228 research outputs found
First Light Measurements with the XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometers: Evidence for an Inverse First Ionisation Potential Effect and Anomalous Ne A bundance in the Coronae of HR 1099
The RS CVn binary system HR 1099 was extensively observed by the XMM-Newton
observatory in February 2000 as its first-light target. A total of 570 ks of
exposure time was accumulated with the Reflection Grating Spectrometers (RGS).
The integrated X-ray spectrum between 5-35 Angstrom is of unprecedented quality
and shows numerous features attributed to transitions of the elements C, N, O,
Ne, Mg, Si, S, Fe, and Ni. We perform an in-depth study of the elemental
composition of the average corona of this system, and find that the elemental
abundances strongly depend on the first ionisation potential (FIP) of the
elements. But different from the solar coronal case, we find an inverse FIP
effect, i.e., the abundances (relative to oxygen) increase with increasing FIP.
Possible scenarios, e.g., selective enrichment due to Ne-rich flare-like
events, are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Accepted by A&A Letters, XMM issu
Fast Photon Detection for Particle Identification with COMPASS RICH-1
Particle identification at high rates is an important challenge for many
current and future high-energy physics experiments. The upgrade of the COMPASS
RICH-1 detector requires a new technique for Cherenkov photon detection at
count rates of several per channel in the central detector region, and a
read-out system allowing for trigger rates of up to 100 kHz. To cope with these
requirements, the photon detectors in the central region have been replaced
with the detection system described in this paper. In the peripheral regions,
the existing multi-wire proportional chambers with CsI photocathode are now
read out via a new system employing APV pre-amplifiers and flash ADC chips. The
new detection system consists of multi-anode photomultiplier tubes (MAPMT) and
fast read-out electronics based on the MAD4 discriminator and the F1-TDC chip.
The RICH-1 is in operation in its upgraded version for the 2006 CERN SPS run.
We present the photon detection design, constructive aspects and the first
Cherenkov light in the detector.Comment: Proceedings of the Imaging 2006 conference, Stockholm, Sweden, 27-30
June 2006, 5 pages, 6 figures, to appear in NIM A; corrected typo in caption
of Fig.
Fast photon detection for the COMPASS RICH detector
The COMPASS experiment at the SPS accelerator at CERN uses a large scale Ring
Imaging CHerenkov detector (RICH) to identify pions, kaons and protons in a
wide momentum range. For the data taking in 2006, the COMPASS RICH has been
upgraded in the central photon detection area (25% of the surface) with a new
technology to detect Cherenkov photons at very high count rates of several 10^6
per second and channel and a new dead-time free read-out system, which allows
trigger rates up to 100 kHz. The Cherenkov photons are detected by an array of
576 visible and ultra-violet sensitive multi-anode photomultipliers with 16
channels each. The upgraded detector showed an excellent performance during the
2006 data taking.Comment: Proceeding of the IPRD06 conference (Siena, Okt. 06
The Fast Read-out System for the MAPMTs of COMPASS RICH-1
A fast readout system for the upgrade of the COMPASS RICH detector has been
developed and successfully used for data taking in 2006 and 2007. The new
readout system for the multi-anode PMTs in the central part of the photon
detector of the RICH is based on the high-sensitivity MAD4
preamplifier-discriminator and the dead-time free F1-TDC chip characterized by
high-resolution. The readout electronics has been designed taking into account
the high photon flux in the central part of the detector and the requirement to
run at high trigger rates of up to 100 kHz with negligible dead-time. The
system is designed as a very compact setup and is mounted directly behind the
multi-anode photomultipliers. The data are digitized on the frontend boards and
transferred via optical links to the readout system. The read-out electronics
system is described in detail together with its measured performances.Comment: Proceeding of RICH2007 Conference, Trieste, Oct. 2007. v2: minor
change
Sleep disturbances in highly stress reactive mice: Modeling endophenotypes of major depression
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neuronal mechanisms underlying affective disorders such as major depression (MD) are still poorly understood. By selectively breeding mice for high (HR), intermediate (IR), or low (LR) reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, we recently established a new genetic animal model of extremes in stress reactivity (SR). Studies characterizing this SR mouse model on the behavioral, endocrine, and neurobiological levels revealed several similarities with key endophenotypes observed in MD patients. HR mice were shown to have changes in rhythmicity and sleep measures such as rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) and non-REM sleep (NREMS) as well as in slow wave activity, indicative of reduced sleep efficacy and increased REMS. In the present study we were interested in how far a detailed spectral analysis of several electroencephalogram (EEG) parameters, including relevant frequency bands, could reveal further alterations of sleep architecture in this animal model. Eight adult males of each of the three breeding lines were equipped with epidural EEG and intramuscular electromyogram (EMG) electrodes. After recovery, EEG and EMG recordings were performed for two days.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Differences in the amount of REMS and wakefulness and in the number of transitions between vigilance states were found in HR mice, when compared with IR and LR animals. Increased frequencies of transitions from NREMS to REMS and from REMS to wakefulness in HR animals were robust across the light-dark cycle. Detailed statistical analyses of spectral EEG parameters showed that especially during NREMS the power of the theta (6-9 Hz), alpha (10-15 Hz) and eta (16-22.75 Hz) bands was significantly different between the three breeding lines. Well defined distributions of significant power differences could be assigned to different times during the light and the dark phase. Especially during NREMS, group differences were robust and could be continuously monitored across the light-dark cycle.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The HR mice, i.e. those animals that have a genetic predisposition to hyper-activating their HPA axis in response to stressors, showed disturbed patterns in sleep architecture, similar to what is known from depressed patients. Significant alterations in several frequency bands of the EEG, which also seem to at least partly mimic clinical observations, suggest the SR mouse lines as a promising animal model for basic research of mechanisms underlying sleep impairments in MD.</p
Collins and Sivers asymmetries in muonproduction of pions and kaons off transversely polarised proton
Measurements of the Collins and Sivers asymmetries for charged pions and
charged and neutral kaons produced in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering
of high energy muons off transversely polarised protons are presented. The
results were obtained using all the available COMPASS proton data, which were
taken in the years 2007 and 2010. The Collins asymmetries exhibit in the
valence region a non-zero signal for pions and there are hints of non-zero
signal also for kaons. The Sivers asymmetries are found to be positive for
positive pions and kaons and compatible with zero otherwise.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures and 1 tabl
Measurement of the charged-pion polarisability
The COMPASS collaboration at CERN has investigated pion Compton scattering,
, at centre-of-mass energy below 3.5 pion
masses. The process is embedded in the reaction
, which is initiated by
190\,GeV pions impinging on a nickel target. The exchange of quasi-real photons
is selected by isolating the sharp Coulomb peak observed at smallest momentum
transfers, \,(GeV/). From a sample of 63\,000 events the
pion electric polarisability is determined to be $\alpha_\pi\ =\ (\,2.0\ \pm\
0.6_{\mbox{\scriptsize stat}}\ \pm\ 0.7_{\mbox{\scriptsize syst}}\,) \times
10^{-4}\,\mbox{fm}^3\alpha_\pi=-\beta_\pi$, which
relates the electric and magnetic dipole polarisabilities. It is the most
precise measurement of this fundamental low-energy parameter of strong
interaction, that has been addressed since long by various methods with
conflicting outcomes. While this result is in tension with previous dedicated
measurements, it is found in agreement with the expectation from chiral
perturbation theory. An additional measurement replacing pions by muons, for
which the cross-section behavior is unambigiously known, was performed for an
independent estimate of the systematic uncertainty.Comment: Published version: 9 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl
Spin alignment and violation of the OZI rule in exclusive and production in pp collisions
Exclusive production of the isoscalar vector mesons and is
measured with a 190 GeV proton beam impinging on a liquid hydrogen target.
Cross section ratios are determined in three intervals of the Feynman variable
of the fast proton. A significant violation of the OZI rule is found,
confirming earlier findings. Its kinematic dependence on and on the
invariant mass of the system formed by fast proton
and vector meson is discussed in terms of diffractive
production of resonances in competition with central
production. The measurement of the spin density matrix element of
the vector mesons in different selected reference frames provides another
handle to distinguish the contributions of these two major reaction types.
Again, dependences of the alignment on and on are
found. Most of the observations can be traced back to the existence of several
excited baryon states contributing to production which are absent in
the case of the meson. Removing the low-mass resonant
region, the OZI rule is found to be violated by a factor of eight,
independently of .Comment: 23 pages, 13 figures and 5 table
Search for exclusive photoproduction of Z(3900) at COMPASS
A search for the exclusive production of the hadron by
virtual photons has been performed in the channel . The data cover the range from 7 GeV to 19 GeV in the
centre-of-mass energy of the photon-nucleon system. The full set of the COMPASS
data set collected with a muon beam between 2002 and 2011 has been used. An
upper limit for the ratio of has been established at the confidence
level of 90%.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl
Signatures of the slow solar wind streams from active regions in the inner corona
Some of local sources of the slow solar wind can be associated with
spectroscopically detected plasma outflows at edges of active regions
accompanied with specific signatures in the inner corona. The EUV telescopes
(e.g. SPIRIT/CORONAS-F, TESIS/CORONAS-Photon and SWAP/PROBA2) sometimes
observed extended ray-like structures seen at the limb above active regions in
1MK iron emission lines and described as "coronal rays". To verify the
relationship between coronal rays and plasma outflows, we analyze an isolated
active region (AR) adjacent to small coronal hole (CH) observed by different
EUV instruments in the end of July - beginning of August 2009. On August 1 EIS
revealed in the AR two compact outflows with the Doppler velocities V =10-30
km/s accompanied with fan loops diverging from their regions. At the limb the
ARCH interface region produced coronal rays observed by EUVI/STEREO-A on July
31 as well as by TESIS on August 7. The rays were co-aligned with open magnetic
field lines expanded to the streamer stalks. Using the DEM analysis, it was
found that the fan loops diverged from the outflow regions had the dominant
temperature of ~1 MK, which is similar to that of the outgoing plasma streams.
Parameters of the solar wind measured by STEREO-B, ACE, WIND, STEREO-A were
conformed with identification of the ARCH as a source region at the
Wang-Sheeley-Arge map of derived coronal holes for CR 2086. The results of the
study support the suggestion that coronal rays can represent signatures of
outflows from ARs propagating in the inner corona along open field lines into
the heliosphere.Comment: Accepted for publication in Solar Physics; 31 Pages; 13 Figure
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