Estimating Be Star Disk Radii using H-alpha Emission Equivalent Widths

We present numerical models of the circumstellar disks of Be stars, and we describe the resulting synthetic H-alpha emission lines and maps of the wavelength-integrated emission flux projected onto the sky. We demonstrate that there are monotonic relationships between the emission line equivalent width and the ratio of the angular half-width at half maximum of the projected disk major axis to the radius of the star. These relationships depend mainly upon the temperatures of the disk and star, the inclination of the disk normal to the line of sight, and the adopted outer boundary for the disk radius. We show that the predicted H-alpha disk radii are consistent with those observed directly through long baseline interferometry of nearby Be stars (especially once allowance is made for disk truncation in binaries and for dilution of the observed H-alpha equivalent width by continuum disk flux in the V-band).Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, ApJL in pres

Instant Two-Body Equation in Breit Frame

A quasipotential formalism for elastic scattering from relativistic bound states is based on applying an instant constraint to both initial and final states in the Breit frame. This formalism is advantageous for the analysis of electromagnetic interactions because current conservation and four momentum conservation are realized within a three-dimensional formalism. Wave functions are required in a frame where the total momentum is nonzero, which means that the usual partial wave analysis is inapplicable. In this work, the three-dimensional equation is solved numerically, taking into account the relevant symmetries. A dynamical boost of the interaction also is needed for the instant formalism, which in general requires that the boosted interaction be defined as the solution of a four-dimensional equation. For the case of a scalar separable interaction, this equation is solved and the Lorentz invariance of the three-dimensional formulation using the boosted interaction is verified. For more realistic interactions, a simple approximation is used to characterize the boost of the interaction.Comment: 20 pages in revtex 3, 3 figures. Fixed reform/tex errors

Bar-driven Transport of Molecular Gas to Galactic Centers and Its Consequences

We study the characteristics of molecular gas in the central regions of spiral galaxies on the basis of our CO(J=1-0) imaging survey of 20 nearby spiral galaxies using the NRO and OVRO millimeter arrays. Condensations of molecular gas at galactic centers with sizescales < 1 kpc and CO-derived masses M_gas(R<500pc) = 10^8 - 10^9 M_sun are found to be prevalent in the gas-rich L^* galaxies. Moreover, the degree of gas concentration to the central kpc is found to be higher in barred systems than in unbarred galaxies. This is the first statistical evidence for the higher central concentration of molecular gas in barred galaxies, and it strongly supports the theory of bar-driven gas transport. It is most likely that more than half of molecular gas within the central kpc of a barred galaxy was transported there from outside by the bar. The supply of gas has exceeded the consumption of gas by star formation in the central kpc, resulting in the excess gas in the centers of barred systems. The mean rate of gas inflow is statistically estimated to be larger than 0.1 - 1 M_sun/yr. The correlation between gas properties in the central kpc and the type of nuclear spectrum (HII, LINER, or Seyfert) is investigated. A correlation is found in which galaxies with larger gas-to-dynamical mass ratios tend to have HII nuclear spectra, while galaxies with smaller ratios show spectra indicating AGN. Also, the theoretical prediction of bar-dissolution by condensation of gas to galactic centers is observationally tested. It is suggested that the timescale for bar dissolution is larger than 10^8 - 10^10 yr, or a bar in a L^* galaxy is not destroyed by a condensation of 10^8 - 10^9 M_sun gas in the central kpc.Comment: AASTeX, 20 pages, 8 eps figs, ApJ in press (10 Nov. 1999 issue

Stresses in isostatic granular systems and emergence of force chains

Progress is reported on several questions that bedevil understanding of granular systems: (i) are the stress equations elliptic, parabolic or hyperbolic? (ii) how can the often-observed force chains be predicted from a first-principles continuous theory? (iii) How to relate insight from isostatic systems to general packings? Explicit equations are derived for the stress components in two dimensions including the dependence on the local structure. The equations are shown to be hyperbolic and their general solutions, as well as the Green function, are found. It is shown that the solutions give rise to force chains and the explicit dependence of the force chains trajectories and magnitudes on the local geometry is predicted. Direct experimental tests of the predictions are proposed. Finally, a framework is proposed to relate the analysis to non-isostatic and more realistic granular assemblies.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Corrected typos and clkearer text, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

The Nature of Composite LINER/HII Galaxies, As Revealed from High-Resolution VLA Observations

A sample of 37 nearby galaxies displaying composite LINER/HII and pure HII spectra was observed with the VLA in an investigation of the nature of their weak radio emission. The resulting radio contour maps overlaid on optical galaxy images are presented here, together with an extensive literature list and discussion of the individual galaxies. Radio morphological data permit assessment of the ``classical AGN'' contribution to the global activity observed in these ``transition'' LINER galaxies. One in five of the latter objects display clear AGN characteristics: these occur exclusively in bulge-dominated hosts.Comment: 31 pages, 27 figures, accepted by ApJ

Stellar parameters of Be stars observed with X-shooter

Aims. The X-shooter archive of several thousand telluric star spectra was skimmed for Be and Be-shell stars to derive the stellar fundamental parameters and statistical properties, in particular for the less investigated late type Be stars, and the extension of the Be phenomenon into early A stars. Methods. An adapted version of the BCD method is used, utilizing the Balmer discontinuity parameters to determine effective temperature and surface gravity. This method is optimally suited for late B stars. The projected rotational velocity was obtained by profile fitting to the Mg ii lines of the targets, and the spectra were inspected visually for the presence of peculiar features such as the infrared Ca ii triplet or the presence of a double Balmer discontinuity. The Balmer line equivalent widths were measured, but due to uncertainties in determining the photospheric contribution are useful only in a subsample of Be stars for determining the pure emission contribution. Results. A total of 78 Be stars, mostly late type ones, were identified in the X-shooter telluric standard star archive, out of which 48 had not been reported before. The general trend of late type Be stars having more tenuous disks and being less variable than early type ones is confirmed. The relatively large number (48) of relatively bright (V > 8.5) additional Be stars casts some doubt on the statistics of late type Be stars; they are more common than currently thought: The Be/B star fraction may not strongly depend on spectral subtype.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

OVI Emission in the Halos of Edge-on Spiral Galaxies

We have used the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer to search for OVI 1031.926, 1037.617 A emission in the halos of the edge-on spiral galaxies NGC4631 and NGC891. In NGC4631, we detected OVI in emission toward a soft X-ray bubble above a region containing numerous Halpha arcs and filaments. The line-of-sight component of the motion of the OVI gas appears to match the underlying disk rotation. The observed OVI luminosities can account for 0.2-2% of the total energy input from supernovae (assuming a full OVI emitting halo) and yield mass flux cooling rates between 0.48 and 2.8 M_sun/yr depending on the model used in the derivations. Based on these findings, we believe it is likely that we are seeing cooling, galactic fountain gas. No emission was detected from the halo of NGC891, a galaxy in a direction with considerably high foreground Galactic extinction.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ, 16 pages including 4 figure