2,599 research outputs found
On the metallicity dependence of crystalline silicates in oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch stars and red supergiants
We investigate the occurrence of crystalline silicates in oxygen-rich evolved
stars across a range of metallicities and mass-loss rates. It has been
suggested that the crystalline silicate feature strength increases with
increasing mass-loss rate, implying a correlation between lattice structure and
wind density. To test this, we analyse Spitzer IRS and Infrared Space
Observatory SWS spectra of 217 oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch stars and 98
red supergiants in the Milky Way, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds and
Galactic globular clusters. These encompass a range of spectral morphologies
from the spectrally-rich which exhibit a wealth of crystalline and amorphous
silicate features to 'naked' (dust-free) stars. We combine spectroscopic and
photometric observations with the GRAMS grid of radiative transfer models to
derive (dust) mass-loss rates and temperature. We then measure the strength of
the crystalline silicate bands at 23, 28 and 33 microns. We detect crystalline
silicates in stars with dust mass-loss rates which span over 3 dex, down to
rates of ~10^-9 solar masses/year. Detections of crystalline silicates are more
prevalent in higher mass-loss rate objects, though the highest mass-loss rate
objects do not show the 23-micron feature, possibly due to the low temperature
of the forsterite grains or it may indicate that the 23-micron band is going
into absorption due to high column density. Furthermore, we detect a change in
the crystalline silicate mineralogy with metallicity, with enstatite seen
increasingly at low metallicity.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 24 pages, 16 figure
The mineralogy, geometry and mass-loss history of IRAS 16342-3814
We present the 2-200 um Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) spectrum and 3.8-20
um ISAAC and TIMMI2 images of the extreme OH/IR star IRAS 16342-3814. Amorphous
silicate absorption features are seen, together with crystalline silicate
absorption features up to almost 45 um. No other OH/IR star is known to have
crystalline silicate features in absorption up to these wavelengths. This
suggests that IRAS 16342-3814 must have, or recently had, an extremely high
mass-loss rate. Preliminary radiative transfer calculations suggest that the
mass-loss rate may be as large as 10^{-3} Msun/yr. The 3.8 um ISAAC image shows
a bipolar reflection nebula with a dark equatorial waist or torus, similar to
that seen in optical Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images. The position angle of
the nebula decreases significantly with increasing wavelength, suggesting that
the dominant source of emission changes from scattering to thermal emission.
Still, even up to 20 um the nebula is oriented approximately along the major
axis of the nebula seen in the HST and ISAAC images, suggesting that the torus
must be very cold, in agreement with the very red ISO spectrum. The 20 um image
shows a roughly spherically symmetric extended halo, approximately 6'' in
diameter, which is probably due to a previous phase of mass-loss on the AGB,
suggesting a transition from a (more) spherically symmetric to a (more) axial
symmetric form of mass-loss at the end of the AGB. We estimate the maximum dust
particle sizes in the torus and in the reflection nebula to be 1.3 and 0.09 um
respectively. The size of the particles in the torus is large compared to
typical ISM values, but in agreement with high mass-loss rate objects like AFGL
4106 and HD161796. We discuss the possible reason for the difference in
particle size between the torus and the reflection nebula.Comment: Accepted for publication by A&
Thermodynamic properties and thermal correlation lengths of a Hubbard model with bond-charge interaction
We investigate the thermodynamics of a one-dimensional Hubbard model with
bond-charge interaction X using the transfer matrix renormalization group
method (TMRG). Numerical results for various quantities like spin and charge
susceptibilities, particle densities, specific heat and thermal correlation
lengths are presented and discussed. We compare our data also to results for
the exactly solvable case X/t=1 as well as to bosonisation results for weak
coupling X/t << 1, which shows excellent agreement. We confirm the existence of
a Tomonaga-Luttinger and a Luther-Emery liquid phase, in agreement with
previous studies at zero temperature. Thermal singlet-pair correlation lengths
are shown to dominate density and spin correlations for finite temperatures in
certain parameter regimes.Comment: 13 pages, revte
Is the structure of 42Si understood?
