WorldWideScience

Sample records for variable x-ray emission

  1. X-ray emission and the winds of cataclysmic variables

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cordova, F.A.

    1985-01-01

    X-ray and ultraviolet observations of cataclysmic variable stars reveal a variety of exotic behavior - pulsations, winds, and episodic outbursts - are these related, what do they tell us about the nature of the outburst, about the environment of the accreting white dwarf. The author summarizes the observed changes in the x-ray and uv continuum and spectral features through the outbursts of the dwarf novae. The author then discusses how the modeling of these data have refined our ideas about the location and nature of the emissions, and the source of the outbursts. The author shows how comparisons of the x-ray and uv properties of cataclysmic variables with similar phenomena in other astronomical systems - the solar corona, OB stars, and Be stars - suggest ways in which the x-ray and uv emissions in CVs may be related, and point to further, specific observations that would elucidate our understanding of the behavior and role of the white dwarf in the outburst. 26 references

  2. Exploring the Hard and Soft X-ray Emission of Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Martino, D.; Anzolin, G.; Bonnet-Bidaud, J.-M.; Falanga, M.; Matt, G.; Mouchet, M.; Mukai, K.; Masetti, N.

    2009-05-01

    A non-negligible fraction of galactic hard (>20 keV) X-ray sources were identified as CVs of the magnetic Intermediate Polar type in INTEGRAL, SWIFT and RXTE surveys, that suggests a still hidden but potentially important population of faint hard X-ray sources. Simbol-X has the unique potential to simultaneously characterize their variable and complex soft and hard X-ray emission thus allowing to understand their putative role in galactic populations of X-ray sources.

  3. Variability of X-ray emission from OB stars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Collura, A.; Sciortino, S.; Serio, S.; Vaiana, G. S.; Harnden, F.R. JR.; Osservatorio Astronomico, Palermo, Italy; Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA)

    1989-01-01

    The variability in soft X-ray emission of 12 OB stars is studied. Two different methods of analysis, one more suitable for detecting short-term variations, the other aimed at detecting long time-scale variations, are applied to all stars in the sample. The long-term variability analysis shows that Cyg-OB2 8A Zeta Pup and Delta Ori exhibit significant count rate variations between different data sections. Similar variations are marginally detected in 15 Mon; the count rate variations for the other eight stars are consistent with statistical fluctuations. The light curve of Cyg-OB2 8A suggests the existence of two different emission levels. The short-term variability analysis detects marginal variability in Tau Sco with an effective amplitude of about 30 percent and a time scale of about 50 s. The upper limits to the effective short-term variability amplitude for all other sample stars are in the 10-30 percent range. 30 refs

  4. High-Resolution X-ray Emission and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Groot, F.M.F. de

    2000-01-01

    In this review, high-resolution X-ray emission and X-ray absorption spectroscopy will be discussed. The focus is on the 3d transition-metal systems. To understand high-resolution X-ray emission and reso-nant X-ray emission, it is first necessary to spend some time discussing the X-ray absorption

  5. X-ray/UV variability and the origin of soft X-ray excess emission from II Zw 177

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pal, Main

    We study a detailed broad-band X-ray/UV emission from the narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxy II Zw 177 based on two XMM-Newton and single Swift/XRT observations. Both XMM-Newton observations show the soft X-ray excess emission below 2 keV when the best-fit 2 - 10 keV power law is extrapolated down to 0.3 keV. We find the blurred reflection from an ionized accretion disc and Comptonized disc emission both describe the observed soft excess well. We find a remarkable trend of decreasing UV flux with increasing soft X-ray excess and power law emission. We suggest that this could be due to that the external edge of corona hide a fraction of accretion disk. Co-Author: Prof. Gulab C. Dewangan (IUCAA), Prof. Ranjeev Misra (IUCAA), Pramod Kumar (Nanded university)

  6. Correlated X-ray/UV/optical emission and short-term variability in a Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4593

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pal, Main; Naik, Sachindra

    2018-03-01

    We present a detailed multifrequency analysis of an intense monitoring programme of Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4593 over a duration of nearly for a month with Swift observatory. We used 185 pointings to study the variability in six ultraviolet/optical and two soft (0.3-1.5 keV) and hard X-ray (1.5-10 keV) bands. The amplitude of the observed variability is found to decrease from high energy to low energy (X-ray to optical) bands. Count-count plots of ultraviolet/optical bands with hard X-rays clearly suggest the presence of a mixture of two major components: (i) highly variable component such as hard X-ray emission, and (ii) slowly varying disc-like component. The variations observed in the ultraviolet/optical emission are strongly correlated with the hard X-ray band. Cross-correlation analysis provides the lags for the longer wavelengths compared to the hard X-rays. Such lags clearly suggest that the changes in the ultraviolet/optical bands follow the variations in the hard X-ray band. This implies that the observed variation in longer wavelengths is due to X-ray reprocessing. Though, the measured lag spectrum (lag versus wavelength) is well described by λ4/3 as expected from the standard disc model, the observed lags are found to be longer than the predicted values from standard disc model. This implies that the actual size of the disc of NGC 4593 is larger than the estimated size of standard thin disc as reported in active galactic nuclei such as NGC 5548 and Fairall 9.

  7. Complex UV/X-ray variability of 1H 0707-495

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pawar, P. K.; Dewangan, G. C.; Papadakis, I. E.; Patil, M. K.; Pal, Main; Kembhavi, A. K.

    2017-12-01

    We study the relationship between the UV and X-ray variability of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0707-495. Using a year-long Swift monitoring and four long XMM-Newton observations, we perform cross-correlation analyses of the UV and X-ray light curves, on both long and short time-scales. We also perform time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy on 1-2 ks scale, and study the relationship between the UV emission and the X-ray spectral components - soft X-ray excess and a power law. We find that the UV and X-ray variations anticorrelate on short, and possibly on long time-scales as well. Our results rule out reprocessing as the dominant mechanism for the UV variability, as well as the inward propagating fluctuations in the accretion rate. Absence of a positive correlation between the photon index and the UV flux suggests that the observed UV emission is unlikely to be the seed photons for the thermal Comptonization. We find a strong correlation between the continuum flux and the soft-excess temperature which implies that the soft excess is most likely the reprocessed X-ray emission in the inner accretion disc. Strong X-ray heating of the innermost regions in the disc, due to gravitational light bending, appears to be an important effect in 1H 0707-495, giving rise to a significant fraction of the soft excess as reprocessed thermal emission. We also find indications for a non-static, dynamic X-ray corona, where either the size or height (or both) vary with time.

  8. X-ray emission spectroscopy. X-ray fluorescence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Despujols, J.

    1992-01-01

    Principles of X-ray emission spectrometry are first recalled, then wave-length dispersive and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer are described. They are essentially designed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of elements (Z>10). Sample preparation, calibration, corrections, interferences, accuracy are reviewed. Examples of use in different industries are given. (71 refs.)

  9. X-ray Emission from Solar Flares

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2016-01-27

    Jan 27, 2016 ... Solar flares; X-ray detectors; X-ray line emission and continuum; break energy; microflares. Abstract. Solar X-ray Spectrometer (SOXS), the first space-borne solar astronomy experiment of India was designed to improve our current understanding of X-ray emission from the Sun in general and solar flares in ...

  10. Starspot variability as an X-ray radiation proxy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arkhypov, Oleksiy V.; Khodachenko, Maxim L.; Lammer, Helmut; Güdel, Manuel; Lüftinger, Teresa; Johnstone, Colin P.

    2018-05-01

    Stellar X-ray emission plays an important role in the study of exoplanets as a proxy for stellar winds and as a basis for the prediction of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) flux, unavailable for direct measurements, which in their turn are important factors for the mass-loss of planetary atmospheres. Unfortunately, the detection thresholds limit the number of stars with the directly measured X-ray fluxes. At the same time, the known connection between the sunspots and X-ray sources allows using of the starspot variability as an accessible proxy for the stellar X-ray emission. To realize this approach, we analysed the light curves of 1729 main-sequence stars with rotation periods 0.5 X-ray to bolometric luminosity ratio Rx. As a result, the regressions for stellar X-ray luminosity Lx(P, Teff) and its related EUV analogue LEUV were obtained for the main-sequence stars. It was shown that these regressions allow prediction of average (over the considered stars) values of log (Lx) and log (LEUV) with typical errors of 0.26 and 0.22 dex, respectively. This, however, does not include the activity variations in particular stars related to their individual magnetic activity cycles.

  11. Interpretation of the X-ray variability of type 1 Seyfert galaxy nuclei and quasars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zentsova, A.S.

    1985-01-01

    The hypothesis is analyzed that the X-ray variability of type 1 Seyfert galaxies ad quasars causes the absorption of the central object X radiation by emission clouds. It is shown that this hypothesis can explain the characteristic time scale of the X-ray variability and its amplitude. It is indicated that systematic X-ray observations of Seyfert galaxies and quasars for the investigation of the physical conditions in the emission clouds are important

  12. X-Ray and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Dim X-Ray Point Sources Constituting the Galactic Ridge X-Ray Emission

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kumiko Morihana

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available We present the results of X-ray and Near-Infrared observations of the Galactic Ridge X-ray Emission (GRXE. We extracted 2,002 X-ray point sources in the Chandra Bulge Field (l =0°.113, b = 1°.424 down to ~10-14.8 ergscm-2s-1 in 2-8 keV band with the longest observation (900 ks of the GRXE. Based on X-ray brightness and hardness, we classied the X-ray point sources into three groups: A (hard, B (soft and broad spectrum, and C (soft and peaked spectrum. In order to know populations of the X-ray point sources, we carried out NIR imaging and spectroscopy observation. We identied 11% of X-ray point sources with NIR and extracted NIR spectra for some of them. Based on X-ray and NIR properties, we concluded that non-thermal sources in the group A are mostly active galactic nuclei and the thermal sources are mostly white dwarf binaries such as cataclysmic variables (CVs and Pre-CVs. We concluded that the group B and C sources are X-ray active stars in flare and quiescence, respectively.

  13. X-Ray Emission Properties of Supernova Remnants

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vink, J.; Alsabti, A.W.; Murdin, P.

    2016-01-01

    X-ray emission from supernova remnants can be broadly divided into thermal X-ray emission from the shock-heated plasmas and in nonthermal (synchrotron) emission caused by very high-energy (10–100 TeV) electrons moving in the magnetic fields of the hot plasmas. The thermal X-ray emission of young

  14. X-ray emission from comets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dennerl, Konrad

    1999-01-01

    When comet Hyakutake (C/1996 B2) encountered Earth in March 1996 at a minimum distance of only 15 million kilometers (40 times the distance of the moon), x-ray and extreme ultraviolet emission was discovered for the first time from a comet. The observations were performed with the astronomy satellites ROSAT and EUVE. A systematic search for x-rays from comets in archival data, obtained during the ROSAT all-sky survey in 1990/91, resulted in the discovery of x-ray emission from four additional comets. They were detected at seven occasions in total, when they were optically 300 to 30 000 times fainter than Hyakutake. These findings indicated that comets represent a new class of celestial x-ray sources. Subsequent detections of x-ray emission from additional comets with the satellites ROSAT, EUVE, and BeppoSAX confirmed this conclusion. The x-ray observations have obviously revealed the presence of a process in comets which had escaped attention until recently. This process is most likely charge exchange between highly charged heavy ions in the solar wind and cometary neutrals. The solar wind, a stream of particles continuously emitted from the sun with ≅ 400 km s -1 , consists predominantly of protons, electrons, and alpha particles, but contains also a small fraction (≅0.1%) of highly charged heavier ions, such as C 6+ ,O 6+ ,Ne 8+ ,Si 9+ ,Fe 11+ . When these ions capture electrons from the cometary gas, they attain highly excited states and radiate a large fraction of their excitation energy in the extreme ultraviolet and x-ray part of the spectrum. Charge exchange reproduces the intensity, the morphology and the spectrum of the observed x-ray emission from comets very well

  15. NuSTAR detection of high-energy X-ray emission and rapid variability from Sagittarius A{sup *} flares

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barrière, Nicolas M.; Tomsick, John A.; Boggs, Steven E.; Craig, William W.; Zoglauer, Andreas [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Baganoff, Frederick K. [Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 (United States); Christensen, Finn E. [DTU Space, National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Elektrovej 327, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark); Dexter, Jason [Departments of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Grefenstette, Brian; Harrison, Fiona A.; Madsen, Kristin K. [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Hailey, Charles J.; Mori, Kaya; Zhang, Shuo [Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Stern, Daniel [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Zhang, William W. [X-ray Astrophysics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

    2014-05-01

    Sagittarius A{sup *} harbors the supermassive black hole that lies at the dynamical center of our Galaxy. Sagittarius A{sup *} spends most of its time in a low luminosity emission state but flares frequently in the infrared and X-ray, increasing up to a few hundred fold in brightness for up to a few hours at a time. The physical processes giving rise to the X-ray flares are uncertain. Here we report the detection with the NuSTAR observatory in Summer and Fall 2012 of four low to medium amplitude X-ray flares to energies up to 79 keV. For the first time, we clearly see that the power-law spectrum of Sagittarius A{sup *} X-ray flares extends to high energy, with no evidence for a cutoff. Although the photon index of the absorbed power-law fits are in agreement with past observations, we find a difference between the photon index of two of the flares (significant at the 95% confidence level). The spectra of the two brightest flares (∼55 times quiescence in the 2-10 keV band) are compared to simple physical models in an attempt to identify the main X-ray emission mechanism, but the data do not allow us to significantly discriminate between them. However, we confirm the previous finding that the parameters obtained with synchrotron models are, for the X-ray emission, physically more reasonable than those obtained with inverse Compton models. One flare exhibits large and rapid (<100 s) variability, which, considering the total energy radiated, constrains the location of the flaring region to be within ∼10 Schwarzschild radii of the black hole.

  16. Sub-Hour X-Ray Variability of High-Energy Peaked BL Lacertae Objects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bidzina Kapanadze

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The study of multi-wavelength flux variability in BL Lacertae objects is very important to discern unstable processes and emission mechanisms underlying their extreme observational features. While the innermost regions of these objects are not accessible from direct observations, we may draw conclusions about their internal structure via the detection of flux variations on various timescales, based on the light-travel argument. In this paper, we review the sub-hour X-ray variability in high-energy peaked BL Lacertae sources (HBLs that are bright at X-rays and provide us with an effective tool to study the details related to the physics of the emitting particles. The X-ray emission of these sources is widely accepted to be a synchrotron radiation from the highest-energy electrons, and the complex spectral variability observed in this band reflects the injection and radiative evolution of freshly-accelerated particles. The detection of sub-hour X-ray flux variability is very important since it can be related to the small-scale jet turbulent structures or triggered by unstable processes occurring in the vicinity of a central supermassive black hole. We summarize the fastest X-ray variability instances detected in bright HBLs and discuss their physical implications.

  17. VARIABLE O VI AND N V EMISSION FROM THE X-RAY BINARY LMC X-3: HEATING OF THE BLACK HOLE COMPANION

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song Limin; Tripp, Todd M.; Wang, Q. Daniel; Yao Yangsen; Cui Wei; Xue Yongquan; Orosz, Jerome A.; Steeghs, Danny; Steiner, James F.; Torres, Manuel A. P.; McClintock, Jeffrey E.

    2010-01-01

    Based on high-resolution ultraviolet spectroscopy obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, we present new detections of O VI and N V emission from the black hole X-ray binary (XRB) system LMC X-3. We also update the ephemeris of the XRB using recent radial velocity measurements obtained with the echelle spectrograph on the Magellan-Clay telescope. We observe significant velocity variability of the UV emission, and we find that the O VI and N V emission velocities follow the optical velocity curve of the XRB. Moreover, the O VI and N V intensities regularly decrease between binary phase = 0.5 and 1.0, which suggests that the source of the UV emission is increasingly occulted as the B star in the XRB moves from superior to inferior conjunction. These trends suggest that illumination of the B star atmosphere by the intense X-ray emission from the accreting black hole creates a hot spot on one side of the B star, and this hot spot is the origin of the O VI and N V emission. However, the velocity semiamplitude of the ultraviolet emission, K UV ∼ 180 km s -1 , is lower than the optical semiamplitude; this difference could be due to rotation of the B star. Comparison of the FUSE observations taken in 2001 November and 2004 April shows a significant change in the O VI emission characteristics: in the 2001 data, the O VI region shows both broad and narrow emission features, while in 2004 only the narrow O VI emission is clearly present. Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer data show that the XRB was in a high/soft state in the 2001 November epoch but was in a transitional state in 2004 April, so the shape of the X-ray spectrum might change the properties of the region illuminated on the B star and thus change the broad versus narrow characteristics of the UV emission. If our hypothesis about the origin of the highly ionized emission is correct, then careful analysis of the emission occultation could, in principle

  18. X-RAY EMISSION FROM YOUNG STARS IN THE MASSIVE STAR-FORMING REGION IRAS 20126+4104

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anderson, C. N.; Hofner, P.; Creech-Eakman, M.; Shepherd, D.

    2011-01-01

    We present a 40 ks Chandra observation of the IRAS 20126+4104 core region. In the inner 6'' two X-ray sources were detected, which are coincident with the radio jet source I20S and the variable radio source I20Var. No X-ray emission was detected from the nearby massive protostar I20N. The spectra of both detected sources are hard and highly absorbed, with no emission below 3 keV. For I20S, the measured 0.5-8 keV count rate was 4.3 counts ks -1 . The X-ray spectrum was fitted with an absorbed 1T APEC model with an energy of kT =10 keV and an absorbing column of N H = 1.2 x 10 23 cm -2 . An unabsorbed X-ray luminosity of about 1.4 x 10 32 erg s -1 was estimated. The spectrum shows broad line emission between 6.4 and 6.7 keV, indicative of emission from both neutral and highly ionized iron. The X-ray light curve indicates that I20S is marginally variable; however, no flare emission was observed. The variable radio source I20Var was detected with a count rate of 0.9 counts ks -1 but there was no evidence of X-ray variability. The best-fit spectral model is a 1T APEC model with an absorbing hydrogen column of N H = 1.1 x 10 23 cm -2 and a plasma energy of kT = 6.0 keV. The unabsorbed X-ray luminosity is about 3 x 10 31 erg s -1 .

  19. Theory of X-ray absorption and emission spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mukoyama, Takeshi

    2004-01-01

    Theoretical studies on X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopy are discussed. Simple expressions for X-ray emission rate and X-ray absorption cross section are presented in the dipole approximation. Various atomic models to obtain realistic wave functions and theoretical calculations for X-ray absorption cross sections and X-ray emission rates are described. In the case of molecules and solids, molecular orbital methods for electronic structures and molecular wave functions are discussed. The emphasis is on the procedures to obtain the excited-state and continuum wave functions for molecules and to calculate the multi-center dipole matrix elements. The examples of the calculated X-ray absorption and emission spectra are shown and compared with the experimental results

  20. A PILOT DEEP SURVEY FOR X-RAY EMISSION FROM fuvAGB STARS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sahai, R. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, MS 183-900, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Sanz-Forcada, J.; Sánchez Contreras, C. [Astrobiology Center (CSIC-INTA), ESAC campus, E-28691 Villanueva de la Canada, Madrid (Spain); Stute, M. [Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 10, D-72076, Tübingen (Germany)

    2015-09-01

    We report the results of a pilot survey for X-ray emission from a newly discovered class of AGB stars with far-ultraviolet excesses (fuvAGB stars) using XMM-Newton and Chandra. We detected X-ray emission in three of six fuvAGB stars observed—the X-ray fluxes are found to vary in a stochastic or quasi-periodic manner on roughly hour-long timescales, and simultaneous UV observations using the Optical Monitor on XMM for these sources show similar variations in the UV flux. These data, together with previous studies, show that X-ray emission is found only in fuvAGB stars. From modeling the spectra, we find that the observed X-ray luminosities are ∼(0.002–0.2) L{sub ⊙} and the X-ray-emitting plasma temperatures are ∼(35–160) × 10{sup 6} K. The high X-ray temperatures argue against the emission arising in stellar coronae, or directly in an accretion shock, unless it occurs on a WD companion. However, none of the detected objects is a known WD-symbiotic star, suggesting that if WD companions are present, they are relatively cool (<20,000 K). In addition, the high X-ray luminosities specifically argue against emission originating in the coronae of main-sequence companions. We discuss several models for the X-ray emission and its variability and find that the most likely scenario for the origin of the X-ray (and FUV) emission involves accretion activity around a companion star, with confinement by strong magnetic fields associated with the companion and/or an accretion disk around it.

  1. Characterizing X-Ray and Radio Emission in the Black Hole X-Ray Binary V404 Cygni During Quiescence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rana, Vikram; Loh, Alan; Corbel, Stephane; Tomsick, John A.; Chakrabarty, Deepto; Walton, Dominic J.; Barret, Didier; Boggs, Steven E.; Christensen, Finn E.; Craig, William; hide

    2016-01-01

    We present results from multi-wavelength simultaneous X-ray and radio observations of the black hole X-ray binary V404 Cyg in quiescence. Our coverage with NuSTAR provides the very first opportunity to study the X-ray spectrum of V404 Cyg at energies above 10 keV. The unabsorbed broadband (0.3-30 keV) quiescent luminosity of the source is 8.9 x 10(exp 32) erg per sec for a distance of 2.4 kpc. The source shows clear variability on short timescales (an hour to a couple of hours) in the radio, soft X-ray, and hard X-ray bands in the form of multiple flares. The broadband X-ray spectra obtained from XMM-Newton and NuSTAR can be characterized with a power-law model having a photon index of gamma = 2.12 +/- 0.07 (90% confidence errors); however, residuals at high energies indicate spectral curvature significant at a 3 sigma confidence level with the e-folding energy of the cutoff as 20(sub -7)(sup +20) keV. Such curvature can be explained using synchrotron emission from the base of a jet outflow. Radio observations using the VLA reveal that the spectral index evolves on very fast timescales (as short as 10 minutes), switching between optically thick and thin synchrotron emission, possibly due to instabilities in the compact jet or stochastic instabilities in the accretion rate. We explore different scenarios to explain this very fast variability.

  2. X-ray and extreme ultraviolet emission from comets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lisse, C. M.; Cravens, T. E.; Dennerl, K.

    The discovery of high energy X-ray emission in 1996 from C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) has created a surprising new class of X-ray emitting objects. The original discovery (Lisse et al., 1996) and subsequent detection of X-rays from 17 other comets (Table 1) have shown that the very soft (E < 1 keV) emission is due to an interaction between the solar wind and the comet's atmosphere, and that X-ray emission is a fundamental property of comets. Theoretical and observational work has demonstrated that charge exchange collisions of highly charged solar wind ions with cometary neutral species is the best explanation for the emission. Now a rapidly changing and expanding field, the study of cometary X-ray emission appears to be able to lead us to a better understanding of a number of physical phenomena: the nature of the cometary coma, other sources of X-ray emission in the solar system, the structure of the solar wind in the heliosphere, and the source of the local soft X-ray background.

  3. Soft x-ray emission from gamma-ray bursts observed with ginga

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Atsumasa; Murakami, Toshio; Itoh, Masayuki

    1989-01-01

    The soft X-ray emission of gamma-ray bursts below 10 keV provides information about size, location, and emission mechanism. The Gamma-ray Burst Detector (GBD) on board Ginga, which consists of a proportional counter and a scintillation detector, covers an energy range down to 1.5 keV with 63 cm 2 effective area. In several of the observed gamma-ray bursts, the intensity of the soft X-ray emission showed a longer decay time of 50 to 100s after the higher energy gamma-ray emission had ended. Although we cannot rule out other models, such as bremsstrahlung and thermal cyclotron types, due to poor statistics, the soft X-ray spectra are consistent with a blackbody of 1 to 2 keV in the late phase of the gamma-ray bursts. This enables us to estimate the size of the blackbody responsible for the X-ray emission. (author)

  4. SphinX MEASUREMENTS OF THE 2009 SOLAR MINIMUM X-RAY EMISSION

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sylwester, J.; Kowalinski, M.; Gburek, S.; Siarkowski, M.; Bakała, J.; Gryciuk, M.; Podgorski, P.; Sylwester, B.; Kuzin, S.; Farnik, F.; Reale, F.; Phillips, K. J. H.

    2012-01-01

    The SphinX X-ray spectrophotometer on the CORONAS-PHOTON spacecraft measured soft X-ray emission in the 1-15 keV energy range during the deep solar minimum of 2009 with a sensitivity much greater than GOES. Several intervals are identified when the X-ray flux was exceptionally low, and the flux and solar X-ray luminosity are estimated. Spectral fits to the emission at these times give temperatures of 1.7-1.9 MK and emission measures between 4 × 10 47 cm –3 and 1.1 × 10 48 cm –3 . Comparing SphinX emission with that from the Hinode X-ray Telescope, we deduce that most of the emission is from general coronal structures rather than confined features like bright points. For one of 27 intervals of exceptionally low activity identified in the SphinX data, the Sun's X-ray luminosity in an energy range roughly extrapolated to that of ROSAT (0.1-2.4 keV) was less than most nearby K and M dwarfs.

  5. SphinX Measurements of the 2009 Solar Minimum X-Ray Emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sylwester, J.; Kowalinski, M.; Gburek, S.; Siarkowski, M.; Kuzin, S.; Farnik, F.; Reale, F.; Phillips, K. J. H.; Bakała, J.; Gryciuk, M.; Podgorski, P.; Sylwester, B.

    2012-06-01

    The SphinX X-ray spectrophotometer on the CORONAS-PHOTON spacecraft measured soft X-ray emission in the 1-15 keV energy range during the deep solar minimum of 2009 with a sensitivity much greater than GOES. Several intervals are identified when the X-ray flux was exceptionally low, and the flux and solar X-ray luminosity are estimated. Spectral fits to the emission at these times give temperatures of 1.7-1.9 MK and emission measures between 4 × 1047 cm-3 and 1.1 × 1048 cm-3. Comparing SphinX emission with that from the Hinode X-ray Telescope, we deduce that most of the emission is from general coronal structures rather than confined features like bright points. For one of 27 intervals of exceptionally low activity identified in the SphinX data, the Sun's X-ray luminosity in an energy range roughly extrapolated to that of ROSAT (0.1-2.4 keV) was less than most nearby K and M dwarfs.

  6. SphinX MEASUREMENTS OF THE 2009 SOLAR MINIMUM X-RAY EMISSION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sylwester, J.; Kowalinski, M.; Gburek, S.; Siarkowski, M.; Bakala, J.; Gryciuk, M.; Podgorski, P.; Sylwester, B. [Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences, 51-622, Kopernika 11, Wroclaw (Poland); Kuzin, S. [P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute (FIAN), Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospect 53, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Farnik, F. [Astronomical Institute, Ondrejov Observatory (Czech Republic); Reale, F. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Palermo, Palermo, Italy, and INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo, Palermo (Italy); Phillips, K. J. H., E-mail: js@cbk.pan.wroc.pl [Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT (United Kingdom)

    2012-06-01

    The SphinX X-ray spectrophotometer on the CORONAS-PHOTON spacecraft measured soft X-ray emission in the 1-15 keV energy range during the deep solar minimum of 2009 with a sensitivity much greater than GOES. Several intervals are identified when the X-ray flux was exceptionally low, and the flux and solar X-ray luminosity are estimated. Spectral fits to the emission at these times give temperatures of 1.7-1.9 MK and emission measures between 4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 47} cm{sup -3} and 1.1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 48} cm{sup -3}. Comparing SphinX emission with that from the Hinode X-ray Telescope, we deduce that most of the emission is from general coronal structures rather than confined features like bright points. For one of 27 intervals of exceptionally low activity identified in the SphinX data, the Sun's X-ray luminosity in an energy range roughly extrapolated to that of ROSAT (0.1-2.4 keV) was less than most nearby K and M dwarfs.

  7. Polarization and long-term variability of Sgr A* X-ray echo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Churazov, E.; Khabibullin, I.; Ponti, G.; Sunyaev, R.

    2017-06-01

    We use a model of the molecular gas distribution within ˜100 pc from the centre of the Milky Way (Kruijssen, Dale & Longmore) to simulate time evolution and polarization properties of the reflected X-ray emission, associated with the past outbursts from Sgr A*. While this model is too simple to describe the complexity of the true gas distribution, it illustrates the importance and power of long-term observations of the reflected emission. We show that the variable part of X-ray emission observed by Chandra and XMM-Newton from prominent molecular clouds is well described by a pure reflection model, providing strong support of the reflection scenario. While the identification of Sgr A* as a primary source for this reflected emission is already a very appealing hypothesis, a decisive test of this model can be provided by future X-ray polarimetric observations, which will allow placing constraints on the location of the primary source. In addition, X-ray polarimeters (like, e.g. XIPE) have sufficient sensitivity to constrain the line-of-sight positions of molecular complexes, removing major uncertainty in the model.

  8. SphinX MEASUREMENTS OF THE 2009 SOLAR MINIMUM X-RAY EMISSION

    OpenAIRE

    Sylwester, J.; Kowalinski, M.; Gburek, S.; Siarkowski, M.; Kuzin, S.; Farnik, F.; Reale, F.; Phillips, K. J. H.; Bakala, J.; Gryciuk, M.; Podgorski, P.; Sylwester, B.

    2012-01-01

    The SphinX X-ray spectrophotometer on the CORONAS-PHOTON spacecraft measured soft X-ray emission in the 1-15 keV energy range during the deep solar minimum of 2009 with a sensitivity much greater than GOES. Several intervals are identified when the X-ray flux was exceptionally low, and the flux and solar X-ray luminosity are estimated. Spectral fits to the emission at these times give temperatures of 1.7-1.9 MK and emission measures between 4 x 10^47 cm^-3 and 1.1 x 10^48 cm^-3. Comparing Sph...

  9. Proton induced X-ray emission analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khan, Rashiduzzman

    1976-09-01

    The developments in proton induced X-ray emission analysis are reviewed. Techniques for analyzing thick and thin samples of different origin are described. Discussions on the application of proton induced X-ray emission analysis in different fields, comparison of the sensitivity of this method with other analytical techniques, its limitations and possible improvements are presented

  10. An X-ray survey of the central molecular zone: Variability of the Fe Kα emission line

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terrier, R.; Clavel, M.; Soldi, S.; Goldwurm, A.; Ponti, G.; Morris, M. R.; Chuard, D.

    2018-05-01

    There is now abundant evidence that the luminosity of the Galactic super-massive black hole (SMBH) has not always been as low as it is nowadays. The observation of varying non-thermal diffuse X-ray emission in molecular complexes in the central 300 pc has been interpreted as delayed reflection of a past illumination by bright outbursts of the SMBH. The observation of different variability timescales of the reflected emission in the Sgr A molecular complex can be well explained if the X-ray emission of at least two distinct and relatively short events (i.e. about 10 yr or less) is currently propagating through the region. The number of such events or the presence of a long-duration illumination are open questions. Variability of the reflected emission all over of the central 300 pc, in particular in the 6.4 keV Fe Kα line, can bring strong constraints. To do so we performed a deep scan of the inner 300 pc with XMM-Newton in 2012. Together with all the archive data taken over the course of the mission, and in particular a similar albeit more shallow scan performed in 2000-2001, this allows for a detailed study of variability of the 6.4 keV line emission in the region, which we present here. We show that the overall 6.4 keV emission does not strongly vary on average, but variations are very pronounced on smaller scales. In particular, most regions showing bright reflection emission in 2000-2001 significantly decrease by 2012. We discuss those regions and present newly illuminated features. The absence of bright steady emission argues against the presence of an echo from an event of multi-centennial duration and most, if not all, of the emission can likely be explained by a limited number of relatively short (i.e. up to 10 yr) events. Images of the Fe Kα emission as FITS files are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/612/A102

  11. Chemical effects in x-ray emission spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandes, N.G.

    1982-01-01

    The chemical bond influence in X-ray emission spectra of hafnium, iodine, iron, sulphur, aluminium and magnesium is detected. The position of one X-ray emission line is determined by three methods: parabolic profile; Gaussian distribution and extra-heavy maximum. (author)

  12. Two methods for studying the X-ray variability

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yan, Shu-Ping; Ji, Li; Méndez, Mariano; Wang, Na; Liu, Siming; Li, Xiang-Dong

    2016-01-01

    The X-ray aperiodic variability and quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) are the important tools to study the structure of the accretion flow of X-ray binaries. However, the origin of the complex X-ray variability from X-ray binaries remains yet unsolved. We proposed two methods for studying the X-ray

  13. X-ray Emission Line Spectroscopy of Nearby Galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Daniel

    What are the origins of the diffuse soft X-ray emission from non-AGN galaxies? Preliminary analysis of XMM-Newton RGS spectra shows that a substantial fraction of the emission cannot arise from optically-thin thermal plasma, as commonly assumed, and may originate in charge exchange at the interface with neutral gas. We request the support for a comprehensive observing, data analysis, and modeling program to spectroscopically determine the origins of the emission. First, we will use our scheduled XMM-Newton AO-10 368 ks observations of the nearest compact elliptical galaxy M32 to obtain the first spectroscopic calibration of the cumulative soft X-ray emission from the old stellar population and will develop a spectral model for the charge exchange, as well as analysis tools to measure the spatial and kinematic properties of the X-ray line- emitting plasma. Second, we will characterize the truly diffuse emission from the hot plasma and/or its interplay with the neutral gas in a sample of galactic spheroids and active star forming/starburst regions in nearby galaxies observed by XMM-Newton. In particular, we will map out the spatial distributions of key emission lines and measure (or tightly constrain) the kinematics of hot plasma outflows for a few X-ray-emitting regions with high-quality RGS data. For galaxies with insufficient counting statistics in individual emission lines, we will conduct a spectral stacking analysis to constrain the average properties of the X-ray-emitting plasma. We will use the results of these X-ray spectroscopic analyses, together with complementary X-ray CCD imaging/spectral data and observations in other wavelength bands, to test the models of the emission. In addition to the charge exchange, alternative scenarios such as resonance scattering and relic AGN photo-ionization will also be examined for suitable regions. These studies are important to the understanding of the relationship between the diffuse soft X-ray emission and various

  14. X-Ray-Driven Gamma Emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carroll, J. J.; Karamian, S. A.; Rivlin, L. A.; Zadernovsky, A. A.

    2001-01-01

    X-ray-driven gamma emission describes processes that may release nuclear energy in a 'clean' way, as bursts of incoherent or coherent gamma rays without the production of radioactive by-products. Over the past decade, studies in this area, as a part of the larger field of quantum nucleonics, have gained tremendous momentum. Since 1987 it has been established that photons could trigger gamma emission from a long-lived metastable nuclear excited state of one nuclide and it appears likely that triggering in other isotopes will be demonstrated conclusively in the near future. With these experimental results have come new proposals for the creation of collective and avalanche-like incoherent gamma-ray bursts and even for the ultimate light source, a gamma-ray laser. Obviously, many applications would benefit from controlled bursts of gamma radiation, whether coherent or not. This paper reviews the experimental results and concepts for the production of gamma rays, driven by externally produced X-rays

  15. X-ray Emission from the Guitar Nebula

    OpenAIRE

    Romani, Roger W.; Cordes, James M.; Yadigaroglu, I. -A.

    1997-01-01

    We have detected weak soft X-ray emission from the Pulsar Wind Nebula trailing the high velocity star PSR 2224+65 (the `Guitar Nebula'). This X-ray flux gives evidence of \\gamma~10^7 eV particles in the pulsar wind and constrains the properties of the post-shock flow. The X-ray emission is most easily understood if the shocked pulsar wind is partly confined in the nebula and if magnetic fields in this zone can grow to near equipartition values.

  16. X-Ray Emission from the Guitar Nebula

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romani, Roger W.; Cordes, James M.; Yadigaroglu, I.-A.

    1997-01-01

    We have detected weak soft X-ray emission from the pulsar wind nebula trailing the high-velocity star PSR 2224+65 (the "Guitar Nebula"). This X-ray flux gives evidence of gamma approximately 10(exp 7) eV particles in the pulsar wind and constrains the properties of the postshock flow. The X-ray emission is most easily understood if the shocked pulsar wind is partly confined in the nebula and if magnetic fields in this zone can grow to near-equipartition values.

  17. Complex optical/UV and X-ray variability of the Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0419-577

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pal, Main; Dewangan, Gulab C.; Kembhavi, Ajit K.; Misra, Ranjeev; Naik, Sachindra

    2018-01-01

    We present detailed broad-band UV/optical to X-ray spectral variability of the Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0419-577 using six XMM-Newton observations performed during 2002-2003. These observations covered a large amplitude variability event in which the soft X-ray (0.3-2 keV) count rate increased by a factor of ∼4 in six months. The X-ray spectra during the variability are well described by a model consisting of a primary power law, blurred and distant reflection. The 2-10 keV power-law flux varied by a factor of ∼7 while the 0.3-2 keV soft X-ray excess flux derived from the blurred reflection component varied only by a factor of ∼2. The variability event was also observed in the optical and UV bands but the variability amplitudes were only at the 6-10 per cent level. The variations in the optical and UV bands appear to follow the variations in the X-ray band. During the rising phase, the optical bands appear to lag behind the UV band but during the declining phase, the optical bands appear to lead the UV band. Such behaviour is not expected in the reprocessing models where the optical/UV emission is the result of reprocessing of X-ray emission in the accretion disc. The delayed contribution of the broad emission lines in the UV band or the changes in the accretion disc/corona geometry combined with X-ray reprocessing may give rise to the observed behaviour of the variations.

  18. Time Variabilities of Solar Wind Ion Fluxes and of X-ray and EUV Emissions from Comet Hyakutake

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neugebauer, M.; Cravens, T.; Lisse, C.; Ipavich, F.; von Steiger, R.; Shah, P.; Armstrong, T.

    1999-01-01

    Observations of X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emissions from comet C/Hyakutake 1996 B2 made by the Rontgen X-ray satellite (ROSAT) and the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) revealed a total X-ray luminosity of about 500 MW.

  19. Radio and X-ray emission from supernova remnants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asvarova, A.I.; Novruzova, H.I.; Ahmedova, S.I.

    2010-01-01

    In this paper it was studied the statistical correlation between radio and X-ray emissions from shell-type supernova remnants (SNR). The primary aim of this study is to test the model of radio emission of shell-type SNRs presented by one of the authors. Based on this model of radio emission, by using the Monte Carlo techniques we have simulated statistical relations radio - X-ray luminosities (not surface brightnesses) which then were compared with the observations. X-ray emission is assumed to be thermal. To have a uniform statistical material it was used observational data on the SNRs in Magellanic Clouds

  20. The Secret Lives of Cepheids: δ Cep—The Prototype of a New Class of Pulsating X-Ray Variable Stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engle, Scott G.; Guinan, Edward F.; Harper, Graham M.; Cuntz, Manfred; Remage Evans, Nancy; Neilson, Hilding R.; Fawzy, Diaa E.

    2017-03-01

    From our Secret Lives of Cepheids program, the prototype Classical Cepheid, δ Cep, is found to be an X-ray source with periodic pulsation-modulated X-ray variations. This finding complements our earlier reported phase-dependent FUV-UV emissions of the star that increase ˜10-20 times with highest fluxes at ˜ 0.90{--}0.95φ , just prior to maximum brightness. Previously δ Cep was found as potentially X-ray variable, using XMM-Newton observations. Additional phase-constrained data were secured with Chandra near X-ray emission peak, to determine if the emission and variability were pulsation-phase-specific to δ Cep and not transient or due to a possible coronally active, cool companion. The Chandra data were combined with prior XMM-Newton observations, and were found to very closely match the previously observed X-ray behavior. From the combined data set, a ˜4 increase in X-ray flux is measured, reaching a peak {L}{{X}} = 1.7 × 1029 erg s-1 near 0.45ϕ. The precise X-ray flux phasing with the star’s pulsation indicates that the emissions arise from the Cepheid and not from a companion. However, it is puzzling that the maximum X-ray flux occurs ˜0.5ϕ (˜3 days) later than the FUV-UV maximum. There are several other potential Cepheid X-ray detections with properties similar to δ Cep, and comparable X-ray variability is indicated for two other Cepheids: β Dor and V473 Lyr. X-ray generating mechanisms in δ Cep and other Cepheids are discussed. If additional Cepheids are confirmed to show phased X-ray variations, then δ Cep will be the prototype of a new class of pulsation-induced X-ray variables.

  1. Characterization of the Infrared/X-ray sub-second variability for the black-hole transient GX 339-4

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vincentelli, F. M.; Casella, P.; Maccarone, T. J.; Uttley, P.; Gandhi, P.; Belloni, T.; De Marco, B.; Russell, D. M.; Stella, L.; O'Brien, K.

    2018-03-01

    We present a detailed analysis of the X-ray/IR fast variability of the Black-Hole Transient GX 339-4 during its low/hard state in August 2008. Thanks to simultaneous high time-resolution observations made with the VLT and RXTE, we performed the first characterisation of the sub-second variability in the near-infrared band - and of its correlation with the X-rays - for a low-mass X-ray binary, using both time- and frequency-domain techniques. We found a power-law correlation between the X-ray and infrared fluxes when measured on timescales of 16 seconds, with a marginally variable slope, steeper than the one found on timescales of days at similar flux levels. We suggest the variable slope - if confirmed - could be due to the infrared flux being a non-constant combination of both optically thin and optically thick synchrotron emission from the jet, as a result of a variable self-absorption break. From cross spectral analysis we found an approximately constant infrared time lag of ≈0.1s, and a very high coherence of ˜90 per cent on timescales of tens of seconds, slowly decreasing toward higher frequencies. Finally, we report on the first detection of a linear rms-flux relation in the emission from a low-mass X-ray binary jet, on timescales where little correlation is found between the X-rays and the jet emission itself. This suggests that either the inflow variations and jet IR emission are coupled by a non-linear or time-variable transform, or that the IR rms-flux relation is not transferred from the inflow to the jet, but is an intrinsic property of emission processes in the jet.

  2. Modulated High-Energy Gamma-Ray Emission from the Micro-quasar Cygnus X-3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdo, A.A.; Cheung, C.C.; Dermer, C.D.; Grove, J.E.; Johnson, W.N.; Lovellette, M.N.; Makeev, A.; Ray, P.S.; Strickman, M.S.; Wood, K.S.; Abdo, A.A.; Cheung, C.C.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Bechtol, K.; Berenji, B.; Blandford, R.D.; Bloom, E.D.; Borgland, A.W.; Cameron, R.A.; Chiang, J.; Claus, R.; Digel, S.W.; Silva, E.D.E.; Drell, P.S.; Dubois, R.; Focke, W.B.; Glanzman, T.; Godfrey, G.; Hayashida, M.; Johannesson, G.; Johnson, A.S.; Kamae, T.; Kocian, M.L.; Lande, J.; Madejski, G.M.; Michelson, P.F.; Mitthumsiri, W.; Monzani, M.E.; Moskalenko, I.V.; Murgia, S.; Nolan, P.L.; Paneque, D.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Rochester, L.S.; Romani, R.W.; Tanaka, T.; Thayer, J.B.; Tramacere, A.; Uchiyama, Y.; Usher, T.L.; Waite, A.P.; Wang, P.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Bechtol, K.; Berenji, B.; Blandford, R.D.; Bloom, E.D.; Borgland, A.W.; Cameron, R.A.; Chiang, J.; Claus, R.; Digel, S.W.; Silva, E.D.E.; Drell, P.S.; Dubois, R.; Focke, W.B.; Glanzman, T.; Godfrey, G.; Hayashida, M.; Johannesson, G.; Johnson, A.S.; Kamae, T.; Kocian, M.L.; Lande, J.; Madejski, G.M.; Michelson, P.F.; Mitthumsiri, W.; Monzani, M.E.; Moskalenko, I.V.; Murgia, S.; Nolan, P.L.; Paneque, D.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Rochester, L.S.; Romani, R.W.; Tanaka, T.; Thayer, J.B.; Tramacere, A.; Uchiyama, Y.; Usher, T.L.; Waite, A.P.; Wang, P.; Axelsson, M.; Hjalmarsdotter, L.; Axelsson, M.; Conrad, J.; Hjalmarsdotter, L.; Jackson, M.S.; Meurer, C.; Ryde, F.; Ylinen, T.; Baldini, L.; Bellazzini, R.; Brez, A.; Kuss, M.; Latronico, L.; Omodei, N.; Pesce-Rollins, M.; Razzano, M.; Sgro, C.; Ballet, J.; Casandjian, J.M.; Chaty, S.; Corbel, S.; Grenier, I.A.; Koerding, E.; Rodriguez, J.; Starck, J.L.; Tibaldo, L.

    2009-01-01

    Micro-quasars are accreting black holes or neutron stars in binary systems with associated relativistic jets. Despite their frequent outburst activity, they have never been unambiguously detected emitting high-energy gamma rays. The Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) has detected a variable high-energy source coinciding with the position of the x-ray binary and micro-quasar Cygnus X-3. Its identification with Cygnus X-3 is secured by the detection of its orbital period in gamma rays, as well as the correlation of the LAT flux with radio emission from the relativistic jets of Cygnus X-3. The gamma-ray emission probably originates from within the binary system, opening new areas in which to study the formation of relativistic jets. (authors)

  3. X-Ray Study of Variable Gamma-Ray Pulsar PSR J2021+4026

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, H. H.; Takata, J.; Hu, C.-P.; Lin, L. C. C.; Zhao, J.

    2018-04-01

    PSR J2021+4026 showed a sudden decrease in the gamma-ray emission at the glitch that occurred around 2011 October 16, and a relaxation of the flux to the pre-glitch state at around 2014 December. We report X-ray analysis results of the data observed by XMM-Newton on 2015 December 20 in the post-relaxation state. To examine any change in the X-ray emission, we compare the properties of the pulse profiles and spectra at the low gamma-ray flux state and at the post-relaxation state. The phase-averaged spectra for both states can be well described by a power-law component plus a blackbody component. The former is dominated by unpulsed emission and probably originated from the pulsar wind nebula as reported by Hui et al. The emission property of the blackbody component is consistent with the emission from the polar cap heated by the back-flow bombardment of the high-energy electrons or positrons that were accelerated in the magnetosphere. We found no significant change in the X-ray emission properties between two states. We suggest that the change of the X-ray luminosity is at an order of ∼4%, which is difficult to measure with the current observations. We model the observed X-ray light curve with the heated polar cap emission, and we speculate that the observed large pulsed fraction is owing to asymmetric magnetospheric structure.

  4. STRONG UV AND X-RAY VARIABILITY OF THE NARROW LINE SEYFERT 1 GALAXY WPVS 007-ON THE NATURE OF THE X-RAY LOW STATE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grupe, Dirk; Barlow, Brad N. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Komossa, S. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie, Auf dem Huegel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Scharwaechter, Julia [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Mount Stromlo Observatory, Cotter Road, Weston Creek, ACT 2611 (Australia); Dietrich, Matthias [Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Leighly, Karen M.; Lucy, Adrian, E-mail: dxg35@psu.edu, E-mail: julia.scharwaechter@obspm.fr, E-mail: leighly@nhn.ou.edu [Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Oklahoma, 440 West Brooks Street, Norman, OK 73019 (United States)

    2013-10-01

    We report on multi-wavelength observations of the X-ray transient Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxy WPVS 007. The galaxy was monitored with Swift between 2005 October and 2013 July, after it had previously undergone a dramatic drop in its X-ray flux. For the first time, we are able to repeatedly detect this NLS1 in X-rays again. This increased number of detections in the last couple of years may suggest that the strong absorber that has been found in this active galactic nucleus (AGN) is starting to become leaky and may eventually disappear. The X-ray spectra obtained for WPVS 007 are all consistent with a partial covering absorber model. A spectrum based on the data during the extreme low X-ray flux states shows that the absorption column density is of the order of 4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 23} cm{sup -2} with a covering fraction of 95%. WPVS 007 also displays one of the strongest UV variabilities seen in NLS1s. The UV continuum variability anti-correlates with the optical/UV slope {alpha}{sub UV}, which suggests that the variability may be primarily due to reddening. The UV variability timescales are consistent with moving dust ''clouds'' located beyond the dust sublimation radius of R{sub sub} Almost-Equal-To 20 lt-days. We present for the first time near-infrared JHK data of WPVS 007, which reveal a rich emission-line spectrum. Recent optical spectroscopy does not indicate significant variability in the broad permitted and Fe II emission lines, implying that the ionizing continuum seen by those gas clouds has not significantly changed over the last decades. All X-ray and UV observations are consistent with a scenario in which an evolving broad absorption line (BAL) flow obscures the continuum emission. As such, WPVS 007 is an important target for our understanding of BAL flows in low-mass AGNs.

  5. Intra-night optical variability properties of X-ray bright Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ojha, Vineet; Chand, Hum; Gopal-Krishna

    2018-04-01

    We present Intra Night Optical Variability (INOV) study of the 9 Narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLSy 1) galaxies which are detected in X-ray at more than 3σ level. Our observations cover a total of 9 nights ( 36 hr) with each NLSy 1 monitored for ≥ 3.5 hr in each night. After applying F-test to assess variability status of these sources, we found none of these sources to be variable. Such non-variability nature of X-ray detected NLSy 1 galaxies suggests the lack of jet dominance as far as X-ray emission is concerned. Higher photometric accuracy for these faint sources, achievable with the newly installed ARIES 3.6m DOT will be helpful.

  6. The Multi-component X-ray Emission of 3C 273

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soldi, S.; Türler, M.; Paltani, S.; Courvoisier, T. J.-L.

    2009-05-01

    3C 273 is the brightest quasar in the sky and among the most extensively observed and studied AGN, therefore one of the most suitable targets for a long-term, multi-frequency study. The superposition of a thermal Comptonisation component, similar to that observed in Seyfert galaxies, and of a non-thermal component, related to the jet emission, seems to explain some of the spectral and timing properties of the X-ray emission of 3C 273. Yet, during some observations this dichotomy has not been observed and the variability properties could also be consistent with a single-component scenario, characterised by two parameters varying independently. In order to understand the nature of the X-ray emission in 3C 273, a series of observations up to 80-100 keV, possibly catching the source in different flux states, are essential. Simbol-X will be able to study the emission of 3C 273 in the broad 0.5-80 keV band with high sensitivity, allowing us to disentangle the emission from different spectral components, with 20-30 ks long observations. In addition, the shape and the origin of the high-energy emission of this quasar will be further constrained thanks to the AGILE and Fermi satellites, monitoring the γ-ray sky in the MeV-GeV energy domain.

  7. Application of X-ray emission techniques for monitoring environmental pollution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bernasconi, G.; Danesi, P.R.; Dargie, M.; Haselberger, N.; Markowicz, A.; Tajani, A.

    1997-01-01

    X-ray emission techniques are versatile and powerful methods used for multielement non-destructive analysis. They include X-ray fluorescence (XRF), particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE), scanning electron microscopy combined with X-ray spectrometry and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Since many years the IAEA has utilised and promoted these techniques for the analysis of environmental, biological and geological samples. In this paper recent progress at our laboratory in selected aspects related to the application of X-ray emission techniques is briefly overviewed. (authors)

  8. Observational Trends of Cometary X-ray Emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lisse, C. M.

    2001-05-01

    The unexpected discovery of x-ray emission from Comet Hyakutake in March 1996 (Lisse et al. 1996) has produced a number of questions about the physical mechanism producing the radiation. The original detection and subsequent observations (Dennerl et al. 1997, Mumma et al. 1997, Krasnopolsky et al. 1998, Owens et al. 1998, Lisse et al. 1999, Lisse et a. 2001, Dennerl et al. 2001) have shown that the very soft (best fit thermal bremsstrahlung model kT = 0.23 keV) emission is due to an interaction between the solar wind and the comet's atmosphere. Using the results from the more than 15 comets detected to date in x-rays, we report on the latest results on cometary x-ray emission. Our emphasis will be on understanding the physical mechanism producing the emission, and using this to determine the nature of the cometary coma and solar wind flux. As-observed morphologies, spectra, and light curves will be discussed. We also report on the status of current cometary observations using the new powerful x-ray observatories Chandra and XMM. This work has been graciously supported by grants from the NASA Planetary Astronomy and Astrophysical Data Programs.

  9. Long-term gamma-ray spectral variability of Cygnus X-1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ling, J.C.; Mahoney, W.A.; Wheaton, WM.A.; Jacobson, A.S.

    1987-01-01

    Data from HEAO 3 observations of 0.05-10-MeV gamma-ray emission from Cyg X-1 during two 90-d periods (in fall 1979 and spring 1980) are compiled in tables and graphs and analyzed statistically to determine the temporal and spectral variability. It is found that a steady increase in 100-keV emission is accompanied by a decrease (and eventual disappearance) of MeV emission. The mechanisms which could theoretically be responsible for these phenomena are discussed. 28 references

  10. A deep X-ray view of the bare AGN Ark 120. III. X-ray timing analysis and multiwavelength variability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lobban, A. P.; Porquet, D.; Reeves, J. N.; Markowitz, A.; Nardini, E.; Grosso, N.

    2018-03-01

    We present the spectral/timing properties of the bare Seyfert galaxy Ark 120 through a deep ˜420 ks XMM-Newton campaign plus recent NuSTAR observations and a ˜6-month Swift monitoring campaign. We investigate the spectral decomposition through fractional rms, covariance and difference spectra, finding the mid- to long-time-scale (˜day-year) variability to be dominated by a relatively smooth, steep component, peaking in the soft X-ray band. Additionally, we find evidence for variable Fe K emission redward of the Fe Kα core on long time-scales, consistent with previous findings. We detect a clearly defined power spectrum which we model with a power law with a slope of α ˜ 1.9. By extending the power spectrum to lower frequencies through the inclusion of Swift and Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer data, we find tentative evidence of a high-frequency break, consistent with existing scaling relations. We also explore frequency-dependent Fourier time lags, detecting a negative (`soft') lag for the first time in this source with the 0.3-1 keV band lagging behind the 1-4 keV band with a time delay, τ, of ˜900 s. Finally, we analyse the variability in the optical and ultraviolet (UV) bands using the Optical/UV Monitor onboard XMM-Newton and the Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope onboard Swift and search for time-dependent correlations between the optical/UV/X-ray bands. We find tentative evidence for the U-band emission lagging behind the X-rays with a time delay of τ = 2.4 ± 1.8 d, which we discuss in the context of disc reprocessing.

  11. X-Ray Emission from Active Galactic Nuclei with Intermediate-Mass Black Holes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewangan, G. C.; Mathur, S.; Griffiths, R. E.; Rao, A. R.

    2008-12-01

    We present a systematic X-ray study of eight active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with intermediate-mass black holes (MBH ~ 8-95 × 104 M⊙) based on 12 XMM-Newton observations. The sample includes the two prototype AGNs in this class—NGC 4395 and POX 52 and six other AGNs discovered with the Sloan Digitized Sky Survey. These AGNs show some of the strongest X-ray variability, with the normalized excess variances being the largest and the power density break timescales being the shortest observed among radio-quiet AGNs. The excess-variance-luminosity correlation appears to depend on both the BH mass and the Eddington luminosity ratio. The break timescale-black hole mass relations for AGN with IMBHs are consistent with that observed for massive AGNs. We find that the FWHM of the Hβ/Hα line is uncorrelated with the BH mass, but shows strong anticorrelation with the Eddington luminosity ratio. Four AGNs show clear evidence for soft X-ray excess emission (kTin ~ 150-200 eV). X-ray spectra of three other AGNs are consistent with the presence of the soft excess emission. NGC 4395 with lowest L/LEdd lacks the soft excess emission. Evidently small black mass is not the primary driver of strong soft X-ray excess emission from AGNs. The X-ray spectral properties and optical-to-X-ray spectral energy distributions of these AGNs are similar to those of Seyfert 1 galaxies. The observed X-ray/UV properties of AGNs with IMBHs are consistent with these AGNs being low-mass extensions of more massive AGNs, those with high Eddington luminosity ratio looking more like narrow-line Seyfert 1 s and those with low L/LEdd looking more like broad-line Seyfert 1 galaxies.

  12. Neutron and X-ray emission studies in a low energy plasma focus

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zakaullah, M. [Quaid-i-Azam Univ., Islamabad (Pakistan). Dept. of Physics; Murtaza, G. [Quaid-i-Azam Univ., Islamabad (Pakistan). Dept. of Physics; Qamar, S. [Quaid-i-Azam Univ., Islamabad (Pakistan). Dept. of Physics; Ahmad, I. [Quaid-i-Azam Univ., Islamabad (Pakistan). Dept. of Physics; Beg, M.M. [Quaid-i-Azam Univ., Islamabad (Pakistan). Dept. of Physics

    1996-03-01

    In a low energy Mather-type plasma focus energized by a single 32 {mu}F capacitor, the X-ray and neutron emission is investigated using time-integrated and time-resolved detectors. The X-ray emission profile has a width (FWHM) of 40-50 ns. The neutron emission profile is broader compared to the X-ray emission profile and also delayed by 30-40 ns. To identify different regimes of X-ray emission, an X-ray pin-hole camera along with different absorption filters is employed. While the X-ray emission is high within a narrow pressure range of 2.0-2.5 mbar, the neutron emission is intense for a wider range of 1.0-4.5 mbar. The intense X-ray emission seems to originate from the axially moving shock wave. These results also indicate rather different production mechanisms for X-ray and neutron emission. Also on comparing the X-ray images with Al(2 {mu}m), Al(5 {mu}m), Al(9 {mu}m) filters, we find that the bulk of X-rays from the focus filament have energies less than 2 keV. (orig.).

  13. THERMAL X-RAY EMISSION FROM THE SHOCKED STELLAR WIND OF PULSAR GAMMA-RAY BINARIES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zabalza, V.; Paredes, J. M. [Departament d' Astronomia i Meteorologia, Institut de Ciencies del Cosmos (ICC), Universitat de Barcelona (IEEC-UB), Marti i Franques 1, E08028 Barcelona (Spain); Bosch-Ramon, V., E-mail: vzabalza@am.ub.es [Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 31 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2 (Ireland)

    2011-12-10

    Gamma-ray-loud X-ray binaries are binary systems that show non-thermal broadband emission from radio to gamma rays. If the system comprises a massive star and a young non-accreting pulsar, their winds will collide producing broadband non-thermal emission, most likely originated in the shocked pulsar wind. Thermal X-ray emission is expected from the shocked stellar wind, but until now it has neither been detected nor studied in the context of gamma-ray binaries. We present a semi-analytic model of the thermal X-ray emission from the shocked stellar wind in pulsar gamma-ray binaries, and find that the thermal X-ray emission increases monotonically with the pulsar spin-down luminosity, reaching luminosities of the order of 10{sup 33} erg s{sup -1}. The lack of thermal features in the X-ray spectrum of gamma-ray binaries can then be used to constrain the properties of the pulsar and stellar winds. By fitting the observed X-ray spectra of gamma-ray binaries with a source model composed of an absorbed non-thermal power law and the computed thermal X-ray emission, we are able to derive upper limits on the spin-down luminosity of the putative pulsar. We applied this method to LS 5039, the only gamma-ray binary with a radial, powerful wind, and obtain an upper limit on the pulsar spin-down luminosity of {approx}6 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 36} erg s{sup -1}. Given the energetic constraints from its high-energy gamma-ray emission, a non-thermal to spin-down luminosity ratio very close to unity may be required.

  14. Correlation between X-ray and high energy gamma-ray emission form Cygnus X-3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weekes, T.C.; Danaher, S.; Fegan, D.J.; Porter, N.A.

    1981-01-01

    In May-June 1980, the 4.8 hour modulated X-ray flux from Cygnus X-3 underwent a significant change in the shape of the light curve; this change correlates with the peak in the high-energy (E > 2 x 10 12 eV) gamma ray emission at the same epoch. (orig.)

  15. Observations of EUV and X-ray Emission from Comets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lisse, C.

    The unexpected discovery of x-ray emission from Comet Hyakutake in March 1996 (Lisse et al. 1996) produced a number of questions about the physical mechanism producing the radiation. The original detection and subsequent observations have shown that the very soft (best fit thermal bremsstrahlung model kT0.2 keV) emission is due to an interaction between the solar wind and the comet's atmosphere. Using the results from the more than 15 comets detected to date in x-rays, I report here on the latest results on cometary x-ray emission, including new results from Chandra, and show that charge exchange between highly ionized minor ions in the solar wind and neutral gases in the cometary coma is the most likely operative mechanism. I then use this result to study a number of problems of astrophysical interest: the nature of the cometary coma, other possible sources of x-ray emission in the solar system, the structure of the solar wind in the heliosphere, and the source of the local x-ray background.

  16. Discovery of Diffuse Hard X-ray Emission associated with Jupiter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ezoe, Y.; Miyoshi, Y.; Ishikawa, K.; Ohashi, T.; Terada, N.; Uchiyama, Y.; Negoro, H.

    2009-12-01

    Our discovery of diffuse hard (1-5 keV) X-ray emission around Jupiter is reported. Recent Chandra and XMM-Newton observations revealed several types of X-rays in the vicinity of Jupiter such as auroral and disk emission from Jupiter and faint diffuse X-rays from the Io Plasma Torus (see Bhardwaj et al. 2007 for review). To investigate possible diffuse hard X-ray emission around Jupiter with the highest sensitivity, we conducted data analysis of Suzaku XIS observations of Jupiter on Feb 2006. After removing satellite and planetary orbital motions, we detected a significant diffuse X-ray emission extending to ~6 x 3 arcmin with the 1-5 keV X-ray luminosity of ~3e15 erg/s. The emitting region very well coincided with the Jupiter's radiation belts. The 1-5 keV X-ray spectrum was represented by a simple power law model with a photon index of 1.4. Such a flat continuum strongly suggests non-thermal origin. Although such an emission can be originated from multiple background point sources, its possibility is quite low. We hence examined three mechanisms, assuming that the emission is truly diffuse: bremsstrahlung by keV electrons, synchrotron emission by TeV electrons, and inverse Compton scattering of solar photons by MeV electrons. The former two can be rejected because of the X-ray spectral shape and implausible existence of TeV electrons around Jupiter, respectively. The last possibility was found to be possible because tens MeV electrons, which have been confirmed in inner radiation belts (Bolton et al. 2002), can kick solar photons to the keV energy range and provide a simple power-law continuum. We estimated an average electron density from the X-ray luminosity assuming the oblate spheroid shaped emitting region with 8 x 8 x 4 Jovian radii. The necessary density was 0.02 1/cm3 for 50 MeV electrons. Hence, our results may suggest a new particle acceleration phenomenon around Jupiter.

  17. Observing Solvation Dynamics with Simultaneous Femtosecond X-ray Emission Spectroscopy and X-ray Scattering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Haldrup, Kristoffer; Gawelda, Wojciech; Abela, Rafael

    2016-01-01

    and structural changes, and local solvent structural changes are desired. We have studied the intra- and intermolecular dynamics of a model chromophore, aqueous [Fe(bpy)3]2+, with complementary X-ray tools in a single experiment exploiting intense XFEL radiation as a probe. We monitored the ultrafast structural...... rearrangement of the solute with X-ray emission spectroscopy, thus establishing time zero for the ensuing X-ray diffuse scattering analysis. The simultaneously recorded X-ray diffuse scattering atterns reveal slower subpicosecond dynamics triggered by the intramolecular structural dynamics of the photoexcited...

  18. Metrology and X-rays emissions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chancel, C.; Schirmann, D.

    1993-01-01

    This scientific journal explains different technologies used to study X-rays emissions hot dense plasmas created by laser at the Dam center of Limeil-Valenton (CEL-V) or created by nuclear fire in the Pacific

  19. Stimulated X-Ray Emission Spectroscopy in Transition Metal Complexes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kroll, Thomas; Weninger, Clemens; Alonso-Mori, Roberto; Sokaras, Dimosthenis; Zhu, Diling; Mercadier, Laurent; Majety, Vinay P.; Marinelli, Agostino; Lutman, Alberto; Guetg, Marc W.; Decker, Franz-Josef; Boutet, Sébastien; Aquila, Andy; Koglin, Jason; Koralek, Jake; DePonte, Daniel P.; Kern, Jan; Fuller, Franklin D.; Pastor, Ernest; Fransson, Thomas; Zhang, Yu; Yano, Junko; Yachandra, Vittal K.; Rohringer, Nina; Bergmann, Uwe

    2018-03-01

    We report the observation and analysis of the gain curve of amplified K α x-ray emission from solutions of Mn(II) and Mn(VII) complexes using an x-ray free electron laser to create the 1 s core-hole population inversion. We find spectra at amplification levels extending over 4 orders of magnitude until saturation. We observe bandwidths below the Mn 1 s core-hole lifetime broadening in the onset of the stimulated emission. In the exponential amplification regime the resolution corrected spectral width of ˜1.7 eV FWHM is constant over 3 orders of magnitude, pointing to the buildup of transform limited pulses of ˜1 fs duration. Driving the amplification into saturation leads to broadening and a shift of the line. Importantly, the chemical sensitivity of the stimulated x-ray emission to the Mn oxidation state is preserved at power densities of ˜1020 W /cm2 for the incoming x-ray pulses. Differences in signal sensitivity and spectral information compared to conventional (spontaneous) x-ray emission spectroscopy are discussed. Our findings build a baseline for nonlinear x-ray spectroscopy for a wide range of transition metal complexes in inorganic chemistry, catalysis, and materials science.

  20. Monitoring variable X-ray sources in nearby galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, A. K. H.

    2010-12-01

    In the last decade, it has been possible to monitor variable X-ray sources in nearby galaxies. In particular, since the launch of Chandra, M31 has been regularly observed. It is perhaps the only nearby galaxy which is observed by an X-ray telescope regularly throughout operation. With 10 years of observations, the center of M31 has been observed with Chandra for nearly 1 Msec and the X-ray skies of M31 consist of many transients and variables. Furthermore, the X-ray Telescope of Swift has been monitoring several ultraluminous X-ray sources in nearby galaxies regularly. Not only can we detect long-term X-ray variability, we can also find spectral variation as well as possible orbital period. In this talk, I will review some of the important Chandra and Swift monitoring observations of nearby galaxies in the past 10 years. I will also present a "high-definition" movie of M31 and discuss the possibility of detecting luminous transients in M31 with MAXI.

  1. Discovery of X-Ray Emission from the Galactic Supernova Remnant G32.8-0.1 with Suzaku

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bamba, Aya; Terada, Yukikatsu; Hewitt, John; Petre, Robert; Angelini, Lorella; Safi-Harb, Samar; Zhou, Ping; Bocchino, Fabrizio; Sawada, Makoto

    2016-01-01

    We present the first dedicated X-ray study of the supernova remnant (SNR) G32.8-0.1 (Kes 78) with Suzaku. X-ray emission from the whole SNR shell has been detected for the first time. The X-ray morphology is well correlated with the emission from the radio shell, while anti-correlated with the molecular cloud found in the SNR field. The X-ray spectrum shows not only conventional low-temperature (kT approximately 0.6 kiloelectronvolts) thermal emission in a nonequilibrium ionization state, but also a very high-temperature (approximately 3.4 kiloelectronvolts) component with a very low ionization timescale (approximately 2.7 times 10 (sup 9) per cubic centimeter per second), or a hard nonthermal component with a photon index Gamma approximately equal to 2.3. The average density of the low-temperature plasma is rather low, of the order of 10 (sup -3) - 10 (sup -2) per cubic centimeter, implying that this SNR is expanding into a low-density cavity. We discuss the X-ray emission of the SNR, also detected in teraelectronvolts with H.E.S.S. (High Energy Stereoscopic System), together with multi-wavelength studies of the remnant and other gamma-ray emitting SNRs, such as W28 and RCW 86. Analysis of a time-variable source, 2XMM J185114.3-000004, found in the northern part of the SNR, is also reported for the first time. Rapid time variability and a heavily absorbed hard-X-ray spectrum suggest that this source could be a new supergiant fast X-ray transient.

  2. Ion induced x-ray emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, D.D.; Clayton, E.

    1989-01-01

    This paper discusses particle induced x-ray emission (PIXE). Its use as a tool for multi-element non-destructive trace element analysis of small samples is addressed. Concepts and details needed for the construction of a PIXE system are offered

  3. Einstein x-ray observations of cataclysmic variables

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mason, K.O.; Cordova, F.A.

    1982-01-01

    Observations with the imaging x-ray detectors on the Einstein Observatory have led to a large increase in the number of low luminosity x-ray sources known to be associated with cataclysmic variable stars (CVs). The high sensitivity of the Einstein instrumentation has permitted study of their short timescale variability and spectra. The data are adding significantly to our knowledge of the accretion process in cataclysmic variables and forcing some revision in our ideas concerning the origin of the optical variability in these stars

  4. L X-ray emission induced by heavy ions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pajek, M. [Institute of Physics, Jan Kochanowski University, 25-406 Kielce (Poland); Banaś, D., E-mail: d.banas@ujk.edu.pl [Institute of Physics, Jan Kochanowski University, 25-406 Kielce (Poland); Braziewicz, J.; Majewska, U.; Semaniak, J. [Institute of Physics, Jan Kochanowski University, 25-406 Kielce (Poland); Fijał-Kirejczyk, I. [The Institute of Atomic Energy, 05-400 Otwock-Świerk (Poland); Jaskóła, M.; Czarnacki, W.; Korman, A. [The National Centre for Nuclear Research, 05-400 Otwock-Świerk (Poland); Kretschmer, W. [Physikalisches Institut, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen (Germany); Mukoyama, T. [Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (ATOMKI), H-4026 Debrecen (Hungary); Trautmann, D. [Institut für Physik, Universität Basel, Basel (Switzerland)

    2015-11-15

    Particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique is usually applied using typically 1 MeV to 3 MeV protons or helium ions, for which the ion-atom interaction is dominated by the single ionization process. For heavier ions the multiple ionization plays an increasingly important role and this process can influence substantially both the X-ray spectra and atomic decay rates. Additionally, the subshell coupling effects are important for the L- and M-shells ionized by heavy ions. Here we discuss the main features of the X-ray emission induced by heavy ions which are important for PIXE applications, namely, the effects of X-ray line shifts and broadening, vacancy rearrangement and change of the fluorescence and Coster–Kronig yields in multiple ionized atoms. These effects are illustrated here by the results of the measurements of L X-ray emission from heavy atoms bombarded by 6 MeV to 36 MeV Si ions, which were reported earlier. The strong L-subshell coupling effects are observed, in particular L{sub 2}-subshell, which can be accounted for within the coupling subshell model (CSM) developed within the semiclassical approximation. Finally, the prospects to use heavy ions in PIXE analysis are discussed.

  5. Time variability of X-ray binaries: observations with INTEGRAL. Modeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cabanac, Clement

    2007-01-01

    The exact origin of the observed X and Gamma ray variability in X-ray binaries is still an open debate in high energy astrophysics. Among others, these objects are showing aperiodic and quasi-periodic luminosity variations on timescales as small as the millisecond. This erratic behavior must put constraints on the proposed emission processes occurring in the vicinity of the neutrons star or the stellar mass black-hole held by these objects. We propose here to study their behavior following 3 different ways: first we examine the evolution of a particular X-ray source discovered by INTEGRAL, IGR J19140+0951. Using timing and spectral data given by different instruments, we show that the source type is plausibly consistent with a High Mass X-ray Binary hosting a neutrons star. Subsequently, we propose a new method dedicated to the study of timing data coming from coded mask aperture instruments. Using it on INTEGRAL/ISGRI real data, we detect the presence of periodic and quasi-periodic features in some pulsars and micro-quasars at energies as high as a hundred keV. Finally, we suggest a model designed to describe the low frequency variability of X-ray binaries in their hardest state. This model is based on thermal comptonization of soft photons by a warm corona in which a pressure wave is propagating in cylindrical geometry. By computing both numerical simulations and analytical solution, we show that this model should be suitable to describe some of the typical features observed in X-ray binaries power spectra in their hard state and their evolution such as aperiodic noise and low frequency quasi-periodic oscillations. (author) [fr

  6. Weak hard X-ray emission from broad absorption line quasars: evidence for intrinsic X-ray weakness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo, B.; Brandt, W. N.; Scott, A. E.; Alexander, D. M.; Gandhi, P.; Stern, D.; Teng, S. H.; Arévalo, P.; Bauer, F. E.; Boggs, S. E.; Craig, W. W.; Christensen, F. E.; Comastri, A.; Farrah, D.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Koss, M.; Ogle, P.; Puccetti, S.; Saez, C.

