52 research outputs found
An active asteroid belt causing the UX Ori phenomenon in RZ Psc
We report the discovery of mid-infrared excess emission in the young object
RZ Psc. The excess constitutes ~8% of its Lbol, and is well fit by a single
500K black-body implying a dust free region within 0.7AU for optically thick
dust. The object displays dust obscuration events (UXOR behaviour) with a
time-scale that suggests dusty material on orbits of 0.5AU. We also report a
12.4 year cyclical photometric variability which can be interpreted as due to
perturbations in the dust distribution. The system is characterized by a high
inclination, marginal extinction (during bright photometric states), a single
temperature for the warm dust, and an age estimate which puts the star beyond
the formation stage. We propose that the dust occultation events present a
dynamical view of an active asteroid belt whose collisional products
sporadically obscure the central star.Comment: Accepted for A&A letter
Spectropolarimetry of Supernovae
Overwhelming evidence has accumulated in recent years that supernova
explosions are intrinsically 3-dimensional phenomena with significant
departures from spherical symmetry. We review the evidence derived from
spectropolarimetry that has established several key results: virtually all
supernovae are significantly aspherical near maximum light; core-collapse
supernovae behave differently than thermonuclear (Type Ia) supernovae; the
asphericity of core-collapse supernovae is stronger in the inner layers showing
that the explosion process itself is strongly aspherical; core-collapse
supernovae tend to establish a preferred direction of asymmetry; the
asphericity is stronger in the outer layers of thermonuclear supernovae
providing constraints on the burning process. We emphasize the utility of the
Q/U plane as a diagnostic tool and revisit SN 1987A and SN 1993J in a
contemporary context. An axially-symmetric geometry can explain many basic
features of core-collapse supernovae, but significant departures from axial
symmetry are needed to explain most events. We introduce a spectropolarimetry
type to classify the range of behavior observed in polarized supernovae.
Understanding asymmetries in supernovae is important for phenomena as diverse
as the origins of gamma-ray bursts and the cosmological applications of Type Ia
supernovae in studies of the dark energy content of the universe.Comment: Draft of Annual Review article prior to final copy editing; 85 pages,
13 figures, 1 tabl
Polarised infrared emission from X-ray binary jets
Near-infrared (NIR) and optical polarimetric observations of a selection of
X-ray binaries are presented. The targets were observed using the Very Large
Telescope and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. We detect a significant
level (3 sigma) of linear polarisation in four sources. The polarisation is
found to be intrinsic (at the > 3 sigma level) in two sources; GRO J1655-40 (~
4-7% in H and Ks-bands during an outburst) and Sco X-1 (~ 0.1-0.9% in H and K),
which is stronger at lower frequencies. This is likely to be the signature of
optically thin synchrotron emission from the collimated jets in these systems,
whose presence indicates a partially-ordered magnetic field is present at the
inner regions of the jets. In Sco X-1 the intrinsic polarisation is variable
(and sometimes absent) in the H and K-bands. In the J-band (i.e. at higher
frequencies) the polarisation is not significantly variable and is consistent
with an interstellar origin. The optical light from GX 339-4 is also polarised,
but at a level and position angle consistent with scattering by interstellar
dust. The other polarised source is SS 433, which has a low level (0.5-0.8%) of
J-band polarisation, likely due to local scattering. The NIR counterparts of
GRO J0422+32, XTE J1118+480, 4U 0614+09 and Aql X-1 (which were all in or near
quiescence) have a linear polarisation level of < 16% (3 sigma upper limit,
some are < 6%). We discuss how such observations may be used to constrain the
ordering of the magnetic field close to the base of the jet in such systems.Comment: Accepted to be published in MNRAS; 13 pages, 6 figure
Hydrodynamic Processes in Young Binary Systems as a Source of Cyclic Variations of Circumstellar Extinction
Hydrodynamic models of a young binary system accreting matter from the
remnants of a protostellar cloud have been calculated by the SPH method. It is
shown that periodic variations in column density in projection onto the primary
component take place at low inclinations of the binary plane to the line of
sight. They can result in periodic extinction variations. Three periodic
components can exist in general case. The first component has a period equal to
the orbital one and is attributable to the streams of matter penetrating into
