Absolute Flux Research Articles

Symbiotic nova V1016 Cygni: Evolution of the dust envelope and the gaseous nebula

As a result of the next cycle of our long-term monitoring, we present our UBV JHKLM photometry for the symbiotic nova V1016 Cyg in 2008–2014. The star continued to systematically fade and redden in UBV: over this period, the brightness declined by 0ṃ1 in V and by 0ṃ2 in B and U, the B–V color index increased by 0ṃ1, and U–B barely changed. On the color–color (U–B, B–V) diagram, the star moved approximately horizontally rightward with a slight bluing in U–B starting from 2000. Our JHKLM photometry has shown a decline in the mean infrared (IR) brightness and a rise in the mean IR color indices after 2004 due to an increase in the optical depth of the dust envelope. The brightness decline and reddening of the Mira in the near infrared reached their extreme values over the entire period of the system’s observations by the end of 2014. The pulsation period of the Mira is determined with confidence: P = 465 ± 5 days. The distance to the Mira, D = 2.92 ± 0.16 kpc, and its parameters, the radius R * = (470 ± 50) R ⊙ and luminosity L * = (9200 ± 1900) L ⊙, have been estimated from the observations of V1016 Cyg at its maximum J brightness and at its minimum J–H color index. The temperature of the star during its pulsations varied within the range T * = 2100–2700 K.We have estimated the parameters of the dust envelope near its maximum (in 2004) and minimum (in 2012–2014) IR brightness. The mass of the dust envelope almost doubled in ten years, with the rate of dust supply being ΔM d ∼ 10−7 M ⊙ yr−1. Using a low-resolution spectrograph, we performed absolute spectrophotometry for V1016 Cyg in 1995–2013 in the range λ4340–7130 A. We have shown that almost all absolute fluxes in lines and in continuum at λ4400 A decrease monotonically after 2000, while the relative intensities of [O III], [Fe VII], and [Ca VII] lines increase after the minimum that probably occurred in the 1990s. The significant (approximately by a factor of 10 from 1995 to 2013) decrease of the flux in the Raman O VI λ6825 line reflects a change of conditions in the formation zone of this line due to the absorption of some O VI λ1032 photons in the newly forming dust envelope of the cool component.

Parameterized Gravity Wave Momentum Fluxes from Sources Related to Convection and Large-Scale Precipitation Processes in a Global Atmosphere Model

Abstract Analysis of a high-resolution, convection-permitting simulation of the tropical Indian Ocean has revealed empirical relationships between precipitation and gravity wave vertical momentum flux on grid scales typical of earth system models. Hence, the authors take a rough functional form, whereby the wave flux source spectrum has an amplitude proportional to the square root of total precipitation, to represent gravity wave source strengths in the Met Office global model’s spectral nonorographic scheme. Key advantages of the new source are simplicity and responsiveness to changes in convection processes without dependence upon model-specific details of their representation. Thus, the new source scheme is potentially a straightforward adaptation for a class of spectral gravity wave schemes widely used for current state-of-the-art earth system models. Against an invariant source, the new parameterized source generates launch-level flux amplitudes with greater spatial and temporal variability, producing probability density functions for absolute momentum flux over the ocean that have extended tails of large-amplitude, low-occurrence events. Such distributions appear more realistic in comparison with reported balloon observations. Source intermittency at the launch level affects mean fluxes at higher levels in two ways: directly, as a result of upward propagation of the new source variation, and indirectly, through changes in filtering characteristics that arise from intermittency. Initial assessment of the new scheme in the Met Office global model indicates an improved representation of the quasi-biennial oscillation and sensitivity that offers potential for further impact in the future.

Design study of neutron flux intensity monitor between ten and several hundred keV for BNCT

Based on the activation method using 71Ga(n,γ)72Ga reaction, two spherical monitors with gallium nitride (GaN) wafers as activation material were designed by Monte Carlo simulations to precisely measure the absolute integral neutron flux intensity between ten and several hundred keV. The two monitors are almost the same in shape and have an absorber/moderator/absorber/GaN arrangement from outside to inside. The differences between the two monitors are the kind of materials, the thicknesses of the absorbers and the diameter of the moderator. By making difference of the sensitivities between these two monitors, the contributions of thermal, epithermal and very high energy fast neutrons were removed completely, and constant monitor sensitivity to neutrons between ten and several hundred keV was extracted. The simulation results and related analysis indicated that the absolute integral neutron flux intensity between ten and several hundred keV could be precisely measured by the presently designed two monitors.

