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At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

The Absolute, Relative and Multi-Wavelength Calibration of the Pierre Auger Observatory Fluorescence Detectors

Absolute calibration of the Pierre Auger Observatory fluorescence detectors uses a 375 nm light source at the telescope aperture. This end-to-end technique accounts for the combined effects of all detector components in a single measurement. The relative response has been measured at wavelengths of 320, 337, 355, 380 and 405 nm, defining a spectral response curve which has been normalized to the absolute calibration. Before and after each night of data taking a relative calibration of the phototubes is performed. This relative calibration is used to track both short and long term changes in the detector's response. A cross check of the calibration in some phototubes is performed using an independent laser technique. Overall uncertainties, current results and future plans are discussed.

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Isotopic composition of cosmic-ray sources

We use the GALPROP code and the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) data to derive the cosmic ray (CR) isotopic composition at the sources. The composition is derived for two propagation models, diffusive reacceleration and plain diffusion. We show that the compositions derived assuming these two propagation models are different. We also compare the isotopic composition at the sources with the latest solar composition.

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The SN 1987A Link to Others and Gamma-Ray Bursts

Early measurements of SN 1987A can be interpreted in light of a beam/jet (BJ), with a collimation factor >10,000, which impacted polar ejecta (PE) to produce the "Mystery Spot" (MS), ~24 lt-d away. Other details of SN 1987A suggest that it came from a merger of 2 stellar cores of a common envelope (CE) binary, i.e. a "double degenerate" (DD) SN. Even having to penetrate the CE, the BJ may have caused a long-soft (l)GRB upon hitting the PE, thus DD can produce lGRBs. Because DD must be the dominant merger/SN mechanism in elliptical galaxies (EGs), where only short, hard GRBs (sGRBs) have been observed, DD without CE or PE must also produce sGRBs, and thus NS-NS mergers may not make GRBs as we know them, and/or be as common as previously thought. Millisecond pulsars (MSPs) in the non-core-collapsed globular clusters are also 99% DD-formed from WD-WD merger, consistent with their 2.10 ms minimum spin period, the 2.14 ms signal seen from SN 1987A, and sGRBs offset from the centers of EGs. The details of Ia's suggest that these are also DD, and the total thermonuclear disruption paradigm is now in serious doubt as well, a cause for concern in Ia Cosmology, because Ia's will appear to be Ic's when viewed from their DD merger poles, given sufficient matter above that lost to core-collapse. As a DD SN, 1987A appears to be the Rosetta Stone for 99% of SNe, GRBs and MSPs, including all recent nearby SNe except SN 1986J, and the more distant SN 2006gy. There is no need to invent exotica, such as "collapsars," to account for GRBs.

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Possible evidence of a ground level enhancement of muons in association with a SWIFT Trigger

Starting from April 2007, a search for solar daily variation of the muon intensity ($E_μ>0.2$ GeV) at sea level and using two directional muon telescopes is in progress. In this survey, several ground level enhancements (GLEs) on the muon counting rate background have been found. Here, we highlight one of them, observed in the vertical telescope on 07 August 2007 for the following reasons: The GLE consists of a single narrow peak, with a statistical significance of 4.4$σ$. The GLE is in temporal coincidence with a SWIFT trigger $N^0287222$, at 21:16:05 UT according to the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) on board of the SWIFT spacecraft. However, the Swift StarTracker had lost stellar lock minutes before that and the resulting improper s/c attitude information caused BAT to "trigger" on a known source. Even so, the SWIFT trigger coordinates are inside the effective field of view of the vertical Tupi muon telescope. The temporal and directional coincidences between this GLE and the SWIFT satellite unknown event strongly suggest that they may be physically associated. Details and implications of this possible association are reported in this work.

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Photoabsorption in a plasma in a high magnetic field

Photo-absorption in fully ionized plasmas in high magnetic fields is re-examined, using the methods of many-body quantum field theory. For frequencies in the immediate vicinity of the electron cyclotron resonance the rates we obtain disagree markedly from those in the literature. The new element in our work that causes most of the disagreement is the inclusion of the lowest order real part of the energy-shift of the resonant state, where, in effect, previous authors had included only the imaginary part. In a region around and below the proton cyclotron resonance our results also disagree with those of previous authors, for a number of reasons.

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Bulk viscosity and deflationary universes

We analyze the conditions that make possible the description of entropy generation in the new inflationary model by means of a nearequilibrium process. We show that there are situations in which the bulk viscosity cannot describe particle production during the coherent field oscillations phase.

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Chandra X-Ray Observation of the Globular Cluster GLIMPSE-C01

We have observed the recently discovered rich star cluster GLIMPSE-C01 for 46 ks with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Seventeen X-ray sources with luminosities greater than 0.6e31 ergs/s were discovered, one of which is likely a quiescent low-mass X-ray binary. The spatial distribution of these X-ray sources with respect to the NIR and IR images of the cluster, combined with the luminosity and spectral hardness distributions of the sources, provide strong evidence that GLIMPSE-C01 is a rich Galactic globular cluster.

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Why Tau First?

Electron neutrino has been the first neutral lepton to be foreseen and discovered last century. The un-ordered muon and its neutrino arose later by cosmic rays. The tau discover, the heaviest, the most unstable charged lepton, was found surprisingly on 1975. Its neutrino was hardly revealed just on 2000. So why High Energy Neutrino Astronomy should rise first via tau neutrino, the last, the most rare one? The reasons are based on a chain of three favorable coincidences found last decade: the neutrino masses and their flavor mixing, the UHECR opacity on Cosmic Black Body (GZK cut off on BBR), the amplified tau air-shower decaying in flight. Indeed guaranteed UHE GZK tau neutrinos, feed by muon mixing, while skimming the Earth might lead to boosted UHE tau, mostly horizontal ones. These UHE lepton decay in flight are spread, amplified, noise free Air-Shower: a huge event for an unique particle. To be observed soon: within Auger sky, in present decade. Its discover may sign of the first tau appearance.

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Testing the evolution of the DB white dwarf GD 358: First results of a new approach using asteroseismology

We present a new method that investigates the evolutionary history of the pulsating DB white dwarf GD358 using asteroseismology. This is done considering the internal C/O profile, which describes the relative abundances of carbon and oxygen from the core of the star to its surface. Different evolutionary channels lead to the generation of different C/O profiles, and these affect the pulsation periods. We used C/O profiles associated with white dwarfs that evolved through binary evolution channels where the progenitor experienced one or two episodes of mass loss during one or two common envelope (CE) phases, and two profiles from single star evolution. We computed models using these different profiles and used a genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize the search in the parameter space in order to find the best-fit to the observed pulsation periods. We used three-parameter models, adjusting the stellar mass, the effective temperature, and the helium mass of the external layer. Our results suggest that binary evolution profiles may provide a better match to the pulsation periods of GD 358. The best-fit to the observations is obtained using a profile related to an evolutionary history where two episodes of mass loss happen during two CE phases. The best-fit model has a mass close to the mean mass for DB white dwarfs found in various works, and a temperature consistent with UV spectra obtained with the IUE satellite.

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Low Luminosity Radio Loud Active Galactic Nuclei

I review observational properties of low power radio loud AGN. High resolution VLBI observations allow the estimate of the jet velocity and orientation with respect to the line of sight and the determination of the Doppler factor. These data reveal rich structures, including two-sided jets and secondary components. New results on 1144+35, a giant radio source with superluminal motion are shown in detail.

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Gravitational waves from black-hole mergers

Coalescing black-hole binaries are expected to be the strongest sources of gravitational waves for ground-based interferometers as well as the space-based interferometer LISA. Recent progress in numerical relativity now makes it possible to calculate the waveforms from the strong-field dynamical merger and is revolutionizing our understanding of these systems. We review these dramatic developments, emphasizing applications to issues in gravitational wave observations. These new capabilities also make possible accurate calculations of the recoil or kick imparted to the final remnant black hole when the merging components have unequal masses, or unequal or unaligned spins. We highlight recent work in this area, focusing on results of interest to astrophysics.

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Blazar microvariability at hard X-rays

Blazars are known to display strong and erratic variability at almost all the wavelengths of electromagnetic spectrum. Presently, variability studies at high-energies (hard X-rays, gamma-rays) are hampered by low sensitivity of the instruments. Nevertheless, the latest generation of satellites (INTEGRAL, Swift) have given suggestions not yet fully confirmed of variability on intraday timescales. Some specific cases recently observed are presented and physical implications are discussed (e.g. NRAO 530). The contribution that SIMBOL-X could give in this research topic is also outlined.

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Boiling of nuclear liquid in core-collapse supernova explosions

We investigate the possibility of boiling instability of nuclear liquid in the inner core of the proto-neutron star formed in the core collapse of a type II supernova. We derive a simple criterion for boiling to occur. Using this criterion for one of best described equations of state of supernova matter, we find that boiling is quite possible under the conditions realized inside the proto-neutron star. We discuss consequences of this process such as the increase of heat transfer rate and pressure in the boiling region. We expect that taking this effect into account in the conventional neutrino-driven delayed-shock mechanism of type II supernova explosions can increase the explosion energy and reduce the mass of the neutron-star remnant.

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Towards the First Galaxies

The formation of the first galaxies at redshifts z~10-15 signaled the transition from the simple initial state of the universe to one of ever increasing complexity. We here review recent progress in understanding their assembly process with numerical simulations, starting with cosmological initial conditions and modelling the detailed physics of star formation. In particular, we study the role of HD cooling in ionized primordial gas, the impact of UV radiation produced by the first stars, and the propagation of the supernova blast waves triggered at the end of their brief lives. We conclude by discussing promising observational diagnostics that will allow us to probe the properties of the first galaxies, such as their contribution to reionization and the chemical abundance pattern observed in extremely low-metallicity stars.

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Constraining Dark Matter hypothesis through Diffuse Source observations with the GLAST-LAT detector

The Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), scheduled to be launched in Fall 2007, is a next generation high energy gamma-ray observatory. The Large Area Telescope (LAT) instrument on-board GLAST with a wide field of view ($>$ 2 sr), large effective area and 20 MeV to $>$300 GeV energy range, will provide excellent opportunity for future Dark Matter studies. We present an overview of the GLAST Dark Matter and New Physics Working Group efforts in the study of the LAT capability to detect a gamma-ray flux coming from WIMP pair annihilations in diffuse astrophysical sources. Particular attention will be given to extragalactic diffuse gamma-ray radiation and line searches from annihilation into gamma-gamma and/or gamma-Z final states.

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X-rays profiles in symmetric and asymmetric supernova remnants

The non-thermal X-rays from the SN 1006 NE rim present characteristic scale lengths that are interpreted in the context of diffusion of a relativistic electron. The adopted theoretical framework is the mathematical diffusion in 3D, 1D and 1D with drift as well as the Monte Carlo random walk in 1D with drift. The asymmetric random walk with diffusion from a plane can explain the scale widths of 0.04 pc upstream and 0.2 pc downstream in the non thermal intensity of X-ray emission in SN 1006. A mathematical image of the non thermal X-flux from an supernova remnant as well as profiles function of the distance from the center can be simulated. This model provides a reasonable description of both the limbs and the central region of SN 1006. A new method to deduce the magnetic field in supernova remnant is suggested.

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