    2014-01-01

    We report NuSTAR observations of a sample of six X-ray weak broad absorption line (BAL) quasars. These targets, at z = 0.148-1.223, are among the optically brightest and most luminous BAL quasars known at z < 1.3. However, their rest-frame ≈2 keV luminosities are 14 to >330 times weaker than expected for typical quasars. Our results from a pilot NuSTAR study of two low-redshift BAL quasars, a Chandra stacking analysis of a sample of high-redshift BAL quasars, and a NuSTAR spectral analysis of the local BAL quasar Mrk 231 have already suggested the existence of intrinsically X-ray weak BAL quasars, i.e., quasars not emitting X-rays at the level expected from their optical/UV emission. The aim of the current program is to extend the search for such extraordinary objects. Three of the six new targets are weakly detected by NuSTAR with ≲ 45 counts in the 3-24 keV band, and the other three are not detected. The hard X-ray (8-24 keV) weakness observed by NuSTAR requires Compton-thick absorption if these objects have nominal underlying X-ray emission. However, a soft stacked effective photon index (Γ eff ≈ 1.8) for this sample disfavors Compton-thick absorption in general. The uniform hard X-ray weakness observed by NuSTAR for this and the pilot samples selected with <10 keV weakness also suggests that the X-ray weakness is intrinsic in at least some of the targets. We conclude that the NuSTAR observations have likely discovered a significant population (≳ 33%) of intrinsically X-ray weak objects among the BAL quasars with significantly weak <10 keV emission. We suggest that intrinsically X-ray weak quasars might be preferentially observed as BAL quasars.

  7. X-ray emission as a diagnostic from pseudospark-sourced electron beams

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bowes, D., E-mail: david.bowes@strath.ac.uk [Department of Physics, SUPA, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG (United Kingdom); Yin, H.; He, W.; Zhang, L.; Cross, A.W.; Ronald, K.; Phelps, A.D.R. [Department of Physics, SUPA, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG (United Kingdom); Chen, D.; Zhang, P. [Computed Tomography Lab, School of Mathematical Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048 (China); Chen, X.; Li, D. [Department of Electronic Engineering, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS (United Kingdom)

    2014-09-15

    X-ray emission has been achieved using an electron beam generated by a pseudospark low-pressure discharge and utilised as a diagnostic for beam detection. A 300 A, 34 kV PS-sourced electron beam pulse of 3 mm diameter impacting on a 0.1 mm-thick molybdenum target generated X-rays which were detected via the use of a small, portable X-ray detector. Clear X-ray images of a micro-sized object were captured using an X-ray photodetector. This demonstrates the inducement of proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) not only as an indicator of beam presence but also as a future X-ray source for small-spot X-ray imaging of materials.

  8. X-ray emission from National Ignition Facility indirect drive targets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anderson, A.T.; Managan, R.A.; Tobin, M.T.; Peterson, P.F.

    1996-01-01

    We have performed a series of 1-D numerical simulations of the x-ray emission from National Ignition Facility (NIF) targets. Results are presented in terms of total x-ray energy, pulse length, and spectrum. Scaling of x-ray emissions is presented for variations in both target yield and hohlraum thickness. Experiments conducted on the Nova facility provide some validation of the computational tools and methods

  9. Is X-ray emissivity constant on magnetic flux surfaces?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Granetz, R.S.; Borras, M.C.

    1997-01-01

    Knowledge of the elongations and shifts of internal magnetic flux surfaces can be used to determine the q profile in elongated tokamak plasmas. X-ray tomography is thought to be a reasonable technique for independently measuring internal flux surface shapes, because it is widely believed that X-ray emissivity should be constant on a magnetic flux surface. In the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, the X-ray tomography diagnostic system consists of four arrays of 38 chords each. A comparison of reconstructed X-ray contours with magnetic flux surfaces shows a small but consistent discrepancy in the radial profile of elongation. Numerous computational tests have been performed to verify these findings, including tests of the sensitivity to calibration and viewing geometry errors, the accuracy of the tomography reconstruction algorithms, and other subtler effects. We conclude that the discrepancy between the X-ray contours and the magnetic flux surfaces is real, leading to the conclusion that X-ray emissivity is not exactly constant on a flux surface. (orig.)

  10. Discovery of Hard Nonthermal Pulsed X-Ray Emission from the Anomalous X-Ray Pulsar 1E 1841-045

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kuiper, L.; Hermsen, W.; Méndez, R.M.

    2004-01-01

    We report the discovery of nonthermal pulsed X-ray/soft gamma-ray emission up to ~150 keV from the anomalous 11.8 s X-ray pulsar AXP 1E 1841-045 located near the center of supernova remnant Kes 73 using Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) Proportional Counter Array and High Energy X-Ray Timing

  11. DISCOVERY OF X-RAY EMISSION FROM THE GALACTIC SUPERNOVA REMNANT G32.8-0.1 WITH SUZAKU

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bamba, Aya; Sawada, Makoto [Department of Physics and Mathematics, Aoyama Gakuin University 5-10-1 Fuchinobe Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5258 (Japan); Terada, Yukikatsu [Department of Physics, Science, Saitama University, Sakura, Saitama 338-8570 (Japan); Hewitt, John; Petre, Robert; Angelini, Lorella [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Safi-Harb, Samar [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB R3T 2N2 (Canada); Zhou, Ping [Department of Astronomy, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Bocchino, Fabrizio [INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo, Piazza del Parlamento 1, I-90134, Palermo (Italy)

    2016-02-10

    We present the first dedicated X-ray study of the supernova remnant (SNR) G32.8−0.1 (Kes 78) with Suzaku. X-ray emission from the whole SNR shell has been detected for the first time. The X-ray morphology is well correlated with the emission from the radio shell, while anti-correlated with the molecular cloud found in the SNR field. The X-ray spectrum shows not only conventional low-temperature (kT ∼ 0.6 keV) thermal emission in a non-equilibrium ionization state, but also a very high-temperature (kT ∼ 3.4 keV) component with a very low ionization timescale (∼2.7 × 10{sup 9} cm{sup −3} s), or a hard nonthermal component with a photon index Γ ∼ 2.3. The average density of the low-temperature plasma is rather low, of the order of 10{sup −3}–10{sup −2} cm{sup −3}, implying that this SNR is expanding into a low-density cavity. We discuss the X-ray emission of the SNR, also detected in TeV with H.E.S.S., together with multi-wavelength studies of the remnant and other gamma-ray emitting SNRs, such as W28 and RCW 86. Analysis of a time-variable source, 2XMM J185114.3−000004, found in the northern part of the SNR, is also reported for the first time. Rapid time variability and a heavily absorbed hard-X-ray spectrum suggest that this source could be a new supergiant fast X-ray transient.

  12. Development of variable-magnification X-ray Bragg optics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirano, Keiichi; Yamashita, Yoshiki; Takahashi, Yumiko; Sugiyama, Hiroshi

    2015-07-01

    A novel X-ray Bragg optics is proposed for variable-magnification of an X-ray beam. This X-ray Bragg optics is composed of two magnifiers in a crossed arrangement, and the magnification factor, M, is controlled through the azimuth angle of each magnifier. The basic properties of the X-ray optics such as the magnification factor, image transformation matrix and intrinsic acceptance angle are described based on the dynamical theory of X-ray diffraction. The feasibility of the variable-magnification X-ray Bragg optics was verified at the vertical-wiggler beamline BL-14B of the Photon Factory. For X-ray Bragg magnifiers, Si(220) crystals with an asymmetric angle of 14° were used. The magnification factor was calculated to be tunable between 0.1 and 10.0 at a wavelength of 0.112 nm. At various magnification factors (M ≥ 1.0), X-ray images of a nylon mesh were observed with an air-cooled X-ray CCD camera. Image deformation caused by the optics could be corrected by using a 2 × 2 transformation matrix and bilinear interpolation method. Not only absorption-contrast but also edge-contrast due to Fresnel diffraction was observed in the magnified images.

  13. Search for very high-energy gamma-ray emission from the microquasar Cygnus X-1 with the MAGIC telescopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahnen, M. L.; Ansoldi, S.; Antonelli, L. A.; Arcaro, C.; Babić, A.; Banerjee, B.; Bangale, P.; Barres de Almeida, U.; Barrio, J. A.; Becerra González, J.; Bednarek, W.; Bernardini, E.; Berti, A.; Bhattacharyya, W.; Biasuzzi, B.; Biland, A.; Blanch, O.; Bonnefoy, S.; Bonnoli, G.; Carosi, R.; Carosi, A.; Chatterjee, A.; Colin, P.; Colombo, E.; Contreras, J. L.; Cortina, J.; Covino, S.; Cumani, P.; da Vela, P.; Dazzi, F.; de Angelis, A.; de Lotto, B.; de Oña Wilhelmi, E.; di Pierro, F.; Doert, M.; Domínguez, A.; Dominis Prester, D.; Dorner, D.; Doro, M.; Einecke, S.; Eisenacher Glawion, D.; Elsaesser, D.; Engelkemeier, M.; Fallah Ramazani, V.; Fernández-Barral, A.; Fidalgo, D.; Fonseca, M. V.; Font, L.; Fruck, C.; Galindo, D.; García López, R. J.; Garczarczyk, M.; Gaug, M.; Giammaria, P.; Godinović, N.; Gora, D.; Guberman, D.; Hadasch, D.; Hahn, A.; Hassan, T.; Hayashida, M.; Herrera, J.; Hose, J.; Hrupec, D.; Ishio, K.; Konno, Y.; Kubo, H.; Kushida, J.; Kuveždić, D.; Lelas, D.; Lindfors, E.; Lombardi, S.; Longo, F.; López, M.; Maggio, C.; Majumdar, P.; Makariev, M.; Maneva, G.; Manganaro, M.; Mannheim, K.; Maraschi, L.; Mariotti, M.; Martínez, M.; Mazin, D.; Menzel, U.; Minev, M.; Mirzoyan, R.; Moralejo, A.; Moreno, V.; Moretti, E.; Neustroev, V.; Niedzwiecki, A.; Nievas Rosillo, M.; Nilsson, K.; Ninci, D.; Nishijima, K.; Noda, K.; Nogués, L.; Paiano, S.; Palacio, J.; Paneque, D.; Paoletti, R.; Paredes, J. M.; Paredes-Fortuny, X.; Pedaletti, G.; Peresano, M.; Perri, L.; Persic, M.; Prada Moroni, P. G.; Prandini, E.; Puljak, I.; Garcia, J. R.; Reichardt, I.; Rhode, W.; Ribó, M.; Rico, J.; Righi, C.; Saito, T.; Satalecka, K.; Schroeder, S.; Schweizer, T.; Sitarek, J.; Šnidarić, I.; Sobczynska, D.; Stamerra, A.; Strzys, M.; Surić, T.; Takalo, L.; Tavecchio, F.; Temnikov, P.; Terzić, T.; Tescaro, D.; Teshima, M.; Torres, D. F.; Torres-Albà, N.; Treves, A.; Vanzo, G.; Vazquez Acosta, M.; Vovk, I.; Ward, J. E.; Will, M.; Zarić, D.; MAGIC Collaboration; Bosch-Ramon, V.; Pooley, G. G.; Trushkin, S. A.; Zanin, R.

    2017-12-01

    The microquasar Cygnus X-1 displays the two typical soft and hard X-ray states of a black hole transient. During the latter, Cygnus X-1 shows a one-sided relativistic radio-jet. Recent detection of the system in the high energy (HE; E ≳ 60 MeV) gamma-ray range with Fermi-LAT associates this emission with the outflow. Former MAGIC observations revealed a hint of flaring activity in the very high-energy (VHE; E ≳ 100 GeV) regime during this X-ray state. We analyse ∼97 h of Cygnus X-1 data taken with the MAGIC telescopes between July 2007 and October 2014. To shed light on the correlation between hard X-ray and VHE gamma rays as previously suggested, we study each main X-ray state separately. We perform an orbital phase-folded analysis to look for variability in the VHE band. Additionally, to place this variability behaviour in a multiwavelength context, we compare our results with Fermi-LAT, AGILE, Swift-BAT, MAXI, RXTE-ASM, AMI and RATAN-600 data. We do not detect Cygnus X-1 in the VHE regime. We establish upper limits for each X-ray state, assuming a power-law distribution with photon index Γ = 3.2. For steady emission in the hard and soft X-ray states, we set integral upper limits at 95 per cent confidence level for energies above 200 GeV at 2.6 × 10-12 photons cm-2 s-1 and 1.0 × 10-11 photons cm-2 s-1, respectively. We rule out steady VHE gamma-ray emission above this energy range, at the level of the MAGIC sensitivity, originating in the interaction between the relativistic jet and the surrounding medium, while the emission above this flux level produced inside the binary still remains a valid possibility.

  14. A Non-thermal Pulsed X-Ray Emission of AR Scorpii

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takata, J.; Hu, C.-P.; Lin, L. C. C.; Tam, P. H. T.; Pal, P. S.; Hui, C. Y.; Kong, A. K. H.; Cheng, K. S.

    2018-02-01

    We report the analysis result of UV/X-ray emission from AR Scorpii, which is an intermediate polar (IP) composed of a magnetic white dwarf and an M-type star, with the XMM-Newton data. The X-ray/UV emission clearly shows a large variation over the orbit, and their intensity maximum (or minimum) is located at the superior conjunction (or inferior conjunction) of the M star orbit. The hardness ratio of the X-ray emission shows a small variation over the orbital phase and shows no indication of the absorption by an accretion column. These properties are naturally explained by the emission from the M star surface rather than that from the accretion column on the white dwarf’s (WD) star, which is similar to usual IPs. Additionally, the observed X-ray emission also modulates with the WD’s spin with a pulse fraction of ∼14%. The peak position is aligned in the optical/UV/X-ray band. This supports the hypothesis that the electrons in AR Scorpii are accelerated to a relativistic speed and emit non-thermal photons via the synchrotron radiation. In the X-ray bands, evidence of the power-law spectrum is found in the pulsed component, although the observed emission is dominated by the optically thin thermal plasma emissions with several different temperatures. It is considered that the magnetic dissipation/reconnection process on the M star surface heats up the plasma to a temperature of several keV and also accelerates the electrons to the relativistic speed. The relativistic electrons are trapped in the WD’s closed magnetic field lines by the magnetic mirror effect. In this model, the observed pulsed component is explained by the emissions from the first magnetic mirror point.

  15. X-ray absorption and X-ray emission spectroscopy theory and applications

    CERN Document Server

    Lamberti, Carlo

    2016-01-01

    During the last two decades, remarkable and often spectacular progress has been made in the methodological and instrumental aspects of x–ray absorption and emission spectroscopy. This progress includes considerable technological improvements in the design and production of detectors especially with the development and expansion of large-scale synchrotron reactors All this has resulted in improved analytical performance and new applications, as well as in the perspective of a dramatic enhancement in the potential of x–ray based analysis techniques for the near future. This comprehensive two-volume treatise features articles that explain the phenomena and describe examples of X–ray absorption and emission applications in several fields, including chemistry, biochemistry, catalysis, amorphous and liquid systems, synchrotron radiation, and surface phenomena. Contributors explain the underlying theory, how to set up X–ray absorption experiments, and how to analyze the details of the resulting spectra. X-R...

  16. On the Absence of Non-thermal X-Ray Emission around Runaway O Stars

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Toalá, J. A. [Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica (ASIAA), Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Oskinova, L. M. [Institute for Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, D-14476 Potsdam (Germany); Ignace, R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614 (United States)

    2017-04-01

    Theoretical models predict that the compressed interstellar medium around runaway O stars can produce high-energy non-thermal diffuse emission, in particular, non-thermal X-ray and γ -ray emission. So far, detection of non-thermal X-ray emission was claimed for only one runaway star, AE Aur. We present a search for non-thermal diffuse X-ray emission from bow shocks using archived XMM-Newton observations for a clean sample of six well-determined runaway O stars. We find that none of these objects present diffuse X-ray emission associated with their bow shocks, similarly to previous X-ray studies toward ζ Oph and BD+43°3654. We carefully investigated multi-wavelength observations of AE Aur and could not confirm previous findings of non-thermal X-rays. We conclude that so far there is no clear evidence of non-thermal extended emission in bow shocks around runaway O stars.

  17. Long time scale hard X-ray variability in Seyfert 1 galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markowitz, Alex Gary

    This dissertation examines the relationship between long-term X-ray variability characteristics, black hole mass, and luminosity of Seyfert 1 Active Galactic Nuclei. High dynamic range power spectral density functions (PSDs) have been constructed for six Seyfert 1 galaxies. These PSDs show "breaks" or characteristic time scales, typically on the order of a few days. There is resemblance to PSDs of lower-mass Galactic X-ray binaries (XRBs), with the ratios of putative black hole masses and variability time scales approximately the same (106--7) between the two classes of objects. The data are consistent with a linear correlation between Seyfert PSD break time scale and black hole mass estimate; the relation extrapolates reasonably well over 6--7 orders of magnitude to XRBs. All of this strengthens the case for a physical similarity between Seyfert galaxies and XRBs. The first six years of RXTE monitoring of Seyfert 1s have been systematically analyzed to probe hard X-ray variability on multiple time scales in a total of 19 Seyfert is in an expansion of the survey of Markowitz & Edelson (2001). Correlations between variability amplitude, luminosity, and black hole mass are explored, the data support the model of PSD movement with black hole mass suggested by the PSD survey. All of the continuum variability results are consistent with relatively more massive black holes hosting larger X-ray emission regions, resulting in 'slower' observed variability. Nearly all sources in the sample exhibit stronger variability towards softer energies, consistent with softening as they brighten. Direct time-resolved spectral fitting has been performed on continuous RXTE monitoring of seven Seyfert is to study long-term spectral variability and Fe Kalpha variability characteristics. The Fe Kalpha line displays a wide range of behavior but varies less strongly than the broadband continuum. Overall, however, there is no strong evidence for correlated variability between the line and

  18. Relative probabilities of the uranium isotopes for thorium x-ray emission and fluorescence of uranium x-rays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parker, J.L.

    1991-01-01

    Both thorium x-rays from decaying uranium isotopes and self-fluoresced uranium x-rays are prominent in high-resolution gamma-ray spectra of uranium-bearing materials. Useful application of the information carried by those x-rays has been curtailed because the probabilities of the uranium isotopes for thorium x-ray emission and for uranium x-ray fluorescence have not been known. By analyzing enrichment-meter geometry spectra from uranium oxide standards whose enrichments ranged from 0.7% to 91%, relative values, primarily, have been obtained for the probabilities of both processes. Thorium x-ray emission is very heavily dominated by 235 U. In all ordinarily occurring uranium isotopic distributions, thorium x-rays may be used as a valid 235 U signature. The probability for a thorium K α1 x-ray to be emitted in the decay of a 235 U atom is 0.048 ±0.002. In infinitely thick uranium oxide materials, the relative ratios of effectiveness for self-fluorescence, on a per unit mass basis, are approximately 234 U : 235 U : 236 U : 238 U = 1.13 : 1.00 : 0.52 : 0.028. on a per decay basis, the approximate ratios are 0.00039 : 1.00 : 0.017 : 0.18. These results imply that, contrary to what has often been stated, gamma rays are far more important than alpha particles in the self-fluorescence of uranium. Because of the importance of gamma-ray self-fluorescence, the uranium x-ray yield will be somewhat influenced by the size, shape, and composition of the materials. 4 refs., 1 fig

  19. A high-density relativistic reflection origin for the soft and hard X-ray excess emission from Mrk 1044

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallick, L.; Alston, W. N.; Parker, M. L.; Fabian, A. C.; Pinto, C.; Dewangan, G. C.; Markowitz, A.; Gandhi, P.; Kembhavi, A. K.; Misra, R.

    2018-06-01

    We present the first results from a detailed spectral-timing analysis of a long (˜130 ks) XMM-Newton observation and quasi-simultaneous NuSTAR and Swift observations of the highly-accreting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 1044. The broadband (0.3-50 keV) spectrum reveals the presence of a strong soft X-ray excess emission below ˜1.5 keV, iron Kα emission complex at ˜6 -7 keV and a `Compton hump' at ˜15 -30 keV. We find that the relativistic reflection from a high-density accretion disc with a broken power-law emissivity profile can simultaneously explain the soft X-ray excess, highly ionized broad iron line and the Compton hump. At low frequencies ([2 - 6] × 10-5 Hz), the power-law continuum dominated 1.5-5 keV band lags behind the reflection dominated 0.3-1 keV band, which is explained with a combination of propagation fluctuation and Comptonization processes, while at higher frequencies ([1 - 2] × 10-4 Hz), we detect a soft lag which is interpreted as a signature of X-ray reverberation from the accretion disc. The fractional root-mean-squared (rms) variability of the source decreases with energy and is well described by two variable components: a less variable relativistic disc reflection and a more variable direct coronal emission. Our combined spectral-timing analyses suggest that the observed broadband X-ray variability of Mrk 1044 is mainly driven by variations in the location or geometry of the optically thin, hot corona.

  20. Applications of particle induced X-ray emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akselsson, K. R.

    1978-01-01

    In Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) analysis samples are bombarded by protons or α-particles of a few MeV/u. The induced characteristic x-rays are detected with a x-ray detector e.g. a Si(Li)-detector. The energies of the x-ray peaks are characteristic for the elements in the samples and the intensities of the x-ray transitions are proportional to the abundances of the elements. The research area which first attracted those of us working with PIXE was the study of sources, transport and deposition of airborne particulates. Sources, transport, wet deposition, other applications where PIXE is already known to be competitive are trace elemental analysis of water below the ppb-level and analyses requiring a space resolution of 1-10μ. However, there is still much to do for physicists in developing the full potential of low-energy accelerators as analytical tools in multidisciplinary teams. (JIW)

  1. DISCOVERY OF X-RAY EMISSION FROM YOUNG SUNS IN THE SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oskinova, L. M.; Hainich, R.; Sun, W.; Chen, Y.; Evans, C. J.; Hénault-Brunet, V.; Chu, Y.-H.; Gruendl, R. A.; Gallagher, J. S. III; Guerrero, M. A.; Güdel, M.; Silich, S.; Nazé, Y.; Reyes-Iturbide, J.

    2013-01-01

    We report the discovery of extended X-ray emission within the young star cluster NGC 602a in the Wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) based on observations obtained with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. X-ray emission is detected from the cluster core area with the highest stellar density and from a dusty ridge surrounding the H II region. We use a census of massive stars in the cluster to demonstrate that a cluster wind or wind-blown bubble is unlikely to provide a significant contribution to the X-ray emission detected from the central area of the cluster. We therefore suggest that X-ray emission at the cluster core originates from an ensemble of low- and solar-mass pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars, each of which would be too weak in X-rays to be detected individually. We attribute the X-ray emission from the dusty ridge to the embedded tight cluster of the newborn stars known in this area from infrared studies. Assuming that the levels of X-ray activity in young stars in the low-metallicity environment of NGC 602a are comparable to their Galactic counterparts, then the detected spatial distribution, spectral properties, and level of X-ray emission are largely consistent with those expected from low- and solar-mass PMS stars and young stellar objects (YSOs). This is the first discovery of X-ray emission attributable to PMS stars and YSOs in the SMC, which suggests that the accretion and dynamo processes in young, low-mass objects in the SMC resemble those in the Galaxy.

  2. Characterization of X-ray emission from laser generated plasma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cannavò, Antonino; Torrisi, Lorenzo; Ceccio, Giovanni; Cutroneo, Mariapompea; Calcagno, Lucia; Sciuto, Antonella; Mazzillo, Massimo

    2018-01-01

    X-ray emission from laser generated plasma was studied at low (1010 W/cm2) and high (1018 W/cm2) intensity using ns and fs laser, respectively. Plasma characteristics were controlled trough the laser parameters, the irradiation conditions and the target properties. The X-ray spectra were acquired using fast detection technique based on SiC diodes with different active regions. The X-ray yield increases with the atomic number of the target, both at low and high intensity, and a similar empirical law has been obtained. The X-ray emission mechanisms from plasma are correlated to the plasma temperature and density and to the Coulomb charge particle acceleration, due to the charge separation effects produced in the non-equilibrium plasma. Functional dependences, theoretical approaches and interpretation of possible mechanism will be presented and discussed.

  3. Characterization of X-ray emission from laser generated plasma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cannavò Antonino

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available X-ray emission from laser generated plasma was studied at low (1010 W/cm2 and high (1018 W/cm2 intensity using ns and fs laser, respectively. Plasma characteristics were controlled trough the laser parameters, the irradiation conditions and the target properties. The X-ray spectra were acquired using fast detection technique based on SiC diodes with different active regions. The X-ray yield increases with the atomic number of the target, both at low and high intensity, and a similar empirical law has been obtained. The X-ray emission mechanisms from plasma are correlated to the plasma temperature and density and to the Coulomb charge particle acceleration, due to the charge separation effects produced in the non-equilibrium plasma. Functional dependences, theoretical approaches and interpretation of possible mechanism will be presented and discussed.

  4. Luminosity dependence in the ratio of X-ray to infrared emission of QSOs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Worrall, D.M.

    1987-01-01

    The correlation of X-ray and near-infrared luminosity is studied for a sample of radio-quiet QSOs. The X-ray to infrared ratio is found to decrease as the infrared luminosity increases. No preference is found between the correlations of X-ray luminosity with optical or infrared luminosity. This implies that optical and infrared emission are equally good predictors of X-ray emission. Source models which directly link infrared and X-ray emission are discussed, and a preference is found for a specific synchrotron self-Compton model. This model predicts the correct luminosity dependence of the X-ray to infrared ratio if certain conditions apply. 55 references

  5. X-Rays from NGC 3256: High-Energy Emission in Starburst Galaxies and Their Contribution to the Cosmic X-Ray Background

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moran, Edward C.; Lehnert, Matthew D.; Helfand, David J.

    1999-01-01

    The infrared-luminous galaxy NGC 3256 is a classic example of a merger-induced nuclear starburst system. We find here that it is the most X-ray-luminous star-forming galaxy yet detected (L 0.5-10keV =1.6x10 42 ergs s-1). Long-slit optical spectroscopy and a deep, high-resolution ROSAT X-ray image show that the starburst is driving a ''superwind'' which accounts for ∼20% of the observed soft X-ray emission. Analysis of X-ray spectral data from ASCA indicates this gas has a characteristic temperature of kT≅0.3 keV. Our model for the broadband X-ray emission of NGC 3256 contains two additional components: a warm thermal plasma (kT≅0.8 keV) associated with the central starburst, and a hard power-law component with an energy index of α X ≅0.7. We discuss the energy budget for the two thermal plasmas and find that the input of mechanical energy from the starburst is more than sufficient to sustain the observed level of emission. We also examine possible origins for the power-law component, concluding that neither a buried AGN nor the expected population of high-mass X-ray binaries can account for this emission. Inverse Compton scattering, involving the galaxy's copious flux of infrared photons and the relativistic electrons produced by supernovae, is likely to make a substantial contribution to the hard X-ray flux. Such a model is consistent with the observed radio and IR fluxes and the radio and X-ray spectral indices. We explore the role of X-ray-luminous starbursts in the production of the cosmic X-ray background radiation. The number counts and spectral index distribution of the faint radio source population, thought to be dominated by star-forming galaxies, suggest that a significant fraction of the hard X-ray background could arise from starbursts at moderate redshift. (c) (c) 1999. The American Astronomical Society

  6. News on the X-ray emission from hot subdwarf stars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Palombara Nicola La

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available In latest years, the high sensitivity of the instruments on-board the XMM-Newton and Chandra satellites allowed us to explore the properties of the X-ray emission from hot subdwarf stars. The small but growing sample of X-ray detected hot subdwarfs includes binary systems, in which the X-ray emission is due to wind accretion onto a compact companion (white dwarf or neutron star, as well as isolated sdO stars, in which X-rays are probably due to shock instabilities in the wind. X-ray observations of these low-mass stars provide information which can be useful for our understanding of the weak winds of this type of stars and can lead to the discovery of particularly interesting binary systems. Here we report the most recent results we have recently obtained in this research area.

  7. Modeling of X-ray emissions produced by stepping lightning leaders

    OpenAIRE

    Xu , Wei; Celestin , Sebastien; Pasko , Victor P.

    2014-01-01

    International audience; Intense and brief bursts of X-ray emissions have been measured during the stepping processof both natural cloud-to-ground (CG) and rocket-triggered lightning flashes. In this paper, we investigatetheoretically the energy spectra of X-rays produced by the bremsstrahlung emission of thermal runawayelectrons accelerated in the inhomogeneous electric field produced around lightning leader tips. The X-rayenergy spectrum depends on the physical properties of the associated l...

  8. The Sun's X-ray Emission During the Recent Solar Minimum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sylwester, Janusz; Kowalinski, Mirek; Gburek, Szymon; Siarkowski, Marek; Kuzin, Sergey; Farnik, Frantisek; Reale, Fabio; Phillips, Kenneth J. H.

    2010-02-01

    The Sun recently underwent a period of a remarkable lack of major activity such as large flares and sunspots, without equal since the advent of the space age a half century ago. A widely used measure of solar activity is the amount of solar soft X-ray emission, but until recently this has been below the threshold of the X-ray-monitoring Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). There is thus an urgent need for more sensitive instrumentation to record solar X-ray emission in this range. Anticipating this need, a highly sensitive spectrophotometer called Solar Photometer in X-rays (SphinX) was included in the solar telescope/spectrometer TESIS instrument package on the third spacecraft in Russia's Complex Orbital Observations Near-Earth of Activity of the Sun (CORONAS-PHOTON) program, launched 30 January 2009 into a near-polar orbit. SphinX measures X-rays in a band similar to the GOES longer-wavelength channel.

  9. Variable X-ray sky with Lobster Eye Telescopes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hudec, R.; Pina, L.; Inneman, A.; Sveda, L.

    2004-01-01

    The variable X-ray sky requires wide-field monitoring with high sensitivity. We refer on novel X-ray telescopes with high sensitivity as well as large field of view. The results are very promising, allowing the proposals for space projects with very wide-field Lobster-eye X-ray optics to be considered. The novel telescopes will monitor the sky with unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution of order of 1 arcmin. They are expected to contribute essentially to study and to understand various astrophysical objects such as AGN, SNe, GRBs, X-ray flashes, galactic binary sources, stars, CVs, X-ray novae, various transient sources, etc

  10. X-ray emission lines from photoionized plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liedahl, D.A.

    1992-11-01

    Plasma emission codes have become a standard tool for the analysis of spectroscopic data from cosmic X-ray sources. However, the assumption of collisional equilibrium, typically invoked in these codes, renders them inapplicable to many important astrophysical situations, particularly those involving X-ray photoionized nebulae, which are likely to exist in the circumsource environments of compact X-ray sources. X-ray line production in a photoionized plasma is primarily the result of radiative cascades following recombination. Through the development of atomic models of several highly-charged ions, this work extends the range of applicability of discrete spectral models to plasmas dominated by recombination. Assuming that ambient plasma conditions lie in the temperature range 10 5 --10 6 K and the density range 10 11 --10 16 cm -3 , X-ray line spectra are calculated over the wavelength range 5--45 angstrom using the HULLAC atomic physics package. Most of the work focuses on the Fe L-shell ions. Line ratios of the form (3s-2p)/(3d-2p) are shown to characterize the principal mode of line excitation, thereby providing a simple signature of photoionization. At electron densities exceeding 10 12 cm -3 , metastable state populations in the ground configurations approach their LTE value, resulting in the enrichment of the Fe L-shell recombination spectrum and a set of density-sensitive X-ray line ratios. Radiative recombination continua and emission lines produced selectively by Δn = 0 dielectronic recombination are shown to provide two classes of temperature diagnostics. Because of the extreme overionization, the recombination continua are expected to be narrow (ΔE/E much-lt 1), with ΔE = kT. Dielectronic recombination selectively drives radiative transitions that originate on states with vacancies in the 2s subshell, states that are inaccessible under pure RR population kinetics

  11. The Relationship Between Solar Radio and Hard X-Ray Emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, S. M.; Benz, A. O.; Christe, S.; Farnik, F.; Kundu, M. R.; Mann, G.; Ning, Z.; Raulin, J.-P.; Silva-Valio, A. V. R.; Saint-Hilaire, P.; hide

    2011-01-01

    This review discusses the complementary relationship between radio and hard Xray observations of the Sun using primarily results from the era of the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager satellite. A primary focus of joint radio and hard X-ray studies of solar flares uses observations of nonthermal gyrosynchrotron emission at radio wavelengths and bremsstrahlung hard X-rays to study the properties of electrons accelerated in the main flare site, since it is well established that these two emissions show very similar temporal behavior. A quantitative prescription is given for comparing the electron energy distributions derived separately from the two wavelength ranges: this is an important application with the potential for measuring the magnetic field strength in the flaring region, and reveals significant differences between the electrons in different energy ranges. Examples of the use of simultaneous data from the two wavelength ranges to derive physical conditions are then discussed, including the case of microflares, and the comparison of images at radio and hard X-ray wavelengths is presented. There have been puzzling results obtained from observations of solar flares at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, and the comparison of these results with corresponding hard X-ray data is presented. Finally, the review discusses the association of hard X-ray releases with radio emission at decimeter and meter wavelengths, which is dominated by plasma emission (at lower frequencies) and electron cyclotron maser emission (at higher frequencies), both coherent emission mechanisms that require small numbers of energetic electrons. These comparisons show broad general associations but detailed correspondence remains more elusive.

  12. Swift X-ray monitoring of stellar coronal variability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Brendan; Hagen, Cedric; Gallo, Elena; Wright, Jason T.

    2018-01-01

    We used California Planet Search Ca II H and K core emission measurements to identify and characterize chromospheric activity cycles in a sample of main-sequence FGK stars. About a dozen of these with existing ROSAT archival data were targeted with Swift to obtain a current epoch X-ray flux. We find that coronal variability by a factor of several is common on decade-long timescales (we attempt to link to the chromospheric cycle phase) but can also occur on short timescales between Swift visits to a given target, presumably related to stellar rotation and coronal inhomogeneity or to small flares. Additionally, we present new Swift monitoring observations of two M dwarfs with known exoplanets: GJ 15A and GJ 674. GJ 15A b is around 5.3 Earth masses with an 11.4 day orbital period, while GJ 674 is around 11.1 Earth masses with a 4.7 day orbital period. GJ 15A was observed several times in late 2014 and then monitored at approximately weekly intervals for several months in early 2016, for a total exposure of 18 ks. GJ 674 was monitored at approximately weekly intervals for most of 2016, for a total exposure of 40 ks. We provide light curves and hardness ratios for both sources, and also compare to earlier archival X-ray data. Both sources show significant X-ray variability, including between consecutive observations. We quantify the energy distribution for coronal flaring, and compare to optical results for M dwarfs from Kepler. Finally, we discuss the implications of M dwarf coronal activity for exoplanets orbiting within the nominal habitable zone.

  13. Hard X-ray Emission and Efficient Particle Acceleration by Supernova Remnants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vink, Jacco

    2009-01-01

    I discuss the non-thermal X-ray emission from young supernova remnants. Over the last decade it has become clear from both X-ray and γ-ray observations that young supernovae accelerate particles up to 100 TeV. In soft X-rays the accelerated >10 TeV electrons produce synchrotron radiation, coming from narrow filaments located at the shock fronts. The width of these filaments shows that the magnetic fields are relatively high, thus providing evidence for magnetic field amplification.The synchrotron radiation of several remnants is known to extend into the hard X-ray regime. In particular Cas A, has a spectrum that appears as a power law up to almost 100 TeV. This is very surprising, as a steepening is expected going from the soft to the hard X-ray band. The spectrum is likely a result of many superimposed individual spectra, each steepening at different energies. This implies considerable spatial variation in hard X-rays, an obvious target for Simbol-X. The variations will be important to infer local shock acceleration properties, but also magnetic field fluctuations may cause spatial and temporal variations.Finally, I draw the attention to super bubbles and supernovae as sources of cosmic rays. As such they may be sources of hard X-ray emission. In particular, supernovae exploding inside the dense red supergiants winds of their progenitors ares promising candidates for hard X-ray emission.

  14. Hard X-ray Emission and Efficient Particle Acceleration by Supernova Remnants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vink, Jacco

    2009-05-01

    I discuss the non-thermal X-ray emission from young supernova remnants. Over the last decade it has become clear from both X-ray and γ-ray observations that young supernovae accelerate particles up to 100 TeV. In soft X-rays the accelerated >10 TeV electrons produce synchrotron radiation, coming from narrow filaments located at the shock fronts. The width of these filaments shows that the magnetic fields are relatively high, thus providing evidence for magnetic field amplification. The synchrotron radiation of several remnants is known to extend into the hard X-ray regime. In particular Cas A, has a spectrum that appears as a power law up to almost 100 TeV. This is very surprising, as a steepening is expected going from the soft to the hard X-ray band. The spectrum is likely a result of many superimposed individual spectra, each steepening at different energies. This implies considerable spatial variation in hard X-rays, an obvious target for Simbol-X. The variations will be important to infer local shock acceleration properties, but also magnetic field fluctuations may cause spatial and temporal variations. Finally, I draw the attention to super bubbles and supernovae as sources of cosmic rays. As such they may be sources of hard X-ray emission. In particular, supernovae exploding inside the dense red supergiants winds of their progenitors ares promising candidates for hard X-ray emission.

  15. Synchrotron-Radiation Induced X-Ray Emission (SRIXE)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jones, Keith W.

    1999-09-01

    Elemental analysis using emission of characteristic x rays is a well-established scientific method. The success of this analytical method is highly dependent on the properties of the source used to produce the x rays. X-ray tubes have long existed as a principal excitation source, but electron and proton beams have also been employed extensively. The development of the synchrotron radiation x-ray source that has taken place during the past 40 years has had a major impact on the general field of x-ray analysis. Even tier 40 years, science of x-ray analysis with synchrotron x-ray beams is by no means mature. Improvements being made to existing synchrotron facilities and the design and construction of new facilities promise to accelerate the development of the general scientific use of synchrotron x-ray sources for at least the next ten years. The effective use of the synchrotron source technology depends heavily on the use of high-performance computers for analysis and theoretical interpretation of the experimental data. Fortunately, computer technology has advanced at least as rapidly as the x-ray technology during the past 40 years and should continue to do so during the next decade. The combination of these technologies should bring about dramatic advances in many fields where synchrotron x-ray science is applied. It is interesting also to compare the growth and rate of acceptance of this particular research endeavor to the rates for other technological endeavors. Griibler [1997] cataloged the time required for introduction, diffusion,and acceptance of technological, economic, and social change and found mean values of 40 to 50 years. The introduction of the synchrotron source depends on both technical and non-technical factors, and the time scale at which this seems to be occurring is quite compatible with what is seen for other major innovations such as the railroad or the telegraph. It will be interesting to see how long the present rate of technological change

  16. Synchrotron-Radiation Induced X-Ray Emission (SRIXE)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, Keith W.

    1999-01-01

    Elemental analysis using emission of characteristic x rays is a well-established scientific method. The success of this analytical method is highly dependent on the properties of the source used to produce the x rays. X-ray tubes have long existed as a principal excitation source, but electron and proton beams have also been employed extensively. The development of the synchrotron radiation x-ray source that has taken place during the past 40 years has had a major impact on the general field of x-ray analysis. Even tier 40 years, science of x-ray analysis with synchrotron x-ray beams is by no means mature. Improvements being made to existing synchrotron facilities and the design and construction of new facilities promise to accelerate the development of the general scientific use of synchrotron x-ray sources for at least the next ten years. The effective use of the synchrotron source technology depends heavily on the use of high-performance computers for analysis and theoretical interpretation of the experimental data. Fortunately, computer technology has advanced at least as rapidly as the x-ray technology during the past 40 years and should continue to do so during the next decade. The combination of these technologies should bring about dramatic advances in many fields where synchrotron x-ray science is applied. It is interesting also to compare the growth and rate of acceptance of this particular research endeavor to the rates for other technological endeavors. Griibler [1997] cataloged the time required for introduction, diffusion,and acceptance of technological, economic, and social change and found mean values of 40 to 50 years. The introduction of the synchrotron source depends on both technical and non-technical factors, and the time scale at which this seems to be occurring is quite compatible with what is seen for other major innovations such as the railroad or the telegraph. It will be interesting to see how long the present rate of technological change

  17. X-ray emission from the Pleiades cluster

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agrawal, P. C.; Singh, K. P.; Riegler, G. R.

    1983-01-01

    The detection and identification of H0344+24, a new X-ray source located in the Pleiades cluster, is reported, based on observations made with HEAO A-2 low-energy detector 1 in the 0.15-3.0-keV energy band in August, 1977. The 90-percent-confidence error box for the new source is centered at 03 h 44.1 min right ascension (1950), near the center star of the 500-star Pleiades cluster, 25-eta-Tau. Since no likely galactic or extragalactic source of X-rays was found in a catalog search of the error-box region, identification of the source with the Pleiades cluster is considered secure. X-ray luminosity of the source is calculated to be about 10 to the 32nd ergs/sec, based on a distance of 125 pc. The X-ray characteristics of the Pleiades stars are discussed, and it is concluded that H0344+24 can best be explained as the integrated X-ray emission of all the B and F stars in the cluster.

  18. Sub-Hour X-Ray Variability of High-Energy Peaked BL Lacertae Objects

    OpenAIRE

    Bidzina Kapanadze

    2018-01-01

    The study of multi-wavelength flux variability in BL Lacertae objects is very important to discern unstable processes and emission mechanisms underlying their extreme observational features. While the innermost regions of these objects are not accessible from direct observations, we may draw conclusions about their internal structure via the detection of flux variations on various timescales, based on the light-travel argument. In this paper, we review the sub-hour X-ray variability in high-e...

  19. Ultrafast secondary emission x-ray imaging detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akkerman, A.; Gibrekhterman, A.; Majewski, S.

    1991-07-01

    Fast high accuracy, x-ray imaging at high photon flux can be achieved when coupling thin solid convertors to gaseous electron multipliers, operating at low gas pressures. Secondary electron emitted from the convertor foil are multiplied in several successive amplification elements. The obvious advantage of solid x-ray detectors, as compared to gaseous conversion, are the production of parallax-free images and the fast (subnanoseconds) response. These x-ray detectors have many potential applications in basic and applied research. Of particular interest is the possibility of an efficient and ultrafast high resolution imaging of transition radiation,with a reduced dE/dx background. We present experimental results on the operation of the secondary emission x-ray (SEX) detectors, their detection efficiency, localization and time resolution. The experimental work is accompanied by mathematical modelling and computer simulation of transition radiation detectors based on CsI transition radiation convertors. (author)

  20. Circumstellar X-ray Emission from SN1978K

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlegel, Eric M.; Colbert, E.; Petre, R.

    1995-02-01

    We present the X-ray light curve in the 0.2 2.4 keV band based on fiveROSAT observations of SN1978K in NGC 1313. The X-ray emission is believed to arise from the interaction of the reverse shock and the expanding debris from the supernova. The reverse shock becomes established after the outgoing shock runs into circumstellar matter.

  1. Steep Hard-X-ray Spectra Indicate Extremely High Accretion Rates in Weak Emission-Line Quasars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marlar, Andrea; Shemmer, Ohad; Anderson, Scott F.; Brandt, W. Niel; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.; Fan, Xiaohui; Luo, Bin; Plotkin, Richard; Richards, Gordon T.; Schneider, Donald P.; Wu, Jianfeng

    2018-06-01

    We present XMM-Newton imaging spectroscopy of ten weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) at 0.928 ≤ z ≤ 3.767, six of which are radio quiet and four which are radio intermediate. The new X-ray data enabled us to measure the hard-X-ray power-law photon index (Γ) in each source with relatively high accuracy. These measurements allowed us to confirm previous reports that WLQs have steeper X-ray spectra, therefore indicating higher accretion rates with respect to "typical" quasars. A comparison between the Γ values of our radio-quiet WLQs and those of a carefully-selected, uniform sample of 84 quasars shows that the first are significantly higher, at the ≥ 3σ level. Collectively, the four radio-intermediate WLQs have lower Γ values with respect to the six radio-quiet WLQs, as may be expected if the spectra of the first group are contaminated by X-ray emission from a jet. These results suggest that, in the absence of significant jet emission along our line of sight, WLQs constitute the extreme high end of the accretion rate distribution in quasars. We detect soft excess emission in our lowest-redshift radio-quiet WLQ, in agreement with previous findings suggesting that the prominence of this feature is associated with a high accretion rate. We have not detected signatures of Compton reflection, Fe Kα lines, or strong variability between two X-ray epochs in any of our WLQs.

  2. A giant radio flare from Cygnus X-3 with associated γ-ray emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corbel, S.; Dubus, G.; Tomsick, J. A.; Szostek, A.; Corbet, R. H. D.; Miller-Jones, J. C. A.; Richards, J. L.; Pooley, G.; Trushkin, S.; Dubois, R.; Hill, A. B.; Kerr, M.; Max-Moerbeck, W.; Readhead, A. C. S.; Bodaghee, A.; Tudose, V.; Parent, D.; Wilms, J.; Pottschmidt, K.

    2012-04-01

    With frequent flaring activity of its relativistic jets, Cygnus X-3 (Cyg X-3) is one of the most active microquasars and is the only Galactic black hole candidate with confirmed high-energy γ-ray emission, thanks to detections by Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi/LAT) and AGILE. In 2011, Cyg X-3 was observed to transit to a soft X-ray state, which is known to be associated with high-energy γ-ray emission. We present the results of a multiwavelength campaign covering a quenched state, when radio emission from Cyg X-3 is at its weakest and the X-ray spectrum is very soft. A giant (˜20 Jy) optically thin radio flare marks the end of the quenched state, accompanied by rising non-thermal hard X-rays. Fermi/LAT observations (E≥ 100 MeV) reveal renewed γ-ray activity associated with this giant radio flare, suggesting a common origin for all non-thermal components. In addition, current observations unambiguously show that the γ-ray emission is not exclusively related to the rare giant radio flares. A three-week period of γ-ray emission is also detected when Cyg X-3 was weakly flaring in radio, right before transition to the radio quenched state. No γ-rays are observed during the ˜1-month long quenched state, when the radio flux is weakest. Our results suggest transitions into and out of the ultrasoft X-ray (radio-quenched) state trigger γ-ray emission, implying a connection to the accretion process, and also that the γ-ray activity is related to the level of radio flux (and possibly shock formation), strengthening the connection to the relativistic jets.

  3. NuSTAR HARD X-RAY SURVEY OF THE GALACTIC CENTER REGION. I. HARD X-RAY MORPHOLOGY AND SPECTROSCOPY OF THE DIFFUSE EMISSION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mori, Kaya; Hailey, Charles J.; Perez, Kerstin; Nynka, Melania; Zhang, Shuo; Canipe, Alicia M. [Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Krivonos, Roman; Tomsick, John A.; Barrière, Nicolas; Boggs, Steven E.; Craig, William W. [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Hong, Jaesub [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Ponti, Gabriele [Max-Planck-Institut f. extraterrestrische Physik, HEG, Garching (Germany); Bauer, Franz [Instituto de Astrofísica, Facultad de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 306, Santiago 22 (Chile); Alexander, David M. [Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Baganoff, Frederick K. [Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusets Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Barret, Didier [Université de Toulouse, UPS-OMP, IRAP, Toulouse (France); Christensen, Finn E. [DTU Space—National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Elektrovej 327, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Forster, Karl [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Giommi, Paolo, E-mail: kaya@astro.columbia.edu [ASI Science Data Center, Via del Politecnico snc I-00133, Roma (Italy); and others

    2015-12-01

    We present the first sub-arcminute images of the Galactic Center above 10 keV, obtained with NuSTAR. NuSTAR resolves the hard X-ray source IGR J17456–2901 into non-thermal X-ray filaments, molecular clouds, point sources, and a previously unknown central component of hard X-ray emission (CHXE). NuSTAR detects four non-thermal X-ray filaments, extending the detection of their power-law spectra with Γ ∼ 1.3–2.3 up to ∼50 keV. A morphological and spectral study of the filaments suggests that their origin may be heterogeneous, where previous studies suggested a common origin in young pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe). NuSTAR detects non-thermal X-ray continuum emission spatially correlated with the 6.4 keV Fe Kα fluorescence line emission associated with two Sgr A molecular clouds: MC1 and the Bridge. Broadband X-ray spectral analysis with a Monte-Carlo based X-ray reflection model self-consistently determined their intrinsic column density (∼10{sup 23} cm{sup −2}), primary X-ray spectra (power-laws with Γ ∼ 2) and set a lower limit of the X-ray luminosity of Sgr A* flare illuminating the Sgr A clouds to L{sub X} ≳ 10{sup 38} erg s{sup −1}. Above ∼20 keV, hard X-ray emission in the central 10 pc region around Sgr A* consists of the candidate PWN G359.95–0.04 and the CHXE, possibly resulting from an unresolved population of massive CVs with white dwarf masses M{sub WD} ∼ 0.9 M{sub ⊙}. Spectral energy distribution analysis suggests that G359.95–0.04 is likely the hard X-ray counterpart of the ultra-high gamma-ray source HESS J1745–290, strongly favoring a leptonic origin of the GC TeV emission.

  4. An Expanded Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer Survey of X-Ray Variability in Seyfert 1 Galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markowitz, A.; Edelson, R.

    2004-12-01

    The first seven years of RXTE monitoring of Seyfert 1 active galactic nuclei have been systematically analyzed to yield five homogeneous samples of 2-12 keV light curves, probing hard X-ray variability on successively longer durations from ~1 day to ~3.5 yr. The 2-10 keV variability on timescales of ~1 day, as probed by ASCA, is included. All sources exhibit stronger X-ray variability toward longer timescales, but the increase is greater for relatively higher luminosity sources. Variability amplitudes are anticorrelated with X-ray luminosity and black hole mass, but amplitudes saturate and become independent of luminosity or black hole mass toward the longest timescales. The data are consistent with the models of power spectral density (PSD) movement described by Markowitz and coworkers and McHardy and coworkers, whereby Seyfert 1 galaxies' variability can be described by a single, universal PSD shape whose break frequency scales with black hole mass. The best-fitting scaling relations between variability timescale, black hole mass, and X-ray luminosity imply an average accretion rate of ~5% of the Eddington limit for the sample. Nearly all sources exhibit stronger variability in the relatively soft 2-4 keV band compared to the 7-12 keV band on all timescales. There are indications that relatively less luminous or less massive sources exhibit a greater degree of spectral variability for a given increase in overall flux.

  5. Soft X-ray Emission from Large-Scale Galactic Outflows in Seyfert Galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colbert, E. J. M.; Baum, S.; O'Dea, C.; Veilleux, S.

    1998-01-01

    Kiloparsec-scale soft X-ray nebulae extend along the galaxy minor axes in several Seyfert galaxies, including NGC 2992, NGC 4388 and NGC 5506. In these three galaxies, the extended X-ray emission observed in ROSAT HRI images has 0.2-2.4 keV X-ray luminosities of 0.4-3.5 x 10(40) erg s(-1) . The X-ray nebulae are roughly co-spatial with the large-scale radio emission, suggesting that both are produced by large-scale galactic outflows. Assuming pressure balance between the radio and X-ray plasmas, the X-ray filling factor is >~ 10(4) times as large as the radio plasma filling factor, suggesting that large-scale outflows in Seyfert galaxies are predominantly winds of thermal X-ray emitting gas. We favor an interpretation in which large-scale outflows originate as AGN-driven jets that entrain and heat gas on kpc scales as they make their way out of the galaxy. AGN- and starburst-driven winds are also possible explanations if the winds are oriented along the rotation axis of the galaxy disk. Since large-scale outflows are present in at least 50 percent of Seyfert galaxies, the soft X-ray emission from the outflowing gas may, in many cases, explain the ``soft excess" X-ray feature observed below 2 keV in X-ray spectra of many Seyfert 2 galaxies.

  6. Sample analysis using gamma ray induced fluorescent X-ray emission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sood, B S; Allawadhi, K L; Gandhi, R; Batra, O P; Singh, N [Punjabi Univ., Patiala (India). Nuclear Science Labs.

    1983-01-01

    A non-destructive method for the analysis of materials using gamma ray-induced fluorescent x-ray emission has been developed. In this method, special preparation of very thin samples in which the absorption of the incident gamma rays and the emitted fluorescent x-rays is negligible, is not needed, and the absorption correction is determined experimentally. A suitable choice of the incident gamma ray energies is made to minimise enhancement effects through selective photoionization of the elements in the sample. The method is applied to the analysis of a typical sample of the soldering material using 279 keV and 59.5 keV gamma rays from /sup 203/Hg and /sup 241/Am radioactive sources respectively. The results of the analysis are found to agree well with those obtained from the chemical analysis.

  7. Scaling of x-ray emission and ion velocity in laser produced Cu ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Laser plasma; x-ray emission; conversion efficiency; ion velocities. ... fits from this kind of optimization studies are in the fields of x-ray lithography, x-ray lasers etc. .... formula between the x-ray conversion rate versus different parameters of the ...

  8. A giant radio flare from Cygnus X-3 with associated γ-ray emission: The 2011 radio and γ-ray flare of Cyg X-3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corbel, S.; Dubus, G.; Tomsick, J. A.; Szostek, A.

    2012-01-01

    With frequent flaring activity of its relativistic jets, Cygnus X-3 (Cyg X-3) is one of the most active microquasars and is the only Galactic black hole candidate with confirmed high-energy γ-ray emission, thanks to detections by Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi/LAT) and AGILE. In 2011, we observed Cyg X-3 in order to transit to a soft X-ray state, which is known to be associated with high-energy γ-ray emission. We present the results of a multiwavelength campaign covering a quenched state, when radio emission from Cyg X-3 is at its weakest and the X-ray spectrum is very soft. A giant (~20 Jy) optically thin radio flare marks the end of the quenched state, accompanied by rising non-thermal hard X-rays. Fermi/LAT observations (E≥ 100 MeV) reveal renewed γ-ray activity associated with this giant radio flare, suggesting a common origin for all non-thermal components. In addition, current observations unambiguously show that the γ-ray emission is not exclusively related to the rare giant radio flares. A three-week period of γ-ray emission is also detected when Cyg X-3 was weakly flaring in radio, right before transition to the radio quenched state. There were no γ-rays observed during the ~1-month long quenched state, when the radio flux is weakest. These results suggest transitions into and out of the ultrasoft X-ray (radio-quenched) state trigger γ-ray emission, implying a connection to the accretion process, and also that the γ-ray activity is related to the level of radio flux (and possibly shock formation), strengthening the connection to the relativistic jets.

  9. Observation of hard X-rays line emission from Her X-1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Polcaro, V.F.; Bazzano, A.; la Padula, C.; Ubertini, P.; Vialetto, G.; Manchanda, R.K.; Damle, S.V.

    1982-04-01

    We present the results of a hard X-ray measurement of the binary source Her X-1, carried out with a balloon borne X-ray telescope consisting of two Multiwire Proportional Counters, having 900 cm/sup 2/ sensitive area each and spectral resolution of 15% and 24% FWHM respectively at 60 keV. The source was observed during the 'Mid-on' state. Our data confirm the previously reported high energy emission line overimposed on the low energy thermal spectrum.

  10. Signatures of Synchrotron: Low-cutoff X-ray emission and the hard X-ray spectrum of Cas A

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stage, Michael D.; Fedor, Emily Elizabeth; Martina-Hood, Hyourin

    2018-06-01

    In soft X-rays, bright, young Galactic remnants (Cas A, Kepler, Tycho, etc.) present thermal line emission and bremsstrahlung from ejecta, and synchrotron radiation from the shocks. Their hard X-ray spectra tend to be dominated by power-law sources. However, it can be non-trivial to discriminate between contributions from processes such as synchrotron and bremsstrahlung from nonthermally accelerated electrons, even though the energies of the electrons producing this radiation may be very different. Spatially-resolved spectroscopic analysis of 0.5-10 keV observations with, e.g., Chandracan provide leverage in identifying the processes and their locations. Previously, Stage & Allen (2006), Allen & Stage (2007) and Stage & Allen (2011) identified regions characterized by high-cutoff synchrotron radiation. Extrapolating synchrotron model fits to the emission in the Chandra band, they estimated the synchrotron contribution to the hard X-ray spectrum at about one-third the observed flux, fitting the balance with nonthermal bremsstrahlung emission produced by nonthermal electrons in the ejecta. Although it is unlikely this analysis missed regions of the highest-cutoff synchrotron emission, which supplies the bulk of the synchrotron above 15 keV, it may have missed regions of lower-cutoff emission, especially if they are near bright ejecta and the reverse shock. These regions cannot explain the emission at the highest energies (~50 keV), but may make significant contributions to the hard spectrum at lower energies (~10 keV). Using the technique described in Fedor, Martina-Hood & Stage (this meeting), we revisit the analysis to include regions that may be dominated by low-cutoff synchrotron, located in the interior of the remnant, and/or correlated with the reverse shock. Identifying X-ray emission from accelerated electrons associated with the reverse-shock would have important implications for synchrotron and non-thermal bremsstrahlung radiation above the 10 keV.

  11. Hard X-ray emission spectroscopy with pink beam

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kvashnina, Kristina O.; Rossberg, Andre; Exner, Joerg; Scheinost, Andreas C. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Dresden (Germany). Molecular Structures

    2017-06-01

    Valence-band X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) with a ''pink beam'', i.e. a beam with large energy bandwidth produced by a double-multilayer monochromator, is introduced here to overcome the weak count rate of monochromatic beams produced by conventional double-crystal monochromators. Our results demonstrate that - in spite of the large bandwidth in the order of 100 eV - the high spectral resolution of the Johann-type spectrometer is maintained, while the two orders of magnitude higher flux greatly reduces the required counting time. The short working distance Johann-type X-ray emission spectrometer and multilayer monochromator is available at ROBL.

  12. Ultraviolet and X-ray variability of NGC 4051 over 45 days with XMM-Newton and Swift

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Alston, W.N.; Vaughan, S.; Uttley, P.

    2013-01-01

    We analyse 15 XMM-Newton observations of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4051 obtained over 45 d to determine the ultraviolet (UV) light curve variability characteristics and search for correlated UV/X-ray emission. The UV light curve shows variability on all time-scales, however with lower fractional rms

  13. Resonant X-ray emission spectroscopy in Dy compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Satoshi; Okada, Kozo; Kotani, Akio.

    1994-01-01

    The excitation spectrum of the L 3 -M 5 X-ray emission of Dy compounds in the pre-edge region of Dy L 3 X-ray absorption near edge structure (L 3 -XANES) is theoretically investigated based upon the coherent second order optical formula with multiplet coupling effects. The spectral broadening of the excitation spectrum is determined by the M 5 core hole lifetime, being free from the L 3 core hole lifetime. The fine pre-edge structure of the L 3 edge due to the 2p→4f quadrupole transition can be seen in the excitation spectrum, while this structure is invisible in the conventional XANES, in agreement with the recent experimental results. We clarify the conditions for the excitation spectrum to be regarded as the absorption spectrum with a smaller width. The resonant X-ray emission spectra for various incident photon energies around the L 3 edge are also calculated. (author)

  14. Detailed EXOSAT and optical observations of the intermediate polar 3A0729+103: discovery of two medium energy X-ray emission regions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McHardy, I.M.; Pye, J.P.; Fairall, A.P.; Menzies, J.W.

    1987-01-01

    EXOSAT observations of the intermediate polar cataclysmic variable 3A0729+103 reveal a strong orbital modulation, with the 2-4KeV X-rays being significantly more modulated than the 4-6keV X-rays, indicative of photoelectric absorption. The 913 second modulation which is very prominent in the optical light curve, is weakly detected in the medium-energy X-ray light curve, confirming that it represents the white dwarf spin period. These observations are well explained by a combination of two sources of medium-energy X-ray emission. The presence of two emission regions is also clearly seen in the optical spectroscopy, particularly in the intensity of the He II4686 line which has two peaks during the orbit. The authors identify the two optical emission regions with the two X-ray emission regions. (author)

  15. Laboratory simulation of charge exchange-produced X-ray emission from comets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beiersdorfer, P; Boyce, K R; Brown, G V; Chen, H; Kahn, S M; Kelley, R L; May, M; Olson, R E; Porter, F S; Stahle, C K; Tillotson, W A

    2003-06-06

    In laboratory experiments using the engineering spare microcalorimeter detector from the ASTRO-E satellite mission, we recorded the x-ray emission of highly charged ions of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, which simulates charge exchange reactions between heavy ions in the solar wind and neutral gases in cometary comae. The spectra are complex and do not readily match predictions. We developed a charge exchange emission model that successfully reproduces the soft x-ray spectrum of comet Linear C/1999 S4, observed with the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

  16. X-ray emission from stainless steel foils irradiated by femtosecond petawatt laser pulses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alkhimova, M. A.; Faenov, A. Ya; Pikuz, T. A.; Skobelev, I. Yu; Pikuz, S. A.; Nishiuchi, M.; Sakaki, H.; Pirozhkov, A. S.; Sagisaka, S.; Dover, N. P.; Kondo, Ko; Ogura, K.; Fukuda, Y.; Kiriyama, H.; Esirkepov, T.; Bulanov, S. V.; Andreev, A.; Kando, M.; Zhidkov, A.; Nishitani, K.; Miyahara, T.; Watanabe, Y.; Kodama, R.; Kondo, K.

    2018-01-01

    We report about nonlinear growth of x-ray emission intensity emitted from plasma generated by femtosecond petawatt laser pulses irradiating stainless steel foils. X-ray emission intensity increases as ˜ I 4.5 with laser intensity I on a target. High spectrally resolved x-ray emission from front and rear surfaces of 5 μm thickness stainless steel targets were obtained at the wavelength range 1.7-2.1 Å, for the first time in experiments at femtosecond petawatt laser facility J-KAREN-P. Total intensity of front x-ray spectra three times dominates to rear side spectra for maximum laser intensity I ≈ 3.2×1021 W/cm2. Growth of x-ray emission is mostly determined by contribution of bremsstrahlung radiation that allowed estimating bulk electron plasma temperature for various magnitude of laser intensity on target.

  17. Extreme Radio Flares and Associated X-Ray Variability from Young Stellar Objects in the Orion Nebula Cluster

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Forbrich, Jan [Centre for Astrophysics Research, School of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB (United Kingdom); Reid, Mark J.; Wolk, Scott J. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge MA 02138 (United States); Menten, Karl M. [Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Rivilla, Victor M. [Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo Enrico Fermi 5, I-50125, Firenze (Italy); Rau, Urvashi; Chandler, Claire J. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box O, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States)

    2017-08-01

    Young stellar objects are known to exhibit strong radio variability on timescales of weeks to months, and a few reports have documented extreme radio flares with at least an order of magnitude change in flux density on timescales of hours to days. However, there have been few constraints on the occurrence rate of such radio flares or on the correlation with pre-main sequence X-ray flares, although such correlations are known for the Sun and nearby active stars. Here we report simultaneous deep VLA radio and Chandra X-ray observations of the Orion Nebula Cluster, targeting hundreds of sources to look for the occurrence rate of extreme radio variability and potential correlation with the most extreme X-ray variability. We identify 13 radio sources with extreme radio variability, with some showing an order of magnitude change in flux density in less than 30 minutes. All of these sources show X-ray emission and variability, but we find clear correlations with extreme radio flaring only on timescales <1 hr. Strong X-ray variability does not predict the extreme radio sources and vice versa. Radio flares thus provide us with a new perspective on high-energy processes in YSOs and the irradiation of their protoplanetary disks. Finally, our results highlight implications for interferometric imaging of sources violating the constant-sky assumption.

  18. The Elusive Soft Emission from Hard X-ray Symbiotic System RT Cru

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karovska, Margarita

    2014-09-01

    RT Cru is a fascinating member of a new class of hard X-ray emitting symbiotic binaries showing X-ray emission extending to over 50keV. While its hard X-ray emission has been studied in detail, the soft component of the spectrum, including flares, remains elusive, since previous observations have focused on the high-energy regime. We propose Chandra HRC-S/LETG observations to determine the spatial, spectral, and temporal characteristics of the source of the soft X-ray emission with a goal to establish the origin of the soft component, and determine whether and how it is tied to the hard component. Determining the origin of the soft emission is a crucial piece of the puzzle to understanding the geometry, energetics, and the environment of WD accretion in this class of symbiotic systems.

  19. ORIGIN OF THE GALACTIC DIFFUSE X-RAY EMISSION: IRON K-SHELL LINE DIAGNOSTICS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nobukawa, Masayoshi [Department of Teacher Training and School Education, Nara University of Education, Takabatake-cho, Nara, 630-8528 (Japan); Uchiyama, Hideki [Faculty of Education, Shizuoka University, 836 Ohya, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka, 422-8529 (Japan); Nobukawa, Kumiko K.; Koyama, Katsuji [Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502 (Japan); Yamauchi, Shigeo, E-mail: nobukawa@nara-edu.ac.jp [Department of Physics, Nara Women’s University, Kitauoyanishimachi, Nara, 630-8506 (Japan)

    2016-12-20

    This paper reports detailed K-shell line profiles of iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni) of the Galactic Center X-ray Emission (GCXE), Galactic Bulge X-ray Emission (GBXE), Galactic Ridge X-ray Emission (GRXE), magnetic Cataclysmic Variables (mCVs), non-magnetic Cataclysmic Variables (non-mCVs), and coronally Active Binaries (ABs). For the study of the origin of the GCXE, GBXE, and GRXE, the spectral analysis is focused on equivalent widths of the Fe i-K α , Fe xxv-He α , and Fe xxvi-Ly α  lines. The global spectrum of the GBXE is reproduced by a combination of the mCVs, non-mCVs, and ABs spectra. On the other hand, the GRXE spectrum shows significant data excesses at the Fe i-K α and Fe xxv-He α  line energies. This means that additional components other than mCVs, non-mCVs, and ABs are required, which have symbiotic phenomena of cold gas and very high-temperature plasma. The GCXE spectrum shows larger excesses than those found in the GRXE spectrum at all the K-shell lines of iron and nickel. Among them the largest ones are the Fe i-K α , Fe xxv-He α , Fe xxvi-Ly α , and Fe xxvi-Ly β  lines. Together with the fact that the scale heights of the Fe i-K α , Fe xxv-He α , and Fe xxvi-Ly α lines are similar to that of the central molecular zone (CMZ), the excess components would be related to high-energy activity in the extreme envelopment of the CMZ.

  20. The variable hard x-ray emission of NGC 4945 as observed by NUSTAR

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Puccetti, Simonetta; Comastri, Andrea; Fiore, Fabrizio

    2014-01-01

    We present a broadband (~0.5-79 keV) spectral and temporal analysis of multiple NuSTAR observations combined with archival Suzaku and Chandra data of NGC 4945, the brightest extragalactic source at 100 keV. We observe hard X-ray (>10 keV) flux and spectral variability, with flux variations of a f...... of a factor of two on timescales of 20 ks. A variable primary continuum dominates the high-energy spectrum (>10 keV) in all states, while the reflected/scattered flux that dominates at E...

  1. Chandra Observations of Extended X-Ray Emission in ARP 220

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDowell, J. C.; Clements, D. L.; Lamb, S. A.; Shaked, S.; Hearn, N. C.; Colina, L.; Mundell, C.; Borne, K.; Baker, A. C.; Arribas, S.

    2003-01-01

    We resolve the extended X-ray emission from the prototypical ultraluminous infrared galaxy Arp 220. Extended, faint, edge-brightened, soft X-ray lobes outside the optical galaxy are observed to a distance of 1CL 15 kpc on each side of the nuclear region. Bright plumes inside the optical isophotes coincide with the optical line emission and extend 1 1 kpc from end to end across the nucleus. The data for the plumes cannot be fitted by a single-temperature plasma and display a range of temperatures from 0.2 to 1 keV. The plumes emerge from bright, diffuse circumnuclear emission in the inner 3 kpc centered on the Ha peak, which is displaced from the radio nuclei. There is a close morphological correspondence between the Ha and soft X-ray emission on all spatial scales. We interpret the plumes as a starburst-driven superwind and discuss two interpretations of the emission from the lobes in the context of simulations of the merger dynamics of Arp 220.

  2. X-ray emission from hot plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayakawa, Satio; Kato, Takako.

    1979-01-01

    X-ray emission from hot plasmas is discussed with a critical review of different theories. The results given in the present paper are complementary to those given by Kato in the sense that the present paper is introductory to the paper by Kato. The contents of the present paper are; 1. Introduction 2. Ionization and Recombination Rate Coefficients 3. Relative Abundances of Ions 4. Intensity and Spectra of Radiation 5. Comparison with Earlier Results 6. Emission and Absorption Lines (author)

  3. Spectral analysis of K-shell X-ray emission of magnesium plasma

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2014-02-06

    Feb 6, 2014 ... Spectral analysis of K-shell X-ray emission of magnesium plasma, produced by laser pulses of 45 fs duration, focussed up to an intensity of ∼1018 W cm-2, is carried out. The plasma conditions prevalent during the emission of X-ray spectrum were identified by comparing the experimental spectra with the ...

  4. K and L X-ray emission intensities of some radionuclides

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Verma, H R; Pal, D [Punjabi Univ., Patiala (India). Dept. of Physics

    1985-01-01

    The K and L x-ray emission intensities per 100 disintegrations have been calculated for some radionuclides using the latest adopted data for gamma-ray intensities, electron capture and internal conversion coefficients for the parent nuclides, fluorescence yield values, Coster-Kronig transition probabilities, average total number of primary L shell vacancies produced in the decay of K shell vacancies and emission rates for various shells and subshells for the daughter nuclei. The results are in good agreement with theoretical and experimental values for the K x-ray intensities. There are no experimental results available to compare with the present calculations for the L x-ray intensities; however, there is a marked discrepancy in the L..cap alpha.. and L..beta.. intensities available on the basis of theoretical estimates.

  5. Particle induced X-ray emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, D.D.

    1991-08-01

    The accelerator based ion beam technique of Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) is discussed in some detail. This report pulls together all major reviews and references over the last ten years and reports on PIXE in vacuum and using external beams. The advantages, limitations, costs and types of studies that may be undertaken using an accelerator based ion beam technique such as PIXE, are also discussed. 25 refs., 7 tabs., 40 figs

  6. X-ray stars observed in LAMOST spectral survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Hong-peng; Zhang, Li-yun; Han, Xianming L.; Shi, Jianrong

    2018-05-01

    X-ray stars have been studied since the beginning of X-ray astronomy. Investigating and studying the chromospheric activity from X-ray stellar optical spectra is highly significant in providing insights into stellar magnetic activity. The big data of LAMOST survey provides an opportunity for researching stellar optical spectroscopic properties of X-ray stars. We inferred the physical properties of X-ray stellar sources from the analysis of LAMOST spectra. First, we cross-matched the X-ray stellar catalogue (12254 X-ray stars) from ARXA with LAMOST data release 3 (DR3), and obtained 984 good spectra from 713 X-ray sources. We then visually inspected and assigned spectral type to each spectrum and calculated the equivalent width (EW) of Hα line using the Hammer spectral typing facility. Based on the EW of Hα line, we found 203 spectra of 145 X-ray sources with Hα emission above the continuum. For these spectra we also measured the EWs of Hβ, Hγ, Hδ and Ca ii IRT lines of these spectra. After removing novae, planetary nebulae and OB-type stars, we found there are 127 X-ray late-type stars with Hα line emission. By using our spectra and results from the literature, we found 53 X-ray stars showing Hα variability; these objects are Classical T Tauri stars (CTTs), cataclysmic variables (CVs) or chromospheric activity stars. We also found 18 X-ray stars showing obvious emissions in the Ca ii IRT lines. Of the 18 X-ray stars, 16 are CTTs and 2 are CVs. Finally, we discussed the relationships between the EW of Hα line and X-ray flux.

  7. Uncovering extreme AGN variability in serendipitous X-ray source surveys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moran, Edward C.; Garcia Soto, Aylin; LaMassa, Stephanie; Urry, Meg

    2018-01-01

    Constraints on the duty cycle and duration of accretion episodes in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are vital for establishing how most AGNs are fueled, which is essential for a complete picture of black hole/galaxy co-evolution. Perhaps the best handle we have on these activity parameters is provided by AGNs that have displayed dramatic changes in their bolometric luminosities and, in some cases, spectroscopic classifications. Given that X-ray emission is directly linked to black-hole accretion, X-ray surveys should provide a straightforward means of identifying AGNs that have undergone dramatic changes in their accretion states. However, it appears that such events are very rare, so wide-area surveys separated in time by many years are needed to maximize discovery rates. We have cross-correlated the Einstein IPC Two-Sigma Catalog with the ROSAT All-Sky Survey Faint Source Catalog to identify a sample of soft X-ray sources that varied by factors ranging from 7 to more than 100 over a ten year timescale. When possible, we have constructed long-term X-ray light curves for the sources by combining the Einstein and RASS fluxes with those obtained from serendipitous pointed observations by ROSAT, Chandra,XMM, and Swift. Optical follow-up observations indicate that many of the extremely variable sources in our sample are indeed radio-quiet AGNs. Interestingly, the majority of objects that dimmed between ~1980 and ~1990 are still (or are again) broad-line AGNs rather than“changing-look” candidates that have more subtle AGN signatures in their spectra — despite the fact that none of the sources examined thus far has returned to its highest observed luminosity. Future X-ray observations will provide the opportunity to characterize the X-ray behavior of these anonymous, extreme AGNs over a four decade span.

  8. Chandra X-ray Observations of Jovian Low-latitude Emissions: Morphological, Temporal, and Spectral Characteristics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhardwaj, Anil; Elsner, Ronald F.; Gladstone, G. Randall; Cravens, Thomas E.; Waiate J. Hunter, Jr.; Branduardi-Raymont, Graziella; Ford, Peter

    2004-01-01

    Chandra observed X-rays from Jupiter during 24-26 February 2003 for about 40 hours with the ACIS-S and HRC-I instruments. The analysis of Jovian low-latitude "disk" Xray emissions are presented and compared with the high-latitude "auroral" emissions. We report the first Chandra ACIS-S measured X-ray spectrum (0.3-2 keV) of Jupiter's low-latitude disk The disk X-ray emission is harder and extends to higher energies than the auroral spectrum. The temporal variation in the Jovian disk X-rays is on an average consistent with those in the solar X-rays observed by GOES, and TIMED/SSE. Contrary to the auroral X-rays, the disk emissions are uniformly distributed over Jupiter; no indication of longitudinal dependence or correlation with surface magneh field strength is visible. Also, unlike the approx. 40 +/- 20 min periodic oscillations seen in the auroral X-ray emissions, the disk emissions do not show any periodic oscillations. The disk spectrum seems to be consistent with resonant and fluorescent scattering of solar X-rays by the Jovian upper atmosphere. Jupiter's disk is found to be about 50% dimmer in soft X-rays in February 2003 compared that in December 2000, which is consistent with the decrease in solar activity. No evidence of lightning-induced X-rays is seen in the Chandra X-ray data. The Jovian disk spectra observed with Chandra-ACIS is stronger than that observed with XMM-Newton two months later during April 28-29, 2003. The XMM-Newton Xray image of Jupiter shows evidence of limb darkening on the anti-sunward side as seen from Earth, as well as an asymmetry with respect to the subsolar point: suggesting a solar driven process.

  9. X-RAY EMISSION FROM THE WOLF-RAYET BUBBLE S 308

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toalá, J. A.; Guerrero, M. A.; Chu, Y.-H.; Gruendl, R. A.; Arthur, S. J.; Smith, R. C.; Snowden, S. L.

    2012-01-01

    The Wolf-Rayet (WR) bubble S 308 around the WR star HD 50896 is one of the only two WR bubbles known to possess X-ray emission. We present XMM-Newton observations of three fields of this WR bubble that, in conjunction with an existing observation of its northwest quadrant, map most of the nebula. The X-ray emission from S 308 displays a limb-brightened morphology, with a central cavity ∼22' in size and a shell thickness of ∼8'. This X-ray shell is confined by the optical shell of ionized material. The spectrum is dominated by the He-like triplets of N VI at 0.43 keV and O VII at 0.57 keV, and declines toward high energies, with a faint tail up to 1 keV. This spectrum can be described by a two-temperature optically thin plasma emission model (T 1 ∼ 1.1 × 10 6 K, T 2 ∼ 13 × 10 6 K), with a total X-ray luminosity ∼2 × 10 33 erg s –1 at the assumed distance of 1.5 kpc.

  10. X-RAY EMISSION FROM THE WOLF-RAYET BUBBLE S 308

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Toala, J. A.; Guerrero, M. A. [Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, IAA-CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomia s/n, 18008 Granada (Spain); Chu, Y.-H.; Gruendl, R. A. [Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois, 1002 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Arthur, S. J. [Centro de Radioastronomia y Astrofisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Campus Morelia, Apartado Postal 3-72, 58090, Morelia, Michoacan (Mexico); Smith, R. C. [NOAO/CTIO, 950 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Snowden, S. L., E-mail: toala@iaa.es [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

    2012-08-10

    The Wolf-Rayet (WR) bubble S 308 around the WR star HD 50896 is one of the only two WR bubbles known to possess X-ray emission. We present XMM-Newton observations of three fields of this WR bubble that, in conjunction with an existing observation of its northwest quadrant, map most of the nebula. The X-ray emission from S 308 displays a limb-brightened morphology, with a central cavity {approx}22' in size and a shell thickness of {approx}8'. This X-ray shell is confined by the optical shell of ionized material. The spectrum is dominated by the He-like triplets of N VI at 0.43 keV and O VII at 0.57 keV, and declines toward high energies, with a faint tail up to 1 keV. This spectrum can be described by a two-temperature optically thin plasma emission model (T{sub 1} {approx} 1.1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 6} K, T{sub 2} {approx} 13 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 6} K), with a total X-ray luminosity {approx}2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 33} erg s{sup -1} at the assumed distance of 1.5 kpc.

  11. Space- and time-resolved diagnostics of soft x-ray emission from laser plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richardson, M.C.; Jaanimagi, P.A.; Chen, H.

    1988-01-01

    The analysis of soft x-ray emission from plasmas created by intense short-wavelength laser radiation can provide much useful information on the density, temperature and ionization distribution of the plasma. Until recently, limitations of sensitivity and the availability of suitable x-ray optical elements have restricted studies of soft x-ray emission from laser plasmas. In this paper, the authors describe novel instrumentation which provides high sensitivity in the soft x-ray spectrum with spatial and temporal resolution in the micron and picosecond ranges respectively. These systems exploit advances made in soft x-ray optic and electro-optic technology. Their application in current studies of laser fusion, x-ray lasers, and high density atomic physics are discussed

  12. A laboratory-based hard x-ray monochromator for high-resolution x-ray emission spectroscopy and x-ray absorption near edge structure measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seidler, G. T., E-mail: seidler@uw.edu; Mortensen, D. R.; Remesnik, A. J.; Pacold, J. I.; Ball, N. A.; Barry, N.; Styczinski, M.; Hoidn, O. R. [Physics Department, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1560 (United States)

    2014-11-15

    We report the development of a laboratory-based Rowland-circle monochromator that incorporates a low power x-ray (bremsstrahlung) tube source, a spherically bent crystal analyzer, and an energy-resolving solid-state detector. This relatively inexpensive, introductory level instrument achieves 1-eV energy resolution for photon energies of ∼5 keV to ∼10 keV while also demonstrating a net efficiency previously seen only in laboratory monochromators having much coarser energy resolution. Despite the use of only a compact, air-cooled 10 W x-ray tube, we find count rates for nonresonant x-ray emission spectroscopy comparable to those achieved at monochromatized spectroscopy beamlines at synchrotron light sources. For x-ray absorption near edge structure, the monochromatized flux is small (due to the use of a low-powered x-ray generator) but still useful for routine transmission-mode studies of concentrated samples. These results indicate that upgrading to a standard commercial high-power line-focused x-ray tube or rotating anode x-ray generator would result in monochromatized fluxes of order 10{sup 6}–10{sup 7} photons/s with no loss in energy resolution. This work establishes core technical capabilities for a rejuvenation of laboratory-based hard x-ray spectroscopies that could have special relevance for contemporary research on catalytic or electrical energy storage systems using transition-metal, lanthanide, or noble-metal active species.

  13. X-ray-based attenuation correction for positron emission tomography/computed tomography scanners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinahan, Paul E; Hasegawa, Bruce H; Beyer, Thomas

    2003-07-01

    A synergy of positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) scanners is the use of the CT data for x-ray-based attenuation correction of the PET emission data. Current methods of measuring transmission use positron sources, gamma-ray sources, or x-ray sources. Each of the types of transmission scans involves different trade-offs of noise versus bias, with positron transmission scans having the highest noise but lowest bias, whereas x-ray scans have negligible noise but the potential for increased quantitative errors. The use of x-ray-based attenuation correction, however, has other advantages, including a lack of bias introduced from post-injection transmission scanning, which is an important practical consideration for clinical scanners, as well as reduced scan times. The sensitivity of x-ray-based attenuation correction to artifacts and quantitative errors depends on the method of translating the CT image from the effective x-ray energy of approximately 70 keV to attenuation coefficients at the PET energy of 511 keV. These translation methods are usually based on segmentation and/or scaling techniques. Errors in the PET emission image arise from positional mismatches caused by patient motion or respiration differences between the PET and CT scans; incorrect calculation of attenuation coefficients for CT contrast agents or metallic implants; or keeping the patient's arms in the field of view, which leads to truncation and/or beam-hardening (or x-ray scatter) artifacts. Proper interpretation of PET emission images corrected for attenuation by using the CT image relies on an understanding of the potential artifacts. In cases where an artifact or bias is suspected, careful inspection of all three available images (CT and PET emission with and without attenuation correction) is recommended. Copyright 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. The Causal Connection Between Disc and Power-Law Variability in Hard State Black Hole X-Ray Binaries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uttley, P.; Wilkinson, T.; Cassatella, P.; Wilms, J.; Pottschimdt, K.; Hanke, M.; Boeck, M.

    2010-01-01

    We use the XMM-Newton EPIC-pn instrument in timing mode to extend spectral time-lag studies of hard state black hole X-ray binaries into the soft X-ray band. \\Ve show that variations of the disc blackbody emission substantially lead variations in the power-law emission, by tenths of a second on variability time-scales of seconds or longer. The large lags cannot be explained by Compton scattering but are consistent with time-delays due to viscous propagation of mass accretion fluctuations in the disc. However, on time-scales less than a second the disc lags the power-law variations by a few ms, consistent with the disc variations being dominated by X-ray heating by the power-law, with the short lag corresponding to the light-travel time between the power-law emitting region and the disc. Our results indicate that instabilities in the accretion disc are responsible for continuum variability on time-scales of seconds or longer and probably also on shorter time-scales.

  15. Gamma-ray and X-ray emission from the Galactic centre: hints on the nuclear star cluster formation history

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arca-Sedda, Manuel; Kocsis, Bence; Brandt, Timothy D.

    2018-06-01

    The Milky Way centre exhibits an intense flux in the gamma and X-ray bands, whose origin is partly ascribed to the possible presence of a large population of millisecond pulsars (MSPs) and cataclysmic variables (CVs), respectively. However, the number of sources required to generate such an excess is much larger than what is expected from in situ star formation and evolution, opening a series of questions about the formation history of the Galactic nucleus. In this paper we make use of direct N-body simulations to investigate whether these sources could have been brought to the Galactic centre by a population of star clusters that underwent orbital decay and formed the Galactic nuclear star cluster (NSC). Our results suggest that the gamma ray emission is compatible with a population of MSPs that were mass segregated in their parent clusters, while the X-ray emission is consistent with a population of CVs born via dynamical interactions in dense star clusters. Combining observations with our modelling, we explore how the observed γ ray flux can be related to different NSC formation scenarios. Finally, we show that the high-energy emission coming from the galactic central regions can be used to detect black holes heavier than 105M⊙ in nearby dwarf galaxies.

  16. Cometary X-ray Emission: the View After the First Chandra Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lisse, C. M.

    2002-01-01

    The unexpected discovery of x-ray emission from Comet Hyakutake in March 1996 (Lisse et al. 1996) has produced a number of questions about the physical mechanism producing the radiation. The original detection and subsequent observations (Dennerl et al. 1997, Mumma et al. 1997, Krasnopolsky et al. 1998, Owens et al. 1998, Lisse et al. 1999) have shown that the very soft (best fit thermal bremsstrahlung model kT ~ 0.2 keV) emission is due to an interaction between the solar wind and the comet's atmosphere. Using the results from the 15 comets detected to date in x-rays, we report on the latest results on cometary x-ray emission, including new results from Chandra and XMM. As-observed morphologies, spectra, and light curves will be discussed. Our emphasis will be on understanding the physical mechanism producing the emission, and using this to determine the nature of the cometary coma, the structure of the solar wind in the heliosphere, and the source of the local soft x-ray background. This work has been graciously supported by grants from the NASA Planetary Astronomy and Astrophysical Data Programs.

  17. THERMAL EMISSION IN THE EARLY X-RAY AFTERGLOWS OF GAMMA-RAY BURSTS: FOLLOWING THE PROMPT PHASE TO LATE TIMES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Friis, Mette [Centre for Astrophysics and Cosmology, Science Institute, University of Iceland, Dunhagi 5, 107 Reykjavik (Iceland); Watson, Darach, E-mail: mef4@hi.is, E-mail: darach@dark-cosmology.dk [Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen O (Denmark)

    2013-07-01

    Thermal radiation, peaking in soft X-rays, has now been detected in a handful of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows and has to date been interpreted as shock break-out of the GRB's progenitor star. We present a search for thermal emission in the early X-ray afterglows of a sample of Swift bursts selected by their brightness in X-rays at early times. We identify a clear thermal component in eight GRBs and track the evolution. We show that at least some of the emission must come from highly relativistic material since two show an apparent super-luminal expansion of the thermal component. Furthermore, we determine very large luminosities and high temperatures for many of the components-too high to originate in a supernova shock break-out. Instead, we suggest that the component may be modeled as late photospheric emission from the jet, linking it to the apparently thermal component observed in the prompt emission of some GRBs at gamma-ray and hard X-ray energies. By comparing the parameters from the prompt emission and the early afterglow emission, we find that the results are compatible with the interpretation that we are observing the prompt quasi-thermal emission component in soft X-rays at a later point in its evolution.

  18. Lifetime-vibrational interference effects in resonantly excited x-ray emission spectra of CO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Skytt, P.; Glans, P.; Gunnelin, K. [Uppsala Univ. (Sweden)] [and others

    1997-04-01

    The parity selection rule for resonant X-ray emission as demonstrated for O{sub 2} and N{sub 2} can be seen as an effect of interference between coherently excited degenerate localized core states. One system where the core state degeneracy is not exact but somewhat lifted was previously studied at ALS, namely the resonant X-ray emission of amino-substituted benzene (aniline). It was shown that the X-ray fluorescence spectrum resulting from excitation of the C1s at the site of the {open_quotes}aminocarbon{close_quotes} could be described in a picture separating the excitation and the emission processes, whereas the spectrum corresponding to the quasi-degenerate carbons could not. Thus, in this case it was necessary to take interference effects between the quasi-degenerate intermediate core excited states into account in order to obtain agreement between calculations and experiment. The different vibrational levels of core excited states in molecules have energy splittings which are of the same order of magnitude as the natural lifetime broadening of core excitations in the soft X-ray range. Therefore, lifetime-vibrational interference effects are likely to appear and influence the band shapes in resonant X-ray emission spectra. Lifetime-vibrational interference has been studied in non-resonant X-ray emission, and in Auger spectra. In this report the authors discuss results of selectively excited soft X-ray fluorescence spectra of molecules, where they focus on lifetime-interference effects appearing in the band shapes.

  19. Hard X-ray Emission from Galaxy Clusters Observed with INTEGRAL and Prospects for Simbol-X

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eckert, D.; Paltani, S.; Courvoisier, T. J.-L.

    2009-05-01

    Some galaxy clusters are known to contain a large population of relativistic electrons, which produce radio emission through synchrotron radiation. Therefore, it is expected that inverse-Compton scattering of the relativistic electrons with the CMB produce non-thermal emission which should be observable in the hard X-ray domain. Here we focus on the recent results by INTEGRAL, which shed a new light on the non-thermal emission thanks to its angular resolution and sensitivity in the hard X-ray range. We also present the exciting prospects in this field for Simbol-X, which will allow us to detect the non-thermal emission in a number of clusters and map the magnetic field throughout the intra-cluster medium.

  20. INTEGRAL hard X-ray spectra of the cosmic X-ray background and Galactic ridge emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Türler, M.; Chernyakova, M.; Courvoisier, T. J.-L.; Lubiński, P.; Neronov, A.; Produit, N.; Walter, R.

    2010-03-01

    Aims: We derive the spectra of the cosmic X-ray background (CXB) and of the Galactic ridge X-ray emission (GRXE) in the ~20-200 keV range from the data of the IBIS instrument aboard the INTEGRAL satellite obtained during the four dedicated Earth-occultation observations in early 2006. Methods: We analyze the modulation of the IBIS/ISGRI detector counts induced by the passage of the Earth through the field of view of the instrument. Unlike previous studies, we do not fix the spectral shape of the various contributions, but model instead their spatial distribution and derive for each of them the expected modulation of the detector counts. The spectra of the diffuse emission components are obtained by fitting the normalizations of the model lightcurves to the observed modulation in different energy bins. Because of degeneracy, we guide the fits with a realistic choice of the input parameters and a constraint for spectral smoothness. Results: The obtained CXB spectrum is consistent with the historic HEAO-1 results and falls slightly below the spectrum derived with Swift/BAT. A 10% higher normalization of the CXB cannot be completely excluded, but it would imply an unrealistically high albedo of the Earth. The derived spectrum of the GRXE confirms the presence of a minimum around 80 keV with improved statistics and yields an estimate of ~0.6 M⊙ for the average mass of white dwarfs in the Galaxy. The analysis also provides updated normalizations for the spectra of the Earth's albedo and the cosmic-ray induced atmospheric emission. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the potential of INTEGRAL Earth-occultation observations to derive the hard X-ray spectra of three fundamental components: the CXB, the GRXE and the Earth emission. Further observations would be extremely valuable to confirm our results with improved statistics.

  1. Non-thermal Hard X-Ray Emission from Coma and Several Abell Clusters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Correa, C

    2004-01-01

    We report results of hard X-Ray observations of the clusters Coma, Abell 496, Abell754, Abell 1060, Abell 1367, Abell2256 and Abell3558 using RXTE data from the NASA HEASARC public archive. Specifically we searched for clusters with hard x-ray emission that can be fitted by a power law because this would indicate that the cluster is a source of non-thermal emission. We are assuming the emission mechanism proposed by Vahk Petrosian where the inter cluster space contains clouds of relativistic electrons that by themselves create a magnetic field and emit radio synchrotron radiation. These relativistic electrons Inverse-Compton scatter Microwave Background photons up to hard x-ray energies. The clusters that were found to be sources of non-thermal hard x-rays are Coma, Abell496, Abell754 and Abell 1060

  2. THE RELATION OF OPTICAL/ULTRAVIOLET AND X-RAY EMISSION IN LOW-LUMINOSITY ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Yadi

    2011-01-01

    We study the relation of optical/UV and X-ray emission in the low luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs), using a sample of 49 sources including 28 local Seyfert galaxies and 21 low-ionization nuclear emission-line regions with optical/UV spectral luminosity at wavelength λ = 2500 A, 23.0 ≤ log L ν(2500A) (erg s -1 Hz -1 ) ≤ 27.7, and X-ray spectral luminosity at 2 keV, 20.5 ≤ log L ν(2keV) ≤ 25.3. Strong correlations are found between the X-ray luminosity and the optical/UV-to-X-ray index, α ox , with the optical/UV luminosity, with slopes very similar to the findings for the luminous AGNs in previous works. The correlation between α ox and L ν(2keV) is very weak, as is that found for the luminous AGNs in the majority of previous similar works. We also study the relation between α ox and the Eddington ratio L bol /L Edd for our sample and find a significant anti-correlation for the sources with L bol /L Edd ∼ -3 , which is opposite to the correlation between the two variables for the luminous AGNs. Using the advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) model, we roughly reproduce this anti-correlationship for the two variables for the LLAGNs. This result strongly supports the ADAF as a candidate for the accretion mode in LLAGNs.

  3. Disentangling the gamma-ray emission towards Cygnus X: Sh2-104

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gotthelf, Eric

    2015-09-01

    We have just discovered distinct X-ray emission coincident with VER J2018+363, a TeV source recently resolved from the giant gamma-ray complex MGRO J2019+37 in the Cygnus region. NuSTAR reveals a hard point source and a diffuse nebula adjacent to and possibly part of Sh2-104, a compact HII region containing several young massive stellar clusters. There is reasonable evidence that these X-rays probe the origin of the gamma-ray flux, however, unrelated extragalactic sources need to be excluded. We propose a short Chandra observation to localize the X-ray emission to identify a putative pulsar or stellar counterpart(s). This is an important step to fully understand the energetics of the MGRO J2019+37 complex and the production of gamma-rays in star formation regions, in general.

  4. High resolution krypton M/sub 4,5/ x-ray emission spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perera, R.C.C.; Hettrick, M.C.; Lindle, D.W.

    1987-10-01

    High resolution M/sub 4,5/ (3d → 4p) x-ray emission spectra from a krypton plasma were measured using a recently developed grazing-incidence reflection-grating monochromator/spectrometer with very high flux rates at extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray wave lengths. The nominal resolving power of the instrument, E/ΔE, is about 300 in this energy range (∼80 eV). Three dipole-allowed 3d → 4p emission lines were observed at 80.98 eV, 80.35 eV and 79.73 eV. A broad peak at about 82.3 eV is tentatively assigned to transitions resulting from Kr 2+ , and effects of excitation energy on M/sub 4,5/ x-ray emission were observed. 9 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

  5. A ROTSE-I/ROSAT Survey of X-ray Emission from Contact Binary Stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geske, M.; McKay, T.

    2005-05-01

    Using public data from the ROSAT All Sky Survey (RASS) and the ROTSE-I Sky Patrols, the incidence of strong x-ray emissions from contact binary systems was examined. The RASS data was matched to an expanded catalog of contact binary systems from the ROTSE-I data, using a 35 arc second radius. X-ray luminosities for matching objects were then determined. This information was then used to evaluate the total x-ray emissions from all such objects, in order to determine their contribution to the galactic x-ray background.

  6. Working gas effects on the X-ray emission of a plasma focus device

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cengher, M; Presura, R; Zoita, V [Inst. of Physics and Technology of Radiation Devices, Bucharest (Romania)

    1997-12-31

    Experiments on the plasma focus device IPF-2/20 operating with argon, neon and mixtures of argon with deuterium were performed and some X-ray emission parameters measured. The time evolution of the X-ray emission and dependence of the X-ray yield on the working gas composition was analyzed. The softer X radiation was measured with time resolution in the energy bands from 4 to 40 keV, and the hard X-rays for energies above 200 keV. In deuterium-argon mixtures the soft X-ray yield increases both with pressure (for the same ratio of argon) and with the quantity of argon added to deuterium at the same total pressure. For argon or neon the hard X-ray yield is lower than for deuterium-heavy gas mixtures. The softer X-ray yield decreases with pressure both for neon and for argon. (author). 4 figs., 5 refs.

  7. X-ray time and spectral variability as probes of ultraluminous x-ray sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasham, Dheeraj Ranga Reddy

    A long-standing debate in the field of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs: luminosities > 3x1039 ergs s-1) is whether these objects are powered by stellar-mass black holes (mass range of 3-25 solar masses) undergoing hyper-accretion/emission or if they host the long-sought after class of intermediate-mass black holes (mass range of a few 100-1000 solar masses) accreting material at sub-Eddington rates. We present X-ray time and energy spectral variability studies of ULXs in order to understand their physical environments and accurately weigh their compact objects. A sample of ULXs exhibit quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) with centroid frequencies in the range of 10-200 mHz. The nature of the power density spectra (PDS) of these sources is qualitatively similar to stellar-mass black holes when they exhibit the so-called type-C low-frequency QPOs (frequency range of 0.2-15 Hz). However, the crucial difference is that the characteristic frequencies within the PDS of ULXs, viz., the break frequencies and the centroid frequencies of the QPOs, are scaled down by a factor of approximately 10-100 compared to stellar-mass black holes. It has thus been argued that the ULX mHz QPOs are the type-C low-frequency QPO analogs of stellar-mass black holes and that the observed difference in the frequencies (a fewx0.01 Hz compared with a few Hz) is due to the presence of intermediate-mass black holes ( MULX = (QPOstellar-mass black hole }/QPOULX)xM stellar-mass black hole, where M and QPO are the mass and the QPO frequency, respectively) within these ULXs. We analyzed all the archival XMM-Newton X-ray data of ULXs NGC 5408 X-1 and M82 X-1 in order to test the hypothesis that the ULX mHz QPOs are the type-C analogs by searching for a correlation between the mHz QPO frequency and the energy spectral power-law index as type-C QPOs show such a dependence. From our multi-epoch timing and spectral analysis of ULXs NGC 5408 X-1 and M82 X-1, we found that the mHz QPOs of these sources vary

  8. NuSTAR detection of high-energy X-ray emission and rapid variability from sagittarius A* flares

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barrière, Nicolas M.; Tomsick, John A.; Baganoff, Frederick K.

    2014-01-01

    Sagittarius A* harbors the supermassive black hole that lies at the dynamical center of our Galaxy. Sagittarius A* spends most of its time in a low luminosity emission state but flares frequently in the infrared and X-ray, increasing up to a few hundred fold in brightness for up to a few hours at...

  9. Applications of X-ray Computed Tomography and Emission Computed Tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seletchi, Emilia Dana; Sutac, Victor

    2005-01-01

    Computed Tomography is a non-destructive imaging method that allows visualization of internal features within non-transparent objects such as sedimentary rocks. Filtering techniques have been applied to circumvent the artifacts and achieve high-quality images for quantitative analysis. High-resolution X-ray computed tomography (HRXCT) can be used to identify the position of the growth axis in speleothems by detecting subtle changes in calcite density between growth bands. HRXCT imagery reveals the three-dimensional variability of coral banding providing information on coral growth and climate over the past several centuries. The Nuclear Medicine imaging technique uses a radioactive tracer, several radiation detectors, and sophisticated computer technologies to understand the biochemical basis of normal and abnormal functions within the brain. The goal of Emission Computed Tomography (ECT) is to accurately determine the three-dimensional radioactivity distribution resulting from the radiopharmaceutical uptake inside the patient instead of the attenuation coefficient distribution from different tissues as obtained from X-ray Computer Tomography. ECT is a very useful tool for investigating the cognitive functions. Because of the low radiation doses associated with Positron Emission Tomography (PET), this technique has been applied in clinical research, allowing the direct study of human neurological diseases. (authors)

  10. Proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis at Lucas Heights

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, D.; Duerden, P.

    1979-02-01

    The state of the proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) work at Lucas Heights is reported together with a full description of the experimental arrangement and its use for analysis of trace elements (Z >or= 14). The fundamentals of PIXE are examined in detail with a view to understanding not only the background continuum but also the X-ray production mechanisms. Quantitative predictions for the number of X-rays detected after proton bombardment of the target have been made and these compare well with experiments

  11. X-ray spectra and time variability of active galactic nuclei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mushotzky, R.F.

    1984-02-01

    The X-ray spectra of broad line active galactic nuclei (AGN) of all types (Seyfert I's, NELG's, broadline radio galaxies) are well fit by a power law in the .5 to 100 keV band of man energy slope alpha .68 + or - .15. There is, as yet, no strong evidence for time variability of this slope in a given object. The constraints that this places on simple models of the central energy source are discussed. BL Lac objects have quite different X-ray spectral properties and show pronounced X-ray spectral variability. On time scales longer than 12 hours most radio quiet AGN do not show strong, delta I/I .5, variability. The probability of variability of these AGN seems to be inversely related to their luminosity. However characteristics timescales for variability have not been measured for many objects. This general lack of variability may imply that most AGN are well below the Eddington limit. Radio bright AGN tend to be more variable than radio quiet AGN on long, tau approx 6 month, timescales

  12. THE SPECTACULAR RADIO-NEAR-IR-X-RAY JET OF 3C 111: THE X-RAY EMISSION MECHANISM AND JET KINEMATICS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Clautice, Devon; Perlman, Eric S. [Department of Physics and Space Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 W. University Boulevard, Melbourne, FL 32901 (United States); Georganopoulos, Markos [Department of Physics, University of Maryland—Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 (United States); Lister, Matthew L.; Hogan, Brandon [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, 525 Northwestern Avenue, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Tombesi, Francesco [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2421 (United States); Cara, Mihai [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Marshall, Herman L. [Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Kazanas, Demos [NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Astrophysics Science Division, Code 663, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

    2016-08-01

    Relativistic jets are the most energetic manifestation of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) phenomenon. AGN jets are observed from the radio through gamma-rays and carry copious amounts of matter and energy from the sub-parsec central regions out to the kiloparsec and often megaparsec scale galaxy and cluster environs. While most spatially resolved jets are seen in the radio, an increasing number have been discovered to emit in the optical/near-IR and/or X-ray bands. Here we discuss a spectacular example of this class, the 3C 111 jet, housed in one of the nearest, double-lobed FR II radio galaxies known. We discuss new, deep Chandra and Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) observations that reveal both near-IR and X-ray emission from several components of the 3C 111 jet, as well as both the northern and southern hotspots. Important differences are seen between the morphologies in the radio, X-ray, and near-IR bands. The long (over 100 kpc on each side), straight nature of this jet makes it an excellent prototype for future, deep observations, as it is one of the longest such features seen in the radio, near-IR/optical, and X-ray bands. Several independent lines of evidence, including the X-ray and broadband spectral shape as well as the implied velocity of the approaching hotspot, lead us to strongly disfavor the EC/CMB model and instead favor a two-component synchrotron model to explain the observed X-ray emission for several jet components. Future observations with NuSTAR , HST , and Chandra will allow us to further constrain the emission mechanisms.

  13. LONG-TERM X-RAY VARIABILITY STUDY OF IC342 FROM XMM-NEWTON OBSERVATIONS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mak, Daisy S. Y.; Pun, Chun S. J.; Kong, Albert K. H.

    2011-01-01

    We presented the results of an analysis of four XMM-Newton observations of the starburst galaxy IC342 taken over a four-year span from 2001 to 2005, with an emphasis on investigating the long-term flux and spectral variability of the X-ray point sources. We detected a total of 61 X-ray sources within 35' x 30' of the galaxy down to a luminosity of (1-2) x 10 37 erg s -1 depending on the local background. We found that 39 of the 61 detected sources showed long-term variability, in which 26 of them were classified as X-ray transients. We also found 19 sources exhibiting variations in hardness ratios or undergoing spectral transitions among observations, and were identified as spectral variables. In particular, eight of the identified X-ray transients showed spectral variability in addition to flux variability. The diverse patterns of variability observed are indicative of a population of X-ray binaries. We used X-ray colors, flux and spectral variability, and in some cases the optical or radio counterparts to classify the detected X-ray sources into several stellar populations. We identified a total of 11 foreground stars, 1 supersoft source (SSS), 3 quasisoft sources (QSSs), and 2 supernova remnants (SNRs). The identified SSS/QSSs are located near or on the spiral arms, associated with young stellar populations; the 2 SNRs are very close to the starburst nucleus where current star formation activities are dominated. We also discovered a spectral change in the nuclear source of IC342 for the first time by a series of X-ray spectrum analysis.

  14. X-RAY EMISSION FROM SN 2004dj: A TALE OF TWO SHOCKS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chakraborti, Sayan; Yadav, Naveen; Ray, Alak [Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 1 Homi Bhabha Road, Colaba, Mumbai 400 005 (India); Smith, Randall [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Chandra, Poonam [Department of Physics, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, ON K7K 7B4 (Canada); Pooley, David, E-mail: schakraborti@fas.harvard.edu [Department of Physics, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX (United States)

    2012-12-20

    Type IIP (Plateau) supernovae are the most commonly observed variety of core-collapse events. They have been detected in a wide range of wavelengths from radio, through optical to X-rays. The standard picture of a Type IIP supernova has the blastwave interacting with the progenitor's circumstellar matter to produce a hot region bounded by a forward and a reverse shock. This region is thought to be responsible for most of the X-ray and radio emission from these objects. Yet the origin of X-rays from these supernovae is not well understood quantitatively. The relative contributions of particle acceleration and magnetic field amplification in generating the X-ray and radio emission need to be determined. In this work, we analyze archival Chandra observations of SN 2004dj, one of the nearest supernovae since SN 1987A, along with published radio and optical information. We determine the pre-explosion mass-loss rate, blastwave velocity, electron acceleration, and magnetic field amplification efficiencies. We find that a greater fraction of the thermal energy goes into accelerating electrons than into amplifying magnetic fields. We conclude that the X-ray emission arises out of a combination of inverse Compton scattering by non-thermal electrons accelerated in the forward shock and thermal emission from supernova ejecta heated by the reverse shock.

  15. Solar Coronal Events with Extended Hard X-ray and Gamma-ray Emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hudson, H. S.

    2017-12-01

    A characteristic pattern of solar hard X-ray emission, first identified in SOL1969-03-31 by Frost & Dennis (1971) now has been linked to prolonged high-energy gamma-ray emission detected by the Fermi/LAT experiment, for example in SOL2014-09-01. The distinctive features of these events include flat hard X-ray spectra extending well above 100 keV, a characteristic pattern of time development, low-frequency gyrosynchrotron peaks, CME association, and gamma-rays identifiable with pion decay originating in GeV ions. The identification of these events with otherwise known solar structures nevertheless remains elusive, in spite of the wealth of imagery available from AIA. The quandary is that these events have a clear association with CMEs in the high corona, and yet the gamma-ray production implicates the photosphere itself. The vanishingly small loss cone in the nominal acceleration region makes this extremely difficult. I propose direct inward advection of a part of the SEP particle population, as created on closed field structures, as a possible resolution of this puzzle, and note that this requires retracting magnetic structures on long time scales following the flare itself.

  16. Analyais of solar X-ray emission line profiles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burek, A.J.; Marrus, D.M.; Blake, R.L.; Fenimore, E.E.

    1981-01-01

    We report results of the analysis of the X-ray emission line profiles for the Ne X La and Fe XVII 4d 1 P 1 lines produced in an active region that was undergoing a radio and X-ray gradual rise and fall (GRF) in intensity. The spectra were obtained with collimated Bragg spectrometers launched on a rocket from White Sands Missile Range on 1976 March 26. Using a crystal of ammonium acid phthalate, we have fully resolved the Ne X La and Fe XVII 4d 1 P 1 lines, permitting an accurate determinination of the Ne X La intensity and allowing Doppler broadened profiles for lines formed from ions having greatly different atomic mass and charge to be measured. An isothermal model derived from the Ne IX/Ne X resonance line intensity ratio gives an electron temperature of 3.4 x 10 6 K. An isothermal model, however, fails to account for the intensities of all lines and continuum observed. All multitemperature models that do reproduce the observed relative line intensities require the presence of a hot plasma component with an electron temperature in excess of 5 x 10 6 K. The presence of a high temperature component is also suggested by the measured line to continuum ratio of 3.6 in the 12--15 A wavelength interval. Interpretation of the line profiles in terms of a multitemperature model requires an rms turbulence velocity of 48 +- 15 km s -1 for Fe XVII 1 P 1 and 74 +- 54 km s - 2exclamation for Ne X La at the 95% confidence level. Collimated scans across the active region show the presence of a compact source of intense X-ray emission close to the magnetic neutral line, which is very probably the GRF plasma

  17. NuSTAR Hard X-ray Survey of the Galactic Center Region. I. Hard X-ray Morphology and Spectroscopy of the Diffuse Emission

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mori, Kaya; Hailey, Charles J.; Krivonos, Roman

    2015-01-01

    We present the first sub-arcminute images of the Galactic Center above 10 keV, obtained with NuSTAR. NuSTAR resolves the hard X-ray source IGR J17456-2901 into non-thermal X-ray filaments, molecular clouds, point sources, and a previously unknown central component of hard X-ray emission (CHXE). Nu...

  18. Automatic classification of time-variable X-ray sources

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lo, Kitty K.; Farrell, Sean; Murphy, Tara; Gaensler, B. M. [Sydney Institute for Astronomy, School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia)

    2014-05-01

    To maximize the discovery potential of future synoptic surveys, especially in the field of transient science, it will be necessary to use automatic classification to identify some of the astronomical sources. The data mining technique of supervised classification is suitable for this problem. Here, we present a supervised learning method to automatically classify variable X-ray sources in the Second XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog (2XMMi-DR2). Random Forest is our classifier of choice since it is one of the most accurate learning algorithms available. Our training set consists of 873 variable sources and their features are derived from time series, spectra, and other multi-wavelength contextual information. The 10 fold cross validation accuracy of the training data is ∼97% on a 7 class data set. We applied the trained classification model to 411 unknown variable 2XMM sources to produce a probabilistically classified catalog. Using the classification margin and the Random Forest derived outlier measure, we identified 12 anomalous sources, of which 2XMM J180658.7–500250 appears to be the most unusual source in the sample. Its X-ray spectra is suggestive of a ultraluminous X-ray source but its variability makes it highly unusual. Machine-learned classification and anomaly detection will facilitate scientific discoveries in the era of all-sky surveys.

  19. Automatic classification of time-variable X-ray sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lo, Kitty K.; Farrell, Sean; Murphy, Tara; Gaensler, B. M.

    2014-01-01

    To maximize the discovery potential of future synoptic surveys, especially in the field of transient science, it will be necessary to use automatic classification to identify some of the astronomical sources. The data mining technique of supervised classification is suitable for this problem. Here, we present a supervised learning method to automatically classify variable X-ray sources in the Second XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalog (2XMMi-DR2). Random Forest is our classifier of choice since it is one of the most accurate learning algorithms available. Our training set consists of 873 variable sources and their features are derived from time series, spectra, and other multi-wavelength contextual information. The 10 fold cross validation accuracy of the training data is ∼97% on a 7 class data set. We applied the trained classification model to 411 unknown variable 2XMM sources to produce a probabilistically classified catalog. Using the classification margin and the Random Forest derived outlier measure, we identified 12 anomalous sources, of which 2XMM J180658.7–500250 appears to be the most unusual source in the sample. Its X-ray spectra is suggestive of a ultraluminous X-ray source but its variability makes it highly unusual. Machine-learned classification and anomaly detection will facilitate scientific discoveries in the era of all-sky surveys.

  20. Dissecting Diffuse X-ray Emission in 30 Doradus with T-ReX

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townsley, Leisa K.; Broos, Patrick

    2017-08-01

    30 Doradus (the Tarantula Nebula) offers us a microscope on starburst astrophysics, having endured 25 Myrs of the birth and death of the most massive stars known. Across 30 Dor's 250-pc extent, stellar winds and supernovae have carved its ISM into an amazing display of arcs, pillars, and bubbles. For over 40 years, we have also known that 30 Dor is a bright X-ray emitter, so its familiar stars and cold ISM structures suffer irradiation by multi-million-degree plasmas. The 2-Ms Chandra X-ray Visionary Project ``The Tarantula -- Revealed by X-rays'' (T-ReX) exploits Chandra's fine spatial resolution and the ACIS-I field of view to study ISM interfaces on 1--10 pc scales across the entire 30 Dor complex. Here we give preliminary results from ongoing analyses of these data, focusing on the diffuse X-ray emission. Massive star winds and cavity supernovae over the millenia have contributed to a broad mix of X-ray-emitting plasmas and absorbing columns, showing that 30 Dor's hot ISM is just as complex and confusing as that seen at colder temperatures.

  1. Hard x ray imaging and the relative contribution of thermal and nonthermal emission in flares

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holman, G.D.

    1986-01-01

    The question of whether the impulsive 25 to 100 keV x ray emission from solar flares is thermal or nonthermal has been a long-standing controversy. Both thermal and nonthermal (beam) models have been developed and applied to the hard x ray data. It now seems likely that both thermal and nonthermal emission have been observed at hard x ray energies. The Hinotori classification scheme, for example, is an attempt to associate the thermal-nonthermal characteristics of flare hard x ray emission with other flare properties. From a theoretical point of view, it is difficult to generate energetic, nonthermal electrons without dumping an equal or greater amount of energy into plasma heating. On the other hand, any impulsive heating process will invariably generate at least some nonthermal particles. Hence, strictly speaking, although thermal or nonthermal emission may dominate the hard x ray emission in a given energy range for a given flare, there is no such thing as a purely thermal or nonthermal flare mechanism

  2. Extracting chemical information from high-resolution Kβ X-ray emission spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Limandri, S.; Robledo, J.; Tirao, G.

    2018-06-01

    High-resolution X-ray emission spectroscopy allows studying the chemical environment of a wide variety of materials. Chemical information can be obtained by fitting the X-ray spectra and observing the behavior of some spectral features. Spectral changes can also be quantified by means of statistical parameters calculated by considering the spectrum as a probability distribution. Another possibility is to perform statistical multivariate analysis, such as principal component analysis. In this work the performance of these procedures for extracting chemical information in X-ray emission spectroscopy spectra for mixtures of Mn2+ and Mn4+ oxides are studied. A detail analysis of the parameters obtained, as well as the associated uncertainties is shown. The methodologies are also applied for Mn oxidation state characterization of double perovskite oxides Ba1+xLa1-xMnSbO6 (with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.7). The results show that statistical parameters and multivariate analysis are the most suitable for the analysis of this kind of spectra.

  3. The Origin of the Extra-nuclear X-ray Emission in the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 2992

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colbert, E. J. M.; Strickland, D. K.; Veilleux, S.; Weaver, K. A.

    2004-12-01

    We present an analysis of a Chandra ACIS observation of the edge-on Seyfert galaxy NGC 2992. We find extended X-ray emission with Lx(total) in excess of 10**40 erg/s. The brightest nebula is positioned a few 100 pc from the X-ray core, and is spatially coincident with optical line and radio emission. This emission nebula may be energized by the AGN, as opposed to a nuclear starburst. The expected kpc-scale X-ray emission due to a starburst-driven wind is larger than a few 10**39 erg/s, and we present large-scale X-ray emission that may be associated with such an outflow. The extra-nuclear emission has a very soft spectrum. Chandra and XMM spectra of the total nuclear region show a very prominent ``soft excess'' below 2-3 keV. We shall discuss the spectral properties of this soft excess, and will compare with the results from the spatial analysis, and with AGN and starburst models for extranuclear X-ray nebulae.

  4. Hard X-ray emission from accretion shocks around galaxy clusters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kushnir, Doron; Waxman, Eli

    2010-02-01

    We show that the hard X-ray (HXR) emission observed from several galaxy clusters is consistent with a simple model, in which the nonthermal emission is produced by inverse Compton scattering of cosmic microwave background photons by electrons accelerated in cluster accretion shocks: The dependence of HXR surface brightness on cluster temperature is consistent with that predicted by the model, and the observed HXR luminosity is consistent with the fraction of shock thermal energy deposited in relativistic electrons being lesssim0.1. Alternative models, where the HXR emission is predicted to be correlated with the cluster thermal emission, are disfavored by the data. The implications of our predictions to future HXR observations (e.g. by NuStar, Simbol-X) and to (space/ground based) γ-ray observations (e.g. by Fermi, HESS, MAGIC, VERITAS) are discussed.

  5. Hard X-ray emission from accretion shocks around galaxy clusters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kushnir, Doron; Waxman, Eli, E-mail: doron.kushnir@weizmann.ac.il, E-mail: eli.waxman@weizmann.ac.il [Physics Faculty, Weizmann Institute of Science, PO Box 26, Rehovot (Israel)

    2010-02-01

    We show that the hard X-ray (HXR) emission observed from several galaxy clusters is consistent with a simple model, in which the nonthermal emission is produced by inverse Compton scattering of cosmic microwave background photons by electrons accelerated in cluster accretion shocks: The dependence of HXR surface brightness on cluster temperature is consistent with that predicted by the model, and the observed HXR luminosity is consistent with the fraction of shock thermal energy deposited in relativistic electrons being ∼<0.1. Alternative models, where the HXR emission is predicted to be correlated with the cluster thermal emission, are disfavored by the data. The implications of our predictions to future HXR observations (e.g. by NuStar, Simbol-X) and to (space/ground based) γ-ray observations (e.g. by Fermi, HESS, MAGIC, VERITAS) are discussed.

  6. Hard X-ray emission from accretion shocks around galaxy clusters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kushnir, Doron; Waxman, Eli

    2010-01-01

    We show that the hard X-ray (HXR) emission observed from several galaxy clusters is consistent with a simple model, in which the nonthermal emission is produced by inverse Compton scattering of cosmic microwave background photons by electrons accelerated in cluster accretion shocks: The dependence of HXR surface brightness on cluster temperature is consistent with that predicted by the model, and the observed HXR luminosity is consistent with the fraction of shock thermal energy deposited in relativistic electrons being ∼<0.1. Alternative models, where the HXR emission is predicted to be correlated with the cluster thermal emission, are disfavored by the data. The implications of our predictions to future HXR observations (e.g. by NuStar, Simbol-X) and to (space/ground based) γ-ray observations (e.g. by Fermi, HESS, MAGIC, VERITAS) are discussed

  7. The determination of light elements in heavy matrix using proton induced X-ray emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levenets, V.V.; Omel'nik, A.P.; Shchur, A.A.; Chernov, A.E.; Usikov, N.P.; Zats, A.V.

    2007-01-01

    In this report the possibility of determination of light impurities in heavy matrixes is studied using proton induced X-Ray emission. The wide-band X-ray emission filter made from pyrolytic graphite was used in spectrometric scheme of experiment. The results of studying of filter features in energy range of X-ray emission from 4 to 12 keV were presented. The possibilities were examined of application of pyrolytic graphite filter to modify the X-rays spectrum for determination of iron, using characteristic emission of K-series, and hafnium, using L-series, in substances on base of zirconium (glasses, alloys etc.). It was shown, that the using of similar filter allows to reach the significant improving of metrological characteristics of analysis of mentioned impurities: the limits of detection of iron and hafnium were lowered single-order of magnitude. (authors)

  8. X-ray emission from open star clusters with Spectrum-Rontgen-Gamma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Singh, K.P.; Ojha, D.K.; Schnopper, H.W.

    1998-01-01

    The study of X-ray emission from co-evolving populations of stars in open dusters is extremely important for understanding the dynamo activity among the stars. With this objective, we propose to observe a number of open clusters in the X-ray and UV bands using SPECTRUM-Rontgen-Gamma. The high...... throughput of SPECTRUM-Rontgen-Gamma will help detect main sequence stars like Sun in middle-aged and old clusters. We will study the relationships between various parameters - age, rotation, abundance, UBV colors, X-ray luminosity, coronal temperature etc. X-ray spectra of younger and brighter populations...

  9. SWIFT OBSERVATIONS OF HARD X-RAY EMITTING WHITE DWARFS IN SYMBIOTIC STARS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kennea, J. A.; Burrows, D. N.; Mukai, K.; Markwardt, C. B.; Sokoloski, J. L.; Luna, G. J. M.; Tueller, J.

    2009-01-01

    The X-ray emission from most accreting white dwarfs (WDs) in symbiotic binary stars is quite soft. Several symbiotic WDs, however, produce strong X-ray emission at energies greater than ∼20 keV. The Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) instrument has detected hard X-ray emission from four such accreting WDs in symbiotic stars: RT Cru, T CrB, CD -57 3057, and CH Cyg. In one case (RT Cru), Swift detected X-rays out to greater than 50 keV at >5σ confidence level. Combining data from the X-Ray Telescope (XRT) and BAT detectors, we find that the 0.3-150 keV spectra of RT Cru, T CrB, and CD -57 3057 are well described by emission from a single-temperature, optically thin thermal plasma, plus an unresolved 6.4-6.9 keV Fe line complex. The X-ray spectrum of CH Cyg contains an additional bright soft component. For all four systems, the spectra suffer high levels of absorption from material that both fully and partially covers the source of hard X-rays. The XRT data did not show any of the rapid, periodic variations that one would expect if the X-ray emission were due to accretion onto a rotating, highly magnetized WD. The X-rays were thus more likely from the accretion-disk boundary layer around a massive, non-magnetic WD in each binary. The X-ray emission from RT Cru varied on timescales of a few days. This variability is consistent with being due to changes in the absorber that partially covers the source, suggesting localized absorption from a clumpy medium moving into the line of sight. The X-ray emission from CD -57 3057 and T CrB also varied during the nine months of Swift observations, in a manner that was also consistent with variable absorption.

  10. Magnetar-like X-Ray Bursts Suppress Pulsar Radio Emission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Archibald, R. F.; Lyutikov, M.; Kaspi, V. M.; Tendulkar, S. P. [Department of Physics and McGill Space Institute, McGill University, 3600 University Street, Montreal, QC H3A 2T8 (Canada); Burgay, M.; Possenti, A. [INAF–Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari, Via della Scienza 5, I-09047 Selargius (Italy); Esposito, P.; Rea, N. [Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, 1090 GE Amsterdam (Netherlands); Israel, G. [INAF–Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, via Frascati 33, I-00040 Monteporzio Catone, Roma (Italy); Kerr, M. [Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5352 (United States); Sarkissian, J. [CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, Parkes Observatory, P.O. Box 276, Parkes, NSW 2870 (Australia); Scholz, P., E-mail: archibald@astro.utoronto.ca [National Research Council of Canada, Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics, Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, P.O. Box 248, Penticton, BC V2A 6J9 (Canada)

    2017-11-10

    Rotation-powered pulsars and magnetars are two different observational manifestations of neutron stars: rotation-powered pulsars are rapidly spinning objects that are mostly observed as pulsating radio sources, while magnetars, neutron stars with the highest known magnetic fields, often emit short-duration X-ray bursts. Here, we report simultaneous observations of the high-magnetic-field radio pulsar PSR J1119−6127 at X-ray, with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR , and at radio energies with the Parkes radio telescope, during a period of magnetar-like bursts. The rotationally powered radio emission shuts off coincident with the occurrence of multiple X-ray bursts and recovers on a timescale of ∼70 s. These observations of related radio and X-ray phenomena further solidify the connection between radio pulsars and magnetars and suggest that the pair plasma produced in bursts can disrupt the acceleration mechanism of radio-emitting particles.

  11. Quantifying the Exospheric Component of Soft X-ray Emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuntz, Kip; Collier, Michael R.; Snowden, Steven L.; Robertson, Ina; Hansen, Kenneth; Cravens, Thomas

    2007-01-01

    High charge state heavy ions in the solar wind exchange charge with ambient neutral gas. This process creates a product ion in an excited state. During the radiative cascade process, EUV and X-ray photons are emitted with energies in the range of about 100 eV to 1 keV. Because the terrestrial exospheric density at the nominal magnetopause location is relatively high, approx. 10 cu cm, solar wind charge exchange, or SWCX, can be observed by Earth-orbiting soft X-ray instruments such as the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counters (PSPC). In this presentation, we will compare simulated and observed soft Xray emission during an event on August 18-19, 1991 and discuss the role of exospheric SWCX emission for this and other events.

  12. Electron and photon emissions from gold nanoparticles irradiated by X-ray photons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Casta, R., E-mail: castaromain@gmail.com, E-mail: romain.casta@irsamc.ups-tlse.fr; Champeaux, J.-P.; Moretto-Capelle, P.; Sence, M.; Cafarelli, P. [Université de Toulouse, UPS, Laboratoire Collisions Agrégats Réactivité, IRSAMC, CNRS, UMR 5589 (France)

    2015-01-15

    In this paper, we develop a totally new probabilistic model for the electron and photon emission of gold nanoparticles irradiated by X-ray photons. This model allows direct applications to recent researches about the radiotherapy enhancement by gold nanoparticles in the context of cancer treatment. Our model uses, in a complete original way, simulated Auger cascade and stopping power to compute electron emission spectra, photon emission spectra and released energy inside the material of gold nanoparticles. It allows us to present new results about the electron and photon emission of gold nanoparticle irradiated by hard X-rays.

  13. X-Ray Emission of Cataclysmic Variables Observed by Integral

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Gális, R.; Eckert, D.; Paltani, S.; Münz, F.; Kocka, Matúš

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 18, 3-4 (2009), s. 321-326 ISSN 1392-0049 Grant - others:ESA(XE) ESA- PECS project No. 98023; VEGA(SK) 2/0078/10 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10030501 Keywords : binaries starss * cataclysmic * X-rays Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics Impact factor: 1.032, year: 2009

  14. Spectrometer for X-ray emission experiments at FERMI free-electron-laser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poletto, L.; Frassetto, F.; Miotti, P.; Di Cicco, A.; Iesari, F.; Finetti, P.; Grazioli, C.; Kivimäki, A.; Stagira, S.; Coreno, M.

    2014-01-01

    A portable and compact photon spectrometer to be used for photon in-photon out experiments, in particular x-ray emission spectroscopy, is presented. The instrument operates in the 25–800 eV energy range to cover the full emissions of the FEL1 and FEL2 stages of FERMI. The optical design consists of two interchangeable spherical varied-lined-spaced gratings and a CCD detector. Different input sections can be accommodated, with/without an entrance slit and with/without an additional relay mirror, that allow to mount the spectrometer in different end-stations and at variable distances from the target area both at synchrotron and at free-electron-laser beamlines. The characterization on the Gas Phase beamline at ELETTRA Synchrotron (Italy) is presented

  15. Gravitational Waves versus X and Gamma Ray Emission in a Short Gamma-Ray Burst

    OpenAIRE

    Oliveira, F. G.; Rueda, Jorge A.; Ruffini, Remo

    2012-01-01

    The recent progress in the understanding the physical nature of neutron star equilibrium configurations and the first observational evidence of a genuinely short gamma-ray burst, GRB 090227B, allows to give an estimate of the gravitational waves versus the X and Gamma-ray emission in a short gamma-ray burst.

  16. The EVE plus RHESSI DEM for Solar Flares, and Implications for Residual Non-Thermal X-Ray Emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    McTiernan, James; Caspi, Amir; Warren, Harry

    2016-05-01

    Solar flare spectra are typically dominated by thermal emission in the soft X-ray energy range. The low energy extent of non-thermal emission can only be loosely quantified using currently available X-ray data. To address this issue, we combine observations from the EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) on-board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) with X-ray data from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) to calculate the Differential Emission Measure (DEM) for solar flares. This improvement over the isothermal approximation helps to resolve the ambiguity in the range where the thermal and non-thermal components may have similar photon fluxes. This "crossover" range can extend up to 30 keV.Previous work (Caspi et.al. 2014ApJ...788L..31C) concentrated on obtaining DEM models that fit both instruments' observations well. For this current project we are interested in breaks and cutoffs in the "residual" non-thermal spectrum; i.e., the RHESSI spectrum that is left over after the DEM has accounted for the bulk of the soft X-ray emission. As in our earlier work, thermal emission is modeled using a DEM that is parametrized as multiple gaussians in temperature. Non-thermal emission is modeled as a photon spectrum obtained using a thin-target emission model ('thin2' from the SolarSoft Xray IDL package). Spectra for both instruments are fit simultaneously in a self-consistent manner.For this study, we have examined the DEM and non-thermal resuidual emission for a sample of relatively large (GOES M class and above) solar flares observed from 2011 to 2014. The results for the DEM and non-thermal parameters found using the combined EVE-RHESSI data are compared with those found using only RHESSI data.

  17. Modelling of X-ray emission supernova remnants observed by the European satellite XMM-Newton

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cassam-Chenai, G.

    2004-01-01

    This thesis deals with the X-ray emission of supernova remnants (SNRs) observed by the European satellite XMM-Newton. In SNRs, the matter heated to millions of degrees shines brightly in X-rays. This emission depends on the hydrodynamical evolution of the SNR, on the chemical composition of the ejected matter and on the ambient medium. Moreover, the blast-wave is considered to be the prime site of the production and the acceleration of cosmic-rays in our Galaxy. XMM-Newton is one of the first to allow the investigation of these different aspects thanks to its spatially-resolved spectroscopy and its very good sensitivity. l first studied Kepler's SNR (SN 1604) whose X-ray emission is dominated by the ejecta. Its observation has allowed to obtain information on the nucleosynthesis products, on their spatial distribution and on the temperature structure in the shocked ejecta. This gives strong constraints on the physics of the explosion and on the progenitor's type. l have shown also that the X-ray emission at the shock is likely to be non-thermal. Then, l studied the SNR G347.3-0.5 whose X-ray emission is entirely due to the synchrotron radiation of relativistic (TeV) electrons accelerated at the shock. From five pointing, l made a full mapping of the X-ray emission characteristics (brightness, absorption and spectral index) at small scale. Combined to radio observations, these results have indicated a clear interaction between the SNR and molecular clouds located at 1 kpc and not at 6 kpc as previously estimated. Lastly, in the framework of a self-similar hydrodynamical model coupled with non-linear particle acceleration, l have obtained the synchrotron emission profile in SNRs, including the adiabatic and radiative losses of the accelerated electrons. (author) [fr

  18. Long term X-ray variability characteristics of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy RE J1034+396

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhury, K.; Chitnis, V. R.; Rao, A. R.; Singh, K. P.; Bhattacharyya, Sudip; Dewangan, G. C.; Chakraborty, S.; Chandra, S.; Stewart, G. C.; Mukerjee, K.; Dey, R. K.

    2018-05-01

    We present the results of our study of the long term X-ray variability characteristics of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxy RE J1034+396. We use data obtained from the AstroSat satellite along with the light curves obtained from XMM-Newton and Swift-XRT. We use the 0.3 - 7.0 keV and 3 - 20 keV data, respectively, from the SXT and the LAXPC of AstroSat. The X-ray spectra in the 0.3 - 20 keV region are well fit with a model consisting of a power-law and a soft excess described by a thermal-Compton emission with a large optical depth, consistent with the earlier reported results. We have examined the X-ray light curves in the soft and hard X-ray bands of SXT and LAXPC, respectively, and find that the variability is slightly larger in the hard band. To investigate the variability characteristics of this source at different time scales, we have used X-ray light curves obtained from XMM-Newton data (200 s to 100 ks range) and Swift-XRT data (1 day to 100 day range) and find that there are evidences to suggest that the variability sharply increases at longer time scales. We argue that the mass of the black hole in RE J1034+396 is likely to be ˜3 × 106 M⊙, based on the similarity of the observed QPO to the high frequency QPO seen in the Galactic black hole binary, GRS 1915+105.

  19. Study of X-ray emission in aluminium z-pinches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosch, R.

    1999-01-01

    Previous experiments, at 0.1. TX level, have shown that stability and x-ray emission of fast Z-pinches, could be strongly increased by imploding an aluminium vapor jet onto a very thin coaxial wire. We present here first results of an aluminium Z-pinch, using a similar liner, but at mega-ampere level. The pinch is driven by AMBIORIX high-power facility, a 2 TW, 0.5 Ω, 2 MA, 50 ns pulse-line generator. We study the effect of an aluminium wire and its diameter (20-50 μm) on the implosion dynamics, on x-ray yield on MHD stability of the column at stagnation. Analysis of A1 jet on A1 wire shots demonstrates that x-ray yield due to emission processes in the H- and He- like ionization stages (i.e. the K-shell) is significantly enhanced, relative to that of A1 jet only ones. The wire also leads to better symmetry of the implosion, and to better reproducibility of shots. X-ray signals exhibit two similar pulses, 10 ns in width, 15 ns spaced. To discern spectral origin of both pulses, experiments are realized with stainless steel wire (25 μm in diameter). Results show that liner and wire radial simultaneously and contribute to both pulses. Analysis of a typical A1 jet on A1 wire shot, using detailed collisional-radiative equilibrium (CRE) model is also given in this thesis. View o the pinch at stagnation as a cola-dense core surrounded by a hot-low density corona reproduces all features of the X-ray data. (author)

  20. Extended hard-X-ray emission in the inner few parsecs of the Galaxy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Perez, Kerstin; Hailey, Charles J.; Bauer, Franz E.

    2015-01-01

    of objects emitting soft X-rays (less than 10 kiloelectronvolts) within the surrounding hundreds of parsecs, as well as the population responsible for unresolved X-ray emission extending along the Galactic plane, is dominated by accreting white dwarf systems. Observations of diffuse hard-X-ray (more than 10...... kiloelectronvolts) emission in the inner 10 parsecs, however, have been hampered by the limited spatial resolution of previous instruments. Here we report the presence of a distinct hard-X-ray component within the central 4 × 8 parsecs, as revealed by subarcminute-resolution images in the 20-40 kiloelectronvolt...... outflows interacting with the surrounding radiation field, dense molecular material or magnetic fields. However, all these interpretations pose significant challenges to our understanding of stellar evolution, binary formation, and cosmic-ray production in the Galactic Centre....

  1. Resonant x-ray emission from gas-phase TiCl4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hague, C.F.; Tronc, M.; De Groot, F.

    1997-01-01

    Resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy (RXES) has proved to be a powerful tool for studying the electronic structure of condensed matter. Over the past few years it has been used mainly for studying the valence bands of solids and condensed molecules. Very recently the advent of high brightness photon beams provided by third generation synchrotron radiation source undulators, associated with efficient x-ray emission spectrometers has made it possible to perform experiments on free diatomic molecular systems. RXE spectra of free molecules are of prime importance to gain insight into their electronic structure and bonding as they reflect the symmetry of orbitals engaged in the two-electron, two-step process with the l = 0, ±2 parity-conserving selection rule, and are free from solid state effects which can introduce difficulties in the interpretation. They provide information (more so than XAS) on the core excited states, and, when performed at fixed incident photon energy as a function of the emitted photon energy, on the electronic excitation (charge transfer, multiplet states). Moreover the anisotropy of the angular distribution of resonant x-ray emission affects the relative intensity of the emission peaks and provides information concerning the symmetries of final states. This is a preliminary report on what are the first RXE spectra of a 3d transition metal complex in the gas phase. The experiment concerns the Ti 3d →2p emission spectrum of TiCl 4 over the 450 to 470 eV region

  2. The X-ray emission spectrum of gaseous acetylene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brammer, R.; Rubensson, J.E.; Wassdahl, N.; Nordgren, J.

    1987-01-01

    The X-ray emission spectrum of acetylene in the gas phase has been recorded using a 10 m grazing incidence spectrometer. Analysis of the spectrum is made based on calculations of total energies, potential curves and Franck-Condon vibrational intensities. Four emission bands are seen with the 1 π u band exhibiting vibrational structure. Analysis of the vibrations gives the CIs ionization energy. High energy satellite structure is observed and interpreted. (orig.)

  3. X-ray hot plasma diagnostics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cojocaru, E.

    1984-11-01

    X-ray plasma emission study is powerful diagnostic tool of hot plasmas. In this review article the main techniques of X-ray plasma emission measurement are shortly presented: X-ray spectrometry using absorbent filters, crystal and grating spectrometers, imaging techniques using pinhole cameras, X-ray microscopes and Fresnel zone plate cameras, X-ray plasma emission calorimetry. Advances in these techniques with examples for different hot plasma devices are also presentes. (author)

  4. Optimization of neon soft X-ray emission from 200 J plasma focus device for application in soft X-ray lithography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalaiselvi, S.M. P.; Tan, T.L.; Talebitaher, A.; Lee, Paul; Rawat, R.S.

    2014-01-01

    The Fast Miniature Plasma Focus (FMPF) device is basically made up of coaxial electrodes with centrally placed anode and six cathode rods surrounding them concentrically. They are enclosed in a vacuum chamber, filled with low pressure operating gas. However, in our experiments, these cathode rods were removed to investigate the influence of them on neon soft X-ray (SXR) and hard X-ray (HXR) emission from the device. On removal of cathode rods, the cathode base plate serves as cathode and the plasma sheath is formed between the anode and the base plate of cathode. Neon was used as the operating gas for our experiments and the FMPF device used is of 235 J energy capacities. The experimental results showed that the FMPF device was able to focus better and the SXR emission efficiency was five times higher without cathode rods than with cathode rods. On the contrary, HXR emission did not vary with and without cathode rods. This observed phenomenon was further cross-checked through imaging of plasma dynamics, with and without cathode rods. FMPF device consists of 4 Pseudo Spark Gap (PSG) switches, which need to operate synchronously to deliver high voltage from capacitors to the anode. It was also seen that, the presence or absence of cathode rods also influence the synchronous operation of PSG switches. It also implies that this is one definite way to optimize the SXR emission from the FMPF device. This study reveals an important finding that, cathode rods play a vital role in the formation of plasma sheath with consequential influence on the radiation emission from plasma focus devices. Enhancement of the X-ray emission from this device is definitely a stepping stone in the realization of this device for industrial applications such as X-ray lithography for semiconductor industries. (author)

  5. Intense Non-Linear Soft X-Ray Emission from a Hydride Target during Pulsed D Bombardment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miley, George H.; Yang, Yang; Lipson, Andrei; Haque, Munima; Percel, Ian; Romer, Michael

    Radiation emission from low-energy nuclear radiation (LENR) electrodes (both charged-particle and X-rays) represents an important feature of LENR in general. Here, calibration, measurement techniques, and soft X-ray emission results from deuterium bombardment of a Pd target (cathode) placed in a pulsed deuterium glow discharge (PGD) are described. An X-ray intensity of 13.4 mW/cm2 and a dose of 3.3 μJ/cm2 were calculated over a 0.5 ms pulse time from AXUV photodiode radiation detector measurements. A most striking feature is that X-ray energies >600 V are observed with a discharge voltage only about half of that value. To further investigate this phenomenon, emission during room temperature D-desorption from electrolytically loaded Pd:Dx cathodes was also studied. The X-ray emission energy observed was quite similar to the PGD case. However, the intensity in this case was almost 13 orders of magnitude lower due to the much lower deuterium fluxes involved.

  6. Intense non-linear soft X-ray emission from a hydride target during pulsed D bombardment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miley, George H.; Yang, Yang; Lipson, Andrei; Haque, Munima; Percel, Ian; Romer, Michael

    2006-01-01

    Radiation emission from low-energy nuclear radiation (LENR) electrodes (both charged-particle and X-rays) represents an important feature of LENR in general. Here, calibration, measurement techniques, and soft X-ray emission results from deuterium bombardment of a Pd target (cathode) placed in a pulsed deuterium glow discharge (PGD) are described. An X-ray intensity of 13.4 mW/cm 2 and a dose of 3.3 μJ/cm 2 were calculated over a 0.5 ms pulse time from AXUV photodiode radiation detector measurements. A most striking feature is that X-ray energies >600 V are observed with a discharge voltage only about half of that value. To further investigate this phenomenon, emission during room temperature D-desorption from electrolytically loaded Pd:Dx cathodes was also studied. The X-ray emission energy observed was quite similar to the PGD case. However, the intensity in this case was almost 13 orders of magnitude lower due to the much lower deuterium fluxes involved. (author)

  7. X-ray emission in heavy-ion collisions. Progress report, April 1, 1979-March 31, 1980

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watson, R.L.

    1980-04-01

    Recent research in the cyclotron institute and department of chemistry at Texas A and M University on the x-ray emission in heavy-ion collisions is described. Areas covered include: spectra of Ka x-rays from 64 MeV sulfur ions traveling in solids; foil-excited Ka x-ray transitions in few-electron sulfur ions; high-resolution study of the target thickness dependence of x-ray emission from 65 MeV sulfur ions; dynamic screening of highly stripped sulfur ions in solids; Mg Ka x-ray satellites excited by ion bombardment, multiplet structure and dependence on projectile and chemical environment; angular distributions of beam and target Ka x-rays; chemical effects on K x-ray satellites of fluorine compounds; and a non-linear least-squares peak-fitting program employing Voight functions

  8. Rapid X-ray and optical variability in the X-ray selected BL Lacertae object IE 1402.3 + 0416

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giommi, P.; Barr, P.; Gioia, I.M.; Maccacaro, T.; Schild, R.; Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge)

    1986-01-01

    Results from X-ray and optical observations of the X-ray-discovered BL Lac object 1E 1402.3 + 0416 are presented, where the X-ray measurements were carried out with the Channel Multiplier Array (CMA) and Medium Energy experiment (ME) detectors on board Exosat. These measurements revealed an intensity decrease by a factor of two on a time scale of a few hours. At maximum flux, the source was significantly greater than at the time of the Einstein Image Proportional Counter (IPC) discovery observation. The 2-6 keV X-ray spectrum was determined by the ME experiment, and IPC, HRI, and CMA data were subsequently compared. The source varied over the years by a factor of five; its brightest state was within the last three years. It is noted that a redshift greater than 0.2 would require that anisotropic emission mechanisms be invoked. 18 references

  9. MODELING THE THERMAL DIFFUSE SOFT AND HARD X-RAY EMISSION IN M17

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Velázquez, P. F.; Rodríguez-González, A.; Esquivel, A.; Rosado, M.; Reyes-Iturbide, J.

    2013-01-01

    We present numerical models of very young wind driven superbubbles. The parameters chosen for the simulations correspond to the particular case of the M17 nebula, but are appropriate for any young superbubble in which the wind sources have not completely dispersed their parental cloud. From the simulations, we computed the diffuse emission in the soft ([0.5-1.5] keV) and hard ([1.5-5] keV) X-ray bands. The total luminosity in our simulations agrees with the observations of Hyodo et al., about two orders of magnitude below the prediction of the standard model of Weaver et al.. The difference with respect to the standard (adiabatic) model is the inclusion of radiative cooling, which is still important in such young bubbles. We show that for this type of object the diffuse hard X-ray luminosity is significant compared to that of soft X-rays, contributing as much as 10% of the total luminosity, in contrast with more evolved bubbles where the hard X-ray emission is indeed negligible, being at least four orders of magnitude lower than the soft X-ray emission.

  10. Spectral properties of X-ray selected narrow emission line galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romero-Colmenero, E.

    1998-03-01

    This thesis reports a study of the X-ray and optical properties of two samples of X-ray selected Narrow Emission Line Galaxies (NELGs), and their comparison with the properties of broad line Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). One sample (18 NELGs) is drawn from the ROSAT International X-ray Optical Survey (RIXOS), the other (19 NELGs and 33 AGN) from the ROSAT UK Deep Survey. ROSAT multi-channel X-ray spectra have been extracted and fitted with power-law, bremsstrahlung and black body models for the brighter RIXOS sources. In most cases, power-law and bremsstrahlung models provide the best results. The average spectral energy index, alpha, of the RIXOS NELGs is 0.96 +/- 0.07, similar to that of AGN (alpha~1). For the fainter RIXOS NELGs, as well as for all the UK Deep Survey sources, counts in three spectral bands have been extracted and fitted with a power-law model, assuming the Galactic value for N_H. The brighter RIXOS sources demonstrated that the results obtained by these two different extraction and fitting procedures provide consistent results. Two average X-ray spectra, one for the NELGs and another for the AGN, were created from the UK Deep Survey sources. The power-law slope of the average NELG is alpha = 0.45 +/- 0.09, whilst that of the AGN is alpha = 0.96 +/- 0.03. ROSAT X-ray surveys have shown that the fractional surface density of NELGs increases with respect to AGN at faint fluxes (case for NELGs to be major contributors to the XRB at the fainter fluxes. The analysis of optical spectroscopy, obtained on La Palma and Hawaii, shows that NELGs form a very heterogeneous group, made up of a mixture of Seyfert 2, LINER and HII-region like galaxies. Seyfert 2 galaxies are found to possess in general the steepest X-ray slopes. Ways to explain this in the context of the unified model of AGN are discussed. The FWHM of some emission lines (Halpha, Hbeta, [NII]) in the NELGs appears to increase with steepening X-ray spectral slope. In the case of the Balmer lines

  11. The Lunar X-ray Observatory (LXO)/Magnetosheath Explorer in X-Rays (MagEX)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collier, M.R.; Abbey, T.F.; Bannister, N.P.; Carter, J.A.; Choi, M.; Cravens, T.; Evans, M.; Fraser, G.W.; Hills, H.K.; Kuntz, K.; hide

    2009-01-01

    X-ray observations of solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) emission, a nuisance to astrophysicists, will dramatically enhance our ability to determine the structure and variability of the Earth's magnetosheath. Such observations could be made from the lunar surface or an Earth-orbiting spacecraft and will resolve key controversies about magnetopause physics as well as better characterize SWCX emission with the aim of avoiding or removing it from astrophysical observations.

  12. Weak Hard X-Ray Emission from Two Broad Absorption Line Quasars Observed with NuStar: Compton-Thick Absorption or Intrinsic X-Ray Weakness?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, B.; Brandt, W. N.; Alexander, D. M.; Harrison, F. A.; Stern, D.; Bauer, F. E.; Boggs, S. E.; Christensen, F. E.; Comastri, A.; Craig, W. W..; hide

    2013-01-01

    We present Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) hard X-ray observations of two X-ray weak broad absorption line (BAL) quasars, PG 1004+130 (radio loud) and PG 1700+518 (radio quiet). Many BAL quasars appear X-ray weak, probably due to absorption by the shielding gas between the nucleus and the accretion-disk wind. The two targets are among the optically brightest BAL quasars, yet they are known to be significantly X-ray weak at rest-frame 2-10 keV (16-120 times fainter than typical quasars). We would expect to obtain approx. or equal to 400-600 hard X-ray (is greater than or equal to 10 keV) photons with NuSTAR, provided that these photons are not significantly absorbed N(sub H) is less than or equal to 10(exp24) cm(exp-2). However, both BAL quasars are only detected in the softer NuSTAR bands (e.g., 4-20 keV) but not in its harder bands (e.g., 20-30 keV), suggesting that either the shielding gas is highly Compton-thick or the two targets are intrinsically X-ray weak. We constrain the column densities for both to be N(sub H) 7 × 10(exp 24) cm(exp-2) if the weak hard X-ray emission is caused by obscuration from the shielding gas. We discuss a few possibilities for how PG 1004+130 could have Compton-thick shielding gas without strong Fe Ka line emission; dilution from jet-linked X-ray emission is one likely explanation. We also discuss the intrinsic X-ray weakness scenario based on a coronal-quenching model relevant to the shielding gas and disk wind of BAL quasars. Motivated by our NuSTAR results, we perform a Chandra stacking analysis with the Large Bright Quasar Survey BAL quasar sample and place statistical constraints upon the fraction of intrinsically X-ray weak BAL quasars; this fraction is likely 17%-40%.

