9991030
A transient relativistic radio jet from Cygnus X-1
We report the first observation of a transient relativistic jet from the canonical black hole candidate, Cygnus X-1, obtained with the Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN). The jet was observed in only one of six epochs of MERLIN imaging of the source during a phase of repeated X-ray spectral transitions in 2004 Jan-Feb, and this epoch corresponded to the softest 1.5-12 keV X-ray spectrum. With only a single epoch revealing the jet, we cannot formally constrain its velocity. Nevertheless, several lines of reasoning suggest that the jet was probably launched 0.5-4.0 d before this brightening, corresponding to projected velocities of 0.2c ≤ v app ≤ 1.6c, and an intrinsic velocity of ≥0.3c. We also report the occurrence of a major radio flare from Cyg X-1, reaching a flux density of ∼120 mJy at 15 GHz, and yet not associated with any resolvable radio emission, despite a concerted effort with MERLIN. We discuss the resolved jet in terms of the recently proposed 'unified model' for the disc-jet coupling in black hole X-ray binaries, and tentatively identify the 'jet line' for Cyg X-1. The source is consistent with the model in the sense that a steady jet appears to persist initially when the X-ray spectrum starts softening, and that once the spectral softening is complete the core radio emission is suppressed and transient ejecta/shock observed. However, there are some anomalies, and Cyg X-1 clearly does not behave like a normal black hole transient in progressing to the canonical soft/thermal state once the ejection event has happened.
119373243
Redshifts of CLASS Radio Sources
Spectroscopic observations of a sample of 42 flat-spectrum radio sources from the Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey (CLASS) have yielded a mean redshift of z = 1.27 with an rms spread of 0.95, at a completeness level of 64%. The sample consists of sources with a 5 GHz flux density of 25–50 mJy, making it the faintest flat-spectrum radio sample for which the redshift distribution has been studied. The spectra, obtained with the William Herschel Telescope, consist mainly of broad-line quasars at z > 1 and narrow-line galaxies at z < 0.5. Though the mean redshift of flat-spectrum radio sources exhibits little variation over more than 2 orders of magnitude in radio flux density, there is evidence of a decreasing fraction of quasars at weaker flux levels. We present the results of our spectroscopic observations and discuss the implications for constraining cosmological parameters with statistical analyses of CLASS.
9431894
ARCS, the Arcminute Radio Cluster‐lens Search – I. Selection criteria and initial results
We present the results of an unbiased radio search for gravitational lensing events with image separations between 15 and 60 arcsec, which would be associated with clusters of galaxies with masses >1013–14 M⊙. A parent population of 1023 extended radio sources stronger than 35 mJy with stellar optical identifications was selected using the FIRST radio catalogue at 1.4 GHz and the APM optical catalogue. The FIRST catalogue was then searched for companions to the parent sources stronger than 7 mJy and with separation in the range 15 to 60 arcsec. Higher-resolution observations of the resulting 38 lens candidates were made with the VLA at 1.4 and 5 GHz, and with MERLIN at 5 GHz in order to test the lens hypothesis in each case. None of our targets was found to be a gravitational lens system. These results provide the best current constraint on the lensing rate for this angular scale, but improved calculations of lensing rates from realistic simulations of the clustering of matter on the relevant scales are required before cosmologically significant constraints can be derived from this null result. We now have an efficient, tested observational strategy with which it will be possible to make an order-of-magnitude larger unbiased search in the near future.
7400310
A survey of polarization in the JVAS/CLASS flat-spectrum radio source surveys – I. The data and catalogue production
We have used the very large JVAS/CLASS 8.4-GHz surveys of flat-spectrum radio sources to obtain a large, uniformly observed and calibrated, sample of radio source polarizations. These are useful for many investigations of the properties of radio sources and the interstellar medium. We discuss comparisons with polarization measurements from this survey and from other large-scale surveys of polarization in flat-spectrum sources.
15014169
Multi-wavelength INTEGRAL network (MINE) observations of the microquasar GRS 1915+105
We present the international collaboration MINE (Multi-lambda Integral NEtwork) aimed at conducting multi-wavelength observations of X-ray binaries and microquasars simultaneously with the INTEGRAL gamma-ray satellite. We will focus on the 2003 March-April campaign of observations of the peculiar microquasar GRS 1915+105 gathering radio, IR and X-ray data. The source was observed 3 times in the plateau state, before and after a major radio and X-ray flare. It showed strong steady optically thick radio emission corresponding to powerful compact jets resolved in the radio images, bright near-infrared emission, a strong QPO at 2.5 Hz in the X-rays and a power law dominated spectrum without cutoff in the 3-300 keV range. We compare the different observations, their multi-wavelength light curves, including JEM-X, ISGRI and SPI, and the parameters deduced from fitting the spectra obtained with these instruments on board INTEGRAL.
2295410
Keck spectroscopy of CLASS gravitational lenses
We present the optical spectra of four newly discovered gravitational lenses from the Cosmic Lens All-Sky Survey (CLASS). These observations were carried out using the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrograph on the W. M. Keck-I Telescope as part of a program to study galaxy-scale gravitational lenses. From our spectra we found the redshift of the background source in CLASS B0128+437 (zs = 3.1240 ± 0.0042) and the lensing galaxy redshifts in CLASS B0445+123 (zl = 0.5583 ± 0.0003) and CLASS B0850+054 (zl = 0.5883±0.0006). Intriguingly, we also discovered that CLASS B0631+519 may have two lensing galaxies (zl,1 = 0.0896 ± 0.0001, zl,2 = 0.6196 ± 0.0004). We also found a single unidentified emission line from the lensing galaxy in CLASS B0128+437 and the lensed source in CLASS B0850+054. We find the lensing galaxies in CLASS B0445+123 and CLASS B0631+519 (l, 2) to be early-type galaxies with Einstein Radii of 2.8 − 3.0 h kpc. The deflector in CLASS B0850+054 is a late-type galaxy with an Einstein Radius of 1.6 h kpc.
96220391
High dose uranium ion implantation into silicon
Abstract Implantation of uranium ions into silicon to a dose of 6 × 1016 atoms/cm2, with a maximum concentration of 6 × 1021 atoms/cm3, has been carried out at an ion mean energy of 157 keV. The implanted uranium content was measured by Rutherford backscattering and confirmed by a measurement of the alpha-particle activity of the buried uranium layer. The range and straggling of the uranium implant, and sputtering of the silicon target by uranium, were measured and are compared with theoretical estimates.
122942161
Charge state distribution studies of the metal vapor vacuum arc ion source
We have studied the charge state distribution of the ion beam produced by the MEVVA (metal vapor vacuum arc) high current metal ion source. Beams produced from a wide range of cathode materials have been examined and the charge state distributions have been measured as a function of many operational parameters. In this article we review the charge state data we have accumulated, with particular emphasis on the time history of the distribution throughout the arc current pulse duration. We find that, in general, the spectra remain quite constant throughout most of the beam pulse, as long as the arc current is constant. There is an interesting early‐time transient behavior when the arc is first initiated and the arc current is still rising, during which time the ion charge states produced are observed to be significantly higher than during the steady current region that follows.
56007264
Film Synthesis on Powders by Cathodic Arc Plasma Deposition
Cathodic arc plasma deposition was used to coat Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} powder (mesh size 60) with platinum. The power particles were moved during deposition using a mechanical system operating at a resonance frequency of 20 Hz. Scanning electron microscopy and Auger electron microscopy show that all particles are completely coated with a platinum film having a thickness of about 100 nm. The actual deposition time was only 20 s, thus the deposition rate was very high (5 nm/s).
119227429
INTRINSIC BISPECTRA OF COSMIC MAGNETIC FIELDS
Forthcoming data sets from the Planck experiment and others are in a position to probe the cosmic microwave background (CMB) non-Gaussianity with higher accuracy than has yet been possible, and potentially open a new window into the physics of the very early universe. However, a signal need not necessarily be inflationary in origin, and possible contaminants should be examined in detail. One such is provided by early universe magnetic fields, which can be produced by a variety of models including during an inflationary phase, at phase transitions, or seeded by cosmic defects. Should such fields have been extant in the early universe, they would provide a natural source of CMB non-Gaussianity. Knowledge of the CMB angular bispectrum requires the complete Fourier-space (or "intrinsic") bispectrum. In this paper, I consider in detail the intrinsic bispectra of an early-universe magnetic field for a range of power-law magnetic spectra.
92355873
High current ion sources
The concept of high current ion source is both relative and evolutionary. Within the domain of one particular kind of ion source technology a current of microamperers might be high', while in another area a current of 10 Amperes could low'. Even within the domain of a single ion source type, what is considered high current performance today is routinely eclipsed by better performance and higher current output within a short period of time. Within their fields of application, there is a large number of kinds of ion sources that can justifiably be called high current. Thus, as a very limited example only, PIGs, Freemen sources, ECR sources, duoplasmatrons, field emission sources, and a great many more all have their high current variants. High current ion beams of gaseous and metallic species can be generated in a number of different ways. Ion sources of the kind developed at various laboratories around the world for the production of intense neutral beams for controlled fusion experiments are used to form large area proton deuteron beams of may tens of Amperes, and this technology can be used for other applications also. There has been significant progress in recent years in the use ofmore » microwave ion sources for high current ion beam generation, and this method is likely to find wide application in various different field application. Finally, high current beams of metal ions can be produced using metal vapor vacuum arc ion source technology. After a brief consideration of high current ion source design concepts, these three particular methods are reviewed in this paper.« less