TNOs are Cool: A survey of the trans-Neptunian region V. Physical characterization of 18 Plutinos using Herschel PACS observations

We present Herschel PACS photometry of 18 Plutinos and determine sizes and albedos for these objects using thermal modeling. We analyze our results for correlations, draw conclusions on the Plutino size distribution, and compare to earlier results. Flux densities are derived from PACS mini scan-maps using specialized data reduction and photometry methods. In order to improve the quality of our results, we combine our PACS data with existing Spitzer MIPS data where possible, and refine existing absolute magnitudes for the targets. The physical characterization of our sample is done using a thermal model. Uncertainties of the physical parameters are derived using customized Monte Carlo methods. The correlation analysis is performed using a bootstrap Spearman rank analysis. We find the sizes of our Plutinos to range from 150 to 730 km and geometric albedos to vary between 0.04 and 0.28. The average albedo of the sample is 0.08 \pm 0.03, which is comparable to the mean albedo of Centaurs, Jupiter Family comets and other Trans-Neptunian Objects. We were able to calibrate the Plutino size scale for the first time and find the cumulative Plutino size distribution to be best fit using a cumulative power law with q = 2 at sizes ranging from 120-400 km and q = 3 at larger sizes. We revise the bulk density of 1999 TC36 and find a density of 0.64 (+0.15/-0.11) g cm-3. On the basis of a modified Spearman rank analysis technique our Plutino sample appears to be biased with respect to object size but unbiased with respect to albedo. Furthermore, we find biases based on geometrical aspects and color in our sample. There is qualitative evidence that icy Plutinos have higher albedos than the average of the sample.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, 8 tables, accepted for publication in A&

BLADE: Filter Learning for General Purpose Computational Photography

The Rapid and Accurate Image Super Resolution (RAISR) method of Romano, Isidoro, and Milanfar is a computationally efficient image upscaling method using a trained set of filters. We describe a generalization of RAISR, which we name Best Linear Adaptive Enhancement (BLADE). This approach is a trainable edge-adaptive filtering framework that is general, simple, computationally efficient, and useful for a wide range of problems in computational photography. We show applications to operations which may appear in a camera pipeline including denoising, demosaicing, and stylization

Development of Landsat-based Technology for Crop Inventories: Appendices

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

The Gaia Survey Contribution to EChO Target Selection and Characterization

The scientific output of the proposed EChO mission (in terms of spectroscopic characterization of the atmospheres of transiting extrasolar planets) will be maximized by a careful selection of targets and by a detailed characterization of the main physical parameters (such as masses and radii) of both the planets and their stellar hosts. To achieve this aim, the availability of high-quality data from other space-borne and ground-based programs will play a crucial role. Here we identify and discuss the elements of the Gaia catalogue that will be of utmost relevance for the selection and characterization of transiting planet systems to be observed by the proposed EChO mission.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in Experimental Astronom

Characterization of the known T type dwarfs towards the Sigma Orionis cluster

(Abridged) A total of three T type candidates (SOri70, SOri73, and SOriJ0538-0213) lying in the line of sight towards Sigma Orionis were characterized by means of near-infrared photometric, astrometric, and spectroscopic studies. H-band methane images were collected for all three sources and an additional sample of 15 field T type dwarfs using LIRIS/WHT. J-band spectra of resolution of ~500 were obtained for SOriJ0538-0213 with ISAAC/VLT, and JH spectra of resolution of ~50 acquired with WFC3/HST were employed for the spectroscopic classification of SOri70 and 73. Proper motions with a typical uncertainty of +/-3 mas/yr and a time interval of ~7-9 yr were derived. Using the LIRIS observations of the field T dwarfs, we calibrated this imager for T spectral typing via methane photometry. The three SOri objects were spectroscopically classified as T4.5+/-0.5 (SOri73), T5+/-0.5 (SOriJ0538-0213), and T7$^{+0.5}_{-1.0}$ (SOri70). The similarity between the observed JH spectra and the methane colors and the data of field ultra-cool dwarfs of related classifications suggests that SOri70, 73, and SOriJ053804.65-021352.5 do not deviate significantly in surface gravity in relation to the field. Additionally, the detection of KI at ~1.25 microns in SOriJ0538-0213 points to a high-gravity atmosphere. Only the K-band reddish nature of SOri70 may be consistent with a low gravity atmosphere. The proper motions of SOri70 and 73 are measurable and are larger than that of the cluster by >3.5 sigma. The proper motion of SOriJ0538-0213 is consistent with a null displacement. These observations suggest that none of the three T dwarfs are likely Sigma Orionis members, and that either planetary-mass objects with masses below ~4 MJup may not exist free-floating in the cluster or they may lie at fainter near-infrared magnitudes than those of the targets (this is H>20.6 mag), thus remaining unidentified to date.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A (2014), corrected typo

Laser Diode Induced Lighting Modules

Laser diodes have the potential of becoming the light engines of future lighting technology since they have negligible efficiency droop factor, unlike light emitting diodes. This study demonstrates the possibility of laser diodes coupled to phosphor targets being used as a solid state lighting system with high power applications. It was revealed that white light emitting modules with efficiency of up to 217 lumens per watt based on laser diodes can currently be made and upon further development of laser diode technology and relevant phosphor materials there is room for further improvements. The report also demonstrates the ability of this technology to produce a tailored emission spectrum for a given specific requirement. Two test lamp prototypes were made using laser diodes and phosphor targets and their emission characteristics were investigatedBrunel University London & EPSRC grant No. EP/K504208/