6,582 research outputs found
VLTI/AMBER spectro-interferometry of the late-type supergiants V766 Cen (=HR 5171 A), sigma Oph, BM Sco, and HD 206859
We add four warmer late-type supergiants to our previous
spectro-interferometric studies of red giants and supergiants.
V766 Cen (=HR 5171 A) is found to be a high-luminosity log(L/L_sun)=5.8+-0.4
source of Teff 4290+-760 K and radius 1490+-540 Rsun located close to both the
Hayashi and Eddington limits; this source is consistent with a 40 Msun
evolutionary track without rotation and current mass 27-36 Msun. It exhibits
NaI in emission arising from a shell of radius 1.5 Rphot and a photocenter
displacement of about 0.1 Rphot. V766 Cen shows strong extended molecular (CO)
layers and a dusty circumstellar background component. This suggest an
optically thick pseudo-photosphere at about 1.5 Rphot at the onset of the wind.
V766 Cen is a red supergiant located close to the Hayashi limit instead of a
yellow hypergiant already evolving back toward warmer Teff as previously
discussed.
The stars sigma Oph, BM Sco, and HD 206859 are found to have lower
luminosities of about log(L/Lsun)=3.4-3.5 and Teff of 3900-5300 K,
corresponding to 5-9 Msun tracks. They do not show extended molecular layers as
observed for higher luminosity red supergiants of our sample. BM Sco shows an
unusually strong contribution by an over-resolved circumstellar dust component.
These stars are more likely high-mass red giants instead of red supergiants.
This leaves us with an unsampled locus in the HR diagram corresponding to
luminosities log(L/Lsun)~3.8-4.8 or masses 10-13 Msun, possibly corresponding
to the mass region where stars explode as type II-P supernovae during the RSG
stage.
Our previously found relation of increasing strength of extended molecular
layers with increasing luminosities is now confirmed to extend to double our
previous luminosities and up to the Eddington limit. This might further point
to steadily increasing radiative winds with increasing luminosity.
[Abridged]Comment: 16 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysics (A&A
Large reduction with the Twisted Eguchi-Kawai model
We examine the breaking of symmetry recently reported for the Twisted
Eguchi-Kawai model (TEK). We analyse the origin of this behaviour and propose
simple modifications of twist and lattice action that could avoid the problem.
Our results show no sign of symmetry breaking and allow us to obtain values of
the large infinite volume string tension in agreement with extrapolations
from results based upon straightforward methods.Comment: latex file 14 pages, 4 figure
Combinatorics of lattice paths with and without spikes
We derive a series of results on random walks on a d-dimensional hypercubic
lattice (lattice paths). We introduce the notions of terse and simple paths
corresponding to the path having no backtracking parts (spikes). These paths
label equivalence classes which allow a rearrangement of the sum over paths.
The basic combinatorial quantities of this construction are given. These
formulas are useful when performing strong coupling (hopping parameter)
expansions of lattice models. Some applications are described.Comment: Latex. 25 page
Radio detection of the young binary HD 160934
Precise determination of dynamical masses of pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars is
essential to calibrate stellar evolution models that are widely used to derive
theoretical masses of young low-mass objects. Binary stars in young, nearby
loose associations are particularly good candidates for this calibration since
all members share a common age. Interestingly, some of these young binaries
present a persistent and compact radio emission, which makes them excellent
targets for astrometric VLBI studies. We aim to monitor the orbital motion of
the binary system HD 160934, a member of the AB Doradus moving group. We
observed HD 160934 with the Very Large Array and the European VLBI Network at
8.4 and 5 GHz, respectively. The orbital information derived from these
observations was analyzed along with previously reported orbital measurements.
