Magnetic field topology of the RS CVn star II Pegasi

The dynamo processes in cool active stars generate complex magnetic fields responsible for prominent surface stellar activity and variability at different time scales. For a small number of cool stars magnetic field topologies were reconstructed from the time series of spectropolarimetric observations using the Zeeman Doppler imaging (ZDI) method. In this study we follow a long-term evolution of the magnetic field topology of the RS CVn binary star II Peg. We collected high-resolution circular polarisation observations of II Peg using the SOFIN spectropolarimeter at the Nordic Optical Telescope. These data cover 12 epochs spread over 7 years. A multi-line diagnostic technique in combination with a new ZDI code is applied to interpret these observations. Magnetic inversions using these data reveals evolving magnetic fields with typical local strengths of 0.5-1.0 kG and complex topologies. Despite using a self-consistent magnetic and temperature mapping technique, we do not find a clear correlation between magnetic and temperature features in the ZDI maps. Neither do we confirm the presence of persistent azimuthal field rings found in other RS CVn stars. Reconstruction of the magnetic field topology of II Peg reveals significant evolution of both the surface magnetic field structure and the extended magnetospheric field geometry. From 2004 to 2010 the total field energy drastically declined and the field became less axisymmetric. This also coincided with the transition from predominantly poloidal to mainly toroidal field topology. A qualitative comparison of the ZDI maps of II Peg with the prediction of dynamo theory suggests that the magnetic field in this star is produced mainly by the turbulent alpha^2 dynamo rather than the solar alphaOmega dynamo. Our results do not show a clear active longitude system, nor is there an evidence of the presence of an azimuthal dynamo wave.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures; accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Doppler images of II Pegasi for 2004-2010

Aims. We study the spot activity of II Peg during the years 2004-2010 to determine long- and short-term changes in the magnetic activity. In a previous study, we detected a persistent active longitude, as well as major changes in the spot configuration occurring on a timescale of shorter than a year. The main objective of this study is to determine whether the same phenomena persist in the star during these six years of spectroscopic monitoring. Methods. The observations were collected with the high-resolution SOFIN spectrograph at the Nordic Optical Telescope. The temperature maps were calculated using a Doppler imaging code based on Tikhonov regularization. Results. We present 12 new temperature maps that show spots distributed mainly over high and intermediate latitudes. In each image, 1-3 main active regions can be identified. The activity level of the star is clearly lower than during our previous study for the years 1994-2002. In contrast to the previous observations, we detect no clear drift of the active regions with respect to the rotation of the star. Conclusions. Having shown a systematic longitudinal drift of the spot-generating mechanism during 1994-2002, the star has clearly switched to a low-activity state for 2004-2010, during which the spot locations appear more random over phase space. It could be that the star is near to a minimum of its activity cycle.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astron. and Astrophys., 8 pages, 5 figure

Doppler images and the underlying dynamo. The case of AF Leporis

The (Zeeman-)Doppler imaging studies of solar-type stars very often reveal large high-latitude spots. This also includes F stars that possess relatively shallow convection zones, indicating that the dynamo operating in these stars differs from the solar dynamo. We aim to determine whether mean-field dynamo models of late-F type dwarf stars can reproduce the surface features recovered in Doppler maps. In particular, we wish to test whether the models can reproduce the high-latitude spots observed on some F dwarfs. The photometric inversions and the surface temperature maps of AF Lep were obtained using the Occamian-approach inversion technique. Low signal-to-noise spectroscopic data were improved by applying the least-squares deconvolution method. The locations of strong magnetic flux in the stellar tachocline as well as the surface fields obtained from mean-field dynamo solutions were compared with the observed surface temperature maps. The photometric record of AF Lep reveals both long- and short-term variability. However, the current data set is too short for cycle-length estimates. From the photometry, we have determined the rotation period of the star to be 0.9660+-0.0023 days. The surface temperature maps show a dominant, but evolving, high-latitude (around +65 degrees) spot. Detailed study of the photometry reveals that sometimes the spot coverage varies only marginally over a long time, and at other times it varies rapidly. Of a suite of dynamo models, the model with a radiative interior rotating as fast as the convection zone at the equator delivered the highest compatibility with the obtained Doppler images.Comment: accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

The first close-up of the "flip-flop" phenomenon in a single star

We present temperature maps of the active late-type giant FK Com which exhibit the first imagining record of the ``flip-flop'' phenomenon in a single star. The phenomenon, in which the main part of the spot activity shifts 180 degrees in longitude, discovered a decade ago in FK Com, was reported later also in a number of RS CVn binaries and a single young dwarf. With the surface images obtained right before and after the ``flip-flop'', we clearly show that the ``flip-flop'' phenomenon in FK Com is caused by changing the relative strengths of the spot groups at the two active longitudes, with no actual spot movements across the stellar surface, i.e. exactly as it happens in other active stars.Comment: 4 pages, accepted by A&A Letter

Superfluid to normal phase transition and extreme regularity of superdeformed bands

