1,248 research outputs found
From Solar Proton Burning to Pionic Deuterium through the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model of light nuclei
Within the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model of light nuclei (the NNJL model),
describing strong low-energy nuclear interactions, we compute the width of the
energy level of the ground state of pionic deuterium. The theoretical value
fits well the experimental data. Using the cross sections for the reactions
nu_e + d -> p + p + e^- and nu_e + d -> p + n + nu_e, computed in the NNJL
model, and the experimental values of the events of these reactions, detected
by the SNO Collaboration, we compute the boron neutrino fluxes. The theoretical
values agree well with the experimental data and the theoretical predictions
within the Standard Solar Model by Bahcall. We argue the applicability of the
constraints on the astrophysical factor for the solar proton burning, imposed
by helioseismology, to the width of the energy level of the ground state of
pionic deuterium. We show that the experimental data on the width satisfy these
constraints. This testifies an indirect measurement of the recommended value of
the astrophysical factor for the solar proton burning in terrestrial
laboratories in terms of the width of the energy level of the ground state of
pionic deuterium.Comment: 10 pages, no figures, Late
Very Long Baseline Array observations of the Intraday Variable source J1128+592
Short time-scale flux density variations of flat spectrum radio sources are
often explained by the scattering of radio waves in the turbulent, ionized
Interstellar Matter of the Milky Way. One of the most convincing observational
arguments in favor of this is the annual modulation of the variability
time-scale caused by the Earth orbital motion around the Sun. J1128+592 is an
IDV source with a possible annual modulation in its variability time-scale. We
observed the source in 6 epochs with the VLBA at 5, 8 and 15 GHz in total
intensity and polarization. The VLBA observations revealed an east-west
oriented core-jet structure. Its position angle agrees with the angle of
anisotropy derived from the annual modulation model. No significant long-term
structural changes were observed with VLBI on mas-scales, however, compared to
archival data, the VLBI core size is expanded. This expansion offers a possible
explanation to the observed decrease of the strength of IDV. VLBI polarimetry
revealed significant changes in the electric vector position angle and Rotation
Measure of the core and jet. Part of the observed RM variability could be
attributed to a scattering screen (37 pc distance), which covers the source
(core and jet) and which may be responsible for the IDV. Superposition of
polarized sub-components below the angular resolution limit may affect the
observed RM as well.Comment: accepted for A&A (11 pages, 11 figures
Detailed analysis of Balmer lines in cool dwarf stars
An analysis of H alpha and H beta spectra in a sample of 30 cool dwarf and
subgiant stars is presented using MARCS model atmospheres based on the most
recent calculations of the line opacities. A detailed quantitative comparison
of the solar flux spectra with model spectra shows that Balmer line profile
shapes, and therefore the temperature structure in the line formation region,
are best represented under the mixing length theory by any combination of a low
mixing-length parameter alpha and a low convective structure parameter y. A
slightly lower effective temperature is obtained for the sun than the accepted
value, which we attribute to errors in models and line opacities. The programme
stars span temperatures from 4800 to 7100 K and include a small number of
population II stars. Effective temperatures have been derived using a
quantitative fitting method with a detailed error analysis. Our temperatures
find good agreement with those from the Infrared Flux Method (IRFM) near solar
metallicity but show differences at low metallicity where the two available
IRFM determinations themselves are in disagreement. Comparison with recent
temperature determinations using Balmer lines by Fuhrmann (1998, 2000), who
employed a different description of the wing absorption due to self-broadening,
does not show the large differences predicted by Barklem et al. (2000). In
fact, perhaps fortuitously, reasonable agreement is found near solar
metallicity, while we find significantly cooler temperatures for low
metallicity stars of around solar temperature.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, to appear in A&
F-GAMMA: Variability Doppler factors of blazars from multiwavelength monitoring
Recent population studies have shown that the variability Doppler factors can
adequately describe blazars as a population. We use the flux density variations
found within the extensive radio multi-wavelength datasets of the F-GAMMA
program, a total of 10 frequencies from 2.64 up to 142.33 GHz, in order to
estimate the variability Doppler factors for 58 -ray bright sources,
for 20 of which no variability Doppler factor has been estimated before. We
employ specifically designed algorithms in order to obtain a model for each
flare at each frequency. We then identify each event and track its evolution
through all the available frequencies for each source. This approach allows us
to distinguish significant events producing flares from stochastic variability
in blazar jets. It also allows us to effectively constrain the variability
