Quasi Periodic Oscillations in Low Mass X-Ray Binaries and Constraints on the Equation of State of Neutron Star Matter

Recently discovered quasi periodic oscillations in the X-ray brightness of low mass X-ray binaries are used to derive constraints on the mass of the neutron star component and the equation of state of neutron star matter. The observations are compared with models of rapidly rotating neutron stars which are calculated by means of an exact numerical method in full relativity. For the equations of state we select a broad collection of models representing different assumptions about the many-body structure and the complexity of the composition of super dense matter. The mass constraints differ from their values in the approximate treatment by \sim 10%. Under the assumption that the maximum frequency of the quasi periodic oscillations originates from the innermost stable orbit the mass of the neutron star is in the range: $M\sim 1.92-2.25 M_\odot$. Especially the quasi periodic oscillation in the Atoll-source 4U 1820-30 is only consistent with equations of state which are rather stiff at high densities which is explainable, so far, only with pure nucleonic/leptonic composition. This interpretation contradicts the hypothesis that the protoneutron star formed in SN 1987A collapsed to a black hole, since this would demand a maximum neutron star mass below $1.6 M_\odot$. The recently suggested identification of quasi periodic oscillations with frequencies around 10 Hz with the Lense-Thirring precession of the accretion disk is found to be inconsistent with the models studied in this work, unless it is assumed that the first overtone of the precession is observed.Comment: 12 pages including figures, to be published in MNRA

The Long-Run Labour Market Consequences of Teenage Motherhood in Britain

Common wisdom states that teenage childbearing reduces schooling, labour market experience and adult wages. However, the decisions to be a teenage mother, to quit school, and be less attached to the labour market might all stem from some personal or family characteristics. Using the National Child Development Study (NCDS), we find that in Britain teenage childbearing decreases the probability of post-16 schooling by 12% to 24%. Employment experience is reduced by up to three years, and the adult pay differential ranges from 5% to 22%. The negative impact of teen motherhood on various adult outcomes is not due to some pre-motherhood characteristics; hence policies aiming to encourage return to school and participation in the labour market may be an efficient way to reduce the long-term consequences of teenage pregnancy.Teenage pregnancy, schooling decisions, wages

The Supply of Childcare in Britain: Do Mothers Queue for Childcare?

This paper presents a model of partial observability applied to the childcare market in Britain. We simultaneously estimate the demand and use and calculate the excess demand for childcare. We find a large queue with nearly half of the mothers demanding childcare queuing for it. We also find that formal and informal care are not substitute, implying that policies increasing the supply of formal care lead to an increase in the use of care rather than solely a shift from informal to formal care. This has implication on the efficiency of policies aiming at increasing the labour supply of mothers.supply of childcare

Why Don't Prices Rise During Periods of Peak Demand? Evidence from Scanner Data

We examine the retail prices and wholesale prices of a large supermarket chain in Chicago over seven and one-half years. We show that prices tend to fall during the seasonal demand peak for a product and that changes in retail margins account for most of those price changes; thus we add to the growing body of evidence that markups are counter-cyclical. The pattern of margin changes that we observe is consistent with loss leader' models such as the Lal and Matutes (1994) model of retailer pricing and advertising competition. Other models of imperfect competition are less consistent with retailer behavior. Manufacturer behavior plays a more limited role in the counter-cyclicality of prices.

Optical Signatures of Circumstellar Interaction in Type IIP Supernovae

We propose new diagnostics for circumstellar interaction in Type IIP supernovae by the detection of high velocity (HV) absorption features in Halpha and He I 10830 A lines during the photospheric stage. To demonstrate the method, we compute the ionization and excitation of H and He in supernova ejecta taking into account time-dependent effects and X-ray irradiation. We find that the interaction with a typical red supergiant wind should result in the enhanced excitation of the outer layers of unshocked ejecta and the emergence of corresponding HV absorption, i.e. a depression in the blue absorption wing of Halpha and a pronounced absorption of He I 10830 A at a radial velocity of about -10,000 km/s. We identify HV absorption in Halpha and He I 10830 A lines of SN 1999em and in Halpha of SN 2004dj as being due to this effect. The derived mass loss rate is close to 10^{-6} Msun/yr for both supernovae, assuming a wind velocity 10 km/s. We argue that, in addition to the HV absorption formed in the unshocked ejecta, spectra of SN 2004dj and SN 1999em show a HV notch feature that is formed in the cool dense shell (CDS) modified by the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. The CDS results from both shock breakout and radiative cooling of gas that has passed through the reverse shock wave. The notch becomes dominant in the HV absorption during the late photospheric phase, ~60 d. The wind density deduced from the velocity of the CDS is consistent with the wind density found from the HV absorption produced by unshocked ejecta.Comment: 38 pages, 12 figures, ApJ, in pres

