6,065 research outputs found
The possibility of determining open-cluster parameters from BVRI photometry
In the last decades we witnessed an increase in studies of open clusters of
the Galaxy, especially because of the good determination for a wide range of
values of parameters such as age, distance, reddening, and proper motion. The
reliable determination of the parameters strongly depends on the photometry
available and especially on the U filter, which is used to obtain the color
excess E(B-V) through the color-color diagram (U-B) by (B-V) by fitting a zero
age main-sequence. Owing to the difficulty of performing photometry in the U
band, many authors have tried to obtain E(B-V) without the filter. But because
of the near linearity of the color-color diagrams that use the other bands,
combined with the fact that most fitting procedures are highly subjective (many
done "by eye") the reliability of those results has always been questioned. Our
group has recently developed, a tool that performs isochrone fitting in
open-cluster photometric data with a global optimization algorithm, which
removes the need to visually perform the fits and thus removes most of the
related subjectivity. Here we apply our method to a set of synthetic clusters
and two observed open clusters (Trumpler 1 and Melotte 105) using only
photometry for the BVRI bands. Our results show that, considering the cluster
structural variance caused only by photometric and Poisson sampling errors, our
method is able to recover the synthetic cluster parameters with errors of less
than 10% for a wide range of ages, distances, and reddening, which clearly
demonstrates its potential. The results obtained for Trumpler 1 and Melotte 105
also agree well with previous literature values.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in
Astronomy&Astrophysic
Porto Oscillation Code (POSC)
The Porto Oscillation Code (POSC) has been developed in 1995 and improved
over the years, with the main goal of calculating linear adiabatic oscillations
for models of solar-type stars. It has also been used to estimate the
frequencies and eigenfunctions of stars from the pre-main sequence up to the
sub-giant phase, having a mass between 0.8 and 4 solar masses.
The code solves the linearised perturbation equations of adiabatic pulsations
for an equilibrium model using a second order numerical integration method. The
possibility of using Richardson extrapolation is implemented. Several options
for the surface boundary condition can be used. In this work we briefly review
the key ingredients of the calculations, namely the equations, the numerical
scheme and the output.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics and Space Science
Fitting isochrones to open cluster photometric data III. Estimating metallicities from UBV photometry
The metallicity is a critical parameter that affects the correct
determination fundamental characteristics stellar cluster and has important
implications in Galactic and Stellar evolution research. Fewer than 10 % of the
2174 currently catalog open clusters have their metallicity determined in the
literature. In this work we present a method for estimating the metallicity of
open clusters via non-subjective isochrone fitting using the cross-entropy
global optimization algorithm applied to UBV photometric data. The free
parameters distance, reddening, age, and metallicity simultaneously determined
by the fitting method. The fitting procedure uses weights for the observational
data based on the estimation of membership likelihood for each star, which
considers the observational magnitude limit, the density profile of stars as a
function of radius from the center of the cluster, and the density of stars in
multi-dimensional magnitude space. We present results of [Fe/H] for nine
well-studied open clusters based on 15 distinct UBV data sets. The [Fe/H]
values obtained in the ten cases for which spectroscopic determinations were
available in the literature agree, indicating that our method provides a good
alternative to determining [Fe/H] by using an objective isochrone fitting. Our
results show that the typical precision is about 0.1 dex
Accurate computation and continuation of homoclinic and heteroclinic orbits for singular perturbation problems
In earlier papers, Doedel and the authors have developed a numerical method and derived error estimates for the computation of branches of heteroclinic orbits for a system of autonomous ordinary differential equations in R(exp n). The idea of the method is to reduce a boundary value problem on the real line to a boundary value problem on a finite interval by using a local (linear or higher order) approximation of the stable and unstable manifolds. A practical limitation for the computation of homoclinic and heteroclinic orbits has been the difficulty in obtaining starting orbits. Typically these were obtained from a closed form solution or via a homotopy from a known solution. Here we consider extensions of our algorithm which allow us to obtain starting orbits on the continuation branch in a more systematic way as well as make the continuation algorithm more flexible. In applications, we use the continuation software package AUTO in combination with some initial value software. The examples considered include computation of homoclinic orbits in a singular perturbation problem and in a turbulent fluid boundary layer in the wall region problem
A Multi-Membership Catalogue for 1876 Open Clusters using UCAC4 data
The main objective of this work is to determine the cluster members of 1876
open clusters, using positions and proper motions of the astrometric catalogue
UCAC4. For this purpose we apply three different methods, all them based on a
Bayesian approach, but with different formulations: a purely parametric method,
another completely non-parametric algorithm, and a third, recently developed by
Sampedro & Alfaro, using both formulations at different steps of the whole
process. The first and second statistical moments of the members phase-space
subspace, obtained after applying the three methods, are compared for every
cluster. Although, on average, the three methods yield similar results,
specific differences between them, as well as for some particular clusters, are
also present. The comparison with other published catalogues shows good
agreement. We have also estimated for the first time the mean proper motion for
a sample of 18 clusters. The results are organized in a single catalogue formed
by two main files, one with the most relevant information for each cluster,
partially including that in UCAC4, and the other showing the individual
membership probabilities for each star in the cluster area. The final
catalogue, with an interface design that enables an easy interaction with the
user, is available in electronic format at SSG-IAA
(http://ssg.iaa.es/en/content/sampedro-cluster-catalog) website.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 9 pages, 3 figures, 6 table
P Wave Meson Spectrum in a Relativistic Model with Instanton Induced Interaction
On the basis of the phenomenological relativistic harmonic models for quarks
we have obtained the masses of P wave mesons. The full Hamiltonian used in the
investigation has Lorentz scalar + vector confinement potential, along with one
gluon exchange potential (OGEP) and the instanton-induced quark-antiquark
interaction (III). A good agreement is obtained with the experimental masses.
