1,055 research outputs found
Neon Lights Up a Controversy: the Solar Ne/O Abundance
The standard solar model was so reliable that it could predict the existence
of the massive neutrino. Helioseismology measurements were so precise that they
could determine the depth of the convection zone. This agreement between theory
and observation was the envy of all astrophysics -- until recently when
sophisticated three-dimensional hydrodynamic calculations of the solar
atmosphere reduced the metal content by a factor of almost two. Antia & Basu
(2005) suggested that a higher value of the solar neon abundance, Ne/O = 0.52,
would resolve this controversy. Drake & Testa (2005) presented strong evidence
in favor of this idea from a sample of 21 Chandra stars with enhanced values of
the neon abundance, Ne/O = 0.41. In this paper, we have analyzed solar active
region spectra from the archive of the Flat Crystal Spectrometer on Solar
Maximum Mission, a NASA mission from the 1980s, as well as full-Sun spectra
from the pioneering days of X-ray astronomy in the 1960s. These data seem
consistent with the standard neon-to-oxygen abundance value, Ne/O = 0.15
(Grevesse & Sauval 1998). If these results prove to be correct, than the
enhanced-neon hypothesis will not resolve the current controversy.Comment: submitted to ApJ Letter
An expectation value expansion of Hermitian operators in a discrete Hilbert space
We discuss a real-valued expansion of any Hermitian operator defined in a
Hilbert space of finite dimension N, where N is a prime number, or an integer
power of a prime. The expansion has a direct interpretation in terms of the
operator expectation values for a set of complementary bases. The expansion can
be said to be the complement of the discrete Wigner function.
We expect the expansion to be of use in quantum information applications
since qubits typically are represented by a discrete, and finite-dimensional
physical system of dimension N=2^p, where p is the number of qubits involved.
As a particular example we use the expansion to prove that an intermediate
measurement basis (a Breidbart basis) cannot be found if the Hilbert space
dimension is 3 or 4.Comment: A mild update. In particular, I. D. Ivanovic's earlier derivation of
the expansion is properly acknowledged. 16 pages, one PS figure, 1 table,
written in RevTe
Modeling of Interstellar Scintillation Arcs from Pulsar B1133+16
The parabolic arc phenomenon visible in the Fourier analysis of the
scintillation spectra of pulsars provides a new method of investigating the
small scale structure in the ionized interstellar medium (ISM). We report
archival observations of the pulsar B1133+16 showing both forward and reverse
parabolic arcs sampled over 14 months. These features can be understood as the
mutual interference between an assembly of discrete features in the scattered
brightness distribution. By model-fitting to the observed arcs at one epoch we
obtain a ``snap-shot'' estimate of the scattered brightness, which we show to
be highly anisotropic (axial ratio >10:1), to be centered significantly off
axis and to have a small number of discrete maxima, which are coarser the
speckle expected from a Kolmogorov spectrum of interstellar plasma density. The
results suggest the effects of highly localized discrete scattering regions
which subtend 0.1-1 mas, but can scatter (or refract) the radiation by angles
that are five or more times larger.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Astrophysical Journa
NLTE effects on Fe I/II in the atmospheres of FGK stars and application to abundance analysis of their spectra
We describe the first results from our project aimed at large-scale
calculations of NLTE abundance corrections for important astrophysical atoms
and ions. In this paper, the focus is on Fe which is a proxy of stellar
metallicity and is commonly used to derive effective temperature and gravity.
