arXiv subjects

Thomas Rauch

Publications and source records attributed to Thomas Rauch.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2007

GAVO Tools for the Analysis of Stars and Nebulae

Within the framework of the German Astrophysical Virtual Observatory (GAVO), we provide synthetic spectra, simulation software for the calculation of NLTE model atmospheres, as well as necessary atomic data. This will enable a VO user to directly compare observation and model-atmosphere spectra on three levels: The easiest and fastest way is the use of our pre-calculated flux-table grid in which one may inter- and extrapolate. For a more precise analysis of an abservation, the VO user may improve the fit to the observation by the calculation of individual model atmospheres with fine-tuned photospheric parameters via the WWW interface TMAW. The more experienced VO user may create own atomic-data files for a more detailed analysis and calculate model atmosphere and flux tables with these.

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arXiv2007

HST Spectroscopy of the Hottest White Dwarfs

Spectral analysis needs the observation of lines of successive ionization stages in order to evaluate the ionization equilibrium (of a particular species) which is a sensitive indicator for the effective temperature. Since stars with effective temperatures as high as 100000 K have their flux maximum in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelength range and due to the high degree of ionization, most of the metal lines are found in the ultraviolet (UV) range. Thus, high-S/N and high-resolution UV spectra are a pre-requisite for a precise analysis. Consequently, we employed the Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS), the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS), and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in order to obtain suitable data. We present state-of-the-art analyses of the hottest (pre-) white dwarfs by means of NLTE model atmospheres which include the metal-line blanketing of all elements from hydrogen to nickel.

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arXiv2007

Evidence for deuterium astration in the planetary nebula Sh2-216?

We present FUSE observations of the line of sight to WD0439+466 (LS V +46 21), the central star of the old planetary nebula Sh2-216. The FUSE data shows absorption by many interstellar and stellar lines, in particular D I, H2 (J = 0 - 9), HD (J = 0 - 1), and CO. Many other stellar and ISM lines are detected in the STIS E140M HST spectra of this sightline, which we use to determine N(HI). We derive, for the neutral gas, D/H=(0.76 +0.12 -0.11)E-5, O/H = (0.89 +0.15 -0.11)E-4 and N/H = (3.24 +0.61-0.55)E-5. We argue that most of the gas along this sightline is associated with the planetary nebula. The low D/H ratio is likely the result of this gas being processed through the star (astrated) but not mixed with the ISM. This would be the first time that the D/H ratio has been measured in predominantly astrated gas. The O/H and N/H ratios derived here are lower than typical values measured in other planetary nebulae likely due to unaccounted for ionization corrections.

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arXiv2006

High-gravity central stars

NLTE spectral analyses of high-gravity central stars by means of state-of-the-art model atmosphere techniques provide information about the precursor AGB stars. The hydrogen-deficient post-AGB stars allow investigations on the intershell matter which is apparently exhibited at the stellar surface. We summarize recent results from imaging, spectroscopy, and spectropolarimetry.

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arXiv2005

On the Velocity Field and the 3D Structure of the Galactic Soccer Ball Abell 43

Planetary nebulae (PNe) and their central stars (CSs) are ideal tools to test evolutionary theory: photospheric properties of their exciting stars give stringent constraints for theoretical predictions of stellar evolution. The nebular abundances display the star's photosphere at the time of the nebula's ejection which allows to look back into the history of stellar evolution - but, more importantly, they even provide a possibility to investigate on the chemical evolution of our Galaxy because most of the nuclear processed material goes back into the interstellar medium via PNe. The recent developments in observation techniques and a new three-dimensional photoionization code MOCASSIN enable us to analyze PNe properties precisely by the construction of consistent models of PNe and CSs. In addition to PNe imaging and spectroscopy, detailed information about the velocity field within the PNe is a pre-requisite to employ de-projection techniques in modeling the physical structureof the PNe.

