2,700 research outputs found
10 Years of Object-Oriented Analysis on H1
Over a decade ago, the H1 Collaboration decided to embrace the
object-oriented paradigm and completely redesign its data analysis model and
data storage format. The event data model, based on the RooT framework,
consists of three layers - tracks and calorimeter clusters, identified
particles and finally event summary data - with a singleton class providing
unified access. This original solution was then augmented with a fourth layer
containing user-defined objects.
This contribution will summarise the history of the solutions used, from
modifications to the original design, to the evolution of the high-level
end-user analysis object framework which is used by H1 today. Several important
issues are addressed - the portability of expert knowledge to increase the
efficiency of data analysis, the flexibility of the framework to incorporate
new analyses, the performance and ease of use, and lessons learned for future
projects.Comment: 14th International Workshop on Advanced Computing and Analysis
Techniques in Physics Researc
Long-term Properties of Accretion Disks in X-ray Binaries: II. Stability of Radiation-Driven Warping
A significant number of X-ray binaries are now known to exhibit long-term
``superorbital'' periodicities on timescales of 10 - 100 days. Several
physical mechanisms have been proposed that give rise to such periodicities, in
particular warping and/or precession of the accretion disk. Recent theoretical
work predicts the stability to disk warping of X-ray binaries as a function of
the mass ratio, binary radius, viscosity and accretion efficiency, and here we
examine the constraints that can be placed on such models by current
observations.
In paper I we used a dynamic power spectrum (DPS) analysis of long-term X-ray
datasets (CGRO, RXTE), focusing on the remarkable, smooth variations in the
superorbital period exhibited by SMC X-1. Here we use a similar DPS analysis to
investigate the stability of the superorbital periodicities in the neutron star
X-ray binaries Cyg X-2, LMC X-4 and Her X-1, and thereby confront stability
predictions with observation. We find that the period and nature of
superorbital variations in these sources is consistent with the predictions of
warping theory.
We also use a dynamic lightcurve analysis to examine the behaviour of Her X-1
as it enters and leaves the 1999 Anomalous Low State (ALS). This reveals a
significant phase shift some 15 cycles before the ALS, which indicates a change
in the disk structure or profile leading into the ALS.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, Re-submitted to MNRAS after referee's comment
The H1 Forward Track Detector at HERA II
In order to maintain efficient tracking in the forward region of H1 after the
luminosity upgrade of the HERA machine, the H1 Forward Track Detector was also
upgraded. While much of the original software and techniques used for the HERA
I phase could be reused, the software for pattern recognition was completely
rewritten. This, along with several other improvements in hit finding and
high-level track reconstruction, are described in detail together with a
summary of the performance of the detector.Comment: Minor revision requested by journal (JINST) edito
Work-related psychological health among Catholic religious in Italy : testing the balanced affect model
Drawing on the classic model of balanced affect, the Francis Burnout Inventory (FBI) conceptualised good work-related psychological health among religious leaders in terms of negative affect being balanced by positive affect. In the FBI negative affect is assessed by the Scale of Emotional Exhaustion in Ministry (SEEM) and positive affect is assessed by the Satisfaction in Ministry Scale (SIMS). A sample of 156 religious leaders (95 men and 61 women) serving with the Roman Catholic Church in Italy completed SEEM and SIMS together with an independent measure of wellbeing. The results confirm the hypothesis that high SIMS scores reduced the negative effects of high SEEM scores on the independent measure of wellbeing
Constraining the Nature of the Galactic Center X-ray Source Population
We searched for infrared counterparts to the cluster of X-ray point sources
discovered by Chandra in the Galactic Center Region (GCR). While the sources
could be white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes accreting from stellar
companions, their X-ray properties are consistent with magnetic Cataclysmic
Variables, or High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXB) at low accretion-rates. A direct
way to decide between these possibilities and hence between alternative
formation scenarios is to measure or constrain the luminosity distribution of
the companions. Using infrared (J, H, K, Br-gamma) imaging, we searched for
counterparts corresponding to typical HMXB secondaries: spectral type B0V with
K<15 at the GCR. We found no significant excess of bright stars in Chandra
