1,931 research outputs found
Dark Matter Science in the Era of LSST
Astrophysical observations currently provide the only robust, empirical measurements of dark matter. In the coming decade, astrophysical observations will guide other experimental efforts, while simultaneously probing unique regions of dark matter parameter space. This white paper summarizes astrophysical observations that can constrain the fundamental physics of dark matter in the era of LSST. We describe how astrophysical observations will inform our understanding of the fundamental properties of dark matter, such as particle mass, self-interaction strength, non-gravitational interactions with the Standard Model, and compact object abundances. Additionally, we highlight theoretical work and experimental/observational facilities that will complement LSST to strengthen our understanding of the fundamental characteristics of dark matter
Development Toward a Ground-Based Interferometric Phased Array for Radio Detection of High Energy Neutrinos
The in-ice radio interferometric phased array technique for detection of high
energy neutrinos looks for Askaryan emission from neutrinos interacting in
large volumes of glacial ice, and is being developed as a way to achieve a low
energy threshold and a large effective volume at high energies. The technique
is based on coherently summing the impulsive Askaryan signal from multiple
antennas, which increases the signal-to-noise ratio for weak signals. We report
here on measurements and a simulation of thermal noise correlations between
nearby antennas, beamforming of impulsive signals, and a measurement of the
expected improvement in trigger efficiency through the phased array technique.
We also discuss the noise environment observed with an analog phased array at
Summit Station, Greenland, a possible site for an interferometric phased array
for radio detection of high energy neutrinos.Comment: 13 Pages, 14 Figure
Spatially Resolving a Starburst Galaxy at Hard X-ray Energies: NuSTAR, Chandra, AND VLBA Observations of NGC 253
Prior to the launch of NuSTAR, it was not feasible to spatially resolve the
hard (E > 10 keV) emission from galaxies beyond the Local Group. The combined
NuSTAR dataset, comprised of three ~165 ks observations, allows spatial
characterization of the hard X-ray emission in the galaxy NGC 253 for the first
time. As a follow up to our initial study of its nuclear region, we present the
first results concerning the full galaxy from simultaneous NuSTAR, Chandra, and
VLBA monitoring of the local starburst galaxy NGC 253. Above ~10 keV, nearly
all the emission is concentrated within 100" of the galactic center, produced
almost exclusively by three nuclear sources, an off-nuclear ultraluminous X-ray
source (ULX), and a pulsar candidate that we identify for the first time in
these observations. We detect 21 distinct sources in energy bands up to 25 keV,
mostly consisting of intermediate state black hole X-ray binaries. The global
X-ray emission of the galaxy - dominated by the off-nuclear ULX and nuclear
sources, which are also likely ULXs - falls steeply (photon index >~ 3) above
10 keV, consistent with other NuSTAR-observed ULXs, and no significant excess
above the background is detected at E > 40 keV. We report upper limits on
diffuse inverse Compton emission for a range of spatial models. For the most
extended morphologies considered, these hard X-ray constraints disfavor a
dominant inverse Compton component to explain the {\gamma}-ray emission
detected with Fermi and H.E.S.S. If NGC 253 is typical of starburst galaxies at
higher redshift, their contribution to the E > 10 keV cosmic X-ray background
is < 1%.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
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