We present a small grid of NLTE abundance corrections for Fe I lines and
discuss how NLTE effects influence determination of effective temperature,
surface gravity, and metallicity for late-type stars.Comment: 6 pages, to be published in IOP The Journal of Physics: Conference
Series, proceedings of the Workshop: 'Stellar Atmospheres in the Gaia Era:
Quantitative Spectroscopy and Comparative Spectrum Modelling', Brussels, June
201
V605 Aql: The Older Twin of Sakurai's Object
New optical spectra have been obtained with VLT/FORS2 of the final helium
shell flash (FF) star, V605 Aql, which peaked in brightness in 1919. New models
suggest that this star is experiencing a very late thermal pulse. The evolution
to a cool luminous giant and then back to a compact hot star takes place in
only a few years. V605 Aql, the central star of the Planetary Nebula (PN), A58,
has evolved from T5000 K in 1921 to 95,000 K today. There are
indications that the new FF star, Sakurai's Object (V4334 Sgr), which appeared
in 1996, is evolving along a similar path. The abundances of Sakurai's Object
today and V605 Aql 80 years ago mimic the hydrogen deficient R Coronae Borealis
(RCB) stars with 98% He and 1% C. The new spectra show that V605 Aql has
stellar abundances similar to those seen in Wolf-Rayet [WC] central stars of
PNe with ~55% He, and ~40% C. The stellar spectrum of V605 Aql can be seen even
though the star is not directly detected. Therefore, we may be seeing the
spectrum in light scattered around the edge of a thick torus of dust seen
edge-on. In the present state of evolution of V605 Aql, we may be seeing the
not too distant future of Sakurai's Object.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, ApJ Letters in pres
Long-Slit Observations of Extended C II 1335 Emission Around V854 Centauri and RY Sagittarii
We have obtained long-slit far-ultraviolet (1150--1730 A) spectra of the R
Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars V854 Cen and RY Sgr, near maximum light and
pulsational phase zero, with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on
Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The far-UV spectrum of each star shows a
photospheric continuum rising steeply toward longer wavelengths, and a
prominent emission feature at C II 1335. RY Sgr displays a second, but fainter,
emission attributed to Cl I 1351 (which is radiatively fluoresced by C II
1335), but Cl I is weak or absent in V854 Cen. Most surprisingly, the C II
emission of V854 Cen is significantly extended along the slit by +/- 2.5
arcsec, about 6 x 10^3 AU at the distance of the star. The C II feature of RY
Sgr exhibits no such gross extension. Nevertheless, subtle broadenings of the C
II emissions beyond the point response profile suggests inner clouds of radius
\~0.1 arcsec (250 AU) around both stars. V854 Cen is only the third RCB star
after R CrB and UW Cen known to have a resolved shell.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, (Figure 1 is a jpeg file), ApJ, in pres
Solar Carbon Monoxide, Thermal Profiling, and the Abundances of C, O, and their Isotopes
A solar photospheric "thermal profiling" analysis is presented, exploiting
the infrared rovibrational bands of carbon monoxide (CO) as observed with the
McMath-Pierce Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) at Kitt Peak, and from above
the Earth's atmosphere by the Shuttle-borne ATMOS experiment. Visible continuum
intensities and center-limb behavior constrained the temperature profile of the
deep photosphere, while CO center-limb behavior defined the thermal structure
at higher altitudes. The oxygen abundance was self consistently determined from
weak CO absorptions. Our analysis was meant to complement recent studies based
on 3-D convection models which, among other things, have revised the historical
solar oxygen (and carbon) abundance downward by a factor of nearly two;
although in fact our conclusions do not support such a revision. Based on
various considerations, an oxygen abundance of 700+/-100 ppm (parts per million
relative to hydrogen) is recommended; the large uncertainty reflects the model
sensitivity of CO. New solar isotopic ratios also are reported for 13C, 17O,
and 18O.Comment: 90 pages, 19 figures (some with parts "a", "b", etc.); to be
published in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement
The 'Forbidden' Abundance of Oxygen in the Sun
We reexamine closely the solar photospheric line at 6300 A, which is
attributed to a forbidden line of neutral oxygen, and is widely used in
analyses of other late-type stars.
We use a three-dimensional time-dependent hydrodynamical model solar
atmosphere which has been tested successfully against observed granulation
patterns and an array of absorption lines. We show that the solar line is a
blend with a Ni I line, as previously suggested but oftentimes neglected.
