Absorption of High Energy Gamma-Rays by Low Energy Intergalactic Photons

Following our previously proposed technique, we have used the recent gamma-ray observations of Mrk 421 to place theoretically significant constraints on and possible estimates of the intergalactic infrared radiation field (IIRF) which are consistent with normal galactic IR production by stars and dust and rule out exotic mechanisms proposed to produce a larger IIRF. Using models for the low energy intergalactic photon spectrum from microwave to UV energies, we calculate the opacity of inter- galactic space to gamma-rays as a function of energy and redshift. These calculations indicate that the GeV gamma-ray burst recently observed by the EGRET experiment on CGRO originates at a redshift less than approximately 1.5.Comment: 12 pg., uuencoded, Z-compressed ps file (includes figures), To be published in Space Sci. Re

Flavor decomposition of the elastic nucleon electromagnetic form factors

The u- and d-quark contributions to the elastic nucleon electromagnetic form factors have been determined using experimental data on GEn, GMn, GpE, and GpM. Such a flavor separation of the form factors became possible up to 3.4 GeV2 with recent data on GEn from Hall A at JLab. At a negative four-momentum transfer squared Q2 above 1 GeV2, for both the u- and d-quark components, the ratio of the Pauli form factor to the Dirac form factor, F2/F1, was found to be almost constant, and for each of F2 and F1 individually, the d-quark portions of both form factors drop continuously with increasing Q2.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

2-Dust : a Dust Radiative Transfer Code for an Axisymmetric System

We have developed a general purpose dust radiative transfer code for an axisymmetric system, 2-Dust, motivated by the recent increasing availability of high-resolution images of circumstellar dust shells at various wavelengths. This code solves the equation of radiative transfer following the principle of long characteristic in a 2-D polar grid while considering a 3-D radiation field at each grid point. A solution is sought through an iterative scheme in which self-consistency of the solution is achieved by requiring a global luminosity constancy throughout the shell. The dust opacities are calculated through Mie theory from the given size distribution and optical properties of the dust grains. The main focus of the code is to obtain insights on (1) the global energetics of dust grains in the shell (2) the 2-D projected morphologies that are strongly dependent on the mixed effects of the axisymmetric dust distribution and inclination angle of the shell. Here, test models are presented with discussion of the results. The code can be supplied with a user-defined density distribution function, and thus, is applicable to a variety of dusty astronomical objects possessing the axisymmetric geometry.Comment: To be published in ApJ, April 2003 issue; 13 pages, 4 tables, 17 figures, 5-page appendix (no figures for the main text included in this preprint). For the complete preprint and code distribution, contact the author

Testing the Color Charge and Mass Dependence of Parton Energy Loss with Heavy-to-light Ratios at RHIC and LHC

The ratio of nuclear modification factors of high-pT heavy-flavored mesons to light-flavored hadrons (``heavy-to-light ratio'') in nucleus-nucleus collisions tests the partonic mechanism expected to underlie jet quenching. Heavy-to-light ratios are mainly sensitive to the mass and color-charge dependences of medium-induced parton energy loss. Here, we assess the potential for identifying these two effects in D and B meson production at RHIC and at the LHC. To this end, we supplement the perturbative QCD factorized formalism for leading hadron production with radiative parton energy loss. For D meson spectra at high but experimentally accessible transverse momentum (10 < pT < 20 GeV) in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC, we find that charm quarks behave essentially like light quarks. However, since light-flavored hadron yields are dominated by gluon parents, the heavy-to-light ratio of D mesons is a sensitive probe of the color charge dependence of parton energy loss. In contrast, due to the larger b quark mass, the medium modification of B mesons in the same kinematical regime provides a sensitive test of the mass dependence of parton energy loss. At RHIC energies, the strategies for identifying and disentangling the color charge and mass dependence of parton energy loss are more involved because of the smaller kinematical range accessible. We argue that at RHIC, the kinematical regime best suited for such an analysis of D mesons is 7 < pT < 12 GeV, whereas the study of lower transverse momenta is further complicated due to the known dominant contribution of additional, particle species dependent, non-perturbative effects.Comment: 21 pages RevTex, 9 Figure

On the Submillimeter Opacity of Protoplanetary Disks

Solid particles with the composition of interstellar dust and power-law size distribution dn/da propto a^{-p} for a 3 lambda and 3 < p < 4 will have submm opacity spectral index beta(lambda) = dln(kappa)/dln(nu) approx (p-3) beta_{ism}, where beta_{ism} approx 1.7 is the opacity spectral index of interstellar dust material in the Rayleigh limit. For the power-law index p approx 3.5 that characterizes interstellar dust, and that appears likely for particles growing by agglomeration in protoplanetary disks, grain growth to sizes a > 3 mm will result in beta(1 mm) < ~1. Grain growth can naturally account for beta approx 1 observed for protoplanetary disks, provided that a_{max} > ~ 3 lambda.Comment: Submitted to ApJ. 17 pages, 6 figure

Shadowing Effects on the Nuclear Suppression Factor, R_dAu, in d+Au Interactions

We explore how nuclear modifications to the nucleon parton distributions affect production of high transverse momentum hadrons in deuteron-nucleus collisions. We calculate the charged hadron spectra to leading order using standard fragmentation functions and shadowing parameterizations. We obtain the d+Au to pp ratio both in minimum bias collisions and as a function of centrality. The minimum bias results agree reasonably well with the BRAHMS data while the calculated centrality dependence underestimates the data and is a stronger function of p_T than the data indicate.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, final version, Phys. Rev. C in pres

New unidentified H.E.S.S. Galactic sources

H.E.S.S. is one of the most sensitive instruments in the very high energy (VHE; > 100 GeV) gamma-ray domain and has revealed many new sources along the Galactic Plane. After the successful first VHE Galactic Plane Survey of 2004, H.E.S.S. has continued and extended that survey in 2005-2008, discovering a number of new sources, many of which are unidentified. Some of the unidentified H.E.S.S. sources have several positional counterparts and hence several different possible scenarios for the origin of the VHE gamma-ray emission; their identification remains unclear. Others have so far no counterparts at any other wavelength. Particularly, the lack of an X-ray counterpart puts serious constraints on emission models. Several newly discovered and still unidentified VHE sources are reported here.Comment: ICRC 2009 proceeding