594 research outputs found
An improved double-toroidal spectrometer for gas phase (e,2e) studies
A new spectrometer is described for measuring the momentum distributions of scattered electrons arising from electron-atom and electron-molecule ionization experiments. It incorporates and builds on elements from a number of previous designs, namely, a source of polarized electrons and two high-efficiency electrostatic electron energy analyzers. The analyzers each comprise a seven-element retarding-electrostatic lens system, four toroidal-sector electrodes, and a fast position-and-time-sensitive two-dimensional delay-line detector. Results are presented for the electron-impact-induced ionization of helium and the elastic scattering of electrons from argon and helium which demonstrate that high levels of momentum resolution and data-collection efficiency are achieved. Problematic aspects regarding variations in collection efficiency over the accepted momentum phase space are addressed and a methodology for their correction presented. Principles behind the present design and previous designs for electrostatic analyzers based around electrodes of toroidal-sector geometry are discussed and a framework is provided for optimizing future devices.The assistance of the AustralianGerman
Research Cooperation Scheme and the Australian
Research Council through Grant No. DP0452553 and a 1998
ARC RIEF grant is gratefully acknowledged
An unusual pi* shape resonance in the near-threshold photoionization of S(1) para-difluorobenzene
Previously reported dramatic changes in photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) as a function of photoelectron kinetic energy following the ionization of S1 p-difluorobenzene are shown to be explained by a shape resonance in the b(2g) symmetry continuum. The characteristics of this resonance are clearly demonstrated by a theoretical multiple-scattering treatment of the photoionization dynamics. New experimental data are presented which demonstrate an apparent insensitivity of the PADs to both vibrational motion and prepared molecular alignment, however, the calculations suggest that strong alignment effects may nevertheless be recognized in the detail of the comparison with experimental data. The apparent, but unexpected, indifference to vibrational excitation is rationalized by considering the nature of the resonance. The correlation of this shape resonance in the continuum with a virtual pi* antibonding orbital is considered. Because this orbital is characteristic of the benzene ring, the existence of similar resonances in related substituted benzenes is discussed.Bellm, SM: Davies, JA: Whiteside, PT; Guo, J: Powis, I; and Reid KL
Spectral Analysis of GRBs Measured by RHESSI
The Ge spectrometer of the RHESSI satellite is sensitive to Gamma Ray Bursts
(GRBs) from about 40 keV up to 17 MeV, thus ideally complementing the Swift/BAT
instrument whose sensitivity decreases above 150 keV. We present preliminary
results of spectral fits of RHESSI GRB data. After describing our method, the
RHESSI results are discussed and compared with Swift and Konus.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, conference proceedings, 'Swift and GRBs:
Unveiling the Relativistic Universe', San Servolo, Venice, 5-9 June 2006, to
appear in Il Nouvo Ciment
A Population of Short-Period Variable Quasars from PTF as Supermassive Black Hole Binary Candidates
Supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) at sub-parsec separations should be
common in galactic nuclei, as a result of frequent galaxy mergers.
Hydrodynamical simulations of circumbinary discs predict strong periodic
modulation of the mass accretion rate on time-scales comparable to the orbital
period of the binary. As a result, SMBHBs may be recognized by the periodic
modulation of their brightness. We conducted a statistical search for periodic
variability in a sample of 35,383 spectroscopically confirmed quasars in the
photometric database of the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF). We analysed
Lomb-Scargle periodograms and assessed the significance of our findings by
modeling each individual quasar's variability as a damped random walk (DRW). We
identified 50 quasars with significant periodicity beyond the DRW model,
typically with short periods of a few hundred days. We find 33 of these to
remain significant after a re-analysis of their periodograms including
additional optical data from the intermediate-PTF and the Catalina Real-Time
Transient Survey (CRTS). Assuming that the observed periods correspond to the
redshifted orbital periods of SMBHBs, we conclude that our findings are
consistent with a population of unequal-mass SMBHBs, with a typical mass ratio
as low as q = M2/M1 ~ 0.01.Comment: MNRAS (accepted), new section 4.
Recoil energy distributions for dissociation of the van der Waals molecule p-difluorobenzene-Ar with 450-3000 cm(-1) excess energy
Susan M. Bellm and Warren D. Lawranc
Reevaluation of the use of photoelectron angular distributions as a probe of dynamical processes: strong dependence of such distributions from s(1) paradifluorobenzene on photoelectron kinetic energy
Photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) have been measured following the excitation of the S₁ origin band in paradifluorobenzene using a range of ionizing wavelengths and for resolved ion vibrational states. The PADs show a dramatic sensitivity to the photoelectron kinetic energy over an energy range of at least 1 eV from threshold, and almost no sensitivity to any prepared intermediate state alignment. This has important consequences for those studies of intramolecular dynamics that use PADs. We suggest that the observed behavior is caused by a shape resonance in the continuum.Susan M. Bellm and Katharine L. Rei
Observations of the Prompt Gamma-Ray Emission of GRB 070125
The long, bright gamma-ray burst GRB 070125 was localized by the
Interplanetary Network. We present light curves of the prompt gamma-ray
emission as observed by Konus-WIND, RHESSI, Suzaku-WAM, and \textit{Swift}-BAT.
We detail the results of joint spectral fits with Konus and RHESSI data. The
burst shows moderate hard-to-soft evolution in its multi-peaked emission over a
period of about one minute. The total burst fluence as observed by Konus is
erg/cm (20 keV--10 MeV). Using the spectroscopic
redshift , we find that the burst is consistent with the ``Amati''
correlation. Assuming a jet opening angle derived from
broadband modeling of the burst afterglow, GRB 070125 is a significant outlier
to the ``Ghirlanda'' correlation. Its
collimation-corrected energy release ergs is
the largest yet observed.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures; accepted for publication in ApJ. Improved
spectral fits and energetics estimate
Spacetime colour reconnection in Herwig 7
We present a model for generating spacetime coordinates in the Monte Carlo event generator Herwig 7, and perform colour reconnection by minimizing a boost-invariant distance measure of the system. We compare the model to a series of soft physics observables. We find reasonable agreement with the data, suggesting that pp-collider colour reconnection may be able to be applied in larger systems
Electron-impact ionization and excitation of helium to the n=1-4 ionic states
We present high-precision (e; 2e) measurements and calculations for the e-He four-body Coulomb breakup problem. Cross-section ratios for ionization and excitation of the first three excited states of He+ relative to the ground state have been measured for incident energies between 112 and 319 eV. Comparing the data with predictions from a state-of-the-art hybrid distorted-wave + convergent R matrix with pseudostates (close coupling) approach shows that treating the projectile-target interaction at least to second order is crucial to obtain reasonable agreement between theory and experiment. Nevertheless, our benchmark studies reveal significant theoretical problems for the symmetric energy-sharing cases, thus indicating the need for further improvement.S. Bellm, J. Lower and K. Bartscha
- …