15,658 research outputs found
The Calibration of Stromgren uvby-Hbeta Photometry for Late-Type Stars -- a Model Atmosphere Approach
We aim to test the power of theoretical calibrations based on a new
generation of MARCS models by comparisons with observational photomteric data.
We calculate synthetic uvby-Hbeta colour indices from synthetic spectra. A
sample of 388 field stars as well as stars in globular clusters is used for a
direct comparison of the synthetic indices versus empirical data and for
scrutinizing the possibilities of theoretical calibrations for temperature,
metallicity and gravity. We show that the temperature sensitivity of the
synthetic (b-y) colour is very close to its empirical counterpart, whereas the
temperature scale based upon Hbeta shows a slight offset. The theoretical
metallicity sensitivity of the m1 index (and for G-type stars its combination
with c1) is somewhat larger than the empirical one, based upon spectroscopic
determinations. The gravity sensitivity of the synthetic c1 index shows a
satisfactory behaviour when compared to obervations of F stars. For stars
cooler than the sun a deviation is significant in the c1-(b-y) diagram. The
theoretical calibrations of (b-y), (v-y) and c1 seem to work well for Pop II
stars and lead to effective temperatures for globular cluster stars supporting
recent claims by Korn et al. (2007) that atomic diffusion occurs in stars near
the turnoff point of NGC 6397. Synthetic colours of stellar atmospheres can
indeed be used, in many cases, to derive reliable fundamental stellar
parameters. The deviations seen when compared to observational data could be
due to incomplete linelists but are possibly also due to effects of assuming
plane-parallell or spherical geometry and LTE
Ferromagnetic materials in the zinc-blende structure
New materials are currently sought for use in spintronics applications.
Ferromagnetic materials with half metallic properties are valuable in this
respect. Here we present the electronic structure and magnetic properties of
binary compounds consisting of 3d transition metals and group V elements viz.
P, Sb and As in the zinc-blende structure. We demonstrate that compounds of V,
Cr and Mn show half metallic behavior for appropriate lattice constants.
By comparing the total energies in the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic
structures, we have ascertained that the ferromagnetic phase is stable over the
antiferromagnetic one. Of the different compounds studied, the Cr based systems
exhibit the strongest interatomic exchange interactions, and are hence
predicted to have the highest critical temperatures. Also, we predict that VAs
under certain growth conditions should be a semiconducting ferromagnet.
Moreover, critical temperatures of selected half metallic compounds have been
estimated from mean field theory and Monte Carlo simulations using parameters
obtained from a {\it ab-initio} non-collinear, tight binding linearized
muffin-tin orbital method. From a simple model, we calculate the reflectance
from an ideal MnAs/InAs interface considering the band structures of MnAs and
InAs. Finally we present results on the relative stabilities of MnAs and CrSb
compounds in the NiAs and zinc-blende structures, and suggest a parameter space
in substrate lattice spacings for when the zinc-blende structure is expected to
be stable.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
An accurate model for genetic hitch-hiking
We suggest a simple deterministic approximation for the growth of the
favoured-allele frequency during a selective sweep. Using this approximation we
introduce an accurate model for genetic hitch-hiking. Only when Ns < 10 (N is
the population size and s denotes the selection coefficient), are discrepancies
between our approximation and direct numerical simulations of a Moran model
noticeable. Our model describes the gene genealogies of a contiguous segment of
neutral loci close to the selected one, and it does not assume that the
selective sweep happens instantaneously. This enables us to compute SNP
distributions on the neutral segment without bias.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure
Sample genealogies and genetic variation in populations of variable size
We consider neutral evolution of a large population subject to changes in its
population size. For a population with a time-variable carrying capacity we
have computed the distributions of the total branch lengths of its sample
genealogies. Within the coalescent approximation we have obtained a general
expression, Eq. (27), for the moments of these distributions for an arbitrary
smooth dependence of the population size on time. We investigate how the
frequency of population-size variations alters the distributions. This allows
us to discuss their influence on the distribution of the number of mutations,
and on the population homozygosity in populations with variable size.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl
Exploring wind-driving dust species in cool luminous giants III. Wind models for M-type AGB stars: dynamic and photometric properties
Stellar winds observed in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are usually
attributed to a combination of stellar pulsations and radiation pressure on
dust. Shock waves triggered by pulsations propagate through the atmosphere,
compressing the gas and lifting it to cooler regions, which create favourable
conditions for grain growth. If sufficient radiative acceleration is exerted on
the newly formed grains through absorption or scattering of stellar photons, an
outflow can be triggered. Strong candidates for wind-driving dust species in
M-type AGB stars are magnesium silicates (MgSiO and MgSiO). Such
grains can form close to the stellar surface, they consist of abundant
materials and, if they grow to sizes comparable to the wavelength of the
stellar flux maximum, they experience strong acceleration by photon scattering.
We use a frequency-dependent radiation-hydrodynamics code with a detailed
description for the growth of MgSiO grains to calculate the first
extensive set of time-dependent wind models for M-type AGB stars. The resulting
wind properties, visual and near-IR photometry and mid-IR spectra are compared
with observations.We show that the models can produce outflows for a wide range
of stellar parameters. We also demonstrate that they reproduce observed
mass-loss rates and wind velocities, as well as visual and near-IR photometry.
However, the current models do not show the characteristic silicate features at
10 and 18 m as a result of the cool temperature of MgSiO grains in
the wind. Including a small amount of Fe in the grains further out in the
circumstellar envelope will increase the grain temperature and result in
pronounced silicate features, without significantly affecting the photometry in
the visual and near-IR wavelength regions.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figure
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