Parametric test of a zirconium (4) oxide-polyacrylic acid dual layer hyperfiltration membrane with spacecraft washwater

Performance data consisting of solute rejections and product flux were measured, as dependent on the operation parameters. These parameters and ranges were pressure (500,000 n/m2 to 700,000 n/m2), temperature (74 C to 95 C), velocity (1.6 M/sec to 10 M/sec), and concentration (up to 14x). Tests were carried out on analog washwater. Data presented include rejections of organic materials, ammonia, urea, and an assortment of ions. The membrane used was deposited in situ on a porcelain ceramic substrate

Virial Masses of Black Holes from Single Epoch Spectra of AGN

We describe the general problem of estimating black hole masses of AGN by calculating the conditional probability distribution of M_BH given some set of observables. Special attention is given to the case where one uses the AGN continuum luminosity and emission line widths to estimate M_BH, and we outline how to set up the conditional probability distribution of M_BH given the observed luminosity, line width, and redshift. We show how to combine the broad line estimates of M_BH with information from an intrinsic correlation between M_BH and L, and from the intrinsic distribution of M_BH, in a manner that improves the estimates of M_BH. Simulation was used to assess how the distribution of M_BH inferred from the broad line mass estimates differs from the intrinsic distribution, and we find that this can lead to an inferred distribution that is too broad. We use these results and a sample of 25 sources that have recent reverberation mapping estimates of AGN black hole masses to investigate the effectiveness of using the C IV emission line to estimate M_BH and to indirectly probe the C IV region size--luminosity (R--L) relationship. We estimated M_BH from both C IV and H-Beta for a sample of 100 sources, including new spectra of 29 quasars. We find that the two emission lines give consistent estimates if one assumes R \propto L^{1/2}_{UV} for both lines.Comment: 38 pages, 6 figures, accepted by Ap

Discovery of an M9.5 Candidate Brown Dwarf in the TW Hydrae Association - DENIS J124514.1-442907

We report the discovery of a fifth candidate substellar system in the ~5-10 Myr TW Hydrae Association - DENIS J124514.1-442907. This object has a NIR spectrum remarkably similar to that of 2MASS J1139511-315921, a known TW Hydrae brown dwarf, with low surface gravity features such as a triangular-shaped H-band, deep H2O absorption, weak alkali lines, and weak hydride bands. We find an optical spectral type of M9.5 and estimate a mass of <24 M_Jup, assuming an age of ~5-10 Myr. While the measured proper motion for DENIS J124514.1-442907 is inconclusive as a test for membership, its position in the sky is coincident with the TW Hydrae Association. A more accurate proper motion measurement, higher resolution spectroscopy for radial velocity, and a parallax measurement are needed to derive the true space motion and to confirm its membership.Comment: 8 pages - emulateapj style, 2 figures, 3 tables. Accepted to ApJL. Fixed typos, added reference, added footnot

Three-Dimensional Spin-Orbit Coupling in a Trap

We investigate the properties of an atom under the influence of a synthetic three-dimensional spin-orbit coupling (Weyl coupling) in the presence of a harmonic trap. The conservation of total angular momentum provides a numerically efficient scheme for finding the spectrum and eigenfunctions of the system. We show that at large spin-orbit coupling the system undergoes dimensional reduction from three to one dimension at low energies, and the spectrum is approximately Landau level-like. At high energies, the spectrum is approximately given by the three-dimensional isotropic harmonic oscillator. We explore the properties of the ground state in both position and momentum space. We find the ground state has spin textures with oscillations set by the spin-orbit length scale

Morphological Classification of Galaxies by Shapelet Decomposition in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey II: Multiwavelength Classification

