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Evaluation of the best mission performance of a 'photon sail' system using an impinging laser beam. The results of calculations of nondimensional time history of distance, velocity, and acceleration for propulsion by laser beam reflection are presented. These calculations show that propulsion by impinging laser beams is not competitive with advanced onboard propulsion concepts for missions in the solar system.
A magnetic spectrometer and lead-plate spark chamber have been used to measure separate primary cosmic-ray electrons and positrons up to 50 GeV. Separation of these particles from the background was accomplished with a new technique combining both selective trigger and observation, in the lead-plate chamber, of bremsstrahlung photons that were created in a thin radiator placed above the spectrometer. The results of efficiency and rejection calibrations with accelerator tests and Monte Carlo calculations are presented, as well as preliminary data from a balloon-flight exposure of the apparatus.
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.
Ultrahigh-energy gamma-ray emission with photon energies up to 20 PeV has been detected from the galactic X-ray source Cygnus X-3, implying acceleration of charged particles to even greater energies. A model for acceleration of particles to such energies in a binary containing an accreting neutron star with a magnetic field of about 100 MG is presented. The acceleration occurs in an accretion disk surrounding the neutron star, by an unipolar-inductor mechanism.
We study the properties of coupled partial differential equations describing the time-dependent behavior of the photon and electron occupation numbers for conditions likely to be found near active galactic nuclei (AGN). The processes governing electron acceleration are modeled by a stochastic accelerator, and we include acceleration by Alfvenic and whistler turbulence. The acceleration of electrons is limited by Compton and synchrotron losses, and the number density of electrons depends on pair production and annihilation processes. We also treat particle escape from the system. We examine the steady, (possibly) oscillatory, and unstable solutions that arise for various choices of parameters. We examine instabilities related to pair production and trapping and consider the formation of pair jets.
Using a 3-D relativistic particle-in-cell (RPIC) code, we have investigated particle acceleration associated with a relativistic electron-positron (cold) jet propagating into ambient electron-positron and electron-ion plasmas without initial magnetic fields in order to investigate the nonlinear stage of the Weibel instability. We have also performed simulations with broad Lorentz factor distribution of jet electrons and positrons, which are assumed to be created by the photon annihilation. The growth time and nonlinear saturation levels depend on the initial jet parallel velocity distributions and ambient plasma. Simulations show that the Weibel instability created in the collisionless shocks accelerates jet and ambient particles both perpendicular and parallel to the jet propagation direction. The nonlinear fluctuation amplitude of densities, currents, electric, and magnetic fields in the electron-ion ambient plasma are larger than those in the electron-positron ambient plasma. We have shown that plasma instabilities driven by these streaming electron-positron pairs are responsible for the excitation of near-equipartition, turbulent magnetic fields. These fields maintain a strong saturated level on timescales much longer than the electron skin depth at least for the duration of the simulations. Our results reveal the importance of the electromagnetic filamentation instability in ensuring an effective coupling between electron-positron pairs and ions, and may help explain the origin of large upstream fields in GRB shock.
We present an analysis of the X-ray spectrum of the Galactic shell-type SNR G347.3-0.5 (RX 51713.7-3946). This SNR is a member of a growing class of SNRs which are dynamically young, shell-type sources that emit non-thermal X-rays from specific regions on their outer shells. By performing a joint spectral analysis of data from observations made of G347.3-0.5 using the ROSAT PSPC, the ASCA GIS and the RXTE PCA, we have fit the spectra of particular regions of this SNR (including the bright northwestern and southwestern rims, the northeast rim and the interior diffuse emission) over the approximate energy range of 0.5 through 30 keV. We find that fits to the spectra of this SNR over this energy range using the SRCUT model were superior to a simple power law model or the SRESC model. We find that the inclusion of a thermal model with the SRCUT model helps to improve the fit to the observed X-ray spectrum: this represents the first detection of thermal X-ray emission from G347.3-0.5. Thermal emission appears to be more clearly associated with the diffuse emission in the interior of the SNR than with the bright X-ray emitting rims. A weak emission feature seen near 6.4 keV in the RXTE PCA spectrum most likely originates from diffuse X-ray emission from the surrounding Galactic Ridge rather than from G347.3-0.5 itself. We have analyzed our RXTE PCA data to search for pulsations from a recently discovered radio pulsar (PSR 51713-3949) which may be associated with G347.3-0.5, and we do not detect any X-ray pulsations at the measured radio period of 392 ms. Using the best-fit parameters obtained from the SRCUT model, we estimate the maximum energy of cosmic-ray electrons accelerated by the rims of G347.3-0.5 to be 19-25 TeV (assuming a magnetic field strength of B = 10muG), consistent with the results of Ellison et al. We present a broadband (radio to gamma ray) photon energy-flux spectrum for the northwestern rim of G347.3-0.5, where we have fit the spectrum using a more sophisticated synchrotron-inverse Compton model with a variable magnetic field strength. Our fit derived from this model yields a maximum energy of only 8.8 (+4.1) (-3.4) TeV for the accelerated cosmic-ray electrons and a much greater magnetic field strength of 150 (+250) (-80). Finally, we compare the gross properties of G347.3-0.5 with other SNRs known to possess X-ray spectra dominated by non-thermal emission.
