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An important ingredient for applications of nuclear physics to e.g. astrophysics or nuclear energy are the cross sections for reactions of neutrons with rare isotopes. Since direct measurements are often not possible, indirect methods like $(d,p)$ reactions must be used instead. Those $(d,p)$ reactions may be viewed as effective three-body reactions and described with Faddeev techniques. An additional challenge posed by $(d,p)$ reactions involving heavier nuclei is the treatment of the Coulomb force. To avoid numerical complications in dealing with the screening of the Coulomb force, recently a new approach using the Coulomb distorted basis in momentum space was suggested. In order to implement this suggestion, one needs to derive a separable representation of neutron- and proton-nucleus optical potentials and compute their matrix elements in this basis., Comment: submitted to proceedings of the 21st International School on Nuclear Physics, Neutron Physics and Applications and International Symposium on Exotic Nuclei (ISEN-2015), September 9-11, 2015, Varna, Bulgaria. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1410.1227

Treating $(d,p)$ reactions in a Faddeev-AGS framework requires the interactions in the sub-systems as input. We derived separable representations for the neutron- and proton-nucleus interactions from phenomenological global optical potentials. In order to take into account excitations of the nucleus, excitations need to be included explicity, leading to a coupled-channel separable representation of the optical potential., Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, 21st International Conference on Few-body Problems in Physics, May 18-22, 2015, Chicago, IL

The field of the globular cluster M12 (NGC 6218) was monitored between 1995 and 2009 in a search for variable stars. $BV$ light curves were obtained for 36 periodic or likely periodic variables. Thirty-four of these are new detections. Among the latter we identified 20 proper-motion members of the cluster: six detached or semi-detached eclipsing binaries, five contact binaries, five SX~Phe pulsators, and three yellow stragglers. Two of the eclipsing binaries are located in the turnoff region, one on the lower main sequence and the remaining three among the blue stragglers. Two contact systems are blue stragglers, and the remaining three reside in the turnoff region. In the blue straggler region a total of 103 objects were found, of which 42 are proper motion members of M12, and another four are field stars. Forty-five of the remaining objects are located within two core radii from the center of the cluster, and as such they are likely genuine blue stragglers. We also report the discoveries of a radial color gradient of M12, and the shortest period among contact systems in globular clusters in general, Comment: Accepted by Acta Astronomica. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1412.8292

Recently, the first example of two-neutron decay from the ground state of an unbound nucleus, $^{16}$Be, was seen. Three-body methods are ideal for exactly treating the degrees of freedom important for these decays. Using a basis expansion over hyperspherical harmonics and the hyperspherical R-matrix method, we construct a realistic model of $^{16}$Be in order to investigate its decay mode and the role of the two-neutron interaction. The neutron-$^{14}$Be interaction is constrained using shell model predictions. We obtain a ground state for $^{16}$Be that is over-bound by approximately 1 MeV with a width of approximately 0.23 MeV. This suggests, that for such systems, the three-body force needs to be repulsive., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, contribution to the proceedings for the 21st International Conference on Few Body Problems in Physics, Chicago, Illinois, USA

The repulsive Coulomb force poses severe challenges when describing $(d, p)$ reactions for highly charged nuclei as a three-body problem. Casting Faddeev-AGS equations in a Coulomb basis avoids introducing screening of the Coulomb force. However, momentum space partial-wave $t$-matrix elements need to be evaluated in this basis. When those $t$-matrices are separable, the evaluation requires the folding of a form factor, depending on one momentum variable, with a momentum space partial-wave Coulomb function, which has a singular behavior at the external momentum $q$. We developed an improved regularization scheme to calculate Coulomb distorted form factors as the integral over the Coulomb function and complex nuclear form factors., Comment: Submitted proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Few-Body Problems in Physics. 4 pages, 1 figure

We use photometric and spectroscopic observations of the detached eclipsing binaries V40 and V41 in the globular cluster NGC 6362 to derive masses, radii, and luminosities of the component stars. The orbital periods of these systems are 5.30 and 17.89 d, respectively. The measured masses of the primary and secondary components ($M_p$, $M_s$) are (0.8337$\pm$0.0063, 0.7947$\pm$0.0048) M$_\odot$ for V40 and (0.8215$\pm$0.0058, 0.7280$\pm$0.0047) M$_\odot$ for V41. The measured radii ($R_p$, $R_s$) are (1.3253$\pm$0.0075, 0.997$\pm$0.013) R$_\odot$ for V40 and (1.0739$\pm$0.0048, 0.7307$\pm$0.0046) R$_\odot$ for V41. Based on the derived luminosities, we find that the distance modulus of the cluster is 14.74$\pm$0.04 mag -- in good agreement with 14.72 mag obtained from CMD fitting. We compare the absolute parameters of component stars with theoretical isochrones in mass-radius and mass-luminosity diagrams. For assumed abundances [Fe/H] = -1.07, [$\alpha$/Fe] = 0.4, and Y = 0.25 we find the most probable age of V40 to be 11.7$\pm$0.2 Gyr, compatible with the age of the cluster derived from CMD fitting (12.5$\pm$0.5 Gyr). V41 seems to be markedly younger than V40. If independently confirmed, this result will suggest that V41 belongs to the younger of the two stellar populations recently discovered in NGC 6362. The orbits of both systems are eccentric. Given the orbital period and age of V40, its orbit should have been tidally circularized some $\sim$7 Gyr ago. The observed eccentricity is most likely the result of a relatively recent close stellar encounter., Comment: Accepted by AJ

We report the discovery of ASASSN-15lh (SN 2015L), which we interpret as the most luminous supernova yet found. At redshift z = 0.2326, ASASSN-15lh reached an absolute magnitude of M_{u,AB} = -23.5+/-0.1 and bolometric luminosity L_bol = (2.2+/-0.2)x 10^45 ergs s^-1, which is more than twice as luminous as any previously known supernova. It has several major features characteristic of the hydrogen-poor super-luminous supernovae (SLSNe-I), whose energy sources and progenitors are currently poorly understood. In contrast to most previously known SLSNe-I that reside in star-forming dwarf galaxies, ASASSN-15lh appears to be hosted by a luminous galaxy (M_K ~ -25.5) with little star formation. In the 4 months since first detection, ASASSN-15lh radiated (1.1+/- 0.2)x10^52 ergs, challenging the magnetar model for its engine., Comment: Published in the January 15, 2016 Issue of Science Magazine

