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2006-06-27
Fe adatoms along Bi lines on H/Si(001): Patterning atomic magnetic chains
The stability, electronic and magnetic properties of Fe atoms adsorbed on the self-assembled Bi-dimer lines nanostructure on the H/Si(001) surface are addressed by spin-density functional calculations. Our results show that Fe adatoms are much more stable on sites closer to the Bi nanolines being able to form one-dimensional atomic arrays. The most stable structure occurs on a missing dimer line aside the Bi dimers, which corresponds to an array with distances between Fe adatoms of about 8 Ang. In this array the irons are coupled antiferromagnetically with spin magnetic moment of about 1.5 Bohr magnetons per Fe atom, whereas the coupling exchange interactions is found to be of 14.4 meV. We also estimate a large magnetic anisotropy energy for the Fe adatom of about 3 meV/atom. In addition, the electronic band structure of the Fe array at the most stable structure shows a magnetic half-metal behavior.
0606707v2
2006-08-14
Thermal relaxation of magnetic clusters in amorphous Hf_{57}Fe_{43} alloy
The magnetization processes in binary magnetic/nonmagnetic amorphous alloy Hf_{57}Fe_{43} are investigated by the detailed measurements of magnetic hysteresis loops, temperature dependence of magnetization, relaxation of magnetization and magnetic ac susceptibility, including a nonlinear term. Blocking of magnetic moments at lower temperatures is accompanied with the slow relaxation of magnetization and magnetic hysteresis loops. All of the observed properties are explained with the superparamagnetic behaviour of the single domain magnetic clusters inside the nonmagnetic host, their blocking by the anisotropy barriers and thermal fluctuation over the barriers accompanied by relaxation of magnetization. From magnetic viscosity analysis based on thermal relaxation over the anisotropy barriers it is found out that magnetic clusters occupy the characteristic volume from 25 up to 200 nm3 . The validity of the superparamagnetic model of Hf_{57}Fe_{43} is based on the concentration of iron in the Hf_{100-x}Fe_{43} system that is just below the threshold for the long range magnetic ordering. This work throws more light on magnetic behaviour of other amorphous alloys, too.
0608307v3
2006-09-15
Surfactant effects in monodisperse magnetite nanoparticles of controlled size
Monodisperse magnetite Fe3O4 nanoparticles of controlled size within 6 and 20 nm in diameter were synthesized by thermal decomposition of an iron organic precursor in an organic medium. Particles were coated with oleic acid. For all samples studied, saturation magnetization Ms reaches the expected value for bulk magnetite, in contrast to results in small particle systems for which Ms is usually much smaller due to surface spin disorder. The coercive field for the 6 nm particles is also similar to that of bulk magnetite. Both results suggest that the oleic acid molecules covalently bonded to the nanoparticle surface yield a strong reduction in the surface spin disorder. However, although the saturated state may be similar, the approach to saturation is different and, in particular, the high-field differential susceptibility is one order of magnitude larger than in bulk materials. The relevance of these results in biomedical applications is discussed.
0609384v1
2006-10-18
A new type of temperature driven reorientation transition in magnetic thin films
We present a new type of temperature driven spin reorientation transition (SRT) in thin films. It can occur when the lattice and the shape anisotropy favor different easy directions of the magnetization. Due to different temperature dependencies of the two contributions the effective anisotropy may change its sign and thus the direction of the magnetization as a function of temperature may change. Contrary to the well-known reorientation transition caused by competing surface and bulk anisotropy contributions the reorientation that we discuss is also found in film systems with a uniform lattice anisotropy. The results of our theoretical model study may have experimental relevance for film systems with positive lattice anisotropy, as e.g. thin iron films grown on copper.
0610504v1
2006-11-09
New ultrasmall iron-oxide nanoparticles with high magnetisation as potential T1-MRI contrast agents for Molecular Imaging
Here we report on the synthesis of very small gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (5 nm) presenting very narrow particle size distribution and exceptionally high saturation magnetisation. The synthesis has been carried out in an organic medium with subsequent transfer to an aqueous solution at physiological pH. The structural and magnetic properties were kept unaltered after the solvent exchange. NMR relaxometric measurements show the potential of these particles as specific reporters for magnetic resonance molecular imaging.
0611243v1
2006-12-10
Substituting the main group element in cobalt - iron based Heusler alloys: Co$_2$FeAl$_{1-x}$Si$_x$
This work reports about electronic structure calculations for the Heusler compound Co$_2$FeAl$_{1-x}$Si$_x$. Particular emphasis was put on the role of the main group element in this compound. The substitution of Al by Si leads to an increase of the number of valence electrons with increasing Si content and may be seen as electron-doping. Self-consistent electronic structure calculations were performed to investigate the consequences of the electron doping for the magnetic properties. The series Co$_2$FeAl$_{1-x}$Si$_x$ is found to exhibit half-metallic ferromagnetism and the magnetic moment follows the Slater-Pauling rule. It is shown that the electron-doping stabilises the gap in the minority states for $x=0.5$.
0612241v1
2006-12-23
Magnetic phase diagram of Ce2Fe17
Rare-earth-based permanent-magnet materials rich in iron have relatively low ferromagnetic ordering temperatures. This is believed to be due to the presence of antiferromagnetic exchange interactions, besides the ferromagnetic interactions responsible for the magnetic order. The magnetic properties of Ce2Fe17 are anomalous. Instead of ferromagnetic, it is antiferromagnetic, and instead of one ordering temperature, it shows two, at the Neel temperature TN ~ 208 K and at TT ~ 124 K. Ce2Fe17, doped by 0.5% Ta, also shows two ordering temperatures, one to an antiferromagnetic phase, at TN ~ 214 K, and one to a ferromagnetic phase, at T0 ~ 75 K. In order to clarify this behavior, single-crystalline samples were prepared by solution growth, and characterized by electron microscopy, single crystal x-ray diffraction, temperature-dependent specific heat, and magnetic field and temperature-dependent electrical resistivity and magnetization. From these measurements, magnetic H-T phase diagrams were determined for both Ta-doped Ce2Fe17 and undoped Ce2Fe17. These phase diagrams can be very well described in terms of a theory that gives magnetic phase diagrams of systems with competing antiferro- and ferromagnetism.
0612603v1
2007-01-02
Resonant soft x-ray magnetic scattering from the 4f and 3d electrons in DyFe(4)Al(8)
Soft x-ray resonant scattering has been used to examine the charge and magnetic interactions in the cycloidal antiferromagnetic compound \dyfeal. By tuning to the Dy $M_4$ and $M_5$ absorption edges and the Fe L(2) and L(3) absorption edges we can directly observe the behavior of the Dy 4f and Fe 3d electron shells. Magnetic satellites surrounding the (110) Bragg peak were observed below 60 K. The diffraction peaks display a complex spectra at the Dy M(5) edge, indicative of a split 4f electron band. This is in contrast to a simple resonance observed at the Fe L(3) absorption edge, which probes the Fe 3d electron shell. Temperature dependant measurements detail the ordering of the magnetic moments on both the iron and the dysprosium antiferromagnetic cycloids. The ratio between the intensities of the Dy M(4) and M(5) remained constant throughout the temperature range, in contrast to a previous study conducted at the Dy L(2,3) edges. Our results demonstrate the ability of soft x-ray diffraction to separate the individual magnetic components in complicated multi-element magnetic structures.
0701034v1
2007-01-26
Use of Superparamagnetic Nanoparticle/Block Copolymer Electrostatic Complexes as Contrast Agents in Magnetic Resonance Imaging
During the past years we have investigated the complexation between nanocolloids and oppositely charged polymers. The nanocolloids examined were ionic surfactant micelles and inorganic oxide nanoparticles. For the polymers, we used homopolyelectrolytes and block copolymers with linear and comb architectures. In general, the attractive interactions between oppositely charged species are strong and as such, the simple mixing of solutions containing dispersed constituents yield to a precipitation, or to a phase separation. We have developed means to control the electrostatically-driven attractions and to preserve the stability of the mixed solution. With these approaches, we designed novel core-shell nanostructures, e.g. as those obtained with polymers and iron oxide superparamagnetic nanoparticles. In this presentation, we show that electrostatic complexation can be used to tailor new functionalized nanoparticles and we provide examples related to biomedical applications in the domain of contrast agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
0701663v1
2007-02-23
Spectral and Fermi surface properties from Wannier interpolation
We present an efficient first-principles approach for calculating Fermi surface averages and spectral properties of solids, and use it to compute the low-field Hall coefficient of several cubic metals and the magnetic circular dichroism of iron. The first step is to perform a conventional first-principles calculation and store the low-lying Bloch functions evaluated on a uniform grid of k-points in the Brillouin zone. We then map those states onto a set of maximally-localized Wannier functions, and evaluate the matrix elements of the Hamiltonian and the other needed operators between the Wannier orbitals, thus setting up an ``exact tight-binding model.'' In this compact representation the k-space quantities are evaluated inexpensively using a generalized Slater-Koster interpolation. Because of the strong localization of the Wannier orbitals in real space, the smoothness and accuracy of the k-space interpolation increases rapidly with the number of grid points originally used to construct the Wannier functions. This allows k-space integrals to be performed with ab-initio accuracy at low cost. In the Wannier representation, band gradients, effective masses, and other k-derivatives needed for transport and optical coefficients can be evaluated analytically, producing numerically stable results even at band crossings and near weak avoided crossings.
0702554v1
2007-03-15
Theoretical introduction to express way of the complex determination of the thermophysical parameters of metals
A method to measure thermophysical characteristics (TPC) of conductive materials is described. The method is based upon controlled bulk (e.g., Ohmic) heating and measurement of the averaged over the volume of a sample temperature and the temperature of the surface of a sample. To measure averaged over a sample volume temperature a dilatometric technique could be used and surface temperature could be measured by x-ray method. This allows one to avoid distortion of the temperature field by the thermocouples and directly takes into account heat losses from the surface of a sample. The treatment of the experimental data should be based upon theoretical calculations presented in this paper. The measured values of the averaged over the volume of a sample temperature and a surface temperature allow for the calculation of TPC of the material. The experimental data obtained on the iron-based materials prove the high accuracy of the described approach [1-3].
