Pushing 1D CCSNe to explosions: model and SN 1987A

We report on a method, PUSH, for triggering core-collapse supernova explosions of massive stars in spherical symmetry. We explore basic explosion properties and calibrate PUSH such that the observables of SN1987A are reproduced. Our simulations are based on the general relativistic hydrodynamics code AGILE combined with the detailed neutrino transport scheme IDSA for electron neutrinos and ALS for the muon and tau neutrinos. To trigger explosions in the otherwise non-exploding simulations, we rely on the neutrino-driven mechanism. The PUSH method locally increases the energy deposition in the gain region through energy deposition by the heavy neutrino flavors. Our setup allows us to model the explosion for several seconds after core bounce. We explore the progenitor range 18-21M$_{\odot}$. Our studies reveal a distinction between high compactness (HC) and low compactness (LC) progenitor models, where LC models tend to explore earlier, with a lower explosion energy, and with a lower remnant mass. HC models are needed to obtain explosion energies around 1 Bethe, as observed for SN1987A. However, all the models with sufficiently high explosion energy overproduce $^{56}$Ni. We conclude that fallback is needed to reproduce the observed nucleosynthesis yields. The nucleosynthesis yields of $^{57-58}$Ni depend sensitively on the electron fraction and on the location of the mass cut with respect to the initial shell structure of the progenitor star. We identify a progenitor and a suitable set of PUSH parameters that fit the explosion properties of SN1987A when assuming 0.1M$_{\odot}$ of fallback. We predict a neutron star with a gravitational mass of 1.50M$_{\odot}$. We find correlations between explosion properties and the compactness of the progenitor model in the explored progenitors. However, a more complete analysis will require the exploration of a larger set of progenitors with PUSH.Comment: revised version as accepted by ApJ (results unchanged, text modified for clarification, a few references added); 26 pages, 20 figure

The crustal structure of the north-eastern Gulf of Aden continental margin: insights from wide-angle seismic data

International audienceThe wide-angle seismic (WAS) and gravity data of the Encens survey allow us to determinethe deep crustal structure of the north-eastern Gulf of Aden non-volcanic passive margin.The Gulf of Aden is a young oceanic basin that began to open at least 17.6 Ma ago. Itscurrent geometry shows first- and second-order segmentation: our study focusses on theAshawq–Salalah second-order segment, between Alula–Fartak and Socotra–Hadbeen fracturezones. Modelling of theWAS and gravity data (three profiles across and three along the margin)gives insights into the first- and second-order structures. (1) Continental thinning is abrupt(15–20 km thinning across 50–100 km distance). It is accommodated by several tilted blocks.(2) The ocean–continent transition (OCT) is narrow (15 km wide). The velocity modellingprovides indications on its geometry: oceanic-type upper-crust (4.5 km s−1) and continentaltypelower crust (>6.5 km s−1). (3) The thickness of the oceanic crust decreases from West(10 km) to the East (5.5 km). This pattern is probably linked to a variation of magma supplyalong the nascent slow-spreading ridge axis. (4) A 5 km thick intermediate velocity body (7.6to 7.8 kms−1) exists at the crust-mantle interface below the thinned margin, the OCT and theoceanic crust. We interpret it as an underplated mafic body, or partly intruded mafic materialemplaced during a ‘post-rift’ event, according to the presence of a young volcano evidencedby heat-flow measurement (Encens-Flux survey) and multichannel seismic reflection (Encenssurvey). We propose that the non-volcanic passive margin is affected by post-rift volcanismsuggesting that post-rift melting anomalies may influence the late evolution of non-volcanicpassive margins

Diagnostic value of tachycardia features and pacing maneuvers during paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia

AbstractOBJECTIVESThe purpose of this prospective study was to quantitate the diagnostic value of several tachycardia features and pacing maneuvers in patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) in the electrophysiology laboratory.BACKGROUNDNo study has prospectively compared the value of multiple diagnostic tools in a large group of patients with PSVT.METHODSOne hundred ninety-six consecutive patients who had 200 inducible sustained PSVTs during an electrophysiology procedure were included. The diagnostic values of four baseline electrophysiologic parameters, nine tachycardia features and five diagnostic pacing maneuvers were quantified.RESULTSThe only tachycardia characteristic that was diagnostic of atrioventricular (AV) nodal reentry was a septal ventriculoatrial (VA) time of <70 ms, and no pacing maneuver was diagnostic for AV nodal reentry. An increase in the VA interval with the development of a bundle branch block was the only tachycardia characteristic that was diagnostic for orthodromic tachycardia, but it occurred in only 7% of all tachycardias. An atrial-atrial-ventricular response upon cessation of ventricular overdrive pacing was diagnostic of atrial tachycardia, and this maneuver could be applied to 78% of all tachycardias. Burst ventricular pacing excluded atrial tachycardia when the tachycardia terminated without depolarization of the atrium, but the result could be obtained only in 27% of patients.CONCLUSIONSThis prospective study quantitates the diagnostic value of multiple observations and pacing maneuvers that are commonly used during PSVT in the electrophysiology laboratory. The findings demonstrate that diagnostic techniques rarely provide a diagnosis when used individually. Therefore, careful observations and multiple pacing maneuvers are often required for an accurate diagnosis during PSVT. The results of this study provide a useful reference with which new diagnostic techniques can be compared

B-cell populations discriminate between pediatric- and adult-onset multiple sclerosis

Objective: To comparatively assess the B-cell composition in blood and CSF of patients with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (pedMS) and adult-onset multiple sclerosis (adMS). / Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we obtained blood and CSF samples from 25 patients with pedMS (8–18 years) and 40 patients with adMS (23–65 years) and blood specimens from 66 controls (1–55 years). By using multicolor flow cytometry, we identified naive, transitional, isotype class-switched memory, nonswitched memory, and double-negative memory B-cell subsets as well as plasmablasts (PB) and terminally differentiated plasma cells (PC). Flow cytometric data were compared to concentrations of B-cell-specific cytokines in serum and CSF as determined by ELISA. / Results: Frequencies of circulating naive B-cells decreased with higher age in controls but not in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). B-cell patterns in CSF differed between pedMS and adMS with an acute relapse: in pedMS-derived CSF samples, high frequencies of nonswitched memory B cells and PB were present, whereas class-switched memory B cells and PC dominated in the CSF of patients with adMS. In pedMS, PB were also elevated in the periphery. Accumulation of PB in the CSF correlated with high intrathecal CXCL-13 levels and augmented intrathecal synthesis of immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M. / Conclusions: We demonstrate distinct changes in intrathecal B-cell homeostasis in patients with pedMS during active disease, which differ from those in adults by an expansion of plasmablasts in blood and CSF and similarly occur in prototypic autoantibody-driven autoimmune disorders. This emphasizes the particular importance of activated B-lymphocyte subsets for disease progression in the earliest clinical stages of MS

Large-scale mass wasting in the western Indian Ocean constrains onset of East African rifting

Faulting and earthquakes occur extensively along the flanks of the East African Rift System, including an offshore branch in the western Indian Ocean, resulting in remobilization of sediment in the form of landslides. To date, constraints on the occurrence of submarine landslides at margin scale are lacking, leaving unanswered a link between rifting and slope instability. Here, we show the first overview of landslide deposits in the post-Eocene stratigraphy of the Tanzania margin and we present the discovery of one of the biggest landslides on Earth: the Mafia mega-slide. The emplacement of multiple landslides, including the Mafia mega-slide, during the early-mid Miocene is coeval with cratonic rifting in Tanzania, indicating that plateau uplift and rifting in East Africa triggered large and potentially tsunamigenic landslides likely through earthquake activity and enhanced sediment supply. This study is a first step to evaluate the risk associated with submarine landslides in the region