2,281 research outputs found
4D Tropospheric Tomography using GPS Estimated Slant Delays
Tomographic techniques are successfully applied to obtain 4D images of the
tropospheric refractivity in a local dense network. In the lower atmosphere
both the small height and time scales and the non-dispersive nature of
tropospheric delays require a more careful analysis of the data. We show how
GPS data is processed to obtain the tropospheric slant delays using the
GIPSY-OASIS II software and define the concept of pseudo-wet delays, which will
be the observables in the tomographic software. We then discuss the inverse
problem in the 3D stochastic tomography, using simulated refractivity fields to
test the system and the impact of noise. Finally, we use data from the Kilauea
network in Hawaii and a local 4x4x41-voxel grid on a region of 400 Km and
15 Km in height to produce 4D refractivity fields. Results are compared with
ECMWF forecast.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures (2 color
GRB 090227B: the missing link between the genuine short and long GRBs
The time-resolved spectral analysis of GRB090227B, made possible by the
Fermi-GBM data, allows to identify in this source the missing link between the
genuine short and long GRBs. Within the Fireshell model [...] we predict
genuine short GRBs: bursts with the same inner engine of the long bursts but
endowed with a severely low value of the Baryon load, B<~5x10^{-5}. A first
energetically predominant emission occurs at the transparency of the e+e-
plasma, the Proper-GRB (P-GRB), followed by a softer emission, the extended
afterglow. The typical separation between the two emissions is expected to be
[...] 10^{-3}-10^{-2}s. We identify the P-GRB [...] in the first 96ms of
emission, where a thermal component with [...] kT=(517+/-28)keV and a flux
comparable with the non thermal part of the spectrum is observed. This non
thermal component as well as the subsequent emission, where there is no
evidence for a thermal spectrum, is identified with the extended afterglow. We
deduce a theoretical cosmological redshift z=1.61+/-0.14. We then derive the
total energy E^{tot}_{e+e-}=(2.83+/-0.15)x10^{53}erg, [...]
B=(4.13+/-0.05)x10^{-5}, the Lorentz factor at transparency
\Gamma_tr=(1.44+/-0.01)x10^4, and the intrinsic duration \Delta t'~0.35s. We
also determine the average density of the CircumBurst Medium (CBM),
=(1.90+/-0.20)x10^{-5} #/cm^3. There is no evidence of beaming in the
system. In view of the energetics and of the Baryon load of the source, as well
as of the low interstellar medium and of the intrinsic time scale of the
signal, we identify the GRB progenitor as a binary neutron star. From the
recent progress in the theory of neutron stars, we obtain masses of the stars
m_1=m_2=1.34M_Sun and their corresponding radii R_1=R_2=12.24km and thickness
of their crusts ~0.47km, consistent with the above values of the Baryon load,
of the energetics and of the time duration of the event.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures, new version with some updated references,
matching the one actually appeared on Ap
Pair plasma relaxation time scales
By numerically solving the relativistic Boltzmann equations, we compute the
time scale for relaxation to thermal equilibrium for an optically thick
electron-positron plasma with baryon loading. We focus on the time scales of
electromagnetic interactions. The collisional integrals are obtained directly
from the corresponding QED matrix elements. Thermalization time scales are
computed for a wide range of values of both the total energy density (over 10
orders of magnitude) and of the baryonic loading parameter (over 6 orders of
magnitude). This also allows us to study such interesting limiting cases as the
almost purely electron-positron plasma or electron-proton plasma as well as
intermediate cases. These results appear to be important both for laboratory
experiments aimed at generating optically thick pair plasmas as well as for
astrophysical models in which electron-positron pair plasmas play a relevant
role.Comment: Phys. Rev. E, in pres
Energy Extraction From Gravitational Collapse to Static Black Holes
The mass--energy formula of black holes implies that up to 50% of the energy
can be extracted from a static black hole. Such a result is reexamined using
the recently established analytic formulas for the collapse of a shell and
expression for the irreducible mass of a static black hole. It is shown that
the efficiency of energy extraction process during the formation of the black
hole is linked in an essential way to the gravitational binding energy, the
formation of the horizon and the reduction of the kinetic energy of implosion.
