2,824 research outputs found
On the role of continuum-driven eruptions in the evolution of very massive stars and Population III stars
We suggest that the mass lost during the evolution of very massive stars may
be dominated by optically thick, continuum-driven outbursts or explosions,
instead of by steady line-driven winds. In order for a massive star to become a
WR star, it must shed its H envelope, but new estimates of the effects of
clumping in winds indicate that line driving is vastly insufficient. We discuss
massive stars above roughly 40-50 Msun, for which the best alternative is mass
loss during brief eruptions of luminous blue variables (LBVs). Our clearest
example of this phenomenon is the 19th century outburst of eta Car, when the
star shed 12-20 Msun or more in less than a decade. Other examples are
circumstellar nebulae of LBVs, extragalactic eta Car analogs (``supernova
impostors''), and massive shells around SNe and GRBs. We do not yet fully
understand what triggers LBV outbursts, but they occur nonetheless, and present
a fundamental mystery in stellar astrophysics. Since line opacity from metals
becomes too saturated, the extreme mass loss probably arises from a
continuum-driven wind or a hydrodynamic explosion, both of which are
insensitive to metallicity. As such, eruptive mass loss could have played a
pivotal role in the evolution and fate of massive metal-poor stars in the early
universe. If they occur in these Population III stars, such eruptions would
profoundly affect the chemical yield and types of remnants from early SNe and
hypernovae.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, accepted by ApJ Letter
Discontinuation of metformin to prevent metformin-induced high colonic FDG uptake:is 48 h sufficient?
Objective: In this retrospective, single-center observational study, we investigated whether discontinuing metformin for at least 48Â h prevents metformin-induced [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in all segments of the colon. Methods: Patients with type 2 diabetes who were using metformin before undergoing an FDG PET/CT scan were included. Two groups were created: patients who discontinued metformin for less than 48Â h (< 48Â h group) and patients who discontinued metformin for between 48 and 72Â h (â„ 48Â h group). A control group comprised non-diabetic patients who were not using metformin before undergoing an FDG PET/CT. We visually scored the uptake of FDG in four segments of the colonâthe ascendens, transversum, descendens, and rectosigmoidâusing a four-point scale (1â4) and considered scores of 3 or 4 to be clinically significant. Results: Colonic FDG uptake in the â„ 48Â h group (n = 23) was higher than uptake in the control group (n = 96) in the colon descendens [odds ratio (OR) 14.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.8â40.9; p value: 0.001] and rectosigmoid (OR 11.3; 95% CI 4.0â31.9; p value: 0.001), and there was no difference in the colon ascendens and transversum. Colonic FDG uptake in the < 48Â h group (n = 25) was higher than uptake in the â„ 48Â h group (n = 23) in the colon transversum (OR 4.8; 95% CI 1.3â18.5; p value: 0.022) and rectosigmoid (p value: 0.023), and there was no difference in the colon ascendens and descendens. Conclusions: Discontinuing metformin for 48Â h before undergoing an FDG PET/CT still gives a high uptake in the distal parts of the colon when compared with non-diabetic patients who are not using metformin. Discontinuing metformin for 48Â h seems to be useful for scanning the more proximal segments of the colon
The Missing Luminous Blue Variables and the Bistability Jump
We discuss an interesting feature of the distribution of luminous blue
variables on the H-R diagram, and we propose a connection with the bistability
jump in the winds of early-type supergiants. There appears to be a deficiency
of quiescent LBVs on the S Dor instability strip at luminosities between log
L/Lsun = 5.6 and 5.8. The upper boundary, is also where the
temperature-dependent S Dor instability strip intersects the bistability jump
at about 21,000 K. Due to increased opacity, winds of early-type supergiants
are slower and denser on the cool side of the bistability jump, and we
postulate that this may trigger optically-thick winds that inhibit quiescent
LBVs from residing there. We conduct numerical simulations of radiation-driven
winds for a range of temperatures, masses, and velocity laws at log L/Lsun=5.7
to see what effect the bistability jump should have. We find that for
relatively low stellar masses the increase in wind density at the bistability
jump leads to the formation of a modest to strong pseudo photosphere -- enough
to make an early B-type star appear as a yellow hypergiant. Thus, the proposed
mechanism will be most relevant for LBVs that are post-red supergiants. Yellow
hypergiants like IRC+10420 and rho Cas occupy the same luminosity range as the
``missing'' LBVs, and show apparent temperature variations at constant
luminosity. If these yellow hypergiants do eventually become Wolf-Rayet stars,
we speculate that they may skip the normal LBV phase, at least as far as their
apparent positions on the HR diagram are concerned.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figs, accepted by Ap
A Study of the X-Ray Emission of Magnetic Cataclysmic Variable Ae Aquarii
We report results from analysis of the X-ray observations of AE Aqr, made
with Ginga in June 1988 and with ASCA in October 1995. Pulsations are detected
clearly with a sinusoidal pulse profile with periods of s
(Ginga) and s (ASCA)\@. The pulse amplitude is relatively
small and the modulated flux remains nearly constant despite a factor of 3
change in the average flux during the flare. We reproduce the time-averaged
spectrum in the 0.4 -- 10 keV energy band by a thermal emission model with a
combination of two different temperatures: kT keV
and kT keV\@. There is no significant difference
between the quiescent and flare energy spectra, although a hint of spectral
hardening is recognized during the flare. We interpret these observational
results with a model in which AE Aqr is in a propeller stage. Based on this
propeller scenario, we suggest that the X-ray emission is originated from
magnetospheric radiation.Comment: 24 pages, 7 Postscript figures, AAS LaTex, To appear in the Nov 1
issue of Ap
Evolution of Massive Stars Up to the End of Central Oxygen Burning
We present a detailed study of the evolution of massive stars of masses 15,
20, 25 and 30 \msun assuming solar-like initial chemical composition. The
stellar sequences were evolved through the advanced burning phases up to the
end of core oxygen burning. We present a careful analysis of the physical
characteristics of the stellar models. In particular, we investigate the effect
of the still unsettled reaction C(,)O on the
advanced evolution by using recent compilations of this rate. We find that this
rate has a significant impact on the evolution not only during the core helium
burning phase, but also during the late burning phases, especially the shell
carbon-burning. We have also considered the effect of different treatment of
convective instability based on the Ledoux criterion in regions of varying
molecular weight gradient during the hydrogen and helium burning phases. We
compare our results with other investigations whenever available. Finally, our
present study constitutes the basis of analyzing the nucleosynthesis processes
in massive stars. In particular we will present a detail analysis of the {\it
s}-process in a forthcoming paper.Comment: 46 pages, 15 figures. To be published in ApJ vol 611, August 10, 200
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What can mathematical, computational and robotic models tell us about the origins of syntax?
