143 research outputs found
Astrometric-spectroscopic determination of the absolute masses of the HgMn binary star Phi Herculis
The Mercury-Manganese star Phi Her is a well known spectroscopic binary that
has been the subject of a recent study by Zavala et al. (2006), in which they
resolved the companion using long-baseline interferometry. The total mass of
the binary is now fairly well established, but the combination of the
spectroscopy with the astrometry has not resulted in individual masses
consistent with the spectral types of the components. The motion of the center
of light of Phi Her was clearly detected by the Hipparcos satellite. Here we
make use of the Hipparcos intermediate data (`abscissa residuals') and show
that by combining them in an optimal fashion with the interferometry the
individual masses can be obtained reliably using only astrometry. We re-examine
and then incorporate existing radial-velocity measurements into the orbital
solution, obtaining improved masses of 3.05 +/- 0.24 M_Sun and 1.614 +/- 0.066
M_Sun that are consistent with the theoretical mass-luminosity relation from
recent stellar evolution models. These mass determinations provide important
information for the understanding of the nature of this peculiar class of
stars.Comment: Total of 18 pages including figures and tables, in emulateapj format.
To appear in The Astronomical Journal, June 2007 issu
X-ray Variability in the Young Massive Triple theta2 Ori A
Massive stars rarely show intrinsic X-ray variability. The only O-stars
credited to be intrinsically variable are theta1 Ori C due to effects from
magnetic confinement of its wind, and theta2 Ori A suspected of similar
activity. Early Chandra observations have shown that the most massive star
system in the Orion Trapezium Cluster, theta2 Ori A, shows rapid variability on
time scales of hours. We determine X-ray fluxes and find that the star shows
very strong variability over the last 5 years. We observed a second large X-ray
outburst in November 2004 with the high resolution transmission grating
spectrometer on-board Chandra. In the low state X-ray emissivities indicate
temperatures well above 25 MK. In the high state we find an extended emissivity
distribution with high emissivities in the range from 3 MK to over 100 MK. The
outburst event in stellar terms is one of the most powerful ever observed and
the most energetic one in the ONC with a lower total energy limit of 1.5x10^37
ergs. The line diagnostics show that under the assumption that the line
emitting regions in the low states are as close as within 1 -- 2 stellar radii
from the O-star's photosphere, whereas the hard states suggest a distance of 3
-- 5 stellar radii. The two outbursts are very close to the periastron passage
of the stars. We argue that the high X-ray states are possibly the result of
reconnection events from magnetic interactions of the primary and secondary
stars of the spectroscopic binary. Effects from wind collisions seem unlikely
for this system. The low state emissivity and R-ratios strengthen the
predicament that the X-ray emission is enhanced by magnetic confinement of the
primary wind. We also detect Fe fluorescence indicative of the existence of
substantial amounts of neutral Fe in the vicinity of the X-ray emission.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Main Journa
The HgMn Binary Star Phi Herculis: Detection and Properties of the Secondary and Revision of the Elemental Abundances of the Primary
Observations of the Mercury-Manganese star Phi Herculis with the Navy
Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI) conclusively reveal the previously
unseen companion in this single-lined binary system. The NPOI data were used to
predict a spectral type of A8V for the secondary star Phi Her B. This
prediction was subsequently confirmed by spectroscopic observations obtained at
the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. Phi Her B is rotating at 50 +/-3
km/sec, in contrast to the 8 km/sec lines of Phi Her A. Recognizing the lines
from the secondary permits one to separate them from those of the primary. The
abundance analysis of Phi Her A shows an abundance pattern similar to those of
other HgMn stars with Al being very underabundant and Sc, Cr, Mn, Zn, Ga, Sr,
Y, Zr, Ba, Ce, and Hg being very overabundant.Comment: Accepted to ApJ, 45 pages, 11 figure
X-ray emission from early-type stars in the Orion Nebula Cluster
The X-ray properties of twenty ~1 Myr old O, B, and A stars of the Orion
Trapezium are examined with data from the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project
(COUP). On the basis of simple theories for X-ray emission, we define two
classes separated at spectral type B4: hotter stars have strong winds that may
give rise to X-ray emission in small- or large-scale wind shocks, and cooler
stars that should be X-ray dark due to their weaker winds and absence of outer
convection zones where dynamos can generate magnetic fields.