In this paper, we present a detailed high-resolution spectroscopic study of post main sequence stars in the Globular Cluster M68. Our sample, which covers a range of 4000 K in $T_{eff}$, and 3.5 dex in $log(g)$, is comprised of members from the red giant, red horizontal, and blue horizontal branch, making this the first high-resolution globular cluster study covering such a large evolutionary and parameter space. Initially, atmospheric parameters were determined using photometric as well as spectroscopic methods, both of which resulted in unphysical and unexpected $T_{eff}$, $log(g)$, $\xi_{t}$, and [Fe/H] combinations. We therefore developed a hybrid approach that addresses most of these problems, and yields atmospheric parameters that agree well with other measurements in the literature. Furthermore, our derived stellar metallicities are consistent across all evolutionary stages, with $\langle$[Fe/H]$\rangle$ = $-$2.42 ($\sigma$ = 0.14) from 25 stars. Chemical abundances obtained using our methodology also agree with previous studies and bear all the hallmarks of globular clusters, such as a Na-O anti-correlation, constant Ca abundances, and mild $r$-process enrichment., Comment: Accepted to the Astronomical Journal

We report the discovery and characterisation of a new M-dwarf binary, with component masses and radii of M1 = 0.244 -0.003/+0.003 Msun, R1 = 0.261 -0.009/+0.006 Rsun, M2 = 0.179 -0.001/+0.002 Msun, R2 = 0.218 -0.011/+0.007 Rsun, and orbital period of ~4.1 days. The M-dwarf binary HATS551-027 (LP 837-20) was identified as an eclipsing binary by the HATSouth survey, and characterised by a series of high precision photometric observations of the eclipse events, and spectroscopic determinations of the atmospheric parameters and radial velocity orbits. HATS551-027 is one of few systems with both stellar components lying in the fully-convective regime of very low mass stars, and can serve as a test for stellar interior models. The radius of HATS551-027A is consistent with models to 1 sigma, whilst HATS551-027B is inflated by 9% at 2 sigma significance. We measure the effective temperatures for the two stellar components to be Teff,1 = 3190 +/- 100 K and Teff,2 = 2990+/-110 K, both are slightly cooler than theoretical models predict, but consistent with other M-dwarfs of similar masses that have previously been studied. We also measure significant Halpha emission from both components of the binary system, and discuss this in the context of the correlation between stellar activity and the discrepancies between the observed and model temperatures., Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We have analyzed the double-lined eclipsing binary system ASAS J180057-2333.8 from the All Sky Automated Survey (ASAS) catalogue . We measure absolute physical and orbital parameters for this system based on archival $V$-band and $I$-band ASAS photometry, as well as on high-resolution spectroscopic data obtained with ESO 3.6m/HARPS and CORALIE spectrographs. The physical and orbital parameters of the system were derived with an accuracy of about 0.5 - 3%. The system is a very rare configuration of two bright well-detached giants of spectral types K1 and K4 and luminosity class II. The radii of the stars are $R_1$ = 52.12 $\pm$ 1.38 and $R_2$ = 67.63 $\pm$ 1.40 R$_\odot$ and their masses are $M_1$ = 4.914 $\pm$ 0.021 and $M_2$ = 4.875$\pm$ 0.021 M$_\odot$ . The exquisite accuracy of 0.5% obtained for the masses of the components is one of the best mass determinations for giants. We derived a precise distance to the system of 2.14 $\pm$ 0.06 kpc (stat.) $\pm$ 0.05 (syst.) which places the star in the Sagittarius-Carina arm. The Galactic rotational velocity of the star is $\Theta_s=258 \pm 26$ km s$^{-1}$ assuming $\Theta_0=238$ km s$^{-1}$. A comparison with PARSEC isochrones places the system at the early phase of core helium burning with an age of slightly larger than 100 million years. The effect of overshooting on stellar evolutionary tracks was explored using the MESA star code., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures

We present here the first spectroscopic and photometric analysis of the double-lined eclipsing binary containing the classical, first-overtone Cepheid OGLE-LMC-CEP-2532 (MACHO 81.8997.87). The system has an orbital period of 800 days and the Cepheid is pulsating with a period of 2.035 days. Using spectroscopic data from three high-class telescopes and photometry from three surveys spanning 7500 days we are able to derive the dynamical masses for both stars with an accuracy better than 3%. This makes the Cepheid in this system one of a few classical Cepheids with an accurate dynamical mass determination (M_1=3.90 +/- 0.10 M_sun). The companion is probably slightly less massive (3.82 +/- 0.10 M_sun), but may have the same mass within errors (M_2/M_1= 0.981 +/- 0.015). The system has an age of about 185 million years and the Cepheid is in a more advanced evolutionary stage. For the first time precise parameters are derived for both stars in this system. Due to the lack of the secondary eclipse for many years not much was known about the Cepheid's companion. In our analysis we used extra information from the pulsations and the orbital solution from the radial velocity curve. The best model predicts a grazing secondary eclipse shallower than 1 mmag, hence undetectable in the data, about 370 days after the primary eclipse. The dynamical mass obtained here is the most accurate known for a first-overtone Cepheid and will contribute to the solution of the Cepheid mass discrepancy problem., Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

