28,649 research outputs found
The Layer 0 Inner Silicon Detector of the D0 Experiment
This paper describes the design, fabrication, installation and performance of
the new inner layer called Layer 0 (L0) that was inserted in the existing Run
IIa Silicon Micro-Strip Tracker (SMT) of the D0 experiment at the Fermilab
Tevatron collider. L0 provides tracking information from two layers of sensors,
which are mounted with center lines at a radial distance of 16.1 mm and 17.6 mm
respectively from the beam axis. The sensors and readout electronics are
mounted on a specially designed and fabricated carbon fiber structure that
includes cooling for sensor and readout electronics. The structure has a thin
polyimide circuit bonded to it so that the circuit couples electrically to the
carbon fiber allowing the support structure to be used both for detector
grounding and a low impedance connection between the remotely mounted hybrids
and the sensors.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figure
Electrical properties and defect chemistry of anatase (TiO2)
The electrical properties of pure Anatase are investigated by impedance spectroscopy as function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure. The experimental results are fully interpreted by point defect chemistry. A transition from predominant Schottky to Frenkel cation disorder is observed when the temperature increases and/or the oxygen partial pressure decreases. The reduction enthalpies are near those obtained for Rutile in previous studies
High-impedence NbSi TES sensors for studying the cosmic microwave background radiation
Precise measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) are crucial in
cosmology, because any proposed model of the universe must account for the
features of this radiation. Of all CMB measurements that the scientific
community has not yet been able to perform, the CMB B-mode polarization is
probably the most challenging from the instrumental point of view. The
signature of primordial gravitational waves, which give rise to a B-type
polarization, is one of the goals in cosmology today and amongst the first
objectives in the field. For this purpose, high-performance low-temperature
bolometric cameras, made of thousands of pixels, are currently being developed
by many groups, which will improve the sensitivity to B-mode CMB polarization
by one or two orders of magnitude compared to the Planck satellite HFI
detectors. We present here a new bolometer structure that is able to increase
the pixel sensitivities and to simplify the fabrication procedure. This
innovative device replaces delicate membrane-based structures and eliminates
the mediation of phonons: the incoming energy is directly captured and measured
in the electron bath of an appropriate sensor and the thermal decoupling is
achieved via the intrinsic electron-phonon decoupling of the sensor at very low
temperature. Reported results come from a 204-pixel array of NbSi
transition edge sensors with a meander structure fabricated on a 2-inch silicon
wafer using electron-beam co-evaporation and a cleanroom lithography process.
To validate the application of this device to CMB measurements, we have
performed an optical calibration of our sample in the focal plane of a dilution
cryostat test bench. We have demonstrated a light absorption close to 20% and
an NEP of about 7 W/, which is highly encouraging
given the scope for improvement in this type of detectors.Comment: 6 pages, 10 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with
arXiv:1005.0555 by other author
A robot hand testbed designed for enhancing embodiment and functional neurorehabilitation of body schema in subjects with upper limb impairment or loss.
Many upper limb amputees experience an incessant, post-amputation "phantom limb pain" and report that their missing limbs feel paralyzed in an uncomfortable posture. One hypothesis is that efferent commands no longer generate expected afferent signals, such as proprioceptive feedback from changes in limb configuration, and that the mismatch of motor commands and visual feedback is interpreted as pain. Non-invasive therapeutic techniques for treating phantom limb pain, such as mirror visual feedback (MVF), rely on visualizations of postural changes. Advances in neural interfaces for artificial sensory feedback now make it possible to combine MVF with a high-tech "rubber hand" illusion, in which subjects develop a sense of embodiment with a fake hand when subjected to congruent visual and somatosensory feedback. We discuss clinical benefits that could arise from the confluence of known concepts such as MVF and the rubber hand illusion, and new technologies such as neural interfaces for sensory feedback and highly sensorized robot hand testbeds, such as the "BairClaw" presented here. Our multi-articulating, anthropomorphic robot testbed can be used to study proprioceptive and tactile sensory stimuli during physical finger-object interactions. Conceived for artificial grasp, manipulation, and haptic exploration, the BairClaw could also be used for future studies on the neurorehabilitation of somatosensory disorders due to upper limb impairment or loss. A remote actuation system enables the modular control of tendon-driven hands. The artificial proprioception system enables direct measurement of joint angles and tendon tensions while temperature, vibration, and skin deformation are provided by a multimodal tactile sensor. The provision of multimodal sensory feedback that is spatiotemporally consistent with commanded actions could lead to benefits such as reduced phantom limb pain, and increased prosthesis use due to improved functionality and reduced cognitive burden
Giant magnetoimpedance: new electrochemical option to monitor surface effects?
