arXiv subjects

M. Thiel

Publications and source records attributed to M. Thiel.

105 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Study of the gamma p --> pi0 pi0 p reaction with the Crystal Ball/TAPS at the Mainz

The gamma p --> pi0 pi0 p reaction has been measured from threshold to 1.4 GeV using the Crystal Ball and TAPS photon spectrometers together with the photon tagging facility at the Mainz Microtron. The experimental results include total and differential cross sections as well as specific angular distributions, which were used to extract partial-wave amplitudes. In particular, the energy region below the D13(1520) resonance was studied.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2012

Coherent photoproduction of eta-mesons off 3He - search for eta-mesic nuclei

Coherent photoproduction of $η$-mesons off $^3$He, i.e. the reaction $γ^3{He}\rightarrow η^3{He}$, has been investigated in the near-threshold region. The experiment was performed at the Glasgow tagged photon facility of the Mainz MAMI accelerator with the combined Crystal Ball - TAPS detector. Angular distributions and the total cross section were measured using the $η\rightarrow γγ$ and $η\rightarrow 3π^0\rightarrow 6γ$ decay channels. The observed extremely sharp rise of the cross section at threshold and the behavior of the angular distributions are evidence for a strong $η{^3{He}}$ final state interaction, pointing to the existence of a resonant state. The search for further evidence of this state in the excitation function of $π^0$-proton back-to-back emission in the $γ^3{He}\rightarrow π^0 pX$ reaction revealed a very complicated structure of the background and could not support previous conclusions.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2011

Measurement of 3pi^0 photoproduction on the proton from threshold to 1.4 GeV

The total cross section for gamma p -> 3pi0 p has been measured for the first time from threshold to 1.4 GeV using the tagged photon beam of the Mainz Microtron. The equipment utilized the Crystal Ball multiphoton spectrometer, the TAPS forward detector and a particle identification detector. The gamma p -> 3pi0 p total cross section has two broad enhancements at sqrt{s}~1.5 GeV and 1.7 GeV. We obtained the ratio of the total cross sections gamma p -> 3pi0 p to gamma p -> eta p equal to 0.014 \pm 0.001 at sqrt{s}~1.5 GeV.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2010

Study of the gp-->etap reaction with the Crystal Ball detector at the Mainz Microtron(MAMI-C)

The gp-->etap reaction has been measured with the Crystal Ball and TAPS multiphoton spectrometers in the energy range from the production threshold of 707 MeV to 1.4 GeV (1.49 =< W >= 1.87 GeV). Bremsstrahlung photons produced by the 1.5-GeV electron beam of the Mainz Microtron MAMI-C and momentum analyzed by the Glasgow Tagging Spectrometer were used for the eta-meson production. Our accumulation of 3.8 x 10^6 gp-->etap-->3pi0p-->6gp events allows a detailed study of the reaction dynamics. The gp-->etap differential cross sections were determined for 120 energy bins and the full range of the production angles. Our data show a dip near W = 1680 MeV in the total cross section caused by a substantial dip in eta production at forward angles. The data are compared to predictions of previous SAID and MAID partial-wave analyses and to thelatest SAID and MAID fits that have included our data.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2010

First measurement of the circular beam asymmetry in the gamma p --> pi0 eta p reaction

The circular photon asymmetry for pi0 eta photoproduction on the proton was measured for the first time at the tagged photon facility of the MAMI C accelerator using the Crystal Ball/TAPS photon spectrometer. The experimental results are interpreted within a phenomenological isobar model that confirms the dominant role of the Delta(1700)D33 resonance. The measured asymmetry allows us to identify small contributions from positive-parity resonances via interference terms with the dominant D33 amplitude.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2010

The Fringe Detection Laser Metrology for the GRAVITY Interferometer at the VLTI

Interferometric measurements of optical path length differences of stars over large baselines can deliver extremely accurate astrometric data. The interferometer GRAVITY will simultaneously measure two objects in the field of view of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and determine their angular separation to a precision of 10 micro arcseconds in only 5 minutes. To perform the astrometric measurement with such a high accuracy, the differential path length through the VLTI and the instrument has to be measured (and tracked since Earth's rotation will permanently change it) by a laser metrology to an even higher level of accuracy (corresponding to 1 nm in 3 minutes). Usually, heterodyne differential path techniques are used for nanometer precision measurements, but with these methods it is difficult to track the full beam size and to follow the light path up to the primary mirror of the telescope. Here, we present the preliminary design of a differential path metrology system, developed within the GRAVITY project. It measures the instrumental differential path over the full pupil size and up to the entrance pupil location. The differential phase is measured by detecting the laser fringe pattern both on the telescopes' secondary mirrors as well as after reflection at the primary mirror. Based on our proposed design we evaluate the phase measurement accuracy based on a full budget of possible statistical and systematic errors. We show that this metrology design fulfills the high precision requirement of GRAVITY.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2010

GRAVITY: a four-telescope beam combiner instrument for the VLTI

GRAVITY is an adaptive optics assisted Beam Combiner for the second generation VLTI instrumentation. The instrument will provide high-precision narrow-angle astrometry and phase-referenced interferometric imaging in the astronomical K-band for faint objects. We describe the wide range of science that will be tackled with this instrument, highlighting the unique capabilities of the VLTI in combination with GRAVITY. The most prominent goal is to observe highly relativistic motions of matter close to the event horizon of Sgr A*, the massive black hole at center of the Milky Way. We present the preliminary design that fulfils the requirements that follow from the key science drivers: It includes an integrated optics, 4-telescope, dual feed beam combiner operated in a cryogenic vessel; near-infrared wavefrontsensing adaptive optics; fringe-tracking on secondary sources within the field of view of the VLTI and a novel metrology concept. Simulations show that 10 μas astrometry within few minutes is feasible for a source with a magnitude of mK = 15 like Sgr A*, given the availability of suitable phase reference sources (mK = 10). Using the same setup, imaging of mK = 18 stellar sources in the interferometric field of view is possible, assuming a full night of observations and the corresponding UV coverage of the VLTI.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2010

The Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) on the Herschel Space Observatory

The Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) is one of the three science instruments on ESA's far infrared and submillimetre observatory. It employs two Ge:Ga photoconductor arrays (stressed and unstressed) with 16x25 pixels, each, and two filled silicon bolometer arrays with 16x32 and 32x64 pixels, respectively, to perform integral-field spectroscopy and imaging photometry in the 60-210μ m wavelength regime. In photometry mode, it simultaneously images two bands, 60-85μ m or 85-125μ\m and 125-210μ m, over a field of view of ~1.75'x3.5', with close to Nyquist beam sampling in each band. In spectroscopy mode, it images a field of 47"x47", resolved into 5x5 pixels, with an instantaneous spectral coverage of ~1500km/s and a spectral resolution of ~175km/s. We summarise the design of the instrument, describe observing modes, calibration, and data analysis methods, and present our current assessment of the in-orbit performance of the instrument based on the Performance Verification tests. PACS is fully operational, and the achieved performance is close to or better than the pre-launch predictions.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2009

Photoproduction of pi^0 eta on protons and the Delta(1700)D_{33} resonance

Total and differential cross sections for the reaction gamma p -> pi^o eta p have been measured with the Crystal Ball/TAPS detector using the tagged photon facility at the MAMI C accelerator in Mainz. In the energy range E_gamma=0.95-1.4 GeV the reaction is dominated by the excitation and sequential decay of the Delta(1700)D33 resonance. Angular distributions measured with high statistics allow us to determine the ratio of hadronic decay widths Γ_{ηΔ}/Γ_{πS11} and the ratio of the helicity amplitudes A_{3/2}/A_{1/2} for this resonance.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2009

Measurement of the Slope Parameter $α$ for the $η\to 3π^0$ decay with the Crystal Ball detector at the Mainz Microtron (MAMI-C)

The dynamics of the $η\to 3π^0$ decay have been studied with the Crystal Ball multiphoton spectrometer and the TAPS calorimeter. Bremsstrahlung photons produced by the 1.5-GeV electron beam of the Mainz microtron MAMI-C and tagged by the Glasgow photon spectrometer were used for $η$-meson production. The analysis of $3 \times 10^6$ $γp \to ηp \to 3π^0 p \to 6γp$ events yields the value $α=-0.032\pm0.003$ for the $η\to 3π^0$ slope parameter, which agrees with the majority of recent experimental results and has the smallest uncertainty. The $π^0π^0$ invariant-mass spectrum was investigated for the occurrence of a cusplike structure in the vicinity of the $π^+π^-$ threshold. The observed effect is small and does not affect our measured value for the slope parameter.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2008

Network Mutual Information and Synchronization under Time Transformations

We investigate the effect of general time transformations on the phase synchronization (PS) phenomenon and the mutual information rate (MIR) between pairs of nodes in dynamical networks. We demonstrate two important results concerning the invariance of both PS and the MIR. Under time transformations PS can neither be introduced nor destroyed and the MIR cannot be raised from zero. On the other hand, for proper time transformations the timing between the cycles of the coupled oscillators can be largely improved. Finally, we discuss the relevance of our findings for communication in dynamical networks.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2008

GRAVITY: getting to the event horizon of Sgr A*

We present the second-generation VLTI instrument GRAVITY, which currently is in the preliminary design phase. GRAVITY is specifically designed to observe highly relativistic motions of matter close to the event horizon of Sgr A*, the massive black hole at center of the Milky Way. We have identified the key design features needed to achieve this goal and present the resulting instrument concept. It includes an integrated optics, 4-telescope, dual feed beam combiner operated in a cryogenic vessel; near infrared wavefront sensing adaptive optics; fringe tracking on secondary sources within the field of view of the VLTI and a novel metrology concept. Simulations show that the planned design matches the scientific needs; in particular that 10 microarcsecond astrometry is feasible for a source with a magnitude of K=15 like Sgr A*, given the availability of suitable phase reference sources.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Stability of Terrestrial Planets in the Habitable Zone of Gl 777 A, HD 72659, Gl 614, 47 Uma and HD 4208

We have undertaken a thorough dynamical investigation of five extrasolar planetary systems using extensive numerical experiments. The systems Gl 777 A, HD 72659, Gl 614, 47 Uma and HD 4208 were examined concerning the question of whether they could host terrestrial like planets in their habitable zones (=HZ). First we investigated the mean motion resonances between fictitious terrestrial planets and the existing gas giants in these five extrasolar systems. Then a fine grid of initial conditions for a potential terrestrial planet within the HZ was chosen for each system, from which the stability of orbits was then assessed by direct integrations over a time interval of 1 million years. The computations were carried out using a Lie-series integration method with an adaptive step size control. This integration method achieves machine precision accuracy in a highly efficient and robust way, requiring no special adjustments when the orbits have large eccentricities. The stability of orbits was examined with a determination of the Renyi entropy, estimated from recurrence plots, and with a more straight forward method based on the maximum eccentricity achieved by the planet over the 1 million year integration. Additionally, the eccentricity is an indication of the habitability of a terrestrial planet in the HZ; any value of e>0.2 produces a significant temperature difference on a planet's surface between apoapse and periapse. The results for possible stable orbits for terrestrial planets in habitable zones for the five systems are summarized as follows: for Gl 777 A nearly the entire HZ is stable, for 47 Uma, HD 72659 and HD 4208 terrestrial planets can survive for a sufficiently long time, while for Gl 614 our results exclude terrestrial planets moving in stable orbits within the HZ.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Analytical description of Recurrence Plots of white noise and chaotic processes

We present an analytical description of the distribution of diagonal lines in Recurrence Plots (RPs) for white noise and chaotic systems, and find that the latter one is linked to the correlation entropy. Further we identify two scaling regions in the distribution of diagonals for oscillatory chaotic systems that are hinged to two prediction horizons and to the geometry of the attractor. These scaling regions cannot be observed with the Grassberger-Procaccia algorithm. Finally, we propose methods to estimate dynamical invariants from RPs.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2002

Cross Recurrence Plot Based Synchronization of Time Series

The method of recurrence plots is extended to the cross recurrence plots (CRP), which among others enables the study of synchronization or time differences in two time series. This is emphasized in a distorted main diagonal in the cross recurrence plot, the line of synchronization (LOS). A non-parametrical fit of this LOS can be used to rescale the time axis of the two data series (whereby one of it is e.g. compressed or stretched) so that they are synchronized. An application of this method to geophysical sediment core data illustrates its suitability for real data. The rock magnetic data of two different sediment cores from the Makarov Basin can be adjusted to each other by using this method, so that they are comparable.

physics.geo-ph↗