320 research outputs found
Time-Dependent MHD Shocks and Line Emission: The Case of the DG Tau Jet
The line emission from a growing number of Herbig-Haro jets can be observed
and resolved at angular distances smaller than a few arcseconds from the
central source. The interpretation of this emission is problematic, since the
simplest model of a cooling jet cannot sustain it. It has been suggested that
what one actually observes are shocked regions with a filling factor of . In this framework, up to now, comparisons with observations have been
based on stationary shock models. Here we introduce for the first time the
self-consistent dynamics of such shocks and we show that considering their
properties at different times, i.e. locations, we can reproduce observational
data of the DG Tau microjet. In particular, we can interpret the spatial
behavior of the [SII]6716/6731 and [NII]/[OI]6583/6300 line intensity ratios
adopting a set of physical parameters that yield values of mass loss rates and
magnetic fields consistent with previous estimates. We also obtain the values
of the mean ionization fraction and electron density along the jet, compare
these values with the ones derived from observations using the sulfur doublet
to constrain the electron density (e.g. Bacciotti et al. 1995).Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Numerical simulations of radiative magnetized Herbig-Haro jets: the influence of pre-ionization from X-rays on emission lines
We investigate supersonic, axisymmetric magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) jets with a
time-dependent injection velocity by numerical simulations with the PLUTO code.
Using a comprehensive set of parameters, we explore different jet
configurations in the attempt to construct models that can be directly compared
to observational data of microjets. In particular, we focus our attention on
the emitting properties of traveling knots and construct, at the same time,
accurate line intensity ratios and surface brightness maps. Direct comparison
of the resulting brightness and line intensity ratios distributions with
observational data of microjets shows that a closer match can be obtained only
when the jet material is pre-ionized to some degree. A very likely source for a
pre-ionized medium is photoionization by X-ray flux coming from the central
object.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
Tomographic reconstruction of the three-dimensional structure of the HH30 jet
The physical parameters of Herbig-Haro jets are usually determined from
emission line ratios, obtained from spectroscopy or narrow band imaging,
assuming that the emitting region is homogeneous along the line of sight. Under
the more general hypothesis of axisymmetry, we apply tomographic reconstruction
techniques to the analysis of Herbig-Haro jets. We use data of the HH30 jet
taken by Hartigan & Morse (2007) with the Hubble space telescope using the
slitless spectroscopy technique. Using a non-parametric Tikhonov regularization
technique, we determine the volumetric emission line intensities of the
[SII]6716,6731, [OI]6300 and [NII]6583 forbidden emission lines. From our
tomographic analysis of the corresponding line ratios, we produce
"three-dimensional" images of the physical parameters. The reconstructed
density, temperature and ionization fraction present much steeper profiles than
those inferred using the assumption of homogeneity. Our technique reveals that
the reconstructed jet is much more collimated than the observed one close to
the source (a width ~ 5 AU vs. ~ 20 AU at a distance of 10 AU from the star),
while they have similar widths at larger distances. In addition, our results
show a much more fragmented and irregular jet structure than the classical
analysis, suggesting that the the ejection history of the jet from the
star-disk system has a shorter timescale component (~ some months) superimposed
on a longer, previously observed timescale (of a few years). Finally, we
discuss the possible application of the same technique to other stellar jets
and planetary nebulae.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted by Ap
Searching for jet rotation in Class 0/I sources observed with GEMINI/GNIRS.
Original article can be found at: http://www.aanda.org/
Copyright The European Southern ObservatoryContext: In recent years, there has been a number of detections of gradients in the radial velocity profile across jets from young stars. The significance of these results is considerable. They may be interpreted as a signature of jet rotation about its symmetry axis, thereby representing the only existing observational indications supporting the theory that jets extract angular momentum from star-disk systems. However, the possibility that we are indeed observing jet rotation in pre-main sequence systems is undergoing active debate.
Aims: To test the validity of a rotation argument, we must extend the survey to a larger sample, including younger sources.
Methods: We present the latest results of a radial velocity analysis on jets from Class 0 and I sources, using high resolution data from the infrared spectrograph GNIRS on GEMINI South. We obtained infrared spectra of protostellar jets HH 34, HH 111-H, HH 212 NK1 and SK1.
Results: The [Fe II] emission was unresolved in all cases and so Doppler shifts across the jet width could not be accessed. The H2 emission was resolved in all cases except HH 34. Doppler profiles across the molecular emission were obtained, and gradients in radial velocity of typically 3 km s-1 identified.
Conclusions: Agreement with previous studies implies they may be interpreted as jet rotation, leading to toroidal velocity and angular momentum flux estimates of 1.5 km s-1 and 1 × 10-5 yr-1 AU km s-1 respectively. However, caution is needed. For example, emission is asymmetric across the jets from HH 212 suggesting a more complex interpretation is warranted. Furthermore, observations for HH 212 and HH 111-H are conducted far from the source implying external influences are more likely to confuse the intrinsic flow kinematics. These observations demonstrate the difficulty of conducting this study from the ground, and highlight the necessity for high angular resolution via adaptive optics or space-based facilities
ALMA polarimetric studies of rotating jet/disk systems
We have recently obtained polarimetric data at mm wavelengths with ALMA for
the young systems DG Tau and CW Tau, for which the rotation properties of jet
and disk have been investigated in previous high angular resolution studies.