We show that the two components of the binary, HD 160934 A and HD 160934 c,
display compact radio emission at VLBI scales, providing precise information on
the relative orbit. Revised orbital elements were estimated. Future VLBI
monitoring of this pair should determine precise model-independent mass
estimates for the A and c components, which will serve as calibration tests for
PMS evolutionary models.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&
The State of Adaptation in the United States: An Overview
Over the past two decades the adaptation landscape has changed dramatically. From its early days as a vague theoretical concept, which was often viewed as a threat to advocating for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, it has developed into a widely, albeit not universally, recognized governmental mandate to reduce societal vulnerability to climate change. While it is important to appreciate the progress that we are making on this issue, it is impossible to ignore the urgent need to do more. Smart investment can be made by reflecting on what is already underway in order to determine where to build on existing efforts and where to innovate new approaches to fill the gaps in the path forward. In this report we provide illustrative examples of the variety of work on climate change adaptation that is underway in the United States. This is by no means an exhaustive survey of the field; however it does provide insight into the dominant focus of work to date, the resultant gaps, and the opportunities available for advancing this essential aspect of sustainability. We focus on four areas of activity -- agriculture, natural resources, human communities, and policy. The general trends relevant to these sectors can be applied more broadly to other sectors and countries. Adaptation can be thought of as a cycle of activities that ultimately -- if successful -- reduces vulnerability to climate change. This process starts with identifying the impacts of climate change to determine the types of problems climate change might pose. This includes all of the research on the causes and the global, regional, and local manifestations of climate change, often referred to as impacts assessments
What causes the large extensions of red-supergiant atmospheres? Comparisons of interferometric observations with 1-D hydrostatic, 3-D convection, and 1-D pulsating model atmospheres
We present the atmospheric structure and the fundamental parameters of three
red supergiants, increasing the sample of RSGs observed by near-infrared
spectro-interferometry. Additionally, we test possible mechanisms that may
explain the large observed atmospheric extensions of RSGs.
We carried out spectro-interferometric observations of 3 RSGs in the
near-infrared K-band with the VLTI/AMBER instrument at medium spectral
resolution. To comprehend the extended atmospheres, we compared our
observational results to predictions by available hydrostatic PHOENIX,
available 3-D convection, and new 1-D self-excited pulsation models of RSGs.
Our near-infrared flux spectra are well reproduced by the PHOENIX model
atmospheres. The continuum visibility values are consistent with a
limb-darkened disk as predicted by the PHOENIX models, allowing us to determine
the angular diameter and the fundamental parameters of our sources.
Nonetheless, in the case of V602 Car and HD 95686, the PHOENIX model
visibilities do not predict the large observed extensions of molecular layers,
most remarkably in the CO bands. Likewise, the 3-D convection models and the
1-D pulsation models with typical parameters of RSGs lead to compact
atmospheric structures as well, which are similar to the structure of the
hydrostatic PHOENIX models. They can also not explain the observed decreases in
the visibilities and thus the large atmospheric molecular extensions. The full
sample of our RSGs indicates increasing observed atmospheric extensions with
increasing luminosity and decreasing surface gravity, and no correlation with
effective temperature or variability amplitude, which supports a scenario of
radiative acceleration on Doppler-shifted molecular lines.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
DEM modelling of cone penetration tests in a double-porosity crushable granular material
A three-dimensional discrete element model is used to investigate the effect of grain crushing on the tip resistance measured by cone penetration tests (CPT) in calibration chambers. To do that a discrete analogue of pumice sand, a very crushable microporous granular material, is created. The particles of the discrete model are endowed with size-dependent internal porosity and crushing resistance. A simpli- fied Hertz–Mindlin elasto-frictional model is used for contact interaction. The model has 6 material parameters that are calibrated using one oedometer test and analogies with similar geomaterials. The calibration is validated reproducing other element tests. To fill a calibration chamber capable of containing a realistic sized CPT the discrete analogue is up-scaled by a factor of 25. CPT is then performed at two different densities and three different confinement pressures. Cone tip resistance in the crushable material is practically insensitive to initial density, as had been observed in previous physical experiments. The same CPT series is repeated but now particle crushing is disabled. The ratios of cone tip resistance between the two types of simulation are in good agreement with previous experimental comparisons of hard and crushable soils. Microscale exploration of the models indicates that crushing disrupts the buttressing effect of chamber walls on the cone. DEM modelling of cone penetration tests in a double-porosity crushable granular material
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