2,378 research outputs found
Discovery of Two Relativistic Neutron Star-White Dwarf Binaries
We have discovered two recycled pulsars in relativistic orbits as part of the
first high-frequency survey of intermediate Galactic latitudes. PSR J1157-5112
is a 44 ms pulsar and the first recycled pulsar with an ultra-massive (M > 1.14
Mo) white dwarf companion. Millisecond pulsar J1757-5322 is a relativistic
circular-orbit system which will coalesce due to the emission of gravitational
radiation in less than 9.5 Gyr. Of the ~40 known circular orbit pulsars,
J1757-5322 and J1157-5112 have the highest projected orbital velocities. There
are now three local neutron-star/white-dwarf binaries that will coalesce in
less than a Hubble time, implying a large coalescence rate for these objects in
the local Universe. Systems such as J1141-6545 (Kaspi et al. 2000) are
potential gamma-ray burst progenitors and dominate the coalescence rate, whilst
lighter systems make excellent progenitors of millisecond pulsars with
planetary or ultra-low mass companions.Comment: 4 pages, to appear in ApJ Letters. Uses aastex v 5.0,
emulateapj5.sty, apjfonts.st
On the mass distribution of neutron stars in HMXBs
We present the results of a monitoring campaign of three eclipsing high-mass
X-ray binaries (HMXBs: SMC X-1, LMC X-4 and Cen X-3). High-resolution VLT/UVES
spectra are used to measure the radial velocities of these systems with high
accuracy. We show that the subsequent mass determination of the neutron stars
in these systems is significantly improved and discuss the implications of this
result.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, To appear in the proceedings of the International
Workshop "Massive Stars in Interacting Binaries" in Montrea
The host galaxy of GRB010222: The strongest damped Lyman-alpha system known
Analysis of the absorption lines in the afterglow spectrum of the gamma-ray
burst GRB010222 indicates that its host galaxy (at a redshift of z=1.476) is
the strongest damped Lyman-alpha (DLA) system known, having a very low
metallicity and modest dust content. This conclusion is based on the detection
of the red wing of Lyman-alpha plus a comparison of the equivalent widths of
ultraviolet Mg I, Mg II, and Fe II lines with those in other DLAs. The column
density of H I, deduced from a fit to the wing of Lyman-alpha, is (5 +/- 2)
10^22 cm^-2. The ratio of the column densities of Zn and Cr lines suggests that
the dust content in our line of sight through the galaxy is low. This could be
due to either dust destruction by the ultraviolet emission of the afterglow or
to an initial dust composition different to that of the diffuse interstellar
material, or a combination of both.Comment: Submitted to MNRAS 12 page
BASEL III: Long-term impact on economic performance and fluctuations
We assess the long-term economic impact of the new regulatory standards (the Basel III reform), answering the following questions. (1) What is the impact of the reform on long-term economic performance? (2) What is the impact of the reform on economic fluctuations? (3) What is the impact of the adoption of countercyclical capital buffers on economic fluctuations? The main results are the following. (1) Each percentage point increase in the capital ratio causes a median 0.09 percent decline in the level of steady state output, relative to the baseline. The impact of the new liquidity regulation is of a similar order of magnitude, at 0.08 percent. This paper does not estimate the benefits of the new regulation in terms of reduced frequency and severity of financial crisis, analysed in Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS, 2010b). (2) The reform should dampen output volatility; the magnitude of the effect is heterogeneous across models; the median effect is modest. (3) The adoption of countercyclical capital buffers could have a more sizeable dampening effect on output volatility. These conclusions are fully consistent with those of the reports by the Long-term Economic Impact group (BCBS, 2010b) and Macro Assessment Group (MAG, 2010b).Basel III, countercyclical capital buffers, financial (in)stability, procyclicality, macroprudential policy.
Optical Detection of Two Intermediate Mass Binary Pulsar Companions
We report the detection of probable optical counterparts for two Intermediate
Mass Binary Pulsar (IMBP) systems, PSR J1528-3146 and PSR J1757-5322. Recent
radio pulsar surveys have uncovered a handful of these systems with putative
massive white dwarf companions, thought to have an evolutionary history
different from that of the more numerous class of Low Mass Binary Pulsars
(LMBPs) with He white dwarf companions. The study of IMBP companions via
optical observations offers us several new diagnostics: the evolution of main
sequence stars near the white-dwarf-neutron star boundary, the physics of white
dwarfs close to the Chandrasekhar limit, and insights into the recycling
process by which old pulsars are spun up to high rotation frequencies. We were
unsuccessful in our attempt to detect optical counterparts of PSR J1141-6545,
PSR J1157-5112, PSR J1435-6100, and PSR J1454-5846.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
A First Look at the Nuclear Region of M31 with Chandra
We report on the first observation of the nuclear region of M31 with the
Chandra X-ray Observatory. The nuclear source seen with the Einstein and ROSAT
HRIs is resolved into five point sources. One of these sources is within 1'' of
the M31 central super-massive black hole. As compared to the other point
sources in M31, this nuclear source has an unusual x-ray spectrum. Based on the
spatial coincidence we identify this source with the central black hole, and
note that the unusual spectrum is a challenge to current theories. A bright
transient is detected ~26'' to the west of the nucleus, which may be associated
with a stellar mass black hole.Comment: Submitted to ApJ Letters, 4 pages, 4 figures. email:
garcia,ssm,fap,wrf,jem,cjf, @head-cfa.harvard.ed
The masses of the millisecond pulsar J1012+5307 and its white-dwarf companion
We report on spectroscopy of the white-dwarf companion of the millisecond
radio pulsar PSR J1012+5307. We find strong Balmer absorption lines, as would
be expected for a cool DA white dwarf. The profiles are much narrower than
usual, however, and lines are seen up to H12, indicating that the companion has
a low gravity and hence a low mass. This is consistent with the
expectation---based on evolutionary considerations and on the mass
function---that it is a low-mass white dwarf with a helium core. By comparing
the spectra to model atmospheres, we derive an effective temperature
K and a surface gravity (cgs
units). Using the Hamada-Salpeter mass-radius relation for helium white dwarfs,
with an approximate correction for finite-temperature effects, we infer a mass
\mwd=0.16\pm0.02\,\msun. This is the lowest mass among all spectroscopically
identified white dwarfs. We determine radial velocities from our spectra, and
find a radial-velocity amplitude of 280\pm15\,\kms. With the pulsar's
radial-velocity amplitude, the mass ratio \mpsr/\mwd=13.3\pm0.7. From all
constraints, we find that with 95\% confidence 1.5<\mpsr/\msun<3.2.Comment: 6 pages of text and figures. Refereed version, resubmitted to ApJL.
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