326 research outputs found
Chemical abundances for 11 bulge stars from high-resolution, near-IR spectra
It is debated whether the Milky Way bulge has the characteristics of a
classical bulge sooner than those of a pseudobulge. Detailed abundance studies
of bulge stars is a key to investigate the origin, history, and classification
of the bulge. The aim is to add to the discussion on the origin of the bulge
and to study detailed abundances determined from near-IR spectra for bulge
giants already investigated with optical spectra, the latter also providing the
stellar parameters which are very significant for the results of the present
study. Especially, the important CNO elements are better determined in the
near-IR. High-resolution, near-infrared spectra in the H band are recorded
using the CRIRES spectrometer on the Very Large Telescope. The CNO abundances
can all be determined from the numerous molecular lines in the wavelength range
observed. Abundances of the alpha elements are also determined from the near-IR
spectra. [O/Fe], [Si/Fe] and [S/Fe] are enhanced up to metallicities of at
least [Fe/H]=-0.3, after which they decline. This suggests that the Milky Way
bulge experienced a rapid and early star-formation history like that of a
classical bulge. However, a similarity between the bulge trend and the trend of
the local thick disk seems present. Such a similarity could suggest that the
bulge has a pseudobulge origin. Our [C/Fe] trend does not show any increase
with [Fe/H] which could have been expected if W-R stars have contributed
substantially to the C abundances. No "cosmic scatter" can be traced around our
observed abundance trends; the scatter found is expected, given the
observational uncertainties.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Abundances in bulge stars from high-resolution, near-IR spectra I. The CNO elements observed during the science verification of CRIRES at VLT
The formation and evolution of the Milky Way bulge is not yet well understood
and its classification is ambiguous. Constraints can, however, be obtained by
studying the abundances of key elements in bulge stars. The aim of this study
is to determine the chemical evolution of CNO, and a few other elements in
stars in the Galactic bulge, and to discuss the sensitivities of the derived
abundances from molecular lines. High-resolution, near-IR spectra in the H band
were recorded using VLT/CRIRES. Due to the high and variable visual extinction
in the line-of-sight towards the bulge, an analysis in the near-IR is
preferred. The CNO abundances can all be determined simultaneously from the
numerous molecular lines in the wavelength range observed. The three giant
stars in Baade's window presented here are the first bulge stars observed with
CRIRES. We have especially determined the CNO abundances, with uncertainties of
less than 0.20 dex, from CO, CN, and OH lines. Since the systematic
uncertainties in the derived CNO abundances due to uncertainties in the stellar
fundamental parameters, notably Teff, are significant, a detailed discussion of
the sensitivities of the derived abundances is included. We find good agreement
between near-IR and optically determined O, Ti, Fe, and Si abundances. Two of
our stars show a solar [C+N/Fe], suggesting that these giants have experienced
the first dredge-up and that the oxygen abundance should reflect the original
abundance of the giants. The two giants fit into the picture, in which there is
no significant difference between the O abundance in bulge and thick-disk
stars. Our determination of the S abundances is the first for bulge stars. The
high [S/Fe] values for all the stars indicate a high star-formation rate in an
early phase of the bulge evolution.Comment: Accepted by A&
Particle transfer and fusion cross-section for Super-heavy nuclei in dinuclear system
Within the dinuclear system (DNS) conception, instead of solving
Fokker-Planck Equation (FPE) analytically, the Master equation is solved
numerically to calculate the fusion probability of super-heavy nuclei, so that
the harmonic oscillator approximation to the potential energy of the DNS is
avoided. The relative motion concerning the energy, the angular momentum, and
the fragment deformation relaxations is explicitly treated to couple with the
diffusion process, so that the nucleon transition probabilities, which are
derived microscopically, are time-dependent. Comparing with the analytical
solution of FPE, our results preserve more dynamical effects. The calculated
evaporation residue cross sections for one-neutron emission channel of Pb-based
reactions are basically in agreement with the known experimental data within
one order of magnitude.Comment: 19 pages, plus 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
A combined computational and experimental investigation of the [2Fe–2S] cluster in biotin synthase
Biotin synthase was the first example of what is now regarded as a distinctive enzyme class within the radical S-adenosylmethionine superfamily, the members of which use Fe/S clusters as the sulphur source in radical sulphur insertion reactions. The crystal structure showed that this enzyme contains a [2Fe–2S] cluster with a highly unusual arginine ligand, besides three normal cysteine ligands. However, the crystal structure is at such a low resolution that neither the exact coordination mode nor the role of this exceptional ligand has been elucidated yet, although it has been shown that it is not essential for enzyme activity. We have used quantum refinement of the crystal structure and combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical calculations to explore possible coordination modes and their influences on cluster properties. The investigations show that the protonation state of the arginine ligand has little influence on cluster geometry, so even a positively charged guanidinium moiety would be in close proximity to the iron atom. Nevertheless, the crystallised enzyme most probably contains a deprotonated (neutral) arginine coordinating via the NH group. Furthermore, the Fe···Fe distance seems to be independent of the coordination mode and is in perfect agreement with distances in other structurally characterised [2Fe–2S] clusters. The exceptionally large Fe···Fe distance found in the crystal structure could not be reproduced
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Simulation of Prompt Emission from GRBs with a Photospheric Component and its Detectability By GLAST
