2,286 research outputs found
GRIPS - Gamma-Ray Imaging, Polarimetry and Spectroscopy
We propose to perform a continuously scanning all-sky survey from 200 keV to
80 MeV achieving a sensitivity which is better by a factor of 40 or more
compared to the previous missions in this energy range. The Gamma-Ray Imaging,
Polarimetry and Spectroscopy (GRIPS) mission addresses fundamental questions in
ESA's Cosmic Vision plan. Among the major themes of the strategic plan, GRIPS
has its focus on the evolving, violent Universe, exploring a unique energy
window. We propose to investigate -ray bursts and blazars, the
mechanisms behind supernova explosions, nucleosynthesis and spallation, the
enigmatic origin of positrons in our Galaxy, and the nature of radiation
processes and particle acceleration in extreme cosmic sources including pulsars
and magnetars. The natural energy scale for these non-thermal processes is of
the order of MeV. Although they can be partially and indirectly studied using
other methods, only the proposed GRIPS measurements will provide direct access
to their primary photons. GRIPS will be a driver for the study of transient
sources in the era of neutrino and gravitational wave observatories such as
IceCUBE and LISA, establishing a new type of diagnostics in relativistic and
nuclear astrophysics. This will support extrapolations to investigate star
formation, galaxy evolution, and black hole formation at high redshifts.Comment: to appear in Exp. Astron., special vol. on M3-Call of ESA's Cosmic
Vision 2010; 25 p., 25 figs; see also www.grips-mission.e
A relativistic navigation system for space
We present here a method for the relativistic positioning in spacetime based on the reception of pulses from sources of electromagnetic signals whose worldline is known. The method is based on the use of a fourdimensional grid covering the whole spacetime and made of the null hypersurfaces representing the propagating pulses. In our first approach to the problem of positioning we consider radio-pulsars at infinity as primary sources of the required signals. The reason is that, besides being very good clocks, pulsars can be considered as being fixed stars for reasonably long times. The positioning is obtained linearizing the worldline of the observer for times of the order of a few periods of the signals. We present an exercise where the use of our method applied to the signals from four real pulsars permits the reconstruction of the motion of the Earth with respect to the fixed stars during three days. The uncertainties and the constraints of the method are discussed and the possibilities of using mov- ing artificial sources carried around by celestial bodies or spacecrafts in the Solar System is also discusse
The Use of X-Ray Pulsars for Aiding GPS Satellite Orbit Determination
This research proposes the use of an existing signal of opportunity - namely x-ray pulsars - to improve the accuracy and robustness of the GPS satellite and clock estimation algorithm. Improvement in satellite and clock accuracy results in a direct benefit to the user. A simulation has been developed to determine the effects of using x-ray pulsar measurements on the GPS Operational Control Segment. The epoch-specific position, velocity, and clock errors of all GPS satellites in the constellation were estimated using both pseudoranges and time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) measurements from pulsars. The primary measure of accuracy is a constellation Signal-In-Space Range Error (SISRE). Results indicate that marginal SISRE improvements (approximately 1%) can be achieved if the x-ray detector is accurate to an order of approximately 40 m for the strongest pulsar. Increasing the accuracy of the x-ray detector by a factor of 100 can yield accuracy improvements up to 26% over the pseudorange-only based GPS system. Additionally, results show that using only 1 strong pulsar to create TDOA observations, may be comparable to using tens of weakly timed pulsars. Pulsar geometry analysis showed that the geometry does have a significant impact on the overall system performance. Results indicate that using TDOAs in the absence of pseudoranges may aid the OCS in keeping track of the GPS satellites until the ground station links can be reestablished
A relativistic positioning system exploiting pulsating sources for navigation across the Solar System and beyond
