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Articles 1 - 15 of 15
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Terrestrial Planet Formation In A Circumbinary Disc Around A Coplanar Binary, Anna C. Childs, Rebecca G. Martin
Terrestrial Planet Formation In A Circumbinary Disc Around A Coplanar Binary, Anna C. Childs, Rebecca G. Martin
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research
With N-body simulations, we model terrestrial circumbinary planet (CBP) formation with an initial surface density profile motivated by hydrodynamic circumbinary gas disc simulations. The binary plays an important role in shaping the initial distribution of bodies. After the gas disc has dissipated, the torque from the binary speeds up the planet formation process by promoting body-body interactions but also drives the ejection of planet building material from the system at an early time. Fewer but more massive planets form around a close binary compared to a single star system. A sufficiently wide or eccentric binary can prohibit terrestrial planet formation. …
Implications Of An Improved Water Equation Of State For Water-Rich Planets, Chenling Huang, David R. Rice, Zachary M. Grande, Dean Smith, John H. Boisvert, Oliver Tschauner, Ashkan Salamat, Jason Steffen
Implications Of An Improved Water Equation Of State For Water-Rich Planets, Chenling Huang, David R. Rice, Zachary M. Grande, Dean Smith, John H. Boisvert, Oliver Tschauner, Ashkan Salamat, Jason Steffen
Geoscience Faculty Research
Water (H2O), in all forms, is an important constituent in planetary bodies, controlling habitability and influencing geological activity. Under conditions found in the interior of many planets, as the pressure increases, the H-bonds in water gradually weaken and are replaced by ionic bonds. Recent experimental measurements of the water equation of state (EOS) showed both a new phase of H-bonded water ice, ice-VIIt, and a relatively low transition pressure just above 30 GPa to ionic bonded ice-X, which has a bulk modulus 2.5 times larger. The higher bulk modulus of ice-X produces larger planets for a given mass, thereby either …
Streaming Instability Of Multiple Particle Species In Protoplanetary Disks, Noemi Schaffer, Chao-Chin Yang, Anders Johansen
Streaming Instability Of Multiple Particle Species In Protoplanetary Disks, Noemi Schaffer, Chao-Chin Yang, Anders Johansen
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research
The radial drift and diffusion of dust particles in protoplanetary disks affect both the opacity and temperature of such disks, as well as the location and timing of planetesimal formation. In this paper, we present results of numerical simulations of particle-gas dynamics in protoplanetary disks that include dust grains with various size distributions. We have considered three scenarios in terms of particle size ranges, one where the Stokes number τs = 10−1−100, one where τs = 10−4−10−1, and finally one where τs= 10−3−100. Moreover, we considered both discrete and continuous distributions in particle size. In accordance with previous works we …
Survival Of Non-Coplanar, Closely Packed Planetary Systems After A Close Encounter, David R. Rice, Frederic A. Rasio, Jason H. Steffen
Survival Of Non-Coplanar, Closely Packed Planetary Systems After A Close Encounter, David R. Rice, Frederic A. Rasio, Jason H. Steffen
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research
Planetary systems with more than two bodies will experience orbital crossings at a time related to the initial orbital separations of the planets. After a crossing, the system enters a period of chaotic evolution ending in the reshaping of the system’s architecture via planetary collisions or ejections. We carry out N-body integrations on a large number of systems with equally spaced planets (in units of the Hill radius) to determine the distribution of instability times for a given planet separation. We investigate both the time to the initiation of instability through a close encounter and the time to a planet--planet …
Efficient Geometric Probabilities Of Multi-Transiting Exoplanetary Systems From Corbits, Joshua Brakensiek, Darin Ragozzine
Efficient Geometric Probabilities Of Multi-Transiting Exoplanetary Systems From Corbits, Joshua Brakensiek, Darin Ragozzine
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has successfully discovered thousands of exoplanet candidates using the transit method, including hundreds of stars with multiple transiting planets. In order to estimate the frequency of these valuable systems, it is essential to account for the unique geometric probabilities of detecting multiple transiting extrasolar planets around the same parent star. In order to improve on previous studies that used numerical methods, we have constructed an efficient, semi-analytical algorithm called the Computed Occurrence of Revolving Bodies for the Investigation of Transiting Systems (CORBITS), which, given a collection of conjectured exoplanets orbiting a star, computes the probability that …
