Publisher's Note: “Forward scattering in hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy: Structural investigation of buried Mn–Ga films” [Appl. Phys. Lett. 106, 052402 (2015)]
No abstract prepared.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “hardness”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Micro-structural characterization of materials using synchrotron hard X-ray imaging techniques
X-ray imaging has been an important tool to study the materials microstructure with the laboratory based sources however the advent of third generation synchrotron sources has introduced new concepts in X-ray imaging such as phase contrast imaging, micro-tomography, fluorescence imaging and diffraction enhance imaging. These techniques are being used to provide information of materials about their density distribution, porosity, geometrical and morphological characteristics at sub-micron scalewith improved contrast. This paper discusses the development of various imaging techniques at synchrotron based imaging beamline Indus-2 and few recent experiments carried out at this facility.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Crystal growth and mechanical hardness of In{sub 2}Se{sub 2.7}Sb{sub 0.3} single crystal
The III-VI compound semiconductors is important for the fabrication of ionizing radiation detectors, solid-state electrodes, and photosensitive heterostructures, solar cell and ionic batteries. In this paper, In{sub 2}Se{sub 2.7} Sb{sub 0.3} single crystals were grown by the Bridgman method with temperature gradient of 60 °C/cm and the growth velocity 0.5cm/hr. The as-grown crystals were examined under the optical microscope for surface study, a various growth features observed on top free surface of the single crystal which is predominant of layers growth mechanism. The lattice parameters of as-grown crystal was determined by the XRD analysis. A Vickers’ projection microscope were used for the study of microhardness on the as-cleaved, cold-worked and annealed samples of the crystals, the results were discussed, and reported in detail.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Change of texture, microdeformation and hardness in surface layer of TiNi alloy depending on the number of pulses of electron beam effects
This work comprises a study of the influence of the pulse number of low-energy high-current electron beam (LEHCEB) exposure on the value and character of distribution of residual elastic stresses, texturing effects and the relationship between structural-phase states and physical and mechanical properties of the modified surface layers of TiNi alloy. LEHCEB processing of the surface of TiNi samples was carried out using a RITM-SP [3] installation. Energy density of electron beam was constant at E{sub s} = 3.9 ± 0.5 J/cm{sup 2}; pulse duration was 2.8 ± 0.3 μs. The number of pulses in the series was changeable, (n = 2–128). It was shown that as the result of multiple LEHCEB processing of TiNi samples, hierarchically organized multilayer structure is formed in the surface layer. The residual stress field of planar type is formed in the modified surface layer as following: in the direction of the normal to the surface the strain component ε{sub ⊥} < 0 (compressing strain), and in a direction parallel to the surface, the strain component ε{sub ||} > 0 (tensile deformation). Texturing effects and the level of residual stresses after LEHCEB processing of TiNi samples with equal energy density of electron beam (∼3.8 J/cm{sup 2}) depend on the number of pulses and increase with the rise of n > 10.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
In-vacuum multi-modal monochromator for synchrotron-based hard x-ray micro-imaging
The original monochromator design we present consists in a high-vacuum vessel comprising three monochromators mounted side-by-side: a Lauë/Lauë, a Bragg/Bragg, and a double-multilayer monochromator. The selection of one monochromator type is done remotely by sliding laterally the crystal support in the monochromator vessel. In this way, exotic combinations such as Lauë/Bragg are also possible. Installation and commissioning of the new monochromator at ESRF beamline ID19 was carried out 2013-2014 (the multilayers not being installed yet). Beamline ID19 offers not only superb beam characteristics for phase-contrast imaging with a high level of sensitivity but also compared to other synchrotron X-ray imaging facilities a large beam of currently up to 7 cm × 1.3 cm. A wide energy range can be accessed in a fixed-exit mode (depending on the optics chosen the accessible energy range is between 10 keV and 200 keV). A beryllium exit window (10 cm × 10 cm active opening) completes the monochromator assembly.
