522 research outputs found
Time-Delayed transfer functions simulations for LMXBs
Recent works (Steeghs & Casares 2002, Casares et al. 2003, Hynes et al. 2003)
have demonstrated that Bowen flourescence is a very efficient tracer of the
companion star in LMXBs. We present a numerical code to simulate time-delayed
transfer functions in LMXBs, specific to the case of reprocessing in emission
lines. The code is also able to obtain geometrical and binary parameters by
fitting observed (X-ray + optical) light curves using simulated annealing
methods. In this work we present the geometrical model for the companion star
and the analytical model for the disc and show synthetic time-delay transfer
functions for different orbital phases and system parameters.Comment: Contribution presented at the conference "Interacting Binaries:
Accretion, Evolution and Outcomes", held in Cefalu, Sicily (Italy) in July
2004. To be published by AIP (American Institute of Physics), eds. L. A.
Antonelli, L. Burderi, F. D'Antona, T. Di Salvo, G.L. Israel, L. Piersanti,
O. Straniero, A. Tornambe. 4 pages, 4 figure
Swift J1357.2-0933: the faintest black hole?
Swift J1357.2-0933 is the first confirmed very faint black hole X-ray
transient and has a short estimated orbital period of 2.8 hr. We observed Swift
J1357.2-0933 for ~50 ks with XMM-Newton in 2013 July during its quiescent
state. The source is clearly detected at a 0.5-10 keV unabsorbed flux of
~3x10^-15 erg cm-2 s-1. If the source is located at a distance of 1.5 kpc (as
suggested in the literature), this would imply a luminosity of ~8x10^29 erg
s-1, making it the faintest detected quiescent black hole LMXB. This would also
imply that there is no indication of a reversal in the quiescence X-ray
luminosity versus orbital period diagram down to 2.8 hr, as has been predicted
theoretically and recently supported by the detection of the 2.4 hr orbital
period black hole MAXI J1659-152 at a 0.5-10 keV X-ray luminosity of ~ 1.2 x
10^31 erg s-1. However, there is considerable uncertainty in the distance of
Swift J1357.2-0933 and it may be as distant as 6 kpc. In this case, its
quiescent luminosity would be Lx ~ 1.3 x 10^31 erg s-1, i.e., similar to MAXI
J1659-152 and hence it would support the existence of such a bifurcation
period. We also detected the source in optical at r' ~22.3 mag with the
Liverpool telescope, simultaneously to our X-ray observation. The X-ray/optical
luminosity ratio of Swift J1357.2-0933 agrees with the expected value for a
black hole at this range of quiescent X-ray luminosities.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRA
Coordinated regulation of chromatophore differentiation and melanogenesis during the ontogeny of skin pigmentation of Solea senegalensis (Kaup, 1858)
Abnormal pigmentation of Senegalese sole has been described as one problem facing the full exploitation of its commercial production. To improve our understanding of flatfish pigmentation of this commercially important species we have evaluated eleven genes related to two different processes of pigmentation: melanophore differentiation, and melanin production. The temporal distribution of gene expression peaks corresponds well with changes in pigmentation patterns and the intensity of skin melanization. Several gene ratios were also examined to put in perspective possible genetic markers for the different stages of normal pigmentation development. Further, the phenotypic changes that occur during morphogenesis correspond well with the main transitions in gene expression that occur. Given the dramatic phenotypic alterations which flatfish undergo, including the asymmetric coloration that occurs between the ocular and the blind side, and the synchrony of the two processes of morphogenesis and pigmentation ontogenesis, these species constitute an interesting model for the study of pigmentation. In this study we present a first approximation towards explaining the genetic mechanisms for regulating pigmentation ontogeny in Senegalese sole, Solea senegalensis.Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICIIN) of the Spanish Government [AGL2008-03897-C04-01/ACU]; European Community [FP7/2007-2013-222719-LIFECYCLE]; Spanish Governmentinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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