UV Circular Polarisation in Star Formation Regions : The Origin of Homochirality?

Ultraviolet circularly polarised light has been suggested as the initial cause of the homochirality of organic molecules in terrestrial organisms, via enantiomeric selection of prebiotic molecules by asymmetric photolysis. We present a theoretical investigation of mechanisms by which ultraviolet circular polarisation may be produced in star formation regions. In the scenarios considered here, light scattering produces only a small percentage of net circular polarisation at any point in space, due to the forward throwing nature of the phase function in the ultraviolet. By contrast, dichroic extinction can produce a fairly high percentage of net circular polarisation (∼10%) and may therefore play a key role in producing an enantiomeric excessPeer reviewe

The evolutionary status of the semiregular variable QYSge

Repeated spectroscopic observations made with the 6m telescope of yielded new data on the radial-velocity variability of the anomalous yellow supergiant QYSge. The strongest and most peculiar feature in its spectrum is the complex profile of NaI D lines, which contains a narrow and a very wide emission components. The wide emission component can be seen to extend from -170 to +120 km/s, and at its central part it is cut by an absorption feature, which, in turn, is split into two subcomponents by a narrow (16km/s at r=2.5) emission peak. An analysis of all the Vr values leads us to adopt for the star a systemic velocity of Vr=-21.1 km/s, which corresponds to the position of the narrow emission component of NaI. The locations of emission-line features of NaI D lines are invariable, which point to their formation in regions that are external to the supergiant's photosphere. Differential line shifts of about 10km/s are revealed. The absorption lines in the spectrum of QYSge have a substantial width of FWHM~45 km/s. The method of model atmospheres is used to determine the following parameters: Teff=6250K, lg g=2.0, and microturbulence Vt=4.5km/s. The metallicity of the star is found to be somewhat higher than the solar one with an average overabundance of iron-peak elements of [Met/H]=+0.20. The star is found to be slightly overabundant in carbon and nitrogen, [C/Fe]=+0.25, [N/Fe]=+0.27. The alpha-process elements Mg, Si, and Ca are slightly overabundant [alpha/H]=+0.12. The strong sodium excess, [Na/Fe]=+0.75, is likely to be due to the dredge-up of the matter processed in the NeNa cycle. Heavy elements of the s-process are underabundant relative to the Sun. On the whole, the observed properties of QYSge do not give grounds for including this star into the group of RCrB or RVTau-type type objects.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables; accepted by Astrophys. Bulleti

Pulsations and Long-Term Light Variability of Three Candidates to Protoplanetary Nebulae

We present new photometric data and analysis of the long-duration UBV photoelectric observations for three candidates to protoplanetary objects - F-supergiants with IR-excesses located at large galactic latitudes, IRAS 18095+2704, IRAS 19386+0155, and IRAS 19500-1709. All three stars have revealed quasiperiodic low-amplitude variabilities caused by pulsations observed against the long-term trends of brightnesses. For IRAS 18095+2704=V887 Her we have found a pulsation period of 109 days and a linear trend of brightness under the constant colours if being averaged over the year timescale. The light curve of IRAS 19386+0155=V1648 Aql over 2000-2008 can be approximated by a wave with a main period of 102 days which is modulated by close frequency, with a period of 98 days, that results in brightness oscillations with a variable amplitude. V1648 Aql has also shown synchronous reddening together with a persistent rise of brightness in the V-band. IRAS 19500-1709=V5112 Sgr experiences irregular pulsations with the periods of 39 and 47 days. The long-term component of the variability of V5112 Sgr may be related to the binary character of this star.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Pis'ma Astron. Z

V2324Cyg - an F-type star with fast wind

For the first time high-resolution optical spectroscopy of the variable star V2324Cyg associated with the IR-source IRAS20572+4919 is made. More than 200 absorption features (mostly FeII, TiII, CrII, YII, BaII, and YII) are identified within the wavelength interval 4549-7880AA. The spectral type and rotation velocity of the star are found to be F0III and Vsini=69km/s, respectively. HI and NaID lines have complex PCyg-type profiles with an emission component. Neither systematic trend of radial velocity Vr with line depth Ro nor temporal variability of Vr have been found. We determined the average heliocentric radial velocity Vr=-16.8\pm 0.6km/s. The radial velocities inferred from the cores of the absorption components of the H$\beta$ and NaI wind lines vary from -140 to -225km/s (and the expansion velocities of the corresponding layers, from about 120 to 210km/s). The maximum expansion velocity is found for the blue component of the split H$\alpha$ absorption: 450km/s for December 12, 1995. The model atmospheres method is used to determine the star's parameters: Teff=7500K, log g=2.0, $\xi_t$=6.0km/s, and metallicity, which is equal to the solar value. The main peculiarity of the chemical abundances pattern is the overabundance of lithium and sodium. The results cast some doubt on the classification of V2324Cyg as a post-AGB star.Comment: 28 pages, 6 figure

