6,968 research outputs found
Optical and near-infrared observations of the microquasar V4641 Sagittarii during the 1999 September outburst
We present photometric and spectroscopic optical and near-infrared (NIR)
observations (Based on observations collected at the European Southern
Observatory, Chile (ESO ID 63.H-0493 and 64.H-0382)) taken during the outburst
of the microquasar V4641 Sgr = SAX J1819.3-2525 (in'tzand et al., 2000) in
September 1999. We observed an increase in the J-Ks colour between 5 and 8 days
after the outburst, which we interpret as likely evidence for the presence of
dust around the source. We also observed an extraordinarily strong, broad and
variable H_alpha line, with a velocity width of 4560 km/s suggesting the
presence of a high-velocity outflow component. We constrain the distance of the
system between 3 and 8 kpc, locating it further away than previously derived
from radio observations (Hjellming et al., 2000), but consistent with Orosz et
al. (2001). We then discuss the nature of this system, showing that the
companion star is either a B3-A2 main sequence star, or a B3-A2 sub-giant
crossing the Hertzsprung gap. The system is therefore an Intermediate or High
Mass X-ray Binary System (IMXB or HMXB). The distance derived by these
optical/NIR observations implies that the jets observed by Hjellming et al.
(2000) would then exhibit apparent velocities of ~ 10 c. We finally discuss the
possibility of an interaction between the jets and surroundings of the source,
and also of this source being a ``microblazar''.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
RAM: A Relativistic Adaptive Mesh Refinement Hydrodynamics Code
We have developed a new computer code, RAM, to solve the conservative
equations of special relativistic hydrodynamics (SRHD) using adaptive mesh
refinement (AMR) on parallel computers. We have implemented a
characteristic-wise, finite difference, weighted essentially non-oscillatory
(WENO) scheme using the full characteristic decomposition of the SRHD equations
to achieve fifth-order accuracy in space. For time integration we use the
method of lines with a third-order total variation diminishing (TVD)
Runge-Kutta scheme. We have also implemented fourth and fifth order Runge-Kutta
time integration schemes for comparison. The implementation of AMR and
parallelization is based on the FLASH code. RAM is modular and includes the
capability to easily swap hydrodynamics solvers, reconstruction methods and
physics modules. In addition to WENO we have implemented a finite volume module
with the piecewise parabolic method (PPM) for reconstruction and the modified
Marquina approximate Riemann solver to work with TVD Runge-Kutta time
integration. We examine the difficulty of accurately simulating shear flows in
numerical relativistic hydrodynamics codes. We show that under-resolved
simulations of simple test problems with transverse velocity components produce
incorrect results and demonstrate the ability of RAM to correctly solve these
problems. RAM has been tested in one, two and three dimensions and in
Cartesian, cylindrical and spherical coordinates. We have demonstrated
fifth-order accuracy for WENO in one and two dimensions and performed detailed
comparison with other schemes for which we show significantly lower convergence
rates. Extensive testing is presented demonstrating the ability of RAM to
address challenging open questions in relativistic astrophysics.Comment: ApJS in press, 21 pages including 18 figures (6 color figures
Hot Settling Accretion Flow onto a Spinning Black Hole
We study the structure and properties of hot MHD accretion onto a Kerr black
hole. In such a system, the hole is magnetically coupled to the inflowing gas
and exerts a torque onto the accretion flow. A hot settling flow can form
around the hole and transport the angular momentum outward, to the outer edge
of the flow. Unlike other hot flows, such as advection- and
convection-dominated flows and inflow-outflow solutions (ADAFs, CDAFs, and
ADIOS), the properties of the hot settling flow are determined by the spin of
the central black hole, but are insensitive to the mass accretion rate.
Therefore, it may be possible to identify rapidly spinning BHs simply from
their broad-band spectra.
Observationally, the hot settling flow around a Kerr hole is somewhat similar
to other hot flows in that they all have hard, power-law spectra and relatively
low luminosities. Thus, most black hole candidates in the low/hard and,
perhaps, intermediate X-ray state may potentially accrete via the hot settling
flow. However, a settling flow will be somewhat more luminous than
ADAFs/CDAFs/ADIOS, will exhibit high variability in X-rays, and may have
relativistic jets. This suggests that galactic microquasars and active galactic
nuclei may be powered by hot settling flows. We identify several galactic X-ray
sources as the best candidates.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure. Submitted to Ap
From wheat sourdough to gluten-free sourdough: a conventional process for producing gluten-free bread
Gluten-free (GF) sourdough was prepared from wheat sourdough and analysed both in fresh (GFS) and dried forms (DGFS). The gluten content in each GF sourdough sample was <20mgkg(-1). The dough leavening capacity and the properties of the bread samples were investigated and compared to those of bread prepared using bakery yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Two commercial rice-based mixtures (different for the presence/absence of buckwheat flour) were used to prepare bread samples. In GFS, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts were found in amounts corresponding to 10(8) and 10(7) CFUg(-1), respectively, whereas both LAB and yeasts were detected in lower amounts (about 10(6) CFUg(-1)) in DGFS. When used in bread-making, both GFS types produced significant dough acidification and exhibited good dough development during proofing, resulting in loaves with specific volume values between 3.00 and 4.12mLg(-1), values similar to those obtained for reference bread (3.05 divided by 4.15mLg(-1)). The use of GFS was effective in lowering the bread staling rate during storage for up to 7days
Long-term Multi-wavelength Observations of GRS 1758-258 and the ADAF Model
We present a long-term multi-wavelength light curve of Galactic black hole
candidate GRS 1758-258 by combining previously published and archival data from
GRANAT, ROSAT, CGRO, RXTE, SAX, ASCA, EXOSAT, and the VLA. In addition we
include first spectral results from the balloon-borne Gamma-ray Arcminute
Telescope Imaging System (GRATIS). In light of divergent analyses of the
1991-1993 ROSAT observations, we have re-analyzed these data; we find the soft
X-rays track the hard X-rays, and that the fits require no black-body
component-- indicating that GRS 1758-258 did not go to the high state in 1993.
We offer an interpretation based on the ADAF model for a system with mdot
\ltsim mdot_crit. We find the 1990-1993 coeval hard and soft X-ray observations
support the ADAF predictions. We discuss a new way to constrain black-hole mass
with spectral data and the ADAF theory, and apply this technique to GRS
1758-258 to find M_1 \gtsim 8--9 M_sol at an assumed distance of 8.5 kpc.
Further investigations of the ADAF model allow us to evaluate the model
critically against the data and flux-flux diagram of Barret, McClintock &
Grindlay (1996) and to understand the limits of the latter's ``X-ray burster
box.''Comment: 32 pp., AASTEX, 8 ps figures, accepted to Ap
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