2,244 research outputs found
An eclipsing post common-envelope system consisting of a pulsating hot subdwarf B star and a brown dwarf companion
Hot subdwarf B stars (sdBs) are evolved, core helium-burning objects located
on the extreme horizontal branch. Their formation history is still puzzling as
the sdB progenitors must lose nearly all of their hydrogen envelope during the
red-giant phase. About half of the known sdBs are in close binaries with
periods from 1.2 h to a few days, a fact that implies they experienced a
common-envelope phase. Eclipsing hot subdwarf binaries (also called HW Virginis
systems) are rare but important objects for determining fundamental stellar
parameters. Even more significant and uncommon are those binaries containing a
pulsating sdB, as the mass can be determined independently by asteroseismology.
Here we present a first analysis of the eclipsing hot subdwarf binary
V2008-1753. The light curve shows a total eclipse, a prominent reflection
effect, and low--amplitude pulsations with periods from 150 to 180 s. An
analysis of the light-- and radial velocity (RV) curves indicates a mass ratio
close to , an RV semi-amplitude of , and an
inclination of . Combining these results with our spectroscopic
determination of the surface gravity, , the best--fitting
model yields an sdB mass of 0.47 and a companion mass of . As the latter mass is below the hydrogen-burning limit,
V2008-1753 represents the first HW Vir system known consisting of a pulsating
sdB and a brown dwarf companion. Consequently, it holds great potential for
better constraining models of sdB binary evolution and asteroseismology.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for A&
Accurate molecular energies by extrapolation of atomic energies using an analytic quantum mechanical model
Using a new analytic quantum mechanical method based on Slater's Xalpha
method, we show that a fairly accurate estimate of the total energy of a
molecule can be obtained from the exact energies of its constituent atoms. The
mean absolute error in the total energies thus determined for the G2 set of 56
molecules is about 16 kcal/mol, comparable to or better than some popular pure
and hybrid density functional models.Comment: 5 pages, REVTE
Distribution of averages in a correlated Gaussian medium as a tool for the estimation of the cluster distribution on size
Calculation of the distribution of the average value of a Gaussian random
field in a finite domain is carried out for different cases. The results of the
calculation demonstrate a strong dependence of the width of the distribution on
the spatial correlations of the field. Comparison with the simulation results
for the distribution of the size of the cluster indicates that the distribution
of an average field could serve as a useful tool for the estimation of the
asymptotic behavior of the distribution of the size of the clusters for "deep"
clusters where value of the field on each site is much greater than the rms
disorder.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, RevTe
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High Frequency (4th order) Sequence Stratigraphy of Early Miocene Deltaic Shorelines, Offshore Texas and Louisiana
DOE-NETL Award Numbers DE-FE0026083 and DEFE0029487Bureau of Economic Geolog
Evidence from K2 for rapid rotation in the descendant of an intermediate-mass star
Using patterns in the oscillation frequencies of a white dwarf observed by
K2, we have measured the fastest rotation rate, 1.13(02) hr, of any isolated
pulsating white dwarf known to date. Balmer-line fits to follow-up spectroscopy
from the SOAR telescope show that the star (SDSSJ0837+1856, EPIC 211914185) is
a 13,590(340) K, 0.87(03) solar-mass white dwarf. This is the highest mass
measured for any pulsating white dwarf with known rotation, suggesting a
possible link between high mass and fast rotation. If it is the product of
single-star evolution, its progenitor was a roughly 4.0 solar-mass
main-sequence B star; we know very little about the angular momentum evolution
of such intermediate-mass stars. We explore the possibility that this rapidly
rotating white dwarf is the byproduct of a binary merger, which we conclude is
unlikely given the pulsation periods observed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure, 1 table; accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journal Letter
Social identity and environmental concern: the importance of contextual effects
This study draws on social identity theory to explain differences in individual support for environmental protection, a conative component of environmental concern. It argues that an individual’s identification with higher social units—community, nation, and world—strengthens its in-group solidarity and empathy and, in consequence, its readiness to protect the environment benefitting the in-group’s welfare. The study hypothesizes that country-level manifestations of social identity (1) lift individuals’ support for environmental protection above the level that their own social identity suggests (elevator effect), and (2) reinforce the effect of individuals’ social identity on their support for environmental protection (amplifier effect). Using a sample of over 30,000 individuals located in 38 countries around the world, the study finds strong evidence for the two contextual effects. The findings indicate that social identity plays an important role not just as an individual attribute but also as a central component of culture in fostering environmental concern
Localization Properties of Electronic States in Polaron Model of poly(dG)-poly(dC) and poly(dA)-poly(dT) DNA polymers
We numerically investigate localization properties of electronic states in a
static model of poly(dG)-poly(dC) and poly(dA)-poly(dT) DNA polymers with
realistic parameters obtained by quantum-chemical calculation. The randomness
in the on-site energies caused by the electron-phonon coupling are completely
correlated to the off-diagonal parts. In the single electron model, the effect
of the hydrogen-bond stretchings, the twist angles between the base pairs and
the finite system size effects on the energy dependence of the localization
length and on the Lyapunov exponent are given. The localization length is
reduced by the influence of the fluctuations in the hydrogen bond stretchings.
It is also shown that the helical twist angle affects the localization length
in the poly(dG)-poly(dC) DNA polymer more strongly than in the
poly(dA)-poly(dT) one. Furthermore, we show resonance structures in the energy
dependence of the localization length when the system size is relatively small.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Effect of nonlinearity on the dynamics of a particle in dc field-induced systems
Dynamics of a particle in a perfect chain with one nonlinear impurity and in
a perfect nonlinear chain under the action of dc field is studied numerically.
The nonlinearity appears due to the coupling of the electronic motion to
optical oscillators which are treated in adiabatic approximation.
We study for both the low and high values of field strength. Three different
range of nonlinearity is obtained where the dynamics is different. In low and
intermediate range of nonlinearity, it reduces the localization. In fact in the
intermediate range subdiffusive behavior in the perfect nonlinear chain is
obtained for a long time. In all the cases a critical value of nonlinear
strength exists where self-trapping transition takes place. This critical value
depends on the system and the field strength. Beyond the self-trapping
transition nonlinearity enhances the localization.Comment: 9 pages, Revtex, 6 ps figures include
Dynamics of an electron in finite and infinite one dimensional systems in presence of electric field
We study,numerically, the dynamical behavior of an electron in a two site
nonlinear system driven by dc and ac electric field separately. We also study,
numerically, the effect of electric field on single static impurity and
antidimeric dynamical impurity in an infinite 1D chain to find the strength of
the impurities. Analytical arguments for this system have also been given.Comment: File Latex, 8 Figures available on reques
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