897 research outputs found
High-velocity runaway stars from three-body encounters
We performed numerical simulations of dynamical encounters between hard
massive binaries and a very massive star (VMS; formed through runaway mergers
of ordinary stars in the dense core of a young massive star cluster), in order
to explore the hypothesis that this dynamical process could be responsible for
the origin of high-velocity (\geq 200-400 km/s) early or late B-type stars. We
estimated the typical velocities produced in encounters between very tight
massive binaries and VMSs (of mass of \geq 200 Msun) and found that about 3-4
per cent of all encounters produce velocities of \geq 400 km/s, while in about
2 per cent of encounters the escapers attain velocities exceeding the Milky
Ways's escape velocity. We therefore argue that the origin of high-velocity
(\geq 200-400 km/s) runaway stars and at least some so-called hypervelocity
stars could be associated with dynamical encounters between the tightest
massive binaries and VMSs formed in the cores of star clusters. We also
simulated dynamical encounters between tight massive binaries and single
ordinary 50-100 Msun stars. We found that from 1 to \simeq 4 per cent of these
encounters can produce runaway stars with velocities of \geq 300-400 km/s
(typical of the bound population of high-velocity halo B-type stars) and
occasionally (in less than 1 per cent of encounters) produce hypervelocity
(\geq 700 km/s) late B-type escapers.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure, to appear in Star Clusters -- Basic Galactic
Building Blocks throughout Time and Space, Proceed. of the IAU Symp. 266,
eds. R. de Grijs and J. Lepin
A new HW Vir binary from the Palomar Transient Factory: PTF1 J072455.75+125300.3 - An eclipsing subdwarf B binary with a M-star companion
We report the discovery of an eclipsing binary -- PTF1 J072456125301--
composed of a subdwarf B (sdB) star () with a faint companion.
Subdwarf B stars are core helium-burning stars, which can be found on the
extreme horizontal branch. About half of them reside in close binary systems,
but few are known to be eclipsing, for which fundamental stellar parameters can
be derived.\newline We conducted an analysis of photometric data and spectra
from the Palomar 60'' and the 200" Hale telescope respectively. A quantitative
spectral analysis found an effective temperature of
\,K, log g = and
log(, typical for an sdB star. The
companion does not contribute to the optical light of the system, except
through a distinct reflection effect. From the light curve an orbital period of
0.09980(25)\,d and a system inclination of 83.56\pm0.30\,^{\circ} were
derived. The radial velocity curve yielded an orbital semi-amplitude of
K_1=95.8\pm 8.1\,\text{km s^{-1}}. The mass for the M-type dwarf companion
is . PTF1\,J072456125301 has similar atmospheric
parameters to those of pulsating sdB stars (V346 Hya stars). Therefore it could
be a high-priority object for asteroseismology, if pulsations were detected
such as in the enigmatic case of NY Vir.Comment: Accepted to A&A, 7pages, 4 figure
Two candidate brown dwarf companions around core helium-burning stars
Hot subdwarf stars of spectral type B (sdBs) are evolved, core helium-burning
objects. The formation of those objects is puzzling, because the progenitor
star has to lose almost its entire hydrogen envelope in the red-giant phase.
Binary interactions have been invoked, but single sdBs exist as well. We report
the discovery of two close hot subdwarf binaries with small radial velocity
amplitudes. Follow-up photometry revealed reflection effects originating from
cool irradiated companions, but no eclipses. The lower mass limits for the
companions of CPD-64481 () and PHL\,457
() are significantly below the stellar mass limit. Hence
they could be brown dwarfs unless the inclination is unfavourable. Two very
similar systems have already been reported. The probability that none of them
is a brown dwarf is very small, 0.02%. Hence we provide further evidence that
substellar companions with masses that low are able to eject a common envelope
and form an sdB star. Furthermore, we find that the properties of the observed
sample of hot subdwarfs in reflection effect binaries is consistent with a
scenario where single sdBs can still be formed via common envelope events, but
their low-mass substellar companions do not survive.Comment: accepted to A&
The MUCHFUSS photometric campaign
Hot subdwarfs (sdO/Bs) are the helium-burning cores of red giants, which lost
almost all of their hydrogen envelopes. This mass loss is often triggered by
common envelope interactions with close stellar or even substellar companions.
Cool companions like late-type stars or brown dwarfs are detectable via
characteristic light curve variations like reflection effects and often also
eclipses. To search for such objects we obtained multi-band light curves of 26
close sdO/B binary candidates from the MUCHFUSS project with the BUSCA
instrument. We discovered a new eclipsing reflection effect system
(~d) with a low-mass M dwarf companion ().
Three more reflection effect binaries found in the course of the campaign were
already published, two of them are eclipsing systems, in one system only
showing the reflection effect but no eclipses the sdB primary is found to be
pulsating. Amongst the targets without reflection effect a new long-period sdB
pulsator was discovered and irregular light variations were found in two sdO
stars. The found light variations allowed us to constrain the fraction of
reflection effect binaries and the substellar companion fraction around sdB
stars. The minimum fraction of reflection effect systems amongst the close sdB
binaries might be greater than 15\% and the fraction of close substellar
companions in sdB binaries might be as high as . This would result in a
close substellar companion fraction to sdB stars of about 3\%. This fraction is
much higher than the fraction of brown dwarfs around possible progenitor
systems, which are solar-type stars with substellar companions around 1 AU, as
well as close binary white dwarfs with brown dwarf companions. This might be a
hint that common envelope interactions with substellar objects are
preferentially followed by a hot subdwarf phase.Comment: accepted for A&
Detection of the high energy component of Jovian electrons in Low Earth Orbit with the PAMELA experiment
The PAMELA experiment is devoted to the study of cosmic rays in Low Earth
Orbit with an apparatus optimized to perform a precise determination of the
galactic antimatter component of c.r. It is constituted by a number of
detectors built around a permanent magnet spectrometer. PAMELA was launched in
space on June 15th 2006 on board the Russian Resurs-DK1 satellite for a mission
duration of three years. The characteristics of the detectors, the long
lifetime and the orbit of the satellite, will allow to address several aspects
of cosmic-ray physics. In this work we discuss the observational capabilities
of PAMELA to detect the electron component above 50 MeV. The magnetic
spectrometer allows a detailed measurement of the energy spectrum of electrons
of galactic and Jovian origin. Long term measurements and correlations with
Earth-Jupiter 13 months synodic period will allow to separate these two
contributions and to measure the primary electron Jovian component, dominant in
the 50-70 MeV energy range. With this technique it will also be possible to
study the contribution to the electron spectrum of Jovian e- reaccelerated up
to 2 GeV at the Solar Wind Termination Shock.Comment: On behalf of PAMELA collaboration. Accepted for publication on
Advances in Space Researc
Wave-vector dependent intensity variations of the Kondo peak in photoemission from CePd
Strong angle-dependent intensity variations of the Fermi-level feature are
observed in 4d - 4f resonant photoemission spectra of CePd(111), that
reveal the periodicity of the lattice and largest intensity close to the Gamma
points of the surface Brillouin zone. In the framework of a simplified periodic
Anderson model the phenomena may quantitatively be described by a wave-vector
dependence of the electron hopping matrix elements caused by Fermi-level
crossings of non-4f-derived energy bands
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