Empirical logic of finite automata: microstatements versus macrostatements

We compare the two approaches to the empirical logic of automata. The first, called partition logic (logic of microstatements), refers to experiments on individual automata. The second one, the logic of simulation (logic of macrostatements), deals with ensembles of automata.Comment: late

Young red supergiants and the near infrared light appearance of disk galaxies

Disk galaxies often show prominent nonaxisymmetric features at near-infrared wavelengths. Such features may indicate variations in the surface density of stellar mass, contributions from young red supergiants in star forming regions, or substantial dust obscuration. To distinguish among these possibilities, we have searched for spatial variations in the 2.3 micron photometric CO index within the disks of three nearby galaxies (NGC 278, NGC 2649, & NGC 5713). This index measures the strength of the absorption bands of molecular CO in stellar atmospheres, and is strong in cool, low surface-gravity stars, reaching the largest values for red supergiants. We observe significant spatial CO index variations in two galaxies (NGC 278 & NGC 5713), indicating that the dominant stellar population in the near-infrared is not everywhere the same. Central CO index peaks are present in two galaxies; these could be due to either metallicity gradients or recent star formation activity. In addition, significant azimuthal CO index variations are seen in NGC 278. Because strong azimuthal metallicity gradients are physically implausible in disk galaxies, these features are most naturally explained by the presence of a young stellar population. The fraction of 2 micron light due to young stellar populations in star forming regions can be calculated from our data. Overall, young stellar populations can contribute ~3% of a (normal) galaxy's near infrared flux. Locally, this fraction may rise to ~33%. Thus, young stars do not dominate the total near infrared flux, but can be locally dominant in star forming regions, and can bias estimates of spiral arm amplitude or other nonaxisymmetric structures in galaxies' mass distributions.Comment: 28 pages including 3 postscript figures. A fourth figure is in jpeg format. Uses AASTeX. Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa

Surface Brightness Gradients Produced by the Ring Waves of Star Formation

We compute surface brightness profiles of galactic disks for outwardly propagating waves of star formation with a view to investigate the stellar populations in ring galaxies. We consider two mechanisms which can create outwardly propagating star forming rings in a purely gaseous disk --- a self-induced wave and a density wave. We show that the surface brightness profiles produced by both scenarios of ring formation are similar and are strongly sensitive to the velocity of the wave. The results of our computations are compared with the observational quantities sensitive to the young and old stellar populations in the ring galaxies A0035-335 (the Cartwheel galaxy) and VIIZw466. The best fit to the observed radial H_alpha surface brightness distribution in the Cartwheel galaxy is obtained for a wave velocity of about 90 km/s. The red continuum brightness of the ring can be fully explained by the evolving stars present in the trailing part of the wave. However the red continuum brightness in regions internal to the ring indicates that the wave of star formation propagates in a pre-existing stellar disk in the Cartwheel. The H_alpha and K-band surface brightness profiles in VIIZw466 match the values expected from stellar populations produced by a wave of star formation propagating in a purely gaseous disk very well. We conclude that VIIZw466 is probably experiencing the first event of star formation in the disk.Comment: Uses aas2pp4.sty and epsfig.sty, 15 pages To appear in Astrophysical Journal, March 10, 199

