156 research outputs found
ULAS J141623.94134836.3 - a faint common proper motion companion of a nearby L dwarf. Serendipitous discovery of a cool brown dwarf in UKIDSS DR6
New near-infrared large-area sky surveys (e.g. UKIDSS, CFBDS, WISE) go deeper
than 2MASS and aim at detecting brown dwarfs lurking in the Solar neighbourhood
which are even fainter than the latest known T-type objects, so-called Y
dwarfs. Using UKIDSS data, we have found a faint brown dwarf candidate with
very red optical-to-near-infrared but extremely blue near-infrared colours next
to the recently discovered nearby L dwarf SDSS J141624.08134826.7. We
check if the two objects are co-moving by studying their parallactic and proper
motion and compare the new object with known T dwarfs. The astrometric
measurements are consistent with a physical pair (75 AU) at a
distance 8 pc. The extreme colour (1.7) and
absolute magnitude (=17.780.46 and =19.450.52) make the new
object appear as one of the coolest (T600 K) and nearest brown
dwarfs, probably of late-T spectral type and possibly with a high surface
gravity (log 5.0).Comment: accepted for publication as a Letter in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 4
pages, 7 figures, changed subtitle and discussion, former Fig. 4 removed, new
Figs. 2, 6, and
Hubble Space Telescope Astrometry of the Procyon System
The nearby star Procyon is a visual binary containing the F5 IV-V subgiant
Procyon A, orbited in a 40.84 yr period by the faint DQZ white dwarf Procyon B.
Using images obtained over two decades with the Hubble Space Telescope, and
historical measurements back to the 19th century, we have determined precise
orbital elements. Combined with measurements of the parallax and the motion of
the A component, these elements yield dynamical masses of 1.478 +/- 0.012 Msun
and 0.592 +/- 0.006 Msun for A and B, respectively.
The mass of Procyon A agrees well with theoretical predictions based on
asteroseismology and its temperature and luminosity. Use of a standard
core-overshoot model agrees best for a surprisingly high amount of core
overshoot. Under these modeling assumptions, Procyon A's age is ~2.7 Gyr.
Procyon B's location in the H-R diagram is in excellent agreement with
theoretical cooling tracks for white dwarfs of its dynamical mass. Its position
in the mass-radius plane is also consistent with theory, assuming a
carbon-oxygen core and a helium-dominated atmosphere. Its progenitor's mass was
1.9-2.2 Msun, depending on its amount of core overshoot.
Several astrophysical puzzles remain. In the progenitor system, the stars at
periastron were separated by only ~5 AU, which might have led to tidal
interactions and even mass transfer; yet there is no direct evidence that these
have occurred. Moreover the orbital eccentricity has remained high (~0.40). The
mass of Procyon B is somewhat lower than anticipated from the
initial-to-final-mass relation seen in open clusters. The presence of heavy
elements in its atmosphere requires ongoing accretion, but the place of origin
is uncertain.Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journa
The anisotropy of granular materials
The effect of the anisotropy on the elastoplastic response of two dimensional
packed samples of polygons is investigated here, using molecular dynamics
simulation. We show a correlation between fabric coefficients, characterizing
the anisotropy of the granular skeleton, and the anisotropy of the elastic
response. We also study the anisotropy induced by shearing on the subnetwork of
the sliding contacts. This anisotropy provides an explanation to some features
of the plastic deformation of granular media.Comment: Submitted to PR
Development of Stresses in Cohesionless Poured Sand
The pressure distribution beneath a conical sandpile, created by pouring sand
from a point source onto a rough rigid support, shows a pronounced minimum
below the apex (`the dip'). Recent work of the authors has attempted to explain
this phenomenon by invoking local rules for stress propagation that depend on
the local geometry, and hence on the construction history, of the medium. We
discuss the fundamental difference between such approaches, which lead to
hyperbolic differential equations, and elastoplastic models, for which the
equations are elliptic within any elastic zones present .... This displacement
field appears to be either ill-defined, or defined relative to a reference
state whose physical existence is in doubt. Insofar as their predictions depend
on physical factors unknown and outside experimental control, such
elastoplastic models predict that the observations should be intrinsically
irreproducible .... Our hyperbolic models are based instead on a physical
picture of the material, in which (a) the load is supported by a skeletal
network of force chains ("stress paths") whose geometry depends on construction
history; (b) this network is `fragile' or marginally stable, in a sense that we
define. .... We point out that our hyperbolic models can nonetheless be
reconciled with elastoplastic ideas by taking the limit of an extremely
anisotropic yield condition.Comment: 25 pages, latex RS.tex with rspublic.sty, 7 figures in Rsfig.ps.
