Chandra Observations Of The Radio Galaxy 3c 445 And The Hot Spot X-Ray Emission Mechanism,
2010
Florida Institute of Technology
Chandra Observations Of The Radio Galaxy 3c 445 And The Hot Spot X-Ray Emission Mechanism, Eric S. Perlman, Markos Georganopoulos, Emily M. May, Demosthenes Kazanas
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
We present new Chandra observations of the radio galaxy 3C 445, centered on its southern radio hot spot. Our observations detect X-ray emission displaced upstream and to the west of the radio-optical hot spot. Attempting to reproduce both the observed spectral energy distribution and the displacement excludes all one-zone models. Modeling of the radio-optical hot spot spectrum suggests that the electron distribution has a low-energy cutoff or break approximately at the proton rest mass energy. The X-rays could be due to external Compton scattering of the cosmic microwave background coming from the fast (Lorentz factor Γ ≈ 4) part of …
A Multi-Wavelength Spectral And Polarimetric Study Of The Jet Of 3c 264,
2010
Florida Institute of Technology
A Multi-Wavelength Spectral And Polarimetric Study Of The Jet Of 3c 264, Eric S. Perlman
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
We present a comprehensive multi-band spectral and polarimetric study of the jet of 3C 264 (NGC 3862). Included in this study are three Hubble Space Telescope (HST) optical and ultraviolet polarimetry data sets, along with new and archival Very Large Array radio imaging and polarimetry, a re-analysis of numerous HST broadband data sets from the near infrared to the far ultraviolet, and a Chandra ACIS-S observation. We investigate similarities and differences between optical and radio polarimetry, in both degree of polarization and projected magnetic field direction. We also examine the broadband spectral energy distribution of both the nucleus and jet …
Acceleration Of Suprathermal Particles By Compressional Plasma Wave Trains In The Solar Wind,
2010
Florida Institute of Technology
Acceleration Of Suprathermal Particles By Compressional Plasma Wave Trains In The Solar Wind, Ming Zhang
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
This paper presents a calculation of particle acceleration by an idealized compressional plasma wave train. In this model, suprathermal particles, such as pickup ions, are continuously injected into a wave train consisting of a series of compression or rarefaction regions. The momentum distribution of particles will become broader and broader as they go through the wave train, which is very similar to diffusion in momentum space. The acceleration process is very fast: it does not take too many wave cycles even with a small compression amplitude to reach an asymptotic steady state momentum distribution. In the absence of large-scale adiabatic …
Diffusion Of Relativistic Runaway Electrons And Implications For Lightning Initiation,
2010
Florida Institute of Technology
Diffusion Of Relativistic Runaway Electrons And Implications For Lightning Initiation, Joseph R. Dwyer
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
Using detailed Monte Carlo simulations, the diffusion coefficients for relativistic runaway electron avalanches in air are found for the range of electric field strengths applicable to thunderclouds. Diffusion causes runaway electron avalanches to spread perpendicular to and parallel to the avalanche direction, resulting in much smaller peak conductivities than would be inferred otherwise. The idea that runaway electron avalanches seeded by extensive cosmic ray air showers may initiate lightning has gained considerable popularity in recent years. However, using the diffusion coefficients calculated in this paper along with the avalanche multiplication limit from X-ray and positron feedback, it is found that …
First Results On Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes From The Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor,
2010
The University of Alabama in Huntsville
First Results On Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes From The Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor, Michael S. Briggs, Joseph R. Dwyer
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
The Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected 12 intense terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs) during its first year of observation. Typical maximum energies for most of the TGFs are ∼30 MeV, with one TGF having a 38 MeV photon; two of the TGFs are softer and longer than the others. After correcting for instrumental effects, a representative bright TGF is found to have a fluence of ∼0.7 photons cm-2. Pulses are either symmetrical or have faster risetimes than fall times; they are well fit with Gaussian or lognormal functions. The fastest risetime observed was 7 …
Thunderstorm Characteristics Associated With Rhessi Identified Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes,
2010
Florida Institute of Technology
Thunderstorm Characteristics Associated With Rhessi Identified Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes, Michael E. Splitt, Steven M. Lazarus, Diana H. Barnes, Joseph R. Dwyer, Hamid K. Rassoul, David M. Smith, Bryna J. Hazelton, Brian W. Grefenstette
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
The characteristics of thunderstorms that produce terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) observed by the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) are determined using climatological and meteorological data. RHESSI observed TGFs follow diurnal, seasonal, and geographic patterns that are very similar to those of thunderstorms confirming, in part, that these events are directly connected to thunderstorm activity. The TGF producing thunderstorms are shown to be closely associated with tall (ranging from 13.6 km to 17.3 km) tropical thunderstorm systems, a finding that is consistent with theoretical expectations from models of relativistic breakdown that relate the source region to the spectral …
Magnetic Cloud Boundary Layer Of 9 November 2004 And Its Associated Space Weather Effects,
2010
Florida Institute of Technology
Magnetic Cloud Boundary Layer Of 9 November 2004 And Its Associated Space Weather Effects, Pingbing Zuo, Fengsi Wei, Xueshang Feng, Xiaojun Xu, Wenbin Song
Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications
On 9 November 2004, the WIND spacecraft detected a magnetic cloud boundary layer (MCBL) during the interval from 19:07 UT to 20:30 UT. Within the MCBL, there is intense southward magnetic field and the dynamic pressure is rather high, which makes it much geoeffective. Twenty-three minutes later, the MCBL arrived on the magnetopause. An intense geomagnetic storm main phase was driven by the sustaining strong southward magnetic field within the MCBL. During the passage of the MCBL, a typical magnetospheric substorm was triggered. The substorm onset was synthetically identified by the aurora breakup, magnetic dipolarization, dispersionless particle injection, Pi2 pulsation, …
