2,023 research outputs found
SN 2007bg: The Complex Circumstellar Environment Around One of the Most Radio-Luminous Broad-Lined Type Ic Supernovae
In this paper we present the results of the radio light curve and X-ray
observations of broad-lined Type Ic SN 2007bg. The light curve shows three
distinct phases of spectral and temporal evolution, implying that the SNe shock
likely encountered at least 3 different circumstellar medium regimes. We
interpret this as the progenitor of SN 2007bg having at least two distinct
mass-loss episodes (i.e., phases 1 and 3) during its final stages of evolution,
yielding a highly-stratified circumstellar medium. Modelling the phase 1 light
curve as a freely-expanding, synchrotron-emitting shell, self-absorbed by its
own radiating electrons, requires a progenitor mass-loss rate of
\dot{M}~1.9x10^{-6}(v_{w}/1000 km s^{-1}) Solar masses per year for the last
t~20(v_{w}/1000 km s^{-1}) yr before explosion, and a total energy of the radio
emitting ejecta of E\sim1x10^{48} erg after 10 days from explosion. This places
SN 2007bg among the most energetic Type Ib/c events. We interpret the second
phase as a sparser "gap" region between the two winds stages. Phase 3 shows a
second absorption turn-on before rising to a peak luminosity 2.6 times higher
than in phase 1. Assuming this luminosity jump is due to a circumstellar medium
density enhancement from a faster previous mass-loss episode, we estimate that
the phase 3 mass-loss rate could be as high as \dot{M}<~4.3x10^{-4}(v_{w}/1000
km s^{-1}) Solar masses per year. The phase 3 wind would have transitioned
directly into the phase 1 wind for a wind speed difference of ~2. In summary,
the radio light curve provides robust evidence for dramatic global changes in
at least some Ic-BL progenitors just prior (~10-1000 yr) to explosion. The
observed luminosity of this SN is the highest observed for a
non-gamma-ray-burst broad-lined Type Ic SN, reaching L_{8.46 GHz}~1x10^{29} erg
Hz^{-1} s^{-1}, ~567 days after explosion.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
A Relativistic Type Ibc Supernova Without a Detected Gamma-ray Burst
Long duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) mark the explosive death of some
massive stars and are a rare sub-class of Type Ibc supernovae (SNe Ibc). They
are distinguished by the production of an energetic and collimated relativistic
outflow powered by a central engine (an accreting black hole or neutron star).
Observationally, this outflow is manifested in the pulse of gamma-rays and a
long-lived radio afterglow. To date, central engine-driven SNe have been
discovered exclusively through their gamma-ray emission, yet it is expected
that a larger population goes undetected due to limited satellite sensitivity
or beaming of the collimated emission away from our line-of-sight. In this
framework, the recovery of undetected GRBs may be possible through radio
searches for SNe Ibc with relativistic outflows. Here we report the discovery
of luminous radio emission from the seemingly ordinary Type Ibc SN 2009bb,
which requires a substantial relativistic outflow powered by a central engine.
The lack of a coincident GRB makes SN 2009bb the first engine-driven SN
discovered without a detected gamma-ray signal. A comparison with our extensive
radio survey of SNe Ibc reveals that the fraction harboring central engines is
low, ~1 percent, measured independently from, but consistent with, the inferred
rate of nearby GRBs. Our study demonstrates that upcoming optical and radio
surveys will soon rival gamma-ray satellites in pinpointing the nearest
engine-driven SNe. A similar result for a different supernova is reported
independently.Comment: To appear in Nature on Jan 28 2010. Embargoed for discussion in the
press until 13:00 US Eastern Time on Jan 27 (Accepted version, 27 pages,
Manuscript and Suppl. Info.
Stable Isotopes of Water Vapor in the Vadose Zone: A Review of Measurement and Modeling Techniques
Author's manuscript made available in accordance with the publisher's policy.The stable isotopes of soil water vapor can be useful in the study of ecosystem processes. Modeling has historically dominated the measurement of these parameters due to sampling difficulties. We discuss new developments in modeling and measurement, including the implications of including soil water potential in the Craig–Gordon modeling framework.
