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Nonparametric signal separation in very-high-energy gamma ray observations with probabilistic neural networks
No full textInternational audienceAn intriguing challenge in observational astronomy is the separation signals in areas where multiple signals intersect. A typical instance of this in very-high-energy (VHE, E100 GeV) gamma-ray astronomy is the issue of residual background in observations. This background arises when cosmic-ray protons are mistakenly identified as gamma-rays from sources of interest, thereby blending with signals from astrophysical sources of interest. We introduce a deep ensemble approach to determine a non-parametric estimation of source and background signals in VHE gamma observations, as well as a likelihood-derived epistemic uncertainty on these estimations. We rely on minimal assumptions, exploiting the separability of space and energy components in the signals, and defining a small region in coordinate space where the source signal is assumed to be negligible compared to background signal. The model is applied both on mock observations, including a simple toy case and a realistic simulation of dark matter annihilation in the Galactic center, as well as true observations from the public H.E.S.S. data release, specifically datasets of the Crab nebula and the pulsar wind nebula MSH 15-52. Our method performs well in mock cases, where the ground truth is known, and compares favorably against conventional physical analysis approaches when applied to true observations. In the case of the mock dark matter signal in the Galactic center, our work opens new avenues for component separation in this complex region of the VHE sky
The EUSO-SPB2 Fluorescence Telescope for the Detection of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays
No full textInternational audienceThe Extreme Universe Space Observatory on a Super Pressure Balloon 2 (EUSO-SPB2) flew on May 13 and 14 of 2023. Consisting of two novel optical telescopes, the payload utilized next-generation instrumentation for the observations of extensive air showers from near space. One instrument, the fluorescence telescope (FT) searched for Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) by recording the atmosphere below the balloon in the near-UV with a 1~s time resolution using 108 multi-anode photomultiplier tubes with a total of 6,912 channels. Validated by pre-flight measurements during a field campaign, the energy threshold was estimated around 2~EeV with an expected event rate of approximately 1 event per 10 hours of observation. Based on the limited time afloat, the expected number of UHECR observations throughout the flight is between 0 and 2. Consistent with this expectation, no UHECR candidate events have been found. The majority of events appear to be detector artifacts that were not rejected properly due to a shortened commissioning phase. Despite the earlier-than-expected termination of the flight, data were recorded which provide insights into the detectors stability in the near-space environment as well as the diffuse ultraviolet emissivity of the atmosphere, both of which are impactful to future experiments
Best of both worlds: Fusing hyperspectral data from two generations of spectro-imagers for X-ray astrophysics
No full textInternational audienceWith the launch of the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) and the advent of microcalorimeter detectors, X-ray astrophysics is entering in a new era of spatially resolved high resolution spectroscopy. But while this new generation of X-ray telescopes have much finer spectral resolutions than their predecessors (e.g. XMM-Newton, Chandra), they also have coarser spatial resolutions, leading to problematic cross-pixel contamination. This issue is currently a critical limitation for the study of extended sources such as galaxy clusters of supernova remnants. To increase the scientific output of XRISM's hyperspectral data, we propose to fuse it with XMM-Newton data, and seek to obtain a cube with the best spatial and spectral resolution of both generations. This is the aim of hyperspectral fusion. In this article, we have implemented an algorithm that jointly deconvolves the spatial response of XRISM and the spectral response of XMM-Newton. To do so, we construct a forward model adapted for instrumental systematic degradations and Poisson noise, then tackle hyperspectral fusion as a regularized inverse problem. We test three methods of regularization: low rank approximation with Sobolev regularization; low rank approximation with 2D wavelet sparsity ; and 2D-1D wavelet sparsity. We test our method on toy models constructed from hydrodynamic simulations of supernova remnants. We find that our method reconstructs the ground truth well even when the toy model is complex. For the regularization term, we find that while the low rank approximation worked well as a spectral denoiser in models with less spectral variability, it introduced a bias in models with more spectral variability, in which case the 2D-1D wavelet sparsity regularization worked best. After demonstrating a proof of concept in this article, we aim to apply this method to real X-ray astrophysical data in the near future
