6,768 research outputs found
The BATSE Gamma-Ray Burst Spectral Catalog. I. High Time Resolution Spectroscopy of Bright Bursts using High Energy Resolution Data
This is the first in a series of gamma-ray burst spectroscopy catalogs from
the Burst And Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma Ray
Observatory, each covering a different aspect of burst phenomenology. In this
paper, we present time-sequences of spectral fit parameters for 156 bursts
selected for either their high peak flux or fluence. All bursts have at least
eight spectra in excess of 45 sigma above background and span burst durations
from 1.66 to 278 s. Individual spectral accumulations are typically 128 ms long
at the peak of the brightest events, but can be as short as 16 ms, depending on
the type of data selected. We have used mostly high energy resolution data from
the Large Area Detectors, covering an energy range of typically 28 - 1800 keV.
The spectral model chosen is from a small empirically-determined set of
functions, such as the well-known `GRB' function, that best fits the
time-averaged burst spectra. Thus, there are generally three spectral shape
parameters available for each of the 5500 total spectra: a low-energy power-law
index, a characteristic break energy and possibly a high-energy power-law
index. We present the distributions of the observed sets of these parameters
and comment on their implications. The complete set of data that accompanies
this paper is necessarily large, and thus is archived electronically at:
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/ApJ/journal/.Comment: Accepted for publication: ApJS, 125. 38 pages, 9 figures;
supplementary electronic archive to be published by ApJ; available from lead
author upon reques
Modelling crystal aggregation and deposition\ud in the catheterised lower urinary tract
Urethral catheters often become encrusted with crystals of magnesium struvite and calcium phosphate. The encrustation can block the catheter, which can cause urine retention in the bladder and reflux into the kidneys. We develop a mathematical model to investigate crystal deposition on the catheter surface, modelling the bladder as a reservoir of fluid and the urethral catheter as a rigid channel. At a constant rate, fluid containing crystal particles of unit size enters the reservoir, and flows from the reservoir through the channel and out of the system. The crystal particles aggregate, which we model using Becker–Döring coagulation theory, and are advected through the channel, where they continue to aggregate and are deposited on the channel’s walls. Inhibitor particles also enter the reservoir, and can bind to the crystals, preventing further aggregation and deposition. The crystal concentrations are spatially homogeneous in the reservoir, whereas the channel concentrations vary spatially as a result of advection, diffusion and deposition. We investigate the effect of inhibitor particles on the amount of deposition. For all parameter values, we find that crystals deposit along the full length of the channel, with maximum deposition close to the channel’s entrance
Target Mass Monitoring and Instrumentation in the Daya Bay Antineutrino Detectors
The Daya Bay experiment measures sin^2 2{\theta}_13 using functionally
identical antineutrino detectors located at distances of 300 to 2000 meters
from the Daya Bay nuclear power complex. Each detector consists of three nested
fluid volumes surrounded by photomultiplier tubes. These volumes are coupled to
overflow tanks on top of the detector to allow for thermal expansion of the
liquid. Antineutrinos are detected through the inverse beta decay reaction on
the proton-rich scintillator target. A precise and continuous measurement of
the detector's central target mass is achieved by monitoring the the fluid
level in the overflow tanks with cameras and ultrasonic and capacitive sensors.
