15,616 research outputs found
A Generic Algorithm for IACT Optical Efficiency Calibration using Muons
Muons produced in Extensive Air Showers (EAS) generate ring-like images in
Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes when travelling near parallel to the
optical axis. From geometrical parameters of these images, the absolute amount
of light emitted may be calculated analytically. Comparing the amount of light
recorded in these images to expectation is a well established technique for
telescope optical efficiency calibration. However, this calculation is usually
performed under the assumption of an approximately circular telescope mirror.
The H.E.S.S. experiment entered its second phase in 2012, with the addition of
a fifth telescope with a non-circular 600m mirror. Due to the differing
mirror shape of this telescope to the original four H.E.S.S. telescopes,
adaptations to the standard muon calibration were required. We present a
generalised muon calibration procedure, adaptable to telescopes of differing
shapes and sizes, and demonstrate its performance on the H.E.S.S. II array.Comment: In Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference
(ICRC2015), The Hague, The Netherland
Potential for measuring the longitudinal and lateral profile of muons in TeV air showers with IACTs
Muons are copiously produced within hadronic extensive air showers (EAS)
occurring in the Earth's atmosphere, and are used by particle air shower
detectors as a means of identifying the primary cosmic ray which initiated the
EAS. Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs), designed for the
detection of gamma-ray initiated EAS for the purposes of Very High Energy (VHE)
gamma-ray astronomy, are subject to a considerable background signal due to
hadronic EAS. Although hadronic EAS are typically rejected for gamma-ray
analysis purposes, single muons produced within such showers generate clearly
identifiable signals in IACTs and muon images are routinely retained and used
for calibration purposes. For IACT arrays operating with a stereoscopic
trigger, when a muon triggers one telescope, other telescopes in IACT arrays
usually detect the associated hadronic EAS. We demonstrate for the first time
the potential of IACT arrays for competitive measurements of the muon content
of air showers, their lateral distribution and longitudinal profile of
production slant heights in the TeV energy range. Such information can provide
useful input to hadronic interaction models.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in
Astroparticle Physic
The temperature dependence of photo-elastic properties of cross-linked amorphous polyethylenes
Cross-linked samples of polyethylene were prepared by electron
irradiation of both high and low density polymers in the crystalline state.
A further cross-linked sample was obtained by curing a high density polyethylene
by reaction with dicumyl peroxide at 180°C. The stress-strain birefringence
relations were obtained, on specimens cut from these samples, at temperatures
between 130 and 250°C.
All samples showed a substantial decrease in stress-optical coefficient
with increasing degree of cross-linking and with increasing temperature. The
stress-optical properties at each temperature were extrapolated to zero degree
of cross-linking to give quantities characteristic of the Guassian network.
Comparison of these properties with Gaussian theory of the network leads to a
value of ca.1150 cals/mole for the difference in energy between trans and
gauche conformations of successive links of the polyethylene chain and also
indicates that the optical anisotropy of a - CH2 group in the elastomeric
state is more nearly given by Denbigh’s than by Bunn and Daubeny's polaris-abilities
Evidence from satellite altimetry for small-scale convection in the mantle
Small scale convection can be defined as that part of the mantle circulation in which upwellings and downwellings can occur beneath the lithosphere within the interiors of plates, in contrast to the large scale flow associated with plate motions where upwellings and downwellings occur at ridges and trenches. The two scales of convection will interact so that the form of the small scale convection will depend on how it arises within the large scale flow. Observations based on GEOS-3 and SEASAT altimetry suggest that small scale convection occurs in at least two different ways
Groundwater seepage landscapes from distant and local sources in experiments and on Mars
© 2014 Author(s). Valleys with theater-shaped heads can form due to the seepage of groundwater and as a result of knickpoint (waterfall) erosion generated by overland flow. This ambiguity in the mechanism of formation hampers the interpretation of such valleys on Mars, particularly since there is limited knowledge of material properties. Moreover, the hydrological implications of a groundwater or surface water origin are important for our understanding of the evolution of surface features on Mars, and a quantification of valley morphologies at the landscape scale may provide diagnostic insights on the formative hydrological conditions. However, flow patterns and the resulting landscapes produced by different sources of groundwater are poorly understood. We aim to improve the understanding of the formation of entire valley landscapes through seepage processes from different groundwater sources that will provide a framework of landscape metrics for the interpretation of such systems. We study groundwater seepage from a distant source of groundwater and from infiltration of local precipitation in a series of sandbox experiments and combine our results with previous experiments and observations of the Martian surface. Key results are that groundwater flow piracy acts on valleys fed by a distant groundwater source and results in a sparsely dissected landscape of many small and a few large valleys. In contrast, valleys fed by a local groundwater source, i.e., nearby infiltration, result in a densely dissected landscape. In addition, valleys fed by a distant groundwater source grow towards that source, while valleys with a local source grow in a broad range of directions and have a strong tendency to bifurcate, particularly on flatter surfaces. We consider these results with respect to two Martian cases: Louros Valles shows properties of seepage by a local source of groundwater and Nirgal Vallis shows evidence of a distant source, which we interpret as groundwater flow from Tharsis
Sites of Biosynthesis of Outer and Inner Membrane Proteins of Neurospora crassa Mitochondria
Outer and inner membranes of Neurospora crassa mitochondria were separated by the combined swelling, shrinking, sonication procedure. Membranes were characterized by electron microscopy and by marker enzyme activities. A red carotenoid pigment was found to be concentrated in the outer membrane. The inner mitochondrial membrane was resolved into about 20 protein bands on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, whereas the outer membrane shows essentially one single protein band. Only negligible incorporation of radioactive amino acids occurs into outer membrane when isolated mitochondria are synthesizing polypeptide chains. In agreement with this observation labeling of outer membrane protein is almost entirely blocked, when whole Neurospora cells are incubated with radioactive amino acids in the presence of cycloheximide, an inhibitor of cytoplasmic protein synthesis. Finally, the essential electrophoretic protein band from outer membrane does not become labeled when mitochondria are incubated with radioactive amino acids either in vitro or in vivo in the presence of cycloheximide. It is concluded that the vast majority, if not all, of the outer membrane protein is synthesized by the cytoplasmic system and that polypeptide chains formed by the mitochondrial ribosomes are integrated into the inner mitochondrial membrane
On-the-fly memory compression for multibody algorithms.
Memory and bandwidth demands challenge developers of particle-based codes that have to scale on new architectures, as the growth of concurrency outperforms improvements in memory access facilities, as the memory per core tends to stagnate, and as communication networks cannot increase bandwidth arbitrary. We propose to analyse each particle of such a code to find out whether a hierarchical data representation storing data with reduced precision caps the memory demands without exceeding given error bounds. For admissible candidates, we perform this compression and thus reduce the pressure on the memory subsystem, lower the total memory footprint and reduce the data to be exchanged via MPI. Notably, our analysis and transformation changes the data compression dynamically, i.e. the choice of data format follows the solution characteristics, and it does not require us to alter the core simulation code
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