680 research outputs found
Search for surface magnetic fields in Mira stars. First detection in chi Cyg
In order to complete the knowledge of the magnetic field and of its influence
during the transition from Asymptotic Giant Branch to Planetary Nebulae stages,
we have undertaken a search for magnetic fields at the surface of Mira stars.
We used spectropolarimetric observations, collected with the Narval instrument
at TBL, in order to detect - with Least Squares Deconvolution method - a Zeeman
signature in the visible part of the spectrum. We present the first
spectropolarimetric observations of the S-type Mira star chi Cyg, performed
around its maximum light. We have detected a polarimetric signal in the Stokes
V spectra and we have established its Zeeman origin. We claim that it is likely
to be related to a weak magnetic field present at the photospheric level and in
the lower part of the stellar atmosphere. We have estimated the strength of its
longitudinal component to about 2-3 Gauss. This result favors a 1/r law for the
variation of the magnetic field strength across the circumstellar envelope of
chi Cyg. This is the first detection of a weak magnetic field at the stellar
surface of a Mira star and we discuss its origin in the framework of shock
waves periodically propagating throughout the atmosphere of these radially
pulsating stars. At the date of our observations of chi Cyg, the shock wave
reaches its maximum intensity, and it is likely that the shock amplifies a weak
stellar magnetic field during its passage through the atmosphere. Without such
an amplification by the shock, the magnetic field strength would have been too
low to be detected. For the first time, we also report strong Stokes Q and U
signatures (linear polarization) centered onto the zero velocity (i.e., at the
shock front position). They seem to indicate that the radial direction would be
favored by the shock during its propagation throughout the atmosphere.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics (21
November 2013
First detection of CF+ towards a high-mass protostar
We report the first detection of the J = 1 - 0 (102.6 GHz) rotational lines
of CF+ (fluoromethylidynium ion) towards CygX-N63, a young and massive
protostar of the Cygnus X region. This detection occurred as part of an
unbiased spectral survey of this object in the 0.8-3 mm range, performed with
the IRAM 30m telescope. The data were analyzed using a local thermodynamical
equilibrium model (LTE model) and a population diagram in order to derive the
column density. The line velocity (-4 km s-1) and line width (1.6 km s-1)
indicate an origin from the collapsing envelope of the protostar.
We obtain a CF+ column density of 4.10e11 cm-2. The CF+ ion is thought to be
a good tracer for C+ and assuming a ratio of 10e-6 for CF+/C+, we derive a
total number of C+ of 1.2x10e53 within the beam. There is no evidence of carbon
ionization caused by an exterior source of UV photons suggesting that the
protostar itself is the source of ionization. Ionization from the protostellar
photosphere is not efficient enough. In contrast, X-ray ionization from the
accretion shock(s) and UV ionization from outflow shocks could provide a large
enough ionizing power to explain our CF+ detection.
Surprisingly, CF+ has been detected towards a cold, massive protostar with no
sign of an external photon dissociation region (PDR), which means that the only
possibility is the existence of a significant inner source of C+. This is an
important result that opens interesting perspectives to study the early
development of ionized regions and to approach the issue of the evolution of
the inner regions of collapsing envelopes of massive protostars. The existence
of high energy radiations early in the evolution of massive protostars also has
important implications for chemical evolution of dense collapsing gas and could
trigger peculiar chemistry and early formation of a hot core.Comment: 6 page
Ground-State SiO Maser Emission Toward Evolved Stars
We have made the first unambiguous detection of vibrational ground-state
maser emission from SiO toward six evolved stars. Using the Very Large Array,
we simultaneously observed the v=0, J=1-0, 43.4-GHz, ground-state and the v=1,
J=1-0, 43.1-GHz, first excited-state transitions of SiO toward the oxygen-rich
evolved stars IRC+10011, o Ceti, W Hya, RX Boo, NML Cyg, and R Cas and the
S-type star chi Cyg. We detected at least one v=0 SiO maser feature from six of
the seven stars observed, with peak maser brightness temperatures ranging from
10,000 K to 108,800 K. In fact, four of the seven v=0 spectra show multiple
maser peaks, a phenomenon which has not been previously observed. Ground-state
thermal emission was detected for one of the stars, RX Boo, with a peak
brightness temperature of 200 K. Comparing the v=0 and the v=1 transitions, we
find that the ground-state masers are much weaker with spectral characteristics
different from those of the first excited-state masers. For four of the seven
stars the velocity dispersion is smaller for the v=0 emission than for the v=1
emission, for one star the dispersions are roughly equivalent, and for two
stars (one of which is RX Boo) the velocity spread of the v=0 emission is
larger. In most cases, the peak flux density in the v=0 emission spectrum does
not coincide with the v=1 maser peak. Although the angular resolution of these
VLA observations were insufficient to completely resolve the spatial structure
of the SiO emission, the SiO spot maps produced from the interferometric image
cubes suggest that the v=0 masers are more extended than their v=1
counterparts
The multiferroic phases of (Eu:Y)MnO3
We report on structural, magnetic, dielectric, and thermodynamic properties
of (Eu:Y)MnO3 for Y doping levels 0 <= x < 1. This system resembles the
multiferroic perovskite manganites RMnO3 (with R= Gd, Dy, Tb) but without the
interference of magnetic contributions of the 4f-ions. In addition, it offers
the possibility to continuously tune the influence of the A-site ionic radii.
For small concentrations x <= 0.1 we find a canted antiferromagnetic and
paraelectric groundstate. For higher concentrations x <= 0.3 ferroelectric
polarization coexists with the features of a long wavelength incommensurate
spiral magnetic phase analogous to the observations in TbMnO3. In the
intermediate concentration range around x = 0.2 a multiferroic scenario is
realized combining weak ferroelectricity and weak ferromagnetism, presumably
due to a canted spiral magnetic structure.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
Field-induced magnetic anisotropy in La0.7Sr0.3CoO3
Magnetic anisotropy has been measured for the ferromagnetic La0.7Sr0.3CoO3
perovskite from an analysis of the high-field part of the magnetization vs.
field curves, i.e., the magnetic saturation regime. These measurements give a
magnetic anistropy one order of magnitude higher than that of reference
manganites. Surprisingly, the values of the magnetic anisotropy calculated in
this way do not coincide with those estimated from measurements of coercive
fields which are one order of magnitude smaller. It is proposed that the reason
of this anomalous behaviour is a transition of the trivalent Co ions under the
external magnetic field from a low-spin to an intermediate-spin state. Such a
transition converts the Co3+ ions into Jahn-Teller ions having an only
partially quenched orbital angular momentum, which enhances the intra-atomic
spin-orbit coupling and magnetic anisotropy.Comment: Accepted of publication in Europhysics Letters, 11 pages, 5 figure
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