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
The hard x-ray nanotomography microscope at the advanced light source
Beamline 11.3.1 at the Advanced Light Source is a tender/hard (6–17 keV) x-ray bend magnet beamline recently re-purposed with a new full-field, nanoscale transmission x-ray microscope. The microscope is designed to image composite and porous materials possessing a submicrometer structure and compositional heterogeneity that determine materials’ performance and geologic behavior. The theoretical and achieved resolutions are 55 and <100 nm, respectively. The microscope is used in tandem with a <25 nm eccentricity rotation stage for high-resolution volume imaging using nanoscale computed tomography. The system also features a novel bipolar illumination condenser for the illumination of an ~100 μm spot of interest on the sample, followed by a phase-type zone plate magnifying objective of ~52 µm field of view and a phase detection ring. The zone plate serves as the system objective and magnifies the sample with projection onto an indirect x-ray detection system, consisting of a polished single crystal CsI(Tl) scintillator and a range of high-quality Plan Fluorite visible light objectives. The objectives project the final visible light image onto a water-cooled CMOS 2048 × 2048-pixel 2 detector. Here, in this paper, we will discuss the salient features of this instrument and describe early results from imaging the internal three-dimensional microstructure and nanostructure of target materials, including fiber-reinforced composites and geomaterials.
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
OPTICAL STUDIES OF 13 HARD X-RAY SELECTED CATACLYSMIC BINARIES FROM THE SWIFT-BAT SURVEY
From a set of 13 cataclysmic binaries that were discovered in the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) survey, we conducted time-resolved optical spectroscopy and/or time-series photometry of 11, with the goal of measuring their orbital periods and searching for spin periods. Seven of the objects in this study are new optical identifications. Orbital periods are found for seven targets, ranging from 81 minutes to 20.4 hr. PBC J0706.7+0327 is an AM Herculis star (polar) based on its emission-line variations and large amplitude photometric modulation on the same period. Swift J2341.0+7645 may be a polar, although the evidence here is less secure. Coherent pulsations are detected from two objects, Swift J0503.7−2819 (975 s) and Swift J0614.0+1709 (1412 s and 1530 s, spin and beat periods, respectively), indicating that they are probable intermediate polars (DQ Herculis stars). For two other stars, longer spin periods are tentatively suggested. We also present the discovery of a 2.00 hr X-ray modulation from RX J2015.6+3711, possibly a contributor to Swift J2015.9+3715, and likely a polar.
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NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF CHROMOSPHERIC HARD X-RAY SOURCE SIZES IN SOLAR FLARES
X-ray observations are a powerful diagnostic tool for transport, acceleration, and heating of electrons in solar flares. Height and size measurements of X-ray footpoint sources can be used to determine the chromospheric density and constrain the parameters of magnetic field convergence and electron pitch-angle evolution. We investigate the influence of the chromospheric density, magnetic mirroring, and collisional pitch-angle scattering on the size of X-ray sources. The time-independent Fokker-Planck equation for electron transport is solved numerically and analytically to find the electron distribution as a function of height above the photosphere. From this distribution, the expected X-ray flux as a function of height, its peak height, and full width at half-maximum are calculated and compared with RHESSI observations. A purely instrumental explanation for the observed source size was ruled out by using simulated RHESSI images. We find that magnetic mirroring and collisional pitch-angle scattering tend to change the electron flux such that electrons are stopped higher in the atmosphere compared with the simple case with collisional energy loss only. However, the resulting X-ray flux is dominated by the density structure in the chromosphere and only marginal increases in source width are found. Very high loop densities (>10{sup 11} cm{sup -3}) could explain the observed sizes at higher energies, but are unrealistic and would result in no footpoint emission below about 40 keV, contrary to observations. We conclude that within a monolithic density model the vertical sizes are given mostly by the density scale height and are predicted smaller than the RHESSI results show.