Type Ia Supernova Scenarios and the Hubble Sequence

The dependence of the Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) rate on galaxy type is examined for three currently proposed scenarios: merging of a Chandrasekhar--mass CO white dwarf (WD) with a CO WD companion, explosion of a sub--Chandrasekhar mass CO WD induced by accretion of material from a He star companion, and explosion of a sub--Chandrasekhar CO WD in a symbiotic system. The variation of the SNe Ia rate and explosion characteristics with time is derived, and its correlation with parent population age and galaxy redshift is discussed. Among current scenarios, CO + He star systems should be absent from E galaxies. Explosion of CO WDs in symbiotic systems could account for the SNe Ia rate in these galaxies. The same might be true for the CO + CO WD scenario, depending on the value of the common envelope parameter. A testable prediction of the sub--Chandrasekhar WD model is that the average brightness and kinetic energy of the SN Ia events should increase with redshift for a given Hubble type. Also for this scenario, going along the Hubble sequence from E to Sc galaxies SNe Ia events should be brighter on average and should show larger mean velocities of the ejecta. The observational correlations strongly suggest that the characteristics of the SNe Ia explosion are linked to parent population age. The scenario in which WDs with masses below the Chandrasekhar mass explode appears the most promising one to explain the observed variation of the SN Ia rate with galaxy type together with the luminosity--expansion velocity trend.Comment: 16 pages uuencoded compressed Postscript, 2 figures included. ApJ Letters, in pres

Evolution of the microstructure of cobalt during diffusionless transformation cycles

Differential scanning calorimetry and transmission electron microscopy have been used to study thermal fatigue due to diffusionless phase transformation cycling in pure cobalt. Thermal cycling through the allotropic (hcp ↔ fcc) transformation results in a temperature shift of the calorimetric peaks, which means a delay of the transformation. In addition, the transformation enthalpy, which is greater on heating than on cooling, diminishes when the number of transformation cycles increases. This is interpreted as being due to an evolution of the microstructure. Transmission electron microscopy shows the appearance of transformation-induced defects, which are mainly sessile dislocations. We can interpret the calorimetry results (enthalpy evolution and transformation delay) as due to the interactions between interface dislocations and these sessile dislocation

Discovery of an Unbound Hyper-Velocity Star in the Milky Way Halo

We have discovered a star, SDSS J090745.0+024507, leaving the Galaxy with a heliocentric radial velocity of +853+-12 km/s, the largest velocity ever observed in the Milky Way halo. The star is either a hot blue horizontal branch star or a B9 main sequence star with a heliocentric distance ~55 kpc. Corrected for the solar reflex motion and to the local standard of rest, the Galactic rest-frame velocity is +709 km/s. Because its radial velocity vector points 173.8 deg from the Galactic center, we suggest that this star is the first example of a hyper-velocity star ejected from the Galactic center as predicted by Hills and later discussed by Yu & Tremaine. The star has [Fe/H]~0, consistent with a Galactic center origin, and a travel time of <80 Myr from the Galactic center, consistent with its stellar lifetime. If the star is indeed traveling from the Galactic center, it should have a proper motion of 0.3 mas/yr observable with GAIA. Identifying additional hyper-velocity stars throughout the halo will constrain the production rate history of hyper-velocity stars at the Galactic center.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to ApJ Letter

The Expected Rate of Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows In Supernova Searches

We predict the rate at which Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) afterglows should be detected in supernova searches as a function of limiting flux. Although GRB afterglows are rarer than supernovae, they are detectable at greater distances because of their higher intrinsic luminosity. Assuming that GRBs trace the cosmic star formation history and that every GRB gives rise to a bright afterglow, we find that the average detection rate of supernovae and afterglows should be comparable at limiting magnitudes brighter than K=18. The actual rate of afterglows is expected to be somewhat lower since only a fraction of all gamma-ray selected GRBs were observed to have associated afterglows. However, the rate could also be higher if the initial gamma-ray emission from GRB sources is more beamed than their late afterglow emission. Hence, current and future supernova searches can place strong constraints on the afterglow appearance fraction and the initial beaming angle of GRB sources.Comment: 13 pages, submitted to ApJ

The Galactic 26Al Problem and The Close Binary SNIb/c Solution?