A MUSE map of the central Orion Nebula (M 42)

We present a new integral-field spectroscopic dataset of the central part of the Orion Nebula (M 42), observed with the MUSE instrument at the ESO VLT. We reduced the data with the public MUSE pipeline. The output products are two FITS cubes with a spatial size of ~5.9'x4.9' (corresponding to ~0.76 pc x 0.63 pc) and a contiguous wavelength coverage of 4595...9366 Angstrom, spatially sampled at 0.2". We provide two versions with a sampling of 1.25 Angstrom and 0.85 Angstrom in dispersion direction. Together with variance cubes these files have a size of 75 and 110 GiB on disk. They represent one of the largest integral field mosaics to date in terms of information content. We make them available for use in the community. To validate this dataset, we compare world coordinates, reconstructed magnitudes, velocities, and absolute and relative emission line fluxes to the literature and find excellent agreement. We derive a two-dimensional map of extinction and present de-reddened flux maps of several individual emission lines and of diagnostic line ratios. We estimate physical properties of the Orion Nebula, using the emission line ratios [N II] and [S III] (for the electron temperature $T_e$) and [S II] and [Cl III] (for the electron density $N_e$), and show two-dimensional images of the velocity measured from several bright emission lines.

A new-concept calorimeter for future neutrino beams based on Kaon tagging

Neutrino cross-section measurements are an essential requirement for the next generation of neutrino oscillation experiments and they are presently limited by uncertainties on neutrino fluxes. In [1] we propose to instrument a neutrino decay tunnel to detect large angle positrons and tag the three-body semileptonic K+→e+π0νe decays. In such a facility the absolute electron neutrino flux could be determined with unprecedented precision (O(1%)). An e+/π+ separation capability of about 2% as well as a high e+ efficiency is required for a diffuse particle source over a length of several tens of meters. Additional constraints, due to the harsh beam environment, involve radiation hardness and fast response. For this purpose we propose a specialized shashlik calorimeter (copper-scintillator) with a compact readout based on small-area Silicon PhotoMultipliers coupled to WLS fibers. The setup would allow an effective longitudinal segmentation for electron/hadron separation, reducing the dead zones introduced by fiber bundling. Detailed Monte Carlo simulations are in progress. The construction of a small prototype and exposures to pion and electron beams are foreseen.

Fluxes of clay minerals in the South China Sea

In order to assess dominant settling processes that change the composition of the detrital clay fraction during transport from neighboring estuaries to a deep sea basin, we studied relative clay mineral abundances and absolute clay mineral fluxes of clay-sized sinking particulate matter collected by eight sediment trap systems deployed from shallow to deep water depth in the South China Sea. This is the first basin-wide study on recent sedimentation processes in the western Pacific marginal seas.Annual averages of relative clay mineral abundances at the shallow traps are temporally more variable and regionally more diverse, resembling those of surrounding drainage basins. In contrast, higher fluxes of material reach the deeper traps. Their characteristics trend temporally and spatially towards uniformity and are enriched with smectite in the entire deep basin.Sinking particulate matter that reaches the shallow traps spends less time in pelagic transport and is affected by monsoonal current reversals. The enrichment in smectite in the deeper traps is a result of longer duration in transport at low velocities, which may increase the effect of differential settling during transport. The trend is caused by lateral advection driven by the cyclonic deep circulation, and this is considered as the main transport process in the northern and central deep basin. The high fluxes in the south-western deep basin could be the result of laterally advected re-suspended sediments from the neighboring shelves.The effects on the composition of the detrital clay fraction caused by oceanographic control, which indirectly include those by differential settling, mask the climatic signal from surrounding drainage basins in the deep basin sediments. This strongly affects the interpretation of the clay mineralogical record in sediments deposited under recent conditions in the South China Sea deep basin.

