12,681 research outputs found
Binaries among Ap and Am stars
The results of long-term surveys of radial velocities of cool Ap and Am stars
are presented. There are two samples, one of about 100 Ap stars and the other
of 86 Am stars. Both have been observed with the CORAVEL scanner from
Observatoire de Haute-Provence (CNRS), France.
The conspicuous lack of short-period binaries among cool Ap stars seems
confirmed, although this may be the result of an observational bias; one system
has a period as short as 1.6 days. A dozen new orbits could be determined,
including that of one SB2 system. Considering the mass functions of 68 binaries
from the literature and from our work, we conclude that the distribution of the
mass ratios is the same for the Bp-Ap stars than for normal G dwarfs.
Among the Am stars, we found 52 binaries, i.e. 60%; an orbit could be
computed for 29 of them. Among these 29, there are 7 SB2 systems, one triple
and one quadruple system. The 21 stars with an apparently constant radial
velocity may show up later as long-period binaries with a high eccentricity.
The mass functions of the SB1 systems are compatible with cool main-sequence
companions, also suggested by ongoing spectral observations.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, to appear in: Proc. of the 26th workshop of the
European Working Group on CP stars, Contrib. Astr. Obs. Skalnate Pleso Vol.
27, No
Absolute magnitudes and kinematics of CP stars from Hipparcos data
The position in the HR diagram and the kinematic characteristics of different
kinds of CP stars of the upper main sequence are obtained using the LM method
(Luri et al., 1996). Most of the CP stars are main sequence stars occupying the
whole width of the sequence. From a kinematic point of view, they belong to the
young disk population (ages < 1.5 Gyr). It has also been found that, on
kinematic grounds, the behaviour of lambda Bootis stars is similar to the one
observed for normal stars of the same spectral range. On the other hand, roAp
and noAp stars show the same kinematic characteristics. The peculiar velocity
distribution function has been decomposed into a sum of three dimensional
gaussians and the presence of Pleiades, Sirius and Hyades moving groups has
been clearly established. Finally, a small number of CP stars are found to be
high-velocity objects.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, to appear in: Proc. of the 26th workshop of the
European Working Group on CP stars, eds. P. North, A. Schnell and J.
Ziznovsky, Contrib. Astr. Obs. Skalnate Pleso Vol. 27, No
The radius and mass of the subgiant star bet Hyi from interferometry and asteroseismology
We have used the Sydney University Stellar Interferometer (SUSI) to measure
the angular diameter of beta Hydri. This star is a nearby G2 subgiant whose
mean density was recently measured with high precision using asteroseismology.
We determine the radius and effective temperature of the star to be
1.814+/-0.017 R_sun (0.9%) and 5872+/-44 K (0.7%) respectively. By combining
this value with the mean density, as estimated from asteroseismology, we make a
direct estimate of the stellar mass. We find a value of 1.07+/-0.03 M_sun
(2.8%), which agrees with published estimates based on fitting in the H-R
diagram, but has much higher precision. These results place valuable
constraints on theoretical models of beta Hyi and its oscillation frequencies.Comment: 3 figures, 3 tables, to appear in MNRAS Letter
Tackling concentrated worklessness: integrating governance and policy across and within spatial scales
Spatial concentrations of worklessness remained a key characteristic of labour markets in advanced industrial economies, even during the period of decline in aggregate levels of unemployment and economic inactivity evident from the late 1990s to the economic downturn in 2008. The failure of certain localities to benefit from wider improvements in regional and national labour markets points to a lack of effectiveness in adopted policy approaches, not least in relation to the governance arrangements and policy delivery mechanisms that seek to integrate residents of deprived areas into wider local labour markets. Through analysis of practice in the British context, we explore the difficulties of integrating economic and social policy agendas within and across spatial scales to tackle problems of concentrated worklessness. We present analysis of a number of selected case studies aimed at reducing localised worklessness and identify the possibilities and constraints for effective action given existing governance arrangements and policy priorities to promote economic competitiveness and inclusion
Air quality impact of intelligent transportation system actions used in a decision support system for adaptive traffic management
CARBOTRAF: A decision Support system for reducing pollutant emissions by adaptive traffic management
Traffic congestion with frequent “stop & go” situations causes substantial pollutant emissions. Black carbon (BC) is a good indicator of combustion-related air pollution and results in negative health effects. Both BC and CO2 emissions are also known to contribute significantly to global warming. Current traffic control systems are designed to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion. The CARBOTRAF system combines real-time monitoring of traffic and air pollution with simulation models for emission and local air quality prediction in order to deliver on-line recommendations for alternative adaptive traffic management. The aim of introducing a CARBOTRAF system is to reduce BC and CO2 emissions and improve air quality by optimizing the traffic flows. The system is implemented and evaluated in two pilot cities, Graz and Glasgow. Model simulations link traffic states to emission and air quality levels. A chain of models combines micro-scale traffic simulations, traffic volumes, emission models and air quality simulations. This process is completed for several ITS scenarios and a range of traffic boundary conditions. The real-time DSS system uses all these model simulations to select optimal traffic and air quality scenarios. Traffic and BC concentrations are simultaneously monitored. In this paper the effects of ITS measures on air quality are analysed with a focus on BC
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