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arXiv2005

Security for Distributed Web-Applications via Aspect-Oriented Programming

Identity Management is becoming more and more important in business systems as they are opened for third parties including trading partners, consumers and suppliers. This paper presents an approach securing a system without any knowledge of the system source code. The security module adds to the existing system authentication and authorisation based on aspect oriented programming and the liberty alliance framework, an upcoming industrie standard providing single sign on. In an initial training phase the module is adapted to the application which is to be secured. Moreover the use of hardware tokens and proactive computing is demonstrated. The high modularisation is achived through use of AspectJ, a programming language extension of Java.

cs.CR↗

arXiv2005

Analysis of a XMM-Newton Spectrum of the Extremely Hot White Dwarf in Nova V4743 Sgr

Classical novae occur in close binary systems (main-sequence star + white dwarf). V4743 Sgr is a very fast nova exhibiting a X-ray spectrum which is consistent with a view on the optically thick atmosphere of an extremely hot white dwarf (WD). It exhibits strong absorption features of the C V, C VI, N VI, N VII, and O VII resonance lines indicating an effective temperature of about 610 kK. We present preliminary results of a spectral analysis by means of line-blanketed non-LTE atmosphere models of a XMM-Newton RGS-1 spectrum of V4743 Sgr, taken about half a year after its outburst.

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arXiv2004

AA Dor - An Eclipsing Post Common-Envelope Binary

AA Dor (LB 3459) is an eclipsing, close, single-lined, post common-envelope binary (PCEB) consisting of an sdOB primary star and an unseen secondary with an extraordinary small mass - formally a brown dwarf. The brown dwarf may have been a former planet which survived a common envelope phase and has even gained mass. A recent determination of the components' masses from results of state-of-the-art NLTE spectral analysis and subsequent comparison to evolutionary tracks shows a discrepancy between masses derived from radial-velocity and the eclipse curves. Phase-resolved high-resolution and high-SN spectroscopy was carried out with FUSE in order to investigate on this problem. We present preliminary results of an ongoing NLTE spectral analysis of FUSE spectra of the primary.

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arXiv2004

On the Evolutionary Status of Extremely Hot Helium Stars - are O(He) Stars Successors of RCrB Stars?

95% of all stars end their lives as white dwarfs. About 20% of the hot post-AGB stars are hydrogen deficient. Most of these are the result of a late helium-shell flash, but the evolutionary status of a fraction of about 10-20% of the hottest hydrogen-deficient stars, namely four O(He) stars, is as yet unexplained. They could be the long-searched hot successors of RCrB stars, which have not been identified up to now. If this turns out to be true, then a third post-AGB evolutionary sequence is revealed, which is probably the result of a double degenerate merging process. More generally, understanding details of merging double degenerate stars is of interest in the context of SN Ia events and hence cosmology.

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arXiv2004

Spectral Analysis of Central Stars of PNe Interacting with the Interstellar Medium

Planetary Nebulae (PNe) are the result of heavy mass loss of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. They are understood in terms of Kwok's (1978) interacting-winds model as the product of the mass-loss history on the AGB and the central star (CS) evolution. Since the CS are close to the end of nuclear burning and at their hottest stage of evolution then, precise modeling of these pre-white dwarfs is a prerequisite in order to calculate reliable ionizing fluxes which are crucial input for the presently available 3D photoionization codes. In the framework of a systematic study of PNe which show evidence for an interaction with the ISM, we present a NLTE analysis of their CS.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Spectral Analysis of Super Soft X-ray Sources: V4743 Sagittarii

Half a year after its outburst, the nova V4743 Sgr evolved into the brightest super-soft X-ray source in the sky with a flux maximum around 30A, exhibiting resonance lines of C V, C VI, N VI, N VII, and O VII. We present preliminary results of an analysis of the XMM-Newton RGS spectra by means of NLTE model-atmosphere techniques.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Handling of Atomic Data

State-of-the-art NLTE model-atmosphere codes have arrived at a high level of numerical sophistication and are now useful tools to analyze high-quality spectra from the infrared to the X-ray wavelength range. The capacity of current computers permit calculations which include line spectra from all elements from hydrogen up to the iron group. The lack of reliable atomic data has become a critical problem for further progress. We summarize available sources of atomic data, and discuss how these are implemented in the Tuebingen Model-Atmosphere Package TMAP. We describe our Iron Opacity Interface IrOnIc which is used to calculate opacities of iron-group elements from Kurucz's and the Opacity Project's data. We propose general use of the Tuebingen Model-Atom Database TMAD, which would allow an easy exchange of ready-to-use model atoms between all model-atmosphere groups. The comparison of model-atmosphere calculations would then be much easier, and would save a great deal of manpower that is presently consumed preparing suitable model atoms for spectral analyses.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

