ABSTRACT
X-ray emission from the gravitational wave transient GW170817 is well described as non-thermal afterglow radiation produced by a structured relativistic jet viewed off-axis. We show that the ...X-ray counterpart continues to be detected at 3.3 years after the merger. Such long-lasting signal is not a prediction of the earlier jet models characterized by a narrow jet core and a viewing angle ≈20 deg, and is spurring a renewed interest in the origin of the X-ray emission. We present a comprehensive analysis of the X-ray dataset aimed at clarifying existing discrepancies in the literature, and in particular the presence of an X-ray rebrightening at late times. Our analysis does not find evidence for an increase in the X-ray flux, but confirms a growing tension between the observations and the jet model. Further observations at radio and X-ray wavelengths would be critical to break the degeneracy between models.
ABSTRACT
Neutron star mergers produce a substantial amount of fast-moving ejecta, expanding outwardly for years after the merger. The interaction of these ejecta with the surrounding medium may ...produce a weak isotropic radio remnant, detectable in relatively nearby events. We use late-time radio observations of short duration gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs) to constrain this model. Two samples of events were studied: four sGRBs that are possibly in the local (<200 Mpc) Universe were selected to constrain the remnant non-thermal emission from the sub-relativistic ejecta, whereas 17 sGRBs at cosmological distances were used to constrain the presence of a proto-magnetar central engine, possibly re-energizing the merger ejecta. We consider the case of GRB 170817A/GW170817 and find that in this case the early radio emission may be quenched by the jet blast-wave. In all cases, for ejecta mass range of ${M}_{\rm {ej}}\lesssim 10^{-2}\, (5\times 10^{-2})\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$, we can rule out very energetic merger ejecta ${E}_{\rm {ej}}\gtrsim 5\times 10^{52}\, (10^{53})\, \rm erg$, thus excluding the presence of a powerful magnetar as a merger remnant.
We present the results of a multiwavelength campaign targeting FRB 20201124A, the third closest repeating fast radio burst (FRB), which was recently localized in a nearby (
z
= 0.0978) galaxy. Deep ...VLA observations led to the detection of quiescent radio emission, which was also marginally visible in X-rays with
Chandra
. Imaging at 22 GHz allowed us to resolve the source on a scale of ≳1″ and locate it at the position of the FRB, within an error of 0.2″. The EVN and e-MERLIN observations sampled small angular scales, from 2 to 100 mas, providing tight upper limits on the presence of a compact source and evidence for diffuse radio emission. We argue that this emission is associated with enhanced star formation activity in the proximity of the FRB, corresponding to a star formation rate (SFR) of ≈10
M
⊙
yr
−1
. The surface SFR at the location of FRB 20201124A is two orders of magnitude larger than what is typically observed in other precisely localized FRBs. Such a high SFR is indicative of this FRB source being a newborn magnetar produced from a supernova explosion of a massive star progenitor. Upper limits to the X-ray counterparts of 49 radio bursts observed in our simultaneous FAST, SRT, and
Chandra
campaign are consistent with a magnetar scenario.
•PVA/Ch hydrogels with 1 and 3wt% of LNPs were prepared by freezing-thawing.•LNPs at 1wt% was beneficial in terms of thermal and mechanical performances.•LNPs promoted the crosslinking and limited ...the deswelling of PVA into the water.•LNPs was efficient in terms of antioxidative response, in synergism with chitosan.•Chitosan and LNPs were effective against E.coli and S.aureus bacteria strain.
Polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan (PVA/Ch) hydrogels containing 1 and 3wt% of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) were prepared through a freezing-thaw procedure. Results from microstructural, thermal and mechanical characterization of LNPs based PVA/Ch demonstrated that the lowest amount of LNPs (1wt%) was beneficial, whereas the presence of agglomerates at higher LNP content limited the effect. Moreover, a different swelling behaviour was observed for hydrogels containing LNPs with respect of PVA/Ch, due to the formation of a porous honeycomb-like structure. A synergic effect of Ch and LNPs was revealed in terms of antioxidative response by DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) activity of migrated substances, whereas results from antimicrobial tests confirmed LNPs as effective against Gram negative bacteria (E. coli) when compared to Gram positive (S.aureus and S. epidermidis) strains. The obtained results suggested the possible use of produced PVA/Ch hydrogels incorporating LNPs in many different sectors, such as drug delivery, food packaging, wound dressing.
