CLAIRE: First light for a gamma-ray lens     

Peter von Ballmoos  Hubert Halloin  Jean Evrard  Gerry Skinner  Nikolai Abrosimov  Jose Alvarez  Pierre Bastie  Bernard Hamelin  Margarida Hernanz  Pierre Jean  Jürgen Knödlseder  Bob Smither 《Experimental Astronomy》2005,20(1-3):253-267

The objective of the R&D project CLAIRE was to prove the principle of a gamma-ray lens for nuclear astrophysics. CLAIRE's Laue diffraction lens has a diameter of 45 cm and a focal length of 277 cm; 556 germanium-silicon crystals are tuned to focus 170 keV photons onto a 1.5 cm diameter focal spot. Laboratory measurements of the individual crystals and the entire lens have been used to validate a numerical model that we use to estimate the lens performance for a source at infinity. During a stratospheric balloon flight on 2001 June 14, CLAIRE was directed at the Crab nebula by a pointing system able to stabilize the lens to within a few arcseconds of the target. In 72 min of valid pointing time, 33 photons from the Crab were detected in the 3 keV bandpass of the lens: CLAIRE's first light! The performance of CLAIRE's gamma-ray lens, namely the peak reflectivity for a polychromatic source (9±1%), has been confirmed by ground data obtained on a 205 meter long test range. CLAIRE's measured performance validates the principle of a Laue lens for nuclear astrophysics, opening the way for a space-borne gamma-ray lens telescope that will achieve one to two orders of magnitude improvement in sensitivity over present technologies.  相似文献   

Gas sorption and transport in coals: A poroelastic medium approach     

Jun Yi  I.Yücel Akkutlu  C.Özgen Karacan  C.R. Clarkson 《International Journal of Coal Geology》2009,77(1-2):137-144

In this paper, single-component gas sorption and transient diffusion processes are described within coal matrix exhibiting bimodal pore structure. The coal matrix is treated as a poroelastic medium manifesting swelling and shrinkage effects due to the sorption of gas under effective overburden stress. Gas transport is considered Fickian with molecular (bulk) and surface diffusion processes simultaneously taking place in the macro- and micropores of coal, respectively. The numerical formulation is intended to be explicit in nature to investigate the influences of sorption phenomena on the macropore volumes and on the overall gas transport for the cases of gas uptake by and release from coal.Results of the study show the presence of hysteresis during a sorption–desorption cycle of the gas. It is also found that the overall gas transport takes place at a rate significantly less than that in the macropores only. Thus the existence of a retardation effect in the overall gas transport is concluded. This retardation effect is primarily due to the micropore resistances, in particular gas adsorption, and is independent of the changes in the macropore volumes. It is shown that macroporosity of the coal matrix may change during gas transport due to combined effects of pressure and sorption-induced swelling or shrinkage of the coal. It is estimated that the macroporosity variation is non-uniform in space and time, as it is expected in reality, and typically taking values less than ± 10 percent of the initial porosity.  相似文献   

Ore and Alteration Types of the Gold and Copper Mineralization in the Lascogon Project, Surigao del Norte, Mindanao Island, Philippines     

Jonelle Nikolai Crisostomo    Jeddalyn Parian    Daizo Ishiyama    Redempta Baluda    Sonia Eguia    Jocelyn Galapon    Gerry Comia    Jessie Segura    Maureen Laroco    Noel Oliveros  Victor B. Maglambayan 《Resource Geology》2007,57(2):241-247

Two ore and three alteration types were identified in the Lascogon Project of Philex Gold Philippines, in Surigao del Norte, Mindanao Island, Philippines. The jasperoid ore is the host to the Carlin‐like gold mineralization in the Lascogon and Danao prospects. The ore occurs in a decalcified and silicified horizon, with minor chlorite and goethite, stibnite, pyrite and quartz crystals ranging from cryptocrystalline to botryoidal. The stringer–stockwork type Cu‐Au mineralization in the Suyoc prospect is hosted in argillized andesitic rocks of the Mabuhay Formation. The primary ore minerals are chalcopyrite with minor amounts of sphalerite. The alteration types identified are propylitic alteration, argillic alteration and silicification. The propylitized basaltic and andesitic flows of the Bacuag Formation bound the jasperoid mineralization in the Lascogon prospect. Stratigraphically, the relationship between propylitized basalts and stringer–stockwork Cu‐Au is not clear but a lateral change can be inferred from jasperoid in the center and stringer–stockwork towards the east.  相似文献   

