Launch vehicle trajectory optimization computer program, phase 4 Final technical report

Computer program for retrieving stored data and determining variations in launch vehicle performance as function of mission and vehicle parameter

A method to measure the mirror reflectivity of a prime focus telescope

We have developed a method to measure the mirror reflectivity of telescopes. While it is relatively easy to measure the local reflectivity of the mirror material, it is not so straightforward to measure the amount of light that it focuses in a spot of a given diameter. Our method is based on the use of a CCD camera that is fixed on the mirror dish structure and observes simultaneously part of the telescope's focal plane and the sky region around its optical axis. A white diffuse reflecting disk of known reflectivity is fixed in the telescopes focal plane. During a typical reflectivity measurement the telescope is directed to a selected star. The CCD camera can see two images of the selected star, one directly and another one as a spot focused by the mirror on the white disk. The ratio of the reflected starlight integrated by the CCD from the white disk to the directly measured one provides a precise result of the product of (mirror area x mirror reflectivity)

Launch vehicle trajectory optimization computer program, phase 4 Summary report

Computer program for launch vehicle trajectory optimizatio

Tomographic imaging and scanning thermal microscopy: thermal impedance tomography

The application of tomographic imaging techniques developed for medical applications to the data provided by the scanning thermal microscope will give access to true three-dimensional information on the thermal properties of materials on a mm length scale. In principle, the technique involves calculating and inverting a sensitivity matrix for a uniform isotropic material, collecting ordered data at several modulation frequencies, and multiplying the inverse of the matrix with the data vector. In practice, inversion of the matrix in impractical, and a novel iterative technique is used. Examples from both simulated and real data are given

Development of HPD Clusters for MAGIC-II

MAGIC-II is the second imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope of the MAGIC observatory, which has recently been inaugurated on Canary island of La Palma. We are currently developing a new camera based on clusters of hybrid photon detectors (HPD) for the upgrade of MAGIC-II. The photon detectors feature a GaAsP photocathode and an avalanche diode as electron bombarded anodes with internal gain, and were supplied by Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. (R9792U-40). The HPD camera with high quantum efficiency will increase the MAGIC-II sensitivity and lower the energy threshold. The basic performance of the HPDs has been measured and a prototype of an HPD cluster has been developed to be mounted on MAGIC-II. Here we report on the status of the HPD cluster and the project of eventually using HPD clusters in the central area of the MAGIC-II camera.Comment: Contribution to the 31st ICRC, Lodz, Poland, July 200

A patient-specific study of type-B aortic dissection: evaluation of true-false lumen blood exchange

Background: Aortic dissection is a severe pathological condition in which blood penetrates between layers of the aortic wall and creates a duplicate channel – the false lumen. This considerable change on the aortic morphology alters hemodynamic features dramatically and, in the case of rupture, induces markedly high rates of morbidity and mortality. Methods: In this study, we establish a patient-specific computational model and simulate the pulsatile blood flow within the dissected aorta. The k-ω SST turbulence model is employed to represent the flow and finite volume method is applied for numerical solutions. Our emphasis is on flow exchange between true and false lumen during the cardiac cycle and on quantifying the flow across specific passages. Loading distributions including pressure and wall shear stress have also been investigated and results of direct simulations are compared with solutions employing appropriate turbulence models. Results: Our results indicate that (i) high velocities occur at the periphery of the entries; (ii) for the case studied, approximately 40% of the blood flow passes the false lumen during a heartbeat cycle; (iii) higher pressures are found at the outer wall of the dissection, which may induce further dilation of the pseudo-lumen; (iv) highest wall shear stresses occur around the entries, perhaps indicating the vulnerability of this region to further splitting; and (v) laminar simulations with adequately fine mesh resolutions, especially refined near the walls, can capture similar flow patterns to the (coarser mesh) turbulent results, although the absolute magnitudes computed are in general smaller. Conclusions: The patient-specific model of aortic dissection provides detailed flow information of blood transport within the true and false lumen and quantifies the loading distributions over the aorta and dissection walls. This contributes to evaluating potential thrombotic behavior in the false lumen and is pivotal in guiding endovascular intervention. Moreover, as a computational study, mesh requirements to successfully evaluate the hemodynamic parameters have been proposed

Multi-scale interaction of flow and the artery wall

We discuss, from the perspective of basic science, the physical and biological processes which underlie atherosclerotic (plaque) initiation at the vascular endothelium, identifying their widely separated spatial and temporal scales which participate. We draw on current, related models of vessel wall evolution, paying particular attention to the role of flow, and proceed to propose, then validate (in practical, qualitative terms, at least) a multiply coupled, multi-scale modeling strategy, which, eventually, aims at a quantitative, patient-specific understanding of the coupling between the flow and the endothelial state

First bounds on the very high energy gamma-ray emission from Arp 220

Using the Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov Telescope (MAGIC), we have observed the nearest ultra-luminous infrared galaxy Arp 220 for about 15 hours. No significant signal was detected within the dedicated amount of observation time. The first upper limits to the very high energy $\gamma$-ray flux of Arp 220 are herein reported and compared with theoretical expectations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Constraints on the steady and pulsed very high energy gamma-ray emission from observations of PSR B1951+32/CTB 80 with the MAGIC Telescope

We report on very high energy gamma-observations with the MAGIC Telescope of the pulsar PSR B1951+32 and its associated nebula, CTB 80. Our data constrain the cutoff energy of the pulsar to be less than 32 GeV, assuming the pulsed gamma-ray emission to be exponentially cut off. The upper limit on the flux of pulsed gamma-ray emission above 75 GeV is 4.3*10^-11 photons cm^-2 sec^-1, and the upper limit on the flux of steady emission above 140 GeV is 1.5*10^-11 photons cm^-2 sec^-1. We discuss our results in the framework of recent model predictions and other studies.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, replaced with published versio