Research and education in management of large- scale technical programs Semiannual progress report

Research and education in management of large scale technical programs - education and integration of interdisciplinary tea

Technology and management of large-scale programs Semiannual progress report

Technology and management of large scale program

Report of the sensor readout electronics panel

The findings of the Sensor Readout Electronics Panel are summarized in regard to technology assessment and recommended development plans. In addition to two specific readout issues, cryogenic readouts and sub-electron noise, the panel considered three advanced technology areas that impact the ability to achieve large format sensor arrays. These are mega-pixel focal plane packaging issues, focal plane to data processing module interfaces, and event driven readout architectures. Development in each of these five areas was judged to have significant impact in enabling the sensor performance desired for the Astrotech 21 mission set. Other readout issues, such as focal plane signal processing or other high volume data acquisition applications important for Eos-type mapping, were determined not to be relevant for astrophysics science goals

Calculation of Densities of States and Spectral Functions by Chebyshev Recursion and Maximum Entropy

We present an efficient algorithm for calculating spectral properties of large sparse Hamiltonian matrices such as densities of states and spectral functions. The combination of Chebyshev recursion and maximum entropy achieves high energy resolution without significant roundoff error, machine precision or numerical instability limitations. If controlled statistical or systematic errors are acceptable, cpu and memory requirements scale linearly in the number of states. The inference of spectral properties from moments is much better conditioned for Chebyshev moments than for power moments. We adapt concepts from the kernel polynomial approximation, a linear Chebyshev approximation with optimized Gibbs damping, to control the accuracy of Fourier integrals of positive non-analytic functions. We compare the performance of kernel polynomial and maximum entropy algorithms for an electronic structure example.Comment: 8 pages RevTex, 3 postscript figure

Aquatic polymers can drive pathogen transmission in coastal ecosystems.

Gelatinous polymers including extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) are fundamental to biophysical processes in aquatic habitats, including mediating aggregation processes and functioning as the matrix of biofilms. Yet insight into the impact of these sticky molecules on the environmental transmission of pathogens in the ocean is limited. We used the zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii as a model to evaluate polymer-mediated mechanisms that promote transmission of terrestrially derived pathogens to marine fauna and humans. We show that transparent exopolymer particles, a particulate form of EPS, enhance T. gondii association with marine aggregates, material consumed by organisms otherwise unable to access micrometre-sized particles. Adhesion to EPS biofilms on macroalgae also captures T. gondii from the water, enabling uptake of pathogens by invertebrates that feed on kelp surfaces. We demonstrate the acquisition, concentration and retention of T. gondii by kelp-grazing snails, which can transmit T. gondii to threatened California sea otters. Results highlight novel mechanisms whereby aquatic polymers facilitate incorporation of pathogens into food webs via association with particle aggregates and biofilms. Identifying the critical role of invisible polymers in transmission of pathogens in the ocean represents a fundamental advance in understanding and mitigating the health impacts of coastal habitat pollution with contaminated runoff

Research and education in management of large-scale technical programs

A research effort is reported which was conducted by NASA in conjunction with Drexel University, and which was aimed at an improved understanding of large scale systems technology and management

Quasiparticle dispersion of the t-J and Hubbard models

The spectral weight ${\rm A({\bf p},\omega)}$ of the two dimensional ${\rm t-J}$ and Hubbard models has been calculated using exact diagonalization and quantum Monte Carlo techniques, at several densities ${\rm 1.0 \leq \langle n \rangle \leq 0.5}$. The photoemission $(\omega < 0)$ region contains two dominant distinct features, namely a low-energy quasiparticle peak with bandwidth of order J, and a broad valence band peak at energies of order t. This behavior $persists$ away from half-filling, as long as the antiferromagnetic (AF) correlations are robust. The results give support to theories of the copper oxide materials based on the behavior of holes in antiferromagnets, and it also provides theoretical guidance for the interpretation of experimental photoemission data for the cuprates.Comment: (minor changes) RevTeX, 4 figures available on reques

Algae: Feedstock for Biofuels and Biochemicals

Biomass energy is a great alternative for replacing fossil fuel demands. It has a lot of advantages such as producing clean energy, being renewable and creating a sustainable planet. But, there is no perfect energy source in this world. It also has some disadvantages