brightness temperature and hence the variability Doppler factor as well as
provide error estimates. Our method can produce the most accurate (16\% error
on average) estimates in the literature to date.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Intra-day variability observations and the VLBI structure analysis of quasar S4 0917+624
The IDV observations of S4 0917+624 were carried out monthly, from August
2005 to January 2010, with the Urumqi 25m radio telescope at 4.8 GHz. The
quasar S4 0917+624 exhibits only very weak or no IDV during our 4.5 year
observing interval. Prior to the year 2000, the source S4 0917+624 was one of
the most prominent IDV sources. Our new data indicate that the previous strong
IDV has ceased. We analyzed the long-term VLBI structural variability using
Gaussian model-fitting. From this we obtained the flux densities and the
deconvolved sizes of core and inner-jet components of the source. We studied
the properties such as core fraction, angular size, spectral index, and
brightness temperature of VLBI core for S4 0917+624, as well as the time delay
between 5 and 15 GHz variations, and compared them with the IDV properties of
S4 0917+624. The source shows ejection of several jet components that are
suspected to have partially reduced the IDV amplitude of S4 0917+624. However,
during 2005-2006, the VLBI core size was comparable to the size before the year
2000, but no strong IDV was detected in the period, suggesting that the
quenching effect due to source size changes may not be responsible for the lack
of strong IDV after the year 2000. The refractive scattering properties for the
strong IDV phase of S4 0917+624 before the year 2000 are discussed. The
disappearance of strong IDV in S4 0917+624 after the year 2000 is a mystery and
cannot be explained via the quenching effect by changes in the observable VLBI
structure. However, it may be caused by changes in the interstellar medium,
i.e. by interstellar weather, which induces changes in the scintillation
pattern on timescales of several years. Further coordinated multi-frequency
observations will be required to distinguish between the effect of
source-intrinsic variability and changing properties of the interstellar
medium.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Radio jet emission from GeV-emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies
We studied the radio emission from four radio-loud and gamma-ray-loud
narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies. The goal was to investigate whether a
relativistic jet is operating at the source, and quantify its characteristics.
We relied on the most systematic monitoring of such system in the cm and mm
radio bands which is conducted with the Effelsberg 100 m and IRAM 30 m
telescopes and covers the longest time-baselines and the most radio frequencies
to date. We extract variability parameters and compute variability brightness
temperatures and Doppler factors. The jet powers were computed from the light
curves to estimate the energy output. The dynamics of radio spectral energy
distributions were examined to understand the mechanism causing the
variability. All the sources display intensive variability that occurs at a
pace faster than what is commonly seen in blazars. The flaring events show
intensive spectral evolution indicative of shock evolution. The brightness
temperatures and Doppler factors are moderate, implying a mildly relativistic
jet. The computed jet powers show very energetic flows. The radio polarisation
in one case clearly implies a quiescent jet underlying the recursive flaring
activity. Despite the generally lower flux densities, the sources appear to
show all typical characteristics seen in blazars that are powered by
relativistic jets.Comment: Accepted for publication in 4 - Extragalactic astronomy of Astronomy
and Astrophysic
F-GAMMA: On the phenomenological classification of continuum radio spectra variability patterns of Fermi blazars
The F-GAMMA program is a coordinated effort to investigate the physics of
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) via multi-frequency monitoring of Fermi blazars.
In the current study we show and discuss the evolution of broad-band radio
spectra, which are measured at ten frequencies between 2.64 and 142 GHz using
the Effelsberg 100-m and the IRAM 30-m telescopes. It is shown that any of the
78 sources studied can be classified in terms of their variability
characteristics in merely 5 types of variability. It is argued that these can
be attributed to only two classes of variability mechanisms. The first four
types are dominated by spectral evolution and can be described by a simple
two-component system composed of: (a) a steep quiescent spectral component from
a large scale jet and (b) a time evolving flare component following the
"Shock-in-Jet" evolutionary path. The fifth type is characterised by an
achromatic change of the broad band spectrum, which could be attributed to a
different mechanism, likely involving differential Doppler boosting caused by
geometrical effects. Here we present the classification, the assumed physical
scenario and the results of calculations that have been performed for the
spectral evolution of flares.Comment: Proceedings of the conference: "The Central Kiloparsec in Galactic
Nucleic: Astronomy at High Angular Resolution 2011", August 29 - September 2,
2011, Bad Honnef, German
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