Identification of [Fe III] in the solar ultraviolet spectrum
Solar ultraviolet spectra have been obtained with high spectral and spatial resolution using the Naval Research Laboratory's high-resolution telescope and spectrograph1 (HRTS) flown on rockets since 1975 and most recently on the Spacelab 2 Shuttle flight. Because the solar spectrum between ∼1,170 and 1,719 Å has been well observed for some years, few lines of substantial intensity remain unidentified. (See for example the recent compilation by Sandlin et al.2). The longest exposures during the first rocket flight of the HRTS, which obtained spectra with a spatial resolution of ∼ 1 arc s along the slit, of length ∼ 1 solar radius, and a spectral resolution of ∼0.05 Å, showed a number of weak emission lines at the solar limb, in particular between 1,570 and 1,600 Å (see Plates 16 and 17 in ref. 3), that could not readily be identified. Improved observations of these lines were obtained during the flight of HRTS on the Spacelab 2 Shuttle flight in July–August 1985, by making longer exposures (60,100 and 250 s). The scope of the data obtained has been described4. We have now identified the emission lines concerned as forbidden (electric quadrupole and magnetic dipole) transitions in Fe III, the first detection of these particular transitions in any source. They must now be considered potential candidates for previously unidentified lines in other low-density (Ne ≲ 1010 cm−3) astrophysical sources.
A new normal incidence concave holographic grating mounting
Abstract In this paper we present a new spectrograph for extreme ultraviolet region. It is based on unconventional focussng properties of a concave holographic grating so far unexplored. The theoretical results shows that it will be very efficient as compared to the existing spectrograph in this region.
rPET detectors design and data processing
Small animal PET systems based on rotating planar detectors posses some interesting advantages for high sensitivity, high resolution imaging. We have designed the rPET detectors based on MLS crystals assembled on a 30times30 matrix optically coupled to a flat-panel PS-PMT. Weighted position readout circuits pre-process the 64 signals from the 8times8 anodes matrix, which are digitized using a charge-integrating converter. The amplification electronics, including the trigger output for coincidence detection, and the high voltage supply are integrated in a three PCBs stack that forms the base attached to the back of the PMT. The whole assembly is enclosed in a light tight, lead (Pb) shielded aluminum box. The detectors are mounted on a rotating gantry with more than 180 degrees rotation span. The digitized events are screened and histogramed, and a modified center of gravity algorithm removes from the position calculation those signals with poor signal to noise ratio. Apparent mean crystal size on the 511 keV field-flood images is 0.6 mm, mean peak-to-valley ratio is better than 8, and intrinsic resolution is 1.5 mm at the central row, with the energy window wide open. Sensitivity (CPS) for a pair of these detectors set in coincidence at 160 mm distance is 1%