442 research outputs found
Stellar Inversion Techniques
Stellar seismic inversions have proved to be a powerful technique for probing
the internal structure of stars, and paving the way for a better understanding
of the underlying physics by revealing some of the shortcomings in current
stellar models. In this lecture, we provide an introduction to this topic by
explaining kernel-based inversion techniques. Specifically, we explain how
various kernels are obtained from the pulsation equations, and describe
inversion techniques such as the Regularised Least-Squares (RLS) and Optimally
Localised Averages (OLA) methods.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures. Lecture presented at the IVth Azores
International Advanced School in Space Sciences on "Asteroseismology and
Exoplanets: Listening to the Stars and Searching for New Worlds"
(arXiv:1709.00645), which took place in Horta, Azores Islands, Portugal in
July 201
10,000 Standard Solar Models: a Monte Carlo Simulation
We have evolved 10,000 solar models using 21 input parameters that are
randomly drawn for each model from separate probability distributions for every
parameter. We use the results of these models to determine the theoretical
uncertainties in the predicted surface helium abundance, the profile of the
sound speed versus radius, the profile of the density versus radius, the depth
of the solar convective zone, the eight principal solar neutrino fluxes, and
the fractions of nuclear reactions that occur in the CNO cycle or in the three
branches of the p-p chains. We also determine the correlation coefficients of
the neutrino fluxes for use in analysis of solar neutrino oscillations. Our
calculations include the most accurate available input parameters, including
radiative opacity, equation of state, and nuclear cross sections. We
incorporate both the recently determined heavy element abundances recommended
by Asplund, Grevesse & Sauval (2005) and the older (higher) heavy element
abundances recommended by Grevesse & Sauval (1998). We present best-estimates
of many characteristics of the standard solar model for both sets of
recommended heavy element compositions.Comment: ** John N. Bahcall passed away on August 17, 2005. Manuscript has 60
pages including 10 figure
Helioseismology, solar models and solar neutrinos
We review recent advances concerning helioseismology, solar models and solar
neutrinos. Particularly we shall address the following points: i) helioseismic
tests of recent SSMs; ii)the accuracy of the helioseismic determination of the
sound speed near the solar center; iii)predictions of neutrino fluxes based on
helioseismology, (almost) independent of SSMs; iv)helioseismic tests of exotic
solar models.Comment: 11 pages with 6 ps figures included, procsla style, based on the
talks presented at Neutrino Telescopes '99, Venice, February 1999, and at
Valencia '99, Valencia, May 1999, to appear in the proceeding
A Detailed Analysis of the Dust Formation Zone of IRC+10216 Derived from Mid-IR Bands of C2H2 and HCN
A spectral survey of IRC+10216 has been carried out in the range 11 to 14 um
with a spectral resolution of about 4 km s^-1. We have identified a forest of
lines in six bands of C2H2 involving the vibrational states from the ground to
3nu5 and in two bands of HCN, involving the vibrational states from the ground
up to 2nu2. Some of these transitions are observed also in H13CCH and H13CN. We
have estimated the kinetic, vibrational, and rotational temperatures, and the
abundances and column densities of C2H2 and HCN between 1 and 300 R* (1.5E16
cm) by fitting about 300 of these ro-vibrational lines. The envelope can be
divided into three regions with approximate boundaries at 0.019 arcsec (the
stellar photosphere), 0.1 arcsec (the inner dust formation zone), and 0.4
arcsec (outer dust formation zone). Most of the lines might require a large
microturbulence broadening. The derived abundances of C2H2 and HCN increase by
factors of 10 and 4, respectively, from the innermost envelope outwards. The
derived column densities for both C2H2 and HCN are 1.6E19 cm^-2. Vibrational
states up to 3000 K above ground are populated, suggesting pumping by
near-infrared radiation from the star and innermost envelope. Low rotational
levels can be considered under LTE while those with J>20-30 are not
thermalized. A few lines require special analysis to deal with effects like
overlap with lines of other molecules.Comment: 8 pages, 16 figures, 2 machine-readable tables, accepted in the
Astrophysical Journa
Helioseismological Implications of Recent Solar Abundance Determinations
We show that standard solar models are in good agreement with the
helioseismologically determined sound speed and density as a function of solar
radius, the depth of the convective zone, and the surface helium abundance, as
long as those models do not incorporate the most recent heavy element abundance
determinations. However, sophisticated new analyses of the solar atmosphere
infer lower abundances of the lighter metals (like C, N, O, Ne, and Ar) than
the previously widely used surface abundances. We show that solar models that
