142 research outputs found
On the interpretation of the long-term cyclic period variations in RR Lyrae stars
Many RR Lyrae stars show long-term variations of their pulsation period, some
of them in a cyclic way. Such behaviour can be attributed to the light-travel
time effect (LTTE) caused by an unseen companion. Solutions of the LTTE often
suggest very eccentric orbits and minimal mass of the companion on the order of
several solar masses, thus, in the black hole range. We discuss the possibility
of the occurrence of the RR Lyr-black hole pairs and on the case of Z CVn
demonstrate that the LTTE hypothesis can be false in some of the binary
candidates.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, published in the proceedings of "The RR Lyrae
2017 Conference", Niepolomice, Poland, 17-21 September 201
A cautionary tale of interpreting O-C diagrams: period instability in a classical RR Lyr Star Z CVn mimicking as a distant companion
We present a comprehensive study of Z CVn, an RR Lyrae star that shows
long-term cyclic variations of its pulsation period. A possible explanation
suggested from the shape of the O-C diagram is the light travel-time effect,
which we thoroughly examine. We used original photometric and spectroscopic
measurements and investigated the period evolution using available maximum
times spanning more than one century. If the binary hypothesis is valid, Z CVn
orbits around a black hole with minimal mass of
on a very wide ( years) and eccentric orbit (). We
discuss the probability of a formation of a black hole-RR Lyrae pair and,
although we found it possible, there is no observational evidence of the black
hole in the direction to Z CVn. However, the main objection against the binary
hypothesis is the comparison of the systemic radial velocity curve model and
spectroscopic observations that clearly show that Z CVn cannot be bound in such
a binary. Therefore, the variations of pulsation period are likely intrinsic to
the star. This finding represents a discovery/confirmation of a new type of
cyclic period changes in RR Lyrae stars. By the analysis of our photometric
data, we found that the Blazhko modulation with period of 22.931 d is strongly
dominant in amplitude. The strength of the phase modulation varies and is
currently almost undetectable. We also estimated photometric physical
parameters of Z CVn and investigated their variations during the Blazhko cycle
using the Inverse Baade-Wesselink method.Comment: 15 pages, 8 tables, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Surprising variations in the rotation of the chemically peculiar stars CU Virginis and V901 Orionis
CU Vir and V901 Ori belong among these few magnetic chemically peculiar stars
whose rotation periods vary on timescales of decades. We aim to study the
stability of the periods in CU Vir and V901 Ori using all accessible
observational data containing phase information. We collected all available
relevant archived observations supplemented with our new measurements of these
stars and analysed the period variations of the stars using a novel method that
allows for the combination of data of diverse sorts. We found that the shapes
of their phase curves were constant, while the periods were changing. Both
stars exhibit alternating intervals of rotational braking and acceleration. The
rotation period of CU Vir was gradually shortening until the year 1968, when it
reached its local minimum of 0.52067198 d. The period then started increasing,
reaching its local maximum of 0.5207163 d in the year 2005. Since that time the
rotation has begun to accelerate again. We also found much smaller period
changes in CU Vir on a timescale of several years. The rotation period of V901
Ori was increasing for the past quarter-century, reaching a maximum of 1.538771
d in the year 2003, when the rotation period began to decrease. A theoretically
unexpected alternating variability of rotation periods in these stars would
remove the spin-down time paradox and brings a new insight into structure and
evolution of magnetic upper-main-sequence stars.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Inclusive cross section and double helicity asymmetry for pi^0 production in p+p collisions at sqrt(s) = 62.4 GeV
The PHENIX experiment presents results from the RHIC 2006 run with polarized
proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 62.4 GeV for inclusive pi^0 production at
mid-rapidity. Unpolarized cross section results are measured for transverse
momenta p_T = 0.5 to 7 GeV/c. Next-to-leading order perturbative quantum
chromodynamics calculations are compared with the data, and while the
calculations are consistent with the measurements, next-to-leading logarithmic
corrections improve the agreement. Double helicity asymmetries A_LL are
presented for p_T = 1 to 4 GeV/c and probe the higher range of Bjorken_x of the
gluon (x_g) with better statistical precision than our previous measurements at
sqrt(s)=200 GeV. These measurements are sensitive to the gluon polarization in
the proton for 0.06 < x_g < 0.4.Comment: 387 authors from 63 institutions, 10 pages, 6 figures, 1 table.
