20,471 research outputs found
Spatially resolving the thermally inhomogeneous outer atmosphere of the red giant Arcturus in the 2.3 micron CO lines
The outer atmosphere of K giants shows thermally inhomogeneous structures
consisting of the hot chromospheric gas and the cool molecular gas. We present
spectro-interferometric observations of the multicomponent outer atmosphere of
the well-studied K1.5 giant Arcturus (alpha Boo) in the CO first overtone lines
near 2.3 micron. We observed Arcturus with the AMBER instrument at the Very
Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) at 2.28--2.31 micron with a spectral
resolution of 12000 and at projected baselines of 7.3, 14.6, and 21.8 m. The
high spectral resolution of the VLTI/AMBER instrument allowed us to spatially
resolve Arcturus in the individual CO lines. Comparison of the observed
interferometric data with the MARCS photospheric model shows that the star
appears to be significantly larger than predicted by the model. It indicates
the presence of an extended component that is not accounted for by the current
photospheric models for this well-studied star. We found out that the observed
AMBER data can be explained by a model with two additional CO layers above the
photosphere. The inner CO layer is located just above the photosphere, at 1.04
+/- 0.02 stellar radii, with a temperature of 1600 +/- 400 K and a CO column
density of 10^{20 +/- 0.3} cm^-2. On the other hand, the outer CO layer is
found to be as extended as to 2.6 +/- 0.2 stellar radii with a temperature of
1800 +/- 100 K and a CO column density of 10^{19 +/- 0.15} cm^-2. The
properties of the inner CO layer are in broad agreement with those previously
inferred from the spatially unresolved spectroscopic analyses. However, our
AMBER observations have revealed that the quasi-static cool molecular component
extends out to 2--3 stellar radii, within which region the chromospheric wind
steeply accelerates.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
On the perturbative corrections around D-string instantons
We study -threshold corrections in an eight dimensional S-dual
pair of string theories, as a prototype of dual string vacua with sixteen
supercharges. We show that the orbifold CFT description of D-string instantons
gives rise to a perturbative expansion similar to the one appearing on the
fundamental string side. By an explicit calculation, using the Nambu-Goto
action in the static gauge, we show that the first subleading term agrees
precisely on the two sides. We then give a general argument to show that the
agreement extends to all orders.Comment: 12 page
Rotational properties of the binary and non-binary populations in the Trans-Neptunian belt
We present results for the short-term variability of Binary Trans-Neptunian
Objects (BTNOs). We performed CCD photometric observations using the 3.58 m
Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, the 1.5 m Sierra Nevada Observatory telescope,
and the 1.23 m Centro Astronomico Hispano Aleman telescope at Calar Alto
Observatory. We present results based on five years of observations and report
the short-term variability of six BTNOs. Our sample contains three classical
objects: 2003MW12, or Varda, 2004SB60, or Salacia, and 2002 VT130; one detached
disk object: 2007UK126; and two resonant objects: 2007TY430 and 2000EB173, or
Huya. For each target, possible rotational periods and/or photometric
amplitudes are reported. We also derived some physical properties from their
lightcurves, such as density, primary and secondary sizes, and albedo. We
compiled and analyzed a vast lightcurve database for Trans-Neptunian Objects
(TNOs) including centaurs to determine the lightcurve amplitude and spin
frequency distributions for the binary and non-binary populations. The mean
rotational periods, from the Maxwellian fits to the frequency distributions,
are 8.63+/-0.52 h for the entire sample, 8.37+/-0.58 h for the sample without
the binary population, and 10.11+/-1.19 h for the binary population alone.
Because the centaurs are collisionally more evolved, their rotational periods
might not be so primordial. We computed a mean rotational period, from the
Maxwellian fit, of 8.86+/-0.58 h for the sample without the centaur population,
and of 8.64+/-0.67 h considering a sample without the binary and the centaur
populations. According to this analysis, regular TNOs spin faster than
binaries, which is compatible with the tidal interaction of the binaries.
Finally, we examined possible formation models for several systems studied in
this work and by our team in previous papers.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics (June 26th,
2014); minor changes with published version; 21 pages, 17 figures, 7 table
AdS/CFT correspondence and D1/D5 systems in theories with 16 supercharges
We discuss spectra of supergravities, arising in the near horizon
geometry of D1/D5 systems in orbifolds/orientifolds of type IIB theory with 16
supercharges. These include models studied in a recent paper (hep-th/0012118),
where the group action involves also a shift along a transversal circle, as
well as IIB/, which is dual to IIB on . After appropriate
assignements of the orbifold group eigenvalues and degrees to the supergravity
single particle spectrum, we compute the supergravity elliptic genus and find
agreement, in the expected regime of validity, with the elliptic genus obtained
using U-duality map from (4,4) CFTs of U-dual backgrounds. Since this U-duality
involves the exchange of KK momentum and D1 charge , it allows us to
test the (4,4) CFTs in the and regimes by two different
supergravity duals.Comment: 28 pages, no figure
The Benefits of Peer Review and a Multisemester Capstone Writing Series on Inquiry and Analysis Skills in an Undergraduate Thesis.
This study examines the relationship between the introduction of a four-course writing-intensive capstone series and improvement in inquiry and analysis skills of biology senior undergraduates. To measure the impact of the multicourse write-to-learn and peer-review pedagogy on student performance, we used a modified Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education rubric for Inquiry and Analysis and Written Communication to score senior research theses from 2006 to 2008 (pretreatment) and 2009 to 2013 (intervention). A Fisher-Freeman-Halton test and a two-sample Student's t test were used to evaluate individual rubric dimensions and composite rubric scores, respectively, and a randomized complete block design analysis of variance was carried out on composite scores to examine the impact of the intervention across ethnicity, legacy (e.g., first-generation status), and research laboratory. The results show an increase in student performance in rubric scoring categories most closely associated with science literacy and critical-thinking skills, in addition to gains in students' writing abilities
Common Warm Dust Temperatures Around Main-sequence Stars
We compare the properties of warm dust emission from a sample of main-sequence A-type stars (B8-A7) to those of dust around solar-type stars (F5-K0) with similar Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrograph/MIPS data and similar ages. Both samples include stars with sources with infrared spectral energy distributions that show evidence of multiple components. Over the range of stellar types considered, we obtain nearly the same characteristic dust temperatures (~190 K and ~60 K for the inner and outer dust components, respectively)—slightly above the ice evaporation temperature for the inner belts. The warm inner dust temperature is readily explained if populations of small grains are being released by sublimation of ice from icy planetesimals. Evaporation of low-eccentricity icy bodies at ~150 K can deposit particles into an inner/warm belt, where the small grains are heated to T_(dust)~ 190 K. Alternatively, enhanced collisional processing of an asteroid belt-like system of parent planetesimals just interior to the snow line may account for the observed uniformity in dust temperature. The similarity in temperature of the warmer dust across our B8-K0 stellar sample strongly suggests that dust-producing planetesimals are not found at similar radial locations around all stars, but that dust production is favored at a characteristic temperature horizon
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