1,282 research outputs found
Composite absorbing potentials
The multiple scattering interferences due to the addition of several
contiguous potential units are used to construct composite absorbing potentials
that absorb at an arbitrary set of incident momenta or for a broad momentum
interval.Comment: 9 pages, Revtex, 2 postscript figures. Accepted in Phys. Rev. Let
Raman cooling and heating of two trapped Ba+ ions
We study cooling of the collective vibrational motion of two 138Ba+ ions
confined in an electrodynamic trap and irradiated with laser light close to the
resonances S_1/2-P_1/2 (493 nm) and P_1/2-D_3/2 (650 nm). The motional state of
the ions is monitored by a spatially resolving photo multiplier. Depending on
detuning and intensity of the cooling lasers, macroscopically different
motional states corresponding to different ion temperatures are observed. We
also derive the ions' temperature from detailed analytical calculations of
laser cooling taking into account the Zeeman structure of the energy levels
involved. The observed motional states perfectly match the calculated
temperatures. Significant heating is observed in the vicinity of the dark
resonances of the Zeeman-split S_1/2-D_3/2 Raman transitions. Here two-photon
processes dominate the interaction between lasers and ions. Parameter regimes
of laser light are identified that imply most efficient laser cooling.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Rotational periods of very young brown dwarfs and very low-mass stars in ChaI
We have studied the photometric variability of very young brown dwarfs and
very low-mass stars (masses well below 0.2 M_sun) in the ChaI star forming
region. We have determined photometric periods in the Gunn i and R band for the
three M6.5-M7 type brown dwarf candidates ChaHa2, ChaHa3 and ChaHa6 of 2.2 to
3.4 days. These are the longest photometric periods found for any brown dwarf
so far. If interpreted as rotationally induced they correspond to moderately
fast rotational velocities, which is fully consistent with their v sini values
and their relatively large radii. We have also determined periods for the two
M5-M5.5 type very low-mass stars B34 and CHXR78C. In addition to the Gunn i and
R band data, we have analysed JHK_s monitoring data of the targets, which have
been taken a few weeks earlier and confirm the periods found in the optical
data. Upper limits for the errors in the period determination are between 2 and
9 hours. The observed periodic variations of the brown dwarf candidates as well
as of the T Tauri stars are interpreted as modulation of the flux at the
rotation period by magnetically driven surface features, on the basis of a
consistency with v sini values as well as (R-i) color variations typical for
spots. Furthermore, the temperatures even for the brown dwarfs in the sample
are relatively high (>2800K) because the objects are very young. Therefore, the
atmospheric gas should be sufficiently ionized for the formation of spots on
one hand and the temperatures are too high for significant dust condensation
and hence variabilities due to clouds on the other hand.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Keck Adaptive Optics Imaging of Nearby Young Stars: Detection of Close Multiple Systems
Using adaptive optics on the Keck II 10-meter telescope on Mauna Kea, we have
surveyed 24 of the nearest young stars known in search of close companions. Our
sample includes members of the MBM 12 and TW Hydrae young associations and the
classical T Tauri binary UY Aurigae in the Taurus star-forming region. We
present relative photometry and accurate astrometry for 10 close multiple
systems. The multiplicity frequency in the TW Hydrae and MBM 12 groups are high
in comparison to other young regions, though the significance of this result is
low because of the small number statistics. We resolve S 18 into a triple
system including a tight 63 mas (projected separation of 17 AU at a distance of
275 pc) binary for the first time, with a hierarchical configuration
reminiscent of VW Chamaeleontis and T Tauri. Another tight binary in our sample
-- TWA 5Aab (54 mas or 3 AU at 55 pc) -- offers the prospect of dynamical mass
measurement using astrometric observations within a few years, and thus could
be important for testing pre-main sequence evolutionary models. Our
observations confirm with 9-sigma confidence that the brown dwarf TWA 5B is
bound to TWA 5A. We find that the flux ratio of UY Aur has changed
dramatically, by more than a magnitude in the H-band, possibly as a result of
variable extinction. With a smaller flux ratio, the system may once again
become detectable as an optical binary, as it was at the time of its discovery
in 1944. Taken together, our results demonstrate that adaptive optics on large
telescopes is a powerful tool for detecting tight companions, and thus
exploring the frequency and configurations of close multiple systems.Comment: accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa
X-ray Properties of Pre--Main-Sequence Stars in the Orion Nebula Cluster with Known Rotation Periods
We re-analyze all archival Chandra/ACIS observations of the Orion Nebula
Cluster (ONC) to study the X-ray properties of a large sample of
pre--main-sequence (PMS) stars with optically determined rotation periods. Our
goal is to elucidate the origins of X-rays in PMS stars by seeking out
connections between the X-rays and the mechanisms most likely driving their
production--rotation and accretion. In our sample X-ray luminosity is
significantly correlated with stellar rotation, in the sense of decreasing
Lx/Lbol with more rapid rotation, suggesting that these stars are in the
"super-saturated" regime of the rotation-activity relationship. However, we
also find that stars with optical rotation periods are significantly biased to
high Lx. This is not the result of magnitude bias in the optical
rotation-period sample but rather to the diminishingly small amplitude of
optical variations in stars with low Lx. Evidently, there exists in the ONC a
population of stars whose rotation periods are unknown and that possess lower
average X-ray luminosities than those of stars with known rotation periods.