Instabilities and Clumping in Type Ia Supernova Remnants

We present two-dimensional high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations in spherical polar coordinates of a Type Ia supernova interacting with a constant density interstellar medium. The ejecta are assumed to be freely expanding with an exponential density profile. The interaction gives rise to a double-shocked structure susceptible to hydrodynamic instabilities. The Rayleigh-Taylor instability initially grows, but the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability takes over, producing vortex rings. The nonlinear instability initially evolves toward longer wavelengths and eventually fades away when the reverse shock front is in the flatter part of the supernova density distribution. Based on observations of X-ray knots and the protrusion in the southeast outlin of Tycho's supernova remnant, we include clumping in the ejecta. The clump interaction with the reverse shock induces Rayleigh-Taylor and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities on the clump surface that facilitate fragmentation. In order to survive crushing and to have a bulging effect on the forward shock, the clump's initial density ratio to the surrounding ejecta must be at least 100 for the conditions in Tycho's remnant. The 56Ni bubble effect may be important for the development of clumpiness in the ejecta. The observed presence of an Fe clump would then require a non-radioactive origin for this Fe, possibly 54Fe. The large radial distance of the X-ray emitting Si and S ejecta from the remnant center indicates that they were initially in clumps.Comment: 27 pages, 4 postscript figures, 5 GIF figures submitted to Astrophysical Journa

Correlated Timing and Spectral Variations of the Soft X-ray Transient Aquila X-1: Evidence for an Atoll classification

Based on Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer data, we discuss the classification of the soft X-ray transient Aquila X-1 in the Z/atoll scheme, and the relation of its kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillations (kHz QPO) properties to the X-ray colors. The color-color diagram shows one elongated ("banana") structure and several "islands" of data points. The power spectra of the island are best represented by a broken power-law, whereas those of the banana by a power-law below ~ 1 Hz plus an exponentially cut-off component at intermediate frequencies (30-60 Hz). The parameters of these two components change in correlation with the position of the source in the color-color diagram. Based on the pattern that the source shows in the color-color diagram and its aperiodic variability we conclude that Aquila X-1 is an atoll source. We have also investigated the possible correlation between the frequency of the kHz QPO and the position of the source in the color-color diagram. The complexity seen in the frequency versus count rate diagram is reduced to a single track when the frequency is plotted against hard or soft color.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

1.6 GHz VLBI Observations of SN 1979C: almost-free expansion

We report on 1.6 GHz Very-Long-Baseline-Interferometry (VLBI) observations of supernova SN 1979C made on 18 November 2002. We derive a model-dependent supernova size. We also present a reanalysis of VLBI observations made by us on June 1999 and by other authors on February 2005. We conclude that, contrary to our earlier claim of strong deceleration in the expansion, SN 1979C has been undergoing almost-free expansion ($m = 0.91\pm0.09$; $R \propto t^m$) for over 25 years.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; submitted to A&A on 14 May 2009. Accepted on 7 Jul 200

X-ray emission from radiative shocks in Type II supernovae

The X-ray emission from the circumstellar interaction in Type II supernovae with a dense circumstellar medium is calculated. In Type IIL and Type IIn supernovae mass loss rates are generally high enough for the region behind the reverse shock to be radiative, producing strong radiation, particularly in X-rays. We present a model for the emission from the cooling region in the case of a radiative reverse shock. Under the assumption of a stationary flow, a hydrodynamic model is combined with time dependent ionization balance and multilevel calculations. The applicability of the steady state approximation is discussed for various values of the ejecta density gradient and different sets of chemical composition. We show how the emerging spectrum depends strongly on the reverse shock velocity and the composition of the shocked gas. We discuss differences between a spectrum produced by this model and a single-temperature spectrum. Large differences for especially the line emission are found, which seriously can affect abundance estimates. We also illustrate the effects of absorption in the cool shocked ejecta. The applicability of our model for various types of supernovae is discussed.Comment: 25 pages, 15 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in A&