The NAIAD experiment for WIMP searches at Boulby mine and recent results     

B. Ahmed  G. J. Alner  H. Araujo  J. C. Barton  A. Bewick  M. J. Carson  D. Davidge  J. V. Dawson  T. Gamble  S. P. Hart  R. Hollingworth  A. S. Howard  W. G. Jones  M. K. Joshi  V. A. Kudryavtsev  T. B. Lawson  V. Lebedenko  M. J. Lehner  J. D. Lewin  P. K. Lightfoot  I. Liubarsky  R. Lüscher  J. E. McMillan  B. Morgan  G. Nicklin  S. M. Paling  R. M. Preece  J. J. Quenby  J. W. Roberts  M. Robinson  N. J. T. Smith  P. F. Smith  N. J. C. Spooner  T. J. Sumner  D. R. Tovey 《Astroparticle Physics》2003,19(6):691-702

The NAIAD experiment (NaI Advanced Detector) for weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter searches at Boulby mine (UK) is described. The detector consists of an array of encapsulated and unencapsulated NaI(Tl) crystals with high light yield. Six crystals are collecting data at present. Data accumulated by four of them (10.6 kg × year exposure) have been used to set upper limits on the WIMP–nucleon spin-independent and WIMP–proton spin-dependent cross-sections. Pulse shape analysis has been applied to discriminate between nuclear recoils, as may be caused by WIMP interactions, and electron recoils due to gamma background. Various calibrations of crystals are presented.  相似文献   

X-ray and ultraviolet observations of the dwarf nova VW Hyi in quiescence     

Dirk Pandel  France A. Córdova  Steve B. Howell 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2003,346(4):1231-1241

We present an analysis of X-ray and ultraviolet (UV) data of the dwarf nova VW Hyi that were obtained with XMM–Newton during the quiescent state. The X-ray spectrum indicates the presence of an optically thin plasma in the boundary layer that cools as it settles on to the white dwarf. The plasma has a continuous temperature distribution that is well described by a power law or a cooling flow model with a maximum temperature of 6–8 keV. We estimate from the X-ray spectrum a boundary layer luminosity of  8 × 10³⁰ erg s^-1  , which is only 20 per cent of the disc luminosity. The rate of accretion on to the white dwarf is  5 × 10⁻¹² M_⊙ yr⁻¹  , about half of the rate in the disc. From the high-resolution X-ray spectra, we estimate that the X-ray emitting part of the boundary layer is rotating with a velocity of 540 km s⁻¹, which is close to the rotation velocity of the white dwarf but is significantly smaller than the Keplerian velocity. We detect a 60-s quasi-periodic oscillation of the X-ray flux, which is likely to be due to the rotation of the boundary layer. The X-ray and the UV flux show strong variability on a time-scale of ∼1500 s. We find that the variability in the two bands is correlated and that the X-ray fluctuations are delayed by ∼100 s. The correlation indicates that the variable UV flux is emitted near the transition region between the disc and the boundary layer and that accretion rate fluctuations in this region are propagated to the X-ray emitting part of the boundary layer within ∼100 s. An orbital modulation of the X-ray flux suggests that the inner accretion disc is tilted with respect to the orbital plane. The elemental abundances in the boundary layer are close to their solar values.  相似文献   

Dust-enshrouded super star-clusters     

Marc Sauvage  Stéphanie Plante 《Astrophysics and Space Science》2003,284(2):941-944

With the advent of either sensitive space-born infrared cameras, or their high-resolution ground-based siblings, we are uncovering a new category of star clusters: the dust-enshrouded super-star clusters. These manifest themselves only beyond a few microns, as their shroud of dust is able to block all light emitted by the stars themselves. Here we present our results on the spectacular cluster in SBS 0335-052, a very metal-poor galaxy. We also point to the growing number of galaxy analogs to SBS 0335-052, revealing the possibility that these clusters signal a major mode of star formation in starbursts. We conclude by listing a number of open points these clusters raise, in particular with respect to high-redshift counterparts. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.  相似文献   

Middle-ear stiffness of the bottlenose dolphin tursiops truncatus     

Miller  B.S. Zosuls  A.L. Ketten  D.R. Mountain  D.C. 《Oceanic Engineering, IEEE Journal of》2006,31(1):87-94

Previous research on the cetacean auditory system has consisted mostly of behavioral studies on a limited number of species. Little quantitative physiologic data exists on cetacean hearing. The frequency range of hearing varies greatly across different mammalian species. Differences among species correlate with differences in the middle-ear transfer function. Middle-ear transfer functions depend on the mechanical stiffness of the middle ear and the cochlear input impedance. The purpose of this study was to measure the middle-ear stiffness for the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), a species specialized for underwater high-frequency hearing and echolocation. Middle-ear stiffness was measured with a force probe that applied a known displacement to the stapes and measured the restoring force. The average middle-ear stiffness in ten dolphin ears was 1.37 N//spl mu/m, which is considerably higher than that reported for most terrestrial mammals. The relationship between middle-ear stiffness and low-frequency hearing cutoff in Tursiops was shown to be comparable to that of terrestrial mammals.  相似文献   

