We report the trigonometric parallax of IRAS 07427-2400 with VERA to be 0.185 $pm$ 0.027 mas, corresponding to a distance of 5.41$^{+0.92}_{-0.69}$ kpc. The result is consistent with the previous result of 5.32$^{+0.49}_{-0.42}$ kpc obtained by Choi
et al. (2014) within error. To remove the effect of internal maser motions (e.g., random motions), we observed six maser features associated with IRAS 07427-2400 and determined systematic proper motions of the source by averaging proper motions of the six maser features. The obtained proper motions are ($mu_{alpha}$cos$delta$, $mu_{delta}$) = ($-$1.79 $pm$ 0.32, 2.60 $pm$ 0.17) mas yr$^{-1}$ in equatorial coordinates, while Choi et al. (2014) showed ($mu_{alpha}$cos$delta$, $mu_{delta}$) = ($-$2.43 $pm$ 0.02, 2.49 $pm$ 0.09) mas yr$^{-1}$ with one maser feature. Our astrometry results place the source in the Perseus arm, the nearest main arm in the Milky Way. Using our result with previous astrometry results obtained from observations of the Perseus arm, we conducted direct (quantitative) comparisons between 27 astrometry results and an analytic gas dynamics model based on the density-wave theory and obtained two results. First is the pitch angle of the Perseus arm determined by VLBI astrometry, 11.1 $pm$ 1.4 deg, differing from what is determined by the spiral potential model (probably traced by stars), $sim$ 20 deg. The second is an offset between a dense gas region and the bottom of the spiral potential model. The dense gas region traced by VLBI astrometry is located downstream of the spiral potential model, which was previously confirmed in the nearby grand-design spiral galaxy M51 in Egusa et al. (2011).
Direct observation of black holes is one of the grand challenges in astronomy. If there are super-compact objects which possess unstable circular orbits of photons, however, it may be difficult to distinguish them from black holes by observing photon
s. As a model of super-compact objects, we consider a gravastar (gravitational-vacuum-star) which was originally proposed by Mazur and Mottola. For definiteness, we adopt a spherical thin-shell model of a gravastar developed by Visser and Wiltshire, which connects interior de-Sitter geometry and exterior Schwarzschild geometry. We find that unstable circular orbits of photons can appear around the gravastar. Then, we investigate the optical images of the gravastar possessing unstable circular orbits, with assuming the optically transparent surface of it and two types of optical sources behind the gravastar: (i) an infinite optical plane and (ii) a companion star. The main feature of the image of (i) is that a bright disk and a dark thick ring surrounding the disk appear in the center of the region which would be completely dark if the compact object was not the gravastar but Schwarzschild black hole. Also in the case (ii), a small disk and arcs around the disk appear in the region which would be completely dark for the lensing image by Schwarzschild black hole. Because characteristic images appear inside the gravastar in both cases, we could tell the difference between a black hole and a gravastar with high-resolution VLBI observations near future.
We present the first measurement of the absolute proper motions of IRAS 00259+5625 (CB3, LBN594) associated with the HI loop called the NGC281 superbubble that extends from the Galactic plane over ~300 pc toward decreasing galactic latitude. The prop
er motion components measured with VERA are (mu_alpha cos(delta), mu_delta) = (-2.48 +/- 0.32, -2.85 +/- 0.65) mas yr^{-1}, converted into (mu_l cos(b), mu_b) = (-2.72 +/- 0.32, -2.62 +/- 0.65) mas yr^{-1} in the Galactic coordinates. The measured proper motion perpendicular to the Galactic plane (mu_b) shows vertical motion away from the Galactic plane with a significance of about ~4-sigma. As for the source distance, the distance measured with VERA is marginal, 2.4^{+1.0}_{-0.6} kpc. Using the distance, an absolute vertical motion (v_{b}) of -17.9 +/- 12.2 km s^{-1} is determined with ~1.5-sigma significance. The tendency of the large vertical motion is consistent with previous VLBI results for NGC 281 associated with the same superbubble. Thus, our VLBI results indicate the superbubble expansion motion whose origin is believed to be sequential supernova explosions.
We present a measurement of the trigonometric parallax of IRAS 05168+3634 with VERA. The parallax is 0.532 +/- 0.053 mas, corresponding to a distance of 1.88 +0.21/-0.17 kpc. This is significantly closer than the previous distance estimate of 6 kpc b
ased on a kinematic distance measurement. This drastic change in the source distance implies the need for revised values of not only the physical parameters of IRAS 05168+3634, but it also implies a different location in the Galaxy, placing it in the Perseus arm rather than the Outer arm. We also measured the proper motion of the source. A combination of the distance and proper motion with the systemic velocity yields a rotation velocity {Theta} = 227 +9/-11 km s^-1 at the source position, assuming {Theta}_0 = 240 km s^-1. Our result, combined with previous VLBI results for six sources in the Perseus arm, indicates that the sources rotate systematically more slowly than the Galactic rotation velocity at the local standard of rest. In fact, we derive peculiar motions in the disk averaged over the seven sources in the Perseus arm of (U_mean, V_mean) = (11 +/- 3, -17 +/- 3) km s^-1, which indicates that these seven sources are moving systematically toward the Galactic Center and lag behind the overall Galactic rotation.
