Chromothermal oscillations and collapse of strange stars to black holes: astrophysical implications

We study the effects of temperature on strange stars. It is found that the maximum mass of the star decreases with the increase of temperature, as at high temperatures the equations of state become softer. Moreover, if the temperature of a strange star increases, keeping its baryon number fixed, its gravitational mass increases and its radius decreases. This leads to a limiting temperature, where it turns into a black hole. These features are the result of a combined effect of the change of gluon mass and the quark distribution with temperature. We report on a new type of radial oscillation of strange stars, driven by what we call 'chromothermal' instability. We also discuss the relevance of our findings in the astrophysics of core collapse supernovae and gamma-ray bursts.     

Supernova SN2006gy as a first ever Quark Nova?

The most luminous Supernova SN2006gy (more than 100 times brighter than a typical supernova) has been a challenge to explain by standard models. For example, pair-instability supernovae which are luminous enough seem to have too slow a rise, and core-collapse supernovae do not seem to be luminous enough. We present an alternative scenario involving a Quark Nova (an explosive transition of the newly born neutron star to a quark star) in which a second explosion (delayed) occurs inside the ejecta of a normal supernova. The reheated supernova ejecta can radiate at higher levels for longer periods of time primarily due to reduced adiabatic-expansion losses, unlike the standard supernova case. We find an encouraging match between the resulting light curve and that observed in the case of SN2006gy suggesting that we might have at hand the first ever signature of a Quark Nova. Successful application of our model to SN2005gj and SN2005ap is also presented.     

The incidence of mid-infrared excesses in G and K giants

Using photometric data from the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) and GLIMPSE catalogues, I investigate the incidence of mid-infrared (mid-IR) excesses  (∼10 μm)  in G and K stars of luminosity class III. In order to obtain a large sample size, stars are selected using a near-IR colour–magnitude diagram. Sources which are candidates for showing mid-IR excess are carefully examined and modelled to determined whether they are likely to be G/K giants. It is found that mid-IR excesses are present at a level of  (1.8 ± 0.4) × 10⁻³  . While the origin of these excesses remains uncertain, it is plausible that they arise from debris discs around these stars. I note that the measured incidence is consistent with a scenario in which dust lifetimes in debris discs are determined by Poynting–Robertson drag rather than by collisions.     

First results from a dark matter search with liquid argon at 87 K in the Gran Sasso underground laboratory

A new method of searching for dark matter in the form of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP) has been developed with the direct detection of the low energy nuclear recoils observed in a massive target (ultimately many tons) of ultra pure liquid argon at 87 K. A high selectivity for argon recoils is achieved by the simultaneous observation of both the VUV scintillation luminescence and of the electron signal surviving columnar recombination, extracted through the liquid–gas boundary by an electric field.

First physics results from this method are reported, based on a small 2.3 l test chamber filled with natural argon and an accumulated fiducial exposure of about 100 kg day, supporting the future validity of this method with isotopically purified ⁴⁰Ar and for a much larger unit presently under construction with correspondingly increased sensitivities.     

Fast rotation of neutron stars and equation of state of dense matter

Fast rotation of compact stars (at sub-millisecond period) and, in particular, their stability, are sensitive to the equation of state (EOS) of dense matter. Recent observations of XTE J1739-285 suggest that it contains a neutron star rotating at 1122 Hz. At such rotational frequency the effects of rotation on star’s structure are significant. We study the interplay of fast rotation, EOS, and gravitational mass of a sub-millisecond pulsar. We discuss the EOS dependence of spin-up to a sub-millisecond period, via mass accretion from a disk in a low-mass X-ray binary.     

Dark matter accretion wakes of high-redshift black holes

Anisotropic emission of gravitational waves during the merger of black holes induces a recoil velocity on the centre of mass of the binary and the final merger product can then be ejected from its host galaxy. We consider ejected black holes which stay on bound orbits around their host haloes. A recoiled black hole which moves on an almost radial orbit outside the virial radius of its central galaxy, in the cold dark matter background, reaches its apapsis in a finite time. Due to small dark matter velocity dispersion at high redshifts and also the small black hole velocity near the apapsis passage a high-density wake forms around these black hole. Gamma-ray emission can result from the enhancement of dark matter annihilation in these wakes. The diffuse high-energy gamma-ray background from the ensemble of such black holes in the Hubble volume is also evaluated.     

