Search

T Tauri Stars (TTSs) are magnetically active stars that accrete matter from the inner border of the surrounding accretion disc; plasma gets trapped into the large scale magnetic structures and falls onto the star, heating the surface through the so-called accretion shocks. The X-ray spectra of the TTSs show prominent Fe II Kalpha fluorescence emission at 6.4keV that cannot be explained in a pure accretion scenario. Neither, it can be produced by the hot coronal plasma. TTSs display all signs of magnetic activity and magnetic reconnection events are expected to occur frequently. In these events, electrons may get accelerated to relativistic speeds and their interaction with the environmental matter may result in Fe Kalpha emission. It is the aim of this work to evaluate the expected Fe Kalpha emission in the context of the TTS research and compare it with the actual Fe Kalpha measurements obtained during the flare detected while monitoring RY Tau with the XMM-Newton satellite. The propagation of high-energy electrons in dense gas generates a cascade of secondary particles that results in an electron shower of random nature whose evolution and radiative throughput is simulated in this work using the Monte Carlo code PENELOPE. A set of conditions representing the environment of the TTSs where these showers may impinge has been taken into account to generate a grid of models that can aid to the interpretation of the data. The simulations show that the electron beams produce a hot spot at the point of impact; strong Fe Kalpha emission and X-ray continuum radiation are produced by the spot. This emission is compatible with RY Tau observations. The Fe Kalpha emission observed in TTSs could be produced by beams of relativistic electrons accelerated in magnetic reconnection events during flares., Comment: 9 pages, 12 figures

In this work, we examine the list of 63 candidates to T Tauri star (TTS) in the TAMC identified by their ultraviolet (UV) and infrared colours (IR) measured from data obtained by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer all sky survey (GALEX-AIS) and the Two Microns All Sky Survey (2MASS), respectively. The objective of this work is twofold: evaluate whether they are pre-main sequence (PMS) stars and evaluate the goodness of the UV-IR colour-colour diagram to detect PMS stars in wide-fields. The astrometric properties of these sources have been retrieved from the Gaia DR3 catalogue and used to evaluate their membership probability. Several classification algorithms have been tested to search for the kinematical groups but the final classification has been made with k-means++ algorithms. Membership probability has been evaluated by applying Logistic Regression. In addition, spectroscopic information available in the archive of the Large Sky Area Multi Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope has been used to ascertain their PMS nature when available. About 20% of the candidates share the kinematics of the TAMC members. Among them, HD 281691 is a G8-type field star located in front of the cloud and HO Aur is likely a halo star given the very low metallicity provided by Gaia. The rest are three known PMS stars (HD 30171, V600 Aur and J04590305+3003004), two previously unknown accreting M-type stars (J04510713+1708468 and J05240794+2542438) and, five additional sources, which are very likely PMS stars. Most of these new sources are concentrated at low galactic latitudes over the Auriga-Perseus region., Comment: accepted by A&A

The dynamical characterization of the Millisecond Pulsar (MSP) parameters is a key issue in understanding these systems. We present an analytical analysis of the orbital parameters of binary MSPs with long periods (Porb > 2 d) and circular (e < 0.1) orbits, produced by an asymmetric kick model imparted during the Accretion Induced Collapse (AIC) of white dwarfs process. It turns out that the distribution of orbits peaks up to P_orb;f < 90 d with strong circularization. Considering the different assumptions about the distribution of companions He stars 3M< Mcom < 5M, the binary will affect the setups of the balance condition of minimum energy. Our analytical approach is just the first approach to the more complete models required for describing all binary parameters after an asymmetric kick. Therefore, we have also run some numerical simulations in order to compare their results with the analytical studies. We aim to initiate the first exploration of the full complexity of the problem, when combining a variable kick time and a variable kick vector direction. Indeed, the numerical simulations show patterns resembling the complex behavior found in chaotic scattering problems. Although we deal with a deterministic problem and bounded orbits, the regular characteristic orbits are found in more realistic phases during the AIC process. In addition, the overall process can show complex behaviors strongly associated with the internal kick mechanisms. This would lead us to identify the nature of regular orbits and their orbital morphology., Comment: In press (Journal of High Energy Astrophysics)

Protoplanetary discs are complex dynamical systems where several processes may lead to the formation of ring-like structures and planets. These discs are flared following a profile where the vertical scale height increases with radius. In this work, we investigate the role of this disc flaring geometry on the formation of rings and holes. We combine a flattening law change with X-ray and FUV photoevaporative winds. We have used a semi-analytical 1D viscous {\alpha} approach, presenting the evolution of the disc mass and mass rate in a grid of representative systems. Our results show that changing the profile of the flared disc may favour the formation of ring-like features resembling those observed in real systems at the proper evolutionary times, with proper disc masses and accretion rate values. However, these features seem to be short-lived and further enhancements are still needed for better matching all the features seen in real systems.