error circles, indicating that HMXBs are not the dominant X-ray source
population, and account for fewer than 10% of the hardest X-ray sources.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, accepted in ApJ Letters for publicatio
SXP214, an X-ray Pulsar in the Small Magellanic Cloud, Crossing the Circumstellar Disk of the Companion
Located in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), SXP214 is an X-ray pulsar in a
high mass X-ray binary system with a Be-star companion. A recent survey of the
SMC under a Chandra X-ray Visionary program found the source in a transition
when the X-ray flux was on a steady rise. The Lomb-Scargle periodogram revealed
a pulse period of 211.49 +/- 0.42 s, which is significantly (>5sigma) shorter
than the previous measurements with XMM-Newton and RXTE. This implies that the
system has gone through sudden spin-up episodes recently. The pulse profile
shows a sharp eclipse-like feature with a modulation amplitude of >95%. The
linear rise of the observed X-ray luminosity from <~2x to 7x10^35 erg s^-1 is
correlated with steady softening of the X-ray spectrum, which can be described
by the changes in the local absorption from N_H ~ 10^24 to <~10^20 cm^-2 for an
absorbed power-law model. The soft X-ray emission below 2 keV was absent in the
early part of the observation when only the pulsating hard X-ray component was
observed, whereas at later times both soft and hard X-ray components were
observed pulsating. A likely explanation is that the neutron star was initially
hidden in the circumstellar disk of the companion, and later came out of the
disk with the accreted material that continued fueling the observed pulsation.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in Ap
MMT Observations of the Black Hole Candidate XTE J1118+480 near and in Quiescence
We report on the analysis of new and previously published MMT optical spectra
of the black hole binary XTE J1118+480 during the decline from the 2000
outburst to true quiescence. From cross-correlation with template stars, we
measure the radial velocity of the secondary to derive a new spectroscopic
ephemeris. The observations acquired during approach to quiescence confirm the
earlier reported modulation in the centroid of the double-peaked Halpha
emission line. Additionally, our data combined with the results presented by
Zurita et al. (2002) provide support for a modulation with a periodicity in
agreement with the expected precession period of the accretion disk of ~52 day.
Doppler images during the decline phase of the Halpha emission line show
evidence for a hotspot and emission from the gas stream: the hotspot is
observed to vary its position, which may be due to the precession of the disk.
The data available during quiescence show that the centroid of the Halpha
emission line is offset by about -100 km/s from the systemic velocity which
suggests that the disk continues to precess. A Halpha tomogram reveals emission
from near the donor star after subtraction of the ring-like contribution from
the accretion disk which we attribute to chromospheric emission. No hotspot is
present suggesting that accretion from the secondary has stopped (or decreased
significantly) during quiescence. Finally, a comparison is made with the black
hole XRN GRO J0422+32: we show that the Halpha profile of this system also
exhibits a behaviour consistent with a precessing disk.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, accepted by Ap
Factor structure, reliability and validity of the Francis Burnout Inventory Revised among Catholic priests and religious sisters in Italy
Drawing on the model of balanced affect, the Francis Burnout Inventory (FBI) conceptualised good work-related psychological health among religious leaders in terms of negative affect being balanced by positive affect, and operationalised this model with two 11-item scales. Factor analysis on data provided by 287 Catholic priests and religious sisters in Italy proposes reducing each of these scales to 10 items. Construct validity of these revised scales was supported against an independent measure of wellbeing
SPI/INTEGRAL observation of the Cygnus region
We present the analysis of the first observations of the Cygnus region by the
SPI spectrometer onboard the Integral Gamma Ray Observatory, encompassing
600 ks of data. Three sources namely Cyg X-1, Cyg X-3 and EXO 2030+375
were clearly detected. Our data illustrate the temporal variability of Cyg X-1
in the energy range from 20 keV to 300 keV. The spectral analysis shows a
remarkable stability of the Cyg X-1 spectra when averaged over one day
timescale. The other goal of these observations is SPI inflight calibration and
performance verification. The latest objective has been achieved as
demonstrated by the results presented in this paper.Comment: 6 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&A (special
INTEGRAL volume
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