The Emergence Of Negative Superhumps In Cataclysmic Variables: Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Simulations, David M. Thomas, Matt A. Wood
The Emergence Of Negative Superhumps In Cataclysmic Variables: Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Simulations, David M. Thomas, Matt A. Wood
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
Negative superhumps are believed to arise in cataclysmic variable systems when the accretion disk is tilted with respect to the orbital plane. Slow retrograde precession of the line-of-nodes results in a signal—the negative superhump—with a period slightly less than the orbital period. Previous studies have shown that tilted disks exhibit negative superhumps, but a consensus on how a disk initially tilts has not been reached. Analytical work by Lai (1999, ApJ, 524, 1030) suggests that a magnetic field on the primary can lead to a tilt instability in a disk when the dipole moment is offset in angle from the …
Bayesian Inferences Of Galaxy Formation From The K-Band Luminosity And Hi Mass Functions Of Galaxies: Constraining Star Formation And Feedback, Yu Lu, H.J. Mo, Zhankui Lu, Neal S. Katz, Martin D. Weinberg
Bayesian Inferences Of Galaxy Formation From The K-Band Luminosity And Hi Mass Functions Of Galaxies: Constraining Star Formation And Feedback, Yu Lu, H.J. Mo, Zhankui Lu, Neal S. Katz, Martin D. Weinberg
Neal S. Katz
We infer mechanisms of galaxy formation for a broad family of semi-analytic models (SAMs) constrained by the K-band luminosity function and H I mass function of local galaxies using tools of Bayesian analysis. Even with a broad search in parameter space the whole model family fails to match to constraining data. In the best-fitting models, the star formation and feedback parameters in low-mass haloes are tightly constrained by the two data sets, and the analysis reveals several generic failures of models that similarly apply to other existing SAMs. First, based on the assumption that baryon accretion follows the dark matter …
The Role Of Cross-Shock Potential On Pickup Ion Shock Acceleration In The Framework Of Focused Transport Theory, Pingbing Zuo, Ming Zhang, Hamid K. Rassoul
The Role Of Cross-Shock Potential On Pickup Ion Shock Acceleration In The Framework Of Focused Transport Theory, Pingbing Zuo, Ming Zhang, Hamid K. Rassoul
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
The focused transport theory is appropriate to describe the injection and acceleration of low-energy particles at shocks as an extension of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA). In this investigation, we aim to characterize the role of cross-shock potential (CSP) originated in the charge separation across the shock ramp on pickup ion (PUI) acceleration at various types of shocks with a focused transport model. The simulation results of energy spectrum and spatial density distribution for the cases with and without CSP added in the model are compared.With sufficient acceleration time, the focused transport acceleration finally falls into the DSA regime with the …
Acceleration Of Low-Energy Ions At Parallel Shocks With A Focused Transport Model, Pingbing Zuo, Ming Zhang, Hamid K. Rassoul
Acceleration Of Low-Energy Ions At Parallel Shocks With A Focused Transport Model, Pingbing Zuo, Ming Zhang, Hamid K. Rassoul
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
We present a test particle simulation on the injection and acceleration of low-energy suprathermal particles by parallel shocks with a focused transport model. The focused transport equation contains all necessary physics of shock acceleration, but avoids the limitation of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) that requires a small pitch angle anisotropy. This simulation verifies that the particles with speeds of a fraction of to a few times the shock speed can indeed be directly injected and accelerated into the DSA regime by parallel shocks. At higher energies starting from a few times the shock speed, the energy spectrum of accelerated particles …
Galactic Cosmic-Ray Modulation In A Realistic Global Magnetohydrodynamic Heliosphere, Xi Luo, Ming Zhang, Hamid K. Rassoul, Nikolai V. Pogorelov, Jacob Heerikhuisen
Galactic Cosmic-Ray Modulation In A Realistic Global Magnetohydrodynamic Heliosphere, Xi Luo, Ming Zhang, Hamid K. Rassoul, Nikolai V. Pogorelov, Jacob Heerikhuisen
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
To understand the behavior of cosmic-ray modulation seen by the two Voyager spacecraft in the region near the termination shock (TS) and in the heliosheath at a distance of >100 AU, a realistic magnetohydrodynamic global heliosphere model is incorporated into our cosmic-ray transport code, so that the detailed effects of the heliospheric boundaries and their plasma/magnetic geometry can be revealed. A number of simulations of cosmic-ray modulation performed with this code result in the following conclusions. (1) Diffusive shock acceleration by the TS can significantly affect the level of cosmic-ray flux and, in particular, its radial gradient profile in the …
