arXiv subjects

E. Petrescu

Publications and source records attributed to E. Petrescu.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

A high geometric albedo and small size of the Haumea cluster member (24835) 1995 SM55 from a stellar occultation and photometric observations

Trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) are among the most ancient bodies of the solar system. Understanding their physical properties is key to constraining their origin and the evolution of the outer regions beyond Neptune. Stellar occultations provide highly accurate size and shape information. (24835) 1995 SM55 is one of the few members of the Haumea cluster and thus of particular interest. We aimed to determine its projected size, absolute magnitude, and geometric albedo, and to compare these with Haumea. A stellar occultation on 25 February 2024 was observed from five sites, with seven positive detections and 33 negative chords. An elliptical fit to the occultation chords yields semi-axes of $(104.3 \pm 0.4) \times (83.5 \pm 0.5)$ km, giving an area-equivalent diameter of $186.7 \pm 1.8$ km, smaller than the 250 km upper limit from Herschel thermal data. Photometry provides an absolute magnitude $H_V = 4.55 \pm 0.03$, a phase slope of $0.04 \pm 0.02$ mag/deg, and a $V-R = 0.37 \pm 0.05$. The rotational variability has an amplitude $Δm = 0.05$ mag, but the period remains uncertain. Combining occultation and photometry, we derive a geometric albedo $p_V = 0.80 \pm 0.04$, one of the highest values measured for a TNO. This value is slightly higher than that of Haumea, consistent with the interpretation that 1995 SM55 belongs to the Haumea cluster.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2022

Physical properties of the trans-Neptunian object (38628) Huya from a multi-chord stellar occultation

Within our international program to obtain accurate physical properties of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) we predicted a stellar occultation by the TNO (38628) Huya of the star Gaia DR2 4352760586390566400 (mG = 11.5 mag.) for March 18, 2019. After an extensive observational campaign, we updated the prediction and it turned out to be favorable to central Europe. Therefore, we mobilized half a hundred professional and amateur astronomers, and the occultation was finally detected from 21 telescopes located at 18 sites. This makes the Huya event one of the best ever observed stellar occultation by a TNO in terms of the number of chords. We determine accurate size, shape, and geometric albedo, and we also provide constraints on the density and other internal properties of this TNO. The 21 positive detections of the occultation by Huya allowed us to obtain well-separated chords which permitted us to fit an ellipse for the limb of the body at the moment of the occultation (i.e., the instantaneous limb) with kilometric accuracy. The projected semi-major and minor axes of the best ellipse fit obtained using the occultation data are (a', b') = (217.6 $\pm$ 3.5 km, 194.1 $\pm$ 6.1 km) with a position angle of the minor axis P' = 55.2 $\pm$ 9.1 degrees. From this fit, the projected area-equivalent diameter is 411.0 $\pm$ 7.3 km. This diameter is compatible with the equivalent diameter for Huya obtained from radiometric techniques (D = 406 $\pm$ 16 km). From this instantaneous limb, we obtained the geometric albedo for Huya (p$\rm_V$ = 0.079 $\pm$ 0.004) and we explored possible 3D shapes and constraints to the mass density for this TNO. We did not detect the satellite of Huya through this occultation, but the presence of rings or debris around Huya is constrained using the occultation data. We also derived an upper limit for a putative Pluto-like global atmosphere of about p$_{\rm surf}$ = 10 nbar.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2004

Conductivity and Viscosity Measurements for Binary Lysozyme Chloride Aqueous Solution and Ternary Lysozyme-Salt-Water Solution

We use the conductimetric method, adequate to electrolytes, to determine the lysozyme charge in lys-water and ternary lys-salt-water systems. We measured also the viscosities for the above binary and ternary systems in the same conditions at pH$=4.5$ and T$=298$ K, measurements that allow us to see any effect of viscosity on cations mobilities and implicitly on the lysozyme charge. The method is illustrated for the lysozyme chloride aqueous solution system at 25$^o$ C, using the data reported here for pH$=4.5$ at 0.15, 0.6, 0.8, 1., 1.5, 2., 2.5, 3., 3.5 mM (mg/mL) lysozyme chloride concentrations. The method was also applied to ternary lys-salt-water systems in the same conditions at pH$=4.5$ and T$=25^o$ C. Ternary conductivities are reported for a mean concentration 0.6 mM of lysozyme chloride in all systems and a mean concentration 0.01, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.175, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4 M for NaCl; 0.005, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.175, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 M for KCl; 0.005, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.175, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7 M for NH$_4$Cl.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2004

Measurements of Multicomponent Diffusion Coefficients for Lysozyme Chloride in Water and Aqueous Na$_2$SO$_4$

This paper presents a diffusion experimental study for ternary lysozyme-Na$_2$SO$_4$-water system, from moderate precipitant concentrations into the supersaturated region and provides a complete set of four diffusion coefficients. These data are important in order to provide accurate models of protein diffusion with applications in growth of protein crystals for X-ray diffraction studies. All three-component mutual-diffusion experiments reported here were performed by Rayleigh interferometry at pH$=4.5$, T$=25^o$ C and at a mean lysozyme concentration (average of top and bottom solution concentrations) of 0.6 mM (8.6 mg/mL). Four experiments, with different combinations of protein and Na$_2$SO$_4$ concentration differences, were performed at each of five mean Na$_2$SO$_4$ concentrations (0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.65 and 0.8 M), for a total of 20 experiments. In addition, we have measured dynamic light-scattering diffusion coefficients of the ternary system lysozyme chloride-Na$_2$SO$_4$-water.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2004

Extraction of Thermodynamic Data from Ternary Diffusion Coefficients of Lysozyme Chloride in Water and Aqueous Na$_2$SO$_4$

This paper presents, for ternary lysozyme-Na$_2$SO$_4$-water system, the thermodynamic data extracted from the measured values of four ternary diffusion coefficients and the Onsager reciprocal relations. The calculation for derivatives of solute chemical potentials with respect to solute molar concentrations was made using the method presented in \cite{1}. This method is applicable to systems in which the molar concentration of one solute is very small compared to that of the other, like in our case. The approach is illustrated for the lysozyme chloride-Na$_2$SO$_4$-water system at 25$^o$ C, pH 4.5 and at 0.6 mM (8.6 mg/mL) lysozyme chloride and 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.65, and 0.8 M Na$_2$SO$_4$ concentrations. The calculated solute chemical potential derivatives were used to compute the protein cation charge approximately. We also compute the diffusion Onsager coefficients $(L_{ij})_o$ for each composition at pH 4.5.

physics.chem-ph↗