•Development of a domestic microgrid and house thermal model.•Model Predictive Control for simultaneous management of power flow and thermal comfort.•Modeling of summer and winter typical ...conditions.•Comparison with standard rule based controller results.•Fuel cell downsizing potential of output is up to 60%.
In this paper a Model Predictive Control (MPC) logic, based on weather forecasts, has been applied to the analysis of power management in a domestic off-grid system. The system is laid out as the integration of renewable energy conversion devices (Photovoltaic, PV), a high efficiency energy conversion programmable system (a Fuel Cell, FC) and an electrochemical energy storage (batteries). The control strategy has the objective of minimizing energy costs, while maintaining the optimal environmental comfort in the house, thus optimizing the use of renewable sources. To that aim, a validated numerical model of the whole system has been developed, and simulations have been carried out for winter and summer periods. Performances attainable with a MPC-based logic have been evaluated in comparison with a standard Rule Based Control logic, by means of costs and efficiency parameters of the micro-grid. Temperature violations have been taken into account to represent the impact of the control on comfort.
Results show an improvement of the house comfort conditions and a lower use (on average 14.5%) of primary fossil energy. This is due both to a reduction of required energy, and to an increased use of renewable energy sources. Moreover, the modulation of the HVAC load and of the FC operation gives a reduction of requested power by approximately 40%. Smoother battery pack charge and discharge processes are also obtained. As a main positive effect, a reduction of the FC powerplant size and an increase of its durability seems feasible, leading to an overall reduction of capital costs.
We present Space-VLBI RadioAstron observations at 1.6 GHz and 4.8 GHz of the flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 273, with detections on baselines up to 4.5 and 3.3 Earth Diameters, respectively. Achieving ...the best angular resolution at 1.6 GHz to date, we have imaged limb-brightening in the jet, not previously detected in this source. In contrast, at 4.8 GHz, we detected emission from a central stream of plasma, with a spatial distribution complementary to the limb-brightened emission, indicating an origin in the spine of the jet. While a stratification across the jet width in the flow density, internal energy, magnetic field, or bulk flow velocity are usually invoked to explain the limb-brightening, the different jet structure detected at the two frequencies probably requires a stratification in the emitting electron energy distribution. Future dedicated numerical simulations will allow the determination of which combination of physical parameters are needed to reproduce the spine-sheath structure observed by Space-VLBI with RadioAstron in 3C 273.
The maximum exploitation of local renewable energy sources is a key feature of DG (Distributed Generation) systems: to this aim, HPSs (Hybrid Power Systems), integrating renewable and non-renewable ...power sources with local energy storage may represent an effective solution, although they may require an optimum utilization of the different sub-systems, for example if including FCs (Fuel Cells).
This work introduces a new definition of system efficiency, which is linked to a class index defined according to the local renewable energy availability. The system efficiency is also demonstrated as a function of two performance parameters describing the effectiveness, respectively, of renewable and fossil energy conversion. The new set of parameters is used to study an experimental DG hybrid system including photovoltaic panels and FCs, representing a detached house. A test facility has been used to validate numerical models. A full year period was then simulated, to single out that the new set of parameters could help evaluate the HPS environmental performance and the effective renewable energy exploitation; the class index also helps evaluating the real system efficiency and environmental performance, which strongly depends on the local renewable energy available. An optimal management strategy is also found respect to the FCs utilization.
•A HPS for a household is modelled via hardware-in-loop experimental tests.•A class index and two performance parameters defined to re-write system efficiency.•High voltage orientated management strategy saves batteries and FC lifetime.•Fossil energy consumption depends on RES availability, not on management strategy.•HPS self-sufficiency only for RES available to load energy ratio higher than 9:1.