  13. WEAK HARD X-RAY EMISSION FROM TWO BROAD ABSORPTION LINE QUASARS OBSERVED WITH NuSTAR: COMPTON-THICK ABSORPTION OR INTRINSIC X-RAY WEAKNESS?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luo, B.; Brandt, W. N. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 525 Davey Lab, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Alexander, D. M.; Hickox, R. [Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Harrison, F. A.; Fuerst, F.; Grefenstette, B. W.; Madsen, K. K. [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Stern, D. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Bauer, F. E. [Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Casilla 306, Santiago 22 (Chile); Boggs, S. E.; Craig, W. W. [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Christensen, F. E. [DTU Space-National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Elektrovej 327, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Comastri, A. [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, Via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy); Fabian, A. C. [Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Farrah, D. [Department of Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States); Fiore, F. [Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, via Frascati 33, I-00040 Monteporzio Catone (Italy); Hailey, C. J. [Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Matt, G. [Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Universita degli Studi Roma Tre, via della Vasca Navale 84, I-00146 Roma (Italy); Ogle, P. [IPAC, California Institute of Technology, Mail Code 220-6, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); and others

    2013-08-01

    We present Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) hard X-ray observations of two X-ray weak broad absorption line (BAL) quasars, PG 1004+130 (radio loud) and PG 1700+518 (radio quiet). Many BAL quasars appear X-ray weak, probably due to absorption by the shielding gas between the nucleus and the accretion-disk wind. The two targets are among the optically brightest BAL quasars, yet they are known to be significantly X-ray weak at rest-frame 2-10 keV (16-120 times fainter than typical quasars). We would expect to obtain Almost-Equal-To 400-600 hard X-ray ({approx}> 10 keV) photons with NuSTAR, provided that these photons are not significantly absorbed (N{sub H} {approx}< 10{sup 24} cm{sup -2}). However, both BAL quasars are only detected in the softer NuSTAR bands (e.g., 4-20 keV) but not in its harder bands (e.g., 20-30 keV), suggesting that either the shielding gas is highly Compton-thick or the two targets are intrinsically X-ray weak. We constrain the column densities for both to be N{sub H} Almost-Equal-To 7 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 24} cm{sup -2} if the weak hard X-ray emission is caused by obscuration from the shielding gas. We discuss a few possibilities for how PG 1004+130 could have Compton-thick shielding gas without strong Fe K{alpha} line emission; dilution from jet-linked X-ray emission is one likely explanation. We also discuss the intrinsic X-ray weakness scenario based on a coronal-quenching model relevant to the shielding gas and disk wind of BAL quasars. Motivated by our NuSTAR results, we perform a Chandra stacking analysis with the Large Bright Quasar Survey BAL quasar sample and place statistical constraints upon the fraction of intrinsically X-ray weak BAL quasars; this fraction is likely 17%-40%.

  14. Variable H13CO+ Emission in the IM Lup Disk: X-Ray Driven Time-dependent Chemistry?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cleeves, L. Ilsedore; Bergin, Edwin A.; Öberg, Karin I.; Andrews, Sean; Wilner, David; Loomis, Ryan

    2017-07-01

    We report the first detection of a substantial brightening event in an isotopologue of a key molecular ion, HCO+, within a protoplanetary disk of a T Tauri star. The H13CO+ J=3-2 rotational transition was observed three times toward IM Lup between 2014 July and 2015 May with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. The first two observations show similar spectrally integrated line and continuum fluxes, while the third observation shows a doubling in the disk-integrated J=3-2 line flux compared to the continuum, which does not change between the three epochs. We explore models of an X-ray active star irradiating the disk via stellar flares, and find that the optically thin H13CO+ emission variation can potentially be explained via X-ray-driven chemistry temporarily enhancing the HCO+ abundance in the upper layers of the disk atmosphere during large or prolonged flaring events. If the HCO+ enhancement is indeed caused by an X-ray flare, future observations should be able to spatially resolve these events and potentially enable us to watch the chemical aftermath of the high-energy stellar radiation propagating across the face of protoplanetary disks, providing a new pathway to explore ionization physics and chemistry, including electron density, in disks.

  15. Ultrafast atomic process in X-ray emission by using inner-shell ionization method for sodium and carbon atoms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moribayashi, Kengo; Sasaki, Akira; Tajima, Toshiki [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Neyagawa, Osaka (Japan). Kansai Research Establishment

    1998-07-01

    An ultrafast inner-shell ionization process with X-ray emission stimulated by high-intensity short-pulse X-ray is studied. Carbon and sodium atoms are treated as target matter. It is shown that atomic processes of the target determine the necessary X-ray intensity for X-ray laser emission as well as the features of X-ray laser such as wavelength and duration time. The intensity also depends on the density of initial atoms. Furthermore, we show that as the intensity of X-ray source becomes high, the multi-inner-shell ionization predominates, leading to the formation of hollow atoms. As the density of hollow atoms is increased by the pumping X-ray power, the emission of X-rays is not only of significance for high brightness X-ray measurement but also is good for X-ray lasing. New classes of experiments of pump X-ray probe and X-ray laser are suggested. (author)

  16. X-ray emission in collisions of highly charged I, Pr, Ho, and Bi ions with a W surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, H.; Tona, M.; Ohtani, S.; Sun, J.; Nakamura, N.; Yamada, C.; Yoshiyasu, N.; Sakurai, M.

    2007-01-01

    X-ray emission yields, which are defined as the total number of emitted x-ray photons per incident ion, and dissipated fractions of potential energies through x-ray emission have been measured for slow highly charged ions of I, Pr, Ho, and Bi colliding with a W surface. A larger amount of potential energy was consumed for the x-ray emission with increasing the atomic number and the charge state. The present measurements show that x-ray emission is one of the main decay channels of hollow atoms produced in collisions of very highly charged ions of heavy elements

  17. The Chandra planetary nebula survey (CHANPLANS). II. X-ray emission from compact planetary nebulae

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Freeman, M.; Kastner, J. H. [Center for Imaging Science and Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, Rochester Institute of Technology, 54 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 (United States); Montez, R. Jr. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (United States); Balick, B. [Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); Frew, D. J.; De Marco, O.; Parker, Q. A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy and Macquarie Research Centre for Astronomy, Astrophysics and Astrophotonics, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109 (Australia); Jones, D. [Departamento de Física, Universidad de Atacama, Copayapu 485, Copiapó (Chile); Miszalski, B. [South African Astronomical Observatory, P.O. Box 9, Observatory, 7935 (South Africa); Sahai, R. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, MS 183-900, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Blackman, E.; Frank, A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY (United States); Chu, Y.-H. [Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL (United States); Guerrero, M. A. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, IAA-CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, Granada, E-18008 (Spain); Lopez, J. A. [Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Campus Ensenada, Apdo. Postal 22860, Ensenada, B. C. (Mexico); Zijlstra, A. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Bujarrabal, V. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, E-38200 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Corradi, R. L. M. [Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna, E-38206 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Nordhaus, J. [NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Fellow, Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623 (United States); and others

    2014-10-20

    We present results from the most recent set of observations obtained as part of the Chandra X-ray observatory Planetary Nebula Survey (CHANPLANS), the first comprehensive X-ray survey of planetary nebulae (PNe) in the solar neighborhood (i.e., within ∼1.5 kpc of the Sun). The survey is designed to place constraints on the frequency of appearance and range of X-ray spectral characteristics of X-ray-emitting PN central stars and the evolutionary timescales of wind-shock-heated bubbles within PNe. CHANPLANS began with a combined Cycle 12 and archive Chandra survey of 35 PNe. CHANPLANS continued via a Chandra Cycle 14 Large Program which targeted all (24) remaining known compact (R {sub neb} ≲ 0.4 pc), young PNe that lie within ∼1.5 kpc. Results from these Cycle 14 observations include first-time X-ray detections of hot bubbles within NGC 1501, 3918, 6153, and 6369, and point sources in HbDs 1, NGC 6337, and Sp 1. The addition of the Cycle 14 results brings the overall CHANPLANS diffuse X-ray detection rate to ∼27% and the point source detection rate to ∼36%. It has become clearer that diffuse X-ray emission is associated with young (≲ 5 × 10{sup 3} yr), and likewise compact (R {sub neb} ≲ 0.15 pc), PNe with closed structures and high central electron densities (n{sub e} ≳ 1000 cm{sup –3}), and is rarely associated with PNe that show H{sub 2} emission and/or pronounced butterfly structures. Hb 5 is one such exception of a PN with a butterfly structure that hosts diffuse X-ray emission. Additionally, two of the five new diffuse X-ray detections (NGC 1501 and NGC 6369) host [WR]-type central stars, supporting the hypothesis that PNe with central stars of [WR]-type are likely to display diffuse X-ray emission.

  18. Development and application of variable-magnification x-ray Bragg optics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hirano, Keiichi, E-mail: keiichi.hirano@kek.jp; Takahashi, Yumiko; Sugiyama, Hiroshi [Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan); Yamashita, Yoshiki [RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148 (Japan)

    2016-07-27

    A novel x-ray Bragg optics was developed for variable-magnification of an x-ray beam, and was combined with a module of the PILATUS pixel detector. A feasibility test of this optical system was carried out at the vertical-wiggler beamline BL-14B of the Photon Factory. By tuning the magnification factor, we could successfully control the spatial resolution of the optical system between 28 μm and 280 μm. X-ray absorption-contrast images of a leaf were observed at various magnification factors.

  19. CHANDRA DETECTION OF X-RAY EMISSION FROM ULTRACOMPACT DWARF GALAXIES AND EXTENDED STAR CLUSTERS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hou, Meicun; Li, Zhiyuan

    2016-01-01

    We have conducted a systematic study of X-ray emission from ultracompact dwarf (UCD) galaxies and extended star clusters (ESCs), based on archival Chandra observations. Among a sample of 511 UCDs and ESCs complied from the literature, 17 X-ray counterparts with 0.5–8 keV luminosities above ∼5 × 10 36 erg s −1 are identified, which are distributed in eight early-type host galaxies. To facilitate comparison, we also identify X-ray counterparts of 360 globular clusters (GCs) distributed in four of the eight galaxies. The X-ray properties of the UCDs and ESCs are found to be broadly similar to those of the GCs. The incidence rate of X-ray-detected UCDs and ESCs, 3.3% ± 0.8%, while lower than that of the X-ray-detected GCs (7.0% ± 0.4%), is substantially higher than expected from the field populations of external galaxies. A stacking analysis of the individually undetected UCDs/ESCs further reveals significant X-ray signals, which corresponds to an equivalent 0.5–8 keV luminosity of ∼4 × 10 35 erg s −1 per source. Taken together, these provide strong evidence that the X-ray emission from UCDs and ESCs is dominated by low-mass X-ray binaries having formed from stellar dynamical interactions, consistent with the stellar populations in these dense systems being predominantly old. For the most massive UCDs, there remains the possibility that a putative central massive black hole gives rise to the observed X-ray emission

  20. CHANDRA DETECTION OF X-RAY EMISSION FROM ULTRACOMPACT DWARF GALAXIES AND EXTENDED STAR CLUSTERS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hou, Meicun; Li, Zhiyuan, E-mail: lizy@nju.edu.cn [School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210046 (China)

    2016-03-10

    We have conducted a systematic study of X-ray emission from ultracompact dwarf (UCD) galaxies and extended star clusters (ESCs), based on archival Chandra observations. Among a sample of 511 UCDs and ESCs complied from the literature, 17 X-ray counterparts with 0.5–8 keV luminosities above ∼5 × 10{sup 36} erg s{sup −1} are identified, which are distributed in eight early-type host galaxies. To facilitate comparison, we also identify X-ray counterparts of 360 globular clusters (GCs) distributed in four of the eight galaxies. The X-ray properties of the UCDs and ESCs are found to be broadly similar to those of the GCs. The incidence rate of X-ray-detected UCDs and ESCs, 3.3% ± 0.8%, while lower than that of the X-ray-detected GCs (7.0% ± 0.4%), is substantially higher than expected from the field populations of external galaxies. A stacking analysis of the individually undetected UCDs/ESCs further reveals significant X-ray signals, which corresponds to an equivalent 0.5–8 keV luminosity of ∼4 × 10{sup 35} erg s{sup −1} per source. Taken together, these provide strong evidence that the X-ray emission from UCDs and ESCs is dominated by low-mass X-ray binaries having formed from stellar dynamical interactions, consistent with the stellar populations in these dense systems being predominantly old. For the most massive UCDs, there remains the possibility that a putative central massive black hole gives rise to the observed X-ray emission.

  1. X-ray Imaging and preliminary studies of the X-ray self-emission from an innovative plasma-trap based on the Bernstein waves heating mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caliri, C.; Romano, F. P.; Mascali, D.; Gammino, S.; Musumarra, A.; Castro, G.; Celona, L.; Neri, L.; Altana, C.

    2013-10-01

    Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources (ECRIS) are based on ECR heated plasmas emitting high fluxes of X-rays. Here we illustrate a pilot study of the X-ray emission from a compact plasma-trap in which an off-resonance microwave-plasma interaction has been attempted, highlighting a possible Bernstein-Waves based heating mechanism. EBWs-heating is obtained via the inner plasma EM-to-ES wave conversion and enables to reach densities much larger than the cut-off ones. At LNS-INFN, an innovative diagnostic technique based on the design of a Pinhole Camera (PHC) coupled to a CCD device for X-ray Imaging of the plasma (XRI) has been developed, in order to integrate X-ray traditional diagnostics (XRS). The complementary use of electrostatic probes measurements and X-ray diagnostics enabled us to gain knowledge about the high energy electrons density and temperature and about the spatial structure of the source. The combination of the experimental data with appropriate modeling of the plasma-source allowed to estimate the X-ray emission intensity in different energy domains (ranging from EUV up to Hard X-rays). The use of ECRIS as X-ray source for multidisciplinary applications, is now a concrete perspective due to the intense fluxes produced by the new plasma heating mechanism.

  2. Active galactic nucleus X-ray variability in the XMM-COSMOS survey

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lanzuisi, G.; Ponti, G.; Salvato, M.; Brusa, M.; Nandra, P. K.; Merloni, A.; Rosario, D. [Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Hasinger, G.; Sanders, D. [Institute for Astronomy, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822-1839 (United States); Cappelluti, N.; Comastri, A.; Gilli, R. [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy); Bongiorno, A. [Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma Via Frascati 33, I-00040, Monte Porzio Catone (Italy); Lusso, E.; Steinhardt, C. [Max Planck Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Silverman, J.; Schramm, M. [Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8583 (Japan); Trump, J. [University of California Observatories/Lick Observatory and Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Vignali, C. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Universitá di Bologna, viale Berti Pichat 6/2, I-40127 Bologna (Italy); Kartaltepe, J., E-mail: lanzuisi@noa.gr [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); and others

    2014-02-01

    We used the observations carried out by XMM in the COSMOS field over 3.5 yr to study the long term variability of a large sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) (638 sources) in a wide range of redshifts (0.1 < z < 3.5) and X-ray luminosities (10{sup 41} < L {sub 0.5-10} <10{sup 45.5}). Both a simple statistical method to assess the significance of variability and the Normalized Excess Variance (σ{sub rms}{sup 2}) parameter were used to obtain a quantitative measurement of the variability. Variability is found to be prevalent in most AGNs, whenever we have good statistics to measure it, and no significant differences between type 1 and type 2 AGNs were found. A flat (slope –0.23 ± 0.03) anti-correlation between σ{sub rms}{sup 2} and X-ray luminosity is found when all significantly variable sources are considered together. When divided into three redshift bins, the anti-correlation becomes stronger and evolving with z, with higher redshift AGNs being more variable. We prove, however, that this effect is due to the pre-selection of variable sources: when considering all of the sources with an available σ{sub rms}{sup 2} measurement, the evolution in redshift disappears. For the first time, we were also able to study long term X-ray variability as a function of M {sub BH} and Eddington ratio for a large sample of AGNs spanning a wide range of redshifts. An anti-correlation between σ{sub rms}{sup 2} and M {sub BH} is found, with the same slope of anti-correlation between σ{sub rms}{sup 2} and X-ray luminosity, suggesting that the latter may be a by-product of the former. No clear correlation is found between σ{sub rms}{sup 2} and the Eddington ratio in our sample. Finally, no correlation is found between the X-ray σ{sub rms}{sup 2} and optical variability.

  3. DETECTION OF HIGH-ENERGY GAMMA-RAY EMISSION DURING THE X-RAY FLARING ACTIVITY IN GRB 100728A

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdo, A. A.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Bechtol, K.; Berenji, B.; Blandford, R. D.; Borgland, A. W.; Baldini, L.; Bellazzini, R.; Bregeon, J.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Baring, M. G.; Bastieri, D.; Bhat, P. N.; Bissaldi, E.; Bonamente, E.; Bonnell, J.; Bouvier, A.; Brigida, M.

    2011-01-01

    We present the simultaneous Swift and Fermi observations of the bright GRB 100728A and its afterglow. The early X-ray emission is dominated by a vigorous flaring activity continuing until 1 ks after the burst. In the same time interval, high-energy emission is significantly detected by the Fermi/Large Area Telescope. Marginal evidence of GeV emission is observed up to later times. We discuss the broadband properties of this burst within both the internal and external shock scenarios, with a particular emphasis on the relation between X-ray flares, the GeV emission, and a continued long-duration central engine activity as their power source.

  4. Elemental analysis of coal by proton-induced x-ray emission analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cronch, S.M.; Ehmann, W.D.; Laumer, H.W.; Gabbard, F.

    1976-01-01

    Proton-induced x-ray emission was used to determine elemental concentrations in solid coal samples. The coal samples were irradiated with 2.5 to 5.5 MeV protons. Concentrations were determined from characteristic x-ray yields taking into account matrix absorption. The precision is shown by replicate analysis and the accuracy by comparison with results obtained by other laboratories using different techniques

  5. Colliding Stellar Winds Structure and X-ray Emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pittard, J. M.; Dawson, B.

    2018-04-01

    We investigate the structure and X-ray emission from the colliding stellar winds in massive star binaries. We find that the opening angle of the contact discontinuity (CD) is overestimated by several formulae in the literature at very small values of the wind momentum ratio, η. We find also that the shocks in the primary (dominant) and secondary winds flare by ≈20° compared to the CD, and that the entire secondary wind is shocked when η ≲ 0.02. Analytical expressions for the opening angles of the shocks, and the fraction of each wind that is shocked, are provided. We find that the X-ray luminosity Lx∝η, and that the spectrum softens slightly as η decreases.

  6. Identification of Hard X-ray Sources in Galactic Globular Clusters: Simbol-X Simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Servillat, M.

    2009-05-01

    Globular clusters harbour an excess of X-ray sources compared to the number of X-ray sources in the Galactic plane. It has been proposed that many of these X-ray sources are cataclysmic variables that have an intermediate magnetic field, i.e. intermediate polars, which remains to be confirmed and understood. We present here several methods to identify intermediate polars in globular clusters from multiwavelength analysis. First, we report on XMM-Newton, Chandra and HST observations of the very dense Galactic globular cluster NGC 2808. By comparing UV and X-ray properties of the cataclysmic variable candidates, the fraction of intermediate polars in this cluster can be estimated. We also present the optical spectra of two cataclysmic variables in the globular cluster M 22. The HeII (4868 Å) emission line in these spectra could be related to the presence of a magnetic field in these objects. Simulations of Simbol-X observations indicate that the angular resolution is sufficient to study X-ray sources in the core of close, less dense globular clusters, such as M 22. The sensitivity of Simbol-X in an extended energy band up to 80 keV will allow us to discriminate between hard X-ray sources (such as magnetic cataclysmic variables) and soft X-ray sources (such as chromospherically active binaries).

  7. High-resolution X-ray emission spectroscopy with transition-edge sensors: present performance and future potential

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Uhlig, J.; Doriese, W. B.; Fowler, J. W.; Swetz, D. S.; Jaye, C.; Fischer, D. A.; Reintsema, C. D.; Bennett, D. A.; Vale, L. R.; Mandal, U.; O' Neil, G. C.; Miaja-Avila, L.; Joe, Y. I.; El Nahhas, A.; Fullagar, W.; Parnefjord Gustafsson, F.; Sundström, V.; Kurunthu, D.; Hilton, G. C.; Schmidt, D. R.; Ullom, J. N.

    2015-04-21

    X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) is a powerful element-selective tool to analyze the oxidation states of atoms in complex compounds, determine their electronic configuration, and identify unknown compounds in challenging environments. Until now the low efficiency of wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectrometer technology has limited the use of XES, especially in combination with weaker laboratory X-ray sources. More efficient energy-dispersive detectors have either insufficient energy resolution because of the statistical limits described by Fano or too low counting rates to be of practical use. This paper updates an approach to high-resolution X-ray emission spectroscopy that uses a microcalorimeter detector array of superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs). TES arrays are discussed and compared with conventional methods, and shown under which circumstances they are superior. It is also shown that a TES array can be integrated into a table-top time-resolved X-ray source and a soft X-ray synchrotron beamline to perform emission spectroscopy with good chemical sensitivity over a very wide range of energies.

  8. Simultaneous emissions of X-rays and microwaves from long laboratory sparks and downward lightning leaders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montanya, J.; Oscar, V. D. V.; Tapia, F. F.

    2017-12-01

    Since the discovery of the Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes more than 20 years ago, investigations on high energy emissions from natural lightning and high voltage laboratory sparks gained significant interest. X-ray emissions from lightning as well from high voltage laboratory sparks have in common the role played by negative leaders/streamers. On the other hand, negative leaders are well known to produce much more VHF and microwave radiation than positive leaders. Moreover, in previous works, microwave emissions from lightning leaders have been attributed to Bremsstrahlung process. The object of this work is to investigate if X-rays and RF microwave emissions share the same origin. We present simultaneous measurements of X-rays and microwaves in high voltage sparks and natural lightning. The instrumentation consists on a NaI(Tl) and LaBr3 scintillation detectors and two different receivers. One is fix tuned at 2.4 GHz with a bandwidth of 5.5 MHz. The second can be tuned at any frequency up to 18 GHz with different selectable bandwidths of 10 MHz, 40 MHz and 100 MHz. In the laboratory, results have shown that all the sparks presented microwave radiation before the breakdown of the gap, either X-rays were detected or not. In the cases where X-rays were identified, microwave emissions peaked at the same time (in the microsecond scale). We found that the power amplitudes of the microwave emissions are related to the applied voltage to the gap. In the same configuration, those cases where X-rays were detected microwave emissions presented higher power levels. The results suggest that in some part of the discharge electrons are very fast accelerated allowing, in some cases, to reach enought energy to produce X-rays. In the field, we have found similar results. On 13th of June of 2015 a bipolar cloud-to-ground flash struck 200 m close to the Eagle Nest instrumented tower (Spanish Pyrenees, 2536 m ASL). The flash presented four strokes and, in all of them, microwave

  9. Utilization of synchrotron radiation in analytical chemistry. Soft X-ray emission and absorption spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muramatsu, Yasuji

    2015-01-01

    Synchrotron soft X-ray spectroscopy includes three major types of spectroscopy such as X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). This paper takes up XAS and XES of soft X-rays, and briefly describes the principle. XAS is roughly classified into XANES (X-ray absorption near-edge structure) and EXAFS (extended X-ray absorption fine structure), and XANES is mainly used in the analysis based on XAS of soft X-rays. As the examples of the latest soft X-ray analyses, the following are introduced: (1) bandgap of boron implantation diamond and the local structure of boron, (2) catalytic sites in solid fuel cell carbon electrode, and (3) soft X-ray analysis under atmospheric pressure. (A.O.)

  10. Measurement of X-ray emission efficiency for K-lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Procop, M

    2004-08-01

    Results for the X-ray emission efficiency (counts per C per sr) of K-lines for selected elements (C, Al, Si, Ti, Cu, Ge) and for the first time also for compounds and alloys (SiC, GaP, AlCu, TiAlC) are presented. An energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) of known detection efficiency (counts per photon) has been used to record the spectra at a takeoff angle of 25 degrees determined by the geometry of the secondary electron microscope's specimen chamber. Overall uncertainty in measurement could be reduced to 5 to 10% in dependence on the line intensity and energy. Measured emission efficiencies have been compared with calculated efficiencies based on models applied in standardless analysis. The widespread XPP and PROZA models give somewhat too low emission efficiencies. The best agreement between measured and calculated efficiencies could be achieved by replacing in the modular PROZA96 model the original expression for the ionization cross section by the formula given by Casnati et al. (1982) A discrepancy remains for carbon, probably due to the high overvoltage ratio.

  11. X-ray astronomy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giacconi, R.; Gursky, H.

    1974-01-01

    This text contains ten chapters and three appendices. Following an introduction, chapters two through five deal with observational techniques, mechanisms for the production of x rays in a cosmic setting, the x-ray sky and solar x-ray emission. Chapters six through ten include compact x-ray sources, supernova remnants, the interstellar medium, extragalactic x-ray sources and the cosmic x-ray background. Interactions of x rays with matter, units and conversion factors and a catalog of x-ray sources comprise the three appendices. (U.S.)

  12. X-RAY AND RADIO EMISSION FROM TYPE IIn SUPERNOVA SN 2010jl

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chandra, Poonam [National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Pune University Campus, Pune 411 007 (India); Chevalier, Roger A. [Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400325, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4325 (United States); Chugai, Nikolai [Institute of Astronomy of Russian Academy of Sciences, Pyatnitskaya St. 48, 109017 Moscow (Russian Federation); Fransson, Claes [Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Soderberg, Alicia M., E-mail: poonam@ncra.tifr.res.in [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden St., MS-20, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

    2015-09-01

    We present all X-ray and radio observations of the Type IIn supernova SN 2010jl. The X-ray observations cover a period up to day 1500 with Chandra, XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and Swift-X-ray Telescope (XRT). The Chandra observations after 2012 June, the XMM-Newton observation in 2013 November, and most of the Swift-XRT observations until 2014 December are presented for the first time. All the spectra can be fitted by an absorbed hot thermal model except for Chandra spectra on 2011 October and 2012 June when an additional component is needed. Although the origin of this component is uncertain, it is spatially coincident with the supernova and occurs when there are changes to the supernova spectrum in the energy range close to that of the extra component, indicating that the emission is related to the supernova. The X-ray light curve shows an initial plateau followed by a steep drop starting at day ∼300. We attribute the drop to a decrease in the circumstellar density. The column density to the X-ray emission drops rapidly with time, showing that the absorption is in the vicinity of the supernova. We also present Very Large Array radio observations of SN 2010jl. Radio emission was detected from SN 2010jl from day 570 onwards. The radio light curves and spectra suggest that the radio luminosity was close to its maximum at the first detection. The velocity of the shocked ejecta derived assuming synchrotron self-absorption is much less than that estimated from the optical and X-ray observations, suggesting that free–free absorption dominates.

  13. Analysis of hard X-ray emission from selected very high energy γ-ray sources observed with INTEGRAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoffmann, Agnes Irene Dorothee

    2009-01-01

    A few years ago, the era of very high energy γ-ray astronomy started, when the latest generation of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACT) like H.E.S.S. began to operate and to resolve the sources of TeV emission. Identifications via multi-wavelength studies reveal that the detected sources are supernova remnants and active galactic nuclei, but also pulsar wind nebulae and a few binaries. One widely discussed open question is, how these sources are able to accelerate particles to such high energies. The understanding of the underlying particle distribution, the acceleration processes taking place, and the knowledge of the radiation processes which produce the observed emission, is, therefore, of crucial interest. Observations in the hard X-ray domain can be a key to get information on these particle distributions and processes. Important for this thesis are the TeV and the hard X-ray range. The two instruments, H.E.S.S. and INTEGRAL, whose data were used, are, therefore, described in detail. The main part of this thesis is focused on the X-ray binary system LS 5039/RX J1826.2-1450. It was observed in several energy ranges. The nature of the compact object is still not known, and it was proposed either to be a microquasar system or a non-accreting pulsar system. The observed TeV emission is modulated with the orbital cycle. Several explanations for this variability have been discussed in recent years. The observations with INTEGRAL presented in this thesis have provided new information to solve this question. Therefore, a search for a detection in the hard X-ray range and for its orbital dependence was worthwhile. Since LS 5039 is a faint source and the sky region where it is located is crowded, a very careful, non-standard handling of the INTEGRAL data was necessary, and a cross-checking with other analysis methods was essential to provide reliable results. We found that LS 5039 is emitting in the hard X-ray energy range. A flux rate and an upper flux

  14. Analysis of hard X-ray emission from selected very high energy {gamma}-ray sources observed with INTEGRAL

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoffmann, Agnes Irene Dorothee

    2009-11-13

    A few years ago, the era of very high energy {gamma}-ray astronomy started, when the latest generation of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACT) like H.E.S.S. began to operate and to resolve the sources of TeV emission. Identifications via multi-wavelength studies reveal that the detected sources are supernova remnants and active galactic nuclei, but also pulsar wind nebulae and a few binaries. One widely discussed open question is, how these sources are able to accelerate particles to such high energies. The understanding of the underlying particle distribution, the acceleration processes taking place, and the knowledge of the radiation processes which produce the observed emission, is, therefore, of crucial interest. Observations in the hard X-ray domain can be a key to get information on these particle distributions and processes. Important for this thesis are the TeV and the hard X-ray range. The two instruments, H.E.S.S. and INTEGRAL, whose data were used, are, therefore, described in detail. The main part of this thesis is focused on the X-ray binary system LS 5039/RX J1826.2-1450. It was observed in several energy ranges. The nature of the compact object is still not known, and it was proposed either to be a microquasar system or a non-accreting pulsar system. The observed TeV emission is modulated with the orbital cycle. Several explanations for this variability have been discussed in recent years. The observations with INTEGRAL presented in this thesis have provided new information to solve this question. Therefore, a search for a detection in the hard X-ray range and for its orbital dependence was worthwhile. Since LS 5039 is a faint source and the sky region where it is located is crowded, a very careful, non-standard handling of the INTEGRAL data was necessary, and a cross-checking with other analysis methods was essential to provide reliable results. We found that LS 5039 is emitting in the hard X-ray energy range. A flux rate and an upper

  15. Globular clusters as a source of X-ray emission from the neighbourhood of M87

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fabian, A.C.; Pringle, J.E.; Rees, M.J.

    1976-01-01

    It is stated that the X-ray emission from globular clusters may be attributable to accretion on to compact objects, the accreting material being supplied from binary companions, or gas trapped in the potential well of the cluster. Counts of objects in the vicinity of the M87 have revealed that it has an extensive halo of globular clusters, the number of which may exceed 10,000 within a radius of 23 arc min. Most of these clusters may be explicable as a population effect, and the similarity of their optical properties to those of cluster in our own Galaxy suggests that they may also contain X-ray sources. The brighter globular clusters in M87 may, however, be substantially more X-ray luminous, and there may be proportionally more gas available in globular clusters in M87 compared with our Galaxy. The average X-ray luminosity of individual globular clusters may be of the order of 10 38 erg/sec., which raises the possibility that the integrated globular cluster emission may account for a substantial fraction of the X-ray emission observed from the region of M87. In support of this it is noted that the extended X-ray emission from the Virgo cluster is centered on M87, which lies approximately 45 arc min from the cluster centroid, and it is expected that the general X-ray emission from the globular cluster will appear to be smoothly and symmetrically distributed about M87 at moderate spatial resolution. A similar situation may apply to the elliptical galaxy NGC 3311 in Abell 1060 which, as a cluster, has been suggested as the identification for the X-ray source 3 U 1044-40, and it seems possible that that galaxy is surrounded by a similar globular cluster population to that of M87. (U.K.)

  16. X-Ray Emission from a Merger Remnant, NGC 7252 (the ``Atoms-for-Peace'' Galaxy)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Awaki, Hisamitsu; Matsumoto, Hironori; Tomida, Hiroshi

    2002-03-01

    We observed a nearby merger remnant NGC 7252 with the X-ray satellite ASCA and detected X-ray emission with the X-ray flux of (1.8+/-0.3)×10-13 ergs s-1 cm-2 in the 0.5-10 keV band. This corresponds to the X-ray luminosity of 8.1×1040 ergs s-1. The X-ray emission is well described with a two-component model: a soft component with kT=0.72+/-0.13 keV and a hard component with kT>5.1 keV. Although NGC 7252 is referred to as a dynamically young protoelliptical, the 0.5-4 keV luminosity of the soft component is about 2×1040 ergs s-1, which is low for an early-type galaxy. The ratio of LX/LFIR suggests that the soft component originated from the hot gas due to star formation. Its low luminosity can be explained by the gas ejection from the galaxy as galaxy winds. Our observation reveals the existence of hard X-ray emission with the 2-10 keV luminosity of 5.6×1040 ergs s-1. This may indicate the existence of nuclear activity or an intermediate-mass black hole in NGC 7252.

  17. Polarized Gamma-Ray Emission from the Galactic Black Hole Cygnus X-1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laurent, P.; Rodriquez, J.; Wilms, J.; Bel, M. Cadolle; Pottschmidt, K.; Grinberg, V.

    2011-01-01

    Because of their inherently high flux allowing the detection of clear signals, black hole X-ray binaries are interesting candidates for polarization studies, even if no polarization signals have been observed from them before. Such measurements would provide further detailed insight into these sources' emission mechanisms. We measured the polarization of the gamma-ray emission from the black hole binary system Cygnus X-I with the INTEGRAL/IBIS telescope. Spectral modeling ofthe data reveals two emission mechanisms: The 250-400 keY data are consistent with emission dominated by Compton scattering on thermal electrons and are weakly polarized. The second spectral component seen in the 400keV-2MeV band is by contrast strongly polarized, revealing that the MeV emission is probably related to the jet first detected in the radio band.

  18. Characterizing the X-ray Emission in Small Magellanic Cloud Supernova Remnants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Man, Nicole; Auchettl, Katie; Lopez, Laura

    2018-01-01

    The Small Magellanic Cloud is a close, metal-poor galaxy with active star formation, and it has a diverse population of 24 supernova remnants (SNRs) that have been identified at several wavelengths. Past work has characterized the X-ray emission in these sources separately and aimed to constrain their explosive origins from observations with Chandra and XMM-Newton. Three SNRs have possible evidence for Type Ia explosions based on strong Fe-L emission in their X-ray spectra, although the environments and intermediate-mass element abundances are more consistent with those of core-collapse SNe. In this poster, we analyze the archival Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of the SMC SNR sample, and we model the sources' X-ray spectra in a systematic way to derive the plasma properties and to constrain the nature of the explosions. In one SNR, we note the presence of an X-ray binary near the source's geometric center, suggesting the compact object was produced in the SN explosion. As one of only three SNRs known in the Local Group to host a binary system, this source is worthy of follow-up investigations to probe explosions of massive stars in binary systems.

  19. X-Ray Quasi-periodic Oscillations in the Lense–Thirring Precession Model. I. Variability of Relativistic Continuum

    Science.gov (United States)

    You, Bei; Bursa, Michal; Życki, Piotr T.

    2018-05-01

    We develop a Monte Carlo code to compute the Compton-scattered X-ray flux arising from a hot inner flow that undergoes Lense–Thirring precession. The hot flow intercepts seed photons from an outer truncated thin disk. A fraction of the Comptonized photons will illuminate the disk, and the reflected/reprocessed photons will contribute to the observed spectrum. The total spectrum, including disk thermal emission, hot flow Comptonization, and disk reflection, is modeled within the framework of general relativity, taking light bending and gravitational redshift into account. The simulations are performed in the context of the Lense–Thirring precession model for the low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations, so the inner flow is assumed to precess, leading to periodic modulation of the emitted radiation. In this work, we concentrate on the energy-dependent X-ray variability of the model and, in particular, on the evolution of the variability during the spectral transition from hard to soft state, which is implemented by the decrease of the truncation radius of the outer disk toward the innermost stable circular orbit. In the hard state, where the Comptonizing flow is geometrically thick, the Comptonization is weakly variable with a fractional variability amplitude of ≤10% in the soft state, where the Comptonizing flow is cooled down and thus becomes geometrically thin, the fractional variability of the Comptonization is highly variable, increasing with photon energy. The fractional variability of the reflection increases with energy, and the reflection emission for low spin is counterintuitively more variable than the one for high spin.

  20. The Multi-Instrument (EVE-RHESSI) DEM for Solar Flares, and Implications for Residual Non-Thermal Soft X-Ray Emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    McTiernan, James M.; Caspi, Amir; Warren, Harry

    2015-04-01

    In the soft X-ray energy range, solar flare spectra are typically dominated by thermal emission. The low energy extent of non-thermal emission can only be loosely quantified using currently available X-ray data. To address this issue, we combine observations from the EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) on-board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) with X-ray data from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). The improvement over the isothermal approximation is intended to resolve the ambiguity in the range where the thermal and non-thermal components may have similar photon fluxes. This "crossover" range can extend up to 30 keV for medium to large solar flares.Previous work (Caspi et.al. 2014ApJ...788L..31C) has concentrated on obtaining DEM models that fit both instruments' observations well. Now we are interested in any breaks and cutoffs in the "residual" non-thermal spectrum; i.e., the RHESSI spectrum that is left over after the DEM has accounted for the bulk of the soft X-ray emission. Thermal emission is again modeled using a DEM that is parametrized as multiple gaussians in temperature; the non-thermal emission is modeled as a photon spectrum obtained using a thin-target emission model ('thin2' from the SolarSoft Xray IDL package). Spectra for both instruments are fit simultaneously in a self-consistent manner. The results for non-thermal parameters then are compared with those found using RHESSI data alone, with isothermal and double-thermal models.

  1. Weak Hard X-Ray Emission from Broad Absorption Line Quasars: Evidence for Intrinsic X-Ray Weakness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Luo, B.; Brandt, W. N.; Alexander, D. M.

    2014-01-01

    We report NuSTAR observations of a sample of six X-ray weak broad absorption line (BAL) quasars. These targets, at z = 0.148-1.223, are among the optically brightest and most luminous BAL quasars known at z 330 times weaker than...... expected for typical quasars. Our results from a pilot NuSTAR study of two low-redshift BAL quasars, a Chandra stacking analysis of a sample of high-redshift BAL quasars, and a NuSTAR spectral analysis of the local BAL quasar Mrk 231 have already suggested the existence of intrinsically X-ray weak BAL...... quasars, i.e., quasars not emitting X-rays at the level expected from their optical/UV emission. The aim of the current program is to extend the search for such extraordinary objects. Three of the six new targets are weakly detected by NuSTAR with ≲ 45 counts in the 3-24 keV band, and the other three...

  2. X-RAY AND MULTIWAVELENGTH INSIGHTS INTO THE NATURE OF WEAK EMISSION-LINE QUASARS AT LOW REDSHIFT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu Jianfeng; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, Donald P. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Anderson, Scott F. [Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M. [Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92903 (United States); Hall, Patrick B. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 (Canada); Plotkin, Richard M. [Astronomical Institute ' Anton Pannekoek' , University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam (Netherlands); Shemmer, Ohad, E-mail: jfwu@astro.psu.edu [Department of Physics, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203 (United States)

    2012-03-01

    We report on the X-ray and multiwavelength properties of 11 radio-quiet quasars with weak or no emission lines identified by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with redshift z = 0.4-2.5. Our sample was selected from the Plotkin et al. catalog of radio-quiet, weak-featured active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The distribution of relative X-ray brightness for our low-redshift weak-line quasar (WLQ) candidates is significantly different from that of typical radio-quiet quasars, having an excess of X-ray weak sources, but it is consistent with that of high-redshift WLQs. Over half of the low-redshift WLQ candidates are X-ray weak by a factor of {approx}> 5, compared to a typical SDSS quasar with similar UV/optical luminosity. These X-ray weak sources generally show similar UV emission-line properties to those of the X-ray weak quasar PHL 1811 (weak and blueshifted high-ionization lines, weak semiforbidden lines, and strong UV Fe emission); they may belong to the notable class of PHL 1811 analogs. The average X-ray spectrum of these sources is somewhat harder than that of typical radio-quiet quasars. Several other low-redshift WLQ candidates have normal ratios of X-ray-to-optical/UV flux, and their average X-ray spectral properties are also similar to those of typical radio-quiet quasars. The X-ray weak and X-ray normal WLQ candidates may belong to the same subset of quasars having high-ionization 'shielding gas' covering most of the wind-dominated broad emission-line region, but be viewed at different inclinations. The mid-infrared-to-X-ray spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these sources are generally consistent with those of typical SDSS quasars, showing that they are not likely to be BL Lac objects with relativistically boosted continua and diluted emission lines. The mid-infrared-to-UV SEDs of most radio-quiet weak-featured AGNs without sensitive X-ray coverage (34 objects) are also consistent with those of typical SDSS quasars. However, one source in our

  3. X-RAY AND MULTIWAVELENGTH INSIGHTS INTO THE NATURE OF WEAK EMISSION-LINE QUASARS AT LOW REDSHIFT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Jianfeng; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, Donald P.; Anderson, Scott F.; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.; Hall, Patrick B.; Plotkin, Richard M.; Shemmer, Ohad

    2012-01-01

    We report on the X-ray and multiwavelength properties of 11 radio-quiet quasars with weak or no emission lines identified by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with redshift z = 0.4-2.5. Our sample was selected from the Plotkin et al. catalog of radio-quiet, weak-featured active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The distribution of relative X-ray brightness for our low-redshift weak-line quasar (WLQ) candidates is significantly different from that of typical radio-quiet quasars, having an excess of X-ray weak sources, but it is consistent with that of high-redshift WLQs. Over half of the low-redshift WLQ candidates are X-ray weak by a factor of ∼> 5, compared to a typical SDSS quasar with similar UV/optical luminosity. These X-ray weak sources generally show similar UV emission-line properties to those of the X-ray weak quasar PHL 1811 (weak and blueshifted high-ionization lines, weak semiforbidden lines, and strong UV Fe emission); they may belong to the notable class of PHL 1811 analogs. The average X-ray spectrum of these sources is somewhat harder than that of typical radio-quiet quasars. Several other low-redshift WLQ candidates have normal ratios of X-ray-to-optical/UV flux, and their average X-ray spectral properties are also similar to those of typical radio-quiet quasars. The X-ray weak and X-ray normal WLQ candidates may belong to the same subset of quasars having high-ionization 'shielding gas' covering most of the wind-dominated broad emission-line region, but be viewed at different inclinations. The mid-infrared-to-X-ray spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these sources are generally consistent with those of typical SDSS quasars, showing that they are not likely to be BL Lac objects with relativistically boosted continua and diluted emission lines. The mid-infrared-to-UV SEDs of most radio-quiet weak-featured AGNs without sensitive X-ray coverage (34 objects) are also consistent with those of typical SDSS quasars. However, one source in our X-ray

  4. What Can Simbol-X Do for Gamma-ray Binaries?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cerutti, B.; Dubus, G.; Henri, G.; Hill, A. B.; Szostek, A.

    2009-05-01

    Gamma-ray binaries have been uncovered as a new class of Galactic objects in the very high energy sky (>100 GeV). The three systems known today have hard X-ray spectra (photon index ~1.5), extended radio emission and a high luminosity in gamma-rays. Recent monitoring campaigns of LSI +61°303 in X-rays have confirmed variability in these systems and revealed a spectral hardening with increasing flux. In a generic one-zone leptonic model, the cooling of relativistic electrons accounts for the main spectral and temporal features observed at high energy. Persistent hard X-ray emission is expected to extend well beyond 10 keV. We explain how Simbol-X will constrain the existing models in connection with Fermi Space Telescope measurements. Because of its unprecedented sensitivity in hard X-rays, Simbol-X will also play a role in the discovery of new gamma-ray binaries, giving new insights into the evolution of compact binaries.

  5. What Can Simbol-X Do for Gamma-ray Binaries?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cerutti, B.; Dubus, G.; Henri, G.; Hill, A. B.; Szostek, A.

    2009-01-01

    Gamma-ray binaries have been uncovered as a new class of Galactic objects in the very high energy sky (>100 GeV). The three systems known today have hard X-ray spectra (photon index ∼1.5), extended radio emission and a high luminosity in gamma-rays. Recent monitoring campaigns of LSI +61 deg. 303 in X-rays have confirmed variability in these systems and revealed a spectral hardening with increasing flux. In a generic one-zone leptonic model, the cooling of relativistic electrons accounts for the main spectral and temporal features observed at high energy. Persistent hard X-ray emission is expected to extend well beyond 10 keV. We explain how Simbol-X will constrain the existing models in connection with Fermi Space Telescope measurements. Because of its unprecedented sensitivity in hard X-rays, Simbol-X will also play a role in the discovery of new gamma-ray binaries, giving new insights into the evolution of compact binaries.

  6. X-ray continuum and iron K emission line from the radio galaxy 3C 390.3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inda, M.; Makishima, K.; Kohmura, Y.; Tashiro, M.; Ohashi, T.; Barr, P.; Hayashida, K.; Palumbo, G. G. C.; Trinchieri, G.; Elvis, M.

    1994-01-01

    X-ray properties of the radio galaxy 3C 390.3 were investigated using the European X-ray Observatory Satellite (EXOSAT) and Ginga satellites. Long-term, large-amplitude X-ray intensity changes were detected over a period extending from 1984 through 1991, and high-quality X-ray spectra were obtained especially with Ginga. The X-ray continuum spectra were described with power-law model with photon slope in the range 1.5-1.8, and the slope flattened as the 2-20 keV luminosity decreased by 40%. There was a first detection of the iron emission line from this source at the 90% confidence level. An upper limit was derived on the thermal X-ray component. X-ray emission mechanisms and possible origins of the long-term variation are discussed.

  7. X-ray emission in slow highly charged ion-surface collisions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, H; Abe, T; Fujita, Y; Sun, J; Takahashi, S; Tona, M; Yoshiyasu, N; Nakamura, N; Sakurai, M; Yamada, C; Ohtani, S

    2007-01-01

    X-rays emitted in the collisions of highly charged ions with a surface have been measured to investigate dissipation schemes of their potential energies. While 8.1% of the potential energy was dissipated in the collisions of He-like I ions with a W surface, 29.1% has been dissipated in the case of He-like Bi ions. The x-ray emissions play significant roles in the dissipation of the potential energies in the interaction of highly charged heavy ions with the surface

  8. X-ray spectral variability of Seyfert 2 galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernández-García, L.; Masegosa, J.; González-Martín, O.; Márquez, I.

    2015-07-01

    Context. Variability across the electromagnetic spectrum is a property of active galactic nuclei (AGN) that can help constrain the physical properties of these galaxies. Nonetheless, the way in which the changes happen and whether they occur in the same way in every AGN are still open questions. Aims: This is the third in a series of papers with the aim of studying the X-ray variability of different families of AGN. The main purpose of this work is to investigate the variability pattern(s) in a sample of optically selected Seyfert 2 galaxies. Methods: We use the 26 Seyfert 2s in the Véron-Cetty and Véron catalog with data available from Chandra and/or XMM-Newton public archives at different epochs, with timescales ranging from a few hours to years. All the spectra of the same source were simultaneously fitted, and we let different parameters vary in the model. Whenever possible, short-term variations from the analysis of the light curves and/or long-term UV flux variations were studied. We divided the sample into Compton-thick and Compton-thin candidates to account for the degree of obscuration. When transitions between Compton-thick and thin were obtained for different observations of the same source, we classified it as a changing-look candidate. Results: Short-term variability at X-rays was studied in ten cases, but variations are not found. From the 25 analyzed sources, 11 show long-term variations. Eight (out of 11) are Compton-thin, one (out of 12) is Compton-thick, and the two changing-look candidates are also variable. The main driver for the X-ray changes is related to the nuclear power (nine cases), while variations at soft energies or related to absorbers at hard X-rays are less common, and in many cases these variations are accompanied by variations in the nuclear continuum. At UV frequencies, only NGC 5194 (out of six sources) is variable, but the changes are not related to the nucleus. We report two changing-look candidates, MARK 273 and NGC 7319

  9. Experimental study of X-ray emission in laser-cluster interaction; Etude experimentale de l'emission X issue de l'interaction laser-agregats

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Caillaud, T

    2004-09-01

    Rare gas cluster jets are an intermediate medium between solid and gas targets. Laser-cluster jets interaction may generate a great number of energetic particles as X-rays, UV, high harmonics, ions, electrons and neutrons. To understand all the mechanisms involved in such an interaction we need to make a complete study of individual cluster response to an ultra-short laser pulse. We studied the laser interaction with our argon cluster gas jet, which is well characterized in cluster size and density, to enlarge the knowledge of this interaction. We measured absorption, heating and X-ray emission spectra versus laser parameters and clusters size ({approx} 15-30 nm). We show that there is a strong refraction effect on laser propagation due to the residual gas density. This effect was confirmed by laser propagation simulation with a cylindrical 2-dimensional particle code WAKE. The role played by refraction was to limit maximum laser intensity on the focal spot and to increase interaction volume. By this way, X-ray emission was observed with laser intensity not so far from the ionization threshold (few 10{sup 14} W.cm{sup -2}). We also studied plasma expansion both at cluster scale and focal volume scale and deduced the deposited energy distribution as a function of time. Thanks to a simple hydrodynamic model, we used these results to study cluster expansion. X-ray emission is then simulated by TRANSPEC code in order to reproduce X-ray spectra and duration. Those results revealed an extremely brief X-ray emission consistent with a preliminary measure by streak camera (on ps scale). (author)

  10. X-ray emission from a high-atomic-number z-pinch plasma created from compact wire arrays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanford, T.W.L.; Mosher, D.; De Groot, J.S.

    1996-01-01

    Thermal and nonthermal x-ray emission from the implosion of compact tungsten wire arrays in 5-MA Saturn discharges is reported. The timing of multiple implosions and the thermal x-ray spectra (1 to 10 keV) agree with 2D radiation-hydrocode simulations. Nonthermal x-ray emission (10 to 100 keV) correlates with pinch spots distributed along the z-axis. The similarities of the measured nonthermal spectrum, yield, and pinch-spot emission with those of 0.8-MA, single-exploded-wire discharges on Gamble-II suggest a common nonthermal-production mechanism. Nonthermal x-ray yields are lower than expected from current scaling of Gamble II results, suggesting that implosion geometries are not as efficient as single-wire geometries for nonthermal x-ray production. The instabilities, azimuthal asymmetries, and inferred multiple implosions that accompany the implosion geometry lead to larger, more irregular pinch spots, a likely reason for reduced nonthermal efficiency. A model for nonthermal-electron acceleration across magnetic fields in highly-collisional, high-atomic-number plasmas combined with 1D hydrocode simulations of Saturn compact loads predicts weak nonthermal x-ray emission. (author). 3 figs., 10 refs

  11. X-ray emission from a high-atomic-number z-pinch plasma created from compact wire arrays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanford, T.W.L.; Mosher, D.; De Groot, J.S.

    1996-01-01

    Thermal and nonthermal x-ray emission from the implosion of compact tungsten wire arrays in 5-MA Saturn discharges is reported. The timing of multiple implosions and the thermal x-ray spectra (1 to 10 keV) agree with 2D radiation-hydrocode simulations. Nonthermal x-ray emission (10 to 100 keV) correlates with pinch spots distributed along the z-axis. The similarities of the measured nonthermal spectrum, yield, and pinch-spot emission with those of 0.8-MA, single- exploded-wire discharges on Gamble-II suggest a common nonthermal- production mechanism. Nonthermal x-ray yields are lower than expected from current scaling of Gamble II results, suggesting that implosion geometries are not as efficient as single-wire geometries for nonthermal x-ray production. The instabilities, azimuthal asymmetries, and inferred multiple implosions that accompany the implosion geometry lead to larger, more irregular pinch spots, a likely reason for reduced nonthermal efficiency. A model for nonthermal-electron acceleration across magnetic fields in highly- collisional, high-atomic-number plasmas combined with 1D hydrocode simulations of Saturn compact loads predicts weak nonthermal x-ray emission

  12. Cataclysmic variables as probes of x-ray properties of interstellar grains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bode, M.F.; Evans, A.; Norwell, G.A.

    1983-01-01

    Interstellar-grain properties have previously been probed at wavelengths ranging from the infrared to the ultraviolet. Recent work by other authors has shown that we may also observe the effects of scattering by such grains at x-ray wavelengths. In this paper we suggest that investigations of the x-ray properties of interstellar grains may profitably be conducted in sight lines to variable sources. Particular emphasis is given in this context to cataclysmic variables and related objects

  13. Resonant x-ray emission from gas-phase TiCl{sub 4}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hague, C.F.; Tronc, M. [Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (France); De Groot, F. [Univ. of Groningen (Netherlands)] [and others

    1997-04-01

    Resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy (RXES) has proved to be a powerful tool for studying the electronic structure of condensed matter. Over the past few years it has been used mainly for studying the valence bands of solids and condensed molecules. Very recently the advent of high brightness photon beams provided by third generation synchrotron radiation source undulators, associated with efficient x-ray emission spectrometers has made it possible to perform experiments on free diatomic molecular systems. RXE spectra of free molecules are of prime importance to gain insight into their electronic structure and bonding as they reflect the symmetry of orbitals engaged in the two-electron, two-step process with the l = 0, {+-}2 parity-conserving selection rule, and are free from solid state effects which can introduce difficulties in the interpretation. They provide information (more so than XAS) on the core excited states, and, when performed at fixed incident photon energy as a function of the emitted photon energy, on the electronic excitation (charge transfer, multiplet states). Moreover the anisotropy of the angular distribution of resonant x-ray emission affects the relative intensity of the emission peaks and provides information concerning the symmetries of final states. This is a preliminary report on what are the first RXE spectra of a 3d transition metal complex in the gas phase. The experiment concerns the Ti 3d {yields}2p emission spectrum of TiCl{sub 4} over the 450 to 470 eV region.

  14. X-ray emission, ablation pressure, and preheating for foils irradiated at 0. 26. mu. m wavelength

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pepin, H.; Fabbro, R.; Faral, B.; Amiranoff, F.; Virmont, J.; Cottet, F.; Romain, J.P.

    1985-11-01

    The x-ray emission, ablation pressure, and preheating for foils irradiated with a 0.26 ..mu..m laser at intensities approx.10/sup 15/ W cm/sup -2/ are studied. The foils are Al with various thicknesses, coated or uncoated with CH or Au. The x-ray emission and conversion efficiency are obtained with a multichannel x-ray diode spectrometer, the ablation pressures are deduced from shock transit times, and the rear temperatures are inferred from x-ray pyrometry. For thin foils (<<12 ..mu..m), the rear temperatures can be predicted reasonably well with the use of the front x-ray spectra. For thick foils shock preheating is dominant.

  15. X-ray emission, ablation pressure, and preheating for foils irradiated at 0.26 μm wavelength

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pepin, H.; Fabbro, R.; Faral, B.; Amiranoff, F.; Virmont, J.; Cottet, F.; Romain, J.P.

    1985-01-01

    The x-ray emission, ablation pressure, and preheating for foils irradiated with a 0.26 μm laser at intensities approx.10 15 W cm -2 are studied. The foils are Al with various thicknesses, coated or uncoated with CH or Au. The x-ray emission and conversion efficiency are obtained with a multichannel x-ray diode spectrometer, the ablation pressures are deduced from shock transit times, and the rear temperatures are inferred from x-ray pyrometry. For thin foils (<<12 μm), the rear temperatures can be predicted reasonably well with the use of the front x-ray spectra. For thick foils shock preheating is dominant

  16. Radio emission from the X-ray pulsar Her X-1: a jet launched by a strong magnetic field neutron star?

    Science.gov (United States)

    van den Eijnden, J.; Degenaar, N.; Russell, T. D.; Miller-Jones, J. C. A.; Wijnands, R.; Miller, J. M.; King, A. L.; Rupen, M. P.

    2018-01-01

    Her X-1 is an accreting neutron star (NS) in an intermediate-mass X-ray binary. Like low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), it accretes via Roche lobe overflow, but similar to many high-mass X-ray binaries containing a NS; Her X-1 has a strong magnetic field and slow spin. Here, we present the discovery of radio emission from Her X-1 with the Very Large Array. During the radio observation, the central X-ray source was partially obscured by a warped disc. We measure a radio flux density of 38.7 ± 4.8 μJy at 9 GHz but cannot constrain the spectral shape. We discuss possible origins of the radio emission, and conclude that coherent emission, a stellar wind, shocks and a propeller outflow are all unlikely explanations. A jet, as seen in LMXBs, is consistent with the observed radio properties. We consider the implications of the presence of a jet in Her X-1 on jet formation mechanisms and on the launching of jets by NSs with strong magnetic fields.

  17. X-ray emission from hot subdwarfs with compact companions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esposito P.

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available We review the X-ray observations of hot subdwarf stars. While no X-ray emission has been detected yet from binaries containing B-type subdwarfs, interesting results have been obtained in the case of the two luminous O-type subdwarfs HD 49798 and BD + 37° 442. Both of them are members of binary systems in which the X-ray luminosity is powered by accretion onto a compact object: a rapidly spinning (13.2 s and massive (1.28  M⊙ white dwarf in the case of HD 49798 and most likely a neutron star, spinning at 19.2 s, in the case of BD + 37° 442. Their study can shed light on the poorly known processes taking place during common envelope evolutionary phases and on the properties of wind mass loss from hot subdwarfs.

  18. An optimised set-up for total reflection particle induced X-ray emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kan, J.A. van; Vis, R.D.

    1997-01-01

    MeV proton beams at small angles of incidence (0-35 mrad) are used to analyse trace elements on flat surfaces such as Si wafers or quartz substrates. In these experiments, the particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) signal is used in a new optimized set-up. This set-up is constructed in such a way that the X-ray detector can reach very large solid angles, larger than 1 sr. Use of these large detector solid angles, combined with the reduction of bremsstrahlung background, affords limits of detection (LOD) of the order of 10 10 at cm -2 using total reflection particle induced X-ray emission (TPIXE). The LODs from earlier TPIXE measurements in a non-optimized set-up are used to estimate LODs in the new TPIXE set-up. Si wafers with low surface concentrations of V, Ni, Cu and Ag are used as standards to calibrate the LODs found with this set-up. The metal concentrations are determined by total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF). The TPIXE measurements are compared with TXRF measurements on the same wafers. (Author)

  19. Detection of variable VHE γ-ray emission from the extra-galactic γ-ray binary LMC P3

    Science.gov (United States)

    HESS Collaboration; Abdalla, H.; Abramowski, A.; Aharonian, F.; Ait Benkhali, F.; Angüner, E. O.; Arakawa, M.; Armand, C.; Arrieta, M.; Backes, M.; Balzer, A.; Barnard, M.; Becherini, Y.; Becker Tjus, J.; Berge, D.; Bernhard, S.; Bernlöhr, K.; Blackwell, R.; Böttcher, M.; Boisson, C.; Bolmont, J.; Bonnefoy, S.; Bordas, P.; Bregeon, J.; Brun, F.; Brun, P.; Bryan, M.; Büchele, M.; Bulik, T.; Capasso, M.; Caroff, S.; Carosi, A.; Casanova, S.; Cerruti, M.; Chakraborty, N.; Chaves, R. C. G.; Chen, A.; Chevalier, J.; Colafrancesco, S.; Condon, B.; Conrad, J.; Davids, I. D.; Decock, J.; Deil, C.; Devin, J.; deWilt, P.; Dirson, L.; Djannati-Ataï, A.; Donath, A.; Drury, L. O.'C.; Dyks, J.; Edwards, T.; Egberts, K.; Emery, G.; Ernenwein, J.-P.; Eschbach, S.; Farnier, C.; Fegan, S.; Fernandes, M. V.; Fiasson, A.; Fontaine, G.; Funk, S.; Füßling, M.; Gabici, S.; Gallant, Y. A.; Garrigoux, T.; Gaté, F.; Giavitto, G.; Glawion, D.; Glicenstein, J. F.; Gottschall, D.; Grondin, M.-H.; Hahn, J.; Haupt, M.; Hawkes, J.; Heinzelmann, G.; Henri, G.; Hermann, G.; Hinton, J. A.; Hofmann, W.; Hoischen, C.; Holch, T. L.; Holler, M.; Horns, D.; Ivascenko, A.; Iwasaki, H.; Jacholkowska, A.; Jamrozy, M.; Jankowsky, D.; Jankowsky, F.; Jingo, M.; Jouvin, L.; Jung-Richardt, I.; Kastendieck, M. A.; Katarzyński, K.; Katsuragawa, M.; Katz, U.; Kerszberg, D.; Khangulyan, D.; Khélifi, B.; King, J.; Klepser, S.; Klochkov, D.; Kluźniak, W.; Komin, Nu.; Kosack, K.; Krakau, S.; Kraus, M.; Krüger, P. P.; Laffon, H.; Lamanna, G.; Lau, J.; Lefaucheur, J.; Lemière, A.; Lemoine-Goumard, M.; Lenain, J.-P.; Leser, E.; Lohse, T.; Lorentz, M.; Liu, R.; López-Coto, R.; Lypova, I.; Malyshev, D.; Marandon, V.; Marcowith, A.; Mariaud, C.; Marx, R.; Maurin, G.; Maxted, N.; Mayer, M.; Meintjes, P. J.; Meyer, M.; Mitchell, A. M. W.; Moderski, R.; Mohamed, M.; Mohrmann, L.; Morå, K.; Moulin, E.; Murach, T.; Nakashima, S.; de Naurois, M.; Ndiyavala, H.; Niederwanger, F.; Niemiec, J.; Oakes, L.; O'Brien, P.; Odaka, H.; Ohm, S.; Ostrowski, M.; Oya, I.; Padovani, M.; Panter, M.; Parsons, R. D.; Pekeur, N. W.; Pelletier, G.; Perennes, C.; Petrucci, P.-O.; Peyaud, B.; Piel, Q.; Pita, S.; Poireau, V.; Prokhorov, D. A.; Prokoph, H.; Pühlhofer, G.; Punch, M.; Quirrenbach, A.; Raab, S.; Rauth, R.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Renaud, M.; de los Reyes, R.; Rieger, F.; Rinchiuso, L.; Romoli, C.; Rowell, G.; Rudak, B.; Rulten, C. B.; Sahakian, V.; Saito, S.; Sanchez, D. A.; Santangelo, A.; Sasaki, M.; Schlickeiser, R.; Schüssler, F.; Schulz, A.; Schwanke, U.; Schwemmer, S.; Seglar-Arroyo, M.; Seyffert, A. S.; Shafi, N.; Shilon, I.; Shiningayamwe, K.; Simoni, R.; Sol, H.; Spanier, F.; Spir-Jacob, M.; Stawarz, Ł.; Steenkamp, R.; Stegmann, C.; Steppa, C.; Sushch, I.; Takahashi, T.; Tavernet, J.-P.; Tavernier, T.; Taylor, A. M.; Terrier, R.; Tibaldo, L.; Tiziani, D.; Tluczykont, M.; Trichard, C.; Tsirou, M.; Tsuji, N.; Tuffs, R.; Uchiyama, Y.; van der Walt, D. J.; van Eldik, C.; van Rensburg, C.; van Soelen, B.; Vasileiadis, G.; Veh, J.; Venter, C.; Viana, A.; Vincent, P.; Vink, J.; Voisin, F.; Völk, H. J.; Vuillaume, T.; Wadiasingh, Z.; Wagner, S. J.; Wagner, P.; Wagner, R. M.; White, R.; Wierzcholska, A.; Willmann, P.; Wörnlein, A.; Wouters, D.; Yang, R.; Zaborov, D.; Zacharias, M.; Zanin, R.; Zdziarski, A. A.; Zech, A.; Zefi, F.; Ziegler, A.; Zorn, J.; Żywucka, N.

    2018-03-01

    Context. Recently, the high-energy (HE, 0.1-100 GeV) γ-ray emission from the object LMC P3 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) has been discovered to be modulated with a 10.3-day period, making it the first extra-galactic γ-ray binary. Aim. This work aims at the detection of very-high-energy (VHE, >100 GeV) γ-ray emission and the search for modulation of the VHE signal with the orbital period of the binary system. Methods: LMC P3 has been observed with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.); the acceptance-corrected exposure time is 100 h. The data set has been folded with the known orbital period of the system in order to test for variability of the emission. Results: VHE γ-ray emission is detected with a statistical significance of 6.4 σ. The data clearly show variability which is phase-locked to the orbital period of the system. Periodicity cannot be deduced from the H.E.S.S. data set alone. The orbit-averaged luminosity in the 1-10 TeV energy range is (1.4 ± 0.2) × 1035 erg s-1. A luminosity of (5 ± 1) × 1035 erg s-1 is reached during 20% of the orbit. HE and VHE γ-ray emissions are anti-correlated. LMC P3 is the most luminous γ-ray binary known so far.

  20. C IV EMISSION AND THE ULTRAVIOLET THROUGH X-RAY SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION OF RADIO-QUIET QUASARS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kruczek, Nicholas E.; Richards, Gordon T.; Deo, Rajesh P.; Krawczyk, Coleman M.; Gallagher, S. C.; Hall, Patrick B.; Hewett, Paul C.; Leighly, Karen M.; Proga, Daniel

    2011-01-01

    In the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV), two of the parameters that best characterize the range of emission-line properties in quasar broad emission-line regions are the equivalent width and the blueshift of the C IV λ1549 line relative to the quasar rest frame. We explore the connection between these emission-line properties and the UV through X-ray spectral energy distribution (SED) for radio-quiet (RQ) quasars. Our sample consists of a heterogeneous compilation of 406 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (at z > 1.54) and Palomar-Green survey (at z < 0.4) that have well-measured C IV emission-line and X-ray properties (including 164 objects with measured Γ). We find that RQ quasars with both strong C IV emission and small C IV blueshifts can be classified as 'hard-spectrum' sources that are (relatively) strong in the X-ray as compared to the UV. On the other hand, RQ quasars with both weak C IV emission and large C IV blueshifts are instead 'soft-spectrum' sources that are (relatively) weak in the X-ray as compared to the UV. This work helps to further bridge optical/soft X-ray 'eigenvector 1' relationships to the UV and hard X-ray. Based on these findings, we argue that future work should consider systematic errors in bolometric corrections (and thus accretion rates) that are derived from a single mean SED. Detailed analysis of the C IV emission line may allow for SED-dependent corrections to these quantities.

  1. Electron emission regulator for an x-ray tube filament

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daniels, H.E.; Randall, H.G.

    1982-01-01

    An x-ray tube ma regulator has an scr phase shift voltage regulator supplying the primary winding of a transformer whose secondary is coupled to the x-ray tube filament. Prior to initiation of an x-ray exposure, the filament is preheated to a temperature corresponding substantially to the electron emissivity needed for obtaining the desired tube ma during an exposure. During the preexposure interval, the phase shift regulator is controlled by a signal corresponding to the sum of signals representative of the voltage applied to the filament transformer, the desired filament voltage and the space charge compensation needed for the selected x-ray tube anode to cathode voltage. When an exposure is initiated, control of the voltage regulator is switched to a circuit that responds to the tube current by controlling the amount of phase shift and, hence, the voltage supplied to the transformer. Transformer leakage current compensation is provided during the exposure interval with a circuit that includes an element whose impedance is varied in accordance with the anode-to-cathode voltage setting so the element drains off tube current as required to cancel the effect of leakage current variations

  2. Anatomy of the AGN in NGC 5548. IX. Photoionized emission features in the soft X-ray spectra

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, Junjie; Kaastra, J. S.; Mehdipour, M.; Gu, Liyi; Costantini, E.; Kriss, G. A.; Bianchi, S.; Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Behar, E.; Di Gesu, L.; Ponti, G.; Petrucci, P.-O.; Ebrero, J.

    2018-04-01

    The X-ray narrow emission line region (NELR) of the archetypal Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548 has been interpreted as a single-phase photoionized plasma that is absorbed by some of the warm absorber components. This scenario requires those overlaying warm absorber components to have larger distance (to the central engine) than the X-ray NELR, which is not fully consistent with the distance estimates found in the literature. Therefore, we reanalyze the high-resolution spectra obtained in 2013-2014 with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) aboard XMM-Newton to provide an alternative interpretation of the X-ray narrow emission features. We find that the X-ray narrow emission features in NGC 5548 can be described by a two-phase photoionized plasma with different ionization parameters (logξ = 1.3 and 0.1) and kinematics (vout = -50 and -400 km s-1), and no further absorption by the warm absorber components. The X-ray and optical NELR might be the same multi-phase photoionized plasma. Both X-ray and optical NELR have comparable distances, asymmetric line profiles, and the underlying photoionized plasma is turbulent and compact in size. The X-ray NELR is not the counterpart of the UV/X-ray absorber outside the line of sight because their distances and kinematics are not consistent. In addition, X-ray broad emission features that we find in the spectrum can be accounted for by a third photoionized emission component. The RGS spectrum obtained in 2016 is analyzed as well, where the luminosity of most prominent emission lines (the O VII forbidden line and O VIII Lyα line) are the same (at a 1σ confidence level) as in 2013-2014.

  3. Discovery of an X-ray Violently Variable Broad Absorption Line Quasar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Kajal K.; Gutierrez, Carlos M.; Punsly, Brian; Chevallier, Loic; Goncalves, Anabela C.

    2006-01-01

    In this letter, we report on a quasar that is violently variable in the X-rays, XVV. It is also a broad absorption line quasar (BALQSO) that exhibits both high ionization and low ionization UV absorption lines (LoBALQSO). It is very luminous in the X-rays (approximately 10(exp 46) ergs s(sup -l) over the entire X-ray band). Surprisingly, this does not over ionize the LoBAL outflow. The X-rays vary by a factor of two within minutes in the quasar rest frame, which is shorter than 1/30 of the light travel time across a scale length equal to the black hole radius. We concluded that the X-rays are produced in a relativistic jet beamed toward earth in which variations in the Doppler enhancement produce the XVV behavior.

  4. Discovery of three x-ray luminous pre-main-sequence stars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feigelson, E.D.; Kriss, G.A.

    1981-01-01

    Three X-ray sources found serendipitously in Einstein images of the Taurus-Auriga cloud complex were observed at the McGraw-Hill Observatory and are found to be associated with approx.12 mag stars with weak Hα emission. The stars lie on the edges of dark clouds and are spectroscopically similar to the least active emission-line pre-main-sequence stars. Although they lie well above the ZAMS in the H-R diagram, they do not exhibit ultraviolet excess, strong optical variability, or evidence for mass outflow/inflow characteristics of the more active T Tauri stars. Their only unusual property is high X-ray luminosity (approx.10 30 ergs s1). It is suggested that the X-ray emission from pre-main-sequence stars is not closely linked to the conditions giving rise to their unusual spectroscopic properties. The emission may instead represent an enhanced form of the coronal activity producing X-rays observed in late-type main-sequence stars

  5. X-ray Emission Spectrum of Liquid Ethanol: Origin of Split Peaks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Osamu; Ljungberg, Mathias P; Pettersson, Lars G M

    2017-12-14

    The X-ray emission spectrum of liquid ethanol was calculated using density functional theory and a semiclassical approximation to the Kramers-Heisenberg formula including core-hole-induced dynamics. Our spectrum agrees well with the experimental spectrum. We found that the intensity ratio between the two peaks at 526 and 527 eV assigned as 10a' and 3a″ depends not only on the hydrogen bonding network around the target molecule but also on the intramolecular conformation. This effect is absent in liquid methanol and demonstrates the high sensitivity of X-ray emission to molecular structure. The dependence of spectral features on hydrogen-bonding as well as on dynamical effects following core excitation are also discussed.

  6. X-ray emission from supernova remnants with particular reference to the Cygnus Loop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gronenschild, E.H.B.M.

    1979-01-01

    Observational or theoretical results related to the study of supernova remnants (SNRs) are described. Some background information is given by reviewing the present status of our knowledge of supernovae and supernova remnants, both from theory and observations. Also the distribution of all known radio, optical, and X-ray SNRs in the Galaxy is shown and a comparison is made. The X-ray observations of the well-known X-ray SNR the Cygnus Loop are discussed in detail and the discovery of a new X-ray emitting SNR W44 is described. Other radio sources are investigated, and the observed X-ray emission of SNRs are analysed using thermal spectra like exponential or bremsstrahlung spectra. The X-ray line spectrum that emerges from SNRs is described in detail. (Auth.)

  7. Microwave and X-Ray emission during a isentropic expansion and its application to solar bursts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piazza, L.R.

    1983-01-01

    The gyro-synchrotron emission in microwaves and the free-free emission in X-rays of a plasma enclosed in a cylinder coincident with a magnetic force tube were calculated for an isentropic self-similar expansion, with plane and cylindrical symmetries. This expansion model was applied to a region of the low solar corona, and the results were compared to the emission observed in some simple solar events of low intensity. The calculations show satisfactory coincidence with the events in X-rays for energies around 10 29 ergs. The solar events analyzed in microwaves, which are not the same that were studied in X-rays, in general do not fit the theoretical results. The origin of the discrepancy is probably the formulation of the processes of emission applied to the expansion. (Author) [pt

  8. X-ray and neutron emission studies in a new Filippov type plasma focus

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Babazadeh, A.R.; Banoushi, A. [Technical University of Amirkabir, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Dept. of Physics; Roshan, M.V.; Habibi, H.; Nasiry, A.; Memarzadeh, M.; Lamehi, M.; Kiai, S.M. Sadat [Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Nuclear Fusion Research Center

    2002-03-01

    We have performed experimental comparative studies of the X-ray and neutron emission generated by the new Filippov-type plasma focus 'Dena', (90 kJ, 25 kV, 288{mu}F) in the pressure range of 0.6-1 torr. Time-integrated and time-resolved detectors, together with an X-ray pin-hole camera, along with a Be filter of 10{mu}m thickness have been used. For a working gas of neon and a at insert anode, the maximum soft and hard X-rays (SXR-HXR) yield obtained was 16 V and 1.5 V/shot over a 4{pi} solid angle, respectively, for a charging voltage range of 16-20 kV. As for the argon gas, the similar results such as 3.5 and 2 V/shot have been found, leading to a total conversion efficiency of X-ray emission of 0.09 % (for neon) and 0.03 % (for argon) of the stored energy. These efficiencies have been improved by the employment of a conic insert anode up to 0.4% and 0.1%. With deuterium puffing gas and a at insert anode, the maximum emission yield has been found to be 2.5 V for SXR and 1 V for HXR/shot which produce an ultimate emission profile width (FWHM) of 70-90 ns for X-rays and neutrons, giving rise to a maximum neutron yield of 1.2 x 10{sup 9}. Nevertheless, the maximum yield has been increased up to 5.5 times with the conic insert anode. In order to increase the neutron yield, we have introduced a krypton admixture to the deuterium filling gas and found that, for a krypton pressure of about 0.1 torr, the neutron yield increases by a factor of 3.5 for the flat insert and 1.5 for the conic insert anodes. (author)

  9. X-ray emission of the hot gas and of accelerated particles in supernova remnants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Acero, F.

    2008-09-01

    The current observations seem to support the theory that the shock wave of supernova remnants accelerate electrons (representing about 1% of cosmic rays) of the interstellar medium up to energies of about 10 15 eV. However there is still no solid evidence that supernova remnants also accelerate protons (major component of cosmic rays). The X-ray observations of those supernova remnants with the satellite XMM-Newton can provide crucial information on the acceleration mechanisms and on this population of accelerated particles. This thesis presents the X-ray analysis of the supernova remnants RX J1713.7-3946 and SN 1006 for which it has been shown that they accelerate electrons efficiently. As a result, these objects are very good targets to compare the theoretical models of acceleration to the observation. For the first object, I constructed through new XMM-Newton observations, the first high-angular resolution mosaic of the entire supernova remnant. I then compared the X- and gamma-ray emission of this object in order to understand the nature of the gamma-ray emission. This spectral and morphological comparison allowed me to discuss the two possible origins of the gamma-ray radiation (issued by electrons or by protons). For SN 1006, I studied the density of the ambient medium in which the shock wave propagates. This density is a key parameter for the hydrodynamical evolution of the remnant and for studying a future gamma-ray emission. The study of X-ray emission of the gas heated by the shock wave allowed me to better estimate of the value of the density so far poorly constrained for this object. (author)

  10. Repeated pulsed x-ray emission equipment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Terauchi, Hikaru; Iida, Satoshi

    1982-01-01

    X-ray diffraction technique has been applied to determine the spatial positions of atoms which compose a material, and it is needless to say that the technique is a fundamental means regardless of the fields of research. However, the application of X-ray diffraction to the research on physical properties has been so far limited to know the spatial positions of atoms or molecules under thermal equilibrium condition. The addition of time element to the conventional technique, that is, the analysis of material structure including the time-varying processes under non-equilibrium conditions, is considered to approach the elucidation of the essence of materials. The authors call this dynamic structural analysis. The authors have planned to analyze X-ray diffraction intensity which has the resolution of about 10 -8 s in the real time which is conjugate with energy. However, present pulsed X-ray sources are not suitable for diffraction experiment because the pulse width is too long or X-ray wavelength is too short. Accordingly, the authors have made for trial a pulsed X-ray source for diffraction experiment. Its specifications are: diode voltage (X-ray tube voltage) from 200 to 300 kV, diode current from 2 to 5 kA, pulse width of about 30ns, maximum repetition frequency 10 pps, and X-ray focus size of 2 mm diameter. One of the features of this source is the repeated generation of pulsed X-ray. This is the first trial in the world, and is indispensable to the dynamic structural analysis described above. The quality of the emitted X-ray is also written. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

  11. Planetary X-ray studies: past, present and future

    Science.gov (United States)

    Branduardi-Raymont, Graziella

    2016-07-01

    Our solar system is a fascinating physics laboratory and X-ray observations are now firmly established as a powerful diagnostic tool of the multiple processes taking place in it. The science that X-rays reveal encompasses solar, space plasma and planetary physics, and the response of bodies in the solar system to the impact of the Sun's activity. This talk will review what we know from past observations and what we expect to learn in the short, medium and long term. Observations with Chandra and XMM-Newton have demonstrated that the origin of Jupiter's bright soft X-ray aurorae lies in the Charge eXchange (CX) process, likely to involve the interaction with atmospheric neutrals of local magnetospheric ions, as well as those carried in the solar wind. At higher energies electron bremsstrahlung is thought to be the X-ray emitting mechanism, while the whole planetary disk acts as a mirror for the solar X-ray flux via Thomson and fluorescent scattering. This 'X-ray mirror' phenomenon is all that is observed from Saturn's disk, which otherwise lacks X-ray auroral features. The Earth's X-ray aurora is bright and variable and mostly due to electron bremsstrahlung and line emission from atmospheric species. Un-magnetised planets, Venus and Mars, do not show X-ray aurorae but display the interesting combination of mirroring the solar X-ray flux and producing X-rays by Solar Wind Charge eXchange (SWCX) in their exospheres. These processes respond to different solar stimulation (photons and solar wind plasma respectively) hence their relative contributions are seen to vary according to the Sun's output. Present and future of planetary X-ray studies are very bright. We are preparing for the arrival of the Juno mission at Jupiter this summer and for coordinated observations with Chandra and XMM-Newton on the approach and later during Juno's orbital phase. These will allow direct correlation of the local plasma conditions with the X-ray emissions and the establishment of the

  12. Soft X-ray variability over the present minimum of solar activity as observed by SphinX

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gburek, S.; Siarkowski, M.; Kepa, A.; Sylwester, J.; Kowalinski, M.; Bakala, J.; Podgorski, P.; Kordylewski, Z.; Plocieniak, S.; Sylwester, B.; Trzebinski, W.; Kuzin, S.

    2011-04-01

    Solar Photometer in X-rays (SphinX) is an instrument designed to observe the Sun in X-rays in the energy range 0.85-15.00 keV. SphinX is incorporated within the Russian TESIS X and EUV telescope complex aboard the CORONAS-Photon satellite which was launched on January 30, 2009 at 13:30 UT from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, northern Russia. Since February, 2009 SphinX has been measuring solar X-ray radiation nearly continuously. The principle of SphinX operation and the content of the instrument data archives is studied. Issues related to dissemination of SphinX calibration, data, repository mirrors locations, types of data and metadata are discussed. Variability of soft X-ray solar flux is studied using data collected by SphinX over entire mission duration.

  13. Symbiotic Stars in X-rays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luna, G. J. M.; Sokoloski, J. L.; Mukai, K.; Nelson, T.

    2014-01-01

    Until recently, symbiotic binary systems in which a white dwarf accretes from a red giant were thought to be mainly a soft X-ray population. Here we describe the detection with the X-ray Telescope (XRT) on the Swift satellite of 9 white dwarf symbiotics that were not previously known to be X-ray sources and one that was previously detected as a supersoft X-ray source. The 9 new X-ray detections were the result of a survey of 41 symbiotic stars, and they increase the number of symbiotic stars known to be X-ray sources by approximately 30%. Swift/XRT detected all of the new X-ray sources at energies greater than 2 keV. Their X-ray spectra are consistent with thermal emission and fall naturally into three distinct groups. The first group contains those sources with a single, highly absorbed hard component, which we identify as probably coming from an accretion-disk boundary layer. The second group is composed of those sources with a single, soft X-ray spectral component, which likely arises in a region where low-velocity shocks produce X-ray emission, i.e. a colliding-wind region. The third group consists of those sources with both hard and soft X-ray spectral components. We also find that unlike in the optical, where rapid, stochastic brightness variations from the accretion disk typically are not seen, detectable UV flickering is a common property of symbiotic stars. Supporting our physical interpretation of the two X-ray spectral components, simultaneous Swift UV photometry shows that symbiotic stars with harder X-ray emission tend to have stronger UV flickering, which is usually associated with accretion through a disk. To place these new observations in the context of previous work on X-ray emission from symbiotic stars, we modified and extended the alpha/beta/gamma classification scheme for symbiotic-star X-ray spectra that was introduced by Muerset et al. based upon observations with the ROSAT satellite, to include a new sigma classification for sources with

  14. High-energy gamma-ray emission in compact binaries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cerutti, Benoit

    2010-01-01

    Four gamma-ray sources have been associated with binary systems in our Galaxy: the micro-quasar Cygnus X-3 and the gamma-ray binaries LS I +61 degrees 303, LS 5039 and PSR B1259-63. These systems are composed of a massive companion star and a compact object of unknown nature, except in PSR B1259-63 where there is a young pulsar. I propose a comprehensive theoretical model for the high-energy gamma-ray emission and variability in gamma-ray emitting binaries. In this model, the high-energy radiation is produced by inverse Compton scattering of stellar photons on ultra-relativistic electron-positron pairs injected by a young pulsar in gamma-ray binaries and in a relativistic jet in micro-quasars. Considering anisotropic inverse Compton scattering, pair production and pair cascade emission, the TeV gamma-ray emission is well explained in LS 5039. Nevertheless, this model cannot account for the gamma-ray emission in LS I +61 degrees 303 and PSR B1259-63. Other processes should dominate in these complex systems. In Cygnus X-3, the gamma-ray radiation is convincingly reproduced by Doppler-boosted Compton emission of pairs in a relativistic jet. Gamma-ray binaries and micro-quasars provide a novel environment for the study of pulsar winds and relativistic jets at very small spatial scales. (author)

  15. A Multiwavelength Exploration of the Grand Design Spiral M83: Diffuse X-ray Emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuntz, K. D.; Long, K. S.; Blair, W. P.; Plucinsky, P. P.; Soria, R.; Winkler, P. F.

    2013-01-01

    We have obtained a series of deep X-ray images of the nearby galaxy M83, with a total exposure 729 ksec with the Chandra ACIS-S array. Since the bulk of the X-ray emitting disk falls within the BI chip, these observations allow a detailed study of the soft diffuse emission in the disk. Most of the diffuse emission is related to star-formation regions and must be powered by supernovae and stellar winds, though the amount of emission due to identifiable SNR is only a few percent. The relation between the spectral shape and surface brightness that was seen in M101 suggests that the properties of the X-ray emission in spiral disks are shaped by the local hot gas production rate (traced by the local star-formation rate) or the disk mid-plane pressure, but it is unclear which physical mechanism dominates. To illuminate this problem, we will compare M83 with the previous Chandra studies of M101 and M33.

  16. Discovery of the double Doppler-shifted emission-line systems in the X-ray spectrum of SS 433

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotani, Taro; Kawai, Nobuyuki; Aoki, Takashi; Doty, John; Matsuoka, Masaru; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Nagase, Fumiaki; Ricker, George; White, Nick E.

    1994-01-01

    We have used the CCD X-ray spectrometers on ASCA and resolved the X-ray emission line from the jet of SS 433 both into Doppler-shifted components with two distinct velocities, and into emission from different ionization states of iron, i.e., Fe XXV and Fe XXVI. This is the first direct detection of the two Doppler shifted beams in the X-ray spectra of SS 433 and allows the radial velocity of the jet along the line of sight to be determined with an accuracy comparable to the optical spectroscopy. We also found pairs of emission lines from other atomic species, such as ionized silicon and sulfur, with the Doppler shifts consistent with each other. This confirms the origin of the X-ray emission in the high temperature plasma in the jets.

  17. X-ray emission characteristics of foam target plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fronya, A.A.; Borisenko, N.G.; Chernodub, M.L.; Merkuliev, Yu.A.; Osipov, M.V.; Puzyrev, V.N.; Sahakyan, A.T.; Starodub, A.N.; Vasin, B.L.; Yakushev, O.F.

    2010-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows. Experimental results of laser radiation interaction with a foam targets are presented. The spatial, temporal and energy characteristics of x-ray plasma radiation have been investigated. The pinhole-camera and Schwarzschild objective have been used for the plasma image formation in different spectral ranges. The plasma image is registered by the Schwarzschild objective in a narrow spectral range 180 - 200 A. Spectral characteristics of x-ray radiation registered by pinhole-camera have been defined by means outer filters. The use of the filters with different transmission curves allowed one the determine the localization of x-ray radiation with fixed wavelength. Spatial resolution accounts 16 μm in the pinhole-camera diagnostic channel and 2.5 μm in the Schwarzschild objective diagnostic channel. The plasma images in the intrinsic x-ray radiation show that the emission area in the transverse direction with respect to the direction of the propagating heating radiation exceeds the focal spot size. This fact indicates that the target heating in the transverse direction is due to internal energy of the created plasma. The average value of plasma electron temperature is ∼ 0.4 - 1.4 keV. Acknowledgements. The work is partly supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Researches, grant no. 10-02-00113 and by Federal Target Program 'Research and scientific-pedagogical cadres of Innovative Russia' (grant 2009-1.1-122-052-025).

  18. SYMBIOTIC STARS IN X-RAYS. III. SUZAKU OBSERVATIONS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nuñez, N. E. [Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas de la Tierra y del Espacio (ICATE-UNSJ, CONICET), Av. España (S) 1512, J5402DSP, San Juan (Argentina); Nelson, T. [Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455 (United States); Mukai, K. [CRESST and X-ray Astrophysics Laboratory, (NASA/GSFC), Greenbelt, MD 20 771, USA. (United States); Sokoloski, J. L. [Columbia Astrophysics Lab, 550 W120th St., 1027 Pupin Hall, MC 5247 Columbia University, 10027, New York (United States); Luna, G. J. M., E-mail: nnunez@icate-conicet.gov.ar [Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio (IAFE, CONICET-UBA), Av. Inte. Güiraldes 2620, C1428ZAA, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

    2016-06-10

    We describe the X-ray emission as observed by Suzaku from five symbiotic stars that we selected for deep Suzaku observations after their initial detection with ROSAT, ASCA , and Swift . We find that the X-ray spectra of all five sources can be adequately fit with absorbed optically thin thermal plasma models, with either single- or multi-temperature plasmas. These models are compatible with the X-ray emission originating in the boundary layer between an accretion disk and a white dwarf. The high plasma temperatures of kT > 3 keV for all five targets were greater than expected for colliding winds. Based on these high temperatures as well as previous measurements of UV variability and UV luminosity and the large amplitude of X-ray flickering in 4 Dra, we conclude that all five sources are accretion-powered through predominantly optically thick boundary layers. Our X-ray data allow us to observe a small optically thin portion of the emission from these boundary layers. Given the time between previous observations and these observations, we find that the intrinsic X-ray flux and the intervening absorbing column can vary by factors of three or more on a timescale of years. However, the location of the absorber and the relationship between changes in accretion rate and absorption are still elusive.

  19. SYMBIOTIC STARS IN X-RAYS. III. SUZAKU OBSERVATIONS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nuñez, N. E.; Nelson, T.; Mukai, K.; Sokoloski, J. L.; Luna, G. J. M.

    2016-01-01

    We describe the X-ray emission as observed by Suzaku from five symbiotic stars that we selected for deep Suzaku observations after their initial detection with ROSAT, ASCA , and Swift . We find that the X-ray spectra of all five sources can be adequately fit with absorbed optically thin thermal plasma models, with either single- or multi-temperature plasmas. These models are compatible with the X-ray emission originating in the boundary layer between an accretion disk and a white dwarf. The high plasma temperatures of kT > 3 keV for all five targets were greater than expected for colliding winds. Based on these high temperatures as well as previous measurements of UV variability and UV luminosity and the large amplitude of X-ray flickering in 4 Dra, we conclude that all five sources are accretion-powered through predominantly optically thick boundary layers. Our X-ray data allow us to observe a small optically thin portion of the emission from these boundary layers. Given the time between previous observations and these observations, we find that the intrinsic X-ray flux and the intervening absorbing column can vary by factors of three or more on a timescale of years. However, the location of the absorber and the relationship between changes in accretion rate and absorption are still elusive.

  20. Exponential x-ray transform

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hazou, I.A.

    1986-01-01

    In emission computed tomography one wants to determine the location and intensity of radiation emitted by sources in the presence of an attenuating medium. If the attenuation is known everywhere and equals a constant α in a convex neighborhood of the support of f, then the problem reduces to that of inverting the exponential x-ray transform P/sub α/. The exponential x-ray transform P/sub μ/ with the attenuation μ variable, is of interest mathematically. For the exponential x-ray transform in two dimensions, it is shown that for a large class of approximate δ functions E, convolution kernels K exist for use in the convolution backprojection algorithm. For the case where the attenuation is constant, exact formulas are derived for calculating the convolution kernels from radial point spread functions. From these an exact inversion formula for the constantly attenuated transform is obtained

  1. Gamma detector for use with luggage X-ray systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McHugh, H.; Quam, W.

    1998-01-01

    A new gamma radiation sensor has been designed for installation on several types of luggage x-ray machines and mobile x-ray vans operated by the U.S. Customs Service and the U.S. Department of State. The use of gamma detectors on x-ray machines imposed difficulties not usually encountered in the design of gamma detectors because the spectrum of scattered x-rays, which varied from machine to machine, extended to energies significantly higher than those of the low-energy isotopic emissions. In the original design, the lower level discriminator was raised above the x-ray end point energy resulting in the loss of the americium line associated with plutonium. This reduced the overall sensitivity to unshielded plutonium by a factor of approximately 100. An improved method was subsequently developed wherein collimation was utilized in conjunction with a variable counting threshold to permit accommodation of differing conditions of x-ray scattering. This design has been shown to eliminate most of the problems due to x-ray scattering while still capturing the americium emissions. The overall sensitivity has remained quite high, though varying slightly from one model of x-ray machine to another, depending upon the x-ray scattering characteristics of each model. (author)

  2. Massive stars, x-ray ridge, and galactic 26Al gamma-ray line emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Montmerle, T.

    1986-07-01

    Massive stars interact with their parent molecular cloud by means of their ionizing flux and strong winds, thereby creating giant, hollow HII regions. To account for the observed structure of these HII regions, it appears necessary that all the wind energy be dissipated. Dorland and Montmerle have recently proposed a new dissipation mechanism, in the process, diffuse hard X-rays are emitted. If the observed galactic X-ray ''ridge'' results from this process on a galactic scale, it can be accounted for by the interaction of ∼3000 Wolf-Rayet stars (mostly within a ∼6.5 kpc ring) with their surrounding interstellar gas. This result is essentially consistent with the suggestion by Prantzos and Casse that the galactic 26 Al γ-ray line emission originates in Wolf-Rayet stars

  3. Ultra fast atomic process in X-ray emission by inner-shell ionization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moribayashi, Kengo; Sasaki, Akira [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Neyagawa, Osaka (Japan). Kansai Research Establishment; Tajima, T

    1998-03-01

    An ultra-fast atomic process together with X-ray emission by inner-shell ionization using high intensity (10{sup 18} W/cm{sup 2}) short pulse (20fs) X-ray is studied. A new class of experiment is proposed and a useful pumping source is suggested. In this method, it is found that the gain value of X-ray laser amounts to larger than 1000(1/cm) with use of the density of 10{sup 22}/cm{sup 3} of carbon atom. Electron impact ionization effect and initial density effect as well as intensity of pumping source effect are also discussed. (author)

  4. Relations Between FUV Excess and Coronal Soft X-Ray Emission Among Dwarf Stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Graeme H.; Hargrave, Mason; Eckholm, Elliot

    2017-11-01

    The far-ultraviolet magnitudes of late-F, G and early-K dwarfs with (B - V) ⩾ 0.50 as measured by the GALEX satellite are shown to correlate with soft X-ray luminosity. This result indicates that line and continuum emission from stellar active regions make significant contributions to the flux in the GALEX FUV band for late-F, G and K dwarfs. By contrast, detection of a correlation between FUV brightness and soft X-ray luminosity among early-F dwarfs requires subtraction of the photospheric component from the FUV flux. The range in (B - V) among F and G dwarfs over which a correlation between uncorrected FUV magnitude and X-ray luminosity is detected coincides with the range in colour over which coronal and chromospheric emission correlates with stellar rotation.

  5. Clumpy wind accretion in Supergiant X-ray Binaries

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Mellah, I.; Sundqvist, J. O.; Keppens, R.

    2017-12-01

    Supergiant X-ray binaries (\\sgx) contain a neutron star (NS) orbiting a Supergiant O/B star. The fraction of the dense and fast line-driven wind from the stellar companion which is accreted by the NS is responsible for most of the X-ray emission from those system. Classic \\sgx display photometric variability of their hard X-ray emission, typically from a few 10^{35} to a few 10^{37}erg\\cdots^{-1}. Inhomogeneities (\\aka clumps) in the wind from the star are expected to play a role in this time variability. We run 3D hydrodynamical (HD) finite volume simulations to follow the accretion of the inhomogeneous stellar wind by the NS over almost 3 orders of magnitude. To model the unperturbed wind far upstream the NS, we use recent simulations which managed to resolve its micro-structure. We observe the formation of a Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton (BHL) like bow shock around the accretor and follow the clumps as they cross it, down to the NS magnetosphere. Compared to previous estimations discarding the HD effects, we measure lower time variability due to both the damping effect of the shock and the necessity to evacuate angular momentum to enable accretion. We also compute the associated time-variable column density and compare it to recent observations in Vela X-1.

  6. Electron-electron correlation, resonant photoemission and X-ray emission spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parlebas, J.C.; Kotani, Akio; Tanaka, Satoshi.

    1991-01-01

    In this short review paper we essentially focus on the high energy spectroscopies which involve second order quantum processes, i.e., resonance photoemission, Auger and X-ray emission spectroscopies, denoted respectively by RXPS, AES and XES. First, we summarize the main 3p-RXPS and AES results obtained in Cu and Ni metals; especially we recall that the satellite near the 3p-threshold in the spectra, which arises from a d-hole pair bound state, needs a careful treatment of the electron-electron correlation. Then we analyze the RXPS spectra in a few Ce compounds (CeO 2 , Ce 2 O 3 and CeF 3 ) involving 3d or 4d core levels and we interpret the spectra consistently with the other spectroscopies, such as core XPS and XAS which are first order quantum processes. Finally within the same one-impurity model and basically with the same sets of parameters, we review a theory for the Ce 5p→3d XES, as well as for the corresponding RXES, where (1) the incident X-ray is tuned to resonate with the 3d→4f transition and (2) the X-ray emission due to the 5p→3d transition is actually observed. The paper ends with a general discussion. (author) 77 refs

  7. Gold nanoparticles: BSA (Bovine Serum Albumin) coating and X-ray irradiation produce variable-spectrum photoluminescence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Kuo-Hao [Department of Electrophysics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan (China); Lai, Sheng-Feng [Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan (China); Department of Engineering Science, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China); Lin, Yan-Cheng; Chou, Wu-Ching [Department of Electrophysics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Ong, Edwin B.L. [Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan (China); Tan, Hui-Ru [Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, 3 Research Link, 117602 (Singapore); Tok, Eng Soon [Physics Department, National University of Singapore, 117542 (Singapore); Yang, C.S. [Center for Nanomedicine, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli 350, Taiwan (China); Margaritondo, G. [Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Hwu, Y., E-mail: phhwu@sinica.edu.tw [Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan (China); Advanced Optoelectronic Technology Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China); Institute of Optoelectronic Sciences, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 202, Taiwan (China)

    2015-01-15

    We show that by using different x-ray irradiation times of BSA-coated Au nanoparticles (NPs) we can change their ultraviolet-stimulated photoluminescence and shift the spectral weight over the visible spectral range. This is due to the interplay of two emission bands, one due to BSA and the other related to gold. The emission properties did not change with time over a period of several months. - Highlights: • Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) coated with Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) are synthesized by x-ray irradiation. • BSA coated AuNPs with ∼1 nm size show strong photoluminescence in red by UV excitation. • The blue photoluminescence of BSA increase with x-ray irradiation. • Increase x-ray irradiation time during the synthesis shift the color of the colloid from red to blue.

  8. Gold nanoparticles: BSA (Bovine Serum Albumin) coating and X-ray irradiation produce variable-spectrum photoluminescence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Kuo-Hao; Lai, Sheng-Feng; Lin, Yan-Cheng; Chou, Wu-Ching; Ong, Edwin B.L.; Tan, Hui-Ru; Tok, Eng Soon; Yang, C.S.; Margaritondo, G.; Hwu, Y.

    2015-01-01

    We show that by using different x-ray irradiation times of BSA-coated Au nanoparticles (NPs) we can change their ultraviolet-stimulated photoluminescence and shift the spectral weight over the visible spectral range. This is due to the interplay of two emission bands, one due to BSA and the other related to gold. The emission properties did not change with time over a period of several months. - Highlights: • Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) coated with Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) are synthesized by x-ray irradiation. • BSA coated AuNPs with ∼1 nm size show strong photoluminescence in red by UV excitation. • The blue photoluminescence of BSA increase with x-ray irradiation. • Increase x-ray irradiation time during the synthesis shift the color of the colloid from red to blue

  9. SUZAKU OBSERVATION OF STRONG FLUORESCENT IRON LINE EMISSION FROM THE YOUNG STELLAR OBJECT V1647 ORI DURING ITS NEW X-RAY OUTBURST

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamaguchi, Kenji; Grosso, Nicolas; Kastner, Joel H.; Richmond, Michael; Weintraub, David A.

    2010-01-01

    The Suzaku X-ray satellite observed the young stellar object (YSO) V1647 Ori on 2008 October 8 during the new mass accretion outburst reported in 2008 August. During the 87 ks observation with a net exposure of 40 ks, V1647 Ori showed a high level of X-ray emission with a gradual decrease in flux by a factor of 5 and then displayed an abrupt flux increase by an order of magnitude. Such enhanced X-ray variability was also seen in XMM-Newton observations in 2004 and 2005 during the 2003-2005 outburst, but has rarely been observed for other YSOs. The spectrum clearly displays emission from Helium-like iron, which is a signature of hot plasma (kT ∼ 5 keV). It also shows a fluorescent iron Kα line with a remarkably large equivalent width (EW) of ∼600 eV. Such a large EW suggests that a part of the incident X-ray emission that irradiates the circumstellar material and/or the stellar surface is hidden from our line of sight. XMM-Newton spectra during the 2003-2005 outburst did not show a strong fluorescent iron Kα line, so that the structure of the circumstellar gas very close to the stellar core that absorbs and re-emits X-ray emission from the central object may have changed in between 2005 and 2008. This phenomenon may be related to changes in the infrared morphology of McNeil's nebula between 2004 and 2008.

  10. A SEARCH FOR X-RAY EMISSION FROM COLLIDING MAGNETOSPHERES IN YOUNG ECCENTRIC STELLAR BINARIES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Getman, Konstantin V.; Broos, Patrick S. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 525 Davey Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Kóspál, Ágnes [Konkoly Observatory, Research Center for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 67, 1525 Budapest (Hungary); Salter, Demerese M. [Department of Astronomy and Laboratory for Millimeter-Wave Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Garmire, Gordon P. [Huntingdon Institute for X-ray Astronomy, LLC, 10677 Franks Road, Huntingdon, PA 16652 (United States)

    2016-12-01

    Among young binary stars whose magnetospheres are expected to collide, only two systems have been observed near periastron in the X-ray band: the low-mass DQ Tau and the older and more massive HD 152404. Both exhibit elevated levels of X-ray emission at periastron. Our goal is to determine whether colliding magnetospheres in young high-eccentricity binaries commonly produce elevated average levels of X-ray activity. This work is based on Chandra snapshots of multiple periastron and non-periastron passages in four nearby young eccentric binaries (Parenago 523, RX J1622.7-2325 Nw, UZ Tau E, and HD 152404). We find that for the merged sample of all four binaries the current X-ray data show an increasing average X-ray flux near periastron (at a ∼2.5-sigma level). Further comparison of these data with the X-ray properties of hundreds of young stars in the Orion Nebula Cluster, produced by the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project (COUP), indicates that the X-ray emission from the merged sample of our binaries cannot be explained within the framework of the COUP-like X-ray activity. However, due to the inhomogeneities of the merged binary sample and the relatively low statistical significance of the detected flux increase, these findings are regarded as tentative only. More data are needed to prove that the flux increase is real and is related to the processes of colliding magnetospheres.

  11. X-Ray Variability Characteristics of the Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 3783

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markowitz, A.

    2005-12-01

    We have characterized the energy-dependent X-ray variability properties of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3783 using archival XMM-Newton and Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer data. The high-frequency fluctuation power spectral density function (PSD) slope is consistent with flattening toward higher energies. Light-curve cross-correlation functions yield no significant lags, but peak coefficients generally decrease as energy separation of the bands increases on both short and long timescales. We have measured the coherence between various X-ray bands over the temporal frequency range of 6×10-8-1×10-4 Hz; this range includes the temporal frequency of the low-frequency PSD break tentatively detected by Markowitz et al. and includes the lowest temporal frequency over which coherence has been measured in any active galactic nucleus to date. Coherence is generally near unity at these temporal frequencies, although it decreases slightly as energy separation of the bands increases. Temporal frequency-dependent phase lags are detected on short timescales; phase lags are consistent with increasing as energy separation increases or as temporal frequency decreases. All of these results are similar to those obtained previously for several Seyfert galaxies and stellar mass black hole systems. Qualitatively, these results are consistent with the variability models of Kotov et al. and Lyubarskii, wherein the X-ray variability is due to inwardly propagating variations in the local mass accretion rate.

  12. Analysis of borophosphosilicate glass layers on silicon wafers by X-ray emission from photon and electron excitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elgersma, O.; Borstrok, J.J.M.

    1989-01-01

    Phosphorus and oxygen concentrations in the homogeneous layer of borosilicate glass (BPSG) deposited on Si-integrated circuits are determined by X-ray fluorescence from photon excitation. The X-ray emission from electron excitation in an open X-ray tube instrument yields a sufficiently precise determination of the boron content. The thickness of the layer can be derived from silicon Kα-fluorescence. A calibration model is proposed for photon as well as for electron excitation. The experimentally determined parameters in this model well agree with those derived from fundamental parameters for X-ray absorption and emission. The chemical surrounding of silicon affects strongly the peak profile of the silicon Kβ-emission. This enables to distinguish emission from the silicon atoms in the wafer and from the silicon atoms in the silicon oxide complexes of the BPSG-layer. (author)

  13. Observation of soft X-ray spectra from a Seyfert 1 and a narrow emission-line galaxy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, K.P.; Garmire, G.P.; Nousek, J.

    1985-01-01

    The 0.2-40 keV X-ray spectra of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 509 and the narrow emission-line galaxy NGC 2992 are analyzed. The results suggest the presence of a steep soft X-ray component in Mrk 509 in addition to the well-known Gamma = 1.7 component found in other active galactic nuclei in the 2-40 keV energy range. The soft X-ray component is interpreted as due to thermal emission from a hot gas, probably associated with the highly ionized gas observed to be outflowing from the galaxy. The X-ray spectrum of NGC 2992 does not show any steepening in the soft X-ray band and is consistent with a single power law (Gamma = 1.78) with very low absorbing column density of 4 x 10 to the 21st/sq cm. A model with partial covering of the nuclear X-ray source is preferred, however, to a simple model with a single power law and absorption. 34 references

  14. Calculation of X-ray emission produced by a quasi-monoenergetic electron distribution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fanaei, M.; Sadighi-Bonabi, R.

    2010-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows. By using an intense ultrafast laser interaction with plasma, generation of accelerated relativistic electrons with quasi monoenergetic spectrum has been possible. Analytic expressions for spectra and emission efficiencies of x-rays bremsstrahlung and characteristic line emission produced by a quasi-monoenergetic electron distribution from several targets are investigated. In this work, a Gaussian profile is assumed for the quasi-monoenergetic electron spectrum. The produced x-ray radiations are compared with the previous achieved results for a Maxwellian electron profile. These results and achievements are discussed in detail. Also, the outcomes can be evaluated with the experimental and simulated results.

  15. X-ray emission spectroscopic determination of iron in a polyurethane encapsulant curing agent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carter, J.M.; Kling, E.N.

    1979-01-01

    Presented is a procedure for determining the iron content in a polyurethane encapsulant curing agent by x-ray emission spectroscopy. Standards were prepared by adding ferric acetyl acetonate to a curing agent of identical composition to that being analyzed, but containing no iron. Results show that x-ray emission spectroscopy is feasible for determination of iron in the 30 to 50 ppM range. This range could probably be extended by the preparation of additional standards. Precision of the method is approximately 1.2 ppM at the 99 percent confidence level

  16. Radio search for pulsed emission from X-ray pulsars

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    delli Santi, F S; Delpino, F [Bologna Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Astronomia; Inzani, P; Sironi, G [Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milan (Italy). Lab. di Fisica Cosmica e Tecnologie Relative; Mandolesi, N; Morigi, G [Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Bologna (Italy). Lab. TESRE

    1981-05-01

    An experiment has been performed at 325 MHz, with a 10 m tracking dish, for the search of pulsed radio emission associated with X-ray pulsars. No evidence of radio pulses has been found in the four sources investigated, although the radio pulsar PSR 0329 + 54, used a testing object, has been detected successfully.

  17. X-RAY EMISSION FROM J1446–4701, J1311–3430, AND OTHER BLACK WIDOW PULSARS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arumugasamy, Prakash; Pavlov, George G. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 525 Davey Lab, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Garmire, Gordon P., E-mail: pxa151@ucs.psu.edu [Huntingdon Institute for X-ray Astronomy, LLC, 10677 Franks Road, Huntingdon, PA 16652 (United States)

    2015-12-01

    We present the results of detailed X-ray analysis of two black-widow pulsars (BWPs), J1446–4701 and J1311–3430. PSR J1446–4701 is a BWP with orbital parameters near the median values of the sample of known BWPs. Its X-ray emission that was detected by XMM-Newton is well characterized by a soft power-law (PL) spectrum (photon index Γ ≈ 3), and it shows no significant orbital modulations. In view of a lack of radio eclipses and an optical non-detection, the system most likely has a low orbital inclination. PSR J1311–3430 is an extreme BWP with a very compact orbit and the lowest minimum mass companion. Our Chandra data confirm the hard Γ ≈ 1.3 emission seen in previous observations. Through phase-restricted spectral analysis, we found a hint (∼2.6σ) of spectral hardening around pulsar inferior conjunction. We also provide a uniform analysis of the 12 BWPs observed with Chandra and compare their X-ray properties. Pulsars with soft, Γ > 2.5 emission seem to have lower than average X-ray and γ-ray luminosities. We do not, however, see any other prominent correlation between the pulsar’s X-ray emission characteristics and any of its other properties. The contribution of the intra-binary shock to the total X-ray emission, if any, is not discernible in this sample of pulsars with shallow observations.

  18. Multiwavelength Photometric Imaging of X-Ray and EUV Emission from Comet P/Tempel-Tuttle 1998

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lisse, Carey M.

    2004-01-01

    The unexpected discovery of x-ray emission from Comet Hyakutake in March 1996 (Lisse et ai. 1996) has produced a number of questions about the physical mechanism producing the radiation. The original detection and subsequent observations (Dennerl et ai. 1997, Mumma et al. 1997, Krasnopolsky et al. 1998, Owens et al. 1998. Lisse et al. 1999) have shown that the very soft (best fit thermal bremsstrahlung model kT approx. 0.2 keV) emission is due to an interaction between the solar wind and the comet's atmosphere. Using the results fiom the 15 comets detected to date in x-rays, we report on the latest results on cometary x-ray emission, including new results from Chandra and XMM. As-observed morphologies, spectra, and light curves will be discussed. Our emphasis will be on understanding the physical mechanism producing the emission, and using this to determine the nature of the cometary coma, the structure of the solar wind in the heliosphere, and the source of the local soft x-ray background. This work has been graciously supported by grants from the NASA Planetary Astronomy and Astrophysical Data Programs.

  19. Soft X-ray variability and the covering fraction of active galactic nuclei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wachter, K.W.; Strauss, M.A.; Filippenko, A.V.

    1988-01-01

    A model to explain the observed soft X-ray variability to some low-luminosity Seyfert 1 galaxies is developed. The variability is due to changes in the covering fraction of the central source as broad-line clouds move across our line of sight. A formalism is developed which is used to demonstrate how analysis of a soft X-ray light curve can provide three important quantities: the radius of the X-ray emitting region, the radius of a typical broad-line cloud, and the electron density in the cloud. It is shown that the results are rather insensitive to the assumed radial dependence of the surface brightness of the source, but are quite sensitive to a large dispersion in cloud sizes. 55 references

  20. Some implications of excess soft X-ray emission from Seyfert 1 galaxies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fabian, A.C.; Guilbert, P.W.; Arnaud, K.A.; Shafer, R.A.; Tennant, A.F.; Ward, M.J.

    1986-01-01

    The X-ray spectrum of Seyfert 1 galaxies is characterized by a hard power-law spectrum. It is often postulated that this maintains a Compton-heated two-phase Broad-Line Region (BLR) around the central source. It is shown here that the strong excess soft X-ray emission observed in MKN 841 and other Seyfert galaxies invalidates this model if the BLR is spherically symmetric. Alternatives are proposed. (author)

  1. Handbook of X-Ray Data

    CERN Document Server

    Zschornack, Günter

    2007-01-01

    This sourcebook is intended as an X-ray data reference for scientists and engineers working in the field of energy or wavelength dispersive X-ray spectrometry and related fields of basic and applied research, technology, or process and quality controlling. In a concise and informative manner, the most important data connected with the emission of characteristic X-ray lines are tabulated for all elements up to Z = 95 (Americium). This includes X-ray energies, emission rates and widths as well as level characteristics such as binding energies, fluorescence yields, level widths and absorption edges. The tabulated data are characterized and, in most cases, evaluated. Furthermore, all important processes and phenomena connected with the production, emission and detection of characteristic X-rays are discussed. This reference book addresses all researchers and practitioners working with X-ray radiation and fills a gap in the available literature.

  2. 12 YEARS OF X-RAY VARIABILITY IN M31 GLOBULAR CLUSTERS, INCLUDING 8 BLACK HOLE CANDIDATES, AS SEEN BY CHANDRA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnard, R.; Garcia, M.; Murray, S. S.

    2012-01-01

    We examined 134 Chandra observations of the population of X-ray sources associated with globular clusters (GCs) in the central region of M31. These are expected to be X-ray binary systems (XBs), consisting of a neutron star or black hole accreting material from a close companion. We created long-term light curves for these sources, correcting for background, interstellar absorption, and instrumental effects. We tested for variability by examining the goodness of fit for the best-fit constant intensity. We also created structure functions (SFs) for every object in our sample, the first time this technique has been applied to XBs. We found significant variability in 28 out of 34 GCs and GC candidates; the other 6 sources had 0.3-10 keV luminosities fainter than ∼2 × 10 36 erg s –1 , limiting our ability to detect similar variability. The SFs of XBs with 0.3-10 keV luminosities ∼2-50 × 10 36 erg s –1 generally showed considerably more variability than the published ensemble SF of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Our brightest XBs were mostly consistent with the AGN SF; however, their 2-10 keV fluxes could be matched by <1 AGN per square degree. These encouraging results suggest that examining the long-term light curves of other X-ray sources in the field may provide an important distinction between X-ray binaries and background galaxies, as the X-ray emission spectra from these two classes of X-ray sources are similar. Additionally, we identify 3 new black hole candidates (BHCs) using additional XMM-Newton data, bringing the total number of M31 GC BHCs to 9, with 8 covered in this survey.

  3. SWIFT X-RAY TELESCOPE STUDY OF THE BLACK HOLE BINARY MAXI J1659–152: VARIABILITY FROM A TWO COMPONENT ACCRETION FLOW

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kalamkar, M.; Klis, M. van der; Heil, L. [Astronomical Institute, “Anton Pannekoek,” University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Homan, J., E-mail: maithili@oa-roma.inaf.it [MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, 70 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)

    2015-08-01

    We present an energy dependent X-ray variability study of the 2010 outburst of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1659–152 with the Swift X-ray Telescope (XRT). The broadband noise components and the quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO) observed in the power spectra show a strong and varied energy dependence. Combining Swift XRT data with data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, we report, for the first time, an rms spectrum (fractional rms amplitude as a function of energy) of these components in the 0.5–30 keV energy range. We find that the strength of the low-frequency component (<0.1 Hz) decreases with energy, contrary to the higher frequency components (>0.1 Hz) whose strengths increase with energy. In the context of the propagating fluctuations model for X-ray variability, we suggest that the low-frequency component originates in the accretion disk (which dominates emission below ∼2 keV) and the higher frequency components are formed in the hot flow (which dominates emission above ∼2 keV). As the properties of the QPO suggest that it may have a different driving mechanism, we investigate the Lense–Thirring precession of the hot flow as a candidate model. We also report on the QPO coherence evolution for the first time in the energy band below 2 keV. While there are strong indications that the QPO is less coherent at energies below 2 keV than above 2 keV, the coherence increases with intensity similar to what is observed at energies above 2 keV in other black hole X-ray binaries.

  4. X ray spectra of X Per. [oso-8 observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becker, R. H.; Boldt, E. A.; Holt, S. S.; Pravdo, S. H.; Robinson-Saba, J.; Serlemitsos, P. J.; Swank, J. H.

    1978-01-01

    The cosmic X-ray spectroscopy experiment on OSO-8 observed X Per for twenty days during two observations in Feb. 1976 and Feb. 1977. The spectrum of X Per varies in phase with its 13.9 min period, hardening significantly at X-ray minimum. Unlike other X-ray binary pulsar spectra, X Per's spectra do not exhibit iron line emission or strong absorption features. The data show no evidence for a 22 hour periodicity in the X-ray intensity of X Per. These results indicate that the X-ray emission from X Per may be originating from a neutron star in a low density region far from the optically identified Be star.

  5. Balloon observation of the binary X-ray source Her X-1 1.24 sec pulsation and cyclotron line emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pietsch, W.; Reppin, C.; Truemper, J.; Voges, W.; Kendziorra, E.; Staubert, R.; Tuebingen Univ.

    1978-01-01

    During a balloon observation from Palestine, Texas, the authors detected for the first time the 1.24 sec pulsation of Hercules X-1 in the hard X-ray range up to 70 keV and discovered strong line emission in its spectrum at 58 keV. They estimated a line flux of 3x10 -3 photons cm -2 sec -1 and a line width of less than 12 keV. The phenomenon is interpreted as electron cyclotron emission at the basic frequency emitted by the hot polar plasma of the rotating neutron star. The line measured leads to a magnetic field strength of 5.3x10 12 gauss. In further observations during a balloon campaign in Sept./Oct. 1977 the authors confirmed the existence of the line emission and for the first time found pulsed X-ray emission above 15 keV during the 'short on' - and 'off'-state of the Her X-1 35 day cycle. The pulse to interpulse ratio seems to vary with the 35 day phase

  6. X-ray clusters of galaxies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKee, J.D.

    1980-01-01

    This work is in three chapters, of which the first is an introduction to clusters of galaxies. The second chapter describes the HEAO A-2 Survey of Abell Clusters. The 225 clusters of galaxies listed in Abell's (1958) catalog which are of distance class four or less, were surveyed for 2 to 10 keV x-ray emission. Thirty-two identifications of x-ray sources with the clusters were made, fluxes and error boxes were determined for these sources; twelve of the identifications are new. The x-ray luminosity function has been derived and analytical fits have been made, the best fit is f(L) = 26.9 x 10 -8 exp( - L 44 /1.7) per Mpc per 10 44 erg s -1 per 2 to 10 keV band pass. The relationship between x-ray luminosity, Bautz-Morgan type, Rood-Sastry type, and richness has also been examined. The contribution of clusters to the x-ray background has been calculated from the luminosity function and has been found to be 3.5%, and with 90% certainty, less than 8% in the 2 to 10 keV band pass, assuming that clusters were not brighter in the past than they are at present. If they were bright enough in the past to account for the x-ray background, the evolution must have scaled more rapidly than (1 + z) 7 if clusters formed at z = 3, or (1 + z) 5 if clusters formed at z = 10. Chapter Three examines x-ray emission from poor clusters of galaxies. Burns and Owens' (1979) sample of 25 4C radio sources which coincide with Zwicky clusters of galaxies has been searched for x-ray emission in the HEAO A-2 data base. X-ray emission was detected from five sources at the 3sigma level, two exceeded 5 sigma. The search for x-ray emission was prompted by the knowledge of the existence of distorted radio sources in the clusters. The distortion implies the presence of a relatively dense intracluster medium which is expected to produce thermal bremsstrahlung x-ray emission

  7. Einstein Observatory survey of X-ray emission from solar-type stars - the late F and G dwarf stars

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maggio, A.; Sciortino, S.; Vaiana, G.S.; Majer, P.; Bookbinder, J.

    1987-04-01

    Results of a volume-limited X-ray survey of stars of luminosity classes IV and V in the spectral range F7-G9 observed with the Einstein Observatory are presented. Using survival analysis techniques, the stellar X-ray luminosity function in the 0.15-4.0 keV energy band for both single and multiple sources. It is shown that the difference in X-ray luminosity between these two classes of sources is consistent with the superposition of individual components in multiple-component systems, whose X-ray properties are similar to those of the single-component sources. The X-ray emission of the stars in our sample is well correlated with their chromospheric CA II H-K line emission and with their projected equatorial rotational velocity. Comparison of the X-ray luminosity function constructed for the sample of the dG stars of the local population with the corresponding functions derived elsewhere for the Hyades, the Pleiades, and the Orion Ic open cluster confirms that the level of X-ray emission decreases with stellar age. 62 references.

  8. Einstein Observatory survey of X-ray emission from solar-type stars - The late F and G dwarf stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maggio, A.; Sciortino, S.; Vaiana, G. S.; Majer, P.; Bookbinder, J.

    1987-01-01

    Results of a volume-limited X-ray survey of stars of luminosity classes IV and V in the spectral range F7-G9 observed with the Einstein Observatory are presented. Using survival analysis techniques, the stellar X-ray luminosity function in the 0.15-4.0 keV energy band for both single and multiple sources. It is shown that the difference in X-ray luminosity between these two classes of sources is consistent with the superposition of individual components in multiple-component systems, whose X-ray properties are similar to those of the single-component sources. The X-ray emission of the stars in our sample is well correlated with their chromospheric CA II H-K line emission and with their projected equatorial rotational velocity. Comparison of the X-ray luminosity function constructed for the sample of the dG stars of the local population with the corresponding functions derived elsewhere for the Hyades, the Pleiades, and the Orion Ic open cluster confirms that the level of X-ray emission decreases with stellar age.

  9. A study of x-ray emission from the anode region in a plasma focus device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia Wang; Tsinchi Yang

    1988-01-01

    The physical process of x-ray emission from the anode region in a plasma focus device due to the interaction of a powerful electron beam with the metal anode and with ionised metallic vapour from the anode is investigated. The influence of the magnetic field of the beam is taken into consideration. A MC-PIC model (Monte Carlo-particle in cell) is proposed for the process, in which an electron-photon collision cascade is simulated by the MC approach and the time-dependent state of metallic vapour is determined by PIC computation. The time-resolved energy spectra and angular distributions of x-ray emission from the extending anode region are calculated. The time-integrated characteristics of the x-ray emission can be compared with the results of experiments as far as they are available. (author)

  10. X-ray studies of coeval star samples. II. The Pleiades cluster as observed with the Einstein Observatory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Micela, G.; Sciortino, S.; Vaiana, G.S.; Harnden, F.R. Jr.; Rosner, R.

    1990-01-01

    Coronal X-ray emission of the Pleiades stars is investigated, and maximum likelihood, integral X-ray luminosity functions are computed for Pleiades members in selected color-index ranges. A detailed search is conducted for long-term variability in the X-ray emission of those stars observed more than once. An overall comparison of the survey results with those of previous surveys confirms the ubiquity of X-ray emission in the Pleiades cluster stars and its higher rate of emission with respect to older stars. It is found that the X-ray emission from dA and early dF stars cannot be proven to be dissimilar to that of Hyades and field stars of the same spectral type. The Pleiades cluster members show a real rise of the X-ray luminosity from dA stars to early dF stars. X-ray emission for the young, solarlike Pleiades stars is about two orders of magnitude more intense than for the nearby solarlike stars. 77 refs

  11. X-ray studies of coeval star samples. II - The Pleiades cluster as observed with the Einstein Observatory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Micela, G.; Sciortino, S.; Vaiana, G. S.; Harnden, F. R., Jr.; Rosner, R.

    1990-01-01

    Coronal X-ray emission of the Pleiades stars is investigated, and maximum likelihood, integral X-ray luminosity functions are computed for Pleiades members in selected color-index ranges. A detailed search is conducted for long-term variability in the X-ray emission of those stars observed more than once. An overall comparison of the survey results with those of previous surveys confirms the ubiquity of X-ray emission in the Pleiades cluster stars and its higher rate of emission with respect to older stars. It is found that the X-ray emission from dA and early dF stars cannot be proven to be dissimilar to that of Hyades and field stars of the same spectral type. The Pleiades cluster members show a real rise of the X-ray luminosity from dA stars to early dF stars. X-ray emission for the young, solarlike Pleiades stars is about two orders of magnitude more intense than for the nearby solarlike stars.

  12. Theoretical estimation of proton induced X-ray emission yield of the trace elements present in the lung and breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manjunatha, H.C.; Sowmya, N.

    2013-01-01

    X-rays may be produced following the excitation of target atoms induced by an energetic incident ion beam of protons. Proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis has been used for many years for the determination of elemental composition of materials using X-rays. Recent interest in the proton induced X-ray emission cross section has arisen due to their importance in the rapidly expanding field of PIXE analysis. One of the steps in the analysis is to fit the measured X-ray spectrum with theoretical spectrum. The theoretical cross section and yields are essential for the evaluation of spectrum. We have theoretically evaluated the PIXE cross sections for trace elements in the lung and breast cancer tissues such as Cl, K, Ca,Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, P, S, Sr, Hg and Pb. The estimated cross section is used in the evaluation of Proton induced X-ray emission spectrum for the given trace elements.We have also evaluated the Proton induced X-ray emission yields in the thin and thick target of the given trace elements. The evaluated Proton induced X-ray emission cross-section, spectrum and yields are graphically represented. Some of these values are also tabulated. Proton induced X-ray emission cross sections and a yield for the given trace elements varies with the energy. PIXE yield depends on a real density and does not on thickness of the target. (author)

  13. X-ray tube target

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weber, R.G.

    1980-01-01

    A target with an improved heat emissive surface for use in a rotating anode type x-ray tube is described. The target consists of a body having a first surface portion made of x-ray emissive material and a second surface portion made of a heat emissive material comprising at least one of hafnium boride, hafnium oxide, hafnium nitride, hafnium silicide, and hafnium aluminide. (U.K.)

  14. 0.5 to 6 MeV Ar ion induced X-ray emission in view to analytical application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tenorio Castilleros, M.D.

    1979-01-01

    A study of the X-ray emission induced by 0.5 to 6 MeV Ar ions has been realized in view of multielemental analytical applications. The historical development of the use of heavy ion induced X-ray emission in analysis and the theoretical background of inner-shell ionization in heavy ion-atom collisions are described. The emission of non characteristic X-rays and the effects related to the penetration of heavy ions in matter are also related. The experimental part contains a description of the experimental devices and of the X-ray spectra fitting method. Thick target yields as a function of the target Z and the Ar ion energy are reported. The analytical possibilities are examined and an application to the analysis of Si and Cl in cadmium telluride crystals is given [fr

  15. X-ray Lβ215 emission spectrum of Ru in Ru(NH3)6Cl3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perera, R.C.C.; Barth, J.; LaVilla, R.E.; Nordling, C.

    1984-07-01

    One of the broader applications of synchrotron radiation has been to EXAFS studies for material structure determination, i.e., for an analysis of x-ray absorption over an extended energy region beyond a core ionization limit. Studies of the near edge structure (XANES) give a different type of information, characteristic of the local symmetry and electronic configuration of the absorbing atom. This type of information is reflected also in the x-ray emission spectra, in particular for transitions involving the valence levels. Examination of the near edge absorption or the emission spectrum does not require an instrument capable of scanning a wide energy range with high counting statistics, as does EXAFS; the needs are rather for good resolution and a reliable calibration of the energy scale. Some of the problems of near edge spectra were particularly evident in our investigation of Ru-Lβ 2 15 emission from Ru(NH 3 ) 6 Cl 3 . The Ru-Lβ 2 15 emission was measured with a laboratory Rowland circle x-ray spectrometer with a curved quartz (1010) crystal (radius = 22 inches) in a fixed position appropriate to the energy range, and a position sensitive detector which can be positioned along the Rowland circle. The Ru spectrum was excited mainly by Sn-L/sub α/ primary radiation from a Sn anode in a demountable x-ray tube operating at 13 kV and 120 mA. The resolution of the instrument in this region is 1.5 eV. An accurate calibration of the energy scale was conveniently obtained by measuring a reference x-ray emission line in the same instrumental configuration. In the present case the Pd-L/sub α/ emission line at 2838 eV was used to establish the energy scale. The energy dispersion of the instrument was determined from the Cl-K/sub β/ emission spectrum of CH 3 Cl between 2810 eV and 2830 eV and Pd-Lα 1 2 and extrapolated to the energy region of the recorded emission spectrum. 6 references, 1 figure

  16. A Chandra Survey of Milky Way Globular Clusters. I. Emissivity and Abundance of Weak X-Ray Sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Zhongqun; Li, Zhiyuan; Xu, Xiaojie; Li, Xiangdong

    2018-05-01

    Based on archival Chandra data, we have carried out an X-ray survey of 69, or nearly half the known population of, Milky Way globular clusters (GCs), focusing on weak X-ray sources, mainly cataclysmic variables (CVs) and coronally active binaries (ABs). Using the cumulative X-ray luminosity per unit stellar mass (i.e., X-ray emissivity) as a proxy of the source abundance, we demonstrate a paucity (lower by 41% ± 27% on average) of weak X-ray sources in most GCs relative to the field, which is represented by the Solar Neighborhood and Local Group dwarf elliptical galaxies. We also revisit the mutual correlations among the cumulative X-ray luminosity (L X), cluster mass (M), and stellar encounter rate (Γ), finding {L}{{X}}\\propto {M}0.74+/- 0.13, {L}{{X}}\\propto {{{Γ }}}0.67+/- 0.07 and {{Γ }}\\propto {M}1.28+/- 0.17. The three quantities can further be expressed as {L}{{X}}\\propto {M}0.64+/- 0.12 {{{Γ }}}0.19+/- 0.07, which indicates that the dynamical formation of CVs and ABs through stellar encounters in GCs is less dominant than previously suggested, and that the primordial formation channel has a substantial contribution. Taking these aspects together, we suggest that a large fraction of primordial, soft binaries have been disrupted in binary–single or binary–binary stellar interactions before they could otherwise evolve into X-ray-emitting close binaries, whereas the same interactions also have led to the formation of new close binaries. No significant correlations between {L}{{X}}/{L}K and cluster properties, including dynamical age, metallicity, and structural parameters, are found.

  17. Highly ionized copper contribution to the soft X-ray emission in a plasma focus device

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zoita, V; Patran, A [Inst. of Physics and Technology of Radiation Devices, Bucharest (Romania); Larour, J [Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau (France). Lab. de Physique des Milieux Ionises

    1997-12-31

    In order to discriminate between the contributions of the gas plasma and of the anode (solid or plasma) to the soft X-ray emission in a plasma focus device, a series of experiments was carried out using the following combinations of experimental conditions: various gases, different absorption filters and viewing different regions in front of the centre electrode. The experiments were performed on the IPF-2/20 plasma focus device using the following working gases: helium, neon and helium-argon mixtures. The diagnostics used: magnetic probe for current derivative, PIN diode for the minimum pinch radius detection, PIN diodes for the soft X-ray emission, scintillator-photomultiplier detector for the hard X-ray emission. From the analysis of the various diagnostics data recorded with very good time correlation, it followed that the soft K-ray signals had a strong contribution from optical transitions of the highly ionised Cu (Cu XX to XXII) emitting in the range 0.8-1.3 nm. (author). 7 figs., 9 refs.

  18. Proton-induced X-ray emission analysis of Jordanian cigarettes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hallak, A.B.

    1981-01-01

    Proton-induced X-ray emission spectroscopy was applied to determine the concentration of 11 elements in cigaretta tobacco of four brands commercially made in Jordan, and one foreign brand. The results are expressed in absolute amount per cigarette. Cigarette wrapping paper and cigarette smoke were also anlayzed. The significance of some of the elements found in the samples are discussed. (author)

  19. UV and X-ray Variability of Blazars Alok C. Gupta

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    mostly soft X-rays hardness ratio show correlations with blazar luminos- ity and different modes of variability might be operating for different time scales and ... The real cause of blazar variability on diverse time scales is not yet well under- stood. ... stereoscopic system (HESS) at a 45σ significance level (Aharonian et al.

  20. Electron and X-ray emission in collisions of multiply charged ions and atoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woerlee, P.H.

    1979-01-01

    The author presents experimental results of electron and X-ray emission following slow collisions of multiply charged ions and atoms. The aim of the investigation was to study the mechanisms which are responsible for the emission. (G.T.H.)

  1. Trace analysis in cadmium telluride by heavy ion induced X-ray emission and by SIMS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scharager, C.; Stuck, R.; Siffert, P.; Cailleret, J.; Heitz, Ch.; Lagarde, G.; Tenorio, D.

    1979-01-01

    The possibilities of using both selective heavy ion induced X-ray emission and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), for the identification of impurities present at low concentrations in cadmium telluride are examined. The relative concentrations of the impurities along CdTe crystals have been determined by exciting the X-ray emission of the elements in several slices with Ar and Kr ions and by comparing the relative characteristic X-ray emission yields. As a consequence of the quasimolecular inner shell ionization mechanism in heavy ion-atom collisions, Ar and Kr ions allow a strong excitation of the main impurities seen by SIMS namely Si, Cl and Ge, As, with only a minor contribution of Cd and Te. From the changes of the concentrations of the various impurities along the crystal, informations about segregation coefficients and compensation can be obtained

  2. Long-term variability in the X-ray emission of RX J0720.4-3125

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Vries, C.P.; Vink, J.; Méndez, R.M.; Verbunt, F.

    2004-01-01

    We detect a gradual, long-term change in the shape of the X-ray spectrum of the isolated neutron star RX J0720.4-3125, such that the spectrum of the source can no longer be described as a blackbody spectrum. The change is accompanied by an energy-dependent change in the pulse profile. If the X-ray

  3. X-ray spectral models of Galactic bulge sources - the emission-line factor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vrtilek, S.D.; Swank, J.H.; Kallman, T.R.

    1988-01-01

    Current difficulties in finding unique and physically meaningful models for the X-ray spectra of Galactic bulge sources are exacerbated by the presence of strong, variable emission and absorption features that are not resolved by the instruments observing them. Nine Einstein solid state spectrometer (SSS) observations of five Galactic bulge sources are presented for which relatively high resolution objective grating spectrometer (OGS) data have been published. It is found that in every case the goodness of fit of simple models to SSS data is greatly improved by adding line features identified in the OGS that cannot be resolved by the SSS but nevertheless strongly influence the spectra observed by SSS. 32 references

  4. First hard X-ray detection of the non-thermal emission around the Arches cluster: morphology and spectral studies with NuSTAR

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krivonos, Roman A.; Tomsick, John A.; Bauer, Franz E.

    2014-01-01

    The Arches cluster is a young, densely packed massive star cluster in our Galaxy that shows a high level of star formation activity. The nature of the extended non-thermal X-ray emission around the cluster remains unclear. The observed bright Fe Ku line emission at 6.4 keV from material that is n......The Arches cluster is a young, densely packed massive star cluster in our Galaxy that shows a high level of star formation activity. The nature of the extended non-thermal X-ray emission around the cluster remains unclear. The observed bright Fe Ku line emission at 6.4 keV from material...... and spectrum. The spatial distribution of the hard X-ray emission is found to be consistent with the broad region around the cluster where the 6.4 keV line is observed. The interpretation of the hard X-ray emission within the context of the X-ray reflection model puts a strong constraint on the luminosity...... of the possible illuminating hard X-ray source. The properties of the observed emission are also in broad agreement with the low-energy cosmic-ray proton excitation scenario....

  5. Study of x-ray emission enhancement via high contrast femtosecond laser interacting with solid foil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Liming; Kando, Masaki; Bulanov, S.V.; Koga, James K.; Tajima, Toshiki; Xu M.H.; Yuan X.H.; Li Y.T.; Dong Q.L.; Zhang J.

    2007-01-01

    We studied the hard x-ray emission and the Kα x-ray conversion efficiency (η K ) produced by 60 fs high contrast frequency doubled Ti: sapphire laser pulse focused on Cu foil target. Cu Kα photon emission obtained with second harmonic laser pulse is more intense than the case of fundamental laser pulse. The Cu η K shows strong dependence on laser nonlinearly skewed pulse shape and reaches the maximum value 4x10 -4 with 100 fs negatively skewed pulse. It shows the electron spectrum shaping contribute to the increase of η K . (author)

  6. Hard X-ray emission of the luminous infrared galaxy NGC 6240 as observed by NuSTAR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puccetti, S.; Comastri, A.; Bauer, F. E.; Brandt, W. N.; Fiore, F.; Harrison, F. A.; Luo, B.; Stern, D.; Urry, C. M.; Alexander, D. M.; Annuar, A.; Arévalo, P.; Baloković, M.; Boggs, S. E.; Brightman, M.; Christensen, F. E.; Craig, W. W.; Gandhi, P.; Hailey, C. J.; Koss, M. J.; La Massa, S.; Marinucci, A.; Ricci, C.; Walton, D. J.; Zappacosta, L.; Zhang, W.

    2016-01-01

    We present a broadband (~0.3-70 keV) spectral and temporal analysis of NuSTAR observations of the luminous infrared galaxy NGC 6240 combined with archival Chandra, XMM-Newton, and BeppoSAX data. NGC 6240 is a galaxy in a relatively early merger state with two distinct nuclei separated by ~1.̋5. Previous Chandra observations resolved the two nuclei and showed that they are both active and obscured by Compton-thick material. Although they cannot be resolved by NuSTAR, we were able to clearly detect, for the first time, both the primary and the reflection continuum components thanks to the unprecedented quality of the NuSTAR data at energies >10 keV. The NuSTAR hard X-ray spectrum is dominated by the primary continuum piercing through an absorbing column density which is mildly optically thick to Compton scattering (τ ≃ 1.2, NH ~ 1.5 × 1024 cm-2). We detect moderately hard X-ray (>10 keV) flux variability up to 20% on short (15-20 ks) timescales. The amplitude of the variability is largest at ~30 keV and is likely to originate from the primary continuum of the southern nucleus. Nevertheless, the mean hard X-ray flux on longer timescales (years) is relatively constant. Moreover, the two nuclei remain Compton-thick, although we find evidence of variability in the material along the line of sight with column densities NH ≤ 2 × 1023 cm-2 over long (~3-15 yr) timescales. The observed X-ray emission in the NuSTAR energy range is fully consistent with the sum of the best-fit models of the spatially resolved Chandra spectra of the two nuclei.

  7. Obtaining attosecond x-ray pulses using a self-amplified spontaneous emission free electron laser

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Zholents

    2005-05-01

    Full Text Available We describe a technique for the generation of a solitary attosecond x-ray pulse in a free-electron laser (FEL, via a process of self-amplified spontaneous emission. In this method, electrons experience an energy modulation upon interacting with laser pulses having a duration of a few cycles within single-period wiggler magnets. Two consecutive modulation sections, followed by compression in a dispersive section, are used to obtain a single, subfemtosecond spike in the electron peak current. This region of the electron beam experiences an enhanced growth rate for FEL amplification. After propagation through a long undulator, this current spike emits a ∼250   attosecond x-ray pulse whose intensity dominates the x-ray emission from the rest of the electron bunch.

  8. Spectral analysis of K-shell X-ray emission of magnesium plasma ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2014-02-06

    Feb 6, 2014 ... the experimental spectra with the synthetic spectra generated using .... user to specify the time duration over which the ionic populations ... ied the dependence of X-ray emission spectrum as a function of laser intensity in the.

  9. The MEXSAS2 Sample and the Ensemble X-ray Variability of Quasars

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Serafinelli, Roberto [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma Sapienza, Rome (Italy); Vagnetti, Fausto; Chiaraluce, Elia [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Rome (Italy); Middei, Riccardo, E-mail: roberto.serafinelli@roma2.infn.it [Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università Roma Tre, Rome (Italy)

    2017-10-11

    We present the second Multi-Epoch X-ray Serendipitous AGN Sample (MEXSAS2), extracted from the 6th release of the XMM Serendipitous Source Catalog (XMMSSC-DR6), cross-matched with Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasar Catalogs DR7Q and DR12Q. Our sample also includes the available measurements for masses, bolometric luminosities, and Eddington ratios. Analyses of the ensemble structure function and spectral variability are presented, together with their dependences on such parameters. We confirm a decrease of the structure function with the X-ray luminosity, and find a weak dependence on the black hole mass. We introduce a new spectral variability estimator, taking errors on both fluxes and spectral indices into account. We confirm an ensemble softer when brighter trend, with no dependence of such estimator on black hole mass, Eddington ratio, redshift, X-ray and bolometric luminosity.

  10. X ray emission: a tool and a probe for laser - clusters interaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prigent, Ch.

    2004-12-01

    In intense laser-cluster interaction, the experimental results show a strong energetic coupling between radiation and matter. We have measured absolute X-ray yields and charge state distributions under well control conditions as a function of physical parameters governing the interaction; namely laser intensity, pulse duration, wavelength or polarization state of the laser light, the size and the species of the clusters (Ar, Kr, Xe). We have highlighted, for the first time, an intensity threshold in the X-ray production very low (∼ 2.10 14 W/cm 2 for a pulse duration of 300 fs) which can results from an effect of the dynamical polarisation of clusters in an intense electric field. A weak dependence with the wavelength (400 nm / 800 nm) on the absolute X-ray yields has been found. Moreover, we have observed a saturation of the X-ray emission probability below a critical cluster size. (author)

  11. Recent measurements of soft X-ray emission from the DPF-1000U facility

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Surała Władysław

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Soft X-ray imaging is a very useful diagnostic technique in plasma-focus (PF experiments. This paper reports results of four experimental sessions which were carried out at the DPF-1000U plasma-focus facility in 2013 and 2014. Over 200 discharges were performed at various experimental conditions. Measurements were taken using two X-ray pinhole cameras with a line of sight perpendicular to the z-axis, at different azimuthal angles (about 20° and 200°, and looking towards the centre of the PF-pinch column. They were equipped with diaphragms 1000 μm or 200–300 μm in diameter and coated with filters of 500 μm Al foil and 10 μm Be foil, respectively. Data on the neutron emission were collected with silver activation counters. For time-resolved measurements the use was made of four PIN diodes equipped with various filters and oriented towards the centre of the PF-column, in the direction perpendicular to the electrode axis. The recorded X-ray images revealed that when the additional gas-puff system is activated during the discharge, the stability of the discharge is improved. The data collected in these experiments confirmed the appearance of a filamentary fine structure in the PF discharges. In the past years the formation of such filaments was observed in many Z-pinch type experiments. Some of the recorded X-ray images have also revealed the appearance of the so-called hot-spots, i.e. small plasma regions of a very intense X-ray emission. Such a phenomenon was observed before in many PF experiments, e.g. in the MAJA-PF device, but it has not been investigated so far in a large facility such as the DPF-1000U. The time-resolved measurements provided the evidence of a time lapse between the X-ray emission from plasma regions located at different distance from the anode surface. The formation of distinct ‘hot-spots’ in different instants of the DPF-1000U discharge was also observed.

  12. Chandra ACIS-S imaging spectroscopy of anomalously faint X-ray emission from Comet 103P/Hartley 2 during the EPOXI encounter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lisse, C. M.; Christian, D. J.; Wolk, S. J.; Dennerl, K.; Bodewits, D.; Combi, M. R.; Lepri, S. T.; Zurbuchen, T. H.; Li, J. Y.; Dello-Russo, N.; Belton, M. J. S.; Knight, M. M.

    2013-02-01

    We present results from the Chandra X-ray Observatory's characterization of the X-ray emission from Comet 103P/Hartley 2, in support of NASA's Deep Impact Extended close flyby of the comet on 04 November 2010. The comet was observed 4 times for a total on target time of ˜60 ks between the 17th of October and 16th of November 2010, with two of the visits occurring during the EPOXI close approach on 04 November and 05 November 2010. X-ray emission from 103P was qualitatively similar to that observed for collisionally thin Comets 2P/Encke (Lisse, C.M. et al. [2005]. Astrophys. J. 635, 1329-1347) and 9P/Tempel 1 (Lisse, C.M. et al. [2007]. Icarus 190, 391-405). Emission morphology offset sunward but asymmetrical from the nucleus and emission lines produced by charge exchange between highly stripped C, N, and O solar wind minor ions and coma neutral gas species were found. The comet was very under-luminous in the X-ray at all times, representing the 3rd faintest comet ever detected (LX = 1.1 ± 0.3 × 1014 erg s-1). The coma was collisionally thin to the solar wind at all times, allowing solar wind ions to flow into the inner coma and interact with the densest neutral coma gas. Localization of the X-ray emission in the regions of the major rotating gas jets was observed, consistent with the major source of cometary neutral gas species being icy coma dust particles. Variable spectral features due to changing solar wind flux densities and charge states were also seen. Modeling of the Chandra observations from the first three visits using observed gas production rates and ACE solar wind ion fluxes with a charge exchange mechanism for the emission is consistent with the temporal and spectral behavior expected for a slow, hot wind typical of low latitude emission from the solar corona interacting with the comet's neutral coma. The X-ray emission during the 4th visit on 16 November 2010 is similar to the unusual behavior seen for Comet 17P/Holmes in 2007 (Christian, D.J. et

  13. X-rays from comets - a surprising discovery

    CERN Document Server

    CERN. Geneva

    2000-01-01

    Comets are kilometre-size aggregates of ice and dust, which remained from the formation of the solar system. It was not obvious to expect X-ray emission from such objects. Nevertheless, when comet Hyakutake (C/1996 B2) was observed with the ROSAT X-ray satellite during its close approach to Earth in March 1996, bright X-ray emission from this comet was discovered. This finding triggered a search in archival ROSAT data for comets, which might have accidentally crossed the field of view during observations of unrelated targets. To increase the surprise even more, X-ray emission was detected from four additional comets, which were optically 300 to 30 000 times fainter than Hyakutake. For one of them, comet Arai (C/1991 A2), X-ray emission was even found in data which were taken six weeks before the comet was optically discovered. These findings showed that comets represent a new class of celestial X-ray sources. The subsequent detection of X-ray emission from several other comets in dedicated observations confir...

  14. Soft X-ray emission from the radio pulsar PSR 0656 + 14

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cordova, F. A.; Middleditch, J.; Hjellming, R. M.; Mason, K. O.

    1989-01-01

    A radio source with a flux density of a few mJy was found in the error region of the soft X-ray source E0656 + 14, and identified as the radio pulsar PSR 0656 + 14. The radio source has a steep, nonthermal spectrum and a high degree of linear (62 percent) and circular (19 percent) polarization. The X-ray spectrum of the pulsar is among the softest sources observed with the Einstein Observatory. The X-ray data taken with the Einstein imaging proportional counter (IPC) permit a range of blackbody temperatures of 3-6 x 10 to the 5th K, and an equivalent column density of hydrogen smaller than 4 x 10 to the 20th/sq cm. If the assumption is made that the X-ray flux is thermal radiation from surface of the neutron star, then the pulsar must be at a distance smaller than 550 pc, consistent with the low dispersion measure of PSR 0656 + 14. The X-ray timing data suggest that the X-ray emission is modulated at the pulsar's 0.385-s spin period with an amplitude of 18 percent + or - 6 percent, and that there is a 0.0002 probability that this is spurious. It was noted that PSR 0656 + 14 is close to the geometric center of a 20-deg diameter soft X-ray emitting ring called the Gemini-Monoceros enhancement. The close distance of the pulsar, together with its relatively young age of 1.1 x 10 to the 5th yr, makes it possible that the ring is a supernova remnant from the explosion of the pulsar's progenitor. A radio source extending over a region 1.2 to 3.3 arcmin south of the pulsar is a candidate for association with the pulsar.

  15. Soft X-ray emission from the radio pulsar PSR 0656 + 14

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cordova, F.A.; Middleditch, J.; Hjellming, R.M.; Mason, K.O.

    1989-01-01

    A radio source with a flux density of a few mJy was found in the error region of the soft X-ray source E0656 + 14, and identified as the radio pulsar PSR 0656 + 14. The radio source has a steep, nonthermal spectrum and a high degree of linear (62%) and circular (19%) polarization. The X-ray spectrum of the pulsar is among the softest sources observed with the Einstein Observatory. The X-ray data taken with the Einstein imaging proportional counter (IPC) permit a range of blackbody temperatures of 3-6 x 10 to the 5th K, and an equivalent column density of hydrogen smaller than 4 x 10 to the 20th/sq cm. If the assumption is made that the X-ray flux is thermal radiation from surface of the neutron star, then the pulsar must be at a distance smaller than 550 pc, consistent with the low dispersion measure of PSR 0656 + 14. The X-ray timing data suggest that the X-ray emission is modulated at the pulsar's 0.385-s spin period with an amplitude of 18% + or - 6%, and that there is a 0.0002 probability that this is spurious. It was noted that PSR 0656 + 14 is close to the geometric center of a 20-deg diameter soft X-ray emitting ring called the Gemini-Monoceros enhancement. The close distance of the pulsar, together with its relatively young age of 1.1 x 10 to the 5th yr, makes it possible that the ring is a supernova remnant from the explosion of the pulsar's progenitor. A radio source extending over a region 1.2 to 3.3 arcmin south of the pulsar is a candidate for association with the pulsar. 46 refs

  16. OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCE HOLMBERG IX X-1 AND ITS STELLAR ENVIRONMENT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grise, F.; Kaaret, P.; Pakull, M. W.; Motch, C.

    2011-01-01

    Holmberg IX X-1 is an archetypal ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX). Here we study the properties of the optical counterpart and of its stellar environment using optical data from SUBARU/Faint Object Camera and Spectrograph, GEMINI/GMOS-N and Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Advanced Camera for Surveys, as well as simultaneous Chandra X-ray data. The V ∼ 22.6 spectroscopically identified optical counterpart is part of a loose cluster with an age ∼ sun . The counterpart is more luminous than the other stars of the association, suggesting a non-negligible optical contribution from the accretion disk. An observed UV excess also points to non-stellar light similar to X-ray active low-mass X-ray binaries. A broad He II λ4686 emission line identified in the optical spectrum of the ULX further suggests optical light from X-ray reprocessing in the accretion disk. Using stellar evolutionary tracks, we have constrained the mass of the counterpart to be ∼> 10 M sun , even if the accretion disk contributes significantly to the optical luminosity. Comparison of the photometric properties of the counterpart with binary models show that the donor may be more massive, ∼> 25 M sun , with the ULX system likely undergoing case AB mass transfer. Finally, the counterpart exhibits photometric variability of 0.14 mag between two HST observations separated by 50 days which could be due to ellipsoidal variations and/or disk reprocessing of variable X-ray emission.

  17. Proton-Induced X-Ray Emission Analysis of Crematorium Emissions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Salina; Nadareski, Benjamin; Yoskowitz, Joshua; Labrake, Scott; Vineyard, Michael

    2014-09-01

    There has been considerable debate in recent years about possible mercury emissions from crematoria due to amalgam tooth restorations. We have performed a proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis of aerosol and soil samples taken near the Vale Cemetery Crematorium in Schenectady, NY, to address this concern. The aerosol samples were collected on the roof of the crematorium using a nine-stage, cascade impactor that separates the particulate matter by aerodynamic diameter and deposits it onto thin Kapton foils. The soil samples were collected at several different distances from the crematorium and compressed into pellets with a hydraulic press. The Kapton foils containing the aerosol samples and the soil pellets were bombarded with 2.2-MeV protons from the 1.1-MV tandem Pelletron accelerator in the Union College Ion-Beam Analysis Laboratory. We measured significant concentrations of sulfur, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and iron, but essentially no mercury in the aerosol samples. The lower limit of detection for airborne mercury in this experiment was approximately 0.2 ng / m3. The PIXE analysis of the soil samples showed the presence of elements commonly found in soil (Si, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe), but no trace of mercury. There has been considerable debate in recent years about possible mercury emissions from crematoria due to amalgam tooth restorations. We have performed a proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis of aerosol and soil samples taken near the Vale Cemetery Crematorium in Schenectady, NY, to address this concern. The aerosol samples were collected on the roof of the crematorium using a nine-stage, cascade impactor that separates the particulate matter by aerodynamic diameter and deposits it onto thin Kapton foils. The soil samples were collected at several different distances from the crematorium and compressed into pellets with a hydraulic press. The Kapton foils containing the aerosol samples and the soil pellets were bombarded with 2.2-Me

  18. Optical and X-ray studies of Compact X-ray Binaries in NGC 5904

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhalotia, Vanshree; Beck-Winchatz, Bernhard

    2018-06-01

    Due to their high stellar densities, globular cluster systems trigger various dynamical interactions, such as the formation of compact X-ray binaries. Stellar collisional frequencies have been correlated to the number of X-ray sources detected in various clusters and we hope to measure this correlation for NGC 5904. Optical fluxes of sources from archival HST images of NGC 5904 have been measured using a DOLPHOT PSF photometry in the UV, optical and near-infrared. We developed a data analysis pipeline to process the fluxes of tens of thousands of objects using awk, python and DOLPHOT. We plot color magnitude diagrams in different photometric bands in order to identify outliers that could be X-ray binaries, since they do not evolve the same way as singular stars. Aligning previously measured astrometric data for X-ray sources in NGC 5904 from Chandra with archival astrometric data from HST will filter out the outlier objects that are not X-ray producing, and provide a sample of compact binary systems that are responsible for X-ray emission in NGC 5904. Furthermore, previously measured X-ray fluxes of NGC 5904 from Chandra have also been used to measure the X-ray to optical flux ratio and identify the types of compact X-ray binaries responsible for the X-ray emissions in NGC 5904. We gratefully acknowledge the support from the Illinois Space Grant Consortium.

  19. Comparative Analysis and Variability of the Jovian X-Ray Spectra Detected by the Chandra and XMM-Newton Observatories

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hui, Yawei [ORNL; Schultz, David Robert [ORNL; Kharchenko, Vasili A [ORNL; Bhardwaj, Anil [Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, Trivandrum, India; Branduardi-Raymont, Graziella [University College, London; Stancil, Phillip C. [University of Georgia, Athens, GA; Cravens, Thomas E. E. [University of Kansas; Lisse, Carey M. [Johns Hopkins University; Dalgarno, A. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

    2010-01-01

    Expanding upon recent work, a more comprehensive spectral model based on charge exchange induced X-ray emission by ions precipitating into the Jovian atmosphere is used to provide new understanding of the polar auroras. In conjunction with the Xspec spectral fitting software, the model is applied to analyze observations from both Chandra and XMM-Newton by systematically varying the initial precipitating ion parameters to obtain the best fit model for the observed spectra. In addition to the oxygen and sulfur ions considered previously, carbon is included to discriminate between solar wind and Jovian magnetospheric ion origins, enabled by the use of extensive databases of both atomic collision cross sections and radiative transitions. On the basis of fits to all the Chandra observations, we find that carbon contributes negligibly to the observed polar X-ray emission suggesting that the highly accelerated precipitating ions are of magnetospheric origin. Most of the XMM-Newton fits also favor this conclusion with one exception that implies a possible carbon contribution. Comparison among all the spectra from these two observatories in light of the inferred initial energies and relative abundances of precipitating ions from the modeling show that they are significantly variable in time (observation date) and space (north and south polar X-ray auroras).

  20. The Chaotic Long-term X-ray Variability of 4U 1705-44

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillipson, R. A.; Boyd, P. T.; Smale, A. P.

    2018-04-01

    The low-mass X-ray binary 4U1705-44 exhibits dramatic long-term X-ray time variability with a timescale of several hundred days. The All-Sky Monitor (ASM) aboard the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) and the Japanese Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) aboard the International Space Station together have continuously observed the source from December 1995 through May 2014. The combined ASM-MAXI data provide a continuous time series over fifty times the length of the timescale of interest. Topological analysis can help us identify 'fingerprints' in the phase-space of a system unique to its equations of motion. The Birman-Williams theorem postulates that if such fingerprints are the same between two systems, then their equations of motion must be closely related. The phase-space embedding of the source light curve shows a strong resemblance to the double-welled nonlinear Duffing oscillator. We explore a range of parameters for which the Duffing oscillator closely mirrors the time evolution of 4U1705-44. We extract low period, unstable periodic orbits from the 4U1705-44 and Duffing time series and compare their topological information. The Duffing and 4U1705-44 topological properties are identical, providing strong evidence that they share the same underlying template. This suggests that we can look to the Duffing equation to help guide the development of a physical model to describe the long-term X-ray variability of this and other similarly behaved X-ray binary systems.

  1. Radio Videos of Orion Protostars (with X-ray Colors!)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forbrich, Jan; Wolk, Scott; Menten, Karl; Reid, Mark; Osten, Rachel

    2013-07-01

    High-energy processes in Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) can be observed both in X-rays and in the centimetric radio wavelength range. While the past decade has brought a lot of progress in the field of X-ray observations of YSOs, (proto)stellar centimetric radio astronomy has only recently begun to catch up with the advent of the newly expanded Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA). The enhanced sensitivity is fundamentally improving our understanding of YSO radio properties by providing unprecedented sensitivity and thus spectral as well as temporal resolution. As a result, it is becoming easier to disentangle coronal-type nonthermal radio emission emanating from the immediate vicinity of YSOs from thermal emission on larger spatial scales, for example ionized material at the base of outflows. Of particular interest is the correlation of the by now relatively well-characterized X-ray flaring variability with the nonthermal radio variability. We present first results of multi-epoch simultaneous observations using Chandra and the JVLA, targeting the Orion Nebula Cluster and highlighting the capabilities of the JVLA for radio continuum observations of YSOs.

  2. Trace element analysis in liquids by proton induced x-ray emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deconninck, G.

    Proton induced x-ray emission (PIXE) from liquid has been developed for quantitative and simultaneous analysis of trace elements. Liquid drops and trickles are bombarded at atmospheric pressure, x-rays are detected in a non dispersive Si(Li) solid state detector. Absolute determinations are made by comparison with standard solutions. Detection limits in a 5 minutes run are in the ppm range for a single drop (0.05 ml). The application of this technique to the determination of trace elements in biological liquids is investigated (Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, in plant extracts, haemocyanine, albumins...). (author)

  3. X-ray interferometers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Franks, A.

    1980-01-01

    An improved type of amplitude-division x-ray interferometer is described. The wavelength at which the interferometer can operate is variable, allowing the instrument to be used to measure x-ray wavelength, and the angle of inclination is variable for sample investigation. (U.K.)

  4. Periodicities in the X-ray Emission from the Solar Corona: SphinX and SOXS Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steślicki, M.; Awasthi, A. K.; Gryciuk, M.; Jain, R.

    The structure and evolution of the solar magnetic field is driven by a magnetohydrodynamic dynamo operating in the solar interior, which induces various solar activities that exhibit periodic variations on different timescales. Therefore, probing the periodic nature of emission originating from the solar corona may provide insights of the convection-zone-photosphere-corona coupling processes. We present the study of the mid-range periodicities, between rotation period (˜27 days) and the Schwabe cycle period (˜11 yr), in the solar soft X-ray emission, based on the data obtained by two instruments: SphinX and SOXS in various energy bands.

  5. Accretion flow diagnostics with X-ray spectral timing: the hard state of SWIFT J1753.5-0127

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cassatella, P.; Uttley, P.; Maccarone, T.

    2012-01-01

    Recent XMM-Newton studies of X-ray variability in the hard states of black hole X-ray binaries (BHXRBs) indicate that the variability is generated in the ‘standard’ optically thick accretion disc that is responsible for the multi-colour blackbody emission. The variability originates in the disc as

  6. X-ray emission as a potential hazard during ultrashort pulse laser material processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Legall, Herbert; Schwanke, Christoph; Pentzien, Simone; Dittmar, Günter; Bonse, Jörn; Krüger, Jörg

    2018-06-01

    In laser machining with ultrashort laser pulses unwanted X-ray radiation in the keV range can be generated when a critical laser intensity is exceeded. Even if the emitted X-ray dose per pulse is low, high laser repetition rates can lead to an accumulation of X-ray doses beyond exposure safety limits. For 925 fs pulse duration at a center wavelength of 1030 nm, the X-ray emission was investigated up to an intensity of 2.6 × 1014 W/cm2. The experiments were performed in air with a thin disk laser at a repetition rate of 400 kHz. X-ray spectra and doses were measured for various planar target materials covering a wide range of the periodic table from aluminum to tungsten. Without radiation shielding, the measured radiation doses at this high repetition rate clearly exceed the regulatory limits. Estimations for an adequate radiation shielding are provided.

  7. Hard X-ray variability of V404 Cygni during the 2015 outburst

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez-Fernández, C.; Kajava, J. J. E.; Motta, S. E.; Kuulkers, E.

    2017-06-01

    Aims: Hard X-ray spectra of black hole binaries (BHB) are produced by Comptonization of soft seed photons by hot electrons near the black hole. The slope of the resulting energy spectra is governed by two main parameters: the electron temperature (Te) and optical depth (τ) of the emitting plasma. Given the extreme brightness of V404 Cyg during the 2015 outburst, we aim to constrain the source spectral properties using an unprecedented time resolution in hard X-rays, and to monitor the evolution of Te and τ over the outburst. Methods: We have extracted and analysed 602 X-ray spectra of V404 Cyg obtained by the IBIS/ISGRI instrument on-board INTEGRAL during the 2015 June outburst, using effective integration times ranging between 8 and 176 000 s. We fitted the resulting spectra in the 20-200 keV energy range. Results: We find that while the light curve and soft X-ray spectra of V404 Cyg are remarkably different from those of other BHBs, the spectral evolution of V404 Cyg in hard X-rays and the relations between the spectral parameters are consistent with those observed in other BHBs. We identify a hard branch in which the Te is anti-correlated with the hard X-ray flux, and a soft flaring branch in which the relation reverses. In addition, we find that during long X-ray plateaus detected at intermediate fluxes, the thermal Comptonization models fail to describe the spectra. However, the statistics improve if we allow NH to vary freely in the fits to these spectra. Conclusions: We conclude that the hard branch in V404 Cyg is analogous to the canonical hard state of BHBs. V404 Cyg never seems to enter the canonical soft state, although the soft flaring branch bears resemblance to the BHB intermediate state and ultra-luminous state. The X-ray plateaus are likely the result of absorption by a Compton-thick outflow (NH ≳ 1024 cm-2) which reduces the observed flux by a factor of about 10. Variable covering of the central source by this Compton-thick material may be the

  8. X-ray emission from a nanosecond-pulse discharge in an inhomogeneous electric field at atmospheric pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Cheng; Shao Tao; Ren Chengyan; Zhang Dongdong; Tarasenko, Victor; Kostyrya, Igor D.; Ma Hao; Yan Ping

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes experimental studies of the dependence of the X-ray intensity on the anode material in nanosecond high-voltage discharges. The discharges were generated by two nanosecond-pulse generators in atmospheric air with a highly inhomogeneous electric field by a tube-plate gap. The output pulse of the first generator (repetitive pulse generator) has a rise time of about 15 ns and a full width at half maximum of 30–40 ns. The output of the second generator (single pulse generator) has a rise time of about 0.3 ns and a full width at half maximum of 1 ns. The electrical characteristics and the X-ray emission of nanosecond-pulse discharge in atmospheric air are studied by the measurement of voltage-current waveforms, discharge images, X-ray count and dose. Our experimental results showed that the anode material rarely affects electrical characteristics, but it can significantly affect the X-ray density. Comparing the density of X-rays, it was shown that the highest x-rays density occurred in the diffuse discharge in repetitive pulse mode, then the spark discharge with a small air gap, and then the corona discharge with a large air gap, in which the X-ray density was the lowest. Therefore, it could be confirmed that the bremsstrahlung at the anode contributes to the X-ray emission from nanosecond-pulse discharges.

  9. X-ray emission from reverse-shocked ejecta in supernova remnants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cioffi, Denis F.; Mckee, Christopher F.

    1990-01-01

    A simple physical model of the dynamics of a young supernova remnant is used to derive a straightforward kinematical description of the reverse shock. With suitable approximations, formulae can then be developed to give the X-ray emission of the reverse-shocked ejecta. The results are found to agree favorably with observations of SN1006.

  10. Miniature x-ray point source for alignment and calibration of x-ray optics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Price, R.H.; Boyle, M.J.; Glaros, S.S.

    1977-01-01

    A miniature x-ray point source of high brightness similar to that of Rovinsky, et al. is described. One version of the x-ray source is used to align the x-ray optics on the Argus and Shiva laser systems. A second version is used to determine the spatial and spectral transmission functions of the x-ray optics. The spatial and spectral characteristics of the x-ray emission from the x-ray point source are described. The physical constraints including size, intensity and thermal limitations, and useful lifetime are discussed. The alignment and calibration techniques for various x-ray optics and detector combinations are described

  11. Measurement of anisotropic soft X-ray emission during radio-frequency current drive in the JFT-2M tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawashima, Hisato; Matoba, Tohru; Hoshino, Katsumichi; Kawakami, Tomohide; Yamamoto, Takumi; Hasegawa, Mitsuru; Fuchs, Gerhard; Uesugi, Yoshihiko.

    1994-01-01

    A new vertical soft X-ray pulse height analyzer (PHA) system and a tangential PHA system were used to measure the anisotropy of soft X-ray emission during lower-hybrid current drive (LHCD) and also during current drive by the combination of LHCD and electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) in the JFT-2M tokamak. The strong soft X-ray emission was measured in the parallel forward direction during LHCD. When ECRH was applied during LHCD, the perpendicular emission was enhanced. The high-energy electron velocity distribution was evaluated by comparing the measured and calculated X-ray spectra. The distribution form was consistent with the theoretical prediction based on the electron Landau damping of lower-hybrid waves and the electron cyclotron damping of electron cyclotron waves for reasonable energy ranges. (author)

  12. The MEXSAS2 Sample and the Ensemble X-ray Variability of Quasars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberto Serafinelli

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available We present the second Multi-Epoch X-ray Serendipitous AGN Sample (MEXSAS2, extracted from the 6th release of the XMM Serendipitous Source Catalog (XMMSSC-DR6, cross-matched with Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasar Catalogs DR7Q and DR12Q. Our sample also includes the available measurements for masses, bolometric luminosities, and Eddington ratios. Analyses of the ensemble structure function and spectral variability are presented, together with their dependences on such parameters. We confirm a decrease of the structure function with the X-ray luminosity, and find a weak dependence on the black hole mass. We introduce a new spectral variability estimator, taking errors on both fluxes and spectral indices into account. We confirm an ensemble softer when brighter trend, with no dependence of such estimator on black hole mass, Eddington ratio, redshift, X-ray and bolometric luminosity.

  13. Effects of electron scattering on the oscillations of an X-ray source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kylafis, N.D.; Klimis, G.S.

    1987-01-01

    The time variability observed at infinity due to a variable point source at the center of a spherical cloud of radius R and optical depth to electron scattering tau is analytically determined. The emissin pattern of the source and its time variability are assumed to be of the following three forms: (1) isotropic emission with intensity varying sinusoidally in time with angular frequency Omega(L), (2) emission in the form of a delta-function beam rotating with angular frequency Omega(R) about a fixed axis and with intensity constant in time, and (3) emission in the form of a delta-function beam rotating with angular frequency Omega(R) about a fixed axis and with intensity varying sinusoidally in time with angular frequency Omega(L). More complicated source emissions and variabilities are studied by superposing the above forms. The results of our calculations reveal the conditions under which quasi-periodic oscillations can be observed from X-ray sources, while periodic oscillations are completely smeared out. Furthermore, these results can be used to study the X-ray oscillations of such sources as Her X-1, Cyg X-3, and the Vela pulsar, which are believed to be embedded in scattering clouds. 35 references

  14. Is low-energy-ion bombardment generated X-ray emission a secondary mutational source to ion-beam-induced genetic mutation?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thongkumkoon, P. [Plasma and Beam Physics Research Facility, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics, Commission on Higher Education, 328 Si Ayutthaya Road, Bangkok 10400 (Thailand); Prakrajang, K. [Plasma and Beam Physics Research Facility, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Faculty of Science, Maejo University, Chiang Mai 50290 (Thailand); Thopan, P.; Yaopromsiri, C. [Plasma and Beam Physics Research Facility, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Suwannakachorn, D. [Plasma and Beam Physics Research Facility, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics, Commission on Higher Education, 328 Si Ayutthaya Road, Bangkok 10400 (Thailand); Yu, L.D., E-mail: yuld@fnrf.science.cmu.ac.th [Plasma and Beam Physics Research Facility, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics, Commission on Higher Education, 328 Si Ayutthaya Road, Bangkok 10400 (Thailand)

    2013-07-15

    Highlights: ► Detected X-ray emission from metal, plastic and biological samples. ► Characteristic X-ray emission was detected from metal but not from non-metals. ► Low-energy ion bombarded bacteria held in different sample holders. ► Bacteria held in metal holder had higher mutation rate than in plastic holder. ► Ion-beam-induced X-ray from biological sample is not a basic mutation source. -- Abstract: Low-energy ion beam biotechnology has achieved tremendous successes in inducing crop mutation and gene transfer. However, mechanisms involved in the related processes are not yet well understood. In ion-beam-induced mutation, ion-bombardment-produced X-ray has been proposed to be one of the secondary mutation sources, but the speculation has not yet been experimentally tested. We carried out this investigation to test whether the low-energy ion-beam-produced X-ray was a source of ion-beam-induced mutation. In the investigation, X-ray emission from 29-keV nitrogen- or argon- ion beam bombarded bacterial Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells held in a metal or plastic sample holder was in situ detected using a highly sensitive X-ray detector. The ion beam bombarded bacterial cells held in different material holders were observed for mutation induction. The results led to a conclusion that secondary X-ray emitted from ion-beam-bombarded biological living materials themselves was not a, or at least a negligible, mutational source, but the ion-beam-induced X-ray emission from the metal that made the sample holder could be a source of mutation.

  15. Is low-energy-ion bombardment generated X-ray emission a secondary mutational source to ion-beam-induced genetic mutation?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thongkumkoon, P.; Prakrajang, K.; Thopan, P.; Yaopromsiri, C.; Suwannakachorn, D.; Yu, L.D.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Detected X-ray emission from metal, plastic and biological samples. ► Characteristic X-ray emission was detected from metal but not from non-metals. ► Low-energy ion bombarded bacteria held in different sample holders. ► Bacteria held in metal holder had higher mutation rate than in plastic holder. ► Ion-beam-induced X-ray from biological sample is not a basic mutation source. -- Abstract: Low-energy ion beam biotechnology has achieved tremendous successes in inducing crop mutation and gene transfer. However, mechanisms involved in the related processes are not yet well understood. In ion-beam-induced mutation, ion-bombardment-produced X-ray has been proposed to be one of the secondary mutation sources, but the speculation has not yet been experimentally tested. We carried out this investigation to test whether the low-energy ion-beam-produced X-ray was a source of ion-beam-induced mutation. In the investigation, X-ray emission from 29-keV nitrogen- or argon- ion beam bombarded bacterial Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells held in a metal or plastic sample holder was in situ detected using a highly sensitive X-ray detector. The ion beam bombarded bacterial cells held in different material holders were observed for mutation induction. The results led to a conclusion that secondary X-ray emitted from ion-beam-bombarded biological living materials themselves was not a, or at least a negligible, mutational source, but the ion-beam-induced X-ray emission from the metal that made the sample holder could be a source of mutation

  16. Multielement analysis of minerals from Madagascar by X-ray emission induced by protons and gamma rays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rakotoarisoa, C.

    1990-12-01

    This study is a part of a large multidisciplinary program for the study of soil formation in the south east of Madagascar near the uranothorianite deposit of Tranomaro explaining the particular interest for rare earths, uranium and thorium. X-ray emission principles and physical processes of a X-ray spectra are briefly recalled. The choice of analysis method depends upon sensitivity simplicity and rapidity. Experimental techniques are described and results obtained are discussed. Methods used for qualitative and quantitative interpretation of spectra are exposed. In conclusion performance and limits of the method are examined [fr

  17. X-RAY EMISSION FROM SUPERNOVAE IN DENSE CIRCUMSTELLAR MATTER ENVIRONMENTS: A SEARCH FOR COLLISIONLESS SHOCKS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ofek, E. O.; Gal-Yam, A.; Yaron, O.; Arcavi, I.; Fox, D.; Cenko, S. B.; Filippenko, A. V.; Bloom, J. S.; Sullivan, M.; Gnat, O.; Frail, D. A.; Horesh, A.; Kulkarni, S. R.; Corsi, A.; Quimby, R. M.; Gehrels, N.; Nugent, P. E.; Kasliwal, M. M.; Bildsten, L.; Poznanski, D.

    2013-01-01

    The optical light curve of some supernovae (SNe) may be powered by the outward diffusion of the energy deposited by the explosion shock (the so-called shock breakout) in optically thick (τ ∼> 30) circumstellar matter (CSM). Recently, it was shown that the radiation-mediated and radiation-dominated shock in an optically thick wind must transform into a collisionless shock and can produce hard X-rays. The X-rays are expected to peak at late times, relative to maximum visible light. Here we report on a search, using Swift/XRT and Chandra, for X-ray emission from 28 SNe that belong to classes whose progenitors are suspected to be embedded in dense CSM. Our sample includes 19 Type IIn SNe, one Type Ibn SN, and eight hydrogen-poor superluminous SNe (SLSN-I such as SN 2005ap). Two SNe (SN 2006jc and SN 2010jl) have X-ray properties that are roughly consistent with the expectation for X-rays from a collisionless shock in optically thick CSM. However, the X-ray emission from SN 2006jc can also be explained as originating in an optically thin region. Thus, we propose that the optical light curve of SN 2010jl is powered by shock breakout in CSM. We suggest that two other events (SN 2010al and SN 2011ht) were too X-ray bright during the SN maximum optical light to be explained by the shock-breakout model. We conclude that the light curves of some, but not all, SNe IIn/Ibn are powered by shock breakout in CSM. For the rest of the SNe in our sample, including all of the SLSN-I events, our X-ray limits are not deep enough and were typically obtained too early (i.e., near the SN maximum light) for definitive conclusions about their nature. Late-time X-ray observations are required in order to further test whether these SNe are indeed embedded in dense CSM. We review the conditions required for a shock breakout in a wind profile. We argue that the timescale, relative to maximum light, for the SN to peak in X-rays is a probe of the column density and the density profile above the

  18. CHANDRA CHARACTERIZATION OF X-RAY EMISSION IN THE YOUNG F-STAR BINARY SYSTEM HD 113766

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lisse, C. M.; Christian, D. J.; Wolk, S. J.; Günther, H. M.; Chen, C. H.; Grady, C. A.

    2017-01-01

    Using Chandra , we have obtained imaging X-ray spectroscopy of the 10–16 Myr old F-star binary HD 113766. We individually resolve the 1.″4 separation binary components for the first time in the X-ray and find a total 0.3–2.0 keV luminosity of 2.2 × 10 29 erg s −1 , consistent with previous RASS estimates. We find emission from the easternmost, infrared-bright, dusty member HD 113766A to be only ∼10% that of the western, infrared-faint member HD 113766B. There is no evidence for a 3rd late-type stellar or substellar member of HD 113766 with L x  > 6 × 10 25 erg s −1 within 2′ of the binary pair. The ratio of the two stars’ X-ray luminosity is consistent with their assignments as F2V and F6V by Pecaut et al. The emission is soft for both stars, kT Apec  = 0.30–0.50 keV, suggesting X-rays produced by stellar rotation and/or convection in young dynamos, but not accretion or outflow shocks, which we rule out. A possible 2.8 ± 0.15 (2 σ ) hr modulation in the HD 113766B X-ray emission is seen, but at very low confidence and of unknown provenance. Stellar wind drag models corresponding to L x  ∼ 2 × 10 29 erg s −1 argue for a 1 mm dust particle lifetime around HD 113766B of only ∼90,0000 years, suggesting that dust around HD 113766B is quickly removed, whereas 1 mm sized dust around HD 113766A can survive for >1.5 × 10 6 years. At 10 28 –10 29 erg s −1 X-ray luminosity, astrobiologically important effects, like dust warming and X-ray photolytic organic synthesis, are likely for any circumstellar material in the HD 113766 systems.

  19. Relation between X-Ray and γ-Ray Emissions for Fermi Blazars ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Abstract. Using γ-ray band data detected by Fermi Large Area Tele- scope (LAT) and X-ray band data for 78 blazars, we find a medium cor- relation between X-ray and γ-ray fluxes in the average state. A medium anticorrelation is also found between X-ray (1 KeV) mean spectral index αx and γ-ray mean spectral index αγ for ...

  20. Picosecond x-ray streak camera studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kasyanov, Yu.S.; Malyutin, A.A.; Richardson, M.C.; Chevokin, V.K.

    1975-01-01

    Some initial results of direct measurement of picosecond x-ray emission from laser-produced plasmas are presented. A PIM-UMI 93 image converter tube, incorporating an x-ray sensitive photocathode, linear deflection, and three stages of image amplification was used to analyse the x-ray radiation emanating from plasmas produced from solid Ti targets by single high-intensity picosecond laser pulses. From such plasmas, the x-ray emission typically persisted for times of 60psec. However, it is shown that this detection system should be capable of resolving x-ray phenomena of much shorter duration. (author)

  1. Plasma Emission Profile Recreation using Soft X-Ray Tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Page, J. W.; Mauel, M. E.; Levesque, J. P.

    2015-11-01

    With sufficient views from multiple diode arrays, soft X-ray tomography is an invaluable plasma diagnostic because it is a non-perturbing method to reconstruct the emission within the interior of the plasma. In preparation for the installation of new SXR arrays in HBT-EP, we compute high-resolution tomographic reconstructions of discharges having kink-like structures that rotate nearly rigidly. By assuming a uniform angular mapping from the kink mode rotation, Δϕ ~ ωΔ t, a temporal sequence from a single 16-diode fan array represents as many as 16 x 100 independent views. We follow the procedure described by Wang and Granetz and use Bessel basis functions to take the inverse Radon transform. This transform is fit to our data using a least-squares method to estimate the internal SXR emissivity as a sum of polar functions. By varying different parameters of the transformation, we optimize the quality of our recreation of the emission profile and quantify how the reconstruction changes with the azimuthal order of the transform. Supported by U.S. DOE Grant DE-FG02-86ER53222.

  2. The application of proton induced X-ray emission in criminalistics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Zhenyuan; Xie Shuxian

    1993-01-01

    The determination method of trace elements in high pure gold by proton induced X-ray emission is reported. The target preparation, design of physical experiment, data proceeding and the analysis of gold samples by the internal standard of single-standard are discussed. Using this determination method, the identification of a sample of high pure gold is performed

  3. Where is the X-ray emission coming from in RT Cru Symbiotic System?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karovska, Margarita

    2014-11-01

    RT Cru is a member of a new sub-class of symbiotic interacting binaries with copious hard X-ray emission. It consists of a high-mass WD (>1.3 Ms) accreting from the wind of an M giant, and it is an important system to study in order to constrain precursor conditions for asymmetric PN and SN Ia. The Chandra HRC-I observation (Dec 2012), and an overlapping Swift observation, detected intermittent soft X-ray flaring, and we find evidence for a significant soft component in the spectrum. The flaring could be a consequence of clumped absorption columns moving in and out of the line of sight, or the variations could be due to changes at the accretion boundary layer. Further observations are needed to determine the origin of the soft emission and its relation to the hard emission.

  4. X-ray survey of the Pleiades: dependence of X-ray luminosity on stellar age

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Micela, G.; Sciortino, S.; Serio, S.; Vaiana, G.S.; Golub, L.; Harnden, F.R.; Rosner, R.

    1984-01-01

    The study of X-ray emission of stellar clusters, allows to decouple the influence of some individual stellar parameters, as initial conditions, composition and age, on the stellar X-ray function. The authors report preliminary results from an Einstein X-ray survey of the Pleiades. (Auth.)

  5. Einstein X-ray observations of Herbig Ae/Be stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Damiani, F.; Micela, G.; Sciortino, S.; Harnden, F. R., Jr.

    1994-01-01

    We have investigated the X-ray emission from Herbig Ae/Be stars, using the full set of Einstein Imaging Proportional Counter (IPC) observations. Of a total of 31 observed Herbig stars, 11 are confidently identified with X-ray sources, with four additonal dubious identifications. We have used maximum likelihood luminosity functions to study the distribution of X-ray luminosity, and we find that Be stars are significantly brighter in X-rays than Ae stars and that their X-ray luminosity is independent of projected rotational velocity v sin i. The X-ray emission is instead correlated with stellar bolometric luminosity and with effective temperature, and also with the kinetic luminosity of the stellar wind. These results seem to exclude a solar-like origin for the X-ray emission, a possibility suggested by the most recent models of Herbig stars' structure, and suggest an analogy with the X-ray emission of O (and early B) stars. We also observe correlations between X-ray luminosity and the emission at 2.2 microns (K band) and 25 microns, which strengthen the case for X-ray emission of Herbig stars originating in their circumstellar envelopes.

  6. X-ray emission from plasmas created by smoothed KrF laser irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aglitskiy, Y.; Lehecka, T.; Deniz, A.; Hardgrove, J.; Seely, J.; Brown, C.; Feldman, U.; Pawley, C.; Gerber, K.; Bodner, S.; Obenschain, S.; Lehmberg, R.; McLean, E.; Pronko, M.; Sethian, J.; Stamper, J.; Schmitt, A.; Sullivan, C.; Holland, G.; Laming, M.

    1996-01-01

    The x-ray emission from plasmas created by the Naval Research Laboratory Nike KrF laser [Phys. Plasmas 3, 2098 (1996) ] was characterized using imaging and spectroscopic instruments. The laser wavelength was 1/4 μm, and the beams were smoothed by induced spatial incoherence (ISI). The targets were thin foils of CH, aluminum, titanium, and cobalt and were irradiated by laser energies in the range 100 endash 1500 J. A multilayer mirror microscope operating at an energy of 95 eV recorded images of the plasma with a spatial resolution of 2 μm. The variation of the 95 eV emission across the 800 μm focal spot was 1.3% rms. Using a curved crystal imager operating in the 1 endash 2 keV x-ray region, the density, temperature, and opacity of aluminum plasmas were determined with a spatial resolution of 10 μm perpendicular to the target surface. The spectral line ratios indicated that the aluminum plasmas were relatively dense, cool, and optically thick near the target surface. The absolute radiation flux was determined at 95 eV and in x-ray bandpasses covering the 1 endash 8 keV region. The electron temperature inferred from the slope of the x-ray flux versus energy data in the 5 endash 8 keV region was 900 eV for an incident laser energy of 200 J and an intensity of ≅10 13 W/cm 2

  7. CORRELATION OF HARD X-RAY AND WHITE LIGHT EMISSION IN SOLAR FLARES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuhar, Matej; Krucker, Säm; Battaglia, Marina; Kleint, Lucia; Casadei, Diego [University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Bahnhofstrasse 6, 5210 Windisch (Switzerland); Oliveros, Juan Carlos Martinez; Hudson, Hugh S. [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7450 (United States)

    2016-01-01

    A statistical study of the correlation between hard X-ray and white light emission in solar flares is performed in order to search for a link between flare-accelerated electrons and white light formation. We analyze 43 flares spanning GOES classes M and X using observations from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager. We calculate X-ray fluxes at 30 keV and white light fluxes at 6173 Å summed over the hard X-ray flare ribbons with an integration time of 45 s around the peak hard-X ray time. We find a good correlation between hard X-ray fluxes and excess white light fluxes, with a highest correlation coefficient of 0.68 for photons with energy of 30 keV. Assuming the thick target model, a similar correlation is found between the deposited power by flare-accelerated electrons and the white light fluxes. The correlation coefficient is found to be largest for energy deposition by electrons above ∼50 keV. At higher electron energies the correlation decreases gradually while a rapid decrease is seen if the energy provided by low-energy electrons is added. This suggests that flare-accelerated electrons of energy ∼50 keV are the main source for white light production.

  8. Development of a multi-lane X-ray mirror providing variable beam sizes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Laundy, D., E-mail: david.laundy@diamond.ac.uk; Sawhney, K.; Nistea, I.; Alcock, S. G.; Pape, I.; Sutter, J.; Alianelli, L.; Evans, G. [Diamond Light Source Ltd., Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE (United Kingdom)

    2016-05-15

    Grazing incidence mirrors are used on most X-ray synchrotron beamlines to focus, collimate or suppress harmonics. Increasingly beamline users are demanding variable beam shapes and sizes at the sample position. We have now developed a new concept to rapidly vary the beam size and shape of a focused X-ray beam. The surface of an elliptically figured mirror is divided into a number of laterally separated lanes, each of which is given an additional longitudinal height profile calculated to shape the X-ray beam to a top-hat profile in the focal plane. We have now fabricated two prototype mirrors and present the results of metrology tests and measurements made with one of the mirrors focusing the X-rays on a synchrotron beamline. We envisage that such mirrors could be widely applied to rapid beam-size switching on many synchrotron beamlines.

  9. Hard X ray lines from neutron stars

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Polcaro, V.F.; Bazzano, A.; La Padula, C.; Ubertini, P.

    1982-01-01

    Experimental evidence is presented and evaluated concerning the features of the hard X-ray spectra detected in a number of cosmic X-ray sources which contain a neutron star. The strong emission line at cyclotron resonance detected in the spectrum of Her XI at an energy of 58 keV is evaluated and the implications of this finding are discussed. Also examined is the presence of spectral features in the energy range 20-80 keV found in the spectra of gamma-ray bursts, which have been interpreted as cyclotron resonance from interstellar-gas-accreting neutron stars. The less understood finding of a variable emission line at approximately 70 keV in the spectrum of the Crab Pulsar is considered. It is determined that several features varying with time are present in the spectra of cosmic X-ray sources associated with neutron stars. If these features are due to cyclotron resonance, it is suggested that they provide a direct measurement of neutron star magnetic fields on the order of 10 to the 11th-10 to the 13th Gauss. However, the physical condition of the emitting region and its geometry are still quite obscure.

  10. A LINK BETWEEN X-RAY EMISSION LINES AND RADIO JETS IN 4U 1630-47?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neilsen, Joseph [Department of Astronomy, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Coriat, Mickaël [Department of Astronomy, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701 (South Africa); Fender, Rob; Broderick, Jess W. [Department of Physics, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3RH (United Kingdom); Lee, Julia C. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Ponti, Gabriele [Max Planck Institute fur Extraterrestriche Physik, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Tzioumis, Anastasios K.; Edwards, Philip G., E-mail: neilsenj@bu.edu [CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, Australia Telescope National Facility, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710 (Australia)

    2014-03-20

    Recently, Díaz Trigo et al. reported an XMM-Newton detection of relativistically Doppler-shifted emission lines associated with steep-spectrum radio emission in the stellar-mass black hole candidate 4U 1630-47 during its 2012 outburst. They interpreted these lines as indicative of a baryonic jet launched by the accretion disk. Here we present a search for the same lines earlier in the same outburst using high-resolution X-ray spectra from the Chandra HETGS. While our observations (eight months prior to the XMM-Newton campaign) also coincide with detections of steep spectrum radio emission by the Australia Telescope Compact Array, we find no evidence for any relativistic X-ray emission lines. Indeed, despite ∼5 × brighter radio emission, our Chandra spectra allow us to place an upper limit on the flux in the blueshifted Fe XXVI line that is ≳ 20 × weaker than the line observed by Díaz Trigo et al. We explore several scenarios that could explain our differing results, including variations in the geometry of the jet or a mass-loading process or jet baryon content that evolves with the accretion state of the black hole. We also consider the possibility that the radio emission arises in an interaction between a jet and the nearby interstellar medium, in which case the X-ray emission lines might be unrelated to the radio emission.

  11. A LINK BETWEEN X-RAY EMISSION LINES AND RADIO JETS IN 4U 1630-47?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neilsen, Joseph; Coriat, Mickaël; Fender, Rob; Broderick, Jess W.; Lee, Julia C.; Ponti, Gabriele; Tzioumis, Anastasios K.; Edwards, Philip G.

    2014-01-01

    Recently, Díaz Trigo et al. reported an XMM-Newton detection of relativistically Doppler-shifted emission lines associated with steep-spectrum radio emission in the stellar-mass black hole candidate 4U 1630-47 during its 2012 outburst. They interpreted these lines as indicative of a baryonic jet launched by the accretion disk. Here we present a search for the same lines earlier in the same outburst using high-resolution X-ray spectra from the Chandra HETGS. While our observations (eight months prior to the XMM-Newton campaign) also coincide with detections of steep spectrum radio emission by the Australia Telescope Compact Array, we find no evidence for any relativistic X-ray emission lines. Indeed, despite ∼5 × brighter radio emission, our Chandra spectra allow us to place an upper limit on the flux in the blueshifted Fe XXVI line that is ≳ 20 × weaker than the line observed by Díaz Trigo et al. We explore several scenarios that could explain our differing results, including variations in the geometry of the jet or a mass-loading process or jet baryon content that evolves with the accretion state of the black hole. We also consider the possibility that the radio emission arises in an interaction between a jet and the nearby interstellar medium, in which case the X-ray emission lines might be unrelated to the radio emission

  12. X-ray generation by femtosecond laser pulses and its application to soft X-ray imaging microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ikeda, Kenichi; Kotaki, Hideyuki; Nakajima, Kazuhisa

    2002-01-01

    We have developed laser-produced plasma X-ray sources using femtosecond laser pulses at 10Hz repetition rate in a table-top size in order to investigate basic mechanism of X-ray emission from laser-matter interactions and its application to a X-ray microscope. In a soft X-ray region over 5 nm wavelength, laser-plasma X-ray emission from a solid target achieved an intense flux of photons of the order of 1011 photons/rad per pulse with duration of a few 100 ps, which is intense enough to make a clear imaging in a short time exposure. As an application of laser-produced plasma X-ray source, we have developed a soft X-ray imaging microscope operating in the wavelength range around 14 nm. The microscope consists of a cylindrically ellipsoidal condenser mirror and a Schwarzshird objective mirror with highly-reflective multilayers. We report preliminary results of performance tests of the soft X-ray imaging microscope with a compact laser-produced plasma X-ray source

  13. A SUZAKU SEARCH FOR NONTHERMAL EMISSION AT HARD X-RAY ENERGIES IN THE COMA CLUSTER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wik, Daniel R.; Sarazin, Craig L.; Finoguenov, Alexis; Matsushita, Kyoko; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Clarke, Tracy E.

    2009-01-01

    The brightest cluster radio halo known resides in the Coma cluster of galaxies. The relativistic electrons producing this diffuse synchrotron emission should also produce inverse Compton emission that becomes competitive with thermal emission from the intracluster medium (ICM) at hard X-ray energies. Thus far, claimed detections of this emission in Coma are controversial. We present a Suzaku HXD-PIN observation of the Coma cluster in order to nail down its nonthermal hard X-ray content. The contribution of thermal emission to the HXD-PIN spectrum is constrained by simultaneously fitting thermal and nonthermal models to it and a spatially equivalent spectrum derived from an XMM-Newton mosaic of the Coma field. We fail to find statistically significant evidence for nonthermal emission in the spectra which are better described by only a single- or multitemperature model for the ICM. Including systematic uncertainties, we derive a 90% upper limit on the flux of nonthermal emission of 6.0 x 10 -12 erg s -1 cm -2 (20-80 keV, for Γ = 2.0), which implies a lower limit on the cluster-averaged magnetic field of B>0.15 μG. Our flux upper limit is 2.5 times lower than the detected nonthermal flux from RXTE and BeppoSAX. However, if the nonthermal hard X-ray emission in Coma is more spatially extended than the observed radio halo, the Suzaku HXD-PIN may miss some fraction of the emission. A detailed investigation indicates that ∼50%-67% of the emission might go undetected, which could make our limit consistent with that of Rephaeli and Gruber and Fusco-Femiano et al. The thermal interpretation of the hard Coma spectrum is consistent with recent analyses of INTEGRAL and Swift data.

  14. A Link Between X-ray Emission Lines and Radio Jets in 4U 1630-47?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neilsen, Joseph; Coriat, Mickaël; Fender, Rob; Lee, Julia C.; Ponti, Gabriele; Tzioumis, A.; Edwards, Phillip; Broderick, Jess

    2014-06-01

    Recently, Díaz Trigo et al. reported an XMM-Newton detection of relativistically Doppler-shifted emission lines associated with steep-spectrum radio emission in the stellar-mass black hole candidate 4U 1630-47 during its 2012 outburst. They interpreted these lines as indicative of a baryonic jet launched by the accretion disk. We present a search for the same lines earlier in the same outburst using high-resolution X-ray spectra from the Chandra HETGS. While our observations (eight months prior to the XMM-Newton campaign) also coincide with detections of steep spectrum radio emission by the Australia Telescope Compact Array, we find a strong disk wind but no evidence for any relativistic X-ray emission lines. Indeed, despite ˜5× brighter radio emission, our Chandra spectra allow us to place an upper limit on the flux in the blueshifted Fe XXVI line that is ˜20× weaker than the line observed by Díaz Trigo et al. Thus we can conclusively say that radio emission is not universally associated with relativistically Doppler-shifted emission lines in 4U 1630-47. We explore several scenarios that could explain our differing results, including variations in the geometry of the jet or a mass-loading process or jet baryon content that evolves with the accretion state of the black hole. We also consider the possibility that the radio emission arises in an interaction between a jet and the nearby ISM, in which case the X-ray emission lines might be unrelated to the radio emission.

  15. Radio and X-Ray Observations of the 1998 Outburst of the Recurrent X-Ray Transient 4U 1630-47

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hjellming, R. M.; Rupen, M. P.; Mioduszewski, A. J.; Kuulkers, E.; McCollough, M.; Harmon, B. A.; Buxton, M.; Sood, R.; Tzioumis, A.; Rayner, D.; Dieters, S.; Durouchoux, P.

    1999-03-01

    We report radio (NRAO VLA and Australia Telescope Compact Array), soft X-ray (Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer ASM), and hard X-ray (Compton Gamma Ray Observatory BATSE) observations of a 1998 outburst in the recurring X-ray transient 4U 1630-47, where radio emission was detected for the first time. The radio observations identify the position of 4U 1630-47 to within 1". Because the radio emission is optically thin with a spectral index of ~-0.8 during the rise, peak, and decay of the initial radio event, the emission is probably coming from an optically thin radio jet ejected over a period of time. The 20-100 keV emission first appeared 1998 January 28 (MJD 50841), the 2-12 keV emission first appeared 1998 February 3 (MJD 50847), and the first radio emission was detected 1998 February 12.6 (MJD 50856.6). The rise of the radio emission probably began about 1998 February 7 (MJD 50851) when the X-rays were in a very hard fluctuating-hardness state, just before changing to a softer, more stable hardness state.

  16. Revising the Local Bubble Model due to Solar Wind Charge Exchange X-ray Emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shelton, Robin L.

    2009-03-01

    The hot Local Bubble surrounding the solar neighborhood has been primarily studied through observations of its soft X-ray emission. The measurements were obtained by attributing all of the observed local soft X-rays to the bubble. However, mounting evidence shows that the heliosphere also produces diffuse X-rays. The source is solar wind ions that have received an electron from another atom. The presence of this alternate explanation for locally produced diffuse X-rays calls into question the existence and character of the Local Bubble. This article addresses these questions. It reviews the literature on solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) X-ray production, finding that SWCX accounts for roughly half of the observed local 1/4 keV X-rays found at low latitudes. This article also makes predictions for the heliospheric O VI column density and intensity, finding them to be smaller than the observational error bars. Evidence for the continued belief that the Local Bubble contains hot gas includes the remaining local 1/4 keV intensity, the observed local O VI column density, and the need to fill the local region with some sort of plasma. If the true Local Bubble is half as bright as previously thought, then its electron density and thermal pressure are 1/sqrt{2} as great as previously thought, and its energy requirements and emission measure are 1/2 as great as previously thought. These adjustments can be accommodated easily, and, in fact, bring the Local Bubble’s pressure more in line with that of the adjacent material. Suggestions for future work are made.

  17. Determination of impurities in silicon nitride by particle induced x-ray emission analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyagawa, Yoshiko; Saito, Kazuo; Niwa, Hiroaki; Ishizuka, Toshio; Miyagawa, Soji

    1985-01-01

    A method is presented for quantitative particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis of impurities in the thick samples of silicon nitride. In the analysis of ceramic materials such as silicon nitride, chemical treatments are required to prepare thin enough samples. However, the chemical treatments are undesirable for the PIXE analysis, because another complications are brought about. Our method does not need any chemical treatments and thick samples can be subjected to the measurements. The determination of impurities were made by on-line use of a personal computer in which standard X-ray intensity data were stored. The method and procedures are as follows: After subtracting a buckground spectrum from an observed PIXE spectrum, the resultant peaks are assigned to individual elements. Then, in order to determine the contents of the impurities, the intensity of each peak is compared with a Gaussian curve which is generated from the standard X-ray intensity data. The latter data were determined theoretically. The results were in satisfactory agreement with those obtained by ICP emission spectrometry. (author)

  18. Temporal feature of X-ray laser plasma observed from 3ω0/2, 2ω0 harmonic emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Wenhong; Mei Qiyong; Zhao Xuewei; Chen Yuting; Chunyu Shutai

    1995-01-01

    Temporal feature of X-ray laser plasma density was observed from 3ω 0 /2, 2ω 0 harmonic emission in the experiments. The temporal feature of 3ω 0 /2 harmonic emission of the germanium film is much different from that of the slab germanium target. The production of x-ray laser is closely related to 3ω 0 /2 harmonic emission in the slab germanium targets

  19. Time correlation between plasma behaviour and soft x-ray emission in a plasma focus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirano, Katsumi; Tagaya, Yutaka; Shimoda, Katsuji; Okabe, Yushiro; Yamamoto, Toshikazu

    1986-01-01

    Soft X-rays emitted from a plasma focus are investigated experimentally. In contrast to single-pulsive burst of neutron, hard X-rays, ion- and electron beams, the soft X-rays are observed from the collapse phase to the decay phase of the plasma column, and have typically three successive peaks in its signal. Each peak corresponds to the maximum compression, the disruption and the decay phase of plasma column. It is revealed that the first and the second peaks are radiated by plasma itself, whereas the third peak is caused by emission from the inner electrode face. (author)

  20. Simultaneous Chandra and VLA Observations of the Transitional Millisecond Pulsar PSR J1023+0038: Anti-correlated X-Ray and Radio Variability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogdanov, Slavko; Deller, Adam T.; Miller-Jones, James C. A.; Archibald, Anne M.; Hessels, Jason W. T.; Jaodand, Amruta; Patruno, Alessandro; Bassa, Cees; D’Angelo, Caroline

    2018-03-01

    We present coordinated Chandra X-ray Observatory and Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array observations of the transitional millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038 in its low-luminosity accreting state. The unprecedented five hours of strictly simultaneous X-ray and radio continuum coverage for the first time unambiguously show a highly reproducible, anti-correlated variability pattern. The characteristic switches from the X-ray high mode into a low mode are always accompanied by a radio brightening with a duration that closely matches the X-ray low mode interval. This behavior cannot be explained by a canonical inflow/outflow accretion model where the radiated emission and the jet luminosity are powered by, and positively correlated with, the available accretion energy. We interpret this phenomenology as alternating episodes of low-level accretion onto the neutron star during the X-ray high mode that are interrupted by rapid ejections of plasma by the active rotation-powered pulsar, possibly initiated by a reconfiguration of the pulsar magnetosphere, that cause a transition to a less X-ray luminous mode. The observed anti-correlation between radio and X-ray luminosity has an additional consequence: transitional MSPs can make excursions into a region of the radio/X-ray luminosity plane previously thought to be occupied solely by black hole X-ray binary sources. This complicates the use of this luminosity relation for identifying candidate black holes, suggesting the need for additional discriminants when attempting to establish the true nature of the accretor.

  1. SiO EMISSION AS A TRACER OF X-RAY DOMINATED CHEMISTRY IN THE GALACTIC CENTER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amo-Baladron, M. A.; Martin-Pintado, J.; Morris, M. R.; Muno, M. P.; RodrIguez-Fernandez, N. J.

    2009-01-01

    We present emission maps of the Sgr A molecular cloud complex at the Galactic center (GC) in the J = 2 → 1 line of SiO observed with the IRAM 30 m telescope at Pico Veleta. Comparing our SiO(2-1) data cube with that of CS(1-0) emission with similar angular and velocity resolution, we find a correlation between the SiO/CS line intensity ratio and the equivalent width of the Fe Kα fluorescence line at 6.4 keV. We discuss the SiO abundance enhancement in terms of the two most plausible scenarios for the origin of the 6.4 keV Fe line: X-ray reflection nebula (XRN) and low-energy cosmic rays (LECRs). Both scenarios could explain the enhancement in the SiO/CS intensity ratio with the intensity of the 6.4 keV Fe line, but both present difficulties. The XRN scenario requires a population of very small grains to produce the SiO abundance enhancement, together with a past episode of bright X-ray emission from some source in the GC, possibly the central supermassive black hole, SgrA*, ∼300 yr ago. The LECR scenario needs higher gas column densities to produce the observed 6.4 keV Fe line intensities than those derived from our observations. It is possible to explain the SiO abundance enhancement if the LECRs originate in supernovae and their associated shocks produce the SiO abundance enhancement. However, the LECR scenario cannot account for the time variability of the 6.4 keV Fe line, which can be naturally explained by the XRN scenario.

  2. Electronic structure of human hemoglobin: ultrasoft X-ray emission study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soldatov, A.V.; Kravtsova, A.N.; Fedorovich, E.N.; Kurmaev, E.Z.; Moewes, A.

    2004-01-01

    Full text: The iron L 2,3 and carbon, nitrogen and oxygen Kα X-ray emission spectra (XES) of human hemoglobin have been recorded at the soft X-ray spectroscopy endstation on Undulator Beam line 8.0 at Advanced Light Source (ALS) located at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The theoretical calculations of Fe L 3 -XES have been performed using ab initio code FEFF8.2. The calculations have been carried out for the structure of hemoglobin presented in PDB (entry 3HHB) as well as for the molecule with symmetrical heme plane. It was found that the Fe L 3 emission spectrum calculated for the ideal molecule agrees slightly better with the experiment as compared with those calculated for the real molecule. Thus, one can use the structure of the ideal molecule for theoretical Fe L 3 -XES simulations. The theoretical analysis has shown that the fist peak of experimental Fe L 3 - emission spectrum is enhanced by the nearest nitrogen atoms lying in heme plane around the central iron atom. The theoretical C K- and N K-XES spectra of hemoglobin have been calculated. A good agreement between theoretical and experimental spectra has been obtained. The distribution of the partial electronic densities of states in the valence and conduction bands of hemoglobin has been determined

  3. Optical spectroscopy of the Be/X-ray binary V850 Centauri/GX 304-1 during faint X-ray periodical activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malacaria, C.; Kollatschny, W.; Whelan, E.; Santangelo, A.; Klochkov, D.; McBride, V.; Ducci, L.

    2017-07-01

    Context. Be/X-ray binaries (BeXRBs) are the most populous class of high-mass X-ray binaries. Their X-ray duty cycle is tightly related to the optical companion wind activity, which in turn can be studied through dedicated optical spectroscopic observations. Aims: We study optical spectral features of the Be circumstellar disk to test their long-term variability and their relation with the X-ray activity. Special attention has been given to the Hα emission line, one of the best tracers of the disk conditions. Methods: We obtained optical broadband medium resolution spectra from a dedicated campaign with the Anglo-Australian Telescope and the Southern African Large Telescope in 2014-2015. Data span over one entire binary orbit, and cover both X-ray quiescent and moderately active periods. We used Balmer emission lines to follow the evolution of the circumstellar disk. Results: We observe prominent spectral features, like double-peaked Hα and Hβ emission lines. The HαV/R ratio significantly changes over a timescale of about one year. Our observations are consistent with a system observed at a large inclination angle (I ≳ 60°). The derived circumstellar disk size shows that the disk evolves from a configuration that prevents accretion onto the neutron star, to one that allows only moderate accretion. This is in agreement with the contemporary observed X-ray activity. Our results are interpreted within the context of inefficient tidal truncation of the circumstellar disk, as expected for this source's binary configuration. We derived the Hβ-emitting region size, which is equal to about half of the corresponding Hα-emitting disk, and constrain the luminosity class of V850 Cen as III-V, consistent with the previously proposed class.

  4. Multielement proton-induced x-ray emission analysis of Bangladeshi tobacco

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hadi, D.A.; Ali, M.; Biswas, S.K.; Islam, M.M.; Khan, A.H.

    1984-01-01

    The concentration of 12 different elements in cigarette tobacco of different brands, commercially made in Bangladesh, was determined using the proton particle-induced x-ray emission (proton PIXE) method. In all the present experiments, proton beams of 2.0 MeV (on the target in air) and about 30 nA current were used for characteristic x-ray excitation. The concentration of the elements (K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb and Sr) was determined by comparison with a calibration obtained from the NBS orchard leaf standard SRM 1571. The results have been compared with available data on some foreign brands of tobacco and the probable reasons for the difference in the contents of some of the elements found in the Bangladeshi brands are discussed. (author)

  5. Study of X-ray emission in aluminium z-pinches; Etude de l'emission X dans les plasmas d'aluminium de type Z-pinch

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rosch, R [CEA/DAM-Ile de France, Dept. de Conception et Realisation des Experimentations (DCRE), 91 - Bruyeres-le-Chatel (France); [Paris-11 Univ., 91 - Orsay (France)

    1999-07-01

    Previous experiments, at 0.1. TX level, have shown that stability and x-ray emission of fast Z-pinches, could be strongly increased by imploding an aluminium vapor jet onto a very thin coaxial wire. We present here first results of an aluminium Z-pinch, using a similar liner, but at mega-ampere level. The pinch is driven by AMBIORIX high-power facility, a 2 TW,0.5 {omega}, 2 MA, 50 ns pulse-line generator. We study the effect of an aluminium wire and its diameter (20-50 {mu}m) on the implosion dynamics, on x-ray yield on MHD stability of the column at stagnation. Analysis of A1 jet on A1 wire shots demonstrates that x-ray yield due to emission processes in the H- and He- like ionization stages (i.e. the K-shell) is significantly enhanced, relative to that of A1 jet only ones. The wire also leads to better symmetry of the implosion, and to better reproducibility of shots. X-ray signals exhibit two similar pulses, 10 ns in width, 15 ns spaced. To discern spectral origin of both pulses, experiments are realized with stainless steel wire (25 {mu}m in diameter). Results show that liner and wire radial simultaneously and contribute to both pulses. Analysis of a typical A1 jet on A1 wire shot, using detailed collisional-radiative equilibrium (CRE) model is also given in this thesis. View o the pinch at stagnation as a cola-dense core surrounded by a hot-low density corona reproduces all features of the X-ray data. (author)

  6. Optimization of soft x-ray line emission from laser-produced carbon ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Intense XUV soft x-ray emission from laser-produced plasma sources is currently ... absorption edges of oxygen and carbon respectively) is particularly attractive as it permits ... ability of the target element producing intense discrete lines in the water .... ficient due to Pert [17] and dielectronic recombination coefficient due to ...

  7. Role of screening and angular distributions in resonant soft-x-ray emission of CO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Skytt, P.; Glans, P.; Gunnelin, K. [Uppsala Univ. (Sweden)] [and others

    1997-04-01

    In the present work the authors focus on two particular properties of resonant X-ray emission, namely core hole screening of the excited electron, and anisotropy caused by the polarization of the exciting synchrotron radiation. The screening of the core hole by the excited electron causes energy shifts and intensity variations in resonant spectra compared to the non-resonant case. The linear polarization of the synchrotron radiation and the dipole nature of the absorption process create a preferential alignment selection of the randomly oriented molecules in the case of resonant excitation, producing an anisotropy in the angular distribution of the emitted X-rays. The authors have chosen CO for this study because this molecule has previously served as a showcase for non-resonant X-ray emission, mapping the valence electronic structure differently according to the local selection rules. With the present work they take interest in how this characteristic feature of the spectroscopy is represented in the resonant case.

  8. X-RAY OUTFLOWS AND SUPER-EDDINGTON ACCRETION IN THE ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCE HOLMBERG IX X-1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walton, D. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Miller, J. M.; Reis, R. C.; Fabian, A. C.; Roberts, T. P.; Middleton, M. J.

    2013-01-01

    Studies of X-ray continuum emission and flux variability have not conclusively revealed the nature of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) at the high-luminosity end of the distribution (those with L X ≥ 10 40 erg s –1 ). These are of particular interest because the luminosity requires either super-Eddington accretion onto a black hole of mass ∼10 M ☉ or more standard accretion onto an intermediate-mass black hole. Super-Eddington accretion models predict strong outflowing winds, making atomic absorption lines a key diagnostic of the nature of extreme ULXs. To search for such features, we have undertaken a long, 500 ks observing campaign on Holmberg IX X-1 with Suzaku. This is the most sensitive data set in the iron K bandpass for a bright, isolated ULX to date, yet we find no statistically significant atomic features in either emission or absorption; any undetected narrow features must have equivalent widths less than 15-20 eV at 99% confidence. These limits are far below the ∼>150 eV lines expected if observed trends between mass inflow and outflow rates extend into the super-Eddington regime and in fact rule out the line strengths observed from disk winds in a variety of sub-Eddington black holes. We therefore cannot be viewing the central regions of Holmberg IX X-1 through any substantial column of material, ruling out models of spherical super-Eddington accretion. If Holmberg IX X-1 is a super-Eddington source, any associated outflow must have an anisotropic geometry. Finally, the lack of iron emission suggests that the stellar companion cannot be launching a strong wind and that Holmberg IX X-1 must primarily accrete via Roche-lobe overflow

  9. X-RAY EMISSION FROM THE DOUBLE-BINARY OB-STAR SYSTEM QZ CAR (HD 93206)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parkin, E. R.; Naze, Y.; Rauw, G.; Broos, P. S.; Townsley, L. K.; Pittard, J. M.; Moffat, A. F. J.; Oskinova, L. M.; Waldron, W. L.

    2011-01-01

    X-ray observations of the double-binary OB-star system QZ Car (HD 93206) obtained with the Chandra X-ray Observatory over a period of roughly 2 years are presented. The respective orbits of systems A (O9.7 I+b2 v, P A = 21 days) and B (O8 III+o9 v, P B = 6 days) are reasonably well sampled by the observations, allowing the origin of the X-ray emission to be examined in detail. The X-ray spectra can be well fitted by an attenuated three-temperature thermal plasma model, characterized by cool, moderate, and hot plasma components at kT ≅ 0.2, 0.7, and 2 keV, respectively, and a circumstellar absorption of ≅0.2 x 10 22 cm -2 . Although the hot plasma component could be indicating the presence of wind-wind collision shocks in the system, the model fluxes calculated from spectral fits, with an average value of ≅7 x 10 -13 erg s -1 cm -2 , do not show a clear correlation with the orbits of the two constituent binaries. A semi-analytical model of QZ Car reveals that a stable momentum balance may not be established in either system A or B. Yet, despite this, system B is expected to produce an observed X-ray flux well in excess of the observations. If one considers the wind of the O8 III star to be disrupted by mass transfer, the model and observations are in far better agreement, which lends support to the previous suggestion of mass transfer in the O8 III + o9 v binary. We conclude that the X-ray emission from QZ Car can be reasonably well accounted for by a combination of contributions mainly from the single stars and the mutual wind-wind collision between systems A and B.

  10. Millimeter and X-Ray Emission from the 5 July 2012 Solar Flare

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsap, Y. T.; Smirnova, V. V.; Motorina, G. G.; Morgachev, A. S.; Kuznetsov, S. A.; Nagnibeda, V. G.; Ryzhov, V. S.

    2018-03-01

    The 5 July 2012 solar flare SOL2012-07-05T11:44 (11:39 - 11:49 UT) with an increasing millimeter spectrum between 93 and 140 GHz is considered. We use space and ground-based observations in X-ray, extreme ultraviolet, microwave, and millimeter wave ranges obtained with the Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager, Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, Radio Solar Telescope Network, and Bauman Moscow State Technical University millimeter radio telescope RT-7.5. The main parameters of thermal and accelerated electrons were determined through X-ray spectral fitting assuming the homogeneous thermal source and thick-target model. From the data of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly/SDO and differential-emission-measure calculations it is shown that the thermal coronal plasma gives a negligible contribution to the millimeter flare emission. Model calculations suggest that the observed increase of millimeter spectral flux with frequency is determined by gyrosynchrotron emission of high-energy (≳ 300 keV) electrons in the chromosphere. The consequences of the results are discussed in the light of the flare-energy-release mechanisms.

  11. Absolute Soft X-ray Emission Measurements at the Nike Laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weaver, J.; Atkin, R.; Boyer, C.; Colombant, D.; Feldman, U.; Fielding, D.; Gardner, J.; Holland, G.; Klapisch, M.; Mostovych, A. N.; Obenscain, S.; Seely, J. F.

    2002-11-01

    Recent experiments at the Nike laser facility have demonstrated that, when a low intensity prepulse ( 2main laser intensity) is used to heat a thin Au or Pd coating on a planar CH target, the growth of non-uniformities due to laser imprint can be reduced from the growth observed for an uncoated CH target. The absolute radiation intensity in the soft x-ray region (0.1-1 keV) has a important role in the energy balance for layered targets. There is an ongoing effort to characterize the soft x-ray emission using an absolutely calibrated transmission grating spectrometer and filtered diode modules. Measurements of the angular distribution of the emission from unlayered solid targets (Au, Pd, CH) have recently been made using an array of moveable filtered diode modules. The data from the angular distribution studies will be presented. A new absolutely calibrated, time-resolving transmission grating spectrometer has been installed at the Nike. The new version has improved spectral resolution, selectable transmission filters, and the potential for simultaneous temporal, spatial, and spectral resolution. Preliminary data from the new spectrometer will be presented and future experiments will be briefly discussed. *Work was supported by DoE

  12. Trends in grazing emission x-ray analysis techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grieken, R. van; Tsuji, K.; Injuk, J.

    2000-01-01

    In grazing-emission x-ray fluorescence (GEXRF) spectrometry, XRF is made surface-sensitive, not by grazing incidence of the exciting radiation as in total reflection XRF (TXRF), but by detecting only that part of fluorescence radiation that is emitted at grazing angles above a polished sample carrier or above a flat wafer. In case of GEXRF, and contrary to TXRF, wavelength-dispersive (WD) detection can be used. Applications are, in principle, similar to those of (variable angle) TXRF. At the laboratory scale, only prototype instruments are available, and the GEXRF unit can be an accessory to a commercial WD-XRF instrument. The detection limits of GEXRF are in the higher pg range, corresponding to a concentration of between 0.4-3 μg/l, if a sample volume of 100 μl is examined. Because of the WD detection, GEXRF also lends itself for the analysis of low-Z elements, from Z > 5; this is an advantage over conventional TXRF (but similar to TXRF using a thin-window energy-dispersive detector). Since the GEXRF prototype is a sequential rather than a simultaneous instrument, the analysis time is long when many elements have to be determined. Moreover, because the soft characteristic radiation is more strongly absorbed in its longer path through the matrix than in TXRF, the linear response for trace analysis using GEXRF is limited; this was proven by calculating the fluorescence intensities as a function of layer thickness and composition. The specimens are very limited in thickness. The sample preparation procedure for liquid or other samples to be analyzed with the GEXRF unit is thus very problematic. Results for water samples, bio-materials and pigment and aerosol samples have indeed shown that the quantitative nature of GEXRF for trace analysis is poor. The most promising features of GEXRF are in the field of surface and thin-layer analysis. Trace contaminations on silicon wafers can be determined and depth profiling can characterize stratified near-surface layers. But

  13. CHANDRA CHARACTERIZATION OF X-RAY EMISSION IN THE YOUNG F-STAR BINARY SYSTEM HD 113766

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lisse, C. M. [Planetary Exploration Branch, Space Exploration Sector, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723 (United States); Christian, D. J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330 (United States); Wolk, S. J. [Chandra X-ray Center, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Günther, H. M. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, NE83-569, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Chen, C. H. [STScI, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Grady, C. A., E-mail: carey.lisse@jhuapl.edu, E-mail: damian.christian@csun.edu, E-mail: swolk@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: hgunther@mit.edu, E-mail: cchen@stsci.edu, E-mail: carol.a.grady@nasa.gov [Eureka Scientific and Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 667, NASA-GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

    2017-02-01

    Using Chandra , we have obtained imaging X-ray spectroscopy of the 10–16 Myr old F-star binary HD 113766. We individually resolve the 1.″4 separation binary components for the first time in the X-ray and find a total 0.3–2.0 keV luminosity of 2.2 × 10{sup 29} erg s{sup −1}, consistent with previous RASS estimates. We find emission from the easternmost, infrared-bright, dusty member HD 113766A to be only ∼10% that of the western, infrared-faint member HD 113766B. There is no evidence for a 3rd late-type stellar or substellar member of HD 113766 with L {sub x} > 6 × 10{sup 25} erg s{sup −1} within 2′ of the binary pair. The ratio of the two stars’ X-ray luminosity is consistent with their assignments as F2V and F6V by Pecaut et al. The emission is soft for both stars, kT {sub Apec} = 0.30–0.50 keV, suggesting X-rays produced by stellar rotation and/or convection in young dynamos, but not accretion or outflow shocks, which we rule out. A possible 2.8 ± 0.15 (2 σ ) hr modulation in the HD 113766B X-ray emission is seen, but at very low confidence and of unknown provenance. Stellar wind drag models corresponding to L {sub x} ∼ 2 × 10{sup 29} erg s{sup −1} argue for a 1 mm dust particle lifetime around HD 113766B of only ∼90,0000 years, suggesting that dust around HD 113766B is quickly removed, whereas 1 mm sized dust around HD 113766A can survive for >1.5 × 10{sup 6} years. At 10{sup 28}–10{sup 29} erg s{sup −1} X-ray luminosity, astrobiologically important effects, like dust warming and X-ray photolytic organic synthesis, are likely for any circumstellar material in the HD 113766 systems.

  14. Studies of soft x-ray emission during solar flares

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anandaram, M.N.

    1973-01-01

    Solar flare soft x-ray emission from 0.5 A to 8.5 A was observed during 1967-68 by Bragg crystal (LiF and EDDT) spectrometers aboard the OSO-4 satellite and also by NRL broad-band ionization detectors aboard the OGO-4 satellite. In this work, instrumental parameters for the LiF crystal spectrometer based on experimental values have been determined and used in the data analysis. The total continuum emission in the 0.5 to 3 A and the 1 to 8 A broad band segments has been determined from OGO-4 data for 21 flares. In doing this, a simple and approximate method of converting the total emission based on the gray body approximation (in which the OGO-4 data are reported) to one based on the thermal continuum spectrum has been developed. (author)

  15. PROBING WOLF–RAYET WINDS: CHANDRA/HETG X-RAY SPECTRA OF WR 6

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huenemoerder, David P.; Schulz, N. S. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, 70 Vassar St., Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Gayley, K. G. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States); Hamann, W.-R.; Oskinova, L.; Shenar, T. [Institut für Physik und Astronomie, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24/25, D-14476 Potsdam (Germany); Ignace, R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614 (United States); Nichols, J. S. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., MS 34, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Pollock, A. M. T., E-mail: dph@space.mit.edu, E-mail: ken.gayley@gmail.com, E-mail: wrh@astro.physik.uni-potsdam.de, E-mail: lida@astro.physik.uni-potsdam.de, E-mail: shtomer@astro.physik.uni-potsdam.de, E-mail: ignace@mail.etsu.edu, E-mail: jnichols@cfa.harvard.edu [European Space Agency, ESAC, Apartado 78, E-28691 Villanueva de la Cañada (Spain)

    2015-12-10

    With a deep Chandra/HETGS exposure of WR 6, we have resolved emission lines whose profiles show that the X-rays originate from a uniformly expanding spherical wind of high X-ray-continuum optical depth. The presence of strong helium-like forbidden lines places the source of X-ray emission at tens to hundreds of stellar radii from the photosphere. Variability was present in X-rays and simultaneous optical photometry, but neither were correlated with the known period of the system or with each other. An enhanced abundance of sodium revealed nuclear-processed material, a quantity related to the evolutionary state of the star. The characterization of the extent and nature of the hot plasma in WR 6 will help to pave the way to a more fundamental theoretical understanding of the winds and evolution of massive stars.

  16. X-ray emission spectroscopy of well-characterised non-LTE plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourgaux, A C; Bastiani-Ceccotti, S; Audebert, P; Marquès, J R; Vassura, L; Vinci, T; Jacquemot, S; Dorchies, F; Leguay, P M; Chung, H K; Bowen, C; Dervieux, V; Renaudin, P; Silvert, V

    2016-01-01

    This paper will present an experimental platform developed on LULI2000 to measure x-ray emission of non-LTE plasmas in well-defined hydrodynamic conditions thanks to implementation of a whole set of diagnostics, including time-resolved electronic and ionic Thomson scattering and self-optical pyrometry. K-, L- and M-shell spectra will be presented and the methodology, that has been developed to analyze them, discussed. (paper)

  17. Multiwavelength Observations of Markarian 421 During a TeV/X-Ray Flare

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertsch, D. L.; Bruhweiler, F.; Macomb, D. J.; Cheng, K.-P.; Carter-Lewis, D. A.; Akerlof, C. W.; Aller, H. D.; Aller, M. F.; Buckley, J. H.; Cawley, M. F.

    1995-01-01

    A TeV flare from the BL Lac object Mrk 421 was detected in May of 1994 by the Whipple Observatory air Cherenkov experiment during which the flux above 250 GeV increased by nearly an order of magnitude over a 2-day period. Contemporaneous observations by ASCA showed the X-ray flux to be in a very high state. We present these results, combined with the first ever simultaneous or nearly simultaneous observations at GeV gamma-ray, UV, IR, mm, and radio energies for this nearest BL Lac object. While the GeV gamma-ray flux increased slightly, there is little evidence for variability comparable to that seen at TeV and X-ray energies. Other wavelengths show even less variability. This provides important constraints on the emission mechanisms at work. We present the multiwavelength spectrum of this gamma-ray blazar for both quiescent and flaring states and discuss the data in terms of current models of blazar emission.

  18. Polarimetric observations of the innermost regions of relativistic jets in X-ray binaries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Russell D.M.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Synchrotron emission from the relativistic jets launched close to black holes and neutron stars can be highly linearly polarized, depending on the configuration of the magnetic field. In X-ray binaries, optically thin synchrotron emission from the compact jets resides at infrared–optical wavelengths. The polarimetric signature of the jets is detected in the infrared and is highly variable in some X-ray binaries. This reveals the magnetic geometry in the compact jet, in a region close enough to the black hole that it is influenced by its strong gravity. In some cases the magnetic field is turbulent and variable near the jet base. In Cyg X–1, the origin of the γ-ray, X-ray and some of the infrared polarization is likely the optically thin synchrotron power law from the inner regions of the jet. In order to reproduce the polarization properties, the magnetic field in this region must be highly ordered, in contrast to other sources.

  19. Theoretically predicted soft x-ray emission and absorption spectra of graphitic-structured BC2N

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muramatsu, Yasuji

    Theoretical B K, C K and N K x-ray emission/absorption spectra of three possible graphitic-structured BC2N clusters are predicted based on the B2p-, C2p-, and N2p- density-of-states (DOS) calculated by discrete variational (DV)-X[alpha] molecular orbital calculations. Several prominent differences in DOS spectral features among BC2Ns, h-BN, and graphite are confirmed from comparison of calculated B2p-, C2p-, and N2p-DOS spectra. These variations in the spectra allow BC2N structures to be positively identified by high-resolution x-ray emission/absorption spectroscopy in the B K, C K, and N K regions.

  20. CHANDRA AND XMM-NEWTON X-RAY OBSERVATIONS OF THE HYPERACTIVE T TAURI STAR RY TAU

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Skinner, Stephen L. [Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy (CASA), Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0389 (United States); Audard, Marc [Dept. of Astronomy, University of Geneva, Ch. d’Ecogia 16, CH-1290 Versoix (Switzerland); Güdel, Manuel, E-mail: stephen.skinner@colorado.edu, E-mail: marc.audard@unige.ch, E-mail: manuel.guedel@univie.ac.at [Dept. of Astrophysics, Univ. of Vienna, Türkenschanzstr. 17, A-1180 Vienna (Austria)

    2016-07-20

    We present results of pointed X-ray observations of the accreting jet-driving T Tauri star RY Tau using Chandra and XMM-Newton . We obtained high-resolution grating spectra and excellent-quality CCD spectra and light curves with the objective of identifying the physical mechanisms underlying RY Tau’s bright X-ray emission. Grating spectra reveal numerous emission lines spanning a broad range of temperature superimposed on a hot continuum. The X-ray emission measure distribution is dominated by very hot plasma at T {sub hot} ∼ 50 MK, but higher temperatures were present during flares. A weaker cool plasma component is also present as revealed by low-temperature lines such as O viii. X-ray light curves show complex variability consisting of short-duration (∼hours) superhot flares accompanied by fluorescent Fe emission at 6.4 keV superimposed on a slowly varying (∼one day) component that may be tied to stellar rotation. The hot flaring component is undoubtedly of magnetic (e.g., coronal) origin. Soft- and hard-band light curves undergo similar slow variability implying that at least some of the cool plasma shares a common magnetic origin with the hot plasma. Any contribution to the X-ray emission from cool shocked plasma is small compared to the dominant hot component but production of individual low-temperature lines such as O viii in an accretion shock is not ruled out.

  1. X-ray emission from a high-atomic-number z-pinch plasma created from compact wire arrays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanford, T.W.L.; Nash, T.J.; Marder, B.M.

    1996-03-01

    Thermal and nonthermal x-ray emission from the implosion of compact tungsten wire arrays, driven by 5 MA from the Saturn accelerator, are measured and compared with LLNL Radiation-Hydro-Code (RHC) and SNL Hydro-Code (HC) numerical models. Multiple implosions, due to sequential compressions and expansions of the plasma, are inferred from the measured multiple x-radiation bursts. Timing of the multiple implosions and the thermal x-ray spectra measured between 1 and 10 keV are consistent with the RHC simulations. The magnitude of the nonthermal x-ray emission measured from 10 to 100 keV ranges from 0.02 to 0.08% of the total energy radiated and is correlated with bright-spot emission along the z-axis, as observed in earlier Gamble-11 single exploding-wire experiments. The similarities of the measured nonthermal spectrum and bright-spot emission with those measured at 0.8 MA on Gamble-II suggest a common production mechanism for this process. A model of electron acceleration across magnetic fields in highly-collisional, high-atomic-number plasmas is developed, which shows the existence of a critical electric field, E c , below which strong nonthermal electron creation (and the associated nonthermal x rays) do not occur. HC simulations show that significant nonthermal electrons are not expected in this experiment (as observed) because the calculated electric fields are at least one to two orders-of-magnitude below E c . These negative nonthermal results are confirmed by RHC simulations using a nonthermal model based on a Fokker-Plank analysis. Lastly, the lower production efficiency and the larger, more irregular pinch spots formed in this experiment relative to those measured on Gamble II suggest that implosion geometries are not as efficient as single exploding-wire geometries for warm x-ray production

  2. On the properties of synchrotron-like X-ray emission from laser wakefield accelerated electron beams

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGuffey, C.; Schumaker, W.; Matsuoka, T.; Chvykov, V.; Dollar, F.; Kalintchenko, G.; Kneip, S.; Najmudin, Z.; Mangles, S. P. D.; Vargas, M.; Yanovsky, V.; Maksimchuk, A.; Thomas, A. G. R.; Krushelnick, K.

    2018-04-01

    The electric and magnetic fields responsible for electron acceleration in a Laser Wakefield Accelerator (LWFA) also cause electrons to radiate x-ray photons. Such x-ray pulses have several desirable properties including short duration and being well collimated with tunable high energy. We measure the scaling of this x-ray source experimentally up to laser powers greater than 100 TW. An increase in laser power allows electron trapping at a lower density as well as with an increased trapped charge. These effects resulted in an x-ray fluence that was measured to increase non-linearly with laser power. The fluence of x-rays was also compared with that produced from K-α emission resulting from a solid target interaction for the same energy laser pulse. The flux was shown to be comparable, but the LWFA x-rays had a significantly smaller source size. This indicates that such a source may be useful as a backlighter for probing high energy density plasmas with ultrafast temporal resolution.

  3. Laser plasma x-ray source for ultrafast time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Miaja-Avila

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available We describe a laser-driven x-ray plasma source designed for ultrafast x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The source is comprised of a 1 kHz, 20 W, femtosecond pulsed infrared laser and a water target. We present the x-ray spectra as a function of laser energy and pulse duration. Additionally, we investigate the plasma temperature and photon flux as we vary the laser energy. We obtain a 75 μm FWHM x-ray spot size, containing ∼106 photons/s, by focusing the produced x-rays with a polycapillary optic. Since the acquisition of x-ray absorption spectra requires the averaging of measurements from >107 laser pulses, we also present data on the source stability, including single pulse measurements of the x-ray yield and the x-ray spectral shape. In single pulse measurements, the x-ray flux has a measured standard deviation of 8%, where the laser pointing is the main cause of variability. Further, we show that the variability in x-ray spectral shape from single pulses is low, thus justifying the combining of x-rays obtained from different laser pulses into a single spectrum. Finally, we show a static x-ray absorption spectrum of a ferrioxalate solution as detected by a microcalorimeter array. Altogether, our results demonstrate that this water-jet based plasma source is a suitable candidate for laboratory-based time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments.

  4. A Temporal Correlation in Quiescent Gamma-Ray Burst Prompt Emission: Evidence for Prognitor Memory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patton, Thomas L.; Giblin, Timothy; Hakkila, Jon E.

    2018-06-01

    In spite of the insight gained into the nature of the Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB) from early and late-time X-Ray observations in the Swift era, GRB prompt emission continues to provide clues and new insight into the activity of the central engine. A comprehensive understanding of all emission components observed in GRBs, from the traditional prompt GRB emission to the long lived X-Ray and optical decay super- imposed with late-time flaring activity, currently remains allusive. Using data from the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), we've identified and measured durations observed in GRBs that exhibit multi-episodic prompt emission behavior. Duration analysis of the burst attributes revealed no significant correlations between emissions and quiet time durations. This variability allows us to extrapolate that the central engine is constantly active.

  5. Modeling Flare Hard X-ray Emission from Electrons in Contracting Magnetic Islands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guidoni, Silvina E.; Allred, Joel C.; Alaoui, Meriem; Holman, Gordon D.; DeVore, C. Richard; Karpen, Judith T.

    2016-05-01

    The mechanism that accelerates particles to the energies required to produce the observed impulsive hard X-ray emission in solar flares is not well understood. It is generally accepted that this emission is produced by a non-thermal beam of electrons that collides with the ambient ions as the beam propagates from the top of a flare loop to its footpoints. Most current models that investigate this transport assume an injected beam with an initial energy spectrum inferred from observed hard X-ray spectra, usually a power law with a low-energy cutoff. In our previous work (Guidoni et al. 2016), we proposed an analytical method to estimate particle energy gain in contracting, large-scale, 2.5-dimensional magnetic islands, based on a kinetic model by Drake et al. (2010). We applied this method to sunward-moving islands formed high in the corona during fast reconnection in a simulated eruptive flare. The overarching purpose of the present work is to test this proposed acceleration model by estimating the hard X-ray flux resulting from its predicted accelerated-particle distribution functions. To do so, we have coupled our model to a unified computational framework that simulates the propagation of an injected beam as it deposits energy and momentum along its way (Allred et al. 2015). This framework includes the effects of radiative transfer and return currents, necessary to estimate flare emission that can be compared directly to observations. We will present preliminary results of the coupling between these models.

  6. Non-Quiescent X-ray Emission from Neutron Stars and Black Holes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tournear, Derek M

    2003-08-18

    X-ray astronomy began with the detection of the persistent source Scorpius X-1. Shortly afterwards, sources were detected that were variable. Centaurus X-2, was determined to be an X-ray transient, having a quiescent state, and a state that was much brighter. As X-ray astronomy progressed, classifications of transient sources developed. One class of sources, believed to be neutron stars, undergo extreme luminosity transitions lasting a few seconds. These outbursts are believed to be thermonuclear explosions occurring on the surface of neutron stars (type I X-ray bursts). Other sources undergo luminosity changes that cannot be explained by thermonuclear burning and last for days to months. These sources are soft X-ray transients (SXTs) and are believed to be the result of instabilities in the accretion of matter onto either a neutron star or black hole. Type I X-ray bursts provide a tool for probing the surfaces of neutron stars. Requiring a surface for the burning has led authors to use the presence of X-ray bursts to rule out the existence of a black hole (where an event horizon exists not a surface) for systems which exhibit type I X-ray bursts. Distinguishing between neutron stars and black holes has been a problem for decades. Narayan and Heyl have developed a theoretical framework to convert suitable upper limits on type I X-ray bursts from accreting black hole candidates (BHCs) into evidence for an event horizon. We survey 2101.2 ks of data from the USA X-ray timing experiment and 5142 ks of data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) experiment to obtain the first formal constraint of this type. 1122 ks of neutron star data yield a population averaged mean burst rate of 1.7 {+-} 0.4 x 10{sup -5} bursts s{sup -1}, while 6081 ks of BHC data yield a 95% confidence level upper limit of 4.9 x 10{sup -7} bursts s{sup -1}. Applying the framework of Narayan and Heyl we calculate regions of luminosity where the neutron stars are expected to burst and the BHCs

  7. X-ray Emission from the Radio Jet in 3C 120

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harris, D. E.; Hjorth, J.; Sadun, A. C.

    1999-01-01

    We report the discovery of X-ray emission from a radio knot at a projected distance of 25" from the nucleus of the Seyfert galaxy, 3C 120. The data were obtained with the ROSAT High Resolution Imager (HRI). Optical upper limits for the knot preclude a simple power law extension of the radio...

  8. X-RAY EMISSION FROM MAGNETIC MASSIVE STARS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nazé, Yaël; Petit, Véronique; Rinbrand, Melanie; Owocki, Stan; Cohen, David; Ud-Doula, Asif; Wade, Gregg A.

    2014-01-01

    Magnetically confined winds of early-type stars are expected to be sources of bright and hard X-rays. To clarify the systematics of the observed X-ray properties, we have analyzed a large series of Chandra and XMM-Newton observations, corresponding to all available exposures of known massive magnetic stars (over 100 exposures covering ∼60% of stars compiled in the catalog of Petit et al.). We show that the X-ray luminosity is strongly correlated with the stellar wind mass-loss rate, with a power-law form that is slightly steeper than linear for the majority of the less luminous, lower- M-dot B stars and flattens for the more luminous, higher- M-dot O stars. As the winds are radiatively driven, these scalings can be equivalently written as relations with the bolometric luminosity. The observed X-ray luminosities, and their trend with mass-loss rates, are well reproduced by new MHD models, although a few overluminous stars (mostly rapidly rotating objects) exist. No relation is found between other X-ray properties (plasma temperature, absorption) and stellar or magnetic parameters, contrary to expectations (e.g., higher temperature for stronger mass-loss rate). This suggests that the main driver for the plasma properties is different from the main determinant of the X-ray luminosity. Finally, variations of the X-ray hardnesses and luminosities, in phase with the stellar rotation period, are detected for some objects and they suggest that some temperature stratification exists in massive stars' magnetospheres

  9. X rays from radio binaries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Apparao, K.M.V.

    1977-01-01

    Reference is made to the radio binary systems CC Cas, AR Lac, β Per (Algol), β Lyr, b Per and Cyg X-1. It is stated that a thermal interpretation of the radiation from Algol requires a much larger x-ray flux than the observed value of 3.8 x 10 -11 erg/cm 2 /sec/keV in the 2 to 6 keV energy range. Observations of some non-thermal flares, together with the small size of the radio source in Algol, indicate that the radio emission is non-thermal in nature. The radio emission is interpreted as synchrotron radiation and it is suggested that the observed x-ray emission is due to inverse Compton scattering of the light of the primary star by the radio electrons. The x-ray emission from other radio binaries is also calculated using this model. The energy for the radio electrons can arise from annihilation of magnetic lines connecting the binary stars, twisted by the rotation of the stars. (U.K.)

  10. Optical and x-ray imaging of electron beams using synchrotron emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilke, M.

    1995-01-01

    In the case of very low emittance electron and positron storage ring beams, it is impossible to make intrusive measurements of beam properties without increasing the emittance and possibly disrupting the beam. In cases where electron or positron beams have high average power densities (such as free electron laser linacs), intrusive probes such as wires and optical transition radiation screens or Cherenkov emitting screens can be easily damaged or destroyed. The optical and x-ray emissions from the bends in the storage rings and often from linac bending magnets can be used to image the beam profile to obtain emittance information about the beam. The techniques, advantages and limitations of using both optical and x-ray synchrotron emission to measure beam properties are discussed and the possibility of single bunch imaging is considered. The properties of suitable imagers and converters such as phosphors are described. Examples of previous, existing and planned applications are given where available, including a pinhole imaging system currently being designed for the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory

  11. Optical and x-ray imaging of electron beams using synchrotron emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilke, M.D.

    1994-01-01

    In the case of very low eniittance electron and positron storage ring beams, it is impossible to make intrusive measurements of beam properties without increasing the emittance and possibly disrupting the beam. In cases where electron or positron beams have high average power densities (such as free electron laser linacs), intrusive probes such as wires and optical transition radiation screens or Cherenkov emitting screens can be easily damaged or destroyed. The optical and x-ray emissions from the bends in the storage rings and often from linac bending magnets can be used to image the beam profile to obtain emittance information about the beam. The techniques, advantages and limitations of using both optical and x-ray synchrotron emission to measure beam properties are discussed and the possibility of single bunch imaging is considered. The properties of suitable imagers and converters such as phosphors are described. Examples of previous, existing and planned applications are given where available, including a pinhole imaging system currently being designed for the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory

  12. Broadband X-ray spectra of the ultraluminous X-ray source Holmberg IX X-1 observed with NuSTAR, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walton, D. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Grefenstette, B. W.; Fuerst, F.; Madsen, K. K.; Rana, V.; Stern, D. [Space Radiation Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Miller, J. M. [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1042 (United States); Bachetti, M.; Barret, D.; Webb, N. [Universite de Toulouse, UPS-OMP, IRAP, Toulouse (France); Boggs, S. E.; Craig, W. W. [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Christensen, F. E. [DTU Space, National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Elektrovej 327, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Fabian, A. C.; Parker, M. L. [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Hailey, C. J. [Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Ptak, A.; Zhang, W. W., E-mail: dwalton@srl.caltech.edu [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

    2014-09-20

    We present results from the coordinated broadband X-ray observations of the extreme ultraluminous X-ray source Holmberg IX X-1 performed by NuSTAR, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku in late 2012. These observations provide the first high-quality spectra of Holmberg IX X-1 above 10 keV to date, extending the X-ray coverage of this remarkable source up to ∼30 keV. Broadband observations were undertaken at two epochs, between which Holmberg IX X-1 exhibited both flux and strong spectral variability, increasing in luminosity from L {sub X} = (1.90 ± 0.03) × 10{sup 40} erg s{sup –1} to L {sub X} = (3.35 ± 0.03) × 10{sup 40} erg s{sup –1}. Neither epoch exhibits a spectrum consistent with emission from the standard low/hard accretion state seen in Galactic black hole binaries, which would have been expected if Holmberg IX X-1 harbors a truly massive black hole accreting at substantially sub-Eddington accretion rates. The NuSTAR data confirm that the curvature observed previously in the 3-10 keV bandpass does represent a true spectral cutoff. During each epoch, the spectrum appears to be dominated by two optically thick thermal components, likely associated with an accretion disk. The spectrum also shows some evidence for a nonthermal tail at the highest energies, which may further support this scenario. The available data allow for either of the two thermal components to dominate the spectral evolution, although both scenarios require highly nonstandard behavior for thermal accretion disk emission.

  13. SERENDIPITOUS DETECTION OF X-RAY EMISSION FROM THE HOT BORN-AGAIN CENTRAL STAR OF THE PLANETARY NEBULA K 1-16

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Montez, Rodolfo Jr. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235 (United States); Kastner, Joel H., E-mail: rodolfo.montez.jr@gmail.com, E-mail: jhk@cis.rit.edu [Center for Imaging Science and Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, Rochester Institute of Technology, 54 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 (United States)

    2013-03-20

    We report the serendipitous detection of point-like X-ray emission from the hot, PG1159-type central star of the planetary nebula (CSPN) K 1-16 by the XMM-Newton and Chandra X-Ray Observatories. The CSPN lies superimposed on a galaxy cluster that includes an X-ray-bright quasar, but we have successfully isolated the CSPN X-ray emission from the strong diffuse background contributed by the quasar and intracluster gas. We have modeled the XMM-Newton and Chandra X-ray data, taking advantage of the contrasting detection efficiencies of the two observatories to better constrain the low-energy spectral response of Chandra's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer. We find that the CSPN X-ray spectrum is well characterized by the combination of a non-local thermodynamic equilibrium model atmosphere with T{sub *} {approx} 135 kK and a carbon-rich, optically thin thermal plasma with T{sub X} {approx} 1 MK. These results for X-ray emission from the K 1-16 CSPN, combined with those obtained for other PG1159-type objects, lend support to the 'born-again' scenario for Wolf-Rayet and PG1159 CSPNe, wherein a late helium shell flash dredges up carbon-rich intershell material and ejects this material into the circumstellar environment.

  14. A DEEP X-RAY VIEW OF THE BARE AGN ARK 120. I. REVEALING THE SOFT X-RAY LINE EMISSION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reeves, J. N.; Braito, V. [Center for Space Science and Technology, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 (United States); Porquet, D. [Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7550, 11 rue de l’Université, F-67000 Strasbourg (France); Nardini, E. [Astrophysics Group, School of Physical and Geographical Sciences, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG (United Kingdom); Lobban, A. [Dept of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Turner, T. J., E-mail: jreeves@umbc.edu, E-mail: j.n.reeves@keele.ac.uk [Department of Physics, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 (United States)

    2016-09-10

    The Seyfert 1 galaxy Ark 120 is a prototype example of the so-called class of bare nucleus active galactic nuclei (AGNs), whereby there is no known evidence for the presence of ionized gas along the direct line of sight. Here deep (>400 ks exposure), high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of Ark 120 is presented from XMM-Newton observations that were carried out in 2014 March, together with simultaneous Chandra /High Energy Transmission Grating exposures. The high-resolution spectra confirmed the lack of intrinsic absorbing gas associated with Ark 120, with the only X-ray absorption present originating from the interstellar medium (ISM) of our own Galaxy, with a possible slight enhancement of the oxygen abundance required with respect to the expected ISM values in the solar neighborhood. However, the presence of several soft X-ray emission lines are revealed for the first time in the XMM-Newton RGS spectrum, associated with the AGN and arising from the He- and H-like ions of N, O, Ne, and Mg. The He-like line profiles of N, O, and Ne appear velocity broadened, with typical FWHMs of ∼5000 km s{sup −1}, whereas the H-like profiles are unresolved. From the clean measurement of the He-like triplets, we deduce that the broad lines arise from a gas of density n {sub e} ∼ 10{sup 11} cm{sup −3}, while the photoionization calculations infer that the emitting gas covers at least 10% of 4 π steradian. Thus the broad soft X-ray profiles appear coincident with an X-ray component of the optical–UV broad-line region on sub-parsec scales, whereas the narrow profiles originate on larger parsec scales, perhaps coincident with the AGN narrow-line region. The observations show that Ark 120 is not intrinsically bare and substantial X-ray-emitting gas exists out of our direct line of sight toward this AGN.

  15. The Evolution of Normal Galaxy X-Ray Emission Through Cosmic History: Constraints from the 6 MS Chandra Deep Field-South

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehmer, B. D.; Basu-Zych, A. R.; Mineo, S.; Brandt, W. N.; Eurfrasio, R. T.; Fragos, T.; Hornschemeier, A. E.; Lou, B.; Xue, Y. Q.; Bauer, F. E.; hide

    2016-01-01

    We present measurements of the evolution of normal-galaxy X-ray emission from z (is) approx. 0-7 using local galaxies and galaxy samples in the approx. 6 Ms Chandra Deep Field-South (CDF-S) survey. The majority of the CDF-S galaxies are observed at rest-frame energies above 2 keV, where the emission is expected to be dominated by X-ray binary (XRB) populations; however, hot gas is expected to provide small contributions to the observed-frame (is) less than 1 keV emission at z (is) less than 1. We show that a single scaling relation between X-ray luminosity (L(sub x)) and star-formation rate (SFR) literature, is insufficient for characterizing the average X-ray emission at all redshifts. We establish that scaling relations involving not only SFR, but also stellar mass and redshift, provide significantly improved characterizations of the average X-ray emission from normal galaxy populations at z (is) approx. 0-7. We further provide the first empirical constraints on the redshift evolution of X-ray emission from both low-mass XRB (LMXB) and high-mass XRB (HMXB) populations and their scalings with stellar mass and SFR, respectively. We find L2 -10 keV(LMXB)/stellar mass alpha (1+z)(sub 2-3) and L2 -10 keV(HMXB)/SFR alpha (1+z), and show that these relations are consistent with XRB population-synthesis model predictions, which attribute the increase in LMXB and HMXB scaling relations with redshift as being due to declining host galaxy stellar ages and metallicities, respectively. We discuss how emission from XRBs could provide an important source of heating to the intergalactic medium in the early universe, exceeding that of active galactic nuclei.

  16. Applications of simultaneous ion backscattering and ion-induced x-ray emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Musket, R.G.

    1983-05-01

    Simultaneous ion backscattering and ion-induced x-ray emission (E/sub x/greater than or equal to 300 eV) analyses have been performed using helium ions as probes of the first few hundred nanometers of various materials. These studies serve as a demonstration of the complementary nature of the two types of information obtained. Uncertainties associated with each of the individual techniques were reduced by performing both analyses. The principal advantages of simultaneous analyses over sequential analyses have been delineated

  17. IGR J17329-2731: The birth of a symbiotic X-ray binary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozzo, E.; Bahramian, A.; Ferrigno, C.; Sanna, A.; Strader, J.; Lewis, F.; Russell, D. M.; di Salvo, T.; Burderi, L.; Riggio, A.; Papitto, A.; Gandhi, P.; Romano, P.

    2018-05-01

    We report on the results of the multiwavelength campaign carried out after the discovery of the INTEGRAL transient IGR J17329-2731. The optical data collected with the SOAR telescope allowed us to identify the donor star in this system as a late M giant at a distance of 2.7-1.2+3.4 kpc. The data collected quasi-simultaneously with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR showed the presence of a modulation with a period of 6680 ± 3 s in the X-ray light curves of the source. This unveils that the compact object hosted in this system is a slowly rotating neutron star. The broadband X-ray spectrum showed the presence of a strong absorption (≫1023 cm-2) and prominent emission lines at 6.4 keV, and 7.1 keV. These features are usually found in wind-fed systems, in which the emission lines result from the fluorescence of the X-rays from the accreting compact object on the surrounding stellar wind. The presence of a strong absorption line around 21 keV in the spectrum suggests a cyclotron origin, thus allowing us to estimate the neutron star magnetic field as 2.4 × 1012 G. All evidencethus suggests IGR J17329-2731 is a symbiotic X-ray binary. As no X-ray emission was ever observed from the location of IGR J17329-2731 by INTEGRAL (or other X-ray facilities) during the past 15 yr in orbit and considering that symbiotic X-ray binaries are known to be variable but persistent X-ray sources, we concluded that INTEGRAL caught the first detectable X-ray emission from IGR J17329-2731 when the source shined as a symbiotic X-ray binary. The Swift XRT monitoring performed up to 3 months after the discovery of the source, showed that it maintained a relatively stable X-ray flux and spectral properties.

  18. X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography of metalloenzymes at XFELs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yano, Junko

    2016-01-01

    The ultra-bright femtosecond X-ray pulses provided by X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFELs) open capabilities for studying the structure and dynamics of a wide variety of biological and inorganic systems beyond what is possible at synchrotron sources. Although the structure and chemistry at the catalytic sites have been studied intensively in both biological and inorganic systems, a full understanding of the atomic-scale chemistry requires new approaches beyond the steady state X-ray crystallography and X-ray spectroscopy at cryogenic temperatures. Following the dynamic changes in the geometric and electronic structure at ambient conditions, while overcoming X-ray damage to the redox active catalytic center, is key for deriving reaction mechanisms. Such studies become possible by using the intense and ultra-short femtosecond X-ray pulses from an XFEL, where sample is probed before it is damaged. We have developed methodology for simultaneously collecting crystallography data and X-ray emission spectra, using an energy dispersive spectrometer at ambient conditions. In addition, we have developed a way to collect metal L-edge data of dilute samples using soft X-rays at XFELs. The advantages and challenges of these methods will be described in this review. (author)

  19. Measurements of laser generated soft X-ray emission from irradiated gold foils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Davis, J. S.; Keiter, P. A.; Klein, S. R.; Drake, R. P.; Shvarts, D. [University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (United States); Frank, Y.; Raicher, E.; Fraenkel, M. [Soreq Nuclear Research Center, Yavne (Israel)

    2016-11-15

    Soft x-ray emission from laser irradiated gold foils was measured at the Omega-60 laser system using the Dante photodiode array. The foils were heated with 2 kJ, 6 ns laser pulses and foil thicknesses were varied between 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 μm. Initial Dante analysis indicates peak emission temperatures of roughly 100 eV and 80 eV for the 0.5 μm and 1.0 μm thick foils, respectively, with little measurable emission from the 2.0 μm foils.

  20. Specific features of thermocouple calorimeter application for measurements of pulsed X-ray emission from plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gavrilov, V. V.; Fasakhov, I. K.

    2012-01-01

    It is shown that the accuracy of time-integrated measurements of pulsed X-ray emission from hot plasma with calibrated thermocouple calorimeters is mainly determined by two factors. The first and the most important factor is heating of the filter by the absorbed X-rays; as a result, the calorimeter measures the thermal radiation of the filter, which causes appreciable distortion of the temporal profile and amplitude of the recorded signal. The second factor is the dependence of the effective depth of X-ray absorption in the dielectric that covers the entrance window of the calorimeter on the energy of X-ray photons, i.e., on the recorded radiation spectrum. The results of model calculations of the calorimeter signal are compared with the experimental data.

  1. 14th International Conference on Particle Induced X-ray Emission ("PIXE 2015")

    Science.gov (United States)

    Przybyłowicz, Wojciech Józef; Pineda-Vargas, Carlos

    2015-11-01

    This special issue of Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B contains the proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Particle Induced X-ray Emission ("PIXE 2015") that was held in Somerset West (South Africa) from 25th February to 3rd March 2015.

  2. X-ray variability of SS 433: Evidence for supercritical accretion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atapin, K. E.; Fabrika, S. N.

    2016-08-01

    We study the X-ray variability of SS 433 based on data from the ASCA observatory and the MAXI and RXTE/ASM monitoring missions. Based on the ASCA data, we have constructed the power spectrum of SS 433 in the frequency range from 10-6 to 0.1 Hz, which confirms the presence of a flat portion in the spectrum at frequencies 3 × 10-5-10-3 Hz. The periodic variability (precession, nutation, eclipses) begins to dominate significantly over the stochastic variability at lower frequencies, which does not allow the stochastic variability to be studied reliably. The model in which the flat portion extends to 9.5 × 10-6 Hz, while a power-law rise with an index of 2.6 occurs below provides the best agreement with the observations. The nutational oscillations of the jets with a period of about three days suggests that the time for the passage of material through the disk is less than this value. At frequencies below 4 × 10-6 Hz, the shape of the power spectrum probably does not reflect the disk structure but is determined by external factors, for example, by a change in the amount of material supplied by the donor. The flat portion can arise from a rapid decrease in the viscous time in the supercritical or radiative disk zones. The flat spectrum is associated with the variability of the X-ray jets that are formed in the supercritical disk region.

  3. The high energy x-ray spectrum of the Crab Nebula observed from OSO 8

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dolan, J.F.; Crannell, L.J.; Dennis, B.R.; Orwig, L.E.; Maurer, G.S.

    1977-01-01

    The X-ray spectrum of the Crab Nebula was measured with the scintillation spectrometer on board the OSO-8 satellite. The total emission of the X-ray source shows no long term variability. The spectrum itself can be described by a single power law out to energies of at least 500 keV

  4. X-Ray Emission from an Asymmetric Blast Wave and a Massive White Dwarf in the Gamma Ray Emitting Nova V407 CYG

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Thomas; Donato, Davide; Mukai, Koji; Sokoloski, Jennifer; Chomiuk, Laura

    2012-01-01

    Classical nova events in symbiotic stars, although rare, offer a unique opportunity to probe the interaction between ejecta and a dense environment in stellar explosions. In this work, we use X-ray data obtained with Swift and Suzaku during the recent classical nova outburst in V407 Cyg to explore such an interaction. We find evidence of both equilibrium and non-equilibrium ionization plasmas at the time of peak X-ray brightness, indicating a strong asymmetry in the density of the emitting region. Comparing a simple model to the data, we find that the X-ray evolution is broadly consistent with nova ejecta driving a forward shock into the dense wind of the Mira companion. We detect a highly absorbed soft X-ray component in the spectrum during the first 50 days of the outburst that is consistent with supersoft emission from the nuclear burning white dwarf. The high temperature and short turn off time of this emission component, in addition to the observed breaks in the optical and UV lightcurves, indicate that the white dwarf in the binary is extremely massive. Finally, we explore the connections between the X-ray and GeV-ray evolution, and propose that the gamma ray turn-off is due to the stalling of the forward shock as the ejecta reach the red giant surface.

  5. X pinch a point x-ray source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garg, A.B.; Rout, R.K.; Shyam, A.; Srinivasan, M.

    1993-01-01

    X ray emission from an X pinch, a point x-ray source has been studied using a pin-hole camera by a 30 kV, 7.2 μ F capacitor bank. The wires of different material like W, Mo, Cu, S.S.(stainless steel) and Ti were used. Molybdenum pinch gives the most intense x-rays and stainless steel gives the minimum intensity x-rays for same bank energy (∼ 3.2 kJ). Point x-ray source of size (≤ 0.5 mm) was observed using pin hole camera. The size of the source is limited by the size of the pin hole camera. The peak current in the load is approximately 150 kA. The point x-ray source could be useful in many fields like micro lithography, medicine and to study the basic physics of high Z plasmas. (author). 4 refs., 3 figs

  6. SWIFT X-RAY OBSERVATIONS OF CLASSICAL NOVAE. II. THE SUPER SOFT SOURCE SAMPLE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schwarz, Greg J. [American Astronomical Society, 2000 Florida Avenue, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20009-1231 (United States); Ness, Jan-Uwe [XMM-Newton Science Operations Centre, ESAC, Apartado 78, 28691 Villanueva de la Canada, Madrid (Spain); Osborne, J. P.; Page, K. L.; Evans, P. A.; Beardmore, A. P. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Walter, Frederick M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3800 (United States); Andrew Helton, L. [SOFIA Science Center, USRA, NASA Ames Research Center, M.S. N211-3, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Woodward, Charles E. [Minnesota Institute of Astrophysics, 116 Church Street S.E., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States); Bode, Mike [Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, Birkenhead CH41 1LD (United Kingdom); Starrfield, Sumner [School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 871404, Tempe, AZ 85287-1404 (United States); Drake, Jeremy J., E-mail: Greg.Schwarz@aas.org [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, MS 3, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

    2011-12-01

    The Swift gamma-ray burst satellite is an excellent facility for studying novae. Its rapid response time and sensitive X-ray detector provides an unparalleled opportunity to investigate the previously poorly sampled evolution of novae in the X-ray regime. This paper presents Swift observations of 52 Galactic/Magellanic Cloud novae. We included the X-Ray Telescope (0.3-10 keV) instrument count rates and the UltraViolet and Optical Telescope (1700-8000 A) filter photometry. Also included in the analysis are the publicly available pointed observations of 10 additional novae the X-ray archives. This is the largest X-ray sample of Galactic/Magellanic Cloud novae yet assembled and consists of 26 novae with Super Soft X-ray emission, 19 from Swift observations. The data set shows that the faster novae have an early hard X-ray phase that is usually missing in slower novae. The Super Soft X-ray phase occurs earlier and does not last as long in fast novae compared to slower novae. All the Swift novae with sufficient observations show that novae are highly variable with rapid variability and different periodicities. In the majority of cases, nuclear burning ceases less than three years after the outburst begins. Previous relationships, such as the nuclear burning duration versus t{sub 2} or the expansion velocity of the eject and nuclear burning duration versus the orbital period, are shown to be poorly correlated with the full sample indicating that additional factors beyond the white dwarf mass and binary separation play important roles in the evolution of a nova outburst. Finally, we confirm two optical phenomena that are correlated with strong, soft X-ray emission which can be used to further increase the efficiency of X-ray campaigns.

  7. SWIFT X-RAY OBSERVATIONS OF CLASSICAL NOVAE. II. THE SUPER SOFT SOURCE SAMPLE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwarz, Greg J.; Ness, Jan-Uwe; Osborne, J. P.; Page, K. L.; Evans, P. A.; Beardmore, A. P.; Walter, Frederick M.; Andrew Helton, L.; Woodward, Charles E.; Bode, Mike; Starrfield, Sumner; Drake, Jeremy J.

    2011-01-01

    The Swift gamma-ray burst satellite is an excellent facility for studying novae. Its rapid response time and sensitive X-ray detector provides an unparalleled opportunity to investigate the previously poorly sampled evolution of novae in the X-ray regime. This paper presents Swift observations of 52 Galactic/Magellanic Cloud novae. We included the X-Ray Telescope (0.3-10 keV) instrument count rates and the UltraViolet and Optical Telescope (1700-8000 Å) filter photometry. Also included in the analysis are the publicly available pointed observations of 10 additional novae the X-ray archives. This is the largest X-ray sample of Galactic/Magellanic Cloud novae yet assembled and consists of 26 novae with Super Soft X-ray emission, 19 from Swift observations. The data set shows that the faster novae have an early hard X-ray phase that is usually missing in slower novae. The Super Soft X-ray phase occurs earlier and does not last as long in fast novae compared to slower novae. All the Swift novae with sufficient observations show that novae are highly variable with rapid variability and different periodicities. In the majority of cases, nuclear burning ceases less than three years after the outburst begins. Previous relationships, such as the nuclear burning duration versus t 2 or the expansion velocity of the eject and nuclear burning duration versus the orbital period, are shown to be poorly correlated with the full sample indicating that additional factors beyond the white dwarf mass and binary separation play important roles in the evolution of a nova outburst. Finally, we confirm two optical phenomena that are correlated with strong, soft X-ray emission which can be used to further increase the efficiency of X-ray campaigns.

  8. The X-ray Variability of Eta Car, 1996-2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corcoran, Michael F.; Hamaguchi, K.; Gull, T.; Owocki, S.; Pittard, J.

    2010-01-01

    X-ray photometry in the 2-10 keY band of the the supermassive binary star Eta Car has been measured with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer from 1996-2010. The ingress to X-ray minimum is consistent with a period of 2024 days. The 2009 X-ray minimum began on January 162009 and showed an unexpectedly abrupt recovery starting after 12 Feb 2009. The X-ray colors become harder about half-way through all three minima and continue until flux recovery. The behavior of the fluxes and X-ray colors for the most recent X-ray minimum, along with Chandra high resolution grating spectra at key phases suggests a significant change in the inner wind of Eta Car, a possible indicator that the star is entering a new unstable phase of mass loss.

  9. X ray emission experiments at 1.06 μm and 0.35 μm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Babonneau, D.; Billon, D.; Bocher, J.L.; Di Bona, G.; Fortin, X.; Thiell, G.

    1982-10-01

    Experiments and analyses on high-Z targets X-ray emission are reported. Two kinds of targets have been used: spherical targets with Octal laser (1.06 μm; 10 13 to 10 13 to 10 15 W/cm 2 ) and planar targets with P102 laser (0.35μm; 3 x 10 13 to 3 x 10 14 W/cm 2 ). The influence of the different parameters (laser flux, laser wavelength, atomic number) on emission rates and spectra is discussed. The results about the emission rates are compared with data from other laboratories and an experimental scaling law is proposed. Temperatures can be evaluated from experimental spectra and related to the different plasma regions. Space-time resolved measurements with a streak camera, from spherical targets, in the (1 - 1.3 keV) energy range allow to determine a velocity: about 6 x 10 6 cm/s for the emission region

  10. The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin C. Weisskopf

    Full Text Available The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE expands observation space by simultaneously adding polarization to the array of X-ray source properties currently measured (energy, time, and location. IXPE will thus open new dimensions for understanding how X-ray emission is produced in astrophysical objects, especially in systems under extreme physical conditions. Keywords: X-ray astronomy, X-ray polarimetry, X-ray imaging

  11. THE RADIATIVE X-RAY AND GAMMA-RAY EFFICIENCIES OF ROTATION-POWERED PULSARS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vink, Jacco; Bamba, Aya; Yamazaki, Ryo

    2011-01-01

    We present a statistical analysis of the X-ray luminosity of rotation-powered pulsars and their surrounding nebulae using the sample of Kargaltsev and Pavlov, and we complement this with an analysis of the γ-ray emission of Fermi-detected pulsars. We report a strong trend in the efficiency with which spin-down power is converted to X-ray and γ-ray emission with characteristic age: young pulsars and their surrounding nebulae are efficient X-ray emitters, whereas in contrast old pulsars are efficient γ-ray emitters. We divided the X-ray sample in a young (τ c 4 yr) and old sample and used linear regression to search for correlations between the logarithm of the X-ray and γ-ray luminosities and the logarithms of the periods and period derivatives. The X-ray emission from young pulsars and their nebulae are both consistent with L X ∝ P-dot 3 /P 6 . For old pulsars and their nebulae the X-ray luminosity is consistent with a more or less constant efficiency η≡L X / E-dot rot ∼8x10 -5 . For the γ-ray luminosity we confirm that L γ ∝ √E-dot rot . We discuss these findings in the context of pair production inside pulsar magnetospheres and the striped wind model. We suggest that the striped wind model may explain the similarity between the X-ray properties of the pulsar wind nebulae and the pulsars themselves, which according to the striped wind model may both find their origin outside the light cylinder, in the pulsar wind zone.

  12. Soft x-ray Planetary Imager

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The project is to prototype a soft X-ray Imager for planetary applications that has the sensitivity to observe solar system sources of soft  X-ray emission. A strong...

  13. X-ray heating and ionization of broad-emission-line regions in QSO's and active galaxies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weisheit, J.C.; Shields, G.A.; Tarter, C.B.

    1980-07-01

    Absorption of x-rays deep within the broad-line emitting clouds in QSO's and the nuclei of active galaxies creates extensive zones of warm (T approx. 10 4 K), partially ionized N/sub e//N approx. 0.1) gas. Because Lyman alpha photons are trapped in these regions, the x-ray energy is efficiently channeled into Balmer lines collisionally excited from the n = 2 level. The HI regions plus the HII regions created by ultraviolet photons illuminating the surfaces of the clouds give rise to integrated Lα/Hα line emission ratios between 1 and 2. Enhanced MgII line emission from the HI regions gives rise to integrated MgII/Hα ratios near 0.5. The OI line lambda 8446 is efficiently pumped by trapped Hα photons and in the x-ray heated zone an intensity ratio I (lambda 8446)/I(Hα) approx. < 0.1 is calculated. All of these computed ratios now are in agreement with observations

  14. X-Pinch And Its Applications In X-ray Radiograph

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zou Xiaobing; Wang Xinxin; Liu Rui; Zhao Tong; Zeng Naigong; Zhao Yongchao; Du Yanqiang

    2009-01-01

    An X-pinch device and the related diagnostics of x-ray emission from X-pinch were briefly described. The time-resolved x-ray measurements with photoconducting diodes show that the x-ray pulse usually consists of two subnanosecond peaks with a time interval of about 0.5 ns. Being consistent with these two peaks of the x-ray pulse, two point x-ray sources of size ranging from 100 μm to 5 μm and depending on cut-off x-ray photon energy were usually observed on the pinhole pictures. The x-pinch was used as x-ray source for backlighting of the electrical explosion of single wire and the evolution of X-pinch, and for phase-contrast imaging of soft biological objects such as a small shrimp and a mosquito.

  15. EXTraS: Exploring the X-ray Transient and variable Sky

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Luca, A.; Salvaterra, R.; Tiengo, A.; D'Agostino, D.; Watson, M.; Haberl, F.; Wilms, J.

    2017-10-01

    The EXTraS project extracted all temporal domain information buried in the whole database collected by the EPIC cameras onboard the XMM-Newton mission. This included a search and characterisation of variability, both periodic and aperiodic, in hundreds of thousands of sources spanning more than eight orders of magnitude in time scale and six orders of magnitude in flux, as well as a search for fast transients, missed by standard image analysis. Phenomenological classification of variable sources, based on X-ray and multiwavelength information, has also been performed. All results and products of EXTraS are made available to the scientific community through a web public data archive. A dedicated science gateway will allow scientists to apply EXTraS pipelines on new observations. EXTraS is the most comprehensive analysis of variability, on the largest ever sample of soft X-ray sources. The resulting archive and tools disclose an enormous scientific discovery space to the community, with applications ranging from the search for rare events to population studies, with impact on the study of virtually all astrophysical source classes. EXTraS, funded within the EU/FP7 framework, is carried out by a collaboration including INAF (Italy), IUSS (Italy), CNR/IMATI (Italy), University of Leicester (UK), MPE (Germany) and ECAP (Germany).

  16. Method and multichannel equipment for chemical analysis by X-ray emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bacso, J.; Horkay, Gy.; Kalinka, G.; Kertesz, Zs.; Kiss Varga, M.; Lakatos, T.; Mathe, Gy.; Paal, A.; Sulik, B.

    1978-01-01

    In the patent a simple method and an apparatus are described for chemical analysis based on X-ray emission generated by irradiation. The concentrations of pre-selected elements can be determined easily by this method using an equipment containing microprocessor. The number of channels and the elements to be determined can be modified by a simple change in the program. (Sz.J.)

  17. Time-resolved soft x-ray spectra from laser-produced Cu plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cone, K.V.; Dunn, J.; Baldis, H.A.; May, M.J.; Purvis, M.A.; Scott, H.A.; Schneider, M.B.

    2012-01-01

    The volumetric heating of a thin copper target has been studied with time resolved x-ray spectroscopy. The copper target was heated from a plasma produced using the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Compact Multipulse Terrawatt (COMET) laser. A variable spaced grating spectrometer coupled to an x-ray streak camera measured soft x-ray emission (800-1550 eV) from the back of the copper target to characterize the bulk heating of the target. Radiation hydrodynamic simulations were modeled in 2-dimensions using the HYDRA code. The target conditions calculated by HYDRA were post-processed with the atomic kinetics code CRETIN to generate synthetic emission spectra. A comparison between the experimental and simulated spectra indicates the presence of specific ionization states of copper and the corresponding electron temperatures and ion densities throughout the laser-heated copper target.

  18. THE BROADBAND XMM-NEWTON AND NuSTAR X-RAY SPECTRA OF TWO ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCES IN THE GALAXY IC 342

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rana, Vikram; Harrison, Fiona A.; Walton, Dominic J.; Furst, Felix; Grefenstette, Brian W.; Madsen, Kristin K. [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Bachetti, Matteo; Barret, Didier; Webb, Natalie A. [Université de Toulouse, UPS-OMP, IRAP, Toulouse (France); Miller, Jon M. [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1042 (United States); Fabian, Andrew C. [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Boggs, Steven E.; Craig, William W. [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Christensen, Finn C. [DTU Space, National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Elektrovej 327, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Hailey, Charles J. [Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Ptak, Andrew F.; Zhang, William W. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Stern, Daniel [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States)

    2015-02-01

    We present results for two ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), IC 342 X-1 and IC 342 X-2, using two epochs of XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations separated by ∼7 days. We observe little spectral or flux variability above 1 keV between epochs, with unabsorbed 0.3-30 keV luminosities being 1.04{sub −0.06}{sup +0.08}×10{sup 40} erg s{sup –1} for IC 342 X-1 and 7.40 ± 0.20 × 10{sup 39} erg s{sup –1} for IC 342 X-2, so that both were observed in a similar, luminous state. Both sources have a high absorbing column in excess of the Galactic value. Neither source has a spectrum consistent with a black hole binary in low/hard state, and both ULXs exhibit strong curvature in their broadband X-ray spectra. This curvature rules out models that invoke a simple reflection-dominated spectrum with a broadened iron line and no cutoff in the illuminating power-law continuum. X-ray spectrum of IC 342 X-1 can be characterized by a soft disk-like blackbody component at low energies and a cool, optically thick Comptonization continuum at high energies, but unique physical interpretation of the spectral components remains challenging. The broadband spectrum of IC 342 X-2 can be fit by either a hot (3.8 keV) accretion disk or a Comptonized continuum with no indication of a seed photon population. Although the seed photon component may be masked by soft excess emission unlikely to be associated with the binary system, combined with the high absorption column, it is more plausible that the broadband X-ray emission arises from a simple thin blackbody disk component. Secure identification of the origin of the spectral components in these sources will likely require broadband spectral variability studies.

  19. Discovery of radio emission from the symbiotic X-ray binary system GX 1+4

    Science.gov (United States)

    van den Eijnden, J.; Degenaar, N.; Russell, T. D.; Miller-Jones, J. C. A.; Wijnands, R.; Miller, J. M.; King, A. L.; Rupen, M. P.

    2018-02-01

    We report the discovery of radio emission from the accreting X-ray pulsar and symbiotic X-ray binary GX 1+4 with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. This is the first radio detection of such a system, wherein a strongly magnetized neutron star accretes from the stellar wind of an M-type giant companion. We measure a 9 GHz radio flux density of 105.3 ± 7.3 μJy, but cannot place meaningful constraints on the spectral index due to a limited frequency range. We consider several emission mechanisms that could be responsible for the observed radio source. We conclude that the observed properties are consistent with shocks in the interaction of the accretion flow with the magnetosphere, a synchrotron-emitting jet, or a propeller-driven outflow. The stellar wind from the companion is unlikely to be the origin of the radio emission. If the detected radio emission originates from a jet, it would show that strong magnetic fields (≥1012 G) do not necessarily suppress jet formation.

  20. Behavior of hard X-ray emission in discharges with current disruptions in the DAMAVAND and TVD tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farshi, E.; Amrollahy, R.; Bortnikov, A.V.; Brevnov, N.N.; Gott, Yu.V.; Shurygin, V.A.

    2001-01-01

    Results are presented from studies of the behavior of hard X-ray emission in discharges with current disruptions in the DAMAVAND and TVD tokamaks. The current disruptions are caused by either an MHD instability or the instability related to the vertical displacement of the plasma column. Experiments were conducted at a fixed value of the safety factor at the plasma boundary (q a ≅ 2.3). Experimental data show that, during a disruption caused by an MHD instability, hard X-ray emission is suppressed by this instability if the amplitude of the magnetic field fluctuations exceeds a certain level. If the disruption is caused by the instability related to the vertical displacement of the plasma column, then hard X-ray emission is observed at the instant of disruption. The experimental results show that the physical processes resulting in the generation and suppression of runaway electron beams are almost identical in large and small tokamaks

  1. Comparing neutron and X-ray images from NIF implosions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilson D.C.

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Directly laser driven and X-radiation driven DT filled capsules differ in the relationship between neutron and X-ray images. Shot N110217, a directly driven DT-filled glass micro-balloon provided the first neutron images at the National Ignition Facility. As seen in implosions on the Omega laser, the neutron image can be enclosed inside time integrated X-ray images. HYDRA simulations show the X-ray image is dominated by emission from the hot glass shell while the neutron image arises from the DT fuel it encloses. In the absence of mix or jetting, X-ray images of a cryogenically layered THD fuel capsule should be dominated by emission from the hydrogen rather than the cooler plastic shell that is separated from the hot core by cold DT fuel. This cool, dense DT, invisible in X-ray emission, shows itself by scattering hot core neutrons. Germanium X-ray emission spectra and Ross pair filtered X-ray energy resolved images suggest that germanium doped plastic emits in the torus shaped hot spot, probably reducing the neutron yield.

  2. The White Dwarf Mass and the Accretion Rate of Recurrent Novae: An X-ray Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukai, Koji; Sokoloski, Jennifer L.; Nelson, Thomas; Luna, Gerardo J. M.

    2011-01-01

    We present recent results of quiescent X-ray observations of recurrent novae (RNe) and related objects. Several RNe are luminous hard X-ray sources in quiescence, consistent with accretion onto a near Chandrasekhar mass white dwarf. Detection of similar hard X-ray emissions in old novae and other cataclysmic variables may lead to identification of additional RN candidates. On the other hand, other RNe are found to be comparatively hard X-ray faint. We present several scenarios that may explain this dichotomy, which should be explored further.

  3. Characteristics of a molybdenum X-pinch X-ray source as a probe source for X-ray diffraction studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zucchini, F.; Chauvin, C.; Combes, P.; Sol, D.; Loyen, A.; Roques, B.; Grunenwald, J.; Bland, S. N.

    2015-01-01

    X-ray emission from a molybdenum X-pinch has been investigated as a potential probe for the high pressure states made in dynamic compression experiments. Studies were performed on a novel 300 kA, 400 ns generator which coupled the load directly to a low inductance capacitor and switch combination. The X-pinch load consisted of 4 crossed molybdenum wires of 13 μm diameter, crossed at an angle of 62°. The load height was 10 mm. An initial x-ray burst generated at the wire crossing point, radiated in the soft x-ray range (hυ < 10 keV). This was followed, 2–5 ns later, by at least one harder x-ray burst (hυ > 10 keV) whose power ranged from 1 to 7 MW. Time integrated spectral measurements showed that the harder bursts were dominated by K-alpha emission; though, a lower level, wide band continuum up to at least 30 keV was also present. Initial tests demonstrated that the source was capable of driving Laue diffraction experiments, probing uncompressed samples of LiF and aluminium

  4. The complete Einstein Observatory X-ray survey of the Orion Nebula region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gagne, Marc; Caillault, Jean-Pierre

    1994-01-01

    We have analyzed archival Einstein Observatory images of a roughly 4.5 square degree region centered on the Orion Nebula. In all, 245 distinct X-ray sources have been detected in six High Resolution Imager (HRI) and 17 Imaging Proportional Counter (IPC) observations. An optical database of over 2700 stars has been assembled to search for candidate counterparts to the X-ray sources. Roughly half the X-ray sources are identified with a single Orion Nebula cluster member. The 10 main-sequence O6-B5 cluster stars detected in Orion have X-ray activity levels comparable to field O and B stars. X-ray emission has also been detected in the direction of four main-sequence late-B and early-A type stars. Since the mechanisms producing X-rays in late-type coronae and early-type winds cannot operate in the late-B and early-A type atmospheres, we argue that the observed X-rays, with L(sub X) approximately = 3 x 10(exp 30) ergs/s, are probably produced in the coronae of unseen late-type binary companions. Over 100 X-ray sources have been associated with late-type pre-main sequence stars. The upper envelope of X-ray activity rises sharply from mid-F to late-G, with L(sub x)/L(sub bol) in the range 10(exp -4) to 2 x 10(exp -3) for stars later than approximately G7. We have looked for variability of the late-type cluster members on timescales of a day to a year and find that 1/4 of the stars show significantly variable X-ray emission. A handful of the late-type stars have published rotational periods and spectroscopic rotational velocities; however, we see no correlation between X-ray activity and rotation. Thus, for this sample of pre-main-sequence stars, the large dispersion in X-ray activity does not appear to be caused by the dispersion in rotation, in contrast with results obtained for low-mass main-sequence stars in the Pleiades and pre-main-sequence stars in Taurus-Auriga.

  5. X-Ray Emission from Compact Sources

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cominsky, L

    2004-03-23

    This paper presents a review of the physical parameters of neutron stars and black holes that have been derived from X-ray observations. I then explain how these physical parameters can be used to learn about the extreme conditions occurring in regions of strong gravity, and present some recent evidence for relativistic effects seen in these systems. A glossary of commonly used terms and a short tutorial on the names of X-ray sources are also included.

  6. X-Ray Spectral Diagnostics of Gamma-Ray Burst Environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paerels; Kuulkers; Heise; Liedahl

    2000-05-20

    Recently, detection of discrete features in the X-ray afterglow spectra of GRB 970508 and GRB 970828 was reported. The most natural interpretation of these features is that they are redshifted Fe K emission complexes. The identification of the line emission mechanism has drastic implications for the inferred mass of radiating material and hence the nature of the burst site. X-ray spectroscopy provides a direct observational constraint on these properties of gamma-ray bursters. We briefly discuss how these constraints arise in the context of an application to the spectrum of GRB 970508.

  7. X ray emission: a tool and a probe for laser - clusters interaction; L'emission X: un outil et une sonde pour l'interaction laser - agregats

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prigent, Ch

    2004-12-01

    In intense laser-cluster interaction, the experimental results show a strong energetic coupling between radiation and matter. We have measured absolute X-ray yields and charge state distributions under well control conditions as a function of physical parameters governing the interaction; namely laser intensity, pulse duration, wavelength or polarization state of the laser light, the size and the species of the clusters (Ar, Kr, Xe). We have highlighted, for the first time, an intensity threshold in the X-ray production very low ({approx} 2.10{sup 14} W/cm{sup 2} for a pulse duration of 300 fs) which can results from an effect of the dynamical polarisation of clusters in an intense electric field. A weak dependence with the wavelength (400 nm / 800 nm) on the absolute X-ray yields has been found. Moreover, we have observed a saturation of the X-ray emission probability below a critical cluster size. (author)

  8. Spin-polarized x-ray emission of 3d transition-metal ions : A comparison via K alpha and K beta detection

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wang, Xin; deGroot, F.M.F.; Cramer, SP

    1997-01-01

    This paper demonstrates that spin-polarized x-ray-excitation spectra can be obtained using K alpha emission as well as K beta lines. A spin-polarized analysis of K alpha x-ray emission and the excitation spectra by K alpha detection on a Ni compound is reported. A systematic analysis of the

  9. Diffuse X-ray emission from Abell clusters 401 and 399 - A gravitationally bound system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ulmer, M. P.; Kinzer, R.; Cruddace, R. G.; Wood, K.; Evans, W.; Byram, E. T.; Chubb, T. A.; Friedman, H.

    1979-01-01

    The X-ray emission from the Abell 401-399 region has been studied using data obtained by the A-1 proportional counter aboard HEAO 1 in two different ways. The first involved routine scanning of the region during the all-sky survey, and the second was an observation in which the instrument was pointed at A401 during a lunar occultation. The emission is shown to be unusually extended and to be centered on a point lying between A401 and A399. The best fit of a uniform disk model to the data yielded a radius of 25.5 + or -4.4 arcmin for the lunar occultation and 42 + or - 17 arcmin for the scans. A possible explanation of the results is that A401 and A399 are both diffuse cluster X-ray sources. Alternatively, the emission may come from a large gas cloud of at least 10 to the 15th solar masses enveloping both clusters.

  10. Conceptual design of the tomographic system for simultaneous studying of soft and hard X-ray emission from dense magnetized plasma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bielecki, J., E-mail: jakub.bielecki@ifj.edu.edu; Wójcik-Gargula, A.; Scholz, M.

    2016-11-15

    The article presents a new approach for investigation of spatial distributions of soft and hard X-rays emitted from dense magnetized plasma. The approach is based on the application of tomographic methods to the X-ray emission reconstruction in a plasma focus (PF) device. Quantitative investigation of the anisotropy of the reconstructed X–ray plasma emissivity may help to explain the nature of fusion reaction mechanisms in a PF device. The aim of this work is to present a conceptual design of a novel dual-energy X-ray emission tomographic system dedicated to the PF-24 plasma focus device. The system, which enables the simultaneous registration of soft and hard X-rays, is composed of three X‐ray pinhole cameras. Each camera is equipped with a pair of 16-element Si photodiode arrays arranged in two layers separated by an aluminum attenuator. The Geant4 code was used to optimize the layout and parameters of the applied detectors. In addition, a method of tomographic reconstruction from a sparse data set provided by the experimental setup has been presented.

  11. Spectral Variability in Hard X-rays and the Evidence for a 13.5 Years ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

    fit in the X-ray and gamma ray energy bands points to a common origin of these photons and the ... relativistic jets in relation to BL Lac objects in general, and 3C273 in particular has ..... emission must also explain the long term period of ∼ 5000 days in 3C273 as discussed above. .... data available on public archives.

  12. Multi-layer x-ray screens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rabatin, J.G.

    1984-01-01

    Rare earth oxyhalide phosphors activated with thulium ion are employed in X-ray intensifying screens having modified ultraviolet emission characteristics which reduce crossover effects without significant reduction in film speed and further increases screen brightness. Relatively low concentration levels of the thulium activator ion have been found to shift the ultraviolet emission of said phosphor when excited by X-rays to lower wavelengths in both the ultraviolet and near-ultraviolet spectral regions

  13. Si K EDGE STRUCTURE AND VARIABILITY IN GALACTIC X-RAY BINARIES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schulz, Norbert S.; Corrales, Lia; Canizares, Claude R. [Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)

    2016-08-10

    We survey the Si K edge structure in various absorbed Galactic low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) to study states of silicon in the inter- and circum-stellar medium. The bulk of these LMXBs lie toward the Galactic bulge region and all have column densities above 10{sup 22} cm{sup −2}. The observations were performed using the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer. The Si K edge in all sources appears at an energy value of 1844 ± 0.001 eV. The edge exhibits significant substructure that can be described by a near edge absorption feature at 1849 ± 0.002 eV and a far edge absorption feature at 1865 ± 0.002 eV. Both of these absorption features appear variable with equivalent widths up to several mÅ. We can describe the edge structure using several components: multiple edge functions, near edge absorption excesses from silicates in dust form, signatures from X-ray scattering optical depths, and a variable warm absorber from ionized atomic silicon. The measured optical depths of the edges indicate much higher values than expected from atomic silicon cross sections and interstellar medium abundances, and they appear consistent with predictions from silicate X-ray absorption and scattering. A comparison with models also indicates a preference for larger dust grain sizes. In many cases, we identify Si xiii resonance absorption and determine ionization parameters between log ξ = 1.8 and 2.8 and turbulent velocities between 300 and 1000 km s{sup −1}. This places the warm absorber in close vicinity of the X-ray binaries. In some data, we observe a weak edge at 1.840 keV, potentially from a lesser contribution of neutral atomic silicon.

  14. Simultaneous broadband observations and high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of the transitional millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coti Zelati, F.; Campana, S.; Braito, V.; Baglio, M. C.; D'Avanzo, P.; Rea, N.; Torres, D. F.

    2018-03-01

    We report on the first simultaneous XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and Swift observations of the transitional millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038 in the X-ray active state. Our multi-wavelength campaign allowed us to investigate with unprecedented detail possible spectral variability over a broad energy range in the X-rays, as well as correlations and lags among emissions in different bands. The soft and hard X-ray emissions are significantly correlated, with no lags between the two bands. On the other hand, the X-ray emission does not correlate with the UV emission. We refine our model for the observed mode switching in terms of rapid transitions between a weak propeller regime and a rotation-powered radio pulsar state, and report on a detailed high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy using all XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer data acquired since 2013. We discuss our results in the context of the recent discoveries on the system and of the state of the art simulations on transitional millisecond pulsars, and show how the properties of the narrow emission lines in the soft X-ray spectrum are consistent with an origin within the accretion disc.

  15. The Radiative X-ray and Gamma-ray Efficiencies of Rotation-powered Pulsars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vink, Jacco; Bamba, Aya; Yamazaki, Ryo

    2011-02-01

    We present a statistical analysis of the X-ray luminosity of rotation-powered pulsars and their surrounding nebulae using the sample of Kargaltsev & Pavlov, and we complement this with an analysis of the γ-ray emission of Fermi-detected pulsars. We report a strong trend in the efficiency with which spin-down power is converted to X-ray and γ-ray emission with characteristic age: young pulsars and their surrounding nebulae are efficient X-ray emitters, whereas in contrast old pulsars are efficient γ-ray emitters. We divided the X-ray sample in a young (τ c < 1.7 × 104 yr) and old sample and used linear regression to search for correlations between the logarithm of the X-ray and γ-ray luminosities and the logarithms of the periods and period derivatives. The X-ray emission from young pulsars and their nebulae are both consistent with L_X ∝ \\dot{P}^3/P^6. For old pulsars and their nebulae the X-ray luminosity is consistent with a more or less constant efficiency η ≡ L_X/\\dot{E}_{rot} ≈ 8× 10^{-5}. For the γ-ray luminosity we confirm that L_γ ∝ √{\\dot{E}_{rot}}. We discuss these findings in the context of pair production inside pulsar magnetospheres and the striped wind model. We suggest that the striped wind model may explain the similarity between the X-ray properties of the pulsar wind nebulae and the pulsars themselves, which according to the striped wind model may both find their origin outside the light cylinder, in the pulsar wind zone.

  16. Eleven years of monitoring the Seyfert 1 Mrk 335 with Swift: Characterizing the X-ray and UV/optical variability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallo, L. C.; Blue, D. M.; Grupe, D.; Komossa, S.; Wilkins, D. R.

    2018-05-01

    The narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy (NLS1) Mrk 335 has been continuously monitored with Swift since May 2007 when it fell into a long-lasting, X-ray low-flux interval. Results from the nearly 11 years of monitoring are presented here. Structure functions are used to measure the UV-optical and X-ray power spectra. The X-ray structure function measured between 10 - 100 days is consistent with the flat, low-frequency part of the power spectrum measured previously in Mrk 335. The UV-optical structure functions of Mrk 335 are comparable with those of other Seyfert 1 galaxies and of Mrk 335 itself when it was in a normal bright state. There is no indication that the current X-ray low-flux state is attributed to changes in the accretion disc structure of Mrk 335. The characteristic timescales measured in the structure functions can be attributed to thermal (for the UV) and dynamic (for the optical) timescales in a standard accretion disc. The high-quality UVW2 (˜1800 Å in the source frame) structure function appears to have two breaks and two different slopes between 10 - 160 days. Correlations between the X-ray and other bands are not highly significant when considering the entire 11-year light curves, but more significant behaviour is present when considering segments of the light curves. A correlation between the X-ray and UVW2 in 2014 (Year-8) may be predominately caused by an giant X-ray flare that was interpreted as jet-like emission. In 2008 (Year-2), possible lags between the UVW2 emission and other UV-optical waveband may be consistent with reprocessing of X-ray or UV emission in the accretion disc.

  17. Copper L X-ray spectra measured by a high resolution ion-induced X-ray spectrometer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takahashi, Ryohei; Hamaguchi, Dai; Kageyama, Hiroyoshi [Kyoto Inst. of Tech. (Japan); and others

    1997-03-01

    High resolution L X-ray emission spectra of Cu have been measured by 0.75 MeV/u H, He, and F, 0.73 MeV/u Ar, 0.64 MeV/u Si, and 0.073 MeV/u Si ion impacts with a crystal spectrometer. The X-ray transition energies in the Cu target for L{iota}, L{eta}, L{alpha}{sub 1,2}, L{beta}{sub 1}, and L{beta}{sub 3,4} diagram lines induced by light ion impacts are determined, which are in good agreement with those given in the reference. The difference in L X-ray emission spectra produced by H, He, F, Si, and Ar ions are considered and the L{alpha}{sub 1,2} and L{beta}{sub 1} emission spectra are compared with the calculated ones based on the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock method. (author)

  18. X-RAY EMISSION AND DYNAMICS FROM LARGE DIAMETER SUPERBUBBLES: THE CASE OF THE N70 SUPERBUBBLE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez-Gonzalez, A.; Velazquez, P. F.; Esquivel, A.; Toledo-Roy, J. C.; Rosado, M.; Reyes-Iturbide, J.

    2011-01-01

    The morphology, dynamics, and thermal X-ray emission of the superbubble N70 are studied by means of three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations carried out with the YGUAZU-A code. We consider three possible scenarios: the superbubble being the product of a single supernova remnant, of the stellar winds from an OB association, or of the joint action of stellar winds and a supernova (SN) event. Our results show that, in spite of the fact that all scenarios produce bubbles with the observed physical size, only those in which the bubble is driven by stellar winds and an SN event successfully explain the general morphology, dynamics, and X-ray luminosity of N70. Our models predict temperatures in excess of 10 8 K at the interior of the superbubble; however, the density is too low and thermal X-ray emission above 2 keV is too faint to be detected.

  19. HARD X-RAY EMISSION DURING FLARES AND PHOTOSPHERIC FIELD CHANGES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burtseva, O.; Petrie, G. J. D.; Pevtsov, A. A.; Martínez-Oliveros, J. C.

    2015-01-01

    We study the correlation between abrupt permanent changes of magnetic field during X-class flares observed by the Global Oscillation Network Group and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager instruments, and the hard X-ray (HXR) emission observed by RHESSI, to relate the photospheric field changes to the coronal restructuring and investigate the origin of the field changes. We find that spatially the early RHESSI emission corresponds well to locations of the strong field changes. The field changes occur predominantly in the regions of strong magnetic field near the polarity inversion line (PIL). The later RHESSI emission does not correspond to significant field changes as the flare footpoints are moving away from the PIL. Most of the field changes start before or around the start time of the detectable HXR signal, and they end at about the same time or later than the detectable HXR flare emission. Some of the field changes propagate with speed close to that of the HXR footpoint at a later phase of the flare. The propagation of the field changes often takes place after the strongest peak in the HXR signal when the footpoints start moving away from the PIL, i.e., the field changes follow the same trajectory as the HXR footpoint, but at an earlier time. Thus, the field changes and HXR emission are spatio-temporally related but not co-spatial nor simultaneous. We also find that in the strongest X-class flares the amplitudes of the field changes peak a few minutes earlier than the peak of the HXR signal. We briefly discuss this observed time delay in terms of the formation of current sheets during eruptions

  20. X-ray observations of the starburst galaxy M82

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schaaf, R.; Pietsch, W.; Biermann, P.L.; Kronberg, P.P.; Schmutzler, T.

    1989-01-01

    Long X-ray observations of the starburst galaxy M82 with the European X-ray satellite EXOSAT are reported. The observations with the low-energy imaging instrument confirm that there is extended X-ray emission from above and below the disk, with an overall extent perpendicular to the disk of almost 6 arcmin corresponding to 6 kpc. One of the best defined X-ray spectra yet of a starburst galaxy is presented. The medium energy instrument measurements can be fitted with a power-law spectrum, consistent with inverse Compton emission, or with thermal emission from optically thin hot gas of a temperature of 9 + 9 or -4 keV. Using, in addition, the earlier Einstein HRI and MPC observations, the possible origin of the X-ray emission is discussed. 31 references

  1. Infrared emission from four Be stars optical counterparts of galactic X-ray sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Persi, P.; Ferrari-Toniolo, M.

    1982-01-01

    Preliminary results of our infrared observations from 2.3 up to 10 and 20 microns of the Be-X-ray stars X Per, γ Cas and HDE 245770, indicate the presence of an ionized circumstellar disk with an electron density law of the type nsub(e) proportional to rsup(-3.5). X Per and γ Cas show besides, variable infrared excess at 10μ suggesting variability in the stellar wind. LS I+65 0 010 presents an anomalous infrared energy distribution for a Be star. (Auth.)

  2. A Long Decay of X-Ray Flux and Spectral Evolution in the Supersoft Active Galactic Nucleus GSN 069

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shu, X. W.; Wang, S. S.; Dou, L. M.; Jiang, N.; Wang, J. X.; Wang, T. G.

    2018-04-01

    GSN 069 is an optically identified very low-mass active galactic nuclei (AGN) that shows supersoft X-ray emission. The source is known to exhibit a huge X-ray outburst, with flux increased by more than a factor of ∼240 compared to the quiescence state. We report its long-term evolution in the X-ray flux and spectral variations over a timescale of ∼decade, using both new and archival X-ray observations from the XMM-Newton and Swift. The new Swift observations detected the source in its lowest level of X-ray activity since the outburst, a factor of ∼4 lower in the 0.2–2 keV flux than that obtained with the XMM-Newton observations nearly eight years ago. Combining with the historical X-ray measurements, we find that the X-ray flux is decreasing slowly. There seemed to be spectral softening associated with the drop of X-ray flux. In addition, we find evidence for the presence of a weak, variable, hard X-ray component, in addition to the dominant thermal blackbody emission reported before. The long decay of X-ray flux and spectral evolution, as well as the supersoft X-ray spectra, suggest that the source could be a tidal disruption event (TDE), though a highly variable AGN cannot be fully ruled out. Further continued X-ray monitoring would be required to test the TDE interpretation, by better determining the flux evolution in the decay phase.

  3. DETECTION OF X-RAYS FROM THE SYMBIOTIC STAR V1329 Cyg

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stute, Matthias; Luna, Gerardo J. M.; Sokoloski, Jennifer L.

    2011-01-01

    We report the detection of X-ray emission from the symbiotic star V1329 Cyg with XMM-Newton. The spectrum from the EPIC pn, MOS1, and MOS2 instruments consists of a two-temperature plasma with k T 1 = 0.11 +0.02 -0.02 keV and k T 2 = 0.93 +0.12 -0.14 keV. Unlike the vast majority of symbiotic stars detected in X-rays, the soft component of the spectrum seems to be absorbed only by interstellar material. The shock velocities corresponding to the observed temperatures are about 300 km s -1 and about 900 km s -1 . We did not find either periodic or aperiodic X-ray variability, with upper limits on the amplitudes of such variations being 46% and 16% (rms), respectively. We also did not find any ultraviolet variability with an rms amplitude of more than approximately 1%. The derived velocities and the unabsorbed nature of the soft component of the X-ray spectrum suggest that some portion of the high energy emission could originate in shocks within a jet and beyond the symbiotic nebula. The lower velocity is consistent with the expansion velocity of the extended structure present in Hubble Space Telescope observations. The higher velocity could be associated with an internal shock at the base of the jet or with shocks in the accretion region.

  4. Quality assurance challenges in x-ray emission based analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Papp, T.

    2005-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows. There is a large scatter in the results of X-ray analysis with solid-state detectors suggesting methodological origin. Although the PIXE (proton induced X-ray emission) analytical technique can work without relation to any physics, as was commented at the recent PIXE conference, one could argue that if the same technique is used for measuring physical quantities reveals problems, then perhaps potential methodological issues can not apriory be excluded. We present a simple example which could be interpreted as indications for methodological considerations. Recently an inter-comparison was made of analysis of the spectra measured at the laboratory of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Four participating analytical software packages were used to evaluate the X-ray spectra. There are several thin metal samples spectra, for which common energy scale could not be established. The quality of the spectrum can be judged from the line shape. The line shape is parametrized by the full widths at half maximum (FWHM) of a peak and the so-called low energy tailing. Fitting the spectra individually we obtained FWHM squared values at different energies and determined the linear regression parameters. The parameters suggest a rather poor detector performance. It is generally assumed that the (FWHM) 2 values have a first order polynomial form as a function of X-ray energy. Having done a linear regression analysis, we can plot the standard residual, presented in Fig. 1, which clearly shows a three-sigma deviation. The probability to having a three-sigma deviation is 1%. In other words, the probability that these spectra are in accordance with the expected FWHM functional form is less than 1%. The main problem is that, although the composite spectra were analyzed using four different programs, the difficulty in interpreting the spectra was not commented upon by any of the participants in the inter-comparison. (author)

  5. ORBITAL VARIATION OF THE X-RAY EMISSION FROM THE DOUBLE NEUTRON STAR BINARY J1537+1155

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Durant, Martin; Kargaltsev, Oleg; Volkov, Igor; Pavlov, George G.

    2011-01-01

    We observed the double neutron star binary (DNSB) containing PSR J1537+1155 (also known as B1534+12) with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. This is one of the two DNSBs detected in X-rays and the only one where a hint of variability with orbital phase was found (in the previous Chandra observation). Our follow-up observation supports the earlier result: the distribution of photon arrival times with orbital phase again shows a deficit around apastron. The significance of the deficit in the combined data set exceeds 99%. Such an orbital light curve suggests that the X-ray emission is seen only when neutron star (NS) B passes through the equatorial pulsar wind of NS A. We describe statistical tests that we used to determine the significance of the deficit, and conclusions that can be drawn from its existence, such as interaction of the pulsar wind with the NS companion. We also provide better constrained spectral model parameters obtained from the joint spectral fits to the data from both observations. A power law successfully fits the data, with best-fit photon index Γ = 3.1 ± 0.4 and unabsorbed flux f = (3.2 ± 0.8) × 10 –15 erg s –1 cm –2 (0.3-8 keV range).

  6. Exploring structural variability in X-ray crystallographic models using protein local optimization by torsion-angle sampling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knight, Jennifer L.; Zhou, Zhiyong; Gallicchio, Emilio; Himmel, Daniel M.; Friesner, Richard A.; Arnold, Eddy; Levy, Ronald M.

    2008-01-01

    Torsion-angle sampling, as implemented in the Protein Local Optimization Program (PLOP), is used to generate multiple structurally variable single-conformer models which are in good agreement with X-ray data. An ensemble-refinement approach to differentiate between positional uncertainty and conformational heterogeneity is proposed. Modeling structural variability is critical for understanding protein function and for modeling reliable targets for in silico docking experiments. Because of the time-intensive nature of manual X-ray crystallographic refinement, automated refinement methods that thoroughly explore conformational space are essential for the systematic construction of structurally variable models. Using five proteins spanning resolutions of 1.0–2.8 Å, it is demonstrated how torsion-angle sampling of backbone and side-chain libraries with filtering against both the chemical energy, using a modern effective potential, and the electron density, coupled with minimization of a reciprocal-space X-ray target function, can generate multiple structurally variable models which fit the X-ray data well. Torsion-angle sampling as implemented in the Protein Local Optimization Program (PLOP) has been used in this work. Models with the lowest R free values are obtained when electrostatic and implicit solvation terms are included in the effective potential. HIV-1 protease, calmodulin and SUMO-conjugating enzyme illustrate how variability in the ensemble of structures captures structural variability that is observed across multiple crystal structures and is linked to functional flexibility at hinge regions and binding interfaces. An ensemble-refinement procedure is proposed to differentiate between variability that is a consequence of physical conformational heterogeneity and that which reflects uncertainty in the atomic coordinates

  7. Reduction of variable-truncation artifacts from beam occlusion during in situ x-ray tomography

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Borg, Leise; Jørgensen, Jakob Sauer; Frikel, Jürgen

    2017-01-01

    Many in situ x-ray tomography studies require experimental rigs which may partially occlude the beam and cause parts of the projection data to be missing. In a study of fluid flow in porous chalk using a percolation cell with four metal bars drastic streak artifacts arise in the filtered...... and artifact-reduction methods are designed in context of FBP reconstruction motivated by computational efficiency practical for large, real synchrotron data. While a specific variable-truncation case is considered, the proposed methods can be applied to general data cut-offs arising in different in situ x-ray...... backprojection (FBP) reconstruction at certain orientations. Projections with non-trivial variable truncation caused by the metal bars are the source of these variable-truncation artifacts. To understand the artifacts a mathematical model of variable-truncation data as a function of metal bar radius and distance...

  8. NuSTAR Search for Hard X-ray Emission from the Star Formation Regions in Sh2-104

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gotthelf, Eric V.

    2016-04-01

    We present NuSTAR hard X-ray observations of Sh2-104, a compact Hii region containing several young massive stellar clusters (YMSCs). We have detected distinct hard X-ray sources coincident with localized VERITAS TeV emission recently resolved from the giant gamma-ray complex MGRO J2019+37 in the Cygnus region. Faint, diffuse X-ray emission coincident with the eastern YMSC in Sh2-104 is likely the result of colliding winds of component stars. Just outside the radio shell of Sh2-104 lies 3XMM J201744.7+365045 and nearby nebula NuSTAR J201744.3+364812, whose properties are most consistent with extragalactic objects. The combined XMM-Newton and NuSTAR spectrum of 3XMM J201744.7+365045 is well-fit to an absorbed power-law model with NH = (3.1+/-1.0)E22 1/cm^2 and photon index Gamma = 2.1+/-0.1. Based on possible long-term flux variation and lack of detected pulsations (Sh2-104 will help identify the nature of the X-ray sources and their relation to MGRO J2019+37.

  9. X-ray novae - what are they

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wennfors, B.

    1976-01-01

    Ten of the two hundred cosmic X-ray sources exhibit characteristics in their emissions analogous to novae, i.e. after a rapid increase in luminosity, lasting about three days, follows a period of about a month with a slow decrease, and thereafter a rapid decrease to invisibility. The spectra of such sources are discussed in general terms and brief descriptions are given of the five which have been identified with optical objects. Three models for the history of X-ray novae, all based on X-ray emission from a compact object in an orbit very near a larger star, are discussed. (JIW)

  10. Soft X-ray emission studies of biomaterials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurmaev, E.Z.; Werner, J.P.; Moewes, A.; Chiuzbaian, S.; Bach, M.; Ching, W.-Y.; Motozaki, W.; Otsuka, T.; Matsuya, S.; Endo, K.; Neumann, M.

    2004-01-01

    Soft X-ray fluorescence measurements are used to characterize three groups of biomaterials: Vitamin B 12 and derivatives, antioxidants (aspirin and paracetamol), and human teeth. We show that the chemical bonding in Vitamin B 12 is characterized by the strong Co-C bond and the relatively weak Co-N bond. The Co-C bond in cyanocobalamin is found to be stronger than that of methylcobalamin leading to their different biological activity. The chemical bonding of paracetamol and aspirin is characterized by the formation of oxygen lone-pair π-orbitals, which can neutralize free radicals and therefore be related to antioxidant activity of these compounds. Carbon Kα emission spectra of a caries lesion suggest that the CaCO 3 like phase exists in sound enamel and that a selective loss of carbonate occurs during the early stages of a caries attack

  11. Experimental studies on pulse soft X-ray generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Chengrong; Yang Qinchi; Luo Chengmu; Han Min

    1990-01-01

    Emission sources of soft x rays (2 keV < hv < 6 keV) from hot plasmas have been studied in a small gas-puff Z-pinch. The emission sources are a group of uncontinuous hot spots. The output of soft x rays from the hot spots have been measured and the effect of the initial gas density on the yield of soft x rays has been investigated

  12. Response of the upper atmosphere to variations in the solar soft x-ray irradiance. Ph.D. Thesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bailey, Scott Martin

    1995-01-01

    Terrestrial far ultraviolet (FUV) airglow emissions have been suggested as a means for remote sensing the structure of the upper atmosphere. The energy which leads to the excitation of FUV airglow emissions is solar irradiance at extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft x-ray wavelengths. Solar irradiance at these wavelengths is known to be highly variable; studies of nitric oxide (NO) in the lower thermosphere have suggested a variability of more than an order of magnitude in the solar soft x-ray irradiance. To properly interpret the FUV airflow, the magnitude of the solar energy deposition must be known. Previous analyses have used the electron impact excited Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (LBH) bands of N2 to infer the flux of photoelectrons in the atmosphere and thus to infer the magnitude of the solar irradiance. This dissertation presents the first simultaneous measurements of the FUV airglow, the major atmospheric constituent densities, and the solar EUV and soft x-ray irradiances. The measurements were made on three flights of an identical sounding rocket payload at different levels of solar activity. The linear response in brightness of the LBH bands to variations in solar irradiance is demonstrated. In addition to the N2 LBH bands, atomic oxygen lines at 135.6 and 130.4 nm are also studied. Unlike the LBH bands, these emissions undergo radiative transfer effects in the atmosphere. The OI emission at 135.6 nm is found to be well modeled using a radiative transfer calculation and the known excitation processes. Unfortunately, the assumed processes leading to OI 130.4 nm excitation are found to be insufficient to reproduce the observed variability of this emission. Production of NO in the atmosphere is examined; it is shown that a lower than previously reported variability in the solar soft x-ray irradiance is required to explain the variability of NO.

  13. Current sheath curvature correlation with the neon soft x-ray emission from plasma focus device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, T; Lin, X; Chandra, K A; Tan, T L; Springham, S V; Patran, A; Lee, P; Lee, S; Rawat, R S

    2005-01-01

    The insulator sleeve length is one of the major parameters that can severely affect the neon soft x-ray yield from a plasma focus. The effect of the insulation sleeve length on various characteristic timings of plasma focus discharges and hence the soft x-ray emission characteristics has been investigated using a resistive divider. The pinhole images and laser shadowgraphy are used to explain the observed variation in the average soft x-ray yield (measured using a diode x-ray spectrometer) with variation of the insulator sleeve length. We have found that for a neon filled plasma focus device the change in insulator sleeve length changes the current sheath curvature angle and thus the length of the focused plasma column. The optimized current sheath curvature angle is found to be between 39 0 and 41 0 , at the specific axial position of 6.2-9.3 cm from the cathode support plate, for our 3.3 kJ plasma focus device. A strong dependence of the neon soft x-ray yield on the current sheath curvature angle has thus been reported

  14. Measurements of fast electron beams and soft X-ray emission from plasma-focus experiments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Surała Władysław

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The paper reports results of the recent experimental studies of pulsed electron beams and soft X-rays in plasma-focus (PF experiments carried out within a modified PF-360U facility at the NCBJ, Poland. Particular attention was focused on time-resolved measurements of the fast electron beams by means of two different magnetic analyzers, which could record electrons of energy ranging from about 41 keV to about 715 keV in several (6 or 8 measuring channels. For discharges performed with the pure deuterium filling, many strong electron signals were recorded in all the measuring channels. Those signals were well correlated with the first hard X-ray pulse detected by an external scintillation neutron-counter. In some of the analyzer channels, electron spikes (lasting about dozens of nanoseconds and appearing in different instants after the current peculiarity (so-called current dip were also recorded. For several discharges, fast ion beams, which were emitted along the z-axis and recorded with nuclear track detectors, were also investigated. Those measurements confirmed a multibeam character of the ion emission. The time-integrated soft X-ray images, which were taken side-on by means of a pinhole camera and sensitive X-ray films, showed the appearance of some filamentary structures and so-called hot spots. The application of small amounts of admixtures of different heavy noble gases, i.e. of argon (4.8% volumetric, krypton (1.6% volumetric, or xenon (0.8% volumetric, decreased intensity of the recorded electron beams, but increased intensity of the soft X-ray emission and showed more distinct and numerous hot spots. The recorded electron spikes have been explained as signals produced by quasi-mono-energetic microbeams emitted from tiny sources (probably plasma diodes, which can be formed near the observed hot spots.

  15. The swan song in context: long-time-scale X-ray variability of NGC 4051

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uttley, P.; McHardy, I. M.; Papadakis, I. E.; Guainazzi, M.; Fruscione, A.

    1999-07-01

    On 1998 May 9-11, the highly variable, low-luminosity Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4051 was observed in an unusual low-flux state by BeppoSAX, RXTE and EUVE. We present fits of the 4-15keV RXTE spectrum and BeppoSAX MECS spectrum obtained during this observation, which are consistent with the interpretation that the source had switched off, leaving only the spectrum of pure reflection from distant cold matter. We place this result in context by showing the X-ray light curve of NGC 4051 obtained by our RXTE monitoring campaign over the past two and a half years, which shows that the low state lasted for ~150d before the May observations (implying that the reflecting material is >10^17cm from the continuum source) and forms part of a light curve showing distinct variations in long-term average flux over time-scales > months. We show that the long-time-scale component to X-ray variability is intrinsic to the primary continuum and is probably distinct from the variability at shorter time-scales. The long-time-scale component to variability maybe associated with variations in the accretion flow of matter on to the central black hole. As the source approaches the low state, the variability process becomes non-linear. NGC 4051 may represent a microcosm of all X-ray variability in radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGNs), displaying in a few years a variety of flux states and variability properties which more luminous AGNs may pass through on time-scales of decades to thousands of years.

  16. On self-consistent ray-tracing and Fokker-Planck modeling of the hard X-ray emission during lower-hybrid current driven in Tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bizarro, J.P.; Peysson, Y.; Bonoli, P.T.; Carrasco, J.; Dudok de Wit, T.; Fuchs, V.; Hoang, G.T.; Litaudon, X.; Moreau, D.; Pocheau, C.; Shkarofsky, I.P.

    1993-04-01

    A detailed investigation is presented on the ability of combined ray-tracing and Fokker-Planck calculations to predict the hard x-ray (HXR) emission during lower-hybrid (LH) current drive in tokamaks when toroidally induced-ray-stochasticity is important. A large number of rays is used and the electron distribution function is obtained by self-consistently iterating the appropriate LH power deposition and Fokker-Planck calculations. Most of the experimentally observed features of the HXR emission are correctly predicted. It is found that corrections due to radial diffusion of suprathermal electrons and to radiation scattering by the inner wall can be significant

  17. Characterization of nuclear physics targets using Rutherford backscattering and particle induced X-ray emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rubehn, T.; Wozniak, G.J.; Phair, L.; Moretto, L.G.; Yu, K.M.

    1997-01-01

    Rutherford backscattering and particle induced X-ray emission have been utilized to precisely characterize targets used in nuclear fission experiments. The method allows for a fast and non-destructive determination of target thickness, homogeneity and element composition. (orig.)

  18. Characterization of offset printing ink tagged with rare-earth taggants by X-ray emission techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joseph, D.; Saxena, A.; Choudhury, R.K.; Maind, S.D.

    2007-01-01

    Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) techniques have been used for elemental characterization of offset printing ink tagged with rare-earth taggants. The offset printing ink was tagged with rare-earth (La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu and Gd) thenoyltrifluoroacetonate chelates at about 1000-ppm level for each element separately. Small aliquots (approximately 20 mg) of tagged inks were coated on paper supports in the form of small circles having diameter 10-15 mm each and then analyzed. In the case of PIXE, a proton beam of energy 4 MeV and in the case of EDXRF a radioisotope source of 241 Am (100 mCi) was used to excite the samples. The PIXE analysis showed well-resolved rare-earth L X-rays and EDXRF analysis showed the K X-rays of rare earths. Satisfactory results to identify and quantify the taggants were achieved. (author)

  19. Spatially Resolved Hard X-ray Emission in the Central 5 kpc of the Galaxy Merger NGC 6240

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Junfeng; Nardini, E.; Fabbiano, G.; Karovska, M.; Elvis, M.; Pellegrini, S.; Max, C. E.; Risaliti, G.; U, V.; Zezas, A.

    2013-04-01

    We have obtained a deep, sub-arcsecond resolution X-ray image of the nuclear region of the luminous galaxy merger NGC 6240 with Chandra, which resolves the X-ray emission from the pair of active nuclei and the diffuse hot gas in great detail. We detect extended hard X-ray emission from 70 million K hot gas over a spatial scale of 5 kpc, indicating the presence of fast shocks with velocity of 2200 km/s. For the first time we obtain spatial distribution of this highly ionized gas emitting FeXXV and find that it shows a remarkable correspondence to the large scale morphology of H_2(1-0) S(1) line emission and Hα filaments. Propagation of fast shocks originated in the starburst driven wind into the ambient dense gas can account for this morphological correspondence. Both the energetics and the iron mass in the hot gas are consistent with the expected injection from the supernovae explosion during the starburst that is commensurate with its high star formation rate.

  20. Optical/UV-to-X-Ray Echoes from the Tidal Disruption Flare ASASSN-14li

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pasham, Dheeraj R.; Sadowski, Aleksander [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Cenko, S. Bradley; Cannizzo, John K. [NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Guillochon, James [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Stone, Nicholas C. [Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Velzen, Sjoert van [The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

    2017-03-10

    We carried out the first multi-wavelength (optical/UV and X-ray) photometric reverberation mapping of a tidal disruption flare (TDF) ASASSN-14li. We find that its X-ray variations are correlated with and lag the optical/UV fluctuations by 32 ± 4 days. Based on the direction and the magnitude of the X-ray time lag, we rule out X-ray reprocessing and direct emission from a standard circular thin disk as the dominant source of its optical/UV emission. The lag magnitude also rules out an AGN disk-driven instability as the origin of ASASSN-14li and thus strongly supports the tidal disruption picture for this event and similar objects. We suggest that the majority of the optical/UV emission likely originates from debris stream self-interactions. Perturbations at the self-interaction sites produce optical/UV variability and travel down to the black hole where they modulate the X-rays. The time lag between the optical/UV and the X-rays variations thus correspond to the time taken by these fluctuations to travel from the self-interaction site to close to the black hole. We further discuss these time lags within the context of the three variants of the self-interaction model. High-cadence monitoring observations of future TDFs will be sensitive enough to detect these echoes and would allow us to establish the origin of optical/UV emission in TDFs in general.

  1. Optical/UV-to-X-Ray Echoes from the Tidal Disruption Flare ASASSN-14li

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pasham, Dheeraj R.; Sadowski, Aleksander; Cenko, S. Bradley; Cannizzo, John K.; Guillochon, James; Stone, Nicholas C.; Velzen, Sjoert van

    2017-01-01

    We carried out the first multi-wavelength (optical/UV and X-ray) photometric reverberation mapping of a tidal disruption flare (TDF) ASASSN-14li. We find that its X-ray variations are correlated with and lag the optical/UV fluctuations by 32 ± 4 days. Based on the direction and the magnitude of the X-ray time lag, we rule out X-ray reprocessing and direct emission from a standard circular thin disk as the dominant source of its optical/UV emission. The lag magnitude also rules out an AGN disk-driven instability as the origin of ASASSN-14li and thus strongly supports the tidal disruption picture for this event and similar objects. We suggest that the majority of the optical/UV emission likely originates from debris stream self-interactions. Perturbations at the self-interaction sites produce optical/UV variability and travel down to the black hole where they modulate the X-rays. The time lag between the optical/UV and the X-rays variations thus correspond to the time taken by these fluctuations to travel from the self-interaction site to close to the black hole. We further discuss these time lags within the context of the three variants of the self-interaction model. High-cadence monitoring observations of future TDFs will be sensitive enough to detect these echoes and would allow us to establish the origin of optical/UV emission in TDFs in general.

  2. Imaging of High-Energy X-Ray Emission from Cryogenic Thermonuclear Fuel Implosions on the NIF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, T.

    2012-01-01

    Accurately assessing and optimizing the implosion performance of inertial confinement fusion capsules is a crucial step to achieving ignition on the NIF. We have applied differential filtering (matched Ross filter pairs) to provide spectrally resolved time-integrated absolute x-ray self-emission images of the imploded core of cryogenic layered targets. Using bremsstrahlung assumptions, the measured absolute x-ray brightness allows for the inference of electron temperature, electron density, hot spot mass, mix mass, and pressure. Current inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments conducted on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) seek to indirectly drive a spherical implosion, compressing and igniting a deuterium-tritium fuel. This DT fuel capsule is cryogenically prepared as a solid ice layer surrounded by a low-Z ablator material. Ignition will occur when the hot spot approaches sufficient temperature (∼3-4 keV) and ρR (∼0.3 g/cm 2 ) such that alpha deposition can further heat the hot spot and generate a self-sustaining burn wave. During the implosion, the fuel mass becomes hot enough to emit large amounts of x-ray radiation, the spectra and spatial variation of which contains key information that can be used to evaluate the implosion performance. The Ross filter diagnostic employs differential filtering to provide spectrally resolved, time-integrated, absolute x-ray self-emission images of the imploded core of cryogenic layered targets.

  3. THE X-RAY FLUX DISTRIBUTION OF SAGITTARIUS A* AS SEEN BY CHANDRA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neilsen, J.; Anton Pannekoek, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, 1090 GE Amsterdam (Netherlands))" data-affiliation=" (Astronomical Institute, Anton Pannekoek, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, 1090 GE Amsterdam (Netherlands))" >Markoff, S.; Nowak, M. A.; Baganoff, F. K.; Dexter, J.; Witzel, G.; Barrière, N.; Li, Y.; Degenaar, N.; Fragile, P. C.; Gammie, C.; Goldwurm, A.; Grosso, N.; Haggard, D.

    2015-01-01

    We present a statistical analysis of the X-ray flux distribution of Sgr A* from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory's 3 Ms Sgr A* X-ray Visionary Project in 2012. Our analysis indicates that the observed X-ray flux distribution can be decomposed into a steady quiescent component, represented by a Poisson process with rate Q = (5.24 ± 0.08) × 10 –3  counts s –1 , and a variable component, represented by a power law process (dN/dF∝F –ξ , ξ=1.92 −0.02 +0.03 ). This slope matches our recently reported distribution of flare luminosities. The variability may also be described by a log-normal process with a median unabsorbed 2-8 keV flux of 1.8 −0.6 +0.8 ×10 −14  erg s –1  cm –2 and a shape parameter σ = 2.4 ± 0.2, but the power law provides a superior description of the data. In this decomposition of the flux distribution, all of the intrinsic X-ray variability of Sgr A* (spanning at least three orders of magnitude in flux) can be attributed to flaring activity, likely in the inner accretion flow. We confirm that at the faint end, the variable component contributes ∼10% of the apparent quiescent flux, as previously indicated by our statistical analysis of X-ray flares in these Chandra observations. Our flux distribution provides a new and important observational constraint on theoretical models of Sgr A*, and we use simple radiation models to explore the extent to which a statistical comparison of the X-ray and infrared can provide insights into the physics of the X-ray emission mechanism

  4. THE X-RAY FLUX DISTRIBUTION OF SAGITTARIUS A* AS SEEN BY CHANDRA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neilsen, J. [Department of Astronomy, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Markoff, S. [Astronomical Institute, " Anton Pannekoek," University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, 1090 GE Amsterdam (Netherlands); Nowak, M. A.; Baganoff, F. K. [MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Dexter, J. [Department of Astronomy, Hearst Field Annex, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3411 (United States); Witzel, G. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1547 (United States); Barrière, N. [Space Sciences Laboratory, 7 Gauss Way, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7450 (United States); Li, Y. [Department of Astronomy and Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005 (China); Degenaar, N. [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 OHA (United Kingdom); Fragile, P. C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424 (United States); Gammie, C. [Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1002 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Goldwurm, A. [AstroParticule et Cosmologie (APC), Université Paris 7 Denis Diderot, F-75205 Paris cedex 13 (France); Grosso, N. [Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7550, 11 rue de l' Université, F-67000 Strasbourg (France); Haggard, D., E-mail: jneilsen@space.mit.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, AC# 2244, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002 (United States)

    2015-02-01

    We present a statistical analysis of the X-ray flux distribution of Sgr A* from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory's 3 Ms Sgr A* X-ray Visionary Project in 2012. Our analysis indicates that the observed X-ray flux distribution can be decomposed into a steady quiescent component, represented by a Poisson process with rate Q = (5.24 ± 0.08) × 10{sup –3} counts s{sup –1}, and a variable component, represented by a power law process (dN/dF∝F {sup –ξ}, ξ=1.92{sub −0.02}{sup +0.03}). This slope matches our recently reported distribution of flare luminosities. The variability may also be described by a log-normal process with a median unabsorbed 2-8 keV flux of 1.8{sub −0.6}{sup +0.8}×10{sup −14} erg s{sup –1} cm{sup –2} and a shape parameter σ = 2.4 ± 0.2, but the power law provides a superior description of the data. In this decomposition of the flux distribution, all of the intrinsic X-ray variability of Sgr A* (spanning at least three orders of magnitude in flux) can be attributed to flaring activity, likely in the inner accretion flow. We confirm that at the faint end, the variable component contributes ∼10% of the apparent quiescent flux, as previously indicated by our statistical analysis of X-ray flares in these Chandra observations. Our flux distribution provides a new and important observational constraint on theoretical models of Sgr A*, and we use simple radiation models to explore the extent to which a statistical comparison of the X-ray and infrared can provide insights into the physics of the X-ray emission mechanism.

  5. A Chandra High-Resolution X-ray Image of Centaurus A.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraft; Forman; Jones; Kenter; Murray; Aldcroft; Elvis; Evans; Fabbiano; Isobe; Jerius; Karovska; Kim; Prestwich; Primini; Schwartz; Schreier; Vikhlinin

    2000-03-01

    We present first results from a Chandra X-Ray Observatory observation of the radio galaxy Centaurus A with the High-Resolution Camera. All previously reported major sources of X-ray emission including the bright nucleus, the jet, individual point sources, and diffuse emission are resolved or detected. The spatial resolution of this observation is better than 1&arcsec; in the center of the field of view and allows us to resolve X-ray features of this galaxy not previously seen. In particular, we resolve individual knots of emission in the inner jet and diffuse emission between the knots. All of the knots are diffuse at the 1&arcsec; level, and several exhibit complex spatial structure. We find the nucleus to be extended by a few tenths of an arcsecond. Our image also suggests the presence of an X-ray counterjet. Weak X-ray emission from the southwest radio lobe is also seen, and we detect 63 pointlike galactic sources (probably X-ray binaries and supernova remnants) above a luminosity limit of approximately 1.7x1037 ergs s-1.

  6. Handbook of X-Ray Astronomy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnaud, Keith A. (Editor); Smith, Randall K.; Siemiginowska, Aneta

    2011-01-01

    X-ray astronomy was born in the aftermath of World War II as military rockets were repurposed to lift radiation detectors above the atmosphere for a few minutes at a time. These early flights detected and studied X-ray emission from the Solar corona. The first sources beyond the Solar System were detected during a rocket flight in 1962 by a team headed by Riccardo Giaccom at American Science and Engineering, a company founded by physicists from MIT. The rocket used Geiger counters with a system designed to reduce non-X-ray backgrounds and collimators limiting the region of sky seen by the counters. As the rocket spun, the field of view (FOV) happened to pass over what was later found to be the brightest non-Solar X-ray source; later designated See X-1. It also detected a uniform background glow which could not be resolved into individual sources. A follow-up campaign using X-ray detectors with better spatial resolution and optical telescopes identified See X-1 as an interacting binary with a compact (neutron star) primary. This success led to further suborbital rocket flights by a number of groups. More X-ray binaries were discovered, as well as X-ray emission from supernova remnants, the radio galaxies M87 and Cygnus-A, and the Coma cluster. Detectors were improved and Geiger counters were replaced by proportional counters, which provided information about energy spectra of the sources. A constant challenge was determining precise positions of sources as only collimators were available.

  7. Stellar X-Ray Polarimetry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swank, J.

    2011-01-01

    Most of the stellar end-state black holes, pulsars, and white dwarfs that are X-ray sources should have polarized X-ray fluxes. The degree will depend on the relative contributions of the unresolved structures. Fluxes from accretion disks and accretion disk corona may be polarized by scattering. Beams and jets may have contributions of polarized emission in strong magnetic fields. The Gravity and Extreme Magnetism Small Explorer (GEMS) will study the effects on polarization of strong gravity of black holes and strong magnetism of neutron stars. Some part of the flux from compact stars accreting from companion stars has been reflected from the companion, its wind, or accretion streams. Polarization of this component is a potential tool for studying the structure of the gas in these binary systems. Polarization due to scattering can also be present in X-ray emission from white dwarf binaries and binary normal stars such as RS CVn stars and colliding wind sources like Eta Car. Normal late type stars may have polarized flux from coronal flares. But X-ray polarization sensitivity is not at the level needed for single early type stars.

  8. Analysis of the electronic structure of human hemoglobin from soft X-ray emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soldatov, A.V.; Kravtsova, A.N.; Fedorovich, E.N.; Ankudinov, A.; Moewes, A.; Kurmaev, E.Z.

    2005-01-01

    We present X-ray emission spectra (XES) of human hemoglobin excited near the iron L 2,3 threshold and the nitrogen and carbon K-edges. The experiment is compared with our calculations of the corresponding spectra and gives good agreement. We find that the Fe L 3 emission is affected by the nearest nitrogen atoms located in the heme plane around the central iron atom. The distribution of the partial electronic densities of states of hemoglobin is determined

  9. The X-ray eclipse geometry of the super-soft X-ray source CAL 87

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ribeiro, T.; Lopes de Oliveira, R. [Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Av. Marechal Rondon s/n, 49100-000 São Cristóvão, SE (Brazil); Borges, B. W., E-mail: tribeiro@ufs.br, E-mail: rlopes@ufs.br, E-mail: bernardo@astro.ufsc.br [Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Araranguá, 88905-120 Araranguá, SC (Brazil)

    2014-09-01

    We explore XMM-Newton observations of the eclipsing super-soft X-ray source CAL 87 in order to map the accretion structures of the system. Indirect imaging techniques were applied in X-ray light curves to provide eclipse maps. The surface brightness distribution exhibits an extended and symmetric emission, and a feature is revealed from the hardest X-rays that is likely due to a bright spot. A rate of P-dot =(+6±2)×10{sup −10} for changes in the orbital period of the system was derived from the eclipses. There is no significant variation of the emission lines even during eclipses, arguing that the lines are formed in an extended region. The continuum emission dominates the decrease in flux that is observed during eclipses. The O VIII Lyα line reveals a broadening velocity that is estimated to be 365{sub −69}{sup +65} km s{sup –1} (at 1σ), marginal evidence for asymmetry in its profile, and sometimes shows evidence of double-peaked emission. Together, the results support that the wind-driven mass transfer scenario is running in CAL 87.

  10. Miniature x-ray source

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trebes, James E.; Bell, Perry M.; Robinson, Ronald B.

    2000-01-01

    A miniature x-ray source utilizing a hot filament cathode. The source has a millimeter scale size and is capable of producing broad spectrum x-ray emission over a wide range of x-ray energies. The miniature source consists of a compact vacuum tube assembly containing the hot filament cathode, an anode, a high voltage feedthru for delivering high voltage to the cathode, a getter for maintaining high vacuum, a connector for initial vacuum pump down and crimp-off, and a high voltage connection for attaching a compact high voltage cable to the high voltage feedthru. At least a portion of the vacuum tube wall is fabricated from highly x-ray transparent materials, such as sapphire, diamond, or boron nitride.

  11. Comparison of the X-Ray and Radio Light Curves of Quasar PKS 1510--089

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aller, M. F.; Marscher, A. P.; Marchenko-Jorstad, S. G.; McHardy, I. M.; Aller, H. D.

    1998-01-01

    We present results for the X-ray-bright superluminal AGN PKS 1510-089 (z=0.36) monitored weekly with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer for the past four years in order to study the origin of X-ray emission from this extremely variable blazer. These RXTE data are compared with weekly cm-band flux and polarization observations from the Michigan Diameter telescope, to identify correlated activity and associated frequency-dependent time delays for constraining X-ray emission models; and bimonthly 7mm VLBA total and linearly polarized intensity imaging to identify temporal associations between X-ray events and the ejection of superluminal components and disturbances in the magnetic field, to test if the X-ray energy release is related to changes in the inner jet flow. Both the X-ray (2-20 keV) and radio flux are highly variable on timescales of weeks. The VLBA mas structure is dominated by a bright core with a weak jet; both the ejection of very fast superluminal knots and changes in the fractional polarization and EVPA of the core on timescales of one to four months are identified. Two outbursts in 1997 are well-resolved in both the centimeter and X-ray bands. Both the strong temporal association and the similar outburst shape support a causal relation, and a discrete cross-correlation analysis identifies that the X-ray lags the radio by 16 days during the bursts. Starting in 1998 the behavior changes: the correlation is weaker with the X-ray possibly leading the radio by six days. During the full time window there is a correlation between bands as expected if the radio photons are upscattered to X-ray energies. The time correlations and difference between the flat X-ray spectral index (0.0 <= alpha <= 0.5 where F(sub v) is proportional to v(exp -alpha)), and the mm-wave synchrotron spectrum (alpha = 0.8) are discussed within the framework of viable SSC models.

  12. Detailed analysis of hollow ions spectra from dense matter pumped by X-ray emission of relativistic laser plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hansen, S. B.; Colgan, J.; Abdallah, J.; Faenov, A. Ya.; Pikuz, S. A.; Skobelev, I. Yu.; Wagenaars, E.; Culfa, O.; Dance, R. J.; Tallents, G. J.; Rossall, A. K.; Woolsey, N. C.; Booth, N.; Lancaster, K. L.; Evans, R. G.; Gray, R. J.; McKenna, P.; Kaempfer, T.; Schulze, K. S.; Uschmann, I.

    2014-01-01

    X-ray emission from hollow ions offers new diagnostic opportunities for dense, strongly coupled plasma. We present extended modeling of the x-ray emission spectrum reported by Colgan et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 125001 (2013)] based on two collisional-radiative codes: the hybrid-structure Spectroscopic Collisional-Radiative Atomic Model (SCRAM) and the mixed-unresolved transition arrays (MUTA) ATOMIC model. We show that both accuracy and completeness in the modeled energy level structure are critical for reliable diagnostics, investigate how emission changes with different treatments of ionization potential depression, and discuss two approaches to handling the extensive structure required for hollow-ion models with many multiply excited configurations

  13. High resolution X-ray emission spectroscopy: An advanced tool for actinide research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vitova, T.; Brendebach, B.; Dardenne, K.; Denecke, M. A.; Lebid, A.; Löble, M.; Rothe, J.; Batuk, O. N.; Hormes, J.; Liu, D.; Breher, F.; Geckeis, H.

    2010-03-01

    High resolution X-ray emission spectroscopy (HRXES) is becoming increasingly important for our understanding of electronic and coordination structures. The combination of such information with development of quantum theoretical tools will advance our capability for predicting reactivity and physical behavior especially of 5f elements. HRXES can be used to remove lifetime broadening by registering the partial fluorescence yield emitted by the sample (i.e., recording a windowed signal from the energy dispersed fluorescence emission while varying incident photon energy), thereby yielding highly resolved X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectra. Such spectra often display resonant features not observed in conventional XAFS. The spectrometer set-up can also be used for a wide range of other experiments, for example, resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS), where bulk electron configuration information in solids, liquids and gases is obtained. Valence-selective XAFS studies, where the local structure of a selected element's valence state present in a mixture of valence states can be obtained, as well as site-selective XAFS studies, where the coordination structure of a metal bound to selected elements can be differentiated from that of all the other ligating atoms. A HRXES spectrometer has been constructed and is presently being commissioned for use at the INE-Beamline for actinide research at the synchrotron source ANKA at FZK. We present the spectrometer's compact, modular design, optimized for attaining a wide range of energies, and first test measurement results. Examples from HRXES studies of lanthanides, actinides counter parts, are also shown.

  14. X-Ray Spectroscopy of Gold Nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nahar, Sultana N.; Montenegro, M.; Pradhan, A. K.; Pitzer, R.

    2009-06-01

    Inner shell transitions, such as 1s-2p, in heavy elements can absorb or produce hard X-rays, and hence are widely used in nanoparticles. Bio-medical research for cancer treatment has been using heavy element nanoparticles, embeded in malignant tumor, for efficient absorption of irradiated X-rays and leading emission of hard X-rays and energetic electrons to kill the surrounding cells. Ejection of a 1s electron during ionization of the element by absorption of a X-ray photon initiates the Auger cascades of emission of photons and electrons. We have investigated gold nanoparticles for the optimal energy range, below the K-edge (1s) ionization threshold, that corresponds to resonant absorption of X-rays with large attenuation coefficients, orders of magnitude higher over the background as well as to that at K-edge threshold. We applied these attenuation coefficients in Monte Carlo simulation to study the intensities of emission of photons and electrons by Auger cascades. The numerical experiments were carried out in a phantom of water cube with a thin layer, 0.1mm/g, of gold nanoparticles 10 cm inside from the surface using the well-known code Geant4. We will present results on photon and electron emission spectra from passing monochromatic X-ray beams at 67 keV, which is the resonant energy for resonant K_{α} lines, at 82 keV, the K-shell ionization threshold, and at 2 MeV where the resonant effect is non-existent. Our findings show a high peak in the gold nanoparticle absorption curve indicating complete absorption of radiation within the gold layer. The photon and electron emission spectra show resonant features. Acknowledgement: Partially supported by a Large Interdisciplinary Grant award of the Ohio State University and NASA APRA program (SNN). The computational work was carried out on the Cray X1 and Itanium 4 cluster at the Ohio Supercomputer Center, Columbus Ohio. "Resonant X-ray Irradiation of High-Z Nanoparticles For Cancer Theranostics" (refereed

  15. X-Ray Emission Spectrometer Design with Single-Shot Pump-Probe and Resonant Excitation Capabilities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Spoth, Katherine; /SUNY, Buffalo /SLAC

    2012-08-28

    Core-level spectroscopy in the soft X-ray regime is a powerful tool for the study of chemical bonding processes. The ultrafast, ultrabright X-ray pulses generated by the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) allow these reactions to be studied in greater detail than ever before. In this study, we investigated a conceptual design of a spectrometer for the LCLS with imaging in the non-dispersive direction. This would allow single-shot collection of X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) measurements with varying laser pump X-ray probe delay or a variation of incoming X-ray energy over the illuminated area of the sample. Ray-tracing simulations were used to demonstrate how the components of the spectrometer affect its performance, allowing a determination of the optimal final design. These simulations showed that the spectrometer's non-dispersive focusing is extremely sensitive to the size of the sample footprint; the spectrometer is not able to image a footprint width larger than one millimeter with the required resolution. This is compatible with a single shot scheme that maps out the laser pump X-ray probe delay in the non-dispersive direction as well as resonant XES applications at normal incidence. However, the current capabilities of the Soft X-Ray (SXR) beamline at the LCLS do not produce the required energy range in a small enough sample footprint, hindering the single shot resonant XES application at SXR for chemical dynamics studies at surfaces. If an upgraded or future beamline at LCLS is developed with lower monochromator energy dispersion the width can be made small enough at the required energy range to be imaged by this spectrometer design.

  16. HEAO A-1 observations of x ray emitting clusters of galaxies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, M.W.

    1990-01-01

    Clusters of galaxies were known to be sources of x ray emission. Statistical analysis of how the x ray emission from clusters is related to other cluster properties was limited by the small number of clusters observed in the x ray region and the completeness of the x ray sample being considered. Both of these limitations are solved by producing a flux-limited catalog of x ray emitting Abell clusters of galaxies and using this catalog to investigate how the x ray emission correlates with other cluster properties. X ray data from the HEAO A-1 experiment were used to search for x ray emission from Abell clusters of galaxies. Selection criteria were chosen to ensure that the resulting catalog was complete and as free as possible from selection effects. The resulting identifications and x ray luminosities were used to check correlations with other cluster properties. Special consideration was given to observational selection effects and consistency checks. The data were consistent with all clusters of galaxies being x ray emitters beyond some limiting luminosity, which depends on cluster richness. Furthermore, the x ray luminosity of clusters is correlated with the richness of the cluster, its galaxy content, and the spacial distribution and galaxy content of galaxies within the cluster. It is concluded that the x ray emission from clusters of galaxies depends not only on the richness of the cluster but also the morphology of the cluster

  17. Temporal characteristic analysis of laser-modulated pulsed X-ray source for space X-ray communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hang, Shuang; Liu, Yunpeng; Li, Huan; Tang, Xiaobin; Chen, Da

    2018-04-01

    X-ray communication (XCOM) is a new communication type and is expected to realize high-speed data transmission in some special communication scenarios, such as deep space communication and blackout communication. This study proposes a high-speed modulated X-ray source scheme based on the laser-to-X-ray conversion. The temporal characteristics of the essential components of the proposed laser-modulated pulsed X-ray source (LMPXS) were analyzed to evaluate its pulse emission performance. Results show that the LMPXS can provide a maximum modulation rate up to 100 Mbps which is expected to significantly improve the data rate of XCOM.

  18. DISCOVERY OF X-RAY EMISSION FROM THE FIRST Be/BLACK HOLE SYSTEM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Munar-Adrover, P.; Paredes, J. M.; Ribó, M. [Departament d' Astronomia i Meteorologia, Institut de Ciències del Cosmos, Universitat de Barcelona, IEEC-UB, Martí i Franquès 1, E-08028 Barcelona (Spain); Iwasawa, K. [ICREA, Institut de Ciències del Cosmos, Universitat de Barcelona, IEEC-UB, Martí i Franquès 1, E-08028 Barcelona (Spain); Zabalza, V. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Casares, J. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, E-38200 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain)

    2014-05-10

    MWC 656 (=HD 215227) was recently discovered to be the first binary system composed of a Be star and a black hole (BH). We observed it with XMM-Newton, and detected a faint X-ray source compatible with the position of the optical star, thus proving it to be the first Be/BH X-ray binary. The spectrum analysis requires a model fit with two components, a blackbody plus a power law, with k{sub B}T=0.07{sub −0.03}{sup +0.04} keV and a photon index Γ = 1.0 ± 0.8, respectively. The non-thermal component dominates above ≅0.8 keV. The obtained total flux is F(0.3-5.5 keV)=(4.6{sub −1.1}{sup +1.3})×10{sup −14} erg cm{sup –2} s{sup –1}. At a distance of 2.6 ± 0.6 kpc the total flux translates into a luminosity L {sub X} = (3.7 ± 1.7) × 10{sup 31} erg s{sup –1}. Considering the estimated range of BH masses to be 3.8-6.9 M {sub ☉}, this luminosity represents (6.7 ± 4.4) × 10{sup –8} L {sub Edd}, which is typical of stellar-mass BHs in quiescence. We discuss the origin of the two spectral components: the thermal component is associated with the hot wind of the Be star, whereas the power-law component is associated with emission from the vicinity of the BH. We also find that the position of MWC 656 in the radio versus X-ray luminosity diagram may be consistent with the radio/X-ray correlation observed in BH low-mass X-ray binaries. This suggests that this correlation might also be valid for BH high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) with X-ray luminosities down to ∼10{sup –8} L {sub Edd}. MWC 656 will allow the accretion processes and the accretion/ejection coupling at very low luminosities for BH HMXBs to be studied.

  19. EMISSION LINES BETWEEN 1 AND 2 keV IN COMETARY X-RAY SPECTRA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ewing, Ian; Christian, Damian J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330 (United States); Bodewits, Dennis [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Dennerl, Konrad [Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, D-85741 Garching Germany (Germany); Lisse, Carey M. [Planetary Exploration Group, Space Department, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723 (United States); Wolk, Scott J., E-mail: ian.ewing.794@my.csun.edu, E-mail: daman.christian@csun.edu [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

    2013-01-20

    We present the detection of new cometary X-ray emission lines in the 1.0-2.0 keV range using a sample of comets observed with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and ACIS spectrometer. We have selected five comets from the Chandra sample with good signal-to-noise spectra. The surveyed comets are C/1999 S4 (LINEAR), C/1999 T1 (McNaught-Hartley), 153P/2002 (Ikeya-Zhang), 2P/2003 (Encke), and C/2008 8P (Tuttle). We modeled the spectra with an extended version of our solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) emission model. Above 1 keV, we find Ikeya-Zhang to have strong emission lines at 1340 and 1850 eV which we identify as being created by SWCX lines of Mg XI and Si XIII, respectively, and weaker emission lines at 1470, 1600, and 1950 eV formed by SWCX of Mg XII, Mg XI, and Si XIV, respectively. The Mg XI and XII and Si XIII and XIV lines are detected at a significant level for the other comets in our sample (LS4, MH, Encke, 8P), and these lines promise additional diagnostics to be included in SWCX models. The silicon lines in the 1700-2000 eV range are detected for all comets, but with the rising background and decreasing cometary emission, we caution that these detections need further confirmation with higher resolution instruments.

  20. Environmental aspects of ion-induced x-ray emission by infinitely thick targets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Rinsvelt, H.A.; Dunnam, F.E.; Russell, J.P.; Bolch, W.E.

    1974-01-01

    Elemental analysis through proton and alpha particle induced x-ray emission by infinitely thick samples of environmental interest was found to be feasible. A quantization technique using internal standards and the optimization of the beam energy for optimal sensitivity were investigated. The average limit of detection ranges from about 0.1 ppM for calcium to 1 ppM for strontium

  1. Mrk 421 after the Giant X-Ray Outburst in 2013

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kapanadze, B.; Kapanadze, S.; Tabagari, L. [E. Kharadze Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory, Ilia State University, Colokashvili Av. 3/5, Tbilisi, 0162, Georgia (United States); Dorner, D. [Universität Würzburg, Institute for Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, Emil-Fischer-Str. 31, D-97074 Würtzburg (Germany); Romano, P.; Vercellone, S. [INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via E. Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate (Italy)

    2017-10-20

    We present the results of the Swift observations of the nearby BL Lac object Mrk 421 during 2013 November–2015 June. The source exhibited a strong long-term variability in the 0.3–10 keV band, with a maximum-to-minimum flux ratio of 13, and underwent X-ray flares by a factor of 1.8–5.2 on timescales of a few weeks or shorter. The source showed 48 instances of intraday flux variability in this period, which sometimes was observed within the 1 ks observational run. It was characterized by fractional amplitudes of 1.5(0.3)%–38.6(0.4)% and flux doubling/halving times of 2.6–20.1 hr. The X-ray flux showed a lack of correlation with the TeV flux on some occasions (strong TeV flares were not accompanied by comparable X-ray activity and vice versa), indicating that the high-energy emission in Mrk 421 was generated from an emission region more complex than a single zone. The best fits of the 0.3–10 keV spectra were mainly obtained using the log-parabola model, showing a strong spectral variability that generally followed a “harder-when-brighter” trend. The position of the synchrotron spectral energy distribution peak showed an extreme range from a few eV to ∼10 keV that happens rarely in blazars.

  2. XMM-Newton Detection of Hard X-Ray Emission in the Nitrogen-Type Wolf-Rayet Star WR 110

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skinner, Stephen L.; Zhekov, Svetozar A.; Güdel, Manuel; Schmutz, Werner

    2002-06-01

    We have used the excellent sensitivity of XMM-Newton to obtain the first high-quality X-ray spectrum of a Wolf-Rayet (W-R) star that is not known to be a member of a binary system. Our target, the nitrogen-type star WR 110 (HD 165688), was also observed and detected with the Very Large Array at four different frequencies. The radio flux density increases with frequency according to a power law Sν~ν+0.64+/-0.10, in very good agreement with the behavior expected for free-free wind emission. The radio data give an ionized mass-loss rate M=4.9×10-5 Msolar yr-1 for an assumed spherical constant-velocity wind. The undispersed CCD X-ray spectra reveal strong emission lines from He-like ions of Mg, Si, and S. The emission measure distribution shows a dominant contribution from cool plasma with a characteristic temperature kTcool~0.5 keV (~6 MK). Little or no excess absorption of this cool component above the value expected from the visual extinction is present. We conclude that the bulk of the cool plasma detected by XMM-Newton lies at hundreds of stellar radii or more if the wind is approximately spherical and homogeneous, but it could lie closer to the star if the wind is clumped. If the cool plasma is due to instability-driven wind shocks, then typical shock velocities are vs~340-550 km s-1 and the average filling factor of X-ray-emitting gas in the wind is no larger than f~10-6. A surprising result is the unambiguous detection of a hard X-ray component that is clearly seen in the hard-band images and the spectra. This hard component accounts for about half of the observed flux and can be acceptably fitted by a hot, optically thin thermal plasma or a power-law model. If the emission is thermal, then a temperature kThot>=3 keV is derived. Such high temperatures are not predicted by current instability-driven wind shock models, and a different mechanism is thus required to explain the hard X-rays. We examine several possible mechanisms and show that the hard emission

  3. Sawtooth-like X-ray emission observed in EBIT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Radtke, R.; Biedermann, C.; Bachmann, P.

    2003-01-01

    The evolution of a mixture of highly charged Ar and Ba ions was measured in an electron beam ion trap (EBIT) by recording the characteristic X-ray emission from trapped ions. A special feature in the spectra are sawtooth-like intensity variations caused by a periodic collapse of the ion inventory in the trap. The effect requires favorable conditions to become present and is very sensitive to the trapping conditions. Analysis of the measurements is based on a time-dependent calculation of the trapping process. Simulations show that sawtooth activity results from the feedback between the low-Z Ar and high-Z Ba ions (Hopf bifurcation). Sawtooth spectra open up a spectroscopic method to test theoretical EBIT models and probe the dynamics in ion traps and sources

  4. Evidence for quiescent synchrotron emission in the black hole X-ray transient Swift J1357.2–0933

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahbaz T.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available We present high time-resolution optical and infrared observations of the edge-on black hole X-ray transient Swift J1357.2-0933. Our data taken in 2012 shows the system to be at its pre-outburst magnitude and so the system is in quiescence. In contrast to other X-ray transients, the quiescent light curves of Swift J1357.2-0933 do not show the secondary star’s ellipsoidal modulation. The optical and infrared light curves is dominated by variability with an optical fractional rms of about 20 per cent, much larger than what is observed in other systems. The quiescent ultraviolet to mid-IR spectral energy distribution in quiescence is dominated by a nonthermal component with a power–law index of −1.4, (the broad-band rms SED has a similar index which arises from optically thin synchrotron emission from a jet; the lack of a peak in the spectral energy distribution rules out advection-dominated models (based on [19].

  5. X-ray reflection from cold matter in the nuclei of active galaxies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pounds, K.A.; Nandra, K.; Stewart, G.C.; George, I.M.; Fabian, A.C.

    1990-01-01

    The evidence accumulated over the past few years for strong soft X-ray emission from active galactic nuclei has been interpreted as black body emission from the innermost stable region of an accretion disk feeding the putative black hole at the centre of the active nucleus, a view given strong support by the rapid variability of some soft X-ray components. More recently, new X-ray data from the Exosat and Ginga satellites have revealed a second indicator of optically thick matter in the vicinity of the active nucleus, in the form of an iron K-fluorescence line at ≅ 6.4 keV. We report the discovery of two further common features of continuum absorption and reflection, revealed in a composite spectrum from twelve Ginga observations of Seyfert-type active galactic nuclei. Most of these spectral features are shown to be well modelled by reprocessing of the hard X-ray power-law continuum in a slab (or perhaps a disk) of cold matter. There is also evidence for a substantial line-of-sight column of photoionized material. (author)

  6. X-ray spectra of clusters of galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarazin, Craig L.

    1990-01-01

    X-ray line observations of clusters of galaxies have shown that the X-ray emission in clusters is mainly thermal emission from hot diffuse gas, and that much of this gas has come out of stars, probably having been ejected from galaxies in the cluster. Future high resolution observations should allow us to determine the physical state of the gas. X-ray line measurements and abundance determinations can lead to strong constraints on the origin of the intracluster gas, and on the chemical evolution and history of galaxies. Some of the stronger resonant X-ray lines may be observable as absorption lines against a background quasar. Such X-ray absorption line measurement can be used to directly derive distances to clusters, using a technique similar to (and possibly complementary to) that the well-known method using the Zel'dovich-Syunyaev effect.

  7. Charge exchange laboratory studies relevant to solar-wind-induced cometary and planetary X-ray emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eissa, Farhat

    The discovery of cometary X-ray emission for the first time in 1996, from comet Hyukatake using the Röntgen satellite (ROSAT) [Lisse, C. M. et al., 1996] was a highly surprising event. Since then, X-ray and extreme ultra violet (X-EUV) emission has been observed from a number of comets [Lisse, C. M. et al., 2001]. The production of such radiation is strongly believed to be the result of the charge exchange collisions of the minor heavy highly charged solar wind (SW) ions with cometary neutrals. This study reports the first state-selective He- like X-ray spectra resulting from single-electron capture (SEC) in charge exchange collisions of O 7+ and Ne 9+ with He and CO targets at a collision velocity of 800 km/s. The ions and velocity are typical of solar wind ions while the molecular and atomic targets are typical of cometary (CO) and interstellar (He) neutrals. The spectra have been obtained by means of simultaneous cold-target recoil ion momentum spectroscopic (COLTRIMS) and X-ray spectroscopic measurements that involved the triple-coincident detection of X- rays, scattered projectile, and target recoil ions. The spectra test the ability of theories to account for the relative population of triplet and singlet states in He-like product ions following SEC. The O 7+ +He spectra are compared with theoretical spectra based on quantal molecular-orbital close- coupling (QMOCC) and multi-channel Landau-Zener (MCLZ) calculations. In addition, all spectra have been used to extract angular momentum distributions based on the traditional 3:1 triplet-to-singlet ratio assumption for the populated states. The QMOCC and MCLZ calculations and the experimental results, however, suggest significant departures from this assumption. The extracted l - distributions are state-of-the-art at this time for modeling purposes due to the high differentiation power of the experimental procedure.

  8. Polarized X-Ray Emission from Magnetized Neutron Stars: Signature of Strong-Field Vacuum Polarization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Dong; Ho, Wynn C.

    2003-08-01

    In the atmospheric plasma of a strongly magnetized neutron star, vacuum polarization can induce a Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein type resonance across which an x-ray photon may (depending on its energy) convert from one mode into the other, with significant changes in opacities and polarizations. We show that this vacuum resonance effect gives rise to a unique energy-dependent polarization signature in the surface emission from neutron stars. The detection of polarized x rays from neutron stars can provide a direct probe of strong-field quantum electrodynamics and constrain the neutron star magnetic field and geometry.

  9. Polarized x-ray emission from magnetized neutron stars: signature of strong-field vacuum polarization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Dong; Ho, Wynn C G

    2003-08-15

    In the atmospheric plasma of a strongly magnetized neutron star, vacuum polarization can induce a Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein type resonance across which an x-ray photon may (depending on its energy) convert from one mode into the other, with significant changes in opacities and polarizations. We show that this vacuum resonance effect gives rise to a unique energy-dependent polarization signature in the surface emission from neutron stars. The detection of polarized x rays from neutron stars can provide a direct probe of strong-field quantum electrodynamics and constrain the neutron star magnetic field and geometry.

  10. Soft x-ray emission from postpulse expanding laser-produced plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weaver, J.L.; Feldman, U.; Mostovych, A.N.; Seely, J.F.; Colombant, D.; Holland, G.

    2003-01-01

    A diagnostic spectrometer has been developed at the Naval Research Laboratory to measure the time resolved absolute intensity of radiation emitted from targets irradiated by the Nike laser. The spectrometer consists of a dispersive transmission grating of 2500 lines/mm or 5000 lines/mm and a detection system consisting of an absolutely calibrated Si photodiode array and a charge coupled device camera. In this article, this spectrometer was used to study the spatial distribution of soft x-ray radiation from low Z elements (primarily carbon) that lasted tens of nanoseconds after the main laser illumination was over. We recorded soft x-ray emission as a function of the target material and target orientation with respect to the incoming laser beam and the spectrometer line of sight. While a number of spectral features have been identified in the data, the instrument's combined temporal and spatial resolution allowed observation of the plasma expansion from CH targets for up to ∼25 ns after the cessation of the main laser pulse. The inferred plasma expansion velocities are slightly higher than those previously reported

  11. Soft x-ray emission from postpulse expanding laser-produced plasmas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weaver, J. L.; Feldman, U.; Mostovych, A. N.; Seely, J. F.; Colombant, D.; Holland, G.

    2003-12-01

    A diagnostic spectrometer has been developed at the Naval Research Laboratory to measure the time resolved absolute intensity of radiation emitted from targets irradiated by the Nike laser. The spectrometer consists of a dispersive transmission grating of 2500 lines/mm or 5000 lines/mm and a detection system consisting of an absolutely calibrated Si photodiode array and a charge coupled device camera. In this article, this spectrometer was used to study the spatial distribution of soft x-ray radiation from low Z elements (primarily carbon) that lasted tens of nanoseconds after the main laser illumination was over. We recorded soft x-ray emission as a function of the target material and target orientation with respect to the incoming laser beam and the spectrometer line of sight. While a number of spectral features have been identified in the data, the instrument's combined temporal and spatial resolution allowed observation of the plasma expansion from CH targets for up to ˜25 ns after the cessation of the main laser pulse. The inferred plasma expansion velocities are slightly higher than those previously reported.

  12. Soft X-ray emission studies of biomaterials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kurmaev, E.Z. E-mail: kurmaev@ifmlrs.uran.ru; Werner, J.P.; Moewes, A.; Chiuzbaian, S.; Bach, M.; Ching, W.-Y.; Motozaki, W.; Otsuka, T.; Matsuya, S.; Endo, K.; Neumann, M

    2004-07-01

    Soft X-ray fluorescence measurements are used to characterize three groups of biomaterials: Vitamin B{sub 12} and derivatives, antioxidants (aspirin and paracetamol), and human teeth. We show that the chemical bonding in Vitamin B{sub 12} is characterized by the strong Co-C bond and the relatively weak Co-N bond. The Co-C bond in cyanocobalamin is found to be stronger than that of methylcobalamin leading to their different biological activity. The chemical bonding of paracetamol and aspirin is characterized by the formation of oxygen lone-pair {pi}-orbitals, which can neutralize free radicals and therefore be related to antioxidant activity of these compounds. Carbon K{alpha} emission spectra of a caries lesion suggest that the CaCO{sub 3} like phase exists in sound enamel and that a selective loss of carbonate occurs during the early stages of a caries attack.

  13. Early evolution of an X-ray emitting solar active region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolfson, C.J.; Acton, L.W.; Leibacher, J.W.; Roethig, D.T.

    1977-01-01

    The birth and early evolution of a solar active region has been investigated using X-ray observations from the Lockheed Mapping X-Ray Heliometer on board the OSO-8 spacecraft. X-ray emission is observed within three hours of the first detection of Hα plage. At that time, a plasma temperature of 4 x 10 6 K in a region having a density of the order of 10 10 cm -3 is inferred. During the fifty hours following birth almost continuous flares or flare-like X-ray bursts are superimposed on a monotonically increasing base level of X-ray emission produced by plasma with a temperature of the order 3 x 10 6 K. If it is assumed that the X-rays result from heating due to dissipation of current systems or magnetic field reconnection, it can be concluded that flare-like X-ray emission soon after active region birth implies that the magnetic field probably emerges in a stressed or complex configuration. (Auth.)

  14. Quadrupole effects in core and valence photoelectron emission from crystalline germanium measured via a spatially modulated x-ray interference field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nelson, E.J.; Woicik, J.C.; Pianetta, P.; Vartanyants, I.A.; Cooper, J.W.

    2002-01-01

    Near a crystal x-ray Bragg reflection, the incident and reflected x-ray beams that travel with opposite wave vectors create an x-ray standing-wave (XSW) interference field. The quadrupole (and higher order nondipole) contributions to the photoelectron emission matrix element differ for these two beams due to their different wave vectors. By monitoring the angle-resolved photoelectron yield as a function of photon energy near the (11-1) Bragg back-reflection condition of crystalline Ge, we measure the contribution of nondipole effects to Ge 3p, Ge 3d, and Ge valence-band (4s and 4p) XSW photoelectron emission. Significant changes due to nondipole emission are measured in both the apparent amplitude and phase of the Ge structure factor relative to the true Ge atomic distribution, and compared to theory

  15. The Man behind the Curtain: X-Rays Drive the UV through NIR Variability in the 2013 Active Galactic Nucleus Outburst in NGC 2617

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shappee, B. J.; Prieto, J. L.; Grupe, D.; Kochanek, C. S.; Stanek, K. Z.; De Rosa, G.; Mathur, S.; Zu, Y.; Peterson, B. M.; Pogge, R. W.; Komossa, S.; Im, M.; Jencson, J.; Holoien, T. W.-S.; Basu, U.; Beacom, J. F.; Szczygieł, D. M.; Brimacombe, J.; Adams, S.; Campillay, A.; Choi, C.; Contreras, C.; Dietrich, M.; Dubberley, M.; Elphick, M.; Foale, S.; Giustini, M.; Gonzalez, C.; Hawkins, E.; Howell, D. A.; Hsiao, E. Y.; Koss, M.; Leighly, K. M.; Morrell, N.; Mudd, D.; Mullins, D.; Nugent, J. M.; Parrent, J.; Phillips, M. M.; Pojmanski, G.; Rosing, W.; Ross, R.; Sand, D.; Terndrup, D. M.; Valenti, S.; Walker, Z.; Yoon, Y.

    2014-06-01

    After the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae discovered a significant brightening of the inner region of NGC 2617, we began a ~70 day photometric and spectroscopic monitoring campaign from the X-ray through near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths. We report that NGC 2617 went through a dramatic outburst, during which its X-ray flux increased by over an order of magnitude followed by an increase of its optical/ultraviolet (UV) continuum flux by almost an order of magnitude. NGC 2617, classified as a Seyfert 1.8 galaxy in 2003, is now a Seyfert 1 due to the appearance of broad optical emission lines and a continuum blue bump. Such "changing look active galactic nuclei (AGNs)" are rare and provide us with important insights about AGN physics. Based on the Hβ line width and the radius-luminosity relation, we estimate the mass of central black hole (BH) to be (4 ± 1) × 107 M ⊙. When we cross-correlate the light curves, we find that the disk emission lags the X-rays, with the lag becoming longer as we move from the UV (2-3 days) to the NIR (6-9 days). Also, the NIR is more heavily temporally smoothed than the UV. This can largely be explained by a simple model of a thermally emitting thin disk around a BH of the estimated mass that is illuminated by the observed, variable X-ray fluxes.

  16. The man behind the curtain: X-rays drive the UV through NIR variability in the 2013 active galactic nucleus outburst in NGC 2617

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shappee, B. J.; Kochanek, C. S.; Stanek, K. Z.; De Rosa, G.; Mathur, S.; Zu, Y.; Peterson, B. M.; Pogge, R. W.; Jencson, J.; Holoien, T.W-S.; Basu, U.; Beacom, J. F.; Adams, S. [Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Prieto, J. L. [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Grupe, D. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Komossa, S. [Max-Planck Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Im, M. [CEOU/Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Szczygieł, D. M. [Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory, Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw (Poland); Brimacombe, J. [Coral Towers Observatory, Cairns, Queensland A-4870 (Australia); Campillay, A., E-mail: shappee@astronomy.ohio-state.edu [Carnegie Observatories, Las Campanas Observatory, Colina El Pino, Casilla 601 (Chile); and others

    2014-06-10

    After the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae discovered a significant brightening of the inner region of NGC 2617, we began a ∼70 day photometric and spectroscopic monitoring campaign from the X-ray through near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths. We report that NGC 2617 went through a dramatic outburst, during which its X-ray flux increased by over an order of magnitude followed by an increase of its optical/ultraviolet (UV) continuum flux by almost an order of magnitude. NGC 2617, classified as a Seyfert 1.8 galaxy in 2003, is now a Seyfert 1 due to the appearance of broad optical emission lines and a continuum blue bump. Such 'changing look active galactic nuclei (AGNs)' are rare and provide us with important insights about AGN physics. Based on the Hβ line width and the radius-luminosity relation, we estimate the mass of central black hole (BH) to be (4 ± 1) × 10{sup 7} M {sub ☉}. When we cross-correlate the light curves, we find that the disk emission lags the X-rays, with the lag becoming longer as we move from the UV (2-3 days) to the NIR (6-9 days). Also, the NIR is more heavily temporally smoothed than the UV. This can largely be explained by a simple model of a thermally emitting thin disk around a BH of the estimated mass that is illuminated by the observed, variable X-ray fluxes.

  17. A review of molecular effects in gas-phase KL X-ray emission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guillemin, Renaud; Carniato, Stéphane; Journel, Loïc [UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7614, Laboratoire de Chimie Physique Matière et Rayonnement, F-75005 Paris (France); CNRS, UMR 7614, Laboratoire de Chimie Physique Matière et Rayonnement, F-75005 Paris (France); Stolte, Wayne C. [Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4003 (United States); Marchenko, Tatiana; Khoury, Lara El; Kawerk, Elie; Piancastelli, Maria Novella [UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7614, Laboratoire de Chimie Physique Matière et Rayonnement, F-75005 Paris (France); CNRS, UMR 7614, Laboratoire de Chimie Physique Matière et Rayonnement, F-75005 Paris (France); Hudson, Amanda C.; Lindle, Dennis W. [Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4003 (United States); Simon, Marc, E-mail: marc.simon@upmc.fr [UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7614, Laboratoire de Chimie Physique Matière et Rayonnement, F-75005 Paris (France); CNRS, UMR 7614, Laboratoire de Chimie Physique Matière et Rayonnement, F-75005 Paris (France)

    2013-06-15

    The unique capabilities of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) to provide a deep insight into molecular dynamics following core excitation are reviewed here. Characteristic features of molecular X-ray emission are experimentally observed and theoretically interpreted. Some of our most significant results on molecular dynamics following deep core excitation are presented. In particular, we provide several examples of nuclear dynamics on the femtosecond or subfemtosecond time scale; line-narrowing effects related to the quenching of vibrational structure due to parallelism of intermediate and final state curves; anomalous line dispersion across a resonance, which is due to core-hole lifetime effects; spin–orbit-state populations derived from polarized RIXS experiments. We also show how to connect the RIXS results to the general chemical properties of the investigated systems.

  18. A review of molecular effects in gas-phase KL X-ray emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guillemin, Renaud; Carniato, Stéphane; Journel, Loïc; Stolte, Wayne C.; Marchenko, Tatiana; Khoury, Lara El; Kawerk, Elie; Piancastelli, Maria Novella; Hudson, Amanda C.; Lindle, Dennis W.; Simon, Marc

    2013-01-01

    The unique capabilities of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) to provide a deep insight into molecular dynamics following core excitation are reviewed here. Characteristic features of molecular X-ray emission are experimentally observed and theoretically interpreted. Some of our most significant results on molecular dynamics following deep core excitation are presented. In particular, we provide several examples of nuclear dynamics on the femtosecond or subfemtosecond time scale; line-narrowing effects related to the quenching of vibrational structure due to parallelism of intermediate and final state curves; anomalous line dispersion across a resonance, which is due to core-hole lifetime effects; spin–orbit-state populations derived from polarized RIXS experiments. We also show how to connect the RIXS results to the general chemical properties of the investigated systems

  19. Plasma heating in solar flares and their soft and hard X-ray emissions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Falewicz, R.

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, the energy budgets of two single-loop-like flares observed in X-ray are analyzed under the assumption that nonthermal electrons (NTEs) are the only source of plasma heating during all phases of both events. The flares were observed by RHESSI and GOES on 2002 February 20 and June 2, respectively. Using a one-dimensional (1D) hydrodynamic code for both flares, the energy deposited in the chromosphere was derived applying RHESSI observational data. The use of the Fokker-Planck formalism permits the calculation of distributions of the NTEs in flaring loops and thus spatial distributions of the X-ray nonthermal emissions and integral fluxes for the selected energy ranges that were compared with the observed ones. Additionally, a comparative analysis of the spatial distributions of the signals in the RHESSI images was conducted for the footpoints and for all the flare loops in selected energy ranges with these quantities' fluxes obtained from the models. The best compatibility of the model and observations was obtained for the 2002 June 2 event in the 0.5-4 Å GOES range and total fluxes in the 6-12 keV, 12-25 keV, 20-25 keV, and 50-100 keV energy bands. Results of photometry of the individual flaring structures in a high energy range show that the best compliance occurred for the 2002 June 2 flare, where the synthesized emissions were at least 30% higher than the observed emissions. For the 2002 February 20 flare, synthesized emission is about four times lower than the observed one. However, in the low energy range the best conformity was obtained for the 2002 February 20 flare, where emission from the model is about 11% lower than the observed one. The larger inconsistency occurs for the 2002 June 2 solar flare, where synthesized emission is about 12 times greater or even more than the observed emission. Some part of these differences may be caused by inevitable flaws of the applied methodology, like by an assumption that the model of the flare is

  20. Plasma Heating in Solar Flares and their Soft and Hard X-Ray Emissions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falewicz, R.

    2014-07-01

    In this paper, the energy budgets of two single-loop-like flares observed in X-ray are analyzed under the assumption that nonthermal electrons (NTEs) are the only source of plasma heating during all phases of both events. The flares were observed by RHESSI and GOES on 2002 February 20 and June 2, respectively. Using a one-dimensional (1D) hydrodynamic code for both flares, the energy deposited in the chromosphere was derived applying RHESSI observational data. The use of the Fokker-Planck formalism permits the calculation of distributions of the NTEs in flaring loops and thus spatial distributions of the X-ray nonthermal emissions and integral fluxes for the selected energy ranges that were compared with the observed ones. Additionally, a comparative analysis of the spatial distributions of the signals in the RHESSI images was conducted for the footpoints and for all the flare loops in selected energy ranges with these quantities' fluxes obtained from the models. The best compatibility of the model and observations was obtained for the 2002 June 2 event in the 0.5-4 Å GOES range and total fluxes in the 6-12 keV, 12-25 keV, 20-25 keV, and 50-100 keV energy bands. Results of photometry of the individual flaring structures in a high energy range show that the best compliance occurred for the 2002 June 2 flare, where the synthesized emissions were at least 30% higher than the observed emissions. For the 2002 February 20 flare, synthesized emission is about four times lower than the observed one. However, in the low energy range the best conformity was obtained for the 2002 February 20 flare, where emission from the model is about 11% lower than the observed one. The larger inconsistency occurs for the 2002 June 2 solar flare, where synthesized emission is about 12 times greater or even more than the observed emission. Some part of these differences may be caused by inevitable flaws of the applied methodology, like by an assumption that the model of the flare is