New RR Lyrae variables in binary systems

Despite their importance, very few RR Lyrae (RRL) stars have been known to reside in binary systems. We report on a search for binary RRL in the OGLE-III Galactic bulge data. Our approach consists in the search for evidence of the light-travel time effect in so-called observed minus calculated ($O-C$) diagrams. Analysis of 1952 well-observed fundamental-mode RRL in the OGLE-III data revealed an initial sample of 29 candidates. We used the recently released OGLE-IV data to extend the baselines up to 17 years, leading to a final sample of 12 firm binary candidates. We provide $O-C$ diagrams and binary parameters for this final sample, and also discuss the properties of 8 additional candidate binaries whose parameters cannot be firmly determined at present. We also estimate that $\gtrsim 4$ per cent of the RRL reside in binary systems.Comment: MNRAS Letters, in pres

Two-photon E1M1 decay of 2 3P0 states in heavy heliumlike ions

Two-photon E1M1 transition rates are evaluated for heliumlike ions with nuclear charges in the range Z = 50-94. The two-photon rates modify previously published lifetimes/transition rates of 2 3P0 states. For isotopes with nuclear spin I not equal 0, where hyperfine quenching dominates the 2 3P0 decay, two-photon contributions are significant; for example, in heliumlike 187 Os the two-photon correction is 3% of the total rate. For isotopes with I= 0, where the 2 3P0 decay is unquenched, the E1M1 corrections are even more important reaching 60% for Z=94. Therefore, to aid in the interpretation of experiments on hyperfine quenching in heliumlike ions and to provide a more complete database for unquenched transitions, a knowledge of E1M1 rates is important.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 3 table

Highly accurate calculations of the rotationally excited bound states in three-body systems

An effective optimization strategy has been developed to construct highly accurate bound state wave functions in various three-body systems. Our procedure appears to be very effective for computations of weakly bound states and various excited states, including rotationally excited states, i.e. states with $L \ge 1$. The efficiency of our procedure is illustrated by computations of the excited $P^{*}(L = 1)-$states in the $dd\mu, dt\mu$ and $tt\mu$ muonic molecular ions, $P(L = 1)-$states in the non-symmetric $pd\mu, pt\mu$ and $dt\mu$ ions and $2^{1}P(L = 1)-$ and $2^{3}P(L = 1)-$states in He atom(s)

The Interaction of Venus-like, M-dwarf Planets with the Stellar Wind of Their Host Star

We study the interaction between the atmospheres of Venus-like, non-magnetized exoplanets orbiting an M-dwarf star, and the stellar wind using a multi-species Magnetohydrodynaic (MHD) model. We focus our investigation on the effect of enhanced stellar wind and enhanced EUV flux as the planetary distance from the star decreases. Our simulations reveal different topologies of the planetary space environment for sub- and super-Alfvenic stellar wind conditions, which could lead to dynamic energy deposition in to the atmosphere during the transition along the planetary orbit. We find that the stellar wind penetration for non-magnetized planets is very deep, up to a few hundreds of kilometers. We estimate a lower limit for the atmospheric mass-loss rate and find that it is insignificant over the lifetime of the planet. However, we predict that when accounting for atmospheric ion acceleration, a significant amount of the planetary atmosphere could be eroded over the course of a billion years.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, accepted to Ap

Abundance analysis, spectral variability, and search for the presence of a magnetic field in the typical PGa star HD19400

The aim of this study is to carry out an abundance determination, to search for spectral variability and for the presence of a weak magnetic field in the typical PGa star HD19400. High-resolution, high signal-to-noise HARPS spectropolarimetric observations of HD19400 were obtained at three different epochs in 2011 and 2013. For the first time, we present abundances of various elements determined using an ATLAS12 model, including the abundances of a number of elements not analysed by previous studies, such as Ne I, Ga II, and Xe II. Several lines of As II are also present in the spectra of HD19400. To study the variability, we compared the behaviour of the line profiles of various elements. We report on the first detection of anomalous shapes of line profiles belonging to Mn and Hg, and the variability of the line profiles belonging to the elements Hg, P, Mn, Fe, and Ga. We suggest that the variability of the line profiles of these elements is caused by their non-uniform surface distribution, similar to the presence of chemical spots detected in HgMn stars. The search for the presence of a magnetic field was carried out using the moment technique and the SVD method. Our measurements of the magnetic field with the moment technique using 22 Mn II lines indicate the potential existence of a weak variable longitudinal magnetic field on the first epoch. The SVD method applied to the Mn II lines indicates =-76+-25G on the first epoch, and at the same epoch the SVD analysis of the observations using the Fe II lines shows =-91+-35G. The calculated false alarm probability values, 0.008 and 0.003, respectively, are above the value 10^{-3}, indicating no detection.Comment: 13+6 pages, 14 figures, 6+1 tables, including the online-only material, accepted for publication in MNRA

Modeling the Low State Spectrum of the X-Ray Nova XTE J1118+480

Based on recent multiwavelength observations of the new X-ray nova XTE J1118+480, we can place strong constraints on the geometry of the accretion flow in which a low/hard state spectrum, characteristic of an accreting black hole binary, is produced. We argue that the absence of any soft blackbody-like component in the X-ray band implies the existence of an extended hot optically-thin region, with the optically-thick cool disk truncated at some radius R_{tr} > 55 R_{Schw}. We show that such a model can indeed reproduce the main features of the observed spectrum: the relatively high optical to X-ray ratio, the sharp downturn in the far UV band and the hard X-ray spectrum. The absence of the disk blackbody component also underscores the requirement that the seed photons for thermal Comptonization be produced locally in the hot flow, e.g. via synchrotron radiation. We attribute the observed spectral break at 2 keV to absorption in a warm, partially ionized gas.Comment: 6 pages, including 1 figure; LaTeX (emulateapj5.sty), to appear in Ap