1,104 research outputs found
Fitting of dust spectra with genetic algorithms - I. Perspectives & Limitations
Aims: We present an automatised fitting procedure for the IR range of AGB
star spectra. Furthermore we explore the possibilities and boundaries of this
method. Methods: We combine the radiative transfer code DUSTY with the genetic
algorithm PIKAIA in order to improve an existing spectral fit significantly.
Results: In order to test the routine we carried out a performance test by
feeding an artificially generated input spectrum into the program. Indeed the
routine performed as expected, so, as a more realistic test set-up, we tried to
create model fits for ISO spectra of selected AGB stars. Here we were not only
able to improve existing fits, but also to show that a slightly altered dust
composition may give a better fit for some objects. Conclusion: The use of a
genetic algorithm in order to automatise the process of fitting stellar spectra
seems to be very promising. We were able to improve existing fits and further
offer a quantitative method to compare different models with each other.
Nevertheless this method still needs to be studied and tested in more detail.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Dusty shells surrounding the carbon variables S Scuti and RT Capricorni
For the Mass-loss of Evolved StarS (MESS) programme, the unprecedented
spatial resolution of the PACS photometer on board the Herschel space
observatory was employed to map the dusty environments of asymptotic giant
branch (AGB) and red supergiant (RSG) stars. Among the morphologically
heterogeneous sample, a small fraction of targets is enclosed by spherically
symmetric detached envelopes. Based on observations in the 70 {\mu}m and 160
{\mu}m wavelength bands, we investigated the surroundings of the two carbon
semiregular variables S Sct and RT Cap, which both show evidence for a history
of highly variable mass-loss. S Sct exhibits a bright, spherically symmetric
detached shell, 138" in diameter and co-spatial with an already known CO
structure. Moreover, weak emission is detected at the outskirts, where the
morphology seems indicative of a mild shaping by interaction of the wind with
the interstellar medium, which is also supported by the stellar space motion.
Two shells are found around RT Cap that were not known so far in either dust
emission or from molecular line observations. The inner shell with a diameter
of 188" shows an almost immaculate spherical symmetry, while the outer ~5'
structure is more irregularly shaped. MoD, a modification of the DUSTY
radiative transfer code, was used to model the detached shells. Dust
temperatures, shell dust masses, and mass-loss rates are derived for both
targets
Dynamics of threads and polymers in turbulence: power-law distributions and synchronization
We study the behavior of threads and polymers in a turbulent flow. These
objects have finite spatial extension, so the flow along them differs slightly.
The corresponding drag forces produce a finite average stretching and the
thread is stretched most of the time. Nevertheless, the probability of
shrinking fluctuations is significant and is known to decay only as a
power-law. We show that the exponent of the power law is a universal number
independent of the statistics of the flow. For polymers the coil-stretch
transition exists: the flow must have a sufficiently large Lyapunov exponent to
overcome the elastic resistance and stretch the polymer from the coiled state
it takes otherwise. The probability of shrinking from the stretched state above
the transition again obeys a power law but with a non-universal exponent. We
show that well above the transition the exponent becomes universal and derive
the corresponding expression. Furthermore, we demonstrate synchronization: the
end-to-end distances of threads or polymers above the transition are
synchronized by the flow and become identical. Thus, the transition from
Newtonian to non-Newtonian behavior in dilute polymer solutions can be seen as
an ordering transition.Comment: 13 pages, version accepted to Journal of Statistical Mechanic
Herschel/PACS observations of the 69 band of crystalline olivine around evolved stars
We present 48 Herschel/PACS spectra of evolved stars in the wavelength range
of 67-72 m. This wavelength range covers the 69 m band of crystalline
olivine (). The width and
wavelength position of this band are sensitive to the temperature and
composition of the crystalline olivine. Our sample covers a wide range of
objects: from high mass-loss rate AGB stars (OH/IR stars,
M/yr), through post-AGB stars with and without circumbinary disks, to
planetary nebulae and even a few massive evolved stars. The goal of this study
is to exploit the spectral properties of the 69 m band to determine the
composition and temperature of the crystalline olivine. Since the objects cover
a range of evolutionary phases, we study the physical and chemical properties
in this range of physical environments. We fit the 69 m band and use its
width and position to probe the composition and temperature of the crystalline
