The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey XI. A census of the hot luminous stars and their feedback in 30 Doradus

Context. The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey has an extensive view of the copious number of massive stars in the 30 Doradus (30 Dor) star forming region of the Large Magellanic Cloud. These stars play a crucial role in our understanding of the stellar feedback in more distant, unresolved star forming regions. Aims. The first comprehensive census of hot luminous stars in 30 Dor is compiled within a 10 arcmin (150 pc) radius of its central cluster, R136. We investigate the stellar content and spectroscopic completeness of the early type stars. Estimates were made for both the integrated ionising luminosity and stellar wind luminosity. These values were used to re-assess the star formation rate (SFR) of the region and determine the ionising photon escape fraction. Methods. Stars were selected photometrically and combined with the latest spectral classifications. Spectral types were estimated for stars lacking spectroscopy and corrections were made for binary systems, where possible. Stellar calibrations were applied to obtain their physical parameters and wind properties. Their integrated properties were then compared to global observations from ultraviolet (UV) to far-infrared (FIR) imaging as well as the population synthesis code, Starburst99. Results. Our census identified 1145 candidate hot luminous stars within 150 pc of R136 of which >700 were considered to be genuine early type stars and contribute to feedback. We assess the survey to be spectroscopically complete to 85% in the outer regions (>5 pc) but only 35% complete in the region of the R136 cluster, giving a total of 500 hot luminous stars in the census which had spectroscopy. Only 31 were found to be Wolf-Rayet (W-R) or Of/WN stars, but their contribution to the integrated ionising luminosity and wind luminosity was ~ 40% and ~ 50%, respectively. Similarly, stars with M > 100 M (mostly H-rich WN stars) also showed high contributions to the global feedback, ~ 25% in both cases. Such massive stars are not accounted for by the current Starburst99 code, which was found to underestimate the integrated ionising luminosity of R136 by a factor ~ 2 and the wind luminosity by a factor ~ 9. The census inferred a SFR for 30 Dor of 0.073 ± 0.04 M yr . This was generally higher than that obtained from some popular SFR calibrations but still showed good consistency with the far-UV luminosity tracer as well as the combined Hα and mid-infrared tracer, but only after correcting for Hα extinction. The global ionising output was also found to exceed that measured from the associated gas and dust, suggesting that ~6 % of the ionising photons escape the region. Conclusions. When studying the most luminous star forming regions, it is essential to include their most massive stars if one is to determine a reliable energy budget. Photon leakage becomes more likely after including their large contributions to the ionising output. If 30 Dor is typical of other massive star forming regions, estimates of the SFR will be underpredicted if this escape fraction is not accounted for.

Business Giving, the Tsunami and Corporates as Rock Stars: Some Implications for Arts Funding?

Financial and cultural aspects of corporate giving by UK and non-UK companies in response to the December 2004 South Asia Tsunami disaster are explored in this article. Literatures on corporate giving rationales, concepts of disaster and donor activity in disasters provide an underpinning. The article seeks to make connections between this high profile if short-lived business giving and the funding of the arts that is sought from business; and to draw tentative lessons for arts funding when seeking business support. The giving accounts in the wake of the Tsunami from a non-probability sample of 56 UK companies and 16 non-UK companies were examined. Reported online to the UK charity Business in the Community, these accounts were accessed in February 2005 and scrutinized thematically. Concurrently, company financial profiles to accompany giving figures were constructed. Although linkages between donation levels and financial performance were lacking, emerging themes included the role of employees, influencing company giving and creating a climate of expectation of firms' contributions. These developments may have important implications for business funding for the arts, where leading philanthropists are prominent as individuals in the giving landscapes; but employees' collective involvement is not marked. Alternatively, cultivation of employees as would-be donors, indirectly via their firms, may be a more secure, if lower level route to funding for some arts organizations than dependence on high profile business leaders. The article considers alternative scenarios for company giving in disaster contexts, including as a sustained and lasting giving theme or as company support as a ‘one-off’ event, rock-star style. The likely development of employee power as a key element in company giving is explored; and its wider meanings for funding in arts settings, (where the giver as rock star heroine/hero is also prominent) are considered.

