The Distance and Morphology of V723 Cassiopeiae (NOVA CASSIOPEIA 1995)

We present spatially resolved infrared spectra of V723 Cas (Nova Cassiopeia 1995) obtained over four years with the integral field spectrograph OSIRIS on Keck II. Also presented are one epoch of spatially unresolved spectra from the long slit spectrograph NIRSPEC on Keck II. The OSIRIS observations made use of the laser guide star adaptive optics facility that produced diffraction-limited spatial resolution of the strong coronal emission features in the nova ejecta. We remove the point-like continuum from V723 Cas data cubes to reveal details of the extended nebula and find that emission due to [Si VI] and [Ca VIII] has an equatorial ring structure with polar nodules-a strikingly different morphology than emission due to [Al IX], which appears as a prolate spheroid. The contrast in structure may indicate separate ejection events. Using the angular expansion and Doppler velocities observed over four epochs spaced at one year intervals, we determine the distance to V723 Cas to be 3.85+0.23-0.21 kpc. We present the OSIRIS three-dimensional data here in many ways: as narrowband images, one- and two-dimensional spectra, and a volume rendering that reveals the true shape of the ejecta.Comment: 37 pages, 8 figure

Strong relative intensity squeezing by 4-wave mixing in Rb vapor

We have measured -3.5 dB (-8.1 dB corrected for losses) relative intensity squeezing between the probe and conjugate beams generated by stimulated, nondegenerate four-wave mixing in hot rubidium vapor. Unlike early observations of squeezing in atomic vapors based on saturation of a two-level system, our scheme uses a resonant nonlinearity based on ground-state coherences in a three-level system. Since this scheme produces narrowband, squeezed light near an atomic resonance it is of interest for experiments involving cold atoms or atomic ensembles.Comment: Submitted to Optics Letter

The historical vanishing of the Blazhko effect of RR Lyr from GEOS and Kepler surveys

RR Lyr is one of the most studied variable stars. Its light curve has been regularly monitored since the discovery of the periodic variability in 1899. Analysis of all observed maxima allows us to identify two primary pulsation states defined as pulsation over a long (P0 longer than 0.56684 d) and a short (P0 shorter than 0.56682 d) primary pulsation period. These states alternate with intervals of 13-16 yr, and are well defined after 1943. The 40.8 d periodical modulations of the amplitude and the period (i.e. Blazhko effect) were noticed in 1916. We provide homogeneous determinations of the Blazhko period in the different primary pulsation states. The Blazhko period does not follow the variations of P0 and suddenly diminished from 40.8 d to around 39.0 d in 1975. The monitoring of these periodicities deserved and deserves a continuous and intensive observational effort. For this purpose we have built dedicated, transportable and autonomous small instruments, Very Tiny Telescopes (VTTs), to observe the times of maximum brightness of RR Lyr. As immediate results the VTTs recorded the last change of P0 state in mid-2009 and extended the time coverage of the Kepler observations, thus recording a maximum O-C amplitude of the Blazhko effect at the end of 2008, followed by the historically smallest O-C amplitude in late 2013. This decrease is still ongoing and VTT instruments are ready to monitor the expected increase in the next few years.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Contents of appendix B may be requested to first autho

Global well-posedness of the Kirchhoff equation and Kirchhoff systems

This article is devoted to review the known results on global well-posedness for the Cauchy problem to the Kirchhoff equation and Kirchhoff systems with small data. Similar results will be obtained for the initial-boundary value problems in exterior domains with compact boundary. Also, the known results on large data problems will be reviewed together with open problems.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1211.300

The SSS phase of RS Ophiuchi observed with Chandra and XMM-Newton I.: Data and preliminary Modeling

The phase of Super-Soft-Source (SSS) emission of the sixth recorded outburst of the recurrent nova RS Oph was observed twice with Chandra and once with XMM-Newton. The observations were taken on days 39.7, 54.0, and 66.9 after outburst. We confirm a 35-sec period on day 54.0 and found that it originates from the SSS emission and not from the shock. We discus the bound-free absorption by neutral elements in the line of sight, resonance absorption lines plus self-absorbed emission line components, collisionally excited emission lines from the shock, He-like intersystem lines, and spectral changes during an episode of high-amplitude variability. We find a decrease of the oxygen K-shell absorption edge that can be explained by photoionization of oxygen. The absorption component has average velocities of -1286+-267 km/s on day 39.7 and of -771+-65 km/s on day 66.9. The wavelengths of the emission line components are consistent with their rest wavelengths as confirmed by measurements of non-self absorbed He-like intersystem lines. We have evidence that these lines originate from the shock rather than the outer layers of the outflow and may be photoexcited in addition to collisional excitations. We found collisionally excited emission lines that are fading at wavelengths shorter than 15A that originate from the radiatively cooling shock. On day 39.5 we find a systematic blue shift of -526+-114 km/s from these lines. We found anomalous He-like f/i ratios which indicates either high densities or significant UV radiation near the plasma where the emission lines are formed. During the phase of strong variability the spectral hardness light curve overlies the total light curve when shifted by 1000sec. This can be explained by photoionization of neutral oxygen in the line of sight if the densities of order 10^{10}-10^{11} cm^{-3}.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, 4 tables. Accepted by ApJ; v2: Co-author Woodward adde