Magnetoimpedance, MI, change due to surface modification of the sensitive
element caused by biofluids was studied with the aim of creating a robust
sensor capable of separating the chemical surface modification from the sensing
process. A MI sensor prototype with an as-quenched FeCoSiB amorphous ribbon
sensitive element was designed and calibrated for a frequency range of 0.5 to
10 MHz at an intensity of the current of 60 mA. Measurements as a function of
the exposure time were made, first, in a regime where chemical surface
modification and sensing were separated and then, in a regime where they were
not separated (in a bath for fluids). The MI variation was explained by the
change of the surface magnetic anisotropy. It was shown that the
magnetoimpedance effect can be successfully employed as a new electrochemical
option to probe the electric features of surface-modified magnetic electrodes
when the biofluid, the material of the sensitive element, and the detection
conditions are properly selected and synergetically adjusted.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure
Triaxial digital fluxgate magnetometer for NASA applications explorer mission: Results of tests of critical elements
Tests performed to prove the critical elements of the triaxial digital fluxgate magnetometer design were described. A method for improving the linearity of the analog to digital converter portion of the instrument was studied in detail. A sawtooth waveform was added to the signal being measured before the A/D conversion, and averaging the digital readings over one cycle of the sawtooth. It was intended to reduce bit error nonlinearities present in the A/D converter which could be expected to be as much as 16 gamma if not reduced. No such nonlinearities were detected in the output of the instrument which included the feature designed to reduce these nonlinearities. However, a small scale nonlinearity of plus or minus 2 gamma with a 64 gamma repetition rate was observed in the unit tested. A design improvement intended to eliminate this small scale nonlinearity was examined
Solid state television camera system Patent
Solid state television camera system consisting of monolithic semiconductor mosaic sensor and molecular digital readout system
Impedimetric antimicrobial peptide-based sensor for the early detection of periodontopathogenic bacteria
Peri-implantitis, an inflammation caused by biofilm formation, constitutes a major cause of implant failure in dentistry. Thus, the detection of bacteria at the early steps of biofilm growth represents a powerful strategy to prevent implant-related infections. In this regard, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can be used as effective biological recognition elements to selectively detect the presence of bacteria. Thus, the aim of the present study was to combine the use of miniaturized and integrated impedimetric transducers and AMPs to obtain biosensors with high sensitivity to monitor bacterial colonization. Streptococcus sanguinis, which is one of the most prevalent strains in the onset of periodontal diseases, was used as a model of oral bacteria. To this end, a potent AMP derived from human lactoferrin was synthesized and covalently immobilized on interdigitated electrode arrays (IDEA). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to optimize and characterize the method of immobilization. Noteworthy, the interaction of Streptococcus sanguinis with AMP-coated sensors provoked significant changes in the impedance spectra, which were univocally associated with the presence of bacteria, proving the feasibility of our method. In this regard, the developed biosensor permits to detect the presence of bacteria at concentrations starting from 101 colony forming units (CFU) mL-1 in KCl and from 102 CFU mL-1 in artificial saliva. Moreover, the system was devoid of cytotoxicity for human fibroblasts. These results indicate that the proposed approach can be effective in the detection of initial stages of biofilm formation, and may be useful in the early prevention and treatment of peri-implantitisPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
Calibration of shielded microwave probes using bulk dielectrics
A stripline-type near-field microwave probe is microfabricated for microwave
impedance microscopy. Unlike the poorly shielded coplanar probe that senses the
sample tens of microns away, the stripline structure removes the stray fields
from the cantilever body and localizes the interaction only around the
focused-ion beam deposited Pt tip. The approaching curve of an oscillating tip
toward bulk dielectrics can be quantitatively simulated and fitted to the
finite-element analysis result. The peak signal of the approaching curve is a
measure of the sample dielectric constant and can be used to study unknown bulk
materials.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
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