238 research outputs found
Techniques and detectors for polarimetry in X-ray astronomy
Polarimeters flown so far were based on the Thomson scattering and Bragg diffraction with intrinsically limited sensitivity. In the present paper, we review the experiments based on those techniques and discuss possible optimization and implementation for X-ray astronomy
Hypoxia-resistant profile implies vulnerability of cancer stem cells to physiological agents, which suggests new therapeutic targets.
Stochastic systems with memory and jumps
Stochastic systems with memory naturally appear in life science, economy, and finance. We take the modelling point of view of stochastic functional delay equations and we study these structures when the driving noises admit jumps. Our results concern existence and uniqueness of strong solutions, estimates for the moments and the fundamental tools of calculus, such as the It\uf4 formula. We study the robustness of the solution to the change of noises. Specifically, we consider the noises with infinite activity jumps versus an adequately corrected Gaussian noise. The study is presented in two different frameworks: we work with random variables in infinite dimensions, where the values are considered either in an appropriate -type space or in the space of c\ue0dl\ue0g paths. The choice of the value space is crucial from the modelling point of view, as the different settings allow for the treatment of different models of memory or delay. Our techniques involve tools of infinite dimensional calculus and the stochastic calculus via regularisation
Progress on the development of the Stellar X-ray Polarimeter on board of the Spectrum-X-Gamma Satellite
We present the status of the Stellar X-ray Polarimeter at November’94 devoted to measure linear polarisation from cosmic X-ray sources between 2 keV and 15 keV which will be flown on the Spectrum-X-Gamma Satellite. In particular, we
focus on the performances of the engineering model after the calibrations at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories and on the improvements which have been introduced on the four flight model imaging proportional counters which are key
parts of the experiment
LOFT - a Large Observatory For x-ray Timing
The high time resolution observations of the X-ray sky hold the key to a
number of diagnostics of fundamental physics, some of which are unaccessible to
other types of investigations, such as those based on imaging and spectroscopy.
Revealing strong gravitational field effects, measuring the mass and spin of
black holes and the equation of state of ultradense matter are among the goals
of such observations. At present prospects for future, non-focused X-ray timing
experiments following the exciting age of RXTE/PCA are uncertain. Technological
limitations are unavoidably faced in the conception and development of
experiments with effective area of several square meters, as needed in order to
meet the scientific requirements. We are developing large-area monolithic
Silicon Drift Detectors offering high time and energy resolution at room
temperature, which require modest resources and operation complexity (e.g.,
read-out) per unit area. Based on the properties of the detector and read-out
electronics that we measured in the lab, we developed a realistic concept for a
very large effective area mission devoted to X-ray timing in the 2-30 keV
energy range. We show that effective areas in the range of 10-15 square meters
are within reach, by using a conventional spacecraft platform and launcher of
the small-medium class.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 7732, Paper
No. 7732-66, 201
Dark matter search in a Beam-Dump eXperiment (BDX) at Jefferson Lab
MeV-GeV dark matter (DM) is theoretically well motivated but remarkably
unexplored. This Letter of Intent presents the MeV-GeV DM discovery potential
for a 1 m segmented plastic scintillator detector placed downstream of the
beam-dump at one of the high intensity JLab experimental Halls, receiving up to
10 electrons-on-target (EOT) in a one-year period. This experiment
(Beam-Dump eXperiment or BDX) is sensitive to DM-nucleon elastic scattering at
the level of a thousand counts per year, with very low threshold recoil
energies (1 MeV), and limited only by reducible cosmogenic backgrounds.
Sensitivity to DM-electron elastic scattering and/or inelastic DM would be
below 10 counts per year after requiring all electromagnetic showers in the
detector to exceed a few-hundred MeV, which dramatically reduces or altogether
eliminates all backgrounds. Detailed Monte Carlo simulations are in progress to
finalize the detector design and experimental set up. An existing 0.036 m
prototype based on the same technology will be used to validate simulations
with background rate estimates, driving the necessary RD towards an
optimized detector. The final detector design and experimental set up will be
presented in a full proposal to be submitted to the next JLab PAC. A fully
realized experiment would be sensitive to large regions of DM parameter space,
exceeding the discovery potential of existing and planned experiments by two
orders of magnitude in the MeV-GeV DM mass range.Comment: 28 pages, 17 figures, submitted to JLab PAC 4
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