Cosmic-ray antimatter: A primary origin hypothesis

We examine the possibility that the observed cosmic-ray protons are of primary extragalactic origin. The present \(\bar p\) data are consistent with a primary extragalactic component having \(\bar p\) /p?3.2±0.7 x 10^-4 independent of energy. Following the suggestion that most extragalactic cosmic rays are from active galaxies, we propose that most of the observed \(\bar p\) 's are alos from the same sites. This would imply the possibility of destroying the corresponding \(\bar \alpha \) 'sat the source, thus leading to a flux ratio \(\bar \alpha \) /α< \(\bar p\) /p. We further predict an estimate for \(\bar \alpha \) α～10^-5, within the range of future cosmic-ray detectors. the cosmological implications of this proposal are discussed.     

Response of fixed offshore structures in random sea

An integrated model is developed for the short-term and long-term dynamic response of an offshore structure subjected to random wave excitation. A discrete linear, elastic model of the upper structure is coupled with an iterative linear quasi-three-dimensional finite element model for the pile-soil medium, and the system is subjected to stochastic storms described by mean rate of arrival, joint probability distribution of storm duration and average intensity, and a random process that describes the variations of a statistical wave height measure during each storm. Sarpkaya's 1977 experimental information is used to specify values for C_M and C_D, in Morison's equation, consistent with the flow and response characteristics. Soil (clay) degradation, due to cyclic excitation, is followed during the passage of a storm. The indicator of soil degradation is taken to be the value of the horizontal foundation stiffness and the stiffness degradation is modelled by a homogeneous Markov process.     

Influence of the atmospheric masses on the gravitational field of the earth

Seasonal and latitude dependent corrections to the gravity and height anomalies are developed in order to account for the neglect of the atmospheric masses outside the geold, when using Stokes’ equation. It is shown that the atmospheric correction to gravity at sea level is almost constant, equal to0.871 mgals with a variation of2 μ gals whereas the height anomaly correction varies between −0.1 cm and −1.3 cm. Further, when the combined latitudinal/seasonal dependence is neglected in the atmospheric corrections, the maximum error introduced is of the order of40 μ gals for the gravity corrections and0.7 cm for the height anomaly corrections.     

Meta-analysis of electron cyclotron resonance absorption features detected in high-mass X-ray binaries

Using recent compilations of detailed X-ray observations and spectral models of exceptional quality, we record the electron cyclotron resonance absorption(ECRA) features that have been detected in 45 pulsating high-mass X-ray binaries(HMXBs) and ultraluminous X-ray(ULX) sources harboring neutron stars, although seven of these detections are still questionable and another 21 are single and/or not independently confirmed. From the comprehensive catalogs of Jaisawal Naik and Staubert et al.and from several additional recent observations, we produce two lists of HMXB ECRA sources: a list of 17 sources in which multiple ECRA lines or single very low-energy lines are seen, in which we can reasonably assume that the lowest energy reveals the fundamental cyclotron level for each source; and a"contaminated" list of 38 sources including the 21 detections of single ECRA lines that may(not) be higherlevel harmonics. Both lists confirm a previous result that we have obtained independently by modeling the propeller lines of Magellanic HMXB pulsars: the surface dipolar magnetic fields B*of HMXB neutron stars are segregated around five distinct values with B*= 0.28 ± 0.08, 0.55 ± 0.11, 1.3 ± 0.37, 3.0 ± 0.68 and 7.9 ± 3.1, in units of TG. However, an explanation of this phenomenon is currently lacking. We have found no correlation between these B*values and the corresponding observed spin periods, spin period derivatives, orbital periods, maximum X-ray luminosities, neutron star masses or companion star masses.     

A striking confluence between theory and observations of high-mass X-ray binary pulsars

We analyze the most powerful X-ray outbursts from neutron stars in eleven Magellanic high-mass X-ray binaries and three pulsating ultraluminous X-ray sources. Most of the outbursts rise to L_(max) which is about the level of the Eddington luminosity, while the remaining more powerful outbursts also appear to recognize that limit when their emissions are assumed to be anisotropic and beamed toward our direction. We use the measurements of pulsar spin periods P_S and their derivatives P_S to calculate the X-ray luminosities L_p in their faintest accreting("propeller-line") states. In five cases with unknown P_S, we use the lowest observed X-ray luminosities, which only adds to the heterogeneity of the sample. Then we calculate the ratios L_p/L_(max) and we obtain an outstanding confluence of theory and observations from which we conclude that work done on both fronts is accurate and the results are trustworthy: sources known to reside on the lowest Magellanic propeller line are all located on/near that line, whereas other sources jump higher and reach higher-lying propeller lines. These jumps can be interpreted in only one way, higher-lying pulsars have stronger surface magnetic fields in agreement with previous empirical results in whichP_S and L_p values were not used.     

Fourier‐resolved spectroscopy of AGN using XMM‐Newton data

We present a brief account of the theory on which the novel method of ‘Fourier‐resolved spectroscopy’ is based. We summarize the results from the past application of this method to the study of Galactic Black Hole candidate sources and MCG‐6‐30‐15, and we present new results from the Fourier‐resolved spectroscopy of archival XMM‐Newton data of five AGN, namely, Mrk 766, NGC 3516, NGC 3783, NGC 4051 and Ark 564. When we combine all the past and present results from Galactic sources and AGN, we find that the slope of the Fourier‐resolved spectra in accreting black hole systems decreases with increasing frequency as ∝ f ^–0.25, irrespective of whether the system is in its High or Low state. We find significant evidence that the iron line in Mrk 766, NGC 3783 and NGC 4051 is variable on time scales ∼1 day – 1 hour. There is an indication that, just like in Galactic sources, the equivalent width of the line in the Fourier‐resolved spectra of AGN decreases with increasing frequency. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Probing the Higgs vacuum with general relativity

We show that the structure of the Higgs vacuum could be revealed in gravitational experiments which probe the Schwarzschild geometry to only one order inMG/r beyond that needed for the classical tests of general relativity.