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Here we study the MonR2 star forming region, which has a rich network of filaments joining in a star cluster forming hub, aiming at understanding the hub structure and to examine the mass fraction residing in the hub and in the filaments, which is a key factor that influences massive star formation. We conducted a multi-scale, multi-component analysis of the Herschel column density maps (resolution of 18.2" or $\sim$0.07 pc at 830 pc) of the region using a newly developed algorithm "getsf" to identify the structural components, namely, extended cloud, filaments, and sources. We find that cascades of lower column density filaments coalesce to form higher density filaments eventually merging inside the hub (0.8 pc radius). As opposed to the previous view of the hub as a massive clump with $\sim$1 pc radius, we find it to be a network of short high-density filaments. The total mass reservoir in the MonR2 HFS (5 pc $\times$ 5 pc) is split between filaments (54%), extended cloud (37%) and sources (9%). The M/L of filaments increase from $\sim$ 10 Msun/pc at 1.5pc from the hub to $\sim$ 100 Msun/pc at its centre, while the number of filaments per annulus of 0.2pc width decreases from 20 to 2 in the same range. The observed radial column density structure of the HFS (filament component only) displays a power-law dependence of $N_{\mathrm{H}_2} \propto r^{-2.17}$ up to a radius of $\sim$2.5 pc from the central hub, resembling a global collapse of the HFS. We present a scenario where the HFS can be supported by magnetic fields which interact, merge and reorganize themselves as the filaments coalesce. In the new view of the hub as a network of high-density filaments, we suggest that only the stars located in the network can benefit from the longitudinal flows of gas to become massive, which may explain the reason for the formation of many low-mass stars in cluster centres., Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, Astronomy & Astrophysics (in press)

[Abridged] Filaments and hubs have received special attention recently thanks to studies showing their role in star formation. While the column density and velocity structures of both filaments and hubs have been studied, their magnetic fields (B-field) are not yet characterized. We aim to understand the role of the B-field in the dynamical evolution of the NGC 6334 hub-filament network. We present new observations of the dust polarized emission at 850$\mu$m towards NGC 6334 obtained with the JCMT/POL-2. We study the distribution and dispersion of the polarized intensity ($PI$), the polarization fraction ($PF$), and the B-field angle ($\theta_{B}$). We derive the power spectrum of the intensity and $\theta_{B}$ along the ridge crest. Our analyses show a complex B-field structure when observed over the whole region ($\sim10$ pc), however, at smaller scales ($\sim1$ pc), $\theta_{B}$ varies coherently along the filaments. The observed power spectrum of $\theta_{B}$ can be well represented with a power law function with a slope $-1.33\pm0.23$, which is $\sim20\%$ shallower than that of $I$. This result is compatible with the properties of simulated filaments and may indicate the processes at play in the formation of filaments. $\theta_{B}$ rotates from being mostly perpendicular to the filament crests to mostly parallel as they merge with the hubs. This variation of $\theta_{B}$ may be tracing local velocity flows of matter in-falling onto the hubs. Our analysis suggests a variation of the energy balance along the crests of these filaments, from magnetically critical/supercritical at their far ends to magnetically subcritical near the hubs. We detect an increase of $PF$ towards the high-column density star cluster-forming hubs that may result from the increase of grain alignment efficiency due to stellar radiation from the newborn stars., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

We present a new type of quantum critical material YbCo$_2$Ge$_4$, having the largest quantum-critical pseudospin size ever. The YbCo$_2$Ge$_4$-type structure is new, forms in the orthorhombic $Cmcm$ system, and is related to the well-known ThCr$_2$Si$_2$ structure. Heavy rare earth (Tm,Yb,Lu, or Y) members are also possible to be grown. YbCo$_2$Ge$_4$ possesses the Ising-type ground-state doublet, namely the simplest ones of uniaxially up or down, $|\pm \sim 7/2\rangle$. It is clearly manifested through comprehensive resistivity, magnetization, specific heat, and NQR/NMR experiments. Large pseudospin state usually tends to order in simple magnetisms, or hard to be screened by Kondo effect. Therefore, the discovery of the quantum criticality of the fluctuating large spins opens a new door to new-material search and theoretical studies., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, including supplementary material