Here a maximum efficiency of 50% in the extraction of the mass energy is shown
to be generally attainable in the collapse of a spherically symmetric shell:
surprisingly this result holds as well in the two limiting cases of the
Schwarzschild and extreme Reissner-Nordstr\"{o}m space-times. Moreover, the
analytic expression recently found for the implosion of a spherical shell onto
an already formed black hole leads to a new exact analytic expression for the
energy extraction which results in an efficiency strictly less than 100% for
any physical implementable process. There appears to be no incompatibility
between General Relativity and Thermodynamics at this classical level.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, to appear on Int. Journ. Mod. Phys.
Introducing the black hole
The quasi-stellar object, the pulsar, the neutron star have all come onto the scene of physics within the space of a few years. Is the next entrant destined to be the black hole? If so, it is difficult to think of any development that could be of greater significance. A black hole, whether of âordinary sizeâ (approximately one solar mass, 1 Mâ) or much larger (around 10^6 Mâ to 10^10 Mâ, as proposed in the nuclei of some galaxies), provides our âlaboratory modelâ for the gravitational collapse, predicted by Einstein's theory, of the universe itself
Theoretical implications of the second time derivative of the period of the pulsar NP0532
Theoretical implications of second time derivative with existing magnetic dipole model
Theory of photospheric emission from relativistic outflows
In this paper we reexamine the optical depth of ultrarelativistic spherically
symmetric outflows and reevaluate the photospheric radius for each model during
both the acceleration and coasting phases. It is shown that for both the wind
and the shell models there are two asymptotic solutions for the optical depth
during the coasting phase of the outflow. In particular we show that quite
counterintuitively a geometrically thin shell may appear as a thick wind for
photons propagating inside it. For this reason we introduce notions of photon
thick and photon thin outflows, which appear more general and better physically
motivated with respect to winds and shells. Photosphere of relativistic outflow
is a dynamic surface. We study its geometry and find that the photosphere of
photon thin outflow has always a convex shape, while in the photon thick one it
is initially convex (there is always a photon thin layer in any outflow) and
then it becomes concave asymptotically approaching the photosphere of an
infinitely long wind. We find that both instantaneous and time integrated
observed spectra are very close to the thermal one for photon thick outflows,
in line with existing studies. It is our main finding that the photospheric
emission from the photon thin outflow produces non thermal time integrated
spectra, which may be described by the Band function well known in the GRB
literature. We find that energetic GRBs should produce photon thin outflows
with photospheric emission lasting less than one second for the total energy
erg and baryonic loading parameter . It means
that only time integrated spectra may be observed from such GRBs.Comment: Revision of the previous version, new effect is discussed.
Conclusions remain unchange
Exact versus approximate beaming formulas in Gamma-Ray Burst afterglows
We present the exact analytic expressions to compute, assuming the emitted
Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) radiation is not spherically symmetric but is confined
into a narrow jet, the value of the detector arrival time at which we start to
"see" the sides of the jet, both in the fully radiative and adiabatic regimes.
We obtain this result using our exact analytic expressions for the EQuiTemporal
Surfaces (EQTSs) in GRB afterglows. We re-examine the validity of three
different approximate formulas currently adopted for the adiabatic regime in
the GRB literature. We also present an empirical fit of the numerical solutions
of the exact equations, compared and contrasted with the three above
approximate formulas. The extent of the differences is such as to require a
reassessment on the existence and entity of beaming in the cases considered in
the current literature, as well as on its consequences on the GRB energetics.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear on ApJ Let
SGRs and AXPs as massive fast rotating highly magnetized white dwarfs: the case of SGR 0418+5729
We describe one of the so-called low magnetic field magnetars SGR 0418+5729,
as a massive fast rotating highly magnetized white dwarf following Malheiro et.
al. 2012. We give bounds for the mass, radius, moment of inertia, and magnetic
field for these sources, by requesting the stability of realistic general
relativistic uniformly rotating configurations. Based on these parameters, we
improve the theoretical prediction of the lower limit of the spin-down rate of
SGR 0418+5729. In addition, we compute the electron cyclotron frequencies
corresponding to the predicted surface magnetic fields.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, 1 table. The Thirteenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting:
On Recent Developments in Theoretical and Experimental General Relativity,
Astrophysics and Relativistic Field Theories - Proceedings of the MG13
Meeting on General Relativity (in 3 Volumes). Edited by Rosquist Kjell et. a
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