A Systematic Study of X-Ray Flares from Low-Mass Young Stellar Objects in the Rho Ophiuchi Star-Forming Region with Chandra

We report on the results of a systematic study of X-ray flares from low-mass young stellar objects, using Chandra observations of the main region of the Rho Oph. From 195 X-ray sources, including class I-III sources and some young brown dwarfs, we detected a total of 71 X-ray flares. Most of the flares have the typical profile of solar and stellar flares, fast rise and slow decay. We derived the time-averaged temperature (kT), luminosity (L_X), rise and decay timescales (tau_r and tau_d) of the flares, finding that (1) class I-II sources tend to have a high kT, (2) the distribution of L_X during flares is nearly the same for all classes, and (3) positive and negative log-linear correlations are found between tau_r and tau_d, and kT and tau_r. In order to explain these relations, we used the framework of magnetic reconnection model to formulate the observational parameters as a function of the half-length of the reconnected magnetic loop (L) and magnetic field strength (B). The estimated L is comparable to the typical stellar radius of these objects (10^{10-11} cm), which indicates that the observed flares are triggered by solar-type loops, rather than larger ones (10^{12} cm) connecting the star with its inner accretion disk. The higher kT observed for class I sources may be explained by a higher magnetic field strength (about 500 G) than for class II-III sources (200-300 G).Comment: 33 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in PASJ, the complete version of tables are available at ftp://ftp-cr.scphys.kyoto-u.ac.jp/pub/crmember/kensuke/PASJ_RhoOph/KI_all.tar .g

SGR 1806-20 Is a Set of Independent Relaxation Systems

The Soft Gamma Repeater 1806-20 produced patterns of bursts during its 1983 outburst that indicate multiple independent energy accumulation sites, each driven by a continuous power source, with sudden, incomplete releases of the accumulated energy. The strengths of the power sources and their durations of activity vary over several orders of magnitude.Comment: Accepted ApJLett, 15 pages, 3 figure

Effect of surface roughness on friction behaviour of steel under boundary lubrication

The friction behaviour of grinded and polished surfaces was evaluated by using a reciprocal sliding tester under lubrication with PAO, PAO + ZnDTP and PAO + ZnDTP + MoDTC. Friction coefficients on the smooth surfaces showed higher values compared to those on the rough surfaces. For lubrication incorporating PAO and PAO + ZnDTP + MoDTC, friction coefficients on both the smoothest and the roughest surfaces decreased with sliding time. On the other hand, friction coefficients between these extremes decreased with sliding time. In this paper, the effects of surface roughness on friction behaviour are discussed

Vsop2/Astro-G Project

We introduce a new space VLBI project, the Second VLBI Space Observatory Program (VSOP2), following the success of the VLBI Space Observatory Program (VSOP1). VSOP2 has 10 times higher angular resolution, up to about 40 micro arcseconds, 10 times higher frequency up to 43 GHz, and 10 times higher sensitivity compared to VSOP1. Then VSOP2 should become a most powerful tool to observe innermost regions of AGN and astronomical masers. ASTRO-G is a spacecraft for VSOP2 project constructing in ISAS/JAXA since July 2007. ASTRO-G will be launched by JAXA H-IIA rocket in fiscal year 2012. ASTRO-G and ground-based facilities are combined as VSOP2. To achieve the good observation performances, we must realize new technologies. They are large precision antenna, fast-position switching capability, new LNAs, and ultra wide-band down link, etc.. VSOP2 is a huge observation system involving ASTRO-G, ground radio telescopes, tracking stations, and correlators, one institute can not prepare a whole system of VSOP2. Then we must need close international collaboration to get sufficient quality of resultant maps and to give a sufficient quantity of observation time for astronomical community. We formed a new international council to provide guidance on scientific aspects related of VSOP2, currently called the VSOP2 International Science Council (VISC2).Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, proceedings of The Universe under the Microscope Astrophysics at High Angular Resolutio

Locally continuously perfect groups of homeomorphisms

The notion of a locally continuously perfect group is introduced and studied. This notion generalizes locally smoothly perfect groups introduced by Haller and Teichmann. Next, we prove that the path connected identity component of the group of all homeomorphisms of a manifold is locally continuously perfect. The case of equivariant homeomorphism group and other examples are also considered.Comment: 14 page

Exact results for the thermal and magnetic properties of strong coupling ladder compounds

We investigate the thermal and magnetic properties of the integrable su(4) ladder model by means of the quantum transfer matrix method. The magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, magnetic entropy and high field magnetization are evaluated from the free energy derived via the recently proposed method of high temperature expansion for exactly solved models. We show that the integrable model can be used to describe the physics of the strong coupling ladder compounds. Excellent agreement is seen between the theoretical results and the experimental data for the known ladder compounds (5IAP)$_2$CuBr$_4$$\cdot$2H$_2$O, Cu$_{2}$(C$_5$H$_{12}$N$_2$)$_2$Cl$_4$ etc.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

The CHANDRA HETGS X-ray Grating Spectrum of Eta Car

Eta Car may be the most massive and luminous star in the Galaxy and is suspected to be a massive, colliding wind binary system. The CHANDRA X-ray observatory has obtained a calibrated, high-resolution X-ray spectrum of the star uncontaminated by the nearby extended soft X-ray emisssion. Our 89 ksec CHANDRA observation with the High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (HETGS) shows that the hot gas near the star is non-isothermal. The temperature distribution may represent the emission on either side of the colliding wind bow shock, effectively ``resolving'' the shock. If so, the pre-shock wind velocities are ~ 700 and ~ 1800 km/s in our analysis, and these velocities may be interpreted as the terminal velocities of the winds from Eta Car and from the hidden companion star. The forbidden-to-intercombination (f/i) line ratios for the He-like ions of S, Si and Fe are large, indicating that the line forming region lies far from the stellar photosphere. The iron fluorescent line at 1.93 Angstrom, first detected by ASCA, is clearly resolved from the thermal iron line in the CHANDRA grating spectrum. The Fe fluorescent line is weaker in our CHANDRA observation than in any of the ASCA spectra. The CHANDRA observation also provides an uninterrupted high-time resolution lightcurve of the stellar X-ray emission from Eta Car and suggests that there was no significant, coherent variability during the CHANDRA observation. The Eta Car CHANDRA grating spectrum is unlike recently published X-ray grating spectra of single massive stars in significant ways and is generally consistent with colliding wind emission in a massive binary.Comment: revised after comments from referee and includes a new variability analysis, taking into account the effects of CCD pileu