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Hagino, Kouichi

Publications and source records attributed to Hagino, Kouichi.

The bulk motion of gas in the core of the Centaurus galaxy cluster

Galaxy clusters contain vast amounts of hot ionized gas known as the intracluster medium (ICM). In relaxed cluster cores, the radiative cooling time of the ICM is shorter than the age of the cluster. However, the absence of line emission associated with cooling suggests heating mechanisms that offset the cooling, with feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) being the most likely source. Turbulence and bulk motions, such as the oscillating (‘sloshing’) motion of the core gas in the cluster potential well, have also been proposed as mechanisms for heat distribution from the outside of the core. Here we present X-ray spectroscopic observations of the Centaurus galaxy cluster with the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission satellite. We find that the hot gas flows along the line of sight relative to the central galaxy, with velocities from 130 km s −1 to 310 km s −1 within about 30 kpc of the centre. This indicates bulk flow consistent with core gas sloshing. Although the bulk flow may prevent excessive accumulation of cooled gas at the centre, it could distribute the heat injected by the AGN and bring in thermal energy from the surrounding ICM. The velocity dispersion of the gas is found to be only ≲120 km s −1 in the core, even within about 10 kpc of the AGN. This suggests that the influence of the AGN on the surrounding ICM motion is limited in the cluster.

galaxies and clusters↗

The XRISM first-light observation: Velocity structure and thermal properties of the supernova remnant N 132D

Abstract We present an initial analysis of the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) first-light observation of the supernova remnant (SNR) N 132D in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The Resolve microcalorimeter has obtained the first high-resolution spectrum in the 1.6–10 keV band, which contains K-shell emission lines of Si, S, Ar, Ca, and Fe. We find that the Si and S lines are relatively narrow, with a broadening represented by a Gaussian-like velocity dispersion of $\sigma _v \sim 450$ km s$^{-1}$. However, the Fe He$\alpha$ lines are substantially broadened with $\sigma _v \sim 1670$ km s$^{-1}$. This broadening can be explained by a combination of the thermal Doppler effect due to the high ion temperature and the kinematic Doppler effect due to the SNR expansion. Assuming that the Fe He$\alpha$ emission originates predominantly from the supernova ejecta, we estimate the reverse shock velocity at the time when the bulk of the Fe ejecta were shock heated to be $-1000 \lesssim V_{\rm rs}$ (km s$^{-1}$) $\lesssim 3300$ (in the observer frame). We also find that Fe Ly$\alpha$ emission is redshifted with a bulk velocity of $\sim 890$ km s$^{-1}$, substantially larger than the radial velocity of the local interstellar medium surrounding N 132D. These results demonstrate that high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy is capable of providing constraints on the evolutionary stage, geometry, and velocity distribution of SNRs.

individual objects↗

Microscopic Derivation of Transition-state Theory for Complex Quantum Systems

The decay of quantum complex systems through a potential barrier is often described with transition-state theory, also known as RRKM theory in chemistry. Here we derive the basic formula for transition-state theory based on a generic Hamiltonian as might be constructed in a configuration-interaction basis. Two reservoirs of random Hamiltonians from Gaussian orthogonal ensembles are coupled to intermediate states representing the transition states at a barrier. Under the condition that the decay of the reservoirs to open channels is large, an analytic formula for reaction rates is derived. Here, the transition states act as independent Breit–Wigner resonances which contribute additively to the total transition probability, as is well known for electronic conductance through resonant tunneling states. It is also found that the transition probability is independent of the decay properties of the states in the second reservoir over a wide range of decay widths.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Barrier penetration in a discrete-basis formalism