The field of the globular cluster NGC 6362 was monitored between 1995 and 2009 in a search for variable stars. BV light curves were obtained for 69 periodic variables including 34 known RR Lyr stars, 10 known objects of other types and 25 newly detected variables. Among the latter we identified 18 proper-motion members of the cluster: seven detached eclipsing binaries (DEBs), six SX Phe stars, two W UMa binaries, two spotted red giants, and a very interesting eclipsing binary composed of two red giants - the first example of such a system found in a globular cluster. Five of the DEBs are located at the turnoff region, and the remaining two are redward of the lower main sequence. Eighty-four objects from the central 9x9 arcmin^2 of the cluster were found in the region of cluster blue stragglers. Of these 70 are proper motion (PM) members of NGC 6362 (including all SX Phe and two W UMa stars), and five are field stars. The remaining nine objects lacking PM information are located at the very core of the cluster, and as such they are likely genuine blue stragglers., Comment: Accepted by Acta Astronomica

We present the first detailed analysis of the detached eclipsing binary V15 in the super-metal rich open cluster NGC 6253. We obtain the following absolute parameters: M_p=1.303+-0.006 Msun, R_p=1.71+-0.03 Rsun, L_p=2.98+-0.10 Lsun for the primary, and M_s=1.225+-0.006 Msun, R_s=1.44+-0.02 Rsun, L_s=2.13+-0.06 Lsun for the secondary. Based on Dartmouth isochrones, the age of NGC 6253 is estimated to be 3.80 - 4.25 Gyr from the mass-radius diagram and 3.9 - 4.6 Gyr from color-magnitude diagram (CMD) fitting. Both of these estimates are significantly higher than those reported so far. The derived apparent distance modulus of 11.65 mag agrees well with the range of 10.9 - 12.2 mag derived by other authors; however our estimated reddening (0.113 mag) is lower than the lowest published value (0.15 mag). We confirm earlier observations that model atmospheres are not accurate enough to account for the whole CMD of the cluster, with the largest discrepancies appearing on the subgiant and giant branches. Although age estimation from the mass-radius diagram is a relatively safe, distance- and reddening-independent procedure, our results should be verified by photometric and spectroscopic observations of additional detached eclipsing binaries which we have discovered, at least two of which are proper-motion members of NGC 6253., Comment: Accepted by Acta Astronomica

An important ingredient for applications of nuclear physics to e.g. astrophysics or nuclear energy are the cross sections for reactions of neutrons with rare isotopes. Since direct measurements are often not possible, indirect methods like (d,p) reactions must be used instead. Those (d,p) reactions may be viewed as effective three-body reactions and described with Faddeev techniques. An additional challenge posed by (d,p) reactions involving heavier nuclei is the treatment of the Coulomb force. To avoid numerical complications in dealing with the screening of the Coulomb force, recently a new approach using the Coulomb distorted basis in momentum space was suggested. In order to implement this suggestion, one needs not only to derive a separable representation of neutron- and proton-nucleus optical potentials, but also compute the Coulomb distorted form factors in this basis., Comment: Contribution to the Proceedings of the International Conference on Nuclear Theory in the Supercomputing Era (NTSE 2014). 8 figures, 18 pages

Recently, a new approach for solving the three-body problem for (d,p) reactions in the Coulomb-distorted basis in momentum space was proposed. Important input quantities for such calculations are the scattering matrix elements for proton- and neutron-nucleus scattering. We present a generalization of the Ernst-Shakin-Thaler scheme in which a momentum space separable representation of proton-nucleus scattering matrix elements can be calculated in the Coulomb basis. The viability of this method is demonstrated by comparing S-matrix elements obtained for p$+^{48}$Ca and p$+^{208}$Pb for a phenomenological optical potential with corresponding coordinate space calculations., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures

We report the discovery by the HATSouth survey of HATS-6b, an extrasolar planet transiting a V=15.2 mag, i=13.7 mag M1V star with a mass of 0.57 Msun and a radius of 0.57 Rsun. HATS-6b has a period of P = 3.3253 d, mass of Mp=0.32 Mjup, radius of Rp=1.00 Rjup, and zero-albedo equilibrium temperature of Teq=712.8+-5.1 K. HATS-6 is one of the lowest mass stars known to host a close-in gas giant planet, and its transits are among the deepest of any known transiting planet system. We discuss the follow-up opportunities afforded by this system, noting that despite the faintness of the host star, it is expected to have the highest K-band S/N transmission spectrum among known gas giant planets with Teq < 750 K. In order to characterize the star we present a new set of empirical relations between the density, radius, mass, bolometric magnitude, and V, J, H and K-band bolometric corrections for main sequence stars with M < 0.80 Msun, or spectral types later than K5. These relations are calibrated using eclipsing binary components as well as members of resolved binary systems. We account for intrinsic scatter in the relations in a self-consistent manner. We show that from the transit-based stellar density alone it is possible to measure the mass and radius of a ~0.6 Msun star to ~7% and ~2% precision, respectively. Incorporating additional information, such as the V-K color, or an absolute magnitude, allows the precision to be improved by up to a factor of two., Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures, 10 tables. Submitted to AJ. Data available at http://hatsouth.org Code implementing empirical model available at http://www.astro.princeton.edu/~jhartman/kmdwarfparam.html

The structure of the Borromean nucleus $^9$Be ($\alpha+\alpha+n$) is addressed within a three-body approach using the analytical transformed harmonic oscillator method. The three-body formalism provides an accurate description of the radiative capture reaction rate for the entire temperature range relevant in Astrophysics. At high temperatures, results match the calculations based on two-step sequential processes. At low temperatures, where the particles have no access to intermediate two-body resonances, the three-body direct capture leads to reaction rates larger than the sequential processes. These results support the reliability of the method for systems with several charged particles., Comment: Revised subsections III A,E and F. Accepted in Phys. Rev. C

We report the detection of GJ 832c, a super-Earth orbiting near the inner edge of the habitable zone of GJ 832, an M dwarf previously known to host a Jupiter analog in a nearly-circular 9.4-year orbit. The combination of precise radial-velocity measurements from three telescopes reveals the presence of a planet with a period of 35.68+/-0.03 days and minimum mass (m sin i) of 5.4+/-1.0 Earth masses. GJ 832c moves on a low-eccentricity orbit (e=0.18+/-0.13) towards the inner edge of the habitable zone. However, given the large mass of the planet, it seems likely that it would possess a massive atmosphere, which may well render the planet inhospitable. Indeed, it is perhaps more likely that GJ 832c is a "super-Venus," featuring significant greenhouse forcing. With an outer giant planet and an interior, potentially rocky planet, the GJ 832 planetary system can be thought of as a miniature version of our own Solar system., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

