by a fluctuating gravitational quadrupole moment. A range of angular velocity profiles {{Ω }}(r) is considered in the envelope, extending from solid rotation to constant specific angular momentum. We focus on the backreaction of the Coriolis force, and the threshold for dynamo action in the inner envelope. Quantitative agreement with measurements of core rotation in subgiants and post-He core flash stars by Kepler is obtained with a two-layer angular velocity profile: uniform specific angular momentum where the Coriolis parameter {Co}\\equiv {{Ω }}{τ }{con}≲ 1 (here {τ }{con} is the convective time), and {{Ω }}(r)\\propto {r}-1 where {Co}≳ 1. The inner profile is interpreted in terms of a balance between the Coriolis force and angular pressure gradients driven by radially extended convective plumes. Inward angular momentum pumping reduces the surface rotation of subgiants, and the need for a rejuvenated magnetic wind torque. The co-evolution of internal magnetic fields and rotation is considered in Kissin & Thompson, along with the breaking of the rotational coupling between core and envelope due to heavy mass loss.

Resolving microstructures in Z pinches with intensity interferometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Apruzese, J. P.; Kroupp, E.; Maron, Y.

2014-03-15

Nearly 60 years ago, Hanbury Brown and Twiss [R. Hanbury Brown and R. Q. Twiss, Nature 178, 1046 (1956)] succeeded in measuring the 30 nrad angular diameter of Sirius using a new type of interferometry that exploited the interference of photons independently emitted from different regions of the stellar disk. Its basis was the measurement of intensity correlations as a function of detector spacing, with no beam splitting or preservation of phase information needed. Applied to Z pinches, X pinches, or laser-produced plasmas, this method could potentially provide spatial resolution under one micron. A quantitative analysis based on the workmore » of Purcell [E. M. Purcell, Nature 178, 1449 (1956)] reveals that obtaining adequate statistics from x-ray interferometry of a Z-pinch microstructure would require using the highest-current generators available. However, using visible light interferometry would reduce the needed photon count and could enable its use on sub-MA machines.« less

LITHIUM DEPLETION IS A STRONG TEST OF CORE-ENVELOPE RECOUPLING

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Somers, Garrett; Pinsonneault, Marc H., E-mail: somers@astronomy.ohio-state.edu

2016-09-20

Rotational mixing is a prime candidate for explaining the gradual depletion of lithium from the photospheres of cool stars during the main sequence. However, previous mixing calculations have relied primarily on treatments of angular momentum transport in stellar interiors incompatible with solar and stellar data in the sense that they overestimate the internal differential rotation. Instead, recent studies suggest that stars are strongly differentially rotating at young ages but approach a solid body rotation during their lifetimes. We modify our rotating stellar evolution code to include an additional source of angular momentum transport, a necessary ingredient for explaining the openmore » cluster rotation pattern, and examine the consequences for mixing. We confirm that core-envelope recoupling with a ∼20 Myr timescale is required to explain the evolution of the mean rotation pattern along the main sequence, and demonstrate that it also provides a more accurate description of the Li depletion pattern seen in open clusters. Recoupling produces a characteristic pattern of efficient mixing at early ages and little mixing at late ages, thus predicting a flattening of Li depletion at a few Gyr, in agreement with the observed late-time evolution. Using Li abundances we argue that the timescale for core-envelope recoupling during the main sequence decreases sharply with increasing mass. We discuss the implications of this finding for stellar physics, including the viability of gravity waves and magnetic fields as agents of angular momentum transport. We also raise the possibility of intrinsic differences in initial conditions in star clusters using M67 as an example.« less

Tests of stellar model atmospheres by optical interferometry. VLTI/VINCI limb-darkening measurements of the M4 giant ψ Phe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wittkowski, M.; Aufdenberg, J. P.; Kervella, P.

2004-01-01

We present K-band interferometric measurements of the limb-darkened (LD) intensity profile of the M 4 giant star ψ Phoenicis obtained with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) and its commissioning instrument VINCI. High-precision squared visibility amplitudes in the second lobe of the visibility function were obtained employing two 8.2 m Unit Telescopes (UTs). This took place one month after light from UTs was first combined for interferometric fringes. In addition, we sampled the visibility function at small spatial frequencies using the 40 cm test siderostats. Our measurement constrains the diameter of the star as well as its center-to-limb intensity variation (CLV). We construct a spherical hydrostatic PHOENIX model atmosphere based on spectrophotometric data from the literature and compare its CLV prediction with our interferometric measurement. We compare as well CLV predictions by plane-parallel hydrostatic PHOENIX, ATLAS 9, and ATLAS 12 models. We find that the Rosseland angular diameter as predicted by comparison of the spherical PHOENIX model with spectrophotometry is in good agreement with our interferometric diameter measurement. The shape of our measured visibility function in the second lobe is consistent with all considered PHOENIX and ATLAS model predictions, and is significantly different to uniform disk (UD) and fully darkened disk (FDD) models. We derive high-precision fundamental parameters for ψ Phe, namely a Rosseland angular diameter of 8.13 ± 0.2 mas, with the Hipparcos parallax corresponding to a Rosseland linear radius R of 86 ± 3 R⊙, and an effective temperature of 3550 ± 50 K, with R corresponding to a luminosity of \\log L/L⊙=3.02 ± 0.06. Together with evolutionary models, these values are consistent with a mass of 1.3 ± 0.2 M⊙, and a surface gravity of \\log g = 0.68 ± 0.11. Based on public data released from the European Southern Observatory VLTI obtained from the ESO/ST-ECF Science Archive Facility. The VLTI was operated with the commissioning instrument VINCI and the MONA beam combiner.

The Secular Evolution Of Disc Galaxies And The Origin Of Exponential And Double Exponential Surface Density Profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elmegreen, Bruce G.

2016-10-01

Exponential radial profiles are ubiquitous in spiral and dwarf Irregular galaxies, but the origin of this structural form is not understood. This talk will review the observations of exponential and double exponential disks, considering both the light and the mass profiles, and the contributions from stars and gas. Several theories for this structure will also be reviewed, including primordial collapse, bar and spiral torques, clump torques, galaxy interactions, disk viscosity and other internal processes of angular momentum exchange, and stellar scattering off of clumpy structure. The only process currently known that can account for this structure in the most theoretically difficult case is stellar scattering off disks clumps. Stellar orbit models suggest that such scattering can produce exponentials even in isolated dwarf irregulars that have no bars or spirals, little shear or viscosity, and profiles that go out too far for the classical Mestel case of primordial collapse with specific angular momentum conservation.

An edge-on translucent dust disk around the nearest AGB star, L2 Puppis. VLT/NACO spectro-imaging from 1.04 to 4.05 μm and VLTI interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kervella, P.; Montargès, M.; Ridgway, S. T.; Perrin, G.; Chesneau, O.; Lacour, S.; Chiavassa, A.; Haubois, X.; Gallenne, A.

2014-04-01

As the nearest known AGB star (d = 64 pc) and one of the brightest (mK ≈ -2), L2 Pup is a particularly interesting benchmark object to monitor the final stages of stellar evolution. We report new serendipitous imaging observations of this star with the VLT/NACO adaptive optics system in twelve narrow-band filters covering the 1.0-4.0 μm wavelength range. These diffraction-limited images reveal an extended circumstellar dust lane in front of the star that exhibits a high opacity in the J band and becomes translucent in the H and K bands. In the L band, extended thermal emission from the dust is detected. We reproduced these observations using Monte Carlo radiative transfer modeling of a dust disk with the RADMC-3D code. We also present new interferometric observations with the VLTI/VINCI and MIDI instruments. We measured in the K band an upper limit to the limb-darkened angular diameter of θLD = 17.9 ± 1.6 mas, converting to a maximum linear radius of R = 123 ± 14 R⊙. Considering the geometry of the extended K band emission in the NACO images, this upper limit is probably close to the actual angular diameter of the star. The position of L2 Pup in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram indicates that this star has a mass of about 2 M⊙ and is probably experiencing an early stage of the asymptotic giant branch. We did not detect any stellar companion of L2 Pup in our adaptive optics and interferometric observations, and we attribute its apparent astrometric wobble in the Hipparcos data to variable lighting effects on its circumstellar material. However, we do not exclude the presence of a binary companion, because the large loop structure extending to more than 10 AU to the northeast of the disk in our L-band images may be the result of interaction between the stellar wind of L2 Pup and a hidden secondary object. The geometric configuration that we propose, with a large dust disk seen almost edge-on, appears particularly favorable to test and develop our understanding of the formation of bipolar nebulae. Based on observations made with ESO telescopes at Paranal Observatory, under ESO programs 090.D-0144(A), 074.D-0198(C) and an unreferenced VLTI/VINCI program.FITS files are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/564/A88

Distribution and Kinematics of the HCN (3-2) Emission Down to the Innermost Region in the Envelope of the O-rich Star W Hydrae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muller, Sébastien; Dinh-V-Trung; He, Jin-Hua; Lim, Jeremy

2008-09-01

We report high angular resolution observations of the HCN (3-2) line emission in the circumstellar envelope of the O-rich star W Hya with the Submillimeter Array. The proximity of this star allows us to image its molecular envelope with a spatial resolution of just ~40 AU, corresponding to about 10 times the stellar diameter. We resolve the HCN (3-2) emission and find that it is centrally peaked and has a roughly spherically symmetrical distribution. This shows that HCN is formed in the innermost region of the envelope (within ~10 stellar radii), which is consistent with predictions from pulsation-driven shock chemistry models, and rules out the scenario in which HCN forms through photochemical reactions in the outer envelope. Our model suggests that the envelope decreases steeply in temperature and increases smoothly in velocity with radius, inconsistent with the standard model for mass-loss driven by radiative pressure on dust grains. We detect a velocity gradient of ~5 km s-1 in the northwest-southeast direction over the central 40 AU. This velocity gradient is reminiscent of that seen in OH maser lines, and could be caused by the rotation of the envelope or by a weak bipolar outflow.

The statistical mechanics of relativistic orbits around a massive black hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bar-Or, Ben; Alexander, Tal

2014-12-01

Stars around a massive black hole (MBH) move on nearly fixed Keplerian orbits, in a centrally-dominated potential. The random fluctuations of the discrete stellar background cause small potential perturbations, which accelerate the evolution of orbital angular momentum by resonant relaxation. This drives many phenomena near MBHs, such as extreme mass-ratio gravitational wave inspirals, the warping of accretion disks, and the formation of exotic stellar populations. We present here a formal statistical mechanics framework to analyze such systems, where the background potential is described as a correlated Gaussian noise. We derive the leading order, phase-averaged 3D stochastic Hamiltonian equations of motion, for evolving the orbital elements of a test star, and obtain the effective Fokker-Planck equation for a general correlated Gaussian noise, for evolving the stellar distribution function. We show that the evolution of angular momentum depends critically on the temporal smoothness of the background potential fluctuations. Smooth noise has a maximal variability frequency {{ν }max }. We show that in the presence of such noise, the evolution of the normalized angular momentum j=\\sqrt{1-{{e}2}} of a relativistic test star, undergoing Schwarzschild (in-plane) general relativistic precession with frequency {{ν }GR}/{{j}2}, is exponentially suppressed for j\\lt {{j}b}, where {{ν }GR}/jb2˜ {{ν }max }, due to the adiabatic invariance of the precession against the slowly varying random background torques. This results in an effective Schwarzschild precession-induced barrier in angular momentum. When jb is large enough, this barrier can have significant dynamical implications for processes near the MBH.

SDSS-IV MaNGA: Probing the Kinematic Morphology–Density Relation of Early-type Galaxies with MaNGA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, J. E.; Leauthaud, A.; Emsellem, E.; Goddard, D.; Ge, J.; Andrews, B. H.; Brinkman, J.; Brownstein, J. R.; Greco, J.; Law, D.; Lin, Y.-T.; Masters, K. L.; Merrifield, M.; More, S.; Okabe, N.; Schneider, D. P.; Thomas, D.; Wake, D. A.; Yan, R.; Drory, N.

2017-12-01

The “kinematic” morphology–density relation for early-type galaxies posits that those galaxies with low angular momentum are preferentially found in the highest-density regions of the universe. We use a large sample of galaxy groups with halo masses {10}12.5< {M}{halo}< {10}14.5 {h}-1 {M}ȯ observed with the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey to examine whether there is a correlation between local environment and rotational support that is independent of stellar mass. We find no compelling evidence for a relationship between the angular momentum content of early-type galaxies and either local overdensity or radial position within the group at fixed stellar mass.

Single rotating stars and the formation of bipolar planetary nebula

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

García-Segura, G.; Villaver, E.; Langer, N.

2014-03-10

We have computed new stellar evolution models that include the effects of rotation and magnetic torques under different hypotheses. The goal is to test whether a single star can sustain the rotational velocities needed in the envelope for magnetohydrodynamical(MHD) simulations to shape bipolar planetary nebulae (PNe) when high mass-loss rates take place. Stellar evolution models with main sequence masses of 2.5 and 5 M {sub ☉} and initial rotational velocities of 250 km s{sup –1} have been followed through the PNe formation phase. We find that stellar cores have to be spun down using magnetic torques in order to reproducemore » the rotation rates observed for white dwarfs. During the asymptotic giant branch phase and beyond, the magnetic braking of the core has a practically null effect on increasing the rotational velocity of the envelope since the stellar angular momentum is efficiently removed by the wind. We have also tested the best possible case scenarios in rather non-physical contexts to give enough angular momentum to the envelope. We find that we cannot get the envelope of a single star to rotate at the speeds needed for MHD simulations to form bipolar PNe. We conclude that single stellar rotators are unlikely to be the progenitors of bipolar PNe under the current MHD model paradigm.« less

Ultracompact Blue Dwarf Galaxies: Hubble Space Telescope Imaging and Stellar Population Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corbin, Michael R.; Vacca, William D.; Cid Fernandes, Roberto; Hibbard, John E.; Somerville, Rachel S.; Windhorst, Rogier A.

2006-11-01

We present deep Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys/High Resolution Channel U-, narrow-V-, and I-band images of nine ``ultracompact'' blue dwarf galaxies (UCBDs) selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We define UCBDs as local (z<0.01) star-forming galaxies having angular diameters less than 6" and physical diameters <1 kpc. They are also among the most metal-poor galaxies known, including objects having 12+log(O/H)<7.65, and are found to reside within voids. Both the HST images and the objects' SDSS optical spectra reveal that they are composites of young (~1-10 Myr) populations that dominate their light and older (~10 Gyr) populations that dominate their stellar masses, which we estimate to be ~107-108 Msolar. An intermediate-age (~107-109 yr) population is also indicated in most objects. The objects do not appear to be as dynamically disturbed as the prototype UCBD, POX 186, but the structure of several of them suggests that their current star formation has been triggered by the collisions/mergers of smaller clumps of stars. In one case, HS 0822+3542, the images resolve what may be two small (~100 pc) components that have recently collided, supporting this interpretation. In six of the objects much of the star formation is concentrated in young massive clusters, contributing to their compactness in ground-based images. The evidence that the galaxies consist mainly of ~10 Gyr old stars establishes that they are not protogalaxies, forming their first generation of stars. Their low metallicities are more likely to be the result of the escape of supernova ejecta, rather than youth.

What makes the family of barred disc galaxies so rich: damping stellar bars in spinning haloes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collier, Angela; Shlosman, Isaac; Heller, Clayton

2018-05-01

We model and analyse the secular evolution of stellar bars in spinning dark matter (DM) haloes with the cosmological spin λ ˜ 0-0.09. Using high-resolution stellar and DM numerical simulations, we focus on angular momentum exchange between stellar discs and DM haloes of various axisymmetric shapes - spherical, oblate, and prolate. We find that stellar bars experience a diverse evolution that is guided by the ability of parent haloes to absorb angular momentum, J, lost by the disc through the action of gravitational torques, resonant and non-resonant. We confirm that dynamical bar instability is accelerated via resonant J-transfer to the halo. Our main findings relate to the long-term secular evolution of disc-halo systems: with an increasing λ, bars experience less growth and basically dissolve after they pass through vertical buckling instability. Specifically, with increasing λ, (1) the vertical buckling instability in stellar bars colludes with inability of the inner halo to absorb J - this emerges as the main factor weakening or destroying bars in spinning haloes; (2) bars lose progressively less J, and their pattern speeds level off; (3) bars are smaller, and for λ ≳ 0.06 cease their growth completely following buckling; (4) bars in λ > 0.03 haloes have ratio of corotation-to-bar radii, RCR/Rb > 2, and represent so-called slow bars without offset dust lanes. We provide a quantitative analysis of J-transfer in disc-halo systems, and explain the reasons for absence of growth in fast spinning haloes and its observational corollaries. We conclude that stellar bar evolution is substantially more complex than anticipated, and bars are not as resilient as has been considered so far.

Multi-epoch VLTI-PIONIER imaging of the supergiant V766 Cen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wittkowski, M.; Abellán, F. J.; Arroyo-Torres, B.; Chiavassa, A.; Guirado, J. C.; Marcaide, J. M.; Alberdi, A.; de Wit, W. J.; Hofmann, K.-H.; Meilland, A.; Millour, F.; Mohamed, S.; Sanchez-Bermudez, J.

2017-09-01

Context. The star V766 Cen (=HR 5171A) was originally classified as a yellow hypergiant but lately found to more likely be a 27-36 M⊙ red supergiant (RSG). Recent observations indicated a close eclipsing companion in the contact or common-envelope phase. Aims: Here, we aim at imaging observations of V766 Cen to confirm the presence of the close companion. Methods: We used near-infrared H-band aperture synthesis imaging at three epochs in 2014, 2016, and 2017, employing the PIONIER instrument at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Results: The visibility data indicate a mean Rosseland angular diameter of 4.1 ± 0.8 mas, corresponding to a radius of 1575 ± 400 R⊙. The data show an extended shell (MOLsphere) of about 2.5 times the Rosseland diameter, which contributes about 30% of the H-band flux. The reconstructed images at the 2014 epoch show a complex elongated structure within the photospheric disk with a contrast of about 10%. The second and third epochs show qualitatively and quantitatively different structures with a single very bright and narrow feature and high contrasts of 20-30%. This feature is located toward the south-western limb of the photospheric stellar disk. We estimate an angular size of the feature of 1.7 ± 0.3 mas, corresponding to a radius of 650 ± 150 R⊙, and giving a radius ratio of 0.42+0.35-0.10 compared to the primary stellar disk. Conclusions: We interpret the images at the 2016 and 2017 epochs as showing the close companion, or a common envelope toward the companion, in front of the primary. At the 2014 epoch, the close companion is behind the primary and not visible. Instead, the structure and contrast at the 2014 epoch are typical of a single RSG harboring giant photospheric convection cells. The companion is most likely a cool giant or supergiant star with a mass of 5+15-3 M⊙. Based on observations made with the VLT Interferometer at Paranal Observatory under programme IDs 092.D-0096, 092.C-0312, and 097.D-0286.Olivier Chesneau was PI of the program 092.D-0096. He unfortunately passed away before seeing the results coming out of it. This Letter may serve as a posthumous tribute to his inspiring work on this source.

Dynamical Model for Spindown of Solar-type Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sood, Aditi; Kim, Eun-jin; Hollerbach, Rainer

2016-12-01

After their formation, stars slow down their rotation rates by the removal of angular momentum from their surfaces, e.g., via stellar winds. Explaining how this rotation of solar-type stars evolves in time is currently an interesting but difficult problem in astrophysics. Despite the complexity of the processes involved, a traditional model, where the removal of angular momentum by magnetic fields is prescribed, has provided a useful framework to understand observational relations between stellar rotation, age, and magnetic field strength. Here, for the first time, a spindown model is proposed where loss of angular momentum by magnetic fields evolves dynamically, instead of being prescibed kinematically. To this end, we evolve the stellar rotation and magnetic field simultaneously over stellar evolution time by extending our previous work on a dynamo model which incorporates nonlinear feedback mechanisms on rotation and magnetic fields. We show that our extended model reproduces key observations and is capable of explaining the presence of the two branches of (fast and slow rotating) stars which have different relations between rotation rate Ω versus time (age), magnetic field strength | B| versus rotation rate, and frequency of magnetic field {ω }{cyc} versus rotation rate. For fast rotating stars we find that: (I) there is an exponential spindown {{Ω }}\\propto {e}-1.35t, with t measured in Gyr; (II) magnetic activity saturates for higher rotation rate; (III) {ω }{cyc}\\propto {{{Ω }}}0.83. For slow rotating stars we find: (I) a power-law spindown {{Ω }}\\propto {t}-0.52; (II) that magnetic activity scales roughly linearly with rotation rate; (III) {ω }{cyc}\\propto {{{Ω }}}1.16. The results obtained from our investigations are in good agreement with observations. The Vaughan-Preston gap is consistently explained in our model by the shortest spindown timescale in this transition from fast to slow rotators. Our results highlight the importance of self-regulation of magnetic fields and rotation by direct and indirect interactions involving nonlinear feedback in stellar evolution.

49 CFR Appendix B to Part 564 - Information To Be Submitted for Long Life Replaceable Light Sources of Limited Definition

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

.... A. Angular locations, diameters, key/keyway sizes, and any other interchangeability dimensions for... base in the bulb holder such as tabs, keys, keyways, surface, etc. III. Bulb Holder Interchangeability Dimensions and Tolerances. A. Mating angular locations, diameters, key/keyway sizes, any other...

49 CFR Appendix B to Part 564 - Information To Be Submitted for Long Life Replaceable Light Sources of Limited Definition

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

.... A. Angular locations, diameters, key/keyway sizes, and any other interchangeability dimensions for... base in the bulb holder such as tabs, keys, keyways, surface, etc. III. Bulb Holder Interchangeability Dimensions and Tolerances. A. Mating angular locations, diameters, key/keyway sizes, any other...

SDSS-IV MaNGA: Uncovering the Angular Momentum Content of Central and Satellite Early-type Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, J. E.; Leauthaud, A.; Emsellem, E.; Ge, J.; Aragón-Salamanca, A.; Greco, J.; Lin, Y.-T.; Mao, S.; Masters, K.; Merrifield, M.; More, S.; Okabe, N.; Schneider, D. P.; Thomas, D.; Wake, D. A.; Pan, K.; Bizyaev, D.; Oravetz, D.; Simmons, A.; Yan, R.; van den Bosch, F.

2018-01-01

We study 379 central and 159 satellite early-type galaxies with two-dimensional kinematics from the integral-field survey Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) to determine how their angular momentum content depends on stellar and halo mass. Using the Yang et al. group catalog, we identify central and satellite galaxies in groups with halo masses in the range {10}12.5 {h}-1 {M}ȯ < {M}200b< {10}15 {h}-1 {M}ȯ . As in previous work, we see a sharp dependence on stellar mass, in the sense that ∼70% of galaxies with stellar mass {M}* > {10}11 {h}-2 {M}ȯ tend to have very little rotation, while nearly all galaxies at lower mass show some net rotation. The ∼30% of high-mass galaxies that have significant rotation do not stand out in other galaxy properties, except for a higher incidence of ionized gas emission. Our data are consistent with recent simulation results suggesting that major merging and gas accretion have more impact on the rotational support of lower-mass galaxies. When carefully matching the stellar mass distributions, we find no residual differences in angular momentum content between satellite and central galaxies at the 20% level. Similarly, at fixed mass, galaxies have consistent rotation properties across a wide range of halo mass. However, we find that errors in classification of central and satellite galaxies with group finders systematically lower differences between satellite and central galaxies at a level that is comparable to current measurement uncertainties. To improve constraints, the impact of group-finding methods will have to be forward-modeled via mock catalogs.

Determination of the Limiting Magnitude

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kingery, Aaron; Blaauw, Rhiannon

2017-01-01

The limiting magnitude of an optical camera system is an important property to understand since it is used to find the completeness limit of observations. Limiting magnitude depends on the hardware and software of the system, current weather conditions, and the angular speed of the objects observed. If an object exhibits a substantial angular rate during the exposure, its light spreads out over more pixels than the stationary stars. This spreading causes the limiting magnitude to be brighter when compared to the stellar limiting magnitude. The effect, which begins to become important when the object moves a full width at half max during a single exposure or video frame. For targets with high angular speeds or camera systems with narrow field of view or long exposures, this correction can be significant, up to several magnitudes. The stars in an image are often used to measure the limiting magnitude since they are stationary, have known brightness, and are present in large numbers, making the determination of the limiting magnitude fairly simple. In order to transform stellar limiting magnitude to object limiting magnitude, a correction must be applied accounting for the angular velocity. This technique is adopted in meteor and other fast-moving object observations, as the lack of a statistically significant sample of targets makes it virtually impossible to determine the limiting magnitude before the weather conditions change. While the weather is the dominant factor in observing satellites, the limiting magnitude for meteors also changes throughout the night due to the motion of a meteor shower or sporadic source radiant across the sky. This paper presents methods for determining the limiting stellar magnitude and the conversion to the target limiting magnitude.

Optical metrology for Starlight Separated Spacecraft Stellar Interferometry Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dubovitsky, S.; Lay, O. P.; Peters, R. D.; Abramovici, A.; Asbury, C. G.; Kuhnert, A. C.; Mulder, J. L.

2002-01-01

We describe a high-precision inter-spacecraft metrology system designed for NASA 's StarLight mission, a space-based separated-spacecraft stellar interferometer. It consists of dual-target linear metrology, based on a heterodyne interferometer with carrier phase modulation, and angular metrology designed to sense the pointing of the laser beam and provides bearing information. The dual-target operation enables one metrology beam to sense displacement of two targets independently. We present the current design, breadboard implementation of the Metrology Subsystem in a stellar interferometer testbed and the present state of development of flight qualifiable subsystem components.

The GALAH Survey: Stellar streams and how stellar velocity distributions vary with Galactic longitude, hemisphere and metallicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quillen, Alice C.; De Silva, Gayandhi; Sharma, Sanjib; Hayden, Michael; Freeman, Ken; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Žerjal, Maruša; Asplund, Martin; Buder, Sven; D'Orazi, Valentina; Duong, Ly; Kos, Janez; Lin, Jane; Lind, Karin; Martell, Sarah; Schlesinger, Katharine; Simpson, Jeffrey D.; Zucker, Daniel B.; Zwitter, Tomaz; Anguiano, Borja; Carollo, Daniela; Casagrande, Luca; Cotar, Klemen; Cottrell, Peter L.; Ireland, Michael; Kafle, Prajwal R.; Horner, Jonathan; Lewis, Geraint F.; Nataf, David M.; Ting, Yuan-Sen; Watson, Fred; Wittenmyer, Rob; Wyse, Rosemary

2018-04-01

Using GALAH survey data of nearby stars, we look at how structure in the planar (u, v) velocity distribution depends on metallicity and on viewing direction within the Galaxy. In nearby stars with distance d ≲ 1 kpc, the Hercules stream is most strongly seen in higher metallicity stars [Fe/H]>0.2. The Hercules stream peak v value depends on viewed galactic longitude, which we interpret as due to the gap between the stellar stream and more circular orbits being associated with a specific angular momentum value of about 1640 km s-1 kpc. The association of the gap with a particular angular momentum value supports a bar resonant model for the Hercules stream. Moving groups previously identified in Hipparcos observations are easiest to see in stars nearer than 250 pc, and their visibility and peak velocities in the velocity distributions depends on both viewing direction (galactic longitude and hemisphere) and metallicity. We infer that there is fine structure in local velocity distributions that varies over distances of a few hundred pc in the Galaxy.

Rotational velocities of A-type stars. IV. Evolution of rotational velocities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zorec, J.; Royer, F.

2012-01-01

Context. In previous works of this series, we have shown that late B- and early A-type stars have genuine bimodal distributions of rotational velocities and that late A-type stars lack slow rotators. The distributions of the surface angular velocity ratio Ω/Ωcrit (Ωcrit is the critical angular velocity) have peculiar shapes according to spectral type groups, which can be caused by evolutionary properties. Aims: We aim to review the properties of these rotational velocity distributions in some detail as a function of stellar mass and age. Methods: We have gathered vsini for a sample of 2014 B6- to F2-type stars. We have determined the masses and ages for these objects with stellar evolution models. The (Teff,log L/L⊙)-parameters were determined from the uvby-β photometry and the HIPPARCOS parallaxes. Results: The velocity distributions show two regimes that depend on the stellar mass. Stars less massive than 2.5 M⊙ have a unimodal equatorial velocity distribution and show a monotonical acceleration with age on the main sequence (MS). Stars more massive have a bimodal equatorial velocity distribution. Contrarily to theoretical predictions, the equatorial velocities of stars from about 1.7 M⊙ to 3.2 M⊙ undergo a strong acceleration in the first third of the MS evolutionary phase, while in the last third of the MS they evolve roughly as if there were no angular momentum redistribution in the external stellar layers. The studied stars might start in the ZAMS not necessarily as rigid rotators, but with a total angular momentum lower than the critical one of rigid rotators. The stars seem to evolve as differential rotators all the way of their MS life span and the variation of the observed rotational velocities proceeds with characteristic time scales δt ≈ 0.2 tMS, where tMS is the time spent by a star in the MS. Full Table 1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/537/A120Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

High Angular Resolution and Lightweight X-Ray Optics for Astronomical Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, W. W.; Biskach, M. P.; Blake, P. N.; Chan, K. W.; Evans, T. C.; Hong, M.; Jones, W. D.; Jones, W. D.; Kolos, L. D.; Mazzarella, J. M.;

The convective photosphere of the red supergiant CE Tauri. I. VLTI/PIONIER H-band interferometric imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montargès, M.; Norris, R.; Chiavassa, A.; Tessore, B.; Lèbre, A.; Baron, F.

2018-06-01

Context. Red supergiant stars are one of the latest stages in the evolution of massive stars. Their photospheric convection may play an important role in the launching mechanism of their mass loss; however, its characteristics and dynamics are still poorly constrained. Aims: By observing red supergiant stars with near infrared interferometry at different epochs, we expect to reveal the evolution of bright convective features on their stellar surface. Methods: We observed the M2Iab-Ib red supergiant star CE Tau with the VLTI/PIONIER instrument in the H band at two different epochs separated by one month. Results: We derive the angular diameter of the star and basic stellar parameters, and reconstruct two reliable images of its H-band photosphere. The contrast of the convective pattern of the reconstructed images is 5 ± 1% and 6 ± 1% for our two epochs of observation. Conclusions: The stellar photosphere shows few changes between the two epochs. The contrast of the convective pattern is below the average contrast variations obtained on 30 randomly chosen snapshots of the best matching 3D radiative hydrodynamics simulation: 23 ± 1% for the original simulation images and 16 ± 1% for the maps degraded to the reconstruction resolution. We offer two hypotheses to explain this observation. CE Tau may be experiencing a quiet convective activity episode or it could be a consequence of its warmer effective temperature (hence its smaller radius) compared to the simulation. Based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere under ESO programs 298.D-5005(A) and 298.D-5005(B).Reconstructed images as FITS files and basic stellar parameters are available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/614/A12Animated gif of the two epochs is available at http://https://www.aanda.org

Detection of Solar-Like Oscillations, Observational Constraints, and Stellar Models for θ Cyg, the Brightest Star Observed by the Kepler Mission

DOE PAGES

Guzik, Joyce Ann; Houdek, G.; Chaplin, W. J.; ...

2016-10-21

θ Cygni is an F3 spectral type magnitude V = 4.48 main-sequence star that was the brightest star observed by the original Kepler spacecraft mission. Short-cadence (58.8 s) photometric data using a custom aperture were first obtained during Quarter 6 (2010 June–September) and subsequently in Quarters 8 and 12–17. We present analyses of solar-like oscillations based on Q6 and Q8 data, identifying angular degree l = 0, 1, and 2 modes with frequencies of 1000–2700 μHz, a large frequency separation of 83.9 ± 0.4 μHz, and maximum oscillation amplitude at frequency ν max = 1829 ± 54 μHz. We alsomore » present analyses of new ground-based spectroscopic observations, which, combined with interferometric angular diameter measurements, give T eff = 6697 ± 78 K, radius 1.49 ± 0.03 R ⊙, [Fe/H] = $-$0.02 ± 0.06 dex, and log g = 4.23 ± 0.03. We calculate stellar models matching these constraints using the Yale Rotating Evolution Code and the Asteroseismic Modeling Portal. The best-fit models have masses of 1.35–1.39 M ⊙ and ages of 1.0–1.6 Gyr. θ Cyg's T eff and log g place it cooler than the red edge of the γ Doradus instability region established from pre-Kepler ground-based observations, but just at the red edge derived from pulsation modeling. Lastly, the pulsation models show γ Dor gravity modes driven by the convective blocking mechanism, with frequencies of 1–3 cycles per day (11 to 33 μHz). However, gravity modes were not seen in Kepler data; one signal at 1.776 cycles per day (20.56 μHz) may be attributable to a faint, possibly background, binary.« less

Revisiting the Stellar Mass–Angular Momentum–Morphology Relation: Extension to Higher Bulge Fraction and the Effect of Bulge Type

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sweet, Sarah M.; Fisher, David; Glazebrook, Karl; Obreschkow, Danail; Lagos, Claudia; Wang, Liang

2018-06-01

We present the relation between stellar specific angular momentum j *, stellar mass M *, and bulge-to-total light ratio β for The H I Nearby Galaxy Survey, the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area Survey, and Romanowsky & Fall data sets, exploring the existence of a fundamental plane between these parameters, as first suggested by Obreschkow & Glazebrook. Our best-fit M *–j * relation yields a slope of α = 1.03 ± 0.11 with a trivariate fit including β. When ignoring the effect of β, the exponent α = 0.56 ± 0.06 is consistent with α = 2/3 that is predicted for dark matter halos. There is a linear β–j */M * relation for β ≲ 0.4, exhibiting a general trend of increasing β with decreasing j */M *. Galaxies with β ≳ 0.4 have higher j * than predicted by the relation. Pseudobulge galaxies have preferentially lower β for a given j */M * than galaxies that contain classical bulges. Pseudobulge galaxies follow a well-defined track in β–j */M * space, consistent with Obreschkow & Glazebrook, while galaxies with classical bulges do not. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that while growth in either bulge type is linked to a decrease in j */M *, the mechanisms that build pseudobulges seem to be less efficient at increasing bulge mass per decrease in specific angular momentum than those that build classical bulges.

From Head to Sword: The Clustering Properties of Stars in Orion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez, Mercedes; Lada, Charles J.

1998-04-01

We investigate the structure in the spatial distributions of optically selected samples of young stars in the Head (lambda Orionis) and in the Sword (Orion A) regions of the constellation of Orion with the aid of stellar surface density maps and the two-point angular correlation function. The distributions of young stars in both regions are found to be nonrandom and highly clustered. Stellar surface density maps reveal three distinct clusters in the lambda Ori region. The two-point correlation function displays significant features at angular scales that correspond to the radii and separations of the three clusters identified in the surface density maps. Most young stars in the lambda Ori region (~80%) are presently found within these three clusters, consistent with the idea that the majority of young stars in this region were formed in dense protostellar clusters that have significantly expanded since their formation. Over a scale of ~0.05d-0.5d the correlation function is well described by a single power law that increases smoothly with decreasing angular scale. This suggests that, within the clusters, the stars either are themselves hierarchically clustered or have a volume density distribution that falls steeply with radius. The relative lack of Hα emission-line stars in the one cluster in this region that contains OB stars suggests a timescale for emission-line activity of less than 4 Myr around late-type stars in the cluster and may indicate that the lifetimes of protoplanetary disks around young stellar objects are reduced in clusters containing O stars. The spatial distribution of young stars in the Orion A region is considerably more complex. The angular correlation function of the OB stars (which are mostly foreground to the Orion A molecular cloud) is very similar to that of the Hα stars (which are located mostly within the molecular cloud) and significantly different from that of the young stars in the lambda Ori region. This suggests that, although spatially separated, both populations in the Orion A region may have originated from a similar fragmentation process. Stellar surface density maps and modeling of the angular correlation function suggest that somewhat less than half of the OB and Hα stars in the Orion A cloud are presently within well-defined stellar clusters. Although all the OB stars could have originated in rich clusters, a significant fraction of the Hα stars appear to have formed outside such clusters in a more spatially dispersed manner. The close similarity of the angular correlation functions of the OB and Hα stars toward the molecular cloud, in conjunction with the earlier indications of a relatively high star formation rate and high gas pressure in this cloud, is consistent with the idea that older, foreground OB stars triggered the current episode of star formation in the Orion A cloud. One of the OB clusters (Upper Sword) that is foreground to the cloud does not appear to be associated with any of the clusterings of emission-line stars, again suggesting a timescale (<4 Myr) for emission-line activity and disk lifetimes around late-type stars born in OB clusters.

The Cluster Population of UGC 2885

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holwerda, Benne

2017-08-01

UGC 2885 was discoverd to be the most extended disk galaxy [250 kpc diameter] by Vera Rubin in the 1980's. We ask for HST observations of UGC 2885 as it is close enough to resolve the GC population with HST but it is a substantially more extended disk than any studied before. LCDM galaxy assembly implies that the GC population comes from small accreted systems and the disk -and the clusters associated with it- predominantly from gas accretion (matching angular momentum to the disk). Several scaling relations between the GC population and parent galaxy have been observed but these differ for disk and spheroidal (massive) galaxies.We propose to observe this galaxy with HST in 4 point WFC3 mosaic with coordinated ACS parallels to probe both the disk and outer halo component of the GC population. GC populations have been studied extensively using HST color mosaics of local disk galaxies and these can serve as comparison samples. How UGC 2885 cluster populations relate to its stellar and halo mass, luminosity and with radius will reveal the formation history of extra-ordinary disk.Our goals are twofold: our science goal is to map the luminosity, (some) size, and color distributions of the stellar and globular clusters in and around this disk. In absolute terms, we expect to find many GC but the relative relation of the GC population to this galaxy's mass (stellar and halo) and size will shed light on its formation history; similar to a group or cluster central elliptical or to a field galaxy (albeit one with a disk 10x the Milky Way's size)? Our secondary motive is to make an HST tribute image to the late Vera Rubin.

Revolution evolution: tracing angular momentum during star and planetary system formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, Claire Louise

2015-04-01

Stars form via the gravitational collapse of molecular clouds during which time the protostellar object contracts by over seven orders of magnitude. If all the angular momentum present in the natal cloud was conserved during collapse, stars would approach rotational velocities rapid enough to tear themselves apart within just a few Myr. In contrast to this, observations of pre-main sequence rotation rates are relatively slow (∼ 1 - 15 days) indicating that significant quantities of angular momentum must be removed from the star. I use observations of fully convective pre-main sequence stars in two well-studied, nearby regions of star formation (namely the Orion Nebula Cluster and Taurus-Auriga) to determine the removal rate of stellar angular momentum. I find the accretion disc-hosting stars to be rotating at a slower rate and contain less specific angular momentum than the disc-less stars. I interpret this as indicating a period of accretion disc-regulated angular momentum evolution followed by near-constant rotational evolution following disc dispersal. Furthermore, assuming that the age spread inferred from the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram constructed for the star forming region is real, I find that the removal rate of angular momentum during the accretion-disc hosting phase to be more rapid than that expected from simple disc-locking theory whereby contraction occurs at a fixed rotation period. This indicates a more efficient process of angular momentum removal must operate, most likely in the form of an accretion-driven stellar wind or outflow emanating from the star-disc interaction. The initial circumstellar envelope that surrounds a protostellar object during the earliest stages of star formation is rotationally flattened into a disc as the star contracts. An effective viscosity, present within the disc, enables the disc to evolve: mass accretes inwards through the disc and onto the star while momentum migrates outwards, forcing the outer regions of the disc to expand. I used spatially resolved submillimetre detections of the dust and gas components of protoplanetary discs, gathered from the literature, to measure the radial extent of discs around low-mass pre-main sequence stars of ∼ 1-10 Myr and probe their viscous evolution. I find no clear observational evidence for the radial expansion of the dust component. However, I find tentative evidence for the expansion ofthe gas component. This suggests that the evolution of the gas and dust components of protoplanetary discs are likely governed by different astrophysical processes. Observations of jets and outflows emanating from protostars and pre-main sequence stars highlight that it may also be possible to remove angular momentum from the circumstellar material. Using the sample of spatially resolved protoplanetary discs, I find no evidence for angular momentum removal during disc evolution. I also use the spatially resolved debris discs from the Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array-2 Observations of Nearby Stars survey to constrain the amount of angular momentum retained within planetary systems. This sample is compared to the protoplanetary disc angular momenta and to the angular momentum contained within pre-stellar cores. I find that significant quantities of angular momentum must be removed during disc formation and disc dispersal. This likely occurs via magnetic braking during the formation of the disc, via the launching of a disc or photo-evaporative wind, and/or via ejection of planetary material following dynamical interactions.

Non-Equilibrium Chemistry of O-Rich AGB Stars as Revealed by ALMA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Ka Tat

2018-04-01

Chemical models suggest that pulsation driven shocks propagating from the stellar surfaces of oxygen-rich evolved stars to the dust formation zone trigger non-equilibrium chemistry in the shocked gas near the star, including the formation of carbon-bearing molecules in the stellar winds dominated by oxygen-rich chemistry. Recent long-baseline ALMA observations are able to give us a detailed view of the molecular line emission and absorption at an angular resolution of a few stellar radii. I am going to present the latest results from the ALMA observations of IK Tau and o Cet in late 2017, with a particular focus on HCN.

Magnetocentrifugally driven flows from young stars and disks. 1: A generalized model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shu, Frank; Najita, Joan; Ostriker, Eve; Wilkin, Frank; Ruden, Steven; Lizano, Susana

1994-01-01

We propose a generalized model for stellar spin-down, disk accretion, and truncation, and the origin of winds, jets, and bipolar outflows from young stellar objects. We consider the steady state dynamics of accretion of matter from a viscous and imperfectly conducting disk onto a young star with a strong magnetic field. For an aligned stellar magnetosphere, shielding currents in the surface layers of the disk prevent stellar field lines from penetrating the disk everywhere except for a range of radii about pi = R(sub x), where the Keplerian angular speed of rotation Omega(sub x) equals the angular speed of the star Omega(sub *). For the low disk accretion rates and high magnetic fields associated with typical T Tauri stars, R(sub x) exceeds the radius of the star R(sub *) by a factor of a few, and the inner disk is effectively truncated at a radius R(sub t) somewhat smaller than R(sub x). Where the closed field lines between R(sub t) and R(sub x) bow sufficiently inward, the accreting gas attaches itself to the field and is funneled dynamically down the effective potential (gravitational plus centrifugal) onto the star. Contrary to common belief, the accompanying magnetic torques associated with this accreting gas may transfer angular momentum mostly to the disk rather than to the star. Thus, the star can spin slowly as long as R(sub x) remains significantly greater than R(sub *). Exterior to R(sub x) field lines threading the disk bow outward, which makes the gas off the mid-plane rotate at super-Keplerian velocities. This combination drives a magnetocentrifugal wind with a mass-loss rate M(sub w) equal to a definite fraction f of the disk accretion rate M(sub D). For high disk accretion rates, R(sub x) is forced down to the stellar surface, the star is spun to breakup, and the wind is generated in a manner identical to that proposed by Shu, Lizano, Ruden, & Najita in a previous communication to this journal. In two companion papers (II and III), we develop a detailed but idealized theory of the magnetocentrifugal acceleration process.

Spiral Structure Dynamics in Pure Stellar Disk Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valencia-Enríquez, D.; Puerari, I.

2014-03-01

In order to understand the physical mechanism underlying non-steady stellar spiral arms in disk galaxies we performed a series of N-body simulations with 1.2 and 8 million particles. The initial conditions were chosen to follow Kuijken-Dubinski models. In this work we present the results of a sub-sample of our simulations in which we experiment with different disk central radial velocity dispersion (σR,0) and the disk scale height (zd). We analyzed the growth of spiral structures using 1D and 2D Fourier Transform (FT1D and FT2D respectively). The FT1D was used to obtain the angular velocities of non-axisymmetric structures which grow in the stellar disks. In all of our simulations the measured angular velocity of spiral patterns are well confined by the resonances given by the curves Ω±κ/m. The FT2D gives the amplitude of a particular spiral structure represented by two Fourier frequencies: m, number of arms; and p, related to the pitch angle as atan(-m/p). We present, for the first time, plots of the Fourier amplitude |A(p,m)| as a function of time which clearly demonstrates the swing amplification mechanism in the simulated stellar disks. In our simulations, the spiral waves appear as leading spiral structures evolving towards open trailing patterns and fade out as tightly wound spirals.

Rotation and magnetism in intermediate-mass stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quentin, Léo G.; Tout, Christopher A.

2018-06-01

Rotation and magnetism are increasingly recognized as important phenomena in stellar evolution. Surface magnetic fields from a few to 20 000 G have been observed and models have suggested that magnetohydrodynamic transport of angular momentum and chemical composition could explain the peculiar composition of some stars. Stellar remnants such as white dwarfs have been observed with fields from a few to more than 109 G. We investigate the origin of and the evolution, on thermal and nuclear rather than dynamical time-scales, of an averaged large-scale magnetic field throughout a star's life and its coupling to stellar rotation. Large-scale magnetic fields sustained until late stages of stellar evolution with conservation of magnetic flux could explain the very high fields observed in white dwarfs. We include these effects in the Cambridge stellar evolution code using three time-dependant advection-diffusion equations coupled to the structural and composition equations of stars to model the evolution of angular momentum and the two components of the magnetic field. We present the evolution in various cases for a 3 M_{⊙} star from the beginning to the late stages of its life. Our particular model assumes that turbulent motions, including convection, favour small-scale field at the expense of large-scale field. As a result, the large-scale field concentrates in radiative zones of the star and so is exchanged between the core and the envelope of the star as it evolves. The field is sustained until the end of the asymptotic giant branch, when it concentrates in the degenerate core.

Scaling Stellar Mass Estimates of Dwarf Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carr, Brandon Michael; McQuinn, Kristen B.; Cannon, John M.; Dalcanton, Julianne; Dolphin, Andrew E.; Skillman, Evan D.; Williams, Benjamin F.; van Zee, Liese

2017-01-01

Hubble Space Telescope (HST) optical imaging of resolved stellar populations has been used to constrain the star formation history (SFH) and chemical evolution of many nearby dwarf galaxies. However, even for dwarf galaxies, the angle subtended by nearby systems can be greater than the HST field of view. Thus, estimates of stellar mass from the HST footprint do not accurately represent the total mass of the system, impacting how SFH results can be used in holistic comparisons of galaxy properties. Here, we use the SFHs of dwarfs combined with stellar population synthesis models to determine mass-to-light ratios for individual galaxies, and compare these values with measured infrared luminosities from Spitzer IRAC data. In this way, we determine what fraction of mass is not included in the HST field of view. To test our methodology, we focus on dwarfs whose stellar disks are contained within the HST observations. Then, we also apply this method to galaxies with larger angular sizes to scale the stellar masses accordingly.

Accurate effective temperatures of the metal-poor benchmark stars HD 140283, HD 122563, and HD 103095 from CHARA interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karovicova, I.; White, T. R.; Nordlander, T.; Lind, K.; Casagrande, L.; Ireland, M. J.; Huber, D.; Creevey, O.; Mourard, D.; Schaefer, G. H.; Gilmore, G.; Chiavassa, A.; Wittkowski, M.; Jofré, P.; Heiter, U.; Thévenin, F.; Asplund, M.

2018-03-01

Large stellar surveys of the Milky Way require validation with reference to a set of `benchmark' stars whose fundamental properties are well determined. For metal-poor benchmark stars, disagreement between spectroscopic and interferometric effective temperatures has called the reliability of the temperature scale into question. We present new interferometric measurements of three metal-poor benchmark stars, HD 140283, HD 122563, and HD 103095, from which we determine their effective temperatures. The angular sizes of all the stars were determined from observations with the PAVO beam combiner at visible wavelengths at the CHARA array, with additional observations of HD 103095 made with the VEGA instrument, also at the CHARA array. Together with photometrically derived bolometric fluxes, the angular diameters give a direct measurement of the effective temperature. For HD 140283, we find θLD = 0.324 ± 0.005 mas, Teff = 5787 ± 48 K; for HD 122563, θLD = 0.926 ± 0.011 mas, Teff = 4636 ± 37 K; and for HD 103095, θLD = 0.595 ± 0.007 mas, Teff = 5140 ± 49 K. Our temperatures for HD 140283 and HD 103095 are hotter than the previous interferometric measurements by 253 and 322 K, respectively. We find good agreement between our temperatures and recent spectroscopic and photometric estimates. We conclude some previous interferometric measurements have been affected by systematic uncertainties larger than their quoted errors.

Constraints on the Energy Density Content of the Universe Using Only Clusters of Galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molnar, Sandor M.; Haiman, Zoltan; Birkinshaw, Mark

2003-01-01

We demonstrate that it is possible to constrain the energy content of the Universe with high accuracy using observations of clusters of galaxies only. The degeneracies in the cosmological parameters are lifted by combining constraints from different observables of galaxy clusters. We show that constraints on cosmological parameters from galaxy cluster number counts as a function of redshift and accurate angular diameter distance measurements to clusters are complementary to each other and their combination can constrain the energy density content of the Universe well. The number counts can be obtained from X-ray and/or SZ (Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect) surveys, the angular diameter distances can be determined from deep observations of the intra-cluster gas using their thermal bremsstrahlung X-ray emission and the SZ effect (X-SZ method). In this letter we combine constraints from simulated cluster number counts expected from a 12 deg2 SZ cluster survey and constraints from simulated angular diameter distance measurements based on using the X-SZ method assuming an expected accuracy of 7% in the angular diameter distance determination of 70 clusters with redshifts less than 1.5. We find that R, can be determined within about 25%, A within 20%, and w within 16%. Any cluster survey can be used to select clusters for high accuracy distance measurements, but we assumed accurate angular diameter distance measurements for only 70 clusters since long observations are necessary to achieve high accuracy in distance measurements. Thus the question naturally arises: How to select clusters of galaxies for accurate diameter distance determinations? In this letter, as an example, we demonstrate that it is possible to optimize this selection changing the number of clusters observed, and the upper cut off of their redshift range. We show that constraints on cosmological parameters from combining cluster number counts and angular diameter distance measurements, as opposed to general expectations, will not improve substantially selecting clusters with redshifts higher than one. This important conclusion allow us to restrict our cluster sample to clusters closer than one, in a range where the observational time for accurate distance measurements are more manageable. Subject headings: cosmological parameters - cosmology: theory - galaxies: clusters: general - X-rays: galaxies: clusters

The Surface Brightness-color Relations Based on Eclipsing Binary Stars: Toward Precision Better than 1% in Angular Diameter Predictions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Graczyk, Dariusz; Gieren, Wolfgang; Konorski, Piotr

In this study we investigate the calibration of surface brightness–color (SBC) relations based solely on eclipsing binary stars. We selected a sample of 35 detached eclipsing binaries with trigonometric parallaxes from Gaia DR1 or Hipparcos whose absolute dimensions are known with an accuracy better than 3% and that lie within 0.3 kpc from the Sun. For the purpose of this study, we used mostly homogeneous optical and near-infrared photometry based on the Tycho-2 and 2MASS catalogs. We derived geometric angular diameters for all stars in our sample with a precision better than 10%, and for 11 of them with amore » precision better than 2%. The precision of individual angular diameters of the eclipsing binary components is currently limited by the precision of the geometric distances (∼5% on average). However, by using a subsample of systems with the best agreement between their geometric and photometric distances, we derived the precise SBC relations based only on eclipsing binary stars. These relations have precisions that are comparable to the best available SBC relations based on interferometric angular diameters, and they are fully consistent with them. With very precise Gaia parallaxes becoming available in the near future, angular diameters with a precision better than 1% will be abundant. At that point, the main uncertainty in the total error budget of the SBC relations will come from transformations between different photometric systems, disentangling of component magnitudes, and for hot OB stars, the main uncertainty will come from the interstellar extinction determination. We argue that all these issues can be overcome with modern high-quality data and conclude that a precision better than 1% is entirely feasible.« less

Angular and linear fields of view of Galilean telescopes and telemicroscopes.

PubMed

Katz, Milton

2007-06-01

The calculation of the angular fields of view (FOVs) of Galilean telescopes generally necessitates the calculation of the pupils and ports. This, in turn, requires knowledge of the optical design of the telescope, in particular, the focal lengths or powers of the objective and ocular lenses. Equations for finding the FOV that obviate the need to calculate pupils and ports, or even to know the lens powers of the telescope, are presented in this article. The equations can be used to find the FOVs in image space of real Galilean telescopes of known magnification, merely by measuring the distance between the objective and ocular lenses and the diameter of the objective lens. The equations include the effects of eye pupil diameter and eye relief. Linear FOVs (LFOVs) of Galilean telemicroscopes are similarly determined. Two image space angular FOV equations were derived: (1) an equation to determine the angular FOVs of a telescope with various amounts of vignetting and eye relief; and (2) an equivalent equation for the LFOVs of telescopes fitted with lens caps for near vision. The FOV increases linearly with increasing vignetting. Increasing the eye relief results in a nonlinear decrease in the FOV, shown as a fraction of the normalized value for zero eye relief. Decrements in the FOVs with increasing eye relief as a fraction of the normalized field angle when the eye relief = 0 are shown to be constant regardless of the vignetting level. A transition of the objective lens from field stop to aperture stop occurs when the eye pupil diameter exceeds the diameter of the objective lens divided by the magnification. Equations have been derived for Galilean telescopes and telemicroscopes that make it unnecessary to find pupils and ports, or to know the powers of the lenses. They provide a direct and simple evaluation of angular and LFOVs as functions of magnification, objective lens diameter, eye pupil diameter, eye relief, and vignetting, and enable comparisons of actual telescopes.

The GALAH survey: stellar streams and how stellar velocity distributions vary with Galactic longitude, hemisphere, and metallicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quillen, Alice C.; De Silva, Gayandhi; Sharma, Sanjib; Hayden, Michael; Freeman, Ken; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Žerjal, Maruša; Asplund, Martin; Buder, Sven; D'Orazi, Valentina; Duong, Ly; Kos, Janez; Lin, Jane; Lind, Karin; Martell, Sarah; Schlesinger, Katharine; Simpson, Jeffrey D.; Zucker, Daniel B.; Zwitter, Tomaz; Anguiano, Borja; Carollo, Daniela; Casagrande, Luca; Cotar, Klemen; Cottrell, Peter L.; Ireland, Michael; Kafle, Prajwal R.; Horner, Jonathan; Lewis, Geraint F.; Nataf, David M.; Ting, Yuan-Sen; Watson, Fred; Wittenmyer, Rob; Wyse, Rosemary

2018-07-01

Using GALAH (GALactic Archaeology with HERMES) survey data of nearby stars, we look at how structure in the planar (u, v) velocity distribution depends on metallicity and on viewing direction within the Galaxy. In nearby stars with distance d ≲ 1 kpc, the Hercules stream is most strongly seen in higher metallicity stars [Fe/H] > 0.2. The Hercules stream peak v value depends on viewed galactic longitude, which we interpret as due to the gap between the stellar stream and more circular orbits being associated with a specific angular momentum value of about 1640 km s-1 kpc. The association of the gap with a particular angular momentum value supports a bar resonant model for the Hercules stream. Moving groups previously identified in Hipparcos(HIgh Precision Parallax COllecting Satellite) observations are easiest to see in stars nearer than 250 pc, and their visibility and peak velocities in the velocity distributions depends on both viewing direction (galactic longitude and hemisphere) and metallicity. We infer that there is fine structure in local velocity distributions that varies over distances of a few hundred pc in the Galaxy.

Imaging and Modeling Nearby Stellar Systems through Infrared Interferometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Che, Xiao; Monnier, J. D.; Ten Brummelaar, T.; Sturmann, L.; Millan-Gabet, R.; Baron, F.; Kraus, S.; Zhao, M.; CHARA

2014-01-01

Long-baseline infrared interferometers with sub-milliarcsecond angular resolution can now resolve photospheric features and the circumstellar environments of nearby massive stars. Closure phase measurements have made model-independent imaging possible. During the thesis, I have expanded Michigan Infrared Combiner (MIRC) from a 4-beam combiner to a 6-beam combiner to improve the (u,v) coverage, and installed Photometric Channels system to reduce the RMS of data by a factor of 3. I am also in charge of the Wavefront Sensor of the CHARA Adaptive Optics project to increase the sensitivity of the telescope array to enlarge the observable Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). My scientific research has focused on using mainly MIRC at CHARA to model and image rapidly rotating stars. The results are crucial for testing the next generation of stellar models that incorporate evolution of internal angular momentum. Observations of Be stars with MIRC have resolved the innermost parts of the disks, allowing us to study the evolution of the disks and star-disk interactions. I have also adopted a semi-analytical disk model to constrain Mid-InfraRed (MIR) disks of YSOs using interferometric and spectroscopic data.

Tip/tilt optimizations for polynomial apodized vortex coronagraphs on obscured telescope pupils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fogarty, Kevin; Pueyo, Laurent; Mazoyer, Johan; N'Diaye, Mamadou

2017-09-01

Obstructions due to large secondary mirrors, primary mirror segmentation, and secondary mirror support struts all introduce diffraction artifacts that limit the performance offered by coronagraphs. However, just as vortex coronagraphs provides theoretically ideal cancellation of on-axis starlight for clear apertures, the Polynomial Apodized Vortex Coronagraph (PAVC) completely blocks on-axis light for apertures with central obscurations, and delivers off-axis throughput that improves as the topological charge of the vortex increases. We examine the sensitivity of PAVC designs to tip/tilt aberrations and stellar angular size, and discuss methods for mitigating these effects. By imposing additional constraints on the pupil plane apodization, we decrease the sensitivity of the PAVC to the small positional shifts of the on-axis source induced by either tip/tilt or stellar angular size; providing a route to overcoming an important hurdle facing the performance of vortex coronagraphs on telescopes with complicated pupils.

A broadband x-ray imaging spectroscopy with high-angular resolution: the FORCE mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mori, Koji; Tsuru, Takeshi Go; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Okajima, Takashi; Murakami, Hiroshi; Awaki, Hisamitsu; Matsumoto, Hironori; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Zhang, William W.

2016-07-01

We are proposing FORCE (Focusing On Relativistic universe and Cosmic Evolution) as a future Japan-lead Xray observatory to be launched in the mid 2020s. Hitomi (ASTRO-H) possesses a suite of sensitive instruments enabling the highest energy-resolution spectroscopy in soft X-ray band, a broadband X-ray imaging spectroscopy in soft and hard X-ray bands, and further high energy coverage up to soft gamma-ray band. FORCE is the direct successor to the broadband X-ray imaging spectroscopy aspect of Hitomi (ASTRO-H) with significantly higher angular resolution. The current design of FORCE defines energy band pass of 1-80 keV with angular resolution of < 15 in half-power diameter, achieving a 10 times higher sensitivity above 10 keV compared to any previous missions with simultaneous soft X-ray coverage. Our primary scientific objective is to trace the cosmic formation history by searching for "missing black holes" in various mass-scales: "buried supermassive black holes (SMBHs)" (> 104 M⊙) residing in the center of galaxies in a cosmological distance, "intermediate-mass black holes" (102-104 M⊙) acting as the possible seeds from which SMBHs grow, and "orphan stellar-mass black holes" (< 102 M⊙) without companion in our Galaxy. In addition to these missing BHs, hunting for the nature of relativistic particles at various astrophysical shocks is also in our scope, utilizing the broadband X-ray coverage with high angular-resolution. FORCE are going to open a new era in these fields. The satellite is proposed to be launched with the Epsilon vehicle that is a Japanese current solid-fuel rocket. FORCE carries three identical pairs of Super-mirror and wide-band X-ray detector. The focal length is currently planned to be 10 m. The silicon mirror with multi-layer coating is our primary choice to achieve lightweight, good angular optics. The detector is a descendant of hard X-ray imager onboard Hitomi (ASTRO-H) replacing its silicon strip detector with SOI-CMOS silicon pixel detector, allowing an extension of the low energy threshold down to 1 keV or even less.

Determination of stellar ages from asteroseismology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ulrich, R. K.

1986-01-01

This Letter shows that measurements of the stellar analog of the solar five minute oscillations can permit the determination of the radius and age of isolated stars. The key frequencies of oscillation correspond to pairs of modes differing by two in the degree of the spherical harmonic describing the angular dependence of the motion and by one in the overtone order of the modes. The frequency pairs are very nearly degenerate, and adequate frequency resolution will require a nearly unbroken time sequence extending over 15 days.

Evidence for Cluster to Cluster Variations in Low-mass Stellar Rotational Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coker, Carl T.; Pinsonneault, Marc; Terndrup, Donald M.

2016-12-01

The concordance model for angular momentum evolution postulates that star-forming regions and clusters are an evolutionary sequence that can be modeled with assumptions about protostar-disk coupling, angular momentum loss from magnetized winds that saturates in a mass-dependent fashion at high rotation rates, and core-envelope decoupling for solar analogs. We test this approach by combining established data with the large h Per data set from the MONITOR project and new low-mass Pleiades data. We confirm prior results that young low-mass stars can be used to test star-disk coupling and angular momentum loss independent of the treatment of internal angular momentum transport. For slow rotators, we confirm the need for star-disk interactions to evolve the ONC to older systems, using h Per (age 13 Myr) as our natural post-disk case. There is no evidence for extremely long-lived disks as an alternative to core-envelope decoupling. However, our wind models cannot evolve rapid rotators from h Per to older systems consistently, and we find that this result is robust with respect to the choice of angular momentum loss prescription. We outline two possible solutions: either there is cosmic variance in the distribution of stellar rotation rates in different clusters or there are substantially enhanced torques in low-mass rapid rotators. We favor the former explanation and discuss observational tests that could be used to distinguish them. If the distribution of initial conditions depends on environment, models that test parameters by assuming a universal underlying distribution of initial conditions will need to be re-evaluated.

Non-Contact EDDY Current Hole Eccentricity and Diameter Measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chern, E. James

1998-01-01

Precision holes are among the most critical features of a mechanical component. Deviations from permissible tolerances can impede operation and result in unexpected failure. We have developed an automated non-contact eddy current hole diameter and eccentricity measuring system. The operating principle is based on the eddy current lift-off effect, which is the coil impedance as a function of the distance between the coil and the test object. An absolute eddy current probe rotates in the hole. The impedance of each angular position is acquired and input to the computer for integration and analysis. The eccentricity of the hole is the profile of the impedance as a function of angular position as compared to a straight line, an ideal hole. The diameter of the hole is the sum of the diameter of the probe and twice the distance-calibrated impedance. An eddy current image is generated by integrating angular scans for a plurality of depths between the top and bottom to display the eccentricity profile. This system can also detect and image defects in the hole. The method for non-contact eddy current hole diameter and eccentricity measurement has been granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Angular Momentum Evolution in Young Low Mass Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinzón, G.; de La Reza, R.

2006-06-01

During the last decades, the study of rotation in young low mass stars has been one of the more active areas in the field of stellar evolution. Many theoretical efforts have been made to understand the angular momentum evolution and our picture now, reveals the main role of the stellar magnetic field in all pre-main sequence stage (Ghosh & Lamb 1979, ApJ, 234, 296; Cameron & Campbell 1993, A&A, 274, 309; Cameron & Campbell 1995, A&A, 298, 133; Kúker, Henning, & Rúdiger 2003, ApJ, 589, 397; Matt & Pudritz 2005, MNRAS, 356, 167). The mean rotation of most of the cool low mass stars remains roughly constant during the T Tauri stage. This can be explained by the disc locking scenario. This paradigm suggest that star start out as CTTS with periods of 4-14 days, perhaps locked to their disc, and that this disc is eventually lost mainly by accretion. At the current time, it is not clear that this is true for all low mass stars. Some authors have questioned its validity for stars less massive than 0.5 solar masses. Although the reality may eventually turn out to be considerably more complex, a simple consideration of the effects of and limits on disc locking of young low mass stars seems necessary.We have investigated the exchange of angular momentum between a low mass star and an accretion disc during the Hayashi Track (Pinzón, Kúker, & de la Reza 2005, in preparation) and also along the first 100Myr of stellar evolution. The model incorporates changes in the star's moment of inertia, magnetic field strength (Elstner & Rúdiger 2000, A&A, 358, 612), angular momentum loss by a magnetic wind and an exponential decrease of the accretion rate. The lifetime of the accretion disc is a free parameter in our model. The resulting rotation rates are in agreement with observed vsin and photometric periods for young stars belonging to co-moving groups and open young clusters.

Protoplanetary Disks as (Possibly) Viscous Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rafikov, Roman R.

2017-03-01

Protoplanetary disks are believed to evolve on megayear timescales in a diffusive (viscous) manner as a result of angular momentum transport driven by internal stresses. Here we use a sample of 26 protoplanetary disks resolved by ALMA with measured (dust-based) masses and stellar accretion rates to derive the dimensionless α-viscosity values for individual objects, with the goal of constraining the angular momentum transport mechanism. We find that the inferred values of α do not cluster around a single value, but instead have a broad distribution extending from 10-4 to 0.04. Moreover, they correlate with neither the global disk parameters (mass, size, surface density) nor the stellar characteristics (mass, luminosity, radius). However, we do find a strong linear correlation between α and the central mass accretion rate \\dot{M}. This correlation is unlikely to result from the direct physical effect of \\dot{M} on internal stress on global scales. Instead, we suggest that it is caused by the decoupling of stellar \\dot{M} from the global disk characteristics in one of the following ways: (1) The behavior (and range) of α is controlled by a yet-unidentified parameter (e.g., ionization fraction, magnetic field strength, or geometry), ultimately driving the variation of \\dot{M}. (2) The central \\dot{M} is decoupled from the global accretion rate as a result of an instability, or mass accumulation (or loss in a wind or planetary accretion) in the inner disk. (3) Perhaps the most intriguing possibility is that angular momentum in protoplanetary disks is transported nonviscously, e.g., via magnetohydrodynamic winds or spiral density waves.

Scalar Resonant Relaxation of Stars around a Massive Black Hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bar-Or, Ben; Fouvry, Jean-Baptiste

2018-06-01

In nuclear star clusters, the potential is governed by the central massive black hole (MBH), so that stars move on nearly Keplerian orbits and the total potential is almost stationary in time. Yet, the deviations of the potential from the Keplerian one, due to the enclosed stellar mass and general relativity, will cause the stellar orbits to precess. Moreover, as a result of the finite number of stars, small deviations of the potential from spherical symmetry induce residual torques that can change the stars’ angular momentum faster than the standard two-body relaxation. The combination of these two effects drives a stochastic evolution of orbital angular momentum, a process named “resonant relaxation” (RR). Owing to recent developments in the description of the relaxation of self-gravitating systems, we can now fully describe scalar resonant relaxation (relaxation of the magnitude of the angular momentum) as a diffusion process. In this framework, the potential fluctuations due to the complex orbital motion of the stars are described by a random correlated noise with statistical properties that are fully characterized by the stars’ mean field motion. On long timescales, the cluster can be regarded as a diffusive system with diffusion coefficients that depend explicitly on the mean field stellar distribution through the properties of the noise. We show here, for the first time, how the diffusion coefficients of scalar RR, for a spherically symmetric system, can be fully calculated from first principles, without any free parameters. We also provide an open source code that evaluates these diffusion coefficients numerically.

High angular resolution and position determinations by infrared interferometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

Interferometer systems are described in the form of publications and reports. 'Distance Meter Helps Track the Stars', 'Berkeley Heterodyne Interferometer', 'Infrared Heterodyne Spectroscopy of CO2 on Mars', and 'A 10 micron Heterodyne Stellar Interferometer' are papers reported.

WHITE DWARFS IN LOCAL STAR STREAMS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fuchs, Burkhard; Dettbarn, Christian

2011-01-15

We have studied the fine structure of the phase space distribution of white dwarfs in the solar neighborhood. White dwarfs have kinematics that are typical for the stellar population of the old thin disk of the Milky Way. Using a projection of the space velocities of stars onto vertical angular momentum components and eccentricities of the stellar orbits we demonstrate that stellar streams can be identified in the phase space distribution of the white dwarfs. These correspond to the well-known Sirius, Pleiades, and Hercules star streams. Membership of white dwarfs, which represent the oldest population in the Galaxy, in thesemore » streams lends support to the interpretation that the streams owe their existence to dynamical resonance effects of the stars with Galactic spiral arms or the Galactic bar, because these indiscriminately affect all stellar populations.« less

Spectral Irradiance Calibration in the Infrared. Part 7; New Composite Spectra, Comparison with Model Atmospheres, and Far-Infrared Extrapolations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Martin; Witteborn, Fred C.; Carbon, Duane F.; Davies, John K.; Wooden, Diane H.; Bregman, Jesse D.

1996-01-01

We present five new absolutely calibrated continuous stellar spectra constructed as far as possible from spectral fragments observed from the ground, the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO), and the IRAS Low Resolution Spectrometer. These stars-alpha Boo, gamma Dra, alpha Cet, gamma Cru, and mu UMa-augment our six, published, absolutely calibrated spectra of K and early-M giants. All spectra have a common calibration pedigree. A revised composite for alpha Boo has been constructed from higher quality spectral fragments than our previously published one. The spectrum of gamma Dra was created in direct response to the needs of instruments aboard the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO); this star's location near the north ecliptic pole renders it highly visible throughout the mission. We compare all our low-resolution composite spectra with Kurucz model atmospheres and find good agreement in shape, with the obvious exception of the SiO fundamental, still lacking in current grids of model atmospheres. The CO fundamental seems slightly too deep in these models, but this could reflect our use of generic models with solar metal abundances rather than models specific to the metallicities of the individual stars. Angular diameters derived from these spectra and models are in excellent agreement with the best observed diameters. The ratio of our adopted Sirius and Vega models is vindicated by spectral observations. We compare IRAS fluxes predicted from our cool stellar spectra with those observed and conclude that, at 12 and 25 microns, flux densities measured by IRAS should be revised downwards by about 4.1% and 5.7%, respectively, for consistency with our absolute calibration. We have provided extrapolated continuum versions of these spectra to 300 microns, in direct support of ISO (PHT and LWS instruments). These spectra are consistent with IRAS flux densities at 60 and 100 microns.

The Effect of the Transit of Venus on ACRIM's Total Solar Irradiance Measurements: Implications for Transit Studies of Extrasolar Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, G.; Pasachoff, J. M.; Willson, Richard C.

