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Qiu, Hao

Publications and source records attributed to Qiu, Hao.

The STAR MAPS-based PiXeL detector

The PiXeL detector (PXL) for the Heavy Flavor Tracker (HFT) of the STAR experiment at RHIC is the first application of the state-of-the-art thin Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) technology in a collider environment. Here, custom built pixel sensors, their readout electronics and the detector mechanical structure are described in detail. Selected detector design aspects and production steps are presented. The detector operations during the three years of data taking (2014–2016) and the overall performance exceeding the design specifications are discussed in the conclusive sections of this work.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

3XMM J181923.7–170616: An X-Ray Binary with a 408 s Pulsar

We carry out a dedicated study of 3XMM J181923.7–170616 with an approximate pulsation period of 400 s using the XMM-Newton and Swift observations spanning across nine years. We have refined the period of the source to 407.904(7) s (at epoch MJD 57142) and constrained the 1σ upper limit on the period derivative P-dot ⩽1.1×10{sup −8} s s{sup −1}. The source radiates hard, persistent X-ray emission during the observation epochs, which is best described by an absorbed power-law model (Γ ∼ 0.2–0.8) plus faint Fe lines at 6.4 and 6.7 keV. The X-ray flux revealed a variation within a factor of 2, along with a spectral hardening as the flux increased. The pulse shape is sinusoid-like and the spectral properties of different phases do not present significant variation. The absorption N{sub H} (∼1.3×10{sup 22} cm{sup −2}) is similar to the total Galactic hydrogen column density along the direction, indicating that it is a distant source. A search for the counterpart in optical and near-infrared surveys reveals a low-mass K-type giant, while the existence of a Galactic OB supergiant is excluded. A symbiotic X-ray binary (SyXB) is the favored nature of 3XMM J181923.7–170616 and can essentially explain the low luminosity of 2.78×10{sup 34}d{sub 10}{sup 2} erg s{sup −1}, slow pulsation, hard X-ray spectrum, and possible K3 III companion. An alternative explanation of the source is a persistent Be X-ray binary (BeXB) with a companion star no earlier than B3-type.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Assessing the role of secondary electron emission on the characteristics of 6-cavity magnetrons with transparent cathode through particle-in-cell simulations

Effects of secondary electron emission (SEE) on the performance of a 6-cavity relativistic magnetron with transparent cathodes are probed through particle-in-cell simulations. Appropriate relations for the secondary electron yield have been developed and used. For comparisons, separate simulations have been performed with- and without electron cascading. Simulation results seem to indicate SEE to be detrimental to the power output due to deviations in the starting trajectories of secondary electrons, and the reduced fraction with synchronized rotational velocity. A higher reduction in output power is predicted with electron cascading, though mode competition was not seen at the 0.65 T field. A possible solution to mitigating SEE in magnetrons for high power microwave applications would be to alter the surface properties of emitting electrodes through irradiation, which can lead to graphitic film formation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