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At least 199 records · Page 11

Preservation of the High Quality Factor and Accelerating Gradient of Nb3Sn-coated Cavity During Pair Assembly

Two CEBAF 5-cell accelerator cavities have been coated with Nb3Sn film using the vapor diffusion technique. One cavity was coated in the Jefferson Lab Nb3Sn cavity coating system, and the other in the Fermilab Nb3Sn coating system. Both cavities were measured at 4 K and 2 K in the vertical dewar test in each lab and then assembled into a cavity pair at Jefferson Lab. Previous attempts to assemble Nb3Sn cavities into a cavity pair degraded the superconducting properties of Nb3Sn-coated cavities. This contribution discusses the efforts to identify and mitigate the pair assembly challenges and will present the results of the vertical tests before and after pair assembly. Notably, one of the cavities reached the highest gradient above 80 mT in the vertical test after the pair assembly.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Pair Cascades in Magnetar Magnetospheres

Resonant inverse Compton scattering (RICS) of soft thermal photons by relativistic particles on closed magnetic field loops has been proposed to explain the hard emission observed up to and beyond 200 keV from magnetars. If particles injected at the base of the loops have Lorentz factors ≳10 2 , the RICS spectra will be attenuated by both one-photon pair production and photon splitting in the ultrastrong magnetar fields, producing additional spectral components from pair synchrotron radiation and split photons that produce further generations of pairs and split photons. We investigate such cascades initiated by the primary injected electrons through a Monte Carlo simulation, and study the cascade spectra and pair distributions. For most observer angles, the pair synchrotron and split-photon spectra dominate the RICS primary spectra and produce complex polarization signals. In particular, the synchrotron spectra are highly polarized with degree 40%–80%, are softer than the RICS spectra, and may account for the high polarization of some magnetar spectra observed by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer above 3 keV.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Panta Rhei benchmark dataset: socio-hydrological data of paired events of floods and droughts

As the adverse impacts of hydrological extremes increase in many regions of the world, a better understanding of the drivers of changes in risk and impacts is essential for effective flood and drought risk management and climate adaptation. However, there is currently a lack of comprehensive, empirical data about the processes, interactions, and feedbacks in complex human–water systems leading to flood and drought impacts. Here we present a benchmark dataset containing socio-hydrological data of paired events, i.e. two floods or two droughts that occurred in the same area. The 45 paired events occurred in 42 different study areas and cover a wide range of socio-economic and hydro-climatic conditions. The dataset is unique in covering both floods and droughts, in the number of cases assessed and in the quantity of socio-hydrological data. The benchmark dataset comprises (1) detailed review-style reports about the events and key processes between the two events of a pair; (2) the key data table containing variables that assess the indicators which characterize management shortcomings, hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and impacts of all events; and (3) a table of the indicators of change that indicate the differences between the first and second event of a pair. The advantages of the dataset are that it enables comparative analyses across all the paired events based on the indicators of change and allows for detailed context- and location-specific assessments based on the extensive data and reports of the individual study areas. The dataset can be used by the scientific community for exploratory data analyses, e.g. focused on causal links between risk management; changes in hazard, exposure and vulnerability; and flood or drought impacts. The data can also be used for the development, calibration, and validation of socio-hydrological models. The dataset is available to the public through the GFZ Data Services (Kreibich et al., 2023, https://doi.org/10.5880/GFZ.4.4.2023.001).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

New high-temperature noble-metal thermocouple pairing

A new thermocouple pairing was formed by combining thermocouple elements from two existing commercially available thermocouples to form a new combination (Ir-40 Rh/Pt-40 Rh) thermocouple. The output of this new pairing is nearly linear with temperature, and approximately equal to the output of one of the originating pairs (Ir-40 Rh/Ir), and more than double that of the other pair (Pt-40 Rh/Pt-20 Rh). This new pairing was evolved during a search for a noble-metal thermocouple combination which could operate above the temperature limit of a Pt-13 Rh/Pt thermocouple and have a higher oxidation resistance than an Ir-40 Rh/Ir thermocouple.

