1,017 research outputs found
Unified 1-D Simulations of Gamma-Ray Line Emission from Type Ia Supernovae
The light curves of Type Ia Supernovae (SN Ia) are powered by gamma-rays
emitted by the decay of radioactive elements such as Ni and its decay
products. These gamma-rays are downscattered,absorbed, and eventually
reprocessed into the optical emission which makes up the bulk of all supernova
observations. Detection of the gamma-rays that escape the expanding star
provide the only direct means to study this power source for SN Ia light
curves. Unfortunately, disagreements between calculations for the gamma-ray
lines have made it difficult to interpret any gamma-ray observations.
Here we present a detailed comparison of the major gamma-ray line transport
codes for a series of 1-dimensional Ia models. Discrepancies in past results
were due to errors in the codes, and the corrected versions of the seven
different codes yield very similar results. This convergence of the simulation
results allows us to infer more reliable information from the current set of
gamma-ray observations of SNe Ia. The observations of SNe 1986G, 1991T and
1998bu are consistent with explosion models based on their classification:
sub-luminous, super-luminous and normally-luminous respectively.Comment: Accepted to the Astrophysical Journa
Evaluating Systematic Dependencies of Type Ia Supernovae: The Influence of Deflagration to Detonation Density
We explore the effects of the deflagration to detonation transition (DDT)
density on the production of Ni-56 in thermonuclear supernova explosions (type
Ia supernovae). Within the DDT paradigm, the transition density sets the amount
of expansion during the deflagration phase of the explosion and therefore the
amount of nuclear statistical equilibrium (NSE) material produced. We employ a
theoretical framework for a well-controlled statistical study of
two-dimensional simulations of thermonuclear supernovae with randomized initial
conditions that can, with a particular choice of transition density, produce a
similar average and range of Ni-56 masses to those inferred from observations.
Within this framework, we utilize a more realistic "simmered" white dwarf
progenitor model with a flame model and energetics scheme to calculate the
amount of Ni-56 and NSE material synthesized for a suite of simulated
explosions in which the transition density is varied in the range 1-3x10^7
g/cc. We find a quadratic dependence of the NSE yield on the log of the
transition density, which is determined by the competition between plume rise
and stellar expansion. By considering the effect of metallicity on the
transition density, we find the NSE yield decreases by 0.055 +/- 0.004 solar
masses for a 1 solar metallicity increase evaluated about solar metallicity.
For the same change in metallicity, this result translates to a 0.067 +/- 0.004
solar mass decrease in the Ni-56 yield, slightly stronger than that due to the
variation in electron fraction from the initial composition. Observations
testing the dependence of the yield on metallicity remain somewhat ambiguous,
but the dependence we find is comparable to that inferred from some studies.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, accepted to ApJ on July 6, 201
Consistent estimates of (56)Ni yields for type Ia supernovae
We present (56)Ni mass estimates for seventeen well-observed type Ia
supernovae determined by two independent methods. Estimates of the (56)Ni mass
for each type Ia supernova are determined from (1) modeling of the late-time
nebular spectrum and (2) through the combination of the peak bolometric
luminosity with Arnett's rule. The attractiveness of this approach is that the
comparison of estimated (56)Ni masses circumvents errors associated with the
uncertainty in the adopted values of reddening and distance. We demonstrate
that these two methods provide consistent estimates of the amount of (56)Ni
synthesized. We also find a strong correlation between the derived (56)Ni mass
and the absolute B-band magnitude (M(B)). Spectral synthesis can be used as a
diagnostic to study the explosion mechanism. By obtaining more nebular spectra
the Nif--M(B) correlation can be calibrated and can be used to investigate any
potential systematic effects this relationship may have on the determination of
cosmological parameters, and provide a new way to estimate extra-galactic
distances of nearby type Ia supernovae.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, constructive comments welcome
Measurement of CNGS muon neutrino speed with Borexino
We have measured the speed of muon neutrinos with the Borexino detector using
short-bunch CNGS beams. The final result for the difference in time-of-flight
between a =17 GeV muon neutrino and a particle moving at the speed of light
in vacuum is {\delta}t = 0.8 \pm 0.7stat \pm 2.9sys ns, well consistent with
zero.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Identification of a new pebp2 alpha A2 isoform from zebrafish runx2 capable of inducing osteocalcin gene expression in vitro