We have succeeded in growing single crystals of orthorhombic CeT2Al10 (T=Fe, Ru, Os) by Al self-flux method for the first time, and measured the electrical resistivity at pressures up to 8 GPa, the magnetic susceptibility and specific heat at ambient pressure. These results indicate that CeT2Al10 belongs to the heavy fermion compounds. CeRu2Al10 and CeOs2Al10 show a similar phase transition at T0 = 27.3 and 28.7 K, respectively. The temperature dependences in the ordered phases are well described by the thermally activated form, suggesting that partial gap opens over the Fermi surfaces below T0. When pressure is applied to CeRu2Al10, T0 disappears suddenly between 3 and 4 GPa, and CeRu2Al10 turns into a Kondo insulator, followed by a metal. The similarity of CeT2Al10 under respective pressures suggests a scaling relation by some parameter controlling the unusual physics in these compounds., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures

We present an extended optical spectropolarimetry of R CrB from 1998 January to 2003 September. The polarization was almost constant in the phase of maximum brightness, being consistent with past observations. We detected, however, temporal changes of polarization ($\sim 0.5$ %) in 2001 March and August, which were the first detection of large polarization variability in R CrB near maximum brightness. The amplitude and the position angle of the `transient polarization' were almost constant with wavelength in both two events. There was a difference by about 20 degrees in the position angle between the two events. Each event could be explained by light scattering due to short-lived dust puff occasionally ejected off the line of sight. The flatness of the polarization against the wavelength suggests that the scatterer is a mixture of dust grains having various sizes. The rapid growth and fading of the transient polarization favors the phenomenological model of dust formation near the stellar photosphere (e.g., within two stellar radii) proposed for the time evolution of brightness and chromospheric emission lines during deeply declining periods, although the fading timescale can hardly be explained by a simple dispersal of expanding dust puff with a velocity of $\sim 200-350$ km s $^{-1}$. Higher expansion velocity or some mechanism to destroy the dust grains should be needed., Comment: 22 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in AJ

Magnetic, transport and thermal properties of AFe4Sb12 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba) are reported. All three compounds show a maximum in both the magnetic susceptibility and thermopower at 50 K, and a large electronic specific heat coefficient of 100 mJ/mol K2. These properties are the characteristics of a nearly ferromagnetic metal. Furthermore, a remanent moment of the order of 10-3muB/Fe was observed below 54, 48, and 40 K for A = Ca, Sr, and Ba, respectively. The volume fraction of the ferromagnetic component was estimated to be 10-20% by zero-field muSR measurements., Comment: 4 figures, submitted to PRL

Possible forsterite nanoparticle model of the Extended Red Emission(ERE) is proposed on the basis of photo-luminescence of forsterite after gamma-ray and neutron irradiation. Forsterite exhibits interesting thermoluminescence spectrum similar to ERE of Red Rectangle after irradiation in low temperature. It is shown that the forsterite after thermoluminescence is over exhibits photo-luminescence(PL) when Ultraviolet ray is irradiated. The structure of PL spectrum is almost similar to that of thermoluminescence. In order to explain small variations of the peak position of wavelength of ERE spectrum, possible nanoparticle model of forsterite is investigated. Our model is consistent to the ISO observation data in near and middle infrared region, which suggest the existence of forsterite., Comment: 5 pages

We studied Zn-substitution effect on the high-T_c superconductors, underdoped La_{2-x}Sr_xCu_{1-y}Zn_yO_4 (x=0.10; y=0, 0.01, 0.02), optimally doped (x=0.15; y=0, 0.02), and overdoped (x=0.20; y=0, 0.03, 0.06) in a temperature range of T=4.2-300 K, using Cu nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) spin-echo technique. We found full disappearance of the Cu NQR signals for the Zn-substituted, Sr-underdoped x=0.10 samples below about 40 K, partial disappearance for the Sr-optimally doped ones below about 50 K, but not for the overdoped x=0.20 ones. From the Zn-doping, the Sr-doping and the temperature dependence of the wipeout effect, we associate the wipeout effect with Zn-induced Curie magnetism or its extended glassy charge-spin stripe formation., Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. Vol.72, No. 7 (2003)

We report a systematic study of Zn-substitution effect on Cu NQR spectrum for high $T_c$ superconductors La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$Cu$_{1-y}$Zn$_y$O$_4$ from carrier-underdoped to -overdoped regimes (polycrystalline samples, $x$ =0.10, 0.15, and 0.20). We observed no appreciable wipeout effect for the overdoped samples, a gradual and partial wipeout effect below about 80 K for the optimally doped ones, and very abrupt and full wipeout effect below about 40 K for the underdoped ones. The wipeout effect indicates a highly enhanced spectral weight of Cu spin fluctuations at a low frequency. We associate the wipeout effect with a Zn-induced local magnetism far above 40 K and with a localization effect below 40 K., Comment: 2 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Physica C (LT23, Hiroshima 2002)