230 research outputs found
On the Possibility of the Detection of Extinct Radio Pulsars
We explore the possibilities for detecting pulsars that have ceased to
radiate in the radio band. We consider two models: the model with hindered
particle escape from the pulsar surface (first suggested by Ruderman and
Sutherland 1975) and the model with free particle escape (Arons 1981; Mestel
1999). In the model with hindered particle escape, the number of particles that
leave the pulsar magnetosphere is small and their radiation cannot be detected
with currently available instruments. At the same time, for the free particle
escape model, both the number of particles and the radiation intensity are high
enough for such pulsars to be detectable with the presently available receivers
such as GLAST and AGILE spacecrafts. It is also possible that extinct radio
pulsars can be among the unidentified EGRET sources.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure corrected version of the paper that was published
in Astronomy Letter
Peculiar objects in the birthplaces of radio pulsars -- stellar-mass black hole candidates
We perform a search for stellar-mass black hole candidates in the spatial
regions with increased probability of their occurrence, isolated based on the
evolutionary scenarios for compact objects originating in disrupted binaries.
We analyze the sources located in these regions with available spectral or
photometric data, as well as measured proper motions and distances. Nine
objects that exhibit characteristics corresponding to theoretical predictions
for isolated black holes are marked for further study as black hole candidates
Low-rate accretion onto isolated stellar mass black holes
Magnetic field behaviour in a spherically-symmetric accretion flow for
parameters typical of single black holes in the Galaxy is discussed. It is
shown that in the majority of Galaxy volume, accretion onto single stellar-mass
black holes will be spherical and have a low accretion rate ( of the Eddington rate). An analysis of plasma internal energy growth
during the infall is performed. Adiabatic heating of collisionless accretion
flow due to magnetic adiabatic invariant conservation is 25% more efficient
than in the standard non-magnetized gas case. It is shown that magnetic field
line reconnections in discrete current sheets lead to significant nonthermal
electron component formation. In a framework of quasi-diffusion acceleration,
the "energy-radius" electron distribution is computed and the function
describing the shape of synchrotron radiation spectrum is constructed. It is
shown that nonthermal electron emission leads to formation of a hard (UV,
X-ray, up to gamma), highly variable spectral component in addition to the
standard synchrotron optical component first derived by Shvartsman generated by
thermal electrons in the magnetic field of accretion flow. For typical
interstellar medium parameters, a black hole at 100 pc distance will be a
16-25 optical source coinciding with the highly variable bright X-ray
counterpart, while the variable component of optical emission will be about
18-27. The typical time scale of the variability is sec,
with relative flare amplitudes of 0.2-6% in various spectral bands. Possible
applications of these results to the problem of search for single black holes
are discussed.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures. A&A, 440, 22
Short wavelength quantum electrodynamical correction to cold plasma-wave propagation
The effect of short wavelength quantum electrodynamic (QED) correction on
plasma-wave propagation is investigated. The effect on plasma oscillations and
on electromagnetic waves in an unmagnetized as well as a magnetized plasma is
investigated. The effects of the short wavelength QED corrections are most
significant for plasma oscillations and for extraordinary modes. In particular,
the QED correction allow plasma oscillations to propagate, and the
extra-ordinary mode looses its stop band. The significance of our results is
discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure
Spin solitons in magnetized pair plasmas
A set of fluid equations, taking into account the spin properties of the
electrons and positrons in a magnetoplasma, are derived. The
magnetohydrodynamic limit of the pair plasma is investigated. It is shown that
the microscopic spin properties of the electrons and positrons can lead to
interesting macroscopic and collective effects in strongly magnetized plasmas.
