18183448
Two-Component Fokker-Planck Models for the Evolution of Isolated Globular Clusters
Two-component (normal and degenerate stars) models are the simplest realization of clusters with a mass spectrum because high-mass stars evolve quickly into degenerates, while low-mass stars remain on the main sequence for the age of the universe. Here we examine the evolution of isolated globular clusters by using two-component Fokker-Planck (FP) models that include heating by binaries formed in tidal capture and in three-body encounters. Three-body binary heating dominates, and the postcollapse expansion is self-similar, at least in models with total mass M ≤ 3 × 105 M☉, initial half-mass radius rh,i ≥ 5 pc, component mass ratio m2/m1 ≥ 2, and number ratio N1/N2 ≤ 300, when m2 = 1.4 M☉. We derive scaling laws for ρc, vi, rc, and rh as functions of m1/m2, N, M, and time t from simple energy-balance arguments; these agree well with the FP simulations. We have studied the conditions under which gravothermal oscillations (GTOs) occur. If Etot and Ec are the energies of the cluster and of the core, respectively, and trh and tc are their relaxation times, then ≡ (Etot/trh)/(Ec/trc) is a good predictor of GTOs: all models with > 0.01 are stable, and all but one with < 0.01 oscillate. We derive a scaling law for against N and m1/m2 and compare them with our numerical results. Clusters with larger m2/m1 or smaller N are stabler.
14570068
N-Body Simulations of Compact Young Clusters near the Galactic Center
We investigate the dynamical evolution of compact young star clusters (CYCs) near the Galactic center using Aarseth's Nbody6 codes. The relatively small number of stars in the cluster (5000-20,000) makes real-number N-body simulations for these clusters feasible on current workstations. Using Fokker-Planck (F-P) models, Kim, Morris, & Lee made a survey of cluster lifetimes for various initial conditions and have found that clusters with a mass 2 × 104 M☉ evaporate in ~10 Myr. These results were, however, to be confirmed by N-body simulations because some extreme cluster conditions, such as strong tidal forces and a large stellar mass range participating in the dynamical evolution, might violate assumptions made in F-P models. Here we find that, in most cases, the CYC lifetimes of previous F-P calculations are 5%-30% shorter than those from the present N-body simulations. The comparison of projected number density profiles and stellar mass functions between N-body simulations and Hubble Space Telescope/NICMOS observations by Figer and colleagues in 1999 suggests that the current tidal radius of the Arches cluster is ~1.0 pc and that the parameters for the initial conditions of that cluster are as follows: total mass of 2 × 104 M☉ and mass function slope for intermediate to massive stars of 1.75 (the Salpeter function has 2.35). We also find that the lower stellar mass limit, the presence of primordial binaries, the amount of initial mass segregation, and the choice of initial density profile (King or Plummer models) do not significantly affect the dynamical evolution of CYCs.
13909300
The Stream-Stream Collision after the Tidal Disruption of a Star around a Massive Black Hole
A star can be tidally disrupted around a massive black hole. It is known that the debris forms a precessing stream, which may collide with itself. The stream collision is a key process in determining the subsequent evolution of the stellar debris: if the orbital energy is efficiently dissipated, the debris will eventually form a circular disk (or torus). In this paper, we have numerically studied such a stream collision resulting from the encounter between a 106 M☉ black hole and a 1 M☉ normal star with a pericenter radius of 100 R☉. A simple treatment for radiative cooling has been adopted for both optically thick and optically thin regions. We have found that approximately 10% to 15% of the initial kinetic energy of the streams is converted into thermal energy during the collision. The spread in angular momentum of the incoming stream is increased by a factor of 2 to 3, and such an increase, together with the decrease in kinetic energy, significantly helps the circularization process. The initial luminosity burst produced by the collision may reach as high as 1041 ergs s-1 in 104 s, after which the luminosity increases again (but slowly this time) to a steady value of a few 1040 ergs s-1 in a few times 105 s. The radiation from the system is expected to be close to Planckian, with an effective temperature of ~105 K.
118942465
The Arches Cluster Mass Function
We have analyzed H- and Ks-band images of the Arches cluster obtained using the NIRC2 instrument on Keck with the laser guide star adaptive optics (LGS AO) system. With the help of the LGS AO system, we were able to obtain the deepest ever photometry for this cluster and its neighborhood and derive the background-subtracted present-day mass function down to 1.3 M☉ for the 5''-9'' annulus of the cluster. We find that the previously reported turnover at 6 M☉ is simply due to a local bump in the mass function (MF), and that the MF continues to increase down to our 50% completeness limit (1.3 M☉) with a power-law exponent of Γ = -0.91 for the mass range of 1.3 < M/M☉ < 50. Our numerical calculations for the evolution of the Arches cluster show that the Γ-values for our annulus increase by 0.1-0.2 during the lifetime of the cluster and thus suggest that the Arches cluster initially had Γ of -1.0 to 1.1, which is only slightly shallower than the Salpeter value.
