Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Israel, M. H..
We find that the relative abundance of cosmic ray calcium isotopes in the cosmic-ray source are very similar to those found in solar-system material, in spite of the fact that different types of stars are thought to be responsible for producing these two isotopes. This observation is consistent with the view that cosmic rays are derived from a mixed sample of interstellar matter.
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We suggest that cosmic rays probably represent a sample of contemporary interstellar matter, at least for refractory species.
The ENTICE experiment is one of two instruments which make up the HNX mission. The experimental goal of ENTICE is to measure with high precision the elemental abundances of all nuclei with 10<=Z<=82. This will enable us to distinguish between possible injection mechanisms for the galactic cosmic ray accelerator such-as those dependent upon volatility or first ionization potential, and to study the mix of nucleosynthetic processes that contribute to the galactic cosmic ray source. The ENTICE experiment utilizes the dE/dx-C method of charge determination and consists of silicon dE/dx detectors, Cherenkov detectors with two different refractive indices, and a scintillating fiber hodoscope. The geometrical factor of the instrument is 8m2.sr. We will present a description of the instrument and its expected performance based on beam tests and a balloon flight of a prototype instrument.
The Imaging Calorimeter for ACCESS (ICA) utilizes a thin sampling calorimeter concept for direct measurements of high-energy cosmic rays. The ICA design uses arrays of small scintillating fibers to measure the energy and trajectory of the produced cascades. A test instrument has been developed to study the performance of this concept at accelerator energies and for comparison with simulations. Two test exposures have been completed using a CERN test beam. Some results from the accelerator tests are presented.
A mission concept study to define the "Advanced Cosmic-ray Composition Experiment for Space Station (ACCESS)" was sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The ACCESS instrument complement contains a transition radiation detector and an ionization calorimeter to measure tile spectrum of protons, helium, and heavier nuclei up to approximately 10(exp 15) eV to search for the limit of S/N shock wave acceleration, or evidence for other explanations of the spectra. Several calorimeter configurations have been studied, including the "baseline" totally active bismuth germanate instrument and sampling calorimeters utilizing various detectors. The Imaging Calorimeter for ACCESS (ICA) concept comprises a carbon target and a calorimeter using a high atomic number absorber sampled approximately each radiation length (rl) by thin scintillating fiber (SCIFI) detectors. The main features and options of the ICA instrument configuration are described in this paper. Since direct calibration is not possible over most of the energy range, the best approach must be decided from simulations of calorimeter performance extrapolated from CERN calibrations at 0.375 TeV. This paper presents results from the ICA simulations study.
The ENTICE experiment is one of two instruments that make up the HNX mission. The experimental goal of ENTICE is to measure with high precision the elemental abundances of all nuclei with Z between 10 and 82. This will enable us to determine if the injection mechanism for the cosmic ray accelerator is controlled by FIP or Volatility and to study the mix of nucleosynthetic processes that contribute to the galactic cosmic ray source. The ENTICE experiment utilizes the dE/dx-C method of charge determination and consists of silicon dE/dx detectors, Cherenkov detectors with two different refractive indices, and a fiber hodoscope. We will describe the instrument and its performance based on beam tests of a prototype instrument.
The Large Isotope Spectrometer for Astromag (LISA) is an experiment designed to measure the isotopic composition and energy spectra of cosmic rays for elements extending from beryllium through zinc. The overall objectives of this investigation are to study the origin and evolution of galactic matter; the acceleration, transport, and time scales of cosmic rays in the galaxy; and search for heavy antinuclei in the cosmic radiation. To achieve these objectives, the LISA experiment will make the first identifications of individual heavy cosmic ray isotopes in the energy range from about 2.5 to 4 GeV/n where relativistic time dilation effects enhance the abundances of radioactive clocks and where the effects of solar modulation and cross-section variations are minimized. It will extend high resolution measurements of individual element abundances and their energy spectra to energies of nearly 1 TeV/n, and has the potential for discovering heavy anti-nuclei which could not have been formed except in extragalactic sources.
An analysis is presented that, for the first time, systematically normalizes the data from the HEAO 3 heavy nuclei experiment on the cosmic-ray abundances of all the elements heavier than germanium to that of iron. In the range of atomic number Z from 33 to 60, the analysis yields abundances of odd-even element pairs. The abundances are consistent with a cosmic-ray source having a composition similar to that of the solar system, but subject to source fractionation correlated with the first ionization potential (FIP) of each element. For Z greater than 60, the analysis yields abundances of element groups. For these heaviest nuclei, we find an enhancement of the abundance of the platinum group, elements with Z of 74-80, relative to that in propagated solar system source, and a corresponding increase in the abundance of the largely secondary elements in the 62-73 range. These abundances suggest that there is an enhancement of the r-process contribution to the source nuclei in the Z greater than 60 charge region. Over the entire region of charge, standard leaky box models of propagation satisfactorily model secondary production.