A more detailed test of the implementation of nuclear forces that drive shell
evolution in the pivotal nucleus \nuc{42}{Si} -- going beyond earlier
comparisons of excited-state energies -- is important. The two leading
shell-model effective interactions, SDPF-MU and SDPF-U-Si, both of which
reproduce the low-lying \nuc{42}{Si}() energy, but whose predictions for
other observables differ significantly, are interrogated by the population of
states in neutron-rich \nuc{42}{Si} with a one-proton removal reaction from
\nuc{43}{P} projectiles at 81~MeV/nucleon. The measured cross sections to the
individual \nuc{42}{Si} final states are compared to calculations that combine
eikonal reaction dynamics with these shell-model nuclear structure overlaps.
The differences in the two shell-model descriptions are examined and linked to
predicted low-lying excited states and shape coexistence. Based on the
present data, which are in better agreement with the SDPF-MU calculations, the
state observed at 2150(13)~keV in \nuc{42}{Si} is proposed to be the ()
level.Comment: accepted in Physical Review Letter
- shell gap reduction in neutron-rich systems and cross-shell excitations in O
Excited states in O were populated in the reaction
Be(C,) at Florida State University. Charged particles
were detected with a particle telescope consisting of 4 annularly segmented Si
surface barrier detectors and radiation was detected with the FSU
detector array. Five new states were observed below 6 MeV from the
- and -- coincidence data. Shell model
calculations suggest that most of the newly observed states are core-excited
1p-1h excitations across the shell gap. Comparisons between
experimental data and calculations for the neutron-rich O and F isotopes imply
a steady reduction of the - shell gap as neutrons are added
Ageing phenomena without detailed balance: the contact process
The long-time dynamics of the 1D contact process suddenly brought out of an
uncorrelated initial state is studied through a light-cone transfer-matrix
renormalisation group approach. At criticality, the system undergoes ageing
which is characterised through the dynamical scaling of the two-times
autocorrelation and autoresponse functions. The observed non-equality of the
ageing exponents a and b excludes the possibility of a finite
fluctuation-dissipation ratio in the ageing regime. The scaling form of the
critical autoresponse function is in agreement with the prediction of local
scale-invariance.Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures, Latex2e with IOP macro
Evolution of the energy spacing in odd-mass K, Cl and P isotopes for
The energy of the first excited state in the neutron-rich N=28 nucleus 45Cl
has been established via in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy following proton
removal. This energy value completes the systematics of the
E(1/2^+_1)-E(3/2^+_1) level spacing in odd-mass K, Cl and P isotopes for
N=20-28. The results are discussed in the framework of shell-model calculations
in the sd-fp model space. The contribution of the central, spin-orbit and
tensor components is discussed from a calculation based on a proton single-hole
spectrum from G-matrix and pi + rho meson exchange potentials. A composite
model for the proton 0d_{3/2}-1s_{1/2} single-particle energy shift is
presented.Comment: Phys. Rev. C, in pres
Changes in use of herbs and dietary supplements (HDS) among clinicians enrolled in an online curriculum
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Little is known about clinicians' use of herbs and dietary supplements (HDS), how their personal HDS use changes with time and training, and how changes in their personal use affect their confidence or communication with patients about HDS.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a prospective cohort study of clinicians before and after an on-line curriculum about HDS in winter-spring, 2005.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 569 clinicians who completed surveys both at baseline and after the course, 25% were male and the average age was 42 years old; 88% used HDS before and after the course. The average number of supplements used fell slightly from 6.2 at baseline to 5.8 after the course (P < 0.01). The most commonly used supplements at baseline were: multivitamins (65%), calcium (42%), B vitamins (34%), vitamin C (34%), green tea (27%), fish oil (27%) and vitamin E (25%). Use of fish oil increased to 30% after the course (P = 0.01). Use of supplements traditionally used to treat colds decreased: vitamin C (34% to 27%), zinc (13% to 10%), and echinacea (7% to 5%, P < 0.05 for all three). Changes in personal HDS use were not associated with significant changes in confidence or communication with patients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Many clinicians use HDS personally; use changes seasonally and to a small extent with professional education. Professional use of HDS is dynamic and seasonal. Additional research is needed to understand the impact of personal use on professional attitudes and behavior in populations with lower baseline uses of HDS.</p
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