The prompt emission from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) still requires a physical explanation. Studies of time-resolved GRB spectra, observed in the keV-MeV range, show that a hybrid model consisting of two components, a photospheric and a non-thermal component, in many cases fits bright, single-pulsed bursts as well as, and in some instances even better than, the Band function. With an energy coverage from 8 keV up to 300 GeV, GLAST will give us an unprecedented opportunity to further investigate the nature of the prompt emission. In particular, it will give us the possibility to determine whether a photospheric component is the determining feature of the spectrum or not. Here we present a short study of the ability of GLAST to detect such a photospheric component in the sub-MeV range for typical bursts, using simulation tools developed within the GLAST science collaboration
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GRB Simulations in GLAST
The Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), scheduled to be launched in fall of 2007, is the next generation satellite for high-energy gamma-ray astronomy. The Large Area Telescope (LAT) is a pair conversion telescope built with a high precision silicon tracker, a segmented CsI electromagnetic calorimeter and a plastic anticoincidence shield. The LAT will survey the sky in the energy range between 20 MeV to more than 300 GeV, shedding light on many issues left open by its highly successful predecessor EGRET. LAT will observe Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB) in an energy range never explored before; to tie these frontier observations to the better-known properties at lower energies, a second instrument, the GLAST Burst Monitor (GBM) will provide important spectra and timing in the 10 keV to 30 MeV range. We briefly present the instruments onboard the GLAST satellite, their synergy in the GRB observations and the work done so far by the collaboration in simulation, analysis, and GRB sensitivity estimation
Light from the Cosmic Frontier: Gamma-Ray Bursts
Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful cosmic explosions since the Big
Bang, and thus act as signposts throughout the distant Universe. Over the last
2 decades, these ultra-luminous cosmological explosions have been transformed
from a mere curiosity to essential tools for the study of high-redshift stars
and galaxies, early structure formation and the evolution of chemical elements.
In the future, GRBs will likely provide a powerful probe of the epoch of
reionisation of the Universe, constrain the properties of the first generation
of stars, and play an important role in the revolution of multi-messenger
astronomy by associating neutrinos or gravitational wave (GW) signals with
GRBs. Here, we describe the next steps needed to advance the GRB field, as well
as the potential of GRBs for studying the Early Universe and their role in the
up-coming multi-messenger revolution.Comment: White paper submitted to ESA as a contribution to the deliberations
on the science themes for the L2 and L3 mission opportunitie
Circumstellar water vapour in M-type AGB stars: Constraints from H2O(1_10 - 1_01) lines obtained with Odin
Aims: Spectrally resolved circumstellar H2O(1_10 - 1_01) lines have been
obtained towards three M-type AGB stars using the Odin satellite. This provides
additional strong constrains on the properties of circumstellar H2O and the
circumstellar envelope. Methods: ISO and Odin satellite H2O line data are used
as constraints for radiative transfer models. Special consideration is taken to
the spectrally resolved Odin line profiles, and the effect of excitation to the
first excited vibrational states of the stretching modes (nu1=1 and nu3=1) on
the derived abundances is estimated. A non-local, radiative transfer code based
on the ALI formalism is used. Results: The H2O abundance estimates are in
agreement with previous estimates. The inclusion of the Odin data sets stronger
constraints on the size of the H2O envelope. The H2O(1_10 - 1_01) line profiles
require a significant reduction in expansion velocity compared to the terminal
gas expansion velocity determined in models of CO radio line emission,
indicating that the H2O emission lines probe a region where the wind is still
being accelerated. Including the nu3=1 state significantly lowers the estimated
abundances for the low-mass-loss-rate objects. This shows the importance of
detailed modelling, in particular the details of the infrared spectrum in the
range 3 to 6 micron, to estimate accurate circumstellar H2O abundances.
Conclusions: Spectrally resolved circumstellar H2O emission lines are important
probes of the physics and chemistry in the inner regions of circumstellar
envelopes around asymptotic giant branch stars. Predictions for H2O emission
lines in the spectral range of the upcoming Herschel/HIFI mission indicate that
these observations will be very important in this context.Comment: accepted in A&A, 10 pages, 8 figure
MARCS model atmospheres
In this review presented at the Symposium A stellar journey in Uppsala, June
2008, I give my account of the historical development of the MARCS code from
the first version published in 1975 and its premises to the 2008 grid. It is
shown that the primary driver for the development team is the science that can
be done with the models, and that they constantly strive to include the best
possible physical data. A few preliminary comparisons of M star model spectra
to spectrophotometric observations are presented. Particular results related to
opacity effects are discussed. The size of errors in the spectral energy
distribution (SED) and model thermal stratification are estimated for different
densities of the wavelength sampling. The number of points used in the MARCS
2008 grid (108000) is large enough to ensure errors of only a few K in all
models of the grid, except the optically very thin layers of metal-poor stars.
Errors in SEDs may reach about 10% locally in the UV. The published sampled
SEDs are thus appropriate to compute synthetic broad-band photometry, but
higher resolution spectra will be computed in the near future and published as
well on the MARCS site (marcs.astro.uu.se). Test model calculations with TiO
line opacity accounted for in scattering show an important cooling of the upper
atmospheric layers of red giants. Rough estimates of radiative and collisional
time scales for electronic transitions of TiO indicate that scattering may well
be the dominant mechanism in these lines. However models constructed with this
hypothesis are incompatible with optical observations of TiO (Arcturus) or IR
observations of OH (Betelgeuse), although they may succeed in explaining H2O
line observations. More work is needed in that direction.Comment: Review talk at the conference "A stellar journey" held in Uppsala,
June 2008. In press in Physica Scripta, eds. Paul Barklem, Andreas Korn, and
Bertrand Ple
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