4,233 research outputs found
A magnetohydrodynamic model for multi-wavelength flares from Sagittarius~A (I): model and the near-infrared and X-ray flares
Flares from the supermassive black hole in our Galaxy, Sagittarius~A
(Sgr A), are routinely observed over the last decade or so. Despite
numerous observational and theoretical efforts, the nature of such flares still
remains poorly understood, although a few phenomenological scenarios have been
proposed. In this work, we develop the Yuan et al. (2009) scenario into a
magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model for Sgr A flares. This model is
analogous with the theory of solar flares and coronal mass ejection in solar
physics. In the model, magnetic field loops emerge from the accretion flow onto
Sgr A and are twisted to form flux ropes because of shear and
turbulence. The magnetic energy is also accumulated in this process until a
threshold is reached. This then results in a catastrophic evolution of a flux
rope with the help of magnetic reconnection in the current sheet. In this
catastrophic process, the magnetic energy is partially converted into the
energy of non-thermal electrons. We have quantitatively calculated the
dynamical evolution of the height, size, and velocity of the flux rope, as well
as the magnetic field in the flare regions, and the energy distribution of
relativistic electrons in this process. We further calculate the synchrotron
radiation from these electrons and compare the obtained light curves with the
observed ones. We find that the model can reasonably explain the main
observations of near-infrared (NIR) and X-ray flares including their light
curves and spectra. It can also potentially explain the frequency-dependent
time delay seen in radio flare light curves.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, accepted by MNRA
A Critical Examination of Hypernova Remnant Candidates in M101. II. NGC 5471B
NGC 5471B has been suggested to contain a hypernova remnant because of its
extraordinarily bright X-ray emission. To assess its true nature, we have
obtained high-resolution images in continuum bands and nebular lines with the
Hubble Space Telescope, and high-dispersion long-slit spectra with the Kitt
Peak National Observatory 4-m echelle spectrograph. The images reveal three
supernova remnant (SNR) candidates in the giant HII region NGC 5471, with the
brightest one being the 77x60 pc shell in NGC 5471B. The Ha velocity profile of
NGC 5471B can be decomposed into a narrow component (FWHM = 41 km/s) from the
background HII region and a broad component (FWHM = 148 km/s) from the SNR
shell. Using the brightness ratio of the broad to narrow components and the Ha
flux measured from the WFPC2 Ha image, we derive an Ha luminosity of
(1.4+-0.1)x10^39 ergs/s for the SNR shell. The [SII]6716,6731 doublet ratio of
the broad velocity component is used to derive an electron density of ~700
cm^-3 in the SNR shell. The mass of the SNR shell is thus 4600+-500 Mo. With a
\~330 km/s expansion velocity implied by the extreme velocity extent of the
broad component, the kinetic energy of the SNR shell is determined to be
5x10^51 ergs. This requires an explosion energy greater than 10^52 ergs, which
can be provided by one hypernova or multiple supernovae. Comparing to SNRs in
nearby active star formation regions, the SNR shell in NGC 5471B appears truly
unique and energetic. We conclude that the optical observations support the
existence of a hypernova remnant in NGC 5471B.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figures, to appear in May 2002 issue of The Astronomical
Journa
Statistics of X-ray flares of Sagittarius A*: evidence for solar-like self-organized criticality phenomenon
X-ray flares have routinely been observed from the supermassive black hole,
Sagittarius A (Sgr A), at our Galactic center. The nature of
these flares remains largely unclear, despite of many theoretical models. In
this paper, we study the statistical properties of the Sgr A X-ray
flares, by fitting the count rate (CR) distribution and the structure function
(SF) of the light curve with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. With the
3 million second \textit{Chandra} observations accumulated in the Sgr A
X-ray Visionary Project, we construct the theoretical light curves through
Monte Carlo simulations. We find that the keV X-ray light curve can be
decomposed into a quiescent component with a constant count rate of
count s and a flare component with a power-law
fluence distribution with . The duration-fluence correlation can also be modelled as a
power-law with (
confidence). These statistical properties are consistent with the theoretical
prediction of the self-organized criticality (SOC) system with the spatial
dimension . We suggest that the X-ray flares represent plasmoid
ejections driven by magnetic reconnection (similar to solar flares) in the
accretion flow onto the black hole.Comment: to appear in Ap
Systematic study of pentaquark states: configuration
Group theoretic method for the systematic study of five-quark states with
meson-baryon () configuration is developed. The calculation of
matrix elements of many body Hamiltonian is simplified by transforming the
physical bases (meson-baryon quark cluster bases) to symmetry bases (group
chain classified bases), where the fractional parentage expansion method can be
used. Three quark models, the naive Glashow-Isgur model, Salamanca chiral quark
model and quark delocalization color screening model, are used to show the
general applicability of the method and general results of constituent quark
models for five-quark states are given. The method can also be useful in the
calculation of meson-baryon scattering and the study of the five-quark
components effect in baryon structure. The physical contents of different model
configurations for the same multi-quark system can also be compared through the
transformation between different physical bases to the same set of symmetry
bases.Comment: 30 pages, 8 figure
The d' dibaryon in the quark-delocalization, color-screening model
We study the questions of the existence and mass of the proposed dibaryon in the quark-delocalization, color-screening model
(QDCSM). The transformation between physical and symmetry bases has been
extended to the cases beyond the SU(2) orbital symmetry. Using parameters fixed
by baryon properties and scattering, we find a mild attraction in the
channel, but it is not strong enough to form a deeply bound state
as proposed for the state. Nor does the (isospin) I=2 N
configuration have a deeply bound state. These results show that if a narrow
dibaryon state does exist, it must have a more complicated structure.Comment: 12 pp. latex, no figs., 2 tables, additional refs., Report-no was
adde
BET Bromodomain Inhibition Triggers Apoptosis of NF1-Associated Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors through Bim Induction
SummaryMalignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are highly aggressive sarcomas that develop sporadically or in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) patients. There is no effective treatment for MPNSTs and they are typically fatal. To gain insights into MPNST pathogenesis, we utilized an MPNST mouse model that allowed us to study the evolution of these tumors at the transcriptome level. Strikingly, in MPNSTs we found upregulation of a chromatin regulator, Brd4, and show that BRD4 inhibition profoundly suppresses both growth and tumorigenesis. Our findings reveal roles for BET bromodomains in MPNST development and report a mechanism by which bromodomain inhibition induces apoptosis through induction of proapoptotic Bim, which may represent a paradigm shift in therapy for MPNST patients. Moreover, these findings indicate epigenetic mechanisms underlying the balance of anti- and proapoptotic molecules and that bromodomain inhibition can shift this balance in favor of cancer cell apoptosis
- …