There are only a handful of known short-period pre-main sequence spectroscopic binaries with significant accretion rates (Class II sources). AK Sco stands out in this list because the system is composed of two equal mass F5 stars in a highly eccentric orbit thus both stars get as close as 11 stellar radii at periastron passage. This configuration is optimal for accretion studies because enhance accretion events can be precisely timed at periastron passage. In this work, we present the results from the monitoring of the AK Sco system with Hubble during three consecutive periastron passages. These data provide a unique dataset to spectroscopically characterize accretion and evaluate the inter-cycle variability of the system. Clear evidence of accretion rate enhancement was observed in cycle1 and 3: the blueing of the near UV continuum, the sudden flux increase of important accretion tracers, such as the N V, Si IV and C IV lines, and also of neutral/singly ionized species such as O I and C II. Also, variations in the Si III]/C III] ratio reveals an enhancement of the electron density by an order of magnitude during the periastron passage. Moreover, in cycle 3, the spectral resolution of the observations obtained with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph enabled discerning that the flow was channelled preferentially into one of the two components. The most remarkable feature in the cycle-to-cycle variations was the detection of a notable increase of the UV flux from cycle 1 to 2 that was not accompanied by enhanced accretion signatures., Comment: Accepted, October 7th, 2020

This paper explores the possibility of improving bilateral robot manipulation task performance through optimizing the robot morphology and configuration of the system through motion. To optimize the design for different scenarios, we select a set of tasks that represent the variability in small scale manipulation (e.g. pick and place, tasks involving positioning and orientation) and track the motion to obtain a reproducible trajectory. Kinematic data is captured through an electromagnetic (EM) tracker system while a human subject performs the tasks. Then, the data is pre-processed and used to optimize the morphology of each symmetric robot arm of the bilateral system. Once optimized, a kinematic control scheme is used to generate a motion with dexterous configurations. The dexterity is evaluated along the trajectories with standard dexterity metrics. Results show a 10\% improvement in dexterous maneuverability with the optimized arm design and optimal base configuration., Comment: 7 pages. submitted to RO-MAN 2020

There is a growing interest in Lunar exploration fed by the perception that the Moon can be made accessible to low-cost missions in the next decade. The on-going projects to set a communications relay in Lunar orbit and a deep space Gateway, as well as the spreading of commercial-of-the shelf (COTS) technology for small space platforms such as the cubesats contribute to this perception. Small, cubesat size satellites orbiting the Moon offer ample opportunities to study the Moon and enjoy an advantage point to monitor the Solar System and the large scale interaction between the Earth and the solar wind. In this article, we describe the technical characteristics of a 12U cubesat to be set in polar Lunar orbit for this purpose and the science behind it. The mission is named EarthASAP (Earth AS An exoPlanet) and was submitted to the Lunar Cubesats for Exploration (LUCE) call in 2016. EarthASAP was designed to monitor hydrated rock reservoirs in the Lunar poles and to study the interaction between the large Earth's exosphere and the solar wind in preparation for future exoplanetary missions.

Comets are important "eyewitnesses" of Solar System formation and evolution. Important tests to determine the chemical composition and to study the physical processes in cometary nuclei and coma need data in the UV range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Comprehensive and complete studies require for additional ground-based observations and in-situ experiments. We briefly review observations of comets in the ultraviolet (UV) and discuss the prospects of UV observations of comets and exocomets with space-born instruments. A special refer is made to the World Space Observatory-Ultraviolet (WSO-UV) project., Comment: International symposium "Ultraviolet Sky Surveys: the need and the means" 10 - 14 July 2017, Tel Aviv University, Israel

We describe the dynamical behavior of isolated old (> 1 G yr) objects-like Neutron Stars (NSs). These isolated NSs are evolved under smooth, time-independent, 3-D gravitational potentials, axisymmetric and with a triaxial dark halo. We analysed the geometry of the dynamics and applied the Poincare section method for comparing the influence of different birth velocity distributions. The inspection of the maximal asymptotic Lyapunov (Lambda) exponent shows that the dynamical behaviors of the selected orbits are nearly the same as the regular orbits with two degrees of freedom, both in axisymmetric and triaxial when (phi, q_z)= (0,0). Conversely, a few chaotic trajectories are found with a rotated triaxial halo when (phi, q_z)= (90, 1.5). The tube orbits preserve the direction of their circulation around either the long or short axis as appeared in the triaxial potential, even when every initial condition leads to different orientations. The Poincare section method shows that there are 2-D invariant tori and invariant curves (islands) around stable periodic orbits that bound to the surface of 3-D tori. The regularity of the several prototypical orbits offer the means to identify the phase space regions with localized motions and to determine their environment in different models, because they can occupy significant parts of phase-space depending on the potential. This is of particular importance in Galactic Dynamics., Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, Published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia (PASA)