QCD calculation of J/psi+gamma mass distributions

We compute the J/psi+gamma invariant-mass distributions from the QCD subprocess g + g --> J/psi+gamma. At large masses, this subprocess is the dominant mechanism for J/psi+gamma production, and data could provide a good test of QCD. The mass distribution peaks at relatively small masses (3.4 - 4.0 GeV) and the subprocess could, therefore, represent a significant QCD background to J/psi+gamma decay of heavier charmonia. We also analyze the J/psi angular distribution in the J/psi+gamma rest frame.Comment: 7 pages LaTex, 4 figures available on request. CERN-TH.6974/93, ANL-HEP-PR-93.6

New Young Stars and Brown Dwarfs in the Upper Scorpius Association

To improve the census of the Upper Sco association (~11 Myr, ~145 pc), we have identified candidate members using parallaxes, proper motions, and color-magnitude diagrams from several wide-field imaging surveys and have obtained optical and infrared spectra of several hundred candidates to measure their spectral types and assess their membership. We also have performed spectroscopy on a smaller sample of previously known or suspected members to refine their spectral types and evidence of membership. We have classified 530 targets as members of Upper Sco, 377 of which lack previous spectroscopy. Our new compilation of all known members of the association contains 1631 objects. Although the census of Upper Sco has expanded significantly over the last decade, there remain hundreds of candidates that lack spectroscopy. The precise parallaxes and proper motions from the second data release of Gaia should extend down to substellar masses in Upper Sco, which will greatly facilitate the identification of the undiscovered members.Comment: Astronomical Journal, in press; machine readable tables and fits spectra available at http://personal.psu.edu/kll207/usco.ta

Computer program determines thermal environment and temperature history of lunar orbiting space vehicles

Program computes the thermal environment of a spacecraft in a lunar orbit. The quantities determined include the incident flux /solar and lunar emitted radiation/, total radiation absorbed by a surface, and the resulting surface temperature as a function of time and orbital position

New calibrations for abundance determinations in HII regions

Simple relations for deriving the oxygen abundance in HII regions with intensities of the three strong emission lines R_2, R_3, and N_2 (R calibration) or S_2, R_3, and N_2 (S calibration) in their spectra are suggested. A sample of 313 reference HII regions of the counterpart method is used as calibrating data points. Relations for the determination of nitrogen abundances, the R calibration, are also constructed. We find that the oxygen and nitrogen abundances in high-metallicity HII regions can be estimated using the intensities of the two strong lines R_2 and N_2 (or S_2 and N_2 for oxygen) only. The corresponding two-dimensional relations are provided. There are considerable advantages of the suggested calibration relations as compared to the existing ones. First, the oxygen and nitrogen abundances estimated through the suggested calibrations agree with the Te-based abundances within ~0.1 dex over the whole metallicity range, i.e., the relative accuracy of the calibration-based abundances is 0.1 dex. Although we constructed distinct relations for high- and low-metallicity objects, the separation between these two can be simply obtained from the intensity of the N_2 line. Moreover, the applicability ranges of the high- and low-metallicity relations overlap for adjacent metallicities, i.e., the transition zone disappears. Second, the oxygen abundances produced by the two suggested calibrations are in remarkable agreement with each other. In fact, the R-based and S-based oxygen abundances agree within ~0.05 dex in the majority of cases for more than three thousand HII region spectra.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figues, accepted to MNRA

A study of the mass loss rates of symbiotic star systems

The amount of mass loss in symbiotic systems is investigated, specifically mass loss via the formation of jets in R Aquarii (R Aqr). The jets in R Aqr have been observed in the X-ray by Chandra over a four year time period. The jet changes on times scales of a year and new outflows have been observed. Understanding the amount of mass and the frequency of ejection further constrain the ability of the white dwarf in the system to accrete enough mass to become a Type 1a supernova progenitor. The details of multi-wavelength studies, such as speed, density and spatial extent of the jets will be discussed in order to understand the mass balance in the binary system. We examine other symbiotic systems to determine trends in mass loss in this class of objects.Comment: To be published in the proceedings of "The Multicoloured Landscape of Compact Objects and their Explosive Origins