1,257 research outputs found
Temporal Variability of the X-ray Emission of the Crab Nebula Torus
We have analyzed five ROSAT HRI images of the Crab Nebula spanning the years
1991 to 1997 and have found significant changes in the emission structure of
the X-ray torus surrounding the pulsar. Certain regions increase in brightness
by about 20% over the six years, while others show decreases in surface
brightness. The origin of these changes is unclear, but a possible explanation
is that the bulk velocity of the synchrotron radiating electrons has decreased
on the order of 20% as well.Comment: 15 pages plus 6 figures, figure 1 and figure 6 are in color, to
appear in The Astrophysical Journal, Jan 1, 1999, Vol. 510, #
The velocity peaks in the cold dark matter spectrum on Earth
The cold dark matter spectrum on earth is expected to have peaks in velocity
space. We obtain estimates for the sizes and locations of these peaks. To this
end we have generalized the secondary infall model of galactic halo formation
to include angular momentum of the dark matter particles. This new model is
still spherically symmetric and it has self-similar solutions. Our results are
relevant to direct dark matter search experiments.Comment: 12 pages including 1 table and 4 figures, LaTeX, REVTEX 3.0 versio
The secondary infall model of galactic halo formation and the spectrum of cold dark matter particles on Earth
The spectrum of cold dark matter particles on Earth is expected to have peaks
in velocity space associated with particles which are falling onto the Galaxy
for the first time and with particles which have fallen in and out of the
Galaxy only a small number of times in the past. We obtain estimates for the
velocity magnitudes and the local densities of the particles in these peaks. To
this end we use the secondary infall model of galactic halo formation which we
have generalized to take account of the angular momentum of the dark matter
particles. The new model is still spherically symmetric and it admits
self-similar solutions. In the absence of angular momentum, the model produces
flat rotation curves for a large range of values of a parameter
which is related to the spectrum of primordial density perturbations. We find
that the presence of angular momentum produces an effective core radius, i.e.
it makes the contribution of the halo to the rotation curve go to zero at zero
radius. The model provides a detailed description of the large scale properties
of galactic halos including their density profiles, their extent and total
mass. We obtain predictions for the kinetic energies of the particles in the
velocity peaks and estimates for their local densities as functions of the
amount of angular momentum, the age of the universe and .Comment: LaTeX, 39 pages including 18 figure
Probing the evolution of early-type cluster galaxies through chemical enrichment
A simple chemical enrichment model for cluster early-type galaxies is
described in which the mechanisms considered in the evolutionary model are
infall of primordial gas, outflows and a possible variation in the star
formation efficiency. We find that - within the framework of our models - only
outflows can generate a suitable range of metallicities. The chemical
enrichment tracks can be combined with the latest population synthesis models
to simulate clusters over a wide redshift range, for a set of toy models. The
color-magnitude relation of local clusters is used as a constraint, fixing the
correlation between absolute luminosity and ejected fraction of gas from
outflows. It is found that the correlations between color or mass-to-light
ratios and absolute luminosity are degenerate with respect to most of the input
parameters. However, a significant change between monolithic and hierarchical
models is predicted for redshifts z\simgt 1. The comparison between predicted
and observed mass-to-light ratios yield an approximate linear bias between
total and stellar masses: in
early-type galaxies. If we assume that outflows constitute the driving
mechanism for the colors observed in cluster early type galaxies, the
metallicity of the intracluster medium (ICM) can be linked to outflows. The
color-magnitude constraint requires faint galaxies to eject 85%
of their gas, which means that most of the metals in the ICM may have
originated in these dwarf galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. Uses emulateapj.sty. 12 pages with
10 embedded EPS figure
Core-Collapse Simulations of Rotating Stars
We present the results from a series of two-dimensional core-collapse
simulations using a rotating progenitor star. We find that the convection in
these simulations is less vigorous because a) rotation weakens the core bounce
which seeds the neutrino-driven convection and b) the angular momentum profile
in the rotating core stabilizes against convection. The limited convection
leads to explosions which occur later and are weaker than the explosions
produced from the collapse of non-rotating cores. However, because the
convection is constrained to the polar regions, when the explosion occurs, it
is stronger along the polar axis. This asymmetric explosion can explain the
polarization measurements of core-collapse supernovae. These asymmetries also
provide a natural mechanism to mix the products of nucleosynthesis out into the
helium and hydrogen layers of the star. We also discuss the role the collapse
of these rotating stars play on the generation of magnetic fields and neutron
star kicks. Given a range of progenitor rotation periods, we predict a range of
supernova energies for the same progenitor mass. The critical mass for black
hole formation also depends upon the rotation speed of the progenitor.Comment: 16 pages text + 13 figures, submitted to Ap
Recent Diarrhea is Associated with Elevated Salivary IgG Responses to Cryptosporidium in Residents of an Eastern Massachusetts Community
BACKGROUND: Serological data suggest that Cryptosporidium infections are common but underreported. The invasiveness of blood sampling limits the application of serology in epidemiological surveillance. We pilot-tested a non-invasive salivary anti-Cryptosporidium antibody assay in a community survey involving children and adults.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Families with children were recruited in a Massachusetts community in July; symptoms data were collected at 3 monthly follow-up mail surveys. One saliva sample per person (n = 349) was collected via mail, with the last survey in October. Samples were analyzed for IgG and IgA responses to a recombinant C. hominis gp15 sporozoite protein using a time-resolved fluorometric immunoassay. Log-transformed assay results were regressed on age using penalized B-splines to account for the strong age-dependence of antibody reactions. Positive responses were defined as fluorescence values above the upper 99% prediction limit.