We derive the exact semiclassical expression for the second inertial parameter $\cal B$ for the superfluid and normal phases. Interpolation between these limiting values shows that the function ${\cal B}(I)$ changes sign at the spin $I_c$, which is critical for a rotational spectrum. The quantity $\cal B$ turns out to be a sensitive measure of the change in static pairing correlations. The superfluid-to-normal transition reveals itself in the specific variation of the ratio ${\cal B}/{\cal A}$ versus spin $I$ with the plateau characteristic of the normal phase. We find this dependence to be universal for normal deformed and superdeformed bands. The long plateau with a small value ${\cal B}/{\cal A}\sim A^{-8/3}$ explains the extreme regularity of superdeformed bands.Comment: 30 pages in LaTeX, 6 figures (PostScript). To be published in Yadernaya Fizika (Physics of Atomic Nuclei), special edition dedecated to the 90th birthday of Prof. I. I. Gurevit

A field study of team working in a new human supervisory control system

This paper presents a case study of an investigation into team behaviour in an energy distribution company. The main aim was to investigate the impact of major changes in the company on system performance, comprising human and technical elements. A socio-technical systems approach was adopted. There were main differences between the teams investigated in the study: the time of year each control room was studied (i.e. summer or winter),the stage of development each team was in (i.e. 10 months), and the team structure (i.e. hierarchical or heterarchical). In all other respects the control rooms were the same: employing the same technology and within the same organization. The main findings were: the teams studied in the winter months were engaged in more `planning’ and `awareness’ type of activities than those studies in the summer months. Newer teams seem to be engaged in more sharing of information than older teams, which maybe indicative of the development process. One of the hierarchical teams was engaged in more `system-driven’ activities than the heterarchical team studied at the same time of year. Finally, in general, the heterarchical team perceived a greater degree of team working culture than its hierarchical counterparts. This applied research project confirms findings from laboratory research and emphasizes the importance of involving ergonomics in the design of team working in human supervisory control

The magnetic field and the evolution of element spots on the surface of the HgMn eclipsing binary AR Aur

The system AR Aur is a young late B-type double-lined eclipsing binary with a primary star of HgMn peculiarity. We applied the Doppler imaging method to reconstruct the distribution of Fe and Y over the surface of the primary using spectroscopic time series obtained in 2005 and from 2008 October to 2009 February. The results show a remarkable evolution of the element distribution and overabundances. Measurements of the magnetic field with the moment technique using several elements reveal the presence of a longitudinal magnetic field of the order of a few hundred gauss in both stellar components and a quadratic field of the order of 8 kG on the surface of the primary star.Fil: Hubrig, S.. Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam; AlemaniaFil: Savanov, I.. Russian Academy of Sciences. Institute of Astronomy; RusiaFil: Ilyin, I.. Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam; AlemaniaFil: Gonzalez, Jorge Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico San Juan. Instituto de Ciencias Astronomicas de la Tierra y del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Korhonen, H.. European Southern Observatory; AlemaniaFil: Lehmann, H.. Thuringer Landessternwarte; AlemaniaFil: Schöller, M.. European Southern Observatory; AlemaniaFil: Granzer, T.. Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam; AlemaniaFil: Weber, M.. Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam; AlemaniaFil: Strassmeier, K. G.. Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam; AlemaniaFil: Hackman, T.. Thuringer Landessternwarte; AlemaniaFil: Tkachenko, A.. Thuringer Landessternwarte; Argentin

Live to cheat another day: bacterial dormancy facilitates the social exploitation of beta-lactamases

The breakdown of antibiotics by β-lactamases may be cooperative, since resistant cells can detoxify their environment and facilitate the growth of susceptible neighbours. However, previous studies of this phenomenon have used artificial bacterial vectors or engineered bacteria to increase the secretion of β-lactamases from cells. Here, we investigated whether a broad-spectrum β-lactamase gene carried by a naturally occurring plasmid (pCT) is cooperative under a range of conditions. In ordinary batch culture on solid media, there was little or no evidence that resistant bacteria could protect susceptible cells from ampicillin, although resistant colonies could locally detoxify this growth medium. However, when susceptible cells were inoculated at high densities, late-appearing phenotypically susceptible bacteria grew in the vicinity of resistant colonies. We infer that persisters, cells that have survived antibiotics by undergoing a period of dormancy, founded these satellite colonies. The number of persister colonies was positively correlated with the density of resistant colonies and increased as antibiotic concentrations decreased. We argue that detoxification can be cooperative under a limited range of conditions: if the toxins are bacteriostatic rather than bacteridical; or if susceptible cells invade communities after resistant bacteria; or if dormancy allows susceptible cells to avoid bactericides. Resistance and tolerance were previously thought to be independent solutions for surviving antibiotics. Here, we show that these are interacting strategies: the presence of bacteria adopting one solution can have substantial effects on the fitness of their neighbours

Lifetimes of states in 19Ne above the 15 O + alpha breakup threshold

The 15O(alpha,gamma)19Ne reaction plays a role in the ignition of Type I x-ray bursts on accreting neutron stars. The lifetimes of states in 19Ne above the 15O + alpha threshold of 3.53 MeV are important inputs to calculations of the astrophysical reaction rate. These levels in 19Ne were populated in the 3He(20Ne,alpha)19Ne reaction at a 20Ne beam energy of 34 MeV. The lifetimes of six states above the threshold were measured with the Doppler shift attenuation method (DSAM). The present measurements agree with previous determinations of the lifetimes of these states and in some cases are considerably more precise