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ESTIMATING THE PROPERTIES OF HARD X-RAY SOLAR FLARES BY CONSTRAINING MODEL PARAMETERS
We wish to better constrain the properties of solar flares by exploring how parameterized models of solar flares interact with uncertainty estimation methods. We compare four different methods of calculating uncertainty estimates in fitting parameterized models to Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager X-ray spectra, considering only statistical sources of error. Three of the four methods are based on estimating the scale-size of the minimum in a hypersurface formed by the weighted sum of the squares of the differences between the model fit and the data as a function of the fit parameters, and are implemented as commonly practiced. The fourth method is also based on the difference between the data and the model, but instead uses Bayesian data analysis and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques to calculate an uncertainty estimate. Two flare spectra are modeled: one from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite X1.3 class flare of 2005 January 19, and the other from the X4.8 flare of 2002 July 23. We find that the four methods give approximately the same uncertainty estimates for the 2005 January 19 spectral fit parameters, but lead to very different uncertainty estimates for the 2002 July 23 spectral fit. This is because each method implements different analyses of the hypersurface, yielding method-dependent results that can differ greatly depending on the shape of the hypersurface. The hypersurface arising from the 2005 January 19 analysis is consistent with a normal distribution; therefore, the assumptions behind the three non-Bayesian uncertainty estimation methods are satisfied and similar estimates are found. The 2002 July 23 analysis shows that the hypersurface is not consistent with a normal distribution, indicating that the assumptions behind the three non-Bayesian uncertainty estimation methods are not satisfied, leading to differing estimates of the uncertainty. We find that the shape of the hypersurface is crucial in understanding the output from each uncertainty estimation technique, and that a crucial factor determining the shape of hypersurface is the location of the low-energy cutoff relative to energies where the thermal emission dominates. The Bayesian/MCMC approach also allows us to provide detailed information on probable values of the low-energy cutoff, E{sub c} , a crucial parameter in defining the energy content of the flare-accelerated electrons. We show that for the 2002 July 23 flare data, there is a 95% probability that E{sub c} lies below approximately 40 keV, and a 68% probability that it lies in the range 7-36 keV. Further, the low-energy cutoff is more likely to be in the range 25-35 keV than in any other 10 keV wide energy range. The low-energy cutoff for the 2005 January 19 flare is more tightly constrained to 107 {+-} 4 keV with 68% probability. Using the Bayesian/MCMC approach, we also estimate for the first time probability density functions for the total number of flare-accelerated electrons and the energy they carry for each flare studied. For the 2002 July 23 event, these probability density functions are asymmetric with long tails orders of magnitude higher than the most probable value, caused by the poorly constrained value of the low-energy cutoff. The most probable electron power is estimated at 10{sup 28.1} erg s{sup -1}, with a 68% credible interval estimated at 10{sup 28.1}-10{sup 29.0} erg s{sup -1}, and a 95% credible interval estimated at 10{sup 28.0}-10{sup 30.2} erg s{sup -1}. For the 2005 January 19 flare spectrum, the probability density functions for the total number of flare-accelerated electrons and their energy are much more symmetric and narrow: the most probable electron power is estimated at 10{sup 27.66{+-}0.01} erg s{sup -1} (68% credible intervals). However, in this case the uncertainty due to systematic sources of error is estimated to dominate the uncertainty due to statistical sources of error.
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NuSTAR study of hard X-ray morphology and spectroscopy of PWN G21.5–0.9
We present NuSTAR high-energy X-ray observations of the pulsar wind nebula (PWN)/supernova remnant G21.5–0.9. We detect integrated emission from the nebula up to ∼40 keV, and resolve individual spatial features over a broad X-ray band for the first time. The morphology seen by NuSTAR agrees well with that seen by XMM-Newton and Chandra below 10 keV. At high energies, NuSTAR clearly detects non-thermal emission up to ∼20 keV that extends along the eastern and northern rim of the supernova shell. The broadband images clearly demonstrate that X-ray emission from the North Spur and Eastern Limb results predominantly from non-thermal processes. We detect a break in the spatially integrated X-ray spectrum at ∼9 keV that cannot be reproduced by current spectral energy distribution models, implying either a more complex electron injection spectrum or an additional process such as diffusion compared to what has been considered in previous work. We use spatially resolved maps to derive an energy-dependent cooling length scale, L(E)∝E{sup m} with m = –0.21 ± 0.01. We find this to be inconsistent with the model for the morphological evolution with energy described by Kennel and Coroniti. This value, along with the observed steepening in power-law index between radio and X-ray, can be quantitatively explained as an energy-loss spectral break in the simple scaling model of Reynolds, assuming particle advection dominates over diffusion. This interpretation requires a substantial departure from spherical magnetohydrodynamic, magnetic-flux-conserving outflow, most plausibly in the form of turbulent magnetic-field amplification.
