2,298 research outputs found
Probing the stellar wind environment of Vela X-1 with MAXI
Vela X-1 is among the best studied and most luminous accreting X-ray pulsars.
The supergiant optical companion produces a strong radiatively-driven stellar
wind, which is accreted onto the neutron star producing highly variable X-ray
emission. A complex phenomenology, due to both gravitational and radiative
effects, needs to be taken into account in order to reproduce orbital spectral
variations. We have investigated the spectral and light curve properties of the
X-ray emission from Vela X-1 along the binary orbit. These studies allow to
constrain the stellar wind properties and its perturbations induced by the
compact object. We took advantage of the All Sky Monitor MAXI/GSC data to
analyze Vela X-1 spectra and light curves. By studying the orbital profiles in
the and keV energy bands, we extracted a sample of orbital light
curves (% of the total) showing a dip around the inferior
conjunction, i.e., a double-peaked shape. We analyzed orbital phase-averaged
and phase-resolved spectra of both the double-peaked and the standard sample.
The dip in the double-peaked sample needs cm to
be explained by absorption solely, which is not observed in our analysis. We
show how Thomson scattering from an extended and ionized accretion wake can
contribute to the observed dip. Fitted by a cutoff power-law model, the two
analyzed samples show orbital modulation of the photon index, hardening by
around the inferior conjunction, compared to earlier and later
phases, hinting a likely inadequacy of this model. On the contrary, including a
partial covering component at certain orbital phase bins allows a constant
photon index along the orbital phases, indicating a highly inhomogeneous
environment. We discuss our results in the framework of possible scenarios.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Footprints in the wind of Vela X-1 traced with MAXI
The stellar wind around the compact object in luminous wind-accreting high
mass X-ray binaries is expected to be strongly ionized with the X-rays coming
from the compact object. The stellar wind of hot stars is mostly driven by
light absorption in lines of heavier elements, and X-ray photo-ionization
significantly reduces the radiative force within the so-called Stroemgren
region leading to wind stagnation around the compact object. In close binaries
like Vela X-1 this effect might alter the wind structure throughout the system.
Using the spectral data from Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI), we study
the observed dependence of the photoelectric absorption as function of orbital
phase in Vela X-1, and find that it is inconsistent with expectations for a
spherically-symmetric smooth wind. Taking into account previous investigations
we develop a simple model for wind structure with a stream-like photoionization
wake region of slower and denser wind trailing the neutron star responsible for
the observed absorption curve.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted in A&
Observing Ultra High Energy Cosmic Particles from Space: SEUSO, the Super Extreme Universe Space Observatory Mission
The experimental search for ultra high energy cosmic messengers, from eV to beyond eV, at the very end of the known energy
spectrum, constitutes an extraordinary opportunity to explore a largely unknown
aspect of our universe. Key scientific goals are the identification of the
sources of ultra high energy particles, the measurement of their spectra and
the study of galactic and local intergalactic magnetic fields. Ultra high
energy particles might, also, carry evidence of unknown physics or of exotic
particles relics of the early universe. To meet this challenge a significant
increase in the integrated exposure is required. This implies a new class of
experiments with larger acceptances and good understanding of the systematic
uncertainties. Space based observatories can reach the instantaneous aperture
and the integrated exposure necessary to systematically explore the ultra high
energy universe. In this paper, after briefly summarising the science case of
the mission, we describe the scientific goals and requirements of the SEUSO
concept. We then introduce the SEUSO observational approach and describe the
main instrument and mission features. We conclude discussing the expected
performance of the mission
Convergence of Wnt signalling on the HNF4a-driven transcription in controlling liver zonation
BACKGROUND & AIMS:
In each hepatocyte, the specific repertoire of gene expression is influenced by its exact location along the portocentrovenular axis of the hepatic lobule and provides a reason for the liver functions compartmentalization defined "metabolic zonation." So far, few molecular players controlling genetic programs of periportal (PP) and perivenular (PV) hepatocytes have been identified; the elucidation of zonation mechanisms remains a challenge for experimental hepatology. Recently, a key role in induction and maintenance of the hepatocyte heterogeneity has been ascribed to Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. We sought to clarify how this wide-ranging stimulus integrates with hepatocyte specificity.
