Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Polarimetry Studies For The Npdgamma Experiment At The Sns, Jonny Dadras

Jonny Dadras

The NPDGamma collaboration aims to measure a parity-violating directional gamma-ray asymmetry from the capture of polarized cold neutrons on protons. The asymmetry, predicted to be on the order of 50 ppb, is a result of the weak interaction between mesons and nucleons during the neutron capture reaction. The experiment is designed to make a statistics limited measurement of the asymmetry at the level of about 20%. The experiment will be carried out at the Fundamental neutron Physics Beamline (FnPB) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). The neutron beam is polarized by a super-mirror polarizer. A 9.5 G magnetic field guides …

Chandra And Swift Observations Of The Quasi-Persistent Neutron Star Transient Exo 0748-676 Back To Quiescence, N. Degenaar, R. Wijnands, M. T. Wolff, P. S. Ray, K. S. Wood, J. Homan, W. H. G. Lewin, P. G. Jonker, E. M. Cackett, J. M. Miller, E. F. Brown

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

The quasi-persistent neutron star X-ray transient and eclipsing binary EXO 0748-676 recently started the transition to quiescence following an accretion outburst that lasted more than 24 years. We report on two Chandra and 12 Swift observations performed within five months after the end of the outburst. The Chandra spectrum is composed of a soft, thermal component that fits to a neutron star atmosphere model with kT^∞ ~ 0.12keV, joined by a hard power-law tail that contributes ~20 per cent of the total 0.5-10 keV unabsorbed flux. The combined Chandra/Swift data set reveals a relatively hot and luminous quiescent system …

Broad Relativistic Iron Emission Line Observed In Sax J1808.4-3658, E. M. Cackett, D. Altamirano, A. Patruno, J. M. Miller, M. Reynolds, M. Linares, R. Wijnands

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

During the 2008 September-October outburst of the accreting millisecond pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658, the source was observed by both Suzaku and XMM-Newton approximately 1 day apart. Spectral analysis reveals a broad relativistic Fe Kα emission line which is present in both data sets, as has recently been reported for other neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries. The properties of the Fe K line observed during each observation are very similar. From modeling the Fe line, we determine the inner accretion disk radius to be 13.2 ± 2.5 GM c^-2. The inner disk radius measured from the Fe K line suggests …

First Measurement Of The Neutron Beta Asymmetry With Ultracold Neutrons, Robert W. Pattie, J. Anaya, Henning O. Back, J. G. Boissevain, Thomas J. Bowles, Leah J. Broussard, Richard Carr, D. J. Clark, Scott Currie, S. Du, Bradley W. Filippone, Peter Geltenbort, A. García, Ayman I. Hawari, Kevin P. Hickerson, R. Hill, M. Hino, S. A. Hoedl, Gary E. Hogan, Anthony T. Holley, Takeyasu M. Ito, T. Kawai, K. Kirch, S. Kitagaki, Steve K. Lamoreaux, Chenyu Liu, Jingyang Liu, Mark Makela, Russell R. Mammei, J. W. Martin, Daniel Melconian, N. Meier, Michael P. Mendenhall, Charles L. Morris, R. Mortensen, A. Pichlmaier, Margaret L. Pitt, Blakely Plaster, John C. Ramsey, Roger Rios, Konstantin Sabourov, A. L. Sallaska, Alexander Saunders, R. Schmid, Susan J. Seestrom, C. Servicky, Sky K. L. Sjue, D. Smith, Walter E. Sondheim, E. Tatar, W. Teasdale, Christopher R. Terai, B. Tipton, M. Utsuro, R. Bruce Vogelaar, Bernard Wehring, Y. P. Xu, Andrew R. Young, J. Yuan

Robert W. Pattie Jr.

A Search For Iron Emission Lines In The Chandra X-Ray Spectra Of Neutron Star Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries, E. M. Cackett, J. M. Miller, J. Homan, M. Van Der Klis, W. H. G. Lewin, M. Méndez, J. Raymond, D. Steeghs, R. Wijnands

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

While iron emission lines are well studied in black hole systems, both in X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei, there has been less of a focus on these lines in neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). However, recent observations with Suzaku and XMM-Newton have revealed broad, asymmetric iron line profiles in three neutron star LMXBs, confirming an inner disk origin for these lines in neutron star systems. Here, we present a search for iron lines in six neutron star LMXBs. For each object we have simultaneous Chandra and RXTE observations at two separate epochs, allowing for both a high-resolution spectrum …