arXiv subjects

A. Ray

Publications and source records attributed to A. Ray.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2005

Change of 7Be decay rate in exohedral and endohedral C60 fullerene compounds and its implications

The half-life of 7Be implanted in a C60 pellet and gold foil has been measured to be about the same within about 0.2%. Using a radiochemical technique, we also measured that the probability of formation of endohedral 7Be@C60 by nuclear implantation technique was (5.6+-0.45)%. It is known from earlier works that the half-life of endohedral 7Be@C60 is about 1.2% shorter than that of 7Be implanted in gold. An analysis of these results using linear muffin-tin orbital method calculations indicates that most of the implanted 7Be ions in fullerene C60 stay at a distance of about 5.3 Angstrom from the centers of nearest C60 molecules forming exohedral compounds and those who enter the fullerene cages go to the centers of the cages forming endohedral 7Be@C60 compounds.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2005

Effect of transient change in strain rate on plastic flow behavior of low carbon steel

Plastic flow behavior of low carbon steel has been studied at room temperature during tensile deformation by varying the initial strain rate of 3.3x10e-4 1/sec to the final strain rate ranging from 1.33x10e-3 1/sec to 2.0x10e-3 1/sec at a fixed engineering strain of 12%. Haasen plot revealed that the mobile dislocation density remained almost invariant at the juncture where there was a sudden increase in stress with the change in strain rate and the plastic flow was solely dependent on the velocity of mobile dislocations. In that critical regime, the variation of stress with time was fitted with a Boltzman type Sigmoid function. The increase in stress was found to increase with final strain rate and the time elapsed to attain these stress values showed a decreasing trend. Both of these parameters saturated asymptotically at higher final strain rate.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2005

Discovery of a Radio Source following the 27 December 2004 Giant Flare from SGR 1806-20

Over a decade ago it was established that the remarkable high energy transients, known as soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs), are a Galactic population and originate from neutron stars with intense (<~ 10^15 G) magnetic fields ("magnetars"). On 27 December 2004 a giant flare (fluence >~ 0.3 erg/cm^2) was detected from SGR 1806-20. Here we report the discovery of a fading radio counterpart. We began a monitoring program from 0.2GHz to 250GHz and obtained a high resolution 21-cm radio spectrum which traces the intervening interstellar neutral Hydrogen clouds. Analysis of the spectrum yields the first direct distance measurement of SGR 1806-20. The source is located at a distance greater than 6.4 kpc and we argue that it is nearer than 9.8 kpc. If true, our distance estimate lowers the total energy of the explosion and relaxes the demands on theoretical models. The energetics and the rapid decay of the radio source are not compatible with the afterglow model that is usually invoked for gamma-ray bursts. Instead we suggest that the rapidly decaying radio emission arises from the debris ejected during the explosion.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Stars as thermonuclear reactors: their fuels and ashes

Atomic nuclei are transformed into each other in the cosmos by nuclear reactions inside stars: -- the process of nucleosynthesis. The basic concepts of determining nuclear reaction rates inside stars and how they manage to burn their fuel so slowly most of the time are discussed. Thermonuclear reactions involving protons in the hydrostatic burning of hydrogen in stars are discussed first. This is followed by triple alpha reactions in the helium burning stage and the issues of survival of carbon and oxygen in red giant stars connected with nuclear structure of oxygen and neon. Advanced stages of nuclear burning in quiescent reactions involving carbon, neon, oxygen and silicon are discussed. The role of neutron induced reactions in nucleosynthesis beyond iron is discussed briefly, as also the experimental detection of neutrinos from SN 1987A which confirmed broadly the ideas concerning gravitational collapse leading to a supernova.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

