53 research outputs found
Asteroid observations at low phase angles. IV : Average parameters for the new H, G1, G2 magnitude system
Peer reviewe
Bound states of edge dislocations: The quantum dipole problem in two dimensions
We investigate bound state solutions of the 2D Schr\"odinger equation with a
dipole potential originating from the elastic effects of a single edge
dislocation. The knowledge of these states could be useful for understanding a
wide variety of physical systems, including superfluid behavior along
dislocations in solid He. We present a review of the results obtained by
previous workers together with an improved variational estimate of the ground
state energy. We then numerically solve the eigenvalue problem and calculate
the energy spectrum. In our dimensionless units, we find a ground state energy
of -0.139, which is lower than any previous estimate. We also make successful
contact with the behavior of the energy spectrum as derived from semiclassical
considerations.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PR
The binary near-Earth asteroid (175706) 1996 FG3 - An observational constraint on its orbital evolution
Using our photometric observations taken between 1996 and 2013 and other
published data, we derived properties of the binary near-Earth asteroid
(175706) 1996 FG3 including new measurements constraining evolution of the
mutual orbit with potential consequences for the entire binary asteroid
population. We also refined previously determined values of parameters of both
components, making 1996 FG3 one of the most well understood binary asteroid
systems. We determined the orbital vector with a substantially greater accuracy
than before and we also placed constraints on a stability of the orbit.
Specifically, the ecliptic longitude and latitude of the orbital pole are
266{\deg} and -83{\deg}, respectively, with the mean radius of the uncertainty
area of 4{\deg}, and the orbital period is 16.1508 +/- 0.0002 h (all quoted
uncertainties correspond to 3sigma). We looked for a quadratic drift of the
mean anomaly of the satellite and obtained a value of 0.04 +/- 0.20 deg/yr^2,
i.e., consistent with zero. The drift is substantially lower than predicted by
the pure binary YORP (BYORP) theory of McMahon and Scheeres (McMahon, J.,
Scheeres, D. [2010]. Icarus 209, 494-509) and it is consistent with the theory
of an equilibrium between BYORP and tidal torques for synchronous binary
asteroids as proposed by Jacobson and Scheeres (Jacobson, S.A., Scheeres, D.
[2011]. ApJ Letters, 736, L19). Based on the assumption of equilibrium, we
derived a ratio of the quality factor and tidal Love number of Q/k = 2.4 x 10^5
uncertain by a factor of five. We also derived a product of the rigidity and
quality factor of mu Q = 1.3 x 10^7 Pa using the theory that assumes an elastic
response of the asteroid material to the tidal forces. This very low value
indicates that the primary of 1996 FG3 is a 'rubble pile', and it also calls
for a re-thinking of the tidal energy dissipation in close asteroid binary
systems.Comment: Many changes based on referees comment
Analysis of the rotation period of asteroids (1865) Cerberus, (2100) Ra-Shalom, and (3103) Eger - search for the YORP effect
The spin state of small asteroids can change on a long timescale by the
Yarkovsky-O'Keefe-Radzievskii-Paddack (YORP) effect, the net torque that arises
from anisotropically scattered sunlight and proper thermal radiation from an
irregularly-shaped asteroid. The secular change in the rotation period caused
by the YORP effect can be detected by analysis of asteroid photometric
lightcurves. We analyzed photometric lightcurves of near-Earth asteroids (1865)
Cerberus, (2100) Ra-Shalom, and (3103) Eger with the aim to detect possible
deviations from the constant rotation caused by the YORP effect. We carried out
new photometric observations of the three asteroids, combined the new
lightcurves with archived data, and used the lightcurve inversion method to
model the asteroid shape, pole direction, and rotation rate. The YORP effect
was modeled as a linear change in the rotation rate in time d\omega /dt. Values
of d\omega/ dt derived from observations were compared with the values
predicted by theory. We derived physical models for all three asteroids. We had
to model Eger as a nonconvex body because the convex model failed to fit the
lightcurves observed at high phase angles. We probably detected the
acceleration of the rotation rate of Eger d\omega / dt = (1.4 +/- 0.6) x
10^{-8} rad/d (3\sigma error), which corresponds to a decrease in the rotation
period by 4.2 ms/yr. The photometry of Cerberus and Ra-Shalom was consistent
with a constant-period model, and no secular change in the spin rate was
detected. We could only constrain maximum values of |d\omega / dt| < 8 x
10^{-9} rad/d for Cerberus, and |d\omega / dt| < 3 x 10^{-8} rad/d for
Ra-Shalom
Kharkiv database of asteroid absolute magnitudes : Comparative analysis with other datasets
We present a database of the absolute magnitudes of asteroids named the Kharkiv Asteroid Absolute Magnitude Database (KhAAMD). The database includes a homogeneous set of the absolute magnitudes for about 400 asteroids in the new HG(1)G(2) magnitude system. We performed a comparative analysis of the asteroid absolute magnitudes between the Kharkiv database and other main magnitude databases (MPC, Pan-STARRS, ATLAS, PTF, and Gaia). We show that the Pan-STARRS absolute magnitude dataset has no systematic deviations and is the most suitable for the determination of diameters and albedos of asteroids. For the MPC dataset, there is a linear trend of overestimating the absolute magnitudes of bright objects and underestimating the magnitudes of faint asteroids. The ATLAS dataset has both a systematic overestimation of asteroid magnitudes and a linear trend. We propose equations that can be used to correct for systematic errors in the MPC and the ATLAS magnitude datasets. There are possible systematic deviations of about 0.1 mag for the Gaia and PTF databases but there are insufficient data overlapping with our data for a definitive analysis.Peer reviewe
Multi-wavelength observations of afterglow of GRB 080319B and the modeling constraints
We present observations of the afterglow of GRB 080319B at optical, mm and
radio frequencies from a few hours to 67 days after the burst. Present
observations along with other published multi-wavelength data have been used to
study the light-curves and spectral energy distributions of the burst
afterglow. The nature of this brightest cosmic explosion has been explored
based on the observed properties and it's comparison with the afterglow models.
Our results show that the observed features of the afterglow fits equally good
with the Inter Stellar Matter and the Stellar Wind density profiles of the
circum-burst medium. In case of both density profiles, location of the maximum
synchrotron frequency is below optical and the value of cooling break
frequency is below rays, s after the burst. Also, the
derived value of the Lorentz factor at the time of naked eye brightness is
with the corresponding blast wave size of cm. The
numerical fit to the multi-wavelength afterglow data constraints the values of
physical parameters and the emission mechanism of the burst.Comment: 8 Pages, 3 Figures, Accepted for publication to Astronomy and
Astrophysics on 02/04/200
Roadmap towards the redefinition of the second
This paper outlines the roadmap towards the redefinition of the second, which was recently updated by the CCTF Task Force created by the CCTF in 2020. The main achievements of optical frequency standards (OFS) call for reflection on the redefinition of the second, but open new challenges related to the performance of the OFS, their contribution to time scales and UTC, the possibility of their comparison, and the knowledge of the Earth's gravitational potential to ensure a robust and accurate capacity to realize a new definition at the level of 10-18 uncertainty. The mandatory criteria to be achieved before redefinition have been defined and their current fulfilment level is estimated showing the fields that still needed improvement. The possibility to base the redefinition on a single or on a set of transitions has also been evaluated. The roadmap indicates the steps to be followed in the next years to be ready for a sound and successful redefinition
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