Long-Period Variations of the Eccentricity Vector Valid also for Near Circular Orbits around a Non-Spherical Body     

Florent Deleflie  Gilles Métris  Pierre Exertier 《Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy》2006,94(1):83-104

This paper studies the long period variations of the eccentricity vector of the orbit of an artificial satellite, under the influence of the gravity field of a central body. We use modified orbital elements which are non-singular at zero eccentricity. We expand the long periodic part of the corresponding Lagrange equations as power series of the eccentricity. The coefficients characterizing the differential system depend on the zonal coefficients of the geopotential, and on initial semi-major axis, inclination, and eccentricity. The differential equations for the components of the eccentricity vector are then integrated analytically, with a definition of the period of the perigee based on the notion of “free eccentricity”, and which is also valid for circular orbits. The analytical solution is compared to a numerical integration. This study is a generalization of (Cook, Planet. Space Sci., 14, 1966): first, the coefficients involved in the differential equations depend on all zonal coefficients (and not only on the very first ones); second, our method applies to nearly circular orbits as well as to not too eccentric orbits. Except for the critical inclination, our solution is valid for all kinds of long period motions of the perigee, i.e., circulations or librations around an equilibrium point.  相似文献   

Effect of signal contamination in matched-filter detection of the signal on a cluttered background     

Theiler  J. Foy  B.R. 《Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, IEEE》2006,3(1):98-102

To derive a matched filter for detecting a weak target signal in a hyperspectral image, an estimate of the band-to-band covariance of the target-free background scene is required. We investigate the effects of including some of the target signal in the background scene. Although the covariance is contaminated by the presence of a target signal (there is increased variance in the direction of the target signature), we find that the matched filter is not necessarily affected. In fact, if the variation in plume strength is strictly uncorrelated with the variation in background spectra, the matched filter and its signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR) performance will not be impaired. While there is little a priori reason to expect significant correlation between the plume and the background, there usually is some residual correlation, and this correlation leads to a suppressing effect that limits the SCR obtainable even for strong plumes. These effects are described and quantified analytically, and the crucial role of this correlation is illustrated with some numerical examples using simulated plumes superimposed on real hyperspectral imagery. In one example, we observe an order-of-magnitude loss in SCR for a matched filter based on the contaminated covariance.  相似文献   

The 2dF QSO Redshift Survey – XII. The spectroscopic catalogue and luminosity function     

S. M. Croom  R. J. Smith  B. J. Boyle  T. Shanks  L. Miller  P. J. Outram  N. S. Loaring 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2004,349(4):1397-1418

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Radiation exposure and Mission Strategies for Interplanetary Manned Missions (REMSIM)   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

C. Cougnet  N. B. Crosby  S. Eckersley  C. Foullon  V. Guarnieri  S. Guatelli  D. Heynderickx  A. Holmes-Siedle  C. Lobascio  S. Masiello  P. Nieminen  G. Parisi  P. Parodi  M. A. Perino  M. G. Pia  R. Rampini  P. Spillantini  V. Tamburini  E. Tracino 《Earth, Moon, and Planets》2004,94(3-4):279-285

Cosmic radiation is an important problem for human interplanetary missions. The “Radiation Exposure and Mission Strategies for Interplanetary Manned Missions–REMSIM” study is summarised here. They are related to current strategies and countermeasures to ensure the protection of astronauts from radiation during interplanetary missions, with specific reference to: radiation environment and its variability; radiation effects on the crew; transfer trajectories and associated fluences; vehicle and surface habitat concepts; passive and active shielding concepts; space weather monitoring and warning systems.  相似文献   

On The Concept Of Periapsis In Hill’s Problem     

B.F. Villac  D.J. Scheeres 《Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy》2004,90(1-2):165-178

The concept of closest approach is analyzed in Hill’s problem, resulting in a partitioning of the position space. The different behavior between the direct and retrograde motion is explained analytically, resulting in a simple estimate of the variation of Hill’s periodic and quasi-circular orbits as a function of the Jacobi constant. The local behavior of the orbits on the zero velocity surfaces and an analytical definition of local escape and capture in Hill’s problem are also given.  相似文献   

Optical monitoring of the quasar 4C 38.41     

B. Peng  J. Wu  X. Zhou 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2003,346(2):483-488

The results of a photometric monitoring of the quasar 4C 38.41, performed at the optical R and B bands in 2002 February–March, are presented. With a 60/90 cm Schmidt telescope at the Xinglong station of the National Astronomical Observatories of China, we observed the source exhibiting amplitude variations of up to 0.78 mag in both bands during the whole campaign. Intraday and even intranight variations are detected as well. A typical variability time-scale of about 36 d is derived from our 2-month observations at the optical bands, which is identical to that found at a radio wavelength of 92 cm, suggesting a common origin for the variations in 4C 38.41 from optical to radio bands.  相似文献