Novae Ejecta as Colliding Shells

Following on our initial absorption-line analysis of fifteen novae spectra we present additional evidence for the existence of two distinct components of novae ejecta having different origins. As argued in Paper I one component is the rapidly expanding gas ejected from the outer layers of the white dwarf by the outburst. The second component is pre-existing outer, more slowly expanding circumbinary gas that represents ejecta from the secondary star or accretion disk. We present measurements of the emission-line widths that show them to be significantly narrower than the broad P Cygni profiles that immediately precede them. The emission profiles of novae in the nebular phase are distinctly rectangular, i.e., strongly suggestive of emission from a relatively thin, roughly spherical shell. We thus interpret novae spectral evolution in terms of the collision between the two components of ejecta, which converts the early absorption spectrum to an emission-line spectrum within weeks of the outburst. The narrow emission widths require the outer circumbinary gas to be much more massive than the white dwarf ejecta, thereby slowing the latter's expansion upon collision. The presence of a large reservoir of circumbinary gas at the time of outburst is suggestive that novae outbursts may sometime be triggered by collapse of gas onto the white dwarf, as occurs for dwarf novae, rather than steady mass transfer through the inner Lagrangian point.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures; Revised manuscript; Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Incomplete inverse spectral and nodal problems for differential pencils

[[abstract]]We prove uniqueness theorems for so-called half inverse spectral problem (and also for some its modification) for second order differential pencils on a finite interval with Robin boundary conditions. Using the obtained result we show that for unique determination of the pencil it is sufficient to specify the nodal points only on a part of the interval slightly exceeding its half.[[notice]]補正完畢[[incitationindex]]SCI[[booktype]]紙本[[booktype]]電子

Dynamic Evolution of a Quasi-Spherical General Polytropic Magnetofluid with Self-Gravity

In various astrophysical contexts, we analyze self-similar behaviours of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) evolution of a quasi-spherical polytropic magnetized gas under self-gravity with the specific entropy conserved along streamlines. In particular, this MHD model analysis frees the scaling parameter $n$ in the conventional polytropic self-similar transformation from the constraint of $n+\gamma=2$ with $\gamma$ being the polytropic index and therefore substantially generalizes earlier analysis results on polytropic gas dynamics that has a constant specific entropy everywhere in space at all time. On the basis of the self-similar nonlinear MHD ordinary differential equations, we examine behaviours of the magnetosonic critical curves, the MHD shock conditions, and various asymptotic solutions. We then construct global semi-complete self-similar MHD solutions using a combination of analytical and numerical means and indicate plausible astrophysical applications of these magnetized flow solutions with or without MHD shocks.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in APS

Imaging Observations of Quasi-Periodic Pulsatory Non-Thermal Emission in Ribbon Solar Flares

Using RHESSI and some auxiliary observations we examine possible connections between spatial and temporal morphology of the sources of non-thermal hard X-ray (HXR) emission which revealed minute quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) during the two-ribbon flares on 2003 May 29 and 2005 January 19. Microwave emission also reveals the same quasi-periodicity. The sources of non-thermal HXR emission are situated mainly inside the footpoints of the flare arcade loops observed by the TRACE and SOHO instruments. At least one of the sources moves systematically both during the QPP-phase and after it in each flare that allows to examine the sources velocities and the energy release rate via the process of magnetic reconnection. The sources move predominantly parallel to the magnetic inversion line or the appropriate flare ribbon during the QPP-phase whereas the movement slightly changes to more perpendicular regime after the QPPs. Each QPP is emitted from its own position. It is also seen that the velocity and the energy release rate don't correlate well with the flux of the HXR emission calculated from the sources. The sources of microwaves and thermal HXRs are situated near the apex of the loop arcade and are not stationary either. Almost all QPPs and some spikes of HXR emission during the post-QPP-phase reveal the soft-hard-soft spectral behavior indicating separate acts of electrons acceleration and injection, rather than modulation of emission flux by some kinds of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) oscillations of coronal loops. In all likelihood, the flare scenarios based on the successively firing arcade loops are more preferable to interpret the observations, although we can not conclude exactly what mechanism forces these loops to flare up.Comment: 22 pages, 10 figure

Radioimmunotherapy of B-cell lymphoma with radiolabelled anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies

CD20 has proven to be an excellent target for the treatment of B-cell lymphoma, first for the chimeric monoclonal antibody rituximab (Rituxan™), and more recently for the radiolabelled antibodies Y-90 ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin™) and I-131 tositumomab (Bexxar™). Radiation therapy effects are due to beta emissions with path lengths of 1–5 mm; gamma radiation emitted by I-131 is the only radiation safety issue for either product. Dose-limiting toxicity for both radiolabelled antibodies is reversible bone marrow suppression. They produce response rates of 70%–90% in low-grade and follicular lymphoma and 40%–50% in transformed low-grade or intermediate-grade lymphomas. Both products produce higher response rates than related unlabelled antibodies, and both are highly active in patients who are relatively resistant to rituximab-based therapy. Median duration of response to a single course of treatment is about 1 year with complete remission rates that last 2 years or longer in about 25% of patients. Clinical trials suggest that anti- CD20 radioimmunotherapy is superior to total body irradiation in patients undergoing stem cell supported therapy for B-cell lymphoma, and that it is a safe and efficacious modality when used as consolidation therapy following chemotherapy. Among cytotoxic treatment options, current evidence suggests that one course of anti-CD20 radioimmunotherapy is as efficacious as six to eight cycles of combination chemotherapy. A major question that persists is how effective these agents are in the setting of rituximab- refractory lymphoma. These products have been underutilised because of the complexity of treatment coordination and concerns regarding reimbursement

Measurement of the gamma ray background in the Davis Cavern at the Sanford Underground Research Facility

Deep underground environments are ideal for low background searches due to the attenuation of cosmic rays by passage through the earth. However, they are affected by backgrounds from γ-rays emitted by 40K and the 238U and 232Th decay chains in the surrounding rock. The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will search for dark matter particle interactions with a liquid xenon TPC located within the Davis campus at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, Lead, South Dakota, at the 4,850-foot level. In order to characterise the cavern background, in-situ γ-ray measurements were taken with a sodium iodide detector in various locations and with lead shielding. The integral count rates (0--3300~keV) varied from 596~Hz to 1355~Hz for unshielded measurements, corresponding to a total flux in the cavern of 1.9±0.4~γ cm−2s−1. The resulting activity in the walls of the cavern can be characterised as 220±60~Bq/kg of 40K, 29±15~Bq/kg of 238U, and 13±3~Bq/kg of 232Th

Search for the Zγ decay mode of new high-mass resonances in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This letter presents a search for narrow, high-mass resonances in the Zγ final state with the Z boson decaying into a pair of electrons or muons. The √s = 13 TeV pp collision data were recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and have an integrated luminosity of 140 fb−1. The data are found to be in agreement with the Standard Model background expectation. Upper limits are set on the resonance production cross section times the decay branching ratio into Zγ. For spin-0 resonances produced via gluon–gluon fusion, the observed limits at 95% confidence level vary between 65.5 fb and 0.6 fb, while for spin-2 resonances produced via gluon–gluon fusion (or quark–antiquark initial states) limits vary between 77.4 (76.1) fb and 0.6 (0.5) fb, for the mass range from 220 GeV to 3400 GeV