315 research outputs found
Spatially resolved XMM-Newton analysis and a model of the nonthermal emission of MSH 15-52
We present an X-ray analysis and a model of the nonthermal emission of the
pulsar wind nebula (PWN) MSH15-52. We analyzed XMM-Newton data to obtain the
spatially resolved spectral parameters around the pulsar PSRB1509-58. A
steepening of the fitted power-law spectra and decrease in the surface
brightness is observed with increasing distance from the pulsar. In the second
part of this paper, we introduce a model for the nonthermal emission, based on
assuming the ideal magnetohydrodynamic limit. This model is used to constrain
the parameters of the termination shock and the bulk velocity of the leptons in
the PWN. Our model is able to reproduce the spatial variation of the X-ray
spectra. The parameter ranges that we found agree well with the parameter
estimates found by other authors with different approaches. In the last part of
this paper, we calculate the inverse Compton emission from our model and
compare it to the emission detected with the H.E.S.S. telescope system. Our
model is able to reproduce the flux level observed with H.E.S.S., but not the
spectral shape of the observed TeV {\gamma}-ray emission.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 9 pages, 15 figure
Moving from information and collaboration to action: report from the 3rd International Dog Health Workshop, Paris in April 2017
Abstract Background Breed-related health problems in dogs have received increased focus over the last decade. Responsibility for causing and/or solving these problems has been variously directed towards dog breeders and kennel clubs, the veterinary profession, welfare scientists, owners, regulators, insurance companies and the media. In reality, all these stakeholders are likely to share some responsibility and optimal progress on resolving these challenges requires all key stakeholders to work together. The International Partnership for Dogs (IPFD), together with an alternating host organization, holds biennial meetings called the International Dog Health Workshops (IDHW). The Société Centrale Canine (French Kennel Club) hosted the 3rd IDHW, in Paris, in April, 2017. These meetings bring together a wide range of stakeholders in dog health, science and welfare to improve international sharing of information and resources, to provide a forum for ongoing collaboration, and to identify specific needs and actions to improve health, well-being and welfare in dogs. Results The workshop included 140 participants from 23 countries and was structured around six important issues facing those who work to improve dog health. These included individualized breed-specific strategies for health and breeding, extreme conformations, education and communication in relation to antimicrobial resistance, behavior and welfare, genetic testing and population-based evidence. A number of exciting actions were agreed during the meeting. These included setting up working groups to create tools to help breed clubs accelerate the implementation of breed-health strategies, review aspects of extreme conformation and share useful information on behavior. The meeting also heralded the development of an online resource of relevant information describing quality measures for DNA testing. A demand for more and better data and evidence was a recurring message stressed across all themes. Conclusions The meeting confirmed the benefits from inclusion of a diverse range of stakeholders who all play relevant and collaborative parts to improve future canine health. Firm actions were set for progress towards improving breed-related welfare. The next international workshop will be in the UK in 2019 and will be organized by the UK Kennel Club
On the kinematics of a corotating relativistic plasma stream in the perpendicular rotator model of a pulsar magnetosphere
An investigation of the kinematics of a rotating relativistic plasma stream
in the perpendicular rotator model of the pulsar magnetosphere is presented. It
is assumed that the plasma (ejected from the pulsar) moves along the pulsar
magnetic field lines and also corotates with them. The field lines are
considered to be radial straight lines, located in the plane which is
perpendicular to the pulsar rotation axis. The necessity of taking particle
inertia into account is discussed. It is argued that the "massless"
("force-free") approximation cannot be used for the description of this
problem. The frame selection is discussed and it is shown that it is convenient
to discuss the problem in the noninertial frame of ZAMOs (Zero Angular Momentum
Observers). The equation of motion and the exact set of equations describing
the behaviour of a relativistic plasma stream in the pulsar magnetosphere is
obtained. The possible relevance of this investigation for the understanding of
the formation process of a pulsar magnetosphere is discussed.Comment: Plain LaTe
Disappearance of plasmaspheric hiss following interplanetary shock
Abstract Plasmaspheric hiss is one of the important plasma waves controlling radiation belt dynamics. Its spatiotemporal distribution and generation mechanism are presently the object of active research. We here give the first report on the shock-induced disappearance of plasmaspheric hiss observed by the Van Allen Probes on 8 October 2013. This special event exhibits the dramatic variability of plasmaspheric hiss and provides a good opportunity to test its generation mechanisms. The origination of plasmaspheric hiss from plasmatrough chorus is suggested to be an appropriate prerequisite to explain this event. The shock increased the suprathermal electron fluxes, and then the enhanced Landau damping promptly prevented chorus waves from entering the plasmasphere. Subsequently, the shrinking magnetopause removed the source electrons for chorus, contributing significantly to the several-hours-long disappearance of plasmaspheric hiss
A systematic experimental neuropsychological investigation of the functional integrity of working memory circuits in major depression
