3,108 research outputs found
Understanding stellar activity-induced radial velocity jitter using simultaneous K2 photometry and HARPS RV measurements
One of the best ways to improve our understanding of the stellar
activity-induced signal in radial velocity (RV) measurements is through
simultaneous high-precision photometric and RV observations. This is of prime
importance to mitigate the RV signal induced by stellar activity and therefore
unveil the presence of low-mass exoplanets. The K2 Campaign 7 and 8
field-of-views were located in the southern hemisphere, and provided a unique
opportunity to gather unprecedented simultaneous high precision photometric
observation with K2 and high-precision RV measurements with the HARPS
spectrograph to study the relationship between photometric variability and RV
jitter. We observed nine stars with different levels of activity; from quiet to
very active. We probe the presence of any meaningful relation between measured
RV jitter and the simultaneous photometric variation, and also other activity
indicators (e.g. BIS, FWHM, , and F8), by evaluating the strength
and significance of the correlation between RVs and each indicator. We found
that for the case of very active stars, strong and significant correlations
exist between almost all the observables and measured RVs; however, for lower
activity levels the correlations become random. Except for the F8 which its
strong correlation with RV jitter persists over a wide range of stellar
activity level, and thus our result suggests that F8 might be a powerful proxy
for activity induced RV jitter. Moreover, we examine the capability of two
state-of-the-art modeling techniques, namely the FF' method and SOAP2.0, in
accurately predicting the RV jitter amplitude using the simultaneous
photometric observation. We found that for the very active stars both
techniques can reasonably well predict the amplitude of the RV jitter, however,
at lower activity levels the FF' method underpredicts the RV jitter amplitude.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in A&
Local cosmic string in generalised scalar tensor theory
A recent investigation shows that a local gauge string with a
phenomenological energy momentum tensor, as prescribed by Vilenkin, is
inconsistent in Brans-Dicke theory. In this work it has been shown that such a
string is consistent in a more general scalar tensor theory where is
function of the scalar field.A set of solutions of full nonlinear Einstein's
equations for interior region of such a string are presented.Comment: 7 pages, latex format, minor changes according to referee's
suggestions, revised version submitted in Phys.Rev.
Absolute masses and radii determination in multiplanetary systems without stellar models
The masses and radii of extrasolar planets are key observables for understanding their interior, formation and evolution. While transit photometry and Doppler spectroscopy are used to measure the radii and masses respectively of planets relative to those of their host star, estimates for the true values of these quantities rely on theoretical models of the host star which are known to suffer from systematic differences with observations. When a system is composed of more than two bodies, extra information is contained in the transit photometry and radial velocity data. Velocity information (finite speed-of-light, Doppler) is needed to break the Newtonian MR−3 degeneracy. We performed a photodynamical modelling of the two-planet transiting system Kepler-117 using all photometric and spectroscopic data available. We demonstrate how absolute masses and radii of single-star planetary systems can be obtained without resorting to stellar models. Limited by the precision of available radial velocities (38ms−1), we achieve accuracies of 20 per cent in the radii and 70 per cent in the masses, while simulated 1ms−1 precision radial velocities lower these to 1 per cent for the radii and 2 per cent for the masses. Since transiting multiplanet systems are common, this technique can be used to measure precisely the mass and radius of a large sample of stars and planets. We anticipate these measurements will become common when the TESS and PLATO mission provide high-precision light curves of a large sample of bright stars. These determinations will improve our knowledge about stars and planets, and provide strong constraints on theoretical model
phase shifts and CP Violation in Decay
In the study of CP violation signals in {\O}\to\pi\Xi nonleptonic decays,
the strong =3/2 and phase shifts for the final-state
interactions are needed. These phases are calculated using an effective
Lagrangian model, including , (1530), and the -term,
in the intermediate states. The -term is calculated in terms of the
scalar form factor of the baryon.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure
Stable mode-locked pulses from mid-infrared semiconductor lasers
We report the unequivocal demonstration of mid-infrared mode-locked pulses
from a semiconductor laser. The train of short pulses was generated by actively
modulating the current and hence the optical gain in a small section of an
edge-emitting quantum cascade laser (QCL). Pulses with pulse duration at
full-width-at-half-maximum of about 3 ps and energy of 0.5 pJ were
characterized using a second-order interferometric autocorrelation technique
based on a nonlinear quantum well infrared photodetector. The mode-locking
dynamics in the QCLs was modelled and simulated based on Maxwell-Bloch
equations in an open two-level system. We anticipate our results to be a
significant step toward a compact, electrically-pumped source generating
ultrashort light pulses in the mid-infrared and terahertz spectral ranges.Comment: 26 pages, 4 figure
Potential distribution of the Andean Condor (Vultu Gryphus) reveals priority sites for conservation in the southern Andes of Ecuador
El Cóndor Andino (Vultur gryphus) se encuentra en declinación, mientras que en Ecuador la mayoría de los esfuerzos de monitoreo se han concentrado en el norte del país. En este trabajo se generó un modelo de distribución potencial del Cóndor Andino para los Andes sur de Ecuador. La altitud y la estacionalidad climática fueron variables importantes en el modelo. Las localidades de mayor altitud son los sitios más convenientes para la especie, aunque las zonas de mediana altitud (aproximadamente 2000 msnm) con estacionalidad climática también son sitios a considerar. En función de los resultados obtenidos, las actividades de conservación de la especie deberían concentrarse en localidades cercanas a Nabón, Girón y Saraguro, las cuales no han sido evaluadas previamente en detalle.The Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) is in decline, while in Ecuador most of the monitoring efforts have been concentrated in the northern portion of the country. In this work a model of potential distribution of the Andean Condor was generated for the southern Andes of Ecuador. Both elevation and climatic seasonality were important variables in the model. Localities at the highest elevations are the most suitable sites for the species, although mid-elevation zones (approximately 2000 masl) with climatic seasonality are also areas to consider. Based on the results obtained, conservation activities should be concentrated in localities near Nabón, Girón and Saraguro, which have not been previously evaluated in detail
The Large Aperture GRB Observatory
The Large Aperture GRB Observatory (LAGO) is aiming at the detection of the
high energy (around 100 GeV) component of Gamma Ray Bursts, using the single
particle technique in arrays of Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCD) in high
mountain sites (Chacaltaya, Bolivia, 5300 m a.s.l., Pico Espejo, Venezuela,
4750 m a.s.l., Sierra Negra, Mexico, 4650 m a.s.l). WCD at high altitude offer
a unique possibility of detecting low gamma fluxes in the 10 GeV - 1 TeV range.
The status of the Observatory and data collected from 2007 to date will be
presented.Comment: 4 pages, proceeding of 31st ICRC 200
Water Cherenkov Detectors response to a Gamma Ray Burst in the Large Aperture GRB Observatory
In order to characterise the behaviour of Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCD)
under a sudden increase of 1 GeV - 1 TeV background photons from a Gamma Ray
Burst (GRB), simulations were conducted and compared to data acquired by the
WCD of the Large Aperture GRB Observatory (LAGO). The LAGO operates arrays of
WCD at high altitude to detect GRBs using the single particle technique. The
LAGO sensitivity to GRBs is derived from the reported simulations of the gamma
initiated particle showers in the atmosphere and the WCD response to
secondaries.Comment: 5 pages, proceeding of the 31st ICRC 200
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