A Third Exoplanetary System with Misaligned Orbital and Stellar Spin Axes

We present evidence that the WASP-14 exoplanetary system has misaligned orbital and stellar-rotational axes, with an angle lambda = 33.1 +/- 7.4 deg between their sky projections. The evidence is based on spectroscopic observations of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect as well as new photometric observations. WASP-14 is now the third system known to have a significant spin-orbit misalignment, and all three systems have "super-Jupiter" planets (M_P > 3 Mjup) and eccentric orbits. This finding suggests that the migration and subsequent orbital evolution of massive, eccentric exoplanets is somehow different from that of less massive close-in Jupiters, the majority of which have well-aligned orbits.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables, PASP accepte

HAT-P-7: A Retrograde or Polar Orbit, and a Third Body

We show that the exoplanet HAT-P-7b has an extremely tilted orbit, with a true angle of at least 86 degrees with respect to its parent star's equatorial plane, and a strong possibility of retrograde motion. We also report evidence for an additional planet or companion star. The evidence for the unparalleled orbit and the third body is based on precise observations of the star's apparent radial velocity. The anomalous radial velocity due to rotation (the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect) was found to be a blueshift during the first half of the transit and a redshift during the second half, an inversion of the usual pattern, implying that the angle between the sky-projected orbital and stellar angular momentum vectors is 182.5 +/- 9.4 degreees. The third body is implicated by excess radial-velocity variation of the host star over 2 yr. Some possible explanations for the tilted orbit are a close encounter with another planet, the Kozai effect, and resonant capture by an inward-migrating outer planet.Comment: ApJ Letters, in press [7 pages

The power spectra of CMB and density fluctuations seeded by local cosmic strings

We compute the power spectra in the cosmic microwave background and cold dark matter (CDM) fluctuations seeded by strings, using the largest string simulations performed so far to evaluate the two-point functions of their stress energy tensor. We find that local strings differ from global defects in that the scalar components of the stress-energy tensor dominate over vector and tensor components. This result has far reaching consequences. We find that cosmic strings exhibit a single Doppler peak of acceptable height at high $\ell$. They also seem to have a less severe bias problem than global defects, although the CDM power spectrum in the ``standard'' cosmology (flat geometry, zero cosmological constant, 5% baryonic component) is the wrong shape to fit large scale structure data

Magnetic Susceptibility for CaV4O9CaV_4O_9

We examine experimental magnetic susceptibility $\chi^{tot}(T)$ for CaV$_4$O$_9$ by fitting with fitting function $\alpha \chi^{mag}(T) + c$. The function $\chi^{mag}(T)$ is a power series of 1/T and the lowest order term is fixed as $C/T$, where $C$ is the Curie constant as determined by the experimental $g$-value (g=1.96). Fitting parameters are $\alpha$, $c$ and expansion coefficients except for the first one in $\chi^{mag}(T)$. We determine $\alpha$ and $c$ as $\alpha \simeq$ 0.73 and $c\simeq$ 0 for an experimental sample. We interpret $\alpha$ as the volume fraction of CaV$_4$O$_9$ in the sample and $\chi^{mag}(T)$ as the susceptibility for the pure CaV$_4$O$_9$. The result of $\alpha \ne 1$ means that the sample includes nonmagnetic components. This interpretation consists with the result of a perturbation theory and a neutron scattering experiment.Comment: 4pages, 4figure

A low stellar obliquity for WASP-47, a compact multiplanet system with a hot Jupiter and an ultra-short period planet

We have detected the Rossiter-Mclaughlin effect during a transit of WASP-47b, the only known hot Jupiter with close planetary companions. By combining our spectroscopic observations with Kepler photometry, we show that the projected stellar obliquity is $\lambda = 0^\circ \pm 24^\circ$. We can firmly exclude a retrograde orbit for WASP-47b, and rule out strongly misaligned prograde orbits. Low obliquities have also been found for most of the other compact multiplanet systems that have been investigated. The Kepler-56 system, with two close-in gas giants transiting their subgiant host star with an obliquity of at least 45$^\circ$, remains the only clear counterexample.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, Accepted for publication on ApJL, comments welcom

Constraints on the Obliquities of Kepler Planet-Hosting Stars

Stars with hot Jupiters have obliquities ranging from 0-180 degrees, but relatively little is known about the obliquities of stars with smaller planets. Using data from the California-Kepler Survey, we investigate the obliquities of stars with planets spanning a wide range of sizes, most of which are smaller than Neptune. First, we identify 156 planet hosts for which measurements of the projected rotation velocity (vsini) and rotation period are both available. By combining estimates of v and vsini, we find nearly all the stars to be compatible with high inclination, and hence, low obliquity (less than about 20 degrees). Second, we focus on a sample of 159 hot stars (> 6000K) for which vsini is available but not necessarily the rotation period. We find 6 stars for which vsini is anomalously low, an indicator of high obliquity. Half of these have hot Jupiters, even though only 3% of the stars that were searched have hot Jupiters. We also compare the vsini distribution of the hot stars with planets to that of 83 control stars selected without prior knowledge of planets. The mean vsini of the control stars is lower than that of the planet hosts by a factor of approximately pi/4, as one would expect if the planet hosts have low obliquities. All these findings suggest that the Kepler planet-hosting stars generally have low obliquities, with the exception of hot stars with hot Jupiters.Comment: AJ, in pres

Effect of Quantum Fluctuations on Magnetic Ordering in CaV3_3O7_7

We present a theoretical model for CaV$_3$O$_7$: the $1/4$-depleted square spin-$1/2$ Heisenberg model which includes both the nearest-neighbor coupling ($J$) and the next-nearest-neighbor coupling ($J'$), where $J$ and $J'$ are antiferromagnetic. Recent experiments of the neutron diffraction by Harashina et.al. report the magnetic ordering at low temperatures, which may be called as a stripe phase. It is shown that the observed spin structure is not stable in the classical theory. By employing the modified spin wave theory, we show that the stripe phase is stabilized by the quantum fluctuations for $J'/J > 0.69$. In CaV$_3$O$_7$, the coupling constants are estimated as $J \sim J'$ by comparing the theoretical and experimental results.Comment: submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Single cell mechanics: stress stiffening and kinematic hardening

Cell mechanical properties are fundamental to the organism but remain poorly understood. We report a comprehensive phenomenological framework for the nonlinear rheology of single fibroblast cells: a superposition of elastic stiffening and viscoplastic kinematic hardening. Our results show, that in spite of cell complexity its mechanical properties can be cast into simple, well-defined rules, which provide mechanical cell strength and robustness via control of crosslink slippage.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure

Identification of Neutral B Mesons Using Correlated Hadrons

The identification of the flavor of a neutral $B$ meson can make use of hadrons produced nearby in phase space. Examples include the decay of ``$B^{**}$'' resonances or the production of hadrons as a result of the fragmentation process. Some aspects of this method are discussed, including time-dependent effects in neutral $B$ decays to flavor states, to eigenstates of CP and to other states, and the effects of possible coherence between $B^0$ and $\overline{B}^0$ in the initial state. We study the behavior of the leading hadrons in $b$-quark jets and the expected properties of $B^{**}$ resonances. These are extrapolated from the corresponding $D^{**}$ resonances, of whose properties we suggest further studies.Comment: To be submitted to Phys. Rev. D. 26 pages, LaTeX, figures not included (available upon request). Technion-PH-93-32 / EFI 93-4