The dynamics of a many-particle system are often modeled by mapping the Hamiltonian into a Schrödinger equation. An alternative approach is to solve the Hamiltonian equations directly in a model space of many-body configurations. In a previous paper the numerical convergence of the two approaches was compared with a simplified treatment of the Hamiltonian representation. Here, we extend the comparison to the nonorthogonal model spaces that would be obtained by the generator-coordinate method. With a suitable choice of the collective-variable grid, a configuration-interaction Hamiltonian can reproduce the Schrödinger dynamics very well. Furthermore, the method as implemented here requires that the barrier height is not much larger than the zero-point energy in the collective coordinates of the configurations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Probing Optimal Reaction Energy for Synthesis of Element 119 from 51 V+ 248 Cm Reaction with Quasielastic Barrier Distribution Measurement

Here, the quasielastic barrier distribution of 51 V+ 248 Cm was extracted by measuring the excitation function of quasielastic backscattering using a gas-filled recoil ion separator, GARIS-III. The obtained barrier distribution is well explained by the coupled-channels calculation, indicating a significant effect of the rotational excitation of deformed 248 Cm. From the measured average Coulomb barrier height and deformation parameters of 248 Cm, the side-collision energy leading to a compact configuration of colliding nuclei was obtained. The relation between the side collision energy and the excitation function of the evaporation-residue cross sections in the 48 Ca+ 248 Cm system was evaluated as a reference for the 51 V+ 248 Cm case. The optimal reaction energy to synthesize a new element 119 at the 51 V+ 248 Cm fusion reaction (3n and 4n channels) was estimated with an aid of these experimental data.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Future of nuclear fission theory

There has been much recent interest in nuclear fission, due in part to a new appreciation of its relevance to astrophysics, stability of superheavy elements, and fundamental theory of neutrino interactions. At the same time, there have been important developments on a conceptual and computational level for the theory. The promising new theoretical avenues were the subject of a workshop held at the University of York in October 2019; this report summarises its findings and recommendations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Temperature Structure in the Perseus Cluster Core Observed with Hitomi

The present paper investigates the temperature structure of the X-ray emitting plasma in the core of the Perseus cluster using the 1.8-20.0 keV data obtained with the Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) onboard the Hitomi Observatory. A series of four observations were carried out, with a total effective exposure time of 338 ks and covering a central region _ 7′ in diameter. The SXS was operated with an energy resolution of _5 eV (full width at half maximum) at 5.9 keV. Not only fine structures of K-shell lines in He-like ions but also transitions from higher principal quantum numbers are clearly resolved from Si through Fe. This enables us to perform temperature diagnostics using the line ratios of Si, S, Ar, Ca, and Fe, and to provide the first direct measurement of the excitation temperature and ionization temperature in the Perseus cluster. The observed spectrum is roughly reproduced by a single temperature thermal plasma model in collisional ionization equilibrium, but detailed line ratio diagnostics reveal slight deviations from this approximation. In particular, the data exhibit an apparent trend of increasing ionization temperature with increasing atomic mass, as well as small differences between the ionization and excitation temperatures for Fe, the only element for which both temperatures can be measured. The best-fit two-temperature models suggest a combination of 3 and 5 keV gas, which is consistent with the idea that the observed small deviations from a single temperature approximation are due to the effects of projection of the known radial temperature gradient in the cluster core along the line of sight. Comparison with the Chandra/ACIS and the XMM-Newton/RGS results on the other hand suggests that additional lower-temperature components

Aharonian, Felix↗

The ASTRO-H (Hitomi) X-Ray Astronomy Satellite

The Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission is the sixth Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite developed by a large international collaboration, including Japan, USA, Canada, and Europe. The mission aimed to provide the highest energy resolution ever achieved at E greater than 2 keV, using a microcalorimeter instrument, and to cover a wide energy range spanning four decades in energy from soft X-rays to gamma-rays. After a successful launch on 2016 February 17, the spacecraft lost its function on 2016 March 26, but the commissioning phase for about a month provided valuable information on the on-board instruments and the spacecraft system, including astrophysical results obtained from first light observations. The paper describes the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission, its capabilities, the initial operation, and the instruments/spacecraft performances confirmed during the commissioning operations for about a month.

Hard X-ray↗