olivine. For 27 sources in the sample, we detected the 69 m band of
crystalline olivine (). The
69 m band shows that all the sources produce pure forsterite grains
containing no iron in their lattice structure. The temperature of the
crystalline olivine as indicated by the 69 m band, shows that on average
the temperature of the crystalline olivine is highest in the group of OH/IR
stars and the post-AGB stars with confirmed Keplerian disks. The temperature is
lower for the other post-AGB stars and lowest for the planetary nebulae. A
couple of the detected 69 m bands are broader than those of pure
magnesium-rich crystalline olivine, which we show can be due to a temperature
gradient in the circumstellar environment of these stars. continued...Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Kinetochore alignment within the metaphase plate is regulated by centromere stiffness and microtubule depolymerases
During mitosis in most eukaryotic cells, chromosomes align and form a metaphase plate halfway between the spindle poles, about which they exhibit oscillatory movement. These movements are accompanied by changes in the distance between sister kinetochores, commonly referred to as breathing. We developed a live cell imaging assay combined with computational image analysis to quantify the properties and dynamics of sister kinetochores in three dimensions. We show that baseline oscillation and breathing speeds in late prometaphase and metaphase are set by microtubule depolymerases, whereas oscillation and breathing periods depend on the stiffness of the mechanical linkage between sisters. Metaphase plates become thinner as cells progress toward anaphase as a result of reduced oscillation speed at a relatively constant oscillation period. The progressive slowdown of oscillation speed and its coupling to plate thickness depend nonlinearly on the stiffness of the mechanical linkage between sisters. We propose that metaphase plate formation and thinning require tight control of the state of the mechanical linkage between sisters mediated by centromeric chromatin and cohesion
First and second order clustering transitions for a system with infinite-range attractive interaction
We consider a Hamiltonian system made of classical particles moving in
two dimensions, coupled via an {\it infinite-range interaction} gauged by a
parameter . This system shows a low energy phase with most of the particles
trapped in a unique cluster. At higher energy it exhibits a transition towards
a homogenous phase. For sufficiently strong coupling an intermediate phase
characterized by two clusters appears. Depending on the value of the
observed transitions can be either second or first order in the canonical
ensemble. In the latter case microcanonical results differ dramatically from
canonical ones. However, a canonical analysis, extended to metastable and
unstable states, is able to describe the microcanonical equilibrium phase. In
particular, a microcanonical negative specific heat regime is observed in the
proximity of the transition whenever it is canonically discontinuous. In this
regime, {\it microcanonically stable} states are shown to correspond to {\it
saddles} of the Helmholtz free energy, located inside the spinodal region.Comment: 4 pages, Latex - 3 EPS Figs - Submitted to Phys. Rev.
SCTA - A Rad-Hard BiCMOS Analogue Readout ASIC for the ATLAS Semiconductor Tracker
Two prototype chips for the analogue readout of silicon strip detectors in the ATLAS Semiconductor Tracker (SCT) have been designed and manufactured, in 32 channels and 128 channel versions, using the radiation hard BiCMOS DMILL process. The SCTA chip comprises three basic blocks: front-end amplifier, analogue pipeline and output multiplexer. The front-end circuit is a fast transresistance amplifier followed by an integrator, providing fast shaping with a peaking time of 25 ns, and an output buffer. The front end output values are sampled at 40 MHz rate and stored in a 112-cell deep analogue pipeline. The delay between the write pointer and trigger pointer is tunable between 2 ms and 2.5 ms. The chip has been tested successfully and subsequently irradiated up to 10 Mrad. Full functionality of all blocks of the chip has been achieved at a clock frequency of 40 MHz both before and after irradiation. Noise figures of ENC = 720 e- + 33 e-/pF before irradiation and 840 e- + 33 e-/pF after irradiation have been obtained
A discretized integral hydrodynamics
Using an interpolant form for the gradient of a function of position, we
write an integral version of the conservation equations for a fluid. In the
appropriate limit, these become the usual conservation laws of mass, momentum
and energy. We also discuss the special cases of the Navier-Stokes equations
for viscous flow and the Fourier law for thermal conduction in the presence of
hydrodynamic fluctuations. By means of a discretization procedure, we show how
these equations can give rise to the so-called "particle dynamics" of Smoothed
Particle Hydrodynamics and Dissipative Particle Dynamics.Comment: 10 pages, RevTex, submitted to Phys. Rev.
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