These stars may sample the linear regime of the rotation-activity relationship.
Accretion also manifests itself in X-rays, though in a somewhat
counterintuitive fashion: While stars with spectroscopic signatures of
accretion show harder X-ray spectra than non-accretors, they show lower X-ray
luminosities and no enhancement of X-ray variability. We interpret these
findings in terms of a common origin for the X-ray emission observed from both
accreting and non-accreting stars, with the X-rays from accreting stars simply
being attenuated by magnetospheric accretion columns. This suggests that X-rays
from PMS stars have their origins primarily in chromospheres, not accretion.Comment: Accepted by the Astronomical Journal. 43 pages, 16 figure
Discovery of Two T Dwarf Companions with the Spitzer Space Telescope
We report the discovery of T dwarf companions to the nearby stars HN Peg
(G0V, 18.4 pc, ~0.3 Gyr) and HD 3651 (K0V, 11.1 pc, ~7 Gyr). During an ongoing
survey of 5'x5' fields surrounding stars in the solar neighborhood with IRAC
aboard the Spitzer Space Telescope, we identified these companions as candidate
T dwarfs based on their mid-IR colors. Using near-IR spectra obtained with SpeX
at the NASA IRTF, we confirm the presence of methane absorption that
characterizes T dwarfs and measure spectral types of T2.5+/-0.5 and T7.5+/-0.5
for HN Peg B and HD 3651 B, respectively. By comparing our Spitzer data to
images from 2MASS obtained several years earlier, we find that the proper
motions of HN Peg B and HD 3651 B are consistent with those of the primaries,
confirming their companionship. HN Peg B and HD 3651 B have angular separations
of 43.2" and 42.9" from their primaries, which correspond to projected physical
separations of 795 and 476 AU, respectively. A comparison of their luminosities
to the values predicted by theoretical evolutionary models implies masses of
0.021+/-0.009 and 0.051+/-0.014 Msun for HN Peg B and HD 3651 B. In addition,
the models imply an effective temperature for HN Peg B that is significantly
lower than the values derived for other T dwarfs at similar spectral types,
which is the same behavior reported by Metchev & Hillenbrand for the young
late-L dwarf HD 203030 B. Thus, the temperature of the L/T transition appears
to depend on surface gravity. Meanwhile, HD 3651 B is the first substellar
companion directly imaged around a star that is known to harbor a close-in
planet from RV surveys. The discovery of this companion supports the notion
that the high eccentricities of close-in planets like the one near HD 3651 may
be the result of perturbations by low-mass companions at wide separations.Comment: Astrophysical Journal, in pres
Flaring Up All Over -- Radio Activity in Rapidly-Rotating Late-Type M and L Dwarfs
We present Very Large Array observations of twelve late M and L dwarfs in the
Solar neighborhood. The observed sources were chosen to cover a wide range of
physical characteristics - spectral type, rotation, age, binarity, and X-ray
and H\alpha activity - to determine the role of these properties in the
production of radio emission, and hence magnetic fields. Three of the twelve
sources, TVLM513-46546, 2MASS J0036159+182110, and BRI0021-0214, were observed
to flare and also exhibit persistent emission, indicating that magnetic
activity is not quenched at the bottom of the main sequence. The radio emission
extends to spectral type L3.5, and there is no apparent decrease in the ratio
of flaring luminosities to bolometric luminosities between M8-L3.5. Moreover,
contrary to the significant drop in persistent H\alpha activity beyond spectral
type M7, the persistent radio activity appears to steadily increase between
M3-L3.5. Similarly, the radio emission from BRI0021-0214 violates the
phenomenological relations between the radio and X-ray luminosities of
coronally active stars, hinting that radio and X-ray activity are also
uncorrelated at the bottom of the main sequence. The radio active sources that
have measured rotational velocities are rapid rotators, Vsin(i)>30 km/sec,
while the upper limits on radio activity in slowly-rotating late M dwarfs
(Vsin(i)<10 km/sec) are lower than these detections. These observations provide
tantalizing evidence that rapidly-rotating late M and L dwarfs are more likely
to be radio active. This possible correlation is puzzling given that the
observed radio emission requires sustained magnetic fields of 10-1000 G and
densities of 10^12 cm^-3, indicating that the active sources should have slowed
down considerably due to magnetic braking.Comment: Accepted to ApJ; Two new figures; Minor text revision
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Evaluation of uncomplicated acute respiratory tract infection management in veterans: A national utilization review.
