Broad Absorption Line Variability in Radio-Loud Quasars

We investigate C IV broad absorption line (BAL) variability within a sample of 46 radio-loud quasars (RLQs), selected from SDSS/FIRST data to include both core-dominated (39) and lobe-dominated (7) objects. The sample consists primarily of high-ionization BAL quasars, and a substantial fraction have large BAL velocities or equivalent widths; their radio luminosities and radio-loudness values span ~2.5 orders of magnitude. We have obtained 34 new Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) spectra of 28 BAL RLQs to compare to earlier SDSS data, and we also incorporate archival coverage (primarily dual-epoch SDSS) for a total set of 78 pairs of equivalent width measurements for 46 BAL RLQs, probing rest-frame timescales of ~80-6000 d (median 500 d). In general, only modest changes in the depths of segments of absorption troughs are observed, akin to those seen in prior studies of BAL RQQs. Also similar to previous findings for RQQs, the RLQs studied here are more likely to display BAL variability on longer rest-frame timescales. However, typical values of |Delta_EW| and |Delta_EW|/ are about 40+/-20% lower for BAL RLQs when compared with those of a timescale-matched sample of BAL RQQs. Optical continuum variability is of similar amplitude in BAL RLQs and BAL RQQs; for both RLQs and RQQs, continuum variability tends to be stronger on longer timescales. BAL variability in RLQs does not obviously depend upon their radio luminosities or radio-loudness values, but we do find tentative evidence for greater fractional BAL variability within lobe-dominated RLQs. Enhanced BAL variability within more edge-on (lobe-dominated) RLQs supports some geometrical dependence to the outflow structure.Comment: 27 pages, 16 figures, 6 tables, accepted to MNRAS, full Appendix A at http://www.macalester.edu/~bmille13/balrlqs.htm

The GEO 600 laser system

Interferometric gravitational wave detectors require high optical power, single frequency lasers with very good beam quality and high amplitude and frequency stability as well as high long-term reliability as input light source. For GEO 600 a laser system with these properties is realized by a stable planar, longitudinally pumped 12 W Nd:YAG rod laser which is injection-locked to a monolithic 800 mW Nd:YAG non-planar ring oscillator. Frequency control signals from the mode cleaners are fed to the actuators of the non-planar ring oscillator which determines the frequency stability of the system. The system power stabilization acts on the slave laser pump diodes which have the largest influence on the output power. In order to gain more output power, a combined Nd:YAGNd:YVO4 system is scaled to more than 22 W

(2+1)-dimensional Einstein-Kepler problem in the centre-of-mass frame

We formulate and analyze the Hamiltonian dynamics of a pair of massive spinless point particles in (2+1)-dimensional Einstein gravity by anchoring the system to a conical infinity, isometric to the infinity generated by a single massive but possibly spinning particle. The reduced phase space \Gamma_{red} has dimension four and topology R^3 x S^1. \Gamma_{red} is analogous to the phase space of a Newtonian two-body system in the centre-of-mass frame, and we find on \Gamma_{red} a canonical chart that makes this analogue explicit and reduces to the Newtonian chart in the appropriate limit. Prospects for quantization are commented on.Comment: 38 pages, REVTeX v3.1 with amsfonts and epsf, 12 eps figures. (v2: Presentational improvement, references added, typos corrected.

Generation of short-pulse VUV and XUV radiation

Starting from intense short-pulse KrF (248 nm, 25 mJ, 400 fs), ArF (193 nm, 10 mJ, sim1 ps), and Ti:sapphire (810 nm, 100 mJ, 150 fs) laser systems, schemes for the generation of fixed-frequency and tunable VUV and XUV radiation by nonlinear optical techniques are investigated. With the KrF system, a four-wave mixing process in xenon yields tunable radiation in the range of 130–200 nm with output energies of, so far, 100 mgrJ in less than 1 ps. For the XUV spectral range below 100 nm, nonperturbative high-order harmonic generation and frequency mixing processes in noble gas jets are considered. To achieve tunability, the intense fixed-frequency pump laser radiation is mixed with less intense but broadly tunable radiation from short-pulse dye lasers or optical parametric generator-amplifier systems. In this way, tunability down to wavelengths of less than 40 nm has been demonstrated

The effect of magnetopause motion on fast mode resonance

The Earth's magnetosphere supports several types of ultralow frequency (ULF) waves. These include fast mode resonance (FMR): cavity modes, waveguide modes, and tunneling modes/virtual resonance. The magnetopause, often treated as the outer boundary for cavity/waveguide modes in the dayside magnetosphere, is not stationary. A rapidly changing outer boundary condition—e.g., due to rapid magnetopause motion—is not favorable for FMR generation and may explain the sparseness of FMR observations in the outer magnetosphere. We examine how magnetopause motion affects the dayside magnetosphere's ability to sustain FMR with idealized Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) simulations using the BATS‐R‐US global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code coupled with the Ridley Ionosphere Model (RIM). We present observations of FMR in BATS‐R‐US, reproducing results from other global MHD codes. We further show that FMR is present for a wide range of solar wind conditions, even during periods with large and rapid magnetopause displacements. We compare our simulation results to FMR observations in the dayside magnetosphere, finding that FMR occurrence does not depend on solar wind dynamic pressure, which can be used as a proxy for dynamic pressure fluctuations and magnetopause perturbations. Our results demonstrate that other explanations besides a nonstationary magnetopause—such as the inability to detect FMR in the presence of other ULF wave modes with large amplitudes—are required to explain the rarity of FMR observations in the outer magnetosphere. Key Points Typical magnetopause motion does not affect fast mode resonance occurrence Magnetopause motion cannot explain why FMR is rarely observed Selection criteria and non‐FMR wave activity affect FMR occurrence ratePeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109612/1/2014JA020401readme.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109612/2/Auxiliary_Material_fs01.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109612/3/Auxiliary_Material_fs02.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109612/4/jgra51354.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109612/5/Auxiliary_Material_fs03.pd