30 research outputs found
Web-Based VR Experiments Powered by the Crowd
We build on the increasing availability of Virtual Reality (VR) devices and
Web technologies to conduct behavioral experiments in VR using crowdsourcing
techniques. A new recruiting and validation method allows us to create a panel
of eligible experiment participants recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk.
Using this panel, we ran three different crowdsourced VR experiments, each
reproducing one of three VR illusions: place illusion, embodiment illusion, and
plausibility illusion. Our experience and worker feedback on these experiments
show that conducting Web-based VR experiments using crowdsourcing is already
feasible, though some challenges---including scale---remain. Such crowdsourced
VR experiments on the Web have the potential to finally support replicable VR
experiments with diverse populations at a low cost.Comment: The Web Conference 2018 (WWW 2018); update citation forma
The ASTRO-H X-ray Observatory
The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly
successful X-ray missions initiated by the Institute of Space and Astronautical
Science (ISAS). ASTRO-H will investigate the physics of the high-energy
universe via a suite of four instruments, covering a very wide energy range,
from 0.3 keV to 600 keV. These instruments include a high-resolution,
high-throughput spectrometer sensitive over 0.3-2 keV with high spectral
resolution of Delta E < 7 eV, enabled by a micro-calorimeter array located in
the focal plane of thin-foil X-ray optics; hard X-ray imaging spectrometers
covering 5-80 keV, located in the focal plane of multilayer-coated, focusing
hard X-ray mirrors; a wide-field imaging spectrometer sensitive over 0.4-12
keV, with an X-ray CCD camera in the focal plane of a soft X-ray telescope; and
a non-focusing Compton-camera type soft gamma-ray detector, sensitive in the
40-600 keV band. The simultaneous broad bandpass, coupled with high spectral
resolution, will enable the pursuit of a wide variety of important science
themes.Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE Astronomical
Instrumentation "Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to
Gamma Ray
The Quiescent Intracluster Medium in the Core of the Perseus Cluster
Clusters of galaxies are the most massive gravitationally-bound objects in
the Universe and are still forming. They are thus important probes of
cosmological parameters and a host of astrophysical processes. Knowledge of the
dynamics of the pervasive hot gas, which dominates in mass over stars in a
cluster, is a crucial missing ingredient. It can enable new insights into
mechanical energy injection by the central supermassive black hole and the use
of hydrostatic equilibrium for the determination of cluster masses. X-rays from
the core of the Perseus cluster are emitted by the 50 million K diffuse hot
plasma filling its gravitational potential well. The Active Galactic Nucleus of
the central galaxy NGC1275 is pumping jetted energy into the surrounding
intracluster medium, creating buoyant bubbles filled with relativistic plasma.
These likely induce motions in the intracluster medium and heat the inner gas
preventing runaway radiative cooling; a process known as Active Galactic
Nucleus Feedback. Here we report on Hitomi X-ray observations of the Perseus
cluster core, which reveal a remarkably quiescent atmosphere where the gas has
a line-of-sight velocity dispersion of 164+/-10 km/s in a region 30-60 kpc from
the central nucleus. A gradient in the line-of-sight velocity of 150+/-70 km/s
is found across the 60 kpc image of the cluster core. Turbulent pressure
support in the gas is 4% or less of the thermodynamic pressure, with large
scale shear at most doubling that estimate. We infer that total cluster masses
determined from hydrostatic equilibrium in the central regions need little
correction for turbulent pressure.Comment: 31 pages, 11 Figs, published in Nature July
UV/Optical disk reverberation lags despite a faint X-ray corona in the AGN Mrk 335
We present the first results from a 100-day Swift, NICER and ground-based
X-ray/UV/optical reverberation mapping campaign of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1
Mrk 335, when it was in an unprecedented low X-ray flux state. Despite dramatic
suppression of the X-ray variability, we still observe UV/optical lags as
expected from disk reverberation. Moreover, the UV/optical lags are consistent
with archival observations when the X-ray luminosity was >10 times higher.
Interestingly, both low- and high-flux states reveal UV/optical lags that are
6-11 times longer than expected from a thin disk. These long lags are often
interpreted as due to contamination from the broad line region, however the u
band excess lag (containing the Balmer jump from the diffuse continuum) is less
prevalent than in other AGN. The Swift campaign showed a low X-ray-to-optical
correlation (similar to previous campaigns), but NICER and ground-based
monitoring continued for another two weeks, during which the optical rose to
the highest level of the campaign, followed ~10 days later by a sharp rise in
X-rays. While the low X-ray countrate and relatively large systematic
uncertainties in the NICER background make this measurement challenging, if the
optical does lead X-rays in this flare, this indicates a departure from the
zeroth-order reprocessing picture. If the optical flare is due to an increase
in mass accretion rate, this occurs on much shorter than the viscous timescale.
