8,712 research outputs found
Disk evaporation in a planetary nebula
We study the Galactic bulge planetary nebula M 2-29 (for which a 3-year
eclipse event of the central star has been attributed to a dust disk) using HST
imaging and VLT spectroscopy, both long-slit and integral field. The central
cavity of M 2-29 is filled with a decreasing, slow wind. An inner high density
core is detected, with radius less than 250 AU, interpreted as a rotating
gas/dust disk with a bipolar disk wind. The evaporating disk is argued to be
the source of the slow wind. The central star is a source of a very fast wind
(1000 km/s). An outer, partial ring is seen in the equatorial plane, expanding
at 12 km/s. The azimuthal asymmetry is attributed to mass-loss modulation by an
eccentric binary. M 2-29 presents a crucial point in disk evolution, where
ionization causes the gas to be lost, leaving a low-mass dust disk behind.Comment: 11 pages, accepted for publication in "Astronomy and Astrophysics
The Nature of Nearby Counterparts to Intermediate Redshift Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies I. Optical/H I Properties and Dynamical Masses
We present single-dish H I spectra obtained with the Green Bank Telescope,
along with optical photometric properties from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, of
20 nearby (D < 70 Mpc) Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies (LCBGs). These ~L*, blue,
high surface brightness, starbursting galaxies were selected with the same
criteria used to define LCBGs at higher redshifts. We find these galaxies are
gas-rich, with M(HI) ranging from 5*10^8 to 8*10^9 M_sun, and M(HI)/L_B ranging
from 0.2 to 2 M_sun/L_sun, consistent with a variety of morphological types of
galaxies. We find the dynamical masses (measured within R_25) span a wide
range, from 3*10^9 to 1*10^11 M_sun. However, at least half have dynamical
mass-to-light ratios smaller than nearby galaxies of all Hubble types, as found
for LCBGs at intermediate redshifts. By comparing line widths and effective
radii with local galaxy populations, we find that LCBGs are consistent with the
dynamical mass properties of Magellanic (low luminosity) spirals, and the more
massive irregulars and dwarf ellipticals, such as NGC 205.Comment: 33 pages, 8 figures, accepted by Ap
The very fast evolution of Sakurai's object
V4334 Sgr (a.k.a. Sakurai's object) is the central star of an old planetary
nebula that underwent a very late thermal pulse a few years before its
discovery in 1996. We have been monitoring the evolution of the optical
emission line spectrum since 2001. The goal is to improve the evolutionary
models by constraining them with the temporal evolution of the central star
temperature. In addition the high resolution spectral observations obtained by
X-shooter and ALMA show the temporal evolution of the different morphological
components.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures to appear in the Proceedings of the IAU Symp. 323:
"Planetary nebulae: Multi-wavelength probes of stellar and galactic
evolution". Eds. X.-W. Liu, L. Stanghellini and A. Karaka
Least action description of dynamic pairing correlations in the fission of Curium and Californium isotopes based on the Gogny energy density functional
The impact of dynamic pairing correlations and their interplay with Coulomb
antipairing effects on the systematic of the spontaneous fission half-lives for
the nuclei Cm and Cf is analyzed, using a hierarchy of
approximations based on the parametrization D1M of the Gogny energy density
functional (EDF). First, the constrained Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB)
approximation is used to compute deformed mean-field configurations, zero-point
quantum corrections and collective inertias either by using the Slater
approximation to Coulomb exchange and neglecting Coulomb antipairing or by
fully considering the exchange and pairing channels of the Coulomb interaction.
Next, the properties of the {\it{least action}} and {\it{least energy}} fission
paths are compared. In the {\it{least action}} case, pairing is identified as
the relevant degree of freedom in order to minimize the action entering the
Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) approximation to the tunneling probability
through the fission barrier. Irrespective of the treatment of Coulomb exchange
and antipairing, it is shown that the {\it{least action}} path obtained taking
into account the pairing degree of freedom leads to stronger pairing
correlations that significantly reduce the spontaneous fission half-lives
improving thereby the comparison with the experiment by several orders
of magnitude. It is also shown that the Coulomb antipairing effect is, to a
large extent, washed out by the {\it{least action}} procedure and therefore the
values obtained by the two different treatments of the Coulomb
exchange and pairing are of similar quality.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure
The contribution of ultracompact dark matter minihalos to the isotropic radio background
The ultracompact minihalos could be formed during the earlier epoch of the
universe. The dark matter annihilation within them is very strong due to the
steep density profile, . The high energy electrons and
positrons from the dark matter annihilation can inverse Compton scatter (ICS)
with the background photons, such as CMB photons, to acquire higher energy. On
the other hand, the synchrotron radiation can also be produced when they meet
the magnetic field. In this paper, we study the signals from the UCMHs due to
the dark matter annihilation for the radio, X-ray and -ray band. We
found that for the radio emission the UCMHs can provide one kind of source for
the radio excess observed by ARCADE 2.
But the X-ray signals due to the ICS effect or the -ray signals
mainly due to the prompt emission from dark matter would exceed the present
observations, such as Fermi, COMPTEL and CHANDRA. We found that the strongest
limits on the fraction of UCMHs come from the X-ray observations and the
constraints from the radio data are the weakest.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, Comments Welcome! Some Refs. are added, some
presentation have been corrected. The conclusions remain unchanged. One
important reference has been corrected. Some presentations are changed and
added according to the referee's comments. Accepted for publication in PR
Impact of Medicare denials on noninvasive vascular diagnostic testing
AbstractPurpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of Medicare coverage limitations and claim denials on noninvasive vascular diagnostic testing. Methods: All Medicare claims for noninvasive vascular diagnostic studies from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 1999, were identified from the hospital billing database according to Current Procedural Terminology codes for carotid artery duplex ultrasound scan, venous duplex ultrasound scan, and lower-extremity arterial Doppler scan. Reasons for Medicare denial of payment for these tests were reviewed and a cost analysis was performed. Results: During the 1-year period, there were 1096 noninvasive vascular diagnostic studies performed on Medicare patients. Of these 1096 tests, 176 (16.1%) were denied by Medicare (19.6% of 408 carotid duplex ultrasound scans, 16.8% of 345 venous duplex ultrasound scans, and 11.1% of 343 lower-extremity arterial Doppler scans). Of the noninvasive vascular tests denied by Medicare, an abnormal result was present in 72.5% of carotid duplex ultrasound scans, 32.8% of venous duplex ultrasound scans, and 78.9% of lower-extremity arterial Doppler scans. Overall, 88.1% of all initially denied claims (N = 176) were ultimately reimbursed by Medicare after resubmission, including 77.1% of the 118 claims denied based on compliance rules for “medical necessity.” Conclusion: Because of coverage limitations, Medicare denials of noninvasive vascular diagnostic tests can lead to potential uncompensated physician and hospital technical fees if denied claims are unrecognized. Vascular laboratories performing these tests need to review compliance with Medicare guidelines. Improvements may need to be made at both the provider and Medicare carrier levels in obtaining reimbursement for appropriately ordered noninvasive vascular diagnostic studies. (J Vasc Surg 2001;34:846-53.
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