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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2018-05-01

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

The Seyfert 2 Galaxy NGC 2110: Hard X-Ray Emission Observed by NuStar and Variability of the Iron K-Alpha Line

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marinucci, A.; Matt, G.; Bianchi, S.; Lu, T. N.; Arevalo, P.; Balokovic, M.; Ballantyne, D.; Bauer, F. E.; Boggs, S. E.; Stern, D.;

On the X-ray spectra of luminous, inhomogeneous accretion flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merloni, A.; Malzac, J.; Fabian, A. C.; Ross, R. R.

2006-08-01

We discuss the expected X-ray spectral and variability properties of black hole accretion discs at high luminosity, under the hypothesis that radiation-pressure-dominated discs are subject to violent clumping instabilities and, as a result, have a highly inhomogeneous two-phase structure. After deriving the full accretion disc solutions explicitly in terms of the parameters of the model, we study their radiative properties both with a simple two-zone model, treatable analytically, and with radiative transfer simulations which account simultaneously for energy balance and Comptonization in the hot phase, together with reflection, reprocessing, ionization and thermal balance in the cold phase. We show that, if not only the density, but also the heating rate within these flows is inhomogeneous, then complex reflection-dominated spectra can be obtained for a high enough covering fraction of the cold phase. In general, large reflection components in the observed X-ray spectra should be associated with strong soft excesses, resulting from the combined emission of ionized atomic emission lines. The variability properties of such systems are such that, even when contributing to a large fraction of the hard X-ray spectrum, the reflection component is less variable than the power-law-like emission originating from the hot Comptonizing phase, in agreement with what is observed in many Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies and bright Seyfert 1. Our model falls within the family of those trying to explain the complex X-ray spectra of bright AGN with ionized reflection, but presents an alternative, specific, physically motivated, geometrical set-up for the complex multiphase structure of the inner regions of near-Eddington accretion flows.

Doppler Broadening and its Contribution to Compton Energy-Absorption Cross Sections: An Analysis of the Compton Component in Terms of Mass-Energy Absorption Coefficient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, D. V.; Takeda, T.; Itai, Y.; Akatsuka, T.; Cesareo, R.; Brunetti, A.; Gigante, G. E.

2002-09-01

Compton energy absorption cross sections are calculated using the formulas based on a relativistic impulse approximation to assess the contribution of Doppler broadening and to examine the Compton profile literature and explore what, if any, effect our knowledge of this line broadening has on the Compton component in terms of mass-energy absorption coefficient. Compton energy-absorption cross sections are evaluated for all elements, Z=1-100, and for photon energies 1 keV-100 MeV. Using these cross sections, the Compton component of the mass-energy absorption coefficient is derived in the energy region from 1 keV to 1 MeV for all the elements Z=1-100. The electron momentum prior to the scattering event should cause a Doppler broadening of the Compton line. The momentum resolution function is evaluated in terms of incident and scattered photon energy and scattering angle. The overall momentum resolution of each contribution is estimated for x-ray and γ-ray energies of experimental interest in the angular region 1°-180°. Also estimated is the Compton broadening using nonrelativistic formula in the angular region 1°-180°, for 17.44, 22.1, 58.83, and 60 keV photons for a few elements (H, C, N, O, P, S, K, and Ca) of biological importance.

Temporal evolution of photon energy emitted from two-component advective flows: origin of time lag

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Arka; Chakrabarti, Sandip K.; Ghosh, Himadri

2017-12-01

X-ray time lag of black hole candidates contains important information regarding the emission geometry. Recently, study of time lags from observational data revealed very intriguing properties. To investigate the real cause of this lag behavior with energy and spectral states, we study photon paths inside a two-component advective flow (TCAF) which appears to be a satisfactory model to explain the spectral and timing properties. We employ the Monte Carlo simulation technique to carry out the Comptonization process. We use a relativistic thick disk in Schwarzschild geometry as the CENtrifugal pressure supported BOundary Layer (CENBOL) which is the Compton cloud. In TCAF, this is the post-shock region of the advective component. Keplerian disk on the equatorial plane which is truncated at the inner edge i.e. at the outer boundary of the CENBOL, acts as the soft photon source. Ray-tracing code is employed to track the photons to a distantly located observer. We compute the cumulative time taken by a photon during Comptonization, reflection and following the curved geometry on the way to the observer. Time lags between various hard and soft bands have been calculated. We study the variation of time lags with accretion rates, CENBOL size and inclination angle. Time lags for different energy channels are plotted for different inclination angles. The general trend of variation of time lag with QPO frequency and energy as observed in satellite data is reproduced.

Testing warm Comptonization models for the origin of the soft X-ray excess in AGNs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrucci, P.-O.; Ursini, F.; De Rosa, A.; Bianchi, S.; Cappi, M.; Matt, G.; Dadina, M.; Malzac, J.

2018-03-01

The X-ray spectra of many active galactic nuclei (AGNs) show a soft X-ray excess below 1-2 keV on top of the extrapolated high-energy power law. The origin of this component is uncertain. It could be a signature of relativistically blurred, ionized reflection or the high-energy tail of thermal Comptonization in a warm (kT 1 keV), optically thick (τ ≃ 10-20) corona producing the optical/UV to soft X-ray emission. The purpose of the present paper is to test the warm corona model on a statistically significant sample of unabsorbed, radio-quiet AGNs with XMM-Newton archival data, providing simultaneous optical/UV and X-ray coverage. The sample has 22 objects and 100 observations. We use two thermal Comptonization components to fit the broadband spectra, one for the warm corona emission and one for the high-energy continuum. In the optical/UV, we also include the reddening, the small blue bump, and the Galactic extinction. In the X-rays, we include a warm absorber and a neutral reflection. The model gives a good fit (reduced χ2 < 1.5) to more than 90% of the sample. We find the temperature of the warm corona to be uniformly distributed in the 0.1-1 keV range, while the optical depth is in the range 10-40. These values are consistent with a warm corona covering a large fraction of a quasi-passive accretion disk, i.e., that mostly reprocesses the warm corona emission. The disk intrinsic emission represents no more than 20% of the disk total emission. According to this interpretation, most of the accretion power would be released in the upper layers of the accretion flow.

X-Ray Reflection and an Exceptionally Long Thermonuclear Helium Burst from IGR J17062-6143

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keek, L.; Iwakiri, W.; Serino, M.; Ballantyne, D. R.; in’t Zand, J. J. M.; Strohmayer, T. E.

2017-01-01

Thermonuclear X-ray bursts from accreting neutron stars power brief but strong irradiation of their surroundings, providing a unique way to study accretion physics. We analyze MAXI/Gas Slit Camera and Swift/XRT spectra of a day-long flash observed from IGR J17062-6143 in 2015. It is a rare case of recurring bursts at a low accretion luminosity of 0.15% Eddington. Spectra from MAXI, Chandra, and NuSTAR observations taken between the 2015 burst and the previous one in 2012 are used to determine the accretion column. We find it to be consistent with the burst ignition column of 5x10(exp 10) g cm (exp -2), which indicates that it is likely powered by burning in a deep helium layer. The burst flux is observed for over a day, and decays as a straight power law: F gamma t (exp -1.15). The burst and persistent spectra are well described by thermal emission from the neutron star, Comptonization of this emission in a hot optically thin medium surrounding the star, and reflection off the photoionized accretion disk. At the burst peak, the Comptonized component disappears, when the burst may dissipate the Comptonizing gas, and it returns in the burst tail. The reflection signal suggests that the inner disk is truncated at approximately 102 gravitational radii before the burst, but may move closer to the star during the burst. At the end of the burst, the flux drops below the burst cooling trend for 2 days, before returning to the pre-burst level.

The average X-ray/gamma-ray spectra of Seyfert galaxies from Ginga and OSSE and the origin of the cosmic X-ray background

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zdziarski, Andrzej A.; Johnson, W. Neil; Done, Chris; Smith, David; Mcnaron-Brown, Kellie

1995-01-01

We have obtained the first average 2-500 keV spectra of Seyfert galaxies, using the data from Ginga and Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory's (CGRO) Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE). Our sample contains three classes of objects with markedly different spectra: radio-quiet Seyfert 1's and 2's, and radio-loud Seyfert 1's. The average radio-quiet Seyfert 1 spectrum is well-fitted by a power law continuum with the energy spectral index alpha approximately equals 0.9, a Compton reflection component corresponding to a approximately 2 pi covering solid angle, and ionized absorption. There is a high-energy cutoff in the incident power law continuum: the e-folding energy is E(sub c) approximately equals 0.6(sup +0.8 sub -0.3) MeV. The simplest model that describes this spectrum is Comptonization in a relativistic optically-thin thermal corona above the surface of an accretion disk. Radio-quiet Seyfert 2's show strong netural absorption, and there is an indication that their X-ray power laws are intrinsically harder. Finally, the radio-loud Seyfert spectrum has alpha approximately equals 0.7, moderate neutral absorption E(sub C) = 0.4(sup +0.7 sub -0.2) MeV, and no or little Compton reflection. This is incompatible with the radio-quiet Seyfert 1 spectrum, and probably indicating that the X-rays are beamed away from the accretion disk in these objects. The average spectra of Seyferts integrated over redshift with a power-law evolution can explain the hard X-ray spectrum of the cosmic background.

Variability and Spectral Studies of Luminous Seyfert 1 Galaxy Fairall 9. Search for the Reflection Component is a Quasar: RXTE and ASCA Observation of a Nearby Radio-Quiet Quasar MR 2251-178

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leighly, Karen M.

1999-01-01

Monitoring observations with interval of 3 days using RXTE (X Ray Timing Explorer) of the luminous Seyfert 1 galaxy Fairall 9 were performed for one year. The purpose of the observations were to study the variability of Fairall 9 and compare the results with those from the radio-loud object 3C 390.3. The data has been received and analysis is underway, using the new background model. An observation of the quasar MR 2251-178 was made in order to determine whether or not it has a reflection component. Older background models gave an unacceptable subtraction and analysis is underway using the new background model. The observation of NGC 6300 showed that the X-ray spectrum from this Seyfert 2 galaxy appears to be dominated by Compton reflection.

The hard X-ray spectrum of NGC 5506 as seen by NuSTAR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matt, G.; Balokovi , M.; Marinucci, A.

2015-01-14

NuSTAR observed the bright Compton-thin, narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy, NGC 5506, for about 56 ks. In agreement with past observations, the spectrum is well fitted by a power law with Γ ~ 1.9, a distant reflection component and narrow ionized iron lines. A relativistically blurred reflection component is not required by the data. When an exponential high-energy cutoff is added to the power law, a value of 720more » $$+130\\atop{-190}$$ keV (90 percent confidence level) is found. Even allowing for systematic uncertainties, we find a 3σ lower limit to the high-energy cutoff of 350 keV, the highest lower limit to the cutoff energy found so far in an AGN by NuSTAR.« less

X-Ray Reflection and an Exceptionally Long Thermonuclear Helium Burst from IGR J17062-6143

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Keek, L.; Strohmayer, T. E.; Iwakiri, W.

Thermonuclear X-ray bursts from accreting neutron stars power brief but strong irradiation of their surroundings, providing a unique way to study accretion physics. We analyze MAXI /Gas Slit Camera and Swift /XRT spectra of a day-long flash observed from IGR J17062-6143 in 2015. It is a rare case of recurring bursts at a low accretion luminosity of 0.15% Eddington. Spectra from MAXI , Chandra , and NuSTAR observations taken between the 2015 burst and the previous one in 2012 are used to determine the accretion column. We find it to be consistent with the burst ignition column of 5×10{sup 10}more » g cm{sup −2}, which indicates that it is likely powered by burning in a deep helium layer. The burst flux is observed for over a day, and decays as a straight power law: F ∝ t {sup −1.15}. The burst and persistent spectra are well described by thermal emission from the neutron star, Comptonization of this emission in a hot optically thin medium surrounding the star, and reflection off the photoionized accretion disk. At the burst peak, the Comptonized component disappears, when the burst may dissipate the Comptonizing gas, and it returns in the burst tail. The reflection signal suggests that the inner disk is truncated at ∼10{sup 2} gravitational radii before the burst, but may move closer to the star during the burst. At the end of the burst, the flux drops below the burst cooling trend for 2 days, before returning to the pre-burst level.« less

No Compton Reflection In a Chandra/RXTE Observation of Mkn 509: Implications for the Fe-K Line Emission From Accreting X-Ray Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yaqoob, Tahir; Padmanabhan, Urmila; Kraemer, Steven B.; Crenshaw, D. Michael; Mckernan, Barry; George, Ian M.; Turner, T. Jane; White, Nicholas E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We report the results of simultaneous Chandra and RXTE observations of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mkn 509. We deconvolve the broad and narrow Fe-K emission-line components for which we measure rest-frame equivalent widths of 119+/-18 eV and 57+/-13 eV respectively. The broad line has a FWHM of 57,600((sup 14,400)(sub -21,000)) km/s and the narrow line is unresolved, with an upper limit on the FWHM of 4,940 km/s. Both components must originate in cool matter since we measure rest-frame center energies of 6.36((sup +0.13)(sub -0.12)) keV and 6.42+/-0.01 keV for the broad and narrow line respectively. This rules out He-like and H-like Fe for the origin of both the broad and narrow lines. If, as is widely accepted, the broad Fe-K line originates in Thomson-thick matter (such as an accretion disk), then one expects to observe spectral curvature above approximately 10 keV, (commensurate with the observed broad line), characteristic of the Compton-reflection continuum. However our data sets very stringent limits on deviations of the observed continuum from a power law. Light travel-time delays cannot be invoked to explain anomalies in the relative strengths of the broad Ferry line and Compton-reflection continuum since they are supposed to originate in the same physical location. We are forced to conclude that both the broad and narrow Fe-K lines had to originate in Thomson-thin matter during our observation. This result, for a single observation of just one source, means that our understanding of Fe K line emission and Compton reflection from accreting X-ray sources in general needs to be re-examined. For example, if an irradiated accretion disk existed in Mkn 509 at the time of the observations, the lack of spectral curvature above approximately 10 keV suggests two possibilities. Either the disk was Thomson-thick and highly ionized, having negligible Fe-K line emission and photoelectric absorption or the disk was Thomson-thin producing some or all of the broad Fe-K line emission. In the former case, the broad Fe-K line had to have produced in a Thomson-thin region elsewhere. In both cases the predicted spectral curvature above approximately 10 keV is negligible. An additional implication of our results is that any putative obscuring torus in the system, required by unification models of active galaxies, must also be Thomson-thin. The same applies to the optical broad line region (BLR) if it has a substantial covering factor.

X-ray spectral variability of Seyfert 2 galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2015-07-01

Context. Variability across the electromagnetic spectrum is a property of active galactic nuclei (AGN) that can help constrain the physical properties of these galaxies. Nonetheless, the way in which the changes happen and whether they occur in the same way in every AGN are still open questions. Aims: This is the third in a series of papers with the aim of studying the X-ray variability of different families of AGN. The main purpose of this work is to investigate the variability pattern(s) in a sample of optically selected Seyfert 2 galaxies. Methods: We use the 26 Seyfert 2s in the Véron-Cetty and Véron catalog with data available from Chandra and/or XMM-Newton public archives at different epochs, with timescales ranging from a few hours to years. All the spectra of the same source were simultaneously fitted, and we let different parameters vary in the model. Whenever possible, short-term variations from the analysis of the light curves and/or long-term UV flux variations were studied. We divided the sample into Compton-thick and Compton-thin candidates to account for the degree of obscuration. When transitions between Compton-thick and thin were obtained for different observations of the same source, we classified it as a changing-look candidate. Results: Short-term variability at X-rays was studied in ten cases, but variations are not found. From the 25 analyzed sources, 11 show long-term variations. Eight (out of 11) are Compton-thin, one (out of 12) is Compton-thick, and the two changing-look candidates are also variable. The main driver for the X-ray changes is related to the nuclear power (nine cases), while variations at soft energies or related to absorbers at hard X-rays are less common, and in many cases these variations are accompanied by variations in the nuclear continuum. At UV frequencies, only NGC 5194 (out of six sources) is variable, but the changes are not related to the nucleus. We report two changing-look candidates, MARK 273 and NGC 7319. Conclusions: A constant reflection component located far away from the nucleus plus a variable nuclear continuum are able to explain most of our results. Within this scenario, the Compton-thick candidates are dominated by reflection, which suppresses their continuum, making them seem fainter, and they do not show variations (except MARK 3), while the Compton-thin and changing-look candidates do. Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

NuSTAR spectral analysis of two bright Seyfert 1 galaxies: MCG +8-11-11 and NGC 6814

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tortosa, A.; Bianchi, S.; Marinucci, A.; Matt, G.; Middei, R.; Piconcelli, E.; Brenneman, L. W.; Cappi, M.; Dadina, M.; De Rosa, A.; Petrucci, P. O.; Ursini, F.; Walton, D. J.

2018-01-01

We report on the NuSTAR observations of two bright Seyfert 1 galaxies, namely MCG +8-11-11 (100 ks) and NGC 6814 (150 ks). The main goal of these observations was to investigate the Comptonization mechanisms acting in the innermost regions of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) which are believed to be responsible for the UV/X-ray emission. The spectroscopic analysis of the NuSTAR spectra of these two sources revealed that although they had different properties overall (black hole masses, luminosity and Eddington ratios), they had very similar coronal properties. Both presented a power-law spectrum with a high-energy cut-off at ∼150-200 keV, a relativistically broadened Fe K α line and the associated disc reflection component, plus a narrow iron line likely emitted in Compton thin and distant matter. The intrinsic continuum was well described by Comptonization models that show for MCG +8-11-11 a temperature of the coronal plasma of kTe ∼ 60 keV and an extrapolated optical depth τ = 1.8; for NGC 6814, the coronal temperature was kTe ∼ 45 keV with an extrapolated optical depth of τ = 2.5. We compare and discuss these values to some most common Comptonization models that aim at explaining the energy production and stability of coronae in AGNs.

Compton Reflection in AGN with Simbol-X

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beckmann, V.; Courvoisier, T. J.-L.; Gehrels, N.; Lubiński, P.; Malzac, J.; Petrucci, P. O.; Shrader, C. R.; Soldi, S.

2009-05-01

AGN exhibit complex hard X-ray spectra. Our current understanding is that the emission is dominated by inverse Compton processes which take place in the corona above the accretion disk, and that absorption and reflection in a distant absorber play a major role. These processes can be directly observed through the shape of the continuum, the Compton reflection hump around 30 keV, and the iron fluorescence line at 6.4 keV. We demonstrate the capabilities of Simbol-X to constrain complex models for cases like MCG-05-23-016, NGC 4151, NGC 2110, and NGC 4051 in short (10 ksec) observations. We compare the simulations with recent observations on these sources by INTEGRAL, Swift and Suzaku. Constraining reflection models for AGN with Simbol-X will help us to get a clear view of the processes and geometry near to the central engine in AGN, and will give insight to which sources are responsible for the Cosmic X-ray background at energies >20 keV.

A simple framework for modelling the dependence of bulk Comptonization by turbulence on accretion disc parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufman, J.; Blaes, O. M.; Hirose, S.

2018-06-01

Warm Comptonization models for the soft X-ray excess in active galactic nuclei (AGN) do not self-consistently explain the relationship between the Comptonizing medium and the underlying accretion disc. Because of this, they cannot directly connect the fitted Comptonization temperatures and optical depths to accretion disc parameters. Since bulk velocities exceed thermal velocities in highly radiation pressure dominated discs, in these systems bulk Comptonization by turbulence may provide a physical basis in the disc itself for warm Comptonization models. We model the dependence of bulk Comptonization on fundamental accretion disc parameters, such as mass, luminosity, radius, spin, inner boundary condition, and α. In addition to constraining warm Comptonization models, our model can help distinguish contributions from bulk Comptonization to the soft X-ray excess from those due to other physical mechanisms, such as absorption and reflection. By linking the time variability of bulk Comptonization to fluctuations in the disc vertical structure due to magnetorotational instability (MRI) turbulence, our results show that observations of the soft X-ray excess can be used to study disc turbulence in the radiation pressure dominated regime. Because our model connects bulk Comptonization to 1D vertical structure temperature profiles in a physically intuitive way, it will be useful for understanding this effect in future simulations run in new regimes.

A CHALLENGING VIEW OF THE 2015 SUMMER V404 CYG OUTBURST AT HIGH ENERGY WITH INTEGRAL /SPI: THE FINALE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jourdain, Elisabeth; Roques, Jean-Pierre; Rodi, James

2017-01-10

During its strong outburst of 2015 June/July, the X-ray transient V404 Cygni (=GS2023+338) was observed up to a level of 50 Crab in the hard X-ray domain. We focus here on a particularly intense episode preceeding a definitive decline of the source activity. We benefit from large signal-to-noise ratios to investigate the source spectral variability, on a timescale of five minutes. A hardness–intensity study of three broad bands reveals clearly different behaviors at low and high energy (below and above ∼100 keV). In particular, on two occasions, the source intensity varies by a factor of 3–4 in amplitude while keepingmore » the same spectral shape. On the other hand, at the end of the major flare, the emission presents a clear anticorrelation between flux and hardness. These behaviors strongly suggest the presence of two spectral components related to emission processes varying in a largely independent way. The first component ( E < 100–150 keV) is classically identified with a Comptonizing thermal electron population, and requires either an unusual seed photon population or a specific geometry with strong absorbing/reflecting material. The second component is modeled by a cutoff power-law, which could correspond to a second hotter Comptonizing population or another mechanism (synchrotron, non-thermal Comptonization...). In the framework of such a model, hardness–intensity and flux–flux diagrams clearly demonstrate that the source evolution follows a well-organized underlying scheme. They reveal unique information about the hard X-ray emission processes and connections between them.« less

A deep X-ray view of the bare AGN Ark 120. IV. XMM-Newton and NuSTAR spectra dominated by two temperature (warm, hot) Comptonization processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porquet, D.; Reeves, J. N.; Matt, G.; Marinucci, A.; Nardini, E.; Braito, V.; Lobban, A.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Boggs, S. E.; Christensen, F. E.; Dauser, T.; Farrah, D.; Garcia, J.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F.; Stern, D.; Tortosa, A.; Ursini, F.; Zhang, W. W.

2018-01-01

Context. The physical characteristics of the material closest to supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are primarily studied through X-ray observations. However, the origins of the main X-ray components such as the soft X-ray excess, the Fe Kα line complex, and the hard X-ray excess are still hotly debated. This is particularly problematic for active galactic nuclei (AGN) showing a significant intrinsic absorption, either warm or neutral, which can severely distort the observed continuum. Therefore, AGN with no (or very weak) intrinsic absorption along the line of sight, so-called "bare AGN", are the best targets to directly probe matter very close to the SMBH. Aims: We perform an X-ray spectral analysis of the brightest and cleanest bare AGN known so far, Ark 120, in order to determine the process(es) at work in the vicinity of the SMBH. Methods: We present spectral analyses of data from an extensive campaign observing Ark 120 in X-rays with XMM-Newton (4 × 120 ks, 2014 March 18-24), and NuSTAR (65.5 ks, 2014 March 22). Results: During this very deep X-ray campaign, the source was caught in a high-flux state similar to the earlier 2003 XMM-Newton observation, and about twice as bright as the lower-flux observation in 2013. The spectral analysis confirms the "softer when brighter" behavior of Ark 120. The four XMM-Newton/pn spectra are characterized by the presence of a prominent soft X-ray excess and a significant Fe Kα complex. The continuum is very similar above about 3 keV, while significant variability is present for the soft X-ray excess. We find that relativistic reflection from a constant-density, flat accretion disk cannot simultaneously produce the soft excess, broad Fe Kα complex, and hard X-ray excess. Instead, Comptonization reproduces the broadband (0.3-79 keV) continuum well, together with a contribution from a mildly relativistic disk reflection spectrum. Conclusions: During this 2014 observational campaign, the soft X-ray spectrum of Ark 120 below 0.5 keV was found to be dominated by Comptonization of seed photons from the disk by a warm (kTe 0.5 keV), optically-thick corona (τ 9). Above this energy, the X-ray spectrum becomes dominated by Comptonization from electrons in a hot optically thin corona, while the broad Fe Kα line and the mild Compton hump result from reflection off the disk at several tens of gravitational radii.

Reflection Spectra of the Black Hole Binary Candidate MAXI J1535-571 in the Hard State Observed by NuSTAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yanjun; Harrison, Fiona A.; García, Javier A.; Fabian, Andrew C.; Fürst, Felix; Gandhi, Poshak; Grefenstette, Brian W.; Madsen, Kristin K.; Miller, Jon M.; Parker, Michael L.; Tomsick, John A.; Walton, Dominic J.

2018-01-01

We report on a Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) observation of the recently discovered bright black hole candidate MAXI J1535-571. NuSTAR observed the source on MJD 58003 (five days after the outburst was reported). The spectrum is characteristic of a black hole binary in the hard state. We observe clear disk reflection features, including a broad Fe Kα line and a Compton hump peaking around 30 keV. Detailed spectral modeling reveals a narrow Fe Kα line complex centered around 6.5 keV on top of the strong relativistically broadened Fe Kα line. The narrow component is consistent with distant reflection from moderately ionized material. The spectral continuum is well described by a combination of cool thermal disk photons and a Comptonized plasma with the electron temperature {{kT}}{{e}}=19.7+/- 0.4 keV. An adequate fit can be achieved for the disk reflection features with a self-consistent relativistic reflection model that assumes a lamp-post geometry for the coronal illuminating source. The spectral fitting measures a black hole spin a> 0.84, inner disk radius {R}{in}< 2.01 {r}{ISCO}, and a lamp-post height h={7.2}-2.0+0.8 {r}{{g}} (statistical errors, 90% confidence), indicating no significant disk truncation and a compact corona. Although the distance and mass of this source are not currently known, this suggests the source was likely in the brighter phases of the hard state during this NuSTAR observation.

Is Compton Cooling Sufficient to Explain Evolution of Observed Quasi-periodic Oscillations in Outburst Sources?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondal, Santanu; Chakrabarti, Sandip K.; Debnath, Dipak

2015-01-01

In outburst sources, quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) frequency is known to evolve in a certain way: in the rising phase, it monotonically goes up until a soft intermediate state is achieved. In the propagating oscillatory shock model, oscillation of the Compton cloud is thought to cause QPOs. Thus, in order to increase QPO frequency, the Compton cloud must collapse steadily in the rising phase. In decline phases, the exact opposite should be true. We investigate cause of this evolution of the Compton cloud. The same viscosity parameter that increases the Keplerian disk rate also moves the inner edge of the Keplerian component, thereby reducing the size of the Compton cloud and reducing the cooling timescale. We show that cooling of the Compton cloud by inverse Comptonization is enough for it to collapse sufficiently so as to explain the QPO evolution. In the two-component advective flow configuration of Chakrabarti-Titarchuk, centrifugal force-induced shock represents the boundary of the Compton cloud. We take the rising phase of 2010 outburst of Galactic black hole candidate H 1743-322 and find an estimation of variation of the α parameter of the sub-Keplerian flow to be monotonically rising from 0.0001 to 0.02, well within the range suggested by magnetorotational instability. We also estimate the inward velocity of the Compton cloud to be a few meters per second, which is comparable to what is found in several earlier studies of our group by empirically fitting the shock locations with the time of observations.

Synchrotron Self-Compton Emission from the Crab and Other Pulsars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harding, Alice K.; Kalapotharakos, Constantinos

2015-09-01

Results of a simulation of synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) emission from a rotation-powered pulsar are presented. The radiating particles are assumed to be both accelerated primary electrons and a spectrum of electron-positron pairs produced in cascades near the polar cap. They follow trajectories in a slot gap using 3D force-free magnetic field geometry, gaining pitch angles through resonant cyclotron absorption of radio photons, radiating and scattering synchrotron emission at high altitudes out to and beyond the light cylinder. Full angular dependence of the synchrotron photon density is simulated in the scattering and all processes are treated in the inertial observer frame. Spectra for the Crab and Vela pulsars as well as two energetic millisecond pulsars, B1821-24 and B1937+21, are simulated using this model. The simulation of the Crab pulsar radiation can reproduce both the flux level and the shape of the observed optical to hard X-ray emission assuming a pair multiplicity of {M}+=3× {10}5, as well as the very-high-energy emission above 50 GeV detected by MAGIC and VERITAS, with both the synchrotron and SSC components reflecting the shape of the pair spectrum. Simulations of Vela, B1821-24, and B1937+21, for {M}+ up to 105, do not produce pair SSC emission that is detectable by current telescopes, indicating that only Crab-like pulsars produce significant SSC components. The pair synchrotron emission matches the observed X-ray spectrum of the millisecond pulsars, and the predicted peak of this emission at 1-10 MeV would be detectable with planned Compton telescopes.

On the nature of the high-energy rollover in 1H 0419-577

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, T. J.; Reeves, J. N.; Braito, V.; Costa, M.

2018-05-01

A NuSTAR/Swift observation of the luminous Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0419-577 taken during 2015 reveals one of the most extreme high-energy cut-offs observed to date from an AGN - an origin due to thermal Comptonization would imply a remarkably low coronal temperature kT ˜ 15 keV. The low-energy peak of the spectrum in the hard X-ray NuSTAR band, which peaks before the expected onset of a Compton hump, rules out strong reflection as the origin of the hard excess in this AGN. We show the origin of the high-energy rollover is likely due to a combination of both thermal Comptonization and an intrinsically steeper continuum, which is modified by absorption at lower energies. Furthermore, modelling the broad-band XUV continuum shape as a colour-corrected accretion disc, requires the presence of a variable warm absorber to explain all flux and spectral states of the source, consistent with the previous work on this AGN. While absorber variations produce marked spectral variability in this AGN, consideration of all flux states allows us to isolate a colourless component of variability that may arise from changes in the inner accretion flow, typically at around 10 rg.

RefleX: X-ray absorption and reflection in active galactic nuclei for arbitrary geometries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paltani, S.; Ricci, C.

2017-11-01

Reprocessed X-ray radiation carries important information about the structure and physical characteristics of the material surrounding the supermassive black hole (SMBH) in active galactic nuclei (AGN). We report here on a newly developed simulation platform, RefleX, which allows to reproduce absorption and reflection by quasi-arbitrary geometries. We show here the reliability of our approach by comparing the results of our simulations with existing spectral models such as pexrav, MYTorus and BNTorus. RefleX implements both Compton scattering on free electrons and Rayleigh scattering and Compton scattering on bound electrons. We show the effect of bound-electron corrections on a torus geometry simulated like in MYTorus. We release with this paper the RefleX executable, as well as RXTorus, a model that assumes absorption and reflection from a torus with a varying ratio of the minor to major axis of the torus. To allow major flexibility RXTorus is also distributed in three components: absorbed primary emission, scattered radiation and fluorescent lines. RXTorus is provided for different values of the abundance, and with (atomic configuration) or without (free-electron configuration) taking into account Rayleigh scattering and bound electrons. We apply the RXTorus model in both configurations on the XMM-Newton and NuSTAR spectrum of the Compton-thick AGN NGC 424 and find that the models are able to reproduce very well the observations, but that the assumption on the bound or free state of the electrons has significant consequences on the fit parameters. RefleX executable, user manual and example models are available at http://www.astro.unige.ch/reflex. A copy of the RefleX executable is also available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/607/A31

No signatures of black hole spin in the X-ray spectrum of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Fairall 9

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yaqoob, T.; Turner, T. J.; Tatum, M. M.; Trevor, M.; Scholtes, A.

2016-11-01

Fairall 9 is one of several type 1 active galactic nuclei for which it has been claimed that the angular momentum (or spin) of the supermassive black hole can be robustly measured, using the Fe Kα emission line and Compton-reflection continuum in the X-ray spectrum. The method rests upon the interpretation of the Fe Kα line profile and associated Compton-reflection continuum in terms of relativistic broadening in the strong gravity regime in the innermost regions of an accretion disc, within a few gravitational radii of the black hole. Here, we re-examine a Suzaku X-ray spectrum of Fairall 9 and show that a face-on toroidal X-ray reprocessor model involving only non-relativistic and mundane physics provides an excellent fit to the data. The Fe Kα line emission and Compton-reflection continuum are calculated self-consistently, the iron abundance is solar, and an equatorial column density of ˜ 1024 cm- 2 is inferred. In this scenario, neither the Fe Kα line nor the Compton-reflection continuum provides any information on the black hole spin. Whereas previous analyses have assumed an infinite column density for the distant-matter reprocessor, the shape of the reflection spectrum from matter with a finite column density eliminates the need for a relativistically broadened Fe Kα line. We find a 90 per cent confidence range in the Fe Kα line full width at half-maximum of 1895-6205 km s- 1, corresponding to a distance of ˜3100 to 33 380 gravitational radii from the black hole, or 0.015-0.49 pc for a black hole mass of ˜1-3 × 108 M⊙.

Contemporaneous broadband observations of three high-redshift BL Lac objects

DOE PAGES

Ackerman, M.

2016-03-20

We have collected broadband spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of three BL Lac objects, 3FGL J0022.1-1855 (z=0.689), 3FGL J0630.9-2406 (z > ~1.239), and 3FGL J0811.2-7529 (z=0.774), detected by Fermi with relatively flat GeV spectra. By observing simultaneously in the near-IR to hard X-ray band, we can well characterize the high end of the synchrotron component of the SED. Thus, fitting the SEDs to synchro-Compton models of the dominant emission from the relativistic jet, we can constrain the underlying particle properties and predict the shape of the GeV Compton component. Standard extragalactic background light (EBL) models explain the high-energy absorption well, withmore » poorer fits for high UV models. The fits show clear evidence for EBL absorption in the Fermi spectrum of our highest redshift source 3FGL J0630.9-2406. While synchrotron self-Compton models adequately describe the SEDs, the situation may be complicated by possible external Compton components.« less

The diffuse galactic gamma radiation: The Compton contribution and component separation by energy interval and galactic coordinates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kniffen, D. A.; Fichtel, C.

1981-01-01

The radiation to be expected from cosmic ray interactions with matter and photons was examined. Particular emphasis is placed on the Compton emission. Both the photon density in and near the visible region and that in the region are deduced from the estimates of the emission functions throughout the Galaxy. The blackbody radiation is also included in the estimate of the total Compton emission. The result suggests that the gamma ray Compton radiation from cosmic ray ineractions with galactic visible and infrared photons is substantially larger than previously believed.

A SUZAKU OBSERVATION OF MCG -2-58-22: CONSTRAINING THE GEOMETRY OF THE CIRCUMNUCLEAR MATERIAL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rivers, Elizabeth; Markowitz, Alex; Rothschild, Richard, E-mail: erivers@ucsd.edu

2011-05-01

We have analyzed a long-look Suzaku observation of the active galactic nucleus MCG -2-58-22, a type 1.5 Seyfert with very little X-ray absorption in the line of sight and prominent features arising from reflection off circumnuclear material: the Fe line and Compton reflection hump. We place tight constraints on the power-law photon index ({Gamma} = 1.80 {+-} 0.02), the Compton reflection strength (R = 0.69 {+-} 0.05), and the Fe K emission line energy centroid and width (E = 6.40 {+-} 0.02 keV, v{sub FWHM} < 7100 km s{sup -1}). We find no significant evidence either for emission from stronglymore » ionized Fe, or for a strong, relativistically broadened Fe line, indicating that perhaps there is no radiatively efficient accretion disk very close in to the central black hole. In addition, we test a new self-consistent physical model from Murphy and Yaqoob, the 'MYTORUS' model, consisting of a donut-shaped torus of material surrounding the central illuminating source and producing both the Compton hump and the Fe K line emission. From the application of this model we find that the observed spectrum is consistent with a Compton-thick torus of material (column density N{sub H} = 3.6{sup +1.3}{sub -0.8} x 10{sup 24} cm{sup -2}) lying outside of the line of sight to the nucleus, leaving it bare of X-ray absorption in excess of the Galactic column. We calculate that this material is sufficient to produce all of the Fe line flux without the need for any flux contribution from additional Compton-thin circumnuclear material.« less

A Challenging View of the 2015 Summer V404 Cyg Outburst at High Energy with INTEGRAL/SPI: The Finale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jourdain, Elisabeth; Roques, Jean-Pierre; Rodi, James

2017-01-01

During its strong outburst of 2015 June/July, the X-ray transient V404 Cygni (=GS2023+338) was observed up to a level of 50 Crab in the hard X-ray domain. We focus here on a particularly intense episode preceeding a definitive decline of the source activity. We benefit from large signal-to-noise ratios to investigate the source spectral variability, on a timescale of five minutes. A hardness-intensity study of three broad bands reveals clearly different behaviors at low and high energy (below and above ˜100 keV). In particular, on two occasions, the source intensity varies by a factor of 3-4 in amplitude while keeping the same spectral shape. On the other hand, at the end of the major flare, the emission presents a clear anticorrelation between flux and hardness. These behaviors strongly suggest the presence of two spectral components related to emission processes varying in a largely independent way. The first component (E < 100-150 keV) is classically identified with a Comptonizing thermal electron population, and requires either an unusual seed photon population or a specific geometry with strong absorbing/reflecting material. The second component is modeled by a cutoff power-law, which could correspond to a second hotter Comptonizing population or another mechanism (synchrotron, non-thermal Comptonization...). In the framework of such a model, hardness-intensity and flux-flux diagrams clearly demonstrate that the source evolution follows a well-organized underlying scheme. They reveal unique information about the hard X-ray emission processes and connections between them. Based on observations with INTEGRAL, an ESA project with instruments and science data centre funded by ESA member states (especially the PI countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland), Czech Republic, and Poland, with participation of Russia and USA.

Synchrotron Self-Compton Emission from the Crab and Other Pulsars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harding, Alice K.; Kalapotharakos, Konstantinos

2015-01-01

Results of a simulation of synchrotron-self Compton (SSC) emission from a rotation-powered pulsar are presented. The radiating particles are assumed to be both accelerated primary electrons and a spectrum of electron-positron pairs produced in cascades near the polar cap. They follow trajectories in a slot gap using 3D force-free magnetic field geometry, gaining pitch angles through resonant cyclotron absorption of radio photons, radiating and scattering synchrotron emission at high altitudes out to and beyond the light cylinder. Full angular dependence of the synchrotron photon density is simulated in the scattering and all processes are treated in the inertial observer frame. Spectra for the Crab and Vela pulsars as well as two energetic millisecond pulsars, B1821-24 and B1937+21 are simulated using this model. The simulation of the Crab pulsar radiation can reproduce both the flux level and the shape of the observed optical to hard X-ray emission assuming a pair multiplicity of M+ = 3x10(exp 5), as well as the very-high- energy emission above 50 GeV detected by MAGIC and VERITAS, with both the synchrotron and SSC components reflecting the shape of the pair spectrum. Simulations of Vela, B1821-24 and B1937+21, for M+ up to 10(exp 5), do not produce pair SSC emission that is detectable by current telescopes, indicating that only Crab-like pulsars produce significant SSC components. The pair synchrotron emission matches the observed X-ray spectrum of the millisecond pulsars and the predicted peak of this emission at 1-10 MeV would be detectable with planned Compton telescopes.

On the possibility of using X-ray Compton scattering to study magnetoelectrical properties of crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Collins, S. P., E-mail: steve.collins@diamond.ac.uk; Laundy, D.; Connolley, T.

2016-02-16

The possibility of using X-ray Compton scattering to reveal antisymmetric components of the electron momentum density, as a fingerprint of magnetoelectric sample properties, is investigated experimentally and theoretically by studying the polar ferromagnet GaFeO{sub 3}. This paper discusses the possibility of using Compton scattering – an inelastic X-ray scattering process that yields a projection of the electron momentum density – to probe magnetoelectrical properties. It is shown that an antisymmetric component of the momentum density is a unique fingerprint of such time- and parity-odd physics. It is argued that polar ferromagnets are ideal candidates to demonstrate this phenomenon and themore » first experimental results are shown, on a single-domain crystal of GaFeO{sub 3}. The measured antisymmetric Compton profile is very small (≃ 10{sup −5} of the symmetric part) and of the same order of magnitude as the statistical errors. Relativistic first-principles simulations of the antisymmetric Compton profile are presented and it is shown that, while the effect is indeed predicted by theory, and scales with the size of the valence spin–orbit interaction, its magnitude is significantly overestimated. The paper outlines some important constraints on the properties of the antisymmetric Compton profile arising from the underlying crystallographic symmetry of the sample.« less

A Bulk Comptonization Model for the Prompt GRB Emission and its Relation to the Fermi GRB Spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kazanas, Demosthenes

2010-01-01

We present a model in which the GRB prompt emission at E E(sub peak) is due to bulk Comptonization by the relativistic blast wave motion of either its own synchrotron photons of ambient photons of the stellar configuration that gave birth to the GRB. The bulk Comptonization process then induces the production of relativistic electrons of Lorentz factor equal to that of the blast wave through interactions with its ambient protons. The inverse compton emission of these electrons produces a power law component that extends to multi GeV energies in good agreement with the LAT GRB observations.

Evidence Of A Black Hole In The X-ray Binary System Cygnus X-3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lombardi, C.; Virgilli, E.; Titarchuk, L.; Frontera, F.; Farinelli, R.

2011-09-01

Recently a close correlation between the photon index of the power law component and either the frequency of Quasi Periodic Oscillations (QPOs) or the flow of accretion disk has been found in the X-ray data concerning Black Holes (BH) in binary systems. The shape of this relationship, characterized by a saturation index when the system achieves high spectral brightness, finds a natural explanation in the processes of thermal and bulk Comptonization which are unique characteristic of the presence of a BH. For the whole set of observation we adopted a model consisting of the spectral component of BMC (Bulk Motion Comptonization model) that takes into account the direct emission of black body and the Comptonization process.

The 2-79 keV X-ray Spectrum of the Circinus Galaxy with NuSTAR, XMM-Newton and Chandra: a Fully Compton-Thick Active Galactic Nucleus

DOE PAGES

Arevalo, P.; Bauer, F. E.; Puccetti, S.; ...

2014-07-30

Here, the Circinus galaxy is one of the closest obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs), making it an ideal target for detailed study. Combining archival Chandra and XMM-Newton data with new NuSTAR observations, we model the 2-79 keV spectrum to constrain the primary AGN continuum and to derive physical parameters for the obscuring material. Chandra's high angular resolution allows a separation of nuclear and off-nuclear galactic emission. In the off-nuclear diffuse emission, we find signatures of strong cold reflection, including high equivalent-width neutral Fe lines. This Compton-scattered off-nuclear emission amounts to 18% of the nuclear flux in the Fe line region,more » but becomes comparable to the nuclear emission above 30 keV. The new analysis no longer supports a prominent transmitted AGN component in the observed band. We find that the nuclear spectrum is consistent with Compton scattering by an optically thick torus, where the intrinsic spectrum is a power law of photon index Γ = 2.2-2.4, the torus has an equatorial column density of N H = (6-10) × 10 24 cm –2, and the intrinsic AGN 2-10 keV luminosity is (2.3-5.1) × 10 42 erg s –1. These values place Circinus along the same relations as unobscured AGNs in accretion rate versus Γ and L X versus L IR phase space. NuSTAR's high sensitivity and low background allow us to study the short timescale variability of Circinus at X-ray energies above 10 keV for the first time. Here, the lack of detected variability favors a Compton-thick absorber, in line with the spectral fitting results.« less

Mildly obscured active galaxies and the cosmic X-ray background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, V.; Walter, R.

2016-05-01

Context. The diffuse cosmic X-ray background (CXB) is the sum of the emission of discrete sources, mostly massive black-holes accreting matter in active galactic nuclei (AGN). The CXB spectrum differs from the integration of the spectra of individual sources, calling for a large population, undetected so far, of strongly obscured Compton-thick AGN. Such objects are predicted by unified models, which attribute most of the AGN diversity to their inclination on the line of sight, and play an important role for the understanding of the growth of black holes in the early Universe. Aims: The percentage of strongly obscured Compton-thick AGN at low redshift can be derived from the observed CXB spectrum, if we assume AGN spectral templates and luminosity functions. Methods: We show that high signal-to-noise stacked hard X-ray spectra, derived from more than a billion seconds of effective exposure time with the Swift/BAT instrument, imply that mildly obscured Compton-thin AGN feature a strong reflection and contribute massively to the CXB. Results: A population of Compton-thick AGN larger than that which is effectively detected is not required to reproduce the CXB spectrum, since no more than 6% of the CXB flux can be attributed to them. The stronger reflection observed in mildly obscured AGN suggests that the covering factor of the gas and dust surrounding their central engines is a key factor in shaping their appearance. These mildly obscured AGN are easier to study at high redshift than Compton-thick sources are.

Borehole and High-Resolution Seismic Reflection Evidence for Holocene Activity on the Compton Blind-Thrust Fault, Los Angeles Basin, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leon, L. A.; Dolan, J. F.; Shaw, J. H.; Pratt, T. L.

2006-12-01

Newly collected borehole and high-resolution seismic reflection data from a site ~6 km south of downtown Los Angeles demonstrate that the Compton blind-thrust fault has generated multiple large-magnitude earthquakes during the Holocene. This large blind thrust fault, which was originally identified by Shaw and Suppe (1996) using industry seismic reflection profiles and well data, extends northwest-southeast for 40 km beneath the western edge of the Los Angeles basin. The industry seismic reflection data define a growth fault-bend fold associated with the thrust ramp, which, combined with well data, reveal compelling evidence for Pliocene and Pleistocene activity. The industry data, however, do not image deformation in the uppermost few hundred meters. In order to bridge this gap, we acquired high-resolution seismic reflection profiles at two scales across the back limb active axial surface of the fault-bend fold above the Compton thrust ramp, using a truck-mounted weight drop and sledgehammer sources. These profiles delineate the axial surfaces of the fold from <20 m depth downward to overlap with the upper part of the industry reflection data within the upper 500 m. The seismic reflection data reveal an upward-narrowing zone of folding that extends to <100 m of the surface. These data, in turn, allowed us to accurately and efficiently site a fault-perpendicular transect of eight continuously cored boreholes across the axial surface of the fold observed in both industry and high-resolution seismic reflection data. The borehole data reveal folding within a discrete kink band that is <~150 m wide in the shallow subsurface. Preliminary analysis of the deformed, shallow growth strata reveals evidence for a number of discrete uplift events, which we interpret as having occurred during several large-magnitude (M >7) earthquakes on the Compton fault. Although we do not as yet have age control for this transect, numerous organic-rich clay and silt layers, as well as abundant detrital charcoal, should yield 14C dates that will allow us to accurately date these uplift events. A stratigraphically abrupt downward transition from an upper section dominated by clays, silts, and sands into a gravel-dominated lower section occurs at ~25 m depth. If this transition is similar in age to well-dated sections elsewhere in the Los Angeles region (e.g. our Carfax site along the Puente Hills Thrust fault), then it marks the Pleistocene-Holocene change in climate and stream power at ~9.5 ¨C 10 ka. The total uplift across the Holocene/Pleistocene boundary is ~8 m, yielding a minimum uplift rate of ~0.8 mm/yr, which in turn suggests a slip rate on the blind thrust of 1.5 to 2 mm/yr. The depth of the shallowest buried fold scarp (1 m) attests to the recency of the youngest large-magnitude earthquake on the Compton blind-thrust fault. These observations clearly indicate that the Compton fault is active and capable of producing damaging, large-magnitude earthquakes directly beneath metropolitan Los Angeles.

Least-Squares Deconvolution of Compton Telescope Data with the Positivity Constraint

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wheaton, William A.; Dixon, David D.; Tumer, O. Tumay; Zych, Allen D.

1993-01-01

We describe a Direct Linear Algebraic Deconvolution (DLAD) approach to imaging of data from Compton gamma-ray telescopes. Imposition of the additional physical constraint, that all components of the model be non-negative, has been found to have a powerful effect in stabilizing the results, giving spatial resolution at or near the instrumental limit. A companion paper (Dixon et al. 1993) presents preliminary images of the Crab Nebula region using data from COMPTEL on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory.

NuSTAR observations of the powerful radio-galaxy Cygnus A

DOE PAGES

Reynolds, Christopher S.; Lohfink, Anne M.; Ogle, Patrick M.; ...

2015-07-29

Here, we present NuSTAR observations of the powerful radio galaxy Cygnus A, focusing on the central absorbed active galactic nucleus (AGN). Cygnus A is embedded in a cool-core galaxy cluster, and hence we also examine archival XMM-Newton data to facilitate the decomposition of the spectrum into the AGN and intracluster medium components. NuSTAR gives a source-dominated spectrum of the AGN out tomore » $$\\gt 70$$ keV. In gross terms, the NuSTAR spectrum of the AGN has the form of a power law ($${\\rm{\\Gamma }}\\sim 1.6-1.7$$) absorbed by a neutral column density of $${N}_{{\\rm{H}}}\\sim 1.6\\times {10}^{23}\\;\\;{\\mathrm{cm}}^{-2}$$. However, we also detect curvature in the hard ($$\\gt 10$$ keV) spectrum resulting from reflection by Compton-thick matter out of our line of sight to the X-ray source. Compton reflection, possibly from the outer accretion disk or obscuring torus, is required even permitting a high-energy cut off in the continuum source; the limit on the cut-off energy is $${E}_{\\mathrm{cut}}\\gt 111$$ keV(90% confidence). Interestingly, the absorbed power law plus reflection model leaves residuals suggesting the absorption/emission from a fast ($$15,000-26,000\\;\\;\\mathrm{km}\\;\\;{{\\rm{s}}}^{-1}\\;$$), high column-density ($${N}_{W}\\gt 3\\times {10}^{23}\\;\\;{\\mathrm{cm}}^{-2}$$), highly ionized ($$\\xi \\sim 2500\\;\\mathrm{erg}\\;\\mathrm{cm}\\;{{\\rm{s}}}^{-1}$$) wind. A second, even faster ionized wind component is also suggested by these data. We show that the ionized wind likely carries a significant mass and momentum flux, and may carry sufficient kinetic energy to exercise feedback on the host galaxy. If confirmed, the simultaneous presence of a strong wind and powerful jets in Cygnus A demonstrates that feedback from radio-jets and sub-relativistic winds are not mutually exclusive phases of AGN activity but can occur simultaneously.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Furui, Shun’ya; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Ohno, Masanori

We construct an X-ray spectral model of reprocessing by a torus in an active galactic nucleus (AGN) with the Monte Carlo simulation framework MONACO. Two torus geometries of smooth and clumpy cases are considered and compared. In order to reproduce a Compton shoulder accurately, MONACO includes not only free electron scattering but also bound electron scattering. Raman and Rayleigh scattering are also treated, and scattering cross sections dependent on chemical states of hydrogen and helium are included. Doppler broadening by turbulence velocity can be implemented. Our model gives results consistent with other available models, such as MYTorus, except for differencesmore » due to different physical parameters and assumptions. We studied the dependence on torus parameters for a Compton shoulder, and found that a intensity ratio of a Compton shoulder to the line core mainly depends on column density, inclination angle, and metal abundance. For instance, an increase of metal abundance makes a Compton shoulder relatively weak. Also, the shape of a Compton shoulder depends on the column density. Furthermore, these dependences become different between smooth and clumpy cases. Then, we discuss the possibility of ASTRO-H/SXS spectroscopy of Compton shoulders in AGN reflection spectra.« less

Galaxy gas as obscurer - II. Separating the galaxy-scale and nuclear obscurers of active galactic nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchner, Johannes; Bauer, Franz E.

2017-03-01

The 'torus' obscurer of active galactic nuclei (AGN) is poorly understood in terms of its density, sub-structure and physical mechanisms. Large X-ray surveys provide model boundary constraints, for both Compton-thin and Compton-thick levels of obscuration, as obscured fractions are mean covering factors fcov. However, a major remaining uncertainty is host-galaxy obscuration. In Paper I, we discovered a relation of {NH} ∝ M_{star }^{1/3} for the obscuration of galaxy-scale gas. Here, we apply this observational relation to the AGN population, and find that galaxy-scale gas is responsible for a luminosity-independent fraction of Compton-thin AGN, but does not produce Compton-thick columns. With the host-galaxy obscuration understood, we present a model of the remaining nuclear obscurer, which is consistent with a range of observations. Our radiation-lifted torus model consists of a Compton-thick component (fcov ∼ 35 per cent) and a Compton-thin component (fcov ∼ 40 per cent), which depends on both black hole mass and luminosity. This provides a useful summary of observational constraints for torus modellers who attempt to reproduce this behaviour. It can also be employed as a sub-grid recipe in cosmological simulations that do not resolve the torus. We also investigate host-galaxy X-ray obscuration inside cosmological, hydrodynamic simulations (Evolution and Assembly of Galaxies and their Environment; Illustris). The obscuration from ray-traced galaxy gas can agree with observations, but is highly sensitive to the chosen feedback assumptions.

SPECTRAL SURVEY OF X-RAY BRIGHT ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI FROM THE ROSSI X-RAY TIMING EXPLORER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rivers, Elizabeth; Markowitz, Alex; Rothschild, Richard, E-mail: erivers@ucsd.edu

2011-03-15

Using long-term monitoring data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), we have selected 23 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with sufficient brightness and overall observation time to derive broadband X-ray spectra from 3 to {approx}>100 keV. Our sample includes mainly radio-quiet Seyferts, as well as seven radio-loud sources. Given the longevity of the RXTE mission, the greater part of our data is spread out over more than a decade, providing truly long-term average spectra and eliminating inconsistencies arising from variability. We present long-term average values of absorption, Fe line parameters, Compton reflection strengths, and photon indices, as well as fluxesmore » and luminosities for the hard and very hard energy bands, 2-10 keV and 20-100 keV, respectively. We find tentative evidence for high-energy rollovers in three of our objects. We improve upon previous surveys of the very hard X-ray energy band in terms of accuracy and sensitivity, particularly with respect to confirming and quantifying the Compton reflection component. This survey is meant to provide a baseline for future analysis with respect to the long-term averages for these sources and to cement the legacy of RXTE, and especially its High Energy X-ray Timing Experiment, as a contributor to AGN spectral science.« less

Development of a Compton camera for safeguards applications in a pyroprocessing facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jin Hyung; Kim, Young Su; Kim, Chan Hyeong; Seo, Hee; Park, Se-Hwan; Kim, Ho-Dong

2014-11-01

The Compton camera has a potential to be used for localizing nuclear materials in a large pyroprocessing facility due to its unique Compton kinematics-based electronic collimation method. Our R&D group, KAERI, and Hanyang University have made an effort to develop a scintillation-detector-based large-area Compton camera for safeguards applications. In the present study, a series of Monte Carlo simulations was performed with Geant4 in order to examine the effect of the detector parameters and the feasibility of using a Compton camera to obtain an image of the nuclear material distribution. Based on the simulation study, experimental studies were performed to assess the possibility of Compton imaging in accordance with the type of the crystal. Two different types of Compton cameras were fabricated and tested with a pixelated type of LYSO (Ce) and a monolithic type of NaI(Tl). The conclusions of this study as a design rule for a large-area Compton camera can be summarized as follows: 1) The energy resolution, rather than position resolution, of the component detector was the limiting factor for the imaging resolution, 2) the Compton imaging system needs to be placed as close as possible to the source location, and 3) both pixelated and monolithic types of crystals can be utilized; however, the monolithic types, require a stochastic-method-based position-estimating algorithm for improving the position resolution.

Hard X-ray spectral properties of distant AGN in the NuSTAR surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Moro, Agnese

2016-08-01

I will present a study on the average broad X-ray band (~0.5-30 keV) spectral properties of the NuSTAR sources detected in the ECDF-S, EGS and COSMOS fields. Constructing the rest-frame composite spectra of AGN in different hydrogen column density (NH) and 10-40 keV luminosity bins, using Chandra and NuSTAR data, we investigate the typical spectral parameters of the AGN population, such as the photon index, NH, strength of the iron emission line (~6.4 keV) and of the Compton reflection at ~20-30 keV. Placing constraints on the reflection fraction (R) is of particular importance for the synthesis models of the cosmic X-ray background (CXB), as this parameter is strongly linked with the fraction of Compton-thick AGN needed to fit the CXB spectrum. Thanks to its sensitivity at ~20-30 keV, NuSTAR allows for the first time, to directly place such constraints for non-local AGN. We find typical reflection fractions of R~1-1.5, consistent the AGN in the local Universe, with a tentative evidence for the most obscured AGN to have, on average, stronger Compton reflection compared to unobscured AGN. Moreover, contrary to previous works, we do not find significant evidence for a decrease of the reflection strength with luminosity for typical Γ=1.8-1.9. Our results support CXB models that require a relatively small fraction of CT AGN, of the order of ~10-15%.

The hard X-ray continuum of Cen a observed with INTEGRAL SPI

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burke, Mark J.; Jourdain, Elisabeth; Roques, Jean-Pierre

2014-05-20

We revisit the average hard X-ray spectrum from the active galactic nucleus (AGN) of Centaurus A (Cen A) using 10 yr worth of observations with INTEGRAL SPI. This source has the highest flux observed from any AGNs in the SPI bandpass (23 keV-8 MeV). The 10 year light curve of Cen A is presented, and hardness ratios confirm that the spectral shape changes very little despite the luminosity varying by a factor of a few. Primarily, we establish the presence of a reflection component in the average spectrum by demonstrating an excess between 20 and 60 keV, from extending themore » spectral shape observed at low energy to the SPI regime. The excess in Chandra HETGS and INTEGRAL SPI data is well described by reflection of the dominant power-law spectrum from a neutral, optically thick atmosphere. We find that the reprocessed emission contributes 20%-25% of the 23-100 keV flux. The existence of a cutoff at tens to hundreds of kiloelectron volts remains controversial. Using simulated spectra, we demonstrate that a high energy cutoff reproduces the observed spectral properties of Cen A more readily than a simple power law. However, we also show that such a cutoff is probably underestimated when neglecting (even modest) reflection, and for Cen A would be at energies >700 keV, with a confidence of >95%. This is atypically high for thermal Comptonizing plasmas observed in AGNs, and we propose that we are in fact modeling the more gradual change in spectral shape expected of synchrotron self-Compton spectra.« less

Hidden baryons: The physics of Compton composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, Frederick J.

2016-06-01

A large fraction of the mass-energy of the Universe appears to be composed of Compton composites. How is it then that these composites are not frequently observed in experiments? This paper addresses this question, and others, by reviewing recent publications that: 1) introduced Compton composites, 2) showed how and where they are formed and 3) explained how they interact with other systems. Though ubiquitous in many physical situations, Compton composites are almost completely hidden in experiments due to their unique interaction characteristics. Still, their presence has been indirectly observed, though not interpreted as such until recently. Looking to the future, direct-detection experiments are proposed that could verify the composites' components. It is with deep sadness that I dedicate this paper to my mentor, collaborator, and friend, Dr. John R. Reitz, who passed away within days of the publication of our paper “Compton Composites Late in the Early Universe”.

A publicly available SSC+EC code.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georganopoulos, M.; Perlman, E. S.; Kazanas, D.; Wingert, B.; Castro, R.

2004-08-01

We present a time-dependent one zone SSC+EC code that takes into account the KN-cross section, and calculates self-consistently all orders of Compton scattering. In particular, it produces separate results for the first order Compton component, and for the total Compton emission. The kinetic equation is solved using a stable implicit scheme, and the user can select from a range of physically motivated temporal electron injection profile. The code is written in C, is fully documented and will soon be publicly available through the Internet, along with a set of IDL visualization routines.

Bulk Comptonization by Turbulence in Black Hole Accretion Discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufman, Jason

Radiation pressure dominated accretion discs may have turbulent velocities that exceed the electron thermal velocities. Bulk Comptonization by the turbulence may therefore dominate over thermal Comptonization in determining the emergent spectrum. We discuss how to self-consistently resolve and interpret this effect in calculations of spectra of radiation MHD simulations. In particular, we show that this effect is dominated by radiation viscous dissipation and can be treated as thermal Comptonization with an equivalent temperature. We investigate whether bulk Comptonization may provide a physical basis for warm Comptonization models of the soft X-ray excess in AGN. We characterize our results with temperatures and optical depths to make contact with other models of this component. We show that bulk Comptonization shifts the Wien tail to higher energy and lowers the gas temperature, broadening the spectrum. More generally, we model the dependence of this effect on a wide range of fundamental accretion disc parameters, such as mass, luminosity, radius, spin, inner boundary condition, and the alpha parameter. Because our model connects bulk Comptonization to one dimensional vertical structure temperature profiles in a physically intuitive way, it will be useful for understanding this effect in future simulations run in new regimes. We also develop a global Monte Carlo code to study this effect in global radiation MHD simulations. This code can be used more broadly to compare global simulations with observed systems, and in particular to investigate whether magnetically dominated discs can explain why observed high Eddington accretion discs appear to be thermally stable.

An Iwasawa-Taniguchi effect for Compton-thick active galactic nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boorman, Peter G.; Gandhi, Poshak; Baloković, Mislav; Brightman, Murray; Harrison, Fiona; Ricci, Claudio; Stern, Daniel

2018-07-01

We present the first study of an Iwasawa-Taniguchi/`X-ray Baldwin' effect for Compton-thick active galactic nuclei (AGN). We report a statistically significant anticorrelation between the rest-frame equivalent width (EW) of the narrow core of the neutral Fe Kα fluorescence emission line, ubiquitously observed in the reflection spectra of obscured AGN, and the mid-infrared 12 μ m continuum luminosity (taken as a proxy for the bolometric AGN luminosity). Our sample consists of 72 Compton-thick AGN selected from pointed and deep-field observations covering a redshift range of z ˜ 0.0014-3.7. We employ a Monte Carlo-based fitting method, which returns a Spearman's Rank correlation coefficient of ρ = - 0.28 ± 0.12, significant to 98.7 per cent confidence. The best-fitting found is log(EW_{Fe Kα }) ∝ -0.08± 0.04 log(L_{12 {μ } m}), which is consistent with multiple studies of the X-ray Baldwin effect for unobscured and mildly obscured AGN. This is an unexpected result, as the Fe Kα line is conventionally thought to originate from the same region as the underlying reflection continuum, which together constitute the reflection spectrum. We discuss the implications this could have if confirmed on larger samples, including a systematic underestimation of the line-of-sight X-ray obscuring column density and hence the intrinsic luminosities and growth rates for the most luminous AGN.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rana, Vikram; Harrison, Fiona A.; Walton, Dominic J.

We present results for two ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), IC 342 X-1 and IC 342 X-2, using two epochs of XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations separated by ∼7 days. We observe little spectral or flux variability above 1 keV between epochs, with unabsorbed 0.3-30 keV luminosities being 1.04{sub −0.06}{sup +0.08}×10{sup 40} erg s{sup –1} for IC 342 X-1 and 7.40 ± 0.20 × 10{sup 39} erg s{sup –1} for IC 342 X-2, so that both were observed in a similar, luminous state. Both sources have a high absorbing column in excess of the Galactic value. Neither source has a spectrum consistent with a black hole binary in low/hard state, and both ULXsmore » exhibit strong curvature in their broadband X-ray spectra. This curvature rules out models that invoke a simple reflection-dominated spectrum with a broadened iron line and no cutoff in the illuminating power-law continuum. X-ray spectrum of IC 342 X-1 can be characterized by a soft disk-like blackbody component at low energies and a cool, optically thick Comptonization continuum at high energies, but unique physical interpretation of the spectral components remains challenging. The broadband spectrum of IC 342 X-2 can be fit by either a hot (3.8 keV) accretion disk or a Comptonized continuum with no indication of a seed photon population. Although the seed photon component may be masked by soft excess emission unlikely to be associated with the binary system, combined with the high absorption column, it is more plausible that the broadband X-ray emission arises from a simple thin blackbody disk component. Secure identification of the origin of the spectral components in these sources will likely require broadband spectral variability studies.« less

Compton imaging tomography technique for NDE of large nonuniform structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grubsky, Victor; Romanov, Volodymyr; Patton, Ned; Jannson, Tomasz

2011-09-01

In this paper we describe a new nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technique called Compton Imaging Tomography (CIT) for reconstructing the complete three-dimensional internal structure of an object, based on the registration of multiple two-dimensional Compton-scattered x-ray images of the object. CIT provides high resolution and sensitivity with virtually any material, including lightweight structures and organics, which normally pose problems in conventional x-ray computed tomography because of low contrast. The CIT technique requires only one-sided access to the object, has no limitation on the object's size, and can be applied to high-resolution real-time in situ NDE of large aircraft/spacecraft structures and components. Theoretical and experimental results will be presented.

The Spectral Signatures Of BH Versus NS Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seifina, E.; Titarchuk, L.

2011-09-01

We present a comparative analysis of spectral properties of Black Hole (BH) and Neutron Star (NS) X-ray binaries during transition events observed with BeppoSAX and RXTE satellites. In particular, we investigated the behavior of Comptonized component of X-ray spectra when object evolves from the low to high spectral states. The basic models to fit X-ray spectra of these objects are upscattering models (so called BMC and COMPTB models) which are the first principal models. These models taking into account both dynamical and thermal Comptonization and allow to study separate contributions of thermal component and Comptonization component (bulk and thermal effect of Comptonization processes). Specifically, we tested quite a few observations of BHs (GRS 1915+105 and SS 433) and NSs (4U 1728-34 and GX 3+1) applying BMC and COMPTB models. In this way it was found a crucial difference in behavior of photon index vs mass accretion rate (mdot) for BHs and NSs. Namely, we revealed the stability of the photon index around typical value of Gamma=2 versus mdot (or electron temperature) during spectral evolution of NS sources. This stability effect was previously suggested for a number of other neutron binaries (see Farinelli and Titarchuk, 2011). This intrinsic property of NS is fundamentally different from that in BH binary sources for which the index demonstrates monotonic growth with mass accretion rate followed by its saturation at high values of mdot. These index-mass accretion rate behavior during X-ray spectral transition events can be considered as signatures, which allow to differ NS from BH.

Hard X-Ray Emission of the Luminous Infrared Galaxy NGC 6240 as Observed by Nustar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Puccetti, S.; Comastri, A.; Bauer, F. E.; Brandt, W. N.; Fiore, F.; Harrison, F. A.; Luo, B.; Stern, D.; Urry, C. M.; Alexander, D. M.;

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2016-01-01

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

Self-Consistent Thermal Accretion Disk Corona Models for Compact Objects. I: Properties of the Corona and the Spectrum of Escaping Radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dove, James B.; Wilms, Jorn; Begelman, Mitchell C.

1997-01-01

We present the properties of accretion disk corona (ADC) models in which the radiation field, the temperature, and the total opacity of the corona are determined self-consistently. We use a nonlinear Monte Carlo code to perform the calculations. As an example, we discuss models in which the corona is situated above and below a cold accretion disk with a plane-parallel (slab) geometry, similar to the model of Haardt & Maraschi. By Comptonizing the soft radiation emitted by the accretion disk, the corona is responsible for producing the high-energy component of the escaping radiation. Our models include the reprocessing of radiation in the accretion disk. Here the photons either are Compton-reflected or photoabsorbed, giving rise to fluorescent line emission and thermal emission. The self- consistent coronal temperature is determined by balancing heating (due to viscous energy dissipation) with Compton cooling, determined using the fully relativistic, angle-dependent cross sections. The total opacity is found by balancing pair productions with annihilations. We find that, for a disk temperature kT(sub BB) approx. less than 200 eV, these coronae are unable to have a self-consistent temperature higher than approx. 140 keV if the total optical depth is approx. less than 0.2, regardless of the compactness parameter of the corona and the seed opacity. This limitation corresponds to the angle-averaged spectrum of escaping radiation having a photon index approx. greater than 1.8 within the 5-30 keV band. Finally, all models that have reprocessing features also predict a large thermal excess at lower energies. These constraints make explaining the X-ray spectra of persistent black hole candidates with ADC models very problematic.

PROBING THE TRANSITION BETWEEN THE SYNCHROTRON AND INVERSE-COMPTON SPECTRAL COMPONENTS OF 1ES 1959+650

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bottacini, E.; Schady, P.; Rau, A.

1ES 1959+650 is one of the most remarkable high-peaked BL Lacertae objects (HBL). In 2002, it exhibited a TeV {gamma}-ray flare without a similar brightening of the synchrotron component at lower energies. This orphan TeV flare remained a mystery. We present the results of a multifrequency campaign, triggered by the INTEGRAL IBIS detection of 1ES 1959+650. Our data range from the optical to hard X-ray energies, thus covering the synchrotron and inverse-Compton components simultaneously. We observed the source with INTEGRAL, the Swift X-Ray Telescope, and the UV-Optical Telescope, and nearly simultaneously with a ground-based optical telescope. The steep spectral componentmore » at X-ray energies is most likely due to synchrotron emission, while at soft {gamma}-ray energies the hard spectral index may be interpreted as the onset of the high-energy component of the blazar spectral energy distribution (SED). This is the first clear measurement of a concave X-ray-soft {gamma}-ray spectrum for an HBL. The SED can be well modeled with a leptonic synchrotron self-Compton model. When the SED is fitted this model requires a very hard electron spectral index of q {approx} 1.85, possibly indicating the relevance of second-order Fermi acceleration.« less

Radio/X-ray monitoring of the broad-line radio galaxy 3C 382. High-energy view with XMM-Newtonand NuSTAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ursini, F.; Petrucci, P.-O.; Matt, G.; Bianchi, S.; Cappi, M.; Dadina, M.; Grandi, P.; Torresi, E.; Ballantyne, D. R.; De Marco, B.; De Rosa, A.; Giroletti, M.; Malzac, J.; Marinucci, A.; Middei, R.; Ponti, G.; Tortosa, A.

2018-05-01

We present the analysis of five joint XMM-Newton/NuSTARobservations, 20 ks each and separated by 12 days, of the broad-line radio galaxy 3C 382. The data were obtained as part of a campaign performed in September-October 2016 simultaneously with VLBA. The radio data and their relation with the X-ray ones will be discussed in a following paper. The source exhibits a moderate flux variability in the UV/X-ray bands, and a limited spectral variability especially in the soft X-ray band. In agreement with past observations, we find the presence of a warm absorber, an iron Kα line with no associated Compton reflection hump, and a variable soft excess well described by a thermal Comptonization component. The data are consistent with a "two-corona" scenario, in which the UV emission and soft excess are produced by a warm (kT ≃ 0.6 keV), optically thick (τ ≃ 20) corona consistent with being a slab fully covering a nearly passive accretion disc, while the hard X-ray emission is due to a hot corona intercepting roughly 10% of the soft emission. These results are remarkably similar to those generally found in radio-quiet Seyferts, thus suggesting a common accretion mechanism.

Nustar Reveals the Extreme Properties of the Super-Eddington Accreting Supermassive Black Hole in PG 1247+267

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lanzuisi, G.; Perna, M.; Comastri, A.; Cappi, M.; Dadina, M.; Marinucci, A.; Masini, A.; Matt, G.; Vagnetti, F.; Vignali, C.;

Multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509. XIII. Testing ionized-reflection models on Mrk 509

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boissay, R.; Paltani, S.; Ponti, G.; Bianchi, S.; Cappi, M.; Kaastra, J. S.; Petrucci, P.-O.; Arav, N.; Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Costantini, E.; Ebrero, J.; Kriss, G. A.; Mehdipour, M.; Pinto, C.; Steenbrugge, K. C.

2014-07-01

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are the most luminous persistent objects in the universe. The X-ray domain is particularly important because the X-ray flux represents a significant fraction of the bolometric emission from such objects and probes the innermost regions of accretion disks, where most of this power is generated. An excess of X-ray emission below ~2 keV, called soft-excess, is very common in Type 1 AGN spectra. The origin of this feature remains debated. Originally modeled with a blackbody, there are now several possibilities to model the soft-excess, including warm Comptonization and blurred ionized reflection. In this paper, we test ionized-reflection models on Mrk 509, a bright Seyfert 1 galaxy for which we have a unique data set, in order to determine whether it can be responsible for the strong soft-excess. We use ten simultaneous XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL observations performed every four days. We present here the results of the spectral analysis, the evolution of the parameters, and the variability properties of the X-ray emission. The application of blurred ionized-reflection models leads to a very strong reflection and an extreme geometry, but fails to reproduce the broad-band spectrum of Mrk 509. Two different scenarios for blurred ionized reflection are discussed: stable geometry and lamp-post configuration. In both cases we find that the model parameters do not follow the expected relations, indicating that the model is fine-tuned to fit the data without physical justification. A large, slow variation in the soft-excess without a counterpart in the hard X-rays could be explained by a change in ionization of the reflector. However, such a change does not naturally follow from the assumed geometrical configuration. Warm Comptonization remains the most probable origin of the soft-excess in this object. Nevertheless, it is possible that both ionized reflection and warm Comptonization mechanisms can explain the soft-excess in all objects, one dominating the other one, depending on the physical conditions of the disk and the corona.

Properties of AGN coronae in the NuSTAR era - II. Hybrid plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fabian, A. C.; Lohfink, A.; Belmont, R.; Malzac, J.; Coppi, P.

2017-05-01

The corona, a hot cloud of electrons close to the centre of the accretion disc, produces the hard X-ray power-law continuum commonly seen in luminous active galactic nuclei. The continuum has a high-energy turnover, typically in the range of one to several 100 keV and is suggestive of Comptonization by thermal electrons. We are studying hard X-ray spectra of AGN obtained with NuSTAR after correction for X-ray reflection and under the assumption that coronae are compact, being only a few gravitational radii in size as indicated by reflection and reverberation modelling. Compact coronae raise the possibility that the temperature is limited and indeed controlled by electron-positron pair production, as explored earlier (Paper I). Here, we examine hybrid plasmas in which a mixture of thermal and non-thermal particles is present. Pair production from the non-thermal component reduces the temperature leading to a wider temperature range more consistent with observations.

