1,451 research outputs found
The dusty environment of HD 97300 as seen by Herschel and Spitzer
Aims. We analyze the surroundings of HD 97300, one of two intermediate-mass
stars in the Chamaeleon I star-forming region. The star is known to be
surrounded by a conspicuous ring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Methods. We present infrared images taken with Herschel and Spitzer using 11
different broad-band filters between 3.6 um and 500 um. We compare the
morphology of the emission using cuts along different position angles. We
construct spectral energy distributions, which we compare to different dust
models, and calculate dust temperatures. We also derive opacity maps and
analyze the density structure of the environment of HD 97300.
Results. We find that HD 97300 has no infrared excess at or below 24 um,
confirming its zero-age main-sequence nature. The morphology of the ring is
very similar between 3.6 um and 24 um. The emission at these wavelengths is
dominated by either PAH features or PAH continuum. At longer wavelengths, only
the northwestern part of the ring is visible. A fit to the 100-500 um
observations suggests that the emission is due to relatively warm (~26 K) dust.
The temperature gradually decreases with increasing distance from the ring. We
find a general decrease in the density from north to south, and an approximate
10% density increase in the northeastern part of the ring.
Conclusions. Our results are consistent with the theory that the ring around
HD 97300 is essentially a bubble blown into the surrounding interstellar matter
and heated by the star.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Star Formation and Dynamics in the Galactic Centre
The centre of our Galaxy is one of the most studied and yet enigmatic places
in the Universe. At a distance of about 8 kpc from our Sun, the Galactic centre
(GC) is the ideal environment to study the extreme processes that take place in
the vicinity of a supermassive black hole (SMBH). Despite the hostile
environment, several tens of early-type stars populate the central parsec of
our Galaxy. A fraction of them lie in a thin ring with mild eccentricity and
inner radius ~0.04 pc, while the S-stars, i.e. the ~30 stars closest to the
SMBH (<0.04 pc), have randomly oriented and highly eccentric orbits. The
formation of such early-type stars has been a puzzle for a long time: molecular
clouds should be tidally disrupted by the SMBH before they can fragment into
stars. We review the main scenarios proposed to explain the formation and the
dynamical evolution of the early-type stars in the GC. In particular, we
discuss the most popular in situ scenarios (accretion disc fragmentation and
molecular cloud disruption) and migration scenarios (star cluster inspiral and
Hills mechanism). We focus on the most pressing challenges that must be faced
to shed light on the process of star formation in the vicinity of a SMBH.Comment: 68 pages, 35 figures; invited review chapter, to be published in
expanded form in Haardt, F., Gorini, V., Moschella, U. and Treves, A.,
'Astrophysical Black Holes'. Lecture Notes in Physics. Springer 201
Differential branching fraction and angular analysis of the decay B0âKâ0ÎŒ+ÎŒâ
The angular distribution and differential branching fraction of the decay B 0â K â0 ÎŒ + ÎŒ â are studied using a data sample, collected by the LHCb experiment in pp collisions at sâ=7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fbâ1. Several angular observables are measured in bins of the dimuon invariant mass squared, q 2. A first measurement of the zero-crossing point of the forward-backward asymmetry of the dimuon system is also presented. The zero-crossing point is measured to be q20=4.9±0.9GeV2/c4 , where the uncertainty is the sum of statistical and systematic uncertainties. The results are consistent with the Standard Model predictions
Study of and decays and determination of the CKM angle
We report a study of the suppressed and favored
decays, where the neutral meson is detected
through its decays to the and CP-even and
final states. The measurement is carried out using a proton-proton
collision data sample collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an
integrated luminosity of 3.0~fb. We observe the first significant
signals in the CP-even final states of the meson for both the suppressed
and favored modes, as well as
in the doubly Cabibbo-suppressed final state of the decay. Evidence for the ADS suppressed decay , with , is also presented. From the observed
yields in the , and their
charge conjugate decay modes, we measure the value of the weak phase to be
. This is one of the most precise
single-measurement determinations of to date.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures; All figures and tables, along with any
supplementary material and additional information, are available at
https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2015-020.htm
Study of boson production in association with beauty and charm
The associated production of a boson with a jet originating from either a
