18735984
Benchmark cool companions: ages and abundances for the PZ Telescopii system
We present new ages and abundance measurements for the pre-main-sequence star PZ Telescopii (more commonly known as PZ Tel). PZ Tel was recently found to host a young and low-mass companion. Such companions, whether they are brown dwarfs or planetary systems, can attain benchmark status by detailed study of the properties of the primary, and then evolutionary and bulk characteristics can be inferred for the companion. Using Fibre-fed Extended Range Optical Spectrograph spectra, we have measured atomic abundances (e.g. Fe and Li) and chromospheric activity for PZ Tel and used these to obtain the metallicity and age estimates for the companion. We have also determined the age independently using the latest evolutionary models. We find PZ Tel A to be a rapidly rotating (v sin i = 73 ± 5 km s −1 ), approximately solar metallicity star [log N(Fe) =− 4.37 ± 0.06 dex or [Fe/H] = 0.05 ± 0.20 dex]. We measure a non-local thermodynamic equilibrium lithium abundance of log N(Li) = 3.1 ± 0.1 dex, which from depletion models gives rise to an age of 7 +4 −2 Myr for the system. Our measured chromospheric activity (log R � HK of −4.12) returns an age of 26 ± 2 Myr, as does fitting pre-main-sequence evolutionary tracks (τ evol = 22 ± 3 Myr), both of these are in disagreement with the lithium age. We speculate on reasons for this difference and introduce new models for lithium depletion that incorporate both rotation and magnetic field effects. We also synthesize solar, metal-poor and metal-rich substellar evolutionary models to better determine the bulk properties of PZ Tel B, showing that PZ Tel B is probably more massive than previous estimates, meaning the companion is not a giant exoplanet, even though a planetary-like formation origin can go some way to describing the distribution of benchmark binaries currently known. We show how PZ Tel B compares to other currently known age and metallicity benchmark systems and try to empirically test the effects of dust opacity as a function of metallicity on the near-infrared colours of brown dwarfs. Current models suggest that in the near-infrared observations are more sensitive to low-mass companions orbiting more metal rich stars. We also look for trends between infrared photometry and metallicity amongst a growing population of substellar benchmark objects, and identify the need for more data in mass–age–metallicity parameter space.
16852132
The discovery of an M4+T8.5 binary system
The original article can be found at: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com Copyright Blackwell Publishing / Royal Astronomical Society. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.14620.x
67841979
Carbon monoxide in low-mass dwarf stars
We compare high resolution infrared observations of the CO 3-1 bands in the 2.297– 2.310 µm region of M dwarfs and one L dwarf with theoretical expectations. We find a good match between the observational and synthetic spectra throughout the 20003500K temperature regime investigated. Nonetheless, for the 2500-3500 K temperature range the temperatures that we derive from synthetic spectral fits are higher than expected from more empirical methods by several hundred K. In order to reconcile our findings with the empirical temperature scale it is necessary to invoke warming of the model atmosphere used to construct the synthetic spectra. We consider that the most likely reason for the back-warming is missing high temperature opacity due to water vapour. We compare the water vapour opacity of the Partridge & Schwenke (1997) line list used for the model atmosphere with the output from a preliminary calculation by Barber & Tennyson (2004). While the Partridge & Schwenke line list is a reasonable spectroscopic match for the new line list at 2000 K, by 4000 K it is missing around 25% of the water vapour opacity. We thus consider that the offset between empirical and synthetic temperature scales is explained by the lack of hot water vapour used for computation of the synthetic spectra. For our coolest objects with temperatures below 2500 K we find best fits when using synthetic spectra which include dust emission. Our spectra also allow us to constrain the rotational velocities of our sources, and these velocities are consistent with the broad trend of rotational velocities increasing from M to L.