2006-04-01

We have used the 2004 June 8 transit of Venus (ToV) as a surrogate to test observing methods, strategies, and techniques that are being contemplated for future space missions to detect and characterize extrasolar terrestrial planets (ETPs) as they transit their host stars, notably NASA's Kepler mission, planned for 2008. As an analog to ``Kepler-like'' photometric transit observations, we obtained (spatially unresolved) radiometric observations with the ACRIM 3 instrument on ACRIMSAT at a sampling cadence of 131 s to follow the effect of the ToV on the total solar irradiance (TSI). Contemporaneous high-resolution broadband imagery with NASA's TRACE spacecraft provided, directly, measures of the stellar (solar) astrophysical noise that can intrinsically limit such transit observations. During the Venus transit, which lasted ~5.5 hr, the planet's angular diameter was approximately 1/32 the solar diameter, thus covering ~0.1% of the stellar surface. With our ACRIM 3 data, we measure temporal changes in TSI with a 1 σ per sample (unbinned) uncertainty of approximately 100 mW m-2 (0.007%). A diminution in TSI of ~1.4 W m-2 (~0.1%, closely corresponding to the geometrically occulted area of the photosphere) was measured at mid-transit compared with a mean pre-/post-transit TSI of ~1365.9 W m-2. The radiometric light curve is complex because of the parallactic motion of Venus induced by ACRIMSAT's near-polar orbit, but exhibits the characteristic signature of photospheric limb darkening. These observations serve as a surrogate for future photometric observations of ETPs, such as Kepler will deliver. Detailed analysis of the ToV, a rare event within our own solar system, with time-resolved radiometry augmented with high-resolution imagery, provides a useful analog for investigating the detectability and characterization of ETPs from observations that are anticipated in the near future.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: j-M law from dwarf to massive spirals (Posti+, 2018)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Posti, L.; Fraternali, F.; di Teodoro, E. M.; Pezzulli, G.

2018-04-01

The table contains the estimates of the stellar masses and specific angular momenta of 92 spiral galaxies in the SPARC sample (Lelli et al., 2016, Cat. J/AJ/152/157). Estimates are given both for the whole galaxy and only for its disc component, together with standard uncertainties. Two flags on the quality of the measurements, assessing whether the observed specific angular momentum profiles have reached convergence (defined in Eq. 2 in the paper), are also provided. (1 data file).

Tidal effects on stellar activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poppenhaeger, K.

2017-10-01

The architecture of many exoplanetary systems is different from the solar system, with exoplanets being in close orbits around their host stars and having orbital periods of only a few days. We can expect interactions between the star and the exoplanet for such systems that are similar to the tidal interactions observed in close stellar binary systems. For the exoplanet, tidal interaction can lead to circularization of its orbit and the synchronization of its rotational and orbital period. For the host star, it has long been speculated if significant angular momentum transfer can take place between the planetary orbit and the stellar rotation. In the case of the Earth-Moon system, such tidal interaction has led to an increasing distance between Earth and Moon. For stars with Hot Jupiters, where the orbital period of the exoplanet is typically shorter than the stellar rotation period, one expects a decreasing semimajor axis for the planet and enhanced stellar rotation, leading to increased stellar activity. Also excess turbulence in the stellar convective zone due to rising and subsiding tidal bulges may change the magnetic activity we observe for the host star. I will review recent observational results on stellar activity and tidal interaction in the presence of close-in exoplanets, and discuss the effects of enhanced stellar activity on the exoplanets in such systems.

M-dwarf stellar winds: the effects of realistic magnetic geometry on rotational evolution and planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidotto, A. A.; Jardine, M.; Morin, J.; Donati, J. F.; Opher, M.; Gombosi, T. I.

2014-02-01

We perform three-dimensional numerical simulations of stellar winds of early-M-dwarf stars. Our simulations incorporate observationally reconstructed large-scale surface magnetic maps, suggesting that the complexity of the magnetic field can play an important role in the angular momentum evolution of the star, possibly explaining the large distribution of periods in field dM stars, as reported in recent works. In spite of the diversity of the magnetic field topologies among the stars in our sample, we find that stellar wind flowing near the (rotational) equatorial plane carries most of the stellar angular momentum, but there is no preferred colatitude contributing to mass-loss, as the mass flux is maximum at different colatitudes for different stars. We find that more non-axisymmetric magnetic fields result in more asymmetric mass fluxes and wind total pressures ptot (defined as the sum of thermal, magnetic and ram pressures). Because planetary magnetospheric sizes are set by pressure equilibrium between the planet's magnetic field and ptot, variations of up to a factor of 3 in ptot (as found in the case of a planet orbiting at several stellar radii away from the star) lead to variations in magnetospheric radii of about 20 per cent along the planetary orbital path. In analogy to the flux of cosmic rays that impact the Earth, which is inversely modulated with the non-axisymmetric component of the total open solar magnetic flux, we conclude that planets orbiting M-dwarf stars like DT Vir, DS Leo and GJ 182, which have significant non-axisymmetric field components, should be the more efficiently shielded from galactic cosmic rays, even if the planets lack a protective thick atmosphere/large magnetosphere of their own.

Hydrodynamic Simulations of the Inner Accretion Flow of Sagittarius A* Fueled By Stellar Winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ressler, S. M.; Quataert, E.; Stone, J. M.

2018-05-01

We present Athena++ grid-based, hydrodynamic simulations of accretion onto Sagittarius A* via the stellar winds of the ˜30 Wolf-Rayet stars within the central parsec of the galactic center. These simulations span ˜ 4 orders of magnitude in radius, reaching all the way down to 300 gravitational radii of the black hole, ˜32 times further in than in previous work. We reproduce reasonably well the diffuse thermal X-ray emission observed by Chandra in the central parsec. The resulting accretion flow at small radii is a superposition of two components: 1) a moderately unbound, sub-Keplerian, thick, pressure-supported disc that is at most (but not all) times aligned with the clockwise stellar disc, and 2) a bound, low-angular momentum inflow that proceeds primarily along the southern pole of the disc. We interpret this structure as a natural consequence of a few of the innermost stellar winds dominating accretion, which produces a flow with a broad distribution of angular momentum. Including the star S2 in the simulation has a negligible effect on the flow structure. Extrapolating our results from simulations with different inner radii, we find an accretion rate of ˜ a few × 10-8M⊙/yr at the horizon scale, consistent with constraints based on modeling the observed emission of Sgr A*. The flow structure found here can be used as more realistic initial conditions for horizon scale simulations of Sgr A*.

A Three-dimensional Simulation of a Magnetized Accretion Disk: Fast Funnel Accretion onto a Weakly Magnetized Star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takasao, Shinsuke; Tomida, Kengo; Iwasaki, Kazunari; Suzuki, Takeru K.

2018-04-01

We present the results of a global, three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics simulation of an accretion disk with a rotating, weakly magnetized central star. The disk is threaded by a weak, large-scale poloidal magnetic field, and the central star has no strong stellar magnetosphere initially. Our simulation investigates the structure of the accretion flows from a turbulent accretion disk onto the star. The simulation reveals that fast accretion onto the star at high latitudes occurs even without a stellar magnetosphere. We find that the failed disk wind becomes the fast, high-latitude accretion as a result of angular momentum exchange mediated by magnetic fields well above the disk, where the Lorentz force that decelerates the rotational motion of gas can be comparable to the centrifugal force. Unlike the classical magnetospheric accretion scenario, fast accretion streams are not guided by magnetic fields of the stellar magnetosphere. Nevertheless, the accretion velocity reaches the free-fall velocity at the stellar surface due to the efficient angular momentum loss at a distant place from the star. This study provides a possible explanation why Herbig Ae/Be stars whose magnetic fields are generally not strong enough to form magnetospheres also show indications of fast accretion. A magnetically driven jet is not formed from the disk in our model. The differential rotation cannot generate sufficiently strong magnetic fields for the jet acceleration because the Parker instability interrupts the field amplification.

Influence of Stellar Multiplicity On Planet Formation. III. Adaptive Optics Imaging of Kepler Stars With Gas Giant Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ji; Fischer, Debra A.; Horch, Elliott P.; Xie, Ji-Wei

2015-06-01

As hundreds of gas giant planets have been discovered, we study how these planets form and evolve in different stellar environments, specifically in multiple stellar systems. In such systems, stellar companions may have a profound influence on gas giant planet formation and evolution via several dynamical effects such as truncation and perturbation. We select 84 Kepler Objects of Interest (KOIs) with gas giant planet candidates. We obtain high-angular resolution images using telescopes with adaptive optics (AO) systems. Together with the AO data, we use archival radial velocity data and dynamical analysis to constrain the presence of stellar companions. We detect 59 stellar companions around 40 KOIs for which we develop methods of testing their physical association. These methods are based on color information and galactic stellar population statistics. We find evidence of suppressive planet formation within 20 AU by comparing stellar multiplicity. The stellar multiplicity rate (MR) for planet host stars is {0}-0+5% within 20 AU. In comparison, the stellar MR is 18% ± 2% for the control sample, i.e., field stars in the solar neighborhood. The stellar MR for planet host stars is 34% ± 8% for separations between 20 and 200 AU, which is higher than the control sample at 12% ± 2%. Beyond 200 AU, stellar MRs are comparable between planet host stars and the control sample. We discuss the implications of the results on gas giant planet formation and evolution.

Integrated spectral study of small angular diameter galactic open clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clariá, J. J.; Ahumada, A. V.; Bica, E.; Pavani, D. B.; Parisi, M. C.

2017-10-01

This paper presents flux-calibrated integrated spectra obtained at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (CASLEO, Argentina) for a sample of 9 Galactic open clusters of small angular diameter. The spectra cover the optical range (3800-6800 Å), with a resolution of ˜14 Å. With one exception (Ruprecht 158), the selected clusters are projected into the fourth Galactic quadrant (282o < l < 345o) near the Galactic plane (∣b∣ ≤ 9o). We performed simultaneous estimates of foreground interstellar reddening and age by comparing the continuum distribution and line strenghts of the cluster spectra with those of template cluster spectra with known parameters. We thus provide spectroscopic information independent from that derived through color-magnitude diagram studies. We found three clusters (Collinder 249, NGC 4463 and Ruprecht 122) younger than ˜40 Myr, four moderately young ones (BH 92, Harvard 5, Hogg 14 and Pismis 23) with ages within 200-400 Myr, and two intermediate-age ones (Ruprecht 158 and ESO 065-SC07) with ages within 1.0-2.2 Gyr. The derived foreground E(B - V) color excesses vary from around 0.0 in Ruprecht 158 to ˜1.1 in Pismis 23. In general terms, the results obtained show good agreement with previous photometric results. In Ruprecht 158 and BH 92, however, some differences are found between the parameters here obtained and previous values in the literature. Individual spectra of some comparatively bright stars located in the fields of 5 out of the 9 clusters here studied, allowed us to evaluate their membership status. The current cluster sample complements that of 46 open clusters previously studied by our group in an effort to gather a spectral library with several clusters per age bin. The cluster spectral library that we have been building is an important tool to tie studies of resolved and unresolved stellar content.

The Class of Jsolated Stars and Luminous Planetary Nebulae in old stellar populations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabach, Efrat; Soker, Noam

2018-06-01

We suggest that stars whose angular momentum (J) does not increase by a companion, star or planet, along their post-main sequence evolution have much lower mass loss rates along their giant branches. Their classification to a separate group can bring insight on their late evolution stages. We here term these Jsolated stars. We argue that the mass loss rate of Jsolated stars is poorly determined because the mass loss rate expressions on the giant branches are empirically based on samples containing stars that experience strong binary interaction, with stellar or sub-stellar companions, e.g., planetary nebula (PN) progenitors. We use our earlier claim for a low mass loss rate of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars that are not spun-up by a stellar or substellar companion to show that we can account for the enigmatic finding that the brightest PNe in old stellar populations reach the same luminosity as the brightest PNe in young populations. It is quite likely that the best solution to the existence of bright PNe in old stellar populations is the combination of higher AGB luminosities, as obtained in some new stellar models, and the lower mass loss rates invoked here.

EVIDENCE FOR CLUSTER TO CLUSTER VARIATIONS IN LOW-MASS STELLAR ROTATIONAL EVOLUTION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Coker, Carl T.; Pinsonneault, Marc; Terndrup, Donald M., E-mail: coker@astronomy.ohio-state.edu, E-mail: pinsono@astronomy.ohio-state.edu, E-mail: terndrup@astronomy.ohio-state.edu

2016-12-10

The concordance model for angular momentum evolution postulates that star-forming regions and clusters are an evolutionary sequence that can be modeled with assumptions about protostar–disk coupling, angular momentum loss from magnetized winds that saturates in a mass-dependent fashion at high rotation rates, and core-envelope decoupling for solar analogs. We test this approach by combining established data with the large h Per data set from the MONITOR project and new low-mass Pleiades data. We confirm prior results that young low-mass stars can be used to test star–disk coupling and angular momentum loss independent of the treatment of internal angular momentum transport.more » For slow rotators, we confirm the need for star–disk interactions to evolve the ONC to older systems, using h Per (age 13 Myr) as our natural post-disk case. There is no evidence for extremely long-lived disks as an alternative to core-envelope decoupling. However, our wind models cannot evolve rapid rotators from h Per to older systems consistently, and we find that this result is robust with respect to the choice of angular momentum loss prescription. We outline two possible solutions: either there is cosmic variance in the distribution of stellar rotation rates in different clusters or there are substantially enhanced torques in low-mass rapid rotators. We favor the former explanation and discuss observational tests that could be used to distinguish them. If the distribution of initial conditions depends on environment, models that test parameters by assuming a universal underlying distribution of initial conditions will need to be re-evaluated.« less

Study of exoplanets host stars with VEGA/CHARA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ligi, R.; Mourard, D.; Lagrange, Anne-Marie; Perraut, Karine; Tallon-Bosc, I.

2012-07-01

In the framework of the understanding of extrasolar systems, the study of host stars is a fundamental point. We need to understand the link between them and the presence of companions, i.e. what makes a star becoming a host star. In this perspective, we used the instrument called VEGA, situated at Mount Wilson (California) on the CHARA array to perform optical interferometric measurements. Interferometry at visible wavelengths allows reaching very high spatial frequencies well adapted for very small (less than 1 millisecond of arc) angular diameters. Therefore, we can access limb darkening measurements which is one of the very few directly measurable constraints on the structure of the atmosphere of a star. From this we can derive stars fundamental parameters. A precise measurement within spectral lines is also a very powerful tool to study the temperature and density structure of the atmosphere of distant stars. Besides, the detection of exoplanets is also related to this method. Combined with the radial velocity method and the transit method, one can study the atmosphere of exoplanets and learn more about their internal structure. We started a large program of observations made of 40 stars hosting exoplanets and observable by VEGA/CHARA. We will measure their limb darkened diameters and derive their parameters. We also aim at better understanding stellar noise sources like spots, and study surface brightness relationships.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dam, Dick van, E-mail: a.d.v.dam@tue.nl; Haverkort, Jos E. M.; Abujetas, Diego R.

The emission from nanowires can couple to waveguide modes supported by the nanowire geometry, thus governing the far-field angular pattern. To investigate the geometry-induced coupling of the emission to waveguide modes, we acquire Fourier microscopy images of the photoluminescence of nanowires with diameters ranging from 143 to 208 nm. From the investigated diameter range, we conclude that a few nanometers difference in diameter can abruptly change the coupling of the emission to a specific mode. Moreover, we observe a diameter-dependent width of the Gaussian-shaped angular pattern in the far-field emission. This dependence is understood in terms of interference of the guidedmore » modes, which emit at the end facets of the nanowire. Our results are important for the design of quantum emitters, solid state lighting, and photovoltaic devices based on nanowires.« less

Adiabatic invariants in stellar dynamics. 2: Gravitational shocking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weinberg, Martin D.

1994-01-01

A new theory of gravitational shocking based on time-dependent perturbation theory shows that the changes in energy and angular momentum due to a slowly varying disturbance are not exponentially small for stellar dynamical systems in general. It predicts significant shock heating by slowly varying perturbations previously thought to be negligible according to the adiabatic criterion. The theory extends the scenarios traditionally computed only with the impulse approximation and is applicable to a wide class of disturbances. The approach is applied specifically to the problem of disk shocking of star clusters.

Optical long baseline intensity interferometry: prospects for stellar physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivet, Jean-Pierre; Vakili, Farrokh; Lai, Olivier; Vernet, David; Fouché, Mathilde; Guerin, William; Labeyrie, Guillaume; Kaiser, Robin

2018-06-01

More than sixty years after the first intensity correlation experiments by Hanbury Brown and Twiss, there is renewed interest for intensity interferometry techniques for high angular resolution studies of celestial sources. We report on a successful attempt to measure the bunching peak in the intensity correlation function for bright stellar sources with 1 meter telescopes (I2C project). We propose further improvements of our preliminary experiments of spatial interferometry between two 1 m telescopes, and discuss the possibility to export our method to existing large arrays of telescopes.

Dynamics of ultraharmonic resonances in spiral galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Artymowicz, Pawel; Lubow, Stephen H.

1992-01-01

The mildly nonlinear response of a fluid disk with pressure, viscosity, and self-gravity to spiral stellar forcing is considered as a model of the interstellar medium in spiral galaxies. Nonlinear effects are analyzed through a quasi-linear flow analysis ordered by successive powers of a dimensionless spiral perturbing force, which is the ratio of imposed nonaxisymmetric gravitational to axisymmetric gravitational forces. Waves with mn arms are launched from a position where the wavenumber of a free wave matches n times the wavenumber of the spiral forcing. The launched short wave in the gas is an interarm feature that is more tightly wrapped than the stellar wave. The gas wave extracts energy and angular momentum from the stellar wave, causing it to damp. The application of the results to the stellar disk alone reveals even stronger damping, as stars undergo Landau damping of the short wave. For parameters in M81, damping times are less than 10 exp 9 yr.

Imaging Active Giants and Comparisons to Doppler Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roettenbacher, Rachael

2018-04-01

In the outer layers of cool, giant stars, stellar magnetism stifles convection creating localized starspots, analogous to sunspots. Because they frequently cover much larger regions of the stellar surface than sunspots, starspots of giant stars have been imaged using a variety of techniques to understand, for example, stellar magnetism, differential rotation, and spot evolution. Active giants have been imaged using photometric, spectroscopic, and, only recently, interferometric observations. Interferometry has provided a way to unambiguously see stellar surfaces without the degeneracies experienced by other methods. The only facility presently capable of obtaining the sub-milliarcsecond resolution necessary to not only resolve some giant stars, but also features on their surfaces is the Center for High-Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array. Here, an overview will be given of the results of imaging active giants and details on the recent comparisons of simultaneous interferometric and Doppler images.

The Stellar Imager (SI) "Vision Mission"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carpenter, K.; Danchi, W.; Leitner, J.; Liu, A.; Lyon, R.; Mazzuca, L.; Moe, R.; Chenette, D.; Schrijver, C.; Kilston, S.

2004-01-01

The Stellar Imager (SI) is a Vision Mission in the Sun-Earth Connection (SEC) NASA Roadmap, conceived for the purpose of understanding the effects of stellar magnetic fields, the dynamos that generate them, and the internal structure and dynamics of the stars in which they exist. The ultimate goal is to achieve the best possible forecasting of solar/stellar activity and its impact on life in the Universe. The science goals of SI require an ultra-high angular resolution, at ultraviolet wavelengths, on the order of 100 micro-arcsec and baselines on the order of 0.5 km. These requirements call for a large, multi-spacecraft (greater than 20) imaging interferometer, utilizing precision formation flying in a stable environment, such as in a Lissajous orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 point. In this paper, we present an update on the ongoing SI mission concept and technology development studies.

The Stellar Imager (SI) "Vision Mission"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carpenter, K.; Danchi, W.; Leitner, J.; Liu, A.; Lyon, R.; Mazzuca, L.; Moe, R.; Chenette, D.; Schrijver, C.; Kilston, S.

2004-01-01

The Stellar Imager (SI) is a Vision Mission in the Sun-Earth Connection (SEC) NASA Roadmap, conceived for the purpose of understanding the effects of stellar magnetic fields, the dynamos that generate them, and the internal structure and dynamics of the stars in which they exist. The ultimate goal is to achieve the best possible forecasting of solar/stellar activity and its impact on life in the Universe. The science goals of SI require an ultra-high angular resolution, a t ultraviolet wavelengths, on the order of 100 micro-arcsec and baselines on the order of 0.5 km. These requirements call for a large, multi-spacecraft (>20) imaging interferometer, utilizing precision formation flying in a stable environment, such as in a Lissajous orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 point. In this paper, we present an update on the ongoing SI mission concept and technology development studies.

Star clusters and K2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dotson, Jessie; Barentsen, Geert; Cody, Ann Marie

2018-01-01

The K2 survey has expanded the Kepler legacy by using the repurposed spacecraft to observe over 20 star clusters. The sample includes open and globular clusters at all ages, including very young (1-10 Myr, e.g. Taurus, Upper Sco, NGC 6530), moderately young (0.1-1 Gyr, e.g. M35, M44, Pleiades, Hyades), middle-aged (e.g. M67, Ruprecht 147, NGC 2158), and old globular clusters (e.g. M9, M19, Terzan 5). K2 observations of stellar clusters are exploring the rotation period-mass relationship to significantly lower masses than was previously possible, shedding light on the angular momentum budget and its dependence on mass and circumstellar disk properties, and illuminating the role of multiplicity in stellar angular momentum. Exoplanets discovered by K2 in stellar clusters provides planetary systems ripe for modeling given the extensive information available about their ages and environment. I will review the star clusters sampled by K2 across 16 fields so far, highlighting several characteristics, caveats, and unexplored uses of the public data set along the way. With fuel expected to run out in 2018, I will discuss the closing Campaigns, highlight the final target selection opportunities, and explain the data archive and TESS-compatible software tools the K2 mission intends to leave behind for posterity.

Magnetic braking of stellar cores in red giants and supergiants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maeder, André; Meynet, Georges, E-mail: andre.maeder@unige, E-mail: georges.meynet@unige.ch

2014-10-01

Magnetic configurations, stable on the long term, appear to exist in various evolutionary phases, from main-sequence stars to white dwarfs and neutron stars. The large-scale ordered nature of these fields, often approximately dipolar, and their scaling according to the flux conservation scenario favor a fossil field model. We make some first estimates of the magnetic coupling between the stellar cores and the outer layers in red giants and supergiants. Analytical expressions of the truncation radius of the field coupling are established for a convective envelope and for a rotating radiative zone with horizontal turbulence. The timescales of the internal exchangesmore » of angular momentum are considered. Numerical estimates are made on the basis of recent model grids. The direct magnetic coupling of the core to the extended convective envelope of red giants and supergiants appears unlikely. However, we find that the intermediate radiative zone is fully coupled to the core during the He-burning and later phases. This coupling is able to produce a strong spin down of the core of red giants and supergiants, also leading to relatively slowly rotating stellar remnants such as white dwarfs and pulsars. Some angular momentum is also transferred to the outer convective envelope of red giants and supergiants during the He-burning phase and later.« less

SDSS-IV MaNGA: stellar angular momentum of about 2300 galaxies: unveiling the bimodality of massive galaxy properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graham, Mark T.; Cappellari, Michele; Li, Hongyu; Mao, Shude; Bershady, Matthew A.; Bizyaev, Dmitry; Brinkmann, Jonathan; Brownstein, Joel R.; Bundy, Kevin; Drory, Niv; Law, David R.; Pan, Kaike; Thomas, Daniel; Wake, David A.; Weijmans, Anne-Marie; Westfall, Kyle B.; Yan, Renbin

2018-07-01

We measure λ _{R_e}, a proxy for galaxy specific stellar angular momentum within one effective radius, and the ellipticity, ɛ, for about 2300 galaxies of all morphological types observed with integral field spectroscopy as part of the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory survey, the largest such sample to date. We use the (λ _{R_e}, ɛ ) diagram to separate early-type galaxies into fast and slow rotators. We also visually classify each galaxy according to its optical morphology and two-dimensional stellar velocity field. Comparing these classifications to quantitative λ _{R_e} measurements reveals tight relationships between angular momentum and galaxy structure. In order to account for atmospheric seeing, we use realistic models of galaxy kinematics to derive a general approximate analytic correction for λ _{R_e}. Thanks to the size of the sample and the large number of massive galaxies, we unambiguously detect a clear bimodality in the (λ _{R_e}, ɛ ) diagram which may result from fundamental differences in galaxy assembly history. There is a sharp secondary density peak inside the region of the diagram with low λ _{R_e} and ɛ < 0.4, previously suggested as the definition for slow rotators. Most of these galaxies are visually classified as non-regular rotators and have high velocity dispersion. The intrinsic bimodality must be stronger, as it tends to be smoothed by noise and inclination. The large sample of slow rotators allows us for the first time to unveil a secondary peak at ±90° in their distribution of the misalignments between the photometric and kinematic position angles. We confirm that genuine slow rotators start appearing above M ≥ 2 × 1011 M⊙ where a significant number of high-mass fast rotators also exist.

The Arduous Journey to Black Hole Formation in Potential Gamma-Ray Burst Progenitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dessart, Luc; O'Connor, Evan; Ott, Christian D.

2012-07-01

We present a quantitative study on the properties at death of fast-rotating massive stars evolved at low-metallicity—objects that are proposed as likely progenitors of long-duration γ-ray bursts (LGRBs). We perform one-dimensional+rotation stellar-collapse simulations on the progenitor models of Woosley and Heger, and critically assess their potential for the formation of a black hole and a Keplerian disk (namely, a collapsar) or a proto-magnetar. We note that theoretical uncertainties in the treatment of magnetic fields and the approximate handling of rotation compromise the accuracy of stellar-evolution models. We find that only the fastest rotating progenitors achieve sufficient compactness for black hole formation while the bulk of models possess a core density structure typical of garden-variety core-collapse supernova (SN) progenitors evolved without rotation and at solar metallicity. Of the models that do have sufficient compactness for black hole formation, most of them also retain a large amount of angular momentum in the core, making them prone to a magneto-rotational explosion, therefore preferentially leaving behind a proto-magnetar. A large progenitor angular-momentum budget is often the sole criterion invoked in the community today to assess the suitability for producing a collapsar. This simplification ignores equally important considerations such as the core compactness, which conditions black hole formation, the core angular momentum, which may foster a magneto-rotational explosion preventing black hole formation, or the metallicity and the residual envelope mass which must be compatible with inferences from observed LGRB/SNe. Our study suggests that black hole formation is non-trivial, that there is room for accommodating both collapsars and proto-magnetars as LGRB progenitors, although proto-magnetars seem much more easily produced by current stellar-evolutionary models.

THE ARDUOUS JOURNEY TO BLACK HOLE FORMATION IN POTENTIAL GAMMA-RAY BURST PROGENITORS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dessart, Luc; O'Connor, Evan; Ott, Christian D., E-mail: Luc.Dessart@oamp.fr, E-mail: evanoc@tapir.caltech.edu, E-mail: cott@tapir.caltech.edu

2012-07-20

We present a quantitative study on the properties at death of fast-rotating massive stars evolved at low-metallicity-objects that are proposed as likely progenitors of long-duration {gamma}-ray bursts (LGRBs). We perform one-dimensional+rotation stellar-collapse simulations on the progenitor models of Woosley and Heger, and critically assess their potential for the formation of a black hole and a Keplerian disk (namely, a collapsar) or a proto-magnetar. We note that theoretical uncertainties in the treatment of magnetic fields and the approximate handling of rotation compromise the accuracy of stellar-evolution models. We find that only the fastest rotating progenitors achieve sufficient compactness for black holemore » formation while the bulk of models possess a core density structure typical of garden-variety core-collapse supernova (SN) progenitors evolved without rotation and at solar metallicity. Of the models that do have sufficient compactness for black hole formation, most of them also retain a large amount of angular momentum in the core, making them prone to a magneto-rotational explosion, therefore preferentially leaving behind a proto-magnetar. A large progenitor angular-momentum budget is often the sole criterion invoked in the community today to assess the suitability for producing a collapsar. This simplification ignores equally important considerations such as the core compactness, which conditions black hole formation, the core angular momentum, which may foster a magneto-rotational explosion preventing black hole formation, or the metallicity and the residual envelope mass which must be compatible with inferences from observed LGRB/SNe. Our study suggests that black hole formation is non-trivial, that there is room for accommodating both collapsars and proto-magnetars as LGRB progenitors, although proto-magnetars seem much more easily produced by current stellar-evolutionary models.« less

SDSS-IV MaNGA: Stellar angular momentum of about 2300 galaxies: unveiling the bimodality of massive galaxy properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graham, Mark T.; Cappellari, Michele; Li, Hongyu; Mao, Shude; Bershady, Matthew; Bizyaev, Dmitry; Brinkmann, Jonathan; Brownstein, Joel R.; Bundy, Kevin; Drory, Niv; Law, David R.; Pan, Kaike; Thomas, Daniel; Wake, David A.; Weijmans, Anne-Marie; Westfall, Kyle B.; Yan, Renbin

2018-03-01

We measure λ _{R_e}, a proxy for galaxy specific stellar angular momentum within one effective radius, and the ellipticity, ɛ, for about 2300 galaxies of all morphological types observed with integral field spectroscopy as part of the MaNGA survey, the largest such sample to date. We use the (λ _{R_e}, ɛ ) diagram to separate early-type galaxies into fast and slow rotators. We also visually classify each galaxy according to its optical morphology and two-dimensional stellar velocity field. Comparing these classifications to quantitative λ _{R_e} measurements reveals tight relationships between angular momentum and galaxy structure. In order to account for atmospheric seeing, we use realistic models of galaxy kinematics to derive a general approximate analytic correction for λ _{R_e}. Thanks to the size of the sample and the large number of massive galaxies, we unambiguously detect a clear bimodality in the (λ _{R_e}, ɛ ) diagram which may result from fundamental differences in galaxy assembly history. There is a sharp secondary density peak inside the region of the diagram with low λ _{R_e} and ɛ < 0.4, previously suggested as the definition for slow rotators. Most of these galaxies are visually classified as non-regular rotators and have high velocity dispersion. The intrinsic bimodality must be stronger, as it tends to be smoothed by noise and inclination. The large sample of slow rotators allows us for the first time to unveil a secondary peak at ±90○ in their distribution of the misalignments between the photometric and kinematic position angles. We confirm that genuine slow rotators start appearing above M ≥ 2 × 1011M⊙ where a significant number of high-mass fast rotators also exist.

High resolution of fast-rotating stars across the H-R diagram: photosphere and circumstellar environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domiciano de Souza, Armando

2014-12-01

Rotation is a fundamental parameter that governs the physical structure and evolution of stars, for example by generating internal circulations of matter and angular momentum, which in turn change the stellar lifetime. Massive stars (spectral types OBA) are those presenting the highest rotation velocities and thus those for which the consequences of rotation are the strongest. On the external layers of the star, fast-rotation induces in particular (1) a flattening (equatorial radius higher than the polar radius) and (2) a gravity darkening (non-uniform distribution of flux, and thus effective temperature, between the poles and the equator). This important modification in the photospheric physical structure can also drive an anisotropic (axisymmetric) mass and angular momentum loss, originating for example the complex circumstellar environments around Be and supergiant B[e] stars. The techniques of high angular and high spectral resolution allow a detailed study of the effects of rotation on the stellar photosphere and circumstellar environment across the H-R diagram. Thanks to these techniques, and in particular to the optical/infrared long-baseline interferometry, our knowledge on the impact of rotation in stellar physics was highly deepened since the beginning of the XXI century. The results described in this Habilitation Thesis are placed in this context and are the fruit a double approach combining both (1) observation, mainly with the ESO-VLT(I) instruments (e.g. NACO, VISIR, MIDI, AMBER, PIONIER) and (2) astrophysical modeling with different codes, including also radiation transfer (CHARRON, HDUST, FRACS). I present, in particular, the results obtained on three fast-rotating stars: Altair (A7V; delta Scuti), Achernar (B6Ve; Be star), and CPD-57° 2874 (supergiant B[e] star).

Angular momentum transfer in primordial discs and the rotation of the first stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirano, Shingo; Bromm, Volker

2018-05-01

We investigate the rotation velocity of the first stars by modelling the angular momentum transfer in the primordial accretion disc. Assessing the impact of magnetic braking, we consider the transition in angular momentum transport mode at the Alfvén radius, from the dynamically dominated free-fall accretion to the magnetically dominated solid-body one. The accreting protostar at the centre of the primordial star-forming cloud rotates with close to breakup speed in the case without magnetic fields. Considering a physically motivated model for small-scale turbulent dynamo amplification, we find that stellar rotation speed quickly declines if a large fraction of the initial turbulent energy is converted to magnetic energy (≳ 0.14). Alternatively, if the dynamo process were inefficient, for amplification due to flux freezing, stars would become slow rotators if the pre-galactic magnetic field strength is above a critical value, ≃10-8.2 G, evaluated at a scale of nH = 1 cm-3, which is significantly higher than plausible cosmological seed values (˜10-15 G). Because of the rapid decline of the stellar rotational speed over a narrow range in model parameters, the first stars encounter a bimodal fate: rapid rotation at almost the breakup level, or the near absence of any rotation.

Particle flow within a transonic compressor rotor passage with application to laser-Doppler velocimetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maxwell, B. R.

1975-01-01

A theoretical analysis was conducted of the dynamic behavior of micron size particles moving in the three-dimensional flow field of a rotating transonic axial-flow air compressor rotor. The particle velocity lag and angular deviation relative to the gas were determined as functions of particle diameter, mass density and radial position. Particle size and density were varied over ranges selected to correspond to typical laser-Doppler velocimeter (LDV) flow field mapping applications. It was found that the particles move essentially on gas stream surfaces and that particle tracking is relatively insensitive to the rotor radial coordinate. Velocity lag and angular deviation increased whenever particle size or mass density increased, and particle tracking was more sensitive to a change in particle diameter than to a corresponding change in mass density. Results indicated that velocity and angular deviations generally less than 1 percent and 1 degree could be achieved with 1 gm/cc tracer particles with diameters of 1 micron or less.

Beyond the diffraction limit of optical/IR interferometers. II. Stellar parameters of rotating stars from differential phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadjara, M.; Domiciano de Souza, A.; Vakili, F.; Jankov, S.; Millour, F.; Meilland, A.; Khorrami, Z.; Chelli, A.; Baffa, C.; Hofmann, K.-H.; Lagarde, S.; Robbe-Dubois, S.

2014-09-01

Context. As previously demonstrated on Achernar, one can derive the angular radius, rotational velocity, axis tilt, and orientation of a fast-rotating star from the differential phases obtained by spectrally resolved long baseline interferometry using earth-rotation synthesis. Aims: We applied this method on a small sample of stars for different spectral types and classes, in order to generalize the technique to other rotating stars across the H-R diagram and determine their fundamental parameters. Methods: We used differential phase data from the AMBER/VLTI instrument obtained prior to refurbishing its spectrometer in 2010. With the exception of Fomalhaut, which has been observed in the medium-resolution mode of AMBER (λ/δλ ≈ 1500), our three other targets, Achernar, Altair, and δ Aquilae offered high-resolution (λ/δλ ≈ 12 000) spectro-interferometric data around the Brγ absorption line in K band. These data were used to constrain the input parameters of an analytical, still realistic model to interpret the observations with a systematic approach for the error budget analysis in order to robustly conclude on the physics of our 4 targets. We applied the super resolution provided by differential phases φdiff to measure the size (equatorial radius Req and angular diameter ⌀eq), the equatorial rotation velocity (Veq), the inclination angle (i), and the rotation axis position angle (PArot) of 4 fast-rotating stars: Achernar, Altair, δ Aquilae, and Fomalhaut. The stellar parameters of the targets were constrained using a semi-analytical algorithm dedicated to fast rotators SCIROCCO. Results: The derived parameters for each star were Req = 11.2 ± 0.5 R⊙, Veqsini = 290 ± 17 km s-1, PArot = 35.4° ± 1.4°, for Achernar; Req = 2.0 ± 0.2 R⊙, Veqsini = 226 ± 34 km s-1, PArot = -65.5° ± 5.5°, for Altair; Req = 2.2 ± 0.3 R⊙, Veqsini = 74 ± 35 km s-1, PArot = -101.2° ± 14°, for δ Aquilae; and Req = 1.8 ± 0.2 R⊙, Veqsini = 93 ± 16 km s-1, PArot = 65.6° ± 5°, for Fomalhaut. They were found to be compatible with previously published values from differential phase and visibility measurements, while we were able to determine, for the first time, the inclination angle i of Fomalhaut (i = 90° ± 9°) and δ Aquilae (i = 81° ± 13°), and the rotation-axis position angle PArot of δ Aquilae. Conclusions: Beyond the theoretical diffraction limit of an interferometer (ratio of the wavelength to the baseline), spatial super resolution is well suited to systematically estimating the angular diameters of rotating stars and their fundamental parameters with a few sets of baselines and the Earth-rotation synthesis provided a high enough spectral resolution. Based on observations performed at the European Southern Observatory, Chile, under ESO AMBER-consortium GTO program IDs 084.D-0456 081.D-0293 and 082.C-0376.Figure 5 is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Discovery of a stellar companion to the nearby solar-analogue HD 104304

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnupp, C.; Bergfors, C.; Brandner, W.; Daemgen, S.; Fischer, D.; Marcy, G.; Henning, Th.; Hippler, S.; Janson, M.

2010-06-01

Context. Sun-like stars are promising candidates to host exoplanets and are often included in exoplanet surveys by radial velocity (RV) and direct imaging. In this paper we report on the detection of a stellar companion to the nearby solar-analogue star HD 104304, which previously was considered to host a planetary mass or brown dwarf companion. Aims: We searched for close stellar and substellar companions around extrasolar planet host stars with high angular resolution imaging to characterize planet formation environments. Methods: The detection of the stellar companion was achieved by high angular resolution measurements, using the “Lucky Imaging” technique at the ESO NTT 3.5 m with the AstraLux Sur instrument. We combined the results with VLT/NACO archive data, where the companion could also be detected. The results were compared to precise RV measurements of HD 104304, obtained at the Lick and Keck observatories from 2001-2010. Results: We confirmed common proper motion of the binary system. A spectral type of M4V of the companion and a mass of 0.21 M_⊙ was derived. Due to comparison of the data with RV measurements of the unconfirmed planet candidate listed in the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia, we suggest that the discovered companion is the origin of the RV trend and that the inclination of the orbit of i≈35°explains the relatively small RV signal. Based on observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla and Paranal Observatory under programme IDs 083.C-0145 and 084.C-0812, and on data obtained from the ESO Science Archive Facility.

STELLAR KINEMATICS AND STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF VIRGO CLUSTER DWARF EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES FROM THE SMAKCED PROJECT. III. ANGULAR MOMENTUM AND CONSTRAINTS ON FORMATION SCENARIOS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Toloba, E.; Guhathakurta, P.; Boselli, A.

2015-02-01

We analyze the stellar kinematics of 39 dwarf early-type galaxies (dEs) in the Virgo Cluster. Based on the specific stellar angular momentum λ{sub Re} and the ellipticity, we find 11 slow rotators and 28 fast rotators. The fast rotators in the outer parts of the Virgo Cluster rotate significantly faster than fast rotators in the inner parts of the cluster. Moreover, 10 out of the 11 slow rotators are located in the inner 3° (D < 1 Mpc) of the cluster. The fast rotators contain subtle disk-like structures that are visible in high-pass filtered optical images, while the slow rotatorsmore » do not exhibit these structures. In addition, two of the dEs have kinematically decoupled cores and four more have emission partially filling in the Balmer absorption lines. These properties suggest that Virgo Cluster dEs may have originated from late-type star-forming galaxies that were transformed by the environment after their infall into the cluster. The correlation between λ{sub Re} and the clustercentric distance can be explained by a scenario where low luminosity star-forming galaxies fall into the cluster, their gas is rapidly removed by ram-pressure stripping, although some of it can be retained in their core, their star formation is quenched but their stellar kinematics are preserved. After a long time in the cluster and several passes through its center, the galaxies are heated up and transformed into slow rotating dEs.« less

The evolution of rotating stars. III - Predicted surface rotation velocities for stars which conserve total angular momentum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Endal, A. S.; Sofia, S.

1979-01-01

Predicted surface rotation velocities for Population I stars at 10, 7, 5, 3, and 1.5 solar masses are presented. The surface velocities were computed for angular momentum with no radial redistribution, complete redistribution, and partial redistribution as predicted by consideration of circulation currents in rotating stars. Near the main sequence, rotational effects can reduce the moment of inertia of a star, so nonrotating models underestimate the expected velocities for evolving stars. On the red giant branch, angular momentum redistribution reduces the surface velocity by a factor of 2 or more, relative to the velocity expected for no radial redistribution. This removes the discrepancy between predicted and observed rotation rates for the K giants and makes it unlikely that these stars lose significant amounts of angular momentum by stellar winds. Calculations indicate that improved observations of the red giants in the Hyades cluster can be used to determine how angular momentum is redistributed by convection

Constraints on the Energy Content of the Universe from a Combination of Galaxy Cluster Observables

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molnar, Sandor M.; Haiman, Zoltan; Birkinshaw, Mark; Mushotzky, Richard F.

2003-01-01

We demonstrate that constraints on cosmological parameters from the distribution of clusters as a function of redshift (dN/dz) are complementary to accurate angular diameter distance (D(sub A)) measurements to clusters, and their combination significantly tightens constraints on the energy density content of the Universe. The number counts can be obtained from X-ray and/or SZ (Sunyaev-Ze'dovich effect) surveys, and the angular diameter distances can be determined from deep observations of the intra-cluster gas using their thermal bremsstrahlung X-ray emission and the SZ effect. We combine constraints from simulated cluster number counts expected from a 12 deg(sup 2) SZ cluster survey and constraints from simulated angular diameter distance measurements based on the X-ray/SZ method assuming a statistical accuracy of 10% in the angular diameter distance determination of 100 clusters with redshifts less than 1.5. We find that Omega(sub m), can be determined within about 25%, Omega(sub lambda) within 20% and w within 16%. We show that combined dN/dz+(sub lambda) constraints can be used to constrain the different energy densities in the Universe even in the presence of a few percent redshift dependent systematic error in D(sub lambda). We also address the question of how best to select clusters of galaxies for accurate diameter distance determinations. We show that the joint dN/dz+ D(lambda) constraints on cosmological parameters for a fixed target accuracy in the energy density parameters are optimized by selecting clusters with redshift upper cut-offs in the range 0.55 approx. less than 1. Subject headings: cosmological parameters - cosmology: theory - galaxies:clusters: general

The CHARA array adaptive optics I: common-path optical and mechanical design, and preliminary on-sky results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Che, Xiao; Sturmann, Laszlo; Monnier, John D.; ten Brummelaar, Theo A.; Sturmann, Judit; Ridgway, Stephen T.; Ireland, Michael J.; Turner, Nils H.; McAlister, Harold A.

2014-07-01

The CHARA array is an optical interferometer with six 1-meter diameter telescopes, providing baselines from 33 to 331 meters. With sub-milliarcsecond angular resolution, its versatile visible and near infrared combiners offer a unique angle of studying nearby stellar systems by spatially resolving their detailed structures. To improve the sensitivity and scientific throughput, the CHARA array was funded by NSF-ATI in 2011 to install adaptive optics (AO) systems on all six telescopes. The initial grant covers Phase I of the AO systems, which includes on-telescope Wavefront Sensors (WFS) and non-common-path (NCP) error correction. Meanwhile we are seeking funding for Phase II which will add large Deformable Mirrors on telescopes to close the full AO loop. The corrections of NCP error and static aberrations in the optical system beyond the WFS are described in the second paper of this series. This paper describes the design of the common-path optical system and the on-telescope WFS, and shows the on-sky commissioning results.

Stellar occultation spikes as probes of atmospheric structure and composition. [for Jupiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elliot, J. L.; Veverka, J.

1976-01-01

The characteristics of spikes observed in occultation light curves of Beta Scorpii by Jupiter are discussed in terms of the gravity-gradient model. The occultation of Beta Sco by Jupiter on May 13, 1971, is reviewed, and the gravity-gradient model is defined as an isothermal atmosphere of constant composition in which the refractivity is a function only of the radial coordinate from the center of refraction, which is assumed to lie parallel to the local gravity gradient. The derivation of the occultation light curve in terms of the atmosphere, the angular diameter of the occulted star, and the occultation geometry is outlined. It is shown that analysis of the light-curve spikes can yield the He/H2 concentration ratio in a well-mixed atmosphere, information on fine-scale atmospheric structure, high-resolution images of the occulted star, and information on ray crossing. Observational limits are placed on the magnitude of horizontal refractivity gradients, and it is concluded that the spikes are the result of local atmospheric density variations: atmospheric layers, density waves, or turbulence.

Constraints on the Efficiency of Radial Migration in Spiral Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniel, Kathryne J.; Wyse, Rosemary F. G.

2015-01-01

A transient spiral arm can permanently rearrange the orbital angular momentum of the stellar disk without inducing kinematic heating. This phenomenon is called radial migration because a star's orbital angular momentum determines its mean orbital radius. Should radial migration be an efficient process it could cause a large fraction of disk stars to experience significant changes in their individual orbital angular momenta on dynamically short timescales. Such scenarios have strong implications for the chemical, structural and kinematic evolution of disk galaxies. We have undertaken an investigation into the physical dependencies of the efficiency of radial migration on stellar kinematics and spiral structure. In order for a disk star to migrate radially, it must first be 'trapped' in a particular family of orbits, called horseshoe orbits, that occur near the radius of corotation with a spiral pattern. Thus far, the only analytic criterion for horseshoe orbits has been for stars with zero random orbital energy. We present our analytically derived 'capture criterion' for stars with some finite random orbital energy in a disk with a given rotation curve. Our capture criterion predict that trapping in a horseshoe orbit is primarily determined by whether or not the position of a star's mean orbital radius (determined by its orbital angular momentum) is within the 'capture region', the location and shape of which can be derived from the capture criterion. We visualize and confirm this prediction via numerically integrated orbits. We then apply our capture criterion to snap shot models of disk galaxies to determine (1) the radial distribution of the fraction of stars initially trapped in horseshoe orbits, and (2) the dependence of the total fraction of captured stars in the disk on the radial component of the stellar velocity dispersion (σR) and the amplitude of the spiral perturbation to the underlying potential at corotation. We here present a model of an exponential disk with a flat rotation curve where the initial fraction of stars trapped in horseshoe orbits falls with increasing velocity dispersion as exp[-σR^2].

Generation of doubly charged vortex beam by concentrated loading of glass disks along their diameter.

PubMed

Skab, Ihor; Vasylkiv, Yuriy; Krupych, Oleh; Savaryn, Viktoriya; Vlokh, Rostyslav

2012-04-10

We show that a system of glass disks compressed along their diameters enables one to induce a doubly charged vortex beam in the emergent light when the incident light is circularly polarized. Using such a disk system, one can control the efficiency of conversion of the spin angular momentum to the orbital angular momentum by a loading force. The consideration presented here can be extended for the case of crystalline materials with high optical damage thresholds in order to induce high-power vortex beams.

RadioAstron Science Program Five Years after Launch: Main Science Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kardashev, N. S.; Alakoz, A. V.; Andrianov, A. S.; Artyukhov, M. I.; Baan, W.; Babyshkin, V. E.; Bartel, N.; Bayandina, O. S.; Val'tts, I. E.; Voitsik, P. A.; Vorobyov, A. Z.; Gwinn, C.; Gomez, J. L.; Giovannini, G.; Jauncey, D.; Johnson, M.; Imai, H.; Kovalev, Y. Y.; Kurtz, S. E.; Lisakov, M. M.; Lobanov, A. P.; Molodtsov, V. A.; Novikov, B. S.; Pogodin, A. V.; Popov, M. V.; Privesenzev, A. S.; Rudnitski, A. G.; Rudnitski, G. M.; Savolainen, T.; Smirnova, T. V.; Sobolev, A. M.; Soglasnov, V. A.; Sokolovsky, K. V.; Filippova, E. N.; Khartov, V. V.; Churikova, M. E.; Shirshakov, A. E.; Shishov, V. I.; Edwards, P.

2017-12-01

The RadioAstron ground-space interferometer provides the highest angular resolution achieved now in astronomy. The detection of interferometric fringes from quasars with this angular resolution on baselines of 100-200 thousand km suggests the brightness temperatures which exceed the Compton limit by two orders of magnitude. Polarimetric measurements on ground-space baselines have revealed fine structure testifying to recollimation shocks on scales of 100-250 μas and a helical magnetic field near the base of radio emission in BL Lacertae. Substructure within a the scattering disk of pulsar emission on interferometer baselines (from 60000 to 250000 km) was discovered. This substructure is produced by action of the interstellar interferometer with an effective baseline of about 1 AU and the effective angular resolution of better than 1 μas. Diameters of scattering disks were measured for several pulsars, and distances to diffusing screens were evaluated. The ground-space observations of sources of the maser radiation in lines of water and hydroxyl have shown that the maser sources in star-forming regions remain unresolved on baselines, which considerably exceed the Earth diameter. These very compact and bright features with angular sizes of about 20-60 μas correspond to linear sizes of about 5-10 million km (several solar diameters).

Narrow-angle Astrometry with SUSI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kok, Y.; Ireland, M. J.; Robertson, J. G.; Tuthill, P. G.; Warrington, B. A.; Tango, W. J.

2014-09-01

SUSI (Sydney University Stellar Interferometer) is currently being fitted with a 2nd beam combiner, MUSCA (Micro-arcsecond University of Sydney Companion Astrometry), for the purpose of narrow-angle astrometry. With an aim to achieve ˜10 micro-arcseconds of angular resolution at its best, MUSCA allows SUSI to search for planets around bright binary stars, which are its primary targets. While the first beam combiner, PAVO (Precision Astronomical Visible Observations), is used to track stellar fringes during an observation, MUSCA will be used to measure separations of binary stars. MUSCA is a Michelson interferometer and its setup at SUSI will be described in this poster.

Programs and Perspectives of Visible Long Baseline Interferometry VEGA/CHARA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mourard, D.; Nardetto, N.; Ligi, R.; Perraut, K.

VEGA/CHARA is a visible spectro-interferometer installed on the CHARA Array at Mount Wilson Observatory. Combining high spectral resolution (6,000 or 30,000) and high angular resolution (0.3 mas), VEGA/CHARA opens a wide class of astrophysical topics in the stellar physics domain. Circumstellar environments and fundamental parameters with a high precision could be studied. We will present a review of recent results and discuss the programs currently engaged in the field of pulsating stars and more generally for the fundamental stellar parameters. Details could be found at http://www-n.oca.eu/vega/en/publications/index.htm.

Stellar interferometers and hypertelescopes: new insights on an angular spatial frequency approach to their non-invariant imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dettwiller, L.; Lépine, T.

2017-12-01

A general and pure wave theory of image formation for all types of stellar interferometers, including hypertelescopes, is developed in the frame of Fresnel's paraxial approximations of diffraction. For a hypertelescope, we show that the severe lack of translation invariance leads to multiple and strong spatial frequency heterodyning, which codes the very high frequencies detected by the hypertelescope into medium spatial frequencies and introduces a moiré-type ambiguity for extended objects. This explains mathematically the disappointing appearance of poor resolution observed in some image simulations for hypertelescopes.

Planetary geology, stellar evolution and galactic cosmology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

Field studies of selected basalt flows in the Snake River Plain, Idaho, were made for comparative lunar and Mars geological investigations. Studies of basalt lava tubes were also initiated in Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, and northern California. The main effort in the stellar evolution research is toward the development of a computer code to calculate hydrodynamic flow coupled with radiative energy transport. Estimates of the rotation effects on a collapsing cloud indicate that the total angular momentum is the critical parameter. The study of Paschen and Balmer alpha lines of positronium atoms in the center of a galaxy is mentioned.

Magnetocentrifugally Driven Flows from Young Stars and Disks. IV. The Accretion Funnel and Dead Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostriker, Eve C.; Shu, Frank H.

1995-07-01

We formulate the time-steady, axisymmetric problem of stellar magnetospheric inflow of gas from a surrounding accretion disk. The computational domain is bounded on the outside by a surface of given shape containing the open field lines associated with an induced disk wind. The mechanism for this wind has been investigated in previous publications in this journal. Our zeroth-order solution incorporates an acceptable accounting of the pressure balance between the magnetic field lines loaded with accreting gas (funnel flow) and those empty of matter (dead zone). In comparison with previous models, our funnel-flow/dead-zone solution has the following novel features: (1) Because of a natural tendency for the trapped stellar magnetic flux to pinch toward the corotation radius Rx (X-point of the effective potential), most of the interesting magnetohydrodynamics is initiated within a small neighborhood of Rx (X-region), where the Keplerian angular speed of rotation in the disk equals the spin rate of the star. (2) Unimpeded funnel flow from the inner portion of the X-region to the star can occur when the amount of trapped magnetic flux equals or exceeds 1.5 times the unperturbed dipole flux that would lie outside Rx in the absence of an accretion disk. (3). Near the equatorial plane, radial infall from the X-point is terminated at a "kink" point Rk = 0.74Rx that deflects the flow away from the midplane, mediating thereby between the field topology imposed by a magnetic fan of trapped flux at Rx and the geometry of a strong stellar dipole. (4) The excess angular momentum of accretion that would otherwise spin up the star rapidly is deposited by the magnetic torques of the funnel flow into the inner portion of the X-region of the disk. (5) An induced disk wind arises in the outer portion of the .X-region, where the stellar field lines have been blown open, and removes whatever excess angular momentum that viscous torques do not transport to the outer disk. (6) The interface between open field lines loaded with outflowing matter (connected to the disk) and those not loaded (connected to the star) forms a "helmet streamer," along which major mass-ejection and reconnection events may arise in response to changing boundary conditions (e.g., stellar magnetic cycles), much the way that such events occur in the active Sun. (7) Pressure balance across the dead-zone/wind interface will probably yield an asymptotically vertical (i.e., "jetlike") trajectory for the matter ejected along the helmet streamer, but mathematical demonstration of this fact is left for future studies. (8) In steady state the overall balance of angular momentum in the star/disk/ magnetosphere system fixes the fractions, f and 1 - f, of the disk mass accretion rate into the X-region carried away, respectively, by the wind and funnel flows.

A primordial origin for misalignments between stellar spin axes and planetary orbits.

PubMed

Batygin, Konstantin

2012-11-15

The existence of gaseous giant planets whose orbits lie close to their host stars ('hot Jupiters') can largely be accounted for by planetary migration associated with viscous evolution of proto-planetary nebulae. Recently, observations of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect during planetary transits have revealed that a considerable fraction of hot Jupiters are on orbits that are misaligned with respect to the spin axes of their host stars. This observation has cast doubt on the importance of disk-driven migration as a mechanism for producing hot Jupiters. Here I show that misaligned orbits can be a natural consequence of disk migration in binary systems whose orbital plane is uncorrelated with the spin axes of the individual stars. The gravitational torques arising from the dynamical evolution of idealized proto-planetary disks under perturbations from massive distant bodies act to misalign the orbital planes of the disks relative to the spin poles of their host stars. As a result, I suggest that in the absence of strong coupling between the angular momentum of the disk and that of the host star, or of sufficient dissipation that acts to realign the stellar spin axis and the planetary orbits, the fraction of planetary systems (including systems of 'hot Neptunes' and 'super-Earths') whose angular momentum vectors are misaligned with respect to their host stars will be commensurate with the rate of primordial stellar multiplicity.

Spatially-Resolved Observations of Giant Stars with SPHERE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khouri, Theo

2018-04-01

SPHERE on the VLT is an extreme adaptive optics instrument that produces images with unprecedented angular resolution at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Its primary goal is imaging, low-resolution spectroscopic, and polarimetric characterization of extra-solar planetary systems. Nonetheless, the high spatial resolution and the instrument design optimized for observations in a narrow field of view around bright targets make SPHERE the perfect instrument for obtaining spatially-resolved images of close-by giant, evolved stars. This is particularly true at the shortest wavelengths available with SPHERE, where the angular resolution is best (> 20 mas) and these stars appear larger (< 70 mas). In this talk, I will review how SPHERE has been used to study the surfaces and extended atmospheres of evolved stars and how these observations advance our understanding of the stellar pulsations and convective motions that shape these stars. Moreover, I will present recent results from a monitoring campaign of the star R Doradus using SPHERE with observations taken at twelve epochs over eight months that reveal features on the stellar disc varying on timescales of a few weeks. Finally, I will present quasi-simultaneous observations with SPHERE and ALMA that spatially resolve the stellar discs of two asymptotic giant branch stars, Mira and R Doradus, and discuss what such multi-wavelength observation campaigns can teach us about the processes that shape evolved stars.

The Effect of Combined Magnetic Geometries on Thermally Driven Winds. I. Interaction of Dipolar and Quadrupolar Fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Finley, Adam J.; Matt, Sean P., E-mail: af472@exeter.ac.uk

Cool stars with outer convective envelopes are observed to have magnetic fields with a variety of geometries, which on large scales are dominated by a combination of the lowest-order fields such as the dipole, quadrupole, and octupole modes. Magnetized stellar wind outflows are primarily responsible for the loss of angular momentum from these objects during the main sequence. Previous works have shown the reduced effectiveness of the stellar wind braking mechanism with increasingly complex but singular magnetic field geometries. In this paper, we quantify the impact of mixed dipolar and quadrupolar fields on the spin-down torque using 50 MHD simulationsmore » with mixed fields, along with 10 each of the pure geometries. The simulated winds include a wide range of magnetic field strength and reside in the slow-rotator regime. We find that the stellar wind braking torque from our combined geometry cases is well described by a broken power-law behavior, where the torque scaling with field strength can be predicted by the dipole component alone or the quadrupolar scaling utilizing the total field strength. The simulation results can be scaled and apply to all main-sequence cool stars. For solar parameters, the lowest-order component of the field (dipole in this paper) is the most significant in determining the angular momentum loss.« less

Antisolar differential rotation with surface lithium enrichment on the single K-giant V1192 Orionis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kővári, Zs.; Strassmeier, K. G.; Carroll, T. A.; Oláh, K.; Kriskovics, L.; Kővári, E.; Kovács, O.; Vida, K.; Granzer, T.; Weber, M.

2017-10-01

Context. Stars with about 1-2 solar masses at the red giant branch (RGB) represent an intriguing period of stellar evolution, I.e. when the convective envelope interacts with the fast-rotating core. During these mixing episodes freshly synthesized lithium can come up to the stellar surface along with high angular momentum material. This high angular momentum may alter the surface rotation pattern. Aims: The single rapidly rotating K-giant V1192 Ori is revisited to determine its surface differential rotation, lithium abundance, and basic stellar properties such as a precise rotation period. The aim is to independently verify the antisolar differential rotation of the star and possibly find a connection to the surface lithium abundance. Methods: We applied time-series Doppler imaging to a new multi-epoch data set. Altogether we reconstructed 11 Doppler images from spectroscopic data collected with the STELLA robotic telescope between 2007-2016. We used our inversion code iMap to reconstruct all stellar surface maps. We extracted the differential rotation from these images by tracing systematic spot migration as a function of stellar latitude from consecutive image cross-correlations. Results: The position of V1192 Ori in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram suggests that the star is in the helium core-burning phase just leaving the RGB bump. We measure A(Li)NLTE = 1.27, I.e. a value close to the anticipated transition value of 1.5 from Li-normal to Li-rich giants. Doppler images reveal extended dark areas arranged quasi-evenly along an equatorial belt. No cool polar spot is found during the investigated epoch. Spot displacements clearly suggest antisolar surface differential rotation with α = - 0.11 ± 0.02 shear coefficient. Conclusions: The surface Li enrichment and the peculiar surface rotation pattern may indicate a common origin. Based on data obtained with the STELLA robotic observatory in Tenerife, an AIP facility jointly operated by AIP and IAC.

Cosmic equation of state from combined angular diameter distances: Does the tension with luminosity distances exist?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Shuo; Zhu, Zong-Hong

2014-10-01

Using relatively complete observational data concerning four angular diameter distance (ADD) measurements and combined SN +GRB observations representing current luminosity distance (LD) data, this paper investigates the compatibility of these two cosmological distances considering three classes of dark energy equation of state (EoS) reconstruction. In particular, we use strongly gravitationally lensed systems from various large systematic gravitational lens surveys and galaxy clusters, which yield the Hubble constant independent ratio between two angular diameter distances Dl s/Ds data. Our results demonstrate that, with more general categories of standard ruler data, ADD and LD data are compatible at 1 σ level. Second, we note that consistency between ADD and LD data is maintained irrespective of the EoS parametrizations: there is a good match between the universally explored Chevalier-Polarski-Linder model and other formulations of cosmic equation of state. Especially for the truncated generalized equation of state (GEoS) model with β =-2 , the conclusions obtained with ADD and LD are almost the same. Finally, statistical analysis of generalized dark energy equation of state performed on four classes of ADD data provides stringent constraints on the EoS parameters w0 , wβ, and β , which suggest that dark energy was a subdominant component at early times. Moreover, the GEoS parametrization with β ≃1 seems to be a more favorable two-parameter model to characterize the cosmic equation of state, because the combined angular diameter distance data (SGL +CBF +BAO +WMAP 9 ) provide the best-fit value β =0.75 1-0.480+0.465 .

Stellar Properties of Embedded Protostars: Progress and Prospects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greene, Thomas

2006-01-01

Until now, high extinctions have prevented direct observation of the central objects of self-embedded, accreting protostars. However, sensitive high dispersion spectrographs on large aperture telescopes have allowed us to begin studying the stellar astrophysical properties of dozens of embedded low mass protostars in the nearest regions of star formation. These high dispersion spectra allow, for the first time, direct measurements of their stellar effective temperatures, surface gravities, rotation velocities, radial velocities (and spectroscopic binarity), mass accretion properties, and mass outflow indicators. Comparisons of the stellar properties with evolutionary models also allow us to estimate masses and constrain ages. We find that these objects have masses similar to those of older, more evolved T Tauri stars, but protostars have higher mean rotation velocities and angular momenta. Most protostars indicate high mass accretion or outflow, but some in Taurus-Auriga appear to be relatively quiescent. These new results are testing, expanding, and refining the standard star formation paradigm, and we explore how to expand this work further.

Polarized Continuum Radiation from Stellar Atmospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrington, J. Patrick

2015-10-01

Continuum scattering by free electrons can be significant in early type stars, while in late type stars Rayleigh scattering by hydrogen atoms or molecules may be important. Computer programs used to construct models of stellar atmospheres generally treat the scattering of the continuum radiation as isotropic and unpolarized, but this scattering has a dipole angular dependence and will produce polarization. We review an accurate method for evaluating the polarization and limb darkening of the radiation from model stellar atmospheres. We use this method to obtain results for: (i) Late type stars, based on the MARCS code models (Gustafsson et al. 2008), and (ii) Early type stars, based on the NLTE code TLUSTY (Lanz and Hubeny 2003). These results are tabulated at http://www.astro.umd.edu/~jph/Stellar_Polarization.html. While the net polarization vanishes for an unresolved spherical star, this symmetry is broken by rapid rotation or by the masking of part of the star by a binary companion or during the transit of an exoplanet. We give some numerical results for these last cases.

A Period-Activity Relation for Active RS CVN Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simon, Theodore

Soft X ray observations of RS CVn binaries point to a correlation between L x /Lbol (the X ray to bolometric luminosity ratio that measures the coronal heating rate) and Omega (the stellar angular velocity). This correlation is almost certainly caused by a stellar dynamo, operating in rapidly-rotating late-type stars with deep convection zones. We are proposing to extend the X ray "rotation-activity relation" to the uv transition region and chromospheric emission lines observable with IUE. If the non-radiative heating rates of stellar transition regions and chromospheres are determined largely by magnetic processes associated with a stellar dynamo, then a similar correlation may be found. We have selected a group of recently discovered active long-period systems, which we believe will be very bright at uv wavelengths. One important goal of this program is to determine whether past studies of the "rotation-activity connection" have been compromised by the omission of active long-period RS CVn systems.

High-angular-resolution stellar imaging with occultations from the Cassini spacecraft - III. Mira

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stewart, Paul N.; Tuthill, Peter G.; Nicholson, Philip D.; Hedman, Matthew M.

2016-04-01

We present an analysis of spectral and spatial data of Mira obtained by the Cassini spacecraft, which not only observed the star's spectra over a broad range of near-infrared wavelengths, but was also able to obtain high-resolution spatial information by watching the star pass behind Saturn's rings. The observed spectral range of 1-5 microns reveals the stellar atmosphere in the crucial water-bands which are unavailable to terrestrial observers, and the simultaneous spatial sampling allows the origin of spectral features to be located in the stellar environment. Models are fitted to the data, revealing the spectral and spatial structure of molecular layers surrounding the star. High-resolution imagery is recovered revealing the layered and asymmetric nature of the stellar atmosphere. The observational data set is also used to confront the state-of-the-art cool opacity-sampling dynamic extended atmosphere models of Mira variables through a detailed spectral and spatial comparison, revealing in general a good agreement with some specific departures corresponding to particular spectral features.

Evolution of vaporizing pulsars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccormick, P.

1994-01-01

We construct evolutional scenarios for LMXB's using a simplified stellar model. We discuss the origin and evolution of short-period, low mass binary pulsars with evaporating companions. We suggest that these systems descend from low-mass X-ray binaries and that angular momentum loss mainly due to evaporative wind drives their evolution. We derive limits on the energy and angular momentum carried away by the wind based on the observed low eccentricity. In our model the companion remains near contact, and its quasiadiabatic expansion causes the binary to expand. Short-term oscillations of the orbital period may occur if the Roche-lobe overflow forms an evaporating disk.

X-ray diving in the center of Sh2-129: looking for the driving source of Ou4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grosso, Nicolas

2012-10-01

The outflow phenomenon is associated both with the early and the last phase of the stellar evolution. Recently, a unique bipolar outflow with an angular size of 1.2 degrees was discovered in the blister HII region Sh2-129. Ou4, nicknamed "The Giant Squid", is to our knowledge the bipolar outflow with the largest angular size ever found. We propose joint XMM-Newton/EPIC (35 ks) and Chandra/HRC-I (16 ks) observations to look for the driving source of Ou4 and to clarify the nature of this object.

MHD Simulations of Magnetized Stars in the Propeller Regime of Accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lii, Patrick; Romanova, Marina; Lovelace, Richard

2014-01-01

Accreting magnetized stars may be in the propeller regime of disc accretion in which the angular velocity of the stellar magnetosphere exceeds that of the inner disc. In these systems, the stellar magnetosphere acts as a centrifugal barrier and inhibits matter accretion onto the rapidly rotating star. Instead, the matter accreting through the disc accumulates at the disc-magnetosphere interface where it picks up angular momentum and is ejected from the system as a wide-angled outflow which gradually collimates at larger distances from the star. If the ejection rate is lower than the accretion rate, the matter will accumulate at the boundary faster than it can be ejected; in this case, accretion onto the star proceeds through an episodic accretion instability in which the episodes of matter accumulation are followed by a brief episode of simultaneous ejection and accretion of matter onto the star. In addition to the matter dominated wind component, the propeller outflow also exhibits a well-collimated, magnetically-dominated Poynting jet which transports energy and angular momentum away from the star. The propeller mechanism may explain some of the weakly-collimated jets and winds observed around some T Tauri stars as well as the episodic variability present in their light curves. It may also explain some of the quasi-periodic variability observed in cataclysmic variables, millisecond pulsars and other magnetized stars.

WHY ARE RAPIDLY ROTATING M DWARFS IN THE PLEIADES SO (INFRA)RED? NEW PERIOD MEASUREMENTS CONFIRM ROTATION-DEPENDENT COLOR OFFSETS FROM THE CLUSTER SEQUENCE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Covey, Kevin R.; Agüeros, Marcel A.; Liu, Jiyu

2016-05-10

Stellar rotation periods ( P {sub rot}) measured in open clusters have proved to be extremely useful for studying stars’ angular momentum content and rotationally driven magnetic activity, which are both age- and mass-dependent processes. While P {sub rot} measurements have been obtained for hundreds of solar-mass members of the Pleiades, measurements exist for only a few low-mass (<0.5 M {sub ⊙}) members of this key laboratory for stellar evolution theory. To fill this gap, we report P {sub rot} for 132 low-mass Pleiades members (including nearly 100 with M ≤ 0.45 M {sub ⊙}), measured from photometric monitoring ofmore » the cluster conducted by the Palomar Transient Factory in late 2011 and early 2012. These periods extend the portrait of stellar rotation at 125 Myr to the lowest-mass stars and re-establish the Pleiades as a key benchmark for models of the transport and evolution of stellar angular momentum. Combining our new P {sub rot} with precise BVIJHK photometry reported by Stauffer et al. and Kamai et al., we investigate known anomalies in the photometric properties of K and M Pleiades members. We confirm the correlation detected by Kamai et al. between a star's P {sub rot} and position relative to the main sequence in the cluster's color–magnitude diagram. We find that rapid rotators have redder ( V − K ) colors than slower rotators at the same V , indicating that rapid and slow rotators have different binary frequencies and/or photospheric properties. We find no difference in the photometric amplitudes of rapid and slow rotators, indicating that asymmetries in the longitudinal distribution of starspots do not scale grossly with rotation rate.« less

Stellar Magnetism, Winds and their Effects on Planetary Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidotto, A. A.

2016-08-01

Here, I review some recent works on magnetism of cool, main-sequence stars, their winds and potential impact on surrounding exoplanets. The winds of these stars are very tenuous and persist during their lifetime. Although carrying just a small fraction of the stellar mass, these magnetic winds carry away angular momentum, thus regulating the rotation of the star. Since cool stars are likely to be surrounded by planets, understanding the host star winds and magnetism is a key step towards characterisation of exoplanetary environments. As rotation and activity are intimately related, the spin down of stars leads to a decrease in stellar activity with age. As a consequence, as stars age, a decrease in high-energy (X-ray, extreme ultraviolet) irradiation is observed, which can a ect the evaporation of exoplanetary atmospheres and, thus, also altering exoplanetary evolution.

Resolving polarized stellar features thanks to polarimetric interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rousselet-Perraut, Karine; Chesneau, Olivier; Vakili, Farrokh; Mourard, Denis; Janel, Sebastien; Lavaud, Laurent; Crocherie, Axel

2003-02-01

Polarimetry is a powerful means for detecting and constraining various physical phenomena, such as scattering processes or magnetic fields, occuring in a large panel of stellar objects: extended atmospheres of hot stars, CP stars, Young Stellar Objects, Active Galaxy Nuclei, ... However, the lack of angular resolution is generally a strong handicap to drastically constrain the physical parameters and the geometry of the polarizing phenomena because of the cancelling of the polarized signal. In fact, even if stellar features are strongly polarized, the (spectro-)polarimetric signal integrated over the stellar surface rarely exceeds few percents. Coupling polarimetric and interferometric devices allows to resolve these local polarized structures and thus to constrain complex patchy stellar surfaces and/or environments such as disk topology in T Tauri stars, hot stars radiative winds or oscillations in Be star envelopes. In this article, we explain how interfero-polarimetric observables, basically the contrast and the position of the interference fringe patterns versus polarization (and even versus wavelength) are powerful to address the above scientific drivers and we emphasize on the key point of instrumental and data calibrations: since interferometric measurements are differential ones between 2 or more beams, this strongly relaxes the calibration requirements for the fringe phase observable. Prospects induced by the operation of the optical aperture synthesis arrays are also discussed.

