520 research outputs found
Fine Details of the Nodal Electronic Excitations in BiSrCaCuO
Very high energy resolution photoemission experiments on high quality samples
of optimally doped BiSrCaCuO show new features in the
low-energy electronic excitations. A marked change in the binding energy and
temperature dependence of the near-nodal scattering rates is observed near the
superconducting transition temperature, . The temperature slope of the
scattering rate measured at low energy shows a discontinuity at ~. In the
superconducting state, coherent excitations are found with the scattering rates
showing a cubic dependence on frequency and temperature. The superconducting
gap has a d-wave magnitude with negligible contribution from higher harmonics.
Further, the bi-layer splitting has been found to be finite at the nodal point.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
A survey of young, nearby, and dusty stars to understand the formation of wide-orbit giant planets
Direct imaging has confirmed the existence of substellar companions on wide
orbits. To understand the formation and evolution mechanisms of these
companions, the full population properties must be characterized. We aim at
detecting giant planet and/or brown dwarf companions around young, nearby, and
dusty stars. Our goal is also to provide statistics on the population of giant
planets at wide-orbits and discuss planet formation models. We report a deep
survey of 59 stars, members of young stellar associations. The observations
were conducted with VLT/NaCo at L'-band (3.8 micron). We used angular
differential imaging to reach optimal detection performance. A statistical
analysis of about 60 % of the young and southern A-F stars closer than 65 pc
allows us to derive the fraction of giant planets on wide orbits. We use
gravitational instability models and planet population synthesis models
following the core-accretion scenario to discuss the occurrence of these
companions. We resolve and characterize new visual binaries and do not detect
any new substellar companion. The survey's median detection performance reaches
contrasts of 10 mag at 0.5as and 11.5 mag at 1as. We find the occurrence of
planets to be between 10.8-24.8 % at 68 % confidence level assuming a uniform
distribution of planets in the interval 1-13 Mj and 1-1000 AU. Considering the
predictions of formation models, we set important constraints on the occurrence
of massive planets and brown dwarf companions that would have formed by GI. We
show that this mechanism favors the formation of rather massive clump (Mclump >
30 Mj) at wide (a > 40 AU) orbits which might evolve dynamically and/or
fragment. For the population of close-in giant planets that would have formed
by CA, our survey marginally explore physical separations (<20 AU) and cannot
constrain this population
Confirmation of the planet around HD 95086 by direct imaging
VLT/NaCo angular differential imaging at L' (3.8 microns) revealed a probable
giant planet comoving with the young and early-type HD 95086 also known to
harbor an extended debris disk. The discovery was based on the proper motion
analysis of two datasets spanning 15 months. However, the second dataset
suffered from bad atmospheric conditions, which limited the significance of the
redetection at the 3 sigma level. In this Letter, we report new VLT/NaCo
observations of HD 95086 obtained on 2013 June 26-27 at L' to recover the
planet candidate. We unambiguously redetect the companion HD 95086 b with
multiple independent pipelines at a signal-to-noise ratio greater than or equal
to 5. Combined with previously reported measurements, our astrometry decisively
shows that the planet is comoving with HD 95086 and inconsistent with a
background object. With a revised mass of 5 pm 2 Jupiter masses, estimated from
its L' photometry and "hot-start" models at 17 pm 4 Myr, HD 95086 b becomes a
new benchmark for further physical and orbital characterization of young giant
planets.Comment: accepted for publication to AP
Discovery of a Low-Mass Companion to the F7V star HD 984
We report the discovery of a low-mass companion to the nearby (d = 47 pc) F7V
star HD 984. The companion is detected 0.19" away from its host star in the L'
band with the Apodizing Phase Plate on NaCo/VLT and was recovered by L'-band
non-coronagraphic imaging data taken a few days later. We confirm the companion
is co-moving with the star with SINFONI integral field spectrograph H+K data.