Polarization Transfer in Proton Compton Scattering at High Momentum Transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, D. J.; Mamyan, V. H.; Aniol, K. A.; Annand, J. R.; Bertin, P. Y.; Bimbot, L.; Bosted, P.; Calarco, J. R.; Camsonne, A.; Chang, G. C.; Chang, T.-H.; Chen, J.-P.; Choi, Seonho; Chudakov, E.; Danagoulian, A.; Degtyarenko, P.; de Jager, C. W.; Deur, A.; Dutta, D.; Egiyan, K.; Gao, H.; Garibaldi, F.; Gayou, O.; Gilman, R.; Glamazdin, A.; Glashausser, C.; Gomez, J.; Hansen, J.-O.; Hayes, D.; Higinbotham, D.; Hinton, W.; Horn, T.; Howell, C.; Hunyady, T.; Hyde-Wright, C. E.; Jiang, X.; Jones, M. K.; Khandaker, M.; Ketikyan, A.; Kubarovsky, V.; Kramer, K.; Kumbartzki, G.; Laveissière, G.; Lerose, J.; Lindgren, R. A.; Margaziotis, D. J.; Markowitz, P.; McCormick, K.; Meziani, Z.-E.; Michaels, R.; Moussiegt, P.; Nanda, S.; Nathan, A. M.; Nikolenko, D. M.; Nelyubin, V.; Norum, B. E.; Paschke, K.; Pentchev, L.; Perdrisat, C. F.; Piasetzky, E.; Pomatsalyuk, R.; Punjabi, V. A.; Rachek, I.; Radyushkin, A.; Reitz, B.; Roche, R.; Roedelbronn, M.; Ron, G.; Sabatie, F.; Saha, A.; Savvinov, N.; Shahinyan, A.; Shestakov, Y.; Širca, S.; Slifer, K.; Solvignon, P.; Stoler, P.; Tajima, S.; Sulkosky, V.; Todor, L.; Vlahovic, B.; Weinstein, L. B.; Wang, K.; Wojtsekhowski, B.; Voskanyan, H.; Xiang, H.; Zheng, X.; Zhu, L.

2005-06-01

Compton scattering from the proton was investigated at s=6.9 GeV2 and t=-4.0 GeV2 via polarization transfer from circularly polarized incident photons. The longitudinal and transverse components of the recoil proton polarization were measured. The results are in disagreement with a prediction of perturbative QCD based on a two-gluon exchange mechanism, but agree well with a prediction based on a reaction mechanism in which the photon interacts with a single quark carrying the spin of the proton.

X-ray Obscured AGN in the GOODS-N

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgantopoulos, I.; Akylas, A.; Rovilos, E.; Xilouris, E.

2010-07-01

We explore the X-ray properties of the Dust Obscured Galaxies (DOGs) i.e. sources with f24μ / fR > 1000. This population has been proposed to contain a significant fraction of Compton-thick sources at high redshift. In particular we study the X-ray spectra of the 14 DOGS detected in the CDFN 2Ms exposure. Their stacked spectrum is flat with Γ=1±0.1 very similar to the stacked spectrum of the undetected DOGs (Γ=0.8±0.2). However, most of our X-ray detected DOGs present only moderate absorption with column densities 1022 < NH < 1024 cm-2. Only three sources (20%) present very flat spectra and are probably associated with reflection dominated Compton-thick sources. Our finding is rather at odds with papers which claim that the vast majority of DOGs are associated with Compton-thick sources. In any case, such sources at high redshift (z > 2) present limited interest for the X-ray background: the population synthesis models predict a contribution, for the z > 2 Compton-thick AGN, to the X-ray background flux at 30 keV, of less than 1 percent.

Occurrence and Magnitude of High Reflectance Materials on the Moon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nuno, R. G.; Boyd, A. K.; Robinson, M. S.

2013-12-01

We utilize a Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Wide Angle Camera (WAC) 643 nm photometrically normalized (30°, 0°, 30°; i, e, g) reflectance map to investigate the occurrence and origin of high reflectance materials on the Moon. Compositional differences (mainly iron and titanium content) and maturity state (e.g. Copernican crater rays and swirls) are the predominant factors affecting reflectance variations observed on the Moon. Therefore, comparing reflectance values of different regions yields insight into the composition and relative exposure age of lunar materials. But an accurate comparison requires precise reflectance values normalized across every region being investigated. The WAC [1] obtains monthly near-global ground coverage, each month's observations acquired with different lighting conditions. Boyd et al. [2] utilized a geologically homogeneous subset [0°N to 90°N, 146°E to 148°E] of the WAC observations to determine an equation that describes how viewing and lighting angles affect reflectance values. A normalized global reflectance map was generated by applying the local empirical solution globally, with photometric angles derived from the WAC Global Lunar Digital Terrain Model (DTM)(GLD100) [3]. The GLD100 enables accurate correction of reflectance differences caused by local topographic undulations at the scale of 300 meters. We compare reflectance values across the Moon within 80°S to 80°N latitude. The features with the highest reflectance are steep crater walls within Copernican aged craters, such as the walls of Giordano Bruno, which have normalized reflectance values up to 0.35. Near-impact ejecta of some craters have high reflectance values, such as Virtanen (0.22). There are also broad relatively flat features with high reflectance, such as the 900-km Thales-Compton region (0.24) and the 600-km extent of Anaxagoras (Copernican age) ejecta (0.20). Since the interior of Anaxagoras contains occurrences of pure anorthosite [4], the high reflectance of its ray system may be due to both composition and maturity. Some relatively small isolated features exhibit high reflectance, such as the Compton-Belkovich Volcanic Complex (0.24) and rilles in the floor of Compton crater (0.27). Features associated with pure anorthosite [4] are also found to have high reflectance values, such as occurrences in Mare Orientale (0.22). Since the photometric normalization accounted for topography up to the 300-m horizontal spatial scale, uncertainties remain for steep crater walls. We are currently reducing these uncertainties for selected craters with high resolution (15 meter baseline) stereo-based NAC DTMs. References: [1] Robinson et al. (2010), Space Sci. Rev. [2] Boyd et al. (2013) AGU, this conference. [3] Scholten et al. (2012) JGR. [4] Ohtake et al. (2009) Nature.

Spectral State Evolution of 4U 1820-30: the Stability of the Spectral Index of Comptonization Tail

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Titarchuk, Lev G.; Seifina, Elena; Frontera, Filippo

2013-01-01

We analyze the X-ray spectra and their timing properties of the compact Xray binary 4U 1820-30. We establish spectral transitions in this source seen with BeppoSAX and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). During the RXTE observations (1996 - 2009), the source were approximately approximately 75% of its time in the soft state making the lower banana and upper banana transitions combined with long-term low-high state transitions. We reveal that all of the X-ray spectra of 4U 1820-30 are fit by a composition of a thermal (blackbody) component, a Comptonization component (COMPTB) and a Gaussian-line component. Thus using this spectral analysis we find that the photon power-law index Gamma of the Comptonization component is almost unchangeable (Gamma approximately 2) while the electron temperature kTe changes from 2.9 to 21 keV during these spectral events. We also establish that for these spectral events the normalization of COMPTB component (which is proportional to mass accretion rate ?M) increases by factor 8 when kTe decreases from 21 keV to 2.9 keV. Before this index stability effect was also found analyzing X-ray data for Z-source GX 340+0 and for atolls, 4U 1728-34, GX 3+1. Thus, we can suggest that this spectral stability property is a spectral signature of an accreting neutron star source. On the other hand in a black hole binary G monotonically increases with ?Mand ultimately its value saturates at large ?M.

Compton scattering of self-absorbed synchrotron emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, He; Lei, Wei-Hua; Wu, Xue-Feng; Zhang, Bing

2013-11-01

Synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) scattering is an important emission mechanism in many astronomical sources, such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and active galactic nuclei. We give a complete presentation of the analytical approximations for the Compton scattering of synchrotron emission with both weak and strong synchrotron self-absorption. All possible orders of the characteristic synchrotron spectral breaks (νa, νm and νc) are studied. In the weak self-absorption regime, i.e. νa < νc, the electron energy distribution is not modified by the self-absorption process. The shape of the SSC component broadly resembles that of synchrotron, but with the following features: The SSC flux increases linearly with frequency up to the SSC break frequency corresponding to the self-absorption frequency νa; and the presence of a logarithmic term in the high-frequency range of the SSC spectra makes it harder than the power-law approximation. In the strong absorption regime, i.e. νa > νc, heating of low-energy electrons due to synchrotron absorption leads to pile-up of electrons, and form a thermal component besides the broken power-law component. This leads to two-component (thermal + non-thermal) spectra for both the synchrotron and SSC spectral components. For νc < νa < νm, the spectrum is thermal (non-thermal) dominated if ν _a > √{ν _m ν _c} (ν _a < √{ν _m ν _c}). Similar to the weak-absorption regime, the SSC spectral component is broader than the simple broken power-law approximation. We derive the critical condition for strong absorption (electron pile-up), and discuss a case of GRB reverse shock emission in a wind medium, which invokes νa > max(νm, νc).

RXTE observations of AGN

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rothschild, R. E.; Heindl, W. A.; Blanco, P. R.; Gruber, D. E.; Marsden, D. C.; Pelling, M. R.; Jahoda, K.; Madejski, G.; Swank, J. H.; Zdziarski, A. A.;

NuSTAR AND SWIFT OBSERVATIONS OF THE BLACK HOLE CANDIDATE XTE J1908+094 DURING ITS 2013 OUTBURST

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tao, Lian; Walton, Dominic J.; Fürst, Felix

2015-09-20

The black hole (BH) candidate XTE J1908+094 went into outburst for the first time since 2003 in 2013 October. We report on an observation with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) and monitoring observations with Swift during the outburst. NuSTAR caught the source in the soft state: the spectra show a broad relativistic iron line, and the light curves reveal a ∼40 ks flare, with the count rate peaking about 40% above the non-flare level and with significant spectral variation. A model combining a multi-temperature thermal component, a power law, and a reflection component with an iron line provides amore » good description of the NuSTAR spectrum. Although relativistic broadening of the iron line is observed, it is not possible to constrain the BH spin with these data. The variability of the power-law component, which can also be modeled as a Comptonization component, is responsible for the flux and spectral change during the flare, suggesting that changes in the corona (or possibly continued jet activity) are the likely cause of the flare.« less

Compact tunable Compton x-ray source from laser-plasma accelerator and plasma mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Hai-En; Wang, Xiaoming; Shaw, Joseph M.; Li, Zhengyan; Arefiev, Alexey V.; Zhang, Xi; Zgadzaj, Rafal; Henderson, Watson; Khudik, V.; Shvets, G.; Downer, M. C.

2015-02-01

We present an in-depth experimental-computational study of the parameters necessary to optimize a tunable, quasi-monoenergetic, efficient, low-background Compton backscattering (CBS) x-ray source that is based on the self-aligned combination of a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) and a plasma mirror (PM). The main findings are (1) an LPA driven in the blowout regime by 30 TW, 30 fs laser pulses produce not only a high-quality, tunable, quasi-monoenergetic electron beam, but also a high-quality, relativistically intense (a0 ˜ 1) spent drive pulse that remains stable in profile and intensity over the LPA tuning range. (2) A thin plastic film near the gas jet exit retro-reflects the spent drive pulse efficiently into oncoming electrons to produce CBS x-rays without detectable bremsstrahlung background. Meanwhile, anomalous far-field divergence of the retro-reflected light demonstrates relativistic "denting" of the PM. Exploiting these optimized LPA and PM conditions, we demonstrate quasi-monoenergetic (50% FWHM energy spread), tunable (75-200 KeV) CBS x-rays, characteristics previously achieved only on more powerful laser systems by CBS of a split-off, counter-propagating pulse. Moreover, laser-to-x-ray photon conversion efficiency (˜6 × 10-12) exceeds that of any previous LPA-based quasi-monoenergetic Compton source. Particle-in-cell simulations agree well with the measurements.

PCA/HEXTE Observations of Coma and A2319

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rephaeli, Yoel

1998-01-01

The Coma cluster was observed in 1996 for 90 ks by the PCA and HEXTE instruments aboard the RXTE satellite, the first simultaneous, pointing measurement of Coma in the broad, 2-250 keV, energy band. The high sensitivity achieved during this long observation allows precise determination of the spectrum. Our analysis of the measurements clearly indicates that in addition to the main thermal emission from hot intracluster gas at kT=7.5 keV, a second spectral component is required to best-fit the data. If thermal, it can be described with a temperature of 4.7 keV contributing about 20% of the total flux. The additional spectral component can also be described by a power-law, possibly due to Compton scattering of relativistic electrons by the CMB. This interpretation is based on the diffuse radio synchrotron emission, which has a spectral index of 2.34, within the range allowed by fits to the RXTE spectral data. A Compton origin of the measured nonthermal component would imply that the volume-averaged magnetic field in the central region of Coma is B =0.2 micro-Gauss, a value deduced directly from the radio and X-ray measurements (and thus free of the usual assumption of energy equipartition). Barring the presence of unknown systematic errors in the RXTE source or background measurements, our spectral analysis yields considerable evidence for Compton X-ray emission in the Coma cluster.

The High Energy Spectrum of NGC 4151

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beckmann, V.; Gehrels, N.; Shrader, C.; Soldi, S.; Lubinski, P.; Zdziarski, A. A.; Petrucci, P.-O.; Malzac, J.

2005-01-01

We present first INTEGRAL observations of the type 1.5 Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151. Combining several INTEGRAL observations performed during 2003, totaling approximately 400 ksec of exposure time, allow us to study the spectrum in the 3 - 300 keV range. The measurements presented here reveal an overall spectrum from X-rays up to the soft gamma-rays that can be described by an absorbed (N(sub H) approximately equal to 5 x 10(exp 22) per square centimeter) and non-variable thermal component, plus a Fe Kalpha line, and an exponential cutoff occurs at 110 keV, consistent with earlier claims. The Galactic hydrogen column density in the line of sight is N(sub H), Gal approximately equal to 2.1 x 10 (exp 20) per square centimeter. The time resolved analysis shows little variation of the spectral parameters. The comparison with CGRO/OSSE data shows that the same spectral model can be applied over a time span of 15 years, while the flux varied by a factor of 2. Applying a Compton reflection component improves the model fit to the INTEGRAL data. Nonetheless the data available to date cannot significantly confirm or exclude the existence of reflection, nor is a high iron overabundance in the absorber, as had been previously suggested, clearly detectable.

Development of a Compton camera for medical applications based on silicon strip and scintillation detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krimmer, J.; Ley, J.-L.; Abellan, C.; Cachemiche, J.-P.; Caponetto, L.; Chen, X.; Dahoumane, M.; Dauvergne, D.; Freud, N.; Joly, B.; Lambert, D.; Lestand, L.; Létang, J. M.; Magne, M.; Mathez, H.; Maxim, V.; Montarou, G.; Morel, C.; Pinto, M.; Ray, C.; Reithinger, V.; Testa, E.; Zoccarato, Y.

2015-07-01

A Compton camera is being developed for the purpose of ion-range monitoring during hadrontherapy via the detection of prompt-gamma rays. The system consists of a scintillating fiber beam tagging hodoscope, a stack of double sided silicon strip detectors (90×90×2 mm3, 2×64 strips) as scatter detectors, as well as bismuth germanate (BGO) scintillation detectors (38×35×30 mm3, 100 blocks) as absorbers. The individual components will be described, together with the status of their characterization.

Polarization Transfer in Proton Compton Scattering at High Momentum Transfer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

D.J. Hamilton; Vahe Mamyan

2004-10-01

Compton scattering from the proton was investigated at s = 6.9 GeV{sup 2} and t = -4.0 TeV{sup 2} via polarization transfer from circularly polarized incident photons. The longitudinal and transverse components of the recoil proton polarization were measured. The results are in excellent agreement with a prediction based on a reaction mechanism in which the photon interacts with a single quark carrying the spin of the proton and in disagreement with a prediction of pQCD based on a two-gluon exchange mechanism.

Monte Carlo simulations of thermal comptonization process in a two-component advective flow around a neutron star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharjee, Ayan; Chakrabarti, Sandip K.

2017-12-01

We explore spectral properties of a two-component advective flow around a neutron star. We compute the effects of thermal Comptonization of soft photons emitted from a Keplerian disc and the boundary layer of the neutron star by the post-shock region of a sub-Keplerian flow, formed due to the centrifugal barrier. The shock location Xs is also the inner edge of the Keplerian disc. We compute a series of realistic spectra assuming a set of electron temperatures of the post-shock region TCE, the temperature of the Normal BOundary Layer (NBOL) TNS of the neutron star and the shock location Xs. These parameters depend on the disc and halo accretion rates (\\dot{m}d and \\dot{m}h, respectively) that control the resultant spectra. We find that the spectrum becomes harder when \\dot{m}_h is increased. The spectrum is controlled strongly by TNS due to its proximity to the Comptonizing cloud since photons emitted from the NBOL cool down the post-shock region very effectively. We also show the evidence of spectral hardening as the inclination angle of the disc is increased.

Relativistic MHD Turbulence with Synchrotron and Inverse-Compton Radiation Cooling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uzdensky, Dmitri

2017-10-01

This work investigates the energetic aspects and observational appearance of driven relativistic MHD turbulence in an optically thin, relativistically hot plasma subject to strong synchrotron and synchrotron-self-Compton (SSC) radiative cooling. Steady-state balance between turbulent heating and radiative cooling is shown to lead, essentially independent of turbulent driving's strength, to a characteristic electron temperature of Te /mec2 τT- 1 / 2 , where τT << 1 is the system's Thomson optical depth. Furthermore, the SSC cooling power becomes automatically comparable to the synchrotron power. Under certain conditions, a few higher-order inverse-Compton components also become comparable to the synchrotron and SSC losses, and so the broad-band radiation spectrum of the system consists of several distinct peaks with gradually decreasing luminosity, separated by a factor of τT- 1 >> 1 from each other. The number of these spectral components is governed by synchrotron self-absorption and Klein-Nishina effects. These findings have important implications for several classes of high-energy astrophysical systems including pulsar wind nebulae and black-hole-driven accretion flows, jets, and radio-lobes. Work supported by NSF, DOE, NASA, IAS, and the Ambrose Monell Foundation.

Revisiting the Short-term X-ray Spectral Variability of NGC 4151 with Chandra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Junfeng; Risaliti, G.; Fabbiano, G.; Elvis, M.; Zezas, A.; Karovska, M.

2010-05-01

We present new X-ray spectral data for the Seyfert 1 nucleus in NGC 4151 observed with Chandra for ~200 ks. A significant ACIS pileup is present, resulting in a nonlinear count rate variation during the observation. With pileup corrected spectral fitting, we are able to recover the spectral parameters and find consistency with those derived from unpiled events in the ACIS readout streak and outer region from the bright nucleus. The absorption corrected 2-10 keV flux of the nucleus varied between 6 × 10-11 erg s-1 cm-2 and 10-10 erg s-1 cm-2 (L 2-10 keV ~ 1.3-2.1 × 1042 erg s-1). Similar to earlier Chandra studies of NGC 4151 at a historical low state, the photon indices derived from the same absorbed power-law model are Γ ~ 0.7-0.9. However, we show that Γ is highly dependent on the adopted spectral models. Fitting the power-law continuum with a Compton reflection component gives Γ ~ 1.1. By including passage of non-uniform X-ray obscuring clouds, we can reproduce the apparent flat spectral states with Γ ~ 1.7, typical for Seyfert 1 active galactic nuclei. The same model also fits the hard spectra from previous ASCA "long look" observation of NGC 4151 in the lowest flux state. The spectral variability during our observation can be interpreted as variations in intrinsic soft continuum flux relative to a Compton reflection component that is from distant cold material and constant on short timescale, or variations of partially covering absorber in the line of sight toward the nucleus. An ionized absorber model with ionization parameter log ξ ~ 0.8-1.1 can also fit the low-resolution ACIS spectra. If the partial covering model is correct, adopting a black hole mass M_{BH}˜ 4.6× 10^7 M sun we constrain the distance of the obscuring cloud from the central black hole to be r <~ 9 lt-day, consistent with the size of the broad emission line region of NGC 4151 from optical reverberation mapping.

SPECTRAL STATE EVOLUTION OF 4U 1820-30: THE STABILITY OF THE SPECTRAL INDEX OF THE COMPTONIZATION TAIL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Titarchuk, Lev; Frontera, Filippo; Seifina, Elena, E-mail: titarchuk@fe.infn.it, E-mail: lev@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov, E-mail: frontera@fe.infn.it, E-mail: seif@sai.msu.ru

We analyze the X-ray spectra and their timing properties of the compact X-ray binary 4U 1820-30. We establish spectral transitions in this source seen with BeppoSAX and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). During the RXTE observations (1996-2009), the source was in the soft state approximately {approx}75% of the time making the lower banana and upper banana transitions combined with long-term low-high state transitions. We reveal that all of the X-ray spectra of 4U 1820-30 are fit by a combination of a thermal (Blackbody) component, a Comptonization component (COMPTB), and a Gaussian-line component. Thus, using this spectral analysis, we findmore » that the photon power-law index {Gamma} of the Comptonization component is almost unchangeable ({Gamma} {approx} 2), while the electron temperature kT{sub e} changes from 2.9 to 21 keV during these spectral events. We also establish that for these spectral events the normalization of the COMPTB component (which is proportional to the mass accretion rate M-dot ) increases by a factor of eight when kT{sub e} decreases from 21 keV to 2.9 keV. Previously, this index stability effect was also found analyzing X-ray data for the Z-source GX 340+0 and for the atolls 4U 1728-34 and GX 3+1. Thus, we can suggest that this spectral stability property is a spectral signature of an accreting neutron star source. On the other hand, in a black hole binary {Gamma} monotonically increases with M-dot and ultimately its value saturates at large M-dot .« less

The XMM-Newton Iron Line Profile of NGC 3783

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reeves, J. N.; Nandra, K.; George, I. M.; Pounds, K. A.; Turner, T. J.; Yaqoob, T.

2003-01-01

We report on observations of the iron K line in the nearby Seyfert 1 galaxy, NGC 3783, obtained in a long, 2 orbit (approx. 240 ks) XMM-Newton observation. The line profile obtained exhibits two strong narrow peaks at 6.4 keV and at 7.0 keV, with measured line equivalent widths of 120 and 35 eV respectively. The 6.4 keV emission is the K(alpha) line from near neutral Fe, whilst the 7.0 keV feature probably originates from a blend of the neutral Fe K(beta) line and the Hydrogen-like line of Fe at 6.97 keV. The relatively narrow velocity width of the K(alpha) line (approx. less than 5000 km/s), its lack of response to the continuum emission on short timescales and the detection of a neutral Compton reflection component are all consistent with a distant origin in Compton-thick matter such as the putative molecular torus. A strong absorption line from highly ionized iron (at 6.67 keV) is detected in the time-averaged iron line profile, whilst the depth of the feature appears to vary with time, being strongest when the continuum flux is higher. The iron absorption line probably arises from the highest ionization component of the known warm absorber in NGC 3783, with an ionization of log xi approx 3 and column density of N(sub H) approx. 5 x 10(exp 22)/sq cm and may originate from within 0.1 pc of the nucleus. A weak red-wing to the iron K line profile is also detected below 6.4 keV. However when the effect of the highly ionized warm absorber on the underlying continuum is taken into account, the requirement for a relativistic iron line component from the inner disk is reduced.

NICER Detection of Strong Photospheric Expansion during a Thermonuclear X-Ray Burst from 4U 1820–30

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keek, L.; Arzoumanian, Z.; Chakrabarty, D.; Chenevez, J.; Gendreau, K. C.; Guillot, S.; Güver, T.; Homan, J.; Jaisawal, G. K.; LaMarr, B.; Lamb, F. K.; Mahmoodifar, S.; Markwardt, C. B.; Okajima, T.; Strohmayer, T. E.; in ’t Zand, J. J. M.

2018-04-01

The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) on the International Space Station (ISS) observed strong photospheric expansion of the neutron star in 4U 1820–30 during a Type I X-ray burst. A thermonuclear helium flash in the star’s envelope powered a burst that reached the Eddington limit. Radiation pressure pushed the photosphere out to ∼200 km, while the blackbody temperature dropped to 0.45 keV. Previous observations of similar bursts were performed with instruments that are sensitive only above 3 keV, and the burst signal was weak at low temperatures. NICER's 0.2–12 keV passband enables the first complete detailed observation of strong expansion bursts. The strong expansion lasted only 0.6 s, and was followed by moderate expansion with a 20 km apparent radius, before the photosphere finally settled back down at 3 s after the burst onset. In addition to thermal emission from the neutron star, the NICER spectra reveal a second component that is well fit by optically thick Comptonization. During the strong expansion, this component is six times brighter than prior to the burst, and it accounts for 71% of the flux. In the moderate expansion phase, the Comptonization flux drops, while the thermal component brightens, and the total flux remains constant at the Eddington limit. We speculate that the thermal emission is reprocessed in the accretion environment to form the Comptonization component, and that changes in the covering fraction of the star explain the evolution of the relative contributions to the total flux.

External inverse-Compton emission from jetted tidal disruption events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Wenbin; Kumar, Pawan

2016-05-01

The recent discoveries of Sw J1644+57 and Sw J2058+05 show that tidal disruption events (TDEs) can launch relativistic jets. Super-Eddington accretion produces a strong radiation field of order Eddington luminosity. In a jetted TDE, electrons in the jet will inverse-Compton scatter the photons from the accretion disc and wind (external radiation field). Motivated by observations of thermal optical-UV spectra in Sw J2058+05 and several other TDEs, we assume the spectrum of the external radiation field intercepted by the relativistic jet to be blackbody. Hot electrons in the jet scatter this thermal radiation and produce luminosities 1045-1048 erg s- 1 in the X/γ-ray band. This model of thermal plus inverse-Compton radiation is applied to Sw J2058+05. First, we show that the blackbody component in the optical-UV spectrum most likely has its origin in the super-Eddington wind from the disc. Then, using the observed blackbody component as the external radiation field, we show that the X-ray luminosity and spectrum are consistent with the inverse-Compton emission, under the following conditions: (1) the jet Lorentz factor is Γ ≃ 5-10; (2) electrons in the jet have a power-law distribution dN_e/dγ _e ∝ γ _e^{-p} with γmin ˜ 1 and p = 2.4; (3) the wind is mildly relativistic (Lorentz factor ≳ 1.5) and has isotropic-equivalent mass-loss rate ˜ 5 M⊙ yr- 1. We describe the implications for jet composition and the radius where jet energy is converted to radiation.

EMITTING ELECTRONS AND SOURCE ACTIVITY IN MARKARIAN 501

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mankuzhiyil, Nijil; Ansoldi, Stefano; Persic, Massimo

2012-07-10

We study the variation of the broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) of the BL Lac object Mrk 501 as a function of source activity, from quiescent to flaring. Through {chi}{sup 2}-minimization we model eight simultaneous SED data sets with a one-zone synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model, and examine how model parameters vary with source activity. The emerging variability pattern of Mrk 501 is complex, with the Compton component arising from {gamma}-e scatterings that sometimes are (mostly) Thomson and sometimes (mostly) extreme Klein-Nishina. This can be seen from the variation of the Compton to synchrotron peak distance according to source state. Themore » underlying electron spectra are faint/soft in quiescent states and bright/hard in flaring states. A comparison with Mrk 421 suggests that the typical values of the SSC parameters are different in the two sources: however, in both jets the energy density is particle-dominated in all states.« less

Evaluation of Position Resolution for a Prototype Whole-Body PET Detector Based on Suppressing Backgrounds by Compton Scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujihara, Kento; Emoto, Yusaku; Ito, Hiroshi; Kaneko, Naomi; Kaneko, Hideyuki; Kawai, Hideyuki; Kobayashi, Atsushi; Mizuno, Takahiro

2018-01-01

Existing PET (Positron Emission Tomography) systems make clear images in demonstration (measuring small PET reagent in pure water), however images in real diagnosis become unclear. The authors suspected that this problem was caused by Compton scattering in a detector. When PET systems observe plural photomultiplier tube outputs, an original emission point is regarded as centroid of the outputs. However, even if plural emission in Compton scattering occur, these systems calculate original point in the same way as single emission. Therefore, the authors considered that rejecting Compton scattering events makes PET systems much better, and made prototype counter. Main components of the prototype counter are plate-like high-growth-rate (HGR) La-GPS scintillators and wavelength shifting fibers (WLSF). HGR crystals grow 10 times as fast as a mono-crystal (a normal mono-crystal grows at 2 - 3 mm an hour). Thus, it includes microbubble and its transparency get worth. Consequently, HGR crystals usually are not used in radiation measuring instruments. However, this time they are used on the purpose. Because of their low transparency, scintillation lights come out right above and right under of emission position. Therefore, Compton scattering events is rejected easily. The prototype detector has an effective area of 300 by 300 square mm. The detector consists of 24 layers. One layer consists of HGR La-GPS scintillator of 1 mm thickness. Top and bottom surface of scintillator were covered by dual sheets of WLSF with a diameter of 0.2 mm. Sheets of WLSF on top and bottom of the scintillator make a right angle with each other, and measure X- and Y-components. Z-component is measured by difference of WLSF outputs between top and bottom. If plural layers output signals, this counter regards the event as Compton scattering event, and reject the event. Even if only a layer output signals, the event is rejected when number output signals from WLSF is more than 1.5 times of single emission. Material cost of this system is, 0.2M for HGR La-GPS, 0.03M for WLSF, 0.03M for 600 units of 6 by 6 mm SiPM's, 0.12M for 12000 units of 1 by 1 mm SiPM's, and 0.09M for 1800 channel of signal readout circuits. Considering total cost, price of this PET will be set 1M or less. This idea was confirmed with numerical simulation and experimentation. In experimentation, position resolution in photoelectric absorption was 0.2 mm, and minimum distance that this detector could recognize plural emission in Compton scattering was 1 mm. In parallel, three kinds of model were made: a prototype detector, all the signals readout method, and resistance delay method. Simulation setting was 2 MBq/L in normal tissue and 10 MBq/L in cancer. As a result of simulation, a prototype detector identified 3 mm cancer, however the others made unclear image and was not able to identified cancer. That is to say, the prototype detector is able to reject Compton scattering events and inexpensive. Therefore, whole-body PET system with this detector must diagnose cancer with a diameter of 3 mm or more and be priced 1M or less

NuSTARUnveils a Compton-Thick Type 2 Quasar in MrK 34

DOE PAGES

Gandhi, P.; Lansbury, G. B.; Alexander, D. M.; ...

2014-08-22

We present Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array ( NuSTAR) 3-40 keV observations of the optically selected Type 2 quasar (QSO2) SDSS J1034+6001 or Mrk 34. The high-quality hard X-ray spectrum and archival XMM- Newton data can be fitted self-consistently with a reflection-dominated continuum and a strong Fe Kα fluorescence line with equivalent width >1 keV. Prior X-ray spectral fitting below 10 keV showed the source to be consistent with being obscured by Compton-thin column densities of gas along the line of sight, despite evidence for much higher columns from multiwavelength data. NuSTAR now enables a direct measurement of this column andmore » shows that N H lies in the Compton-thick (CT) regime. The new data also show a high intrinsic 2-10 keV luminosity of L 2-10 ~ 10 44 erg s –1, in contrast to previous low-energy X-ray measurements where L 2-10 ≲ 10 43 erg s –1 (i.e., X-ray selection below 10 keV does not pick up this source as an intrinsically luminous obscured quasar). Both the obscuring column and the intrinsic power are about an order of magnitude (or more) larger than inferred from pre- NuSTAR X-ray spectral fitting. Mrk 34 is thus a "gold standard" CT QSO2 and is the nearest non-merging system in this class, in contrast to the other local CT quasar NGC 6240, which is currently undergoing a major merger coupled with strong star formation. For typical X-ray bolometric correction factors, the accretion luminosity of Mrk 34 is high enough to potentially power the total infrared luminosity. In conclusion, X-ray spectral fitting also shows that thermal emission related to star formation is unlikely to drive the observed bright soft component below ~3 keV, favoring photoionization instead.« less

Time Projection Compton Spectrometer (TPCS). User`s guide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Landron, C.O.; Baldwin, G.T.

1994-04-01

The Time Projection Compton Spectrometer (TPCS) is a radiation diagnostic designed to determine the time-integrated energy spectrum between 100 keV -- 2 MeV of flash x-ray sources. This guide is intended as a reference for the routine operator of the TPCS. Contents include a brief overview of the principle of operation, detailed component descriptions, detailed assembly and disassembly procedures, guide to routine operations, and troubleshooting flowcharts. Detailed principle of operation, signal analysis and spectrum unfold algorithms are beyond the scope of this guide; however, the guide makes reference to sources containing this information.

NuSTAR reveals the Comptonizing corona of the broad-line radio galaxy 3C 382

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ballantyne, D. R.; Bollenbacher, J. M.; Brenneman, L. W.

Broad-line radio galaxies (BLRGs) are active galactic nuclei that produce powerful, large-scale radio jets, but appear as Seyfert 1 galaxies in their optical spectra. In the X-ray band, BLRGs also appear like Seyfert galaxies, but with flatter spectra and weaker reflection features. One explanation for these properties is that the X-ray continuum is diluted by emission from the jet. Here, we present two NuSTAR observations of the BLRG 3C 382 that show clear evidence that the continuum of this source is dominated by thermal Comptonization, as in Seyfert 1 galaxies. The two observations were separated by over a year andmore » found 3C 382 in different states separated by a factor of 1.7 in flux. The lower flux spectrum has a photon-index of Γ=1.68{sub −0.02}{sup +0.03}, while the photon-index of the higher flux spectrum is Γ=1.78{sub −0.03}{sup +0.02}. Thermal and anisotropic Comptonization models provide an excellent fit to both spectra and show that the coronal plasma cooled from kT{sub e} = 330 ± 30 keV in the low flux data to 231{sub −88}{sup +50} keV in the high flux observation. This cooling behavior is typical of Comptonizing corona in Seyfert galaxies and is distinct from the variations observed in jet-dominated sources. In the high flux observation, simultaneous Swift data are leveraged to obtain a broadband spectral energy distribution and indicates that the corona intercepts ∼10% of the optical and ultraviolet emitting accretion disk. 3C 382 exhibits very weak reflection features, with no detectable relativistic Fe Kα line, that may be best explained by an outflowing corona combined with an ionized inner accretion disk.« less

Compact tunable Compton x-ray source from laser-plasma accelerator and plasma mirror

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tsai, Hai-En; Wang, Xiaoming; Shaw, Joseph M.

2015-02-15

We present an in-depth experimental-computational study of the parameters necessary to optimize a tunable, quasi-monoenergetic, efficient, low-background Compton backscattering (CBS) x-ray source that is based on the self-aligned combination of a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) and a plasma mirror (PM). The main findings are (1) an LPA driven in the blowout regime by 30 TW, 30 fs laser pulses produce not only a high-quality, tunable, quasi-monoenergetic electron beam, but also a high-quality, relativistically intense (a{sub 0} ∼ 1) spent drive pulse that remains stable in profile and intensity over the LPA tuning range. (2) A thin plastic film near the gas jetmore » exit retro-reflects the spent drive pulse efficiently into oncoming electrons to produce CBS x-rays without detectable bremsstrahlung background. Meanwhile, anomalous far-field divergence of the retro-reflected light demonstrates relativistic “denting” of the PM. Exploiting these optimized LPA and PM conditions, we demonstrate quasi-monoenergetic (50% FWHM energy spread), tunable (75–200 KeV) CBS x-rays, characteristics previously achieved only on more powerful laser systems by CBS of a split-off, counter-propagating pulse. Moreover, laser-to-x-ray photon conversion efficiency (∼6 × 10{sup −12}) exceeds that of any previous LPA-based quasi-monoenergetic Compton source. Particle-in-cell simulations agree well with the measurements.« less

Application of the spine-layer jet radiation model to outbursts in the broad-line radio galaxy 3C 120

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janiak, M.; Sikora, M.; Moderski, R.

2016-05-01

We present a detailed Fermi/LAT data analysis for the broad-line radio galaxy 3C 120. This source has recently entered into a state of increased γ-ray activity which manifested itself in two major flares detected by Fermi/LAT in 2014 September and 2015 April with no significant flux changes reported in other wavelengths. We analyse available data focusing our attention on aforementioned outbursts. We find very fast variability time-scale during flares (of the order of hours) together with a significant γ-ray flux increase. We show that the ˜6.8 yr averaged γ-ray emission of 3C 120 is likely a sum of the external radiation Compton and the synchrotron self-Compton radiative components. To address the problem of violent γ-ray flares and fast variability we model the jet radiation dividing the jet structure into two components: the wide and relatively slow outer layer and the fast, narrow spine. We show that with the addition of the fast spine occasionally bent towards the observer we are able to explain observed spectral energy distribution of 3C 120 during flares with the Compton upscattered broad-line region and dusty torus photons as main γ-rays emission mechanism.

Concept of a small satellite for sub-MeV and MeV all sky survey: the CAST mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Ichinohe, Yuto; Takeda, Shin'ichiro; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Kamae, Tuneyoshi; Kokubun, Motohide; Takashima, Takeshi; Tashiro, Makoto; Tamagawa, Toru; Terada, Yukikatsu; Nomachi, Masaharu; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Makishima, Kazuo; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Mitani, Takefumi; Yoshimitsu, Tetsuo; Watanabe, Shin

2012-09-01

MeV and sub-MeV energy band from ~200 keV to ~2 MeV contains rich information of high-energy phenomena in the universe. The CAST (Compton Telescope for Astro and Solar Terrestrial) mission is planned to be launched at the end of 2010s, and aims at providing all-sky map in this energy-band for the first time. It is made of a semiconductor Compton telescope utilizing Si as a scatterer and CdTe as an absorber. CAST provides allsky sub-MeV polarization map for the first time, as well. The Compton telescope technology is based on the design used in the Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD) onboard ASTRO-H, characterized by its tightly stacked semiconductor layers to obtain high Compton reconstruction efficiency. The CAST mission is currently planned as a candidate for the small scientific satellite series in ISAS/JAXA, weighting about 500 kg in total. Scalable detector design enables us to consider other options as well. Scientific outcome of CAST is wide. It will provide new information from high-energy sources, such as AGN and/or its jets, supernova remnants, magnetors, blackhole and neutron-star binaries and others. Polarization map will tell us about activities of jets and reflections in these sources, as well. In addition, CAST will simultaneously observe the Sun, and depending on its attitude, the Earth.

Development of a Compton camera for prompt-gamma medical imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aldawood, S.; Thirolf, P. G.; Miani, A.; Böhmer, M.; Dedes, G.; Gernhäuser, R.; Lang, C.; Liprandi, S.; Maier, L.; Marinšek, T.; Mayerhofer, M.; Schaart, D. R.; Lozano, I. Valencia; Parodi, K.

2017-11-01

A Compton camera-based detector system for photon detection from nuclear reactions induced by proton (or heavier ion) beams is under development at LMU Munich, targeting the online range verification of the particle beam in hadron therapy via prompt-gamma imaging. The detector is designed to be capable to reconstruct the photon source origin not only from the Compton scattering kinematics of the primary photon, but also to allow for tracking of the secondary Compton-scattered electrons, thus enabling a γ-source reconstruction also from incompletely absorbed photon events. The Compton camera consists of a monolithic LaBr3:Ce scintillation crystal, read out by a multi-anode PMT acting as absorber, preceded by a stacked array of 6 double-sided silicon strip detectors as scatterers. The detector components have been characterized both under offline and online conditions. The LaBr3:Ce crystal exhibits an excellent time and energy resolution. Using intense collimated 137Cs and 60Co sources, the monolithic scintillator was scanned on a fine 2D grid to generate a reference library of light amplitude distributions that allows for reconstructing the photon interaction position using a k-Nearest Neighbour (k-NN) algorithm. Systematic studies were performed to investigate the performance of the reconstruction algorithm, revealing an improvement of the spatial resolution with increasing photon energy to an optimum value of 3.7(1)mm at 1.33 MeV, achieved with the Categorical Average Pattern (CAP) modification of the k-NN algorithm.

Compton scattering measurements from dense plasmas

DOE PAGES

Glenzer, S. H.; Neumayer, P.; Doppner, T.; ...

2008-06-12

Here, Compton scattering techniques have been developed for accurate measurements of densities and temperatures in dense plasmas. One future challenge is the application of this technique to characterize compressed matter on the National Ignition Facility where hydrogen and beryllium will approach extremely dense states of matter of up to 1000 g/cc. In this regime, the density, compressibility, and capsule fuel adiabat may be directly measured from the Compton scattered spectrum of a high-energy x-ray line source. Specifically, the scattered spectra directly reflect the electron velocity distribution. In non-degenerate plasmas, the width provides an accurate measure of the electron temperatures, whilemore » in partially Fermi degenerate systems that occur in laser-compressed matter it provides the Fermi energy and hence the electron density. Both of these regimes have been accessed in experiments at the Omega laser by employing isochorically heated solid-density beryllium and moderately compressed beryllium foil targets. In the latter experiment, compressions by a factor of 3 at pressures of 40 Mbar have been measured in excellent agreement with radiation hydrodynamic modeling.« less

High energy power-law tail in X-ray binaries and bulk Comptonization due to an outflow from a disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Nagendra

2018-02-01

We study the high energy power-law tail emission of X-ray binaries (XRBs) by a bulk Comptonization process which is usually observed in the very high soft (VHS) state of black hole (BH) XRBs and the high soft (HS) state of the neutron star (NS) and BH XRBs. Earlier, to generate the power-law tail in bulk Comptonization framework, a free-fall converging flow into BH or NS had been considered as a bulk region. In this work, for a bulk region we consider mainly an outflow geometry from the accretion disk which is bounded by a torus surrounding the compact object. We have two choices for an outflow geometry: (i) collimated flow and (ii) conical flow of opening angle θ _b and the axis is perpendicular to the disk. We also consider an azimuthal velocity of the torus fluids as a bulk motion where the fluids are rotating around the compact object (a torus flow). We find that the power-law tail can be generated in a torus flow having large optical depth and bulk speed (>0.75 c), and in conical flow with θ _b > ˜ 30° for a low value of Comptonizing medium temperature. Particularly, in conical flow the low opening angle is more favourable to generate the power-law tail in both the HS state and the VHS state. We notice that when the outflow is collimated, then the emergent spectrum does not have power-law component for a low Comptonizing medium temperature.

On the time response of background obtained in γ-ray spectroscopy experiments using LaBr3(Ce) detectors with different shielding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Régis, J.-M.; Dannhoff, M.; Jolie, J.; Müller-Gatermann, C.; Saed-Samii, N.

2016-03-01

Employing the γ-γ fast-timing technique with LaBr3(Ce) scintillator detectors allows the direct determination of lifetimes of nuclear excited states with a lower limit of about 5 ps. This limit is increased as soon as background is present in the coincidence spectra underneath the full-energy peaks of the γ-γ cascade. Our aim was to identify the components of the γ-ray background by systematic γ-γ fast-timing measurements using different types of γ shielding within a large γ-ray spectrometer. The energy dependent physical zero-time response was measured using background-free full-energy peak events from the 152Eu γ-ray source. This is compared with the time response of the (Compton-) background distribution as obtained using the prompt 60Co γ-ray source. The time response of the typical Compton background is about 15 ps faster than the time response of background-free full-energy peak events. Below about 500 keV, a second type of background contributes by the detection of Compton-scattered γ rays generated in the materials of the spectrometer around the detector. Due to the additional time-of-flight of the Compton-scattered γ rays, this low-energy background is largely delayed. Compared with a bare cylindrical 1.5 in . × 1.5 in . LaBr3(Ce) detector, the BGO-shielded detector in the Compton-suppression mode improves the peak-to-total ratio by a factor of 1.66(5), while the Pb-shielded detector only slightly reduces the low-energy background.

Inverse Compton X-ray signature of AGN feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourne, Martin A.; Nayakshin, Sergei

2013-12-01

Bright AGN frequently show ultrafast outflows (UFOs) with outflow velocities vout ˜ 0.1c. These outflows may be the source of AGN feedback on their host galaxies sought by galaxy formation modellers. The exact effect of the outflows on the ambient galaxy gas strongly depends on whether the shocked UFOs cool rapidly or not. This in turn depends on whether the shocked electrons share the same temperature as ions (one-temperature regime, 1T) or decouple (2T), as has been recently suggested. Here we calculate the inverse Compton spectrum emitted by such shocks, finding a broad feature potentially detectable either in mid-to-high energy X-rays (1T case) or only in the soft X-rays (2T). We argue that current observations of AGN do not seem to show evidence for the 1T component. The limits on the 2T emission are far weaker, and in fact it is possible that the observed soft X-ray excess of AGN is partially or fully due to the 2T shock emission. This suggests that UFOs are in the energy-driven regime outside the central few pc, and must pump considerable amounts of not only momentum but also energy into the ambient gas. We encourage X-ray observers to look for the inverse Compton components calculated here in order to constrain AGN feedback models further.

Compton imaging tomography for nondestructive evaluation of large multilayer aircraft components and structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanov, Volodymyr; Grubsky, Victor; Zahiri, Feraidoon

2017-02-01

We present a novel NDT/NDE tool for non-contact, single-sided 3D inspection of aerospace components, based on Compton Imaging Tomography (CIT) technique, which is applicable to large, non-uniform, and/or multilayer structures made of composites or lightweight metals. CIT is based on the registration of Compton-scattered X-rays, and permits the reconstruction of the full 3D (tomographic) image of the inspected objects. Unlike conventional computerized tomography (CT), CIT requires only single-sided access to objects, and therefore can be applied to large structures without their disassembly. The developed tool provides accurate detection, identification, and precise 3D localizations and measurements of any possible internal and surface defects (corrosions, cracks, voids, delaminations, porosity, and inclusions), and also disbonds, core and skin defects, and intrusion of foreign fluids (e.g., fresh and salt water, oil) inside of honeycomb sandwich structures. The NDE capabilities of the system were successfully demonstrated on various aerospace structure samples provided by several major aerospace companies. Such a CIT-based tool can detect and localize individual internal defects with dimensions about 1-2 mm3, and honeycomb disbond defects less than 6 mm by 6 mm area with the variations in the thickness of the adhesive by 100 m. Current maximum scanning speed of aircraft/spacecraft structures is about 5-8 min/ft2 (50-80 min/m2).

Rayleigh, Compton and K-shell radiative resonant Raman scattering in 83Bi for 88.034 keV γ-rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sanjeev; Sharma, Veena; Mehta, D.; Singh, Nirmal

2007-11-01

The Rayleigh, Compton and K-shell radiative resonant Raman scattering cross-sections for the 88.034 keV γ-rays have been measured in the 83Bi (K-shell binding energy = 90.526 keV) element. The measurements have been performed at 130° scattering angle using reflection-mode geometrical arrangement involving the 109Cd radioisotope as photon source and an LEGe detector. Computer simulations were exercised to determine distributions of the incident and emission angles, which were further used in evaluation of the absorption corrections for the incident and emitted photons in the target. The measured cross-sections for the Rayleigh scattering are compared with the modified form-factors (MFs) corrected for the anomalous-scattering factors (ASFs) and the S-matrix calculations; and those for the Compton scattering are compared with the Klein-Nishina cross-sections corrected for the non-relativistic Hartree-Fock incoherent scattering function S(x, Z). The ratios of the measured KL2, KL3, KM and KN2,3 radiative resonant Raman scattering cross-sections are found to be in general agreement with those of the corresponding measured fluorescence transition probabilities.

Backscatter of hard X-rays in the solar atmosphere. [Calculating the reflectance of solar x ray emission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bai, T.; Ramaty, R.

1977-01-01

The solar photosphere backscatters a substantial fraction of the hard X rays from solar flares incident upon it. This reflection was studied using a Monte Carlo simulation which takes into account Compton scattering and photo-electric absorption. Both isotropic and anisotropic X ray sources are considered. The bremsstrahlung from an anisotropic distribution of electrons are evaluated. By taking the reflection into account, the inconsistency is removed between recent observational data regarding the center-to-limb variation of solar X ray emission and the predictions of models in which accelerated electrons are moving down toward the photosphere.

Broadband spectral study of the jet-disc emission in the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0323+342

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Ritesh; Dewangan, Gulab C.; Mallick, Labani; Raychaudhuri, Biplab

2018-06-01

We present a broadband spectral study of the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0323+342 based on multi-epoch observations performed with NuSTAR on 2014 March 15, and two simultaneous observations performed with Suzaku and Swift on 2009 July 26 and 2013 March 1. We found the presence of a strong soft X-ray excess emission, a broad but weak Fe line and hard X-ray excess emission. We used the blurred reflection (relxill) and the intrinsic disc Comptonization (optxagnf), two physically motivated models, to describe the broadband spectra and to disentangle the disk/corona and jet emission. The relxill model is mainly constrained by the strong soft X-ray excess although the model failed to predict this excess when fitted above 3{keV} and extrapolated to lower energies. The joint spectral analysis of the three datasets above 3{keV} with this model resulted in a high black hole spin (a > 0.9) and moderate reflection fraction R ˜ 0.5. The optxagnf model fitted to the two simultaneous datasets resulted in an excess emission in the UV band. The simultaneous UV-to-hard X-ray spectra of 1H 0323+342 are best described by a model consisting of a primary X-ray power-law continuum with Γ ˜ 1.8, a blurred reflection component with R ˜ 0.5, Comptonised disk emission as the soft X-ray excess, optical/UV emission from a standard accretion disk around a black hole of mass ˜107M⊙ and a steep power law (Γ ˜ 3 - 3.5) component, most likely the jet emission in the UV band. The fractional RMS variability spectra suggest that both the soft excess and the powerlaw component are variable in nature.

INTERFERENCE AS AN ORIGIN OF THE PEAKED NOISE IN ACCRETING X-RAY BINARIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Veledina, Alexandra, E-mail: alexandra.veledina@gmail.com

2016-12-01

We propose a physical model for the peaked noise in the X-ray power density spectra of accreting X-ray binaries. We interpret its appearance as an interference of two Comptonization continua: one coming from the upscattering of seed photons from the cold thin disk and the other fed by the synchrotron emission of the hot flow. Variations of both X-ray components are caused by fluctuations in mass accretion rate, but there is a delay between them corresponding to the propagation timescale from the disk Comptonization radius to the region of synchrotron Comptonization. If the disk and synchrotron Comptonization are correlated, themore » humps in the power spectra are harmonically related and the dips between them appear at frequencies related as odd numbers 1:3:5. If they are anti-correlated, the humps are related as 1:3:5, but the dips are harmonically related. Similar structures are expected to be observed in accreting neutron star binaries and supermassive black holes. The delay can be easily recovered from the frequency of peaked noise and further used to constrain the combination of the viscosity parameter and disk height-to-radius ratio α ( H / R ){sup 2} of the accretion flow. We model multi-peak power spectra of black hole X-ray binaries GX 339–4 and XTE J1748–288 to constrain these parameters.« less

The Variable Hard X-Ray Emission of NGC4945 as Observed by NuSTAR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Puccetti, Simonetta; Comastri, Andrea; Fiore, Fabrizio; Arevalo, Patricia; Risaliti, Guido; Bauer, Franz E.; Brandt, William N.; Stern, Daniel; Harrison, Fiona A.; Alexander, David M.;

The Variable Hard X-Ray Emission of NGC 4945 as Observed by NUSTAR

DOE PAGES

Puccetti, Simonetta; Comastri, Andrea; Fiore, Fabrizio; ...

2014-09-02

Here, we present a broadband (~0.5-79 keV) spectral and temporal analysis of multiple NuSTAR observations combined with archival Suzaku and Chandra data of NGC 4945, the brightest extragalactic source at 100 keV. We observe hard X-ray (>10 keV) flux and spectral variability, with flux variations of a factor of two on timescales of 20 ks. A variable primary continuum dominates the high-energy spectrum (>10 keV) in all states, while the reflected/scattered flux that dominates at E <10 keV stays approximately constant. From modeling the complex reflection/transmission spectrum, we derive a Compton depth along the line of sight of τThomson ~more » 2.9, and a global covering factor for the circumnuclear gas of ~0.15. This agrees with the constraints derived from the high-energy variability, which implies that most of the high-energy flux is transmitted rather than Compton-scattered. This demonstrates the effectiveness of spectral analysis at constraining the geometric properties of the circumnuclear gas, and validates similar methods used for analyzing the spectra of other bright, Compton-thick active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The lower limits on the e-folding energy are between 200 and 300 keV, consistent with previous BeppoSAX, Suzaku, and Swift Burst Alert Telescope observations. The accretion rate, estimated from the X-ray luminosity and assuming a bolometric correction typical of type 2 AGN, is in the range ~0.1-0.3 λEdd depending on the flux state. As a result, the substantial observed X-ray luminosity variability of NGC 4945 implies that large errors can arise from using single-epoch X-ray data to derive L/L Edd values for obscured AGNs.« less

The X-ray structure of Centaurus A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feigelson, E. D.; Schreier, E. J.; Delvaille, J. P.; Giacconi, R.; Grindlay, J. E.; Lightman, A. P.

1981-01-01

The Einstein X-ray observatory imaging detectors have found X-ray emission associated with several components of the nearby radio galaxy Cen A = NGC 5128: (1) the compact nucleus; (2) an X-ray jet pointed toward the NE radio lobes; (3) the middle NE radio lobe; (4) the disk or dust lane; and (5) diffuse emission extending several arcmin around the nucleus. The intensity of the nucleus changed by a factor of seven over six months. The X-ray jet is considered in terms of thermal, inverse Compton, and synchrotron models. The emission of the NE radio lobe is greater than that expected from inverse Compton or synchrotron processes. Two ridges of emission are found along each edge of the dust lane, within several arcmin of the nucleus. The diffuse X-ray component has a luminosity which is too high to be due to bulge population X-ray sources, but which may be produced by main sequence stars under appropriate circumstances.

Images and Spectra of Time Dependent Two Component Advective Flow in Presence of Outflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Arka; Chakrabarti, Sandip K.; Ghosh, Himadri; Garain, Sudip K.

2018-05-01

Two Component Advective Flow (TCAF) successfully explains the spectral and temporal properties of outbursting or persistent sources. Images of static TCAF with Compton cloud or CENtrifugal pressure supported Boundary Layer (CENBOL) due to gravitational bending of photons have been studied before. In this paper, we study time dependent images of advective flows around a Schwarzschild black hole which include cooling effects due to Comptonization of soft photons from a Keplerian disks well as the self-consistently produced jets and outflows. We show the overall image of the disk-jet system after convolving with a typical beamwidth. A long exposure image with time dependent system need not show the black hole horizon conspicuously, unless one is looking at a soft state with no jet or the system along the jet axis. Assuming these disk-jet configurations are relevant to radio emitting systems also, our results would be useful to look for event horizons in high accretion rate Supermassive Black Holes in Seyfert galaxies, RL Quasars.

A Suzaku, NuSTAR and XMMNewton} view on variable absorption and relativistic reflection in NGC 4151

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beuchert, T.; Markowitz, A.; Dauser, T.; Garcia, J.; Keck, M.; Wilms, J.; Kadler, M.; Brenneman, L.; Zdziarski, A.

2017-10-01

We disentangle X-ray disk reflection from complex line-of-sight absorption in NGC 4151 using Suzaku, NuSTAR, and XMMNewton}. Extending upon Keck et al. (2015), we develop a physically-motivated baseline model using the latest lamp-post reflection code relxillCp_lp, which includes a Comptonization continuum. We identify two components at heights of 1.2 and 15.0 gravitational radii using a long-look simultaneous Suzaku/NuSTAR observation but argue for a vertically extended corona as opposed to distinct primary sources. We also find two neutral absorbers (one full-covering and one partial-covering), an ionized absorber (log ξ=2.8), and a highly-ionized ultra-fast outflow, all reported previously. All analyzed spectra are well described by this baseline model. The bulk of the spectral variability on time-scales from days to years can be attributed to changes of both neutral absorbers, which are inversely correlated with the hard X-ray continuum flux. The observed evolution is either consistent with changes in the absorber structure (clumpy absorber in the outer BLR or a dusty radiatively driven wind) or a geometrically stable neutral absorber that becomes increasingly ionized at a rising flux level. The soft X-rays below 1 keV are dominated by photoionized emission from extended gas, which may act as a warm mirror for the nuclear radiation.

Spectral variation during one quasi-periodic oscillation cycle in the black hole candidate H1743-322

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarathi Pal, Partha; Debnath, Dipak; Chakrabarti, Sandip Kumar

2016-07-01

From the nature of energy dependence of the power density spectra, it is believed that the oscillation of the Compton cloud may be related to low frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (LFQPOs). In the context of two component advective flow (TCAF) solution, the centrifugal pressure supported boundary layer of a transonic flow acts as the Compton cloud. This region undergoes resonance oscillation when cooling time scale roughly agrees with infall time scale as matter crosses this region. By carefully separating photons emitted at different phases of a complete oscillation, we establish beyond reasonable doubt that such an oscillation is the cause of LFQPOs. We show that the degree of Comptonization and therefore the spectral properties of the flow oscillate systematically with the phase of LFQPOs. We analysis the properties of a 0.2Hz LFQPO exhibited by a black hole candidate H 1743-322 using the 3-80 keV data from NuSTAR satellite. This object was chosen because of availability of high quality data for a relatively low frequency oscillation, rendering easy phase-wise of separation of the light curve data.

Investigating the Effect of Cosmic Opacity on Standard Candles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, J.; Yu, H.; Wang, F. Y.

2017-02-01

Standard candles can probe the evolution of dark energy over a large redshift range. But the cosmic opacity can degrade the quality of standard candles. In this paper, we use the latest observations, including Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) from the “joint light-curve analysis” sample and Hubble parameters, to probe the opacity of the universe. A joint fitting of the SNe Ia light-curve parameters, cosmological parameters, and opacity is used in order to avoid the cosmological dependence of SNe Ia luminosity distances. The latest gamma-ray bursts are used in order to explore the cosmic opacity at high redshifts. The cosmic reionization process is considered at high redshifts. We find that the sample supports an almost transparent universe for flat ΛCDM and XCDM models. Meanwhile, free electrons deplete photons from standard candles through (inverse) Compton scattering, which is known as an important component of opacity. This Compton dimming may play an important role in future supernova surveys. From analysis, we find that about a few per cent of the cosmic opacity is caused by Compton dimming in the two models, which can be corrected.

How the Electronic Structure in URu2Si2 Changes with Temperature: A High-Resolution Compton Scattering Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koizumi, Akihisa; Kubo, Yasunori; Motoyama, Gaku; Yamamura, Tomoo; Sakurai, Yoshiharu

2018-06-01

We have measured directional Compton profiles on the (001) plane in URu2Si2 single crystal at several temperatures. Two-dimensional electron occupation number densities (2D-EONDs) were obtained from the profiles through electron momentum reconstruction and Lock-Crisp-West folding analyses. We have also performed band calculations based on 5f-electron itinerant and localized models and derived theoretical 2D-EONDs for comparison. The experimental 2D-EOND at 300 K is well described by the localized model, and the 2D-EOND at 10 K is consistent with the theoretical one based on the itinerant model. The difference between 2D-EONDs at 30 and 100 K reflects a gradual change in the electronic structure, which reveals some of the crossover phenomena from localized to itinerant states. The change from localized to itinerant states is also reflected in a B(r) function, which is obtained in the reconstruction analysis and is an autocorrelation function of the wave function in the position space. The process by which the electronic structure in URu2Si2 changes is demonstrated through a series of experimental results.

A SUZAKU OBSERVATION OF Mkn 590 REVEALS A VANISHING SOFT EXCESS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rivers, Elizabeth; Markowitz, Alex; Rothschild, Richard

2012-11-01

We have analyzed a long-look Suzaku observation of the Seyfert 1.2 Mkn 590. We aimed to measure the Compton reflection strength, Fe K complex properties, and soft excess emission as had been observed previously in this source. The Compton reflection strength was measured to be in the range 0.2-1.0 depending on the model used. A moderately strong Fe K{alpha} emission line was detected with an equivalent width of {approx}120 {+-} 25 eV and an Fe K{beta} line was identified with an equivalent width of {approx}30 {+-} 20 eV, although we could not rule out contribution from ionized Fe emission atmore » this energy. Surprisingly, we found no evidence for soft excess emission. Comparing our results with a 2004 observation from XMM-Newton we found that either the soft excess has decreased by a factor of 20-30 in 7 years or the photon index has steepened by 0.10 (with no soft excess present) while the continuum flux in the range 2-10 keV has varied only minimally (10%). This result could support recent claims that the soft excess is independent of the X-ray continuum.« less

The Suzaku Observation of NGC 3516: Complex Absorption and the Broad and Narrow Fe K Lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markowitz, Alex; Reeves, James N.; Miniutti, Giovanni; Serlemitsos, Peter; Kunieda, Hideyo; Taqoob, Tahir; Fabian, Andrew C.; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Mushotzky, Richard; Okajima, Takashi;

Bulk Comptonization of the Cosmic Microwave Background by Extragalactic Jets as a Probe of their Matter Content

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Georganopoulos, Markos; Kazanas, Demosthenes; Perlman, Eric; Stecker, Floyd W.

2004-01-01

We propose a method for estimating the composition, i.e. the relative amounts of leptons and protons, of extragalactic jets which exhibit Chandra - detected knots in their kpc scale jets. The method relies on measuring, or setting upper limits on, the component of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation that is bulk-Comptonized by the cold electrons in the relativistically flowing jet. These measurements, along with modeling of the broadband knot emission that constrain the bulk Lorentz factor GAMMA of the jets, can yield estimates of the jet power carried by protons and leptons. We provide an explicit calculation of the spectrum of the bulk-Comptonized (BC) CMB component and apply these results to PKS 0637 - 752 and 3C 273, two superluminal quasars with Chandra - detected large scale jets. What makes these sources particularly suited for such a procedure is the absence of significant non-thermal jet emission in the 'bridge', the region between the core and the first bright jet knot, which guarantees that most of the electrons are cold there, leaving the BC scattered CMB radiation as the only significant source of photons in this region. At lambda = 3.6 - 8.0 microns, the most likely band to observe the BC scattered CMB emission, the Spitzer angular resolution (approximately 1" - 3") is considerably smaller than the the 'bridges' of these jets (approximately 10"), making it possible to both measure and resolve this emission.

Studies of BL Lacertae objects with the Einstein Observatory - The soft X-ray spectra of OJ 287 and PKS 0735+178

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madejski, Greg M.; Schwartz, Daniel A.

1988-01-01

Accurate, soft X-ray spectra of two BL Lac objects, OJ 287 and PKS 0735+178, are presented. The X-ray spectra are well described by a power-law model with a low-energy cutoff consistent with photoelectric absorption within the Galaxy. The best-fit values of the energy spectral index in the 0.2-4.0 keV band are 0.91 and 0.76 respectively. The X-ray flux from OJ 287 is variable by a ratio of three from low to high state; PKS 0735+178 shows no indication of X-ray variability. The X-ray emission in OJ 287 is interpreted to be due to the synchrotron process from a volume common with either a beamed radio component or a stationary optical component. In PKS 0735+178, where the X-ray emission is most likely due to the Compton process operating in one of the VLBI radio components. The synchrotron self-Compton process with modest kinematic Doppler factors predicts the measured X-ray flux from PKS 0735+178 and lower than the measured flux in OJ 287.

GX 3+1: The Stability of Spectral Index as a Function of Mass Accretion Rate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seifana, Elena; Titarchuk, Lev

2012-01-01

We present an analysis of the spectral and timing properties observed in X-rays from neutron star (NS) binary GX 3+1 (4U 1744-26) during long-term transitions between the faint and bright phases superimposed on short-term transitions between lower banana (LB) and upper banana (UB) branches in terms of its color-color diagram, We analyze all observations of this source obtained with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and BeppoSAX satellites, We find that the X-ray broadband energy spectra during these spectral transitions can be adequately reproduced by a composition of a low-temperature blackbody component, a Comptonized component (COMPTB), and Gaussian component We argue that the electron temperature kTe of the Compton cloud monotonically increases from 2.3 keY to 4.5 keY, when GX 3+1 makes a transition from UB to LB. We also detect an evolution of noise components (a very low frequency noise and a high-frequency noise) during these LB-UB transitions. Using a disk seed photon normalization of COMPTB, which is proportional to the mass accretion rate, we find that the photon power-law index Gamma is almost constant (Gamma = 2.00 +/- 0.02) when mass accretion rate changes by factor four. In addition, we find that the emergent spectrum is dominated by the strong Comptonized component We interpret this quasi-stability of the index Gamma and a particular form of the spectrum in the framework of a model in which the energy release in the transition layer located between the accretion disk and NS surface dominates that in the disk. Moreover, this index stability effect now established for GX 3+ I was previously found in the atoll source 4U 1728-34 and suggested for a number of other low-mass X-ray NS binaries. This intrinsic behavior of NSs, in particular for atoll sources, is fundamentally different from that seen in black hole binary sources where the index monotonically increases during spectral transition from the low state to the high state and then finally saturates at high values of mass accretion rate.

GX 3+1: The Stability of Spectral Index as a Function of Mass Accretion Rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seifina, Elena; Titarchuk, Lev

2012-03-01

We present an analysis of the spectral and timing properties observed in X-rays from neutron star (NS) binary GX 3+1 (4U 1744-26) during long-term transitions between the faint and bright phases superimposed on short-term transitions between lower banana (LB) and upper banana (UB) branches in terms of its color-color diagram. We analyze all observations of this source obtained with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and Beppo SAX satellites. We find that the X-ray broadband energy spectra during these spectral transitions can be adequately reproduced by a composition of a low-temperature blackbody component, a Comptonized component (COMPTB), and a Gaussian component. We argue that the electron temperature kTe of the Compton cloud monotonically increases from 2.3 keV to 4.5 keV, when GX 3+1 makes a transition from UB to LB. We also detect an evolution of noise components (a very low frequency noise and a high-frequency noise) during these LB-UB transitions. Using a disk seed photon normalization of COMPTB, which is proportional to the mass accretion rate, we find that the photon power-law index Γ is almost constant (Γ = 2.00 ± 0.02) when mass accretion rate changes by a factor of four. In addition, we find that the emergent spectrum is dominated by the strong Comptonized component. We interpret this quasi-stability of the index Γ and a particular form of the spectrum in the framework of a model in which the energy release in the transition layer located between the accretion disk and NS surface dominates that in the disk. Moreover, this index stability effect now established for GX 3+1 was previously found in the atoll source 4U 1728-34 and suggested for a number of other low-mass X-ray NS binaries (see Farinelli & Titarchuk). This intrinsic behavior of NSs, in particular for atoll sources, is fundamentally different from that seen in black hole binary sources where the index monotonically increases during spectral transition from the low state to the high state and then finally saturates at high values of mass accretion rate.

Revisiting the Bohr Atom 100 Years Later

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wall, Ernst

2013-03-01

We use a novel electron model wherein the electron is modeled as a point charge behaving as a trapped photon revolving in a Compton wavelength orbit at light speed. The revolving point charge gives rise to spiraling Compton wavelets around the electron, which give rise to de Broglie waves. When applied to the Bohr model, the orbital radius of the electron scales to the first Bohr orbit's radius via the fine structure constant. The orbiting electron's orbital velocity, Vb, scales to that of the electron's charge's internal velocity (the velocity of light, c) via the fine structure constant. The Compton wavelets, if they reflect off the nucleus, have a round trip time just long enough to allow the electron to move one of its diameters in distance in the first Bohr orbit. The ratio of the electron's rotational frequency, fe, to its rotational frequency in the Bohr orbit fb, is fe/fb = 1/α2, which is also the number of electron rotations in single orbit. If we scale the electron's rotational energy (h*fe) to that of the orbit using this, the orbital energy value (h*fb) would be 27.2114 eV. However, the virial theorem reduces it to 13.6057, the ground state energy of the first Bohr orbit. Ref: www.tachyonmodel.com.

MEGA: the next generation Medium Energy Gamma-ray Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paciesas, W.; Miller, R. S.; Andritschke, R.; Kanbach, G.; Zoglauer, A.; Bloser, P.; Hunter, S.; Cravens, J.; Cherry, M.; Guzik, T. G.; Stacy, J. G.; Wefel, J. P.; Di Cocco, G.; Hartmann, D.; Kippen, R. M.; Vestrand, W. T.; Kurfess, J.; Phlips, B.; Strickman, M.; Wulf, E.; Macri, J. R.; McConnell, M. L.; Ryan, J. M.; Reglero, V.; Zych, A. D.

2004-08-01

The MEGA mission would enable a sensitive all-sky survey of the medium-energy gamma-ray sky (0.3-50 MeV). This mission will bridge the huge sensitivity gap between the COMPTEL and OSSE experiments on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the SPI and IBIS instruments on INTEGRAL and the visionary ACT mission. It will, among other things, serve to compile a much larger catalog of sources in this energy range, perform far deeper searches for supernovae, better measure the galactic continuum emission as well as identify the components of the cosmic diffuse emission. It will accomplish these goals with a stack of Si-strip detector (SSD) planes surrounded by a dense high-Z calorimeter. At lower photon energies (below ˜ 30 MeV), the design is sensitive to Compton interactions, with the SSD system serving as a scattering medium that also detects and measures the Compton recoil energy deposit. If the energy of the recoil electron is sufficiently high (> 2 MeV), the track of the recoil electron can also be defined. At higher photon energies (above ˜ 10 MeV), the design is sensitive to pair production events, with the SSD system measuring the tracks of the electron and positron. We will discuss the various types of event signatures in detail and describe the advantages of this design over previous Compton telescope designs. Effective area, sensitivity and resolving power estimates are also presented along with simulations of expected scientific results and beam calibration results from the prototype instrument.

Spectral and Timing Properties of the Black Hole X-Ray Binary H1743-322 in the Low/Hard State Studied with Suzaku

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shidatsu, M.; Ueda, Y.; Yamada, S.; Done, C.; Hori, T.; Yamaoka, K.; Kubota, A.; Nagayama, T.; Moritani, Y.

2014-07-01

We report on the results from Suzaku observations of the Galactic black hole X-ray binary H1743-322 in the low/hard state during its outburst in 2012 October. We appropriately take into account the effects of dust scattering to accurately analyze the X-ray spectra. The time-averaged spectra in the 1-200 keV band are dominated by a hard power-law component of a photon index of ≈1.6 with a high-energy cutoff at ≈60 keV, which is well described with the Comptonization of the disk emission by the hot corona. We estimate the inner disk radius from the multi-color disk component, and find that it is 1.3-2.3 times larger than the radius in the high/soft state. This suggests that the standard disk was not extended to the innermost stable circular orbit. A reflection component from the disk is detected with R = Ω/2π ≈ 0.6 (Ω is the solid angle). We also successfully estimate the stable disk component independent of the time-averaged spectral modeling by analyzing short-term spectral variability on a ~1 s timescale. A weak low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillation at 0.1-0.2 Hz is detected, whose frequency is found to correlate with the X-ray luminosity and photon index. This result may be explained by the evolution of the disk truncation radius.

CsI Calorimeter for a Compton-Pair Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grove, Eric J.

We propose to build and test a hodoscopic CsI(Tl) scintillating-crystal calorimeter for a medium-energy γ-ray Compton and pair telescope. The design and technical approach for this calorimeter relies deeply on heritage from the Fermi LAT CsI Calorimeter, but it dramatically improves the low-energy performance of that design by reading out the scintillation light with silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), making the technology developed for Fermi applicable in the Compton regime. While such a hodoscopic calorimeter is useful for an entire class of medium-energy γ-ray telescope designs, we propose to build it explicitly to support beam tests and balloon flight of the Proto-ComPair telescope, the development and construction of which was funded in a four-year APRA program beginning in 2015 ("ComPair: Steps to a Medium Energy γ-ray Mission" with PI J. McEnery of GSFC). That award did not include funding for its CsI calorimeter subsystem, and this proposal is intended to cover that gap. ComPair is a MIDEX-class instrument concept to perform a high-sensitivity survey of the γ-ray sky from 0.5 MeV to 500 MeV. ComPair is designed to provide a dramatic increase in sensitivity relative to previous instruments in this energy range (predominantly INTEGRAL/SPI and Compton COMPTEL), with the same transformative sensitivity increase - and corresponding scientific return- that the Fermi Large Area Telescope provided relative to Compton EGRET. To enable transformative science over a broad range of MeV energies and with a wide field of view, ComPair is a combined Compton telescope and pair telescope employing a silicon-strip tracker (for Compton scattering and pair conversion and tracking) and a solid-state CdZnTe calorimeter (for Compton absorption) and CsI calorimeter (for pair calorimetry), surrounded by a plastic scintillator anti-coincidence detector. Under the current proposal, we will complete the detailed design, assembly, and test of the CsI calorimeter for the risk-reduction prototype telescope, Proto-ComPair. We will: 1. Purchase CsI(Tl) crystals, Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs), and components for the analog and digital readout of the SiPMs; 2. Assemble and test Crystal Detector Elements (CDEs) from crystals, SiPMs and optical wrap; 3. Assemble and test analog and digital front-end and readout control boards; 4. Fabricate the mechanical structure that supports and contains the CDEs and electronics boards; and 5. Assemble and test the CsI calorimeter, and integrate it with the remainder of the Proto-ComPair subsystems. The PI team for this proposal conceived, designed, developed, assembled, tested, and currently operates the LAT calorimeter and is uniquely qualified to leverage the experience gained from that effort for ComPair.

