1,593 research outputs found
X-Ray Shadowing Experiments Toward Infrared Dark Clouds
We searched for X-ray shadowing toward two infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) using the MOS detectors on XMM-Newton to learn about the Galactic distribution of X-ray emitting plasma. IRDCs make ideal X-ray shadowing targets of 3/4 keY photons due to their high column densities, relatively large angular sizes, and known kinematic distances. Here we focus on two clouds near 30 deg Galactic longitude at distances of 2 and 5 kpc from the Sun. We derive the foreground and background column densities of molecular and atomic gas in the direction of the clouds. We find that the 3/4 ke V emission must be distributed throughout the Galactic disk. It is therefore linked to the structure of the cooler material of the ISM, and to the birth of stars
Limits to the 1/4 keV Extragalactic X-ray Background
We observed several nearby face-on spiral galaxies with the ROSAT PSPC. The
apparent deficiency in soft X-ray surface brightness observed at the outer
portion of their disks is consistent with the absorption of the extragalactic
soft X-ray background by material associated with these galaxies, and allows us
to place a lower limit on the intensity of this cosmologically important
background. From the depth of the soft X-ray shadow observed in NGC 3184, a 95%
confidence lower limit was derived to be at
1/4 keV. This was obtained by assuming that there is no unresolved 1/4 keV
X-ray emission from the outer region of the galaxy which may otherwise
partially fill in the shadow: any such emission, or any unresolved structure in
the absorbing gas, would imply a larger value. In the deepest exposure to date
in this energy range, Hasinger et al. (1993) resolved about at 1/4 keV into discrete sources; our current limit is
therefore consistent with an extragalactic origin for all of these sources. Our
results can also be directly compared with the corresponding upper limit
derived from the ROSAT PSPC detection of soft X-ray shadows cast by
high-latitude clouds in Ursa Major, at
1/4 keV. The lower and upper limits are only a factor of 2 apart, and begin to
provide a reasonable measurement of the intensity of the 1/4 keV extragalactic
X-ray background.Comment: 7 pages, no figures, a companion paper to the one titled "Diffuse
Soft X-ray Emission from Several Nearby Spiral Galaxies" (astro-ph/9604128).
To appear in September issue of ApJ (Vol. 468
A Suborbital Payload for Soft X-ray Spectroscopy of Extended Sources
We present a suborbital rocket payload capable of performing soft X-ray
spectroscopy on extended sources. The payload can reach resolutions of
~100(lambda/dlambda) over sources as large as 3.25 degrees in diameter in the
17-107 angstrom bandpass. This permits analysis of the overall energy balance
of nearby supernova remnants and the detailed nature of the diffuse soft X-ray
background. The main components of the instrument are: wire grid collimators,
off-plane grating arrays and gaseous electron multiplier detectors. This
payload is adaptable to longer duration orbital rockets given its comparatively
simple pointing and telemetry requirements and an abundance of potential
science targets.Comment: Accepted to Experimental Astronomy, 12 pages plus 1 table and 17
figure
Narrow Components within the Fe Kalpha Profile of NGC 3516: Evidence for the Importance of General Relativistic Effects?
We present results from a simultaneous Chandra HETG and XMM-Newton
observation of NGC 3516. We find evidence for several narrow components of Fe
Kalpha along with a broad line. We consider the possibility that the lines
arise in an blob of material ejected from the nucleus with velocity ~0.25c. We
also consider an origin in a neutral accretion disk, suffering enhanced
illumination at 35 and 175 gravitational radii, perhaps due to magnetic
reconnection. The presence of these narrow features indicates there is no
Comptonizing region along the line-of-sight to the nucleus. This in turn is
compelling support for the hypothesis that broad Fe Kalpha components are, in
general, produced by strong gravity.Comment: 12 pages, 3 color figures. LaTeX with postscript figures. Resubmitted
June 7 2002, to Astrophysical Journal Letter
The gas distribution in the outer regions of galaxy clusters
We present the analysis of a local (z = 0.04 - 0.2) sample of 31 galaxy
clusters with the aim of measuring the density of the X-ray emitting gas in
cluster outskirts. We compare our results with numerical simulations to set
constraints on the azimuthal symmetry and gas clumping in the outer regions of
galaxy clusters. We exploit the large field-of-view and low instrumental
background of ROSAT/PSPC to trace the density of the intracluster gas out to
the virial radius. We perform a stacking of the density profiles to detect a
signal beyond r200 and measure the typical density and scatter in cluster
outskirts. We also compute the azimuthal scatter of the profiles with respect
to the mean value to look for deviations from spherical symmetry. Finally, we
compare our average density and scatter profiles with the results of numerical
simulations. As opposed to some recent Suzaku results, and confirming previous
evidence from ROSAT and Chandra, we observe a steepening of the density
profiles beyond \sim r500. Comparing our density profiles with simulations, we
find that non-radiative runs predict too steep density profiles, whereas runs
including additional physics and/or treating gas clumping are in better
agreement with the observed gas distribution. We report for the first time the
high-confidence detection of a systematic difference between cool-core and
non-cool core clusters beyond \sim 0.3r200, which we explain by a different
distribution of the gas in the two classes. Beyond \sim r500, galaxy clusters
deviate significantly from spherical symmetry, with only little differences
between relaxed and disturbed systems. We find good agreement between the
observed and predicted scatter profiles, but only when the 1% densest clumps
are filtered out in the simulations. [Abridged]Comment: The data for the average profiles and individual clusters can be
downloaded at:
http://www.isdc.unige.ch/~deckert/newsite/The_Planck_ROSAT_project.htm
Structural correlations in heterogeneous electron transfer at monolayer and multilayer graphene electrodes
As a new form of carbon, graphene is attracting intense interest as an electrode material with widespread applications. In the present study, the heterogeneous electron transfer (ET) activity of graphene is investigated using scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM), which allows electrochemical currents to be mapped at high spatial resolution across a surface for correlation with the corresponding structure and properties of the graphene surface. We establish that the rate of heterogeneous ET at graphene increases systematically with the number of graphene layers, and show that the stacking in multilayers also has a subtle influence on ET kinetics. © 2012 American Chemical Society
Chandra Observation of Luminous and Ultraluminous X-ray Binaries in M101
X-ray binaries in the Milky Way are among the brightest objects on the X-ray
sky. With the increasing sensitivity of recent missions, it is now possible to
study X-ray binaries in nearby galaxies. We present data on six luminous
sources in the nearby spiral galaxy, M101, obtained with the Chandra ACIS-S. Of
these, five appear to be similar to ultraluminous sources in other galaxies,
while the brightest source, P098, shows some unique characteristics. We present
our interpretation of the data in terms of an optically thick outflow, and
discuss implications.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal (16 pages including
4 figures
A Randomised, Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Dose Escalation Study of the Tolerability and Efficacy of Filgrastim for Haemopoietic Stem Cell Mobilisation in Patients With Severe Active Rheumatoid Arthritis
Autologous haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) represents a potential therapy for severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). As a prelude to clinical trails, the safety and efficacy of haemopoietic stem cell (HSC) mobilisation required investigation as colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) have been reported to flare RA. A double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled dose escalation study was performed. Two cohorts of eight patients fulfilling strict eligibility criteria for severe active RA (age median 40 years, range 24-60 years; median disease duration 10.5 years, range 2-18 years) received filgrastim (r-Hu-methionyl granulocyte(G)-(SF) at 5 and 10 microg/kg/day, randomised in a 5:3 ratio with placebo. Patients were unblinded on the fifth day of treatment and those randomised to filgrastim underwent cell harvesting (leukapheresis) daily until 2 X 10^6/kg CD34+ cells (haemopoietic stem and progenitor cells) were obtained. Patients were assessed by clinical and laboratory parameters before, during and after filgrastim administration. RA flare was defined as an increase of 30% or more in two of the following parameters: tender joint count, swollen joint count or pain score. Efficacy was assessed by quantitation of CD34+ cells and CFU-GM. One patient in the 5 microg/kg/day group and two patients in the 10 microg/kg/day group fulfilled criteria for RA flare, although this did not preclude successful stem cell collection. Median changes in swollen and tender joint counts were not supportive of filgrastim consistently causing exacerbation of disease, but administration of filgrastim at 10 microg/kg/day was associated with rises in median C-reactive protein and median rheumatoid factor compared with placebo. Other adverse events were well recognised for filgrastim and included bone pain (80%) and increases in alkaline phosphatase (four-fold) and lactate dehydrogenase (two-fold). With respect to efficacy, filgrastim at 10 microg/kg/day was more efficient with all patients (n = 5) achieving target CD34+ cell counts with a single leukapheresis (median = 2.8, range = 2.3-4.8 X 10^6/kg, median CFU-GM = 22.1, range = 4.2-102.9 X 10^4/kg), whereas 1-3 leukaphereses were necessary to achieve the target yield using 5 microg/kg/day. We conclude that filgrastim may be administered to patients with severe active RA for effective stem cell mobilisation. Flare of RA occurs in a minority of patients and is more likely with 10 than 5 microg/kg/day. However, on balance, 10 microg/kg/day remains the dose of choice in view of more efficient CD34+ cell mobilisation
First measurement of the Head-Tail directional nuclear recoil signature at energies relevant to WIMP dark matter searches
We present first evidence for the so-called Head-Tail asymmetry signature of
neutron-induced nuclear recoil tracks at energies down to 1.5 keV/amu using the
1m^3 DRIFT-IIc dark matter detector. This regime is appropriate for recoils
induced by Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMPs) but one where the
differential ionization is poorly understood. We show that the distribution of
recoil energies and directions induced here by Cf-252 neutrons matches well
that expected from massive WIMPs. The results open a powerful new means of
searching for a galactic signature from WIMPs.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl
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