158 research outputs found
X-ray bright points and He I lambda 10830 dark points
Using near-simultaneous full disk Solar X-ray images and He I 10830 lambda, spectroheliograms from three recent rocket flights, dark points identified on the He I maps were compared with X-ray bright points identified on the X-ray images. It was found that for the largest and most obvious features there is a strong correlation: most He I dark points correspond to X-ray bright points. However, about 2/3 of the X-ray bright points were not identified on the basis of the helium data alone. Once an X-ray feature is identified it is almost always possible to find an underlying dark patch of enhanced He I absorption which, however, would not a priori have been selected as a dark point. Therefore, the He I dark points, using current selection criteria, cannot be used as a one-to-one proxy for the X-ray data. He I dark points do, however, identify the locations of the stronger X-ray bright points
Magnetic Field Effects on the Head Structure of Protostellar Jets
We present the results of 3-D SPMHD numerical simulations of
supermagnetosonic, overdense, radiatively cooling jets. Two initial magnetic
configurations are considered: (i) a helical and (ii) a longitudinal field. We
find that magnetic fields have important effects on the dynamics and structure
of radiative cooling jets, especially at the head. The presence of a helical
field suppresses the formation of the clumpy structure which is found to
develop at the head of purely hydrodynamical jets. On the other hand, a cooling
jet embedded in a longitudinal magnetic field retains clumpy morphology at its
head. This fragmented structure resembles the knotty pattern commonly observed
in HH objects behind the bow shocks of HH jets. This suggests that a strong
(equipartition) helical magnetic field configuration is ruled out at the jet
head. Therefore, if strong magnetic fields are present, they are probably
predominantly longitudinal in those regions. In both magnetic configurations,
we find that the confining pressure of the cocoon is able to excite
short-wavelength MHD K-H pinch modes that drive low-amplitude internal shocks
along the beam. These shocks are not strong however, and it likely that they
could only play a secondary role in the formation of the bright knots observed
in HH jets.Comment: 14 pages, 2 Gif figures, uses aasms4.sty. Also available on the web
page http://www.iagusp.usp.br/preprints/preprint.html. To appear in The
Astrophysical Journal Letter
Conservative formulations of general relativistic kinetic theory
Experience with core-collapse supernova simulations shows that accurate
accounting of total particle number and 4-momentum can be a challenge for
computational radiative transfer. This accurate accounting would be facilitated
by the use of particle number and 4-momentum transport equations that allow
transparent conversion between volume and surface integrals in both
configuration and momentum space. Such conservative formulations of general
relativistic kinetic theory in multiple spatial dimensions are presented in
this paper, and their relevance to core-collapse supernova simulations is
described.Comment: 48 page
On the minimum and maximum mass of neutron stars and the delayed collapse
The minimum and maximum mass of protoneutron stars and neutron stars are
investigated. The hot dense matter is described by relativistic (including
hyperons) and non-relativistic equations of state. We show that the minimum
mass ( 0.88 - 1.28 M_{\sun}) of a neutron star is determined by the
earliest stage of its evolution and is nearly unaffected by the presence of
hyperons. The maximum mass of a neutron star is limited by the protoneutron
star or hot neutron star stage. Further we find that the delayed collapse of a
neutron star into a black hole during deleptonization is not only possible for
equations of state with softening components, as for instance, hyperons, meson
condensates etc., but also for neutron stars with a pure nucleonic-leptonic
equation of state.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, using EDP Siences Latex A&A style, to be
published in A&
Core-Collapse Supernovae at the Threshold
Recent progress in modeling core-collapse supernovae is summarized and set in
perspective. Two-dimensional simulations with state-of-the-art treatment of
neutrino transport still fail to produce powerful explosions, but evidence is
presented that they are very close to success.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, high-quality available upon request; contribution
to Procs. IAU Coll. 192, "Supernovae", Eds. J.M. Marcaide ad K.W. Weiler,
Springe
Asymmetric neutrino emission due to neutrino-nucleon scatterings in supernova magnetic fields
We derive the cross section of neutrino-nucleon scatterings in supernova
magnetic fields, including weak-magnetism and recoil corrections. Since the
weak interaction violates the parity, the scattering cross section
asymmetrically depends on the directions of the neutrino momenta to the
magnetic field; the origin of pulsar kicks may be explained by the mechanism.
An asymmetric neutrino emission (a drift flux) due to neutrino-nucleon
scatterings is absent at the leading level of , where
is the nucleon magneton, is the magnetic field strength, and is
the matter temperature at a neutrinosphere. This is because at this level the
drift flux of the neutrinos are exactly canceled by that of the antineutrinos.
