292 research outputs found
CH-54B boron/epoxy reinforced tail cone detailed structural substantiation
Structural analysis of tail cone of CH-54B helicopter reinforced with boron/epoxy stringer
Intracluster Red Giant Stars in the Virgo Cluster
We have used the WFPC2 camera of the Hubble Space Telescope to obtain deep
F814W images of a blank field in the Virgo Cluster located 41 arcmin northwest
of M87. We perform star counts in that field, and in another Virgo field
observed by Ferguson, Tanvir & von Hippel (1998), and show that, when compared
to the Hubble Deep Field North and South, the Virgo Cluster contains an excess
of objects with magnitudes I > 27. We attribute this excess to a population of
intracluster red-giant branch (IC-RGB) stars. By modeling the luminosity
function of these stars, we show that the tip of the Virgo RGB is at I = 27.31
+0.27/-0.17 and that the cluster contains a small, but significant, excess of
stars that are up to ~1 mag brighter than this tip. If this luminous component
is due entirely to stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB), it implies an
age for the population of > 2 Gyr; if foreground RGB stars contribute to the
luminous tail, then the derived age for the stars is older still. The
luminosity function also suggests that most of the intracluster stars are
moderately metal-rich (-0.8 < [Fe/H] <-0.2), a result consistent with that
expected from stars that have been tidally stripped from intermediate
luminosity galaxies. Additionally, a comparison with the planetary nebulae in
our field also supports this view, although the existence of a more metal-poor
population (from stripped dwarfs) cannot be ruled out. Our derived average
surface brightness, mu_I = 27.9 +0.3/-0.5 mag/arcsec^2 for Virgo's diffuse
component suggests that intracluster stars contribute 10% to 20% of the
cluster's total I-band luminosity.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figures included, accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journa
Color--Luminosity Relations for the Resolved Hot Stellar Populations in the Centers of M 31 and M 32
We present Faint Object Camera (FOC) ultraviolet images of the central
14x14'' of Messier 31 and Messier 32. The hot stellar population detected in
the composite UV spectra of these nearby galaxies is partially resolved into
individual stars, and their individual colors and apparent magnitudes are
measured. We detect 433 stars in M 31 and 138 stars in M 32, down to detection
limits of m_F275W = 25.5 mag and m_F175W = 24.5 mag. We investigate the
luminosity functions of the sources, their spatial distribution, their
color-magnitude diagrams, and their total integrated far-UV flux. Although M 32
has a weaker UV upturn than M 31, the luminosity functions and color-magnitude
diagrams of M 31 and M 32 are surprisingly similar, and are inconsistent with a
majority contribution from any of the following: PAGB stars more massive than
0.56 Msun, main sequence stars, or blue stragglers. Both the the luminosity
functions and color-magnitude diagrams are consistent with a dominant
population of stars that have evolved from the extreme horizontal branch (EHB)
along tracks with masses between 0.47 and 0.53 Msun. These stars are well below
the detection limits of our images while on the zero-age EHB, but become
detectable while in the more luminous (but shorter) AGB-Manque' and post-early
asymptotic giant branch (PEAGB) phases. The FOC observations require that only
a only a very small fraction of the main sequence population (2% in M 31 and
0.5% in M 32) in these two galaxies evolve though the EHB and post-EHB phases,
with the remainder evolving through bright PAGB evolution that is so rapid that
few if any stars are expected in the small field of view covered by the FOC.Comment: 35 pages, Latex. 19 figures. To appear in ApJ. Uses emulateapj.sty
and apjfonts.sty (included). Color plates distributed seperatedly: fig1.jpg
and fig2.jp
Classical novae from the POINT-AGAPE microlensing survey of M31 -- I. The nova catalogue
The POINT-AGAPE survey is an optical search for gravitational microlensing
events towards the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). As well as microlensing, the survey
is sensitive to many different classes of variable stars and transients. Here
we describe the automated detection and selection pipeline used to identify M31
classical novae (CNe) and we present the resulting catalogue of 20 CN
candidates observed over three seasons. CNe are observed both in the bulge
region as well as over a wide area of the M31 disk. Nine of the CNe are caught
during the final rise phase and all are well sampled in at least two colours.
The excellent light-curve coverage has allowed us to detect and classify CNe
over a wide range of speed class, from very fast to very slow. Among the
light-curves is a moderately fast CN exhibiting entry into a deep transition
minimum, followed by its final decline. We have also observed in detail a very
slow CN which faded by only 0.01 mag day over a 150 day period. We
detect other interesting variable objects, including one of the longest period
and most luminous Mira variables. The CN catalogue constitutes a uniquely
well-sampled and objectively-selected data set with which to study the
statistical properties of classical novae in M31, such as the global nova rate,
the reliability of novae as standard-candle distance indicators and the
dependence of the nova population on stellar environment. The findings of this
statistical study will be reported in a follow-up paper.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, re-submitted for publication in MNRAS, typos
corrected, references updated, figures 5-9 made cleare
The Circumstellar Extinction of Planetary Nebulae
We analyze the dependence of circumstellar extinction on core mass for the
brightest planetary nebulae (PNe) in the Magellanic Clouds and M31. We show
that in all three galaxies, a statistically significant correlation exists
between the two quantities, such that high core mass objects have greater
extinction. We model this behavior, and show that the relation is a simple
consequence of the greater mass loss and faster evolution times of high mass
stars. The relation is important because it provides a natural explanation for
the invariance of the [O III] 5007 planetary nebula luminosity function (PNLF)
with population age: bright Population I PNe are extinguished below the cutoff
of the PNLF. It also explains the counter-intuitive observation that
intrinsically luminous Population I PNe often appear fainter than PNe from
older, low-mass progenitors.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, accepted for ApJ, April 10, 199
The Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function at the Dawn of Gaia
The [O III] 5007 Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function (PNLF) is an excellent
extragalactic standard candle. In theory, the PNLF method should not work at
all, since the luminosities of the brightest planetary nebulae (PNe) should be
highly sensitive to the age of their host stellar population. Yet the method
appears robust, as it consistently produces < 10% distances to galaxies of all
Hubble types, from the earliest ellipticals to the latest-type spirals and
irregulars. It is therefore uniquely suited for cross-checking the results of
other techniques and finding small offsets between the Population I and
Population II distance ladders. We review the calibration of the method and
show that the zero points provided by Cepheids and the Tip of the Red Giant
Branch are in excellent agreement. We then compare the results of the PNLF with
those from Surface Brightness Fluctuation measurements, and show that, although
both techniques agree in a relative sense, the latter method yields distances
that are ~15% larger than those from the PNLF. We trace this discrepancy back
to the calibration galaxies and argue that, due to a small systematic error
associated with internal reddening, the true distance scale likely falls
between the extremes of the two methods. We also demonstrate how PNLF
measurements in the early-type galaxies that have hosted Type Ia supernovae can
help calibrate the SN Ia maximum magnitude-rate of decline relation. Finally,
we discuss how the results from space missions such as Kepler and Gaia can help
our understanding of the PNLF phenomenon and improve our knowledge of the
physics of local planetary nebulae.Comment: 12 pages, invited review at the conference "The Fundamental Cosmic
Distance Scale: State of the Art and Gaia Perspective", to appear in
Astrophysics and Space Scienc
- âŠ