Philosophical Transactions A, Royal Society, submitted 02/9
UKIDSS detections of cool brown dwarfs - proper motions of 14 known T5 dwarfs and discovery of three new T5.5-T6 dwarfs
AIMS: We contribute to improving the census of cool brown dwarfs (late-T and
Y dwarfs) in the immediate solar neighbourhood. METHODS: By combining
near-infrared (NIR) data of UKIDSS with mid-infrared WISE and other available
NIR (2MASS) and red optical (SDSS -band) multi-epoch data we detect high
proper motion (HPM) objects with colours typical of late spectral types
(T5). We use NIR low-resolution spectroscopy for the classification of new
candidates. RESULTS: We determined new proper motions for 14 known T5.5-Y0
dwarfs, many of them being significantly (2-10 times) more accurate than
previous ones. We detected three new candidates, ULAS J0954+0623, ULAS
J1152+0359, and ULAS J1204-0150, by their HPMs and colours. Using previously
published and new UKIDSS positions of the known nearby T8 dwarf WISE J0254+0223
we improved its trigonometric parallax to 16520 mas. For the three new
objects we obtained NIR spectroscopic follow-up with LBT/LUCIFER classifying
them as T5.5 and T6 dwarfs. With their estimated spectroscopic distances of
about 25-30 pc, their proper motions of about 430-650 mas/yr lead to tangential
velocities of about 50-80 km/s typical of the Galactic thin disk population.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, plus 3 pages with 5 tables (online material),
accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
SN 2005hj: Evidence for Two Classes of Normal-Bright SNe Ia and Implications for Cosmology
HET Optical spectra covering the evolution from about 6 days before to about
5 weeks after maximum light and the ROTSE-IIIb unfiltered light curve of the
"Branch-normal" Type Ia Supernova SN 2005hj are presented. The host galaxy
shows HII region lines at redshift of z=0.0574, which puts the peak unfiltered
absolute magnitude at a somewhat over-luminous -19.6. The spectra show weak and
narrow SiII lines, and for a period of at least 10 days beginning around
maximum light these profiles do not change in width or depth and they indicate
a constant expansion velocity of ~10,600 km/s. We analyzed the observations
based on detailed radiation dynamical models in the literature. Whereas delayed
detonation and deflagration models have been used to explain the majority of
SNe Ia, they do not predict a long velocity plateau in the SiII minimum with an
unvarying line profile. Pulsating delayed detonations and merger scenarios form
shell-like density structures with properties mostly related to the mass of the
shell, M_shell, and we discuss how these models may explain the observed SiII
line evolution; however, these models are based on spherical calculations and
other possibilities may exist. SN 2005hj is consistent with respect to the
onset, duration, and velocity of the plateau, the peak luminosity and, within
the uncertainties, with the intrinsic colors for models with M_shell=0.2 M_sun.
Our analysis suggests a distinct class of events hidden within the
Branch-normal SNe Ia. If the predicted relations between observables are
confirmed, they may provide a way to separate these two groups. We discuss the
implications of two distinct progenitor classes on cosmological studies
employing SNe Ia, including possible differences in the peak luminosity to
light curve width relation.Comment: ApJ accepted, 31 page
Galaxy Distances in the Nearby Universe: Corrections For Peculiar Motions
By correcting the redshift--dependent distances for peculiar motions through
a number of peculiar velocity field models, we recover the true distances of a
wide, all-sky sample of nearby galaxies (~ 6400 galaxies with velocities
cz<5500 km/s), which is complete up to the blue magnitude B=14 mag. Relying on
catalogs of galaxy groups, we treat ~2700 objects as members of galaxy groups
and the remaining objects as field galaxies.
