366 research outputs found
Are dwarf spheroidal galaxies dark matter dominated or remnants of disrupted larger satellite galaxies? -- A possible test
The failure of standard cosmolocical models in accounting for the statistics
of dwarf satellites and the rotation curve of gas-rich dwarf galaxies in detail
has led us to examine whether earlier non-equilibrium models of dwarf
spheroidal satellites without any dark matter should be reconsidered in more
detail. Such models can explain the high dispersion of the dwarf spheroids by
the projection of disrupted tidal debris. We show in the case of Milky Way
satellites, that these models predict a significant spread in the apparent
magnitude of horizontal branch stars which is correlated with sky position and
velocity. In particular, the models produce a strong correlation of radial
velocity with the long axis of the dwarf. Current data do not set strong enough
constraints on the models, but we suggest that photometric and spectroscopic
surveys of extra-tidal stars of nearby dwarf spheroids in the Milky Way and
Andromeda can falsify these models without dark matter.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Simulation of Transitions between "Pasta" Phases in Dense Matter
Calculations of equilibrium properties of dense matter predict that at
subnuclear densities nuclei can be rodlike or slablike. To investigate whether
transitions between phases with non-spherical nuclei can occur during the
collapse of a star, we perform quantum molecular dynamic simulations of the
compression of dense matter. We have succeeded in simulating the transitions
between rodlike and slablike nuclei and between slablike nuclei and cylindrical
bubbles. Our results strongly suggest that non-spherical nuclei can be formed
in the inner cores of collapsing stars.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, final version published in Phys. Rev. Lett.,
high-res figures can be seen at http://www.nordita.dk/~gentaro/research/fig
XMM-Newton Spectra of Intermediate-Mass Black Hole Candidates: Application of a Monte-Carlo Simulated Model
We present a systematic spectral analysis of six ultraluminous X-ray sources
(NGC1313 X-1/X-2, IC342 X-1, HoIX X-1, NGC5408 X-1 and NGC3628 X-1) observed
with XMM-Newton Observatory. These extra-nuclear X-ray sources in nearby
late-type galaxies have been considered as intermediate-mass black hole
candidates. We have performed Monte-Carlo simulations of Comptonized
multi-color black-body accretion disks. This unified and self-consistent
spectral model assumes a spherically symmetric, thermal corona around each disk
and accounts for the radiation transfer in the Comptonization. We find that the
model provides satisfactory fits to the XMM-Newton spectra of thesources. The
characteristic temperatures of the accretion disks (T_in), for example, are in
the range of ~ 0.05-0.3 keV, consistent with the intermediate-mass black hole
interpretation. We find that the black hole mass is typically about a few times
10^3 M_\odot and has an accretion rate ~ 10^{-6} - 10^{-5} M_\odot yr^{-1}. For
the spectra considered here, we find that the commonly used multi-color
black-body accretion disk model with an additive power law component, though
not physical, provides a good mathematical approximation to the Monte-Carlo
simulated model. However, the latter model provides additional constraints on
the properties of the accretion systems, such as the disk inclination angles
and corona optical depths.Comment: 23 pages, 4 figures, 5 tables. ApJ accepted, July 2004 issu
Evolution of Collisionally Merged Massive Stars
We investigate the evolution of collisionally merged stars with mass of ~100 Msun which might be formed in dense star clusters. We assumed that massive stars with several tens Msun collide typically after ~1Myr of the formation of the cluster and performed hydrodynamical simulations of several collision events. Our simulations show that after the collisions, merged stars have extended envelopes and their radii are larger than those in the thermal equilibrium states and that their interiors are He-rich because of the stellar evolution of the progenitor stars. We also found that if the mass-ratio of merging stars is far from unity, the interior of the merger product is not well mixed and the elemental abundance is not homogeneous. We then followed the evolution of these collision products by a one dimensional stellar evolution code. After an initial contraction on the Kelvin-Helmholtz (thermal adjustment) timescale (~10^{3-4} yr), the evolution of the merged stars traces that of single homogeneous stars with corresponding masses and abundances, while the initial contraction phase shows variations which depend on the mass ratio of the merged stars. We infer that, once runaway collisions have set in, subsequent collisions of the merged stars take place before mass loss by stellar winds becomes significant. Hence, stellar mass loss does not inhibit the formation of massive stars with mass of ~1000Msun
Wide band observations of the new X-ray burster SAX J1747.0-2853 during the March 1998 outburst
We report on our discovery and follow-up observations of the X-ray source SAX
J1747.0-2853 detected in outburst on 1998, March 10 with the BeppoSAX Wide
Field Cameras in the energy range 2-28 keV. The source is located about half
degree off the Galactic Nucleus. A total of 14 type-I X-ray bursts were
detected in Spring 1998, thus identifying the object as a likely low-mass X-ray
binary harboring a weakly magnetized neutron star. Evidence for photospheric
radius expansion is present in at least one of the observed bursts, leading to
an estimate of the source distance of about 9 kpc. We performed a follow-up
target of opportunity observation with the BeppoSAX Narrow Field Instruments on
March 23 for a total elapsed time of 72 ks. The source persistent luminosity
was 2.6x10^36 erg/s in the 2-10 keV energy range. The wide band spectral data
(1-200 keV) are consistent with a remarkable hard X-ray spectrum detected up to
150 keV, highly absorbed at low energies (Nh of the order of 10^23 cm^-2) and
with clear evidence for an absorption edge near 7 keV. A soft thermal component
is also observed, which can be described by single temperature blackbody
emission at about 0.6 keV.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Temperature Profiles of Accretion Disks around Rapidly Rotating Neutron Stars in General Relativity and Implications for Cygnus X-2
We calculate the temperature profiles of (thin) accretion disks around
rapidly rotating neutron stars (with low surface magnetic fields), taking into
account the full effects of general relativity. We then consider a model for
the spectrum of the X-ray emission from the disk, parameterized by the mass
accretion rate, the color temperature and the rotation rate of the neutron
star. We derive constraints on these parameters for the X-ray source Cygnus X-2
using the estimates of the maximum temperature in the disk along with the disk
and boundary layer luminosities, using the spectrum inferred from the EXOSAT
data. Our calculations suggest that the neutron star in Cygnus X-2 rotates
close to the centrifugal mass-shed limit. Possible constraints on the neutron
star equation of state are also discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figs., 2 tables, uses psbox.tex and emulateapj5.sty.
Submitted to Ap
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