329 research outputs found
The Effect of Starburst Metallicity on Bright X-Ray Binary Formation Pathways
We investigate the characteristics of young ( 1e36
erg/s) High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) and find the population to be strongly
metallicity-dependent. We separate the model populations among two distinct
formation pathways: (1) systems undergoing active Roche Lobe Overflow (RLO),
and (2) wind accretion systems with donors in the (super)giant (SG) stage,
which we find to dominate the HMXB population. We find metallicity to primarily
affect the number of systems which move through each formation pathway, rather
than the observable parameters of systems which move through each individual
pathway. We discuss the most important model parameters affecting the HMXB
population at both low and high metallicities. Using these results, we show
that (1) the population of ultra-luminous X-Ray sources can be consistently
described by very bright HMXBs which undergo stable Roche Lobe overflow with
mild super-Eddington accretion and (2) the HMXB population of the bright
starburst galaxy NGC~1569 is likely dominated by one extremely metal-poor
starburst cluster.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, Accepted by Ap
Overlap functions in correlation methods and quasifree nucleon knockout from O
The cross sections of the () and () reactions on O
are calculated, for the transitions to the ground state and the first
excited state of the residual nucleus, using single-particle overlap
functions obtained on the basis of one-body density matrices within different
correlation methods. The electron-induced one-nucleon knockout reaction is
treated within a nonrelativistic DWIA framework. The theoretical treatment of
the () reaction includes both contributions of the direct knockout
mechanism and of meson-exchange currents. The results are sensitive to details
of the different overlap functions. The consistent analysis of the reaction
cross sections and the comparison with the experimental data make it possible
to study the nucleon--nucleon correlation effects.Comment: 26 pages, LaTeX, 5 Postscript figures, submitted to PR
On the nature of the Be star HR 7409 (7 Vul)
HR 7409 (7 Vul) is a newly identified Be star possibly part of the Gould Belt
and is the massive component of a 69-day spectroscopic binary. The binary
parameters and properties of the Be star measured using high-dispersion spectra
obtained at Ondrejov Observatory and at Rozhen Observatory imply the presence
of a low mass companion (~ 0.5-0.8 M_sun). If the pair is relatively young
(<50-80 Myr), then the companion is a K V star, but, following another, older
evolutionary scenario, the companion is a horizontal-branch star or possibly a
white dwarf star. In the latter scenario, a past episode of mass transfer from
an evolved star onto a less massive dwarf star would be responsible for the
peculiar nature of the present-day, fast-rotating Be star.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
Inclusive Electron-Nucleus Scattering at Large Momentum Transfer
Inclusive electron scattering is measured with 4.045 GeV incident beam energy
from C, Fe and Au targets. The measured energy transfers and angles correspond
to a kinematic range for Bjorken and momentum transfers from . When analyzed in terms of the y-scaling function the data show
for the first time an approach to scaling for values of the initial nucleon
momenta significantly greater than the nuclear matter Fermi-momentum (i.e. GeV/c).Comment: 5 pages TEX, 5 Postscript figures also available at
http://www.krl.caltech.edu/preprints/OAP.htm
Toward Understanding Massive Star Formation
Although fundamental for astrophysics, the processes that produce massive
stars are not well understood. Large distances, high extinction, and short
timescales of critical evolutionary phases make observations of these processes
challenging. Lacking good observational guidance, theoretical models have
remained controversial. This review offers a basic description of the collapse
of a massive molecular core and a critical discussion of the three competing
concepts of massive star formation:
- monolithic collapse in isolated cores
- competitive accretion in a protocluster environment
- stellar collisions and mergers in very dense systems
We also review the observed outflows, multiplicity, and clustering properties
of massive stars, the upper initial mass function and the upper mass limit. We
conclude that high-mass star formation is not merely a scaled-up version of
low-mass star formation with higher accretion rates, but partly a mechanism of
its own, primarily owing to the role of stellar mass and radiation pressure in
controlling the dynamics.Comment: 139 pages, 18 figures, 5 tables, glossar
Stellar dynamics in young clusters: the formation of massive runaways and very massive runaway mergers
In the present paper we combine an N-body code that simulates the dynamics of
young dense stellar systems with a massive star evolution handler that accounts
in a realistic way for the effects of stellar wind mass loss. We discuss two
topics:
1. The formation and the evolution of very massive stars (with a mass >120
Mo) is followed in detail. These very massive stars are formed in the cluster
core as a consequence of the successive (physical) collison of 10-20 most
massive stars of the cluster (the process is known as runaway merging). The
further evolution is governed by stellar wind mass loss during core hydrogen
burning and during core helium burning (the WR phase of very massive stars).
Our simulations reveal that as a consequence of runaway merging in clusters
with solar and supersolar values, massive black holes can be formed but with a
maximum mass of 70 Mo. In small metallicity clusters however, it cannot be
excluded that the runaway merging process is responsible for pair instability
supernovae or for the formation of intermediate mass black holes with a mass of
several 100 Mo.
2. Massive runaways can be formed via the supernova explosion of one of the
components in a binary (the Blaauw scenario) or via dynamical interaction of a
single star and a binary or between two binaries in a star cluster. We explore
the possibility that the most massive runaways (e.g., zeta Pup, lambda Cep,
BD+433654) are the product of the collision and merger of 2 or 3 massive stars.Comment: Updated and final versio
Diversity Effects on Productivity Are Stronger within than between Trophic Groups in the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis
The diversity of plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) has been experimentally shown to alter plant and AMF productivity. However, little is known about how plant and AMF diversity interact to shape their respective productivity.We co-manipulated the diversity of both AMF and plant communities in two greenhouse studies to determine whether the productivity of each trophic group is mainly influenced by plant or AMF diversity, respectively, and whether there is any interaction between plant and fungal diversity. In both experiments we compared the productivity of three different plant species monocultures, or their respective 3-species mixtures. Similarly, in both studies these plant treatments were crossed with an AMF diversity gradient that ranged from zero (non-mycorrhizal controls) to a maximum of three and five taxonomically distinct AMF taxa, respectively. We found that within both trophic groups productivity was significantly influenced by taxon identity, and increased with taxon richness. These main effects of AMF and plant diversity on their respective productivities did not depend on each other, even though we detected significant individual taxon effects across trophic groups.Our results indicate that similar ecological processes regulate diversity-productivity relationships within trophic groups. However, productivity-diversity relationships are not necessarily correlated across interacting trophic levels, leading to asymmetries and possible biotic feedbacks. Thus, biotic interactions within and across trophic groups should be considered in predictive models of community assembly
Relativistic corrections in (gamma,N) knockout reactions
We develop a fully relativistic DWIA model for photonuclear reactions using
the relativistic mean field theory for the bound state and the Pauli reduction
of the scattering state which is calculated from a relativistic optical
potential. Results for the 12C(gamma,p) and 16O(gamma,p) differential cross
sections and photon asymmetries are displayed in a photon energy range between
60 and 257 MeV, and compared with nonrelativistic DWIA calculations. The
effects of the spinor distortion and of the effective momentum approximation
for the scattering state are discussed. The sensitivity of the model to
different prescriptions for the one-body current operator is investigated. The
off-shell ambiguities are large in (gamma,p) calculations, and even larger in
(gamma,n) knockout.Comment: LaTeX2e, 18 pages, and 6 figure
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