4,965 research outputs found
The Broad Band Spectrum of MXB 1728-34 Observed by BeppoSAX
We report on the results of a broad band (0.1-100 keV) spectral analysis of
the bursting atoll source MXB 1728-34 observed by the BeppoSAX satellite. Three
bursts were present during this observation. The spectrum during the bursts can
be fitted by a blackbody with a temperature of 2 keV. From the bursts we also
estimate a distance to the source of 5.1 kpc. MXB 1728-34 was in a rather soft
state during the BeppoSAX observation. The persistent spectrum is well fitted
by a continuum consisting of a soft blackbody emission and a comptonized
spectrum. We interpreted the soft component as the emission from the accretion
disk. Taking into account a spectral hardening factor of 1.7, we estimated that
the inner disk radius is km, where i is the
inclination angle. The comptonized component could originate in a spherical
corona, with temperature of 10 keV and optical depth of 5, surrounding the
neutron star. A broad gaussian emission line at 6.7 keV is observed in the
spectrum, probably emitted in the ionized corona or in the inner part of the
disk. Another emission line is present at 1.66 keV.Comment: 12 pages, accepted by Ap
Pedestrian access to a network of public transport
The location of the bus stops is very important in urban and suburban contexts. The same importance of safety perception and comfort during transport operations is attributed to accessibility to bus stops. The placement of bus stops is a crucial factor to increase safety of passengers and pedestrians as well as the efficacy and efficiency of local public transport operations. To correctly localize these infrastructures, designers use physical parameters, such as maximum walking distance and travel time. While critical factors related to the quality of pedestrian access to the bus stop, to the real walked distance or to land use of bus stop areas are not taken in to account. The purpose of this paper is to propose a GIS methodology, which may correlate qualitative and quantitative factors that characterize the pedestrian access network to the bus stops
Chandra Observation of the Persistent Emission from the Dipping Source XB 1916-053
We present the results of a 50 ks long Chandra observation of the dipping
source XB 1916-053. During the observation two X-ray bursts occurred and the
dips were not present at each orbital period. From the zero-order image we
estimate the precise X-ray coordinates of the source with a 90% uncertainty of
0.6''. In this work we focus on the spectral study of discrete absorption
features, during the persistent emission, using the High Energy Transmission
Grating Spectrometer on board the Chandra satellite. We detect, for the first
time in the 1st-order spectra of XB 1916-053, absorption lines associated to Ne
X, Mg XII, Si XIV, and S XVI, and confirm the presence of the Fe XXV and Fe
XXVI absorption lines with a larger accuracy with respect to the previous XMM
EPIC pn observation. Assuming that the line widths are due to a bulk motion or
a turbulence associated to the coronal activity, we estimate that the lines are
produced in a photoionized absorber distant from the neutron star 4 x 10^{10}
cm, near the disk edge.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, submitted to ApJ on 2005-09-22, accepted by ApJ
on 2006-05-0
Broad-band Spectral Evolution of Scorpius X-1 along its Color-Color Diagram
We analyze a large collection of RXTE archive data from April 1997 to August
2003 of the bright X-ray source Scorpius X-1 in order to study the broadband
spectral evolution of the source for different values of the inferred mass
accretion rate by studying energy spectra from selected regions in the Z-track
of its Color-Color Diagram. A two-component model, consisting of a soft thermal
component interpreted as thermal emission from an accretion disk and a thermal
Comptonization component, is unable to fit the whole 3--200 keV energy spectrum
at low accretion rates. Strong residuals in the highest energy band of the
spectrum require the addition of a third component that can be fitted with a
power-law component, that could represent a second thermal Comptonization from
a much hotter plasma, or a hybrid thermal/non-thermal Comptonization. We
discuss the physical implications derived from the results of our analysis,
with a particular emphasis on the hardest part of the X-ray emission and its
possible origins.Comment: 18 pages. Accepted for publication in Ap
Discovery of periodic dips in the light curve of GX 13+1: the X-ray orbital ephemeris of the source
The bright low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) GX 13+1 is one of the most peculiar
Galactic binary systems. A periodicity of 24.27 d with a formal statistical
error of 0.03 d was observed in its power spectrum density obtained with RXTE
All Sky Monitor (ASM) data spanning 14 years. Starting from a recent study,
indicating GX 13+1 as a possible dipping source candidate, we systematically
searched for periodic dips in the X-ray light curves of GX 13+1 from 1996 up to
2013 using RXTE/ASM, and MAXI data to determine for the first time the X-ray
orbital ephemeris of GX 13+1. We searched for a periodic signal in the ASM and
MAXI light curves, finding a common periodicity of 24.53 d. We folded the 1.3-5
keV and 5-12.1 keV ASM light curves and the 2-4 and 4-10 keV MAXI light curves
