548 research outputs found
Drilling Active Tectonics and Magmatism (Volcanics, Geoprisms, Fault Zones Post-SAFOD) Proceedings of a Workshop
White Papers: Drilling Active Tectonics and Magmatism (Volcanics, Geoprisms, and Fault Zones Post-SAFOD)
Four nearby L dwarfs
We present spectroscopic, photometric and astrometric observations of four
bright L dwarfs identified in the course of the 2MASS near-infrared survey. Our
spectroscopic data extend to wavelengths shortward of 5000\AA in the L0 dwarf
2MASSJ0746+2000 and the L4 dwarf 2MASSJ0036+1840, allowing the identification
of absorption bands due to MgH and CaOH. The atomic resonance lines Ca I
4227\AA and Na I 5890/5896\AA are extremely strong, with the latter having an
equivalent width of 240\AA in the L4 dwarf. By spectral type L5, the D lines
extend over \AA and absorb a substantial fraction of the flux emitted
in the V band, with a corresponding effect on the (V-I) broadband colour. The
KI resonance doublet at 7665/7699\AA increases in equivalent width from
spectral type M3 to M7, but decreases in strength from M7 to L0 before
broadening substantially at later types. These variations are likely driven by
dust formation in these cool atmospheres.Comment: to appear in AJ, January 2000; 27 pages, including 3 tables and 7
figures embedded in the tex
Primary Meningeal Rhabdomyosarcoma
Primary meningeal rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare primary brain malignancy, with scant case reports. While most reports of primary intracranial rhabdomyosarcoma occur in pediatric patients, a handful of cases in adult patients have been reported in the medical literature. We report the case of a 44-year-old male who developed primary meningeal rhabdomyosarcoma. After developing episodes of right lower extremity weakness, word finding difficulty, and headaches, a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a vertex lesion with radiographic appearance of a meningeal-derived tumor. Subtotal surgical resection was performed due to sagittal sinus invasion and initial pathology was interpreted as an anaplastic meningioma. Re-review of pathology demonstrated rhabdomyosarcoma negative for alveolar translocation t(2;13). Staging studies revealed no evidence of disseminated disease. He was treated with stereotactic radiotherapy with concurrent temozolamide to be followed by vincristine, actinomycin-D, and cyclophosphamide (VAC) systemic therapy
Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS Observations of T Dwarfs: Brown Dwarf Multiplicity and New Probes of the L/T Transition
We present the results of a Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS imaging survey of
22 T-type field brown dwarfs. Five are resolved as binary systems with angular
separations of 0"05-0"35, and companionship is established on the basis of
component F110W-F170M colors (indicative of CH4 absorption) and low
probabilities of background contamination. Prior ground-based observations show
2MASS 1553+1532AB to be a common proper motion binary. The properties of these
systems - low multiplicity fraction (11[+7][-3]% resolved, as corrected for
sample selection baises), close projected separations (a = 1.8-5.0 AU) and
near-unity mass ratios - are consistent with previous results for field brown
dwarf binaries. Three of the binaries have components that span the
poorly-understood transition between L dwarfs and T dwarfs. Spectral
decomposition analysis of one of these, SDSS 1021-0304AB, reveals a peculiar
flux reversal between its components, as its T5 secondary is ~30% brighter at
1.05 and 1.27 micron than its T1 primary. This system, 2MASS 0518-2828AB and
SDSS 1534+1615AB all demonstrate that the J-band brightening observed between
late-type L to mid-type T dwarfs is an intrinsic feature of this spectral
transition, albeit less pronounced than previously surmised. We also find that
the resolved binary fraction of L7 to T3.5 dwarfs is twice that of other L and
T dwarfs, an anomaly that can be explained by a relatively rapid evolution of
brown dwarfs through the L/T transition, perhaps driven by dynamic
(nonequilibrium) depletion of photospheric condensates.Comment: ~40 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication to ApJ. Note that
emulateapj style file cuts off part of Table
Crawford, Davis & the Right of Confrontation: Where Do We Go from Here?
Afternoon Panel Discussio
Physical tests for Random Numbers in Simulations
We propose three physical tests to measure correlations in random numbers
used in Monte Carlo simulations. The first test uses autocorrelation times of
certain physical quantities when the Ising model is simulated with the Wolff
algorithm. The second test is based on random walks, and the third on blocks of
n successive numbers. We apply the tests to show that recent errors in high
precision simulations using generalized feedback shift register algorithms are
due to short range correlations in random number sequences. We also determine
the length of these correlations.Comment: 16 pages, Post Script file, HU-TFT-94-
Discovery of a Bright Field Methane (T-type) Brown Dwarf by 2MASS
We report the discovery of a bright (J = 13.830.03) methane brown dwarf,
or T dwarf, by the Two Micron All Sky Survey. This object, 2MASSI
J0559191-140448, is the first brown dwarf identified by the newly commissioned
CorMASS instrument mounted on the Palomar 60-inch Telescope. Near-infrared
spectra from 0.9 - 2.35 \micron show characteristic CH bands at 1.1, 1.3,
1.6, and 2.2 \micron, which are significantly shallower than those seen in
other T dwarfs discovered to date. Coupled with the detection of an FeH band at
0.9896 \micron and two sets of K I doublets at J-band, we propose that 2MASS
J0559-14 is a warm T dwarf, close to the transition between L and T spectral
classes. The brightness of this object makes it a good candidate for detailed
investigation over a broad wavelength regime and at higher resolution.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, accepted to AJ for publication August
200
A Sample of Very Young Field L Dwarfs and Implications for the Brown Dwarf "Lithium Test" at Early Ages
Using a large sample of optical spectra of late-type dwarfs, we identify a
subset of late-M through L field dwarfs that, because of the presence of
low-gravity features in their spectra, are believed to be unusually young. From
a combined sample of 303 field L dwarfs, we find observationally that
7.6+/-1.6% are younger than 100 Myr. This percentage is in agreement with
theoretical predictions once observing biases are taken into account. We find
that these young L dwarfs tend to fall in the southern hemisphere (Dec < 0 deg)
and may be previously unrecognized, low-mass members of nearby, young
associations like Tucana-Horologium, TW Hydrae, beta Pictoris, and AB Doradus.
We use a homogeneously observed sample of roughly one hundred and fifty
6300-10000 Angstrom spectra of L and T dwarfs taken with the Low-Resolution
Imaging Spectrometer at the W. M. Keck Observatory to examine the strength of
the 6708-A Li I line as a function of spectral type and further corroborate the
trends noted by Kirkpatrick et al. (2000). We use our low-gravity spectra to
investigate the strength of the Li I line as a function of age. The data weakly
suggest that for early- to mid-L dwarfs the line strength reaches a maximum for
a few 100 Myr, whereas for much older (few Gyr) and much younger (<100 Myr) L
dwarfs the line is weaker or undetectable. We show that a weakening of lithium
at lower gravities is predicted by model atmosphere calculations, an effect
partially corroborated by existing observational data. Larger samples
containing L dwarfs of well determined ages are needed to further test this
empirically. If verified, this result would reinforce the caveat first cited in
Kirkpatrick et al. (2006) that the lithium test should be used with caution
when attempting to confirm the substellar nature of the youngest brown dwarfs.Comment: 73 pages with 22 figures; to appear in ApJ (Dec 20, 2008, v689n2
issue
- …