169,785 research outputs found
Long-term stream evolution in tidal disruption events
No full textA large number of tidal disruption event (TDE) candidates have been observed recently, often differing in their observational features. Two classes appear to stand out: X-ray and optical TDEs, the latter featuring lower effective temperatures and luminosities. These differences can be explained if the radiation detected from the two categories of events originates from different locations. In practice, this location is set by the evolution of the debris stream around the black hole and by the energy dissipation associated with it. In this paper, we build an analytical model for the stream evolution, whose dynamics is determined by both magnetic stresses and shocks. Without magnetic stresses, the stream always circularizes. The ratio of the circularization time-scale to the initial stream period is t(ev)/t(min) = 8.3(M-h/10(6) M-circle dot)(-5/3)ss(-3), where M-h is the black hole mass and ss is the penetration factor. If magnetic stresses are strong, they can lead to the stream ballistic accretion. The boundary between circularization and ballistic accretion corresponds to a critical magnetic stresses efficiency v(A)/v(c) approximate to 10(-1), largely independent of M-h and ss. However, the main effect of magnetic stresses is to accelerate the stream evolution by strengthening self-crossing shocks. Ballistic accretion therefore necessarily occurs on the stream dynamical time-scale. The shock luminosity associated with energy dissipation is sub-Eddington but decays as t(-5/3) only for a slow stream evolution. Finally, we find that the stream thickness rapidly increases if the stream is unable to cool completely efficiently. A likely outcome is its fast evolution into a thick torus, or even an envelope completely surrounding the black hole
Bad prospects for the detection of giant stars' tidal disruption : effect of the ambient medium on bound debris
No full textMost massive galaxies are thought to contain a supermassive black hole in their centre surrounded by a tenuous gas environment, leading to no significant emission. In these quiescent galaxies, tidal disruption events represent a powerful detection method for the central black hole. Following the disruption, the stellar debris evolves into an elongated gas stream, which partly falls back towards the disruption site and accretes on to the black hole producing a luminous flare. Using an analytical treatment, we investigate the interaction between the debris stream and the gas environment of quiescent galaxies. Although we find dynamical effects to be negligible, we demonstrate that Kelvin-Helmholtz instability can lead to the dissolution of the stream into the ambient medium before it reaches the black hole, likely dimming the associated flare. This result is robust against the presence of a typical stellar magnetic field and fast cooling within the stream. Furthermore, we find this effect to be enhanced for disruptions involving more massive black holes and/or giant stars. Consequently, although disruptions of evolved stars have been proposed as a useful probe of black holes with masses ≳ 108 M⊙, we argue that the associated flares are likely less luminous than expected
Disc formation from tidal disruptions of stars on eccentric orbits by Schwarzschild black holes
No full textThe potential of tidal disruption of stars to probe otherwise quiescent supermassive black holes cannot be exploited, if their dynamics is not fully understood. So far, the observational appearance of these events has been derived from analytical extrapolations of the debris dynamical properties just after disruption. By means of hydrodynamical simulations, we investigate the subsequent fallback of the stream of debris towards the black hole for stars already bound to the black hole on eccentric orbits. We demonstrate that the debris circularize due to relativistic apsidal precession which causes the stream to self-cross. The circularization time-scale varies between 1 and 10 times the period of the star, being shorter for more eccentric and/or deeper encounters. This self-crossing leads to the formation of shocks that increase the thermal energy of the debris. If this thermal energy is efficiently radiated away, the debris settle in a narrow ring at the circularization radius with shock-induced luminosities of ̃10-103 LEdd. If instead cooling is impeded, the debris form an extended torus located between the circularization radius and the semi-major axis of the star with heating rates ̃1-102 LEdd. Extrapolating our results to parabolic orbits, we infer that circularization would occur via the same mechanism in ̃1 period of the most bound debris for deeply penetrating encounters to ̃10 for grazing ones. We also anticipate the same effect of the cooling efficiency on the structure of the disc with associated luminosities of ̃1-10 LEdd and heating rates of ̃0.1-1 LEdd. In the latter case of inefficient cooling, we deduce a viscous time-scale generally shorter than the circularization time-scale. This suggests an accretion rate through the disc tracing the fallback rate, if viscosity starts acting promptly
Magnetic field evolution in tidal disruption events
No full textWhen a star gets tidally disrupted by a supermassive black hole, its magnetic field is expected to pervade its debris. In this paper, we study this process via smoothed particle magnetohydrodynamical simulations of the disruption and early debris evolution including the stellar magnetic field. As the gas stretches into a stream, we show that the magnetic field evolution is strongly dependent on its orientation with respect to the stretching direction. In particular, an alignment of the field lines with the direction of stretching induces an increase of the magnetic energy. For disruptions happening well within the tidal radius, the star compression causes the magnetic field strength to sharply increase by an order of magnitude at the time of pericentre passage. If the disruption is partial, we find evidence for a dynamo process occurring inside the surviving core due to the formation of vortices. This causes an amplification of the magnetic field strength by a factor of ̃10. However, this value represents a lower limit since it increases with numerical resolution. For an initial field strength of 1 G, the magnetic field never becomes dynamically important. Instead, the disruption of a star with a strong 1 MG magnetic field produces a debris stream within which magnetic pressure becomes similar to gas pressure a few tens of hours after disruption. If the remnant of one or multiple partial disruptions is eventually fully disrupted, its magnetic field could be large enough to magnetically power the relativistic jet detected from Swift J1644+57. Magnetized streams could also be significantly thickened by magnetic pressure when it overcomes the confining effect of self-gravity