High diffraction efficiency, broadband, diffraction crystals for use in crystal diffraction lenses     

Robert K. Smither  Khaliefeh Abu Saleem  Dante E. Roa  Mark A. Beno  Peter Von Ballmoos  Gerry K. Skinner 《Experimental Astronomy》2005,20(1-3):201-210

A major goal of the MAX program is to detect and measure gamma rays produced following the nuclear reactions that take place in a supernova explosion. To detect a reasonable number of supernovae, sensitivities of the order of a few times 10-7 γ cm-2sec-1 are needed – much better than possible with current instruments. The approach in the MAX program is to use a crystal diffraction lens to collect photons over a large area and concentrate them on a small well-shielded detector, greatly improving the signal to noise ratio. The crystals need to have both high diffraction efficiency and a relatively broad energy bandwidth. With mosaic crystals there is a trade-off between bandwidth and diffraction efficiency – one can have either high efficiency or large bandwidth, but not both without losing too much intensity through atomic absorption. A recent breakthrough in our understanding of crystal diffraction for high-energy gamma rays has made it possible to develop crystals that have both high diffraction efficiency and a relatively broad energy bandwidth. These crystals have near perfect crystal structure, but the crystalline planes are slightly curved. Such curved planes can be obtained in 3 different ways, by using mixed crystals with a composition gradient, by applying a thermal gradient, and by mechanically bending a near perfect crystal. A series of experiments have been performed on all three types of crystals using high-energy x-ray beams from the Advanced Photon Source at the Argonne National Laboratory. Experiments performed at 3 energies, 93 keV, 123 keV and 153 keV, with both the thermal gradient Si crystals and with the mechanically bent Si crystals, demonstrated that one can achieve diffraction efficiencies approaching 100% with moderate energy bandwidths (ΔE/E = 1.4%) and low atomic absorption (transmission = 0.65), in excellent agreement with theory. The use of this type of diffraction crystal is expected to increase the sensitivity of gamma ray telescopes by a factor of 5 over that possible with normal mosaic crystals.  相似文献   

Hydrochemical processes in ground water-discharge playas,Central Australia     

Jerzy Jankowski  Gerry Jacobson 《水文研究》1990,4(1):59-70

A large groundwater system in the Amadeus Basin, central Australia, discharges to a chain of playa lakes 500 km long. The playas contain highly concentrated brines; these are sodium-chloride rich waters with appreciable magnesium and sulphate and very low concentrations of calcium and bicarbonate. Gypsum, glauberite, and other evaporite minerals are precipitating in the playas. The groundwaters evolve to brine by concurrent processes of dissolution, evaporative concentration, mineral precipitation, and mineralogical change. Chemical evolution is considered with reference to a concentration factor based on chloride. Ion transfer calculations demonstrate losses of magnesium and bicarbonate throughout, as a result of precipitation. Sodium, potassium, calcium, and sulphate are gained initially as a result of dissolution but lost subsequently as a result of precipitation. Larger playas in the chain, exemplified by Lake Amadeus, have dual shallow and deep groundwater flow paths whereas the smaller playas, exemplified by Spring Lake, have only shallow flow paths. Brines in the larger playas are diluted by deep groundwaters and this is reflected in the degree of saturation attained with respect to particular minerals. Thus, saturation with respect to gypsum and glauberite is attained earlier in Spring Lake than in Lake Amadeus. Saturation with respect to halite is attained in Spring Lake but not in Lake Amadeus. Both playas are undersaturated with respect to hexahydrite and sylvite although these minerals occur in efflorescent crusts in Spring Lake.  相似文献   

