524 research outputs found
Early Spectral Evolution of the Rapidly Expanding Type Ia SN 2006X
We present optical spectroscopic and photometric observations of Type Ia
supernova (SN) 2006X from --10 to +91 days after the -band maximum. This SN
exhibits one of the highest expansion velocity ever published for SNe Ia. At
premaximum phases, the spectra show strong and broad features of
intermediate-mass elements such as Si, S, Ca, and Mg, while the O{\sc
i}7773 line is weak. The extremely high velocities of Si{\sc ii} and
S{\sc ii} lines and the weak O{\sc i} line suggest that an intense
nucleosynthesis might take place in the outer layers, favoring a delayed
detonation model. Interestingly, Si{\sc ii}5972 feature is quite
shallow, resulting in an unusually low depth ratio of Si{\sc ii}5972
to 6355, (Si{\sc ii}). The low (Si{\sc ii}) is usually
interpreted as a high photospheric temperature. However, the weak Si{\sc
iii}4560 line suggests a low temperature, in contradiction to the low
(Si{\sc ii}). This could imply that the Si{\sc ii}5972 line
might be contaminated by underlying emission. We propose that (Si{\sc
ii}) may not be a good temperature indicator for rapidly expanding SNe Ia at
premaximum phases.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, (Received 2008 August 17; Accepted 2009 April
13
Cold Dust in Kepler's Supernova Remnant
The timescales to replenish dust from the cool, dense winds of Asymptotic
Giant Branch stars are believed to be greater than the timescales for dust
destruction. In high redshift galaxies, this problem is further compounded as
the stars take longer than the age of the Universe to evolve into the dust
production stages. To explain these discrepancies, dust formation in supernovae
(SNe) is required to be an important process but until very recently dust in
supernova remnants has only been detected in very small quantities. We present
the first submillimeter observations of cold dust in Kepler's supernova remnant
(SNR) using SCUBA. A two component dust temperature model is required to fit
the Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) with K and K. The total mass of dust implied for Kepler is -
1000 times greater than previous estimates. Thus SNe, or their progenitors may
be important dust formation sites.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, accepted to ApJL, corrected proof
A Giant Glitch in the Energetic 69 ms X-ray Pulsar AXS J161730-505505
We present new results on the recently discovered 69 ms X-ray pulsar AXS
J161730-505505, the sixth youngest sample of all known pulsars. We have
undertaken a comprehensive X-ray observing campaign of AXS J161730-505505 with
the ASCA, SAX, and XTE observatories and follow its long term spin-down history
between 1989 and 1999, using these, archival GINGA and ASCA data sets, and the
radio ephemeris. The spin-down is not simply described by a linear function as
originally thought, but instead we find evidence of a giant glitch (|Delta P/P|
> 10E-6) between 1993 August and 1997 September, perhaps the largest yet
observed from a young pulsar. The glitch is well described by steps in the
period and its first derivative accompanied by a persistent second derivative
similar to those in the Vela pulsar. The pulse profile of AXS J161730-505505
presents a single asymmetric peak which is maintained over all observation
epochs. The energy spectrum is also steady over time, characterized by a highly
absorbed power-law with a photon index 1.4 +/- 0.2, consistent with that found
for other young rotation powered pulsars.Comment: 6 pages with 2 figures, LaTex, emulateapj.sty. To appear in the
Astrophysical Journal Letter
A Multi-modality Approach Towards Elucidation of the Mechanism for Human Achilles Tendon Bending during Passive Ankle Rotation
© 2018 The Author(s). The in vitro unconstrained Achilles tendon is nearly straight, while in vivo experiments reveal that the proximal region of the Achilles tendon, adjacent to Kager's fat pad, bends ventrally during plantarflexion but remains nearly straight during dorsiflexion. Tendon bending is an important factor in determining the displacement of the foot compared to the shortening of the muscle fibers. The objective of this study was to elucidate the various mechanisms that could cause tendon bending, which currently remain unknown. Examination of Thiel-embalmed cadavers, with preservation of native articular joint mobility, revealed that the Achilles tendon still bent ventrally even when its surrounding tissues, including the skin surface, Kager's fat pad, and distal portions of the soleus muscle were removed. Shear modulus and collagen fiber orientation were distributed homogeneously with respect to the longitudinal line of the tendon, minimizing their causative contributions to the bending. Given that tendon bending is not caused by either the nature of the deformations of the tissues surrounding the Achilles tendon or its physical properties, we conclude that it results from the geometric architecture of the Achilles tendon and its configuration with respect to the surrounding tissues
A flattening in the Optical Light Curve of SN 2002ap
We present the broad band optical photometry of the Type Ic
supernova SN 2002ap obtained during 2002 February 06 -- March 23 in the early
decline phases and also later on 2002 15 August. Combining these data with the
published ones, the general light curve development is studied. The time and
luminosity of the peak brightness and the peak width are estimated. There is a
flattening in the optical light curve about 30 days after the maximum. The
flux decline rates before flattening are 0.1270.005, 0.0820.001,
0.0740.001, 0.0620.001 and 0.0400.001 mag day in ,
, , and passbands respectively, while the corresponding
values after flattening are about 0.02 mag day in all the passbands. The
maximum brightness of SN 2002ap mag, is comparable to that of
the type Ic 1997ef, but fainter than that of the type Ic hypernova SN 1998bw.
The peak luminosity indicates an ejection of 0.06 M
Ni mass.
We also present low-resolution optical spectra obtained during the early
phases.
The SiII absorption minimum indicates that the photospheric velocity
decreased from
21,360 km s to 10,740 km s during a period of 6
days.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to MNRA
A Massive Jet Ejection Event from the Microquasar SS 433 Accompanying Rapid X-Ray Variability
Microquasars occasionally exhibit massive jet ejections which are distinct
from the continuous or quasi-continuous weak jet ejections. Because those
massive jet ejections are rare and short events, they have hardly been observed
in X-ray so far. In this paper, the first X-ray observation of a massive jet
ejection from the microquasar SS 433 with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
(RXTE) is reported. SS 433 undergoing a massive ejection event shows a variety
of new phenomena including a QPO-like feature near 0.1 Hz, rapid time
variability, and shot-like activities. The shot-like activity may be caused by
the formation of a small plasma bullet. A massive jet may be consist of
thousands of those plasma bullets ejected from the binary system. The size,
mass, internal energy, and kinetic energy of the bullets and the massive jet
are estimated.Comment: 21 pages including 5 figures, submitted to Ap
A Deep Chandra Observation of Kepler's Supernova Remnant: A Type Ia Event with Circumstellar Interaction
We present initial results of a 750 ks Chandra observation of the remnant of
Kepler's supernova of AD 1604. The strength and prominence of iron emission,
together with the absence of O-rich ejecta, demonstrate that Kepler resulted
from a thermonuclear supernova, even though evidence for circumstellar
interaction is also strong. We have analyzed spectra of over 100 small regions,
and find that they fall into three classes. (1) The vast majority show Fe L
emission between 0.7 and 1 keV and Si and S K alpha emission; we associate
these with shocked ejecta. A few of these are found at or beyond the mean blast
wave radius. (2) A very few regions show solar O/Fe abundance rations; these we
associate with shocked circumstellar medium (CSM). Otherwise O is scarce. (3) A
few regions are dominated by continuum, probably synchrotron radiation.
Finally, we find no central point source, with a limit about 100 times fainter
than the central object in Cas A. The evidence that the blast wave is
interacting with CSM may indicate a Ia explosion in a more massive progenitor.Comment: Accepted by ApJ Letter
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