The angular momentum-mass relation: a fundamental law from dwarf irregulars to massive spirals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Posti, Lorenzo; Fraternali, Filippo; Di Teodoro, Enrico M.; Pezzulli, Gabriele

2018-05-01

In a Λ CDM Universe, the specific stellar angular momentum (j*) and stellar mass (M*) of a galaxy are correlated as a consequence of the scaling existing for dark matter haloes (jh ∝2/3). The shape of this law is crucial to test galaxy formation models, which are currently discrepant especially at the lowest masses, allowing to constrain fundamental parameters, such as, for example, the retained fraction of angular momentum. In this study, we accurately determine the empirical j*-M* relation (Fall relation) for 92 nearby spiral galaxies (from S0 to Irr) selected from the Spitzer Photometry and Accurate Rotation Curves (SPARC) sample in the unprecedented mass range 7 ≲ log M*/M⊙≲ 11.5. We significantly improve all previous estimates of the Fall relation by determining j* profiles homogeneously for all galaxies, using extended HI rotation curves, and selecting only galaxies for which a robust j* could be measured (converged j*(

A complete catalog of stellar mass maps for PHANGS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munoz-Mateos, Juan-Carlos; Querejeta, Miguel; Schinnerer, Eva; Leroy, Adam; Sun, Jiayi; Blanc, Guillermo; Kruijssen, Diederik; Emsellem, Eric; Bigiel, Frank

2018-05-01

We request IRAC 3.6 and 4.5 um imaging of four galaxies that have been mapped in molecular gas by ALMA as part of its first large program targeting nearby galaxies (PHANGS: Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS). IRAC provides a uniquely robust view of the stellar mass distribution, which in turn plays a key role in regulating the properties and behavior of the molecular gas. These are the only targets of our ALMA large program without such imaging. A modest investment of Spitzer time will allow us to measure the drivers of molecular cloud and star formation in these targets.

The First Stars: A Low-Mass Formation Mode

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stacy, Athena; Bromm, Volker

2014-01-01

We perform numerical simulations of the growth of a Population III stellar system under photodissociating feedback. We start from cosmological initial conditions at z = 100, self-consistently following the formation of a minihalo at z = 15 and the subsequent collapse of its central gas to high densities. The simulations resolve scales as small as approx. 1 AU, corresponding to gas densities of 10(exp 16)/cu cm. Using sink particles to represent the growing protostars, we evolve the stellar system for the next 5000 yr. We find that this emerging stellar group accretes at an unusually low rate compared with minihalos which form at earlier times (z = 20-30), or with lower baryonic angular momentum. The stars in this unusual system will likely reach masses ranging from <1Stellar Mass to approx. 5 Stellar Mass by the end of their main-sequence lifetimes, placing them in the mass range for which stars will undergo an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase. Based upon the simulation, we predict the rare existence of Population III stars that have survived to the present day and have been enriched by mass overflow from a previous AGB companion.

Life in the Outer Limits: Insight into Hierarchical Merging from the Outermost Structure of the Andromeda Stellar Halo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaton, Rachael; Majewski, S. R.; Patterson, R. J.; Guhathakurta, P.; Gilbert, K.; Kalirai, J. S.; Tollerud, E. J.; SPLASH Team

2014-01-01

Owing to their large dynamical timescales, the stellar haloes of Milky Way (MW) sized galaxies represent ideal environments to test modern theories of galaxy formation in the Lambda-CDM paradigm. Only in stellar haloes can the remnants of hierarchical accretion be preserved over long timescales as in-tact dwarf satellites or as tidal debris and can be easily distinguished from the underlying smooth structure. Stellar haloes, however, remain some of the most difficult galactic structures to constrain due to their large angular extent and extremely low surface brightness. Thus, the basic properties of stellar haloes -- the overall stellar distribution, substructure fraction, global kinematics and detailed stellar content -- remained relatively unconstrained. In this thesis, we present several projects designed to understand the current structure and the the formation of the Andromeda (M31) stellar halo, the only stellar halo -- besides our own -- that is within reach of current ground based facilities on the large scale required to constrain the basic properties of stellar haloes. First, we describe a seven season imaging campaign comprising the backbone of the Spectroscopic and Photometric Landscape of the Andromeda Stellar Halo (SPLASH) program. This survey is unique in its application of the Washington + DDO51 filter system to select individual M31 RGB stars without spectroscopic follow up. Second, we use the SPLASH photometric survey to identify sample of halo stars at projected radii of 120 kpc, for which we have obtained spectroscopic follow-up. Third, we add this large radius sample to the existing spectroscopic results from SPLASH, and use this unique sample to explore the stellar kinematics of the halo at large radii with full azimuthal coverage. Lastly, we preview on-going work to constrain the formation of the Andromeda stellar halo, using both in-tact satellites and resolved M31 halo members as tracers of its accretion history.

IRTF observations of the occultation of 28 Sgr by Saturn

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harrington, Joseph; Cooke, Maren L.; Forrest, William J.; Pipher, Judith L.; Dunham, Edward W.; Elliot, J. L.

1993-01-01

NASA's Mauna Kea IR Telescope Facility obtained an IR-imaging time series for the July 3, 1989 occultation of 28 Sgr by Saturn and its rings; the stellar signal is present in these images throughout the ring occultation event. These data are noted to vary systematically with respect to the Voyager data over large radius scales, perhaps due to stellar signal diffraction through the rings. The stellar diameter, which is projected to be about 20 km, placed most bending- and density-wave trains below measurable resolution. Masses and mean optical depths are presented for individual ring sections.

Triple system HD 201433 with a SPB star component seen by BRITE - Constellation: Pulsation, differential rotation, and angular momentum transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kallinger, T.; Weiss, W. W.; Beck, P. G.; Pigulski, A.; Kuschnig, R.; Tkachenko, A.; Pakhomov, Y.; Ryabchikova, T.; Lüftinger, T.; Palle, , P. L.; Semenko, E.; Handler, G.; Koudelka, O.; Matthews, J. M.; Moffat, A. F. J.; Pablo, H.; Popowicz, A.; Rucinski, S.; Wade, G. A.; Zwintz, K.

2017-07-01

Context. Stellar rotation affects the transport of chemical elements and angular momentum and is therefore a key process during stellar evolution, which is still not fully understood. This is especially true for massive OB-type stars, which are important for the chemical enrichment of the Universe. It is therefore important to constrain the physical parameters and internal angular momentum distribution of massive OB-type stars to calibrate stellar structure and evolution models. Stellar internal rotation can be probed through asteroseismic studies of rotationally split non radial oscillations but such results are still quite rare, especially for stars more massive than the Sun. The slowly pulsating B9V star HD 201433 is known to be part of a single-lined spectroscopic triple system, with two low-mass companions orbiting with periods of about 3.3 and 154 days. Aims: Our goal is to measure the internal rotation profile of HD 201433 and investigate the tidal interaction with the close companion. Methods: We used probabilistic methods to analyse the BRITE - Constellation photometry and radial velocity measurements, to identify a representative stellar model, and to determine the internal rotation profile of the star. Results: Our results are based on photometric observations made by BRITE - Constellation and the Solar Mass Ejection Imager on board the Coriolis satellite, high-resolution spectroscopy, and more than 96 yr of radial velocity measurements. We identify a sequence of nine frequency doublets in the photometric time series, consistent with rotationally split dipole modes with a period spacing of about 5030 s. We establish that HD 201433 is in principle a solid-body rotator with a very slow rotation period of 297 ± 76 days. Tidal interaction with the inner companion has, however, significantly accelerated the spin of the surface layers by a factor of approximately one hundred. The angular momentum transfer onto the surface of HD 201433 is also reflected by the statistically significant decrease of the orbital period of about 0.9 s during the last 96 yr. Conclusions: Combining the asteroseismic inferences with the spectroscopic measurements and the orbital analysis of the inner binary system, we conclude that tidal interactions between the central SPB star and its inner companion have almost circularised the orbit. They have, however, not yet aligned all spins of the system and have just begun to synchronise rotation. Based on data collected by the BRITE - Constellation satellite mission, built, launched and operated thanks to support from the Austrian Aeronautics and Space Agency and the University of Vienna, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the Foundation for Polish Science & Technology (FNiTP MNiSW) and National Science Centre (NCN), the Hermes spectrograph mounted on the 1.2 m Mercator Telescope at the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, and the Solar Mass Ejection Imager, which is a joint project of the University of California San Diego, Boston College, the University of Birmingham (UK), and the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Exoplanets in the M2K Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyajian, Tabetha; Fischer, Debra; Gaidos, Eric; Giguere, Matt

2013-07-01

Late type stars are ideal targets for the detection of low-mass planets residing in habitable zones. In such systems, not only is the stellar noise a minimum, but the lower stellar mass affords larger reflex velocities and the lower stellar luminosity moves the habitable zone inward. The M2K program is a high precision Doppler survey monitoring a couple hundred late-type stars over the past few years in search for such important exoplanetary systems. We present updated orbits of known exoplanet systems and newly detected exoplanet systems that have resulted from this program. We also advertise the Planethunters.org "Guest Scientist" program as well as our survey to measure stellar diameters and temperatures with long baseline optical interferometry.

1-D Imaging of the Dynamical Atmosphere of the Red Supergiant Betelgeuse in the CO First Overtone Lines with VLTI/AMBER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohnaka, K.

2014-09-01

We present high-spatial and high-spectral resolution observations of the red supergiant Betelgeuse in the CO first overtone lines near 2.3μm with the AMBER instrument at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Our AMBER observations in 2008 spatially resolved the gas motions in a stellar atmosphere (photosphere and extended molecular outer atmosphere) for the first time other than the Sun. From our second observations one year later, we have reconstructed 1-D images in the individual CO lines with an angular resolution of 9.8 mas and a spectral resolution of 6000 by applying the self-calibration technique to restore the Fourier phase from the differential phase measurements. The reconstructed 1-D images reveal that the star appears different in the blue and red wing of the individual CO lines. In the blue wing, the star shows a pronounced, asymmetrically extended component at least up to 1.3 R⋆, while such a component does not appear in the red wing 1-D image. This can be explained by a model in which the CO gas patch (or clump) more than half as large as the star is moving slightly outward with 0-5 km s-1, while the gas in the remaining region is infalling fast with 20-30 km s-1. Comparison between the CO line data taken in 2008 and 2009 shows a significant time variation in the dynamics of the photosphere and outer atmosphere. However, the 1-D images in the continuum show only a slight deviation from a limb-darkened disk with an angular diameter of 42.49±0.06 mas, which leads to an effective temperature of 3690± 54 K. Moreover, the continuum data taken in 2008 and 2009 reveal no or only marginal time variations, much smaller than the maximum variation predicted by the current 3-D convection simulation. The derived continuum diameter also shows that the near-IR size of Betelgeuse has been nearly constant over the last 18 years, in marked contrast to the recently reported noticeable decrease in the mid-IR size.

Narrowly peaked forward light scattering on particulate media: II. Angular spreading of light scattered by polystyrene microspheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turcu, Ioan; Bratfalean, Radu; Neamtu, Silvia

2008-07-01

The adequacy of the effective phase function (EPF) used to describe the light scattered at small angles was tested on aqueous suspensions of polystyrene microspheres. Angular resolved light scattering measurements were performed on two types of latex suspension, which contained polystyrene spheres of 3 µm and 5 µm diameters, respectively. The experimental data were fitted with two EPF approximants. If the polystyrene spheres are at least 3 µm in diameter the quasi-ballistic light scattering process can be described relatively well by the EPF in a small angular range centered in the forward direction. The forward light scattering by macroscopic samples containing microspheres can be modeled relatively well if the true Mie single particle scattering phase function is replaced by a simpler Henyey-Greenstein dependence having the same width at half-height as the first scattering lobe.

EXPANSION OF HYDROGEN-POOR KNOTS IN THE BORN-AGAIN PLANETARY NEBULAE A30 AND A78

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fang, X.; Guerrero, M. A.; Marquez-Lugo, R. A.

2014-12-20

We analyze the expansion of hydrogen-poor knots and filaments in the born-again planetary nebulae A30 and A78 based on Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images obtained almost 20 yr apart. The proper motion of these features generally increases with distance to the central star, but the fractional expansion decreases, i.e., the expansion is not homologous. As a result, there is not a unique expansion age, which is estimated to be 610-950 yr for A30 and 600-1140 yr for A78. The knots and filaments have experienced complex dynamical processes: the current fast stellar wind is mass loaded by the material ablated from the inner knots;more » the ablated material is then swept up until it shocks the inner edges of the outer, hydrogen-rich nebula. The angular expansion of the outer filaments shows a clear dependence on position angle, indicating that the interaction of the stellar wind with the innermost knots channels the wind along preferred directions. The apparent angular expansion of the innermost knots seems to be dominated by the rocket effect of evaporating gas and by the propagation of the ionization front inside them. Radiation-hydrodynamical simulations show that a single ejection of material followed by a rapid onset of the stellar wind and ionizing flux can reproduce the variety of clumps and filaments at different distances from the central star found in A30 and A78.« less

Collapse of differentially rotating neutron stars and cosmic censorship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giacomazzo, Bruno; Rezzolla, Luciano; Stergioulas, Nikolaos

2011-07-01

We present new results on the dynamics and gravitational-wave emission from the collapse of differentially rotating neutron stars. We have considered a number of polytropic stellar models having different values of the dimensionless angular momentum J/M2, where J and M are the asymptotic angular momentum and mass of the star, respectively. For neutron stars with J/M2<1, i.e. “sub-Kerr” models, we were able to find models that are dynamically unstable and that collapse promptly to a rotating black hole. Both the dynamics of the collapse and the consequent emission of gravitational waves resemble those seen for uniformly rotating stars, although with an overall decrease in the efficiency of gravitational-wave emission. For stellar models with J/M2>1, i.e. “supra-Kerr” models, on the other hand, we were not able to find models that are dynamically unstable and all of the computed supra-Kerr models were found to be far from the stability threshold. For these models a gravitational collapse is possible only after a very severe and artificial reduction of the pressure, which then leads to a torus developing nonaxisymmetric instabilities and eventually contracting to a stable axisymmetric stellar configuration. While this does not exclude the possibility that a naked singularity can be produced by the collapse of a differentially rotating star, it also suggests that cosmic censorship is not violated and that generic conditions for a supra-Kerr progenitor do not lead to a naked singularity.

Requirements for Radial Migration: How does the migrating fraction depend on stellar velocity dispersion?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tolfree, Kathryne; Wyse, R. F.

2014-01-01

Radial migration is a way to rearrange the orbital angular momentum of stars in an spiral disk without inducing kinematic heating. When radial migration is very efficient, a large fraction of disk stars experience significant changes in their orbital angular momenta in a short period of time. Such scenarios have strong implications for the chemical and kinematic evolution of disk galaxies. We have undertaken an investigation of the physical dependencies of the efficiency of radial migration on stellar kinematics and spiral structure by deriving the fraction of stars that can migrate radially given certain conditions. In order for a star in a spiral disk to migrate radially, it must first be “captured" in a family of resonant orbits near the radius of corotation with a spiral pattern. Thus far, the only analytic criterion for capture has been for stars in circular orbits. We present the capture criterion for stars on non-circular orbits in a disk galaxy. We then use our analytically derived capture criteria to model the radial distribution of the captured fraction in an exponential disk with a flat rotation curve as well as the dependence of the total captured fraction in the disk on the radial component of the stellar velocity dispersion (σR) and the amplitude of the spiral perturbation to the underlying potential at corotation (|Φs|CR). We find that the captured fraction goes as Exp[-σR2/|Φs|CR].

Requirements for Radial Migration: How Does the Migrating Fraction Depend on Stellar Velocity Dispersion?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tolfree, K. J. D.; Wyse, R. F. G.

2014-03-01

Radial migration is a mechanism that can rearrange the orbital angular momentum of stars in a spiral disk without inducing kinematic heating. When radial migration is very efficient, a large fraction of disk stars experience significant changes in their orbital angular momenta over a short period of time. Such scenarios have strong implications for the chemical and kinematic evolution of disk galaxies. We have undertaken an investigation of the physical dependencies of the efficiency of radial migration on stellar kinematics and spiral structure by deriving the fraction of stars that can migrate radially. In order for a star in a spiral disk to migrate radially, it must first be “captured” in a family of resonant orbits near the radius of corotation with a transient spiral pattern. To date, the only analytic criterion for capture has been for stars in circular orbits. We present the capture criterion for disk stars on non-circular orbits. We then use our analytically derived capture criterion to model the radial distribution of the captured fraction in an exponential disk with a flat rotation curve. Further, we derive the dependence of the total captured fraction in the disk on the radial component of the stellar velocity dispersion (σR) and the amplitude of the spiral perturbation to the underlying potential evaluated at corotation (|Φs|CR). We find that within an annulus centered around corotation where σR is constant, the captured fraction goes as e-σR2/|Φs|CR.

A theory of ring formation around Be stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huang, S.-S.

1976-01-01

A theory for the formation of gaseous rings around Be stars is developed which involves the combined effect of stellar rotation and radiation pressure. A qualitative scenario of ring formation is outlined in which the envelope formed about a star from ejected material is in the form of a disk in the equatorial plane, collisions between ejected gas blobs are inevitable, and particles with high angular momenta form a rotating ring around the star. A quantitative description of this process is then formulated by considering the angular momentum and dynamical energy of the ejected matter as well as those of the ring alone, without introducing any other assumptions.

The evolution of magnetic hot massive stars: Implementation of the quantitative influence of surface magnetic fields in modern models of stellar evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keszthelyi, Zsolt; Wade, Gregg A.; Petit, Veronique

2017-11-01

Large-scale dipolar surface magnetic fields have been detected in a fraction of OB stars, however only few stellar evolution models of massive stars have considered the impact of these fossil fields. We are performing 1D hydrodynamical model calculations taking into account evolutionary consequences of the magnetospheric-wind interactions in a simplified parametric way. Two effects are considered: i) the global mass-loss rates are reduced due to mass-loss quenching, and ii) the surface angular momentum loss is enhanced due to magnetic braking. As a result of the magnetic mass-loss quenching, the mass of magnetic massive stars remains close to their initial masses. Thus magnetic massive stars - even at Galactic metallicity - have the potential to be progenitors of "heavy" stellar mass black holes. Similarly, at Galactic metallicity, the formation of pair instability supernovae is plausible with a magnetic progenitor.

A Rotating Stellar Collapse Model for Supernova 1987A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, T.; Fukugita, M.

It is shown that the bunch structure of the Kamiokande neutrino events associated with SN 1987A can be naturally understood, if one assumes that the core of the progenitor star was rotating moderately with q(≡Jc/GM2) ≈ 3 with J the total angular momentum and M the gravitational mass of the core.

Angular-domain scattering interferometry.

PubMed

Shipp, Dustin W; Qian, Ruobing; Berger, Andrew J

2013-11-15

We present an angular-scattering optical method that is capable of measuring the mean size of scatterers in static ensembles within a field of view less than 20 μm in diameter. Using interferometry, the method overcomes the inability of intensity-based models to tolerate the large speckle grains associated with such small illumination areas. By first estimating each scatterer's location, the method can model between-scatterer interference as well as traditional single-particle Mie scattering. Direct angular-domain measurements provide finer angular resolution than digitally transformed image-plane recordings. This increases sensitivity to size-dependent scattering features, enabling more robust size estimates. The sensitivity of these angular-scattering measurements to various sizes of polystyrene beads is demonstrated. Interferometry also allows recovery of the full complex scattered field, including a size-dependent phase profile in the angular-scattering pattern.

Estimation of distances to stars with stellar parameters from LAMOST

DOE PAGES

Carlin, Jeffrey L.; Liu, Chao; Newberg, Heidi Jo; ...

2015-06-05

Here, we present a method to estimate distances to stars with spectroscopically derived stellar parameters. The technique is a Bayesian approach with likelihood estimated via comparison of measured parameters to a grid of stellar isochrones, and returns a posterior probability density function for each star's absolute magnitude. We tailor this technique specifically to data from the Large Sky Area Multi-object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) survey. Because LAMOST obtains roughly 3000 stellar spectra simultaneously within each ~5-degree diameter "plate" that is observed, we can use the stellar parameters of the observed stars to account for the stellar luminosity function and targetmore » selection effects. This removes biasing assumptions about the underlying populations, both due to predictions of the luminosity function from stellar evolution modeling, and from Galactic models of stellar populations along each line of sight. Using calibration data of stars with known distances and stellar parameters, we show that our method recovers distances for most stars within ~20%, but with some systematic overestimation of distances to halo giants. We apply our code to the LAMOST database, and show that the current precision of LAMOST stellar parameters permits measurements of distances with ~40% error bars. This precision should improve as the LAMOST data pipelines continue to be refined.« less

Estimation of distances to stars with stellar parameters from LAMOST

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carlin, Jeffrey L.; Liu, Chao; Newberg, Heidi Jo

Here, we present a method to estimate distances to stars with spectroscopically derived stellar parameters. The technique is a Bayesian approach with likelihood estimated via comparison of measured parameters to a grid of stellar isochrones, and returns a posterior probability density function for each star's absolute magnitude. We tailor this technique specifically to data from the Large Sky Area Multi-object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) survey. Because LAMOST obtains roughly 3000 stellar spectra simultaneously within each ~5-degree diameter "plate" that is observed, we can use the stellar parameters of the observed stars to account for the stellar luminosity function and targetmore » selection effects. This removes biasing assumptions about the underlying populations, both due to predictions of the luminosity function from stellar evolution modeling, and from Galactic models of stellar populations along each line of sight. Using calibration data of stars with known distances and stellar parameters, we show that our method recovers distances for most stars within ~20%, but with some systematic overestimation of distances to halo giants. We apply our code to the LAMOST database, and show that the current precision of LAMOST stellar parameters permits measurements of distances with ~40% error bars. This precision should improve as the LAMOST data pipelines continue to be refined.« less

Is the dark halo of the Milky Way prolate?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowden, A.; Evans, N. W.; Williams, A. A.

2016-07-01

We introduce the flattening equation, which relates the shape of the dark halo to the angular velocity dispersions and the density of a tracer population of stars. It assumes spherical alignment of the velocity dispersion tensor, as seen in the data on stellar halo stars in the Milky Way. The angular anisotropy and gradients in the angular velocity dispersions drive the solutions towards prolateness, whilst the gradient in the stellar density is a competing effect favouring oblateness. We provide an efficient numerical algorithm to integrate the flattening equation. Using tests on mock data, we show that there is a strong degeneracy between circular speed and flattening, which can be circumvented with informative priors. Therefore, we advocate the use of the flattening equation to test for oblateness or prolateness, though the precise value of q can only be measured with the addition of the radial Jeans equation. We apply the flattening equation to a sample extracted from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey of ˜15 000 halo stars with full phase space information and errors. We find that between Galactocentric radii of 5 and 10 kpc, the shape of the dark halo is prolate, whilst even mildly oblate models are disfavoured. Strongly oblate models are ruled out. Specifically, for a logarithmic halo model, if the asymptotic circular speed v0 lies between 210 and 250 km s-1, then we find the axis ratio of the equipotentials q satisfies 1.5 ≲ q ≲ 2.

A New Stellar Atmosphere Grid and Comparisons with HST /STIS CALSPEC Flux Distributions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bohlin, Ralph C.; Fleming, Scott W.; Gordon, Karl D.

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph has measured the spectral energy distributions for several stars of types O, B, A, F, and G. These absolute fluxes from the CALSPEC database are fit with a new spectral grid computed from the ATLAS-APOGEE ATLAS9 model atmosphere database using a chi-square minimization technique in four parameters. The quality of the fits are compared for complete LTE grids by Castelli and Kurucz (CK04) and our new comprehensive LTE grid (BOSZ). For the cooler stars, the fits with the MARCS LTE grid are also evaluated, while the hottest stars are also fit with the NLTE Lanzmore » and Hubeny OB star grids. Unfortunately, these NLTE models do not transition smoothly in the infrared to agree with our new BOSZ LTE grid at the NLTE lower limit of T {sub eff} = 15,000 K. The new BOSZ grid is available via the Space Telescope Institute MAST archive and has a much finer sampled IR wavelength scale than CK04, which will facilitate the modeling of stars observed by the James Webb Space Telescope . Our result for the angular diameter of Sirius agrees with the ground-based interferometric value.« less

Spectral photometry of extreme helium stars: Ultraviolet fluxes and effective temperature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drilling, J. S.; Schoenberner, D.; Heber, U.; Lynas-Gray, A. E.

1982-01-01

Ultraviolet flux distributions are presented for the extremely helium rich stars BD +10 deg 2179, HD 124448, LSS 3378, BD -9 deg 4395, LSE 78, HD 160641, LSIV -1 deg 2, BD 1 deg 3438, HD 168476, MV Sgr, LS IV-14 deg 109 (CD -35 deg 11760), LSII +33 deg 5 and BD +1 deg 4381 (LSIV +2 deg 13) obtained with the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE). Broad band photometry and a newly computed grid of line blanketed model atmospheres were used to determine accurate angular diameters and total stellar fluxes. The resultant effective temperatures are in most cases in satisfactory agreement with those based on broad band photometry and/or high resolution spectroscopy in the visible. For two objects, LSII +33 deg 5 and LSE 78, disagreement was found between the IUE observations and broadband photometry: the colors predict temperatures around 20,000 K, whereas the UV spectra indicate much lower photospheric temperatures of 14,000 to 15,000 K. The new temperature scale for extreme helium stars extends to lower effective temperatures than that of Heber and Schoenberner (1981) and covers the range from 8,500 K to 32,000 K.

Spectral Irradiance Calibration in the Infrared. Part 6; 3-35 microns Spectra of Three Southern Standard Stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Martin; Witteborn, Fred C.; Bregman, Jesse D.; Wooden, Diane H.; Salama, Alberto; Metcalfe, Leo

1996-01-01

We present three new absolutely calibrated continuous stellar spectra from 3 to 35 microns, constructed as far as possible from actual observed spectral fragments taken from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO), and the IRAS Low Resolution Spectrometer (LRS). These stars- alpha(sup 1) Cen, alpha TrA, and epsilon Car-augment our previous archive of complete absolutely calibrated spectra for northern K and M giants. All these spectra have a common calibration pedigree. The wavelength coverage is ideal for calibration of many existing and proposed ground-based, airborne, and satellite sensors. KAO and IRAS data in the 15-30 micron range suggest that the spectra of cool giants are close to Rayleigh-Jeans slopes. Our observations of alpha(sup 1) Cen, absolutely calibrated via our adopted Sirius model, indicate an angular diameter in very good agreement with values in the literature, demonstrating 'closure' of the set of spectra within our absolute framework. We compare our observed alpha(sup 1) Cen spectrum with a published grid of theoretical models from Kurucz, and adopt a plausible theoretical shape, that fits our spectrum, as a secondary reference spectrum in the southern sky.

A New Stellar Atmosphere Grid and Comparisons with HST/STIS CALSPEC Flux Distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohlin, Ralph C.; Mészáros, Szabolcs; Fleming, Scott W.; Gordon, Karl D.; Koekemoer, Anton M.; Kovács, József

2017-05-01

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph has measured the spectral energy distributions for several stars of types O, B, A, F, and G. These absolute fluxes from the CALSPEC database are fit with a new spectral grid computed from the ATLAS-APOGEE ATLAS9 model atmosphere database using a chi-square minimization technique in four parameters. The quality of the fits are compared for complete LTE grids by Castelli & Kurucz (CK04) and our new comprehensive LTE grid (BOSZ). For the cooler stars, the fits with the MARCS LTE grid are also evaluated, while the hottest stars are also fit with the NLTE Lanz & Hubeny OB star grids. Unfortunately, these NLTE models do not transition smoothly in the infrared to agree with our new BOSZ LTE grid at the NLTE lower limit of T eff = 15,000 K. The new BOSZ grid is available via the Space Telescope Institute MAST archive and has a much finer sampled IR wavelength scale than CK04, which will facilitate the modeling of stars observed by the James Webb Space Telescope. Our result for the angular diameter of Sirius agrees with the ground-based interferometric value.

Planetary nebulae populations as tracers of the stellar kinematics and light in the outer halos of galaxies and the intracluster regions in the nearby clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnaboldi, Magda

2015-08-01

Planetary nebulae have been used sucessfully to trace the kinematics of stars and the spatial distribution of the parent stellar populations in regions where the continuum of the integrated light is only 1% of the night sky. The observed wavelength of the PN strong emission in the [OIII] line at 5007 A measures the line-of-sight velocity of that single star and can be used to derive the two-dimensional velocity fields in these extreme outer regions of galaxies and their angular momentum content out to 10 effective radii. The specific frequency or the PN luminosity number and the morphology of the PN luminosity function are probes of the properties of the parent stellar population, like the star formation history and metallicity. I will present the latest results from the survey of PN population in external galaxies and in the Virgo cluster, and the implications on the coexistence of galaxy halos and intracluster light, and the constraints of their stellar motions and physical parameters.

EXor OUTBURSTS FROM DISK AMPLIFICATION OF STELLAR MAGNETIC CYCLES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Armitage, Philip J., E-mail: pja@jilau1.colorado.edu

EXor outbursts—moderate-amplitude disk accretion events observed in Class I and Class II protostellar sources—have timescales and amplitudes that are consistent with the viscous accumulation and release of gas in the inner disk near the dead zone boundary. We suggest that outbursts are indirectly triggered by stellar dynamo cycles, via poloidal magnetic flux that diffuses radially outward through the disk. Interior to the dead zone the strength of the net field modulates the efficiency of angular momentum transport by the magnetorotational instability. In the dead zone changes in the polarity of the net field may lead to stronger outbursts because ofmore » the dominant role of the Hall effect in this region of the disk. At the level of simple estimates we show that changes to kG-strength stellar fields could stimulate disk outbursts on 0.1 au scales, though this optimistic conclusion depends upon the uncertain efficiency of net flux transport through the inner disk. The model predicts a close association between observational tracers of stellar magnetic activity and EXor events.« less

The Stellar Imager (SI)"Vision Mission"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carpenter, Ken; Danchi, W.; Leitner, J.; Liu, A.; Lyon, R.; Mazzuca, L.; Moe, R.; Chenette, D.; Karovska, M.; Allen, R.

2004-01-01

The Stellar Imager (SI) is a "Vision" mission in the Sun-Earth Connection (SEC) Roadmap, conceived for the purpose of understanding the effects of stellar magnetic fields, the dynamos that generate them, and the internal structure and dynamics of the stars in which they exist. The ultimate goal is to achieve the best possible forecasting of solar/stellar magnetic activity and its impact on life in the Universe. The science goals of SI require an ultra-high angular resolution, at ultraviolet wavelengths, on the order of 100 micro-arcsec and thus baselines on the order of 0.5 km. These requirements call for a large, multi-spacecraft (less than 20) imaging interferometer, utilizing precision formation flying in a stable environment, such as in a Lissajous orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 point. SI's resolution will make it an invaluable resource for many other areas of astrophysics, including studies of AGN s, supernovae, cataclysmic variables, young stellar objects, QSO's, and stellar black holes. ongoing mission concept and technology development studies for SI. These studies are designed to refine the mission requirements for the science goals, define a Design Reference Mission, perform trade studies of selected major technical and architectural issues, improve the existing technology roadmap, and explore the details of deployment and operations, as well as the possible roles of astronauts and/or robots in construction and servicing of the facility.

Mass loss of stars on the asymptotic giant branch. Mechanisms, models and measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höfner, Susanne; Olofsson, Hans

2018-01-01

As low- and intermediate-mass stars reach the asymptotic giant branch (AGB), they have developed into intriguing and complex objects that are major players in the cosmic gas/dust cycle. At this stage, their appearance and evolution are strongly affected by a range of dynamical processes. Large-scale convective flows bring newly-formed chemical elements to the stellar surface and, together with pulsations, they trigger shock waves in the extended stellar atmosphere. There, massive outflows of gas and dust have their origin, which enrich the interstellar medium and, eventually, lead to a transformation of the cool luminous giants into white dwarfs. Dust grains forming in the upper atmospheric layers play a critical role in the wind acceleration process, by scattering and absorbing stellar photons and transferring their outward-directed momentum to the surrounding gas through collisions. Recent progress in high-angular-resolution instrumentation, from the visual to the radio regime, is leading to valuable new insights into the complex dynamical atmospheres of AGB stars and their wind-forming regions. Observations are revealing asymmetries and inhomogeneities in the photospheric and dust-forming layers which vary on time-scales of months, as well as more long-lived large-scale structures in the circumstellar envelopes. High-angular-resolution observations indicate at what distances from the stars dust condensation occurs, and they give information on the chemical composition and sizes of dust grains in the close vicinity of cool giants. These are essential constraints for building realistic models of wind acceleration and developing a predictive theory of mass loss for AGB stars, which is a crucial ingredient of stellar and galactic chemical evolution models. At present, it is still not fully possible to model all these phenomena from first principles, and to predict the mass-loss rate based on fundamental stellar parameters only. However, much progress has been made in recent years, which is described in this review. We complement this by discussing how observations of emission from circumstellar molecules and dust can be used to estimate the characteristics of the mass loss along the AGB, and in different environments. We also briefly touch upon the issue of binarity.

Seismic evidence for the loss of stellar angular momentum before the white-dwarf stage.

PubMed

Charpinet, S; Fontaine, G; Brassard, P

2009-09-24

White-dwarf stars represent the final products of the evolution of some 95% of all stars. If stars were to keep their angular momentum throughout their evolution, their white-dwarf descendants, owing to their compact nature, should all rotate relatively rapidly, with typical periods of the order of a few seconds. Observations of their photospheres show, in contrast, that they rotate much more slowly, with periods ranging from hours to tens of years. It is not known, however, whether a white dwarf could 'hide' some of its original angular momentum below the superficial layers, perhaps spinning much more rapidly inside than at its surface. Here we report a determination of the internal rotation profile of a white dwarf using a method based on asteroseismology. We show that the pulsating white dwarf PG 1159-035 rotates as a solid body (encompassing more than 97.5% of its mass) with the relatively long period of 33.61 +/- 0.59 h. This implies that it has lost essentially all of its angular momentum, thus favouring theories which suggest important angular momentum transfer and loss in evolutionary phases before the white-dwarf stage.

Stellar Temporal Intensity Interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kian, Tan Peng

Stellar intensity interferometry was developed by Hanbury-Brown & Twiss [1954, 1956b, 1957, 1958] to bypass the diffraction limit of telescope apertures, with successful measurements including the determination of 32 stellar angular diameters using the Narrabri Stellar Intensity Interferometer [Hanbury-Brown et al., 1974]. This was achieved by measuring the intensity correlations between starlight received by a pair of telescopes separated by varying baselines b which, by invoking the van Cittert-Zernicke theorem [van Cittert, 1934; Zernicke, 1938], are related to the angular intensity distributions of the stellar light sources through a Fourier transformation of the equal-time complex degree of coherence gamma(b) between the two telescopes. This intensity correlation, or the second order correlation function g(2) [Glauber, 1963], can be described in terms of two-photoevent coincidence measurements [Hanbury-Brown, 1974] for our use of photon-counting detectors. The application of intensity interferometry in astrophysics has been largely restricted to the spatial domain but not found widespread adoption due to limitations by its signal-to-noise ratio [Davis et al., 1999; Foellmi, 2009; Jensen et al., 2010; LeBohec et al., 2008, 2010], although there is a growing movement to revive its use [Barbieri et al., 2009; Capraro et al., 2009; Dravins & Lagadec, 2014; Dravins et al., 2015; Dravins & LeBohec, 2007]. In this thesis, stellar intensity interferometry in the temporal domain is investigated instead. We present a narrowband spectral filtering scheme [Tan et al., 2014] that allows direct measurements of the Lorentzian temporal correlations, or photon bunching, from the Sun, with the preliminary Solar g(2)(tau = 0) = 1.3 +/- 0.1, limited mostly by the photon detector response [Ghioni et al., 2008], compared to the theoretical value of g(2)(0) = 2. The measured temporal photon bunching signature of the Sun exceeded the previous records of g(2)(0) = 1.03 [Karmakar et al., 2012] and g(2)(0) = 1.04 [Liu et al., 2014] by an order of magnitude. In order to study possible effects of atmospheric turbulence [Blazej et al., 2008; Cavazzani et al., 2012; Dravins et al., 1997] on temporal intensity interferometry, the filtering scheme was improved so that the required integration time of measurement reduced from 45 minutes previously to only 4 minutes, which allowed for timing correlation measurements of Sunlight in 1° intervals of elevation angular position to probe the atmospheric dependence. The instruments were used to measure the temporal photon bunching signal of the Sun from 11:36 am to 5:36 pm, covering Solar elevation angles from approximately 70° just before noon to about 20° by the evening, corresponding to different depths of atmospheric air column [Bennett, 1982; Marini & Murray, 1973] the sunlight passed through. The thereby obtained Solar g (2)(tau = 0) = 1.693 +/- 0.003 exceeded our previous record, due to improved suppression of the blackbody spectrum outside the target bandwidth. The Solar photon bunching signature was compatible with control measurements of an Argon arc lamp with g(2)(tau = 0) = 1.687 +/- 0.004, which served as a blackbody light source of temperature T = 6000K. This suggests that the atmospheric and weather conditions have no measurable effects on temporal intensity interferometry for a 2GHz optical bandwidth after narrowband spectral filtering. The instruments were exposed to a light source simulating astrophysical scenarios, created by mixing the blackbody radiation from the Argon arc lamp with laser light at 513.8 nm. The spectral filtering scheme was able to isolate the laser light by filtering the blackbody spectrum to only Deltanu FWHM ≈ 2GHz and thus suppressing the blackbody contribution to the order of 104 photoevents/sec. The instruments were thus able to identify coherent laser light contributions of 3 x 10 4 photoevents/sec within the blackbody spectrum, which is a situation that Optical SETI [Drake, 1961; Dyson, 1960; Forgan, 2014; Korpela et al., 2011; Merali, 2015; Sagan & Drake, 1975; Townes, 1983] may have to identify. The final scenario tested was to identify the laser light at 513.8 nm that has been Doppler broadened by a suspension of mono-dispersive microspheres [Dravins & Lagadec, 2014; Dravins et al., 2015]. We found that g(2)(0) = 1.227 +/- 0.005 and determined the coherence time of the broadened laser signal to be tauc = 44 +/- 2 ns, corresponding to a linewidth of about 23MHz which is comparable to the predicted linewidth values for natural lasers [Dravins & Germana, 2008; Griest et al., 2010; Johansson & Letokhov, 2005; Roche et al., 2012; Strelnitski et al., 1995; Taylor, 1983; Tellis & Marcy, 2015]. These results suggest that the narrowband spectral filtering technique developed in this thesis may provide a useful tool for revisiting intensity correlation measurements in astronomy again.

Forming disc galaxies in major mergers - III. The effect of angular momentum on the radial density profiles of disc galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peschken, N.; Athanassoula, E.; Rodionov, S. A.

2017-06-01

We study the effect of angular momentum on the surface density profiles of disc galaxies, using high-resolution simulations of major mergers whose remnants have downbending radial density profiles (type II). As described in the previous papers of this series, in this scenario, most of the disc mass is acquired after the collision via accretion from a hot gaseous halo. We find that the inner and outer disc scalelengths, as well as the break radius, correlate with the total angular momentum of the initial merging system, and are larger for high-angular momentum systems. We follow the angular momentum redistribution in our simulated galaxies, and find that like the mass, the disc angular momentum is acquired via accretion, I.e. to the detriment of the gaseous halo. Furthermore, high-angular momentum systems give more angular momentum to their discs, which directly affects their radial density profile. Adding simulations of isolated galaxies to our sample, we find that the correlations are valid also for disc galaxies evolved in isolation. We show that the outer part of the disc at the end of the simulation is populated mainly by inside-out stellar migration, and that in galaxies with higher angular momentum, stars travel radially further out. This, however, does not mean that outer disc stars (in type II discs) were mostly born in the inner disc. Indeed, generally the break radius increases over time, and not taking this into account leads to overestimating the number of stars born in the inner disc.

"High Angular Resolution Observations of Protoplanetary Disks with Adaptive Optics"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roddier, Francois

1999-01-01

Significant results were obtained and published in the literature. The first optical detection of a circumbinary disk was reported in the ApJ at millimetric wavelengths. The size and inclination of this disk were found to be consistent with millimetric observations. Evidence was found for a cavity inside the disk as theory predicts from dust clearing by the stellar companion.

Incompressible Modes Excited by Supersonic Shear in Boundary Layers: Acoustic CFS Instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belyaev, Mikhail A.

2017-02-01

We present an instability for exciting incompressible modes (e.g., gravity or Rossby modes) at the surface of a star accreting through a boundary layer. The instability excites a stellar mode by sourcing an acoustic wave in the disk at the boundary layer, which carries a flux of energy and angular momentum with the opposite sign as the energy and angular momentum density of the stellar mode. We call this instability the acoustic Chandrasekhar-Friedman-Schutz (CFS) instability, because of the direct analogy to the CFS instability for exciting modes on a rotating star by emission of energy in the form of gravitational waves. However, the acoustic CFS instability differs from its gravitational wave counterpart in that the fluid medium in which the acoustic wave propagates (I.e., the accretion disk) typically rotates faster than the star in which the incompressible mode is sourced. For this reason, the instability can operate even for a non-rotating star in the presence of an accretion disk. We discuss applications of our results to high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations in accreting black hole and neutron star systems and dwarf nova oscillations in cataclysmic variables.

The Scylla Multi-Code Comparison Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maller, Ariyeh; Stewart, Kyle; Bullock, James; Oñorbe, Jose; Scylla Team

2016-01-01

Cosmological hydrodynamical simulations are one of the main techniques used to understand galaxy formation and evolution. However, it is far from clear to what extent different numerical techniques and different implementations of feedback yield different results. The Scylla Multi-Code Comparison Project seeks to address this issue by running idenitical initial condition simulations with different popular hydrodynamic galaxy formation codes. Here we compare simulations of a Milky Way mass halo using the codes enzo, ramses, art, arepo and gizmo-psph. The different runs produce galaxies with a variety of properties. There are many differences, but also many similarities. For example we find that in all runs cold flow disks exist; extended gas structures, far beyond the galactic disk, that show signs of rotation. Also, the angular momentum of warm gas in the halo is much larger than the angular momentum of the dark matter. We also find notable differences between runs. The temperature and density distribution of hot gas can differ by over an order of magnitude between codes and the stellar mass to halo mass relation also varies widely. These results suggest that observations of galaxy gas halos and the stellar mass to halo mass relation can be used to constarin the correct model of feedback.

NIHAO VI. The hidden discs of simulated galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obreja, Aura; Stinson, Gregory S.; Dutton, Aaron A.; Macciò, Andrea V.; Wang, Liang; Kang, Xi

2016-06-01

Detailed studies of galaxy formation require clear definitions of the structural components of galaxies. Precisely defined components also enable better comparisons between observations and simulations. We use a subsample of 18 cosmological zoom-in simulations from the Numerical Investigation of a Hundred Astrophysical Objects (NIHAO) project to derive a robust method for defining stellar kinematic discs in galaxies. Our method uses Gaussian Mixture Models in a 3D space of dynamical variables. The NIHAO galaxies have the right stellar mass for their halo mass, and their angular momenta and Sérsic indices match observations. While the photometric disc-to-total ratios are close to 1 for all the simulated galaxies, the kinematic ratios are around ˜0.5. Thus, exponential structure does not imply a cold kinematic disc. Above M* ˜ 109.5 M⊙, the decomposition leads to thin discs and spheroids that have clearly different properties, in terms of angular momentum, rotational support, ellipticity, [Fe/H] and [O/Fe]. At M* ≲ 109.5 M⊙, the decomposition selects discs and spheroids with less distinct properties. At these low masses, both the discs and spheroids have exponential profiles with high minor-to-major axes ratios, I.e. thickened discs.

Bulgeless dwarf galaxies and dark matter cores from supernova-driven outflows.

PubMed

Governato, F; Brook, C; Mayer, L; Brooks, A; Rhee, G; Wadsley, J; Jonsson, P; Willman, B; Stinson, G; Quinn, T; Madau, P

2010-01-14

For almost two decades the properties of 'dwarf' galaxies have challenged the cold dark matter (CDM) model of galaxy formation. Most observed dwarf galaxies consist of a rotating stellar disk embedded in a massive dark-matter halo with a near-constant-density core. Models based on the dominance of CDM, however, invariably form galaxies with dense spheroidal stellar bulges and steep central dark-matter profiles, because low-angular-momentum baryons and dark matter sink to the centres of galaxies through accretion and repeated mergers. Processes that decrease the central density of CDM halos have been identified, but have not yet reconciled theory with observations of present-day dwarfs. This failure is potentially catastrophic for the CDM model, possibly requiring a different dark-matter particle candidate. Here we report hydrodynamical simulations (in a framework assuming the presence of CDM and a cosmological constant) in which the inhomogeneous interstellar medium is resolved. Strong outflows from supernovae remove low-angular-momentum gas, which inhibits the formation of bulges and decreases the dark-matter density to less than half of what it would otherwise be within the central kiloparsec. The analogues of dwarf galaxies-bulgeless and with shallow central dark-matter profiles-arise naturally in these simulations.

Incompressible Modes Excited by Supersonic Shear in Boundary Layers: Acoustic CFS Instability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Belyaev, Mikhail A., E-mail: mbelyaev@berkeley.edu

We present an instability for exciting incompressible modes (e.g., gravity or Rossby modes) at the surface of a star accreting through a boundary layer. The instability excites a stellar mode by sourcing an acoustic wave in the disk at the boundary layer, which carries a flux of energy and angular momentum with the opposite sign as the energy and angular momentum density of the stellar mode. We call this instability the acoustic Chandrasekhar–Friedman–Schutz (CFS) instability, because of the direct analogy to the CFS instability for exciting modes on a rotating star by emission of energy in the form of gravitationalmore » waves. However, the acoustic CFS instability differs from its gravitational wave counterpart in that the fluid medium in which the acoustic wave propagates (i.e., the accretion disk) typically rotates faster than the star in which the incompressible mode is sourced. For this reason, the instability can operate even for a non-rotating star in the presence of an accretion disk. We discuss applications of our results to high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations in accreting black hole and neutron star systems and dwarf nova oscillations in cataclysmic variables.« less

Stellar and gaseous disc structures in cosmological galaxy equilibrium models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rathaus, Ben; Sternberg, Amiel

2016-05-01

We present `radially resolved equilibrium models' for the growth of stellar and gaseous discs in cosmologically accreting massive haloes. Our focus is on objects that evolve to redshifts z ˜ 2. We solve the time-dependent equations that govern the radially dependent star formation rates, inflows and outflows from and to the inter- and circumgalactic medium, and inward radial gas flows within the discs. The stellar and gaseous discs reach equilibrium configurations on dynamical time-scales much shorter than variations in the cosmological dark matter halo growth and baryonic accretions rates. We show analytically that mass and global angular momentum conservation naturally give rise to exponential gas and stellar discs over many radial length-scales. As expected, the gaseous discs are more extended as set by the condition Toomre Q < 1 for star formation. The discs rapidly become baryon dominated. For massive, 5 × 1012 M⊙ haloes at redshift z = 2, we reproduced the typical observed star formation rates of ˜100 M⊙ yr-1, stellar masses ˜9 × 1010 M⊙, gas contents ˜1011 M⊙, half-mass sizes of 4.5 and 5.8 kpc for the stars and gas, and characteristic surface densities of 500 and 400 M⊙ pc-2 for the stars and gas.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guzik, J. A.; Houdek, G.; Chaplin, W. J.

θ Cygni is an F3 spectral type magnitude V = 4.48 main-sequence star that was the brightest star observed by the original Kepler spacecraft mission. Short-cadence (58.8 s) photometric data using a custom aperture were first obtained during Quarter 6 (2010 June–September) and subsequently in Quarters 8 and 12–17. We present analyses of solar-like oscillations based on Q6 and Q8 data, identifying angular degree l = 0, 1, and 2 modes with frequencies of 1000–2700 μ Hz, a large frequency separation of 83.9 ± 0.4 μ Hz, and maximum oscillation amplitude at frequency ν {sub max} = 1829 ± 54more » μ Hz. We also present analyses of new ground-based spectroscopic observations, which, combined with interferometric angular diameter measurements, give T {sub eff} = 6697 ± 78 K, radius 1.49 ± 0.03 R {sub ⊙}, [Fe/H] = -0.02 ± 0.06 dex, and log g = 4.23 ± 0.03. We calculate stellar models matching these constraints using the Yale Rotating Evolution Code and the Asteroseismic Modeling Portal. The best-fit models have masses of 1.35–1.39 M {sub ⊙} and ages of 1.0–1.6 Gyr. θ Cyg’s T {sub eff} and log g place it cooler than the red edge of the γ Doradus instability region established from pre- Kepler ground-based observations, but just at the red edge derived from pulsation modeling. The pulsation models show γ Dor gravity modes driven by the convective blocking mechanism, with frequencies of 1–3 cycles per day (11 to 33 μ Hz). However, gravity modes were not seen in Kepler data; one signal at 1.776 cycles per day (20.56 μ Hz) may be attributable to a faint, possibly background, binary.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guzik, Joyce Ann; Houdek, G.; Chaplin, W. J.

θ Cygni is an F3 spectral type magnitude V = 4.48 main-sequence star that was the brightest star observed by the original Kepler spacecraft mission. Short-cadence (58.8 s) photometric data using a custom aperture were first obtained during Quarter 6 (2010 June–September) and subsequently in Quarters 8 and 12–17. We present analyses of solar-like oscillations based on Q6 and Q8 data, identifying angular degree l = 0, 1, and 2 modes with frequencies of 1000–2700 μHz, a large frequency separation of 83.9 ± 0.4 μHz, and maximum oscillation amplitude at frequency ν max = 1829 ± 54 μHz. We alsomore » present analyses of new ground-based spectroscopic observations, which, combined with interferometric angular diameter measurements, give T eff = 6697 ± 78 K, radius 1.49 ± 0.03 R ⊙, [Fe/H] = $-$0.02 ± 0.06 dex, and log g = 4.23 ± 0.03. We calculate stellar models matching these constraints using the Yale Rotating Evolution Code and the Asteroseismic Modeling Portal. The best-fit models have masses of 1.35–1.39 M ⊙ and ages of 1.0–1.6 Gyr. θ Cyg's T eff and log g place it cooler than the red edge of the γ Doradus instability region established from pre-Kepler ground-based observations, but just at the red edge derived from pulsation modeling. Lastly, the pulsation models show γ Dor gravity modes driven by the convective blocking mechanism, with frequencies of 1–3 cycles per day (11 to 33 μHz). However, gravity modes were not seen in Kepler data; one signal at 1.776 cycles per day (20.56 μHz) may be attributable to a faint, possibly background, binary.« less

Microwave continuum measurements and estimates of mass loss rates for cool giants and supergiants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drake, S. A.; Linsky, J. L.

1986-01-01

Attention is given to the results of a sensitive, 6-cm radio continuum survey conducted with the NRAO VLA of 39 of the nearest single cool giants and supergiants of G0-M5 spectral types; the survey was conducted in order to obtain accurate measurements of the mass loss rates of ionized gas for a representative sample of such stars, in order to furnish constraints for, and a better understanding of, the total mass loss rates. The inferred angular diameters for the cool giant sources are noted to be twice as large as photospheric angular diameters, implying that these stars are surrounded by extended chromospheres containing warm partially ionized gas.

High contrast stellar observations within the diffraction limit at the Palomar Hale telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mennesson, B.; Hanot, C.; Serabyn, E.; Martin, S. R.; Liewer, K.; Loya, F.; Mawet, D.

2010-07-01

We report on high-accuracy, high-resolution (< 20mas) stellar measurements obtained in the near infrared ( 2.2 microns) at the Palomar 200 inch telescope using two elliptical (3m x 1.5m) sub-apertures located 3.4m apart. Our interferometric coronagraph, known as the "Palomar Fiber Nuller" (PFN), is located downstream of the Palomar adaptive optics (AO) system and recombines the two separate beams into a common singlemode fiber. The AO system acts as a "fringe tracker", maintaining the optical path difference (OPD) between the beams around an adjustable value, which is set to the central dark interference fringe. AO correction ensures high efficiency and stable injection of the beams into the single-mode fiber. A chopper wheel and a fast photometer are used to record short (< 50ms per beam) interleaved sequences of background, individual beam and interferometric signals. In order to analyze these chopped null data sequences, we developed a new statistical method, baptized "Null Self-Calibration" (NSC), which provides astrophysical null measurements at the 0.001 level, with 1 σ uncertainties as low as 0.0003. Such accuracy translates into a dynamic range greater than 1000:1 within the diffraction limit, demonstrating that the approach effectively bridges the traditional gap between regular coronagraphs, limited in angular resolution, and long baseline visibility interferometers, whose dynamic range is restricted to 100:1. As our measurements are extremely sensitive to the brightness distribution very close to the optical axis, we were able to constrain the stellar diameters and amounts of circumstellar emission for a sample of very bright stars. With the improvement expected when the PALM-3000 extreme AO system comes on-line at Palomar, the same instrument now equipped with a state of the art low noise fast read-out near IR camera, will yield 10-4 to 10-3 contrast as close as 30 mas for stars with K magnitude brighter than 6. Such a system will provide a unique and ideal tool for the detection of young (<100 Myr) self-luminous planets and hot debris disks in the immediate vicinity (0.1 to a few AUs) of nearby (< 50pc) stars.

The Dramatic Size and Kinematic Evolution of Massive Early-type Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapi, A.; Pantoni, L.; Zanisi, L.; Shi, J.; Mancuso, C.; Massardi, M.; Shankar, F.; Bressan, A.; Danese, L.

2018-04-01

We aim to provide a holistic view on the typical size and kinematic evolution of massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) that encompasses their high-z star-forming progenitors, their high-z quiescent counterparts, and their configurations in the local Universe. Our investigation covers the main processes playing a relevant role in the cosmic evolution of ETGs. Specifically, their early fast evolution comprises biased collapse of the low angular momentum gaseous baryons located in the inner regions of the host dark matter halo; cooling, fragmentation, and infall of the gas down to the radius set by the centrifugal barrier; further rapid compaction via clump/gas migration toward the galaxy center, where strong heavily dust-enshrouded star formation takes place and most of the stellar mass is accumulated; and ejection of substantial gas amount from the inner regions by feedback processes, which causes a dramatic puffing-up of the stellar component. In the late slow evolution, passive aging of stellar populations and mass additions by dry merger events occur. We describe these processes relying on prescriptions inspired by basic physical arguments and by numerical simulations to derive new analytical estimates of the relevant sizes, timescales, and kinematic properties for individual galaxies along their evolution. Then we obtain quantitative results as a function of galaxy mass and redshift, and compare them to recent observational constraints on half-light size R e , on the ratio v/σ between rotation velocity and velocity dispersion (for gas and stars) and on the specific angular momentum j ⋆ of the stellar component; we find good consistency with the available multiband data in average values and dispersion, both for local ETGs and for their z ∼ 1–2 star-forming and quiescent progenitors. The outcomes of our analysis can provide hints to gauge sub-grid recipes implemented in simulations, to tune numerical experiments focused on specific processes, and to plan future multiband, high-resolution observations on high-redshift star-forming and quiescent galaxies with next-generation facilities.

Effects of Dynamical Evolution on Globular Clusters’ Internal Kinematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiongco, Maria; Vesperini, Enrico; Varri, Anna Lisa

2018-01-01

The synergy between recent photometric, spectroscopic, and astrometric studies is revealing that globular clusters deviate from the traditional picture of dynamically simple and single stellar population systems. Complex kinematical features such as velocity anisotropy and rotation, and the existence of multiple stellar populations are some of the key observational findings. My thesis work has aimed to build a theoretical framework to interpret these new observational results and to understand their link with a globular cluster’s dynamical history.I have focused on the study of the evolution of globular clusters' internal kinematics, as driven by two-body relaxation, and the interplay between internal angular momentum and the external Galactic tidal field. With a specifically-designed, large survey of direct N-body simulations, I have explored the three-dimensional structure of the velocity space of tidally-perturbed clusters, by characterizing their degree of anisotropy and their rotational properties. These studies have proved that a cluster's kinematical properties contain a distinct imprints of the cluster’s initial structural properties, dynamical history, and tidal environment. By relaxing a number of simplifying assumptions that are traditionally imposed, I have also showed how the interplay between a cluster's internal evolution and the interaction with the host galaxy can produce complex morphological and kinematical properties, such as a counter-rotating core and a twisting of the projected isodensity contours.Building on this fundamental understanding, I have then studied the dynamics of multiple stellar populations in globular clusters, with attention to the largely unexplored role of angular momentum. I have analyzed the evolution of clusters with stellar populations characterized by different initial structural and kinematical properties to determine how long these differences are preserved, and in what cases they could still be observable in present-day systems.This body of results provides essential guidance for a meaningful interpretation of the emerging dynamical complexity of globular clusters in the era of Gaia and other upcoming large spectroscopic surveys.

A Multi-instrument and Multi-wavelength High Angular Resolution Study of MWC 614: Quantum Heated Particles Inside the Disk Cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kluska, Jacques; Kraus, Stefan; Davies, Claire L.; Harries, Tim; Willson, Matthew; Monnier, John D.; Aarnio, Alicia; Baron, Fabien; Millan-Gabet, Rafael; Ten Brummelaar, Theo; Che, Xiao; Hinkley, Sasha; Preibisch, Thomas; Sturmann, Judit; Sturmann, Laszlo; Touhami, Yamina

2018-03-01

High angular resolution observations of young stellar objects are required to study the inner astronomical units of protoplanetary disks in which the majority of planets form. As they evolve, gaps open up in the inner disk regions and the disks are fully dispersed within ∼10 Myr. MWC 614 is a pretransitional object with a ∼10 au radius gap. We present a set of high angular resolution observations of this object including SPHERE/ZIMPOL polarimetric and coronagraphic images in the visible, Keck/NIRC2 near-infrared (NIR) aperture masking observations, and Very Large Telescope Interferometer (AMBER, MIDI, and PIONIER) and Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CLASSIC and CLIMB) long-baseline interferometry at infrared wavelengths. We find that all the observations are compatible with an inclined disk (i ∼ 55° at a position angle of ∼20°–30°). The mid-infrared data set confirms that the disk inner rim is at 12.3 ± 0.4 au from the central star. We determined an upper mass limit of 0.34 M ⊙ for a companion inside the cavity. Within the cavity, the NIR emission, usually associated with the dust sublimation region, is unusually extended (∼10 au, 30 times larger than the theoretical sublimation radius) and indicates a high dust temperature (T ∼ 1800 K). As a possible result of companion-induced dust segregation, quantum heated dust grains could explain the extended NIR emission with this high temperature. Our observations confirm the peculiar state of this object where the inner disk has already been accreted onto the star, exposing small particles inside the cavity to direct stellar radiation. Based on observations made with the Keck observatory (NASA program ID N104N2) and with ESO telescopes at the Paranal Observatory (ESO program IDs 073.C-0720, 077.C-0226, 077.C-0521, 083.C-0984, 087.C-0498(A), 190.C-0963, 095.C-0883) and with the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy observatory.

Photogrammetry Of A Parabolic Antenna

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merrick, W. D.; Lansing, F. L.; Stoller, F. W.; Lobb, V. B.

1988-01-01

Surface measured with accuracy better than 10 to the negative fifth power times diameter. Report describes use of advanced close-range photogrammetry to determine deviations of 34-m-diameter antenna main reflector and subreflector from nominal paraboloidal shapes. Measurements enable removal of linear offsets and angular misalignments of subreflector, with consequent increase of 4 percent in aperture efficiency.

Probing the galaxy-halo connection in UltraVISTA to z ˜ 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCracken, H. J.; Wolk, M.; Colombi, S.; Kilbinger, M.; Ilbert, O.; Peirani, S.; Coupon, J.; Dunlop, J.; Milvang-Jensen, B.; Caputi, K.; Aussel, H.; Béthermin, M.; Le Fèvre, O.

2015-05-01

We use percent-level precision photometric redshifts in the UltraVISTA-DR1 near-infrared survey to investigate the changing relationship between galaxy stellar mass and the dark matter haloes hosting them to z ˜ 2. We achieve this by measuring the clustering properties and abundances of a series of volume-limited galaxy samples selected by stellar mass and star formation activity. We interpret these results in the framework of a phenomenological halo model and numerical simulations. Our measurements span a uniquely large range in stellar mass and redshift and reach below the characteristic stellar mass to z ˜ 2. Our results are: (1) at fixed redshift and scale, clustering amplitude depends monotonically on sample stellar mass threshold; (2) at fixed angular scale, the projected clustering amplitude decreases with redshift but the comoving correlation length remains constant; (3) characteristic halo masses and galaxy bias increase with increasing median stellar mass of the sample; (4) the slope of these relationships is modified in lower mass haloes; (5) concerning the passive galaxy population, characteristic halo masses are consistent with a simply less-abundant version of the full galaxy sample, but at lower redshifts the fraction of satellite galaxies in the passive population is very different from the full galaxy sample; (6) finally, we find that the ratio between the characteristic halo mass and median stellar mass at each redshift bin reaches a peak at log (Mh/M⊙) ˜ 12.2 and the position of this peak remains constant out to z ˜ 2. The behaviour of the full and passively evolving galaxy samples can be understood qualitatively by considering the slow evolution of the characteristic stellar mass in the redshift range probed by our survey.

The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. XII. Stellar Populations and Kinematics of Compact, Low-mass Early-type Galaxies from Gemini GMOS-IFU Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guérou, Adrien; Emsellem, Eric; McDermid, Richard M.; Côté, Patrick; Ferrarese, Laura; Blakeslee, John P.; Durrell, Patrick R.; MacArthur, Lauren A.; Peng, Eric W.; Cuillandre, Jean-Charles; Gwyn, Stephen

2015-05-01

We present Gemini Multi Object Spectrograph integral-field unit (GMOS-IFU) data of eight compact, low-mass early-type galaxies (ETGs) in the Virgo cluster. We analyze their stellar kinematics and stellar population and present two-dimensional maps of these properties covering the central 5″ × 7″ region. We find a large variety of kinematics, from nonrotating to highly rotating objects, often associated with underlying disky isophotes revealed by deep images from the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. In half of our objects, we find a centrally concentrated younger and more metal-rich stellar population. We analyze the specific stellar angular momentum through the λR parameter and find six fast rotators and two slow rotators, one having a thin counterrotating disk. We compare the local galaxy density and stellar populations of our objects with those of 39 more extended low-mass Virgo ETGs from the SMAKCED survey and 260 massive (M > 1010 {{M}⊙ }) ETGs from the ATLAS3D sample. The compact low-mass ETGs in our sample are located in high-density regions, often close to a massive galaxy, and have, on average, older and more metal-rich stellar populations than less compact low-mass galaxies. We find that the stellar population parameters follow lines of constant velocity dispersion in the mass-size plane, smoothly extending the comparable trends found for massive ETGs. Our study supports a scenario where low-mass compact ETGs have experienced long-lived interactions with their environment, including ram-pressure stripping and gravitational tidal forces, that may be responsible for their compact nature.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jee, I.; Komatsu, E.; Suyu, S.H., E-mail: ijee@mpa-garching.mpg.de, E-mail: komatsu@mpa-garching.mpg.de, E-mail: suyu@asiaa.sinica.edu.tw

The distance-redshift relation plays a fundamental role in constraining cosmological models. In this paper, we show that measurements of positions and time delays of strongly lensed images of a background galaxy, as well as those of the velocity dispersion and mass profile of a lens galaxy, can be combined to extract the angular diameter distance of the lens galaxy. Physically, as the velocity dispersion and the time delay give a gravitational potential (GM/r) and a mass (GM) of the lens, respectively, dividing them gives a physical size (r) of the lens. Comparing the physical size with the image positions ofmore » a lensed galaxy gives the angular diameter distance to the lens. A mismatch between the exact locations at which these measurements are made can be corrected by measuring a local slope of the mass profile. We expand on the original idea put forward by Paraficz and Hjorth, who analyzed singular isothermal lenses, by allowing for an arbitrary slope of a power-law spherical mass density profile, an external convergence, and an anisotropic velocity dispersion. We find that the effect of external convergence cancels out when dividing the time delays and velocity dispersion measurements. We derive a formula for the uncertainty in the angular diameter distance in terms of the uncertainties in the observables. As an application, we use two existing strong lens systems, B1608+656 (z{sub L}=0.6304) and RXJ1131−1231 (z{sub L}=0.295), to show that the uncertainty in the inferred angular diameter distances is dominated by that in the velocity dispersion, σ{sup 2}, and its anisotropy. We find that the current data on these systems should yield about 16% uncertainty in D{sub A} per object. This improves to 13% when we measure σ{sup 2} at the so-called sweet-spot radius. Achieving 7% is possible if we can determine σ{sup 2} with 5% precision.« less

Weak lensing shear and aperture mass from linear to non-linear scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munshi, Dipak; Valageas, Patrick; Barber, Andrew J.

2004-05-01

We describe the predictions for the smoothed weak lensing shear, γs, and aperture mass,Map, of two simple analytical models of the density field: the minimal tree model and the stellar model. Both models give identical results for the statistics of the three-dimensional density contrast smoothed over spherical cells and only differ by the detailed angular dependence of the many-body density correlations. We have shown in previous work that they also yield almost identical results for the probability distribution function (PDF) of the smoothed convergence, κs. We find that the two models give rather close results for both the shear and the positive tail of the aperture mass. However, we note that at small angular scales (θs<~ 2 arcmin) the tail of the PDF, , for negative Map shows a strong variation between the two models, and the stellar model actually breaks down for θs<~ 0.4 arcmin and Map < 0. This shows that the statistics of the aperture mass provides a very precise probe of the detailed structure of the density field, as it is sensitive to both the amplitude and the detailed angular behaviour of the many-body correlations. On the other hand, the minimal tree model shows good agreement with numerical simulations over all the scales and redshifts of interest, while both models provide a good description of the PDF, , of the smoothed shear components. Therefore, the shear and the aperture mass provide robust and complementary tools to measure the cosmological parameters as well as the detailed statistical properties of the density field.

Propeller-driven outflows from an MRI disc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lii, Patrick S.; Romanova, Marina M.; Ustyugova, Galina V.; Koldoba, Alexander V.; Lovelace, Richard V. E.

2014-06-01

Accreting magnetized stars may be in the propeller regime of disc accretion in which the angular velocity of the stellar magnetosphere exceeds that of the inner disc. In these systems, the stellar magnetosphere acts as a centrifugal barrier and plays a dominant role in the inner disc dynamics by inhibiting matter accretion on to the star. In this work, we investigate the dynamics of the propeller regime using axisymmetric MHD simulations of MRI-driven accretion on to a rapidly rotating magnetized star. The disc matter is inhibited from accreting on to the star and instead accumulates at the disc-magnetosphere boundary, slowly building up a reservoir of matter. Some of this matter diffuses into the outer magnetosphere where it picks up angular momentum and is ejected as an outflow which gradually collimates at larger distances from the star. If the ejection rate is smaller than the disc's accretion rate, then the matter accumulates at the disc-magnetosphere boundary faster than it can be ejected. In this situation, accretion on to the propelling star proceeds through the episodic accretion cycle in which episodes of matter accumulation are followed by a brief episode of simultaneous ejection and accretion on to the star. In addition to the matter-dominated wind component, the propeller also drives a well-collimated, magnetically dominated Poynting jet which transports energy and angular momentum away from the star. The propelling stars undergo strong spin-down due to the outflow of angular momentum in the wind and jet. We measure spin-down time-scales of ˜1.2 Myr for a cTTs in the strong propeller regime of accretion. The propeller mechanism may explain some of the jets and winds observed around some T Tauri stars as well as the nature of their ejections. It may also explain some of the quasi-periodic variability observed in cataclysmic variables, millisecond pulsars and other magnetized stars.

Group Delay Tracking with the Sydney University Stellar Interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawson, Peter R.

1994-08-01

The Sydney University Stellar Interferometer (SUSI) is a long baseline optical interferometer, located at the Paul Wild Observatory near Narrabri, in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is designed to measure stellar angular diameters using light collected from a pair of siderostats, with 11 fixed siderostats giving separations between 5 and 640 m. Apertures smaller than Fried's coherence length, r_0, are used and active tilt-compensation is employed. This ensures that when the beams are combined in the pupil plane the wavefronts are parallel. Fringes are detected when the optical path-difference between the arriving wavefronts is less than tne coherence length of light used for the observation. While observing a star it is necessary to compensate for the changes in pathlength due to the earth's rotation. It is also highly desirable to compensate for path changes due to the effects of atmospheric turbulence. Tracking the path-difference permits an accurate calibration of the fringe visibility, allows larger bandwidths to be used, and therefore improves the sensitivity of the instrument. I describe a fringe tracking system which I developed for SUSI, based on group delay tracking with a PAPA (Precision Analog Photon Address) detector. The method uses short exposure images of fringes, 1-10 ms, detected in the dispersed spectra of the combined starlight. The number of fringes across a fixed bandwidth of channeled spectrum is directly proportional to the path-difference between the arriving wavefronts. A Fast Fourier Transform, implemented in hardware, is used to calculate the spatial power spectrum of the fringes, thereby locating the delay. The visibility loss due to a non-constant fringe spacing on the detector is investigated, and the improvements obtained from rebinning the photon data are shown. The low light level limitations of group delay tracking are determined theoretically with emphasis on the probability of tracking error, rather than the signal-to-noise ratio. Experimental results from both laboratory studies and stellar observations are presented. These show the first closed-loop operation of a fringe tracking system based on observations of group delay with a stellar interferometer. The Sydney University PAPA camera, a photon counting array detector developed for use in this work, is also described. The design principles of the PAPA camera are outlined and the potential sources of image artifacts are identified. The artifacts arise from the use of optical encoding with Gray coded masks, and teh new camera is distinguished by its mask-plate, which was designed to overcome artifacts due to vignetting. Nw lens mounts are also presented which permit a simplified optical alignment without the need for tilt-plates. The performance of the camera is described. (SECTION: Dissertation Summaries)

Temporal variability of the wind from the star τ Boötis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholson, B. A.; Vidotto, A. A.; Mengel, M.; Brookshaw, L.; Carter, B.; Petit, P.; Marsden, S. C.; Jeffers, S. V.; Fares, R.; BCool Collaboration

2016-06-01

We present new wind models for τ Boötis (τ Boo), a hot-Jupiter-host-star whose observable magnetic cycles makes it a uniquely useful target for our goal of monitoring the temporal variability of stellar winds and their exoplanetary impacts. Using spectropolarimetric observations from May 2009 to January 2015, the most extensive information of this type yet available, to reconstruct the stellar magnetic field, we produce multiple 3D magnetohydrodynamic stellar wind models. Our results show that characteristic changes in the large-scale magnetic field as the star undergoes magnetic cycles produce changes in the wind properties, both globally and locally at the position of the orbiting planet. Whilst the mass loss rate of the star varies by only a minimal amount (˜4 per cent), the rates of angular momentum loss and associated spin-down time-scales are seen to vary widely (up to ˜140 per cent), findings consistent with and extending previous research. In addition, we find that temporal variation in the global wind is governed mainly by changes in total magnetic flux rather than changes in wind plasma properties. The magnetic pressure varies with time and location and dominates the stellar wind pressure at the planetary orbit. By assuming a Jovian planetary magnetic field for τ Boo b, we nevertheless conclude that the planetary magnetosphere can remain stable in size for all observed stellar cycle epochs, despite significant changes in the stellar field and the resulting local space weather environment.