include the lower heavy element abundances disagree with the solar profiles of
sound speed and density as well as the depth of the convective zone and the
helium abundance. The disagreements for models with the new abundances range
from factors of several to many times the quoted uncertainties in the
helioseismological measurements. The disagreements are at temperatures below
what is required for solar interior fusion reactions and therefore do not
significantly affect solar neutrino emission. If errors in thecalculated OPAL
opacities are solely responsible for the disagreements, then the corrections in
the opacity must extend from 2 times 10^6 K (R = 0.7R_Sun)to 5 times 10^6 K (R
= 0.4 R_Sun), with opacity increases of order 10%.Comment: ApJ in press; clarified Figure
Asteroseismology across the HR diagram
High precision spectroscopy provides essential information necessary to fully
exploit the opportunity of probing the internal structure of stars using
Asteroseismology. In this work we discuss how Asteroseismology combined with
High Precision Spectroscopy can establish a detailed view on stellar structure
and evolution of stars across the HR diagramme.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures - to appear in Precision Spectroscopy in
Astrophysics, (Eds) L. Pasquini, M. Romaniello, N.C. Santos, and A. Correia,
ESO Astrophysics Symposia, 200
On the Reliability of Cross Correlation Function Lag Determinations in Active Galactic Nuclei
Many AGN exhibit a highly variable luminosity. Some AGN also show a
pronounced time delay between variations seen in their optical continuum and in
their emission lines. In effect, the emission lines are light echoes of the
continuum. This light travel-time delay provides a characteristic radius of the
region producing the emission lines. The cross correlation function (CCF) is
the standard tool used to measure the time lag between the continuum and line
variations. For the few well-sampled AGN, the lag ranges from 1-100 days,
depending upon which line is used and the luminosity of the AGN. In the best
sampled AGN, NGC 5548, the H_beta lag shows year-to-year changes, ranging from
about 8.7 days to about 22.9 days over a span of 8 years. In this paper it is
demonstrated that, in the context of AGN variability studies, the lag estimate
using the CCF is biased too low and subject to a large variance. Thus the
year-to-year changes of the measured lag in NGC 5548 do not necessarily imply
changes in the AGN structure. The bias and large variance are consequences of
finite duration sampling and the dominance of long timescale trends in the
light curves, not due to noise or irregular sampling. Lag estimates can be
substantially improved by removing low frequency power from the light curves
prior to computing the CCF.Comment: To appear in the PASP, vol 111, 1999 Nov; 37 pages; 10 figure
Solar-like oscillations in the G8 V star tau Ceti
We used HARPS to measure oscillations in the low-mass star tau Cet. Although
the data were compromised by instrumental noise, we have been able to extract
the main features of the oscillations. We found tau Cet to oscillate with an
amplitude that is about half that of the Sun, and with a mode lifetime that is
slightly shorter than solar. The large frequency separation is 169 muHz, and we
have identified modes with degrees 0, 1, 2, and 3. We used the frequencies to
estimate the mean density of the star to an accuracy of 0.45% which, combined
with the interferometric radius, gives a mass of 0.783 +/- 0.012 M_sun (1.6%).Comment: accepted for publication in A&
Numerical simulations of stellar SiO maser variability. Investigation of the effect of shocks
A stellar hydrodynamic pulsation model has been combined with a SiO maser
model in an attempt to calculate the temporal variability of SiO maser emission
in the circumstellar envelope (CE) of a model AGB star. This study investigates
whether the variations in local physical conditions brought about by shocks are
the predominant contributing factor to SiO maser variability because, in this
work, the radiative part of the pump is constant. We find that some aspects of
the variability are not consistent with a pump provided by shock-enhanced
collisions alone. In these simulations, gas parcels of relatively enhanced SiO
abundance are distributed in a model CE by a Monte Carlo method, at a single
epoch of the stellar cycle. From this epoch on, Lagrangian motions of
individual parcels are calculated according to the velocity fields encountered
in the model CE during the stellar pulsation cycle. The potentially masing gas
parcels therefore experience different densities and temperatures, and have
varying line-of-sight velocity gradients throughout the stellar cycle, which
may or may not be suitable to produce maser emission. At each epoch (separated
by 16.6 days), emission lines from the parcels are combined to produce
synthetic spectra and VLBI-type images. We report here the results for v=1,
J=1-0 (43-GHz) and J=2-1 (86-GHz) masers.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, accepted by A&
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