10,654 research outputs found
Optimal Renormalization-Group Improvement of R(s) via the Method of Characteristics
We discuss the application of the method of characteristics to the
renormalization-group equation for the perturbative QCD series within the
electron-positron annihilation cross-section. We demonstrate how one such
renormalization-group improvement of this series is equivalent to a closed-form
summation of the first four towers of renormalization-group accessible
logarithms to all orders of perturbation theory
Type I supernovae in the infrared and their use as distance indicators
New infrared data for 11 Type I supernovae are presented. These results, when combined with other published data for Type I supernovae, show that the light curves fall into two well-defined groups. The first more common type - Type Ia - shows strong, variable, unexplained absorption at 1.2 μm and probably at 3.5 μm, while the second type - Type Ib - shows no such absorption and a slower decline after maximum. The light curves of the Type Ia supernovae appear to have a dispersion in color and absolute magnitude of ±0.2 mag or less, making them potentially valuable for distance determination within the Local Supercluster
Constraints on Higher-Order Perturbative Corrections in Semileptonic Decays from Residual Renormalization-Scale Dependence
The constraint of a progressive decrease in residual renormalization scale
dependence with increasing loop order is developed as a method for obtaining
bounds on unknown higher-order perturbative corrections to
renormalization-group invariant quantities. This technique is applied to the
inclusive semileptonic process (explicitly known to
two-loop order) to obtain bounds on the three- and four-loop perturbative
coefficients that are not accessible via the renormalization group. Using the
principle of minimal sensitivity, an estimate is obtained for the perturbative
contributions to that incorporates
theoretical uncertainty from as-yet-undetermined higher order QCD corrections.Comment: latex2e using amsmath, 8 pages, 4 embedded eps figures. Revised
version contains an additional figure and accompanying revision
Explosion of a massive, He-rich star at z=0.16
We present spectroscopic and photometric data of the peculiar SN 2001gh,
discovered by the 'Southern inTermediate Redshift ESO Supernova Search'
(STRESS) at a redshift z=0.16. SN 2001gh has relatively high luminosity at
maximum (M_B = -18.55 mag), while the light curve shows a broad peak. An
early-time spectrum shows an almost featureless, blue continuum with a few weak
and shallow P-Cygni lines that we attribute to HeI. HeI lines remain the only
spectral features visible in a subsequent spectrum, obtained one month later. A
remarkable property of SN 2001gh is the lack of significant spectral evolution
over the temporal window of nearly one month separating the two spectra. In
order to explain the properties of SN 2001gh, three powering mechanism are
explored, including radioactive decays of a moderately large amount of 56Ni,
magnetar spin-down, and interaction of SN ejecta with circumstellar medium. We
favour the latter scenario, with a SN Ib wrapped in a dense, circumstellar
shell. The fact that no models provide an excellent fit with observations,
confirms the troublesome interpretation of the nature of SN 2001gh. A rate
estimate for SN 2001gh-like event is also provided, confirming the intrinsic
rarity of these objects.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables. Accepted by MNRA
The supernova impostor PSN J09132750+7627410 and its progenitor
We report the results of our follow-up campaign of the supernova impostor PSN
J09132750+7627410, based on optical data covering . From the
beginning, the transient shows prominent narrow Balmer lines with P-Cygni
profiles, with a blue-shifted absorption component becoming more prominent with
time. Along the of the spectroscopic monitoring, broad
components are never detected in the hydrogen lines, suggesting that these
features are produced in slowly expanding material. The transient reaches an
absolute magnitude at maximum, a typical
luminosity for supernova impostors. Amateur astronomers provided
of archival observations of the host galaxy, NGC 2748. The
detection of the quiescent progenitor star in archival images obtained with the
Hubble Space Telescope suggests it to be an \msun white-yellow
supergiant.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, supplemental material available in the source
file. Accepted for publication on Astrophysical Journal Letter
- …