Escape, capture, and levitation of matter in Eddington outbursts

Context: An impulsive increase in luminosity by one half or more of the Eddington value will lead to ejection of all optically thin plasma from Keplerian orbits around the radiating star, if gravity is Newtonian and the Poynting-Robertson drag is neglected. Radiation drag may bring some particles down to the stellar surface. On the other hand, general relativistic calculations show that gravity may be balanced by a sufficiently intense radiation field at a certain distance from the star. Aims: We investigate the motion of test particles around highly luminous stars to determine conditions under which plasma may be ejected from the system. Results: In Einstein's gravity, if the outburst is close to the Eddington luminosity, all test particles orbiting outside an "escape sphere" will be ejected from the system, while all others will be captured from their orbits onto the surface of another sphere, which is well above the stellar surface, and may even be outside the escape sphere, depending on the value of luminosity. Radiation drag will bring all the captured particles to rest on this "Eddington capture sphere," where they will remain suspended in an equilibrium state as long as the local flux of radiation does not change and remains at the effective Eddington value.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures. To be published in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Oscillations of the Eddington Capture Sphere

We present a toy model of mildly super-Eddington, optically thin accretion onto a compact star in the Schwarzschild metric, which predicts periodic variations of luminosity when matter is supplied to the system at a constant accretion rate. These are related to the periodic appearance and disappearance of the Eddington Capture Sphere. In the model the frequency is found to vary inversely with the luminosity. If the input accretion rate varies (strictly) periodically, the luminosity variation is quasi-periodic, and the quality factor is inversely proportional to the relative amplitude of mass accretion fluctuations, with its largest value approximately Q= 1/(10 |delta Mdot/Mdot|) attained in oscillations at about 1 to 2 kHz frequencies for a 2 solar mass star

Synchrotron radiation from a runaway electron distribution in tokamaks

The synchrotron radiation emitted by runaway electrons in a fusion plasma provides information regarding the particle momenta and pitch-angles of the runaway electron population through the strong dependence of the synchrotron spectrum on these parameters. Information about the runaway density and its spatial distribution, as well as the time evolution of the above quantities, can also be deduced. In this paper we present the synchrotron radiation spectra for typical avalanching runaway electron distributions. Spectra obtained for a distribution of electrons are compared to the emission of mono-energetic electrons with a prescribed pitch-angle. We also examine the effects of magnetic field curvature and analyse the sensitivity of the resulting spectrum to perturbations to the runaway distribution. The implications for the deduced runaway electron parameters are discussed. We compare our calculations to experimental data from DIII-D and estimate the maximum observed runaway energy.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures; updated author affiliations, fixed typos, added a sentence at the end of section I

Dust Formation and He II 4686 emission in the Dense Shell of the Peculiar Type Ib Supernova 2006jc

We present evidence for the formation of dust grains in an unusual Type Ib SN based on late-time spectra of SN 2006jc. The progenitor suffered an LBV-like outburst just 2 yr earlier, and we propose that the dust formation is a consequence of the SN blast wave overtaking that LBV-like shell. The key evidence for dust formation is (a) the appearance of a red/near-IR continuum source fit by 1600 K graphite grains, and (b) fading of the redshifted sides of He I emission lines, yielding progressively more asymmetric blueshifted lines as dust obscures receding material. This provides the strongest case yet for dust formation in any SN Ib/c. Both developments occurred between 51 and 75 d after peak, while other SNe observed to form dust did so after a few hundred days. Geometric considerations indicate that dust formed in the dense swept-up shell between the forward and reverse shocks, and not in the freely expanding SN ejecta. Rapid cooling leading to dust formation may have been aided by extremely high shell densities, as indicated by He I line ratios. The brief epoch of dust formation is accompanied by He II 4686 emission and enhanced X-ray emission. These clues suggest that the unusual dust formation in this object was not due to properties of the SN itself, but instead -- like most peculiarities of SN 2006jc -- was a consequence of the dense environment created by an LBV-like eruption 2 yr before the SN.Comment: ApJ, accepted. added some discussion and 2 figures, better title, conclusions same as previous version. 12 pages, 4 color fig

Supersonic combustion engine testbed, heat lightning

The design of a supersonic combustion engine testbed (SCET) aircraft is presented. The hypersonic waverider will utilize both supersonic combustion ramjet (SCRAMjet) and turbofan-ramjet engines. The waverider concept, system integration, electrical power, weight analysis, cockpit, landing skids, and configuration modeling are addressed in the configuration considerations. The subsonic, supersonic and hypersonic aerodynamics are presented along with the aerodynamic stability and landing analysis of the aircraft. The propulsion design considerations include: engine selection, turbofan ramjet inlets, SCRAMjet inlets and the SCRAMjet diffuser. The cooling requirements and system are covered along with the topics of materials and the hydrogen fuel tanks and insulation system. A cost analysis is presented and the appendices include: information about the subsonic wind tunnel test, shock expansion calculations, and an aerodynamic heat flux program

Quasi-linear analysis of the extraordinary electron wave destabilized by runaway electrons

