Modem design for a MOBILESAT terminal

The implementation is described of a programmable digital signal processor based system, designed for use as a test bed in the development of a digital modem, codec, and channel simulator. Code was written to configure the system as a 5600 bps or 6600 bps QPSK modem. The test bed is currently being used in an experiment to evaluate the performance of digital speech over shadowed channels in the Australian mobile satellite (MOBILESAT) project

A Boundary-layer Model for Balanced Arcs

Boundary layer model for two dimensional arcs held stationary against gas stream drag by force of imposed transverse magnetic fiel

Temperature Evolution of the Quantum Gap in CsNiCl3

Neutron scattering measurements on the one-dimensional gapped S=1 antiferromagnet, CsNiCl3, have shown that the excitation corresponding to the Haldane mass gap Delta at low temperatures persists as a resonant feature to high temperatures. We find that the strong upward renormalisation of the gap excitation, by a factor of three between 5 and 70K, is more than enough to overcome its decreasing lifetime. We find that the gap lifetime is substantially shorter than that predicted by the scaling theory of Damle and Sachdev in its low temperature range of validity. The upward gap renormalisation agrees with the non-linear sigma model at low temperatures and even up to T of order 2Delta provided an upper mass cutoff is included.Comment: Latex, 3 figures, accepted by Pysical Review

C II abundances in early-type stars: solution to a notorious non-LTE problem

We address a long-standing discrepancy between non-LTE analyses of the prominent C II 4267 and 6578/82 A multiplets in early-type stars. A comprehensive non-LTE model atom of C II is constructed based on critically selected atomic data. This model atom is used for an abundance study of six apparently slow-rotating main-sequence and giant early B-type stars. High-resolution and high-S/N spectra allow us to derive highly consistent abundances not only from the classical features but also from up to 18 further C II lines in the visual - including two so far unreported emission features equally well reproduced in non-LTE. These results require the stellar atmospheric parameters to be determined with care. A homogeneous (slightly) sub-solar present-day carbon abundance from young stars in the solar vicinity (in associations and in the field) of log C/H +12= 8.29+/-0.03 is indicated.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Hubble Space Telescope observations of the NUV transit of WASP-12b

We present new observations of four closely-spaced NUV transits of the hot Jupiter-like exoplanet WASP-12b using HST/COS, significantly increasing the phase resolution of the observed NUV light curve relative to previous observations, while minimising the temporal variation of the system. We observe significant excess NUV absorption during the transit, with mean normalised in-transit fluxes of $F_\mathrm{norm}\simeq0.97$, i.e. $\simeq$2-5 $\sigma$ deeper than the optical transit level of $\simeq0.986$ for a uniform stellar disk (the exact confidence level depending on the normalisation method used). We further observe an asymmetric transit shape, such that the post-conjunction fluxes are overall $\simeq$2-3 $\sigma$ higher than pre-conjunction values, and characterised by rapid variations in count rate between the pre-conjunction and out of transit levels. We do not find evidence for an early ingress to the NUV transit as suggested by earlier HST observations. However, we show that the NUV count rate observed prior to the optical transit is highly variable, but overall $\simeq$2.2-3.0 $\sigma$ below the post-transit values and comparable in depth to the optical transit, possibly forming a variable region of NUV absorption from at least phase $\phi\simeq$0.83, limited by the data coverage.Comment: Accepted into the Astrophysical Journa

SCD Patterns Have Singular Diffraction

Among the many families of nonperiodic tilings known so far, SCD tilings are still a bit mysterious. Here, we determine the diffraction spectra of point sets derived from SCD tilings and show that they have no absolutely continuous part, that they have a uniformly discrete pure point part on the z-axis, and that they are otherwise supported on a set of concentric cylinder surfaces around this axis. For SCD tilings with additional properties, more detailed results are given.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures; Accepted for Journal of Mathematical Physic

Two-dimensional solitons on the surface of magnetic fluids

We report an observation of a stable soliton-like structure on the surface of a ferrofluid, generated by a local perturbation in the hysteretic regime of the Rosensweig instability. Unlike other pattern-forming systems with localized 2D structures, magnetic fluids are characterized by energy conservation; hence their mechanism of soliton stabilization is different from the previously discussed gain/loss balance mechanism. The radioscopic measurements of the soliton's surface profile suggest that locking on the underlying periodic structure is instrumental in its stabilization.Comment: accepted for publication by Physical Review Letter