8,317 research outputs found
Hard Xâray polarimetry of solar flares with BATSE
We describe a technique for measuring the polarization of hard Xârays from solar flares based on the angular distribution of that portion of the flux which is scattered off the top of the Earthâs atmosphere. The scattering cross section depends not only on the scatter angle itself, but on the orientation of the scatter angle with respect to the incident polarization vector. Consequently, the distribution of the observed albedo flux will depend on the direction and the polarization properties (i.e., the level of polarization and polarization angle) of the source. Since the albedo component can represent a relatively large fraction (up to 40%) of the direct source flux, there will generally be sufficient signal for making such a measurement. The sensitivity of this approach is therefore dictated by the effective area and the ability of a detector system to âimageâ the albedo flux. The 4Ï coverage of the BATSE detectors on the Compton GammaâRayObservatory provides an opportunity to measure both the direct and the albedo flux from a given solar flare event. Although the BATSE design (with its large fieldâofâview for each detector) is not optimized for albedo polarimetry, we have nonetheless investigated the feasibility of this technique using BATSE data
Using BATSE to measure gamma-ray burst polarization
We describe a technique for measuring the polarization of hard x-rays from Îł-ray bursts based on the angular distribution of that portion of the flux which is scattered off the top of the Earthâs atmosphere. The scattering cross section depends not only on the scatter angle itself, but on the orientation of the scatter angle with respect to the incident polarization vector. Consequently, the distribution of the observed albedo flux will depend on the direction and the polarization properties (i.e., the level of polarization and polarization angle) of the source. Although the BATSE design (with its large field-of-view for each detector) is not optimized for albedo polarimetry, we have nonetheless investigated the feasibility of this technique using BATSE data
Response of carrot roots to wounding stress induced by processing: changes in chemical composition and enzyme activity.
In the present work both whole carrot roots and CenouretesŸ from the cultivars Esplanada and Sugar Snax 54, were stored for 17 days at 5 ± 1.5 °C under dark or light conditions and evaluated after 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 and 17 days of storage
Resistivity study of the pseudogap phase for (Hg,Re) - 1223 superconductors
The pseudogap phase above the critical temperature of high
superconductors (HTSC) presents different energy scales and it is currently a
matter of intense study. The complexity of the HTSC normal state requires very
accurate measurements with the purpose of distinguishing different types of
phenomena. Here we have performed systematically studies through electrical
resistivity () measurements by several different current densities in
order to obtain an optimal current for each sample. This approach allows to
determine reliable values of the pseudogap temperature , the layer
coupling temperature between the superconductor layers , the
fluctuation temperature and the critical temperature as
function of the doping . The interpretation of these different temperature
scales allows to characterize possible scenarios for the (Hg,Re) - 1223 normal
state. This method, described in detail here, and used to derive the
(Hg,Re)-1223 phase diagram is general and can be applied to any HTSC.Comment: 31 pages, 12 figures, Latex; 25 pages, LaTeX; 11 figures; rewrited
section II and III; added 18 reference; rewrited title, added discussion
sectio
Search for weakly interacting sub-eV particles with the OSQAR laser-based experiment: results and perspectives
Recent theoretical and experimental studies highlight the possibility of new
fundamental particle physics beyond the Standard Model that can be probed by
sub-eV energy experiments. The OSQAR photon regeneration experiment looks for
"Light Shining through a Wall" (LSW) from the quantum oscillation of optical
photons into "Weakly Interacting Sub-eV Particles" (WISPs), like axion or
axion-like particles (ALPs), in a 9 T transverse magnetic field over the
unprecedented length of m. No excess of events has been
detected over the background. The di-photon couplings of possible new light
scalar and pseudo-scalar particles can be constrained in the massless limit to
be less than GeV. These results are very close to the
most stringent laboratory constraints obtained for the coupling of ALPs to two
photons. Plans for further improving the sensitivity of the OSQAR experiment
are presented.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Moody's Correlated Binomial Default Distributions for Inhomogeneous Portfolios
This paper generalizes Moody's correlated binomial default distribution for
homogeneous (exchangeable) credit portfolio, which is introduced by Witt, to
the case of inhomogeneous portfolios. As inhomogeneous portfolios, we consider
two cases. In the first case, we treat a portfolio whose assets have uniform
default correlation and non-uniform default probabilities. We obtain the
default probability distribution and study the effect of the inhomogeneity on