CCD imaging arrays were evaluated for a photon counting astronomical sensor. Results show noise corresponding to less than 100 rms electrons and gains of approximately 1000 at 10kV accelerating voltage (greater than 5000 at 25kV). Measured charge transfer efficiencies are in excess of 0.9999, signal saturation levels are as high as 990000 electrons per pixel and peak quantum efficiencies are greater than 75%. Successful proximity focussed intensified charge coupled devices (ICCD) have been fabricated, although problems still exist with contamination and possible structural failures in the CCD's during tube manufacture.
Several mechanisms for the primary release of energy in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) may result in the excitation of relativistic, magnetospheric plasma oscillations above the polar cap of a neutron star. This paper presents a survey of detailed calculations of the inverse Compton scattering interaction between the sinusoidally accelerated particles in relativistic, magnetospheric plasma oscillations and the self-consistently determined thermal radiation from the stellar surface. The upscattered photons are boosted to gamma-ray energies and a Monte Carlo simulation is used to obtain the spectrum for different viewing angles relative to the magnetic field in the oscillating region. It is shown that several GRB spectral characteristics may be understood in the context of a model wherein the overall spectrum changes with aspect angle as a result of the superposition of four components with different angular distributions.
We describe a new imager suitable for measurements of magnetospheric neutrals with energies from about 100 eV to about 10 keV; an energy range adequate for imaging the plasmasheet neutral atoms out to about 10 R(E). The instrument, an outgrowth of a study of atom-surface collisions in support of satellite drag calculations, separates incident photons from neutral atoms by surface scattering and conversion of the neutrals to ions. Subsequently, the ions formed on the first surface are accelerated through a light rejection section which also disperses the ions according to energy. The dispersed ion beam is then allowed to impact a second surface where a start pulse is generated to obtain ion velocity and energy/charge. The second surface is chosen to give large secondary electron emission without regard to charge state of the particles reflected from it. The data supporting the proposed ILENA design is presented in the first part of the paper.
The discovery of a large number of gamma-emitting active galactic nuclei (AGNs) by the EGRET instrument on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) has spawned a lot of theoretical interest in the high-energy and multifrequency emission from these objects. Since most of them show evidence for relativistic outflow, jet models have received most of the attention so far. However, the presence of soft photons at the center of the active nucleus and the resulting Compton drag make it difficult to produce the observed amount of MeV/GeV emission. We explore hot, two-temperature accretion disks around Kerr black holes as an alternative to relativistic beam models for the production of the high-enerty emission. The decay of neutral pions created in the hot region produces photons with energies up to several hundred MeV. Relativistic pairs created as a result of charged pion decays produce additional inverse-Compton radiation in the range of approx. 1 keV-4 MeV if the pairs are exposed to UV radiation, or in the range of approx. 40 keV-150 MeV if the pairs are exposed to soft X-rays. This suggests that high-energy flares in AGNs may be triggered by changes in the disk structure (such as phase transitions or the development of electron scattering coronae) that temporarily shield the hot inner region from UV photons emitted at larger radii, thereby reducing the optical depth for MeV/GeV gamma-rays. Stochastic processes may also play a role in accelerating the utrarelativistic electrons responsible for producing the highest energy (GeV) emission.
We studied the X-ray emission in a sample of clusters using the BeppoSAX PDS instrument in the 20 -- 80 keV energy band. We estimated the non-thermal cluster emission (HXR) by modeling the thermal contribution from the cluster gas and the non-thermal contamination from the AGN in the field, and propagating the corresponding uncertainties. We also evaluated and propagated the systematic uncertainties due to the background fluctuations. The resulting non-thermal component is detected at a sigma level in approx. 50 % of the non-significantly AGN-contaminated clusters, i.e. in clusters A2142, A2256, A3376, Coma, Ophiuchus and Virgo. Furthermore, Virgo is detected at a 4 sigma level. All the clusters detected at a 2 sigma level exhibit some degree of merger signatures, i.e. deviations from the azimuthally symmetric brightness and temperature distributions, while the relaxed clusters are detected at a lower confidence. The data are consistent with a scenario whereby relaxed clusters have no non-thermal hard X-ray component, whereas merger clusters do, with a 20 -- 80 keV luminosity of approx. 10(exp 42-44)((h(sub 50))(exp -2))(erg/s). Consistent with merger boosting of cluster temperatures, the non-thermal luminosity increases by 2-3 orders of magnitude between the average cluster temperatures 2 and 10 keV, as L(sub NTE) is proportional to T(sup j) with j = 2.4+/-0.3. These results corroborate the assumption which is the essential element in most non-thermal hard X-ray emission models. The co-added spectrum of all non-significantly AGN-contaminated clusters indicates a power-law spectrum for the non-thermal component with a photon index of 1.5+/-0.25 at 1 sigma confidence level. Unless there is a high energy cut-off in the electron velocity distribution, the total spectrum implies that Inverse Compton scatter of Cosmic Microwave Background photons from electron population dominates over the non-thermal bremsstrahlung in producing hard X-rays in clusters on the merger shock acceleration of electrons in clusters.
