Effects of Metallicity on the Rotation Rates of Massive Stars

Recent theoretical predictions for low metallicity massive stars predict that these stars should have drastically reduced equatorial winds (mass loss) while on the main sequence, and as such should retain most of their angular momentum. Observations of both the Be/(B+Be) ratio and the blue-to-red supergiant ratio appear to have a metallicity dependence that may be caused by high rotational velocities. We have analyzed 39 archival Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), high resolution, ultraviolet spectra of O-type stars in the Magellanic Clouds to determine their projected rotational velocities V sin i. Our methodology is based on a previous study of the projected rotational velocities of Galactic O-type stars using International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) Short Wavelength Prime (SWP) Camera high dispersion spectra, which resulted in a catalog of V sin i values for 177 O stars. Here we present complementary V sin i values for 21 Large Magellanic Cloud and 22 Small Magellanic Cloud O-type stars based on STIS and IUE UV spectroscopy. The distribution of V sin i values for O type stars in the Magellanic Clouds is compared to that of Galactic O type stars. Despite the theoretical predictions and indirect observational evidence for high rotation, the O type stars in the Magellanic Clouds do not appear to rotate faster than their Galactic counterparts.Comment: accepted by ApJ, to appear 20 December 2004 editio

Supersonic Flow of Chemically Reacting Gas-Particle Mixtures. Volume 2: RAMP - A Computer Code for Analysis of Chemically Reacting Gas-Particle Flows

A computer program written in conjunction with the numerical solution of the flow of chemically reacting gas-particle mixtures was documented. The solution to the set of governing equations was obtained by utilizing the method of characteristics. The equations cast in characteristic form were shown to be formally the same for ideal, frozen, chemical equilibrium and chemical non-equilibrium reacting gas mixtures. The characteristic directions for the gas-particle system are found to be the conventional gas Mach lines, the gas streamlines and the particle streamlines. The basic mesh construction for the flow solution is along streamlines and normals to the streamlines for axisymmetric or two-dimensional flow. The analysis gives detailed information of the supersonic flow and provides for a continuous solution of the nozzle and exhaust plume flow fields. Boundary conditions for the flow solution are either the nozzle wall or the exhaust plume boundary

Supersonic flow of chemically reacting gas-particle mixtures. Volume 1: A theoretical analysis and development of the numerical solution

A numerical solution for chemically reacting supersonic gas-particle flows in rocket nozzles and exhaust plumes was described. The gas-particle flow solution is fully coupled in that the effects of particle drag and heat transfer between the gas and particle phases are treated. Gas and particles exchange momentum via the drag exerted on the gas by the particles. Energy is exchanged between the phases via heat transfer (convection and/or radiation). Thermochemistry calculations (chemical equilibrium, frozen or chemical kinetics) were shown to be uncoupled from the flow solution and, as such, can be solved separately. The solution to the set of governing equations is obtained by utilizing the method of characteristics. The equations cast in characteristic form are shown to be formally the same for ideal, frozen, chemical equilibrium and chemical non-equilibrium reacting gas mixtures. The particle distribution is represented in the numerical solution by a finite distribution of particle sizes

Lupus-TR-3b: A Low-Mass Transiting Hot Jupiter in the Galactic Plane?

We present a strong case for a transiting Hot Jupiter planet identified during a single-field transit survey towards the Lupus Galactic plane. The object, Lupus-TR-3b, transits a V=17.4 K1V host star every 3.91405d. Spectroscopy and stellar colors indicate a host star with effective temperature 5000 +/- 150K, with a stellar mass and radius of 0.87 +/- 0.04M_sun and 0.82 +/- 0.05R_sun, respectively. Limb-darkened transit fitting yields a companion radius of 0.89 +/- 0.07R_J and an orbital inclination of 88.3 +1.3/-0.8 deg. Magellan 6.5m MIKE radial velocity measurements reveal a 2.4 sigma K=114 +/- 25m/s sinusoidal variation in phase with the transit ephemeris. The resulting mass is 0.81 +/- 0.18M_J and density 1.4 +/- 0.4g/cm^3. Y-band PANIC image deconvolution reveal a V>=21 red neighbor 0.4'' away which, although highly unlikely, we cannot conclusively rule out as a blended binary with current data. However, blend simulations show that only the most unusual binary system can reproduce our observations. This object is very likely a planet, detected from a highly efficient observational strategy. Lupus-TR-3b constitutes the faintest ground-based detection to date, and one of the lowest mass Hot Jupiters known.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

