384 research outputs found
The Diversity of Type Ia Supernovae from Broken Symmetries
Type Ia supernovae result when carbon-oxygen white dwarfs in binary systems
accrete mass from companion stars, reach a critical mass, and explode. The near
uniformity of their light curves makes these supernovae good standard candles
for measuring cosmic expansion, but a correction must be applied to account for
the fact that the brighter supernovae have broader light curves.
One-dimensional modelling, with a certain choice of parameters, can reproduce
this general trend in the width-luminosity relation, but the processes of
ignition and detonation have recently been shown to be intrinsically
asymmetric. Here we report on multi-dimensional modelling of the explosion
physics and radiative transfer that reveals that the breaking of spherical
symmetry is a critical factor in determining both the width luminosity relation
and the observed scatter about it. The deviation from sphericity can also
explain the finite polarization detected in the light from some supernovae. The
slope and normalization of the width-luminosity relation has a weak dependence
on certain properties of the white dwarf progenitor, in particular the trace
abundances of elements other than carbon and oxygen. Failing to correct for
this effect could lead to systematic overestimates of up to 2% in the distance
to remote supernovae.Comment: Accepted to Natur
Off-center ignition in type Ia supernova: I. Initial evolution and implications for delayed detonation
The explosion of a carbon-oxygen white dwarf as a Type Ia supernova is known
to be sensitive to the manner in which the burning is ignited. Studies of the
pre-supernova evolution suggest asymmetric, off-center ignition, and here we
explore its consequences in two- and three-dimensional simulations. Compared
with centrally ignited models, one-sided ignitions initially burn less and
release less energy. For the distributions of ignition points studied, ignition
within two hemispheres typically leads to the unbinding of the white dwarf,
while ignition within a small fraction of one hemisphere does not. We also
examine the spreading of the blast over the surface of the white dwarf that
occurs as the first plumes of burning erupt from the star. In particular, our
studies test whether the collision of strong compressional waves can trigger a
detonation on the far side of the star as has been suggested by Plewa et al.
(2004). The maximum temperature reached in these collisions is sensitive to how
much burning and expansion has already gone on, and to the dimensionality of
the calculation. Though detonations are sometimes observed in 2D models, none
ever happens in the corresponding 3D calculations. Collisions between the
expansion fronts of multiple bubbles also seem, in the usual case, unable to
ignite a detonation. "Gravitationally confined detonation" is therefore not a
robust mechanism for the explosion. Detonation may still be possible in these
models however, either following a pulsation or by spontaneous detonation if
the turbulent energy is high enough.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures (resolution of some figures reduced to comply
with astro-ph file size restriction); submitted to the Astrophysical Journal
on 8/3/200
Modeling the Diversity of Type Ia Supernova Explosions
Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are a prime tool in observational cosmology. A
relation between their peak luminosities and the shapes of their light curves
allows to infer their intrinsic luminosities and to use them as distance
indicators. This relation has been established empirically. However, a
theoretical understanding is necessary in order to get a handle on the
systematics in SN Ia cosmology. Here, a model reproducing the observed
diversity of normal SNe Ia is presented. The challenge in the numerical
implementation arises from the vast range of scales involved in the physical
mechanism. Simulating the supernova on scales of the exploding white dwarf
requires specific models of the microphysics involved in the thermonuclear
combustion process. Such techniques are discussed and results of simulations
are presented.Comment: 6 pages, ASTRONUM-2009 "Numerical Modeling of Space Plasma Flows",
Chamonix, France, July 2009, to appear in ASP Conf. Pro
Excess low energy photon pairs from pion annihilation at the chiral phase transition
The photon pair production by pion annihilation in a hot and dense medium at
the chiral phase transition is investigated within a chiral quark model. As a
direct consequence of this transition the meson appears as a bound
state in the domain of temperatures and chemical potentials where the condition
is fulfilled. This effect results in a
strong enhancement of the cross section for the pion annihilation process compared with the vacuum case. The calculation of the photon
pair production rate as function of the invariant mass shows a strong
enhancement and narrowing of the meson resonance at threshold due to
chiral symmetry restoration.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX, 6 figures, Phys. Lett.
