13 research outputs found
An intelligent, free-flying robot
The ground based demonstration of the extensive extravehicular activity (EVA) Retriever, a voice-supervised, intelligent, free flying robot, is designed to evaluate the capability to retrieve objects (astronauts, equipment, and tools) which have accidentally separated from the Space Station. The major objective of the EVA Retriever Project is to design, develop, and evaluate an integrated robotic hardware and on-board software system which autonomously: (1) performs system activation and check-out; (2) searches for and acquires the target; (3) plans and executes a rendezvous while continuously tracking the target; (4) avoids stationary and moving obstacles; (5) reaches for and grapples the target; (6) returns to transfer the object; and (7) returns to base
PTF10iya: A short-lived, luminous flare from the nuclear region of a star-forming galaxy
We present the discovery and characterisation of PTF10iya, a short-lived (dt
~ 10 d, with an optical decay rate of ~ 0.3 mag per d), luminous (M_g ~ -21
mag) transient source found by the Palomar Transient Factory. The
ultraviolet/optical spectral energy distribution is reasonably well fit by a
blackbody with T ~ 1-2 x 10^4 K and peak bolometric luminosity L_BB ~ 1-5 x
10^44 erg per s (depending on the details of the extinction correction). A
comparable amount of energy is radiated in the X-ray band that appears to
result from a distinct physical process. The location of PTF10iya is consistent
with the nucleus of a star-forming galaxy (z = 0.22405 +/- 0.00006) to within
350 mas (99.7 per cent confidence radius), or a projected distance of less than
1.2 kpc. At first glance, these properties appear reminiscent of the
characteristic "big blue bump" seen in the near-ultraviolet spectra of many
active galactic nuclei (AGNs). However, emission-line diagnostics of the host
galaxy, along with a historical light curve extending back to 2007, show no
evidence for AGN-like activity. We therefore consider whether the tidal
disruption of a star by an otherwise quiescent supermassive black hole may
account for our observations. Though with limited temporal information,
PTF10iya appears broadly consistent with the predictions for the early
"super-Eddington" phase of a solar-type star disrupted by a ~ 10^7 M_sun black
hole. Regardless of the precise physical origin of the accreting material, the
large luminosity and short duration suggest that otherwise quiescent galaxies
can transition extremely rapidly to radiate near the Eddington limit; many such
outbursts may have been missed by previous surveys lacking sufficient cadence.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures; revised following referee's comment
The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems
We review the formation and evolution of compact binary stars consisting of
white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), and black holes (BHs). Binary NSs and
BHs are thought to be the primary astrophysical sources of gravitational waves
(GWs) within the frequency band of ground-based detectors, while compact
binaries of WDs are important sources of GWs at lower frequencies to be covered
by space interferometers (LISA). Major uncertainties in the current
understanding of properties of NSs and BHs most relevant to the GW studies are
discussed, including the treatment of the natal kicks which compact stellar
remnants acquire during the core collapse of massive stars and the common
envelope phase of binary evolution. We discuss the coalescence rates of binary
NSs and BHs and prospects for their detections, the formation and evolution of
binary WDs and their observational manifestations. Special attention is given
to AM CVn-stars -- compact binaries in which the Roche lobe is filled by
another WD or a low-mass partially degenerate helium-star, as these stars are
thought to be the best LISA verification binary GW sources.Comment: 105 pages, 18 figure