BackgroundAntibiotics are overprescribed for acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs). Guidelines provide criteria to determine which patients should receive antibiotics. We assessed congruence between documentation of ARI diagnostic and treatment practices with guideline recommendations, treatment appropriateness, and outcomes.MethodsA multicenter quality improvement evaluation was conducted in 28 Veterans Affairs facilities. We included visits for pharyngitis, rhinosinusitis, bronchitis, and upper respiratory tract infections (URI-NOS) that occurred during the 2015-2016 winter season. A manual record review identified complicated cases, which were excluded. Data were extracted for visits meeting criteria, followed by analysis of practice patterns, guideline congruence, and outcomes.ResultsOf 5,740 visits, 4,305 met our inclusion criteria: pharyngitis (n = 558), rhinosinusitis (n = 715), bronchitis (n = 1,155), URI-NOS (n = 1,475), or mixed diagnoses (>1 ARI diagnosis) (n = 402). Antibiotics were prescribed in 68% of visits: pharyngitis (69%), rhinosinusitis (89%), bronchitis (86%), URI-NOS (37%), and mixed diagnosis (86%). Streptococcal diagnostic testing was performed in 33% of pharyngitis visits; group A Streptococcus was identified in 3% of visits. Streptococcal tests were ordered less frequently for patients who received antibiotics (28%) than those who did not receive antibiotics 44%; P < .01). Although 68% of visits for rhinosinusitis had documentation of symptoms, only 32% met diagnostic criteria for antibiotics. Overall, 39% of patients with uncomplicated ARIs received appropriate antibiotic management. The proportion of 30-day return visits for ARI care was similar for appropriate (11%) or inappropriate (10%) antibiotic management (P = .22).ConclusionsAntibiotics were prescribed in most uncomplicated ARI visits, indicating substantial overuse. Practice was frequently discordant with guideline diagnostic and treatment recommendations
The Highly Eccentric Pre-Main Sequence Spectroscopic Binary RX J0529.3+1210
The young system RX J0529.3+1210 was initially identified as a single-lined
spectroscopic binary. Using high-resolution infrared spectra, acquired with
NIRSPEC on Keck II, we measured radial velocities for the secondary. The method
of using the infrared regime to convert single-lined spectra into double-lined
spectra, and derive the mass ratio for the binary system, has been successfully
used for a number of young, low-mass binaries. For RX J0529.3+1210, a long-
period(462 days) and highly eccentric(0.88) binary system, we determine the
mass ratio to be 0.78+/-0.05 using the infrared double-lined velocity data
alone, and 0.73+/-0.23 combining visible light and infrared data in a full
orbital solution. The large uncertainty in the latter is the result of the
sparse sampling in the infrared and the high eccentricity: the stars do not
have a large velocity separation during most of their ~1.3 year orbit. A mass
ratio close to unity, consistent with the high end of the one sigma uncertainty
for this mass ratio value, is inconsistent with the lack of a visible light
detection of the secondary component. We outline several scenarios for a color
difference in the two stars, such as one heavily spotted component, higher
order multiplicity, or a unique evolutionary stage, favoring detection of only
the primary star in visible light, even in a mass ratio ~1 system. However, the
evidence points to a lower ratio. Although RX J0529.3+1210 exhibits no excess
at near-infrared wavelengths, a small 24 micron excess is detected, consistent
with circumbinary dust. The properties of this binary and its membership in
Lambda Ori versus a new nearby stellar moving group at ~90 pc are discussed. We
speculate on the origin of this unusual system and on the impact of such high
eccentricity on the potential for planet formation.Comment: 4 Figure
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