The field of the metal-rich open cluster NGC 6253 has been surveyed in a search for variable stars. A total of 25 new variables were detected, 14 of which are bright stars with 13

We present an analysis of the detached eclipsing binaries V44 and V54 belonging to the globular cluster M55. For V54 we obtain the following absolute parameters: $M_p=0.726\pm 0.015\,M_\odot$, $R_p=1.006\pm 0.009\,R_\odot$, $L_p=1.38\pm 0.07\,L_\odot$ for the primary, and $M_s=0.555\pm 0.008\,M_\odot$, $R_s=0.528\pm 0.005\,R_\odot$, $L_s=0.16\pm0.01\,L_\odot$ for the secondary. The age and apparent distance modulus of V54 are estimated at 13.3 - 14.7 Gyr and $13.94\pm0.05$ mag, respectively. This age is substantially larger than ages we have derived from the analysis of binary systems in 47 Tuc and M4. The secondary of V44 is so weak in the optical domain that only mass function and relative parameters are obtained for the components of this system. However, there is a good chance that the velocity curve of the secondary could be derived from near-IR spectra. As the primary of V44 is more evolved than that of V54, such data would impose much tighter limits on the age and distance of M55., Comment: Accepted by Acta Astronomica

We have obtained extensive high-quality spectroscopic observations of the OGLE-LMC-CEP-1718 eclipsing binary system in the Large Magellanic Cloud which Soszynski et al. (2008) had identified as a candidate system for containing two classical Cepheids in orbit. Our spectroscopic data clearly demonstrate binary motion of the Cepheids in a 413-day eccentric orbit, rendering this eclipsing binary system the first ever known to consist of two classical Cepheid variables. After disentangling the four different radial velocity variations in the system we present the orbital solution and the individual pulsational radial velocity curves of the Cepheids. We show that both Cepheids are extremely likely to be first overtone pulsators and determine their respective dynamical masses, which turn out to be equal to within 1.5 %. Since the secondary eclipse is not observed in the orbital light curve we cannot derive the individual radii of the Cepheids, but the sum of their radii derived from the photometry is consistent with overtone pulsation for both variables. The existence of two equal-mass Cepheids in a binary system having different pulsation periods (1.96 and 2.48 days, respectively) may pose an interesting challenge to stellar evolution and pulsation theories, and a more detailed study of this system using additional datasets should yield deeper insight about the physics of stellar evolution of Cepheid variables. Future analysis of the system using additional near-infrared photometry might also lead to a better understanding of the systematic uncertainties in current Baade-Wesselink techniques of distance determinations to Cepheid variables., Comment: accepted to be published in ApJ

One-nucleon transfer reactions, in particular (d,p) reactions, have played a central role in nuclear structure studies for many decades. Present theoretical descriptions of the underlying reaction mechanisms are insufficient for addressing the challenges and opportunities that are opening up with new radioactive beam facilities. We investigate a theoretical approach that was proposed recently to address shortcomings in the description of transfers to resonance states. The method builds on ideas from the very successful R-matrix theory; in particular it uses a similar separation of the parameter space into interior and exterior regions, and introduces a parameterization that can be related to physical observables, which, in principle, makes it possible to extract meaningful spectroscopic information from experiments. We carry out calculations, for a selection of isotopes and energies, to test the usefulness of the new approach., Comment: 6 figures (total of 24 figure panels)

We report the discovery by the HATSouth survey of HATS-4b, an extrasolar planet transiting a V=13.46 mag G star. HATS-4b has a period of P = 2.5167 d, mass of Mp = 1.32 Mj, radius of Rp = 1.02 Rj and density of rho_p = 1.55 +- 0.16 g/cm^3 ~ 1.24 rhoj. The host star has a mass of 1.00 Msun, a radius of 0.92 Rsun and a very high metallicity [Fe/H]= 0.43 +- 0.08. HATS-4b is among the densest known planets with masses between 1-2 Mj and is thus likely to have a significant content of heavy elements of the order of 75 Mearth. In this paper we present the data reduction, radial velocity measurement and stellar classification techniques adopted by the HATSouth survey for the CORALIE spectrograph. We also detail a technique to estimate simultaneously vsini and macroturbulence using high resolution spectra., Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures. Submitted to AJ

We report photometric observations of GQ Mus performed between 1992 and 2011. We find that the total amplitude of the orbital modulation of its brightness decreased from ~0.9 mag in 1992 to ~0.2 mag in 2010, becoming comparable to the amplitude of chaotic flickering on a time scale of several minutes. Optical spectra obtained in 2001 and 2012 indicate continuing activity of GQ Mus. The spectra show broad emission lines of HeII and HI typical for magnetic cataclysmic variables. The nova was observed as an UV-bright object in 2001 and 2012. We also show that the orbital period of GQ Mus has been constant between 1989 and 2010-2011., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in Baltic Astronomy

We report the discovery of HATS-5b, a transiting hot-Saturn orbiting a G type star, by the HAT-South survey. HATS-5b has a mass of Mp=0.24 Mj, radius of Rp=0.91 Rj, and transits its host star with a period of P=4.7634d. The radius of HATS-5b is consistent with both theoretical and empirical models. The host star has a V band magnitude of 12.6, mass of 0.94 Msun, and radius of 0.87 Rsun. The relatively high scale height of HATS-5b, and the bright, photometrically quiet host star, make this planet a favourable target for future transmission spectroscopy follow-up observations. We reexamine the correlations in radius, equilibrium temperature, and metallicity of the close-in gas-giants, and find hot Jupiter-mass planets to exhibit the strongest dependence between radius and equilibrium temperature. We find no significant dependence in radius and metallicity for the close-in gas-giant population., Comment: 10 pages, submitted to AJ