ABSTRACT
GRB 200522A is a short duration gamma-ray burst (GRB) at redshift z= 0.554 characterized by a bright infrared counterpart. A possible, although not unambiguous, interpretation of the ...observed emission is the onset of a luminous kilonova powered by a rapidly rotating and highly magnetized neutron star, known as magnetar. A bright radio flare, arising from the interaction of the kilonova ejecta with the surrounding medium, is a prediction of this model. Whereas the available data set remains open to multiple interpretations (e.g. afterglow, r-process kilonova, magnetar-powered kilonova), long-term radio monitoring of this burst may be key to discriminate between models. We present our late-time upper limit on the radio emission of GRB 200522A, carried out with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array at 288 d after the burst. For kilonova ejecta with energy Eej $\approx 10^{53}\, \rm erg$, as expected for a long-lived magnetar remnant, we can already rule out ejecta masses $M_{\rm ej}\lesssim 0.03\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ for the most likely range of circumburst densities n ≳ 10−3 cm−3. Observations on timescales of ≈ 3–10 yr after the merger will probe larger ejecta masses up to Mej ∼ 0.1 M⊙, providing a robust test to the magnetar scenario.
ABSTRACT
A thorough study of radio emission in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is of fundamental importance to understand the physical mechanisms responsible for the emission and the interplay between ...accretion and ejection processes. High-frequency radio observations can target the nuclear contribution of smaller emitting regions and are less affected by absorption. We present JVLA 22 and 45 GHz observations of 16 nearby (0.003 ≤ z ≤ 0.3) hard-X-ray-selected AGNs at the (sub)-kpc scale with tens μJy beam−1 sensitivity. We detected 15/16 sources, with flux densities ranging from hundreds μJy to tens Jy (specific luminosities from ∼1020 to ${\sim}10^{25}\, \mathrm{ W}\, \mathrm{ Hz}^{-1}$ at 22 GHz). All detected sources host a compact core, with eight being core-dominated at either frequencies, the others exhibiting also extended structures. Spectral indices range from steep to flat/inverted. We interpret this evidence as either due to a core+jet system (6/15), a core accompanied by surrounding star formation (1/15), to a jet oriented close to the line of sight (3/15), to emission from a corona or the base of a jet (1/15), although there might be degeneracies between different processes. Four sources require more data to shed light on their nature. We conclude that, at these frequencies, extended, optically thin components are present together with the flat-spectrum core. The LR/LX ∼ 10−5 relation is roughly followed, indicating a possible contribution to radio emission from a hot corona. A weakly significant correlation between radio core (22 and 45 GHz) and X-ray luminosities is discussed in the light of an accretion–ejection framework.
Electrospinning is a quite consolidated technique to produce polymer nanofibrous matrices whose nanostructured morphology received great interest for application in the biomedical field i.e. in ...manufacturing matrices for tissue regeneration.
Purpose of the work to design electrospun matrices made of Poly-l-lactide-co-poly-ε-caprolactone (PLA-PCL) 70:30M ratio and their thoroughly physico-chemical and functional characterization. The ultimate goal of the research work is to obtain electrospun matrices suitable for circular substitution of esophageal defects. However the paper deals with very preliminary investigation mainly on electrospinning process and physical-chemical characterization of the electrospun matrices. The investigation on electrospinning process conditions involves polymer starting solution concentration between 20% w/v and 25% w/v, viscosity and surface tension, but also process parameters of electrospinning apparatus in order to optimize them at achieving homogeneous and reproducible nanofibers.
The optimized electrospun matrices are characterized for their cytocompatibility, morphology (SEM analysis), polymer molecular structure in the solid state (FT-IR analysis) and thermal behavior (DSC analysis) and mechanical properties. In vitro degradation test is performed to evaluate electrospun matrix biodegradability.
Results show good cytocompatibility for all polymer concentrations and electrospinning times. Moreover, the electrospun matrices biodegradation is slower with respect to matrices made by solvent casting method. The behavior is related to modifications in the polymer solid state and to polymer chains structure.
•Nanofibrous matrices made by electrospinning received great interest for application in the biomedical field.•Investigation on electrospinning process needs a case by case study considering polymer type and characteristics.•Biodegradable PLA-PCL was electrospun, process variables were set through theoretical modelization.•Physical-chemical characterization by SEM, DSC, FT-IR spectroscopy, show PLA-PCL modifications caused by electrospinning.
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