SWIFT J164449.3+573451: a plunging event with the Poynting-flux dominated outflow

Swift J164449+573451 is a peculiar outburst which is most likely powered by the tidal disruption of a star by a massive black hole. Within the tidal disruption scenario, we show that the periastron distance is considerably smaller than the disruption radius and the outflow should be launched mainly via magnetic activities (e.g., Blandford-Znajek process) otherwise the observed long-lasting X-ray afterglow emission satisfying the relation $L_{X}\propto\dot{M}$ can not be reproduced, where $L_{X}$ is the X-ray luminosity and $\dot{M}$ is the accretion rate. We also suggest that $L_{X}\propto\dot{M}$ may hold in the quick decline phase of Gamma-ray Bursts.Comment: 11 pages, to appear in Ap

Efficiency of Magnetic to Kinetic Energy Conversion in a Monopole Magnetosphere

Unconfined relativistic outflows from rotating, magnetized compact objects are often well-modeled by assuming the field geometry is approximately a split-monopole at large radii. Earlier work has indicated that such an unconfined flow has an inefficient conversion of magnetic energy to kinetic energy. This has led to the conclusion that ideal magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) processes fail to explain observations of, e.g., the Crab pulsar wind at large radii where energy conversion appears efficient. In addition, as a model for astrophysical jets, the monopole field geometry has been abandoned in favor of externally confined jets since the latter appeared to be generically more efficient jet accelerators. We perform time-dependent axisymmetric relativistic MHD simulations in order to find steady state solutions for a wind from a compact object endowed with a monopole field geometry. Our simulations follow the outflow for 10 orders of magnitude in distance from the compact object, which is large enough to study both the initial "acceleration zone" of the magnetized wind as well as the asymptotic "coasting zone." We obtain the surprising result that acceleration is actually {\it efficient} in the polar region, which develops a jet despite not being confined by an external medium. Our models contain jets that have sufficient energy to account for moderately energetic long and short gamma-ray burst (GRB) events (~10^{51}--10^{52} erg), collimate into narrow opening angles (opening half-angle \theta_j \approx 0.03 rad), become matter-dominated at large radii (electromagnetic energy flux per unit matter energy flux \sigma<1), and move at ultrarelativistic Lorentz factors (\gamma_j ~ 200 for our fiducial model). (abridged)Comment: Accepted to ApJ, 22 pages, 10 figures, uses emulateapj.cls. Changes in v2: new section in the Appendi

Radiation from condensed surface of magnetic neutron stars

Recent observations show that the thermal X-ray spectra of many isolated neutron stars are featureless and in some cases (e.g., RX J1856.5-3754) well fit by a blackbody. Such a perfect blackbody spectrum is puzzling since radiative transport through typical neutron star atmospheres causes noticeable deviation from blackbody. Previous studies have shown that in a strong magnetic field, the outermost layer of the neutron star may be in a condensed solid or liquid form because of the greatly enhanced cohesive energy of the condensed matter. The critical temperature of condensation increases with the magnetic field strength, and can be as high as 10^6 K (for Fe surface at B \sim 10^{13} G or H surface at B \sim a few times 10^{14} G). Thus the thermal radiation can directly emerge from the degenerate metallic condensed surface, without going through a gaseous atmosphere. Here we calculate the emission properties (spectrum and polarization) of the condensed Fe and H surfaces of magnetic neutron stars in the regimes where such condensation may be possible. For a smooth condensed surface, the overall emission is reduced from the blackbody by less than a factor of 2. The spectrum exhibits modest deviation from blackbody across a wide energy range, and shows mild absorption features associated with the ion cyclotron frequency and the electron plasma frequency in the condensed matter. The roughness of the solid condensate (in the Fe case) tends to decrease the reflectivity of the surface, and make the emission spectrum even closer to blackbody. We discuss the implications of our results for observations of dim, isolated neutron stars and magnetars.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures. ApJ, accepted (final version; eq.(3) corrected