0703392v2
1999-01-15
The Atmospheric Neutrino Flavor Ratio from a 3.9 Fiducial Kiloton-Year Exposure of Soudan 2
We report a measurement of the atmospheric neutrino flavor ratio, R, using a sample of quasi-elastic neutrino interactions occurring in an iron medium. The flavor ratio (tracks/showers) of atmospheric neutrinos in a 3.9 fiducial kiloton-year exposure of Soudan 2 is 0.64 +- 0.11 (stat.) +- 0.06 (syst.) of that expected. Important aspects of our main analysis have been checked by carrying out two independent, alternative analyses; one is based upon automated scanning, the other uses a multivariate approach for background subtraction. Similar results are found by all three approaches.
9901024v1
1999-12-14
Longitudinal Hadronic Shower Development in a Combined Calorimeter
This work is devoted to the experimental study of the longitudinal hadronic shower development in the ATLAS barrel combined prototype calorimeter consisting of the lead-liquid argon electromagnetic part and the iron-scintillator hadronic part. The results have been obtained on the basis of the 1996 combined test beam data which have been taken on the H8 beam of the CERN SPS, with the pion beams of 10, 20, 40, 50, 80, 100, 150 and 300 GeV/c. The degree of description of generally accepted Bock parameterization of the longitudinal shower development has been investigated. It is shown that this parameterization does not give satisfactory description for this combined calorimeter. Some modification of this parameterization, in which the e/h ratios of the compartments of the combined calorimeter are used, is suggested and compared with the experimental data. The agreement between such parameterization and the experimental data is demonstrated.
9912028v1
2000-01-05
Search for Nucleon Decay with Final States l+ eta, nubar eta, and nubar pi+,0 Using Soudan 2
We have searched for nucleon decay into five two-body final states using a 4.4 kiloton-year fiducial exposure of the Soudan 2 iron tracking calorimeter. For proton decay into the fully visible final states mu+ eta and e+ eta, we observe zero and one event, respectively, that satisfy our search criteria for nucleon decay. The lifetime lower limits (tau/B) thus implied are 89 x 10^30 years and 81 x 10^30 years at 90% confidence level. For neutron decay into nubar eta, we obtain the lifetime lower limit 71 x 10^30 years. Limits are also reported for neutron decay into nubar pi0, and for proton decay into nubar pi+.
0001015v1
2000-01-13
Neutrino Oscillation Appearance Experiment using Nuclear Emulsion and Magnetized Iron
This report describes an apparatus that could be used to measure both the identity and charge of an outgoing lepton in a charged current neutrino interaction. This capability in a massive detector would allow the most comprehensive set of neutrino oscillation physics measurements. By measuring the six observable transitions between initial and final state neutrinos, one would be able to measure all elements of the neutrino mixing matrix, as well as search for CP violation, and matter effects. If the measured matrix is not unitary, then one would also have an unambiguous determination of sterile neutrinos. Emulsion is considered as the tracking medium, and different techniques are discussed for the application of a magnetic field.
0001035v1
2000-04-06
Hadron Energy Reconstruction for the ATLAS Barrel Prototype Combined Calorimeter in the Framework of the Non-parametrical Method
Hadron energy reconstruction for the Atlas barrel prototype combined calorimeter, consisting of the lead-liquid argon electromagnetic part and the iron-scintillator hadronic part, in the framework of the non-parametrical method has been fulfilled. This method uses only the known e/h ratios and the electron calibration constants and does not require the determination of any parameters by a minimization technique and can be used for the fast energy reconstruction in the first level trigger. The obtained reconstruction of the mean values of energies is within $\pm 1%$ and the fractional energy resolution is $[(58\pm3)% \sqrt{GeV}/\sqrt{E}+(2.5\pm0.3)%]\oplus (1.7\pm0.2) GeV/E$. The obtained value of the e/h ratio for electromagnetic compartment of the combined calorimeter is $1.74\pm0.04$ and agrees with the prediction that $e/h > 1.7$ for this electromagnetic calorimeter. The results of the study of the longitudinal hadronic shower development are presented. The data have been taken in the H8 beam line of the CERN SPS using pions of 10 -- 300 GeV.
0004009v1
2001-04-02
Hadron Energy Reconstruction for the ATLAS Calorimetry in the Framework of the Non-parametrical Method
This paper discusses hadron energy reconstruction for the ATLAS barrel prototype combined calorimeter (consisting of a lead-liquid argon electromagnetic part and an iron-scintillator hadronic part) in the framework of the non-parametrical method. The non-parametrical method utilizes only the known $e/h$ ratios and the electron calibration constants and does not require the determination of any parameters by a minimization technique. Thus, this technique lends itself to an easy use in a first level trigger. The reconstructed mean values of the hadron energies are within $\pm 1%$ of the true values and the fractional energy resolution is $[(58\pm3)% /\sqrt{E}+(2.5\pm0.3)%]\oplus (1.7\pm0.2)/E$. The value of the $e/h$ ratio obtained for the electromagnetic compartment of the combined calorimeter is $1.74\pm0.04$ and agrees with the prediction that $e/h > 1.7$ for this electromagnetic calorimeter. Results of a study of the longitudinal hadronic shower development are also presented. The data have been taken in the H8 beam line of the CERN SPS using pions of energies from 10 to 300 GeV.
0104002v2
2001-04-11
New calibrations and time stability of the response of the INTERCAST CR-39
We present new calibrations of different production batches (from 1989 to 1999) of the INTERCAST CR-39, using the BNL-AGS 1 A GeV iron beam. The comparison with previous results, obtained with the 158 A GeV lead beam from the CERN-SPS shows that, while each production batch has a different calibration curve (mainly due to minor differences in the production conditions), the aging effect is negligible. We also tested the dependence of the CR-39 response from the time elapsed between exposure and analysis (fading effect). The fading effect, if present, is less than 10%. It may be compatible with the experimental uncertainties on the bulk etching rate vB.
0104022v1
2001-05-22
Extraction of R=sigma_L/sigma_T from CCFR Neutrino and Antinetrino Differential Cross Sections
We report on the extraction of R=sigam_L/sigma_T from CCFR neutrino and antineutrino-Iron differential cross sections. R as measured in neutrno scattering is in agreement with $R$ as measured in muon and electron scattering. All data on R for Q2 > 1 GeV2 are in agreement with a NNLO QCD calculation which uses NNLO PDFs and includes target mass effects. We report on the first measurements of R in the low x and Q2 < 1 GeV2 region (where an anomalous large rise in R for nuclear targets has been observed by the HERMES collaboration).
0105067v1
2002-11-07
Design and test results of the AMS RICH detector
The AMS-02 detector will operate for at least 3 years on the International Space Station, measuring cosmic ray spectra at about 400 km above sea level over a wide range of geomagnetic latitude. The proximity focusing ring imaging \v{C}erenkov counter of AMS-02 will measure the particle velocity $\beta$ with $\approx 0.1%$ uncertainty, making possible to discriminate Beryllium isotopes up to about 15 GeV/nucl. In addition its charge measurement will allow to study the elemental composition of cosmic rays up to Iron. A prototype of the RICH detector was tested with cosmic rays and on a ion beam accelerated by SPS, at CERN (October 2002).
0211018v1
2006-07-31
Machine-Related Backgrounds in the SiD Detector at ILC
With a multi-stage collimation system and magnetic iron spoilers in the tunnel, the background particle fluxes on the ILC detector can be substantially reduced. At the same time, beam-halo interactions with collimators and protective masks in the beam delivery system create fluxes of muons and other secondary particles which can still exceed the tolerable levels for some of the ILC sub-detectors. Results of modeling of such backgrounds in comparison to those from the e+ e- interactions are presented in this paper for the SiD detector.
0608001v1
1992-11-19
Recent Work on Standard Solar Models
Recent results on standard solar models are reviewed. I shall summarize briefly three of the themes that I stressed at the Neutrino '92 Conference: 1) Different solar model codes give the same answers when the same input data are used; 2) Improved calculations of standard solar models include helium diffusion, the Livermore radiative opacity, the meteoritic iron abundance, and a variety of other corrections; and 3) There are a few basic rules that should be followed in using standard solar models. At the Neutrino '92 Conference, I reviewed in more detail the recent work on standard solar models by Marc Pinsonneault and myself. This work has by now appeared in print (Rev. Mod. Phys. 64, 885, 1992, hereafter Paper I, and ApJ Letters, 69, 717, 1992, Paper II). Therefore, there is no need for me to repeat the details here.
9211280v1
1997-09-09
Neutrino-photon reactions in astrophysics and cosmology
At energies above the threshold for $W$ production the process $\nu \gamma \to l W^+$ is competive with $\nu \nu$ scattering at the same center of mass energies. In a cosmological setting, absorption of ultra high energy neutrinos by the microwave photon background is comparable to absorption by the neutrino background. In passing through matter, the process $\nu \to l W^+$ will occur in the coulomb field of nuclei. For iron, the interaction rate per nucleon is roughly 20% of the charge current cross-section. The related process, $\anti\nu_e e^- \to \gamma W^-$ dominates $\anti\nu_e e^-$ scattering for about a decade in energy above the resonance for $W$ production.
9709290v1
1997-12-07
Off-shell Corrections and Moments of the Deep Inelastic Nuclear Structure Functions
We present an improved method for handling off-shell effects in deep inelastic nuclear scattering. With a firm understanding of the effects of the nuclear wave function, including these off-shell corrections as well as binding and nucleon-nucleon correlations, we can begin to examine the role of QCD in nuclei through an analysis of the moments of the nuclear structure function. Our analysis is aimed at extracting the Q^2 dependence of the moments of the nucleon structure function by using the recent high x world Iron data and by properly removing nuclear effects from the perturbative contribution. In addition, we compare quantitatively the behavior of the extracted moments with a simple O(1/Q^2) phenomenological form and we determine the mass term for this parametrization.
