16308661
Origin of thermal and non-thermal hard X-ray emission from the Galactic center
We analyse new results of Chandra and Suzaku Observatories which found a flux of hard X-ray emission from the compact region around Sgr A � (r � 100 pc). We suppose that this emission is generated by accretion processes onto the central supermassive blackhole when an unbound part of captured stars obtains an additional momentum. As a result a flux of subrelativistic protons is generated near the galactic center which heats the background plasma up to temperatures about 6–10 keV and produces by inverse bremsstrahlung a flux of non-thermal X-ray emission in the energy range above 10 keV.
17286551
Indicators for cluster survivability in a dispersing cloud
We use N-body simulations to survey the response of embedded star clusters to the dispersal of their parent molecular cloud. The final stages of the clusters can be divided into three classes: the cluster (1) is destroyed, (2) has a loose structure, and (3) has a compact core. We are interested in three of the governing parameters of the parent cloud: (1) the mass, (2) the size, and (3) the dispersing rate. It is known that the final stage of the cluster is well correlated with the star formation efficiency (SFE) for systems with the same cluster and cloud profile. We deem that the SFE alone is not enough to address systems with clouds of different sizes. Our result shows that the initial cluster-cloud mass ratio at a certain Lagrangian radius and the initial kinetic energy are better indicators for the survivability of embedded clusters.
118673239
Hubble Constant, Lensing, and Time Delay in Relativistic Modified Newtonian Dynamics
The time delay in galaxy gravitational lensing systems has been used to determine the value of the Hubble constant. As with other dynamical phenomena on the galaxy scale, dark matter is often invoked in gravitational lensing to account for the "missing mass" (the apparent discrepancy between the dynamical mass and the luminous mass). Alternatively, modified gravity can be used to explain the discrepancy. In this paper, we adopt the tensor-vector-scalar gravity (TeVe S), a relativistic version of Modified Newtonian Dynamics, to study gravitational lensing phenomena and derive the formulae needed to evaluate the Hubble constant. We test our method on quasar lensing by elliptical galaxies in the literature. We focus on double-image systems with time delay measurement. Three candidates are suitable for our study: HE 2149–2745, FBQ J0951+2635, and SBS 0909+532. The Hubble constant obtained is consistent with the value used to fit the cosmic microwave background result in a neutrino cosmological model.
5224194
3D Magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of Parker instability with cosmic rays
This study investigates Parker instability in an interstellar medium (ISM) near the Galactic plane using three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic simulations. Parker instability arises from the presence of a magnetic field in a plasma, wherein the magnetic buoyant pressure expels the gas and cause the gas to move along the field lines. The process is thought to induce the formation of giant molecular clouds in the Galaxy. In this study, the effects of cosmic-ray (CR) diffusion are examined. The ISM at equilibrium is assumed to comprise a plasma fluid and a CR fluid at various temperatures, with a uniform magnetic field passing through it in the azimuthal direction of the Galactic disk. After a small perturbation, the unstable gas aggregates at the footpoint of the magnetic fields and forms dense blobs. The growth rate of the instability increases with the strength of the CR diffusion. The formation of dense clouds is enhanced by the effect of cosmic rays (CRs), whereas the shape of the clouds depends sensitively on the initial conditions of perturbation.
16205821
Particle propagation in the galactic center and spatial distribution of non-thermal x-rays
We showed that if the non-thermal emission from the galactic center in the range 14–40 keV is due to inverse bremsstrahlung emission of subrelativistic protons, their interactions with hot and cold fractions of the interstellar medium are equally important. Our estimation shows that about 30% of the total non-thermal flux from the GC in the range 14–40 keV is generated in regions of cold gas while the rest is produced by proton interaction with hot plasma. From the spatial distribution of 6.7 keV iron line we concluded the spatial distribution of hot plasma is strongly non-uniform that should be taken into account in analysis of proton propagation in the GC. From the Suzaku data we got independent estimates for the diffusion coefficient of subrelativistic protons in the GC, which was in the range 10 26 –10 27 cm 2 s � 1 .