16341718
A Neptune-mass Planet Orbiting the Nearby G Dwarf HD 16417
Original article can be found at: http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/1538-3881 Copyright IOP Publishing / American Astronomical Society. DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/697/2/1263 [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]
7248338
Selection functions in doppler planet searches
We present a preliminary analysis of the sensitivity of Anglo-Australian Planet Search data to the orbital parameters of extrasolar planets. To do so, we have developed new tools for the automatic analysis of large-scale simulations of Doppler velocity planet search data. One of these tools is the two-dimensional Keplerian Lomb-Scargle (LS) periodogram that enables the straightforward detection of exoplanets with high eccentricities (something the standard LS periodogram routinely fails to do). We used this technique to redetermine the orbital parameters of HD20782b, with one of the highest known exoplanet eccentricities (e = 0.97 +/- 0.01). We also derive a set of detection criteria that do not depend on the distribution functions of fitted Keplerian orbital parameters (which we show are non-Gaussian with pronounced, extended wings). Using these tools, we examine the selection functions in orbital period, eccentricity and planet mass of Anglo-Australian Planet Search data for three planets with large-scale Monte Carlo like simulations. We find that the detectability of exoplanets declines at high eccentricities. However, we also find that exoplanet detectability is a strong function of epoch-to-epoch data quality, number of observations and period sampling. This strongly suggests that simple parametrizations of the detectability of exoplanets based on `whole-of-survey' metrics may not be accurate. We have derived empirical relationships between the uncertainty estimates for orbital parameters that are derived from least-squares Keplerian fits to our simulations and the true 99 per cent limits for the errors in those parameters, which are larger than equivalent Gaussian limits by the factors of 5-10. We quantify the rate at which false positives are made by our detection criteria, and find that they do not significantly affect our final conclusions. And finally, we find that there is a bias against measuring near-zero eccentricities, which becomes more significant in
7184822
PARALLAXES OF SOUTHERN EXTREMELY COOL OBJECTS. I. TARGETS, PROPER MOTIONS, AND FIRST RESULTS
We present results from the PARallaxes of Southern Extremely Cool objects (PARSEC) program, an observational program begun in 2007 April to determine parallaxes for 122 L and 28 T southern hemisphere dwarfs using the Wide Field Imager on the ESO 2.2 m telescope. The results presented here include parallaxes of 10 targets from observations over 18 months and a first version proper motion catalog. The proper motions were obtained by combining PARSEC observations astrometrically reduced with respect to the Second US Naval Observatory CCD Astrograph Catalog, and the Two Micron All Sky Survey Point Source Catalog. The resulting median proper motion precision is 5 mas yr–1 for 195,700 sources. The 140 0.3 deg2 fields sample the southern hemisphere in an unbiased fashion with the exception of the galactic plane due to the small number of targets in that region. The proper motion distributions are shown to be statistically well behaved. External comparisons are also fully consistent. We will continue to update this catalog until the end of the program, and we plan to improve it including also observations from the GSC2.3 database. We present preliminary parallaxes with a 4.2 mas median precision for 10 brown dwarfs, two of which are within 10 pc. These increase the present number of L dwarfs by 20% with published parallaxes. Of the 10 targets, seven have been previously discussed in the literature: two were thought to be binary, but the PARSEC observations show them to be single; one has been confirmed as a binary companion and another has been found to be part of a binary system, both of which will make good benchmark systems. These results confirm that the foreseen precision of PARSEC can be achieved and that the large field of view will allow us to identify wide binary systems. Observations for the PARSEC program will end in early 2011 providing three to four years of coverage for all targets. The main expected outputs are: more than a 100% increase in the number of L dwarfs with parallaxes, increment in the number of objects per spectral subclass up to L9—in conjunction with published results—to at least 10, and to put sensible limits on the general binary fraction of brown dwarfs. We aim to contribute significantly to the understanding of the faint end of the H-R diagram and of the L/T transition region.
120839779
Equivalent Hamiltonians for PT-symmetric versions of dual 2D field theories
In the context of non-Hermitian but PT-symmetric Hamiltonians, we explore the systematics of the coefficients of the multiple commutators that appear in the perturbative expansions for Q, the exponent of the metric operator, and h, the equivalent Hermitian Hamiltonian. We find exact expressions for both Q and h for PT-symmetric versions of the dual two-dimensional quantum field theories, the sine-Gordon model and the massive Thirring model, and elucidate how these solutions arise from the structure of the multiple commutator coefficients.
120722437
Dynamics versus selection rules in diffraction dissociation
Abstract In a diffraction model arising from duality, and in related models, the Morrison and other selection rules for diffraction dissociation are shown not to hold. An examination of experimental data also indicates a failure of these rules. The consequences of the model for the helicity structure of A 1 πϱ couplings are explored.
46321890
Complex square well - a new exactly solvable quantum mechanical model
Recently, a class ofPT -invariant quantum mechanical models described by the non- Hermitian HamiltonianHDp2 +x2.ix/ was studied. It was found that the energy levels for this theory are real for all > 0. Here, the limit as !1is examined. It is shown that in this limit, the theory becomes exactly solvable. A generalization of this Hamiltonian, H D p 2 +x 2M.ix/ (MD 1;2;3;:::) is also studied, and thisPT -symmetric Hamiltonian becomes exactly solvable in the large- limit as well. In effect, what is obtained in each case is a complex analogue of the Hamiltonian for the square-well potential. Expansions about the large- limit are obtained.
123362359
Extension of PT -Symmetric Quantum Mechanics to Quantum Field Theory with Cubic Interaction
It has recently been shown that a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian H possessing an unbroken PT symmetry (i) has a real spectrum that is bounded below, and (ii) defines a unitary theory of quantum mechanics with positive norm. The proof of unitarity requires a linear operator C, which was originally defined as a sum over the eigenfunctions of H. However, using this definition to calculate C is cumbersome in quantum mechanics and impossible in quantum field theory. An alternative method is devised here for calculating C directly in terms of the operator dynamical variables of the quantum theory. This new method is general and applies to a variety of quantum mechanical systems having several degrees of freedom. More importantly, this method is used to calculate the C operator in quantum field theory. The C operator is a new time-independent observable in PT -symmetric quantum field theory.
14195858
Analytic properties of the QCD running coupling constant and τ decay
Abstract A non-perturbative expansion method which gives a well-defined analytic continuation of the running coupling constant from the spacelike to the timelike region is applied to the inclusive semileptonic decay of the τ-lepton. The method allows us to evaluate R τ by integration over the non-perturbative physical region, rather than by using Cauchy's theorem, and hence to incorporate threshold effects in a very direct way. Within our framework the difference between the effective coupling constants in the timelike and spacelike domains can be substantial and is not simply a matter of the standard π 2 terms.