49,297 research outputs found
Inflating and Deflating Hot Jupiters: Coupled Tidal and Thermal Evolution of Known Transiting Planets
We examine the radius evolution of close-in giant planets with a planet
evolution model that couples the orbital-tidal and thermal evolution. For 45
transiting systems, we compute a large grid of cooling/contraction paths
forward in time, starting from a large phase space of initial semi-major axes
and eccentricities. Given observational constraints at the current time for a
given planet (semi-major axis, eccentricity, and system age) we find possible
evolutionary paths that match these constraints, and compare the calculated
radii to observations. We find that tidal evolution has two effects. First,
planets start their evolution at larger semi-major axis, allowing them to
contract more efficiently at earlier times. Second, tidal heating can
significantly inflate the radius when the orbit is being circularized, but this
effect on the radius is short-lived thereafter. Often circularization of the
orbit is proceeded by a long period while the semi-major axis slowly decreases.
Some systems with previously unexplained large radii that we can reproduce with
our coupled model are HAT-P-7, HAT-P-9, WASP-10, and XO-4. This increases the
number of planets for which we can match the radius from 24 (of 45) to as many
as 35 for our standard case, but for some of these systems we are required to
be viewing them at a special time around the era of current radius inflation.
This is a concern for the viability of tidal inflation as a general mechanism
to explain most inflated radii. Also, large initial eccentricities would have
to be common. We also investigate the evolution of models that have a floor on
the eccentricity, as may be due to a perturber. In this scenario we match the
extremely large radius of WASP-12b. (Abridged)Comment: 18 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables, Accepted for publication in Ap
The Velocity Field of Quasar Broad Emission Line Gas
In this Letter, the broad emission line (BEL) profiles of superluminal
quasars with apparent jet velocities, , (ultraluminal QSOs, or
ULQSOs hereafter) are studied as a diagnostic of the velocity field of the BEL
emitting gas in quasars. The ULQSOs are useful because they satisfy a very
strict kinematical constraint, their parsec scale jets must be propagating
within of the line of sight. We know the orientation of these
objects with great certainty. The large BEL FWHM, , in ULQSOs tend to indicate that the BEL gas has a larger
component of axial velocity (either random or in a wind) along the jet
direction than previously thought.Comment: To appear in ApJ Letter
The electromagnetic self-force on a charged spherical body slowly undergoing a small, temporary displacement from a position of rest
The self-force of classical electrodynamics on a charged "rigid" body of
radius R is evaluated analytically for the body undergoing a slow (i.e., with a
speed v<<c), slight (i.e., small compared to R), and temporary displacement
from an initial position of rest. The results are relevant to the
Bohr-Rosenfeld analysis of the measurability of the electromagnetic field,
which has been the subject of a recent controversy.Comment: REVTeX, 15 pages, 3 figures, accepted by J. Phys.
A model for the Z-track phenomenon in GX 5-1 and observational evidence for the physical origins of the kHz QPO
We present results of a combined investigation of the spectral and kHz QPO
evolution around the Z-track in GX 5-1 based on high-quality RXTE data. The
Extended ADC emission model provides very good fits to the spectra, the results
pointing clearly to a model for the nature of the Z-track, in agreement with
previous results for the similar source GX 340+0. In this model, at the soft
apex of the Z-track, the mass accretion rate Mdot is minimum and the neutron
star has its lowest temperature; but as the source moves along the normal
branch, the luminosity of the Comptonized emission increases, indicating that
Mdot increases and the neutron star gets hotter. The measured flux f of the
neutron star emission increases by a factor of ten becoming super-Eddington,
and we propose that this disrupts the inner disk so forming jets. In flaring,
the luminosity of the dominant Comptonized emission from the ADC is constant,
while the neutron star emission increases, and we propose for the first time
that flaring consists of unstable nuclear burning on the neutron star, and the
measured mass accretion rate per unit area mdot at the onset of flaring agrees
well with the theoretical critical value at which burning becomes unstable.
There is a striking correlation between the frequencies of the kHz QPO and the
ratio of the flux to the Eddington value: f/f_Edd, suggesting an explanation of
the higher frequency QPO and of its variation along the Z-track. It is well
known that a Keplerian orbit in the disk at this frequency corresponds to a
position some distance from the neutron star; we propose that the oscillation
always occurs at the inner disk edge, which moves radially outwards on the
upper normal and horizontal branches as the measured increasing radiation
pressure increasingly disrupts the inner disk.Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics, in pres
Interactions of Cosmic Superstrings
We develop methods by which cosmic superstring interactions can be studied in
detail. These include the reconnection probability and emission of radiation
such as gravitons or small string loops. Loop corrections to these are
discussed, as well as relationships to -strings. These tools should
allow a phenomenological study of string models in anticipation of upcoming
experiments sensitive to cosmic string radiation.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures; v2: updated reference
A Descriptive Study of the Population Dynamics of Adult \u3ci\u3eDiabrotica Virgifera Virgifera\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in Artificially Infested Corn Fields
The influence of corn plant phenology on the dynamics of adult western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, populations was studied during 1988 and 1989 in com fields artificially infested with eggs. Fifty percent of adult emergence from the soil occurred by day 194 in 1988 and day 203 in 1989. In both years, adult emergence was synchronized with corn flowering, eggs were recovered in soil samples approximately four days after reproductive females were first observed in the population, and oviposition was essentially complete about 25 days after it began. The number of reproductive female beetle-days accumulating per m2 was similar in both years. Approximately two times as many eggs were laid in 1988 (1239 eggs 1m2) as in 1989 (590 eggs 1m2). The difference in egg density may have been caused by differences among years in the temporal synchrony of reproductive beetles with flowering corn. Daily survival rates of adults were high while corn was flowering; exhibited a gradual decline during grain filling; and decreased rapidly during the grain drying stage
Amplification of High Harmonics Using Weak Perturbative High Frequency Radiation
The mechanism underlying the substantial amplification of the high-order
harmonics q \pm 2K (K integer) upon the addition of a weak seed XUV field of
harmonic frequency q\omega to a strong IR field of frequency \omega is analyzed
in the framework of the quantum-mechanical Floquet formalism and the
semiclassical re-collision model. According to the Floquet analysis, the
high-frequency field induces transitions between several Floquet states and
leads to the appearance of new dipole cross terms. The semiclassical
re-collision model suggests that the origin of the enhancement lies in the
time-dependent modulation of the ground electronic state induced by the XUV
field.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure
First-order quantum correction to the Larmor radiation from a moving charge in a spatially homogeneous time-dependent electric field
First-order quantum correction to the Larmor radiation is investigated on the
basis of the scalar QED on a homogeneous background of time-dependent electric
field, which is a generalization of a recent work by Higuchi and Walker so as
to be extended for an accelerated charged particle in a relativistic motion. We
obtain a simple approximate formula for the quantum correction in the limit of
the relativistic motion when the direction of the particle motion is parallel
to that of the electric field.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
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