2,796 research outputs found
Radiative Models of Sagittarius A* and M87 from Relativistic MHD Simulations
Ongoing millimeter VLBI observations with the Event Horizon Telescope allow
unprecedented study of the innermost portion of black hole accretion flows.
Interpreting the observations requires relativistic, time-dependent physical
modeling. We discuss the comparison of radiative transfer calculations from
general relativistic MHD simulations of Sagittarius A* and M87 with current and
future mm-VLBI observations. This comparison allows estimates of the viewing
geometry and physical conditions of the Sgr A* accretion flow. The viewing
geometry for M87 is already constrained from observations of its large-scale
jet, but, unlike Sgr A*, there is no consensus for its millimeter emission
geometry or electron population. Despite this uncertainty, as long as the
emission region is compact, robust predictions for the size of its jet
launching region can be made. For both sources, the black hole shadow may be
detected with future observations including ALMA and/or the LMT, which would
constitute the first direct evidence for a black hole event horizon.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, submitted to the proceedings of AHAR 2011: The
Central Kiloparse
Wakefield damping for the CLIC crab cavity
A crab cavity is required in the CLIC to allow effective head-on collision of
bunches at the IP. A high operating frequency is preferred as the deflection
voltage required for a given rotation angle and the RF phase tolerance for a
crab cavity are inversely proportional to the operating frequency. The short
bunch spacing of the CLIC scheme and the high sensitivity of the crab cavity to
dipole kicks demand very high damping of the inter-bunch wakes, the major
contributor to the luminosity loss of colliding bunches. This paper
investigates the nature of the wakefields in the CLIC crab cavity and the
possibility of using various damping schemes to suppress them effectively
Initial study on the shape optimisation of the CLIC crab cavity
The compact linear collider (CLIC) requires a crab cavity to align bunches
prior to collision. The bunch structure demands tight amplitude and phase
tolerances of the RF fields inside the cavity, for the minimal luminosity loss.
Beam loading effects require special attention as it is one potential sources
of field errors in the cavity. In order to assist the amplitude and phase
control, we propose a travelling wave (TW) structure with a high group velocity
allowing rapid propagation of errors out of the system. Such a design makes the
cavity structure significantly different from previous ones. This paper will
look at the implications of this on other cavity parameters and the
optimisation of the cavity geometry.Comment: 3 pages. To be published in proceedings of LINAC 2008, Victoria,
Canad
The Post-Pericenter Evolution of the Galactic Center Source G2
In early 2014 the fast-moving near-infrared source G2 reached its closest
approach to the supermassive black hole Sgr A* in the Galactic Center. We
report on the evolution of the ionized gaseous component and the dusty
component of G2 immediately after this event, revealed by new observations
obtained in 2015 and 2016 with the SINFONI integral field spectrograph and the
NACO imager at the ESO VLT. The spatially resolved dynamics of the Br
line emission can be accounted for by the ballistic motion and tidal shearing
of a test-particle cloud that has followed a highly eccentric Keplerian orbit
around the black hole for the last 12 years. The non-detection of a drag force
or any strong hydrodynamic interaction with the hot gas in the inner accretion
zone limits the ambient density to less than a few 10 cm at the
distance of closest approach (1500 ), assuming G2 is a spherical cloud
moving through a stationary and homogeneous atmosphere. The dust continuum
emission is unresolved in L'-band, but stays consistent with the location of
the Br emission. The total luminosity of the Br and L' emission
has remained constant to within the measurement uncertainty. The nature and
origin of G2 are likely related to that of the precursor source G1, since their
orbital evolution is similar, though not identical. Both object are also likely
related to a trailing tail structure, which is continuously connected to G2
over a large range in position and radial velocity.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures; accepted for publication in Ap
Pruritus is a common feature in sheep infected with the BSE agent.
BACKGROUND: The variability in the clinical or pathological presentation of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) in sheep, such as scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has been attributed to prion protein genotype, strain, breed, clinical duration, dose, route and type of inoculum and the age at infection. The study aimed to describe the clinical signs in sheep infected with the BSE agent throughout its clinical course to determine whether the clinical signs were as variable as described for classical scrapie in sheep. The clinical signs were compared to BSE-negative sheep to assess if disease-specific clinical markers exist.