The stellar metallicity gradients in galaxy discs in a cosmological scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tissera, Patricia B.; Machado, Rubens E. G.; Sanchez-Blazquez, Patricia; Pedrosa, Susana E.; Sánchez, Sebastián F.; Snaith, Owain; Vilchez, Jose

2016-08-01

Context. The stellar metallicity gradients of disc galaxies provide information on disc assembly, star formation processes, and chemical evolution. They also might store information on dynamical processes that could affect the distribution of chemical elements in the gas phase and the stellar components. Understanding their joint effects within a hierarchical clustering scenario is of paramount importance. Aims: We studied the stellar metallicity gradients of simulated discs in a cosmological simulation. We explored the dependence of the stellar metallicity gradients on stellar age and on the size and mass of the stellar discs. Methods: We used a catalogue of galaxies with disc components selected from a cosmological hydrodynamical simulation performed including a physically motivated supernova feedback and chemical evolution. Disc components were defined based on angular momentum and binding energy criteria. The metallicity profiles were estimated for stars with different ages. We confront our numerical findings with results from the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area (CALIFA) Survey. Results: The simulated stellar discs are found to have metallicity profiles with slopes in global agreement with observations. Low stellar mass galaxies tend to have a larger variety of metallicity slopes. When normalized by the half-mass radius, the stellar metallicity gradients do not show any dependence and the dispersion increases significantly, regardless of the galaxy mass. Galaxies with stellar masses o f around 1010M⊙ show steeper negative metallicity gradients. The stellar metallicity gradients correlate with the half-mass radius. However, the correlation signal is not present when they are normalized by the half-mass radius. Stellar discs with positive age gradients are detected to have negative and positive metallicity gradients, depending on the relative importance of recent star formation activity in the central regions. Conclusions: Our results suggest that inside-out formation is the main process responsible for the metallicity and age profiles. The large dispersions in the metallicity gradients as a function of stellar mass could be ascribed to the effects of dynamical processes such as mergers, interactions and/or migration as well as those regulating the conversion of gas into stars. The fingerprints of the inside-out formation seem better preserved by the stellar metallicity gradients as a function of the half-mass radius.

Tidal Streams Near and Far

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fardal, Mark A.

2014-06-01

The Pandas survey of stars in M31's disk and halo is crisscrossed by numerous tidal features from both M31 and the Milky Way. Here I focus on two narrow stellar streams visible in the survey. They have comparable angular extent in the survey (10-13 degrees long versus only 0.3 degree wide), but one is a local Milky Way stream at about 30 kpc and one is in M31, roughly 25 times more distant. I estimate the stellar mass and metallicity in the streams and the distance gradient along them. The kinematics of the M31 stream is sparsely sampled by red giant stars and globular clusters. Bayesian modeling of the stream data yields accurate constraints on the orbital parameters of the streams.

Impact of baryonic physics on intrinsic alignments

DOE PAGES

Tenneti, Ananth; Gnedin, Nickolay Y.; Feng, Yu

2017-01-11

We explore the effects of specific assumptions in the subgrid models of star formation and stellar and AGN feedback on intrinsic alignments of galaxies in cosmological simulations of "MassiveBlack-II" family. Using smaller volume simulations, we explored the parameter space of the subgrid star formation and feedback model and found remarkable robustness of the observable statistical measures to the details of subgrid physics. The one observational probe most sensitive to modeling details is the distribution of misalignment angles. We hypothesize that the amount of angular momentum carried away by the galactic wind is the primary physical quantity that controls the orientationmore » of the stellar distribution. Finally, our results are also consistent with a similar study by the EAGLE simulation team.« less

Gravitational Waves from Gravitational Collapse.

PubMed

Fryer, Chris L; New, Kimberly C B

2011-01-01

Gravitational-wave emission from stellar collapse has been studied for nearly four decades. Current state-of-the-art numerical investigations of collapse include those that use progenitors with more realistic angular momentum profiles, properly treat microphysics issues, account for general relativity, and examine non-axisymmetric effects in three dimensions. Such simulations predict that gravitational waves from various phenomena associated with gravitational collapse could be detectable with ground-based and space-based interferometric observatories. This review covers the entire range of stellar collapse sources of gravitational waves: from the accretion-induced collapse of a white dwarf through the collapse down to neutron stars or black holes of massive stars to the collapse of supermassive stars. Supplementary material is available for this article at 10.12942/lrr-2011-1.

Cool stars, stellar systems, and the sun; Proceedings of the 7th Cambridge Workshop, Tucson, AZ, Oct. 9-12, 1991

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giampapa, Mark S. (Editor); Bookbinder, Jay A. (Editor)

1992-01-01

Consideration is given to HST observations of late-type stars, molecular absorption in the UV spectrum of Alpha Ori, EUV emission from late-type stars, Rosat observations of the Pleiades cluster, a deep ROSAT observation of the Hyades cluster, optical spectroscopy detected by EXOSAT, stellar photospheric convection, a structure of the solar X-ray corona, magnetic surface images of the BY Dra Star HD 82558, a Zebra interpretatin of BY Dra stars, optical flares on II Peg, a low-resolution spectroscopic survey of post-T tauri candidates, millimeter and sub-millimeter emission from flare stars, and activity in tidally interacting binaries. Attention is also given to modeling stellar angular momentum evolution, extended 60-micron emission from nearby Mira variables, the PANDORA atmosphere program, the global properties of active regions, oscillations in a stratified atmosphere, lithium abundances in northern RS CVn binaries, a new catalog of cool dwarf stars, the Far UV Spectrograph Explorer, and development of reflecting coronagraphs.

Imaging Variable Stars with HST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karovska, Margarita

2011-05-01

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of astronomical sources, ranging from objects in our solar system to objects in the early Universe, have revolutionized our knowledge of the Universe its origins and contents.I will highlight results from HST observations of variable stars obtained during the past twenty or so years. Multiwavelength observations of numerous variable stars and stellar systems were obtained using the superb HST imaging capabilities and its unprecedented angular resolution, especially in the UV and optical. The HST provided the first detailed images probing the structure of variable stars including their atmospheres and circumstellar environments. AAVSO observations and light curves have been critical for scheduling of many of these observations and provided important information and context for understanding of the imaging results of many variable sources. I will describe the scientific results from the imaging observations of variable stars including AGBs, Miras, Cepheids, semi-regular variables (including supergiants and giants), YSOs and interacting stellar systems with a variable stellar components. These results have led to an unprecedented understanding of the spatial and temporal characteristics of these objects and their place in the stellar evolutionary chains, and in the larger context of the dynamic evolving Universe.

Imaging Variable Stars with HST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karovska, M.

2012-06-01

(Abstract only) The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of astronomical sources, ranging from objects in our solar system to objects in the early Universe, have revolutionized our knowledge of the Universe its origins and contents. I highlight results from HST observations of variable stars obtained during the past twenty or so years. Multiwavelength observations of numerous variable stars and stellar systems were obtained using the superb HST imaging capabilities and its unprecedented angular resolution, especially in the UV and optical. The HST provided the first detailed images probing the structure of variable stars including their atmospheres and circumstellar environments. AAVSO observations and light curves have been critical for scheduling of many of these observations and provided important information and context for understanding of the imaging results of many variable sources. I describe the scientific results from the imaging observations of variable stars including AGBs, Miras, Cepheids, semiregular variables (including supergiants and giants), YSOs and interacting stellar systems with a variable stellar components. These results have led to an unprecedented understanding of the spatial and temporal characteristics of these objects and their place in the stellar evolutionary chains, and in the larger context of the dynamic evolving Universe.

The Stellar Imager (SI) project: a deep space UV/Optical Interferometer (UVOI) to observe the Universe at 0.1 milli-arcsec angular resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carpenter, Kenneth G.; Schrijver, Carolus J.; Karovska, Margarita

2009-04-01

The Stellar Imager (SI) is a space-based, UV/Optical Interferometer (UVOI) designed to enable 0.1 milli-arcsecond (mas) spectral imaging of stellar surfaces and of the Universe in general. It will also probe via asteroseismology flows and structures in stellar interiors. SI’s science focuses on the role of magnetism in the Universe and will revolutionize our understanding of the formation of planetary systems, of the habitability and climatology of distant planets, and of many magneto-hydrodynamically controlled processes, such as accretion, in the Universe. The ultra-sharp images of SI will revolutionize our view of many dynamic astrophysical processes by transforming point sources into extended sources, and snapshots into evolving views. SI is a “Flagship and Landmark Discovery Mission” in the 2005 Heliophysics Roadmap and a potential implementation of the UVOI in the 2006 Science Program for NASA’s Astronomy and Physics Division. We present here the science goals of the SI Mission, a mission architecture that could meet those goals, and the technology development needed to enable this mission. Additional information on SI can be found at: http://hires.gsfc.nasa.gov/si/

The Stellar Imager (SI) Project: A Deep Space UV/Optical Interferometer (UVOI) to Observe the Universe at 0.1 Milli-Arcsec Angular Resolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carpenter, Kenneth G.; Schrijver, Carolus J.; Karovska, Margarita

2008-01-01

The Stellar Imager (SI) is a space-based, UV/ Optical Interferometer (UVOI) designed to enable 0.1 milliarcsecond (mas) spectral imaging of stellar surfaces and of the Universe in general. It will also probe via asteroseismology flows and structures in stellar interiors. SI's science focuses on the role of magnetism in the Universe and will revolutionize our understanding, of the formation of planetary systems, of the habitability and climatology of distant planets, and of many magneto-hydrodynamically controlled processes, such as accretion, in the Universe. The ultra-sharp images of SI will revolutionize our view of many dynamic astrophysical processes by transforming point sources into extended sources, and snapshots into evolving views. SI is a "Flagship and Landmark Discovery Mission" in the 2005 Heliophysics Roadmap and a potential implementation of the UVOI in the 2006 Science Program for NASA's Astronomy and Physics Division. We present here the science goals of the SI Mission, a mission architecture that could meet those goals, and the technology development needed to enable this missin. Additional information on SI can be found at: http://hires.gsfc.nasa.gov/si/.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Philippov, Alexander A.; Rafikov, Roman R., E-mail: rrr@astro.princeton.edu

The eclipsing binary DI Herculis (DI Her) is known to exhibit anomalously slow apsidal precession below the rate predicted by general relativity. Recent measurements of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect indicate that stellar spins in DI Her are almost orthogonal to the orbital angular momentum, which explains the anomalous precession in agreement with the earlier theoretical suggestion by Shakura. However, these measurements yield only projections of the spin-orbit angles onto the sky plane, leaving the spin projection onto our line of sight unconstrained. Here we describe a method for determining the full three-dimensional spin orientation of the binary components relying on themore » use of the gravity-darkening effect, which is significant for the rapidly rotating stars in DI Her. Gravity darkening gives rise to a nonuniform brightness distribution over the stellar surface, the pattern of which depends on the stellar spin orientation. Using archival photometric data obtained during multiple eclipses over several decades, we are able to constrain the unknown spin angles in DI Her with this method, finding that the spin axes of both stars lie close to the plane of the sky. Our procedure fully accounts for the precession of stellar spins over the long time span of observations.« less

The Impact of Galactic Winds on the Angular Momentum of Disk Galaxies in the Illustris Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeFelippis, Daniel; Genel, Shy; Bryan, Greg L.; Fall, S. Michael

2017-05-01

Observed galactic disks have specific angular momenta similar to expectations for typical dark matter halos in ΛCDM. Cosmological hydrodynamical simulations have recently reproduced this similarity in large galaxy samples by including strong galactic winds, but the exact mechanism that achieves this is not yet clear. Here we present an analysis of key aspects contributing to this relation: angular momentum selection and evolution of Lagrangian mass elements as they accrete onto dark matter halos, condense into Milky-Way-scale galaxies, and join the z = 0 stellar phase. We contrast this evolution in the Illustris simulation with that in a simulation without galactic winds, where the z = 0 angular momentum is ≈ 0.6 {dex} lower. We find that winds induce differences between these simulations in several ways: increasing angular momentum, preventing angular momentum loss, and causing z = 0 stars to sample the accretion-time angular momentum distribution of baryons in a biased way. In both simulations, gas loses on average ≈ 0.4 {dex} between accreting onto halos and first accreting onto central galaxies. In Illustris, this is followed by ≈ 0.2 {dex} gains in the “galactic wind fountain” and no further net evolution past the final accretion onto the galaxy. Without feedback, further losses of ≈ 0.2 {dex} occur in the gas phase inside the galaxies. An additional ≈ 0.15 {dex} difference arises from feedback preferentially selecting higher angular momentum gas at accretion by expelling gas that is poorly aligned. These and additional effects of similar magnitude are discussed, suggesting a complex origin of the similarity between the specific angular momenta of galactic disks and typical halos.

Stellar models simulating the disk-locking mechanism and the evolutionary history of the Orion Nebula cluster and NGC 2264

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landin, N. R.; Mendes, L. T. S.; Vaz, L. P. R.; Alencar, S. H. P.

2016-02-01

Context. Rotational evolution in young stars is described by pre-main sequence evolutionary tracks including non-gray boundary conditions, rotation, conservation of angular momentum, and simulations of disk-locking. Aims: By assuming that disk-locking is the regulation mechanism for the stellar angular velocity during the early stages of pre-main sequence evolution, we use our rotating models and observational data to constrain disk lifetimes (Tdisk) of a representative sample of low-mass stars in two young clusters, the Orion Nebula cluster (ONC) and NGC 2264, and to better understand their rotational evolution. Methods: The period distributions of the ONC and NGC 2264 are known to be bimodal and to depend on the stellar mass. To follow the rotational evolution of these two clusters' stars, we generated sets of evolutionary tracks from a fully convective configuration with low central temperatures (before D- and Li-burning). We assumed that the evolution of fast rotators can be represented by models considering conservation of angular momentum during all stages and of moderate rotators by models considering conservation of angular velocity during the first stages of evolution. With these models we estimate a mass and an age for all stars. Results: The resulting mass distribution for the bulk of the cluster population is in the ranges of 0.2-0.4 M⊙ and 0.1-0.6 M⊙ for the ONC and NGC 2264, respectively. For the ONC, we assume that the secondary peak in the period distribution is due to high-mass objects still locked in their disks, with a locking period (Plock) of ~8 days. For NGC 2264 we make two hypotheses: (1) the stars in the secondary peak are still locked with Plock = 5 days, and (2) NGC 2264 is in a later stage in the rotational evolution. Hypothesis 2 implies in a disk-locking scenario with Plock = 8 days, a disk lifetime of 1 Myr and, after that, constant angular momentum evolution. We then simulated the period distribution of NGC 2264 when the mean age of the cluster was 1 Myr. Dichotomy and bimodality appear in the simulated distribution, presenting one peak at 2 days and another one at 5-7 days, indicating that the assumption of Plock = 8 days is plausible. Our hypotheses are compared with observational disk diagnoses available in the literature for the ONC and NGC 2264, such as near-infrared excess, Hα emission, and spectral energy distribution slope in the mid-infrared. Conclusions: Disk-locking models with Plock = 8 days and 0.2 Myr ≤ Tdisk ≤ 3 Myr are consistent with observed periods of moderate rotators of the ONC. For NGC 2264, the more promising explanation for the observed period distribution is an evolution with disk-locking (with Plock near 8 days) during the first 1 Myr, approximately, but after this, the evolution continued with constant angular momentum. Full Table 1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/586/A96

Getting the Big Picture: Design Considerations for a ngVLA Short Spacing Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mason, Brian Scott; Cotton, William; Condon, James; Kepley, Amanda; Selina, Rob; Murphy, Eric Joseph

2018-01-01

The Next Generation VLA (ngVLA) aims to provide a revolutionary increase in cm-wavelength collecting area and sensitivity while at the same time providing excellent image fidelity for a broad spectrum of science cases. Likely ngVLA configurations currently envisioned provide sensitivity over a very wide range of spatial scales. The antenna diameter (notionally 18 meters) fundamentally limits the largest angular scales that can be reached. One simple and powerful way to image larger angular scales is to build a complementary interferometer comprising a smaller number of smaller-diameter dishes.We have investigated the requirements that such an array would need to meet in order to usefully scientifically complement the ngVLA; this poster presents the results of our investigation.

VLTI-GRAVITY measurements of cool evolved stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wittkowski, M.; Rau, G.; Chiavassa, A.; Höfner, S.; Scholz, M.; Wood, P. R.; de Wit, W. J.; Eisenhauer, F.; Haubois, X.; Paumard, T.

2018-06-01

Context. Dynamic model atmospheres of Mira stars predict variabilities in the photospheric radius and in atmospheric molecular layers which are not yet strongly constrained by observations. Aims: Here we measure the variability of the oxygen-rich Mira star R Peg in near-continuum and molecular bands. Methods: We used near-infrared K-band spectro-interferometry with a spectral resolution of about 4000 obtained at four epochs between post-maximum and minimum visual phases employing the newly available GRAVITY beam combiner at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Results: Our observations show a continuum radius that is anti-correlated with the visual lightcurve. Uniform disc (UD) angular diameters at a near-continuum wavelength of 2.25 μm are steadily increasing with values of 8.7 ± 0.1 mas, 9.4 ± 0.1 mas, 9.8 ± 0.1 mas, and 9.9 ± 0.1 mas at visual phases of 0.15, 0.36, 0,45, 0.53, respectively. UD diameters at a bandpass around 2.05 μm, dominated by water vapour, follow the near-continuum variability at larger UD diameters between 10.7 mas and 11.7 mas. UD diameters at the CO 2-0 bandhead, instead, are correlated with the visual lightcurve and anti-correlated with the near-continuum UD diameters, with values between 12.3 mas and 11.7 mas. Conclusions: The observed anti-correlation between continuum radius and visual lightcurve is consistent with an earlier study of the oxygen-rich Mira S Lac, and with recent 1D CODEX dynamic model atmosphere predictions. The amplitude of the variation is comparable to the earlier observations of S Lac, and smaller than predicted by CODEX models. The wavelength-dependent visibility variations at our epochs can be reproduced by a set of CODEX models at model phases between 0.3 and 0.6. The anti-correlation of water vapour and CO contributions at our epochs suggests that these molecules undergo different processes in the extended atmosphere along the stellar cycle. The newly available GRAVITY instrument is suited to conducting longer time series observations, which are needed to provide strong constraints on the model-predicted intra- and inter-cycle variability. Based on observations made with the VLT Interferometer at Paranal Observatory under programme IDs 60.A-9176 and 098.D-0647.

Untangling Galaxy Components - The Angular Momentum Parameter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tabor, Martha; Merrifield, Michael; Aragon-Salamanca, Alfonso

2017-06-01

We have developed a new technique to decompose Integral Field spectral data cubes into separate bulge and disk components, allowing us to study the kinematic and stellar population properties of the individual components and how they vary with position. We present here the application of this method to a sample of fast rotator early type galaxies from the MaNGA integral field survey, and demonstrate how it can be used to explore key properties of the individual components. By extracting ages, metallicities and the angular momentum parameter lambda of the bulges and disks, we show how this method can give us new insights into the underlying structure of the galaxies and discuss what this can tell us about their evolution history.

Quantifying Stellar Mass Loss with High Angular Resolution Imaging

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-19

material – via massive winds, planetary nebulae and supernova explosions – seeding the interstellar medium with heavier elements. Subsequent...of Planetary Nebulae (Harpaz, ApJ, 498,293, (1998)), impacts the pre-explosion characteristic of SNII (Taylor, “The Stars”, Cambridge (1994)), and...A 464, 119) or may have an important role, such as Be Stars, W-R stars, and planetary nebulae . The Future of Interferometric O/IR Imaging. The

In-N-Out: The Gas Cycle from Dwarfs to Spiral Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, Charlotte R.; Davé, Romeel; Governato, Fabio; Pontzen, Andrew; Brooks, Alyson; Munshi, Ferah; Quinn, Thomas; Wadsley, James

2016-06-01

We examine the scalings of galactic outflows with halo mass across a suite of 20 high-resolution cosmological zoom galaxy simulations covering halo masses in the range {10}9.5{--}{10}12 {M}⊙ . These simulations self-consistently generate outflows from the available supernova energy in a manner that successfully reproduces key galaxy observables, including the stellar mass-halo mass, Tully-Fisher, and mass-metallicity relations. We quantify the importance of ejective feedback to setting the stellar mass relative to the efficiency of gas accretion and star formation. Ejective feedback is increasingly important as galaxy mass decreases; we find an effective mass loading factor that scales as {v}{{circ}}-2.2, with an amplitude and shape that are invariant with redshift. These scalings are consistent with analytic models for energy-driven wind, based solely on the halo potential. Recycling is common: about half of the outflow mass across all galaxy masses is later reaccreted. The recycling timescale is typically ˜1 Gyr, virtually independent of halo mass. Recycled material is reaccreted farther out in the disk and with typically ˜2-3 times more angular momentum. These results elucidate and quantify how the baryon cycle plausibly regulates star formation and alters the angular momentum distribution of disk material across the halo mass range where most cosmic star formation occurs.

INTEGRAL-FIELD STELLAR AND IONIZED GAS KINEMATICS OF PECULIAR VIRGO CLUSTER SPIRAL GALAXIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cortés, Juan R.; Hardy, Eduardo; Kenney, Jeffrey D. P., E-mail: jcortes@alma.cl, E-mail: ehardy@nrao.cl, E-mail: jeff.kenney@yale.edu

2015-01-01

We present the stellar and ionized gas kinematics of 13 bright peculiar Virgo cluster galaxies observed with the DensePak Integral Field Unit at the WIYN 3.5 m telescope in order to look for kinematic evidence that these galaxies have experienced gravitational interactions or gas stripping. Two-dimensional maps of the stellar velocity V, stellar velocity dispersion σ, and the ionized gas velocity (Hβ and/or [O III]) are presented for the galaxies in the sample. The stellar rotation curves and velocity dispersion profiles are determined for 13 galaxies, and the ionized gas rotation curves are determined for 6 galaxies. Misalignments between themore » optical and kinematical major axes are found in several galaxies. While in some cases this is due to a bar, in other cases it seems to be associated with gravitational interaction or ongoing ram pressure stripping. Non-circular gas motions are found in nine galaxies, with various causes including bars, nuclear outflows, or gravitational disturbances. Several galaxies have signatures of kinematically distinct stellar components, which are likely signatures of accretion or mergers. For all of our galaxies, we compute the angular momentum parameter λ {sub R}. An evaluation of the galaxies in the λ {sub R} ellipticity plane shows that all but two of the galaxies have significant support from random stellar motions, and have likely experienced gravitational interactions. This includes some galaxies with very small bulges and truncated/compact Hα morphologies, indicating that such galaxies cannot be fully explained by simple ram pressure stripping, but must have had significant gravitational encounters. Most of the sample galaxies show evidence for ICM-ISM stripping as well as gravitational interactions, indicating that the evolution of a significant fraction of cluster galaxies is likely strongly impacted by both effects.« less

SPIN EVOLUTION OF ACCRETING YOUNG STARS. I. EFFECT OF MAGNETIC STAR-DISK COUPLING

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matt, Sean P.; Greene, Thomas P.; Pinzon, Giovanni

2010-05-10

We present a model for the rotational evolution of a young, solar mass star interacting with an accretion disk. The model incorporates a description of the angular momentum transfer between the star and the disk due to a magnetic connection, and includes changes in the star's mass and radius and a decreasing accretion rate. The model also includes, for the first time in a spin evolution model, the opening of the stellar magnetic field lines, as expected to arise from twisting via star-disk differential rotation. In order to isolate the effect that this has on the star-disk interaction torques, wemore » neglect the influence of torques that may arise from open field regions connected to the star or disk. For a range of magnetic field strengths, accretion rates, and initial spin rates, we compute the stellar spin rates of pre-main-sequence stars as they evolve on the Hayashi track to an age of 3 Myr. How much the field opening affects the spin depends on the strength of the coupling of the magnetic field to the disk. For the relatively strong coupling (i.e., high magnetic Reynolds number) expected in real systems, all models predict spin periods of less than {approx}3 days, in the age range of 1-3 Myr. Furthermore, these systems typically do not reach an equilibrium spin rate within 3 Myr, so that the spin at any given time depends upon the choice of initial spin rate. This corroborates earlier suggestions that, in order to explain the full range of observed rotation periods of approximately 1-10 days, additional processes, such as the angular momentum loss from powerful stellar winds, are necessary.« less

Expansion of Hydrogen-poor Knots in the Born-again Planetary Nebulae A30 and A78

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, X.; Guerrero, M. A.; Marquez-Lugo, R. A.; Toalá, J. A.; Arthur, S. J.; Chu, Y.-H.; Blair, W. P.; Gruendl, R. A.; Hamann, W.-R.; Oskinova, L. M.; Todt, H.

2014-12-01

We analyze the expansion of hydrogen-poor knots and filaments in the born-again planetary nebulae A30 and A78 based on Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images obtained almost 20 yr apart. The proper motion of these features generally increases with distance to the central star, but the fractional expansion decreases, i.e., the expansion is not homologous. As a result, there is not a unique expansion age, which is estimated to be 610-950 yr for A30 and 600-1140 yr for A78. The knots and filaments have experienced complex dynamical processes: the current fast stellar wind is mass loaded by the material ablated from the inner knots; the ablated material is then swept up until it shocks the inner edges of the outer, hydrogen-rich nebula. The angular expansion of the outer filaments shows a clear dependence on position angle, indicating that the interaction of the stellar wind with the innermost knots channels the wind along preferred directions. The apparent angular expansion of the innermost knots seems to be dominated by the rocket effect of evaporating gas and by the propagation of the ionization front inside them. Radiation-hydrodynamical simulations show that a single ejection of material followed by a rapid onset of the stellar wind and ionizing flux can reproduce the variety of clumps and filaments at different distances from the central star found in A30 and A78. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program No. 12935.

Variable rotational line broadening in the Be star Achernar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivinius, Th.; Baade, D.; Townsend, R. H. D.; Carciofi, A. C.; Štefl, S.

2013-11-01

Aims: The main theoretical problem for the formation of a Keplerian disk around Be stars is how angular momentum is supplied from the star to the disk, even more so since Be stars probably rotate somewhat subcritically. For instance, nonradial pulsation may transport angular momentum to the stellar surface until (part of) this excess supports the disk-formation/replenishment. The nearby Be star Achernar is presently building a new disk and offers an excellent opportunity to observe this process from relatively close-up. Methods: Spectra from various sources and epochs are scrutinized to identify the salient stellar parameters characterizing the disk life cycle as defined by Hα emission. The variable strength of the non-radial pulsation is confirmed, but does not affect the other results. Results: For the first time it is demonstrated that the photospheric line width does vary in a Be star, by as much as Δv sini ≲ 35 km s-1. However, unlike assumptions in which a photospheric spin-up accumulates during the diskless phase and then is released into the disk as it is fed, the apparent photospheric spin-up is positively correlated with the appearance of Hα line emission. The photospheric line widths and circumstellar emission increase together, and the apparent stellar rotation declines to the value at quiescence after the Hα line emission becomes undetectable. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory at La Silla and Paranal, Chile, Prog. IDs: 62.H-0319, 64.H-0548, 072.C-0513, 073.C-0784, 074.C-0012, 073.D-0547, 076.C-0431, 077.D-0390, 077.D-0605, and the technical program IDs 60.A-9120 and 60.A-9036.Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

The dependence of bar frequency on galaxy mass, colour, and gas content - and angular resolution - in the local universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erwin, Peter

2018-03-01

I use distance- and mass-limited subsamples of the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G) to investigate how the presence of bars in spiral galaxies depends on mass, colour, and gas content and whether large, Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-based investigations of bar frequencies agree with local data. Bar frequency reaches a maximum of fbar ≈ 0.70 at M⋆ ˜ 109.7M⊙, declining to both lower and higher masses. It is roughly constant over a wide range of colours (g - r ≈ 0.1-0.8) and atomic gas fractions (log (M_{H I}/ M_{\\star }) ≈ -2.5 to 1). Bars are thus as common in blue, gas-rich galaxies are they are in red, gas-poor galaxies. This is in sharp contrast to many SDSS-based studies of z ˜ 0.01-0.1 galaxies, which report fbar increasing strongly to higher masses (from M⋆ ˜ 1010 to 1011M⊙), redder colours, and lower gas fractions. The contradiction can be explained if SDSS-based studies preferentially miss bars in, and underestimate the bar fraction for, lower mass (bluer, gas-rich) galaxies due to poor spatial resolution and the correlation between bar size and stellar mass. Simulations of SDSS-style observations using the S4G galaxies as a parent sample, and assuming that bars below a threshold angular size of twice the point spread function full width at half-maximum cannot be identified, successfully reproduce typical SDSS fbar trends for stellar mass and gas mass ratio. Similar considerations may affect high-redshift studies, especially if bars grow in length over cosmic time; simulations suggest that high-redshift bar fractions may thus be systematically underestimated.

Irradiation and Enhanced Magnetic Braking in Cataclysmic Variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCormick, P. J.; Frank, J.

1998-12-01

In previous work we have shown that irradiation driven mass transfer cycles can occur in cataclysmic variables at all orbital periods if an additional angular momentum loss mechanism is assumed. Earlier models simply postulated that the enhanced angular momentum loss was proportional to the mass transfer rate without any specific physical model. In this paper we present a simple modification of magnetic braking which seems to have the right properties to sustain irradiation driven cycles at all orbital periods. We assume that the wind mass loss from the irradiated companion consists of two parts: an intrinsic stellar wind term plus an enhancement that is proportional to the irradiation. The increase in mass flow reduces the specific angular momentum carried away by the flow but nevertheless yields an enhanced rate of magnetic braking. The secular evolution of the binary is then computed numerically with a suitably modified double polytropic code (McCormick & Frank 1998). With the above model and under certain conditions, mass transfer oscillations occur at all orbital periods.

MESA models of the evolutionary state of the interacting binary epsilon Aurigae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, Justus L.; Stencel, Robert E.

2018-06-01

Using MESA code (Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics, version 9575), an evaluation was made of the evolutionary state of the epsilon Aurigae binary system (HD 31964, F0Iap + disc). We sought to satisfy several observational constraints: (1) requiring evolutionary tracks to pass close to the current temperature and luminosity of the primary star; (2) obtaining a period near the observed value of 27.1 years; (3) matching a mass function of 3.0; (4) concurrent Roche lobe overflow and mass transfer; (5) an isotopic ratio 12C/13C = 5 and, (6) matching the interferometrically determined angular diameter. A MESA model starting with binary masses of 9.85 + 4.5 M⊙, with a 100 d initial period, produces a 1.2 + 10.6 M⊙ result having a 547 d period, and a single digit 12C/13C ratio. These values were reached near an age of 20 Myr, when the donor star comes close to the observed luminosity and temperature for epsilon Aurigae A, as a post-RGB/pre-AGB star. Contemporaneously, the accretor then appears as an upper main-sequence, early B-type star. This benchmark model can provide a basis for further exploration of this interacting binary, and other long-period binary stars.

Pox 186: A Nearby Protogalaxy?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corbin, Michael

1999-07-01

Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies {BCDGs} typically consist of clusters of early-type stars embedded in older, evolved stellar populations similar in size and shape to normal dwarf ellipticals. However, deep ground-based CCD images of one faint BCDG, Pox 186, reveal a very compact { 5" diameter} structure with no evidence of an underlying older population. Optical spectroscopy of this object also indicates that a large number of Wolf-Rayet stars are present, which implies that a burst of star formation must have occurred very recently {<=sssim 10^7 years ago}. It has thus been suggested that Pox 186 is a protogalaxy, forming its very first generation of stars. Further investigation of this possibility requires the high angular resolution and ultraviolet spectral coverage that only HST can provide. Using WFPC2, we propose to image the galaxy in the U, V, and I bands, in order to better test for the presence of an underlying evolved population and to reveal any substructure in its star-forming regions. Using STIS, we will obtain low-resolution ultraviolet spectra of the galaxy for combination with ground-based spectra covering the optical through near infrared. This will allow us to determine its spectral energy distribution, metallicity, and dust content, which will in turn constrain its age and star formation history.

Angular and radial dependence of the energy response factor for LIF-TLD micro-rods in 125L permanent implant source.

PubMed

Mobit, Paul; Badragan, Iulian

2006-01-01

EGSnrc Monte Carlo simulations were used to calculate the angular and radial dependence of the energy response factor for LiF-thermoluminescence dosemeters (TLDs) irradiated with a commercially available (125)I permanent brachytherapy source. The LiF-TLDs were modelled as cylindrical micro-rods of length 6 mm and with diameters of 1 mm and 5 mm. The results show that for a LiF-TLD micro-rod of 1 mm diameter, the energy response relative to (60)Co gamma rays is 1.406 +/- 0.3% for a polar angle of 90 degrees and radial distance of 1.0 cm. When the diameter of the micro-rod is increased from 1 to 5 mm, the energy response decreases to 1.32 +/- 0.3% at the same point. The variation with position of the energy response factor is not >5% in a 6 cm x 6 cm x 6 cm calculation grid for the 5 mm diameter micro-rod. The results show that there is a change in the photon spectrum with angle and radial distance, which causes the variation of the energy response.

Angular dependence of the magnetic properties of permalloy and nickel nanowires as a function of their diameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raviolo, Sofía; Tejo, Felipe; Bajales, Noelia; Escrig, Juan

2018-01-01

In this paper we have compared the angular dependence of the magnetic properties of permalloy (Ni80Fe20) and nickel nanowires by means of micromagnetic simulations. For each material we have chosen two diameters, 40 and 100 nm. Permalloy nanowires with smaller diameters (d = 40 nm) exhibit greater coercivity than nickel nanowires, regardless of the angle at which the external magnetic field is applied. In addition, both Py and Ni nanowires exhibit the same remanence values. However, the nanowires of larger diameters (d = 100 nm) exhibit a more complex behavior, noting that for small angles, nickel nanowires are those that now exhibit a greater coercivity in comparison to those of permalloy. The magnetization reversal modes vary as a function of the angle at which the external field is applied. When the field is applied parallel to the wire axis, it reverts through nucleation and propagation of domain walls, whereas when the field is applied perpendicular to the axis, it reverts by a pseudo-coherent rotation. These results may provide a guide to control the magnetic properties of nanowires for use in potential applications.

A CATALOG OF ULTRA-COMPACT HIGH VELOCITY CLOUDS FROM THE ALFALFA SURVEY: LOCAL GROUP GALAXY CANDIDATES?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adams, Elizabeth A. K.; Giovanelli, Riccardo; Haynes, Martha P., E-mail: betsey@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: riccardo@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: haynes@astro.cornell.edu

2013-05-01

We present a catalog of 59 ultra-compact high velocity clouds (UCHVCs) extracted from the 40% complete ALFALFA HI-line survey. The ALFALFA UCHVCs have median flux densities of 1.34 Jy km s{sup -1}, median angular diameters of 10', and median velocity widths of 23 km s{sup -1}. We show that the full UCHVC population cannot easily be associated with known populations of high velocity clouds. Of the 59 clouds presented here, only 11 are also present in the compact cloud catalog extracted from the commensal GALFA-HI survey, demonstrating the utility of this separate dataset and analysis. Based on their sky distributionmore » and observed properties, we infer that the ALFALFA UCHVCs are consistent with the hypothesis that they may be very low mass galaxies within the Local Volume. In that case, most of their baryons would be in the form of gas, and because of their low stellar content, they remain unidentified by extant optical surveys. At distances of {approx}1 Mpc, the UCHVCs have neutral hydrogen (H I) masses of {approx}10{sup 5}-10{sup 6} M{sub Sun }, H I diameters of {approx}2-3 kpc, and indicative dynamical masses within the H I extent of {approx}10{sup 7}-10{sup 8} M{sub Sun }, similar to the Local Group ultra-faint dwarf Leo T. The recent ALFALFA discovery of the star-forming, metal-poor, low mass galaxy Leo P demonstrates that this hypothesis is true in at least one case. In the case of the individual UCHVCs presented here, confirmation of their extragalactic nature will require further work, such as the identification of an optical counterpart to constrain their distance.« less

Galactic Angular Momentum in Cosmological Zoom-in Simulations. I. Disk and Bulge Components and the Galaxy-Halo Connection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokołowska, Aleksandra; Capelo, Pedro R.; Fall, S. Michael; Mayer, Lucio; Shen, Sijing; Bonoli, Silvia

2017-02-01

We investigate the angular momentum evolution of four disk galaxies residing in Milky-Way-sized halos formed in cosmological zoom-in simulations with various sub-grid physics and merging histories. We decompose these galaxies, kinematically and photometrically, into their disk and bulge components. The simulated galaxies and their components lie on the observed sequences in the j *-M * diagram, relating the specific angular momentum and mass of the stellar component. We find that galaxies in low-density environments follow the relation {j}* \\propto {M}* α past major mergers, with α ˜ 0.6 in the case of strong feedback, when bulge-to-disk ratios are relatively constant, and α ˜ 1.4 in the other cases, when secular processes operate on shorter timescales. We compute the retention factors (I.e., the ratio of the specific angular momenta of stars and dark matter) for both disks and bulges and show that they vary relatively slowly after averaging over numerous but brief fluctuations. For disks, the retention factors are usually close to unity, while for bulges, they are a few times smaller. Our simulations therefore indicate that galaxies and their halos grow in a quasi-homologous way.

ANOMALOUS MICROWAVE EMISSION IN H ii REGIONS: IS IT REALLY ANOMALOUS? THE CASE OF RCW 49

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Paladini, Roberta; Ingallinera, Adriano; Agliozzo, Claudia

2015-11-01

The detection of an excess of emission at microwave frequencies with respect to the predicted free–free emission has been reported for several Galactic H ii regions. Here, we investigate the case of RCW 49, for which the Cosmic Background Imager tentatively (∼3σ) detected Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME) at 31 GHz on angular scales of 7′. Using the Australia Telescope Compact Array, we carried out a multi-frequency (5, 19, and 34 GHz) continuum study of the region, complemented by observations of the H109α radio recombination line. The analysis shows that: (1) the spatial correlation between the microwave and IR emission persistsmore » on angular scales from 3.′4 to 0.″4, although the degree of the correlation slightly decreases at higher frequencies and on smaller angular scales; (2) the spectral indices between 1.4 and 5 GHz are globally in agreement with optically thin free–free emission, however, ∼30% of these are positive and much greater than −0.1, consistent with a stellar wind scenario; and (3) no major evidence for inverted free–free radiation is found, indicating that this is likely not the cause of the Anomalous Emission in RCW 49. Although our results cannot rule out the spinning dust hypothesis to explain the tentative detection of AME in RCW 49, they emphasize the complexity of astronomical sources that are very well known and studied, such as H ii regions, and suggest that, at least in these objects, the reported excess of emission might be ascribed to alternative mechanisms such as stellar winds and shocks.« less

Constraints from Dust Mass and Mass Accretion Rate Measurements on Angular Momentum Transport in Protoplanetary Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulders, Gijs D.; Pascucci, Ilaria; Manara, Carlo F.; Testi, Leonardo; Herczeg, Gregory J.; Henning, Thomas; Mohanty, Subhanjoy; Lodato, Giuseppe

2017-09-01

In this paper, we investigate the relation between disk mass and mass accretion rate to constrain the mechanism of angular momentum transport in protoplanetary disks. We find a correlation between dust disk mass and mass accretion rate in Chamaeleon I with a slope that is close to linear, similar to the one recently identified in Lupus. We investigate the effect of stellar mass and find that the intrinsic scatter around the best-fit {M}{dust}-{M}\\star and {\\dot{M}}{acc}-{M}\\star relations is uncorrelated. We simulate synthetic observations of an ensemble of evolving disks using a Monte Carlo approach and find that disks with a constant α viscosity can fit the observed relations between dust mass, mass accretion rate, and stellar mass but overpredict the strength of the correlation between disk mass and mass accretion rate when using standard initial conditions. We find two possible solutions. In the first one, the observed scatter in {M}{dust} and {\\dot{M}}{acc} is not primordial, but arises from additional physical processes or uncertainties in estimating the disk gas mass. Most likely grain growth and radial drift affect the observable dust mass, while variability on large timescales affects the mass accretion rates. In the second scenario, the observed scatter is primordial, but disks have not evolved substantially at the age of Lupus and Chamaeleon I owing to a low viscosity or a large initial disk radius. More accurate estimates of the disk mass and gas disk sizes in a large sample of protoplanetary disks, through either direct observations of the gas or spatially resolved multiwavelength observations of the dust with ALMA, are needed to discriminate between both scenarios or to constrain alternative angular momentum transport mechanisms such as MHD disk winds.

Eating a planet and spinning up

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qureshi, Ahmed; Naoz, Smadar; Shkolnik, Evgenya L.

2018-01-01

One of the predictions of high eccentricity planetary migration is that many planets will end up plunging into their host stars. We investigate the consequence of planetary mergers on their stellar hosts’ spin-period. Energy and angular momentum conservation yield that a planet consumption by a star will spin-up of the star. We find that our calculations align with the observed bifurcation in the stellar spin-period in young clusters. After a Sun-like star has eaten a planet, it will then, spin down due to magnetic braking, consistent with the observed lack of fast rotators in old clusters. The agreement between the calculations presented here and the observed spin-period of stars in young clusters provides circumstantial evidence that planetary accretion onto their host stars is a generic feature in planetary-system evolution.

Galactic Astronomy in the Ultraviolet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rastorguev, A. S.; Sachkov, M. E.; Zabolotskikh, M. V.

2017-12-01

We propose a number of prospective observational programs for the ultraviolet space observatory WSO-UV, which seem to be of great importance to modern galactic astronomy. The programs include the search for binary Cepheids; the search and detailed photometric study and the analysis of radial distribution of UV-bright stars in globular clusters ("blue stragglers", blue horizontal-branch stars, RR Lyrae variables, white dwarfs, and stars with UV excesses); the investigation of stellar content and kinematics of young open clusters and associations; the study of spectral energy distribution in hot stars, including calculation of the extinction curves in the UV, optical and NIR; and accurate definition of the relations between the UV-colors and effective temperature. The high angular resolution of the observatory allows accurate astrometric measurements of stellar proper motions and their kinematic analysis.

12CO(J = 1 \\to 0) On-the-fly Mapping Survey of the Virgo Cluster Spirals. II. Molecular Gas Properties in Different Density Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Eun Jung; Yun, Min S.; Verheijen, Marc A. W.; Chung, Aeree

2017-07-01

This study investigated the properties of the molecular gas content and star formation activity of 17 Virgo spirals, 21 Ursa Major (UMa) spirals, 13 Pisces spiral galaxies, and a comparison sample of 11 field spiral galaxies with a spatially resolved gas and stellar distribution. The H I-deficient galaxies with a defH I > 0.4 have a similar range of CO luminosity normalized by the K-band luminosity (L CO/L K) like the field spirals, although their CO content can be smaller by up to a factor of 2. The CO, H I, and stellar disk diameters are closely related to each other for both cluster and field galaxies, and the relative diameters of the CO and H I disks grow monotonically and smoothly as the H I-to-stellar disk diameter ratio decreases. Cluster galaxies have a molecular gas consumption time up to 10 times shorter than that of the field comparison sample, suggesting a significant change in the molecular gas content and star formation activity among all the cluster galaxies, even when they do not show any sign of H I stripping. The strongly H I-stripped Virgo cluster galaxies show only a modestly reduced total gas consumption time, indicating that the star formation activity and gas consumption are a highly local (rather than global) phenomenon. Our finding is that the depletion of cold gas by ram-pressure stripping and/or starvation caused by preprocessing in each cluster environment makes galaxies evolve passively.

Assessing the Effect of Stellar Companions from High-resolution Imaging of Kepler Objects of Interest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirsch, Lea A.; Ciardi, David R.; Howard, Andrew W.; Everett, Mark E.; Furlan, Elise; Saylors, Mindy; Horch, Elliott P.; Howell, Steve B.; Teske, Johanna; Marcy, Geoffrey W.

2017-03-01

We report on 176 close (<2″) stellar companions detected with high-resolution imaging near 170 hosts of Kepler Objects of Interest (KOIs). These Kepler targets were prioritized for imaging follow-up based on the presence of small planets, so most of the KOIs in these systems (176 out of 204) have nominal radii <6 {R}\\oplus . Each KOI in our sample was observed in at least two filters with adaptive optics, speckle imaging, lucky imaging, or the Hubble Space Telescope. Multi-filter photometry provides color information on the companions, allowing us to constrain their stellar properties and assess the probability that the companions are physically bound. We find that 60%-80% of companions within 1″ are bound, and the bound fraction is >90% for companions within 0.″5 the bound fraction decreases with increasing angular separation. This picture is consistent with simulations of the binary and background stellar populations in the Kepler field. We also reassess the planet radii in these systems, converting the observed differential magnitudes to a contamination in the Kepler bandpass and calculating the planet radius correction factor, X R = R p (true)/R p (single). Under the assumption that planets in bound binaries are equally likely to orbit the primary or secondary, we find a mean radius correction factor for planets in stellar multiples of X R = 1.65. If stellar multiplicity in the Kepler field is similar to the solar neighborhood, then nearly half of all Kepler planets may have radii underestimated by an average of 65%, unless vetted using high-resolution imaging or spectroscopy.

The mercedes-benz approach to γ-ray astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akerlof, Carl W.

1988-02-01

The sensitivity requirements for ground-based γ-ray astronomy are reviewed in the light of the most reliable estimates of stellar fluxes above 100 GeV. Current data strongly favor the construction of detectors with the lowest energy thresholds. Since improvements in angular resolution are limited by shower fluctuations, better methods of rejecting hadronic showers must be found to reliably observe the known astrophysical sources. Several possible methods for reducing this hadronic background are discussed.

Planetary nebula progenitors that swallow binary systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soker, Noam

2016-01-01

I propose that some irregular messy planetary nebulae (PNe) owe their morphologies to triple-stellar evolution where tight binary systems evolve inside and/or on the outskirts of the envelope of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. In some cases, the tight binary system can survive, in others, it is destroyed. The tight binary system might break up with one star leaving the system. In an alternative evolution, one of the stars of the broken-up tight binary system falls towards the AGB envelope with low specific angular momentum, and drowns in the envelope. In a different type of destruction process, the drag inside the AGB envelope causes the tight binary system to merge. This releases gravitational energy within the AGB envelope, leading to a very asymmetrical envelope ejection, with an irregular and messy PN as a descendant. The evolution of the triple-stellar system can be in a full common envelope evolution or in a grazing envelope evolution. Both before and after destruction (if destruction takes place), the system might launch pairs of opposite jets. One pronounced signature of triple-stellar evolution might be a large departure from axisymmetrical morphology of the descendant PN. I estimate that about one in eight non-spherical PNe is shaped by one of these triple-stellar evolutionary routes.

THE STELLAR SPHEROID, THE DISK, AND THE DYNAMICS OF THE COSMIC WEB

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Domínguez-Tenreiro, R.; Obreja, A.; Brook, C. B.

Models of the advanced stages of gravitational instability predict that baryons that form the stellar populations of current galaxies at z = 0 displayed a web-like structure at high z, as part of the cosmic web (CW). We explore details of these predictions using cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. When the stellar populations of the spheroid and disk components of simulated late-type galaxies are traced back separately to high zs we found CW-like structures where spheroid progenitors are more evolved than disk progenitors. The distinction between the corresponding stellar populations, as driven by their specific angular momentum content j, can be explainedmore » in terms of the CW evolution, extended to two processes occurring at lower z. First, the spheroid progenitors strongly lose j at collapse, which contrasts with the insignificant j loss of the disk progenitors. The second is related to the lack of alignment, at assembly, between the spheroid-to-be material and the already settled proto-disk, in contrast to the alignment of disk-to-be material, in some cases resulting from circumgalactic, disk-induced gravitational torques. The different final outcomes of these low-z processes have their origins in the different initial conditions driven by the CW dynamics.« less

THE YOUNG STELLAR POPULATION OF LYNDS 1340. AN INFRARED VIEW

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kun, M.; Moór, A.; Wolf-Chase, G.

We present results of an infrared study of the molecular cloud Lynds 1340, forming three groups of low- and intermediate-mass stars. Our goals are to identify and characterize the young stellar population of the cloud, study the relationships between the properties of the cloud and the emergent stellar groups, and integrate L1340 into the picture of the star-forming activity of our Galactic environment. We selected candidate young stellar objects (YSOs) from the Spitzer and WISE databases using various published color criteria and classified them based on the slope of the spectral energy distribution (SED). We identified 170 Class II, 27more » flat SED, and 45 Class 0/I sources. High angular resolution near-infrared observations of the RNO 7 cluster, embedded in L1340, revealed eight new young stars of near-infrared excess. The surface density distribution of YSOs shows three groups, associated with the three major molecular clumps of L1340, each consisting of ≲100 members, including both pre-main-sequence stars and embedded protostars. New Herbig–Haro objects were identified in the Spitzer images. Our results demonstrate that L1340 is a prolific star-forming region of our Galactic environment in which several specific properties of the intermediate-mass mode of star formation can be studied in detail.« less

New science from the phase space of old stellar systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varri, Anna Lisa; Breen, Philip G.; Heggie, Douglas C.; Tiongco, Maria; Vesperini, Enrico

2017-06-01

Our traditional interpretative picture of the internal dynamics of globular clusters has been recently revolutionized by a series of discoveries about their chemical, structural, and kinematic properties. The empirical evidence that their velocity space is much more complex than usually expected encourages us to use them as refreshingly novel phase space laboratories for some long-forgotten aspects of collisional gravitational dynamics. Such a realization, coupled with the discovery that the stars in clusters were not all born at once in a single population, makes them new, challenging chemodynamical puzzles.Thanks to the proper motions of thousands of stars that will be available from the Gaia mission, we are about to enter a new ''golden age'' for the study of the dynamics of this class of stellar systems, as the full phase space of several Galactic globular clusters will be soon unlocked for the first time. In this context, I will present the highlights of a more realistic dynamical paradigm for these intriguing stellar systems, with emphasis on the role of angular momentum, velocity anisotropy and external tidal field. Such a fundamental understanding of the emerging phase space complexity of globulars will allow us to address many open questions about their rich dynamical evolution, their elusive stellar populations and putative black holes, and their role within the history of our Galaxy.

Wolter-Schwarzschild optics for the extreme-ultraviolet - The Berkeley stellar spectrometer and the EUV Explorer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malina, R. F.; Bowyer, S.; Finley, D.; Cash, W.

1979-01-01

The design, fabrication and performance of two Wolter-Schwarzschild grazing incidence optics are described. Both telescopes have been figured by single point diamond turning and have achieved better than 15-arcsec on-axis imaging. The telescope for the stellar spectrometer is an f/10 Type II system with an effective area of 225 sq cm at 250 A and 300 cm2 at 500 A. The primary has a maximum diameter of 38 cm and was fabricated in three elements. The copper-plated aluminum substrate was diamond turned; following nickel plating, the surface was polished and coated with evaporated gold. The performance during a sounding rocket flight is discussed. The prototype telescope for the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer is an f/1.24 Type I system with an effective field of view of 5.0-deg diameter. The telescope has a maximum diameter of 40 cm and was fabricated as a single element. The aluminum substrate is to be diamond turned; the nickel plated surface will be polished and electroplated with gold. The design choice and defocusing optimization aimed at maximizing the field of view and number of image pixels is examined.

The Physics and Chemistry of Oxygen-Rich Circumstellar Envelopes as Traced by Simple Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Ka Tat

2018-04-01

The physics and chemistry of the circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) of evolved stars are not fully understood despite decades of research. This thesis addresses two issues in the study of the CSEs of oxygen-rich (O-rich) evolved stars. In the first project, the ammonia (NH3) chemistry of O-rich stars is investigated with multi-wavelength observations; in the second project, the extended atmosphere and inner wind of the archetypal asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star o Ceti (Mira) is studied with high-angular resolution observations. One of the long-standing mysteries in circumstellar chemistry is the perplexing overabundance of the NH3 molecule. NH3 in O-rich evolved stars has been found in much higher abundance, by several orders of magnitude, than that expected in equilibrium chemistry. Several mechanisms have been suggested in the literature to explain this high NH3 abundance, including shocks in the inner wind, photodissociation of nitrogen by interstellar ultraviolet radiation, and nitrogen enrichment in stellar nucleosynthesis; however, none of these suggestions can fully explain the abundances of NH3 and various other molecular species in the CSEs of O-rich stars. In order to investigate the distribution of NH3 in O-rich CSEs, observations of the spectral lines of NH3 from a diverse sample of evolved stars and in different wavelength regimes are necessary. In this thesis, the NH3 line emission and absorption from four O-rich stars are studied. These targets include the AGB star IK Tauri, the pre-planetary nebula OH 231.8+4.2, the red supergiant VY Canis Majoris, and the yellow hypergiant IRC +10420. The amount of NH3 observational data has increased drastically thanks to the recent advancement of instrumentation. Observations of NH3 rotational line emission at submillimetre/far-infrared wavelengths were possible with the Herschel Space Observatory (2009–2013). The new wideband correlator in the upgraded Karl G. Janksy Very Large Array (VLA) provided data of multiple radio inversion lines of NH3. Furthermore, mid-infrared absorption of NH3 has been observed by the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) for IK Tau and VY CMa. Full radiative transfer modelling including mid-infrared pumping to the first vibrationally excited state (v2=1) has been carried out to reproduce the observed emission and absorption spectra and to retrieve the NH3 abundances in the targets. It is found that the NH3 emission in the CSEs of the targets arises from localised spatial-kinematic structures in which the gas density may be higher than in the surrounding gas. Circumstellar shocks may contribute to, but cannot fully account for, the formation of the molecule. Besides circumstellar chemistry, our understanding of the dust formation and wind-driving mechanisms of oxygen-rich evolved stars is still incomplete. One of the obstacles in the past was the difficulty in imaging the dust condensation and wind acceleration zones due to the lack of high-angular resolution instruments. Thanks to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), which has the longest baseline of about 15 km, we are now able to produce high-fidelity images at unprecedented angular resolutions of tens of milliarcseconds (mas) in the (sub)millimetre regime. Such angular resolutions, which are comparable to the stellar radii of nearby objects, are necessary to understand the gas dynamics and chemical evolution in the pulsating atmosphere and dust formation zone of nearby AGB stars. The eponymous Mira-type long-period variable, o Cet, was observed as a Science Verification target during the first ALMA Long Baseline Campaign that took place in 2014. The observations produced images of the stellar radio photosphere and the molecular transitions of SiO and H2O at an angular resolution of about 30 mas near 220 GHz (1.3 mm). The millimetre stellar disc of o Cet was resolved and modelled. More importantly, this is the first time that molecular line absorption against the background stellar continuum has been clearly imaged in the (sub)millimetre wavelength regime. Through radiative transfer modelling of the SiO and H2O line absorption and emission, it is found that during the ALMA observations, the extended atmosphere of the star exhibited infall motions in general with a shock front of velocity

Random forest classification of stars in the Galactic Centre

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plewa, P. M.

2018-05-01

Near-infrared high-angular resolution imaging observations of the Milky Way's nuclear star cluster have revealed all luminous members of the existing stellar population within the central parsec. Generally, these stars are either evolved late-type giants or massive young, early-type stars. We revisit the problem of stellar classification based on intermediate-band photometry in the K band, with the primary aim of identifying faint early-type candidate stars in the extended vicinity of the central massive black hole. A random forest classifier, trained on a subsample of spectroscopically identified stars, performs similarly well as competitive methods (F1 = 0.85), without involving any model of stellar spectral energy distributions. Advantages of using such a machine-trained classifier are a minimum of required calibration effort, a predictive accuracy expected to improve as more training data become available, and the ease of application to future, larger data sets. By applying this classifier to archive data, we are also able to reproduce the results of previous studies of the spatial distribution and the K-band luminosity function of both the early- and late-type stars.

The SEEDS High-Contrast Imaging Survey of Exoplanets Around Young Stellar Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uyama, Taichi; Hashimoto, Jun; Kuzuhara, Masayuki; Mayama, Satoshi; Akiyama, Eiji; Currie, Thayne; Livingston, John; Kudo, Tomoyuki; Kusakabe, Nobuhiko; Abe, Lyu; Brandner, Wolfgang; Brandt, Timothy D.; Carson, Joseph C.; Egner, Sebastian; Feldt, Markus; Goto, Miwa; Grady, Carol A.; Guyon, Olivier; Hayano, Yutaka; Hayashi, Masahiko; Hayashi, Saeko S.; Henning, Thomas; Hodapp, Klaus W.; Ishii, Miki; Iye, Masanori; Janson, Markus; Kandori, Ryo; Knapp, Gillian R.; Kwon, Jungmi; Matsuo, Taro; Mcelwain, Michael W.; Miyama, Shoken; Morino, Jun-Ichi; Moro-Martin, Amaya; Nishimura, Tetsuo; Pyo, Tae-Soo; Serabyn, Eugene; Suenaga, Takuya; Suto, Hiroshi; Suzuki, Ryuji; Takahashi, Yasuhiro H.; Takami, Michihiro; Takato, Naruhisa; Terada, Hiroshi; Thalmann, Christian; Turner, Edwin L.; Watanabe, Makoto; Wisniewski, John; Yamada, Toru; Takami, Hideki; Usuda, Tomonori; Tamura, Motohide

2017-03-01

We present high-contrast observations of 68 young stellar objects (YSOs) that have been explored as part of the Strategic Exploration of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru (SEEDS) survey on the Subaru telescope. Our targets are very young (<10 Myr) stars, which often harbor protoplanetary disks where planets may be forming. We achieve a typical contrast of ˜10-4-10-5.5 at an angular distance of 1″ from the central star, corresponding to typical mass sensitivities (assuming hot-start evolutionary models) of ˜10 M J at 70 au and ˜6 M J at 140 au. We detected a new stellar companion to HIP 79462 and confirmed the substellar objects GQ Lup b and ROXs 42B b. An additional six companion candidates await follow-up observations to check for common proper motion. Our SEEDS YSO observations probe the population of planets and brown dwarfs at the very youngest ages; these may be compared to the results of surveys targeting somewhat older stars. Our sample and the associated observational results will help enable detailed statistical analyses of giant planet formation.

Numerical simulations of stellar jets and comparison between synthetic and observed maps: clues to the launch mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubini, F.; Maurri, L.; Inghirami, G.; Bacciotti, F.; Del Zanna, L.

2014-07-01

High angular resolution spectra obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS) provide rich morphological and kinematical information about the stellar jet phenomenon, which allows us to test theoretical models efficiently. In this work, numerical simulations of stellar jets in the propagation region are executed with the PLUTO code, by adopting inflow conditions that arise from former numerical simulations of magnetized outflows, accelerated by the disk-wind mechanism in the launching region. By matching the two regions, information about the magneto-centrifugal accelerating mechanism underlying a given astrophysical object can be extrapolated by comparing synthetic and observed position-velocity diagrams. We show that quite different jets, like those from the young T Tauri stars DG-Tau and RW-Aur, may originate from the same disk-wind model for different configurations of the magnetic field at the disk surface. This result supports the idea that all the observed jets may be generated by the same mechanism. Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

The Hierarchical Distribution of the Young Stellar Clusters in Six Local Star-forming Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grasha, K.; Calzetti, D.; Adamo, A.; Kim, H.; Elmegreen, B. G.; Gouliermis, D. A.; Dale, D. A.; Fumagalli, M.; Grebel, E. K.; Johnson, K. E.; Kahre, L.; Kennicutt, R. C.; Messa, M.; Pellerin, A.; Ryon, J. E.; Smith, L. J.; Shabani, F.; Thilker, D.; Ubeda, L.

2017-05-01

We present a study of the hierarchical clustering of the young stellar clusters in six local (3-15 Mpc) star-forming galaxies using Hubble Space Telescope broadband WFC3/UVIS UV and optical images from the Treasury Program LEGUS (Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey). We identified 3685 likely clusters and associations, each visually classified by their morphology, and we use the angular two-point correlation function to study the clustering of these stellar systems. We find that the spatial distribution of the young clusters and associations are clustered with respect to each other, forming large, unbound hierarchical star-forming complexes that are in general very young. The strength of the clustering decreases with increasing age of the star clusters and stellar associations, becoming more homogeneously distributed after ˜40-60 Myr and on scales larger than a few hundred parsecs. In all galaxies, the associations exhibit a global behavior that is distinct and more strongly correlated from compact clusters. Thus, populations of clusters are more evolved than associations in terms of their spatial distribution, traveling significantly from their birth site within a few tens of Myr, whereas associations show evidence of disruption occurring very quickly after their formation. The clustering of the stellar systems resembles that of a turbulent interstellar medium that drives the star formation process, correlating the components in unbound star-forming complexes in a hierarchical manner, dispersing shortly after formation, suggestive of a single, continuous mode of star formation across all galaxies.

Ring structure in the HII region of NGC 5930

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Bu-Mei; Mutel, R. L.; Zhang, Fu-Jing; Li, Yong-Sheng

1992-03-01

Radio continuous observations of the barred spiral galaxy NGC5930 at 2- and 3.6-cm wavelengths have been carried out with the VLA. It has been found that at 2 cm the HII region appears to be a ring structure on which hot spots are distributed. The outer angular diameter of the ring is 2.2 arcsec, and the inner angular diameter - 0.3 arcsec. The center is a hole from which no radio emission has been detected. The electron density in the HII region is 80 - 90 cu cm, and its mass is 10 exp 7 solar mass units. In NGC 5930 there is very strong infrared radiation. The infrared luminosity is 10 exp 6 times larger than the radio luminosity. There is a steep Balmer attenuation. This is a region where a star is being formed violently.

Extra Solar Planetary Imaging Coronagraph and Science Requirements for the James Webb Telescope Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clampin, Mark

2004-01-01

1) Extra solar planetary imaging coronagraph. Direct detection and characterization of Jovian planets, and other gas giants, in orbit around nearby stars is a necessary precursor to Terrestrial Planet Finder 0 in order to estimate the probability of Terrestrial planets in our stellar neighborhood. Ground based indirect methods are biased towards large close in Jovian planets in solar systems unlikely io harbor Earthlike planets. Thus to estimate the relative abundances of terrestrial planets and to determine optimal observing strategies for TPF a pathfinder mission would be desired. The Extra-Solar Planetary Imaging Coronagraph (EPIC) is such a pathfinder mission. Upto 83 stellar systems are accessible with a 1.5 meter unobscured telescope and coronagraph combination located at the Earth-Sun L2 point. Incorporating radiometric and angular resolution considerations show that Jovians could be directly detected (5 sigma) in the 0.5 - 1.0 micron band outside of an inner working distance of 5/D with integration times of -10 - 100 hours per observation. The primary considerations for a planet imager are optical wavefront quality due to manufacturing, alignment, structural and thermal considerations. pointing stability and control, and manufacturability of coronagraphic masks and stops to increase the planetary-to- stellar contrast and mitigate against straylight. Previously proposed coronagraphic concepts are driven to extreme tolerances. however. we have developed and studied a mission, telescope and coronagraphic detection concept, which is achievable in the time frame of a Discovery class NASA mission. 2) Science requirements for the James Webb Space Telescope observatory. The James Webb Space Observatory (JWST) is an infrared observatory, which will be launched in 201 1 to an orbit at L2. JWST is a segmented, 18 mirror segment telescope with a diameter of 6.5 meters, and a clear aperture of 25 mA2. The telescope is designed to conduct imaging and spectroscopic observations from 0.6-27 microns. The primary mirror find and understand predicted first light objects, observe galaxies back to their earliest precursors so that we can understand their growth and evolution, unravel the birth and early evolution of stars and planetary systems, and study planetary systems and the origins of life. In this paper we discuss the science goals for JWST in the context of the performance requirements they levy on the observatory.

Cyclic and secular variation in the temperatures and radii of extreme helium stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeffery, C. Simon; Starling, Rhaana L. C.; Hill, Philip W.; Pollacco, Don

2001-02-01

The ultraviolet properties of 17 extreme helium stars have been examined using 150 IUE spectra. Combining short-wave and long-wave image pairs and using a grid of hydrogen-deficient model atmospheres and a χ2 minimization procedure, 70 measurements of effective temperature (Teff), angular diameters (θ) and interstellar extinction (EB_V) were obtained. In most cases, these were in good agreement with previous measurements, but there are some ambiguities in the case of the hotter stars, where the solutions for Teff and EB_V become degenerate, and in the case of the cooler stars with large EB_V, where the total flux is no longer dominated by the ultraviolet. The behaviour of 12 helium stars was examined over an interval exceeding 10yr. The surfaces of four stars (HD 168476, HD 160641, BD -9°4395 and BD -1°3438) were found to be heating at rates between 20 and 120Kyr-1, in remarkable agreement with theoretical predictions. This result provides the first direct evidence that extreme helium stars are helium shell-burning stars of up to ~0.9Msolar contracting towards the white dwarf sequence. Low-luminosity helium stars do not show a detectable contraction, also in agreement with theory, although one, BD +10°2179, may be expanding. The short-term behaviour of three variable helium stars (PV Tel variables: HD 168476, BD +1°4381, LSIV -1°2) was examined over a short interval in 1995. All three showed changes in Teff and θ on periods consistent with previous observations. Near-simultaneous radial velocity (v) measurements were used to establish the total change in radius, with some reservations concerning the adopted periods. Subsequently, measurements of the stellar radii and distances could be derived. With Teff and surface gravities established previously, stellar luminosities and masses were thus obtained directly from observation. In the case of HD 168476, the mass is 0.94 ± 0.68 M\\odot. Assuming a similar gravity for LSIV -1°2 based on its neutral helium line profiles, its mass becomes 0.79 ± 0.46 M\\odot. The θ amplitude for BD +1°4381 appears to be overestimated by the IUE measurements and leads to a nonsensical result. These first direct measurements of luminous extreme helium star masses agree well with previous estimates from stellar structure and pulsation theory.

The Fourier-Kelvin Stellar Interferometer (FKSI): A Discovery Class TPF/DARWIN Pathfinder Mission Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Danchi, W. C.; Allen, R. J.; Benford, D. J.; Deming, D.; Gezan, D. Y.; Kuchner, M.; Leisawitz, D. T.; Linfield, R.; Millan-Gabet, R.; Monnier, J. D.

2003-01-01

The Fourier-Kelvin Stellar Interferometer (FKSI) is a mission concept for an imaging and nulling interferometer for the mid-infrared spectral region (5-30 microns). FKSI is conceived as a scientific and technological pathfinder to TPF/DARWIN as well as SPIRIT, SPECS, and SAFIR. It will also be a high angular resolution system complementary to NGST. The scientific emphasis of the mission is on the evolution of protostellar systems, from just after the collapse of the precursor molecular cloud core, through the formation of the disk surrounding the protostar, the formation of planets in the disk, and eventual dispersal of the disk material. FKSI will also search for brown dwarfs and Jupiter mass and smaller planets, and could also play a very powerful role in the investigation of the structure of active galactic nuclei and extra-galactic star formation. We have been studying alternative interferometer architectures and beam combination techniques, and evaluating the relevant science and technology tradeoffs. Some of the technical challenges include the development of the cryocooler systems necessary for the telescopes and focal plane array, light and stiff but well-damped truss systems to support the telescopes, and lightweight and coolable optical telescopes. We present results of detailed design studies of the FKSI starting with a design consisting of five one meter diameter telescopes arranged along a truss structure in a linear non-redundant array, cooled to 35 K. A maximum baseline of 20 meters gives a nominal resolution of 26 mas at 5 microns. Using a Fizeau beam combination technique, a simple focal plane camera could be used to obtain both Fourier and spectral data simultaneously for a given orientation of the array. The spacecraft will be rotated to give sufficient Fourier data to reconstruct complex images of a broad range of astrophysical sources. Alternative and simpler three and two telescope designs emphasizing nulling and spectroscopy also have been investigated and will be discussed.

On MHD rotational transport, instabilities and dynamo action in stellar radiation zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathis, Stéphane; Brun, A.-S.; Zahn, J.-P.

2009-04-01

Magnetic field and their related dynamical effects are thought to be important in stellar radiation zones. For instance, it has been suggested that a dynamo, sustained by a m = 1 MHD instability of toroidal magnetic fields (discovered by Tayler in 1973), could lead to a strong transport of angular momentum and of chemicals in such stable regions. We wish here to recall the different magnetic transport processes present in radiative zone and show how the dynamo can operate by recalling the conditions required to close the dynamo loop (BPol → BTor → BPol). Helped by high-resolution 3D MHD simulations using the ASH code in the solar case, we confirm the existence of the m = 1 instability, study its non-linear saturation, but we do not detect, up to a magnetic Reylnods number of 105, any dynamo action.

The Character and Variability of the Eta Carinae Wind Lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nielsen, K. E.; Corcoran, M. F.; Gull, T. R.; Ivarsson, S.; Hillier, J. D.

2006-01-01

The binarity of Eta Carinae has been debated for a long time. We have searched for more evidence for a companion star in a spectroscopic investigation of the Eta Carinae stellar wind lines, using moderate spectral and high angular resolution HST/STIS data. Over Eta Carinae's 5.54 year spectroscopic period many of the observable wind lines in the NUV/Optical spectral region exhibit peculiar line profiles with unusual velocity shifts relative to the system velocity. Some of the lines are exclusively blue-shifted over the entire cycle. Their ionization/excitation imply formation not in the stellar wind but rather in the interface between the two massive stars. We have analyzed velocity and intensity variations over the spectroscopic period and interpreted what the variations tell us about the geometry of the nebular structure close to Eta Carinae.

On the Chemical Mixing Induced by Internal Gravity Waves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rogers, T. M.; McElwaine, J. N.

