21 research outputs found
White Dwarf Donors in Ultracompact Binaries: The Stellar Structure of Finite Entropy Objects
We discuss the mass-radius (M-R) relations for low-mass (M<0.1 Msun) white
dwarfs (WDs) of arbitrary degeneracy and evolved (He, C, O) composition. We do
so with both a simple analytical model and models calculated by integration of
hydrostatic balance using a modern equation of state valid for fully ionized
plasmas. The M-R plane is divided into three regions where either Coulomb
physics, degenerate electrons or a classical gas dominate the WD structure. For
a given M and central temperature, T_c, the M-R relation has two branches
differentiated by the model's entropy content. We present the M-R relations for
a sequence of constant entropy WDs of arbitrary degeneracy parameterized by M
and T_c for pure He, C, and O. We discuss the applications of these models to
the recently discovered accreting millisecond pulsars. We show the relationship
between the orbital inclination for these binaries and the donor's composition
and T_c. In particular we find from orbital inclination constraints that the
probability XTE J1807-294 can accommodate a He donor is approximately 15% while
for XTE J0929-304, it is approximately 35%. We argue that if the donors in
ultracompact systems evolve adiabatically, there should be 60-160 more systems
at orbital periods of 40 min than at orbital periods of 10 min, depending on
the donor's composition.Comment: emulateapj style, 11 pages, 12 figures. Accepted to the Astrophysical
Journal. Tables with interpolation routines of the M-R relations are
available at http://www.physics.ucsb.edu/~cjdeloye/research.htm
Millihertz Quasi-periodic Optical Oscillations in 4U 0614+091
We report the discovery of a 1mHz optical quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) in
the candidate ultracompact low-mass X-ray binary 4U 0614+091. The ultra-low
frequency QPO has no X-ray counterpart in contemporaneous RXTE/PCA data and is
likely a signature of structure in the accretion disk. The QPO can be
reasonably fitted with a single sine wave but with a phase jump part way
through the observation, indicating that it is not coherent.We also identify a
48 min modulation, approximately consistent with the suggested orbital period
of O'Brien (2005) and Shahbaz et al. (2008). If this is indeed orbital, it
supports an identification of 4U 0614+091 as an ultra-compact source.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of
the Royal Astronomical Societ
Asteroseismology of old open clusters with Kepler: direct estimate of the integrated RGB mass loss in NGC6791 and NGC6819
Mass loss of red giant branch (RGB) stars is still poorly determined, despite
its crucial role in the chemical enrichment of galaxies. Thanks to the recent
detection of solar-like oscillations in G-K giants in open clusters with
Kepler, we can now directly determine stellar masses for a statistically
significant sample of stars in the old open clusters NGC6791 and NGC6819. The
aim of this work is to constrain the integrated RGB mass loss by comparing the
average mass of stars in the red clump (RC) with that of stars in the
low-luminosity portion of the RGB (i.e. stars with L <~ L(RC)). Stellar masses
were determined by combining the available seismic parameters numax and Dnu
with additional photometric constraints and with independent distance
estimates. We measured the masses of 40 stars on the RGB and 19 in the RC of
the old metal-rich cluster NGC6791. We find that the difference between the
average mass of RGB and RC stars is small, but significant (Delta M=0.09 +-
0.03 (random) +- 0.04 (systematic) Msun). Interestingly, such a small DeltaM
does not support scenarios of an extreme mass loss for this metal-rich cluster.