119432484
Open clusters in a dispersing molecular cloud
Star clusters are formed in molecular clouds which are believed to be the birth places of most stars. From recent observational data, Lada & Lada (2003) estimated that only 4 to 7% of the proto-clusters have survived. A possible reason is the dispersion of molecular clouds by UV radiation, stellar winds or supernova explosions. We study the cloud dispersion in the embedded clusters by N-body simulations. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
18778142
Determination of the stiffness of the nuclear symmetry energy from isospin diffusion.
With an isospin- and momentum-dependent transport model, we find that the degree of isospin diffusion in heavy-ion collisions at intermediate energies is affected by both the stiffness of the nuclear symmetry energy and the momentum dependence of the nucleon potential. Using a momentum dependence derived from the Gogny effective interaction, recent experimental data from NSCL-MSU on isospin diffusion are shown to be consistent with a nuclear symmetry energy given by E(sym)(rho) approximately 31.6(rho/rho(0))(1.05) at subnormal densities. This leads to a significantly constrained value of about -550 MeV for the isospin-dependent part of the isobaric incompressibility of isospin asymmetric nuclear matter.
14560383
Charmonium production from hot hadronic matter
Abstract Charmonium production from D D annihilation in the hadron gas formed in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions is studied. With initial conditions taken from the HIJING parton model, we have estimated the number of J / ψ produced from an expanding hadron gas, using the J / ψ absorption and production cross sections obtained from either an effective Lagrangian or the quark-exchange model. We find that J / ψ production is negligible in heavy-ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) but may be important at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), where more charm mesons are produced. Similar results are obtained for ψ ′ production from the hadron gas at RHIC and LHC.
20283699
Momentum anisotropies in the quark coalescence model
Based on the quark coalescence model, we derive relations among the momentum anisotropies of mesons and baryons in relativistic heavy ion collisions from a given, but arbitrary azimuthal distribution for the partons. These relations allow us to estimate the higher-order anisotropies in the initial partonic matter from the measured hadronic anisotropies. Besides the familiar even Fourier coefficients such as the elliptic flow, we also pay attention to odd Fourier coefficients such as the directed flow, which has been observed at finite rapidity even at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider energies.
16350602
Partonic effects in heavy ion collisions at RHIC
Effects of partonic interactions in heavy ion collisions at RHIC are studied in a multiphase transport model (AMPT) that includes both initial partonic and final hadronic interactions. It is found that a large parton scattering cross section is needed to understand the measured elliptic flow of pions and two-pion correlation function.
118590053
Recent Progress and New Challenges in Isospin Physics with Heavy-Ion Reactions
The ultimate goal of studying isospin physics via heavy-ion reactions with neutron-rich, stable and/or radioactive nuclei is to explore the isospin dependence of in-medium nuclear effective interactions and the equation of state of neutron-rich nuclear matter, particularly the isospin-dependent term in the equation of state, i.e., the density dependence of the symmetry energy. Because of its great importance for understanding many phenomena in both nuclear physics and astrophysics, the study of the density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy has been the main focus of the intermediate-energy heavy-ion physics community during the last decade, and significant progress has been achieved both experimentally and theoretically. In particular, a number of phenomena or observables have been identified as sensitive probes to the density dependence of nuclear symmetry energy. Experimental studies have confirmed some of these interesting isospin-dependent effects and allowed us to constrain relatively stringently the symmetry energy at sub-saturation densities. The impact of this constrained density dependence of the symmetry energy on the properties of neutron stars have also been studied, and they were found to be very useful for the astrophysical community. With new opportunities provided by the various radioactive beam facilities being constructed around the world, the study of isospin physics is expected to remain one of the forefront research areas in nuclear physics. In this report, we review the major progress achieved during the last decade in isospin physics with heavy ion reactions and discuss future challenges to the most important issues in this field.