4,590 research outputs found
Hot Jupiters in binary star systems
Radial velocity surveys find Jupiter mass planets with semi-major axes a less
than 0.1 AU around ~1% of solar-type stars; counting planets with as large
as 5 AU, the fraction of stars having planets reaches ~ 10% {Marcy,Butler}. An
examination of the distribution of semi-major axes shows that there is a clear
excess of planets with orbital periods around 3 or 4 days, corresponding to
a~0.03$ AU, with a sharp cutoff at shorter periods (see Figure 1). It is
believed that Jupiter mass planets form at large distances from their parent
stars; some fraction then migrate in to produce the short period objects. We
argue that a significant fraction of the `hot Jupiters' (a<0.1 AU) may arise in
binary star systems in which the orbit of the binary is highly inclined to the
orbit of the planet. Mutual torques between the two orbits drive down the
minimum separation or periapse r_p between the planet and its host star (the
Kozai mechanism). This periapse collapse is halted when tidal friction on the
planet circularizes the orbit faster than Kozai torque can excite it. The same
friction then circularizes the planet orbit, producing hot Jupiters with the
peak of the semimajor axis distribution lying around 3 days. For the observed
distributions of binary separation, eccentricity and mass ratio, roughly 2.5%
of planets with initial semimajor axis a_p ~ 5au will migrate to within 0.1au
of their parent star. Kozai migration could account for 10% or more of the
observed hot Jupiters.Comment: accepted to ApJ main journal, added one figure and expanded
discussion
Chandra and Hubble Study of a New Transient X-ray Source in M31
We present X-ray and optical observations of a new transient X-ray source in
M31 first detected 23-May-2004 at R.A.=00:43:09.940 +/- 0.65'',
Dec.=41:23:32.49 +/- 0.66''. The X-ray lightcurve shows two peaks separated by
several months, reminiscent of many Galactic X-ray novae. The location and
X-ray spectrum of the source suggest it is a low mass X-ray binary (LMXB).
Follow-up HST ACS observations of the location both during and after the
outburst provide a high-confidence detection of variability for one star within
the X-ray position error ellipse. This star has B ~ 1 mag, and there is
only a ~1% chance of finding such a variable in the error ellipse. We consider
this star a good candidate for the optical counterpart of the X-ray source. The
luminosity of this candidate provides a prediction for the orbital period of
the system of 2.3 days.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in Ap
Red Quasars and Quasar Evolution: the Case of BALQSO FIRST J155633.8+351758
We present the first near-IR spectroscopy of the z=1.5 radio-loud BALQSO
FIRST J155633.8+351758. Both the Balmer decrement and the slope of the
rest-frame UV-optical continuum independently suggest a modest amount of
extinction along the line of sight to the BLR (E(B-V)~0.5 for SMC-type screen
extinction at the QSO redshift). The implied gas column density along the line
of sight is much less than is implied by the weak X-ray flux of the object,
suggesting that either the BLR and BAL region have a low dust-to-gas ratio, or
that the rest-frame optical light encounters significantly lower mean column
density lines of sight than the X-ray emission. From the rest-frame UV-optical
spectrum, we are able to constrain the stellar mass content of the system.
Comparing the maximal stellar mass with the black hole mass estimated from the
bolometric luminosity of the QSO, we find that the ratio of the black hole to
stellar mass may be comparable to the Magorrian value, which would imply that
the Magorrian relation is already in place at z=1.5. However, multiple factors
favor a much larger black hole to stellar mass ratio. This would imply that if
the Magorrian relation characterizes the late history of QSOs, and the
situation observed for F1556+3517 is typical of the early evolutionary history
of QSOs, central black hole masses develop more rapidly than bulge masses.
[ABRIDGED]Comment: 23 pages, 4 embedded postscript figures; Accepted for publication in
The Astronomical Journal, December 200
A note on monopole moduli spaces
We discuss the structure of the framed moduli space of Bogomolny monopoles
for arbitrary symmetry breaking and extend the definition of its stratification
to the case of arbitrary compact Lie groups. We show that each stratum is a
union of submanifolds for which we conjecture that the natural metric is
hyperKahler. The dimensions of the strata and of these submanifolds are
calculated, and it is found that for the latter, the dimension is always a
multiple of four.Comment: 17 pages, LaTe
Apparent Predation by Gray Jays, Perisoreus canadensis, on Long-toed Salamanders, Ambystoma macrodactylum, in the Oregon Cascade Range
We report observations of Gray Jays (Perisoreus canadensis) appearing to consume larval Long-toed Salamanders (Ambystoma macrodactylum) in a drying subalpine pond in Oregon, USA. Corvids are known to prey upon a variety of anuran amphibians, but to our knowledge, this is the first report of predation by any corvid on aquatic salamanders. Long-toed Salamanders appear palatable to Gray Jays, and may provide a food resource to Gray Jays when salamander larvae are concentrated in drying temporary ponds
Optical Constraints on an X-ray Transient Source in M31
We have detected a transient X-ray source in the M31 bulge through a
continuing monitoring campaign with the Chandra ACIS-I camera. The source was
detected at R.A.=00:42:33.428 +/- 0.11'', Dec.=+41:17:03.37 +/- 0.11'' in only
a single observation taken 2004 May 23. Fortuitous optical HST/ACS imaging of
the transient location prior to the X-ray outburst, along with follow-up
HST/ACS imaging during and after the outburst, reveals no transient optical
source brighter than B (equivalent) = 25.5. The location of the source and its
X-ray properties suggest it is a low mass X-ray binary (LMXB). Assuming the
transient is similar to many Galactic X-ray novae, the X-ray luminosity of (3.9
+/- 0.5) X 10 erg s and the upper-limit on the optical luminosity
provide a prediction of <1.6 days for the orbital period of the binary system.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
A Soft X-ray Transient in the M31 Bulge
We have examined a probable soft X-ray transient source in the M31 bulge at
R.A.=0:42:41.814 +/- 0.08", Dec. = 41:16:35.86 +/- 0.07". On the three
occasions we observed the source, its spectrum was soft (kT_{in} ~1 keV). The
brightest detection of the source was 2004 July 17 with a 0.3-7 keV luminosity
of ~5 X 10^{37} erg/s. The only previous detection of the source was in 1979 by
the Einstein observatory. The multiple detections over 25 years suggest the
duty cycle of the source is in the range 0.02-0.06. Coordinated HST/ACS imaging
before, during, and after the outburst revealed no variable optical source
within the position errors of the X-ray source. The optical data place a firm
upper limit on the brightness of the counterpart of the X-ray outburst of
B>24.7, suggesting the binary has a period <5.2 days. The X-ray spectrum and
lack of bright stars at the source location indicate the source was a soft
transient event occurring in a low-mass X-ray binary, making this source a good
black hole candidate in M31.Comment: 18 pages, 4 tables, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Type I D-branes in an H-flux and twisted KO-theory
Witten has argued that charges of Type I D-branes in the presence of an
H-flux, take values in twisted KO-theory. We begin with the study of real
bundle gerbes and their holonomy. We then introduce the notion of real bundle
gerbe KO-theory which we establish is a geometric realization of twisted
KO-theory. We examine the relation with twisted K-theory, the Chern character
and provide some examples. We conclude with some open problems.Comment: 23 pages, Latex2e, 2 new references adde
- âŠ