11,183 research outputs found
A new method of measuring center-of-mass velocities of radially pulsating stars from high-resolution spectroscopy
We present a radial velocity analysis of 20 solar neighborhood RR Lyrae and 3
Population II Cepheids variables. We obtained high-resolution, moderate-to-high
signal-to-noise ratio spectra for most stars and obtained spectra were covering
different pulsation phases for each star. To estimate the gamma
(center-of-mass) velocities of the program stars, we use two independent
methods. The first, `classic' method is based on RR Lyrae radial velocity curve
templates. The second method is based on the analysis of absorption line
profile asymmetry to determine both the pulsational and the gamma velocities.
This second method is based on the Least Squares Deconvolution (LSD) technique
applied to analyze the line asymmetry that occurs in the spectra. We obtain
measurements of the pulsation component of the radial velocity with an accuracy
of 3.5 km s. The gamma velocity was determined with an accuracy
10 km s, even for those stars having a small number of spectra.
The main advantage of this method is the possibility to get the estimation of
gamma velocity even from one spectroscopic observation with uncertain pulsation
phase. A detailed investigation of the LSD profile asymmetry shows that the
projection factor varies as a function of the pulsation phase -- this is a
key parameter which converts observed spectral line radial velocity variations
into photospheric pulsation velocities. As a byproduct of our study, we present
41 densely-spaced synthetic grids of LSD profile bisectors that are based on
atmospheric models of RR Lyr covering all pulsation phases.Comment: 17 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS;
doi:10.1093/mnras/stx294
Two years of monitoring Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients with Swift
We present two years of intense Swift monitoring of three SFXTs, IGR
J16479-4514, XTE J1739-302, and IGR J17544-2619 (since October 2007).
Out-of-outburst intensity-based X-ray (0.3-10keV) spectroscopy yields absorbed
power laws with by hard photon indices (G~1-2). Their outburst broad-band
(0.3-150 keV) spectra can be fit well with models typically used to describe
the X-ray emission from accreting NSs in HMXBs. We assess how long each source
spends in each state using a systematic monitoring with a sensitive instrument.
These sources spend 3-5% of the total in bright outbursts. The most probable
flux is 1-2E-11 erg cm^{-2} s^{-1} (2-10 keV, unabsorbed), corresponding to
luminosities in the order of a few 10^{33} to 10^{34} erg s^{-1} (two orders of
magnitude lower than the bright outbursts). The duty-cycle of inactivity is 19,
39, 55%, for IGR J16479-4514, XTE J1739-302, and IGR J17544-2619, respectively.
We present a complete list of BAT on-board detections further confirming the
continued activity of these sources. This demonstrates that true quiescence is
a rare state, and that these transients accrete matter throughout their life at
different rates. X-ray variability is observed at all timescales and
intensities we can probe. Superimposed on the day-to-day variability is
intra-day flaring which involves variations up to one order of magnitude that
can occur down to timescales as short as ~1ks, and whichcan be explained by the
accretion of single clumps composing the donor wind with masses
M_cl~0.3-2x10^{19} g. (Abridged)Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 17 pages, 11 figures, 8 table
Effect of Ferric Sodium EDTA administration, in combination with vitamin C, folic acid, copper gluconate, zinc gluconate and selenomethionine, on cardiovascular risk evaluation: exploration of the HRV frequency domain
diseases. Using the Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis is possible to provide an evaluation of the safety and the
effectiveness of intervention.
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ferric Sodium EDTA in combination with vitamin C, folic acid, copper
gluconate, zinc gluconate and selenomethionine (Ferachel forte®) 2 tabs/day for 24 days in elderly patients with secondary
anaemia, by exploring the HRV frequency domain.
Methods: In 45 elderly patients with secondary anaemia and/or low-moderate kidney failure, laboratory values after
administration of Ferric Sodium EDTA, 2 tabs a day, in combination with vitamin C, folic acid, copper gluconate, zinc
gluconate and selenomethionine (Ferachel forte®) for 24 days (N=16 patients) or ferrous gluconate 63 mg/day added to
saline solution, administered using intravenous access during the hospitalization period of 15 ± 5 days (N=29 patients)
were evaluated. Also, ECG signals and bioelectrical impedance (BIA) were measured.
Results: Oral iron supplementation with Ferric Sodium EDTA, in combination with vitamin C, folic acid, copper gluconate,
zinc gluconate and selenomethionine (Ferachel forte®) confirmed to be effective and safe about the cardiovascular risk
in old patients. This study showed the real superiority of the oral administration about the cardiovascular risk in elderly
patients in comparison with intravenous administration of ferrous gluconate.
