1,283 research outputs found
Signatures of X-ray reverberation in the power spectra of AGN
We compute fully relativistic disc response functions in the case of the
"lamp-post" geometry using the full observed reflection spectrum for various
X-ray source heights, disc inclination, and spin values of the central black
hole. Since the observed PSD is equal to the product of the intrinsic power
spectrum with the "transfer function" (i.e. the Fourier transform of the disc
response function), we are able to predict the observed PSDs in the case of
X-ray illumination of the inner disc. The observed PSD should show a prominent
dip at high frequencies and an oscillatory behaviour, with a decreasing
amplitude, at higher frequencies. The reverberation "echo" features should be
more prominent in energy bands where the reflection component is more
pronounced. The frequency of the dip is independent of energy, and it is mainly
determined by the black hole mass and the X-ray source height. The amplitude of
the dip increases with increasing black hole spin and inclination angle, as
long as the height of the "lamp" is smaller than ~10 gravitational radii. The
detection of the X-ray reverberation signals in the PSDs can provide further
evidence for X-ray illumination of the inner disc in AGN. Our results are
largely independent of the assumed geometry of the disc-corona system, as long
as it does not change with time, and the disc response function is
characterized by a sharp rise, a "plateau", and a decline at longer times.
Irrespective of the geometry, the frequency of the main dip should decrease
with increasing "mean time" of the response function, and the amplitude of the
dip should increase with increasing reflection fraction.Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics accepte
Probing BH mass and accretion through X-ray variability in the CDFS
Recent work on nearby AGNs has shown that X-ray variability is correlated
with the mass and accretion rate onto the central SMBH. Here we present the
application of the variability-luminosity relation to high redshift AGNs in the
CDFS, making use of XMM-Newton observations. We use Monte Carlo simulations in
order to properly account for bias and uncertainties introduced by the sparse
sampling and the very low statistics. Our preliminary results indicate that BH
masses span over the range from 10^5 to 10^9 solar mass while accretion rates
range from 10^-3 up to values greater than 1, in unit of Eddington accretion
rate.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures,in press in the X-ray 2009 Conference Proceedings
(Bologna, 7-11 September 2009
In-plane magnetic field-induced spin polarization and transition to insulating behavior in two-dimensional hole systems
Using a novel technique, we make quantitative measurements of the spin
polarization of dilute (3.4 to 6.8*10^{10} cm^{-2}) GaAs (311)A two-dimensional
holes as a function of an in-plane magnetic field. As the field is increased
the system gradually becomes spin polarized, with the degree of spin
polarization depending on the orientation of the field relative to the crystal
axes. Moreover, the behavior of the system turns from metallic to insulating
\textit{before} it is fully spin polarized. The minority-spin population at the
transition is ~8*10^{9} cm^{-2}, close to the density below which the system
makes a transition to an insulating state in the absence of a magnetic field.Comment: 4 pages with figure
Development of a combined surface plasmon resonance/surface acoustic wave device for the characterization of biomolecules
It is known that acoustic sensor devices, if operated in liquid phase, are sensitive not just to the mass of the analyte but also to various other parameters, such as size, shape, charge and elastic constants of the analyte as well as bound and viscously entrained water. This can be used to extract valuable information about a biomolecule, particularly if the acoustic device is combined with another sensor element which is sensitive to the mass or amount of analyte only. The latter is true in good approximation for various optical sensor techniques. This work reports on the development of a combined surface plasmon resonance/surface acoustic wave sensor system which is designed for the investigation of biomolecules such as proteins or DNA. Results for the deposition of neutravidin and DNA are reported
A theoretical study of the time-lags due to Comptonization and the constraints on the X-ray corona in AGN
We study the Fourier time-lags due to the Comptonization of disc-emitted
photons in a spherical, uniform, and stationary X-ray corona, which located on
the rotational axis of the black hole. We use Monk, a general relativistic
Monte-Carlo radiative transfer code, to calculate Compton scattering of photons
emitted by a thin disc with a Novikov-Thorne temperature profile. We find that
the model time-lags due to Comptonization remain constant up to a
characteristic frequency and then rapidly decrease to zero at higher
frequencies. We provide equations which can be used to determine the time-lags
and cross spectra for a wide range of values for the corona radius,
temperature, optical depth, height, and for various accretion rates and black
hole masses. We also provide an equation for the X-ray luminosity of a single
corona, as a function of the its characteristics and location above the disc.
Remarkably, the observed X-ray time-lags of nearby, bright active galaxies can
be successfully reproduced by inverse Comptonization process of multiple
dynamic coronae.Comment: 16 pages, 17 figures; accepted for publication in MNRA
Comment on "Theory of metal-insulator transitions in gated semiconductors" (B. L. Altshuler and D. L. Maslov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 145 (1999))
In a recent Letter, Altshuler and Maslov propose a model which attributes the
anomalous temperature and field dependence of the resistivity of
two-dimensional electron (or hole) systems to the charging and discharging of
traps in the oxide (spacer), rather than to intrinsic behavior of interacting
particles associated with a conductor-insulator transition in two dimensions.
We argue against this model based on existing experimental evidence.Comment: 1 page; submitted to PR
Trajectory and stability of Lagrangian point in the Sun-Earth system
This paper describes design of the trajectory and analysis of the stability
of collinear point in the Sun-Earth system. The modified restricted three
body problem with additional gravitational potential from the belt is used as
the model for the Sun-Earth system. The effect of radiation pressure of the Sun
and oblate shape of the Earth are considered. The point is asymptotically
stable upto a specific value of time correspond to each set of values of
parameters and initial conditions. The results obtained from this study would
be applicable to locate a satellite, a telescope or a space station around the
point .Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc
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