521 research outputs found
Dark-state suppression and optimization of laser cooling and fluorescence in a trapped alkaline-earth-metal single ion
We study the formation and destabilization of dark states in a single trapped
88Sr+ ion caused by the cooling and repumping laser fields required for Doppler
cooling and fluorescence detection of the ion. By numerically solving the
time-dependent density matrix equations for the eight-level system consisting
of the sublevels of the 5s 2S1/2, 5p 2P1/2, and 4d 2D3/2 states, we analyze the
different types of dark states and how to prevent them in order to maximize the
scattering rate, which is crucial for both the cooling and the detection of the
ion. The influence of the laser linewidths and ion motion on the scattering
rate and the dark resonances is studied. The calculations are then compared
with experimental results obtained with an endcap ion trap system located at
the National Research Council of Canada and found to be in good agreement. The
results are applicable also to other alkaline earth ions and isotopes without
hyperfine structure
On the Relevance of Compton Scattering for the Soft X-ray Spectra of Hot DA White Dwarfs
We re-examine the effects of Compton scattering on the emergent spectra of
hot DA white dwarfs in the soft X-ray range. Earlier studies have implied that
sensitive X-ray observations at wavelengths \AA might be capable
of probing the flux deficits predicted by the redistribution of
electron-scattered X-ray photons toward longer wavelengths. We adopt two
independent numerical approaches to the inclusion of Compton scattering in the
computation of pure hydrogen atmospheres in hydrostatic equilibrium. One
employs the Kompaneets diffusion approximation formalism, while the other uses
the cross-sections and redistribution functions of Guilbert. Models and
emergent spectra are computed for stellar parameters representative of HZ 43
and Sirius B, and for models with an effective temperature K. The differences between emergent spectra computed for Compton and
Thomson scattering cases are completely negligible in the case of both HZ 43
and Sirius B models, and are also negligible for all practical purposes for
models with temperatures as high as K. Models of the
soft X-ray flux from these stars are instead dominated by uncertainties in
their fundamental parameters.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Broadband, unpolarized repumping and clearout light sources for Sr single-ion clocks
Future transportable optical clocks require compact and reliable light
sources. Here, broadband, unpolarized repumper and state clearout sources for
Sr+ single-ion optical clocks are reported. These turn-key devices require no
frequency stabilization nor external modulators. They are fiber based,
inexpensive, and compact. Key characteristics for clock operation are
presented, including optical spectra, induced light shifts and required
extinction ratios. Tests with an operating single-ion standard show a clearout
efficiency of 100%. Compared to a laser-based repumper, the achievable
fluorescence rates for ion detection are a few tens of per cent lower. The
resulting ion kinetic temperature is 1--1.5 mK, near the Doppler limit of the
ion system. Similar repumper light sources could be made for Ca+ (866 nm) and
Ba+ (650 nm) using semiconductor gain media.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
Absorption features in the spectra of X-ray bursting neutron stars
The discovery of photospheric absorption lines in XMM-Newton spectra of the
X-ray bursting neutron star in EXO0748-676 by Cottam and collaborators allows
us to constrain the neutron star mass-radius ratio from the measured
gravitational redshift. A radius of R=9-12km for a plausible mass range of
M=1.4-1.8Msun was derived by these authors. It has been claimed that the
absorption features stem from gravitationally redshifted (z=0.35) n=2-3 lines
of H- and He-like iron. We investigate this identification and search for
alternatives. We compute LTE and non-LTE neutron-star model atmospheres and
detailed synthetic spectra for a wide range of effective temperatures
(effective temperatures of 1 - 20MK) and different chemical compositions.
We are unable to confirm the identification of the absorption features in the
X-ray spectrum of EXO0748-676 as n=2-3 lines of H- and He-like iron (Fe XXVI
and Fe XXV). These are subordinate lines that are predicted by our models to be
too weak at any effective temperature. It is more likely that the strongest
feature is from the n=2-3 resonance transition in Fe XXIV with a redshift of
z=0.24. Adopting this value yields a larger neutron star radius, namely
R=12-15km for the mass range M=1.4-1.8Msun, favoring a stiff equation-of-state
and excluding mass-radius relations based on exotic matter. Combined with an
estimate of the stellar radius R>12.5km from the work of Oezel and
collaborators, the z=0.24 value provides a minimum neutron-star mass of
M>1.48Msun, instead of M>1.9Msun, when assuming z=0.35.Comment: 8 pages, 17 figure
Time-resolved X-Shooter spectra and RXTE light curves of the ultra-compact X-ray binary candidate 4U 0614+091
In this paper we present X-Shooter time resolved spectroscopy and RXTE PCA
light curves of the ultra-compact X-ray binary candidate 4U 0614+091. The
X-Shooter data are compared to the GMOS data analyzed previously by Nelemans et
al. (2004). We confirm the presence of C III and O II emission features at ~
4650 {\AA} and ~ 5000 {\AA}. The emission lines do not show evident Doppler
shifts that could be attributed to the motion of the donor star/hot spot around
the center of mass of the binary. We note a weak periodic signal in the
red-wing/blue-wing flux ratio of the emission feature at ~ 4650 {\AA}. The
signal occurs at P = 30.23 +/- 0.03 min in the X-Shooter and at P = 30.468 +/-
0.006 min in the GMOS spectra when the source was in the low/hard state. Due to
aliasing effects the period in the GMOS and X-Shooter data could well be the
same. We deem it likely that the orbital period is thus close to 30 min,
however, as several photometric periods have been reported for this source in
the literature already, further confirmation of the 30 min period is warranted.
