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K. Uchiyama

Publications and source records attributed to K. Uchiyama.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Gas selection for Xe-based LCP-GEM detectors onboard the CubeSat X-ray observatory NinjaSat

We present a gas selection for Xe-based gas electron multiplier (GEM) detectors, Gas Multiplier Counters (GMCs) onboard the CubeSat X-ray observatory NinjaSat. To achieve an energy bandpass of 2-50 keV, we decided to use a Xe-based gas mixture at a pressure of 1.2 atm that is sensitive to high-energy X-rays. In addition, an effective gain of over 300 is required for a single GEM so that the 2 keV X-ray signal can be sufficiently larger than the electrical noise. At first, we measured the effective gains of GEM in nine Xe-based gas mixtures (combinations of Xe, Ar, CO2, CH4, and dimethyl ether; DME) at 1.0 atm. The highest gains were obtained with Xe/Ar/DME mixtures, while relatively lower gains were obtained with Xe/Ar/CO2, Xe/Ar/CH4, and Xe+quencher mixtures. Based on these results, we selected the Xe/Ar/DME (75%/24%/1%) mixture at 1.2 atm as the sealed gas for GMC. Then we investigated the dependence of an effective gain on the electric fields in the drift and induction gaps ranging from 100-650 V cm$^{-1}$ and 500-5000 V cm$^{-1}$, respectively, in the selected gas mixture. The effective gain weakly depended on the drift field while it was almost linearly proportional to the induction field: 2.4 times higher at 5000 V cm$^{-1}$ than at 1000 V cm$^{-1}$. With the optimal induction and drift fields, the flight model GMC achieves an effective gain of 460 with an applied GEM voltage of 590 V.

astro-ph.IM

Design, Construction, and Test of the Gas Pixel Detectors for the IXPE Mission

Due to be launched in late 2021, the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is a NASA Small Explorer mission designed to perform polarization measurements in the 2-8 keV band, complemented with imaging, spectroscopy and timing capabilities. At the heart of the focal plane is a set of three polarization-sensitive Gas Pixel Detectors (GPD), each based on a custom ASIC acting as a charge-collecting anode. In this paper we shall review the design, manufacturing, and test of the IXPE focal-plane detectors, with particular emphasis on the connection between the science drivers, the performance metrics and the operational aspects. We shall present a thorough characterization of the GPDs in terms of effective noise, trigger efficiency, dead time, uniformity of response, and spectral and polarimetric performance. In addition, we shall discuss in detail a number of instrumental effects that are relevant for high-level science analysis -- particularly as far as the response to unpolarized radiation and the stability in time are concerned.

astro-ph.IM

Ubiquitous V-shape density of states in mixed state of clean limit type II superconductors; STM experiment and theory

It is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally that the low energy density of states $N(E)$ is described by a singular V-shape form $N(E)=N_0(H)+α|E|+O(E^2)$ for all clean superconductors in a vortex state, irrespective of the underlying gap structure. The linear term $α|E|$ which has been not recognized so far is obtained by exactly evaluating the vortex contribution. Based on microscopic Eilenberger theory $N(E)$ is evaluated for isotropic gap, line and point node gaps to yield a V-shape $N(E)$. STS-STM experiments on NbSe$_2$ and YNi$_2$B$_2$C give direct evidence for this. We provide arguments on significance of this finding and on relevance to other experiments.

cond-mat.supr-con

Quadrupole Deformation of Barium Isotopes

The B(E2:0_1^+ -> 2_1^+) values of the Ba isotopes (Z=56) exhibit a sharp increase in deformation as the neutron numbers approach the mid-shell value of N=66. This behavior is anomalous because the 2_1^+ level energies are very similar to those of the neighboring isotopes. By means of the axially-symmetric deformed Woods-Saxon (WS) hamiltonian plus the BCS method, we investigated the systematics of B(E2) of the Ba isotopes. We showed that 15% of the B(E2) values at N=66 was due to the level crossing, occurring at the deformation with beta being nearly 0.3, between the proton orbits originating from the orbits Omega=1/2^-(h11/2) and 9/2^+(g9/2) at zero deformation. The latter of these two was an intruder orbit originating from below the energy gap at Z=50, rising higher in energy with the deformation and intruding the Z=50-82 shell. These two orbits have the largest magnitude of the quadrupole moment with a different sign among the orbits near and below the Fermi surface. Occupancy and non-occupancy of these orbits by protons thus affect B(E2:0_1^+ -> 2_1^+) significantly.

nucl-th