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A Knowledge-based Decision Support System for RP&M Process Selection
Due to the large variety of RP&M material/machines and the. strengths/weaknesses
associated with different RP&M processes, the decision·to select a suitableRP&M system
becomes increasingly difficult. This paper presents a knowledge-based approach for the selection
ofsuitable RP&M material/machine to meet specific. requirements ofRP&Mapplications. The
system receives input data on the CAD modelandthe user's specifications,andgenerates outputs
that provide the most appropriate combination ofRP&Mmaterial/machine.·Optimal orientations,
together with estimated manufacturing time and cost, are considered and given in the final
outcome to help the user make the choice.Mechanical Engineerin
The Birth of High Mass Stars: Accretion and/or Mergers?
The observational consequences of the merger scenario for massive star
formation are explored and contrasted with the gradual accumulation of mass by
accretion. Protostellar mergers may produce high luminosity infrared flares
lasting years to centuries followed by a luminosity decline on the
Kelvin-Helmholtz time-scale of the merger product. Mergers may be surrounded by
thick tori of expanding debris, impulsive wide-angle outflows, and shock
induced maser and radio continuum emission. Collision products are expected to
have fast stellar rotation and a large multiplicity fraction. Close encounters
or mergers will produce circumstellar debris disks with an orientation that
differs form that of a pre-existing disk. The extremely rare merger of two
stars close to the upper-mass end of the IMF may be a possible pathway to
hypernova generated gamma-ray bursters. While accretional growth can lead to
the formation of massive stars in isolation or in loose clusters, mergers can
only occur in high-density cluster environments. It is proposed that the
outflow emerging from the OMC1 core in the Orion molecular cloud was produced
by a protostellar merger that released between to ergs less
than a thousand years ago
Through the magnifying glass: ALMA acute viewing of the intricate nebular architecture of OH231.8+4.2
We present continuum and molecular line emission ALMA observations of OH
231.8+4.2, a well studied bipolar nebula around an asymptotic giant branch
(AGB) star. The high angular resolution (~0.2-0.3 arcsec) and sensitivity of
our ALMA maps provide the most detailed and accurate description of the overall
nebular structure and kinematics of this object to date. We have identified a
number of outflow components previously unknown. Species studied in this work
include 12CO, 13CO, CS, SO, SO2, OCS, SiO, SiS, H3O+, Na37Cl, and CH3OH. The
molecules Na37Cl and CH3OH are first detections in OH 231.8+4.2, with CH3OH
being also a first detection in an AGB star. Our ALMA maps bring to light the
totally unexpected position of the mass-losing AGB star (QX Pup) relative to
the large-scale outflow. QX Pup is enshrouded within a compact (<60 AU) parcel
of dust and gas (clump S) in expansion (V~5-7 km/s) that is displaced by
0.6arcsec to the south of the dense equatorial region (or waist) where the
bipolar lobes join. Our SiO maps disclose a compact bipolar outflow that
emerges from QX Pup's vicinity. This outflow is oriented similarly to the
large-scale nebula but the expansion velocities are about ten times lower (~35
km/s). We deduce short kinematical ages for the SiO outflow, ranging from
~50-80 yr, in regions within ~150 AU, to ~400-500 yr at the lobe tips (~3500
AU). Adjacent to the SiO outflow, we identify a small-scale hourglass-shaped
structure (mini-hourglass) that is probably made of compressed ambient material
formed as the SiO outflow penetrates the dense, central regions of the nebula.
The lobes and the equatorial waist of the mini-hourglass are both radially
expanding with a constant velocity gradient. The mini-waist is characterized by
extremely low velocities, down to ~1 km/s at ~150 AU, which tentatively suggest
the presence of a stable structure. (abridged
The Coldest Place in the Universe: Probing the Ultra-Cold Outflow and Dusty Disk in the Boomerang Nebula
Our Cycle 0 ALMA observations confirmed that the Boomerang Nebula is the
coldest known object in the Universe, with a massive high-speed outflow that
has cooled significantly below the cosmic background temperature. Our new CO
1-0 data reveal heretofore unseen distant regions of this ultra-cold outflow,
out to AU. We find that in the ultra-cold outflow, the
mass-loss rate (dM/dt) increases with radius, similar to its expansion velocity
() - taking , we find . The mass in
the ultra-cold outflow is Msun, and the Boomerang's main-sequence
progenitor mass is Msun. Our high angular resolution (0".3) CO
J=3-2 map shows the inner bipolar nebula's precise, highly-collimated shape,
and a dense central waist of size (FWHM) 1740 AU AU. The
molecular gas and the dust as seen in scattered light via optical HST imaging
show a detailed correspondence. The waist shows a compact core in thermal dust
emission at 0.87-3.3 mm, which harbors Msun~of very large
(mm-to-cm sized), cold ( K) grains. The central waist
(assuming its outer regions to be expanding) and fast bipolar outflow have
expansion ages of yr and yr: the "jet-lag" (i.e.,
torus age minus the fast-outflow age) in the Boomerang supports models in which
the primary star interacts directly with a binary companion. We argue that this
interaction resulted in a common-envelope configuration while the Boomerang's
primary was an RGB or early-AGB star, with the companion finally merging into
the primary's core, and ejecting the primary's envelope that now forms the
ultra-cold outflow.Comment: accepted ApJ, 12 Apr, 201
Dust temperature and density profiles of AGB and post-AGB stars from mid-infrared observations
First mid-infrared images of a sample of AGB and post-AGB carbon stars (V
Hya, IRC +10216, CIT 6 and Roberts 22) obtained at La Silla Observatory (ESO,
Chile) are reported. CIT 6 presents a cometary-like feature clearly seen in the
9.7m image, Roberts 22 shows an envelope slightly elongated in the
north-east direction while images of V Hya and IRC+10216 are roughly
spherically symmetric. Using inversion technique, the dust emissivity was
derived from the observed intensity profiles, allowing a determination of the
grain temperature and density distributions inside the envelope for these
stars. Dust masses and mass-loss rates were estimated for V Hya and IRC +10216.
