2,436 research outputs found
Design study for LANDSAT-D attitude control system
The gimballed Ku-band antenna system for communication with TDRS was studied. By means of an error analysis it was demonstrated that the antenna cannot be open loop pointed to TDRS by an onboard programmer, but that an autotrack system was required. After some tradeoffs, a two-axis, azimuth-elevation type gimbal configuration was recommended for the antenna. It is shown that gimbal lock only occurs when LANDSAT-D is over water where a temporary loss of the communication link to TDRS is of no consequence. A preliminary gimbal control system design is also presented. A digital computer program was written that computes antenna gimbal angle profiles, assesses percent antenna beam interference with the solar array, and determines whether the spacecraft is over land or water, a lighted earth or a dark earth, and whether the spacecraft is in eclipse
Biaxial spin-nematic phase of two dimensional disordered rotor models and spin-one bosons in optical lattices
We show that the ground state of disordered rotor models with quadrupolar
interactions can exhibit biaxial nematic ordering in the disorder-averaged
sense. We present a mean-field analysis of the model and demonstrate that the
biaxial phase is stable against small quantum fluctuations. We point out the
possibility of experimental realization of such rotor models using ultracold
spin-one Bose atoms in a spin-dependent and disordered optical lattice in the
limit of a large number of atoms per site and also suggest an imaging
experiment to detect the biaxial nematicity in such systems.Comment: revtex file 7 pages, 2 figures, version published in PR
U(1) spin liquids and valence bond solids in a large-N three-dimensional Heisenberg model
We study possible quantum ground states of the Sp(N) generalized Heisenberg
model on a cubic lattice with nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor
exchange interactions. The phase diagram is obtained in the large-N limit and
fluctuation effects are considered via appropriate gauge theories. In
particular, we find three U(1) spin liquid phases with different short-range
magnetic correlations. These phases are characterized by deconfined gapped
spinons, gapped monopoles, and gapless ``photons''. As N becomes smaller, a
confinement transition from these phases to valence bond solids (VBS) may
occur. This transition is studied by using duality and analyzing the resulting
theory of monopoles coupled to a non-compact dual gauge field; the condensation
of the monopoles leads to VBS phases. We determine the resulting VBS phases
emerging from two of the three spin liquid states. On the other hand, the spin
liquid state near J_1 \approx J_2 appears to be more stable against monopole
condensation and could be a promising candidate for a spin liquid state in real
systems.Comment: revtex file 12 pages, 17 figure
Kinetically Inhibited Order in a Diamond-Lattice Antiferromagnet
Frustrated magnetic systems exhibit highly degenerate ground states and
strong fluctuations, often leading to new physics. An intriguing example of
current interest is the antiferromagnet on a diamond lattice, realized
physically in A-site spinel materials. This is a prototypical system in three
dimensions where frustration arises from competing interactions rather than
purely geometric constraints, and theory suggests the possibility of unusual
magnetic order at low temperature. Here we present a comprehensive
single-crystal neutron scattering study of CoAl2O4, a highly frustrated A-site
spinel. We observe strong diffuse scattering that peaks at wavevectors
associated with Neel ordering. Below the temperature T*=6.5 K, there is a
dramatic change in the elastic scattering lineshape accompanied by the
emergence of well-defined spin-wave excitations. T* had previously been
associated with the onset of glassy behavior. Our new results suggest instead
that T* signifies a first-order phase transition, but with true long-range
order inhibited by the kinetic freezing of domain walls. This scenario might be
expected to occur widely in frustrated systems containing first-order phase
transitions and is a natural explanation for existing reports of anomalous
glassy behavior in other materials.Comment: 40 pages, 9 figures, Introduction and discussion altered and
expanded. Additional section and figure added to Supplementary Informatio
Sulphur-bearing molecules in diffuse molecular clouds: new results from SOFIA/GREAT and the IRAM 30 m telescope
We have observed five sulphur-bearing molecules in foreground diffuse
molecular clouds lying along the sight-lines to five bright continuum sources.
We have used the GREAT instrument on SOFIA to observe the 1383 GHz transitions of SH towards the star-forming regions W31C,
G29.96-0.02, G34.3+0.1, W49N and W51, detecting foreground absorption towards
all five sources; and the EMIR receivers on the IRAM 30m telescope at Pico
Veleta to detect the HS 1(10)-1(01), CS J=2-1 and SO 3(2)-2(1) transitions.
