2,027 research outputs found
Analysis of the Early-time Optical Spectra of SN 2011fe in M101
The nearby Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) SN 2011fe in M101 (cz = 241 km s^(–1)) provides a unique opportunity to study the early evolution of a "normal" SN Ia, its compositional structure, and its elusive progenitor system. We present 18 high signal-to-noise spectra of SN 2011fe during its first month beginning 1.2 days post-explosion and with an average cadence of 1.8 days. This gives a clear picture of how various line-forming species are distributed within the outer layers of the ejecta, including that of unburned material (C+O). We follow the evolution of C II absorption features until they diminish near maximum light, showing overlapping regions of burned and unburned material between ejection velocities of 10,000 and 16,000 km s^(–1). This supports the notion that incomplete burning, in addition to progenitor scenarios, is a relevant source of spectroscopic diversity among SNe Ia. The observed evolution of the highly Doppler-shifted O I λ7774 absorption features detected within 5 days post-explosion indicates the presence of O I with expansion velocities from 11,500 to 21,000 km s^(–1). The fact that some O I is present above C II suggests that SN 2011fe may have had an appreciable amount of unburned oxygen within the outer layers of the ejecta
Topological model of soap froth evolution with deterministic T2-processes
We introduce a topological model for the evolution of 2d soap froth. The
topological rearrangements (T2 processes) are deterministic (unlike the
standard stochastic model): the final topology depends on the areas of the
neighboring cells. The new model gives agreement with experiments in the
transient regime, where the previous models failed qualitatively, and also
improves agreement in the scaling state.Comment: latex, 12 pages, 2 figure
A new HW Vir binary from the Palomar Transient Factory: PTF1 J072455.75+125300.3 - An eclipsing subdwarf B binary with a M-star companion
We report the discovery of an eclipsing binary -- PTF1 J072456125301--
composed of a subdwarf B (sdB) star () with a faint companion.
Subdwarf B stars are core helium-burning stars, which can be found on the
extreme horizontal branch. About half of them reside in close binary systems,
but few are known to be eclipsing, for which fundamental stellar parameters can
be derived.\newline We conducted an analysis of photometric data and spectra
from the Palomar 60'' and the 200" Hale telescope respectively. A quantitative
spectral analysis found an effective temperature of
\,K, log g = and
log(, typical for an sdB star. The
companion does not contribute to the optical light of the system, except
through a distinct reflection effect. From the light curve an orbital period of
0.09980(25)\,d and a system inclination of 83.56\pm0.30\,^{\circ} were
derived. The radial velocity curve yielded an orbital semi-amplitude of
K_1=95.8\pm 8.1\,\text{km s^{-1}}. The mass for the M-type dwarf companion
is . PTF1\,J072456125301 has similar atmospheric
parameters to those of pulsating sdB stars (V346 Hya stars). Therefore it could
be a high-priority object for asteroseismology, if pulsations were detected
such as in the enigmatic case of NY Vir.Comment: Accepted to A&A, 7pages, 4 figure
Diffusion of a granular pulse in a rotating drum
The diffusion of a pulse of small grains in an horizontal rotating drum is
studied through discrete elements methods simulations. We present a theoretical
analysis of the diffusion process in a one-dimensional confined space in order
to elucidate the effect of the confining end-plate of the drum. We then show
that the diffusion is neither subdiffusive nor superdiffusive but normal. This
is demonstrated by rescaling the concentration profiles obtained at various
stages and by studying the time evolution of the mean squared deviation.
