1,280 research outputs found
Research in solar physics: Some techniques for analyzing data from the ultraviolet spectrometer and polarimeter
Useful information for certain aspects of the analysis of data obtained by the Ultraviolet Spectrometer and Polarimeter (UVSP) on the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) are contained. The meaning of the UVSPCO-ordinate system and the SMM roll, pitch, and yaw are described and the process for overlaying UVSP images is explained. The various computer programs that calculate the line of sight component of the SMM spacecraft velocity from the spacecraft to the Sun is described. The spacecraft velocity is used to correct or interpret the signal observed in USVP dopplergrams. A method of using the spacecraft velocity to calibrate UVSP dopplergrams and magnetograms, i.e., determine the width of the observed emission line is applied. The UVSP polarization analysis procedures are described and the expressions for the statistical uncertainties in various quantities obtained from UVSP measurements are given
A systematic search for novae in M31 on a large set of digitized archival Schmidt plates
This paper reports on the detection of optical novae in our neighbour galaxy
M31 based on digitized historical Tautenburg Schmidt plates. The accurate
positions of the detected novae lead to a much larger database when searching
for recurrent novae in M31. We conducted a systematic search for novae on 306
digitized Tautenburg Schmidt plates covering a time span of 36 years from 1960
to 1996. From the database of both ~ 300 000 light curves and about one million
detections on only one plate per colour band, nova candidates were efficiently
selected by automated algorithms and subsequently individually inspected by
eye. We report the detection of 84 nova candidates. We found 55 nova candidates
from the automated analysis of the light curves. Among these, 22 were
previously unknown, 12 were known but not identified on Tautenburg Schmidt
plates before, and 21 novae had been previously discovered on Tautenburg
plates. An additional 29 known novae could be confirmed by the detailed
investigation of single detections. One of our newly discovered nova candidates
shows a high position coincidence with a nova detected about 30 years earlier.
Therefore, this object is likely to be a recurrent nova. Furthermore, we
re-investigated all 41 nova candidates previously found on Tautenburg plates
and confirm all but two. Positions are given for all nova candidates with a
typical accuracy of ~ 0.4 arcsec. We present light curves and finding charts as
online material. The analysis of the plates has shown the wealth of information
still buried in old plate archives. Extrapolating from this survey,
digitization of other historical M31 plate archives (e.g. from the Mount Wilson
or Asiago observatories) for a systematic nova search looks very promising.Comment: 29 pages, 14 figures, 19 tables, accepted for publication in A&A.
Figs 6-14 are reduced in resolution due to the restrictions on space
available on astro-ph; v2: minor grammatical change
Research in solar physics
Results from research in solar physics related to the Skylab/ATM S-056 X-Ray Experiment are presented. Included is a description of the data obtained by the X-Ray Telescope. Also presented are the S-056 filter bandpasses, the point-spread function, the meaning or interpretation of broadband filter observations, and reports on the analysis of some of the solar observations
M31N 2008-05d: A M 31 disk nova with a dipping supersoft X-ray light curve
Classical novae (CNe) represent a major class of supersoft X-ray sources
(SSSs) in the central region of our neighbouring galaxy M 31. Significantly
different SSS properties of CNe in the M 31 bulge and disk were indicated by
recent X-ray population studies, which however considered only a small number
of disk novae. We initiated a target of opportunity (ToO) program with
XMM-Newton to observe the SSS phases of CNe in the disk of M 31 and improve the
database for further population studies. We analysed two XMM-Newton ToO
observations triggered in Aug 2011 and Jan 2012, respectively, and extracted
X-ray spectra and light curves. We report the discovery of an X-ray counterpart
to the M 31 disk nova M31N 2008-05d. The X-ray spectrum of the object allows us
to classify it as a SSS parametrised by a blackbody temperature of 32+/-6 eV.
More than three years after the nova outburst, the X-ray light curve of the SSS
exhibits irregular, broad dip features. These dips affect primarily the very
soft part of the X-ray spectrum, which might indicate absorption effects.
Dipping SSS light curves are rarely observed in M 31 novae. As well as
providing an unparalleled statistical sample, the M 31 population of novae with
SSS counterparts produces frequent discoveries of unusual objects, thereby
underlining the importance of regular monitoring.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 1 table; accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic
Cutting simulation with consideration of the material hardening in the Shear Zone of AISI1045
By the use of high energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction it was possible to determine the stress state in the chip formation zone during orthogonal cutting of AISI1045. The analysis of the diffractograms showed a hardening of the material during the movement through the shear zone. For this reason nano indentation experiments on prepared chips have been carried out. With these experiments, the material hardening has been confirmed. The nano indentation experiments were reproduced by FEM simulations and it was possible to determine flow curves of the hardened material above the shear zone based on existing flow curves of AISI1045. Thus, cutting simulations have been carried out, which considered the material hardening in the shear zone. The simulation results were then compared with the results of the in-situ strain measurements
CXOM31 J004253.1+411422: The first ultra-luminous X-ray transient in M 31
We seek clarification of the nature of X-ray sources detected in M 31. Here
we focus on CXOM31 J004253.1+411422, the brightness of which suggests that it
belongs to the class of ultraluminous X-ray sources. We determine the X-ray
properties of sources detected in the XMM-Newton Chandra monitoring program. We
investigate spectral properties and search for periodic or quasi-periodic
oscillations. A multi-component model is applied to the spectra obtained from
XMM-Newton data to evaluate the relative contributions from thermal and
non-thermal emission. The time dependence of this ratio is evaluated over a
period of forty days. We simultaneously fit data from XMM-Newton EPIC-pn, MOS1
and MOS2 detectors with (non-thermal) powerlaw and (thermal) multicolored
blackbody. The X-ray spectrum is best fit by the combination of a thermal
component with kT ~ 1 keV and a powerlaw component with photon index
approximately 2.6. From combined analysis of Chandra, Swift and XMM-Newton
data, the unabsorbed total luminosity of this source decreases from ~ 3.8 x
10^{39} erg s^{-1} in the first observation to ~ 0.5 x 10^{39} ergs s^{-1} over
a period of three months. The decay closely follows an exponential decline with
a time constant of 32 days. The source spectrum evolves significantly,
exhibiting a faster decline of the thermal component. We do not find evidence
of any significant temporal features in the power density spectrum. The
presence of a thermal component at kT ~ 1 keV in conjunction with a non-thermal
high energy tail, is also consistent with spectral properties of other ULXs in
the "high state". Our analysis indicates that the underlying source of this
first ULX in M~31 is a black hole of mass, M > 13 M_{sun}, accreting near the
Eddington limit, that underwent a transient outburst followed by an exponential
decay reminiscent of transients associated with galactic X-ray novae.Comment: Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics. 6 pages, 8 figure
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Assessment of the tissue distribution of transplanted human endothelial progenitor cells by radioactive labeling
Background— Transplantation of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) improves vascularization and left ventricular function after experimental myocardial ischemia. However, tissue distribution of transplanted EPCs has not yet been monitored in living animals. Therefore, we tested whether radioactive labeling allows us to detect injected EPCs
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