The motivation was to test the models of magneto-centrifugal launch of jets via
the determination of the magnetic configuration at the disk surface. The
analysis of these data, however, reveals that self-scattering of dust thermal
radiation dominates the polarization pattern. It is shown that even if no
information on the magnetic field can be derived in this case, the polarization
data are a powerful tool for the diagnostics of the properties and the
evolution of dust in protoplanetary disks.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, to appear in "Jet Simulations, Experiments and
Theory. Ten years after JETSET, what is next ?", C. Sauty ed., Springer
Natur
Jets and Outflows From Star to Cloud: Observations Confront Theory
In this review we focus on the role jets and outflows play in the star and
planet formation process. Our essential question can be posed as follows: are
jets/outflows merely an epiphenomenon associated with star formation or do they
play an important role in mediating the physics of assembling stars both
individually and globally? We address this question by reviewing the current
state of observations and their key points of contact with theory. Our review
of jet/outflow phenomena is organized into three length-scale domains: Source
and Disk Scales ( au) where the connection with protostellar and disk
evolution theories is paramount; Envelope Scales ( au) where the
chemistry and propagation shed further light on the jet launching process, its
variability and its impact on the infalling envelope; Parent Cloud Scales
( au) where global momentum injection into cluster/cloud
environments become relevant. Issues of feedback are of particular importance
on the smallest scales where planet formation regions in a disk may be impacted
by the presence of disk winds, irradiation by jet shocks or shielding by the
winds. Feedback on envelope scales may determine the final stellar mass
(core-to-star efficiency) and envelope dissipation. Feedback also plays an
important role on the larger scales with outflows contributing to turbulent
support within clusters including alteration of cluster star formation
efficiencies (feedback on larger scales currently appears unlikely). A
particularly novel dimension of our review is that we consider results on jet
dynamics from the emerging field of High Energy Density Laboratory Astrophysics
(HEDLA). HEDLA is now providing direct insights into the 3-D dynamics of fully
magnetized, hypersonic, radiative outflows.Comment: Accepted for publication as a chapter in Protostars and Planets VI,
University of Arizona Press (2014), eds. H. Beuther, R. Klessen, C.
Dullemond, Th. Hennin
The kinematic relationship between disk and jet in the DG Tauri system
We present high angular resolution millimeter wavelength continuum and
13CO(2-1) observations of the circumstellar disk surrounding the TTauri star DG
Tauri. We show that the velocity pattern in the inner regions of the disk is
consistent with Keplerian rotation about a central 0.67 Msun star. The disk
rotation is also consistent with the toroidal velocity pattern in the initial
channel of the optical jet, as inferred from HST spectra of the first
de-projected 100 AU from the source. Our observations support the tight
relationship between disk and jet kinematics postulated by the popular
magneto-centrifugal models for jet formation and collimation.Comment: 4 pages, A&A Letter accepte
An output-sensitive algorithm for the minimization of 2-dimensional String Covers
String covers are a powerful tool for analyzing the quasi-periodicity of
1-dimensional data and find applications in automata theory, computational
biology, coding and the analysis of transactional data. A \emph{cover} of a
string is a string for which every letter of lies within some
occurrence of . String covers have been generalized in many ways, leading to
\emph{k-covers}, \emph{-covers}, \emph{approximate covers} and were
studied in different contexts such as \emph{indeterminate strings}.
In this paper we generalize string covers to the context of 2-dimensional
data, such as images. We show how they can be used for the extraction of
textures from images and identification of primitive cells in lattice data.
This has interesting applications in image compression, procedural terrain
generation and crystallography
On the use of shape memory alloys for deployable passive heat radiators in space satellites
The present work presents a multifunctional structure for space engineering application part of the TOPDESS project, funded by ESA.
The main aim of the project is the design of a thermal control device able to deploy through passive actuation. A combined device has been designed, made up of a Pulsating Heat Pipe (PHP) foldable heat exchanger and Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wire. The deployment of the SMA wire is conceived to be controlled by thermal contact with the heat source and by conduction along the wire. Since the heat sources are lumped and the wire is subject to convection, a temperature gradient develops along the wire.
A monodimensional mode able to predict the behavior of an SMA wire subjected to a spatial temperature gradient, is presented in this paper.
The results show that the system can carry out folding and unfolding cycles with rotation angles greater than 80° only if the wire is subjected to uniform temperature distribution; in the case of temperature gradient, the achievable rotation angle is about 20°.
The analysis states the feasibility of the actuation system, highlighting the critical technological aspects, to lay the groundwork for the future development of the whole system
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