Collective processes in relativistic plasma and their implications for gamma-ray burst afterglows

We consider the effects of collective plasma processes on synchrotron emission from highly relativistic electrons. We find, in agreement with Sazonov (1970), that strong effects are possible also in the absence of a non-relativistic plasma component, due to the relativistic electrons (and protons) themselves. In contrast with Sazonov, who infers strong effects only in cases where the ratio of plasma frequency to cyclotron frequency is much larger than the square of the characteristic electron Lorentz factor, nu_p/nu_B >> gamma^2, we find strong effects also for 1 << nu_p/nu_B << gamma^2. The modification of the spectrum is prominent at frequencies nu < nu_{R*} = nu_p min[gamma, (nu_p/nu_B)^(1/2)], where nu_{R*} generalizes the Razin-Tsytovich frequency, nu_R = gamma nu_p, to the regime nu_p/nu_B << gamma^2. Applying our results to gamma-ray burst (GRB) plasmas, we predict a strong modification of the radio spectrum on minute time scale following the GRB, at the onset of fireball interaction with its surrounding medium, in cases where the ratio of the energy carried by the relativistic electrons to the energy carried by the magnetic field exceeds ~ 10^5. Plausible electron distribution functions may lead to negative synchrotron reabsorption, i.e to coherent radio emission, which is characterized by a low degree of circular polarization. Detection of these effects would constrain the fraction of energy in the magnetic field, which is currently poorly determined by observations, and, moreover, would provide a novel handle on the properties of the environment into which the fireball expands.Comment: 28 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Ap

Gravitational orientation of the orbital complex, Salyut-6--Soyuz

A simple mathematical model is proposed for the Salyut-6-Soyuz orbital complex motion with respect to the center of mass under the one-axis gravity-gradient orientation regime. This model was used for processing the measurements of the orbital complex motion parameters when the above orientation region was implemented. Some actual satellite motions are simulated and the satellite's aerodynamic parameters are determined. Estimates are obtained for the accuracy of measurements as well as that of the mathematical model

Quantum interference in the classically forbidden region: a parametric oscillator

We study tunneling between period two states of a parametrically modulated oscillator. The tunneling matrix element is shown to oscillate with the varying frequency of the modulating field. The effect is due to spatial oscillations of the wave function and the related interference in the classically forbidden region. The oscillations emerge already in the ground state of the oscillator Hamiltonian in the rotating frame, which is quartic in the momentum.Comment: Submitted to PR

Multiphoton antiresonance in large-spin systems

We study nonlinear response of a spin $S>1/2$ with easy-axis anisotropy. The response displays sharp dips or peaks when the modulation frequency is adiabatically swept through multiphoton resonance. The effect is a consequence of a special symmetry of the spin dynamics in a magnetic field for the anisotropy energy $\propto S_z^2$. The occurrence of the dips or peaks is determined by the spin state. Their shape strongly depends on the modulation amplitude. Higher-order anisotropy breaks the symmetry, leading to sharp steps in the response as function of frequency. The results bear on the dynamics of molecular magnets in a static magnetic field.Comment: Submitted to PR

Luminosity Function of High-Mass X-ray Binaries and Anisotropy in the Distribution of Active Galactic Nuclei toward the Large Magellanic Cloud

In 2003-2012, the INTEGRAL observatory has performed long-term observations of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). At present, this is one of the deepest hard X-ray (20-60 keV) surveys of extragalactic fields in which more than 20 sources of different natures have been detected. We present the results of a statistical analysis of the population of high-mass X-ray binaries in the LMC and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) observed in its direction. The hard X-ray luminosity function of high-mass X-ray binaries is shown to be described by a power law with a slope alpha~1.8, that in agreement with the luminosity function measurements both in the LMC itself, but made in the soft X-ray energy band, and in other galaxies. At the same time, the number of detected AGNs toward the LMC turns out to be considerably smaller than the number of AGNs registered in other directions, in particular, toward the source 3C 273. The latter confirms the previously made assumption that the distribution of matter in the local Universe is nonuniform.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, will be published in Astronomy Letters, 2012, Vol. 38, No. 8, p. 492--49