Glawe, G. E.↗

Monte Carlo investigation of thrust imbalance of solid rocket motor pairs

The Monte Carlo method of statistical analysis is used to investigate the theoretical thrust imbalance of pairs of solid rocket motors (SRMs) firing in parallel. Sets of the significant variables are selected using a random sampling technique and the imbalance calculated for a large number of motor pairs using a simplified, but comprehensive, model of the internal ballistics. The treatment of burning surface geometry allows for the variations in the ovality and alignment of the motor case and mandrel as well as those arising from differences in the basic size dimensions and propellant properties. The analysis is used to predict the thrust-time characteristics of 130 randomly selected pairs of Titan IIIC SRMs. A statistical comparison of the results with test data for 20 pairs shows the theory underpredicts the standard deviation in maximum thrust imbalance by 20% with variability in burning times matched within 2%. The range in thrust imbalance of Space Shuttle type SRM pairs is also estimated using applicable tolerances and variabilities and a correction factor based on the Titan IIIC analysis.

Sforzini, R. H.↗

Pair Production and Annihilation in Strong Magnetic Fields

Electromagnetic phenomena occurring in the presence of strong magnetic fields are currently of great interest in high-energy astrophysics. In particular, the process of pair production by single photons in the presence of fields of order 10 to the 12th power Gauss is of importance in cascade models of pulsar gamma ray emission, and may also become significant in theories of other radiation phenomena whose sources may be neutron stars (e.g., gamma ray bursts). In addition to pair production, the inverse process of pair annihilation is greatly affected by the presence of superstrong magnetic fields. The most significant departures from annihilation processes in free space are a reduction in the total rate for annihilation into two photons, a broadening of the familiar 511-keV line for annihilation at rest, and the possibility for annihilation into a single photon (which dominates the two-photon annihilation for B ( 10 the 13th power Gauss). The physics of these pair conversion processes, which is reviewed briefly, can become quite complex in the teragauss regime, and can involve calculations which are technically difficult to incorporate into models of emission mechanisms in neutron star magnetospheres. However, theoretical work, especially the case of pair annihilation, also suggests potential techniques for more direct measurements of field strengths near the stellar surface.

Daugherty, J. K.↗

Electron-positron pair equilibrium in strongly magnetized plasmas

Steady states of thermal electron-positron pair plasmas at mildly relativistic temperatures and in strong magnetic fields are investigated. The pair density in steady-state equilibrium, where pair production balances annihilation, is found as a function of temperature, magnetic field strength and source size, by a numerical calculation which includes pair production attenuation and Compton scattering of the photons. It is found that there is a maximum pair density for each value of temperature and field strength, and also a source size above which optically thin equilibrium states do not exist.

Harding, A. K.↗

Pair production and annihilation in strong magnetic fields

Electromagnetic phenomena occurring in the presence of strong magnetic fields are currently of great interest in high-energy astrophysics. In particular, the process of pair production by single photons in the presence of fields of order 10 to the 12th power Gauss is of importance in cascade models of pulsar gamma ray emission, and may also become significant in theories of other radiation phenomena whose sources may be neutron stars (e.g., gamma ray bursts). In addition to pair production, the inverse process of pair annihilation is greatly affected by the presence of superstrong magnetic fields. The most significant departures from annihilation processes in free space are a reduction in the total rate for annihilation into two photons, a broadening of the familiar 511-keV line for annihilation at rest, and the possibility for annihilation into a single photon which dominates the two-photon annihilation for B (10 to 13th power Gauss) The physics of these pair conversion processes, which is reviewed briefly, can become quite complex in the teragauss regime, and can involve calculations which are technically difficult to incorporate into models of emission mechanisms in neutron star magnetospheres. However, theoretical work, especially the case of pair annihilation, also suggests potential techniques for more direct measurements of field strengths near the stellar surface.

Daugherty, J. K.↗

Thermoluminescence of Antarctic meteorites: A rapid screening technique for terrestrial age estimation, pairing studies and identification of specimens with unusual prefall histories

Thermoluminescence (TL) is a promising technique for rapid screening of the large numbers of Antarctic meteorites, permitting identification of interesting specimens that can then be studied in detail by other, more definite techniques. Specifically, TL permits determination of rough terrestrial age, identification of potential paired groups and location of specimens with unusual pre-fall histories. Meteorites with long terrestrial ages are particularly valuable for studying transport and weathering mechanisms. Pairing studies are possible because TL variations among meteorites are large compared to variations within individual objects, especially for natural TL. Available TL data for several L3 fragments, three of which were paired by other techniques, are presented as an example of the use of TL parameters in pairing studies. Additional TL measurements, specifically a blind test, are recommended to satisfactorily establish the reliability of this pairing property. The TL measurements also identify fragments with unusual pre-fall histories, such an near-Sun orbits.