If we describe the mass-loss rate with Reimers' prescription, a first
comparison with isochrones suggests that the observed DeltaM is compatible with
a mass-loss efficiency parameter in the range 0.1 <~ eta <~ 0.3. Less stringent
constraints on the RGB mass-loss rate are set by the analysis of the ~ 2
Gyr-old NGC6819, largely due to the lower mass loss expected for this cluster,
and to the lack of an independent and accurate distance determination. In the
near future, additional constraints from frequencies of individual pulsation
modes and spectroscopic effective temperatures, will allow further stringent
tests of the Dnu and numax scaling relations, which provide a novel, and
potentially very accurate, means of determining stellar radii and masses.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Accreting Millisecond X-Ray Pulsars
Accreting Millisecond X-Ray Pulsars (AMXPs) are astrophysical laboratories
without parallel in the study of extreme physics. In this chapter we review the
past fifteen years of discoveries in the field. We summarize the observations
of the fifteen known AMXPs, with a particular emphasis on the multi-wavelength
observations that have been carried out since the discovery of the first AMXP
in 1998. We review accretion torque theory, the pulse formation process, and
how AMXP observations have changed our view on the interaction of plasma and
magnetic fields in strong gravity. We also explain how the AMXPs have deepened
our understanding of the thermonuclear burst process, in particular the
phenomenon of burst oscillations. We conclude with a discussion of the open
problems that remain to be addressed in the future.Comment: Review to appear in "Timing neutron stars: pulsations, oscillations
and explosions", T. Belloni, M. Mendez, C.M. Zhang Eds., ASSL, Springer;
[revision with literature updated, several typos removed, 1 new AMXP added
Evolutionary and pulsational properties of white dwarf stars
Abridged. White dwarf stars are the final evolutionary stage of the vast
majority of stars, including our Sun. The study of white dwarfs has potential
applications to different fields of astrophysics. In particular, they can be
used as independent reliable cosmic clocks, and can also provide valuable
information about the fundamental parameters of a wide variety of stellar
populations, like our Galaxy and open and globular clusters. In addition, the
high densities and temperatures characterizing white dwarfs allow to use these
stars as cosmic laboratories for studying physical processes under extreme
conditions that cannot be achieved in terrestrial laboratories. They can be
used to constrain fundamental properties of elementary particles such as axions
and neutrinos, and to study problems related to the variation of fundamental
constants.
In this work, we review the essentials of the physics of white dwarf stars.
Special emphasis is placed on the physical processes that lead to the formation
of white dwarfs as well as on the different energy sources and processes
responsible for chemical abundance changes that occur along their evolution.
Moreover, in the course of their lives, white dwarfs cross different
pulsational instability strips. The existence of these instability strips
provides astronomers with an unique opportunity to peer into their internal
structure that would otherwise remain hidden from observers. We will show that
this allows to measure with unprecedented precision the stellar masses and to
infer their envelope thicknesses, to probe the core chemical stratification,
and to detect rotation rates and magnetic fields. Consequently, in this work,
we also review the pulsational properties of white dwarfs and the most recent
applications of white dwarf asteroseismology.Comment: 85 pages, 28 figures. To be published in The Astronomy and
Astrophysics Revie
The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems
We review the formation and evolution of compact binary stars consisting of
white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), and black holes (BHs). Binary NSs and
BHs are thought to be the primary astrophysical sources of gravitational waves
(GWs) within the frequency band of ground-based detectors, while compact
binaries of WDs are important sources of GWs at lower frequencies to be covered
by space interferometers (LISA). Major uncertainties in the current
understanding of properties of NSs and BHs most relevant to the GW studies are
discussed, including the treatment of the natal kicks which compact stellar
remnants acquire during the core collapse of massive stars and the common
envelope phase of binary evolution. We discuss the coalescence rates of binary
NSs and BHs and prospects for their detections, the formation and evolution of
binary WDs and their observational manifestations. Special attention is given
to AM CVn-stars -- compact binaries in which the Roche lobe is filled by
another WD or a low-mass partially degenerate helium-star, as these stars are
thought to be the best LISA verification binary GW sources.Comment: 105 pages, 18 figure
Observation of Antineutrinos from Distant Reactors using Pure Water at SNO+
The SNO+ collaboration reports the first observation of reactor antineutrinos
in a Cherenkov detector. The nearest nuclear reactors are located 240 km away
in Ontario, Canada. This analysis used events with energies lower than in any
previous analysis with a large water Cherenkov detector. Two analytical methods
were used to distinguish reactor antineutrinos from background events in 190
days of data and yielded consistent observations of antineutrinos with a
combined significance of 3.5 .Comment: v2: add missing author, add link to supplemental materia
Otherism in discourses, integration in policies?
In this study of educational policies aimed at migrants in France and Denmark, we examine how both countries display the same mixture of integration policies and of discourses of hostility portraying migrants as scapegoats. Educational policies are seen as a fundamental tool to speed up the integration of migrants, yet these are seen as a potential threat to national equilibrium and cohesion. This contradiction results from specific forms of policy construction and patterns of discursive spaces. This led us to argue, using the Foucauldian concept of governmentality, against a unified conception of the power yielded by the state on migrants
Phase 0/1 of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging agent [18F]-ODS2004436 as a marker of EGFR mutation in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
International audienc