7,284 research outputs found
Searching for tau neutrinos with Cherenkov telescopes
Cherenkov telescopes have the capability of detecting high energy tau
neutrinos in the energy range of 1--1000 PeV by searching for very inclined
showers. If a tau lepton, produced by a tau neutrino, escapes from the Earth or
a mountain, it will decay and initiate a shower in the air which can be
detected by an air shower fluorescence or Cherenkov telescope. In this paper,
we present detailed Monte Carlo simulations of corresponding event rates for
the VERITAS and two proposed Cherenkov Telescope Array sites: Meteor Crater and
Yavapai Ranch, which use representative AGN neutrino flux models and take into
account topographic conditions of the detector sites. The calculated neutrino
sensitivities depend on the observation time and the shape of the energy
spectrum, but in some cases are comparable or even better than corresponding
neutrino sensitivities of the IceCube detector. For VERITAS and the considered
Cherenkov Telescope Array sites the expected neutrino sensitivities are up to
factor 3 higher than for the MAGIC site because of the presence of surrounding
mountains.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1308.019
IGR J14257-6117, a magnetic accreting white dwarf with a very strong X-ray orbital modulation
IGR J14257-6117 is an unclassified source in the hard X-ray catalogues.
Optical follow-ups suggest it could be a Cataclysmic Variable of the magnetic
type. We present the first high S/N X-ray observation performed by \XMM\ at
0.3--10 keV, complemented with 10--80 keV coverage by \Swift/BAT, aimed at
revealing the source nature. We detected for the first time a fast periodic
variability at 509.5\,s and a longer periodic variability at 4.05\,h, ascribed
to the white dwarf (WD) spin and binary orbital periods, respectively. These
unambiguously identify IGR J14257-6117 as a magnetic CV of the Intermediate
Polar (IP) type. The energy resolved light curves at both periods reveal
amplitudes decreasing with increasing energy, with the orbital modulation
reaching in the softest band. The energy spectrum shows optically
thin thermal emission with an excess at the iron complex, absorbed by two dense
media (), partially covering the X-ray
source. These are likely localised in the magnetically confined accretion flow
above the WD surface and at the disc rim, producing the energy dependent spin
and orbital variabilities, respectively. IGR J14257-6117, joins the group of
strongest orbitally modulated IPs now counting four systems. Drawing
similarities with low-mass X-ray binaries displaying orbital dips, these IPs
should be seen at large orbital inclinations allowing azimuthally extended
absorbing material fixed in the binary frame to intercept the line of sight.
For IGR J14257-6117, we estimate (). Whether
also the mass accretion rate plays a role in the large orbital modulations in
IPs cannot be established with the present data.Comment: Accepted for publication on MNRAS. 9 pages, 6 table, 5 figure
Macroscopic polarization and band offsets at nitride heterojunctions
Ab initio electronic structure studies of prototypical polar interfaces of
wurtzite III-V nitrides show that large uniform electric fields exist in
epitaxial nitride overlayers, due to the discontinuity across the interface of
the macroscopic polarization of the constituent materials. Polarization fields
forbid a standard evaluation of band offsets and formation energies: using new
techniques, we find a large forward-backward asymmetry of the offset (0.2 eV
for AlN/GaN (0001), 0.85 eV for GaN/AlN (0001)), and tiny interface formation
energies.Comment: RevTeX 4 pages, 2 figure
Accurate calculation of polarization-related quantities in semiconductors
We demonstrate that polarization-related quantities in semiconductors can be
predicted accurately from first-principles calculations using the appropriate
approach to the problem, the Berry-phase polarization theory. For III-V
nitrides, our test case, we find polarizations, polarization differences
between nitride pairs, and piezoelectric constants quite close to their
previously established values. Refined data are nevertheless provided for all
the relevant quantities.Comment: RevTeX 4 pages, no figure
Search for tau neutrinos at PeV energies and beyond with the MAGIC telescopes
The MAGIC telescopes, located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (2200
a.s.l.) in the Canary Island of La Palma, are placed on the top of a mountain,
from where a window of visibility of about 5 deg in zenith and 80 deg in
azimuth is open in the direction of the surrounding ocean. This permits to
search for a signature of particle showers induced by earth-skimming cosmic tau
neutrinos in the PeV to EeV energy range arising from the ocean. We have
studied the response of MAGIC to such events, employing Monte Carlo simulations
of upward-going tau neutrino showers. The analysis of the shower images shows
that air showers induced by tau neutrinos can be discriminated from the
hadronic background coming from a similar direction. We have calculated the
point source acceptance and the expected event rates, for a sample of generic
neutrino fluxes from photo-hadronic interactions in AGNs. The analysis of about
30 hours of data taken toward the sea leads to a point source sensitivity for
tau neutrinos at the level of the down-going point source analysis of the
Pierre Auger Observatory, if the AUGER observation time is dedicated to a
similar amount by MAGIC.Comment: Proceedings of EPS-HEP 2017, European Physical Society conference on
High Energy Physics, 5-12 July 2017, Venice, Italy. arXiv admin note:
substantial text overlap with arXiv:1708.0614
Limitations on the principle of stationary phase when it is applied to tunneling analysis
Using a recently developed procedure - multiple wave packet decomposition -
here we study the phase time formulation for tunneling/reflecting particles
colliding with a potential barrier. To partially overcome the analytical
difficulties which frequently arise when the stationary phase method is
employed for deriving phase (tunneling) time expressions, we present a
theoretical exercise involving a symmetrical collision between two identical
wave packets and an one-dimensional rectangular potential barrier. Summing the
amplitudes of the reflected and transmitted waves - using a method we call
multiple peak decomposition - is shown to allow reconstruction of the scattered
wave packets in a way which allows the stationary phase principle to be
recovered.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figure
Reproducing neutrino effects on the matter power spectrum through a degenerate Fermi gas approach
Modifications on the predictions about the matter power spectrum based on the
hypothesis of a tiny contribution from a degenerate Fermi gas (DFG) test-fluid
to some dominant cosmological scenario are investigated. Reporting about the
systematic way of accounting for all the cosmological perturbations, through
the Boltzmann equation we obtain the analytical results for density
fluctuation, , and fluid velocity divergence, , of the DFG.
Small contributions to the matter power spectrum are analytically obtained for
the radiation-dominated background, through an ultra-relativistic
approximation, and for the matter-dominated and -dominated eras,
through a non-relativistic approximation. The results can be numerically
reproduced and compared with those of considering non-relativistic and
ultra-relativistic neutrinos into the computation of the matter power spectrum.
Lessons concerning the formation of large scale structures of a DFG are
depicted, and consequent deviations from standard CDM predictions for
the matter power spectrum (with and without neutrinos) are quantified.Comment: 28 pages, 06 figure
Effect of ELF e.m. fields on metalloprotein redox-active sites
The peculiarity of the distribution and geometry of metallic ions in enzymes
pushed us to set the hypothesis that metallic ions in active-site act like tiny
antennas able to pick up very feeble e.m. signals. Enzymatic activity of Cu2+,
Zn2+ Superoxide Dismutase (SOD1) and Fe2+ Xanthine Oxidase (XO) has been
studied, following in vitro generation and removal of free radicals. We
observed that Superoxide radicals generation by XO is increased by a weak field
having the Larmor frequency fL of Fe2+ while the SOD1 kinetics is sensibly
reduced by exposure to a weak field having the frequency fL of Cu2+ ion.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figure
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