The radial distribution of dust species in young brown dwarf disks

We present a study of the radial distribution of dust species in young brown dwarf disks. Our work is based on a compositional analysis of the 10 and 20 micron silicate emission features for brown dwarfs in the Taurus-Auriga star-forming region. A fundamental finding of our work is that brown dwarfs exhibit stronger signs of dust processing in the cold component of the disk, compared to the higher mass T Tauri stars in Taurus. For nearly all of our targets, we find a flat disk structure, which is consistent with the stronger signs of dust processing observed in these disks. For the case of one brown dwarf, 2M04230607, we find the forsterite mass fraction to be a factor of ~3 higher in the outer disk compared to the inner disk region. Simple large-scale radial mixing cannot account for this gradient in the dust chemical composition, and some local crystalline formation mechanism may be effective in this disk. The relatively high abundance of crystalline silicates in the outer cold regions of brown dwarf disks provides an interesting analogy to comets. In this context, we have discussed the applicability of the various mechanisms that have been proposed for comets on the formation and the outward transport of high-temperature material. We also present Chandra X-ray observations for two Taurus brown dwarfs, 2M04414825 and CFHT-BD-Tau 9. We find 2M04414825, which has a ~12% crystalline mass fraction, to be more than an order of magnitude brighter in X-ray than CFHT-BD-Tau 9, which has a ~35% crystalline mass fraction. Combining with previous X-ray data, we find the inner disk crystalline mass fractions to be anti-correlated with the X-ray strength.Comment: Accepted in MNRA

SPITZER survey of dust grain processing in stable discs around binary post-AGB stars

Aims: We investigate the mineralogy and dust processing in the circumbinary discs of binary post-AGB stars using high-resolution TIMMI2 and SPITZER infrared spectra. Methods: We perform a full spectral fitting to the infrared spectra using the most recent opacities of amorphous and crystalline dust species. This allows for the identification of the carriers of the different emission bands. Our fits also constrain the physical properties of different dust species and grain sizes responsible for the observed emission features. Results: In all stars the dust is oxygen-rich: amorphous and crystalline silicate dust species prevail and no features of a carbon-rich component can be found, the exception being EPLyr, where a mixed chemistry of both oxygen- and carbon-rich species is found. Our full spectral fitting indicates a high degree of dust grain processing. The mineralogy of our sample stars shows that the dust is constituted of irregularly shaped and relatively large grains, with typical grain sizes larger than 2 micron. The spectra of nearly all stars show a high degree of crystallinity, where magnesium-rich end members of olivine and pyroxene silicates dominate. Other dust features of e.g. silica or alumina are not present at detectable levels. Temperature estimates from our fitting routine show that a significant fraction of grains must be cool, significantly cooler than the glass temperature. This shows that radial mixing is very efficient is these discs and/or indicates different thermal conditions at grain formation. Our results show that strong grain processing is not limited to young stellar objects and that the physical processes occurring in the discs are very similar to those in protoplanetary discs.Comment: 22pages, 50 figures (in appendix), accepted for A&

BAs and boride III-V alloys

Boron arsenide, the typically-ignored member of the III-V arsenide series BAs-AlAs-GaAs-InAs is found to resemble silicon electronically: its Gamma conduction band minimum is p-like (Gamma_15), not s-like (Gamma_1c), it has an X_1c-like indirect band gap, and its bond charge is distributed almost equally on the two atoms in the unit cell, exhibiting nearly perfect covalency. The reasons for these are tracked down to the anomalously low atomic p orbital energy in the boron and to the unusually strong s-s repulsion in BAs relative to most other III-V compounds. We find unexpected valence band offsets of BAs with respect to GaAs and AlAs. The valence band maximum (VBM) of BAs is significantly higher than that of AlAs, despite the much smaller bond length of BAs, and the VBM of GaAs is only slightly higher than in BAs. These effects result from the unusually strong mixing of the cation and anion states at the VBM. For the BAs-GaAs alloys, we find (i) a relatively small (~3.5 eV) and composition-independent band gap bowing. This means that while addition of small amounts of nitrogen to GaAs lowers the gap, addition of small amounts of boron to GaAs raises the gap (ii) boron ``semi-localized'' states in the conduction band (similar to those in GaN-GaAs alloys), and (iii) bulk mixing enthalpies which are smaller than in GaN-GaAs alloys. The unique features of boride III-V alloys offer new opportunities in band gap engineering.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figures, 6 tables, 61 references. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B. Scheduled to appear Oct. 15 200

Hygienisation, gentrification, and urban displacement in Brazil

This article engages recent debates over gentrification and urban displacement in the global South. While researchers increasingly suggest that gentrification is becoming widespread in “Southern” cities, others argue that such analyses overlook important differences in empirical context and privilege EuroAmerican theoretical frameworks. To respond to this debate, in this article, we outline the concept of higienização (hygienisation), arguing that it captures important contextual factors missed by gentrification. Hygienisation is a Brazilian term that describes a particular form of urban displacement, and is directly informed by legacies of colonialism, racial and class stigma, informality, and state violence. Our objective is to show how “Southern” concepts like hygienisation help urban researchers gain better insight into processes of urban displacement, while also responding to recent calls to decentre and provincialise urban theory

Search for chargino-neutralino production with mass splittings near the electroweak scale in three-lepton final states in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry through the pair production of electroweakinos with mass splittings near the electroweak scale and decaying via on-shell W and Z bosons is presented for a three-lepton final state. The analyzed proton-proton collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13  TeV were collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb−1. A search, emulating the recursive jigsaw reconstruction technique with easily reproducible laboratory-frame variables, is performed. The two excesses observed in the 2015–2016 data recursive jigsaw analysis in the low-mass three-lepton phase space are reproduced. Results with the full data set are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. They are interpreted to set exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on simplified models of chargino-neutralino pair production for masses up to 345 GeV