Several New Active Galactic Nuclei Among X-ray Sources Detected by INTEGRAL and SWIFT Observatories

We present the results of the optical identifications of a set of X-ray sources from the all-sky surveys of INTEGRAL and SWIFT observatories. Optical data were obtained with Russian-Turkish 1.5-m Telescope (RTT150). Nine X-ray sources were identified as active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Two of them are hosted by nearby, nearly exactly edge-on, spiral galaxies MCG -01-05-047 and NGC 973. One source, IGR J16562-3301, is most probably BL Lac object (blazar). Other AGNs are observed as stellar-like nuclei of spiral galaxies, with broad emission lines in their spectra. For the majority of our hard X-ray selected AGNs, their hard X-ray luminosities are well-correlated with the luminosities in [OIII],5007 optical emission line. However, the luminosities of some AGNs deviate from this correlation. The fraction of these objects can be as high as 20%. In particular, the flux in [OIII] line turns to be lower in two nearby edge-on spiral galaxies, which can be explained by the extinction in their galactic disks.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy Letters, the original text in Russian can be found at http://hea.iki.rssi.ru/~rodion/poptid.pd

Optical Identification of Four Hard X-ray Sources from the Swift All-Sky Survey

We present the results of our optical identifications of four hard X-ray sources from the Swift all-sky survey. We obtained optical spectra for each of the program objects with the 6-m BTA telescope (Special Astrophysical Observatory, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhnii Arkhyz), which allowed their nature to be established. Two sources (SWIFT J2237.2+6324} and SWIFT J2341.0+7645) are shown to belong to the class of cataclysmic variables (suspected polars or intermediate polars). The measured emission line width turns out to be fairly large (FWHM ~ 15-25 A), suggesting the presence of extended, rapidly rotating (v~400-600 km/s) accretion disks in the systems. Apart from line broadening, we have detected a change in the positions of the line centroids for SWIFT J2341.0+7645, which is most likely attributable to the orbital motion of the white dwarf in the binary system. The other two program objects (SWIFT J0003.3+2737 and SWIFT J0113.8+2515) are extragalactic in origin: the first is a Seyfert 2 galaxy and the second is a blazar at redshift z=1.594. Apart from the optical spectra, we provide the X-ray spectra for all sources in the 0.6-10 keV energy band obtained from XRT/Swift data.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, will be published in Astronomy Letters, 38, No.5, pp.281-289 (2012

Optical Multicolor WBVR-Observations of the X-Ray Star V1341 Cyg = Cyg X-2 in 1986-1992

We present the results of $WBVR$ observations of the low-mass X-ray binary V1341 $\textrm{Cyg} = \textrm{Cyg}$ X--2. Our observations include a total of 2375 individual measurements in four bands on 478 nights in 1986-1992. We tied the comparison and check stars used for the binary to the $WBVR$ catalog using their $JHK$ magnitudes. The uncertainty of this procedure was 3$$ in the $B$ and $V$ bands and 8%-10% for the $W$ and $R$ bands. In quiescence, the amplitude of the periodic component in the binary's $B$ brightness variations is within $0.265^{m}{-}0.278^{m}$ ($0.290^{m}{-}0.320^{m}$ in $W$); this is due to the ellipsoidal shape of the optical component, which is distorted with gravitational forces from the X-ray component. Some of the system's active states (long flares) may be due to instabilities in the accretion disk, and possibly to instabilities of gas flows and other accretion structures. The binary possesses a low-luminosity accretion disk. The light curves reveal no indications of an eclipse near the phases of the upper and lower conjunctions in quiescence or in active states during the observed intervals. We conclude that the optical star in the close binary V1341 $\textrm{Cyg} = \textrm{Cyg}$ X-2 is a red giant rather than a blue straggler. We studied the long-term variability of the binary during the seven years covered by our observations. The optical observations presented in this study are compared to X-ray data from the Ginga observatory for the same time intervals.Comment: 35 pages, 8 figure