The respective role of III and OGEP for the determination of the meson masses
is discussed.Comment: Corrected typo
Ocorrência de besouros coprófagos capturados por dois tipos de atrativos: fonte luminosa e fezes bovinas.
Os besouros coprófagos, popularmente conhecidos como "rola-bostas", ao lado de ácaros e outros insetos predadores ou competidores que atuam nas massas fecais, são grandes parceiros biológicos da pecuária (KOLLER, 1998). Por se alimentarem de fezes, esses besouros constituem a maneira mais prática e economicamente viável da qual se dispõe para remover as massas fecais de bovinos nas pastagens. Além disso, colaboram com a bovinocultura no controle de pragas e parasitos presentes nas fezes bovinas, tais como a mosca-dos-chifres (Haematobia irritans) e diversas espécies de vermes gastrintestinais (nematódeos). Os coleópteros coprófagos podem proporcionar outros benefícios ao enterrar as fezes dos animais porque aceleram a absorção de nutrientes pelo solo (adubação orgânica), o que evita perdas significativas de nitrogênio, um dos nutrientes de maior custo na conservação das pastagens cultivadas (MIRANDA et al., 2000). Outra contribuição importante é que ao cavar galerias os besouros coprófagos melhoram a aeração do solo e contribuem para a infiltração de água, melhorando as características físicas dele (FINCHER, 1981). Logo, a utilização de besouros coprófagos no controle biológico constitui uma alternativa interessante em comparação ao controle químico convencional, tendo em vista a sua abundância e diversidade relatada para diferentes regiões do Brasil (OLIVEIRA et al., 1996; RODRIGUES; MARCHINI, 1998; PEREIRA et al., 2003; MONTEIRO et al., 2006; RONQUI et al., 2006). A lógica da adoção de estratégias integradas de métodos de controle, valorizando o controle natural, reside no fato de que muitos parasitos, especialmente a mosca-dos-chifres (BARROS et al., 2002; 2007), carrapatos e vermes gastrintestinais, estão se tornando resistentes aos produtos empregados no seu controle. Além disso, o uso inadequado e sistemático de pesticidas interfere na sobrevivência de organismos benéficos presentes nas massas fecais, contribuindo para um controle biológico menos eficiente. Entre esses organismos benéficos, talvez os mais prejudicados sejam os besouros coprófagos. No presente estudo comparou-se a eficácia de captura entre armadilhas tipo alçapão segundo o modelo descrito e proposto por Lobo et al. (1988), comparando a isca tradicional de fezes bovinas com uma fonte de atração luminosa e utilizando recipiente de captura com 54 cm de diâmetro de abertura. O trabalho foi realizado na Fazenda Experimental da Embrapa Gado de Corte, localizada a 20° 27' S e 54° 37' W e a uma altitude aproximada de 530 metros, em Campo Grande, MS, situada na região central de Mato Grosso do Sul.bitstream/CNPGC-2009-09/12396/1/COT110.pd
Physico-chemical spectroscopic mapping of the planetary nebula NGC 40 and the 2D_NEB, a new 2D algorithm to study ionised nebulae
In this paper we present an analysis of the physical and chemical conditions
of the planetary nebula NGC 40 through spatially-resolved spectroscopic maps.
We also introduce a new algorithm --2D_NEB-- based on the well-established IRAF
nebular package, which was developed to enable the use of the spectroscopic
maps to easily estimate the astrophysical quantities of ionised nebulae. The
2D_NEB was benchmarked, and we clearly show that it works properly, since it
compares nicely with the IRAF nebular software.
Using this software, we derive the maps of several physical parameters of NGC
40. From these maps, we conclude that Te[NII] shows only a slight temperature
variation from region to region, with its values constrained between ~8,000 K
and ~9,500 K. Electron densities, on the other hand, have a much more prominent
spatial variation, as Ne[SII] values vary from ~1,000 cm^(-3) to ~3,000
cm^(-3). Maps of the chemical abundances also show significant variations. From
the big picture of our work, we strongly suggest that analysis with spatial
resolution be mandatory for more complete study of the physical and chemical
properties of planetary nebulae.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, 8 tables; Accepted for publication in MNRA
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