17,160 research outputs found
A survey of stellar X-ray flares from the XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue: Hipparcos-Tycho cool stars
The X-ray emission from flares on cool (i.e. spectral-type F-M) stars is
indicative of very energetic, transient phenomena, associated with energy
release via magnetic reconnection. We present a uniform, large-scale survey of
X-ray flare emission. The XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue and its
associated data products provide an excellent basis for a comprehensive and
sensitive survey of stellar flares - both from targeted active stars and from
those observed serendipitously in the half-degree diameter field-of-view of
each observation. The 2XMM Catalogue and the associated time-series
(`light-curve') data products have been used as the basis for a survey of X-ray
flares from cool stars in the Hipparcos Tycho-2 catalogue. In addition, we have
generated and analysed spectrally-resolved (i.e. hardness-ratio), X-ray
light-curves. Where available, we have compared XMM OM UV/optical data with the
X-ray light-curves. Our sample contains ~130 flares with well-observed
profiles; they originate from ~70 stars. The flares range in duration from ~1e3
to ~1e4 s, have peak X-ray fluxes from ~1e-13 to ~1e-11 erg/cm2/s, peak X-ray
luminosities from ~1e29 to ~1e32 erg/s, and X-ray energy output from ~1e32 to
~1e35 erg. Most of the ~30 serendipitously-observed stars have little
previously reported information. The hardness-ratio plots clearly illustrate
the spectral (and hence inferred temperature) variations characteristic of many
flares, and provide an easily accessible overview of the data. We present flare
frequency distributions from both target and serendipitous observations. The
latter provide an unbiased (with respect to stellar activity) study of flare
energetics; in addition, they allow us to predict numbers of stellar flares
that may be detected in future X-ray wide-field surveys. The serendipitous
sample demonstrates the need for care when calculating flaring rates.Comment: 26 pages, 24 figures. Additional tables and figures available as 4
ancillary files. To be published in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Development of design allowable data for Celion 6000/LARC-160, graphite/polyimide composite laminates
A design allowables test program was conducted on Celion 6000/LARC-160 graphite polyimide composite to establish material performance over a 116 K (-250 F) to 589 K (600 F) temperature range. Tension, compression, in-plane shear and short beam shear properties were determined for uniaxial, quasi-isotropic and + or - 45 deg laminates. Effects of thermal aging and moisture saturation on mechanical properties were also evaluated. Celion 6000/LARC-160 graphite/polyimide can be considered an acceptable material system for structural applications to 589 K (600 F)
On Generating Gravity Waves with Matter and Electromagnetic Waves
If a homogeneous plane light-like shell collides head-on with a homogeneous
plane electromagnetic shock wave having a step-function profile then no
backscattered gravitational waves are produced. We demonstrate, by explicit
calculation, that if the matter is accompanied by a homogeneous plane
electromagnetic shock wave with a step-function profile then backscattered
gravitational waves appear after the collision.Comment: Latex file, 15 pages, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Nonet Symmetry and Two-Body Decays of Charmed Mesons
The decay of charmed mesons into pseudoscalar (P) and vector (V) mesons is
studied in the context of nonet symmetry. We have found that it is badly broken
in the PP channels and in the P sector of the PV channels as expected from the
non-ideal mixing of the \eta and the \eta'. In the VV channels, it is also
found that nonet symmetry does not describe the data well. We have found that
this discrepancy cannot be attributed entirely to SU(3) breaking at the usual
level of 20--30%. At least one, or both, of nonet and SU(3) symmetry must be
very badly broken. The possibility of resolving the problem in the future is
also discussed.Comment: 9 pages, UTAPHY-HEP-
Energy and momentum of cylindrical gravitational waves. II
Recently Nathan Rosen and the present author obtained the energy and momentum
densities of cylindrical gravitational waves in Einstein's prescription and
found them to be finite and reasonable. In the present paper we calculate the
same in prescriptions of Tolman as well as Landau and Lifshitz and discuss the
results.Comment: 8 pages, LaTex, To appear in Pramana- J. Physic
Quasi-Particle Degrees of Freedom versus the Perfect Fluid as Descriptors of the Quark-Gluon Plasma
The hot nuclear matter created at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)
has been characterized by near-perfect fluid behavior. We demonstrate that this
stands in contradiction to the identification of QCD quasi-particles with the
thermodynamic degrees of freedom in the early (fluid) stage of heavy ion
collisions. The empirical observation of constituent quark ``'' scaling of
elliptic flow is juxtaposed with the lack of such scaling behavior in
hydrodynamic fluid calculations followed by Cooper-Frye freeze-out to hadrons.
A ``quasi-particle transport'' time stage after viscous effects break down the
hydrodynamic fluid stage, but prior to hadronization, is proposed to reconcile
these apparent contradictions. However, without a detailed understanding of the
transitions between these stages, the ``'' scaling is not a necessary
consequence of this prescription. Also, if the duration of this stage is too
short, it may not support well defined quasi-particles. By comparing and
contrasting the coalescence of quarks into hadrons with the similar process of
producing light nuclei from nucleons, it is shown that the observation of
``'' scaling in the final state does not necessarily imply that the
constituent degrees of freedom were the relevant ones in the initial state.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, Updated text and figure
Developing a Phosphorus Fertilizer Training Program for Golf Course Personnel
A new Extension program has been developed in Minnesota to train golf course personnel on managing phosphorus inputs in response to recently passed legislation restricting the use of P fertilizers applied to turfgrass. This article introduces the P legislation passed in Minnesota, describes the curriculum, and discusses survey responses from golf course personnel who have participated in the program. The data presented indicate that respondents found the program either useful or very useful with respect to the day-to-day management of P fertilizers applied to turf
ORFEUS II and IUE Spectroscopy of EX Hydrae
Using ORFEUS-SPAS II FUV spectra, IUE UV spectra, and archival EUVE deep
survey photometry, we present a detailed picture of the behavior of the
magnetic cataclysmic variable EX Hydrae. Like HUT spectra of this source, the
FUV and UV spectra reveal broad emission lines of He II, C II-IV, N III and V,
O VI, Si III-IV, and Al III superposed on a continuum which is blue in the UV
and nearly flat in the FUV. Like ORFEUS spectra of AM Her, the O VI doublet is
resolved into broad and narrow emission components. Consistent with its
behavior in the optical, the FUV and UV continuum flux densities, the FUV and
UV broad emission line fluxes, and the radial velocity of the O VI broad
emission component all vary on the spin phase of the white dwarf, with the
maximum of the FUV and UV continuum and broad emission line flux light curves
coincident with maximum blueshift of the broad O VI emission component. On the
binary phase, the broad dip in the EUV light curve is accompanied by strong
eclipses of the UV emission lines and by variations in both the flux and radial
velocity of the O VI narrow emission component. The available data are
consistent with the accretion funnel being the source of the FUV and UV
continuum and the O VI broad emission component, and the white dwarf being the
source of the O VI narrow emission component.Comment: 21 pages, 10 Postscript figures; LaTeX format, uses aaspp4.sty;
table2.tex included separately because it must be printed sideways - see
instructions in the file; accepted on 1999 Feb 20 for publication in The
Astrophysical Journa
Generalized Symmetries of Impulsive Gravitational Waves
We generalize previous \cite{AiBa2} work on the classification of
() symmetries of plane-fronted waves with an impulsive profile. Due
to the specific form of the profile it is possible to extend the group of
normal-form-preserving diffeomorphisms to include non-smooth transformations.
This extension entails a richer structure of the symmetry algebra generated by
the (non-smooth) Killing vectors.Comment: 18 pages, latex2e, no figure
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