10,039 research outputs found
Synthetic line and continuum linear-polarisation signatures of axisymmetric type II supernova ejecta
We present synthetic single-line and continuum linear-polarisation signatures
due to electron scattering in axially-symmetric Type II supernovae (SNe) which
we calculate using a Monte Carlo and a long-characteristic radiative-transfer
code. Aspherical ejecta are produced by prescribing a latitudinal scaling or
stretching of SN ejecta inputs obtained from 1-D non-LTE time-dependent
calculations. We study polarisation signatures as a function of inclination,
shape factor, wavelength, line identity, post-explosion time. At early times,
cancellation and optical-depth effects make the polarisation intrinsically low,
causing complicated sign reversals with inclination or continuum wavelength,
and across line profiles. While the line polarisation is positive (negative)
for an oblate (prolate) morphology at the peak and in the red wing, the
continuum polarisation may be of any sign. These complex polarisation
variations are produced not just by the asymmetric distribution of scatterers
but also of the flux. Our early-time signatures are in contradiction with
predictions for a centrally illuminated aspherical nebula, although this
becomes a better approximation at nebular times. For a fixed asymmetry, our
synthetic continuum polarisation is generally low, may evolve non-monotonically
during the plateau phase, but it systematically rises as the ejecta become
optically thin. Changes in polarization over time do not necessarily imply a
change in the asymmetry of the ejecta. The SN structure (e.g.,
density/ionization) critically influences the level of polarisation.
Importantly, a low polarisation (<0.5%) at early times does not necessarily
imply a low degree of asymmetry as usually assumed. Asphericity influences
line-profile morphology and the luminosity, which may compromise the accuracy
of SN characteristics inferred from these.Comment: 25 pages, 23 figures, accepted to MNRA
Time Dependent Radiative Transfer Calculations for Supernovae
In previous papers we discussed results from fully time-dependent radiative
transfer models for core-collapse supernova (SN) ejecta, including the Type
II-peculiar SN 1987A, the more "generic" SN II-Plateau, and more recently Type
IIb/Ib/Ic SNe. Here we describe the modifications to our radiative modeling
code, CMFGEN, which allowed those studies to be undertaken. The changes allow
for time-dependent radiative transfer of SN ejecta in homologous expansion. In
the modeling we treat the entire SN ejecta, from the innermost layer that does
not fall back on the compact remnant out to the progenitor surface layers. From
our non-LTE time-dependent line-blanketed synthetic spectra, we compute the
bolometric and multi-band light curves: light curves and spectra are thus
calculated simultaneously using the same physical processes and numerics. These
upgrades, in conjunction with our previous modifications which allow the
solution of the time dependent rate equations, will improve the modeling of SN
spectra and light curves, and hence facilitate new insights into SN ejecta
properties, the SN progenitors and the explosion mechanism(s). CMFGEN can now
be applied to the modeling of all SN typesComment: 20 pages, 10 figures, to appear in MNRA
Topological optimisation of rod-stirring devices
There are many industrial situations where rods are used to stir a fluid, or
where rods repeatedly stretch a material such as bread dough or taffy. The goal
in these applications is to stretch either material lines (in a fluid) or the
material itself (for dough or taffy) as rapidly as possible. The growth rate of
material lines is conveniently given by the topological entropy of the rod
motion. We discuss the problem of optimising such rod devices from a
topological viewpoint. We express rod motions in terms of generators of the
braid group, and assign a cost based on the minimum number of generators needed
to write the braid. We show that for one cost function -- the topological
entropy per generator -- the optimal growth rate is the logarithm of the golden
ratio. For a more realistic cost function,involving the topological entropy per
operation where rods are allowed to move together, the optimal growth rate is
the logarithm of the silver ratio, . We show how to construct
devices that realise this optimal growth, which we call silver mixers.Comment: 22 pages, 53 figures. PDFLaTeX with RevTex4 macros
A one-dimensional Chandrasekhar-mass delayed-detonation model for the broad-lined Type Ia supernova 2002bo
We present 1D non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) time-dependent
radiative-transfer simulations of a Chandrasekhar-mass delayed-detonation model
which synthesizes 0.51 Msun of 56Ni, and confront our results to the Type Ia
supernova (SN Ia) 2002bo over the first 100 days of its evolution. Assuming
only homologous expansion, this same model reproduces the bolometric and
multi-band light curves, the secondary near-infrared (NIR) maxima, and the
optical and NIR spectra. The chemical stratification of our model qualitatively
agrees with previous inferences by Stehle et al., but reveals significant
quantitative differences for both iron-group and intermediate-mass elements. We
show that +/-0.1 Msun (i.e., +/-20 per cent) variations in 56Ni mass have a
modest impact on the bolometric and colour evolution of our model. One notable
exception is the U-band, where a larger abundance of iron-group elements
results in less opaque ejecta through ionization effects, our model with more
56Ni displaying a higher near-UV flux level. In the NIR range, such variations
in 56Ni mass affect the timing of the secondary maxima but not their magnitude,
in agreement with observational results. Moreover, the variation in the I, J,
and K_s magnitudes is less than 0.1 mag within ~10 days from bolometric
maximum, confirming the potential of NIR photometry of SNe Ia for cosmology.