METHODS:
Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) allowed the transcriptional profiling of hepatocytes derived from in vitro differentiation of liver stem cells. The GSK3beta inhibitor 6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (BIO) was used for beta-catenin stabilization. Co-immunoprecipitations were used to study biochemical protein interactions while ChIP assays allowed the in vivo inspection of PV and PP genes regulatory regions.
RESULTS:
We found that spontaneous differentiation of liver stem cells gives rise to PP hepatocytes that, after Wnt pathway activation, switch into PV hepatocytes. Next, we showed that the Wnt downstream player LEF1 interacts with the liver-enriched transcriptional factor HNF4alpha. Finally, we unveiled that the BIO induced activation of PV genes correlates with LEF1 binding to both its own and HNF4alpha consensus, and the repression of PP genes correlates with HNF4alpha displacement from its own consensus.
CONCLUSION:
Our data show a direct and hitherto unknown convergence of the canonical Wnt signaling on the HNF4alpha-driven transcription providing evidences of a mechanism controlling liver zonated gene expression
The 1998 outburst of the X-ray transient XTE J2012+381 as observed with BeppoSAX
We report on the results of a series of X-ray observations of the transient
black hole candidate XTE J2012+381 during the 1998 outburst performed with the
BeppoSAX satellite. The observed broad-band energy spectrum can be described
with the superposition of an absorbed disk black body, an iron line plus a high
energy component, modelled with either a power law or a Comptonisation tail.
The source showed pronounced spectral variability between our five
observations. While the soft component in the spectrum remained almost
unchanged throughout our campaign, we detected a hard spectral tail which
extended to 200 keV in the first two observations, but became barely detectable
up to 50 keV in the following two. A further re-hardening is observed in the
final observation. The transition from a hard to a soft and then back to a hard
state occurred around an unabsorbed 0.1-200 keV luminosity of 10^38 erg/s (at
10 kpc). This indicates that state transitions in XTE 2012+281 are probably not
driven only by mass accretion rate, but additional physical parameters must
play a role in the evolution of the outburst.Comment: Paper accepted for publication on A&A (macro included, 9 pages, 5
figures
Herschel PACS observations of shocked gas associated with the jets of L1448 and L1157
In the framework of the WISH key program, several H2O (E_u>190 K), high-J CO,
[OI], and OH transitions are mapped with PACS in two shock positions along the
two prototypical low-luminosity outflows L1448 and L1157. Previous HIFI H2O
observations (E_u=53-249 K) and complementary Spitzer mid-IR H2 data are also
used, with the aim of deriving a complete picture of the excitation conditions.
At all selected spots a close spatial association between H2O, mid-IR H2, and
high-J CO emission is found, whereas the low-J CO emission traces either
entrained ambient gas or a remnant of an older shock. The excitation analysis
at L1448-B2 suggests that a two-component model is needed to reproduce the H2O,
CO, and mid-IR H2 lines: an extended warm component (T~450 K) is traced by the
H2O emission with E_u =53-137 K and by the CO lines up to J=22-21, and a
compact hot component (T=1100 K) is traced by the H2O emission with E_u>190 K
and by the higher-J CO lines. At L1448-B2 we obtain an H2O abundance
(3-4)x10^{-6} for the warm component and (0.3-1.3)x10^{-5} for the hot
component; we also detect OH and blue-shifted [OI] emission, spatially
coincident with the other molecular lines and with [FeII] emission. This
suggests a dissociative shock for these species, related to the embedded atomic
jet. On the other hand, a non-dissociative shock at the point of impact of the
jet on the cloud is responsible for the H2O and CO emission. The other examined
shock positions show an H2O excitation similar to L1448-B2, but a slightly
higher H2O abundance (a factor of 4). The two gas components may represent a
gas stratification in the post-shock region. The extended and low-abundance
warm component traces the post-shocked gas that has already cooled down to a
few hundred Kelvin, whereas the compact and possibly higher-abundance hot
component is associated with the gas that is currently undergoing a shock
episode.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
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