3,215 research outputs found
The ionization structure of multiple shell planetary nebulae: I. NGC 2438
In recent times an increasing number of extended haloes and multiple shells
around planetary nebulae have been discovered. These faint extensions to the
main nebula trace the mass-loss history of the star, modified by the subsequent
evolution of the nebula. Integrated models predict that some haloes may be
recombining, and not in ionization equilibrium. But parameters such as the
ionization state and thus the contiguous excitation process are not well known.
The haloes are very extended, but faint in surface brightness - 10^3 times
below the main nebula. The observational limits lead to the need of an
extremely well studied main nebula, to model the processes in the shells and
haloes of one object. NGC2438 is a perfect candidate to explore the physical
characteristics of the halo. Long-slit spectroscopic data were obtained. These
data are supplemented by imaging data from the HST archive, and archival VLA
observations. The use of diagnostic diagrams draws limits for physical
properties in the models. CLOUDY is used to model the nebular properties, and
to derive a more accurate distance and ionized mass. We derive an accurate
extinction E(B-V)=0.16, and distance of 1.9kpc. This puts the nebula behind the
nearby open cluster M46. The low-excitation species are found to be dominated
by clumps. The emission line ratios show no evidence for shocks. We find the
shell in ionization equilibrium: a significant amount of UV radiation
infiltrates the inner nebula. Thus the shell still seems to be ionized. The
spatially resolved CLOUDY model supports the hypothesis that photoionization is
the dominant process in this nebula, far out into the shell. Previous models
predicted that the shell would be recombining, but this is not confirmed by the
data. We note that these models used a smaller distance, and therefore
different input parameters, than derived by us.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A (13 pages, 15 figures, 8 tables
Investigating the nature of the Fried Egg nebula: CO mm-line and optical spectroscopy of IRAS 17163-3907
Through CO mm-line and optical spectroscopy, we investigate the properties of
the Fried Egg nebula IRAS 17163-3907, which has recently been proposed to be
one of the rare members of the yellow hypergiant class. The CO J=2-1 and J=3-2
emission arises from a region within 20" of the star and is clearly associated
with the circumstellar material. The CO lines show a multi-component
asymmetrical profile, and an unexpected velocity gradient is resolved in the
east-west direction, suggesting a bipolar outflow. This is in contrast with the
apparent symmetry of the dust envelope as observed in the infrared. The optical
spectrum of IRAS 17163-3907 between 5100 and 9000 {\AA} was compared with that
of the archetypal yellow hypergiant IRC+10420 and was found to be very similar.
These results build on previous evidence that IRAS 17163-3907 is a yellow
hypergiant.Comment: 14 pages including appendix, accepted for publication in A&
Non-spiky density of states of an icosahedral quasicrystal
The density of states of the ideal three-dimensional Penrose tiling, a
quasicrystalline model, is calculated with a resolution of 10 meV. It is not
spiky. This falsifies theoretical predictions so far, that spikes of width
10-20 meV are generic for the density of states of quasicrystals, and it
confirms recent experimental findings. The qualitative difference between our
results and previous calculations is partly explained by the small number of k
points that has usually been included in the evaluation of the density of
states of periodic approximants of quasicrystals. It is also shown that both
the density of states of a small approximant of the three-dimensional Penrose
tiling and the density of states of the ideal two-dimensional Penrose tiling do
have spiky features, which also partly explains earlier predictions.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Changes in this version: longer introduction,
details of figures shown in inset
Millimeter polarisation of the protoplanetary nebula OH 231.8+4.2: A follow-up study with CARMA
In order to investigate the characteristics and influence of the magnetic
field in evolved stars, we performed a follow-up investigation of our previous
submillimeter analysis of the proto-planetary nebula (PPN) OH 231.8+4.2 (Sabin
et al. 2014), this time at 1.3mm with the CARMA facility in polarisation mode
for the purpose of a multi-scale analysis. OH 231.8+4.2 was observed at ~2.5"
resolution and we detected polarised emission above the 3-sigma threshold (with
a mean polarisation fraction of 3.5 %). The polarisation map indicates an
overall organised magnetic field within the nebula. The main finding in this
paper is the presence of a structure mostly compatible with an ordered toroidal
component that is aligned with the PPN's dark lane. We also present some
alternative magnetic field configuration to explain the structure observed.
