860 research outputs found
The perturbed sublimation rim of the dust disk around the post-AGB binary IRAS08544-4431
Context: Post-Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) binaries are surrounded by stable
dusty and gaseous disks similar to the ones around young stellar objects.
Whereas significant effort is spent on modeling observations of disks around
young stellar objects, the disks around post-AGB binaries receive significantly
less attention, even though they pose significant constraints on theories of
disk physics and binary evolution. Aims: We want to examine the structure of
and phenomena at play in circumbinary disks around post-AGB stars. We continue
the analysis of our near-infrared interferometric image of the inner rim of the
circumbinary disk around IRAS08544-4431. We want to understand the physics
governing this inner disk rim. Methods: We use a radiative transfer model of a
dusty disk to reproduce simultaneously the photometry as well as the
near-infrared interferometric dataset on IRAS08544-4431. The model assumes
hydrostatic equilibrium and takes dust settling self-consistently into account.
Results: The best-fit radiative transfer model shows excellent agreement with
the spectral energy distribution up to mm wavelengths as well as with the
PIONIER visibility data. It requires a rounded inner rim structure, starting at
a radius of 8.25 au. However, the model does not fully reproduce the detected
over-resolved flux nor the azimuthal flux distribution of the inner rim. While
the asymmetric inner disk rim structure is likely to be the consequence of
disk-binary interactions, the origin of the additional over-resolved flux
remains unclear. Conclusions: As in young stellar objects, the disk inner rim
of IRAS08544-4431 is ruled by dust sublimation physics. Additional observations
are needed to understand the origin of the extended flux and the azimuthal
perturbation at the inner rim of the disk.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 13 figures, 13 page
An interferometric study of the post-AGB binary 89 Herculis. II Radiative transfer models of the circumbinary disk
The presence of disks and outflows is widespread among post-AGB binaries. In
the first paper of this series, a surprisingly large fraction of optical light
was found to be resolved in the 89 Her post-AGB system. The data showed this
flux to arise from close to the central binary. Scattering off the inner rim of
the circumbinary disk, or in a dusty outflow were suggested as two possible
origins. With detailed dust radiative transfer models of the disk we aim to
discriminate between these two configurations. By including Herschel/SPIRE
photometry, we extend the SED such that it now fully covers UV to sub-mm
wavelengths. The MCMax radiative transfer code is used to create a large grid
of disk models. Our models include a self-consistent treatment of dust settling
as well as of scattering. A Si-rich composition with two additional opacity
sources, metallic Fe or amorphous C, are tested. The SED is fit together with
mid-IR (MIDI) visibilities as well as the optical and near-IR visibilities of
Paper I, to constrain the structure of the disk and in particular of its inner
rim. The near-IR visibility data require a smooth inner rim, here obtained with
a two-power-law parameterization of the radial surface density distribution. A
model can be found that fits all the IR photometric and interferometric data
well, with either of the two continuum opacity sources. Our best-fit passive
models are characterized by a significant amount of mm-sized grains, which are
settled to the midplane of the disk. Not a single disk model fits our data at
optical wavelengths though, the reason being the opposing constraints imposed
by the optical and near-IR interferometric data. A geometry in which a passive,
dusty, and puffed-up circumbinary disk is present, can reproduce all the IR but
not the optical observations of 89 Her. Another dusty, outflow or halo,
component therefore needs to be added to the system.Comment: 15 pages, in pres
Rapid grain growth in post-AGB disc systems from far-infrared and sub-millimetre photometry
The timescales on which astronomical dust grows remain poorly understood,
with important consequences for our understanding of processes like
circumstellar disk evolution and planet formation.A number of post-asymptotic
giant branch stars are found to host optically thick, dust- and gas-rich
circumstellar discs in Keplerian orbits. These discs exhibit evidence of dust
evolution, similar to protoplanetary discs; however since post-AGB discs have
substantially shorter lifetimes than protoplanetary discs they may provide new
insights on the grain-growth process. We examine a sample of post-AGB stars
with discs to determine the FIR and sub-mm spectral index by homogeneously
fitting a sample of data from \textit{Herschel}, the SMA and the literature. We
find that grain growth to at least hundreds of micrometres is ubiquitous in
these systems, and that the distribution of spectral indices is more similar to
that of protoplanetary discs than debris discs. No correlation is found with
the mid-infrared colours of the discs, implying that grain growth occurs
independently of the disc structure in post-AGB discs. We infer that grain
growth to mm sizes must occur on timescales yr, perhaps by
orders of magnitude, as the lifetimes of these discs are expected to be
~yr and all objects have converged to the same state. This
growth timescale is short compared to the results of models for protoplanetary
discs including fragmentation, and may provide new constraints on the physics
of grain growth.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Class of self-limiting growth models in the presence of nonlinear diffusion
