Loius M. Barbier

A short γ-ray burst apparently associated with an elliptical galaxy at redshift z = 0.225

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) come in two classes: long (> 2 s), soft-spectrum bursts and short, hard events. Most progress has been made on understanding the long GRBs, which are typically observed at high redshift (z ≈ 1) and found in subluminous star-forming host galaxies. They are likely to be produced in core-collapse explosions of massive stars. In contrast, no short GRB had been accurately (< 10″) and rapidly (minutes) located. Here we report the detection of the X-ray afterglow from—and the localization of—the short burst GRB 050509B. Its position on the sky is near a luminous, non-star-forming elliptical galaxy at a redshift of 0.225, which is the location one would expect if the origin of this GRB is through the merger of neutron-star or black-hole binaries. The X-ray afterglow was weak and faded below the detection limit within a few hours; no optical afterglow was detected to stringent limits, explaining the past difficulty in localizing short GRBs.

The Absolute Flux of Protons and Helium at the Top of the Atmosphere Using IMAX

The cosmic-ray proton and helium spectra from 0.2 GeV nucleon^(-1) to about 200 GeV nucleon^(-1) have been measured with the balloon-borne experiment Isotope Matter-Antimatter Experiment (IMAX) launched from Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Canada, in 1992. IMAX was designed to search for antiprotons and light isotopes using a superconducting magnet spectrometer together with scintillators, a time-of-flight system, and Cherenkov detectors. Using redundant detectors, an extensive examination of the instrument efficiency was carried out. We present here the absolute spectra of protons and helium corrected to the top of the atmosphere and to interstellar space. If demodulated with a solar modulation parameter of Φ = 750 MV, the measured interstellar spectra between 20 and 200 GV can be represented by a power law in rigidity, with (1.42 ± 0.21) × 10^4R^(-2.71±0.04) (m^2 GV s sr)^(-1) for protons and (3.15 ± 1.03) × 10^3R^(-2.79±0.08) (m^2 GV s sr)^(-1) for helium.

Energy Spectra of Ions Accelerated in Impulsive and Gradual Solar Events

We report new high-sensitivity measurements of the energy spectra of ions from five impulsive solar flares and one gradual event observed during solar minimum by the Energetic Particles, Acceleration, Composition, and Transport (EPACT) experiment aboard the WIND spacecraft. All of the impulsive-flare events had intensities too low to be visible on previous spacecraft such as ISEE 3, which observed hundreds of impulsive-flare events. Often these events cluster in or behind a coronal mass ejection (CME) where magnetic field lines provide an excellent connection to a solar active region where flares are occurring. In most cases we can see velocity dispersion as the ions of 20 keV amu-1 to 10 MeV amu-1 streamed out from the impulsive flare at the Sun, arriving in inverse order of their velocity. Ions from a large, magnetically well-connected gradual event, associated with a CME-driven shock, also show velocity dispersion early in the event but show identical time profiles that last for several days late in the event. These time-invariant spectra of H,4He, C, O, and Fe in this gradual event are well represented as power laws in energy from 20 keV amu-1 to ~100 MeV amu-1. In the impulsive-flare events, H,3He,4He, C, O, and Fe have more rounded spectra that flatten somewhat at low energies; yet the intensities continue to increase down to 20 keV amu-1. Most of the ion energy content appears to lie below 1 MeV in the impulsive events, where it would be invisible to γ-ray line observations.

ENERGY SPECTRA OF COSMIC-RAY NUCLEI AT HIGH ENERGIES

We present new measurements of the energy spectra of cosmic-ray (CR) nuclei from the second flight of the balloon-borne experiment Cosmic-Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM). The instrument included different particle detectors to provide redundant charge identification and measure the energy of CRs up to several hundred TeV. The measured individual energy spectra of C, O, Ne, Mg, Si, and Fe are presented up to ~1014 eV. The spectral shape looks nearly the same for these primary elements and it can be fitted to an E –2.66 ± 0.04 power law in energy. Moreover, a new measurement of the absolute intensity of nitrogen in the 100-800 GeV/n energy range with smaller errors than previous observations, clearly indicates a hardening of the spectrum at high energy. The relative abundance of N/O at the top of the atmosphere is measured to be 0.080 ± 0.025 (stat.)±0.025 (sys.) at ~800 GeV/n, in good agreement with a recent result from the first CREAM flight.

