39,315 research outputs found
Eccentricity Excitation and Apsidal Resonance Capture in the Planetary System Upsilon Andromedae
The orbits of the outer two known planets orbiting Upsilon Andromedae are
remarkably eccentric. Planet C possesses an orbital eccentricity of e1 = 0.253.
For the more distant planet D, e2 = 0.308. Previous dynamical analyses strongly
suggest that the two orbits are nearly co-planar and are trapped in an apsidal
resonance in which the difference between their longitudes of periastron
undergoes a bounded oscillation about 0 degrees. Here we elucidate the origin
of these large eccentricities and of the apsidal alignment. Resonant
interactions between a remnant circumstellar disk of gas lying exterior to the
orbits of both planets can smoothly grow e2. Secular interactions between
planets D and C can siphon off the eccentricity of the former to grow that of
the latter. Externally amplifying e2 during the phase of the apsidal
oscillation when e2/e1 is smallest drives the oscillation amplitude towards
zero. Thus, the substantial eccentricity of planet C and the locking of orbital
apsides are both consequences of externally pumping the eccentricity of planet
D over timescales exceeding apsidal precession periods of order 1e4 yr. We
explain why the recently detected stellar companion to Upsilon Andromedae is
largely dynamically decoupled from the planetary system.Comment: accepted to Ap
Integrative analysis of the colorectal cancer proteome : potential clinical impact
Peer reviewedPostprin
Disk heating by more than one spiral density wave
We consider a differentially rotating, 2D stellar disk perturbed by two
steady state spiral density waves moving at different patterns speeds. Our
investigation is based on direct numerical integration of initially circular
test-particle orbits. We examine a range of spiral strengths and spiral speeds
and show that stars in this time dependent gravitational field can be heated
(their random motions increased).This is particularly noticeable in the
simultaneous propagation of a 2-armed spiral density wave near the corotation
resonance (CR), and a weak 4-armed one near the inner and outer 4:1 Lindblad
resonances. In simulations with 2 spiral waves moving at different pattern
speeds we find: (1) the variance of the radial velocity, sigma_R^2, exceeds the
sum of the variances measured from simulations with each individual pattern;
(2) sigma_R^2 can grow with time throughout the entire simulation; (3)
sigma_R^2 is increased over a wider range of radii compared to that seen with
one spiral pattern; (4) particles diffuse radially in real space whereas they
don't when only one spiral density wave is present. Near the CR with the
stronger, 2-armed pattern, test particles are observed to migrate radially.
These effects take place at or near resonances of both spirals so we interpret
them as the result of stochastic motions. This provides a possible new
mechanism for increasing the stellar velocity dispersion in galactic disks. If
multiple spiral patterns are present in the Galaxy we predict that there should
be large variations in the stellar velocity dispersion as a function of radius.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures. Submitted to MNRA
Is there more than one thermal source?
BRAHMS has the ability to study relativistic heavy ion collisions over a wide
range of pT and rapidity. This allows us to test whether thermal models can be
generalized to describe the rapidity dependence of particle ratios. This
appears to work with the baryo-chemical potential changing more rapidly than
the temperature. Using fits to BRAHMS data for the 5% most central Au+Au
collisions we are able to describe Xi and Omega ratios from other experiments.
This paper is dedicated to Julia Thompson who worked to bring South African
teachers into physics.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, proceedings for SQM04 conference, Cape Town South
Afric
Binaries and core-ring structures in self-gravitating systems
Low energy states of self-gravitating systems with finite angular momentum
are considered. A constraint is introduced to confine cores and other condensed
objects within the system boundaries by gravity alone. This excludes previously
observed astrophysically irrelevant asymmetric configurations with a single
core. We show that for an intermediate range of a short-distance cutoff and
small angular momentum, the equilibrium configuration is an asymmetric binary.
For larger angular momentum or for a smaller range of the short distance
cutoff, the equilibrium configuration consists of a central core and an
equatorial ring. The mass of the ring varies between zero for vanishing
rotation and the full system mass for the maximum angular momentum a
localized gravitationally bound system can have. The value of scales
as , where is a ratio of a short-distance cutoff range
to the system size. An example of the soft gravitational potential is
considered; the conclusions are shown to be valid for other forms of
short-distance regularization.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
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