Energy dependent wavelength of the ion induced nanoscale ripple

Wavelength variation of ion beam induced nanoscale ripple structure has received much attention recently due to its possible application in nanotechnology. We present here results of Ar$^+$ bombarded Si in the energy range 50 to 140 keV to demonstrate that with beam scanning the ripple wavelength increases with ion energy and decreases with energy for irradiation without ion beam scanning. An expression for the energy dependence of ripple wavelength is proposed taking into simultaneous effect of thermally activated surface diffusion and ion induced effective surface diffusion.Comment: REVTeX (4 pages), 3 EPS figure

The multiplicity of \phi\ Phe revisited

The chemically peculiar B star $\phi$ Phe was, until very recently, considered a triple system, even though the data were not conclusive and the orbits rather uncertain. Very recent results by Korhonen et al. (2013) provided a revised orbit, different from the then available astrometric Hipparcos orbit. Additional spectroscopic data, obtained with the BESO spectrograph at Cerro Armazones, confirm the newly found orbit, even though the resulting radial velocities do not allow to improve on the recent orbit. We combine the latter with the Hipparcos measurements to secure the astrometric orbit, and derive the inclination of the system. Using evolutionary tracks, we can finally constrain all the parameters of the two components in this system. We confirm the mass of the primary, 3 M$_\odot$, and find that the companion has a mass of 0.9 M$_\odot$. The inclination of the system is $i=93^{\circ} \pm 4.7^{\circ}$, and is potentially eclipsing; we predict the time of the next conjunction. Given that the eccentricity of the orbit and the exact value of the semi-amplitude of the radial velocity relies on just one set of points, we also urge observers to measure radial velocities at the next periastron passage in April 2015.Comment: 5 papes, accepted as Research Note in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Probing the centre of the large circumstellar disc in M17

We investigated the nature of the hitherto unresolved elliptical infrared emission in the centre of the ~20000 AU disc silhouette in M 17. We combined high-resolution JHKsL'M' band imaging carried out with NAOS/CONICA at the VLT with [Fe II] narrow band imaging using SOFI at the NTT. The analysis is supported by Spitzer/GLIMPSE archival data and by already published SINFONI/VLT Integral Field Spectroscopy data. For the first time, we resolve the elongated central infrared emission into a point-source and a jet-like feature that extends to the northeast in the opposite direction of the recently discovered collimated H2 jet. They are both orientated almost perpendicular to the disc plane. In addition, our images reveal a curved southwestern emission nebula whose morphology resembles that of the previously detected northeastern one. Both nebulae are located at a distance of 1500 AU from the disc centre. We describe the infrared point-source in terms of a protostar that is embedded in circumstellar material producing a visual extinction of 60 <= Av <= 82. The observed Ks band magnitude is equivalent to a stellar mass range of 2.8 Msun <= Mstar <= 8 Msun adopting conversions for a main-sequence star. Altogether, we suggest that the large M 17 accretion disc is forming an intermediate to high-mass protostar. Part of the accreted material is expelled through a symmetric bipolar jet/outflow.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, accepted by MNRAS (16 May 2008

Circumstellar Disks revealed by HH/KK Flux Variation Gradients

The variability of young stellar objects (YSO) changes their brightness and color preventing a proper classification in traditional color-color and color magnitude diagrams. We have explored the feasibility of the flux variation gradient (FVG) method for YSOs, using $H$ and $K$ band monitoring data of the star forming region RCW\,38 obtained at the University Observatory Bochum in Chile. Simultaneous multi-epoch flux measurements follow a linear relation $F_{H}=\alpha + \beta \cdot F_{K}$ for almost all YSOs with large variability amplitude. The slope $\beta$ gives the mean $HK$ color temperature $T_{var}$ of the varying component. Because $T_{var}$ is hotter than the dust sublimation temperature, we have tentatively assigned it to stellar variations. If the gradient does not meet the origin of the flux-flux diagram, an additional non- or less-varying component may be required. If the variability amplitude is larger at the shorter wavelength, e.g. $\alpha < 0$, this component is cooler than the star (e.g. a circumstellar disk); vice versa, if $\alpha > 0$, the component is hotter like a scattering halo or even a companion star. We here present examples of two YSOs, where the $HK$ FVG implies the presence of a circumstellar disk; this finding is consistent with additional data at $J$ and $L$. One YSO shows a clear $K$-band excess in the $JHK$ color-color diagram, while the significance of a $K$-excess in the other YSO depends on the measurement epoch. Disentangling the contributions of star and disk it turns out that the two YSOs have huge variability amplitudes ($\sim 3-5$\,mag). The $HK$ FVG analysis is a powerful complementary tool to analyze the varying components of YSOs and worth further exploration of monitoring data at other wavelengths.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Using New Submillimetre Surveys to Identify the Evolutionary Status of High-z Galaxies