GLOBAL PROPERTIES OF X-RAY FLASHES AND X-RAY-RICH GAMMA-RAY BURSTS OBSERVED BY SWIFT

We describe and discuss the spectral and temporal characteristics of the prompt emission and X-ray afterglow emission of X-ray flashes (XRFs) and X-ray-rich gamma-ray bursts (XRRs) detected and observed by Swift between 2004 December and 2006 September. We compare these characteristics to a sample of conventional classical gamma-ray bursts (C-GRBs) observed during the same period. We confirm the correlation between Epeakobs and fluence noted by others and find further evidence that XRFs, XRRs, and C-GRBs form a continuum. We also confirm that our known redshift sample is consistent with the correlation between the peak energy in the GRB rest frame (Epeaksrc) and the isotropic radiated energy (Eiso), the so-called Epeaksrc-Eiso relation. The spectral properties of X-ray afterglows of XRFs and C-GRBs are similar, but the temporal properties of XRFs and C-GRBs are quite different. We found that the light curves of C-GRB afterglows show a break to steeper indices (shallow-to-steep break) at much earlier times than do XRF afterglows. Moreover, the overall luminosity of XRF X-ray afterglows is systematically smaller by a factor of 2 or more compared to that of C-GRBs. These distinct differences between the X-ray afterglows of XRFs and C-GRBs may be the key to understanding not only the mysterious shallow-to-steep break in X-ray afterglow light curves, but also the unique nature of XRFs.

COSMIC RAY ORIGIN IN OB ASSOCIATIONS AND PREFERENTIAL ACCELERATION OF REFRACTORY ELEMENTS: EVIDENCE FROM ABUNDANCES OF ELEMENTS 26Fe THROUGH 34Se

We report abundances of elements from _(26)Fe to _(34)Se in the cosmic radiation measured during fifty days of exposure of the Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (TIGER) balloon-borne instrument. These observations add support to the concept that the bulk of cosmic ray acceleration takes place in OB associations, and they further support cosmic ray acceleration models in which elements present in interstellar grains are accelerated preferentially compared with those found in interstellar gas.

Observing the Ultrahigh Energy Universe with OWL Eyes

The goal of the Orbiting Wide-field Light-collectors ( OWL ) mission is to study the origin and physics of the highest energy particles known in nature, the ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). The OWL mission consists of telescopes with UV sensitive cameras on two satellites operating in tandem to view in stereo the development of the giant particle showers induced in the Earths atmosphere by UHECRs. This paper discusses the characteristics of the OWL mission.

The PAMELA experiment on satellite and its capability in cosmic rays measurements.

The PAMELA equipment will be assembled in 2001 and installed on board the Russian satellite Resurs. PAMELA is conceived mainly to study the antiproton and positron fluxes in cosmic rays up to high ...

The Cosmic-Ray 3He/4He Ratio from 200 MeV per Nucleon−1 to 3.7 GeV per Nucleon−1

The abundances of cosmic-ray helium isotopes between 0.2 and 3.7 GeV nucleon^(-1) were measured by the Isotope Matter Antimatter Experiment (IMAX) during a flight from Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Canada on 1992 July 16-17. The IMAX balloon-borne magnetic spectrometer realized a direct measurement of the charge, the velocity, and the rigidity of cosmic rays using plastic scintillators, a high-resolution time-of-flight system, and two silica-aerogel Cerenkov counters in conjunction with a drift chamber/multiwire proportional chamber tracking system. About 75,000 helium isotopes are identified by their mass using the velocity versus magnetic rigidity technique. The measured ^3He/^4He ratios are corrected to the top of the atmosphere, and a comparison with previous data is given. The observed isotopic composition is found to be generally consistent with the predictions of a standard leaky box model of cosmic-ray transport in the Galaxy.

The PAMELA experiment in space

We provide in this paper a status report of the space experiment PAMELA. PAMELA aims primarily to measure the flux of antiparticles, namely antiprotons and positrons, in cosmic rays with unpreceden ...