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At least 721 records · Page 40
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NASA NTRS1984

Multifrequency observations of the BL Lacertae objects OQ 530 and ON 325

Spectral measurements of the two BL Lac objects OQ 530 and ON 325 are presented. The measurements were taken at frequencies ranging from radio to ultraviolet. Both sources show spectral curvature between the infrared and ultraviolet frequencies. The intensity and spectral shape of OQ 530 vary, but the spectral shape of ON 325 appears to remain constant during intensity variability. A nonthermal theoretical model of jet emission is developed which incorporates both the spectral and time variability data. The model predicts that ON 325 radiates at X-ray frequencies with Compton radiation dominating over synchrotron emission. The angular size of the jet emission is predicted to be less than 0.1 milli-arcsec at high radio frequencies.

Worrall, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS1984

1979 January 13 - An intense gamma-ray burst with a possible associated optical transient

The time history, energy spectra, and precise localization of the intense January 13, 1979 gamma-ray burst, observed by five spacecraft in the interplanetary network, are presented. The time history displays a pulse-afterpulse structure suggestive of periodicity. Fine time resolution spectral analysis shows that a wide variety of models can be used to fit individual spectra, while spectra integrated over longer periods are well fitted by a thermal synchrotron law, making it difficult to identify any specific emission mechanism. The precise localization may be consistent with an archival optical transient having no quiescent counterpart down to 22d mag on recent plates.

Barat, C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Multifrequency light curves of low-frequency variable radio sources

Light curves for the low-frequency variable sources AO 0235 + 16, NRAO 140, PKS 1117 + 14, DA 406, CTA 102, and 3C 454.3, obtained in monthly observations at 318, 430, and 606 MHz using the 305-m telescope at Arecibo and in bimonthly observations at 880 MHz and 1.4 GHz using the 91-m Green Bank transit telescope during 1980-1983, are presented and analyzed. AO 0235 + 16 is found to have basically canonical variability which is attributed to relativistically moving evolving synchrotron components; but in the other sources, strong simultaneous variations at 318, 430, and 606 MHz are observed to be greatly diminished in amplitude at 880 MHz and 1.4 GHz, confirming the existence of the intermediate-frequency gap at about 1 GHz proposed by Spangler and Cotton (1981). The possibility that a second variability mechanism is active in these sources is explored.

Altschuler, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Multifrequency-spectral behavior of the BL Lacertae objects OI 90.4 and 3C 66A

Single-epoch multifrequency data for the BL Lac objects OI 90.4 and 3C 66A, spanning radio through ultraviolet wavelengths, are presented, as well as other measurements relevant to intensity and spectral-shape variability. Both BL Lac objects exhibit spectral curvature in the infrared-to-ultraviolet region, a properity that is inferred to be usual for this object class. Variability in the ultraviolet spectral index of OI 90.4 is found, whereas the spectral index of 3C 66A is the same in two observations 17 months apart. A synchrotron self-Compton jet model is applied to each BL Lac object. The OI 90.4 data are found to be best satisfied by a jet with a relatively high degree of relativistic beaming, but emission at frequencies below about 50 GHz is not described by the model. Furthermore, 3C 66A may not always undergo strong relativistic beaming, and the model may incorporate the small fraction of the total radio emission below about 20 GHz that is from within about 1.5 milliarcsec of the core.

Worrall, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Gamma-ray burst high time-resolution spectral observations made with the Solar Maximum Mission

The gamma-ray bursts of April 19 and 21, 1980, and March 1, 1981, are characterized on the basis of observations obtained at 25-500 keV and time resolution 128 msec using the hard-X-ray-burst spectrometer of the SMM satellite. The data are presented graphically, and the parameters determined by fitting three theoretical models to the data for each phase (rising phase, decay phase, and valleys between pulses) are given in tables. Models used are thin thermal bremsstrahlung with or without absorption lines, thermal synchrotron with or without absorption lines, and power law with exponential cutoff.

Desai, U. D.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Detection of cosmic ray electrons above 10 to 14th eV using gamma ray observatories

A quantitative evaluation of high energy gamma ray observatories for the study of cosmic ray electrons is made. This is based on the principle that the synchrotron photons emitted by the electrons in the earth's magnetic field is collinear in the detector. It is shown that the size and the gamma ray detection efficiency of the SAS II instrument is so small, that no useful information can be derived from it. On the other hand, one may be able to set useful upper limits to the flux of electrons by making use of the high energy gamma ray detector in the GRO.

Stephens, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Relativistic wind termination - Jets and synchronotron nebulae

An idealized model describing the termination of a relativistic wind owing to its interaction with surrounding nonrelativistic matter, such as the interaction of a pulsar wind with the supernova remnant shell is examined. It is assumed that the large-scale electric and magnetic fields out to the termination distance are controlled by the wind source, in contrast to previous work treating the wind as an isotropic MHD flow. Two effects are found: forced synchrotron radiation from the bulk of the injected particles, and formation of oppositely directed jets of ultrarelativistic particles.