Thanks to accurate atomic data on the [O I] and Ni I lines we are able to
derive an accurate oxygen abundance for the Sun: log epsilon (O) = 8.69 +/-
0.05 dex, a value at the lower end of the distribution of previously published
abundances, but in good agreement with estimates for the local interstellar
medium and hot stars in the solar neighborhood. We conclude by discussing the
implication of the Ni I blend on oxygen abundances derived from the [O I] 6300
A line in disk and halo stars.Comment: 16 pages, 3 eps figures included; a more compact PostScript version
created using emulateapj.sty is available from
http://hebe.as.utexas.edu/recent_publi.html; to appear in ApJ
A Study of Feasibility of State Water User Fees for Financing Water Development
Water user fees imposed by a state on major water uses is a possible new alternative source of state water development funds. A fee, similar to an excise tax, might be charged for the use of the water resource per se, which in a number of states is declared to be the property of the public of the state. States generally have not employed such fees as a source of operating funds for water agencies or of development capital. Only in the area of water based recreation-fishing, coating, camping, etc.—have states extensively employed user fees. The revenues from these fees, however, are used only to defray management and operating expenses associated with these activities. The implementation of user-fee financing would result in some shifts of financing burden connected with water programs from the general taxpayers of the state to specific water users. Although this approach has not been utilized by states to a significant extent, the “user pay” principle is well established in economic theory. The theory indicated that user fees would be an economically more efficient and equitable source for financing water development than general tax revenues. In the design of fee structures for major water uses, several characteristics of fees are appropriate to consider. Five which were identified in this study are as follows: equity, economic efficiency, allocational effectiveness, administrative simplicity, and revenue generating potential. These were used to evaluate different structures for extracting fees from the user. These rate design considerations may relate only indirectly to a state system of user fees since the state fees envisioned in this study in many cases may be only an add-on or surcharge to a basic charge imposed by a local entity, such as a municipality or an irrigation district. Revenue generating potential, the last of the five characteristics listed, was of primary interest in this study. Estimates of revenue potential for four major water uses—irrigation, municipal, industrial, and recreations—were made with a formula developed in this study for this purpose. Gross estimates of potential from public supply and irrigation uses were made for several selected states, and somewhat more detailed estimates were made for the four major uses in Utah. The calculations indicated that substantial amounts of funds could be generated with only modest increases in current charges. A preliminary assessment of legal and administrative implications of implementing water user fees in the State of Utah was made in this study. The results indicated that some fee alternatives probably could be implemented by administrative action; others would require legislative approval. Constitutional issues related to some alternatives would have to be resolved by the state supreme court. New uses associated with developing Utah’s vast energy resources appear to offer a particularly promising prospect for instituting a user fee program with minimal legal complications
A synoptic comparison of the MHD and the OPAL equations of state
A detailed comparison is carried out between two popular equations of state
(EOS), the Mihalas-Hummer-Dappen (MHD) and the OPAL equations of state, which
have found widespread use in solar and stellar modeling during the past two
decades. They are parts of two independent efforts to recalculate stellar
opacities; the international Opacity Project (OP) and the Livermore-based OPAL
project. We examine the difference between the two equations of state in a
broad sense, over the whole applicable rho-T range, and for three different
chemical mixtures. Such a global comparison highlights both their differences
and their similarities.
We find that omitting a questionable hard-sphere correction, tau, to the
Coulomb interaction in the MHD formulation, greatly improves the agreement
between the MHD and OPAL EOS. We also find signs of differences that could stem
from quantum effects not yet included in the MHD EOS, and differences in the
ionization zones that are probably caused by differences in the mechanisms for
pressure ionization. Our analysis do not only give a clearer perception of the
limitations of each equation of state for astrophysical applications, but also
serve as guidance for future work on the physical issues behind the
differences. The outcome should be an improvement of both equations of state.Comment: 33 pages, 26 figures. Corrected discussion of Basu & Antia, 2004,
ApJ, 606, L85-L8
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