Background simulations for the Large Area Detector onboard LOFT     

Riccardo Campana  Marco Feroci  Ettore Del Monte  Teresa Mineo  Niels Lund  George W. Fraser 《Experimental Astronomy》2013,36(3):451-477

The Large Observatory For X-ray Timing (LOFT), currently in an assessment phase in the framework the ESA M3 Cosmic Vision programme, is an innovative medium-class mission specifically designed to answer fundamental questions about the behaviour of matter, in the very strong gravitational and magnetic fields around compact objects and in supranuclear density conditions. Having an effective area of ～10 m² at 8 keV, LOFT will be able to measure with high sensitivity very fast variability in the X-ray fluxes and spectra. A good knowledge of the in-orbit background environment is essential to assess the scientific performance of the mission and optimize the design of its main instrument, the Large Area Detector (LAD). In this paper the results of an extensive Geant-4 simulation of the instrumentwillbe discussed, showing the main contributions to the background and the design solutions for its reduction and control. Our results show that the current LOFT/LAD design is expected to meet its scientific requirement of a background rate equivalent to 10 mCrab in 2?30 keV, achieving about 5 mCrab in the most important 2–10 keV energy band. Moreover, simulations show an anticipated modulation of the background rate as small as 10 % over the orbital timescale. The intrinsic photonic origin of the largest background component also allows for an efficient modelling, supported by an in-flight active monitoring, allowing to predict systematic residuals significantly better than the requirement of 1 %, and actually meeting the 0.25 % science goal.  相似文献   

Volcanic tremor and local earthquakes at Copahue volcanic complex, Southern Andes, Argentina     

J.M. Ibez  E. Del Pezzo  C. Bengoa  A. Caselli  G. Badi  J. Almendros 《Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research》2008,174(4):284-294

  相似文献   

Simulations of the 2004 lava flow at Etna volcano using the magflow cellular automata model     

Ciro Del Negro  Luigi Fortuna  Alexis Herault  Annamaria Vicari 《Bulletin of Volcanology》2008,70(7):805-812

Since the mechanical properties of lava change over time, lava flows represent a challenge for physically based modeling. This change is ruled by a temperature field which needs to be modeled. MAGFLOW Cellular Automata (CA) model was developed for physically based simulations of lava flows in near real-time. We introduced an algorithm based on the Monte Carlo approach to solve the anisotropic problem. As transition rule of CA, a steady-state solution of Navier-Stokes equations was adopted in the case of isothermal laminar pressure-driven Bingham fluid. For the cooling mechanism, we consider only the radiative heat loss from the surface of the flow and the change of the temperature due to mixture of lavas between cells with different temperatures. The model was applied to reproduce a real lava flow that occurred during the 2004–2005 Etna eruption. The simulations were computed using three different empirical relationships between viscosity and temperature.  相似文献   

Transient processes in Stromboli’s shallow basaltic system inferred from dolerite and magmatic breccia blocks erupted during the 5 April 2003 paroxysm     

Alberto?RenzulliEmail author  Stefano?Del?Moro  Michele?Menna  Patrizia?Landi  Marco?Piermattei 《Bulletin of Volcanology》2009,71(7):795-813