9712286v1
1998-05-07
Measurement of Atmospheric Neutrino Oscillations with a High-Density Detector
We propose an experiment to test the hypothesis that the reported anomaly on atmospheric neutrino fluxes is due to nu_mu <-> nu_x oscillations. It will rely both on a disappearance technique, exploiting the method of the dependence of the event rate on L/E, which was recently shown to be effective for detection of neutrino oscillation and measurement of the oscillation parameters, and on an appearance technique, looking for an excess of muon-less events at high energy produced by upward-going tau neutrinos. The detector will consist of iron planes interleaved by limited streamer tubes. The total mass will be about 30 kt. The possibility of recuperating most of the instrumentation from existing detectors allows to avoid R&D phases and to reduce construction time. In four years of data taking, this experiment will be sensitive to oscillations nu_mu <-> nu_x with Delta m^2 > 10^-4 eV^2 and a mixing near to maximal, and answer the question whether nu_x is a sterile or a tau neutrino.
9805249v2
2000-12-13
CP-violation in 3- and 4-family at the Neutrino Factory
The leptonic CP-violating phase $\delta$ can be measured with a Neutrino Factory with $2 \times 10^{20} $ useful muons per year, if the solar neutrino problem is solved by the LMA-MSW solution, with $\Delta m_{12}^2 \ge 2 \times 10^{-5}$ eV$^2$ (in this analysis a 40 kT magnetized iron detector is considered, taking into account its efficiencies and backgrounds). If LSND is confirmed, CP-violating phenomena in four-family scenarios can be most easily addressed with a small 1 kT detector at $L = \cal O$(10) km (no detailed analysis of the detector efficiencies and backgrounds has been performed in this case).
0012153v1
2000-12-27
Propagation of Muons and Taus at High Energies
The photonuclear contribution to charged lepton energy loss has been re-evaluated taking into account HERA results on real and virtual photon interactions with nucleons. With large $Q^2$ processes incorporated, the average muon range in rock for muon energies of $10^9$ GeV is reduced by only 5% as compared with the standard treatment. We have calculated the tau energy loss for energies up to $10^9$ GeV taking into consideration the decay of the tau. A Monte Carlo evaluation of tau survival probability and range show that at energies below $10^7-10^8$ GeV, depending on the material, only tau decays are important. At higher energies the tau energy losses are significant, reducing the survival probability of the tau. We show that the average range for tau is shorter than its decay length and reduce to 17 km in water for an incident tau energy of $10^9$ GeV, as compared with its decay length of 49 km at that energy. In iron, the average tau range is 4.7 km for the same incident energy.
0012350v1
2001-07-27
Extragalactic Sources for Ultra High Energy Cosmic Ray Nuclei
In this article we examine the hypothesis that the highest energy cosmic rays are complex nuclei from extragalactic sources. Under reasonable physical assumptions, we show that the nearby metally rich starburst galaxies (M82 and NGC 253) can produce all the events observed above the ankle. This requires diffusion of particles below $10^{20}$ eV in extragalactic magnetic fields $B \approx 15$ nG. Above $10^{19}$ eV, the model predicts the presence of significant fluxes of medium mass and heavy nuclei with small rate of change of composition. Notwithstanding, the most salient feature of the starburst-hypothesis is a slight anisotropy induced by iron debris just before the spectrum-cutoff.
0107287v4
2002-06-04
The silver channel at the Neutrino Factory
We notice that looking for $\nu_e \to \nu_\tau$ at the same time as $\nu_e \to \nu_\mu$ oscillations could significantly help to reduce the errors in the leptonic CP-violating phase $\delta$ measurement. We show how the $\nu_e \to \nu_\mu$ (``golden'') and $\nu_e \to \nu_\tau$ (``silver'') transitions observed at an OPERA-like 2 Kton lead-emulsion detector at L = 732 Km, in combination with the $\nu_e \to \nu_\mu$ transitions observed at a 40 Kton magnetized iron detector with a baseline of L = 3000 Km, strongly reduce the so-called $(\theta_{13}, \delta)$ ambiguity. We also show how a moderate increase in the OPERA-like detector mass (4 Kton instead of 2 Kton) completely eliminates the clone regions even for small values of $\theta_{13}$.
0206034v1
2002-07-12
Possible Studies of Parton Distribution Functions at JHF
We discuss possible studies of parton distribution functions (PDFs) in the nucleon and nuclei at the Japan Hadron Facility (JHF). First, the PDFs could be investigated by the 50 GeV primary proton facility. The distributions at medium x are determined, for example, by Drell-Yan measurements. Second, there are feasibility studies to propose a neutrino factory within the 50 GeV proton ring. If such an intensive high-energy neutrino facility is built, neutrino reactions should be able to provide valuable information on the PDFs, whereas the current structure functions have been measured mainly for neutrino-iron reactions.
0207151v1
2002-09-18
Modified Paschos-Wolfenstein relation and extraction of weak mixing angle sin^2 theta_W
The NuTeV collaboration reported anomalously large weak mixing angle sin^2 theta_W in comparison with the standard model prediction. Neutrino and antineutrino charged- and neutral-current events are analyzed for extracting sin^2 theta_W. Although the Paschos-Wolfenstein relation is not directly used in the analysis, it plays an important role in the determination. Noting that the target nucleus, iron, is not an isoscalar nucleus, we derive a leading-order expression for a modified Paschos-Wolfenstein relation for nuclei, which may have neutron excess. Then, using charge and baryon-number conservations for nuclei, we discuss a nuclear correction in the sin^2 theta_W determination. It is noteworthy that nuclear modifications are different between valence up- and down-quark distributions. We show this difference effect on the NuTeV sin^2 theta_W deviation.
0209200v2
2003-01-18
Charge Symmetry Violating Contributions to Neutrino Reactions
The NuTeV group has measured charged and neutral current reactions for neutrinos on iron targets. Ratios of these cross sections provide an independent measurement of the Weinberg angle. The NuTeV value for sin^2 theta_W is three standard deviations larger than the value measured in other electroweak processes. By reviewing theoretical estimates of parton charge symmetry violation (CSV), we study CSV contributions to the NuTeV measurement. We conclude that charge symmetry violating effects should remove roughly 30% of the discrepancy between the NuTeV result and other determinations of sin^2 theta_W.
0301147v3
2003-05-16
The synergy of the golden and silver channels at the Neutrino Factory
We deepen the study of the so-called ``silver channel'' $\nu_e \to \nu_\tau$ \cite{Donini:2002rm} and of its relevance to solve some of the ambiguities that can arise in the simultaneous measurement of $(\theta_{13},\delta)$ at the Neutrino Factory by presenting in full detail the characteristics of the considered OPERA-like detector and the experimental treatment of the different backgrounds and signals. Furthermore, we perform a detailed study of the systematic errors associated both with the OPERA-like and the magnetized-iron detectors and their effects on the sensitivity. Finally, we also apply a refined statistical analysis of the simulated events based on the frequentist approach.
0305185v1
2003-06-06
Supernova Neutrinos, Neutrino Oscillations, and the Mass of the Progenitor Star
We investigate the initial progenitor mass dependence of the early-phase neutrino signal from supernovae taking neutrino oscillations into account. The early-phase analysis has advantages in that it is not affected by the time evolution of the density structure of the star due to shock propagation or whether the remnant is a neutron star or a black hole. The initial mass affects the evolution of the massive star and its presupernova structure, which is important for two reasons when considering the neutrino signal. First, the density profile of the mantle affects the dynamics of neutrino oscillation in supernova. Second, the final iron core structure determines the features of the neutrino burst, i.e., the luminosity and the average energy. We find that both effects are rather small. This is desirable when we try to extract information on neutrino parameters from future supernova-neutrino observations. Although the uncertainty due to the progenitor mass is not small for intermediate $\theta_{13}$ ($10^{-5} \lesssim \sin^{2}{2 \theta_{13}} \lesssim 10^{-3}$), we can, nevertheless, determine the character of the mass hierarchy and whether $\theta_{13}$ is very large or very small.
0306056v1
2003-07-08
Nuclear modification of structure functions in lepton scattering
We discuss nuclear structure functions in lepton scattering including neutrino reactions. First, the determination of nuclear parton distribution functions is explained by using the data of electron and muon deep inelastic scattering and those of Drell-Yan processes. Second, NuTeV sin^2 theta_W anomaly is discussed by focusing on nuclear corrections in the iron target. Third, we show that the HERMES effect, which indicates nuclear modification of the longitudinal-transverse structure function ratio, should exist at large x with small Q^2 in spite of recent experimental denials at small x.
0307105v1
2004-10-19
Detecting matter effects in long baseline experiments
Experiments strongly suggest that the flavour mixing responsible for the atmospheric neutrino anomaly is very close to being maximal. Thus, it is of great theoretical as well as experimental importance to measure any possible deviation from maximality. In this context, we reexamine the effects of matter interactions in long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. Contrary to popular belief, the muon neutrino survival probability is shown to be quite sensitive to matter effects. Moreover, for moderately long baselines, the difference between the survival probilities for $\nu_\mu$ and $\bar\nu_\mu$ is shown to be large and sensitive to the deviation of $|U_{\mu 3}|$ from maximality. Performing a realistic analysis, we demonstrate that a muon-storage ring $\nu$-source alongwith an iron calorimeter detector can measure such deviations. (Contrary to recent claims, this is not so for the NuMI--{\sc minos} experiment.) We also discuss the possible correlation in measuring $U_{\mu 3}$ and $U_{e3}$ in such experiment.
0410266v1
2004-12-20
Nuclear modification difference between u_v and d_v distributions and its relation to NuTeV sin^2 theta_W anomaly
We investigate a possible nuclear correction to the NuTeV measurement of the weak-mixing angle sin^2 theta_W. In particular, a nuclear modification difference between u_v and d_v distributions contributes to the NuTeV measurement with the iron target. First, the modification differenceis determined by a chi^2 analysis so as to reproduce nuclear data on the structure function F_2 and Drell-Yan processes. Then, taking the NuTeV kinematics into account, we calculate a contribution to the sin^2 theta_W determination. In addition, its uncertainty is estimated by the Hessian method. Although the uncertainty becomes comparable to the NuTeV deviation, the effect is not large enough to explain the whole NuTeV sin^2 theta_W anomaly at this stage. However, it is difficult to determine such a nuclear modification difference, so that we need further investigations on the difference and its effect on the NuTeV anomaly.
0412284v2
2005-11-10
Perspectives for a neutrino program based on the upgrades of the CERN accelerator complex
In this paper, we discuss the possibilities offered to neutrino physics by the upgrades of the CERN accelerator complex. Emphasis is on the physics reach of a medium $\gamma$ (350-580) $\beta$-beam that fully exploits the improvements in the CERN accelerator complex for the luminosity/energy upgrade of the LHC. We show that, this design not only profits of the ongoing efforts for the upgrades of the LHC, but also leverage out the existing infrastructures of the LNGS underground laboratory. Furthermore, given the involved high neutrino energies, above 1 GeV, a non-magnetized iron detector could efficiently exploit the neutrino beam. We show that the performance of this complex for what concerns the discovery of the CP violation in the leptonic sector, in case $\theta_{13}$ is discovered by Phase I experiments, is comparable with the current baseline design based on a gigantic water Cherenkov at Frejus. Furthermore, this complex has also some sensitivity to the neutrino mass hierarchy.
0511134v2
2006-09-25
Probing Lepton Number Violating Interactions with Beta-beams
We show that a detector placed near a beta-beam storage ring can probe lepton number violating interactions, as predicted by supersymmetric theories with R-parity non-conservation. In the presence of such interactions, nu_tau can be produced during beta-decay leading to tau leptons through weak interactions. Alternatively, electron neutrinos from beta-decay of radioactive ions can produce tau leptons in a nearby detector through these interactions. The muons from the decay of these tau leptons can be readily identified in a small iron calorimeter detector and will signal violation of R-parity.
0609252v2
2006-10-16
The mass hierarchy with atmospheric neutrinos at INO
We study the neutrino mass hierarchy at the magnetized Iron CALorimeter (ICAL) detector at India-based Neutrino Observatory with atmospheric neutrino events generated by the Monte Carlo event generator Nuance. We judicially choose the observables so that the possible systematic uncertainties can be reduced. The resolution as a function of both energy and zenith angle simultaneously is obtained for neutrinos and anti-neutrinos separately from thousand years un-oscillated atmospheric neutrino events at ICAL to migrate number of events from neutrino energy and zenith angle bins to muon energy and zenith angle bins. The resonance ranges in terms of directly measurable quantities like muon energy and zenith angle are found using this resolution function at different input values of $\theta_{13}$. Then, the marginalized $\chi^2$s are studied for different input values of $\theta_{13}$ with its resonance ranges taking input data in muon energy and zenith angle bins. Finally, we find that the mass hierarchy can be explored up to a lower value of $\theta_{13}\approx 5^\circ$ with confidence level $>$ 95% in this set up.
0610196v3
2006-10-25
Neutrino mass hierarchy and $θ_{13}$ with a magic baseline beta-beam experiment
We underscore the physics advantage of an experiment where neutrinos produced in a beta-beam facility at CERN are observed in a large magnetized iron calorimeter (ICAL) at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO). The CERN-INO distance is close to the so-called "magic" baseline which helps evade some of the parameter degeneracies and allows for a better measurement of the neutrino mass hierarchy and $\theta_{13}$. We expound the possibility of using radioactive $^8B$ and $^{8}Li$ as the source isotopes for the $\nue$ and $\anue$ beta-beam, respectively, and show that very good sensitivity to both the mass hierarchy and $\theta_{13}$ is possible with a boost $\gamma$ in the 250-500 ballpark.
0610333v2
2007-02-18
A GEANT-based study of atmospheric neutrino oscillation parameters at INO
We have studied the dependence of the allowed space of the atmospheric neutrino oscillation parameters on the time of exposure for a magnetized Iron CALorimeter (ICAL) detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO). We have performed a Monte Carlo simulation for a 50 kTon ICAL detector generating events by the neutrino generator NUANCE and simulating the detector response by GEANT. A chi-square analysis for the ratio of the up-going and down-going neutrinos as a function of $L/E$ is performed and the allowed regions at 90% and 99% CL are displayed. These results are found to be better than the current experimental results of MINOS and Super-K. The possibilities of further improvement have also been discussed.
0702180v3
2007-03-20
Neutrino hierarchy from CP-blind observables with high density magnetized detectors
High density magnetized detectors are well suited to exploit the outstanding purity and intensities of novel neutrino sources like Neutrino Factories and Beta Beams. They can also provide independent measurements of leptonic mixing parameters through the observation of atmospheric muon-neutrinos. In this paper, we discuss the combination of these observables from a multi-kton iron detector and a high energy Beta Beam; in particular, we demonstrate that even with moderate detector granularities the neutrino mass hierarchy can be determined for $\theta_{13}$ values greater than 4$^\circ$.
0703209v3
1996-08-18
M-Theory (the Theory Formerly Known as Strings)
Superunification underwent a major paradigm shift in 1984 when eleven-dimensional supergravity was knocked off its pedestal by ten-dimensional superstrings. This last year has witnessed a new shift of equal proportions: perturbative ten-dimensional superstrings have in their turn been superseded by a new non-perturbative theory called {\it $M$-theory}, which describes supermembranes and superfivebranes, which subsumes all five consistent string theories and whose low energy limit is, ironically, eleven-dimensional supergravity. In particular, six-dimensional string/string duality follows from membrane/fivebrane duality by compactifying $M$-theory on $S^1/Z_2 \times K3$ (heterotic/heterotic duality) or $S^1 \times K3$ (Type $IIA$/heterotic duality) or $S^1/Z_2 \times T^4$ (heterotic/Type $IIA$ duality) or $S^1 \times T^4$ (Type $IIA$/Type $IIA$ duality).
9608117v3
2002-10-03
Critical analyses of order parameter and phase transitions at high density in Gross-Neveu model
By critical analyses of the order parameter of symmetry breaking, we have researched the phase transitions at high density in D=2 and D=3 Gross-Neveu (GN) model and shown that the gap equation obeyed by the dynamical fermion mass has the same effectivenesss as the effective potentials for such analyses of all the second order and some special first order phase transitions. In the meantime we also further ironed out a theoretical divergence and proven that in D=3 GN model a first order phase transition does occur in the case of zero temperature and finite chemical potential.
0210023v3
1999-10-18
A high-precision polarimeter
We have built a polarimeter in order to measure the electron beam polarization in hall C at JLAB. Using a superconducting solenoid to drive the pure-iron target foil into saturation, and a symmetrical setup to detect the Moller electrons in coincidence, we achieve an accuracy of <1%. This sets a new standard for Moller polarimeters.
9910013v1
2002-11-25
The Single-Particle Structure of Neutron-Rich Nuclei of Astrophysical Interest at the Ornl Hribf
The rapid nuetron-capture process (r process) produces roughly half of the elements heavier than iron. The path and abundances produced are uncertain, however, because of the lack of nuclear strucure information on important neutron-rich nuclei. We are studying nuclei on or near the r-process path via single-nucleon transfer reactions on neutron-rich radioactive beams at ORNL's Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF). Owing to the difficulties in studying these reactions in inverse kinematics, a variety of experimental approaches are being developed. We present the experimental methods and initial results.
0211027v1
2003-07-11
Low-Q scaling, duality, and the EMC effect
High energy lepton scattering has been the primary tool for mapping out the quark distributions of nucleons and nuclei. Data on the proton and deuteron have shown that there is a fundamental connection between the low and high energy regimes, referred to as quark-hadron duality. We present the results of similar studies to more carefully examine scaling, duality, and in particular the EMC effect in nuclei. We extract nuclear modifications to the structure function in the resonance region, and for the first time demonstrate that nuclear effects in the resonance region are identical to those measured in deep inelastic scattering. With the improved precision of the data at large $x$, we for the first time observe that the large-x crossover point appears to occur at lower $x$ values in carbon than in iron or gold.
0307012v3
2005-11-28
Cosmogenic activation of Germanium and its reduction for low background experiments
Production of $^{60}$Co and $^{68}$Ge from stable isotopes of Germanium by nuclear active component of cosmic rays is a principal background source for a new generation of $^{76}$Ge double beta decay experiments like GERDA and Majorana. The biggest amount of cosmogenic activity is expected to be produced during transportation of either enriched material or already grown crystal. In this letter properties and feasibility of a movable iron shield are discussed. Activation reduction factor of about 10 is predicted by simulations with SHIELD code for a simple cylindrical configuration. It is sufficient for GERDA Phase II background requirements. Possibility of further increase of reduction factor and physical limitations are considered. Importance of activation reduction during Germanium purification and detector manufacturing is emphasized.
0511049v1
2006-04-06
Level density of $^{56}$Fe and low-energy enhancement of $γ$-strength function
The $^{55}$Mn$(d,n)^{56}$Fe differential cross section is measured at $E_d=7$ MeV\@. The $^{56}$Fe level density obtained from neutron evaporation spectra is compared to the level density extracted from the $^{57}$Fe$(^3$He,$\alpha\gamma)^{56}$Fe reaction by the Oslo-type technique. Good agreement is found between the level densities determined by the two methods. With the level density function obtained from the neutron evaporation spectra, the $^{56}$Fe $\gamma$-strength function is also determined from the first-generation $\gamma$ matrix of the Oslo experiment. The good agreement between the past and present results for the $\gamma$-strength function supports the validity of both methods and is consistent with the low-energy enhancement of the $\gamma$ strength below $\sim 4$ MeV first discovered by the Oslo method in iron and molybdenum isotopes.
0604002v1
1996-01-30
Temperature Dependence of Pair Correlations in Nuclei in the Iron-Region
We use the shell model Monte Carlo approach to study thermal properties and pair correlations in $^{54,56,58}$Fe and in $^{56}$Cr. The calculations are performed with the modified Kuo-Brown interaction in the complete $1p0f$ model space. We find generally that the proton-proton and neutron-neutron $J=0$ pairing correlations, which dominate the ground state properties of even-even nuclei, vanish at temperatures around 1 MeV. This pairing phase transition is accompanied by a rapid increase in the moment of inertia and a partial unquenching of the M1 strength. We find that the M1 strength totally unquenches at higher temperatures, related to the vanishing of isoscalar proton-neutron correlations, which persist to higher temperatures than the pairing between like nucleons. The Gamow-Teller strength is also correlated to the isoscalar proton-neutron pairing and hence also unquenches at a temperature larger than that of the pairing phase transition.
