2,210 research outputs found
Carbon Flashes in the Heavy Element Ocean on Accreting Neutron Stars
We show that burning of a small mass fraction of carbon in a neutron star
ocean is thermally unstable at low accumulated masses when the ocean contains
heavy ashes from the hydrogen burning rapid proton (rp) process. The key to
early unstable ignition is the low thermal conductivity of a heavy element
ocean. The instability requires accretion rates in excess of one-tenth the
Eddington limit when the carbon mass fraction is 0.1 or less. The unstable
flashes release 10^{42} to 10^{43} ergs over hours to days, and are likely the
cause of the recently discovered large Type I X-ray bursts (so-called
``superbursts'') from six Galactic low mass X-ray binaries. In addition to
explaining the energetics, recurrence times, and durations of the superbursts,
these mixed carbon/heavy element flashes have an accretion rate dependence of
unstable burning similar to that observed. Though the instability is present at
accretion rates near Eddington, there is less contrast with the accretion
luminosity there, explaining why most detections are made at accretion rates
between 0.1 and 0.3 Eddington. Future comparisons of time dependent
calculations with observations will provide new insights into the rp process.Comment: Submitted to Astrophysical Journal Letters (6 pages, 3 figures
Radio Monitoring of the January 11, 1997 Gamma-Ray Burst
We report on a comprehensive radio monitoring program of the bright gamma-ray
burster GRB970111. These VLA observations were made at a frequency of 1.4 GHz
and span a range of post-burst timescales between 28 hours and one month.
Despite extensive sampling at sub-milliJansky sensitivities, no radio source
was detected above 0.5 mJy in the current best error box (~14 arcmin^2) for
GRB970111. A highly unusual radio source, VLA J1528.7+1945, was seen to drop in
flux density by a factor of two in our monitoring period but it lies outside
the error box and thus it is unlikely to be related to GRB970111. Cosmological
fireball models of gamma-ray bursts make predictions of late-time emission
occurring at longer wavelengths. The absence of a flaring or fading radio
counterpart to GRB970111 provides strong constraints on these models.Comment: ApJ Let (accepted
Is transactional sex exploitative? A social norms perspective, with implications for interventions with adolescent girls and young women in Tanzania
Although transactional sex is common in many sexual relationships, there has been little research into the degree to which the practice is considered exploitative in the settings in which it is practiced. We describe the social norms that influence transactional sex in two sites in Mwanza, Tanzania, and explore local understandings of whether and under what conditions it is considered exploitative. We then compare these "emic" understandings of exploitation to international definitions and norms around sexual exploitation. This study employed a qualitative research design involving 18 focus group discussions and 43 in-depth interviews with young people aged 14-24 years and parents with children aged 14-24 years in a rural area and an urban center within Mwanza, Tanzania. Thematic analysis was conducted with the aid of NVivo 10. The social norms influencing the practice of transactional sex included: reciprocity as a core cultural value that permeates the way exchange in sexual relationships is judged; gendered expectations that men should provide for women's material needs in sexual relationships and that women should reciprocate by means of sex; and peer pressure to be perceived as "fashionable". Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) are under strong peer pressure to conform to a "modern lifestyle" as reflected in stylish clothing and other items of modernity such as cellphones. The emic conceptualization of exploitation is defined by circumstances surrounding the relationship or a sexual encounter. Important factors that characterize local notions of when transactional relationships are considered exploitative include: when the encounter or relationship involves an imbalance of power (based on age, male economic power and social status); when a man fails to reciprocate; and when sex is coerced. According to community perspectives, young women's behavior should be considered exploitative of men when they take gifts or money yet refuse sex or when they demand large sums of money. Interventions aimed at reducing AGYW's exploitation through transactional sex need to be cognizant of the variations in the understanding of what constitutes sexual exploitation as well as the social and gender norms influencing the practice of transactional sex. Interventions need to involve communities and families in critical thinking that helps them identify positive alternatives to current gendered social norms that shape the involvement of AGYW and men in transactional sex
A rotating cavity for high-field angle-dependent microwave spectroscopy of low-dimensional conductors and magnets
The cavity perturbation technique is an extremely powerful method for
measuring the electrodynamic response of a material in the millimeter- and
sub-millimeter spectral range (10 GHz to 1 THz), particularly in the case of
high-field/frequency magnetic resonance spectroscopy. However, the application
of such techniques within the limited space of a high-field magnet presents
significant technical challenges. We describe a 7.62 mm x 7.62 mm (diameter x
length) rotating cylindrical cavity which overcomes these problems.Comment: 11 pages including 8 figure
Wide band observations of the new X-ray burster SAX J1747.0-2853 during the March 1998 outburst
We report on our discovery and follow-up observations of the X-ray source SAX
J1747.0-2853 detected in outburst on 1998, March 10 with the BeppoSAX Wide
Field Cameras in the energy range 2-28 keV. The source is located about half
degree off the Galactic Nucleus. A total of 14 type-I X-ray bursts were
detected in Spring 1998, thus identifying the object as a likely low-mass X-ray
binary harboring a weakly magnetized neutron star. Evidence for photospheric
radius expansion is present in at least one of the observed bursts, leading to
an estimate of the source distance of about 9 kpc. We performed a follow-up
target of opportunity observation with the BeppoSAX Narrow Field Instruments on
March 23 for a total elapsed time of 72 ks. The source persistent luminosity
was 2.6x10^36 erg/s in the 2-10 keV energy range. The wide band spectral data
(1-200 keV) are consistent with a remarkable hard X-ray spectrum detected up to
150 keV, highly absorbed at low energies (Nh of the order of 10^23 cm^-2) and
with clear evidence for an absorption edge near 7 keV. A soft thermal component
is also observed, which can be described by single temperature blackbody
emission at about 0.6 keV.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
- …