We report measurement of trigonometric parallax of IRAS 05168+3634 with VERA. The parallax is 0.532 +/- 0.053 mas, corresponding to a distance of 1.88+0.21/-0.17 kpc. This result is significantly smaller than the previous distance estimate of 6 kpc b
ased on kinematic distance. This drastic change in the source distance revises not only physical parameters of IRAS 05168+3634, but also its location of the source, placing it in the Perseus arm rather than the Outer arm. We also measure proper motions of the source. A combination of the distance and the proper motions with systemic velocity yields rotation velocity ({Theta}) of 227+9/-11 km s-1 at the source, assuming {Theta}0 = 240 km s-1. Our result combined with previous VLBI results for six sources in the Perseus arm indicates that the sources rotate systematically slower than the Galactic rotation velocity at the LSR. In fact, we show observed disk peculiar motions averaged over the seven sources in the Perseus arm as (Umean, Vmean) = (11 +/- 3, -17 +/- 3) km s-1, indicating that these seven sources are systematically moving toward the Galactic center, and lag behind the Galactic rotation.
In the system of a gravitating Q-ball, there is a maximum charge $Q_{{rm max}}$ inevitably, while in flat spacetime there is no upper bound on $Q$ in typical models such as the Affleck-Dine model. Theoretically the charge $Q$ is a free parameter, and
phenomenologically it could increase by charge accumulation. We address a question of what happens to Q-balls if $Q$ is close to $Q_{{rm max}}$. First, without specifying a model, we show analytically that inflation cannot take place in the core of a Q-ball, contrary to the claim of previous work. Next, for the Affleck-Dine model, we analyze perturbation of equilibrium solutions with $Qapprox Q_{{rm max}}$ by numerical analysis of dynamical field equations. We find that the extremal solution with $Q=Q_{{rm max}}$ and unstable solutions around it are critical solutions, which means the threshold of black-hole formation.
We explore equilibrium solutions of non-topological solitons in a general class of scalar field theories which include global U(1) symmetry. We find new types of solutions, tube-shaped and crust-shaped objects, and investigate their stability. Like Q
-balls, the new solitons can exist in supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model, which may responsible for baryon asymmetry and dark matter. Therefore, observational signals of the new solitons would give us more informations on the early universe and supersymmetric theories.
We study the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy due to spherically symmetric nonlinear structures in flat universes with dust and a cosmological constant. By modeling a time-evolving spherical compensated void/lump by Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi
spacetimes, we numerically solve the null geodesic equations with the Einstein equations. We find that a nonlinear void redshifts the CMB photons that pass through it regardless of the distance to it. In contrast, a nonlinear lump blueshifts (or redshifts) the CMB photons if it is located near (or sufficiently far from) us. The present analysis comprehensively covers previous works based on a thin-shell approximation and a linear/second order perturbation method and the effects of shell thickness and full nonlinearity. Our results indicate that, if quasi-linear and large ($>100$Mpc) voids/lumps would exist, they could be observed as cold or hot spots with temperature variance $>10^{-5}$K in the CMB sky.
We propose a practical method for analyzing stability of Q-balls for the whole parameter space, which includes the intermediate region between the thin-wall limit and thick-wall limit as well as Q-bubbles (Q-balls in false vacuum), using the catastro
phe theory. We apply our method to the two concrete models, $V_3=m^2phi^2/2-muphi^3+lambdaphi^4$ and $V_4=m^2phi^2/2-lambdaphi^4+phi^6/M^2$. We find that $V_3$ and $V_4$ Models fall into {it fold catastrophe} and {it cusp catastrophe}, respectively, and their stability structures are quite different from each other.
We consider the model of a false vacuum bubble with a thin wall where the surface energy density is composed of two different components, domain-wall type and dust type, with opposite signs. We find stably oscillating solutions, which we call breathi
ng bubbles. By decay to a lower mass state, such a breathing bubble could become either i) a child universe or ii) a bubble that eats up the original universe, depending on the sign of the surface energy of the domain-wall component. We also discuss the effect of the finite-thickness corrections to the thin-wall approximation and possible origins of the energy contents of our model.
