Suzaku observations of clusters of galaxies

We review results of Suzaku observations of the intracluster medium of clusters of galaxies whose O, Mg, Si, S and Fe abundances have been measured with good accuracy due to the good energy resolution and low background. Metal massto‐light ratios were derived and we will discuss the origin of the metals. We also review the results of the search for bulk motion and hard X‐ray emission. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Do superfluid instabilities prevent neutron star precession?

We discuss short wavelength (inertial wave) instabilities present in the standard two-fluid neutron star model when there is sufficient relative flow along the superfluid neutron vortex array. We demonstrate that these instabilities may be triggered in precessing neutron stars, since the angular velocity vectors of the neutron and proton fluids are misaligned during precession. Our results suggest that the standard (Eulerian) slow precession that results for weak drag between the vortices and the charged fluid (protons and electrons) is not seriously affected by the instability. In contrast, the fast precession, which results when vortices are strongly coupled to the charged component, is generally unstable. The presence of this instability renders the standard (solid body) rotation model for free precession inconsistent and makes unsafe conclusions that have recently been drawn regarding neutron star interiors based on observations of precession in radio pulsars.     

Star formation history in the central region of the barred galaxy NGC 4245

We have investigated the gas and stellar kinematics and the stellar population properties at the center of the early-type galaxy NGC 4245 with a large-scale bar by the method of two-dimensional spectroscopy. The galaxy has been found to possess a pronounced chemically decoupled compact stellar nucleus, which is at least a factor of 2.5 richer in metals than the stellar population of the bulge, and a ring of young stars with a radius of 300 pc. Star formation goes on in the ring even now; its location corresponds to the inner Lindblad resonance of the large-scale bar. According to Hubble Space Telescope data, the mean stellar age in the chemically decoupled nucleus is significantly younger than that within 0″.25 of the center. It may be concluded that we take the former ultracompact star formation ring with a radius of no more than 100 pc located at the inner Lindblad resonance of the now disappeared nuclear bar as the chemically decoupled nucleus. On the whole, the picture of star formation at the center of this gas-poor galaxy is consistent with theoretical predictions of the consequences of the secular evolution of a stellar-gaseous disk under the action of a bar or bars.     

LO Pegasi: an investigation of multiband optical polarization

We present BVR polarimetric study of the cool active star LO Pegasi (LO Peg) for the first time. LO Peg was found to be highly polarized among the cool active stars. Our observations yield average values of polarization in LO Peg:   P_B = 0.387 ± 0.004 per cent, θ_B= 88°± 1°; P_V = 0.351 ± 0.004 per cent, θ_V= 91°± 1°  and   P_R = 0.335 ± 0.003 per cent, θ_R= 91°± 1°  . Both the degree of polarization and the position angle are found to be variable. The semi-amplitude of the polarization variability in B, V and R bands is found to be  0.18 ± 0.02, 0.13 ± 0.01  and  0.10 ± 0.02  per cent, respectively. We suggest that the levels of polarization observed in LO Peg could be the result of scattering of an anisotropic stellar radiation field by an optically thin circumstellar envelope or scattering of the stellar radiation by prominence-like structures.     

New aspects of Doppler imaging in Sun-as-a-star observations

Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network (BiSON) instruments use resonant scattering spectrometers to make unresolved Doppler velocity observations of the Sun. Unresolved measurements are not homogenous across the solar disc and so the observed data do not represent a uniform average over the entire surface. The influence on the inhomogeneity of the solar rotation and limb darkening has been considered previously and is well understood. Here, we consider a further effect that originates from the instrumentation itself. The intensity of light observed from a particular region on the solar disc is dependent on the distance between that region on the image of the solar disc formed in the instrument and the detector. The majority of BiSON instruments have two detectors positioned on opposite sides of the image of the solar disc and the observations made by each detector are weighted towards differing regions of the disc. Therefore, the visibility and amplitudes of the solar oscillations and the realization of the solar noise observed by each detector will differ. We find that the modelled bias is sensitive to many different parameters such as the width of solar absorption lines, the strength of the magnetic field in the resonant scattering spectrometer, the orientation of the Sun's rotation axis, the size of the image observed by the instrument and the optical depth in the vapour cell. We find that the modelled results best match the observations when the optical depth at the centre of the vapour cell is 0.55. The inhomogeneous weighting means that a 'velocity offset' is introduced into unresolved Doppler velocity observations of the Sun, which varies with time, and so has an impact on the long-term stability of the observations.     

Dependence of the acceleration of the outer edge of a stellar envelope on supernova explosion energy

Based on numerical simulations of a supernova explosion, we investigate the shock-wave breakout through the stellar surface. The computations have been performed in a wide range of explosion energies and presupernova masses. The results are compared with the classical Gandelman-Frank-Kamenetsky self-similar solution. We have determined the dependence of an arbitrary coefficient in the self-similar solution on the explosion energy and presupernova structure. The derived analytical approximation formula for this coefficient can be used to estimate the supernova explosion energy from such parameters of the ejected envelope determined from astronomical observations as its maximum expansion velocity and the density distribution along its outer edge. The formula may prove to be also useful in studying the X-ray and gamma-ray bursts that accompany the shock-wave breakout through the surface of compact presupernovae.     

Near-infrared/optical counterparts of hotspots in radio galaxies

We present new high spatial resolution Very Large Telescope (VLT) and Very Large Array (VLA) observations of a sample of nine low-power (   P _1.4 GHz≤ 10²⁵  W Hz⁻¹) radio hotspots. Infrared/optical emission is definitely detected in four of the nine observed objects, resulting in a detection rate of at least 45 per cent. This emission is interpreted as synchrotron radiation from the electrons accelerated in the hotspots. The integrated spectra of these hotspots reveal typical break frequencies between 10⁵ and 10⁶ GHz, two orders of magnitude higher than typically found in high-power hotspots. This supports the idea that in low-power hotspots with their relatively low magnetic field strengths, electrons emit most of their energy at higher frequencies. A simple spectral ageing analysis would imply that the emitting electrons have been injected into the hotspot volume less than  ∼10³  years ago. We discuss possible scenarios to explain the lack of older electrons in the hotspot region. In particular, the extended morphology of the near-infrared/optical emission would suggest that efficient re-acceleration mechanisms rejuvenate the electron populations.     

An analysis of v sin (i) correlations in early-type binaries

We use information on the   v sin ( i )  values of early-type binaries in order to search for correlations which may constrain the relative orientation of the stellar spin axes in binary systems. We find correlations in the case of close binaries which suggest that tidal synchronization is effective for binaries whose separation exceeds the stellar radius by more than an order of magnitude, in line with the theoretical predictions of Goldreich & Nicholson and the previous observational analysis of Giuricin et al. In the case of wide binaries, the   v sin ( i )  values are not well correlated, which requires that the magnitude of the spin speeds is not tightly correlated. Under this assumption, we then find that the data provide no significant constraints on the degree of alignment of spin axes. The data are therefore compatible with scenarios (such as disc fragmentation or capture) which differ widely in the expected degree of spin alignment.