119489565
Core-Collapse Times of Two-Component Clusters
We examine the corecollapse times of isolated, two-mass-component star clusters using Fokker-Planck models. With initial condition of Plummer models, we find that the corecollapse times of clusters with M_1/M_2 >> 1 are well correlated with (N_1/N_2)^{1/2}(m_1/m_2)^{2} t_{rh}, where M_1/M_2 and m_1/m_2 are the light to heavy component total and individual mass ratios, respectively, N_1/N_2 is the number ratio, and t_{rh} is the initial half-mass relaxation time scale. We also find two-component cluster parameters that best match multi-component (thus more realistic) clusters with power-law mass functions.
17473739
Stellar collisions and mergers in the galactic center
Stars are most likely to merge or collide in regions of the highest stellar densities, and our own Galactic Center contains many stars packed into a relatively small volume -- even the ambient stellar number density in the central 50 pc is quite high, ~10^3 stars pc^{-3}. More striking, the three compact young clusters in this region have central densities as high as 10^6 stars pc^{-3}. We discuss these extreme environments and the possibility that stellar mergers and collisions have recently occured there. In particular, we predict that at least one massive star in the Arches cluster has already experienced a stellar merger in its short lifetime. Further, the Pistol Star, in the nearby Quintuplet cluster, might owe its apparent relative youth to a rejuvinating stellar merger. Finally, the apparently young stars in the central arcsecond could be products of either collisions, inducing atmospheric stripping, or mergers.
17211178
N-flation: Non-Gaussianity in the horizon-crossing approximation
We analyze the cosmic nongaussianity produced in inflation models with multiple uncoupled fields with monomial potentials, such as Nflation. Using the horizon-crossing approximation to compute the nongaussianity, we show that when each field has the same form of potential, the prediction is independent the number of fields, their initial conditions, and the spectrum of masses/couplings. It depends only on the number of $e$-foldings after the horizon crossing of observable perturbations. We also provide a further generalization to the case where the fields can have monomial potentials with different powers. Unless the horizon-crossing approximation is substantially violated, the predicted nongaussianity is too small to ever be observed.
119303854
Time and Amplitude of Afterpulse Measured with a Large Size Photomultiplier Tube
Abstract We have studied the afterpulse of a hemispherical photomultiplier tube for an upcoming reactor neutrino experiment. The timing, the amplitude, and the rate of the afterpulse for a 10 in. photomultiplier tube were measured with a 400 MHz FADC up to 16 μ s time window after the initial signal generated by an LED light pulse. The time and amplitude correlation of the afterpulse shows several distinctive groups. We describe the dependencies of the afterpulse on the applied high voltage and the amplitude of the main light pulse. The present data could shed light upon the general mechanism of the afterpulse.
121615298
Measurement of the refractive index of the LAB-based liquid scintillator and acrylic at RENO
In this paper, we describe the first measurement of the refractive index of the linear alkyl benzene (LAB)-based liquid scintillator and acrylic used at the Reactor Experiment for Neutrino Oscillation (RENO). The refractive index of a material is an important optical property and the prism spectrometer is the most common device for measuring the refractive index. Using the minimum deviation technique, which requires an exact measurement of the apex angle, we determined the refractive indices at six different wavelengths and then fitted them. We also compared the refractive index of the LAB-based liquid scintillator with the refractive indices of other liquid scintillator solvents commonly used in reactor neutrino experiments.
33056442
Observation of reactor electron antineutrinos disappearance in the RENO experiment.
The RENO experiment has observed the disappearance of reactor electron antineutrinos, consistent with neutrino oscillations, with a significance of 4.9 standard deviations. Antineutrinos from six 2.8  GW(th) reactors at the Yonggwang Nuclear Power Plant in Korea, are detected by two identical detectors located at 294 and 1383 m, respectively, from the reactor array center. In the 229 d data-taking period between 11 August 2011 and 26 March 2012, the far (near) detector observed 17102 (154088) electron antineutrino candidate events with a background fraction of 5.5% (2.7%). The ratio of observed to expected numbers of antineutrinos in the far detector is 0.920±0.009(stat)±0.014(syst). From this deficit, we determine sin(2)2θ(13)=0.113±0.013(stat)±0.019(syst) based on a rate-only analysis.
120964777
New results from the KIMS experiment
The Korea Invisible Mass Search (KIMS) collaboration has performed experiments on dark matter searches and double beta decay searches at the Yangyang underground laboratory. Recent results of KIMS as well as the status of the R&D on various detectors are presented. For the WIMP search KIMS ruled out the recoil of 127I of DAMA signal region unambiguously and set the most stringent limit on spin dependent WIMP interactions in the case of pure proton coupling. New limits on neutrino-less double beta decays of 112Sn, 124Sn, 64Zn is also reported.