Kavli Affiliate: Scott A. Hughes | Summary:This article is based on a pair of lectures given at the 2005 SLAC Summer Institute. Our goal is to motivate why most physicists and astrophysicists accept the hypothesis that the most massive, compact objects seen in many astrophysical systems are described by the black hole solutions of general […]
Kavli Affiliate: P. C. Joss | Summary:This paper presents the set of plane-parallel model atmosphere equations for a very hot neutron star (X-ray burst source). The model equations assume both hydrostatic and radiative equilibrium, and the equation of state of an ideal gas in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). The equation of radiative transfer includes terms […]
Kavli Affiliate: George Clark | Summary:Properties of the X-ray halo of the eclipsing X-ray pulsar 4U 1538-52 are derived from a 25 ksec observation by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. Profiles of the halo, compiled in two energy ranges, 2 to 4 keV and 4 to 6 keV, and three time intervals before and after an […]
Kavli Affiliate: P. C. Joss | Summary:We explore photometric properties of hypothetical iron core white dwarfs and compute their expected colors in UBVRI Johnson broadband system. Atmospheres of iron core WDs in this paper consist of pure iron covered by a pure hydrogen layer of an arbitrary column mass. LTE model atmospheres and theoretical spectra […]
Kavli Affiliate: P. C. Joss | Summary:We present model atmospheres and theoretical spectra for X-ray bursters. Our models include the effects of Compton scattering on free electrons. The atmospheres have compositions that are mixtures of hydrogen, helium, and iron. For our models the ratio of color temperature, $T_c$, to effective temperature, $T_eff$, is in the […]
Kavli Affiliate: Edmund Bertschinger | Summary:We report the discovery of a new gravitationally lensed QSO, at a redshift z = 1.689, with four QSO components in a cross-shaped arrangement around a bright galaxy. The maximum separation between images is 2.6 arcsec, enabling a reliable decomposition of the system. Three of the QSO components have g […]
Kavli Affiliate: Michael Zucker | Summary:As the first generation of laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors near operation, research and development has begun on increasing the instrument’s sensitivity while utilizing the existing infrastructure. In the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO), significant improvements are being planned for installation in ~2007, increasing strain sensitivity through improved suspensions […]
Kavli Affiliate: Edmund Bertschinger | Summary:The role of the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) in the study of Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) is reviewed. Through April 2001, the All-Sky Monitor (ASM) and the Proportional Counter Array (PCA) instruments have detected 30 GRBs. In 16 cases, an early celestial position was released to the community, sometimes in […]
Kavli Affiliate: Edmund Bertschinger | Summary:Observations with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) have led to fundamental progress in the study of compact objects, in particular neutron stars and black holes. In this paper we present briefly some highlights from ~5 years of RXTE operations. | Search Query: arXiv Query: search_query=au:”Bradt Hale”&id_list=&start=0&max_results=10Read More
Kavli Affiliate: Edmund Bertschinger | Summary:A concept for an all-sky monitor mission substantially more powerful than the RXTE ASM is presented in brief. It makes use of 31 Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) proportional counters to provide continuous monitoring of the entire x-ray sky, except for earth occultations and a small region around the sun. This […]