5,426 research outputs found
Development of an embedded Fabry Perot Fiber Optic Strain Rosette Sensor (FP-FOSRS)
We investigate the feasibility of utilizing a Fabry-Perot Fiber Optic Strain Rosette Sensor (FP-FOSRS) for the evaluation of the internal strain state of a material system. We briefly describe the manufacturing process for this sensor and point out some potential problem areas. Results of an embedded FP-FOSRS in an epoxy matrix with external resistance strain gauges applied for comparative purposes are presented. We show that the internal and external strain measurements are in close agreement. This work lays the foundation for embedding this sensor in actual composite laminas
Ambient solar wind\u27s effect on ICME transit times
[1] Most empirical and numerical models of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection (ICME) propagation use the initial CME velocity as their primary, if not only, observational input. These models generally predict a wide spread of 1 AU transit times for ICMEs with the same initial velocity. We use a 3D coupled MHD model of the corona and heliosphere to determine the ambient solar wind\u27s effect on the propagation of ICMEs from 30 solar radii to 1 AU. We quantitatively characterize this deceleration by the velocity of the upstream ambient solar wind. The effects of varying solar wind parameters on the ICME transit time are quantified and can explain the observed spread in transit times for ICMEs of the same initial velocity. We develop an adjustment formula that can be used in conjunction with other models to reduce the spread in predicted transit times of Earth-directed ICMEs
Lunar radiation environment and space weathering from the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER)
[1] The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER) measures linear energy transfer by Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) and Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Mission in a circular, polar lunar orbit. GCR fluxes remain at the highest levels ever observed during the space age. One of the largest SEP events observed by CRaTER during the LRO mission occurred on June 7, 2011. We compare model predictions by the Earth-Moon-Mars Radiation Environment Module (EMMREM) for both dose rates from GCRs and SEPs during this event with results from CRaTER. We find agreement between these models and the CRaTER dose rates, which together demonstrate the accuracy of EMMREM, and its suitability for a real-time space weather system. We utilize CRaTER to test forecasts made by the Relativistic Electron Alert System for Exploration (REleASE), which successfully predicts the June 7th event. At the maximum CRaTER-observed GCR dose rate (∼11.7 cGy/yr where Gy is a unit indicating energy deposition per unit mass, 1 Gy = 1 J/kg), GCRs deposit ∼88 eV/molecule in water over 4 billion years, causing significant change in molecular composition and physical structure (e.g., density, color, crystallinity) of water ice, loss of molecular hydrogen, and production of more complex molecules linking carbon and other elements in the irradiated ice. This shows that space weathering by GCRs may be extremely important for chemical evolution of ice on the Moon. Thus, we show comprehensive observations from the CRaTER instrument on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter that characterizes the radiation environment and space weathering on the Moon
Propagation of cosmic-ray nucleons in the Galaxy
We describe a method for the numerical computation of the propagation of
primary and secondary nucleons, primary electrons, and secondary positrons and
electrons. Fragmentation and energy losses are computed using realistic
distributions for the interstellar gas and radiation fields, and diffusive
reacceleration is also incorporated. The models are adjusted to agree with the
observed cosmic-ray B/C and 10Be/9Be ratios. Models with diffusion and
convection do not account well for the observed energy dependence of B/C, while
models with reacceleration reproduce this easily. The height of the halo
propagation region is determined, using recent 10Be/9Be measurements, as >4 kpc
for diffusion/convection models and 4-12 kpc for reacceleration models. For
convection models we set an upper limit on the velocity gradient of dV/dz < 7
km/s/kpc. The radial distribution of cosmic-ray sources required is broader
than current estimates of the SNR distribution for all halo sizes. Full details
of the numerical method used to solve the cosmic-ray propagation equation are
given.Comment: 15 pages including 23 ps-figures and 3 tables, latex2e, uses
emulateapj.sty (ver. of 11 May 1998, enclosed), apjfonts.sty, timesfonts.sty.
