469 research outputs found
Inelastic Diffraction and Spectroscopy of Very Weakly Bound Clusters
We study the coherent inelastic diffraction of very weakly bound two body
clusters from a material transmission grating. We show that internal
transitions of the clusters can lead to new separate peaks in the diffraction
pattern whose angular positions determine the excitation energies. Using a
quantum mechanical approach to few body scattering theory we determine the
relative peak intensities for the diffraction of the van der Waals dimers
(D_2)_2 and H_2-D_2. Based on the results for these realistic examples we
discuss the possible applications and experimental challenges of this coherent
inelastic diffraction technique.Comment: 15 pages + 5 figures. J. Phys. B (in press
A Pre-Protostellar Core in L1551
Large field surveys of NH3, C2S, 13CO and C18O in the L1551 dark cloud have
revealed a prolate, pre-protostellar molecular core (L1551-MC) in a relatively
quiescent region to the northwest of the well-known IRS 5 source. The kinetic
temperature is measured to be 9K, the total mass is ~2Msun, and the average
particle density is 10^4-10^5 cm^(-3). L1551-MC is 2.25' x 1.11' in projection
oriented at a position angle of 133deg. The turbulent motions are on the order
of the sound speed in the medium and contain 4% of the gravitational energy,
E_{grav}, of the core. The angular momentum vector is projected along the major
axis of L1551-MC corresponding to a rotational energy of 2.5E-3(sin
i)^(-2)|E_{grav}|. The thermal energy constitutes about a third of |E_{grav}|
and the virial mass is approximately equal to the total mass. L1551-MC is
gravitationally bound and in the absence of strong, ~160 microgauss, magnetic
fields will likely contract on a ~0.3 Myr time scale. The line profiles of many
molecular species suggest that the cold quiescent interior is surrounded by a
dynamic, perhaps infalling envelope which is embedded within the ambient
molecular gas of L1551.Comment: 27 pages, 7 figures, ApJ accepte
Gravitational wave forms for a three-body system in Lagrange's orbit: parameter determinations and a binary source test
Continuing work initiated in an earlier publication [Torigoe et al. Phys.
Rev. Lett. {\bf 102}, 251101 (2009)], gravitational wave forms for a three-body
system in Lagrange's orbit are considered especially in an analytic method.
First, we derive an expression of the three-body wave forms at the mass
quadrupole, octupole and current quadrupole orders. By using the expressions,
we solve a gravitational-wave {\it inverse} problem of determining the source
parameters to this particular configuration (three masses, a distance of the
source to an observer, and the orbital inclination angle to the line of sight)
through observations of the gravitational wave forms alone. For this purpose,
the chirp mass to a three-body system in the particular configuration is
expressed in terms of only the mass ratios by deleting initial angle positions.
We discuss also whether and how a binary source can be distinguished from a
three-body system in Lagrange's orbit or others.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, 1 table; text improved, typos corrected;
accepted for publication in PR
The nature of the dense core population in the Pipe Nebula: A survey of NH3, CCS, and HC5N molecular line emission
Recent extinction studies of the Pipe Nebula (d=130 pc) reveal many cores
spanning a range in mass from 0.2 to 20.4 Msun. These dense cores were
identified via their high extinction and comprise a starless population in a
very early stage of development. Here we present a survey of NH3 (1,1), NH3
(2,2), CCS (2_1,1_0), and HC5N (9,8) emission toward 46 of these cores. An
atlas of the 2MASS extinction maps is also presented. In total, we detect 63%
of the cores in NH3 (1,1) 22% in NH3 (2,2), 28% in CCS, and 9% in HC5N
emission. We find the cores are associated with dense gas (~10^4 cm-3) with 9.5
< T_k < 17 K. Compared to C18O, we find the NH3 linewidths are systematically
narrower, implying that the NH3 is tracing the dense component of the gas and
that these cores are relatively quiescent. We find no correlation between core
linewidth and size. The derived properties of the Pipe cores are similar to
cores within other low-mass star-forming regions: the only differences are that
the Pipe cores have weaker NH3 emision and most show no current star formation
as evidenced by the lack of embedded infrared sources. Such weak NH3 emission
could arise due to low column densities and abundances or reduced excitation
due to relatively low core volume densities. Either alternative implies that
the cores are relatively young. Thus, the Pipe cores represent an excellent
sample of dense cores in which to study the initial conditions for star
formation and the earliest stages of core formation and evolution.Comment: 35 pages, 10 figures (excluding the appendix). For the complete
appendix contact [email protected]. Accepted for publication in ApJ
Rotational quenching rate coefficients for H_2 in collisions with H_2 from 2 to 10,000 K
Rate coefficients for rotational transitions in H_2 induced by H_2 impact are
presented. Extensive quantum mechanical coupled-channel calculations based on a
recently published (H_2)_2 potential energy surface were performed. The
potential energy surface used here is presumed to be more reliable than
surfaces used in previous work. Rotational transition cross sections with
initial levels J <= 8 were computed for collision energies ranging between
0.0001 and 2.5 eV, and the corresponding rate coefficients were calculated for
the temperature range 2 < T <10,000 K. In general, agreement with earlier
calculations, which were limited to 100-6000 K, is good though discrepancies
are found at the lowest and highest temperatures. Low-density-limit cooling
functions due to para- and ortho-H_2 collisions are obtained from the
collisional rate coefficients. Implications of the new results for non-thermal
H_2 rotational distributions in molecular regions are also investigated
Choreographic solution to the general relativistic three-body problem
We revisit the three-body problem in the framework of general relativity. The
Newtonian N-body problem admits choreographic solutions, where a solution is
called choreographic if every massive particles move periodically in a single
closed orbit. One is a stable figure-eight orbit for a three-body system, which
was found first by Moore (1993) and re-discovered with its existence proof by
Chenciner and Montgomery (2000). In general relativity, however, the periastron
shift prohibits a binary system from orbiting in a single closed curve.
