328 research outputs found
The Brown Dwarf Kinematics Project (BDKP). III. Parallaxes for 70 Ultracool Dwarfs
We report parallax measurements for 70 ultracool dwarfs (UCDs). Using both
literature values and our sample, we report new polynomial relations between
spectral type and M. Including resolved L/T transition binaries in the
relations, we find no reason to differentiate between a "bright" (unresolved
binary) and "faint" (single source) sample across the L/T boundary. Isolating
early T dwarfs, we find that the brightening of T0-T4 sources is prominent in
M where there is a [1.2 - 1.4] magnitude difference. A similar yet
dampened brightening of [0.3 - 0.5] magnitude happens at M and a plateau
or dimming of [-0.2 - -0.3] magnitude is seen in M. Comparing with
evolutionary models that vary gravity, metallicity, and cloud thickness we find
that a near constant temperature of 1200 100 K along a narrow spectral
subtype of T0-T4 is required to account for the brightening and color magnitude
diagram of the L-dwarf/T-dwarf transition. Furthermore, there is a significant
population of both L and T dwarfs which are red or potentially "ultra-cloudy"
compared to the models, many of which are known to be young indicating a
correlation between enhanced photospheric dust and youth. For the low
surface-gravity or young companion L dwarfs we find that 8 out of 10 are at
least [0.2-1.0] magnitude underluminous in M and/or M compared to
equivalent spectral type objects. We speculate that this is a consequence of
increased dust opacity and conclude that low-surface gravity L dwarfs require a
completely new spectral-type/absolute magnitude polynomial for analysis.Comment: 65 pages, Accepted for publication to Ap
High-resolution imaging at the SOAR telescope
Bright single and binary stars were observed at the 4.1-m telescope with a
fast electron-multiplication camera in the regime of partial turbulence
correction by the visible-light adaptive optics system. We compare the angular
resolution achieved by simple averaging of AO-corrected images (long-exposure),
selection and re-centering (shift-and-add or "lucky" imaging) and speckle
interferometry. The effect of partial AO correction, vibrations, and image
post-processing on the attained resolution is shown. Potential usefulness of
these techniques is evaluated for reaching the diffraction limit in
ground-based optical imaging. Measurements of 75 binary stars obtained during
these tests are given and objects of special interest are discussed. We report
tentative resolution of the astrometric companion to Zeta Aqr B. A concept of
advanced high-resolution camera is outlined.Comment: Accepted for publication in PASP. 14 pages, 9 figures, 2 tabl
Clathrin-independent pinocytosis is induced in cells overexpressing a temperature-sensitive mutant of dynamin.
The mineralogy, geometry and mass-loss history of IRAS 16342-3814
We present the 2-200 um Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) spectrum and 3.8-20
um ISAAC and TIMMI2 images of the extreme OH/IR star IRAS 16342-3814. Amorphous
silicate absorption features are seen, together with crystalline silicate
absorption features up to almost 45 um. No other OH/IR star is known to have
crystalline silicate features in absorption up to these wavelengths. This
suggests that IRAS 16342-3814 must have, or recently had, an extremely high
mass-loss rate. Preliminary radiative transfer calculations suggest that the
mass-loss rate may be as large as 10^{-3} Msun/yr. The 3.8 um ISAAC image shows
a bipolar reflection nebula with a dark equatorial waist or torus, similar to
that seen in optical Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images. The position angle of
the nebula decreases significantly with increasing wavelength, suggesting that
the dominant source of emission changes from scattering to thermal emission.
Still, even up to 20 um the nebula is oriented approximately along the major
axis of the nebula seen in the HST and ISAAC images, suggesting that the torus
must be very cold, in agreement with the very red ISO spectrum. The 20 um image
shows a roughly spherically symmetric extended halo, approximately 6'' in
diameter, which is probably due to a previous phase of mass-loss on the AGB,
suggesting a transition from a (more) spherically symmetric to a (more) axial
symmetric form of mass-loss at the end of the AGB. We estimate the maximum dust
particle sizes in the torus and in the reflection nebula to be 1.3 and 0.09 um
respectively. The size of the particles in the torus is large compared to
typical ISM values, but in agreement with high mass-loss rate objects like AFGL
4106 and HD161796. We discuss the possible reason for the difference in
particle size between the torus and the reflection nebula.Comment: Accepted for publication by A&
Color Transformations for the 2MASS Second Incremental Data Release
Transformation equations are presented to convert colors and magnitudes
measured in the AAO, ARNICA, CIT, DENIS, ESO, LCO (Persson standards), MSSSO,
SAAO, and UKIRT photometric systems to the photometric system inherent to the
2MASS Second Incremental Data Release. The transformations have been derived by
comparing 2MASS photometry with published magnitudes and colors for stars
observed in these systems. Transformation equations have also been derived
indirectly for the Bessell & Brett (1988) and Koornneef (1983) homogenized
photometric systems.Comment: To appear in AJ, May 200
The Vega Debris Disk -- A Surprise from Spitzer
We present high spatial resolution mid- and far-infrared images of the Vega
debris disk obtained with the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS).
The disk is well resolved and its angular size is much larger than found
previously. The radius of the disk is at least 43" (330 AU), 70"(543 AU), and
105" (815 AU) in extent at 24, 70 and 160 um, respectively. The disk images are
circular, smooth and without clumpiness at all three wavelengths. The radial
surface brightness profiles imply an inner boundary at a radius of 11"+/-2" (86
AU). Assuming an amalgam of amorphous silicate and carbonaceous grains, the
disk can be modeled as an axially symmetric and geometrically thin disk, viewed
face-on, with the surface particle number density following an r^-1 power law.