Current work on the abundances of the ultraheavy elements in the cosmic radiation, i.e., those with Z greater than 30 is reviewed. Those abundances are compared with predictions based on propagation and fractionation of elemental abundances from various assumed sources of the cosmic rays. Striking similarities are found between the solar system and the cosmic ray source abundances for those elements with Z values between 32 and 60. For elements with Z greater than 60, there appears to be a substantial enhancement in the abundances of elements synthesized in the r-process.
Results from the Heavy Nuclei experiment on HEAO 3 are used to determine the primary abundances of Ni and Fe. Ni and Fe are found to have nearly constant relative abundances over the interval of 10 to about 500 GeV per amu. Individual secondary elements derived principally from interactions of primary Fe nuclei are shown to display a power-law decrease in relative abundance up to about 150 GeV per amu. Ar/Fe and Ca/Fe ratios of 2.6 + or - 0.7 percent and 8.8 + or - 0.7 percent, respectively, are found, confirming a fractionation of source abundances in which elements with high values of the first ionization potential are depleted relative to those with low first ionization potential.
Relativistic nuclei of krypton, xenon, holmium, and gold, accelerated in a partially stripped state to a maximum rigidity of about 5.6 GeV, interacting with targets of aluminum, carbon, and polyethylene are examined. For each projectile and target combination, determinations are made for the total and partial charge changing cross sections for the production of lighter fragments. From these measurements, a new representation of the dependence of the total charge changing cross sections on beam and target charge is developed. Simple representations of the variation of the partial cross sections were identified with the charge of the produced fragments and shown to be dependent on the charge and energy of the beam. The fission of gold nuclei at high energies in these various targets has also been studied.
The HEAO-3 Heavy Nuclei Experiment has measured abundances of elements from Ar-18 to U-92 in the cosmic rays. The results on the ultraheavy elements, those with atomic numbers greater than 30, indicate that the source of the cosmic rays contain a mixture of r-process and s-process material similar to that found in the solar system. This result is at variance with previous indications that the sources are greatly enhanced with freshly synthesized r-process material. Apparent discrepancies between the results and the accepted solar-system abundance have led to a reexamination of data on photospheric abundances of Ge and Pb, resulting in suggested reductions in their values.
Planning for and design tradeoff studies related to the particle astrophysics magnet spectrometer known as Astromag are presented. This facility is being planned for the Space Station Freedom and address questions regarding the origin and acceleration of cosmic rays, explore the synthesis of elements by making detailed measurements of cosmic ray isotopic composition, and search for evidence of antimatter and other cosmologically significant particles. This work was supported by an international study team which includes particle physicists and cosmic ray physicists.
This paper describes a superconducting magnet system which is the heart of a particle astrophysics facility to be mounted on a portion of the proposed NASA space station. This facility will complete the studies done by the electromagnetic observatories now under development and construction by NASA. The paper outlines the selection process of the type of magnet to be used to analyze the energy and momentum of charged particles from deep space. The ASTROMAG superconducting magnet must meet all the criteria for a shuttle launch and landing, and it must meet safety standards for use in or near a manned environment such as the space station. The magnet facility must have a particle gathering aperture of at least 1 square meter steradian and the facility should be capable of resolving heavy nuclei with a total energy of 10 Tev or more.
An observation of the abundances of cosmic-ray lead and platinum-group nuclei using data from the HEAO-3 Heavy Nuclei Experiment (HNE) which consisted of ion chambers mounted on both sides of a plastic Cherenkov counter (Binns et al., 1981) is reported. Further analysis with more stringent selections, inclusion of additional data, and a calibration at the LBL Bevalac, have allowed the determination of the abundance ratio of lead and the platinum group of elements for particles that had a cutoff rigidity R(c) 5 GV. The observed ratio for Pb/Pt is distinctly lower than that predicted by any of the standard models for cosmic ray sources. It is possible that the difference is not an indication that the cosmic ray source composition is greatly different from that of the solar system, but rather that there is less Pb in the solar system and in the r-process than is assumed in the standard models.
Elemental, isotopic, and antiproton abundances in cosmic ray sources are examined. The elemental abundances for very rare elements with atomic numbers (Z) greater than 30, for individual elements with Z less than 33, and for even-Z elements with Z less than 60 are compared with elemental abundances in the solar system. The effects of nucleosynthesis of the material and the cosmic ray acceleration process on the abundances of elements is discussed. It is observed that the cosmic ray sources differ in composition from the solar system; however, the abundances are generally the same. The observations of the cosmic ray antiprotons are described.
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