Therefore, it is unclear whether general relativistic effects admit a
choreographic solution such as the figure eight. We carefully examine general
relativistic corrections to initial conditions so that an orbit for a
three-body system can be closed and a figure eight. This solution is still
choreographic. This illustration suggests that the general relativistic N-body
problem also may admit a certain class of choreographic solutions.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, text improved, accepted for publication in PR
The Yarkovsky Drift's Influence on NEAs: Trends and Predictions with NEOWISE Measurements
We used WISE-derived geometric albedos (p_V) and diameters, as well as
geometric albedos and diameters from the literature, to produce more accurate
diurnal Yarkovsky drift predictions for 540 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) out of
the current sample of \sim 8,800 known objects. As ten of the twelve objects
with the fastest predicted rates have observed arcs of less than a decade, we
list upcoming apparitions of these NEAs to facilitate observations.Comment: Accepted for publication by The Astronomical Journal. 41 pages, 3
figure
Uniqueness of collinear solutions for the relativistic three-body problem
Continuing work initiated in an earlier publication [Yamada, Asada, Phys.
Rev. D 82, 104019 (2010)], we investigate collinear solutions to the general
relativistic three-body problem. We prove the uniqueness of the configuration
for given system parameters (the masses and the end-to-end length). First, we
show that the equation determining the distance ratio among the three masses,
which has been obtained as a seventh-order polynomial in the previous paper,
has at most three positive roots, which apparently provide three cases of the
distance ratio. It is found, however, that, even for such cases, there exists
one physically reasonable root and only one, because the remaining two positive
roots do not satisfy the slow motion assumption in the post-Newtonian
approximation and are thus discarded. This means that, especially for the
restricted three-body problem, exactly three positions of a third body are true
even at the post-Newtonian order. They are relativistic counterparts of the
Newtonian Lagrange points L1, L2 and L3. We show also that, for the same masses
and full length, the angular velocity of the post-Newtonian collinear
configuration is smaller than that for the Newtonian case. Provided that the
masses and angular rate are fixed, the relativistic end-to-end length is
shorter than the Newtonian one.Comment: 18 pages, 1 figure; typos corrected, text improved; accepted by PR
Collinear solution to the general relativistic three-body problem
The three-body problem is reexamined in the framework of general relativity.
The Newtonian three-body problem admits Euler's collinear solution, where three
bodies move around the common center of mass with the same orbital period and
always line up. The solution is unstable. Hence it is unlikely that such a
simple configuration would exist owing to general relativistic forces dependent
not only on the masses but also on the velocity of each body. However, we show
that the collinear solution remains true with a correction to the spatial
separation between masses. Relativistic corrections to the Sun-Jupiter Lagrange
points L1, L2 and L3 are also evaluated.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in PR
The Nature of the Molecular Environment within 5 pc of the Galactic Center
We present a detailed study of molecular gas in the central 10pc of the
Galaxy through spectral line observations of four rotation inversion
transitions of NH3 made with the VLA. Updated line widths and NH3(1,1)
opacities are presented, and temperatures, column densities, and masses are
derived. We examine the impact of Sgr A East on molecular material at the
Galactic center and find that there is no evidence that the expansion of this
shell has moved a significant amount of the 50 km/s GMC. The western streamer,
however, shows strong indications that it is composed of material swept-up by
the expansion of Sgr A East. Using the mass and kinematics of the western
streamer, we calculate an energy of E=(2-9)x10^{51} ergs for the progenitor
explosion and conclude that Sgr A East was most likely produced by a single
supernova. The temperature structure of molecular gas in the central ~20pc is
also analyzed in detail. We find that molecular gas has a ``two-temperature''
structure similar to that measured by Huttemeister et al. (2003a) on larger
scales. The largest observed line ratios, however, cannot be understood in
terms of a two-temperature model, and most likely result from absorption of
NH3(3,3) emission by cool surface layers of clouds. By comparing the observed
NH3 (6,6)-to-(3,3) line ratios, we disentangle three distinct molecular
features within a projected distance of 2pc from Sgr A*. Gas associated with
the highest line ratios shows kinematic signatures of both rotation and
expansion. The southern streamer shows no significant velocity gradients and
does not appear to be directly associated with either the circumnuclear disk or
the nucleus. The paper concludes with a discussion of the line-of-sight
arrangement of the main features in the central 10pc.Comment: 51 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ. Due to size
limitations, some of the images have been cut from this version. A complete,
color PS or PDF version can be downloaded from
http://www.astro.columbia.edu/~herrnstein/NH3/paper
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