1,868 research outputs found
Nonlinear waves in solids with slow dynamics: an internal-variable model
In heterogeneous solids such as rocks and concrete, the speed of sound
diminishes with the strain amplitude of a dynamic loading (softening). This
decrease known as "slow dynamics" occurs at time scales larger than the period
of the forcing. Also, hysteresis is observed in the steady-state response. The
phenomenological model by Vakhnenko et al. is based on a variable that
describes the softening of the material [Phys. Rev. E 70-1, 2004]. However,
this model is 1D and it is not thermodynamically admissible. In the present
article, a 3D model is derived in the framework of the finite strain theory. An
internal variable that describes the softening of the material is introduced,
as well as an expression of the specific internal energy. A mechanical
constitu-tive law is deduced from the Clausius-Duhem inequality. Moreover, a
family of evolution equations for the internal variable is proposed. Here, an
evolution equation with one relaxation time is chosen. By construction, this
new model of continuum is thermodynamically admissible and dissipative
(inelas-tic). In the case of small uniaxial deformations, it is shown
analytically that the model reproduces qualitatively the main features of real
experiments
The mass function of GX 339-4 from spectroscopic observations of its donor star
We obtained 16 VLT/X-shooter observations of GX 339-4 in quiescence in the
period May - September 2016 and detected absorption lines from the donor star
in its NIR spectrum. This allows us to measure the radial velocity curve and
projected rotational velocity of the donor for the first time. We confirm the
1.76 day orbital period and we find that = km s,
km s and km s. From
these values we compute a mass function , a
factor lower than previously reported, and a mass ratio . We confirm the donor is a K-type star and estimate that it contributes
of the light in the - and H-band. We constrain the binary
inclination to and the black hole mass to
. GX 339-4 may therefore be the
first black hole to fall in the 'mass-gap' of .Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
On the Effective Construction of Compactly Supported Wavelets Satisfying Homogeneous Boundary Conditions on the Interval
AbstractWe construct compactly supported wavelet bases satisfying homogeneous boundary conditions on the interval [0, 1]. The maximum features of multiresolution analysis on the line are retained, including polynomial approximation and tree algorithms. The case ofH01([0, 1]) is detailed and numerical values, required for the implementation, are provided for the Neumann and Dirichlet boundary conditions
Long-term spectropolarimetric monitoring of the cool supergiant Betelgeuse
We report on a long-term monitoring of the cool supergiant Betelgeuse, using
the NARVAL and ESPaDOnS high-resolution spectropolarimeters, respectively
installed at Telescope Bernard Lyot (Pic du Midi Observatory, France) and at
the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii). The data
set, constituted of circularly polarized (Stokes V) and intensity (Stokes I)
spectra, was collected between 2010 and 2012. We investigate here the temporal
evolution of magnetic field, convection and temperature at photospheric level,
using simultaneous measurements of the longitudinal magnetic field component,
the core emission of the Ca II infrared triplet, the line-depth ratio of
selected photospheric lines and the radial velocity of the star.Comment: Proceedings of the Betelgeuse Workshop, Paris, 26-29 Nov 201
A new view on exoplanet transits: Transit of Venus described using three-dimensional solar atmosphere Stagger-grid simulations
Stellar activity and, in particular, convection-related surface structures,
potentially cause fluctuations that can affect the transit light curves.
Surface convection simulations can help the interpretation of ToV. We used
realistic three-dimensional radiative hydrodynamical simulation of the Sun from
the Stagger-grid and synthetic images computed with the radiative transfer code
Optim3D to provide predictions for the transit of Venus in 2004 observed by the
satellite ACRIMSAT. We computed intensity maps from RHD simulation of the Sun
and produced synthetic stellar disk image. We computed the light curve and
compared it to the ACRIMSAT observations and also to the light curves obtained
with solar surface representations carried out using radial profiles with
different limb-darkening laws. We also applied the same spherical tile imaging
method to the observations of center-to-limb Sun granulation with HINODE. We
managed to explain ACRIMSAT observations of 2004 ToV and showed that the
granulation pattern causes fluctuations in the transit light curve. We
evaluated the contribution of the granulation to the ToV. We showed that the
granulation pattern can partially explain the observed discrepancies between
models and data. This confirms that the limb-darkening and the granulation
pattern simulated in 3D RHD Sun represent well what is imaged by HINODE. In the
end, we found that the Venus's aureole contribution during ToV is less intense
than the solar photosphere, and thus negligible. Being able to explain
consistently the data of 2004 ToV is a new step forward for 3D RHD simulations
that are becoming essential for the detection and characterization of
exoplanets. They show that the granulation have to be considered as an
intrinsic incertitude, due to the stellar variability, on precise measurements
of exoplanet transits of, most likely, planets with small diameters.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Recent results and performance of the multi-gap resistive plate chambers network for the EEE Project
Chiral molecule formation in interstellar ice analogs: alpha-aminoethanol NH 2 CH(CH 3 )OH
International audienceAims. Aminoalcohol molecules such as alpha-aminoethanol NH 2 CH(CH 3)OH may be aminoacid precursors. We attempt to charac-terize and detect this kind of molecules which is important to establish a possible link between interstellar molecules and life as we know it on Earth. Methods. We use Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry to study the formation of alpha-aminoethanol NH 2 CH(CH 3)OH in H 2 O:NH 3 : CH 3 CHO ice mixtures. Isotopic substitution with 15 NH 3 and ab-initio calculation are used to confirm the identification of alpha-aminoethanol. Results. After investigating the thermal reaction of solid NH 3 and acetaldehyde CH 3 CHO at low temperature, we find that this reac-tion leads to the formation of a chiral molecule, the alpha aminoethanol NH 2 CH(CH 3)OH. For the first time, we report the infrared and mass spectra of this molecule. We also report on its photochemical behavior under VUV irradiation. We find that the main photo-product is acetamide (NH 2 COCH 3). Data provided in this work indicates that alpha-aminoethanol is formed in one hour at 120 K and suggests that its formation in warm interstellar environments such as protostellar envelopes or cometary environments is likely
Radiative hydrodynamics simulations of red supergiant stars: II. simulations of convection on Betelgeuse match interferometric observations
Context. The red supergiant (RSG) Betelgeuse is an irregular variable star.
Convection may play an important role in understanding this variability.
Interferometric observations can be interpreted using sophisticated simulations
of stellar convection. Aims. We compare the visibility curves and closure
phases obtained from our 3D simulation of RSG convection with CO5BOLD to
various interferometric observations of Betelgeuse from the optical to the H
band in order to characterize and measure the convection pattern on this star.
Methods. We use 3D radiative-hydrodynamics (RHD) simulation to compute
intensity maps in different filters and we thus derive interferometric
observables using the post-processing radiative transfer code OPTIM3D. The
synthetic visibility curves and closure phases are compared to observations.
Results. We provide a robust detection of the granulation pattern on the
surface of Betelgeuse in the optical and in the H band based on excellent fits
to the observed visibility points and closure phases. Moreover, we determine
that the Betelgeuse surface in the H band is covered by small to medium scale
(5-15 mas) convection-related surface structures and a large (30 mas)
convective cell. In this spectral region, H2O molecules are the main absorbers
and contribute to the small structures and to the position of the first null of
the visibility curve (i.e. the apparent stellar radius).Comment: 11 pages, Accepted for publication on A&
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