Sutton, S. R.↗

The characteristics of gamma-prime dislocation pairs in a nickel-base superalloy

The gamma-prime dislocation pairs of a single crystal nickel-base superalloy, PWA 1480, after tensile and fatigue loading at 650 C are analyzed. The existence and extent of cube cross slip in octahedral slip, and the nature of gamma-prime dislocation pairs in primary cube slip are investigated. It is observed that the PWA 1480 specimens oriented near (001) and (-3 6 10) line directions deform by octahedral slip and specimens oriented near (-1 1 1) and (-2 3 4) lines deform by primary cube slip. It is determined that the overall dislocation distributions are more homogeneous in low cycle fatigue (LCF) loading than in monotonic tensile loading; however, the gamma-prime dislocation pair characteristics are similar for tensile and LCF test specimens. The data reveal that the gamma-prime dislocation pairs of octahedral slip specimens are near-screw and on the cube cross slip plane and for the cube slip specimens, the dislocation pairs are of various characters and on the primary cube slip plane.

Gabb, T. P.↗

Measurements and calculations of the Coulomb cross section for the production of direct electron pairs by energetic heavy nuclei in nuclear track emulsion

Measurements and theoretical predictions of the Coulomb cross section for the production of direct electron pairs by heavy ions in emulsion have been performed. Nuclear track emulsions were exposed to the 1.8 GeV/amu Fe-56 beam at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory bevalac and to the 60 and 200 GeV/amu O-16 and the 200 GeV/amu S-32 beam at the European Center for Nuclear Research Super Proton Synchrotron modified to accelerate heavy ions. The calculations combine the Weizsacker-Williams virtual quanta method applicable to the low-energy transfers and the Kelner-Kotov relativistic treatment for the high-energy transfers. Comparison of the measured total electron pair yield, the energy transfer distribution, and the emission angle distribution with theoretical predictions revealed a discrepancy in the frequency of occurrence of the low-energy pairs (less than or = 10 MeV). The microscope scanning criteria used to identify the direct electron pairs is described and efforts to improve the calculation of the cross section for pair production are also discussed.

Derrickson, J. H.↗

Probing the tides in interacting galaxy pairs

Detailed spectroscopic and imaging observations of colliding elliptical galaxies revealed unmistakable diagnostic signatures of the tidal interactions. It is possible to compare both the distorted luminosity distributions and the disturbed internal rotation profiles with numerical simulations in order to model the strength of the tidal gravitational field acting within a given pair of galaxies. Using the best-fit numerical model, one can then measure directly the mass of a specific interacting binary system. This technique applies to individual pairs and therefore complements the classical methods of measuring the masses of galaxy pairs in well-defined statistical samples. The 'personalized' modeling of galaxy pairs also permits the derivation of each binary's orbit, spatial orientation, and interaction timescale. Similarly, one can probe the tides in less-detailed observations of disturbed galaxies in order to estimate some of the physical parameters for larger samples of interacting galaxy pairs. These parameters are useful inputs to the more universal problems of (1) the galaxy merger rate, (2) the strength and duration of the driving forces behind tidally stimulated phenomena (e.g., starbursts and maybe quasi steller objects), and (3) the identification of long-lived signatures of interaction/merger events.

Borne, Kirk D.↗

The pulse-pair algorithm as a robust estimator of turbulent weather spectral parameters using airborne pulse Doppler radar

The pulse pair method for spectrum parameter estimation is commonly used in pulse Doppler weather radar signal processing since it is economical to implement and can be shown to be a maximum likelihood estimator. With the use of airborne weather radar for windshear detection, the turbulent weather and strong ground clutter return spectrum differs from that assumed in its derivation, so the performance robustness of the pulse pair technique must be understood. Here, the effect of radar system pulse to pulse phase jitter and signal spectrum skew on the pulse pair algorithm performance is discussed. Phase jitter effect may be significant when the weather return signal to clutter ratio is very low and clutter rejection filtering is attempted. The analysis can be used to develop design specifications for airborne radar system phase stability. It is also shown that the weather return spectrum skew can cause a significant bias in the pulse pair mean windspeed estimates, and that the poly pulse pair algorithm can reduce this bias. It is suggested that use of a spectrum mode estimator may be more appropriate in characterizing the windspeed within a radar range resolution cell for detection of hazardous windspeed gradients.