WISE data and sparse photometry used for shape reconstruction of asteroids

AbstractAsteroid disk-integrated sparse-in-time photometry can be used for determination of shapes and spin states of asteroids by the lightcurve inversion method. To clearly distinguish the correct solution of the rotation period from other minima in the parameter space, data with good photometric accuracy are needed. We show that if the low-quality sparse photometry obtained from ground-based astrometric surveys is combined with data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite, the correct rotation period can be successfully derived. Although WISE observed in mid-IR wavelengths, we show that for the period and spin determination, these data can be modelled as reflected light. The absolute fluxes are not required since only relative variation of the flux over the rotation is sufficient to determine the period. We also discuss the potential of combining all WISE data with the Lowell photometric database to create physical models of thousands of asteroids.

Daya Bay: Results and Perspectives

Recent results from the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment are presented. These results include the latest measurements of the mixing parameters θ13 and |Δmee2| based on a combined analysis of the detected ν‾e rates and energy spectra, an independent measurement of θ13 using inverse-beta decays associated with n-H captures, a search for light sterile neutrino in the 10−3eV2<|Δm412|<0.3eV2 range, and a measurement of the absolute antineutrino flux. Future prospects of the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment are also discussed.

Tropical Gravity Wave Momentum Fluxes and Latent Heating Distributions

Recent satellite determinations of global distributions of absolute gravity wave (GW) momentum fluxes in the lower stratosphere show maxima over the summer subtropical continents and little evidence of GW momentum fluxes associated with the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). This seems to be at odds with parameterizations for GW momentum fluxes, where the source is a function of latent heating rates, which are largest in the region of the ITCZ in terms of monthly averages. The authors have examined global distributions of atmospheric latent heating, cloud-top-pressure altitudes, and lower-stratosphere absolute GW momentum fluxes and have found that monthly averages of the lower-stratosphere GW momentum fluxes more closely resemble the monthly mean cloud-top altitudes rather than the monthly mean rates of latent heating. These regions of highest cloud-top altitudes occur when rates of latent heating are largest on the time scale of cloud growth. This, plus previously published studies, suggests that convective sources for stratospheric GW momentum fluxes, being a function of the rate of latent heating, will require either a climate model to correctly model this rate of latent heating or some ad hoc adjustments to account for shortcomings in a climate model’s land–sea differences in convective latent heating.

PAMELA measurements of the boron and carbon spectra

The satellite-borne PAMELA experiment is aimed at precision measurements of the charged light component of the cosmic-ray spectrum, with a particular focus on antimatter. It consists of a magnetic spectrometer, a time-of-flight system, an electromagnetic calorimeter with a tail catcher scintillating layer, an anticoincidence system and a neutron detector. PAMELA has measured the absolute fluxes of boron and carbon and the B/C ratio, which plays a central role in galactic propagation studies in order to derive the injection spectra at sources from measurements at Earth. In this paper, the data analysis techniques and the final results are presented.

PESSTO: survey description and products from the first data release by the Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey of Transient Objects

The Public European Southern Observatory Spectroscopic Survey of Transient Objects (PESSTO) began as a public spectroscopic survey in April 2012. We describe the data reduction strategy and data products which are publicly available through the ESO archive as the Spectroscopic Survey Data Release 1 (SSDR1). PESSTO uses the New Technology Telescope with EFOSC2 and SOFI to provide optical and NIR spectroscopy and imaging. We target supernovae and optical transients brighter than 20.5mag for classification. Science targets are then selected for follow-up based on the PESSTO science goal of extending knowledge of the extremes of the supernova population. The EFOSC2 spectra cover 3345-9995A (at resolutions of 13-18 Angs) and SOFI spectra cover 0.935-2.53 micron (resolutions 23-33 Angs) along with JHK imaging. This data release contains spectra from the first year (April 2012 - 2013), consisting of all 814 EFOSC2 spectra and 95 SOFI spectra (covering 298 distinct objects), in standard ESO Phase 3 format. We estimate the accuracy of the absolute flux calibrations for EFOSC2 to be typically 15%, and the relative flux calibration accuracy to be about 5%. The PESSTO standard NIR reduction process does not yet produce high accuracy absolute spectrophotometry but the SOFI JHK imaging will improve this. Future data releases will focus on improving the automated flux calibration of the data products.

