416 research outputs found
On adaptive wavelet estimation of a class of weighted densities
We investigate the estimation of a weighted density taking the form
, where denotes an unknown density, the associated
distribution function and is a known (non-negative) weight. Such a class
encompasses many examples, including those arising in order statistics or when
is related to the maximum or the minimum of (random or fixed)
independent and identically distributed (\iid) random variables. We here
construct a new adaptive non-parametric estimator for based on a plug-in
approach and the wavelets methodology. For a wide class of models, we prove
that it attains fast rates of convergence under the risk with
(not only for corresponding to the mean integrated squared
error) over Besov balls. The theoretical findings are illustrated through
several simulations
A silicate disk in the heart of the Ant
We aim at getting high spatial resolution information on the dusty core of
bipolar planetary nebulae to directly constrain the shaping process. Methods:
We present observations of the dusty core of the extreme bipolar planetary
nebula Menzel 3 (Mz 3, Hen 2-154, the Ant) taken with the mid-infrared
interferometer MIDI/VLTI and the adaptive optics NACO/VLT. The core of Mz 3 is
clearly resolved with MIDI in the interferometric mode, whereas it is
unresolved from the Ks to the N bands with single dish 8.2 m observations on a
scale ranging from 60 to 250 mas. A striking dependence of the dust core size
with the PA angle of the baselines is observed, that is highly suggestive of an
edge-on disk whose major axis is perpendicular to the axis of the bipolar
lobes. The MIDI spectrum and the visibilities of Mz 3 exhibit a clear signature
of amorphous silicate, in contrast to the signatures of crystalline silicates
detected in binary post-AGB systems, suggesting that the disk might be
relatively young. We used radiative-transfer Monte Carlo simulations of a
passive disk to constrain its geometrical and physical parameters. Its
inclination (74 degrees 3 degrees) and position angle (5 degrees 5
degrees) are in accordance with the values derived from the study of the lobes.
The inner radius is 9 1 AU and the disk is relatively flat. The dust mass
stored in the disk, estimated as 1 x 10-5Msun, represents only a small fraction
of the dust mass found in the lobes and might be a kind of relic of an
essentially polar ejection process
Nouvelles fonctionnalisations du noyau 1,10-phénanthroline : vers de nouveaux systèmes donneuraccepteur incorporant le tétrathiafulvalène
Date du colloque : 05/2008</p
A close look into the carbon disk at the core of the planetary nebula CPD-568032
We present high spatial resolution observations of the dusty core of the
Planetary Nebula with Wolf-Rayet central star CPD-568032. These observations
were taken with the mid-infrared interferometer VLTI/MIDI in imaging mode
providing a typical 300 mas resolution and in interferometric mode using
UT2-UT3 47m baseline providing a typical spatial resolution of 20 mas. The
visible HST images exhibit a complex multilobal geometry dominated by faint
lobes. The farthest structures are located at 7" from the star. The mid-IR
environment of CPD-568032 is dominated by a compact source, barely resolved by
a single UT telescope in a 8.7 micron filter. The infrared core is almost fully
resolved with the three 40-45m projected baselines ranging from -5 to 51 degree
but smooth oscillating fringes at low level have been detected in spectrally
dispersed visibilities. This clear signal is interpreted in terms of a ring
structure which would define the bright inner rim of the equatorial disk.
Geometric models allowed us to derive the main geometrical parameters of the
disk. For instance, a reasonably good fit is reached with an achromatic and
elliptical truncated Gaussian with a radius of 97+/-11 AU, an inclination of
28+/-7 degree and a PA for the major axis at 345+/-7 degree. Furthermore, we
performed some radiative transfer modeling aimed at further constraining the
geometry and mass content of the disk, by taking into account the MIDI
dispersed visibilities, spectra, and the large aperture SED of the source.
These models show that the disk is mostly optically thin in the N band and
highly flared.Comment: Paper accepted in A&
The RCB star V854 Cen is surrounded by a hot dusty shell
Aims : The hydrogen-deficient supergiants known as R Coronae Borealis (RCB)
stars might be the result of a double-degenerate merger of two white dwarfs
(WDs), or a final helium shell flash in a planetary nebula central star. In
this context, any information on the geometry of their circumstellar
environment and, in particular, the potential detection of elongated
structures, is of great importance. Methods : We obtained near-IR observations
of V854 Cen with the AMBER recombiner located at the Very Large Telescope
Interferometer (VLTI) array with the compact array (B35m) in 2013 and the
long array (B140m) in 2014. At each time, V854 Cen was at maximum light.
The - and -band continua were investigated by means of spectrally
dependant geometric models. These data were supplemented with mid-IR VISIR/VLT
images. Results : A dusty slightly elongated over density is discovered both in
the - and -band images. With the compact array, the central star is
unresolved (\,mas), but a flattened dusty environment of mas is discovered whose flux increases from about 20% in the
band to reach about 50% at 2.3\micron, which indicates hot
(T1500\,K) dust in the close vicinity of the star. The major axis is
oriented at a position angle (P.A.) of 12629. Adding the long-array
configuration dataset provides tighter constraints on the star diameter
( mas), a slight increase of the overdensity to
mas and a consistent P.A. of 13349. The closure phases, sensitive to
asymmetries, are null and compatible with a centro-symmetric, unperturbed
environment excluding point sources at the level of 3% of the total flux in
2013 and 2014. The VISIR images exhibit a flattened aspect ratio at the 15-20%
level at larger distances (1\arcsec) with a position angle of
9219, marginally consistent with the interferometric observations.
