54 research outputs found
Local structure study of In_xGa_(1-x)As semiconductor alloys using High Energy Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction
Nearest and higher neighbor distances as well as bond length distributions
(static and thermal) of the In_xGa_(1-x)As (0<x<1) semiconductor alloys have
been obtained from high real-space resolution atomic pair distribution
functions (PDFs). Using this structural information, we modeled the local
atomic displacements in In_xGa_(1-x)As alloys. From a supercell model based on
the Kirkwood potential, we obtained 3-D As and (In,Ga) ensemble averaged
probability distributions. This clearly shows that As atom displacements are
highly directional and can be represented as a combination of and
displacements. Examination of the Kirkwood model indicates that the standard
deviation (sigma) of the static disorder on the (In,Ga) sublattice is around
60% of the value on the As sublattice and the (In,Ga) atomic displacements are
much more isotropic than those on the As sublattice. The single crystal diffuse
scattering calculated from the Kirkwood model shows that atomic displacements
are most strongly correlated along directions.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figure
Uncovering the geometry of the hot X-ray corona in the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 with IXPE
We present an X-ray spectropolarimetric analysis of the bright Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151. The source has been observed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) for 700 ks, complemented with simultaneous XMMâNewton (50 ks) and NuSTAR (100 ks) pointings. A polarization degree Î Â = 4.9 ± 1.1 per cent and angle Κ = 86° ± 7° east of north (68 perâcent confidence level) are measured in the 2â8 keV energy range. The spectropolarimetric analysis shows that the polarization could be entirely due to reflection. Given the low reflection flux in the IXPE band, this requires, however, a reflection with a very large (&gt;38 per cent) polarization degree. Assuming more reasonable values, a polarization degree of the hot corona ranging from âŒ4 to âŒ8 per cent is found. The observed polarization degree excludes a âsphericalâ lamppost geometry for the corona, suggesting instead a slab-like geometry, possibly a wedge, as determined via Monte Carlo simulations. This is further confirmed by the X-ray polarization angle, which coincides with the direction of the extended radio emission in this source, supposed to match the disc axis. NGC 4151 is the first active galactic nucleus with an X-ray polarization measure for the corona, illustrating the capabilities of X-ray polarimetry and IXPE in unveiling its geometry
The X-ray polarization of the Seyfert 1 galaxy IC 4329A
We present an X-ray spectro-polarimetric analysis of the bright Seyfert galaxy IC 4329A. The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) observed the source for âŒ500 ks, supported by XMMâNewton (âŒ60 ks) and NuSTAR (âŒ80 ks) exposures. We detect polarization in the 2â8 keV band with 2.97Ï confidence. We report a polarization degree of 3.3 ± 1.1 perâcent and a polarization angle of 78° ± 10° (errors are 1Ï confidence). The X-ray polarization is consistent with being aligned with the radio jet, albeit partially due to large uncertainties on the radio position angle. We jointly fit the spectra from the three observatories to constrain the presence of a relativistic reflection component. From this, we obtain constraints on the inclination angle to the inner disc (&lt;39° at 99 perâcent confidence) and the disc inner radius (&lt;11 gravitational radii at 99 perâcent confidence), although we note that modelling systematics in practice add to the quoted statistical error. Our spectropolarimetric modelling indicates that the 2â8 keV polarization is consistent with being dominated by emission directly observed from the X-ray corona, but the polarization of the reflection component is completely unconstrained. Our constraints on viewer inclination and polarization degree tentatively favour more asymmetric, possibly out-flowing, coronal geometries that produce more highly polarized emission, but the coronal geometry is unconstrained at the 3Ï level
Discovery of X-Ray Polarization from the Black Hole Transient Swift J1727.8â1613
\ua9 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.We report the first detection of the X-ray polarization of the bright transient Swift J1727.8â1613 with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. The observation was performed at the beginning of the 2023 discovery outburst, when the source resided in the bright hard state. We find a time- and energy-averaged polarization degree of 4.1% \ub1 0.2% and a polarization angle of 2.\ub02 \ub1 1.\ub03 (errors at 68% confidence level; this translates to âŒ20Ï significance of the polarization detection). This finding suggests that the hot corona emitting the bulk of the detected X-rays is elongated, rather than spherical. The X-ray polarization angle is consistent with that found in submillimeter wavelengths. Since the submillimeter polarization was found to be aligned with the jet direction in other X-ray binaries, this indicates that the corona is elongated orthogonal to the jet
The geometry of the hot corona in MCG-05-23-16 constrained by X-ray polarimetry
We report on the second observation of the radio-quiet active galactic nucleus MCG-05-23-16 performed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). The observation started on 2022 November 6 for a net observing time of 640 ks, and was partly simultaneous with NuSTAR (86 ks). After combining these data with those obtained in the first IXPE pointing on 2022 May (simultaneous with XMMâNewton and NuSTAR) we find a 2â8 keV polarization degree Î Â = 1.6 ± 0.7 (at 68 perâcent confidence level), which corresponds to an upper limit Î Â = 3.2 perâcent (at 99 perâcent confidence level). We then compare the polarization results with Monte Carlo simulations obtained with the monk code, with which different coronal geometries have been explored (spherical lamppost, conical, slab, and wedge). Furthermore, the allowed range of inclination angles is found for each geometry. If the best-fitting inclination value from a spectroscopic analysis is considered, a cone-shaped corona along the disc axis is disfavoured