Baxa, Ernest G., Jr.↗

Dynamical effects of annihilation in pair-dominated winds

The steady, spherically symmetric flow of an ideal fluid dominated by photons and ultrarelativistic electron-positron pairs is analyzed. A new wind equation and a set of critical point conditions are obtained which describe the relativistic flow of an annihilation gas in which the flow velocity exceeds the diffusion velocity of the photons. Numerical results are reported which suggest the possible existence of trapped, pure-pair winds driven by the combined pressure of the pairs and the photons. Most of the annihilation occurs below the critical radius in trapped flows, and a substantial fraction of the total energy of the injected pairs is converted into kinetic energy and radiation. Accurate numerical solutions for the flow velocity and the positron loss rate in optically thin, Newtonian winds are obtained, and a useful approximate analytic relation between the positron loss rate and the flow velocity is derived which suggests that a large number of pairs may survive the annihilation region, ultimately escaping the potential well.

Becker, Peter A.↗

Cross section for production of low-energy electron-positron pairs by relativistic heavy ions

Starting with the lowest-order unscreened QED matrix element for electron-positron pair production by heavy charged particles, the paper calculates the cross section for this process differential in all independent variables and valid for all pair energies small compared to the incident particle energy. Integration over the possible emission angles of one of the pair members gives an expression that is valid for low-energy pairs that can be compared with previous work based on the Weizsaecker-Williams method. Integration over the possible angles of the other pair member then yields an expression identical to one derived by Racah. The high energy-transfer limit of the expression for the cross section integrated over electron and positron angles is found to be identical to that of Kelner in the unscreened case.

Eby, P. B.↗

Pair-density transitions in accretion disk coronae

The thermal and e(+)e(-)-pair equilibrium structure of two-temperature disk coronae above a cool (about 10 exp 6 K) disk around a black hole of 10 solar masses are investigated. Soft photons are assumed to be amply supplied from the cool disk. Two-pair thermal equilibrium points are found for a given proton column density: the low state with very small pair density and the high state dominated by pairs. Both states are thermally unstable, while for perturbations in pair density the high state is unstable and the low state is stable. Two possible scenarios are discussed for the fate of a two-temperature corona. When the proton optical depth is relatively small (e.g., less than 1) and the temperature of input soft photons is low (e.g., less than 10 exp 6 K), the corona will undergo a limit cycle between the high state and the low state on a time scale of milliseconds. As a consequence of Compton scattering of the soft photons, the emergent spectrum in the high state is rather flat with a big Wien bump at about 100 keV, whereas it is composed of a power-law component in the low state. Some observational consequences are briefly discussed in connection with the high-low spectral transition in Cyg X-1.

Kusunose, Masaaki↗

X-ray flares from runaway pair production in active galactic nuclei

The hard X-ray spectrum of AGNs is nonthermal, probably arising from an electron-positron pair cascade, with some emission reflected off relatively cold matter. There has been interest in models on which protons are accelerated and create relativistic electrons on interaction with a local radiation field. It is shown here that a sufficient column density of protons can lead to runaway pair production: photons generated by the relativistic pairs are the targets for the protons to produce more pairs. This can produce X-ray fluxes with the characteristics observed in AGN. The model predicts the maximum ratio of luminosity to source size as well as their spectrum in the early phases. The same mechanism may also be able to create the knots of synchrotron-radiating pair plasma seen in sources such as 3C273.

Kirk, J. G.↗

Pairing statistics for infrared-luminous galaxies

A knowledge of the pairing fraction of IR-selected galaxies is important in understanding the role of interactions in star formation and nuclear activity. It is clear that interactions are extremely common among the most IR-luminous systems, but results have been inconsistent for less luminous systems; this may result from using peculiar morphology as an indicator of an interaction. Since features associated with milder interactions (e.g., tidal tails) tend to be faint, their detection necessarily depends on the depth of the survey used to identify interacting pairs. We present a sample of IR- and optically-selected galaxies for which we have computed pairing fractions using strictly geometrical, quantitative criteria. For the analysis we used a likelihood ratio technique developed by Keel and van Soest (1992). We find that the pairing fraction for IR-selected galaxies is roughly 30 percent, comparable to that found by Keel and van Soest for optically-selected starbursts. We also detect a strong correlation (r above 0.99) between the 60 micron luminosity of a galaxy sample and its pairing fraction. We conclude that although tidal interactions do not guarantee enhanced activity (AGN or starburst), they can amplify internal properties that would feed such activity.

Gallimore, J. F.↗