901 research outputs found
The KaVA and KVN Pulsar Project
We present our work towards using the Korean VLBI (Very Long Baseline
Interferometer) Network (KVN) and VLBI Exploration of Radio Astronomy (VERA)
arrays combined into the KVN and VERA Array (KaVA) for observations of radio
pulsars at high frequencies (22-GHz). Pulsar astronomy is generally
focused at frequencies approximately 0.3 to several GHz and pulsars are usually
discovered and monitored with large, single-dish, radio telescopes. For most
pulsars, reduced radio flux is expected at high frequencies due to their steep
spectrum, but there are exceptions where high frequency observations can be
useful. Moreover, some pulsars are observable at high frequencies only, such as
those close to the Galactic Center. The discoveries of a radio-bright magnetar
and a few dozen extended Chandra sources within 15 arc-minute of the Galactic
Center provide strong motivations to make use of the KaVA frequency band for
searching pulsars in this region. Here, we describe the science targets and
report progresses made from the KVN test observations for known pulsars. We
then discuss why KaVA pulsar observations are compelling.Comment: To appear in PASJ KaVA Special Issu
Advanced Silicon Avalanche Photodiodes on NASA's Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Mission
Silicon Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs) are used in NASAs Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) which was launched in December 2018 and is currently measuring the Earths vegetation vertical structure from the International Space Station. The APDs were specially made for space lidar with a much lower hole-to-electron ionization coefficient ratio (k-factor ~0.008) than that of commercially available silicon APDs in order to reduce the APD excess noise from the randomness of the avalanche gain. A silicon heater resistor was used under the APD chip to heat the device up to 70C and improve its quantum efficiency at 1064 nm laser wavelength while maintaining a low dark current such that the overall signal to noise ratio is improved. Special APD protection circuits were used to raise the overload damage threshold to prevent device damage from strong laser return by specular surfaces, such as still water bodies, and space radiation events. The APD and a hybrid transimpedance amplifier circuit were hermetically sealed in a package with a sufficiently low leak rate to ensure multi-year operation lifetime in space. The detector assemblies underwent a series of pre-launch tests per NASA Goddard Environmental Verification Standard for space qualification. They have performed exactly as expected with GEDI in orbit. A detailed description of the GEDI detector design, signal and noise model, and test results are presented in this paper
The Claims Culture: A Taxonomy of Industry Attitudes
This paper presents an analysis of a familiar aspect of construction industry culture that we have dubbed 'the claims culture'. This is a culture of contract administration that lays a strong emphasis on the planning and management of claims. The principal elements of the analysis are two sets of distinctions. The first comprises economic and occupational orders, referring to two kinds of control that are exercised over the construction process; predicated respectively on economic ownership and occupational competence. The second refers to contrasting attitudes towards relationships and problem solving within these orders: respectively 'distributive' and 'integrative'. The concepts of economic and occupational order entail further sub-categories. The various attitudes associated with these categories and sub-categories are described. They are assessed as to their consequences for change initiatives in the industry
The Spectral Energy Distribution of Powerful Starburst Galaxies I : Modelling the Radio Continuum
This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.We have acquired radio-continuum data between 70MHz and 48 GHz for a sample of 19 southern starburst galaxies at moderate redshifts (0.067 < z < 0.227) with the aim of separating synchrotron and free-free emission components. Using a Bayesian framework, we find the radio continuum is rarely characterized well by a single power law, instead often exhibiting lowfrequency turnovers below 500 MHz, steepening at mid to high frequencies, and a flattening at high frequencies where free-free emission begins to dominate over the synchrotron emission. These higher order curvature components may be attributed to free-free absorption across multiple regions of star formation with varying optical depths. The decomposed synchrotron and free-free emission components in our sample of galaxies form strong correlations with the total-infrared bolometric luminosities. Finally, we find that without accounting for free-free absorption with turnovers between 90 and 500MHz the radio continuum at low frequency (v < 200 MHz) could be overestimated by upwards of a factor of 12 if a simple power-law extrapolation is used from higher frequencies. The mean synchrotron spectral index of our sample is constrained to be α = -1.06, which is steeper than the canonical value of -0.8 for normal galaxies. We suggest this may be caused by an intrinsically steeper cosmic ray distribution.Peer reviewe
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