To be published in ApJ 1998, v.509 (December 10 issue). More details can be
found at http://www.gamma.mpe-garching.mpg.de/~aws/aws.html Some references
are correcte
First Results from Fermi GBM Earth Occultation Monitoring: Observations of Soft Gamma-Ray Sources Above 100 keV
The NaI and BGO detectors on the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on Fermi are
now being used for long-term monitoring of the hard X-ray/low energy gamma-ray
sky. Using the Earth occultation technique as demonstrated previously by the
BATSE instrument on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, GBM can be used to
produce multiband light curves and spectra for known sources and transient
outbursts in the 8 keV to 1 MeV energy range with its NaI detectors and up to
40 MeV with its BGO detectors. Over 85% of the sky is viewed every orbit, and
the precession of the Fermi orbit allows the entire sky to be viewed every ~26
days with sensitivity exceeding that of BATSE at energies below ~25 keV and
above ~1.5 MeV. We briefly describe the technique and present preliminary
results using the NaI detectors after the first two years of observations at
energies above 100 keV. Eight sources are detected with a significance greater
than 7 sigma: the Crab, Cyg X-1, SWIFT J1753.5-0127, 1E 1740-29, Cen A, GRS
1915+105, and the transient sources XTE J1752-223 and GX 339-4. Two of the
sources, the Crab and Cyg X-1, have also been detected above 300 keV.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Ap
Black Holes, Branes and Superconformal Symmetry
The main focus of this lecture is on extended objects in adS*S bosonic
backgrounds with unbroken supersymmetry. The backgrounds are argued to be
exact, special consideration are given to the non-maximal supersymmetry case.
The near horizon superspace construction is explained. The superconformal
symmetry appears in the worldvolume actions as the superisometry of the near
horizon superspace, like the superPoincare symmetry of GS superstring and BST
supermembrane in the flat superspace. The issues in gauge fixing of local
kappa-symmetry are reviewed. We describe the features of the gauge-fixed IIB
superstring in adS(5)*S(5) background with RR 5-form. From a truncated boundary
version of it we derive an analytic N=2 off shell harmonic superspace of
Yang-Mills theory. The reality condition of the analytic subspace, which
includes the antipodal map on the sphere, has a simple meaning of the symmetry
of the string action in the curved space. The relevant issues of black holes
and superconformal mechanics are addressed.Comment: 34 pages, Latex. To be published in the Proceedings of a conference
held in Corfu, Greece in September 1998. Improvement in Sec. 3.
Elasticity near the vulcanization transition
Signatures of the vulcanization transition--amorphous solidification induced
by the random crosslinking of macromolecules--include the random localization
of a fraction of the particles and the emergence of a nonzero static shear
modulus. A semi-microscopic statistical-mechanical theory is presented of the
latter signature that accounts for both thermal fluctuations and quenched
disorder. It is found (i) that the shear modulus grows continuously from zero
at the transition, and does so with the classical exponent, i.e., with the
third power of the excess cross-link density and, quite surprisingly, (ii) that
near the transition the external stresses do not spoil the spherical symmetry
of the localization clouds of the particles.Comment: REVTEX, 5 pages. Minor change
A Precision Measurement of Nuclear Muon Capture on 3He
The muon capture rate in the reaction mu- 3He -> nu + 3H has been measured at
PSI using a modular high pressure ionization chamber. The rate corresponding to
statistical hyperfine population of the mu-3He atom is (1496.0 +- 4.0) s^-1.
This result confirms the PCAC prediction for the pseudoscalar form factors of
the 3He-3H system and the nucleon.Comment: 13 pages, 6 PostScript figure
CASTER - a concept for a Black Hole Finder Probe based on the use of new scintillator technologies
The primary scientific mission of the Black Hole Finder Probe (BHFP), part of
the NASA Beyond Einstein program, is to survey the local Universe for black
holes over a wide range of mass and accretion rate. One approach to such a
survey is a hard X-ray coded-aperture imaging mission operating in the 10--600
keV energy band, a spectral range that is considered to be especially useful in
the detection of black hole sources. The development of new inorganic
scintillator materials provides improved performance (for example, with regards
to energy resolution and timing) that is well suited to the BHFP science
requirements. Detection planes formed with these materials coupled with a new
generation of readout devices represent a major advancement in the performance
capabilities of scintillator-based gamma cameras. Here, we discuss the Coded
Aperture Survey Telescope for Energetic Radiation (CASTER), a concept that
represents a BHFP based on the use of the latest scintillator technology.Comment: 12 pages; conference paper presented at the SPIE conference "UV,
X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XIV." To be
published in SPIE Conference Proceedings, vol. 589
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