3,547 research outputs found
Groundbased cometary studies
The physical properties of comets were studied by applying a wide variety of observational techniques. Emphasis is on simultaneous or coordinated observations in different spectral regions (e.g., visible and thermal IR or visible and far UV) or with different instrumentation (imaging, spectroscopy, and photometry). The aim was to: (1) measure the basic properties of cometary nuclei by studying comets whose comae are so anemic that the signal from the nucleus can be extracted; (2) investigate the group characteristics of comets by narrowband photometry applied uniformly to a large sample of comets; (3) understand the detailed physics and chemistry occurring in cometary comae through wide-field charge coupled device (CCD) imaging using narrow filters and through long-slit CCD spectroscopy; and (4) investigate the rotational states of comets through time-resolution photometry
Modeling gravitational instabilities in self-gravitating protoplanetary disks with adaptive mesh refinement techniques
The astonishing diversity in the observed planetary population requires
theoretical efforts and advances in planet formation theories. Numerical
approaches provide a method to tackle the weaknesses of current planet
formation models and are an important tool to close gaps in poorly constrained
areas. We present a global disk setup to model the first stages of giant planet
formation via gravitational instabilities (GI) in 3D with the block-structured
adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) hydrodynamics code ENZO. With this setup, we
explore the impact of AMR techniques on the fragmentation and clumping due to
large-scale instabilities using different AMR configurations. Additionally, we
seek to derive general resolution criteria for global simulations of
self-gravitating disks of variable extent. We run a grid of simulations with
varying AMR settings, including runs with a static grid for comparison, and
study the effects of varying the disk radius. Adopting a marginally stable disk
profile (Q_init=1), we validate the numerical robustness of our model for
different spatial extensions, from compact to larger, extended disks (R_disk =
10, 100 and 300 AU, M_disk ~ 0.05 M_Sun, M_star = 0.646 M_Sun). By combining
our findings from the resolution and parameter studies we find a lower limit of
the resolution to be able to resolve GI induced fragmentation features and
distinct, turbulence inducing clumps. Irrespective of the physical extension of
the disk, topologically disconnected clump features are only resolved if the
fragmentation-active zone of the disk is resolved with at least 100 cells,
which holds as a minimum requirement for all global disk setups. Our
simulations illustrate the capabilities of AMR-based modeling techniques for
planet formation simulations and underline the importance of balanced
refinement settings to reproduce fragmenting structures.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures; accepted for publication in A&A; for associated
movie files, see http://timlichtenberg.net/publications/gi1
The far-infrared - radio correlation in dwarf galaxies
The far-infrared - radio correlation connects star formation and magnetic
fields in galaxies, and has been confirmed over a large range of far-infrared
luminosities. Recent investigations indicate that it may even hold in the
regime of local dwarf galaxies, and we explore here the expected behavior in
the regime of star formation surface densities below 0.1 M_sun kpc^{-2}
yr^{-1}. We derive two conditions that can be particularly relevant for
inducing a change in the expected correlation: a critical star formation
surface density to maintain the correlation between star formation rate and the
magnetic field, and a critical star formation surface density below which
cosmic ray diffusion losses dominate over their injection via supernova
explosions. For rotation periods shorter than 1.5x10^7 (H/kpc)^2 yrs, with H
the scale height of the disk, the first correlation will break down before
diffusion losses are relevant, as higher star formation rates are required to
maintain the correlation between star formation rate and magnetic field
strength. For high star formation surface densities Sigma_SFR, we derive a
characteristic scaling of the non-thermal radio to the far-infrared / infrared
emission with Sigma_SFR^{1/3}, corresponding to a scaling of the non-thermal
radio luminosity L_s with the infrared luminosity L_{th} as L_{th}^{4/3}. The
latter is expected to change when the above processes are no longer steadily
maintained. In the regime of long rotation periods, we expect a transition
towards a steeper scaling with Sigma_SFR^{2/3}, implying L_s~L_th^{5/3}, while
the regime of fast rotation is expected to show a considerably enhanced
scatter. These scaling relations explain the increasing thermal fraction of the
radio emission observed within local dwarfs, and can be tested with future
observations by the SKA and its precursor radio telescopes.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, accepted at A&
Planet formation from the ejecta of common envelopes
The close binary system NN Serpentis must have gone through a common envelope
phase before the formation of its white dwarf. During this phase, a substantial
