38 research outputs found
26Al yields from rotating Wolf--Rayet star models
We present new Al stellar yields from rotating Wolf--Rayet stellar
models which, at solar metallicity, well reproduce the observed properties of
the Wolf-Rayet populations. These new yields are enhanced with respect to
non--rotating models, even with respect to non--rotating models computed with
enhanced mass loss rates. We briefly discuss some implications of the use of
these new yields for estimating the global contribution of Wolf-Rayet stars to
the quantity of Al now present in the Milky Way.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, to appear in New Astronomy Review
The 511 keV emission from positron annihilation in the Galaxy
The first gamma-ray line originating from outside the solar system that was
ever detected is the 511 keV emission from positron annihilation in the Galaxy.
Despite 30 years of intense theoretical and observational investigation, the
main sources of positrons have not been identified up to now. Observations in
the 1990's with OSSE/CGRO showed that the emission is strongly concentrated
towards the Galactic bulge. In the 2000's, the SPI instrument aboard ESA's
INTEGRAL gamma-ray observatory allowed scientists to measure that emission
across the entire Galaxy, revealing that the bulge/disk luminosity ratio is
larger than observed in any other wavelength. This mapping prompted a number of
novel explanations, including rather "exotic ones (e.g. dark matter
annihilation). However, conventional astrophysical sources, like type Ia
supernovae, microquasars or X-ray binaries, are still plausible candidates for
a large fraction of the observed total 511 keV emission of the bulge. A closer
study of the subject reveals new layers of complexity, since positrons may
propagate far away from their production sites, making it difficult to infer
the underlying source distribution from the observed map of 511 keV emission.
However, contrary to the rather well understood propagation of high energy
(>GeV) particles of Galactic cosmic rays, understanding the propagation of low
energy (~MeV) positrons in the turbulent, magnetized interstellar medium, still
remains a formidable challenge. We review the spectral and imaging properties
of the observed 511 keV emission and we critically discuss candidate positron
sources and models of positron propagation in the Galaxy.Comment: 62 pages, 35 figures. Review paper to appear in Reviews of Modern
Physic
SPI observations of positron annihilation radiation from the 4th galactic quadrant: sky distribution
During its first year in orbit the INTEGRAL observatory performed deep
exposures of the Galactic Center region and scanning observations of the
Galactic plane. We report on the status of our analysis of the positron
annihilation radiation from the 4th Galactic quadrant with the spectrometer
SPI, focusing on the sky distribution of the 511 keV line emission. The
analysis methods are described; current constraints and limits on the Galactic
bulge emission and the bulge-to-disk ratio are presented.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in the proceedings of
the 5th INTEGRAL worksho
The sky distribution of positronium annihilation continuum emission measured with SPI/INTEGRAL
We present a measurement of the sky distribution of positronium (Ps)
annihilation continuum emission obtained with the SPI spectrometer on board
ESA's INTEGRAL observatory. The only sky region from which significant Ps
continuum emission is detected is the Galactic bulge. The Ps continuum emission
is circularly symmetric about the Galactic centre, with an extension of about 8
deg FWHM. Within measurement uncertainties, the sky distribution of the Ps
continuum emission is consistent with that found by us for the 511 keV
electron-positron annihilation line using SPI. Assuming that 511 keV line and
Ps continuum emission follow the same spatial distribution, we derive a Ps
fraction of 0.92 +/- 0.09. These results strengthen our conclusions regarding
the origin of positrons in our Galaxy based on observations of the 511 keV
line. In particular, they suggest that the main source of Galactic positrons is
associated with an old stellar population, such as Type Ia supernovae,
classical novae, or low-mass X-ray binaries. Light dark matter is a possible
alternative source of positrons.Comment: accepted for publication by A&
26Al in the inner Galaxy
We performed a spectroscopic study of the 1809 keV gamma-ray line from 26Al
decay in the Galaxy using the SPI imaging spectrometer with its high-resolution
Ge detector camera on the INTEGRAL observatory. We analyzed observations of the
first two mission years, fitting spectra from all 7130 telescope pointings in
narrow energy bins to models of instrumental background and the 26Al sky.
Instrumental background is estimated from independent tracers of cosmic-ray
activation. The shape of the 26Al signal is compared to the instrumental
response to extract the width of the celestial line. We detect the 26Al line at
\~16sigma significance. The line is broadened only slightly, if at all; we
constrain the width to be below 2.8 keV (FWHM, 2 sigma). The average Doppler
velocities of 26Al at the time of its decay in the interstellar medium (decay
time~1.04 My) therefore are probably around 100 km/s, in agreement with
expectations from Galactic rotation and interstellar turbulence. The flux and
spatial distribution of the emission are found consistent with previous
observations. The derived amount of 26Al in the Galaxy is 2.8 (+/-0.8) M_solar.Comment: 7 pages with 7 figures; accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Cyclone Hard X-Ray Observatory
In response to the recent NASA-SMEX Announcement of Opportunity, our collaboration proposed Cyclone, the Cyclotron/Nuclear Explorer. Cyclone is a broadband pointed astrophysical observatory, combining the highest spectral resolutions (E/(Delta) E approximately 30 - 300) and angular resolutions (15') achieved in the optimized hard X-ray range (10 - 200 keV). The instrument consists of 19 co-aligned rotation modulation collimator (RMC) telescopes, each with a high spectral resolution, 6-cm diameter germanium detector (GeD) covering energies from 3 keV to 600 keV. Both the optics and detectors are actively shielded with 15-mm BGO to gain low background an high sensitivity to astrophysical sources. A 550-km altitude, circular equatorial orbit also minimizes background. Building strongly upon instrumental heritage from the High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) program, Cyclone would be ready for launch by September 2003. The instrument design and expected performance are discussed, as well as a brief overview of scientific goals
NectarCAM : a camera for the medium size telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array
NectarCAM is a camera proposed for the medium-sized telescopes of the
Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) covering the central energy range of ~100 GeV
to ~30 TeV. It has a modular design and is based on the NECTAr chip, at the
heart of which is a GHz sampling Switched Capacitor Array and a 12-bit Analog
to Digital converter. The camera will be equipped with 265 7-photomultiplier
modules, covering a field of view of 8 degrees. Each module includes the
photomultiplier bases, high voltage supply, pre-amplifier, trigger, readout and
Ethernet transceiver. The recorded events last between a few nanoseconds and
tens of nanoseconds. The camera trigger will be flexible so as to minimize the
read-out dead-time of the NECTAr chips. NectarCAM is designed to sustain a data
rate of more than 4 kHz with less than 5\% dead time. The camera concept, the
design and tests of the various subcomponents and results of thermal and
electrical prototypes are presented. The design includes the mechanical
structure, cooling of the electronics, read-out, clock distribution, slow
control, data-acquisition, triggering, monitoring and services.Comment: In Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference
(ICRC2015), The Hague, The Netherlands. All CTA contributions at
arXiv:1508.0589