1,817 research outputs found
VLT observations of the asymmetric Etched Hourglass Nebula, MyCn 18
Context. The mechanisms that form extreme bipolar planetary nebulae remain
unclear. Aims. The physical properties, structure, and dynamics of the bipolar
planetary nebula, MyCn 18, are investigated in detail with the aim of
understanding the shaping mechanism and evolutionary history of this object.
Methods. VLT infrared images, VLT ISAAC infrared spectra, and long-slit optical
Echelle spectra are used to investigate MyCn 18. Morpho-kinematic modelling was
used to firmly constrain the structure and kinematics of the source. A
timescale analysis was used to determine the kinematical age of the nebula and
its main components. Results. A spectroscopic study of MyCn 18's central and
offset region reveals the detailed make-up of its nebular composition.
Molecular hydrogen, atomic helium, and Bracket gamma emission are detected from
the central regions of MyCn 18. ISAAC spectra from a slit position along the
narrow waist of the nebula demonstrate that the ionised gas resides closer to
the centre of the nebula than the molecular emission. A kinematical age of the
nebula and its components were obtained by the P-V arrays and timescale
analysis. Conclusions. The structure and kinematics of MyCn 18 are better
understood using an interactive 3-D modelling tool called shape. A dimensional
and timescale analysis of MyCn 18's major components provides a possible
mechanism for the nebula's asymmetry. The putative central star is somewhat
offset from the geometric centre of the nebula, which is thought to be the
result of a binary system. We speculate that the engulfing and destruction of
an exoplanet during the AGB phase may have been a key event in shaping MyCn 18
and generating of its hypersonic knotty outflow.Comment: 15 pages, 3 tables, 13 figures. Accepted for publication by A&
Observation of HCN hyperfine line anomalies towards low- and high-mass star-forming cores
HCN is becoming a popular choice of molecule for studying star formation in
both low- and high-mass regions and for other astrophysical sources from comets
to high-redshift galaxies. However, a major and often overlooked difficulty
with HCN is that it can exhibit non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE)
behaviour in its hyperfine line structure. Individual hyperfine lines can be
strongly boosted or suppressed. In low-mass star-forming cloud observations,
this could possibly lead to large errors in the calculation of opacity and
excitation temperature, while in massive star-forming clouds, where the
hyperfine lines are blended due to turbulent broadening, errors will arise in
infall measurements that are based on the separation of the peaks in a
self-absorbed profile. The underlying line shape cannot be known for certain if
hyperfine anomalies are present. We present a first observational investigation
of these anomalies across a range of conditions and transitions by carrying out
a survey of low-mass starless cores (in Taurus & Ophiuchus) and high-mass
protostellar objects (in the G333 giant molecular cloud) using hydrogen cyanide
(HCN) J=1-0 and J=3-2 emission lines. We quantify the degree of anomaly in
these two rotational levels by considering ratios of individual hyperfine lines
compared to LTE values. We find that all the cores observed show some degree of
anomaly while many of the lines are severely anomalous. We conclude that HCN
hyperfine anomalies are common in both lines in both low-mass and high-mass
protostellar objects, and we discuss the differing hypotheses for the
generation of the anomalies. In light of the results, we favour a line overlap
effect for the origins of the anomalies. We discuss the implications for the
use of HCN as a dynamical tracer and suggest in particular that the J=1-0,
F=0-1 hyperfine line should be avoided in quantitative calculations.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure
Empirical developments in retraction
This study provides current data on key questions about retraction of scientific articles. Findings confirm that the rate of retractions remains low but is increasing. The most commonly cited reason for retraction was research error or inability to reproduce results; the rate from research misconduct is an underestimate, since some retractions necessitated by research misconduct were reported as being due to inability to reproduce. Retraction by parties other than authors is increasing, especially for research misconduct. Although retractions are on average occurring sooner after publication than in the past, citation analysis shows that they are not being recognised by subsequent users of the work. Findings suggest that editors and institutional officials are taking more responsibility for correcting the scientific record but that reasons published in the retraction notice are not always reliable. More aggressive means of notification to the scientific community appear to be necessary
A High-Resolution Atlas of Uranium-Neon in the H Band
We present a high-resolution (R ~ 50 000) atlas of a uranium-neon (U/Ne)
hollow-cathode spectrum in the H-band (1454 nm to 1638 nm) for the calibration
of near-infrared spectrographs. We obtained this U/Ne spectrum simultaneously
with a laser-frequency comb spectrum, which we used to provide a first-order
calibration to the U/Ne spectrum. We then calibrated the U/Ne spectrum using
the recently-published uranium line list of Redman et al. (2011), which is
derived from high-resolution Fourier transform spectrometer measurements. These
two independent calibrations allowed us to easily identify emission lines in
the hollow cathode lamp that do not correspond to known (classified) lines of
either uranium or neon, and to compare the achievable precision of each source.
Our frequency comb precision was limited by modal noise and detector effects,
while the U/Ne precision was limited primarily by the signal-to-noise ratio
(S/N) of the observed emission lines and our ability to model blended lines.