Alternatively, the optical could be responding to an intrinsic rise in X-rays
that is initially hidden from our line-of-sight.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. 15 pages, 8
figures, 3 table
Hitomi X-Ray Studies of Giant Radio Pulses from the Crab Pulsar
To search for giant X-ray pulses correlated with the giant radio pulses (GRPs) from the Crab pulsar, we performed a simultaneous observation of the Crab pulsar with the X-ray satellite Hitomi in the 2300 keV band and the Kashima NICT radio telescope in the 1.41.7 GHz band with a net exposure of about 2 ks on 2016 March 25, just before the loss of the Hitomi mission. The timing performance of the Hitomi instruments was confirmed to meet the timing requirement and about 1000 and 100 GRPs were simultaneously observed at the main pulse and inter-pulse phases, respectively, and we found no apparent correlation between the giant radio pulses and the X-ray emission in either the main pulse or inter-pulse phase. All variations are within the 2 fluctuations of the X-ray fluxes at the pulse peaks, and the 3 upper limits of variations of main pulse or inter-pulse GRPs are 22% or 80% of the peak flux in a 0.20 phase width, respectively, in the 2300 keV band. The values for main pulse or inter-pulse GRPs become 25% or 110%, respectively, when the phase width is restricted to the 0.03 phase. Among the upper limits from the Hitomi satellite, those in the 4.510 keV and 70300 keV bands are obtained for the first time, and those in other bands are consistent with previous reports. Numerically, the upper limits of the main pulse and inter-pulse GRPs in the 0.20 phase width are about (2.4 and 9.3) 10(exp 11) erg cm(exp 2), respectively. No significant variability in pulse profiles implies that the GRPs originated from a local place within the magnetosphere. Although the number of photon-emitting particles should temporarily increase to account for the brightening of the radio emission, the results do not statistically rule out variations correlated with the GRPs, because the possible X-ray enhancement may appear due to a >0.02% brightening of the pulse-peak flux under such conditions
Hitomi (ASTRO-H) X-ray Astronomy Satellite
The Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission is the sixth Japanese x-ray astronomy satellite developed by a large international collaboration, including Japan, USA, Canada, and Europe. The mission aimed to provide the highest energy resolution ever achieved at E > 2 keV, using a microcalorimeter instrument, and to cover a wide energy range spanning four decades in energy from soft x-rays to gamma rays. After a successful launch on February 17, 2016, the spacecraft lost its function on March 26, 2016, but the commissioning phase for about a month provided valuable information on the onboard instruments and the spacecraft system, including astrophysical results obtained from first light observations. The paper describes the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission, its capabilities, the initial operation, and the instruments/spacecraft performances confirmed during the commissioning operations for about a month
Cubes to Collaboration: A Generational Divide In the Workplace
The purpose of office space has evolved. As the workforce transitions from the baby boomer to the millennial generation, companies are changing their approach to collaborative spaces for knowledge work. Yet, expectations of an ideal workplace differ between cohorts. This study investigates the behavior and perceptions regarding collaboration space held by employees at The Boeing Company. An effort is made to consider the larger organizational ecology. Methods include observations, interviews, and a survey. Results show that there is a generational divide in perception and space use. Facilities should be strategically used as an asset to bridge this divide by aligning change management processes and participatory leadership techniques with workplace design
UV–optical disk reverberation lags despite a faint X-ray corona in the active galactic nucleus Mrk 335
We present the first results from a 100-day Swift, NICER, and ground-based X-ray–UV–optical reverberation mapping campaign of the Narrow-line Seyfert 1 Mrk 335, when it was in an unprecedented low X-ray flux state. Despite dramatic suppression of the X-ray variability, we still observe UV–optical lags as expected from disk reverberation. Moreover, the UV–optical lags are consistent with archival observations when the X-ray luminosity was >10 times higher. Interestingly, both low- and high-flux states reveal UV–optical lags that are 6–11 times longer than expected from a thin disk. These long lags are often interpreted as due to contamination from the broad line region; however the u-band excess lag (containing the Balmer jump from the diffuse continuum) is less prevalent than in other active galactic nuclei. The Swift campaign showed a low X-ray-to-optical correlation (similar to previous campaigns), but NICER and ground-based monitoring continued for another 2 weeks, during which the optical rose to the highest level of the campaign, followed ∼10 days later by a sharp rise in X-rays. While the low X-ray countrate and relatively large systematic uncertainties in the NICER background make this measurement challenging, if the optical does lead X-rays in this flare, this indicates a departure from the zeroth-order reprocessing picture. If the optical flare is due to an increase in mass accretion rate, this occurs on much shorter than the viscous timescale. Alternatively, the optical could be responding to an intrinsic rise in X-rays that is initially hidden from our line of sight
Solar abundance ratios of the iron-peak elements in the Perseus cluster
The metal abundance of the hot plasma that permeates galaxy clusters
represents the accumulation of heavy elements produced by billions of
supernovae. Therefore, X-ray spectroscopy of the intracluster medium
provides an opportunity to investigate the nature of supernova
explosions integrated over cosmic time. In particular, the abundance of
the iron-peak elements (chromium, manganese, iron and nickel) is key to
understanding how the progenitors of typical type Ia supernovae evolve
and explode. Recent X-ray studies of the intracluster medium found that
the abundance ratios of these elements differ substantially from those
seen in the Sun, suggesting differences between the nature of type Ia
supernovae in the clusters and in the Milky Way. However, because the
K-shell transition lines of chromium and manganese are weak and those of
iron and nickel are very close in photon energy, high-resolution
spectroscopy is required for an accurate determination of the abundances
of these elements. Here we report observations of the Perseus cluster,
with statistically significant detections of the resonance emission from
chromium, manganese and nickel. Our measurements, combined with the
latest atomic models, reveal that these elements have near-solar
abundance ratios with respect to iron, in contrast to previous claims.
Comparison between our results and modern nucleosynthesis calculations
disfavours the hypothesis that type Ia supernova progenitors are
exclusively white dwarfs with masses well below the Chandrasekhar limit
(about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun). The observed abundance pattern of
the iron-peak elements can be explained by taking into account a
combination of near- and sub-Chandrasekhar-mass type Ia supernova
systems, adding to the mounting evidence that both progenitor types make
a substantial contribution to cosmic chemical enrichment