10,546 research outputs found
Methylobacillus flagellatus KT contains a novel cbo-type cytochrome oxidase
AbstractThe o-type oxidase from the methanol-grown obligate methylotroph Methylobacillus flagellatus KT has been purified to homogeneity. The complex is composed of four subunits (57, 40, 35 and 30 kDa). It contains six haems (4C:1B:1O) and one copper atom per molecule. It is proposed that the haem O-CuB binuclear centre and a low-spin haem B are located in subunit I (57 kDa), two haems C reside in the cytochrome c homodimer (35 kDa), two haems C belong to the dihaem cytochrome c (30 kDa). The presented data provide evidence that cytochrome cbo is a novel representative of the haem–copper oxidase superfamily
Semisimplicity of the quantum cohomology for smooth Fano toric varieties associated with facet symmetric polytopes
The degree zero part of the quantum cohomology algebra of a smooth Fano toric
symplectic manifold is determined by the superpotential function, W, of its
moment polytope. In particular, this algebra is semisimple, i.e. splits as a
product of fields, if and only if all the critical points of W are
non-degenerate. In this paper we prove that this non-degeneracy holds for all
smooth Fano toric varieties with facet-symmetric duals to moment polytopes.Comment: 16 pages; corrected version, published in Electron. Res. Announc.
Math. Sc
Abundances of lithium, sodium, and potassium in Vega
Vega's photospheric abundances of Li, Na, and K were determined by using
considerably weak lines measured on the very high-S/N spectrum, while the
non-LTE correction and the gravity-darkening correction were adequately taken
into account. It was confirmed that these alkali elements are mildly
underabundant ([Li/H] ~ -0.6, [Na/H] ~ -0.3, and [K/H] ~ -0.2) compared to the
solar system values, as generally seen also in other metals. Since the tendency
of Li being more deficient than Na and K is qualitatively similar to what is
seen in typical interstellar cloud, the process of interstellar gas accretion
may be related with the abundance anomaly of Vega, as suspected in the case of
lambda Boo stars.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS; 8 pages, 9 figure
Hydrodynamical Models of Outflow Collimation in YSOs
We explore the physics of time-dependent hydrodynamic collimation of jets
from Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). Using parameters appropriate to YSOs we have
carried out high resolution hydrodynamic simulations modeling the interaction
of a central wind with an environment characterized by a moderate opening angle
toroidal density distribution. The results show that the the wind/environment
interaction produces strongly collimated supersonic jets. The jet is composed
of shocked wind gas. Using analytical models of wind blown bubble evolution we
show that the scenario studied here should be applicable to YSOs and can, in
principle, initiate collimation on the correct scales (R ~ 100 AU). The
simulations reveal a number of time-dependent non-linear features not
anticipated in previous analytical studies including: a prolate wind shock; a
chimney of cold swept-up ambient material dragged into the bubble cavity; a
plug of dense material between the jet and bow shocks. We find that the
collimation of the jet occurs through both de Laval nozzles and focusing of the
wind via the prolate wind shock. Using an analytical model for shock focusing
we demonstrate that a prolate wind shock can, by itself, produce highly
collimated supersonic jets.Comment: Accepted by ApJ, 31 pages with 12 figures (3 JPEG's) now included,
using aasms.sty, Also available in postscript via a gzipped tar file at
ftp://s1.msi.umn.edu/pub/afrank/SFIC1/SFIC.tar.g
The Discovery of an Anomalous X-ray Pulsar in the Supernova Remnant Kes 73
We report the discovery of pulsed X-ray emission from the compact source 1E
1841-045, using data obtained with the Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and
Astrophysics. The X-ray source is located in the center of the small-diameter
supernova remnant (SNR) Kes 73 and is very likely to be the compact
stellar-remnant of the supernova which formed Kes 73. The X-rays are pulsed
with a period of ~ 11.8 s, and a sinusoidal modulation of roughly 30 %. We
interpret this modulation to be the rotation period of an embedded neutron
star, and as such would be the longest spin period for an isolated neutron star
to-date. This is especially remarkable since the surrounding SNR is very young,
at ~ 2000 yr old. We suggest that the observed characteristics of this object
are best understood within the framework of a neutron star with an enormous
dipolar magnetic field, B ~ 8x10^14 G
SENSE: A comparison of photon detection efficiency and optical crosstalk of various SiPM devices
This paper describes a comparison of photon detection efficiency and optical
crosstalk measurements performed by three partners: Geneva University, Catania
Observatory and Nagoya University. The measurements were compared for three
different SiPM devices with different active areas: from 9 up to 93.6
produced by Hamamatsu. The objective of this work is to establish the
measurements and analysis procedures for calculating the main SiPM parameters
and their precision. This work was done in the scope of SENSE project which
aims to build roadmap for the last developments in field of sensors for low
light level detection
Effects of the background radiation on radio pulsar and supernova remnant searches and the birth rates of these objects
In different directions of the Galaxy the Galactic background radio radiation
