16,484 research outputs found
Theoretical Clues to the Ultraviolet Diversity of Type Ia Supernovae
The effect of metallicity on the observed light of Type Ia supernovae (SNe
Ia) could lead to systematic errors as the absolute magnitudes of local and
distant SNe Ia are compared to measure luminosity distances and determine
cosmological parameters. The UV light may be especially sensitive to
metallicity, though different modeling methods disagree as to the magnitude,
wavelength dependence, and even the sign of the effect. The outer density
structure, ^56 Ni, and to a lesser degree asphericity, also impact the UV. We
compute synthetic photometry of various metallicity-dependent models and
compare to UV/optical photometry from the Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope.
We find that the scatter in the mid-UV to near-UV colors is larger than
predicted by changes in metallicity alone and is not consistent with reddening.
We demonstrate that a recently employed method to determine relative abundances
using UV spectra can be done using UVOT photometry, but we warn that accurate
results require an accurate model of the cause of the variations. The abundance
of UV photometry now available should provide constraints on models that
typically rely on UV spectroscopy for constraining metallicity, density, and
other parameters. Nevertheless, UV spectroscopy for a variety of SN explosions
is still needed to guide the creation of accurate models. A better
understanding of the influences affecting the UV is important for using SNe Ia
as cosmological probes, as the UV light may test whether SNe Ia are
significantly affected by evolutionary effects.Comment: 10 pages. Submitted to Ap
Whispering Gallery States of Antihydrogen
We study theoretically interference of the long-living quasistationary
quantum states of antihydrogen atoms, localized near a concave material
surface. Such states are an antimatter analog of the whispering gallery states
of neutrons and matter atoms, and similar to the whispering gallery modes of
sound and electro-magnetic waves. Quantum states of antihydrogen are formed by
the combined effect of quantum reflection from van der Waals/Casimir-Polder
(vdW/CP) potential of the surface and the centrifugal potential. We point out a
method for precision studies of quantum reflection of antiatoms from vdW/CP
potential; this method uses interference of the whispering gallery states of
antihydrogen.Comment: 13 pages 7 figure
Assessment of the Low Alloy Cast Steel Inoculation Effects with Chosen Additives
Structure, and thus the mechanical properties of steel are primarily a function of chemical composition and the solidification process which can be influenced by the application of the inoculation treatment. This effect depends on the modifier used. The article presents the results of studies designed to assess the effects of structural low alloy steel inoculation by selected modifying additives. The study was performed on nine casts modeled with different inoculants, assessment of the procedure impact was based on the macrostructure of made castings. The ratio of surface area equivalent to the axial zone of the crystals and columnar crystals zone was adopted as a measure of the inoculation effect
Stellar Population Models and Individual Element Abundances I: Sensitivity of Stellar Evolution Models
Integrated light from distant galaxies is often compared to stellar
population models via the equivalent widths of spectral features--spectral
indices--whose strengths rely on the abundances of one or more elements. Such
comparisons hinge not only on the overall metal abundance but also on relative
abundances. Studies have examined the influence of individual elements on
synthetic spectra but little has been done to address similar issues in the
stellar evolution models that underlie most stellar population models. Stellar
evolution models will primarily be influenced by changes in opacities. In order
to explore this issue in detail, twelve sets of stellar evolution tracks and
isochrones have been created at constant heavy element mass fraction Z that
self-consistently account for varying heavy element mixtures. These sets
include scaled-solar, alpha-enhanced, and individual cases where the elements
C, N, O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, Ca, Ti, and Fe have been enhanced above their
scaled-solar values. The variations that arise between scaled-solar and the
other cases are examined with respect to the H-R diagram and main sequence
lifetimes.Comment: 33 pages, 13 figures, accepted to Ap
On the Spectroscopic Diversity of Type Ia Supernovae
A comparison of the ratio of the depths of two absorption features in the
spectra of TypeIa supernovae (SNe Ia) near the time of maximum brightness with
the blueshift of the deep red Si II absorption feature 10 days after maximum
shows that the spectroscopic diversity of SNe Ia is multi-dimensional. There is
a substantial range of blueshifts at a given value of the depth ratio. We also
find that the spectra of a sample of SNe Ia obtained a week before maximum
brightness can be arranged in a ``blueshift sequence'' that mimics the time
evolution of the pre-maximum-light spectra of an individual SN Ia, the well
observed SN 1994D. Within the context of current SN Ia explosion models, we
suggest that some of the SNe Ia in our sample were delayed-detonations while
others were plain deflagrations.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ
Time Dependent Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer Calculations For 3-Dimensional Supernova Spectra, Lightcurves, and Polarization
We discuss Monte-Carlo techniques for addressing the 3-dimensional
time-dependent radiative transfer problem in rapidly expanding supernova
atmospheres. The transfer code SEDONA has been developed to calculate the
lightcurves, spectra, and polarization of aspherical supernova models. From the
onset of free-expansion in the supernova ejecta, SEDONA solves the radiative
transfer problem self-consistently, including a detailed treatment of gamma-ray
transfer from radioactive decay and with a radiative equilibrium solution of
the temperature structure. Line fluorescence processes can also be treated
directly. No free parameters need be adjusted in the radiative transfer
calculation, providing a direct link between multi-dimensional hydrodynamical
explosion models and observations. We describe the computational techniques
applied in SEDONA, and verify the code by comparison to existing calculations.