Polarization constraints on the X-ray corona in Seyfert Galaxies: MCG-05-23-16
We report on the first observation of a radio-quiet Active Galactic Nucleus
(AGN) using polarized X-rays: the Seyfert 1.9 galaxy MCG-05-23-16. This source
was pointed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) starting on May
14, 2022 for a net observing time of 486 ks, simultaneously with XMM-Newton (58
ks) and NuSTAR (83 ks). A polarization degree smaller than (at the
99% c.l.) is derived in the 2-8 keV energy range, where emission is dominated
by the primary component ascribed to the hot corona. The broad-band spectrum,
inferred from a simultaneous fit to the IXPE, NuSTAR, and XMM-Newton data, is
well reproduced by a power law with photon index and a
high-energy cutoff keV. A comparison with Monte Carlo
simulations shows that a lamp-post and a conical geometry of the corona are
consistent with the observed upper limit, a slab geometry is allowed only if
the inclination angle of the system is less than 50.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Submitted to MNRAS Letter
Relativistic Laser-Matter Interaction and Relativistic Laboratory Astrophysics
The paper is devoted to the prospects of using the laser radiation
interaction with plasmas in the laboratory relativistic astrophysics context.
We discuss the dimensionless parameters characterizing the processes in the
laser and astrophysical plasmas and emphasize a similarity between the laser
and astrophysical plasmas in the ultrarelativistic energy limit. In particular,
we address basic mechanisms of the charged particle acceleration, the
collisionless shock wave and magnetic reconnection and vortex dynamics
properties relevant to the problem of ultrarelativistic particle acceleration.Comment: 58 pages, 19 figure
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Indian Ocean Experiment: An integrated analysis of the climate forcing and effects of the great Indo-Asian haze
Every year, from December to April, anthropogenic haze spreads over most of the North Indian Ocean, and South and Southeast Asia. The Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) documented this Indo-Asian haze at scales ranging from individual particles to its contribution to the regional climate forcing. This study integrates the multiplatform observations (satellites, aircraft, ships, surface stations, and balloons) with one- and four-dimensional models to derive the regional aerosol forcing resulting from the direct, the semidirect and the two indirect effects. The haze particles consisted of several inorganic and carbonaceous species, including absorbing black carbon clusters, fly ash, and mineral dust. The most striking result was the large loading of aerosols over most of the South Asian region and the North Indian Ocean. The January to March 1999 visible optical depths were about 0.5 over most of the continent and reached values as large as 0.2 over the equatorial Indian ocean due to long-range transport. The aerosol layer extended as high as 3 km. Black carbon contributed about 14% to the fine particle mass and 11% to the visible optical depth. The single-scattering albedo estimated by several independent methods was consistently around 0.9 both inland and over the open ocean. Anthropogenic sources contributed as much as 80% (±10%) to the aerosol loading and the optical depth. The in situ data, which clearly support the existence of the first indirect effect (increased aerosol concentration producing more cloud drops with smaller effective radii) are used to develop a composite indirect effect scheme. The Indo-Asian aerosols impact the radiative forcing through a complex set of heating (positive forcing) and cooling (negative forcing) processes. Clouds and black carbon emerge as the major players. The dominant factor, however, is the large negative forcing (â20 ± 4 W Mâ2) at the surface and the comparably large atmospheric heating. Regionally, the absorbing haze decreased the surface solar radiation by an amount comparable to 50% of the total ocean heat flux and nearly doubled the lower tropospheric solar heating. We demonstrate with a general circulation model how this additional heating significantly perturbs the tropical rainfall patterns and the hydrological cycle with implications to global climate
Dead layer thickness estimation at the ferroelectric film-metal interface in PZT
Yu. Podgorny acknowledges the program of Ministry of Education and Science (3.5726.2017/8.9) and K. Vorotilov and A. Sigov thank the program of Ministry of Education and Science (11.2259.2017).Different models for estimation of the dead layer thickness at the ferroelectric film-metal interface are discussed, including the small-signal capacitance model and two methods based on dielectric hysteresis analysisâone based on slopes of the hysteresis loops at the coercive field and the other method based on comparison of dielectric hysteresis portraits. It is shown that the latter technique yields more reliable data as it excludes the effect of leakage and relaxation loss. Conductivity may have a pronounced effect on the validity of dead-layer thickness data. This work relates peripherally to negative capacitance in ferroelectric films and to lozenge-shaped hysteresis curves.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
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