南海北部油气缓释环境沉积物脂类化合物组成特征

认识沉积环境有机碳留存状况是阐述油气形成过程中有机碳早期成岩的关键内容。以南海珠江口盆地及其邻近海域为背景,通过研究表层沉积物中脂类化合物的形态组成,认识脂类有机碳的来源和留存状态,阐述特征脂类分子的早期成岩特征。结果表明,研究区域表层沉积物有机碳含量为0.22%～0.66%,有机碳稳定同位素分布在-20.88‰～-22.93‰之间,表现为显著的海源特征。沉积物中共检测出21种脂肪酸、6种脂肪醇、8种甾醇和植醇;总脂肪酸、脂肪醇、甾醇和植醇含量分别为12.57～40.27μg/g、5.35～8.98μg/g、0.15～3.75μg/g和0.01～3.99μg/g干重,总体表现为靠近珠江口和台湾海峡略高。脂类化合物的存在形态以游离态(FR)和碱性水解态(BH)为主,酸性水解态(AH)贡献较低;其中植醇和甾醇呈现显著的BH优势,植醇中未检出AH组分的贡献。脂类化合物主要来自于海洋现场生产,海洋微藻和细菌的相对贡献率分别为21.18%～33.78%和11.02%～15.64%,陆源高等植物贡献低于5%。来源于硫酸盐还原菌的支链脂肪酸在靠近珠江口海域高达1.79～2.62μg/g,占总脂肪酸的5.14%～6.50%,并与硫酸盐还原过程相关的古菌分布相一致。     

鄂尔多斯盆地盐池-定边地区长7烃源岩有机地球化学特征及沉积环境研究

通过对鄂尔多斯盆地盐池-定边地区长7段烃源岩的分析,研究区长7段烃源岩有机碳平均含量为3.22%,生烃潜量均值为12.8 mg/g,氯仿沥青“A”均值为0.55%,可以划分为较好-好的烃源岩,具有良好的生烃潜力。利用有机岩石学分析、热解分析,并结合饱和烃生物标志物分析,发现研究区长7段烃源岩有机质类型以Ⅱ₁型和Ⅱ₂型为主,有机质以菌藻类生源为主,并伴有部分高等植物生源。烃源岩有机质成熟度R_o值介于0.42%~0.76%之间,并且热解T_max也主要集中在440~455 ℃之间,并且正构烷烃分布特征及甾、藿烷异构化参数说明烃源岩有机质处于低熟-成熟度阶段。根据饱和烃中甾藿烷参数、三环萜烷参数、伽马蜡烷指数、β-胡萝卜烷相对含量以及姥植比参数特征,研究区长7段烃源岩沉积环境为湖相淡水弱氧化-弱还原环境。     

某废弃煤矿有机污染场地地下水修复治理中试研究

某废弃煤矿竖井经倾倒有机废液,导致环境污染事件,造成巷道及采空区内地下水污染。本文结合场地实际情况,选取倾倒竖井(事故井)及周边区域为中试区域,采用“抽出处理+原位氧化循环”两阶段联合修复技术对污染场地开展中试研究。本文介绍了场地污染概况、地下水修复中试方案设计和实施,以及对修复效果进行评价。结果表明,中试处理后地下水中COD和二氯甲烷最高去除率分别为97.88%和99.74%。中试试验表明, “抽出处理+原位氧化循环”两阶段修复技术,对处理矿区内巷道及采空区等复杂地层结构下深层地下水中有机污染物具有较好的去除效果,可以结合现场实际情形对整个污染场区进行规模应用。     

Advances in Glycerol Dialkyl Glycerol Tetraethers and Long-Chain Alkyl Diols in the Marine Sediments: Implications for Paleoclimatic and Paleoenvironmental Changes

Lipid biomarkers widely dotted in marine sediments, as their distribution characteristics accurately record huge information on the metabolism of the original organisms and migration and transformation of these organic components, are often used to reconstruct the paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental conditions. This paper reviewed the progress in the study of paleoclimatic-environmental changes during the late Quaternary using abundant core lipids Glycerol Dialkyl Glyceryl Tetraethers (GDGTs) and long-chain alkyl diols in marginal sea sediments. It is pointed out that clarifying the “source-sink” process of lipid biomarkers buried in marine sediments is a prerequisite for paleoclimatic-environmental reconstruction. It is believed that the use of multiple indicators that are less affected by early diagenesis can increase the accuracy of reconstructing paleoclimatic changes. In the large-river dominated marginal seas, the mechanism of land-sea climate coupling evolution stimulated by the paleoclimatic-environmental changes can be elucidated based on paleoclimatic records reconstructed from core lipids GDGTs and long-chain alkyl diols in marine sediments. It is hoped that this paper can provide reliable technical means and a solid theoretical basis for predicting future temperature and rainfall changes.