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If the dust content of nearby solar system is comparable to, or larger than, that of our own zodiacal disk, the thermal emission from exozodiacal disks will significantly outshine planetary companions to nearby stars.
Debris disks are rings of micron-size dust orbiting in the outer regions of planetary systems. Asteroid and comet collisions are the probable sources of the dust. Radiation pressure and Poynting-Robertson drag. Planets shepherd and sculpt the dust into a ring. The dust ring is bright enough to be imaged, brighter than the planets themselves. So debris disk images are our connection to as-yet unseen planets, comets, and asteroids.
Many stars are surrounded by disks of dusty debris formed in the collisions of asteroids, comets and dwarf planets. But is gas also released in such events? Observations at sub-mm wavelengths of the archetypal debris disk around β Pictoris show that 0.3% of a Moon mass of carbon monoxide orbits in its debris belt. The gas distribution is highly asymmetric, with 30% found in a single clump 85 AU from the star, in a plane closely aligned with the orbit of the inner planet, beta Pic b. This gas clump delineates a region of enhanced collisions, either from a mean motion resonance with an unseen giant planet, or from the remnants of a collision of Mars-mass planets.
We explore the poloidal structure of two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) winds in relation to their potential association with the X-ray warm absorbers (WAs) and the highly ionized ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), in a single unifying approach. We present the density n(r, theta), ionization parameter xi(r, theta), and velocity structure v(r, theta) of such ionized winds for typical values of their fluid-to-magnetic flux ratio, F, and specific angular momentum, H, for which wind solutions become super-Alfvenic. We explore the geometrical shape of winds for different values of these parameters and delineate the values that produce the widest and narrowest opening angles of these winds, quantities necessary in the determination of the statistics of AGN obscuration. We find that winds with smaller H show a poloidal geometry of narrower opening angles with their Alfv´en surface at lower inclination angles and therefore they produce the highest line of sight (LoS) velocities for observers at higher latitudes with the respect to the disk plane. We further note a physical and spatial correlation between the X-ray WAs and UFOs that form along the same LoS to the observer but at different radii, r, and distinct values of n, xi, and v consistent with the latest spectroscopic data of radio-quiet Seyfert galaxies. We also show that, at least in the case of 3C 111, the winds' pressure is sufficient to contain the relativistic plasma responsible for its radio emission. Stratified MHD disk winds could therefore serve as a unique means to understand and unify the diverse AGN outflows.
We present an analysis of a short NuSTAR observation of the stellar-mass black hole and low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1630−472. Reflection from the inner accretion disk is clearly detected for the first time in this source, owing to the sensitivity of NuSTAR. With fits to the reflection spectrum, we find evidence for a rapidly spinning black hole, a∗ = 0.985(+0.005/−0.014) (1 sigma statistical errors). However, archival data show that the source has relatively low radio luminosity. Recently claimed relationships between jet power and black hole spin would predict either a lower spin or a higher peak radio luminosity. We also report the clear detection of an absorption feature at 7.03 +/- 0.03 keV, likely signaling a disk wind. If this line arises in dense, moderately ionized gas (log xi = 3.6(+0.2/−0.3) and is dominated by He-like Fe xxv, the wind has a velocity of v/c = 0.043(+0.002/−0.007) (12900(+600/−2100) km s(exp −1)). If the line is instead associated with a more highly ionized gas (log xi = 6.1(+0.7/−0.6)), and is dominated by Fe xxvi, evidence of a blueshift is only marginal, after taking systematic errors into account. Our analysis suggests the ionized wind may be launched within 200-1100 Rg, and may be magnetically driven.
We analyze the latest Suzaku observation of the bright neutron star (NS) low-mass X-ray binary Serpens X-1 taken in 2013 October and 2014 April. The observation was taken using the burst mode and only suffered mild pile-up effects. A broad iron line is clearly detected in the X-ray spectrum. We test different models and find that the iron line is asymmetric and best interpreted by relativistic reflection. The relativistically broadened iron line is generally believed to originate from the innermost regions of the accretion disk, where strong gravity causes a series of special and general relativistic effects. The iron line profile indicates an inner radius of approx. 8 R(sub G), which gives an upper limit on the size of the NS. The asymmetric iron line has been observed in a number of previous observations, which gives several inner radius measurements at different flux states. We find that the inner radius of Serpens X-1 does not evolve significantly over the range of L/L(sub Edd) approx. 0.4-0.6, and the lack of flux dependence of the inner radius implies that the accretion disk may be truncated outside of the innermost stable circular orbit by the boundary layer, rather than the stellar magnetic field.