Particle Acceleration Zones Above Pulsar Polar Caps: Electron and Positron Pair Formation Fronts

We investigate self-consistent particle acceleration near a pulsar polar cap (PC) by the electrostatic field due to the effect of inertial frame dragging. Test particles gain energy from the electric field parallel to the open magnetic field lines and lose energy by both curvature radiation (CR) and resonant and non-resonant inverse Compton scattering (ICS) with soft thermal X-rays from the neutron star (NS) surface. Gamma-rays radiated by electrons accelerated from the stellar surface produce pairs in the strong magnetic field, which screen the electric field beyond a pair formation front (PFF). Some of the created positrons can be accelerated back toward the surface and produce gamma-rays and pairs that create another PFF above the surface. We find that ICS photons control PFF formation near the surface, but due to the different angles at which the electron and positron scatter the soft photons, positron initiated cascades develop above the surface and screen the accelerating electric field. Stable acceleration from the NS surface is therefore not possible in the presence of dominant ICS energy losses. However, we find that stable acceleration zones may occur at some distance above the surface, where CR dominates the electron and positron energy losses, and there is up-down symmetry between the electron and positron PFFs. We examine the dependence of CR-controlled acceleration zone voltage, width and height above the surface on parameters of the pulsar and its soft X-ray emission. For most pulsars, we find that acceleration will start at a height of 0.5 - 1 stellar radii above the NS surface.Comment: 46 pages, 12 embedded figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Step bunching with both directions of the current: Vicinal W(110) surfaces versus atomistic scale model

We report for the first time the observation of bunching of monoatomic steps on vicinal W(110) surfaces induced by step up or step down currents across the steps. Measurements reveal that the size scaling exponent {\gamma}, connecting the maximal slope of a bunch with its height, differs depending on the current direction. We provide a numerical perspective by using an atomistic scale model with a conserved surface flux to mimic experimental conditions, and also for the first time show that there is an interval of parameters in which the vicinal surface is unstable against step bunching for both directions of the adatom drift.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figure

Measurement of main parameters of the \psi(2S) resonance

A high-precision determination of the main parameters of the \psi(2S) resonance has been performed with the KEDR detector at the VEPP-4M e^{+}e^{-} collider in three scans of the \psi(2S) -- \psi(3770) energy range. Fitting the energy dependence of the multihadron cross section in the vicinity of the \psi(2S) we obtained the mass value M = 3686.114 +- 0.007 +- 0.011 ^{+0.002}_{-0.012} MeV and the product of the electron partial width by the branching fraction into hadrons \Gamma_{ee}*B_{h} = 2.233 +- 0.015 +- 0.037 +- 0.020 keV. The third error quoted is an estimate of the model dependence of the result due to assumptions on the interference effects in the cross section of the single-photon e^{+}e^{-} annihilation to hadrons explicitly considered in this work. Implicitly, the same assumptions were employed to obtain the charmonium leptonic width and the absolute branching fractions in many experiments. Using the result presented and the world average values of the electron and hadron branching fractions, one obtains the electron partial width and the total width of the \psi(2S): \Gamma_{ee} =2.282 +- 0.015 +- 0.038 +- 0.021 keV, \Gamma = 296 +- 2 +- 8 +- 3 keV. These results are consistent with and more than two times more precise than any of the previous experiments

Manipulation of domain wall dynamics in amorphous microwires through the magnetoelastic anisotropy

We studied the effect of magnetoelastic anisotropy on domain wall (DW) dynamics and remagnetization process of magnetically bistable Fe-Co-rich microwires with metallic nucleus diameters (from 1.4 to 22 μm). We manipulated the magnetoelastic anisotropy applying the tensile stresses and changing the magnetostriction constant and strength of the internal stresses. Microwires of the same composition of metallic nucleus but with different geometries exhibit different magnetic field dependence of DW velocity with different slopes. Application of stresses resulted in decrease of the DW velocity, v, and DW mobility, S. Quite fast DW propagation (v until 2,500 m/s at H about 30 A/m) has been observed in low magnetostrictive magnetically bistable Co(56)Fe(8)Ni(10)Si(10)B(16) microwires. Consequently, we observed certain correlation between the magnetoelastic energy and DW dynamics in microwires: decreasing the magnetoelastic energy, K(me), DW velocity increases

