18821367
Multivariate Characterization of Hydrogen Balmer Emission in Cataclysmic Variables
The ratios of hydrogen Balmer emission line intensities in cataclysmic variables are signatures of the physical processes that produce them. To quantify those signatures relative to classifications of cataclysmic variable types, we applied the multivariate statistical analysis methods of principal components analysis and discriminant function analysis to the spectroscopic emission data set of Williams (1983). The two analysis methods reveal two different sources of variation in the ratios of the emission lines. The source of variation seen in the principal components analysis was shown to be correlated with the binary orbital period. The source of variation seen in the discriminant function analysis was shown to be correlated with the equivalent width of the Hβ line. Comparison of the data scatterplot with scatterplots of theoretical models shows that Balmer line emission from T CrB systems is consistent with the photoionization of a surrounding nebula. Otherwise, models that we considered do not reproduce the wide range of Balmer decrements, including ‘inverted’ decrements, seen in the data.
18756154
Formation of optical lines in black-hole binaries
The HI Balmer emission lines of black-hole binaries show double-peaked profiles during the high-soft state and the quiescent state. In the high-soft state the profiles are asymmetric with a stronger red peak, but the profiles are symmetric in the quiescent state. We suggest that in the high-soft state the emission lines originate from the temperature-inversion layer caused by irradiative heating of an optically thick accretion disk. Irradiative heating also causes the formation of a disk wind, which mildly absorbs the blue peak of the lines. The double-peaked lines seen in the quiescent state arise from an optically thin disk. In the absence of a disk wind, the lines are unabsorbed and so the symmetry of the line profiles is preserved.
119332271
Low and High Angular Momentum Accretion Flows in BHCs: Case Study of XTE J1550-564
The 1998 outburst of XTE J1550-564 started with a hard X-ray spike, rising in less than a day and declining after 3-4 days; at the same time, the soft X-ray flux was rising with a longer timescale (~ 10 days). We suggest that the soft and the initial hard X-ray emission are produced by two different components of the accretion flow: a higher angular momentum flow, which forms the disk, and a lower angular momentum flow feeding the hot inner region. Thus, we argue that the onset of the outburst is determined by an increased mass transfer rate from the companion star, but the outburst morphology is also determined by the distribution of specific angular momentum in the accreting matter. In XTE J1550-564, we attribute the initial, impulsive low angular momentum accretion to the breaking down of magnetic confinement by the magnetically active secondary star. We show that a hard X-ray spike is seen at the onset of an outburst in other BHCs.
13854637
Ionization structure in accretion shocks with a composite cooling function
ABSTRA C T We have investigated the ionization structure of the post-shock regions of magnetic cataclysmic variables, using an analytic density and temperature structure model in which effects caused by bremsstrahlung and cyclotron cooling are considered. We find that in the majority of the shock-heated region where H- and He-like lines of the heavy elements are emitted, the collisional-ionization and corona-condition approximations are justified. We have calculated the line emissivity and ionization profiles for iron as a function of height within the post-shock flow. For low-mass white dwarfs, line emission takes place near the shock. For high-mass white dwarfs, most of the line emission takes place in regions well below the shock and hence it is less sensitive to the shock temperature. Thus, the line ratios are useful to determine the white dwarf masses for the low-mass white dwarfs, but the method is less reliable when the white dwarfs are massive. Line spectra can, however, be used to map the hydrodynamic structure of the post-shock accretion flow.
1734663
Line emission from optically thick relativistic accretion tori
We calculate line emission from relativistic accretion tori around Kerr black holes and investigate how the line profiles depend on the viewing inclination, spin of the central black hole, parameters describing the shape of the tori, and spatial distribution of line emissivity on the torus surface. We also compare the lines with those from thin accretion disks. Our calculations show that lines from tori and lines from thin disks share several common features. In particular, at low and moderate viewing inclination angles they both have asymmetric double-peaked profiles with a tall, sharp blue peak and a shorter red peak which has an extensive red wing. At high viewing inclination angles they both have very broad, asymmetric lines which can be roughly considered as single-peaked. Torus and disk lines may show very different red and blue line wings, but the differences are due to the models for relativistic tori and disks having differing inner boundary radii. Self-eclipse and lensing play some role in shaping the torus lines, but they are effective only at high inclination angles. If inner and outer radii of an accretion torus are the same as those of an accretion disk, their line profiles show substantial differences only when inclination angles are close to 90°, and those differences manifest mostly at the central regions of the lines instead of the wings.