We review the evidence pertaining to the lifetimes of planet-forming disks and discuss possible disk dispersal mechanisms: 1) viscous accretion of material onto the central source, 2) close stellar encounters, 3) stellar winds, and 4) photoevaporation by ultraviolet radiation.
We use a sample of ~340 low surface brightness (LSB) disk galaxies with measured redshifts in combination with the Center for Astrophysics redshift survey to test the hypothesis that LSB galaxies have a deficit of nearby companion galaxies compared to high surface brightness (HSB) disk galaxies.
A variety of evidence suggests that at least 50% of low-mass stars are surrounded by disks of the gas and dust similar to the nebula that surrounded the Sun, before the formation of the planets. The properties of these disks may bear strongly on the way in which planetary systems form and evolve.
Method of arraying yagi disk or disk-on-rod surface wave antennas in large numbers
Graphite sensing disk for slug-type radiation calorimeters exhibits better performance at high temperatures than copper and nickel disks. The graphite is heat-soaked to stabilize its emittance and the thermocouple is protected from the graphite so repeated temperature cycling does not change its sensitivity.
Turbopump disk life increased by thin, relatively rigid metal backing ring installed to the honeycomb seal. The aerodynamic and friction damping provided by this modification eliminates first-stage disk cracking.
Set of subroutines provides the FORTRAN user with protected, permanent, disk storage of data on an IBM 1620 Monitor 11-D system. The program consists of a set of four subroutines and a utility program. It allows block data to be transferred directly between assigned core locations and disk storage.
Process for sintering compressed ceramic powders produces large ceramic disks for use as electrolytes in high-temperature electrolytic cells. Thin, strain-free uniformly dense disks as large as 30 cm squared have been fabricated by slicing ceramic slugs produced by this technique.
An improved potential solver for calculating the gravitational potential of isolated disk galaxies is presented. The potential solver is used to investigate the evolution of initially stationary axisymmetric disks of stars for various values of the initial velocity dispersion.
Results obtained from a recent investigation of the flowfield induced by a heavily loaded actuator disk. First, the governing nonlinear integral equations are formulated from two different points of view, and the iterative solution is briefly outlined. Calculated flow patterns are presented for representative advance ratios and blade circulation distributions. For the static condition, the experimentally observed lingering of the tip vortices in the propeller plane, and the insensitivity of the streamline pattern to thrust coefficient are both accounted for, and a 'dividing streamline' - apparently not previously discussed in the literature, is predicted for the nonstatic case. Finally, the relationship between the actuator disk flow and the zero harmonic of the flowfield induced by a finite-bladed propeller is considered.
A flight test was conducted with a 55-foot diameter disk-gap-band parachute located at a trailing distance of 4.4 forebody diameters behind a 15-foot diameter bluff-body planetary entry aeroshell and attached instrumented payload. At the time of parachute deployment the aeroshell-payload combination was oscillating through an angle-of-attack range of plus or minus 40 deg. Continued oscillatory motion of the aeroshell-payload combination and similar motion of the parachute caused rapid changes in parachute shape and loading which resulted in extensive cloth damage in the band and outer disk-edge areas of the parachute canopy. During steady-state descent the damage parachute provided an effective-drag coefficient of about 0.33 which was about 60 percent of that expected.
Ten disk-shaped models of a proposed nuclear heat source module were released from an aircraft and observed by radar. The initial launch attitude, spin rate, and mass of the models were varied. Significant differences were observed in the mode of flight and terminal velocity among models of different mass and launch attitudes. The data were analyzed to yield lift and drag coefficients as a function of Reynolds number. The total sea-level velocity of the models was found to be well correlated as a function of mass per unit frontal area. The demonstrated terminal velocity of the modular disk heat source, about 27 m/sec for this specific design, is only 33% of that of existing heat source designs.