light parton or heavy-flavor quark is studied in the forward region using
proton-proton collisions. The analysis uses data corresponding to integrated
luminosities of 1.0 and collected with the LHCb detector
at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, respectively. The bosons are
reconstructed using the decay and muons with a transverse
momentum, , larger than 20 GeV in the pseudorapidity range
GeV
and . The sum of the muon and jet momenta must satisfy
GeV. The fraction of jet events that originate from beauty
and charm quarks is measured, along with the charge asymmetries of the
and production cross-sections. The ratio of the jet to
jet production cross-sections is also measured using the
decay. All results are in agreement with Standard Model predictions
Search for hidden-sector bosons in decays
A search is presented for hidden-sector bosons, , produced in the decay
, with and
. The search is performed using -collision data
corresponding to 3.0 fb collected with the LHCb detector. No significant
signal is observed in the accessible mass range
MeV, and upper limits are placed on the branching fraction product
as
a function of the mass and lifetime of the boson. These limits are of
the order of for lifetimes less than 100 ps over most of the
range, and place the most stringent constraints to date on many
theories that predict the existence of additional low-mass bosons.Comment: All figures and tables, along with supplementary material, are
available at
https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2015-036.htm
Supermassive Black Holes in Galactic Nuclei: Past, Present and Future Research
This review discusses the current status of supermassive black hole research,
as seen from a purely observational standpoint. Since the early '90s, rapid
technological advances, most notably the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope,
the commissioning of the VLBA and improvements in near-infrared speckle imaging
techniques, have not only given us incontrovertible proof of the existence of
supermassive black holes, but have unveiled fundamental connections between the
mass of the central singularity and the global properties of the host galaxy.
It is thanks to these observations that we are now, for the first time, in a
position to understand the origin, evolution and cosmic relevance of these
fascinating objects.Comment: Invited Review, 114 pages. Because of space requirements, this
version contains low resolution figures. The full resolution version can be
downloaded from http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~lff/publications.htm
Measurement of the mass and lifetime of the baryon
A proton-proton collision data sample, corresponding to an integrated
luminosity of 3 fb collected by LHCb at and 8 TeV, is used
to reconstruct , decays. Using the , decay mode for calibration, the lifetime ratio and absolute
lifetime of the baryon are measured to be \begin{align*}
\frac{\tau_{\Omega_b^-}}{\tau_{\Xi_b^-}} &= 1.11\pm0.16\pm0.03, \\
\tau_{\Omega_b^-} &= 1.78\pm0.26\pm0.05\pm0.06~{\rm ps}, \end{align*} where the
uncertainties are statistical, systematic and from the calibration mode (for
only). A measurement is also made of the mass difference,
, and the corresponding mass, which
yields \begin{align*} m_{\Omega_b^-}-m_{\Xi_b^-} &= 247.4\pm3.2\pm0.5~{\rm
MeV}/c^2, \\ m_{\Omega_b^-} &= 6045.1\pm3.2\pm 0.5\pm0.6~{\rm MeV}/c^2.
\end{align*} These results are consistent with previous measurements.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, All figures and tables, along with any
supplementary material and additional information, are available at
https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2016-008.htm
Amplitude analysis of decays
The Dalitz plot distribution of decays
is studied using a data sample corresponding to of
collision data recorded by the LHCb experiment during 2011 and 2012. The data
are described by an amplitude model that contains contributions from
intermediate , , and
resonances. The model also contains components to describe broad structures,
including the and resonances, in the
S-wave and the S- and P-waves. The masses and widths of the
and resonances are measured, as are the complex
amplitudes and fit fractions for all components included in the amplitude
model. The model obtained will be an integral part of a future determination of
the angle of the CKM quark mixing matrix using decays.Comment: 33 pages, 12 figures; updated for publicatio
Measurement of the lifetime
Using a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of ,
collected by the LHCb experiment in collisions at centre-of-mass energies
of 7 and 8 TeV, the effective lifetime in the
decay mode, , is measured to be ps. Assuming
conservation, corresponds to the lifetime of the light
mass eigenstate. This is the first measurement of the effective
lifetime in this decay mode.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and
additional information, are available at
https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2016-017.htm
- âŠ