13,584 research outputs found
The ASCA Spectrum of the Vela Pulsar Jet
ROSAT observations of the Vela pulsar and its surroundings revealed a
collimated X-ray feature almost 45' in length (Markwardt & Ogelman 1995),
interpreted as the signature ``cocoon'' of a one-sided jet from the Vela
pulsar. We report on a new ASCA observation of the Vela pulsar jet at its head,
the point where the jet is believed to interact with the supernova remnant. The
head is clearly detected, and its X-ray spectrum is remarkably similar to the
surrounding supernova remnant spectrum, extending to X-ray energies of at least
7 keV. A ROSAT+ASCA spectrum can be fit by two-component emission models but
not standard one-component models. The lower energy component is thermal and
has a temperature of 0.29+/-0.03 keV (1 sigma); the higher energy component can
be fit by either a thermal component of temperature ~4 keV or a power law with
photon index ~2.0. Compared to the ROSAT-only results, the mechanical
properties of the jet and its cocoon do not change much. If the observed
spectrum is that of a hot jet cocoon, then the speed of the jet is at least 800
km s^-1, depending on the angle of inclination. The mechanical power driving
the jet is >10^36 erg s^-1, and the mass flow rate at the head is > 10^-6 M_sun
yr^-1. We conclude that the jet must be entraining material all along its
length in order to generate such a large mass flow rate. We also explore the
possibility that the cocoon emission is synchrotron radiation instead of
thermal.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX in AAS v4.0 preprint style, two PS figures, accepted
for publication in the ApJ Letter
Deep Chandra Observation of the Pulsar Wind Nebula Powered by the Pulsar J1846-0258 in the Supernova Remnant Kes 75
We present the results of detailed spatial and spectral analysis of the
pulsar wind nebula (PWN) in supernova remnant Kes 75 (G29.7-0.3) using a deep
exposure with Chandra X-ray observatory. The PWN shows a complex morphology
with clear axisymmetric structure. We identified a one-sided jet and two bright
clumps aligned with the overall nebular elongation, and an arc-like feature
perpendicular to the jet direction. Further spatial modeling with a torus and
jet model indicates a position angle 207\arcdeg\pm8 \arcdeg for the PWN
symmetry axis. We interpret the arc as an equatorial torus or wisp and the
clumps could be shock interaction between the jets and the surrounding medium.
The lack of any observable counter jet implies a flow velocity larger than
0.4c. Comparing to an archival observation 6 years earlier, some small-scale
features in the PWN demonstrate strong variability: the flux of the inner jet
doubles and the peak of the northern clump broadens and shifts 2" outward. In
addition, the pulsar flux increases by 6 times, showing substantial spectral
softening from =1.1 to 1.9 and an emerging thermal component which was
not observed in the first epoch. The changes in the pulsar spectrum are likely
related to the magnetar-like bursts of the pulsar that occurred 7 days before
the Chandra observation, as recently reported from RXTE observations.Comment: Accepted by ApJ, 8 figures, some of them have been scaled down in
resolutio
Analysis of quantum conductance of carbon nanotube junctions by the effective mass approximation
The electron transport through the nanotube junctions which connect the
different metallic nanotubes by a pair of a pentagonal defect and a heptagonal
defect is investigated by Landauer's formula and the effective mass
approximation. From our previous calculations based on the tight binding model,
it has been known that the conductance is determined almost only by two
parameters,i.e., the energy in the unit of the onset energy of more than two
channels and the ratio of the radii of the two nanotubes. The conductance is
calculated again by the effective mass theory in this paper and a simple
analytical form of the conductance is obtained considering a special boundary
conditions of the envelop wavefunctions. The two scaling parameters appear
naturally in this treatment. The results by this formula coincide fairly well
with those of the tight binding model.
