117 research outputs found
Debris disk size distributions: steady state collisional evolution with P-R drag and other loss processes
We present a new scheme for determining the shape of the size distribution,
and its evolution, for collisional cascades of planetesimals undergoing
destructive collisions and loss processes like Poynting-Robertson drag. The
scheme treats the steady state portion of the cascade by equating mass loss and
gain in each size bin; the smallest particles are expected to reach steady
state on their collision timescale, while larger particles retain their
primordial distribution. For collision-dominated disks, steady state means that
mass loss rates in logarithmic size bins are independent of size. This
prescription reproduces the expected two phase size distribution, with ripples
above the blow-out size, and above the transition to gravity-dominated
planetesimal strength. The scheme also reproduces the expected evolution of
disk mass, and of dust mass, but is computationally much faster than evolving
distributions forward in time. For low-mass disks, P-R drag causes a turnover
at small sizes to a size distribution that is set by the redistribution
function (the mass distribution of fragments produced in collisions). Thus
information about the redistribution function may be recovered by measuring the
size distribution of particles undergoing loss by P-R drag, such as that traced
by particles accreted onto Earth. Although cross-sectional area drops with
1/age^2 in the PR-dominated regime, dust mass falls as 1/age^2.8, underlining
the importance of understanding which particle sizes contribute to an
observation when considering how disk detectability evolves. Other loss
processes are readily incorporated; we also discuss generalised power law loss
rates, dynamical depletion, realistic radiation forces and stellar wind drag.Comment: Accepted for publication by Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical
Astronomy (special issue on EXOPLANETS
Magnetic Coordinate Systems
Geospace phenomena such as the aurora, plasma motion, ionospheric currents
and associated magnetic field disturbances are highly organized by Earth's main
magnetic field. This is due to the fact that the charged particles that
comprise space plasma can move almost freely along magnetic field lines, but
not across them. For this reason it is sensible to present such phenomena
relative to Earth's magnetic field. A large variety of magnetic coordinate
systems exist, designed for different purposes and regions, ranging from the
magnetopause to the ionosphere. In this paper we review the most common
magnetic coordinate systems and describe how they are defined, where they are
used, and how to convert between them. The definitions are presented based on
the spherical harmonic expansion coefficients of the International Geomagnetic
Reference Field (IGRF) and, in some of the coordinate systems, the position of
the Sun which we show how to calculate from the time and date. The most
detailed coordinate systems take the full IGRF into account and define magnetic
latitude and longitude such that they are constant along field lines. These
coordinate systems, which are useful at ionospheric altitudes, are
non-orthogonal. We show how to handle vectors and vector calculus in such
coordinates, and discuss how systematic errors may appear if this is not done
correctly
Achievements and Challenges in the Science of Space Weather
In June 2016 a group of 40 space weather scientists attended the workshop on Scientific Foundations of Space Weather at the International Space Science Institute in Bern. In this lead article to the volume based on the talks and discussions during the workshop we review some of main past achievements in the field and outline some of the challenges that the science of space weather is facing today and in the future.Peer reviewe
Gaia white dwarfs within 40 pc – III. Spectroscopic observations of new candidates in the Southern hemisphere
We present a spectroscopic survey of 248 white dwarf candidates within 40 pc of the Sun; of these 244 are in the Southern hemisphere. Observations were performed mostly with the Very Large Telescope (X-Shooter) and Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope. Almost all candidates were selected from Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3). We find a total of 246 confirmed white dwarfs, 209 of which had no previously published spectra, and two main-sequence star contaminants. Of these, 100 white dwarfs display hydrogen Balmer lines, 69 have featureless spectra, and two show only neutral helium lines. Additionally, 14 white dwarfs display traces of carbon, while 37 have traces of other elements that are heavier than helium. We observe 35 magnetic white dwarfs through the detection of Zeeman splitting of their hydrogen Balmer or metal spectral lines. High spectroscopic completeness (> 97 per cent) has now been reached, such that we have 1058 confirmed Gaia DR3 white dwarfs out of 1083 candidates within 40 pc of the Sun at all declinations
Use of SMS texts for facilitating access to online alcohol interventions: a feasibility study
A41 Use of SMS texts for facilitating access to online alcohol interventions: a feasibility study
In: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice 2017, 12(Suppl 1): A4
Search for gravitational waves from Scorpius X-1 in the second Advanced LIGO observing run with an improved hidden Markov model
We present results from a semicoherent search for continuous gravitational waves from the low-mass x-ray binary Scorpius X-1, using a hidden Markov model (HMM) to track spin wandering. This search improves on previous HMM-based searches of LIGO data by using an improved frequency domain matched filter, the J-statistic, and by analyzing data from Advanced LIGO's second observing run. In the frequency range searched, from 60 to 650 Hz, we find no evidence of gravitational radiation. At 194.6 Hz, the most sensitive search frequency, we report an upper limit on gravitational wave strain (at 95% confidence) of h095%=3.47×10-25 when marginalizing over source inclination angle. This is the most sensitive search for Scorpius X-1, to date, that is specifically designed to be robust in the presence of spin wandering. © 2019 American Physical Society
Measurements of differential production cross sections for a Z boson in association with jets in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV
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Heavy element production in a compact object merger observed by JWST
The mergers of binary compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes are of central interest to several areas of astrophysics, including as the progenitors of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs)1, sources of high-frequency gravitational waves (GW)2 and likely production sites for heavy element nucleosynthesis via rapid neutron capture (the r-process)3. Here we present observations of the exceptionally bright gamma-ray burst GRB 230307A. We show that GRB 230307A belongs to the class of long-duration gamma-ray bursts associated with compact object mergers4–6, and contains a kilonova similar to AT2017gfo, associated with the gravitational-wave merger GW1708177–12. We obtained James Webb Space Telescope mid-infrared (mid-IR) imaging and spectroscopy 29 and 61 days after the burst. The spectroscopy shows an emission line at 2.15 microns which we interpret as tellurium (atomic mass A=130), and a very red source, emitting most of its light in the mid-IR due to the production of lanthanides. These observations demonstrate that nucleosynthesis in GRBs can create r-process elements across a broad atomic mass range and play a central role in heavy element nucleosynthesis across the Universe
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