Recent developments in the theory of tidal disruption events
No full textAbstractIn this paper we will review some recent developments in the theory of Tidal Disruption Events (TDE). In particular, we discuss how recent work has led to a reconsideration of the time evolution of the debris of the disrupted star, which in turn determines the lightcurve of the event. We discuss the efforts being currently made to understand how an accretion disc forms around these objects. Finally, we discuss whether we can expect these systems to undergo rigid precession as a consequence of the Lense–Thirring torques produced by a spinning black hole
Intracellular single-chain variable fragments directed to the Src homology 2 domains of Syk partially inhibit Fc epsilon RI signaling in the RBL-2H3 cell line
No full textIntracellular expression of Ab fragments has been efficiently used to inactivate therapeutic targets, oncogene products, and to induce viral resistance in plants. Ab fragments expressed in the appropriate cell compartment may also help to elucidate the functions of a protein of interest. We report in this study the successful targeting of the protein tyrosine kinase Syk in the RBL-2H3 rat basophilic leukemia cell line. We isolated from a phage display library human single-chain variable fragments (scFv) directed against the portion of Syk containing the Src homology 2 domains and the linker region that separates them. Among them, two scFv named G4G11 and G4E4 exhibited the best binding to Syk in vivo in a yeast two-hybrid selection system. Stable transfectants of RBL-2H3 cells expressing cytosolic G4G11 and G4E4 were established. Immunoprecipitation experiments showed that intracellular G4G11 and G4E4 bind to Syk, but do not inhibit the activation of Syk following FcepsilonRI aggregation, suggesting that the scFv do not affect the recruitment of Syk to the receptor. Nevertheless, FcepsilonRI-mediated calcium mobilization and the release of inflammatory mediators are inhibited, and are consistent with a defect in Bruton's tyrosine kinase and phospholipase C-gamma2 tyrosine phosphorylation and activation. Interestingly, FcepsilonRI-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation is not altered, suggesting that intracellular G4G11 and G4E4 do not prevent the coupling of Syk to the Ras pathway, but they selectively inhibit the pathway involving phospholipase C-gamma2 activation
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Simulations of Tidal Disruption Events
No full textNumerical simulations have historically played a major role in understanding the hydrodynamics of the tidal disruption process. Given the complexity of the geometry of the system, the challenges posed by the problem have indeed stimulated much work on the numerical side. Smoothed Particles Hydrodynamics methods, for example, have seen their very first applications in the context of tidal disruption and still play a major role to this day. Likewise, initial attempts at simulating the evolution of the disrupted star with the so-called affine method have been historically very useful. In this Chapter, we provide an overview of the numerical techniques used in the field and of their limitations, and summarize the work that has been done to simulate numerically the tidal disruption process
Mitomycin C in highly myopic eyes - Author reply
No full textOphthalmology. 2005 Feb;112(2):208-18; discussion 219.
Mitomycin C modulation of corneal wound healing after photorefractive keratectomy in highly myopic eyes.
Gambato C, Ghirlando A, Moretto E, Busato F, Midena E.
SourceRefractive Surgery Service and Antimetabolite Therapy Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of topical mitomycin C in corneal wound healing (CWH) after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in highly myopic eyes.
DESIGN: Prospective, double-masked, randomized clinical trial.
PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-two eyes of 36 patients affected by high (>7 diopters) myopia.
METHODS: In each patient, one eye was randomly assigned to PRK with intraoperative topical 0.02% mitomycin C application, and the fellow eye was treated with a placebo. Postoperatively, mitomycin C-treated eyes received artificial tears (3 times daily, tapered in 3 months), whereas the fellow eye was treated with fluorometholone sodium 2% and artificial tears (3 times daily, tapered in 3 months).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), contrast sensitivity, manifest refraction, and biomicroscopy. Contrast sensitivity was determined using the Pelli-Robson chart. Corneal confocal microscopy documented CWH.
RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 18 months (range, 12-36). No side effects or toxic effects were documented. At 12-month follow-up examination, UCVAs (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) were 0.4+/-0.48 and 0.5+/-0.53 (P = .03) in mitomycin C-treated eyes and corticosteroid-treated eyes, respectively. At 1 year, corneal haze developed in 20% of corticosteroid-treated eyes, versus 0% of mitomycin C-treated eyes. At 12, 24, and 36 months, corneal confocal microscopy showed activated keratocytes and extracellular matrix significantly more evident in untreated eyes (Ps = 0.004, 0.024, and 0.046, respectively).
CONCLUSION: Topical intraoperative application of 0.02% mitomycin C can reduce haze formation in highly myopic eyes undergoing PRK.
Comment in
Ophthalmology. 2006 Feb;113(2):357; author reply 357-8
Choeurs sans accompagnement. , Hymne au printemps : [pour choeur à 4 voix d'hommes] : op. 138 / paroles de Jean Bonnerot ; musique de C. Saint-Saëns
No full textTitre uniforme : Saint-Saëns, Camille (1835-1921). Compositeur. [Hymne au printemps. Op. 138]Présentation musicale : [Partition]Choeurs profanes (voix d'hommes, 4 voix) -- a cappella -- +* 1900......- 1999......+:20e siècle
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