13,813 research outputs found
Quasi Two-dimensional Transfer of Elastic Waves
A theory for multiple scattering of elastic waves is presented in a random
medium bounded by two ideal free surfaces, whose horizontal size is infinite
and whose transverse size is smaller than the mean free path of the waves. This
geometry is relevant for seismic wave propagation in the Earth crust. We derive
a time-dependent, quasi-2D radiative transfer equation, that describes the
coupling of the eigenmodes of the layer (surface Rayleigh waves, SH waves, and
Lamb waves). Expressions are found that relate the small-scale fluctuations to
the life time of the modes and to their coupling rates. We discuss a diffusion
approximation that simplifies the mathematics of this model significantly, and
which should apply at large lapse times. Finally, coherent backscattering is
studied within the quasi-2D radiative transfer equation for different source
and detection configurations.Comment: REVTeX, 36 pages with 10 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Automated Determination of Stellar Parameters from Simulated Dispersed Images for DIVA
We have assessed how well stellar parameters (T_eff, logg and [Fe/H]) can be
retrieved from low-resolution dispersed images to be obtained by the DIVA
satellite. Although DIVA is primarily an all-sky astrometric mission, it will
also obtain spectrophotometric information for about 13 million stars
(operational limiting magnitude V ~ 13.5 mag). Constructional studies foresee a
grating system yielding a dispersion of ~200nm/mm on the focal plane (first
spectral order). For astrometric reasons there will be no cross dispersion
which results in the overlapping of the first to third diffraction orders. The
one-dimensional, position related intensity function is called a DISPI
(DISPersed Intensity). We simulated DISPIS from synthetic spectra (...) for a
limited range of metallicites i.e. our results are for [Fe/H] in the range -0.3
to 1 dex. We show that there is no need to deconvolve these low resolution
signals in order to obtain basic stellar parameters. Using neural network
methods and by including simulated data of DIVA's UV telescope, we can
determine T_eff to an average accuracy of about 2% for DISPIS from stars with
2000 K < T_eff < 20000 K and visual magnitudes of V=13 mag (end of mission
data). logg can be determined for all temperatures with an accuracy better than
0.25 dex for magnitudes brighter than V=12 mag. For low temperature stars with
2000 K < T_eff < 5000 K and for metallicities in the range -0.3 to +1 dex a
determination of [Fe/H] is possible (to better than 0.2 dex) for these
magnitudes. Additionally we examined the effects of extinction E(B-V) on DISPIS
and found that it can be determined to better than 0.07 mag for magnitudes
brighter than V=14 mag if the UV information is included.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, Accepted for publication in A&
Coherent Optomechanical State Transfer between Disparate Mechanical Resonators
Hybrid quantum systems have been developed with various mechanical, optical
and microwave harmonic oscillators. The coupling produces a rich library of
interactions including two mode squeezing, swapping interactions, back-action
evasion and thermal control. In a multimode mechanical system, coupling
resonators of different scales (both in frequency and mass) leverages the
advantages of each resonance. For example: a high frequency, easily manipulated
resonator could be entangled with a low frequency massive object for tests of
gravitational decoherence. Here we demonstrate coherent optomechanical state
swapping between two spatially and frequency separated resonators with a mass
ratio of 4. We find that, by using two laser beams far detuned from an optical
cavity resonance, efficient state transfer is possible through a process very
similar to STIRAP (Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage) in atomic physics.
Although the demonstration is classical, the same technique can be used to
generate entanglement between oscillators in the quantum regime
Diversity in the organization of elastin bundles and intramembranous muscles in bat wings
Unlike birds and insects, bats fly with wings composed of thin skin that envelops the bones of the forelimb and spans the area between the limbs, digits, and sometimes the tail. This skin is complex and unusual; it is thinner than typical mammalian skin and contains organized bundles of elastin and embedded skeletal muscles. These elements are likely responsible for controlling the shape of the wing during flight and contributing to the aerodynamic capabilities of bats. We examined the arrangement of two macroscopic architectural elements in bat wings, elastin bundles and wing membrane muscles, to assess the diversity in bat wing skin morphology. We characterized the plagiopatagium and dactylopatagium of 130 species from 17 families of bats using crossâpolarized light imaging. This method revealed structures with distinctive relative birefringence, heterogeneity of birefringence, variation in size, and degree of branching. We used previously published anatomical studies and tissue histology to identify birefringent structures, and we analyzed their architecture across taxa. Elastin bundles, muscles, neurovasculature, and collagenous fibers are present in all species. Elastin bundles are oriented in a predominantly spanwise or proximodistal direction, and there are five characteristic muscle arrays that occur within the plagiopatagium, far more muscle than typically recognized. These results inform recent functional studies of wing membrane architecture, support the functional hypothesis that elastin bundles aid wing folding and unfolding, and further suggest that all bats may use these architectural elements for flight. All species also possess numerous muscles within the wing membrane, but the architecture of muscle arrays within the plagiopatagium varies among families. To facilitate present and future discussion of these muscle arrays, we refine wing membrane muscle nomenclature in a manner that reflects this morphological diversity. The architecture of the constituents of the skin of the wing likely plays a key role in shaping wings during flight
Experimental exploration of the optomechanical attractor diagram and its dynamics
We demonstrate experimental exploration of the attractor diagram of an
optomechanical system where the optical forces compensate for the mechanical
losses. In this case stable self-induced oscillations occur but only for
specific mirror amplitudes and laser detunings. We demonstrate that we can
amplify the mechanical mode to an amplitude 500 times larger than the thermal
amplitude at 300K. The lack of unstable or chaotic motion allows us to
manipulate our system into a non-trivial steady state and explore the dynamics
of self-induced oscillations in great detail.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
High-Q nested resonator in an actively stabilized optomechanical cavity
Experiments involving micro- and nanomechanical resonators need to be
carefully designed to reduce mechanical environmental noise. A small scale
on-chip approach is to add an additional resonator to the system as a
mechanical low-pass filter. Unfortunately, the inherent low frequency of the
low-pass filter causes the system to be easily excited mechanically. Fixating
the additional resonator ensures that the resonator itself can not be excited
by the environment. This, however, negates the purpose of the low-pass filter.
We solve this apparent paradox by applying active feedback to the resonator,
thereby minimizing the motion with respect the front mirror of an
optomechanical cavity. Not only does this method actively stabilize the cavity
length, but it also retains the on-chip vibration isolation.Comment: Minor adjustments mad
Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation for relativistic particles in external fields
A method of Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation for relativistic spin-1/2
particles in external fields is proposed. It permits determination of the
Hamilton operator in the Foldy-Wouthuysen representation with any accuracy.
Interactions between a particle having an anomalous magnetic moment and
nonstationary electromagnetic and electroweak fields are investigated.Comment: 22 page
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