7,906 research outputs found
Origin of asymmetries in X-ray emission lines from the blast wave of the 2014 outburst of nova V745 Sco
The symbiotic nova V745 Sco was observed in outburst on 2014 February 6. Its
observations by the Chandra X-ray Observatory at days 16 and 17 have revealed a
spectrum characterized by asymmetric and blue-shifted emission lines. Here we
investigate the origin of these asymmetries through three-dimensional
hydrodynamic simulations describing the outburst during the first 20 days of
evolution. The model takes into account thermal conduction and radiative
cooling and assumes a blast wave propagates through an equatorial density
enhancement. From the simulations, we synthesize the X-ray emission and derive
the spectra as they would be observed with Chandra. We find that both the blast
wave and the ejecta distribution are efficiently collimated in polar directions
due to the presence of the equatorial density enhancement. The majority of the
X-ray emission originates from the interaction of the blast with the equatorial
density enhancement and is concentrated on the equatorial plane as a ring-like
structure. Our "best-fit" model requires a mass of ejecta in the outburst
and an explosion energy erg and reproduces the distribution of emission
measure vs temperature and the evolution of shock velocity and temperature
inferred from the observations. The model predicts asymmetric and blue-shifted
line profiles similar to those observed and explains their origin as due to
substantial X-ray absorption of red-shifted emission by ejecta material. The
comparison of predicted and observed Ne and O spectral line ratios reveals no
signs of strong Ne enhancement and suggests the progenitor is a CO white dwarf.Comment: 16 pages, 17 Figures; accepted for publication on MNRA
Non-equilibrium of Ionization and the Detection of Hot Plasma in Nanoflare-heated Coronal Loops
Impulsive nanoflares are expected to transiently heat the plasma confined in
coronal loops to temperatures of the order of 10 MK. Such hot plasma is hardly
detected in quiet and active regions, outside flares. During rapid and short
heat pulses in rarified loops the plasma can be highly out of equilibrium of
ionization. Here we investigate the effects of the non-equilibrium of
ionization (NEI) on the detection of hot plasma in coronal loops.
Time-dependent loop hydrodynamic simulations are specifically devoted to this
task, including saturated thermal conduction, and coupled to the detailed
solution of the equations of ionization rate for several abundant elements. In
our simulations, initially cool and rarified magnetic flux tubes are heated to
10 MK by nanoflares deposited either at the footpoints or at the loop apex. We
test for different pulse durations, and find that, due to NEI effects, the loop
plasma may never be detected at temperatures above ~5 MK for heat pulses
shorter than about 1 min. We discuss some implications in the framework of
multi-stranded nanoflare-heated coronal loops.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publicatio
The X-ray cycle in the solar-type star HD 81809
(abridged) Our long-term XMM-Newton program of long-term monitoring of a
solar-like star with a well-studied chromospheric cycle, HD 81809 aims to study
whether an X-ray cycle is present, along with studying its characteristics and
its relation to the chromospheric cycle. Regular observations of HD 81809 were
performed with XMM-Newton, spaced by 6 months from 2001 to 2007. We studied the
variations in the resulting coronal luminosity and temperature, and compared
them with the chromospheric CaII variations. We also modeled the observations
in terms of a mixture of active regions, using a methodology originally
developed to study the solar corona. Our observations show a well-defined cycle
with an amplitude exceeding 1 dex and an average luminosity approximately one
order of magnitude higher than in the Sun. The behavior of the corona of HD
81809 can be modeled well in terms of varying coverage of solar-like active
regions, with a larger coverage than for the Sun, showing it to be compatible
with a simple extension of the solar case.Comment: In press, Astronomy & Astrophysic
The loss-limited electron energy in SN 1006: effects of the shock velocity and of the diffusion process