RESULTS: Forty-seven (13.5%) individuals had diarrhea without concurrent respiratory symptoms during the 3-month-long follow-up; eight of them had these symptoms during the month prior to saliva sampling. Two individuals had positive IgG responses: an adult who had diarrhea during the prior month and a child who had episodes of diarrhea during each survey month (Fisher\u27s exact test for an association between diarrhea and IgG response: p = 0.0005 for symptoms during the prior month and p = 0.02 for symptoms during the entire follow-up period). The child also had a positive IgA response, along with two asymptomatic individuals (an association between diarrhea and IgA was not significant).
CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the salivary IgG specific to Cryptosporidium antigens warrants further evaluation as a potential indicator of recent infections
Intermediate mass stars: updated models
A new set of stellar models in the mass range 1.2 to 9 is
presented. The adopted chemical compositions cover the typical galactic values,
namely and . A comparison among
the most recent compilations of similar stellar models is also discussed. The
main conclusion is that the differencies among the various evolutionary results
are still rather large. For example, we found that the H-burning evolutionary
time may differ up to 20 %. An even larger disagreement is found for the
He-burning phase (up to 40-50 %). Since the connection between the various
input physics and the numerical algorithms could amplify or counterbalance the
effect of a single ingredient on the resulting stellar model, the origin of
this discrepancies is not evident. However most of these discrepancies, which
are clearly found in the evolutionary tracks, are reduced on the isochrones. By
means of our updated models we show that the ages inferred by the theory of
stellar evolution is in excellent agreement with those obtained by using other
independent methods applied to the nearby Open Clusters. Finally, the
theoretical initial/final mass relation is revised.Comment: 35 pages, 24 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in the
Astrophisycal Journa
Blue Straggler Stars: Early Observations that Failed to Solve the Problem
In this chapter, I describe early ideas on blue stragglers, and various
observations (some published, some not) that promised but failed to resolve the
question of their origin. I review the data and ideas that were circulating
from Allan Sandage's original discovery in 1953 of "anomalous blue stars" in
the globular cluster M3, up until about 1992, when what seems to have been the
only previous meeting devoted to Blue Straggler Stars (BSSs) was held at the
Space Telescope Science Institute.Comment: Chapter 2, in Ecology of Blue Straggler Stars, H.M.J. Boffin, G.
Carraro & G. Beccari (Eds), Astrophysics and Space Science Library, Springe
Contamination Control and Assay Results for the Majorana Demonstrator Ultra Clean Components
The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is a neutrinoless double beta decay experiment
utilizing enriched Ge-76 detectors in 2 separate modules inside of a common
solid shield at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. The DEMONSTRATOR has
utilized world leading assay sensitivities to develop clean materials and
processes for producing ultra-pure copper and plastic components. This
experiment is now operating, and initial data provide new insights into the
success of cleaning and processing. Post production copper assays after the
completion of Module 1 showed an increase in U and Th contamination in finished
parts compared to starting bulk material. A revised cleaning method and
additional round of surface contamination studies prior to Module 2
construction have provided evidence that more rigorous process control can
reduce surface contamination. This article describes the assay results and
discuss further studies to take advantage of assay capabilities for the purpose
of maintaining ultra clean fabrication and process design.Comment: Proceedings of Low Radioactivity Techniques (LRT May 2017, Seoul
- …