We have developed a liquid-hydrogen target system in a compact geometry with surrounding charged-particle detector arrays. In this design, the target cell was positioned downstream of and thermally isolated from the cryogenic cold head. The cell has a diameter of 46 mm and a thickness of 15 mm. For cooling, a large-volume condenser is introduced as an intermediate stage between the cold head and the target cell, enabling a liquefaction-evaporation circulation of hydrogen. The target system was used in an experimental study using a 10Be(p,pd) beam at the SAMURAI spectrometer at RIKEN. Stable operation was achieved over a ten-day beam time, with a target temperature of around 20 K and a pressures of 1000 hPa.
Could the BRICS countries have formed a sustainable economic and monetary union (EMU) if they had decided to do so in the early 2000s? Our sustainability criterion is that the macroeconomic imbalances of the countries should not deviate too far from each other. We consider a convergence-based approach to quantify such a situation. We investigate a scenario where each country’s bilateral nominal exchange rate is defined in relation to a central rate defined by considering a basket of the various BRICS national currencies. We find that the group would not have formed a sustainable EMU from the late 2000s onwards. We conclude that this makes the project of de-dollarizing their respective economies not necessarily viable, unless the group chooses a proper exchange rate regime.
We present updated microlensing analysis results based on high-cadence (∼2 min) Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) observations of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) in 2014, 2017, and 2020, yielding a total of 39.3 hours of data. We use a point-lens finite-source model for the microlensing light curve model and employ multi-stage selection procedures to identify microlensing candidates. From more than 25,000 variable candidates detected across all nights, we identify 12 microlensing candidates with light-curve timescales shorter than 5 hours, and among them, 4 secure candidates with high-significance detections. We estimate detection efficiencies using light-curve-level simulations that account for observational conditions and finite-source effects. Using a hierarchical Bayesian framework that combines the light-curve fitting information for each candidate with the Poisson statistics of the number of candidates, we derive constraints on parameters that characterize the abundance and mass scale of primordial black hole (PBH) dark matter. First, we derive upper limits on the PBH abundance under the null hypothesis that all events are assumed to be false detections. Next, employing the PBH hypothesis in which all (or only secure) candidates are assumed to be due to PBH microlensing, we derive the allowed region of the PBH parameters; the inferred mass scale is M_ PBH∼10^-7–10^-6M_⊙, and the PBH abundance to the total dark matter is f_ PBH∼ 10^-1. Our results demonstrate that HSC-M31 monitoring remains a uniquely powerful probe of PBHs, and highlight the need for further studies for example, using Rubin Observatory LSST observations of the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Context. Microquasars have emerged as promising candidates to explain the cosmic-ray flux at petaelectronvolt energies. LHAASO observations revealed V4641 Sgr as the most extreme example so far. Its gamma-ray spectrum extends up to 800 TeV, which requires particles with multi-PeV energy. The TeV emission is highly extended, which challenges expectations given the reported low-inclination angle of the V4641 Sgr jets. Aims. We spatially and spectrally resolved the gamma-ray emission from V4641 Sgr and investigated the particle acceleration in the system. Methods. Using ≈100 h of H.E.S.S. data, we performed a spectro-morphological study of the gamma-ray emission around V4641 Sgr. We employed HI and dedicated CO observations of the region to infer the target material for cosmic-ray interactions. Results. We detected multi-TeV emission around V4641 Sgr with a high significance. The emission region is elongated, and its major and minor axes are 0.34°±0.01syst±0.04stat and 0.06°±0.01syst±0.01stat, respectively. We found a power-law spectrum with an index ≈1.8, and together with results from other gamma-ray instruments, this reveals a spectral energy distribution (SED) that peaks at energies of ≈100 TeV for the first time. We found indications (3σ) of a two-component morphology, with indistinguishable spectral properties. The position of V4641 Sgr is inconsistent with the best-fit position of the single-component model and with the dip between the two components. We found no significant evidence of an energy-dependent morphology. No dense gas was found at any distance towards V4641 Sgr, which places an upper limit of ngas ≲ 0.2 cm−3 within the gamma-ray emission region. Conclusions. The peak of the SED at ≈100 TeV identifies V4641 Sgr as a candidate cosmic-ray accelerator beyond the so-called knee. The absence of dense target gas places stringent energetic constraints on hadronic interpretations, however. The H.E.S.S. measurement requires an unusually hard (≈1.5) spectral index for the protons. A leptonic scenario faces fewer obstacles if the particle transport is fast enough to avoid losses and to reproduce the observed energy-independent morphology. The absence of bright X-ray emission across the gamma-ray emission region requires a magnetic field strength ≲3 μG, however. Our findings favour a leptonic origin of the gamma-ray emission. This conclusion does not exclude hadron acceleration in the V4641 Sgr system.
The elements in the Universe are synthesized primarily in stars and supernovae, where nuclear fusion favours the production of even-Z elements. In contrast, odd-Z elements are less abundant and their yields are highly dependent on detailed stellar physics, making theoretical predictions of their cosmic abundance uncertain. In particular, the origin of odd-Z elements such as phosphorus (P), chlorine (Cl) and potassium (K), which are important for planet formation and life, is poorly understood. While the abundances of these elements in Milky Way stars are close to solar values, supernova explosion models systematically underestimate their production by up to an order of magnitude, indicating that key mechanisms for odd-Z nucleosynthesis are currently missing from theoretical models. Here we report the observation of P, Cl and K in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant using high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy with X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission data, with the detection of K at above the 6 sigma level being the most significant finding. Supernova explosion models of normal massive stars cannot explain the element abundance pattern, especially the high abundances of Cl and K, while models that include stellar rotation, binary interactions or shell mergers agree closely with the observations. Our observations suggest that such stellar activity plays an important role in supplying these elements to the Universe.
