Asteroseismology and evolution of EHB stars

The properties of the Extreme Horizontal Branch stars are quite well understood, but much uncertainty surrounds the many paths that bring a star to this peculiar configuration. Asteroseismology of pulsating EHB stars has been performed on a number of objects, bringing us to the stage where comparisons of the inferred properties with evolutionary models becomes feasible. In this review I outline our current understanding of the formation and evolution of these stars, with emphasis on recent progress. The aim is to show how the physical parameters derived by asteroseismology can enable the discrimination between different evolutionary models.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, invited review to appear in Communications in Asteroseismology vol.159, "Proceedings of the JENAM 2008 Symposium No 4: Asteroseismology and Stellar Evolution

Global Mapping Function (GMF): A new empirical mapping function based on numerical weather model data

Troposphere mapping functions are used in the analyses of Global Positioning System and Very Long Baseline Interferometry observations to map a priori zenith hydrostatic and wet delays to any elevation angle. Most analysts use the Niell Mapping Function (NMF) whose coefficients are determined from site coordinates and the day of year. Here we present the Global Mapping Function (GMF), based on data from the global ECMWF numerical weather model. The coefficients of the GMF were obtained from an expansion of the Vienna Mapping Function (VMF1) parameters into spherical harmonics on a global grid. Similar to NMF, the values of the coefficients require only the station coordinates and the day of year as input parameters. Compared to the 6-hourly values of the VMF1 a slight degradation in short-term precision occurs using the empirical GMF. However, the regional height biases and annual errors of NMF are significantly reduced with GMF

The Potential of the Timing Method to Detect Evolved Planetary Systems

The timing method, using either stellar pulsations or eclipse timing of close binaries as a clock, is proving to be an efficient way to detect planets around stars that have evolved beyond the red giant branch. In this article we present a short review of the recent discoveries and we investigate the potential of the timing method using data both from ground-based facilities as well as from the Kepler and CoRoT space missions.Comment: Part of PlanetsbeyondMS/2010 proceedings http://arxiv.org/html/1011.6606v1, Proc. of the workshop on "Planetary Systems beyond the Main Sequence" (Bamberg, 11-14 August 2010), AIPC in press (eds. S. Schuh, H. Drechsel and U. Heber), 15 pages, 5 figure

Search for sdB/WD pulsators in the Kepler FOV

In this article we present the preliminary results of an observational search for subdwarf B and white dwarf pulsators in the Kepler field of view, performed using the DOLORES camera attached to the 3.6m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG).Comment: Communications in Asteroseismology, in press; 2 pages, 1 figur

The solution of the laminar-boundary-layer equation for the flat plate for velocity and temperature fields for variable physical properties and for the diffusion field at high concentration

In connection with Pohlhausen's solution for the temperature field on the flat plate, a series of formulas were indicated by means of which the velocity and temperature field for variable physical characteristics can be computed by an integral equation and an iteration method based on it. With it, the following cases were solved: On the assumption that the viscosity simply varies with the temperature while the other fluid properties remain constant, the velocity and temperature field on the heated and cooled plate, respectively, was computed at the Prandtl numbers 12.5 and 100 (viscous fluids). A closer study of these two cases resulted in general relations: The calculations for a gas of Pr number 0.7 (air) were conducted on the assumption that all fluid properties vary with the temperature, and the velocities are low enough for the heat of friction to be discounted. The result was a thickening of the boundary layers, but no appreciable modification in shearing stress or heat-transfer coefficient

Vertical quantum wire realized with double cleaved-edge overgrowth

A quantum wire is fabricated on (001)-GaAs at the intersection of two overgrown cleaves. The wire is contacted at each end to n+ GaAs layers via two-dimensional (2D) leads. A sidegate controls the density of the wire revealing conductance quantization. The step height is strongly reduced from 2e^2/h due to the 2D-lead series resistance. We characterize the 2D density and mobility for both cleave facets with four-point measurements. The density on the first facet is modulated by the substrate potential, depleting a 2um wide strip that defines the wire length. Micro-photoluminescence shows an extra peak consistent with 1D electron states at the corner.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Faculty Development in Student Learning Communities: Exploring the Vitality of Mid–Career Faculty Participants

Student learning communities result in numerous benefits for students and institutions, but less is known about the influence of learning community participation on faculty renewal and development. This qualitative study examines mid-career faculty members’ involvement in student learning communiities to explore the degree to which the construct of vitality appropriately describes and illuminates their experiences. Findings suggest that learning communities foster vitality by serving as a boundary-spanning activity where faculty can merge various work interests, allowing them to engage in purposeful production and providing them with experiences that help generate feelings of energy, excitement, and engagement with their work

VLBI: A Fascinating Technique for Geodesy and Astrometry

Since the 1970s Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) has proven to be a primary space-geodetic technique by determining precise coordinates on the Earth, by monitoring the variable Earth rotation and orientation with highest precision, and by deriving many other parameters of the Earth system. VLBI provides an important linkage to astronomy through, for instance, the determination of very precise coordinates of extragalactic radio sources. Additionally, it contributes to determining parameters of relativistic and cosmological models. After a short review of the history of geodetic VLBI and a summary of recent results, this paper describes future perspectives of this fascinating technique. The International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS), as a service of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) and the International Astronomical Union (IAU), is well on its way to fully defining a next generation VLBI system, called VLBI2010. The goals of the new system are to achieve on scales up to the size of the Earth an accuracy of 1 mm in position and of 0.1 mm/year in velocity. Continuous observations shall be carried out 24 h per day 7 days per week in the future with initial results to be delivered within 24 h after taking the data. Special sessions, e.g. for monitoring the Earth rotation parameters, will provide the results in near real-time. These goals require a completely new technical and conceptual design of VLBI measurements. Based on extensive simulation studies, strategies have been developed by the IVS to significantly improve its product accuracy through the use of a network of small (approx 12 m) fast-slewing antennas. A new method for generating high precision delay measurements as well as improved methods for handling biases related to radio source structure, system electronics, and deformations of the antenna structures has been developed. Furthermore, as of January 2012, the construction of ten new VLBI2010 sites has been funded, with good prospects for one dozen more antennas, which will improve the geographical distribution of geodetic VLBI sites on Earth and provide an important step toward a global VLBI2010 network. Within this paper, the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) of the IAG will also be introduced and the contribution of VLBI to GGOS will be described