The late time radio emission from SN 1993J at meter wavelengths

We present the investigations of SN 1993J using low frequency observations with the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope. We analyze the light curves of SN 1993J at 1420, 610, 325 and 243 MHz during $7.5-10$ years since explosion.The supernova has become optically thin early on in the 1420 MHz and 610 MHz bands while it has only recently entered the optically thin phase in the 325 MHz band. The radio light curve in the 235 MHz band is more or less flat. This indicates that the supernova is undergoing a transition from an optically thick to optically thin limit in this frequency band. In addition, we analyze the SN radio spectra at five epochs on day 3000, 3200, 3266, 3460 and 3730 since explosion. Day 3200 spectrum shows a synchrotron cooling break. SN 1993J is the only young supernova for which the magnetic field and the size of the radio emitting region are determined through unrelated methods. Thus the mechanism that controls the evolution of the radio spectra can be identified. We suggest that at all epochs, the synchrotron self absorption mechanism is primarily responsible for the turn-over in the spectra. Light curve models based on free free absorption in homogeneous or inhomogeneous media at high frequencies overpredict the flux densities at low frequencies. The discrepancy is increasingly larger at lower and lower frequencies. We suggest that an extra opacity, sensitively dependent on frequency, is likely to account for the difference at lower frequencies. The evolution of the magnetic field (determined from synchrotron self absorption turn-over) is roughly consistent with $B \propto t^{-1}$. Radio spectral index in the optically thin part evolves from $α\sim 0.8-1.0$ at few tens of days to $\sim 0.6$ in about 10 years.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Velocity-selective resonance dips in the probe absorption spectra of Rb D2 transitions induced by a pump laser

We report experimental observation of velocity-selective resonances in the Doppler-broadened probe absorption spectra of 85Rb and 87Rb D2 transitions in the presence of a strong copropagating pump laser locked to a frequency within the Doppler profile of the transition. The set of three dips having the separation of allowed hyperfine transitions can be moved along the Doppler profile by tuning the pump laser frequency indicating a resonance between the pump laser frequency and the velocity shifted probe laser frequency.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2003

Low frequency observations of SN 1993J with Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope

In this paper, we discuss the low frequency spectrum of SN 1993J with GMRT. We observed SN 1993J at several epochs in 20cm, 50cm, 90cm and 125cm wavelengths and achieved near simultaneous spectra. We fit synchrotron self absorption (SSA) and free-free models to the data. We compare the size of SN obtained using SSA fits to that of size extrapolated from VLBI measurements at various epochs using public data at earlier epochs. We find that the synchrotron self absorption process is insufficient to reproduce the observed size of the supernova under the assumption of equipartition between magnetic fields and relativistic electrons. We also derive the evolution of spectral index and magnetic field at several epochs.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Low frequency radio and X-ray properties of core-collapse supernovae

Radio and X-ray studies of young supernovae probe the interaction between the supernova shock waves and the surrounding medium and give clues to the nature and past of the progenitor star. Here we discuss the early emission from type Ic SN 2002ap and argue that repeated Compton boosting of optical photons by hot electrons presents the most natural explanation of the prompt X-ray emission. We describe the radio spectrum of another type Ic SN 2003dh (GRB030329) obtained with combined GMRT and VLA data. We report on the low frequency radio monitoring of SN 1995N and our objectives of distinguishing between competing models of X-ray emission from this SN and the nature of its progenitor by X-ray spectroscopy. Radio studies on SN 2001gd, SN 2001ig and SN 2002hh are mentioned.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

X-ray and radio prompt emission from a hypernova SN 2002ap

Here we report on combined X-ray and radio observations of SN 2002ap with XMM-Newton ToO observation and GMRT observations aided with VLA published results. In deriving the X-ray flux of SN 2002ap we account for the contribution of a nearby source, found to be present in the pre-SN explosion images obtained with Chandra observatory. We also derive upper limits on mass loss rate from X-ray and radio data. We suggest that the prompt X-ray emission is non-thermal in nature and its is due to the repeated compton boosting of optical photons. We also compare SN's early radiospheric properties with two other SNe at the same epoch.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Deep optical observations of the fields of two nearby millisecond pulsars with the VLT

We report on deep VLT observations of the fields of two nearby, isolated millisecond pulsars PSR J1744-1134 and PSR J1024-0719. Both objects are old neutron stars with characteristic age $τ\ge 10^9$ yr and have relatively high spin-down flux. They have been detected earlier as X-ray sources by ROSAT HRI observations and were considered good candidates for non-thermal emission in the optical bands. Our observations set an upper limit of $B=26.9$, $V=26.3$ and $R=26.0$ for PSR J1744-1134. In the case of PSR J1024-0719, we find two faint objects near the radio position of the pulsar. Using multi-band photometry from the VLT and spectroscopy carried out with the Magellan I telescope, we discuss the nature of the brighter object and the possibility of the fainter one being the optical counterpart of PSR J1024-0719. We consider the implications of our findings for both pulsars in the context of theoretical models of high-energy emission from old pulsars.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

The nature of the prompt X-ray and radio emission from SN2002ap

We report on the combined X-ray and radio observations of the type Ic SN 2002ap, using XMM-Newton ToO observation of M74 and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). We account for the presence of a nearby source in the pre-supernova Chandra field of view in our measurements of the X-ray flux (0.3 - 10 KeV) 5.2 days after the explosion. The X-ray spectrum is well fitted by a power law spectrum with photon index $α= 2.6$. Our results suggest that the prompt X-ray emission originates from inverse Compton scattering of photospheric thermal emission by energetic electrons. Radio observations with the GMRT at 610 MHz (8 days after the explosion) and 1420 MHz (70 days after the explosion) are combined with the high frequency VLA observations of SN 2002ap reported earlier, and the early radiospheric properties of SN 2002ap are compared with similar data from two other supernovae. Finally, the GMRT radio map reveals four other X-ray sources in the field of view of M74 with radio counterparts.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

X-ray and radio bright type Ic SN 2002ap -- a hypernova without an associated GRB

Combined X-ray (0.3 -10 keV) and Radio (0.61 and 1.42 GHz) observations of the type Ic SN 2002ap are used here, to determine the origins of the prompt X-ray and Radio emission from this source.Our analysis of the XMM-Newton observations suggests that the prompt X-ray emission originates from inverse Compton scattering of photospheric thermal emission by energetic electrons. We also compare the early radiospheric properties of SN 2002ap with those of SN 1998bw (type Ic) and SN 1993J (type IIb), to contrast the prompt emission from a GRB associated SN with other supernovae without GRB counterparts.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2002

Dissipative collisions in $^{16}$O + $^{27}$Al at E$_{lab}$=116 MeV

The inclusive energy distributions of fragments (3$\leq$Z$\leq$7) emitted in the reaction $^{16}$O + $^{27}$Al at $E_{lab} = $116 MeV have been measured in the angular range $θ_{lab} $= 15$^\circ$ - 115$^\circ$. A non-linear optimisation procedure using multiple Gaussian distribution functions has been proposed to extract the fusion-fission and deep inelastic components of the fragment emission from the experimental data. The angular distributions of the fragments, thus obtained, from the deep inelastic component are found to fall off faster than those from the fusion-fission component, indicating shorter life times of the emitting di-nuclear systems. The life times of the intermediate di-nuclear configurations have been estimated using a diffractive Regge-pole model. The life times thus extracted ($\sim 1 - 5\times 10^{-22}$ Sec.) are found to decrease with the increase in the fragment charge. Optimum Q-values are also found to increase with increasing charge transfer i.e. with the decrease in fragment charge.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2001