Revisiting He-Like X-Ray Emission-Line Plasma Diagnostics, R. L. Porter, Gary J. Ferland
Revisiting He-Like X-Ray Emission-Line Plasma Diagnostics, R. L. Porter, Gary J. Ferland
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications
A complete model of helium-like line and continuum emission has been incorporated into the plasma simulation code Cloudy. All elements between He and Zn are treated, any number of levels can be considered, and radiative and collisional processes are included. This includes photoionization from all levels, line transfer, including continuum pumping and destruction by background opacities, scattering, and collisional processes. The model is calculated self-consistently along with the ionization and thermal structure of the surrounding nebula. The result is a complete line and continuum spectrum of the plasma. Here we focus on the ions of the He I sequence and …
The Physical Origin Of Negative Superhumps In Cataclysmic Variables, Matt A. Wood, Christopher J. Burke
The Physical Origin Of Negative Superhumps In Cataclysmic Variables, Matt A. Wood, Christopher J. Burke
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
It has been suspected for over 20 years that the observed negative superhumps in cataclysmic variables are due to the retrograde precession of a tilted disk. We present new smooth particle hydrodynamics simulation results that demonstrate that the source of the modulation of the luminosity of the light in a negatively superhumping cataclysmic variable is the transit of the bright spot across the face of an accretion disk that is tilted out of the orbital plane. In an untilted disk the bright spot is always located on the outer edge of the disk, and the intrinsic brightness of the accretion …
Galactic Cosmic-Ray Modulation Using A Solar Minimum Mhd Heliosphere: A Stochastic Particle Approach, Bryan M. Ball, Ming Zhang, Hamid K. Rassoul, Timur J. Linde
Galactic Cosmic-Ray Modulation Using A Solar Minimum Mhd Heliosphere: A Stochastic Particle Approach, Bryan M. Ball, Ming Zhang, Hamid K. Rassoul, Timur J. Linde
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
An example of Galactic cosmic-ray modulation in a fully three-dimensional heliosphere is presented here. We use a stochastic particle method to solve for modulation without requiring symmetric boundaries or fields. We include all typical modulation terms, including full three-dimensional drift. We have applied this to an MHD heliosphere appropriate for solar minimum conditions. This field includes nonradial solar wind velocity components, as well as a built-in nonspherical termination shock. Parameters that are of interest in modulation can be analyzed in detail, particularly the momentum change of cosmic rays during their transport through the heliosphere. We show radial profiles of modulation …
Self-Consistent Dynamic Models Of Steady Ionization Fronts. I. Weak-D And Weak-R Fronts, W. J. Henney, S. J. Arthur, R. J. R. Williams, Gary J. Ferland
Self-Consistent Dynamic Models Of Steady Ionization Fronts. I. Weak-D And Weak-R Fronts, W. J. Henney, S. J. Arthur, R. J. R. Williams, Gary J. Ferland
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications
We present a method for including steady state gas flows in the plasma physics code Cloudy, which was previously restricted to modeling static configurations. The numerical algorithms are described in detail, together with an example application to plane-parallel ionization-bounded H II regions. As well as providing the foundation for future applications to more complex flows, we find the following specific results regarding the effect of advection on ionization fronts in H II regions: (1) Significant direct effects of advection on the global emission properties occur only when the ionization parameter is lower than is typical for H II regions. For …
Time Series Energy Production In Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Accretion Disks: Superhumps In The Am Canum Venaticorum Stars, James C. Simpson, Matt A. Wood
Time Series Energy Production In Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Accretion Disks: Superhumps In The Am Canum Venaticorum Stars, James C. Simpson, Matt A. Wood
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
The energy production time series of our purely hydrodynamic accretion disk simulations display remarkable similarities with the observed light curves of dwarf novae superhumps in general and the AM CVn stars in particular. The superhump period excess as a function of mass ratio agrees well with earlier theoretical and numerical results, and the amplitudes and relative phases of the harmonics in the power spectra agree well with the observations. The morphology of the mean pulse profile appears to be a useful predictor of system mass ratio. Our modified smoothed particle hydrodynamics code time symmetrizes the interparticle forces when individual time …