We find that convergence of the Monte Carlo method is rapid and stable even for
complicated multi-dimensional configurations. We also investigate the accuracy
of a few commonly applied approximations in supernova transfer, namely the
stationarity approximation and the two-level atom expansion opacity formalism.Comment: 16 pages, ApJ accepte
Paper Session III-C - From Motomir to Meditrain: Medical Instrumentation as Spin-Off from Space Application
The medical instrument MEDITRAIN r (patented) is a computer controlled electromechanical ergometer, which can be used in the neuro-physiological and metabolic analysis of the human motoric system and can be applied in the training, diagnostics & rehabilitation of muscles of the upper or lower extremities.
The design is based on the flight hardware experiment MOTOMIR , which was developed in the context of the joint Austro-Soviet Space Mission AUSTROMIR to the MIR Space Station. MOTOMIR was launched in August 1991 and was in use aboard the space station for basic muscle research and training of the Cosmonauts up to August 1992.
The functional principle of MEDITRAIN is based on the generation of precisely defined motion patterns through velocity controlled translatoric movement of two handles, to which the arms or legs of the patient are latched. These movements can be pre-defined as series of cyclic or acyclic runs of variable duration and velocity between defined start and end points. Via strain gauges in the handles, the isometric, concentric and eccentric forces exerted by the respective muscles are recorded in relation to the position & velocity of the handles (i.e. in relation to the angle and velocity of the respective extremity). In parallel, Electro-Myographic (EMG), Electro-Oculargraphic (EOG) and Electro-Cardiographic (ECG) measurements are performed and correlated to the force and machine data.
MEDITRAIN currently offers up to 32 analog channels operating at a standard sampling rate of 1 kHz. All measurement data can be displayed in real-time and are stored together with the personal data of the respective patient
LiTaO3/Silicon Composite Wafers for the Fabrication of Low Loss Low TCF High Coupling Resonators for Filter Applications
AbstractSAW devices are widely used for radio-frequency (RF) telecommunication filtering and the number of SAW filters, resonators or duplexers is still increasing in RF stage of cellular phones. Therefore, a strong effort is still dedicated to reduce as much as possible their sensitivity to environmental parameter and more specifically to temperature. Bounding processes have been developed at FEMTO-ST and CEA-LETI using either Au/Au or direct bonding techniques for the fabrication of composite wafers combining materials with very different thermoelastic properties, yielding innovative solutions for about-zero temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) bulk acoustic wave devices. In the present work, this approach has been applied to (YXl)/42∘ lithium tantalate plates, bounded onto (100) silicon wafers and thinned down to 25μm. The leading idea already explored by other groups as mentioned in introduction consists in impeding the thermal expansion of the piezoelectric material using silicon limited expansion. 2GHz resonators have been built on such plates and tested electrically and thermally, first by tip probing. A dramatic reduction of the TCF is observed for all the tested devices, allowing to reduce the thermal drift of the resonators down to a few ppm.K-1 within the standard temperature range. We then propose an analysis of the frequency-temperature behavior of the device to improve the resonator design to use these wafers for industrial applications
First visual orbit for the prototypical colliding-wind binary WR 140
Wolf-Rayet stars represent one of the final stages of massive stellar
evolution. Relatively little is known about this short-lived phase and we
currently lack reliable mass, distance, and binarity determinations for a
representative sample. Here we report the first visual orbit for WR
140(=HD193793), a WC7+O5 binary system known for its periodic dust production
episodes triggered by intense colliding winds near periastron passage. The IOTA
and CHARA interferometers resolved the pair of stars in each year from
2003--2009, covering most of the highly-eccentric, 7.9 year orbit. Combining
our results with the recent improved double-line spectroscopic orbit of Fahed
et al. (2011), we find the WR 140 system is located at a distance of 1.67 +/-
0.03 kpc, composed of a WR star with M_WR = 14.9 +/- 0.5 Msun and an O star
with M_O = 35.9 +/- 1.3 Msun. Our precision orbit yields key parameters with
uncertainties times 6 smaller than previous work and paves the way for detailed
modeling of the system. Our newly measured flux ratios at the near-infrared H
and Ks bands allow an SED decomposition and analysis of the component
evolutionary states.Comment: Complete OIFITS dataset included via Data Conservancy Projec
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