RESULTS: Forty-seven (34%) of 139 sheep, which comprised 123 challenged sheep and 16 undosed controls, were positive for BSE. Affected sheep belonged to five different breeds and three different genotypes (ARQ/ARQ, VRQ/VRQ and AHQ/AHQ). None of the controls or BSE exposed sheep with ARR alleles were positive. Pruritus was present in 41 (87%) BSE positive sheep; the remaining six were judged to be pre-clinically infected. Testing of the response to scratching along the dorsum of a sheep proved to be a good indicator of clinical disease with a test sensitivity of 85% and specificity of 98% and usually coincided with weight loss. Clinical signs that were displayed significantly earlier in BSE positive cases compared to negative cases were behavioural changes, pruritic behaviour, a positive scratch test, alopecia, skin lesions, teeth grinding, tremor, ataxia, loss of weight and loss of body condition. The frequency and severity of each specific clinical sign usually increased with the progression of disease over a period of 16-20 weeks.
CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that BSE in sheep presents with relatively uniform clinical signs, with pruritus of increased severity and abnormalities in behaviour or movement as the disease progressed. Based on the studied sheep, these clinical features appear to be independent of breed, affected genotype, dose, route of inoculation and whether BSE was passed into sheep from cattle or from other sheep, suggesting that the clinical phenotype of BSE is influenced by the TSE strain more than by other factors. The clinical phenotype of BSE in the genotypes and breed studied was indistinguishable from that described for classical scrapie cases
Locating the intense interstellar scattering towards the inner Galaxy
We use VLBA+VLA observations to measure the sizes of the scatter-broadened
images of 6 of the most heavily scattered known pulsars: 3 within the Galactic
Centre (GC) and 3 elsewhere in the inner Galactic plane. By combining the
measured sizes with temporal pulse broadening data from the literature and
using the thin-screen approximation, we locate the scattering medium along the
line of sight to these 6 pulsars. At least two scattering screens are needed to
explain the observations of the GC sample. We show that the screen inferred by
previous observations of SGR J1745-2900 and Sgr A*, which must be located far
from the GC, falls off in strength on scales < 0.2 degree. A second scattering
component closer to (< 2 kpc) or even (tentatively) within (< 700 pc) the GC
produces most or all of the temporal broadening observed in the other GC
pulsars. Outside the GC, the scattering locations for all three pulsars are ~2
kpc from Earth, consistent with the distance of the Carina-Sagittarius or
Scutum spiral arm. For each object the 3D scattering origin coincides with a
known HII region (and in one case also a supernova remnant), suggesting that
such objects preferentially cause the intense interstellar scattering seen
towards the Galactic plane. We show that the HII regions should contribute >
25% of the total dispersion measure (DM) towards these pulsars, and calculate
reduced DM distances. Those distances for other pulsars lying behind HII
regions may be similarly overestimated.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, MNRAS, in pres
Crab cavities for linear colliders
Crab cavities have been proposed for a wide number of accelerators and
interest in crab cavities has recently increased after the successful operation
of a pair of crab cavities in KEK-B. In particular crab cavities are required
for both the ILC and CLIC linear colliders for bunch alignment. Consideration
of bunch structure and size constraints favour a 3.9 GHz superconducting,
multi-cell cavity as the solution for ILC, whilst bunch structure and
beam-loading considerations suggest an X-band copper travelling wave structure
for CLIC. These two cavity solutions are very different in design but share
complex design issues. Phase stabilisation, beam loading, wakefields and mode
damping are fundamental issues for these crab cavities. Requirements and
potential design solutions will be discussed for both colliders.Comment: 3 pages. To be published in proceedings of LINAC 2008, Victoria,
Canad
X-band crab cavities for the CLIC beam delivery system
The CLIC machine incorporates a 20 mrad crossing angle at the IP to aid the
extraction of spent beams. In order to recover the luminosity lost through the
crossing angle a crab cavity is proposed to rotate the bunches prior to
collision. The crab cavity is chosen to have the same frequency as the main
linac (11.9942 GHz) as a compromise between size, phase stability requirements
and beam loading. It is proposed to use a HE11 mode travelling wave structure
as the CLIC crab cavity in order to minimise beam loading and mode separation.
The position of the crab cavity close to the final focus enhances the effect of
transverse wake-fields so effective wake-field damping is required. A damped
detuned structure is proposed to suppress and de-cohere the wake-field hence
reducing their effect. Design considerations for the CLIC crab cavity will be
discussed as well as the proposed high power testing of these structures at
SLAC.Comment: Proceedings of X-Band Structures and Beam Dynamics Workshop (XB08),
44th ICFA beam dynamics workshop, Cockcroft Institute, UK, 1-4 dec. 200
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