20,468 research outputs found
Probing the ejecta of evolved massive stars in transition: A VLT/SINFONI K-band survey
Massive evolved stars in transition phases, such as Luminous Blue Variables
(LBVs), B[e] Supergiants (B[e]SGs), and Yellow Hypergiants (YHGs), are not well
understood, and yet crucial steps in determining accurate stellar and galactic
evolution models. The circumstellar environments of these stars reveal their
mass-loss history, identifying clues to both their individual evolutionary
status and the connection between objects of different phases. Here we present
a survey of 25 such evolved massive stars (16 B[e]SGs, 6 LBVs, 2 YHGs, and 1
Peculiar Oe star), observed in the K-band with the Spectrograph for INtegral
Field Observation in the Near-Infrared (SINFONI; R = 4500) on the ESO VLT UT4 8
m telescope. The sample can be split into two categories based on spectral
morphology: one group includes all of the B[e]SGs, the Peculiar Oe star, and
two of the LBVs, while the other includes the YHGs and the rest of the LBVs.
The difference in LBV spectral appearance is due to some objects being in a
quiescent phase and some objects being in an active or outburst phase. CO
emission features are found in 13 of our targets, with first time detections
for MWC 137, LHA 120-S 35, and LHA 115-S 65. From model fits to the CO band
heads, the emitting regions appear to be detached from the stellar surface.
Each star with ^12CO features also shows ^13CO emission, signaling an evolved
nature. Based on the level of ^13C enrichment, we conclude that many of the
B[e]SGs are likely in a pre-Red Supergiant phase of their evolution. There
appears to be a lower luminosity limit of log L/L_solar = 5.0 below which CO is
not detected. The lack of CO features in several high luminosity B[e]SGs and
variability in others suggests that they may in fact be LBV candidates,
strengthening the connection between these two very similar transition phases.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures, 7 tables. Accepted for publication in A&
Myopic Loss Aversion and House-Money Effect Overseas: an experimental approach
Recent literature has found two behavioral effects - house-money and myopic loss aversion (MLA) - in several experimental designs. We show that although we can find a house-money effect using survey methods this evidence disappears when we study investment decision within a multi-period investment experiment. Loss aversion is found to govern the risk-taking behavior of subjects in dynamic settings, overcoming the house-money effect. These results are robust to experiments conducted in two different countries, Spain and Brazil.
Observation of an orbital interaction-induced Feshbach resonance in 173-Yb
We report on the experimental observation of a novel inter-orbital Feshbach
resonance in ultracold 173-Yb atoms, which opens the possibility of tuning the
interactions between the 1S0 and 3P0 metastable state, both possessing
vanishing total electronic angular momentum. The resonance is observed at
experimentally accessible magnetic field strengths and occurs universally for
all hyperfine state combinations. We characterize the resonance in the bulk via
inter-orbital cross-thermalization as well as in a three-dimensional lattice
using high-resolution clock-line spectroscopy.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Competing order and nature of the pairing state in the iron pnictides
We show that the competition between magnetism and superconductivity can be
used to determine the pairing state in the iron arsenides. To this end we
demonstrate that the itinerant antiferromagnetic phase (AFM) and the
unconventional sign-changing superconducting state (SC) are near the
borderline of microscopic coexistence and macroscopic phase separation,
explaining the experimentally observed competition of both ordered states. In
contrast, conventional pairing is not able to coexist with magnetism.
Expanding the microscopic free energy of the system with competing orders
around the multicritical point, we find that static magnetism plays the role of
an intrinsic interband Josephson coupling, making the phase diagram sensitive
to the symmetry of the Cooper pair wavefunction. We relate this result to the
quasiparticle excitation spectrum and to the emergent SO symmetry of
systems with particle-hole symmetry. Our results rely on the assumption that
the same electrons that form the ordered moment contribute to the
superconducting condensate and that the system is close to particle-hole
symmetry. We also compare the suppression of SC in different regions of the
FeAs phase diagram, showing that while in the underdoped side it is due to the
competition with AFM, in the overdoped side it is related to the disappearance
of pockets from the Fermi surface.Comment: 24 pages, 13 figures; revised versio
Inhomogeneous molecular ring around the B[e] supergiant LHA 120-S 73
We aim to improve our knowledge on the structure and dynamics of the
circumstellar disk of the LMC B[e] supergiant LHA 120-S 73. High-resolution
optical and near-IR spectroscopic data were obtained over a period of 16 and 7
years, respectively. The spectra cover the diagnostic emission lines from
[CaII] and [OI], as well as the CO bands. These features trace the disk at
different distances from the star. We analyzed the kinematics of the individual
emission regions by modeling their emission profiles. A low-resolution
mid-infrared spectrum was obtained as well, which provides information on the
composition of the dusty disk. All diagnostic emission features display
double-peaked line profiles, which we interpret as due to Keplerian rotation.
We find that LHA 120-S 73 is surrounded by at least four individual rings of
material with alternating densities (or by a disk with strongly non-monotonic
radial density distribution). Moreover, we find that the molecular ring must
have gaps or at least strong density inhomogeneities, or in other words, a
clumpy structure. The mid-infrared spectrum displays features of oxygen- and
carbon-rich grain species, which indicates a long-lived, stable dusty disk. We
cannot confirm the previously reported high value for the stellar rotation
velocity. The line profile of HeI 5876 A is strongly variable in both width and
shape and resembles of those seen in non-radially pulsating stars. A proper
determination of the real underlying stellar rotation velocity is hence not
possible. The existence of multiple stable and clumpy rings of alternating
density recalls ring structures around planets. Although there is currently
insufficient observational evidence, it is tempting to propose a scenario with
one (or more) minor bodies or planets revolving around LHA 120-S 73 and
stabilizing the ring system, in analogy to the shepherd moons in planetary
systems.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figure, accepted for pulication in A&
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