Particles from the Sun at energies above approx. 1 MeV/nucleon have been studied in space for over 35 years. There have been major advances in instrumentation for studying elemental and isotopic composition, kinetic energy, charge states, time intensity histories, and anisotropies of energetic particles. There have also been extensive improvements in the observations of solar phenomena, including radio bursts, Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), and solar photons from soft X-ray to gamma-ray energies. Despite these advances, there is a lack of agreement as to the acceleration processes responsible for the particles seen in space shortly after the solar event. In particular, the relative importance of solar flares and CME-driven shocks is disputed for events of moderate to larger size. The reasons for this will be reviewed, and the prospects for resolving this issue will be evaluated.
The Earth is constantly bombarded from outer space by energetic particles. Where and how these "cosmic rays" are produced is poorly understood, with various particle types and energies likely originating from different sources. Particularly mysterious is the source of high-energy e+/- produced in our Galaxy, especially those responsible for both the high fraction of e+ in the GeV cosmic ray lepton spectrum and the e+/- and observed excess of microwaves and gamma-rays detected towards the Galactic center and bulge. While these particles could be evidence for exotic forms of dark matter, they might also be produced by "normal" astrophysical sources such as pulsars the strongly magnetized, rapidly rotating neutron stars whose rotational energy powers an ultra-relativistic outflow (commonly referred to as a "pulsar wind") whose interaction with the surrounding medium creates a pulsar wind nebula .While the detection of TeV emission from numerous PWNe strongly suggest they contain e+/- with PeV or higher energies, how and to what energies these particles are produced is unknown, let alone their dependence on the properties of the pulsar, pulsar wind, and surrounding medium. A major reason for this uncertainty is the lack of information concerning their MeV properties, since the synchrotron emission from the highest energy e+/- peaks in this waveband. Only by combining the MeV spectrum of PWNe measured by proposed missions with that obtained at lower (primarily radio and X-ray) and higher (TeV) photon energies by current and hopefully future facilities is it possible to measure the full spectrum of e+/- in these sources. The resultant insights into the underlying acceleration mechanism would significantly impact many areas of astrophysics from indirect searches for dark matter to the origin of cosmic rays to the physics of relativistic outflows observed from active galactic nuclei, gamma-ray bursts, and some gravitational wave events.
Design studies of large high resolution gamma-ray spectrometer systems employing multiple sensors are greatly facilitated by the use of computer simulation techniques. A study has been made by interfacing a detector geometry code with the EGS-3 version of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Monte-Carlo Code which has been modified to run on our VAX computer. The detector responses have been simulated for input photons with energies between 0.1 and 10 MeV. Examples are given to illustrate the performance of complex sensor arrays with different configurations of the anticoincidence system. Of particular interest is a design composed of an array of 7 detector elements each consisting of a thin planar Ge (1 cm thick) detector mounted in front of and in tandem with a large coaxial Ge detector.
We propose a new class of galactic discrete gamma-ray sources, the chaotic, high mass-loss-rate winds from luminous early-type stars. Early-type stellar winds are highly unstable due to intrinsic line-driven instabilities, and so are permeated by numerous strong shocks. These shocks can accelerate a small fraction of thermal electrons and ions to relativistic energies via the first-order Fermi mechanism. A power-law-like photon spectrum extending from keV to above 10 MeV energies is produced by inverse Compton scattering of the extremely abundant stellar UV photons by the relativistic electrons. In addition, a typical pi(sup 0)-decay gamma-ray spectrum is generated by proton-ion interactions in the densest part of the winds.
This paper presents and analyzes images of the Jovian aurora gathered by the Hubble Space Telescope Faint Object Camera (FOC) and the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) to determine the function of energetic heavy ion precipitation in the inner magnetosphere and electron acceleration in the outer magnetosphere. Hubble data includes hydrogen auroral spectra and reduced images of Jupiter's north and south poles. One important result is that acceleration of electrons may be largely responsible for the discrete auroral emission features seen in the data set. ROSAT PSPC data presented includes a photon energy spectrum. A two line emission model is shown to produce the best fit to the data. The production of these emission lines occurs as a result of recombination lines that are produced from the slowing of the energetic ion beam as it enters the Jupiter upper atmosphere. It is noted that the observed energetic ion precipitation does not contain sufficient power to explain the observed ultraviolet aurora; it is therefore concluded that both electrons and ions play a role in the Jupiter auroral emissions, but that the bulk of the ultraviolet emissions comes from electron processes.
The Advanced Thin Ionization Calorimeter (ATIC) balloon borne ionization calorimeter is well suited to record and identify high energy cosmic ray electrons, and at very high energies gamma-ray photons as well. We have simulated the performance of the instrument, and compare the simulations with actual high energy electron exposures at the CERN accelerator. Simulations and measurements do not compare exactly, in detail, but overall the simulations have predicted actual measured behavior quite well. ATIC has had its first 16 day balloon flight at the turn of the year over Antarctica, and first results obtained using the analysis methods derived from simulations and calibrations will be reported.