1,270 research outputs found
Discovery of an Unusual High State in the Long-Term Light Curve of AM Herculis
The magnetic cataclysmic variable archetype AM Herculis is known to display high and low photometric
states, in which it switches from Roche lobe-overflow accretion (high) to wind accretion (low). The origin of
this behavior is still unknown (although it is believed to be linked to the presence of starspots located near the L1
point on the secondary star), as are the specifics of duration and frequency of the two states. During the recent (2007)
transition from an exceptionally long period of persistent low state behavior back to the high state, AM Her entered a
short (~2 month) intermediate state, in which its brightness remained at ~0.5 mag fainter than the normal high-state
level. Within the recorded history of AM Her, this was the first time the system displayed such behavior. Using data
from the American Association of Variable Star Observers, we compare the characteristics of this faint high state to
the subsequent normal high state, and a prior "failed high state," in which the system briefly reached a brightness
level near that of the normal high state before rapidly returning to the low state. The distribution of magnitude
values attained during each state, along with the shapes of the orbital light curve in each state, support a scenario
in which the specific configuration of the accretion flow between the secondary star and the white dwarf must be
rapidly established at the end of a low state, even before the mass transfer rate has reached the normal high-state
level
Observations of V592 Cas -— an Outflow at Optical Wavelengths
We present new red optical spectra of V592 Cas aimed at exploring the properties of the outflow of this system in a spectral region where the underlying white dwarf and the accretion disk do not contribute significantly to the observed absorption components of the Hα and He I line profiles. We use the Hα emission line to study the wind, which appears as pronounced blueshifted P Cygni absorption troughs whose low velocity end contaminates the blue side of the emission line profile. The wind appears to be episodic in nature, with multiple events reaching velocities of 5000 km s^–1 in Hα. Similar (but weaker) wind signatures appear in the He I 5876 Å line but are absent in He I 6678 Å. Our data suggest that during wind episodes the wind is phase dependent and is visible for half of the orbit of the system. Considering that V592 Cas is viewed almost face-on, the symmetry axis of the outflow cannot be orthogonal to the disk and/or the outflow must have some other inherent asymmetry in outflow geometry. A possible origin of the wind is in a disk hotspot, either at the initial impact point of the accretion stream on the disk edge or as a result of disk overflow (similar to SW Sextantis stars). Simultaneous optical photometry during one night of our spectroscopic observations indicate that there is no clear relationship between the optical brightness variations and the strength of the outflow in this system
What’s Cool About Hot Stars? Cataclysmic Variables in the Mid-Infrared
We review recent results from mid-infrared observations of cataclysmic variables with the Spitzer Space Telescope. In general, these observations have revealed mid-infrared excesses, above the level expected from the stellar and accretion components, in numerous systems. This excess can be modeled as originating from circumstellar and/or circumbinary dust. We present an overview of spectral energy distributions spanning the ultraviolet to the mid-infrared, as well as mid-infrared light curves, of disk-accreting and magnetic cataclysmic variables. Physically realistic models constructed to reproduce these data indicate that the mid-infrared luminosity of many cataclysmic variables is dominated by emission from warm (T < 2000 K) dust. The presence and characteristics of dust in cataclysmic variables has potentially important implications for the secular evolution scenario for interacting binary stars
Representing Clients in Audits and Controversies in Today\u27s Tax Enforcement Environment
Time-resolved measurement of single pulse femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface structure formation
Time-resolved diffraction microscopy technique has been used to observe the
formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) from the
interaction of a single femtosecond laser pulse (pump) with a nano-scale groove
mechanically formed on a single-crystal Cu substrate. The interaction dynamics
(0-1200 ps) was captured by diffracting a time-delayed, frequency-doubled pulse
from nascent LIPSS formation induced by the pump with an infinity-conjugate
microscopy setup. The LIPSS ripples are observed to form sequentially outward
from the groove edge, with the first one forming after 50 ps. A 1-D analytical
model of electron heating and surface plasmon polariton (SPP) excitation
induced by the interaction of incoming laser pulse with the groove edge
qualitatively explains the time-evloution of LIPSS formation.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
VV Pup in a low state: secondary-star irradiation or stellar activity?
Aims. Emission lines in polars show complex profiles with multiple components
that are typically ascribed to the accretion stream, threading region,
accretion spot, and the irradiated secondary-star. In low-state polars the
fractional contribution by the accretion stream, and the accretion spot is
greatly reduced offering an opportunity to study the effect of the
secondary-star irradiation or stellar activity. We observed VV Pup during an
exceptional low-state to study and constrain the properties of the line-forming
regions and to search for evidence of chromospheric activity and/or
irradiation. Methods. We obtained phase-resolved optical spectra at the ESO
VLT+FORS1 with the aim of analyzing the emission line profile and radial
velocity as a function of the orbital period. We also tailored irradiated
secondary-star models to compare the predicted and the observed emission lines
and to establish the nature of the line-forming regions. Results. Our
observations and data analysis, when combined with models of the irradiated
secondary-star, show that, while the weak low ionization metal lines (FeI and
MgI) may be consistent with irradiation processes, the dominant Balmer H
emission lines, as well as NaI and HeI, cannot be reproduced by the irradiated
secondary-star models. We favor the secondary-star chromospheric activity as
the main forming region and cause of the observed H, NaI, and He emission
lines, though a threading region very close to the L1 point cannot be excluded.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, in press on A&
"Dark Matter" in Accretion Disks
Using Spitzer Space Telescope photometric observations of the eclipsing,
interacting binary WZ Sge, we have discovered that the accretion disk is far
more complex than previously believed. Our 4.5 and 8 micron time series
observations reveal that the well known gaseous accretion disk is surrounded by
an asymmetric disk of dusty material with a radius approximately 15 times
larger than the gaseous disk. This dust ring contains only a small amount of
mass and is completely invisible at optical and near-IR wavelengths, hence
consisting of "dark matter". We have produced a model dust ring using 1 micron
spherical particles with a density of 3 g/cm and with a temperature profile
ranging from 700-1500K. Our discovery about the accretion disk structure and
the presence of a larger, outer dust ring have great relevance for accretion
disks in general, including those in other interacting binary systems, pre-main
sequence stars, and active galaxies.Comment: 34 pages, 8 figures (3 in color). Accepted to Ap
Recent atmospheric neutrino results from Soudan 2
An updated measurement of the atmospheric nu_mu/nu_e ratio-of-ratios,
0.68+-0.11+-0.06, has been obtained using a 4.6-kty exposure of the Soudan-2
iron tracking calorimeter. The L/E distributions have been analyzed for effects
of nu_mu -> nu_x oscillations, and an allowed region in the Delta m^2 vs. sin^2
2 theta plane has been determined.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures; presented at TAUP99, the 6th Int. Workshop on
Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics, Sept. 6-10, 1999, College de
France, Paris, Franc
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