it. The second case corresponds to a portfolio with inhomogeneous default
correlation. Assets are categorized in several different sectors and the
inter-sector and intra-sector correlations are not the same. We construct the
joint default probabilities and obtain the default probability distribution. We
show that as the number of assets in each sector decreases, inter-sector
correlation becomes more important than intra-sector correlation. We study the
maximum values of the inter-sector default correlation. Our generalization
method can be applied to any correlated binomial default distribution model
which has explicit relations to the conditional default probabilities or
conditional default correlations, e.g. Credit Risk, implied default
distributions. We also compare some popular CDO pricing models from the
viewpoint of the range of the implied tranche correlation.Comment: 29 pages, 17 figures and 1 tabl
Low temperature structural phase transition and incommensurate lattice modulation in the spin gap compound BaCuSi2O6
Results of high resolution x-ray diffraction experiments are presented for
single crystals of the spin gap compound BaCuSiO in the temperature
range from 16 to 300 K. The data show clear evidence of a transition from the
room temperature tetragonal phase into an incommensurately modulated
orthorhombic structure below 100 K. This lattice modulation is
characterized by a resolution limited wave vector {\bf
q}=(0,0.13,0) and its 2 and 3 harmonics. The phase
transition is first order and exhibits considerable hysteresis. This
observation implies that the spin Hamiltonian representing the system is more
complex than originally thought.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
XTE J1946+274 = GRO J1944+26: An Enigmatic Be/X-ray Binary
XTE J1946+274 = GRO J1944+26 is a 15.8 s Be/X-ray pulsar discovered
simultaneously in 1998 September with the Burst and Transient Source Experiment
(BATSE) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) and the All-Sky Monitor
(ASM) on the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). Here we present new results
from BATSE and {\em RXTE} including a pulse timing analysis, spectral analysis,
and evidence for an accretion disk. Our pulse timing analysis yielded an
orbital period of 169.2 days, a moderate eccentricity of 0.33, and implied a
mass function of 9.7 M_sun. We observed evidence for an accretion disk, a
correlation between measured spin-up rate and flux, which was fitted to obtain
a distance estimate of 9.5 +/- 2.9 kpc. XTE J1946+274 remained active from 1998
September - 2001 July, undergoing 13 outbursts that were not locked in orbital
phase. Comparing RXTE PCA observations from the initial bright outburst in 1998
and the last pair of outbursts in 2001, we found energy and intensity dependent
pulse profile variations in both outbursts and hardening spectra with
increasing intensity during the fainter 2001 outbursts. In 2001 July, optical
Halpha observations indicate a density perturbation appeared in the Be disk as
the X-ray outbursts ceased. We propose that the equatorial plane of the Be star
is inclined with respect to the orbital plane in this system and that this
inclination may be a factor in the unusual outburst behavior of the system.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures, To appear in ApJ v584, Feb 20, 2003 issu
SiO Outflows in the Most Luminous and Massive Protostellar Sources of the Southern Sky
(Abridged) High-mass star formation is far less understood than low-mass star
formation. It entails molecular outflows, which disturb the protostellar clump.
Studying these outflows and the shocked gas they cause is key for a better
understanding of this process. This study aims to characterise the behaviour of
molecular outflows in the most massive protostellar sources in the Southern
Galaxy by looking for evolutionary trends and associating shocked gas with
outflow activity. We present APEX SEPIA180 observations (beamwidth 36")
of SiO outflow candidates of a sample of 32 luminous and dense clumps,
candidates to harbouring Hot Molecular Cores. We study the SiO(4-3) line
emission, an unambiguous tracer of shocked gas and recent outflow activity, the
HCO(2-1) and HCO(2-1) lines. 78% of our sample present SiO
emission. Nine of these also have wings in the HCO line, indicating outflow
activity. The SiO emission of these 9 sources is more intense and wider than
the rest, suggesting that the outflows in this group are faster and more
energetic. Three positive correlations between the outflow properties were
found, which suggest that more energetic outflows bear to mobilise more
material. No correlation was found between the evolutionary stage indicator
and SiO outflow properties, supporting that outflows happen throughout
the whole high-mass star formation process. We conclude that sources with both
SiO emission and HCO wings and sources with only SiO emission are in
virtually the same advanced stage of evolution in the high-mass star formation
process. The former present more massive and more powerful SiO outflows than
the latter. Thus, looking for more outflow signatures such as HCO wings
could help identify more massive and active massive star-forming regions in
samples of similarly evolved sources, as well as sources with older outflow
activity.Comment: 24 pages, 37 figures, 11 table
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