Engineering topics

Hellier, Coel

Publications and source records attributed to Hellier, Coel.

8 records

NASA NTRS2010

High C/O Chemistry and Weak Thermal Inversion in the Extremely Irradiated Atmosphere of Exoplanet WASP-12b

The carbon-to-oxygen ratio (C/O) in a planet provides critical information about its primordial origins and subsequent evolution. A primordial C/O greater than 0.8 causes a carbide-dominated interior as opposed to the silicate-dominated composition as found on Earth; the solar C/O is 0.54. Theory, shows that high C/O leads to a diversity of carbon-rich planets that can have very different interiors and atmospheres from those in the solar system. Here we report the detection of C/O greater than or equal to 1 in a planetary atmosphere. The transiting hot Jupiter WASP-12b has a dayside atmosphere depleted in water vapour and enhanced in methane by over two orders of magnitude compared to a solar-abundance chemical equilibrium model at the expected temperatures. The observed concentrations of the prominent molecules CO, CH4, and H2O are consistent with theoretical expectations for an atmosphere with the observed C/O = 1. The C/O ratios are not known for giant planets in the solar system, although they are expected to equal the solar value. If high C/O ratios are common, then extrasolar planets are likely very different in interior composition, and formed very differently, from expectations based on solar composition, potentially explaining the large diversity in observed radii. We also find that the extremely irradiated atmosphere (greater than 2500 K) of WASP-12b lacks a prominent thermal inversion, or a stratosphere, and has very efficient day-night energy circulation. The absence of a strong thermal inversion is in stark contrast to theoretical predictions for the most highly irradiated hot-Jupiter atmospheres.

Madhusudhan, Nikku↗

NASA NTRS2002

The Spin Pulse of the Intermediate Polar V1062 Tauri

We combine ASCA and RXTE data of V1062 Tau to confirm the presence of a 62-min X-ray pulsation. We show that the pulsation is caused largely by the variation of dense partial absorption, in keeping with current models of accretion onto magnetic white dwarfs. Further parameterisation of the spin pulse is, however, hampered by ambiguities in the models.

Hellier, Coel↗

NASA NTRS1995

The remarkable eclipsing asynchronous AM Herculis binary RX J19402-1025

We report on two years of photometric and spectroscopic observation of the recently discovered AM Herculis star RX J19402-1025. A sharp eclipse feature is present in the optical and X-ray light curves, repeating with a period of 12116.290 +/- 0.003 s. The out-of-eclipse optical waveform contains approximately equal contributions from a signal at the same period and another signal at 12150 s. As these signals drift in and out of phase, the wave form of the light curve changes in a complex but predictable manner. After one entire 'supercycle' of 50 days (the beat period between the shorter periods), the light curve returns to its initial shape. We present long-term ephemerides for each of these periods. It is highly probable that the eclipse period is the underlying orbital period, while the magnetic white dwarf rotates with P = 12150 s. The eclipses appear to be eclipses of the white dwarf by the secondary star. But there is probably also a small obscuring effect from cold gas surrounding the secondary, especially on the orbit-leading side where the stream begins to fall towards the white dwarf. The latter hypothesis can account for several puzzling effects in this star, as well as the tendency among most AM Her stars for the sharp emission-line components to slightly precede the actual motion of the secondary. The presence of eclipses in an asynchronous AM Her star provides a marvelous opportunity to study how changes in the orientation of magnetic field lines affect the accretion flows. Repeated polarimetric light curves and high-resolution studies of the emission lines are now critical to exploit this potential.

Patterson, Joseph↗

NASA NTRS1994

PX Andromedae and the SW Sextantis phenomenon

We show that the emission-line peculiarities of PX And and other SW Sex stars can be explained by an accretion stream which overflows the initial impact with the accretion disk and continues to a later reimpact. The overflowing stream is seen projected against a brighter disk and produces the 'phase 0.5 absorption' features. Emission from the reimpact site produces the high-velocity line wings which alternate from red to blue on the orbital cycle. We conclude that substantial disk overflow is the property distinguishing SW Sex stars from other cataclysmic variables.

Hellier, Coel↗

NASA NTRS1994

Disk-overflow accretion in GK Persei?

We reanalyze the 1983 European X-ray Observatory Satellite (EXOSAT) observations of GK Per during an outburst to investigate the approximately 5000 s quasiperiodic modulation. We find that the spectral behavior is reminiscent of dipping low-mass X-ray binaries and note that the time scale is characteristic of the radius where an accretion stream overflowing the disk would collide back onto the disk. We suggest that structure caused by such disk-overflow accretion was periodically obscuring the white dwarf, producing the modulation.

Hellier, Coel↗

NASA NTRS1993

The accretion stream in intermediate polar binaries

Observations of intermediate polars indicate that the accretion stream encounters an accretion disk soon after leaving the Lagrangian point, but that part of the stream can flow over the disk and couple to the magnetosphere directly. Hence, both disk-fed and diskless accretion occurs.

Hellier, Coel↗

NASA NTRS1992

On Martell and Kaitchuck's model for the intermediate polar FO Aquarii

Attention is given to the proposals of Martell and Kaitchuck (1991) that FO Aqr is a low-inclination system, rather than an eclipsing system, as recently claimed, and that the dominant periodicity (21 min) is the beat period rather than the white dwarf spin period, as is commonly supposed. It is shown that both proposals make it harder to understand the observations of this star, while there is no substantive evidence in their favor. It is concluded that FO Aqr is most likely a high-inclination system in which the secondary eclipses part of the accretion flow.

Mukai, Koji↗

NASA NTRS1990

The ephemeris of X 1822 - 371

From the analysis of eclipses observed with the HEAO-1, Einstein, Exosat and Ginga satellites, it is shown that the orbital period of X1822 - 371 is increasing on a time-scale of 2.9 million yr. The period change, one of only three determined amongst the LMXBs, is in the opposite sense to the expected evolutionary trend, but in the same sense as the period change of Cyg X-3. The observation of an eclipse simultaneously in the X-ray and optical bands shows that the optical eclipse is asymmetric and has a minimum 3 min later than that of the X-ray eclipse, reflecting a pronounced asymmetry in the optically emitting disk structure.

Hellier, Coel↗