148 research outputs found
The Wolf-Rayet stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud: A comprehensive analysis of the WN class
Aims: Following our comprehensive studies of the WR stars in the Milky Way,
we now present spectroscopic analyses of almost all known WN stars in the LMC.
Methods: For the quantitative analysis of the wind-dominated emission-line
spectra, we employ the Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) model atmosphere code. By
fitting synthetic spectra to the observed spectral energy distribution and the
available spectra (ultraviolet and optical), we obtain the physical properties
of 107 stars. Results: We present the fundamental stellar and wind parameters
for an almost complete sample of WN stars in the LMC. Among those stars that
are putatively single, two different groups can be clearly distinguished. While
12% of our sample are more luminous than 10^6 Lsun and contain a significant
amount of hydrogen, 88% of the WN stars, with little or no hydrogen, populate
the luminosity range between log (L/Lsun) = 5.3...5.8. Conclusions: While the
few extremely luminous stars (log (L/Lsun) > 6), if indeed single stars,
descended directly from the main sequence at very high initial masses, the bulk
of WN stars have gone through the red-supergiant phase. According to their
luminosities in the range of log (L/Lsun) = 5.3...5.8, these stars originate
from initial masses between 20 and 40 Msun. This mass range is similar to the
one found in the Galaxy, i.e. the expected metallicity dependence of the
evolution is not seen. Current stellar evolution tracks, even when accounting
for rotationally induced mixing, still partly fail to reproduce the observed
ranges of luminosities and initial masses. Moreover, stellar radii are
generally larger and effective temperatures correspondingly lower than
predicted from stellar evolution models, probably due to subphotospheric
inflation.Comment: 17+46 pages; 10+54 figures; v2: typos corrected, space-saving layout
for appendix C, published in A&
Biomonitoring of Atmospheric Pollution with Heavy Metals in the Copper Mine Vicinity Located near Radovis, Republic of Macedonia
This investigation was undertaken to determine the atmospheric pollution with heavy metals due to copper mining Bucim near Radovis, the Republic of Macedonia. Moss samples (Hyloconium splendens and Pleurozium schrebery) were used for biomonitoring the possible atmospheric pollution with heavy metals in mine vicinity. Sixteen elements (Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K,
Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn) were analysed by application of flame and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS and ETAAS) and atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-AES). The obtained values were statistically processed using nonparametric and parametric analysis. The median value for copper obtained from moss samples (10 mg/kg) was much lower compared with the same values for the whole territory of the Republic of Macedonia (22 mg/kg). The range of values (2.1–198 mg/kg) shows much higher content of this element in the samples taken from the study area compared to the appropriate values for the whole territory of Macedonia. The association of elements As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn was singled out by factor analysis as a characteristic anthropogenic group of elements. Maps of area deposition were made for this group of elements, wherefrom correlation of these anthropogenic born elements was confirmed
The R136 star cluster hosts several stars whose individual masses greatly exceed the accepted 150 Msun stellar mass limit
Spectroscopic analyses of H-rich WN5-6 stars within the young star clusters
NGC 3603 and R136 are presented, using archival HST & VLT spectroscopy, & high
spatial resolution near-IR photometry. We derive high T* for the WN stars in
NGC 3603 (T*~42+/-2 kK) & R136 (T*~53+/-3 kK) plus clumping-corrected dM/dt ~
2-5x10^-5 Msun/yr which closely agree with theoretical predictions. These stars
make a disproportionate contribution to the global budget of their host
clusters. R136a1 alone supplies ~7% of N(LyC) of the entire 30 Dor region.
Comparisons with stellar models calculated for the main-sequence evolution of
85-500 Msun suggest ages of ~1.5 Myr & M_init in the range 105 - 170 Msun for 3
systems in NGC 3603, plus 165-320 Msun for 4 stars in R136. Our high stellar
masses are supported by dynamical mass determinations for the components of NGC
3603 A1. We consider the predicted L_X of the R136 stars if they were close,
colliding wind binaries. R136c is consistent with a colliding wind binary
system. However, short period, colliding wind systems are excluded for R136a WN
stars if mass ratios are of order unity. Widely separated systems would have
been expected to harden owing to early dynamical encounters with other massive
stars in such a dense environment. From simulated star clusters, whose
constituents are randomly sampled from the Kroupa IMF, both clusters are
consistent with a tentative upper mass limit of ~300 Msun. The Arches cluster
is either too old, exhibits a deficiency of very massive stars, or more likely
stellar masses have been underestimated - M_init for the most luminous stars in
the Arches cluster approach 200 Msun according to contemporary stellar &
photometric results. The potential for stars greatly exceeding 150 Msun within
metal-poor galaxies suggests that such pair-instability SNe could occur within
the local universe, as has been claimed for SN 2007bi (abridged).Comment: 20 pages, 14 figures, accepted for MNRAS. Version with higher
resolution figures is available from
http://pacrowther.staff.shef.ac.uk/R136.pdf See also
http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1030/ from Wed 21 from noon (CEST
Effect of Long-Term Zinc Pollution on Soil Microbial Community Resistance to Repeated Contamination
The aim of the study was to compare the effects of stress (contamination trials) on the microorganisms in zinc-polluted soil (5,018 mg Zn kg−1 soil dry weight) and unpolluted soil (141 mg Zn kg−1 soil dw), measured as soil respiration rate. In the laboratory, soils were subjected to copper contamination (0, 500, 1,500 and 4,500 mg kg−1 soil dw), and then a bactericide (oxytetracycline) combined with a fungicide (captan) along with glucose (10 mg g−1 soil dw each) were added. There was a highly significant effect of soil type, copper treatment and oxytetracycline/captan treatment. The initial respiration rate of chronically zinc-polluted soil was higher than that of unpolluted soil, but in the copper treatment it showed a greater decline. Microorganisms in copper-treated soil were more susceptible to oxytetracycline/captan contamination. After the successive soil contamination trials the decline of soil respiration was greater in zinc-polluted soil than in unpolluted soil
Temporal trends (1990 - 2000) in the concentration of cadmium, lead and mercury in mosses across Europe
Abstract
The European heavy metals in mosses survey provides data on the concentration of 10 heavy metals in naturally growing mosses. The survey has been repeated at five-yearly intervals and in this paper we report on the temporal trends in the concentration of cadmium, lead and mercury between 1990 and 2000. Metal- and country-specific temporal trends were observed. In general, the concentration of lead and cadmium in mosses decreased between 1990 and 2000; the decline was higher for lead than cadmium. For mercury not enough data were available to establish temporal trends between 1990 and 1995, but between 1995 and 2000 the mercury concentration in mosses did not change across Europe. The observed temporal trends for the concentrations in mosses were similar to the trends reported for the modelled total deposition of cadmium, lead and mercury in Europe
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