Michel, F. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A model of the polarization position-angle swings in BL Lacertae objects

The polarization position-angle swings that have been measured in a number of BL Lacertae objects and highly variable quasars are interpreted in terms of shock waves which illuminate (by enhanced synchrotron radiation) successive transverse cross sections of a magnetized, relativistic jet. The jet is assumed to have a nonaxisymmetric magnetic field configuration of the type discussed in the companion paper on the equilibria of force-free jets. For a jet that is viewed at a small angle to the axis, the passage of a shock will give rise to an apparent rotation of the polarization position angle whose amplitude can be substantially larger than 180 deg. The effects of freely propagating shocks are compared with those of bow shocks which form in front of dense obstacles in the jet, and specific applications to 0727 - 115 and BL Lacertae are considered. In the case of 0727 - 115, it is pointed out that the nonuniformity of the swing rate and the apparent oscillations of the degree of polarization could be a consequence of relativistic aberration.

Konigl, A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

X-ray spectrum and variability of 3C 120

The X-ray luminosity of 3C 120 is variable by a factor of 2.5 on time scales of days to months. The spectral slope of the 2-10 keV X-rays changes systematically in the sense that the higher intensity states are steeper. Simple power laws fitted to the data are consistent with an energy index alpha of 0.51 + or - 0.13 at minimum intensity and 0.83 + or - 0.03 at maximum, with a continuous variation in between. A more complicated spectral shape cannot be ruled out, but changes in absorbing column density alone cannot explain the data. The results are interpreted in terms of beamed synchrotron emission from a relativistic jet, a model which has been invoked previously for the spectra of BL Lac objects. The spectral variability is in marked contrast to the behavior of 3C 273, another superluminal source in which the X-ray spectral index is constant to a high degree of accuracy despite variability in time scales and amplitudes which are quite similar to those of 3C 120. The difference may be due to the degree of beaming of the respective core components. Another model which is consistent with the data involves thermal emission from isothermal shocks in a hot (approximately 10 to the 8th K) medium. Thermal Compton and spherical accretion X-ray source models do not reproduce the correct behavior of alpha versus flux.

Halpern, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1985

X-ray emission from red quasars

A dozen red quasars were observed with the Einstein Observatory in order to determine their X-ray properties. The observations show that for all these sources, the infrared-optical continuum is so steep that when extrapolated to higher frequencies, it passes orders of magnitude below the measured X-ray flux. The X-ray emission is better correlated with the radio than with the infrared flux, suggesting a connection between the two. By applying the synchrotron-self-Compton model to the data, it is found that the infrared-optical region has a size of 0.01 pc or more and a magnetic field more than 0.1 G, values considerably different than are found in the radio region. Unlike other quasars, the ionizing continuum is dominated by the X-ray emission. The peculiar line ratios seen in these objects can be understood with a photoionization model, provided that the photon to gas density ratio (ionization parameter) is an order of magnitude less than in typical quasars.

Bregman, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Multifrequency observations of blazars. I - The shape of the 1 micron to 2 millimeter continuum

Near-simultaneous measurements in 11 wavebands between 1 micron and 2 mm of a sample of 13 'blazars' are presented. These measurements represent the first comprehensive attempt to determine the infrared-to-millimeter-wave properties of this class of object, which emit the bulk of their luminosity in the far-infrared region. Most of the sources have very flat millimeter/submillimeter spectra up to the highest observed frequency. However, 3C 279 and 3C 446 show evidence of turnovers in their submillimeter spectra. The 1-4 micron spectra can be characterized by simple power laws, all steeper than -0.9; several sources, however, show evidence of spectral beaks in the 10-20 micron region, suggestive of energy losses. It is shown that the spectral properties are consistent with synchrotron emission from relativistic jets aligned close to the line of sight and the observations are discussed in relation to such models.

Gear, W. K.↗
NASA NTRS1985

X-ray emission possibly coincident with the radio tail of PKS 0301 - 123

X-ray, radio, and optical observations are reported for a very poor cluster of galaxies containing the radio source PKS 0301 - 123. A long, 100,000 second X-ray observation using the Einstein Observatory's IPC resulted in the serendipitous discovery of a peculiar extended X-ray morphology associated with the poor cluster. The X-ray emission is extended in the same direction and is approximately the same length as the radio-tailed source, PKS 0301 - 123, which was mapped at 6 and 20 cm with the VLA. Optical redshift observations with the KPNO IIDS on the 2.1 m telescope confirm the identification of the X-ray and radio emission with the poor cluster at z = 0.1. It is argued that the X-ray extension is unlikely to be a chance coincidence of a background source projected onto the foreground cluster. Therefore, four possible mechanisms which might physically link the X-ray and radio emission are considered: thermal bremsstrahlung from a cluster with a flattened potential well; inverse Compton scattering of the relativistic electrons in the radio source, X-ray synchrotron radiation; and heating the cluster gas by the turbulent wake of the radio galaxy. The prospects for future observations of such X-ray/radio coincidences are briefly discussed.

Burns, J. O.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Photoabsorption cross section of acetylene in the EUV region

The measurement of the absolute photoabsorption cross sections of C2H2 in the 175-740 A region by means of a double ionization chamber is reported. The continuum background source is the synchrotron radiation emitted by the Wisconsin 240 MeV electron storage ring. It is found that the cross sections range from 2 to a maximum of 36 Mb. Two new Rydberg series are identified and the cross section data are applied in the analysis of various sum rules. From the rules, it is shown that the data of C2H2 in the 580-1088 A range may be too low, while the measured ionization transition moment may be too high.

Wu, C. Y. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Nonlinear shock acceleration. III - Finite wave velocity, wave pressure, and entropy generation via wave damping

The nonlinear theory of shock acceleration developed in earlier papers, which treated the waves as being completely frozen into the fluid, is generalized to include wave dynamics. In the limit where damping keeps the wave amplitude small, it is found that a finite phase velocity (V sub ph) of the scattering waves through the background fluid, tempers the acceleration generated by high Mach number shocks. Asymptotic spectra proportional to 1/E sq are possible only when the ratio of wave velocity to shock velocity is less than 0.13. For a given asymptotic spectrum, the efficiency of relativistic particle production is found to be practically independent of the value of V sub ph, so that earlier results concerning its value remain valid for finite V sub ph. In the limit where there is no wave damping, it is shown that for modest Alfven Mach numbers, approximately greater than 4 and less than 6, the magnetic field is amplified by the energetic particles to the point of being in rough equipartition with them, as models of synchrotron emission frequently take the field to be. In this case, the disordering and amplification of field energy may play a major role in the shock transition.

Eichler, D.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Multifrequency observations of the BL Lacertae object PKS 0537 - 441

PKS 0537 - 441 was repeatedly observed in the UV band with the International Ultraviolet Explorer and in the X-ray with the Einstein Observatory. On September 27, 1980, simultaneous observations in the two bands were obtained. Near-infrared photometry preceding and following the simultaneous observations by about one month is available from the literature, as is radio monitoring at 408 and 5000 MHz. Comparison of the observed X-ray flux with that predicted by the standard synchrotron self-Compton formalism, with a source dimension deduced from radio variability at 5 GHz, indicates that this component of the radio emission must be moving at relativistic speed with an effective projected Doppler beaming factor of about 10.

Maraschi, L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Nonthermal electron-positron pair production and the 'universal' X-ray spectrum of active galactic nuclei

A nonthermal model for power-law X-ray and gamma-ray sources is considered. An initial, primary distribution of relativistic electrons is injected and cooled via Compton scattering of soft photons (produced either externally or by the synchrotron mechanism). The scattered photons, constituting a primary gamma-ray source, produce electron-positron pairs that act as a secondary electron injection, which in turn produce a secondary photon spectrum. Pairs formed by a part of the photon spectrum optically thin to pair production are taken into account. The distribution of particles and photons is obtained, and numerical results as well as analytical solutions to certain special cases are presented. For the case of a delta-function primary electron injection it is found that the photon spectrum in the X-ray region is well approximated by a power law, with the energy spectral index alpha(X) lying in the relatively narrow range 0.5-0.9 as the compactness parameter L(x)/R (where L(x) is the X-ray luminosity and R is the source radius) varies over many orders of magnitude. This is proposed as a possible mechanism to explain the universal X-ray spectra observed from active galactic nuclei.

Zdziarski, A. A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Measurements of HO2 chemical kinetics with a new detection method

In this research program, HO2 was detected by the OH(A-X) photofragment from dissociative excitation of HO2 at 147 nm. This detection method was applied to measure the reaction rate constant of HO2 + O3. This reaction rate constant is needed for the understanding of stratospheric chemistry. Since C12 was used in the flow system, photoexcitation of C12 may produce fluorescence to interfere with the measurements. Thus, the photoexcitation process of C12 in the vacuum ultraviolet region was also examined in this research period using synchrotron radiation as a light source. The research results are summarized.

Lee, L. C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Ultrapressure materials science

Three active areas of research at ultra pressure are pursued, i.e., diffraction studies with the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), band gap and absorption edge effects, indentor-anvil experiments and theory and research to attain higher pressures. The range over which X-ray diffraction data and absorption edge data are obtained is extended to 700 kbars. Using the indentor technique pressures of 2.1 Mbars are obtained. Research results and methods are discussed.

Ruoff, A. L.↗