57 research outputs found

    The Structure of the Homunculus: I. Shape and Latitude Dependence from H2 and [Fe II] Velocity Maps of Eta Carinae

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    High resolution long-slit spectra obtained with the Phoenix spectrograph on Gemini South provide our most accurate probe of the three dimensional structure of the Homunculus around eta Car. The new near-infrared spectra dramatically confirm the double-shell structure inferred previously from thermal dust emission, resolving the nebula into a very thin outer shell seen in H2 21218, and a warmer, thicker inner layer seen in [Fe II] 16435. The thin H2 skin hints that the most important mass loss during the 19th century eruption had a very short duration of less than 5 yr. H2 emission traces the majority of the mass in the nebula, and has an average density of order 10^6.5 cm-3. This emission, in turn, yields our first definitive picture of the exact shape of the nebula, plus a distance of 2350pm50 pc and an inclination angle of 41deg (the polar axis is tilted 49deg from the plane of the sky). The distribution of the H2 emission provides the first measure of the latitude dependence of the speed, mass loss, and kinetic energy associated with eta Car's 19th century explosion. Almost 75 percent of the total mass and more than 90 percent of the kinetic energy in the ejecta were released at high latitudes. This rules out a model for the bipolar shape wherein an otherwise spherical explosion was pinched at the waist by a circumstellar torus. Also, the ejecta could not have been deflected toward polar trajectories by a companion star, since the kinetic energy of the polar ejecta is greater than the binding energy of the putative binary system. Instead, most of the mass appears to have been directed poleward by the explosion itself. [abridged]Comment: 25 pages, figs 2 and 3 in color. Accepted by Ap

    PHASES Differential Astrometry and Iodine Cell Radial Velocities of the kappa Pegasi Triple Star System

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    kappa Pegasi is a well-known, nearby triple star system. It consists of a ``wide'' pair with semi-major axis 235 milli-arcseconds, one component of which is a single-line spectroscopic binary (semi-major axis 2.5 milli-arcseconds). Using high-precision differential astrometry and radial velocity observations, the masses for all three components are determined and the relative inclinations between the wide and narrow pairs' orbits is found to be 43.8 +/- 3.0 degrees, just over the threshold for the three body Kozai resonance. The system distance is determined to 34.60 +/- 0.21 parsec, and is consistent with trigonometric parallax measurements.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, complete versions of tables 2 and 4 can be found at http://stuff.mit.edu/~matthew1/kapPegTables

    Multi-modality diagnostic imaging of a cervical articular process fracture in a Thoroughbred horse including a novel C-Arm imaging technique

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    Interpretation of cervical radiographs can be challenging due to the complex anatomy and superimposition of osseous structures on either side of the vertebrae. This report describes the investigation of neck pain in a Thoroughbred gelding following a traumatic fall. Several imaging modalities were used to demonstrate the presence of a fracture of the left cranial articular process of the fourth cervical vertebra (C4), including nuclear scintigraphy, ultrasonography, oblique radiographic projections and a novel cineradiographic technique. Oblique radiographs were superior to standard lateral-lateral radiographs in both the diagnosis and for monitoring the progression of healing of the articular process fracture in this cas

    Haematogenous synovial sepsis of the digital flexor tendon sheath following contralateral limb foot abscessation in a horse

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    A 5-year-old Shire mare was presented for investigation of severe right hindlimb lameness and was diagnosed with extensive right hind subsolar and submural foot abscessation. The mare developed severe contralateral limb lameness 11 days following right hind abscess debridement, with investigation revealing synovial sepsis of the left hind digital flexor tendon sheath. Synovial sepsis persisted despite aggressive surgical and medical treatment, resulting in euthanasia. Microbial culture of synovial fluid isolated Bacteroides sp., consistent with haematogenous synovial sepsis. This is the first report to describe haematogenous synovial sepsis as a cause of contralateral limb lameness during the management of foot abscessation in the horse

    Protracted and polyphased gold mineralisation in the Agnew District (Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia)

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    The Archean orogenic gold deposits exhibits common characteristics including coeval emplacement age often proposed to be associated with a single late tectonic gold mineralisation event. Although valid for a large majority of deposits in the Yilgarn Craton, this model does not account for certain atypical gold deposits. In the world-class Agnew District (Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia) structural and paragenetic relationships, combined with a compilation of geochronology and multiple sulfur isotopes, indicate that mineralisation developed during a two-stage process involving different fluid sources. The initial event dated at c. 2660 Ma is related to the onset of folding during Kalgoorlie Orogeny and presents characteristics compatible with magmatic intrusion related mineralisation. A second mineralisation event dated at c. 2630 Ma presents a mineral and metal inventory typical to Archean orogenic-like gold mineralisation, and developed at a later stage of the orogenesis. Measurements of d 34 S and ? 33 S from spatially constrained samples from the two temporally distinct mineralising events further ascertain contrasting fluid compositions and/or reservoirs. Combined with geochronological data obtained on the poly-magmatic Lawlers granitic complex, we argue for a protracted ore forming process. The first stage of mineralisation has a magmatic affinity and is followed by a second stage of mineralisation whereby Au-bearing hydrothermal solution incorporated an Archean sedimentary sulfur reservoir. We propose that the change in source reservoir for sulfur in hydrothermal fluids may reflect a regional change in tectonic regime from convergent to transcurrent motion, allowing fluids to be first sourced from mantle-derived magmas followed later by metamorphic fluids
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