The source term in a reaction-diffusion system, in general, does not involve
explicit time dependence. A class of self-limiting growth models dealing with
animal and tumor growth and bacterial population in a culture, on the other
hand are described by kinetics with explicit functions of time. We analyze a
reaction-diffusion system to study the propagation of spatial front for these
models.Comment: RevTex, 13 pages, 5 figures. To appear in Physical Review
Non-homogeneous random walks, subdiffusive migration of cells and anomalous chemotaxis
This paper is concerned with a non-homogeneous in space and non-local in time
random walk model for anomalous subdiffusive transport of cells. Starting with
a Markov model involving a structured probability density function, we derive
the non-local in time master equation and fractional equation for the
probability of cell position. We show the structural instability of fractional
subdiffusive equation with respect to the partial variations of anomalous
exponent. We find the criteria under which the anomalous aggregation of cells
takes place in the semi-infinite domain.Comment: 18 pages, accepted for publicatio
ost in promiscuity? An evolutionary and biochemical evaluation of HSD10 function in cardiolipin metabolism
Multifunctional proteins are challenging as it can be difficult to confirm pathomechanisms associated with disease-causing genetic variants. The human 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 10 (HSD10) is a moonlighting enzyme with at least two structurally and catalytically unrelated functions. HSD10 disease was originally described as a disorder of isoleucine metabolism, but the clinical manifestations were subsequently shown to be linked to impaired mtDNA transcript processing due to deficient function of HSD10 in the mtRNase P complex. A surprisingly large number of other, mostly enzymatic and potentially clinically relevant functions have been attributed to HSD10. Recently, HSD10 was reported to exhibit phospholipase C-like activity towards cardiolipins (CL), important mitochondrial phospholipids. To assess the physiological role of the proposed CL-cleaving function, we studied CL architectures in living cells and patient fibroblasts in different genetic backgrounds and lipid environments using our well-established LC–MS/MS cardiolipidomic pipeline. These experiments revealed no measurable effect on CLs, indicating that HSD10 does not have a physiologically relevant function towards CL metabolism. Evolutionary constraints could explain the broad range of reported substrates for HSD10 in vitro. The combination of an essential structural with a non-essential enzymatic function in the same protein could direct the evolutionary trajectory towards improvement of the former, thereby increasing the flexibility of the binding pocket, which is consistent with the results presented here
Diabetes Quality of Care and Outpatient Utilization Associated With Electronic Patient-Provider Messaging: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
Mathematical description of bacterial traveling pulses
The Keller-Segel system has been widely proposed as a model for bacterial
waves driven by chemotactic processes. Current experiments on {\em E. coli}
have shown precise structure of traveling pulses. We present here an
alternative mathematical description of traveling pulses at a macroscopic
scale. This modeling task is complemented with numerical simulations in
accordance with the experimental observations. Our model is derived from an
accurate kinetic description of the mesoscopic run-and-tumble process performed
by bacteria. This model can account for recent experimental observations with
{\em E. coli}. Qualitative agreements include the asymmetry of the pulse and
transition in the collective behaviour (clustered motion versus dispersion). In
addition we can capture quantitatively the main characteristics of the pulse
such as the speed and the relative size of tails. This work opens several
experimental and theoretical perspectives. Coefficients at the macroscopic
level are derived from considerations at the cellular scale. For instance the
stiffness of the signal integration process turns out to have a strong effect
on collective motion. Furthermore the bottom-up scaling allows to perform
preliminary mathematical analysis and write efficient numerical schemes. This
model is intended as a predictive tool for the investigation of bacterial
collective motion
A Tale of Two Stars: Interferometric Studies of Post-AGB Binaries
Binaries with circumbinary disks are commonly found among optically bright
post-AGB stars. Although clearly linked to binary interaction processes, the
formation, evolution and fate of these disks are still badly understood. Due to
their compactness, interferometric techniques are required to resolve them.
Here, we discuss our high-quality multiwavelength interferometric data of two
prototypical yet very different post-AGB binaries, AC and 89 Herculis, as well
as the modeling thereof with radiative transfer models. A detailed account of
the data and models of both objects is published in three separate papers
elsewhere; here we focus on comparing the modeling results for the two objects.
In particular we discuss the successes and limitations of the models which were
developed for protoplanetary disks around young stars. We conclude that
multiwavelength high-angular-resolution observations and radiative transfer
disk models are indispensible to understand these complex interacting objects
and their place in the grand scheme of the (binary) evolution of low and
intermediate mass stars.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, Conference proceedings for contributed talk at
"Why Galaxies care about AGB stars III
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