1,361 research outputs found
No periodicity revealed for an "eclipsing" ultraluminous supersoft X-ray source in M81
Luminous supersoft X-ray sources found in the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds
are likely white dwarfs that steadily or cyclically burn accreted matter on
their surface, which are promising type Ia supernova progenitors. Observations
of distant galaxies with Chandra and XMM-Newton have revealed supersoft sources
that are generally hotter and more luminous, including some ultraluminous
supersoft sources (ULSs) that are possibly intermediate mass black holes of a
few thousand solar masses. In this paper we report our X-ray spectral and
timing analysis for M81-ULS1, an ultraluminous supersoft source in the nearby
spiral galaxy M81. M81-ULS1 has been persistently supersoft in 17 Chandra ACIS
observations spanning six years, and its spectrum can be described by either a
eV blackbody for a white dwarf, or a
eV multicolor accretion disk for a
intermediate mass black hole. In two observations, the light curves exhibited
dramatic flux drop/rise on time scales of seconds, reminiscent of
eclipse ingress/egress in eclipsing X-ray binaries. However, the exhaustive
search for periodicity in the reasonable range of 50 ksec to 50 days failed to
reveal an orbital period. The failure to reveal any periodicity is consistent
with the long period ( yrs) predicted for this system given the optical
identification of the secondary with an asymptotic giant star. Also, the
eclipse-like dramatic flux changes in hours are hard to explain under the white
dwarf model, but can in principle be explained by disk temperature changes
induced by accretion rate variations under the intermediate mass black hole
model.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, to appear in ApJ
A new clue to the transition mechanism between optical high and low states of the supersoft X-ray source RX J0513.9-6951, implied from the recurrent nova CI Aquilae 2000 outburst model
We have found a new clue to the transition mechanism between optical
high/X-ray off and optical low/X-ray on states of the LMC supersoft X-ray
source RX J0513.9-6951. A sharp ~1 mag drop is common to the CI Aql 2000
outburst. These drops are naturally attributed to cessation of optically thick
winds on white dwarfs. A detailed light-curve analysis of CI Aql indicates that
the size of a disk drastically shrinks when the wind stops. This causes ~1-2
mag drop in the optical light curve. In RX J0513.9-6951, the same mechanism
reproduces sharp ~1 mag drop from optical high to low states. We predict this
mechanism also works on the transition from low to high states. Interaction
between the wind and the companion star attenuates the mass transfer and drives
full cycles of low and high states.Comment: 9 pages including 5 figures, to appear in the Astrophysical Journa
Kinematic Orbits and the Structure of the Internal Space for Systems of Five or More Bodies
The internal space for a molecule, atom, or other n-body system can be
conveniently parameterised by 3n-9 kinematic angles and three kinematic
invariants. For a fixed set of kinematic invariants, the kinematic angles
parameterise a subspace, called a kinematic orbit, of the n-body internal
space. Building on an earlier analysis of the three- and four-body problems, we
derive the form of these kinematic orbits (that is, their topology) for the
general n-body problem. The case n=5 is studied in detail, along with the
previously studied cases n=3,4.Comment: 38 pages, submitted to J. Phys.
Phase equilibrium modelling of the amphibolite to granulite facies transition in metabasic rocks (Ivrea Zone, NW Italy)
The development of thermodynamic models for tonalitic melt and the updated clinopyroxene and amphibole models now allow the use of phase equilibrium modelling to estimate PâT conditions and melt production for anatectic mafic and intermediate rock types at highâtemperature conditions.
The Permian midâlower crustal section of the Ivrea Zone preserves a metamorphic field gradient from mid amphibolite facies to granulite facies, and thus records the onset of partial melting in metabasic rocks. Interlayered metabasic and metapelitic rocks allows the direct comparison of PâT estimates and partial melting between both rock types with the same metamorphic evolution. Pseudosections for metabasic compositions calculated in the Na2OâCaOâK2OâFeOâMgOâAl2O3âSiO2âH2OâTiO2âO (NCKFMASHTO) system are presented and compared with those of metapelitic rocks calculated with consistent endmember data and aâx models. The results presented in this study show that PâT conditions obtained by phase equilibria modelling of both metabasic and metapelitic rocks give consistent results within uncertainties, allowing integration of results obtained for both rock types. In combination, the calculations for both metabasic and metapelitic rocks allows an updated and more precisely constrained metamorphic field gradient for Val Strona di Omegna to be defined. The new field gradient has a slightly lower dP/dT which is in better agreement with the onset of crustal thinning of the Adriatic margin during the Permian inferred in recent studies
Rab11 regulates recycling through the pericentriolar recycling endosome
Small GTPases of the rab family are crucial elements of the machinery that controls membrane traffic. In the present study, we examined the distribution and function of rab11. Rab11 was shown by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy and EM to colocalize with internalized transferrin in the pericentriolar recycling compartment of CHO and BHK cells. Expression of rab11 mutants that are preferentially in the GTP- or GDP-bound state caused opposite effects on the distribution of transferrin-containing elements; rab11-GTP expression caused accumulation of labeled elements in the perinuclear area of the cell, whereas rab11-GDP caused a dispersion of the transferrin labeling. Functional studies showed that the early steps of uptake and recycling for transferrin were not affected by overexpression of rab11 proteins. However, recycling from the later recycling endosome was inhibited in cells overexpressing the rab11-GDP mutant. Rab5, which regulates early endocytic trafficking, acted before rab11 in the transferrin-recycling pathway as expression of rab5-GTP prevented transport to the rab11-positive. recycling endosome. These results suggest a novel role for rab11 in controlling traffic through the recycling endosome
The ROSAT Galactic Plane Survey: analysis of a low latitude sample area in Cygnus
We present the analysis of the point source content of a low galactic
latitude region selected from the ROSAT all-sky survey. The test field is
centered at l = 90deg, b = 0deg and has an area of 64.5 deg2. A total of 128
soft X-ray sources are detected above a maximum likelihood of 8. Catalogue
searches and optical follow-up observations show that in this direction of the
galactic plane, 85% of the sources brighter than 0.03 PSPC cts/s are identified
with active coronae. F-K type stars represent 67% (+/-13%) of the stellar
identifications and M type stars account for 19% (+/- 6%). These results
together with those of similar optical campaigns demonstrate that the soft
X-ray population of the Milky Way is largely dominated by active stars. The
modelling of this population suggests that most of the stars detected by ROSAT
in this direction are younger than 1 Gyr. The small number of unidentified
sources at low X-ray flux put rather strong constraints on the hypothetical
X-ray emission from old neutron stars accreting from the interstellar medium.
Our observations clearly rule out models which assume no dynamical heating for
this population and a total number of Nns = 10^9 neutron stars in the Galaxy.
If accretion on polar caps is the dominant mode then our upper limit may imply
Nns ~ 10^8.Comment: 27 pages, 22 figures, Latex. Full resolution PostScript available at
ftp://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/pub/xray/rgps_cygnus.ps.gz To be published in
Astronomy & Astrophysics, Main Journa
VLT observations of GRB 990510 and its environment
We present BVRI photometry and spectrophotometry of GRB990510 obtained with
the ESO VLT/Antu telescope during the late decline phase. Between days 8 and 29
after the burst, the afterglow faded from R=24.2 to ~26.4. The spectral flux
distribution and the light curve support the interpretation of the afterglow as
synchrotron emission from a jet. The light curve is consistent with the optical
transient alone but an underlying SN with maximum brightness R>27.4 or a galaxy
with R>27.6 (3-sigma upper limits) cannot be ruled out. To a 5-sigma detection
threshold of R=26.1, no galaxy is found within 6'' of the transient. A very
blue V~24.5 extended object which may qualify as a starburst galaxy is located
12'' SE, but at unknown redshift.Comment: 5 pages A&A Latex, accepted for publication in A&A Letter
The 1995-1996 Decline of R Coronae Borealis - High Resolution Optical Spectroscopy