Photodissociation and chemistry of N2 in the circumstellar envelope of carbon-rich AGB stars

The envelopes of AGB stars are irradiated externally by ultraviolet photons; hence, the chemistry is sensitive to the photodissociation of N$_2$ and CO, which are major reservoirs of nitrogen and carbon, respectively. The photodissociation of N$_2$ has recently been quantified by laboratory and theoretical studies. Improvements have also been made for CO photodissociation. For the first time, we use accurate N$_2$ and CO photodissociation rates and shielding functions in a model of the circumstellar envelope of the carbon-rich AGB star, IRC +10216. We use a state-of-the-art chemical model of an AGB envelope, the latest CO and N$_2$ photodissociation data, and a new method for implementing molecular shielding functions in full spherical geometry with isotropic incident radiation. We compare computed column densities and radial distributions of molecules with observations. The transition of N$_2$ $\to$ N (also, CO $\to$ C $\to$ C$^+$) is shifted towards the outer envelope relative to previous models. This leads to different column densities and radial distributions of N-bearing species, especially those species whose formation/destruction processes largely depend on the availability of atomic or molecular nitrogen, for example, C$_n$N ($n$=1, 3, 5), C$_n$N$^-$ ($n$=1, 3, 5), HC$_n$N ($n$=1, 3, 5, 7, 9), H$_2$CN and CH$_2$CN. The chemistry of many species is directly or indirectly affected by the photodissociation of N$_2$ and CO, especially in the outer shell of AGB stars where photodissociation is important. Thus, it is important to include N$_2$ and CO shielding in astrochemical models of AGB envelopes and other irradiated environments. In general, while differences remain between our model of IRC +10216 and the observed molecular column densities, better agreement is found between the calculated and observed radii of peak abundance.

The spotty donor star in the X-ray transient Cen X-4

We accurately determine the fundamental system parameters of the neutron star X-ray transient Cen X-4 solely using phase-resolved high-resolution UV-Visual Echelle Spectrograph spectroscopy. We first determine the radial-velocity curve of the secondary star and then model the shape of the phase-resolved absorption line profiles using an X-ray binary model. The model computes the exact rotationally broadened, phase-resolved spectrum and does not depend on assumptions about the rotation profile, limb-darkening coefficients and the effects of contamination from an accretion disc. We determine the secondary star-to-neutron star binary mass ratio to be 0.1755 ± 0.0025, which is an order of magnitude more accurate than previous estimates. We also constrain the inclination angle to be 32^{+8}_{-2} degrees. Combining these values with the results of the radial-velocity study gives a neutron star mass of 1.94^{+0.37}_{-0.85}M⊙ consistent with previous estimates. Finally, we perform the first Roche tomography reconstruction of the secondary star in an X-ray binary. The tomogram reveals surface inhomogeneities that are due to the presence of cool starspots. A large cool polar spot, similar to that seen in Doppler images of rapidly rotating isolated stars, is present on the Northern hemisphere of the K7 secondary star and we estimate that ~4 percent of the total surface area of the donor star is covered with spots.This evidence for starspots supports the idea that magnetic braking plays an important role in the evolution of low-mass X-ray binaries.

A window on exoplanet dynamical histories: Rossiter-McLaughlin observations of WASP-13b and WASP-32b

We present Rossiter-McLaughlin observations of WASP-13b and WASP-32b and determine the sky-projected angle between the normal of the planetary orbit and the stellar rotation axis (λ). WASP-13b and WASP-32b both have prograde orbits and are consistent with alignment with measured sky-projected angles of λ =8°^{+13}_{-12} and λ =-2°^{+17}_{-19}, respectively. Both WASP-13 and WASP-32 have Teff < 6250 K, and therefore, these systems support the general trend that aligned planetary systems are preferentially found orbiting cool host stars. A Lomb-Scargle periodogram analysis was carried out on archival SuperWASP data for both systems. A statistically significant stellar rotation period detection (above 99.9 per cent confidence) was identified for the WASP-32 system with Prot =11.6 ± 1.0 days. This rotation period is in agreement with the predicted stellar rotation period calculated from the stellar radius, R*, and vsin i if a stellar inclination of i* =90° is assumed. With the determined rotation period, the true 3D angle between the stellar rotation axis and the planetary orbit, ψ, was found to be ψ = 11° ± 14°. We conclude with a discussion on the alignment of systems around cool host stars with Teff < 6150 K by calculating the tidal dissipation time-scale. We find that systems with short tidal dissipation time-scales are preferentially aligned and systems with long tidal dissipation time-scales have a broad range of obliquities.