Detailed modeling of stellar evolution requires a better understanding of the (magneto)hydrodynamic processes that mix chemical elements and transport angular momentum. Understanding these processes is crucial if we are to accurately interpret observations of chemical abundance anomalies, surface rotation measurements, and asteroseismic data. Here, we use two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of the generation and propagation of internal gravity waves in an intermediate-mass star to measure the chemical mixing induced by these waves. We show that such mixing can generally be treated as a diffusive process. We then show that the local diffusion coefficient does not depend on the local fluid velocity,more » but rather on the wave amplitude. We then use these findings to provide a simple parameterization for this diffusion, which can be incorporated into stellar evolution codes and tested against observations.« less

The natural moon illusion: a multifactor angular account.

PubMed

Plug, C; Ross, H E

1994-01-01

It is argued that the failure to explain the celestial illusion results from conceptual confusion about perceived size and from disregard of the observational evidence relating to the natural moon illusion. The evidence shows that the illusion consists of a perceived angular size enlargement of horizon objects, by a factor of about 1.5-2.0 in diameter in comparison with elevated objects. Most measurements of the illusion have been made in terms of angular size, although in some proposed explanations an illusion of linear size is assumed. The magnitude of the illusion varies, particularly with the detail of the horizon scene. The illusion can be explained as the sum of several factors that affect perceived angular size: size contrast, vergence commands and eye or head position, aerial perspective, and colour. The relative contributions of these factors are assessed.

The Angular Momentum of Baryons and Dark Matter Halos Revisited

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kimm, Taysun; Devriendt, Julien; Slyz, Adrianne; Pichon, Christophe; Kassin, Susan A.; Dubois, Yohan

2011-01-01

Recent theoretical studies have shown that galaxies at high redshift are fed by cold, dense gas filaments, suggesting angular momentum transport by gas differs from that by dark matter. Revisiting this issue using high-resolution cosmological hydrodynamics simulations with adaptive-mesh refinement (AMR), we find that at the time of accretion, gas and dark matter do carry a similar amount of specific angular momentum, but that it is systematically higher than that of the dark matter halo as a whole. At high redshift, freshly accreted gas rapidly streams into the central region of the halo, directly depositing this large amount of angular momentum within a sphere of radius r = 0.1R(sub vir). In contrast, dark matter particles pass through the central region unscathed, and a fraction of them ends up populating the outer regions of the halo (r/R(sub vir) > 0.1), redistributing angular momentum in the process. As a result, large-scale motions of the cosmic web have to be considered as the origin of gas angular momentum rather than its virialised dark matter halo host. This generic result holds for halos of all masses at all redshifts, as radiative cooling ensures that a significant fraction of baryons remain trapped at the centre of the halos. Despite this injection of angular momentum enriched gas, we predict an amount for stellar discs which is in fair agreement with observations at z=0. This arises because the total specific angular momentum of the baryons (gas and stars) remains close to that of dark matter halos. Indeed, our simulations indicate that any differential loss of angular momentum amplitude between the two components is minor even though dark matter halos continuously lose between half and two-thirds of their specific angular momentum modulus as they evolve. In light of our results, a substantial revision of the standard theory of disc formation seems to be required. We propose a new scenario where gas efficiently carries the angular momentum generated by large-scale structure motions deep inside dark matter halos, redistributing it only in the vicinity of the disc.

Using Close White Dwarf + M Dwarf Stellar Pairs to Constrain the Flare Rates in Close Stellar Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, Dylan P.; West, Andrew A.; Becker, Andrew C.

2016-05-01

We present a study of the statistical flare rates of M dwarfs (dMs) with close white dwarf (WD) companions (WD+dM; typical separations <1 au). Our previous analysis demonstrated that dMs with close WD companions are more magnetically active than their field counterparts. One likely implication of having a close binary companion is increased stellar rotation through disk-disruption, tidal effects, and/or angular momentum exchange; increased stellar rotation has long been associated with an increase in stellar activity. Previous studies show a strong correlation between dMs that are magnetically active (showing Hα in emission) and the frequency of stellar flare rates. We examine the difference between the flare rates observed in close WD+dM binary systems and field dMs. Our sample consists of a subset of 181 close WD+dM pairs from Morgan et al. observed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82, where we obtain multi-epoch observations in the Sloan ugriz-bands. We find an increase in the overall flaring fraction in the close WD+dM pairs (0.09 ± 0.03%) compared to the field dMs (0.0108 ± 0.0007%) and a lower flaring fraction for active WD+dMs (0.05 ± 0.03%) compared to active dMs (0.28 ± 0.05%). We discuss how our results constrain both the single and binary dM flare rates. Our results also constrain dM multiplicity, our knowledge of the Galactic transient background, and may be important for the habitability of attending planets around dMs with close companions.

Three-dimensional finite volume modelling of blood flow in simulated angular neck abdominal aortic aneurysm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Algabri, Y. A.; Rookkapan, S.; Chatpun, S.

2017-09-01

An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is considered a deadly cardiovascular disease that defined as a focal dilation of blood artery. The healthy aorta size is between 15 and 24 mm based on gender, bodyweight, and age. When the diameter increased to 30 mm or more, the rupture can occur if it is kept growing or untreated. Moreover, the proximal angular neck of aneurysm is categorized as a significant morphological feature with prime harmful effects on endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Flow pattern in pathological vessel can influence the vascular intervention. The aim of this study is to investigate the blood flow behaviours in angular neck abdominal aortic aneurysm with simulated geometry based on patient’s information using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The 3D angular neck AAA models have been designed by using SolidWorks Software. Consequently, CFD tools are used for simulating these 3D models of angular neck AAA in ANSYS FLUENT Software. Eventually, based on the results, we summarized that the CFD techniques have shown high performance in explaining and investigating the flow patterns for angular neck abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Why Are Some Galaxies Not Barred?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Kanak; Elmegreen, Bruce

2018-05-01

Although more than two-thirds of star-forming disk galaxies in the local universe are barred, some galaxies remain unbarred, occupying the upper half of the Hubble tuning fork diagram. Numerical simulations almost always produce bars spontaneously, so it remains a challenge to understand how galaxies sometimes prevent bars from forming. Using a set of collisionless simulations, we first reproduce the common result that cold stellar disks surrounding a classical bulge become strongly unstable to non-axisymmetric perturbations, leading to the rapid formation of spiral structure and bars. However, our analyses show that galaxy models with compact classical bulges (whose average density is greater than or comparable to the disk density calculated within bulge half-mass radii) are able to prevent bar formation for at least 4 Gyr even when the stellar disk is maximal and having low Toomre Q. Such bar prevention is the result of several factors such as (a) a small inner Lindblad resonance with a high angular rate, which contaminates an incipient bar with x 2 orbits, and (b) rapid loss of angular momentum accompanied by a rapid heating in the center from initially strong bar and spiral instabilities in a low-Q disk; in other words, a rapid initial rise to a value larger than ∼5 of the ratio of the random energy to the rotational energy in the central region of the galaxy.

Elliptical Accretion and Low Luminosity from High Accretion Rate Stellar Tidal Disruption Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svirski, Gilad; Piran, Tsvi; Krolik, Julian

2017-05-01

Models for tidal disruption events (TDEs) in which a supermassive black hole disrupts a star commonly assume that the highly eccentric streams of bound stellar debris promptly form a circular accretion disc at the pericentre scale. However, the bolometric peak luminosity of most TDE candidates, ˜ 1044 erg s- 1, implies that we observe only ˜1 per cent of the energy expected from radiatively efficient accretion. Even the energy that must be lost to circularize the returning tidal flow is larger than the observed energy. Recently, Piran et al. suggested that the observed optical TDE emission is powered by shocks at the apocentre between freshly infalling material and earlier arriving matter. This model explains the small radiated energy, the low temperature and the large radius implied by the observations as well as the t-5/3 light curve. However the question of the system's low bolometric efficiency remains unanswered. We suggest that the high orbital energy and low angular momentum of the flow make it possible for magnetic stresses to reduce the matter's already small angular momentum to the point at which it can fall ballistically into the supermassive black hole before circularization. As a result, the efficiency is only ˜1-10 per cent of a standard accretion disc's efficiency. Thus, the intrinsically high eccentricity of the tidal debris naturally explains why most TDE candidates are fainter than expected.

Optical diffraction by ordered 2D arrays of silica microspheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shcherbakov, A. A.; Shavdina, O.; Tishchenko, A. V.; Veillas, C.; Verrier, I.; Dellea, O.; Jourlin, Y.

2017-03-01

The article presents experimental and theoretical studies of angular dependent diffraction properties of 2D monolayer arrays of silica microspheres. High-quality large area defect-free monolayers of 1 μm diameter silica microspheres were deposited by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique under an accurate optical control. Measured angular dependencies of zeroth and one of the first order diffraction efficiencies produced by deposited samples were simulated by the rigorous Generalized Source Method taking into account particle size dispersion and lattice nonideality.

Constraining smoothness parameter and the DD relation of Dyer-Roeder equation with supernovae

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Xi; Yu, Hao-Ran; Zhang, Tong-Jie, E-mail: yangwds@mail.bnu.edu.cn, E-mail: yu@bnu.edu.cn, E-mail: tjzhang@bnu.edu.cn

2013-06-01

Our real universe is locally inhomogeneous. Dyer and Roeder introduced the smoothness parameter α to describe the influence of local inhomogeneity on angular diameter distance, and they obtained the angular diameter distance-redshift approximate relation (Dyer-Roeder equation) for locally inhomogeneous universe. Furthermore, the Distance-Duality (DD) relation, D{sub L}(z)(1+z){sup −2}/D{sub A}(z) = 1, should be valid for all cosmological models that are described by Riemannian geometry, where D{sub L} and D{sub A} are, respectively, the luminosity and angular distance distances. Therefore, it is necessary to test whether if the Dyer-Roeder approximate equation can satisfy the Distance-Duality relation. In this paper, we usemore » Union2.1 SNe Ia data to constrain the smoothness parameter α and test whether the Dyer-Roeder equation meet the DD relation. By using χ{sup 2} minimization, we get α = 0.92{sub −0.32}{sup +0.08} at 1σ and 0.92{sub −0.65}{sup +0.08} at 2σ, and our results show that the Dyer-Roeder equation is in good consistency with the DD relation at 1σ.« less

Constraints on radial migration in spiral galaxies - II. Angular momentum distribution and preferential migration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniel, Kathryne J.; Wyse, Rosemary F. G.

2018-05-01

The orbital angular momentum of individual stars in galactic discs can be permanently changed through torques from transient spiral patterns. Interactions at the corotation resonance dominate these changes and have the further property of conserving orbital circularity. We derived in an earlier paper an analytic criterion that an unperturbed stellar orbit must satisfy in order for such an interaction to occur, i.e. for it to be in a trapped orbit around corotation. We here use this criterion in an investigation of how the efficiency of induced radial migration for a population of disc stars varies with the angular momentum distribution of that population. We frame our results in terms of the velocity dispersion of the population, this being an easier observable than is the angular momentum distribution. Specifically, we investigate how the fraction of stars in trapped orbits at corotation varies with the velocity dispersion of the population, for a system with an assumed flat rotation curve. Our analytic results agree with the finding from simulations that radial migration is less effective in populations with `hotter' kinematics. We further quantify the dependence of this trapped fraction on the strength of the spiral pattern, finding a higher trapped fraction for higher amplitude perturbations.

Illustrating chaos: a schematic discretization of the general three-body problem in Newtonian gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leigh, Nathan W. C.; Wegsman, Shalma

2018-05-01

We present a formalism for constructing schematic diagrams to depict chaotic three-body interactions in Newtonian gravity. This is done by decomposing each interaction into a series of discrete transformations in energy- and angular momentum-space. Each time a transformation is applied, the system changes state as the particles re-distribute their energy and angular momenta. These diagrams have the virtue of containing all of the quantitative information needed to fully characterize most bound or unbound interactions through time and space, including the total duration of the interaction, the initial and final stable states in addition to every intervening temporary meta-stable state. As shown via an illustrative example for the bound case, prolonged excursions of one of the particles, which by far dominates the computational cost of the simulations, are reduced to a single discrete transformation in energy- and angular momentum-space, thereby potentially mitigating any computational expense. We further generalize our formalism to sequences of (unbound) three-body interactions, as occur in dense stellar environments during binary hardening. Finally, we provide a method for dynamically evolving entire populations of binaries via three-body scattering interactions, using a purely analytic formalism. In principle, the techniques presented here are adaptable to other three-body problems that conserve energy and angular momentum.

A star recognition method based on the Adaptive Ant Colony algorithm for star sensors.

PubMed

Quan, Wei; Fang, Jiancheng

2010-01-01

A new star recognition method based on the Adaptive Ant Colony (AAC) algorithm has been developed to increase the star recognition speed and success rate for star sensors. This method draws circles, with the center of each one being a bright star point and the radius being a special angular distance, and uses the parallel processing ability of the AAC algorithm to calculate the angular distance of any pair of star points in the circle. The angular distance of two star points in the circle is solved as the path of the AAC algorithm, and the path optimization feature of the AAC is employed to search for the optimal (shortest) path in the circle. This optimal path is used to recognize the stellar map and enhance the recognition success rate and speed. The experimental results show that when the position error is about 50″, the identification success rate of this method is 98% while the Delaunay identification method is only 94%. The identification time of this method is up to 50 ms.

REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS: The differential rotation of stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitchatinov, Leonid L.

2005-05-01

Astronomical observations of recent years have substantially extended our knowledge of the rotation of stars. Helioseismology has found out that the equator-to-pole decline in the angular velocity observed on the solar surface traces down to the deep interior of the Sun. New information has been gained regarding the dependence of the rotational nonuniformities on the angular velocity and mass of the star. These achievements have prompted the development of the theory of differential rotation, which is the focal point of this review. Nonuniform rotation results from the interaction of turbulent convection with rotation. The investigation into the turbulent mechanisms of angular-momentum transport has reached a level at which the obtained results can serve as the basis for developing quantitative models of stellar rotation. Such models contain virtually no free parameters but closely reproduce the helioseismological data on the internal rotation of the Sun. The theoretical predictions on the differential rotation of the stars agree with observations. A brief discussion is held here on the relation between the magnetic activity of stars and the nonuniformity of their rotation and on prospects for further development of the theory.

Understanding the Accretion Engine in Pre-main Sequence Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gómez de Castro, Ana I.

2009-05-01

Planetary systems are angular momentum reservoirs generated during star formation as a result of the joint action of gravity and angular momentum conservation. The accretion process drives to the generation of powerful engines able to drive the optical jets and the molecular outflows. A fraction of the engine energy is released into heating the circumstellar plasma to temperatures between 3000 K to 10 MK depending on the plasma location and density. There are very important unsolved problems concerning the nature of the engine, its evolution and its impact in the chemical evolution of the disk. Of special relevance is the understanding of the shear layer between the stellar photosphere and the disk; this layer controls a significant fraction of the magnetic field building up and the subsequent dissipative processes ought to be studied in the UV.

Hot-Jupiter Breakfasts Realign Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2015-08-01

Two researchers at the University of Chicago have recently developed a new theory to explain an apparent dichotomy in the orbits of planets around cool vs. hot stars. Their model proposes that the spins of cool stars are affected when they ingest hot Jupiters (HJs) early in their stellar lifetimes. A Puzzling Dichotomy: In exoplanet studies, there is a puzzling difference observed between planet orbits around cool and hot (those with Teff ≥ 6250 K) stars: the orbital planes of planets around cool stars are primarily aligned with the host star's spin, whereas the orbital planes of planets around hot stars seem to be randomly distributed. Previous attempts to explain this dichotomy have focused on tidal interactions between the host star and the planets observed in the system. Now Titos Matsakos and Arieh Königl have taken these models a step further — by including in their calculations not only the effects of observed planets, but also those of HJs that may have been swallowed by the star long before we observed the systems. Modeling Meals: Plots of the distribution of the obliquity λ for hot Jupiters around cool hosts (upper plot) and hot hosts (lower plot). The dashed line shows the initial distribution, the bins show the model prediction for the final distribution after the systems evolve, and the black dots show the current observational data. [Matsakos & Königl, 2015]" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-223" height="386" src="http://aasnova.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/fig22-260x386.png" width="260" /> Plots of the distribution of the obliquity λ for hot Jupiters around cool hosts (upper plot) and hot hosts (lower plot). The dashed line shows the initial distribution, the bins show the model prediction for the final distribution after the systems evolve, and the black dots show the current observational data. [Matsakos & Königl, 2015] The authors' model assumes that as HJs are formed and migrate inward through the protoplanetary disk, they stall out near the star (where they have periods of ~2 days) and get stranded as the gas disk evaporates around them. Tidal interactions can cause these planets to become ingested by the host star within 1 Gyr. Using Monte Carlo simulations, the authors model these star-planet tidal interactions and evolve a total of 10^6 systems: half with hot (Teff = 6400 K), main-sequence hosts, and half with cool (Teff = 5500 K), solar-type hosts. The initial obliquities — the angle between the stellar spin and the planets' orbital angular momentum vectors — are randomly distributed between 0° and 180°. The authors find that early stellar ingestion of planets might be very common: to match observations, roughly half of all stellar hosts must ingest an HJ early in their lifetimes! This scenario results in a good match with observational data: about 50% of cool hosts' spins become roughly aligned with the orbital plane of their planets after they absorb the orbital angular momentum of the HJ they ingest. Hot stars, on the other hand, generally retain their random distributions of obliquity, because their angular momentum is typically higher than the orbital angular momentum of the ingested planet. Citation: Titos Matsakos and Arieh Königl 2015, ApJ, 809, L20. doi: 10.1088/2041-8205/809/2/L20

Boring apparatus capable of boring straight holes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peterson, C.R.

The invention relates to a rock boring assembly for producing a straight hole for use in a drill string above a pilot boring bit of predetermined diameter smaller than the desired final hole size. The boring assembly comprises a small conical boring bit and a larger conical boring, the conical boring bits mounted on lower and upper ends of an enlongated spacer, respectively, and the major effective cutting diameters of each of the conical boring bits being at least 10% greater than the minor effective cutting diameter of the respective bit. The spacer has a cross-section resistant bending and spacesmore » the conical boring bits apart a distance at least 5 times the major cutting diameter of the small conical boring bit, thereby spacing the pivot points provided by the two conical boring bits to limit bodily angular deflection of the assembly and providing a substantial moment arm to resist lateral forces applied to the assembly by the pilot bit and drill string. The spacing between the conical bits is less than about 20 times the major cutting diameter of the lower conical boring bit to enable the spacer to act as a bend-resistant beam to resist angular deflection of the axis of either of the conical boring bits relative to the other when it receives uneven lateral force due to non-uniformity of cutting conditions about the circumference of the bit. Advantageously the boring bits also are self-advancing and feature skewed rollers. 7 claims.« less

Simulating the environment around planet-hosting stars. II. Stellar winds and inner astrospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarado-Gómez, J. D.; Hussain, G. A. J.; Cohen, O.; Drake, J. J.; Garraffo, C.; Grunhut, J.; Gombosi, T. I.

2016-10-01

We present the results of a comprehensive numerical simulation of the environment around three exoplanet-host stars (HD 1237, HD 22049, and HD 147513). Our simulations consider one of the latest models currently used for space weather studies in the Heliosphere, with turbulent Alfvén wave dissipation as the source of coronal heating and stellar wind acceleration. Large-scale magnetic field maps, recovered with two implementations of the tomographic technique of Zeeman-Doppler imaging, serve to drive steady-state solutions in each system. This paper contains the description of the stellar wind and inner astrosphere, while the coronal structure was discussed in a previous paper. The analysis includes the magneto-hydrodynamical properties of the stellar wind, the associated mass and angular momentum loss rates, as well as the topology of the astrospheric current sheet in each system. A systematic comparison among the considered cases is performed, including two reference solar simulations covering activity minimum and maximum. For HD 1237, we investigate the interactions between the structure of the developed stellar wind, and a possible magnetosphere around the Jupiter-mass planet in this system. We find that the process of particle injection into the planetary atmosphere is dominated by the density distribution rather than the velocity profile of the stellar wind. In this context, we predict a maximum exoplanetary radio emission of 12 mJy at 40 MHz in this system, assuming the crossing of a high-density streamer during periastron passage. Furthermore, in combination with the analysis performed in the first paper of this study, we obtain for the first time a fully simulated mass loss-activity relation. This relation is compared and discussed in the context of the previously proposed observational counterpart, derived from astrospheric detections. Finally, we provide a characterisation of the global 3D properties of the stellar wind of these systems, at the inner edges of their habitable zones.

Stellar streams and the galaxies they reside in

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearson, Sarah

2018-01-01

As galaxies collide, as smaller galaxies are disrupted by larger galaxies, or as clusters of stars orbit a galaxy, a gravitational tidal interaction unfolds and the systems tear apart into distinct morphological and kinematic structures. In my thesis, I have exploited these structures to understand various components of galaxies, such as the baryon cycle in dwarf galaxy interactions (Pearson et al. 2016, Pearson et al. 2017b). In this talk, I will focus on my thesis work related to the stellar stream emerging from the old, globular cluster, Palomar 5 (Pal 5), orbiting our own Milky Way. As the stellar stream members were once closely tied together in energy and angular momentum space, we can use their distribution in phase space to trace back where they were once located and what affected them along their paths. In particular, I will show that the mere existence of Pal 5’s thin stream can rule out a moderately triaxial potential model of our Galaxy (Pearson et al. 2015) and that the debris of Pal 5-like streams will spread much further in space in a triaxial potential (a mechanism which I dubbed “stream fanning”) . Additionally, I will show that the Milky Way's Galactic bar, can punch holes in stellar streams and explain the recently discovered length asymmetry between Pal 5’s leading and trailing arm (Pearson et al. 2017a). These holes grow and have locations along stellar streams dependent on the Galactic bar orientation, mass and rotational speed, which provides an intriguing methodology for studying our own Milky Way’s Galactic bar in more detail. The fact that the bar can create under densities in stellar streams, further demonstrates that we should be careful when interpreting gaps in stellar streams as indirect evidence of the existence of dark matter subhalos in our Galaxy.

Stellar Imager

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carpenter, Kenneth

2007-01-01

The Stellar Imager (SI) is one of NASA's "Vision Missions" - concepts for future, space-based, strategic missions that could enormously increase our capabilities for observing the Cosmos. SI is designed as a UV/Optical Interferometer which will enable 0.1 milli-arcsecond (mas) spectral imaging of stellar surfaces and, via asteroseismology, stellar interiors and of the Universe in general. The ultra-sharp images of the Stellar Imager will revolutionize our view of many dynamic astrophysical processes by transforming point sources into extended sources, and snapshots into evolving views. SI, with a characteristic angular resolution of 0.1 milli-arcseconds at 2000 Angstroms, represents an advance in image detail of several hundred times over that provided by the Hubble Space Telescope. The Stellar Imager will zoom in on what today-with few exceptions - we only know as point sources, revealing processes never before seen, thus providing a tool as fundamental to astrophysics as the microscope is to the study of life on Earth. SI's science focuses on the role of magnetism in the Universe, particularly on magnetic activity on the surfaces of stars like the Sun. It's prime goal is to enable long-term forecasting of solar activity and the space weather that it drives, in support of the Living With a Star program in the Exploration Era. SI will also revolutionize our understanding of the formation of planetary systems, of the habitability and climatology of distant planets, and of many magneto-hydrodynamically controlled processes in the Universe. Stellar Imager is included as a "Flagship and Landmark Discovery Mission" in the 2005 Sun Solar System Connection (SSSC) Roadmap and as a candidate for a "Pathways to Life Observatory" in the Exploration of the Universe Division (EUD) Roadmap (May, 2005) and as such is a candidate mission for the 2025-2030 timeframe. An artist's drawing of the current "baseline" concept for SI is presented.

Solar diameter measurements from eclipses as a solar variability proxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunham, David W.; Sofia, Sabatino; Guhl, Konrad; Herald, David

The widths of total solar eclipse paths depends on the diameter of the Sun, so if observations are obtained near both the northern and southern limits of the eclipse path, in principle, the angular diameter of the Sun can be measured. Concerted efforts have been made to obtain contact timings from locations near total solar eclipse path edges since the mid 19th century, and Edmund Halley organized a rather successful first effort in 1715. Members of IOTA have been making increasingly sophisticated observations of the Baily's bead phenomena near central solar eclipse path edges since 1970.

Protoplanetary disc response to distant tidal encounters in stellar clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winter, A. J.; Clarke, C. J.; Rosotti, G.; Booth, R. A.

2018-04-01

The majority of stars form in a clustered environment. This has an impact on the evolution of surrounding protoplanetary discs (PPDs) due to either photoevaporation or tidal truncation. Consequently, the development of planets depends on formation environment. Here, we present the first thorough investigation of tidally induced angular momentum loss in PPDs in the distant regime, partly motivated by claims in the literature for the importance of distant encounters in disc evolution. We employ both theoretical predictions and dynamical/hydrodynamical simulations in 2D and 3D. Our theoretical analysis is based on that of Ostriker (1994) and leads us to conclude that in the limit that the closest approach distance xmin ≫ r, the radius of a particle ring, the fractional change in angular momentum scales as (xmin/r)-5. This asymptotic limit ensures that the cumulative effect of distant encounters is minor in terms of its influence on disc evolution. The angular momentum transfer is dominated by the m = 2 Lindblad resonance for closer encounters and by the m = 1, ω = 0 Lindblad resonance at large xmin/r. We contextualize these results by comparing expected angular momentum loss for the outer edge of a PPD due to distant and close encounters. Contrary to the suggestions of previous works, we do not find that distant encounters contribute significantly to angular momentum loss in PPDs. We define an upper limit for closest approach distance where interactions are significant as a function of arbitrary host to perturber mass ratio M2/M1.

SPIN EVOLUTION OF ACCRETING YOUNG STARS. II. EFFECT OF ACCRETION-POWERED STELLAR WINDS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matt, Sean P.; Pinzon, Giovanni; Greene, Thomas P.

2012-01-20

We present a model for the rotational evolution of a young, solar-mass star interacting magnetically with an accretion disk. As in a previous paper (Paper I), the model includes changes in the star's mass and radius as it descends the Hayashi track, a decreasing accretion rate, and a prescription for the angular momentum transfer between the star and disk. Paper I concluded that, for the relatively strong magnetic coupling expected in real systems, additional processes are necessary to explain the existence of slowly rotating pre-main-sequence stars. In the present paper, we extend the stellar spin model to include the effectmore » of a spin-down torque that arises from an accretion-powered stellar wind (APSW). For a range of magnetic field strengths, accretion rates, initial spin rates, and mass outflow rates, the modeled stars exhibit rotation periods within the range of 1-10 days in the age range of 1-3 Myr. This range coincides with the bulk of the observed rotation periods, with the slow rotators corresponding to stars with the lowest accretion rates, strongest magnetic fields, and/or highest stellar wind mass outflow rates. We also make a direct, quantitative comparison between the APSW scenario and the two types of disk-locking models (namely, the X-wind and Ghosh and Lamb type models) and identify some remaining theoretical issues for understanding young star spins.« less

Spin Evolution of Accreting Young Stars. II. Effect of Accretion-powered Stellar Winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matt, Sean P.; Pinzón, Giovanni; Greene, Thomas P.; Pudritz, Ralph E.

2012-01-01

We present a model for the rotational evolution of a young, solar-mass star interacting magnetically with an accretion disk. As in a previous paper (Paper I), the model includes changes in the star's mass and radius as it descends the Hayashi track, a decreasing accretion rate, and a prescription for the angular momentum transfer between the star and disk. Paper I concluded that, for the relatively strong magnetic coupling expected in real systems, additional processes are necessary to explain the existence of slowly rotating pre-main-sequence stars. In the present paper, we extend the stellar spin model to include the effect of a spin-down torque that arises from an accretion-powered stellar wind (APSW). For a range of magnetic field strengths, accretion rates, initial spin rates, and mass outflow rates, the modeled stars exhibit rotation periods within the range of 1-10 days in the age range of 1-3 Myr. This range coincides with the bulk of the observed rotation periods, with the slow rotators corresponding to stars with the lowest accretion rates, strongest magnetic fields, and/or highest stellar wind mass outflow rates. We also make a direct, quantitative comparison between the APSW scenario and the two types of disk-locking models (namely, the X-wind and Ghosh & Lamb type models) and identify some remaining theoretical issues for understanding young star spins.

A multiwavelength survey of H I-excess galaxies with surprisingly inefficient star formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geréb, K.; Janowiecki, S.; Catinella, B.; Cortese, L.; Kilborn, V.

2018-05-01

We present the results of a multiwavelength survey of H I-excess galaxies, an intriguing population with large H I reservoirs associated with little current star formation. These galaxies have stellar masses M⋆ > 1010 M⊙, and were identified as outliers in the gas fraction versus NUV-r colour and stellar mass surface density scaling relations based on the GALEX Arecibo SDSS Survey (GASS). We obtained H I interferometry with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, Keck optical long-slit spectroscopy, and deep optical imaging (where available) for four galaxies. Our analysis reveals multiple possible reasons for the H I excess in these systems. One galaxy, AGC 10111, shows an H I disc that is counter-rotating with respect to the stellar bulge, a clear indication of external origin of the gas. Another galaxy appears to host a Malin 1-type disc, where a large specific angular momentum has to be invoked to explain the extreme M_{H I}/M⋆ ratio of 166 per cent. The other two galaxies have early-type morphology with very high gas fractions. The lack of merger signatures (unsettled gas, stellar shells, and streams) in these systems suggests that these gas-rich discs have been built several Gyr ago, but it remains unclear how the gas reservoirs were assembled. Numerical simulations of large cosmological volumes are needed to gain insight into the formation of these rare and interesting systems.

High-resolution observations of IRAS 08544-4431. Detection of a disk orbiting a post-AGB star and of a slow disk wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bujarrabal, V.; Castro-Carrizo, A.; Winckel, H. Van; Alcolea, J.; Contreras, C. Sánchez; Santander-García, M.; Hillen, M.

2018-06-01

Context. Aims: In order to study the effects of rotating disks in the post-asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) evolution, we observe a class of binary post-AGB stars that seem to be systematically surrounded by equatorial disks and slow outflows. Although the rotating dynamics had only been well identified in three cases, the study of such structures is thought to be fundamental to the understanding of the formation of disks in various phases of the late evolution of binary stars and the ejection of planetary nebulae from evolved stars. Methods: We present ALMA maps of 12CO and 13CO J = 3-2 lines in the source IRAS 08544-4431, which belongs to the above mentioned class of objects. We analyzed the data by means of nebula models, which account for the expectedly composite source and can reproduce the data. From our modeling, we estimated the main nebula parameters, including the structure and dynamics and the density and temperature distributions. We discuss the uncertainties of the derived values and, in particular, their dependence on the distance. Results: Our observations reveal the presence of an equatorial disk in rotation; a low-velocity outflow is also found, probably formed of gas expelled from the disk. The main characteristics of our observations and modeling of IRAS 08544-4431 are similar to those of better studied objects, confirming our interpretation. The disk rotation indicates a total central mass of about 1.8 M⊙, for a distance of 1100 pc. The disk is found to be relatively extended and has a typical diameter of 4 × 1016 cm. The total nebular mass is 2 × 10-2 M⊙, of which 90% corresponds to the disk. Assuming that the outflow is due to mass loss from the disk, we derive a disk lifetime of 10 000 yr. The disk angular momentum is found to be comparable to that of the binary system at present. Assuming that the disk angular momentum was transferred from the binary system, as expected, the high values of the disk angular momentum in this and other similar disks suggest that the size of the stellar orbits has significantly decreased as a consequence of disk formation.

Angular distribution of ions and extreme ultraviolet emission in laser-produced tin droplet plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Hong; Duan, Lian; Lan, Hui

Angular-resolved ion time-of-flight spectra as well as extreme ultraviolet radiation in laser-produced tin droplet plasma are investigated experimentally and theoretically. Tin droplets with a diameter of 150 μm are irradiated by a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The ion time-of-flight spectra measured from the plasma formed by laser irradiation of the tin droplets are interpreted in terms of a theoretical elliptical Druyvesteyn distribution to deduce ion density distributions including kinetic temperatures of the plasma. The opacity of the plasma for extreme ultraviolet radiation is calculated based on the deduced ion densities and temperatures, and the angular distribution of extreme ultraviolet radiation is expressedmore » as a function of the opacity using the Beer–Lambert law. Our results show that the calculated angular distribution of extreme ultraviolet radiation is in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data.« less

Angular distribution of ions and extreme ultraviolet emission in laser-produced tin droplet plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hong; Wang, Xinbing; Duan, Lian; Lan, Hui; Chen, Ziqi; Zuo, Duluo; Lu, Peixiang

2015-05-01

Angular-resolved ion time-of-flight spectra as well as extreme ultraviolet radiation in laser-produced tin droplet plasma are investigated experimentally and theoretically. Tin droplets with a diameter of 150 μm are irradiated by a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The ion time-of-flight spectra measured from the plasma formed by laser irradiation of the tin droplets are interpreted in terms of a theoretical elliptical Druyvesteyn distribution to deduce ion density distributions including kinetic temperatures of the plasma. The opacity of the plasma for extreme ultraviolet radiation is calculated based on the deduced ion densities and temperatures, and the angular distribution of extreme ultraviolet radiation is expressed as a function of the opacity using the Beer-Lambert law. Our results show that the calculated angular distribution of extreme ultraviolet radiation is in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data.

On the origin of bursts in blue compact dwarf galaxies: clues from kinematics and stellar populations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koleva, M.; De Rijcke, S.; Zeilinger, W. W.; Verbeke, R.; Schroyen, J.; Vermeylen, L.

2014-06-01

Blue compact dwarf galaxies (BCDs) form stars at, for their sizes, extraordinarily high rates. In this paper, we study what triggers this starburst and what is the fate of the galaxy once its gas fuel is exhausted. We select four BCDs with smooth outer regions, indicating them as possible progenitors of dwarf elliptical galaxies. We have obtained photometric and spectroscopic data with the FORS and ISAAC instruments on the VLT. We analyse their infrared spectra using a full spectrum fitting technique, which yields the kinematics of their stars and ionized gas together with their stellar population characteristics. We find that the stellar velocity to velocity dispersion ratio ((v/σ)⋆) of our BCDs is of the order of 1.5, similar to that of dwarf elliptical galaxies. Thus, those objects do not require significant (if any) loss of angular momentum to fade into early-type dwarfs. This finding is in discordance with previous studies, which however compared the stellar kinematics of dwarf elliptical galaxies with the gaseous kinematics of star-forming dwarfs. The stellar velocity fields of our objects are very disturbed and the star formation regions are often kinematically decoupled from the rest of the galaxy. These regions can be more or less metal rich with respect to the galactic body and sometimes they are long lived. These characteristics prevent us from pinpointing a unique trigger of the star formation, even within the same galaxy. Gas impacts, mergers, and in-spiraling gas clumps are all possible star formation igniters for our targets.

The Hierarchical Distribution of the Young Stellar Clusters in Six Local Star-forming Galaxies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grasha, K.; Calzetti, D.; Adamo, A.

We present a study of the hierarchical clustering of the young stellar clusters in six local (3–15 Mpc) star-forming galaxies using Hubble Space Telescope broadband WFC3/UVIS UV and optical images from the Treasury Program LEGUS (Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey). We identified 3685 likely clusters and associations, each visually classified by their morphology, and we use the angular two-point correlation function to study the clustering of these stellar systems. We find that the spatial distribution of the young clusters and associations are clustered with respect to each other, forming large, unbound hierarchical star-forming complexes that are in general very young. Themore » strength of the clustering decreases with increasing age of the star clusters and stellar associations, becoming more homogeneously distributed after ∼40–60 Myr and on scales larger than a few hundred parsecs. In all galaxies, the associations exhibit a global behavior that is distinct and more strongly correlated from compact clusters. Thus, populations of clusters are more evolved than associations in terms of their spatial distribution, traveling significantly from their birth site within a few tens of Myr, whereas associations show evidence of disruption occurring very quickly after their formation. The clustering of the stellar systems resembles that of a turbulent interstellar medium that drives the star formation process, correlating the components in unbound star-forming complexes in a hierarchical manner, dispersing shortly after formation, suggestive of a single, continuous mode of star formation across all galaxies.« less

The sustainable growth of the first black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pezzulli, Edwige; Volonteri, Marta; Schneider, Raffaella; Valiante, Rosa

2017-10-01

Super-Eddington accretion has been suggested as a possible formation pathway of 109 M⊙ supermassive black holes (SMBHs) 800 Myr after the big bang. However, stellar feedback from BH seed progenitors and winds from BH accretion discs may decrease BH accretion rates. In this work, we study the impact of these physical processes on the formation of z ˜ 6 quasar, including new physical prescriptions in the cosmological, data-constrained semi-analytic model GAMETE/QSOdust. We find that the feedback produced by the first stellar progenitors on the surrounding does not play a relevant role in preventing SMBHs formation. In order to grow the z ≳ 6 SMBHs, the accreted gas must efficiently lose angular momentum. Moreover, disc winds, easily originated in super-Eddington accretion regime, can strongly reduce duty cycles. This produces a decrease in the active fraction among the progenitors of z ˜ 6 bright quasars, reducing the probability to observe them.

On the galaxy-halo connection in the EAGLE simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desmond, Harry; Mao, Yao-Yuan; Wechsler, Risa H.; Crain, Robert A.; Schaye, Joop

2017-10-01

Empirical models of galaxy formation require assumptions about the correlations between galaxy and halo properties. These may be calibrated against observations or inferred from physical models such as hydrodynamical simulations. In this Letter, we use the EAGLE simulation to investigate the correlation of galaxy size with halo properties. We motivate this analysis by noting that the common assumption of angular momentum partition between baryons and dark matter in rotationally supported galaxies overpredicts both the spread in the stellar mass-size relation and the anticorrelation of size and velocity residuals, indicating a problem with the galaxy-halo connection it implies. We find the EAGLE galaxy population to perform significantly better on both statistics, and trace this success to the weakness of the correlations of galaxy size with halo mass, concentration and spin at fixed stellar mass. Using these correlations in empirical models will enable fine-grained aspects of galaxy scalings to be matched.

Open cluster evolutions in binary system: How they dissolved

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Priyatikanto, R.; Arifyanto, M. I.; Wulandari, H. R. T.

2014-03-01

Binarity among stellar clusters in galaxy is such a reality which has been realized for a long time, but still hides several questions and problems to be solved. Some of binary star clusters are formed by close encounter, but the others are formed together from similar womb. Some of them undergo separation process, while the others are in the middle of merger toward common future. The products of merger binary star cluster have typical characteristics which differ from solo clusters, especially in their spatial distribution and their stellar members kinematics. On the other hand, these merger products still have to face dissolving processes triggered by both internal and external factors. In this study, we performed N-body simulations of merger binary clusters with different initial conditions. After merging, these clusters dissolve with greater mass-loss rate because of their angular momentum. These rotating clusters also experience more deceleration caused by external tidal field.

Adaptive Optics Imaging of Solar System Objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roddier, Francois; Owen, Toby

1999-01-01

Most solar system objects have never been observed at wavelengths longer than the R band with an angular resolution better than 1". The Hubble Space Telescope itself has only recently been equipped to observe in the infrared. However, because of its small diameter, the angular resolution is lower than that one can now achieved from the ground with adaptive optics, and time allocated to planetary science is limited. We have successfully used adaptive optics on a 4-m class telescope to obtain 0.1" resolution images of solar system objects in the far red and near infrared (0.7-2.5 microns), aE wavelengths which best discl"lmlnate their spectral signatures. Our efforts have been put into areas of research for which high angular resolution is essential.

Evaluating gyrochronology on the zero-age-main-sequence: rotation periods in the southern open cluster Blanco 1 from the Kelt-South survey

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cargile, P. A.; Pepper, J.; Siverd, R.

2014-02-10

We report periods for 33 members of Blanco 1 as measured from Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope-South light curves, the first reported rotation periods for this benchmark zero-age-main-sequence open cluster. The distribution of these stars spans from late-A or early-F dwarfs to mid-K with periods ranging from less than a day to ∼8 days. The rotation period distribution has a morphology similar to the coeval Pleiades cluster, suggesting the universal nature of stellar rotation distributions. Employing two different gyrochronology methods, we find an age of 146{sub −14}{sup +13} Myr for the cluster. Using the same techniques, we infer an age ofmore » 134{sub −10}{sup +9} Myr for the Pleiades measured from existing literature rotation periods. These rotation-derived ages agree with independently determined cluster ages based on the lithium depletion boundary technique. Additionally, we evaluate different gyrochronology models and quantify levels of agreement between the models and the Blanco 1/Pleiades rotation period distributions, including incorporating the rotation distributions of clusters at ages up to 1.1 Gyr. We find the Skumanich-like spin-down rate sufficiently describes the rotation evolution of stars hotter than the Sun; however, we find cooler stars rotating faster than predicted by a Skumanich law, suggesting a mass dependence in the efficiency of stellar angular momentum loss rate. Finally, we compare the Blanco 1 and Pleiades rotation period distributions to available nonlinear angular momentum evolution models. We find they require a significant mass dependence on the initial rotation rate of solar-type stars to reproduce the observed range of rotation periods at a given stellar mass and are furthermore unable to predict the observed over-density of stars along the upper envelope of the clusters' rotation distributions.« less

On the Lack of Circumbinary Planets Orbiting Isolated Binary Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleming, David; Barnes, Rory; Graham, David E.; Luger, Rodrigo; Quinn, Thomas R.

2018-04-01

To date, no binary star system with an orbital period less than 7.5 days has been observed to host a circumbinary planet (CBP), a puzzling observation given the thousands of binary stars with orbital periods < 10 days discovered by the Kepler mission (Kirk et al., 2016) and the observational biases that favor their detection (Munoz & Lai, 2015). We outline a mechanism that explains the observed lack of CBPs via coupled stellar-tidal evolution of isolated binary stars. Tidal forces between low-mass, short-period binary stars on the pre-main sequence slow the stellar rotations, transferring rotational angular momentum to the orbit as the stars approach the tidally locked state. This transfer increases the binary orbital period, expanding the region of dynamical instability around the binary, and destabilizing CBPs that tend to preferentially orbit just beyond the initial dynamical stability limit. After the stars tidally lock, we find that angular momentum loss due to magnetic braking can significantly shrink the binary orbit, and hence the region of dynamical stability, over time impacting where surviving CBPs are observed relative to the boundary. We perform simulations over a wide range of parameter space and find that the expansion of the instability region occurs for most plausible initial conditions and that in some cases, the stability semi-major axis doubles from its initial value. We examine the dynamical and observable consequences of a CBP falling within the dynamical instability limit by running N-body simulations of circumbinary planetary systems and find that typically, at least one planet is ejected from the system. We apply our theory to the shortest period Kepler binary that possesses a CBP, Kepler-47, and find that its existence is consistent with our model. Under conservative assumptions, we find that coupled stellar-tidal evolution of pre-main sequence binary stars removes at least one close-in CBP in 87% of multi-planet circumbinary systems.

Integral Field Spectroscopy of the Merger Remnant NGC 7252

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weaver, John; Husemann, Bernd; Kuntschner, Harald; Martín-Navarro, Ignacio

2018-01-01

The merging of galaxies is a key aspect of the hierarchical ΛCDM Universe. The formation of massive quiescent elliptical galaxies may be explained through the merger of two star-forming disc galaxies. Despite nearly a century of effort, our understanding of this complex transformational process is remains incomplete and requires diligent observational study.NGC 7252 is one of the nearest starbursting major-merger galaxy remnants, formed about 1 Gyr after the collision of presumably two disc galaxies. It is therefore an ideal laboratory to study the underlying processes involved in transformation of two disc galaxies to an elliptical galaxy via a merger.We obtained wide-field IFU spectroscopy with the VLT-VIMOS integral-field spectrograph covering the central 50’’ × 50’’ of NGC 7252 to map the stellar and ionized gas kinematics, and the distribution and conditions of the ionized gas, revealing the extent of ongoing star formation and recent star formation history.Contrary to previous studies we find the inner gas disc not to be counter-rotating with respect to the overall stellar angular momentum. However, the stellar kinematics appear to be complex with a superposition of at least two nearly perpendicular angular momentum components. The host galaxy is still blue with g - i ~ 0.8 with an ongoing star formation rate of 2.2 ± 0.6 Msun/yr, placing NGC 7252 close to the blue cloud of galaxies and consistent with a disc-like molecular depletion time of ~2 Gyr.Although NGC 7252 appears as a fading starburst galaxy at the center, the elliptical-like major merger remnant appears to active, inconsistent with a fast quenching scenario. NGC 7252 may take several Gyr to reach the red sequence of galaxies unless star formation becomes quenched by either AGN feedback or inefficient gas conversion, leading to an H I-rich elliptical galaxy.

A COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH FOR STELLAR BOWSHOCK NEBULAE IN THE MILKY WAY: A CATALOG OF 709 MID-INFRARED SELECTED CANDIDATES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kobulnicky, Henry A.; Chick, William T.; Schurhammer, Danielle P.

2016-12-01

We identify 709 arc-shaped mid-infrared nebula in 24 μ m Spitzer Space Telescope or 22 μ m Wide Field Infrared Explorer surveys of the Galactic Plane as probable dusty interstellar bowshocks powered by early-type stars. About 20% are visible at 8 μ m or at shorter mid-infrared wavelengths. The vast majority (660) have no previous identification in the literature. These extended infrared sources are strongly concentrated near the Galactic mid-plane, with an angular scale height of ∼0.°6. All host a symmetrically placed star implicated as the source of a stellar wind sweeping up interstellar material. These are candidate “runaway” starsmore » potentially having high velocities in the reference frame of the local medium. Among the 286 objects with measured proper motions, we find an unambiguous excess with velocity vectors aligned with the infrared morphology—kinematic evidence that many of these are “runaway” stars with large peculiar motions responsible for the bowshock signature. We discuss a population of “in situ” bowshocks (∼103 objects) that face giant H ii regions where the relative motions between the star and ISM may be caused by bulk outflows from an overpressured bubble. We also identify ∼58 objects that face 8 μ m bright-rimmed clouds and apparently constitute a sub-class of in situ bowshocks where the stellar wind interacts with a photoevaporative flow (PEF) from an eroding molecular cloud interface (i.e., “PEF bowshocks”). Orientations of the arcuate nebulae exhibit a correlation over small angular scales, indicating that external influences such as H ii regions are responsible for producing some bowshock nebulae. However, the vast majority of the nebulae in this sample appear to be isolated (499 objects) from obvious external influences.« less

A Study of Imaging Interferometer Simulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, Ronald J.

2002-01-01

Several new space science mission concepts under development at NASA-GSFC for astronomy are intended to carry out synthetic imaging using Michelson interferometers or direct (Fizeau) imaging with sparse apertures. Examples of these mission concepts include the Stellar Imager (SI), the Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT), the Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure (SPECS), and the Fourier-Kelvin Stellar Interferometer (FKSI). We have been developing computer-based simulators for these missions. These simulators are aimed at providing a quantitative evaluation of the imaging capabilities of the mission by modelling the performance on different realistic targets in terms of sensitivity, angular resolution, and dynamic range. Both Fizeau and Michelson modes of operation can be considered. Our work is based on adapting a computer simulator called imSIM, which was initially written for the Space Interferometer Mission in order to simulate the imaging mode of new missions such as those listed. In a recent GSFC-funded study we have successfully written a preliminary version of a simulator SISIM for the Stellar Imager and carried out some preliminary studies with it. In a separately funded study we have also been applying these methods to SPECS/SPIRIT.

THE EFFECT OF MAGNETIC TOPOLOGY ON THERMALLY DRIVEN WIND: TOWARD A GENERAL FORMULATION OF THE BRAKING LAW

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Réville, Victor; Brun, Allan Sacha; Strugarek, Antoine

Stellar wind is thought to be the main process responsible for the spin down of main-sequence stars. The extraction of angular momentum by a magnetized wind has been studied for decades, leading to several formulations for the resulting torque. However, previous studies generally consider simple dipole or split monopole stellar magnetic topologies. Here we consider, in addition to a dipolar stellar magnetic field, both quadrupolar and octupolar configurations, while also varying the rotation rate and the magnetic field strength. Sixty simulations made with a 2.5D cylindrical and axisymmetric set-up, and computed with the PLUTO code, were used to find torquemore » formulations for each topology. We further succeed to give a unique law that fits the data for every topology by formulating the torque in terms of the amount of open magnetic flux in the wind. We also show that our formulation can be applied to even more realistic magnetic topologies, with examples of the Sun in its minimum and maximum phases as observed at the Wilcox Solar Observatory, and of a young K-star (TYC-0486-4943-1) whose topology has been obtained by Zeeman-Doppler Imaging.« less

The influence of the magnetic topology on the wind braking of sun-like stars.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Réville, V.; Brun, A. S.; Matt, S. P.; Strugarek, A.; Pinto, R.

2014-12-01

Stellar winds are thought to be the main process responsible for the spin down of main-sequence stars. The extraction of angular momentum by a magnetized wind has been studied for decades, leading to several formulations for the resulting torque. However, previous studies generally consider simple dipole or split monopole stellar magnetic topologies. Here we consider in addition to a dipolar stellar magnetic field, both quadrupolar and octupolar configurations, while also varying the rotation rate and the magnetic field strength. 60 simulations made with a 2.5D, cylindrical and axisymmetric set-up and computed with the PLUTO code were used to find torque formulations for each topology. We further succeed to give a unique law that fits the data for every topology by formulating the torque in terms of the amount of open magnetic flux in the wind. We also show that our formulation can be applied to even more realistic magnetic topologies, with examples of the Sun in its minimum and maximum phase as observed at the Wilcox Solar Observatory, and of a young K-star (TYC-0486-4943-1) whose topology has been obtained by Zeeman-Doppler Imaging (ZDI).

Siriusly, a newly identified intermediate-age Milky Way stellar cluster: a spectroscopic study of Gaia 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, J. D.; De Silva, G. M.; Martell, S. L.; Zucker, D. B.; Ferguson, A. M. N.; Bernard, E. J.; Irwin, M.; Penarrubia, J.; Tolstoy, E.

2017-11-01

We confirm the reality of the recently discovered Milky Way stellar cluster Gaia 1 using spectra acquired with the HERMES and AAOmega spectrographs of the Anglo-Australian Telescope. This cluster had been previously undiscovered due to its close angular proximity to Sirius, the brightest star in the sky at visual wavelengths. Our observations identified 41 cluster members, and yielded an overall metallicity of [{Fe}/{H}]=-0.13± 0.13 and barycentric radial velocity of vr = 58.30 ± 0.22 km s-1. These kinematics provide a dynamical mass estimate of 12.9^{+4.6}_{-3.9}× 10^3 M_{⊙}. Isochrone fits to Gaia, 2MASS, and Pan-STARRS1 photometry indicate that Gaia 1 is an intermediate age (˜3 Gyr) stellar cluster. Combining the spatial and kinematic data we calculate Gaia 1 has a circular orbit with a radius of about 12 kpc, but with a large out of plane motion: z_{max}=1.1^{+0.4}_{-0.3} kpc. Clusters with such orbits are unlikely to survive long due to the number of plane passages they would experience.

The Fourier-Kelvin Stellar Interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danchi, W. C.; Allen, R. J.; Benford, D. J.; Deming, D.; Gezari, D. Y.; Kuchner, M.; Leisawitz, D. T.; Linfield, R.; Millan-Gabet, R.; Monnier, J. D.; Mumma, M.; Mundy, L. G.; Noecker, C.; Rajagopal, J.; Seager, S.; Traub, W. A.

2003-10-01

The Fourier-Kelvin Stellar Interferometer (FKSI) is a mission concept for an imaging and nulling interferometer for the mid-infrared spectral region (5- 28 microns). FKSI is conceived as a scientific and technological pathfinder to TPF/DARWIN as well as the NASA Vision Missions SAFIR and SPECS. It will also be a high angular resolution infrared space observatory complementary to JWST. The scientific emphasis of the mission is on detection and spectroscopy of the atmospheres of Extra-solar Giant Planets (EGPs), the search for Brown Dwarfs and other low mass stellar companions, and the evolution of protostellar systems. FKSI can observe these systems from just after the collapse of the precursor molecular cloud core, through the formation of the disk surrounding the protostar, the formation of planets in the disk, and eventual dispersal of the disk material. FKSI could also play a very powerful role in the investigation of the structure of active galactic nuclei and extra-galactic star formation. We present the major results of a set of detailed design studies for the FKSI mission that were performed as a method of understanding major trade-offs pertinent to schedule, cost, and risk in preparation for submission of a Discovery proposal.

A central black hole in M32

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tonry, John L.

1987-01-01

Observations are presented of the stellar rotation and velocity dispersion in M32. The projected rotation curve has an unresolved cusp at the center, with an amplitude of at least 60 km/s. The stellar velocity dispersion is constant at 56 + or - 5 km/s to a radius of 20 arcsec; a central bump in the observed dispersion is an artifact due to the rotation. The form of the rotation is such that isophotes have constant angular rotation velocity. The three-dimensional rotation field is modeled and the internal mean rotation of the stars around the center of M32 must reach at least 90 km/s at a radius of 2 pc. Hydrostatic equilibrium then requires 3-10 x 10 to the 6th solar masses of dark mass within the central parsec of M32. The possibility that M32 is undergoing core collapse and that this dark mass consists of dark stellar remnants is discussed, but ultimately rejected because the time scale for core collapse of M32 should be 2000 Hubble times. A more likely explanation of this dark mass, especially because of the presence of an X-ray point source at the center of M32, is a massive black hole.

Rapid rotators revisited: absolute dimensions of KOI-13

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howarth, Ian D.; Morello, Giuseppe

2017-09-01

We analyse Kepler light-curves of the exoplanet Kepler Object of Interest no. 13b (KOI-13b) transiting its moderately rapidly rotating (gravity-darkened) parent star. A physical model, with minimal ad hoc free parameters, reproduces the time-averaged light-curve at the ˜10 parts per million level. We demonstrate that this Roche-model solution allows the absolute dimensions of the system to be determined from the star's projected equatorial rotation speed, ve sin I*, without any additional assumptions; we find a planetary radius RP = (1.33 ± 0.05) R♃, stellar polar radius Rp★ = (1.55 ± 0.06) R⊙, combined mass M* + MP( ≃ M*) = (1.47 ± 0.17) M⊙ and distance d ≃ (370 ± 25) pc, where the errors are dominated by uncertainties in relative flux contribution of the visual-binary companion KOI-13B. The implied stellar rotation period is within ˜5 per cent of the non-orbital, 25.43-hr signal found in the Kepler photometry. We show that the model accurately reproduces independent tomographic observations, and yields an offset between orbital and stellar-rotation angular-momentum vectors of 60.25° ± 0.05°.

Electron-spin-resonance studies of vapor-grown carbon fibers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marshik, B.; Meyer, D.; Apple, T.

1987-01-01

The effects of annealing temperature and fiber diameter on the degree of disorder of vapor-grown carbon fibers were investigated by analyzing the electron-spin-resonance (ESR) line shapes of fibers annealed at six various temperatures up to 3375 K. The diameter of fibers, grown from methane gas, ranged from 10 to 140 microns with most fibers between 20 and 50 microns. It was found that the degree of disorder of vapor-grown fibers decreases upon annealing to higher temperature; standard angular deviation between the fiber axis and the crystallite basal planes could vary from 35 deg (for annealing temperature of 2275 K) to 12 deg (for 3375 K). With respect to fiber diameter, order parameters were found to be higher for fibers of smaller diameters.

Nuclear Star Formation in the Hot-Spot Galaxy NGC 2903

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alonso-Herrero, A.; Ryder, S. D.; Knapen, J. H.

1994-01-01

We present high-resolution near-infrared imaging obtained using adaptive optics and HST/NICMOS and ground-based spectroscopy of the hot-spot galaxy NGC 2903. Our near-infrared resolution imaging enables us to resolve the infrared hot spots into individual young stellar clusters or groups of these. The spatial distribution of the stellar clusters is not coincident with that of the bright H II regions, as revealed by the HST/NICMOS Pace image. Overall, the circumnuclear star formation in NGC 2903 shows a ring-like morphology with an approximate diameter of 625 pc. The SF properties of the stellar clusters and H II regions have been studied using the photometric and spectroscopic information in conjunction with evolutionary synthesis models. The population of bright stellar clusters shows a very narrow range of ages, 4 to 7 x 10(exp 6) yr after the peak of star formation, or absolute ages 6.5 to 9.5 x 10(exp 6) yr (for the assumed short-duration Gaussian bursts), and luminosities similar to the clusters found in the Antennae interacting galaxy. This population of young stellar clusters accounts for some 7 - 12% of the total stellar mass in the central 625 pc of NGC 2903. The H II regions in the ring of star formation have luminosities close to that of the super-giant H II region 30 Doradus, they are younger than the stellar clusters, and will probably evolve into bright infrared stellar clusters similar to those observed today. We find that the star formation efficiency in the central regions of NGC 2903 is higher than in normal galaxies, approaching the lower end of infrared luminous galaxies.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barnes, Jason W.; Van Eyken, Julian C.; Jackson, Brian K.

PTFO 8-8695b represents the first transiting exoplanet candidate orbiting a pre-main-sequence star (van Eyken et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 42). We find that the unusual lightcurve shapes of PTFO 8-8695 can be explained by transits of a planet across an oblate, gravity-darkened stellar disk. We develop a theoretical framework for understanding precession of a planetary orbit's ascending node for the case when the stellar rotational angular momentum and the planetary orbital angular momentum are comparable in magnitude. We then implement those ideas to simultaneously and self-consistently fit two separate lightcurves observed in 2009 December and 2010 December. Our two self-consistentmore » fits yield M{sub p} = 3.0 M{sub Jup} and M{sub p} = 3.6 M{sub Jup} for assumed stellar masses of M{sub *} = 0.34 M{sub Sun} and M{sub *} = 0.44 M{sub Sun} respectively. The two fits have precession periods of 293 days and 581 days. These mass determinations (consistent with previous upper limits) along with the strength of the gravity-darkened precessing model together validate PTFO 8-8695b as just the second hot Jupiter known to orbit an M-dwarf. Our fits show a high degree of spin-orbit misalignment in the PTFO 8-8695 system: 69 Degree-Sign {+-} 2 Degree-Sign or 73. Degree-Sign 1 {+-} 0. Degree-Sign 5, in the two cases. The large misalignment is consistent with the hypothesis that planets become hot Jupiters with random orbital plane alignments early in a system's lifetime. We predict that as a result of the highly misaligned, precessing system, the transits should disappear for months at a time over the course of the system's precession period. The precessing, gravity-darkened model also predicts other observable effects: changing orbit inclination that could be detected by radial velocity observations, changing stellar inclination that would manifest as varying vsin i, changing projected spin-orbit alignment that could be seen by the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, changing transit shapes over the course of the precession, and differing lightcurves as a function of wavelength. Our measured planet radii of 1.64 R{sub Jup} and 1.68 R{sub Jup} in each case are consistent with a young, hydrogen-dominated planet that results from a ''hot-start'' formation mechanism.« less

Interferometry on a Balloon; Paving the Way for Space-based Interferometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rinehart, Stephen A.

2008-01-01

Astronomical studies at infrared wavelengths have dramatically improved our understanding of the universe, and observations with Spitzer, the upcoming Herschel mission, and SOFIA will continue to provide exciting new discoveries. The relatively low angular resolution of these missions, however, is insufficient to resolve the physical scale on which mid-to-far-infrared emission arises, resulting in source and structure ambiguities that limit our ability to answer key science questions. Interferometry enables high angular resolution at these wavelengths- a powerful tool for scientific discovery. We will build the Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII), an eight-meter baseline Michelson stellar interferometer to fly on a high-altitude balloon. BETTII's spectral-spatial capability, provided by an instrument using double-Fourier techniques, will address key questions about the nature of disks in young star clusters and active galactic nuclei and the envelopes of evolved stars. BETTII will also lay the technological groundwork for future space interferometers.

The Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rinehart, Stephen A.

2008-01-01

Astronomical studies at infrared wavelengths have dramatically improved our understanding of the universe, and observations with Spitzer, the upcoming Herschel mission, and SOFIA will continue to provide exciting new discoveries. The relatively low angular resolution of these missions, however, is insufficient to resolve the physical scales on which mid- to far-infrared emission arises, resulting in source and structure ambiguities that limit our ability to answer key science questions. Interferometry enables high angular resolution at these wavelengths, a powerful tool for scientific discovery, We will build the Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETII), an eight-meter baseline Michelson stellar interferometer to fly on a high-altitude balloon. BETTII's spectral-spatial capability, provided by an instrument using double-Fourier techniques, will address key questions about the nature of disks in young star clusters and active galactic nuclei and the envelopes of evolved stars. BETTII will also lay the technological groundwork for future space interferometers,

The magnetic nature of disk accretion onto black holes.

PubMed

Miller, Jon M; Raymond, John; Fabian, Andy; Steeghs, Danny; Homan, Jeroen; Reynolds, Chris; van der Klis, Michiel; Wijnands, Rudy

2006-06-22

Although disk accretion onto compact objects-white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes-is central to much of high-energy astrophysics, the mechanisms that enable this process have remained observationally difficult to determine. Accretion disks must transfer angular momentum in order for matter to travel radially inward onto the compact object. Internal viscosity from magnetic processes and disk winds can both in principle transfer angular momentum, but hitherto we lacked evidence that either occurs. Here we report that an X-ray-absorbing wind discovered in an observation of the stellar-mass black hole binary GRO J1655 - 40 (ref. 6) must be powered by a magnetic process that can also drive accretion through the disk. Detailed spectral analysis and modelling of the wind shows that it can only be powered by pressure generated by magnetic viscosity internal to the disk or magnetocentrifugal forces. This result demonstrates that disk accretion onto black holes is a fundamentally magnetic process.

Visual processing of rotary motion.

PubMed

Werkhoven, P; Koenderink, J J

1991-01-01

Local descriptions of velocity fields (e.g., rotation, divergence, and deformation) contain a wealth of information for form perception and ego motion. In spite of this, human psychophysical performance in estimating these entities has not yet been thoroughly examined. In this paper, we report on the visual discrimination of rotary motion. A sequence of image frames is used to elicit an apparent rotation of an annulus, composed of dots in the frontoparallel plane, around a fixation spot at the center of the annulus. Differential angular velocity thresholds are measured as a function of the angular velocity, the diameter of the annulus, the number of dots, the display time per frame, and the number of frames. The results show a U-shaped dependence of angular velocity discrimination on spatial scale, with minimal Weber fractions of 7%. Experiments with a scatter in the distance of the individual dots to the center of rotation demonstrate that angular velocity cannot be assessed directly; perceived angular velocity depends strongly on the distance of the dots relative to the center of rotation. We suggest that the estimation of rotary motion is mediated by local estimations of linear velocity.

Dynamical Stability and Long-term Evolution of Rotating Stellar Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varri, Anna L.; Vesperini, E.; McMillan, S. L. W.; Bertin, G.

2011-05-01

We present the first results of an extensive survey of N-body simulations designed to investigate the dynamical stability and the long-term evolution of two new families of self-consistent stellar dynamical models, characterized by the presence of internal rotation. The first family extends the well-known King models to the case of axisymmetric systems flattened by solid-body rotation while the second family is characterized by differential rotation. The equilibrium configurations thus obtained can be described in terms of two dimensionless parameters, which measure the concentration and the amount of rotation, respectively. Slowly rotating configurations are found to be dynamically stable and we followed their long-term evolution, in order to evaluate the interplay between collisional relaxation and angular momentum transport. We also studied the stability of rapidly rotating models, which are characterized by the presence of a toroidal core embedded in an otherwise quasi-spherical configuration. In both cases, a description in terms of the radial and global properties, such as the ratio between the ordered kinetic energy and the gravitational energy of the system, is provided. Because the role of angular momentum in the process of cluster formation is only partly understood, we also undertook a preliminary investigation of the violent relaxation of simple systems initially characterized by approximate solid-body rotation. The properties of the final equilibrium configurations thus obtained are compared with those of the above-described family of differentially rotating models.

Highly accurate surface maps from profilometer measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medicus, Kate M.; Nelson, Jessica D.; Mandina, Mike P.

2013-04-01

Many aspheres and free-form optical surfaces are measured using a single line trace profilometer which is limiting because accurate 3D corrections are not possible with the single trace. We show a method to produce an accurate fully 2.5D surface height map when measuring a surface with a profilometer using only 6 traces and without expensive hardware. The 6 traces are taken at varying angular positions of the lens, rotating the part between each trace. The output height map contains low form error only, the first 36 Zernikes. The accuracy of the height map is ±10% of the actual Zernike values and within ±3% of the actual peak to valley number. The calculated Zernike values are affected by errors in the angular positioning, by the centering of the lens, and to a small effect, choices made in the processing algorithm. We have found that the angular positioning of the part should be better than 1?, which is achievable with typical hardware. The centering of the lens is essential to achieving accurate measurements. The part must be centered to within 0.5% of the diameter to achieve accurate results. This value is achievable with care, with an indicator, but the part must be edged to a clean diameter.

Dark Matter Halos with VIRUS-P

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, Jeremy; Gebhardt, K.

2010-05-01

We present new, two-dimensional stellar kinematic data on several of the most massive galaxies in the local universe. These data were taken with the integral field spectrograph, VIRUS-P, and extend to unprecedented radial distances. Once robust stellar kinematics are in hand, we run orbit-based axisymmetric dynamical models in order to constrain the stellar mass-to-light ratio and dark matter halo parameters. We have run a large set of dynamical models on the second rank galaxy in the Virgo cluster, M87, and find clear evidence for a massive dark matter halo. The two-dimensional stellar kinematics for several of our other targets, all first and second rank galaxies, are also presented. Dark matter halos are known to dominate the mass profile of elliptical galaxies somewhere between one to two effective radii, yet due to the low surface brightness at these radial distances, determining stellar dynamics is technologically challenging. To overcome this, constraints on the dark matter halo are often made with planetary nebulae or globular clusters at large radii. However, as results from different groups have returned contradictory results, it remains unclear whether different dynamical tracers always follow the stellar kinematics. Due to VIRUS-P's large field of view and on-sky fiber diameter, we are able to determine stellar kinematics at radial distances that overlap with other dynamical tracers. Understanding what the dynamics of stars, planetary nebula and globular clusters tell us about both the extent of the dark matter halo profile and the formation histories of the largest elliptical galaxies is a primary science driver for this work.

A Close Hidden Stellar Companion to the SX Phe-Type Variable Star DW Psc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, S.-B.; Li, L.-J.; Wang, S.-M.; He, J.-J.; Zhou, X.; Jiang, L.-Q.

2015-01-01

DW Psc is a high-amplitude SX Phe-type variable with a period of pulsation of 0.05875 days. Using a few newly determined times of maximum light together with those collected from the literature, the changes in the observed-calculated (O-C) diagram are analyzed. It is discovered that the O-C curve of DW Psc shows a cyclic variation with a period of 6.08 years and a semi-amplitude of 0.0066 days. The periodic variation is analyzed for the light travel time effect, which is due to the presence of a stellar companion ({{M}2}sin i˜ 0.45(+/- 0.03) {{M}⊙ }). The two-component stars in the binary system are orbiting each other in an eccentric orbit (e ˜ 0.4) at an orbital separation of about 2.7(±0.3) AU. The detection of a close stellar companion to an SX Phe-type star supports the idea that SX Phe-type pulsating stars are blue stragglers that were formed from the merging of close binaries. The stellar companion has played an important role in the merging of the original binary by removing angular momentum from the central binary during early dynamical interaction or/and late dynamical evolution. After the more massive component in DW Psc evolves into a red giant, the cool close companion should help to remove the giant envelope via possible critical Roche-lobe overflow, and the system may be a progenitor of a cataclysmic variable. The detection of a close stellar companion to DW Psc makes it a very interesting system to study in the future.

The nature of ultra-massive lens galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canameras, Raoul

2017-08-01

During the past decade, strong gravitational lensing analyses have contributed tremendously to the characterization of the inner properties of massive early-type galaxies, beyond the local Universe. Here we intend to extend studies of this kind to the most massive lens galaxies known to date, well outside the mass limits investigated by previous lensing surveys. This will allow us to probe the physics of the likely descendants of the most violent episodes of star formation and of the compact massive galaxies at high redshift. We propose WFC3 imaging (F438W and F160W) of four extremely massive early-type lens galaxies at z 0.5, in order to put them into context with the evolutionary trends of ellipticals as a function of mass and redshift. These systems were discovered in the SDSS and show one single main lens galaxy with a stellar mass above 1.5x10^12 Msun and large Einstein radii. Our high-resolution spectroscopic follow-up with VLT/X-shooter provides secure lens and source redshifts, between 0.3 and 0.7 and between 1.5 and 2.5, respectively, and confirm extreme stellar velocity dispersions > 400 km/s for the lenses. The excellent angular resolution of the proposed WFC3 imaging - not achievable from the ground - is the remaining indispensable piece of information to :(1) Resolve the lens structural parameters and obtain robust measurements of their stellar mass distributions,(2) Model the amount and distribution of the lens total masses and measure their M/L ratios and stellar IMF with joint strong lensing and stellar dynamics analyses,(3) Enhance our on-going lens models through the most accurate positions and morphologies of the blue multiply-imaged sources.

Feeding supermassive black holes by collisional cascades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faber, Christian; Dehnen, Walter

2018-05-01

The processes driving gas accretion on to supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are still poorly understood. Angular momentum conservation prevents gas within ˜10 pc of the black hole from reaching radii ˜10-3 pc where viscous accretion becomes efficient. Here we present simulations of the collapse of a clumpy shell of swept-up isothermal gas, which is assumed to have formed as a result of feedback from a previous episode of AGN activity. The gas falls towards the SMBH forming clumps and streams, which intersect, collide, and often form a disc. These collisions promote partial cancellations of angular momenta, resulting in further infall and more collisions. This continued collisional cascade generates a tail of gas with sufficiently small angular momenta and provides a viable route for gas inflow to sub-parsec scales. The efficiency of this process hardly depends on details, such as gas temperature, initial virial ratio and power spectrum of the gas distribution, as long as it is not strongly rotating. Adding star formation to this picture might explain the near-simultaneous formation of the S-stars (from tidally disrupted binaries formed in plunging gas streams) and the sub-parsec young stellar disc around Sgr A⋆.

Feeding supermassive black holes by collisional cascades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faber, Christian; Dehnen, Walter

2018-07-01

The processes driving gas accretion on to supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are still poorly understood. Angular momentum conservation prevents gas within ˜10 pc of the black hole from reaching radii ˜10-3pc where viscous accretion becomes efficient. Here we present simulations of the collapse of a clumpy shell of swept-up isothermal gas, which is assumed to have formed as a result of feedback from a previous episode of AGN activity. The gas falls towards the SMBH forming clumps and streams, which intersect, collide and often form a disc. These collisions promote partial cancellations of angular momenta, resulting in further infall and more collisions. This continued collisional cascade generates a tail of gas with sufficiently small angular momenta and provides a viable route for gas inflow to sub-parsec scales. The efficiency of this process hardly depends on details, such as gas temperature, initial virial ratio and power spectrum of the gas distribution, as long as it is not strongly rotating. Adding star formation to this picture might explain the near-simultaneous formation of the S-stars (from tidally disrupted binaries formed in plunging gas streams) and the sub-parsec young stellar disc around Sgr A⋆.