In nine foreground absorption components detected towards these sources, the
inferred column densities of the four detected molecules showed relatively
constant ratios, with N(SH)/N(HS) in the range 1.1 - 3.0, N(CS)/N(HS)
in the range 0.32 - 0.61, and N(SO)/N(HS) in the range 0.08 - 0.30. The
observed SH/H ratios - in the range (0.5-2.6) - indicate
that SH (and other sulphur-bearing molecules) account for << 1% of the
gas-phase sulphur nuclei. The observed abundances of sulphur-bearing molecules,
however, greatly exceed those predicted by standard models of cold diffuse
molecular clouds, providing further evidence for the enhancement of endothermic
reaction rates by elevated temperatures or ion-neutral drift. We have
considered the observed abundance ratios in the context of shock and turbulent
dissipation region (TDR) models. Using the TDR model, we find that the
turbulent energy available at large scale in the diffuse ISM is sufficient to
explain the observed column densities of SH and CS. Standard shock and TDR
models, however, fail to reproduce the column densities of HS and SO by a
factor of about 10; more elaborate shock models - in which account is taken of
the velocity drift, relative to H, of SH molecules produced by the
dissociative recombination of HS - reduce this discrepancy to a factor
~ 3.Comment: 30 pages, accepted for publication in A&
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa-Derived Rhamnolipids and Other Detergents Modulate Colony Morphotype and Motility in the Burkholderia Cepacia Complex
Competitive interactions mediated by released chemicals (e.g., toxins) are prominent in multispecies communities, but the effects of these chemicals at subinhibitory concentrations on susceptible bacteria are poorly understood. Although Pseudomonas aeruginosa and species of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) can exist together as a coinfection in cystic fibrosis airways, P. aeruginosa toxins can kill Bcc species in vitro. Consequently, these bacteria become an ideal in vitro model system to study the impact of sublethal levels of toxins on the biology of typical susceptible bacteria, such as the Bcc, when exposed to P. aeruginosa toxins. Using P. aeruginosa spent medium as a source of toxins, we showed that a small window of subinhibitory concentrations modulated the colony morphotype and swarming motility of some but not all tested Bcc strains, for which rhamnolipids were identified as the active molecule. Using a random transposon mutagenesis approach, we identified several genes required by the Bcc to respond to low concentrations of rhamnolipids and consequently affect the ability of this microbe to change its morphotype and swarm over surfaces. Among those genes identified were those coding for type IVb-Tad pili, which are often required for virulence in various bacterial pathogens. Our study demonstrates that manipulating chemical gradients in vitro can lead to the identification of bacterial behaviors relevant to polymicrobial infections
Hydrogen maser clocks in space for solid-Earth research and time-transfer applications: Experiment overview and evaluation of Russian miniature sapphire loaded cavity
The Observatoire Cantonal de Neuchatel (ON) is developing for ESTEC a compact H-maser for space use based upon a miniature sapphire loaded microwave cavity, a technique pioneered at VNIIFTRI. Various contacts between West-European parties, headed by ESA, and the Russian parties, headed by ESA, led to the proposal for flying two H-masers on Meteor 3M, a Russian meteorology satellite in low polar orbit. The experiment will include two masers, one provided by ON and the other by VNIIFTRI. T/F transfer and precise positioning will be performed by both a microwave link, using PRARE equipment, and an optical link, using LASSO-like equipment. The main objectives of the experiment are precise orbit determination and point positioning for geodetic/geophysical research, ultra-accurate time comparison and dissemination as well as in-orbit demonstration of operation and performance of H-masers. Within the scope of a preliminary space H-maser development phase performed for ESTEC at ON in preparation to the joint experiment, a Russian miniature sapphire loaded microwave cavity, on loan from VNIIFTRI, was evaluated in a full-size EFOS hydrogen maser built by ON. The experimental evaluation confirmed the theoretical expectation that with a hydrogen storage volume of only 0.65 liter an atomic quality factor of 1.5 x 10(exp 9) can be obtained for a -105 dBm output power. This represents a theoretical Allan deviation of 1.7 x 10(exp -15) averaged on a 1000 s time interval. From a full-size design to a compact one, therefore, the sacrifice in performance due to the reduction of the storage volume is very small
Controlling suction by vapour equilibrium technique at different temperatures, application to the determination of the water retention properties of MX80 clay
Problems related to unsaturated soils are frequently encountered in
geotechnical or environmental engineering works. In most cases, for the purpose
of simplicity, the problems are studied by considering the suction effects on
volume change or shear strength under isothermal conditions. Under isothermal
condition, very often, a temperature independent water retention curve is
considered in the analysis, which is obviously a simplification. When the
temperature changes are too significant to be neglected, it is necessary to
account for the thermal effects. In this paper, a method for controlling
suction using the vapour equilibrium technique at different temperatures is
presented. First, calibration of various saturated saline solutions was carried
out from temperature of 20 degrees C to 60 degrees C. A mirror psychrometer was
used for the measurement of relative humidity generated by saturated saline
solutions at different temperatures. The results obtained are in good agreement
with the data from the literature. This information was then used to determine
the water retention properties of MX80 clay, which showed that the retention
curve is shifting down with increasing of temperature
Science results from the imaging Fourier transform spectrometer SpIOMM
SpIOMM is an imaging Fourier transform spectrometer designed to obtain the
visible range (350 to 850 nm) spectrum of every light source in a circular
field of view of 12 arcminutes in diameter. It is attached to the 1.6-m
telescope of the Observatoire du Mont Megantic in southern Quebec. We present
here some results of three successful observing runs in 2007, which highlight
SpIOMMs capabilities to map emission line objects over a very wide field of
view and a broad spectral range. In particular, we discuss data cubes from the
planetary nebula M27, the supernova remnants NGC 6992 and M1, the barred spiral
galaxy NGC7479, as well as Stephans quintet, an interacting group of galaxies.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, to appear in "Ground-based and Airborne
Instrumentation for Astronomy II", SPIE conference, Marseille, 23-28 June
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