XMM-Newton observation of the ULIRG NGC 6240: The physical nature of the complex Fe K line emission

We report on an XMM-Newton observation of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy NGC 6240. The 0.3-10 keV spectrum can be successfully modelled with: (i) three collisionally ionized plasma components with temperatures of about 0.7, 1.4, and 5.5 keV; (ii) a highly absorbed direct power-law component; and (iii) a neutral Fe K_alpha and K_beta line. We detect a significant neutral column density gradient which is correlated with the temperature of the three plasma components. Combining the XMM-Newton spectral model with the high spatial resolution Chandra image we find that the temperatures and the column densities increase towards the center. With high significance, the Fe K line complex is resolved into three distinct narrow lines: (i) the neutral Fe K_alpha line at 6.4 keV; (ii) an ionized line at about 6.7 keV; and (iii) a higher ionized line at 7.0 keV (a blend of the Fe XXVI and the Fe K_beta line). While the neutral Fe K line is most probably due to reflection from optically thick material, the Fe XXV and Fe XXVI emission arises from the highest temperature ionized plasma component. We have compared the plasma parameters of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy NGC 6240 with those found in the local starburst galaxy NGC 253. We find a striking similarity in the plasma temperatures and column density gradients, suggesting a similar underlying physical process at work in both galaxies.Comment: 8 pages including 9 figures. Accepted for publication in A&

1ES 1927+654: Persistent and rapid X-ray variability in an AGN with low intrinsic neutral X-ray absorption and narrow optical emission lines

We present X-ray and optical observations of the X-ray bright AGN 1ES 1927+654. The X-ray observations obtained with ROSAT and Chandra reveal persistent, rapid and large scale variations, as well as steep 0.1-2.4 keV (Gamma = 2.6 +/- 0.3) and 0.3-7.0 keV (Gamma = 2.7 +/- 0.2) spectra. The measured intrinsic neutral X-ray column density is approximately 7e20cm^-2. The X-ray timing properties indicate that the strong variations originate from a region, a few hundred light seconds from the central black hole, typical for type 1 AGN. High quality optical spectroscopy reveals a typical Seyfert 2 spectrum with some host galaxy contamination and no evidence of Fe II multiplets or broad hydrogen Balmer wings. The intrinsic optical extinction derived from the BLR and NLR are A_V >= 3.7 and A_V=1.7, respectively. The X-ray observations give an A_V value of less than 0.58, in contrast to the optical extinction values. We discuss several ideas to explain this apparent difference in classification including partial covering, an underluminous BLR or a high dust to gas ratio.Comment: 8 pages including 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Expectation values of four-quark operators in pions

The values of four-quark operators averaged over pions are expressed through those averaged over vacuum. The specific values are obtained in the framework of the factorization assumption. For the condensates of the light quarks of the same flavour \bar q\Gamma q\bar q\Gamma q the scalar condensate is shown to be an order of magnitude larger than the other ones. The condensates containing the strange quarks \bar q q\bar s s appear to be only about twice smaller than those of the light quarks. The degeneracy of the ground state in the Nambu--Jona--Lasinio model is shown explicitly.Comment: 9 pages, no figures, typos correcte

Intercomparison of stratospheric chemistry models under polar vortex conditions

Several stratospheric chemistry modules from box, 2-D or 3-D models, have been intercompared. The intercomparison was focused on the ozone loss and associated reactive species under the conditions found in the cold, wintertime Arctic and Antarctic vortices. Comparisons of both gas phase and heterogeneous chemistry modules show excellent agreement between the models under constrained conditions for photolysis and the microphysics of polar stratospheric clouds. While the mean integral ozone loss ranges from 4-80% for different 30-50 days long air parcel trajectories, the mean scatter of model results around these values is only about +/-1.5%. In a case study, where the models employed their standard photolysis and microphysical schemes, the variation around the mean percentage ozone loss increases to about +/-7%. This increased scatter of model results is mainly due to the different treatment of the PSC microphysics and heterogeneous chemistry in the models, whereby the most unrealistic assumptions about PSC processes consequently lead to the least representative ozone chemistry. Furthermore, for this case study the model results for the ozone mixing ratios at different altitudes were compared with a measured ozone profile to investigate the extent to which models reproduce the stratospheric ozone losses. It was found that mainly in the height range of strong ozone depletion all models underestimate the ozone loss by about a factor of two. This finding corroborates earlier studies and implies a general deficiency in our understanding of the stratospheric ozone loss chemistry rather than a specific problem related to a particular model simulation