The Solar Wind Environment in Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pognan, Quentin; Garraffo, Cecilia; Cohen, Ofer; Drake, Jeremy J.

2018-03-01

We use magnetograms of eight solar analogs of ages 30 Myr–3.6 Gyr obtained from Zeeman Doppler Imaging and taken from the literature, together with two solar magnetograms, to drive magnetohydrodynamical wind simulations and construct an evolutionary scenario of the solar wind environment and its angular momentum loss rate. With observed magnetograms of the radial field strength as the only variant in the wind model, we find that a power-law model fitted to the derived angular momentum loss rate against time, t, results in a spin-down relation Ω ∝ t ‑0.51, for angular speed Ω, which is remarkably consistent with the well-established Skumanich law Ω ∝ t ‑0.5. We use the model wind conditions to estimate the magnetospheric standoff distances for an Earth-like test planet situated at 1 au for each of the stellar cases, and to obtain trends of minimum and maximum wind ram pressure and average ram pressure in the solar system through time. The wind ram pressure declines with time as \\overline{{P}ram}}\\propto {t}2/3, amounting to a factor of 50 or so over the present lifetime of the solar system.

Determination of the axial rotation rate using apsidal motion for early-type eclipsing binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khaliullin, Kh. F.; Khaliullina, A. I.

2007-11-01

Because the modern theory of stellar structure and evolution has a sound observational basis, we can consider that the apsidal parameters k2 computed in terms of this theory correctly reflect the radial density distribution in stars of different masses and spectral types. This allows us to address the problem of apsidal motion in close binary systems in a new way. Unlike the traditional approach, in this paper we use the observed apsidal periods Uobs to estimate the angular axial velocities of components, ωr, at fixed model values of k2. We use this approach to analyse the observational data for 28 eclipsing systems with known Uobs and early-type primaries (M >= 1.6 Msolar or Te >= 6000 K). We measure the age of the system in units of the synchronization time, t/tsyn. Our analysis yielded the following results. (i) There is a clear correlation between ωr/ωsyn and t/tsyn: the younger a star, the higher the angular velocity of its axial rotation in units of ωsyn, the angular velocity at pseudo-synchronization. This correlation is more significant and obvious if the synchronization time, tsyn, is computed in terms of the Zahn theory. (ii) This observational fact implies that the synchronization of early-type components in close binary systems continues on the main sequence. The synchronization times for the inner layers of the components (i.e. those that are responsible for apsidal motion) are about 1.6 and 3.1 dex longer than those predicted by the theories of Zahn and Tassoul, respectively. The average initial angular velocities (for the zero-age main sequence) are equal to ω0/ωsyn ~ 2.0. The dependence of the parameter E2 on stellar mass probably needs to be refined in the Zahn theory. (iii) Some components of the eclipsing systems of the sample studied show radially differential axial rotation. This is consistent with the Zahn theory, which predicts that the synchronization starts at the surface, where radiative damping of dynamical tides occurs, and develops toward the interior. Therefore, one would expect the inner parts of young double early-type stars to rotate faster than the outer parts.

OUTWARD MOTION OF POROUS DUST AGGREGATES BY STELLAR RADIATION PRESSURE IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tazaki, Ryo; Nomura, Hideko, E-mail: rtazaki@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp

2015-02-01

We study the dust motion at the surface layer of protoplanetary disks. Dust grains in the surface layer migrate outward owing to angular momentum transport via gas-drag force induced by the stellar radiation pressure. In this study we calculate the mass flux of the outward motion of compact grains and porous dust aggregates by the radiation pressure. The radiation pressure force for porous dust aggregates is calculated using the T-Matrix Method for the Clusters of Spheres. First, we confirm that porous dust aggregates are forced by strong radiation pressure even if they grow to be larger aggregates, in contrast tomore » homogeneous and spherical compact grains, for which radiation pressure efficiency becomes lower when their sizes increase. In addition, we find that the outward mass flux of porous dust aggregates with monomer size of 0.1 μm is larger than that of compact grains by an order of magnitude at the disk radius of 1 AU, when their sizes are several microns. This implies that large compact grains like calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions are hardly transported to the outer region by stellar radiation pressure, whereas porous dust aggregates like chondritic-porous interplanetary dust particles are efficiently transported to the comet formation region. Crystalline silicates are possibly transported in porous dust aggregates by stellar radiation pressure from the inner hot region to the outer cold cometary region in the protosolar nebula.« less

A Comprehensive Stellar Astrophysical Study of the Old Open Cluster M67 with Kepler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathieu, Robert D.; Vanderburg, Andrew; K2 M67 Team

2016-06-01

M67 is among the best studied of all star clusters. Being at an age and metallicity very near solar, at an accessible distance of 850 pc with low reddening, and rich in content (over 1000 members including main-sequence dwarfs, a well populated subgiant branch and red giant branch, white dwarfs, blue stragglers, sub-subgiants, X-ray sources and CVs), M67 is a cornerstone of stellar astrophysics.The K2 mission (Campaign 5) has obtained long-cadence observations for 2373 stars, both within an optimized central superaperture and as specified targets outside the superaperture. 1,432 of these stars are likely cluster members based on kinematic and photometric criteria.We have extracted light curves and corrected for K2 roll systematics, producing light curves with noise characteristics qualitatively similar to Kepler light curves of stars of similar magnitudes. The data quality is slightly poorer than for field stars observed by K2 due to crowding near the cluster core, but the data are of sufficient quality to detect seismic oscillations, binary star eclipses, flares, and candidate transit events. We are in the process of uploading light curves and various diagnostic files to MAST; light curves and supporting data will also be made available on ExoFOP.Importantly, several investigators within the M67 K2 team are independently doing light curve extractions and analyses for confirmation of science results. We also are adding extensive ground-based supporting data, including APOGEE near-infrared spectra, TRES and WIYN optical spectra, LCOGT photometry, and more.Our science goals encompass asteroseismology and stellar evolution, alternative stellar evolution pathways in binary stars, stellar rotation and angular momentum evolution, stellar activity, eclipsing binaries and beaming, and exoplanets. We will present early science results as available by the time of the meeting, and certainly including asteroseismology, blue stragglers and sub-subgiants, and newly discovered eclipsing binaries.This work is supported by NASA grant NNX15AW24A to the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

Angular Momentum and Galaxy Formation Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Fall, S. Michael

2012-12-01

Motivated by a new wave of kinematical tracers in the outer regions of early-type galaxies (ellipticals and lenticulars), we re-examine the role of angular momentum in galaxies of all types. We present new methods for quantifying the specific angular momentum j, focusing mainly on the more challenging case of early-type galaxies, in order to derive firm empirical relations between stellar j sstarf and mass M sstarf (thus extending earlier work by Fall). We carry out detailed analyses of eight galaxies with kinematical data extending as far out as 10 effective radii, and find that data at two effective radii are generally sufficient to estimate total j sstarf reliably. Our results contravene suggestions that ellipticals could harbor large reservoirs of hidden j sstarf in their outer regions owing to angular momentum transport in major mergers. We then carry out a comprehensive analysis of extended kinematic data from the literature for a sample of ~100 nearby bright galaxies of all types, placing them on a diagram of j sstarf versus M sstarf. The ellipticals and spirals form two parallel j sstarf-M sstarf tracks, with log-slopes of ~0.6, which for the spirals are closely related to the Tully-Fisher relation, but for the ellipticals derives from a remarkable conspiracy between masses, sizes, and rotation velocities. The ellipticals contain less angular momentum on average than spirals of equal mass, with the quantitative disparity depending on the adopted K-band stellar mass-to-light ratios of the galaxies: it is a factor of ~3-4 if mass-to-light ratio variations are neglected for simplicity, and ~7 if they are included. We decompose the spirals into disks and bulges and find that these subcomponents follow j sstarf-M sstarf trends similar to the overall ones for spirals and ellipticals. The lenticulars have an intermediate trend, and we propose that the morphological types of galaxies reflect disk and bulge subcomponents that follow separate, fundamental j sstarf-M sstarf scaling relations. This provides a physical motivation for characterizing galaxies most basically with two parameters: mass and bulge-to-disk ratio. Next, in an approach complementary to numerical simulations, we construct idealized models of angular momentum content in a cosmological context, using estimates of dark matter halo spin and mass from theoretical and empirical studies. We find that the width of the halo spin distribution cannot account for the differences between spiral and elliptical j sstarf, but that the observations are reproduced well if these galaxies simply retained different fractions of their initial j complement (~60% and ~10%, respectively). We consider various physical mechanisms for the simultaneous evolution of j sstarf and M sstarf (including outflows, stripping, collapse bias, and merging), emphasizing that the vector sum of all such processes must produce the observed j sstarf-M sstarf relations. We suggest that a combination of early collapse and multiple mergers (major or minor) may account naturally for the trend for ellipticals. More generally, the observed variations in angular momentum represent simple but fundamental constraints for any model of galaxy formation.

ANGULAR MOMENTUM AND GALAXY FORMATION REVISITED

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Fall, S. Michael

2012-12-15

Motivated by a new wave of kinematical tracers in the outer regions of early-type galaxies (ellipticals and lenticulars), we re-examine the role of angular momentum in galaxies of all types. We present new methods for quantifying the specific angular momentum j, focusing mainly on the more challenging case of early-type galaxies, in order to derive firm empirical relations between stellar j{sub *} and mass M{sub *} (thus extending earlier work by Fall). We carry out detailed analyses of eight galaxies with kinematical data extending as far out as 10 effective radii, and find that data at two effective radii aremore » generally sufficient to estimate total j{sub *} reliably. Our results contravene suggestions that ellipticals could harbor large reservoirs of hidden j{sub *} in their outer regions owing to angular momentum transport in major mergers. We then carry out a comprehensive analysis of extended kinematic data from the literature for a sample of {approx}100 nearby bright galaxies of all types, placing them on a diagram of j{sub *} versus M{sub *}. The ellipticals and spirals form two parallel j{sub *}-M{sub *} tracks, with log-slopes of {approx}0.6, which for the spirals are closely related to the Tully-Fisher relation, but for the ellipticals derives from a remarkable conspiracy between masses, sizes, and rotation velocities. The ellipticals contain less angular momentum on average than spirals of equal mass, with the quantitative disparity depending on the adopted K-band stellar mass-to-light ratios of the galaxies: it is a factor of {approx}3-4 if mass-to-light ratio variations are neglected for simplicity, and {approx}7 if they are included. We decompose the spirals into disks and bulges and find that these subcomponents follow j{sub *}-M{sub *} trends similar to the overall ones for spirals and ellipticals. The lenticulars have an intermediate trend, and we propose that the morphological types of galaxies reflect disk and bulge subcomponents that follow separate, fundamental j{sub *}-M{sub *} scaling relations. This provides a physical motivation for characterizing galaxies most basically with two parameters: mass and bulge-to-disk ratio. Next, in an approach complementary to numerical simulations, we construct idealized models of angular momentum content in a cosmological context, using estimates of dark matter halo spin and mass from theoretical and empirical studies. We find that the width of the halo spin distribution cannot account for the differences between spiral and elliptical j{sub *}, but that the observations are reproduced well if these galaxies simply retained different fractions of their initial j complement ({approx}60% and {approx}10%, respectively). We consider various physical mechanisms for the simultaneous evolution of j{sub *} and M{sub *} (including outflows, stripping, collapse bias, and merging), emphasizing that the vector sum of all such processes must produce the observed j{sub *}-M{sub *} relations. We suggest that a combination of early collapse and multiple mergers (major or minor) may account naturally for the trend for ellipticals. More generally, the observed variations in angular momentum represent simple but fundamental constraints for any model of galaxy formation.« less

The Outer Halos of Early-Type Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerhard, Ortwin; Arnaboldi, Magda; Longobardi, Alessia

2015-04-01

The outer halos of massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) are dark matter dominated and may have formed by accretion of smaller systems during galaxy evolution. Here a brief report is given of some recent work on the kinematics, angular momentum, and mass distributions of simulated ETG halos, and of corresponding properties of observed halos measured with planetary nebulae (PNe) as tracers. In the outermost regions of the Virgo-central galaxy M87, the PN data show that the stellar halo and the co-spatial intracluster light are distinct kinematic components.

Forces in magnetospheric launching of micro-ejections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cemeljic, Miljenko

2013-07-01

In 2D-axisymmetric simulations with our resistive MHD code Zeus-347 we show that micro-ejections, a quasi-stationary fast ejecta of matter of small mass and angular momentum fluxes, can be launched from a purely resistive magnetosphere above the disk gap. They are produced by a combination of pressure gradient and magnetic forces, in presence of ongoing magnetic reconnection along the boundary layer between the star and the disk, where a current sheet is formed. Mass flux of micro-ejections increases with increasing magnetic field strength and stellar rotation rate.

Time-Resolved Surveys of Stellar Clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eyer, Laurent; Eggenberger, Patrick; Greco, Claudia; Saesen, Sophie; Anderson, Richard I.; Mowlavi, Nami

We describe the information that can be gained when a survey is done multi-epoch, and its particular impact in open cluster research. We first explain the irreplaceable information that multi-epoch observations are giving within astrometry, photometry and spectroscopy. Then we give three examples of results on open clusters from multi-epoch surveys, namely, the distance to the Pleiades, the angular momentum evolution of low mass stars and asteroseismology. Finally we mention several very large surveys, which are ongoing or planned for the future, Gaia, JASMINE, LSST, and VVV.

Ring dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borderies, Nicole

1989-01-01

Theoretical models of planetary-ring dynamics are discussed in a detailed analytical review and illustrated with graphs and diagrams. The streamline concept is introduced, and the phenomena associated with the transport of angular momentum are described. Particular attention is then given to (1) broad rings like those of Saturn (shepherding, density-wave excitation, gaps, bending-wave excitation, multiringlet structures, inner-edge shepherding, and the possibility of polar rings around Neptune), (2) narrow rings like those of Uranus (shepherding, ring shapes, and a self-gravity model of rigid precession), and (3) ring arcs like those seen in stellar-occultation observations of Neptune.

Three-mirror anastigmat for cosmic microwave background observations.

PubMed

Padin, S

2018-03-20

An off-axis three-mirror anastigmat is proposed for future cosmic microwave background observations. The telescope has a 5 m diameter primary, giving 1.5 ' angular resolution at λ=2  mm, which is sufficient for measurements of gravitational lensing and for galaxy cluster surveys. The design includes several key features, not previously combined in a large telescope, that are important for sensitive measurements, especially on large angular scales: (1) high throughput (8° diameter diffraction-limited field of view at λ=1  mm, and 12×8° at λ=3  mm, so a single telescope could support all the detectors for an optimistic, future experiment); (2) low scattering (all the mirrors are small enough to be monolithic, so there are no segment gaps); (3) full boresight rotation, over the full elevation range, for measuring polarization errors; and (4) a comoving shield or baffle around the entire telescope to control pickup.

Improved Time-Lapsed Angular Scattering Microscopy of Single Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannaday, Ashley E.

By measuring angular scattering patterns from biological samples and fitting them with a Mie theory model, one can estimate the organelle size distribution within many cells. Quantitative organelle sizing of ensembles of cells using this method has been well established. Our goal is to develop the methodology to extend this approach to the single cell level, measuring the angular scattering at multiple time points and estimating the non-nuclear organelle size distribution parameters. The diameters of individual organelle-size beads were successfully extracted using scattering measurements with a minimum deflection angle of 20 degrees. However, the accuracy of size estimates can be limited by the angular range detected. In particular, simulations by our group suggest that, for cell organelle populations with a broader size distribution, the accuracy of size prediction improves substantially if the minimum angle of detection angle is 15 degrees or less. The system was therefore modified to collect scattering angles down to 10 degrees. To confirm experimentally that size predictions will become more stable when lower scattering angles are detected, initial validations were performed on individual polystyrene beads ranging in diameter from 1 to 5 microns. We found that the lower minimum angle enabled the width of this delta-function size distribution to be predicted more accurately. Scattering patterns were then acquired and analyzed from single mouse squamous cell carcinoma cells at multiple time points. The scattering patterns exhibit angular dependencies that look unlike those of any single sphere size, but are well-fit by a broad distribution of sizes, as expected. To determine the fluctuation level in the estimated size distribution due to measurement imperfections alone, formaldehyde-fixed cells were measured. Subsequent measurements on live (non-fixed) cells revealed an order of magnitude greater fluctuation in the estimated sizes compared to fixed cells. With our improved and better-understood approach to single cell angular scattering, we are now capable of reliably detecting changes in organelle size predictions due to biological causes above our measurement error of 20 nm, which enables us to apply our system to future studies of the investigation of various single cell biological processes.

Proposals of observations with the space telescope in the domain of astrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fresneau, A.

The use of the Hubble Space Telescope for astrometry is advertised at the same level as for photometry, spectroscopy, or polarimetry. The prime instrument to be used for that goal is one of the three fine guidance sensors. The interferometric design of the stellar sensor is adequate for stellar diameter measurements (>0.01 arcsec) close binaries separation determination (<0.1 arcsec) and differential astrometry on targets in a field of view of 60 square arcmin and in the visual magnitude range from 3 to 18. Moving targets brighter than 14 with an apparent motion slower than 150 arcsec per hour can be tracked at the same level of accuracy.

Latitudinal Transport of Angular Momentum by Cellular Flows Observed with MDI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hathaway, David H.; Gilman, Peter A.; Beck, John G.; Rose, M. Franklin (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

We have analyzed Doppler velocity images from the MDI instrument on SOHO to determine the latitudinal transport of angular momentum by the cellular photospheric flows. Doppler velocity images from 60-days in May to July of 1996 were processed to remove the p-mode oscillations, the convective blue shift, the axisymmetric flows, and any instrumental artifacts. The remaining cellular flows were examined for evidence of latitudinal angular momentum transport. Small cells show no evidence of any such transport. Cells the size of supergranules (30,000 km in diameter) show strong evidence for a poleward transport of angular momentum. This would be expected if supergranules are influenced by the Coriolis force, and if the cells are elongated in an east-west direction. We find good evidence for just such an east-west elongation of the supergranules. This elongation may be the result of differential rotation shearing the cellular structures. Data simulations of this effect support the conclusion that elongated supergranules transport angular momentum from the equator toward the poles, Cells somewhat larger than supergranules do not show evidence for this poleward transport. Further analysis of the data is planned to determine if the direction of angular momentum transport reverses for even larger cellular structures. The Sun's rapidly rotating equator must be maintained by such transport somewhere within the convection zone.

The adventure of carbon stars. Observations and modeling of a set of C-rich AGB stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rau, G.; Hron, J.; Paladini, C.; Aringer, B.; Eriksson, K.; Marigo, P.; Nowotny, W.; Grellmann, R.

2017-04-01

Context. Modeling stellar atmospheres is a complex and intriguing task in modern astronomy. A systematic comparison of models with multi-technique observations is the only efficient way to constrain the models. Aims: We intend to perform self-consistent modeling of the atmospheres of six carbon-rich AGB stars (R Lep, R Vol, Y Pav, AQ Sgr, U Hya, and X TrA) with the aim of enlarging the knowledge of the dynamic processes occurring in their atmospheres. Methods: We used VLTI/MIDI interferometric observations, in combination with spectro-photometric data, and compared them with self-consistent, dynamic model atmospheres. Results: We found that the models can reproduce spectral energy distribution (SED) data well at wavelengths longer than 1 μm, and the interferometric observations between 8 μm and 10 μm. Discrepancies observed at wavelengths shorter than 1 μm in the SED, and longer than 10 μm in the visibilities, could be due to a combination of data- and model-related effects. The models best fitting the Miras are significantly extended, and have a prominent shell-like structure. On the contrary, the models best fitting the non-Miras are more compact, showing lower average mass loss. The mass loss is of episodic or multi-periodic nature but causes the visual amplitudes to be notably larger than the observed ones. A number of stellar parameters were derived from the model fitting: TRoss, LRoss, M, C/O, and Ṁ. Our findings agree well with literature values within the uncertainties. TRoss, and LRoss are also in good agreement with the temperature derived from the angular diameter T(θ(V-K)) and the bolometric luminosity from the SED fitting Lbol, except for AQ Sgr. The possible reasons are discussed in the text. Finally, θRoss and θ(V-K) agree with one another better for the Miras than for the non-Miras targets, which is probably connected to the episodic nature of the latter models. We also located the stars in the H-R diagram, comparing them with evolutionary tracks. We found that the main derived properties (L, Teff, C/O ratios and stellar masses) from the model fitting are in good agreement with TP-AGB evolutionary calculations for carbon stars carried out with the COLIBRI code. Based on observations made with ESO telescopes at La Silla Paranal Observatory under program IDs: 090.D-0410, 086.D-899, 187.D-0924, 081.D-0021, 086.D-0899.

THE BANANA PROJECT. IV. TWO ALIGNED STELLAR ROTATION AXES IN THE YOUNG ECCENTRIC BINARY SYSTEM EP CRUCIS: PRIMORDIAL ORIENTATION AND TIDAL ALIGNMENT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Albrecht, Simon; Winn, Joshua N.; Setiawan, Johny

With observations of the EP Cru system, we continue our series of measurements of spin-orbit angles in eclipsing binary star systems, the BANANA project (Binaries Are Not Always Neatly Aligned). We find a close alignment between the sky projections of the rotational and orbital angular momentum vectors for both stars ({beta}{sub p} = -1. Degree-Sign 8 {+-} 1. Degree-Sign 6 and |{beta}{sub s}| < 17 Degree-Sign ). We also derive precise absolute dimensions and stellar ages for this system. The EP Cru and DI Her systems provide an interesting comparison: they have similar stellar types and orbital properties, but DImore » Her is younger and has major spin-orbit misalignments, raising the question of whether EP Cru also had a large misalignment at an earlier phase of evolution. We show that tidal dissipation is an unlikely explanation for the good alignment observed today, because realignment happens on the same timescale as spin-orbit synchronization, and the stars in EP Cru are far from synchronization (they are spinning nine times too quickly). Therefore it seems that some binaries form with aligned axes, while other superficially similar binaries are formed with misaligned axes.« less

Galactic reddening in 3D from stellar photometry - an improved map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Gregory M.; Schlafly, Edward F.; Finkbeiner, Douglas; Rix, Hans-Walter; Martin, Nicolas; Burgett, William; Draper, Peter W.; Flewelling, Heather; Hodapp, Klaus; Kaiser, Nicholas; Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter; Magnier, Eugene A.; Metcalfe, Nigel; Tonry, John L.; Wainscoat, Richard; Waters, Christopher

2018-07-01

We present a new 3D map of interstellar dust reddening, covering three quarters of the sky (declinations of δ ≳ -30°) out to a distance of several kiloparsecs. The map is based on high-quality stellar photometry of 800 million stars from Pan-STARRS 1 and 2MASS. We divide the sky into sightlines containing a few hundred stars each, and then infer stellar distances and types, along with the line-of-sight dust distribution. Our new map incorporates a more accurate average extinction law and an additional 1.5 yr of Pan-STARRS 1 data, tracing dust to greater extinctions and at higher angular resolutions than our previous map. Out of the plane of the Galaxy, our map agrees well with 2D reddening maps derived from far-infrared dust emission. After accounting for a 25 per cent difference in scale, we find a mean scatter of ˜10 per cent between our map and the Planck far-infrared emission-based dust map, out to a depth of 0.8 mag in E(gP1 - rP1), with the level of agreement varying over the sky. Our map can be downloaded at http://argonaut.skymaps.info, or from the Harvard Dataverse (Green 2017).

Episodic accretion: the interplay of infall and disc instabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuffmeier, Michael; Frimann, Søren; Jensen, Sigurd S.; Haugbølle, Troels

2018-04-01

Using zoom-simulations carried out with the adaptive mesh-refinement code RAMSES with a dynamic range of up to 227 ≈ 1.34 × 108 we investigate the accretion profiles around six stars embedded in different environments inside a (40 pc)3 giant molecular cloud, the role of mass infall and disc instabilities on the accretion profile, and thus on the luminosity of the forming protostar. Our results show that the environment in which the protostar is embedded determines the overall accretion profile of the protostar. Infall on to the circumstellar disc may trigger gravitational disc instabilities in the disc at distances of around ˜10 to ˜50 au leading to rapid transport of angular momentum and strong accretion bursts. These bursts typically last for about ˜10 to a ˜100 yr, consistent with typical orbital times at the location of the instability, and enhance the luminosity of the protostar. Calculations with the stellar evolution code MESA show that the accretion bursts induce significant changes in the protostellar properties, such as the stellar temperature and radius. We apply the obtained protostellar properties to produce synthetic observables with RADMC3D and predict that accretion bursts lead to observable enhancements around 20 to 200 μm in the spectral energy distribution of Class 0 type young stellar objects.

Laboratory Demonstration of Axicon-Lens Coronagraph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Jaeho; Jea, Geonho

2018-01-01

The results of laboratory based experiments of the proposed coronagraph using axicon-lenses that is conjunction with a method of noninterferometric quantitative phase imaging for direct imaging of exoplanets is will present. The light source is passing through tiny holes drilled on the thin metal plate is used as the simulated stellar and its companions. Those diffracted light at the edge of the holes bears a similarity to the light from the bright stellar. Those images are evaginated about the optical axis after the maximum focal length of the first axicon lens. Then the evaginated images of have cut off using the motorized iris which means the suppressed the central stellar light preferentially. Various length between the holes which represent the angular distance are examined. The laboratory experimental results are shown that the axicon-lens coronagraph has feature of ability to achieve the smaller IWA than l/D and high-contrast direct imaging. The laboratory based axicon-lens coronagraph imaging support the symbolic computation results which has potential in direct imaging for finding exoplanet and various astrophysical activities. The setup of the coronagraph is simple to build and is durable to operate. Moreover it can be transported the planets images to a broadband spectrometric instrument that able to investigate the constituent of the planetary system.

Very high-resolution spectroscopy for extremely large telescopes using pupil slicing and adaptive optics.

PubMed

Beckers, Jacques M; Andersen, Torben E; Owner-Petersen, Mette

2007-03-05

Under seeing limited conditions very high resolution spectroscopy becomes very difficult for extremely large telescopes (ELTs). Using adaptive optics (AO) the stellar image size decreases proportional with the telescope diameter. This makes the spectrograph optics and hence its resolution independent of the telescope diameter. However AO for use with ELTs at visible wavelengths require deformable mirrors with many elements. Those are not likely to be available for quite some time. We propose to use the pupil slicing technique to create a number of sub-pupils each of which having its own deformable mirror. The images from all sub-pupils are combined incoherently with a diameter corresponding to the diffraction limit of the sub-pupil. The technique is referred to as "Pupil Slicing Adaptive Optics" or PSAO.

On the galaxy–halo connection in the EAGLE simulation

DOE PAGES

Desmond, Harry; Mao, Yao -Yuan; Wechsler, Risa H.; ...

2017-06-13

Empirical models of galaxy formation require assumptions about the correlations between galaxy and halo properties. These may be calibrated against observations or inferred from physical models such as hydrodynamical simulations. In this Letter, we use the EAGLE simulation to investigate the correlation of galaxy size with halo properties. We motivate this analysis by noting that the common assumption of angular momentum partition between baryons and dark matter in rotationally supported galaxies overpredicts both the spread in the stellar mass–size relation and the anticorrelation of size and velocity residuals, indicating a problem with the galaxy–halo connection it implies. We find themore » EAGLE galaxy population to perform significantly better on both statistics, and trace this success to the weakness of the correlations of galaxy size with halo mass, concentration and spin at fixed stellar mass. Here by, using these correlations in empirical models will enable fine-grained aspects of galaxy scalings to be matched.« less

Spectral classification of selected ISOGAL sources using Himalayan Chandra Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, U. C.; Ganesh, S.; Baliyan, K. S.; Parthasarathy, M.; Schultheis, M.; Rajpurohit, A.; Simon, G.; Omont, A.

The ISOGAL survey (Omont et al. 1999) is devoted to the observation of selected regions of the Galactic plane in the mid-infrared with ISOCAM. More than 240 fields were observed at 7 and 15 micron wave-bands with ISOCAM at an angular resolution of 6'' which has provided a complete census, in the areas surveyed, of the stars in the late stages (RGB/AGB phases) of stellar evolution. Optical counterparts are detected for some of the ISOGAL sources in the directions where the extinction is relatively lower. We obtained optical spectra of ˜100 such sources with the Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT), India and estimated their spectral classes. Optical spectroscopy together with mid-IR data is expected to allow us to obtain the spectral-type vs mass-loss relation which are important parameters to understand the late stages of stellar evolution. In this paper, we present a set of spectra taken in the field FC97 for which ISOGAL survey is complete.

Iron and molecular opacities and the evolution of Population I stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stothers, Richard B.; Chin, Chao-Wen

1993-01-01

Effects of recent opacity revisions on the evolution of Population I stars are explored over the range 1.5-60 solar masses. Opacity parameters considered include the angular momentum coupling scheme for iron, the relative iron abundance, the total metal abundance, and diatomic and triatomic molecular sources. Only the total metal abundance exerts an important control over the evolutionary tracks. Blue loops on the H-R diagram during core helium burning can be very sensitive to opacity, but only insofar as the simple formation or suppression of a blue loop is concerned. The blue loops are most robust for stellar masses around 10 solar masses. We confirm, from a comparison of stellar models with observational data, that the total metal abundance is close to solar and that convective core overshooting is likely to be very slight. The new models predict the existence of an iron convection zone in the envelope and a great widening of the main-sequence band in the H-R diagram at luminosities brighter than 100,000 solar luminosities.

Study of the Imaging Capabilities of SPIRIT/SPECS Concept Interferometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, Ronald J.

2002-01-01

Several new space science mission concepts under development at NASA-GSFC for astronomy are intended to carry out synthetic imaging using Michelson interferometers or direct (Fizeau) imaging with sparse apertures. Examples of these mission concepts include the Stellar Imager (SI), the Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT), the Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure (SPECS), and the Fourier-Kelvin Stellar Interferometer (FKSI). We have been developing computer-based simulators for these missions. These simulators are aimed at providing a quantitative evaluation of the imaging capabilities of the mission by modeling the performance on different realistic targets in terms of sensitivity, angular resolution, and dynamic range. Both Fizeau and Michelson modes of operation can be considered. Our work is based on adapting a computer simulator called imSIM which was initially written for the Space Interferometer Mission in order to simulate the imaging mode of new missions such as those listed. This report covers the activities we have undertaken to provide a preliminary version of a simulator for the SPIRIT mission concept.

Tidal Interaction among Red Giants Close Binary Systems in APOGEE Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Meng; Arras, Phil; Majewski, Steven R.; Troup, Nicholas William; Weinberg, Nevin N.

2017-01-01

Motivated by the newly discovered close binary systems in the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-1), the tidal evolution of binaries containing a red giant branch (RGB) star with a stellar or substellar companion was investigated. The tide raised by the companion in the RGB star leads to exchange of angular momentum between the orbit and the stellar spin, causing the orbit to contract. The tidal dissipation rate is computed using turbulent viscosity acting on the equilibrium tidal flow, where careful attention is paid to the effects of reduced viscosity for close-in companions. Evolutionary models for the RGB stars, from the zero-age main sequence to the present, were acquired from the MESA code. "Standard" turbulent viscosity gives rise to such a large orbital decay that many observed systems have decay times much shorter than the RGB evolution time. Several theories for "reduced" turbulent viscosity are investigated, and reduce the number of systems with uncomfortably short decay times.

On the galaxy–halo connection in the EAGLE simulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Desmond, Harry; Mao, Yao -Yuan; Wechsler, Risa H.

Empirical models of galaxy formation require assumptions about the correlations between galaxy and halo properties. These may be calibrated against observations or inferred from physical models such as hydrodynamical simulations. In this Letter, we use the EAGLE simulation to investigate the correlation of galaxy size with halo properties. We motivate this analysis by noting that the common assumption of angular momentum partition between baryons and dark matter in rotationally supported galaxies overpredicts both the spread in the stellar mass–size relation and the anticorrelation of size and velocity residuals, indicating a problem with the galaxy–halo connection it implies. We find themore » EAGLE galaxy population to perform significantly better on both statistics, and trace this success to the weakness of the correlations of galaxy size with halo mass, concentration and spin at fixed stellar mass. Here by, using these correlations in empirical models will enable fine-grained aspects of galaxy scalings to be matched.« less

Wide-angle display-type retarding field analyzer with high energy and angular resolutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muro, Takayuki; Ohkochi, Takuo; Kato, Yukako; Izumi, Yudai; Fukami, Shun; Fujiwara, Hidenori; Matsushita, Tomohiro

2017-12-01

Deployments of spherical grids to obtain high energy and angular resolutions for retarding field analyzers (RFAs) having acceptance angles as large as or larger than ±45° were explored under the condition of using commercially available microchannel plates with effective diameters of approximately 100 mm. As a result of electron trajectory simulations, a deployment of three spherical grids with significantly different grid separations instead of conventional equidistant separations showed an energy resolving power (E/ΔE) of 3200 and an angular resolution of 0.6°. The mesh number of the wire mesh retarding grid used for the simulation was 250. An RFA constructed with the simulated design experimentally showed an E/ΔE of 1100 and an angular resolution of 1°. Using the RFA and synchrotron radiation of 900 eV, photoelectron diffraction (PED) measurements were performed for single-crystal graphite. A clear C 1s PED pattern was observed even when the differential energy of the RFA was set at 0.5 eV. Further improvement of the energy resolution was theoretically examined under the assumption of utilizing a retarding grid fabricated by making a large number of radially directed cylindrical holes through a partial spherical shell instead of using a wire mesh retarding grid. An E/ΔE of 14 500 was predicted for a hole design with a diameter of 60 μm and a depth of 100 μm. A retarding grid with this hole design and a holed area corresponding to an acceptance angle of ±7° was fabricated. An RFA constructed with this retarding grid experimentally showed an E/ΔE of 1800. Possible reasons for the experimental E/ΔE lower than the theoretical values are discussed.

Gravitational-wave bursts and stochastic background from superfluid vortex avalanches during pulsar glitches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warszawski, L.; Melatos, A.

2012-07-01

The current-quadrupole gravitational-wave signal emitted during the spin-up phase of a pulsar glitch is calculated from first principles by modelling the vortex dynamics observed in recent Gross-Pitaevskii simulations of pinned, decelerating quantum condensates. Homogeneous and inhomogeneous unpinning geometries, representing creep- and avalanche-like glitches, provide lower and upper bounds on the gravitational-wave signal strength, respectively. The signal arising from homogeneous glitches is found to scale with the square root of glitch size, whereas the signal from inhomogeneous glitches scales proportional to glitch size. The signal is also computed as a function of vortex travel distance and stellar angular velocity. Convenient amplitude scalings are derived as functions of these parameters. For the typical astrophysical situation, where the glitch duration (in units of the spin period) is large compared to the vortex travel distance (in units of the stellar radius), an individual glitch from an object 1 kpc from Earth generates a wave strain of 10-24[(Δω/ω)/10-7](ω/102 rad s-1)3(Δr/10-2 m)-1, where Δr is the average distance travelled by a vortex during a glitch, Δω/ω is the fractional glitch size and ω is the pulsar angular velocity. The non-detection of a signal from the 2006 Vela glitch in data from the fifth science run conducted by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory implies that the glitch duration exceeds ˜10-4 ms. This represents the first observational lower bound on glitch duration to be obtained.

An Argument for Weakly Magnetized, Slowly Rotating Progenitors of Long Gamma-Ray Bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno Méndez, Enrique

2014-01-01

Using binary evolution with Case-C mass transfer, the spins of several black holes (BHs) in X-ray binaries (XBs) have been predicted and confirmed (three cases) by observations. The rotational energy of these BHs is sufficient to power up long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and hypernovae (HNe) and still leave a Kerr BH behind. However, strong magnetic fields and/or dynamo effects in the interior of such stars deplete their cores from angular momentum preventing the formation of collapsars. Thus, even though binaries can produce Kerr BHs, most of their rotation is acquired from the stellar mantle, with a long delay between BH formation and spin up. Such binaries would not form GRBs. We study whether the conditions required to produce GRBs can be met by the progenitors of such BHs. Tidal-synchronization and Alfvén timescales are compared for magnetic fields of different intensities threading He stars. A search is made for a magnetic field range that allows tidal spin up all the way in to the stellar core but prevents its slow down during differential rotation phases. The energetics for producing a strong magnetic field during core collapse, which may allow for a GRB central engine, are also estimated. An observationally reasonable choice of parameters is found (B <~ 102 G threading a slowly rotating He star) that allows Fe cores to retain substantial angular momentum. Thus, the Case-C mass-transfer binary channel is capable of explaining long GRBs. However, the progenitors must have low initial spin and low internal magnetic field throughout their H-burning and He-burning phases.

The Interior Angular Momentum of Core Hydrogen Burning Stars from Gravity-mode Oscillations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aerts, C.; Van Reeth, T.; Tkachenko, A.

2017-09-01

A major uncertainty in the theory of stellar evolution is the angular momentum distribution inside stars and its change during stellar life. We compose a sample of 67 stars in the core hydrogen burning phase with a {log} g value from high-resolution spectroscopy, as well as an asteroseismic estimate of the near-core rotation rate derived from gravity-mode oscillations detected in space photometry. This assembly includes 8 B-type stars and 59 AF-type stars, covering a mass range from 1.4 to 5 M ⊙, I.e., it concerns intermediate-mass stars born with a well-developed convective core. The sample covers projected surface rotation velocities v\\sin I\\in [9,242] km s-1 and core rotation rates up to 26 μHz, which corresponds to 50% of the critical rotation frequency. We find deviations from rigid rotation to be moderate in the single stars of this sample. We place the near-core rotation rates in an evolutionary context and find that the core rotation must drop drastically before or during the short phase between the end of the core hydrogen burning and the onset of core helium burning. We compute the spin parameter, which is the ratio of twice the rotation rate to the mode frequency (also known as the inverse Rossby number), for 1682 gravity modes and find the majority (95%) to occur in the sub-inertial regime. The 10 stars with Rossby modes have spin parameters between 14 and 30, while the gravito-inertial modes cover the range from 1 to 15.

Are pulsars spun up or down by SASI spiral modes?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazeroni, Rémi; Guilet, Jérôme; Foglizzo, Thierry

2017-10-01

Pulsars may either be spun up or down by hydrodynamic instabilities during the supernova explosion of massive stars. Besides rapidly rotating cases related to bipolar explosions, stellar rotation may affect the explosion of massive stars in the more common situations where the centrifugal force is minor. Using 2D simulations of a simplified set-up in cylindrical geometry, we examine the impact of rotation on the standing accretion shock instability (SASI) and the corotation instability, also known as low-T/|W|. The influence of rotation on the saturation amplitude of these instabilities depends on the specific angular momentum in the accretion flow and the ratio of the shock to the neutron star radii. The spiral mode of SASI becomes more vigorous with faster rotation only if this ratio is large enough. A corotation instability develops at large rotation rates and impacts the dynamics more dramatically, leading to a strong one-armed spiral wave. Non-axisymmetric instabilities are able to redistribute angular momentum radially and affect the pulsar spin at birth. A systematic study of the relationship between the core rotation period of the progenitor and the initial pulsar spin is performed. Stellar rotation rates for which pulsars are spun up or down by SASI are estimated. Rapidly spinning progenitors are modestly spun down by spiral modes, less than ˜30 per cent, when a corotation instability develops. Given the observational constraints on pulsar spin periods at birth, this suggests that rapid rotation might not play a significant hydrodynamic role in most core-collapse supernovae.

INTERNAL ROTATION OF THE RED-GIANT STAR KIC 4448777 BY MEANS OF ASTEROSEISMIC INVERSION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Di Mauro, M. P.; Cardini, D.; Ventura, R.

We study the dynamics of the stellar interior of the early red-giant star KIC 4448777 by asteroseismic inversion of 14 splittings of the dipole mixed modes obtained from Kepler observations. In order to overcome the complexity of the oscillation pattern typical of red-giant stars, we present a procedure to extract the rotational splittings from the power spectrum. We find not only that the core rotates from a minimum of 8 to a maximum of 17 times faster than the surface, confirming previous inversion results generated for other red giants (Deheuvels et al.), but we also estimate the variation of the angularmore » velocity within the helium core with a spatial resolution of 0.001R and verify the hypothesis of a sharp discontinuity in the inner stellar rotation. The results show that the entire core rotates rigidly and provide evidence for an angular velocity gradient around the base of the hydrogen-burning shell; however, we do not succeed in characterizing the rotational slope, due to the intrinsic limits of the applied techniques. The angular velocity, from the edge of the core, appears to decrease with increasing distance from the center, reaching an average value in the convective envelope of 68 ± 22 nHz. We conclude that a set of data that includes only dipolar modes is sufficient to infer quite accurately the rotation of a red giant not only in the dense core but also, with a lower level of confidence, in part of the radiative region and in the convective envelope.« less

The influence of massive black hole binaries on the morphology of merger remnants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bortolas, E.; Gualandris, A.; Dotti, M.; Read, J. I.

2018-06-01

Massive black hole (MBH) binaries, formed as a result of galaxy mergers, are expected to harden by dynamical friction and three-body stellar scatterings, until emission of gravitational waves (GWs) leads to their final coalescence. According to recent simulations, MBH binaries can efficiently harden via stellar encounters only when the host geometry is triaxial, even if only modestly, as angular momentum diffusion allows an efficient repopulation of the binary loss cone. In this paper, we carry out a suite of N-body simulations of equal-mass galaxy collisions, varying the initial orbits and density profiles for the merging galaxies and running simulations both with and without central MBHs. We find that the presence of an MBH binary in the remnant makes the system nearly oblate, aligned with the galaxy merger plane, within a radius enclosing 100 MBH masses. We never find binary hosts to be prolate on any scale. The decaying MBHs slightly enhance the tangential anisotropy in the centre of the remnant due to angular momentum injection and the slingshot ejection of stars on nearly radial orbits. This latter effect results in about 1 per cent of the remnant stars being expelled from the galactic nucleus. Finally, we do not find any strong connection between the remnant morphology and the binary hardening rate, which depends only on the inner density slope of the remnant galaxy. Our results suggest that MBH binaries are able to coalesce within a few Gyr, even if the binary is found to partially erase the merger-induced triaxiality from the remnant.

Constraints on observing brightness asymmetries in protoplanetary disks at solar system scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunngräber, Robert; Wolf, Sebastian

2018-04-01

We have quantified the potential capabilities of detecting local brightness asymmetries in circumstellar disks with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) in the mid-infrared wavelength range. The study is motivated by the need to evaluate theoretical models of planet formation by direct observations of protoplanets at early evolutionary stages, when they are still embedded in their host disk. Up to now, only a few embedded candidate protoplanets have been detected with semi-major axes of 20-50 au. Due to the small angular separation from their central star, only long-baseline interferometry provides the angular resolving power to detect disk asymmetries associated to protoplanets at solar system scales in nearby star-forming regions. In particular, infrared observations are crucial to observe scattered stellar radiation and thermal re-emission in the vicinity of embedded companions directly. For this purpose we performed radiative transfer simulations to calculate the thermal re-emission and scattered stellar flux from a protoplanetary disk hosting an embedded companion. Based on that, visibilities and closure phases are calculated to simulate observations with the future beam combiner MATISSE, operating at the L, M and N bands at the VLTI. We find that the flux ratio of the embedded source to the central star can be as low as 0.5 to 0.6% for a detection at a feasible significance level due to the heated dust in the vicinity of the embedded source. Furthermore, we find that the likelihood for detection is highest for sources at intermediate distances r ≈ 2-5 au and disk masses not higher than ≈10-4 M⊙.

Distinguishing black-hole spin-orbit resonances by their gravitational-wave signatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerosa, Davide; O'Shaughnessy, Richard; Kesden, Michael; Berti, Emanuele; Sperhake, Ulrich

2014-06-01

If binary black holes form following the successive core collapses of sufficiently massive binary stars, precessional dynamics may align their spins, Smathvariant="bold">1 and Smathvariant="bold">2, and the orbital angular momentum L into a plane in which they jointly precess about the total angular momentum J. These spin orientations are known as spin-orbit resonances since S1, S2, and L all precess at the same frequency to maintain their planar configuration. Two families of such spin-orbit resonances exist, differentiated by whether the components of the two spins in the orbital plane are either aligned or antialigned. The fraction of binary black holes in each family is determined by the stellar evolution of their progenitors, so if gravitational-wave detectors could measure this fraction they could provide important insights into astrophysical formation scenarios for binary black holes. In this paper, we show that even under the conservative assumption that binary black holes are observed along the direction of J (where precession-induced modulations to the gravitational waveforms are minimized), the waveforms of many members of each resonant family can be distinguished from all members of the other family in events with signal-to-noise ratios ρ ≃10, typical of those expected for the first detections with Advanced LIGO and Virgo. We hope that our preliminary findings inspire a greater appreciation of the capability of gravitational-wave detectors to constrain stellar astrophysics and stimulate further studies of the distinguishability of spin-orbit resonant families in more expanded regions of binary black-hole parameter space.

The Influence of the Level Structure of Sodium -20 upon the Stellar Reaction Rate for NEON-19(PROTON, PHOTON)(20)SODIUM.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamm, Larry Odell

The level structure of ^{20 }Na has been measured up to excitation energies of 3.33 MeV using the charge-exchange reaction 20Ne(^3He,t) 20Na. Angular distributions have been measured for 14 levels at laboratory angles ranging from 10 to 60 degrees. Assignments of spin and parities have been made for the levels based on DWBA analysis of the angular distributions and comparisons with the level structure of the analog nuclei. The reaction rate for ^{19 }Ne(p,gamma)^{20 }Na has been calculated to include the effects of the resonant levels of temperatures of interest in the operation of the hot CNO cycle. The result is an increase of nearly three orders of magnitude in the stellar reaction rate for 19Ne(p, gamma)20Na, as compared to previous estimates made before the measurement of the level structure of 20Na. This increase may indicate that 19 Ne(p,gamma)20 Na is the sought after breakout mechanism to allow for the transport of mass from the CNO region into the Ne-Na-Mg regions, with applications for the rp-process and the possible explanation of the observed neon overabundances in some nova events. A detailed description of the experiment is given, including a discussion of the development of a new type of position sensitive detector for use with the broad range magnetic spectrograph which has allowed, for the first time, the unambiguous identification to tritons within the spectrograph.

Reduced modeling of the magnetorotational instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamroz, Ben F.

2009-06-01

Accretion describes the process by which matter in an astrophysical disk falls onto a central massive object. Accretion disks are present in many astrophysical situations including binary star systems, young stellar objects, and near black holes at the center of galaxies. Measurements from observations of these disks have shown that viscous processes are unable to transport the necessary levels of angular momentum needed for accretion. Therefore, accretion requires an efficient mechanism of angular momentum transport. Mixing by turbulent processes greatly enhances the level of angular momentum transport in a turbulent fluid. Thus, the generation of turbulence in these disks may provide the mechanism needed for accretion. A classical result of hydrodynamic theory is that typical accretion disks are hydrodynamically stable to shear instabilities, since the specific angular momentum increases outwards. Other processes of generating hydrodynamic turbulence (barotropic instability, baroclinic instability, sound wave, shock waves, finite amplitude instabilities) may be present in these disks, however, none of these mechanisms has been shown to produce the level of angular momentum transport needed for accretion. Hydrodynamical turbulence does not produce enough angular momentum transport to produce the level of accretion observed in astrophysical accretion disks. The leading candidate for the source of turbulence leading to the transport of angular momentum is the magnetorotational instability, a linear axisymmetric instability of electrically conducting fluid in the presence of an imposed magnetic field and shear (or differential rotation). This instability is an efficient mechanism of angular momentum transport generating the level of transport needed for accretion. The level of effective angular momentum transport is determined by the saturated state of sustained turbulence generated by the instability. The mechanism of nonlinear saturation of this instability is not well understood. Many recent numerical investigations of this problem are performed in a local domain, where the global cylindrical background state is projected onto a local Cartesian domain. The resulting system is then numerically modeled within a "shearing box" framework to obtain estimates of angular momentum transport and therefore accretion. However, the simplified geometry of the local domain, and the projection of global quantities leads to a model where the instability is able to grow unboundedly. Utilizing disparate characteristic scales, this thesis presents a reduced asymptotic model for the magnetorotational instability that allows a large scale feedback of local stresses (Reynolds, Maxwell and mixed) onto the projected background state. This system is investigated numerically to determine the impact of allowing this feedback on the saturated level of angular momentum transport.

The Fourier-Kelvin Stellar Interferometer Mission Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Danchi, W. C.; Allen, R.; Benford, D.; Gezari, D.; Leisawitz, D.; Mundy, L.; Oegerle, William (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Fourier-Kelvin Stellar Interferometer (FKSI) is a mission concept for an imaging interferometer for the mid-infrared spectral region (5-30 microns). FKSI is conceived as a scientific and technological precursor to TPF as well as Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT), Submillimeter Probe Evolution of Cosmic Structure (SPECS), and Single Aperture for Infrared Observatory (SAFIR). It will also be a high angular resolution system complementary to Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST). The scientific emphasis of the mission is on the evolution of protostellar systems, from just after the collapse of the precursor molecular cloud core, through the formation of the disk surrounding the protostar, the formation of planets in the disk, and eventual dispersal of the disk material. FKSI will also search for brown dwarfs and Jupiter mass and smaller planets, and could also play a very powerful role in the investigation of the structure of active galactic nuclei and extra-galactic star formation. We are in the process of studying alternative interferometer architectures and beam combination techniques, and evaluating the relevant science and technology tradeoffs. Some of the technical challenges include the development of the cryocooler systems necessary for the telescopes and focal plane array, light and stiff but well-damped truss systems to support the telescopes, and lightweight and coolable optical telescopes. The goal of the design study is to determine if a mid-infrared interferometry mission can be performed within the cost and schedule requirements of a Discovery class mission. At the present time we envision the FKSI as comprised of five one meter diameter telescopes arranged along a truss structure in a linear non-redundant array, cooled to 35 K. A maximum baseline of 20 meters gives a nominal resolution of 26 mas at 5 microns. Using a Fizeau beam combination technique, a simple focal plane camera could be used to obtain both Fourier and spectral data simultaneously for a given orientation of the array. The spacecraft will be rotated to give sufficient Fourier data to reconstruct complex images of a broad range of astrophysical sources.

The close circumstellar environment of the semi-regular S-type star π 1 Gruis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sacuto, S.; Jorissen, A.; Cruzalèbes, P.; Chesneau, O.; Ohnaka, K.; Quirrenbach, A.; Lopez, B.

2008-05-01

Aims: We study the close circumstellar environment of the nearby S-type star π1 Gruis using high spatial-resolution, mid-infrared observations from the ESO/VLTI. Methods: Spectra and visibilities were obtained with the MIDI interferometer on the VLT Auxiliary Telescopes. The cool M5III giant β Gruis was used as bright primary calibrator, and a dedicated spectro-interferometric study was undertaken to determine its angular diameter accurately. The MIDI measurements were fitted with the 1D numerical radiative transfer code DUSTY to determine the dust shell parameters of π1 Gruis. Taking into account the low spatial extension of the model in the 8-9 μm spectral band for the smallest projected baselines, we consider the possibility of a supplementary molecular shell. Results: The MIDI visibility and phase data are mostly dominated by the spherical 21 mas (694 R_⊙) central star, while the extended dusty environment is over-resolved even with the shortest baselines. No obvious departure from spherical symmetry is found on the milliarcsecond scale. The spectro-interferometric observations are well-fitted by an optically thin (τ_dust<0.01 in the N band) dust shell that is located at about 14 stellar radii with a typical temperature of 700 K and composed of 70% silicate and 30% of amorphous alumina grains. An optically thin (τ_mol<0.1 in the N band) H{2}O + SiO molecular shell extending from the photosphere of the star up to 4.4 stellar radii with a typical temperature of 1000 K is added to the model to improve the fit in the 8-9 μm spectral band. We discuss the probable binary origin of asymmetries as revealed by millimetric observations. Based on observations made with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer at Paranal Observatory under programs 077.D-0294(D/E/F). Reduced visibilities and differential phases are available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/482/561

Angular momentum properties of haloes and their baryon content in the Illustris simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zjupa, Jolanta; Springel, Volker

2017-04-01

The angular momentum properties of virialized dark matter haloes have been measured with good statistics in collisionless N-body simulations, but an equally accurate analysis of the baryonic spin is still missing. We employ the Illustris simulation suite, one of the first simulations of galaxy formation with full hydrodynamics that produces a realistic galaxy population in a sizeable volume, to quantify the baryonic spin properties for more than ˜320 000 haloes. We first compare the systematic differences between different spin parameter and halo definitions, and the impact of sample selection criteria on the derived properties. We confirm that dark-matter-only haloes exhibit a close to self-similar spin distribution in mass and redshift of lognormal form. However, the physics of galaxy formation radically changes the baryonic spin distribution. While the dark matter component remains largely unaffected, strong trends with mass and redshift appear for the spin of diffuse gas and the formed stellar component. With time, the baryons staying bound to the halo develop a misalignment of their spin vector with respect to dark matter, and increase their specific angular momentum by a factor of ˜1.3 in the non-radiative case and ˜1.8 in the full physics setup at z = 0. We show that this enhancement in baryonic spin can be explained by the combined effect of specific angular momentum transfer from dark matter on to gas during mergers and from feedback expelling low specific angular momentum gas from the halo. Our results challenge certain models for spin evolution and underline the significant changes induced by baryonic physics in the structure of haloes.

Stellar imager (SI): enhancements to the mission enabled by the constellation architecture (Ares I/Ares V)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carpenter, Kenneth G.; Karovska, Margarita; Lyon, Richard G.; Mozurkewich, D.; Schrijver, Carolus

2009-08-01

Stellar Imager (SI) is a space-based, UV/Optical Interferometer (UVOI) with over 200x the resolution of HST. It will enable 0.1 milli-arcsec spectral imaging of stellar surfaces and the Universe in general and open an enormous new "discovery space" for astrophysics with its combination of high angular resolution, dynamic imaging, and spectral energy resolution. SI's goal is to study the role of magnetism in the Universe and revolutionize our understanding of: 1) Solar/Stellar Magnetic Activity and their impact on Space Weather, Planetary Climates, and Life, 2) Magnetic and Accretion Processes and their roles in the Origin & Evolution of Structure and in the Transport of Matter throughout the Universe, 3) the close-in structure of Active Galactic Nuclei and their winds, and 4) Exo-Solar Planet Transits and Disks. SI is a "Landmark/Discovery Mission" in 2005 Heliophysics Roadmap and a candidate UVOI in the 2006 Astrophysics Strategic Plan and is targeted for launch in the mid-2020's. It is a NASA Vision Mission and has been recommended for further study in a 2008 NRC report on missions potentially enabled/enhanced by an Ares V launch. In this paper, we discuss the science goals and required capabilities of SI, the baseline architecture of the mission assuming launch on one or more Delta rockets, and then the potential significant enhancements to the SI science and mission architecture that would be made possible by a launch in the larger volume Ares V payload fairing, and by servicing options under consideration in the Constellation program.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arnold, Jacob A.; Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Brodie, Jean P.

We present stellar kinematics of 22 nearby early-type galaxies (ETGs), based on two-dimensional (2D) absorption line stellar spectroscopy out to ∼2-4 R {sub e} (effective radii), as part of the ongoing SLUGGS Survey. The galaxies span a factor of 20 in intrinsic luminosity, as well as a full range of environment and ETG morphology. Our data consist of good velocity resolution (σ{sub inst} ∼ 25 km s{sup –1}) integrated stellar-light spectra extracted from the individual slitlets of custom made Keck/DEIMOS slitmasks. We extract stellar kinematics measurements (V, σ, h {sub 3}, and h {sub 4}) for each galaxy. Combining withmore » literature values from smaller radii, we present 2D spatially resolved maps of the large-scale kinematic structure in each galaxy. We find that the kinematic homogeneity found inside 1 R {sub e} often breaks down at larger radii, where a variety of kinematic behaviors are observed. While central slow rotators remain slowly rotating in their halos, central fast rotators show more diversity, ranging from rapidly increasing to rapidly declining specific angular momentum profiles in the outer regions. There are indications that the outer trends depend on morphological type, raising questions about the proposed unification of the elliptical and lenticular (S0) galaxy families in the ATLAS{sup 3D} survey. Several galaxies in our sample show multiple lines of evidence for distinct disk components embedded in more slowly rotating spheroids, and we suggest a joint photometric-kinematic approach for robust bulge-disk decomposition. Our observational results appear generally consistent with a picture of two-phase (in-situ plus accretion) galaxy formation.« less

The no-spin zone: rotation versus dispersion support in observed and simulated dwarf galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wheeler, Coral; Pace, Andrew B.; Bullock, James S.; Boylan-Kolchin, Michael; Oñorbe, Jose; Elbert, Oliver D.; Fitts, Alex; Hopkins, Philip F.; Kereš, Dušan

2017-02-01

We perform a systematic Bayesian analysis of rotation versus dispersion support (vrot/σ) in 40 dwarf galaxies throughout the local volume (LV) over a stellar mass range of 10^{3.5} M_{⊙}< M_{star }< 108 M_{⊙}. We find that the stars in ˜80 per cent of the LV dwarf galaxies studied - both satellites and isolated systems - are dispersion-supported. In particular, we show that 6/10 isolated dwarfs in our sample have vrot/σ ≲ 1.0, while all have vrot/σ ≲ 2.0. These results challenge the traditional view that the stars in gas-rich dwarf irregulars (dIrrs) are distributed in cold, rotationally supported stellar discs, while gas-poor dwarf spheroidals (dSphs) are kinematically distinct in having dispersion-supported stars. We see no clear trend between vrot/σ and distance to the closest L⋆ galaxy, nor between vrot/σ and M⋆ within our mass range. We apply the same Bayesian analysis to four FIRE hydrodynamic zoom-in simulations of isolated dwarf galaxies (10^9 M_{⊙}< M_{vir}< 10^{10} M_{⊙}) and show that the simulated isolated dIrr galaxies have stellar ellipticities and stellar vrot/σ ratios that are consistent with the observed population of dIrrs and dSphs without the need to subject these dwarfs to any external perturbations or tidal forces. We posit that most dwarf galaxies form as puffy, dispersion-dominated systems, rather than cold, angular-momentum-supported discs. If this is the case, then transforming a dIrr into a dSph may require little more than removing its gas.

Stellar Imager (SI): Enhancements to the Mission Enabled by the Constellation Architecture (Ares I/Ares V)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carpenter, Kenneth G.; Lyon, Richard G.; Karovska, Margarita; Mozurkwich, D.; Schrijver, Carolus

2009-01-01

Stellar Imager (SI) is a space-based, UV/Optical Interferometer (UVOI) with over 200x the resolution of HST. It will enable 0.1 milli-aresec spectral imaging of stellar surfaces and the Universe in general and open an enormous new "discovery space" for astrophysics with its combination of high angular resolution, dynamic imaging , and spectral energy resolution. SI's goal is to study the role of magnetism in the Universe and revolutionize our understanding of 1) Solar/Stellar Magnetic Activity and their impact on Space Weather, Planetary Climates, and Life, 2) Magnetic and Accretion Processes and their roles in the Origin & Evolution of Structure and in the Transport of Matter throughout the Universe, 3) the close-in structure of Active Galactic Nuclei and their winds, and 4) Exo-Solar Planet Transits and Disks. SI is a "Landmark-Discovery Mission" in 2005 Heliophysics Roadmap and a candidate UVOI in the 2006 Astrophysics Strategic Plan and is targeted for launch in the mid-2020's. It is a NASA Vision Mission and has been recommended for further study in a 2008 NRC report on missions potentially enabled/enhanced by an Ares V launch. In this paper, we discuss the science goals and required capabilities of SI, the baseline architecture of the mission assuming launch on one or more Delta rockets, and then the potential significant enhancements to the SI science and mission architecture that would be made possible by a launch in the larger volume Ares V payload fairing, and by servicing options under consideration in the Constellation program.

General relativistic effects on the orbit of the S2 star with GRAVITY

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grould, M.; Vincent, F. H.; Paumard, T.; Perrin, G.

2017-12-01

Context. The first observations of the GRAVITY instrument obtained in 2016, have shown that it should become possible to probe the spacetime close to the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) at the Galactic center by using accurate astrometric positions of the S2 star. Aims: The goal of this paper is to investigate the detection by GRAVITY of different relativistic effects affecting the astrometric and/or spectroscopic observations of S2 such as the transverse Doppler shift, the gravitational redshift, the pericenter advance and higher-order general relativistic (GR) effects, in particular the Lense-Thirring effect due to the angular momentum of the black hole. Methods: We implement seven stellar-orbit models to simulate both astrometric and spectroscopic observations of S2 beginning near its next pericenter passage in 2018. Each model takes into account a certain number of relativistic effects. The most accurate one is a fully GR model and is used to generate the mock observations of the star. For each of the six other models, we determine the minimal observation times above which it fails to fit the observations, showing the effects that should be detected. These threshold times are obtained for different astrometric accuracies as well as for different spectroscopic errors. Results: Transverse Doppler shift and gravitational redshift can be detected within a few months by using S2 observations obtained with pairs of accuracies (σA,σV) = (10-100 μas, 1-10 km s-1) where σA and σV are the astrometric and spectroscopic accuracies, respectively. Gravitational lensing can be detected within a few years with (σA,σV) = (10 μas, 10 km s-1). Pericenter advance should be detected within a few years with (σA,σV) = (10 μas, 1-10 km s-1). Cumulative high-order photon curvature contributions, including the Shapiro time delay, affecting spectroscopic measurements can be observed within a few months with (σA,σV) = (10 μas, 1 km s-1). By using a stellar-orbit model neglecting relativistic effects on the photon path except the major contribution of gravitational lensing, S2 observations obtained with accuracies (σA,σV) = (10 μas, 10 km s-1), and a black hole angular momentum (a,i',Ω') = (0.99,45°,160°), the 1σ error on the spin parameter a is of about 0.4, 0.2, and 0.1 for a total observing run of 16, 30, and 47 yr, respectively. The 1σ errors on the direction of the angular momentum reach σi' ≈ 25° and σΩ' ≈ 40° when considering the three orbital periods run. We found that the uncertainties obtained with a less spinning black hole (a = 0.7) are similar to those evaluated with a = 0.99. Conclusions: The combination of S2 observations obtained with the GRAVITY instrument and the spectrograph SINFONI (Spectrograph for INtegral Field Observations in the Near Infrared) also installed at the VLT (Very Large Telescope) will lead to the detection of various relativistic effects. Such detections will be possible with S2 monitorings obtained within a few months or years, depending on the effect. Strong constraints on the angular momentum of Sgr A* (e.g., at 1σ = 0.1) with the S2 star will be possible with a simple stellar-orbit model without using a ray-tracing code but with approximating the gravitational lensing effect. However, long monitorings are necessary, and we thus must rely on the discovery of closer-in stars near Sgr A* if we want to efficiently constrain the black hole parameters with stellar orbits in a short time, or monitor the flares if they orbit around the black hole.

THE CIRCUMSTELLAR DISK OF THE Be STAR o AQUARII AS CONSTRAINED BY SIMULTANEOUS SPECTROSCOPY AND OPTICAL INTERFEROMETRY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sigut, T. A. A.; Tycner, C.; Jansen, B.

Omicron Aquarii is a late-type, Be shell star with a stable and nearly symmetric Hα emission line. We combine Hα interferometric observations obtained with the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer covering 2007 through 2014 with Hα spectroscopic observations over the same period and a 2008 observation of the system's near-infrared spectral energy distribution to constrain the properties of o Aqr's circumstellar disk. All observations are consistent with a circumstellar disk seen at an inclination of 75° ±  3° with a position angle on the sky of 110° ±  8° measured East from North. From the best-fit disk density model, we find that 90% ofmore » the Hα emission arises from within 9.5 stellar radii, and the mass associated with this Hα disk is ∼1.8 × 10{sup −10} of the stellar mass, and that the associated angular momentum, assuming Keplerian rotation for the disk, is ∼1.6 × 10{sup −8} of the total stellar angular momentum. The occurrence of a central quasi-emission feature in Mg ii λ4481 is also predicted by this best-fit disk model and the computed profile compares successfully with observations from 1999. To obtain consistency between the Hα line profile modeling and the other constraints, it was necessary in the profile fitting to weight the line core (emission peaks and central depression) more heavily than the line wings, which were not well reproduced by our models. This may reflect the limitation of assuming a single power law for the disk's variation in equatorial density. The best-fit disk density model for o Aqr predicts that Hα is near its maximum strength as a function of disk density, and hence the Hα equivalent width and line profile change only weakly in response to large (factor of ∼5) changes in the disk density. This may in part explain the remarkable observed stability of o Aqr's Hα emission line profile.« less

The MASSIVE Survey - V. Spatially resolved stellar angular momentum, velocity dispersion, and higher moments of the 41 most massive local early-type galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veale, Melanie; Ma, Chung-Pei; Thomas, Jens; Greene, Jenny E.; McConnell, Nicholas J.; Walsh, Jonelle; Ito, Jennifer; Blakeslee, John P.; Janish, Ryan

2017-01-01

We present spatially resolved two-dimensional stellar kinematics for the 41 most massive early-type galaxies (ETGs; MK ≲ -25.7 mag, stellar mass M* ≳ 1011.8 M⊙) of the volume-limited (D < 108 Mpc) MASSIVE survey. For each galaxy, we obtain high-quality spectra in the wavelength range of 3650-5850 Å from the 246-fibre Mitchell integral-field spectrograph at McDonald Observatory, covering a 107 arcsec × 107 arcsec field of view (often reaching 2 to 3 effective radii). We measure the 2D spatial distribution of each galaxy's angular momentum (λ and fast or slow rotator status), velocity dispersion (σ), and higher order non-Gaussian velocity features (Gauss-Hermite moments h3 to h6). Our sample contains a high fraction (˜80 per cent) of slow and non-rotators with λ ≲ 0.2. When combined with the lower mass ETGs in the ATLAS3D survey, we find the fraction of slow rotators to increase dramatically with galaxy mass, reaching ˜50 per cent at MK ˜ -25.5 mag and ˜90 per cent at MK ≲ -26 mag. All of our fast rotators show a clear anticorrelation between h3 and V/σ, and the slope of the anticorrelation is steeper in more round galaxies. The radial profiles of σ show a clear luminosity and environmental dependence: the 12 most luminous galaxies in our sample (MK ≲ -26 mag) are all brightest cluster/group galaxies (except NGC 4874) and all have rising or nearly flat σ profiles, whereas five of the seven `isolated' galaxies are all fainter than MK = -25.8 mag and have falling σ. All of our galaxies have positive average h4; the most luminous galaxies have average h4 ˜ 0.05, while less luminous galaxies have a range of values between 0 and 0.05. Most of our galaxies show positive radial gradients in h4, and those galaxies also tend to have rising σ profiles. We discuss the implications for the relationship among dynamical mass, σ, h4, and velocity anisotropy for these massive galaxies.

Chiron stellar occultation candidates: 1993-1996

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bus, S. J.; Wasserman, L. H.; Elliot, J. L.

1994-01-01

A photographic search was conducted for stars that may be occulted by the unusual solar system object (2060) Chiron during the period from fall 1993 through summer 1996. 44 candidates were identified to a limiting V magnitude of 16, and for which the minimum appulse separation with Chiron is predicted to be less than 2.5 arcsec. The successful observation of a stellar occultation by Chiron would give a direct measure of its diameter (currently estimated to be between 60 and 300 km), and would help considerably in constraining Chiron's surface properties and volatile makeup. If at the time of the occultation, Chiron exhibits a significant coma, there is also the potential for measuring the optical-depth profile of the dust in its inner coma.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: 22-GHz water maser clouds (Richards+, 2012)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richards, A. M. S.; Etoka, S.; Gray, M. D.; Lekht, E. E.; Mendoza-Torres, J. E.; Murakawa, K.; Rudnitskij, G.; Yates, J. A.

2012-07-01

Measurements of 22-GHz water maser clouds, made with the MERLIN radio interferometer. Obects presented (number of epochs): S Per (2); U Ori (4); U Her (3); IK Tau (3); RT Vir (7); W Hya (4). Results for VX Sgr were presented in Murakawa et al, 2003, Cat. J/MNRAS/344/1. The position and other properties of each patch of maser emission in each channel were measured by fitting 2D Gaussian components. The components form features corresponding to spatially distinct clouds and the properties of each cloud was calculated as described in the paper. For each cloud, we give the mean Vlsr, the total velocity extent DV, the full width half maximum DV1/2, the offsets of the cloud centroid from the assumed stellar position x, y and a (=sqrt(x2+y2), the feature largest angular size l and the peak flux density I. All velocities, angular distances and flux densities are in km/s, mas and Jy, respectively. (2 data files).

A Neptune-mass Free-floating Planet Candidate Discovered by Microlensing Surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mróz, Przemek; Ryu, Y.-H.; Skowron, J.; Udalski, A.; Gould, A.; Szymański, M. K.; Soszyński, I.; Poleski, R.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Kozłowski, S.; Pawlak, M.; Ulaczyk, K.; OGLE Collaboration; Albrow, M. D.; Chung, S.-J.; Jung, Y. K.; Han, C.; Hwang, K.-H.; Shin, I.-G.; Yee, J. C.; Zhu, W.; Cha, S.-M.; Kim, D.-J.; Kim, H.-W.; Kim, S.-L.; Lee, C.-U.; Lee, D.-J.; Lee, Y.; Park, B.-G.; Pogge, R. W.; KMTNet Collaboration

2018-03-01

Current microlensing surveys are sensitive to free-floating planets down to Earth-mass objects. All published microlensing events attributed to unbound planets were identified based on their short timescale (below two days), but lacked an angular Einstein radius measurement (and hence lacked a significant constraint on the lens mass). Here, we present the discovery of a Neptune-mass free-floating planet candidate in the ultrashort (t E = 0.320 ± 0.003 days) microlensing event OGLE-2016-BLG-1540. The event exhibited strong finite-source effects, which allowed us to measure its angular Einstein radius of θ E = 9.2 ± 0.5 μas. There remains, however, a degeneracy between the lens mass and distance. The combination of the source proper motion and source-lens relative proper motion measurements favors a Neptune-mass lens located in the Galactic disk. However, we cannot rule out that the lens is a Saturn-mass object belonging to the bulge population. We exclude stellar companions up to ∼15 au.