The stable isotopes of soil water vapor are useful tracers of hydrologic processes occurring in the vadose zone. The measurement of soil water vapor isotopic composition (δ18O, δ2H) is challenging due to difficulties inherent in sampling the vadose zone airspace in situ. Historically, these parameters have therefore been modeled, as opposed to directly measured, and typically soil water vapor is treated as being in isotopic equilibrium with liquid soil water. We reviewed the measurement and modeling of soil water vapor isotopes, with implications for studies of the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum. We also investigated a case study with in situ measurements from a soil profile in a semiarid African savanna, which supports the assumption of liquid–vapor isotopic equilibrium. A contribution of this work is to introduce the effect of soil water potential (Ѱ) on kinetic fractionation during soil evaporation within the Craig–Gordon modeling framework. Including Ѱ in these calculations becomes important for relatively dry soils (Ѱ < −10 MPa). Additionally, we assert that the recent development of laser-based isotope analytical systems may allow regular in situ measurement of the vadose zone isotopic composition of water in the vapor phase. Wet soils pose particular sampling difficulties, and novel techniques are being developed to address these issues
Ultracold molecules: vehicles to scalable quantum information processing
We describe a novel scheme to implement scalable quantum information
processing using Li-Cs molecular state to entangle Li and Cs
ultracold atoms held in independent optical lattices. The Li atoms will
act as quantum bits to store information, and Cs atoms will serve as
messenger bits that aid in quantum gate operations and mediate entanglement
between distant qubit atoms. Each atomic species is held in a separate optical
lattice and the atoms can be overlapped by translating the lattices with
respect to each other. When the messenger and qubit atoms are overlapped,
targeted single spin operations and entangling operations can be performed by
coupling the atomic states to a molecular state with radio-frequency pulses. By
controlling the frequency and duration of the radio-frequency pulses,
entanglement can either be created or swapped between a qubit messenger pair.
We estimate operation fidelities for entangling two distant qubits and discuss
scalability of this scheme and constraints on the optical lattice lasers
Uncertainties in the assessment of the isotopic composition of surface fluxes: A direct comparison of techniques using laser-based water vapor isotope analyzers
Author's manuscript made available in accordance with the publisher's policy.The isotopic composition of surface fluxes is a key environmental tracer currently estimated with a variety of methods, including: Keeling mixing models, the flux-gradient technique, and eddy covariance. We present a direct inter-comparison of these three methods used to estimate the isotopic ratio of water vapor in surface fluxes (δET) over half-hour periods, with a focus on the statistical uncertainty of each method image We develop expressions for image a function of instrument precision, sample size, and atmospheric conditions. Uncertainty estimators are validated with high frequency (1 Hz) data from multiple configurations of commercial off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy (ICOS) systems. We find measurement techniques utilizing the high frequency capabilities of ICOS system outperform those methods where a single average of the isotopic composition is obtained at each height, with improvements attributed to large sample counts and increased variation in observed concentrations. Analytically, and with supporting data, we show that over 30 minute periods the Keeling plot and flux-gradient techniques produce nearly identicalδET and image values, while eddy covariance calculations always introduce more uncertainty given the same high frequency data. This additional uncertainty is proportional to the reciprocal of the correlation coefficient between vertical wind speed and water vapor mixing ratio. Finally, given the inverse relationship between δET uncertainties and the range of water vapor observed, we propose that experimental designs should attempt to maximize both sample count and the coefficient of variation in atmospheric water vapor
Relativistic ejecta from XRF 060218 and the rate of cosmic explosions
Over the last decade, long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) including the
subclass of X-ray flashes (XRFs) have been revealed to be a rare variety of
Type Ibc supernova (SN). While all these events result from the death of
massive stars, the electromagnetic luminosities of GRBs and XRFs exceed those
of ordinary Type Ibc SNe by many orders of magnitude. The essential physical
process that causes a dying star to produce a GRB or XRF, and not just an SN,
remains the crucial open question. Here we present radio and X-ray observations
of XRF 060218 (associated with SN 2006aj), the second nearest GRB identified
to-date, which allow us to measure its total energy and place it in the larger
context of cosmic explosions. We show that this event is 100 times less
energetic but ten times more common than cosmological GRBs. Moreover, it is
distinguished from ordinary Type Ibc SNe by the presence of 10^48 erg coupled
to mildly-relativistic ejecta, along with a central engine (an accretion-fed,
rapidly rotating compact source) which produces X-rays for weeks after the
explosion. This suggests that the production of relativistic ejecta is the key
physical distinction between GRBs/XRFs and ordinary SNe, while the nature of
the central engine (black hole or magnetar) may distinguish typical bursts from
low-luminosity, spherical events like XRF 060218.Comment: To appear in Nature on August 31 2006 (15 pages, 3 figures, 1 table,
including Supplementary Information
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