Neutron and proton interaction backgrounds in compton-telescopes used for gamma-ray astronomy

Gamma-ray background counting rates encountered in astronomy observations are calculated for a double Compton scatter telescope. Backgrounds not eliminated by the usual growth curve could be produced by albedo neutrons and/or cosmic ray protons interacting with the carbon and/or hydrogen of the detector. They are the albedo neutron-carbon interaction gamma-rays, cosmic ray proton interaction delayed gamma rays and the moderated albedo neutron-proton photocapture gamma rays. It is decisive to know the contribution of these backgrounds, because they must be subtracted before the cosmic diffuse flux can be determined. Estimates of the neutron induced background events in a Compton telescope show that they might contribute a considerable fraction of the counting rate. In the near future the calculations will be checked with a calibrated neutron beam.     

Experimental investigation of the critical ionization velocity in gas mixtures

The critical ionization velocity which is of cosmogonic and astrophysical interest has hitherto mainly been investigated for pure gases. Since in space we always have gas mixtures, it is of interest also to study gas mixtures. The present report, which is a summary of a more detailed report (Axnäs, 1976), summarizes the results of systematic experiments on the critical ionization velocity as a function of the mixing ratio for binary gas mixtures of H₂, He, N₂, O₂, Ne and Ar. The apparatus used is a coaxial plasma gun with an azimuthal magnetic field. The discharge parameters are chosen so that the plasma is weakly ionized. In some of the mixtures it is found that one of the components tends to dominate in the sense that only a small amount (regarding volume) of that component is needed for the discharge to adopt a limiting velocity close to that for the pure component. Thus in a mixture between a heavy and a light component having nearly equal ionization potentials, the heavy component dominates. Also, if there is a considerable difference in ionization potential between the components, the component with the lowest ionization potential tends to dominate.Paper dedicated to Professor Hannes Alfvén on the occasion of his 70th birthday, 30 May, 1978.     

Estimation of pH optima and tolerances of diatoms in lake sediments by the methods of weighted averaging,least squares and maximum likelihood,and their use for the prediction of lake acidity

Ecological optima and tolerances with respect to autumn pH were estimated for 63 diatom taxa in 47 Finnish lakes. The methods used were weighted averaging (WA), least squares (LS) and maximum likelihood (ML), the two latter methods assuming the Gaussian response model.WA produces optimum estimates which are necessarily within the observed lake pH range, whereas there is no such restriction in ML and LS. When the most extreme estimates of ML and LS were excluded, a reasonably close agreement among the results of different estimation methods was observed. When the species with unrealistic optima were excluded, the tolerance estimates were also rather similar, although the ML estimates were systematically greater.The parameter estimates were used to predict the autumn pH of 34 other lakes by weighted averaging. The ML and LS estimates including the extreme optima produced inferior predictions. A good prediction was obtained, however, when prediction with these estimates was additionally scaled with inverse squared tolerances, or when the extreme values were removed (censored). Tolerance downweighting was perhaps more efficient, and when it was used, no additional improvement was gained by censoring. The WA estimates produced good predictions without any manipulations, but these predictions tended to be biased towards the centroid of the observed range of pH values.At best, the average bias in prediction, as measured by mean difference between predicted and observed pH, was 0.082 pH units and the standard deviation of the differences, measuring the average random prediction error, was 0.256 pH units.     

Über die Lokalisierung von Wismut in Gesteinen mit Kernemulsionsplatten

Zusammenfassung Die Methode der Lokalisierung von Bi in Gesteinen mittels der -Strahlung von künstlichem Po, das durch die Reaktion Bi²⁰⁹ (n, ) RaE durch Bestrahlung mit thermischen Neutronen in einem Uranpile erzeugt wird, wurde an einem Gesteinsschliff experimentell geprüft. Die Empfindlichkeit dieser Methode für den Nachweis von Bi wird diskutiert und liegt in der Größenordnung der besten bisher bekannten analytischen Methoden. Sie ist in der Größenordnung von 10^–8 gr Bi/gr. Gestein.Mit 4 Textabbildungen.     

Mare basalt units and the compositions of their magmas

A synthesis of the majority of the available mare basalt data shows that basalts and glasses came from 28 different volcanic units. The compositions of the magmas of 12 of these units can be calculated with a high degree of confidence. Reasonable estimates can be made for the compositions of nine of the remaining units. In addition, the compositions of three general magma types can be obtained from data derived from the Luna 16, Luna 24, and Apollo 17 fines. The compositional data presented provide a firm basis for the further study of the characteristics of the mare basalt magma source region.     

The secondary spectral component of solar microwave bursts

Microwave observations in the range 1 to 18 GHz with high spectral resolution (40 frequencies) have shown that many events display a complex microwave spectrum. From a set of 14 events with two or more spectral components, we find that two different classes of complex events can be distinguished. The first group (4 events) is characterized by a different temporal evolution of the spectral components, resulting in a change of the spectral shape. These events probably can be explained by gyrosynchrotron emission from two or more individual sources. The second class (10 events) has a constant spectral shape, so that the two spectral components vary together in intensity. For all ten events in this second class, the ratio of primary to secondary peak frequencies is remarkably similar, exhibiting an average value of 3.4, and both components show a common circular polarization. These properties suggest either a common source for the different spectral components or several sources which are closely coupled. An additional example of this class of burst was observed interferometrically to provide spatial resolution. This event suggests that the primary and secondary components have a similar location, but that the surface area of the secondary component is larger.Swiss National Science Foundation Fellow from the University of Bern.     

Analytical solutions for saturated P cygni type profiles II: General case

As in the first part of the present study (Sapar et al., 2002) we use the β-law for velocity of stellar wind and the Sobolev approximation for radiative transfer. Here we have succeeded to derive general and relatively simple analytical formulae in elementary functions for saturated P Cygni type line profiles if parameter 2β is arbitrary positive integer (in the first part we studied the cases 2β ≤ 4). The four terms obtained describe contributions to the line profile due to isotropic and anisotropic parts of optical thickness in the source function of the light-scattering layer followed by isotropic and anisotropic parts of multiple scattering. The limits of acceptability of the Sobolev approximation for β-law have been discussed and specified. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

I Zwicky 1: Decomposition and dynamics of the nearby QSO host

We address current theories of research on morphology, environment and evolution of active galaxies in the form of a detailed case study of the nearby QSO host I Zw 1. This study is based on sub-kpc resolution ¹²CO(1-0) observations with the BIMA mm-interferometer and on near-infrared imaging with ISAAC at the VLT. The ¹²CO(1-0) maps reveal a circumnuclear molecular gas ring with a radius of 0.9 kpc. The imaging data in the J-band are analyzed with respect to a disk-bulge decomposition. Together with a model of the gas rotation curve, the radial profile of the dynamical J-band mass-to-light ratio (M/L) is discussed. The J-band images give new evidence for an interaction between I Zw 1 and its nearby companion. First results from a sequence of N-body simulations for an extensive test of the parameter space of the interaction are presented. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.