Overall, the delayed-detonation mechanism in single Chandrasekhar-mass white
dwarf progenitors seems well suited for SN 2002bo and similar SNe Ia displaying
a broad Si II 6355 A line. Whatever multidimensional processes are at play
during the explosion leading to these events, they must conspire to produce an
ejecta comparable to our spherically-symmetric model.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. The hydrodynamical input and
synthetic spectra are available at https://www-n.oca.eu/supernova/home.html .
Minor changes from v1: corrected several typos and updated acknowledgement
Topological Mixing with Ghost Rods
Topological chaos relies on the periodic motion of obstacles in a
two-dimensional flow in order to form nontrivial braids. This motion generates
exponential stretching of material lines, and hence efficient mixing. Boyland
et al. [P. L. Boyland, H. Aref, and M. A. Stremler, J. Fluid Mech. 403, 277
(2000)] have studied a specific periodic motion of rods that exhibits
topological chaos in a viscous fluid. We show that it is possible to extend
their work to cases where the motion of the stirring rods is topologically
trivial by considering the dynamics of special periodic points that we call
ghost rods, because they play a similar role to stirring rods. The ghost rods
framework provides a new technique for quantifying chaos and gives insight into
the mechanisms that produce chaos and mixing. Numerical simulations for Stokes
flow support our results.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures. RevTeX4 format. (Final version
A Fake Split Supersymmetry Model for the 126 GeV Higgs
We consider a scenario where supersymmetry is broken at a high energy scale,
out of reach of the LHC, but leaves a few fermionic states at the TeV scale.
The particle content of the low-energy effective theory is similar to that of
Split Supersymmetry. However, the gauginos and higgsinos are replaced by
fermions carrying the same quantum numbers but having different couplings,
which we call fake gauginos and fake higgsinos. We study the prediction for the
light-Higgs mass in this Fake Split SUSY Model (FSSM). We find that, in
contrast to Split or high-scale supersymmetry, a 126 GeV Higgs boson is easily
obtained even for arbitrarily high values of the supersymmetry scale. For a
supersymmetry scale greater than roughly 100 PeV, the Higgs mass is almost
independent of the supersymmetry scale and the stop mixing parameter, while the
observed value is achieved for tan beta between 1.3 and 1.8 depending on the
gluino mass.Comment: 23 pages, 4 figures; v2: matches published versio
Critical ingredients of supernova Ia radiative-transfer modeling
We explore the physics of SN Ia light curves and spectra using the 1-D
non-LTE time-dependent radiative-transfer code CMFGEN. Rather than adjusting
ejecta properties to match observations, we select as input one "standard" 1-D
Chandrasekhar-mass delayed-detonation hydrodynamical model, and then explore
the sensitivity of radiation and gas properties on radiative-transfer modeling
assumptions. The correct computation of SN Ia radiation is not exclusively a
solution to an "opacity problem", characterized by the treatment of a large
number of lines. It is also key to treat important atomic processes
consistently. Besides handling line blanketing in non-LTE, we show that
including forbidden line transitions of metals is increasingly important for
the temperature and ionization of the gas beyond maximum light. Non-thermal
ionization and excitation are also critical since they affect the color
evolution and the Delta-M15 of our model. While impacting little the bolometric
luminosity, a more complete treatment of decay routes leads to enhanced line
blanketing, e.g., associated with 48Ti in the U and B bands. Overall, we find
that SN Ia radiation properties are influenced in a complicated way by the
atomic data we employ, so that obtaining converged results is a challenge. We
nonetheless obtain a good match to the golden standard type Ia SN 2005cf in the
optical and near-IR, from 5 to 60d after explosion, suggesting that assuming
spherical symmetry is not detrimental to SN Ia radiative-transfer modeling at
these times. Multi-D effects no doubt matter, but they are perhaps less
important than accurately treating non-LTE processes [abridged].Comment: Accepted to MNRA
A Bound on Mixing Efficiency for the Advection-Diffusion Equation
An upper bound on the mixing efficiency is derived for a passive scalar under
the influence of advection and diffusion with a body source. For a given
stirring velocity field, the mixing efficiency is measured in terms of an
equivalent diffusivity, which is the molecular diffusivity that would be
required to achieve the same level of fluctuations in the scalar concentration
in the absence of stirring, for the same source distribution. The bound on the
equivalent diffusivity depends only on the functional "shape" of both the
source and the advecting field. Direct numerical simulations performed for a
simple advecting flow to test the bounds are reported.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, JFM format (included
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