12,401 research outputs found
Measuring Economic Growth from Outer Space
GDP growth is often measured poorly for countries and rarely measured at all for cities. We propose a readily available proxy: satellite data on lights at night. Our statistical framework uses light growth to supplement existing income growth measures. The framework is applied to countries with the lowest quality income data, resulting in estimates of growth that differ substantially from established estimates. We then consider a longstanding debate: do increases in local agricultural productivity increase city incomes? For African cities, we find that exogenous agricultural productivity shocks (high rainfall years) have substantial effects on local urban economic activity.economic growth; remote sensing; urbanization; income measurement
Beyond the T Dwarfs: Theoretical Spectra, Colors, and Detectability of the Coolest Brown Dwarfs
We explore the spectral and atmospheric properties of brown dwarfs cooler
than the latest known T dwarfs. Our focus is on the yet-to-be-discovered
free-floating brown dwarfs in the \teff range from 800 K to 130 K
and with masses from 25 to 1 \mj. This study is in anticipation of the new
characterization capabilities enabled by the launch of SIRTF and the eventual
launch of JWST. We provide spectra from 0.4 \mic to 30 \mic, highlight
the evolution and mass dependence of the dominant HO, CH, and NH
molecular bands, consider the formation and effects of water-ice clouds, and
compare our theoretical flux densities with the sensitivities of the
instruments on board SIRTF and JWST. The latter can be used to determine the
detection ranges from space of cool brown dwarfs. In the process, we determine
the reversal point of the blueward trend in the near-infrared colors with
decreasing \teff, the \teffs at which water and ammonia clouds appear, the
strengths of gas-phase ammonia and methane bands, the masses and ages of the
objects for which the neutral alkali metal lines are muted, and the increasing
role as \teff decreases of the mid-infrared fluxes longward of 4 \mic. These
changes suggest physical reasons to expect the emergence of at least one new
stellar class beyond the T dwarfs. Our spectral models populate, with cooler
brown dwarfs having progressively more planet-like features, the theoretical
gap between the known T dwarfs and the known giant planets. Such objects likely
inhabit the galaxy, but their numbers are as yet unknown.Comment: Includes 14 figures, most in color; accepted to the Astrophysical
Journa
Combined visible and near-infrared OPA for wavelength scaling experiments in strong-field physics
We report the operation of an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) capable of
producing gigawatt peak-power laser pulses with tunable wavelength in either
the visible or near-infrared spectrum. The OPA has two distinct operation modes
(i) generation of >350 uJ, sub 100 fs pulses, tunable between 1250 - 1550 nm;
(ii) generation of >190 uJ, sub 150 fs pulses tunable between 490 - 530 nm. We
have recorded high-order harmonic spectra over a wide range of driving
wavelengths. This flexible source of femtosecond pulses presents a useful tool
for exploring the wavelength-dependence of strong-field phenomena, in both the
multi-photon and tunnel ionization regimes.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, This paper was published in Proceedings of SPIE
10088, Nonlinear Frequency Generation and Conversion: Materials and Devices
XVI, doi 10.1117/12.225077
A Possible Bifurcation in Atmospheres of Strongly Irradiated Stars and Planets
We show that under certain circumstances the differences between the
absorption mean and Planck mean opacities can lead to multiple solutions for an
LTE atmospheric structure. Since the absorption and Planck mean opacities are
not expected to differ significantly in the usual case of radiative
equilibrium, non-irradiated atmospheres, the most interesting situations where
the effect may play a role are strongly irradiated stars and planets, and also
possibly structures where there is a significant deposition of mechanical
energy, such as stellar chromospheres and accretion disks. We have presented an
illustrative example of a strongly irradiated giant planet where the
bifurcation effect is predicted to occur for a certain range of distances from
the star.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Ap
Spectra and Diagnostics for the Direct Detection of Wide-Separation Extrasolar Giant Planets
We calculate as a function of orbital distance, mass, and age the theoretical
spectra and orbit-averaged planet/star flux ratios for representative
wide-separation extrasolar giant planets (EGPs) in the optical, near-infrared,
and mid-infrared. Stellar irradiation of the planet's atmosphere and the
effects of water and ammonia clouds are incorporated and handled in a
consistent fashion. We include predictions for 12 specific known EGPs. In the
process, we derive physical diagnostics that can inform the direct EGP
detection and remote sensing programs now being planned or proposed.