Introduction: RUNX2 (also known as CBFA1/Osf2/AML3/PEBP2 alpha A) is a transcription factor essential for bone formation in mammals, as well as for osteoblast and chondrocyte differentiation, through regulation of expression of several bone- and cartilage-related genes. Since its discovery, Runx2 has been the subject of intense studies, mainly focused in unveiling regulatory targets of this transcription factor in high vertebrates. However, no single study has been published addressing the role of Runx2 in bone metabolism of low vertebrates. While analyzing the zebrafish (Danio rerio) runx2 gene, we identified the presence of two orthologs of RUNX2, which we named runx2a and runx2b and cloned a pebp2 alpha A-like transcript of the runx2b gene, which we named pebp2 alpha A2. Materials and Methods: Zebrafish runx2b gene and cDNA were isolated by RT-PCR and sequence data mining. The 3D structure of runx2b runt domain was modeled using mouse Runx1 runt as template. The regulatory effect of pebp2 alpha A2 on osteocalcin expression was analyzed by transient co-transfection experiments using a luciferase reporter gene. Phylogenetic analysis of available Runx sequences was performed with TREE-PUZZLE 5.2. and MrBayes. Results and Conclusions: We showed that the runx2b gene structure is highly conserved between mammals and fish. Zebrafish runx2b has two promoter regions separated by a large intron. Sequence analysis suggested that the runx2b gene encodes three distinct isoforms, by a combination of alternative splicing and differential promoter activation, as described for the human gene. We have cloned a pebp2 alpha A-like transcript of the runx2b gene, which we named pebp2 alpha A2, and showed its high degree of sequence similarity with the mammalian pebp2 alpha A. The cloned zebrafish osteocalcin promoter was found to contain three putative runx2-binding elements, and one of them, located at -221 from the ATG, was capable of mediating pebp2 alpha A2 transactivation. In addition, cross-species transactivation was also confirmed because the mouse Cbfa1 was able to induce the zebrafish osteocalcin promoter, whereas the zebrafish pebp2 alpha A2 activated the murine osteocalcin promoter. These results are consistent with the high degree of evolutionary conservation of these proteins. The 3D structure of the runx2b runt domain was modeled based on the runt domain of mouse Runx1. Results show a high degree of similarity in the 3D configuration of the DNA binding regions from both domains, with significant differences only observed in non-DNA binding regions or in DNA-binding regions known to accommodate considerable structure flexibility. Phylogenetic analysis was used to clarify the relationship between the isoforms of each of the two zebrafish Runx2 orthologs and other Runx proteins. Both zebrafish runx2 genes clustered with other Runx2 sequences. The duplication event seemed, however, to be so old that, whereas Runx2b clearly clusters with the other fish sequences, it is unclear whether Runx2a clusters with Runx2 from higher vertebrates or from other fish.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Highlights from the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Pierre Auger Observatory is the world's largest cosmic ray observatory.
Our current exposure reaches nearly 40,000 km str and provides us with an
unprecedented quality data set. The performance and stability of the detectors
and their enhancements are described. Data analyses have led to a number of
major breakthroughs. Among these we discuss the energy spectrum and the
searches for large-scale anisotropies. We present analyses of our X
data and show how it can be interpreted in terms of mass composition. We also
describe some new analyses that extract mass sensitive parameters from the 100%
duty cycle SD data. A coherent interpretation of all these recent results opens
new directions. The consequences regarding the cosmic ray composition and the
properties of UHECR sources are briefly discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figures, talk given at the 33rd International Cosmic Ray
Conference, Rio de Janeiro 201
A search for point sources of EeV photons
Measurements of air showers made using the hybrid technique developed with
the fluorescence and surface detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory allow a
sensitive search for point sources of EeV photons anywhere in the exposed sky.
A multivariate analysis reduces the background of hadronic cosmic rays. The
search is sensitive to a declination band from -85{\deg} to +20{\deg}, in an
energy range from 10^17.3 eV to 10^18.5 eV. No photon point source has been
detected. An upper limit on the photon flux has been derived for every
direction. The mean value of the energy flux limit that results from this,
assuming a photon spectral index of -2, is 0.06 eV cm^-2 s^-1, and no celestial
direction exceeds 0.25 eV cm^-2 s^-1. These upper limits constrain scenarios in
which EeV cosmic ray protons are emitted by non-transient sources in the
Galaxy.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
Reconstruction of inclined air showers detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory
We describe the method devised to reconstruct inclined cosmic-ray air showers
with zenith angles greater than detected with the surface array of
the Pierre Auger Observatory. The measured signals at the ground level are
fitted to muon density distributions predicted with atmospheric cascade models
to obtain the relative shower size as an overall normalization parameter. The
method is evaluated using simulated showers to test its performance. The energy
of the cosmic rays is calibrated using a sub-sample of events reconstructed
with both the fluorescence and surface array techniques. The reconstruction
method described here provides the basis of complementary analyses including an
independent measurement of the energy spectrum of ultra-high energy cosmic rays
using very inclined events collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: 27 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in Journal of
Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (JCAP
Operations of and Future Plans for the Pierre Auger Observatory
Technical reports on operations and features of the Pierre Auger Observatory,
including ongoing and planned enhancements and the status of the future
northern hemisphere portion of the Observatory. Contributions to the 31st
International Cosmic Ray Conference, Lodz, Poland, July 2009.Comment: Contributions to the 31st ICRC, Lodz, Poland, July 200
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