2,401 research outputs found
Gravitational Collapse with a Cosmological Constant
We consider the effect of a positive cosmological constant on spherical
gravitational collapse to a black hole for a few simple, analytic cases. We
construct the complete Oppenheimer-Snyder-deSitter (OSdS) spacetime, the
generalization of the Oppenheimer-Snyder solution for collapse from rest of a
homogeneous dust ball in an exterior vacuum. In OSdS collapse, the cosmological
constant may affect the onset of collapse and decelerate the implosion
initially, but it plays a diminishing role as the collapse proceeds. We also
construct spacetimes in which a collapsing dust ball can bounce, or hover in
unstable equilibrium, due to the repulsive force of the cosmological constant.
We explore the causal structure of the different spacetimes and identify any
cosmological and black hole event horizons which may be present.Comment: 7 pages, 10 figures; To appear in Phys. Rev.
Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of the Expanding Nebular Remnant of the Recurrent Nova RS Ophiuchi (2006)
We report Hubble Space Telescope imaging obtained 155 days after the 2006
outburst of RS Ophiuchi. We detect extended emission in both [O III] and [Ne V]
lines. In both lines, the remnant has a double ring structure. The E-W
orientation and total extent of these structures (580+-50 AU at d=1.6kpc) is
consistent with that expected due to expansion of emitting regions imaged
earlier in the outburst at radio wavelengths. Expansion at high velocity
appears to have been roughly constant in the E-W direction (v_{exp} = 3200+-300
km/s in the plane of the sky), with tentative evidence of deceleration N-S. We
present a bipolar model of the remnant whose inclination is consistent with
that of the central binary. The true expansion velocities of the polar
components are then v = 5600+-1100 km/s. We suggest that the bipolar morphology
of the remnant results from interaction of the outburst ejecta with a
circumstellar medium that is significantly denser in the equatorial regions of
the binary than at the poles. This is also consistent with observations of
shock evolution in the X-ray and the possible presence of dust in the infrared.
Furthermore, it is in line with models of the shaping of planetary nebulae with
close binary central systems, and also with recent observations relating to the
progenitors of Type Ia supernovae, for which recurrent novae are a proposed
candidate. Our observations also reveal more extended structures to the S and E
of the remnant whose possible origin is briefly discussed.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
Observations of Ultracool White Dwarfs
We present new spectroscopic and photometric measurements of the white dwarfs LHS 3250 and WD 0346+246. Along with F351-50, these white dwarfs are the coolest ones known, all with effective temperatures below 4000 K. Their membership in the Galactic halo population is discussed, and detailed comparisons of all three objects with new atmosphere models are presented. The new models consider the effects of mixed H/He atmospheres and indicate that WD 0346+246 and F351-50 have predominantly helium atmospheres with only traces of hydrogen. LHS 3250 may be a double degenerate whose average radiative temperature is between 2000 and 4000 K, but the new models fail to explain this object
Probing Pauli Blocking Factors in Quantum Pumps with Broken Time-Reversal Symmetry
A recently demonstrated quantum electron pump is discussed within the
framework of photon-assisted tunneling. Due to lack of time-reversal symmetry,
different results are obtained for the pump current depending on whether or not
final-state Pauli blocking factors are used when describing the tunneling
process. Whilst in both cases the current depends quadratically on the driving
amplitude for moderate pumping, a marked difference is predicted for the
temperature dependence. With blocking factors the pump current decreases
roughly linearly with temperature until k_B T ~ \hbar\omega is reached, whereas
without them it is unaffected by temperature, indicating that the entire Fermi
sea participates in the electronic transport.Comment: 4 pages in RevTex4 (beta4), 6 figures; status: to appear in PR
Rotating Neutron Stars in a Chiral SU(3) Model
We study the properties of rotating neutron stars within a generalized chiral
SU(3)-flavor model. The influence of the rotation on the inner structure and
the hyperon matter content of the star is discussed. We calculate the Kepler
frequency and moments of inertia of the neutron star sequences. An estimate for
the braking index of the associated pulsars is given.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure
GMRT Observations of the 2006 outburst of the Nova RS Ophiuchi: First detection of emission at radio frequencies < 1.4 GHz
The first low radio frequency (<1.4 GHz) detection of the outburst of the
recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi is presented in this letter. Radio emission was
detected at 0.61 GHz on day 20 with a flux density of ~48 mJy and at 0.325 GHz
on day 38 with a flux density of ~ 44 mJy. This is in contrast with the 1985
outburst when it was not detected at 0.327 GHz even on day 66. The emission at
low radio frequencies is clearly non-thermal and is well-explained by a
synchrotron spectrum of index alpha ~ -0.8 (S propto nu^alpha) suffering
foreground absorption due to the pre-existing, ionized, warm, clumpy red giant
wind. The absence of low frequency radio emission in 1985 and the earlier
turn-on of the radio flux in the current outburst are interpreted as being due
to higher foreground absorption in 1985 compared to that in 2006, suggesting
that the overlying wind densities in 2006 are only ~30% of those in 1985.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure. Accepted for publication in ApJ
Region of hadron-quark mixed phase in hybrid stars
Hadron--quark mixed phase is expected in a wide region of the inner structure
of hybrid stars. However, we show that the hadron--quark mixed phase should be
restricted to a narrower region to because of the charge screening effect. The
narrow region of the mixed phase seems to explain physical phenomena of neutron
stars such as the strong magnetic field and glitch phenomena, and it would give
a new cooling curve for the neutron star.Comment: to be published in Physical Review
On the genericity of spacetime singularities
We consider here the genericity aspects of spacetime singularities that occur
in cosmology and in gravitational collapse. The singularity theorems (that
predict the occurrence of singularities in general relativity) allow the
singularities of gravitational collapse to be either visible to external
observers or covered by an event horizon of gravity. It is shown that the
visible singularities that develop as final states of spherical collapse are
generic. Some consequences of this fact are discussed.Comment: 19 pages, To be published in the Raychaudhuri Volume, eds. Naresh
Dadhich, Pankaj Joshi and Probir Ro
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