9601047v1
1997-11-21
Approximate Treatment of Lepton Distortion in Charged-Current Neutrino Scattering from Nuclei
The partial-wave expansion used to treat the distortion of scattered electrons by the nuclear Coulomb field is simpler and considerably less time-consuming when applied to the production of muons and electrons by low and intermediate-energy neutrinos. For angle-integrated cross sections, however, a modification of the "effective-momentum-transfer" approximation seems to work so well that for muons the full distorted-wave treatment is usually unnecessary, even at kinetic energies as low as an MeV and in nuclei as heavy as lead. The method does not work as well for electron production at low energies, but there a Fermi function usually proves adequate. Scattering of electron-neutrinos from muon decay on iodine and of atmospheric neutrinos on iron are discussed in light of these results.
9711045v1
1998-01-08
Electron capture on iron group nuclei
We present Gamow-Teller strength distributions from shell model Monte Carlo studies of fp-shell nuclei that may play an important role in the pre-collapse evolution of supernovae. We then use these strength distributions to calculate the electron-capture cross sections and rates in the zero-momentum transfer limit. We also discuss the thermal behavior of the cross sections. We find large differences in these cross sections and rates when compared to the naive single-particle estimates. These differences need to be taken into account for improved modeling of the early stages of type II supernova evolution.
9801012v1
1998-03-11
Shell model calculation of the beta- and beta+ partial halflifes of 54Mn and other unique second forbidden beta decays
The nucleus 54Mn has been observed in cosmic rays. In astrophysical environments it is fully stripped of its atomic electrons and its decay is dominated by the beta- branch to the 54Fe ground state. Application of 54Mn based chronometer to study the confinement of the iron group cosmic rays requires knowledge of the corresponding halflife, but its measurement is impossible at the present time. However, the branching ratio for the related beta+ decay of 54Mn was determined recently. We use the shell model with only a minimal truncation and calculate both beta+ and beta- decay rates of 54Mn. Good agreement for the beta+ branch suggests that the calculated partial halflife of the beta- decay, (4.94 \pm 0.06) x 10^5 years, should be reliable. However, this halflife is noticeably shorter than the range 1-2 x 10^6 y indicated by the fit based on the 54Mn abundance in cosmic rays. We also evaluate other known unique second forbidden beta decays from the nuclear p and sd shells (10Be, 22Na, and two decay branches of 26Al) and show that the shell model can describe them with reasonable accuracy as well.
9803032v1
2000-03-08
Level Densities by Particle-Number Reprojection Monte Carlo Methods
A particle-number reprojection method is applied in the framework of the shell model Monte Carlo approach to calculate level densities for a family of nuclei using Monte Carlo sampling for a single nucleus. In particular we can also calculate level densities of odd-even and odd-odd nuclei despite a new sign problem introduced by the projection on an odd number of particles. The method is applied to level densities in the iron region using the complete $pf+g_{9/2}$-shell. The single-particle level density parameter $a$ and the backshift parameter $\Delta$ are extracted by fitting the microscopically calculated level densities to the backshifted Bethe formula. We find good agreement with experimental level densities with no adjustable parameters in the microscopic calculations. The parameter $a$ is found to vary smoothly with mass and does not show odd-even effects. The calculated backshift parameter $\Delta$ displays an odd-even staggering effect versus mass and is in better agreement with the experimental data than are the empirical values.
0003015v1
2002-08-12
Liquid-Gas Phase Transition of Supernova Matter and Its Relation to Nucleosynthesis
We investigate the liquid-gas phase transition of dense matter in supernova explosion by the relativistic mean field approach and fragment based statistical model. The boiling temperature is found to be high (T_{boil} >= 0.7 MeV for rho_B >= 10^{-7} fm^{-3}), and adiabatic paths are shown to go across the boundary of coexisting region even with high entropy. This suggests that materials experienced phase transition can be ejected to outside. We calculated fragment mass and isotope distribution around the boiling point. We found that heavy elements at the iron, the first, second, and third peaks of r-process are abundantly formed at rho_B = 10^{-7}, 10^{-5}, 10^{-3} and 10^{-2} fm^{-3}, respectively.
0208020v1
2002-11-08
Nuclear Reactions Important in Alpha-Rich Freezeouts
The alpha-rich freezeout from equilibrium occurs during the core-collapse explosion of a massive star when the supernova shock wave passes through the Si-rich shell of the star. The nuclei are heated to high temperature and broken down into nucleons and alpha particles. These subsequently reassemble as the material expands and cools, thereby producing new heavy nuclei, including a number of important supernova observables. In this paper we introduce two web-based applications. The first displays the results of a reaction-rate sensitivity study of alpha-rich freezeout yields. The second allows the interested reader to run paramaterized explosive silicon burning calculations in which the user inputs his own parameters. These tools are intended to aid in the identification of nuclear reaction rates important for experimental study. We then analyze several iron-group isotopes (59Ni, 57Co, 56Co, and 55Fe) in terms of their roles as observables and examine the reaction rates that are important in their production.
0211022v1
2003-03-18
Nuclear level statistics: extending the shell model theory to higher temperatures
The Shell Model Monte Carlo (SMMC) approach has been applied to calculate level densities and partition functions to temperatures up to ~ 1.5 - 2 MeV, with the maximal temperature limited by the size of the configuration space. Here we develop an extension of the theory that can be used to higher temperatures, taking into account the large configuration space that is needed. We first examine the configuration space limitation using an independent-particle model that includes both bound states and the continuum. The larger configuration space is then combined with the SMMC under the assumption that the effects on the partition function are factorizable. The method is demonstrated for nuclei in the iron region, extending the calculated partition functions and level densities up to T ~ 4 MeV. We find that the back-shifted Bethe formula has a much larger range of validity than was suspected from previous theory. The present theory also shows more clearly the effects of the pairing phase transition on the heat capacity.
0303040v1
2005-06-17
Charged Lepton Production from Iron Induced by Atmospheric Neutrinos
The charged current lepton production induced by neutrinos in $^{56}Fe$ nuclei has been studied. The calculations have been done for the quasielastic as well as the inelastic reactions assuming $\Delta$ dominance and take into account the effect of Pauli blocking, Fermi motion and the renormalization of weak transition strengths in the nuclear medium. The quasielastic production cross section for lepton production are found to be strongly reduced due to nuclear effects while there is about 10% reduction in the inelastic cross sections in the absence of the final state interactions of the pions. The numerical results for the momentum and angular distributions of the leptons averaged over the various atmospheric neutrino spectra at the Soudan and Gransasso sites have been presented. The effect of nuclear model dependence and the atmospheric flux dependence on the relative yield of ${\mu}$ to e has been studied and discussed.
0506057v1
2005-08-13
The nuclear moment of inertia and spin distribution of nuclear levels
We introduce a simple model to calculate the nuclear moment of inertia at finite temperature. This moment of inertia describes the spin distribution of nuclear levels in the framework of the spin-cutoff model. Our model is based on a deformed single-particle Hamiltonian with pairing interaction and takes into account fluctuations in the pairing gap. We derive a formula for the moment of inertia at finite temperature that generalizes the Belyaev formula for zero temperature. We show that a number-parity projection explains the strong odd-even effects observed in shell model Monte Carlo studies of the nuclear moment of inertia in the iron region.
0508027v1
2000-08-18
An ECR hydrogen negative ion source at CEA/Saclay: preliminary results
The development of a high intensity negative ion source is part of a considerably larger activity presently undergoing at CEA Saclay in the field of high intensity linear accelerators. Preliminary studies toward the construction of a 2.45 GHz ECR H- ion source have been performed for few months. This new test bench takes advantage of our experience on the French high intensity proton source SILHI. In the new source, the high-energy electrons created in the ECR zone are trapped by a dipole magnetic filter. A rectangular 200 mm long plasma chamber and an intermediate iron shield are used to minimize the magnetic field in the extraction region. A second magnetic filter separates electrons and negative ions in a 10 kV extraction system. To reduce the electron/H- ratio, the plasma electrode is slightly polarized. The design allows future evolutions such as cesium injection, higher energy extraction and plasma diagnostics. The installation of the source is now in progress. The first helium plasma has been produced for few weeks to verify the electron separator behavior. The design, computations and the first results of the source are presented.
0008143v1
2003-05-09
The particle-in-cell model for ab initio thermodynamics: implications for the elastic anisotropy of the Earth's inner core
We assess the quantitative accuracy of the particle-in-cell (PIC) approximation used in recent ab initio predictions of the thermodynamic properties of hexagonal-close-packed iron at the conditions of the Earth's inner core. The assessment is made by comparing PIC predictions for a range of thermodynamic properties with the results of more exact calculations that avoid the PIC approximation. It is shown that PIC gives very accurate results for some properties, but that it gives an incorrect treatment of anharmonic lattice vibrations. In addition, our assessment does not support recent PIC-based predictions that the hexagonal c/a ratio increases strongly with increasing temperature, and we point out that this casts doubt on a proposed re-interpretation of the elastic anisotropy of the inner core.
0305033v2
2004-11-19
New applications of Equinox code for real-time plasma equilibrium and profile reconstruction for tokamaks
Recent development of real-time equilibrium code Equinox [1] using a fixed-point algorithm [2] allow major plasma magnetic parameters to be identified in real-time, using rigorous analytical method. The code relies on the boundary flux code providing flux values on the first wall of vacuum vessel. By means of least-square minimization of differences between magnetic field obtained from previous solution and the next measurements the code identifies the source term of the non-linear Grad-Shafranov equation [3]. The strict use of analytical equations together with a flexible algorithm offers an opportunity to include new measurements into stable magnetic equilibrium code and compare the results directly between several tokamaks while maintaining the same physical model (i.e. no iron model is necessary inside the equilibrium code). The successful implementation of this equilibrium code for JET and Tore Supra have been already published [1], in this paper, we show the preliminary results of predictive runs of the Equinox code using the ITER geometry.
0411181v1
2006-01-04
Simulation Studies of Delta-ray Backgrounds in a Compton-Scatter Transition Radiation Detector
In order to evaluate the response to cosmic-ray nuclei of a Compton-Scatter Transition Radiation Detector in the proposed ACCESS space-based mission, a hybrid Monte Carlo simulation using GEANT3 and an external transition radiation (TR) generator routine was constructed. This simulation was employed to study the effects of delta-ray production induced by high-energy nuclei and to maximize the ratio of TR to delta-ray background. The results demonstrate the ability of a Compton-Scatter Transition Radiation Detector to measure nuclei from boron to iron up to Lorentz factors ~ 10^5 taking into account the steeply falling power-law cosmic ray spectra.
0601020v1
2006-11-22
Efficient Degradation and Expression Prioritization with Small RNAs
We build a simple model for feedback systems involving small RNA (sRNA) molecules based on the iron metabolism system in the bacterium E. coli, and compare it with the corresponding system in H. pylori which uses purely transcriptional regulation. This reveals several unique features of sRNA based regulation that could be exploited by cells. Firstly, we show that sRNA regulation can maintain a smaller turnover of target mRNAs than transcriptional regulation, without sacrificing the speed of response to external shocks. Secondly, we propose that a single sRNA can prioritize the usage of different target mRNAs. This suggests that sRNA regulation would be more common in more complex systems which need to co-regulate many mRNAs efficiently.
0611069v3
2007-04-06
Millimeter-Thick Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Forests: Hidden Role of Catalyst Support
A parametric study of so-called "super growth" of single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWNTs) was done by using combinatorial libraries of iron/aluminum oxide catalysts. Millimeter-thick forests of nanotubes grew within 10 min, and those grown by using catalysts with a thin Fe layer (about 0.5 nm) were SWNTs. Although nanotube forests grew under a wide range of reaction conditions such as gas composition and temperature, the window for SWNT was narrow. Fe catalysts rapidly grew nanotubes only when supported on aluminum oxide. Aluminum oxide, which is a well-known catalyst in hydrocarbon reforming, plays an essential role in enhancing the nanotube growth rates.
0704.0915v1
2007-04-11
Physical parameters of evolved stars in clusters and in the field from line-depth ratios
We present a high-resolution spectroscopic analysis of two samples of evolved stars selected in the field and in the intermediate-age open cluster IC 4651, for which detailed measurements of chemical composition were made in the last few years. Applying the Gray's method based on ratios of line depths, we determine the effective temperature and compare our results with previous ones obtained by means of the curves of growth of iron lines. The knowledge of the temperature enables us to estimate other fundamental stellar parameters, such as color excess, age, and mass.
0704.1462v1
2007-04-13
Spectrum of cosmic rays, produced in supernova remnants
Nonlinear kinetic theory of cosmic ray (CR) acceleration in supernova remnants is employed to calculate CR spectra. The magnetic field in SNRs is assumed to be significantly amplified by the efficiently accelerating nuclear CR component. It is shown that the calculated CR spectra agree in a satisfactory way with the existing measurements up to the energy $10^{17}$ eV. The power law spectrum of protons extends up to the energy $3\times 10^{15}$ eV with a subsequent exponential cutoff. It gives a natural explanation for the observed knee in the Galactic CR spectrum. The maximum energy of the accelerated nuclei is proportional to their charge number $Z$. Therefore the break in the Galactic CR spectrum is the result of the contribution of progressively heavier species in the overall CR spectrum so that at $10^{17}$ eV the CR spectrum is dominated by iron group nuclei. It is shown that this component plus a suitably chosen extragalactic CR component can give a consistent description for the entire Galactic CR spectrum.
0704.1715v1
2007-04-16
Single pion electro-- and neutrinoproduction on heavy targets
We present a calculation of single pion electroproduction cross sections on heavy targets in the kinematic region of the Delta(1232) resonance. Final state interactions of the pions are taken into account using the pion multiple scattering model of Adler, Nussinov and Paschos (ANP model). For electroproduction and neutral current reactions we obtain results for carbon, oxygen, argon and iron targets and find a significant reduction of the W-spectra for pi^0 as compared to the free nucleon case. On the other hand, the charged pion spectra are only little affected by final state interactions. Measurements of such cross sections with the CLAS detector at JLAB could help to improve our understanding of pion rescattering effects and serve as important/valuable input for calculations of single pion neutrinoproduction on heavy targets relevant for current and future long baseline neutrino experiments. Two ratios, in Eq. (3.8) and (3.10), will test important properties of the model.
0704.1991v1
2007-04-17
Maximum Entropy for Gravitational Wave Data Analysis: Inferring the Physical Parameters of Core-Collapse Supernovae
The gravitational wave signal arising from the collapsing iron core of a Type II supernova progenitor star carries with it the imprint of the progenitor's mass, rotation rate, degree of differential rotation, and the bounce depth. Here, we show how to infer the gravitational radiation waveform of a core collapse event from noisy observations in a network of two or more LIGO-like gravitational wave detectors and, from the recovered signal, constrain these source properties. Using these techniques, predictions from recent core collapse modeling efforts, and the LIGO performance during its S4 science run, we also show that gravitational wave observations by LIGO might have been sufficient to provide reasonable estimates of the progenitor mass, angular momentum and differential angular momentum, and depth of the core at bounce, for a rotating core collapse event at a distance of a few kpc.
0704.2157v2
2007-05-09
Quark-nova explosion inside a collapsar: application to Gamma Ray Bursts
If a quark-nova occurs inside a collapsar, the interaction between the quark-nova ejecta (relativistic iron-rich chunks) and the collapsar envelope, leads to features indicative of those observed in Gamma Ray Bursts. The quark-nova ejecta collides with the stellar envelope creating an outward moving cap (Gamma ~ 1-10) above the polar funnel. Prompt gamma-ray burst emission from internal shocks in relativistic jets (following accretion onto the quark star) become visible after the cap becomes optically thin. Model features include: (i) precursor activity (optical, X-ray, gamma-ray), (ii) prompt gamma-ray emission, and (iii) afterglow emission. We discuss SN-less long duration GRBs, short hard GRBs (including association and non-association with star forming regions), dark GRBs, the energetic X-ray flares detected in Swift GRBs, and the near-simultaneous optical and gamma-ray prompt emission observed in GRBs in the context of our model.
0705.1240v3
2007-05-17
Applications of nanoparticles of gamma Fe2O3 for hyperthermia in E.coli by Nd:YAG laser
The paper explores the use of nanoparticles of gamma Fe2O3 for hyperthermia treatment of living organisms by absorption of 1064 nm radiations from Nd:YAG laser. Escherichia coli cells have been used as the model system for demonstrating the effect wherein lysine is used as an interface between the cell walls and the nanoparticles. Scanning Electron Microscopic observations have, exclusively, proved that attachment of nanoparticles of iron oxide along with lysine alone is responsible for absorption of above radiations. The quantitative estimation has been provided by growth rate measurements and protein assessment of the cells. The nanoparticles of gamma Fe2O3 were synthesized by DC arc plasma assisted gas phase condensation.
0705.2523v1
2007-05-21
Room temperature spin polarized magnetic semiconductor
Alternating layers of granular Iron (Fe) and Titanium dioxide (TiO$_{2-\delta}$) were deposited on (100) Lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO$_3$) substrates in low oxygen chamber pressure using a controlled pulsed laser ablation deposition technique. The total thickness of the film was about 200 nm. The films show ferromagnetic behavior for temperatures ranging from 4 to $400 ^oK$. The layered film structure was characterized as p-type magnetic semiconductor at $300 ^oK$ with a carrier density of the order of $10^{20} /cm^3$. The undoped pure TiO$_{2-\delta}$ film was characterized as an n-type magnetic semiconductor. The hole carriers were excited at the interface between the granular Fe and TiO$_{2-\delta}$ layers similar to holes excited in the metal/n-type semiconductor interface commonly observed in Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) devices. The holes at the interface were polarized in an applied magnetic field raising the possibility that these granular MOS structures can be utilized for practical spintronic device applications.
0705.2993v1
2007-05-30
Epitaxial thin films of multiferroic Bi2FeCrO6 with B-site cationic order
Epitaxial thin films of Bi2FeCrO6 have been synthesized by pulsed laser deposition on SrRuO3 on (100)- and (111)-oriented SrTiO3 substrates. Detailed X-ray diffraction and cross-section transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed a double perovskite crystal structure of the Bi2FeCrO6 epitaxial films very similar to that of BiFeO3 along with a particularly noteworthy Fe3+/Cr3+ cation ordering along the [111] direction. The films contain no detectable magnetic iron oxide impurities and have the correct cationic average stoichiometry throughout their thickness. They however exhibit a slight modulation in the Fe and Cr compositions forming complementary stripe patterns, suggesting minor local excess or depletion of Fe and Cr. The epitaxial BFCO films exhibit good ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties, in addition to magnetic properties at room temperature, as well as an unexpected crystallographic orientation dependence of their room temperature magnetic properties. Our results qualitatively confirm the predictions made using the ab-initio calculations: the double-perovskite structure of Bi2FeCrO6 films exhibit a Fe3+/Cr3+ cation ordering and good multiferroic properties, along with the unpredicted existence of magnetic ordering at room temperature.
0705.4390v1
2007-06-04
Sum-rules for electron energy-loss near-edge spectra
We derive four sum-rule expressions for spectra measured in electron energy-loss near edge structure experiments. These sum-rules permit the determination spin and orbital magnetic moments, spin-orbit interaction and number of states, analogously to the sum rules of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. The derivation of the sum-rules is based on dynamical electron diffraction theory and the properties of the mixed dynamic form-factor. The accuracy of the sum-rules is tested by a complete evaluation of the thickness dependent electron energy-loss spectra for iron, cobalt, and nickel crystals. We find that the sum-rules reproduce both spin and orbital moments with very good accuracy. Our results provide a foundation for the use of the energy loss magnetic chiral dichroism technique as a quantitative probe of element specific magnetic properties.
0706.0402v2
2007-06-14
Molecular opacities for low-mass metal-poor AGB stars undergoing the Third Dredge Up
The concomitant overabundances of C, N and s-process elements are commonly ascribed to the complex interplay of nucleosynthesis, mixing and mass loss taking place in Asymptotic Giant Branch stars. At low metallicity, the enhancement of C and/or N may be up to 1000 times larger than the original iron content and significantly affects the stellar structure and its evolution. For this reason, the interpretation of the already available and still growing amount of data concerning C-rich metal-poor stars belonging to our Galaxy as well as to dwarf spheroidal galaxies would require reliable AGB stellar models for low and very low metallicities. In this paper we address the question of calculation and use of appropriate opacity coefficients, which take into account the C enhancement caused by the third dredge up. A possible N enhancement, caused by the cool bottom process or by the engulfment of protons into the convective zone generated by a thermal pulse and the subsequent huge third dredge up, is also considered. Basing on up-to-date stellar models, we illustrate the changes induced by the use of these opacity on the physical and chemical properties expected for these stars.
0706.2100v1
2007-06-18
The Spectrum of the Black Hole X-ray Nova V404 Cygni in Quiescence as Measured by XMM-Newton
We present XMM observations of the black hole X-ray nova V404 Cygni in quiescence. Its quiescent spectrum can be best fitted by a simple power-law with slope 2. The spectra are consistent with that expected for the advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF). V404 Cyg was roughly equal in luminosity compared to the previous observation of Chandra. We see variability of a factor of 4 during the observation. We find no evidence for the presence of fluorescent or H-like/He-like iron emission, with upper limits of 52 eV and 110 eV respectively. The limit on the fluorescent emission is improved by a factor of 15 over the previous estimate, and the restriction on H-like/He-like emission is lower than predicted from models by a factor of roughly 2.
0706.2652v1
2007-06-20
Optical spectroscopy of RU Cam, a pulsating carbon star
We analysed the high resolution spectra of a RU Cam, classified as W Vir type star. The atmospheric parameters of RU Cam were estimated Teff=5250K and log g=1.0. The hydrogen deficiency of RU Cam was not confirmed. The iron abundance, [Fe/H]=-0.37, is close to the solar one. Abundances of most other elements are also close to normal. We found considerable excesses of carbon and nitrogen: [C/Fe]=+0.98, [N/Fe]=+0.60. The carbon to oxygen ratio is C/O$\ge$1. The carbon isotopic abundance ratio is equal to C^12/C^13=4.5. For sodium a moderate overabundance Na/Fe=+0.55 was obtained. For two moments of observations we found close heliocentric velocity values, Vr=-21.7+/-0.8 and -23.1+/-1.0 km/s. Both spectra contain a peculiar feature - an emission component of NaI doublet which location agrees with the radial velocity from the bulk of metallic lines. For our two observing moments we found no dependence of radial velocities on the formation depth or on excitation energy for metallic lines.
0706.2969v1
2007-06-20
Neutrino-driven explosions twenty years after SN1987A
The neutrino-heating mechanism remains a viable possibility for the cause of the explosion in a wide mass range of supernova progenitors. This is demonstrated by recent two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations with detailed, energy-dependent neutrino transport. Neutrino-driven explosions were not only found for stars in the range of 8-10 solar masses with ONeMg cores and in case of the iron core collapse of a progenitor with 11 solar masses, but also for a ``typical'' progenitor model of 15 solar masses. For such more massive stars, however, the explosion occurs significantly later than so far thought, and is crucially supported by large-amplitude bipolar oscillations due to the nonradial standing accretion shock instability (SASI), whose low (dipole and quadrupole) modes can develop large growth rates in conditions where convective instability is damped or even suppressed. The dominance of low-mode deformation at the time of shock revival has been recognized as a possible explanation of large pulsar kicks and of large-scale mixing phenomena observed in supernovae like SN 1987A.
0706.3056v1
2007-07-18
Charge Order Superstructure with Integer Iron Valence in Fe2OBO3
Solution-grown single crystals of Fe2OBO3 were characterized by specific heat, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction. A peak in the specific heat at 340 K indicates the onset of charge order. Evidence for a doubling of the unit cell at low temperature is presented. Combining structural refinement of diffraction data and Mossbauer spectra, domains with diagonal charge order are established. Bond-valence-sum analysis indicates integer valence states of the Fe ions in the charge ordered phase, suggesting Fe2OBO3 is the clearest example of ionic charge order so far.
0707.2743v1
2007-07-27
Magnetic Field Generation in Planets and Satellites by Natural Nuclear Fission Reactors
One of the most fundamental problems in physics has been to understand the nature of the mechanism that generates the geomagnetic field and the magnetic fields of other planets and satellites. For decades, the dynamo mechanism, thought to be responsible for generating the geomagnetic field and other planetary magnetic fields, has been ascribed to convection in each planet's iron-alloy core. Recently, I described the problems inherent in Earth-core convection and proposed instead that the geomagnetic field is produced by a dynamo mechanism involving convection, not in the fluid core, but in the electrically conductive, fluid, fission-product sub-shell of a natural nuclear fission reactor at the center of the Earth, called the georeactor. Here I set forth in detail the commonality in the Solar System of the matter like that of the inside of the Earth, which is my basis for generalizing the concept of planetary magnetic field generation by natural planetocentric nuclear fission reactors.
0707.4161v4
2007-08-01
Abundances on the Main Sequence of Omega Centauri
Abundance ratios of carbon, nitrogen and strontium relative to iron, calculated using spectrum synthesis techniques, are given for a sample of main sequence and turnoff stars that belong to the globular cluster omega Centauri. The variations of carbon, nitrogen and/or strontium show several different abundance patterns as a function of [Fe/H]. The source of the enhancements/depletions in carbon, nitrogen and/or strontium may be enrichment from asymptotic giant branch stars of low (1--3 solar masses) and intermediate (3--8 solar masses) mass. Massive rotating stars which produce excess nitrogen without carbon and oxygen overabundances may also play a role. These abundances enable different contributors to be considered and incorporated into the evolutionary picture of omega Cen.
0708.0096v1
2007-08-01
The 4th Concept Detector for the International Linear Collider
The 4th Concept detector presently being designed for the International Linear Collider introduces several innovations in order to achieve the necessary experimental goal of a detecter that is 2-to-10 times better than the already excellent SLC and LEP detectors. We introduce a dual-readout calorimeter system, a cluster counting drift chamber, and a second solenoid to return the magnetic flux without iron. We discuss particle identification, momentum and energy resolutions, and the machine-detector interface that together offer the possibility of a very high-performance detector for e^+e^-physics up to $\sqrt{s} = 1$ TeV.
0708.0142v2
2007-08-01
First-principles thermal equation of state and thermoelasticity for hcp Fe under high pressures
We investigate the equation of state and elastic properties of nonmagnetic hcp iron at high pressures and high temperatures using the first principles linear response linear-muffin-tin-orbital method in the generalized-gradient approximation. We calculate the Helmholtz free energy as a function of volume, temperature, and volume-constrained strain, including the electronic excitation contributions from band structures and lattice vibrational contributions from quasi-harmonic lattice dynamics. We perform detailed investigations on the behavior of elastic moduli and equation of state properties as a function of temperature and pressure, including the pressure-volume equation of state, bulk modulus, the thermal expansion coefficient, the Gruneisen ratio, and the shock Hugoniots. A detailed comparison has been made with available experimental measurements and theoretical predictions.
0708.0183v1
2007-08-03
Strong spin-orbit induced Gilbert damping and g-shift in iron-platinum nanoparticles
The shape of ferromagnetic resonance spectra of highly dispersed, chemically disordered Fe_{0.2}Pt_{0.8} nanospheres is perfectly described by the solution of the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation excluding effects by crystalline anisotropy and superparamagnetic fluctuations. Upon decreasing temperature, the LLG damping $\alpha(T)$ and a negative g-shift, g(T)-g_0, increase proportional to the particle magnetic moments determined from the Langevin analysis of the magnetization isotherms. These novel features are explained by the scattering of the $q \to 0$ magnon from an electron-hole (e/h) pair mediated by the spin-orbit coupling, while the sd-exchange can be ruled out. The large saturation values, $\alpha(0)=0.76$ and $g(0)/g_0-1=-0.37$, indicate the dominance of an overdamped 1 meV e/h-pair which seems to originate from the discrete levels of the itinerant electrons in the d_p=3 nm nanoparticles.
0708.0463v1
2007-08-06
Emission Lines in X-ray Spectra of Clusters of Galaxies
Emission lines in X-ray spectra of clusters of galaxies reveal the presence of heavy elements in the diffuse hot plasma (the Intra Cluster Medium, or ICM) in virial equilibrium in the dark matter potential well. The relatively simple physical state of the ICM allows us to estimate, with good accuracy, its thermodynamical properties and chemical abundances. These measures put strong constraints on the interaction processes between the galaxies and the surrounding medium, and have significant impact on models of galaxy formation as well. This field is rapidly evolving thanks to the X-ray satellites Chandra and XMM-Newton. Among the most relevant progresses in the last years, we briefly discuss the nature of cool cores and the measure of the Iron abundance in high redshift clusters. Future X-ray missions with bolometers promise to provide a substantial step forward to a more comprehensive understanding of the complex physics of the ICM.
0708.0674v1
2007-08-29
A Deep Chandra Observation of Kepler's Supernova Remnant: A Type Ia Event with Circumstellar Interaction
We present initial results of a 750 ks Chandra observation of the remnant of Kepler's supernova of AD 1604. The strength and prominence of iron emission, together with the absence of O-rich ejecta, demonstrate that Kepler resulted from a thermonuclear supernova, even though evidence for circumstellar interaction is also strong. We have analyzed spectra of over 100 small regions, and find that they fall into three classes. (1) The vast majority show Fe L emission between 0.7 and 1 keV and Si and S K alpha emission; we associate these with shocked ejecta. A few of these are found at or beyond the mean blast wave radius. (2) A very few regions show solar O/Fe abundance rations; these we associate with shocked circumstellar medium (CSM). Otherwise O is scarce. (3) A few regions are dominated by continuum, probably synchrotron radiation. Finally, we find no central point source, with a limit about 100 times fainter than the central object in Cas A. The evidence that the blast wave is interacting with CSM may indicate a Ia explosion in a more massive progenitor.
0708.3858v1
2007-08-31
Stellar Models and Yields of Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars
We present stellar yields calculated from detailed models of low and intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. We evolve models with a range of mass from 1 to 6Msun, and initial metallicities from solar to 1/200th of the solar metallicity. Each model was evolved from the zero age main sequence to near the end of the thermally-pulsing AGB phase, and through all intermediate phases including the core He-flash for stars initially less massive than 2.5Msun. For each mass and metallicity, we provide tables containing structural details of the stellar models during the TP-AGB phase, and tables of the stellar yields for 74 species from hydrogen through to sulphur, and for a small number of iron-group nuclei. All tables are available for download. Our results have many applications including use in population synthesis studies and the chemical evolution of galaxies and stellar systems, and for comparison to the composition of AGB and post-AGB stars and planetary nebulae.
0708.4385v2
2007-09-03
X-ray reflection in accreting stellar-mass black hole systems
The X-ray spectra of accreting stellar-mass black hole systems exhibit spectral features due to reflection, especially broad iron K alpha emission lines. We investigate the reflection by the accretion disc that can be expected in the high/soft state of such a system. First, we perform a self-consistent calculation of the reflection that results from illumination of a hot, inner portion of the disc with its atmosphere in hydrostatic equilibrium. Then we present reflection spectra for a range of illumination strengths and disc temperatures under the assumption of a constant-density atmosphere. Reflection by a hot accretion disc differs in important ways from that of a much cooler disc, such as that expected in an active galactic nucleus.
0709.0270v1
2007-09-21
Self-assembly of polymers or copolymers and ferrofluids leading to either 1-d, 2-d or 3-d aggregates decorated with magnetic nanoparticles
A novel type of hybrid colloids is presented, based on the association of several polymeric systems and ferrofluids. On the one hand, we use inorganic nanoparticles made of magnetic iron oxide prepared at the LI2C, which response to a magnetic field of low intensity. On the other hand the organic part is made either of long linear polyacrylamide chains or of mesoscopic structures (vesicles and micelles) self-assembled from amphiphile polybutadiene-b-poly(glutamic acid) di-block copolymers, which conformation is pH-sensitive.
0709.3514v1
2007-09-25
The Burst Spectra of EXO 0748-676 during a Long 2003 XMM-Newton Observation
Gravitationally redshifted absorption lines from highly ionized iron have been previously identified in the burst spectra of the neutron star in EXO 0748-676. To repeat this detection we obtained a long, nearly 600 ks observation of the source with XMM-Newton in 2003. The spectral features seen in the burst spectra from the initial data are not reproduced in the burst spectra from this new data. In this paper we present the spectra from the 2003 observations and discuss the sensitivity of the absorption structure to changes in the photospheric conditions.
0709.4062v1
2007-10-10
The control of iron oxidation state during FeO and olivine crystal growth
Crystal growth experiments (micro-pulling down or Czochralski methods, respectively) and DTA/TG measurements with Fe2+ containing olivines (fayalite--forsterite solid solution) and with FeO (wustite) are performed. For both substances the oxygen partial pressure p_O2 of the growth atmosphere had to be adjusted within the stability region of Fe2+ for all temperatures ranging from room temperature to the melting point. The formation of Fe3+ (Fe3O4, Fe2O3) had to be avoided. The adjustment of p_O2 could be obtained by a mixture of argon, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations show, that mixtures of an inert gas (e.g. argon) with another gas or gas mixture that supplies oxygen at elevated temperature (e.g. CO2/CO) are superior to the use of inert gases with constant oxygen admixture. The reason is that the Ar/CO2/CO mixture adjusts its oxygen concentration with temperature in a way similar to that needed for the stabilization of Fe2+.
0710.2050v1
2007-10-11
RXTE confirmation of the Intermediate Polar status of Swift J0732.5-1331
Aims. We intend to establish the X-ray properties of Swift J0732.5-1331 and therefore confirm its status as an intermediate polar. Method. We analysed 36,240 s of X-ray data from RXTE. Frequency analysis was used to constrain temporal variations and spectral analysis used to characterise the emission and absorption properties. Results. The X-ray spin period is confirmed to be 512.4(3) s with a strong first harmonic. No modulation is detected at the candidate orbital period of 5.6 h, but a coherent modulation is present at the candidate 11.3 h period. The spectrum is consistent with a 37 keV bremsstrahlung continuum with an iron line at 6.4 keV absorbed by an equivalent hydrogen column density of around 10^22 atoms cm^-2. Conclusions. Swift J0732-1331 is confirmed to be an intermediate polar.
0710.2248v1
2007-10-23
NGC3147: a "true" Seyfert 2 without the broad-line region
We report on simultaneous optical and X-ray observations of the Seyfert galaxy, NGC3147. The XMM-Newton spectrum shows that the source is unabsorbed in the X-rays ($N_H<5\times10^{20}$ cm$^{-2}$). On the other hand, no broad lines are present in the optical spectrum. The origin of this optical/X-rays misclassification (with respect to the Unification Model) cannot be attributed to variability, since the observations in the two bands are simultaneous. Moreover, a Compton-thick nature of the object can be rejected on the basis of the low equivalent width of the iron K$\alpha$ line ($\simeq130$ eV) and the large ratio between the 2-10 keV and the [OIII] fluxes. It seems therefore inescapable to conclude that NGC3147 intrinsically lacks the Broad Line Region (BLR), making it the first "true" Seyfert 2.
0710.4226v1
2007-10-24
Magnetic tight-binding and the iron-chromium enthalpy anomaly
We describe a self consistent magnetic tight-binding theory based in an expansion of the Hohenberg-Kohn density functional to second order, about a non spin polarised reference density. We show how a first order expansion about a density having a trial input magnetic moment leads to the Stoner--Slater rigid band model. We employ a simple set of tight-binding parameters that accurately describes electronic structure and energetics, and show these to be transferable between first row transition metals and their alloys. We make a number of calculations of the electronic structure of dilute Cr impurities in Fe which we compare with results using the local spin density approximation. The rigid band model provides a powerful means for interpreting complex magnetic configurations in alloys; using this approach we are able to advance a simple and readily understood explanation for the observed anomaly in the enthalpy of mixing.
0710.4399v1
2007-10-25
Ocean Planet or Thick Atmosphere: On the Mass-Radius Relationship for Solid Exoplanets with Massive Atmospheres
The bulk composition of an exoplanet is commonly inferred from its average density. For small planets, however, the average density is not unique within the range of compositions. Variations of a number of important planetary parameters--which are difficult or impossible to constrain from measurements alone--produce planets with the same average densities but widely varying bulk compositions. We find that adding a gas envelope equivalent to 0.1%-10% of the mass of a solid planet causes the radius to increase 5-60% above its gas-free value. A planet with a given mass and radius might have substantial water ice content (a so-called ocean planet) or alternatively a large rocky-iron core and some H and/or He. For example, a wide variety of compositions can explain the observed radius of GJ 436b, although all models require some H/He. We conclude that the identification of water worlds based on the mass-radius relationship alone is impossible unless a significant gas layer can be ruled out by other means.
0710.4941v1
2007-10-31
XMM-Newton Detection of a Compton-thick AGN in the 1-Jy ULIRG/LINER F04103-2838
We report on the detection of Fe Kalpha emission in F04103$-$2838, an ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG; log[L$_{\rm IR}$/L$_\odot$] $\ge$ 12) that is optically classified as a LINER. Previous {\it Chandra} observations suggested the presence of both a starburst and an AGN in this source. A deeper ($\sim$20 ksec) {\it XMM-Newton} spectrum reveals an Fe Kalpha line at rest frame energy $\sim$6.4 keV, consistent with cold neutral iron. The best-fit spectral model indicates the Fe Kalpha line has an equivalent width of $\sim$1.6 keV. The hard X-ray emission is dominated by a Compton-thick AGN with intrinsic 0.2--10 keV luminosity $\sim10^{44}$ ergs s$^{-1}$, while the soft X-ray emission is from $\sim$0.1 keV gas attributed to the starburst. The X-ray spectrum of this source bears a striking resemblance to that of the archetypal luminous infrared galaxy NGC 6240 despite differences in merger state and infrared properties.
0711.0002v1
2007-11-01
Magnetic resonance in iron oxide nanoparticles: quantum features and effect of size
In order to better understand the transition from quantum to classical behavior in spin system, electron magnetic resonance (EMR) is studied in suspensions of superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles with an average diameter of ~ 9 nm and analyzed in comparison with the results obtained in the maghemite particles of smaller size (~ 5 nm). It is shown that both types of particles demonstrate common EMR behavior, including special features such as the temperature-dependent narrow spectral component and multiple-quantum transitions. These features are common for small quantum systems and not expected in classical case. The relative intensity of these signals rapidly decreases with cooling or increase of particle size, marking gradual transition to the classical FMR behavior.
0711.0168v1
2007-11-07
Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays as heavy nuclei from cluster accretion shocks
Large-scale accretion shocks around massive clusters of galaxies, generically expected in hierarchical scenarios of cosmological structure formation, are shown to be potential sources of the observed ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) by accelerating a mixture of heavy nuclei including the iron group elements. Current observations can be explained if the source composition at injection for the heavier nuclei is somewhat enhanced from simple expectations for the accreting gas. The proposed picture should be testable by current and upcoming facilities in the near future through characteristic features in the UHECR spectrum, composition and anisotropy. The associated X-ray and gamma-ray signatures are also briefly discussed.
0711.1027v1
2007-11-12
Low temperature dephasing in irradiated metallic wires
We present phase coherence time measurements in quasi-one-dimensional Ag wires implanted with Ag$^{+}$ ions with an energy of $100 keV$. The measurements have been carried out in the temperature range from $100 mK$ up to $10 K$; this has to be compared with the Kondo temperature of iron in silver, i.e. $T_{K}^{Ag/Fe} \approx 4 K$, used in recent experiments on dephasing in Kondo systems\cite{mallet_prl_06,birge_prl_06}. We show that the phase coherence time is not affected by the implantation procedure, clearly proving that ion implantation process by itself \emph{does not lead to any extra dephasing} at low temperature.
0711.1810v2