23 research outputs found
Asymptotic Giant Brach Stars as Astroparticle Laboratories
We show that the inclusion of axion emission during stellar evolution
introduces important changes into the evolutionary behaviour of AGB stars. The
mass of the resulting C/O white dwarf is much lower than the equivalent
obtained from standard evolution. This implies a deficit in luminous AGB stars
and in massive WDs. Moreover the total mass processed in the nuclear burning
shells that is dredged-up to the surface () increases when axion
emission is included, modifying the chemical composition of the photosphere. We
conclude that the AGB is a promising phase to put constraints on particle
physicsComment: 8 pages, 3 tables, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Type Ia supernovae: differences due to progenitors within delayed detonation explosions
At this moment, the use of SNIa for cosmology lies on the assumption that the
SNe at high redshifts are equal to the local ones. However, some observations
indicate a correlation between the light curve (LC) properties and the
morphological type of the host galaxy. This could indicate a dependence with
the age (mass/composition) of the underlying population. In this work we have
chosen the delayed detonation explosion model in CO Chandrasekhar mass WDs to
explore the dependence of the SNIa LC and nucleosynthesis with the initial mass
and composition of the WD progenitor. The progenitor influences the final SNIa
via the mass of the CO core formed and the C/O ratio within it (1D explosion
models). We have followed the evolution of stars with masses between 1.5 and 8
Mo and metallicity, Z=0, 1.E-05, 0.001 and 0.02, from the pre-main sequence to
the TP-AGB phase. The differences obtained in the final C/O ratio within the
explosive WD are smaller than 22%. This results in a difference at maximum of
0.03 mag and of 0.1 mag when the brightness-decline relation is applied.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, needs espcrc1.sty; conference "Nuclei in the
Cosmos 2000", held in Arhus, Denmark, June 27-July 1, 2000; submitted to
Nucl. Phys.
Impact of Axions on the Minimum Mass of Core Collapse Supernova Progenitors
In this study we include axions in stellar evolution models adopting the
current stringest constraints for their coupling to photons and electrons. We
obtain that the minimum stellar mass of Core Collapse Supernova (CCSN)
progenitors is shifted up by nearly 2 Mo. This result seems to be in tension
with the observationaly derived minimum mass of CCSN progenitors.Comment: Contributed to the 13th Patras Workshop on Axions, WIMPs and WISPs,
Thessaloniki, May 15 to 19, 201
Revisiting the bound on axion-photon coupling from Globular Clusters
We derive a strong bound on the axion-photon coupling from the
analysis of a sample of 39 Galactic Globular Clusters. As recognized long ago,
the R parameter, i.e. the number ratio of stars in horizontal over red giant
branch of old stellar clusters, would be reduced by the axion production from
photon conversions occurring in stellar cores. In this regard we have compared
the measured R with state-of-the-art stellar models obtained under different
assumptions for . We show that the estimated value of
substantially depends on the adopted He mass fraction Y, an
effect often neglected in previous investigations. Taking as benchmark for our
study the most recent determinations of the He abundance in H II regions with
O/H in the same range of the Galactic Globular Clusters, we obtain an upper
bound GeV at 95 confidence level.
This result significantly improves the constraints from previous analyses and
is currently the strongest limit on the axion-photon coupling in a wide mass
range.Comment: (v2: 6 pages, 1 eps figure. Revised version. Discussion enlarged and
references added. To appear on Physical Review Letters.
