The shortest path problem

The shortest path problem is solved and applied to the calculations of half lives with respect to spontaneous fission of heavy nuclei. The dynamical programming method of Bellman and Kalaba is used to find the fission path in the i-dimensional space of deformation parameters. Fission half lives of heavy isotopes (Z in [100, 110]) are shown and compared to the experimental data

RAT0455+1305: another pulsating hybrid sdB star

RAT0455+1305 was discovered during the Rapid Temporal Survey which aims in finding any variability on timescales of a few minutes to several hours. The star was found to be another sdBV star with one high amplitude mode and relatively long period. These features along with estimation of T_eff and log g makes this star very similar to Balloon 090100001. Encouraged by prominent results obtained for the latter star we have decided to perform white light photometry on RAT0455+1305. In 2009 we used the 1.5m telescope located in San Pedro Martir Observatory in Mexico. Fourier analysis confirmed the dominant mode found in the discovery data, uncovered another peak close to the dominant one, and three peaks in the low frequency region. This shows that RAT0455+1305 is another hybrid sdBV star pulsating in both p- and g-modes.Comment: Proceedings of The Fourth Meeting on Hot Subdwarf Stars and Related Objects held in China, 20-24 July 2009. Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

A study of a spot migration in two contact binaries : KIC 2159783 and KIC 6118779

Data of contact binaries, provided by the Kepler spacecraft, can be successfully applied to estimate the parameters of a binary system only if its light curve has a flat-bottom secondary minimum. The derived system parameters are accurate enough to search for a spot migration using the Wilson-Devinney code. For binaries with a regular activity (e.g. KIC 6118779) the numerical spot modeling is consistent with a model-independent light curve morphology analysis. Finally, we proved that spot migration cycles established by the Wilson-Devinney modeling correspond to the O'Connell effect and maxima separation methods

A planet orbiting an sdB star and an M dwarf in 2M 1938+4603

We present a preliminary analysis of the 2M 1938+4603 star. It is an eclipsing binary system consisting of a primary sdB component and a secondary M dwarf. The photometric data are dominated by mutual eclipses and a very strong reflection effect. The primary has a fairly rich pulsation spectrum which can be used to study its interior. On the other hand, the pulsations affect the binary trend and vice versa what makes the analysis very difficult. Therefore, we attempted at proper modeling of the light variation due to eclipses and reflection and their removal from the data so it does not affect the Fourier analysis of stellar pulsations. We focus on mid-times of over 16 000 primary and secondary minima, which were used to verify stability of the orbital period. The O-C diagram indicates possible parabolic and sinusoidal variations, commonly explained by period changes caused by evolution and a presence of a third body, respectively

Magnetism and specific heat of TmRhX (X = Ga, Ge) compounds

Magnetic and specific heat data of the TmRhX (X = Ga, Ge) compounds are reported. These compounds crystallize in an orthorhombic crystal structure of the TiNiSi-type (space group Pnma). Magnetic data indicate that the compounds are antiferromagnets with the Néel temperature $T_{N}$ equal to 3.9 K for TmRhGa and 6.0 K for TmRhGe. Magnetic susceptibility of TmRhGe has an additional peak at $T_{t}$ = 10.6 K. In TmRhGe temperature dependence of χ"(T), the positions of both the peaks at $T_{N}$ and $T_{t}$ change with frequency indicating a relaxation process. These data suggest that with the decreasing temperature, first a cluster glass state and next the long-range aniferromagnetic order exists

Size effects in antiferromagnetic NiO nanoparticles

X-ray and neutron diffraction as well as magnetometric methods were used in order to investigate crystal and magnetic structure together with magnetic properties of nickel oxide NiO obtained from thermal decomposition of Ni(OH)$_{2}$. It has been found that crystal unit cell volume and crystal unit cell deformation parameter decrease with increasing decomposition temperature $T_{d}$ while grain size increases. The results of magnetization, magnetic susceptibility and neutron diffraction measurements reveal a formation of antiferromagnetic order with uncompensated magnetic moment below the Néel temperature. Magnetization together with coercive field decreases with increasing $T_{d}$. The neutron diffractogram of sample obtained at 240°C indicates broadening of both the peaks of nuclear and magnetic origin. The magnetic ordering may be described by a propagation vector $k = \left [ \frac{1}{2}, \frac{1}{2}, \frac{1}{2} \right ]$

Neutron diffraction studies of nanoparticle DyMnO_{3} compound

The neutron powder diffraction (NPD) measurements of the nano-size DyMnO3 manganite have been performed. The obtained results indicate that this compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal structure described by the space group Pnma. The Mn and Dy moments order antiferromagnetically at different temperatures and form modulated magnetic structure described by the propagation vector k = (kx; 0; 0) with the different values of kx component for the Mn and Dy sublattices. The values of kx component for Mn sublattice increase with decreasing of the temperature and are smaller that in bulk compound. The wide Bragg peaks related to the Dy sublattice suggest that the magnetic order in this sublattice has the cluster-like character