Radiation environment along the INTEGRAL orbit measured with the IREM monitor

The INTEGRAL Radiation Environment Monitor (IREM) is a payload supporting instrument on board the INTEGRAL satellite. The monitor continually measures electron and proton fluxes along the orbit and provides this information to the spacecraft on board data handler. The mission alert system broadcasts it to the payload instruments enabling them to react accordingly to the current radiation level. Additionally, the IREM conducts its autonomous research mapping the Earth radiation environment for the space weather program. Its scientific data are available for further analysis almost without delay.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A+A letter

Optimization of the final settings for the Space-borne Hard X-ray Compton Polarimeter POLAR

POLAR is a compact wide field space-borne detector dedicated for precise measurements of the linear polarization of hard X-rays emitted by transient sources in the energy range from 50 keV to 500 keV. It consists of 1600 plastic scintillator bars grouped in 25 detector modules that are used as gamma-ray detection material. Its energy range sensitivity is optimized for detection of the prompt emission photons from the gamma-ray bursts. Measurements of the GRB polarization provide unique information on emission mechanisms as well as on composition and structure of the GRB jets. The POLAR instrument was developed by international collaboration of Switzerland, China and Poland. It was launched in space on-board the China Space Laboratory TG-2 on September 15th, 2016. Based on the ground calibration data, several high voltage and threshold settings were calculated and verified in order to obtain various energy ranges and optimized signal to background conditions for different measurement purposes. In this paper we present optimization procedure details and current test results.Comment: For 2017 ICRC conferenc

Multiple Complications from a Finger Fracture in a Basketball Player

Minor finger and hand problems resulting from NCAA Division-1 Basketball competition are fairly common. True injuries— those requiring removal from participation— are rare, as suggested by injury surveillance and epidemiological data. The objective of this study is to present the case of multiple complications resulting from an original finger dislocation and fracture. Improper fracture healing led to tendon imbalances, causing finger angulation. The extended period of time the finger was deformed further resulted in osteoarthritis (progressive wearing down of the cartilage and bones that comprise a joint). Severe complications stemming from the original injury occur infrequently in the general population and are virtually unheard of in the athletic population. Seemingly routine or inconsequential finger injuries may produce serious, permanent, and uncorrectable damage. Sports medicine practitioners should be familiar with the effects of injury on surrounding small and large tissue structures to provide optimal intervention and patient understanding. This knowledge will increase treatment compliance, preventing severe complications or permanent dysfunction

Radiocarbon dating and its applications in Quaternary studies

Dieser Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über die Herkunft von Radiokohlenstoff, den globalen Kohlenstoffkreislauf, anthropogene Einflüsse auf das atmosphärische 14C und die Grundlagen der Radiokohlenstoffmethode. Probenaufbereitung und das Messen der 14C Konzentration sind wichtige Aspekte im Zusammenhang mit der Radiokohlenstoffdatierung. Gegenwärtige Fortschritte in der Probenaufbereitung erlauben ein besseres Verstehen lang bekannter Probleme (z.B. die Kontamination von Knochen) und haben zu verbesserten Chronologien geführt. In diesem Überblick werden verschiedene Aufbereitungstechniken für typische Probengattungen beschrieben. Der letzte Schritt beim Erstellen einer Chronologie ist die Kalibration der Radiokohlenstoffalter. Die gegenwärtige auf Baumringzeitreihen basierende Kalibrationskurve wird stetig über das Holozän und Spätglazial hinaus erweitert. Eine zuverlässige Kalibrationkurve für die letzten 50.000–55.000 Jahre ist von herausragender Bedeutung sowohl für die Archäologie als auch die Geowissenschaften. In den letzten Jahren haben zahlreiche Studien an der Erweiterung der Radiokohlenstoff-Kalibrationskurve (INTCAL working group) und an der Rekonstruktion des Paläo-Reservoireffekts in marinen Archiven gearbeitet.researc

Gamma-Ray Burst Polarization: Limits from RHESSI Measurements

Using the RHESSI satellite as a Compton polarimeter, a recent study claimed that the prompt emission of GRB021206 was almost fully linearly polarized. This was challenged by a subsequent reanalysis. We present an novel approach, applying our method to the same data. We identify Compton scattering candidates by carefully filtering events in energy, time, and scattering geometry. Our polarization search is based on time dependent scattering rates in perpendicular directions, thus optimally excluding systematic errors. We perform simulations to obtain the instrument's polarimetric sensitivity, and these simulations include photon polarization. For GRB021206, we formally find a linear polarization degree of 41% (+57% -44%), concluding that the data quality is insufficient to constrain the polarization degree in this case. We further applied our analysis to GRB030519B and found again a null result.Comment: 39 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication by the Astrophysical Journa

RHESSI as Gamma Ray Burst Polarimeter

The Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) was designed to measure hard X-rays and γ-rays from solar flares. With its big detection area and thin side shielding it also proved to be well suited for studying Gamma Ray Bursts (GRB). Polarization analysis is feasible as well, due to a big modulation factor (MF), though serious constraints on the minimum detectable polarization (MDP) come from detection efficiency of double scattered photons. More constraints are given by background of accidental and real coincidences