These data complete our previous SMA submillimeter data for a better
investigation and understanding of the magnetic field structure in OH
231.8+4.2.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Mathematics for structure functions
We show some of the mathematics that is being developed for the computation
of deep inelastic structure functions to three loops. These include harmonic
sums, harmonic polylogarithms and a class of difference equations that can be
solved with the use of harmonic sums.Comment: 6 pages LaTeX, uses axodraw.sty and npb.sty (included
Theoretical Uncertainties in the QCD Evolution of Structure Functions and their Impact on
The differences are discussed between various next-to-leading order
prescriptions for the QCD evolution of parton densities and structure
functions. Their quantitative impact is understood to an accuracy of 0.02\%.
The uncertainties due to the freedom to choose the renormalization and
factorization scales are studied. The quantitative consequences of the
different uncertainties on the extraction of the strong coupling constant
from scaling violations in deep--inelastic scattering are estimated
for the kinematic regime accessible at HERA.Comment: 10 pages Latex, including 3 eps-figures, and a style file. To appear
in: Proc. of the International Workshop: QCD and QED in Higher Orders,
Rheinsberg, April, 1996, Nucl. Phys. {\bf B} (Proc. Suppl); The lay-out of
the paper has been changed, one figure sent separately before has been bound
i
All-electron theory of the coupling between laser-induced coherent phonons in bismuth
Using first principles, all-electron calculations and dynamical simulations
we study the behavior of the A_1g and E_g coherent phonons induced in Bi by
intense laser pulses. We determine the potential landscapes in the laser heated
material and show that they exhibit phonon-softening, phonon-phonon coupling,
and anharmonicities. As a consequence the E_g mode modulates the A_1g
oscillations and higher harmonics of both modes appear, which explains recent
isotropic reflectivity measurements. Our results offer a unified description of
the different experimental observations performed so far on bismuth.Comment: 3 figure
Cell-wall polysaccharides play an important role in decay resistance of Sphagnum and actively depressed decomposition in vitro
Sphagnum-dominated peatlands head the list of ecosystems with the largest known reservoirs of organic carbon (C). The bulk of this C is stored in decomposition-resistant litter of one bryophyte genus: Sphagnum. Understanding how Sphagnum litter chemistry controls C mineralization is essential for understanding potential interactions between environmental changes and C mineralization in peatlands. We aimed to separate the effects of phenolics from structural polysaccharides on decay of Sphagnum. Wemeasured aerobic microbial respiration of different moss litter types in a lab. We used chemical treatments to step-wise remove the chemical compounds thought to be important in decay-resistance in three taxonomically distant moss genera. We also focused on the effect of Sphagnum-specific cell-wall pectin-like polysaccharides (sphagnan) on C and N mineralization. Removing polymeric lignin-like phenolics had only negligible effects on C mineralization of Sphagnum litter, but increased mineralization of two other bryophyte genera, suggesting a minor role of these phenolics in decay resistance of Sphagnum but a major role of cell-wall polysaccharides. Carboxyl groups of pectin-like polysaccharides represented a C-source in non-Sphagnum litters but resisted decay in Sphagnum. Finally, isolated sphagnan did not serve as C-source but inhibited C and N mineralization instead, reminiscent of the effects reported for phenolics in other ecosystems. Our results emphasize the role of polysaccharides in resistance to, and active inhibition of, microbial mineralization in Sphagnum-dominated litter. As the polysaccharides displayed decay-inhibiting properties hitherto associated with phenolics (lignin, polyphenols), it raises the question if polysaccharide- dominated litter also shares similar environmental controls on decomposition, such as temperature or nutrient and water availabilit
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