Life, the universe and everything, with GAIA     

Gerry Gilmore 《Astronomy& Geophysics》2001,42(5):5.12-5.19

Great things are expected of the GAIA Observatory, currently expected to launch in 2011. Gerry Gilmore explains how it will provide accurate measurements that will help us understand the formation of the Milky Way and the distribution of dark matter.
The GAIA Observatory, ESA's Cornerstone 6 mission, addresses the origin and evolution of our galaxy, and a host of other scientific challenges. GAIA will provide unprecedented positional and radial velocity measurements with the accuracies needed to produce a stereoscopic and kinematic census of about one billion stars in our galaxy and throughout the Local Group, about 1% of the galactic stellar population. Combined with astrophysical information for each star, provided by on-board multicolour photometry, these data will have the precision and depth necessary to address the three key questions which underlie the GAIA science case: l when did the stars in the Milky Way form? l when and how was the Milky Way assembled? l what is the distribution of dark matter in our galaxy? The accurate stellar data acquired for this purpose will also have an enormous impact on all areas of stellar astrophysics, including luminosity calibrations, structural studies, and the cosmic distance scale. Additional scientific products include detection and orbital classification of tens of thousands of extrasolar planetary systems, a comprehensive survey of objects ranging from huge numbers of minor bodies in our solar system, including near-Earth objects, through galaxies in the nearby universe, to some 500 000 distant quasars. GAIA will also provide several stringent new tests of general relativity and cosmology.  相似文献   

Spherical cap harmonic analysis applied to the Scandinavian geomagnetic field 1985.0     

Heikki Nevanlinna  Joumi Rynö  Gerry V. Haines  Kjell Borg 《Ocean Dynamics》1988,41(3-6):177-186

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The thermal regime of the San Juan basin since late cretaceous times and its relationship to San Juan mountains thermal sources     

Gerry Clarkson  Marshall Reiter 《Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research》1987,31(3-4)

Heat-flow and coal-maturation data suggest that the thermal history of the San Juan Basin has been influenced by magmatic and volcanic activity in the San Juan Mountains-San Juan volcanic field located to the north of the Basin. Time-dependent isothermal step models indicate that the observed heat flow may be modelled by a (near) steadystate isothermal step extending from 30–98 km depth whose edge underlies the northern San Juan Basin. The observed maturation levels of the Fruitland formation coals in the northern and central Basin, however, require more heat than can be associated with conduction from a deep thermal source (steady-state step) and from the shallow crustal batholith which underlies the San Juan volcanic field. Magmatic activity within the Basin does not appear to be a reasonable source of additional heat. Increased burial depths of the coals may explain some of the elevated maturation levels observed in the central and northern Basin, but it seems likely that an additional source of heat is still required. Heat advection by groundwater movement may have influenced the coal maturation levels in the Basin as well. Both magmatic activity associated with the emplacement of the San Juan batholith and elevated geothermal gradients associated with the steady-state thermal source at depth may have contributed to heating of the groundwater. An appreciation of heat advection by groundwater flow may therefore be most important to understanding regional patterns of heat flow and hydrocarbon maturation.  相似文献   

An Ising model approach to the behavior of the Earth's magnetic field: A progress report     

Kenneth L. Verosub  Elbridge Gerry Puckett  Igor Aleninov  David J. Barsky  Janko Gravnor  Jeremy Quastel 《Surveys in Geophysics》1996,17(2):225-228

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Anthropic aggradation of the Waiho River,Westland, New Zealand: microscale modelling     

Timothy R. H. Davies  Mauri J. McSaveney  Paul J. Clarkson 《地球表面变化过程与地形》2003,28(2):209-218

Long‐term aggradation of the Waiho River, South Westland, New Zealand, has now raised the head of its alluvial fan to unprecedented elevations. In its natural state the river would, like all other major rivers in the area, be somewhat incised into its fanhead. The only relevant factor able to account for the aggradation is the presence of control banks (‘stopbanks’ in local parlance) that restrict the ability of the river to move over the whole of its natural fanhead. A 1 : 3333 scale physical hydraulic model (a ‘microscale’ model) was used to study this situation. An alluvial fan was generated in the model and allowed to develop to equilibrium with steady inputs of water and sediment within boundaries geometrically similar to those of the natural unrestricted Waiho River. The boundaries were then altered to represent the presence of the stopbanks, and the fan allowed to continue evolving under the same water and sediment inputs. The model fanhead aggraded in a spatial pattern similar to that recorded on the Waiho. Taking into consideration the limitations of microscale modelling, these results indicate that the aggradation in the Waiho is a result of the lateral restriction of the river by stopbanks. This poses fundamental questions about the variables that control the behaviour of alluvial fans. The results also suggest that microscale modelling can be used to make reliable quantitative predictions of the effects of engineering works on rivers, in spite of the low level of dynamic similarity with the prototype compared to that in larger‐scale models. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献