11,382 research outputs found
Viscous diffusion and photoevaporation of stellar disks
The evolution of a stellar disk under the influence of viscous evolution,
photoevaporation from the central source, and photoevaporation by external
stars is studied. We take the typical parameters of TTSs and the Trapezium
Cluster conditions. The photoionizing flux from the central source is assumed
to arise both from the quiescent star and accretion shocks at the base of
stellar magnetospheric columns, along which material from the disk accretes.
The accretion flux is calculated self-consistently from the accretion mass loss
rate. We find that the disk cannot be entirely removed using only viscous
evolution and photoionization from the disk-star accretion shock. However, when
FUV photoevaporation by external massive stars is included the disk is removed
in 10^6 -10^7yr; and when EUV photoevaporation by external massive stars is
included the disk is removed in 10^5 - 10^6yr.
An intriguing feature of photoevaporation by the central star is the
formation of a gap in the disk at late stages of the disk evolution. As the gap
starts forming, viscous spreading and photoevaporation work in resonance.
There is no gap formation for disks nearby external massive stars because the
outer annuli are quickly removed by the dominant EUV flux. On the other hand,
at larger, more typical distances (d>>0.03pc) from the external stars the flux
is FUV dominated. As a consequence, the disk is efficiently evaporated at two
different locations; forming a gap during the last stages of the disk
evolution.Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Top-down Automated Theorem Proving (Notes for Sir Timothy)
We describe a "top down" approach for automated theorem proving (ATP).
Researchers might usefully investigate the forms of the theorems mathematicians
use in practice, carefully examine how they differ and are proved in practice,
and code all relevant domain concepts. These concepts encode a large portion of
the knowledge in any domain. Furthermore, researchers should write programs
that produce proofs of the kind that human mathematicians write (and publish);
this means proofs that might sometimes have mistakes; and this means making
inferences that are sometimes invalid.
This approach is meant to contrast with the historically dominant "bottom up"
approach: coding fundamental types (typically sets), axioms and rules for
(valid) inference, and building up from this foundation to the theorems of
mathematical practice and to their outstanding questions. It is an important
fact that the actual proofs that mathematicians publish in math journals do not
look like the formalized proofs of Russell & Whitehead's Principia Mathematica
(or modern computer systems like Lean that automate some of this
formalization). We believe some "lack of rigor" (in mathematical practice) is
human-like, and can and should be leveraged for ATP.Comment: Cross list with cs.A
Nonlinear propagation of planet-generated tidal waves
The propagation and evolution of planet-generated density waves in
protoplanetary disks is considered. The evolution of waves, leading to the
shock formation and wake dissipation, is followed in the weakly nonlinear
regime. The local approach of Goodman & Rafikov (2001) is extended to include
the effects of surface density and temperature variations in the disk as well
as the disk cylindrical geometry and nonuniform shear. Wave damping due to
shocks is demonstrated to be a nonlocal process spanning a significant fraction
of the disk. Torques induced by the planet could be significant drivers of disk
evolution on timescales of the order 1-10 Myr even in the absence of strong
background viscosity. A global prescription for angular momentum deposition is
developed which could be incorporated into the study of gap formation in a
gaseous disk around the planet.Comment: AASTeX, 26 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, submitted to Ap
Turbulent Cooling Flows in Molecular Clouds
We propose that inward, subsonic flows arise from the local dissipation of
turbulent motions in molecular clouds. Such "turbulent cooling flows" may
account for recent observations of spatially extended inward motions towards
dense cores. These pressure-driven flows may arise from various types of
turbulence and dissipation mechanisms. For the example of MHD waves and
turbulence damped by ion-neutral friction, sustained cooling flow requires that
the outer gas be sufficiently turbulent, that the inner gas have marginal
field-neutral coupling, and that this coupling decrease sufficiently rapidly
with increasing density. These conditions are most likely met at the transition
between outer regions ionized primarily by UV photons and inner regions ionized
primarily by cosmic rays. If so, turbulent cooling flows can help form dense
cores, with speeds faster than expected for ambipolar diffusion. Such motions
could reduce the time needed for dense core formation and could precede and
enhance the motions of star-forming gravitational infall.Comment: To appear ApJL, Nov.10, 4 ApJ style pages, Postscrip
Dilute gas of ultracold two-level atoms inside a cavity; generalized Dicke model
We consider a gas of ultracold two-level atoms confined in a cavity, taking
into account for atomic center-of-mass motion and cavity mode variations. We
use the generalized Dicke model, and analyze separately the cases of a
Gaussian, and a standing wave mode shape. Owing to the interplay between
external motional energies of the atoms and internal atomic and field energies,
the phase-diagrams exhibit novel features not encountered in the standard Dicke
model, such as the existence of first and second order phase transitions
between normal and superradiant phases. Due to the quantum description of
atomic motion, internal and external atomic degrees of freedom are highly
correlated leading to modified normal and superradiant phases.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure
The Formation of the First Stars II. Radiative Feedback Processes and Implications for the Initial Mass Function