Chandra and ASCA X-ray Observations of the Radio Supernova SN1979C IN NGC 4321

We report on the X-ray observation of the radio selected supernova SN1979C carried out with ASCA in 1997 December and serendipitously available from a Chandra Guaranteed Time Observation in 1999 November. The supernova, of type SN II-Linear (SN IIL), was first observed in the optical and occurred in the weakly barred, almost face on spiral galaxy NGC 4321 (M100). The galaxy, a member of the Virgo S cluster, is at a distance of 17.1 Mpc, and contains at least three other supernovae discovered in this century. The useful exposure time was ~25 ks for the Solid-State Imaging Spectrometer (SIS), ~28 ks for the Gas Scintillation Imaging Spectrometer (GIS), and ~2.5 ks for Chandra's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS). No point source was detected at the radio position of SN1979C in a 3' diameter half power response circle in the ASCA data. The background and galaxy subtracted SN signal had a 3sigma upper limit to the flux of 6.3x10^-14 ergs/s/cm^-2 in the full ASCA SIS band (0.4-10.0 keV) and a 3sigma upper limit of <3-4x10^-14 erg/s/cm^2 in the 2-10 keV band. In the Chandra data, a source at the position of SN1979C is marginally detected at energies below 2 keV at a flux consistent with the ROSAT HRI detection in 1995. At energies above 2 keV, no source is detected with an upper limit of ~3x10^-14 erg/s/cm^-2. These measurements give the first ever x-ray flux limit of a Type IIL SN above 2 keV which is an important diagnostic of the outgoing shock wave ploughing through the circumstellar medium.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

Pulsar optical observation with the Very Large Telescope

Optical data in the V-band gathered with the 8.2m ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the radio interferometric position of PSR 1706-44 are presented. The pulsar is close to a bright star in projection and was not detected. The pulsar magnitude limit must be fainter than V=24.5 for a distance of $\leq$ 2\farcs0 from the bright star. In the outer gap model for an aligned rotor the optical flux should scale with the gamma-ray flux. For pulsars which emit pulsed gamma-rays but are not detected in the optical bands, the synchrotron cutoff frequency for the tertiary photons must be well below the optical frequencies and the magnetic and spin axes may be misaligned.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

X-ray observation of radio supernova SN1979C by ASCA

We report on the X-ray observation of the radio selected supernova SN1979C carried out with ASCA in December 1997. The supernova of type II$_{L}$ was first observed in the optical and occurred in the weakly barred, almost face on spiral galaxy NGC 4321 (M100) which is at a distance of 17.1 Mpc, and contains at least three other supernovae discovered in this century. No point source was detected at the radio position of SN1979C in a 3' diameter half power response circle in a 27.3 ks SIS exposure. The background and galaxy subtracted SN signal had a 3$σ$ upper limit to the count rate of 1.2$\times 10^{-3}$ cps in the full ASCA SIS band (0.4-10.0 keV). These measurements give the first ever x-ray flux limit of a Type II$_{L}$ SN in the higher energy band ($\geq$ 2 keV) which is an important diagnostic of the {\it outgoing} shock wave ploughing through the circumstellar medium.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Electron Capture Rates of Mid-fp Shell Nuclei for Supernova and Stellar Evolution

A detailed model is constructed for the calculation of electron capture rates of some fp-shell nuclei for situations prevailing in pre-supernova and collapse phases of the evolution of the core of massive stars leading to supernova explosion. The model uses explicitly the Gamow-Teller strength function obtained through (n,p) reaction studies wherever available. The rates include contribution from the excited states of the mother as well as from the resonant states in equilibrium with the back reaction i.e. the beta decay of the daughter nucleus. Comparisons are made with the shell model results and the earlier calculations by Aufderheide et al. and Fuller, Fowler and Newman. For the nuclei $^{56}$Fe, $^{55}$Mn and $^{60}$Ni with negative Q-values one observes large contribution from the excited states.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

Centroids of Gamow-Teller transitions at finite temperature in fp-shell neutron-rich nuclei

The temperature dependence of the energy centroids and strength distributions for Gamow-Teller (GT) $1^+$ excitations in several fp-shell nuclei is studied. The quasiparticle random phase approximations (QRPA) is extended to describe GT states at finite temperature. A shift to lower energies of the GT$^+$ strength is found, as compared to values obtained at zero temperature.

astro-ph↗