14186187
Accretion Flow along a Dipolar Field: Application to Intermediate Polars
A hydrodynamic formulation for accretion flow channeled by a dipolar magnetic field is constructed using a curvi-linear coordinate system natural to the field structure. We solve the hydrodynamic equations and determine the velocity, density and temperature profiles of the post-shock accretion flow. The results are applied to accretion flows in intermediate polars. We have found that for systems with massive white dwarfs (~ 1 M ⊙ ) the temperature profiles in the flow can differ significantly to those obtained from models in which the accretion column is assumed to be cylindrical.
5363796
DEX: Increasing the Capability of Scientific Data Analysis Pipelines by Using Efficient Bitmap Indices to Accelerate Scientific Visualization
We describe a new approach to scalable data analysis that enables scientists to manage the explosion in size and complexity of scientific data produced by experiments and simulations. Our approach uses a novel combination of efficient query technology and visualization infrastructure. The combination of bit map indexing, which is a data management technology that accelerates queries on large scientific datasets, with a visualization pipeline for generating images of abstract data results in a tool suitable for use by scientists in fields where data size and complexity poses a barrier to efficient analysis. Our architecture and implementation, which we call DEX (short for dexterous data explorer), directly addresses the problem of ''too much data'' by focusing analysis on data deemed to be ''scientifically interesting'' via a user-specified selection criteria. The architectural concepts and implementation are applicable to wide variety of scientific data analysis and visualization applications. This paper presents an architectural overview of the system along with an analysis showing substantial performance over traditional visualization pipelines. While performance gains are a significant result, even more important is the new functionality not present in any visualization analysis software--namely the ability to perform interactive, multi-dimensional queries to refine regions of interest that aremore » later used as input to analysis or visualization.« less
124706747
THE COMPACT ALGEBRA STRUCTURE OF SOLITON-EQUATIONS, THEIR SPINOR AKNS SYSTEM AND REALIZATION ON SPHERE
Abstract It is shown that a great sort of soliton equations, such as sine- Gordon equation and others whose inverse scattering problem is described by the AKNS system, has both noncompact and compact algebra structures on the same footing. The spinor AKNS system and realization on sphere with respect to the compact structure of the soliton equations are given.
119366452
On Torsion and Nieh-Yan Form
Using the well-known Chern-Weil formula and its generalization, we systematically construct the Chern-Simons forms and their generalization induced by torsion as well as the Nieh-Yan (N-Y) forms. We also give an argument on the vanishing of integration of N-Y form on any compact manifold without boundary. A systematic construction of N-Y forms in D=4n dimension is also given.
13909552
Total Variation and Variational Symplectic-Energy- Momentum integrators
A discrete total variation calculus with variable time steps is presented in this letter. Using this discrete variation calculus, we generalize Lee’s discrete mechanics and derive variational symplecticenergy-momentum integrators by Kane, Marsden and Ortiz. The relationship among discrete total variation, Lee’s discrete mechanics and Kane-Marsden-Ortiz’s integrators is explored.
16106369
The Euler–Lagrange Cohomology and General Volume-Preserving Systems
We briefly introduce the concept of Euler–Lagrange cohomology groups on a symplectic manifold (ℳ2n, ω) and systematically present the general form of volume-preserving equations on the manifold from the cohomological point of view. It is shown that for every volume-preserving flow generated by these equations there is an important two-form that plays the analog role with the Hamiltonian in the Hamilton mechanics. In addition, the ordinary canonical equations with Hamiltonian H are included as a special case with the two-form . The other volume preserving systems on (ℳ2n, ω) are studied. The relations between our approach and Feng–Shang's volume-preserving systems as well as the Nambu mechanics are also explored.