Optical spectroscopy of EX Lupi during quiescence and outburst: Infall, wind, and dynamics in the accretion flow

We explore the accretion mechanisms in EX Lupi, prototype of EXor variables, during its quiescence and outburst phases. We analyse high-resolution optical spectra taken before, during, and after its 2008 outburst. In quiescence and outburst, the star presents many permitted emission lines, including typical CTTS lines and numerous neutral and ionized metallic lines. During the outburst, the number of emission lines increases to over a thousand, with narrow plus broad component structure (NC+BC). The BC profile is highly variable on short timescales (24-72h). An active chromosphere can explain the metallic lines in quiescence and the outburst NC. The dynamics of the BC line profiles suggest an origin in a hot, dense, non-axisymmetric, and non-uniform accretion column that suffers velocity variations along the line-of-sight on timescales of days. Assuming Keplerian rotation, the emitting region would be located at ~0.1-0.2 AU, consistent with the inner disk rim, but the velocity profiles of the lines reveal a combination of rotation and infall. Line ratios of ions and neutrals can be reproduced with a temperature of T~6500 K for electron densities of a few times 10$^{12}$cm$^{-3}$ in the line-emitting region. The data confirm that the 2008 outburst was an episode of increased accretion, albeit much stronger than previous EX Lupi and typical EXors outbursts. The line profiles are consistent with the infall/rotation of a non-axisymmetric structure that could be produced by clumpy accretion during the outburst phase. A strong inner disk wind appears in the epochs of higher accretion. The rapid recovery of the system after the outburst and the similarity between the pre-outburst and post-outburst states suggest that the accretion channels are similar during the whole period, and only the accretion rate varies, providing a superb environment for studying the accretion processes.Comment: 15 pages plus 26 pages online material, accepted by A&

A complementary neutron and anomalous x-ray diffraction study

Distinguishing the scattering contributions of isoelectronic atomic species by means of conventional x-ray- and/or electron diffraction techniques is a difficult task. Such a problem occurs when determining the crystal structure of compounds containing different types of atoms with equal number of electrons. We propose a new structural model of Cu(InxGa1−x)3Se5 which is valid for the entire compositional range of the CuIn3Se5–CuGa3Se5 solid solution. Our model is based on neutron and anomalous x-ray diffraction experiments. These complementary techniques allow the separation of scattering contributions of the isoelectronic species Cu+ and Ga3+, contributing nearly identically in monoenergetic x-ray diffraction experiments. We have found that CuIII3Se5 (III=In,Ga) in its room temperature near-equilibrium modification exhibits a modified stannite structure (space group I4¯2m). Different occupation factors of the species involved, Cu+, In3+, Ga3+, and vacancies have been found at three different cationic positions of the structure (Wyckoff sites 2a, 2b, and 4d) depending on the composition of the compound. Significantly, Cu+ does not occupy the 2b site for the In-free compound, but does for the In-containing case. Structural parameters, including lattice constants, tetragonal distortions, and occupation factors are given for samples covering the entire range of the CuIn3Se5–CuGa3Se5 solid solution. At the light of the result, the denotation of Cu-poor 1:3:5 compounds as chalcopyrite-related materials is only valid in reference to their composition

Transport properties of CuGaSe(2)-based thin-film solar cells as a function of absorber composition

The transport properties of thin-film solar cells based on wide-gap CuGaSe(2) absorbers have been investigated as a function of the bulk [Ga]/[Cu] ratio ranging from 1.01 to 1.33. We find that (i) the recombination processes in devices prepared from absorbers with a composition close to stoichiometry ([Ga]/[Cu] = 1.01) are strongly tunnelling assisted resulting in low recombination activation energies (E(a)) of approx. 0.95 eV in the dark and 1.36 eV under illumination. (ii) With an increasing [Ga]/[Cu] ratio, the transport mechanism changes to be dominated by thermally activated Shockley-Read-Hall recombination with similar E(a) values of approx. 1.52-1.57 eV for bulk [Ga]/[Cu] ratios of 1.12-1.33. The dominant recombination processes take place at the interface between CdS buffer and CuGaSe(2) absorber independently from the absorber composition. The increase of E(a) with the [Ga]/[Cu] ratio correlates with the open circuit voltage and explains the better performance of corresponding solar cells