1,705 research outputs found
Materials technology advancement program for expandable manned space structures Final report
Composite materials tests for expandable manned space structures including flammability, micrometeoroid impact, thermal shock, and tear, puncture, and fungus resistanc
Materials technology advancement program for expandable manned space structures Summary report
Composite materials testing for fire resistant wall structures for expandable manned space structure
The INTEGRAL/SPI response and the Crab observations
The Crab region was observed several times by INTEGRAL for calibration
purposes. This paper aims at underlining the systematic interactions between
(i) observations of this reference source, (ii) in-flight calibration of the
instrumental response and (iii) the development and validation of the analysis
tools of the SPI spectrometer. It first describes the way the response is
produced and how studies of the Crab spectrum lead to improvements and
corrections in the initial response. Then, we present the tools which were
developed to extract spectra from the SPI observation data and finally a Crab
spectrum obtained with one of these methods, to show the agreement with
previous experiments. We conclude with the work still ahead to understand
residual uncertainties in the response.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Proc. of the 5th INTEGRAL Workshop (Feb. 16-20
2004), to be published by ES
Hypernovae/GRB in the Galactic Center as possible sources of Galactic Positrons
The observation of a strong and extended positron-electron line annihilation
emission in the central regions of the Galaxy by INTEGRAL-SPI, consistent with
the Galactic bulge geometry, without any counterpart in the gamma-ray range,
neither at high energy nor in the 1809 keV Al decay line, is
challenging. Leaving aside the geometrical question, we address the problem of
the adequate positron sources, showing the potentiality of a new category of SN
Ic, exemplified by SN2003dh, which is associated to a gamma-ray burst. This
kind of supernova/hypernova/GRB event is interpreted as the result of a bipolar
Wolf-Rayet explosion, which produces a large amount of Ni and ejects it
at high velocity along the rotation axis. The bulk of positrons resulting from
Co decay escapes in the surrounding medium due to the rapid thinning of
the ejecta in the polar direction. We show that a rate of about 0.02
SN2003dh-like events per century in the central region of the Galaxy is
sufficient to explain the positron flux detected by INTEGRAL-SPI. In order to
explain this flux by SN Ia events alone, a rate of 0.5 per century is
necessary, much higher than indicated by Galactic evolutionary models applied
to the bulge. Further observations of late light curves of SNe Ia and SNe Ic in
the bulge of spiral galaxies, together with 3D hydrodynamic calculations of
anisotropic ejections of Ni in SN Ic/GRB events, will allow to estimate
the separate contributions of SNe Ia and SNe Ic to positron injection.Comment: 7 pages, 0 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal
Letters, 2003 12 0
A Tutorial on the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition
This tutorial introduces the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) to engineering students and researchers interested in its use in fluid dynamics and aerodynamics. The objectives are firstly to give an intuitive feel for the method and secondly to provide example MATLAB codes of common POD algorithms. The discussion is limited to the finite-dimensional case and only requires knowledge of basic statistics and matrix algebra. The POD is first introduced with a two-dimensional example in order to illustrate the different projections that take place in the decomposition. The n-dimensional case is then developed using experimental data obtained in a turbulent separation-bubble flow and numerical results from simulations of a cylinder wake flow
The INTEGRAL spectrometer SPI: performance of point-source data analysis
The performance of the SPI point-source data analysis system is assessed using a combination of simulations and of observations gathered during the first year of INTEGRAL operations. External error estimates are derived by comparing source positions and fluxes obtained from independent analyses. When the source detection significance provided by the spiros imaging reconstruction program increases from âŒ10 to âŒ100, the errors decrease as the inverse of the detection significance, with values from âŒ10 to âŒ1 arcmin in positions, and from âŒ10 to âŒ1 per cent in relative flux. These errors are dominated by Poisson counting noise. Our error estimates are consistent with those provided by the spiros program. With higher detection significance, the accuracy is ultimately limited to âŒ0.5 arcmin in position and âŒ1 per cent in relative flux by other types of errors. In these cases, spiros underestimates the true errors as it only takes into account the Poisson counting noise. At the low signal-to-noise ratio end, spiros is also too optimistic, and the number of spurious detections is significantly higher than would be expected from statistical noise fluctuations only. The analysis results do not depend significantly on the target off-axis angle, or on the number of pointings considered, provided that this number is larger than âŒ15. Realistic source confusion tests are carried out by adding simulated data to the observation of the Crab nebula and pulsar. Reliable flux values can be obtained for sources separated by angles as small as 0.5 deg if their positions are known and kept fixed in the data deconvolution process. However, when spiros is searching for best source positions, if two sources are separated by less than âŒ2 deg, it may only find a single spurious source located between the real ones (with a flux equal to the sum of the fluxes). Finally, users of the spiros program can find a number of important recommendations in the conclusio
Fe-substituted mullite powders for the in situ synthesis of carbon nanotubes by catalytic chemical vapor deposition
Powders of iron-substituted mullite were prepared by combustion and further calcination in air at different temperatures. A detailed study involving notably Mošssbauer spectroscopy showed that the Fe3+ ions are distributed between the mullite phase and a corundum phase that progressively dissolves into mullite upon the increase in calcination temperature. Carbon nanotube-Fe-mullite nanocomposites were prepared for the first time by a direct method involving a reduction of these powders in H2-CH4 and without any mechanical mixing step. The carbon nanotubes formed by the catalytic decomposition of CH4 on the smallest metal particles are mostly double-walled and multiwalled, although some carbon nanofibers are also observed
Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titanâs atmosphere, geology and habitability: titan POlar scout/orbitEr and in situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON)
In response to ESAâs âVoyage 2050â announcement of opportunity, we propose an ambitious L-class mission to explore one of the most exciting bodies in the Solar System, Saturnâs largest moon Titan. Titan, a âworld with two oceansâ, is an organic-rich body with interior-surface-atmosphere interactions that are comparable in complexity to the Earth. Titan is also one of the few places in the Solar System with habitability potential. Titanâs remarkable nature was only partly revealed by the Cassini-Huygens mission and still holds mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. The proposed mission concept POSEIDON (Titan POlar Scout/orbitEr and In situ lake lander DrONe explorer) would perform joint orbital and in situ investigations of Titan. It is designed to build on and exceed the scope and scientific/technological accomplishments of Cassini-Huygens, exploring Titan in ways that were not previously possible, in particular through full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time. In the proposed mission architecture, POSEIDON consists of two major elements: a spacecraft with a large set of instruments that would orbit Titan, preferably in a low-eccentricity polar orbit, and a suite of in situ investigation components, i.e. a lake lander, a âheavyâ drone (possibly amphibious) and/or a fleet of mini-drones, dedicated to the exploration of the polar regions. The ideal arrival time at Titan would be slightly before the next northern Spring equinox (2039), as equinoxes are the most active periods to monitor still largely unknown atmospheric and surface seasonal changes. The exploration of Titanâs northern latitudes with an orbiter and in situ element(s) would be highly complementary in terms of timing (with possible mission timing overlap), locations, and science goals with the upcoming NASA New Frontiers Dragonfly mission that will provide in situ exploration of Titanâs equatorial regions, in the mid-2030s
Calculation of on the Z
We perform a new, detailed calculation of the hadronic contributions to the
running electromagnetic coupling, , defined on the Z particle (91
GeV). We find for the hadronic contribution, including radiative corrections,
10^5\times \deltav_{\rm had.}\alpha(M_Z^2)= 2740\pm12, or, excluding the
top quark contribution, 10^5\times \deltav_{\rm had.}\alpha^{(5)}(M_Z^2)=
2747\pm12.
Adding the pure QED corrections we get a value for the running
electromagnetic coupling of Comment: Version to appear in Phys. Rev. D. Plain TeX fil
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