1,721,005 research outputs found
The slow decline of the Galactic recurrent novae T Pyxidis, IM Normae, and CI Aquilae
No full textA distinguishing trait of the three known Galactic recurrent novae with the shortest orbital periods, T Pyx, IM Nor, and CI Aql, is that their optical decline time-scales are significantly longer than those of the other recurrent systems. On the other hand, some estimates of the mass of the ejecta, the velocity of the ejecta, and the duration of the soft X-rays emission of these systems are of the order of those of the other recurrent systems and the fast classical novae. We put forth a tentative explanation of this phenomenon. We propose that in these systems part of the material transferred from the companion during the first few days of the eruption remains within the Roche lobe of the white dwarf, preventing the radiation from ionizing the ejecta of the system and increasing the optical decline time-scale. We explain why this phenomenon is more likely in systems with a high mass transfer rate and a short orbital period. Finally, we present a schematic model that shows that the material transferred from the companion is sufficient to absorb the radiation from the white dwarf in these systems, ultimately supporting this scenario as quantitatively realistic
La théorie des quanta et le paranormal
No full textShore Steven N. La théorie des quanta et le paranormal. In: Raison présente, n°84, 4e trimestre 1987. La nouvelle physique abolit-elle le réel ? pp. 35-47
A dirty window: diffuse and translucent molecular gas in the interstellar medium
No full textThis book provides an introduction to the physics of interstellar gas in the Galaxy. It deals with the diffuse interstellar medium which supplies a complex environment for exploring the neutral gas content of a galaxy like the Milky Way and the techniques necessary for studying this non-stellar component. After an initial exposition of the phases of the interstellar medium and the role of gas in a spiral galaxy, the authors discuss the transition from atomic to molecular gas. They then consider basic radiative transfer and molecular spectroscopy with particular emphasis on the molecules useful for studying low-density molecular gas. Observational techniques for investigating the gas and the dust component of the diffuse interstellar medium throughout the electromagnetic spectrum are explored emphasizing results from the recent Herschel and Planck missions. A brief exposition on dust in the diffuse interstellar medium is followed by a discussion of molecular clouds in general and high-latitude molecular clouds in particular. Ways of calibrating CO observations with the molecular hydrogen content of a cloud are examined along with the dark molecular gas controversy. High-latitude molecular clouds are considered in detail as vehicles for applying the techniques developed in the book. Given the transient nature of diffuse and translucent molecular clouds, the role of turbulence in the origin and dynamics of these objects is examined in some detail. The book is targeted at graduate students or postdocs who are entering the field of interstellar medium studies
Close encounters with the Death Star: Interactions between collapsed bodies and the Solar System
No full textAims. We aim to investigate the consequences of a fast massive stellar remnant – a black hole (BH) or a neutron star (NS) – encountering a planetary system.
Methods. We modelled a close encounter between the actual Solar System (SS) and a 2 M⊙ NS and a 10 M⊙ BH, using a few-body symplectic integrator. We used a range of impact parameters, orbital phases at the start of the simulation derived from the current SS orbital parameters, encounter velocities, and incidence angles relative to the plane of the SS.
Results. We give the distribution of possible outcomes, such as when the SS remains bound, when it suffers a partial or complete disruption, and in which cases the intruder is able to capture one or more planets, yielding planetary systems around a BH or a NS. We also show examples of the long-term stability of the captured planetary systems
The ambiguous transient ASASSN-17hx. A possible nova-impostor
Full text linkSome transients, although classified as novae based on their maximum and early decline optical spectra, cast doubts on their true nature and whether nova impostors might exist. We monitored a candidate nova which displayed a distinctly unusual light curve at maximum and early decline through optical spectroscopy (3000-10000 \AA, 500<R<100000) complemented with Swift UV and AAVSO optical photometry. We use the spectral line series to characterize the ejecta dynamics, structure, and mass. We found that the ejecta are in free ballistic expansion and structured as typical of classical novae. However, their derived mass is at least an order of magnitude larger than the typical ejecta masses obtained for classical novae. Specifically, we found M910 M independent of the distance for a filling factor =1. By constraining the distance we derived in the range 0.08-0.10, giving a mass 710 M910 M. The nebular spectrum, characterized by unusually strong coronal emission lines, confines the ionizing source energy to the range 20-250 eV, possibly peaking in the range 75-100 or 75-150 eV. We link this source to other slow novae which showed similar behavior and suggest that they might form a distinct physical sub-group. They may result from a classical nova explosion occurring on a very low mass white dwarf or be impostors for an entirely different type of transient
Periodicity makes galactic shocks unstable - I. Linear analysis
No full textWe study the dynamical stability of stationary galactic spiral shocks. The steady-state equilibrium flow contains a shock of the type derived by Roberts in the tightly wound approximation. We find that boundary conditions are critical in determining whether the solutions are stable or not. Shocks are unstable if periodic boundary conditions are imposed. For intermediate strengths of the spiral potential, the instability disappears if boundary conditions are imposed such that the upstream flow is left unperturbed as in the classic analysis of D'yakov and Kontorovich. This reconciles apparently contradictory findings of previous authors regarding the stability of spiral shocks. This also shows that the instability is distinct from the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, confirming the findings of Kim et al. We suggest that instability is a general characteristics of periodic shocks, regardless of the presence of shear, and provide a physical picture as to why this is the case. For strong spiral potentials, high post-shock shear makes the system unstable also to parasitic Kelvin-Helmholtz instability regardless of the boundary conditions. Our analysis is performed in the context of a simplified problem that, while preserving all the important characteristics of the original problem, strips it from unnecessary complications, and assumes that the gas is isothermal, non-self-gravitating, non-magnetized
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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