266 research outputs found
The influence of the chameleon field potential on transition frequencies of gravitationally bound quantum states of ultra-cold neutrons
We calculate the chameleon field potential for ultracold neutrons, bouncing
on top of one or between two neutron mirrors in the gravitational field of the
Earth. For the resulting non--linear equations of motion we give approximate
analytical solutions and compare them with exact numerical ones for which we
propose the analytical fit. The obtained solutions may be used for the
quantitative analysis of contributions of a chameleon field to the transition
frequencies of quantum states of ultra-cold neutrons bound in the gravitational
field of the Earth.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
Construction of a Schwarzschild-Couder telescope as a candidate for the Cherenkov Telescope Array: status of the optical system
We present the design and the status of procurement of the optical system of
the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder telescope (pSCT), for which construction is
scheduled to begin in fall at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in southern
Arizona, USA. The Schwarzschild-Couder telescope is a candidate for the
medium-sized telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array, which utilizes
imaging atmospheric Cherenkov techniques to observe gamma rays in the energy
range of 60Gev-60TeV. The pSCT novel aplanatic optical system is made of two
segmented aspheric mirrors. The primary mirror has 48 mirror panels with an
aperture of 9.6 m, while the secondary, made of 24 panels, has an diameter of
5.4 m. The resulting point spread function (PSF) is required to be better than
4 arcmin within a field of view of 6.4 degrees (80% of the field of view),
which corresponds to a physical size of 6.4 mm on the focal plane. This goal
represents a challenge for the inexpensive fabrication of aspheric mirror
panels and for the precise alignment of the optical system as well as for the
rigidity of the optical support structure. In this submission we introduce the
design of the Schwarzschild-Couder optical system and describe the solutions
adopted for the manufacturing of the mirror panels and their integration with
the optical support structure.Comment: In Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference
(ICRC2015), The Hague, The Netherlands. All CTA contributions at
arXiv:1508.0589
Probing stellar winds and accretion physics in high-mass X-ray binaries and ultra-luminous X-ray sources with LOFT
This is a White Paper in support of the mission concept of the Large
Observatory for X-ray Timing (LOFT), proposed as a medium-sized ESA mission. We
discuss the potential of LOFT for the study of high-mass X-ray binaries and
ultra-luminous X-ray sources. For a summary, we refer to the paper.Comment: White Paper in Support of the Mission Concept of the Large
Observatory for X-ray Timing. (v2 few typos corrected
STROBE-X: X-Ray Timing Spectroscopy on Dynamical Timescales from Microseconds to Years
We describe a probe-class mission concept that provides an unprecedented view of the X-ray sky, performing timing and 0.2-30 keV spectroscopy over timescales from microseconds to years. The Spectroscopic Time-Resolving Observatory for Broadband Energy X-rays (STROBE-X) comprises three primary instruments. The first uses an array of lightweight optics (3-m focal length) that concentrate incident photons onto solid state detectors with CCD-level (85-130 eV) energy resolution, 100 ns time resolution, and low background rates to cover the 0.2-12 keV band. This technology is scaled up from NICER, with enhanced optics to take advantage of the longer focal length of STROBE-X. The second uses large-area collimated silicon drift detectors, developed for ESA's LOFT, to cover the 2-30 keV band. These two instruments each provide an order of magnitude improvement in effective area compared with its predecessor (NICER and RXTE, respectively). Finally, a sensitive sky monitor triggers pointed observations, provides high duty cycle, high time resolution, high spectral resolution monitoring of the X-ray sky with approx. 20 times the sensitivity of the RXTE ASM, and enables multi-wavelength and multi-messenger studies on a continuous, rather than scanning basis.For the first time, the broad coverage provides simultaneous study of thermal components, non-thermal components, iron lines, and reflection features from a single platform for accreting black holes at all scales. The enormous collecting area allows detailed studies of the dense matter equation of state using both thermal emission from rotation-powered pulsars and harder emission from X-ray burst oscillations. The combination of the wide-field monitor and the sensitive pointed instruments enables observations of potential electromagnetic counterparts to LIGO and neutrino events. Additional extragalactic science, such as high quality spectroscopy of clusters of galaxies and unprecedented timing investigations of active galactic nuclei, is also obtained
Multimodal database of emotional speech, video and gestures
People express emotions through different modalities. Integration of verbal and non-verbal communication channels creates a system in which the message is easier to understand. Expanding the focus
to several expression forms can facilitate research on emotion recognition as well as human-machine interaction. In this article, the authors
present a Polish emotional database composed of three modalities: facial expressions, body movement and gestures, and speech. The corpora
contains recordings registered in studio conditions, acted out by 16 professional actors (8 male and 8 female). The data is labeled with six basic
emotions categories, according to Ekman’s emotion categories. To check
the quality of performance, all recordings are evaluated by experts and
volunteers. The database is available to academic community and might
be useful in the study on audio-visual emotion recognition
The 3rd Fermi GBM Gamma-Ray Burst Catalog: The First Six Years
Since its launch in 2008, the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) has
triggered and located on average approximately two gamma-ray bursts (GRB) every
three days. Here we present the third of a series of catalogs of GRBs detected
by GBM, extending the second catalog by two more years, through the middle of
July 2014. The resulting list includes 1405 triggers identified as GRBs. The
intention of the GBM GRB catalog is to provide information to the community on
the most important observables of the GBM detected GRBs. For each GRB the
location and main characteristics of the prompt emission, the duration, peak
flux and fluence are derived. The latter two quantities are calculated for the
50-300~keV energy band, where the maximum energy release of GRBs in the
instrument reference system is observed, and also for a broader energy band
from 10-1000 keV, exploiting the full energy range of GBM's low-energy NaI(Tl)
detectors. Using statistical methods to assess clustering, we find that the
hardness and duration of GRBs are better fitted by a two-component model with
short-hard and long-soft bursts, than by a model with three components.
Furthermore, information is provided on the settings and modifications of the
triggering criteria and exceptional operational conditions during years five
and six in the mission. This third catalog is an official product of the Fermi
GBM science team, and the data files containing the complete results are
available from the High-Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center
(HEASARC).Comment: 225 pages, 13 figures and 8 tables. Accepted for publication in
Astrophysical Journal Supplement 201
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