The origin of the long-lived radioactive 26Al, which has been observed in the Galactic interstellar medium from its 1.809 MeV decay gamma-ray line emission, has been a persistent problem for over twenty years. Wolf-Rayet (WR) winds were thought to be the most promising source, but their calculated 26Al yields are not consistent with recent analyses of the 1.809 MeV emission from the nearest WR star and nearby OB associations. The expected 26Al yield from the WR star exceeds by as much as a factor of 3, that set by the 2-sigma upper limit on the 1.809 MeV emission, while the WR yields in the OB associations are only about 1/3 of that required by the 1.809 MeV emission. We suggest that a solution to these problems may lie in 26Al from a previously ignored source: explosive nucleosynthesis in the core collapse SNIb/c supernovae of WR stars that have lost most of their mass to close binary companions. Recent nucleosynthetic calculations of SNIb/c suggest that their 26Al yields depend very strongly on the final, pre-supernova mass of the WR star, and that those with final masses around 6 to 8 solar masses are expected to produce as much as 0.01 solar masses of 26Al per supernova. Such binary SNIb/c make up only a small fraction of the current SNIb/c and only about 1% of all Galactic core collapse supernovae. They appear to be such prolific sources that the bulk of the present 26Al in the Galaxy may come from just a few hundred close binary SNIb/c and the intense 1.809 MeV emission from nearby OB associations may come from just one or two such supernova.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letters, 611,10 August 200

The Stellar Content of Obscured Galactic Giant HII Regions V: G333.1--0.4

We present high angular resolution near--infrared images of the obscured Galactic Giant HII (GHII) region G333.1--0.4 in which we detect an OB star cluster. For G333.1--0.4, we find OB stars and other massive objects in very early evolutionary stages, possibly still accreting. We obtained $K$--band spectra of three stars; two show O type photospheric features, while the third has no photospheric features but does show CO 2.3 $\mu$m band--head emission. This object is at least as hot as an early B type star based on its intrinsic luminosity and is surrounded by a circumstellar disc/envelope which produces near infrared excess emission. A number of other relatively bright cluster members also display excess emission in the $K$--band, indicative of disks/envelopes around young massive stars. Based upon the O star photometry and spectroscopy, the distance to the cluster is 2.6 $\pm$ 0.4 kpc, similar to a recently derived kinematic (near side) value. The slope of the $K$--band luminosity function is similar to those found in other young clusters. The mass function slope is more uncertain, and we find $-1.3 \pm 0.2 < \Gamma < -1.1 \pm 0.2$- for stars with M $> 5$ M$_\odot$ where the upper an lower limits are calculated independently for different assumptions regarding the excess emission of the individual massive stars. The number of Lyman continuum photons derived from the contribution of all massive stars in the cluster is 0.2 $\times$ $10^{50}$ $s^{-1}$ $< NLyc < 1.9$ $\times$ $10^{50}$ $s^{-1}$. The integrated cluster mass is 1.0 $\times$ $10^{3}$ $M_\odot < M_{cluster} < 1.3$ $\times$ $10^{3}$ $M_\odot$.Comment: 31 pages, including 12 figures and 3 tables. Accepted for publication in the A

The Stellar Content of Obscured Galactic Giant H II Regions III.: W31

We present near infrared (J, H, and K) photometry and moderate resolution (lambda/Deltalambda = 3000) K-band spectroscopy of the embedded stellar cluster in the giant H II region W31. Four of the brightest five cluster members are early O--type stars based on their spectra. We derive a spectro--photometric distance for W31 of 3.4 +/- 0.3 kpc using these new spectral types and infrared photometry. The brightest cluster source at K is a red object which lies in the region of the J - H vs. H - K color--color plot inhabited by stars with excess emission in the K-band. This point source has an H plus K-band spectrum which shows no photospheric features, which we interpret as being the result of veiling by local dust emission. Strong Brackett series emission and permitted FeII emission are detected in this source; the latter feature is suggestive of a dense inflow or outflow. The near infrared position of this red source is consistent with the position of a 5 GHz thermal radio source seen in previous high angular resolution VLA images. We also identify several other K-band sources containing excess emission with compact radio sources. These objects may represent stars in the W31 cluster still embedded in their birth cocoons.Comment: LaTeX2e/aastex, 29 pages including 9 figures, 3 table