Verbal and visuospatial working memory (WM) impairment is a well-documented finding in psychiatric patients suffering from major psychoses such as schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder. However, in major depression (MDD) the literature on the presence and the extent of WM deficits is inconsistent. The use of a multitude of different WM tasks most of which lack process-specificity may have contributed to these inconsistencies. Eighteen MDD patients and 18 healthy controls matched with regard to age, gender and education were tested using process- and circuit-specific WM tasks for which clear brain-behaviour relationships had been established in prior functional neuroimaging studies. Patients suffering from acute MDD showed a selective impairment in articulatory rehearsal of verbal information in working memory. By contrast, visuospatial WM was unimpaired in this sample. There were no significant correlations between symptom severity and WM performance. These data indicate a dysfunction of a specific verbal WM system in acutely ill patients with MDD. As the observed functional deficit did not correlate with different symptom scores, further, longitudinal studies are required to clarify whether and how this deficit is related to illness acuity and clinical state of MDD patients
Uniqueness in MHD in divergence form: right nullvectors and well-posedness
Magnetohydrodynamics in divergence form describes a hyperbolic system of
covariant and constraint-free equations. It comprises a linear combination of
an algebraic constraint and Faraday's equations. Here, we study the problem of
well-posedness, and identify a preferred linear combination in this divergence
formulation. The limit of weak magnetic fields shows the slow magnetosonic and
Alfven waves to bifurcate from the contact discontinuity (entropy waves), while
the fast magnetosonic wave is a regular perturbation of the hydrodynamical
sound speed. These results are further reported as a starting point for
characteristic based shock capturing schemes for simulations with
ultra-relativistic shocks in magnetized relativistic fluids.Comment: To appear in J Math Phy
Very-high-energy gamma radiation associated with the unshocked wind of the Crab pulsar
We show that the relativistic wind in the Crab pulsar, which is commonly
thought to be invisible in the region upstream of the termination shock at R <
0.1 pc, in fact could be directly observed through its inverse Compton gamm-ray
emission. The search for such specific component of radiation in the gamma-ray
spectrum of the Crab can provide unique information about the unshocked pulsar
wind that is not accessible at other wavelengths.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, to appear in one of the April issues of MNRA
The Crab Nebula: interpretation of CHANDRA observations
We interpret the observed X-ray morphology of the central part of the Crab
Nebula (torus + jets) in terms of the standard theory by Kennel and Coroniti
(1984). The only new element is the inclusion of anisotropy in the energy flux
from the pulsar in the theory. In the standard theory of relativistic winds,
the Lorentz factor of the particles in front of the shock that terminates the
pulsar relativistic wind depends on the polar angle as
, where and . The plasma flow in the wind is isotropic. After the
passage of the pulsar wind through the shock, the flow becomes subsonic with a
roughly constant (over the plerion volume) pressure ,
where is the plasma particle density and is the mean particle
energy. Since , a low-density region filled with the
most energetic electrons is formed near the equator. A bright torus of
synchrotron radiation develops here. Jet-like regions are formed along the
pulsar rotation axis, where the particle density is almost four orders of
magnitude higher than that in the equatorial plane, because the particle energy
there is four orders of magnitude lower. The energy of these particles is too
low to produce detectable synchrotron radiation. However, these quasi-jets
become comparable in brightness to the torus if additional particle
acceleration takes place in the plerion. We also present the results of our
study of the hydrodynamic interaction between an anisotropic wind and the
interstellar medium. We compare the calculated and observed distributions of
the volume intensity of X-ray radiation.Comment: 38 pages, 5 figures. To be published in Astronomy Letters, 2002, N 6,
p.
Pulsar-wind nebulae and magnetar outflows: observations at radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths
We review observations of several classes of neutron-star-powered outflows:
pulsar-wind nebulae (PWNe) inside shell supernova remnants (SNRs), PWNe
interacting directly with interstellar medium (ISM), and magnetar-powered
outflows. We describe radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray observations of PWNe,
focusing first on integrated spectral-energy distributions (SEDs) and global
spectral properties. High-resolution X-ray imaging of PWNe shows a bewildering
array of morphologies, with jets, trails, and other structures. Several of the
23 so far identified magnetars show evidence for continuous or sporadic
emission of material, sometimes associated with giant flares, and a few
possible "magnetar-wind nebulae" have been recently identified.Comment: 61 pages, 44 figures (reduced in quality for size reasons). Published
in Space Science Reviews, "Jets and Winds in Pulsar Wind Nebulae, Gamma-ray
Bursts and Blazars: Physics of Extreme Energy Release
Consequences of converting graded to action potentials upon neural information coding and energy efficiency
Information is encoded in neural circuits using both graded and action potentials, converting between them within single neurons and successive processing layers. This conversion is accompanied by information loss and a drop in energy efficiency. We investigate the biophysical causes of this loss of information and efficiency by comparing spiking neuron models, containing stochastic voltage-gated Na+ and K+ channels, with generator potential and graded potential models lacking voltage-gated Na+ channels. We identify three causes of information loss in the generator potential that are the by-product of action potential generation: (1) the voltage-gated Na+ channels necessary for action potential generation increase intrinsic noise and (2) introduce non-linearities, and (3) the finite duration of the action potential creates a ‘footprint’ in the generator potential that obscures incoming signals. These three processes reduce information rates by ~50% in generator potentials, to ~3 times that of spike trains. Both generator potentials and graded potentials consume almost an order of magnitude less energy per second than spike trains. Because of the lower information rates of generator potentials they are substantially less energy efficient than graded potentials. However, both are an order of magnitude more efficient than spike trains due to the higher energy costs and low information content of spikes, emphasizing that there is a two-fold cost of converting analogue to digital; information loss and cost inflation
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