We compare the surface area of the donor star and the disc of 4U 0614+091 with
the surface area of the donor star and the disc in typical hydrogen-rich
low-mass X-ray binaries and the class of AM Canum Venaticorum stars and argue
that the optical emission in 4U 0614+091 is likely dominated by the disc
emission. Additionally, we search for periodic signals in all the publicly
available RXTE PCA light curves of 4U 0614+091 which could be associated with
the orbital period of this source. A modulation at the orbital period with an
amplitude of ~ 10% such as those that have been found in other ultra-compact
X-ray binaries (4U 0513-40, 4U 1820-30) is not present in 4U 0614+091.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 11 pages, 7 figure
Measurement of Lande g factor of 5D5/2 state of BaII with a single trapped ion
We present the first terrestrial measurement of the Lande g factor of the
5D5/2 state of singly ionized barium. Measurements were performed on single
Doppler-cooled 138Ba+ ions in a linear Paul trap. A frequency-stabilized fiber
laser with nominal wavelength 1.762 um was scanned across the 6S1/25D5/2
transition to spectroscopically resolve transitions between Zeeman sublevels of
the ground and excited states. From the relative positions of the four narrow
transitions observed at several different values for the applied magnetic
field, we find a value of 1.2020+/-0.0005 for g of 5D5/2.Comment: 3 figure
The Nature of the Emission Components in the Quasar/NLS1 PG1211+143
We present the study of the emission properties of the quasar PG1211+143,
which belongs to the class of Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies. On the basis of
observational data analyzed by us and collected from the literature, we study
the temporal and spectral variability of the source in the optical/UV/X-ray
bands and we propose a model that explains the spectrum emitted in this broad
energy range. In this model, the intrinsic emission originating in the warm
skin of the accretion disk is responsible for the spectral component that is
dominant in the softest X-ray range. The shape of reflected spectrum as well as
Fe K line detected in hard X-rays require the reflecting medium to be mildly
ionized (xi~500). We identify this reflector with the warm skin of the disk and
we show that the heating of the skin is consistent with the classical alpha
P_{tot} prescription, while alpha P_{gas} option is at least two orders of
magnitude too low to provide the required heating. We find that the mass of the
central black hole is relatively small (M_BH~10^7- 10^8 Msun, which is
consistent with the Broad Line Region mapping results and characteristic for
NLS1 class.Comment: 22 pages, 10 figures, accepted to Ap
On the consistency of neutron-star radius measurements from thermonuclear bursts
The radius of neutron stars can in principle be measured via the
normalisation of a blackbody fitted to the X-ray spectrum during thermonuclear
(type-I) X-ray bursts, although few previous studies have addressed the
reliability of such measurements. Here we examine the apparent radius in a
homogeneous sample of long, mixed H/He bursts from the low-mass X-ray binaries
GS 1826-24 and KS 1731-26. The measured blackbody normalisation (proportional
to the emitting area) in these bursts is constant over a period of up to 60s in
the burst tail, even though the flux (blackbody temperature) decreased by a
factor of 60-75% (30-40%). The typical rms variation in the mean normalisation
from burst to burst was 3-5%, although a variation of 17% was found between
bursts observed from GS 1826-24 in two epochs. A comparison of the
time-resolved spectroscopic measurements during bursts from the two epochs
shows that the normalisation evolves consistently through the burst rise and
peak, but subsequently increases further in the earlier epoch bursts. The
elevated normalisation values may arise from a change in the anisotropy of the
burst emission, or alternatively variations in the spectral correction factor,
f_c, of order 10%. Since burst samples observed from systems other than GS
1826-24 are more heterogeneous, we expect that systematic uncertainties of at
least 10% are likely to apply generally to measurements of neutron-star radii,
unless the effects described here can be corrected for.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures; accepted by Ap
The cooling rate of neutron stars after thermonuclear shell flashes
Thermonuclear shell flashes on neutron stars are detected as bright X-ray
bursts. Traditionally, their decay is modeled with an exponential function.
However, this is not what theory predicts. The expected functional form for
luminosities below the Eddington limit, at times when there is no significant
nuclear burning, is a power law. We tested the exponential and power-law
functional forms against the best data available: bursts measured with the
high-throughput Proportional Counter Array (PCA) on board the Rossi X-ray
Timing Explorer. We selected a sample of 35 'clean' and ordinary (i.e., shorter
than a few minutes) bursts from 14 different neutron stars that 1) show a large
dynamic range in luminosity, 2) are the least affected by disturbances by the
accretion disk and 3) lack prolonged nuclear burning through the rp-process. We
find indeed that for every burst a power law is a better description than an
exponential function. We also find that the decay index is steep, 1.8 on
average, and different for every burst. This may be explained by contributions
from degenerate electrons and photons to the specific heat capacity of the
ignited layer and by deviations from the Stefan-Boltzmann law due to changes in
the opacity with density and temperature. Detailed verification of this
explanation yields inconclusive results. While the values for the decay index
are consistent, changes of it with the burst time scale, as a proxy of ignition
depth, and with time are not supported by model calculations.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, recommended for publication in A&
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