8,827 research outputs found
Design and assembly sequence analysis of option 3 for CETF reference space station
A design and assembly sequence was conducted on one option of the Dual Keel Space Station examined by a NASA Critical Evaluation Task Force to establish viability of several variations of that option. A goal of the study was to produce and analyze technical data to support Task Force decisions to either examine particular Option 3 variations in more depth or eliminate them from further consideration. An analysis of the phasing assembly showed that use of an Expendable Launch Vehicle in conjunction with the Space Transportation System (STS) can accelerate the buildup of the Station and ease the STS launch rate constraints. The study also showed that use of an Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle on the first flight can significantly benefit Station assembly and, by performing Station subsystem functions, can alleviate the need for operational control and reboost systems during the early flights. In addition to launch and assembly sequencing, the study assessed stability and control, and analyzed node-packaging options and the effects of keel removal on the structural dynamics of the Station. Results of these analyses are presented and discussed
Two-Pulse Propagation in a Partially Phase-Coherent Medium
We analyze the effects of partial coherence of ground state preparation on
two-pulse propagation in a three-level medium, in contrast to
previous treastments that have considered the cases of media whose ground
states are characterized by probabilities (level populations) or by probability
amplitudes (coherent pure states). We present analytic solutions of the
Maxwell-Bloch equations, and we extend our analysis with numerical solutions to
the same equations. We interpret these solutions in the bright/dark dressed
state basis, and show that they describe a population transfer between the
bright and dark state. For mixed-state media with partial ground
state phase coherence the dark state can never be fully populated. This has
implications for phase-coherent effects such as pulse matching, coherent
population trapping, and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). We
show that for partially phase-coherent three-level media, self induced
transparency (SIT) dominates EIT and our results suggest a corresponding
three-level area theorem.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Spin-dependent resonant tunneling through semimetallic ErAs quantum wells
Resonant tunneling through semimetallic ErAs quantum wells embedded in GaAs
structures with AlAs barriers was recently found to exhibit an intriguing
behavior in magnetic fields which is explained in terms of tunneling selection
rules and the spin-polarized band structure including spin-orbit coupling.Comment: 4 pages, figures supplied as self-unpacking figures.uu, uses
epsfig.sty to incorporate figures in preprin
Experimental library screening demonstrates the successful application of computational protein design to large structural ensembles
The stability, activity, and solubility of a protein sequence are determined by a delicate balance of molecular interactions in a variety of conformational states. Even so, most computational protein design methods model sequences in the context of a single native conformation. Simulations that model the native state as an ensemble have been mostly neglected due to the lack of sufficiently powerful optimization algorithms for multistate design. Here, we have applied our multistate design algorithm to study the potential utility of various forms of input structural data for design. To facilitate a more thorough analysis, we developed new methods for the design and high-throughput stability determination of combinatorial mutation libraries based on protein design calculations. The application of these methods to the core design of a small model system produced many variants with improved thermodynamic stability and showed that multistate design methods can be readily applied to large structural ensembles. We found that exhaustive screening of our designed libraries helped to clarify several sources of simulation error that would have otherwise been difficult to ascertain. Interestingly, the lack of correlation between our simulated and experimentally measured stability values shows clearly that a design procedure need not reproduce experimental data exactly to achieve success. This surprising result suggests potentially fruitful directions for the improvement of computational protein design technology
Time Ordering in Kicked Qubits
We examine time ordering effects in strongly, suddenly perturbed two-state
quantum systems (kicked qubits) by comparing results with time ordering to
results without time ordering. Simple analytic expressions are given for state
occupation amplitudes and probabilities for singly and multiply kicked qubits.
We investigate the limit of no time ordering, which can differ in different
representations.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figure
Plasma instability and amplification of electromagnetic waves in low-dimensional electron systems
A general electrodynamic theory of a grating coupled two dimensional electron
system (2DES) is developed. The 2DES is treated quantum mechanically, the
grating is considered as a periodic system of thin metal strips or as an array
of quantum wires, and the interaction of collective (plasma) excitations in the
system with electromagnetic field is treated within the classical
electrodynamics. It is assumed that a dc current flows in the 2DES. We consider
a propagation of an electromagnetic wave through the structure, and obtain
analytic dependencies of the transmission, reflection, absorption and emission
coefficients on the frequency of light, drift velocity of 2D electrons, and
other physical and geometrical parameters of the system. If the drift velocity
of 2D electrons exceeds a threshold value, a current-driven plasma instability
is developed in the system, and an incident far infrared radiation is
amplified. We show that in the structure with a quantum wire grating the
threshold velocity of the amplification can be essentially reduced, as compared
to the commonly employed metal grating, down to experimentally achievable
values. Physically this is due to a considerable enhancement of the grating
coupler efficiency because of the resonant interaction of plasma modes in the
2DES and in the grating. We show that tunable far infrared emitters, amplifiers
and generators can thus be created at realistic parameters of modern
semiconductor heterostructures.Comment: 28 pages, 15 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
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