A set of high-resolution optical spectra of RCrB acquired before, during, and
after its 1995-1996 decline is discussed. All of the components reported from
earlier declines are seen. This novel dataset provides new information on these
components including several aspects not previously seen in declines of RCrB
and other RCBs. In the latter category is the discovery that the decline's
onset is marked by distortions of absorption lines of high-excitation lines,
and quickly followed by emission in these and in low excitation lines. This
'photospheric trigger' implies that dust causing the decline is formed close to
the star. These emission lines fade quickly. After 1995 November 2, low
excitation narrow (FWHM ~12 km s-1) emission lines remain. These appear to be a
permanent feature, slightly blue-shifted from the systemic velocity, and
unaffected by the decline except for a late and slight decrease of flux at
minimum light. The location of the warm, dense gas providing these lines is
uncertain. Absorption lines unaffected by overlying sharp emission are greatly
broadened, weakened, and red-shifted at the faintest magnitudes when scattered
light from the star is a greater contributor than direct light transmitted
through the fresh soot cloud. A few broad lines are seen at and near minimum
light with approxiamately constant flux: prominent among these are the He I
triplet series, Na I D, and [N II] lines. These lines are blue-shifted by about
30 km s(-1) relative to the systemic velocity with no change in velocity over
the several months for whicht he lines were seen. It is suggested that these
lines, especially the He I lines, arise from an accretion disk around an unseen
compact companion, which may be a low-mass white dwarf. If so, R CrB is similar
to the unusual post-AGB star 89 Her.Comment: 31 pages, 26 figure
Global meta-analysis of soil hydraulic properties on the same soils with differing land use
Global land use change has resulted in more pasture and cropland, largely at the expense of woodlands, over the last 300 years. How this change affects soil hydraulic function with regard to feedbacks to the hydrological cycle is unclear for earth system modelling (ESM). Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) used to predict soil hydraulic conductivity (K) take no account of land use. Here, we synthesize >800 measurements from around the globe from sites that measured near-saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, or infiltration, at the soil surface, on the same soil type at each location, but with differing land use, woodland (W), grassland (G) and cropland (C). We found that texture based PTFs predict K reasonably well for cropland giving unbiased results, but increasingly underestimate K in grassland and woodland. In native woodland and grassland differences in K can usually be accounted for by differences in bulk density. However, heavy grazing K responses can be much lower indicating compaction likely reduces connectivity. We show that the K response ratios (RR) between land uses vary with cropland (C/W = 0.45 [W/C = 2.2]) and grassland (G/W = 0.63 [W/G = 1.6]) having about half the K of woodland.publishedVersionacceptedVersio
Testing Mode-Coupling Theory for a Supercooled Binary Lennard-Jones Mixture II: Intermediate Scattering Function and Dynamic Susceptibility
We have performed a molecular dynamics computer simulation of a supercooled
binary Lennard-Jones system in order to compare the dynamical behavior of this
system with the predictions of the idealized version of mode-coupling theory
(MCT). By scaling the time by the temperature dependent -relaxation
time , we find that in the -relaxation regime and
, the coherent and incoherent intermediate scattering functions, for
different temperatures each follows a -dependent master curve as a function
of scaled time. We show that during the early part of the -relaxation,
which is equivalent to the late part of the -relaxation, these master
curves are well approximated by the master curve predicted by MCT for the
-relaxation. This part is also fitted well by a power-law, the so-called
von Schweidler law. We show that the effective exponent of this power-law
depends on the wave vector if is varied over a large range. The early
part of the -relaxation regime does not show the critical decay
predicted by MCT. The -dependence of the nonergodicity parameter for
and are in qualitative agreement with MCT. On the time
scale of the late -relaxation the correlation functions show a
Kohlrausch-Williams-Watt behavior (KWW). The KWW exponent is
significantly different from the effective von Schweidler exponent . At low
temperatures the -relaxation time shows a power-law behavior
with a critical temperature that is the same as the one found previously for
the diffusion constant [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 73}, 1376 (1994)]. The critical
exponent of this power-law and the von Schweidler exponent fulfill the
connection proposed by MCT between these two quantities. We also show that theComment: 28 Pages of REVTEX, Figures available from W. Ko
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