7,902 research outputs found
Pristine CNO abundances from Magellanic Cloud B stars II. Fast rotators in the LMC cluster NGC 2004
We present spectroscopic abundance analyses of three main-sequence B stars in
the young Large Magellanic Cloud cluster NGC 2004. All three targets have
projected rotational velocities around 130 km/s. Techniques are presented that
allow the derivation of stellar parameters and chemical abundances in spite of
these high v sin i values. Together with previous analyses of stars in this
cluster, we find no evidence among the main-sequence stars for effects due to
rotational mixing up to v sin i around 130 km/s. Unless the equatorial
rotational velocities are significantly larger than the v sin i values, this
finding is probably in line with theoretical expectations. NGC 2004/B30, a star
of uncertain evolutionary status located in the Blue Hertzsprung Gap, clearly
shows signs of mixing in its atmosphere. To verify the effects due to
rotational mixing will therefore require homogeneous analysis of statistically
significant samples of low-metallicity main-sequence B stars over a wide range
of rotational velocities.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables; accepted for publication in ApJ (vol.
633, p. 899
Mean encounter times for cell adhesion in hydrodynamic flow: analytical progress by dimensional reduction
For a cell moving in hydrodynamic flow above a wall, translational and
rotational degrees of freedom are coupled by the Stokes equation. In addition,
there is a close coupling of convection and diffusion due to the
position-dependent mobility. These couplings render calculation of the mean
encounter time between cell surface receptors and ligands on the substrate very
difficult. Here we show for a two-dimensional model system how analytical
progress can be achieved by treating motion in the vertical direction by an
effective reaction term in the mean first passage time equation for the
rotational degree of freedom. The strength of this reaction term can either be
estimated from equilibrium considerations or used as a fit parameter. Our
analytical results are confirmed by computer simulations and allow to assess
the relative roles of convection and diffusion for different scaling regimes of
interest.Comment: Reftex, postscript figures include
Extreme laser pulses for possible development of boron fusion power reactors for clean and lasting energy
Extreme laser pulses driving non-equilibrium processes in high density
plasmas permit an increase of the fusion of hydrogen with the boron isotope 11
by nine orders of magnitude of the energy gains above the classical values.
This is the result of initiating the reaction by non-thermal ultrahigh
acceleration of plasma blocks by the nonlinear (ponderomotive) force of the
laser field, in addition to the avalanche reaction that has now been
experimentally and theoretically manifested. The design of a very compact
fusion power reactor is scheduled to produce then environmentally fully clean
and inexhaustible generation of energy at profitably low costs. The reaction
within a volume of cubic millimetres during a nanosecond can only be used for
controlled power generation.Comment: 10 pages, 5 fugure
Scanning Raman spectroscopy of graphene antidot lattices: Evidence for systematic p-type doping
We have investigated antidot lattices, which were prepared on exfoliated
graphene single layers via electron-beam lithography and ion etching, by means
of scanning Raman spectroscopy. The peak positions, peak widths and intensities
of the characteristic phonon modes of the carbon lattice have been studied
systematically in a series of samples. In the patterned samples, we found a
systematic stiffening of the G band mode, accompanied by a line narrowing,
while the 2D mode energies are found to be linearly correlated with the G mode
energies. We interpret this as evidence for p-type doping of the nanostructured
graphene
HE 1327-2326, An Unevolved Star With Fe/H <-5.0. III. Does Its Atmosphere Reflect Its Natal Composition?
Based on spectroscopic constraints derived from nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium line formation, we explore the likely range of stellar parameters (T-eff and log g) for the hyper-metal-poor (HMP) star HE 1327-2326. Combining the constraints from Balmer line profiles and the Ca I/II ionization equilibrium, a subgiant stage of evolution is indicated. This result is further supported by spectrophotometric observations of the Balmer jump. If a higher T-eff value was used (as favored by some photometric calibrations), the spectroscopic analysis would indicate a turnoff-point stage of evolution. Using a stellar-structure code that treats the effects of atomic diffusion throughout the star in detail, we evolve a low-mass model star to reach the Hertzsprung-Russell-diagram position of HE 1327-2326 after roughly 13 Gyr. While the surface abundances are modified significantly (by more than 1 dex for the case of uninhibited diffusion), such corrections cannot resolve the discrepancy between the abundance inferred from the nondetection of the Li I resonance line at 6707 angstrom and the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe based primordial lithium abundance. As there are numerous processes that can destroy lithium, any cosmological interpretation of a lower-than-expected lithium abundance at the lowest metallicities will have to await sample sizes of unevolved HMP stars that are 1 order of magnitude larger. The situation remains equally inconclusive concerning atomic-diffusion corrections. Here, attempts have to be made to better constrain internal mixing processes, both observationally and by means of sophisticated modeling. With constraints on additional mixing processes taken from a recent globular-cluster study, the likeliest scenario is that HE 1327-2326's surface abundances have undergone mild depletion (of order 0.2 dex).Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapradet)Presidium RAS Programme "Origin and evolution of stars and the Galaxy"Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft GE 490/34-1W. J. McDonald Fellowship of the McDonald ObservatoryJSPS 18104003McDonald Observator
Mean first passage times for bond formation for a Brownian particle in linear shear flow above a wall
Motivated by cell adhesion in hydrodynamic flow, here we study bond formation
between a spherical Brownian particle in linear shear flow carrying receptors
for ligands covering the boundary wall. We derive the appropriate Langevin
equation which includes multiplicative noise due to position-dependent mobility
functions resulting from the Stokes equation. We present a numerical scheme
which allows to simulate it with high accuracy for all model parameters,
including shear rate and three parameters describing receptor geometry
(distance, size and height of the receptor patches). In the case of homogeneous
coating, the mean first passage time problem can be solved exactly. In the case
of position-resolved receptor-ligand binding, we identify different scaling
regimes and discuss their biological relevance.Comment: final version after minor revision
New Abundances for Old Stars - Atomic Diffusion at Work in NGC 6397
A homogeneous spectroscopic analysis of unevolved and evolved stars in the
metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397 with FLAMES-UVES reveals systematic trends
of stellar surface abundances that are likely caused by atomic diffusion. This
finding helps to understand, among other issues, why the lithium abundances of
old halo stars are significantly lower than the abundance found to be produced
shortly after the Big Bang.Comment: 8 pages, 7 colour figures, 1 table; can also be downloaded via
http://www.eso.org/messenger
Atomic diffusion and mixing in old stars IV: Weak abundance trends in the globular cluster NGC 6752
Atomic diffusion in stars can create systematic trends of surface abundances
with evolutionary stage. Globular clusters offer useful laboratories to put
observational constraints on this theory as one needs to compare abundances in
unevolved and evolved stars, all drawn from the same stellar population. In
this paper, we show the results of an abundance study of stars in the globular
cluster NGC6752 which shows weak but systematic abundances trends with
evolutionary phase for Fe, Sc, Ti and Ca. The trends are best explained by a
stellar structure model including atomic diffusion with efficient additional
mixing. The model allows to correct for sub-primordial stellar lithium
abundances of the stars on the Spite plateau, and to match it to the
WMAP-calibrated Big-Bang nucleosynthesis predictions to within the mutual
1-sigma errors.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures and 8 table
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