Observational constraints on annihilation sites in 1E 1740.7-2942 and Nova Muscae

The region of the Galactic center contains several sources which demonstrate their activity at various wavelengths and particularly above several hundred keV. Escape of positrons from such a source or several sources into the interstellar medium, where they slow down and annihilate, can account for the 511 keV narrow line observed from this direction. 1E 1740.7-2942 object has been proposed as the most likely candidate to be responsible for this variable source of positrons. Besides, Nova Muscae shows a spectrum which is consistent with Comptonization by a thermal plasma kT<100 keV in its hard X-ray part, while a relatively narrow annihilation line observed by SIGMA on January 20-21, 1991 implies that positrons annihilate in a much colder medium. We estimate the electron number density and the size of the emitting regions suggesting that annihilation features observed by SIGMA from Nova Muscae and 1E 1740.7-2942 are due to the positron slowing down and annihilation in thermal plasma. We show that in the case of Nova Muscae the observed radiation is coming from a pair plasma stream, N(e+)~N(e-), rather than from a gas cloud. We argue that two models are probably relevant to the 1E source: annihilation in (hydrogen) plasma N(e+)<~N(e-) at rest, and annihilation in the pair plasma stream, which involves matter from the source environment.Comment: 5 pages including 2 figures, latex, aipproc.sty, aipproc.cls, epsfig.sty. To be published in Proc. of 4th Compton Symp., 1997 (27-30 April, Williamsburg, Virginia

Quantum normal-to-inhomogeneous superconductor phase transition in nearly two-dimensional metals

In multi-band systems, electrons from different orbitals coexist at the Fermi surface. An attractive interaction among these quasi-particles gives rise to inter-band or hybrid pairs which eventually condense in a superconducting state. These quasi-particles have a natural mismatch of their Fermi wave-vectors, $\delta k_F$, which depends on the strength of the hybridization between their orbitals. The existence of this natural scale suggests the possibility of inhomogeneous superconducting ground states in these systems, even in the absence of an applied magnetic field. Furthermore, since hybridization $V$ depends on pressure, this provides an external parameter to control the wave-vectors mismatch at the Fermi surface. In this work, we study the phase diagram of a two-dimensional, two-band metal with inter-band pairing. We show that as the mismatch between the Fermi wave-vectors of the two hybrid bands is reduced, the system presents a normal-to-inhomogeneous superconductor quantum phase transition at a critical value of the hybridization $V_c=\Delta_0$. The superconducting ground state for $V<V_c$ is characterized by a wave-vector with magnitude $|\mathbf{q}_c|=q_c=2 \Delta_0/\bar{v}_f$. Here $\Delta_0$ is the superconducting gap in the homogeneous state and $\bar{v}_f$ the average Fermi velocity. We discuss the nature of the quantum critical point (QCP) at $V_c$ and obtain the associated quantum critical exponents.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Spin solitons in magnetized pair plasmas

A set of fluid equations, taking into account the spin properties of the electrons and positrons in a magnetoplasma, are derived. The magnetohydrodynamic limit of the pair plasma is investigated. It is shown that the microscopic spin properties of the electrons and positrons can lead to interesting macroscopic and collective effects in strongly magnetized plasmas. In particular, it is found that new Alfvenic solitary structures, governed by a modified Korteweg-de Vries equation, are allowed in such plasmas. These solitary structures vanish if the quantum spin effects are neglected. Our results should be of relevance for astrophysical plasmas, e.g. in pulsar magnetospheres.Comment: 7 page

Very-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Signal from Nuclear Photodisintegration as a Probe of Extragalactic Sources of Ultrahigh-Energy Nuclei

It is crucial to identify the ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray (UHECR) sources and probe their unknown properties. Recent results from the Pierre Auger Observatory favor a heavy nuclear composition for the UHECRs. Under the requirement that heavy nuclei survive in these sources, using gamma-ray bursts as an example, we predict a diagnostic gamma-ray signal, unique to nuclei - the emission of de-excitation gamma rays following photodisintegration. These gamma rays, boosted from MeV to TeV-PeV energies, may be detectable by gamma-ray telescopes such as VERITAS, HESS, and MAGIC, and especially the next-generation CTA and AGIS. They are a promising messenger to identify and study individual UHE nuclei accelerators.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in PRD, with extended descriptions. Conclusions unchange