343 research outputs found
Numerical models for the circumstellar medium around Betelgeuse
The nearby red supergiant (RSG) Betelgeuse has a complex circumstellar medium
out to at least 0.5 parsecs from its surface, shaped by its mass-loss history
within the past 0.1 Myr, its environment, and its motion through the
interstellar medium (ISM). In principle its mass-loss history can be
constrained by comparing hydrodynamic models with observations. Observations
and numerical simulations indicate that Betelgeuse has a very young bow shock,
hence the star may have only recently become a RSG. To test this possibility we
calculated a stellar evolution model for a single star with properties
consistent with Betelgeuse. We incorporated the resulting evolving stellar wind
into 2D hydrodynamic simulations to model a runaway blue supergiant (BSG)
undergoing the transition to a RSG near the end of its life. The collapsing BSG
wind bubble induces a bow shock-shaped inner shell which at least superficially
resembles Betelgeuse's bow shock, and has a similar mass. Surrounding this is
the larger-scale retreating bow shock generated by the now defunct BSG wind's
interaction with the ISM. We investigate whether this outer shell could explain
the bar feature located (at least in projection) just in front of Betelgeuse's
bow shock.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; to appear in proceedings of the Betelgeuse 2012
Workshop, Paris, Nov. 201
Evidence of a Mira-like tail and bow shock about the semi-regular variable V CVn from four decades of polarization measurements
Polarization is a powerful tool for understanding stellar atmospheres and
circumstellar environments. Mira and semi-regular variable stars have been
observed for decades and some are known to be polarimetrically variable,
however, the semi-regular variable V Canes Venatici displays an unusually
large, unexplained amount of polarization. We present ten years of optical
polarization observations obtained with the HPOL instrument, supplemented by
published observations spanning a total interval of about forty years for V
CVn. We find that V CVn shows large polarization variations ranging from 1 -
6%. We also find that for the past forty years the position angle measured for
V CVn has been virtually constant suggesting a long-term, stable, asymmetric
structure about the star. We suggest that this asymmetry is caused by the
presence of a stellar wind bow shock and tail, consistent with the star's large
space velocity.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in A&
Research on the sonic boom problem. Part 2: Flow field measurement in wind tunnel and calculation of second order F-function
An experimental investigation has been carried out in a wind tunnel to test some of the results of Landahl's second order theory. The slender models consisted of a parabolic spindle, tested at M = 3, and a wing body configuration, suggested by Ferri, and tested at M = 2.7. The theory indicates that shock position and strength at an arbitrary distance can be calculated by means of near field measurements. The results show that this method is an appropriate one for simple bodies and for bodies with complicated geometries as well
Detecting foraminiferal photosymbionts in the fossil record: a combined micropalaeontological and geochemical approach
Poster from International Conference on Paleoceanography 12 (ICP 12). See the above link for more information on the conference
Period-Luminosity Relations Derived from the OGLE-III Fundamental Mode Cepheids
In this Paper, we have derived Cepheid period-luminosity (P-L) relations for
the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) fundamental mode Cepheids, based on the data
released from OGLE-III. We have applied an extinction map to correct for the
extinction of these Cepheids. In addition to the VIW band P-L relations, we
also include JHK and four Spitzer IRAC band P-L relations, derived by matching
the OGLE-III Cepheids to the 2MASS and SAGE datasets, respectively. We also
test the non-linearity of the Cepheid P-L relations based on
extinction-corrected data. Our results (again) show that the LMC P-L relations
are non-linear in VIJH bands and linear in KW and the four IRAC bands,
respectively.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures and 3 tables, ApJ accepte
Celecoxib does not appear to affect prosthesis fixation in total knee replacement: A randomized study using radiostereometry in 50 patients
Background and purpose After joint replacement, a repair process starts at the interface between bone and cement. If this process is disturbed, the prosthesis may never become rigidly fixed to the bone, leading to migration—and with time, loosening. Cox-2 inhibitors are widely used as postoperative analgesics, and have adverse effects on bone healing. This could tamper prosthesis fixation. We investigated whether celecoxib, a selective Cox-2 inhibitor, increases prosthesis migration in total knee replacement (TKR)
Testing Mass Loss in Large Magellanic Cloud Cepheids using Infrared and Optical Observations II. Predictions and Tests of the OGLE-III Fundamental-Mode Cepheids
In this article, we test the hypothesis that Cepheids have infrared excesses
due to mass loss. We fit a model using the mass-loss rate and the stellar
radius as free parameters to optical observations from the OGLE-III survey and
infrared observations from the 2MASS and SAGE data sets. The sample of Cepheids
have predicted minimum mass-loss rates ranging from zero to
, where the rates depend on the chosen dust properties. We use the
predicted radii to compute the Period-Radius relation for LMC Cepheids, and to
estimate the uncertainty caused by the presence of infrared excess for
determining angular diameters with the infrared surface brightness technique.
Finally, we calculate the linear and non-linear Period-Luminosity (P-L)
relations for the LMC Cepheids at VIJHK + IRAC wavelengths and we find that the
P-L relations are consistent with being non-linear at infrared wavelengths,
contrary to previous results.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures, 5 tables, ApJ Accepte
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