Runaway electrons with strongly anisotropic distributions present in post-disruption tokamak plasmas can destabilize the extraordinary electron (EXEL) wave. The present work investigates the dynamics of the quasi-linear evolution of the EXEL instability for a range of different plasma parameters using a model runaway distribution function valid for highly relativistic runaway electron beams produced primarily by the avalanche process. Simulations show a rapid pitch-angle scattering of the runaway electrons in the high energy tail on the $100-1000\;\rm \mu s$ time scale. Due to the wave-particle interaction, a modification to the synchrotron radiation spectrum emitted by the runaway electron population is foreseen, exposing a possible experimental detection method for such an interaction

Dynamical mass of the O-type supergiant in Zeta Orionis A

A close companion of Zeta Orionis A was found in 2000 with the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI), and shown to be a physical companion. Because the primary is a supergiant of type O, for which dynamical mass measurements are very rare, the companion was observed with NPOI over the full 7-year orbit. Our aim was to determine the dynamical mass of a supergiant that, due to the physical separation of more than 10 AU between the components, cannot have undergone mass exchange with the companion. The interferometric observations allow measuring the relative positions of the binary components and their relative brightness. The data collected over the full orbital period allows all seven orbital elements to be determined. In addition to the interferometric observations, we analyzed archival spectra obtained at the Calar Alto, Haute Provence, Cerro Armazones, and La Silla observatories, as well as new spectra obtained at the VLT on Cerro Paranal. In the high-resolution spectra we identified a few lines that can be associated exclusively to one or the other component for the measurement of the radial velocities of both. The combination of astrometry and spectroscopy then yields the stellar masses and the distance to the binary star. The resulting masses for components Aa of 14.0 solar masses and Ab of 7.4 solar masses are low compared to theoretical expectations, with a distance of 294 pc which is smaller than a photometric distance estimate of 387 pc based on the spectral type B0III of the B component. If the latter (because it is also consistent with the distance to the Orion OB1 association) is adopted, the mass of the secondary component Ab of 14 solar masses would agree with classifying a star of type B0.5IV. It is fainter than the primary by about 2.2 magnitudes in the visual. The primary mass is then determined to be 33 solar masses

Benthic oxygen exchange in a live coralline algal bed and an adjacent sandy habitat: an eddy covariance study

Coralline algal (maerl) beds are widespread, slow-growing, structurally complex perennial habitats that support high biodiversity, yet are significantly understudied compared to seagrass beds or kelp forests. We present the first eddy covariance (EC) study on a live maerl bed, assessing the community benthic gross primary productivity (GPP), respiration (R), and net ecosystem metabolism (NEM) derived from diel EC time series collected during 5 seasonal measurement campaigns in temperate Loch Sween, Scotland. Measurements were also carried out at an adjacent (~20 m distant) permeable sandy habitat. The O2 exchange rate was highly dynamic, driven by light availability and the ambient tidally-driven flow velocity. Linear relationships between the EC O2 fluxes and available light indicate that the benthic phototrophic communities were lightlimited. Compensation irradiance (Ec) varied seasonally and was typically ~1.8-fold lower at the maerl bed compared to the sand. Substantial GPP was evident at both sites; however, the maerl bed and the sand habitat were net heterotrophic during each sampling campaign. Additional inputs of ~4 and ~7 mol m-2 yr-1 of carbon at the maerl bed and sand site, respectively, were required to sustain the benthic O2 demand. Thus, the 2 benthic habitats efficiently entrap organic carbon and are sinks of organic material in the coastal zone. Parallel deployment of 0.1 m2 benthic chambers during nighttime revealed O2 uptake rates that varied by up to ~8-fold between replicate chambers (from -0.4 to -3.0 mmol O2 m-2 h-1; n = 4). However, despite extensive O2 flux variability on meter horizontal scales, mean rates of O2 uptake as resolved in parallel by chambers and EC were typically within 20% of one another

Strategic Networking for Online Success

The growth of online social networks and the decreasing effectiveness of traditional marketing have lead to a large interest in social networks. For an appropriate application of new marketing approaches marketers have to understand the impact of interactions and relationships among network members on their individual outcome and network popularity in order to use online social networks effectively in marketing. In this study we analyze networking behavior of music artists for promoting their music. Our sample consists of a set of 480 music artists who actively operate online social networks for personal success on two independent online social network platforms at the same time. Personal network information on both platforms is tracked monthly over a period of six months. Applying a count data approach we relate well-established egocentric network measures to online success. Our results indicate that online success is determined by the social network structure and networking activities of the music artists rather than by their outside popularity. Most importantly, the drivers of online success are not limited to the size of the of the artist’s personal network. The findings of our study provide several insights into the use of personal online social networks for marketing products and services

Discovery and quantitative spectral analysis of an Ofpe/WN9 (WN11) star in the Sculptor spiral galaxy NGC 300

We have discovered an Ofpe/WN9 (WN11 following Smith et al.) star in the Sculptor spiral galaxy NGC 300, the first object of this class found outside the Local Group, during a recent spectroscopic survey of blue supergiant stars obtained at the ESO VLT. The light curve over a five-month period in late 1999 displays a variability at the 0.1 mag level. The intermediate resolution spectra (3800-7200 A) show a very close resemblance to the Galactic LBV AG Car during minimum. We have performed a detailed non-LTE analysis of the stellar spectrum, and have derived a chemical abundance pattern which includes H, He, C, N, O, Al, Si and Fe, in addition to the stellar and wind parameters. The derived stellar properties and the He and N surface enrichments are consistent with those of other Local Group WN11 stars in the literature, suggesting a similar quiescent or post-LBV evolutionary status.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letter