We describe the application of the `shapelet' linear decomposition of galaxy images to multi-wavelength morphological classification using the $u,g,r,i,$ and $z$-band images of 1519 galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We utilize elliptical shapelets to remove to first-order the effect of inclination on morphology. After decomposing the galaxies we perform a principal component analysis on the shapelet coefficients to reduce the dimensionality of the spectral morphological parameter space. We give a description of each of the first ten principal component's contribution to a galaxy's spectral morphology. We find that galaxies of different broad Hubble type separate cleanly in the principal component space. We apply a mixture of Gaussians model to the 2-dimensional space spanned by the first two principal components and use the results as a basis for classification. Using the mixture model, we separate galaxies into three classes and give a description of each class's physical and morphological properties. We find that the two dominant mixture model classes correspond to early and late type galaxies, respectively. The third class has, on average, a blue, extended core surrounded by a faint red halo, and typically exhibits some asymmetry. We compare our method to a simple cut on $u-r$ color and find the shapelet method to be superior in separating galaxies. Furthermore, we find evidence that the $u-r=2.22$ decision boundary may not be optimal for separation between early and late type galaxies, and suggest that the optimal cut may be $u-r \sim 2.4$.Comment: 42 pages, 18 figs, revised version in press at AJ. Some modification to the technique, more discussion, addition/deletion/modification of several figures, color figures have been added. A high resolution version may be obtained at http://bllac.as.arizona.edu/~bkelly/shapelets/shapelets_ugriz.ps.g

Computational approach to the Schottky problem

We present a computational approach to the classical Schottky problem based on Fay's trisecant identity for genus $g\geq 4$. For a given Riemann matrix $\mathbb{B}\in\mathbb{H}^{g}$, the Fay identity establishes linear dependence of secants in the Kummer variety if and only if the Riemann matrix corresponds to a Jacobian variety as shown by Krichever. The theta functions in terms of which these secants are expressed depend on the Abel maps of four arbitrary points on a Riemann surface. However, there is no concept of an Abel map for general $\mathbb{B} \in \mathbb{H}^{g}$. To establish linear dependence of the secants, four components of the vectors entering the theta functions can be chosen freely. The remaining components are determined by a Newton iteration to minimize the residual of the Fay identity. Krichever's theorem assures that if this residual vanishes within the finite numerical precision for a generic choice of input data, then the Riemann matrix is with this numerical precision the period matrix of a Riemann surface. The algorithm is compared in genus 4 for some examples to the Schottky-Igusa modular form, known to give the Jacobi locus in this case. It is shown that the same residuals are achieved by the Schottky-Igusa form and the approach based on the Fay identity in this case. In genera 5, 6 and 7, we discuss known examples of Riemann matrices and perturbations thereof for which the Fay identity is not satisfied

Low-Temperature Supercapacitors

An effort to extend the low-temperature operational limit of supercapacitors is currently underway. At present, commercially available non-aqueous supercapacitors are rated for a minimum operating temperature of -40 C. A capability to operate at lower temperatures would be desirable for delivering power to systems that must operate in outer space or in the Polar Regions on Earth. Supercapacitors (also known as double-layer or electrochemical capacitors) offer a high power density (>1,000 W/kg) and moderate energy density (about 5 to 10 Wh/kg) technology for storing energy and delivering power. This combination of properties enables delivery of large currents for pulsed applications, or alternatively, smaller currents for low duty cycle applications. The mechanism of storage of electric charge in a supercapacitor -- at the electrical double-layer formed at a solid-electrode/liquid-electrolyte interface -- differs from that of a primary or secondary electrochemical cell (i.e., a battery) in such a manner as to impart a long cycle life (typically >10(exp 6) charge/discharge cycles)

Chaos-driven dynamics in spin-orbit coupled atomic gases

The dynamics, appearing after a quantum quench, of a trapped, spin-orbit coupled, dilute atomic gas is studied. The characteristics of the evolution is greatly influenced by the symmetries of the system, and we especially compare evolution for an isotropic Rashba coupling and for an anisotropic spin-orbit coupling. As we make the spin-orbit coupling anisotropic, we break the rotational symmetry and the underlying classical model becomes chaotic; the quantum dynamics is affected accordingly. Within experimentally relevant time-scales and parameters, the system thermalizes in a quantum sense. The corresponding equilibration time is found to agree with the Ehrenfest time, i.e. we numerically verify a ~log(1/h) scaling. Upon thermalization, we find the equilibrated distributions show examples of quantum scars distinguished by accumulation of atomic density for certain energies. At shorter time-scales we discuss non-adiabatic effects deriving from the spin-orbit coupled induced Dirac point. In the vicinity of the Dirac point, spin fluctuations are large and, even at short times, a semi-classical analysis fails.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure