589 research outputs found
TRIS I: Absolute Measurements of the Sky Brightness Temperature at 0.6, 0.82 and 2.5 GHz
At frequencies close to 1 GHz the sky diffuse radiation is a superposition of
radiation of Galactic origin, the 3 K Relic or Cosmic Microwave Background
Radiation, and the signal produced by unresolved extragalactic sources. Because
of their different origin and space distribution the relative importance of the
three components varies with frequency and depends on the direction of
observation. With the aim of disentangling the components we built TRIS, a
system of three radiometers, and studied the temperature of the sky at , and GHz using geometrically scaled antennas
with identical beams (HPBW = ). Observations
included drift scans along a circle at constant declination
which provided the dependence of the sky signal on the
Right Ascension, and absolute measurement of the sky temperature at selected
points along the same scan circle. TRIS was installed at Campo Imperatore (lat.
= N, long.= , elevation = 2000 m a.s.l.) in
Central Italy, close to the Gran Sasso Laboratory.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa
A template of atmospheric O2 circularly polarized emission for CMB experiments
We compute the circularly polarized signal from atmospheric molecular oxygen.
Polarization of O2 rotational lines is caused by Zeeman effect in the Earth
magnetic field. We evaluate the circularly polarized emission for various sites
suitable for CMB measurements: South Pole and Dome C (Antarctica), Atacama
(Chile) and Testa Grigia (Italy). An analysis of the polarized signal is
presented and discussed in the framework of future CMB polarization
experiments. We find a typical circularly polarized signal (V Stokes parameter)
of ~ 50 - 300 {\mu}K at 90 GHz looking at the zenith. Among the other sites
Atacama shows the lower polarized signal at the zenith. We present maps of this
signal for the various sites and show typical elevation and azimuth scans. We
find that Dome C presents the lowest gradient in polarized temperature: ~ 0.3
{\mu}K/\circ at 90 GHz. We also study the frequency bands of observation:
around {\nu} \simeq 100 GHz and {\nu} \simeq 160 GHz we find the best
conditions because the polarized signal vanishes. Finally we evaluate the
accuracy of the templates and the signal variability in relation with the
knowledge and the variability of the Earth magnetic field and the atmospheric
parameters.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication on Mon. Not. R.
Astron. So
Benefits from using combined dynamical-statistical downscaling approaches - Lessons from a case study in the Mediterranean region
Abstract. Various downscaling techniques have been developed to bridge the scale gap between global climate models (GCMs) and finer scales required to assess hydrological impacts of climate change. Such techniques may be grouped into two downscaling approaches: the deterministic dynamical downscaling (DD) and the statistical downscaling (SD). Although SD has been traditionally seen as an alternative to DD, recent works on statistical downscaling have aimed to combine the benefits of these two approaches. The overall objective of this study is to assess whether a DD processing performed before the SD permits to obtain more suitable climate scenarios for basin scale hydrological applications starting from GCM simulations. The case study presented here focuses on the Apulia region (South East of Italy, surface area about 20 000 km2), characterised by a typical Mediterranean climate; the monthly cumulated precipitation and monthly mean of daily minimum and maximum temperature distribution were examined for the period 1953–2000. The fifth-generation ECHAM model from the Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology was adopted as GCM. The DD was carried out with the Protheus system (ENEA), while the SD was performed through a monthly quantile-quantile correction. The SD resulted efficient in reducing the mean bias in the spatial distribution at both annual and seasonal scales, but it was not able to correct the miss-modelled non-stationary components of the GCM dynamics. The DD provided a partial correction by enhancing the spatial heterogeneity of trends and the long-term time evolution predicted by the GCM. The best results were obtained through the combination of both DD and SD approaches
Implementation of a webGIS service platform for high mountain climate research: the SHARE GeoNetwork project
The implementation of a webGIS service platform dedicated to the management and sharing of climatological data acquired by
high elevation stations is the core of the Station at High Altitude for Research on the Environment (SHARE) GeoNetwork project,
promoted by the Ev-K2 CNR Committee. The web platform basically will provide three types of services: structured metadata
archive, data and results from high-altitude environments research and projects; access to high-altitude Ev-K2 CNR stations and
creation of a network of existing stations; dedicated webGIS for geo-referenced data collected during the research. High elevation
environmental and territorial data and metadata are catalogued in a single integrated platform to get access to the information
heritage of the SHARE project, using open-source tools: Geonetwork for the metadata catalogue and webGIS resources, and the
open-source Weather and Water Database (WDB), developed by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, for the database information
system implementation. The information system is designed to have a main node, with the possibility to install relocated
subsystems based on the same technology, named focal point of SHARE, which will contain metadata and data connected to the
main node. In this study, a new structure of metadata for the description of the climatological stations is proposed and WDB
adaptation and data preprocessing are described in detail, giving code and script samples
ARCADE 2 Observations of Galactic Radio Emission
We use absolutely calibrated data from the ARCADE 2 flight in July 2006 to
model Galactic emission at frequencies 3, 8, and 10 GHz. The spatial structure
in the data is consistent with a superposition of free-free and synchrotron
emission. Emission with spatial morphology traced by the Haslam 408 MHz survey
has spectral index beta_synch = -2.5 +/- 0.1, with free-free emission
contributing 0.10 +/- 0.01 of the total Galactic plane emission in the lowest
ARCADE 2 band at 3.15 GHz. We estimate the total Galactic emission toward the
polar caps using either a simple plane-parallel model with csc|b| dependence or
a model of high-latitude radio emission traced by the COBE/FIRAS map of CII
emission. Both methods are consistent with a single power-law over the
frequency range 22 MHz to 10 GHz, with total Galactic emission towards the
north polar cap T_Gal = 0.498 +/- 0.028 K and spectral index beta = -2.55 +/-
0.03 at reference frequency 1 GHz. The well calibrated ARCADE 2 maps provide a
new test for spinning dust emission, based on the integrated intensity of
emission from the Galactic plane instead of cross-correlations with the thermal
dust spatial morphology. The Galactic plane intensity measured by ARCADE 2 is
fainter than predicted by models without spinning dust, and is consistent with
spinning dust contributing 0.4 +/- 0.1 of the Galactic plane emission at 22
GHz.Comment: 10 poges, 9 figures. Submitted to The Astrophysical Journa
A circular polarimeter for the Cosmic Microwave Background
A primordial degree of circular polarization of the Cosmic Microwave
Background is not observationally excluded. The hypothesis of primordial
dichroism can be quantitatively falsified if the plasma is magnetized prior to
photon decoupling since the initial V-mode polarization affects the evolution
of the temperature fluctuations as well as the equations for the linear
polarization. The observed values of the temperature and polarization angular
power spectra are used to infer constraints on the amplitude and on the
spectral slope of the primordial V-mode. Prior to photon decoupling magnetic
fields play the role of polarimeters insofar as they unveil the circular
dichroism by coupling the V-mode power spectrum to the remaining brightness
perturbations. Conversely, for angular scales ranging between 4 deg and 10 deg
the joined bounds on the magnitude of circular polarization and on the magnetic
field intensity suggest that direct limits on the V-mode power spectrum in the
range of 0.01 mK could directly rule out pre-decoupling magnetic fields in the
range of 10-100 nG. The frequency dependence of the signal is located, for the
present purposes, in the GHz range.Comment: 28 pages, 12 included figures
Febrile Neutropenia Duration Is Associated with the Severity of Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis in Pediatric Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Recipients
Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a common complication in pediatric patients receiving al-logeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Frequently, a precise cause cannot be identified, and many factors can contribute to its genesis. Gut microbiota (GM) has been recently linked to many transplant-related complications, and may also play a role in the pathogenesis of FN. Here, we conducted a longitudinal study in pediatric patients receiving HSCT from three centers in Europe profiling their GM during the transplant course, particularly at FN onset. We found that a more stable GM configuration over time is associated with a shorter duration of fever. Moreover, patients with longer lasting fever exhibited higher pre-HSCT levels of Collinsella, Megasphaera, Prevotella and Roseburia and increased proportions of Eggerthella and Akkermansia at the engraftment. These results suggest a possible association of the GM with the genesis and course of FN. Data seem consistent with previous reports on the relationship of a so-called “healthy” GM and the reduction of transplant complications. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the pediatric HSCT setting. Future studies are warranted to define the underling biological mechanisms and possible clinical implications