Finally we study the self-diffusion of both large and small grains and we show
that it is normal and that the diffusion coefficient is independent of the
grain size
Weak Prezygotic Isolating Mechanisms in Threatened Caribbean Acropora Corals
The Caribbean corals, Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis, recently have undergone drastic declines primarily as a result of disease. Previous molecular studies have demonstrated that these species form a hybrid (A. prolifera) that varies in abundance throughout the range of the parental distribution. There is variable unidirectional introgression across loci and sites of A. palmata genes flowing into A. cervicornis. Here we examine the efficacy of prezygotic reproductive isolating mechanisms within these corals including spawning times and choice and no-choice fertilization crosses. We show that these species have subtly different mean but overlapping spawning times, suggesting that temporal isolation is likely not an effective barrier to hybridization. We found species-specific differences in gametic incompatibilities. Acropora palmata eggs were relatively resistant to hybridization, especially when conspecific sperm are available to outcompete heterospecific sperm. Acropora cervicornis eggs demonstrated no evidence for gametic incompatibility and no evidence of reduced viability after aging four hours. This asymmetry in compatibility matches previous genetic data on unidirectional introgression
Phase resolved spectroscopy and Kepler photometry of the ultracompact AM CVn binary SDSS J190817.07+394036.4
{\it Kepler} satellite photometry and phase-resolved spectroscopy of the
ultracompact AM CVn type binary SDSS J190817.07+394036.4 are presented. The
average spectra reveal a variety of weak metal lines of different species,
including silicon, sulphur and magnesium as well as many lines of nitrogen,
beside the strong absorption lines of neutral helium. The phase-folded spectra
and the Doppler tomograms reveal an S-wave in emission in the core of the He I
4471 \AA\,absorption line at a period of \,sec
identifying this as the orbital period of the system. The Si II, Mg II and the
core of some He I lines show an S-wave in absorption with a phase offset of
compared to the S-wave in emission. The N II, Si III and some
helium lines do not show any phase variability at all. The spectroscopic
orbital period is in excellent agreement with a period at \,sec detected in the three year {\it Kepler} lightcurve. A
Fourier analysis of the Q6 to Q17 short cadence data obtained by {\it Kepler}
revealed a large number of frequencies above the noise level where the majority
shows a large variability in frequency and amplitude. In an O-C analysis we
measured a xs\,s for some of
the strongest variations and set a limit for the orbital period to be
s\,s. The shape of the phase folded
lightcurve on the orbital period indicates the motion of the bright spot.
Models of the system were constructed to see whether the phases of the radial
velocity curves and the lightcurve variation can be combined to a coherent
picture. However, from the measured phases neither the absorption nor the
emission can be explained to originate in the bright spot.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 15 pages, 14 figures, 5 table
Application of approximation theory by nonlinear manifolds in Sturm-Liouville inverse problems
We give here some negative results in Sturm-Liouville inverse theory, meaning
that we cannot approach any of the potentials with integrable derivatives
on by an -parametric analytic family better than order
of .
Next, we prove an estimation of the eigenvalues and characteristic values of
a Sturm-Liouville operator and some properties of the solution of a certain
integral equation. This allows us to deduce from [Henkin-Novikova] some
positive results about the best reconstruction formula by giving an almost
optimal formula of order of .Comment: 40 page
Direct health care costs of treating seasonal affective disorder: a comparison of light therapy and fluoxetine.
Objective. To compare the direct mental health care costs between individuals with Seasonal Affective Disorder randomized to either fluoxetine or light therapy. Methods. Data from the CANSAD study was used. CANSAD was an 8-week multicentre double-blind study that randomized participants to receive either light therapy plus placebo capsules or placebo light therapy plus fluoxetine. Participants were aged 18-65 who met criteria for major depressive episodes with a seasonal (winter) pattern. Mental health care service use was collected for each subject for 4 weeks prior to the start of treatment and for 4 weeks prior to the end of treatment. All direct mental health care services costs were analysed, including inpatient and outpatient services, investigations, and medications. Results. The difference in mental health costs was significantly higher after treatment for the light therapy group compared to the medication group-a difference of 75.41 (z = -2.635, P = 0.008). Conclusion. The results suggest that individuals treated with medication had significantly less mental health care cost after-treatment compared to those treated with light therapy
Cluster Persistence: a Discriminating Probe of Soap Froth Dynamics
The persistent decay of bubble clusters in coarsening two-dimensional soap
froths is measured experimentally as a function of cluster volume fraction.
Dramatically stronger decay is observed in comparison to soap froth models and
to measurements and calculations of persistence in other systems. The fraction
of individual bubbles that contain any persistent area also decays, implying
significant bubble motion and suggesting that T1 processes play an important
role in froth persistence.Comment: 5 pages, revtex, 4 eps figures. To appear in Europhys. Let
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