We introduce an operational approach to the use of pulsating sources, located at spatial infinity, for defining a relativistic positioning and navigation system, based on the use of null four-vectors in a flatMinkowskian spacetime. We describe our approach and discuss the validity of it and of the other approximations we have considered in actual physical situations. As a prototypical case, we show how pulsars can be used to define such a positioning system: the reception of the pulses for a set of different sources whose positions in the sky and periods are assumed to be known allows the determination of the user's coordinates and spacetime trajectory, in the reference frame where the sources are at rest. In order to confirm the viability of the method, we consider an application example reconstructing the world-line of an idealized Earth in the reference frame of distant pulsars: in particular we have simulated the arrival times of the signals fromfour pulsars at the location of the Parkes radiotelescope in Australia. After pointing out the simplifications we have made, we discuss the accuracy of the method. Eventually, we suggest that the method could actually be used for navigation across the Solar System and be based on artificial sources, rather than pulsar
Pulsar Timing with the Parkes Radio Telescope for the Fermi Mission
We report here on two years of timing of 168 pulsars using the Parkes radio
telescope. The vast majority of these pulsars have spin-down luminosities in
excess of 10^34 erg/s and are prime target candidates to be detected in
gamma-rays by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. We provide the ephemerides
for the ten pulsars being timed at Parkes which have been detected by Fermi in
its first year of operation. These ephemerides, in conjunction with the
publicly available photon list, can be used to generate gamma-ray profiles from
the Fermi archive. We will make the ephemerides of any pulsars of interest
available to the community upon request. In addition to the timing ephemerides,
we present the parameters for 14 glitches which have occurred in 13 pulsars,
seven of which have no previously known glitch history. The Parkes timing
programme, in conjunction with Fermi observations, is expected to continue for
at least the next four years.Comment: Accepted for publication in PASA.12 page
Systematic and Stochastic Variations in Pulsar Dispersion Measures
We analyze deterministic and random temporal variations in dispersion measure
(DM) from the full three-dimensional velocities of pulsars with respect to the
solar system, combined with electron-density variations on a wide range of
length scales. Previous treatments have largely ignored the pulsar's changing
distance while favoring interpretations involving the change in sky position
from transverse motion. Linear trends in pulsar DMs seen over 5-10~year
timescales may signify sizable DM gradients in the interstellar medium (ISM)
sampled by the changing direction of the line of sight to the pulsar. We show
that motions parallel to the line of sight can also account for linear trends,
for the apparent excess of DM variance over that extrapolated from
scintillation measurements, and for the apparent non-Kolmogorov scalings of DM
structure functions inferred in some cases. Pulsar motions through atomic gas
may produce bow-shock ionized gas that also contributes to DM variations. We
discuss possible causes of periodic or quasi-periodic changes in DM, including
seasonal changes in the ionosphere, annual variation of the solar elongation
angle, structure in the heliosphere-ISM boundary, and substructure in the ISM.
We assess the solar cycle's role on the amplitude of ionospheric and solar-wind
variations. Interstellar refraction can produce cyclic timing variations from
the error in transforming arrival times to the solar system barycenter. We
apply our methods to DM time series and DM gradient measurements in the
literature and assess consistency with a Kolmogorov medium. Finally, we discuss
the implications of DM modeling in precision pulsar timing experiments.Comment: 24 pages, 17 figures, published in Ap
Micro-Arcsecond Radio Astrometry
Astrometry provides the foundation for astrophysics. Accurate positions are
required for the association of sources detected at different times or
wavelengths, and distances are essential to estimate the size, luminosity,
mass, and ages of most objects. Very Long Baseline Interferometry at radio
wavelengths, with diffraction-limited imaging at sub-milliarcsec resolution,
has long held the promise of micro-arcsecond astrometry. However, only in the
past decade has this been routinely achieved. Currently, parallaxes for sources
across the Milky Way are being measured with ~10 uas accuracy and proper
motions of galaxies are being determined with accuracies of ~1 uas/y. The
astrophysical applications of these measurements cover many fields, including
star formation, evolved stars, stellar and super-massive black holes, Galactic
structure, the history and fate of the Local Group, the Hubble constant, and
tests of general relativity. This review summarizes the methods used and the
astrophysical applications of micro-arcsecond radio astrometry.Comment: To appear in Annual Reviews of Astronomy and Astrophysics (2014
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