INVESTIGATION OF HELICITY AND ENERGY FLUX TRANSPORT IN THREE EMERGING SOLAR ACTIVE REGIONS

We report the results of an investigation of helicity and energy flux transport from three emerging solar active regions (ARs). Using time sequence vector magnetic field observations obtained from the Helioseismic Magnetic Imager, the velocity field of plasma flows is derived by the differential affine velocity estimator for vector magnetograms. In three cases, the magnetic fluxes evolve to pump net positive, negative, and mixed-sign helicity flux into the corona. The coronal helicity flux is dominantly coming from the shear term that is related to horizontal flux motions, whereas energy flux is dominantly contributed by the emergence term. The shear helicity flux has a phase delay of 5–14 hr with respect to absolute magnetic flux. The nonlinear curve of coronal energy versus relative helicity identifies the configuration of coronal magnetic fields, which is approximated by a fit of linear force-free fields. The nature of coronal helicity related to the particular pattern of evolving magnetic fluxes at the photosphere has implications for the generation mechanism of two kinds of observed activity in the ARs.

Impact and cratering rates onto Pluto

The New Horizons spacecraft fly-through of the Pluto system in July 2015 will provide humanity’s first data for the crater populations on Pluto and its binary companion, Charon. In principle, these surfaces could be dated in an absolute sense, using the observed surface crater density (# craters/km2 larger than some threshold crater diameter D). Success, however, requires an understanding of both the cratering physics and absolute impactor flux. The Canada-France Ecliptic Plane Survey (CFEPS) L7 synthetic model of classical and resonant Kuiper belt populations (Petit, J.M. et al. [2011]. Astron. J. 142, 131–155; Gladman, B. et al. [2012]. Astron. J. 144, 23–47) and the scattering object model of Kaib et al. (Kaib, N., Roškar, R., Quinn, T. [2011]. Icarus 215, 491–507) calibrated by Shankman et al. (Shankman, C. et al. [2013]. Astrophys. J. 764, L2–L5) provide such impact fluxes and thus current primary cratering rates for each dynamical sub-population. We find that four sub-populations (the q<42AU hot and stirred main classicals, the classical outers, and the plutinos) dominate Pluto’s impact flux, each providing ≈15–25% of the total rate. Due to the uncertainty in how the well-characterized size distribution for Kuiper belt objects (with impactor diameter d>100km) connects to smaller projectiles, we compute cratering rates using five model impactor size distributions: a single power-law, a power-law with a knee, a power-law with a divot, as well as the “wavy” size distributions described in Minton et al. (Minton, D.A. et al. [2012]. Asteroids Comets Meteors Conf. 1667, 6348) and Schlichting et al. (Schlichting, H.E., Fuentes, C.I., Trilling, D.E. [2013]. Astron. J. 146, 36–42). We find that there is only a small chance that Pluto has been hit in the past 4Gyr by even one impactor with a diameter larger than the known break in the projectile size distribution (d≈100km) which would create a basin on Pluto (D⩾400km in diameter). We show that due to present uncertainties in the impactor size distribution between d=1–100km, computing absolute ages for the surface of Pluto is entirely dependent on the extrapolation to small sizes and thus fraught with uncertainty. We show, however, what the ages would be for several cases and illustrate the relative importance of each Kuiper belt sub-population to the cratering rate, both now and integrated into the past. In addition, we compute the largest “fresh” crater expected to have formed in 1Gyr on the surface of Pluto and in 3Gyr on Charon (to 95% confidence) and use the “wavy” size distribution models to predict whether these largest “fresh” craters will provide surfaces for which portions of the crater production function can be measured should most of the target’s surface appear saturated. The fly-through results coupled with telescopic surveys that bridge current uncertainties in the d=10–100km regime should eventually result in the population estimate uncertainties for the Kuiper belt sub-populations, and thus the impact fluxes onto Pluto and Charon, dipping to <30%. We also compute “disruption timescales” (to a factor of three accuracy) for Pluto’s smaller satellites: Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra. We find that none of the four satellites have likely undergone a catastrophic disruption and reassembly event in the past ≈4Gyr. In addition, we find that for a knee size distribution with αfaint⩽0.4 (down to sub-km diameters), satellites of all sizes are able to survive catastrophic disruption over the past 4Gyr.

Pool size measurements facilitate the determination of fluxes at branching points in non-stationary metabolic flux analysis: the case of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Pool size measurements are important for the estimation of absolute intracellular fluxes in particular scenarios based on data from heavy carbon isotope experiments. Recently, steady-state fluxes estimates were obtained for central carbon metabolism in an intact illuminated rosette of Arabidopsis thaliana grown photoautotrophically (Szecowka et al., 2013; Heise et al., 2014). Fluxes were estimated therein by integrating mass-spectrometric data of the dynamics of the unlabeled metabolic fraction, data on metabolic pool sizes, partitioning of metabolic pools between cellular compartments and estimates of photosynthetically inactive pools, with a simplified model of plant central carbon metabolism. However, the fluxes were determined by treating the pool sizes as fixed parameters. Here we investigated whether and, if so, to what extent the treatment of pool sizes as parameters to be optimized in three scenarios may affect the flux estimates. The results are discussed in terms of benchmark values for canonical pathways and reactions, including starch and sucrose synthesis as well as the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylation and oxygenation reactions. In addition, we discuss pathways emerging from a divergent branch point for which pool sizes are required for flux estimation, irrespective of the computational approach used for the simulation of the observable labeling pattern. Therefore, our findings indicate the necessity for development of techniques for accurate pool size measurements to improve the quality of flux estimates from non-stationary flux estimates in intact plant cells in the absence of alternative flux measurements.

Calibration of the AKARI far-infrared all-sky survey maps

Abstract We present an initial analysis of the properties of an all-sky image obtained by the Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS) onboard the AKARI satellite, at 65 μm (N60), 90 μm (WIDE-S), 140 μm (WIDE-L), and 160 μm (N160). An absolute flux calibration was determined by comparing the data with COBE/DIRBE data sets; the intensity range was as wide as from a few MJy sr−1 to &amp;gt; 1 GJy sr−1. The uncertainties are considered to be the standard deviations with respect to the DIRBE data, and are less than 10% for intensities above 10, 3, 25, and 26 MJy sr−1 at the N60, WIDE-S, WIDE-L, and N160 bands, respectively. The characteristics of point sources in the image were also determined by stacking maps centred on photometric standard stars. The full width at half maxima of the point spread functions (PSFs) were 63″, 78″, and 88″ at the N60, WIDE-S, and WIDE-L bands, respectively. The PSF at the N160 band was not obtained due to the sensitivity, but it is thought to be the same as that of the WIDE-L one.

Development of a vector-tensor system to measure the absolute magnetic flux density and its gradient in magnetically shielded rooms.

Several experiments in fundamental physics demand an environment of very low, homogeneous, and stable magnetic fields. For the magnetic characterization of such environments, we present a portable SQUID system that measures the absolute magnetic flux density vector and the gradient tensor. This vector-tensor system contains 13 integrated low-critical temperature (LTc) superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) inside a small cylindrical liquid helium Dewar with a height of 31 cm and 37 cm in diameter. The achievable resolution depends on the flux density of the field under investigation and its temporal drift. Inside a seven-layer mu-metal shield, an accuracy better than ±23 pT for the components of the static magnetic field vector and ±2 pT/cm for each of the nine components of the gradient tensor is reached by using the shifting method.

Paleoenvironmental and paleobiological origins of coccolithophorid genusWatznaueriaemergence during the late Aalenian–early Bajocian

AbstractThe latest Aalenian–early Bajocian time interval (ca. 171-169 Ma) is marked by a global reorganization of oceanic plates with the Central Atlantic opening and the formation of the Pacific plate. This time interval is also marked by a global geochemical perturbation of δ13C with a negative excursion at the Aalenian/Bajocian boundary and a positive excursion during the early Bajocian. Evolutionary diversifications of marine invertebrate taxa, namely ammonites, radiolarians, and coccolithophorids, are recorded at that time. Concerning coccolithophorids, this interval witnesses the diversification and expansion of the most successful Mesozoic genus:Watznaueria. In this study, we explore the potential environmental, ecological, and biological forcing at the origin ofWatznaueriadiversification and its effect on the coccolith assemblages through quantification of the absolute and relative abundances of calcareous nannofossils in two Middle Jurassic key sections: Cabo Mondego (Portugal) and Chaudon-Norante (France). In both sections, we find an increase in nannofossil absolute abundance and flux at the beginning of the lower Bajocian, coeval with an increase in absolute and relative abundances ofWatznaueriaspp., followed by a plateau in the middle and upper part of the lower Bajocian. The increase ofWatznaueriaspp. is synchronous with a decrease in relative abundance of other major coccolith taxa, whereas the absolute abundance of these species did not decrease. During the climatically driven early Bajocian eutrophication event,Watznaueriaspp. integrated into the calcareous nannoplankton community in two successive evolutionary steps involving firstW. contractaandW. colaccicchii, and secondW. britannicaandW.aff.manivitiae. Step 1 was driven by an increase in niche carrying capacities linked to the early Bajocian eutrophication. Step 2 was driven by specific adaptation of the newly evolvedWatznaueriaspecies to bloom in nutrient-rich environments not exploited before. These evolutionary events have initiated the 100-Myr reign ofWatznaueriaover the calcareous nannoplankton community.

Pulse energy measurement at the SXR instrument.

A gas monitor detector was implemented and characterized at the Soft X-ray Research (SXR) instrument to measure the average, absolute and pulse-resolved photon flux of the LCLS beam in the energy range between 280 and 2000 eV. The detector is placed after the monochromator and addresses the need to provide reliable absolute pulse energy as well as pulse-resolved measurements for the various experiments at this instrument. This detector provides a reliable non-invasive measurement for determining flux levels on the samples in the downstream experimental chamber and for optimizing signal levels of secondary detectors and for the essential need of data normalization. The design, integration into the instrument and operation are described, and examples of its performance are given.

Constraining the Higgs portal with antiprotons

The scalar Higgs portal is a compelling model of dark matter (DM) in which a renormalizable coupling with the Higgs boson provides the connection between the visible world and the dark sector. In this paper we investigate the constraint placed on the parameter space of this model by the antiproton data. Due to the fact that the antiproton- to-proton ratio has relative less systematic uncertainties than the antiproton absolute flux, we propose and explore the possibility to combine all the available $$ \overline{p}/p $$ data. Following this approach, we are able to obtain stronger limits if compared with the existing literature. In particular, we show that most of the parameter space close to the Higgs resonance is ruled out by our analysis. Furthermore, by studying the reach of the future AMS-02 antiproton and antideuteron data, we argue that a DM mass of O(150) GeV offers a promising discovery potential. The method of combining all the antiproton-to-proton ratio data proposed in this paper is quite general, and can be straightforwardly applied to other models.

A computational model of PKD and CERT interactions at the trans-Golgi network of mammalian cells.

BackgroundIn mammalian cells protein-lipid interactions at the trans-Golgi network (TGN) determine the formation of vesicles, which transfer secretory proteins to the cellular membrane. This process is regulated by a complex molecular network including protein kinase D (PKD), which is directly involved in the fission of transport vesicles, and its interaction with the ceramide transfer protein CERT that transports ceramide from the endoplasmic reticulum to the TGN.ResultsHere we present a novel quantitative kinetic model for the interactions of the key players PKD, phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase III beta (PI4KIII β) and CERT at the TGN membranes. We use sampling-based Bayesian analysis and perturbation experiments for model calibration and validation.ConclusionsOur quantitative predictions of absolute molecular concentrations and reaction fluxes have major biological implications: Model comparison provides evidence that PKD and CERT interact in a cooperative manner to regulate ceramide transfer. Furthermore, we identify active PKD to be the dominant regulator of the network, especially of CERT-mediated ceramide transfer.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12918-015-0147-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.