at the period of 24.53 d finding a periodic dip. To refine the value of the
period we used the timing technique dividing the ASM light curve in eight
intervals and the MAXI light curve in two intervals, obtaining four and two dip
arrival times from the ASM and MAXI light curves, respectively. We improved the
X-ray position of GX 13+1 using a recent Chandra observation. The new X-ray
position is discrepant by \sim 7\arcsec from the previous one, while it is
compatible with the infrared and radio counterpart positions. We detected an
X-ray dip, that is totally covered by the Chandra observation, in the light
curve of GX 13+1 and showed, a-posteriori, that it is a periodic dip. We
obtained seven dip arrival times from ASM, MAXI, and Chandra light curves. We
calculated the delays of the detected dip arrival times with respect to the
expected times for a 24.52 d periodicity. Fitting the delays with a linear
function we find that the orbital period and the epoch of reference of GX 13+1
are 24.5274(2) days and 50,086.79(3) MJD, respectively.(Abridged)Comment: 12 pages, including 16 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
Chandra X-ray spectroscopy of a clear dip in GX 13+1
The source GX 13+1 is a persistent, bright Galactic X-ray binary hosting an
accreting neutron star. It shows highly ionized absorption features, with a
blueshift of 400 km s and an outflow-mass rate similar to the
accretion rate. Many other X-ray sources exhibit warm absorption features, and
they all show periodic dipping behavior at the same time. Recently, a dipping
periodicity has also been determined for GX 13+1 using long-term X-ray folded
light-curves, leading to a clear identification of one of such periodic dips in
an archival Chandra observation. We give the first spectral characterization of
the periodic dip of GX 13+1 found in this archival Chandra observation
performed in 2010. We used Chandra/HETGS data (1.0-10 keV band) and
contemporaneous RXTE/PCA data (3.5-25 keV) to analyze the broadband X-ray
spectrum. We adopted different spectral models to describe the continuum
emission and used the XSTAR-derived warm absorber component to constrain the
highly ionized absorption features. The 1.0-25 keV continuum emission is
consistent with a model of soft accretion-disk emission and an optically thick,
harder Comptonized component. The dip event, lasting 450 s, is
spectrally resolved with an increase in the column density of the neutral
absorber, while we do not find significant variations in the column density and
ionization parameter of the warm absorber with respect to the out-of-dip
spectrum. We argue that the very low dipping duty-cycle with respect to other
sources of the same class can be ascribed to its long orbital period and the
mostly neutral bulge, that is relatively small compared with the dimensions of
the outer disk radius.Comment: 13 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Searching for pulsed emission from XTE J0929-314 at high radio frequencies
The aim of this work is to search for radio signals in the quiescent phase of
accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars, in this way giving an ultimate proof of
the recycling model, thereby unambiguously establishing that accreting
millisecond X-ray pulsars are the progenitors of radio millisecond pulsars.
To overcome the possible free-free absorption caused by matter surrounding
accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars in their quiescence phase, we performed the
observations at high frequencies. Making use of particularly precise orbital
and spin parameters obtained from X-ray observations, we carried out a deep
search for radio-pulsed emission from the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar
XTE J0929-314 in three steps, correcting for the effect of the dispersion due
to the interstellar medium, eliminating the orbital motions effects, and
finally folding the time series.
No radio pulsation is present in the analyzed data down to a limit of 68
microJy at 6.4 GHz and 26 microJy at 8.5 GHz.
We discuss several mechanisms that could prevent the detection, concluding
that beaming factor and intrinsic low luminosity are the most likely
explanations.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
EFFETTI DINAMICI DELL’INNALZAMENTO DEL CARICO PER ASSE DI ROTABILI FERROVIARI PER TRASPORTO MERCI
Lo sviluppo di un sistema di trasporto ferroviario merci richiede di minimizzare i tempi di percorrenza
e massimizzare la capacità di carico dei convogli. Questo obiettivo può essere raggiunto mediante tre
diverse strategie, che possono essere adottate separatamente o in modo congiunto. Le strategie
consistono sostanzialmente nell’aumento della capacità di carico del singolo carro, nell’aumento della
lunghezza del convoglio e nell’aumento della velocità del veicolo. La possibilità di attuare
simultaneamente le tre strategie è possibile solo disponendo di infrastrutture dedicate e utilizzando una
progettazione specifica della linea e dei veicoli. Il lavoro illustra gli effetti di un innalzamento del
carico per asse, oltre al limite attualmente consentito in Italia, sui principali indicatori utilizzati dalla
norma UIC per l’omologazione del materiale rotabile. Le valutazioni sono state effettuate utilizzando
un tracciato reale di buona qualità ed un modello numerico di un veicolo di tipo Y25
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