Conclusion: This study confirms that Ferric Sodium EDTA combination (Ferachel forte®) can be a valid alternative to ferrous
gluconate intravenous therapy (gold standard) in the treatment of secondary anaemia in elderly patients. In fact, during
the treatment, efficacy results have been maintained without statistically significant variations about cardiovascular risk,
evaluated by exploring the HRV frequency domain
Monitoring Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients with Swift. Rise to the outburst in IGR J16479-4514
IGR J16479-4514 is a Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient (SFXT), a new class of
High Mass X-ray Binaries, whose number is rapidly growing thanks to the
observations of the Galactic plane performed with the INTEGRAL satellite. IGR
J16479-4514 has been regularly monitored with Swift/XRT since November 2007, to
study the quiescent emission, the outburst properties and their recurrence. A
new bright outburst, reaching fluxes above 10 erg cm s,
was caught by the Swift/BAT.
Swift immediately re-pointed at the target with the narrow-field instruments
so that, for the first time, an outburst from a SFXT where a periodicity in the
outburst recurrence is unknown could be observed simultaneously in the 0.2--150
keV energy band. The X-ray emission is highly variable and spans almost four
orders of magnitude in count rate during the Swift/XRT observations covering a
few days before and after the bright peak. The X-ray spectrum in outburst is
hard and highly absorbed. The power-law fit resulted in a photon index of
0.98, and in an absorbing column density of
cm. These observations demonstrate that in this source (similarly to
what was observed during the 2007 outburst from the periodic SFXT IGR
J11215-5952), the accretion phase lasts much longer than a few hours.Comment: Accepted for publication on Astrophysical Journal Letters. 5 pages, 4
figure
Continental-drift opus turns 100
One hundred years ago this year, the legendary German explorer, geophysicist and meteorologist Alfred Wegener published his milestone book The Origin of Continents and Oceans. His theory of continental drift was initially viewed as heresy by the scientific community, yet his book was later translated into many languages and updated regularly until 1929.
For his opus, Wegener assembled an array of geological, palaeontological and geophysical data. They are best explained, he argued, by hypothesizing that major landmasses eventually broke apart and went their separate ways. After his death, his ideas were largely forgotten until the 1960s, when geophysicists demonstrated the phenomenon of sea-floor spreading. Plate tectonics has since gained acceptance as a synthetic theory with huge explanatory power.
Wegener died in 1930 while exploring in Greenland. Buried in the ice, his body has sailed westwards at a rate of about 2 centimetres per year on the back of the North American plate. He would have been glad to know that it will have travelled some 20 kilometres in a million years' time — in accordance with his visionary theory
Swift/XRT monitoring of the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient IGR J18483-0311 for an entire orbital period
IGR J18483-0311 is an X-ray pulsar with transient X-ray activity, belonging
to the new class of High Mass X-ray Binaries called Supergiant Fast X-ray
Transients. This system is one of the two members of this class, together with
IGR J11215-5952, where both the orbital (18.52d) and spin period (21s) are
known. We report on the first complete monitoring of the X-ray activity along
an entire orbital period of a Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient. These Swift
observations, lasting 28d, cover more than one entire orbital phase
consecutively. They are a unique data-set, which allows us to constrain the
different mechanisms proposed to explain the nature of this new class of X-ray
transients. We applied the new clumpy wind model for blue supergiants developed
by Ducci et al. (2009), to the observed X-ray light curve. Assuming an
eccentricity of e=0.4, the X-ray emission from this source can be explained in
terms of the accretion from a spherically symmetric clumpy wind, composed of
clumps with different masses, ranging from 10^{18}g to 5x 10^{21}g.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 7 pages, 7 figures, 2 table
Nonclassical Light in Interferometric Measurements
It is shown that the even and odd coherent light and other nonclassical
states of light like superposition of coherent states with different phases may
replace the squeezed light in interferometric gravitational wave detector to
increase its sensitivity. (Contribution to the Second Workshop on Harmonic
Oscillator, Cocoyoc, Mexico, March 1994)Comment: 8 pages,LATEX,preprint of Naples University,
INFN-NA-IV-94/30,DSF-T-94/3
The Swift view of Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients
We report here on the recent results of a monitoring campaign we have been
carrying out with Swift/XRT on a sample of four Supergiant Fast X-ray
Transients. The main goal of this large programme (with a net Swift/XRT
exposure of 540 ks, updated to 2009, August, 31) is to address several main
open issues related to this new class of High Mass X-ray Binaries hosting OB
supergiant stars as companions. Here we summarize the most important results
obtained between October 2007 and August 2009.Comment: Published on the Proceedings of the conference X-Ray Astronomy 2009,
Present Status, multiwavelenght approach and future perspectives, September 7
- 11, 2009, Bologna, Italy. Revised version according to the referee's repor
- …