Only two of the massive stars show exclusively the constant soft-spectrum
emission expected from the standard model for X-ray emission from hot stars
involving many small shocks in an unmagnetized radiatively accelerated wind.
Most of the other massive O7-B3 stars exhibit some combination of soft-spectrum
wind emission, hard-spectrum flaring, and/or rotational modulation indicating
large-scale inhomogeneity, suggesting magnetic confinement of winds with
large-scale shocks.
Most of the stars in the weak-wind class exhibit X-ray flares and have
luminosities that are consistent with magnetic activity from known or unseen
low-mass companions. All non-detections belong to the weak-wind class.Comment: accepted to ApJ Suppl., COUP Special Issu
Laboratories, laws, and the career of a commodity
Unlike most foods, milk is produced fresh at least twice every day, thus recreating, over 700 times a year, a commodity ‘designed’ by the combination of nature, commerce, and law. The paper is a study of the ontogenesis of this commodity in Britain since 1800, stressing the emergence of two new objectivities: dairy science and the law on adulteration. In the words of Christopher Hamlin, what mattered was the “manufacture of certainty, however flimsy that certainty might later be shown to be.'' This was achieved by the collection of samples, the generation of facts by the deployment of the laboratory technologies of physics and chemistry, and a semimonopoly over the truth-power of dairy science that was gradually built up by the large commercial companies. A foundation of state-sponsored regulation provided an official legitimation of compositional standards that suited the interests of capital but ignored ‘natural’ variations in quality and often pilloried innocent producers. The public eventually became accustomed to the regulated quality of the milk in its ‘pinta’ and assumed it to be natural. Even the standardization of composition since 1993 has caused very little disquiet among the consuming public, although milk is now a fully constructed commodity like any other dairy product. Mechanical modernity has at last triumphed over a century of ‘milk as it came from the cow’
Quality-of-life assessment in dementia: the use of DEMQOL and DEMQOL-Proxy total scores
Purpose
There is a need to determine whether health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) assessments in dementia capture what is important, to form a coherent basis for guiding research and clinical and policy decisions. This study investigated structural validity of HRQL assessments made using the DEMQOL system, with particular interest in studying domains that might be central to HRQL, and the external validity of these HRQL measurements.
Methods
HRQL of people with dementia was evaluated by 868 self-reports (DEMQOL) and 909 proxy reports (DEMQOL-Proxy) at a community memory service. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA) were conducted using bifactor models to investigate domains that might be central to general HRQL. Reliability of the general and specific factors measured by the bifactor models was examined using omega (?) and omega hierarchical (? h) coefficients. Multiple-indicators multiple-causes models were used to explore the external validity of these HRQL measurements in terms of their associations with other clinical assessments.
Results
Bifactor models showed adequate goodness of fit, supporting HRQL in dementia as a general construct that underlies a diverse range of health indicators. At the same time, additional factors were necessary to explain residual covariation of items within specific health domains identified from the literature. Based on these models, DEMQOL and DEMQOL-Proxy overall total scores showed excellent reliability (? h > 0.8). After accounting for common variance due to a general factor, subscale scores were less reliable (? h < 0.7) for informing on individual differences in specific HRQL domains. Depression was more strongly associated with general HRQL based on DEMQOL than on DEMQOL-Proxy (?0.55 vs ?0.22). Cognitive impairment had no reliable association with general HRQL based on DEMQOL or DEMQOL-Proxy.
Conclusions
The tenability of a bifactor model of HRQL in dementia suggests that it is possible to retain theoretical focus on the assessment of a general phenomenon, while exploring variation in specific HRQL domains for insights on what may lie at the ‘heart’ of HRQL for people with dementia. These data suggest that DEMQOL and DEMQOL-Proxy total scores are likely to be accurate measures of individual differences in HRQL, but that subscale scores should not be used. No specific domain was solely responsible for general HRQL at dementia diagnosis. Better HRQL was moderately associated with less depressive symptoms, but this was less apparent based on informant reports. HRQL was not associated with severity of cognitive impairment
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