1,163 research outputs found
Continuous catalytic decomposition of methane
Continuous catalytic decomposition of methane and application to space life support syste
Continuous catalytic decomposition of methane
Water is conserved by employing sequence of reactions whereby 75 percent of methane from Sabatier reaction is decomposed to solid carbon and hydrogen; hydrogen is then separated from residual methane and utilized in usual Sabatier reaction to reduce remaining metabolic carbon dioxide
The Y-Band at 1.035 um: Photometric Calibration and the Dwarf Stellar/Sub-Stellar Color Sequence
We define and characterize a photometric bandpass (called "Y") that is
centered at 1.035 um, in between the traditionally classified ``optical'' and
``infrared'' spectral regimes. We present Y magnitudes and Y-H and Y-K colors
for a sample consisting mostly of photometric and spectral standards, spanning
the spectral type range sdO to T5V. Deep molecular absorption features in the
near-infrared spectra of extremely cool objects are such that the Y-H and Y-K
colors grow rapidly with advancing spectral type especially from late M through
mid L, substantially more rapidly than J-H or H-K which span a smaller total
dynamic range. Consistent with other near-infrared colors, however, Y-H and Y-K
colors turn blueward in the L6-L8 temperature range with later T-type objects
having colors similar to those of warmer M and L stars. Use of the Y-band
filter is nonetheless promising for easy identification of low-mass stars and
brown dwarfs, especially at young ages. The slope of the interstellar reddening
vector within this filter is A_Y = 0.38 x A_V. Reddening moves stars nearly
along the YHK dwarf color sequence making it more difficult to distinguish
unambiguously very low mass candidate brown dwarf objects from higher mass
stars seen, e.g. through the galactic plane or towards star-forming regions.
Other diagrams involving the Y-band may be somewhat more discriminating.Comment: accepted at PAS
Subthreshold dynamics of the neural membrane potential driven by stochastic synaptic input
In the cerebral cortex, neurons are subject to a continuous bombardment of synaptic inputs originating from the network's background activity. This leads to ongoing, mostly subthreshold membrane dynamics that depends on the statistics of the background activity and of the synapses made on a neuron. Subthreshold membrane polarization is, in turn, a potent modulator of neural responses. The present paper analyzes the subthreshold dynamics of the neural membrane potential driven by synaptic inputs of stationary statistics. Synaptic inputs are considered in linear interaction. The analysis identifies regimes of input statistics which give rise to stationary, fluctuating, oscillatory, and unstable dynamics. In particular, I show that (i) mere noise inputs can drive the membrane potential into sustained, quasiperiodic oscillations (noise-driven oscillations), in the absence of a stimulus-derived, intraneural, or network pacemaker; (ii) adding hyperpolarizing to depolarizing synaptic input can increase neural activity (hyperpolarization-induced activity), in the absence of hyperpolarization-activated currents
Highly confined low-loss plasmons in graphene-boron nitride heterostructures
Graphene plasmons were predicted to possess ultra-strong field confinement
and very low damping at the same time, enabling new classes of devices for deep
subwavelength metamaterials, single-photon nonlinearities, extraordinarily
strong light-matter interactions and nano-optoelectronic switches. While all of
these great prospects require low damping, thus far strong plasmon damping was
observed, with both impurity scattering and many-body effects in graphene
proposed as possible explanations. With the advent of van der Waals
heterostructures, new methods have been developed to integrate graphene with
other atomically flat materials. In this letter we exploit near-field
microscopy to image propagating plasmons in high quality graphene encapsulated
between two films of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). We determine dispersion
and particularly plasmon damping in real space. We find unprecedented low
plasmon damping combined with strong field confinement, and identify the main
damping channels as intrinsic thermal phonons in the graphene and dielectric
losses in the h-BN. The observation and in-depth understanding of low plasmon
damping is the key for the development of graphene nano-photonic and
nano-optoelectronic devices
Phase imaging with intermodulation atomic force microscopy
Intermodulation atomic force microscopy (IMAFM) is a dynamic mode of atomic
force microscopy (AFM) with two-tone excitation. The oscillating AFM cantilever
in close proximity to a surface experiences the nonlinear tip-sample force
which mixes the drive tones and generates new frequency components in the
cantilever response known as intermodulation products (IMPs). We present a
procedure for extracting the phase at each IMP and demonstrate phase images
made by recording this phase while scanning. Amplitude and phase images at
intermodulation frequencies exhibit enhanced topographic and material contrast.Comment: 6 pages, 6 page
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