Different kinds of long-term variability from Cygnus X-1

We present a study of the long-term variability of Cyg X-1 using data from the RXTE/ASM and the RXTE/PCA during the time between the two soft states of 1996 and 2001/2002. This period has been characterized by many short ASM flaring episodes which we have identified as "failed state transitions". The 150 d period which has been seen before and shortly after the 1996 soft state is not obviously present in the ASM rate during most of this time. Applying selection criteria from our pointed RXTE/PCA observations to exclude the flaring episodes we show that the 150 d period can indeed still be significantly detected in the hard state. Furthermore, while the ~420 d timescale associated with the flaring is reduced in the selected hard state count rate, it is still pronounced in the temporal evolution of the corresponding hardness ratios. The Ryle radio flux is also consistent with the 150 d period being present but distorted during this time.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, to appear in Proceedings of "X-ray Timing 2003: Rossi and Beyond", ed. P. Kaaret, F.K. Lamb, & J.H. Swan

Embedded expert system for space shuttle main engine maintenance

The SPARTA Embedded Expert System (SEES) is an intelligent health monitoring system that directs analysis by placing confidence factors on possible engine status and then recommends a course of action to an engineer or engine controller. The technique can prevent catastropic failures or costly rocket engine down time because of false alarms. Further, the SEES has potential as an on-board flight monitor for reusable rocket engine systems. The SEES methodology synergistically integrates vibration analysis, pattern recognition and communications theory techniques with an artificial intelligence technique - the Embedded Expert System (EES)

Connection between accretion disk and superluminal radio jets and the role of radio plateau state in GRS 1915+105

We investigate the association between the accretion disk during radio plateau state and the following superluminal relativistic radio jets with peak intensity varies from 200 mJy to 1000 mJy observed over a period of five years and present the evidences of direct accretion disc-jet connection in microquasar GRS 1915+105. We have analysed RXTE PCA/HEXTE X-ray data and have found that the accretion rate, $\dot{m}_{accr}$, as inferred from the X-ray flux, is very high during the radio plateaux. We suggest that the accretion disk during the radio plateaux always associated with radiation-driven wind which is manifested in the form of enhanced absorption column density for X-ray and the depleted IR emission. We find that the wind density increases with the accretion disk luminosity during the radio plateaux. The wind density is similar to the density of the warm absorber proposed in extragalactic AGNs and Quasars. We suggest a simple model for the origin of superluminal relativistic jets. Finally, We discuss the implications of this work for galactic microquasars and the extragalactic AGNs and Quasars.Comment: 9 pages, 6 Figures, Accepted for publication in Ap

Cosmic ray propagation and star formation history of NGC 1961

We present new radio continuum data at 4 frequencies on the supermassive, peculiar galaxy NGC 1961. These observations allow us to separate the thermal and the nonthermal radio emission and to determine the nonthermal spectral index distribution. This spectral index distribution in the galactic disk is unusual: at the maxima of the radio emission the synchrotron spectrum is very steep, indicating aged cosmic ray electrons. Away from the maxima the spectrum is much flatter. The steep spectrum of the synchrotron emission at the maxima indicates that a strong decline of the star formation rate has taken place at these sites. The extended radio emission is a sign of recent cosmic ray acceleration, probably by recent star formation. We suggest that a violent event in the past, most likely a merger or a collision with an intergalactic gas cloud, has caused the various unusual features of the galaxy.Comment: 9 pages, latex with MN-macros, 20 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

MERLIN observations of relativistic ejections from GRS 1915+105

We present high resolution MERLIN radio images of multiple relativistic ejections from GRS 1915+105 in 1997 October / November. The observations were made at a time of complex radio behaviour, corresponding to multiple optically-thin outbursts and several days of rapid radio flux oscillations. The radio imaging resolved four major ejection events from the system. As previously reported from earlier VLA observations of the source, we observe apparent superluminal motions resulting from intrinsically relativistic motions of the ejecta. However, our measured proper motions are significantly greater than those observed on larger angular scales with the VLA. Under the assumption of an intrinsically symmetric ejection, we can place an upper limit on the distance to GRS 1915+105 of 11.2 +/- 0.8 kpc. Solutions for the velocities unambiguously require a higher intrinsic speed by about 0.1c than that derived from the earlier VLA observations, whilst the angle to the line-of-sight is not found to be significantly different. At a distance of 11 kpc, we obtain solutions of v = 0.98 (-0.05,+0.02)c and theta = 66 +/- 2 degrees. The jet also appears to be curved on a scale which corresponds to a period of around 7 days. We observe significant evolution of the linear polarisation of the approaching component, with large rotations in position angle and a general decrease in fractional polarisation. The power input into the formation of the jet is very large, >10^38 erg/s at 11 kpc for a pair plasma. If the plasma contains a cold proton for each electron, then the mass outflow rate, >10^18 g/sec is comparable to inflow rates previously derived from X-ray spectral fits.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA