arXiv subjects

Matthew van Adelsberg

Publications and source records attributed to Matthew van Adelsberg.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Effects of Model Misspecification on Bayesian Bandits: Case Studies in UX Optimization

Bayesian bandits using Thompson Sampling have seen increasing success in recent years. Yet existing value models (of rewards) are misspecified on many real-world problem. We demonstrate this on the User Experience Optimization (UXO) problem, providing a novel formulation as a restless, sleeping bandit with unobserved confounders plus optional stopping. Our case studies show how common misspecifications can lead to sub-optimal rewards, and we provide model extensions to address these, along with a scientific model building process practitioners can adopt or adapt to solve their own unique problems. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing the effects of overdispersion on bandit explore/exploit efficacy, tying the common notions of under- and over-confidence to over- and under-exploration, respectively. We also present the first model to exploit cointegration in a restless bandit, demonstrating that finite regret and fast and consistent optional stopping are possible by moving beyond simpler windowing, discounting, and drift models.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2013

XIPE: the X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer

X-ray polarimetry, sometimes alone, and sometimes coupled to spectral and temporal variability measurements and to imaging, allows a wealth of physical phenomena in astrophysics to be studied. X-ray polarimetry investigates the acceleration process, for example, including those typical of magnetic reconnection in solar flares, but also emission in the strong magnetic fields of neutron stars and white dwarfs. It detects scattering in asymmetric structures such as accretion disks and columns, and in the so-called molecular torus and ionization cones. In addition, it allows fundamental physics in regimes of gravity and of magnetic field intensity not accessible to experiments on the Earth to be probed. Finally, models that describe fundamental interactions (e.g. quantum gravity and the extension of the Standard Model) can be tested. We describe in this paper the X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer (XIPE), proposed in June 2012 to the first ESA call for a small mission with a launch in 2017 but not selected. XIPE is composed of two out of the three existing JET-X telescopes with two Gas Pixel Detectors (GPD) filled with a He-DME mixture at their focus and two additional GPDs filled with pressurized Ar-DME facing the sun. The Minimum Detectable Polarization is 14 % at 1 mCrab in 10E5 s (2-10 keV) and 0.6 % for an X10 class flare. The Half Energy Width, measured at PANTER X-ray test facility (MPE, Germany) with JET-X optics is 24 arcsec. XIPE takes advantage of a low-earth equatorial orbit with Malindi as down-link station and of a Mission Operation Center (MOC) at INPE (Brazil).

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Time Dependent Radiative Transfer for Multi-Level Atoms using Accelerated Lambda Iteration

We present a general formalism for computing self-consistent, numerical solutions to the time-dependent radiative transfer equation in low velocity, multi-level ions undergoing radiative interactions. Recent studies of time-dependent radiative transfer have focused on radiation hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic effects without lines, or have solved time-independent equations for the radiation field simultaneously with time-dependent equations for the state of the medium. In this paper, we provide a fully time-dependent numerical solution to the radiative transfer and atomic rate equations for a medium irradiated by an external source of photons. We use Accelerated Lambda Iteration to achieve convergence of the radiation field and atomic states. We perform calculations for a three-level atomic model that illustrates important time-dependent effects. We demonstrate that our method provides an efficient, accurate solution to the time-dependent radiative transfer problem. Finally, we characterize astrophysical scenarios in which we expect our solutions to be important.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Signatures of photon-axion conversion in the thermal spectra and polarization of neutron stars

Conversion of photons into axions under the presence of a strong magnetic field can dim the radiation from magnetized astrophysical objects. Here we perform a detailed calculation aimed at quantifying the signatures of photon-axion conversion in the spectra, light curves, and polarization of neutron stars (NSs). We take into account the energy and angle-dependence of the conversion probability and the surface thermal emission from NSs. The latter is computed from magnetized atmosphere models that include the effect of photon polarization mode conversion due to vacuum polarization. The resulting spectral models, inclusive of the general-relativistic effects of gravitational redshift and light deflection, allow us to make realistic predictions for the effects of photon to axion conversion on observed NS spectra, light curves, and polarization signals. We identify unique signatures of the conversion, such as an increase of the effective area of a hot spot as it rotates away from the observer line of sight. For a star emitting from the entire surface, the conversion produces apparent radii that are either larger or smaller (depending on axion mass and coupling strength) than the limits set by NS equations of state. For an emission region that is observed phase-on, photon-axion conversion results in an inversion of the plane of polarization with respect to the no-conversion case. While the quantitative details of the features that we identify depend on NS properties (magnetic field strength, temperature) and axion parameters, the spectral and polarization signatures induced by photon-axion conversion are distinctive enough to make NSs very interesting and promising probes of axion physics.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