We present the first published data obtained with SINFONI in pupil-tracking
mode. HD 984 has been argued to be a kinematic member of the 30 Myr-old Columba
group, and its HR diagram position is not altogether inconsistent with being a
ZAMS star of this age. By consolidating different age indicators, including
isochronal age, coronal X-ray emission, and stellar rotation, we independently
estimate a main sequence age of 11585 Myr (95% CL) which does not rely on
this kinematic association. The mass of directly imaged companions are usually
inferred from theoretical evolutionary tracks, which are highly dependent on
the age of the star. Based on the age extrema, we demonstrate that with our
photometric data alone, the companion's mass is highly uncertain: between 33
and 96 M (0.03-0.09 M) using the COND evolutionary
models. We compare the companion's SINFONI spectrum with field dwarf spectra to
break this degeneracy. Based on the slope and shape of the spectrum in the
H-band, we conclude that the companion is an M dwarf. The age of the
system is not further constrained by the companion, as M dwarfs are poorly fit
on low-mass evolutionary tracks. This discovery emphasizes the importance of
obtaining a spectrum to spectral type companions around F-stars.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 10 pages, 5 figure
On the Reconstructed Fermi Surface in the Underdoped Cuprates
The Fermi surface topologies of underdoped samples the high-Tc superconductor
Bi2212 have been measured with angle resolved photoemission. By examining
thermally excited states above the Fermi level, we show that the Fermi surfaces
in the pseudogap phase of underdoped samples are actually composed of fully
enclosed hole pockets. The spectral weight of these pockets is vanishingly
small at the anti-ferromagnetic zone boundary, which creates the illusion of
Fermi "arcs" in standard photoemission measurements. The area of the pockets as
measured in this study is consistent with the doping level, and hence carrier
density, of the samples measured. Furthermore, the shape and area of the
pockets is well reproduced by a phenomenological model of the pseudogap phase
as a spin liquid.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to Physics Review Letter
Search for cool giant exoplanets around young and nearby stars - VLT/NaCo near-infrared phase-coronagraphic and differential imaging
[Abridged] Context. Spectral differential imaging (SDI) is part of the
observing strategy of current and future high-contrast imaging instruments. It
aims to reduce the stellar speckles that prevent the detection of cool planets
by using in/out methane-band images. It attenuates the signature of off-axis
companions to the star, such as angular differential imaging (ADI). However,
this attenuation depends on the spectral properties of the low-mass companions
we are searching for. The implications of this particularity on estimating the
detection limits have been poorly explored so far. Aims. We perform an imaging
survey to search for cool (Teff<1000-1300 K) giant planets at separations as
close as 5-10 AU. We also aim to assess the sensitivity limits in SDI data
taking the photometric bias into account. This will lead to a better view of
the SDI performance. Methods. We observed a selected sample of 16 stars (age <
200 Myr, d < 25 pc) with the phase-mask coronagraph, SDI, and ADI modes of
VLT/NaCo. Results. We do not detect any companions. As for the sensitivity
limits, we argue that the SDI residual noise cannot be converted into mass
limits because it represents a differential flux, unlike the case of
single-band images. This results in degeneracies for the mass limits, which may
be removed with the use of single-band constraints. We instead employ a method
of directly determining the mass limits. The survey is sensitive to cool giant
planets beyond 10 AU for 65% and 30 AU for 100% of the sample. Conclusions. For
close-in separations, the optimal regime for SDI corresponds to SDI flux ratios
>2. According to the BT-Settl model, this translates into Teff<800 K. The
methods described here can be applied to the data interpretation of SPHERE. We
expect better performance with the dual-band imager IRDIS, thanks to more
suitable filter characteristics and better image quality.Comment: 19 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in A&A, version
including language editin
Search for cool extrasolar giant planets combining coronagraphy, spectral and angular differential imaging
Spectral differential imaging (SDI) is part of the observing strategy of
current and on-going high-contrast imaging instruments on ground-based
telescopes. Although it improves the star light rejection, SDI attenuates the
signature of off-axis companions to the star, just like angular differential
imaging (ADI). However, the attenuation due to SDI has the peculiarity of being
dependent on the spectral properties of the companions. To date, no study has
investigated these effects. Our team is addressing this problem based on data
from a direct imaging survey of 16 stars combining the phase-mask coronagraph,
the SDI and the ADI modes of VLT/NaCo. The objective of the survey is to search
for cool (Teff<1000-1300 K) giant planets at separations of 5-10 AU orbiting
young, nearby stars (<200 Myr, <25 pc). The data analysis did not yield any
detections. As for the estimation of the sensitivity limits of SDI-processed
images, we show that it requires a different analysis than that used in
ADI-based surveys. Based on a method using the flux predictions of evolutionary
models and avoiding the estimation of contrast, we determine directly the mass
sensitivity limits of the survey for the ADI processing alone and with the
combination of SDI and ADI. We show that SDI does not systematically improve
the sensitivity due to the spectral properties and self-subtraction of point
sources.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
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