The X-ray spectra of the luminous LMXBs in NGC 3379: Field and globular cluster sources
Astrophysical Journal 725:2 (2010) 1805-1823
Abstract:
From a deep multi-epoch Chandra observation of the elliptical galaxy NGC 3379 we report the spectral properties of eight luminous LMXBs (LX < 1.2 × 1038 erg s-1). We also present a set of spectral simulations, produced to aid the interpretation of low-count single-component spectral modeling. These simulations demonstrate that it is possible to infer the spectral states of X-ray binaries from these simple models and thereby constrain the properties of the source. Of the eight LMXBs studied, three reside within globular clusters (GCs) and one is a confirmed field source. Due to the nature of the luminosity cut, all sources are either neutron star (NS) binaries emitting at or above the Eddington luminosity or black hole (BH) binaries. The spectra from these sources are well described by single-component models, with parameters consistent with Galactic LMXB observations, where hard-state sources have a range in photon index of 1.5-1.9 and thermally dominant (TD) sources have inner-disk temperatures between ∼0.7 and 1.55 keV. The large variability observed in the brightest GC source (LX< 4×1038 erg s-1) suggests the presence of a BH binary. At its most luminous this source is observed in a TD state with kTin = 1.5 keV, consistent with a BH mass of ∼4M ⊙. This observation provides further evidence that GCs are able to retain such massive binaries. We also observed a source transitioning from a bright state (LX ∼ 1 × 1039 erg s-1), with prominent thermal and non-thermal components, to a less luminous hard state (LX = 3.8 × 1038 erg s-1, Λ = 1.85). In its high flux emission, this source exhibits a cool-disk component of ∼0.14 keV, similar to spectra observed in some ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). Such a similarity indicates a possible link between "normal" stellar-mass BHs in a high accretion state and ULXs. © 2010. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Erratum: Measurement of particle production and inclusive differential cross sections in pp̄ collisions at √s=1.96TeV (Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology)
Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology 82:11 (2010)
Top quark mass measurement in the lepton + jets channel using a matrix element method and in situ jet energy calibration.
Phys Rev Lett 105:25 (2010) 252001
Abstract:
A precision measurement of the top quark mass m(t) is obtained using a sample of tt events from pp collisions at the Fermilab Tevatron with the CDF II detector. Selected events require an electron or muon, large missing transverse energy, and exactly four high-energy jets, at least one of which is tagged as coming from a b quark. A likelihood is calculated using a matrix element method with quasi-Monte Carlo integration taking into account finite detector resolution and jet mass effects. The event likelihood is a function of m(t) and a parameter Δ(JES) used to calibrate the jet energy scale in situ. Using a total of 1087 events in 5.6 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity, a value of m(t)=173.0 ± 1.2 GeV/c(2) is measured.Observation of single top quark production and measurement of
Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology 82:11 (2010)
Abstract:
We report the observation of electroweak single top quark production in 3.2fb⊃-1 of pp̄ collision data collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab at √s=1.96TeV. Candidate events in the W+jets topology with a leptonically decaying W boson are classified as signal-like by four parallel analyses based on likelihood functions, matrix elements, neural networks, and boosted decision trees. These results are combined using a super discriminant analysis based on genetically evolved neural networks in order to improve the sensitivity. This combined result is further combined with that of a search for a single top quark signal in an orthogonal sample of events with missing transverse energy plus jets and no charged lepton. We observe a signal consistent with the standard model prediction but inconsistent with the background-only model by 5.0 standard deviations, with a median expected sensitivity in excess of 5.9 standard deviations. We measure a production cross section of 2.3-0.5+0.6(stat+sys)pb, extract the value of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |Vtb|=0.91-0.11+0. 11(stat+sys)±0.07(theory), and set a lower limit |Vtb|>0.71 at the 95%C.L., assuming mt=175GeV/c2.Improved search for a Higgs boson produced in association with Z→l+l- in pp̄ collisions at √s=1.96TeV
Physical Review Letters 105:25 (2010)