Universal relations for differentially rotating relativistic stars at the threshold to collapse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bozzola, Gabriele; Stergioulas, Nikolaos; Bauswein, Andreas

2018-03-01

A binary neutron star merger produces a rapidly and differentially rotating compact remnant whose lifespan heavily affects the electromagnetic and gravitational emissions. Its stability depends on both the equation of state (EOS) and the rotation law and it is usually investigated through numerical simulations. Nevertheless, by means of a sufficient criterion for secular instability, equilibrium sequences can be used as a computational inexpensive way to estimate the onset of dynamical instability, which, in general, is close to the secular one. This method works well for uniform rotation and relies on the location of turning points: stellar models that are stationary points in a sequence of equilibrium solutions with constant rest mass or angular momentum. Here, we investigate differentially rotating models (using a large number of EOSs and different rotation laws) and find that several universal relations between properly scaled gravitational mass, rest mass and angular momentum of the turning-point models that are valid for uniform rotation are insensitive to the degree of differential rotation, to high accuracy.

The Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII): Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy in the Far-Infrared

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rinehart, Stephen

2009-01-01

Astronomical studies at infrared wavelengths have dramatically improved our understanding of the universe, and observations with Spitzer, the upcoming Herschel mission, and SOFIA will continue to provide exciting new discoveries. The relatively low angular resolution of these missions, however, is insufficient to resolve the physical scale on which mid-to far-infrared emission arises, resulting in source and structure ambiguities that limit our ability to answer key science questions. Interferometry enables high angular resolution at these wavelengths - a powerful tool for scientific discovery. We will build the Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII), an eight-meter baseline Michelson stellar interferometer to fly on a high-altitude balloon. BETTII's spectral-spatial capability, provided by an instrument using double-Fourier techniques, will address key questions about the nature of disks in young star clusters and active galactic nuclei and the envelopes of evolved stars. BETTII will also lay the technological groundwork for future space interferometers and for suborbital programs optimized for studying extrasolar planets.

Coronagraphic mask design using Hermite functions.

PubMed

Cagigal, Manuel P; Canales, Vidal F; Valle, Pedro J; Oti, José E

2009-10-26

We introduce a stellar coronagraph that uses a coronagraphic mask described by a Hermite function or a combination of them. It allows the detection of exoplanets providing both deep starlight extinction and high angular resolution. This angular resolution depends on the order of the Hermite function used. An analysis of the coronagraph performance is carried out for different even order masks. Numerical simulations of the ideal case, with no phase errors and perfect telescope pointing, show that on-axis starlight is reduced to very low intensity levels corresponding to a gain of at least 25 magnitudes (10(-10) light intensity reduction). The coronagraphic throughput depends on the Hermite function or combination selected. The proposed mask series presents the same advantages of band limited masks along with the benefit of reducing the light diffracted by the mask border thanks to its particular shape. Nevertheless, for direct detection of Earth-like exoplanets it requires the use of adaptive optics facilities for compensating the perturbations introduced by the atmosphere and by the optical system.

Science requirements and optimization of the silicon pore optics design for the Athena mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willingale, R.; Pareschi, G.; Christensen, F.; den Herder, J.-W.; Ferreira, D.; Jakobsen, A.; Ackermann, M.; Collon, M.; Bavdaz, M.

2014-07-01

The science requirements for the Athena X-ray mirror are to provide a collecting area of 2 m2 at 1 keV, an angular resolution of ~5 arc seconds half energy eidth (HEW) and a field of view of diameter 40-50 arc minutes. This combination of area and angular resolution over a wide field are possible because of unique features of the Silicon pore optics (SPO) technology used. Here we describe the optimization and modifications of the SPO technology required to achieve the Athena mirror specification and demonstrate how the optical design of the mirror system impacts on the scientific performance of Athena.

Evidence for Different Disk Mass Distributions between Early- and Late-type Be Stars in the BeSOS Survey

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arcos, C.; Kanaan, S.; Curé, M.

The circumstellar disk density distributions for a sample of 63 Be southern stars from the BeSOS survey were found by modeling their H α emission line profiles. These disk densities were used to compute disk masses and disk angular momenta for the sample. Average values for the disk mass are 3.4 × 10{sup −9} and 9.5 × 10{sup −10} M {sub ⋆} for early (B0–B3) and late (B4–B9) spectral types, respectively. We also find that the range of disk angular momentum relative to the star is (150–200) J {sub ⋆}/ M {sub ⋆} and (100–150) J {sub ⋆}/ M {submore » ⋆}, again for early- and late-type Be stars, respectively. The distributions of the disk mass and disk angular momentum are different between early- and late-type Be stars at a 1% level of significance. Finally, we construct the disk mass distribution for the BeSOS sample as a function of spectral type and compare it to the predictions of stellar evolutionary models with rapid rotation. The observed disk masses are typically larger than the theoretical predictions, although the observed spread in disk masses is typically large.« less

LY Aurigua: A mass-transferring O-type contact binary with a tertiary stellar companion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Ergang; Qian, Shengbang; Li, Linjia; He, Jiajia; Liu, Liang; Wang, Jingjing; Zhang, Jia

2014-01-01

LY Aur is a contact massive close binary with a period of a little more than four days. The first O-C analysis of this early-type binary presented in this paper suggests that the period of the system is increasing continuously at a rate of dP/dt=+7.2×10-7 days/year, while a cyclic oscillation with the period of 12.5 years is obvious. The long-term increasing can be explained by mass transfer from the less massive companion to the more one on the nuclear time-scale of less massive body, which suggests that the contact configuration will be broken and this binary will evolve into a semi-detached system. The periodic oscillation may be the consequence of the light-travel time effect of the third body, whose mass is no less than 3.4 M⊙. It is expected that the third body may play an important role for the origin and evolution of the system by removing angular momentum from the central system, making the eclipsing pairs to have a low angular momentum, while initially it may have had a longer orbital period, with larger angular momentum. The original system may have evolved into the present contact configuration via a case A mass transfer.

Comet Siding Spring Seen Next to Mars

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

This composite NASA Hubble Space Telescope Image captures the positions of comet Siding Spring and Mars in a never-before-seen close passage of a comet by the Red Planet, which happened at 2:28 p.m. EDT October 19, 2014. The comet passed by Mars at approximately 87,000 miles (about one-third of the distance between Earth and the Moon). At that time, the comet and Mars were approximately 149 million miles from Earth. The comet image shown here is a composite of Hubble exposures taken between Oct. 18, 8:06 a.m. EDT to Oct. 19, 11:17 p.m. EDT. Hubble took a separate photograph of Mars at 10:37 p.m. EDT on Oct. 18. The Mars and comet images have been added together to create a single picture to illustrate the angular separation, or distance, between the comet and Mars at closest approach. The separation is approximately 1.5 arc minutes, or one-twentieth of the angular diameter of the full Moon. The background starfield in this composite image is synthesized from ground-based telescope data provided by the Palomar Digital Sky Survey, which has been reprocessed to approximate Hubble’s resolution. The solid icy comet nucleus is too small to be resolved in the Hubble picture. The comet’s bright coma, a diffuse cloud of dust enshrouding the nucleus, and a dusty tail, are clearly visible. This is a composite image because a single exposure of the stellar background, comet Siding Spring, and Mars would be problematic. Mars is actually 10,000 times brighter than the comet, and so could not be properly exposed to show detail in the Red Planet. The comet and Mars were also moving with respect to each other and so could not be imaged simultaneously in one exposure without one of the objects being motion blurred. Hubble had to be programmed to track on the comet and Mars separately in two different observations. The images were taken with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3. Credit: NASA, ESA, PSI, JHU/APL, STScI/AURA Credit: NASA, ESA, PSI, JHU/APL, STScI/AURA

Shapes of rotating superfluid helium nanodroplets

DOE PAGES

Bernando, Charles; Tanyag, Rico Mayro P.; Jones, Curtis; ...

2017-02-16

Rotating superfluid He droplets of approximately 1 μm in diameter were obtained in a free nozzle beam expansion of liquid He in vacuum and were studied by single-shot coherent diffractive imaging using an x-ray free electron laser. The formation of strongly deformed droplets is evidenced by large anisotropies and intensity anomalies (streaks) in the obtained diffraction images. The analysis of the images shows that in addition to previously described axially symmetric oblate shapes, some droplets exhibit prolate shapes. Forward modeling of the diffraction images indicates that the shapes of rotating superfluid droplets are very similar to their classical counterparts, givingmore » direct access to the droplet angular momenta and angular velocities. Here, the analyses of the radial intensity distribution and appearance statistics of the anisotropic images confirm the existence of oblate metastable superfluid droplets with large angular momenta beyond the classical bifurcation threshold.« less

Shapes of rotating superfluid helium nanodroplets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bernando, Charles; Tanyag, Rico Mayro P.; Jones, Curtis

Rotating superfluid He droplets of approximately 1 μm in diameter were obtained in a free nozzle beam expansion of liquid He in vacuum and were studied by single-shot coherent diffractive imaging using an x-ray free electron laser. The formation of strongly deformed droplets is evidenced by large anisotropies and intensity anomalies (streaks) in the obtained diffraction images. The analysis of the images shows that in addition to previously described axially symmetric oblate shapes, some droplets exhibit prolate shapes. Forward modeling of the diffraction images indicates that the shapes of rotating superfluid droplets are very similar to their classical counterparts, givingmore » direct access to the droplet angular momenta and angular velocities. Here, the analyses of the radial intensity distribution and appearance statistics of the anisotropic images confirm the existence of oblate metastable superfluid droplets with large angular momenta beyond the classical bifurcation threshold.« less

Singularities in Dromo formulation. Analysis of deep flybys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roa, Javier; Sanjurjo-Rivo, Manuel; Peláez, Jesús

2015-08-01

The singularities in Dromo are characterized in this paper, both from an analytical and a numerical perspective. When the angular momentum vanishes, Dromo may encounter a singularity in the evolution equations. The cancellation of the angular momentum occurs in very specific situations and may be caused by the action of strong perturbations. The gravitational attraction of a perturbing planet may lead to rapid changes in the angular momentum of the particle. In practice, this situation may be encountered during deep planetocentric flybys. The performance of Dromo is evaluated in different scenarios. First, Dromo is validated for integrating the orbit of Near Earth Asteroids. Resulting errors are of the order of the diameter of the asteroid. Second, a set of theoretical flybys are designed for analyzing the performance of the formulation in the vicinity of the singularity. New sets of Dromo variables are proposed in order to minimize the dependency of Dromo on the angular momentum. A slower time scale is introduced, leading to a more stable description of the flyby phase. Improvements in the overall performance of the algorithm are observed when integrating orbits close to the singularity.

X-Ray Diffractive Optics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennis, Brian; Li, Mary; Skinner, Gerald

2013-01-01

X-ray optics were fabricated with the capability of imaging solar x-ray sources with better than 0.1 arcsecond angular resolution, over an order of magnitude finer than is currently possible. Such images would provide a new window into the little-understood energy release and particle acceleration regions in solar flares. They constitute one of the most promising ways to probe these regions in the solar atmosphere with the sensitivity and angular resolution needed to better understand the physical processes involved. A circular slit structure with widths as fine as 0.85 micron etched in a silicon wafer 8 microns thick forms a phase zone plate version of a Fresnel lens capable of focusing approx. =.6 keV x-rays. The focal length of the 3-cm diameter lenses is 100 microns, and the angular resolution capability is better than 0.1 arcsecond. Such phase zone plates were fabricated in Goddard fs Detector Development Lab. (DDL) and tested at the Goddard 600-microns x-ray test facility. The test data verified that the desired angular resolution and throughput efficiency were achieved.

3D Simulations of Convection: From the Sun Toward Evolved Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höfner, Susanne

2018-04-01

Basic physical considerations and detailed numerical simulations predict a dramatic increase in the sizes of convection cells during late phases of stellar evolution. The recent progress in high-angular-resolution techniques has made it possible to observe surface structures on several nearby giants and supergiants for a wide range of wavelengths. Such observations provide much-needed checkpoints for convection theory, in addition to the detailed comparisons of models and observations for the sun. In this talk I will give an overview of current 3D convection models for different types of stars and discuss related observable phenomena.

The mid-infrared diameter of W Hydrae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao-Geisler, R.; Quirrenbach, A.; Köhler, R.; Lopez, B.; Leinert, C.

2011-06-01

Aims: Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are among the largest distributors of dust into the interstellar medium, and it is therefore important to understand the dust formation process and sequence in their strongly pulsating extended atmosphere. By monitoring the AGB star W Hya interferometrically over a few pulsations cycles, the upper atmospheric layers can be studied to obtain information on their chemical gas and dust composition and their intracycle and cycle-to-cycle behavior. Methods: Mid-infrared (8-13 μm) interferometric data of W Hya were obtained with MIDI/VLTI between April 2007 and September 2009, covering nearly three pulsation cycles. The spectrally dispersed visibility data of all 75 observations were analyzed by fitting a circular fully limb-darkened disk (FDD) model to all data and individual pulsation phases. Asymmetries were studied with an elliptical FDD. Results: Modeling results in an apparent angular FDD diameter of W Hya of about (80 ± 1.2) mas (7.8 AU) between 8 and 10 μm, which corresponds to an about 1.9 times larger diameter than the photospheric one. The diameter gradually increases up to (105 ± 1.2) mas (10.3 AU) at 12 μm. In contrast, the FDD relative flux fraction decreases from (0.85 ± 0.02) to (0.77 ± 0.02), reflecting the increased flux contribution from a fully resolved surrounding silicate dust shell. The asymmetric character of the extended structure could be confirmed. An elliptical FDD yields a position angle of (11 ± 20)° and an axis ratio of (0.87 ± 0.07). A weak pulsation dependency is revealed with a diameter increase of (5.4 ± 1.8) mas between visual minimum and maximum, while detected cycle-to-cycle variations are smaller. Conclusions: W Hya's diameter shows a behavior that is very similar to the Mira stars RR Sco and S Ori and can be described by an analogous model. The constant diameter part results from a partially resolved stellar disk, including a close molecular layer of H2O, while the increase beyond 10 μm can most likely be attributed to the contribution of a spatially resolved nearby Al2O3 dust shell. Probably due to the low mass-loss rate, close Fe-free silicate dust could not be detected. The results suggest that the formation of amorphous Al2O3 occurs mainly at visual minimum. A possible close Al2O3 dust shell has now been revealed in a few objects calling for self-consistent dynamic atmospheric models including dust formation close to the star. The asymmetry might be explained by an enhanced dust concentration along an N-S axis. Based on observations made with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) at the Paranal Observatory under program IDs 079.D-0140, 080.D-0005, 081.D-0198, 082.D-0641 and 083.D-0294.FITS files of the calibrated visibilities are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/530/A120

Spectroscopic determination of fundamental parameters of small angular diameter galactic open clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahumada, A. V.; Claria, J. J.; Bica, E.; Parisi, M. C.; Torres, M. C.; Pavani, D. B.

We present integrated spectra obtained at CASLEO (Argentina) for 9 galactic open clusters of small angular diameter. Two of them (BH 55 and Rup 159) have not been the target of previous research. The flux-calibrated spectra cover the spectral range approx. 3600-6900 A. Using the equivalent widths (EWs) of the Balmer lines and comparing the cluster spectra with template spectra, we determined E(B-V) colour excesses and ages for the present cluster sample. The parameters obtained for 6 of the clusters show good agreement with previous determinations based mainly on photometric methods. This is not the case, however, for BH 90, a scarcely reddened cluster, for which Moffat and Vogt (1975, Astron. and Astroph. SS, 20, 125) derived E(B-V) = 0.51. We explain and justify the strong discrepancy found for this object. According to the present analysis, 3 clusters are very young (Bo 14, Tr 15 and Tr 27), 2 are moderately young (NGC 6268 and BH 205), 3 are Hyades-like clusters (Rup 164, BH 90 and BH 55) and only one is an intermediate-age cluster (Rup 159).

Galaxy clusters, type Ia supernovae and the fine structure constant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holanda, R.F.L.; Busti, V.C.; Colaço, L.R.

2016-08-01

As is well known, measurements of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect can be combined with observations of the X-ray surface brightness of galaxy clusters to estimate the angular diameter distance to these structures. In this paper, we show that this technique depends on the fine structure constant, α. Therefore, if α is a time-dependent quantity, e.g., α = α{sub 0}φ( z ), where φ is a function of redshift, we argue that current data do not provide the real angular diameter distance, D {sub A}( z ), to the cluster, but instead D {sub A}{sup data}( z ) = φ( z ){supmore » 2} D {sub A}( z ). We use this result to derive constraints on a possible variation of α for a class of dilaton runaway models considering a sample of 25 measurements of D {sub A}{sup data}( z ) in redshift range 0.023 < z < 0.784 and estimates of D {sub A}( z ) from current type Ia supernovae observations. We find no significant indication of variation of α with the present data.« less

Focal Plane Detectors for the Advanced Gamma-Ray Imaging System (AGIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otte, A. N.; Byrum, K.; Drake, G.; Falcone, A.; Funk, S.; Horan, D.; Mukherjee, R.; Smith, A.; Tajima, H.; Wagner, R. G.; Williams, D. A.

2008-12-01

The Advanced Gamma-Ray Imaging System (AGIS) is a concept for the next generation observatory in ground-based very high energy gamma-ray astronomy. Design goals are ten times better sensitivity, higher angular resolution, and a lower energy threshold than existing Cherenkov telescopes. Simulations show that a substantial improvement in angular resolution may be achieved if the pixel diameter is reduced to the order of 0.05 deg, i.e. two to three times smaller than the pixel diameter of current Cherenkov telescope cameras. At these dimensions, photon detectors with smaller physical dimensions can be attractive alternatives to the classical photomultiplier tube (PMT). Furthermore, the operation of an experiment with the size of AGIS requires photon detectors that are among other things more reliable, more durable, and possibly higher efficiency photon detectors. Alternative photon detectors we are considering for AGIS include both silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) and multi-anode photomultipliers (MAPMTs). Here we present results from laboratory testing of MAPMTs and SiPMs along with results from the first incorporation of these devices into cameras on test bed Cherenkov telescopes.

Pressure-sensing performance of upright cylinders in a Mach 10 boundary-layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Steven; Murphy, Kelly

1994-01-01

An experimental research program to provide basic knowledge of the pressure-sensing performance of upright, flushported cylinders in a hypersonic boundary layer is described. Three upright cylinders of 0.25-, 0.5- and l.0-in. diameters and a conventional rake were placed in the test section sidewall boundary layer of the 31 Inch Mach 10 Wind Tunnel at NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Boundary-layer pressures from these cylinders were compared to those measured with a conventional rake. A boundary-layer thickness-to-cylinder-diameter ratio of 8 proved sufficient to accurately measure an overall pressure profile and ascertain the boundary-layer thickness. Effects of Reynolds number, flow angularity, and shock wave impingement on pressure measurement were also investigated. Although Reynolds number effects were negligible at the conditions studied, flow angularity above 10 deg significantly affects the measured pressures. Shock wave impingement was used to investigate orifice-to-orifice pressure crosstalk. No crosstalk was measured. The lower pressure measured above the oblique shock wave impingement showed no influence of the higher pressure generated at the lower port locations.

Spatially resolving the outer atmosphere of the M giant BK Virginis in the CO first overtone lines with VLTI/AMBER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohnaka, K.; Hofmann, K.-H.; Schertl, D.; Weigelt, G.; Malbet, F.; Massi, F.; Meilland, A.; Stee, Ph.

2012-01-01

Context. The mass-loss mechanism in normal K-M giant stars with small variability amplitudes is not yet understood, although the majority among red giant stars are precisely of this type. Aims: We present high-spatial and high-spectral resolution observations of the M7 giant BK Vir with AMBER at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Our aim is to probe the physical properties of the outer atmosphere by spatially resolving the star in the individual CO first overtone lines. Methods: BK Vir was observed between 2.26 and 2.31 μm using the 16-32-48 m telescope configuration with an angular resolution of 9.8 mas and a spectral resolution of 12 000. Results: The uniform-disk diameters observed in the CO first overtone lines are 12 - 31% larger than those measured in the continuum. We also detected asymmetry in the CO line-forming region, which manifests itself as non-zero/non-π differential and closure phases. The data taken 1.5 months apart show possible time variation on a spatial scale of 30 mas (corresponding to 3 × stellar diameter) at the CO band head. Comparison of the observed data with the MARCS photospheric model shows that whereas the observed CO line spectrum can be satisfactorily reproduced by the model, the angular sizes observed in the CO lines are much larger than predicted by the model. Our model with two additional CO layers above the MARCS photosphere reproduces the observed spectrum and interferometric data in the CO lines simultaneously. This model suggests that the inner CO layer at ~1.2 R⋆ is very dense and warm with a CO column density of ~1022 cm-2 and temperatures of 1900 - 2100 K, while the outer CO layer at 2.5-3.0 R⋆ is characterized by column densities of 1019-1020 cm-2 and temperatures of 1500 - 2100 K. Conclusions: Our AMBER observations of BK Vir have spatially resolved the extended molecular outer atmosphere of a normal M giant in the individual CO lines for the first time. The temperatures derived for the CO layers are higher than, or equal to, the uppermost layer of the MARCS photospheric model, implying the operation of some heating mechanism in the outer atmosphere. This study also illustrates that testing photospheric models only with the spectra of strong molecular or atomic features can be misleading. Based on AMBER observations made with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer of the European Southern Observatory. Program ID: 081.D-0233(A) (AMBER Guaranteed Time Observation).

Social stars: Modeling the interactive lives of stars in dense clusters and binary systems in the era of time domain astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacLeod, Morgan Elowe

This thesis uses computational modeling to study of phases of dramatic interaction that intersperse stellar lifetimes. In galactic centers stars trace dangerously wandering orbits dictated by the combined gravitational force of a central, supermassive black hole and all of the surrounding stars. In binary systems, stars' evolution -- which causes their radii to increase substantially -- can bring initially non-interacting systems into contact. Moments of strong stellar interaction transform stars, their subsequent evolution, and the stellar environments they inhabit. In tidal disruption events, a star is partially or completely destroyed as tidal forces from a supermassive black hole overwhelm the star's self gravity. A portion of the stellar debris falls back to the black hole powering a luminous flare as it accretes. This thesis studies the relative event rates and properties of tidal disruption events for stars across the stellar evolutionary spectrum. Tidal disruptions of giant stars occur with high specific frequency; these objects' extended envelopes make them vulnerable to disruption. More-compact white dwarf stars are tidally disrupted relatively rarely. Their transients are also of very different duration and luminosity. Giant star disruptions power accretion flares with timescales of tens to hundreds of years; white dwarf disruption flares take hours to days. White dwarf tidal interactions can additionally trigger thermonuclear burning and lead to transients with signatures similar to type I supernovae. In binary star systems, a phase of hydrodynamic interaction called a common envelope episode occurs when one star evolves to swallow its companion. Dragged by the surrounding gas, the companion star spirals through the envelope to tighter orbits. This thesis studies accretion and flow morphologies during this phase. Density gradients across the gravitationally-focussed material lead to a strong angular momentum barrier to accretion during common envelope. Typical accretion efficiencies are in the range of 1 percent the Hoyle-Lyttleton accretion rate. This implies that compact objects embedded in common envelopes do not grow significantly during this phase, increasing their mass by at most a few percent. This thesis models the properties of a recent stellar-merger powered transient to derive constraints on this long-uncertain phase of binary star evolution.

A New Concept of Coronagraph using Axicon Lenses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Jae Ho

2017-06-01

High-contrast direct imaging of faint objects nearby bright stellar is essential to investigate planetary systems. The goal of such effort is to find and characterize planets similar to Earth that is a challenging task due to it requires a high angular resolution and high dynamic range detections concurrently. A coronagraph that can be suppressed the bright stellar light or active galactic nuclei during the direct detection of astrophysical activities became one of the essential instruments to image exoplanets. In this presentation, a novel concept of a coronagraph using axicon-lenses is will be presented that is conjunction with a method of noninterferometric quantitative phase imaging for direct imaging of exoplanets. The essential scheme of the axicon-lenses coronagraph is the apodization carried out by excluding evaginated images of the planetary systems by a pair of axicon lens. The laboratory based coronagraph imaging is carried out with the axicon-lenses coronagraph setup which included the axicon lenses optics and phase contrast imaging unit. A simulated stellar and its companion are provided by illuminating light through small holes drilled on a thin metal plate. Those diffracted light at the edge of the holes bears a similarity to the light from the bright stellar. The images are evaginated about the optical axis by passing the first axicon lens. Then the evaginated beams of its external area have cut off by an iris which means the suppressed its central light of the bright stellar light preferentially. A symbolic calculation also is carried out to verify the scheme of the the axicon-lenses coronagraph using the symbolic computation program. The simulation results are shown that the the axicon-lenses coronagraph has feature of ability to achieve the IWA smaller than l/D. The laboratory based coronagraph imaging and simulation results support its potentials in direct imaging for finding exo-planet and various astrophysical activities.

New results on the apsidal-motion test to stellar structure and evolution including the effects of dynamic tides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claret, A.; Willems, B.

2002-06-01

We revised the current status of the apsidal-motion test to stellar structure and evolution. The observational sample was increased by about 50% in comparison to previous studies. Classical and relativistic systems were analyzed simultaneously and only systems with accurate absolute dimensions were considered. New interior models incorporating recent opacity tables, stellar rotation, mass loss, and moderate core overshooting were used as theoretical tools to compare the predicted with the observed shifts of the position of the periastron. The stellar models were computed for the precise observed masses and the adopted chemical compositions are consistent with the corresponding tables of opacities to avoid the inherent problems of interpolation in mass and in (X, Z). The derived chemical composition for each individual system was used to infer the primordial helium content as well as a law of enrichment. The values found are in good agreement with those obtained from various independent sources. For the first time, the effects of dynamic tides are taken into account systematically to determine the contribution of the tidal distortion to the predicted apsidal-motion rate. The deviations between the apsidal-motion rates resulting from the classical formula and those determined by taking into account the effects of dynamic tides are presented as a function of the level of synchronism. For systems close to synchronisation, dynamic tides cause deviations with respect to the classical apsidal-motion formula due to the effects of the compressibility of the stellar fluid. For systems with higher rotational angular velocities, additional deviations due to resonances arise when the forcing frequencies of the dynamic tides come into the range of the free oscillation modes of the component stars. The resulting comparison shows a good agreement between the observed and theoretical apsidal-motion rates. No systematic effects in the sense that models are less mass concentrated than real stars and no correlations with the evolutionary status of the systems were detected.

Periastron shifts of stellar orbits near the Galactic Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubilar, G. F.; Eckart, A.

2001-07-01

The presence of a 2.9+/-0.4 million solar mass object in the central stellar cluster of the Milky Way has recently been demonstrated via measurements of the stellar proper motions and radial velocities. This mass is located at the position of the compact radio source Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) at a distance of Ro=8.0 kpc and is most likely present in the form of a massive black hole (BH). Some of the stars have a projected distance to Sgr A* of <=0.005 pc and have proper motion velocities of up to 1400 km s-1. Recent measurements indicate that their orbits show significant curvatures indicating that the stars indeed orbit the central compact object. Detailed measurements of the stellar orbits close to Sgr A* will allow us to precisely determine the distribution of this mass. With an increased point source sensitivity due to the combination of large telescope apertures, adaptive optics, and - in the very near future - NIR interferometry it is likely that stars with orbital time scales of the order of one year will be detected. Theses sources, however, will most likely not be on simple Keplerian orbits. The effects of measurable prograde relativistic and retrograde Newtonian periastron shifts will result in rosetta shaped orbits. A substantial Newtonian periastron rotation can already be expected if only a few percent of the central mass are extended. We discuss the conditions under which an extended mass can (over-) compensate the relativistic periastron shift. We also demonstrate that measuring a single periastron shift is not sufficient to determine the distribution of an extended mass component. A periastron shift will allow us to determine the inclination of the stellar orbits and to derive inclination corrected shift values. These have to be acquired for three stars on orbits with different energy or angular momentum in order to unambiguously solve for the compactness, extent and shape of any extended mass contribution.

Black holes in binary stellar systems and galactic nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cherepashchuk, A. M.

2014-04-01

In the last 40 years, following pioneering papers by Ya B Zeldovich and E E Salpeter, in which a powerful energy release from nonspherical accretion of matter onto a black hole (BH) was predicted, many observational studies of black holes in the Universe have been carried out. To date, the masses of several dozen stellar-mass black holes (M_BH = (4{-}20) M_\\odot) in X-ray binary systems and of several hundred supermassive black holes (M_BH = (10^{6}{-}10^{10}) M_\\odot) in galactic nuclei have been measured. The estimated radii of these massive and compact objects do not exceed several gravitational radii. For about ten stellar-mass black holes and several dozen supermassive black holes, the values of the dimensionless angular momentum a_* have been estimated, which, in agreement with theoretical predictions, do not exceed the limiting value a_* = 0.998. A new field of astrophysics, so-called black hole demography, which studies the birth and growth of black holes and their evolutionary connection to other objects in the Universe, namely stars, galaxies, etc., is rapidly developing. In addition to supermassive black holes, massive stellar clusters are observed in galactic nuclei, and their evolution is distinct from that of supermassive black holes. The evolutionary relations between supermassive black holes in galactic centers and spheroidal stellar components (bulges) of galaxies, as well as dark-matter galactic haloes are brought out. The launch into Earth's orbit of the space radio interferometer RadioAstron opened up the real possibility of finally proving that numerous discovered massive and highly compact objects with properties very similar to those of black holes make up real black holes in the sense of Albert Einstein's General Relativity. Similar proofs of the existence of black holes in the Universe can be obtained by intercontinental radio interferometry at short wavelengths \\lambda \\lesssim 1 mm (the international program, Event Horizon Telescope).

Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Results: Measurement of the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation scale in the distribution of galaxies to redshift 1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abbott, T.M.C.; et al.

We present angular diameter distance measurements obtained by locating the BAO scale in the distribution of galaxies selected from the first year of Dark Energy Survey data. We consider a sample of over 1.3 million galaxies distributed over a footprint of 1318 degmore » $^2$ with $$0.6 < z_{\\rm photo} < 1$$ and a typical redshift uncertainty of $0.03(1+z)$. This sample was selected, as fully described in a companion paper, using a color/magnitude selection that optimizes trade-offs between number density and redshift uncertainty. We investigate the BAO signal in the projected clustering using three conventions, the angular separation, the co-moving transverse separation, and spherical harmonics. Further, we compare results obtained from template based and machine learning photometric redshift determinations. We use 1800 simulations that approximate our sample in order to produce covariance matrices and allow us to validate our distance scale measurement methodology. We measure the angular diameter distance, $$D_A$$, at the effective redshift of our sample divided by the true physical scale of the BAO feature, $$r_{\\rm d}$$. We obtain close to a 4 per cent distance measurement of $$D_A(z_{\\rm eff}=0.81)/r_{\\rm d} = 10.75\\pm 0.43 $$. These results are consistent with the flat $$\\Lambda$$CDM concordance cosmological model supported by numerous other recent experimental results.« less

Influence of dipolar interactions on the angular-dependent coercivity of nickel nanocylinders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bender, P.; Krämer, F.; Tschöpe, A.; Birringer, R.

2015-04-01

In this study the influence of dipolar interactions on the orientation-dependent magnetization behavior of an ensemble of single-domain nickel nanorods was investigated. The rods were synthesized by electrodeposition of nickel into porous alumina templates. Some of the rods were released from the oxide and embedded in gelatine hydrogels (ferrogel) at a sufficiently large average interparticle distance to suppress dipolar interactions. By comparing the orientation-dependent hystereses of the two ensembles in the template and the gel-matrix it could be shown that the dipolar interactions in the template considerably alter the functional form of the angular-dependent coercivity. Analysis of the magnetization curves for an angle of 60° between the rod-axes and the field revealed a significantly reduced coercivity of the template compared to the ferrogel, which could be directly attributed to a stray field induced magnetization reversal of a steadily increasing number of rods with increasing field strength. The magnetization curve of the template could be approximated by a weighted linear superposition of the hysteresis branches of the ferrogel. The magnetization reversal process of the rods was investigated by analyzing the angular-dependent coercivity of the non-interacting nanorods. Comparison of the functional form with analytical models and micromagnetic simulations emphasized the assumption of a localized magnetization reversal. Additionally, it could be shown that the nucleation field of rods with diameters in the range 18-29 nm tends to increase with increasing diameter.

MAGNETIC GAMES BETWEEN A PLANET AND ITS HOST STAR: THE KEY ROLE OF TOPOLOGY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strugarek, A.; Brun, A. S.; Réville, V.

Magnetic interactions between a star and a close-in planet are postulated to be a source of enhanced emissions and to play a role in the secular evolution of the orbital system. Close-in planets generally orbit in the sub-alfvénic region of the stellar wind, which leads to efficient transfers of energy and angular momentum between the star and the planet. We model the magnetic interactions occurring in close-in star–planet systems with three-dimensional, global, compressible magnetohydrodynamic numerical simulations of a planet orbiting in a self-consistent stellar wind. We focus on the cases of magnetized planets and explore three representative magnetic configurations. Themore » Poynting flux originating from the magnetic interactions is an energy source for enhanced emissions in star–planet systems. Our results suggest a simple geometrical explanation for ubiquitous on/off enhanced emissions associated with close-in planets, and confirm that the Poynting fluxes can reach powers of the order of 10{sup 19} W. Close-in planets are also shown to migrate due to magnetic torques for sufficiently strong stellar wind magnetic fields. The topology of the interaction significantly modifies the shape of the magnetic obstacle that leads to magnetic torques. As a consequence, the torques can vary by at least an order of magnitude as the magnetic topology of the interaction varies.« less

Star Formation Intensities Of Non-Isolated Galaxies With The Califa Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales Vargas, Abdías; Torres-Papaqui, Juan Pablo; Rosales-Ortega, Fernando Fabián; Sánchez, Sebastián F.; Chow-Martínez, Marcel; Ortega-Minakata, René Alberto; Romero-Cruz, Fernando J.; Trejo-Alonso, Josué de Jesús; Neri-Larios, Daniel Marcos; Robleto-Orús Aitor, Carlos

2017-08-01

Poster presented at the conference Galaxy Evolution Across Time, 12-16 June, Paris, France. The influence of interactions on the star formation (SF) is investigated by studying a sample of 34 CALIFA survey non-isolated galaxies. We use the instantaneous star formation rate intensity (SFRI) obtained from the Halpha recombination line emission normalized by a unit of projected area. We explore the SFRI, stellar mass and stellar age annulus structures (split by morphology group), also for a control population of star-forming isolated galaxies observed with the CALIFA survey likewise. By morphology groups, the SF efficiency of early type spirals (ETSs) results magnified likely because of angular momentum loss. The SFRI of the non-isolated sample is then compared with that one of the isolated sample. It is found statistically and moderately enhanced in the non-isolated sample by a factor of at most 2. We also find the SFRI as to be a function of the degree of tidal perturbation what might consequently suggest interactions as to facilitate the gas transport to central regions. Contrasting behaviors of the SFRI structures, a gradual quench with clear outer presence of SF (isolated sample) while a steeper decrease from the center with poor SFRIs outwards (non-isolated one) are found. Similitudes in a variety of stellar population properties support the closeness of companions as to be the cause of the SFRI differences between samples.

NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF THE POSSIBLE ORIGIN OF THE TWO SUB-PARSEC SCALE AND COUNTERROTATING STELLAR DISKS AROUND SgrA*

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alig, C.; Schartmann, M.; Burkert, A.

2013-07-10

We present a high-resolution simulation of an idealized model to explain the origin of the two young, counterrotating, sub-parsec scale stellar disks around the supermassive black hole SgrA* at the center of the Milky Way. In our model, the collision of a single molecular cloud with a circumnuclear gas disk (similar to the one observed presently) leads to multiple streams of gas flowing toward the black hole and creating accretion disks with angular momentum depending on the ratio of cloud and circumnuclear disk material. The infalling gas creates two inclined, counterrotating sub-parsec scale accretion disks around the supermassive black holemore » with the first disk forming roughly 1 Myr earlier, allowing it to fragment into stars and get dispersed before the second counterrotating disk forms. Fragmentation of the second disk would lead to the two inclined, counterrotating stellar disks which are observed at the Galactic center. A similar event might be happening again right now at the Milky Way Galactic center. Our model predicts that the collision event generates spiral-like filaments of gas, feeding the Galactic center prior to disk formation with a geometry and inflow pattern that is in agreement with the structure of the so-called mini spiral that has been detected in the Galactic center.« less

Weakened magnetic braking as the origin of anomalously rapid rotation in old field stars.

PubMed

van Saders, Jennifer L; Ceillier, Tugdual; Metcalfe, Travis S; Aguirre, Victor Silva; Pinsonneault, Marc H; García, Rafael A; Mathur, Savita; Davies, Guy R

2016-01-14

A knowledge of stellar ages is crucial for our understanding of many astrophysical phenomena, and yet ages can be difficult to determine. As they become older, stars lose mass and angular momentum, resulting in an observed slowdown in surface rotation. The technique of 'gyrochronology' uses the rotation period of a star to calculate its age. However, stars of known age must be used for calibration, and, until recently, the approach was untested for old stars (older than 1 gigayear, Gyr). Rotation periods are now known for stars in an open cluster of intermediate age (NGC 6819; 2.5 Gyr old), and for old field stars whose ages have been determined with asteroseismology. The data for the cluster agree with previous period-age relations, but these relations fail to describe the asteroseismic sample. Here we report stellar evolutionary modelling, and confirm the presence of unexpectedly rapid rotation in stars that are more evolved than the Sun. We demonstrate that models that incorporate dramatically weakened magnetic braking for old stars can--unlike existing models--reproduce both the asteroseismic and the cluster data. Our findings might suggest a fundamental change in the nature of ageing stellar dynamos, with the Sun being close to the critical transition to much weaker magnetized winds. This weakened braking limits the diagnostic power of gyrochronology for those stars that are more than halfway through their main-sequence lifetimes.

Magnetic Games between a Planet and Its Host Star: The Key Role of Topology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strugarek, A.; Brun, A. S.; Matt, S. P.; Réville, V.

2015-12-01

Magnetic interactions between a star and a close-in planet are postulated to be a source of enhanced emissions and to play a role in the secular evolution of the orbital system. Close-in planets generally orbit in the sub-alfvénic region of the stellar wind, which leads to efficient transfers of energy and angular momentum between the star and the planet. We model the magnetic interactions occurring in close-in star-planet systems with three-dimensional, global, compressible magnetohydrodynamic numerical simulations of a planet orbiting in a self-consistent stellar wind. We focus on the cases of magnetized planets and explore three representative magnetic configurations. The Poynting flux originating from the magnetic interactions is an energy source for enhanced emissions in star-planet systems. Our results suggest a simple geometrical explanation for ubiquitous on/off enhanced emissions associated with close-in planets, and confirm that the Poynting fluxes can reach powers of the order of 1019 W. Close-in planets are also shown to migrate due to magnetic torques for sufficiently strong stellar wind magnetic fields. The topology of the interaction significantly modifies the shape of the magnetic obstacle that leads to magnetic torques. As a consequence, the torques can vary by at least an order of magnitude as the magnetic topology of the interaction varies.

SHAPING THE BROWN DWARF DESERT: PREDICTING THE PRIMORDIAL BROWN DWARF BINARY DISTRIBUTIONS FROM TURBULENT FRAGMENTATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jumper, Peter H.; Fisher, Robert T., E-mail: robert.fisher@umassd.edu

2013-05-20

The formation of brown dwarfs (BDs) poses a key challenge to star formation theory. The observed dearth of nearby ({<=}5 AU) BD companions to solar mass stars, known as the BD desert, as well as the tendency for low-mass binary systems to be more tightly bound than stellar binaries, has been cited as evidence for distinct formation mechanisms for BDs and stars. In this paper, we explore the implications of the minimal hypothesis that BDs in binary systems originate via the same fundamental fragmentation mechanism as stars, within isolated, turbulent giant molecular cloud cores. We demonstrate analytically that the scalingmore » of specific angular momentum with turbulent core mass naturally gives rise to the BD desert, as well as wide BD binary systems. Further, we show that the turbulent core fragmentation model also naturally predicts that very low mass binary and BD/BD systems are more tightly bound than stellar systems. In addition, in order to capture the stochastic variation intrinsic to turbulence, we generate 10{sup 4} model turbulent cores with synthetic turbulent velocity fields to show that the turbulent fragmentation model accommodates a small fraction of binary BDs with wide separations, similar to observations. Indeed, the picture which emerges from the turbulent fragmentation model is that a single fragmentation mechanism may largely shape both stellar and BD binary distributions during formation.« less

Evidence of Fanning in the Ophiuchus Stream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sesar, Branimir; Price-Whelan, Adrian M.; Cohen, Judith G.; Rix, Hans-Walter; Pearson, Sarah; Johnston, Kathryn V.; Bernard, Edouard J.; Ferguson, Annette M. N.; Martin, Nicolas F.; Slater, Colin T.; Chambers, Kenneth C.; Flewelling, Heather; Wainscoat, Richard J.; Waters, Christopher

2016-01-01

The Ophiuchus stellar stream presents a dynamical puzzle: its old stellar populations (˜12 Gyr) cannot be reconciled with (1) its orbit in a simple model for the Milky Way potential and (2) its short angular extent, both of which imply that the observed stream formed within the last \\lt 1 {{Gyr}}. Recent theoretical work has shown that streams on chaotic orbits may abruptly fan out near their apparent ends; stars in these fans are dispersed in both position and velocity and may be difficult to associate with the stream. Here we present the first evidence of such stream-fanning in the Ophiuchus stream, traced by four blue horizontal branch stars beyond the apparent end of the stream. These stars stand out from the background by their high velocities ({v}{{los}}\\gt 230 km s-1) against ˜40 other stars: their velocities are comparable to those of the stream, but would be exceptional if they were unrelated halo stars. Their positions and velocities are, however, inconsistent with simple extrapolation of the observed cold, high-density portion of the stream. These observations suggest that stream-fanning may be a real, observable effect and, therefore, that Ophiuchus may be on a chaotic orbit. They also show that the Ophiuchus stream is more extended and hence dynamically older than previously thought, easing the stellar population versus dynamical age tension.

Sumo Puff: Tidal debris or disturbed ultra-diffuse galaxy?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greco, Johnny P.; Greene, Jenny E.; Price-Whelan, Adrian M.; Leauthaud, Alexie; Huang, Song; Goulding, Andy D.; Strauss, Michael A.; Komiyama, Yutaka; Lupton, Robert H.; Miyazaki, Satoshi; Takada, Masahiro; Tanaka, Masayuki; Usuda, Tomonori

2018-01-01

We report the discovery of a diffuse stellar cloud with an angular extent ≳30″, which we term "Sumo Puff", in data from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP). While we do not have a redshift for this object, it is in close angular proximity to a post-merger galaxy at redshift z = 0.0431 and is projected within a few virial radii (assuming similar redshifts) of two other ˜L⋆ galaxies, which we use to bracket a potential redshift range of 0.0055 < z < 0.0431. The object's light distribution is flat, as characterized by a low Sérsic index (n ˜ 0.3). It has a low central g-band surface brightness of ˜26.4 mag arcsec-2, large effective radius of ˜13″ (˜11 kpc at z = 0.0431 and ˜1.5 kpc at z = 0.0055), and an elongated morphology (b/a ˜ 0.4). Its red color (g - i ˜ 1) is consistent with a passively evolving stellar population and similar to the nearby post-merger galaxy, and we may see tidal material connecting Sumo Puff with this galaxy. We offer two possible interpretations for the nature of this object: (1) it is an extreme, galaxy-sized tidal feature associated with a recent merger event, or (2) it is a foreground dwarf galaxy with properties consistent with a quenched, disturbed, ultra-diffuse galaxy. We present a qualitative comparison with simulations that demonstrates the feasibility of forming a structure similar to this object in a merger event. Follow-up spectroscopy and/or deeper imaging to confirm the presence of the bridge of tidal material will be necessary to reveal the true nature of this object.

NASA's Far-IR/Submillimeter Roadmap Missions SAFIR and SPECS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leisawitz, David

2003-01-01

The far-IR is rich with information about star, disk and planet formation because protostars emit predominantly in this spectral range, and the radiation can escape from the inherently dusty stellar birth sites. Spectral lines contain particularly valuable information about the cooling, collapse, and chemistry of molecular cloud cores and protostars. However, the interpretation of line intensities and profiles is model-dependent; ultimately, high angular resolution is needed to break model degeneracy and definitively characterize the source. Processes occurring on scales smaller than 10,000 AU (72 arcsec at 140 pc, where the nearest protostellar objects are found) likely affect the stellar initial mass function and determine the product of cloud collapse (Binary star or planetary system? How many planets, and what kind will they be?) The next-generation far-IR observatories SIRTF, SOFIA, and Herschel will revolutionize star formation studies and leave the community yearning for telescopes that operate in this spectral region but provide many orders of magnitude better angular resolution. NASA's space science roadmap includes the JWST-scale Single Aperture Far-IR (SAFIR) telescope and the 1 km maximum baseline far-IR interferometer, SPECS (the Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure). I will give the scientific motivation for these missions, describe mission concepts and telescope measurement capabilities, and compare these capabilities with those of the next-generation IR telescopes and with the complementary JWST and ALMA. I will also describe the Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT), a science and technology pathfinder for SPECS, which could be ready to launch in about a decade. At 100 microns, SAFIR will provide 2.5 arcsec resolution (10 times better than SIRTF), SPIRIT will provide 0.25 arcsec resolution, and SPECS will provide 10 milli-arcsec resolution, which is comparable to that of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Interplanetary Dust Observations by the Juno MAG Investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jørgensen, John; Benn, Mathias; Denver, Troelz; Connerney, Jack; Jørgensen, Peter; Bolton, Scott; Brauer, Peter; Levin, Steven; Oliversen, Ronald

2017-04-01

The spin-stabilized and solar powered Juno spacecraft recently concluded a 5-year voyage through the solar system en route to Jupiter, arriving on July 4th, 2016. During the cruise phase from Earth to the Jovian system, the Magnetometer investigation (MAG) operated two magnetic field sensors and four co-located imaging systems designed to provide accurate attitude knowledge for the MAG sensors. One of these four imaging sensors - camera "D" of the Advanced Stellar Compass (ASC) - was operated in a mode designed to detect all luminous objects in its field of view, recording and characterizing those not found in the on-board star catalog. The capability to detect and track such objects ("non-stellar objects", or NSOs) provides a unique opportunity to sense and characterize interplanetary dust particles. The camera's detection threshold was set to MV9 to minimize false detections and discourage tracking of known objects. On-board filtering algorithms selected only those objects tracked through more than 5 consecutive images and moving with an apparent angular rate between 15"/s and 10,000"/s. The coordinates (RA, DEC), intensity, and apparent velocity of such objects were stored for eventual downlink. Direct detection of proximate dust particles is precluded by their large (10-30 km/s) relative velocity and extreme angular rates, but their presence may be inferred using the collecting area of Juno's large ( 55m2) solar arrays. Dust particles impact the spacecraft at high velocity, creating an expanding plasma cloud and ejecta with modest (few m/s) velocities. These excavated particles are revealed in reflected sunlight and tracked moving away from the spacecraft from the point of impact. Application of this novel detection method during Juno's traversal of the solar system provides new information on the distribution of interplanetary (µm-sized) dust.

How good a clock is rotation? The stellar rotation-mass-age relationship for old field stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Epstein, Courtney R.; Pinsonneault, Marc H., E-mail: epstein@astronomy.ohio-state.edu, E-mail: pinsono@astronomy.ohio-state.edu

2014-01-10

The rotation-mass-age relationship offers a promising avenue for measuring the ages of field stars, assuming the attendant uncertainties to this technique can be well characterized. We model stellar angular momentum evolution starting with a rotation distribution from open cluster M37. Our predicted rotation-mass-age relationship shows significant zero-point offsets compared to an alternative angular momentum loss law and published gyrochronology relations. Systematic errors at the 30% level are permitted by current data, highlighting the need for empirical guidance. We identify two fundamental sources of uncertainty that limit the precision of rotation-based ages and quantify their impact. Stars are born with amore » range of rotation rates, which leads to an age range at fixed rotation period. We find that the inherent ambiguity from the initial conditions is important for all young stars, and remains large for old stars below 0.6 M {sub ☉}. Latitudinal surface differential rotation also introduces a minimum uncertainty into rotation period measurements and, by extension, rotation-based ages. Both models and the data from binary star systems 61 Cyg and α Cen demonstrate that latitudinal differential rotation is the limiting factor for rotation-based age precision among old field stars, inducing uncertainties at the ∼2 Gyr level. We also examine the relationship between variability amplitude, rotation period, and age. Existing ground-based surveys can detect field populations with ages as old as 1-2 Gyr, while space missions can detect stars as old as the Galactic disk. In comparison with other techniques for measuring the ages of lower main sequence stars, including geometric parallax and asteroseismology, rotation-based ages have the potential to be the most precise chronometer for 0.6-1.0 M {sub ☉} stars.« less

Angular Momentum Evolution of Young Stars in the nearby Scorpius-Centaurus OB Association

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mellon, Samuel N.; Mamajek, Eric E.; Oberst, Thomas E.; Pecaut, Mark J.

2017-07-01

We report the results of a study of archival SuperWASP light curves for stars in Scorpius-Centaurus (Sco-Cen), the nearest OB association. We use SuperWASP time-series photometry to extract rotation periods for 189 candidate members of the Sco-Cen complex and verify that 162 of those are members of the classic Sco-Cen subgroups of Upper Scorpius (US), Upper Centaurus-Lupus (UCL), and Lower Centaurus-Crux (LCC). This study provides the first measurements of rotation periods explicitly for large samples of pre-main-sequence (pre-MS) stars spanning the UCL and LCC subgroups. Our final sample of 157 well-characterized pre-MS stars spans ages of ˜10-20 Myr, spectral types of ˜F3-M0, and masses of M ≃ 0.3-1.5 {{ M }}⊙ {{N}}. For this sample, we find a distribution of stellar rotation periods with a median of P rot ≃ 2.4 days, an overall range of 0.2 < P rot < 8 days, and a fairly well-defined mass-dependent upper envelope of rotation periods. This distribution of periods is consistent with recently developed stellar angular momentum evolution models. These data are significant because they represent an undersampled age range and the number of measurable rotation periods is large compared to recent studies of other regions. We also search for new examples of eclipsing disk or ring systems analogous to 1SWASP J140747.93-394542.6 (J1407), but find none. Our survey yielded five eclipsing binaries, but only one appears to be physically associated with the Sco-Cen complex. V2394 Oph is a heavily reddened (A V ≃ 5 mag) massive contact binary in the LDN 1689 cloud whose Gaia astrometry is clearly consistent with kinematic membership with the Ophiuchus star-forming region.

Guided Versus Unguided Learning: Which One To Choose?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Speck, Angela; Ruzhitskaya, L.

2011-01-01

We present the results of a study that measures the effectiveness of two types of computer-based tutorials for teaching the concept of stellar parallax to non-science major students in a college-level introductory astronomy course. A number of previous studies on the use of computer technology in education suggested that a method of inquiry-based learning rooted in a discovery method must prevail over direct instruction. At the same time, a number of researchers raised a concern that the discovery approach especially in combination with interactive computer-based environments may present students with additional distractions and thus hinder the educational value of such interactions. This study was set to test the both approaches and to identify the preferable method for engaging students in active and meaningful learning. The study consisted of guided and unguided computer-based tutorials and used a control group in which students were engaged in paper-based exercises. The guided tutorial was an adaptive tutorial that was designed to respond to students’ input and to provide them with the next step: an exercise, an animated visualization, or a set of additional questions. The unguided tutorial allowed students to explore any part of the tutorial in any order. Both tutorials consisted of four parts and reviewed simple geometry, trigonometric parallax, angular sizes in astronomy, resolution and conversion of units, and had a concluding chapter on finding distance to a star. The control group used Lecture-Tutorials (Prather, et al) to learn angular sizes and stellar parallax. The efficacy of each treatment was validated through a 14-question pretest and two posttests to evaluate and contrast students’ immediate recall and their long-term knowledge and corroborated by a number of interviews with selected students. We present our preliminary results based on analyzed work of over 200 participants.

An argument for weakly magnetized, slowly rotating progenitors of long gamma-ray bursts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moreno Méndez, Enrique, E-mail: enriquemm@astro.unam.mx

2014-01-20

Using binary evolution with Case-C mass transfer, the spins of several black holes (BHs) in X-ray binaries (XBs) have been predicted and confirmed (three cases) by observations. The rotational energy of these BHs is sufficient to power up long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and hypernovae (HNe) and still leave a Kerr BH behind. However, strong magnetic fields and/or dynamo effects in the interior of such stars deplete their cores from angular momentum preventing the formation of collapsars. Thus, even though binaries can produce Kerr BHs, most of their rotation is acquired from the stellar mantle, with a long delay between BHmore » formation and spin up. Such binaries would not form GRBs. We study whether the conditions required to produce GRBs can be met by the progenitors of such BHs. Tidal-synchronization and Alfvén timescales are compared for magnetic fields of different intensities threading He stars. A search is made for a magnetic field range that allows tidal spin up all the way in to the stellar core but prevents its slow down during differential rotation phases. The energetics for producing a strong magnetic field during core collapse, which may allow for a GRB central engine, are also estimated. An observationally reasonable choice of parameters is found (B ≲ 10{sup 2} G threading a slowly rotating He star) that allows Fe cores to retain substantial angular momentum. Thus, the Case-C mass-transfer binary channel is capable of explaining long GRBs. However, the progenitors must have low initial spin and low internal magnetic field throughout their H-burning and He-burning phases.« less

A molecular Einstein ring: imaging a starburst disk surrounding a quasi-stellar object.

PubMed

Carilli, C L; Lewis, G F; Djorgovski, S G; Mahabal, A; Cox, P; Bertoldi, F; Omont, A

2003-05-02

Images of the molecular CO 2-1 line emission and the radio continuum emission from the redshift 4.12 gravitationally lensed quasi-stellar object (QSO) PSS J2322+1944 reveal an Einstein ring with a diameter of 1.5". These observations are modeled as a star-forming disk surrounding the QSO nucleus with a radius of 2 kiloparsecs. The implied massive star formation rate is 900 solar masses per year. At this rate, a substantial fraction of the stars in a large elliptical galaxy could form on a dynamical time scale of 108 years. The observation of active star formation in the host galaxy of a high-redshift QSO supports the hypothesis of coeval formation of supermassive black holes and stars in spheroidal galaxies.

Does Stellar Feedback Create HI Holes? An HST/VLA Study of Holmberg II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weisz, Daniel R.; Skillman, E. D.; Cannon, J. M.; Dolphin, A. E.; Kennicutt, R. C., Jr.; Lee, J.; Walter, F.

2010-01-01

We use deep HST/ACS F555W and F814W photometry of resolved stars in the M81 Group dwarf irregular galaxy Holmberg II to study the hypothesis that the holes identified in the neutral ISM (HI) are created by stellar feedback. From the deep photometry, we construct color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) and measure the star formation histories (SFHs) for stars contained in HI holes from two independent holes catalogs, as well as select control fields, i.e., similar sized regions that span a range of HI column densities. The recent SFHs confirm multiple episodes of star formation within most holes. Converting the recent SFHs into stellar feedback energies, we find that enough energy has been generated to have created all holes. However, the required energy is not always produced over a time scale that is less than the estimated kinematic age of the hole. A similar analysis of stars in the control fields finds that the stellar populations of the control fields and HI holes are statistically indistinguishable. However, because we are only sensitive to holes ˜ 100 pc in diameter, we cannot tell if there are smaller holes inside the control fields. The combination of the CMDs, recent SFHs, and locations of young stars shows that the stellar populations inside HI holes are not coherent, single-aged, stellar clusters, as previously suggested, but rather multi-age populations distributed across each hole. From a comparison of the modeled and observed integrated magnitudes, and the locations and energetics of stars inside of HI holes, we propose a potential new model: a viable mechanism for creating the observed HI holes in Holmberg II is stellar feedback from multiple generations of SF spread out over tens or hundreds of Myr, and thus, the concept of an age for an HI hole is intrinsically ambiguous.

Note: A versatile mass spectrometer chamber for molecular beam and temperature programmed desorption experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tonks, James P., E-mail: james.tonks@awe.co.uk; AWE Plc, Aldermaston, Reading, Berkshire RG7 4PR; Galloway, Ewan C., E-mail: ewan.galloway@awe.co.uk

2016-08-15

A dual purpose mass spectrometer chamber capable of performing molecular beam scattering (MBS) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) is detailed. Two simple features of this design allow it to perform these techniques. First, the diameter of entrance aperture to the mass spectrometer can be varied to maximize signal for TPD or to maximize angular resolution for MBS. Second, the mass spectrometer chamber can be radially translated so that it can be positioned close to the sample to maximize signal or far from the sample to maximize angular resolution. The performance of this system is described and compares well with systemsmore » designed for only one of these techniques.« less

The Planck Dusty Gravitationally Enhanced subMillimeter Sources (GEMS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frye, Brenda

2015-10-01

The brightest, strongly lensed high-redshift galaxies are veritable gems to study intense star formation in the early Universe. How do the high and irregular clumpy stellar and gas mass surface densities, strong radiation fields, and high turbulence regulate the rapid growth of these galaxies? We will use HST/WFC3 to investigate the stellar component of 6 of the brightest high-redshift sub-millimeter galaxies on the sky, which were recently discovered with the Planck all-sky survey. All are giant arcs or partial Einstein rings with angular sizes up to 17 in shallow CFHT K-band or Spitzer/IRAC imaging. FIR luminosities are 10^13-14 L_sun, with dust SEDs strongly dominated by intense star formation near the maximum possible rates (maximal starbursts). All have spectroscopic redshifts z=2.2-3.6 and magnification factors >/=20. We already have multiwavelength data sets to characterize their gas and dust column densities and kinematics, and propose here to acquire deep, high-resolution rest-frame optical imaging to study the stellar populations and morphologies. With WFC3 imaging in F110W & F160W we will: (1) constrain the stellar morphologies, ages, and mass-to-light ratios (2) Identify clumps and measure their properties to test several clump formation scenarios(3) Enhance our on-going lens modeling through the most accurate positions, morphologies and colorsOnly the brightest of the arc clumps are visible from the ground in the NIR. To register the flux along the full extent of the arcs, and importantly to probe individual star forming regions of the size of 30 Dor at z 2-3 in the brightest high-z sub-mm galaxies requires HST.

Precision Scaling Relations for Disk Galaxies in the Local Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapi, A.; Salucci, P.; Danese, L.

2018-05-01

We build templates of rotation curves as a function of the I-band luminosity via the mass modeling (by the sum of a thin exponential disk and a cored halo profile) of suitably normalized, stacked data from wide samples of local spiral galaxies. We then exploit such templates to determine fundamental stellar and halo properties for a sample of about 550 local disk-dominated galaxies with high-quality measurements of the optical radius R opt and of the corresponding rotation velocity V opt. Specifically, we determine the stellar M ⋆ and halo M H masses, the halo size R H and velocity scale V H, and the specific angular momenta of the stellar j ⋆ and dark matter j H components. We derive global scaling relationships involving such stellar and halo properties both for the individual galaxies in our sample and for their mean within bins; the latter are found to be in pleasing agreement with previous determinations by independent methods (e.g., abundance matching techniques, weak-lensing observations, and individual rotation curve modeling). Remarkably, the size of our sample and the robustness of our statistical approach allow us to attain an unprecedented level of precision over an extended range of mass and velocity scales, with 1σ dispersion around the mean relationships of less than 0.1 dex. We thus set new standard local relationships that must be reproduced by detailed physical models, which offer a basis for improving the subgrid recipes in numerical simulations, that provide a benchmark to gauge independent observations and check for systematics, and that constitute a basic step toward the future exploitation of the spiral galaxy population as a cosmological probe.

The Biggest Star in the Sky

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1997-03-01

An international team of astronomers has used large telescopes in Chile and Australia to measure the biggest star in the sky. The star, designated R Doradus , is of the so-called red giant type and is located in the southern constellation of Dorado. Its apparent diameter (i.e., the size which the star appears to have when seen from the Earth) is larger than any other so far observed, except for the Sun. In particular, it exceeds by more than 30 % that of Betelgeuse , which for the past 75 years has held the title of star with the largest apparent size. Measuring sizes of stars Measuring the sizes of stars is very difficult due to their enormous distances. For example, if our Sun were placed at the distance of the next closest star (four light-years away), it would have about the same apparent size as a DM 1 (or US quarter-dollar) coin placed at a distance of 500 km (about 0.01 arcsec). Even for the most powerful astronomical telescopes, it is a very challenging task to measure such small angles. Ideally, the angular resolution of a telescope (its capability to resolve fine details in celestial sources) increases with its diameter. In practice, although ground-based optical telescopes now have diameters up to 10 metres, their actual resolution of visual light is that of a telescope of only about 20 centimetres aperture. This is because of the constant turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere. This turbulence causes the stars to twinkle in a way which delights the poets but frustrates the astronomers, since it blurs the fine details of the images. The first, and largest, star apart from the Sun to have its diameter measured was Betelgeuse, the brightest star in the constellation of Orion. Its angular diameter was found to be 0.044 arcsec by Albert Michelson and his team who used the Hooker telescope on Mt. Wilson in California in the early 1920s, pioneering interferometry techniques. Betelgeuse kept its title as the star with the largest apparent size for the next 75 years. This title has now been taken by R Doradus. R Doradus is a variable star in the constellation of Dorado (the Swordfish), located in the far southern sky. At a distance of about 200 light years it is relatively nearby. R Doradus is a variable star with a period of about 338 days, changing its magnitude from approximately 4.8 at maximum (when it is visible with the unaided eye) to 6.6 at minimum (when it requires a small telescope). Interferometry at the NTT In August 1993, the team of astronomers [1] pointed the ESO 3.5-metre New Technology Telescope (NTT) towards R Doradus. For these observations, the NTT was covered with an opaque mask with seven holes arranged on a 3.3-metre diameter circle. Each of these holes had a diameter of 25 cm, which was smaller than the cells of turbulence in the atmosphere above. The main motivation for using the mask was to suppress the effects of the turbulence and in this way restore the full resolution capability of the NTT [2]. Caption to ESO PR Photo 07/97 [JPG, 63k] The seven light beams from a star were brought to interfere with each other at the telescope's focus. Each pair of holes in the mask produced a fringe pattern in the image of the star, so at any moment there were 21 distinct fringe patterns (see ESO Press Photo 07/97 [63k] ). A camera in the focal plane recorded these fringes, their contrast being determined during subsequent computer analysis. A star which is very far away will appear too small for its disk to be resolved by the telescope. All of the 21 fringes will then have approximately the same contrast. On the other hand, if the star is closer by and has a perceptible size, the contrast of the fringe patterns will be reduced for widely separate mask holes. By comparing the fringe contrast of the target star with that of a more distant, unresolved star, it is then possible to estimate the size of the target. The present NTT observations were made at infrared wavelengths (1.25 microns) with the SHARP camera, developed by the Max-Planck Institut for Extraterrestrial Physics (Garching, Germany). Several hundred very short exposures of R Doradus were made, each lasting 0.1 second (this is short enough to freeze the 21 fringe patterns in each exposure). Immediately thereafter, a similar series of observations was made of an unresolved calibrator ' star (Gamma Reticuli). This procedure was repeated several times, producing thousands of images to be analysed. Additional observations were made in 1995 with the NTT as well as the 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope at Siding Spring (Australia). These observations, and the application of different interferometric data analysis techniques to similar data sets, confirmed the results of the earlier ones. The results The results clearly showed that R Doradus is extended, having an angular diameter of 0.057 +- 0.005 arcsec (assuming that the star appears as a uniform disk). This apparent size is 30% larger than Betelgeuse! The bigger a star's apparent diameter, the more easily it can be resolved. The surprise is therefore not only the large diameter of R Doradus, but also the fact that this was not discovered earlier. Many of the larger stars were already measured by Albert Michelson and his team. The reason for the late discovery is most likely the southern latitude of R~Doradus, which makes it inaccessible to the stellar interferometers predominantly located on the northern hemisphere. R Doradus is an inconspicuous star at visible wavelength but is one of the brightest in the sky in the infrared. This led Robert Wing (Ohio State University) to predict in 1971 that R Doradus should have a large angular size. Only now has this prediction been confirmed. The NTT observations were made in the infrared. At first sight it may seem more sensible to observe at shorter, visible wavelengths because this would result in better angular resolution. However, measurements in the infrared - although more difficult to perform - result in a better estimate of the diameter of the underlying atmosphere ( photosphere ) of a star. The combination of a high-quality telescope and a high-quality infrared camera made this result possible. R Doradus is approximately 200 light years away. The measured size implies that it has a physical diameter of 370 +- 50 times that of the Sun, or well over 250 million km! If R Doradus would be placed at the centre of the Solar System, its surface would be outside of the orbit of Mars. Although even bigger stars are known - Betelgeuse for one - none appears as large in the sky because they are all at greater distances. The very large apparent size of R Doradus is due to the combination of its relative proximity and large physical size. R Doradus has about the same mass as the Sun, but it is 6500 times brighter [3]. Interferometry with the VLT Although much more difficult, interferometry can also be done combining light from different telescopes. This has been successfully demonstrated by teams in France, UK and USA. As the telescopes can be some distance apart, the separation of the collecting apertures can be much increased, simulating a telescope with a diameter of a hundred metres, and the angular resolution can reach the level of the milli-arcsec. This will be the case when the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) becomes operational some years from now. The VLTI is able to combine the light of four telescopes with 8.2-m diameter, and also from several smaller, movable auxiliary 1.8-m telescopes, at separations of up to 200 metres. The VLTI will be a very powerful tool for studying small details in many astronomical objects. The team has already made observations of R~Doradus with the Anglo-Australian Telescope which show the star to have structure on its surface, analogous to (but many times larger than) Sun spots. The VLTI would provide forty times more resolution, allowing such structures to be studied in incredible detail. More information about this research project An article describing the results will appear in the April 21, 1997 issue of the British scientific journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . Notes: [1] Tim R. Bedding, J. Gordon Robertson and Ralph G. Marson (School of Physics, University of Sydney, Australia), Albert A. Zijlstra and Oskar von der Lühe (ESO), John R. Barton (Anglo-Australian Observatory, Epping, Australia) and Brian S. Carter (South African Astronomical Observatory, Observatory, South Africa). [2] For more details, see the article First light from the NTT Interferometer on page 2 of the December 1993 issue of the ESO house journal The Messenger. [3] This number (6500) was incorrected given (as 180) on the printed version of this Press Release. Sorry for the inconvenience!. How to obtain ESO Press Information ESO Press Information is made available on the World-Wide Web (URL: http://www.eso.org../). ESO Press Photos may be reproduced, if credit is given to the European Southern Observatory.

The rapid formation of a large rotating disk galaxy three billion years after the Big Bang.

PubMed

Genzel, R; Tacconi, L J; Eisenhauer, F; Schreiber, N M Förster; Cimatti, A; Daddi, E; Bouché, N; Davies, R; Lehnert, M D; Lutz, D; Nesvadba, N; Verma, A; Abuter, R; Shapiro, K; Sternberg, A; Renzini, A; Kong, X; Arimoto, N; Mignoli, M

2006-08-17

Observations and theoretical simulations have established a framework for galaxy formation and evolution in the young Universe. Galaxies formed as baryonic gas cooled at the centres of collapsing dark-matter haloes; mergers of haloes and galaxies then led to the hierarchical build-up of galaxy mass. It remains unclear, however, over what timescales galaxies were assembled and when and how bulges and disks--the primary components of present-day galaxies--were formed. It is also puzzling that the most massive galaxies were more abundant and were forming stars more rapidly at early epochs than expected from models. Here we report high-angular-resolution observations of a representative luminous star-forming galaxy when the Universe was only 20% of its current age. A large and massive rotating protodisk is channelling gas towards a growing central stellar bulge hosting an accreting massive black hole. The high surface densities of gas, the high rate of star formation and the moderately young stellar ages suggest rapid assembly, fragmentation and conversion to stars of an initially very gas-rich protodisk, with no obvious evidence for a major merger.

Spin Dependence in Tidal Disruption Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kesden, Michael; Stone, Nicholas; van Velzen, Sjoert

2018-01-01

A supermassive black hole (SBH) can tidally disrupt stars when its tidal field overwhelms the stars’ self-gravity. The stellar debris produced in such tidal disruption events (TDEs) evolves into tidal streams that can self-intersect. These inelastic stream collisions dissipate orbital energy, both circularizing the tidal stream and contributing to the emission observed during the TDE. Once circularized into a disk, the stellar debris can be viscously accreted by the SBH powering additional luminous emission. We explore how SBH spin can affect the tidal disruption process. Tidal forces are spin dependent, as is the minimum orbital angular momentum below which stars are directly captured by the SBH. This implies that the TDE rate will be spin dependent, particularly for more massive SBHs for which relativistic effects are more significant. SBH spin also affects TDE light curves through the initial debris orbits, the nature of the stream collisions, the viscous evolution of the accretion disk, and the possibility of launching jets. We explore the spin dependence of these phenomena to identify promising signatures for upcoming surveys expected to discover hundreds of TDE candidates in the next decade.

Radiative feedback and cosmic molecular gas: the role of different radiative sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maio, Umberto; Petkova, Margarita; De Lucia, Gabriella; Borgani, Stefano

2016-08-01

We present results from multifrequency radiative hydrodynamical chemistry simulations addressing primordial star formation and related stellar feedback from various populations of stars, stellar spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and initial mass functions. Spectra for massive stars, intermediate-mass stars and regular solar-like stars are adopted over a grid of 150 frequency bins and consistently coupled with hydrodynamics, heavy-element pollution and non-equilibrium species calculations. Powerful massive Population III stars are found to be able to largely ionize H and, subsequently, He and He+, causing an inversion of the equation of state and a boost of the Jeans masses in the early intergalactic medium. Radiative effects on star formation rates are between a factor of a few and 1 dex, depending on the SED. Radiative processes are responsible for gas heating and photoevaporation, although emission from soft SEDs has minor impacts. These findings have implications for cosmic gas preheating, primordial direct-collapse black holes, the build-up of `cosmic fossils' such as low-mass dwarf galaxies, the role of active galactic nuclei during reionization, the early formation of extended discs and angular-momentum catastrophe.