We present six years of new radial-velocity data from the Anglo-Australian and Magellan Telescopes on the HD 73526 2:1 resonant planetary system. We investigate both Keplerian and dynamical (interacting) fits to these data, yielding four possible configurations for the system. The new data now show that both resonance angles are librating, with amplitudes of 40 degrees and 60 degrees, respectively. We then perform long-term dynamical stability tests to differentiate these solutions, which only differ significantly in the masses of the planets. We show that while there is no clearly preferred system inclination, the dynamical fit with i=90 degrees provides the best combination of goodness-of-fit and long-term dynamical stability., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

One of the main questions concerning Type Ia supernovae is the nature of the binary companion of the exploding white dwarf. A major discriminant between different suggested models is the presence and physical properties of circumstellar material at the time of explosion. If present, this material will be ionized by the ultra-violet radiation of the explosion and later recombine. This ionization-recombination should manifest itself as time-variable absorption features that can be detected via multi-epoch high-spectral-resolution observations. Previous studies have shown that the strongest effect is seen in the neutral sodium D lines. We report on observations of neutral sodium absorption features observed in multi-epoch high-resolution spectra of 14 Type Ia supernova events. This is the first multi-epoch high-resolution study to include multiple SNe. No variability in line strength that can be associated with circumstellar material is detected. We find that ~18% of the events in the extended sample exhibit time-variable sodium features associated with circumstellar material. We explore the implication of this study on our understanding of the progenitor systems of Type Ia supernovae via the current Type Ia supernova multi-epoch high-spectral-resolution sample., Comment: 12 pages, 15 figures, submitted to MNRAS

High-dispersion observations of the Na I D 5890, 5896 and K I 7665, 7699 interstellar lines, and the diffuse interstellar band at 5780 Angstroms in the spectra of 32 Type Ia supernovae are used as an independent means of probing dust extinction. We show that the dust extinction of the objects where the diffuse interstellar band at 5780 Angstroms is detected is consistent with the visual extinction derived from the supernova colors. This strongly suggests that the dust producing the extinction is predominantly located in the interstellar medium of the host galaxies and not in circumstellar material associated with the progenitor system. One quarter of the supernovae display anomalously large Na I column densities in comparison to the amount of dust extinction derived from their colors. Remarkably, all of the cases of unusually strong Na I D absorption correspond to "Blueshifted" profiles in the classification scheme of Sternberg et al. (2011). This coincidence suggests that outflowing circumstellar gas is responsible for at least some of the cases of anomalously large Na I column densities. Two supernovae with unusually strong Na I D absorption showed essentially normal K I column densities for the dust extinction implied by their colors, but this does not appear to be a universal characteristic. Overall, we find the most accurate predictor of individual supernova extinction to be the equivalent width of the diffuse interstellar band at 5780 Angstroms, and provide an empirical relation for its use. Finally, we identify ways of producing significant enhancements of the Na abundance of circumstellar material in both the single-degenerate and double-degenerate scenarios for the progenitor system., Comment: 55 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Background: One important ingredient for many applications of nuclear physics to astrophysics, nuclear energy, and stockpile stewardship are cross sections for reactions of neutrons with rare isotopes. Since direct measurements are often not feasible, indirect methods, e.g. (d,p) reactions, should be used.} Those (d,p) reactions may be viewed as three-body reactions and described with Faddeev techniques. Purpose: Faddeev equations in momentum space have a long tradition of utilizing separable interactions in order to arrive at sets of coupled integral equations in one variable. While there exist several separable representations for the nucleon-nucleon interaction, the optical potential between a neutron (proton) and a nucleus is not readily available in separable form. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a separable representation for complex phenomenological optical potentials of Woods-Saxon type. Results: Starting from a global optical potential, a separable representation thereof is introduced based on the Ernst-Shakin-Thaler (EST) scheme. This scheme is generalized to non-hermitian potentials. Applications to n$+^{48}$Ca, n$+^{132}$Sn and n$+^{208}$Pb are investigated for energies from 0 to 50 MeV and the quality of the representation is examined. Conclusions: We find a good description of the on-shell t-matrix for all systems with rank up to 5. The required rank depends inversely on the angular momentum. The resulting separable interaction exhibits a different off-shell behavior compared to the original potential, reducing the high momentum contributions., Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures

A novel method of analysis of double-lined eclipsing binaries containing a radially pulsating star is presented. The combined pulsating-eclipsing light curve is built up from a purely eclipsing light curve grid created using an existing modeling tool. For every pulsation phase the instantaneous radius and surface brightness are taken into account, being calculated from the disentangled radial velocity curve of the pulsating star and from its out-of-eclipse pulsational light curve and the light ratio of the components, respectively. The best model is found using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method. The method is applied to the eclipsing binary Cepheid OGLE-LMC-CEP-0227 (P_puls = 3.80 d, P_orb = 309 d). We analyze a set of new spectroscopic and photometric observations for this binary, simultaneously fitting OGLE V-band, I-band and Spitzer 3.6 {\mu}m photometry. We derive a set of fundamental parameters of the system significantly improving the precision comparing to the previous results obtained by our group. The Cepheid mass and radius are M_1 = 4.165 +/- 0.032 M_solar and R_1 = 34.92 +/- 0.34 R_solar, respectively. For the first time a direct, geometrical and distance-independent determination of the Cepheid projection factor is presented. The value p = 1.21 +/- 0.03(stat.) +/- 0.04(syst.) is consistent with theoretical expectations for a short period Cepheid and interferometric measurements for {\delta} Cep. We also find a very high value of the optical limb darkening coefficients for the Cepheid component, in strong disagreement with theoretical predictions for static atmospheres at a given surface temperature and gravity., Comment: 16 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Based on over 3000 BV images of M4 collected in years 1995-2009 we obtain light curves of 22 variables, 10 of which are newly detected objects. We identify four detached eclipsing binaries and eight contact binaries. Accurate periods are found for all but two variables. Nineteen variables are proper-motion members of the cluster, and the remaining three are field stars. Five variables are optical counterparts of X-ray sources. For one of the variables unassociated with X-ray sources we report a flare lasting for about 90 min and reaching an amplitude of 0.11 mag in V. One of the new contact binaries has a record-low mass ratio q=0.06. Another four such systems show season-to season luminosity variations probably related to magnetic activity cycles, whose lengths are surprisingly similar to that of the solar cycle despite a huge difference in rotational periods. The location of contact binaries on the color-magnitude diagram of M4 strongly suggests that at least in globular clusters the principal factor enabling EW systems to form from close but detached binaries is stellar evolution. We identify 46 blue and yellow stragglers in M4 and discuss their properties. We also derive a map of the differential extinction in the central part of M4, and determine the reddening of a selected reference region, E(B-V)= 0.392 mag., Comment: Accepted by Acta Astronomica