This paper describes a key submillimetre survey which we are currently conducting to address some of the outstanding questions in cosmology - how, at what epoch and over what period of time did massive galaxies form at high redshift? A summary of the technical feasibility of future submillimetre observations with new ground-based, airborne and satellite telescopes is also presented.Comment: 6 pages, 3 postscript figures, LaTex uses Kluwer book style file crckapb10.sty, to appear in "Observational Cosmology with the New Radio Surveys", 13-15 January 1997, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, M.Bremer, N.Jackson, I.Perez-Fournon (eds.), Kluwe

Contribution of Extragalactic Infrared Sources to CMB Foreground Anisotropy

We estimate the level of confusion to Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropy measurements caused by extragalactic infrared sources. CMB anisotropy observations at high resolution and high frequencies are especially sensitive to this foreground. We use data from the COBE satellite to generate a Galactic emission spectrum covering mm and sub-mm wavelengths. Using this spectrum as a template, we predict the microwave emission of the 5319 brightest infrared galaxies seen by IRAS. We simulate skymaps over the relevant range of frequencies (30-900 GHz) and instrument resolutions (10'-10 degrees Full Width Half Max). Analysis of the temperature anisotropy of these skymaps shows that a reasonable observational window is available for CMB anisotropy measurements.Comment: 14 pages (LaTex source), 3 PostScript figures. Final version, to appear in ApJLetters May 1. Expanded discussion of systematic error

Photometric reverberation mapping of 3C120

We present the results of a five month monitoring campaign of the local active galactic nuclei (AGN) 3C120. Observations with a median sampling of two days were conducted with the robotic 15cm telescope VYSOS-6 located near Cerro Armazones in Chile. Broad band (B,V) and narrow band (NB) filters were used in order to measure fluxes of the AGN and the H_beta broad line region (BLR) emission line. The NB flux is constituted by about 50% continuum and 50% H_beta emission line. To disentangle line and continuum flux, a synthetic H_beta light curve was created by subtracting a scaled V-band light curve from the NB light curve. Here we show that the H_beta emission line responds to continuum variations with a rest frame lag of 23.6 +/- 1.69 days. We estimate a virial mass of the central black hole M_BH = 57 +/- 27 * 10^6 solar masses, by combining the obtained lag with the velocity dispersion of a single contemporaneous spectrum. Using the flux variation gradient (FVG) method, we determined the host galaxy subtracted rest frame 5100A luminosity at the time of our monitoring campaign with an uncertainty of 10% (L_AGN = 6.94 +/- 0.71* 10^43 ergs^-1). Compared with recent spectroscopic reverberation results, 3C120 shifts in the R_BLR - L_AGN diagram remarkably close to the theoretically expected relation of R-L^0.5. Our results demonstrate the performance of photometric AGN reverberation mapping, in particular for efficiently determining the BLR size and the AGN luminosityComment: 11 pages, 11 figures, Published in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Eclipsing high-mass binaries I. Light curves and system parameters for CPD-518946, PISMIS24-1 and HD319702

We present first results of a comprehensive photometric O-star survey performed with a robotic twin refractor at the Universit\"atssternwarte Bochum located near Cerro Armazones in Chile. For three high-mass stars, namely Pismis24-1, CPD-518946 and HD319702, we determined the period through the Lafler-Kinman algorithm and model the light curves within the framework of the Roche geometry. For Pismis24-1, a previously known eclipsing binary, we provide first light curves and determined a photometric period of 2.36 days together with an orbital inclination of 61.8 degrees. The best-fitting model solution to the light curves suggest a detached configuration. With a primary temperature of T1 = 42520K we obtain the temperature of the secondary component as T2 = 41500K. CPD-518946 is another known eclipsing binary for which we present a revised photometric period of 1.96 days with an orbital inclination of 58.4 degrees. The system has likely a semi-detached configuration and a mass ratio q = M1/M2 = 2.8. If we adopt a primary temperature of T1 = 34550K we obtain T2 = 21500K for the secondary component. HD319702 is a newly discovered eclipsing binary member of the young open cluster NGC6334. The system shows well-defined eclipses favouring a detached configuration with a period of 2.0 days and an orbital inclination of 67.5 degrees. Combining our photometric result with the primary spectral type O8 III(f) (T1 = 34000K) we derive a temperature of T2 = 25200K for the secondary component.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic