A Deep Optical Observation for an Enigmatic Unidentified Gamma-Ray Source 3EG J1835+5918

We report a deep optical imaging observation by the Subaru telescope for a very soft X-ray source RX J1836.2+5925, which has been suspected to be an isolated neutron star associated with the brightest as-yet unidentified EGRET source outside the Galactic plane, 3EG J1835+5918. An extended source having a complex, bipolar shape is found at B ~ 26, and this might be an extended pulsar nebular whose flux is about 5-6 orders of magnitude lower than gamma-ray flux, although finding a galaxy of this magnitude by chance in the error circle is of order unity. We have found two even fainter, possibly point sources at B ~ 28, although their detections are not firm because of low signal-to-noise. If the extended object of B ~ 26 is a galaxy and not related to 3EG J1835+5918, a lower limit on X-ray/optical flux ratio is set as f_X/f_B >~ 2700, giving a further strong support of the neutron-star identification of 3EG J1835+5918. Interestingly, if either of the two sources at B ~ 28 is the real counterpart of RX J1836.2+5925 and thermal emission from the surface of an isolated neutron star, the temperature and distance to the source become ~ 4 x 10^5K and ~300pc, respectively, showing a striking similarity of its spectral energy distribution to the proto-type radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsar Geminga. No detection of nonthermal hard X-ray emission is consistent with the ASCA upper limit, if the nonthermal flux of 3EG J1835+5918/RX J1836.2+5925 is at a similar level with that of Gemiga.Comment: PASJ Letters in press. (Received March 26; Accepted May 17

Inhomogeneous baryogenesis, cosmic antimatter, and dark matter

A model of inhomogeneous baryogenesis based on the Affleck and Dine mechanism is described. A simple coupling of the scalar baryon field to the inflaton allows for formation of astronomically significant bubbles with a large baryon (or antibaryon) asymmetry. During the farther evolution these domains form compact stellar-like objects, or lower density clouds, or primordial black holes of different size. According to the scenario, such high baryonic number objects occupy relatively small fraction of space but despite that they may significantly contribute to the cosmological mass density. For some values of parameters the model allows the possibility the whole dark matter in the universe to be baryonic. Furthermore, the model allows the existence of the antibaryonic B-bubbles, i.e. a significant fraction of the mass density in the universe can be in the form of the compact antimatter objects (e.g. anti-stars).Comment: 31 pages, 5 figures, three references are adde

Non-destructive imaging of an individual protein

The mode of action of proteins is to a large extent given by their ability to adopt different conformations. This is why imaging single biomolecules at atomic resolution is one of the ultimate goals of biophysics and structural biology. The existing protein database has emerged from X-ray crystallography, NMR or cryo-TEM investigations. However, these tools all require averaging over a large number of proteins and thus over different conformations. This of course results in the loss of structural information. Likewise it has been shown that even the emergent X-FEL technique will not get away without averaging over a large quantity of molecules. Here we report the first recordings of a protein at sub-nanometer resolution obtained from one individual ferritin by means of low-energy electron holography. One single protein could be imaged for an extended period of time without any sign of radiation damage. Since ferritin exhibits an iron core, the holographic reconstructions could also be cross-validated against TEM images of the very same molecule by imaging the iron cluster inside the molecule while the protein shell is decomposed

New Superconducting and Magnetic Phases Emerge on the Verge of Antiferromagnetism in CeIn3_3

We report the discovery of new superconducting and novel magnetic phases in CeIn$_3$ on the verge of antiferromagnetism (AFM) under pressure ($P$) through the In-nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) measurements. We have found a $P$-induced phase separation of AFM and paramagnetism (PM) without any trace for a quantum phase transition in CeIn$_3$. A new type of superconductivity (SC) was found in $P=2.28-2.5$ GPa to coexist with AFM that is magnetically separated from PM where the heavy fermion SC takes place. We propose that the magnetic excitations such as spin-density fluctuations induced by the first-order magnetic phase transition might mediate attractive interaction to form Cooper pairs.Comment: 4 pages, 4 EPS figures, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Evidence for Uniform Coexistence of Ferromagnetism and Unconventional Superconductivity in UGe_2: A ^73Ge-NQR Study under Pressure

We report on the itinerant ferromagnetic superconductor UGe_2 through ^73Ge-NQR measurements under pressure (P). The P dependence of the NQR spectrum signals a first-order transition from the low-temperature (T) and low-P ferromagnetic phase (FM2) to high-T and high-P one (FM1) around a critical pressure of P_x ~ 1.2 GPa. The superconductivity exhibiting a maximum value of T_sc=0.7 K at P_x ~ 1.2 GPa, was found to take place in connection with the P-induced first-order transition. The nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T_1 has probed the ferromagnetic transition, exhibiting a peak at the Curie temperature as well as a decrease without the coherence peak below T_sc. These results reveal the uniformly coexistent phase of ferromagnetism and unconventional superconductivity with a line-node gap. We remark on an intimate interplay between the onset of superconductivity and the underlying electronic state for the ferromagnetic phases.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures. to appear in J. Phys. Soc. JPN, 74 No.2 (2005

Spectrum of Background X-rays from Moduli Dark Matter

We examine the $X$-ray spectrum from the decay of the dark-matter moduli with mass $\sim {\cal O}(100)$keV, in particular, paying attention to the line spectrum from the moduli trapped in the halo of our galaxy. It is found that with the energy resolution of the current experiments ($\sim 10$%) the line intensity is about twice stronger than that of the continuum spectrum from the moduli that spread in the whole universe. Therefore, in the future experiments with higher energy resolutions it may be possible to detect such line photons. We also investigate the $\gamma$-ray spectrum emitted from the decay of the multi-GeV moduli. It is shown that the emitted photons may form MeV-bump in the $\gamma$-ray spectrum. We also find that if the modulus mass is of the order of 10 GeV, the emitted photons at the peak of the continuum spectrum loses their energy by the scattering and the shape of the spectrum is significantly changed, which makes the constraint weaker than that obtained in the previous works.Comment: 14 pages (RevTeX file) including four postscript figures, reviced version to be published in Physical Review

Reheat temperature in supersymmetric hybrid inflation models

The allowed range of parameters for supersymmetric hybrid inflation and its extensions are investigated. The lower bound on the reheat temperature T_r in these models with hierarchical right handed neutrinos is found to be 3*10^7 GeV. (T_r as low as 100 GeV is possible for quasi degenerate right handed neutrinos.) We also present revised estimates for the scalar spectral index and the symmetry breaking scale associated with inflation.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, revtex4. v2: minor changes, matches published versio