Tidal torques. A critical review of some techniques

We point out that the MacDonald formula for body-tide torques is valid only in the zeroth order of e/Q, while its time-average is valid in the first order. So the formula cannot be used for analysis in higher orders of e/Q. This necessitates corrections in the theory of tidal despinning and libration damping. We prove that when the inclination is low and phase lags are linear in frequency, the Kaula series is equivalent to a corrected version of the MacDonald method. The correction to MacDonald's approach would be to set the phase lag of the integral bulge proportional to the instantaneous frequency. The equivalence of descriptions gets violated by a nonlinear frequency-dependence of the lag. We explain that both the MacDonald- and Darwin-torque-based derivations of the popular formula for the tidal despinning rate are limited to low inclinations and to the phase lags being linear in frequency. The Darwin-torque-based derivation, though, is general enough to accommodate both a finite inclination and the actual rheology. Although rheologies with Q scaling as the frequency to a positive power make the torque diverge at a zero frequency, this reveals not the impossible nature of the rheology, but a flaw in mathematics, i.e., a common misassumption that damping merely provides lags to the terms of the Fourier series for the tidal potential. A hydrodynamical treatment (Darwin 1879) had demonstrated that the magnitudes of the terms, too, get changed. Reinstating of this detail tames the infinities and rehabilitates the "impossible" scaling law (which happens to be the actual law the terrestrial planets obey at low frequencies).Comment: arXiv admin note: sections 4 and 9 of this paper contain substantial text overlap with arXiv:0712.105

Eccentricities of Planets in Binary Systems

The most puzzling property of the extrasolar planets discovered by recent radial velocity surveys is their high orbital eccentricities, which are very difficult to explain within our current theoretical paradigm for planet formation. Current data reveal that at least 25% of these planets, including some with particularly high eccentricities, are orbiting a component of a binary star system. The presence of a distant companion can cause significant secular perturbations in the orbit of a planet. At high relative inclinations, large-amplitude, periodic eccentricity perturbations can occur. These are known as "Kozai cycles" and their amplitude is purely dependent on the relative orbital inclination. Assuming that every planet host star also has a (possibly unseen, e.g., substellar) distant companion, with reasonable distributions of orbital parameters and masses, we determine the resulting eccentricity distribution of planets and compare it to observations? We find that perturbations from a binary companion always appear to produce an excess of planets with both very high (e>0.6) and very low (e<0.1) eccentricities. The paucity of near-circular orbits in the observed sample implies that at least one additional mechanism must be increasing eccentricities. On the other hand, the overproduction of very high eccentricities observed in our models could be combined with plausible circularization mechanisms (e.g., friction from residual gas) to create more planets with intermediate eccentricities (e=0.1-0.6).Comment: 8 pages, to appear in "Close Binaries in the 21st Century: New Opportunities and Challenges", ed. A. Gimenez et al. (Springer

Cosmic ray short burst observed with the Global Muon Detector Network (GMDN) on June 22, 2015

We analyze the short cosmic ray intensity increase ("cosmic ray burst": CRB) on June 22, 2015 utilizing a global network of muon detectors and derive the global anisotropy of cosmic ray intensity and the density (i.e. the omnidirectional intensity) with 10-minute time resolution. We find that the CRB was caused by a local density maximum and an enhanced anisotropy of cosmic rays both of which appeared in association with Earth's crossing of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS). This enhanced anisotropy was normal to the HCS and consistent with a diamagnetic drift arising from the spatial gradient of cosmic ray density, which indicates that cosmic rays were drifting along the HCS from the north of Earth. We also find a significant anisotropy along the HCS, lasting a few hours after the HCS crossing, indicating that cosmic rays penetrated into the inner heliosphere along the HCS. Based on the latest geomagnetic field model, we quantitatively evaluate the reduction of the geomagnetic cut-off rigidity and the variation of the asymptotic viewing direction of cosmic rays due to a major geomagnetic storm which occurred during the CRB and conclude that the CRB is not caused by the geomagnetic storm, but by a rapid change in the cosmic ray anisotropy and density outside the magnetosphere.Comment: accepted for the publication in the Astrophysical Journa

An Oort cloud origin for the high-inclination, high-perihelion Centaurs

We analyse the origin of three Centaurs with perihelia in the range 15 AU to 30 AU, inclinations above 70 deg and semi-major axes shorter than 100 AU. Based on long-term numerical simulations we conclude that these objects most likely originate from the Oort cloud rather than the Kuiper Belt or Scattered Disc. We estimate that there are currently between 1 and 200 of these high-inclination, high-perihelion Centaurs with absolute magnitude H<8.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

