Radio detection prospects for a bulge population of millisecond pulsars as suggested by Fermi LAT observations of the inner Galaxy

Analogously to globular clusters, the dense stellar environment of the Galactic center has been proposed to host a large population of as-yet undetected millisecond pulsars (MSPs). Recently, this hypothesis found support in the analysis of gamma rays from the inner Galaxy seen by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard the Fermi satellite, which revealed a possible excess of diffuse GeV photons in the inner 15 deg about the Galactic center (Fermi GeV excess). The excess can be interpreted as the collective emission of thousands of MSPs in the Galactic bulge, with a spherical distribution that strongly peaks towards the Galactic center. In order to fully establish the MSP interpretation, it is essential to find corroborating evidence in multi-wavelength searches, most notably through the detection of radio pulsation from individual bulge MSPs. Based on globular cluster observations and the gamma-ray emission from the inner Galaxy, we investigate the prospects for detecting MSPs in the Galactic bulge. While previous pulsar surveys failed to identify this population, we demonstrate that, in the upcoming years, new large-area surveys with focus on regions a few degrees north or south of the Galactic center should lead to the detection of dozens of bulge MSPs. Additionally, we show that, in the near future, deep targeted searches of unassociated Fermi sources should be able to detect the first few MSPs in the bulge. The prospects for these deep searches are enhanced by a tentative gamma-ray/radio correlation that we infer from high-latitude gamma-ray MSPs. Such detections would constitute the first clear discoveries of field MSPs in the Galactic bulge, with far-reaching implications for gamma-ray observations, the formation history of the central Milky Way and strategy optimization for future radio observations.Comment: 24 pages, 17 figures, 5 tables. Minor clarifications. Matches version published in Ap

Semicrystalline Polythiophene-Based Nanoparticles Deposited from Water on Flexible PET/ITO Substrates as a Sustainable Approach toward Long-Lasting Solid-State Electrochromic Devices

info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/734834/EU FCT/MEC (UIDB/50006/2020). PhD grant SFRH/BD/139171/2018 from FCT/MCTES. We are very grateful to Dr. Carlos Pinheiro and Ynvisible company for discussions and assistance in the assembly of the electrochromic devices.We report the use of films of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) nanoparticles (P3HT-NPs) prepared with the reprecipitation method employing water as solvent in the absence of surfactants for solid-state electrochromic devices (ECDs) and prove that these displays present enhanced properties when compared to similar ECDs with thin films deposited from chloroform. Films of differently sized nanoparticles (100 to 400 nm) were prepared and spray-coated on flexible PET-ITO substrates and tested for electrochromic properties. ECDs with switching times (t(90)) of 4 s were obtained using P3HT-NPs with a diameter of 100 nm, while those built using P3HT thin film presented longer switching speeds over 13 s for reduction (bleached to colored state). Additionally, the devices were subjected to 1000 cycles using -1.5 V/1.5 V, and the displays using P3HT 100 nm NPs presented higher transmittances (Delta(T) = +/- 20%) when compared with devices with P3HT thin film due to a more efficient oxidation step. Our data show that the availability of colloidal nanoparticles made of conjugated polymers deposited from water is an environmentally sustainable strategy leading to electrochromic devices with improved properties.authorsversionpublishe

Antegrade selective cerebral perfusion in patients with "bovine aortic arch": is it easier?

[No abstract available

A comprehensive interpretative model of slow slip events on Mt. Etna’s eastern flank

Starting off from a review of previous literature on kinematic models of the unstable eastern flank of Mt. Etna, we propose a new model. The model is based on our analysis of a large quantity of multidisciplinary data deriving from an extensive and diverse network of INGV monitoring devices deployed along the slopes of the volcano. Our analysis had a twofold objective: first, investigating the origin of the recently observed slow-slip events on the eastern flank of Mt. Etna; and second, defining a general kinematic model for the instability of this area of the volcano. To this end, we investigated the 2008–2013 period using data collected from different geochemical, geodetic, and seismic networks, integrated with the tectonic and geologic features of the volcano and including the volcanic activity during the observation period. The complex correlations between the large quantities of multidisciplinary data have given us the opportunity to infer, as outlined in this work, that the fluids of volcanic origin and their interrelationship with aquifers, tectonic and morphological features play a dominant role in the large scale instability of the eastern flank of Mt. Etna. Furthermore, we suggest that changes in the strain distribution due to volcanic inflation/deflation cycles are closely connected to changes in shallow depth fluid circulation. Finally, we propose a general framework for both the short and long term modeling of the large flank displacements observed.Published635–6581IT. Reti di monitoraggio e OsservazioniJCR Journalrestricte

FFAT motif phosphorylation controls formation and lipid transfer function of inter‐organelle contacts

Organelles are physically connected in membrane contact sites. The endoplasmic reticulum possesses three major receptors, VAP‐A, VAP‐B, and MOSPD2, which interact with proteins at the surface of other organelles to build contacts. VAP‐A, VAP‐B, and MOSPD2 contain an MSP domain, which binds a motif named FFAT (two phenylalanines in an acidic tract). In this study, we identified a non‐conventional FFAT motif where a conserved acidic residue is replaced by a serine/threonine. We show that phosphorylation of this serine/threonine is critical for non‐conventional FFAT motifs (named Phospho‐FFAT) to be recognized by the MSP domain. Moreover, structural analyses of the MSP domain alone or in complex with conventional and Phospho‐FFAT peptides revealed new mechanisms of interaction. Based on these new insights, we produced a novel prediction algorithm, which expands the repertoire of candidate proteins with a Phospho‐FFAT that are able to create membrane contact sites. Using a prototypical tethering complex made by STARD3 and VAP, we showed that phosphorylation is instrumental for the formation of ER‐endosome contacts, and their sterol transfer function. This study reveals that phosphorylation acts as a general switch for inter‐organelle contacts

The ATLAS MDT remote calibration centers

The precision chambers of the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer are built with Monitored Drift Tubes (MDT). The requirement of high accuracy and low systematic error, to achieve a transverse momentum resolution of 10% at 1 TeV, can only be accomplished if the calibrations are known with an accuracy of 20 μm. The relation between the drift path and the measured time (the socalled r-t relation) depends on many parameters (temperature T, hit rate, gas composition, thresholds,...) subject to time variations. The r-t relation has to be measured from the data without the use of an external detector, using the autocalibration technique. This method relies on an iterative procedure applied to the same data sample, starting from a preliminary set of constants. The required precision can be achieved using a large (few thousand) number of non-parallel tracks crossing a region, called calibration region, i.e. the region of the MDT chamber sharing the same r-t relation.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/85421/1/jpconf10_219_022028.pd

The ATLAS trigger muon "vertical slice"

The muon trigger system is a fundamental component of the ATLAS detector at the LHC collider. In this paper we describe the ATLAS multi-level trigger selecting events with muons: the Muon Trigger Slic

Implementation and performance of the ATLAS Trigger Muon "Vertical Slice"

The ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS) trigger system is designed to keep high effiency for interesting events while achieving a rejection of low transverse momentum (p_T) physics of about 10^7, thus reaching the ~200Hz data storage capability of the Data Aquisition system. A three levels structure has been implemented for this purpose, as described in this work for the case of the muon trigger system. After describing the implementation, some performance results are presented in terms of final trigger rates, resolutions, efficiencies, background rejection and algorithm latency

Measurement of χ c1 and χ c2 production with s√ = 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS

The prompt and non-prompt production cross-sections for the χ c1 and χ c2 charmonium states are measured in pp collisions at s√ = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using 4.5 fb−1 of integrated luminosity. The χ c states are reconstructed through the radiative decay χ c → J/ψγ (with J/ψ → μ + μ −) where photons are reconstructed from γ → e + e − conversions. The production rate of the χ c2 state relative to the χ c1 state is measured for prompt and non-prompt χ c as a function of J/ψ transverse momentum. The prompt χ c cross-sections are combined with existing measurements of prompt J/ψ production to derive the fraction of prompt J/ψ produced in feed-down from χ c decays. The fractions of χ c1 and χ c2 produced in b-hadron decays are also measured