МР-томография миокарда с парамагнитным контрастным усилением Mn-етоксиизобутилизонитрилом (Mn-МИБИ) в эксперименте

Aim: to evaluate with MRI technique the uptake of paramagnetic complex Mn-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) to myocardium in rats in normal control animals and in experimental infarction. Material and methods. Complex Mn-MOBI was obtained with one-stage synthesis from manganese (II) carbonate and methoxyisobutylisonitrile hydroxide (produced by the Laboratory of technology and control of radiopharmaceuticals of the A.I. Burnazyan Russian state federal medical and biophysics Center), obtaining finally the 0.5 M solution of Mn-MIBI at pH = 6.3. The Mn-MIBI was injected intravenously slowly to sleeping rats (Telazol, i/m), as 0.05 ml of 0,5 M solution per Kg of BW. For this study nine normal control Whistar rats were employed as well as ten animals with previously induced anterior myocardial infarction of the left ventricle (all males). MRI scanning in T1-weighted spin-echo has been carried out with TR = 500 ms and TE = 15 ms, in axial and frontal slices as thin as 2-2.5 mm, to the matrix 256 х 256, with the field of view as large as 200 х 200 mm. The uptake was scored visually as change in intensity of T1-weighted MRI frontal scans of the whole body of the animals, of axial scans of chest and heart; and also quantitatively, with calculating for the T1-weighted MRI the index of enhancement (IE) of intensity per voxel, as : IE = (MeanInt of T1-w.MRI)Mn-MIBI / (MeanInt of T1-w.MRI)initial Results. Visually on whole-body T1-weighted SE frontal scans the MN-MIBI induced increase of intensity of the heart image, essentially equal for all parts of the left ventricle and less intense over the right ventricle. The values of the IE were over 2.5 for all parts of the left ventricle, whereas only 1.8-1.9 in case of the septum. IE of the right ventricle did not differ significantly when compared to the LV values. When injected to animals with experimental myocardial infarction the Mn-MIBI did not induced any essential changes of intensity in non-perfused regiones, with IE = 1.19 ± 0. 08, but raised the intensity over intact lateral wall of the left ventricle, with IE = 2.65 ± 0.14, and also over intact anterior wall, with IE = 2.28 ± 0.17. Conclusion. Complexonate Mn-MIBI provides well enough intense enhancement of myocardium in T1-SE MRI and makes possible to image severe disorders of myocardial blood flow in experimental models. The Mn-MIBI complex can be suggested as basic molecule for nearest future design of paramagnetic contrast agents for myocarrdial perfusion imaging, as well as for other organs taking up the MIBI. Manganese also is conceivable to be employed for labelling of other complexones currently in use in nuclear medicine.Цель исследования: попытка оценки по данным МРТ накопления парамагнитного комплекса Mn-метоксиизобутилизонитрила (МИБИ) в миокарде у крыс в норме и при экспериментальном инфаркте. Материал и методы. Комплекс Mn с МИБИ был получен в один этап из карбоната марганца (II) и гидроксида метоксиизобутилизонитрила (синтезированного лабораторией технологий и методов контроля радиофармпрепаратов ГНЦ России - ФМБЦ им. А.И. Бурназяна) с выходом в итоге 0,5 М раствора Mn-МИБИ при pH 6,3. Препарат Mn-МИБИ вводился внутривенно медленно из расчета 0,05 мл 0,5 М раствора на 1 кг массы тела. В исследование включено 9 контрольных белых крыс и 10 (все самцы) с предварительно смоделированным инфарцированием передней стенки сердца. Сканирование в Т1-взвешенном спин-эхо выполнено до и спустя 8-10 мин после введения Mn-МИБИ при TR 500 мс и TE 15 мс в аксиальных и сагиттальных плоскостях при толщине среза 2-2,5 мм в матрицу 256 х 256 и при размерах поля сканирования 200 х 200 мм. Оценивалались визуальные изменения картины Т1-взвешенной МРТ всего тела и, в частности, сердца, а также количественно степень усиления интенсивности Т1-взвешенного спин-эхо МРТ, как: ИУ = (средн.инт. Т1-взв. МРТ)Mn-МИБИ/ (средн.инт. Т1-взв. МРТ)исходи. Результаты. Визуально отмечалось усиление интенсивности Т1- взвешенного спин-эхо-изображения МРТ в области миокарда левого желудочка в одинаковой степени по всем отделам левого желудочка и визуально меньше - в области правого желудочка. Интенсивность Т1-взвешенных изображений стенок левого желудочка усиливалась в 2,5 раза и более, тогда как в области перегородки - в 1,8-1,9 раза, т.е. достоверно меньше. Индекс усиления правого желудочка не отличался от значений для миокарда левого желудочка. При исследовании у животных с инфарктом миокарда усиление в области инфаркта визуально было незначительным; при количественной оценке индекса усиления для инфарцированных отделов составил 1,19 ± 0,08, в неповрежденной боковой стенке - 2,65 ± 0,14, в неповрежденной передней - 2,28 ± 0,17. Вывод. Комплекс Mn-МИБИ обеспечивает достаточно интенсивное усиление изображение миокарда при МРТ в Т1-взвешенном спин-эхо-режиме и позволяет визуализировать грубые нарушения кровоснабжения сердечной мышцы в эксперименте. Комплекс Mn-МИБИ может рассматриваться как основа для создания парамагнитных контрастных препаратов для визуализации миокарда и, вероятно, также других органов и структур, где было отмечено накопление метоксиизобутилизонитрила. Предполагается использовать комплексонаты99mTc как основу для аналогичных комплексонатов Mn, если их стабильность и R1-релаксивность окажутся достаточными для парамагнитного контрастирования в МР

Simulations of Ultrarelativistic Magnetodynamic Jets from Gamma-ray Burst Engines

Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) require an engine capable of driving a jet of plasma to ultrarelativistic bulk Lorentz factors of up to several hundred and into narrow opening angles of a few degrees. We use global axisymmetric stationary solutions of magnetically-dominated (force-free) ultrarelativistic jets to test whether the popular magnetic-driving paradigm can generate the required Lorentz factors and opening angles. Our global solutions are obtained via time-dependent relativistic ideal magnetodynamical numerical simulations which follow the jet from the central engine to beyond six orders of magnitude in radius. Our model is primarily motivated by the collapsar model, in which a jet is produced by a spinning black hole or neutron star and then propagates through a massive stellar envelope. We find that the size of the presupernova progenitor star and the radial profile of pressure inside the star determine the terminal Lorentz factor and opening angle of the jet. At the radius where the jet breaks out of the star, our well-motivated fiducial model generates a Lorentz factor $\gamma\sim 400$ and a half-opening angle $\theta_j\sim 2^\circ$, consistent with observations of many long-duration GRBs. Other models with slightly different parameters give $\gamma$ in the range 100 to 5000 and $\theta_j$ from $0.1^\circ$ to $10^\circ$, thus reproducing the range of properties inferred for GRB jets. A potentially observable feature of some of our solutions is that the maximum Poynting flux in the jet is found at $\theta \sim \theta_j$ with the jet power concentrated in a hollow cone, while the maximum in the Lorentz factor occurs at an angle $\theta$ substantially smaller than $\theta_j$ also in a hollow cone. [abridged]Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures, Accepted to MNRAS. Changes in v2: new figure and 2 new sections in the Appendi