Impact of sub-keV soft excess on warm absorbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakravorty, S.

2009-09-01

Soft X-ray spectral features of warm absorbers (WA) are often found in Seyfert 1 galaxies. The ionizing continuum coming from the central engine and which photoionizes the WA, can be optimally modeled to have three spectral components a) the 'disk blackbody' at about 10 eV - the spectrum from the accretion disk of the black hole, b) the X-ray powerlaw - representing the dominant component at energies 1 keV and above and c) the soft excess in sub keV - which is seen in most objects after deducting the powerlaw component. We use the thermal equilibrium curves generated by the photoionization code CLOUDY to study the influence of the soft excess component on the nature of the WA. Our studies show that the nature of the WA is strongly dependent on the chemical composition of the absorbing gas, particularly on the abundance of iron, oxygen and the X-ray group (C, Ne, O, Fe) which have important atomic transitions in the energy range 0.3 - 1.5 keV where the soft excess component is supposed to have maximum effect. One of the popular models for the soft excess component is a blackbody with its temperature lying between 100 - 200 eV. We find that the soft excess component seems to decide the stability properties of the gas at 10^5 K; the range of xi/T over which stable warm absorber exists almost doubles if the soft excess luminosity is equal to the luminosity in the powerlaw (0.1 - 10 keV) which is a ratio not unheard of. Even if the soft excess is represented using alternative spectral shapes like the 'comptonized reflection' model, the stability properties of the WA do not change significantly.

Investigating the Effect of Cosmic Opacity on Standard Candles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hu, J.; Yu, H.; Wang, F. Y., E-mail: fayinwang@nju.edu.cn

Standard candles can probe the evolution of dark energy over a large redshift range. But the cosmic opacity can degrade the quality of standard candles. In this paper, we use the latest observations, including Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) from the “joint light-curve analysis” sample and Hubble parameters, to probe the opacity of the universe. A joint fitting of the SNe Ia light-curve parameters, cosmological parameters, and opacity is used in order to avoid the cosmological dependence of SNe Ia luminosity distances. The latest gamma-ray bursts are used in order to explore the cosmic opacity at high redshifts. The cosmicmore » reionization process is considered at high redshifts. We find that the sample supports an almost transparent universe for flat ΛCDM and XCDM models. Meanwhile, free electrons deplete photons from standard candles through (inverse) Compton scattering, which is known as an important component of opacity. This Compton dimming may play an important role in future supernova surveys. From analysis, we find that about a few per cent of the cosmic opacity is caused by Compton dimming in the two models, which can be corrected.« less

Revisit to the RXTE and ASCA Data for GRO J1655-40: Effects of Radiative Transfer in Corona and Color Hardening in the Disk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, S. Nan; Zhang, Xiaoling; Wu, Xuebing; Yao, Yangsen; Sun, Xuejun; Xu, Haiguang; Cui, Wei; Chen, Wan; Harmon, B. A.; Robinson, C. R.

1999-01-01

The results of spectral modeling of the data for a series of RXTE observations and four ASCA observations of GRO J1655-40 are presented. The thermal Comptonization model is used instead of the power-law model for the hard component of the two-component continuum spectra. The previously reported dramatic variations of the apparent inner disk radius of GRO J1655-40 during its outburst may be due to the inverse Compton scattering in the hot corona. A procedure is developed for making the radiative transfer correction to the fitting parameters from RXTE data and a more stable inner disk radius is obtained. A practical process of determining the color correction (hardening) factor from observational data is proposed and applied to the four ASCA observations of GRO J1655-40. We found that the color correction factor may vary significantly between different observations and the finally corrected physical inner disk radius remains reasonably stable over a large range of luminosity and spectral states.

Energy dependence of the band-limited noise in black hole X-ray binaries★

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stiele, H.; Yu, W.

2015-10-01

Black hole low-mass X-ray binaries show a variety of variability features, which manifest as narrow peak-like structures superposed on broad noise components in power density spectra in the hard X-ray emission. In this work, we study variability properties of the band-limited noise component during the low-hard state for a sample of black hole X-ray binaries. We investigate the characteristic frequency and amplitude of the band-limited noise component and study covariance spectra. For observations that show a noise component with a characteristic frequency above 1 Hz in the hard energy band (4-8 keV), we found this very same component at a lower frequency in the soft band (1-2 keV). This difference in characteristic frequency is an indication that while both the soft and the hard band photons contribute to the same band-limited noise component, which likely represents the modulation of the mass accretion rate, the origin of the soft photons is actually further away from the black hole than the hard photons. Thus, the soft photons are characterized by larger radii, lower frequencies and softer energies, and are probably associated with a smaller optical depth for Comptonization up-scattering from the outer layer of the corona, or suggest a temperature gradient of the corona. We interpret this energy dependence within the picture of energy-dependent power density states as a hint that the contribution of the up-scattered photons originating in the outskirts of the Comptonizing corona to the overall emission in the soft band is becoming significant.

Discovery of a Kiloparsec Extended Hard X-Ray Continuum and Fe-Kα from the Compton Thick AGN ESO 428-G014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fabbiano, G.; Elvis, M.; Paggi, A.; Karovska, M.; Maksym, W. P.; Raymond, J.; Risaliti, G.; Wang, Junfeng

2017-06-01

We report the discovery of kiloparsec-scale diffuse emission in both the hard continuum (3-6 keV) and in the Fe-Kα line in the Compton thick (CT) Seyfert galaxy ESO 428-G014. This extended hard component contains at least ˜24% of the observed 3-8 keV emission, and follows the direction of the extended optical line emission (ionization cone) and radio jet. The extended hard component has ˜0.5% of the intrinsic 2-10 keV luminosity within the bi-cones. A uniform scattering medium of density 1 {{cm}}-3 would produce this luminosity in a 1 kpc path length in the bi-cones. Alternatively, higher column density molecular clouds in the disk of ESO 428-G014 may be responsible for these components. The continuum may also be enhanced by the acceleration of charged particles in the radio jet. The steeper spectrum (Γ ˜ 1.7 ± 0.4) of the hard continuum outside of the central 1.″5 radius nuclear region suggests a contribution of scattered/fluorescent intrinsic Seyfert emission. Ultrafast nuclear outflows cannot explain the extended Fe-Kα emission. This discovery suggests that we may need to revise the picture at the base of our interpretation of CT AGN spectra.

Polarization of gamma-ray burst afterglows in the synchrotron self-Compton process from a highly relativistic jet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Hai-Nan; Li, Xin; Chang, Zhe

2017-04-01

Linear polarization has been observed in both the prompt phase and afterglow of some bright gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Polarization in the prompt phase spans a wide range, and may be as high as ≳ 50%. In the afterglow phase, however, it is usually below 10%. According to the standard fireball model, GRBs are produced by synchrotron radiation and Compton scattering process in a highly relativistic jet ejected from the central engine. It is widely accepted that prompt emissions occur in the internal shock when shells with different velocities collide with each other, and the magnetic field advected by the jet from the central engine can be ordered on a large scale. On the other hand, afterglows are often assumed to occur in the external shock when the jet collides with interstellar medium, and the magnetic field produced by the shock through, for example, Weibel instability, is possibly random. In this paper, we calculate the polarization properties of the synchrotron self-Compton process from a highly relativistic jet, in which the magnetic field is randomly distributed in the shock plane. We also consider the generalized situation where a uniform magnetic component perpendicular to the shock plane is superposed on the random magnetic component. We show that it is difficult for the polarization to be larger than 10% if the seed electrons are isotropic in the jet frame. This may account for the observed upper limit of polarization in the afterglow phase of GRBs. In addition, if the random and uniform magnetic components decay with time at different speeds, then the polarization angle may change 90° during the temporal evolution. Supported by Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (106112016CDJCR301206), National Natural Science Fund of China (11375203, 11603005), and Open Project Program of State Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China (Y5KF181CJ1)

A jet model for a very high state of GX 339 - 4

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miyamoto, Sigenori; Kitamoto, Shunji

1991-06-01

A jet model is proposed which explain results derived by Ginga observation of GX 339 {minus} 4 in its very high state. Specifically, the model can explain: (1) the possible existence of large Compton clouds of 1-billion-cm size; (2) the independent change of the soft and hard components in the long term; (3) the rapid variability of the hard tail component in the short term; and (4) the possible existence of absorbing matter around the compact star. 25 refs.

MEGA: the next generation Medium Energy Gamma-ray Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryan, James M.; Andritschke, Robert; Bloser, Peter F.; Cravens, James P.; Cherry, Michael L.; Di Cocco, Guido; Guzik, T. G.; Hartmann, Dieter H.; Hunter, Stanley H.; Kanbach, Gottfried; Kippen, R. M.; Kurfess, James; Macri, John R.; McConnell, Mark L.; Miller, Richard S.; Paciesas, William S.; Phlips, Bernard; Reglero, Victor; Stacy, J. G.; Strickman, Mark; Vestrand, W. Thomas; Wefel, John P.; Wulf, Eric; Zoglauer, Andreas; Zych, Allen D.

2004-10-01

The MEGA mission would enable a sensitive all-sky survey of the medium-energy ?-ray sky (0.3-50 MeV). This mission will bridge the huge sensitivity gap between the COMPTEL and OSSE experiments on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the SPI and IBIS instruments on INTEGRAL and the visionary ACT mission. It will, among other things, serve to compile a much larger catalog of sources in this energy range, perform far deeper searches for supernovae, better measure the galactic continuum emission as well as identify the components of the cosmic diffuse emission. The large field of view will allow MEGA to continuously monitor the sky for transient and variable sources. It will accomplish these goals with a stack of Si-strip detector (SSD) planes surrounded by a dense high-Z calorimeter. At lower photon energies (below ~30 MeV), the design is sensitive to Compton interactions, with the SSD system serving as a scattering medium that also detects and measures the Compton recoil energy deposit. If the energy of the recoil electron is sufficiently high (> 2 MeV), the track of the recoil electron can also be defined. At higher photon energies (above ~10 MeV), the design is sensitive to pair production events, with the SSD system measuring the tracks of the electron and positron. We will discuss the various types of event signatures in detail and describe the advantages of this design over previous Compton telescope designs. Effective area, sensitivity and resolving power estimates are also presented along with simulations of expected scientific results and beam calibration results from the prototype instrument.

GX 3+1: THE STABILITY OF SPECTRAL INDEX AS A FUNCTION OF MASS ACCRETION RATE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seifina, Elena; Titarchuk, Lev, E-mail: seif@sai.msu.ru, E-mail: titarchuk@fe.infn.it, E-mail: lev@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov

2012-03-10

We present an analysis of the spectral and timing properties observed in X-rays from neutron star (NS) binary GX 3+1 (4U 1744-26) during long-term transitions between the faint and bright phases superimposed on short-term transitions between lower banana (LB) and upper banana (UB) branches in terms of its color-color diagram. We analyze all observations of this source obtained with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and Beppo SAX satellites. We find that the X-ray broadband energy spectra during these spectral transitions can be adequately reproduced by a composition of a low-temperature blackbody component, a Comptonized component (COMPTB), and a Gaussian component.more » We argue that the electron temperature kT{sub e} of the Compton cloud monotonically increases from 2.3 keV to 4.5 keV, when GX 3+1 makes a transition from UB to LB. We also detect an evolution of noise components (a very low frequency noise and a high-frequency noise) during these LB-UB transitions. Using a disk seed photon normalization of COMPTB, which is proportional to the mass accretion rate, we find that the photon power-law index {Gamma} is almost constant ({Gamma} = 2.00 {+-} 0.02) when mass accretion rate changes by a factor of four. In addition, we find that the emergent spectrum is dominated by the strong Comptonized component. We interpret this quasi-stability of the index {Gamma} and a particular form of the spectrum in the framework of a model in which the energy release in the transition layer located between the accretion disk and NS surface dominates that in the disk. Moreover, this index stability effect now established for GX 3+1 was previously found in the atoll source 4U 1728-34 and suggested for a number of other low-mass X-ray NS binaries (see Farinelli and Titarchuk). This intrinsic behavior of NSs, in particular for atoll sources, is fundamentally different from that seen in black hole binary sources where the index monotonically increases during spectral transition from the low state to the high state and then finally saturates at high values of mass accretion rate.« less

On the origin of the broad, relativistic iron line of MCG-6-30-15 observed by XMM-Newton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martocchia, A.; Matt, G.; Karas, V.

2002-03-01

The relativistic iron line profile recently observed by XMM-Newton in the spectrum of the Seyfert 1 galaxy MCG-6-30-15 (Wilms et al. \\cite{Wilms01}) is discussed in the framework of the lamp-post model. It is shown that the steep disc emissivity, the large line equivalent width and the amount of Compton reflection can be self-consistently reproduced in this scenario.

Iron K lines from low-mass X-ray binaries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kallman, T.; White, N. E.

1989-01-01

Models are presented for the 6-7 keV iron line emission from low-mass X-ray binaries. A simplified model for an accretion disk corona is used to examine the dependence of the observable line properties, line width and mean energy, on the radial distance of the emission region from the X-ray source, and on the fraction of the X-rays from the source which reach the disk surface. The effects of blending of multiple line components and of Comptonization of the line profile are included in numerical calculations of the emitted profile shape. The results of these calculations, when compared with the line properties observed from several low-mass X-ray binaries, suggest that the broadening is dominated either by rotation or by Compton scattering through a greater optical depth than is expected from an accretion disk corona.

Power-law X-ray and gamma-ray emission from relativistic thermal plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zdziarski, A. A.

1985-01-01

A common characteristic of cosmic sources is power-law X-ray emission. Extragalactic sources of this type include compact components of active galactic nuclei (AGN). The present study is concerned with a theoretical model of such sources, taking into account the assumption that the power-law spectra are produced by repeated Compton scatterings of soft photons by relativistic thermal electrons. This is one of several possible physical mechanisms leading to the formation of a power-law spectrum. Attention is given to the Comptonization of soft photon sources, the rates of pair processes, the solution of the pair equilibrium equation, and the constraints on a soft photon source and an energy source. It is concluded that the compactness parameters L/R of most of the cosmic sources observed to date lie below the maximum luminosity curves considered.

Precision Fe K-Alpha and Fe K-Beta Line Spectroscopy of the Seyfert 1.9 Galaxy NGC 2992 with Suzaku

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yaqoob, Tahir; Murphy, Kendrah D.; Griffiths, Richard E.; Haba, Yoshito; Inoue, Hajime; Itoh, Takeshi; Kelley, Richard; Kokubun, Motohide; Markowitz, Alex; Mushotzky, Richard;

Relativistic turbulence with strong synchrotron and synchrotron self-Compton cooling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uzdensky, D. A.

2018-07-01

Many relativistic plasma environments in high-energy astrophysics, including pulsar wind nebulae (PWN), hot accretion flows on to black holes, relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts, and giant radio lobes, are naturally turbulent. The plasma in these environments is often so hot that synchrotron and inverse-Compton (IC) radiative cooling becomes important. In this paper, we investigate the general thermodynamic and radiative properties (and hence the observational appearance) of an optically thin relativistically hot plasma stirred by driven magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence and cooled by radiation. We find that if the system reaches a statistical equilibrium where turbulent heating is balanced by radiative cooling, the effective electron temperature tends to attain a universal value θ = kT_e/m_e c^2 ˜ 1/√{τ _T}, where τT = neσTL ≪ 1 is the system's Thomson optical depth, essentially independent of the strength of turbulent driving and hence of the magnetic field. This is because both MHD turbulent dissipation and synchrotron cooling are proportional to the magnetic energy density. We also find that synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) cooling and perhaps a few higher order IC components are automatically comparable to synchrotron in this regime. The overall broad-band radiation spectrum then consists of several distinct components (synchrotron, SSC, etc.), well separated in photon energy (by a factor ˜ τ_T^{-1}) and roughly equal in power. The number of IC peaks is checked by Klein-Nishina effects and depends logarithmically on τT and the magnetic field. We also examine the limitations due to synchrotron self-absorption, explore applications to Crab PWN and blazar jets, and discuss links to radiative magnetic reconnection.

Detection of a long-duration solar gamma-ray flare on Jun. 11, 1991 with EGRET on Compton-GRO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kanbach, G.; Bertsch, D. L.; Fitchel, C. E.; Hartman, R. C.; Hunter, S. D.; Kniffen, D. A.; Kwok, P. W.; Lin, Y. C.; Mattox, J. R.; Mayer-Hasslewander, H. A.

1992-01-01

On 11 Jun. 1991, the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (Comption-GRO) observed high energy gamma radiation above 30 MeV from the Sun following an intense flare around 2:00 Universal Time (UT). After the decay of most of the x ray flare, which caused nearly complete deadtime losses in EGRET, high energy emission was registered during the interval from about 3:30 UT to at least 10:30 UT. Gamma rays were detected up to energies above 1 GeV. The solar origin of the emission is assured by the time profile of the gamma ray count rate and by time resolved sky maps, which show a clear maximum at the position of the sun. The gamma ray lightcurve of the flare can be described with two components: a fast decaying emission with an e-folding time constant of about 25 minutes and a slow decay with about 255 minutes. There are indications for a spectral evolution with time, such that the emission below 100 MeV fades away earlier than the 100 to 300 MeV radiation, roughly in the time scale of the fast component. The spectrum of the flare can be fitted with a composite of a proton generated pion neutral spectrum and an electron bremsstrahlung component. The latter can be identified with the fast decaying component of the lightcurve.

Compton scattering study of electron momentum distribution in lithium fluoride using 662 keV gamma radiations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vijayakumar, R.; Shivaramu; Ramamurthy, N.; Ford, M. J.

2008-12-01

Here we report the first ever 137Cs Compton spectroscopy study of lithium fluoride. The spherical average Compton profiles of lithium fluoride are deduced from Compton scattering measurements on poly crystalline sample at gamma ray energy of 662 keV. To compare the experimental data, we have computed the spherical average Compton profiles using self-consistent Hartree-Fock wave functions employed on linear combination of atomic orbital (HF-LCAO) approximation. The directional Compton profiles and their anisotropic effects are also calculated using the same HF-LCAO approximation. The experimental spherical average profiles are found to be in good agreement with the corresponding HF-LCAO calculations and in qualitative agreement with Hartree-Fock free atom values. The present experimental isotropic and calculated directional profiles are also compared with the available experimental isotropic and directional Compton profiles using 59.54 and 159 keV γ-rays.

Arthur H. Compton and Compton Scattering

Science.gov Websites

of X-rays, when he discovered the effect that is named after him in 1922. ... The Compton effect photon, when it interacts with matter. This effect demonstrates that light cannot be explained purely as overall momentum of the system is conserved. ... The explanation and measurement of the Compton effect

Evaluation of double photon coincidence Compton imaging method with GEANT4 simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshihara, Yuri; Shimazoe, Kenji; Mizumachi, Yuki; Takahashi, Hiroyuki

2017-11-01

Compton imaging has been used for various applications including astronomical observations, radioactive waste management, and biomedical imaging. The positions of radioisotopes are determined in the intersections of multiple cone traces through a large number of events, which reduces signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the images. We have developed an advanced Compton imaging method to localize radioisotopes with high SNR by using information of the interactions of Compton scattering caused by two gamma rays at the same time, as the double photon coincidence Compton imaging method. The targeted radioisotopes of this imaging method are specific nuclides that emit several gamma rays at the same time such as 60Co, 134Cs, and 111In, etc. Since their locations are determined in the intersections of two Compton cones, the most of cone traces would disappear in the three-dimensional space, which enhances the SNR and angular resolution. In this paper, the comparison of the double photon coincidence Compton imaging method and the single photon Compton imaging method was conducted by using GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulation.

Unveiling the AGN activity in multiple SMBH systems observed with XMM-Newton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Rosa, A.

2017-10-01

In this talk we will present results from the MAGNA (Multiple AGN Activity) project focused on the detection and study of multiple supermassive black hole systems. We investigate the physical properties (accretion rate and local environment) of multiple AGN candidates in interacting systems with respect to isolated sources with the goal to understand the mechanisms that trigger AGN activity in different stages of galaxy mergers. We present the study performed with SDSS and XMM data sets of 4 AGN pairs at separations of 20-70 kpc. XMM data allowed us to detect and characterize the AGN in all systems, by measuring the accretion and absorption properties of the sources. In each system at least one object is highly obscured, possibly Compton-thick, in agreement with the hypothesis that galaxy encounters are effective in driving gas inflow. One system however manifests the opposite behaviour showing a pair composed from an unobscured type 1 AGN and a Compton Thick AGN. The talk will reflect on broader implications of these findings.

Observations of MCG-5-23-16 with Suzaku, XMM-Newton and NuSTAR: Disk Tomography and Compton Hump Reverberation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zoghbi, A.; Cackett, E. M.; Reynolds, C.; Kara, E.; Harrison, F. A.; Fabian, A. C.; Lohfink, A.; Matt, G.; Stern, D.; Zhang, W. W.

2014-01-01

MCG-5-23-16 is one of the first active galactic nuclei (AGNs) where relativistic reverberation in the iron K line originating in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole was found, based on a short XMM-Newton observation. In this work, we present the results from long X-ray observations using Suzaku, XMM-Newton, and NuSTAR designed to map the emission region using X-ray reverberation. A relativistic iron line is detected in the lag spectra on three different timescales, allowing the emission from different regions around the black hole to be separated. Using NuSTAR coverage of energies above 10 keV reveals a lag between these energies and the primary continuum, which is detected for the first time in an AGN. This lag is a result of the Compton reflection hump responding to changes in the primary source in a manner similar to the response of the relativistic iron K line.

Observations of MCG-5-23-16 with Suzaku, XMM-Newton and NuSTAR: Disk tomography and compton hump reverberation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zoghbi, A.; Reynolds, C.; Lohfink, A.

2014-07-01

MCG-5-23-16 is one of the first active galactic nuclei (AGNs) where relativistic reverberation in the iron K line originating in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole was found, based on a short XMM-Newton observation. In this work, we present the results from long X-ray observations using Suzaku, XMM-Newton, and NuSTAR designed to map the emission region using X-ray reverberation. A relativistic iron line is detected in the lag spectra on three different timescales, allowing the emission from different regions around the black hole to be separated. Using NuSTAR coverage of energies above 10 keV reveals a lag between thesemore » energies and the primary continuum, which is detected for the first time in an AGN. This lag is a result of the Compton reflection hump responding to changes in the primary source in a manner similar to the response of the relativistic iron K line.« less

Bright attosecond γ-ray pulses from nonlinear Compton scattering with laser-illuminated compound targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xing-Long; Chen, Min; Yu, Tong-Pu; Weng, Su-Ming; Hu, Li-Xiang; McKenna, Paul; Sheng, Zheng-Ming

2018-04-01

Attosecond light sources have the potential to open up totally unexplored research avenues in ultrafast science. However, the photon energies achievable using existing generation schemes are limited to the keV range. Here, we propose and numerically demonstrate an all-optical mechanism for the generation of bright MeV attosecond γ-photon beams with desirable angular momentum. Using a circularly polarized Laguerre-Gaussian laser pulse focused onto a cone-foil target, dense attosecond bunches ( ≲ 170 as ) of electrons are produced. The electrons interact with the laser pulse which is reflected by a plasma mirror, producing ultra-brilliant (˜1023 photons/s/mm2/mrad2/0.1%BW) multi-MeV (Eγ,max > 30 MeV) isolated attosecond ( ≲ 260 as ) γ-ray pulse trains. Moreover, the angular momentum is transferred to γ-photon beams via nonlinear Compton scattering of ultra-intense tightly focused laser pulse by energetic electrons. Such a brilliant attosecond γ-photon source would provide the possibilities in attosecond nuclear science.

Method of determining whether radioactive contaminants are inside or outside a structure

DOEpatents

Lattin, Kenneth R.

1977-01-01

A measure is obtained of the relative quantities of radioactive material inside and outside a structure such as a pipe by obtaining two spectra of gamma radiation on a dummy structure of the same shape and composition. A first spectrum is obtained with a quantity of the radioactive element to be measured located inside the structure and a second spectrum is obtained with a quantity of the same contaminant located outside the structure. The two spectra are normalized to the same equivalent value in a portion of the spectrum that does not reflect the presence of gamma rays resulting from Compton scattering in the structure. Comparison of that portion of the spectra obtained where Compton scattering is a factor gives a measure of the relative amounts of contaminants inside and outside the structure on a spectrum obtained from a test structure. The invention may also be practiced by obtaining a plurality of spectra at varying known concentrations inside and outside the dummy structure.

CORRELATIONS IN HORIZONTAL BRANCH OSCILLATIONS AND BREAK COMPONENTS IN XTE J1701-462 AND GX 17+2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bu, Qing-cui; Chen, Li; Zhang, Liang

2015-01-20

We studied the horizontal branch oscillations (HBO) and the band-limited components observed in the power spectra of the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary XTE J1701-462 and the persistent ''Sco-like'' Z source GX 17+2. These two components were studied based on the state-resolved spectra. We found that the frequencies of XTE J1701-462 lie on the known correlations (WK and PBK), showing consistency with other types of X-ray binaries (black holes, atoll sources, and millisecond X-ray pulsars). However, GX 17+2 is shifted from the WK correlation like other typical Z sources. We suggest that the WK/PBK main track forms a boundarymore » that separates persistent sources from transient sources. The characteristic frequencies of break and HBO are independent of accretion rate in both sources, though it depends on spectral models. We also report the energy dependence of the HBO and break frequencies in XTE J1701-462 and how the temporal properties change with spectral state in XTE J1701-462 and GX 17+2. We studied the correlation between rms at the break and the HBO frequency. We suggest that HBO and break components for both sources probably arise from a similar physical mechanism: Comptonization emission from the corona. These two components could be caused by the same kind of oscillation in a corona with uneven density, and they could be generated from different areas of the corona. We further suggest that different proportions of the Comptonization component in the total flux cause the different distribution between GX 17+2 and XTE J1701-462 in the rms{sub break}-rms{sub HBO} diagram.« less

Problems for the standard black hole/accretion disk models in Cygnus X-1?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Done, C.; Mulchaey, J. S.; Mushotzky, R. F.; Arnaud, K. A.

1992-01-01

Archival EXOSAT and HEAO1-A2 data from Cyg X-1 show the 'high energy excess' above 10 keV seen in X-ray observations of AGN. Using a likelihood ratio test, we are for the first time able to distinguish conclusively in favor of Compton reflection rather than partial covering as the origin of the high energy excess. This supports the idea of an X-ray illuminated accretion disk in Cyg X-1, but the line equivalent width is smaller by a factor of 2-3 than that expected from such a disk. While the larger optical depth required for reflection as opposed to line emission admit the possibility of seeing line without reflection, the converse is not possible. To see a reflection spectrum, including the strong iron absorption edge, implies that strong iron emission must be observed as the line and edge are causally linked.

Broad-Band Continuum and Line Emission of the gamma-Ray Blazar PKS 0537-441

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pian, E.; Falomo, R.; Hartman, R. C.; Maraschi, L.; Tavecchio, F.; Tornikoski, M.; Treves, A.; Urry, C. M.; Ballo, L.; Mukherjee, R.;

Bulk Comptonization: new hints from the luminous blazar 4C+25.05

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kammoun, E. S.; Nardini, E.; Risaliti, G.; Ghisellini, G.; Behar, E.; Celotti, A.

2018-01-01

Blazars are often characterized by a spectral break at soft X-rays, whose origin is still debated. While most sources show a flattening, some exhibit a blackbody-like soft excess with temperatures of the order of ∼0.1 keV, similar to low-luminosity, non-jetted Seyferts. Here, we present the analysis of the simultaneous XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations of the luminous flat-spectrum radio quasar 4C+25.05 (z = 2.368). The observed 0.3-30 keV spectrum is best described by the sum of a hard X-ray power law (Γ = 1.38_{-0.03}^{+0.05}) and a soft component, approximated by a blackbody with kT_BB = 0.66_{-0.04}^{+0.05} keV (rest frame). If the spectrum of 4C+25.05 is interpreted in the context of bulk Comptonization by cold electrons of broad-line region photons emitted in the direction of the jet, such an unusual temperature implies a bulk Lorentz factor of the jet of Γbulk ∼ 11.7. Bulk Comptonization is expected to be ubiquitous on physical grounds, yet no clear signature of it has been found so far, possibly due to its transient nature and the lack of high-quality, broad-band X-ray spectra.

A SUPER-EDDINGTON, COMPTON-THICK WIND IN GRO J1655–40?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Neilsen, J.; Homan, J.; Rahoui, F.

2016-05-01

During its 2005 outburst, GRO J1655–40 was observed at high spectral resolution with the Chandra High-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer, revealing a spectrum rich with blueshifted absorption lines indicative of an accretion disk wind—apparently too hot, too dense, and too close to the black hole to be driven by radiation pressure or thermal pressure (Miller et al.). However, this exotic wind represents just one piece of the puzzle in this outburst, as its presence coincides with an extremely soft and curved X-ray continuum spectrum, remarkable X-ray variability (Uttley and Klein-Wolt), and a bright, unexpected optical/infrared blackbody component that varies on themore » orbital period. Focusing on the X-ray continuum and the optical/infrared/UV spectral energy distribution, we argue that the unusual features of this “hypersoft state” are natural consequences of a super-Eddington Compton-thick wind from the disk: the optical/infrared blackbody represents the cool photosphere of a dense, extended outflow, while the X-ray emission is explained as Compton scattering by the relatively cool, optically thick wind. This wind obscures the intrinsic luminosity of the inner disk, which we suggest may have been at or above the Eddington limit.« less

Compton tomography system

DOEpatents

Grubsky, Victor; Romanoov, Volodymyr; Shoemaker, Keith; Patton, Edward Matthew; Jannson, Tomasz

2016-02-02

A Compton tomography system comprises an x-ray source configured to produce a planar x-ray beam. The beam irradiates a slice of an object to be imaged, producing Compton-scattered x-rays. The Compton-scattered x-rays are imaged by an x-ray camera. Translation of the object with respect to the source and camera or vice versa allows three-dimensional object imaging.

Discovery and Monitoring of a New Black Hole Candidate XTE J1752-223 with RXTE: RMS Spectrum Evolution, BH Mass and the Source Distance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaposhinikov, Nikolai; Markwardt, Craig; Swank, Jean; Krimm, Hans

2010-01-01

We report on the discovery and monitoring observations of a new galactic black hole candidate XTE J1752-223 by Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The new source appeared on the X-ray sky on October 21 2009 and was active for almost 8 months. Phenomenologically, the source exhibited the low-hard/highsoft spectral state bi-modality and the variability evolution during the state transition that matches standard behavior expected from a stellar mass black hole binary. We model the energy spectrum throughout the outburst using a generic Comptonization model assuming that part of the input soft radiation in the form of a black body spectrum gets reprocessed in the Comptonizing medium. We follow the evolution of fractional root-mean-square (RMS) variability in the RXTE/PCA energy band with the source spectral state and conclude that broad band variability is strongly correlated with the source hardness (or Comptonized fraction). We follow changes in the energy distribution of rms variability during the low-hard state and the state transition and find further evidence that variable emission is strongly concentrated in the power-law spectral component. We discuss the implication of our results to the Comptonization regimes during different spectral states. Correlations of spectral and variability properties provide measurements of the BH mass and distance to the source. The spectral-timing correlation scaling technique applied to the RXTE observations during the hardto- soft state transition indicates a mass of the BH in XTE J1752-223 between 8 and 11 solar masses and a distance to the source about 3.5 kiloparsec.

RXTE Observations of the Seyfert 2 Galaxy MrK 348

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, David A.; Georgantopoulos, Ioannis; Warwick, Robert S.

2000-01-01

We present RXTE monitoring observations of the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mrk 348 spanning a 6 month period. The time-averaged spectrum in the 3-20 keV band shows many features characteristic of a Compton-thin Seyfert 2 galaxy, namely a hard underlying power-law continuum (Gamma approximately equal 1.8) with heavy soft X-ray absorption (N(sub H) approximately 10(exp 23)/sq cm) plus measurable iron K.alpha emission (equivalent width approximately 100 eV) and, at high energy, evidence for a reflection component (R approximately < 1). During the first half of the monitoring period the X-ray continuum flux from Mrk 348 remained relatively steady. However this was followed by a significant brightening of the source (by roughly a factor of 4) with the fastest change corresponding to a doubling of its X-ray flux on a timescale of about 20 days. The flux increase was accompanied by a marked softening of X-ray spectrum most likely attributable to a factor approximately 3 decline in the intrinsic line-of-sight column density. In contrast the iron K.alpha line and the reflection components showed no evidence of variability. These observations suggest a scenario in which the central X-ray source is surrounded by a patchy distribution of absorbing material located within about a light-week of the nucleus of Mrk 348. The random movement of individual clouds within the absorbing screen, across our line of sight, produces substantial temporal variations in the measured column density on timescales of weeks to months and gives rise to the observed X-ray spectral variability. However, as viewed from the nucleus the global coverage and typical thickness of the cloud layer remains relatively constant.

Compton profiles of some composite materials normalized by a new method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sankarshan, B. M.; Umesh, T. K.

2018-03-01

Recently, we have shown that as a novel approach, in the case of samples which can be treated as pure incoherent scatterers, the effective atomic number Zeff itself could be conveniently used to normalize their un-normalized Compton profiles. In the present investigation, we have attempted to examine the efficacy of this approach. For this purpose, we have first determined the single differential Compton scattering cross sections (SDCS) of the elements C and Al as well as of some H, C, N and O based polymer samples such as bakelite, epoxy, nylon and teflon which are pure incoherent scatterers. The measurements were made at 120° in a goniometer assembly that employs a high resolution high purity germanium detector. The SDCS values were used to obtain the Zeff and the un-normalized Compton profiles. These Compton profiles were separately normalized with their Zeff values (for Compton scattering) as well as with the normalization constant obtained by integrating their Hartree-Fock Biggs et al Compton profiles based on the mixture rule. These two sets of values agreed well within the range of experimental errors, implying that Zeff can be conveniently used to normalize the experimental Compton profiles of pure incoherent scatterers.

Building blocks of a multi-layer PET with time sequence photon interaction discrimination and double Compton camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilisie, V.; Giménez-Alventosa, V.; Moliner, L.; Sánchez, F.; González, A. J.; Rodríguez-Álvarez, M. J.; Benlloch, J. M.

2018-07-01

Current PET detectors have a very low sensitivity, of the order of a few percent. One of the reasons is the fact that Compton interactions are rejected. If an event involves multiple Compton scattering and the total deposited energy lays within the photoelectric peak, then an energy-weighted centroid is the given output for the coordinates of the reconstructed interaction point. This introduces distortion in the final reconstructed image. The aim of our work is to prove that Compton events are a very rich source of additional information as one can improve the resolution of the detector and implicitly the final reconstructed image. This could be a real breakthrough for PET detector technology as one should be able to obtain better results with less patient radiation. Using a PET as a double Compton camera, by means of Compton cone matching i.e., Compton cones coming from the same event should be compatible, is applied to discard randoms, patient scattered events and also, to perform a correct matching among events with multiple coincidences. In order to fully benefit experimentally from Compton events using monolithic scintillators a multi-layer configuration is needed and a good time-of-flight resolution.

X-Band RF Gun Development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vlieks, Arnold; Dolgashev, Valery; Tantawi, Sami

In support of the MEGa-ray program at LLNL and the High Gradient research program at SLAC, a new X-band multi-cell RF gun is being developed. This gun, similar to earlier guns developed at SLAC for Compton X-ray source program, will be a standing wave structure made of 5.5 cells operating in the pi mode with copper cathode. This gun was designed following criteria used to build SLAC X-band high gradient accelerating structures. It is anticipated that this gun will operate with surface electric fields on the cathode of 200 MeV/m with low breakdown rate. RF will be coupled into themore » structure through a final cell with symmetric duel feeds and with a shape optimized to minimize quadrupole field components. In addition, geometry changes to the original gun, operated with Compton X-ray source, will include a wider RF mode separation, reduced surface electric and magnetic fields.« less

DSSD detectors development PACT, a new space Compton telescope at the horizon 2025

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laurent, P.; Khalil, M.; Dolgorouki, Y.; Bertoli, W.; Oger, R.; Bréelle, E.

2015-07-01

PACT is a Pair and Compton telescope that aims to make a sensitive survey of the gamma-ray sky between 100 keV and 100 MeV . It will be devoted to the detection of radioactivity lines from present and past supernova explosions, the observation of thousands of new blazars, and the study of polarized radiations from gamma-ray bursts, pulsars and accreting black holes. It will reach a sensitivity of one to two orders of magnitude lower than COMPTEL/CGRO (e.g. about 50 times lower for the broad-band, survey sensitivity at 1 MeV after 5 years). The PACT telescope is based upon three main components: a silicon-based gamma-ray tracker, a crystal-based calorimeter (e.g. CeBr3), and an anticoincidence detector made of plastic scintillator panels. Prototypes of the Silicon detector planes have been optimized and are currently tested in the APC laboratory.

X-ray inverse Compton emission from the radio halo of M87. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, P. A. D.

1985-01-01

M87 has been observed in the 0.2-4 KeV X-ray band using the High Resolution Imager on the Einstein Observatory, and at 1.452 GHz using the Very Large Array. The radio map showed that the halo contained prominent asymmetries to the east and southwest. The X-ray map indicated similar asymmetries, but they were imbedded in the diffuse hot gas that surrounds the core out to a radius of several arcminutes. The hot X-ray emitting gas was assumed to be spherically symmetric and could, therefore, be subtracted from the image. The resultant image was asymmetric with major lobes to the east and southwest that coincide approximately with the asymmetries in the radio halo. The data indicates that inverse Compton emission is a plausible model for the X-rays coming from the asymmetric component.

Densitometry and temperature measurement of combustion gas by X-ray Compton scattering

PubMed Central

Sakurai, Hiroshi; Kawahara, Nobuyuki; Itou, Masayoshi; Tomita, Eiji; Suzuki, Kosuke; Sakurai, Yoshiharu

2016-01-01

Measurement of combustion gas by high-energy X-ray Compton scattering is reported. The intensity of Compton-scattered X-rays has shown a position dependence across the flame of the combustion gas, allowing us to estimate the temperature distribution of the combustion flame. The energy spectra of Compton-scattered X-rays have revealed a significant difference across the combustion reaction zone, which enables us to detect the combustion reaction. These results demonstrate that high-energy X-ray Compton scattering can be employed as an in situ technique to probe inside a combustion reaction. PMID:26917151

Densitometry and temperature measurement of combustion gas by X-ray Compton scattering.

PubMed

Sakurai, Hiroshi; Kawahara, Nobuyuki; Itou, Masayoshi; Tomita, Eiji; Suzuki, Kosuke; Sakurai, Yoshiharu

2016-03-01

Measurement of combustion gas by high-energy X-ray Compton scattering is reported. The intensity of Compton-scattered X-rays has shown a position dependence across the flame of the combustion gas, allowing us to estimate the temperature distribution of the combustion flame. The energy spectra of Compton-scattered X-rays have revealed a significant difference across the combustion reaction zone, which enables us to detect the combustion reaction. These results demonstrate that high-energy X-ray Compton scattering can be employed as an in situ technique to probe inside a combustion reaction.

Compton suppression in BEGe detectors by digital pulse shape analysis.

PubMed

Mi, Yu-Hao; Ma, Hao; Zeng, Zhi; Cheng, Jian-Ping; Li, Jun-Li; Zhang, Hui

2017-03-01

A new method of pulse shape discrimination (PSD) for BEGe detectors is developed to suppress Compton-continuum by digital pulse shape analysis (PSA), which helps reduce the Compton background level in gamma ray spectrometry. A decision parameter related to the rise time of a pulse shape was presented. The method was verified by experiments using 60 Co and 137 Cs sources. The result indicated that the 60 Co Peak to Compton ratio and the Cs-Peak to Co-Compton ratio could be improved by more than two and three times, respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurements of Rayleigh, Compton and resonant Raman scattering cross-sections for 59.536 keV γ-rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Prem; Mehta, D.; Singh, N.; Puri, S.; Shahi, J. S.

2004-09-01

The K-L and K-M resonant Raman scattering (RRS) cross-sections have been measured for the first time at the 59.536 keV photon energy in the 70Yb ( BK=61.332 keV), 71Lu ( BK=63.316 keV) and 72Hf ( BK=65.345 keV) elements; BK being the K-shell binding energy. The K-L and K-M RRS measurements have been performed at the 59° and 133° angles, respectively, to avoid interference of the Compton-scatter peak. The Rayleigh and Compton scattering cross-sections for the 59.536 keV γ-rays have also been measured at both the angles in the atomic region 1⩽ Z⩽92. Measurements were performed using the reflection-mode geometrical arrangements involving the 241Am radioisotope as photon source and planar Si(Li) and HPGe detectors. Ratios of the K-M and K-L RRS cross-sections in Yb, Lu and Hf are in general lower than that of the fluorescent Kβ 1,3,5 (K-M) and Kα (K-L) X-ray transition probabilities. Theoretical Rayleigh scattering cross-sections based on the modified form-factors (MFs) corrected for the anomalous scattering factors (ASFs) and the S-matrix calculations are on an average ˜15% and ˜6% higher, respectively, at the 133° angle and exhibit good agreement with the measured data at the 59° angle. Larger deviations ˜30% and ˜20%, respectively, are observed at the 133° angle for the 64Gd, 66Dy, 67Ho and 70Yb elements having the K-shell binding energy in vicinity of the incident photon energy. The measured Compton scattering cross-sections are in general agreement with those calculated using the Klein-Nishina cross-sections and the incoherent scattering function.

Hard X-Ray-emitting Black Hole Fed by Accretion of Low Angular Momentum Matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Igumenshchev, Igor V.; Illarionov, Andrei F.; Abramowicz, Marek A.

1999-05-01

Observed spectra of active galactic nuclei and luminous X-ray binaries in our Galaxy suggest that both hot (~109 K) and cold (~106 K) plasma components exist close to the central accreting black hole. The hard X-ray component of the spectra is usually explained by Compton upscattering of optical/UV photons from optically thick cold plasma by hot electrons. Observations also indicate that some of these objects are quite efficient in converting gravitational energy of accretion matter into radiation. Existing theoretical models have difficulties in explaining the two plasma components and high intensity of hard X-rays. Most of the models assume that the hot component emerges from the cold one because of some kind of instability, but no one offers a satisfactory physical explanation for this. Here we propose a solution to these difficulties that reverses what was imagined previously: in our model, the hot component forms first and afterward it cools down to form the cold component. In our model, the accretion flow initially has a small angular momentum, and thus it has a quasi-spherical geometry at large radii. Close to the black hole, the accreting matter is heated up in shocks that form because of the action of the centrifugal force. The hot postshock matter is very efficiently cooled down by Comptonization of low-energy photons and condensates into a thin and cool accretion disk. The thin disk emits the low-energy photons which cool the hot component. All the properties of our model, in particular the existence of hot and cold components, follow from an exact numerical solution of standard hydrodynamical equations--we postulate no unknown processes operating in the flow. In contrast to the recently discussed advection-dominated accretion flow, the particular type of accretion flow considered in this Letter is both very hot and quite radiatively efficient.

Possible Range of Viscosity Parameters to Trigger Black Hole Candidates to Exhibit Different States of Outbursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondal, Santanu; Chakrabarti, Sandip K.; Nagarkoti, Shreeram; Arévalo, Patricia

2017-11-01

In a two component advective flow around a compact object, a high-viscosity Keplerian disk is flanked by a low angular momentum and low-viscosity flow that forms a centrifugal, pressure-supported shock wave close to the black hole. The post-shock region that behaves like a Compton cloud becomes progressively smaller during the outburst as the spectra change from the hard state (HS) to the soft state (SS), in order to satisfy the Rankine-Hugoniot relation in the presence of cooling. The resonance oscillation of the shock wave that causes low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) also allows us to obtain the shock location from each observed QPO frequency. Applying the theory of transonic flow, along with Compton cooling and viscosity, we obtain the viscosity parameter {α }{SK} required for the shock to form at those places in the low-Keplerian component. When we compare the evolution of {α }{SK} for each outburst, we arrive at a major conclusion: in each source, the advective flow component typically requires an exactly similar value of {α }{SK} when transiting from one spectral state to another (e.g., from HS to SS through intermediate states and the other way around in the declining phase). Most importantly, these {α }{SK} values in the low angular momentum advective component are fully self-consistent in the sense that they remain below the critical value {α }{cr} required to form a Keplerian disk. For a further consistency check, we compute the {α }{{K}} of the Keplerian component, and find that in each of the objects, {α }{SK} < {α }{cr} < {α }{{K}}.

Influence of higher harmonics of the undulator in X-ray polarimetry and crystal monochromator design.

PubMed

Marx-Glowna, Berit; Schulze, Kai S; Uschmann, Ingo; Kämpfer, Tino; Weber, Günter; Hahn, Christoph; Wille, Hans Christian; Schlage, Kai; Röhlsberger, Ralf; Förster, Eckhart; Stöhlker, Thomas; Paulus, Gerhard G

2015-09-01

The spectrum of the undulator radiation of beamline P01 at Petra III has been measured after passing a multiple reflection channel-cut polarimeter. Odd and even harmonics up to the 15th order, as well as Compton peaks which were produced by the high harmonics in the spectrum, could been measured. These additional contributions can have a tremendous influence on the performance of the polarimeter and have to be taken into account for further polarimeter designs.

Multiwavelength Observations of the Powerful Gamma-ray Quasar PKS 1510-089: Clues on the Jet Composition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kataoka, J.; Madejski, G.; Sikora, M.

2007-09-28

We present the results from a multiwavelength campaign conducted in August 2006 of the powerful {gamma}-ray quasar PKS 1510--089 (z = 0.361). This campaign commenced with a deep Suzaku observation lasting three days for a total exposure time of 120 ks, and continued with Swift monitoring over 18 days. Besides Swift observations, which sampled the optical/UV flux in all 6 UVOT filters as well as the X-ray spectrum in the 0.3--10 keV energy range, the campaign included ground-based optical and radio data, and yielded a quasi-simultaneous broad-band spectral energy distribution from 109 Hz to 1019 Hz. Thanks to its lowmore » instrumental background, the Suzaku observation provided a high S/N X-ray spectrum, which is well represented by an extremely hard power-law with photon index {Gamma}{approx_equal}1.2, augmented by a soft component apparent below 1 keV, which is well described by a black-body model with temperature kT {approx_equal}0.2 keV. Monitoring by Suzaku revealed temporal variability which is different between the low and high energy bands, again suggesting the presence of a second, variable component in addition to the primary power-law emission. We model the broadband spectrum of PKS 1510--089 assuming that the high energy spectral component results from Comptonization of infrared radiation produced by hot dust located in the surrounding molecular torus. In the adopted internal shock scenario, the derived model parameters imply that the power of the jet is dominated by protons but with a number of electrons/positrons exceeding a number of protons by a factor {approx} 10. We also find that inhomogeneities responsible for the shock formation, prior to the collision may produce bulk-Compton radiation which can explain the observed soft X-ray excess and possible excess at {approx} 18 keV. We note, however, that the bulk-Compton interpretation is not unique, and the observed soft excess could arise as well via some other processes discussed briefly in the text.« less

One-zone synchrotron self-Compton model for the core emission of Centaurus A revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petropoulou, M.; Lefa, E.; Dimitrakoudis, S.; Mastichiadis, A.

2014-02-01

Aims: We investigate the role of the second synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) photon generation to the multiwavelength emission from the compact regions of sources that are characterized as misaligned blazars. For this, we focus on the nearest high-energy emitting radio galaxy Centaurus A and we revisit the one-zone SSC model for its core emission. Methods: We have calculated analytically the peak luminosities of the first and second SSC components by first deriving the steady-state electron distribution in the presence of synchrotron and SSC cooling, and then by using appropriate expressions for the positions of the spectral peaks. We have also tested our analytical results against those derived from a numerical code where the full emissivities and cross-sections were used. Results: We show that the one-zone SSC model cannot account for the core emission of Centaurus A above a few GeV, where the peak of the second SSC component appears. We thus propose an alternative explanation for the origin of the high-energy (≳0.4 GeV) and TeV emission, where these are attributed to the radiation emitted by a relativistic proton component through photohadronic interactions with the photons produced by the primary leptonic component. We show that the required proton luminosities are not extremely high, i.e. ~1043 erg/s, provided that the injection spectra are modelled by a power law with a high value of the lower energy cutoff. Finally, we find that the contribution of the core emitting region of Cen A to the observed neutrino and ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray fluxes is negligible.

X-ray flaring in PDS 456 observed in a high-flux state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matzeu, G. A.; Reeves, J. N.; Nardini, E.; Braito, V.; Turner, T. J.; Costa, M. T.

2017-03-01

We present an analysis of a 190 ks (net exposure) Suzaku observation, carried out in 2007, of the nearby (z = 0.184) luminous (Lbol ˜ 1047 erg s-1) quasar PDS 456. In this observation, the intrinsically steep bare continuum is revealed compared to subsequent observations, carried out in 2011 and 2013, where the source is fainter, harder and more absorbed. We detected two pairs of prominent hard and soft flares, restricted to the first and second halves of the observation, respectively. The flares occur on time-scales of the order of ˜50 ks, which is equivalent to a light-crossing distance of ˜10 Rg in PDS 456. From the spectral variability observed during the flares, we find that the continuum changes appear to be dominated by two components: (I) a variable soft component (<2 keV), which may be related to the Comptonized tail of the disc emission, and (II) a variable hard power-law component (>2 keV). The photon index of the latter power-law component appears to respond to changes in the soft band flux, increasing during the soft X-ray flares. Here, the softening of the spectra, observed during the flares, may be due to Compton cooling of the disc corona induced by the increased soft X-ray photon seed flux. In contrast, we rule out partial covering absorption as the physical mechanism behind the observed short time-scale spectral variability, as the time-scales are likely too short to be accounted for by absorption variability.

The effect of relativistic Compton scattering on thermonuclear burn of pure deuterium fuel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ghasemizad, A.; Nazirzadeh, M.; Khanbabaei, B.

The relativistic effects of the Compton scattering on the thermonuclear burn-up of pure deuterium fuel in non-equilibrium plasma have been studied by four temperature (4T) theory. In the limit of low electron temperatures and photon energies, the nonrelativistic Compton scattering is valid and a convenient approximation, but in the high energy exchange rates between electrons and photons, is seen to break down. The deficiencies of the nonrelativistic approximation can be overcome by using the relativistic correction in the photons kinetic equation. In this research, we have utilized the four temperature (4T) theory to calculate the critical burn-up parameter for puremore » deuterium fuel, while the Compton scattering is considered as a relativistic phenomenon. It was shown that the measured critical burn-up parameter in ignition with relativistic Compton scattering is smaller than that of the parameter in the ignition with the nonrelativistic Compton scattering.« less

PKS 1954-388: RadioAstron Detection on 80,000 km Baselines and Multiwavelength Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, P. G.; Kovalev, Y. Y.; Ojha, R.; An, H.; Bignall, H.; Carpenter, B.; Hovatta, T.; Stevens, J.; Voytsik, P.; Andrianov, A. S.; Dutka, M.; Hase, H.; Horiuchi, S.; Jauncey, D. L.; Kadler, M.; Lisakov, M.; Lovell, J. E. J.; McCallum, J.; Müller, C.; Phillips, C.; Plötz, C.; Quick, J.; Reynolds, C.; Schulz, R.; Sokolovsky, K. V.; Tzioumis, A. K.; Zuga, V.

2017-04-01

We present results from a multiwavelength study of the blazar PKS 1954-388 at radio, UV, X-ray, and gamma-ray energies. A RadioAstron observation at 1.66 GHz in June 2012 resulted in the detection of interferometric fringes on baselines of 6.2 Earth-diameters. This suggests a source frame brightness temperature of greater than 2 × 1012 K, well in excess of both equipartition and inverse Compton limits and implying the existence of Doppler boosting in the core. An 8.4-GHz TANAMI VLBI image, made less than a month after the RadioAstron observations, is consistent with a previously reported superluminal motion for a jet component. Flux density monitoring with the Australia Telescope Compact Array confirms previous evidence for long-term variability that increases with observing frequency. A search for more rapid variability revealed no evidence for significant day-scale flux density variation. The ATCA light-curve reveals a strong radio flare beginning in late 2013, which peaks higher, and earlier, at higher frequencies. Comparison with the Fermi gamma-ray light-curve indicates this followed 9 months after the start of a prolonged gamma-ray high-state-a radio lag comparable to that seen in other blazars. The multiwavelength data are combined to derive a Spectral Energy Distribution, which is fitted by a one-zone synchrotron-self-Compton (SSC) model with the addition of external Compton (EC) emission.

Soft-photon emission effects and radiative corrections for electromagnetic processes at very high energies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gould, R. J.

1979-01-01

Higher-order electromagnetic processes involving particles at ultrahigh energies are discussed, with particular attention given to Compton scattering with the emission of an additional photon (double Compton scattering). Double Compton scattering may have significance in the interaction of a high-energy electron with the cosmic blackbody photon gas. At high energies the cross section for double Compton scattering is large, though this effect is largely canceled by the effects of radiative corrections to ordinary Compton scattering. A similar cancellation takes place for radiative pair production and the associated radiative corrections to the radiationless process. This cancellation is related to the well-known cancellation of the infrared divergence in electrodynamics.

Gate simulation of Compton Ar-Xe gamma-camera for radionuclide imaging in nuclear medicine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubov, L. Yu; Belyaev, V. N.; Berdnikova, A. K.; Bolozdynia, A. I.; Akmalova, Yu A.; Shtotsky, Yu V.

2017-01-01

Computer simulations of cylindrical Compton Ar-Xe gamma camera are described in the current report. Detection efficiency of cylindrical Ar-Xe Compton camera with internal diameter of 40 cm is estimated as1-3%that is 10-100 times higher than collimated Anger’s camera. It is shown that cylindrical Compton camera can image Tc-99m radiotracer distribution with uniform spatial resolution of 20 mm through the whole field of view.

Detection and Imaging of the Crab Nebula with the Nuclear Compton Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandstra, M. S.; Bellm, E. C.; Boggs, S. E.; Perez-Becker, D.; Zoglauer, A.; Chang, H.-K.; Chiu, J.-L.; Liang, J.-S.; Chang, Y.-H.; Liu, Z.-K.; Hung, W.-C.; Huang, M.-H. A.; Chiang, S. J.; Run, R.-S.; Lin, C.-H.; Amman, M.; Luke, P. N.; Jean, P.; von Ballmoos, P.; Wunderer, C. B.

2011-09-01

The Nuclear Compton Telescope (NCT) is a balloon-borne Compton telescope designed for the study of astrophysical sources in the soft gamma-ray regime (200 keV-20 MeV). NCT's 10 high-purity germanium crossed-strip detectors measure the deposited energies and three-dimensional positions of gamma-ray interactions in the sensitive volume, and this information is used to restrict the initial photon to a circle on the sky using the Compton scatter technique. Thus NCT is able to perform spectroscopy, imaging, and polarization analysis on soft gamma-ray sources. NCT is one of the next generation of Compton telescopes—the so-called compact Compton telescopes (CCTs)—which can achieve effective areas comparable to the Imaging Compton Telescope's with an instrument that is a fraction of the size. The Crab Nebula was the primary target for the second flight of the NCT instrument, which occurred on 2009 May 17 and 18 in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Analysis of 29.3 ks of data from the flight reveals an image of the Crab at a significance of 4σ. This is the first reported detection of an astrophysical source by a CCT.

Collective Evidence for Inverse Compton Emission from External Photons in High-Power Blazars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, Eileen T.; Fossati, Giovanni; Georganopoulos, Markos; Lister, Matthew L.

2012-01-01

We present the first collective evidence that Fermi-detected jets of high kinetic power (L(sub kin)) are dominated by inverse Compton emission from upscattered external photons. Using a sample with a broad range in orientation angle, including radio galaxies and blazars, we find that very high power sources (L(sub kin) > 10(exp 45.5) erg/s) show a significant increase in the ratio of inverse Compton to synchrotron power (Compton dominance) with decreasing orientation angle, as measured by the radio core dominance and confirmed by the distribution of superluminal speeds. This increase is consistent with beaming expectations for external Compton (EC) emission, but not for synchrotron self Compton (SSC) emission. For the lowest power jets (L(sub kin) < 10(exp 43.5) erg /s), no trend between Compton and radio core dominance is found, consistent with SSC. Importantly, the EC trend is not seen for moderately high power flat spectrum radio quasars with strong external photon fields. Coupled with the evidence that jet power is linked to the jet speed, this finding suggests that external photon fields become the dominant source of seed photons in the jet comoving frame only for the faster and therefore more powerful jets.

Doppler Broadening Calculations of Compton Scattering for Molecules, Plastics, Tissues, and Few Biological Materials in the X-Ray Region: An Analysis in Terms of Compton Broadening and Geometrical Energy Broadening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, D. V.; Cesareo, R.; Brunetti, A.; Gigante, G. E.; Akatsuka, T.; Takeda, T.; Itai, Y.

2004-09-01

Relativistic and nonrelativistic Compton profile cross sections for H, C, N, O, P, and Ca and for a few important biological materials such as water, polyethylene, lucite, polystyrene, nylon, polycarbonate, bakelite, fat, bone and calcium hydroxyapatite are estimated for a number of Kα x-ray energies and for 59.54 keV (Am-241) γ photons. Energy broadening and geometrical broadening (ΔG) is estimated by assuming θmin and θmax are symmetrically situated around θ=90°. FWHM of J(PZ) and FWHM of Compton energy broadening are evaluated at various incident photon energies. These values are estimated around the centroid of the Compton profile with an energy interval of 0.1 and 1.0 keV for 59.54 keV photons. Total Compton, individual shell, and Compton energy-absorption scattering cross sections are evaluated in the energy region from 0.005 to 0.5 MeV. It is an attempt to know the effect of Doppler broadening for single atoms, many of which constitute the biological materials.

Measuring the Coronal Properties of IC 4329A with NuSTAR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brenneman, L. W.; Madejski, G.; Fuerst, F.; Matt, G.; Elvis, M.; Harrison, F. A.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Boggs, S. E.; Christensen, F. E.; Craig, W. W.;

Fermi-Compton scattering due to magnetopause surface fluctuations in Jupiter's magnetospheric cavity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barbosa, D. D.

1981-01-01

The effects of boundary surface fluctuations on a spectrum of electromagnetic radiation trapped in a high Q (quality) cavity are considered. Undulating walls introduce small frequency shifts at reflection to the radiation, and it is argued that the process is entirely analogous to both Fermi (particle) acceleration and inverse Compton scattering. A Fokker-Planck formalism is pursued; it yields a diffusion equation in frequency for which the Green's function and steady-state solutions are found. Applying this analysis to the Jovian continuum radiation discovered by Voyager spacecraft, it is suggested that characteristic diffusion times are greater than 1 year, and that in order to account for the steep frequency spectra observed, an unidentified loss mechanism must operate in the cavity with a decay time constant approximately equal to the characteristic diffusion time divided by 28. A radiator-reactor model of the cavity is investigated to provide an estimate for the intrinsic luminosity of the low frequency (approximately 100 Hz) continuum source whose power is approximately 7 x 10 to the 6th W.

Constraints on the H˜ generalized parton distribution from deep virtual Compton scattering measured at HERMES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guidal, M.

2010-09-01

We have analyzed the longitudinally polarized proton target asymmetry data of the Deep Virtual Compton process recently published by the HERMES Collaboration in terms of Generalized Parton Distributions. We have fitted these new data in a largely model-independent fashion and the procedure results in numerical constraints on the accent="true">H˜Im Compton Form Factor. We present its t- and ξ-dependencies. We also find improvement on the determination of two other Compton Form Factors, HRe and HIm.

High flux, narrow bandwidth compton light sources via extended laser-electron interactions

DOEpatents

Barty, V P

2015-01-13

New configurations of lasers and electron beams efficiently and robustly produce high flux beams of bright, tunable, polarized quasi-monoenergetic x-rays and gamma-rays via laser-Compton scattering. Specifically, the use of long-duration, pulsed lasers and closely-spaced, low-charge and low emittance bunches of electron beams increase the spectral flux of the Compton-scattered x-rays and gamma rays, increase efficiency of the laser-electron interaction and significantly reduce the overall complexity of Compton based light sources.

The X-Ray Weakness of GPS Radio Galaxies: A Volume-Limited Complete Sample

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mushotzky, Richard F. (Technical Monitor); Siemiginowska, Aneta (Principal Investigator)

2004-01-01

The XMM observations of Mkn 668 have been analyzed. We found soft X-ray signatures of a hot plasma (kT approximately 10^7 approximately K) and a hard X-ray emission from the nucleus. The X-ray spectrum above 2.5 approximately keV is characterized by a very flat (observed photon index, Gamma approximately 0.5) power-law continuum, alongside with a strong Fe-K-alpha neutral iron fluorescent line (EW approximately 600 approximately eV). The best explanation for the origin of this high energy X-ray emission is in terms of the Compton-reflection of the nuclear emission. The primary X-ray emission is obscured by a Compton-thick (N_H approximately 10^24 approximately cm-2) matter which becomes transparent at higher energies. The observed above 2.5-keV X-rays are mostly due to reflection which is indicated by a strong Fe-K-alpha line. This represents the second hard X-ray detection of the GPS galaxy ever (the first one being 1345+125; O Dea et al. 2000). Interestingly, the both such trend is confirmed by our on going XMM-Newton observations of a larger GPS sample, it would lead us to looking into the question on how the dense nuclear environment impacts the nature and evolution of a GPS source, and more generally, on the history of radio power in the universe. The paper summarizing the results has been submitted to Astronomy and Astrophysics in December 2003.

AGN Obscuration Through Dusty Infrared Dominated Flows. 1; Radiation-Hydrodynamics Solution for the Wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorodnitsyn, A.; Bisnovatyi-Kogan. G. S.; Kallman, T.

2011-01-01

We construct a radiation-hydrodynamics model for the obscuring toroidal structure in active galactic nuclei. In this model the obscuration is produced at parsec scale by a dense, dusty wind which is supported by infrared radiation pressure on dust grains. To find the distribution of radiation pressure, we numerically solve the 2D radiation transfer problem in a flux limited diffusion approximation. We iteratively couple the solution with calculations of stationary 1D models for the wind, and obtain the z-component of the velocity. Our results demonstrate that for AGN luminosities greater than 0.1 L(sub edd) external illumination can support a geometrically thick obscuration via outflows driven by infrared radiation pressure. The terminal velocity of marginally Compton-thin models (0.2 < tau(sub T) < 0.6), is comparable to or greater than the escape velocity. In Compton thick models the maximum value of the vertical component of the velocity is lower than the escape velocity, suggesting that a significant part of our torus is in the form of failed wind. The results demonstrate that obscuration via normal or failed infrared-driven winds is a viable option for the AGN torus problem and AGN unification models. Such winds can also provide an important channel for AGN feedback.

An X-ray survey of variable radio bright quasars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henriksen, M. J.; Marshall, F. E.; Mushotzky, R. F.

1984-01-01

A sample consisting primarily of radio bright quasars was observed in X-rays with the Einstein Observatory for times ranging from 1500 to 5000 seconds. Detected sources had luminosities ranging from 0.2 to 41.0 x 10 to the 45th power ergs/sec in the 0.5 to 4.5 keV band. Three of the fourteen objects which were reobserved showed flux increases greater than a factor of two on a time scale greater than six months. No variability was detected during the individual observations. The optical and X-ray luminosities are correlated, which suggests a common origin. However, the relationship (L sub x is approximately L sub op to the (.89 + or - .15)) found for historic radio variables may be significantly different than that reported for other radio bright sources. Some of the observed X-ray fluxes were substantially below the predicted self-Compton flux, assuming incoherent synchrotron emission and using VLBI results to constrain the size of the emission region, which suggests relativistic expansion in these sources. Normal CIV emission in two of the sources with an overpredicted Compton component suggests that although they, like BL Lac objects, have highly relativistic material apparently moving at small angle to the line of sight, they have a smaller fraction of the continuum component in the beam.

X-ray nova MAXI J1828-249. Evolution of the broadband spectrum during its 2013-2014 outburst

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grebenev, S. A.; Prosvetov, A. V.; Burenin, R. A.; Krivonos, R. A.; Mescheryakov, A. V.

2016-02-01

Based on data from the SWIFT, INTEGRAL, MAXI/ISS orbital observatories, and the ground-based RTT-150 telescope, we have investigated the broadband (from the optical to the hard X-ray bands) spectrum of the X-ray nova MAXI J1828-249 and its evolution during the outburst of the source in 2013-2014. The optical and infrared emissions from the nova are shown to be largely determined by the extension of the power-law component responsible for the hard X-ray emission. The contribution from the outer cold regions of the accretion disk, even if the X-ray heating of its surface is taken into account, turns out to be moderate during the source's "high" state (when a soft blackbody emission component is observed in the X-ray spectrum) and is virtually absent during its "low" ("hard") state. This result suggests that much of the optical and infrared emissions from such systems originates in the same region of main energy release where their hard X-ray emission is formed. This can be the Compton or synchro-Compton radiation from a high-temperature plasma in the central accretion disk region puffed up by instabilities, the synchrotron radiation from a hot corona above the disk, or the synchrotron radiation from its relativistic jets.

CORONAL PROPERTIES OF THE SEYFERT 1.9 GALAXY MCG-05-23-016 DETERMINED FROM HARD X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY WITH NuSTAR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baloković, M.; Harrison, F. A.; Esmerian, C. J.

2015-02-10

Measurements of the high-energy cut-off in the coronal continuum of active galactic nuclei have long been elusive for all but a small number of the brightest examples. We present a direct measurement of the cut-off energy in the nuclear continuum of the nearby Seyfert 1.9 galaxy MCG-05-23-016 with unprecedented precision. The high sensitivity of NuSTAR up to 79 keV allows us to clearly disentangle the spectral curvature of the primary continuum from that of its reflection component. Using a simple phenomenological model for the hard X-ray spectrum, we constrain the cut-off energy to 116{sub −5}{sup +6} keV with 90% confidence.more » Testing for more complex models and nuisance parameters that could potentially influence the measurement, we find that the cut-off is detected robustly. We further use simple Comptonized plasma models to provide independent constraints for both the kinetic temperature of the electrons in the corona and its optical depth. At the 90% confidence level, we find kT{sub e} = 29 ± 2 keV and τ {sub e} = 1.23 ± 0.08 assuming a slab (disk-like) geometry, and kT{sub e} = 25 ± 2 keV and τ {sub e} = 3.5 ± 0.2 assuming a spherical geometry. Both geometries are found to fit the data equally well and their two principal physical parameters are correlated in both cases. With the optical depth in the τ {sub e} ≳ 1 regime, the data are pushing the currently available theoretical models of the Comptonized plasma to the limits of their validity. Since the spectral features and variability arising from the inner accretion disk have been observed previously in MCG-05-23-016, the inferred high optical depth implies that a spherical or disk-like corona cannot be homogeneous.« less

Neutron Compton scattering from selectively deuterated acetanilide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wanderlingh, U. N.; Fielding, A. L.; Middendorf, H. D.

With the aim of developing the application of neutron Compton scattering (NCS) to molecular systems of biophysical interest, we are using the Compton spectrometer EVS at ISIS to characterize the momentum distribution of protons in peptide groups. In this contribution we present NCS measurements of the recoil peak (Compton profile) due to the amide proton in otherwise fully deuterated acetanilide (ACN), a widely studied model system for H-bonding and energy transfer in biomolecules. We obtain values for the average width of the potential well of the amide proton and its mean kinetic energy. Deviations from the Gaussian form of the Compton profile, analyzed on the basis of an expansion due to Sears, provide data relating to the Laplacian of the proton potential.

Ultralow-dose, feedback imaging with laser-Compton X-ray and laser-Compton gamma ray sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barty, Christopher P. J.

Ultralow-dose, x-ray or gamma-ray imaging is based on fast, electronic control of the output of a laser-Compton x-ray or gamma-ray source (LCXS or LCGS). X-ray or gamma-ray shadowgraphs are constructed one (or a few) pixel(s) at a time by monitoring the LCXS or LCGS beam energy required at each pixel of the object to achieve a threshold level of detectability at the detector. An example provides that once the threshold for detection is reached, an electronic or optical signal is sent to the LCXS/LCGS that enables a fast optical switch that diverts, either in space or time the laser pulsesmore » used to create Compton photons. In this way, one prevents the object from being exposed to any further Compton x-rays or gamma-rays until either the laser-Compton beam or the object are moved so that a new pixel location may be illumination.« less

AstroSat /LAXPC Observation of Cygnus X-1 in the Hard State

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Misra, Ranjeev; Pahari, Mayukh; Yadav, J S

2017-02-01

We report the first analysis of data from AstroSat /LAXPC observations of Cygnus X-1 in 2016 January. LAXPC spectra reveals that the source was in the canonical hard state, represented by a prominent thermal Comptonization component having a photon index of ∼1.8 and high temperature of kT{sub e} > 60 keV along with weak reflection and possible disk emission. The power spectrum can be characterized by two broad lorentzian functions centered at ∼0.4 and ∼3 Hz. The rms of the low-frequency component decreases from ∼15% at around 4 keV to ∼10% at around 50 keV, while that of the high-frequencymore » one varies less rapidly from ∼13.5% to ∼11.5% in the same energy range. The time lag between the hard (20–40 keV) and soft (5–10 keV) bands varies in a step-like manner being nearly constant at ∼50 milliseconds from 0.3 to 0.9 Hz, decreasing to ∼8 milliseconds from 2 to 5 Hz and finally dropping to ∼2 milliseconds for higher frequencies. The time lags increase with energy for both the low and high-frequency components. The event mode LAXPC data allows for flux resolved spectral analysis on a timescale of 1 s, which clearly shows that the photon index increased from ∼1.72 to ∼1.80 as the flux increased by nearly a factor of two. We discuss the results in the framework of the fluctuation propagation model.« less

Constraints on the dark matter annihilation from Fermi-LAT observation of M31

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Zhengwei; Yuan, Qiang; Huang, Xiaoyuan

2016-12-01

Gamma-ray is a good probe of dark matter (DM) particles in the Universe. We search for the DM annihilation signals in the direction of the Andromeda galaxy (M31) using 7.5 year Fermi-LAT pass 8 data. Similar to Pshirkov et al. (2016), we find that there is residual excess emission from the direction of M31 if only the galactic disk as traced by the far infrared emission is considered. Adding a point-like source will improve the fitting effectively, although additional slight improvements can be found if an extended component such as a uniform disk or two bubbles is added instead. Takingmore » the far infrared disk plus a point source as the background model, we search for the DM annihilation signals in the data. We find that there is strong degeneracy between the emission from the galaxy and that from 10s GeV mass DM annihilation in the main halo with quark final state. However, the required DM annihilation cross section is about 10{sup −25}–10{sup −24} cm{sup 3}s{sup −1}, orders of magnitude larger than the constraints from observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies, indicating a non-DM origin of the emission. If DM subhalos are taken into account, the degeneracy is broken. When considering the enhancement from DM subhalos, the constraints on DM model parameters are comparable to (or slightly weaker than) those from the population of dwarf spheroidal galaxies. We also discuss the inverse Compton scattering component from DM annihilation induced electrons/positrons. For the first time we include an energy dependent template of the inverse Compton emission (i.e., a template cube) in the data analysis to take into account the effect of diffusion of charged particles. We find a significant improvement of the constraints in the high mass range of DM particles after considering the inverse Compton emission.« less

Suzaku Observations of Luminous Quasars: Revealing the Nature of High-Energy Blazar Emission in Low-level activity States

DOE PAGES

Abdo, A. A.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; ...

2010-05-21

We present the results from the Suzaku X-ray observations of five flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), namely PKS 0208–512, Q 0827+243, PKS 1127–145, PKS 1510–089, and 3C 454.3. Here, all these sources were additionally monitored simultaneously or quasi-simultaneously by the Fermi satellite in gamma rays and the Swift UVOT in the UV and optical bands, respectively. Here, we constructed their broadband spectra covering the frequency range from 10 14 Hz up to 10 25 Hz, and those reveal the nature of high-energy emission of luminous blazars in their low-activity states. The analyzed X-ray spectra are well fitted by a power-law modelmore » with photoelectric absorption. In the case of PKS 0208–512, PKS 1127–145, and 3C 454.3, the X-ray continuum showed indication of hardening at low energies. Moreover, when compared with the previous X-ray observations, we see a significantly increasing contribution of low-energy photons to the total X-ray fluxes when the sources are getting fainter. The same behavior can be noted in the Suzaku data alone. A likely explanation involves a variable, flat-spectrum component produced via inverse-Compton emission, plus an additional, possibly steady soft X-ray component prominent when the source gets fainter. This soft X-ray excess is represented either by a steep power-law (photon indices Γ ~ 3-5) or a blackbody-type emission with temperatures kT ~ 0.1-0.2 keV. We model the broadband spectra of the five observed FSRQs using synchrotron self-Compton and/or external-Compton radiation models. Lastly, our modeling suggests that the difference between the low- and high-activity states in luminous blazars is due to the different total kinetic power of the jet, most likely related to varying bulk Lorentz factor of the outflow within the blazar emission zone.« less

Discovery of Photon Index Saturation in the Black Hole Binary GRS 1915+105

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Titarchuk, Lev; Seifina, Elena

2009-01-01

We present a study of the correlations between spectral, timing properties and mass accretion rate observed in X-rays from the Galactic Black Hole (BH) binary GRS 1915+105 during the transition between hard and soft states. We analyze all transition episodes from this source observed with Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), coordinated with Ryle Radio Telescope (RT) observations. We show that broad-band energy spectra of GRS 1915+105 during all these spectral states can be adequately presented by two Bulk Motion Comptonization (BMC) components: a hard component (BMC1, photon index Gamma(sub 1) = 1.7 -- 3.0) with turnover at high energies and soft thermal component (BMC2, Gamma(sub 2) = 2.7 -- 4.2) with characteristic color temperature < or = 1 keV, and the red-skewed iron line (LAOR) component. We also present observable correlations between the index and the normalization of the disk "seed" component. The use of "seed" disk normalization, which is presumably proportional to mass accretion rate in the disk, is crucial to establish the index saturation effect during the transition to the soft state. We discovered the photon index saturation of the soft and hard spectral components at values of < or approximately equal 4.2 and 3 respectively. We present a physical model which explains the index-seed photon normalization correlations. We argue that the index saturation effect of the hard component (BMC1) is due to the soft photon Comptonization in the converging inflow close to 1311 and that of soft component is due to matter accumulation in the transition layer when mass accretion rate increases. Furthermore we demonstrate a strong correlation between equivalent width of the iron line and radio flux in GRS 1915+105. In addition to our spectral model components we also find a strong feature of "blackbody-like" bump which color temperature is about 4.5 keV in eight observations of the intermediate and soft states. We discuss a possible origin of this "blackbody-like" emission.

Systematic analysis of low/hard state RXTE spectra of GX 339–4 to constrain the geometry of the system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagri, Kalyani; Misra, Ranjeev; Rao, Anjali; Singh Yadav, Jagdish; Pandey, Shiv Kumar

2018-05-01

One of the popular models for the low/hard state of black hole binaries is that the standard accretion disk is truncated and the hot inner region produces, via Comptonization, hard X-ray flux. This is supported by the value of the high energy photon index, which is often found to be small, ∼ 1.7(< 2), implying that the hot medium is starved of seed photons. On the other hand, the suggestive presence of a broad relativistic Fe line during the hard state would suggest that the accretion disk is not truncated but extends all the way to the innermost stable circular orbit. In such a case, it is a puzzle why the hot medium would remain photon starved. The broad Fe line should be accompanied by a broad smeared reflection hump at ∼ 30 keV and it may be that this additional component makes the spectrum hard and the intrinsic photon index is larger, i.e. >2. This would mean that the medium is not photon deficient, reconciling the presence of a broad Fe line in the observed hard state. To test this hypothesis, we have analyzed the RXTE observations of GX 339–4 from the four outbursts during 2002–2011 and identify observations when the system was in the hard state and showed a broad Fe line. We have then attempted to fit these observationswith models,which include smeared reflection, to understandwhether the intrinsic photon index can indeed be large. We find that, while for some observations the inclusion of reflection does increase the photon index, there are hard state observations with a broad Fe line that have photon indices less than 2.

SOFT LAGS IN NEUTRON STAR kHz QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATIONS: EVIDENCE FOR REVERBERATION?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barret, Didier, E-mail: didier.barret@irap.omp.eu; CNRS, Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planetologie, 9 Av. colonel Roche, BP 44346, F-31028 Toulouse cedex 4

2013-06-10

High frequency soft reverberation lags have now been detected from stellar mass and supermassive black holes. Their interpretation involves reflection of a hard source of photons onto an accretion disk, producing a delayed reflected emission, with a time lag consistent with the light travel time between the irradiating source and the disk. Independently of the location of the clock, the kHz quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) emission is thought to arise from the neutron star boundary layer. Here, we search for the signature of reverberation of the kHz QPO emission, by measuring the soft lags and the lag energy spectrum of themore » lower kHz QPOs from 4U1608-522. Soft lags, ranging from {approx}15 to {approx}40 {mu}s, between the 3-8 keV and 8-30 keV modulated emissions are detected between 565 and 890 Hz. The soft lags are not constant with frequency and show a smooth decrease between 680 Hz and 890 Hz. The broad band X-ray spectrum is modeled as the sum of a disk and a thermal Comptonized component, plus a broad iron line, expected from reflection. The spectral parameters follow a smooth relationship with the QPO frequency, in particular the fitted inner disk radius decreases steadily with frequency. Both the bump around the iron line in the lag energy spectrum and the consistency between the lag changes and the inferred changes of the inner disk radius, from either spectral fitting or the QPO frequency, suggest that the soft lags may indeed involve reverberation of the hard pulsating QPO source on the disk.« less

Theoretical Compton profile anisotropies in molecules and solids. VI. Compton profile anisotropies and chemical binding

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matcha, R.L.; Pettitt, B.M.

1979-03-15

An interesting empirical relationship between zero point Compton profile anisotropies ..delta..J (0) and nuclear charges is noted. It is shown that, for alkali halide molecules AB, to a good approximation ..delta..J (0) =N ln(Z/sub b//Z/sub a/).

Compton Dry-Cask Imaging System

ScienceCinema

None

2017-12-09

The Compton-Dry Cask Imaging Scanner is a system that verifies and documents the presence of spent nuclear fuel rods in dry-cask storage and determines their isotopic composition without moving or opening the cask. For more information about this project, visit http://www.inl.gov/rd100/2011/compton-dry-cask-imaging-system/

Relativistic thermal plasmas - Effects of magnetic fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Araki, S.; Lightman, A. P.

1983-01-01

Processes and equilibria in finite, relativistic, thermal plasmas are investigated, taking into account electron-positron creation and annihilation, photon production by internal processes, and photon production by a magnetic field. Inclusion of the latter extends previous work on such plasmas. The basic relations for thermal, Comptonized synchrotron emission are analyzed, including emission and absorption without Comptonization, Comptonized thermal synchrotron emission, and the Comptonized synchrotron and bremsstrahlung luminosities. Pair equilibria are calculated, including approximations and dimensionless parameters, the pair balance equation, maximum temperatures and field strengths, and individual models and cooling curves.

On the line-shape analysis of Compton profiles and its application to neutron scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanelli, G.; Krzystyniak, M.

2016-05-01

Analytical properties of Compton profiles are used in order to simplify the analysis of neutron Compton scattering experiments. In particular, the possibility to fit the difference of Compton profiles is discussed as a way to greatly decrease the level of complexity of the data treatment, making the analysis easier, faster and more robust. In the context of the novel method proposed, two mathematical models describing the shapes of differenced Compton profiles are discussed: the simple Gaussian approximation for harmonic and isotropic local potential, and an analytical Gauss-Hermite expansion for an anharmonic or anisotropic potential. The method is applied to data collected by VESUVIO spectrometer at ISIS neutron and muon pulsed source (UK) on Copper and Aluminium samples at ambient and low temperatures.

High-energy emissions from the gamma-ray binary LS 5039

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takata, J.; Leung, Gene C. K.; Cheng, K. S.

2014-07-20

We study mechanisms of multi-wavelength emissions (X-ray, GeV, and TeV gamma-rays) from the gamma-ray binary LS 5039. This paper is composed of two parts. In the first part, we report on results of observational analysis using 4 yr data of the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Due to the improvement of instrumental response function and increase of the statistics, the observational uncertainties of the spectrum in the ∼100-300 MeV bands and >10 GeV bands are significantly improved. The present data analysis suggests that the 0.1-100 GeV emissions from LS 5039 contain three different components: (1) the first component contributes to <1more » GeV emissions around superior conjunction, (2) the second component dominates in the 1-10 GeV energy bands, and (3) the third component is compatible with the lower-energy tail of the TeV emissions. In the second part, we develop an emission model to explain the properties of the phase-resolved emissions in multi-wavelength observations. Assuming that LS 5039 includes a pulsar, we argue that emissions from both the magnetospheric outer gap and the inverse-Compton scattering process of cold-relativistic pulsar wind contribute to the observed GeV emissions. We assume that the pulsar is wrapped by two kinds of termination shock: Shock-I due to the interaction between the pulsar wind and the stellar wind and Shock-II due to the effect of the orbital motion. We propose that the X-rays are produced by the synchrotron radiation at the Shock-I region and the TeV gamma-rays are produced by the inverse-Compton scattering process at the Shock-II region.« less

Black Hole Mass Determination In the X-Ray Binary 4U 1630-47: Scaling of Spectral and Variability Characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seifina, Elena; Titarchuk, Lev; Shaposhnikov, Nikolai

2014-01-01

We present the results of a comprehensive investigation on the evolution of spectral and timing properties of the Galactic black hole candidate 4U 1630-47 during its spectral transitions. In particular, we show how a scaling of the correlation of the photon index of the Comptonized spectral component gamma with low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs), ?(sub L), and mass accretion rate, M, can be applied to the black hole mass and the inclination angle estimates.We analyze the transition episodes observed with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer and BeppoSAX satellites.We find that the broadband X-ray energy spectra of 4U 1630-47 during all spectral states can be modeled by a combination of a thermal component, a Comptonized component, and a red-skewed iron-line component. We also establish that gamma monotonically increases during transition from the low-hard state to the high-soft state and then saturates for high mass accretion rates. The index saturation levels vary for different transition episodes. Correlations of gamma versus ?(sub L) also show saturation at gamma (is) approximately 3. Gamma -M and gamma -?(sub L) correlations with their index saturation revealed in 4U 1630-47 are similar to those established in a number of other black hole candidates and can be considered as an observational evidence for the presence of a black hole in these sources. The scaling technique, which relies on XTE J1550-564, GRO 1655-40, and H1743-322 as reference sources, allows us to evaluate a black hole mass in 4U 1630-47 yielding M(sub BH) (is) approximately 10 +/- 0.1 solar masses and to constrain the inclination angle of i (is) approximately less than 70 deg.

THE X-RAY SPECTRUM OF THE COOLING-FLOW QUASAR H1821+643: A MASSIVE BLACK HOLE FEEDING OFF THE INTRACLUSTER MEDIUM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reynolds, Christopher S.; Lohfink, Anne M.; Babul, Arif

2014-09-10

We present a deep Suzaku observation of H1821+643, an extremely rare example of a powerful quasar hosted by the central massive galaxy of a rich cooling-core cluster of galaxies. Informed by previous Chandra studies of the cluster, we achieve a spectral separation of emission from the active galactic nucleus (AGN) and the intracluster medium (ICM). With a high degree of confidence, we identify the signatures of X-ray reflection/reprocessing by cold and slowly moving material in the AGN's immediate environment. The iron abundance of this matter is found to be significantly sub-solar (Z ≈ 0.4 Z {sub ☉}), an unusual findingmore » for powerful AGN but in line with the idea that this quasar is feeding from the ICM via a Compton-induced cooling flow. We also find a subtle soft excess that can be described phenomenologically (with an additional blackbody component) or as ionized X-ray reflection from the inner regions of a high inclination (i ≈ 57°) accretion disk around a spinning (a > 0.4) black hole. We describe how the ionization state of the accretion disk can be used to constrain the Eddington fraction of the source. Applying these arguments to our spectrum implies an Eddington fraction of 0.25-0.5, with an associated black hole mass of 3--6×10{sup 9} M{sub ⊙}.« less

Gamma-Ray Spectra and Variability of Cygnus Z-1 Observed by BATSE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ling, J. C.; Wheaton, William A.; Wallyn, P.; Mahoney, W. .; Paciesas, W. S.; Harmon, B. A.; Fishman, G. J.; Zhang, S. N.; Hua, X. M.

1998-01-01

We present new BATSE earth occultation observations of the 25 keV-1.8 MeV spectrum and variability of Cygnus X-1 made between August 1993 and May 1994. We observed that the normal soft gamma ray spectrum (gamma2) of Cygnus X-1 has two components: a Comptonized part seen below 300 keV, and a high-energy tail in the 0.3 - 2 MeV range. We interpret it in terms of a two-layer region, consisting of a high-energy core (with an equivalent electron temperature of approximately 210-250 keV) near the event horizon, embedded in an about 50 keV corona. In this scenario, the observed 25-300 keV photons were produced by Compton scattering of soft photons (about 0.5 keV) by the hot electrons in the outer corona. These same hard x rays were further up-scattered by a population of energetic electrons in the inner core, producing the spectral tail above 300 keV. Cygnus X-1 went through an extended sequence of transitions between August 1993 and May 1994, when the 45-140 keV flux first decreased steadily from approximately gamma2 to roughly one-quarter of its intensity over a period of about 140 days. The flux remained at this low level for about 40 days before returning, swiftly (approximately 20 days) to approximately the initial gamma2 level. During the transition, the spectrum evolved to a shape consistent with either a power law with photon index of about 2.6 or a single temperature Compton model with electron temperature kT = 110 +/- 11 keV, and optical depth t = 0.40 +/- 0.06, and then returned essentially to the original gamma2 spectrum at the end of the active period. The overall cooling of the system during the low flux period may be due to an increase in the soft photon population which effectively quenched the hot electrons in these regions through Compton scattering.

Compton spectra of atoms at high x-ray intensity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Son, Sang-Kil; Geffert, Otfried; Santra, Robin

2017-03-01

Compton scattering is the nonresonant inelastic scattering of an x-ray photon by an electron and has been used to probe the electron momentum distribution in gas-phase and condensed-matter samples. In the low x-ray intensity regime, Compton scattering from atoms dominantly comes from bound electrons in neutral atoms, neglecting contributions from bound electrons in ions and free (ionized) electrons. In contrast, in the high x-ray intensity regime, the sample experiences severe ionization via x-ray multiphoton multiple ionization dynamics. Thus, it becomes necessary to take into account all the contributions to the Compton scattering signal when atoms are exposed to high-intensity x-ray pulses provided by x-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs). In this paper, we investigate the Compton spectra of atoms at high x-ray intensity, using an extension of the integrated x-ray atomic physics toolkit, xatom. As the x-ray fluence increases, there is a significant contribution from ionized electrons to the Compton spectra, which gives rise to strong deviations from the Compton spectra of neutral atoms. The present study provides not only understanding of the fundamental XFEL-matter interaction but also crucial information for single-particle imaging experiments, where Compton scattering is no longer negligible. , which features invited work from the best early-career researchers working within the scope of J. Phys. B. This project is part of the Journal of Physics series’ 50th anniversary celebrations in 2017. Sang-Kil Son was selected by the Editorial Board of J. Phys. B as an Emerging Leader.

Contribution of inner shell Compton ionization to the X-ray fluorescence line intensity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández, Jorge E.; Scot, Viviana; Di Giulio, Eugenio

2016-10-01

The Compton effect is a potential ionization mechanism of atoms. It produces vacancies in inner shells that are filled with the same mechanism of atomic relaxation as the one following photo-absorption. This contribution to X-ray fluorescence emission is frequently neglected because the total Compton cross-section is apparently much lower than the photoelectric one at useful X-ray energies. However, a more careful analysis suggests that is necessary to consider single shell cross sections (instead of total cross sections) as a function of energy. In this article these Compton cross sections are computed for the shells K, L1-L3 and M1-M5 in the framework of the impulse approximation. By comparing the Compton and the photoelectric cross-section for each shell it is then possible to determine the extent of the Compton correction to the intensity of the corresponding characteristic lines. It is shown that for the K shell the correction becomes relevant for excitation energies which are too high to be influent in X-ray spectrometry. In contrast, for L and M shells the Compton contribution is relevant for medium-Z elements and medium energies. To illustrate the different grades of relevance of the correction, for each ionized shell, the energies for which the Compton contribution reaches the extent levels of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100% of the photoelectric one are determined for all the elements with Z = 11-92. For practical applications it is provided a simple formula and fitting coefficients to compute average correction levels for the shells considered.

Gamma-Ray Spectra & Variability of Cygnus X-1 Observed by BATSE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ling, J. C.; Wheaton, A.; Wallyn, P.; Mahoney, W. A.; Paciesas, W. W.; Harmon, B. A.; Fishman, G. J.; Zhang, S. N.; Hua, X. M.

1996-01-01

We present new BATSE Earth occultation observations of the 25 keV-1.8 MeV spectrum and variability of Cygnus X-1 made between August 1993 and May 1994. We observed that the normal soft gamma-ray spectrum (gamma2) of Cygnus X-1 has two components: a Comptonized part seen below 30keV, and a high-energy tail in the 0.3-2 MeV range.

Polarization reconstruction algorithm for a Compton polarimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vockert, M.; Weber, G.; Spillmann, U.; Krings, T.; Stöhlker, Th

2018-05-01

We present the technique of Compton polarimetry using X-ray detectors based on double-sided segmented semiconductor crystals that were developed within the SPARC collaboration. In addition, we discuss the polarization reconstruction algorithm with particular emphasis on systematic deviations between the observed detector response and our model function for the Compton scattering distribution inside the detector.

The Nature and Cause of Spectral Variability in LMC X-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruhlen, L.; Smith, D. M.; Scank, J. H.

2011-01-01

We present the results of a long-term observation campaign of the extragalactic wind-accreting black-hole X-ray binary LMC X-1, using the Proportional Counter Array on the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The observations show that LMC X-1's accretion disk exhibits an anomalous temperature-luminosity relation. We use deep archival RXTE observations to show that large movements across the temperature-luminosity space occupied by the system can take place on time scales as short as half an hour. These changes cannot be adequately explained by perturbations that propagate from the outer disk on a viscous timescale. We propose instead that the apparent disk variations reflect rapid fluctuations within the Compton up-scattering coronal material, which occults the inner parts of the disk. The expected relationship between the observed disk luminosity and apparent disk temperature derived from the variable occultation model is quantitatively shown to be in good agreement with the observations. Two other observations support this picture: an inverse correlation between the flux in the power-law spectral component and the fitted inner disk temperature, and a near-constant total photon flux, suggesting that the inner disk is not ejected when a lower temperature is observed.

Spatial resolution measurements of the advanced radiographic capability x-ray imaging system at energies relevant to Compton radiography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hall, G. N.; Izumi, N.; Landen, O. L.

2016-08-03

Compton radiography provides a means to measure the integrity, ρR and symmetry of the DT fuel in an inertial confinement fusion implosion near peak compression. Upcoming experiments at the National Ignition Facility will use the ARC (Advanced Radiography Capability) laser to drive backlighter sources for Compton radiography experiments, and will use the newly commissioned AXIS (ARC X-ray Imaging System) instrument as the detector. AXIS uses a dual-MCP (micro channel plate) to provide gating and high DQE at the 40–200keV x-ray range required for Compton radiography, but introduces many effects that contribute to the spatial resolution. Here, experiments were performed atmore » energies relevant to Compton radiography to begin characterization of the spatial resolution of the AXIS diagnostic.« less

PKS 1954–388: RadioAstron detection on 80,000 km baselines and multiwavelength observations

DOE PAGES

Edwards, P. G.; Kovalev, Y. Y.; Ojha, R.; ...

2017-04-26

Here, we present results from a multiwavelength study of the blazar PKS 1954–388 at radio, UV, X-ray, and gamma-ray energies. A RadioAstron observation at 1.66 GHz in June 2012 resulted in the detection of interferometric fringes on baselines of 6.2 Earth-diameters. This suggests a source frame brightness temperature of greater than 2 × 10 12 K, well in excess of both equipartition and inverse Compton limits and implying the existence of Doppler boosting in the core. An 8.4-GHz TANAMI VLBI image, made less than a month after the RadioAstron observations, is consistent with a previously reported superluminal motion for amore » jet component. Flux density monitoring with the Australia Telescope Compact Array confirms previous evidence for long-term variability that increases with observing frequency. A search for more rapid variability revealed no evidence for significant day-scale flux density variation. The ATCA light-curve reveals a strong radio flare beginning in late 2013, which peaks higher, and earlier, at higher frequencies. Comparison with the Fermi gamma-ray light-curve indicates this followed ~ 9 months after the start of a prolonged gamma-ray high-state—a radio lag comparable to that seen in other blazars. The multiwavelength data are combined to derive a Spectral Energy Distribution, which is fitted by a one-zone synchrotron-self-Compton (SSC) model with the addition of external Compton (EC) emission.« less

The Si/CdTe semiconductor Compton camera of the ASTRO-H Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Shin; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Ichinohe, Yuto; Takeda, Shin`ichiro; Enoto, Teruaki; Fukuyama, Taro; Furui, Shunya; Genba, Kei; Hagino, Kouichi; Harayama, Atsushi; Kuroda, Yoshikatsu; Matsuura, Daisuke; Nakamura, Ryo; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Noda, Hirofumi; Odaka, Hirokazu; Ohta, Masayuki; Onishi, Mitsunobu; Saito, Shinya; Sato, Goro; Sato, Tamotsu; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Tanaka, Takaaki; Togo, Atsushi; Tomizuka, Shinji

2014-11-01

The Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD) is one of the instrument payloads onboard ASTRO-H, and will cover a wide energy band (60-600 keV) at a background level 10 times better than instruments currently in orbit. The SGD achieves low background by combining a Compton camera scheme with a narrow field-of-view active shield. The Compton camera in the SGD is realized as a hybrid semiconductor detector system which consists of silicon and cadmium telluride (CdTe) sensors. The design of the SGD Compton camera has been finalized and the final prototype, which has the same configuration as the flight model, has been fabricated for performance evaluation. The Compton camera has overall dimensions of 12 cm×12 cm×12 cm, consisting of 32 layers of Si pixel sensors and 8 layers of CdTe pixel sensors surrounded by 2 layers of CdTe pixel sensors. The detection efficiency of the Compton camera reaches about 15% and 3% for 100 keV and 511 keV gamma rays, respectively. The pixel pitch of the Si and CdTe sensors is 3.2 mm, and the signals from all 13,312 pixels are processed by 208 ASICs developed for the SGD. Good energy resolution is afforded by semiconductor sensors and low noise ASICs, and the obtained energy resolutions with the prototype Si and CdTe pixel sensors are 1.0-2.0 keV (FWHM) at 60 keV and 1.6-2.5 keV (FWHM) at 122 keV, respectively. This results in good background rejection capability due to better constraints on Compton kinematics. Compton camera energy resolutions achieved with the final prototype are 6.3 keV (FWHM) at 356 keV and 10.5 keV (FWHM) at 662 keV, which satisfy the instrument requirements for the SGD Compton camera (better than 2%). Moreover, a low intrinsic background has been confirmed by the background measurement with the final prototype.

Virtual Compton scattering off a spinless target in AdS/QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marquet, Cyrille; Roiesnel, Claude; Wallon, Samuel

2010-04-01

We study the doubly virtual Compton scattering off a spinless target γ* P → γ* P' within the Anti-de Sitter(AdS)/QCD formalism. We find that the general structure allowed by the Lorentz invariance and gauge invariance of the Compton amplitude is not easily reproduced with the standard recipes of the AdS/QCD correspondence. In the soft-photon regime, where the semi-classical approximation is supposed to apply best, we show that the measurements of the electric and magnetic polarizabilities of a target like the charged pion in real Compton scattering, can already serve as stringent tests.

Measurement and simulation of a Compton suppression system for safeguards application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Seung Kyu; Seo, Hee; Won, Byung-Hee; Lee, Chaehun; Shin, Hee-Sung; Na, Sang-Ho; Song, Dae-Yong; Kim, Ho-Dong; Park, Geun-Il; Park, Se-Hwan

2015-11-01

Plutonium (Pu) contents in spent nuclear fuels, recovered uranium (U) or uranium/transuranium (U/TRU) products must be measured in order to secure the safeguardability of a pyroprocessing facility. Self-induced X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) and gamma-ray spectroscopy are useful techniques for determining Pu-to-U ratios and Pu isotope ratios of spent fuel. Photon measurements of spent nuclear fuel by using high-resolution spectrometers such as high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors show a large continuum background in the low-energy region, which is due in large part to Compton scattering of energetic gamma rays. This paper proposes a Compton suppression system for reducing of the Compton continuum background. In the present study, the system was configured by using an HPGe main detector and a BGO (bismuth germanate: Bi4Ge3O12) guard detector. The system performances for gamma-ray measurement and XRF were evaluated by means of Monte Carlo simulations and measurements of the radiation source. The Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended (MCNPX) simulations were performed using the same geometry as for the experiments, and considered, for exact results, the production of secondary electrons and photons. As a performance test of the Compton suppression system, the peak-to-Compton ratio, which is a figure of merit to evaluate the gamma-ray detection, was enhanced by a factor of three or more when the Compton suppression system was used.

NuSTAR and Swift joint view of neutron star X-ray binary 4U 1728-34: disc reflection in the island and lower banana states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondal, Aditya S.; Pahari, Mayukh; Dewangan, G. C.; Misra, R.; Raychaudhuri, B.

2017-04-01

We analyse two simultaneous NuSTAR and Swift data of the Atoll-type neutron star (NS) X-ray binary 4U 1728-34 observed on 2013 October 1 and 3. We infer that the first and the second observations belong to the island state and the lower banana state, respectively. During island state, four type-I X-ray bursts are observed within 60 ks exposure. From the time-resolved spectral analysis of each burst with NuSTAR, the blackbody temperature kTbb are found to vary between 1.3 and 3.0 keV, while the blackbody normalizations (km/10 kpc)2 vary in the range 20-200, which translates to blackbody radii of 3.5-7.4 km for an assumed distance of 5 kpc. The persistent, joint energy spectra from Swift and NuSTAR for both observations in the energy band 1-79 keV are well described with thermal emission from the NS surface (kTbb ≃ 1-2.5 keV), Comptonized emission of thermal seed photons from the hot boundary layer/corona and the strong reflection component from the accretion disc. We detect a broad iron line in the 5-8 keV band and reflection hump in the 15-30 keV band modelled by the relxill reflection model. Joint spectral fitting constrains the inclination angle of the binary system and inner disc radius to be 22°-40° and (2.0-4.3) × RISCO, respectively. We estimate the magnetic field to be (1.8-6.5) × 108 G. The X-ray luminosity of the source during the island and lower banana states are found to be LX = 1.1 and 1.6 × 1037 erg s-1, respectively, which correspond to ˜6 per cent and ˜9 per cent of the Eddington luminosity.

Study of Compton suppression for use in spent nuclear fuel assay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bender, Sarah

The focus of this study has been to assess Compton suppressed gamma-ray detection systems for the multivariate analysis of spent nuclear fuel. This objective has been achieved using direct measurement of samples of irradiated fuel elements in two geometrical configurations with Compton suppression systems. In order to address the objective to quantify the number of additionally resolvable photopeaks, direct Compton suppressed spectroscopic measurements of spent nuclear fuel in two configurations were performed: as intact fuel elements and as dissolved feed solutions. These measurements directly assessed and quantified the differences in measured gamma-ray spectrum from the application of Compton suppression. Several irradiated fuel elements of varying cooling time from the Penn State Breazeale Reactor spent fuel inventory were measured using three Compton suppression systems that utilized different primary detectors: HPGe, LaBr3, and NaI(Tl). The application of Compton suppression using a LaBr3 primary detector to the measurement of the current core fuel element, which presented the highest count rate, allowed four additional spectral features to be resolved. In comparison, the HPGe-CSS was able to resolve eight additional photopeaks as compared to the standalone HPGe measurement. Measurements with the NaI(Tl) primary detector were unable to resolve any additional peaks, due to its relatively low resolution. Samples of Approved Test Material (ATM) commercial fuel elements were obtained from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The samples had been processed using the beginning stages of the PUREX method and represented the unseparated feed solution from a reprocessing facility. Compton suppressed measurements of the ATM fuel samples were recorded inside the guard detector annulus, to simulate the siphoning of small quantities from the main process stream for long dwell measurement periods. Photopeak losses were observed in the measurements of the dissolved ATM fuel samples because the spectra was recorded from the source in very close proximity to the detector and surrounded by the guard annulus, so the detection probability is very high. Though this configuration is optimal for a Compton suppression system for the measurement of low count rate samples, measurement of high count rate samples in the enclosed arrangement leads to sum peaks in both the suppressed and unsuppressed spectra and losses to photopeak counts in the suppressed spectra. No additional photopeaks were detected using Compton suppression with this geometry. A detector model was constructed that can accurately simulate a Compton suppressed spectral measurement of radiation from spent nuclear fuel using HPGe or LaBr3 detectors. This is the first detector model capable of such an accomplishment. The model uses the Geant4 toolkit coupled with the RadSrc application and it accepts spent fuel composition data in list form. The model has been validated using dissolved ATM fuel samples in the standard, enclosed geometry of the PSU HPGe-CSS. The model showed generally good agreement with both the unsuppressed and suppressed measured fuel sample spectra, however the simulation is more appropriate for the generation of gamma-ray spectra in the beam source configuration. Photopeak losses due to cascade decay emissions in the Compton suppressed spectra were not appropriately managed by the simulation. Compton suppression would be a beneficial addition to NDA process monitoring systems if oriented such that the gamma-ray photons are collimated to impinge the primary detector face as a beam. The analysis has shown that peak losses through accidental coincidences are minimal and the reduction in the Compton continuum allows additional peaks to be resolved. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Spectra of clinical CT scanners using a portable Compton spectrometer.

PubMed

Duisterwinkel, H A; van Abbema, J K; van Goethem, M J; Kawachimaru, R; Paganini, L; van der Graaf, E R; Brandenburg, S

2015-04-01

Spectral information of the output of x-ray tubes in (dual source) computer tomography (CT) scanners can be used to improve the conversion of CT numbers to proton stopping power and can be used to advantage in CT scanner quality assurance. The purpose of this study is to design, validate, and apply a compact portable Compton spectrometer that was constructed to accurately measure x-ray spectra of CT scanners. In the design of the Compton spectrometer, the shielding materials were carefully chosen and positioned to reduce background by x-ray fluorescence from the materials used. The spectrum of Compton scattered x-rays alters from the original source spectrum due to various physical processes. Reconstruction of the original x-ray spectrum from the Compton scattered spectrum is based on Monte Carlo simulations of the processes involved. This reconstruction is validated by comparing directly and indirectly measured spectra of a mobile x-ray tube. The Compton spectrometer is assessed in a clinical setting by measuring x-ray spectra at various tube voltages of three different medical CT scanner x-ray tubes. The directly and indirectly measured spectra are in good agreement (their ratio being 0.99) thereby validating the reconstruction method. The measured spectra of the medical CT scanners are consistent with theoretical spectra and spectra obtained from the x-ray tube manufacturer. A Compton spectrometer has been successfully designed, constructed, validated, and applied in the measurement of x-ray spectra of CT scanners. These measurements show that our compact Compton spectrometer can be rapidly set-up using the alignment lasers of the CT scanner, thereby enabling its use in commissioning, troubleshooting, and, e.g., annual performance check-ups of CT scanners.

How to Distinguish Neutron Star and Black Hole X-ray Binaries? Spectral Index and Quasi-Periodic Oscillation Frequency Correlation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Titarchuk, Lev; Shaposhnikov, Nickolai

2005-01-01

Recent studies have revealed strong correlations between 1-10 Hz frequencies of quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) and the spectral power law index of several Black Hole (BH) candidate sources when seen in the low/hard state, the steep power-law (soft) state, and in transition between these states. In the soft state these index-QPO frequency correlations show a saturation of the photon index GAMMA approximately equal to 2.7 at high values of the low frequency nu(sub L). This saturation effect was previously identified as a black hole signature. In this paper we argue that this saturation does not occur, at least for one neutron star (NS) source 4U 1728-34, for which the index GAMMA monotonically increases with nu(sub L) to the values of 6 and higher. We base this conclusion on our analysis of approximately 1.5 Msec of RXTE archival data for 4U 1728-34. We reveal the spectral evolution of the Comptonized blackbody spectra when the source transitions from the hard to soft states. The hard state spectrum is a typical thermal Comptonization spectrum of the soft photons which originate in the disk and the NS outer photospheric layers. The hard state photon index is GAMMA approximately 2. The soft state spectrum consists of two blackbody components which are only slightly Comptonized. Thus we can claim (as expected from theory) that in NS sources thermal equilibrium is established for the soft state. To the contrary in BH sources, the equilibrium is never established due to the presence of the BH horizon. The emergent BH spectrum, even in the high/soft state, has a power law component. We also identify the low QPO frequency nu(sub L) as a fundamental frequency of the quasi-spherical component of the transition layer (presumably related to the corona and the NS and disk magnetic closed field lines). The lower frequency nu(sub SL) is identified as the frequency of oscillations of a quasi-cylindrical configuration of the TL (presumably related to the NS and disk magnetic open field lines). We also show that the presence of Fe K(sub alpha), emission-line strengths, QPOs, and the link between them does not depend on radio flux in 4U 1728-34.

NuSTAR and XMM-Newton Observations of the 2015 Outburst Decay of GX 339-4

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stiele, H.; Kong, A. K. H., E-mail: hstiele@mx.nthu.edu.tw

The extent of the accretion disk in the low/hard state of stellar mass black hole X-ray binaries remains an open question. There is some evidence suggesting that the inner accretion disk is truncated and replaced by a hot flow, while the detection of relativistic broadened iron emission lines seems to require an accretion disk extending fully to the innermost stable circular orbit. We present comprehensive spectral and timing analyses of six Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array and XMM-Newton observations of GX 339–4 taken during outburst decay in the autumn of 2015. Using a spectral model consisting of a thermal accretion disk,more » Comptonized emission, and a relativistic reflection component, we obtain a decreasing photon index, consistent with an X-ray binary during outburst decay. Although we observe a discrepancy in the inner radius of the accretion disk and that of the reflector, which can be attributed to the different underlying assumptions in each model, both model components indicate a truncated accretion disk that resiles with decreasing luminosity. The evolution of the characteristic frequency in Fourier power spectra and their missing energy dependence support the interpretation of a truncated and evolving disk in the hard state. The XMM-Newton data set allowed us to study, for the first time, the evolution of the covariance spectra and ratio during outburst decay. The covariance ratio increases and steeps during outburst decay, consistent with increased disk instabilities.« less

Spectral Analysis of the Accretion Flow in NGC 1052 with Suzaku

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brenneman, L. W.; Weaver, K. A.; Kadler, M.; Tueller, J.; Marscher, A.; Ros, E.; Zensus,A.; Kovalev, Y. Y.; Aller, M.; Aller, H.;

GRO J1655-40: Early Stages of the 2005 Outburst

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaposhnikov, N.; Swank, Jean; Shrader, C. R.; Rupen, M.; Beckmann, V.; Markwardt, C. B.; Smith, D. A.

2007-01-01

The black-hole X-ray binary transient GRO J1655-40 underwent an outburst beginning in early 2005. We present the results of our multi-wavelength observational campaign to study the early outburst spectral and temporal evolution, which combines data from X-ray (RXTE, INTEGRAL), radio (VLA) and optical (ROTSE, SMARTS) instruments. During the reported period the source left quiescence and went through four major accreting black hole states: low-hard, hard intermediate, soft intermediate and high-soft. We investigated dipping behavior in the RXTE band and compare our results to the 1996-1997 case, when the source was predominantly in the high-soft state, finding significant differences. We consider the evolution of the low frequency quasi-periodic oscillations and find that the frequency strongly correlates with the spectral characteristics, before shutting off prior to the transition to the high-soft state. We model the broad-band high-energy spectrum in the context of empirical models, as well as more physically motivated thermal and bulk-motion Comptonization and Compton reflection models. RXTE and INTEGRAL data together support a statistically significant high energy cut-off in the energy spectrum at approximately equal to 100 - 200 keV during the low-hard state. The RXTE data alone also show it very significantly during the transition, but cannot see one in the high-soft state spectra. We consider radio, optical and X-ray connections in the context of possible synchrotron and synchrotron self-Compton origins of X-ray emission in low-hard and intermediate states. In this outburst of GRO J1655-40, the radio flux does not rise strongly with the X-ray flux.

The shape of the cosmic X-ray background: nuclear starburst discs and the redshift evolution of AGN obscuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gohil, R.; Ballantyne, D. R.

2018-04-01

A significant number of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are observed to be hidden behind dust and gas. The distribution of material around AGNs plays an important role in modelling the cosmic X-ray background (CXB), especially the fraction of type 2 AGNs (f2). One of the possible explanations for obscuration in Seyfert galaxies at intermediate redshifts is dusty starburst discs. We compute the two-dimensional (2D) hydrostatic structure of 768 nuclear starburst discs (NSDs) under various physical conditions and also the distribution of column density along the line of sight (NH) associated with these discs. Then the NH distribution is evolved with redshift by using the redshift-dependent distribution function of input parameters. Parameter f2 shows a strong positive evolution up to z = 2, but only a weak level of enhancement at higher z. The Compton-thin and Compton-thick AGN fractions associated with these starburst regions increase ∝ (1 + z)δ, where δ is estimated to be 1.12 and 1.45, respectively. The reflection parameter Rf associated with column density NH ≥ 1023.5 cm-2 extends from 0.13 at z = 0 to 0.58 at z = 4. A CXB model employing this evolving NH distribution indicates that more compact (Rout < 120 pc) NSDs provide a better fit to the CXB. In addition to `Seyfert-like' AGNs obscured by nuclear starbursts, we predict that 40-60 per cent of quasars must be Compton-thick to produce a peak of the CXB spectrum within the observational uncertainty. The predicted total number counts of AGNs in 8-24 keV bands are in fair agreement with observations from the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR).

First NuSTAR observations of the BL Lac - type blazar PKS 2155-304: constraints on the jet content and distribution of radiating particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madejski, Grzegorz; Nalewajko, Krzysztof; Madsen, Kristin; Chiang, James; Balokovic, Mislav; Paneque, David; Furniss, Amy; NuSTAR Team

2017-01-01

Current scenarios for emission mechanisms operating in relativistic jets in AGN involve synchrotron emission for the radio through UV spectrum, and inverse Compton for hard X-rays through γ-rays, but the particle content of relativistic jets - whether they are dominated by proton-electron, or e +/e- plasma - has not been established. Our first hard X-ray observations with NuSTAR of the BL Lac type blazar PKS 2155-304, augmented by XMM-Newton data, reveal the 0.5-60 keV spectrum as best-described by a soft power law component dominating below 10 keV (photon index of 3 at 2 keV), and a hard power-law tail (index 2), dominating in the 20-60 keV range. The hard X-ray tail can be smoothly joined to the quasi-simultaneous Fermi/LAT γ-ray spectrum by a synchrotron self-Compton component produced by an electron distribution with index p =2.2. The jet content needs to (globally) obey charge neutrality; assuming that the power-law electron distribution extends down to the Lorentz factor of 1, and one proton per electron, yields an unrealistically high total jet power of 1047 erg/s. This can be reduced by two orders of magnitude by considering a significant presence of e +/e- pairs with lepton-to-proton ratio of at least 30.

Time-dependent disk accretion in X-ray Nova MUSCAE 1991

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mineshige, Shin; Hirano, Akira; Kitamoto, Shunji; Yamada, Tatsuya T.; Fukue, Jun

1994-05-01

We propose a new model for X-ray spectral fitting of binary black hole candidates. In this model, it is assumed that X-ray spectra are composed of a Comptonized blackbody (hard component) and a disk blackbody spectra (soft component), in which the temperature gradient of the disk, q identically equal to -d log T/d log r, is left as a fitting parameter. With this model, we have fitted X-ray spectra of X-ray Nova Muscae 1991 obtained by Ginga. The fitting shows that a hot cloud, which Compton up-scatters soft photons from the disk, gradually shrank and became transparent after the main peak. The temperature gradient turns out to be fairly constant and is q approximately 0.75, the value expected for a Newtonian disk model. To reproduce this value with a relativistic disk model, a small inclination angle, i approximately equal to 0 deg to 15 deg, is required. It seems, however, that the q-value temporarily decreased below 0.75 at the main flare, and q increased in a transient fashion at the second peak (or the reflare) occurring approximately 70 days after the main peak. Although statistics are poor, these results, if real, would indicate that the disk brightening responsible for the main and secondary peaks are initiated in the relatively inner portions of the disk.

Unequal Pieces of a Shrinking Pie: The Struggle between African Americans and Latinos over Education, Employment, and Empowerment in Compton, California

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Straus, Emily E.

2009-01-01

This article discusses the role of education within communities and underscores the changing nature of minority groups in the United States. It specifically examines the struggle between African Americans and Latinos over education, employment, and empowerment in Compton, California. The story of Compton and its school district exposes…

Modulated method for efficient, narrow-bandwidth, laser Compton X-ray and gamma-ray sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barty, Christopher P. J.

A method of x-ray and gamma-ray generation via laser Compton scattering uses the interaction of a specially-formatted, highly modulated, long duration, laser pulse with a high-frequency train of high-brightness electron bunches to both create narrow bandwidth x-ray and gamma-ray sources and significantly increase the laser to Compton photon conversion efficiency.

Method for efficient, narrow-bandwidth, laser compton x-ray and gamma-ray sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barty, Christopher P. J.

A method of x-ray and gamma-ray generation via laser Compton scattering uses the interaction of a specially-formatted, highly modulated, long duration, laser pulse with a high-frequency train of high-brightness electron bunches to both create narrow bandwidth x-ray and gamma-ray sources and significantly increase the laser to Compton photon conversion efficiency.

Kinematics of the Elastic Scattering of $gamma$ in Hydrogen (Compton Effecte Between 300 and 1500 Mev; CINEMATICA DELLA DIFFUSIONE ELASTICA DI $gamma$ IN IDROGENO (EFFETTO COMPTON) TRA 300 E 1500 MEV

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Salvadori, P.

1962-10-31

The proton (p ) and gamma energy and angular distributions from the elastic (Compton) interaction p + gamma -- p + gamma are calculated. The results are tabulated for 25-Mev gamma increments, from 300 to 1500 Mev. (T.F.H.)

Determination of Rest Mass Energy of the Electron by a Compton Scattering Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prasannakumar, S.; Krishnaveni, S.; Umesh, T. K.

2012-01-01

We report here a simple Compton scattering experiment which may be carried out in graduate and undergraduate laboratories to determine the rest mass energy of the electron. In the present experiment, we have measured the energies of the Compton scattered gamma rays with a NaI(Tl) gamma ray spectrometer coupled to a 1 K multichannel analyzer at…

G. E. M. Jauncey and the Compton Effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkin, John

In late 1922 Arthur Holly Compton (1892-1962) discovered that an X-ray quantum of radiation undergoes a discrete change in wavelength when it experiences a billiard-ball collision with a single atomic electron, a phenomenon that became known as the Compton effect and for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for 1927. But for more than five years before he made his discovery, Compton had analyzed X-ray scattering in terms of classical electrodynamics. I suggest that his colleague at Washington University in St. Louis, G. E. M. Jauncey (1888-1947), helped materially to persuade him to embrace the quantum interpretation of his X-ray scattering experiments.

Development of compact Compton camera for 3D image reconstruction of radioactive contamination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Y.; Terasaka, Y.; Ozawa, S.; Nakamura Miyamura, H.; Kaburagi, M.; Tanifuji, Y.; Kawabata, K.; Torii, T.

2017-11-01

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS), operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc., went into meltdown after the large tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011. Very large amounts of radionuclides were released from the damaged plant. Radiation distribution measurements inside FDNPS buildings are indispensable to execute decommissioning tasks in the reactor buildings. We have developed a compact Compton camera to measure the distribution of radioactive contamination inside the FDNPS buildings three-dimensionally (3D). The total weight of the Compton camera is lower than 1.0 kg. The gamma-ray sensor of the Compton camera employs Ce-doped GAGG (Gd3Al2Ga3O12) scintillators coupled with a multi-pixel photon counter. Angular correction of the detection efficiency of the Compton camera was conducted. Moreover, we developed a 3D back-projection method using the multi-angle data measured with the Compton camera. We successfully observed 3D radiation images resulting from the two 137Cs radioactive sources, and the image of the 9.2 MBq source appeared stronger than that of the 2.7 MBq source.

Generalized Parton Distributions of the nucleon from exclusive lepto- and photo-production of lepton pairs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boer, Marie

2017-09-01

Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) contain the correlation between the parton's longitudinal momentum and their transverse distribution. They are accessed through hard exclusive processes such as exclusive Compton processes, where two photons are exchanged with a quark of the nucleon, and at least one of them has a high virtuality. Exclusive Compton processes are considered ``golden'' channels, as the only non-perturbative part of the process corresponds to the GPDs. Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) corresponds to the lepto-production of a real photon and has been intensively studied in the past decade. We propose to access GPDs with the two other cases of exclusive Compton processes: Timelike Compton Scattering (TCS) corresponds to the photo-production of a lepton pair, and Double Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DDVCS) corresponds to the lepto-production of a lepton pair. The study of these two reactions is complementary to DVCS and will bring new constraints on our understanding of the nucleon structure, in particular for a tomographic interpretation of GPDs. We will discuss the interest of TCS and DDVCS in terms of GPD studies, and present the efforts held at Jefferson Lab for new experiments aiming at measuring TCS and DDVCS.

Measuring Multi-Megavolt Diode Voltages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, N. R.; Swanekamp, S. B.; Weber, B. V.; Commisso, R. J.; Hinshelwood, D. D.; Stephanakis, S. J.

2002-12-01

The voltage in high-power diodes can be determined by measuring the Compton electrons generated by the diode's bremsstrahlung radiation. This technique is implemented with a Compton-Hall (C-H) voltmeter that collimates the bremsstrahlung onto a Compton target and bends the emitted Compton electron orbits off to the side with an applied magnetic field off to Si pin diode detectors. Voltage is determined from the ratio of the Compton electron dose to the forward x-ray dose. The instrument's calibration and response are determined from coupled electron/photon transport calculations. The applicable voltage range is tuned by adjusting the position of the electron detector relative to the Compton target or by varying the magnetic field strength. The instrument was used to obtain time-dependent voltage measurements for a pinched-beam diode whose voltage is enhanced by an upstream opening switch. In this case, plasmas and vacuum electron flow from the opening switch make it difficult to determine the voltage accurately from electrical measurements. The C-H voltmeter gives voltages that are significantly higher than those obtained from electrical measurements but are consistent with measurements of peak voltage based on nuclear activation of boron-nitride targets.

The Peculiar Radio-loud Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy 1H 0323+342

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paliya, Vaidehi S.; Sahayanathan, S.; Parker, M. L.; Fabian, A. C.; Stalin, C. S.; Anjum, Ayesha; Pandey, S. B.

2014-07-01

We present a multiwavelength study of the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy (NLSy1) 1H 0323+342, detected by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. Multiband light curves show many orphan X-ray and optical flares having no corresponding γ-ray counterparts. Such anomalous variability behavior can be due to different locations of the emission region from the central source. During a large flare, a γ-ray flux doubling timescale as small as ~3 hr is noticed. We built spectral energy distributions (SEDs) during different activity states and modeled them using a one-zone leptonic model. The shape of the optical/UV component of the SEDs is dominated by accretion disk emission in all the activity states. In the X-ray band, significant thermal emission from the hot corona is inferred during quiescent and first flaring states; however, during subsequent flares, the nonthermal jet component dominates. The γ-ray emission in all the states can be well explained by inverse-Compton scattering of accretion disk photons reprocessed by the broad-line region. The source showed violent intra-night optical variability, coinciding with one of the high γ-ray activity states. An analysis of the overall X-ray spectrum fitted with an absorbed power-law plus relativistic reflection component hints at the presence of an Fe Kα line and returns a high black hole spin value of a = 0.96 ± 0.14. We argue that 1H 0323+342 possesses dual characteristics, akin to both flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and radio-quiet NLSy1 galaxies, though at a low jet power regime compared to powerful FSRQs.

A Long Look at MCG-5-23-16 with NuSTAR . I. Relativistic Reflection and Coronal Properties

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zoghbi, Abderahmen; Miller, J. M.; Matt, G.

MCG-5-23-16 was targeted in early 2015 with a half mega-second observing campaign using NuSTAR . Here we present the spectral analysis of these data sets along with an earlier observation and study the relativistic reflection and the primary coronal source. The data show strong reflection features in the form of both narrow and broad iron lines plus a Compton reflection hump. A cutoff energy is significantly detected in all exposures. The shape of the reflection spectrum does not change in the two years spanned by the observations, suggesting a stable geometry. A strong positive correlation is found between the cutoffmore » energy and both the hard X-ray flux and spectral index. The measurements imply that the coronal plasma is not at the runaway electron–positron pair limit, and instead contains mostly electrons. The observed variability in the coronal properties is driven by a variable optical depth. A constant heating-to-cooling ratio is measured, implying that there is a feedback mechanism in which a significant fraction of the photons cooling the corona are due to reprocessed hard X-rays.« less

A Long Look at MCG-5-23-16 with NuSTAR. I. Relativistic Reflection and Coronal Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zoghbi, Abderahmen; Matt, G.; Miller, J. M.; Lohfink, A. M.; Walton, D. J.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Garcia, J. A.; Stern, D.; Koss, M. J.; Farrah, D.;

A Compton scatter attenuation gamma ray spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Austin, W. E.

1972-01-01

A Compton scatter attenuation gamma ray spectrometer conceptual design is discussed for performing gamma spectral measurements in monodirectional gamma fields from 100 R per hour to 1,000,000 R per hour. Selectable Compton targets are used to scatter gamma photons onto an otherwise heavily shielded detector with changeable scattering efficiencies such that the count rate is maintained between 500 and 10,000 per second. Use of two sum-Compton coincident detectors, one for energies up to 1.5 MeV and the other for 600 keV to 10 MeV, will allow good peak to tail pulse height ratios to be obtained over the entire spectrum and reduces the neutron recoil background rate.

[Predicting Spectra of Accretion Disks Around Galactic Black Holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krolik, Julian H.

2004-01-01

The purpose of this grant was to construct detailed atmosphere solutions in order to predict the spectra of accretion disks around Galactic black holes. Our plan of action was to take an existing disk atmosphere code (TLUSTY, created by Ivan Hubeny) and introduce those additional physical processes necessary to make it applicable to disks of this variety. These modifications include: treating Comptonization; introducing continuous opacity due to heavy elements; incorporating line opacity due to heavy elements; adopting a disk structure that reflects readjustments due to radiation pressure effects; and injecting heat via a physically-plausible vertical distribution.

OV-104's RMS releases Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) during STS-37 deployment

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-04-07

Atlantis', Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104's, remote manipulator system (RMS) releases Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) during STS-37 deployment. Visible on the GRO as it drifts away from the RMS end effector are the four complement instruments: the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment (bottom); Imaging Compton Telescope (COMPTEL) (center); Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE) (top); and Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) (at four corners). GRO's solar array (SA) panels are extended and are in orbit configuration. View was taken through aft flight deck window which reflects some of the crew compartment interior.

Determination of Zn/Cu ratio and oligoelements in serum samples by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry for cancer diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcó P., L. M.; Jiménez, E.; Hernández C., E. A.; Rojas, A.; Greaves, E. D.

2001-11-01

The method of quantification using the Compton peak as an internal standard, developed in a previous work, was applied to the routine determination of Fe, Cu, Zn and Se in serum samples from normal individuals and cancer patients by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Samples were classified according to age and sex of the donor, in order to determine reference values for normal individuals. Results indicate that the Zn/Cu ratio and the Cu concentration could prove to be useful tools for cancer diagnosis. Significant differences in these parameters between the normal and cancer group were found for all age ranges. The multielemental character of the technique, coupled with the small amounts of sample required and the short analysis time make it a valuable tool in clinical analysis.

Compton scattering collision module for OSIRIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Gaudio, Fabrizio; Grismayer, Thomas; Fonseca, Ricardo; Silva, Luís

2017-10-01

Compton scattering plays a fundamental role in a variety of different astrophysical environments, such as at the gaps of pulsars and the stagnation surface of black holes. In these scenarios, Compton scattering is coupled with self-consistent mechanisms such as pair cascades. We present the implementation of a novel module, embedded in the self-consistent framework of the PIC code OSIRIS 4.0, capable of simulating Compton scattering from first principles and that is fully integrated with the self-consistent plasma dynamics. The algorithm accounts for the stochastic nature of Compton scattering reproducing without approximations the exchange of energy between photons and unbound charged species. We present benchmarks of the code against the analytical results of Blumenthal et al. and the numerical solution of the linear Kompaneets equation and good agreement is found between the simulations and the theoretical models. This work is supported by the European Research Council Grant (ERC- 2015-AdG 695088) and the Fundao para a Céncia e Tecnologia (Bolsa de Investigao PD/BD/114323/2016).

Spectral and timing properties of atoll source 4U 1705-44: LAXPC/AstroSat results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agrawal, V. K.; Nandi, Anuj; Girish, V.; Ramadevi, M. C.

2018-07-01

In this paper, we present the first results of spectral and timing properties of the atoll source 4U 1705-44 using ˜100 ks data obtained with the Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC) onboard AstroSat. The source was in the high soft state during our observations and traced out a banana track in the hardness intensity diagram (HID). We study the evolution of the power density spectra (PDS) and the energy spectra along the HID. PDS show the presence of a broad Lorentzian feature (peaked noise or PN) centred at 1-13 Hz and very low-frequency noise (VLFN). The energy spectra can be described by the sum of a thermal Comptonized component, a power-law and a broad iron line. The hard tail seen in the energy spectra is variable and contributes 4-30 per cent of the total flux. The iron line seen in this source is broad (FWHM ˜ 2 keV) and strong (EW ˜ 369-512 eV). Relativistic smearing in the accretion disc cannot explain the origin of this feature on its own and another mechanism is required, such as broadening by the Comptonization process in the external part of the `Comptonized corona'. A subtle and systematic evolution of the spectral parameters (optical depth, electron temperature etc.) is seen as the source moves along the HID. We study the correlation between the frequency of the PN and the spectral parameters. The PN frequency seems to be correlated with the strength of the corona. We discuss the implication of these results.

Evolution of Accretion Disc Geometry of GRS 1915+105 during its χ state as revealed by TCAF solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutta, Broja G.; Pal, Partha Sarathi; Chakrabarti, Sandip K.

2018-06-01

The evolution of the C-type low frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (LFQPOs) and associated time lag in transient black hole sources as a function of time can be explained by variation of the Compton cloud size in a Two Component Advective Flow solution (TCAF). A similar study of a persistent source, GRS 1915+105, has not been attempted. We fit the evolution of QPOs with propagatory oscillating shock (POS) solution for two sets of so-called χ-state observations and find that the shock steadily recedes with almost constant velocity when QPO frequency is decreasing and the spectrum is hardening. The shock moves inward with a constant velocity v0 = 473.0 cm s-1 and v0 = 400.0 cm s-1 respectively in these two cases, when the QPO frequency is increasing and the spectrum softens. This behavior is similar to what was observed in XTE J1550-564 during the 1998 outburst. The time lag measured at the QPO frequency varies in a similar way as the size of the Compton cloud. Most interestingly, in both the cases, the lag switches sign (hard lag to soft lag) at a QPO frequency of ˜2.3 - 2.5 Hz irrespective of the energy of photons. We find, at very low frequencies <1 Hz, the Comptonizing Efficiency (CE) increases with QPO frequency and at higher QPO frequencies the trend is opposite. The time lags become mostly positive at all energies when CE is larger than ˜0.85% for both the sources.

Very high-energy γ -ray observations of novae and dwarf novae with the MAGIC telescopes

DOE PAGES

Ahnen, M. L.

2015-10-01

In the last five years the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) instrument detected GeV γ-ray emission from five novae. The GeV emission can be interpreted in terms of an inverse Compton process of electrons accelerated in a shock. In this case it is expected that protons in the same conditions can be accelerated to much higher energies. Consequently they may produce a second component in the γ-ray spectrum at TeV energies.

Double Compton and Cyclo-Synchrotron in Super-Eddington Discs, Magnetized Coronae, and Jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKinney, Jonathan C.; Chluba, Jens; Wielgus, Maciek; Narayan, Ramesh; Sadowski, Aleksander

2017-05-01

Black hole accretion discs accreting near the Eddington rate are dominated by bremsstrahlung cooling, but above the Eddington rate, the double Compton process can dominate in radiation-dominated regions, while the cyclo-synchrotron can dominate in strongly magnetized regions like a corona or a jet. We present an extension to the general relativistic radiation magnetohydrodynamic code harmrad to account for emission and absorption by thermal cyclo-synchrotron, double Compton, bremsstrahlung, low-temperature opal opacities, as well as Thomson and Compton scattering. The harmrad code and associated analysis and visualization codes have been made open-source and are publicly available at the github repository website. We approximate the radiation field as a Bose-Einstein distribution and evolve it using the radiation number-energy-momentum conservation equations in order to track photon hardening. We perform various simulations to study how these extensions affect the radiative properties of magnetically arrested discs accreting at Eddington to super-Eddington rates. We find that double Compton dominates bremsstrahlung in the disc within a radius of r ˜ 15rg (gravitational radii) at hundred times the Eddington accretion rate, and within smaller radii at lower accretion rates. Double Compton and cyclo-synchrotron regulate radiation and gas temperatures in the corona, while cyclo-synchrotron regulates temperatures in the jet. Interestingly, as the accretion rate drops to Eddington, an optically thin corona develops whose gas temperature of T ˜ 109K is ˜100 times higher than the disc's blackbody temperature. Our results show the importance of double Compton and synchrotron in super-Eddington discs, magnetized coronae and jets.

Compton camera study for high efficiency SPECT and benchmark with Anger system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fontana, M.; Dauvergne, D.; Létang, J. M.; Ley, J.-L.; Testa, É.

2017-12-01

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is at present one of the major techniques for non-invasive diagnostics in nuclear medicine. The clinical routine is mostly based on collimated cameras, originally proposed by Hal Anger. Due to the presence of mechanical collimation, detection efficiency and energy acceptance are limited and fixed by the system’s geometrical features. In order to overcome these limitations, the application of Compton cameras for SPECT has been investigated for several years. In this study we compare a commercial SPECT-Anger device, the General Electric HealthCare Infinia system with a High Energy General Purpose (HEGP) collimator, and the Compton camera prototype under development by the French collaboration CLaRyS, through Monte Carlo simulations (GATE—GEANT4 Application for Tomographic Emission—version 7.1 and GEANT4 version 9.6, respectively). Given the possible introduction of new radio-emitters at higher energies intrinsically allowed by the Compton camera detection principle, the two detectors are exposed to point-like sources at increasing primary gamma energies, from actual isotopes already suggested for nuclear medicine applications. The Compton camera prototype is first characterized for SPECT application by studying the main parameters affecting its imaging performance: detector energy resolution and random coincidence rate. The two detector performances are then compared in terms of radial event distribution, detection efficiency and final image, obtained by gamma transmission analysis for the Anger system, and with an iterative List Mode-Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization (LM-MLEM) algorithm for the Compton reconstruction. The results show for the Compton camera a detection efficiency increased by a factor larger than an order of magnitude with respect to the Anger camera, associated with an enhanced spatial resolution for energies beyond 500 keV. We discuss the advantages of Compton camera application for SPECT if compared to present commercial Anger systems, with particular focus on dose delivered to the patient, examination time, and spatial uncertainties.

Fourier analysis of blazar variability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Finke, Justin D.; Becker, Peter A., E-mail: justin.finke@nrl.navy.mil

Blazars display strong variability on multiple timescales and in multiple radiation bands. Their variability is often characterized by power spectral densities (PSDs) and time lags plotted as functions of the Fourier frequency. We develop a new theoretical model based on the analysis of the electron transport (continuity) equation, carried out in the Fourier domain. The continuity equation includes electron cooling and escape, and a derivation of the emission properties includes light travel time effects associated with a radiating blob in a relativistic jet. The model successfully reproduces the general shapes of the observed PSDs and predicts specific PSD and timemore » lag behaviors associated with variability in the synchrotron, synchrotron self-Compton, and external Compton emission components, from submillimeter to γ-rays. We discuss applications to BL Lacertae objects and to flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), where there are hints that some of the predicted features have already been observed. We also find that FSRQs should have steeper γ-ray PSD power-law indices than BL Lac objects at Fourier frequencies ≲ 10{sup –4} Hz, in qualitative agreement with previously reported observations by the Fermi Large Area Telescope.« less

Observational Signatures of Black Holes: Spectral and Temporal Features of XTE J1550-564

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Titarchuk, Lev; Shrader, C. R.; White, Nicholas E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The theoretical predictions of the converging inflow, or Bulk-Motion Comptonization model are discussed and some predictions are compared to X- and gamma-ray observations of the high-soft state of Galactic black hole candidate XTE J1550+564. The approx. 10(exp 2)-Hz QPO phenomenon tends to be detected in the high-state at times when the bolometric luminosity surges and the hard-powerlaw spectral component is dominant. Furthermore, the power in these features increases with energy. We offer interpretation of this phenomenon, as oscillations of the innermost part of the accretion disk, which in turn supplies the seed photons for the converging inflow where the hard power-law is formed through Bulk Motion Comptonization (BMC). We further argue that the noted lack of coherence between intensity variations of the high-soft-state low and high energy bands is a natural consequence of our model, and that a natural explanation for the observed hard and soft lag phenomenon is offered. In addition, we address some criticisms of the BMC model supporting our claims with observational results.

The Structure and Emission Model of the Relativistic Jet in the Quasar 3C 279 Inferred From Radio To High-Energy Gamma-Ray Observations in 2008-2010

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2012-01-01

We present time-resolved broad-band observations of the quasar 3C 279 obtained from multiwavelength campaigns conducted during the first two years of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope mission. While investigating the previously reported gamma-ray/optical flare accompanied by a change in optical polarization, we found that the optical emission appears delayed with respect to the gamma-ray emission by about 10 days. X-ray observations reveal a pair of 'isolated' flares separated. by approx. 90 days, with only weak gamma-ray/optical counterparts. The spectral structure measured by Spitzer reveals a synchrotron component peaking in the mid-infrared band with a sharp break at the far-infrared band during the gamma-ray flare, while the peak appears in the mm/sub-mm band in the low state. Selected spectral energy distributions are fitted with leptonic models including Comptonization of external radiation produced in a dusty torus or the broad-line region. Adopting the interpretation of the polarization swing involving propagation of the emitting region along a curved trajectory, we can explain the evolution of the broad-band spectra during the gamma-ray flaring event by a shift of its location from approx. 1 pc to approx. 4 pc from the central black hole. On the other hand, if the gamma-ray flare is generated instead at sub-pc distance from the central black hole, the far-infrared break can be explained by synchrotron self-absorption. We also model the low spectral state, dominated by the mm/sub-mm peaking synchrotron component, and suggest that the corresponding inverse-Compton component explains the steady X-ray emission.

The structure and emission model of the relativistic jet in the quasar 3C 279 inferred from radio to high-energy γ-ray observations in 2008-2010

DOE PAGES

Hayashida, M.; Madejski, G. M.; Nalewajko, K.; ...

2012-07-16

Here, we present time-resolved broadband observations of the quasar 3C 279 obtained from multi-wavelength campaigns conducted during the first two years of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope mission. And, while investigating the previously reported γ-ray/optical flare accompanied by a change in optical polarization, we found that the optical emission appears to be delayed with respect to the γ-ray emission by about 10 days. X-ray observations reveal a pair of "isolated" flares separated by ~90 days, with only weak γ-ray/optical counterparts. The spectral structure measured by Spitzer reveals a synchrotron component peaking in the mid-infrared band with a sharp break atmore » the far-infrared band during the γ-ray flare, while the peak appears in the millimeter (mm)/submillimeter (sub-mm) band in the low state. Selected spectral energy distributions are fitted with leptonic models including Comptonization of external radiation produced in a dusty torus or the broad-line region. Furthermore, by adopting the interpretation of the polarization swing involving propagation of the emitting region along a curved trajectory, we can explain the evolution of the broadband spectra during the γ-ray flaring event by a shift of its location from ~1 pc to ~4 pc from the central black hole. On the other hand, if the γ-ray flare is generated instead at sub-pc distance from the central black hole, the far-infrared break can be explained by synchrotron self-absorption. We also model the low spectral state, dominated by the mm/sub-mm peaking synchrotron component, and suggest that the corresponding inverse-Compton component explains the steady X-ray emission.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hall, G. N., E-mail: hall98@llnl.gov; Izumi, N.; Landen, O. L.

Compton radiography provides a means to measure the integrity, ρR and symmetry of the DT fuel in an inertial confinement fusion implosion near peak compression. Upcoming experiments at the National Ignition Facility will use the ARC (Advanced Radiography Capability) laser to drive backlighter sources for Compton radiography experiments and will use the newly commissioned AXIS (ARC X-ray Imaging System) instrument as the detector. AXIS uses a dual-MCP (micro-channel plate) to provide gating and high DQE at the 40–200 keV x-ray range required for Compton radiography, but introduces many effects that contribute to the spatial resolution. Experiments were performed at energiesmore » relevant to Compton radiography to begin characterization of the spatial resolution of the AXIS diagnostic.« less

Electronic properties of Laves phase ZrFe{sub 2} using Compton spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bhatt, Samir, E-mail: sameerbhatto11@gmail.com; Kumar, Kishor; Ahuja, B. L.

First-ever experimental Compton profile of Laves phase ZrFe{sub 2}, using indigenous 20 Ci {sup 137}Cs Compton spectrometer, is presented. To analyze the experimental electron momentum density, we have deduced the theoretical Compton profiles using density functional theory (DFT) and hybridization of DFT and Hartree-Fock scheme within linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) method. The energy bands and density of states are also calculated using LCAO prescription. The theoretical profile based on local density approximation gives a better agreement with the experimental profile than other reported schemes. The present investigations validate the inclusion of correlation potential of Perdew-Zunger in predicting themore » electronic properties of ZrFe{sub 2}.« less

The Compton generator revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siboni, S.

2014-09-01

The Compton generator, introduced in 1913 by the US physicist A H Compton as a relatively simple device to detect the Earth's rotation with respect to the distant stars, is analyzed and discussed in a general perspective. The paper introduces a generalized definition of the generator, emphasizing the special features of the original apparatus, and provides a suggestive interpretation of the way the device works. To this end, an intriguing electromagnetic analogy is developed, which turns out to be particularly useful in simplifying the calculations. Besides the more extensive description of the Compton generator in itself, the combined use of concepts and methods coming from different fields of physics, such as particle dynamics in moving references frames, continuum mechanics and electromagnetism, may be of interest to both teachers and graduate students.

Application of Compton-suppressed self-induced XRF to spent nuclear fuel measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Se-Hwan; Jo, Kwang Ho; Lee, Seung Kyu; Seo, Hee; Lee, Chaehun; Won, Byung-Hee; Ahn, Seong-Kyu; Ku, Jeong-Hoe

2017-11-01

Self-induced X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a technique by which plutonium (Pu) content in spent nuclear fuel can be directly quantified. In the present work, this method successfully measured the plutonium/uranium (Pu/U) peak ratio of a pressurized water reactor (PWR)'s spent nuclear fuel at the Korea atomic energy research institute (KAERI)'s post irradiation examination facility (PIEF). In order to reduce the Compton background in the low-energy X-ray region, the Compton suppression system additionally was implemented. By use of this system, the spectrum's background level was reduced by a factor of approximately 2. This work shows that Compton-suppressed selfinduced XRF can be effectively applied to Pu accounting in spent nuclear fuel.

Maximum Likelihood Compton Polarimetry with the Compton Spectrometer and Imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowell, A. W.; Boggs, S. E.; Chiu, C. L.; Kierans, C. A.; Sleator, C.; Tomsick, J. A.; Zoglauer, A. C.; Chang, H.-K.; Tseng, C.-H.; Yang, C.-Y.; Jean, P.; von Ballmoos, P.; Lin, C.-H.; Amman, M.

2017-10-01

Astrophysical polarization measurements in the soft gamma-ray band are becoming more feasible as detectors with high position and energy resolution are deployed. Previous work has shown that the minimum detectable polarization (MDP) of an ideal Compton polarimeter can be improved by ˜21% when an unbinned, maximum likelihood method (MLM) is used instead of the standard approach of fitting a sinusoid to a histogram of azimuthal scattering angles. Here we outline a procedure for implementing this maximum likelihood approach for real, nonideal polarimeters. As an example, we use the recent observation of GRB 160530A with the Compton Spectrometer and Imager. We find that the MDP for this observation is reduced by 20% when the MLM is used instead of the standard method.

Analysis of X-ray spectral variability and black hole mass determination of the NLS1 galaxy Mrk 766

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giacchè, S.; Gilli, R.; Titarchuk, L.

2014-02-01

We present an XMM-Newton time-resolved spectral analysis of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 766. We analysed eight available observations taken between May 2000 and June 2005 with the EPIC-pn camera in order to investigate the X-ray spectral variability produced by changes in the mass accretion rate. The 0.2 - 10 keV spectra are extracted in time bins longer than 3 ks to have at least 3 × 104 net counts in each bin and then accurately trace the variations of the best-fit parameters of our adopted Comptonization spectral model. We tested a bulk-motion Comptonization (BMC) model which is in general applicable to any physical system powered by accretion onto a compact object, and assumes that soft seed photons are efficiently up-scattered via inverse Compton scattering in a hot and dense electron corona. The Comptonized spectrum has a characteristic power law shape, whose slope was found to increase for large values of the normalization of the seed component, which is proportional to the mass accretion rate ṁ (in Eddington units). Our baseline spectral model also includes a warm absorber lying on the line of sight and radiation reprocessing from the accretion disc or from outflowing matter in proximity to the central compact object. Our study reveals that the normalization-slope correlation, observed in Galactic black hole sources (GBHs), also holds for Mrk 766: variations of the photon index in the range Γ ~ 1.9-2.4 are indeed likely to be related to the variations of ṁ, as observed in X-ray binary systems. We finally applied a scaling technique based on the observed correlation to estimate the BH mass in Mrk 766. This technique is commonly and successfully applied to measure masses of GBHs, and this is the first time it has been applied in detail to estimate the BH mass in an AGN. We obtained a value of MBH = 1.26-0.77+1.00×106 M⊙, which is in very good agreement with that estimated by the reverberation mapping. Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

The Spectral Energy Distribution of Fermi bright blazars

DOE PAGES

Abdo, A. A.; Ackermann, M.; Agudo, I.; ...

2010-05-13

We have conducted a detailed investigation of the broadband spectral properties of the γ-ray selected blazars of the Fermi LAT Bright AGN Sample (LBAS). By combining our accurately estimated Fermi γ-ray spectra with Swift, radio, infra-red, optical, and other hard X-ray/γ-ray data, collected within 3 months of the LBAS data taking period, we were able to assemble high-quality and quasi-simultaneous spectral energy distributions (SED) for 48 LBAS blazars. The SED of these γ-ray sources is similar to that of blazars discovered at other wavelengths, clearly showing, in the usual log ν-log ν F ν representation, the typical broadband spectral signaturesmore » normally attributed to a combination of low-energy synchrotron radiation followed by inverse Compton emission of one or more components. Here, we have used these SED to characterize the peak intensity of both the low- and the high-energy components. The results have been used to derive empirical relationships that estimate the position of the two peaks from the broadband colors (i.e., the radio to optical, α ro, and optical to X-ray, α ox, spectral slopes) and from the γ-ray spectral index. Our data show that the synchrotron peak frequency (ν S peak) is positioned between 10 12.5 and 10 14.5 Hz in broad-lined flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and between 10 13 and 10 17 Hz in featureless BL Lacertae objects. We find that the γ-ray spectral slope is strongly correlated with the synchrotron peak energy and with the X-ray spectral index, as expected at first order in synchrotron-inverse Compton scenarios. However, simple homogeneous, one-zone, synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) models cannot explain most of our SED, especially in the case of FSRQs and low energy peaked (LBL) BL Lacs. More complex models involving external Compton radiation or multiple SSC components are required to reproduce the overall SED and the observed spectral variability. While more than 50% of known radio bright high energy peaked (HBL) BL Lacs are detected in the LBAS sample, only less than 13% of known bright FSRQs and LBL BL Lacs are included. This suggests that the latter sources, as a class, may be much fainter γ-ray emitters than LBAS blazars, and could in fact radiate close to the expectations of simple SSC models. We categorized all our sources according to a new physical classification scheme based on the generally accepted paradigm for Active Galactic Nuclei and on the results of this SED study. Since the LAT detector is more sensitive to flat spectrum γ-ray sources, the correlation between ν S peak and γ-ray spectral index strongly favors the detection of high energy peaked blazars, thus explaining the Fermi overabundance of this type of sources compared to radio and EGRET samples. Finally, this selection effect is similar to that experienced in the soft X-ray band where HBL BL Lacs are the dominant type of blazars.« less

The Spectral Energy Distribution of Fermi Bright Blazars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abdo, A. A.; Ackermann, M.; Agudo, I.; Ajello, M.; Aller, H. D.; Aller, M. F.; Angelakis, E.; Arkharov, A. A.; Axelsson, M.; Bach, U.;

On the origin of X-ray spectra in luminous blazars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sikora, Marek; Janiak, Mateusz; Nalewajko, Krzysztof

2013-11-26

Gamma-ray luminosities of some quasar-associated blazars imply jet powers reaching values comparable to the accretion power even if assuming very strong Doppler boosting and very high efficiency of gamma-ray production. With much lower radiative efficiencies of protons than of electrons, and the recent reports of very strong coupling of electrons with shock-heated protons indicated by particle-in-cell simulations, the leptonic models seem to be strongly favored over the hadronic ones. However, the electron-proton coupling combined with the external-radiation-Compton (ERC) models of gamma-ray production in leptonic models predict extremely hard X-ray spectra, with energy indices α x ~ 0. This is inconsistentmore » with the observed 2-10 keV slopes of blazars, which cluster around α x ~ 0.6. This problem can be resolved by assuming that electrons can be efficiently cooled down radiatively to non-relativistic energies, or that blazar spectra are entirely dominated by the synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) component up to at least 10 keV. Here, we show that the required cooling can be sufficiently efficient only at distances r < 0.03 pc. SSC spectra, on the other hand, can be produced roughly co-spatially with the observed synchrotron and ERC components, which are most likely located roughly at a parsec scale. We show that the dominant SSC component can also be produced much further than the dominant synchrotron and ERC components, at distances of gsim 10 pc. Hence, depending on the spatial distribution of the energy dissipation along the jet, one may expect to see γ-ray/optical events with either correlated or uncorrelated X-rays. In all cases the number of e +e – pairs per proton is predicted to be very low. The direct verification of the proposed SSC scenario, and particularly the question of the co-spatiality of the SSC component with other spectral components, requires sensitive observations in the hard X-ray band. Lastly, this is now possible with the deployment of the NuSTAR satellite, providing the required sensitivity to monitor the details of the hard X-ray spectra of blazars in the range where the ERC component is predicted to start dominating over the SSC component.« less

Black hole mass determination in the X-ray binary 4U 1630-47: Scaling of spectral and variability characteristics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seifina, Elena; Titarchuk, Lev; Shaposhnikov, Nikolai, E-mail: seif@sai.msu.ru, E-mail: titarchuk@fe.infn.it, E-mail: lev@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov, E-mail: nikolai.v.shaposhnikov@nasa.gov

2014-07-01

We present the results of a comprehensive investigation on the evolution of spectral and timing properties of the Galactic black hole candidate 4U 1630-47 during its spectral transitions. In particular, we show how a scaling of the correlation of the photon index of the Comptonized spectral component Γ with low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs), ν {sub L}, and mass accretion rate, M-dot , can be applied to the black hole mass and the inclination angle estimates. We analyze the transition episodes observed with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer and BeppoSAX satellites. We find that the broadband X-ray energy spectra of 4Umore » 1630-47 during all spectral states can be modeled by a combination of a thermal component, a Comptonized component, and a red-skewed iron-line component. We also establish that Γ monotonically increases during transition from the low-hard state to the high-soft state and then saturates for high mass accretion rates. The index saturation levels vary for different transition episodes. Correlations of Γ versus ν {sub L} also show saturation at Γ ∼ 3. Γ-- M-dot and Γ-ν {sub L} correlations with their index saturation revealed in 4U 1630-47 are similar to those established in a number of other black hole candidates and can be considered as an observational evidence for the presence of a black hole in these sources. The scaling technique, which relies on XTE J1550-564, GRO 1655-40, and H1743-322 as reference sources, allows us to evaluate a black hole mass in 4U 1630-47 yielding M {sub BH} ∼ 10 ± 0.1 solar masses and to constrain the inclination angle of i ≲ 70°.« less

Optimizing a three-stage Compton camera for measuring prompt gamma rays emitted during proton radiotherapy

PubMed Central

Peterson, S W; Robertson, D; Polf, J

2011-01-01

In this work, we investigate the use of a three-stage Compton camera to measure secondary prompt gamma rays emitted from patients treated with proton beam radiotherapy. The purpose of this study was (1) to develop an optimal three-stage Compton camera specifically designed to measure prompt gamma rays emitted from tissue and (2) to determine the feasibility of using this optimized Compton camera design to measure and image prompt gamma rays emitted during proton beam irradiation. The three-stage Compton camera was modeled in Geant4 as three high-purity germanium detector stages arranged in parallel-plane geometry. Initially, an isotropic gamma source ranging from 0 to 15 MeV was used to determine lateral width and thickness of the detector stages that provided the optimal detection efficiency. Then, the gamma source was replaced by a proton beam irradiating a tissue phantom to calculate the overall efficiency of the optimized camera for detecting emitted prompt gammas. The overall calculated efficiencies varied from ~10−6 to 10−3 prompt gammas detected per proton incident on the tissue phantom for several variations of the optimal camera design studied. Based on the overall efficiency results, we believe it feasible that a three-stage Compton camera could detect a sufficient number of prompt gammas to allow measurement and imaging of prompt gamma emission during proton radiotherapy. PMID:21048295

Three-dimensional imaging of flat natural and cultural heritage objects by a Compton scattering modality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerrero Prado, Patricio; Nguyen, Mai K.; Dumas, Laurent; Cohen, Serge X.

2017-01-01

Characterization and interpretation of flat ancient material objects, such as those found in archaeology, paleoenvironments, paleontology, and cultural heritage, have remained a challenging task to perform by means of conventional x-ray tomography methods due to their anisotropic morphology and flattened geometry. To overcome the limitations of the mentioned methodologies for such samples, an imaging modality based on Compton scattering is proposed in this work. Classical x-ray tomography treats Compton scattering data as noise in the image formation process, while in Compton scattering tomography the conditions are set such that Compton data become the principal image contrasting agent. Under these conditions, we are able, first, to avoid relative rotations between the sample and the imaging setup, and second, to obtain three-dimensional data even when the object is supported by a dense material by exploiting backscattered photons. Mathematically this problem is addressed by means of a conical Radon transform and its inversion. The image formation process and object reconstruction model are presented. The feasibility of this methodology is supported by numerical simulations.

Inverse Compton Scattered Merger-nova: Late X-Ray Counterpart of Gravitational-wave Signals from NS–NS/BH Mergers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ai, Shunke; Gao, He

2018-01-01

The recent observations of GW170817 and its electromagnetic (EM) counterparts show that double neutron star mergers could lead to rich and bright EM emissions. Recent numerical simulations suggest that neutron star and neutron star/black hole (NS–NS/BH) mergers would leave behind a central remnant surrounded by a mildly isotropic ejecta. The central remnant could launch a collimated jet and when the jet propagates through the ejecta, a mildly relativistic cocoon would be formed and the interaction between the cocoon and the ambient medium would accelerate electrons via external shock in a wide angle, so that the merger-nova photons (i.e., thermal emission from the ejecta) would be scattered into higher frequency via an inverse Compton (IC) process when they propagate through the cocoon shocked region. We find that the IC scattered component peaks at the X-ray band and it will reach its peak luminosity on the order of days (simultaneously with the merger-nova emission). With current X-ray detectors, such a late X-ray component could be detected out to 200 Mpc, depending on the merger remnant properties. It could serve as an important electromagnetic counterpart of gravitational-wave signals from NS–NS/BH mergers. Nevertheless, simultaneous detection of such a late X-ray signal and the merger-nova signal could shed light on the cocoon properties and the concrete structure of the jet.

AN INTEGRATED MODEL FOR THE PRODUCTION OF X-RAY TIME LAGS AND QUIESCENT SPECTRA FROM HOMOGENEOUS AND INHOMOGENEOUS BLACK HOLE ACCRETION CORONAE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kroon, John J.; Becker, Peter A., E-mail: jkroon@gmu.edu, E-mail: pbecker@gmu.edu

2016-04-20

Many accreting black holes manifest time lags during outbursts, in which the hard Fourier component typically lags behind the soft component. Despite decades of observations of this phenomenon, the underlying physical explanation for the time lags has remained elusive, although there are suggestions that Compton reverberation plays an important role. However, the lack of analytical solutions has hindered the interpretation of the available data. In this paper, we investigate the generation of X-ray time lags in Compton scattering coronae using a new mathematical approach based on analysis of the Fourier-transformed transport equation. By solving this equation, we obtain the Fouriermore » transform of the radiation Green’s function, which allows us to calculate the exact dependence of the time lags on the Fourier frequency, for both homogeneous and inhomogeneous coronal clouds. We use the new formalism to explore a variety of injection scenarios, including both monochromatic and broadband (bremsstrahlung) seed photon injection. We show that our model can successfully reproduce both the observed time lags and the time-averaged (quiescent) X-ray spectra for Cyg X-1 and GX 339-04, using a single set of coronal parameters for each source. The time lags are the result of impulsive bremsstrahlung injection occurring near the outer edge of the corona, while the time-averaged spectra are the result of continual distributed injection of soft photons throughout the cloud.« less

Compton-thick AGN at high and low redshift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akylas, A.; Georgantopoulos, I.; Corral, A.; Ranalli, P.; Lanzuisi, G.

2017-10-01

The most obscured sources detected in X-ray surveys, the Compton-thick AGN present great interest both because they represent the hidden side of accretion but also because they may signal the AGN birth. We analyse the NUSTAR observations from the serendipitous observations in order to study the Compton-thick AGN at the deepest possible ultra-hard band (>10 keV). We compare our results with our SWIFT/BAT findings in the local Universe, as well as with our results in the CDFS and COSMOS fields. We discuss the comparison with X-ray background synthesis models finding that a low fraction of Compton-thick sources (about 15 per cent of the obscured population) is compatible with both the 2-10keV band results and those at harder energies.

Compton imaging tomography for nondestructive evaluation of spacecraft thermal protection systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanov, Volodymyr; Burke, Eric; Grubsky, Victor

2017-02-01

Here we present new results of in situ nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of spacecraft thermal protection system materials obtained with POC-developed NDE tool based on a novel Compton Imaging Tomography (CIT) technique recently pioneered and patented by Physical Optics Corporation (POC). In general, CIT provides high-resolution three-dimensional Compton scattered X-ray imaging of the internal structure of evaluated objects, using a set of acquired two-dimensional Compton scattered X-ray images of consecutive cross sections of these objects. Unlike conventional computed tomography, CIT requires only one-sided access to objects, has no limitation on the dimensions and geometry of the objects, and can be applied to large multilayer non-uniform objects with complicated geometries. Also, CIT does not require any contact with the objects being imaged during its application.

A flow cell for measuring X-ray Compton scattering of liquid at temperatures up to 623 K and pressures up to 20 MPa

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ono, Takumi, E-mail: onot@scf.che.tohoku.ac.jp; Watanabe, Masaru; Sato, Yoshiyuki

2016-08-15

A flow-type cell was developed for measuring Compton scattering spectra of heat-sensitive aqueous solution. Compton scattering spectra of water and ethanol were measured in the region from ambient conditions to 623 K and 20 MPa. Compton profiles derived from measurement with the flow-type cell were comparable with those in the literature. Results obtained from the flow-type cell showed that delocalization of electronic charge density of water and ethanol at high temperatures occurred. Delocalization of the electronic charge density of ethanol was greater than that of water at high temperature, which is consistent with the prior works that use proton NMRmore » chemical shifts to describe hydrogen bonding.« less

Maximum Likelihood Compton Polarimetry with the Compton Spectrometer and Imager

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lowell, A. W.; Boggs, S. E; Chiu, C. L.

2017-10-20

Astrophysical polarization measurements in the soft gamma-ray band are becoming more feasible as detectors with high position and energy resolution are deployed. Previous work has shown that the minimum detectable polarization (MDP) of an ideal Compton polarimeter can be improved by ∼21% when an unbinned, maximum likelihood method (MLM) is used instead of the standard approach of fitting a sinusoid to a histogram of azimuthal scattering angles. Here we outline a procedure for implementing this maximum likelihood approach for real, nonideal polarimeters. As an example, we use the recent observation of GRB 160530A with the Compton Spectrometer and Imager. Wemore » find that the MDP for this observation is reduced by 20% when the MLM is used instead of the standard method.« less

Is the High-Energy Emission from Centaurus A Compton-Scattered Jet Radiation?

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-01-01

Is the High-Energy Emission from Centaurus A Compton-Scattered Jet Radiation? J. G. Skibo1, C. D. Dermer and R. L. Kinzer E. O. Hulburt Center for... Centaurus A is beamed radiation from the active nucleus which is Compton-scattered into our line- of-sight. We derive the spectrum and degree of...the scattering medium. We t the OSSE data from Centaurus A with this model and nd that if the scatterers are not moving relativistically, then the

Simulating the physical properties of dark matter and gas inside the cosmic web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolag, K.; Meneghetti, M.; Moscardini, L.; Rasia, E.; Bonaldi, A.

2006-08-01

Using the results of a high-resolution, cosmological hydrodynamical re-simulation of a supercluster-like region, we investigate the physical properties of the gas located along the filaments and bridges which constitute the so-called cosmic web. First, we analyse the main characteristics of the density, temperature and velocity fields, which have quite different distributions, reflecting the complex dynamics of the structure-formation process. Then we quantify the signals which originate from the matter in the filaments by considering different observables. Inside the cosmic web, we find that the halo density is about 10-14 times larger than cosmic mean; the bremsstrahlung X-ray surface brightness reaches at most 10-16 erg s-1 cm-2 arcmin-2 the Compton-y parameter due to the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect is about 10-6 the reduced shear produced by the weak lensing effect is ~0.01-0.02. These results confirm the difficulty of an observational detection of the cosmic web. Finally, we find that projection effects of the filamentary network can affect the estimates of the properties of single clusters, increasing their X-ray luminosity by less than 10 per cent and their central Compton-y parameter by up to 30 per cent.

On the Origin of the Soft X-ray excess in radio quiet AGN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrucci, P.; Ursini, F.; Cappi, M.; Bianchi, S.; Matt, G.; De Rosa, A.; Malzac, J.; Henri, G.

2016-06-01

Known since the 80s, the origin of the soft X-ray (< 2 keV) emission in excess to the high energy (2-10 keV) power law extrapolation, the so-called soft X-ray excess, is still highly debated. Two models are commonly discussed: relativistically blurred ionized reflection or thermal comptonisation. In some objects the observation of UV-soft X-ray correlation and the absence of clear signature of relativistic broadening, suggests comptonization as the dominant process. We successfully tested this hypothesis during the 2009 broad band monitoring campaign of Mkn 509. The deduced properties of the comptonizing plasma suggest a warm (˜1 keV), moderately thick (tau˜10-20) corona covering a large part of the accretion disk. Interestingly, the disc-corona energetics agree with a passive accretion disc, most of the accretion power being released in the warm corona. In this talk I will present the results obtained applying the same method to a sample of objects selected to have: a) 3 XMM observations b) at least 3 OM filters in use and c) a low (<1.e22 cm-2) neutral absorption. They all agree with a powerful warm corona above a passive or almost passive accretion disk. I will discuss the methodology and the important implications of the results.

Dual-energy x-ray image decomposition by independent component analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yifeng; Jiang, Dazong; Zhang, Feng; Zhang, Dengfu; Lin, Gang

2001-09-01

The spatial distributions of bone and soft tissue in human body are separated by independent component analysis (ICA) of dual-energy x-ray images. It is because of the dual energy imaging modelí-s conformity to the ICA model that we can apply this method: (1) the absorption in body is mainly caused by photoelectric absorption and Compton scattering; (2) they take place simultaneously but are mutually independent; and (3) for monochromatic x-ray sources the total attenuation is achieved by linear combination of these two absorption. Compared with the conventional method, the proposed one needs no priori information about the accurate x-ray energy magnitude for imaging, while the results of the separation agree well with the conventional one.

NuSTAR and multifrequency study of the two high-redshift blazars S5 0836+710 and PKS 2149-303

DOE PAGES

Tagliaferri, Gianpiero; Ghisellini, G.; Perri, M.; ...

2015-07-09

Powerful blazars are flat-spectrum radio quasars whose emission is dominated by a Compton component peaking between a few hundred keV and a few hundred MeV. We observed two bright blazars, PKS 2149–306 at redshift z = 2.345 and S5 0836+710 at z = 2.172, in the hard X-ray band with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array satellite. Simultaneous soft-X-rays and UV–optical observations were performed with the Swift satellite, while near-infrared (near-IR) data were obtained with the Rapid Eye Mount telescope. To study their variability, we repeated these observations for both sources on a timescale of a few months. While no fastmore » variability was detected during a single observation, both sources were variable in the X-ray band, up to 50%, between the two observations, with larger variability at higher energies. No variability was detected in the optical/NIR band. These data, together with Fermi-Large Area Telescope, Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, and other literature data, are then used to study the overall spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these blazars. Although the jet nonthermal emission dominates the SED, it leaves the UV band unhidden, allowing us to detect the thermal emission of the disk and to estimate the black hole mass. The nonthermal emission is well reproduced by a one-zone leptonic model by the synchrotron, self-Compton, and external Compton processes. Our data are better reproduced if we assume that the location of the dissipation region of the jet, R diss, is in between the torus and the broad-line region. As a result, the observed variability is explained by changing a minimum number of model parameters by a very small amount.« less

Observation of redshifting and harmonic radiation in inverse Compton scattering

DOE PAGES

Sakai, Y.; Pogorelsky, I.; Williams, O.; ...

2015-06-17

Inverse Compton scattering of laser photons by ultrarelativistic electron beam provides polarized x- to γ-ray pulses due to the Doppler blueshifting. Nonlinear electrodynamics in the relativistically intense linearly polarized laser field changes the radiation kinetics established during the Compton interaction. These are due to the induced figure-8 motion, which introduces an overall redshift in the radiation spectrum, with the concomitant emission of higher order harmonics. To experimentally analyze the strong field physics associated with the nonlinear electron-laser interaction, clear modifications to the angular and wavelength distributions of x rays are observed. The relativistic photon wave field is provided by themore » ps CO 2 laser of peak normalized vector potential of 0.5L<0.7, which due to the quadratic dependence of the strength of nonlinear phenomena on aL permits sufficient effects not observed in past 2 nd harmonic study with a L ≈ 0.3 laser [M. Babzien et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 054802 (2006)]. The angular spectral characteristics are revealed using K-, L-edge, and high energy attenuation filters. The observation indicates existence of the electrons’ longitudinal motion through frequency redshifting understood as the mass shift effect. The 3 rd harmonic radiation has been observed containing on-axis x-ray component that is directly associated with the induced figure-8 motion. These are further supported by an initial evidence of off-axis 2 nd harmonic radiation produced in a circularly polarized laser wave field. Total x-ray photon number per pulse, scattered by 65 MeV electron beam of 0.3 nC, at the interaction point is measured to be approximately 10 9.« less

Compact x-ray source based on burst-mode inverse Compton scattering at 100 kHz

DOE PAGES

Graves, W.  S.; Bessuille, J.; Brown, P.; ...

2014-12-01

A design for a compact x-ray light source (CXLS) with flux and brilliance orders of magnitude beyond existing laboratory scale sources is presented. The source is based on inverse Compton scattering of a high brightness electron bunch on a picosecond laser pulse. The accelerator is a novel high-efficiency standingwave linac and rf photoinjector powered by a single ultrastable rf transmitter at X-band rf frequency. The high efficiency permits operation at repetition rates up to 1 kHz, which is further boosted to 100 kHz by operating with trains of 100 bunches of 100 pC charge, each separated by 5 ns. Themore » entire accelerator is approximately 1 meter long and produces hard x rays tunable over a wide range of photon energies. The colliding laser is a Yb:YAG solid-state amplifier producing 1030 nm, 100 mJ pulses at the same 1 kHz repetition rate as the accelerator. The laser pulse is frequency-doubled and stored for many passes in a ringdown cavity to match the linac pulse structure. At a photon energy of 12.4 keV, the predicted x-ray flux is 5 × 10¹¹ photons/second in a 5% bandwidth and the brilliance is 2 × 10¹² photons/(sec mm² mrad² 0.1%) in pulses with rms pulse length of 490 fs. The nominal electron beam parameters are 18 MeV kinetic energy, 10 microamp average current, 0.5 microsecond macropulse length, resulting in average electron beam power of 180 W. Optimization of the x-ray output is presented along with design of the accelerator, laser, and x-ray optic components that are specific to the particular characteristics of the Compton scattered x-ray pulses.« less

NuSTAR AND MULTIFREQUENCY STUDY OF THE TWO HIGH-REDSHIFT BLAZARS S5 0836+710 AND PKS 2149–306

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tagliaferri, G.; Ghisellini, G.; Covino, S.

Powerful blazars are flat-spectrum radio quasars whose emission is dominated by a Compton component peaking between a few hundred keV and a few hundred MeV. We observed two bright blazars, PKS 2149–306 at redshift z = 2.345 and S5 0836+710 at z = 2.172, in the hard X-ray band with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array satellite. Simultaneous soft-X-rays and UV–optical observations were performed with the Swift satellite, while near-infrared (near-IR) data were obtained with the Rapid Eye Mount telescope. To study their variability, we repeated these observations for both sources on a timescale of a few months. While no fastmore » variability was detected during a single observation, both sources were variable in the X-ray band, up to 50%, between the two observations, with larger variability at higher energies. No variability was detected in the optical/NIR band. These data, together with Fermi-Large Area Telescope, Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, and other literature data, are then used to study the overall spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these blazars. Although the jet nonthermal emission dominates the SED, it leaves the UV band unhidden, allowing us to detect the thermal emission of the disk and to estimate the black hole mass. The nonthermal emission is well reproduced by a one-zone leptonic model by the synchrotron, self-Compton, and external Compton processes. Our data are better reproduced if we assume that the location of the dissipation region of the jet, R{sub diss}, is in between the torus and the broad-line region. The observed variability is explained by changing a minimum number of model parameters by a very small amount.« less

NuSTAR and multifrequency study of the two high-redshift blazars S5 0836+710 and PKS 2149-303

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tagliaferri, Gianpiero; Ghisellini, G.; Perri, M.

Powerful blazars are flat-spectrum radio quasars whose emission is dominated by a Compton component peaking between a few hundred keV and a few hundred MeV. We observed two bright blazars, PKS 2149–306 at redshift z = 2.345 and S5 0836+710 at z = 2.172, in the hard X-ray band with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array satellite. Simultaneous soft-X-rays and UV–optical observations were performed with the Swift satellite, while near-infrared (near-IR) data were obtained with the Rapid Eye Mount telescope. To study their variability, we repeated these observations for both sources on a timescale of a few months. While no fastmore » variability was detected during a single observation, both sources were variable in the X-ray band, up to 50%, between the two observations, with larger variability at higher energies. No variability was detected in the optical/NIR band. These data, together with Fermi-Large Area Telescope, Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, and other literature data, are then used to study the overall spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these blazars. Although the jet nonthermal emission dominates the SED, it leaves the UV band unhidden, allowing us to detect the thermal emission of the disk and to estimate the black hole mass. The nonthermal emission is well reproduced by a one-zone leptonic model by the synchrotron, self-Compton, and external Compton processes. Our data are better reproduced if we assume that the location of the dissipation region of the jet, R diss, is in between the torus and the broad-line region. As a result, the observed variability is explained by changing a minimum number of model parameters by a very small amount.« less

Fast analytical scatter estimation using graphics processing units.

PubMed

Ingleby, Harry; Lippuner, Jonas; Rickey, Daniel W; Li, Yue; Elbakri, Idris

2015-01-01

To develop a fast patient-specific analytical estimator of first-order Compton and Rayleigh scatter in cone-beam computed tomography, implemented using graphics processing units. The authors developed an analytical estimator for first-order Compton and Rayleigh scatter in a cone-beam computed tomography geometry. The estimator was coded using NVIDIA's CUDA environment for execution on an NVIDIA graphics processing unit. Performance of the analytical estimator was validated by comparison with high-count Monte Carlo simulations for two different numerical phantoms. Monoenergetic analytical simulations were compared with monoenergetic and polyenergetic Monte Carlo simulations. Analytical and Monte Carlo scatter estimates were compared both qualitatively, from visual inspection of images and profiles, and quantitatively, using a scaled root-mean-square difference metric. Reconstruction of simulated cone-beam projection data of an anthropomorphic breast phantom illustrated the potential of this method as a component of a scatter correction algorithm. The monoenergetic analytical and Monte Carlo scatter estimates showed very good agreement. The monoenergetic analytical estimates showed good agreement for Compton single scatter and reasonable agreement for Rayleigh single scatter when compared with polyenergetic Monte Carlo estimates. For a voxelized phantom with dimensions 128 × 128 × 128 voxels and a detector with 256 × 256 pixels, the analytical estimator required 669 seconds for a single projection, using a single NVIDIA 9800 GX2 video card. Accounting for first order scatter in cone-beam image reconstruction improves the contrast to noise ratio of the reconstructed images. The analytical scatter estimator, implemented using graphics processing units, provides rapid and accurate estimates of single scatter and with further acceleration and a method to account for multiple scatter may be useful for practical scatter correction schemes.

A Compton scattering technique to determine wood density and locating defects in it

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tondon, Akash, E-mail: akashtondonnsl@gmail.com; Sandhu, B. S.; Singh, Bhajan

A Compton scattering technique is presented to determine density and void location in the given wooden samples. The technique uses a well collimated gamma ray beam from {sup 137}Cs along with the NaI(Tl) scintillation detector. First, a linear relationship is established between Compton scattered intensity and known density of chemical compounds, and then density of the wood is determined from this linear relation. In another experiment, the ability of penetration of gamma rays is explored to detect voids in wooden (low Z) sample. The sudden reduction in the Compton scattered intensities agrees well with the position and size of voidsmore » in the wooden sample. It is concluded that wood density and the voids of size ∼ 4 mm and more can be detected easily by this method.« less

Importance of Doppler broadening in Compton scatter imaging techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Donepudi V.; Takeda, Tohoru; Itai, Yuji; Seltzer, S. M.; Hubbell, John H.; Zeniya, Tsutomu; Akatsuka, Takao; Cesareo, Roberto; Brunetti, Antonio; Gigante, Giovanni E.

2001-12-01

Compton scattering is a potential tool for the determination of bone mineral content or tissue density for dose planning purposes, and requires knowledge of the energy distribution of the X-rays through biological materials of medical interest in the X-ray and (gamma) -ray region. The energy distribution is utilized in a number of ways in diagnostic radiology, for example, in determining primary photon spectra, electron densities in separate volumes, and in tomography and imaging. The choice of the X-ray energy is more related to X-ray absorption, where as that of the scattering angle is more related to geometry. The evaluation of all the contributions are mandatory in Compton profile measurements and is important in X-ray imaging systems in order to achieve good results. In view of this, Compton profile cross-sections for few biological materials are estimated at nineteen K(alpha) X-ray energies and 60 keV (Am-241) photons. Energy broadening, geometrical broadening from 1 to 180 degree(s), FWHM of J(Pz) and FWHM of Compton energy broadening has been evaluated at various incident photon energies. These values are estimated around the centroid of the Compton profile with an energy interval of 0.1 keV and 1.0 keV for 60 keV photons. The interaction cross sections for the above materials are estimated using fractions-by-weight of the constituent elements. Input data for these tables are purely theoretical.

Establishment of Imaging Spectroscopy of Nuclear Gamma-Rays based on Geometrical Optics

PubMed Central

Tanimori, Toru; Mizumura, Yoshitaka; Takada, Atsushi; Miyamoto, Shohei; Takemura, Taito; Kishimoto, Tetsuro; Komura, Shotaro; Kubo, Hidetoshi; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Matsuoka, Yoshihiro; Miuchi, Kentaro; Mizumoto, Tetsuya; Nakamasu, Yuma; Nakamura, Kiseki; Parker, Joseph D.; Sawano, Tatsuya; Sonoda, Shinya; Tomono, Dai; Yoshikawa, Kei

2017-01-01

Since the discovery of nuclear gamma-rays, its imaging has been limited to pseudo imaging, such as Compton Camera (CC) and coded mask. Pseudo imaging does not keep physical information (intensity, or brightness in Optics) along a ray, and thus is capable of no more than qualitative imaging of bright objects. To attain quantitative imaging, cameras that realize geometrical optics is essential, which would be, for nuclear MeV gammas, only possible via complete reconstruction of the Compton process. Recently we have revealed that “Electron Tracking Compton Camera” (ETCC) provides a well-defined Point Spread Function (PSF). The information of an incoming gamma is kept along a ray with the PSF and that is equivalent to geometrical optics. Here we present an imaging-spectroscopic measurement with the ETCC. Our results highlight the intrinsic difficulty with CCs in performing accurate imaging, and show that the ETCC surmounts this problem. The imaging capability also helps the ETCC suppress the noise level dramatically by ~3 orders of magnitude without a shielding structure. Furthermore, full reconstruction of Compton process with the ETCC provides spectra free of Compton edges. These results mark the first proper imaging of nuclear gammas based on the genuine geometrical optics. PMID:28155870

Establishment of Imaging Spectroscopy of Nuclear Gamma-Rays based on Geometrical Optics.

PubMed

Tanimori, Toru; Mizumura, Yoshitaka; Takada, Atsushi; Miyamoto, Shohei; Takemura, Taito; Kishimoto, Tetsuro; Komura, Shotaro; Kubo, Hidetoshi; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Matsuoka, Yoshihiro; Miuchi, Kentaro; Mizumoto, Tetsuya; Nakamasu, Yuma; Nakamura, Kiseki; Parker, Joseph D; Sawano, Tatsuya; Sonoda, Shinya; Tomono, Dai; Yoshikawa, Kei

2017-02-03

Since the discovery of nuclear gamma-rays, its imaging has been limited to pseudo imaging, such as Compton Camera (CC) and coded mask. Pseudo imaging does not keep physical information (intensity, or brightness in Optics) along a ray, and thus is capable of no more than qualitative imaging of bright objects. To attain quantitative imaging, cameras that realize geometrical optics is essential, which would be, for nuclear MeV gammas, only possible via complete reconstruction of the Compton process. Recently we have revealed that "Electron Tracking Compton Camera" (ETCC) provides a well-defined Point Spread Function (PSF). The information of an incoming gamma is kept along a ray with the PSF and that is equivalent to geometrical optics. Here we present an imaging-spectroscopic measurement with the ETCC. Our results highlight the intrinsic difficulty with CCs in performing accurate imaging, and show that the ETCC surmounts this problem. The imaging capability also helps the ETCC suppress the noise level dramatically by ~3 orders of magnitude without a shielding structure. Furthermore, full reconstruction of Compton process with the ETCC provides spectra free of Compton edges. These results mark the first proper imaging of nuclear gammas based on the genuine geometrical optics.

Resonance condition and low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations of the outbursting source H1743-322

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakrabarti, Sandip K.; Mondal, Santanu; Debnath, Dipak

2015-10-01

It has long been proposed that low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in stellar-mass black holes or their equivalents in supermassive black holes are the result of resonances between infall and cooling timescales. We explicitly compute these two timescales in a generic situation to show that resonances are easily achieved. During an outburst of a transient black hole candidate, the accretion rate of the Keplerian disc as well as the geometry of the Comptonizing cloud change very rapidly. During some period, a resonance condition between the cooling timescale (predominantly by Comptonization) and the infall timescale of the Comptonizing cloud is roughly satisfied. This leads to low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (LFQPOs) of the Compton cloud and the consequent oscillation of hard X-rays. In this paper, we explicitly follow black hole candidate H1743-322 during its 2010 outburst. We compute the Compton cooling time and infall time over several days and show that QPOs take place when these two roughly agree within ˜50 per cent, i.e., the resonance condition is generally satisfied. We also confirm that for the sharper LFQPOs (i.e. higher Q-factors) the ratio of the two timescales is very close to 1.

A test of local Lorentz invariance with Compton scattering asymmetry

DOE PAGES

Mohanmurthy, Prajwal; Narayan, Amrendra; Dutta, Dipangkar

2016-12-14

Here, we report on a measurement of the constancy and anisotropy of the speed of light relative to the electrons in photon-electron scattering. We also used the Compton scattering asymmetry measured by the new Compton polarimeter in Hall~C at Jefferson Lab to test for deviations from unity of the vacuum refractive index (more » $n$). For photon energies in the range of 9 - 46 MeV, we obtain a new limit of $$1-n < 1.4 \\times 10^{-8}$$. In addition, the absence of sidereal variation over the six month period of the measurement constrains any anisotropies in the speed of light. These constitute the first study of Lorentz invariance using Compton asymmetry. Within the minimal standard model extension framework, our result yield limits on the photon and electron coefficients $$\\tilde{\\kappa}_{0^+}^{YZ}, c_{TX}, \\tilde{\\kappa}_{0^+}^{ZX}$$, and $$c_{TY}$$. Though, these limits are several orders of magnitude larger than the current best limits, they demonstrate the feasibility of using Compton asymmetry for tests of Lorentz invariance. For future parity violating electron scattering experiments at Jefferson Lab we will use higher energy electrons enabling better constraints.« less

Compton echoes from nearby gamma-ray bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beniamini, Paz; Giannios, Dimitrios; Younes, George; van der Horst, Alexander J.; Kouveliotou, Chryssa

2018-06-01

The recent discovery of gravitational waves from GW170817, associated with a short gamma-ray burst (GRB) at a distance of 40 Mpc, has demonstrated that short GRBs can occur locally and at a reasonable rate. Furthermore, gravitational waves enable us to detect close-by GRBs, even when we are observing at latitudes far from the jet's axis. We consider here Compton echoes, the scattered light from the prompt and afterglow emission. Compton echoes, an as yet undetected counterpart of GRBs, peak in X-rays and maintain a roughly constant flux for hundreds to thousands of years after the burst. Though too faint to be detected in typical cosmological GRBs, a fraction of close-by bursts with a sufficiently large energy output in X-rays, and for which the surrounding medium is sufficiently dense, may indeed be observed in this way. The detection of a Compton echo could provide unique insight into the burst properties and the environment's density structure. In particular, it could potentially determine whether or not there was a successful jet that broke through the compact binary merger ejecta. We discuss here the properties and expectations from Compton echoes and suggest methods for detectability.

The impact of neutron star spin on X-ray spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burke, M. J.; Gilfanov, M.; Sunyaev, R.

2018-02-01

We investigate whether the intrinsic spin of neutron stars (NSs) leaves an observable imprint on the spectral properties of X-ray binaries. To evaluate this, we consider a sample of nine NSs for which the spins have been measured that are not accreting pulsars (for which the accretion geometry will be different). For each source, we perform spectroscopy on a majority of RXTE hard-state observations. Our sample of sources and observations spans the range of the Eddington ratios LX/LEdd ˜ 0.005-0.100. We find a clear trend between the key Comptonization properties and the NS spin for a given accretion rate. Specifically, at a given L/LEdd, for more rapidly rotating NSs we find lower seed photon temperatures and a general increase in Comptonization strength, as parametrized by the Comptonization y parameter and amplification factor A. This is in good agreement with the theoretical scenario whereby less energy is liberated in a boundary layer for more rapidly spinning NSs, resulting in a lower seed photon luminosity and, consequently, less Compton cooling in the corona. This effect in extremis results in the hard states of the most rapidly spinning sources encroaching upon the regime of Comptonization properties occupied by black holes.

Variance-reduction normalization technique for a compton camera system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, S. M.; Lee, J. S.; Kim, J. H.; Seo, H.; Kim, C. H.; Lee, C. S.; Lee, S. J.; Lee, M. C.; Lee, D. S.

2011-01-01

For an artifact-free dataset, pre-processing (known as normalization) is needed to correct inherent non-uniformity of detection property in the Compton camera which consists of scattering and absorbing detectors. The detection efficiency depends on the non-uniform detection efficiency of the scattering and absorbing detectors, different incidence angles onto the detector surfaces, and the geometry of the two detectors. The correction factor for each detected position pair which is referred to as the normalization coefficient, is expressed as a product of factors representing the various variations. The variance-reduction technique (VRT) for a Compton camera (a normalization method) was studied. For the VRT, the Compton list-mode data of a planar uniform source of 140 keV was generated from a GATE simulation tool. The projection data of a cylindrical software phantom were normalized with normalization coefficients determined from the non-uniformity map, and then reconstructed by an ordered subset expectation maximization algorithm. The coefficient of variations and percent errors of the 3-D reconstructed images showed that the VRT applied to the Compton camera provides an enhanced image quality and the increased recovery rate of uniformity in the reconstructed image.

Genetics Home Reference: erythrokeratodermia variabilis et progressiva

MedlinePlus

... P, Campanelli C, Compton JG, Bale SJ, DiGiovanna JJ, Uitto J. Genetic heterogeneity in erythrokeratodermia variabilis: novel ... Itin P, Hohl D, Epstein EH Jr, DiGiovanna JJ, Compton JG, Bale SJ. Mutations in the human ...

The Nustar Spectrum of Mrk 335: Extreme Relativistic Effects Within Two Gravitational Radii of the Event Horizon?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, M. L.; Wilkins, D. R.; Fabian, A. C.; Grupe, D.; Dauser, T.; Matt, G.; Harrison, F. A.; Brenneman, L.; Boggs, S. E.; Christensen, F. E.;

Generalized parton distributions from deep virtual compton scattering at CLAS

DOE PAGES

Guidal, M.

2010-04-24

Here, we have analyzed the beam spin asymmetry and the longitudinally polarized target spin asymmetry of the Deep Virtual Compton Scattering process, recently measured by the Jefferson Lab CLAS collaboration. Our aim is to extract information about the Generalized Parton Distributions of the proton. By fitting these data, in a largely model-independent procedure, we are able to extract numerical values for the two Compton Form Factorsmore » $$H_{Im}$$ and $$\\tilde{H}_{Im}$$ with uncertainties, in average, of the order of 30%.« less

Reconstructed Image Spatial Resolution of Multiple Coincidences Compton Imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreyev, Andriy; Sitek, Arkadiusz; Celler, Anna

2010-02-01

We study the multiple coincidences Compton imager (MCCI) which is based on a simultaneous acquisition of several photons emitted in cascade from a single nuclear decay. Theoretically, this technique should provide a major improvement in localization of a single radioactive source as compared to a standard Compton camera. In this work, we investigated the performance and limitations of MCCI using Monte Carlo computer simulations. Spatial resolutions of the reconstructed point source have been studied as a function of the MCCI parameters, including geometrical dimensions and detector characteristics such as materials, energy and spatial resolutions.

The Weak Fe Fluorescence Line and Long-Term X-Ray Evolution of the Compton-Thick Active Galactic Nucleus in NGC7674

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ghandi, P.; Annuar, A.; Lansbury, G. B.; Stern, D.; Alexander, D. M.; Bauer, F. E.; Bianchi, S.; Boggs, S. E.; Boorman, P. G.; Brandt, W. N.;

The weak Fe fluorescence line and long-term X-ray evolution of the Compton-thick active galactic nucleus in NGC 7674

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gandhi, P.; Annuar, A.; Lansbury, G. B.; Stern, D.; Alexander, D. M.; Bauer, F. E.; Bianchi, S.; Boggs, S. E.; Boorman, P. G.; Brandt, W. N.; Brightman, M.; Christensen, F. E.; Comastri, A.; Craig, W. W.; Del Moro, A.; Elvis, M.; Guainazzi, M.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Koss, M.; Lamperti, I.; Malaguti, G.; Masini, A.; Matt, G.; Puccetti, S.; Ricci, C.; Rivers, E.; Walton, D. J.; Zhang, W. W.

2017-06-01

We present NuSTAR X-ray observations of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) in NGC 7674. The source shows a flat X-ray spectrum, suggesting that it is obscured by Compton-thick gas columns. Based upon long-term flux dimming, previous work suggested the alternate possibility that the source is a recently switched-off AGN with the observed X-rays being the lagged echo from the torus. Our high-quality data show the source to be reflection-dominated in hard X-rays, but with a relatively weak neutral Fe Kα emission line (equivalent width [EW] of ≈ 0.4 keV) and a strong Fe xxvi ionized line (EW ≈ 0.2 keV). We construct an updated long-term X-ray light curve of NGC 7674 and find that the observed 2-10 keV flux has remained constant for the past ≈ 20 yr, following a high-flux state probed by Ginga. Light travel time arguments constrain the minimum radius of the reflector to be ˜ 3.2 pc under the switched-off AGN scenario, ≈ 30 times larger than the expected dust sublimation radius, rendering this possibility unlikely. A patchy Compton-thick AGN (CTAGN) solution is plausible, requiring a minimum line-of-sight column density (NH) of 3 × 1024 cm-2 at present, and yields an intrinsic 2-10 keV luminosity of (3-5) × 1043 erg s-1. Realistic uncertainties span the range of ≈ (1-13) × 1043 erg s-1. The source has one of the weakest fluorescence lines amongst bona fide CTAGN, and is potentially a local analogue of bolometrically luminous systems showing complex neutral and ionized Fe emission. It exemplifies the difficulty of identification and proper characterization of distant CTAGN based on the strength of the neutral Fe Kα line.

A novel Compton camera design featuring a rear-panel shield for substantial noise reduction in gamma-ray images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishiyama, T.; Kataoka, J.; Kishimoto, A.; Fujita, T.; Iwamoto, Y.; Taya, T.; Ohsuka, S.; Nakamura, S.; Hirayanagi, M.; Sakurai, N.; Adachi, S.; Uchiyama, T.

2014-12-01

After the Japanese nuclear disaster in 2011, large amounts of radioactive isotopes were released and still remain a serious problem in Japan. Consequently, various gamma cameras are being developed to help identify radiation hotspots and ensure effective decontamination operation. The Compton camera utilizes the kinematics of Compton scattering to contract images without using a mechanical collimator, and features a wide field of view. For instance, we have developed a novel Compton camera that features a small size (13 × 14 × 15 cm3) and light weight (1.9 kg), but which also achieves high sensitivity thanks to Ce:GAGG scintillators optically coupled wiith MPPC arrays. By definition, in such a Compton camera, gamma rays are expected to scatter in the ``scatterer'' and then be fully absorbed in the ``absorber'' (in what is called a forward-scattered event). However, high energy gamma rays often interact with the detector in the opposite direction - initially scattered in the absorber and then absorbed in the scatterer - in what is called a ``back-scattered'' event. Any contamination of such back-scattered events is known to substantially degrade the quality of gamma-ray images, but determining the order of gamma-ray interaction based solely on energy deposits in the scatterer and absorber is quite difficult. For this reason, we propose a novel yet simple Compton camera design that includes a rear-panel shield (a few mm thick) consisting of W or Pb located just behind the scatterer. Since the energy of scattered gamma rays in back-scattered events is much lower than that in forward-scattered events, we can effectively discriminate and reduce back-scattered events to improve the signal-to-noise ratio in the images. This paper presents our detailed optimization of the rear-panel shield using Geant4 simulation, and describes a demonstration test using our Compton camera.

The hydrogen anomaly problem in neutron Compton scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karlsson, Erik B.

2018-03-01

Neutron Compton scattering (also called ‘deep inelastic scattering of neutrons’, DINS) is a method used to study momentum distributions of light atoms in solids and liquids. It has been employed extensively since the start-up of intense pulsed neutron sources about 25 years ago. The information lies primarily in the width and shape of the Compton profile and not in the absolute intensity of the Compton peaks. It was therefore not immediately recognized that the relative intensities of Compton peaks arising from scattering on different isotopes did not always agree with values expected from standard neutron cross-section tables. The discrepancies were particularly large for scattering on protons, a phenomenon that became known as ‘the hydrogen anomaly problem’. The present paper is a review of the discovery, experimental tests to prove or disprove the existence of the hydrogen anomaly and discussions concerning its origin. It covers a twenty-year-long history of experimentation, theoretical treatments and discussions. The problem is of fundamental interest, since it involves quantum phenomena on the subfemtosecond time scale, which are not visible in conventional thermal neutron scattering but are important in Compton scattering where neutrons have two orders of magnitude times higher energy. Different H-containing systems show different cross-section deficiencies and when the scattering processes are followed on the femtosecond time scale the cross-section losses disappear on different characteristic time scales for each H-environment. The last section of this review reproduces results from published papers based on quantum interference in scattering on identical particles (proton or deuteron pairs or clusters), which have given a quantitative theoretical explanation both regarding the H-cross-section reduction and its time dependence. Some new explanations are added and the concluding chapter summarizes the conditions for observing the specific quantum phenomena observed in neutron Compton scattering on protons and deuterons in condensed systems.

SANE's Measurement of the Proton's Virtual Photon Spin Asymmetry, A p 1, at Large Bjorken x

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mulholland, Jonathan

2012-05-01

The experiment SANE (Spin Asymmetries of the Nucleon Experiment) measured inclusive double polarization electron asymmetries on a proton target at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility at the Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory in Newport News Virgina. Polarized electrons were scattered from a solid 14NH 3 polarized target provided by the University of Virginia target group. Measurements were taken with the target polarization oriented at 80 degrees and 180 degrees relative to the beam direction, and beam energies of 4.7 and 5.9 GeV were used. Scattered electrons were detected by a multi-component novel non-magnetic detector package constructed for this experiment. Asymmetriesmore » measured at the two target orientations allow for the extraction of the virtual Compton asymmetries A 1 p and A 2 p as well as the spin structure functions g 1 p and g 2 p. This work addresses the extraction of the virtual Compton asymmetry A 1 p in the deep inelastic regime. The analysis uses data in the kinematic range from Bjorken x of 0.30 to 0.55, separated into four Q 2 bins from 1.9 to 4.7 GeV 2.« less

Optimization of Compton-suppression and summing schemes for the TIGRESS HPGe detector array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schumaker, M. A.; Svensson, C. E.; Andreoiu, C.; Andreyev, A.; Austin, R. A. E.; Ball, G. C.; Bandyopadhyay, D.; Boston, A. J.; Chakrawarthy, R. S.; Churchman, R.; Drake, T. E.; Finlay, P.; Garrett, P. E.; Grinyer, G. F.; Hackman, G.; Hyland, B.; Jones, B.; Maharaj, R.; Morton, A. C.; Pearson, C. J.; Phillips, A. A.; Sarazin, F.; Scraggs, H. C.; Smith, M. B.; Valiente-Dobón, J. J.; Waddington, J. C.; Watters, L. M.

2007-04-01

Methods of optimizing the performance of an array of Compton-suppressed, segmented HPGe clover detectors have been developed which rely on the physical position sensitivity of both the HPGe crystals and the Compton-suppression shields. These relatively simple analysis procedures promise to improve the precision of experiments with the TRIUMF-ISAC Gamma-Ray Escape-Suppressed Spectrometer (TIGRESS). Suppression schemes will improve the efficiency and peak-to-total ratio of TIGRESS for high γ-ray multiplicity events by taking advantage of the 20-fold segmentation of the Compton-suppression shields, while the use of different summing schemes will improve results for a wide range of experimental conditions. The benefits of these methods are compared for many γ-ray energies and multiplicities using a GEANT4 simulation, and the optimal physical configuration of the TIGRESS array under each set of conditions is determined.

Consequences of hot gas in the broad line region of active galactic nuclei

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kallman, T.; Mushotzky, R.

1985-01-01

Models for hot gas in the broad line region of active galactic nuclei are discussed. The results of the two phase equilibrium models for confinement of broad line clouds by Compton heated gas are used to show that high luminosity quasars are expected to show Fe XXVI L alpha line absorption which will be observed with spectrometers such as those planned for the future X-ray spectroscopy experiments. Two phase equilibrium models also predict that the gas in the broad line clouds and the confining medium may be Compton thick. It is shown that the combined effects of Comptonization and photoabsorption can suppress both the broad emission lines and X-rays in the Einstein and HEAO-1 energy bands. The observed properties of such Compton thick active galaxies are expected to be similar to those of Seyfert 2 nuclei. The implications for polarization and variability are also discussed.

Compton cooling and the signature of Quasi Periodic Oscillations for the transient black hole candidate H 1743-322

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondal, S.; Chakrabarti, S. K.; Debnath, D.; Jana, A.; Molla, A. A.

In black hole accretion cooling of the Compton cloud has an enormous effect on the dynamics of post-shock flow. We demonstrate that the Compton cooling is highly responsible for the origin of Quasi Periodic Oscillations (QPOs) during the outburst time of the galactic black hole candidates (BHCs). Our study shows that the disk oscillation will take place when infall time from the shock roughly agrees with cooling time in the post-shock region i.e., the resonance condition. We believe that this oscillation is responsible for the origin of QPOs and will occur only when a particular disk condition (disk rate, halo rate and shock strength) satisfies. We also confirm that shock moves with an average velocity of a few meters/sec for the transient BHC H1743-322 due to the presence of Compton cooling.

Extraction of Generalized Parton Distributions from combined Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering and Timelike Compton scattering fits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boer, Marie

2017-09-01

Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) contain the correlation between the parton's longitudinal momentum and their transverse distribution. They are accessed through hard exclusive processes, such as Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS). DVCS has already been measured in several experiments and several models allow for extracting GPDs from these measurements. Timelike Compton Scattering (TCS) is, at leading order, the time-reversal equivalent process to DVCS and accesses GPDs at the same kinematics. Comparing GPDs extracted from DVCS and TCS is a unique way for proving GPD universality. Combining fits from the two processes will also allow for better constraining the GPDs. We will present our method for extracting GPDs from DVCS and TCS pseudo-data. We will compare fit results from the two processes in similar conditions and present what can be expected in term of contraints on GPDs from combined fits.

Prototype Compton imager for special nuclear material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wulf, Eric A.; Phlips, Bernard F.; Kurfess, James D.; Novikova, Elena I.; Fitzgerald, Carrie

2006-05-01

Compton imagers offer a method for passive detection of nuclear material over background radiation. A prototype Compton imager has been constructed using 8 layers of silicon detectors. Each layer consists of a 2×2 array of 2 mm thick cross-strip double-sided silicon detectors with active areas of 5.7 × 5.7 cm2 and 64 strips per side. The detectors are daisy-chained together in the array so that only 256 channels of electronics are needed to read-out each layer of the instrument. This imager is a prototype for a large, high-efficiency Compton imager that will meet operational requirements of Homeland Security for detection of shielded uranium. The instrument can differentiate between different radioisotopes using the reconstructed gamma-ray energy and can also show the location of the emissions with respect to the detector location. Results from the current instrument as well as simulations of the next generation instrument are presented.

In operando quantitation of Li concentration for a commercial Li-ion rechargeable battery using high-energy X-ray Compton scattering.

PubMed

Suzuki, Kosuke; Suzuki, Ayahito; Ishikawa, Taiki; Itou, Masayoshi; Yamashige, Hisao; Orikasa, Yuki; Uchimoto, Yoshiharu; Sakurai, Yoshiharu; Sakurai, Hiroshi

2017-09-01

Compton scattering is one of the most promising probes for quantitating Li under in operando conditions, since high-energy X-rays, which have high penetration power, are used as the incident beam and the Compton-scattered energy spectrum has specific line-shapes for each element. An in operando quantitation method to determine the Li composition in electrodes has been developed by using line-shape (S-parameter) analysis of the Compton-scattered energy spectrum. In this study, S-parameter analysis has been applied to a commercial coin cell Li-ion rechargeable battery and the variation of the S-parameters during the charge/discharge cycle at the positive and negative electrodes has been obtained. By using calibration curves for Li composition in the electrodes, the change in Li composition of the positive and negative electrodes has been determined using the S-parameters simultaneously.

Multiwavelength studies of the blazars detected by AGILE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippo D'Ammando

2010-02-01

The discovery of emission in the gamma-ray domain from many Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) by EGRET on board the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory and the Cherenkov Telescopes was one of the most breakthrough of high energy astrophysics in the last 20 years, leading to the identification of a new class of AGNs: the blazars. Blazars are the most extreme subclass of AGNs, characterized by the emission of strong non-thermal radiation across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from radio to very high gamma-ray energies. This emission is interpreted as the result of the electromagnetic radiation from a relativistic jet that is viewed closely aligned to the line of sight of the observer, thus causing strong relativistic amplification. Considering that the large fraction of the total power of blazars is emitted in the gamma-rays, information in this energy band is crucial to study the different radiation models. More than ten years after the EGRET era, the AGILE satellite (and subsequently also the Fermi satellite) filled the gap in the MeV-GeV band giving further impulse to the study of the high-energy astrophysics phenomena in blazars. However, notwithstanding the importance of the information provided by the gamma-ray observations, correlated multiwavelength studies are the key to achieve a better understanding of the structure of the inner jet, the origin of the seed photons for the inverse Compton process and the emission mechanisms at work in blazars. Since its launch in April 2007, the AGILE satellite detected several blazars in high activity state: PKS 1510-089, S5 0716+714, 3C 454.3, 3C 273, 3C 279, W Comae, Mrk 421 and PG 1553+113. In this Thesis I will present the most interesting results on multifrequency analysis of these sources detected by AGILE in gamma-rays, together with the multiwavelength data from other observatories such as Spitzer, Swift, RXTE, Suzaku, INTEGRAL, MAGIC, VERITAS, as well as radio-to-optical coverage by means of GASP-WEBT and REM. This large multifrequency coverage gave me the opportunity to study the Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) of these sources from radio to gamma-rays, the correlated variability in different energy bands and to investigate the mechanisms responsible for their emission, uncovering in some cases a more complex behaviour with respect to the standard models. The intense gamma-ray flares of S5 0716+714 observed by AGILE in September and October 2007 are among the highest fluxes detected by a BL Lac object and considering the redshift of the source (z = 0.31) the total power transported in the jet during these episodes approaches or slightly exceeds the maximum power generated by a spinning black hole of 10^9 solar masses, challenging the Blandford-Znajek mechanism and confirming the extreme energetics during these flares. The modeling of the SEDs of S5 0716+714 indicated as, even if the broad band emission appears in agreement with the synchrotron self Compton (SSC) paradigm, a more complex model with two SSC components is needed to interpret our data. The case of S5 0716+714 is not unique among the BL Lac objects, also for the multifrequency observation of Mrk 421 and W Comae in June 2008 a one-zone SSC model seems to be a good representation of the broad band spectrum, but the observations collected during the multiwavelength campaigns seem to open to more complex interpretations of the data. Moreover, the dominant emission mechanism in the gamma-ray band for Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs) is the inverse Compton scattering of external photons from the broad line region, but in some particular states also the contribution of seed photons from a hot corona (3C 454.3 in December 2007) or the accretion disk (3C 279) are shown to be important. Therefore, from the modeling of the different SEDs of BL Lacs and FSRQs observed by AGILE seems to emerge that the SSC and the external Compton (EC) frameworks, respectively, are good approximation for describing on average the high activity states of the two flavours of blazars, but going into details of the single observation more complex scenarios sometimes are requested. The possibility to obtain information over the entire electromagnetic spectrum during the multifrequency campaigns organized by AGILE gave me also the opportunity to investigate in some blazars the presence of Seyfert-like features, such as the little and big blue bumps (PKS 1510-089) and the Compton reflection component (3C 273). Moreover, we revealed in the FSRQ PKS 1510-089 some features typical of High-frequency peaked BL Lac objects, such a X-ray harder-when-brighter behaviour during March 2008 and a shift of the synchrotron peak towards higher frequencies during the huge flare of March 2009. Emission in optical and gamma-ray bands seems to be correlated during high activity states of blazars, but not strongly, with a possible lag of the gamma-ray flux with respect to optical one less than one day, both for FSRQs (e.g. 3C 454.3) and BL Lacs (S5 0716+714). On the other hand, during March 2009 a possible delay of the optical emission with respect to the gamma-ray one is detected for PKS 1510-089, suggesting a more complex behaviour in the optical/gamma-ray correlation, especially for FSRQs, where also a contribution of the thermal disk emission is clearly visible.

Dip Spectroscopy of the Low Mass X-Ray Binary XB 1254-690

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smale, Alan P.; Church, M. J.; BalucinskaChurch, M.; White, Nicholas E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We observed the low mass X-ray binary XB 1254-690 with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer in 2001 May and December. During the first observation strong dipping on the 3.9-hr orbital period and a high degree of variability were observed, along with "shoulders" approx. 15% deep during extended intervals on each side of the main dips. The first observation also included pronounced flaring activity. The non-dip spectrum obtained using the PCA instrument was well-described by a two-component model consisting of a blackbody with kT = 1.30 +/- 0.10 keV plus a cut-off power law representation of Comptonized emission with power law photon index 1.10 +/- 0.46 and a cut-off energy of 5.9(sup +3.0, sub -1.4) keV. The intensity decrease in the shoulders of dipping is energy-independent, consistent with electron scattering in the outer ionized regions of the absorber. In deep dipping the depth of dipping reached 100%, in the energy band below 5 keV, indicating that all emitting regions were covered by absorber. Intensity-selected dip spectra were well-fit by a model in which the point-like blackbody is rapidly covered, while the extended Comptonized emission is progressively overlapped by the absorber, with the, covering fraction rising to 95% in the deepest portion of the dip. The intensity of this component in the dip spectra could be modeled by a combination of electron scattering and photoelectric absorption. Dipping did not occur during the 2001 December observation, but remarkably, both bursting and flaring were observed contemporaneously.

The NuSTAR view on Hard-TeV BL Lacs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costamante, L.; Bonnoli, G.; Tavecchio, F.; Ghisellini, G.; Tagliaferri, G.; Khangulyan, D.

2018-05-01

Hard-TeV BL Lacs are a new type of blazars characterized by a hard intrinsic TeV spectrum, locating the peak of their gamma-ray emission in the spectral energy distribution (SED) above 2-10 TeV. Such high energies are problematic for the Compton emission, using a standard one-zone leptonic model. We study six examples of this new type of BL Lacs in the hard X-ray band with NuSTAR. Together with simultaneous observations with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, we fully constrain the peak of the synchrotron emission in their SED, and test the leptonic synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model. We confirm the extreme nature of 5 objects also in the synchrotron emission. We do not find evidence of additional emission components in the hard X-ray band. We find that a one-zone SSC model can in principle reproduce the extreme properties of both peaks in the SED, from X-ray up to TeV energies, but at the cost of i) extreme electron energies with very low radiative efficiency, ii) conditions heavily out of equipartition (by 3 to 5 orders of magnitude), and iii) not accounting for the simultaneous UV data, which then should belong to a different emission component, possibly the same as the far-IR (WISE) data. We find evidence of this separation of the UV and X-ray emission in at least two objects. In any case, the TeV electrons must not "see" the UV or lower-energy photons, even if coming from different zones/populations, or the increased radiative cooling would steepen the VHE spectrum.

The Discovery of γ-Ray Emission from the Blazar RGB J0710+591

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acciari, V. A.; Aliu, E.; Arlen, T.; Aune, T.; Bautista, M.; Beilicke, M.; Benbow, W.; Böttcher, M.; Boltuch, D.; Bradbury, S. M.; Buckley, J. H.; Bugaev, V.; Byrum, K.; Cannon, A.; Cesarini, A.; Ciupik, L.; Cui, W.; Dickherber, R.; Duke, C.; Falcone, A.; Finley, J. P.; Finnegan, G.; Fortson, L.; Furniss, A.; Galante, N.; Gall, D.; Gibbs, K.; Gillanders, G. H.; Godambe, S.; Grube, J.; Guenette, R.; Gyuk, G.; Hanna, D.; Holder, J.; Hui, C. M.; Humensky, T. B.; Imran, A.; Kaaret, P.; Karlsson, N.; Kertzman, M.; Kieda, D.; Konopelko, A.; Krawczynski, H.; Krennrich, F.; Lang, M. J.; Lamerato, A.; LeBohec, S.; Maier, G.; McArthur, S.; McCann, A.; McCutcheon, M.; Moriarty, P.; Mukherjee, R.; Ong, R. A.; Otte, A. N.; Pandel, D.; Perkins, J. S.; Petry, D.; Pichel, A.; Pohl, M.; Quinn, J.; Ragan, K.; Reyes, L. C.; Reynolds, P. T.; Roache, E.; Rose, H. J.; Roustazadeh, P.; Schroedter, M.; Sembroski, G. H.; Senturk, G. Demet; Smith, A. W.; Steele, D.; Swordy, S. P.; Tešić, G.; Theiling, M.; Thibadeau, S.; Varlotta, A.; Vassiliev, V. V.; Vincent, S.; Wagner, R. G.; Wakely, S. P.; Ward, J. E.; Weekes, T. C.; Weinstein, A.; Weisgarber, T.; Williams, D. A.; Wissel, S.; Wood, M.; Zitzer, B.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Antolini, E.; Baldini, L.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bechtol, K.; Bellazzini, R.; Berenji, B.; Blandford, R. D.; Bloom, E. D.; Bonamente, E.; Borgland, A. W.; Bouvier, A.; Bregeon, J.; Brigida, M.; Bruel, P.; Buehler, R.; Buson, S.; Caliandro, G. A.; Cameron, R. A.; Caraveo, P. A.; Carrigan, S.; Casandjian, J. M.; Cavazzuti, E.; Cecchi, C.; Çelik, Ö.; Charles, E.; Chekhtman, A.; Cheung, C. C.; Chiang, J.; Ciprini, S.; Claus, R.; Cohen-Tanugi, J.; Conrad, J.; Dermer, C. D.; de Palma, F.; Silva, E. do Couto e.; Drell, P. S.; Dubois, R.; Dumora, D.; Farnier, C.; Favuzzi, C.; Fegan, S. J.; Fortin, P.; Frailis, M.; Fukazawa, Y.; Funk, S.; Fusco, P.; Gargano, F.; Gasparrini, D.; Gehrels, N.; Germani, S.; Giebels, B.; Giglietto, N.; Giordano, F.; Giroletti, M.; Glanzman, T.; Godfrey, G.; Grenier, I. A.; Grove, J. E.; Guiriec, S.; Hays, E.; Horan, D.; Hughes, R. E.; Jóhannesson, G.; Johnson, A. S.; Johnson, W. N.; Kamae, T.; Katagiri, H.; Kataoka, J.; Knödlseder, J.; Kuss, M.; Lande, J.; Latronico, L.; Lee, S.-H.; Llena Garde, M.; Longo, F.; Loparco, F.; Lott, B.; Lovellette, M. N.; Lubrano, P.; Makeev, A.; Mazziotta, M. N.; Michelson, P. F.; Mitthumsiri, W.; Mizuno, T.; Moiseev, A. A.; Monte, C.; Monzani, M. E.; Morselli, A.; Moskalenko, I. V.; Murgia, S.; Nolan, P. L.; Norris, J. P.; Nuss, E.; Ohno, M.; Ohsugi, T.; Omodei, N.; Orlando, E.; Ormes, J. F.; Paneque, D.; Panetta, J. H.; Pelassa, V.; Pepe, M.; Pesce-Rollins, M.; Piron, F.; Porter, T. A.; Rainò, S.; Rando, R.; Razzano, M.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Ripken, J.; Rodriguez, A. Y.; Roth, M.; Sadrozinski, H. F.-W.; Sanchez, D.; Sander, A.; Scargle, J. D.; Sgrò, C.; Siskind, E. J.; Smith, P. D.; Spandre, G.; Spinelli, P.; Strickman, M. S.; Suson, D. J.; Takahashi, H.; Tanaka, T.; Thayer, J. B.; Thayer, J. G.; Thompson, D. J.; Tibaldo, L.; Torres, D. F.; Tosti, G.; Tramacere, A.; Usher, T. L.; Vasileiou, V.; Vilchez, N.; Vitale, V.; Waite, A. P.; Wang, P.; Winer, B. L.; Wood, K. S.; Yang, Z.; Ylinen, T.; Ziegler, M.

2010-05-01

The high-frequency-peaked BL Lacertae object RGB J0710+591 was observed in the very high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) wave band by the VERITAS array of atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The observations, taken between 2008 December and 2009 March and totaling 22.1 hr, yield the discovery of VHE gamma rays from the source. RGB J0710+591 is detected at a statistical significance of 5.5 standard deviations (5.5σ) above the background, corresponding to an integral flux of (3.9 ± 0.8) × 10-12 cm-2 s-1 (3% of the Crab Nebula's flux) above 300 GeV. The observed spectrum can be fit by a power law from 0.31 to 4.6 TeV with a photon spectral index of 2.69 ± 0.26stat ± 0.20sys. These data are complemented by contemporaneous multiwavelength data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope, the Swift X-ray Telescope, the Swift Ultra-Violet and Optical Telescope, and the Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT observatory. Modeling the broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) with an equilibrium synchrotron self-Compton model yields a good statistical fit to the data. The addition of an external-Compton component to the model does not improve the fit nor brings the system closer to equipartition. The combined Fermi and VERITAS data constrain the properties of the high-energy emission component of the source over 4 orders of magnitude and give measurements of the rising and falling sections of the SED.

TEMPORAL VARIABILITY FROM THE TWO-COMPONENT ADVECTIVE FLOW SOLUTION AND ITS OBSERVATIONAL EVIDENCE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dutta, Broja G.; Chakrabarti, Sandip K.

2016-09-10

In the propagating oscillatory shock model, the oscillation of the post-shock region, i.e., the Compton cloud, causes the observed low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs). The evolution of QPO frequency is explained by the systematic variation of the Compton cloud size, i.e., the steady radial movement of the shock front, which is triggered by the cooling of the post-shock region. Thus, analysis of the energy-dependent temporal properties in different variability timescales can diagnose the dynamics and geometry of accretion flows around black holes. We study these properties for the high-inclination black hole source XTE J1550-564 during its 1998 outburst and the low-inclinationmore » black hole source GX 339-4 during its 2006–07 outburst using RXTE /PCA data, and we find that they can satisfactorily explain the time lags associated with the QPOs from these systems. We find a smooth decrease of the time lag as a function of time in the rising phase of both sources. In the declining phase, the time lag increases with time. We find a systematic evolution of QPO frequency and hard lags in these outbursts. In XTE J1550-564, the lag changes from hard to soft (i.e., from a positive to a negative value) at a crossing frequency (ν {sub c}) of ∼3.4 Hz. We present possible mechanisms to explain the lag behavior of high and low-inclination sources within the framework of a single two-component advective flow model.« less

The NuSTAR view on hard-TeV BL Lacs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costamante, L.; Bonnoli, G.; Tavecchio, F.; Ghisellini, G.; Tagliaferri, G.; Khangulyan, D.

2018-07-01

Hard-TeV BL Lacs are a new type of blazars characterized by a hard intrinsic TeV spectrum, locating the peak of their gamma-ray emission in the spectral energy distribution (SED) above 2-10 TeV. Such high energies are problematic for the Compton emission, using a standard one-zone leptonic model. We study six examples of this new type of BL Lacs in the hard X-ray band with NuSTAR. Together with simultaneous observations with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, we fully constrain the peak of the synchrotron emission in their SED, and test the leptonic synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model. We confirm the extreme nature of five objects also in the synchrotron emission. We do not find evidence of additional emission components in the hard X-ray band. We find that a one-zone SSC model can in principle reproduce the extreme properties of both peaks in the SED, from X-ray up to TeV energies, but at the cost of (i) extreme electron energies with very low radiative efficiency, (ii) conditions heavily out of equipartition (by three to five orders of magnitude), and (iii) not accounting for the simultaneous UV data, which then should belong to a different emission component, possibly the same as the far-IR (WISE) data. We find evidence of this separation of the UV and X-ray emission in at least two objects. In any case, the TeV electrons must not `see' the UV or lower energy photons, even if coming from different zones/populations, or the increased radiative cooling would steepen the very high energies spectrum.

Nucleon spin-averaged forward virtual Compton tensor at large Q 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hill, Richard J.; Paz, Gil

The nucleon spin-averaged forward virtual Compton tensor determines important physical quantities such as electromagnetically-induced mass differences of nucleons, and two-photon exchange contributions in hydrogen spectroscopy. It depends on two kinematic variables:more » $$\

Demonstration of in-vivo Multi-Probe Tracker Based on a Si/CdTe Semiconductor Compton Camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeda, Shin'ichiro; Odaka, Hirokazu; Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke; Watanabe, Shin; Aono, Hiroyuki; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Kanayama, Yousuke; Hiromura, Makoto; Enomoto, Shuichi

2012-02-01

By using a prototype Compton camera consisting of silicon (Si) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor detectors, originally developed for the ASTRO-H satellite mission, an experiment involving imaging multiple radiopharmaceuticals injected into a living mouse was conducted to study its feasibility for medical imaging. The accumulation of both iodinated (131I) methylnorcholestenol and 85Sr into the mouse's organs was simultaneously imaged by the prototype. This result implies that the Compton camera is expected to become a multi-probe tracker available in nuclear medicine and small animal imaging.

The Compton Observatory Science Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shrader, Chris R. (Editor); Gehrels, Neil (Editor); Dennis, Brian (Editor)

1992-01-01

The Compton Observatory Science Workshop was held in Annapolis, Maryland on September 23-25, 1991. The primary purpose of the workshop was to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and information among scientists with interests in various areas of high energy astrophysics, with emphasis on the scientific capabilities of the Compton Observatory. Early scientific results, as well as reports on in-flight instrument performance and calibrations are presented. Guest investigator data products, analysis techniques, and associated software were discussed. Scientific topics covered included active galaxies, cosmic gamma ray bursts, solar physics, pulsars, novae, supernovae, galactic binary sources, and diffuse galactic and extragalactic emission.

Comprehensive study of observables in Compton scattering on the nucleon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grießhammer, Harald W.; McGovern, Judith A.; Phillips, Daniel R.

2018-03-01

We present an analysis of 13 observables in Compton scattering on the proton. Cross sections, asymmetries with polarised beam and/or targets, and polarisation-transfer observables are investigated for energies up to the Δ(1232) resonance to determine their sensitivity to the proton's dipole scalar and spin polarisabilities. The Chiral Effective Field Theory Compton amplitude we use is complete at N4LO, O(e2δ4), for photon energies ω˜ m_{π}, and so has an accuracy of a few per cent there. At photon energies in the resonance region, it is complete at NLO, O(e2δ0), and so its accuracy there is about 20%. We find that for energies from pion-production threshold to about 250 MeV, multiple asymmetries have significant sensitivity to presently ill-determined combinations of proton spin polarisabilities. We also argue that the broad outcomes of this analysis will be replicated in complementary theoretical approaches, e.g., dispersion relations. Finally, we show that below the pion-production threshold, 6 observables suffice to reconstruct the Compton amplitude, and above it 11 are required. Although not necessary for polarisability extractions, this opens the possibility to perform "complete" Compton-scattering experiments. An interactive Mathematica notebook, including results for the neutron, is available from judith.mcgovern@manchester.ac.uk.

Combining harmonic generation and laser chirping to achieve high spectral density in Compton sources

DOE PAGES

Terzić, Balša; Reeves, Cody; Krafft, Geoffrey A.

2016-04-25

Recently various laser-chirping schemes have been investigated with the goal of reducing or eliminating ponderomotive line broadening in Compton or Thomson scattering occurring at high laser intensities. Moreover, as a next level of detail in the spectrum calculations, we have calculated the line smoothing and broadening expected due to incident beam energy spread within a one-dimensional plane wave model for the incident laser pulse, both for compensated (chirped) and unchirped cases. The scattered compensated distributions are treatable analytically within three models for the envelope of the incident laser pulses: Gaussian, Lorentzian, or hyperbolic secant. We use the new results tomore » demonstrate that the laser chirping in Compton sources at high laser intensities: (i) enables the use of higher order harmonics, thereby reducing the required electron beam energies; and (ii) increases the photon yield in a small frequency band beyond that possible with the fundamental without chirping. We found that this combination of chirping and higher harmonics can lead to substantial savings in the design, construction and operational costs of the new Compton sources. This is of particular importance to the widely popular laser-plasma accelerator based Compton sources, as the improvement in their beam quality enters the regime where chirping is most effective.« less

Soft gamma-ray detector for the ASTRO-H Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Shin; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Blandford, Roger; Enoto, Teruaki; Kataoka, Jun; Kawaharada, Madoka; Kokubun, Motohide; Laurent, Philippe; Lebrun, François; Limousin, Olivier; Madejski, Greg; Makishima, Kazuo; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Nakamori, Takeshi; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Mori, Kunishiro; Odaka, Hirokazu; Ohno, Masanori; Ohta, Masayuki; Sato, Goro; Sato, Rie; Takeda, Shin'ichiro; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Tanaka, Takaaki; Tashiro, Makoto; Terada, Yukikatsu; Uchiyama, Hideki; Uchiyama, Yasunobu; Yamada, Shinya; Yatsu, Yoichi; Yonetoku, Daisuke; Yuasa, Takayuki

2012-09-01

ASTRO-H is the next generation JAXA X-ray satellite, intended to carry instruments with broad energy coverage and exquisite energy resolution. The Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD) is one of ASTRO-H instruments and will feature wide energy band (60-600 keV) at a background level 10 times better than the current instruments on orbit. The SGD is complimentary to ASTRO-H’s Hard X-ray Imager covering the energy range of 5-80 keV. The SGD achieves low background by combining a Compton camera scheme with a narrow field-of-view active shield where Compton kinematics is utilized to reject backgrounds. The Compton camera in the SGD is realized as a hybrid semiconductor detector system which consists of silicon and CdTe (cadmium telluride) sensors. Good energy resolution is afforded by semiconductor sensors, and it results in good background rejection capability due to better constraints on Compton kinematics. Utilization of Compton kinematics also makes the SGD sensitive to the gamma-ray polarization, opening up a new window to study properties of gamma-ray emission processes. In this paper, we will present the detailed design of the SGD and the results of the final prototype developments and evaluations. Moreover, we will also present expected performance based on the measurements with prototypes.

Understanding the Long-Term Spectral Variability of Cygnus X-1 from BATSE and ASM Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zdziarski, Andrzej A.; Poutanen, Juri; Paciesas, William S.; Wen, Linqing; Six, N. Frank (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We present a spectral analysis of observations of Cygnus X-1 by the RXTE/ASM (1.5-12 keV) and CGRO/BATSE (20-300 keV), including about 1200 days of simultaneous data. We find a number of correlations between intensities and hardnesses in different energy bands from 1.5 keV to 300 keV. In the hard (low) spectral state, there is a negative correlation between the ASM 1.5-12 keV flux and the hardness at any energy. In the soft (high) spectral state, the ASM flux is positively correlated with the ASM hardness (as previously reported) but uncorrelated with the BATSE hardness. In both spectral states, the BATSE hardness correlates with the flux above 100 keV, while it shows no correlation with the flux in the 20-100 keV range. At the same time, there is clear correlation between the BATSE fluxes below and above 100 keV. In the hard state, most of the variability can be explained by softening the overall spectrum with a pivot at approximately 50 keV. The observations show that there has to be another, independent variability pattern of lower amplitude where the spectral shape does not change when the luminosity changes. In the soft state, the variability is mostly caused by a variable hard (Comptonized) spectral component of a constant shape superimposed on a constant soft blackbody component. These variability patterns are in agreement with the dependence of the rms variability on the photon energy in the two states. We interpret the observed correlations in terms of theoretical Comptonization models. In the hard state, the variability appears to be driven mostly by changing flux in seed photons Comptonized in a hot thermal plasma cloud with an approximately constant power supply. In the soft state, the variability is consistent with flares of hybrid, thermal/nonthermal, plasma with variable power above a stable cold disk. Also, based on broadband pointed observations simultaneous with those of the ASM and BATSE, we find the intrinsic bolometric luminosity increases by a factor of approximately 3-4 from the hard state to the soft one, which supports models of the state transition based on a change of the accretion rate.

Short-lived solar burst spectral component at f approximately 100 GHz

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaufmann, P.; Correia, E.; Costa, J. E. R.; Vaz, A. M. Z.

1986-01-01

A new kind of burst emission component was discovered, exhibiting fast and distinct pulses (approx. 60 ms durations), with spectral peak emission at f approx. 100 GHz, and onset time coincident to hard X-rays to within approx. 128 ms. These features pose serious constraints for the interpretation using current models. One suggestion assumes the f approx. 100 GHz pulses emission by synchrotron mechanism of electrons accelerated to ultrarelativistic energies. The hard X-rays originate from inverse Compton scattering of the electrons on the synchrotron photons. Several crucial observational tests are needed for the understanding of the phenomenon, requiring high sensitivity and high time resolution (approx. 1 ms) simultaneous to high spatial resolution (0.1 arcsec) at f approx. 110 GHz and hard X-rays.

The XMM deep survey in the CDF-S. X. X-ray variability of bright sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falocco, S.; Paolillo, M.; Comastri, A.; Carrera, F. J.; Ranalli, P.; Iwasawa, K.; Georgantopoulos, I.; Vignali, C.; Gilli, R.

2017-12-01

Aims: We aim to study the variability properties of bright hard X-ray selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the redshift range between 0.3 and 1.6 detected in the Chandra Deep Field South (XMM-CDFS) by a long ( 3 Ms) XMM observation. Methods: Taking advantage of the good count statistics in the XMM CDFS, we search for flux and spectral variability using the hardness ratio (HR) techniques. We also investigate the spectral variability of different spectral components (photon index of the power law, column density of the local absorber, and reflection intensity). The spectra were merged in six epochs (defined as adjacent observations) and in high and low flux states to understand whether the flux transitions are accompanied by spectral changes. Results: The flux variability is significant in all the sources investigated. The HRs in general are not as variable as the fluxes, in line with previous results on deep fields. Only one source displays a variable HR, anti-correlated with the flux (source 337). The spectral analysis in the available epochs confirms the steeper when brighter trend consistent with Comptonisation models only in this source at 99% confidence level. Finding this trend in one out of seven unabsorbed sources is consistent, within the statistical limits, with the 15% of unabsorbed AGN in previous deep surveys. No significant variability in the column densities, nor in the Compton reflection component, has been detected across the epochs considered. The high and low states display in general different normalisations but consistent spectral properties. Conclusions: X-ray flux fluctuations are ubiquitous in AGN, though in some cases the data quality does not allow for their detection. In general, the significant flux variations are not associated with spectral variability: photon index and column densities are not significantly variable in nine out of the ten AGN over long timescales (from three to six and a half years). Photon index variability is found only in one source (which is steeper when brighter) out of seven unabsorbed AGN. The percentage of spectrally variable objects is consistent, within the limited statistics of sources studied here, with previous deep samples.

Investigating the Compton Effect with a Spreadsheet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinderman, Jesusa Valdez

1992-01-01

Describes a computer simulation of the Compton effect designed to lead students to discover (1) the relationship of the electron's final kinetic energy to its angle of scattering and (2) the relationship between the scattering angles of the outgoing electron and photon. (MDH)

Advanced Compton scattering light source R&D at LLNL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Albert, F; Anderson, S G; Anderson, G

2010-02-16

We report the design and current status of a monoenergetic laser-based Compton scattering 0.5-2.5 MeV {gamma}-ray source. Previous nuclear resonance fluorescence results and future linac and laser developments for the source are presented. At MeV photon energies relevant for nuclear processes, Compton scattering light sources are attractive because of their relative compactness and improved brightness above 100 keV, compared to typical 4th generation synchrotrons. Recent progress in accelerator physics and laser technology have enabled the development of a new class of tunable Mono-Energetic Gamma-Ray (MEGa-Ray) light sources based on Compton scattering between a high-brightness, relativistic electron beam and a highmore » intensity laser pulse produced via chirped-pulse amplification (CPA). A new precision, tunable gamma-ray source driven by a compact, high-gradient X-band linac is currently under development and construction at LLNL. High-brightness, relativistic electron bunches produced by an X-band linac designed in collaboration with SLAC will interact with a Joule-class, 10 ps, diode-pumped CPA laser pulse to generate tunable {gamma}-rays in the 0.5-2.5 MeV photon energy range via Compton scattering. Based on the success of the previous Thomson-Radiated Extreme X-rays (T-REX) Compton scattering source at LLNL, the source will be used to excite nuclear resonance fluorescence lines in various isotopes; applications include homeland security, stockpile science and surveillance, nuclear fuel assay, and waste imaging and assay. After a brief presentation of successful nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) experiments done with T-REX, the new source design, key parameters, and current status are presented.« less

Optimization and verification of image reconstruction for a Compton camera towards application as an on-line monitor for particle therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taya, T.; Kataoka, J.; Kishimoto, A.; Tagawa, L.; Mochizuki, S.; Toshito, T.; Kimura, M.; Nagao, Y.; Kurita, K.; Yamaguchi, M.; Kawachi, N.

2017-07-01

Particle therapy is an advanced cancer therapy that uses a feature known as the Bragg peak, in which particle beams suddenly lose their energy near the end of their range. The Bragg peak enables particle beams to damage tumors effectively. To achieve precise therapy, the demand for accurate and quantitative imaging of the beam irradiation region or dosage during therapy has increased. The most common method of particle range verification is imaging of annihilation gamma rays by positron emission tomography. Not only 511-keV gamma rays but also prompt gamma rays are generated during therapy; therefore, the Compton camera is expected to be used as an on-line monitor for particle therapy, as it can image these gamma rays in real time. Proton therapy, one of the most common particle therapies, uses a proton beam of approximately 200 MeV, which has a range of ~ 25 cm in water. As gamma rays are emitted along the path of the proton beam, quantitative evaluation of the reconstructed images of diffuse sources becomes crucial, but it is far from being fully developed for Compton camera imaging at present. In this study, we first quantitatively evaluated reconstructed Compton camera images of uniformly distributed diffuse sources, and then confirmed that our Compton camera obtained 3 %(1 σ) and 5 %(1 σ) uniformity for line and plane sources, respectively. Based on this quantitative study, we demonstrated on-line gamma imaging during proton irradiation. Through these studies, we show that the Compton camera is suitable for future use as an on-line monitor for particle therapy.

Performance Evaluation of 98 CZT Sensors for Their Use in Gamma-Ray Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dedek, Nicolas; Speller, Robert D.; Spendley, Paul; Horrocks, Julie A.

2008-10-01

98 SPEAR sensors from eV Products have been evaluated for their use in a portable Compton camera. The sensors have a 5 mm times 5 mm times 5 mm CdZnTe crystal and are provided together with a preamplifier. The energy resolution was studied in detail for all sensors and was found to be 6% on average at 59.5 keV and 3% on average at 662 keV. The standard deviations of the corresponding energy resolution distributions are remarkably small (0.6% at 59.5 keV, 0.7% at 662 keV) and reflect the uniformity of the sensor characteristics. For a possible outside use the temperature dependence of the sensor performances was investigated for temperatures between 15 and 45 deg Celsius. A linear shift in calibration with temperature was observed. The energy resolution at low energies (81 keV) was found to deteriorate exponentially with temperature, while it stayed constant at higher energies (356 keV). A Compton camera built of these sensors was simulated. To obtain realistic energy spectra a suitable detector response function was implemented. To investigate the angular resolution of the camera a 137Cs point source was simulated. Reconstructed images of the point source were compared for perfect and realistic energy and position resolutions. The angular resolution of the camera was found to be better than 10 deg.

Non-thermal Gamma-Ray Emission from Delayed Pair Breakdown in a Magnetized and Photon-rich Outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gill, Ramandeep; Thompson, Christopher

2014-12-01

We consider delayed, volumetric heating in a magnetized outflow that has broken out of a confining medium and expanded to a high Lorentz factor (Γ ~ 102-103) and low optical depth to scattering (τ T ~ 10-3-10-2). The energy flux at breakout is dominated by the magnetic field, with a modest contribution from quasi-thermal gamma rays whose spectrum was calculated in Paper I. We focus on the case of extreme baryon depletion in the magnetized material, but allow for a separate baryonic component that is entrained from a confining medium. Dissipation is driven by relativistic motion between these two components, which develops once the photon compactness drops below 4 × 103(Ye /0.5)-1. We first calculate the acceleration of the magnetized component following breakout, showing that embedded MHD turbulence provides significant inertia, the neglect of which leads to unrealistically high estimates of flow Lorentz factor. After reheating begins, the pair and photon distributions are evolved self-consistently using a one-zone kinetic code that incorporates an exact treatment of Compton scattering, pair production and annihilation, and Coulomb scattering. Heating leads to a surge in pair creation, and the scattering depth saturates at τ T ~ 1-4. The plasma maintains a very low ratio of particle to magnetic pressure, and can support strong anisotropy in the charged particle distribution, with cooling dominated by Compton scattering. High-energy power-law spectra with photon indices in the range observed in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs; -3 < β < -3/2) are obtained by varying the ratio of heat input to the seed energy in quasi-thermal photons. We contrast our results with those for continuous heating across an expanding photosphere, and show that the latter model produces soft-to-hard evolution that is inconsistent with observations of GRBs.

Gamma-ray momentum reconstruction from Compton electron trajectories by filtered back-projection

DOE PAGES

Haefner, A.; Gunter, D.; Plimley, B.; ...

2014-11-03

Gamma-ray imaging utilizing Compton scattering has traditionally relied on measuring coincident gamma-ray interactions to map directional information of the source distribution. This coincidence requirement makes it an inherently inefficient process. We present an approach to gamma-ray reconstruction from Compton scattering that requires only a single electron tracking detector, thus removing the coincidence requirement. From the Compton scattered electron momentum distribution, our algorithm analytically computes the incident photon's correlated direction and energy distributions. Because this method maps the source energy and location, it is useful in applications, where prior information about the source distribution is unknown. We demonstrate this method withmore » electron tracks measured in a scientific Si charge coupled device. While this method was demonstrated with electron tracks in a Si-based detector, it is applicable to any detector that can measure electron direction and energy, or equivalently the electron momentum. For example, it can increase the sensitivity to obtain energy and direction in gas-based systems that suffer from limited efficiency.« less

Picosecond, tunable, high-brightness hard x-ray inverse Compton source at Duke storage ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Litvinenko, Vladimir N.; Wu, Ying; Burnham, Bentley; Barnett, Genevieve A.; Madey, John M. J.

1995-09-01

We suggest a state-of-the art x-ray source using a compact electron storage ring with modest energy (less than 1 GeV) and a high power mm-wave as an undulator. A source of this type has x-ray energies and brightness comparable with third generation synchrotron light sources while it can be very compact and fit in a small university or industrial laboratory or hospital. We propose to operate an isochronous mm-wave FEL and a hard x-ray inverse Compton source at the Duke storage ring to test this concept. Resonant FEL conditions for the mm- wave will be provided by the off-axis interaction with an electromagnetic wave. A special optical resonator with holes for the e-beam is proposed for pumping a hard x-ray inverse Compton source with very high brightness. Simulation results of mm-wave FEL operation of the Duke storage ring are discussed. Expected performance of mm-wave FEL and hard x-ray inverse Compton source are presented.

A method for determination mass absorption coefficient of gamma rays by Compton scattering.

PubMed

El Abd, A

2014-12-01

A method was proposed for determination mass absorption coefficient of gamma rays for compounds, alloys and mixtures. It is based on simulating interaction processes of gamma rays with target elements having atomic numbers from Z=1 to Z=92 using the MCSHAPE software. Intensities of Compton scattered gamma rays at saturation thicknesses and at a scattering angle of 90° were calculated for incident gamma rays of different energies. The obtained results showed that the intensity of Compton scattered gamma rays at saturations and mass absorption coefficients can be described by mathematical formulas. These were used to determine mass absorption coefficients for compound, alloys and mixtures with the knowledge of their Compton scattered intensities. The method was tested by calculating mass absorption coefficients for some compounds, alloys and mixtures. There is a good agreement between obtained results and calculated ones using WinXom software. The advantages and limitations of the method were discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

BOW TIES IN THE SKY. I. THE ANGULAR STRUCTURE OF INVERSE COMPTON GAMMA-RAY HALOS IN THE FERMI SKY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Broderick, Avery E.; Shalaby, Mohamad; Tiede, Paul

2016-12-01

Extended inverse Compton halos are generally anticipated around extragalactic sources of gamma rays with energies above 100 GeV. These result from inverse Compton scattered cosmic microwave background photons by a population of high-energy electron/positron pairs produced by the annihilation of the high-energy gamma rays on the infrared background. Despite the observed attenuation of the high-energy gamma rays, the halo emission has yet to be directly detected. Here, we demonstrate that in most cases these halos are expected to be highly anisotropic, distributing the upscattered gamma rays along axes defined either by the radio jets of the sources or oriented perpendicularmore » to a global magnetic field. We present a pedagogical derivation of the angular structure in the inverse Compton halo and provide an analytic formalism that facilitates the generation of mock images. We discuss exploiting this fact for the purpose of detecting gamma-ray halos in a set of companion papers.« less

Joint refinement model for the spin resolved one-electron reduced density matrix of YTiO3 using magnetic structure factors and magnetic Compton profiles data.

PubMed

Gueddida, Saber; Yan, Zeyin; Kibalin, Iurii; Voufack, Ariste Bolivard; Claiser, Nicolas; Souhassou, Mohamed; Lecomte, Claude; Gillon, Béatrice; Gillet, Jean-Michel

2018-04-28

In this paper, we propose a simple cluster model with limited basis sets to reproduce the unpaired electron distributions in a YTiO 3 ferromagnetic crystal. The spin-resolved one-electron-reduced density matrix is reconstructed simultaneously from theoretical magnetic structure factors and directional magnetic Compton profiles using our joint refinement algorithm. This algorithm is guided by the rescaling of basis functions and the adjustment of the spin population matrix. The resulting spin electron density in both position and momentum spaces from the joint refinement model is in agreement with theoretical and experimental results. Benefits brought from magnetic Compton profiles to the entire spin density matrix are illustrated. We studied the magnetic properties of the YTiO 3 crystal along the Ti-O 1 -Ti bonding. We found that the basis functions are mostly rescaled by means of magnetic Compton profiles, while the molecular occupation numbers are mainly modified by the magnetic structure factors.

X-ray-binary spectra in the lamp post model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincent, F. H.; Różańska, A.; Zdziarski, A. A.; Madej, J.

2016-05-01

Context. The high-energy radiation from black-hole binaries may be due to the reprocessing of a lamp located on the black hole rotation axis and emitting X-rays. The observed spectrum is made of three major components: the direct spectrum traveling from the lamp directly to the observer; the thermal bump at the equilibrium temperature of the accretion disk heated by the lamp; and the reflected spectrum essentially made of the Compton hump and the iron-line complex. Aims: We aim to accurately compute the complete reprocessed spectrum (thermal bump + reflected) of black-hole binaries over the entire X-ray band. We also determine the strength of the direct component. Our choice of parameters is adapted to a source showing an important thermal component. We are particularly interested in investigating the possibility to use the iron-line complex as a probe to constrain the black hole spin. Methods: We computed in full general relativity the illumination of a thin accretion disk by a fixed X-ray lamp along the rotation axis. We used the ATM21 radiative transfer code to compute the local, energy-dependent spectrum emitted along the disk as a function of radius, emission angle and black hole spin. We then ray traced this local spectrum to determine the final reprocessed spectrum as received by a distant observer. We consider two extreme values of the black hole spin (a = 0 and a = 0.98) and discuss the dependence of the local and ray-traced spectra on the emission angle and black hole spin. Results: We show the importance of the angle dependence of the total disk specific intensity spectrum emitted by the illuminated atmosphere when the thermal disk emission is fully taken into account. The disk flux, together with the X-ray flux from the lamp, determines the temperature and ionization structure of the atmosphere. High black hole spin implies high temperature in the inner disk regions, therefore, the emitted thermal disk spectrum fully covers the iron-line complex. As a result, instead of fluorescent iron emission line, we locally observe absorption lines produced in the hot disk atmosphere. Absorption lines are narrow and disappear after ray tracing the local spectrum. Conclusions: Our results mainly highlight the importance of considering the angle dependence of the local spectrum when computing reprocessed spectra, as was already found in a recent study. The main new result of our work is to show the importance of computing the thermal bump of the spectrum, as this feature can change considerably the observed iron-line complex. Thus, in particular for fitting black hole spins, the full spectrum, rather than only the reflected part, should be computed self-consistently.

A hard X-ray view of the soft excess in AGN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boissay, R.; Ricci, C.; Paltani, S.

2017-10-01

A soft X-ray emission in excess of the extrapolation of the hard X-ray continuum is detected in many Seyfert 1 galaxies below 1 keV. To understand the uncertain nature of this soft excess, which could be due to warm Comptonization or to blurred ionized reflection, we consider the different behaviors of these models above 10 keV. We present the results of a study done on 102 Seyfert 1s from the Swift BAT 70-Month Hard X-ray Survey catalog. We have performed the joint spectral analysis of Swift/BAT and XMM-Newton data in order to get a hard X-ray view of the soft excess. We discuss the links between the soft-excess strength and the reflection at high energy, the slope of the continuum and the Eddington ratio. We compare our results to simulations of blurred ionized-reflection models and show that they are in contradiction. Indeed, we do not find the expected correlation between the reflection and the soft-excess strengths, neither in individual, nor in stacked spectra. We also present our current project of broadband fitting, using different models explaining the soft excess, to simultaneous XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations of about ten objects of our sample.

How the Klein–Nishina formula was derived: Based on the Sangokan Nishina Source Materials

PubMed Central

YAZAKI, Yuji

2017-01-01

In 1928, Klein and Nishina investigated Compton scattering based on the Dirac equation just proposed in the same year, and derived the Klein–Nishina formula for the scattering cross section of a photon. At that time the Dirac equation had the following unsettled conceptual questions: the negative energy states, its four-component wave functions, and the spin states of an electron. Hence, during their investigation struggles, they encountered various difficulties. In this article, we describe their struggles to derive the formula using the “Sangokan Nishina Source Materials” retained in the the Nishina Memorial Foundation. PMID:28603211

Feasibility Study of Compton Cameras for X-ray Fluorescence Computed Tomography with Humans

PubMed Central

Vernekohl, Don; Ahmad, Moiz; Chinn, Garry; Xing, Lei

2017-01-01

X-ray fluorescence imaging is a promising imaging technique able to depict the spatial distributions of low amounts of molecular agents in vivo. Currently, the translation of the technique to preclinical and clinical applications is hindered by long scanning times as objects are scanned with flux-limited narrow pencil beams. The study presents a novel imaging approach combining x-ray fluorescence imaging with Compton imaging. Compton cameras leverage the imaging performance of XFCT and abolish the need of pencil beam excitation. The study examines the potential of this new imaging approach on the base of Monte-Carlo simulations. In the work, it is first presented that the particular option of slice/fan-beam x-ray excitation has advantages in image reconstruction in regard of processing time and image quality compared to traditional volumetric Compton imaging. In a second experiment, the feasibility of the approach for clinical applications with tracer agents made from gold nano-particles is examined in a simulated lung scan scenario. The high energy of characteristic x-ray photons from gold is advantageous for deep tissue penetration and has lower angular blurring in the Compton camera. It is found that Doppler broadening in the first detector stage of the Compton camera adds the largest contribution on the angular blurring; physically limiting the spatial resolution. Following the analysis of the results from the spatial resolution test, resolutions in the order of one centimeter are achievable with the approach in the center of the lung. The concept of Compton imaging allows to distinguish to some extend between scattered photons and x-ray fluorescent photons based on their difference in emission position. The results predict that molecular sensitivities down to 240 pM/l for 5 mm diameter lesions at 15 mGy for 50 nm diameter gold nano-particles are achievable. A 45-fold speed up time for data acquisition compared to traditional pencil beam XFCT could be achieved for lung imaging on cost of a small sensitivity decrease. PMID:27845933

NuSTAR observations of the bullet cluster: constraints on inverse Compton emission

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wik, Daniel R.; Hornstrup, A.; Molendi, S.

2014-08-13

Here, the search for diffuse non-thermal inverse Compton (IC) emission from galaxy clusters at hard X-ray energies has been undertaken with many instruments, with most detections being either of low significance or controversial. Because all prior telescopes sensitive at E > 10 keV do not focus light and have degree-scale fields of view, their backgrounds are both high and difficult to characterize. The associated uncertainties result in lower sensitivity to IC emission and a greater chance of false detection. In this work, we present 266 ks NuSTAR observations of the Bullet cluster, which is detected in the energy range 3-30more » keV. NuSTAR's unprecedented hard X-ray focusing capability largely eliminates confusion between diffuse IC and point sources; however, at the highest energies, the background still dominates and must be well understood. To this end, we have developed a complete background model constructed of physically inspired components constrained by extragalactic survey field observations, the specific parameters of which are derived locally from data in non-source regions of target observations. Applying the background model to the Bullet cluster data, we find that the spectrum is well—but not perfectly—described as an isothermal plasma with kT = 14.2 ± 0.2 keV. To slightly improve the fit, a second temperature component is added, which appears to account for lower temperature emission from the cool core, pushing the primary component to kT ~ 15.3 keV. We see no convincing need to invoke an IC component to describe the spectrum of the Bullet cluster, and instead argue that it is dominated at all energies by emission from purely thermal gas. The conservatively derived 90% upper limit on the IC flux of 1.1 × 10 –12 erg s –1 cm –2 (50-100 keV), implying a lower limit on B ≳ 0.2 μG, is barely consistent with detected fluxes previously reported. In addition to discussing the possible origin of this discrepancy, we remark on the potential implications of this analysis for the prospects for detecting IC in galaxy clusters in the future.« less

Inversion of the conical Radon transform with vertices on a surface of revolution arising in an application of a Compton camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, Sunghwan

2017-06-01

A Compton camera has been introduced for use in single photon emission computed tomography to improve the low efficiency of a conventional gamma camera. In general, a Compton camera brings about the conical Radon transform. Here we consider a conical Radon transform with the vertices on a rotation symmetric set with respect to a coordinate axis. We show that this conical Radon transform can be decomposed into two transforms: the spherical sectional transform and the weighted fan beam transform. After finding inversion formulas for these two transforms, we provide an inversion formula for the conical Radon transform.

Spin-dependent sum rules connecting real and virtual Compton scattering verified

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lensky, Vadim; Pascalutsa, Vladimir; Vanderhaeghen, Marc; Kao, Chung Wen

2017-04-01

We present a detailed derivation of the two sum rules relating the spin polarizabilities measured in real, virtual, and doubly virtual Compton scattering. For example, the polarizability δL T , accessed in inclusive electron scattering, is related to the spin polarizability γE 1 E 1 and the slope of generalized polarizabilities P(M 1 ,M 1 )1-P(L 1 ,L 1 )1 , measured in, respectively, the real and the virtual Compton scattering. We verify these sum rules in different variants of chiral perturbation theory, discuss their empirical verification for the proton, and prospect their use in studies of the nucleon spin structure.

A new length scale for quantum gravity: A resolution of the black hole information loss paradox

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Tejinder P.

We show why and how Compton wavelength and Schwarzschild radius should be combined into one single new length scale, which we call the Compton-Schwarzschild length. Doing so offers a resolution of the black hole information loss paradox, and suggests Planck mass remnant black holes as candidates for dark matter. It also compels us to introduce torsion, and identify the Dirac field with a complex torsion field. Dirac equation and Einstein equations, are shown to be mutually dual limiting cases of an underlying gravitation theory which involves the Compton-Schwarzschild length scale, and includes a complex torsion field.

Intershell correlations in Compton photon scattering by an atom

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hopersky, Alexey N.; Nadolinsky, Alexey M.; Novikov, Sergey A.

The role of the intershell correlation effect is theoretically investigated using the example of the Ne atom in nonresonance Compton high-energy x-ray photon scattering by a free atom. The calculation results qualitatively reproduce the same results in the formalism of the generalized oscillator strength and the random phase approximation with exchange for the Compton photon and electron scattering by an atom; when the incident photon energy is 11 keV and the scattering angle is 90 deg., they correspond well with the results of the synchrotron experiment presented in the work by Jung et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 1596 (1998)].

Gravitation and Special Relativity from Compton Wave Interactions at the Planck Scale: An Algorithmic Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blackwell, William C., Jr.

2004-01-01

In this paper space is modeled as a lattice of Compton wave oscillators (CWOs) of near- Planck size. It is shown that gravitation and special relativity emerge from the interaction between particles Compton waves. To develop this CWO model an algorithmic approach was taken, incorporating simple rules of interaction at the Planck-scale developed using well known physical laws. This technique naturally leads to Newton s law of gravitation and a new form of doubly special relativity. The model is in apparent agreement with the holographic principle, and it predicts a cutoff energy for ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays that is consistent with observational data.

The prototype nuclear Compton telescope: Observations of the Galactic Anticenter region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowen, Jason Dione

Observations of the Galactic Anticenter region and atmospheric 511 keV positron annihilation emission have been performed with a prototype of the Nuclear Compton Telescope (NCT) during a high altitude balloon flight on June 1, 2005 from Ft. Sumner, NM. NCT is a balloon-borne soft gamma-ray (0.2 MeV to 10 MeV) germanium Compton telescope (GCT) designed to study astrophysical sources of nuclear line emission and polarization through spectroscopy and imaging. A prototype instrument was successfully launched from Ft. Sumner, NM on June 1, 2005. The NCT prototype consists of two 3D position-sensitive high purity germanium strip detectors (GeDs). The compact design and new technologies allow NCT to achieve high efficiencies with excellent spectral resolution and background reduction. The GeDs are custom 15 mm thick cross-strip detectors each with an active area of 54 cm 2 and are enclosed in an aluminum cryostat capable of supporting up to 12 detectors. Here is presented a detailed study of approximately 8 hours of background measurements made from 890 g/cm 2 (1265 m ) to an average float altitude of 3.0 g/cm 2 (40 km ), with particular emphasis on float observations. A total of 6 hr 9 min of observation time was acquired at float, while the duration of the ascent portion of the flight included in this study was 2 hr. The expected contributions to the background are discussed, especially in light of detailed Monte Carlo simulations modeling the entire flight and incorporating complete depth dependent environmental inputs, including 4 cosmic components (protons, photons, electrons, and positrons) and 8 atmospheric components (photons, atmospheric 511 keV emission, neutrons, protons, electrons, positrons, and muons). The results of these investigations include the component makeup of the total background as a function of atmospheric depth, and the contribution of delayed emission due to neutron and proton activation of passive materials. At 1 MeV photons emitted following delayed neutron induced reactions comprise ~ 15% of the total background at small depths. The observed background due to this component is a result of Compton scattering of 1.779 MeV ( 29 Al, t 1/2 = 2.24 min ) photons out of the instrument following neutron capture by 28 Al nuclei. The sources of these photons are the substantial amount of aluminum materials surrounding the instrument. Studies of nuclear line emission require accurate energy calibrations. The NCT prototype consists of two 3D position-sensitive GeDs with 2 × 37 × 37 orthogonal strips for energy measurements. Each strip requires a unique energy calibration. For the electrodes under high voltage (-800 V ) the collected charge is dependent on interaction depth, with charge losses in transit presumably due to trapping and/or recombination. The measured electron trapping lengths for the two GeDs are 1264 cm and 930.3 cm , and the measured hole trapping lengths are 1149.2 cm and 847.3 cm , respectively. The total energy loss at 662 keV approaches 0.1%. Additional losses of up to 0.4% occur at the detector surfaces containing the low voltage electrodes. The positron annihilation line has been observed as a function of atmospheric depth. Simulations suggest contributions to this line from b + -decay and pair production in passive materials are negligible at all depths, and that the line fraction due to positron annihilation in passive materials varies approximately linearly with depth: at large depths (> 700 g cm -2 ) the fraction is > 50% and for depths < 5 g cm -2 the contribution is less than 0.3%. A major result of these studies is that essentially all of the 511 keV line measurements at float are due to atmospheric emissions. At an average float altitude of 2.9 g cm - 2 the vertical atmospheric annihilation line flux measured by the prototype Nuclear Compton Telescope is 3.5 × 10^-2 ( cm 2 s sr keV ) -1 . Images of 511 keV emission at float altitudes are presented. The Galactic Anticenter Region was observed in nine continuum energy bands from 100 keV to 1.5 MeV. Received fluxes from the Crab Nebula are at the sensitivity threshold of the NCT prototype for this flight. 3 s upper limits for the 100- 200, 150-450, 200-600, 250-750, 300-900, 350-1050, 400-1200, 450-1350, and 500- 1500 keV bands are 8.9, 4.9, 3.2, 5.3, 3.1, 4.0, 3.8, 4.7, and 4.7 × 10^-2 cm - 2 s -1 , respectively.

A New Comptonization Model for Weakly Magnetized Accreting NS LMXBs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paizis, A.; Farinelli, R.; Titarchuk, L.; Frontera, F.; Cocchi, M.; Ferrigno, C.

2009-05-01

We have developed a new Comptonization model to propose, for the first time, a self consistent physical interpretation of the complex spectral evolution seen in NS LMXBs. The model and its application to LMXBs are presented and compared to the Simbol-X expected capabilities.

Tracking the complex absorption in NGC 2110 with two Suzaku observations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rivers, Elizabeth; Markowitz, Alex; Rothschild, Richard

2014-05-10

We present spectral analysis of two Suzaku observations of the Seyfert 2 galaxy, NGC 2110. This source has been known to show complex, variable absorption which we study in depth by analyzing these two observations set 7 yr apart and by comparing them to previously analyzed observations with the XMM-Newton and Chandra observatories. We find that there is a relatively stable, full-covering absorber with a column density of ∼3× 10{sup 22} cm{sup –2}, with an additional patchy absorber that is likely variable in both column density and covering fraction over timescales of years, consistent with clouds in a patchy torusmore » or in the broad line region. We model a soft emission line complex, likely arising from ionized plasma and consistent with previous studies. We find no evidence for reflection from an accretion disk in this source with contribution from neither relativistically broadened Fe Kα line emission, nor from a Compton reflection hump.« less

Exploring the Dynamics of a Quantum-Mechanical Compton Generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kandes, Martin; Carretero, Ricardo

2017-01-01

In 1913, when American physicist Arthur Compton was an undergraduate, he invented a simple way to measure the rotation rate of the Earth with a tabletop-sized experiment. The experiment consisted of a large diameter circular ring of thin glass tubing filled with water and oil droplets. After placing the ring in a plane perpendicular to the surface of the Earth and allowing the fluid mixture of oil and water to come to rest, he then abruptly rotated the ring, flipping it 180 degrees about an axis passing through its own plane. The result of the experiment was that the water acquired a measurable drift velocity due to the Coriolis effect arising from the daily rotation of the Earth about its own axis. Compton measured this induced drift velocity by observing the motion of the oil droplets in the water with a microscope. This device, which is now named after him, is known as a Compton generator. The fundamental research objective of this project is to explore the dynamics of a quantum-mechanical analogue to the classical Compton generator experiment through the use of numerical simulations. We present our preliminary results on this system and the future direction of the project. This work used the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE), which is supported by National Science Foundation Grant Number ACI-1053575.

On the Compton scattering redistribution function in plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madej, J.; Różańska, A.; Majczyna, A.; Należyty, M.

2017-08-01

Compton scattering is the dominant opacity source in hot neutron stars, accretion discs around black holes and hot coronae. We collected here a set of numerical expressions of the Compton scattering redistribution functions (RFs) for unpolarized radiation, which are more exact than the widely used Kompaneets equation. The principal aim of this paper is the presentation of the RF by Guilbert, which is corrected for the computational errors in the original paper. This corrected RF was used in the series of papers on model atmosphere computations of hot neutron stars. We have also organized four existing algorithms for the RF computations into a unified form ready to use in radiative transfer and model atmosphere codes. The exact method by Nagirner & Poutanen was numerically compared to all other algorithms in a very wide spectral range from hard X-rays to radio waves. Sample computations of the Compton scattering RFs in thermal plasma were done for temperatures corresponding to the atmospheres of bursting neutron stars and hot intergalactic medium. Our formulae are also useful to study the Compton scattering of unpolarized microwave background radiation in hot intracluster gas and the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect. We conclude that the formulae by Guilbert and the exact quantum mechanical formulae yield practically the same RFs for gas temperatures relevant to the atmospheres of X-ray bursting neutron stars, T ≤ 108 K.

The first demonstration of the concept of "narrow-FOV Si/CdTe semiconductor Compton camera"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ichinohe, Yuto; Uchida, Yuusuke; Watanabe, Shin; Edahiro, Ikumi; Hayashi, Katsuhiro; Kawano, Takafumi; Ohno, Masanori; Ohta, Masayuki; Takeda, Shin`ichiro; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Katsuragawa, Miho; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Odaka, Hirokazu; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Yuasa, Takayuki

2016-01-01

The Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD), to be deployed on board the ASTRO-H satellite, has been developed to provide the highest sensitivity observations of celestial sources in the energy band of 60-600 keV by employing a detector concept which uses a Compton camera whose field-of-view is restricted by a BGO shield to a few degree (narrow-FOV Compton camera). In this concept, the background from outside the FOV can be heavily suppressed by constraining the incident direction of the gamma ray reconstructed by the Compton camera to be consistent with the narrow FOV. We, for the first time, demonstrate the validity of the concept using background data taken during the thermal vacuum test and the low-temperature environment test of the flight model of SGD on ground. We show that the measured background level is suppressed to less than 10% by combining the event rejection using the anti-coincidence trigger of the active BGO shield and by using Compton event reconstruction techniques. More than 75% of the signals from the field-of-view are retained against the background rejection, which clearly demonstrates the improvement of signal-to-noise ratio. The estimated effective area of 22.8 cm2 meets the mission requirement even though not all of the operational parameters of the instrument have been fully optimized yet.

RXTE Observation of Cygnus X-1: III. Implications for Compton Corona and ADAF Models. Report 3; Implications for Compton Corona and ADAF Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nowak, Michael A.; Wilms, Joern; Vaughan, Brian A.; Dove, James B.; Begelman, Mitchell C.

1999-01-01

We have recently shown that a 'sphere + disk' geometry Compton corona model provides a good description of Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observations of the hard/low state of Cygnus X-1. Separately, we have analyzed the temporal data provided by RXTE. In this paper we consider the implications of this timing analysis for our best-fit 'sphere + disk' Comptonization models. We focus our attention on the observed Fourier frequency-dependent time delays between hard and soft photons. We consider whether the observed time delays are: created in the disk but are merely reprocessed by the corona; created by differences between the hard and soft photon diffusion times in coronae with extremely large radii; or are due to 'propagation' of disturbances through the corona. We find that the time delays are most likely created directly within the corona; however, it is currently uncertain which specific model is the most likely explanation. Models that posit a large coronal radius [or equivalently, a large Advection Dominated Accretion Flow (ADAF) region] do not fully address all the details of the observed spectrum. The Compton corona models that do address the full spectrum do not contain dynamical information. We show, however, that simple phenomenological propagation models for the observed time delays for these latter models imply extremely slow characteristic propagation speeds within the coronal region.

NuSTAR and XMM-Newton Observations of the Hard X- Ray Spectrum of Centaurus A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Furst, F.; Muller, C.; Madsen, K. K.; Lanz, L.; Rivers, E.; Brightman, M.; Arevalo, P.; Balokovic, M.; Beuchert, T.; Zhang, W.

2016-01-01

We present simultaneous XMM-Newton and Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) observations spanning 3-78 keV of the nearest radio galaxy, Centaurus A (Cen A). The accretion geometry around the central engine in Cen A is still debated, and we investigate possible configurations using detailed X-ray spectral modeling. NuSTAR imaged the central region of Cen A with subarcminute resolution at X-ray energies above 10 keV for the first time, but found no evidence for an extended source or other off-nuclear point sources. The XMM-Newton and NuSTAR spectra agree well and can be described with an absorbed power law with a photon index Gamma = 1.8150 +/- 0.005 and a fluorescent Fe Kaline in good agreement with literature values. The spectrum is greater than 1 MeV. A thermal Comptonization continuum describes the data well, with parameters that agree with values measured by INTEGRAL, in particular an electron temperature kTe between approximately 100-300 keV and seed photon input temperatures between 5 and 50 eV. We do not find evidence for reflection or a broad iron line and put stringent upper limits of R is less than 0.01 on the reflection fraction and accretion disk illumination. We use archival Chandra data to estimate the contribution from diffuse emission, extra-nuclear point sources, and the outer X-ray jet to the observed NuSTAR and XMM-Newton X-ray spectra and find the contribution to be negligible. We discuss different scenarios for the physical origin of the observed hard X-ray spectrum and conclude that the inner disk is replaced by an advection-dominated accretion flow or that the X-rays are dominated by synchrotron self-Compton emission from the inner regions of the radio jet or a combination thereof.

Bilingual Program Application for Continuation Proposal: Compton Unified School District.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Compton City Schools, CA.

This document contains the continuation proposal for the fourth grade Compton bilingual education program. A review of the third year is included with details on process evaluation, project personnel and duties, new vocabulary developed by the project for lexical references, and inservice training of teachers. Information concerning the proposed…

NuSTAR REVEALS RELATIVISTIC REFLECTION BUT NO ULTRA-FAST OUTFLOW IN THE QUASAR PG 1211+143

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zoghbi, A.; Miller, J. M.; Walton, D. J.

We report on four epochs of observations of the quasar PG 1211+143 using NuSTAR. The net exposure time is 300 ks. Prior work on this source found suggestive evidence of an ultra-fast outflow (UFO) in the Fe K band with a velocity of approximately 0.1c. The putative flow would carry away a high-mass flux and kinetic power, with broad implications for feedback and black hole--galaxy co-evolution. NuSTAR detects PG 1211+143 out to 30 keV, meaning that the continuum is well-defined both through and above the Fe K band. A characteristic relativistic disk reflection spectrum is clearly revealed via a broadmore » Fe K emission line and Compton back-scattering curvature. The data offer only weak constraints on the spin of the black hole. A careful search for UFOs shows no significant absorption feature above 90% confidence. The limits are particularly tight when relativistic reflection is included. We discuss the statistics and the implications of these results in terms of connections between accretion onto quasars, Seyferts, and stellar-mass black holes, and feedback into their host environments.« less

NuSTAR Reveals Relativistic Reflection But No Ultra-Fast Outflow in the Quasar Pg∼1211+143

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zoghbi, A.; Miller, J. M.; Walton, D. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Fabian, A. C.; Reynolds, C. S.; Boggs, S. E.; Christensen, F. E.; Craig, W.; Hailey, C. J.; Stern, D.; Zhang, W. W.

2015-01-01

We report on four epochs of observations of the quasar PG 1211+143 using NuSTAR. The net exposure time is 300 ks. Prior work on this source found suggestive evidence of an ultra-fast outflow (UFO) in the Fe K band with a velocity of approximately 0.1c. The putative flow would carry away a high-mass flux and kinetic power, with broad implications for feedback and black hole--galaxy co-evolution. NuSTAR detects PG 1211+143 out to 30 keV, meaning that the continuum is well-defined both through and above the Fe K band. A characteristic relativistic disk reflection spectrum is clearly revealed via a broad Fe K emission line and Compton back-scattering curvature. The data offer only weak constraints on the spin of the black hole. A careful search for UFOs shows no significant absorption feature above 90% confidence. The limits are particularly tight when relativistic reflection is included. We discuss the statistics and the implications of these results in terms of connections between accretion onto quasars, Seyferts, and stellar-mass black holes, and feedback into their host environments.

Simulation and Laboratory results of the Hard X-ray Polarimeter: X-Calibur

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Qingzhen; Beilicke, M.; Kislat, F.; Krawczynski, H.

2014-01-01

X-ray polarimetry promises to give qualitatively new information about high-energy sources, such as binary black hole (BH) systems, Microquasars, active galactic nuclei (AGN), GRBs, etc. We designed, built and tested a hard X-ray polarimeter 'X-Calibur' to be flown in the focal plane of the InFOCuS grazing incidence hard X-ray telescope in 2014. X-Calibur combines a low-Z Compton scatterer with a CZT detector assembly to measure the polarization of 20- 80 keV X-rays making use of the fact that polarized photons Compton scatter preferentially perpendicular to the E field orientation. X-Calibur achieves a high detection efficiency of order unity. We optimized of the design of the instrument based on Monte Carlo simulations of polarized and unpolarized X-ray beams and of the most important background components. We have calibrated and tested X-Calibur extensively in the laboratory at Washington University and at the Cornell High-Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS). Measurements using the highly polarized synchrotron beam at CHESS confirm the polarization sensitivity of the instrument. In this talk we report on the optimization of the design of the instrument based on Monte Carlo simulations, as well as results of laboratory calibration measurements characterizing the performance of the instrument.

Compton Camera and Prompt Gamma Ray Timing: Two Methods for In Vivo Range Assessment in Proton Therapy

PubMed Central

Hueso-González, Fernando; Fiedler, Fine; Golnik, Christian; Kormoll, Thomas; Pausch, Guntram; Petzoldt, Johannes; Römer, Katja E.; Enghardt, Wolfgang

2016-01-01

Proton beams are promising means for treating tumors. Such charged particles stop at a defined depth, where the ionization density is maximum. As the dose deposit beyond this distal edge is very low, proton therapy minimizes the damage to normal tissue compared to photon therapy. Nevertheless, inherent range uncertainties cast doubts on the irradiation of tumors close to organs at risk and lead to the application of conservative safety margins. This constrains significantly the potential benefits of protons over photons. In this context, several research groups are developing experimental tools for range verification based on the detection of prompt gammas, a nuclear by-product of the proton irradiation. At OncoRay and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, detector components have been characterized in realistic radiation environments as a step toward a clinical Compton camera. On the one hand, corresponding experimental methods and results obtained during the ENTERVISION training network are reviewed. On the other hand, a novel method based on timing spectroscopy has been proposed as an alternative to collimated imaging systems. The first tests of the timing method at a clinical proton accelerator are summarized, its applicability in a clinical environment for challenging the current safety margins is assessed, and the factors limiting its precision are discussed. PMID:27148473

A FOURIER-TRANSFORMED BREMSSTRAHLUNG FLASH MODEL FOR THE PRODUCTION OF X-RAY TIME LAGS IN ACCRETING BLACK HOLE SOURCES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kroon, John J.; Becker, Peter A., E-mail: jkroon@gmu.edu, E-mail: pbecker@gmu.edu

Accreting black hole sources show a wide variety of rapid time variability, including the manifestation of time lags during X-ray transients, in which a delay (phase shift) is observed between the Fourier components of the hard and soft spectra. Despite a large body of observational evidence for time lags, no fundamental physical explanation for the origin of this phenomenon has been presented. We develop a new theoretical model for the production of X-ray time lags based on an exact analytical solution for the Fourier transform describing the diffusion and Comptonization of seed photons propagating through a spherical corona. The resultingmore » Green's function can be convolved with any source distribution to compute the associated Fourier transform and time lags, hence allowing us to explore a wide variety of injection scenarios. We show that thermal Comptonization is able to self-consistently explain both the X-ray time lags and the steady-state (quiescent) X-ray spectrum observed in the low-hard state of Cyg X-1. The reprocessing of bremsstrahlung seed photons produces X-ray time lags that diminish with increasing Fourier frequency, in agreement with the observations for a wide range of sources.« less

RXTE, VLBA, Optical, and Radio Monitoring of the Quasars 3C 279, PKS 1510--089, and 3C 273

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marscher, A. P.; Jorstad, S. G.; Aller, M. F.; McHardy, I. M.; Balonek, T. J.

2001-01-01

We are continuing our combined RXTE X-ray, VLBA imaging (at 43 GHz), optical (several observatories), and radio (University of Michigan Radio Astronomy Observatory) monitoring of the quasars 3C 279 and PKS 1510-089, and have started similar monitoring of 3C 273. X-ray flares in 3C 279 and PKS 1510-089 are associated with ejections of superluminal components. In addition, there is a close connection between the optical and X-ray variability of 3C 279. There is a strong correlation between the 14.5 GHz and X-ray variability of PKS 1510-089 in 1997 and 1998 (with the radio leading the X-ray) that becomes weaker in subsequent years. X-ray fluctuations occur on a variety of timescales in 3C 273, with a major prolonged outburst in mid-2001. The lead author will discuss the correlations in terms of inverse Compton models for the X-ray emission coupled with synchrotron models for the lower-frequency radiation. Synchrotron self-Compton models can explain the "reverse" time lag in PKS 1510-089 is well as the variable correlation between the X-ray variations and those at lower frequencies in this object and in 3C 279.

Seven-year Collection of Well-monitored Fermi-LAT Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panaitescu, A.

2017-03-01

We present the light curves and spectra of 24 afterglows that have been monitored by Fermi-LAT at 0.1-100 GeV over more than a decade. All light curves (except 130427) are consistent with a single power law starting from their peaks, which occur in most cases before the burst end. The light curves display a brightness-decay rate correlation, with all but one (130427) of the bright afterglows decaying faster than the dimmer afterglows. We attribute this dichotomy to the quick deposition of relativistic ejecta energy in the external shock for the brighter/faster-decaying afterglows and to an extended energy injection in the afterglow shock for the dimmer/slower-decaying light curves. The spectra of six afterglows (090328, 100414, 110721, 110731, 130427, 140619B) indicate the existence of a harder component above a spectral dip or ankle at energies of 0.3-3 GeV, offering evidence for inverse-Compton emission at higher energies and suggesting that the harder power-law spectra of five other LAT afterglows (130327B, 131231, 150523, 150627, 160509) could also be inverse-Compton, while the remaining, softer LAT afterglows should be synchrotron emission. Marginal evidence for a spectral break and softening at higher energies is found for two afterglows (090902B and 090926).

Light curve and SED modeling of the gamma-ray binary 1FGL J1018.6–5856: Constraints on the orbital geometry and relativistic flow

DOE PAGES

An, Hongjun; Romani, Roger W.

2017-04-04

We present broadband spectral energy distributions and light curves of the gamma-ray binary 1FGL J1018.6–5856 measured in the X-ray and the gamma-ray bands. We find that the orbital modulation in the low-energy gamma-ray band is similar to that in the X-ray band, suggesting a common spectral component. However, above a GeV the orbital light curve changes significantly. We suggest that the GeV band contains significant flux from a pulsar magnetosphere, while the X-ray to TeV light curves are dominated by synchrotron and Compton emission from an intrabinary shock (IBS). We find that a simple one-zone model is inadequate to explainmore » the IBS emission, but that beamed Synchrotron-self Compton radiation from adiabatically accelerated plasma in the shocked pulsar wind can reproduce the complex multiband light curves, including the variable X-ray spike coincident with the gamma-ray maximum. Furthermore, the model requires an inclination of ~50° and an orbital eccentricity of ~0.35, consistent with the limited constraints from existing optical observations. This picture motivates searches for pulsations from the energetic young pulsar powering the wind shock.« less

Light curve and SED modeling of the gamma-ray binary 1FGL J1018.6–5856: Constraints on the orbital geometry and relativistic flow

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

An, Hongjun; Romani, Roger W.

We present broadband spectral energy distributions and light curves of the gamma-ray binary 1FGL J1018.6–5856 measured in the X-ray and the gamma-ray bands. We find that the orbital modulation in the low-energy gamma-ray band is similar to that in the X-ray band, suggesting a common spectral component. However, above a GeV the orbital light curve changes significantly. We suggest that the GeV band contains significant flux from a pulsar magnetosphere, while the X-ray to TeV light curves are dominated by synchrotron and Compton emission from an intrabinary shock (IBS). We find that a simple one-zone model is inadequate to explainmore » the IBS emission, but that beamed Synchrotron-self Compton radiation from adiabatically accelerated plasma in the shocked pulsar wind can reproduce the complex multiband light curves, including the variable X-ray spike coincident with the gamma-ray maximum. Furthermore, the model requires an inclination of ~50° and an orbital eccentricity of ~0.35, consistent with the limited constraints from existing optical observations. This picture motivates searches for pulsations from the energetic young pulsar powering the wind shock.« less

Light Curve and SED Modeling of the Gamma-Ray Binary 1FGL J1018.6–5856: Constraints on the Orbital Geometry and Relativistic Flow

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

An, Hongjun; Romani, Roger W., E-mail: hjan@chungbuk.ac.kr

We present broadband spectral energy distributions and light curves of the gamma-ray binary 1FGL J1018.6−5856 measured in the X-ray and the gamma-ray bands. We find that the orbital modulation in the low-energy gamma-ray band is similar to that in the X-ray band, suggesting a common spectral component. However, above a GeV the orbital light curve changes significantly. We suggest that the GeV band contains significant flux from a pulsar magnetosphere, while the X-ray to TeV light curves are dominated by synchrotron and Compton emission from an intrabinary shock (IBS). We find that a simple one-zone model is inadequate to explainmore » the IBS emission, but that beamed Synchrotron-self Compton radiation from adiabatically accelerated plasma in the shocked pulsar wind can reproduce the complex multiband light curves, including the variable X-ray spike coincident with the gamma-ray maximum. The model requires an inclination of ∼50° and an orbital eccentricity of ∼0.35, consistent with the limited constraints from existing optical observations. This picture motivates searches for pulsations from the energetic young pulsar powering the wind shock.« less

The Case for General Relativistic Effects in the Fe K(alpha) Profile of an Active Galaxy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, T. J.; Mushotzky, R.; Yaqoob, T.; George, I. M.; Snowden, S. L.; Netzer, H.; Kraemer, S. B.; Nandra, K.; Chelouche, D.; White, Nicholas E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We present results from a simultaneous Chandra HETG (High Energy Transmission Grating) and XMM (X-ray Multi-mirror Mission)-Newton observation of NGC 3516. We find evidence for several narrow components of Fe K(alpha) along with a broad line. We consider the possibility that the lines arise in a blob of material ejected from the nucleus with velocity of approximately 0.25c. We also consider an origin in a neutral accretion disk, suffering enhanced illumination at 35 and 175 R(sub g), perhaps due to magnetic reconnection. The presence of these narrow features indicates there is no Comptonizing region along the line-of-sight to the nucleus. This in turn is compelling support for the hypothesis that broad Fe K(alpha) components are, in general, produced by strong gravity.

Gamma-ray Spectral Characteristics of Thermal and Non-thermal Emission from Three Black Holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ling, James C.; Wheaton, William A.

2004-01-01

Cygnus X-1 and the gamma-ray transients GROJ0422+32 and GROJ1719-24 displayed similar spectral properties when they underwent transitions between the high and low gamma-ray (30 keV to few MeV) intensity states. When these sources were in the high (gamma)-ray intensity state ((gamma)2, for Cygnus X-l), their spectra featured two components: a Comptonized shape below 200-300 keV with a soft power-law tail (photon index >= 3) that extended to 1 MeV or beyond. When the sources were in the low-intensity state ((gamma)0, for Cygnus X-l), the Comptonized spectral shape below 200 keV typically vanished and the entire spectrum from 30 keV to 1 MeV can be characterized by a single power law with a relatively harder photon index 2-2.7. Consequently the high- and low-intensity gamma-ray spectra intersect, generally in the 400 KeV - 1 MeV range, in contrast to the spectral pivoting seen previously at lower (10 keV) energies. The presence of the power-law component in both the high- and low-intensity gammaray spectra strongly suggests that the non-thermal process is likely to be at work in both the high and the low-intensity situations. We have suggested a possible scenario (Ling & Wheaton, 2003), by combining the ADAF model of Esin et al. (1998) with a separate jet region that produces the non-thermal gamma-ray emission, and which explains the state transitions. Such a scenario will be discussed in the context of the observational evidence, summarized above, from the database produced by EBOP, JPL's BATSE earth occultation analysis system.

Intra- and intermolecular effects on the Compton profile of the ionic liquid 1,3-dimethylimidazolium chloride

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koskelo, J., E-mail: jaakko.koskelo@helsinki.fi; Juurinen, I.; Ruotsalainen, K. O.

2014-12-28

We present a comprehensive simulation study on the solid-liquid phase transition of the ionic liquid 1,3-dimethylimidazolium chloride in terms of the changes in the atomic structure and their effect on the Compton profile. The structures were obtained by using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Chosen radial distribution functions of the liquid structure are presented and found generally to be in good agreement with previous ab initio molecular dynamics and neutron scattering studies. The main contributions to the predicted difference Compton profile are found to arise from intermolecular changes in the phase transition. This prediction can be used for interpreting futuremore » experiments.« less

XMM-Newton reveals a Seyfert-like X-ray spectrum in the z = 3.6 QSO B1422+231

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dadina, M.; Vignali, C.; Cappi, M.; Lanzuisi, G.; Ponti, G.; De Marco, B.; Chartas, G.; Giustini, M.

2016-08-01

Context. Matter flows from the central regions of quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) during their active phases are probably responsible for the properties of the super-massive black holes and those of the bulges of host galaxies. To understand how this mechanism works, we need to characterize the geometry and the physical state of the accreting matter at cosmological redshifts, when QSO activity is at its peak. Aims: We aim to use X-ray data to probe the matter inflow at the very center of a QSO at z = 3.62. While complex absorption, the iron K emission line, reflection hump, and high-energy cutoff are known to be almost ubiquitous in nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN), only a few distant objects are known to exhibit some of them. Methods: The few high-quality spectra of distant QSO were collected by adding sparse pointings of single objects obtained during X-ray monitoring campaigns. This could have introduced spurious spectral features due to source variability and/or microlensing. To avoid such problems, we decided to collect a single-epoch and high-quality X-ray spectrum of a distant AGN. We thus picked up the z = 3.62 QSO B1422+231, whose flux, enhanced by gravitationally lensing, is proven to be among the brightest lensed QSOs in X-rays (F2-10 keV ~ 10-12 erg s-1 cm-2). Results: The X-ray spectrum of B1422+231 is found to be very similar to the one of a typical nearby Seyfert galaxy. Neutral absorption is clearly detected (NH ~ 5 × 1021 cm-2 at the redshift of the source), while a strong absorption edge is measured at E ~ 7.5 keV with an optical depth of τ ~ 0.14. We also find hints of the FeKα line in emission at E ~ 6.4 keV line (EW ≲ 70 eV), and a hump is detected in the E ~ 15 - 20 keV energy band (rest frame) in excess of what is predicted by a simple absorbed power-law. Conclusions: The spectrum can best be modeled with two rather complex models; one assumes ionized and partially covering matter along the line of sight, the other is characterized by a reflection component. We argue that reflection seems more plausible here on a statistical basis. In this scenario, the primary emission of B1422+231 is most probably dominated by the thermal Comptonization of UV seed photons in a corona with kT ~ 40 keV. We also detected a reflection component with relative direct-to-reflect normalization r ~ 1. These findings confirm that gravitational lensing is suitable for obtaining good-quality X-ray spectral information of QSOs at high-z, moreover, they support the idea that the same general picture characterizing AGN in the nearby Universe is also valid at high redshift.

An interpretation of X-ray spectra of type II bursts from the 'rapid burster' - Comptonization due to accretion flow

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hirotani, Kouichi; Hanawa, Tomoyuki; Kawai, Nobuyuki

1990-06-01

A new model is proposed for the spectrum of a type II burst from the 'rapid burster'. The spectrum of a type II burst has been considered to be well fitted with a blackbody spectrum with temperature T about 1.5 keV. Recent observations with Tenma and Exosat, however, have found an excess from the blackbody spectrum in the high-energy range (E greater than 10 keV). The high-energy component is approximated to be a power-law spectrum of f(E) proportional to E exp -4, where E and f(E) are the X-ray energy and observed counts per unit energy, respectively. The model explainsmore » this high-energy component gives a method to evaluate the velocity and the optical depth of the accretion flow from observations of the high-energy component. It is shown that the spectrum observed with Tenma can be fitted with the model. 33 refs.« less

The Financial Resource Allocation Process at Compton Community College: A Redirection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Compton Community Coll. Federation of Teachers, CA.

This paper presents a historical portrait of the process of financial resource allocation at Compton Community College (CCC). Introductory material provides information on the college, its organization, and its budgeting and accounting procedures. Next, changes in finances occurring between 1974-75 and 1977-78 are outlined, including the growth of…

Early history of cosmic rays at Chicago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yodh, Gaurang B.

2013-02-01

Cosmic ray studies at the University of Chicago were started by Arthur Compton during the late 1920s. The high points of cosmic ray studies at Chicago under Compton and Marcel Schein are the focus of this report, which summarizes the research done at Chicago up to the end of World War II.

Danger--School Ahead: Violence in the Public Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Education Association, Washington, DC.

This report describes a study of violence in the schools of Compton, California, by a special team from the National Education Association. The study team examined the economic and social environment of the Compton community and how that environment contributes to an atmosphere of neglect and unrest in the area's schools. The study team also…

A Non-Relativistic Look at the Compton Effect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feller, Steve; Giri, Sandeep; Zakrasek, Nicholas; Affatigato, Mario

2014-01-01

In a usual modern physics class the Compton effect is used as the pedagogical model for introducing relativity into quantum effects. The shift in photon wavelengths is usually introduced and derived using special relativity. Indeed, this works well for explaining the effect. However, in the senior author's class one of the student coauthors…

VIG Seminar March 1, 2018 Alex Compton NCI-Frederick | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

Please join us for the Virology Interest Group Seminar on Thursday, March 1st, from 2:30 until 3:30 in Bethesda, Building 50, Room 2328. The seminar will also be broadcasted to Frederick, Building 549, Conference Room A. This seminar will be presented by Alex Compton, NCI-Frederick.

Evaluation of Origin Ensemble algorithm for image reconstruction for pixelated solid-state detectors with large number of channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolstein, M.; De Lorenzo, G.; Mikhaylova, E.; Chmeissani, M.; Ariño, G.; Calderón, Y.; Ozsahin, I.; Uzun, D.

2013-04-01

The Voxel Imaging PET (VIP) Pathfinder project intends to show the advantages of using pixelated solid-state technology for nuclear medicine applications. It proposes designs for Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) and Compton gamma camera detectors with a large number of signal channels (of the order of 106). For PET scanners, conventional algorithms like Filtered Back-Projection (FBP) and Ordered Subset Expectation Maximization (OSEM) are straightforward to use and give good results. However, FBP presents difficulties for detectors with limited angular coverage like PEM and Compton gamma cameras, whereas OSEM has an impractically large time and memory consumption for a Compton gamma camera with a large number of channels. In this article, the Origin Ensemble (OE) algorithm is evaluated as an alternative algorithm for image reconstruction. Monte Carlo simulations of the PET design are used to compare the performance of OE, FBP and OSEM in terms of the bias, variance and average mean squared error (MSE) image quality metrics. For the PEM and Compton camera designs, results obtained with OE are presented.

Development and Testing of the AMEGO Silicon Tracker System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, Sean; Amego Team

2018-01-01

The All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory (AMEGO) is a probe-class mission in consideration for the 2020 decadal review designed to operate at energies from ˜ 200 keV to > 10 GeV. Operating a detector in this energy regime is challenging due to the crossover in the interaction cross-section for Compton scattering and pair production. AMEGO is made of four major subsystems: a plastic anticoincidence detector for rejecting cosmic-ray events, a silicon tracker for measuring the energies of Compton scattered electrons and pair-production products, a CZT calorimeter for measuring the energy and location of Compton scattered photons, and a CsI calorimeter for measuring the energy of the pair-production products at high energies. The tracker comprises layers of dual-sided silicon strip detectors which provide energy and localization information for Compton scattering and pair-production events. A prototype tracker system is under development at GSFC; in this contribution we provide details on the verification, packaging, and testing of the prototype tracker, as well as present plans for the development of the front-end electronics, beam tests, and a balloon flight.

Applications of Gas Imaging Micro-Well Detectors to an Advanced Compton Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloser, P. F.; Hunter, S. D.; Ryan, J. M.; McConnell, M. L.; Miller, R. S.; Jackson, T. N.; Bai, B.; Jung, S.

2003-01-01

We present a concept for an Advanced Compton Telescope (ACT) based on the use of pixelized gas micro-well detectors to form a three-dimensional electron track imager. A micro-well detector consists of an array of individual micro-patterned proportional counters opposite a planar drift electrode. When combined with thin film transistor array readouts, large gas volumes may be imaged with very good spatial and energy resolution at reasonable cost. The third dimension is determined by timing the drift of the ionization electrons. The primary advantage of this approach is the excellent tracking of the Compton recoil electron that is possible in a gas volume. Such good electron tracking allows us to reduce the point spread function of a single incident photon dramatically, greatly improving the imaging capability and sensitivity. The polarization sensitivity, which relies on events with large Compton scattering angles, is particularly enhanced. We describe a possible ACT implementation of this technique, in which the gas tracking volume is surrounded by a CsI calorimeter, and present our plans to build and test a small prototype over the next three years.

Sum rules across the unpolarized Compton processes involving generalized polarizabilities and moments of nucleon structure functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lensky, Vadim; Hagelstein, Franziska; Pascalutsa, Vladimir; Vanderhaeghen, Marc

2018-04-01

We derive two new sum rules for the unpolarized doubly virtual Compton scattering process on a nucleon, which establish novel low-Q2 relations involving the nucleon's generalized polarizabilities and moments of the nucleon's unpolarized structure functions F1(x ,Q2) and F2(x ,Q2). These relations facilitate the determination of some structure constants which can only be accessed in off-forward doubly virtual Compton scattering, not experimentally accessible at present. We perform an empirical determination for the proton and compare our results with a next-to-leading-order chiral perturbation theory prediction. We also show how these relations may be useful for a model-independent determination of the low-Q2 subtraction function in the Compton amplitude, which enters the two-photon-exchange contribution to the Lamb shift of (muonic) hydrogen. An explicit calculation of the Δ (1232 )-resonance contribution to the muonic-hydrogen 2 P -2 S Lamb shift yields -1 ±1 μ eV , confirming the previously conjectured smallness of this effect.

Fluorescent x-ray computed tomography to visualize specific material distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeda, Tohoru; Yuasa, Tetsuya; Hoshino, Atsunori; Akiba, Masahiro; Uchida, Akira; Kazama, Masahiro; Hyodo, Kazuyuki; Dilmanian, F. Avraham; Akatsuka, Takao; Itai, Yuji

1997-10-01

Fluorescent x-ray computed tomography (FXCT) is being developed to detect non-radioactive contrast materials in living specimens. The FXCT systems consists of a silicon channel cut monochromator, an x-ray slit and a collimator for detection, a scanning table for the target organ and an x-ray detector for fluorescent x-ray and transmission x-ray. To reduce Compton scattering overlapped on the K(alpha) line, incident monochromatic x-ray was set at 37 keV. At 37 keV Monte Carlo simulation showed almost complete separation between Compton scattering and the K(alpha) line. Actual experiments revealed small contamination of Compton scattering on the K(alpha) line. A clear FXCT image of a phantom was obtained. Using this system the minimal detectable dose of iodine was 30 ng in a volume of 1 mm3, and a linear relationship was demonstrated between photon counts of fluorescent x-rays and the concentration of iodine contrast material. The use of high incident x-ray energy allows an increase in the signal to noise ratio by reducing the Compton scattering on the K(alpha) line.

Understanding the Long-Term Spectral Variability of Cygnus X-1 with Burst and Transient Source Experiment and All-Sky Monitor Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zdziarski, Andrzej A.; Poutanen, Juri; Paciesas, William S.; Wen, Lin-Qing

2002-01-01

We present a comprehensive analysis of all observations of Cyg X-1 by the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE; 20-300 keV) and by the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer all-sky monitor (ASM; 1.5-12 keV) until 2002 June, including approximately 1200 days of simultaneous data. We find a number of correlations between fluxes and hardnesses in different energy bands. In the hard (low) spectral state, there is a negative correlation between the ASM 1.5-12 keV flux and the hardness at any energy. In the soft (high) spectral state, the ASM flux is positively correlated with the ASM hardness but uncorrelated with the BATSE hardness. In both spectral states, the BATSE hardness correlates with the flux above 100 keV, while it shows no correlation with the 20-100 keV flux. At the same time, there is clear correlation between the BATSE fluxes below and above 100 keV. In the hard state, most of the variability can be explained by softening the overall spectrum with a pivot at approximately 50 keV. There is also another, independent variability pattern of lower amplitude where the spectral shape does not change when the luminosity changes. In the soft state, the variability is mostly caused by a variable hard (Comptonized) spectral component of a constant shape superposed on a constant soft blackbody component. These variability patterns are in agreement with the dependencies of the rms variability on the photon energy in the two states. We also study in detail recent soft states from late 2000 until 2002. The last of them has lasted thus far for more than 200 days. Their spectra are generally harder in the 1.5-5 keV band and similar or softer in the 3-12 keV band than the spectra of the 1996 soft state, whereas the rms variability is stronger in all the ASM bands. On the other hand, the 1994 soft state transition observed by BATSE appears very similar to the 1996 one. We interpret the variability patterns in terms of theoretical Comptonization models. In the hard state, the variability appears to be driven mostly by changing flux in seed photons Comptonized in a hot thermal plasma cloud with an approximately constant power supply. In the soft state, the variability is consistent with flares of hybrid, thermal/nonthermal, plasma with variable power above a stable cold disk. The spectral and timing differences between the 1996 and 2000-2002 soft states are explained by a decrease of the color disk temperature. Also, on the basis of broadband pointed observations simultaneous with those of the ASM and BATSE, we find the intrinsic bolometric luminosity increases by a factor of approximately 3-4 from the hard state to the soft one, which supports models of the state transition based on a change of the accretion rate.

Signature of inverse Compton emission from blazars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaur, Haritma; Mohan, Prashanth; Wierzcholska, Alicja; Gu, Minfeng

2018-01-01

Blazars are classified into high-, intermediate- and low-energy-peaked sources based on the location of their synchrotron peak. This lies in infra-red/optical to ultra-violet bands for low- and intermediate-peaked blazars. The transition from synchrotron to inverse Compton emission falls in the X-ray bands for such sources. We present the spectral and timing analysis of 14 low- and intermediate-energy-peaked blazars observed with XMM-Newton spanning 31 epochs. Parametric fits to X-ray spectra help constrain the possible location of transition from the high-energy end of the synchrotron to the low-energy end of the inverse Compton emission. In seven sources in our sample, we infer such a transition and constrain the break energy in the range 0.6-10 keV. The Lomb-Scargle periodogram is used to estimate the power spectral density (PSD) shape. It is well described by a power law in a majority of light curves, the index being flatter compared to general expectation from active galactic nuclei, ranging here between 0.01 and 1.12, possibly due to short observation durations resulting in an absence of long-term trends. A toy model involving synchrotron self-Compton and external Compton (EC; disc, broad line region, torus) mechanisms are used to estimate magnetic field strength ≤0.03-0.88 G in sources displaying the energy break and infer a prominent EC contribution. The time-scale for variability being shorter than synchrotron cooling implies steeper PSD slopes which are inferred in these sources.

Development of Compton X-ray spectrometer for high energy resolution single-shot high-flux hard X-ray spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kojima, Sadaoki, E-mail: kojima-s@ile.osaka-u.ac.jp, E-mail: sfujioka@ile.osaka-u.ac.jp; Ikenouchi, Takahito; Arikawa, Yasunobu

Hard X-ray spectroscopy is an essential diagnostics used to understand physical processes that take place in high energy density plasmas produced by intense laser-plasma interactions. A bundle of hard X-ray detectors, of which the responses have different energy thresholds, is used as a conventional single-shot spectrometer for high-flux (>10{sup 13} photons/shot) hard X-rays. However, high energy resolution (Δhv/hv < 0.1) is not achievable with a differential energy threshold (DET) X-ray spectrometer because its energy resolution is limited by energy differences between the response thresholds. Experimental demonstration of a Compton X-ray spectrometer has already been performed for obtaining higher energy resolutionmore » than that of DET spectrometers. In this paper, we describe design details of the Compton X-ray spectrometer, especially dependence of energy resolution and absolute response on photon-electron converter design and its background reduction scheme, and also its application to the laser-plasma interaction experiment. The developed spectrometer was used for spectroscopy of bremsstrahlung X-rays generated by intense laser-plasma interactions using a 200 μm thickness SiO{sub 2} converter. The X-ray spectrum obtained with the Compton X-ray spectrometer is consistent with that obtained with a DET X-ray spectrometer, furthermore higher certainly of a spectral intensity is obtained with the Compton X-ray spectrometer than that with the DET X-ray spectrometer in the photon energy range above 5 MeV.« less

Development of a novel handheld intra-operative laparoscopic Compton camera for 18F-Fluoro-2-deoxy-2-D-glucose-guided surgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Y.; Shimazoe, K.; Takahashi, H.; Yoshimura, S.; Seto, Y.; Kato, S.; Takahashi, M.; Momose, T.

2016-08-01

As well as pre-operative roadmapping by 18F-Fluoro-2-deoxy-2-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography, intra-operative localization of the tracer is important to identify local margins for less-invasive surgery, especially FDG-guided surgery. The objective of this paper is to develop a laparoscopic Compton camera and system aimed at use for intra-operative FDG imaging for accurate and less-invasive dissections. The laparoscopic Compton camera consists of four layers of a 12-pixel cross-shaped array of GFAG crystals (2× 2× 3 mm3) and through silicon via multi-pixel photon counters and dedicated individual readout electronics based on a dynamic time-over-threshold method. Experimental results yielded a spatial resolution of 4 mm (FWHM) for a 10 mm working distance and an absolute detection efficiency of 0.11 cps kBq-1, corresponding to an intrinsic detection efficiency of  ˜0.18%. In an experiment using a NEMA-like well-shaped FDG phantom, a φ 5× 10 mm cylindrical hot spot was clearly obtained even in the presence of a background distribution surrounding the Compton camera and the hot spot. We successfully obtained reconstructed images of a resected lymph node and primary tumor ex vivo after FDG administration to a patient having esophageal cancer. These performance characteristics indicate a new possibility of FDG-directed surgery by using a Compton camera intra-operatively.

Resonant Inverse Compton Scattering Spectra from Highly Magnetized Neutron Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wadiasingh, Zorawar; Baring, Matthew G.; Gonthier, Peter L.; Harding, Alice K.

2018-02-01

Hard, nonthermal, persistent pulsed X-ray emission extending between 10 and ∼150 keV has been observed in nearly 10 magnetars. For inner-magnetospheric models of such emission, resonant inverse Compton scattering of soft thermal photons by ultrarelativistic charges is the most efficient production mechanism. We present angle-dependent upscattering spectra and pulsed intensity maps for uncooled, relativistic electrons injected in inner regions of magnetar magnetospheres, calculated using collisional integrals over field loops. Our computations employ a new formulation of the QED Compton scattering cross section in strong magnetic fields that is physically correct for treating important spin-dependent effects in the cyclotron resonance, thereby producing correct photon spectra. The spectral cutoff energies are sensitive to the choices of observer viewing geometry, electron Lorentz factor, and scattering kinematics. We find that electrons with energies ≲15 MeV will emit most of their radiation below 250 keV, consistent with inferred turnovers for magnetar hard X-ray tails. More energetic electrons still emit mostly below 1 MeV, except for viewing perspectives sampling field-line tangents. Pulse profiles may be singly or doubly peaked dependent on viewing geometry, emission locale, and observed energy band. Magnetic pair production and photon splitting will attenuate spectra to hard X-ray energies, suppressing signals in the Fermi-LAT band. The resonant Compton spectra are strongly polarized, suggesting that hard X-ray polarimetry instruments such as X-Calibur, or a future Compton telescope, can prove central to constraining model geometry and physics.

Model of bidirectional reflectance distribution function for metallic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Kai; Zhu, Jing-Ping; Liu, Hong; Hou, Xun

2016-09-01

Based on the three-component assumption that the reflection is divided into specular reflection, directional diffuse reflection, and ideal diffuse reflection, a bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model of metallic materials is presented. Compared with the two-component assumption that the reflection is composed of specular reflection and diffuse reflection, the three-component assumption divides the diffuse reflection into directional diffuse and ideal diffuse reflection. This model effectively resolves the problem that constant diffuse reflection leads to considerable error for metallic materials. Simulation and measurement results validate that this three-component BRDF model can improve the modeling accuracy significantly and describe the reflection properties in the hemisphere space precisely for the metallic materials.

Sensitivity booster for DOI-PET scanner by utilizing Compton scattering events between detector blocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, Eiji; Tashima, Hideaki; Yamaya, Taiga

2014-11-01

In a conventional PET scanner, coincidence events are measured with a limited energy window for detection of photoelectric events in order to reject Compton scatter events that occur in a patient, but Compton scatter events caused in detector crystals are also rejected. Scatter events within the patient causes scatter coincidences, but inter crystal scattering (ICS) events have useful information for determining an activity distribution. Some researchers have reported the feasibility of PET scanners based on a Compton camera for tracing ICS into the detector. However, these scanners require expensive semiconductor detectors for high-energy resolution. In the Anger-type block detector, single photons interacting with multiple detectors can be obtained for each interacting position and complete information can be gotten just as for photoelectric events in the single detector. ICS events in the single detector have been used to get coincidence, but single photons interacting with multiple detectors have not been used to get coincidence. In this work, we evaluated effect of sensitivity improvement using Compton kinetics in several types of DOI-PET scanners. The proposed method promises to improve the sensitivity using coincidence events of single photons interacting with multiple detectors, which are identified as the first interaction (FI). FI estimation accuracy can be improved to determine FI validity from the correlation between Compton scatter angles calculated on the coincidence line-of-response. We simulated an animal PET scanner consisting of 42 detectors. Each detector block consists of three types of scintillator crystals (LSO, GSO and GAGG). After the simulation, coincidence events are added as information for several depth-of-interaction (DOI) resolutions. From the simulation results, we concluded the proposed method promises to improve the sensitivity considerably when effective atomic number of a scintillator is low. Also, we showed that FI estimate accuracy is improved, as DOI resolution is high.

Foreign body detection in food materials using compton scattered x-rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McFarlane, Nigel James Bruce

This thesis investigated the application of X-ray Compton scattering to the problem of foreign body detection in food. The methods used were analytical modelling, simulation and experiment. A criterion was defined for detectability, and a model was developed for predicting the minimum time required for detection. The model was used to predict the smallest detectable cubes of air, glass, plastic and steel. Simulations and experiments were performed on voids and glass in polystyrene phantoms, water, coffee and muesli. Backscatter was used to detect bones in chicken meat. The effects of geometry and multiple scatter on contrast, signal-to-noise, and detection time were simulated. Compton scatter was compared with transmission, and the effect of inhomogeneity was modelled. Spectral shape was investigated as a means of foreign body detection. A signal-to-noise ratio of 7.4 was required for foreign body detection in food. A 0.46 cm cube of glass or a 1.19 cm cube of polystyrene were detectable in a 10 cm cube of water in one second. The minimum time to scan a whole sample varied as the 7th power of the foreign body size, and the 5th power of the sample size. Compton scatter inspection produced higher contrasts than transmission, but required longer measurement times because of the low number of photon counts. Compton scatter inspection of whole samples was very slow compared to production line speeds in the food industry. There was potential for Compton scatter in applications which did not require whole-sample scanning, such as surface inspection. There was also potential in the inspection of inhomogeneous samples. The multiple scatter fraction varied from 25% to 55% for 2 to 10 cm cubes of water, but did not have a large effect on the detection time. The spectral shape gave good contrasts and signal-to-noise ratios in the detection of chicken bones.

CGRO/BATSE Data Support the New Paradigm For GRB Prompt Emission and the New L-i(nTh)-E-peak,i(nTh,rest) Relation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guiriec, S.; Gonzalez, M.M.; Sacahui, J.R.; Kouveliotou, C.; Gehrels, N.; McEnery, J.

2016-01-01

The paradigm for gamma-ray burst (GRB) prompt emission is changing. Since early in the Compton Gamma RayObservatory (CGRO) era, the empirical Band function has been considered a good description of the keV-MeV-gamma-ray prompt emission spectra despite the fact that its shape was very often inconsistent with the theoretical predictions, especially those expected in pure synchrotron emission scenarios. We have recently established a new observational model analyzing data of the NASA Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. In this model, GRB prompt emission would be a combination of three main emission components: (i) a thermal-like component that we have interpreted so far as emission from the jet photosphere, (ii) a non-thermal component that we have interpreted so far as either synchrotron radiation from the propagating and accelerated charged particles within the jet or reprocessed jet photospheric emission, and (iii) an additional non-thermal (cutoff) power law (PL) extending from low to high energies in gamma-rays and most likely of inverse Compton origin. In this article we reanalyze some of the bright GRBs, namely GRBs 941017, 970111, and 990123, observed with the Burst And Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on board CGRO with the new model. We conclude that BATSE data for these three GRBs are fully consistent with the recent results obtained with Fermi: some bright BATSE GRBs exhibit three separate components during the prompt phase with similar spectral parameters as those reported from Fermi data. In addition, the analysis of the BATSE GRBs with the new prompt emission model results in a relation between the time-resolved energy flux of the non-thermal component, F(in)(Th), and its corresponding nuFnu spectral peak energy,Epeak,inTh (i.e., FinThEpeak,inTh ), which has a similar index when fitted to a PL as the one initially derived from Fermi data. For GRBs with known redshifts (z) this results in a possible universal relation between the luminosity of the non-thermal component, LinTh, and its corresponding nuFnu spectral peak energy in the rest frame, Epeak,iNT,rest (i.e.,LinThEpeak,iNT,rest). We estimated the redshifts of GRBs 941017 and 970111 using GRB 990123 with z = 1.61as a reference. The estimated redshift for GRB 941017 is typical for long GRBs and the estimated redshift for GRB970111 is right in the range of the expected values for this burst.

Design and construction of the POLAR detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Produit, N.; Bao, T. W.; Batsch, T.; Bernasconi, T.; Britvich, I.; Cadoux, F.; Cernuda, I.; Chai, J. Y.; Dong, Y. W.; Gauvin, N.; Hajdas, W.; Kole, M.; Kong, M. N.; Kramert, R.; Li, L.; Liu, J. T.; Liu, X.; Marcinkowski, R.; Orsi, S.; Pohl, M.; Rapin, D.; Rybka, D.; Rutczynska, A.; Shi, H. L.; Socha, P.; Sun, J. C.; Song, L. M.; Szabelski, J.; Traseira, I.; Xiao, H. L.; Wang, R. J.; Wen, X.; Wu, B. B.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, L. Y.; Zhang, S. N.; Zhang, Y. J.; Zwolinska, A.

2018-01-01

The POLAR detector is a space based Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) polarimeter with a wide field of view, which covers almost half the sky. The instrument uses Compton scattering of gamma rays on a plastic scintillator hodoscope to measure the polarization of the incoming photons. The instrument has been successfully launched on board of the Chinese space laboratory Tiangong 2 on September 15, 2016. The construction of the instrument components is described in this article. Details are provided on problems encountered during the construction phase and their solutions. Initial performance of the instrument in orbit is as expected from ground tests and Monte Carlo simulation.

Finite element Compton tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jannson, Tomasz; Amouzou, Pauline; Menon, Naresh; Gertsenshteyn, Michael

2007-09-01

In this paper a new approach to 3D Compton imaging is presented, based on a kind of finite element (FE) analysis. A window for X-ray incoherent scattering (or Compton scattering) attenuation coefficients is identified for breast cancer diagnosis, for hard X-ray photon energy of 100-300 keV. The point-by-point power/energy budget is computed, based on a 2D array of X-ray pencil beams, scanned vertically. The acceptable medical doses are also computed. The proposed finite element tomography (FET) can be an alternative to X-ray mammography, tomography, and tomosynthesis. In experiments, 100 keV (on average) X-ray photons are applied, and a new type of pencil beam collimation, based on a Lobster-Eye Lens (LEL), is proposed.

Progress towards a semiconductor Compton camera for prompt gamma imaging during proton beam therapy for range and dose verification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gutierrez, A.; Baker, C.; Boston, H.; Chung, S.; Judson, D. S.; Kacperek, A.; Le Crom, B.; Moss, R.; Royle, G.; Speller, R.; Boston, A. J.

2018-01-01

The main objective of this work is to test a new semiconductor Compton camera for prompt gamma imaging. Our device is composed of three active layers: a Si(Li) detector as a scatterer and two high purity Germanium detectors as absorbers of high-energy gamma rays. We performed Monte Carlo simulations using the Geant4 toolkit to characterise the expected gamma field during proton beam therapy and have made experimental measurements of the gamma spectrum with a 60 MeV passive scattering beam irradiating a phantom. In this proceeding, we describe the status of the Compton camera and present the first preliminary measurements with radioactive sources and their corresponding reconstructed images.

Polarized γ source based on Compton backscattering in a laser cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yakimenko, V.; Pogorelsky, I. V.

2006-09-01

We propose a novel gamma source suitable for generating a polarized positron beam for the next generation of electron-positron colliders, such as the International Linear Collider (ILC), and the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC). This 30-MeV polarized gamma source is based on Compton scattering inside a picosecond CO2 laser cavity generated from electron bunches produced by a 4-GeV linac. We identified and experimentally verified the optimum conditions for obtaining at least one gamma photon per electron. After multiplication at several consecutive interaction points, the circularly polarized gamma rays are stopped on a target, thereby creating copious numbers of polarized positrons. We address the practicality of having an intracavity Compton-polarized positron source as the injector for these new colliders.

Compton profiles and electronic properties of TiB{sub 2}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bhatt, Samir, E-mail: sameerbhatt011@gmail.com; Suthar, K. K.; Ahuja, B. L.

In this paper, we report the experimental Compton profile (CP) of TiB{sub 2} using high energy {sup 137}Cs γ-rays Compton spectrometer. To interpret the experimental momentum density, we have calculated the CPs using Hartree-Fock (HF), density functional theory (DFT) and hybridization of DFT and HF within linear combination of atomic orbitals. The theoretical profile with generalized gradient approximation is found to be relatively in better agreement with the experimental profile. A sharp valley in density of states and hence the pseudogap near the Fermi energy is attributed to hybridization of Ti-3d and B-2p states and almost reverse trend of energymore » bands below and above the Fermi energy.« less

Determination of the scalar polarizabilities of the proton using beam asymmetry $$\\Sigma_{3}$$ in Compton scattering

DOE PAGES

Sokhoyan, V.; Downie, E. J.; Mornacchi, E.; ...

2017-01-01

The scalar dipole polarizabilities, α E1 and β M1, are fundamental properties related to the internal dynamics of the nucleon. The currently accepted values of the proton polarizabilities were determined by fitting to unpolarized proton Compton scattering cross section data. The measurement of the beam asymmetry Σ 3 in a certain kinematical range provides an alternative approach to the extraction of the scalar polarizabilities. At the Mainz Microtron (MAMI) the beam asymmetry was measured for Compton scattering below pion photoproduction threshold for the first time. Finally, the results are compared with model calculations and the influence of the experimental datamore » on the extraction of the scalar polarizabilities is determined.« less

The NuSTAR Extragalactic Survey: Average Broadband X-Ray Spectral Properties of the NuSTAR-detected AGNs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Moro, A.; Alexander, D. M.; Aird, J. A.; Bauer, F. E.; Civano, F.; Mullaney, J. R.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Brandt, W. N.; Comastri, A.; Gandhi, P.; Harrison, F. A.; Lansbury, G. B.; Lanz, L.; Luo, B.; Marchesi, S.; Puccetti, S.; Ricci, C.; Saez, C.; Stern, D.; Treister, E.; Zappacosta, L.

2017-11-01

We present a study of the average X-ray spectral properties of the sources detected by the NuSTAR extragalactic survey, comprising observations of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (E-CDFS), Extended Groth Strip (EGS), and the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS). The sample includes 182 NuSTAR sources (64 detected at 8-24 keV), with 3-24 keV fluxes ranging between {f}3{--24{keV}}≈ {10}-14 and 6 × 10-13 erg cm-2 s-1 ({f}8{--24{keV}}≈ 3× {10}-14{--}3× {10}-13 erg cm-2 s-1) and redshifts in the range of z=0.04{--}3.21. We produce composite spectra from the Chandra + NuSTAR data (E≈ 2{--}40 {keV}, rest frame) for all the sources with redshift identifications (95%) and investigate the intrinsic, average spectra of the sources, divided into broad-line (BL) and narrow-line (NL) active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and also in different bins of X-ray column density and luminosity. The average power-law photon index for the whole sample is {{Γ }}={1.65}-0.03+0.03, flatter than the {{Γ }}≈ 1.8 typically found for AGNs. While the spectral slope of BL and X-ray unabsorbed AGNs is consistent with the typical values ({{Γ }}={1.79}-0.01+0.01), a significant flattening is seen in NL AGNs and heavily absorbed sources ({{Γ }}={1.60}-0.05+0.08 and {{Γ }}={1.38}-0.12+0.12, respectively), likely due to the effect of absorption and to the contribution from the Compton reflection component to the high-energy flux (E> 10 keV). We find that the typical reflection fraction in our spectra is R≈ 0.5 (for {{Γ }}=1.8), with a tentative indication of an increase of the reflection strength with X-ray column density. While there is no significant evidence for a dependence of the photon index on X-ray luminosity in our sample, we find that R decreases with luminosity, with relatively high levels of reflection (R≈ 1.2) for {L}10{--40{keV}}< {10}44 erg s-1 and R≈ 0.3 for {L}10{--40{keV}}> {10}44 erg s-1 AGNs, assuming a fixed spectral slope of {{Γ }}=1.8.

FBQS J1644+2619: multiwavelength properties and its place in the class of γ-ray emitting Narrow Line Seyfert 1s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsson, J.; D'Ammando, F.; Falocco, S.; Giroletti, M.; Orienti, M.; Piconcelli, E.; Righini, S.

2018-05-01

A small fraction of Narrow Line Seyfert 1s (NLSy1s) are observed to be γ-ray emitters. Understanding the properties of these sources is of interest since the majority of NLSy1s are very different from typical blazars. Here, we present a multifrequency analysis of FBQS J1644+2619, one of the most recently discovered γ-ray emitting NLSy1s. We analyse an ˜80 ks XMM-Newton observation obtained in 2017, as well as quasi-simultaneous multiwavelength observations covering the radio-γ-ray range. The spectral energy distribution of the source is similar to the other γ-ray NLSy1s, confirming its blazar-like nature. The X-ray spectrum is characterized by a hard photon index (Γ = 1.66) above 2 keV and a soft excess at lower energies. The hard photon index provides clear evidence that inverse Compton emission from the jet dominates the spectrum, while the soft excess can be explained by a contribution from the underlying Seyfert emission. This contribution can be fitted by reflection of emission from the base of the jet, as well as by Comptonization in a warm, optically thick corona. We discuss our results in the context of the other γ-ray NLSy1s and note that the majority of them have similar X-ray spectra, with properties intermediate between blazars and radio-quiet NLSy1s.

A Compton-thick Wind in the High Luminosity Quasar, PDS 456

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reeves, J. N.; O'Brien, P. T.; Behar, E.; Miller, L.; Turner, T. J.; Braito, V.; Fabian, A. C.; Kaspi, S.; Mushotzky, R.; Ward, M.

2009-01-01

PDS 456 is a nearby (z=0.184), luminous (L(sub bol) approximately equal to 10(exp 47) ergs(exp -1) type I quasar. A deep 190 ks Suzaku observation in February 2007 revealed the complex, broad band X-ray spectrum of PDS 456. The Suzaku spectrum exhibits highly statistically significant absorption features near 9 keV in the quasar rest-frame. We show that the most plausible origin of the absorption is from blue-shifted resonance (1s-2p) transitions of hydrogen-like iron (at 6.97 keV in the rest frame). This indicates that a highly ionized outflow may be present moving at near relativistic velocities (0.26-0.31c). A possible hard X-ray excess is detected above 15 keV with HXD (at 99.8% confidence), which may arise from high column density gas (N(sub H) greater than 10(exp 24)cm(exp -2) partially covering the X-ray emission, or through strong Compton reflection. Here we propose that the iron K-shell absorption in PDS 456 is associated with a thick, possibly clumpy outflow, covering about 20% of 4(pi) steradian solid angle. The outflow is likely launched from the inner accretion disk, within 15-100 gravitational radii of the black hole. The kinetic power of the outflow may be similar to the bolometric luminosity of PDS 456. Such a powerful wind could have a significant effect on the co-evolution of the host galaxy and its supermassive black hole, through feedback.

From radio to TeV: the surprising spectral energy distribution of AP Librae

DOE PAGES

Sanchez, D. A.; Giebels, B.; Fortin, P.; ...

2015-10-17

Following the discovery of high-energy (HE; E > 10 MeV) and very-high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) γ-ray emission from the low-frequency-peaked BL Lac (LBL) object AP Librae, its electromagnetic spectrum is studied over 60 octaves in energy. Contemporaneous data in radio, optical and UV together with the (non-simultaneous) γ-ray data are used to construct the most precise spectral energy distribution of this source. We found that the data was modelled with difficulties with single-zone homogeneous leptonic synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) radiative scenarios due to the unprecedented width of the HE component when compared to the lower-energy component. Furthermore, the twomore » other LBL objects also detected at VHE appear to have similar modelling difficulties. Nevertheless, VHE γ-rays produced in the extended jet could account for the VHE flux observed by HESS.« less

Towards A Complete Census of Compton-thick AGN and N_H Distribution in the Local Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annuar, A.; Gandhi, P.; Alexander, D.; Asmus, D.; Goulding, A.; Harrison, C.; Lansbury, G.

2014-07-01

Many studies have shown that Compton-thick AGNs (CTAGNs) provide important contribution to the cosmic X-ray background spectrum (˜25% at 20keV). They are expected to dominate the Seyfert 2 population in the local universe, yet only ˜20 bona fide CTAGNs are known. We present an updated census of CTAGN population in the local universe using a volume-limited AGN sample complete to D=15Mpc. Intrinsic relations between 2-10keV X-ray luminosity and mid-IR emission at 12μm, [OIV]λ25.68μm and [NeV]λ14.32μm are investigated, and it is found that the emission at 12μm has the tightest correlation with the X-ray luminosity.Candidates for CTAGN are then selected using this relation and by comparing their 12μm luminosity with the observed X-ray luminosity.We also investigate the Compton-thick nature of these sources using the optical [OIII]λ5007{A}:X-ray diagnostic for comparison, and find that 35-50% of the sample are Compton-thick,of which 10-20% would be missed with the optical approach.Finally, we estimate the intrinsic N_{H} distribution of AGN population in the local universe from this analysis, and show that up to 70% of the sources are heavily obscured (N_{H}>10^{23} cm^{-2}), with ≥50% lying in the Compton-thick regime (N_{H}>10^{24} cm^{-2}).This work provides a well-defined local benchmark for AGN obscuration studies.

HEROIC: 3D general relativistic radiative post-processor with comptonization for black hole accretion discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayan, Ramesh; Zhu, Yucong; Psaltis, Dimitrios; Saḑowski, Aleksander

2016-03-01

We describe Hybrid Evaluator for Radiative Objects Including Comptonization (HEROIC), an upgraded version of the relativistic radiative post-processor code HERO described in a previous paper, but which now Includes Comptonization. HEROIC models Comptonization via the Kompaneets equation, using a quadratic approximation for the source function in a short characteristics radiation solver. It employs a simple form of accelerated lambda iteration to handle regions of high scattering opacity. In addition to solving for the radiation field, HEROIC also solves for the gas temperature by applying the condition of radiative equilibrium. We present benchmarks and tests of the Comptonization module in HEROIC with simple 1D and 3D scattering problems. We also test the ability of the code to handle various relativistic effects using model atmospheres and accretion flows in a black hole space-time. We present two applications of HEROIC to general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations of accretion discs. One application is to a thin accretion disc around a black hole. We find that the gas below the photosphere in the multidimensional HEROIC solution is nearly isothermal, quite different from previous solutions based on 1D plane parallel atmospheres. The second application is to a geometrically thick radiation-dominated accretion disc accreting at 11 times the Eddington rate. Here, the multidimensional HEROIC solution shows that, for observers who are on axis and look down the polar funnel, the isotropic equivalent luminosity could be more than 10 times the Eddington limit, even though the spectrum might still look thermal and show no signs of relativistic beaming.

Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback in an Isolated Elliptical Galaxy: The Effect of Strong Radiative Feedback in the Kinetic Mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gan, Zhaoming; Yuan, Feng; Ostriker, Jeremiah P.; Ciotti, Luca; Novak, Gregory S.

2014-07-01

Based on two-dimensional high-resolution hydrodynamic numerical simulation, we study the mechanical and radiative feedback effects from the central active galactic nucleus (AGN) on the cosmological evolution of an isolated elliptical galaxy. The inner boundary of the simulation domain is carefully chosen so that the fiducial Bondi radius is resolved and the accretion rate of the black hole is determined self-consistently. It is well known that when the accretion rates are high and low, the central AGNs will be in cold and hot accretion modes, which correspond to the radiative and kinetic feedback modes, respectively. The emitted spectrum from the hot accretion flows is harder than that from the cold accretion flows, which could result in a higher Compton temperature accompanied by a more efficient radiative heating, according to previous theoretical works. Such a difference of the Compton temperature between the two feedback modes, the focus of this study, has been neglected in previous works. Significant differences in the kinetic feedback mode are found as a result of the stronger Compton heating. More importantly, if we constrain models to correctly predict black hole growth and AGN duty cycle after cosmological evolution, we find that the favored model parameters are constrained: mechanical feedback efficiency diminishes with decreasing luminosity (the maximum efficiency being ~= 10-3.5), and X-ray Compton temperature increases with decreasing luminosity, although models with fixed mechanical efficiency and Compton temperature can be found that are satisfactory as well. We conclude that radiative feedback in the kinetic mode is much more important than previously thought.

Guiding the Design of Radiation Imagers with Experimentally Benchmarked Geant4 Simulations for Electron-Tracking Compton Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coffer, Amy Beth

Radiation imagers are import tools in the modern world for a wide range of applications. They span the use-cases of fundamental sciences, astrophysics, medical imaging, all the way to national security, nuclear safeguards, and non-proliferation verification. The type of radiation imagers studied in this thesis were gamma-ray imagers that detect emissions from radioactive materials. Gamma-ray imagers goal is to localize and map the distribution of radiation within their specific field-of-view despite the fact of complicating background radiation that can be terrestrial, astronomical, and temporal. Compton imaging systems are one type of gamma-ray imager that can map the radiation around the system without the use of collimation. Lack of collimation enables the imaging system to be able to detect radiation from all-directions, while at the same time, enables increased detection efficiency by not absorbing incident radiation in non-sensing materials. Each Compton-scatter events within an imaging system generated a possible cone-surface in space that the radiation could have originated from. Compton imaging is limited in its reconstructed image signal-to-background due to these source Compton-cones overlapping with background radiation Compton-cones. These overlapping cones limit Compton imaging's detection-sensitivity in image space. Electron-tracking Compton imaging (ETCI) can improve the detection-sensitivity by measuring the Compton-scattered electron's initial trajectory. With an estimate of the scattered electron's trajectory, one can reduce the Compton-back-projected cone to a cone-arc, thus enabling faster radiation source detection and localization. However, the ability to measure the Compton-scattered electron-trajectories adds another layer of complexity to an already complex methodology. For a real-world imaging applications, improvements are needed in electron-track detection efficiency and in electron-track reconstruction. One way of measuring Compton-scattered electron-trajectories is with high-resolution Charged-Coupled Devices (CCDs). The proof-of-principle CCD-based ETCI experiment demonstrated the CCDs' ability to measure the Compton-scattered electron-tracks as a 2-dimensional image. Electron-track-imaging algorithms using the electron-track-image are able to determine the 3-dimensional electron-track trajectory within +/- 20 degrees. The work presented here is the physics simulations developed along side the experimental proof-of-principle experiment. The development of accurate physics modeling for multiple-layer CCDs based ETCI systems allow for the accurate prediction of future ETCI system performance. The simulations also enable quick development insights for system design, and they guide the development of electron-track reconstruction methods. The physics simulation efforts for this project looked closely at the accuracy of the Geant4 Monte Carlo methods for medium energy electron transport. In older version of Geant4 there were some discrepancies between the electron-tracking experimental measurements and the simulation results. It was determined that when comparing the electron dynamics of electrons at very high resolutions, Geant4 simulations must be fine tuned with careful choices for physics production cuts and electron physics stepping sizes. One result of this work is a CCDs Monte Carlo model that has been benchmarked to experimental findings and fully characterized for both photon and electron transport. The CCDs physics model now match to within 1 percent error of experimental results for scattered-electron energies below 500 keV. Following the improvements of the CCDs simulations, the performance of a realistic two-layer CCD-stack system was characterized. The realistic CCD-stack system looked at the effect of thin passive-layers on the CCDs' front face and back-contact. The photon interaction efficiency was calculated for the two-layer CCD-stack, and we found that there is a 90 percent probability of scattered-electrons from a 662 keV source to stay within a single active layer. This demonstrates the improved detection efficiency, which is one of the strengths of the CCDs' implementation as a ETCI system. The CCD-stack simulations also established that electron-tracks scattering from one CCDs layer to another could be reconstructed. The passive-regions on the CCD-stack mean that these inter-layer scattered-electron-tracks will always loose both angular information and energy information. Looking at the angular changes of these electrons scattering between the CCDs layers showed us there is not a strong energy dependence on the angular changes due to the passive-regions of the CCDs. The angular changes of the electron track are, for the most part, a function of the thickness of the thin back-layer of the CCDs. Lastly, an approach using CCD-stack simulations was developed to reconstruct the energy transport across dead-layers and its feasibility was demonstrated. Adding back this lost energy will limit the loss of energy resolution of the scatter-interactions. Energy resolution losses would negatively impacted the achievable image resolution from image reconstruction algorithms. Returning some of the energy back to the reconstructed electron-track will help retain the expected performance of the electron-track trajectory determination algorithm.

Compton Community College General Education Associate of Arts/Certification, Bilingual Immersion Program for the California State University System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camacho, Julian S.

The Compton Community College (CCC) General Education Associate of Arts/Certification Bilingual Immersion Program (BIP) is designed to allow English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) or limited English proficiency (LEP) students to study subjects beyond ESL in a bilingual setting. Current ESL programs offer students no oppurtunity to take degree/transfer…

Heavily Obscured AGN with SIMBOL-X

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Della Ceca, R.; Caccianiga, A.; Severgnini, P.

2009-05-01

By comparing an optically selected sample of narrow lines AGN with an X-ray selected sample of AGN we have recently derived an estimate of the intrinsic (i.e. before absorption) 2-10 keV luminosity function (XLF) of Compton Thick AGNs. We will use this XLF to derive the number of Compton Thick AGN that will be found in the SIMBOL-X survey(s).

Establishing Site X: Letter, Arthur H. Compton to Enrico Fermi, September 14, 1942

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Compton, A. H.

1942-09-01

This letter from Compton to Fermi describes developments bearing on the establishment of site X (which, as of the letter date, is definitely determined as at the Tennessee Valley) for the construction of a pile and associated pilot plant buildings, describes the situation as of the letter date, and offers counsel as to how to proceed.

Laser pulsing in linear Compton scattering

DOE PAGES

Krafft, G. A.; Johnson, E.; Deitrick, K.; ...

2016-12-16

Previous work on calculating energy spectra from Compton scattering events has either neglected considering the pulsed structure of the incident laser beam, or has calculated these effects in an approximate way subject to criticism. In this paper, this problem has been reconsidered within a linear plane wave model for the incident laser beam. By performing the proper Lorentz transformation of the Klein-Nishina scattering cross section, a spectrum calculation can be created which allows the electron beam energy spread and emittance effects on the spectrum to be accurately calculated, essentially by summing over the emission of each individual electron. Such anmore » approach has the obvious advantage that it is easily integrated with a particle distribution generated by particle tracking, allowing precise calculations of spectra for realistic particle distributions in collision. The method is used to predict the energy spectrum of radiation passing through an aperture for the proposed Old Dominion University inverse Compton source. In addition, as discussed in the body of the paper, many of the results allow easy scaling estimates to be made of the expected spectrum. A misconception in the literature on Compton scattering of circularly polarized beams is corrected and recorded.« less

Mini Compton Camera Based on an Array of Virtual Frisch-Grid CdZnTe Detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Wonho; Bolotnikov, Aleksey; Lee, Taewoong

In this study, we constructed a mini Compton camera based on an array of CdZnTe detectors and assessed its spectral and imaging properties. The entire array consisted of 6×6 Frisch-grid CdZnTe detectors, each with a size of 6×6 ×15 mm 3. Since it is easier and more practical to grow small CdZnTe crystals rather than large monolithic ones, constructing a mosaic array of parallelepiped crystals can be an effective way to build a more efficient, large-volume detector. With the fully operational CdZnTe array, we measured the energy spectra for 133Ba -, 137Cs -, 60Co-radiation sources; we also located these sourcesmore » using a Compton imaging approach. Although the Compton camera was small enough to hand-carry, its intrinsic efficiency was several orders higher than those generated in previous researches using spatially separated arrays, because our camera measured the interactions inside the CZT detector array, wherein the detector elements were positioned very close to each other. Lastly, the performance of our camera was compared with that based on a pixelated detector.« less

Compton-thick AGNs in the NuSTAR Era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchesi, S.; Ajello, M.; Marcotulli, L.; Comastri, A.; Lanzuisi, G.; Vignali, C.

2018-02-01

We present the 2–100 keV spectral analysis of 30 candidate Compton-thick-(CT-)active galactic nuclei (AGNs) selected in the Swift-Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) 100 month survey. The average redshift of these objects is < z> ∼ 0.03, and they all lie within ∼500 Mpc. We used the MyTorus model to perform X-ray spectral fittings both without and with the contribution of the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) data in the 3–50 keV energy range. When the NuSTAR data are added to the fit, 13 out of 30 of these objects (43% of the whole sample) have intrinsic absorption N H < 1024 cm‑2 at the >3σ confidence level, i.e., they are reclassified from Compton thick to Compton thin. Consequently, we infer an overall observed fraction of the CT-AGN, with respect to the whole AGN population, lower than the one reported in previous works, as low as ∼4%. We find evidence that this overestimation of N H is likely due to the low quality of a subsample of spectra, either in the 2–10 keV band or in the Swift-BAT one.

Performance studies towards a TOF-PET sensor using Compton scattering at plastic scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuramoto, M.; Nakamori, T.; Gunji, S.; Kamada, K.; Shoji, Y.; Yoshikawa, A.; Aoki, T.

2018-01-01

We have developed a sensor head for a time-of-flight (TOF) PET scanner using plastic scintillators that have a very fast timing property. Given the very small cross section of photoelectric absorption in plastic scintillators at 511 keV, we use Compton scattering in order to compensate for detection efficiency. The detector will consist of two layers of scatterers and absorbers which are made of plastic and inorganic scintillators such as GAGG:Ce, respectively. Signals are read by monolithic Multi Pixel Photon Counters, and with energy deposits and interaction time stamps are being acquired. The scintillators are built to be capable of resolving interaction position in three dimensions, so that our system has also a function of depth-of-interaction (DOI) PET scanners. TOF resolution of ~ 200 ps (FWHM) is achieved in both cases of using the leading-edge discriminator and time-walk correction and using a configuration sensitive to DOI. Both the position resolution and spectroscopy are demonstrated using the prototype data acquisition system, with Compton scattering events subsequently being obtained. We also demonstrated that the background rejection technique using the Compton cone constraint could be valid with our system.

Mini Compton Camera Based on an Array of Virtual Frisch-Grid CdZnTe Detectors

DOE PAGES

Lee, Wonho; Bolotnikov, Aleksey; Lee, Taewoong; ...

2016-02-15

In this study, we constructed a mini Compton camera based on an array of CdZnTe detectors and assessed its spectral and imaging properties. The entire array consisted of 6×6 Frisch-grid CdZnTe detectors, each with a size of 6×6 ×15 mm 3. Since it is easier and more practical to grow small CdZnTe crystals rather than large monolithic ones, constructing a mosaic array of parallelepiped crystals can be an effective way to build a more efficient, large-volume detector. With the fully operational CdZnTe array, we measured the energy spectra for 133Ba -, 137Cs -, 60Co-radiation sources; we also located these sourcesmore » using a Compton imaging approach. Although the Compton camera was small enough to hand-carry, its intrinsic efficiency was several orders higher than those generated in previous researches using spatially separated arrays, because our camera measured the interactions inside the CZT detector array, wherein the detector elements were positioned very close to each other. Lastly, the performance of our camera was compared with that based on a pixelated detector.« less

Study of the polarimetric performance of a Si/CdTe semiconductor Compton camera for the Hitomi satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katsuta, Junichiro; Edahiro, Ikumi; Watanabe, Shin; Odaka, Hirokazu; Uchida, Yusuke; Uchida, Nagomi; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Hayashi, Katsuhiro; Habata, Sho; Ichinohe, Yuto; Kitaguchi, Takao; Ohno, Masanori; Ohta, Masayuki; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Takeda, Shin'ichiro; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Yuasa, Takayuki; Itou, Masayoshi; SGD Team

2016-12-01

Gamma-ray polarization offers a unique probe into the geometry of the γ-ray emission process in celestial objects. The Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD) onboard the X-ray observatory Hitomi is a Si/CdTe Compton camera and is expected to be an excellent polarimeter, as well as a highly sensitive spectrometer due to its good angular coverage and resolution for Compton scattering. A beam test of the final-prototype for the SGD Compton camera was conducted to demonstrate its polarimetric capability and to verify and calibrate the Monte Carlo simulation of the instrument. The modulation factor of the SGD prototype camera, evaluated for the inner and outer parts of the CdTe sensors as absorbers, was measured to be 0.649-0.701 (inner part) and 0.637-0.653 (outer part) at 122.2 keV and 0.610-0.651 (inner part) and 0.564-0.592 (outer part) at 194.5 keV at varying polarization angles with respect to the detector. This indicates that the relative systematic uncertainty of the modulation factor is as small as ∼ 3 % .

First Exclusive Measurement of Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering off He 4 : Toward the 3D Tomography of Nuclei

DOE PAGES

Hattawy, M.; Baltzell, N. A.; Dupré, R.; ...

2017-11-15

Here, we report on the first measurement of the beam-spin asymmetry in the exclusive process of coherent deeply virtual Compton scattering off a nucleus. The experiment used the 6 GeV electron beam from the CEBAF accelerator at Jefferson Lab incident on a pressurizedmore » $^4$He gaseous target placed in front of the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS). The scattered electron was detected by CLAS and the photon by a dedicated electromagnetic calorimeter at forward angles. To ensure the exclusivity of the process, a specially designed radial time projection chamber was used to detect the recoiling $^4$He nuclei. We measured beam-spin asymmetries larger than those observed on the free proton in the same kinematic domain. From these, we were able to extract, in a model-independent way, the real and imaginary parts of the only $^4$He Compton form factor, $$\\cal H_A$$. This first measurement of coherent deeply virtual Compton scattering on the $^4$He nucleus, with a fully exclusive final state via nuclear recoil tagging, leads the way toward 3D imaging of the partonic structure of nuclei.« less

3D Compton scattering imaging and contour reconstruction for a class of Radon transforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rigaud, Gaël; Hahn, Bernadette N.

2018-07-01

Compton scattering imaging is a nascent concept arising from the current development of high-sensitive energy detectors and is devoted to exploit the scattering radiation to image the electron density of the studied medium. Such detectors are able to collect incoming photons in terms of energy. This paper introduces potential 3D modalities in Compton scattering imaging (CSI). The associated measured data are modeled using a class of generalized Radon transforms. The study of this class of operators leads to build a filtered back-projection kind algorithm preserving the contours of the sought-for function and offering a fast approach to partially solve the associated inverse problems. Simulation results including Poisson noise demonstrate the potential of this new imaging concept as well as the proposed image reconstruction approach.

Electronic properties of Fe3O4: LCAO calculations and Compton spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panwar, Kalpana; Tiwari, Shailja; Heda, N. L.

2018-04-01

We report the Compton profile (CP) measurements of Fe3O4 using 100 mCi241Am Compton spectrometer at momentum resolution of 0.55 a.u. The experimental CP has been compared with the linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) data within density functional theory (DFT). The local density and generalized gradient approximation (LDA and GGA, respectively) have been used under the framework of DFT scheme. It is found that the DFT-GGA scheme gives the better agreement than to DFT-LDA. In addition, we have also computed the M ulliken's population (M P) and density of states (DOS) using the DFT scheme. M P data predicts the charge transfer from Fe to O atoms while DOS have confirmed the half metallic character of the compound.

A Compton suppressed detector multiplicity trigger based digital DAQ for gamma-ray spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, S.; Samanta, S.; Banik, R.; Bhattacharjee, R.; Basu, K.; Raut, R.; Ghugre, S. S.; Sinha, A. K.; Bhattacharya, S.; Imran, S.; Mukherjee, G.; Bhattacharyya, S.; Goswami, A.; Palit, R.; Tan, H.

2018-06-01

The development of a digitizer based pulse processing and data acquisition system for γ-ray spectroscopy with large detector arrays is presented. The system is based on 250 MHz 12-bit digitizers, and is triggered by a user chosen multiplicity of Compton suppressed detectors. The logic for trigger generation is similar to the one practised for analog (NIM/CAMAC) pulse processing electronics, while retaining the fast processing merits of the digitizer system. Codes for reduction of data acquired from the system have also been developed. The system has been tested with offline studies using radioactive sources as well as in the in-beam experiments with an array of Compton suppressed Clover detectors. The results obtained therefrom validate its use in spectroscopic efforts for nuclear structure investigations.

The space density of Compton-thick AGN at z ≈ 0.8 in the zCOSMOS-Bright Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vignali, C.; Mignoli, M.; Gilli, R.; Comastri, A.; Iwasawa, K.; Zamorani, G.; Mainieri, V.; Bongiorno, A.

2014-11-01

Context. The obscured accretion phase in black hole growth is a crucial ingredient in many models linking the active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity with the evolution of their host galaxy. At present, a complete census of obscured AGN is still missing, although several attempts in this direction have been carried out recently, mostly in the hard X-rays and at mid-infrared wavelengths. Aims: The purpose of this work is to assess whether the [Ne v] emission line at 3426 Å can reliably pick up obscured AGN up to z ≈ 1 by assuming that it is a reliable proxy of the intrinsic AGN luminosity and using moderately deep X-ray data to characterize the amount of obscuration. Methods: A sample of 69 narrow-line (Type 2) AGN at z ≈ 0.65-1.20 were selected from the 20k-zCOSMOS Bright galaxy sample on the basis of the presence of the [Ne v]3426 Å emission. The X-ray properties of these galaxies were then derived using the Chandra-COSMOS coverage of the field; the X-ray-to-[Ne v] flux ratio, coupled with X-ray spectral and stacking analyses, was then used to infer whether Compton-thin or Compton-thick absorption is present in these sources. Then the [Ne v] luminosity function was computed to estimate the space density of Compton-thick AGN at z ≈ 0.8. Results: Twenty-three sources were detected by Chandra, and their properties are consistent with moderate obscuration (on average, ≈a few × 1022 cm-2). The X-ray properties of the remaining 46 X-ray undetected Type 2 AGN (among which we expect to find the most heavily obscured objects) were derived using X-ray stacking analysis. Current data, supported by Monte Carlo simulations, indicate that a fraction as high as ≈40% of the present sample is likely to be Compton thick. The space density of Compton-thick AGN with logL2-10 keV> 43.5 at z = 0.83 is ΦThick = (9.1 ± 2.1) × 10-6 Mpc-3, in good agreement with both X-ray background model expectations and the previously measured space density for objects in a similar redshift and luminosity range. We regard our selection technique for Compton-thick AGN as clean but not complete, since even a mild extinction in the narrow-line region can suppress [Ne v] emission. Therefore, our estimate of their space density should be considered as a lower limit.

Seven-year Collection of Well-monitored Fermi -LAT Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows

DOE PAGES

Panaitescu, Alin-Daniel

2017-02-27

Here we present the light curves and spectra of 24 afterglows that have been monitored by Fermi-LAT at 0.1–100 GeV over more than a decade. All light curves (except 130427) are consistent with a single power law starting from their peaks, which occur in most cases before the burst end. The light curves display a brightness–decay rate correlation, with all but one (130427) of the bright afterglows decaying faster than the dimmer afterglows. We attribute this dichotomy to the quick deposition of relativistic ejecta energy in the external shock for the brighter/faster-decaying afterglows and to an extended energy injection inmore » the afterglow shock for the dimmer/slower-decaying light curves. The spectra of six afterglows (090328, 100414, 110721, 110731, 130427, 140619B) indicate the existence of a harder component above a spectral dip or ankle at energies of 0.3–3 GeV, offering evidence for inverse-Compton emission at higher energies and suggesting that the harder power-law spectra of five other LAT afterglows (130327B, 131231, 150523, 150627, 160509) could also be inverse-Compton, while the remaining, softer LAT afterglows should be synchrotron emission. Finally, marginal evidence for a spectral break and softening at higher energies is found for two afterglows (090902B and 090926).« less

Seven-year Collection of Well-monitored Fermi -LAT Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Panaitescu, Alin-Daniel

Here we present the light curves and spectra of 24 afterglows that have been monitored by Fermi-LAT at 0.1–100 GeV over more than a decade. All light curves (except 130427) are consistent with a single power law starting from their peaks, which occur in most cases before the burst end. The light curves display a brightness–decay rate correlation, with all but one (130427) of the bright afterglows decaying faster than the dimmer afterglows. We attribute this dichotomy to the quick deposition of relativistic ejecta energy in the external shock for the brighter/faster-decaying afterglows and to an extended energy injection inmore » the afterglow shock for the dimmer/slower-decaying light curves. The spectra of six afterglows (090328, 100414, 110721, 110731, 130427, 140619B) indicate the existence of a harder component above a spectral dip or ankle at energies of 0.3–3 GeV, offering evidence for inverse-Compton emission at higher energies and suggesting that the harder power-law spectra of five other LAT afterglows (130327B, 131231, 150523, 150627, 160509) could also be inverse-Compton, while the remaining, softer LAT afterglows should be synchrotron emission. Finally, marginal evidence for a spectral break and softening at higher energies is found for two afterglows (090902B and 090926).« less

Is HE 0436-4717 Anemic? A deep look at a bare Seyfert 1 galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonson, K.; Gallo, L. C.; Vasudevan, R.

2015-06-01

A multi-epoch, multi-instrument analysis of the Seyfert 1 galaxy HE 0436-4717 is conducted using optical to X-ray data from XMM-Newton and Swift (including the Burst Alert Telescope). Fitting of the UV-to-X-ray spectral energy distribution shows little evidence of extinction and the X-ray spectral analysis does not confirm previous reports of deep absorption edges from O VIII. HE 0436-4717 is a `bare' Seyfert with negligible line-of-sight absorption making it ideal to study the central X-ray emitting region. Three scenarios were considered to describe the X-ray data: partial covering absorption, blurred reflection, and soft Comptonization. All three interpretations describe the 0.5-10.0 keV spectra well. Extrapolating the models to 100 keV results in poorer fits for the partial covering model. When also considering the rapid variability during one of the XMM-Newton observations, the blurred reflection model appears to describe all the observations in the most self-consistent manner. If adopted, the blurred reflection model requires a very low iron abundance in HE 0436-4717. We consider the possibilities that this is an artefact of the fitting process, but it appears possible that it is intrinsic to the object.

The absence of a thin disc in M81*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, A. J.; McHardy, I.; Emmanoulopoulos, D.; Connolly, S.

2018-06-01

We present the results of simultaneous Suzaku and NuSTAR observations of the nearest low-luminosity active galactic nucleus (LLAGN), M81*. The spectrum is well described by a cut-off power law plus narrow emission lines from Fe K α, Fe xxv, and Fe xxvi. There is no evidence of Compton reflection from an optically thick disc, and we obtain the strongest constraint on the reflection fraction in M81* to date, with a best-fitting value of R = 0.0 with an upper limit of R < 0.1. The Fe K α line may be produced in optically thin, N_H = 1 × 10^{23} cm^{-2}, gas located in the equatorial plane that could be the broad line region. The ionized iron lines may originate in the hot, inner accretion flow. The X-ray continuum shows significant variability on ˜40 ks time-scales suggesting that the primary X-ray source is ˜100 s of gravitational radii in size. If this X-ray source illuminates any putative optically thick disc, the weakness of reflection implies that such a disc lies outside a few ×103 gravitational radii. An optically thin accretion flow inside a truncated optically thick disc appears to be a common feature of LLAGN that are accreting at only a tiny fraction of the Eddington limit.

Theoretical Compton profile anisotropies in molecules and solids. IV. Parallel--perpendicular anisotropies in alkali fluoride molecules

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matcha, R.L.; Pettitt, B.M.; Ramirez, B.I.

1979-07-15

Calculations of Compton profiles and parallel--perpendicular anisotropies in alkali fluorides are presented and analyzed in terms of molecular charge distributions and wave function character. It is found that the parallel profile associated with the valence pi orbital is the principal factor determining the relative shapes of the total profile anisotropies in the low momentum region.

Directional Unfolded Source Term (DUST) for Compton Cameras.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mitchell, Dean J.; Horne, Steven M.; O'Brien, Sean

2018-03-01

A Directional Unfolded Source Term (DUST) algorithm was developed to enable improved spectral analysis capabilities using data collected by Compton cameras. Achieving this objective required modification of the detector response function in the Gamma Detector Response and Analysis Software (GADRAS). Experimental data that were collected in support of this work include measurements of calibration sources at a range of separation distances and cylindrical depleted uranium castings.

A simple and fast method for computing the relativistic Compton Scattering Kernel for radiative transfer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kershaw, David S.; Prasad, Manoj K.; Beason, J. Douglas

1986-01-01

The Klein-Nishina differential cross section averaged over a relativistic Maxwellian electron distribution is analytically reduced to a single integral, which can then be rapidly evaluated in a variety of ways. A particularly fast method for numerically computing this single integral is presented. This is, to the authors' knowledge, the first correct computation of the Compton scattering kernel.

Compton Scattering by Static and Moving Media. Part 1; The Transfer Equation and its Moments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Psaltis, Dimitrios; Lamb, Frederick K.

1997-01-01

Compton scattering of photons by nonrelativistic particles is thought to play an important role in forming the radiation spectrum of many astrophysical systems. Here we derive the time-dependent photon kinetic equation that describes spontaneous and induced Compton scattering, as well as absorption and emission by static and moving media, the corresponding radiative transfer equation, and their zeroth and first angular moments, both in the system frame and in the frame comoving with the medium. We show that it is necessary to use the correct relativistic differential scattering cross section in order to obtain a photon kinetic equation that is correct to first order in Epsilon/m(sub e), T(sub e)/m(sub e), and V, where Epsilon is the photon energy, T(sub e) and m(sub e) are the electron temperature and rest mass, and V is the electron bulk velocity in units of the speed of light. We also demonstrate that the terms in the radiative transfer equation that are second order in V should usually be retained, because if the radiation energy density is sufficiently large, compared to the radiation flux, the effects of bulk Comptonization described by the terms that are second order in V can be as important as the effects described by the terms that are first order in V, even when V is small. The system- and fluid-frame equations that we derive are correct to first order in Epsilon/m(sub e). Our system-frame equations, which are correct to second order in V, may be used when V is not too large. Our fluid-frame equations, which are exact in V, may be used when V approaches 1. Both sets of equations are valid for systems of arbitrary optical depth and can therefore be used in both the free-streaming and diffusion regimes. We demonstrate that Comptonization by the electron bulk motion occurs whether or not the radiation field is isotropic or the bulk flow converges and that it is more important than thermal Comptonization if V(sup 2) is greater than 3T(sub e)/m(sub e).

Three-dimensional and multienergy gamma-ray simultaneous imaging by using a Si/CdTe Compton camera.

PubMed

Suzuki, Yoshiyuki; Yamaguchi, Mitsutaka; Odaka, Hirokazu; Shimada, Hirofumi; Yoshida, Yukari; Torikai, Kota; Satoh, Takahiro; Arakawa, Kazuo; Kawachi, Naoki; Watanabe, Shigeki; Takeda, Shin'ichiro; Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke; Aono, Hiroyuki; Watanabe, Shin; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Nakano, Takashi

2013-06-01

To develop a silicon (Si) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) imaging Compton camera for biomedical application on the basis of technologies used for astrophysical observation and to test its capacity to perform three-dimensional (3D) imaging. All animal experiments were performed according to the Animal Care and Experimentation Committee (Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan). Flourine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), iodine 131 ((131)I) methylnorcholestenol, and gallium 67 ((67)Ga) citrate, separately compacted into micro tubes, were inserted subcutaneously into a Wistar rat, and the distribution of the radioisotope compounds was determined with 3D imaging by using the Compton camera after the rat was sacrificed (ex vivo model). In a separate experiment, indium 111((111)In) chloride and (131)I-methylnorcholestenol were injected into a rat intravenously, and copper 64 ((64)Cu) chloride was administered into the stomach orally just before imaging. The isotope distributions were determined with 3D imaging after sacrifice by means of the list-mode-expectation-maximizing-maximum-likelihood method. The Si/CdTe Compton camera demonstrated its 3D multinuclear imaging capability by separating out the distributions of FDG, (131)I-methylnorcholestenol, and (67)Ga-citrate clearly in a test-tube-implanted ex vivo model. In the more physiologic model with tail vein injection prior to sacrifice, the distributions of (131)I-methylnorcholestenol and (64)Cu-chloride were demonstrated with 3D imaging, and the difference in distribution of the two isotopes was successfully imaged although the accumulation on the image of (111)In-chloride was difficult to visualize because of blurring at the low-energy region. The Si/CdTe Compton camera clearly resolved the distribution of multiple isotopes in 3D imaging and simultaneously in the ex vivo model.

A combined Compton and coded-aperture telescope for medium-energy gamma-ray astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galloway, Michelle; Zoglauer, Andreas; Boggs, Steven E.; Amman, Mark

2018-06-01

A future mission in medium-energy gamma-ray astrophysics would allow for many scientific advancements, such as a possible explanation for the excess positron emission from the Galactic center, a better understanding of nucleosynthesis and explosion mechanisms in Type Ia supernovae, and a look at the physical forces at play in compact objects such as black holes and neutron stars. Additionally, further observation in this energy regime would significantly extend the search parameter space for low-mass dark matter. In order to achieve these objectives, an instrument with good energy resolution, good angular resolution, and high sensitivity is required. In this paper we present the design and simulation of a Compton telescope consisting of cubic-centimeter cadmium zinc telluride detectors as absorbers behind a silicon tracker with the addition of a passive coded mask. The goal of the design was to create a very sensitive instrument that is capable of high angular resolution. The simulated telescope achieved energy resolutions of 1.68% FWHM at 511 keV and 1.11% at 1809 keV, on-axis angular resolutions in Compton mode of 2.63° FWHM at 511 keV and 1.30° FWHM at 1809 keV, and is capable of resolving sources to at least 0.2° at lower energies with the use of the coded mask. An initial assessment of the instrument in Compton-imaging mode yields an effective area of 183 cm2 at 511 keV and an anticipated all-sky sensitivity of 3.6 × 10-6 photons cm-2 s-1 for a broadened 511 keV source over a two-year observation time. Additionally, combining a coded mask with a Compton imager to improve point-source localization for positron detection has been demonstrated.

Active galactic nucleus feedback in an isolated elliptical galaxy: The effect of strong radiative feedback in the kinetic mode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gan, Zhaoming; Yuan, Feng; Ostriker, Jeremiah P.

2014-07-10

Based on two-dimensional high-resolution hydrodynamic numerical simulation, we study the mechanical and radiative feedback effects from the central active galactic nucleus (AGN) on the cosmological evolution of an isolated elliptical galaxy. The inner boundary of the simulation domain is carefully chosen so that the fiducial Bondi radius is resolved and the accretion rate of the black hole is determined self-consistently. It is well known that when the accretion rates are high and low, the central AGNs will be in cold and hot accretion modes, which correspond to the radiative and kinetic feedback modes, respectively. The emitted spectrum from the hotmore » accretion flows is harder than that from the cold accretion flows, which could result in a higher Compton temperature accompanied by a more efficient radiative heating, according to previous theoretical works. Such a difference of the Compton temperature between the two feedback modes, the focus of this study, has been neglected in previous works. Significant differences in the kinetic feedback mode are found as a result of the stronger Compton heating. More importantly, if we constrain models to correctly predict black hole growth and AGN duty cycle after cosmological evolution, we find that the favored model parameters are constrained: mechanical feedback efficiency diminishes with decreasing luminosity (the maximum efficiency being ≅ 10{sup –3.5}), and X-ray Compton temperature increases with decreasing luminosity, although models with fixed mechanical efficiency and Compton temperature can be found that are satisfactory as well. We conclude that radiative feedback in the kinetic mode is much more important than previously thought.« less

GPU-accelerated iterative reconstruction from Compton scattered data using a matched pair of conic projector and backprojector.

PubMed

Nguyen, Van-Giang; Lee, Soo-Jin

2016-07-01

Iterative reconstruction from Compton scattered data is known to be computationally more challenging than that from conventional line-projection based emission data in that the gamma rays that undergo Compton scattering are modeled as conic projections rather than line projections. In conventional tomographic reconstruction, to parallelize the projection and backprojection operations using the graphics processing unit (GPU), approximated methods that use an unmatched pair of ray-tracing forward projector and voxel-driven backprojector have been widely used. In this work, we propose a new GPU-accelerated method for Compton camera reconstruction which is more accurate by using exactly matched pair of projector and backprojector. To calculate conic forward projection, we first sample the cone surface into conic rays and accumulate the intersecting chord lengths of the conic rays passing through voxels using a fast ray-tracing method (RTM). For conic backprojection, to obtain the true adjoint of the conic forward projection, while retaining the computational efficiency of the GPU, we use a voxel-driven RTM which is essentially the same as the standard RTM used for the conic forward projector. Our simulation results show that, while the new method is about 3 times slower than the approximated method, it is still about 16 times faster than the CPU-based method without any loss of accuracy. The net conclusion is that our proposed method is guaranteed to retain the reconstruction accuracy regardless of the number of iterations by providing a perfectly matched projector-backprojector pair, which makes iterative reconstruction methods for Compton imaging faster and more accurate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

EXTERNAL COMPTON SCATTERING IN BLAZAR JETS AND THE LOCATION OF THE GAMMA-RAY EMITTING REGION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Finke, Justin D., E-mail: justin.finke@nrl.navy.mil

2016-10-20

I study the location of the γ -ray emission in blazar jets by creating a Compton-scattering approximation that is valid for all anisotropic radiation fields in the Thomson through Klein–Nishina regimes, is highly accurate, and can speed up numerical calculations by up to a factor of ∼10. I apply this approximation to synchrotron self-Compton, external Compton scattering of photons from the accretion disk, broad line region (BLR), and dust torus. I use a stratified BLR model and include detailed Compton-scattering calculations of a spherical and flattened BLR. I create two dust torus models, one where the torus is an annulusmore » and one where it is an extended disk. I present detailed calculations of the photoabsorption optical depth using my detailed BLR and dust torus models, including the full angle dependence. I apply these calculations to the emission from a relativistically moving blob traveling through these radiation fields. The ratio of γ -ray to optical flux produces a predictable pattern that could help locate the γ -ray emission region. I show that the bright flare from 3C 454.3 in 2010 November detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope is unlikely to originate from a single blob inside the BLR. This is because it moves outside the BLR in a time shorter than the flare duration, although emission by multiple blobs inside the BLR is possible. Also, γ -rays are unlikely to originate from outside of the BLR, due to the scattering of photons from an extended dust torus, since the cooling timescale would be too long to explain the observed short variability.« less

SU-F-J-189: A Method to Improve the Spatial Resolution of Prompt Gamma Based Compton Imaging for Proton Range Verification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Draeger, E; Chen, H; Polf, J

Purpose: To test two new techniques, the distance-of-closest approach (DCA) and Compton line (CL) filters, developed as a means of improving the spatial resolution of Compton camera (CC) imaging. Methods: Gammas emitted from {sup 22}Na, {sup 137}Cs, and {sup 60}Co point sources were measured with a prototype 3-stage CC. The energy deposited and position of each interaction in each stage were recorded and used to calculate a “cone-of-origin” for each gamma that scattered twice in the CC. A DCA filter was developed which finds the shortest distance from the gamma’s cone-of-origin surface to the location of the gamma source. Themore » DCA filter was applied to the data to determine the initial energy of the gamma and to remove “bad” interactions that only contribute noise to the image. Additionally, a CL filter, which removes gamma events that do not follow the theoretical predictions of the Compton scatter equation, was used to further remove “bad” interactions from the measured data. Then images were reconstructed with raw, unfiltered data, DCA filtered data, and DCA+CL filtered data and the achievable image resolution of each dataset was compared. Results: Spatial resolutions of ∼2 mm, and better than 2 mm, were achievable with the DCA and DCA+CL filtered data, respectively, compared to > 5 mm for the raw, unfiltered data. Conclusion: In many special cases in medical imaging where information about the source position may be known, such as proton radiotherapy range verification, the application of the DCA and CL filters can result in considerable improvements in the achievable spatial resolutions of Compton imaging.« less

X-UDS: The Chandra Legacy Survey of the UKIDSS Ultra Deep Survey Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kocevski, Dale D.; Hasinger, Guenther; Brightman, Murray; Nandra, Kirpal; Georgakakis, Antonis; Cappelluti, Nico; Civano, Francesca; Li, Yuxuan; Li, Yanxia; Aird, James; Alexander, David M.; Almaini, Omar; Brusa, Marcella; Buchner, Johannes; Comastri, Andrea; Conselice, Christopher J.; Dickinson, Mark A.; Finoguenov, Alexis; Gilli, Roberto; Koekemoer, Anton M.; Miyaji, Takamitsu; Mullaney, James R.; Papovich, Casey; Rosario, David; Salvato, Mara; Silverman, John D.; Somerville, Rachel S.; Ueda, Yoshihiro

2018-06-01

We present the X-UDS survey, a set of wide and deep Chandra observations of the Subaru-XMM Deep/UKIDSS Ultra Deep Survey (SXDS/UDS) field. The survey consists of 25 observations that cover a total area of 0.33 deg2. The observations are combined to provide a nominal depth of ∼600 ks in the central 100 arcmin2 region of the field that has been imaged with Hubble/WFC3 by the CANDELS survey and ∼200 ks in the remainder of the field. In this paper, we outline the survey’s scientific goals, describe our observing strategy, and detail our data reduction and point source detection algorithms. Our analysis has resulted in a total of 868 band-merged point sources detected with a false-positive Poisson probability of <1 × 10‑4. In addition, we present the results of an X-ray spectral analysis and provide best-fitting neutral hydrogen column densities, N H, as well as a sample of 51 Compton-thick active galactic nucleus candidates. Using this sample, we find the intrinsic Compton-thick fraction to be 30%–35% over a wide range in redshift (z = 0.1–3), suggesting the obscured fraction does not evolve very strongly with epoch. However, if we assume that the Compton-thick fraction is dependent on luminosity, as is seen for Compton-thin sources, then our results are consistent with a rise in the obscured fraction out to z ∼ 3. Finally, an examination of the host morphologies of our Compton-thick candidates shows a high fraction of morphological disturbances, in agreement with our previous results. All data products described in this paper are made available via a public website.

Time evolution of the spectral break in the high-energy extra component of GRB 090926A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yassine, M.; Piron, F.; Mochkovitch, R.; Daigne, F.

2017-10-01

Aims: The prompt light curve of the long GRB 090926A reveals a short pulse 10 s after the beginning of the burst emission, which has been observed by the Fermi observatory from the keV to the GeV energy domain. During this bright spike, the high-energy emission from GRB 090926A underwent a sudden hardening above 10 MeV in the form of an additional power-law component exhibiting a spectral attenuation at a few hundreds of MeV. This high-energy break has been previously interpreted in terms of gamma-ray opacity to pair creation and has been used to estimate the bulk Lorentz factor of the outflow. In this article, we report on a new time-resolved analysis of the GRB 090926A broadband spectrum during its prompt phase and on its interpretation in the framework of prompt emission models. Methods: We characterized the emission from GRB 090926A at the highest energies with Pass 8 data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT), which offer a greater sensitivity than any data set used in previous studies of this burst, particularly in the 30-100 MeV energy band. Then, we combined the LAT data with the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) in joint spectral fits to characterize the time evolution of the broadband spectrum from keV to GeV energies. We paid careful attention to the systematic effects that arise from the uncertainties on the LAT response. Finally, we performed a temporal analysis of the light curves and we computed the variability timescales from keV to GeV energies during and after the bright spike. Results: Our analysis confirms and better constrains the spectral break, which has been previously reported during the bright spike. Furthermore, it reveals that the spectral attenuation persists at later times with an increase of the break characteristic energy up to the GeV domain until the end of the prompt phase. We discuss these results in terms of keV-MeV synchroton radiation of electrons accelerated during the dissipation of the jet energy and inverse Compton emission at higher energies. We interpret the high-energy spectral break as caused by photon opacity to pair creation. Requiring that all emissions are produced above the photosphere of GRB 090926A, we compute the bulk Lorentz factor of the outflow, Γ. The latter decreases from 230 during the spike to 100 at the end of the prompt emission. Assuming, instead, that the spectral break reflects the natural curvature of the inverse Compton spectrum, lower limits corresponding to larger values of Γ are also derived. Combined with the extreme temporal variability of GRB 090926A, these Lorentz factors lead to emission radii R 1014 cm, which are consistent with an internal origin of both the keV-MeV and GeV prompt emissions.

X-ray View of Four High-Luminosity Swift-BAT AGN: Unveiling Obscuration and Reflection with Suzaku

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fiorettil, V.; Angelini, L.; Mushotzky, R. F.; Koss, M.; Malaguti, G.

2013-01-01

Aims. A complete census of obscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) is necessary to reveal the history of the super massive black hole (SMBH) growth and galaxy evolution in the Universe given the complex feedback processes and the fact that much of this growth occurs in an obscured phase. In this context, hard X-ray surveys and dedicated follow-up observations represent a unique tool for selecting highly absorbed AGN and for characterizing the obscuring matter surrounding the SMBH. Here we focus on the absorption and reflection occurring in highly luminous, quasar-like AGN, to study the relation between the geometry of the absorbing matter and the AGN nature (e.g. X-ray, optical, and radio properties), and to help to determine the column density dependency on the AGN luminosity. Methods. The Swift/BAT nine-month survey observed 153 AGN, all with ultra-hard X-ray BAT fluxes in excess of 10(exp -11) erg per square centimeter and an average redshift of 0.03. Among them, four of the most luminous BAT AGN (44.73 less than LogLBAT less than 45.31) were selected as targets of Suzaku follow-up observations: J2246.0+3941 (3C 452), J0407.4+0339 (3C 105), J0318.7+6828, and J0918.5+0425. The column density, scattered/reflected emission, the properties of the Fe K line, and a possible variability are fully analyzed. For the latter, the spectral properties from Chandra, XMM-Newton and Swift/XRT public observations were compared with the present Suzaku analysis, adding an original spectral analysis when non was available from the literature. Results. Of our sample, 3C 452 is the only certain Compton-thick AGN candidate because of i) the high absorption (N(sub H) approximately 4 × 10(exp 23) per square centimeter) and strong Compton reflection; ii) the lack of variability; iii) the "buried" nature, i.e. the low scattering fraction (less than 0.5%) and the extremely low relative [OIII] luminosity. In contrast 3C 105 is not reflection-dominated, despite the comparable column density, X-ray luminosity and radio morphology, but shows a strong long-term variability in flux and scattering fraction, consistent with the soft emission being scattered from a distant region (e.g., the narrow emission line region). The sample presents high (greater than 100) X-to- [OIII] luminosity ratios, with an extreme value of R(sup X)(sub [OIII]) approximately 800 for 3C 452, confirming the [OIII] luminosity to be affected by residual extinction in presence of mild absorption, especially for "buried" AGN such as 3C 452. Three of our targets are powerful FRII radio galaxies, which is shown by their high luminosity and absorption; this makes them the most luminous and absorbed AGN of the BAT Seyfert survey despite the inversely proportional N(sub H) - L(sub X) relation.

Electron momentum density and Compton profile by a semi-empirical approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguiar, Julio C.; Mitnik, Darío; Di Rocco, Héctor O.

2015-08-01

Here we propose a semi-empirical approach to describe with good accuracy the electron momentum densities and Compton profiles for a wide range of pure crystalline metals. In the present approach, we use an experimental Compton profile to fit an analytical expression for the momentum densities of the valence electrons. This expression is similar to a Fermi-Dirac distribution function with two parameters, one of which coincides with the ground state kinetic energy of the free-electron gas and the other resembles the electron-electron interaction energy. In the proposed scheme conduction electrons are neither completely free nor completely bound to the atomic nucleus. This procedure allows us to include correlation effects. We tested the approach for all metals with Z=3-50 and showed the results for three representative elements: Li, Be and Al from high-resolution experiments.

Simplified Formulae System for Resonant Inverse Compton Scattering of a Fast Electron in an Intense Magnetic Field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

You, J. H.; Chen, W. P.; Zhang, S. N.; Chen, L.; Liu, D.; Chou, C. K.

2003-01-01

We present simple analytical formulae for the emission spectrum and total power of a special kind of resonant inverse Compton scattering (RICS) of a relativistic electron in an intense magnetic field. In contrast with the available formulae system, we obtain a markedly simplified one based on the semiclassical quantum theory, which is more understandable for people who are unfamiliar with quantum electrodynamics. We show that the RICS process, under an appropriate 'accommodation condition' derived in this paper, is predominantly much more efficient than the coexistent ordinary inverse Compton scattering, and produces highly beamed high-frequency radiation with moderately good monochromaticity. Our formulae are simple to use - thus offering a lucid physical intuition for the theory - and may find wide applications in hard X-ray and gamma-ray astrophysics.

Multifrequency observations of the BL Lacertae object PKS 0537 - 441

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maraschi, L.; Treves, A.; Schwartz, D. A.; Tanzi, E. G.

1985-01-01

PKS 0537 - 441 was repeatedly observed in the UV band with the International Ultraviolet Explorer and in the X-ray with the Einstein Observatory. On September 27, 1980, simultaneous observations in the two bands were obtained. Near-infrared photometry preceding and following the simultaneous observations by about one month is available from the literature, as is radio monitoring at 408 and 5000 MHz. Comparison of the observed X-ray flux with that predicted by the standard synchrotron self-Compton formalism, with a source dimension deduced from radio variability at 5 GHz, indicates that this component of the radio emission must be moving at relativistic speed with an effective projected Doppler beaming factor of about 10.

Predictions of Gamma-ray Emission from Globular Cluster Millisecond Pulsars Above 100 MeV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venter, C.; de Jaker, O.C.; Clapson, A.C.

2009-01-01

The recent Fermi detection of the globular cluster (GC) 47 Tucanae highlighted the importance of modeling collective gamma-ray emission of millisecond pulsars (MSPs) in GCs. Steady flux from such populations is also expected in the very high energy (VHE) domain covered by ground-based Cherenkov telescopes. We present pulsed curvature radiation (CR) as well as unpulsed inverse Compton (IC) calculations for an ensemble of MSPs in the GCs 47 Tucanae and Terzan 5. We demonstrate that the CR from these GCs should be easily detectable for Fermi, while constraints on the total number of MSps and the nebular B-field may be derived using the IC flux components.

The Construction of Compton Tensors in Scalar QED

DOE PAGES

Bakker, Bernard L. G.; Ji, Chueng-Ryong

2016-12-09

Current conservation is a vital condition in electrodynamics. For this paper, we review the literature concerning the ways to ensure that the formalism used in calculating amplitudes for the scattering of charged particles is in compliance with current conservation. For the case of electron scattering off a scalar and a spin-1/2 target as well as Compton scattering on a scalar target, we present some novelties besides reviewing the literature.

Analysis of Compton continuum measurements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gold, R.; Olson, I. K.

1970-01-01

Five computer programs: COMPSCAT, FEND, GABCO, DOSE, and COMPLOT, have been developed and used for the analysis and subsequent reduction of measured energy distributions of Compton recoil electrons to continuous gamma spectra. In addition to detailed descriptions of these computer programs, the relationship amongst these codes is stressed. The manner in which these programs function is illustrated by tracing a sample measurement through a complete cycle of the data-reduction process.

Portable compton gamma-ray detection system

DOEpatents

Rowland, Mark S [Alamo, CA; Oldaker, Mark E [Pleasanton, CA

2008-03-04

A Compton scattered gamma-ray detector system. The system comprises a gamma-ray spectrometer and an annular array of individual scintillators. The scintillators are positioned so that they are arrayed around the gamma-ray spectrometer. The annular array of individual scintillators includes a first scintillator. A radiation shield is positioned around the first scintillator. A multi-channel analyzer is operatively connected to the gamma-ray spectrometer and the annular array of individual scintillators.

Compton suppression and event triggering in a commercial data acquisition system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tabor, Samuel; Caussyn, D. D.; Tripathi, Vandana; Vonmoss, J.; Liddick, S. N.

2012-10-01

A number of groups are starting to use flash digitizer systems to directly convert the preamplifier signals of high-resolution Ge detectors to a stream of digital data. Some digitizers are also equipped with software constant fraction discriminator algorithms capable of operating on the resulting digital data stream to provide timing information. Because of the dropping cost per channel of these systems, it should now be possible to also connect outputs of the Bismuth Germanate (BGO) scintillators used for Compton suppression to other digitizer inputs so that BGO logic signals can also be available in the same system. This provides the possibility to perform all the Compton suppression and multiplicity trigger logic within the digital system, thus eliminating the need for separate timing filter amplifiers (TFA), constant fraction discriminators (CFD), logic units, and lots of cables. This talk will describe the performance of such a system based on Pixie16 modules from XIA LLC with custom field programmable gate array (FPGA) programming for an array of Compton suppressed single Ge crystal and 4-crystal ``Clover'' detector array along with optional particle detectors. Initial tests of the system have produced results comparable with the current traditional system of individual electronics and peak sensing analog to digital converters. The advantages of the all digital system will be discussed.

AXIS: an instrument for imaging Compton radiographs using the Advanced Radiography Capability on the NIF.

PubMed

Hall, G N; Izumi, N; Tommasini, R; Carpenter, A C; Palmer, N E; Zacharias, R; Felker, B; Holder, J P; Allen, F V; Bell, P M; Bradley, D; Montesanti, R; Landen, O L

2014-11-01

Compton radiography is an important diagnostic for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), as it provides a means to measure the density and asymmetries of the DT fuel in an ICF capsule near the time of peak compression. The AXIS instrument (ARC (Advanced Radiography Capability) X-ray Imaging System) is a gated detector in development for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and will initially be capable of recording two Compton radiographs during a single NIF shot. The principal reason for the development of AXIS is the requirement for significantly improved detection quantum efficiency (DQE) at high x-ray energies. AXIS will be the detector for Compton radiography driven by the ARC laser, which will be used to produce Bremsstrahlung X-ray backlighter sources over the range of 50 keV-200 keV for this purpose. It is expected that AXIS will be capable of recording these high-energy x-rays with a DQE several times greater than other X-ray cameras at NIF, as well as providing a much larger field of view of the imploded capsule. AXIS will therefore provide an image with larger signal-to-noise that will allow the density and distribution of the compressed DT fuel to be measured with significantly greater accuracy as ICF experiments are tuned for ignition.

Using triple gamma coincidences with a pixelated semiconductor Compton-PET scanner: a simulation study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolstein, M.; Chmeissani, M.

2016-01-01

The Voxel Imaging PET (VIP) Pathfinder project presents a novel design using pixelated semiconductor detectors for nuclear medicine applications to achieve the intrinsic image quality limits set by physics. The conceptual design can be extended to a Compton gamma camera. The use of a pixelated CdTe detector with voxel sizes of 1 × 1 × 2 mm3 guarantees optimal energy and spatial resolution. However, the limited time resolution of semiconductor detectors makes it impossible to use Time Of Flight (TOF) with VIP PET. TOF is used in order to improve the signal to noise ratio (SNR) by using only the most probable portion of the Line-Of-Response (LOR) instead of its entire length. To overcome the limitation of CdTe time resolution, we present in this article a simulation study using β+-γ emitting isotopes with a Compton-PET scanner. When the β+ annihilates with an electron it produces two gammas which produce a LOR in the PET scanner, while the additional gamma, when scattered in the scatter detector, provides a Compton cone that intersects with the aforementioned LOR. The intersection indicates, within a few mm of uncertainty along the LOR, the origin of the beta-gamma decay. Hence, one can limit the part of the LOR used by the image reconstruction algorithm.

Electronic properties of RDX and HMX: Compton scattering experiment and first-principles calculation.

PubMed

Ahuja, B L; Jain, Pradeep; Sahariya, Jagrati; Heda, N L; Soni, Pramod

2013-07-11

The first-ever electron momentum density (EMD) measurements of explosive materials, namely, RDX (1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazacyclohexane, (CH2-N-NO2)3) and HMX (1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetraazacyclooctane, (CH2-N-NO2)4), have been reported using a 740 GBq (137)Cs Compton spectrometer. Experimental Compton profiles (CPs) are compared with the EMDs derived from linear combination of atomic orbitals with density functional theory. It is found that the CPs deduced from generalized gradient approximation (GGA) with Wu-Cohen exchange energies give a better agreement with the corresponding experimental profiles than those from local density approximation and other schemes of GGA. Further, Mulliken population, energy bands, partial and total density of states, and band gap have also been reported using GGA calculations. Present ground state calculations unambiguously show large band gap semiconductor nature of both RDX and HMX. A similar type of bonding in these materials is uniquely established using Compton data and density of states. It is also outstandingly consistent with the Mulliken population, which predicts almost equal amount of charge transfer (0.84 and 0.83 e(-)) from H1 + H2 + N2 to C1 + N1 + O1 + O2 in both the explosives.

Investigating broadband variability of the TeV blazar 1ES 1959+650

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aliu, E.; Archambault, S.; Arlen, T.

We summarize broadband observations of the TeV-emitting blazar 1ES 1959 650, including optical R-band observations by the robotic telescopes Super-LOTIS and iTelescope, UV observations by Swift UVOT, X-ray observations by the Swift X-ray Telescope, high-energy gamma-ray observations with the Fermi Large Area Telescope, and very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray observations by VERITAS above 315 GeV, all taken between 2012 April 17 and 2012 June 1 (MJD 56034 and 56079). The contemporaneous variability of the broadband spectral energy distribution is explored in the context of a simple synchrotron self Compton (SSC) model. In the SSC emission scenario, we find that the parameters requiredmore » to represent the high state are significantly different than those in the low state. Motivated by possible evidence of gas in the vicinity of the blazar, we also investigate a reflected emission model to describe the observed variability pattern. This model assumes that the non-thermal emission from the jet is reflected by a nearby cloud of gas, allowing the reflected emission to re-enter the blob and produce an elevated gamma-ray state with no simultaneous elevated synchrotron flux. The model applied here, although not required to explain the observed variability pattern, represents one possible scenario which can describe the observations. As applied to an elevated VHE state of 66% of the Crab Nebula flux, observed on a single night during the observation period, the reflected emission scenario does not support a purely leptonic non-thermal emission mechanism. The reflected model does, however, predict a reflected photon field with sufficient energy to enable elevated gamma-ray emission via pion production with protons of energies between 10 and 100 TeV.« less

INVESTIGATING BROADBAND VARIABILITY OF THE TeV BLAZAR 1ES 1959+650

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aliu, E.; Archambault, S.; Arlen, T.

We summarize broadband observations of the TeV-emitting blazar 1ES 1959+650, including optical R-band observations by the robotic telescopes Super-LOTIS and iTelescope, UV observations by Swift Ultraviolet and Optical Telescope, X-ray observations by the Swift X-ray Telescope, high-energy gamma-ray observations with the Fermi Large Area Telescope, and very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray observations by VERITAS above 315 GeV, all taken between 2012 April 17 and 2012 June 1 (MJD 56034 and 56079). The contemporaneous variability of the broadband spectral energy distribution is explored in the context of a simple synchrotron self Compton (SSC) model. In the SSC emission scenario, we find that themore » parameters required to represent the high state are significantly different than those in the low state. Motivated by possible evidence of gas in the vicinity of the blazar, we also investigate a reflected emission model to describe the observed variability pattern. This model assumes that the non-thermal emission from the jet is reflected by a nearby cloud of gas, allowing the reflected emission to re-enter the blob and produce an elevated gamma-ray state with no simultaneous elevated synchrotron flux. The model applied here, although not required to explain the observed variability pattern, represents one possible scenario which can describe the observations. As applied to an elevated VHE state of 66% of the Crab Nebula flux, observed on a single night during the observation period, the reflected emission scenario does not support a purely leptonic non-thermal emission mechanism. The reflected emission model does, however, predict a reflected photon field with sufficient energy to enable elevated gamma-ray emission via pion production with protons of energies between 10 and 100 TeV.« less

INVESTIGATING BROADBAND VARIABILITY OF THE TeV BLAZAR 1ES 1959+650

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aliu, E.; Archambault, S.; Arlen, T.

We summarize broadband observations of the TeV-emitting blazar 1ES 1959+650, including optical R-band observations by the robotic telescopes Super-LOTIS and iTelescope, UV observations by Swift Ultraviolet and Optical Telescope, X-ray observations by the Swift X-ray Telescope, high-energy gamma-ray observations with the Fermi Large Area Telescope, and very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray observations by VERITAS above 315 GeV, all taken between 2012 April 17 and 2012 June 1 (MJD 56034 and 56079). The contemporaneous variability of the broadband spectral energy distribution is explored in the context of a simple synchrotron self Compton (SSC) model. In the SSC emission scenario, we find that themore » parameters required to represent the high state are significantly different than those in the low state. Motivated by possible evidence of gas in the vicinity of the blazar, we also investigate a reflected emission model to describe the observed variability pattern. This model assumes that the non-thermal emission from the jet is reflected by a nearby cloud of gas, allowing the reflected emission to re-enter the blob and produce an elevated gamma-ray state with no simultaneous elevated synchrotron flux. The model applied here, although not required to explain the observed variability pattern, represents one possible scenario which can describe the observations. As applied to an elevated VHE state of 66% of the Crab Nebula flux, observed on a single night during the observation period, the reflected emission scenario does not support a purely leptonic non-thermal emission mechanism. The reflected emission model does, however, predict a reflected photon field with sufficient energy to enable elevated gamma-ray emission via pion production with protons of energies between 10 and 100 TeV.« less

Investigating broadband variability of the TeV blazar 1ES 1959+650

DOE PAGES

Aliu, E.; Archambault, S.; Arlen, T.; ...

2014-12-03

We summarize broadband observations of the TeV-emitting blazar 1ES 1959 650, including optical R-band observations by the robotic telescopes Super-LOTIS and iTelescope, UV observations by Swift UVOT, X-ray observations by the Swift X-ray Telescope, high-energy gamma-ray observations with the Fermi Large Area Telescope, and very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray observations by VERITAS above 315 GeV, all taken between 2012 April 17 and 2012 June 1 (MJD 56034 and 56079). The contemporaneous variability of the broadband spectral energy distribution is explored in the context of a simple synchrotron self Compton (SSC) model. In the SSC emission scenario, we find that the parameters requiredmore » to represent the high state are significantly different than those in the low state. Motivated by possible evidence of gas in the vicinity of the blazar, we also investigate a reflected emission model to describe the observed variability pattern. This model assumes that the non-thermal emission from the jet is reflected by a nearby cloud of gas, allowing the reflected emission to re-enter the blob and produce an elevated gamma-ray state with no simultaneous elevated synchrotron flux. The model applied here, although not required to explain the observed variability pattern, represents one possible scenario which can describe the observations. As applied to an elevated VHE state of 66% of the Crab Nebula flux, observed on a single night during the observation period, the reflected emission scenario does not support a purely leptonic non-thermal emission mechanism. The reflected model does, however, predict a reflected photon field with sufficient energy to enable elevated gamma-ray emission via pion production with protons of energies between 10 and 100 TeV.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shedlock, Daniel; Dugan, Edward T.; Jacobs, Alan M.

X-ray backscatter radiography by selective detection (RSD) is a field tested and innovative approach to non-destructive evaluation (NDE). RSD is an enhanced single-side x-ray Compton backscatter imaging (CBI) technique which selectively detects scatter components to improve image contrast and quality. Scatter component selection is accomplished through a set of specially designed detectors with fixed and movable collimators. Experimental results have shown that this NDE technique can be used to detect boric acid deposition on a metallic plate through steel foil reflective insulation commonly covering reactor pressure vessels. The current system is capable of detecting boric acid deposits with sub-millimeter resolution,more » through such insulating materials. Industrial systems have been built for Lockheed Martin Space Co. and NASA. Currently the x-ray backscatter RSD scanning systems developed by the University of Florida are being used to inspect the spray-on foam insulation (SOFI) used on the external tank of the space shuttle. RSD inspection techniques have found subsurface cracking in the SOFI thought to be responsible for the foam debris which separated from the external tank during the last shuttle launch. These industrial scanning systems can be customized for many applications, and a smaller, lighter, more compact unit design is being developed. The smaller design is approximately four inches wide, three inches high, and about 12 inches in length. This smaller RSD system can be used for NDE of areas that cannot be reached with larger equipment. X-ray backscatter RSD is a proven technology that has been tested on a wide variety of materials and applications. Currently the system has been used to inspect materials such as aluminum, plastics, honeycomb laminates, reinforced carbon composites, steel, and titanium. The focus of RSD is for one-sided detection for applications where conventional non-destructive examination methods either will not work or give poor results. Acquired images have clearly shown, for a variety of conditions, that proper selection of x-ray field scatter components leads to a significant improvement in image quality and contrast. Improvements are significant enough in some cases that objects not visible to conventional CBI or transmission radiography become readily discernable with RSD. (authors)« less

IC 3639—a New Bona Fide Compton-Thick AGN Unveiled by NuSTAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boorman, Peter G.; Gandhi, P.; Alexander, D. M.; Annuar, A.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Bauer, F.; Boggs, S. E.; Brandt, W. N.; Brightman, M.; Christensen, F. E.; Craig, W. W.; Farrah, D.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Hönig, S. F.; Koss, M.; LaMassa, S. M.; Masini, A.; Ricci, C.; Risaliti, G.; Stern, D.; Zhang, W. W.

2016-12-01

We analyze high-quality NuSTAR observations of the local (z = 0.011) Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus (AGN) IC 3639, in conjunction with archival Suzaku and Chandra data. This provides the first broadband X-ray spectral analysis of the source, spanning nearly two decades in energy (0.5-30 keV). Previous X-ray observations of the source below 10 keV indicated strong reflection/obscuration on the basis of a pronounced iron fluorescence line at 6.4 keV. The hard X-ray energy coverage of NuSTAR, together with self-consistent toroidal reprocessing models, enables direct broadband constraints on the obscuring column density of the source. We find the source to be heavily Compton-thick (CTK) with an obscuring column in excess of 3.6× {10}24 cm-2, unconstrained at the upper end. We further find an intrinsic 2-10 keV luminosity of {{log}}10({L}2{--10{keV}} [{erg} {{{s}}}-1])={43.4}-1.1+0.6 to 90% confidence, almost 400 times the observed flux, and consistent with various multiwavelength diagnostics. Such a high ratio of intrinsic to observed flux, in addition to an Fe-Kα fluorescence line equivalent width exceeding 2 keV, is extreme among known bona fide CTK AGNs, which we suggest are both due to the high level of obscuration present around IC 3639. Our study demonstrates that broadband spectroscopic modeling with NuSTAR enables large corrections for obscuration to be carried out robustly and emphasizes the need for improved modeling of AGN tori showing intense iron fluorescence.

γ-Ray And Parsec-Scale Jet Properties Of A Complete Sample Of Blazars From The Mojave Program

DOE PAGES

Lister, M. L.

2011-11-02

We investigate the Fermi LAT -ray and 15 GHz VLBA radio properties of a joint -ray- and radio-selected sample of AGNs obtained during the first 11 months of the Fermi mission (2008 Aug 4 - 2009 Jul 5). Our sample contains the brightest 173 AGNs in these bands above declination -30° during this period, and thus probes the full range of -ray loudness ( -ray to radio band luminosity ratio) in the bright blazar population. The latter quantity spans at least four orders ofmagnitude, reflecting a wide range of spectral energy distribution (SED) parameters in the bright blazar population. Themore » BL Lac objects, however, display a linear correlation of increasing -ray loudness with synchrotron SED peak frequency, suggesting a universal SED shape for objects of this class. The synchrotron self-Compton model is favored for the -ray emission in these BL Lacs over external seed photon models, since the latter predict a dependence of Compton dominance on Doppler factor that would destroy any observed synchrotron SED peak - -ray loudness correlation. The high-synchrotron peaked (HSP) BL Lac objects are distinguished by lower than average radio core brightness temperatures, and none display large radio modulation indices or high linear core polarization levels. No equivalent trends are seen for the flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQ) in our sample. Given the association of such properties with relativistic beaming, we suggest that the HSP BL Lacs have generally lower Doppler factors than the lower-synchrotron peaked BL Lacs or FSRQs in our sample.« less

Modelling the energy dependence of black hole binary flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahmoud, Ra'ad D.; Done, Chris

2018-01-01

We build a full spectral-timing model for the low/hard state of black hole binaries assuming that the spectrum of the X-ray hot flow can be produced by two Comptonization zones. Slow fluctuations generated at the largest radii/softest spectral region of the flow propagate down to modulate the faster fluctuations produced in the spectrally harder region close to the black hole. The observed spectrum and variability are produced by summing over all regions in the flow, including its emission reflected from the truncated disc. This produces energy-dependent Fourier lags qualitatively similar to those in the data. Given a viscous frequency prescription, the model predicts Fourier power spectral densities and lags for any energy bands. We apply this model to archival Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer data from Cyg X-1, using the time-averaged energy spectrum together with an assumed emissivity to set the radial bounds of the soft and hard Comptonization regions. We find that the power spectra cannot be described by any smooth model of generating fluctuations, instead requiring that there are specific radii in the flow where noise is preferentially produced. We also find fluctuation damping between spectrally distinct regions is required to prevent all the variability power generated at large radii being propagated into the inner regions. Even with these additions, we can fit either the power spectra at each energy or the lags between energy bands, but not both. We conclude that either the spectra are more complex than two zone models, or that other processes are important in forming the variability.

Use of capillary optics as a beam intensifier for a Compton x-ray source.

PubMed

Tompkins, P A; Abreu, C C; Carroll, F E; Xiao, Q F; MacDonald, C A

1994-11-01

The use of Kumakhov capillary optics will significantly enhance the performance of near-monochromatic, Compton backscattered x-ray programs. The Vanderbilt University Medical Free-Electron Laser Center is developing the capability to create these tunable x rays for medical imaging. The present transport has only reflection optics, and the beam is quite large in diameter at the laboratory. Low loss collimation of this beam would allow higher x-ray intensities after transport. This article describes experimental and computer simulation results which predict the expected performance for a multifiber Kumakhov collimator for use in the x-ray beam transport. Estimates from our research are that a multifiber optic formed of individual polycapillary fibers could be used to capture the full 7 mrad of the Vanderbilt x-ray beam and collimate it to a 1-2 mrad divergence with approximately 40%-50% transmission efficiency. This optic should increase the x-ray intensity at the laboratory level by a factor of > or = 5 by decreasing the beam divergence and subsequent spot size. Additionally, analysis of monolithic optics of fused multicapillary fibers predicts an increase in the intensity of the x rays at the laboratory by a factor of 55. These optics can have tapered channels that greatly decrease their exit divergence. This will greatly enhance the capabilities of this unique x-ray source. This article reports the initial results from a collaboration between Vanderbilt, The Center for X-Ray Optics at University at Albany, SUNY, and X-Ray Optical Systems in Albany, NY.

Gamma-Ray and Parsec-Scale Jet Properties of a Complete Sample of Blazars from the MOJAVE Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lister, M.L.; Aller, M.; Aller, H.; Hovatta, T.; Kellermann, K. I.; Kovalev, Y. Y.; Meyer, E. T.; Pushkarev, A. B.; Ros, E.; Ackermann, M.;

A significant hardening and rising shape detected in the MeV/GeV νF ν spectrum from the recently discovered very-high-energy blazar S4 0954+65 during the bright optical flare in 2015 February

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanaka, Yasuyuki T.; Becerra Gonzalez, Josefa; Itoh, Ryosuke

2016-05-23

In this paper, we report on Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and multi-wavelength results on the recently discovered very-high-energy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) blazar S4 0954+65 (z = 0.368) during an exceptionally bright optical flare in 2015 February. During the time period (2015 February 13/14, or MJD 57067) when the MAGIC telescope detected VHE γ-ray emission from the source, the Fermi-LAT data indicated a significant spectral hardening at GeV energies, with a power-law photon index of 1.8 ± 0.1—compared with the 3FGL (The Fermi LAT 4-Year Point Source Catalog) value (averaged over four years of observation) of 2.34 ±more » 0.04. In contrast, Swift X-Ray Telescope data showed a softening of the X-ray spectrum, with a photon index of 1.72 ± 0.08 (compared with 1.38 ± 0.03 averaged during the flare from MJD 57066 to 57077), possibly indicating a modest contribution of synchrotron photons by the highest-energy electrons superposed on the inverse Compton component. Fitting of the quasi-simultaneous (<1 d) broad-band spectrum with a one-zone synchrotron plus inverse-Compton model revealed that GeV/TeV emission could be produced by inverse-Compton scattering of external photons from the dust torus. Finally, we emphasize that a flaring blazar showing high flux of ≳1.0 × 10 -6 photons cm -2s -1 (E > 100 MeV) and a hard spectral index of ΓGeV < 2.0 detected by Fermi-LAT on daily timescales is a promising target for TeV follow-up by ground-based Cherenkov telescopes to discover high-redshift blazars, investigate their temporal variability and spectral features in the VHE band, and also constrain the intensity of the extragalactic background light.« less

Test of Compton camera components for prompt gamma imaging at the ELBE bremsstrahlung beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hueso-González, F.; Golnik, C.; Berthel, M.; Dreyer, A.; Enghardt, W.; Fiedler, F.; Heidel, K.; Kormoll, T.; Rohling, H.; Schöne, S.; Schwengner, R.; Wagner, A.; Pausch, G.

2014-05-01

In the context of ion beam therapy, particle range verification is a major challenge for the quality assurance of the treatment. One approach is the measurement of the prompt gamma rays resulting from the tissue irradiation. A Compton camera based on several position sensitive gamma ray detectors, together with an imaging algorithm, is expected to reconstruct the prompt gamma ray emission density map, which is correlated with the dose distribution. At OncoRay and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), a Compton camera setup is being developed consisting of two scatter planes: two CdZnTe (CZT) cross strip detectors, and an absorber consisting of one Lu2SiO5 (LSO) block detector. The data acquisition is based on VME electronics and handled by software developed on the ROOT framework. The setup has been tested at the linear electron accelerator ELBE at HZDR, which is used in this experiment to produce bunched bremsstrahlung photons with up to 12.5 MeV energy and a repetition rate of 13 MHz. Their spectrum has similarities with the shape expected from prompt gamma rays in the clinical environment, and the flux is also bunched with the accelerator frequency. The charge sharing effect of the CZT detector is studied qualitatively for different energy ranges. The LSO detector pixel discrimination resolution is analyzed and it shows a trend to improve for high energy depositions. The time correlation between the pulsed prompt photons and the measured detector signals, to be used for background suppression, exhibits a time resolution of 3 ns FWHM for the CZT detector and of 2 ns for the LSO detector. A time walk correction and pixel-wise calibration is applied for the LSO detector, whose resolution improves up to 630 ps. In conclusion, the detector setup is suitable for time-resolved background suppression in pulsed clinical particle accelerators. Ongoing tasks are the quantitative comparison with simulations and the test of imaging algorithms. Experiments at proton accelerators have also been performed and are currently under analysis.

Comptonization in Ultra-Strong Magnetic Fields: Numerical Solution to the Radiative Transfer Problem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ceccobello, C.; Farinelli, R.; Titarchuk, L.

2014-01-01

We consider the radiative transfer problem in a plane-parallel slab of thermal electrons in the presence of an ultra-strong magnetic field (B approximately greater than B(sub c) approx. = 4.4 x 10(exp 13) G). Under these conditions, the magnetic field behaves like a birefringent medium for the propagating photons, and the electromagnetic radiation is split into two polarization modes, ordinary and extraordinary, that have different cross-sections. When the optical depth of the slab is large, the ordinary-mode photons are strongly Comptonized and the photon field is dominated by an isotropic component. Aims. The radiative transfer problem in strong magnetic fields presents many mathematical issues and analytical or numerical solutions can be obtained only under some given approximations. We investigate this problem both from the analytical and numerical point of view, provide a test of the previous analytical estimates, and extend these results with numerical techniques. Methods. We consider here the case of low temperature black-body photons propagating in a sub-relativistic temperature plasma, which allows us to deal with a semi-Fokker-Planck approximation of the radiative transfer equation. The problem can then be treated with the variable separation method, and we use a numerical technique to find solutions to the eigenvalue problem in the case of a singular kernel of the space operator. The singularity of the space kernel is the result of the strong angular dependence of the electron cross-section in the presence of a strong magnetic field. Results. We provide the numerical solution obtained for eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the space operator, and the emerging Comptonization spectrum of the ordinary-mode photons for any eigenvalue of the space equation and for energies significantly lesser than the cyclotron energy, which is on the order of MeV for the intensity of the magnetic field here considered. Conclusions. We derived the specific intensity of the ordinary photons, under the approximation of large angle and large optical depth. These assumptions allow the equation to be treated using a diffusion-like approximation.

Characterization and Applications of a CdZnTe-Based Gamma-Ray Imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galloway, Michelle Lee

Detection of electromagnetic radiation in the form of gamma rays provides a means to discover the presence of nuclear sources and the occurrence of highly-energetic events that occur in our terrestrial and astrophysical environment. The highly penetrative nature of gamma rays allows for probing into objects and regions that are obscured at other wavelengths. The detection and imaging of gamma rays relies upon an understanding of the ways in which these high-energy photons interact with matter. The applications of gamma-ray detection and imaging are numerous. Astrophysical observation of gamma rays expands our understanding of the Universe in which we live. Terrestrial detection and imaging of gamma rays enable environmental monitoring of radioactivity. This allows for identification and localization of nuclear materials to prevent illicit trafficking and to ultimately protect against harmful acts. This dissertation focusses on the development and characterization of a gamma-ray detection and imaging instrument and explores its capabilities for the aforementioned applications. The High Efficiency Multimode Imager, HEMI, is a prototype instrument that is based on Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CdZnTe) semiconductor detectors. The detectors are arranged in a two-planar configuration to allow for both Compton and coded-aperture imaging. HEMI was initially developed as a prototype instrument to demonstrate its capabilities for nuclear threat detection, spectroscopy, and imaging. The 96-detector instrument was developed and fully characterized within the laboratory environment, yielding a system energy resolution of 2.4% FWHM at 662 keV, an angular resolution of 9.5 deg. FWHM at 662 keV in Compton mode, and a 10.6 deg. angular resolution in coded aperture mode. After event cuts, the effective area for Compton imaging of the 662 keV photopeak is 0.1 cm 22. Imaging of point sources in both Compton and coded aperture modes have been demonstrated. The minimum detectable activity of a 137Cs at a 20 m distance with 20 seconds of observation time is estimated to be ˜0.2 mCi in spectral mode and ˜20 mCi in Compton imaging mode. These performance parameters fulfilled the requirements of the nuclear security program. Following the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident of March, 2011, efficient methods to assess levels of radioactive contamination over large areas are needed to aid in clean-up efforts. Although a field study was not initially intended for the HEMI prototype, its portability, low mass, and low power requirements made it a good candidate to test Compton imaging from an aerial platform. The instrument was brought to Japan in August, 2013, allowing for the first test of a Compton imager from a helicopter. The instrument and detectors proved reliable and performed well under high temperature, high humidity, and vibrations. Single-detector hit energy resolutions ranged from 2.5 - 2.8% FWHM at 662 keV. The field testing of the HEMI instrument in Fukushima revealed areas of higher activity of cesium among a diffuse background through aerial-based countrate mapping and through ground measurements. Although the Compton reconstructed events were dominated by random coincidences, preliminary Compton imaging results are promising. A future mission in medium-energy gamma-ray astrophysics would allow for many scientific advancements, e.g., a possible explanation for the excess positron emission from the Galactic Center, a better understanding of nucleosynthesis and explosion mechanisms in Type Ia supernovae, and a look at the physical forces at play in compact objects such as black holes and neutron stars. A next-generation telescope requires good energy resolution, good angular resolution, and high sensitivity in order to achieve these objectives. Large-volume CdZnTe detectors are an attractive candidate for a future instrument because of their good absorption, simple design, and minimal or no cooling requirements. Using the benchmarked HEMI CdZnTe detectors, a Compton telescope with a passive coded mask was designed and simulated with the goal of creating a very sensitive instrument that is capable of high angular resolution. The simulated telescope showed achievable energy resolutions of 1.68% FWHM at 511 keV and 1.11% at 1809 keV, on-axis angular resolutions in Compton mode of 2.63 deg. FWHM at 511 keV and 1.30 deg. FWHM at 1809 keV, and is capable of resolving sources to at least 0.2 deg. at lower energies with the use of the coded mask. An initial assessment of the instrument yields an effective area of 183 cm 2 at 511 keV and an anticipated all-sky sensitivity of 3.6 x 10 -6 photons/cm2/s for a broadened 511 keV source over a 2 year observation time. Additionally, combining a coded mask with a Compton imager to improve point source localization for positron detection has been demonstrated. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Nonlinear Brightness Optimization in Compton Scattering

DOE PAGES

Hartemann, Fred V.; Wu, Sheldon S. Q.

2013-07-26

In Compton scattering light sources, a laser pulse is scattered by a relativistic electron beam to generate tunable x and gamma rays. Because of the inhomogeneous nature of the incident radiation, the relativistic Lorentz boost of the electrons is modulated by the ponderomotive force during the interaction, leading to intrinsic spectral broadening and brightness limitations. We discuss these effects, along with an optimization strategy to properly balance the laser bandwidth, diffraction, and nonlinear ponderomotive force.

Development of Titanium Alloy Casting Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-08-01

reduction in melting temperatures (Table 8). (3 0 )Smeltzer, C.E., and Compton, W.A., "Titanium Braze System for High Temperature Applications", First...Compton, W. A., "Titanium Braze System for High Temperature Applications," First Interim Technical Report, Solar Division of International Harvester Co...Microstructures of the Phase 1I Ti-13Cu Alloy (Meat 2LO56) Showing the Effect of Various Aging Treatments After High Temperature Annealing 113 xi

Method and apparatus for measuring lung density by Compton backscattering

DOEpatents

Loo, Billy W.; Goulding, Frederick S.

1991-01-01

The density of the lung of a patient suffering from pulmonary edema is monitored by irradiating the lung by a single collimated beam of monochromatic photons and measuring the energies of photons Compton backscattered from the lung by a single high-resolution, high-purity germanium detector. A compact system geometry and a unique data extraction scheme are utilized to monimize systematic errors due to the presence of the chestwall and multiple scattering.

Polarization Transfer in Wide-Angle Compton Scattering and Single-Pion Photoproduction from the Proton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fanelli, C.; Cisbani, E.; Hamilton, D. J.; Salmé, G.; Wojtsekhowski, B.; Ahmidouch, A.; Annand, J. R. M.; Baghdasaryan, H.; Beaufait, J.; Bosted, P.; Brash, E. J.; Butuceanu, C.; Carter, P.; Christy, E.; Chudakov, E.; Danagoulian, S.; Day, D.; Degtyarenko, P.; Ent, R.; Fenker, H.; Fowler, M.; Frlez, E.; Gaskell, D.; Gilman, R.; Horn, T.; Huber, G. M.; de Jager, C. W.; Jensen, E.; Jones, M. K.; Kelleher, A.; Keppel, C.; Khandaker, M.; Kohl, M.; Kumbartzki, G.; Lassiter, S.; Li, Y.; Lindgren, R.; Lovelace, H.; Luo, W.; Mack, D.; Mamyan, V.; Margaziotis, D. J.; Markowitz, P.; Maxwell, J.; Mbianda, G.; Meekins, D.; Meziane, M.; Miller, J.; Mkrtchyan, A.; Mkrtchyan, H.; Mulholland, J.; Nelyubin, V.; Pentchev, L.; Perdrisat, C. F.; Piasetzky, E.; Prok, Y.; Puckett, A. J. R.; Punjabi, V.; Shabestari, M.; Shahinyan, A.; Slifer, K.; Smith, G.; Solvignon, P.; Subedi, R.; Wesselmann, F. R.; Wood, S.; Ye, Z.; Zheng, X.

2015-10-01

Wide-angle exclusive Compton scattering and single-pion photoproduction from the proton have been investigated via measurement of the polarization transfer from a circularly polarized photon beam to the recoil proton. The wide-angle Compton scattering polarization transfer was analyzed at an incident photon energy of 3.7 GeV at a proton scattering angle of θcmp=70 ° . The longitudinal transfer KLL, measured to be 0.645 ±0.059 ±0.048 , where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic, has the same sign as predicted for the reaction mechanism in which the photon interacts with a single quark carrying the spin of the proton. However, the observed value is ˜3 times larger than predicted by the generalized-parton-distribution-based calculations, which indicates a significant unknown contribution to the scattering amplitude.

First refraction contrast imaging via Laser-Compton Scattering X-ray at KEK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sakaue, Kazuyuki; Aoki, Tatsuro; Washio, Masakazu

2012-07-31

Laser-Compton Scattering (LCS) is one of the most feasible techniques for high quality, high brightness, and compact X-ray source. High energy electron beam produced by accelerators scatters off the laser photon at a small spot. As a laser target, we have been developing a pulsedlaser storage cavity for increasing an X-ray flux. The X-ray flux was still inadequate that was 2.1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 5}/sec, however, we performed first refraction contrast imaging in order to evaluate the quality of LCS X-ray. Edge enhanced contrast imaging was achieved by changing the distance from sample to detector. The edge enhancement indicates that themore » LCS X-ray has small source size, i.e. high brightness. We believe that the result has demonstrated good feasibility of linac-based high brightness X-ray sources via laser-electron Compton scatterings.« less

Advanced Laser-Compton Gamma-Ray Sources for Nuclear Materials Detection, Assay and Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barty, C. P. J.

2015-10-01

Highly-collimated, polarized, mono-energetic beams of tunable gamma-rays may be created via the optimized Compton scattering of pulsed lasers off of ultra-bright, relativistic electron beams. Above 2 MeV, the peak brilliance of such sources can exceed that of the world's largest synchrotrons by more than 15 orders of magnitude and can enable for the first time the efficient pursuit of nuclear science and applications with photon beams, i.e. Nuclear Photonics. Potential applications are numerous and include isotope-specific nuclear materials management, element-specific medical radiography and radiology, non-destructive, isotope-specific, material assay and imaging, precision spectroscopy of nuclear resonances and photon-induced fission. This review covers activities at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory related to the design and optimization of mono-energetic, laser-Compton gamma-ray systems and introduces isotope-specific nuclear materials detection and assay applications enabled by them.

Compton thick AGN in Chandra sureys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brightman, Murray; Nandra, Kirpal

2014-07-01

We present the results from the X-ray spectral analysis of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the Chandra Deep Field-South, AEGIS-XD and Chandra-COSMOS surveys, focussing on the identification and characterisation of the most heavily obscured, Compton thick (CT, N H > 104 cm-2) sources. Our sample is comprised of 3088 X-ray selected sources, which has a high rate of redshift completeness (97%). The aim is to produce the largest and cleanest uniform sample of these sources from the data as possible. We identify these sources through X-ray spectral fitting, utilising torus spectral models designed for heavily obscured AGN which self consistently include the spectral signatures of heavy absorption, being Compton scattering, photoelectric absorption and iron Kα fluorescence. We identify a total of 163 CT AGN covering an intrinsic 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity range of 102 -3 × 105 erg s-1 and from z = 0.1-7.

The evolution of obscured AGN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brightman, Murray

2012-09-01

We present results on the evolution of Compton thick AGN with redshift, and the nature of this obscuration, important for understanding the accretion history of the universe and for AGN unification schemes. We use lessons learned from spectral complexity of local AGN (Brightman & Nandra 2012) and up to date spectral models of heavily absorbed AGN, which take into account Compton scattering, self consistent Fe Ka modeling and the geometry of the circumnuclear material (Brightman & Nandra 2011), to optimise our identification of Compton thick AGN and understanding of the obscuring material. Results from the Chandra Deep Field South are presented (Brightman & Ueda, 2012), which show an increasing fraction of CTAGN with redshift and that most heavily obscured AGN are geometrically deeply buried in material, as well as new results from and extension of this study to AEGIS-XD and Chandra-COSMOS survey, which aim to fully characterise the dependence of heavy AGN obscuration on redshift and luminosity.

The Compton-thick Growth of Supermassive Black Holes constrained

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchner, Johannes; Georgakakis, Antonis; Nandra, Kirpal; Brightman, Murray; Menzel, Marie-Luise; Liu, Zhu; Hsu, Li-Ting; Salvato, Mara; Rangel, Cyprian; Aird, James

2017-08-01

A heavily obscured growth phase of supermassive black holes (SMBH) is thought to be important in the co-evolution with galaxies. X-rays provide a clean and efficient selection of unobscured and obscured AGN. Recent work with deeper observations and improved analysis methodology allowed us to extend constraints to Compton-thick number densities. We present the first luminosity function of Compton-thick AGN at z=0.5-4 and constrain the overall mass density locked into black holes over cosmic time, a fundamental constraint for cosmological simulations. Recent studies including ours find that the obscuration is redshift and luminosity-dependent in a complex way, which rules out entire sets of obscurer models. A new paradigm, the radiation-lifted torus model, is proposed, in which the obscurer is Eddington-rate dependent and accretion creates and displaces torus clouds. We place observational limits on the behaviour of this mechanism.

The Compton-thick Growth of Supermassive Black Holes constrained

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchner, J.; Georgakakis, A.; Nandra, K.

2017-10-01

A heavily obscured growth phase of supermassive black holes (SMBH) is thought to be important in the co-evolution with galaxies. X-rays provide a clean and efficient selection of unobscured and obscured AGN. Recent work with deeper observations and improved analysis methodology allowed us to extend constraints to Compton-thick number densities. We present the first luminosity function of Compton-thick AGN at z=0.5-4 and constrain the overall mass density locked into black holes over cosmic time, a fundamental constraint for cosmological simulations. Recent studies including ours find that the obscuration is redshift and luminosity-dependent in a complex way, which rules out entire sets of obscurer models. A new paradigm, the radiation-lifted torus model, is proposed, in which the obscurer is Eddington-rate dependent and accretion creates and displaces torus clouds. We place observational limits on the behaviour of this mechanism.

Apparatus and method for detecting full-capture radiation events

DOEpatents

Odell, D.M.C.

1994-10-11

An apparatus and method are disclosed for sampling the output signal of a radiation detector and distinguishing full-capture radiation events from Compton scattering events. The output signal of a radiation detector is continuously sampled. The samples are converted to digital values and input to a discriminator where samples that are representative of events are identified. The discriminator transfers only event samples, that is, samples representing full-capture events and Compton events, to a signal processor where the samples are saved in a three-dimensional count matrix with time (from the time of onset of the pulse) on the first axis, sample pulse current amplitude on the second axis, and number of samples on the third axis. The stored data are analyzed to separate the Compton events from full-capture events, and the energy of the full-capture events is determined without having determined the energies of any of the individual radiation detector events. 4 figs.

A novel comparison of Møller and Compton electron-beam polarimeters

DOE PAGES

Magee, J. A.; Narayan, A.; Jones, D.; ...

2017-01-19

We have performed a novel comparison between electron-beam polarimeters based on Moller and Compton scattering. A sequence of electron-beam polarization measurements were performed at low beam currents (more » $<$ 5 $$\\mu$$A) during the $$Q_{\\rm weak}$$ experiment in Hall C at Jefferson Lab. These low current measurements were bracketed by the regular high current (180 $$\\mu$$A) operation of the Compton polarimeter. All measurements were found to be consistent within experimental uncertainties of 1% or less, demonstrating that electron polarization does not depend significantly on the beam current. This result lends confidence to the common practice of applying Moller measurements made at low beam currents to physics experiments performed at higher beam currents. Here, the agreement between two polarimetry techniques based on independent physical processes sets an important benchmark for future precision asymmetry measurements that require sub-1% precision in polarimetry.« less

A new gamma-ray diagnostic for energetic ion distributions - The Compton tail on the neutron capture line

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vestrand, W. Thomas

1990-01-01

This paper presents a new radiation diagnostic for assaying the energy spectrum and the angular distribution of energetic ions incident on thick hydrogen-rich thermal targets. This diagnostic compares the number of emergent photons in the narrow neutron capture line at 2.223 MeV to the number of Compton scattered photons that form a low-energy tail on the line. It is shown that the relative strength of the tail can be used as a measure of the hardness of the incident ion-energy spectrum. Application of this diagnostic to solar flare conditions is the main thrust of the work presented here. It is examined how the strength of the Compton tail varies with flare viewing angle and the angular distribution of the flare-accelerated particles. Application to compact X-ray binary systems is also briefly discussed.

Using computer simulation to improve high order thinking skills of physics teacher candidate students in Compton effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Supurwoko; Cari; Sarwanto; Sukarmin; Fauzi, Ahmad; Faradilla, Lisa; Summa Dewi, Tiarasita

2017-11-01

The process of learning and teaching in Physics is often confronted with abstract concepts. It makes difficulty for students to understand and teachers to teach the concept. One of the materials that has an abstract concept is Compton Effect. The purpose of this research is to evaluate computer simulation model on Compton Effect material which is used to improve high thinking ability of Physics teacher candidate students. This research is a case study. The subject is students at physics educations who have attended Modern Physics lectures. Data were obtained through essay test for measuring students’ high-order thinking skills and quisioners for measuring students’ responses. The results obtained indicate that computer simulation model can be used to improve students’ high order thinking skill and can be used to improve students’ responses. With this result it is suggested that the audiences use the simulation media in learning

Apparatus and method for detecting full-capture radiation events

DOEpatents

Odell, Daniel M. C.

1994-01-01

An apparatus and method for sampling the output signal of a radiation detector and distinguishing full-capture radiation events from Compton scattering events. The output signal of a radiation detector is continuously sampled. The samples are converted to digital values and input to a discriminator where samples that are representative of events are identified. The discriminator transfers only event samples, that is, samples representing full-capture events and Compton events, to a signal processor where the samples are saved in a three-dimensional count matrix with time (from the time of onset of the pulse) on the first axis, sample pulse current amplitude on the second axis, and number of samples on the third axis. The stored data are analyzed to separate the Compton events from full-capture events, and the energy of the full-capture events is determined without having determined the energies of any of the individual radiation detector events.

Compton scattering studies and electronic properties of BaTiO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meena, Seema Kumari; Bapna, Komal; Heda, N. L.; Ahuja, B. L.

2018-04-01

We present the experimental momentum density of BaTiO3 measured using 20 Ci 137Cs Compton spectrometer. The experimental Compton profile (CP) has been compared with the linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) based theoretical profiles for various exchange-correlation potentials. It is found that LCAO-B3PW based CP gives a better agreement with experiment than other theoretical profiles. We have also deduced the energy bands and density of states (DOS) for BaTiO3 using LCAO-B3PW scheme. The energy bands and DOS suggest an indirect band gap in the system arising due to O-2p states of valence band and Ti-3d states of conduction band. Peculiar electronic response of this system is found to be mainly due to hybridized states of Ba-5p/5s and O-2p orbitals.

Compton effect thermally activated depolarization dosimeter

DOEpatents

Moran, Paul R.

1978-01-01

A dosimetry technique for high-energy gamma radiation or X-radiation employs the Compton effect in conjunction with radiation-induced thermally activated depolarization phenomena. A dielectric material is disposed between two electrodes which are electrically short circuited to produce a dosimeter which is then exposed to the gamma or X radiation. The gamma or X-radiation impinging on the dosimeter interacts with the dielectric material directly or with the metal composing the electrode to produce Compton electrons which are emitted preferentially in the direction in which the radiation was traveling. A portion of these electrons becomes trapped in the dielectric material, consequently inducing a stable electrical polarization in the dielectric material. Subsequent heating of the exposed dosimeter to the point of onset of ionic conductivity with the electrodes still shorted through an ammeter causes the dielectric material to depolarize, and the depolarization signal so emitted can be measured and is proportional to the dose of radiation received by the dosimeter.

The Global Implications of the Hard X-ray Excess in Type 1 AGN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tatum, Malachi; Turner, T. J.; Miller, L.; Reeves, J. N.

2012-09-01

Suzaku observations of 1H 0419-577 and PDS 456 revealed a marked 'hard excess' of flux above 10 keV, likely due to the presence of a Compton-thick absorber covering a large fraction of the continuum source. The discovery is intriguing, given the clear view to the optical BLR in type 1 objects. These results motivated an exploratory study of the hard excess phenomenon in the local type 1 AGN population, using the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT). We selected radio quiet type 1-1.9 AGN from the 58-month BAT catalog. The hardness of the X-ray spectrum, combined with measurements of the equivalent width of Fe Ka emission suggest that type 1 X-ray spectra are shaped by an ensemble of Compton-thick clouds, partially covering the continuum. I discuss our methodology, the observational findings & possible location of the Compton-thick gas.

A novel comparison of Møller and Compton electron-beam polarimeters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Magee, J. A.; Narayan, A.; Jones, D.

We have performed a novel comparison between electron-beam polarimeters based on Moller and Compton scattering. A sequence of electron-beam polarization measurements were performed at low beam currents (more » $<$ 5 $$\\mu$$A) during the $$Q_{\\rm weak}$$ experiment in Hall C at Jefferson Lab. These low current measurements were bracketed by the regular high current (180 $$\\mu$$A) operation of the Compton polarimeter. All measurements were found to be consistent within experimental uncertainties of 1% or less, demonstrating that electron polarization does not depend significantly on the beam current. This result lends confidence to the common practice of applying Moller measurements made at low beam currents to physics experiments performed at higher beam currents. Here, the agreement between two polarimetry techniques based on independent physical processes sets an important benchmark for future precision asymmetry measurements that require sub-1% precision in polarimetry.« less

The soft gamma-ray detector (SGD) onboard ASTRO-H

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Shin; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Blandford, Roger; Enoto, Teruaki; Goldwurm, Andrea; Hagino, Kouichi; Hayashi, Katsuhiro; Ichinohe, Yuto; Kataoka, Jun; Katsuta, Junichiro; Kitaguchi, Takao; Kokubun, Motohide; Laurent, Philippe; Lebrun, François; Limousin, Olivier; Madejski, Grzegorz M.; Makishima, Kazuo; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Mori, Kunishiro; Nakamori, Takeshi; Nakano, Toshio; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Noda, Hirofumu; Odaka, Hirokazu; Ohno, Masanori; Ohta, Masayuki; Saito, Shinya; Sato, Goro; Sato, Rie; Takeda, Shin'ichiro; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Tanaka, Takaaki; Tanaka, Yasuyuki; Terada, Yukikatsu; Uchiyama, Hideki; Uchiyama, Yasunobu; Yamaoka, Kazutaka; Yatsu, Yoichi; Yonetoku, Daisuke; Yuasa, Takayuki

2016-07-01

The Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD) is one of science instruments onboard ASTRO-H (Hitomi) and features a wide energy band of 60{600 keV with low backgrounds. SGD is an instrument with a novel concept of "Narrow field-of-view" Compton camera where Compton kinematics is utilized to reject backgrounds which are inconsistent with the field-of-view defined by the active shield. After several years of developments, the flight hardware was fabricated and subjected to subsystem tests and satellite system tests. After a successful ASTRO-H (Hitomi) launch on February 17, 2016 and a critical phase operation of satellite and SGD in-orbit commissioning, the SGD operation was moved to the nominal observation mode on March 24, 2016. The Compton cameras and BGO-APD shields of SGD worked properly as designed. On March 25, 2016, the Crab nebula observation was performed, and, the observation data was successfully obtained.

Polarization Transfer in Wide-Angle Compton Scattering and Single-Pion Photoproduction from the Proton

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fanelli, C.; Cisbani, E.; Hamilton, D. J.

Wide-angle exclusive Compton scattering and single-pion photoproduction from the proton have been investigated via measurement of the polarization transfer from a circularly polarized photon beam to the recoil proton. The wide-angle Compton scattering polarization transfer was analyzed at an incident photon energy of 3.7 GeV at a proton scattering angle of theta(p)(cm) cm = 70 degrees. The longitudinal transfer K-LL, measured to be 0.645 +/- 0.059 +/- 0.048, where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic, has the same sign as predicted for the reaction mechanism in which the photon interacts with a single quark carrying themore » spin of the proton. However, the observed value is similar to 3 times larger than predicted by the generalized-parton-distribution-based calculations, which indicates a significant unknown contribution to the scattering amplitude.« less

Polarimetric Analysis of the Long Duration Gamma-Ray Burst GRB 160530A With the Balloon Borne Compton Spectrometer and Imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowell, A. W.; Boggs, S. E.; Chiu, C. L.; Kierans, C. A.; Sleator, C.; Tomsick, J. A.; Zoglauer, A. C.; Chang, H.-K.; Tseng, C.-H.; Yang, C.-Y.; Jean, P.; von Ballmoos, P.; Lin, C.-H.; Amman, M.

2017-10-01

A long duration gamma-ray burst, GRB 160530A, was detected by the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) during the 2016 COSI Super Pressure Balloon campaign. As a Compton telescope, COSI is inherently sensitive to the polarization of gamma-ray sources in the energy range 0.2-5.0 MeV. We measured the polarization of GRB 160530A using (1) a standard method (SM) based on fitting the distribution of azimuthal scattering angles with a modulation curve and (2) an unbinned, maximum likelihood method (MLM). In both cases, the measured polarization level was below the 99% confidence minimum detectable polarization levels of 72.3% ± 0.8% (SM) and 57.5% ± 0.8% (MLM). Therefore, COSI did not detect polarized gamma-ray emission from this burst. Our most constraining 90% confidence upper limit on the polarization level was 46% (MLM).

Fourier resolved spectroscopy of 4U 1543-47 during the 2002 outburst

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reig, P.; Papadakis, I. E.; Shrader, C. R.; Kazanas, D.

2006-01-01

We have obtained Fourier-resolved spectra of the black-hole binary 4U 1543-47 in the canonical states (high/soft, very high, intermediate and low/hard) observed in this source during the decay of an outburst that took place in 2002. Our objective is to investigate the variability of the spectral components generally used to describe the energy spectra of black-hole systems, namely a disk component, a power-law component attributed to Comptonization by a hot corona and the contribution of the iron line due to reprocessing of the high energy (E greater than or approx, equal to 7 keV) radiation. We find that i) the disk component is not variable on time scales shorter than approx. 100 seconds, ii) the reprocessing emission as manifest by the variability of the Fe K(alpha) line responds to the primary radiation variations down to time scales of approx. 70 ms in the high and very-high states, but longer than 2 s in the low state, iii) the low-frequency QPOs are associated with variations of the X-ray power law spectral component and not to the disk component and iv) the spectra corresponding to the highest Fourier frequency are the hardest (show the flatter spectra) at a given spectral state. These results questions the models that explain the observed power spectra as due to modulations of the accretion rate only.

Reduction of Metal Artifact in Single Photon-Counting Computed Tomography by Spectral-Driven Iterative Reconstruction Technique

PubMed Central

Nasirudin, Radin A.; Mei, Kai; Panchev, Petar; Fehringer, Andreas; Pfeiffer, Franz; Rummeny, Ernst J.; Fiebich, Martin; Noël, Peter B.

2015-01-01

Purpose The exciting prospect of Spectral CT (SCT) using photon-counting detectors (PCD) will lead to new techniques in computed tomography (CT) that take advantage of the additional spectral information provided. We introduce a method to reduce metal artifact in X-ray tomography by incorporating knowledge obtained from SCT into a statistical iterative reconstruction scheme. We call our method Spectral-driven Iterative Reconstruction (SPIR). Method The proposed algorithm consists of two main components: material decomposition and penalized maximum likelihood iterative reconstruction. In this study, the spectral data acquisitions with an energy-resolving PCD were simulated using a Monte-Carlo simulator based on EGSnrc C++ class library. A jaw phantom with a dental implant made of gold was used as an object in this study. A total of three dental implant shapes were simulated separately to test the influence of prior knowledge on the overall performance of the algorithm. The generated projection data was first decomposed into three basis functions: photoelectric absorption, Compton scattering and attenuation of gold. A pseudo-monochromatic sinogram was calculated and used as input in the reconstruction, while the spatial information of the gold implant was used as a prior. The results from the algorithm were assessed and benchmarked with state-of-the-art reconstruction methods. Results Decomposition results illustrate that gold implant of any shape can be distinguished from other components of the phantom. Additionally, the result from the penalized maximum likelihood iterative reconstruction shows that artifacts are significantly reduced in SPIR reconstructed slices in comparison to other known techniques, while at the same time details around the implant are preserved. Quantitatively, the SPIR algorithm best reflects the true attenuation value in comparison to other algorithms. Conclusion It is demonstrated that the combination of the additional information from Spectral CT and statistical reconstruction can significantly improve image quality, especially streaking artifacts caused by the presence of materials with high atomic numbers. PMID:25955019

Nonthermal processes around collapsed objects: High energy gamma ray sources in the radio sky

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Helfand, David J.; Ruderman, Malvin; Applegate, James H.; Becker, Robert H.

1993-01-01

In our proposal responding to the initial Guest Observer NRA for the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, 'Nonthermal Processes Around Collapsed Objects: High Energy Gamma Ray Sources in the Radio Sky', we stated that 'At high energies - the identity of the principal Galactic source population remains unknown' although the 'one certain source of high energy emission is young radio pulsars'. These two statements remain true, although at this writing, eighteen months after the beginning of the Compton allsky survey, much of the gamma-ray data required to greatly extend our knowledge of the Galaxy's high energy emission has been collected. The thrust of the program supported by our grant was to collect and analyze a complementary set of data on the Milky Way at radio wavelengths in order to help identify the dominant Pop 1 component of the Galaxy's gamma ray sources, and to pursue theoretical investigations on the origins and emission mechanisms of young pulsars, the one component of this population identified to date. We summarize here our accomplishments under the grant. In Section 2, we describe our VLA surveys of the Galactic Plane along with the current status of the radio source catalogs derived therefrom; unfortunately, owing to the TDRSS antenna problem and subsequent extension of the Sky Survey, we were not able to carry out a comparison with the EGRET data directly, although everything is now in place to do so as soon as it becomes available. In Section 2, we summarize our progress on the theoretical side, including the substantial completion of a dissertation on pulsar origins and work on the high energy emission mechanisms of isolated pulsars. We list the personnel supported by the grant in section 4 and provide a complete bibliography of publications supported in whole or in part by the grant in the final section.

Resolving the Nuclear Obscuring Disk in the Compton-thick Seyfert Galaxy NGC 5643 with ALMA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alonso-Herrero, A.; Pereira-Santaella, M.; García-Burillo, S.; Davies, R. I.; Combes, F.; Asmus, D.; Bunker, A.; Díaz-Santos, T.; Gandhi, P.; González-Martín, O.; Hernán-Caballero, A.; Hicks, E.; Hönig, S.; Labiano, A.; Levenson, N. A.; Packham, C.; Ramos Almeida, C.; Ricci, C.; Rigopoulou, D.; Rosario, D.; Sani, E.; Ward, M. J.

2018-06-01

We present ALMA Band 6 12CO(2–1) line and rest-frame 232 GHz continuum observations of the nearby Compton-thick Seyfert galaxy NGC 5643 with angular resolutions 0.″11–0.″26 (9–21 pc). The CO(2–1) integrated line map reveals emission from the nuclear and circumnuclear region with a two-arm nuclear spiral extending ∼10″ on each side. The circumnuclear CO(2–1) kinematics can be fitted with a rotating disk, although there are regions with large residual velocities and/or velocity dispersions. The CO(2–1) line profiles of these regions show two different velocity components. One is ascribed to the circular component and the other to the interaction of the AGN outflow, as traced by the [O III]λ5007 Å emission, with molecular gas in the disk a few hundred parsecs from the AGN. On nuclear scales, we detected an inclined CO(2–1) disk (diameter 26 pc, FWHM) oriented almost in a north–south direction. The CO(2–1) nuclear kinematics can be fitted with a rotating disk that appears to be tilted with respect to the large-scale disk. There are strong non-circular motions in the central 0.″2–0.″3 with velocities of up to 110 km s‑1. In the absence of a nuclear bar, these motions could be explained as radial outflows in the nuclear disk. We estimate a total molecular gas mass for the nuclear disk of M(H2) = 1.1 × 107 M ⊙ and an H2 column density toward the location of the AGN of N(H2) ∼ 5 × 1023 cm‑2, for a standard CO-to-H2 conversion factor. We interpret this nuclear molecular gas disk as the obscuring torus of NGC 5643 as well as the collimating structure of the ionization cone.

The radio emission from the ultraluminous far-infrared galaxy NGC 6240

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colbert, Edward J. M.; Wilson, Andrew S.; Bland-Hawthorn, Jonathan

1994-01-01

We present new radio observations of the 'prototypical' ultraluminous far-infrared galaxy NGC 6240, obtained using the Very Large Array (VLA) at lambda = 20 cm in B-configuration and at lambda = 3.6 cm in A-configuration. These data, along with those from four previous VLA observations, are used to perform a comprehensive study of the radio emission from NGC 6240. Approximately 70% (approximately 3 x 10(exp 23) W/Hz) of the total radio power at 20 cm originates from the nuclear region (approximately less than 1.5 kpc), of which half is emitted by two unresolved (R approximately less than 36 pc) cores and half by a diffuse component. The radio spectrum of the nuclear emission is relatively flat (alpha approximately equals 0.6; S(sub nu) proportional to nu(exp -alpha). The supernova rate required to power the diffuse component is consistent with that predicted by the stellar evolution models of Rieke et al. (1985). If the radio emission from the two compact cores is powered by supernova remnants, then either the remnants overlap and form hot bubbles in the cores, or they are very young (approximately less than 100 yr.) Nearly all of the remaining 30% of the total radio power comes from an 'armlike' region extending westward from the nuclear region. The western arm emission has a steep spectrum (alpha approximately equals 1.0), suggestive of aging effects from synchrotron or inverse-Compton losses, and is not correlated with starlight; we suggest that it is synchrotron emission from a shell of material driven by a galactic superwind. Inverse Compton scattering of far-infrared photons in the radio sources is expected to produce an X-ray flux of approximately 2 - 6 x 10(exp -14) ergs/s/sq cm in the 2 - 10 keV band. No significant radio emission is detected from or near the possible ultramassive 'dark core'.

A HARD X-RAY POWER-LAW SPECTRAL CUTOFF IN CENTAURUS X-4

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chakrabarty, Deepto; Nowak, Michael A.; Tomsick, John A.

2014-12-20

The low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) Cen X-4 is the brightest and closest (<1.2 kpc) quiescent neutron star transient. Previous 0.5-10 keV X-ray observations of Cen X-4 in quiescence identified two spectral components: soft thermal emission from the neutron star atmosphere and a hard power-law tail of unknown origin. We report here on a simultaneous observation of Cen X-4 with NuSTAR (3-79 keV) and XMM-Newton (0.3-10 keV) in 2013 January, providing the first sensitive hard X-ray spectrum of a quiescent neutron star transient. The 0.3-79 keV luminosity was 1.1×10{sup 33} D{sub kpc}{sup 2} erg s{sup –1}, with ≅60% in the thermalmore » component. We clearly detect a cutoff of the hard spectral tail above 10 keV, the first time such a feature has been detected in this source class. We show that thermal Comptonization and synchrotron shock origins for the hard X-ray emission are ruled out on physical grounds. However, the hard X-ray spectrum is well fit by a thermal bremsstrahlung model with kT{sub e} = 18 keV, which can be understood as arising either in a hot layer above the neutron star atmosphere or in a radiatively inefficient accretion flow. The power-law cutoff energy may be set by the degree of Compton cooling of the bremsstrahlung electrons by thermal seed photons from the neutron star surface. Lower thermal luminosities should lead to higher (possibly undetectable) cutoff energies. We compare Cen X-4's behavior with PSR J1023+0038, IGR J18245–2452, and XSS J12270–4859, which have shown transitions between LMXB and radio pulsar modes at a similar X-ray luminosity.« less

What is reflection? A conceptual analysis of major definitions and a proposal of a five-component model.

PubMed

Nguyen, Quoc Dinh; Fernandez, Nicolas; Karsenti, Thierry; Charlin, Bernard

2014-12-01

Although reflection is considered a significant component of medical education and practice, the literature does not provide a consensual definition or model for it. Because reflection has taken on multiple meanings, it remains difficult to operationalise. A standard definition and model are needed to improve the development of practical applications of reflection. This study was conducted in order to identify, explore and analyse the most influential conceptualisations of reflection, and to develop a new theory-informed and unified definition and model of reflection. A systematic review was conducted to identify the 15 most cited authors in papers on reflection published during the period from 2008 to 2012. The authors' definitions and models were extracted. An exploratory thematic analysis was carried out and identified seven initial categories. Categories were clustered and reworded to develop an integrative definition and model of reflection, which feature core components that define reflection and extrinsic elements that influence instances of reflection. Following our review and analysis, five core components of reflection and two extrinsic elements were identified as characteristics of the reflective thinking process. Reflection is defined as the process of engaging the self (S) in attentive, critical, exploratory and iterative (ACEI) interactions with one's thoughts and actions (TA), and their underlying conceptual frame (CF), with a view to changing them and a view on the change itself (VC). Our conceptual model consists of the defining core components, supplemented with the extrinsic elements that influence reflection. This article presents a new theory-informed, five-component definition and model of reflection. We believe these have advantages over previous models in terms of helping to guide the further study, learning, assessment and teaching of reflection. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sequential fitting-and-separating reflectance components for analytical bidirectional reflectance distribution function estimation.

PubMed

Lee, Yu; Yu, Chanki; Lee, Sang Wook

2018-01-10

We present a sequential fitting-and-separating algorithm for surface reflectance components that separates individual dominant reflectance components and simultaneously estimates the corresponding bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) parameters from the separated reflectance values. We tackle the estimation of a Lafortune BRDF model, which combines a nonLambertian diffuse reflection and multiple specular reflectance components with a different specular lobe. Our proposed method infers the appropriate number of BRDF lobes and their parameters by separating and estimating each of the reflectance components using an interval analysis-based branch-and-bound method in conjunction with iterative K-ordered scale estimation. The focus of this paper is the estimation of the Lafortune BRDF model. Nevertheless, our proposed method can be applied to other analytical BRDF models such as the Cook-Torrance and Ward models. Experiments were carried out to validate the proposed method using isotropic materials from the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MERL-MIT) BRDF database, and the results show that our method is superior to a conventional minimization algorithm.

The origin of seed photons for Comptonization in the black hole binary Swift J1753.5-0127

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kajava, J. J. E.; Veledina, A.; Tsygankov, S.; Neustroev, V.

2016-06-01

Aims: The black hole binary Swift J1753.5-0127 is providing a unique data set to study accretion flows. Various investigations of this system and of other black holes have not, however, led to an agreement on the accretion flow geometry or on the seed photon source for Comptonization during different stages of X-ray outbursts. We place constraints on these accretion flow properties by studying long-term spectral variations of this source. Methods: We performed phenomenological and self-consistent broad band spectral modeling of Swift J1753.5-0127 using quasi-simultaneous archived data from INTEGRAL/ISGRI, Swift/UVOT/XRT/BAT, RXTE/PCA/HEXTE, and MAXI/GSC instruments. Results: We identify a critical flux limit, F ~ 1.5 × 10-8 erg cm-2 s-1, and show that the spectral properties of Swift J1753.5-0127 are markedly different above and below this value. Above the limit, during the outburst peak, the hot medium seems to intercept roughly 50 percent of the disk emission. Below it, in the outburst tail, the contribution of the disk photons reduces significantly and the entire spectrum from the optical to X-rays can be produced by a synchrotron-self-Compton mechanism. The long-term variations in the hard X-ray spectra are caused by erratic changes of the electron temperatures in the hot medium. Thermal Comptonization models indicate unreasonably low hot medium optical depths during the short incursions into the soft state after 2010, suggesting that non-thermal electrons produce the Comptonized tail in this state. The soft X-ray excess, likely produced by the accretion disk, shows peculiarly stable temperatures for over an order of magnitude changes in flux. Conclusions: The long-term spectral trends of Swift J1753.5-0127 are likely set by variations of the truncation radius and a formation of a hot, quasi-spherical inner flow in the vicinity of the black hole. In the late outburst stages, at fluxes below the critical limit, the source of seed photons for Comptonization is not the thermal disk, but more likely they are produced by non-thermal synchrotron emission within the hot flow near the black hole. The stability of the soft excess temperature is, however, not consistent with this picture and further investigations are needed to understand its behavior.

Electron-positron pairs, Compton reflection, and the X-ray spectra of active galactic nuclei

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zdziarski, Andrzej A.; Ghisellini, Gabriele; George, Ian M.; Fabian, A. C.; Svensson, Roland; Done, Chris

1990-01-01

It is shown here that reprocessing of radiation fron nonthermal pair cascades by cold material in the central parts of active galactic nuclei (AGN) gives rise to X-ray and gamma-ray spectra that satisfy current observational constraints. An average 1-30 keV X-ray spectral index alpha(x) of about 0.7 in the compact range 30-300 is obtained for a wide range of Lorentz factors of the injected electrons. The gamma-ray spectra are steep, with alpha(gamma) about two, and satisfy the observational constraints. Radiation from pair cascades exhibits steep power law decreases in soft X-rays similar to those observed in AGN. The overall picture is consistent with AGN having an accretion disk which intercepts and reprocesses a substantial fraction of the nonthermal continuum incident upon it from above and below.

Variable soft X-ray excesses in active galactic nuclei from nonthermal electron-positron pair cascades

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zdziarski, Andrzej A.; Coppi, Paolo S.

1991-01-01

In the present study of the formation of steep soft X-ray excesses that are superposed on flatter, hard X-ray power-law spectra in nonthermal electron-positron pair cascade sources, the soft excess in pair-cascade AGN models appears as a steep power law superposed on the tail of the UV bump and the flat nonthermal (hard X-ray) power law. The model-parameter space in which an excess in soft X-rays is visible is ascertained, and the time-variability of soft excesses in pair cascade models is examined. It is established that the parameter space in which soft excesses appear encompasses the range of preferred input parameters for a recently development Compton reflection model of UV and X-ray emission from the central engine of an AGN.

X-ray Reflected Spectra from Accretion Disk Models. I. Constant Density Atmospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garcia, Javier; Kallman, Timothy R.

2009-01-01

We present new models for illuminated accretion disks, their structure and reprocessed emission. We consider the effects of incident X-rays on the surface of an accretion disk by solving simultaneously the equations of radiative transfer, energy balance and ionization equilibrium over a large range of column densities. We assume plane-parallel geometry and azimuthal symmetry, such that each calculation corresponds to a ring at a given distance from the central object. Our models include recent and complete atomic data for K-shell of the iron and oxygen isonuclear sequences. We examine the effect on the spectrum of fluorescent Ka line emission and absorption in the emitted spectrum. We also explore the dependence of the spectrum on the strength of the incident X-rays and other input parameters, and discuss the importance of Comptonization on the emitted spectrum.

Method and apparatus for measuring lung density by Compton backscattering

DOEpatents

Loo, B.W.; Goulding, F.S.

1988-03-11

The density of the lung of a patient suffering from pulmonary edema is monitored by irradiating the lung by a single collimated beam of monochromatic photons and measuring the energies of photons compton back-scattered from the lung by a single high-resolution, high-purity germanium detector. A compact system geometry and a unique data extraction scheme are utilized to minimize systematic errors due to the presence of the chestwall and multiple scattering. 11 figs., 1 tab.

Design Study of the Absorber Detector of a Compton Camera for On-Line Control in Ion Beam Therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richard, M.-H.; Dahoumane, M.; Dauvergne, D.; De Rydt, M.; Dedes, G.; Freud, N.; Krimmer, J.; Letang, J. M.; Lojacono, X.; Maxim, V.; Montarou, G.; Ray, C.; Roellinghoff, F.; Testa, E.; Walenta, A. H.

2012-10-01

The goal of this study is to tune the design of the absorber detector of a Compton camera for prompt γ-ray imaging during ion beam therapy. The response of the Compton camera to a photon point source with a realistic energy spectrum (corresponding to the prompt γ-ray spectrum emitted during the carbon irradiation of a water phantom) is studied by means of Geant4 simulations. Our Compton camera consists of a stack of 2 mm thick silicon strip detectors as a scatter detector and of a scintillator plate as an absorber detector. Four scintillators are considered: LYSO, NaI, LaBr3 and BGO. LYSO and BGO appear as the most suitable materials, due to their high photo-electric cross-sections, which leads to a high percentage of fully absorbed photons. Depth-of-interaction measurements are shown to have limited influence on the spatial resolution of the camera. In our case, the thickness which gives the best compromise between a high percentage of photons that are fully absorbed and a low parallax error is about 4 cm for the LYSO detector and 4.5 cm for the BGO detector. The influence of the width of the absorber detector on the spatial resolution is not very pronounced as long as it is lower than 30 cm.

Development of a High-Average-Power Compton Gamma Source for Lepton Colliders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pogorelsky, Igor; Polyanskiy, Mikhail N.; Yakimenko, Vitaliy; Platonenko, Viktor T.

2009-01-01

Gamma- (γ-) ray beams of high average power and peak brightness are of demand for a number of applications in high-energy physics, material processing, medicine, etc. One of such examples is gamma conversion into polarized positrons and muons that is under consideration for projected lepton colliders. A γ-source based on the Compton backscattering from the relativistic electron beam is a promising candidate for this application. Our approach to the high-repetition γ-source assumes placing the Compton interaction point inside a CO2 laser cavity. A laser pulse interacts with periodical electron bunches on each round-trip inside the laser cavity producing the corresponding train of γ-pulses. The round-trip optical losses can be compensated by amplification in the active laser medium. The major challenge for this approach is in maintaining stable amplification rate for a picosecond CO2-laser pulse during multiple resonator round-trips without significant deterioration of its temporal and transverse profiles. Addressing this task, we elaborated on a computer code that allows identifying the directions and priorities in the development of such a multi-pass picosecond CO2 laser. Proof-of-principle experiments help to verify the model and show the viability of the concept. In these tests we demonstrated extended trains of picosecond CO2 laser pulses circulating inside the cavity that incorporates the Compton interaction point.

AXIS: An instrument for imaging Compton radiographs using the Advanced Radiography Capability on the NIF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hall, G. N., E-mail: hall98@llnl.gov; Izumi, N.; Tommasini, R.

2014-11-15

Compton radiography is an important diagnostic for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), as it provides a means to measure the density and asymmetries of the DT fuel in an ICF capsule near the time of peak compression. The AXIS instrument (ARC (Advanced Radiography Capability) X-ray Imaging System) is a gated detector in development for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and will initially be capable of recording two Compton radiographs during a single NIF shot. The principal reason for the development of AXIS is the requirement for significantly improved detection quantum efficiency (DQE) at high x-ray energies. AXIS will be the detectormore » for Compton radiography driven by the ARC laser, which will be used to produce Bremsstrahlung X-ray backlighter sources over the range of 50 keV–200 keV for this purpose. It is expected that AXIS will be capable of recording these high-energy x-rays with a DQE several times greater than other X-ray cameras at NIF, as well as providing a much larger field of view of the imploded capsule. AXIS will therefore provide an image with larger signal-to-noise that will allow the density and distribution of the compressed DT fuel to be measured with significantly greater accuracy as ICF experiments are tuned for ignition.« less

FOURIER ANALYSIS OF BLAZAR VARIABILITY: KLEIN–NISHINA EFFECTS AND THE JET SCATTERING ENVIRONMENT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Finke, Justin D.; Becker, Peter A., E-mail: justin.finke@nrl.navy.mil, E-mail: pbecker@gmu.edu

The strong variability of blazars can be characterized by power spectral densities (PSDs) and Fourier frequency-dependent time lags. In previous work, we created a new theoretical formalism for describing the PSDs and time lags produced via a combination of stochastic particle injection and emission via the synchrotron, synchrotron self-Compton, and external Compton (EC) processes. This formalism used the Thomson cross section and simple δ-function approximations to model the synchrotron and Compton emissivities. Here we expand upon this work, using the full Compton cross section and detailed and accurate emissivities. Our results indicate good agreement between the PSDs computed using themore » δ-function approximations and those computed using the accurate expressions, provided the observed photons are produced primarily by electrons with energies exceeding the lower limit of the injected particle population. Breaks are found in the PSDs at frequencies corresponding to the cooling timescales of the electrons primarily responsible for the observed emission, and the associated time lags are related to the difference in electron cooling timescales between the two energy channels, as expected. If the electron cooling timescales can be determined from the observed time lags and/or the observed EC PSDs, then one could in principle use the method developed here to determine the energy of the external seed photon source for EC, which is an important unsolved problem in blazar physics.« less

A New Characterization of the Compton Process in the ULX Spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, S.; Nakazawa, K.; Makishima, K.

2015-07-01

Ultra Luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are unusually luminous point sources located at arms of spiral galaxies, and are candidates for the intermediate mass black holes (Makishima+2000). Their spectra make transition betweens power-law shapes (PL state) and convex shapes (disk-like state). The latter state can be explained with either the multi-color disk (MCD)+thermal Comptonization (THC) model or a Slim disk model (Watari+2000). We adopt the former modeling, because it generally gives physically more reasonable parameters (Miyawaki+2009). To characterize the ULXs spectra with a unified way, we applied the MCD+THC model to several datasets of ULXs obtained by Suzaku, XMM-Newton, and Nu-Star. The model well explains all the spectra, in terms of cool disk (T_{in}˜0.2 keV), and a cool thick (T_{e}˜2 keV, τ ˜10) corona. The derived parameters can be characterized by two new parameters. One is Q≡ T_{e}/T_{in} which describes balance between the Compton cooling and gravitational heating of the corona, while the other is f≡ L_{raw}/L_{tot}, namely, the directly-visible (without Comptonization) MCD luminosity. Then, the PL state spectra have been found to show Q˜10 and f˜0.7, while those of the disk-like state Q˜ 3 and f≤0.01. Thus, the two states are clearly separated in terms of Q and f.

Photon Beaming in External Compton models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutter, Anne; Spanier, Felix

In attempt to model blazar emission spectra, External Compton models have been employed to fit the observed data. In these models photons from the accretion disk or the CMB are upscat-tered via the Compton effect by the electrons and contribute to the emission. In previous works the resulting scattered photon angular distribution has been calculated for ultrarelativistic elec-trons. This work aims to extend the result to the case of mildly relativistic electrons. Hence, the beaming pattern produced by a relativistic moving blob consisting of isotropic distributed electrons, which scatter photons of an isotropic external radiation is calculated numerically. The isotropic photon density distribution in the blob frame is Lorentz-transformed into the rest frame of the electron and results in an anisotropic distribution with a preferred direction where it is upscattered by the electrons. The photon density distribution is determined and transformed back into the blob frame. As the photons in the rest frame of the electrons are dis-tributed anisotropically the scattering does not reproduce this anisotropic distribution. When transforming back into the blob frame the resulting photon distribution won't be isotropic. Approximations have shown that the resulting photon distribution is boosted more strongly than a distribution assumed to be isotropic in the rest frame of the electrons. Hence, in order to obtain the beaming caused by external Compton it is of particular interest to derive a more exact approximation of the resulting photon angular distribution.

ON THE FATE OF THE MATTER REINSERTED WITHIN YOUNG NUCLEAR STELLAR CLUSTERS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hueyotl-Zahuantitla, Filiberto; Palous, Jan; Wuensch, Richard

2013-04-01

This paper presents a hydrodynamical model describing the evolution of the gas reinserted by stars within a rotating young nuclear star cluster (NSC). We explicitly consider the impact of the stellar component on the flow by means of a uniform insertion of mass and energy within the stellar cluster. The model includes the gravity force of the stellar component and a central supermassive black hole (SMBH), and accounts for the heating from the central source of radiation and the radiative cooling of the thermalized gas. By using a set of parameters typical for NSCs and SMBHs in Seyfert galaxies, ourmore » simulations show that a filamentary/clumpy structure is formed in the inner part of the cluster. This 'torus' is Compton-thick and covers a large fraction of the sky (as seen from the SMBH). In the outer parts of the cluster a powerful wind is produced that inhibits the infall of matter from larger scales and thus the NSC-SMBH interplay occurs in isolation.« less

Advanced Source Deconvolution Methods for Compton Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zoglauer, Andreas

The next generation of space telescopes utilizing Compton scattering for astrophysical observations is destined to one day unravel the mysteries behind Galactic nucleosynthesis, to determine the origin of the positron annihilation excess near the Galactic center, and to uncover the hidden emission mechanisms behind gamma-ray bursts. Besides astrophysics, Compton telescopes are establishing themselves in heliophysics, planetary sciences, medical imaging, accelerator physics, and environmental monitoring. Since the COMPTEL days, great advances in the achievable energy and position resolution were possible, creating an extremely vast, but also extremely sparsely sampled data space. Unfortunately, the optimum way to analyze the data from the next generation of Compton telescopes has not yet been found, which can retrieve all source parameters (location, spectrum, polarization, flux) and achieves the best possible resolution and sensitivity at the same time. This is especially important for all sciences objectives looking at the inner Galaxy: the large amount of expected sources, the high background (internal and Galactic diffuse emission), and the limited angular resolution, make it the most taxing case for data analysis. In general, two key challenges exist: First, what are the best data space representations to answer the specific science questions? Second, what is the best way to deconvolve the data to fully retrieve the source parameters? For modern Compton telescopes, the existing data space representations can either correctly reconstruct the absolute flux (binned mode) or achieve the best possible resolution (list-mode), both together were not possible up to now. Here we propose to develop a two-stage hybrid reconstruction method which combines the best aspects of both. Using a proof-of-concept implementation we can for the first time show that it is possible to alternate during each deconvolution step between a binned-mode approach to get the flux right and a list-mode approach to get the best angular resolution, to get achieve both at the same time! The second open question concerns the best deconvolution algorithm. For example, several algorithms have been investigated for the famous COMPTEL 26Al map which resulted in significantly different images. There is no clear answer as to which approach provides the most accurate result, largely due to the fact that detailed simulations to test and verify the approaches and their limitations were not possible at that time. This has changed, and therefore we propose to evaluate several deconvolution algorithms (e.g. Richardson-Lucy, Maximum-Entropy, MREM, and stochastic origin ensembles) with simulations of typical observations to find the best algorithm for each application and for each stage of the hybrid reconstruction approach. We will adapt, implement, and fully evaluate the hybrid source reconstruction approach as well as the various deconvolution algorithms with simulations of synthetic benchmarks and simulations of key science objectives such as diffuse nuclear line science and continuum science of point sources, as well as with calibrations/observations of the COSI balloon telescope. This proposal for "development of new data analysis methods for future satellite missions" will significantly improve the source deconvolution techniques for modern Compton telescopes and will allow unlocking the full potential of envisioned satellite missions using Compton-scatter technology in astrophysics, heliophysics and planetary sciences, and ultimately help them to "discover how the universe works" and to better "understand the sun". Ultimately it will also benefit ground based applications such as nuclear medicine and environmental monitoring as all developed algorithms will be made publicly available within the open-source Compton telescope analysis framework MEGAlib.