Habitability: CAMELOT 4

During 1988 to 1989 the NASA/USRA Advanced Design Program sponsored research and design efforts aimed at developing habitability criteria and at defining a habitability concept as a useful tool in understanding and evaluating dwellings for prolonged stays in extraterrestrial space. The Circulating Auto sufficient Mars-Earth Luxurious Orbital Transport (CAMELOT) was studied as a case in which the students would try to enhance the quality of life of the inhabitants by applying architectural design methodology. The study proposed 14 habitability criteria considered necessary to fulfill the defined habitability concept, which is that state of equilibrium that results from the interaction between components of the Individual Architecture Mission Complex, which allows a person to sustain physiological homeostatis, adequate performance, and acceptable social relationships. Architecture, design development, refinements and revisions to improve the quality of life, new insights on artificial gravity, form and constitution problems, and the final design concept are covered

Internal and relative motions of the Taurus and Ophiuchus star-forming regions

We investigate the internal and relative motions of the Taurus and Ophiuchus star-forming regions using a sample of young stars with accurately measured radial velocities and proper motions. We find no evidence for expansion or contraction of the Taurus complex, but a clear indication for a global rotation, resulting in velocity gradients, this suggests a common origin, possibly related to that of Gould's Belt.Comment: 2 figure

Commensurate-Incommensurate Magnetic Phase Transition in Magnetoelectric Single Crystal LiNiPO4_4

Neutron scattering studies of single-crystal LiNiPO$_4$ reveal a spontaneous first-order commensurate-incommensurate magnetic phase transition. Short- and long-range incommensurate phases are intermediate between the high temperature paramagnetic and the low temperature antiferromagnetic phases. The modulated structure has a predominant antiferromagnetic component, giving rise to satellite peaks in the vicinity of the fundamental antiferromagnetic Bragg reflection, and a ferromagnetic component giving rise to peaks at small momentum-transfers around the origin at $(0,\pm Q,0)$. The wavelength of the modulated magnetic structure varies continuously with temperature. It is argued that the incommensurate short- and long-range phases are due to spin-dimensionality crossover from a continuous to the discrete Ising state. These observations explain the anomalous first-order transition seen in the magnetoelectric effect of this system

DIGESTIBILITY OF NUTRIENTS WITH THE INCLUSION OF CONJUGATED LINOLEIC ACID IN THE DIET OF DOGS

The inclusion of the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in food for dogs has been displaying greatpotential, taking into account several benefits in regard to the use of this product. To determine the effect of CLAon the digestibility of the dry matter, nutrients and energy in dogs, two experiments were performed using dogs ofBeagle type, in the age of seven and 15 months, respectively. The experimental diets were isonutritive, justdiffering by the inclusion of CLA, watching for the addition to the control-diet, of an amount of lipids in the form ofchicken fat equivalent to the amount of CLAadded (0.3%), so that the diets were isoenergetic. The coefficients ofapparent digestibility of the dry matter, crude protein, ethereal extract and nitrogen-free extract were not affectedby the inclusion of conjugated linoleic acid, showing that the addition of the product did not interfere with theprocess of digestion of nutrients. In both digestibility experiments, higher values of metabolizable energy wereobserved for the diets with inclusion of CLA(P < 0.01) when compared with the control-diet.A inclusão do ácido linoléico conjugado (CLA) em rações para cães tem apresentado grandepotencial, tendo em vista os vários benefícios relacionados à utilização deste produto. Para determinar o efeitodo CLA sobre a digestibilidade da matéria seca, nutrientes e energia em cães foram realizados dois ensaiosutilizando cães da raça Beagle, com sete e 15 meses de idade. As dietas experimentais eram isonutritivas,diferindo apenas quanto à inclusão de CLA, tomando-se o cuidado de acrescentar à dieta controle umaquantidade de lipídeos na forma de gordura de frango equivalente à quantidade de CLAadicionada (0,3%), paraque as dietas fossem isoenergéticas. Os coeficientes de digestibilidade aparente da matéria seca, proteínabruta, extrato etéreo e extrativos não nitrogenados não foram afetados pela inclusão de ácido linoléicoconjugado, mostrando que a adição do produto não interferiu no processo de digestão dos nutrientes. Emambos os ensaios de digestibilidade, observaram-se valores de energia metabolizável superiores para asdietas com inclusão de CLA(P<0,01) quando comparada com a dieta controle

New Cataclysmic Variables and other Exotic Binaries in the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae

We present 22 new (+3 confirmed) cataclysmic variables (CVs) in the non core-collapsed globular cluster 47 Tucanae (47 Tuc). The total number of CVs in the cluster is now 43, the largest sample in any globular cluster so far. For the identifications we used near-ultraviolet (NUV) and optical images from the Hubble Space Telescope, in combination with X-ray results from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. This allowed us to build the deepest NUV CV luminosity function of the cluster to date. We found that the CVs in 47 Tuc are more concentrated towards the cluster center than the main sequence turnoff stars. We compared our results to the CV populations of the core-collapsed globular clusters NGC 6397 and NGC 6752. We found that 47 Tuc has fewer bright CVs per unit mass than those two other clusters. That suggests that dynamical interactions in core-collapsed clusters play a major role creating new CVs. In 47 Tuc, the CV population is probably dominated by primordial and old dynamically formed systems. We estimated that the CVs in 47 Tuc have total masses of approx. 1.4 M_sun. We also found that the X-ray luminosity function of the CVs in the three clusters is bimodal. Additionally, we discuss a possible double degenerate system and an intriguing/unclassified object. Finally, we present four systems that could be millisecond pulsar companions given their X-ray and NUV/optical colors. For one of them we present very strong evidence for being an ablated companion. The other three could be CO- or He-WDs.Comment: Published on MNRAS. 31 Pages, 23 Figures, 5 Tables. Minor changes with respect to previous arXiv versio