Nucleation and cluster formation in low-density nucleonic matter: A mechanism for ternary fission
Ternary fission yields in the reaction 241Pu(nth,f) are calculated using a
new model which assumes a nucleation-time moderated chemical equilibrium in the
low density matter which constitutes the neck region of the scissioning system.
The temperature, density, proton fraction and fission time required to fit the
experimental data are derived and discussed. A reasonably good fit to the
experimental data is obtained. This model provides a natural explanation for
the observed yields of heavier isotopes relative to those of the lighter
isotopes, the observation of low proton yields relative to 2H and 3H yields and
the non-observation of 3He, all features which are shared by similar thermal
neutron induced and spontaneous fissioning systems.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
The rotation of surviving companion stars after type Ia supernova explosions in the WD+MS scenario
In the SD scenario of SNe Ia the companion survives the SN explosion and thus
should be visible near the center of the SN remnant and may show some unusual
features. A promising approach to test progenitor models of SNe Ia is to search
for the companion in SNRs. Here we present the results of 3D hydrodynamics
simulations of the interaction between the SN Ia blast wave and a MS companion
taking into consideration its orbital motion and spin. The primary goal of this
work is to investigate the rotation of surviving companions after SN Ia
explosions in the WD+MS scenario. We use Eggleton's code including the
optically thick accretion wind model to obtain realistic models of companions.
The impact of the SN blast wave on these companions is followed in 3D
hydrodynamic simulations employing the SPH code GADGET3. We find that the
rotation of the companion does not significantly affect the amount of stripped
mass and the kick velocity caused by the SN impact. However, in our
simulations, the rotational velocity of the companion is significantly reduced
to about 14% to 32% of its pre-explosion value due to the expansion of the
companion and the fact that 55%-89% of the initial angular momentum is carried
away by the stripped matter. Compared with the observed rotational velocity of
the presumed companion star of Tycho's SN, Tycho G, of 6 km/s the final
rotational velocity we obtain is still higher by at least a factor of two.
Whether this difference is significant, and may cast doubts on the suggestion
that Tycho G is the companion of SN 1572, has to be investigated in future
studies. Based on binary population synthesis results we present, for the first
time, the expected distribution of rotational velocities of companions after
the explosion which may provide useful information for the identification of
the surviving companion in observational searches in other historical SNRs.Comment: 13 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication by Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Personality science, resilience, and posttraumatic growth
PASTOR represents an innovative development in the study of resilience. This commentary highlights how PASTOR can help both clarify critical questions in and benefit from engaging with new research in personality science on behavioral flexibility across situations in addition to stability over time, and also clarify the relationship between resilience and posttraumatic growth
Psychosocial stress increases testosterone in patients with borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and healthy participants
Background: The gonadal hormone testosterone not only regulates sexual behavior but is also involved in social behavior and cognition in both sexes. Changes in testosterone secretion in response to stress have been reported. In addition, stress associated mental disorders such as borderline personality disorder (BPD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are characterized by alterations in basal testosterone metabolism. However, testosterone changes to stress have not been investigated in mental disorders such as BPD and PTSD so far.
Methods: In the study described, we investigated testosterone reactivity to an acute psychosocial stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Our sample consisted of young adult women with BPD (n = 28), PTSD (n = 22) or both disorders (n = 22), and healthy control (n = 51). Based on previous studies on basal testosterone secretion in these disorders, we expected the stress-associated testosterone reactivity to be higher in the BPD group and lower in the PTSD group, when compared to the healthy control group.
Results: The study could demonstrate an increase in testosterone after acute stress exposure across all groups and independent of BPD or PTSD status. Different possible explanations for the absence of a group effect are discussed.
Conclusions: From the results of this study, we conclude that stress-related changes in testosterone release are not affected by BPD or PTSD status in a female patient population. This study expands the knowledge about changes in gonadal hormones and stress reactivity in these disorders
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