1,389 research outputs found
Gemini spectra of 12000K white dwarf stars
We report signal-to-noise ratio SNR ~ 100 optical spectra for four DA white
dwarf stars acquired with the GMOS spectrograph of the 8m Gemini north
telescope. These stars have 18<g<19 and are around Teff ~ 12000 K, were the
hydrogen lines are close to maximum. Our purpose is to test if the effective
temperatures and surface gravities derived from the relatively low
signal-to-noise ratio ( ~ 21) optical spectra acquired by the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey through model atmosphere fitting are trustworthy. Our
spectra range from 3800A to 6000A, therefore including H beta to H9. The H8
line was only marginally present in the SDSS spectra, but is crucial to
determine the gravity. When we compare the values published by Kleinman et al.
(2004) and Eisenstein et al. (2006) with our line-profile (LPT) fits, the
average differences are: Delta Teff ~ 320 K, systematically lower in SDSS, and
Delta log g ~ 0.24 dex, systematically larger in SDSS. The correlation between
gravity and effective temperature can only be broken at wavelengths bluer than
3800 A. The uncertainties in Teff are 60% larger, and in log g larger by a
factor of 4, than the Kleinman et al. (2004) and Eisenstein et al. (2006)
internal uncertainties.Comment: 11 pages and 8 figure
The Influence of Feedlot Weight on Market Lamb Peformance and Body Composition
In the last five to ten years, trimness has become very important in all species of livestock. During this time the size and scale of the market lamb has increased with a trimmer market lamb being produced. Light weight lambs tend to gain more rapidly and produce a leaner, trimmer carcass which may sell at a premium. The packer\u27s slaughtering and processing costs are prorated on a per head basis, therefore, it costs the packer the same amount to slaughter and process a 90 pound lamb as it does a larger one. With new techniques for processing, such as prepackaging, it may become desirable for the packer to purchase lambs which are larger than current market weights. Lambs are now produced which at these heavier weights are trim, heavily muscled and have a high percentage of edible portion. The production of more lambs of this type will assure a greater return on investment to both the packer and producer
Quasi-molecular Satellites of Lyman Beta in the Spectrum of the DA White Dwarf WOLF 1346
We present new FUV/UV observations of the DA white dwarf Wolf 1346 obtained
with the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope. The atmospheric parameters of this
object are estimated from a fit of model atmospheres to several optical spectra
to be Teff = 20000 K, log g = 7.90. From the optical spectrum this star is a
normal DA without any indications for chemical elements other than hydrogen.
The hydrogen line L beta, however, shows a very unusual shape, with a steep red
wing and two absorption features on this wing. The shape is reminiscent of the
effects of quasi-molecular line broadening, as observed in L alpha in cooler DA
white dwarfs. We show that this is indeed the correct explanation, by
identifying 4 quasi-molecular satellites caused through perturbations by the H+
ion (H2+ quasi-molecule). The steep red wing is caused by the exponential
decline of the line profile beyond the satellite most distant from the line
center at 1078 A.Comment: 11 pages Latex with aaspp4 style, 4 postscript figures, as compressed
tar file, ApJ Letters, in pres
FUSE observations of G226-29: First detection of the H_2 quasi-molecular satellite at 1150A
We present new FUV observations of the pulsating DA white dwarf G226-29
obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE). This ZZ Ceti
star is the brightest one of its class and the coolest white dwarf observed by
FUSE. We report the first detection of the broad quasi-molecular
collision-induced satellite of Ly-beta at 1150 A, an absorption feature that is
due to transitions which take place during close collisions of hydrogen atoms.
The physical interpretation of this feature is based on recent progress of the
line broadening theory of the far wing of Ly-beta. This predicted feature had
never been observed before, even in laboratory spectra.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters; 6 pages, 3 figure
Quasi-molecular lines in Lyman wings of cool DA white dwarfs; Application to FUSE observations of G231-40
We present new theoretical calculations of the total line profiles of Lyman
alpha and Lyman beta which include perturbations by both neutral hydrogen AND
protons and all possible quasi-molecular states of H_2 and H_2^+. They are used
to improve theoretical modeling of synthetic spectra for cool DA white dwarfs.
We compare them with FUSE observation of G231-40. The appearance of the line
wings between Lyman alpha and Lyman beta is shown to be sensitive to the
relative abundance of hydrogen ions and neutral atoms, and thereby to provide a
temperature diagnostic for stellar atmospheres and laboratory plasmas.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Carbon Deficiency in Externally-Polluted White Dwarfs: Evidence for Accretion of Asteroids
Existing determinations show that n(C)/n(Fe) is more than a factor of 10
below solar in the atmospheres of three white dwarfs that appear to be
externally-polluted. These results are not easily explained if the stars have
accreted interstellar matter, and we re-interpret these measurements as
evidence that these stars have accreted asteroids of a chrondritic composition.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures, accepted for Ap
On the Spectral Evolution of Cool, Helium-Atmosphere White Dwarfs: Detailed Spectroscopic and Photometric Analysis of DZ Stars
We present a detailed analysis of a large spectroscopic and photometric
sample of DZ white dwarfs based on our latest model atmosphere calculations. We
revise the atmospheric parameters of the trigonometric parallax sample of
Bergeron, Leggett, & Ruiz (12 stars) and analyze 147 new DZ white dwarfs
discovered in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The inclusion of metals and
hydrogen in our model atmosphere calculations leads to different atmospheric
parameters than those derived from pure helium models. Calcium abundances are
found in the range from log (Ca/He) = -12 to -8. We also find that fits of the
coolest objects show peculiarities, suggesting that our physical models may not
correctly describe the conditions of high atmospheric pressure encountered in
the coolest DZ stars. We find that the mean mass of the 11 DZ stars with
trigonometric parallaxes, = 0.63 Mo, is significantly lower than that
obtained from pure helium models, = 0.78 Mo, and in much better agreement
with the mean mass of other types of white dwarfs. We determine hydrogen
abundances for 27% of the DZ stars in our sample, while only upper limits are
obtained for objects with low signal-to-noise ratio spectroscopic data. We
confirm with a high level of confidence that the accretion rate of hydrogen is
at least two orders of magnitude smaller than that of metals (and up to five in
some cases) to be compatible with the observations. We find a correlation
between the hydrogen abundance and the effective temperature, suggesting for
the first time empirical evidence of a lower temperature boundary for the
hydrogen screening mechanism. Finally, we speculate on the possibility that the
DZA white dwarfs could be the result of the convective mixing of thin
hydrogen-rich atmospheres with the underlying helium convection zone.Comment: 67 pages, 32 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Mode identification of Pulsating White Dwarfs using the HST
We have obtained time-resolved ultraviolet spectroscopy for the pulsating DAV
stars G226-29 and G185-32, and for the pulsating DBV star PG1351+489 with the
Hubble Space Telescope Faint Object Spectrograph, to compare the ultraviolet to
the optical pulsation amplitude and determine the pulsation indices. We find
that for essentially all observed pulsation modes, the amplitude rises to the
ultraviolet as the theoretical models predict for l=1 non-radial g-modes. We do
not find any pulsation mode visible only in the ultraviolet, nor any modes
whose phase flips by 180 degrees; in the ultraviolet, as would be expected if
high l pulsations were excited. We find one periodicity in the light curve of
G185-32, at 141 s, which does not fit theoretical models for the change of
amplitude with wavelength of g-mode pulsations.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, Aug 200
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