The circumstellar disc of FS Tau B – a self-consistent model based on observations in the mid-infrared with NACO

Protoplanetary discs are a byproduct of the star formation process. In the dense mid-plane of these discs, planetesimals and planets are expected to form. The first step in planet formation is the growth of dust particles from submicrometre-sized grains to macroscopic mm-sized aggregates. The grain growth is accompanied by radial drift and vertical segregation of the particles within the disc. To understand this essential evolutionary step, spatially resolved multi-wavelength observations as well as photometric data are necessary which reflect the properties of both disc and dust. We present the first spatially resolved image obtained with NACO at the VLT in the Lp band of the near edge-on protoplanetary disc FS Tau B. Based on this new image, a previously published Hubble image in H band and the spectral energy distribution from optical to millimetre wavelengths, we derive constraints on the spatial dust distribution and the progress of grain growth. For this purpose we perform a disc modelling using the radiative transfer code MC 3 3 D. Radial drift and vertical sedimentation of the dust are not considered. We find a best-fitting model which features a disc extending from 2 au to several hundreds au with a moderately decreasing surface density and Mdisc = 2.8 × 10−2 M⊙. The inclination amounts to i = 80°. Our findings indicate that substantial dust grain growth has taken place and that grains of a size equal to or larger than 1 mm are present in the disc. In conclusion, the parameters describing the vertical density distribution are better constrained than those describing the radial disc structure

Automated Correctness Proof of Algorithm Variants in Elliptic Curve Cryptography

The Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) is widely known as secure and reliable cryptographic scheme. In many situations the original cryptographic algorithm is modified to improve its efficiency in terms like power consumption or memory consumption which were not in the focus of the original algorithm. For all this modification it is crucial that the functionality and correctness of the original algorithm is preserved. In particular, various projective coordinate systems are applied in order to reduce the computational complexity of elliptic curve encryption by avoiding division in finite fields. This work investigates the possibilities of automated proofs on the correctness of different algorithmic variants. We introduce the theorems which are required to prove the correctness of a modified algorithm variant and the lemmas and definitions which are necessary to prove these goals. The correctness proof of the projective coordinate system transformation has practically been performed with the help of the an interactive formal verification system XeriFun

The circumstellar disk of HH 30. Searching for signs of disk evolution with multi-wavelength modeling

Circumstellar disks are characteristic for star formation and vanish during the first few Myr of stellar evolution. During this time planets are believed to form in the dense midplane by growth, sedimentation and aggregation of dust. Indicators of disk evolution, such as holes and gaps, can be traced in the spectral energy distribution (SED) and spatially resolved images. We aim to construct a self-consistent model of HH 30 by fitting all available continuum observations simultaneously. New data sets not available in previous studies, such as high-resolution interferometric imaging with the Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) at lambda = 1.3 mm and SED measured with IRS on the Spitzer Space Telescope in the mid-infrared, put strong constraints on predictions and are likely to provide new insights into the evolutionary state of this object. A parameter study based on simulated annealing was performed to find unbiased best-fit models for independent observations made in the wavelength domain lambda ~ 1 micron ... 4 mm. The method essentially creates a Markov chain through parameter space by comparing predictions generated by our self-consistent continuum radiation transfer code MC3D with observations. We present models of the edge-on circumstellar disk of HH 30 based on observations from the near-infrared to mm-wavelengths that suggest the presence of an inner depletion zone with about 45 AU radius and a steep decline of mm opacity beyond 140 AU. Our modeling indicates that several modes of dust evolution such as growth, settling, and radial migration are taking place in this object. High-resolution observations of HH 30 at different wavelengths with next-generation observatories such as ALMA and JWST will enable the modeling of inhomogeneous dust properties and significantly expand our understanding of circumstellar disk evolution.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

TIME-RESOLVED 1-10 keV CRYSTAL SPECTROMETER FOR THE Z MACHINE AT SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES

We have designed, fabricated, calibrated, and fielded a fast, time-resolved 1-10 keV crystal spectrometer to observe the evolution of wire pinch spectra at the Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories. The instrument has two convex cylindrical crystals (PET and KAP). Both crystals Bragg reflect x-rays into an array of ten silicon diodes, providing continuous spectral coverage in twenty channels from 1.0 to 10 keV. The spectral response of the instrument has been calibrated from 1.0 to 6.3 keV at beamline X8A at the National Synchrotron Light Source. The time response of the 1-mm2 silicon detectors was measured with the Pulsed X-ray Source at Bechtel Nevada's Los Alamos Operations, where 2-nanosecond full-width half-maximum (FWHM) waveforms with 700-picosecond rise times typically were observed. The spectrometer has been fielded recently on several experimental runs at the Z Machine. In this paper, we present the time-resolved spectra resulting from the implosions of double-nested tungsten wire arrays onto 5-mm diameter foam cylinders. We also show the results obtained for a double-nested stainless steel wire array with no target cylinder. The spectrometer was located at the end of a 7.1-meter beamline on line-of sight (LOS)21/22, at an angle 12{sup o} above the equatorial plane, and was protected from the debris field by a customized dual-slit fast valve. The soft detector channels below 2.0 keV recorded large signals at pinch time coinciding with signals recorded on vacuum x-ray diodes (XRDs). On experiment Z993, the spectrometer channels recorded a second pulse with a hard x-ray emission spectrum several nanoseconds after pinch time

Resolving the inner disk of UX Orionis ⋆

This is the final version. Available from EDP Sciences via the DOI in this record. Aims. The cause of the UX Ori variability in some Herbig Ae/Be stars is still a matter of debate. Detailed studies of the circumstellar environment of UX Ori objects (UXORs) are required to test the hypothesis that the observed drop in photometry might be related to obscuration events. Methods. Using near-and mid-infrared interferometric AMBER and MIDI observations, we resolved the inner circumstellar disk region around UX Ori. Results. We fitted the K-, H-, and N-band visibilities and the spectral energy distribution (SED) of UX Ori with geometric and parametric disk models. The best-fit K-band geometric model consists of an inclined ring and a halo component. We obtained a ring-fit radius of 0.45 ± 0.07 AU (at a distance of 460 pc), an inclination of 55.6 ± 2.4°, a position angle of the system axis of 127.5 ± 24.5°, and a flux contribution of the over-resolved halo component to the total near-infrared excess of 16.8 ± 4.1%. The best-fit N-band model consists of an elongated Gaussian with a HWHM ~ 5 AU of the semi-major axis and an axis ration of a/b ~ 3.4 (corresponding to an inclination of ~72°). With a parametric disk model, we fitted all near-and mid-infrared visibilities and the SED simultaneously. The model disk starts at an inner radius of 0.46 ± 0.06 AU with an inner rim temperature of 1498 ± 70 K. The disk is seen under an nearly edge-on inclination of 70 ± 5°. This supports any theories that require high-inclination angles to explain obscuration events in the line of sight to the observer, for example, in UX Ori objects where orbiting dust clouds in the disk or disk atmosphere can obscure the central star.Science and Technology Facilities CouncilScience and Technology Facilities CouncilMarie Sklodowska-Curie CIG grantRFBR grantRFBR gran

Studies of Bs2∗(5840)0 and Bs1(5830)0 mesons including the observation of the Bs2∗(5840)0→B0KS0 decay in proton-proton collisions at s=8TeV.

Measurements of Bs2∗(5840)0 and Bs1(5830)0 mesons are performed using a data sample of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of , collected with the CMS detector at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 8TeV . The analysis studies P-wave Bs0 meson decays into B(∗)+K- and B(∗)0KS0 , where the B+ and B0 mesons are identified using the decays B+→J/ψK+ and B0→J/ψK∗(892)0 . The masses of the P-wave Bs0 meson states are measured and the natural width of the Bs2∗(5840)0 state is determined. The first measurement of the mass difference between the charged and neutral B∗ mesons is also presented. The Bs2∗(5840)0 decay to B0KS0 is observed, together with a measurement of its branching fraction relative to the Bs2∗(5840)0→B+K- decay

Search for new phenomena with the MT2 variable in the all-hadronic final state produced in proton-proton collisions at s=13 TeV.

A search for new phenomena is performed using events with jets and significant transverse momentum imbalance, as inferred through the MT2 variable. The results are based on a sample of proton-proton collisions collected in 2016 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the CMS detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb-1 . No excess event yield is observed above the predicted standard model background, and the results are interpreted as exclusion limits at 95% confidence level on the masses of predicted particles in a variety of simplified models of R-parity conserving supersymmetry. Depending on the details of the model, 95% confidence level lower limits on the gluino (light-flavor squark) masses are placed up to 2025 (1550) GeV . Mass limits as high as 1070 (1175) GeV are set on the masses of top (bottom) squarks. Information is provided to enable re-interpretation of these results, including model-independent limits on the number of non-standard model events for a set of simplified, inclusive search regions