The Fourier-Kelvin Stellar Interferometer a Low Complexity, Low Cost Space Mission for High-Resolution Astronomy and Direct Exoplanet Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barry, R. K.; Danchi, W. C.; Deming, L. D.; Richardson, L. J.; Kuchner, M. J.; Seager, S.; Frey, B. J.; Martino, A. J.; Lee, K. A.; Zuray, M.;

CALIBRATION OF EQUILIBRIUM TIDE THEORY FOR EXTRASOLAR PLANET SYSTEMS. II

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hansen, Brad M. S., E-mail: hansen@astro.ucla.edu

2012-09-20

We present a new empirical calibration of equilibrium tidal theory for extrasolar planet systems, extending a prior study by incorporating detailed physical models for the internal structure of planets and host stars. The resulting strength of the stellar tide produces a coupling that is strong enough to reorient the spins of some host stars without causing catastrophic orbital evolution, thereby potentially explaining the observed trend in alignment between stellar spin and planetary orbital angular momentum. By isolating the sample whose spins should not have been altered in this model, we also show evidence for two different processes that contribute tomore » the population of planets with short orbital periods. We apply our results to estimate the remaining lifetimes for short-period planets, examine the survival of planets around evolving stars, and determine the limits for circularization of planets with highly eccentric orbits. Our analysis suggests that the survival of circularized planets is strongly affected by the amount of heat dissipated, which is often large enough to lead to runaway orbital inflation and Roche lobe overflow.« less

Mass Accretion Processes in Young Stellar Objects: Role of Intense Flaring Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orlando, Salvatore; Reale, Fabio; Peres, Giovanni; Mignone, Andrea

2014-11-01

According to the magnetospheric accretion scenario, young low-mass stars are surrounded by circumstellar disks which they interact with through accretion of mass. The accretion builds up the star to its final mass and is also believed to power the mass outflows, which may in turn have a signicant role in removing the excess angular momentum from the star-disk system. Although the process of mass accretion is a critical aspect of star formation, some of its mechanisms are still to be fully understood. On the other hand, strong flaring activity is a common feature of young stellar objects (YSOs). In the Sun, such events give rise to perturbations of the interplanetary medium. Similar but more energetic phenomena occur in YSOs and may influence the circumstellar environment. In fact, a recent study has shown that an intense flaring activity close to the disk may strongly perturb the stability of circumstellar disks, thus inducing mass accretion episodes (Orlando et al. 2011). Here we review the main results obtained in the field and the future perspectives.

On the r-mode spectrum of relativistic stars in the low-frequency approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruoff, Johannes; Kokkotas, Kostas D.

2001-12-01

The axial modes for non-barotropic relativistic rotating neutron stars with uniform angular velocity are studied, using the slow-rotation formalism together with the low-frequency approximation, first investigated by Kojima. The time-independent form of the equations leads to a singular eigenvalue problem, which admits a continuous spectrum. We show that for l=2, it is nevertheless also possible to find discrete mode solutions (the r modes). However, under certain conditions related to the equation of state and the compactness of the stellar model, the eigenfrequency lies inside the continuous band and the associated velocity perturbation is divergent; hence these solutions have to be discarded as being unphysical. We corroborate our results by explicitly integrating the time-dependent equations. For stellar models admitting a physical r-mode solution, it can indeed be excited by arbitrary initial data. For models admitting only an unphysical mode solution, the evolutions do not show any tendency to oscillate with the respective frequency. For higher values of l it seems that in certain cases there are no mode solutions at all.

Imaging Red Supergiants with VLT/SPHERE/ZIMPOL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannon, Emily

2018-04-01

In the red supergiant (RSG) phase of evolution massive stars show powerful stellar winds, which strongly influence the supernova (progenitor) properties and control the nature of the compact object that is left behind. Material that is lost in the stellar wind, together with that ejected in the final core collapse, contributes to the chemical enrichment of the local interstellar medium. The mass-loss properties of RSGs are however poorly constrained. Moreover, little is known about the wind driving mechanism. To provide better constraints on both mass-loss rates and physics, high angular resolution observations are needed to unveil the inner regions of the circumstellar environment, where the mass loss is triggered. Using the VLT-SPHERE/ZIMPOL adaptive optics imaging polarimeter, spatially resolved images of four nearby RSGs were obtained in four filters. From these data, we obtain information on geometrical structures in the inner wind, the onset radius and spatial distribution of dust grains, and dust properties such as grain size. As dust grains may play a role in initiating and/or driving the outflow, this could provide us with clues as to the wind driving mechanism.

KEPLER-14b: A MASSIVE HOT JUPITER TRANSITING AN F STAR IN A CLOSE VISUAL BINARY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buchhave, Lars A.; Latham, David W.; Carter, Joshua A.

We present the discovery of a hot Jupiter transiting an F star in a close visual (0.''3 sky projected angular separation) binary system. The dilution of the host star's light by the nearly equal magnitude stellar companion ({approx}0.5 mag fainter) significantly affects the derived planetary parameters, and if left uncorrected, leads to an underestimate of the radius and mass of the planet by 10% and 60%, respectively. Other published exoplanets, which have not been observed with high-resolution imaging, could similarly have unresolved stellar companions and thus have incorrectly derived planetary parameters. Kepler-14b (KOI-98) has a period of P = 6.790more » days and, correcting for the dilution, has a mass of M{sub p} = 8.40{sup +0.35}{sub -0.34} M{sub J} and a radius of R{sub p} = 1.136{sup +0.073}{sub -0.054} R{sub J}, yielding a mean density of {rho}{sub p} = 7.1 {+-} 1.1 g cm{sup -3}.« less

Hunting for Stellar Coronal Mass Ejections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korhonen, Heidi; Vida, Krisztián; Leitzinger, Martin; Odert, Petra; Kovács, Orsolya Eszter

2017-10-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are explosive events that occur basically daily on the Sun. It is thought that these events play a crucial role in the angular momentum and mass loss of late-type stars, and also shape the environment in which planets form and live. Stellar CMEs can be detected in optical spectra in the Balmer lines, especially in Hα, as blue-shifted extra emission/absorption. To increase the detection probability one can monitor young open clusters, in which the stars are due to their youth still rapid rotators, and thus magnetically active and likely to exhibit a large number of CMEs. Using ESO facilities and the Nordic Optical Telescope we have obtained time series of multi-object spectroscopic observations of late-type stars in six open clusters with ages ranging from 15 Myrs to 300 Myrs. Additionally, we have studied archival data of numerous active stars. These observations will allow us to obtain information on the occurrence rate of CMEs in late-type stars with different ages and spectral types. Here we report on the preliminary outcome of our studies.

STELLAR EVIDENCE THAT THE SOLAR DYNAMO MAY BE IN TRANSITION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Metcalfe, Travis S.; Egeland, Ricky; Van Saders, Jennifer

2016-07-20

Precise photometry from the Kepler space telescope allows not only the measurement of rotation in solar-type field stars, but also the determination of reliable masses and ages from asteroseismology. These critical data have recently provided the first opportunity to calibrate rotation–age relations for stars older than the Sun. The evolutionary picture that emerges is surprising: beyond middle-age the efficiency of magnetic braking is dramatically reduced, implying a fundamental change in angular momentum loss beyond a critical Rossby number (Ro ∼ 2). We compile published chromospheric activity measurements for the sample of Kepler asteroseismic targets that were used to establish themore » new rotation–age relations. We use these data along with a sample of well-characterized solar analogs from the Mount Wilson HK survey to develop a qualitative scenario connecting the evolution of chromospheric activity to a fundamental shift in the character of differential rotation. We conclude that the Sun may be in a transitional evolutionary phase, and that its magnetic cycle might represent a special case of stellar dynamo theory.« less

Improving time-delay cosmography with spatially resolved kinematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shajib, Anowar J.; Treu, Tommaso; Agnello, Adriano

2018-01-01

Strongly gravitational lensed quasars can be used to measure the so-called time-delay distance DΔt, and thus the Hubble constant H0 and other cosmological parameters. Stellar kinematics of the deflector galaxy play an essential role in this measurement by: (i) helping break the mass-sheet degeneracy; (ii) determining in principle the angular diameter distance Dd to the deflector and thus further improving the cosmological constraints. In this paper we simulate observations of lensed quasars with integral field spectrographs and show that spatially resolved kinematics of the deflector enables further progress by helping break the mass-anisotropy degeneracy. Furthermore, we use our simulations to obtain realistic error estimates with current/upcoming instruments like OSIRIS on Keck and NIRSPEC on the James Webb Space Telescope for both distances (typically ∼6 per cent on DΔt and ∼10 per cent on Dd). We use the error estimates to compute cosmological forecasts for the sample of nine lenses that currently have well-measured time delays and deep Hubble Space Telescope images and for a sample of 40 lenses that is projected to be available in a few years through follow-up of candidates found in ongoing wide field surveys. We find that H0 can be measured with 2 per cent (1 per cent) precision from nine (40) lenses in a flat Λcold dark matter cosmology. We study several other cosmological models beyond the flat Λcold dark matter model and find that time-delay lenses with spatially resolved kinematics can greatly improve the precision of the cosmological parameters measured by cosmic microwave background data.

The clustering of galaxies in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: baryon acoustic oscillations in the correlation function of LOWZ and CMASS galaxies in Data Release 12

DOE PAGES

Cuesta, Antonio J.; Vargas-Magaña, Mariana; Beutler, Florian; ...

2016-02-04

In this paper, we present distance scale measurements from the baryon acoustic oscillation signal in the constant stellar mass and low-redshift sample samples from the Data Release 12 of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey. The total volume probed is 14.5 Gpc 3, a 10 per cent increment from Data Release 11. From an analysis of the spherically averaged correlation function, we infer a distance to z = 0.57 of D V(z)rmore » $$fid\\atop{d}$$ /r d = 2028 ± 21 Mpc and a distance to z = 0.32 of V(z)r$$fid\\atop{d}$$ /r d = 1264 ± 22 Mpc assuming a cosmology in which r$$fid\\atop{d}$$ = 147.10 Mpc. From the anisotropic analysis, we find an angular diameter distance to z = 0.57 of D A(z)r$$fid\\atop{d}$$ /r d = 1401 ± 21 Mpc and a distance to z = 0.32 of 981 ± 20 Mpc, a 1.5 and 2.0 per cent measurement, respectively. The Hubble parameter at z = 0.57 is H(z)r d/r$$fid\\atop{d}$$ = 100.3 ± 3.7kms -1 Mpc -1 and its value at z=0.32 is 79.2±5.6 kms -1 Mpc -1 , a 3.7 and 7.1 per cent measurement, respectively. In conclusion, these cosmic distance scale constraints are in excellent agreement with aΛcold dark matter model with cosmological parameters released by the recent Planck 2015 results.« less

SONS: The JCMT legacy survey of debris discs in the submillimetre

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holland, Wayne S.; Matthews, Brenda C.; Kennedy, Grant M.; Greaves, Jane S.; Wyatt, Mark C.; Booth, Mark; Bastien, Pierre; Bryden, Geoff; Butner, Harold; Chen, Christine H.; Chrysostomou, Antonio; Davies, Claire L.; Dent, William R. F.; Di Francesco, James; Duchêne, Gaspard; Gibb, Andy G.; Friberg, Per; Ivison, Rob J.; Jenness, Tim; Kavelaars, JJ; Lawler, Samantha; Lestrade, Jean-François; Marshall, Jonathan P.; Moro-Martin, Amaya; Panić, Olja; Phillips, Neil; Serjeant, Stephen; Schieven, Gerald H.; Sibthorpe, Bruce; Vican, Laura; Ward-Thompson, Derek; van der Werf, Paul; White, Glenn J.; Wilner, David; Zuckerman, Ben

2017-09-01

Debris discs are evidence of the ongoing destructive collisions between planetesimals, and their presence around stars also suggests that planets exist in these systems. In this paper, we present submillimetre images of the thermal emission from debris discs that formed the SCUBA-2 Observations of Nearby Stars (SONS) survey, one of seven legacy surveys undertaken on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope between 2012 and 2015. The overall results of the survey are presented in the form of 850 μm (and 450 μm, where possible) images and fluxes for the observed fields. Excess thermal emission, over that expected from the stellar photosphere, is detected around 49 stars out of the 100 observed fields. The discs are characterized in terms of their flux density, size (radial distribution of the dust) and derived dust properties from their spectral energy distributions. The results show discs over a range of sizes, typically 1-10 times the diameter of the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt in our Solar system. The mass of a disc, for particles up to a few millimetres in size, is uniquely obtainable with submillimetre observations and this quantity is presented as a function of the host stars' age, showing a tentative decline in mass with age. Having doubled the number of imaged discs at submillimetre wavelengths from ground-based, single-dish telescope observations, one of the key legacy products from the SONS survey is to provide a comprehensive target list to observe at high angular resolution using submillimetre/millimetre interferometers (e.g. Atacama Large Millimeter Array, Smithsonian Millimeter Array).

Titania's radius and an upper limit on its atmosphere from the September 8, 2001 stellar occultation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widemann, T.; Sicardy, B.; Dusser, R.; Martinez, C.; Beisker, W.; Bredner, E.; Dunham, D.; Maley, P.; Lellouch, E.; Arlot, J.-E.; Berthier, J.; Colas, F.; Hubbard, W. B.; Hill, R.; Lecacheux, J.; Lecampion, J.-F.; Pau, S.; Rapaport, M.; Roques, F.; Thuillot, W.; Hills, C. R.; Elliott, A. J.; Miles, R.; Platt, T.; Cremaschini, C.; Dubreuil, P.; Cavadore, C.; Demeautis, C.; Henriquet, P.; Labrevoir, O.; Rau, G.; Coliac, J.-F.; Piraux, J.; Marlot, Ch.; Marlot, C.; Gorry, F.; Sire, C.; Bayle, B.; Simian, E.; Blommers, A. M.; Fulgence, J.; Leyrat, C.; Sauzeaud, C.; Stephanus, B.; Rafaelli, T.; Buil, C.; Delmas, R.; Desnoux, V.; Jasinski, C.; Klotz, A.; Marchais, D.; Rieugnié, M.; Bouderand, G.; Cazard, J.-P.; Lambin, C.; Pujat, P.-O.; Schwartz, F.; Burlot, P.; Langlais, P.; Rivaud, S.; Brochard, E.; Dupouy, Ph.; Lavayssière, M.; Chaptal, O.; Daiffallah, K.; Clarasso-Llauger, C.; Aloy Doménech, J.; Gabaldá-Sánchez, M.; Otazu-Porter, X.; Fernández, D.; Masana, E.; Ardanuy, A.; Casas, R.; Ros, J. A.; Casarramona, F.; Schnabel, C.; Roca, A.; Labordena, C.; Canales-Moreno, O.; Ferrer, V.; Rivas, L.; Ortiz, J. L.; Fernández-Arozena, J.; Martín-Rodríguez, L. L.; Cidadão, A.; Coelho, P.; Figuereido, P.; Gonçalves, R.; Marciano, C.; Nunes, R.; Ré, P.; Saraiva, C.; Tonel, F.; Clérigo, J.; Oliveira, C.; Reis, C.; Ewen-Smith, B. M.; Ward, S.; Ford, D.; Gonçalves, J.; Porto, J.; Laurindo Sobrinho, J.; Teodoro de Gois, F.; Joaquim, M.; Afonso da Silva Mendes, J.; van Ballegoij, E.; Jones, R.; Callender, H.; Sutherland, W.; Bumgarner, S.; Imbert, M.; Mitchell, B.; Lockhart, J.; Barrow, W.; Cornwall, D.; Arnal, A.; Eleizalde, G.; Valencia, A.; Ladino, V.; Lizardo, T.; Guillén, C.; Sánchez, G.; Peña, A.; Radaelli, S.; Santiago, J.; Vieira, K.; Mendt, H.; Rosenzweig, P.; Naranjo, O.; Contreras, O.; Díaz, F.; Guzmán, E.; Moreno, F.; Omar Porras, L.; Recalde, E.; Mascaró, M.; Birnbaum, C.; Cósias, R.; López, E.; Pallo, E.; Percz, R.; Pulupa, D.; Simbaña, X.; Yajamín, A.; Rodas, P.; Denzau, H.; Kretlow, M.; Valdés Sada, P.; Hernández, R.; Hernández, A.; Wilson, B.; Castro, E.; Winkel, J. M.

2009-02-01

On September 8, 2001 around 2 h UT, the largest uranian moon, Titania, occulted Hipparcos star 106829 (alias SAO 164538, a V=7.2, K0 III star). This was the first-ever observed occultation by this satellite, a rare event as Titania subtends only 0.11 arcsec on the sky. The star's unusual brightness allowed many observers, both amateurs or professionals, to monitor this unique event, providing fifty-seven occultations chords over three continents, all reported here. Selecting the best 27 occultation chords, and assuming a circular limb, we derive Titania's radius: R=788.4±0.6km ( 1-σ error bar). This implies a density of ρ=1.711±0.005gcm using the value GM=(2.343±0.006)×10ms derived by Taylor [Taylor, D.B., 1998. Astron. Astrophys. 330, 362-374]. We do not detect any significant difference between equatorial and polar radii, in the limit r-r=-1.3±2.1km, in agreement with Voyager limb image retrieval during the 1986 flyby. Titania's offset with respect to the DE405 + URA027 (based on GUST86 theory) ephemeris is derived: Δαcos(δ)=-108±13 mas and Δδ=-62±7 mas (ICRF J2000.0 system). Most of this offset is attributable to a Uranus' barycentric offset with respect to DE405, that we estimate to be: Δαcos(δ)=-100±25mas and Δδ=-85±25 mas at the moment of occultation. This offset is confirmed by another Titania stellar occultation observed on August 1st, 2003, which provides an offset of Δαcos(δ)=-127±20 mas and Δδ=-97±13 mas for the satellite. The combined ingress and egress data do not show any significant hint for atmospheric refraction, allowing us to set surface pressure limits at the level of 10-20 nbar. More specifically, we find an upper limit of 13 nbar ( 1-σ level) at 70 K and 17 nbar at 80 K, for a putative isothermal CO 2 atmosphere. We also provide an upper limit of 8 nbar for a possible CH 4 atmosphere, and 22 nbar for pure N 2, again at the 1-σ level. We finally constrain the stellar size using the time-resolved star disappearance and reappearance at ingress and egress. We find an angular diameter of 0.54±0.03 mas (corresponding to 7.5±0.4km projected at Titania). With a distance of 170±25 parsecs, this corresponds to a radius of 9.8±0.2 solar radii for HIP 106829, typical of a K0 III giant.

Rotations of large inertial cubes, cuboids, cones, and cylinders in turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pujara, Nimish; Oehmke, Theresa B.; Bordoloi, Ankur D.; Variano, Evan A.

2018-05-01

We conduct experiments to investigate the rotations of freely moving particles in a homogeneous isotropic turbulent flow. The particles are nearly neutrally buoyant and the particle size exceeds the Kolmogorov scale so that they are too large to be considered passive tracers. Particles of several different shapes are considered including those that break axisymmetry and fore-aft symmetry. We find that regardless of shape the mean-square particle angular velocity scales as deq -4 /3, where de q is the equivalent diameter of a volume-matched sphere. This scaling behavior is consistent with the notion that velocity differences across a length de q in the flow are responsible for particle rotation. We also find that the probability density functions (PDFs) of particle angular velocity collapse for particles of different shapes and similar de q. The significance of these results is that the rotations of an inertial, nonspherical particle are only functions of its volume and not its shape. The magnitude of particle angular velocity appears log-normally distributed and individual Cartesian components show long tails. With increasing de q, the tails of the PDF become less pronounced, meaning that extreme events of angular velocity become less common for larger particles.

Far Sidelobe Effects from Panel Gaps of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fluxa, Pedro R.; Duenner, Rolando; Maurin, Loiec; Choi, Steve K.; Devlin, Mark J.; Gallardo, Patricio A.; Shuay-Pwu, P. Ho; Koopman, Brian J.; Louis, Thibaut; Wollack, Edward J.

2016-01-01

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope is a 6 meter diameter CMB telescope located at 5200 meters in the Chilean desert. ACT has made arc-minute scale maps of the sky at 90 and 150 GHz which have led to precise measurements of the fine angular power spectrum of the CMB fluctuations in temperature and polarization. One of the goals of ACT is to search for the B-mode polarization signal from primordial gravity waves, and thus extending ACT's data analysis to larger angular scales. This goal introduces new challenges in the control of systematic effects, including better understanding of far sidelobe effects that might enter the power spectrum at degree angular scales. Here we study the effects of the gaps between panels of the ACT primary and secondary reflectors in the worst case scenario in which the gaps remain open. We produced numerical simulations of the optics using GRASP up to 8 degrees away from the main beam and simulated timestreams for observations with this beam using real pointing information from ACT data. Maps from these simulated timestreams showed leakage from the sidelobes, indicating that this effect must be taken into consideration at large angular scales.

(Almost) Dark Galaxies in the ALFALFA Survey: Isolated H I-bearing Ultra-diffuse Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leisman, Lukas; Haynes, Martha P.; Janowiecki, Steven; Hallenbeck, Gregory; Józsa, Gyula; Giovanelli, Riccardo; Adams, Elizabeth A. K.; Bernal Neira, David; Cannon, John M.; Janesh, William F.; Rhode, Katherine L.; Salzer, John J.

2017-06-01

We present a sample of 115 very low optical surface brightness, highly extended, H I-rich galaxies carefully selected from the ALFALFA survey that have similar optical absolute magnitudes, surface brightnesses, and radii to recently discovered “ultra-diffuse” galaxies (UDGs). However, these systems are bluer and have more irregular morphologies than other UDGs, are isolated, and contain significant reservoirs of H I. We find that while these sources have normal star formation rates for H I-selected galaxies of similar stellar mass, they have very low star formation efficiencies. We further present deep optical and H I-synthesis follow-up imaging of three of these H I-bearing ultra-diffuse sources. We measure H I diameters extending to ˜40 kpc, but note that while all three sources have large H I diameters for their stellar mass, they are consistent with the H I mass-H I radius relation. We further analyze the H I velocity widths and rotation velocities for the unresolved and resolved sources, respectively, and find that the sources appear to inhabit halos of dwarf galaxies. We estimate spin parameters, and suggest that these sources may exist in high spin parameter halos, and as such may be potential H I-rich progenitors to the ultra-diffuse galaxies observed in cluster environments.

Hydrodynamic simulations of mechanical stellar feedback in a molecular cloud formed by thermal instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wareing, C. J.; Pittard, J. M.; Falle, S. A. E. G.

2017-09-01

We have used the AMR hydrodynamic code, mg, to perform 3D hydrodynamic simulations with self-gravity of stellar feedback in a spherical clumpy molecular cloud formed through the action of thermal instability. We simulate the interaction of the mechanical energy input from 15, 40, 60 and 120 M⊙ stars into a 100 pc diameter 16 500 M⊙ cloud with a roughly spherical morphology with randomly distributed high-density condensations. The stellar winds are introduced using appropriate non-rotating Geneva stellar evolution models. In the 15 M⊙ star case, the wind has very little effect, spreading around a few neighbouring clumps before becoming overwhelmed by the cloud collapse. In contrast, in the 40, 60 and 120 M⊙ star cases, the more powerful stellar winds create large cavities and carve channels through the cloud, breaking out into the surrounding tenuous medium during the wind phase and considerably altering the cloud structure. After 4.97, 3.97 and 3.01 Myr, respectively, the massive stars explode as supernovae (SNe). The wind-sculpted surroundings considerably affect the evolution of these SN events as they both escape the cloud along wind-carved channels and sweep up remaining clumps of cloud/wind material. The 'cloud' as a coherent structure does not survive the SN from any of these stars, but only in the 120 M⊙ case is the cold molecular material completely destabilized and returned to the unstable thermal phase. In the 40 and 60 M⊙ cases, coherent clumps of cold material are ejected from the cloud by the SN, potentially capable of further star formation.

Variety in planetary systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wetherill, George W.

1993-01-01

Observation of circumstellar disks, regular satellite systems of outer planets, and planet-size objects orbiting pulsars support the supposition that formation of planetary systems is a robust, rather than a fragile, byproduct of the formation and evolution of stars. The extent to which these systems may be expected to resemble one another and our Solar System, either in overall structure or in detail remains uncertain. When the full range of possible stellar masses, disk masses, and initial specific angular momenta are considered, the possible variety of planetary configurations is very large. Numerical modeling indicates a difference between the formation of small, inner, terrestrial planets and the outer planets.

Rotation of low-mass stars - A new probe of stellar evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinsonneault, M. H.; Kawaler, Steven D.; Demarque, P.

1990-01-01

Models of stars of various masses and rotational parameters were developed and compared with observations of stars in open clusters of various ages in order to analyze the evolution of rotating stars from the early premain sequence to an age of 1.7 x 10 to the 9th yrs. It is shown that, for stars older than 10 to the 8th yrs and less massive than 1.1 solar mass, the surface rotation rates depend most strongly on the properties of the angular momentum loss. The trends of the currently available observations suggest that the rotation periods are a good indicator of the field-star ages.

The Occurence of Nuclear Starbursts in Seyfert 1 Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schinnerer, E.; Colbert, E.; Armus, L.; Scoville, N. Z.

2001-05-01

Medium resolution H and K band spectra with high angular reesolution were obtained for a small sample of nearby Seyfert galaxies using NIRSPEC at the Keck telescope. Recent studies with medium resolution have found evidence for a lack of powerful starbursts in Seyfert1 galaxies. Differences between the two Seyfert types might provide a challenge for the unified scheme proposed for Seyfert galaxies. A preliminary analysis indicates that most of the Seyfert1 galaxies do indeed show signs of circumnuclar star formation. Detailed modelling using population synthesis in conjunction with NIR spectral synthesis will allow to estimate the age, star formation history and mass of these stellar population.

Magnetic Inclination E Ects In Star-Planet Magnetic Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strugarek, Antoine

2017-10-01

A large fraction of the exoplanets discovered today are in a close-in orbit around their host star. This proximity allows them to be magnetically connected to their host, which lead to e cient energy and angular momentum exchanges between the star and the planet. We carry out three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of close-in star-planet systems to characterize the e ect of the inclination of the planetary magnetic eld on the star-planet magnetic interaction. We parametrize this e ect in scaling laws depending on the star, planet, and stellar wind properties that can be applied to any exoplanetary systems around cool stars.

How do external companions affect spin-orbit misalignment of hot Jupiters?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, Dong; Anderson, Kassandra R.; Pu, Bonan

2018-04-01

Consider a planet with its orbital angular momentum axis aligned with the spin axis of its host star. To what extent does an inclined distant companion (giant planet or binary star) affect this alignment? We provide an analytic, quantitative answer and apply it to hot Jupiter systems, for which misalignments between the orbital axis and the stellar spin axis have been detected. We also show how similar consideration can be applied to multiplanet systems with distant companions (such as Kepler-56). The result of this paper provides a simple method to assess the dynamical role played by external companions on spin-orbit misalignments in exoplanetary systems.

The Auriga Project: the properties and formation mechanisms of disc galaxies across cosmic time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grand, Robert J. J.; Gómez, Facundo A.; Marinacci, Federico; Pakmor, Rüdiger; Springel, Volker; Campbell, David J. R.; Frenk, Carlos S.; Jenkins, Adrian; White, Simon D. M.

2017-05-01

We introduce a suite of 30 cosmological magneto-hydrodynamical zoom simulations of the formation of galaxies in isolated Milky Way mass dark haloes. These were carried out with the moving mesh code arepo, together with a comprehensive model for galaxy formation physics, including active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback and magnetic fields, which produces realistic galaxy populations in large cosmological simulations. We demonstrate that our simulations reproduce a wide range of present-day observables, in particular, two-component disc-dominated galaxies with appropriate stellar masses, sizes, rotation curves, star formation rates and metallicities. We investigate the driving mechanisms that set present-day disc sizes/scalelengths, and find that they are related to the angular momentum of halo material. We show that the largest discs are produced by quiescent mergers that inspiral into the galaxy and deposit high-angular momentum material into the pre-existing disc, simultaneously increasing the spin of dark matter and gas in the halo. More violent mergers and strong AGN feedback play roles in limiting disc size by destroying pre-existing discs and by suppressing gas accretion on to the outer disc, respectively. The most important factor that leads to compact discs, however, is simply a low angular momentum for the halo. In these cases, AGN feedback plays an important role in limiting central star formation and the formation of a massive bulge.

Development of a liquid tin microjet target for an efficient laser-produced plasma extreme ultraviolet source.

PubMed

Higashiguchi, Takeshi; Hamada, Masaya; Kubodera, Shoichi

2007-03-01

A regenerative tin liquid microjet target was developed for a high average power extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source. The diameter of the target was smaller than 160 microm and good vacuum lower than 0.5 Pa was maintained during the operation. A maximum EUV conversion efficiency of 1.8% at the Nd:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser intensity of around 2 x 10(11) Wcm(2) with a spot diameter of 175 microm (full width at half maximum) was observed. The angular distribution of the EUV emission remained almost isotropic, whereas suprathermal ions mainly emerged toward the target normal.

Development of a liquid tin microjet target for an efficient laser-produced plasma extreme ultraviolet source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higashiguchi, Takeshi; Hamada, Masaya; Kubodera, Shoichi

2007-03-01

A regenerative tin liquid microjet target was developed for a high average power extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source. The diameter of the target was smaller than 160 μm and good vacuum lower than 0.5 Pa was maintained during the operation. A maximum EUV conversion efficiency of 1.8% at the Nd:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser intensity of around 2×1011 W/cm2 with a spot diameter of 175 μm (full width at half maximum) was observed. The angular distribution of the EUV emission remained almost isotropic, whereas suprathermal ions mainly emerged toward the target normal.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Main-sequence A, F, G, and K stars photometry (Boyajian+, 2013)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyajian, T. S.; von Braun, K.; van Belle, G.; Farrington, C.; Schaefer, G.; Jones, J.; White, R.; McAlister, H. A.; Ten Brummelaar, T. A.; Ridgway, S.; Gies, D.; Sturmann, L.; Sturmann, J.; Turner, N. H.; Goldfinger, P. J.; Vargas, N.

2016-07-01

Akin to the observing outlined in DT1 and DT2, observations for this project were made with the CHARA Array, a long-baseline optical/infrared interferometer located on Mount Wilson Observatory in southern California. The target stars were selected based on their approximate angular size (a function of their intrinsic linear size and distance to the observer). We limit the selection to stars with angular sizes >0.45mas, in order to adequately resolve their sizes to a few percent precision with the selected instrument setup. Note that all stars that meet this requirement are brighter than the instrumental limits of our detector by several magnitudes. The stars also have no known stellar companion within 3-arcsec to avoid contamination of incoherent light in the interferometers' field of view. From 2008 to 2012, we used the CHARA Classic beam combiner operating in the H band (λH=1.67um) and the K' band (λK'=2.14um) to collect observations of 23 stars using CHARA's longest baseline combinations. (5 data files).

Black hole spin from wobbling and rotation of the M87 jet and a sign of a magnetically arrested disc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sob'yanin, Denis Nikolaevich

2018-06-01

New long-term Very Long Baseline Array observations of the well-known jet in the M87 radio galaxy at 43 GHz show that the jet experiences a sideways shift with an approximately 8-10 yr quasi-periodicity. Such jet wobbling can be indicative of a relativistic Lense-Thirring precession resulting from a tilted accretion disc. The wobbling period together with up-to-date kinematic data on jet rotation opens up the possibility for estimating angular momentum of the central supermassive black hole. In the case of a test-particle precession, the specific angular momentum is J/Mc = (2.7 ± 1.5) × 1014 cm, implying moderate dimensionless spin parameters a = 0.5 ± 0.3 and 0.31 ± 0.17 for controversial gas-dynamic and stellar-dynamic black hole masses. However, in the case of a solid-body-like precession, the spin parameter is much smaller for both masses, 0.15 ± 0.05. Rejecting this value on the basis of other independent spin estimations requires the existence of a magnetically arrested disc in M87.

On the Terminal Rotation Rates of Giant Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batygin, Konstantin

2018-04-01

Within the general framework of the core-nucleated accretion theory of giant planet formation, the conglomeration of massive gaseous envelopes is facilitated by a transient period of rapid accumulation of nebular material. While the concurrent build-up of angular momentum is expected to leave newly formed planets spinning at near-breakup velocities, Jupiter and Saturn, as well as super-Jovian long-period extrasolar planets, are observed to rotate well below criticality. In this work, we demonstrate that the large luminosity of a young giant planet simultaneously leads to the generation of a strong planetary magnetic field, as well as thermal ionization of the circumplanetary disk. The ensuing magnetic coupling between the planetary interior and the quasi-Keplerian motion of the disk results in efficient braking of planetary rotation, with hydrodynamic circulation of gas within the Hill sphere playing the key role of expelling spin angular momentum to the circumstellar nebula. Our results place early-stage giant planet and stellar rotation within the same evolutionary framework, and motivate further exploration of magnetohydrodynamic phenomena in the context of the final stages of giant planet formation.

Fiber optic light-scattering measurement system for evaluation of embryo viability: model experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Itoh, Harumi; Arai, Tsunenori; Kikuchi, Makoto

1996-05-01

We evaluated the particle density detectability and particle size detectivity of our fiber-optic light-scattering measurement system. In order to prevent the multiple pregnancy on current in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer, we have aimed to develop a new quantitative and non- invasive method to select a single viable human embryo. We employed the measurement of mitochondria localization in an embryo, which may have the correlation with development ability. We applied the angular distribution measurement of the light-scattering intensity from the embryo to obtain the information originated from the mitochondria. The latex spheres with a diameter of 1.0 micrometers were used to simulate the scattering intensity of the mitochondria. The measurement probes of our system consisted of two fibers for illumination and sensing. They were arranged at a right angle to a microscope optical axis to measure the angular distribution of the light-scattering intensity. We observed that the light-scattering intensity increased monotonically in the range from 106 to 1010 particles per ml. Since the mitochondria density in a human embryo corresponded to 2.5 X 107 per ml in the measurement chamber, we may measure the mitochondria density in the human embryo. The angular dependence of light-scattering intensity changed with the sphere diameters. This result showed the possibility of the selective measurement of the mitochondria density in the embryo in spite of the presence of the other cell organelle. We think that our light-scattering measurement system might be applicable to the evaluation method for the embryo viability.

Rise to SUMMIT: the Sydney University Multiple-Mirror Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Anna M.; Davis, John

2000-07-01

The Sydney University Multiple Mirror Telescope (SUMMIT) is a medium-sized telescope designed specifically for high resolution stellar spectroscopy. Throughout the design emphasis has been placed on high efficiency at low cost. The telescope consists of four 0.46 m diameter mirrors mounted on a single welded steel frame. Specially designed mirror cells support and point each mirror, allowing accurate positioning of the images on optical fibers located at the foci of the mirrors. Four fibers convey the light to the future location of a high resolution spectrograph away from the telescope in a stable environment. An overview of the commissioning of the telescope is presented, including the guidance and automatic mirror alignment and focussing systems. SUMMIT is located alongside the Sydney University Stellar Interferometer at the Paul Wild Observatory, near Narrabri, Northern New South Wales.

Spectro-Interferometry Studies of Velocity-Related Phenomena at the Surface of Stars: Pulsation and Rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mérand, Antoine; Patru, Fabien; Aufdenberg, Jason

We illustrate here two applications of spectro-interferometry to the study of velocity fields at the surface of stars: pulsation and rotation. Stellar pulsation has been resolved spectroscopically for a long time, and interferometry has resolved stellar diameters variations due to pulsation. Combining the two provides unique insights to the study of Cepheids, in particular regarding the structure of the photosphere or investigating the infamous projection factor which biases distances measured by the Baade-Wesselink method. On the other hand, resolving the surface velocity field of rotating stars offers a unique opportunity to potentially study differential rotation in other cases than for the Sun. We also present the model we have implemented recently, as well as two applications to VLTI/AMBER Data: the pulsation of Cepheids and the rotation of intermediate mass main sequence stars.

The Navy Precision Optical Interferometer: an update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armstrong, J. T.; Baines, Ellyn K.; Schmitt, Henrique R.; Restaino, Sergio R.; Clark, James H.; Benson, James A.; Hutter, Donald J.; Zavala, Robert T.; van Belle, Gerard T.

2016-08-01

We describe the current status of the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI), including developments since the last SPIE meeting. The NPOI group has added stations as far as 250m from the array center and added numerous infrastructure improvements. Science programs include stellar diameters and limb darkening, binary orbits, Be star disks, exoplanet host stars, and progress toward high-resolution stellar surface imaging. Technical and infrastructure projects include on-sky demonstrations of baseline bootstrapping with six array elements and of the VISION beam combiner, control system updates, integration of the long delay lines, and updated firmware for the Classic beam combiner. Our plans to add up to four 1.8 m telescopes are no longer viable, but we have recently acquired separate funding for adding three 1 m AO-equipped telescopes and an infrared beam combiner to the array.

Quick-Connect, Self-Alining Latch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burns, G. C.; Williams, E. J.

1983-01-01

Sturdy latch tolerates 10 degrees of angular mismatch in joining structural elements. Hexagonal passive plate nests in active plate, guided by capture plates and alinement keys and grooves. Center hole in both active and passive plates is 1 meter in diameter. Latch has possible uses a pipe joint, connector for parts of portable structures, and fitting for marine risers on offshore drilling rigs.

Light propagation in Swiss-cheese models of random close-packed Szekeres structures: Effects of anisotropy and comparisons with perturbative results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koksbang, S. M.

2017-03-01

Light propagation in two Swiss-cheese models based on anisotropic Szekeres structures is studied and compared with light propagation in Swiss-cheese models based on the Szekeres models' underlying Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi models. The study shows that the anisotropy of the Szekeres models has only a small effect on quantities such as redshift-distance relations, projected shear and expansion rate along individual light rays. The average angular diameter distance to the last scattering surface is computed for each model. Contrary to earlier studies, the results obtained here are (mostly) in agreement with perturbative results. In particular, a small negative shift, δ DA≔D/A-DA ,b g DA ,b g , in the angular diameter distance is obtained upon line-of-sight averaging in three of the four models. The results are, however, not statistically significant. In the fourth model, there is a small positive shift which has an especially small statistical significance. The line-of-sight averaged inverse magnification at z =1100 is consistent with 1 to a high level of confidence for all models, indicating that the area of the surface corresponding to z =1100 is close to that of the background.

Developing lignin-based bio-nanofibers by centrifugal spinning technique.

PubMed

Stojanovska, Elena; Kurtulus, Mustafa; Abdelgawad, Abdelrahman; Candan, Zeki; Kilic, Ali

2018-07-01

Lignin-based nanofibers were produced via centrifugal spinning from lignin-thermoplastic polyurethane polymer blends. The most suitable process parameters were chosen by optimization of the rotational speed, nozzle diameter and spinneret-to-collector distance using different blend ratios of the two polymers at different total polymer concentrations. The basic characteristics of polymer solutions were enlightened by their viscosity and surface tension. The morphology of the fibers produced was characterized by SEM, while their thermal properties by DSC and TG analysis. Multiply regression was used to determine the parameters that have higher impact on the fiber diameter. It was possible to obtain thermally stable lignin/polyurethane nanofibers with diameters below 500nm. From the aspect of spinnability, 1:1 lignin/TPU contents were shown to be more feasible. On the other side, the most suitable processing parameters were found to be angular velocity of 8500rpm for nozzles of 0.5mm diameter and working distance of 30cm. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Non-axisymmetric α2Ω-dynamo waves in thin stellar shells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bassom, Andrew P.; Kuzanyan, Kirill M.; Sokoloff, Dmitry; Soward, Andrew M.

2005-04-01

Linear α2Ω-dynamo waves are investigated in a thin turbulent, differentially rotating convective stellar shell. A simplified one-dimensional model is considered and an asymptotic solution constructed based on the small aspect ratio of the shell. In a previous paper Griffiths et al. (Griffiths, G.L., Bassom, A.P., Soward, A.M. and Kuzanyan, K.M., Nonlinear α2Ω-dynamo waves in stellar shells, Geophys. Astrophys. Fluid Dynam., 2001, 94, 85-133) considered the modulation of dynamo waves, linked to a latitudinal-dependent local α-effect and radial gradient of the zonal shear flow. These effects are measured at latitude θ by the magnetic Reynolds numbers Rαf(θ) and RΩg(θ). The modulated Parker wave, which propagates towards the equator, is localised at some mid-latitude θp under a Gaussian envelope. In this article, we include the influence of a latitudinal-dependent zonal flow possessing angular velocity Ω*(θ) and consider the possibility of non-axisymmetric dynamo waves with azimuthal wave number m. We find that the critical dynamo number Dc = RαRΩ is minimised by axisymmetric modes in the αΩ-limit (Rα→0). On the other hand, when Rα ≠ 0 there may exist a band of wave numbers 0 < m < m† for which the non-axisymmetric modes have a smaller Dc than in the axisymmetric case. Here m† is regarded as a continuous function of Rα with the property m†→0 as Rα→0 and the band is only non-empty when m† >1, which happens for sufficiently large Rα. The preference for non-axisymmetric modes is possible because the wind-up of the non-axisymmetric structures can be compensated by phase mixing inherent to the α2Ω-dynamo. For parameter values resembling solar conditions, the Parker wave of maximum dynamo activity at latitude θp not only propagates equatorwards but also westwards relative to the local angular velocity Ω*(θp). Since the critical dynamo number Dc = RαRΩ is O (1) for small Rα, the condition m† > 1 for non-axisymmetric mode preference imposes an upper limit on the size of |dΩ*/dθ|.

Curved position-sensitive detector for X-ray crystallography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izumi, T.

1980-11-01

A new curved position-sensitive proportional detector has been constructed for X-ray crystallography. A very hard steel wire 0.2 mm in diameter was used as a single anode wire. It was bent to a radius of 6.5 cm and was suspended elastically in a wide 160° 2θ angular aperture. An amplifier and ADC-per-cathode strip system was made in order to encode the position. The spatial resolution is better than 0.37 mm (fwhm) along the curved anode wire, and this value corresponds to an angular resolution of 0.28° in 2θ. It is shown that a thick hard anode wire is quite suitable for use as a curved position-sensitive detector.

WGM resonators for studying orbital angular momentum of a photon, and methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matsko, Andrey B. (Inventor); Savchenkov, Anatoliy A. (Inventor); Maleki, Lute (Inventor); Strekalov, Dmitry V. (Inventor)

2009-01-01

An optical system, device, and method that are capable of generating high-order Bessel beams and determining the orbital angular momentum of at least one of the photons of a Bessel beam are provided. The optical system and device include a tapered waveguide having an outer surface defined by a diameter that varies along a longitudinal axis of the waveguide from a first end to an opposing second end. The optical system and device include a resonator that is arranged in optical communication with the first end of the tapered waveguide such that an evanescent field emitted from (i) the waveguide can be coupled with the resonator, or (ii) the resonator can be coupled with the waveguide.

A bolometric millimeter-wave system for observations of anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background radiation on medium angular scales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fischer, M. L.; Alsop, D. C.; Cheng, E. S.; Clapp, A. C.; Cottingham, D. A.; Gundersen, J. O.; Koch, T. C.; Kreysa, E.; Meinhold, P. R.; Lange, A. E.

1992-01-01

The performance of a bolometric system designed to measure the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation on angular scales from 0.3 to 3 deg is presented. The system represents a collaborative effort combining a low-background 1-m diameter balloon-borne telescope with new multimode feed optics, a beam modulation mechanism with high stability, and a four-channel bolometric receiver with passbands centered near frequencies of 3, 6, 9, and 12/cm (90, 180, 270, and 360 GHz). The telescope has been flown three times with the bolometric receiver and has demonstrated detector noise limited performance capable of reaching sensitivity levels of about 0.00001 with detectors operated at 0.3 K.

MAGNETOROTATIONAL TURBULENCE TRANSPORTS ANGULAR MOMENTUM IN STRATIFIED DISKS WITH LOW MAGNETIC PRANDTL NUMBER BUT MAGNETIC REYNOLDS NUMBER ABOVE A CRITICAL VALUE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oishi, Jeffrey S.; Mac Low, Mordecai-Mark, E-mail: jsoishi@stanford.edu, E-mail: mordecai@amnh.org

2011-10-10

The magnetorotational instability (MRI) may dominate outward transport of angular momentum in accretion disks, allowing material to fall onto the central object. Previous work has established that the MRI can drive a mean-field dynamo, possibly leading to a self-sustaining accretion system. Recently, however, simulations of the scaling of the angular momentum transport parameter {alpha}{sub SS} with the magnetic Prandtl number Pm have cast doubt on the ability of the MRI to transport astrophysically relevant amounts of angular momentum in real disk systems. Here, we use simulations including explicit physical viscosity and resistivity to show that when vertical stratification is included,more » mean-field dynamo action operates, driving the system to a configuration in which the magnetic field is not fully helical. This relaxes the constraints on the generated field provided by magnetic helicity conservation, allowing the generation of a mean field on timescales independent of the resistivity. Our models demonstrate the existence of a critical magnetic Reynolds number Rm{sub crit}, below which transport becomes strongly Pm-dependent and chaotic, but above which the transport is steady and Pm-independent. Prior simulations showing Pm dependence had Rm < Rm{sub crit}. We conjecture that this steady regime is possible because the mean-field dynamo is not helicity-limited and thus does not depend on the details of the helicity ejection process. Scaling to realistic astrophysical parameters suggests that disks around both protostars and stellar mass black holes have Rm >> Rm{sub crit}. Thus, we suggest that the strong Pm dependence seen in recent simulations does not occur in real systems.« less

Magnetorotational Turbulence Transports Angular Momentum in Stratified Disks with Low Magnetic Prandtl Number but Magnetic Reynolds Number above a Critical Value

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oishi, Jeffrey S.; /KIPAC, Menlo Park; Low, Mordecai-Mark Mac

2012-02-14

The magnetorotational instability (MRI) may dominate outward transport of angular momentum in accretion disks, allowing material to fall onto the central object. Previous work has established that the MRI can drive a mean-field dynamo, possibly leading to a self-sustaining accretion system. Recently, however, simulations of the scaling of the angular momentum transport parameter {alpha}{sub SS} with the magnetic Prandtl number Pm have cast doubt on the ability of the MRI to transport astrophysically relevant amounts of angular momentum in real disk systems. Here, we use simulations including explicit physical viscosity and resistivity to show that when vertical stratification is included,more » mean field dynamo action operates, driving the system to a configuration in which the magnetic field is not fully helical. This relaxes the constraints on the generated field provided by magnetic helicity conservation, allowing the generation of a mean field on timescales independent of the resistivity. Our models demonstrate the existence of a critical magnetic Reynolds number Rm{sub crit}, below which transport becomes strongly Pm-dependent and chaotic, but above which the transport is steady and Pm-independent. Prior simulations showing Pm-dependence had Rm < Rm{sub crit}. We conjecture that this steady regime is possible because the mean field dynamo is not helicity-limited and thus does not depend on the details of the helicity ejection process. Scaling to realistic astrophysical parameters suggests that disks around both protostars and stellar mass black holes have Rm >> Rm{sub crit}. Thus, we suggest that the strong Pm dependence seen in recent simulations does not occur in real systems.« less

f-Mode Secular Instabilities in Deleptonizing Fizzlers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imamura, James N.; Durisen, Richard H.

2004-12-01

Fizzlers are intermediate states that may form between white dwarf and neutron star densities during the collapse of massive rotating stars. This paper studies the gravitational radiation reaction (GRR) driven f-mode secular instabilities of fizzlers with angular momentum distributions h(mc) appropriate to the core collapse of massive rotating stars, where h is the specific angular momentum and mc is the cylindrical mass fraction. For core collapses that maintain axial symmetry, the h(mc) of the remnant reflects the conditions in the precollapse stellar core, and, thus, the h(mc) will resemble that of a uniformly rotating star supported by the pressure of relativistically degenerate electrons. Such an h(mc) concentrates most angular momentum toward the equatorial region of the object. The onset of f-mode secular instabilities in such fizzlers is affected strongly by the h(mc), whereas instability depends only weakly on compressibility. For a broad range of fizzler equations of state and the core h(mc), the f-mode secular instability thresholds drop to T/W~0.034-0.042, 0.019-0.021, and 0.012-0.0135, for m=2, 3, and 4, respectively. These same thresholds with the Maclaurin spheroid h(mc) are T/W=0.13-0.15, 0.10-0.11, and 0.08-0.09, respectively. The growth times τgw for GRR-driven m=2 modes are long. For fizzlers with specific angular momentum J/M~1.5×1016 cm2 s-1 and T/W<~0.24 (ρc<~1014 g cm-3), τgw>400 s. For these fizzlers, τgw>>τde, the deleptonization timescale, and GRR-driven secular instabilities will not grow along a deleptonizing fizzler sequence except, possibly, at T/W near the dynamic bar mode instability threshold, T/W~0.27.

Age, ocular magnification, and circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Mengyu; Elze, Tobias; Li, Dian; Baniasadi, Neda; Wirkner, Kerstin; Kirsten, Toralf; Thiery, Joachim; Loeffler, Markus; Engel, Christoph; Rauscher, Franziska G.

2017-12-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) manufacturers graphically present circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (cpRNFLT) together with normative limits to support clinicians in diagnosing ophthalmic diseases. The impact of age on cpRNFLT is typically implemented by linear models. cpRNFLT is strongly location-specific, whereas previously published norms are typically restricted to coarse sectors and based on small populations. Furthermore, OCT devices neglect impacts of lens or eye size on the diameter of the cpRNFLT scan circle so that the diameter substantially varies over different eyes. We investigate the impact of age and scan diameter reported by Spectralis spectral-domain OCT on cpRNFLT in 5646 subjects with healthy eyes. We provide cpRNFLT by age and diameter at 768 angular locations. Age/diameter were significantly related to cpRNFLT on 89%/92% of the circle, respectively (pointwise linear regression), and to shifts in cpRNFLT peak locations. For subjects from age 42.1 onward but not below, increasing age significantly decreased scan diameter (r=-0.28, p<0.001), which suggests that pathological cpRNFLT thinning over time may be underestimated in elderly compared to younger subjects, as scan diameter decrease correlated with cpRNFLT increase. Our detailed numerical results may help to generate various correction models to improve diagnosing and monitoring optic neuropathies.

Close binary evolution. II. Impact of tides, wind magnetic braking, and internal angular momentum transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, H. F.; Meynet, G.; Maeder, A.; Ekström, S.; Eggenberger, P.; Georgy, C.; Qin, Y.; Fragos, T.; Soerensen, M.; Barblan, F.; Wade, G. A.

2018-01-01

Context. Massive stars with solar metallicity lose important amounts of rotational angular momentum through their winds. When a magnetic field is present at the surface of a star, efficient angular momentum losses can still be achieved even when the mass-loss rate is very modest, at lower metallicities, or for lower-initial-mass stars. In a close binary system, the effect of wind magnetic braking also interacts with the influence of tides, resulting in a complex evolution of rotation. Aims: We study the interactions between the process of wind magnetic braking and tides in close binary systems. Methods: We discuss the evolution of a 10 M⊙ star in a close binary system with a 7 M⊙ companion using the Geneva stellar evolution code. The initial orbital period is 1.2 days. The 10 M⊙ star has a surface magnetic field of 1 kG. Various initial rotations are considered. We use two different approaches for the internal angular momentum transport. In one of them, angular momentum is transported by shear and meridional currents. In the other, a strong internal magnetic field imposes nearly perfect solid-body rotation. The evolution of the primary is computed until the first mass-transfer episode occurs. The cases of different values for the magnetic fields and for various orbital periods and mass ratios are briefly discussed. Results: We show that, independently of the initial rotation rate of the primary and the efficiency of the internal angular momentum transport, the surface rotation of the primary will converge, in a time that is short with respect to the main-sequence lifetime, towards a slowly evolving velocity that is different from the synchronization velocity. This "equilibrium angular velocity" is always inferior to the angular orbital velocity. In a given close binary system at this equilibrium stage, the difference between the spin and the orbital angular velocities becomes larger when the mass losses and/or the surface magnetic field increase. The treatment of the internal angular momentum transport has a strong impact on the evolutionary tracks in the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram as well as on the changes of the surface abundances resulting from rotational mixing. Our modelling suggests that the presence of an undetected close companion might explain rapidly rotating stars with strong surface magnetic fields, having ages well above the magnetic braking timescale. Our models predict that the rotation of most stars of this type increases as a function of time, except for a first initial phase in spin-down systems. The measure of their surface abundances, together, when possible, with their mass-luminosity ratio, provide interesting constraints on the transport efficiencies of angular momentum and chemical species. Conclusions: Close binaries, when studied at phases predating any mass transfer, are key objects to probe the physics of rotation and magnetic fields in stars.

Spectroscopic Detection of a Stellar-like Photosphere in an Accreting Protostar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greene, Thomas P.; Lada, Charles J.; DeVincenzi, Donald L. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We present high-resolution (R is approximately equal to 18,000), high signal-to-noise 2 micron spectra of two luminous, X-ray flaring Class I protostars in the rho Ophiuchi cloud acquired with the NIRSPEC (near infrared spectrograph) of the Keck II telescope. We present the first spectrum of a highly veiled, strongly accreting protostar which shows photospheric absorption features and demonstrates the stellar nature of its central core. We find the spectrum of the luminous (L (sub bol) = 10 solar luminosity) protostellar source, YLW 15, to be stellar-like with numerous atomic and molecular absorption features, indicative of a K5 IV/V spectral type and a continuum veiling r(sub k) = 3.0. Its derived stellar luminosity (3 stellar luminosity) and stellar radius (3.1 solar radius) are consistent with those of a 0.5 solar mass pre-main-sequence star. However, 70% of its bolometric luminosity is due to mass accretion, whose rate we estimate to be 1.7 x 10(exp -6) solar masses yr(exp -1). We determine that excess infrared emission produced by the circumstellar accretion disk, the inner infalling envelope, and accretion shocks at the surface of the stellar core of YLW 15 all contribute significantly to its near-IR (infrared) continuum veiling. Its rotational velocity v sin i = 50 km s(exp -1) is comparable to those of flat-spectrum protostars but considerably higher than those of classical T Tauri stars in the rho Oph cloud. The protostar may be magnetically coupled to its circumstellar disk at a radius of 2 - 3 R(sub *). It is also plausible that this protostar can shed over half its angular momentum and evolve into a more slowly rotating classical T Tauri star by remaining coupled to its circumstellar disk (at increasing radius) as its accretion rate drops by an order of magnitude during the rapid transition between the Class I and Class II phases of evolution. The spectrum of WL 6 does not show any photospheric absorption features, and we estimate that its continuum veiling is r(sub k) is greater than or equal to 4.6. Its low luminosity (2 solar masses) and high veiling dictate that its central protostar is very low mass, M is approx. 0.1 solar masses. We also evaluate multi-epoch X ray data along with these spectra and conclude that the X ray variabilities of these sources are not directly related to their protostellar rotation velocities.

LOITA: Lunar Optical/Infrared Telescope Array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

LOITA (Lunar Optical/Infrared Telescope Array) is a lunar-based interferometer composed of 18 alt-azimuth telescopes arranged in a circular geometry. This geometry results in excellent uv coverage and allows baselines up to 5 km long. The angular resolution will be 25 micro-arcsec at 500 nm and the main spectral range of the array will be 200 to 1100 nm. For infrared planet detection, the spectral range may be extended to nearly 10 mu m. The telescope mirrors have a Cassegrain configuration using a 1.75 m diameter primary mirror and a 0.24 m diameter secondary mirror. A three-stage (coarse, intermediate, and fine) optical delay system, controlled by laser metrology, is used to equalize path lengths from different telescopes to within a few wavelengths. All instruments and the fine delay system are located within the instrument room. Upon exiting the fine delay system, all beams enter the beam combiner and are then directed to the various scientific instruments and detectors. The array instrumentation will consist of CCD detectors optimized for both the visible and infrared as well as specially designed cameras and spectrographs. For direct planet detection, a beam combiner employing achromatic nulling interferometry will be used to reduce star light (by several orders of magnitude) while passing the planet light. A single telescope will be capable of autonomous operation. This telescope will be equipped with four instruments: wide field and planetary camera, faint object camera, high resolution spectrograph, and faint object spectrograph. These instruments will be housed beneath the telescope. The array pointing and control system is designed to meet the fine pointing requirement of one micro-arcsec stability and to allow precise tracking of celestial objects for up to 12 days. During the lunar night, the optics and the detectors will be passively cooled to 70-80 K temperature. To maintain a continuous communication with the earth a relay satellite placed at the L4 libration point will be used in conjunction with the Advanced Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (ATDRSS). Electrical power of about 10 kW will be supplied by a nuclear reactor based on the SP-100 technology. LOITA will be constructed in three phases of six telescopes each. The total mass of the first operational phase is estimated at 58,820 kg. The cost of the fully operational first phase of the observatory is estimated at $8.9 billion. LOITA's primary objectives will be to detect and characterize planets around nearby stars (up to ten parsec away), study physics of collapsed stellar objects, solar/stellar surface features and the processes in nuclear regions of galaxies and quasars. An interferometric array such as LOITA will be capable of achieving resolutions three orders of magnitude greater than Hubble's design goal. LOITA will also be able to maintain higher signal to noise ratios than are currently attainable due to long observation times available on the moon.

Effect of the rotation and tidal dissipation history of stars on the evolution of close-in planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolmont, Emeline; Mathis, Stéphane

2016-11-01

Since 20 years, a large population of close-in planets orbiting various classes of low-mass stars (from M-type to A-type stars) has been discovered. In such systems, the dissipation of the kinetic energy of tidal flows in the host star may modify its rotational evolution and shape the orbital architecture of the surrounding planetary system. In this context, recent observational and theoretical works demonstrated that the amplitude of this dissipation can vary over several orders of magnitude as a function of stellar mass, age and rotation. In addition, stellar spin-up occurring during the Pre-Main-Sequence (PMS) phase because of the contraction of stars and their spin-down because of the torque applied by magnetized stellar winds strongly impact angular momentum exchanges within star-planet systems. Therefore, it is now necessary to take into account the structural and rotational evolution of stars when studying the orbital evolution of close-in planets. At the same time, the presence of planets may modify the rotational dynamics of the host stars and as a consequence their evolution, magnetic activity and mixing. In this work, we present the first study of the dynamics of close-in planets of various masses orbiting low-mass stars (from 0.6~M_⊙ to 1.2~M_⊙) where we compute the simultaneous evolution of the star's structure, rotation and tidal dissipation in its external convective envelope. We demonstrate that tidal friction due to the stellar dynamical tide, i.e. tidal inertial waves excited in the convection zone, can be larger by several orders of magnitude than the one of the equilibrium tide currently used in Celestial Mechanics, especially during the PMS phase. Moreover, because of this stronger tidal friction in the star, the orbital migration of the planet is now more pronounced and depends more on the stellar mass, rotation and age. This would very weakly affect the planets in the habitable zone because they are located at orbital distances such that stellar tide-induced migration happens on very long timescales. We also demonstrate that the rotational evolution of host stars is only weakly affected by the presence of planets except for massive companions.

Physical, spectral, and dynamical properties of asteroid (107) Camilla and its satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pajuelo, M.; Carry, B.; Vachier, F.; Marsset, M.; Berthier, J.; Descamps, P.; Merline, W. J.; Tamblyn, P. M.; Grice, J.; Conrad, A.; Storrs, A.; Timerson, B.; Dunham, D.; Preston, S.; Vigan, A.; Yang, B.; Vernazza, P.; Fauvaud, S.; Bernasconi, L.; Romeuf, D.; Behrend, R.; Dumas, C.; Drummond, J. D.; Margot, J.-L.; Kervella, P.; Marchis, F.; Girard, J. H.

2018-07-01

The population of large 100+ km asteroids is thought to be primordial. As such, they are the most direct witnesses of the early history of our Solar System available. Those among them with satellites allow study of the mass, and hence density and internal structure. We study here the dynamical, physical, and spectral properties of the triple asteroid (107) Camilla from lightcurves, stellar occultations, optical spectroscopy, and high-contrast and high-angular-resolution images and spectro-images. Using 80 positions measured over 15 years, we determine the orbit of its larger satellite, S/2001 (107) 1, to be circular, equatorial, and prograde, with root-mean-square residuals of 7.8 mas, corresponding to a sub-pixel accuracy. From 11 positions spread over three epochs only, in 2015 and 2016, we determine a preliminary orbit for the second satellite S/2016 (107) 1. We find the orbit to be somewhat eccentric and slightly inclined to the primary's equatorial plane, reminiscent of the properties of inner satellites of other asteroid triple systems. Comparison of the near-infrared spectrum of the larger satellite reveals no significant difference with Camilla. Hence, both dynamical and surface properties argue for a formation of the satellites by excavation from impact and re-accumulation of ejecta in orbit. We determine the spin and 3-D shape of Camilla. The model fits well each data set: lightcurves, adaptive-optics images, and stellar occultations. We determine Camilla to be larger than reported from modeling of mid-infrared photometry, with a spherical-volume-equivalent diameter of 254 ± 36 km (3σuncertainty), in agreement with recent results from shape modeling (Hanus et al., 2017, A&A 601). Combining the mass of (1.12 ± 0.01) × 1019 kg (3σuncertainty) determined from the dynamics of the satellites and the volume from the 3-D shape model, we determine a density of 1,280 ± 130 kg · m-3 (3 σ uncertainty). From this density, and considering Camilla's spectral similarities with (24) Themis and (65) Cybele (for which water ice coating on surface grains was reported), we infer a silicate-to-ice mass ratio of 1-6, with a 10-30% macroporosity.

The mass and age of the first SONG target: the red giant 46 LMi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frandsen, S.; Fredslund Andersen, M.; Brogaard, K.; Jiang, C.; Arentoft, T.; Grundahl, F.; Kjeldsen, H.; Christensen-Dalsgaard, J.; Weiss, E.; Pallé, P.; Antoci, V.; Kjærgaard, P.; Sørensen, A. N.; Skottfelt, J.; Jørgensen, U. G.

2018-05-01

Context. The Stellar Observation Network Group (SONG) is an initiative to build a worldwide network of 1m telescopes with high-precision radial-velocity spectrographs. Here we analyse the first radial-velocity time series of a red-giant star measured by the SONG telescope at Tenerife. The asteroseismic results demonstrate a major increase in the achievable precision of the parameters for red-giant stars obtainable from ground-based observations. Reliable tests of the validity of these results are needed, however, before the accuracy of the parameters can be trusted. Aims: We analyse the first SONG time series for the star 46 LMi, which has a precise parallax and an angular diameter measured from interferometry, and therefore a good determination of the stellar radius. We use asteroseismic scaling relations to obtain an accurate mass, and modelling to determine the age. Methods: A 55-day time series of high-resolution, high S/N spectra were obtained with the first SONG telescope. We derive the asteroseismic parameters by analysing the power spectrum. To give a best guess on the large separation of modes in the power spectrum, we have applied a new method which uses the scaling of Kepler red-giant stars to 46 LMi. Results: Several methods have been applied: classical estimates, seismic methods using the observed time series, and model calculations to derive the fundamental parameters of 46 LMi. Parameters determined using the different methods are consistent within the uncertainties. We find the following values for the mass M (scaling), radius R (classical), age (modelling), and surface gravity (combining mass and radius): M = 1.09 ± 0.04M⊙, R = 7.95 ± 0.11R⊙ age t = 8.2 ± 1.9 Gy, and logg = 2.674 ± 0.013. Conclusions: The exciting possibilities for ground-based asteroseismology of solar-like oscillations with a fully robotic network have been illustrated with the results obtained from just a single site of the SONG network. The window function is still a severe problem which will be solved when there are more nodes in the network. Based on observations made with the Hertzsprung SONG telescope operated at the Spanish Observatorio del Teide on the island of Tenerife by the Aarhus and Copenhagen Universities and by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias.

DUAL-FREQUENCY OBSERVATIONS OF 140 COMPACT, FLAT-SPECTRUM ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI FOR SCINTILLATION-INDUCED VARIABILITY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koay, J. Y.; Macquart, J.-P.; Bignall, H. E.

2011-10-15

The 4.9 GHz Micro-Arcsecond Scintillation-Induced Variability (MASIV) Survey detected a drop in interstellar scintillation (ISS) for sources at redshifts z {approx}> 2, indicating an apparent increase in angular diameter or a decrease in flux density of the most compact components of these sources relative to their extended emission. This can result from intrinsic source size effects or scatter broadening in the intergalactic medium (IGM) in excess of the expected (1 + z){sup 1/2} angular diameter scaling of brightness temperature limited sources resulting from cosmological expansion. We report here 4.9 GHz and 8.4 GHz observations and data analysis for a samplemore » of 140 compact, flat-spectrum sources which may allow us to determine the origin of this angular diameter-redshift relation by exploiting their different wavelength dependences. In addition to using ISS as a cosmological probe, the observations provide additional insight into source morphologies and the characteristics of ISS. As in the MASIV Survey, the variability of the sources is found to be significantly correlated with line-of-sight H{alpha} intensities, confirming its link with ISS. For 25 sources, time delays of about 0.15-3 days are observed between the scintillation patterns at both frequencies, interpreted as being caused by a shift in core positions when probed at different optical depths. Significant correlation is found between ISS amplitudes and source spectral index; in particular, a large drop in ISS amplitudes is observed at {alpha} < -0.4 confirming that steep spectrum sources scintillate less. We detect a weakened redshift dependence of ISS at 8.4 GHz over that at 4.9 GHz, with the mean variance at four-day timescales reduced by a factor of 1.8 in the z > 2 sources relative to the z < 2 sources, as opposed to the factor of three decrease observed at 4.9 GHz. This suggests scatter broadening in the IGM, but the interpretation is complicated by subtle selection effects that will be explored further in a follow-up paper.« less

Dual-Frequency Observations of 140 Compact, Flat-Spectrum Active Galactic Nuclei for Scintillation-Induced Variability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koay, J. Y.; Macquart, J.- P.; Rickett, B. J.; Bignall, H. E.; Lovell, J. E. J.; Reynolds, C.; Jauncey, D. L.; Pursimo, T.; Kedziora-Chudczer, L.; Ojha, R.

2012-01-01

The 4.9 GHz Micro-Arcsecond Scintillation-Induced Variability (MASIV) Survey detected a drop in Interstellar Scintillation (ISS) for sources at red shifts z > or approx. 2, indicating an apparent increase in angular diameter or a decrease in flux density of the most compact components of these sources, relative to their extended emission. This can result from intrinsic source size effects or scatter broadening in the Intergalactic Medium (IGM) , in excess of the expected (1+z)1/2 angular diameter scaling of brightness temperature limited sources resulting from cosmological expansion. We report here 4.9 GHz and 8.4 GHz observations and data analysis for a sample of 140 compact, fiat-spectrum sources which may allow us to determine the origin of this angular diameter-redshift relation by exploiting their different wavelength dependences. In addition to using ISS as a cosmological probe, the observations provide additional insight into source morphologies and the characteristics of ISS. As in the MASIV Survey, the variability of the sources is found to be significantly correlated with line-of-sight H(alpha) intensities, confirming its link with ISS. For 25 sources, time delays of about 0.15 to 3 days are observed between the scintillation patterns at both frequencies, interpreted as being caused by a shift in core positions when probed at different optical depths. Significant correlation is found between ISS amplitudes and source spectral index; in particular, a large drop in ISS amplitudes is observed at alpha < -0.4 confirming that steep spectrum sources scintillate less. We detect a weakened redshift dependence of ISS at 8.4 GHz over that at 4.9 GHz, with the mean variance at 4-day timescales reduced by a factor of 1.8 in the z > 2 sources relative to the z < 2 sources, as opposed to the factor of 3 decrease observed at 4.9 GHz. This suggests scatter broadening in the IGM, but the interpretation is complicated by subtle selection effects that will be explored further in a follow-up paper.

Testing a one-dimensional prescription of dynamical shear mixing with a two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edelmann, P. V. F.; Röpke, F. K.; Hirschi, R.; Georgy, C.; Jones, S.

2017-07-01

Context. The treatment of mixing processes is still one of the major uncertainties in 1D stellar evolution models. This is mostly due to the need to parametrize and approximate aspects of hydrodynamics in hydrostatic codes. In particular, the effect of hydrodynamic instabilities in rotating stars, for example, dynamical shear instability, evades consistent description. Aims: We intend to study the accuracy of the diffusion approximation to dynamical shear in hydrostatic stellar evolution models by comparing 1D models to a first-principle hydrodynamics simulation starting from the same initial conditions. Methods: We chose an initial model calculated with the stellar evolution code GENEC that is just at the onset of a dynamical shear instability but does not show any other instabilities (e.g., convection). This was mapped to the hydrodynamics code SLH to perform a 2D simulation in the equatorial plane. We compare the resulting profiles in the two codes and compute an effective diffusion coefficient for the hydro simulation. Results: Shear instabilities develop in the 2D simulation in the regions predicted by linear theory to become unstable in the 1D stellar evolution model. Angular velocity and chemical composition is redistributed in the unstable region, thereby creating new unstable regions. After a period of time, the system settles in a symmetric, steady state, which is Richardson stable everywhere in the 2D simulation, whereas the instability remains for longer in the 1D model due to the limitations of the current implementation in the 1D code. A spatially resolved diffusion coefficient is extracted by comparing the initial and final profiles of mean atomic mass. Conclusions: The presented simulation gives a first insight on hydrodynamics of shear instabilities in a real stellar environment and even allows us to directly extract an effective diffusion coefficient. We see evidence for a critical Richardson number of 0.25 as regions above this threshold remain stable for the course of the simulation. The movie of the simulation is available at http://www.aanda.org

Results of two multichord stellar occultations by dwarf planet (1) Ceres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomes-Júnior, A. R.; Giacchini, B. L.; Braga-Ribas, F.; Assafin, M.; Vieira-Martins, R.; Camargo, J. I. B.; Sicardy, B.; Timerson, B.; George, T.; Broughton, J.; Blank, T.; Benedetti-Rossi, G.; Brooks, J.; Dantowitz, R. F.; Dunham, D. W.; Dunham, J. B.; Ellington, C. K.; Emilio, M.; Herpich, F. R.; Jacques, C.; Maley, P. D.; Mehret, L.; Mello, A. J. T.; Milone, A. C.; Pimentel, E.; Schoenell, W.; Weber, N. S.

2015-08-01

We report the results of two multichord stellar occultations by the dwarf planet (1) Ceres that were observed from Brazil on 2010 August 17, and from the USA on 2013 October 25. Four positive detections were obtained for the 2010 occultation, and nine for the 2013 occultation. Elliptical models were adjusted to the observed chords to obtain Ceres' size and shape. Two limb-fitting solutions were studied for each event. The first one is a nominal solution with an indeterminate polar aspect angle. The second one was constrained by the pole coordinates as given by Drummond et al. Assuming a Maclaurin spheroid, we determine an equatorial diameter of 972 ± 6 km and an apparent oblateness of 0.08 ± 0.03 as our best solution. These results are compared to all available size and shape determinations for Ceres made so far, and shall be confirmed by the NASA's Dawn space mission.