Furthermore, we calculate the effects of irradiation on the spectra of a
representative companion brown dwarf as a function of orbital distance.Comment: submitted to the Astrophysical Journal, 19 pages, 11 color figure
Resolving the Surfaces of Extrasolar Planets With Secondary Eclipse Light Curves
We present a method that employs the secondary eclipse light curves of
transiting extrasolar planets to probe the spatial variation of their thermal
emission. This technique permits an observer to resolve the surface of the
planet without the need to spatially resolve its central star. We evaluate the
feasibility of this technique for the HD 209458 system [..]. We consider two
representations of the planetary thermal emission; a simple model parameterized
by a sinusoidal dependence on longitude and latitude, as well as the results of
a three-dimensional dynamical simulation of the planetary atmosphere previously
published by Cooper & Showman. We find that observations of the secondary
eclipse light curve are most sensitive to a longitudinal offset in the
geometric and photometric centroids of the hemisphere of the planet visible
near opposition. To quantify this signal, we define a new parameter, the
``uniform time offset,'' which measures the time lag between the observed
secondary eclipse and that predicted by a planet with a uniform surface flux
distribution. We compare the predicted amplitude of this parameter for HD
209458 with the precision with which it could be measured with IRAC. We find
that IRAC observations at 3.6um a single secondary eclipse should permit
sufficient precision to confirm or reject the Cooper & Showman model of the
surface flux distribution for this planet. We quantify the signal-to-noise
ratio for this offset in the remaining IRAC bands (4.5um, 5.8um, and 8.0um),
and find that a modest improvement in photometric precision (as might be
realized through observations of several eclipse events) should permit a
similarly robust detection.Comment: AASTeX 5.2, 24 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ; v2:
clarifications, updated to version accepted by ApJ; v3: try to reduce spacin
Nod1 signaling overcomes resistance of S. pneumoniae to opsonophagocytic killing
Airway infection by the Gram-positive pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) leads to recruitment of neutrophils but
limited bacterial killing by these cells. Co-colonization by Sp and a Gram-negative species, Haemophilus influenzae (Hi),
provides sufficient stimulus to induce neutrophil and complement-mediated clearance of Sp from the mucosal surface
in a murine model. Products from Hi, but not Sp, also promote killing of Sp by ex vivo neutrophil-enriched peritoneal
exudate cells. Here we identify the stimulus from Hi as its peptidoglycan. Enhancement of opsonophagocytic killing
was facilitated by signaling through nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-1 (Nod1), which is involved in
recognition of γ-D-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelic acid (meso-DAP) contained in cell walls of Hi but not Sp. Neutrophils
from mice treated with Hi or compounds containing meso-DAP, including synthetic peptidoglycan fragments, showed
increased Sp killing in a Nod1-dependent manner. Moreover, Nod1-/- mice showed reduced Hi-induced clearance of Sp
during co-colonization. These observations offer insight into mechanisms of microbial competition and demonstrate
the importance of Nod1 in neutrophil-mediated clearance of bacteria in vivo
Measuring atomic NOON-states and using them to make precision measurements
A scheme for creating NOON-states of the quasi-momentum of ultra-cold atoms
has recently been proposed [New J. Phys. 8, 180 (2006)]. This was achieved by
trapping the atoms in an optical lattice in a ring configuration and rotating
the potential at a rate equal to half a quantum of angular momentum . In this
paper we present a scheme for confirming that a NOON-state has indeed been
created. This is achieved by spectroscopically mapping out the anti-crossing
between the ground and first excited levels by modulating the rate at which the
potential is rotated. Finally we show how the NOON-state can be used to make
precision measurements of rotation.Comment: 14 preprint pages, 7 figure
Standards-based Grading: An Alternative to Score-based Assessment
Standards-based grading involves assessment of student development towards achieving the course objectives throughout the duration of a course. Final course grades are then determined based on students’ overall development towards achieving the course objectives. There have been no studies to date that investigate this specific system for undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. This groundbreaking study involves the implementation of standards-based grading in a sophomore-level undergraduate course in Mechanics of Materials. The goals of this study are: 1) to obtain insight in how to best implement standards-based grading in an undergraduate STEM course, and 2) to obtain a sense of how students respond to standards-based grading. Students (N=30) were asked two questions at the end of the course: 1) if the standards-based grading system is more conducive to learning than the traditional, summative score-based grading system, and 2) if they prefer standards-based grading to the traditional grading system. The preliminary results suggest that the vast majority of the students, at a minimum, agree that standards-based grading is more conducive to learning (89.3%) and that they prefer standards-based grading (85.7%). Student comments also support the quantitive results. In addition, this study provides significant insight regarding implementation of standards-based grading for undergraduate courses in STEM
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