The contribution of the Unresolved Extragalactic Radio Sources to the Brightness Temperature of the sky
The contribution of the Unresolved Extragalactic Radio Sources to the diffuse
brightness of the sky was evaluated using the source number - flux measurements
available in literature. We first optimized the fitting function of the data
based on number counts distribution. We then computed the brightness
temperature at various frequencies from 151 MHz to 8440 MHz and derived its
spectral dependence. As expected the frequency dependence can be described by a
power law with a spectral index , in agreement with the
flux emitted by the {\it steep spectrum} sources. The contribution of {\it flat
spectrum} sources becomes relevant at frequencies above several GHz. Using the
data available in literature we improved our knowledge of the brightness of the
unresolved extragalactic radio sources. The results obtained have general
validity and they can be used to disentangle the various contributions of the
sky brightness and to evaluate the CMB temperature.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
QUBIC: The QU Bolometric Interferometer for Cosmology
One of the major challenges of modern cosmology is the detection of B-mode
polarization anisotropies in the CMB. These originate from tensor fluctuations
of the metric produced during the inflationary phase. Their detection would
therefore constitute a major step towards understanding the primordial
Universe. The expected level of these anisotropies is however so small that it
requires a new generation of instruments with high sensitivity and extremely
good control of systematic effects. We propose the QUBIC instrument based on
the novel concept of bolometric interferometry, bringing together the
sensitivity advantages of bolometric detectors with the systematics effects
advantages of interferometry. Methods: The instrument will directly observe the
sky through an array of entry horns whose signals will be combined together
using an optical combiner. The whole set-up is located inside a cryostat.
Polarization modulation will be achieved using a rotating half-wave plate and
interference fringes will be imaged on two focal planes (separated by a
polarizing grid) tiled with bolometers. We show that QUBIC can be considered as
a synthetic imager, exactly similar to a usual imager but with a synthesized
beam formed by the array of entry horns. Scanning the sky provides an
additional modulation of the signal and improve the sky coverage shape. The
usual techniques of map-making and power spectrum estimation can then be
applied. We show that the sensitivity of such an instrument is comparable with
that of an imager with the same number of horns. We anticipate a low level of
beam-related systematics thanks to the fact that the synthesized beam is
determined by the location of the primary horns. Other systematics should be
under good control thanks to an autocalibration technique, specific to our
concept, that will permit the accurate determination of most of the systematics
parameters.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Astronomy and Astrophysic
The Large-Scale Polarization Explorer (LSPE)
The LSPE is a balloon-borne mission aimed at measuring the polarization of
the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) at large angular scales, and in
particular to constrain the curl component of CMB polarization (B-modes)
produced by tensor perturbations generated during cosmic inflation, in the very
early universe. Its primary target is to improve the limit on the ratio of
tensor to scalar perturbations amplitudes down to r = 0.03, at 99.7%
confidence. A second target is to produce wide maps of foreground polarization
generated in our Galaxy by synchrotron emission and interstellar dust emission.
These will be important to map Galactic magnetic fields and to study the
properties of ionized gas and of diffuse interstellar dust in our Galaxy. The
mission is optimized for large angular scales, with coarse angular resolution
(around 1.5 degrees FWHM), and wide sky coverage (25% of the sky). The payload
will fly in a circumpolar long duration balloon mission during the polar night.
Using the Earth as a giant solar shield, the instrument will spin in azimuth,
observing a large fraction of the northern sky. The payload will host two
instruments. An array of coherent polarimeters using cryogenic HEMT amplifiers
will survey the sky at 43 and 90 GHz. An array of bolometric polarimeters,
using large throughput multi-mode bolometers and rotating Half Wave Plates
(HWP), will survey the same sky region in three bands at 95, 145 and 245 GHz.
The wide frequency coverage will allow optimal control of the polarized
foregrounds, with comparable angular resolution at all frequencies.Comment: In press. Copyright 2012 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation
Engineers. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only.
Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this
paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of
the paper are prohibite
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