993 research outputs found
Optimizing Compton Back Scattering Parameters Using a Simulation Code
Compton scattering is an interaction of photons with atomic electrons, in which both the energy and the momentum are conserved. The photon interacts with a constant interaction cross section per electron eσc for all materials at a certain photon energy. However the Compton scattering cross section per atom, σc, is equal to the number of electrons in the atom multiplied by the eσc [1]: σc=Zeσc this characteristic means that for a given photon energy, each material has a unique scattering cross section different from other materials. It also means that the higher the atomic number, the stronger the signal obtained from Compton scattering, at least for small thicknesses
OPTIMIZATION OF THE HOT-ELECTRON BOLOMETER AND A CASCADE QUASIPARTICLE AMPLIFIER FOR SPACE ASTRONOMY
Ultra low noise bolometers are required for space - based astronomical observations. Extremely sensitive detectors are necessary for a deep full-sky survey of distant extragalactic sources in the submillimeter-wave region corresponding to the extraterrestrial background spectrum minimum. A deep full-sky survey is the main goal of the Submillimetron project of the cryogenically cooled telescope on the International Space Station [1,2], project CIRCE (NASA) and other projects. Detection of faint sources involvves wide-band continuum observation using direct detectors (bolometers) that are not restricted by the quantum noise of indirect heterodyne receivers.
Theoretical estimations and preliminary experiments show that it is possible to realize the necessary sensitivity of 10-18 - 10-19 W/Hz1/2 with a novel concept of the antenna-coupled microbolometers at temperatures 0.1 K. Additional advantages of such detectors are the possibility to operate with a wide range of background load, easy integration in arrays, and direct possibility of polarization measurements
Determining the Locations of Dust Sources in FeLoBAL Quasars
We conduct a spectroscopic search of quasars observed by the Sloan Digital
Sky Survey (SDSS) with broad absorption line (BAL) troughs due to Mg II and
troughs due to Fe II that simultaneously exhibit strong Balmer narrow emission
lines (NELs). We find that in a redshift range of 0.4 less than or equal to z
less than or equal to 0.9 approximately 23 of the 70 Mg II BALs and 4 of a
subset of 15 Fe II BALs exhibit strong Balmer emission. We also find
significant fractions of Mg II BALs (approximately 23%) and those Mg II BALs
with Fe II troughs (approximately 27%) have strong continuum reddening, E(B -
V) greater than or equal to 0.1. From measurements of the Balmer decrement in
three objects, we find similarly significant reddening of the NEL region in
three of the four objects; the NELs in the fourth object are not measurable. We
also include one object in this study not taken from the SDSS sample that shows
Fe II absorption and strong narrow emission, but due to measurement uncertainty
and low continuum reddening the comparison is consistent but inconclusive. We
find a trend in both the Mg II and Fe II BAL samples between the NEL reddening
and continuum reddening. Because the narrow line reddening is consistent with
the continuum reddening in every object in the two SDSS samples, it suggests
that the reddening sources in these objects likely exist at larger radial
distances than the narrow line regions from the central nucleus.Comment: 40 manuscript pages, accepted in ApJ (July
What Determines the Depth of BALs? Keck HIRES Observations of BALQSO 1603+300
We find that the depth and shape of the broad absorption lines (BALs) in
BALQSO 1603+3002 are determined largely by the fraction of the emitting source
which is covered by the BAL flow. In addition, the observed depth of the BALs
is poorly correlated with their real optical depth. The implication of this
result is that abundance studies based on direct extraction of column densities
from the depth of the absorption troughs are unreliable. Our conclusion is
based on analysis of unblended absorption features of two lines from the same
ion (in this case the Si IV doublet), which allows unambiguous separation of
covering factor and optical depth effects. The complex morphology of the
covering factor as a function of velocity suggests that the BALs are produced
by several physically separated outflows. The covering factor is ion dependent
in both depth and velocity width. We also find evidence that in BALQSO
1603+3002 the flow does not cover the broad emission line region.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Are AGN Broad Emission Lines Formed by Discrete Clouds? --- Analysis of Keck High Resolution Spectroscopy of NGC 4151
We search for a direct signature of discrete ''clouds'' in the broad line
region (BLR) of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151. For this purpose we apply cross
correlation (CC) analysis to a high resolution KECK spectrum of the galaxy. No
such signature is found in the data. In order for cloud models to be compatible
with this result, there must be at least emitting clouds in
the BLR, where the limit is based on simulation of a homogeneous cloud
population. More realistic distributions increase the lower limit to above
. These numbers are an order of magnitude improvement on our previous
limit from Mrk 335, where the improvement comes from higher S/N, broader lines,
and refined simulations. Combined with the predicted upper limit for the number
of emitting clouds in NGC 4151 (), the derived lower limit puts a
strong constraint on the cloud scenario in the BLR of this object. Similar
constraints can be paled on models where the emission originates in streams and
sheets. Thus, this investigation suggests that the BELs in NGC 4151, and by
extension in all AGNs, are not made of an ensemble of discrete independent
emitters.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, LaTeX aaspp style, to be published in MNRA
The Intrinsic Absorber in QSO 2359-1241: Keck and HST Observations
We present detailed analyses of the absorption spectrum seen in QSO 2359-1241
(NVSS J235953-124148). Keck HIRES data reveal absorption from twenty
transitions arising from: He I, Mg I, Mg II, Ca II, and Fe II. HST data show
broad absorption lines (BALs) from Al III 1857, C IV 1549, Si IV 1397, and N V
1240. Absorption from excited Fe II states constrains the temperature of the
absorber to 2000K < T < 10,000K and puts a lower limit of 10^5 cm^{-3} on the
electron number density. Saturation diagnostics show that the real column
densities of He I and Fe II can be determined, allowing to derive meaningful
constraints on the ionization equilibrium and abundances in the flow. The
ionization parameter is constrained by the iron, helium and magnesium data to
-3.0 < log(U) < -2.5 and the observed column densities can be reproduced
without assuming departure from solar abundances. From comparison of the He I
and Fe II absorption features we infer that the outflow seen in QSO 2359-1241
is not shielded by a hydrogen ionization front and therefore that the existence
of low-ionization species in the outflow (e.g., Mg II, Al III, Fe II) does not
necessitate the existence of such a front. We find that the velocity width of
the absorption systematically increases as a function of ionization and to a
lesser extent with abundance. Complementary analyses of the radio and
polarization properties of the object are discussed in a companion paper
(Brotherton et al. 2000).Comment: 30 pages, 9 figures, in press with the Ap
Inherent thermometry in a hybrid superconducting tunnel junction
We discuss inherent thermometry in a Superconductor - Normal metal -
Superconductor tunnel junction. In this configuration, the energy selectivity
of single-particle tunneling can provide a significant electron cooling,
depending on the bias voltage. The usual approach for measuring the electron
temperature consists in using an additional pair of superconducting tunnel
junctions as probes. In this paper, we discuss our experiment performed on a
different design with no such thermometer. The quasi-equilibrium in the central
metallic island is discussed in terms of a kinetic equation including injection
and relaxation terms. We determine the electron temperature by comparing the
micro-cooler experimental current-voltage characteristic with isothermal
theoretical predictions. The limits of validity of this approach, due to the
junctions asymmetry, the Andreev reflection or the presence of sub-gap states
are discussed
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