614 research outputs found
An implantable multi-channel temperature transmitter
Implantable multi-channel temperature transmitte
Element-by-element factorization algorithms for heat conduction
Element-by-element solution strategies are developed for transient heat conduction problems. Results of numerical tests indicate the effectiveness of the procedures proposed. The small database requirements and attractive architectural features of the algorithms suggest considerable potential for solving large scale problems
A New Timescale for Period Change in the Pulsating DA White Dwarf WD 0111+0018
We report the most rapid rate of period change measured to date for a
pulsating DA (hydrogen atmosphere) white dwarf (WD), observed in the 292.9 s
mode of WD 0111+0018. The observed period change, faster than 10^{-12} s/s,
exceeds by more than two orders of magnitude the expected rate from cooling
alone for this class of slow and simply evolving pulsating WDs. This result
indicates the presence of an additional timescale for period evolution in these
pulsating objects. We also measure the rates of period change of nonlinear
combination frequencies and show that they share the evolutionary
characteristics of their parent modes, confirming that these combination
frequencies are not independent modes but rather artifacts of some nonlinear
distortion in the outer layers of the star.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
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A Status Report On A Planet Search Around White Dwarf Stars
We have continued monitoring a pilot sample of 15 isolated, pulsating DA white dwarfs for center-of-mass motion caused by a planetary companion. Roughly 7 years into our survey, we have preliminary evidence for periodic variations in pulse arrival times for at least two white dwarfs in our sample. The variations in these systems are unlikely to be caused by secular evolution and are possibly the result of motion of the white dwarf around a center of mass. We have yet to claim confirmation of a planet. GD66 is a previously published candidate system, with a modulation in pulse arrival times that could be caused by a 2.0 M-J sin i planetary companion with an 8.3 year orbital period. Another candidate system, WD1354+0108, has a phase modulation consistent with a 0.7 M-J sin i planet at 2.3 AU (a 4.5 year orbit). We see similar behavior in two independent frequencies within this star, and while a sinusoid is currently a marginally better fit to the data than a straight line (as we might expect from cooling alone in a DAV), we are hesitant to over-interpret our results. Finally, we have a third system, WD0018+0031, that shows a change in pulse arrival times inconsistent with cooling alone; a 2.7 M-J planet at an orbit of about 5 AU could cause the observed trend. Observations of these candidate systems are ongoing in order to constrain any planetary companions that may be present.Astronom
Circadian, endocrine, and metabolic effects of prolonged bedrest: Two 56-day bedrest studies
Two bedrest studies of 56 days each have been conducted to evaluate the effects of prolonged bedrest on circadian synchrony and endocrine and metabolic function. Measurements included the pituitary-adrenal, thyroid, parathyroid, insulin-glucose-growth hormones, catecholamine excretion, body temperature, and heart rate. The results indicated that a rigorous regimen of exercise did not prevent the endocrine and metabolic effects of prolonged bedrest. Changes in circadian, endocrine, and metabolic functions in bedrest appear to be due to changes in hydrostatic pressure and lack of postural cues rather than to inactivity, confinement, or the bleeding schedule. Prolonged bedrest, particularly beyond 24 days, resulted in rhythm desynchronization in spite of well regulated light/dark cycles, temperature, humidity, activity, and meal times and meal composition and in increased lability of all endocrine parameter measured. It also resulted in an apparent insensitivity of the glucose response to insulin, of cortisol secretion to ACTH, and of growth hormone secretion to hypoglycemia
Radius constraints from high-speed photometry of 20 low-mass white dwarf binaries
We carry out high-speed photometry on 20 of the shortest-period, detached
white dwarf binaries known and discover systems with eclipses, ellipsoidal
variations (due to tidal deformations of the visible white dwarf), and Doppler
beaming. All of the binaries contain low-mass white dwarfs with orbital periods
less than 4 hr. Our observations identify the first eight tidally distorted
white dwarfs, four of which are reported for the first time here, which we use
to put empirical constraints on the mass-radius relationship for extremely
low-mass (<0.30 Msun) white dwarfs. We also detect Doppler beaming in several
of these binaries, which confirms the high-amplitude radial-velocity
variability. All of these systems are strong sources of gravitational
radiation, and long-term monitoring of those that display ellipsoidal
variations can be used to detect spin-up of the tidal bulge due to orbital
decay.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
Destroying Aliases from the Ground and Space: Super-Nyquist ZZ Cetis in K2 Long Cadence Data
With typical periods of order 10 minutes, the pulsation signatures of ZZ Ceti
variables (pulsating hydrogen-atmosphere white dwarf stars) are severely
undersampled by long-cadence (29.42 minutes per exposure) K2 observations.
Nyquist aliasing renders the intrinsic frequencies ambiguous, stifling
precision asteroseismology. We report the discovery of two new ZZ Cetis in
long-cadence K2 data: EPIC 210377280 and EPIC 220274129. Guided by 3-4 nights
of follow-up, high-speed (<=30 s) photometry from McDonald Observatory, we
recover accurate pulsation frequencies for K2 signals that reflected 4-5 times
off the Nyquist with the full precision of over 70 days of monitoring (~0.01
muHz). In turn, the K2 observations enable us to select the correct peaks from
the alias structure of the ground-based signals caused by gaps in the
observations. We identify at least seven independent pulsation modes in the
light curves of each of these stars. For EPIC 220274129, we detect three
complete sets of rotationally split ell=1 (dipole mode) triplets, which we use
to asteroseismically infer the stellar rotation period of 12.7+/-1.3 hr. We
also detect two sub-Nyquist K2 signals that are likely combination (difference)
frequencies. We attribute our inability to match some of the K2 signals to the
ground-based data to changes in pulsation amplitudes between epochs of
observation. Model fits to SOAR spectroscopy place both EPIC 210377280 and EPIC
220274129 near the middle of the ZZ Ceti instability strip, with Teff =
11590+/-200 K and 11810+/-210 K, and masses 0.57+/-0.03 Msun and 0.62+/-0.03
Msun, respectively.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, 7 tables; accepted for publication in Ap
The Effect of Crystallization on the Pulsations of White Dwarf Stars
We consider the pulsational properties of white dwarf star models with
temperatures appropriate for the ZZ Ceti instability strip and with masses
large enough that they should be substantially crystallized. Our work is
motivated by the existence of a potentially crystallized DAV, BPM 37093, and
the expectation that digital surveys in progress will yield many more such
massive pulsators.
A crystallized core makes possible a new class of oscillations, the torsional
modes, although we expect these modes to couple at most weakly to any motions
in the fluid and therefore to remain unobservable. The p-modes should be
affected at the level of a few percent in period, but are unlikely to be
present with observable amplitudes in crystallizing white dwarfs any more than
they are in the other ZZ Ceti's. Most relevant to the observed light variations
in white dwarfs are the g-modes. We find that the kinetic energy of these modes
is effectively excluded from the crystallized cores of our models. As
increasing crystallization pushes these modes farther out from the center, the
mean period spacing between radial overtones increases substantially with the
crystallized mass fraction. In addition, the degree and structure of mode
trapping is affected. The fact that some periods are strongly affected by
changes in the crystallized mass fraction while others are not suggests that we
may be able to disentangle the effects of crystallization from those due to
different surface layer masses.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, accepted on 1999 July 2 for publication in the
Astrophysical Journa
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