Subthreshold rho^0 photoproduction on 3He

A large reduction of the rho^0 mass in the nuclear medium is reported, inferred from dipion photoproduction spectra in the 1 GeV region, for the reaction 3He(gamma,pi+ pi-)X with a 10% duty factor tagged-photon beam and the TAGX multi-particle spectrometer. The energy range covered (800 < E(gamma) < 1120 MeV) lies mostly below the free rho^0 production threshold, a region which is believed sensitive to modifications of light vector-meson properties at nuclear-matter densities. The rho^0 masses extracted from the MC fitting of the data, m*(rho^0) = 642 +/- 40, 669 +/- 32, and 682 +/- 56 MeV/c^2 for E(gamma) in the 800-880, 880-960, and 960-1040 MeV regions respectively, are independently corroborated by a measured, assumption-free, kinematical observable. This mass shift, far exceeding current mean-field driven theoretical predictions, may be suggestive of rho^0 decay within the range of the nucleonic field.Comment: 40 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

A case of maxillary sarcoma in a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes).

Oral malignancy is rare in chimpanzees. A 34-year-old female chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) at Kumamoto Sanctuary, Japan, had developed it. Treatment is technically difficult for chimpanzees while malignant neoplasm is seemingly rising in captive populations. Widespread expert discussion, guidelines for treatment, especially for great apes in terminal stages is urgently needed

Swift X-Ray Observations of Classical Novae. II. The Super Soft Source sample

The Swift GRB satellite is an excellent facility for studying novae. Its rapid response time and sensitive X-ray detector provides an unparalleled opportunity to investigate the previously poorly sampled evolution of novae in the X-ray regime. This paper presents Swift observations of 52 Galactic/Magellanic Cloud novae. We included the XRT (0.3-10 keV) X-ray instrument count rates and the UVOT (1700-8000 Angstroms) filter photometry. Also included in the analysis are the publicly available pointed observations of 10 additional novae the X-ray archives. This is the largest X-ray sample of Galactic/Magellanic Cloud novae yet assembled and consists of 26 novae with super soft X-ray emission, 19 from Swift observations. The data set shows that the faster novae have an early hard X-ray phase that is usually missing in slower novae. The Super Soft X-ray phase occurs earlier and does not last as long in fast novae compared to slower novae. All the Swift novae with sufficient observations show that novae are highly variable with rapid variability and different periodicities. In the majority of cases, nuclear burning ceases less than 3 years after the outburst begins. Previous relationships, such as the nuclear burning duration vs. t_2 or the expansion velocity of the eject and nuclear burning duration vs. the orbital period, are shown to be poorly correlated with the full sample indicating that additional factors beyond the white dwarf mass and binary separation play important roles in the evolution of a nova outburst. Finally, we confirm two optical phenomena that are correlated with strong, soft X-ray emission which can be used to further increase the efficiency of X-ray campaigns.Comment: Accepted to ApJ Supplements. Full data for Table 2 and Figure 17 available in the electronic edition. New version of the previously posted paper since the earlier version was all set in landscape mod

Superconductivity in Fullerides

Experimental studies of superconductivity properties of fullerides are briefly reviewed. Theoretical calculations of the electron-phonon coupling, in particular for the intramolecular phonons, are discussed extensively. The calculations are compared with coupling constants deduced from a number of different experimental techniques. It is discussed why the A_3 C_60 are not Mott-Hubbard insulators, in spite of the large Coulomb interaction. Estimates of the Coulomb pseudopotential $\mu^*$, describing the effect of the Coulomb repulsion on the superconductivity, as well as possible electronic mechanisms for the superconductivity are reviewed. The calculation of various properties within the Migdal-Eliashberg theory and attempts to go beyond this theory are described.Comment: 33 pages, latex2e, revtex using rmp style, 15 figures, submitted to Review of Modern Physics, more information at http://radix2.mpi-stuttgart.mpg.de/fullerene/fullerene.htm