We analyze light and velocity curves of the eclipsing blue straggler V60 in the field of the globular cluster M55. We derive Mp=1.259+-0.025 Msun, Rp=1.102+-0.021 Rsun, Mbol,p=3.03+-0.09 mag for the primary and Ms=0.327+-0.017 Msun, Rs=1.480+-0.011 Rsun, Mbol,s=4.18+-0.12 mag for the secondary. We derive an apparent distance modulus (m-M)V=14.04_-0.09 mag. Based on the systemic velocity, distance, and proper motion of V60 we conclude that the system is a member of the cluster and argue that its present state is a result of rapid but conservative mass exchange which the binary is still undergoing. We report a peculiar blue excess on the ascending branch of the primary eclipse of V60 and discuss its possible origin., Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, accepted by Acta Astronomica

In the era of precision cosmology it is essential to determine the Hubble Constant with an accuracy of 3% or better. Currently, its uncertainty is dominated by the uncertainty in the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) which as the second nearest galaxy serves as the best anchor point of the cosmic distance scale. Observations of eclipsing binaries offer a unique opportunity to precisely and accurately measure stellar parameters and distances. The eclipsing binary method was previously applied to the LMC but the accuracy of the distance results was hampered by the need to model the bright, early-type systems used in these studies. Here, we present distance determinations to eight long-period, late- type eclipsing systems in the LMC composed of cool giant stars. For such systems we can accurately measure both the linear and angular sizes of their components and avoid the most important problems related to the hot early-type systems. Our LMC distance derived from these systems is demonstrably accurate to 2.2 % (49.97 +/- 0.19 (statistical) +/- 1.11 (systematic) kpc) providing a firm base for a 3 % determination of the Hubble Constant, with prospects for improvement to 2 % in the future., Comment: 34 pages, 5 figures, 13 tables, published in the Nature, a part of our data comes from new unpublished OGLE-IV photometric data

We use photometric and spectroscopic observations of the eclipsing binaries V65, V66 and V69 in the field of the globular cluster M4 to derive masses, radii, and luminosities of their components. The orbital periods of these systems are 2.29, 8.11 and 48.19 d, respectively. The measured masses of the primary and secondary components (Mp and Ms) are 0.8035+-0.0086 and 0.6050+-0.0044 Msun for V65, 0.7842+-0.0045 and 0.7443+-0.0042 Msun for V66, and 0.7665+-0.0053 and 0.7278+-0.0048 Msun for V69. The measured radii (Rp and Rs) are 1.147+_0.010 and 0.6110+-0.0092 Rsun for V66, 0.9347+_0.0048 and 0.8298+-0.0053 Rsun for V66, and 0.8655+-0.0097 and 0.8074+-0.0080 Rsun for V69. The orbits of V65 and V66 are circular, whereas that of V69 has an eccentricity of 0.38. Based on systemic velocities and relative proper motions, we show that all the three systems are members of the cluster. We find that the distance to M4 is 1.82+-0.04 kpc - in good agreement with recent estimates based on entirely different methods. We compare the absolute parameters of V66 and V69 with two sets of theoretical isochrones in mass-radius and mass-luminosity diagrams, and for an assumed [Fe/H] = -1.20, [alpha/Fe] = 0.4, and Y = 0.25 we find the most probable age of M4 to be between 11.2 and 11.3 Gyr. CMD-fitting with the same parameters yields an age close to, or slightly in excess of, 12 Gyr. However, considering the sources of uncertainty involved in CMD fitting, these two methods of age determination are not discrepant. Age and distance determinations can be further improved when infrared eclipse photometry is obtained., Comment: 46 pages,14 tables, 10 figures, accepted by AJ

We derive relative proper motions of stars in the fields of globular clusters M4, M12, M22, NGC 3201, NGC 6362 and NGC 6752 based on a uniform data set collected between 1997 and 2008. We assign a membership class for each star with a measured proper motion, and show that these membership classes can be successfully used to eliminate field stars from color-magnitude diagrams of the clusters. They also allow for the efficient selection of rare objects such as blue/yellow/red stragglers and stars from the asymptotic giant branch. Tables with proper motions and photometry of over 87000 stars are made publicly available via the Internet., Comment: 9 pages, 18 figures

Based on high-resolution spectra obtained during gravitational microlensing events we present a detailed elemental abundance analysis of 32 dwarf and subgiant stars in the Galactic bulge. [ABRIDGED], we now have 58 microlensed bulge dwarfs and subgiants that have been homogeneously analysed. The main characteristics of the sample and the findings that can be drawn are: (i) The metallicity distribution (MDF) is wide and spans all metallicities between [Fe/H]=-1.9 to +0.6; (ii) The dip in the MDF around solar metallicity that was apparent in our previous analysis of a smaller sample (26 microlensed stars) is no longer evident; instead it has a complex structure and indications of multiple components are starting to emerge. [ABRIDGED]; (iii) The stars with [Fe/H]<-0.1 are old with ages between 10 and 12 Gyr; (iv) The metal-rich stars with [Fe/H]>-0.1 show a wide variety of ages, ranging from 2 to 12 Gyr with a distribution that has a dominant peak around 4-5 Gyr and a tail towards higher ages; (v) There are indications in the [alpha/Fe] - [Fe/H] that the "knee" occurs around [Fe/H] = -0.3 to -0.2, which is a slightly higher metallicity as compared to the "knee" for the local thick disk. This suggests that the chemical enrichment of the metal-poor bulge has been somewhat faster than what is observed for the local thick disk. The results from the microlensed bulge dwarf stars in combination with other findings in the literature, in particular the evidence that the bulge has cylindrical rotation, indicate that the Milky Way could be an almost pure disk galaxy. The bulge would then just be a conglomerate of the other Galactic stellar populations (thin disk, thick disk, halo, and ...?), residing together in the central parts of the Galaxy, influenced by the Galactic bar., Comment: 26 pages, accepted for publication in A&A