Polarized X-rays from Magnetized Neutron Stars

We review the polarization properties of X-ray emission from highly magnetized neutron stars, focusing on emission from the stellar surfaces. We discuss how x-ray polarization can be used to constrain neutron star magnetic field and emission geometry, and to probe strong-field quantum electrodynamics and possibly constrain the properties of axions.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

Soft X-ray Polarization in Thermal Magnetar Emission

Emission spectra from magnetars in the soft X-ray band likely contain a thermal component emerging directly from the neutron star surface. However, the lack of observed absorption-like features in quiescent spectra makes it difficult to directly constrain physical properties of the atmosphere. We argue that future X-ray polarization measurements represent a promising technique for directly constraining the magnetar magnetic field strength and geometry. We construct models of the observed polarization signal from a finite surface hotspot, using the latest NS atmosphere models for magnetic fields B = 4 x 10^13--5 x 10^14 G. Our calculations are strongly dependent on the NS magnetic field strength and geometry, and are more weakly dependent on the NS equation of state and atmosphere composition. We discuss how the complementary dependencies of phase-resolved spectroscopy and polarimetry might resolve degeneracies that currently hamper the determination of magnetar physical parameters using thermal models.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2008

Spatial Structure and Collisionless Electron Heating in Balmer-dominated Shocks

Balmer-dominated shocks in supernova remnants (SNRs) produce strong hydrogen lines with a two-component profile composed of a narrow contribution from cold upstream hydrogen atoms, and a broad contribution from hydrogen atoms that have undergone charge transfer reactions with hot protons. Observations of emission lines from edge-wise shocks in SNRs can constrain the gas velocity and collisionless electron heating at the shock front. Downstream hydrogen atoms engage in charge transfer, excitation and ionization reactions, defining an interaction region called the shock transition zone. The properties of hot hydrogen atoms produced by charge transfers (called broad neutrals) are critical for accurately calculating the structure and radiation from the shock transition zone. This paper is the third in a series describing the kinetic, fluid and emission properties of Balmer-dominated shocks, and is the first to properly treat the effect of broad neutral kinetics on shock transition zone structure. We use our models to extract shock parameters from observations of Balmer-dominated SNRs. We find that inferred shock velocities and electron temperatures are lower than those of previous calculations by <10% for v_s<1500 km/s, and by 10-30% for v_s>1500 km/s. This effect is primarily due to the fact that excitation by proton collisions and charge transfer to excited levels favor the high speed part of the neutral hydrogen velocity distribution. Our results have a strong dependence on the ratio of electron to proton temperatures, β=T_e/T_p, which allows us to construct a relation β(v_s) between the temperature ratio and shock velocity. We compare our calculations to previous results by Ghavamian et al. (2007).

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

The Transition Zone in Balmer-Dominated Shocks

We examine the structure of the post-shock region in supernova remnants (SNRs). The ``shock transition zone'' is set up by charge transfer and ionization events between atoms and ions, and has a width $\sim 10^{15}$ cm$^{-2}$ $n^{-1}_0$, where $n_0$ is the total pre-shock density (including both atoms and ions). For Balmer-dominated SNRs with shock velocity $v_s \gtrsim 1000$ km s$^{-1}$, the Rankine-Hugoniot conditions for ion velocity and temperature are obeyed instantly, leaving the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the broad H$α$ line versus $v_s$ relation intact. However, the spatial variation in the post-shock densities is relevant to the problem of Ly$α$ resonant scattering in young, core-collapse SNRs. Both two- (pre-shock atoms and ions) and three-component (pre-shock atoms, broad neutrals and ions) models are considered. We compute the spatial emissivities of the broad ($ξ_b$) and narrow ($ξ_n$) H$α$ lines; a calculation of these emissivities in SN 1006 is in general agreement with the computed ones of Raymond et al. (2007). The (dimensionless) spatial shift, $Θ_{\rm{shift}}$, between the centroids of $ξ_b$ and $ξ_n$ is unique for a given shock velocity and $f_{\rm{ion}}$, the pre-shock ion fraction. Measurements of $Θ_{\rm{shift}}$ can be used to constrain $n_0$.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Magnetic Hydrogen Atmosphere Models and the Neutron Star RX J1856.5-3754

RX J1856.5-3754 is one of the brightest nearby isolated neutron stars, and considerable observational resources have been devoted to it. However, current models are unable to satisfactorily explain the data. We show that our latest models of a thin, magnetic, partially ionized hydrogen atmosphere on top of a condensed surface can fit the entire spectrum, from X-rays to optical, of RX J1856.5-3754, within the uncertainties. In our simplest model, the best-fit parameters are an interstellar column density N_H \approx 1x10^20 cm^-2 and an emitting area with R^infty \approx 17 km (assuming a distance to RX J1856.5-3754 of 140 pc), temperature T^infty \approx 4.3x10^5 K, gravitational redshift z_g \sim 0.22, atmospheric hydrogen column y_H \approx 1 g cm^-2, and magnetic field B \approx (3-4)x10^12 G; the values for the temperature and magnetic field indicate an effective average over the surface. We also calculate a more realistic model, which accounts for magnetic field and temperature variations over the neutron star surface as well as general relativistic effects, to determine pulsations; we find there exist viewing geometries that produce pulsations near the currently observed limits. The origin of the thin atmospheres required to fit the data is an important question, and we briefly discuss mechanisms for producing these atmospheres. Our model thus represents the most self-consistent picture to date for explaining all the observations of RX J1856.5-3754.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Atmosphere Models of Magnetized Neutron Stars: QED Effects, Radiation Spectra, and Polarization Signals

Theoretical modeling of surface emission from magnetized neutron stars (NSs) requires proper treatment of QED effects, in particular the effect of photon mode conversion due to the ``vacuum resonance'' between plasma and vacuum polarization. Previous NS atmosphere models incorporated this effect approximately, using transfer equations for the photon modes which are inadequate near the vacuum resonance, particularly for field strengths around $B_l\simeq 7\times 10^{13}$ G, where the vacuum resonance occurs near the photosphere. In this paper, we provide an accurate treatment of the QED-induced mode conversion effect in NS atmosphere models, employing both the modal radiative transfer equations, coupled with an accurate mode conversion probability at the resonance, and the full evolution equations for the photon Stokes parameters. In doing so, we are able to quantitatively calculate the effects of vacuum polarization on the atmosphere emission spectra, beam patterns, and polarizations for the entire range of field strengths, $B=10^{12}-10^{15}$ G. We find that for NSs with $B\ga 2 B_l$, vacuum polarization reduces the widths of spectral features, and softens the hard spectral tail typical of magnetized atmosphere models. For $B\la B_l/2$, vacuum polarization does not change the emission spectra, but can significantly affect the polarization signals. We show that vacuum polarization induces a unique energy-dependent linear polarization signature, and that circular polarization can be generated in the magnetospheres of rapidly rotating NSs. We discuss the implications of our results for recent observations of thermally emitting isolated NSs and magnetars, as well as the prospects for future spectral and polarization observations.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Radiation from condensed surface of magnetic neutron stars

Recent observations show that the thermal X-ray spectra of many isolated neutron stars are featureless and in some cases (e.g., RX J1856.5-3754) well fit by a blackbody. Such a perfect blackbody spectrum is puzzling since radiative transport through typical neutron star atmospheres causes noticeable deviation from blackbody. Previous studies have shown that in a strong magnetic field, the outermost layer of the neutron star may be in a condensed solid or liquid form because of the greatly enhanced cohesive energy of the condensed matter. The critical temperature of condensation increases with the magnetic field strength, and can be as high as 10^6 K (for Fe surface at B \sim 10^{13} G or H surface at B \sim a few times 10^{14} G). Thus the thermal radiation can directly emerge from the degenerate metallic condensed surface, without going through a gaseous atmosphere. Here we calculate the emission properties (spectrum and polarization) of the condensed Fe and H surfaces of magnetic neutron stars in the regimes where such condensation may be possible. For a smooth condensed surface, the overall emission is reduced from the blackbody by less than a factor of 2. The spectrum exhibits modest deviation from blackbody across a wide energy range, and shows mild absorption features associated with the ion cyclotron frequency and the electron plasma frequency in the condensed matter. The roughness of the solid condensate (in the Fe case) tends to decrease the reflectivity of the surface, and make the emission spectrum even closer to blackbody. We discuss the implications of our results for observations of dim, isolated neutron stars and magnetars.

astro-ph↗