On the discovery of an enormous ionized halo around the hot DO white dwarf PG1034+001

Very recently, the discovery of the largest known planetary nebula on the sky surrounding the DO white dwarf PG1034+001 with an apparent diameter of about 2 degrees, corresponding to a linear diameter of 3.5 - 7.0 pc at the likely distance of 100 - 200 pc, has been reported by Hewett et al. (2003). A careful inspection of available sky survey data has now shown that this planetary nebula, Hewett 1, is surrounded by an elliptical emission shell with an apparent diameter of 6 times 9 degrees (16.2 +6.1/-4.5 times 24.3 +9.1/-6.8 pc at d = 155 +58/-43 pc. A further emission structure, detected northeast of the central star may indicate another shell with a size of 10 times 16 degr. From presently available observational data we do not have indications whether the emission arises from material which was ejected from PG1034+001 or from ionized ambient ISM. Improved proper motion data combined with radial velocity and distance from the literature have enabled us to derive a Galactic orbit for the central star PG1034+001. Its thin disk orbit and the morphology of the first halo suggest that the nebula is in an advanced stage of interaction with the interstellar medium.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

AA Dor - An Eclipsing sdOB - Brown Dwarf Binary

AA Dor is an eclipsing, close, post common-envelope binary consisting of a sdOB primary star and an unseen secondary with an extraordinary small mass - formally a brown dwarf. The brown dwarf may have been a former planet which survived a common envelope phase and has even gained mass. A recent determination of the components' masses from results of NLTE spectral analysis and subsequent comparison to evolutionary tracks shows a discrepancy to masses derived from radial-velocity and the eclipse curves. Phase-resolved high-resolution and high-SN spectroscopy was carried out in order to investigate on this problem. We present results of a NLTE spectral analysis of the primary, an analysis of its orbital parameters, and discuss possible evolutionary scenarios.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Influence of the Interstellar Medium on the Shaping of Planetary Nebulae

The interaction of the ISM with the evolution of PNe is studied for cases where there is a large relative velocity between ISM and central star, for example for high-proper motion PNe. In such cases the ISM wind already interacts strongly with the AGB wind, and extensive PN asymmetries result.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

A grid of synthetic ionizing spectra for very hot compact stars from NLTE model atmospheres

The precise analysis of properties of planetary nebulae is strongly dependent on good models for the stellar ionizing spectrum. Observations in the UV - X-ray wavelength range as well as NLTE model atmosphere calculations of spectra of their exciting stars have shown that neither blackbody fluxes nor "standard" NLTE atmosphere models which are composed out of hydrogen and helium only are good approximations. Strong differences between synthetic spectra from these compared to observed spectra at energies higher than 54 eV (He II ground state) can be ascribed to the neglect of metal-line blanketing. Realistic modeling of the emergent fluxes of hot stars in the UV - X-ray wavelength range requires metal-line blanketed NLTE model atmospheres which include all elements from hydrogen up to the iron-group. For this purpose, we present a grid (solar and halo abundance ratios) of metal-line blanketed NLTE model atmosphere fluxes which covers the parameter range of central stars of planetary nebulae.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

PN - ISM interaction: The observational evidence

We present results of an ongoing survey of low surface brightness planetary nebulae (PNe). Using both narrow-band imaging and long slit spectroscopy we have studied 15 new examples for interaction with the interstellar medium (ISM) demonstrating that this process is common in evolved PNe. Characteristic properties of the nebulae in terms of morphology and plasma parameters have been established and different degrees of interaction can be identified. Although the study of the objects is at an early stage the observational findings are in agreement with theory. The data indicate that the objects have a very high degree of individuality due to the action of complex physics under varying conditions.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Survey of Large Planetary Nebulae in Decay

The Planetary Nebulae (PNe) return nuclear processed stellar material back to the interstellar medium (ISM) and thus have an important influence on the chemical evolution of our Galaxy. We present results of a survey of PNe in decay which have reached a density comparable to the ambient ISM which leads to an interaction with it. This gives us the opportunity to investigate properties of the ISM. We have identified about 20 new examples for this interaction, demonstrating that it is a more common phenomenon than previously expected: Different stages of interaction, ranging from the early (asymmetric brightness distribution) to the very advanced (parabolic or distorted shape and/or an off-center central star) are obvious.

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