Experimental evidence for drought induced alternative stable states of soil moisture
Ecosystems may exhibit alternative stable states (ASS) in response to environmental change. Modelling and observational data broadly support the theory of ASS, however evidence from manipulation experiments supporting this theory is limited. Here, we provide long-term manipulation and observation data supporting the existence of drought induced alternative stable soil moisture states (irreversible soil wetting) in upland Atlantic heath, dominated by Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull. Manipulated repeated moderate summer drought, and intense natural summer drought both lowered resilience resulting in shifts in soil moisture dynamics. The repeated moderate summer drought decreased winter soil moisture retention by ~10%. However, intense summer drought, superimposed on the experiment, that began in 2003 and peaked in 2005 caused an unexpected erosion of resilience and a shift to an ASS; both for the experimental drought manipulation and control plots, impairing the soil from rewetting in winter. Measurements outside plots, with vegetation removal, showed no evidence of moisture shifts. Further independent evidence supports our findings from historical soil moisture monitoring at a long-term upland hydrological observatory. The results herald the need for a new paradigm regarding our understanding of soil structure, hydraulics and climate interaction
Evolution and Nucleosynthesis of Zero Metal Intermediate Mass Stars
New stellar models with mass ranging between 4 and 8 Mo, Z=0 and Y=0.23 are
presented. The models have been evolved from the pre Main Sequence up to the
Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB). At variance with previous claims, we find that
these updated stellar models do experience thermal pulses in the AGB phase. In
particular we show that: a) in models with mass larger than 6 Mo, the second
dredge up is able to raise the CNO abundance in the envelope enough to allow a
"normal" AGB evolution, in the sense that the thermal pulses and the third
dredge up settle on; b) in models of lower mass, the efficiency of the CNO
cycle in the H-burning shell is controlled by the carbon produced locally via
the 3alpha reactions. Nevertheless the He-burning shell becomes thermally
unstable after the early AGB. The expansion of the overlying layers induced by
these weak He-shell flashes is not sufficient by itself to allow a deep
penetration of the convective envelope. However, immediately after that, the
maximum luminosity of the He flash is attained and a convective shell
systematically forms at the base of the H-rich envelope. The innermost part of
this convective shell probably overlaps the underlying C-rich region left by
the inter-shell convection during the thermal pulse, so that fresh carbon is
dredged up in a "hot" H-rich environment and a H flash occurs. This flash
favours the expansion of the outermost layers already started by the weak
thermal pulse and a deeper penetration of the convective envelope takes place.
Then, the carbon abundance in the envelope rises to a level high enough that
the further evolution of these models closely resembles that of more metal rich
AGB stars. These stars provide an important source of primary carbon and
nitrogen.Comment: 28 pages, 5 tables and 17 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Intermediate mass stars: updated models
A new set of stellar models in the mass range 1.2 to 9 is
presented. The adopted chemical compositions cover the typical galactic values,
namely and . A comparison among
the most recent compilations of similar stellar models is also discussed. The
main conclusion is that the differencies among the various evolutionary results
are still rather large. For example, we found that the H-burning evolutionary
time may differ up to 20 %. An even larger disagreement is found for the
He-burning phase (up to 40-50 %). Since the connection between the various
input physics and the numerical algorithms could amplify or counterbalance the
effect of a single ingredient on the resulting stellar model, the origin of
this discrepancies is not evident. However most of these discrepancies, which
are clearly found in the evolutionary tracks, are reduced on the isochrones. By
means of our updated models we show that the ages inferred by the theory of
stellar evolution is in excellent agreement with those obtained by using other
independent methods applied to the nearby Open Clusters. Finally, the
theoretical initial/final mass relation is revised.Comment: 35 pages, 24 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in the
Astrophisycal Journa
Catching Element Formation In The Act
Gamma-ray astronomy explores the most energetic photons in nature to address
some of the most pressing puzzles in contemporary astrophysics. It encompasses
a wide range of objects and phenomena: stars, supernovae, novae, neutron stars,
stellar-mass black holes, nucleosynthesis, the interstellar medium, cosmic rays
and relativistic-particle acceleration, and the evolution of galaxies. MeV
gamma-rays provide a unique probe of nuclear processes in astronomy, directly
measuring radioactive decay, nuclear de-excitation, and positron annihilation.
The substantial information carried by gamma-ray photons allows us to see
deeper into these objects, the bulk of the power is often emitted at gamma-ray
energies, and radioactivity provides a natural physical clock that adds unique
information. New science will be driven by time-domain population studies at
gamma-ray energies. This science is enabled by next-generation gamma-ray
instruments with one to two orders of magnitude better sensitivity, larger sky
coverage, and faster cadence than all previous gamma-ray instruments. This
transformative capability permits: (a) the accurate identification of the
gamma-ray emitting objects and correlations with observations taken at other
wavelengths and with other messengers; (b) construction of new gamma-ray maps
of the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies where extended regions are
distinguished from point sources; and (c) considerable serendipitous science of
scarce events -- nearby neutron star mergers, for example. Advances in
technology push the performance of new gamma-ray instruments to address a wide
set of astrophysical questions.Comment: 14 pages including 3 figure