Our results are comparable to those obtained in previous studies if dust grains
have dimensions in the range 0.01 - 0.2 m. Color maps suggest the
presence of temperature inhomogeneities in the central regions of the dust
envelopes. In the case of V Hya, an eccentric hot point, which direction
coincides with the jet previously seen in [SII] emission, suggest that we are
observing a material ejected in a previous mass-loss event. Bipolar lobes are
clearly seen in the color maps of Roberts 22 and IRC +10216.Comment: accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
The expanding dusty bipolar nebula around the nova V1280 Sco
V1280 Sco is one of the slowest dust-forming nova ever historically observed.
We performed multi-epoch high-spatial resolution observations of the
circumstellar dusty environment of V1280 Sco to investigate the level of
asymmetry of the ejecta We observed V1280 Sco in 2009, 2010 and 2011 using
unprecedented high angular resolution techniques. We used the NACO/VLT adaptive
optics system in the J, H and K bands, together with contemporaneous VISIR/VLT
mid-IR imaging that resolved the dust envelope of V1280 Sco, and SINFONI/VLT
observations secured in 2011. We report the discovery of a dusty
hourglass-shaped bipolar nebula. The apparent size of the nebula increased from
0.30" x 0.17" in July 2009 to 0.64" x 0.42" in July 2011. The aspect ratio
suggests that the source is seen at high inclination. The central source shines
efficiently in the K band and represents more than 56+/-5% of the total flux in
2009, and 87+/-6% in 2011. A mean expansion rate of 0.39+/-0.03 mas per day is
inferred from the VISIR observations in the direction of the major axis, which
represents a projected upper limit. Assuming that the dust shell expands in
that direction as fast as the low-excitation slow ejecta detected in
spectroscopy, this yields a lower limit distance to V1280 Sco of 1kpc; however,
the systematic errors remain large due to the complex shape and velocity field
of the dusty ejecta. The dust seems to reside essentially in the polar caps and
no infrared flux is detected in the equatorial regions in the latest dataset.
This may imply that the mass-loss was dominantly polar
A <i>Herschel</i> and BIMA study of the sequential star formation near the W 48A H II region
We present the results of Herschel HOBYS (Herschel imaging survey of OB Young Stellar objects) photometric mapping combined with Berkeley Illinois Maryland Association (BIMA) observations and additional archival data, and perform an in-depth study of the evolutionary phases of the star-forming clumps in W 48A and their surroundings. Age estimates for the compact sources were derived from bolometric luminosities and envelope masses, which were obtained from the dust continuum emission, and agree within an order of magnitude with age estimates from molecular line and radio data. The clumps in W 48A are linearly aligned by age (east-old to west-young): we find a ultra-compact (UC) H II region, a young stellar object (YSO) with class II methanol maser emission, a YSO with a massive outflow and finally the NH2D prestellar cores from Pillai et al. This remarkable positioning reflects the (star) formation history of the region. We find that it is unlikely that the star formation in the W 48A molecular cloud was triggered by the UC H II region and discuss the Aquila supershell expansion as a major influence on the evolution of W 48A. We conclude that the combination of Herschel continuum data with interferometric molecular line and radio continuum data is important to derive trustworthy age estimates and interpret the origin of large-scale structures through kinematic information
The Environments around Long-Duration Gamma-Ray Burst Progenitors
Gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow observations have allowed us to significantly
constrain the engines producing these energetic explosions. Te redshift and
position information provided by these afterglows have already allowed us to
limit the progenitors of GRBs to only a few models. The afterglows may also
provide another observation that can place further constraints on the GRB
progenitor: measurements telling us about the environments surrounding GRBs.
Current analyses of GRB afterglows suggest that roughly half of long-duration
gamma-ray bursts occur in surroundings with density profiles that are uniform.
We study the constraints placed by this observation on both the classic
``collapsar'' massive star progenitor and its relative, the ``helium-merger''
progenitor. We study several aspects of wind mass-loss and find that our
modifications to the standard Wolf-Rayet mass-loss paradigm are not sufficient
to produce constant density profiles. Although this does not rule out the
standard ``collapsar'' progenitor, it does suggest a deficiency with this
model. We then focus on the He-merger models and find that such progenitors can
fit this particular constraint well. We show how detailed observations can not
only determine the correct progenitor for GRBs, but also allow us to study
binary evolution physics.Comment: 44 pages including 11 figure
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