Submitted to Physical Review D. Plain text data tables for the points plotted
in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be)
publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
meson production in Au collisions at GeV
The PHENIX experiment has measured meson production in Au
collisions at GeV using the dimuon and dielectron decay
channels. The meson is measured in the forward (backward) -going
(Au-going) direction, () in the transverse-momentum
() range from 1--7 GeV/, and at midrapidity in the
range below 7 GeV/. The meson invariant yields and
nuclear-modification factors as a function of , rapidity, and centrality
are reported. An enhancement of meson production is observed in the
Au-going direction, while suppression is seen in the -going direction, and
no modification is observed at midrapidity relative to the yield in
collisions scaled by the number of binary collisions. Similar behavior was
previously observed for inclusive charged hadrons and open heavy flavor
indicating similar cold-nuclear-matter effects.Comment: 484 authors, 16 pages, 12 figures, 6 tables. v1 is the version
accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C. Data tables for the points plotted
in the figures are given in the paper itsel
Cross sections and double-helicity asymmetries of midrapidity inclusive charged hadrons in p+p collisions at sqrt(s)=62.4 GeV
Unpolarized cross sections and double-helicity asymmetries of
single-inclusive positive and negative charged hadrons at midrapidity from p+p
collisions at sqrt(s)=62.4 GeV are presented. The PHENIX measurements for 1.0 <
p_T < 4.5 GeV/c are consistent with perturbative QCD calculations at
next-to-leading order in the strong coupling constant, alpha_s. Resummed pQCD
calculations including terms with next-to-leading-log accuracy, yielding
reduced theoretical uncertainties, also agree with the data. The
double-helicity asymmetry, sensitive at leading order to the gluon polarization
in a momentum-fraction range of 0.05 ~< x_gluon ~< 0.2, is consistent with
recent global parameterizations disfavoring large gluon polarization.Comment: PHENIX Collaboration. 447 authors, 12 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables.
Submitted to Physical Review
Inclusive cross section and single-transverse-spin asymmetry for very forward neutron production in polarized p+p collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV
The energy dependence of the single-transverse-spin asymmetry, A_N, and the
cross section for neutron production at very forward angles were measured in
the PHENIX experiment at RHIC for polarized p+p collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV.
The neutrons were observed in forward detectors covering an angular range of up
to 2.2 mrad. We report results for neutrons with momentum fraction of x_F=0.45
to 1.0. The energy dependence of the measured cross sections were consistent
with x_F scaling, compared to measurements by an ISR experiment which measured
neutron production in unpolarized p+p collisions at sqrt(s)=30.6--62.7 GeV. The
cross sections for large x_F neutron production for p+p collisions, as well as
those in e+p collisions measured at HERA, are described by a pion exchange
mechanism. The observed forward neutron asymmetries were large, reaching
A_N=-0.08+/-0.02 for x_F=0.8; the measured backward asymmetries, for negative
x_F, were consistent with zero. The observed asymmetry for forward neutron
production is discussed within the pion exchange framework, with interference
between the spin-flip amplitude due to the pion exchange and nonflip amplitudes
from all Reggeon exchanges. Within the pion exchange description, the measured
neutron asymmetry is sensitive to the contribution of other Reggeon exchanges
even for small amplitudes.Comment: 383 authors, 16 pages, 18 figures, 6 tables. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
D. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and
previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at
http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
Systematic study of charged-pion and kaon femtoscopy in AuAu collisions at =200 GeV
We present a systematic study of charged pion and kaon interferometry in
AuAu collisions at =200 GeV. The kaon mean source radii
are found to be larger than pion radii in the outward and longitudinal
directions for the same transverse mass; this difference increases for more
central collisions. The azimuthal-angle dependence of the radii was measured
with respect to the second-order event plane and similar oscillations of the
source radii were found for pions and kaons. Hydrodynamic models qualitatively
describe the similar oscillations of the mean source radii for pions and kaons,
but they do not fully describe the transverse-mass dependence of the
oscillations.Comment: 499 authors, 27 pages, 13 figures, and 11 tables. v2 is the version
accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C. Plain text data tables for the
points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or
will be) publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
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