The physical origin of the scaling law is clarified by this approach.Comment: RevTe
Optical to Near-IR Spectrum of a Massive Evolved Galaxy at z = 1.26
We present the optical to near-infrared (IR) spectrum of the galaxy TSPS
J1329-0957, a red and bright member of the class of extremely red objects
(EROs) at z = 1.26. This galaxy was found in the course of the Tokyo-Stromlo
Photometry Survey (TSPS) which we are conducting in the southern sky. The
spectroscopic observations were carried out with the Gemini Multi-Object
Spectrograph (GMOS) and the Gemini Near Infra-Red Spectrograph (GNIRS) mounted
on the Gemini-South telescope. The wide wavelength coverage of 0.6 - 2.3 um
provides useful clues as to the nature of EROs while most published spectra are
limited to a narrower spectral range which is dictated by the need for
efficient redshift determination in a large survey. We compare our spectrum
with several optical composite spectra obtained in recent large surveys, and
with stellar population synthesis models. The effectiveness of using near-IR
broad-band data, instead of the spectral data, in deriving the galaxy
properties are also investigated. We find that TSPS J1329-0957 formed when the
universe was 2 - 3 Gyr old, and subsequently evolved passively to become one of
the most massive galaxies found in the z = 1 - 2 universe. Its early type and
estimated stellar mass of M* = 10^{11.5} Msun clearly point to this galaxy
being a direct ancestor of the brightest elliptical and spheroidal galaxies in
the local universe.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Lambda and Anti-Lambda Hypernuclei in Relativistic Mean-field Theory
Several aspects about -hypernuclei in the relativistic mean field
theory, including the effective -nucleon coupling strengths based on
the successful effective nucleon-nucleon interaction PK1, hypernuclear magnetic
moment and -hypernuclei, have been presented. The effect of tensor
coupling in -hypernuclei and the impurity effect of to
nuclear structure have been discussed in detail.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Proceedings of the Sendai International Symposium
"Strangeness in Nuclear and Hadronic Systems SENDAI08
Band structures of periodic carbon nanotube junctions and their symmetries analyzed by the effective mass approximation
The band structures of the periodic nanotube junctions are investigated by
the effective mass theory and the tight binding model.
The periodic junctions are constructed by introducing pairs of a pentagonal
defect and a heptagonal defect periodically in the carbon nanotube.
We treat the periodic junctions whose unit cell is composed by two kinds of
metallic nanotubes with almost same radii, the ratio of which is between 0.7
and 1 .
The discussed energy region is near the undoped Fermi level where the channel
number is kept to two, so there are two bands.
The energy bands are expressed with closed analytical forms by the effective
mass theory with some assumptions, and they coincide well with the numerical
results by the tight binding model. Differences between the two methods are
also discussed. Origin of correspondence between the band structures and the
phason pattern discussed in Phys. Rev. B {\bf 53}, 2114, is clarified. The
width of the gap and the band are in inverse proportion to the length of the
unit cell, which is the sum of the lengths measured along the tube axis in each
tube part and along 'radial' direction in the junction part. The degeneracy and
repulsion between the two bands are determined only from symmetries.Comment: RevTeX, gif fil
A Catalog of Background Stars Reddened by Dust in the Taurus Dark Clouds
Normal field stars located behind dense clouds are a valuable resource in
interstellar astrophysics, as they provide continua in which to study phenomena
such as gas-phase and solid-state absorption features, interstellar extinction
and polarization. This paper reports the results of a search for highly
reddened stars behind the Taurus Dark Cloud complex. We use the Two Micron All
Sky Survey (2MASS) Point Source Catalog to survey a 50 sq deg area of the cloud
to a limiting magnitude of K = 10.0. Photometry in the 1.2-2.2 micron passbands
from 2MASS is combined with photometry at longer infrared wavelengths (3.6-12
micron) from the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Infrared Astronomical
Satellite to provide effective discrimination between reddened field stars and
young stellar objects (YSOs) embedded in the cloud. Our final catalog contains
248 confirmed or probable background field stars, together with estimates of
their total visual extinctions, which span the range 2-29 mag. We also identify
the 2MASS source J04292083+2742074 (IRAS 04262+2735) as a previously
unrecognized candidate YSO, based on the presence of infrared emission greatly
in excess of that predicted for a normal reddened photosphere at wavelengths >5
microns
Magnetically Regulated Star Formation in 3D: The Case of Taurus Molecular Cloud Complex
We carry out three-dimensional MHD simulations of star formation in
turbulent, magnetized clouds, including ambipolar diffusion and feedback from
protostellar outflows. The calculations focus on relatively diffuse clouds
threaded by a strong magnetic field capable of resisting severe tangling by
turbulent motions and retarding global gravitational contraction in the
cross-field direction. They are motivated by observations of the Taurus
molecular cloud complex (and, to a lesser extent, Pipe Nebula), which shows an
ordered large-scale magnetic field, as well as elongated condensations that are
generally perpendicular to the large-scale field. We find that stars form in
earnest in such clouds when enough material has settled gravitationally along
the field lines that the mass-to-flux ratios of the condensations approach the
critical value. Only a small fraction (of order 1% or less) of the nearly
magnetically-critical, condensed material is turned into stars per local
free-fall time, however. The slow star formation takes place in condensations
that are moderately supersonic; it is regulated primarily by magnetic fields,
rather than turbulence. The quiescent condensations are surrounded by diffuse
halos that are much more turbulent, as observed in the Taurus complex. Strong
support for magnetic regulation of star formation in this complex comes from
the extremely slow conversion of the already condensed, relatively quiescent
CO gas into stars, at a rate two orders of magnitude below the maximum,
free-fall value. We analyze the properties of dense cores, including their mass
spectrum, which resembles the stellar initial mass function.Comment: submitted to Ap
- ā¦