We model the peculiar velocity field using: i) a cluster dipole
reconstruction scheme; ii) a multi--attractor model fitted to the Mark II and
Mark III catalogs of galaxy peculiar velocities. According to Mark III data the
Great Attractor has a smaller influence on local dynamics than previously
believed, whereas the Perseus-Pisces and Shapley superclusters acquire a
specific dynamical role. Remarkably, the Shapley structure, which is found to
account for nearly half the peculiar motion of the Local Group, is placed by
Mark III data closer to the zone of avoidance with respect to its optical
position.
Our multi--attractor model based on Mark III data favors a cosmological
density parameter Omega ~ 0.5 (irrespective of a biasing factor of order
unity). Differences among distance estimates are less pronounced in the ~ 2000
- 4000 km/s distance range than at larger or smaller distances. In the last
regions these differences have a serious impact on the 3D maps of the galaxy
distribution and on the local galaxy density --- on small scales.Comment: 24 pages including (9 eps figures and 7 tables). Figures 1,2,3,4 are
available only upon request. Accepted by Ap
The Exotic Eclipsing Nucleus of the Ring Planetary Nebula SuWt2
SuWt2 is a planetary nebula (PN) consisting of a bright ionized thin ring
seen nearly edge-on. It has a bright (V=12) central star, too cool to ionize
the PN, which we discovered to be an eclipsing binary. A spectrum from IUE did
not reveal a UV source. We present extensive ground-based photometry and
spectroscopy of the central binary collected over the ensuing two decades,
resulting in the determination that the orbital period of the eclipsing pair is
4.9 d, and consists of two nearly identical A1 V stars, each of mass ~2.7
M_sun. The physical parameters of the A stars, combined with evolutionary
tracks, show that both are in the short-lived "blue-hook" evolutionary phase
that occurs between the main sequence and the Hertzsprung gap, and that the age
of the system is about 520 Myr. One puzzle is that the stars' rotational
velocities are different from each other, and considerably slower than
synchronous with the orbital period. It is possible that the center-of-mass
velocity of the eclipsing pair is varying with time, suggesting that there is
an unseen third orbiting body in the system. We propose a scenario in which the
system began as a hierarchical triple, consisting of a ~2.9 M_sun star orbiting
the close pair of A stars. Upon reaching the AGB stage, the primary engulfed
the pair into a common envelope, leading to a rapid contraction of the orbit
and catastrophic ejection of the envelope into the orbital plane. In this
picture, the exposed core of the initial primary is now a white dwarf of ~0.7
M_sun, orbiting the eclipsing pair, which has already cooled below the
detectability possible by IUE at our derived distance of 2.3 kpc and a
reddening of E(B-V)=0.40. The SuWt2 system may be destined to perish as a Type
Ia supernova. (Abridged)Comment: 60 pages, 11 figure, to appear in the Astronomical Journa
The Nearby Optical Galaxy Sample: The Local Galaxy Luminosity Function
In this paper we derive the galaxy luminosity function from the Nearby
Optical Galaxy (NOG) sample, which is a nearly complete, magnitude-limited
(B<14 mag), all-sky sample of nearby optical galaxies (~6400 galaxies with
cz<5500 km/s). For this local sample, we use galaxy distance estimates based on
different peculiar velocity models. Therefore, the derivation of the luminosity
function is carried out using the locations of field and grouped galaxies in
real distance space.
The local field galaxy luminosity function in the B system is well described
by a Schechter function. The exact values of the Schechter parameters slightly
depend on the adopted peculiar velocity field models.
The shape of the luminosity function of spiral galaxies does not differ
significantly from that of E-S0 galaxies. On the other hand, the late-type
spirals and irregulars have a very steeply rising luminosity function towards
the faint end, whereas the ellipticals appreciably decrease in number towards
low luminosities.
The presence of galaxy systems in the NOG sample does not affect
significantly the field galaxy luminosity function, since environmental effects
on the total luminosity function appear to be marginal.Comment: 35 pages including 7 figures and 4 tables. Accepted for publication
in Ap
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