The spectral shape of the synchrotron X-ray emission from SN 1006 reveals the
fundamental role played by radiative losses in shaping the high-energy tail of
the electron spectrum. We analyze data from the XMM-Newton SN 1006 Large
Program and confirm that in both nonthermal limbs the loss-limited model
correctly describes the observed spectra. We study the physical origin of the
observed variations of the synchrotron cutoff energy across the shell. We
investigate the role played by the shock velocity and by the electron
gyrofactor. We found that the cutoff energy of the syncrotron X-ray emission
reaches its maximum value in regions where the shock has experienced its
highest average speed. This result is consistent with the loss-limited
framework. We also find that the electron acceleration in both nonthermal limbs
of SN 1006 proceeds close to the Bohm diffusion limit, the gyrofactor being in
the range 1.5-4. We finally investigate possible explanations for the low
values of cutoff energy measured in thermal limbs.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomische Nachrichten. Proceedings of
the XMM-Newton Science Workshop 201
Redshifted X-rays from the material accreting onto TW Hya: evidence of a low-latitude accretion spot
High resolution spectroscopy, providing constraints on plasma motions and
temperatures, is a powerful means to investigate the structure of accretion
streams in CTTS. In particular, the accretion shock region, where the accreting
material is heated to temperatures of a few MK as it continues its inward bulk
motion, can be probed by X-ray spectroscopy. To attempt to detect for the first
time the motion of this X-ray-emitting post-shock material, we searched for a
Doppler shift in the deep Chandra/HETGS observation of the CTTS TW Hya. This
test should unveil the nature of this X-ray emitting plasma component in CTTS,
and constrain the accretion stream geometry. We searched for a Doppler shift in
the X-ray emission from TW Hya with two different methods, by measuring the
position of a selected sample of emission lines, and by fitting the whole TW
Hya X-ray spectrum, allowing the line-of-sight velocity to vary. We found that
the plasma at T~2-4 MK has a line-of-sight velocity of 38.3+/-5.1 km/s with
respect to the stellar photosphere. This result definitively confirms that this
X-ray-emitting material originates in the post-shock region, at the base of the
accretion stream, and not in coronal structures. The comparison of the observed
velocity along the line of sight, 38.3+/-5.1 km/s, with the inferred intrinsic
velocity of the post shock of TW Hya, v_post~110-120 km/s, indicates that the
footpoints of the accretion streams on TW Hya are located at low latitudes on
the stellar surface. Our results indicate that complex magnetic field
geometries, such as that of TW Hya, permit low-latitude accretion spots.
Moreover, since on TW Hya the redshift of the soft X-ray emission is very
similar to that of the narrow component of the CIV resonance doublet at 1550
Ang, as found by Ardila et al. (2013), then the plasma at 2-4 MK and that at
0.1 MK likely originate in the same post-shock regions.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics; 2nd version
after language editor corrections; 16 pages, 8 figures, 6 table
Coronal loop widths and pressure scale heights
The scale heights of stratification and the widths of steady solar coronal
loops exhibit properties unexplained by standard theory: observed scale heights
are often much greater than static theory predicts, while the nearly-constant
widths of loop emission signatures defy theoretical expectations for large flux
tubes in stratified media. In this work we relate the cross-sectional profile
of a coronal flux tube to its density scale height in steady-state plasma flow
regimes. Steady flows may shorten or lengthen the scale height according to how
the tube cross-sectional area varies with arclength. In a near-potential corona
the flux tubes are expected to be sufficiently expansive in many active regions
for scale heights to be increased by steady flows. On the other hand, cases
where scale lengths are actually increased to observed sizes form a small part
of the solution space, close to regimes where density profiles reverse.
