4,676 research outputs found
The X-ray emission of the Crab-like pulsar PSR J0537-6910
In this paper we present some preliminary result on the spectral and timing
analysis of the X-ray pulsed emission from the 16 ms pulsar PSR J0537-6910 in
the energy range 0.1--30 keV, based on archival BeppoSAX and RossiXTE
observations. This pulsar, discovered by Marshall et al.(1998) in the LMC field
with RXTE, is the fastest spinning pulsar associated with a supernova remnant.
It is characterized by strong glitch activity with the highest rate of all
known Crab-like system.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. Contribution to the proceedings of "The Restless
High-Energy Universe", Amsterdam, May 5-8, 2003. Editors: E.P.J. van den
Heuvel, J.J.M. in't Zand, R.A.M.J. Wijer
The optical to gamma-ray emission of the Crab pulsar: a multicomponent model
We present a multicomponent model to explain the features of the pulsed
emission and spectrum of the Crab Pulsar, on the basis of X and gamma-ray
observations obtained with BeppoSAX, INTEGRAL and CGRO. This model explains the
evolution of the pulse shape and of the phase-resolved spectra, ranging from
the optical/UV to the GeV energy band, on the assumption that the observed
emission is due to more components. The first component, C_O, is assumed to
have the pulsed double-peaked profile observed at the optical frequencies,
while the second component, C_X, is dominant in the interpeak and second peak
phase regions. The spectra of these components are modelled with log-parabolic
laws and their spectral energy distributions have peak energies at 12.2 and 178
keV, respectively. To explain the properties of the pulsed emission in the
MeV-GeV band, we introduce two more components, C_Ogamma and C_Xgamma, with
phase distributions similar to those of C_O and C_X and log-parabolic spectra
with the same curvature but peak energies at about 300 MeV and 2 GeV. This
multicomponent model is able to reproduce both the broadband phase-resolved
spectral behaviour and the changes of the pulse shape with energy. We also
propose some possible physical interpretations in which C_O and C_X are emitted
by secondary pairs via a synchrotron mechanism while C_Ogamma and C_Xgamma can
originate either from Compton scattered or primary curvature photons.Comment: 14 pages, 16 figures; accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic
New blazars from the cross-match of recent multi-frequency catalogs
Blazars are radio-loud active galactic nuclei well known for their non
thermal emission spanning a wide range of frequencies. The Roma-BZCAT is, to
date, the most comprehensive list of these sources. We performed the
cross-match of several catalogs obtained from recent surveys at different
frequencies to search for new blazars. We cross-matched the 1 Swift-XRT
Point Source catalog with the spectroscopic sample of the 9 Data Release
of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Then, we performed further cross-matches with
the catalogs corresponding to the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty cm
survey and to the AllWISE Data release, focusing on sources with infrared
colors similar to those of confirmed -ray blazars included in the
Second Fermi-LAT catalog. As a result, we obtained a preliminary list of
objects with all the elements needed for a proper blazar classification
according to the prescriptions of the Roma-BZCAT. We carefully investigated
additional properties such as their morphology and the slope of their spectral
energy distribution in the radio domain, the features shown in their optical
spectrum, and the luminosity in the soft X rays to exclude generic active
galactic nuclei and focus on authentic blazar-like sources. At the end of our
screening we obtained a list of 15 objects with firmly established blazar
properties.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in Astrophysics
and Space Science on 2015 April 25. Corrected typo in Section
CLaSPS: a new methodology for Knowledge extraction from complex astronomical dataset
In this paper we present the Clustering-Labels-Score Patterns Spotter
(CLaSPS), a new methodology for the determination of correlations among
astronomical observables in complex datasets, based on the application of
distinct unsupervised clustering techniques. The novelty in CLaSPS is the
criterion used for the selection of the optimal clusterings, based on a
quantitative measure of the degree of correlation between the cluster
memberships and the distribution of a set of observables, the labels, not
employed for the clustering. In this paper we discuss the applications of
CLaSPS to two simple astronomical datasets, both composed of extragalactic
sources with photometric observations at different wavelengths from large area
surveys. The first dataset, CSC+, is composed of optical quasars
spectroscopically selected in the SDSS data, observed in the X-rays by Chandra
and with multi-wavelength observations in the near-infrared, optical and
ultraviolet spectral intervals. One of the results of the application of CLaSPS
to the CSC+ is the re-identification of a well-known correlation between the
alphaOX parameter and the near ultraviolet color, in a subset of CSC+ sources
with relatively small values of the near-ultraviolet colors. The other dataset
consists of a sample of blazars for which photometric observations in the
optical, mid and near infrared are available, complemented for a subset of the
sources, by Fermi gamma-ray data. The main results of the application of CLaSPS
to such datasets have been the discovery of a strong correlation between the
multi-wavelength color distribution of blazars and their optical spectral
classification in BL Lacs and Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars and a peculiar
pattern followed by blazars in the WISE mid-infrared colors space. This pattern
and its physical interpretation have been discussed in details in other papers
by one of the authors.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Slow and fast components in the X-ray light curves of Gamma-Ray Bursts
Gamma-ray burst light curves show quite different patterns: from very simple
to extremely complex. We present a temporal and spectral study of the light
curves in three energy bands (2-5, 5-10, 10-26 keV) of ten GRBs detected by the
Wide Field Cameras on board BeppoSAX. For some events the time profiles are
characterized by peaks superposed on a slowly evolving pedestal, which in some
cases becomes less apparent at higher energies. We describe this behaviour with
the presence of two components (slow and fast) having different variability
time scales. We modelled the time evolution of slow components by means of an
analytical function able to describe asymmetric rising and decaying profiles.
The residual light curves, after the subtraction of the slow components,
generally show structures more similar to the original curves in the highest
energy band. Spectral study of these two components was performed evaluating
their hardness ratios, used also to derive photon indices. Slow components are
found generally softer than the fast ones suggesting that their origin is
likely different. Being typical photon indices lower than those of the
afterglows there is no evidence that the emission processes are similar.
Another interesting possibility is that slow components can be related to the
presence of a hot photosphere having a thermal spectrum with kT around a few
keV superposed to a rapid variable non-thermal emission of the fast component.Comment: 16 pages, 20 figures (18 color, 2 B&W), accepted for publication in
Astronomy and Astrophysic
Recovery trends of commercial fish: the case of an underperforming Mediterranean marine protected area
Temporal trends in the recovery of exploited species in marine protected areas (MPAs) are useful for a proper assessment of the efficacy of protection measures. The effects of protection on the fish assemblages of the sublittoral rocky reefs in the \u201cPenisola del Sinis-Isola di Mal di Ventre\u201d MPA (W. Sardinia, Italy) were evaluated using a multi-year series of data. Four surveys, conducted 7, 10, 13 and 15 years after the area was designated as an MPA
and carried out in the period spanning June and July, were used to estimate the abundance and biomass of commercial species. The surveys were carried out in zones with decreasing levels of fishing restrictions within the MPA (zones A, B, C) and in unprotected zones (OUT1 and OUT2), and underwater video visual census techniques were used. Protected zones only occasionally showed higher levels of abundance or biomass, and the trajectories of those metrics were not consistent across the years. In addition, the zone with the highest level of protection (zone A) never presented levels of abundance and biomass higher than those in zones B and C. This study shows that even 15 years after designation, protection has had no appreciable effect in the MPA studied. It is argued that this is emblematic of several shortcomings in the planning, regulation and enforcement frameworks of the MPA
The WISE gamma-ray strip parametrization: the nature of the gamma-ray Active Galactic Nuclei of Uncertain type
Despite the large number of discoveries made recently by Fermi, the origins
of the so called unidentified gamma-ray sources remain unknown. The large
number of these sources suggests that among them there could be a population
that significantly contributes to the isotropic gamma-ray background and is
therefore crucial to understand their nature. The first step toward a complete
comprehension of the unidentified gamma-ray source population is to identify
those that can be associated with blazars, the most numerous class of
extragalactic sources in the gamma-ray sky. Recently, we discovered that
blazars can be recognized and separated from other extragalactic sources using
the infrared (IR) WISE satellite colors. The blazar population delineates a
remarkable and distinctive region of the IR color-color space, the WISE blazar
strip. In particular, the subregion delineated by the gamma-ray emitting
blazars is even narrower and we named it as the WISE Gamma-ray Strip (WGS). In
this paper we parametrize the WGS on the basis of a single parameter s that we
then use to determine if gamma-ray Active Galactic Nuclei of the uncertain type
(AGUs) detected by Fermi are consistent with the WGS and so can be considered
blazar candidates. We find that 54 AGUs out of a set 60 analyzed have IR colors
consistent with the WGS; only 6 AGUs are outliers. This result implies that a
very high percentage (i.e., in this sample about 90%) of the AGUs detected by
Fermi are indeed blazar candidates.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures, Astrophysical Journal in pres
An original control strategy of storage systems for the frequency stability of autonomous grids with renewable power generation
This work examines the operation of the autonomous power system of a geographical island assuming the integration of significant generation shares from renewable energy sources and the installation of the required storage systems. The frequency stability of the system is investigated considering different operating conditions, in terms of load demand and renewable power generation. The main focus of the work is an original control strategy specifically designed for power converters interfacing storage units to the grid. The proposed strategy is based on an extended frequency droop control, which selects specific droop settings depending on the operating mode—charge or discharge—of the storage unit. A simulation model of the whole electrical system is developed for dynamic analysis. The model also implements the possibility of including specific auxiliary frequency controls for synthetic inertia and primary reserve. The results of the simulation and analysis indicate that the proposed control strategy has a significant positive effect, making the storage units able to provide a fundamental and more effective support to the frequency stability of the system. The application of the proposed control strategy to storage units also reduces the need for a contribution to the frequency control from intermittent and variable sources, making the whole system more robust, stable and reliable
Rare diseases of the anterior segment of the eye: update on diagnosis and management
This special issue is focused on the current approaches used to identify and manage rare diseases of the anterior segment
of the eye, which range from congenital to acquired disorders that are caused by ocular or systemic conditions and often
have consequences that extend beyond the anterior segment of the eye
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