The GAPS Experiment to Search for Dark Matter using Low-energy Antimatter

The GAPS experiment is designed to carry out a sensitive dark matter search by measuring low-energy cosmic ray antideuterons and antiprotons. GAPS will provide a new avenue to access a wide range of dark matter models and masses that is complementary to direct detection techniques, collider experiments and other indirect detection techniques. Well-motivated theories beyond the Standard Model contain viable dark matter candidates which could lead to a detectable signal of antideuterons resulting from the annihilation or decay of dark matter particles. The dark matter contribution to the antideuteron flux is believed to be especially large at low energies (E < 1 GeV), where the predicted flux from conventional astrophysical sources (i.e. from secondary interactions of cosmic rays) is very low. The GAPS low-energy antiproton search will provide stringent constraints on less than 10 GeV dark matter, will provide the best limits on primordial black hole evaporation on Galactic length scales, and will explore new discovery space in cosmic ray physics. Unlike other antimatter search experiments such as BESS and AMS that use magnetic spectrometers, GAPS detects antideuterons and antiprotons using an exotic atom technique. This technique, and its unique event topology, will give GAPS a nearly background-free detection capability that is critical in a rare-event search. GAPS is designed to carry out its science program using long-duration balloon flights in Antarctica. A prototype instrument was successfully flown from Taiki, Japan in 2012. GAPS has now been approved by NASA to proceed towards the full science instrument, with the possibility of a first long-duration balloon flight in late 2020. Here we motivate low-energy cosmic ray antimatter searches and discuss the current status of the GAPS experiment and the design of the payload.Comment: 8 pags, 3 figures, Proc. 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2017), Busan, Kore

The formation of the eccentric-orbit millisecond pulsar J1903+0327 and the origin of single millisecond pulsars

The millisecond pulsar J1903+0327 is accompanied by an ordinary G-dwarf star in an unusually wide ($P_{\rm orb} \simeq 95.2$\,days) and eccentric ($e \simeq 0.44$) orbit. The standard model for producing MSPs fails to explain the orbital characteristics of this extraordinary binary, and alternative binary models are unable to explain the observables. We present a triple-star model for producing MSPs in relatively wide eccentric binaries with a normal (main-sequence) stellar companion. We start from a stable triple system consisting of a Low-Mass X-ray Binary (LMXB) with an orbital period of at least 1 day, accompanied by a G-dwarf in a wide and possibly eccentric orbit. Variations in the initial conditions naturally provide a satisfactory explanation for the unexplained triple component in the eclipsing soft X-ray transient 4U~2129+47 or the cataclysmic variable EC 19314-5915. The best explanation for J1903, however, results from the expansion of the orbit of the LMXB, driven by the mass transfer from the evolving donor star to its neutron star companion, which causes the triple eventually to becomes dynamically unstable. Using numerical computations we show that, depending on the precise system configuration at the moment the triple becomes dynamically unstable, the ejection of each of the three components is possible. If the donor star of the LMXB is ejected, a system resembling J1903, will result. If the neutron star is ejected, a single MSP results. This model therefore also provides a straightforward mechanism for forming single MSP in the Galactic disk. We conclude that the Galaxy contains some 30--300 binaries with characteristics similar to J1903, and about an order of magnitude fewer single millisecond pulsars produced with the proposed triple scenario.Comment: ApJ accepted for publicatio

The CORALIE survey for southern extra-solar planets XV. Discovery of two eccentric planets orbiting HD4113 and HD156846

We report the detection of two very eccentric planets orbiting HD4113 and HD156846 with the CORALIE Echelle spectrograph mounted on the 1.2-m Euler Swiss telescope at La Silla. The first planet, HD4113b, has minimum mass of $m\sin{i}=1.6\pm0.2 M_{\rm Jup}$, a period of $P=526.59\pm0.21$ days and an eccentricity of $e=0.903\pm0.02$. It orbits a metal rich G5V star at $a=1.28$ AU which displays an additional radial velocity drift of 28 m s$^{-1}$/yr observed during 8 years. The combination of the radial-velocity data and the non-detection of any main sequence stellar companion in our high contrast images taken at the VLT with NACO/SDI, characterizes the companion as a probable brown dwarf or as a faint white dwarf. The second planet, \object{HD 156846 b}, has minimum mass of $m\sin{i}=10.45\pm0.05$ M$_{\rm Jup}$, a period of $P=359.51\pm0.09$ days, an eccentricity of $e=0.847\pm0.002$ and is located at $a=1.0$ AU from its parent star. HD156846 is a metal rich G0 dwarf and is also the primary of a wide binary system ($a>250$ AU, $P>4000$ years). Its stellar companion, \object{IDS 17147-1914 B}, is a M4 dwarf. The very high eccentricities of both planets can be explained by Kozai oscillations induced by the presence of a third object.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, A&A Letter accepte