Laplacian and codifferential operators on p-forms in (Anti)-de Sitter spaces: restriction and continuation
No full textInternational audienceWe derive explicit restriction and continuation formulas between n-dimensional (Anti)-de Sitter spaces and the (n + 1)-dimensional Minkowskian ambient space for the codifferential and Laplace-de Rham operators acting on p-forms
Self-triggered strong-field QED collisions in laser-plasma interaction
No full textInternational audienceExploring quantum electrodynamics in the most extreme conditions, where electron-positron pairs can emerge in the presence of a strong background field, is now becoming possible in Compton collisions between ultraintense lasers and energetic electrons. In the strong-field regime, the colliding electron emits rays that decay into pairs in the strong laser field. While the combination of conventional accelerators and lasers of sufficient power poses significant challenges, laser-plasma accelerators offer a promising alternative for producing the required multi-GeV electron beams. To overcome the complexities of colliding these beams with another ultraintense laser pulse, we propose a novel scheme in which a single laser pulse both accelerates the electrons and collides with them after self-focusing in a dedicated plasma section and reflecting off a plasma mirror. The laser intensity boost in the plasma allows the quantum interaction parameter to be greatly increased. Using full-scale numerical simulations, we demonstrate that a single 100 J laser pulse can achieve a deep quantum regime with electric fields in the electron rest frame as high as times the Schwinger critical field, resulting in the production of about 40 pC of positrons
Benchmarking the design of the cryogenics system for the underground argon in DarkSide-20k
No full textInternational audienceDarkSide-20k (DS-20k) is a dark matter detection experiment under construction at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy. It utilises ~100 t of low radioactivity argon from an underground source (UAr) in its inner detector, with half serving as target in a dual-phase time projection chamber (TPC). The UAr cryogenics system must maintain stable thermodynamic conditions throughout the experiment's lifetime of >10 years. Continuous removal of impurities and radon from the UAr is essential for maximising signal yield and mitigating background. We are developing an efficient and powerful cryogenics system with a gas purification loop with a target circulation rate of 1000 slpm. Central to its design is a condenser operated with liquid nitrogen which is paired with a gas heat exchanger cascade, delivering a combined cooling power of >8 kW. Here we present the design choices in view of the DS-20k requirements, in particular the condenser's working principle and the cooling control, and we show test results obtained with a dedicated benchmarking platform at CERN and LNGS. We find that the thermal efficiency of the recirculation loop, defined in terms of nitrogen consumption per argon flow rate, is 95 % and the pressure in the test cryostat can be maintained within (0.1-0.2) mbar. We further detail a 5-day cool-down procedure of the test cryostat, maintaining a cooling rate typically within -2 K/h, as required for the DS-20k inner detector. Additionally, we assess the circuit's flow resistance, and the heat transfer capabilities of two heat exchanger geometries for argon phase change, used to provide gas for recirculation. We conclude by discussing how our findings influence the finalisation of the system design, including necessary modifications to meet requirements and ongoing testing activities
Spin kinetic theory with a nonlocal relaxation time approximation
No full textInternational audienceWe present a novel relaxation time approximation for kinetic theory with spin which takes into account the nonlocality of particle collisions. In particular, it models the property of the microscopic nonlocal collision term to vanish in global, but not in local equilibrium. We study the asymptotic distribution function obtained as the solution of the Boltzmann equation within the nonlocal relaxation time approximation in the limit of small gradients and short relaxation time. We show that the resulting polarization agrees with the one obtained from the Zubarev formalism for a certain value of a coefficient that determines the time scale on which orbital angular momentum is converted into spin. This coefficient can be identified with a parameter related to the pseudo gauge choice in the Zubarev formalism. Finally, we demonstrate how the nonlocal collision term generates polarization from vorticity by studying a nonrelativistic rotating cylinder both from kinetic and hydrodynamic approaches, which are shown to be equivalent in this example
