1,623 research outputs found
Optical spectroscopy of EX Lupi during quiescence and outburst: Infall, wind, and dynamics in the accretion flow
We explore the accretion mechanisms in EX Lupi, prototype of EXor variables,
during its quiescence and outburst phases. We analyse high-resolution optical
spectra taken before, during, and after its 2008 outburst. In quiescence and
outburst, the star presents many permitted emission lines, including typical
CTTS lines and numerous neutral and ionized metallic lines. During the
outburst, the number of emission lines increases to over a thousand, with
narrow plus broad component structure (NC+BC). The BC profile is highly
variable on short timescales (24-72h). An active chromosphere can explain the
metallic lines in quiescence and the outburst NC. The dynamics of the BC line
profiles suggest an origin in a hot, dense, non-axisymmetric, and non-uniform
accretion column that suffers velocity variations along the line-of-sight on
timescales of days. Assuming Keplerian rotation, the emitting region would be
located at ~0.1-0.2 AU, consistent with the inner disk rim, but the velocity
profiles of the lines reveal a combination of rotation and infall. Line ratios
of ions and neutrals can be reproduced with a temperature of T~6500 K for
electron densities of a few times 10cm in the line-emitting
region. The data confirm that the 2008 outburst was an episode of increased
accretion, albeit much stronger than previous EX Lupi and typical EXors
outbursts. The line profiles are consistent with the infall/rotation of a
non-axisymmetric structure that could be produced by clumpy accretion during
the outburst phase. A strong inner disk wind appears in the epochs of higher
accretion. The rapid recovery of the system after the outburst and the
similarity between the pre-outburst and post-outburst states suggest that the
accretion channels are similar during the whole period, and only the accretion
rate varies, providing a superb environment for studying the accretion
processes.Comment: 15 pages plus 26 pages online material, accepted by A&
Star Formation in the Gulf of Mexico
We present an optical/infrared study of the dense molecular cloud, L935,
dubbed "The Gulf of Mexico", which separates the North America and the Pelican
nebulae, and we demonstrate that this area is a very active star forming
region. A wide-field imaging study with interference filters has revealed 35
new Herbig-Haro objects in the Gulf of Mexico. A grism survey has identified 41
Halpha emission-line stars, 30 of them new. A small cluster of partly embedded
pre-main sequence stars is located around the known LkHalpha 185-189 group of
stars, which includes the recently erupting FUor HBC 722.Comment: Submitted to A&A, 14 pages, 18 figure
Efficient creation of molecules from a cesium Bose-Einstein condensate
We report a new scheme to create weakly bound Cs molecules from an atomic
Bose-Einstein condensate. The method is based on switching the magnetic field
to a narrow Feshbach resonance and yields a high atom-molecule conversion
efficiency of more than 30%, a factor of three higher than obtained with
conventional magnetic-field ramps. The Cs molecules are created in a single
-wave rotational quantum state. The observed dependence of the conversion
efficiency on the magnetic field and atom density shows scattering processes
beyond two-body coupling to occur in the vicinity of the Feshbach resonance.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Europhysics Letter
- …