The disk radiometric properties are consistent with a range of models using
grains of sizes ~1 to ~50 um. We find that a ring, containing grains larger
than 180 um and at radii of 86-200 AU from the star, can reproduce the observed
850 um flux, while its emission does not violate the observed MIPS profiles.
This ring could be associated with a population of larger asteroidal bodies
analogous to our own Kuiper Belt. Cascades of collisions starting with
encounters amongthese large bodies in the ring produce the small debris that is
blown outward by radiation pressure to much larger distances where we detect
its thermal emission. The dust production rate is >~10^15 g/s based on the MIPS
results. This rate would require a very massive asteroidal reservoir for the
dust to be produced in a steady state throughout Vega's life. Instead, we
suggest that the disk we imaged is ephemeral and that we are witnessing the
aftermath of a large and relatively recent collisional event, and subsequent
collisional cascade.Comment: 13 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ. (Figures 2,
3a, 3b and 4 have been degraded to lower resolutions.
Infrared imaging and spectroscopy of companion candidates near the young stars HD 199143 and HD 358623 in Capricornius
We present JHK images of the young (~20 Myrs) nearby (~48 pc) stars HD 199143
and HD 358623 to search for (sub-)stellar companions around them. The images
were obtained in JHK with the speckle camera SHARP-I in July 2001 and in H with
SofI in Dec 2000, July 2001, and Dec 2001, all at the ESO 3.5m NTT. We present
a companion candidate with a 2 arc sec offset being almost 2 mag fainter than
HD 358623 with proper motion consistent with the known proper motion of the
primary star HD 358623 A. Then, we obtained a spectrum in the H-band (with SofI
at the NTT) of this companion showing that it has spectral type M1-3,
consistent with being a companion of HD 358623 A (K7-M0). Also, a companion
candidate with a 1 arcsecond offset being 2 mag fainter than HD 199143 is
detected. The JHK colors of this candidate are consistent with a spectral type
M0-2. We determine the ages and masses of all four objects from theoretical
tracks and isochrones, all four stars appear to be co-eval with ~20 Myrs. Our
limits for additional detectable but undetected companions are such that we
would have detected all stellar companions with separations > 0.5 arc sec (24
AU at 48 pc).Comment: A&A in pres
The Emergent Flux and Effective Temperature of Delta Canis Majoris
New angular diameter determinations for the bright southern F8 supergiant
Delta CMa enable the bolometric emergent flux and effective temperature of the
star to be determined with improved accuracy. The spectral flux distribution
and bolometric flux have been determined from published photometry and
spectrophotometry and combined with the angular diameter to derive the
bolometric emergent flux F = (6.50 plus/minus 0.24) x 10^7 W/m^2 and the
effective temperature Teff = 5818 plus/minus 53 K. The new value for the
effective temperature is compared with previous interferometric and infrared
flux method determinations. The accuracy of the effective temperature is now
limited by the uncertainty in the bolometric flux rather than by the
uncertainty in the angular diameter.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
The C. elegans Opa1 Homologue EAT-3 Is Essential for Resistance to Free Radicals
The C. elegans eat-3 gene encodes a mitochondrial dynamin family member homologous to Opa1 in humans and Mgm1 in yeast. We find that mutations in the C. elegans eat-3 locus cause mitochondria to fragment in agreement with the mutant phenotypes observed in yeast and mammalian cells. Electron microscopy shows that the matrices of fragmented mitochondria in eat-3 mutants are divided by inner membrane septae, suggestive of a specific defect in fusion of the mitochondrial inner membrane. In addition, we find that C. elegans eat-3 mutant animals are smaller, grow slower, and have smaller broodsizes than C. elegans mutants with defects in other mitochondrial fission and fusion proteins. Although mammalian Opa1 is antiapoptotic, mutations in the canonical C. elegans cell death genes ced-3 and ced-4 do not suppress the slow growth and small broodsize phenotypes of eat-3 mutants. Instead, the phenotypes of eat-3 mutants are consistent with defects in oxidative phosphorylation. Moreover, eat-3 mutants are hypersensitive to paraquat, which promotes damage by free radicals, and they are sensitive to loss of the mitochondrial superoxide dismutase sod-2. We conclude that free radicals contribute to the pathology of C. elegans eat-3 mutants
Confirming the Primarily Smooth Structure of the Vega Debris Disk at Millimeter Wavelengths
Clumpy structure in the debris disk around Vega has been previously reported at millimeter wavelengths and attributed to concentrations of dust grains trapped in resonances with an unseen planet. However, recent imaging at similar wavelengths with higher sensitivity has disputed the observed structure. We present three new millimeter wavelength observations that help to resolve the puzzling and contradictory observations. We have observed the
Vega system with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) at a wavelength of 880 μm and an angular resolution of 5"; with the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) at a wavelength of 1.3 mm and
an angular resolution of 5"; and with the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) at a wavelength of 3.3 mm and angular resolution of 10". Despite high sensitivity and short baselines, we do not detect the Vega debris disk in either of the
interferometric data sets (SMA and CARMA), which should be sensitive at high significance to clumpy structure based on previously reported observations. We obtain a marginal (3σ) detection of disk emission in the GBT data;
the spatial distribution of the emission is not well constrained.We analyze the observations in the context of several different models, demonstrating that the observations are consistent with a smooth, broad, axisymmetric disk with inner radius 20–100 AU and width ≾50 AU. The interferometric data require that at least half of the 860 μm emission detected by previous single-dish observations with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope be distributed axisymmetrically, ruling out strong contributions from flux concentrations on spatial scales of ≾100 AU. These observations support recent results from the Plateau de Bure Interferometer indicating that previous detections of clumpy structure in the Vega debris disk were spurious
- …