In particular, it is found that new Alfvenic solitary structures, governed by a
modified Korteweg-de Vries equation, are allowed in such plasmas. These
solitary structures vanish if the quantum spin effects are neglected. Our
results should be of relevance for astrophysical plasmas, e.g. in pulsar
magnetospheres.Comment: 7 page
Position-sensitive detector for the 6-meter optical telescope
The Position-Sensitive Detector (PSD) for photometrical and spectral
observation on the 6-meter optical telescope of the Special Astrophysical
Observatory (Russia) is described. The PSD consists of a position-sensitive
tube, amplifiers of output signals, analog-to-digital converters (ADC) and a
digital logic plate, which produces a signal for ADC start and an external
strob pulse for reading information by registration system. If necessary, the
thermoelectric cooler can be used. The position-sensitive tube has the
following main elements: a photocathode, electrodes of inverting optics, a
block of microchannel plates (MCP) and a position-sensitive collector of
quadrant type. The main parameters of the PSD are the diameter of the sensitive
surface is 25 mm, the spatial resolution is better than 100 (\mu)m in the
centre and a little worse on the periphery; the dead time is near 0.5 (\mu)s;
the detection quantum efficiency is defined by the photocathode and it is not
less than 0.1, as a rule; dark current is about hundreds of cps, or less, when
cooling. PSD spectral sensitivity depends on the type of photocathode and input
window material. We use a multialkali photocathode and a fiber or UV-glass,
which gives the short- wave cut of 360 nm or 250 nm, respectively.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures, to be published in Nuclear Instruments & Methods
in Physics Researc
Observational physics of mirror world
The existence of the whole world of shadow particles, interacting with each other and having no mutual interactions with ordinary particles except gravity is a specific feature of modern superstring models, being considered as models of the theory of everything. The presence of shadow particles is the necessary condition in the superstring models, providing compensation of the asymmetry of left and right chirality states of ordinary particles. If compactification of additional dimensions retains the symmetry of left and right states, shadow world turns to be the mirror one, with particles and fields having properties strictly symmetrical to the ones of corresponding ordinary particles and fields. Owing to the strict symmetry of physical laws for ordinary and mirror particles, the analysis of cosmological evolution of mirror matter provides rather definite conclusions on possible effects of mirror particles in the universe. A general qualitative discussion of possible astronomical impact of mirror matter is given, in order to make as wide as possible astronomical observational searches for the effects of mirror world, being the unique way to test the existence of mirror partners of ordinary particles in the Nature
High Speed Phase-Resolved 2-d UBV Photometry of the Crab pulsar
We report a phase-resolved photometric and morphological analysis of UBV data
of the Crab pulsar obtained with the 2-d TRIFFID high speed optical photometer
mounted on the Russian 6m telescope. By being able to accurately isolate the
pulsar from the nebular background at an unprecedented temporal resolution (1
\mu s), the various light curve components were accurately fluxed via
phase-resolved photometry. Within the range, our datasets are consistent
with the existing trends reported elsewhere in the literature. In terms of flux
and phase duration, both the peak Full Width Half Maxima and Half Width Half
Maxima decrease as a function of photon energy. This is similarly the case for
the flux associated with the bridge of emission. Power-law fits to the various
light curve components are as follows; \alpha = 0.07 \pm 0.19 (peak 1), \alpha
= -0.06 \pm 0.19 (peak 2) and \alpha = -0.44 \pm 0.19 (bridge) - the
uncertainty here being dominated by the integrated CCD photometry used to
independently reference the TRIFFID data. Temporally, the main peaks are
coincident to \le 10 \mu s although an accurate phase lag with respect to the
radio main peak is compromised by radio timing uncertainties. The plateau on
the Crab's main peak was definitively determined to be \leq 55 \mu s in extent
and may decrease as a function of photon energy. There is no evidence for
non-stochastic activity over the light curves or within various phase regions,
nor is there evidence of anything akin to the giant pulses noted in the radio.
Finally, there is no evidence to support the existence of a reported 60 second
modulation suggested to be as a consequence of free precession.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Localized whistlers in magnetized spin quantum plasmas
The nonlinear propagation of electromagnetic (EM) electron-cyclotron waves
(whistlers) along an external magnetic field, and their modulation by
electrostatic small but finite amplitude ion-acoustic density perturbations are
investigated in a uniform quantum plasma with intrinsic spin of electrons. The
effects of the quantum force associated with the Bohm potential and the
combined effects of the classical as well as the spin-induced ponderomotive
forces (CPF and SPF respectively) are taken into consideration. The latter
modify the local plasma density in a self-consistent manner. The coupled modes
of wave propagation is shown to be governed by a modified set of nonlinear
Schr\"{o}dinger-Boussinesq-like equations which admit exact solutions in form
of stationary localized envelopes. Numerical simulation reveals the existence
of large-scale density fluctuations that are self-consistently created by the
localized whistlers in a strongly magnetized high density plasma. The
conditions for the modulational instability (MI) and the value of its growth
rate are obtained. Possible applications of our results, e.g., in strongly
magnetized dense plasmas and in the next generation laser-solid density plasma
interaction experiments are discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures; To appear in Physical Review E (2010
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