The reaction $^{17}$O($n,\alpha$)$^{14}$C was studied at energies from $E_{cm}=0$ to $E_{cm}=350$ keV using the quasi-free deuteron break-up in the three body reaction $^{17}$O$+d \rightarrow \alpha+ ^{14}$C$+p$, extending the Trojan Horse indirect method (THM) to neutron-induced reactions. It is found that the $^{18}$O excited state at $E^*=8.125 \pm 0.002$ MeV observed in THM experiments is absent in the direct measurement because of its high centrifugal barrier. The angular distributions of the populated resonances have been measured for the first time. The results unambiguously indicate the ability of the THM to overcome the centrifugal barrier suppression effect and to pick out the contribution of the bare nuclear interaction., Comment: Accepted by PRC as Rapid Communication

We present non-linear hydrodynamic pulsation models for OGLE-BLG-RRLYR-02792 - a 0.26M_sun pulsator, component of the eclipsing binary system, analysed recently by Pietrzynski et al. The star's light and radial velocity curves mimic that of classical RR Lyrae stars, except for the bump in the middle of the ascending branch of the radial velocity curve. We show that the bump is caused by the 2:1 resonance between the fundamental mode and the second overtone - the same mechanism that causes the Hertzsprung bump progression in classical Cepheids. The models allow to constrain the parameters of the star, in particular to estimate its absolute luminosity (approx 33L_sun) and effective temperature (approx 6970K, close to the blue edge of the instability strip). We conduct a model survey for the new class of low mass pulsators similar to OGLE-BLG-RRLYR-02792 - products of evolution in the binary systems. We compute a grid of models with masses corresponding to half (and less) of the typical mass of RR Lyrae variable, 0.20M_sun<=M<=0.30M_sun, and discuss the properties of the resulting light and radial velocity curves. Resonant bump progression is clear and may be used to distinguish such stars from classical RR Lyrae stars. We present the Fourier decomposition parameters for the modelled light and radial velocity curves. The expected values of the phi_31 Fourier phase for the light curves differ significantly from that observed in RR Lyrae stars, which is another discriminant of the new class., Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The demands of cutting-edge science are driving the need for larger and faster computing resources. With the rapidly growing scale of computing systems and the prospect of technologically disruptive architectures to meet these needs, scientists face the challenge of effectively using complex computational resources to advance scientific discovery. Multidisciplinary collaborating networks of researchers with diverse scientific backgrounds are needed to address these complex challenges. The UNEDF SciDAC collaboration of nuclear theorists, applied mathematicians, and computer scientists is developing a comprehensive description of nuclei and their reactions that delivers maximum predictive power with quantified uncertainties. This paper describes UNEDF and identifies attributes that classify it as a successful computational collaboration. We illustrate significant milestones accomplished by UNEDF through integrative solutions using the most reliable theoretical approaches, most advanced algorithms, and leadership-class computational resources., Comment: 12 pages, 15 figures, Proceedings for Conference on Computational Physics (CCP2011)

RR Lyrae pulsating stars have been extensively used as tracers of old stellar populations for the purpose of determining the ages of galaxies, and as tools to measure distances to nearby galaxies. There was accordingly considerable interest when the RR Lyr star OGLE-BLG-RRLYR-02792 was found to be a member in an eclipsing binary system4, as the mass of the pulsator (hitherto constrained only by models) could be unambiguously determined. Here we report that RRLYR-02792 has a mass of 0.26 M_sun and therefore cannot be a classical RR Lyrae star. Through models we find that its properties are best explained by the evolution of a close binary system that started with 1.4 M_sun and 0.8 M_sun stars orbiting each other with an initial period of 2.9 days. Mass exchange over 5.4 Gyr produced the observed system, which is now in a very short-lived phase where the physical properties of the pulsator happen to place it in the same instability strip of the H-R diagram occupied by RR Lyrae stars. We estimate that samples of RR Lyr stars may contain a 0.2 percent contamination with systems similar to this one, implying that distances measured with RR Lyrae stars should not be significantly affected by these binary interlopers.

We show that the optical counterpart of the X-ray source CX 1 in M4 is a 20th magnitude star, located in the color-magnitude diagram on (or very close to) the main sequence of the cluster, and exhibiting sinusoidal variations of the flux. We find the X-ray flux to be also periodically variable, with X-ray and optical minima coinciding. Stability of the optical light curve, lack of UV-excess, and unrealistic mean density resulting from period-density relation for semidetached systems, speak against the original identification of CX 1 as a cataclysmic variable. We argue that the X-ray active component of this system is a neutron star (probably a millisecond pulsar)., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, accepted by ApJ Letters