Cosmic-ray induced sputtering of interstellar formaldehyde ices
No full textInternational audienceH2CO is a ubiquitous molecule in the ISM and in the gas phase of prestellar cores, and is likely present in ice mantles, but its main desorption mechanism is unknown. In this paper our aim is to quantify the desorption efficiency of H2CO upon cosmic-ray impact in order to determine whether cosmic-ray induced sputtering could account for the H2CO abundance observed in prestellar cores. Using a heavy-ion beam as a cosmic-ray analogue at the GANIL accelerator, we irradiated pure H2CO ice films at 10 K under high vacuum conditions and monitored the ice film evolution with infrared spectroscopy and the composition of the sputtered species in the gas phase using mass spectrometry. We derived both the effective and intact sputtering yield of pure H2CO ices. We find that H2CO easily polymerises under heavy-ion irradiation in the ice, and is also radiolysed into CO and CO2. In the gas phase, the dominant sputtered species is CO and intact H2CO is only a minor species. We determine an intact sputtering yield for pure H2CO ices molecules ion for an electronic stopping power of eV ( molecules cm). The corresponding cosmic-ray sputtering rate is molecules cm s, where is the rate of cosmic-ray ionisation of molecular hydrogen in the ISM. In the frame of a simple steady-state chemical model of freeze-out and non-thermal desorption, we find that this experimental cosmic-ray sputtering rate is too low (by an order of magnitude) to account for the observed H2CO gas-phase abundance we derived in the prestellar core L1689B. We find however that this abundance can be reproduced if we assume that H2CO diluted in CO or CO2 ices co-desorbs at the same sputtering rate as pure CO or pure CO2 ices
Euclid preparation. Simulations and nonlinearities beyond CDM. 1. Numerical methods and validation
No full textInternational audienceTo constrain models beyond CDM, the development of the Euclid analysis pipeline requires simulations that capture the nonlinear phenomenology of such models. We present an overview of numerical methods and -body simulation codes developed to study the nonlinear regime of structure formation in alternative dark energy and modified gravity theories. We review a variety of numerical techniques and approximations employed in cosmological -body simulations to model the complex phenomenology of scenarios beyond CDM. This includes discussions on solving nonlinear field equations, accounting for fifth forces, and implementing screening mechanisms. Furthermore, we conduct a code comparison exercise to assess the reliability and convergence of different simulation codes across a range of models. Our analysis demonstrates a high degree of agreement among the outputs of different simulation codes, providing confidence in current numerical methods for modelling cosmic structure formation beyond CDM. We highlight recent advances made in simulating the nonlinear scales of structure formation, which are essential for leveraging the full scientific potential of the forthcoming observational data from the Euclid mission
Role of bacterial secreted factors with cytotoxic activity towards endothelial cells in pneumococcal meningitis
No full textInternational audienceStreptococcus pneumoniae or pneumococcus (PN) is a human nasopharyngeal commensal and major bacterial pathogen responsible for invasive diseases. PN is a major causal agent of bacterial meningitis, with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Several bacterial virulence determinants have been involved in PN crossing of the blood brain barrier (BBB), but it remains unclear why among the large number of serotypes, a limited subset is more frequently associated with meningitis. We show here that, in contrast to serotype 1 isolates recovered from bacteriemic patients, serotype 1 PN clinical isolates associated with meningitis expressed Pneumococcal Secreted Factors (PSFs) with cytotoxic activity towards in vitro cultured cells. PSF-mediated cytotoxicity was not dependent on the major PN virulence factor pneumolysin and was observed for cultured vascular endothelial cells but not for epithelial cells. PSFs isolated from meningitis causing PN strains causing from serotype 2 and 4 also conferred endothelial cytotoxicity, suggesting their widespread expression in PN meningitis strains. PSF-mediated cytotoxicity was linked to permeabilization of endothelial cell plasma membranes, increase in basal cytosolic Ca2+ levels and disassembly of adherens junctions. Strikingly, PSF cytotoxicity was also associated with a flattening of cell nucleus involving actomyosin contraction. The relevance and perspectives of these findings in PN meningitis will be discussed