The standard deviation in the dispersion solution residuals from the
S/N-limited U/Ne hollow cathode lamp were 50% larger than the standard
deviation of the dispersion solution residuals from the modal-noise-limited
laser frequency comb. We advocate the use of U/Ne lamps for precision
calibration of near-infrared spectrographs, and this H-band atlas makes these
lamps significantly easier to use for wavelength calibration.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures, submitted and accepted in ApJSS. Online-only
material to be published online by ApJS
Observations and radiative transfer modelling of a massive dense cold core in G333
Cold massive cores are one of the earliest manifestations of high mass star
formation. Following the detection of SiO emission from G333.125-0.562, a cold
massive core, further investigations of the physics, chemistry and dynamics of
this object has been carried out. Mopra and NANTEN2 molecular line profile
observations, Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) line and continuum
emission maps, and Spitzer 24 and 70 \mum images were obtained. These new data
further constrain the properties of this prime example of the very early stages
of high mass star formation. A model for the source was constructed and
compared directly with the molecular line data using a 3D molecular line
transfer code - MOLLIE. The ATCA data reveal that G333.125-0.562 is composed of
two sources. One of the sources is responsible for the previously detected
molecular outflow and is detected in the Spitzer 24 and 70 \mum band data.
Turbulent velocity widths are lower than other more active regions of G333
which reflects the younger evolutionary stage and/or lower mass of this core.
The molecular line modelling requires abundances of the CO isotopes that
strongly imply heavy depletion due to freeze-out of this species onto dust
grains. The principal cloud is cold, moderately turbulent and possesses an
outflow which indicates the presence of a central driving source. The secondary
source could be an even less evolved object as no apparent associations with
continuum emissions at (far-)infrared wavelengths.Comment: 10 pages, accepted to MNRA
Coordinated thermal and optical observations of Trans-Neptunian object (20000) Varuna from Sierra Nevada
We report on coordinated thermal and optical measurements of trans-Neptunian
object (20000) Varuna obtained in January-February 2002, respectively from the
IRAM 30-m and IAA 1.5 m telescopes. The optical data show a lightcurve with a
period of 3.176+/-0.010 hr, a mean V magnitude of 20.37+/-0.08 and a
0.42+/-0.01 magnitude amplitude. They also tentatively indicate that the
lightcurve is asymmetric and double-peaked. The thermal observations indicate a
1.12+/-0.41 mJy flux, averaged over the object's rotation. Combining the two
datasets, we infer that Varuna has a mean 1060(+180/-220) km diameter and a
mean 0.038(+0.022/-0.010) V geometric albedo, in general agreement with an
earlier determination using the same technique.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics (7 pages,
including 3 figures
Sensorimotor cortex beta oscillations reflect motor skill learning ability after stroke
Recovery of skilled movement after stroke is assumed to depend on motor learning. However, the capacity for motor learning and factors that influence motor learning after stroke have received little attention. In this study, we first compared motor skill acquisition and retention between well-recovered stroke patients and age- and performance-matched healthy controls. We then tested whether beta oscillations (15-30 Hz) from sensorimotor cortices contribute to predicting training-related motor performance. Eighteen well-recovered chronic stroke survivors (mean age 64 ± 8 years, range: 50-74 years) and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were trained on a continuous tracking task and subsequently retested after initial training (45-60 min and 24 h later). Scalp electroencephalography was recorded during the performance of a simple motor task before each training and retest session. Stroke patients demonstrated capacity for motor skill learning, but it was diminished compared to age- and performance-matched healthy controls. Furthermore, although the properties of beta oscillations prior to training were comparable between stroke patients and healthy controls, stroke patients did show less change in beta measures with motor learning. Lastly, although beta oscillations did not help to predict motor performance immediately after training, contralateral (ipsilesional) sensorimotor cortex post-movement beta rebound measured after training helped predict future motor performance, 24 h after training. This finding suggests that neurophysiological measures such as beta oscillations can help predict response to motor training in chronic stroke patients and may offer novel targets for therapeutic interventions
SiO Outflow Signatures Toward Massive Young Stellar Objects with Linearly Distributed Methanol Masers
Methanol masers are often found in linear distributions, and it has been
hypothesized that these masers are tracing circumstellar accretion disks around
young massive stars. However, recent observations in H2 emission have shown
what appear to be outflows at similar angles to the maser distribution angles,
not perpendicular as expected in the maser-disk scenario. The main motivation
behind the observations presented here is to determine from the presence and
morphology of an independent outflow tracer, namely SiO, if there are indeed
outflows present in these regions and if they are consistent or inconsistent
with the maser-disk hypothesis. For ten sources with H2 emission we obtained
JCMT single dish SiO (6-5) observations to search for the presence of this
outflow indicator. We followed up those observations with ATCA interferometric
mapping of the SiO emission in the (2-1) line in six sources. The JCMT
observations yielded a detection in the SiO (6-5) line in nine of the ten
sources. All of the sources with bright SiO lines display broad line wings
indicative of outflow. A subset of the sources observed with the JCMT have
methanol maser velocities significantly offset from their parent cloud
velocities, supporting the idea that the masers in these sources are likely not
associated with circumstellar disks. The ATCA maps of the SiO emission show
five of the six sources do indeed have SiO outflows. The spatial orientations
of the outflows are not consistent with the methanol masers delineating disk
orientations. Overall, the observations presented here seem to provide further
evidence against the hypothesis that linearly distributed methanol masers
generally trace the orientations of circumstellar disks around massive young
stars.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A; 36 pages, 8 figures; a version with
higher quality figures can be found at http://www.jim-debuizer.net/researc
New Records and Notes on the Ecology of the Northern Long-Eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis) in Arkansas
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