and radiation of complex star formation regions which include large number of
OB associations have different influences on radio pulsar (PSR) and supernova
remnant (SNR) searches. In this work we analyse the effects of these background
radiations on the observations of PSRs at 1400 MHz and SNRs at 1000 MHz. In the
interval l=0 the PSRs with flux F0.2 mJy and the SNRs
with surface brightness WmHzsr are
observable for all values of l and b. All the SNRs with
WmHzsr can be observed in the
interval 60l. We have examined samples of PSRs and SNRs to
estimate the birth rates of these objects in the region up to 3.2 kpc from the
Sun and also in the Galaxy. The birth rate of PSRs is about one in 200 years
and the birth rate of SNRs is about one in 65 years in our galaxy.Comment: revised versio
New Herbig-Haro Objects and Giant Outflows in Orion
We present the results of a photographic and CCD imaging survey for
Herbig-Haro (HH) objects in the L1630 and L1641 giant molecular clouds in
Orion. The new HH flows were initially identified from a deep H-alpha film from
the recently commissioned AAO/UKST H-alpha Survey of the southern sky. Our
scanned H-alpha and broad band R images highlight both the improved resolution
of the H-alpha survey and the excellent contrast of the H-alpha flux with
respect to the broad band R. Comparative IVN survey images allow us to
distinguish between emission and reflection nebulosity. Our CCD H-alpha, [SII],
continuum and I band images confirm the presence of a parsec-scale HH flow
associated with the Ori I-2 cometary globule and several parsec-scale strings
of HH emission centred on the L1641-N infrared cluster. Several smaller
outflows display one-sided jets. Our results indicate that for declinations
south of -6 degrees in L1641, parsec-scale flows appear to be the major force
in the large-scale movement of optical dust and molecular gas.Comment: 14 pages, Latex using MN style, 21 figures in JPEG format. Higher
resolution figures available from S.L. Mader. Accepted by MNRAS. Email
contact for higher resolution images: [email protected]
The Most Likely Sources of High Energy Cosmic-Ray Electrons in Supernova Remnants
Evidences of non-thermal X-ray emission and TeV gamma-rays from the supernova
remnants (SNRs) has strengthened the hypothesis that primary Galactic
cosmic-ray electrons are accelerated in SNRs. High energy electrons lose energy
via synchrotron and inverse Compton processes during propagation in the Galaxy.
Due to these radiative losses, TeV electrons liberated from SNRs at distances
larger than ~1 kpc, or times older than ~10^5 yr, cannot reach the solar
system. We investigated the cosmic-ray electron spectrum observed in the solar
system using an analytical method, and considered several candidate sources
among nearby SNRs which may contribute to the high energy electron flux.
Especially, we discuss the effects for the release time from SNRs after the
explosion, as well as the deviation of a source spectrum from a simple
power-law. From this calculation, we found that some nearby sources such as the
Vela, Cygnus Loop, or Monogem could leave unique signatures in the form of
identifiable structure in the energy spectrum of TeV electrons and show
anisotropies towards the sources, depending on when the electrons are liberated
from the remnant. This suggests that, in addition to providing information on
the mechanisms of acceleration and propagation of cosmic-rays, specific
cosmic-ray sources can be identified through the precise electron observation
in the TeV region.Comment: 32 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Ap
An assessment of Li abundances in weak-lined and classical T Tauri stars of the Taurus-Auriga association
Accurate measurements of lithium abundances in young low-mass stars provide
an independent and reliable age diagnostics. Previous studies of nearby star
forming regions have identified significant numbers of Li-depleted stars,often
at levels inconsistent with the ages indicated by their luminosity. We aim at a
new and accurate analysis of Li abundances in a sample of ~100 pre-main
sequence stars in Taurus-Auriga using a homogeneous and updated set of stellar
parameters and model atmospheres appropriate for the spectral types of the
sample stars.We compute Li abundances using published values of the equivalent
widths of the Li 6708 A doublet obtained from medium/high resolution spectra.
We find that the number of significantly Li-depleted stars in Taurus-Auriga is
greatly reduced with respect to earlier results. Only 13 stars have abundances
lower than the interstellar value by a factor of 5 or greater. All of them are
weak-lined T Tauri stars drawn from X-ray surveys; with the exception of four
stars located near the L1551 and L1489 dark clouds, all the Li-depleted stars
belong to the class of dispersed low-mass stars, distributed around the main
sites of current star formation. If located at the distance of Taurus-Auriga,
the stellar ages implied by the derived Li abundances are in the range 3-30
Myr, greater than the bulk of the Li-rich population with implication on the
star formation history of the region. In order to derive firm conclusions about
the fraction of Li-depleted stars of Taurus-Auriga, Li measurements of the
remaining members of the association should be obtained, in particular of the
group of stars that fall in the Li-burning region of the HR diagram.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. 20 pages, 5
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