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THE HARD X-RAY VIEW OF THE YOUNG SUPERNOVA REMNANT G1.9+0.3
NuSTAR observed G1.9+0.3, the youngest known supernova remnant in the Milky Way, for 350 ks and detected emission up to ∼30 keV. The remnant's X-ray morphology does not change significantly across the energy range from 3 to 20 keV. A combined fit between NuSTAR and Chandra shows that the spectrum steepens with energy. The spectral shape can be well fitted with synchrotron emission from a power-law electron energy distribution with an exponential cutoff with no additional features. It can also be described by a purely phenomenological model such as a broken power law or a power law with an exponential cutoff, though these descriptions lack physical motivation. Using a fixed radio flux at 1 GHz of 1.17 Jy for the synchrotron model, we get a column density of N {sub H} = (7.23 ± 0.07) × 10{sup 22} cm{sup –2}, a spectral index of α = 0.633 ± 0.003, and a roll-off frequency of ν{sub rolloff} = (3.07 ± 0.18) × 10{sup 17} Hz. This can be explained by particle acceleration, to a maximum energy set by the finite remnant age, in a magnetic field of about 10 μG, for which our roll-off implies a maximum energy of about 100 TeV for both electrons and ions. Much higher magnetic-field strengths would produce an electron spectrum that was cut off by radiative losses, giving a much higher roll-off frequency that is independent of magnetic-field strength. In this case, ions could be accelerated to much higher energies. A search for {sup 44}Ti emission in the 67.9 keV line results in an upper limit of 1.5 × 10{sup –5} photons cm{sup –2} s{sup –1} assuming a line width of 4.0 keV (1 sigma)
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G359.97-0.038: A HARD X-RAY FILAMENT ASSOCIATED WITH A SUPERNOVA SHELL-MOLECULAR CLOUD INTERACTION
We present the first high-energy X-ray (>10 keV) observations of the non-thermal filament G359.97-0.038 using the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). This filament is one of approximately 20 X-ray filaments of unknown origin located in the central 20 pc region in the Galactic Center near Sgr A*. Its NuSTAR and Chandra broadband spectrum is characterized by a single power law with Γ = 1.3 ± 0.3 that extends from 2 to 50 keV, with an unabsorbed luminosity of 1.3 × 10{sup 33} erg s{sup –1} (d/8 kpc){sup 2} in the 2-8 keV band. Despite possessing a cometary X-ray morphology that is typical of a pulsar wind nebula (PWN) in high-resolution Chandra imaging, our spatially resolved Chandra spectral analysis found no significant spectral softening along the filament as would be expected from particle synchrotron cooling. Coincident radio emission is detected using the Very Large Array at 5.5 and 8.3 GHz. We examine and subsequently discard a PWN or magnetic flux tube as the origin of G359.97-0.038. We use broadband spectral characteristics and a morphological analysis to show that G359.97-0.038 is likely an interaction site between the shell of Sgr A East and an adjacent molecular cloud. This is supported by CS molecular line spectroscopy and the presence of an OH maser.
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Insights on the dusty torus and neutral torus from optical and X-ray obscuration in a complete volume limited hard X-ray AGN sample
We describe a complete volume limited sample of nearby active galaxies selected by their 14–195 keV luminosity, and outline its rationale for studying the mechanisms regulating gas inflow and outflow. We also describe a complementary sample of inactive galaxies, selected to match the host galaxy properties. The active sample appears to have no bias in terms of active galactic nucleus (AGN) type, the only difference being the neutral absorbing column, which is two orders of magnitude greater for the Seyfert 2s. In the luminosity range spanned by the sample, logL{sub 14−195 keV}[erg s{sup −1}]=42.4–43.7, the optically obscured and X-ray absorbed fractions are 50%–65%. The similarity of these fractions to more distant spectroscopic AGN samples, although over a limited luminosity range, suggests that the torus does not strongly evolve with redshift. Our sample confirms that X-ray unabsorbed Seyfert 2s are rare, comprising not more than a few percent of the Seyfert 2 population. At higher luminosities, the optically obscured fraction decreases (as expected for the increasing dust sublimation radius), but the X-ray absorbed fraction changes little. We argue that the cold X-ray absorption in these Seyfert 1s can be accounted for by neutral gas in clouds that also contribute to the broad-line region (BLR) emission, and suggest that a geometrically thick neutral gas torus co-exists with the BLR and bridges the gap to the dusty torus.
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THE ORIGIN OF THE PUZZLING HARD X-RAY EMISSION OF γ CASSIOPEIAE
Massive B and Be stars produce X-rays from shocks in high-velocity winds with temperatures of a few million degrees and maximum X-ray luminosities of ≈10{sup 31} erg s{sup −1}. Surprisingly, a sub-group of early Be stars exhibits ≥20 times hotter X-ray temperatures and ≥10 times higher X-ray luminosities than normal. This group of Be stars, dubbed γ-Cas analogs, contains about 10 known objects. The origin of this bizarre behavior has been extensively debated in the past decades. Two mechanisms have been put forward: accretion of circumstellar disk matter onto an orbiting white dwarf, or magnetic field interaction between the star and the circumstellar disk. We show here that the X-ray and optical emissions of the prototype of the class, γ-Cas, are very well correlated on year timescales with no significant time delay. Since the expected migration time from internal disk regions that emit most of the optical flux to the orbit of the companion star is several years, the simultaneity of the high energy and optical flux variations indicates that X-ray emission arises from close to the star. The systematic lack of magnetic field detection reported in recent spectro-polarimetric surveys of Be stars is consistent with the absence of strong magnetic wind braking in these fast spinning stars but place strong constraints on the possible origin of the magnetic field. We propose that in γ-Cas, the magnetic field emerges from equatorially condensed subsurface convecting layers, the thickness of which steeply increases with rotation rate, and that γ-Cas and its analogs are the most massive and closest to critical rotation Be stars.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
A hard X-ray study of the ultraluminous X-ray source NGC 5204 X-1 with NuSTAR and XMM-Newton
We present the results from coordinated X-ray observations of the ultraluminous X-ray source NGC 5204 X-1 performed by the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array and XMM-Newton in early 2013. These observations provide the first detection of NGC 5204 X-1 above 10 keV, extending the broadband coverage to 0.3−20 keV. The observations were carried out in two epochs separated by approximately 10 days, and showed little spectral variation with an observed luminosity of L{sub X}=(4.95±0.11)×10{sup 39} erg s{sup −1}. The broadband spectrum robustly confirms the presence of a clear spectral downturn above 10 keV seen in some previous observations. This cutoff is inconsistent with the standard low/hard state seen in Galactic black hole binaries, as would be expected from an intermediate-mass black hole accreting at significantly sub-Eddington rates given the observed luminosity. The continuum is apparently dominated by two optically thick thermal-like components, potentially accompanied by a faint high-energy tail. The broadband spectrum is likely associated with an accretion disk that differs from a standard Shakura and Sunyaev thin disk.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
THREE YEARS OF FERMI GBM EARTH OCCULTATION MONITORING: OBSERVATIONS OF HARD X-RAY/SOFT GAMMA-RAY SOURCES
The Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on board Fermi has been providing continuous data to the astronomical community since 2008 August 12. In this paper, we present the results of the analysis of the first three years of these continuous data using the Earth occultation technique to monitor a catalog of 209 sources. From this catalog, we detect 99 sources, including 40 low-mass X-ray binary/neutron star systems, 31 high-mass X-ray binary/neutron star systems, 12 black hole binaries, 12 active galaxies, and 2 other sources, plus the Crab Nebula, and the Sun. Nine of these sources are detected in the 100-300 keV band, including seven black hole binaries, the active galaxy Cen A, and the Crab. The Crab and Cyg X-1 are also detected in the 300-500 keV band. GBM provides complementary data to other sky-monitors below 100 keV and is the only all-sky monitor above 100 keV. Up-to-date light curves for all of the catalog sources can be found online.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Radiation hardness studies of AMS HV-CMOS 350 nm prototype chip HVStripV1
CMOS active pixel sensors are being investigated for their potential use in the ATLAS inner tracker upgrade at the HL-LHC. The new inner tracker will have to handle a significant increase in luminosity while maintaining a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio and pulse shaping times. This paper focuses on the prototype chip "HVStripV1" (manufactured in the AMS HV-CMOS 350nm process) characterization before and after irradiation up to fluence levels expected for the strip region in the HL-LHC environment. The results indicate an increase of depletion region after irradiation for the same bias voltage by a factor of ≈2.4 and ≈2.8 for two active pixels on the test chip. As a result, there was also a notable increase in noise levels from 85 e – to 386 e – and from 75 e – to 277 e – for the corresponding pixels.
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
EXTENDED HARD X-RAY EMISSION FROM THE VELA PULSAR WIND NEBULA
The nebula powered by the Vela pulsar is one of the best examples of an evolved pulsar wind nebula, allowing access to the particle injection history and the interaction with the supernova ejecta. We report on the INTEGRAL discovery of extended emission above 18 keV from the Vela nebula. The northern side has no known counterparts and it appears larger and more significant than the southern one, which is in turn partially coincident with the cocoon, the soft X-ray, and TeV filament toward the center of the remnant. We also present the spectrum of the Vela nebula in the 18-400 keV energy range as measured by IBIS/ISGRI and SPI on board the INTEGRAL satellite. The apparent discrepancy between IBIS/ISGRI, SPI, and previous measurements is understood in terms of the point-spread function, supporting the hypothesis of a nebula more diffuse than previously thought. A break at {approx}25 keV is found in the spectrum within 6' from the pulsar after including the Suzaku XIS data. Interpreted as a cooling break, this points out that the inner nebula is composed of electrons injected in the last {approx}2000 years. Broadband modeling also implies a magnetic field higher than 10 {mu}G in this region. Finally, we discuss the nature of the northern emission, which might be due to fresh particles injected after the passage of the reverse shock.
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