We consider the radiative feedback processes that operate during the
formation of the first stars, including the photodissociation of H_2, Ly-alpha
radiation pressure, formation and expansion of an HII region, and disk
photoevaporation. These processes may inhibit continued accretion once the
stellar mass has reached a critical value, and we evaluate this mass separately
for each process. Photodissociation of H_2 in the local dark matter minihalo
occurs relatively early in the growth of the protostar, but we argue this does
not affect subsequent accretion since by this time the depth of the potential
is large enough for accretion to be mediated by atomic cooling. However,
neighboring starless minihalos can be affected. Ionization creates an HII
region in the infalling envelope above and below the accretion disk. Ly-alpha
radiation pressure acting at the boundary of the HII region is effective at
reversing infall from narrow polar directions when the star reaches ~20-30Msun,
but cannot prevent infall from other directions. Expansion of the HII region
beyond the gravitational escape radius for ionized gas occurs at masses
~50-100Msun, depending on the accretion rate and angular momentum of the
inflow. However, again, accretion from the equatorial regions can continue
since the neutral accretion disk has a finite thickness and shields a
substantial fraction of the accretion envelope from direct ionizing flux. At
higher stellar masses, ~140Msun in the fiducial case, the combination of
declining accretion rates and increasing photoevaporation-driven mass loss from
the disk act to effectively halt the increase in the protostellar mass. We
identify this process as the mechanism that terminates the growth of Population
III stars... (abridged)Comment: 31 pages, including 10 figures, accepted to Ap
LISA data analysis I: Doppler demodulation
The orbital motion of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) produces
amplitude, phase and frequency modulation of a gravitational wave signal. The
modulations have the effect of spreading a monochromatic gravitational wave
signal across a range of frequencies. The modulations encode useful information
about the source location and orientation, but they also have the deleterious
affect of spreading a signal across a wide bandwidth, thereby reducing the
strength of the signal relative to the instrument noise. We describe a simple
method for removing the dominant, Doppler, component of the signal modulation.
The demodulation reassembles the power from a monochromatic source into a
narrow spike, and provides a quick way to determine the sky locations and
frequencies of the brightest gravitational wave sources.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures. References and new comments adde
Global Models for the Evolution of Embedded, Accreting Protostellar Disks
Most analytic work to date on protostellar disks has focused on those in
isolation from their environments. However, observations are now beginning to
probe the earliest, most embedded phases of star formation, during which disks
are rapidly accreting from their parent cores and cannot be modeled in
isolation. We present a simple, one-zone model of protostellar accretion disks
with high mass infall rates. Our model combines a self-consistent calculation
of disk temperatures with an approximate treatment of angular momentum
transport via two mechanisms. We use this model to survey the properties of
protostellar disks across a wide range of stellar masses and evolutionary
times, and make predictions for disks' masses, sizes, spiral structure, and
fragmentation that will be directly testable by future large-scale surveys of
deeply embedded disks. We define a dimensionless accretion-rotation parameter
which, in conjunction with the disk's temperature, controls the disk evolution.
We track the dominant mode of angular momentum transport, and demonstrate that
for stars with final masses greater than roughly one solar mass, gravitational
instabilities are the most important mechanism as most of the mass accumulates.
We predict that binary formation through disk fission, fragmentation of the
disk into small objects, and spiral arm strength all increase in importance to
higher stellar masses.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ. Model updated
to better reflect simulations in the literature; discussion of key
assumptions and strategy clarifie
Does the Number Density of Elliptical Galaxies Change at z<1?
We have performed a detailed V/Vmax test for a sample of the Canada-France
Redshift Survey (CFRS) for the purpose of examining whether the comoving number
density of field galaxies changes significantly at redshifts of z<1. Taking
into account the luminosity evolution of galaxies which depends on their
morphological type through different history of star formation, we obtain
\sim 0.5 in the range of 0.3<z<0.8, where reliable redshifts were
secured by spectroscopy of either absorption or emission lines for the CFRS
sample. This indicates that a picture of mild evolution of field galaxies
without significant mergers is consistent with the CFRS data. Early-type
galaxies, selected by their (V-I)_{AB} color, become unnaturally deficient in
number at z>0.8 due to the selection bias, thereby causing a fictitious
decrease of . We therefore conclude that a reasonable choice of upper
bound of redshift z \sim 0.8 in the V/Vmax test saves the picture of passive
evolution for field ellipticals in the CFRS sample, which was rejected by
Kauffman, Charlot, & White (1996) without confining the redshift range.
However, about 10% of the CFRS sample consists of galaxies having colors much
bluer than predicted for irregular galaxies, and their \avmax is significantly
larger than 0.5. We discuss this population of extremely blue galaxies in terms
of starburst that has just turned on at their observed redshifts.Comment: 11 pages including 3 figures, to appear in ApJ Letter
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