28 research outputs found
Phase Dependent Spectroscopy of Mira Variable Stars
Spectroscopic measurements of Mira variable stars, as a function of phase, probe the stellar atmospheres and underlying pulsation mechanisms. For example, measuring variations in TiO, VO, and ZrO with phase can be used to help determine whether these molecular species are produced in an extended region above the layers where Balmer line emission occurs or below this shocked region. Using the same methods, the Balmer-line increment, where the strongest Balmer line at phase zero is H-delta and not H-alpha can be measured and explanations tested, along with another peculiarity, the absence of the H-epsilon line in the spectra of Miras when other Balmer lines are strong. We present new spectra covering the spectral range from 6200 Angstroms to 9000 Angstroms of 20 Mira variables. A relationship between variations in the CaII IR triplet and H-alpha as a function of phase support the hypothesis that H-epsilon's observational characteristics result from an interaction of H-epsilon photons with the CaII H line. New periods and epochs of variability are also presented for each star
Visualizing Early Frog Development with Motion-Sensitive 3-D Optical Coherence Microscopy
A motion-sensitive en-face-scanning 3-D optical coherence microscope (OCM) has been designed and constructed to study critical events in the early development of plants and animals. We describe the OCM instrument and present time-lapse movies of frog gastrulation, an early developmental event in which three distinct tissue layers are established that later give rise to all major organ systems. OCM images constructed with fringe-amplitude data show the mesendoderm migrating up along the blastocoel roof, thus forming the inner two tissue layers. Motion-sigma data, measuring the random motion of scatterers, is used to construct complementary images that indicate the presence of Brownian motion in the yolk cells of the endoderm. This random motion provides additional intrinsic contrast that helps to distinguish different tissue types. Depth penetration at 850 nm is sufficient for studies of the outer ectoderm layer, but is not quite adequate for detailed study of the blastocoel floor, about 500 to 800 μm deep into the embryo. However, we measure the optical attenuation of these embryos to be about 35% less at 1310 nm. 2-D OCT images at 1310 nm are presented that promise sufficient depth penetration to test current models of cell movement near the blastocoel floor during gastrulation
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Radiation Damage Mechanisms for Luminescence in Eu-doped GaN
Thin films of Eu-doped GaN are irradiated with 500 keV He{sup +} ions to understand radiation damage mechanisms and to quantify luminescence efficiency. Ion beam induced luminescence was monitored spectroscopically as function of fluence. Behavior observed is consistent with simultaneous creation of non-radiative defects and destruction of luminescent centers associated with the 4f-4f core-level transition in Eu{sup 3+}. This model contrasts with a previous description which takes into account only non-radiative defect generation in GaN:Eu. Based on light from a BaF{sub 2} scintillator standard, the luminescent energy generation efficiency of GaN:Eu films doped to {approx}3 x 10{sup 18} cm{sup -3} Eu is estimated to be {approx}0.1%
Infrared Light Curves of Mira Variable Stars from COBE DIRBE Data
We have used the COBE DIRBE database to derive near- and mid-infrared light
curves for a well-defined sample of 38 infrared-bright Mira variable stars, and
compared with optical data from the AAVSO. In general, the 3.5 micron and 4.9
micron DIRBE bandpasses provide the best S/N light curves, with S/N decreasing
with wavelength at longer wavelengths. At 25 microns, good light curves are
only available for ~10 percent of our stars, and at wavelengths >= 60 microns,
extracting high quality light curves is not possible. The amplitude of
variability is typically less in the near-infrared than in the optical, and
less in the mid-infrared than in the near-infrared, with decreasing amplitude
with increasing wavelength. On average, there are 0.20 +/- 0.01 magnitudes
variation at 1.25 microns and 0.14 +/- 0.01 magnitudes variation at 4.9 micron
for each magnitude variation in V. The observed amplitudes are consistent with
results of recent theoretical models of circumstellar dust shells around Mira
variables. For a few stars in our sample, we find clear evidence of time lags
between the optical and maxima of phase ~ 0.05 - 0.13, with no lags in the
minima. For three stars, mid-infrared maximum appears to occur slightly before
that in the near-infrared,but after optical maximum. We find three examples of
secondary maxima in the rising portions of the DIRBE light curves, all of which
have optical counterparts in the AAVSO data, supporting the hypothesis that