Discovery of near-ultraviolet counterparts to millisecond pulsars in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae

We report the discovery of the likely white dwarf companions to radio millisecond pulsars 47 Tuc Q and 47 Tuc S in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae. These blue stars were found in near-ultraviolet images from the Hubble Space Telescope for which we derived accurate absolute astrometry, and are located at positions consistent with the radio coordinates to within 0.016 arcsec (0.2sigma). We present near-ultraviolet and optical colours for the previously identified companion to millisecond pulsar 47 Tuc U, and we unambiguously confirm the tentative prior identifications of the optical counterparts to 47 Tuc T and 47 Tuc Y. For the latter, we present its radio-timing solution for the first time. We find that all five near-ultraviolet counterparts have U300-B390 colours that are consistent with He white dwarf cooling models for masses ~0.16-0.3 Msun and cooling ages within ~0.1-6 Gyr. The Ha-R625 colours of 47 Tuc U and 47 Tuc T indicate the presence of a strong Ha absorption line, as expected for white dwarfs with an H envelope.Comment: Accepted for publication on MNRAS. 12 pages, 5 figures, 3 table

Extreme Quiescent Variability of the Transient Neutron Star Low-mass X-ray Binary EXO 1745-248 in Terzan 5

EXO 1745-248 is a transient neutron-star low-mass X-ray binary that resides in the globular cluster Terzan 5. We studied the transient during its quiescent state using 18 Chandra observations of the cluster acquired between 2003 and 2016. We found an extremely variable source, with a luminosity variation in the 0.5-10 keV energy range of $\sim3$ orders of magnitude (between $3\times10^{31}$ erg s$^{-1}$ and $2\times10^{34}$ erg s$^{-1}$) on timescales from years down to only a few days. Using an absorbed power-law model to fit its quiescent spectra, we obtained a typical photon index of $\sim1.4$, indicating that the source is even harder than during outburst and much harder than typical quiescent neutron stars if their quiescent X-ray spectra are also described by a single power-law model. This indicates that EXO 1745-248 is very hard throughout the entire observed X-ray luminosity range. At the highest luminosity, the spectrum fits better when an additional (soft) component is added to the model. All these quiescent properties are likely related to strong variability in the low-level accretion rate in the system. However, its extreme variable behavior is strikingly different from the one observed for other neutron star transients that are thought to still accrete in quiescence. We compare our results to these systems. We also discuss similarities and differences between our target and the transitional millisecond pulsar IGR J18245-2452, which also has hard spectra and strong variability during quiescence.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

Strings from N=2N=2 Gauged Wess-Zumino-Witten Models

We present an algebraic approach to string theory. An embedding of $sl(2|1)$ in a super Lie algebra together with a grading on the Lie algebra determines a nilpotent subalgebra of the super Lie algebra. Chirally gauging this subalgebra in the corresponding Wess-Zumino-Witten model, breaks the affine symmetry of the Wess-Zumino-Witten model to some extension of the $N=2$ superconformal algebra. The extension is completely determined by the $sl(2|1)$ embedding. The realization of the superconformal algebra is determined by the grading. For a particular choice of grading, one obtains in this way, after twisting, the BRST structure of a string theory. We classify all embeddings of $sl(2|1)$ into Lie super algebras and give a detailed account of the branching of the adjoint representation. This provides an exhaustive classification and characterization of both all extended $N=2$ superconformal algebras and all string theories which can be obtained in this way.Comment: 50 pages, LaTe

Multiwavelength study of the high-latitude cloud L1642: chain of star formation

L1642 is one of the two high galactic latitude (|b| > 30deg) clouds confirmed to have active star formation. We examine the properties of this cloud, especially the large-scale structure, dust properties, and compact sources in different stages of star formation. We present high-resolution far-infrared and submm observations with the Herschel and AKARI satellites and mm observations with the AzTEC/ASTE telescope, which we combined with archive data from near- and mid-infrared (2MASS, WISE) to mm observations (Planck). The Herschel observations, combined with other data, show a sequence of objects from a cold clump to young stellar objects at different evolutionary stages. Source B-3 (2MASS J04351455-1414468) appears to be a YSO forming inside the L1642 cloud, instead of a foreground brown dwarf, as previously classified. Herschel data reveal striation in the diffuse dust emission around L1642. The western region shows striation towards NE and has a steeper column density gradient on its southern side. The densest central region has a bow-shock like structure showing compression from the west and a filamentary tail extending towards east. The differences suggest that these may be spatially distinct structures, aligned only in projection. We derive values of the dust emission cross-section per H nucleon for different regions of the cloud. Modified black-body fits to the spectral energy distribution of Herschel and Planck data give emissivity spectral index beta values 1.8-2.0 for the different regions. The compact sources have lower beta values and show an anticorrelation between T and beta. Markov chain Monte Carlo calculations demonstrate the strong anticorrelation between beta and T errors and the importance of mm Planck data in constraining the estimates. L1642 reveals a more complex structure and sequence of star formation than previously known.Comment: 22 pages, 18 figures, accepted to Astronomy & Astrophysics; abstract shortened and figures reduced for astrop