We describe the mineralogy, geochemistry, and mesomicrostructure of fresh subvolcanic blocks erupted during the 5 April 2003 paroxysm of Stromboli (Aeolian Islands, Italy). These blocks represent ∼50 vol.% of the total erupted ejecta and consist of fine- to medium-grained basaltic lithotypes ranging from relatively homogeneous dolerites to strongly or poorly welded magmatic breccias. The breccia components are represented by angular fragments of dolerites entrapped in a matrix of vesiculated (lava-like to scoriae) crystal-rich (CR) basalt. All of the studied blocks are cognates with the CR basalt of the normal Strombolian activity or lavas and they are often coated by a few-centimeter thick layer of crystal-poor (CP) basaltic pumice erupted during the paroxysm. We suggest that they result from the rapid increase of pressure and related subvolcanic rock failure that occurred shortly before the 5 April 2003 explosion, when the uppermost portion of the edifice inflated and suffered brecciation as the result of the sudden rise of the gas-rich CP basalt that triggered the eruption. Dolerites and magmatic matrix of the breccias show major and trace element compositions that match those of the CR basalts erupted during normal Strombolian activity and effusive events at Stromboli volcano. Dolerites consist of (a) phenocrysts normally found in the CR basalts and (b) late-stage magmatic minerals such as sanidine, An_60-28 plagioclase, Fe–Mn-rich olivines (Fo_68-48), phlogopite, apatite, and opaque mineral pairs (magnetite and ilmenite), most of which are never found both in lava flows and scoriae erupted during the persistent explosive activity that characterizes typical Strombolian behavior. Subvolcanic crystallization of the Stromboli CR magma, leading to slowly cooled equivalents of basalts, could result from transient drainage of the magma from the summit craters to lower levels. Fingering and engulfing of the material that collapsed from the summit crater floor into the shallow basaltic system during the late evening of 28 December 2002 coupled with the short break in the summit persistent explosions between December 2002 and March 2003 permitted the CR magma pockets to solidify as dolerites, which were confined to the uppermost portion of the system and thus not involved in the ongoing flank effusive activity. Crystal size distribution of the basaltic blocks and crystallization of the finer-grained (<0.1 mm) mafic minerals of the dolerites over a time interval of ∼100 days closely agrees with the above interpretation. Vesicle filling (miarolitic cavities) locally found in some dolerites, with minerals deposited as vapor-phase crystallization is a result of continuous gas percolation through the rocks of the uppermost portion of the volcanic system. Poorly welded magmatic breccias formed during syn-eruptive processes of 5 April 2003, when the paroxysm strongly shattered the shallow subvolcanic system and many dolerite fragments were entrapped in the CR magma. In contrast, the high degree of welding between the dolerite clasts and the CR basaltic matrix in the strongly welded magmatic breccias provides a snapshot of subvolcanic intrusions of the CR basalt into the dolerite when, after a 2-month break in activity, CR magmas started to rise again to the summit craters. Blocks similar to these subvolcanic ejecta of 5 April 2003 were also erupted during previous paroxysms (e.g., 1930) suggesting that changes in the usual Strombolian activity (e.g., short breaks in the persistent mild explosions and/or flank effusive activity) lead to transient crystallization of dolerites in the shallow plumbing system.  相似文献   

Effects of waterborne nitrite on phase I-II biotransformation in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus).     

J F González  P L Del Valle  S Thohan  A S Kane 《Marine environmental research》2000,50(1-5):29-32

The effects of waterborne nitrite (3 mg/l NO2) on channel catfish were studied to evaluate changes in hematological parameters and phase I-II biotransformation in liver slices. Nitrite-exposed fish had significantly higher methemoglobin, blood and liver nitrite, and significantly lower pO2 than control fish. Total phase I-mediated metabolism of 7-ethoxycoumarin (EC) was not altered in nitrite-exposed fish compared with control fish (291 +/- 43 and 312 +/- 20 pmol/mg/h, respectively). However, phase II glucuronosyltransferase-mediated metabolism of 7-hydroxycoumarin (HC), both as a phase I metabolite of EC and as a parent substrate, was elevated in nitrite-exposed fish (204 +/- 17 and 1007 +/- 103 pmol/mg/h, respectively) as compared to control fish (149 +/- 14 and 735 +/- 87 pmol/mg/h) (P < 0.05). Sulfotransferase-mediated metabolism of HC (as a metabolite of EC and as a parent substrate) was not notably altered in nitrite-exposed fish (95 +/- 16 and 617 +/- 33 pmol/mg protein/h, respectively) as compared with control fish (118 +/- 24 and 575 +/- 55 pmol/mg/h, respectively). These studies indicate that in vivo nitrite exposure and associated changes in hematological parameters do not appear to affect hepatic phase I EC biotransformation in channel catfish. However, subtle but significant changes in phase II glucuronidation, but not sulfation activity, were observed. The mechanism of these alterations is unclear. However, the data suggest that environmentally realistic concentrations of nitrite may affect the dynamics of conjugative metabolism in exposed fish.  相似文献   

First Implementation Of Phase Diversity At Themis     

S. Criscuoli  D. Del Moro  J. A. Bonet  I. Márquez 《Solar physics》2005,228(1-2):177-189

Phase diversity techniques are robust post-processing tools for image enhancement and correction of telescopic and atmospheric induced aberrations. We present results obtained applying the Partitioned Phase-Diverse Speckle (PPDS) technique to images acquired at THEMIS. We also present an image quality estimator based on image power spectrum content we developed in order to automatically evaluate the results of large amount of data.  相似文献   

Conjugate Points in the Gravitational n-Body Problem     

Angelo B. Mingarelli  Chiara M. F. Mingarelli 《Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy》2005,91(3-4):391-401