amount of mass was lost from the envelope. The recently detected orbits of
circumbinary planets are likely inconsistent with planet formation before the
mass loss.We explore whether new planets may have formed from the ejecta of the
common envelope and derive the expected planetary mass as a function of
radius.We employed the Kashi & Soker model to estimate the amount of mass that
is retained during the ejection event and inferred the properties of the
resulting disk from the conservation of mass and angular momentum. The
resulting planetary masses were estimated from models with and without
radiative feedback. We show that the observed planetary masses can be
reproduced for appropriate model parameters. Photoheating can stabilize the
disks in the interior, potentially explaining the observed planetary orbits on
scales of a few AU. We compare the expected mass scale of planets for 11
additional systems with observational results and find hints of two
populations, one consistent with planet formation from the ejecta of common
envelopes and the other a separate population that may have formed earlier. The
formation of the observed planets from the ejecta of common envelopes seems
feasible. The model proposed here can be tested through refined observations of
additional post-common envelope systems. While it appears observationally
challenging to distinguish between the accretion on pre-existing planets and
their growth from new fragments, it may be possible to further constrain the
properties of the protoplanetary disk through additional observations of
current planetary candidates and post-common envelope binary systems.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables. Accepted at A&
A new interpretation of the far-infrared - radio correlation and the expected breakdown at high redshift
(Abrigded) Observations of galaxies up to z 2 show a tight correlation
between far-infrared and radio continuum emission. We explain the far-infrared
- radio continuum correlation by relating star formation and magnetic field
strength in terms of turbulent magnetic field amplification, where turbulence
is injected by supernova explosions from massive stars. We calculate the
expected amount of turbulence in galaxies based on their star formation rates,
and infer the expected magnetic field strength due to turbulent dynamo
amplification. We estimate the timescales for cosmic ray energy losses via
synchrotron emission, inverse Compton scattering, ionization and bremsstrahlung
emission, probing up to which redshift strong synchrotron emission can be
maintained. We find that the correlation between star formation rate and
magnetic field strength in the local Universe can be understood as a result of
turbulent magnetic field amplification. If the typical gas density in the
interstellar medium increases at high z, we expect an increase of the magnetic
field strength and the radio emission, as indicated by current observations.
Such an increase would imply a modification of the far-infrared - radio
correlation. We expect a breakdown when inverse Compton losses start dominating
over synchrotron emission. For a given star formation surface density, we
calculate the redshift where the breakdown occurs, yielding z (Sigma_SFR/0.0045
M_solar kpc^{-2} yr^{-1})^{1/(6-alpha/2)}. In this relation, the parameter
\alpha describes the evolution of the characteristic ISM density in galaxies as
(1+z)^\alpha. Both the possible raise of the radio emission at high redshift
and the final breakdown of the far-infrared -- radio correlation at a critical
redshift will be probed by the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and its
pathfinders, while the typical ISM density in galaxies will be probed with
ALMA.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figures, 1 table, accepted at A&A (proof corrections
included
Magnetic fields in primordial accretion disks
Magnetic fields are considered as a vital ingredient of contemporary star
formation, and may have been important during the formation of the first stars
in the presence of an efficient amplification mechanism. Initial seed fields
are provided via plasma fluctuations, and are subsequently amplified by the
small-scale dynamo, leading to a strong tangled magnetic field. Here we explore
how the magnetic field provided by the small-scale dynamo is further amplified
via the dynamo in a protostellar disk and assess its
implications. For this purpose, we consider two characteristic cases, a typical
Pop.~III star with ~M and an accretion rate of
~M~yr, and a supermassive star with ~M
and an accretion rate of ~M~yr. For the ~M
Pop.~III star, we find that coherent magnetic fields can be produced on scales
of at least ~AU, which are sufficient to drive a jet with a luminosity of
~L and a mass outflow rate of ~M~yr. For
the supermassive star, the dynamical timescales in its environment are even
shorter, implying smaller orbital timescales and an efficient magnetization out
to at least ~AU. The jet luminosity corresponds to
~L, and a mass outflow rate of
~M~yr. We expect that the feedback from the
supermassive star can have a relevant impact on its host galaxy.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, comments are
still welcom
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