Therefore, although steady flows are the only steady process known to be
capable of extending scale heights significantly, they are not expected to be
not responsible for the majority of extended active region scale heights
Bright hot impacts by erupted fragments falling back on the Sun: UV redshifts in stellar accretion
A solar eruption after a flare on 7 Jun 2011 produced EUV-bright impacts of
fallbacks far from the eruption site, observed with the Solar Dynamics
Observatory. These impacts can be taken as a template for the impact of stellar
accretion flows. Broad red-shifted UV lines have been commonly observed in
young accreting stars. Here we study the emission from the impacts in the
Atmospheric Imaging Assembly's UV channels and compare the inferred velocity
distribution to stellar observations. We model the impacts with 2D hydrodynamic
simulations. We find that the localised UV 1600A emission and its timing with
respect to the EUV emission can be explained by the impact of a cloud of
fragments. The first impacts produce strong initial upflows. The following
fragments are hit and shocked by these upflows. The UV emission comes mostly
from the shocked front shell of the fragments while they are still falling, and
is therefore redshifted when observed from above. The EUV emission instead
continues from the hot surface layer that is fed by the impacts. Fragmented
accretion can therefore explain broad redshifted UV lines (e.g. C IV 1550A) to
speeds around 400 km/s observed in accreting young stellar objects.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures (movies available upon request), accepted for
publicatio
Fifteen years in the high-energy life of the solar-type star HD 81809. XMM-Newton observations of a stellar activity cycle
Aims. The data set of the long-term XMM-Newton monitoring program of HD 81809
is analyzed to study its X-ray cycle, to investigate if the latter is related
to the chromospheric one, to infer the structure of the corona of HD 81809, and
to explore if the coronal activity of HD 81809 can be ascribed to phenomena
similar to the solar ones and, therefore, considered an extension of the solar
case. Methods. We analyze the observations of HD 81809 performed with
XMM-Newton with a regular cadence of 6 months from 2001 to 2016 and
representing one of the longest available observational baseline (~yr)
for a solar-like star with a well-studied chromospheric cycle (with a period of
~yr). We investigate the modulation of coronal luminosity and
temperature and its relation with the chromospheric cycle. We interpret the
data in terms of a mixture of solar-like coronal regions, adopting a
methodology originally proposed to study the Sun as an X-ray star. Results. The
observations show a well-defined regular cyclic modulation of the X-ray
luminosity that reflects the activity level of HD 81809. The data covers
approximately two cycles of coronal activity; the modulation has an amplitude
of a factor of (excluding evident flares, as in the June 2002
observation) and a period of ~yr, consistent with that of the
chromospheric cycle. We demonstrate that the corona of HD 81809 can be
interpreted as an extension of the solar case and it can be modeled with a
mixture of solar-like coronal regions along the whole cycle. The activity level
is mainly determined by a varying coverage of very bright active regions,
similar to cores of active regions observed in the Sun. Evidence of unresolved
significant flaring activity is present especially in proximity of cycle
maxima.Comment: 11 pages, 5 Figures, A&A accepte
Formation of X-ray emitting stationary shocks in magnetized protostellar jets
X-ray observations of protostellar jets show evidence of strong shocks
heating the plasma up to temperatures of a few million degrees. In some cases,
the shocked features appear to be stationary. They are interpreted as shock
diamonds. We aim at investigating the physics that guides the formation of
X-ray emitting stationary shocks in protostellar jets, the role of the magnetic
field in determining the location, stability, and detectability in X-rays of
these shocks, and the physical properties of the shocked plasma. We performed a
set of 2.5-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic numerical simulations modelling
supersonic jets ramming into a magnetized medium and explored different
configurations of the magnetic field. The model takes into account the most
relevant physical effects, namely thermal conduction and radiative losses. We
compared the model results with observations, via the emission measure and the
X-ray luminosity synthesized from the simulations. Our model explains the
formation of X-ray emitting stationary shocks in a natural way. The magnetic
field collimates the plasma at the base of the jet and forms there a magnetic
nozzle. After an initial transient, the nozzle leads to the formation of a
shock diamond at its exit which is stationary over the time covered by the
simulations (~ 40 - 60 yr; comparable with time scales of the observations).
The shock generates a point-like X-ray source located close to the base of the
jet with luminosity comparable with that inferred from X-ray observations of
protostellar jets. For the range of parameters explored, the evolution of the
post-shock plasma is dominated by the radiative cooling, whereas the thermal
conduction slightly affects the structure of the shock.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Discreteness-induced resonances and AC voltage amplitudes in long one-dimensional Josephson junction arrays
New resonance steps are found in the experimental current-voltage
characteristics of long, discrete, one-dimensional Josephson junction arrays
with open boundaries and in an external magnetic field. The junctions are
underdamped, connected in parallel, and DC biased. Numerical simulations based
on the discrete sine-Gordon model are carried out, and show that the solutions
on the steps are periodic trains of fluxons, phase-locked by a finite amplitude
radiation. Power spectra of the voltages consist of a small number of harmonic
peaks, which may be exploited for possible oscillator applications. The steps
form a family that can be numbered by the harmonic content of the radiation,
the first member corresponding to the Eck step. Discreteness of the arrays is
shown to be essential for appearance of the higher order steps. We use a
multi-mode extension of the harmonic balance analysis, and estimate the
resonance frequencies, the AC voltage amplitudes, and the theoretical limit on
the output power on the first two steps.Comment: REVTeX, 17 pages, 7 figures, psfig; to appear in J. Applied Physic
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