High eccentricity planets from the Anglo-Australian Planet Search

We report Doppler measurements of the stars HD187085 and HD20782 which indicate two high eccentricity low-mass companions to the stars. We find HD187085 has a Jupiter-mass companion with a ~1000d orbit. Our formal `best fit' solution suggests an eccentricity of 0.47, however, it does not sample the periastron passage of the companion and we find that orbital solutions with eccentricities between 0.1 and 0.8 give only slightly poorer fits (based on RMS and chi^2) and are thus plausible. Observations made during periastron passage in 2007 June should allow for the reliable determination of the orbital eccentricity for the companion to HD187085. Our dataset for HD20782 does sample periastron and so the orbit for its companion can be more reliably determined. We find the companion to HD20782 has M sin i=1.77+/-0.22M_JUP, an orbital period of 595.86+/-0.03d and an orbit with an eccentricity of 0.92+/-0.03. The detection of such high-eccentricity (and relatively low velocity amplitude) exoplanets appears to be facilitated by the long-term precision of the Anglo-Australian Planet Search. Looking at exoplanet detections as a whole, we find that those with higher eccentricity seem to have relatively higher velocity amplitudes indicating higher mass planets and/or an observational bias against the detection of high eccentricity systems.Comment: to appear in MNRA

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Tomographic Separation of Composite Spectra. IX. The Massive Close Binary HD 115071

We present the first orbital elements for the massive close binary, HD 115071, a double-lined spectroscopic binary in a circular orbit with a period of 2.73135 +/- 0.00003 days. The orbital semiamplitudes indicate a mass ratio of M_2/M_1 = 0.58 +/- 0.02 and yet the stars have similar luminosities. We used a Doppler tomography algorithm to reconstruct the individual component optical spectra, and we applied well known criteria to arrive at classifications of O9.5 V and B0.2 III for the primary and secondary, respectively. We present models of the Hipparcos light curve of the ellipsoidal variations caused by the tidal distortion of the secondary, and the best fit model for a Roche-filling secondary occurs for an inclination of i = 48.7 +/- 2.1 degrees. The resulting masses are 11.6 +/- 1.1 and 6.7 +/- 0.7 solar masses for the primary and secondary, respectively, so that both stars are very overluminous for their mass. The system is one of only a few known semi-detached, Algol-type binaries that contain O-stars. We suggest that the binary has recently emerged from extensive mass transfer (possibly through a delayed contact and common envelope process).Comment: Submitted to Ap

Small unilamellar liposomes as a membrane model for cell inactivation by cold atmospheric plasma treatment

International audienceCold atmospheric plasma is thought to be a promising tool for numerous biomedical applications due to its ability to generate a large diversity of reactive species in a controlled way. In some cases, it can also generate pulsed electric fields at the zone of treatment, which can induce processes such as electroporation in cell membranes. However, the interaction of these reactive species and the pulse electric field with cells in a physiological medium is very complex and still need a better understanding in order to be useful for future applications. A way to reach this goal is to work with model cell membranes such as liposomes, with the simplest physiological liquid and in a controlled atmosphere in order to limit the number of parallel reactions and processes. In this work, where this approach has been chosen, 1,2-Dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) has been synthesized in phosphate buffered aqueous solution and this solution has been treated by a nanosecond pulsed plasma jet under a pure nitrogen atmosphere. Only the composition of the plasma gas has been changed in order to generate different cocktails of reactive species. After the quantification of the main plasma reactive species in the PBS solution, structural, surface charge state, and chemical modifications generated on the plasma treated liposomes, due to the interaction with the plasma reactive species, has been carefully characterized. These results allow going further in the understanding of the effect of plasma reactive species on model cell membranes in physiological liquids. Permeation through the liposomal membrane and reaction of plasma reactive species with molecules encapsulated inside the liposomes has also been evaluated. New processes of degradation are finally presented and discussed, which come from the specific conditions of plasma treatment under pure nitrogen atmosphere