Confronting the Superbubble Model with X-ray Observations of 30 Dor C
We present an analysis of XMM-Newton observations of the superbubble 30 Dor C
and compare the results with the predictions from the standard wind-blown
bubble model. We find that the observed X-ray spectra cannot be fitted
satisfactorily with the model alone and that there is evidence for nonthermal
X-ray emission, which is particularly important at > 4 keV. The total
unabsorbed 0.1-10 keV luminosities of the eastern and western parts of the
bubble are ~3 10^36 erg/s and ~5 10^36 erg/s, respectively. The unabsorbed
0.1-10 keV luminosity of the bubble model is 4 10^36 erg/s and so the power-law
component contributes between 1/3 and 1/2 to the total unabsorbed luminosity in
this energy band. The nature of the hard nonthermal emission is not clear,
although recent supernovae in the bubble may be responsible. We expect that
about one or two core-collapse supernovae could have occured and are required
to explain the enrichment of the hot gas, as evidenced by the overabundance of
alpha-elements by a factor of 3, compared to the mean value of 0.5 solar for
the interstellar medium in the Large Magellanic Cloud. As in previous studies
of various superbubbles, the amount of energy currently present in 30 Dor C is
significantly less than the expected energy input from the enclosed massive
stars over their lifetime. We speculate that a substantial fraction of the
input energy may be radiated in far-infrared by dust grains, which are mixed
with the hot gas because of the thermal conduction and/or dynamic mixing.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figures. To appear in The Astrophysical Journal, August
20, 2004 issu
Gamma rays and neutrinos from the Crab Nebula produced by pulsar accelerated nuclei
We investigate the consequences of the acceleration of heavy nuclei (e.g.
iron nuclei) by the Crab pulsar. Accelerated nuclei can photodisintegrate in
collisions with soft photons produced in the pulsar's outer gap, injecting
energetic neutrons which decay either inside or outside the Crab Nebula. The
protons from neutron decay inside the nebula are trapped by the Crab Nebula
magnetic field, and accumulate inside the nebula producing gamma-rays and
neutrinos in collisions with the matter in the nebula. Neutrons decaying
outside the Crab Nebula contribute to the Galactic cosmic rays. We compute the
expected fluxes of gamma-rays and neutrinos, and find that our model could
account for the observed emission at high energies and may be tested by
searching for high energy neutrinos with future neutrino telescopes currently
in the design stage.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, LaTeX uses revtex.sty, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Let
Ten-Micron Observations of Nearby Young Stars
(abridged) We present new 10-micron photometry of 21 nearby young stars
obtained at the Palomar 5-meter and at the Keck I 10-meter telescopes as part
of a program to search for dust in the habitable zone of young stars. Thirteen
of the stars are in the F-K spectral type range ("solar analogs"), 4 have B or
A spectral types, and 4 have spectral type M. We confirm existing IRAS
12-micron and ground-based 10-micron photometry for 10 of the stars, and
present new insight into this spectral regime for the rest. Excess emission at
10 micron is not found in any of the young solar analogs, except for a possible
2.4-sigma detection in the G5V star HD 88638. The G2V star HD 107146, which
does not display a 10-micron excess, is identified as a new Vega-like
candidate, based on our 10-micron photospheric detection, combined with
previously unidentified 60-micron and 100-micron IRAS excesses. Among the
early-type stars, a 10-micron excess is detected only in HD 109573A (HR 4796A),
confirming prior observations; among the M dwarfs, excesses are confirmed in AA
Tau, CD -40 8434, and Hen 3-600A. A previously suggested N band excess in the
M3 dwarf CD -33 7795 is shown to be consistent with photospheric emission.Comment: 40 pages, 4 figures, 5 tables. To appear in the January 1, 2004 issue
of Ap
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