Hence, the relevant asymmetry in the neutrino emission is suppressed by much
smaller coefficient of , where is the nucleon mass;
detailed form of the relevant drift flux is also derived from the scattering
cross section, using a simple diffusion approximation. It appears that the
asymmetric neutrino emission is too small to induce the observed pulsar kicks.
However, we note the fact that the drift flux is proportional to the deviation
of the neutrino distribution function from the value of thermal equilibrium at
neutrinosphere. Since the deviation can be large for non-electron neutrinos, it
is expected that there occurs cancellation between the deviation and the small
suppression factor of . Using a simple parameterization,
we show that the drift flux due to neutrino-nucleon scatterings may be
comparable to the leading term due to beta processes with nucleons, which has
been estimated to give a relevant kick velocity when the magnetic field is
sufficiently strong as -- G.Comment: 19 pages, 1 figure. Accepted by Physical Review
Two-dimensional hydrodynamic core-collapse supernova simulations with spectral neutrino transport. I. Numerical method and results for a 15 M_sun star
Supernova models with a full spectral treatment of the neutrino transport are
presented, employing the Prometheus/Vertex neutrino-hydrodynamics code with a
``ray-by-ray plus'' approximation for treating two- (or three-) dimensional
problems. The method is described in detail and critically assessed with
respect to its capabilities, limitations, and inaccuracies in the context of
supernova simulations. In this first paper of a series, 1D and 2D core-collapse
calculations for a (nonrotating) 15 M_sun star are discussed, uncertainties in
the treatment of the equation of state -- numerical and physical -- are tested,
Newtonian results are compared with simulations using a general relativistic
potential, bremsstrahlung and interactions of neutrinos of different flavors
are investigated, and the standard approximation in neutrino-nucleon
interactions with zero energy transfer is replaced by rates that include
corrections due to nucleon recoil, thermal motions, weak magnetism, and nucleon
correlations. Models with the full implementation of the ``ray-by-ray plus''
spectral transport were found not to explode, neither in spherical symmetry nor
in 2D with a 90 degree lateral wedge. The success of previous 2D simulations
with grey, flux-limited neutrino diffusion can therefore not be confirmed.
Omitting the radial velocity terms in the neutrino momentum equation leads to
``artificial'' explosions by increasing the neutrino energy density in the
convective gain layer by about 20--30% and thus the integral neutrino energy
deposition in this region by about a factor of two. (abbreviated)Comment: 46 pages plus 13 pages online material; 49 figures; referee's
comments included, version accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic
The Neutrino Signal in Stellar Core Collapse and Postbounce Evolution
General relativistic multi-group and multi-flavor Boltzmann neutrino
transport in spherical symmetry adds a new level of detail to the numerical
bridge between microscopic nuclear and weak interaction physics and the
macroscopic evolution of the astrophysical object. Although no supernova
explosions are obtained, we investigate the neutrino luminosities in various
phases of the postbounce evolution for a wide range of progenitor stars between
13 and 40 solar masses. The signal probes the dynamics of material layered in
and around the protoneutron star and is, within narrow limits, sensitive to
improvements in the weak interaction physics. Only changes that dramatically
exceed physical limitations allow experiments with exploding models. We discuss
the differences in the neutrino signal and find the electron fraction in the
innermost ejecta to exceed 0.5 as a consequence of thermal balance and weak
equilibrium at the masscut.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Proceedings of the Nuclear Physics in
Astrophysics Conference, Debrecen, Hungary, 2002, to appear in Nuc. Phys. A.
Color figures added and reference actualize
Can a supernova be located by its neutrinos?
A future core-collapse supernova in our Galaxy will be detected by several
neutrino detectors around the world. The neutrinos escape from the supernova
core over several seconds from the time of collapse, unlike the electromagnetic
radiation, emitted from the envelope, which is delayed by a time of order
hours. In addition, the electromagnetic radiation can be obscured by dust in
the intervening interstellar space. The question therefore arises whether a
supernova can be located by its neutrinos alone. The early warning of a
supernova and its location might allow greatly improved astronomical
observations. The theme of the present work is a careful and realistic
assessment of this question, taking into account the statistical significance
of the various neutrino signals. Not surprisingly, neutrino-electron forward
scattering leads to a good determination of the supernova direction, even in
the presence of the large and nearly isotropic background from other reactions.
Even with the most pessimistic background assumptions, SuperKamiokande (SK) and
the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) can restrict the supernova direction to
be within circles of radius and , respectively. Other
reactions with more events but weaker angular dependence are much less useful
for locating the supernova. Finally, there is the oft-discussed possibility of
triangulation, i.e., determination of the supernova direction based on an
arrival time delay between different detectors. Given the expected statistics
we show that, contrary to previous estimates, this technique does not allow a
good determination of the supernova direction.Comment: 11 pages including 2 figures. Revised version corrects typos, adds
some brief comment
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