We present a new Bayesian approach to constrain the intrinsic parameters (stellar mass, age) of the eclipsing binary system CEP0227 in the LMC. We computed evolutionary models covering a broad range in chemical compositions and in stellar mass. Independent sets of models were constructed either by neglecting or by including a moderate convective core overshooting (beta=0.2) during central H-burning phases. Models were also constructed either by neglecting or by assuming a canonical (eta=0.4,0.8) or an enhanced (eta=4) mass loss rate. The solutions were computed in three different planes: luminosity-temperature, mass-radius and gravity-temperature. By using the Bayes Factor, we found that the most probable solutions were obtained in the gravity-temperature plane with a Gaussian mass prior distribution. The evolutionary models constructed by assuming a moderate convective core overshooting (beta=0.2) and a canonical mass loss rate (eta=0.4) give stellar masses for the primary Cepheid M=4.14^{+0.04}_{-0.05} M_sun and for the secondary M=4.15^{+0.04}_{-0.05} M_sun that agree at the 1% level with dynamical measurements. Moreover, we found ages for the two components and for the combined system t=151^{+4}_{-3} Myr that agree at the 5% level. The solutions based on evolutionary models that neglect the mass loss attain similar parameters, while those ones based on models that either account for an enhanced mass loss or neglect convective core overshooting have lower Bayes Factors and larger confidence intervals. The dependence on the mass loss rate might be the consequence of the crude approximation we use to mimic this phenomenon. By using the isochrone of the most probable solution and a Gaussian prior on the LMC distance, we found a distance modulus 18.53^{+0.02}_{-0.02} mag and a reddening value E(B-V)= 0.142^{+0.005}_{-0.010} mag that agree well with literature estimates., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 17 pages, 9 figures

We have determined detailed elemental abundances and stellar ages for a sample of now 38 microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars in the Galactic bulge. Stars with sub-solar metallicities are all old and have enhanced alpha-element abundances -- very similar to what is seen for local thick disk stars. The metal-rich stars on the other hand show a wide variety of stellar ages, ranging from 3-4 Gyr to 12 Gyr, and an average around 7-8 Gyr. The existence of young and metal-rich stars are in conflict with recent photometric studies of the bulge which claim that the bulge only contains old stars., Comment: Poster contribution at Galactic archeology, near-field cosmology and the formation of the Milky Way, Shuzenji, Japan, 1-4 November 2011, to be published in ASP Conference Series

A new full three-body method is introduced to compute the rate of the triple-alpha capture reaction which is the primary source of $^{12}$C in stars. In this work, we combine the Faddeev hyperspherical harmonics and the R-matrix method to obtain a full solution to the three-body $\alpha+\alpha+\alpha$ continuum. Particular attention is paid to the long range effects caused by the pairwise Coulomb interactions. The new rate agrees with the NACRE rate for temperatures greater than 0.07 GK, but a large enhancement at lower temperature is found ($\approx 10^{14}$ at 0.02 GK). Our results are compared to previous calculations where additional approximations were made. We show that the new rate does not significantly change the evolution of stars around one solar mass. In particular, such stars still undergo a red-giant phase consistent with observations, and no significant differences are found in the final white dwarfs., Comment: 5pg, 2 figures, resubmitted

A microscopic calculation of reaction cross sections for nucleon-nucleus scattering has been performed by explicitly coupling the elastic channel to all particle-hole excitations in the target and one-nucleon pickup channels. The particle-hole states may be regarded as doorway states through which the flux flows to more complicated configurations, and subsequently to long-lived compound nucleus resonances. Target excitations for $^{40,48}$Ca, $^{58}$Ni, $^{90}$Zr and $^{144}$Sm were described in a random-phase framework using a Skyrme functional. Reaction cross sections obtained agree very well with experimental data and predictions of a state-of-the-art fitted optical potential. Couplings between inelastic states were found to be negligible, while the pickup channels contribute significantly. The effect of resonances from higher-order channels was assessed. Elastic angular distributions were also calculated within the same method, achieving good agreement with experimental data. For the first time observed absorptions are completely accounted for by explicit channel coupling, for incident energies between 10 and 70 MeV, with consistent angular distribution results., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Version of paper accepted on December 1, 2011, for publication in Phys. Rev. C, following work on Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 202502 (2010)

We have analyzed the double-lined eclipsing binary system OGLE-LMC-CEP-1812 in the LMC and demonstrate that it contains a classical fundamental mode Cepheid pulsating with a period of 1.31 days. The secondary star is a stable giant. We derive the dynamical masses for both stars with an accuracy of 1.5%, making the Cepheid in this system the second classical Cepheid with a very accurate dynamical mass determination, following the OGLE-LMC-CEP-0227 system studied by Pietrzynski et al. (2010). The measured dynamical mass agrees very well with that predicted by pulsation models. We also derive the radii of both components and accurate orbital parameters for the binary system. This new, very accurate dynamical mass for a classical Cepheid will greatly contribute to the solution of the Cepheid mass discrepancy problem, and to our understanding of the structure and evolution of classical Cepheids., Comment: Accepted to be published on APJL

[ABRIDGED] Based on high-resolution (R~42000 to 48000) and high signal-to-noise (S/N~50 to 150) spectra obtained with UVES/VLT, we present detailed elemental abundances (O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn, Y, and Ba) and stellar ages for 26 microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars in the Galactic bulge. The analysis is based on equivalent width measurements and standard 1-D LTE MARCS model stellar atmospheres. We also present NLTE Li abundances based on line synthesis of the 7Li line at 670.8 nm. We show that the bulge metallicity distribution (MDF) is double-peaked; one peak at [Fe/H]= -0.6 and one at [Fe/H]=+0.3, and with a dearth of stars around solar metallicity. This is in contrast to the MDF derived from red giants in Baade's window, which peaks at this exact value. A simple significance test shows that it is extremely unlikely to have such a gap in the microlensed dwarf star MDF if the dwarf stars are drawn from the giant star MDF. To resolve this issue we discuss several possibilities, but we can not settle on a conclusive solution for the observed differences. We further find that the metal-poor bulge dwarf stars are predominantly old with ages greater than 10\,Gyr, while the metal-rich bulge dwarf stars show a wide range of ages. The metal-poor bulge sample is very similar to the Galactic thick disk in terms of average metallicity, elemental abundance trends, and stellar ages. Speculatively, the metal-rich bulge population might be the manifestation of the inner thin disk. If so, the two bulge populations could support the recent findings, based on kinematics, that there are no signatures of a classical bulge and that the Milky Way is a pure-disk galaxy. Also, recent claims of a flat IMF in the bulge based on the MDF of giant stars may have to be revised based on the MDF and abundance trends probed by our microlensed dwarf stars., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, new version with with missing authors added