103 research outputs found
Utilization of Image Intensifiers in Astronomy
In this paper we present the properties of image intensifiers, used together with fast TV cameras for astronomical purposes within the MAIA project(Meteor Automatic Imager and Analyser, primarily focused on observing meteoric events with high time resolution). The main objective of our paper is to evaluate the suitability of these devices for astronomical purposes in terms of noise, temporal and spectral analysis
MAIA: Technical Development of a Novel System for Video Observations of Meteors
A system for double station observation of meteors now known as MAIA (Meteor Automatic Imager and Analyzer) is introduced in this paper. The system is based on two stations with gigabite ethernet cameras, sensitive image intensifiers and automatic processing of the recorded image data. This paper presents the measured electrooptical characteristics of the components and the overall performance of the new digital system in comparison with the current analog solution
Utilization of Image Intensifiers in Astronomy
In this paper we present the properties of image intensifiers, used together with fast TV cameras for astronomical purposes within the MAIA project(Meteor Automatic Imager and Analyser, primarily focused on observing meteoric events with high time resolution). The main objective of our paper is to evaluate the suitability of these devices for astronomical purposes in terms of noise, temporal and spectral analysis
The bright optical flash from GRB 060117
We present a discovery and observation of an extraordinarily bright prompt
optical emission of the GRB 060117 obtained by a wide-field camera atop the
robotic telescope FRAM of the Pierre Auger Observatory from 2 to 10 minutes
after the GRB. We found rapid average temporal flux decay of alpha = -1.7 +-
0.1 and a peak brightness R = 10.1 mag. Later observations by other instruments
set a strong limit on the optical and radio transient fluxes, unveiling an
unexpectedly rapid further decay. We present an interpretation featuring a
relatively steep electron-distribution parameter p ~ 3.0 and providing a
straightforward solution for the overall fast decay of this optical transient
as a transition between reverse and forward shock.Comment: Accepted to A&A, 4 pages, corected few typos pointed out by X.F. W
Double diffractive cross-section measurement in the forward region at LHC
The first double diffractive cross-section measurement in the very forward
region has been carried out by the TOTEM experiment at the LHC with
center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s)=7 TeV. By utilizing the very forward TOTEM
tracking detectors T1 and T2, which extend up to |eta|=6.5, a clean sample of
double diffractive pp events was extracted. From these events, we measured the
cross-section sigma_DD =(116 +- 25) mub for events where both diffractive
systems have 4.7 <|eta|_min < 6.5 .Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, submitted for publicatio
Performance of the TOTEM Detectors at the LHC
The TOTEM Experiment is designed to measure the total proton-proton
cross-section with the luminosity-independent method and to study elastic and
diffractive pp scattering at the LHC. To achieve optimum forward coverage for
charged particles emitted by the pp collisions in the interaction point IP5,
two tracking telescopes, T1 and T2, are installed on each side of the IP in the
pseudorapidity region 3.1 < = |eta | < = 6.5, and special movable beam-pipe
insertions - called Roman Pots (RP) - are placed at distances of +- 147 m and
+- 220 m from IP5. This article describes in detail the working of the TOTEM
detector to produce physics results in the first three years of operation and
data taking at the LHC.Comment: 40 pages, 31 figures, submitted to Int. J. Mod. Phys.
Elastic Scattering and Total Cross-Section in p+p reactions measured by the LHC Experiment TOTEM at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV
Proton-proton elastic scattering has been measured by the TOTEM experiment at
the CERN Large Hadron Collider at TeV in special runs with the
Roman Pot detectors placed as close to the outgoing beam as seven times the
transverse beam size. The differential cross-section measurements are reported
in the |t|-range of 0.36 to 2.5 GeV^2. Extending the range of data to low t
values from 0.02 to 0.33 GeV^2,and utilizing the luminosity measurements of
CMS, the total proton-proton cross section at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV is measured to be
(98.3 +- 0.2(stat) +- 2.8(syst)) mb.Comment: Proceedings of the XLI International Symposium on Multiparticle
Dynamics. Accepted for publication in Prog. Theor. Phy
Defining Multiple Characteristic Raman Bands of α-Amino Acids as Biomarkers for Planetary Missions Using a Statistical Method
Biomarker molecules, such as amino acids, are key to discovering whether life exists elsewhere in the Solar System. Raman spectroscopy, a technique capable of detecting biomarkers, will be on board future planetary missions including the ExoMars rover. Generally, the position of the strongest band in the spectra of amino acids is reported as the identifying band. However, for an unknown sample, it is desirable to define multiple characteristic bands for molecules to avoid any ambiguous identification. To date, there has been no definition of multiple characteristic bands for amino acids of interest to astrobiology. This study examinedL-alanine, L-aspartic acid, L-cysteine, L-glutamine and glycine and defined several Raman bands per molecule for reference as characteristic identifiers. Per amino acid, 240 spectra were recorded and compared using established statistical tests including ANOVA. The number of characteristic bands defined were 10, 12, 12, 14 and 19 for L-alanine (strongest intensity band: 832 cm-1), L-aspartic acid (938 cm-1), L-cysteine (679 cm-1),L-glutamine (1090 cm−1) and glycine (875 cm-1), respectively. The intensity of bands differed by up to six times when several points on the crystal sample were rotated through 360 °; to reduce this effect when defining characteristic bands for other molecules, we find that spectra should be recorded at a statistically significant number of points per sample to remove the effect of sample rotation. It is crucial that sets of characteristic Raman bands are defined for biomarkers that are targets for future planetary missions to ensure a positive identification can be made
Optical and infrared flares from a transient Galactic soft gamma-ray repeater
Soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) are a rare type of gamma-ray transient
sources that are ocasionally detected as bursts in the high-energy sky. They
are thought to be produced by magnetars, young neutron stars with very strong
magnetic fields of the order of 10^(14-15) G. Only three such objects are known
in our Galaxy, and a fourth one is associated with the supernova remnant N49 in
the Large Magellanic Cloud. In none of these cases has an optical counterpart
to either the gamma-ray flares or the quiescent source been identified. Here we
present multi-wavelength observations of a puzzling source, SWIFT
J195509+261406, for which we detected more than 40 flaring episodes in the
optical band over a time span of 3 days, plus a faint infrared flare 11 days
later, after which it returned to quiescence. We propose that SWIFT
J195509+261406 is a member of a subgroup of SGRs for which the long-term X-ray
emission is transient in nature. Furthermore, it is the first SGR for which
bursts have been detected in the optical and near-infrared bands and maybe the
link between the "persistent" SGRs and the dim isolated neutron stars.Comment: Version submitted to Nature on 31 Jan 2008. A substantially revised
version of this work has been published in Nature, vol. 455 issue 7212 pp
506-509 under the title "Flares from a Galactic magnetar suggest a missing
link to dim isolated neutron stars
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