Interacting supernovae from photoionization-confined shells around red supergiant stars

Betelgeuse, a nearby red supergiant, is a runaway star with a powerful stellar wind that drives a bow shock into its surroundings. This picture has been challenged by the discovery of a dense and almost static shell that is three times closer to the star than the bow shock and has been decelerated by some external force. The two physically distinct structures cannot both be formed by the hydrodynamic interaction of the wind with the interstellar medium. Here we report that a model in which Betelgeuse's wind is photoionized by radiation from external sources can explain the static shell without requiring a new understanding of the bow shock. Pressure from the photoionized wind generates a standing shock in the neutral part of the wind and forms an almost static, photoionization-confined shell. Other red supergiants should have significantly more massive shells than Betelgeuse, because the photoionization-confined shell traps up to 35 per cent of all mass lost during the red supergiant phase, confining this gas close to the star until it explodes. After the supernova explosion, massive shells dramatically affect the supernova lightcurve, providing a natural explanation for the many supernovae that have signatures of circumstellar interaction.

Evaluation of Corrosion Fatigue Behaviour of Laser-welded NiTi Alloys using Bending Rotation Fatigue Test in Simulated Body Fluid

Shape memory NiTi alloys have been used extensively for medical device applications such as orthopedic, dental, vascular and cardiovascular devices on account of their unique shape memory effect (SME) and super-elasticity (SE). Laser welding is found to be the most suitable method used to fabricate NiTi-based medical components. However, the performance of laser-welded NiTi alloys under corrosive environments is not fully understood and a specific focus on understanding the corrosion fatigue behaviour is not evident in the literature. This study reveals a comparison of corrosion fatigue behaviour of laser-welded and bare NiTi alloys using bending rotation fatigue (BRF) test which was integrated with a specifically designed corrosion cell. The testing environment was Hanks’ solution (simulated body fluid) at 37.5oC. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) measurement was carried out to monitor the change of corrosion resistance at different periods during the BRF test. Experiments indicate that the laser-welded NiTi alloy would be more susceptible to the corrosion fatigue attack than the bare NiTi alloy. This finding can serve as a benchmark for the product designers and engineers to determine the factor of safety of NiTi medical devices fabricated using laser welding.

Shape and Rotation Modeling and Thermophysical Analysis of Near-Earth Asteroid (1917) Cuyo

We are conducting an ESO Large Program that includes optical photometry, thermal-IR observations, and optical-NIR spectroscopy of selected NEAs. Among the principal goals of the program are shape and spin-state modeling, and searching for YORP-induced changes in rotation periods. One of our targets is asteroid (1917) Cuyo, a near-Earth asteroid from the Amor group. We carried out an extensive observing campaign on Cuyo between April 2010 and April 2013, operating primarily at the ESO 3.6m NTT for optical photometry, and the 8.2m VLT at Paranal for thermal-IR imaging. Further optical observations were acquired at the ESO 2.2m telescope, the Palomar 200" Hale telescope (California), JPL’s Table Mountain Observatory (California) and the Faulkes Telescope South (Australia). We obtained optical imaging data for rotational lightcurves throughout this period, as the asteroid passed through a wide range of observational geometries, conducive to producing a good shape model and spin state solution. The preliminary shape and spin state model indicates a nearly spherical shape and a rotation pole at ecliptic longitude λ = 53° ± 20° and latitude β = -37° ± 10° (1-sigma error bars are approximate). The sidereal rotation period was measured to be 2.6899522 ± (3 × 10^-7) hours. Linkage with earlier lightcurve data shows possible evidence of a small change in rotation rate during the period 1989-2013. We applied the NEATM thermal model (Harris A., Icarus 131, 291, 1998) to our VLT thermal-IR measurements (8-19.6 μm), obtained in September and December 2011. The derived effective diameter ranges from 3.4 to 4.2 km, and the geometric albedo is 0.16 (+0.07, -0.04). Using the shape model and thermal fluxes we will perform a detailed thermophysical analysis using the new Advanced Thermophysical Model (Rozitis, B. & Green, S.F., MNRAS 415, 2042, 2011; Rozitis, B. & Green, S.F., MNRAS 423, 367, 2012). This work was performed in part at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory under a contract with NASA.

Spitzer Space Telescope spectra of post-AGB stars in the large magellanic Cloud-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at low metallicities

This paper reports variations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) features that were found in Spitzer Space Telescope spectra of carbon-rich post-asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The paper consists of two parts. The first part describes our Spitzer spectral observing programme of 24 stars including post-AGB candidates. The latter half of this paper presents the analysis of PAH features in 20 carbon-rich post-AGB stars in the LMC, assembled from the Spitzer archive as well as from our own programme.We found that five post-AGB stars showed a broad feature with a peak at 7.7 μm, that had not been classified before. Further, the 10-13 μm PAH spectra were classified into four classes, one of which has three broad peaks at 11.3, 12.3 and 13.3 μm rather than two distinct sharp peaks at 11.3 and 12.7 μm, as commonly found in HII regions. Our studies suggest that PAHs are gradually processed while the central stars evolve from post-AGB phase to planetary nebulae, changing their composition before PAHs are incorporated into the interstellar medium. Although some metallicity dependence of PAH spectra exists, the evolutionary state of an object is more significant than its metallicity in determining the spectral characteristics of PAHs for LMC and Galactic post-AGB stars. © 2014 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Ab initio diffusional potential energy surface for CO chemisorption on Pd{110} at high coverage:Coupled translation and rotation

The ground state potential energy surface for CO chemisorption across Pd{110} has been calculated using density functional theory with gradient corrections at monolayer coverage. The most stable site corresponds well with the experimental adsorption heat, and it is found that the strength of binding to sites is in the following order: pseudo-short-bridge>atop>long-bridge>hollow. Pathways and transition states for CO surface diffusion, involving a correlation between translation and orientation, are proposed and discussed. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.

Observational Constraints on the Progenitors of Core-Collapse Supernovae: The Case for Missing High-Mass Stars

Over the last 15 years, the supernova community has endeavoured to directly identify progenitor stars for core-collapse supernovae discovered in nearby galaxies. These precursors are often visible as resolved stars in high-resolution images from space-and ground-based telescopes. The discovery rate of progenitor stars is limited by the local supernova rate and the availability and depth of archive images of galaxies, with 18 detections of precursor objects and 27 upper limits. This review compiles these results (from 1999 to 2013) in a distance-limited sample and discusses the implications of the findings. The vast majority of the detections of progenitor stars are of type II-P, II-L, or IIb with one type Ib progenitor system detected and many more upper limits for progenitors of Ibc supernovae (14 in all). The data for these 45 supernovae progenitors illustrate a remarkable deficit of high-luminosity stars above an apparent limit of log L/L-circle dot similar or equal to 5.1 dex. For a typical Salpeter initial mass function, one would expect to have found 13 high-luminosity and high-mass progenitors by now. There is, possibly, only one object in this time-and volume-limited sample that is unambiguously high-mass (the progenitor of SN2009ip) although the nature of that supernovae is still debated. The possible biases due to the influence of circumstellar dust, the luminosity analysis, and sample selection methods are reviewed. It does not appear likely that these can explain the missing high-mass progenitor stars. This review concludes that the community's work to date shows that the observed populations of supernovae in the local Universe are not, on the whole, produced by high-mass (M greater than or similar to 18 M-circle dot) stars. Theoretical explosions of model stars also predict that black hole formation and failed supernovae tend to occur above an initial mass of M similar or equal to 18 M-circle dot. The models also suggest there is no simple single mass division for neutron star or black-hole formation and that there are islands of explodability for stars in the 8-120 M-circle dot range. The observational constraints are quite consistent with the bulk of stars above M similar or equal to 18 M-circle dot collapsing to form black holes with no visible supernovae.

Massive stars exploding in a He-rich circumstellar medium - VI. Observations of two distant Type Ibn supernova candidates discovered by La Silla-QUEST

We present optical observations of the peculiar stripped-envelope supernovae (SNe) LSQ12btw and LSQ13ccw discovered by the La Silla-QUEST survey. LSQ12btw reaches an absolute peak magnitude of M-g = -19.3 +/- 0.2, and shows an asymmetric light curve. Stringent pre-discovery limits constrain its rise time to maximum light to less than 4 d, with a slower post-peak luminosity decline, similar to that experienced by the prototypical SN Ibn 2006jc. LSQ13ccw is somewhat different: while it also exhibits a very fast rise to maximum, it reaches a fainter absolute peak magnitude (M-g =-18.4 +/- 0.2), and experiences an extremely rapid post-peak decline similar to that observed in the peculiar SN Ib 2002bj. A stringent pre-discovery limit and an early marginal detection of LSQ13ccw allow us to determine the explosion time with an uncertainty of +/- 1 d. The spectra of LSQ12btw show the typical narrow He I emission lines characterizing Type Ibn SNe, suggesting that the SN ejecta are interacting with He-rich circumstellar material. The He I lines in the spectra of LSQ13ccw exhibit weak narrow emissions superposed on broad components. An unresolved H alpha line is also detected, suggesting a tentative Type Ibn/IIn classification. As for other SNe Ibn, we argue that LSQ12btw and LSQ13ccw likely result from the explosions of Wolf-Rayet stars that experienced instability phases prior to core collapse. We inspect the host galaxies of SNe Ibn, and we show that all of them but one are hosted in spiral galaxies, likely in environments spanning a wide metallicity range.