255 research outputs found
Detection of Cherenkov light from air showers with Geiger-APDs
We have detected Cherenkov light from air showers with Geiger-mode APDs
(G-APDs). G-APDs are novel semiconductor photon-detectors, which offer several
advantages compared to conventional photomultiplier tubes in the field of
ground-based gamma-ray astronomy. In a field test with the MAGIC telescope we
have tested the efficiency of a G-APD / light catcher setup to detect Cherenkov
light from air showers. We estimate a detection efficiency, which is 60% higher
than the efficiency of a MAGIC camera pixel. Ambient temperature dark count
rates of the tested G-APDs are below the rates of the night sky light
background. According to these recent tests G-APDs promise a major progress in
ground-based gamma-ray astronomy.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the 30th
International Cosmic Ray Conference, Merida, July 200
Spectrophotometric experiment on the Verera-11 and Venera-12 descent vehicles: Some results of the analysis of the spectrum of the daytime sky of Venus
The spectra of the daytime sky of Venus were recorded on the Venera-11 and Venera-12 descent vehicles at various altitudes above the planet's surface, within the interval of 4500 to 12,000 Angstroms. The angular distribution of the brightness of the scattered radiation was recorded and the ratio of water and carbon dioxide were studied, with respect to the cloud cover boundaries
Magnetostimulated Chandges of Microhardness in Potassium Acid Phthalate Crystals
A decrease in microhardness along the (010) cleavage in potassium acid
phthalate single crystals by 15--18% after the application of a permanent
magnetic field was revealed for the first time. It is shown that the effect
revealed is of the volume character. The role of interlayer water in the
processes stimulated by a magnetic field is studied., Interlayer water plays
does not cause the observed changes it only plays the part of an indicator of
these changes in potassium acid phthalate crystals in a magnetic field. It is
established that microhardness in the (100) plane of the crystal in an applied
a magnetic field first increases by 12--15% and then remains constant in time
within the accuracy of the experiment. The possibility of varying the crystal
structure of potassium acid phthalate crystals by applying magnetic fields
inducing rearrangement in the system of hydrogen bonds or in the defect
structure is discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure
Planform selection in two-layer Benard-Marangoni convection
Benard-Marangoni convection in a system of two superimposed liquids is
investigated theoretically. Extending previous studies the complete
hydrodynamics of both layers is treated and buoyancy is consistently taken into
account. The planform selection problem between rolls, squares and hexagons is
investigated by explicitly calculating the coefficients of an appropriate
amplitude equation from the parameters of the fluids. The results are compared
with recent experiments on two-layer systems in which squares at onset have
been reported.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, oscillatory instability included, typos
corrected, references adde
Exact Solutions for Domain Walls in Coupled Complex Ginzburg - Landau Equations
The complex Ginzburg Landau equation (CGLE) is a ubiquitous model for the
evolution of slowly varying wave packets in nonlinear dissipative media. A
front (shock) is a transient layer between a plane-wave state and a zero
background. We report exact solutions for domain walls, i.e., pairs of fronts
with opposite polarities, in a system of two coupled CGLEs, which describe
transient layers between semi-infinite domains occupied by each component in
the absence of the other one. For this purpose, a modified Hirota bilinear
operator, first proposed by Bekki and Nozaki, is employed. A novel
factorization procedure is applied to reduce the intermediate calculations
considerably. The ensuing system of equations for the amplitudes and
frequencies is solved by means of computer-assisted algebra. Exact solutions
for mutually-locked front pairs of opposite polarities, with one or several
free parameters, are thus generated. The signs of the cubic gain/loss, linear
amplification/attenuation, and velocity of the coupled-front complex can be
adjusted in a variety of configurations. Numerical simulations are performed to
study the stability properties of such fronts.Comment: Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, in pres
The Interplanetary Network Supplement to the BeppoSAX Gamma-Ray Burst Catalogs
Between 1996 July and 2002 April, one or more spacecraft of the
interplanetary network detected 787 cosmic gamma-ray bursts that were also
detected by the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor and/or Wide-Field X-Ray Camera
experiments aboard the BeppoSAX spacecraft. During this period, the network
consisted of up to six spacecraft, and using triangulation, the localizations
of 475 bursts were obtained. We present the localization data for these events.Comment: 89 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to the Astrophysical Journal
Supplement Serie
Hydrogen and chlorine abundances in the Kimberley formation of Gale crater measured by the DAN instrument on board the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover
The Dynamic Albedo of Neutron (DAN) instrument on board the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover acquired a series of measurements as part of an observational campaign of the Kimberley area in Gale crater. These observations were planned to assess the variability of bulk hydrogen and neutron‐absorbing elements, characterized as chlorine‐equivalent concentration, in the geologic members of the Kimberley formation and in surface materials exposed throughout the area. During the traverse of the Kimberley area, Curiosity drove primarily over the “Smooth Hummocky” unit, a unit composed primarily of sand and loose rocks, with occasional stops at bedrock of the Kimberley formation. During the Kimberley campaign, DAN detected ranges of water equivalent hydrogen (WEH) and chlorine‐equivalent concentrations of 1.5–2.5 wt % and 0.6–2 wt %, respectively. Results show that as the traverse progressed, DAN observed an overall decrease in both WEH and chlorine‐equivalent concentration measured over the sand and loose rocks of the Smooth Hummocky unit. DAN measurements of WEH and chlorine‐equivalent concentrations in the well‐exposed sedimentary bedrock of the Kimberley formation show fluctuations with stratigraphic position. The Kimberley campaign also provided an opportunity to compare measurements from DAN with those from the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) and the Alpha‐Particle X‐ray Spectrometer (APXS) instruments. DAN measurements obtained near the Windjana drill location show a WEH concentration of ~1.5 wt %, consistent with the concentration of low‐temperature absorbed water measured by SAM for the Windjana drill sample. A comparison between DAN chlorine‐equivalent concentrations measured throughout the Kimberley area and APXS observations of corresponding local surface targets and drill fines shows general agreement between the two instruments
Hydrogen and chlorine abundances in the Kimberley formation of Gale crater measured by the DAN instrument on board the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover
The Dynamic Albedo of Neutron (DAN) instrument on board the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover acquired a series of measurements as part of an observational campaign of the Kimberley area in Gale crater. These observations were planned to assess the variability of bulk hydrogen and neutron‐absorbing elements, characterized as chlorine‐equivalent concentration, in the geologic members of the Kimberley formation and in surface materials exposed throughout the area. During the traverse of the Kimberley area, Curiosity drove primarily over the “Smooth Hummocky” unit, a unit composed primarily of sand and loose rocks, with occasional stops at bedrock of the Kimberley formation. During the Kimberley campaign, DAN detected ranges of water equivalent hydrogen (WEH) and chlorine‐equivalent concentrations of 1.5–2.5 wt % and 0.6–2 wt %, respectively. Results show that as the traverse progressed, DAN observed an overall decrease in both WEH and chlorine‐equivalent concentration measured over the sand and loose rocks of the Smooth Hummocky unit. DAN measurements of WEH and chlorine‐equivalent concentrations in the well‐exposed sedimentary bedrock of the Kimberley formation show fluctuations with stratigraphic position. The Kimberley campaign also provided an opportunity to compare measurements from DAN with those from the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) and the Alpha‐Particle X‐ray Spectrometer (APXS) instruments. DAN measurements obtained near the Windjana drill location show a WEH concentration of ~1.5 wt %, consistent with the concentration of low‐temperature absorbed water measured by SAM for the Windjana drill sample. A comparison between DAN chlorine‐equivalent concentrations measured throughout the Kimberley area and APXS observations of corresponding local surface targets and drill fines shows general agreement between the two instruments
IPN localizations of Konus short gamma-ray bursts
Between the launch of the \textit{GGS Wind} spacecraft in 1994 November and
the end of 2010, the Konus-\textit{Wind} experiment detected 296 short-duration
gamma-ray bursts (including 23 bursts which can be classified as short bursts
with extended emission). During this period, the IPN consisted of up to eleven
spacecraft, and using triangulation, the localizations of 271 bursts were
obtained. We present the most comprehensive IPN localization data on these
events. The short burst detection rate, 18 per year, exceeds that of many
individual experiments.Comment: Published versio
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