In an effort to understand the nature of almost periodic orbits in the n-body problem (for all time t) we look first to the more basic question of the oscillatory nature of solutions of this problem (on a half-line, usually taken as R ⁺). Intimately related to this is the notion of a conjugate point(due to A. Wintner) of a solution. Specifically, by rewriting the mass unrestricted general problem of n-bodies in a symmetric form we prove that in the gravitational Newtonian n-body problem with collisionless motions there exists arbitrarily large conjugate points in the case of arbitrary (positive) masses whenever the cube of the reciprocal of at least one of the mutual distances is not integrable at infinity. The implication of this result is that there are possibly many Wintner oscillatorysolutions in these cases (some of which may or may not be almost periodic). As a consequence, we obtain sufficient conditions for all continuable solutions (to infinity) to be either unbounded or to allow for near misses (at infinity). The results also apply to potentials other than Newtonian ones. Our techniques are drawn from results in systems oscillation theory and are applicable to more general situations. Dedicated to the memory of Robert M. (Bob) Kauffman, formerly Professor of the University of Alabama in Birmingham  相似文献   

Stokes profiles inversion techniques     

J. C. Del Toro Iniesta  B. Ruiz Cobo 《Solar physics》1996,164(1-2):169-182

Inversion techniques of the radiative transfer equation for polarized light are presented as one of the best current procedures to infer the vector magnetic field, as well as other quantities governing the physical state of the atmospheric layers that photons are coming from. Several characteristics of the various available inversion procedures are pointed out. They are mostly based on the diagnostic contents of the spectral lines as well as on the main hypotheses assumed in these procedures. In particular, the role of gradients in the atmospheric quantities is emphasized as of paramount importance in any diagnostic analysis and, hence, in any interpretation of inversion results.  相似文献   

Isotopic and element exchange during serpentinization and metasomatism at the Atlantis Massif (MAR 30°N): Insights from B and Sr isotope data     

Chiara Boschi  Andrea Dini  Deborah S. Kelley 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2008,72(7):1801-1823

The Lost City hydrothermal system at the southern Atlantis Massif (Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 30°N) provides a natural laboratory for studying serpentinization processes, the temporal evolution of ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems, and alteration conditions during formation and emplacement of an oceanic core complex. Here we present B, O, and Sr isotope data to investigate fluid/rock interaction and mass transfer during detachment faulting and exhumation of lithospheric sequences within the Atlantis Massif. Our data indicate that extensive serpentinization was a seawater-dominated process that occurred predominately at temperatures of 150-250 °C and at high integrated W/R ratios that led to a marked boron enrichment (34-91 ppm). Boron removal from seawater during serpentinization is positively correlated with changes in δ¹¹B (11-16‰) but shows no correlation with O-isotope composition. Modeling indicates that B concentrations and isotope values of the serpentinites are controlled by transient temperature-pH conditions. In contrast to prior studies, we conclude that low-temperature marine weathering processes are insignificant for boron geochemistry of the Atlantis Massif serpentinites. Talc- and amphibole-rich fault rocks formed within a zone of detachment faulting at temperatures of approximately 270-350 °C and at low W/R ratios. Talc formation in ultramafic domains in the massif was subsequent to an early stage of serpentinization and was controlled by the access of Si-rich fluids derived through seawater-gabbro interactions. Replacement of serpentine by talc resulted in boron loss and significant lowering of δ¹¹B values (9-10‰), which we model as the product of progressive extraction of boron. Our study provides new constraints on the boron geochemical cycle at oceanic spreading ridges and suggests that serpentinization associated with ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems may have important implications for the behavior of boron in subduction zone settings.  相似文献   

Strain rates in the Alpine Mediterranean region: insights from advanced techniques of data processing     

Gregorio Farolfi  Chiara Del Ventisette 《GPS Solutions》2017,21(3):1027-1036

Strain rates and Euler poles for various subregions of the Alpine Mediterranean region were calculated by using global navigation satellite system data from permanent stations. The main scope of the study is to compare and analyze strain rate maps that were calculated using different approaches. This area presents a complex tectonic setting due to the interaction of the Eurasian and Nubian plates. The horizontal velocity gradient tensor was computed starting from a new set of site velocities determined by using continuous long-series geodetic data, state-of-the-art antenna calibrations and recomputed precise orbits. Geodesy provides velocities for a sparsely distributed, discrete number of sites, while deformation has a spatially continuous distribution. For this reason, the interpolation method and the geometric approach to the problem play a fundamental role in the estimation of the strain rate field. In the present study, principal deformation axes and principal angle were estimated by applying two different approaches: the Delaunay triangulation and a grid solution. Both methods produce results with broad coherence, providing new information about the deformation throughout the entire study area. Moreover, an evaluation and analysis of Euler poles related to the different velocity patterns, give complementary information to reconstruct the active deformation in the Mediterranean area.  相似文献