Conclusions : This is the first time that a moderately elongated structure has
been observed around an RCB star. These observations confirm the numerous
suggestions for a bipolar structure proposed for this star in the literature,
which were mainly based on polarimetric and spectroscopic observations.Comment: Accepted by A\&A, new version after language editing, Astronomy and
Astrophysics (2014
Nonparametric estimation in a regression model with additive and multiplicative noise
In this paper, we consider an unknown functional estimation problem in a general nonparametric regression model with the characteristic of having both multiplicative and additive noise. We propose two wavelet estimators, which, to our knowledge, are new in this general context. We prove that they achieve fast convergence rates under the mean integrated square error over Besov spaces. The rates obtained have the particularity of being established under weak conditions on the model. A numerical study in a context comparable to stochastic frontier estimation (with the difference that the boundary is not necessarily a production function) supports the theory
Fundamental parameters of 16 late-type stars derived from their angular diameter measured with VLTI/AMBER
Thanks to their large angular dimension and brightness, red giants and
supergiants are privileged targets for optical long-baseline interferometers.
Sixteen red giants and supergiants have been observed with the VLTI/AMBER
facility over a two-years period, at medium spectral resolution (R=1500) in the
K band. The limb-darkened angular diameters are derived from fits of stellar
atmospheric models on the visibility and the triple product data. The angular
diameters do not show any significant temporal variation, except for one
target: TX Psc, which shows a variation of 4% using visibility data. For the
eight targets previously measured by Long-Baseline Interferometry (LBI) in the
same spectral range, the difference between our diameters and the literature
values is less than 5%, except for TX Psc, which shows a difference of 11%. For
the 8 other targets, the present angular diameters are the first measured from
LBI. Angular diameters are then used to determine several fundamental stellar
parameters, and to locate these targets in the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
(HRD). Except for the enigmatic Tc-poor low-mass carbon star W Ori, the
location of Tc-rich stars in the HRD matches remarkably well the
thermally-pulsating AGB, as it is predicted by the stellar-evolution models.
For pulsating stars with periods available, we compute the pulsation constant
and locate the stars along the various sequences in the Period -- Luminosity
diagram. We confirm the increase in mass along the pulsation sequences, as
predicted by the theory, except for W Ori which, despite being less massive,
appears to have a longer period than T Cet along the first-overtone sequence.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, 6 table
Mid-infrared interferometry of massive young stellar objects. I. VLTI and Subaru observations of the enigmatic object M8E-IR
[abridged] Our knowledge of the inner structure of embedded massive young
stellar objects is still quite limited. We attempt here to overcome the spatial
resolution limitations of conventional thermal infrared imaging. We employed
mid-infrared interferometry using the MIDI instrument on the ESO/VLTI facility
to investigate M8E-IR, a well-known massive young stellar object suspected of
containing a circumstellar disk. Spectrally dispersed visibilities in the 8-13
micron range were obtained at seven interferometric baselines. We resolve the
mid-infrared emission of M8E-IR and find typical sizes of the emission regions
of the order of 30 milli-arcseconds (~45 AU). Radiative transfer simulations
have been performed to interpret the data. The fitting of the spectral energy
distribution, in combination with the measured visibilities, does not provide
evidence for an extended circumstellar disk with sizes > 100 AU but requires
the presence of an extended envelope. The data are not able to constrain the
presence of a small-scale disk in addition to an envelope. In either case, the
interferometry measurements indicate the existence of a strongly bloated,
relatively cool central object, possibly tracing the recent accretion history
of M8E-IR. In addition, we present 24.5 micron images that clearly distinguish
between M8E-IR and the neighbouring ultracompact HII region and which show the
cometary-shaped infrared morphology of the latter source. Our results show that
IR interferometry, combined with radiative transfer modelling, can be a viable
tool to reveal crucial structure information on embedded massive young stellar
objects and to resolve ambiguities arising from fitting the SED.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&A, new version
after language editing, one important reference added, conclusions unchange
V838 Monocerotis: the central star and its environment a decade after outburst
Aims. V838 Monocerotis erupted in 2002, brightened in a series of outbursts,
and eventually developed a spectacular light echo. A very red star emerged a
few months after the outburst. The whole event has been interpreted as the
result of a merger. Methods. We obtained near-IR and mid-IR interferometric
observations of V838 Mon with the AMBER and MIDI recombiners located at the
Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) array. The MIDI two-beam
observations were obtained with the 8m Unit Telescopes between October 2011 and
February 2012. The AMBER three-beam observations were obtained with the compact
array (Bm) in April 2013 and the long array (B140m) in May 2014,
using the 1.8m Auxiliary Telescopes. Results. A significant new result is the
detection of a compact structure around V838 Mon, as seen from MIDI data. The
extension of the structure increases from a FWHM of 25 mas at 8 {\mu}m to 70
mas at 13 {\mu}m. At the adopted distance of D = 6.1 0.6 kpc, the dust is
distributed from about 150 to 400 AU around V838 Mon. The MIDI visibilities
reveal a flattened structure whose aspect ratio increases with wavelength. The
major axis is roughly oriented around a position angle of -10 degrees, which
aligns with previous polarimetric studies reported in the literature. This
flattening can be interpreted as a relic of the 2002 eruption or by the
influence of the currently embedded B3V companion. The AMBER data provide a new
diameter for the pseudo-photosphere, which shows that its diameter has
decreased by about 40% in 10yrs, reaching a radius R = 750 200
R (3.5 1.0 AU). Conclusions. After the 2002 eruption,
interpreted as the merging of two stars, it seems that the resulting source is
relaxing to a normal state. The nearby environment exhibits an equatorial
over-density of dust up to several hundreds of AU.Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics (2014) Will be set by the publishe
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