they are due to shocks rather than newly-formed dust layers. We find no
conclusive evidence for rapid (hours to days) variations in the infrared
brightnesses of these stars.Comment: 16 pages, Astronomical Journal, in press, to be publishe
Resolved 24.5 micron emission from massive young stellar objects
Massive young stellar objects (MYSO) are surrounded by massive dusty
envelopes. Our aim is to establish their density structure on scales of ~1000
AU, i.e. a factor 10 increase in angular resolution compared to similar studies
performed in the (sub)mm. We have obtained diffraction-limited (0.6") 24.5
micron images of 14 well-known massive star formation regions with
Subaru/COMICS. The images reveal the presence of discrete MYSO sources which
are resolved on arcsecond scales. For many sources, radiative transfer models
are capable of satisfactorily reproducing the observations. They are described
by density powerlaw distributions (n(r) ~ r^(-p)) with p = 1.0 +/-0.25. Such
distributions are shallower than those found on larger scales probed with
single-dish (sub)mm studies. Other sources have density laws that are
shallower/steeper than p = 1.0 and there is evidence that these MYSOs are
viewed near edge-on or near face-on, respectively. The images also reveal a
diffuse component tracing somewhat larger scale structures, particularly
visible in the regions S140, AFGL 2136, IRAS 20126+4104, Mon R2, and Cep A. We
thus find a flattening of the MYSO envelope density law going from ~10 000 AU
down to scales of ~1000 AU. We propose that this may be evidence of rotational
support of the envelope (abridged).Comment: 21 pages, accepted for A&
The effects of a hydrogen environment on the lifetime of small-diameter drift chamber anode wires
Constraints on Metal Oxide and Metal Hydroxide Abundances in the Winds of AGB Stars: Potential Detection of FeO in R Dor
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), we observed the stellar wind of two oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch stars, IK Tau and R Dor, between 335 and 362 GHz. One aim was to detect metal oxides and metal hydroxides (AlO, AlOH, FeO, MgO, and MgOH), some of which are thought to be direct precursors of dust nucleation and growth. We report on the potential first detection of FeO (v = 0, Ω = 4, J = 11–10) in R Dor (mass-loss rate M• ~ 1 × 10−7 M ⊙ yr‾¹). The presence of FeO in IK Tau (M• ~ 5 × 10‾⁶ M ⊙ yr‾¹) cannot be confirmed, due to a blend with ²⁹SiS, a molecule that is absent in R Dor. The detection of AlO in R Dor and of AlOH in IK Tau was reported earlier by Decin et al. All other metal oxides and hydroxides, as well as MgS, remain undetected. We derive a column density N(FeO) of 1.1 ± 0.9 × 10¹⁵ cm‾² in R Dor, or a fractional abundance [FeO/H] ~ 1.5 × 10‾⁸ accounting for non-local thermodynamic equilibrium effects. The derived fractional abundance [FeO/H] is a factor ~20 larger than conventional gas-phase chemical-kinetic predictions. This discrepancy may be partly accounted for by the role of vibrationally excited OH in oxidizing Fe, or it may be evidence for other currently unrecognized chemical pathways producing FeO. Assuming a constant fractional abundance w.r.t. H₂, the upper limits for the other metals are [MgO/H₂] < 5.5 × 10‾¹⁰ (R Dor) and <7 × 10‾¹¹ (IK Tau), [MgOH/H₂] < 9 × 10‾⁹ (R Dor) and <1 × 10‾⁹ (IK Tau), [CaO/H₂] < 2.5 × 10‾⁹ (R Dor) and <1 × 10‾¹⁰ (IK Tau), [CaOH/H₂] < 6.5 × 10‾⁹ (R Dor) and <9 × 10‾¹⁰ (IK Tau), and [MgS/H₂] < 4.5 × 10‾¹⁰ (R Dor) and <6 × 10‾¹¹ (IK Tau). The retrieved upper-limit abundances for these latter molecules are in accord with the chemical model predictions
Extrasolar enigmas: from disintegrating exoplanets to exoasteroids
Thousands of transiting exoplanets have been discovered to date, thanks in
great part to the {\em Kepler} space mission. As in all populations, and
certainly in the case of exoplanets, one finds unique objects with distinct
characteristics. Here we will describe the properties and behaviour of a small
group of `disintegrating' exoplanets discovered over the last few years (KIC
12557548b, K2-22b, and others). They evaporate, lose mass unraveling their
naked cores, produce spectacular dusty comet-like tails, and feature highly
variable asymmetric transits. Apart from these exoplanets, there is
observational evidence for even smaller `exo-'objects orbiting other stars:
exoasteroids and exocomets. Most probably, such objects are also behind the
mystery of Boyajian's star. Ongoing and upcoming space missions such as {\em
TESS} and PLATO will hopefully discover more objects of this kind, and a new
era of the exploration of small extrasolar systems bodies will be upon us.Comment: Accepted for publication in the book "Reviews in Frontiers of Modern
Astrophysics: From Space Debris to Cosmology" (eds Kabath, Jones and Skarka;
publisher Springer Nature) funded by the European Union Erasmus+ Strategic
Partnership grant "Per Aspera Ad Astra Simul" 2017-1-CZ01-KA203-03556