the inner regions of the binary. The second component has a period that is a
factor of 5-8 longer than the orbital one and is related to the density waves
generated in a circumbinary (CB) disk. The third, longest period is
attributable to the precession of the inner asymmetric region of CB disk. The
relationship between the amplitudes of these cycles depends on the model
parameters as well as on the inclination and orientation of the binary in
space. We show that at a dust-to-gas ratio of 1:100 and and a mass extinction
coefficient of 250 cm g, the amplitude of the brightness variations
of the primary component in the V-band can reach at a mass accretion rate
onto the binary components of yr and a
inclination of the binary plane to the line of sight. We discuss possible
applications of the model to pre-main-sequence stars.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, published in Astronomy Letters (v.33, 2007
Bimodal Brightness Oscillations in Models of Young Binary Systems
We consider a model for the cyclic activity of young binary stars that
accrete matter from the remnants of a protostellar cloud. If the orbit of such
a binary system is inclined at a small angle to the line of sight, then the
streams of matter and the density waves excited in the circumbinary disk can
screen the primary component of the binary from the observer. To study these
phenomena by the SPH (smoothed particle hydrodynamics) method, we have computed
grids of hydrodynamic models for binary systems based on which we have
constructed the light curves as a function of the orbital phase.The main
emphasis is on investigating the properties of the brightness oscillations.
Therefore, the model parameters were varied within the following ranges: the
component mass ratio q = M2 : M1 = 0.2 - 0.5 and the eccentricity e = 0 - 0.7.
The parameter that defined the binary viscosity was also varied. We adopted
optical grain characteristics typical of circumstellar dust. Our computations
have shown that bimodal oscillations are excited in binaries with eccentric
orbits, provided that the binary components do not differ too much in mass. In
this case, the ratios of the periods and amplitudes of the bimodal oscillations
and their shape depend strongly on the inclination of the binary plane and its
orientation relative to the observer. Our analysis shows that the computed
light curves can be used in interpreting the cyclic activity of UX Ori stars.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl
Non-Detection of Polarized, Scattered Light from the HD 189733b Hot Jupiter
Using the POLISH instrument, I am unable to reproduce the large-amplitude
polarimetric observations of Berdyugina et al. (2008) to the >99.99% confidence
level. I observe no significant polarimetric variability in the HD 189733
system, and the upper limit to variability from the exoplanet is Delta_P < 7.9
x 10^(-5) with 99% confidence in the 400 nm to 675 nm wavelength range.
Berdyugina et al. (2008) report polarized, scattered light from the atmosphere
of the HD 189733b hot Jupiter with an amplitude of two parts in 10^4. Such a
large amplitude is over an order of magnitude larger than expected given a
geometric albedo similar to other hot Jupiters. However, my non-detection of
polarimetric variability phase-locked to the orbital period of the exoplanet,
and the lack of any significant variability, shows that the polarimetric
modulation reported by Berdyugina et al. (2008) cannot be due to the exoplanet.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Brightness Oscillations in Models of Young Binary Systems with Low-Mass Secondary Components
We consider a model for the cyclic brightness variations of a young star with
a low-mass companion that accretes matter from the remnants of a protostellar
cloud. At small inclinations of the binary orbit to the line of sight, the
streams of matter and the density waves excited in the circumbinary disk can
screen the primary component of the binary from the observer. To study these
phenomena, we have computed grids of hydrodynamic models for binary systems by
the SPH method based on which we have constructed the phase light curves as a
function of the rotation angle of the apsidal line relative to the observer.
The model parameters were varied within the following ranges: the component
mass ratio q = 0.01-0.1 and the eccentricity e = 0-0.5. We adopted optical
grain characteristics typical of circumstellar dust. Our computations have
shown that the brightness oscillations with orbital phase can have a complex
structure. The amplitudes and shapes of the light curves depend strongly on the
inclination of the binary orbit and its orientation relative to the observer
and on the accretion rate. The results of our computations are used to analyze
the cyclic activity of UX Ori stars.Comment: 13 pages,8 figures, 1 tabl
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