In addition, the monitoring system records detector temperature and levelness
at multiple positions. This monitoring information allows the precise
determination of the detectors' effective number of target protons during data
taking. We present the design, calibration, installation and in-situ tests of
the Daya Bay real-time antineutrino detector monitoring sensors and readout
electronics.Comment: 22 pages, 20 figures; accepted by JINST. Changes in v2: minor
revisions to incorporate editorial feedback from JINS
Accidental Corrosive Acid Intoxication - a Case Report
Background: Acute poisonings with corrosive substances cause serious chemical injuries to upper gastrointestinal tract, the most common site being the oesophagus and the stomach. The degree and extent of damage depends on several factors like the type of substance, the morphologic form of the agent, the quantity, and the intent. In the acute stage, perforation and necrosis may occur. Injury to UGI tract due to ingestion of acidic corrosive substances is common in India. Acute corrosive intoxications constitute a major problem in clinical toxicology since the most commonly affected population are the young with psychic disorders, suicidal intent and alcohol addiction.Case Report: We report a fatal case of accidental corrosive acid ingestion with a brief review of literature.Conclusion: Ingestion of a corrosive substance can produce severe injury to the gastrointestinal tract and can even result in death. Stringent legislation is necessary in developing countries to curtail unrestricted access of adults to dangerous corrosive chemicals
Dynamics of nodal points and the nodal count on a family of quantum graphs
We investigate the properties of the zeros of the eigenfunctions on quantum
graphs (metric graphs with a Schr\"odinger-type differential operator). Using
tools such as scattering approach and eigenvalue interlacing inequalities we
derive several formulas relating the number of the zeros of the n-th
eigenfunction to the spectrum of the graph and of some of its subgraphs. In a
special case of the so-called dihedral graph we prove an explicit formula that
only uses the lengths of the edges, entirely bypassing the information about
the graph's eigenvalues. The results are explained from the point of view of
the dynamics of zeros of the solutions to the scattering problem.Comment: 34 pages, 12 figure
Gamma Ray Bursts from the early Universe: predictions for present-day and future instruments
Long Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) constitute an important tool to study the
Universe near and beyond the epoch of reionization. We delineate here the
characteristics of an 'ideal' instrument for the search of GRBs at z>6-10. We
find that the detection of these objects requires soft band detectors with a
high sensitivity and moderately large FOV. In the light of these results, we
compare available and planned GRB missions, deriving conservative predictions
on the number of high-z GRBs detectable by these instruments along with the
maximum accessible redshift. We show that the Swift satellite will be able to
detect various GRBs at z>6, and likely at z>10 if the trigger threshold is
decreased by a factor of ~2. Furthermore, we find that INTEGRAL and GLAST are
not the best tool to detect bursts at z>6: the former being limited by the
small FOV, and the latter by its hard energy band and relatively low
sensitivity. Finally, future missions (SVOM, EDGE, but in particular EXIST)
will provide a good sample of GRBs at z>6 in a few years of operation.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, MNRAS in pres
Control of Ultra-cold Inelastic Collisions by Feshbash Resonances and Quasi-One-Dimensional Confinement
Cold inelastic collisions of atoms or molecules are analyzed using very
general arguments. In free space, the deactivation rate can be enhanced or
suppressed together with the scattering length of the corresponding elastic
collision via a Feshbach resonance, and by interference of deactivation of the
closed and open channels. In reduced dimensional geometries, the deactivation
rate decreases with decreasing collision energy and does not increase with
resonant elastic scattering length. This has broad implications; e.g.,
stabilization of molecules in a strongly confining two-dimensional optical
lattice, since collisional decay of the highly vibrationally excited states due
to inelastic collisions is suppressed. The relation of our results with those
based on the Lieb-Liniger model are addressed.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur
BATSE Gamma-Ray Burst Line Search: V. Probability of Detecting a Line in a Burst
The physical importance of the apparent discrepancy between the detections by
pre-BATSE missions of absorption lines in gamma-ray burst spectra and the
absence of a BATSE line detection necessitates a statistical analysis of this
discrepancy. This analysis requires a calculation of the probability that a
line, if present, will be detected in a given burst. However, the connection
between the detectability of a line in a spectrum and in a burst requires a
model for the occurrence of a line within a burst. We have developed the
necessary weighting for the line detection probability for each spectrum
spanning the burst. The resulting calculations require a description of each
spectrum in the BATSE database. With these tools we identify the bursts in
which lines are most likely to be detected. Also, by assuming a small frequency
with which lines occur, we calculate the approximate number of BATSE bursts in
which lines of various types could be detected. Lines similar to the Ginga
detections can be detected in relatively few BATSE bursts; for example, in only
~20 bursts are lines similar to the GB 880205 pair of lines detectable. Ginga
reported lines at ~20 and ~40 keV whereas the low energy cutoff of the BATSE
spectra is typically above 20 keV; hence BATSE's sensitivity to lines is less
than that of Ginga below 40 keV, and greater above. Therefore the probability
that the GB 880205 lines would be detected in a Ginga burst rather than a BATSE
burst is ~0.2. Finally, we adopted a more appropriate test of the significance
of a line feature.Comment: 20 pages, AASTeX 4.0, 5 figures, Ap.J. in pres
- …