Long range order in the classical kagome antiferromagnet: effective Hamiltonian approach

Following Huse and Rutenberg [Phys. Rev. B 45, 7536 (1992)], I argue the classical Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the kagom\'e lattice has long-range spin order of the $\sqrt{3}\times\sqrt{3}$ type (modulo gradual orientation fluctuations of the spins' plane). I start from the effective quartic Hamiltonian for the soft (out of plane) spin fluctuation modes, and treat as a perturbation those terms which depend on the discrete coplanar state. Soft mode correlations, which become the coefficients of a discrete effective Hamiltonian, are estimated analytically.Comment: 4pp, no figures. Converted to PRB format, extensive revisions/some reorderings to improve clarity; some cut

Probing the wind-wind collision in Gamma Velorum with high-resolution Chandra X-ray spectroscopy: evidence for sudden radiative braking and non-equilibrium ionization

We present a new analysis of an archived Chandra HETGS X-ray spectrum of the WR+O colliding wind binary Gamma Velorum. The spectrum is dominated by emission lines from astrophysically abundant elements: Ne, Mg, Si, S and Fe. From a combination of broad-band spectral analysis and an analysis of line flux ratios we infer a wide range of temperatures in the X-ray emitting plasma (~4-40 MK). As in the previously published analysis, we find the X-ray emission lines are essentially unshifted, with a mean FWHM of 1240 +/- 30 km/s. Calculations of line profiles based on hydrodynamical simulations of the wind-wind collision predict lines that are blueshifted by a few hundred km/s. The lack of any observed shift in the lines may be evidence of a large shock-cone opening half-angle (> 85 degrees), and we suggest this may be evidence of sudden radiative braking. From the R and G ratios measured from He-like forbidden-intercombination-resonance triplets we find evidence that the Mg XI emission originates from hotter gas closer to the O star than the Si XIII emission, which suggests that non-equilibrium ionization may be present.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA