On the Radio Polarization Signature of Efficient and Inefficient Particle Acceleration in Supernova Remnant SN 1006

We present a radio polarization study of SN 1006, based on combined VLA and ATCA observations at 20 cm that resulted in sensitive images with an angular resolution of 10 arcsec. The fractional polarization in the two bright radio and X-ray lobes of the SNR is measured to be 0.17, while in the southeastern sector, where the radio and non-thermal X-ray emission are much weaker, the polarization fraction reaches a value of 0.6 +- 0.2, close to the theoretical limit of 0.7. We interpret this result as evidence of a disordered, turbulent magnetic field in the lobes, where particle acceleration is believed to be efficient, and a highly ordered field in the southeast, where the acceleration efficiency has been shown to be very low. Utilizing the frequency coverage of our observations, an average rotation measure of ~12 rad/m2 is determined from the combined data set, which is then used to obtain the intrinsic direction of the magnetic field vectors. While the orientation of magnetic field vectors across the SNR shell appear radial, a large fraction of the magnetic vectors lie parallel to the Galactic Plane. Along the highly polarized southeastern rim, the field is aligned tangent to the shock, and therefore also nearly parallel to the Galactic Plane. These results strongly suggest that the ambient field surrounding SN 1006 is aligned with this direction (i.e., from northeast to southwest) and that the bright lobes are due to a polar cap geometry. Our study establishes that the most efficient particle acceleration and generation of magnetic turbulence in SN 1006 is attained for shocks in which the magnetic field direction and shock normal are quasi-parallel, while inefficient acceleration and little to no generation of magnetic turbulence obtains for the quasi-perpendicular case.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomical Journa

The use of Fourier analyzed square waves in the determination of the modulation transfer function of photographic materials

Fourier analysis and a computer were used to generate the Fourier series and coefficients for the transmission distribution of a square wave target and the effective exposure produced on Kodak Plus-X film. This was performed in an effort to find a workable alternative to the proposed American National Standards Institute (ANSI) method for the determination of the photographic modulation transfer function. The results showed that the square wave method generated a curve with the same general trend as the conventional ANSI method. The Fourier analyzed square wave method had a greater degree of variability than did the standard method. The square wave targets used for the determination were manufactured at the Rochester Institute of Technology

Making Room for Innovation: Using Systematic Random Sampling to Quickly and Efficiently Obtain Shelf Occupancy Data

This poster was peer-reviewed for inclusion at the Association of College and Research Libraries' 2015 Conference in Portland, Oregon. Date of presentation is March 26, 2015.Are you preparing to renovate space currently occupied by the stacks to construct a new cafe? A collaborative learning space? A technology-rich environment? If so, data is needed about the collection. How much shelf space is currently occupied by monographs? By serials? How much is empty? How much space would be available if serials were relocated or withdrawn? Find out how to use systematic random sampling to quickly and efficiently obtain shelf occupancy data

On the Radio Polarization Signature of Efficient and Inefficient Particle Acceleration in Supernova Remnant SN 1006

Radio polarization observations provide essential information on the degree of order and orientation of magnetic fields, which themselves play a key role in the particle acceleration processes that take place in supernova remnants (SNRs). Here we present a radio polarization study of SN 1006, based on combined Very Large Array and Australia Telescope Compact Array observations at 20 cm that resulted in sensitive images with an angular resolution of 10 arcsec. The fractional polarization in the two bright radio and X-ray lobes of the SNR is measured to be 0.17, while in the southeastern sector, where the radio and non-thermal X-ray emission are much weaker, the polarization fraction reaches a value of 0.6 ± 0.2, close to the theoretical limit of 0.7. We interpret this result as evidence of a disordered, turbulent magnetic field in the lobes, where particle acceleration is believed to be efficient, and a highly ordered field in the southeast, where the acceleration efficiency has been shown to be very low. Utilizing the frequency coverage of our observations, an average rotation measure of ~12 rad m-2 is determined from the combined data set, which is then used to obtain the intrinsic direction of the magnetic field vectors. While the orientation of magnetic field vectors across the SNR shell appear to be radial, a large fraction of the magnetic vectors lie parallel to the Galactic plane. Along the highly polarized southeastern rim, the field is aligned tangent to the shock, and therefore also nearly parallel to the Galactic plane. These results strongly suggest that the ambient field surrounding SN 1006 is aligned with this direction (i.e., from northeast to southwest) and that the bright lobes are due to a polar cap geometry. Our study establishes that the most efficient particle acceleration and generation of magnetic turbulence in SN 1006 is attained for shocks in which the magnetic field direction and shock normal are quasi-parallel, while inefficient acceleration and little to no generation of magnetic turbulence are obtained for the quasi-perpendicular case.Fil: Reynoso, Estela Marta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Hughes, John P.. Rutgers University; Estados UnidosFil: Moffett, David A.. Furman University; Estados Unido

The flux of iron and iron isotopes from San Pedro Basin sediments

Iron is an important nutrient in the ocean, but the different sources and sinks of iron are not well constrained. Here, we use measurements of Fe concentration and Fe stable isotope ratios to evaluate the importance of reducing continental margins as a source of Fe to the open ocean. Dissolved iron concentration ([Fe]) and iron stable isotope ratios (δ^(56)Fe) were measured in the San Pedro and Santa Barbara basins. Dissolved δ^(56)Fe ranges from −1.82‰ to 0.00‰ in the San Pedro Basin and from −3.45‰ to −0.29‰ in the Santa Barbara Basin, and in both basins the lowest δ^(56)Fe values and highest Fe concentrations are found at the bottom of the basin reflecting the input of isotopically light Fe from reducing sediment porewaters. In the San Pedro Basin, we are also able to fingerprint an advective source of Fe from shallow continental shelves next to the basin and the atmospheric deposition of Fe into surface waters. A one-dimensional model of the Fe isotope cycle has been constructed for the deep silled San Pedro Basin. By fitting model output to data, values of several important iron cycle parameters are predicted including a flux of Fe from sediment porewaters into the water column of 0.32–1.14 μmol m^(−2) d^(−1), a first-order dissolved Fe precipitation rate constant of 0.0018–0.0053 d^(−1), a flux δ56Fe of −2.4‰, and an isotope effect for Fe precipitation of Δδ^(56)Fe_(particulate-dissolved) = −0.8‰. Applying our model-predicted Fe cycle parameters to the global ocean suggests that continental margins contribute 4–12% of world ocean dissolved Fe and make the ocean’s Fe lighter by −0.08‰ to −0.26‰. The dramatically negative δ^(56)Fe signature seen in the water column of the San Pedro and Santa Barbara basins demonstrate the utility of Fe isotopes as a tracer for continental margin Fe input from reducing sediments to the oceans, while the isotopic fractionation observed during loss of Fe from the dissolved phase suggests that this signature will be modified by subsequent reactions. Our modeling provides an initial framework for testing how these signals are transmitted into the open ocean

References

This compilation of references includes all references for the knowledge-how chapters included in Bengson & Moffett's edited volume. The volume and the compilation of references may serve as a good starting point for people who are unfamiliar with the philosophical literature on knowledge-how

A Broadband Study of the Emission from the Composite Supernova Remnant MSH 11-62

MSH 11-62 (G291.1-0.9) is a composite supernova remnant for which radio and X-ray observations have identified the remnant shell as well as its central pulsar wind nebula. The observations suggest a relatively young system expanding into a low density region. Here we present a study of MSH 11-62 using observations with the Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Fermi observatories, along with radio observations from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). We identify a compact X-ray source that appears to be the putative pulsar that powers the nebula, and show that the X-ray spectrum of the nebula bears the signature of synchrotron losses as particles diffuse into the outer nebula. Using data from the Fermi LAT, we identify gamma-ray emission originating from MSH 11-62. With density constraints from the new X-ray measurements of the remnant, we model the evolution of the composite system in order to constrain the properties of the underlying pulsar and the origin of the gamma-ray emission.Comment: 12 Pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Morphological evidence for azimuthal variations of the cosmic ray ion acceleration at the blast wave of SN 1006

Using radio, X-ray and optical observations, we present evidence for morphological changes due to efficient cosmic ray ion acceleration in the structure of the southeastern region of the supernova remnant SN 1006. SN 1006 has an apparent bipolar morphology in both the radio and high-energy X-ray synchrotron emission. In the optical, the shock front is clearly traced by a filament of Balmer emission in the southeast. This optical emission enables us to trace the location of the blast wave (BW) even in places where the synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons is either absent or too weak to detect. The contact discontinuity (CD) is traced using images in the low-energy X-rays (oxygen band) which we argue reveals the distribution of shocked ejecta. We interpret the azimuthal variations of the ratio of radii between the BW and CD plus the X-ray and radio synchrotron emission at the BW using CR-modified hydrodynamic models. We assumed different azimuthal profiles for the injection rate of particles into the acceleration process, magnetic field and level of turbulence. We found that the observations are consistent with a model in which these parameters are all azimuthally varying, being largest in the brightest regions.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ - 42 pages, 11 figure

The Shape and Scale of Galactic Rotation from Cepheid Kinematics

A catalog of Cepheid variables is used to probe the kinematics of the Galactic disk. Radial velocities are measured for eight distant Cepheids toward l = 300; these new Cepheids provide a particularly good constraint on the distance to the Galactic center, R_0. We model the disk with both an axisymmetric rotation curve and one with a weak elliptical component, and find evidence for an ellipticity of 0.043 +/- 0.016 near the Sun. Using these models, we derive R_0 = 7.66 +/- 0.32 kpc and v_circ = 237 +/- 12 km/s. The distance to the Galactic center agrees well with recent determinations from the distribution of RR Lyrae variables, and disfavors most models with large ellipticities at the solar orbit.Comment: 36 pages, LaTeX, 10 figure