Engineering topics
Biermann, P.
Publications and source records attributed to Biermann, P..
The new eclipsing magnetic binary system E 1114 + 182
A comprehensive analysis of E 1114 + 182, the first eclipsing AM Herculis binary system and the shortest-period eclipsing cataclysmic variable known, is presented. The time-resolved X-ray observations which led to the system's recognition as an AM Her system with a roughly 90 minute orbital period are reported. The current optical photometric and polarimetric ephemeris and a description of the system's phase-modulated properties are given. The detailed photometric eclipse profile and the highly variable spectroscopic behavior are addressed. This information is used to determine systemic parameters and derive new information on the line emission regions. The data put severe constraints on current torque models for keeping the binary and white dwarf rotation in phase.
Large scale X-ray and radio structures associated with compact extragalactic sources
Knots of X-ray emission have been detected within 20 arcmin of five compact sources initially selected from the MPIfR north polar 5 GHz survey. Two of the knots have also been detected at centimeter wavelengths and probably have nonthermal spectra. They appear to be associated with the compact sources since the probability of serendipitous discovery at the observed flux levels is low. While the apparent association may be due to colocation of the sources in a distant supercluster, it is suggested on the basis of overall alignment, and possible correlations with structures in the respective central sources, that the association may be similar to that found in extended radio sources. The observed emission may thus be due to synchrotron or inverse Compton radiation, the energy being supplied by jets from the central source.
VLBI and X-ray observations of compact nuclei in pairs of galaxies
Five pairs of isolated pairs of galaxies with radio sources from the sample of Stocke et al. (1978) were observed with a three-element VLBI array operating at 4996 MHz. Parsec-scale components were detected in NGC 3894, Arp 102, and NGC 6500. Arp 102B was found to be a strong X-ray source with a luminosity in the 0.5-4.5 keV band of about 10 to the 43rd ergs/sec. Arp 102B was also found to be an elliptical galaxy for which no emission lines have been reported, and was the only source in the sample which appeared unresolved on the milli-arcsec scale, indicating that it may be related to BL Lac type objects.
Observations of six flat spectrum sources from the 5 GHz survey
Observations at radio, optical, and X-ray wavelengths of six sources from the Bonn-NRAO 5 GHz survey are reported. The sources were selected on the basis of their flux densities and spectral indices at 5 GHz. All have been shown to contain compact radio cores and to emit strongly at X-ray wavelengths; five are strongly polarized at optical wavelengths. The measured flux densities suggest that the sources are of comparable luminosity (per fractional bandwidth) in the X-ray and optical regions. The interpretation of these results in terms of a synchrotron-self-Compton mechanism is briefly discussed.
TX Cancri - Which component is hotter
The question is considered of whether the W-type light curves of TX Cnc result from a slightly higher temperature for the low-mass component or from a relatively strong classical gravity-darkening law. Photometric parameters for this W UMa binary area derived using light curves from four epochs exhibiting dissimilar behavior. The analysis is performed for up to five colors, and solutions are obtained by two different approaches in which the temperature difference between the components is treated as a free parameter or is determined by the surface gravitational field. The results of the second approach show that the polar effective temperature of the low-mass star is about 30 K cooler than that of the high-mass star, while the results of the first approach show the low-mass star to be 125 to 175 K hotter. Preference is given to the second approach because gravity darkening provides a simple and adequate explanation of the light curves. Epoch-to-epoch changes in the gravity-darkening and albedo parameters are taken as suggesting differences in the degree of thermal contact over a time scale of a few years.
Encounters of spherical galaxies. I - Galaxy models with one stellar population. II - Galaxy models with two stellar populations
Close encounters between two spherical galaxies of equal size and consisting of only one stellar population are calculated using models of elliptical galaxies constructed according to King's (1966) method. The mass loss and the change in internal energy are computed under the assumption that the stars do not change their velocity or density distributions during the encounters. The results for a specific case are compared with the calculations of Gallagher and Ostriker (1972), who employed the observed brightness distribution and the derived density distribution of the E1 galaxy NGC 3379. For models with one stellar population, the results suggest that the radius of a galactic halo would have to be at least 200 kpc for appreciable mass loss to occur over the history of a galaxy in a rich cluster. The calculations are then extended to include a halo population characterized by a high central velocity dispersion. In this case, it is found that the halo population of sufficiently large galaxies can be dispersed without appreciably affecting the main population. It is suggested that the missing mass of many clusters of galaxies may be located in an intergalactic sea of faint stars making up an envelope for the centrally located gE galaxies.