988 research outputs found
Shape optimization of tibial prosthesis components
NASA technology and optimal design methodologies originally developed for the optimization of composite structures (engine blades) are adapted and applied to the optimization of orthopaedic knee implants. A method is developed enabling the shape tailoring of the tibial components of a total knee replacement implant for optimal interaction within the environment of the tibia. The shape of the implant components are optimized such that the stresses in the bone are favorably controlled to minimize bone degradation, to improve the mechanical integrity of the implant/interface/bone system, and to prevent failures of the implant components. A pilot tailoring system is developed and the feasibility of the concept is demonstrated and evaluated. The methodology and evolution of the existing aerospace technology from which this pilot optimization code was developed is also presented and discussed. Both symmetric and unsymmetric in-plane loading conditions are investigated. The results of the optimization process indicate a trend toward wider and tapered posts as well as thicker backing trays. Unique component geometries were obtained for the different load cases
Optimal design of composite hip implants using NASA technology
Using an adaptation of NASA software, we have investigated the use of numerical optimization techniques for the shape and material optimization of fiber composite hip implants. The original NASA inhouse codes, were originally developed for the optimization of aerospace structures. The adapted code, which was called OPORIM, couples numerical optimization algorithms with finite element analysis and composite laminate theory to perform design optimization using both shape and material design variables. The external and internal geometry of the implant and the surrounding bone is described with quintic spline curves. This geometric representation is then used to create an equivalent 2-D finite element model of the structure. Using laminate theory and the 3-D geometric information, equivalent stiffnesses are generated for each element of the 2-D finite element model, so that the 3-D stiffness of the structure can be approximated. The geometric information to construct the model of the femur was obtained from a CT scan. A variety of test cases were examined, incorporating several implant constructions and design variable sets. Typically the code was able to produce optimized shape and/or material parameters which substantially reduced stress concentrations in the bone adjacent of the implant. The results indicate that this technology can provide meaningful insight into the design of fiber composite hip implants
Discovery of a High Proper Motion L Dwarf Binary: 2MASS J15200224-4422419AB
We report the discovery of the wide L1.5+L4.5 binary 2MASS
J15200224-4422419AB, identified during spectroscopic followup of high proper
motion sources selected from the Two Micron All Sky Survey. This source was
independently identified by Kendall et al. in the SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey.
Resolved JHK photometry and low resolution near-infrared spectroscopy
demonstrate that this system is composed of two well-separated (1"174+/-0"016)
L dwarfs. Component classifications are derived using both spectral ratios and
comparison to near-infrared spectra of previously classified field L dwarfs.
Physical association for the pair is deduced from the large (mu = 0"73+/-0"03
/yr) common proper motion of the components and their similar
spectrophotometric distances (19+/-2 pc). The projected separation of the
binary, 22+/-2 AU, is consistent with maximum separation/total system mass
trends for very low mass binaries. The 2MASS J1520-4422 system exhibits both
large tangential (66+/-7 km/s) and radial velocities (-70+/-18 km/s), and its
motion in the local standard of rest suggests that it is an old member of the
Galactic disk population. This system joins a growing list of well-separated
(>0"5), very low mass binaries, and is an excellent target for resolved optical
spectroscopy to constrain its age as well as trace activity/rotation trends
near the hydrogen-burning limit.Comment: 35 pages, 8 figures; accepted for publication to ApJ; see also
Kendall et al. astro-ph/060939
A Sensitive Search for Variability in Late L Dwarfs: The Quest for Weather
We have conducted a photometric monitoring program of three field late L brown dwarfs (DENIS-P J0255-4700, 2MASS J0908+5032, and 2MASS J2244+2043) looking for evidence of nonaxisymmetric structure or temporal variability in their photospheres. The observations were performed using Spitzer IRAC 4.5 and 8 ÎŒm bandpasses and were designed to cover at least one rotational period of each object; 1 Ï rms uncertainties of less than 3 mmag at 4.5 ÎŒm and around 9 mmag at 8 ÎŒm were achieved. Two out of the three objects studied exhibit some modulation in their light curves at 4.5 ÎŒmâbut not 8 ÎŒmâwith periods of 7.4 hr (DENIS 0255) and 4.6 hr (2MA 2244) and peak-to-peak amplitudes of 10 and 8 mmag. Although the lack of detectable 8 ÎŒm variation suggests an instrumental origin for the detected variations, the data may nevertheless still be consistent with intrinsic variability, since the shorter wavelength IRAC bandpasses probe more deeply into late L dwarf atmospheres than the longer wavelengths. A cloud feature occupying a small percentage (1%-2%) of the visible hemisphere could account for the observed amplitude of variation. If, instead, the variability is indeed instrumental in origin, then our nonvariable L dwarfs could be either completely covered with clouds or objects whose clouds are smaller and uniformly distributed. Such scenarios would lead to very small photometric variations. Follow-up IRAC photometry at 3.6 and 5.8 ÎŒm bandpasses should distinguish between the two cases. In any event, the present observations provide the most sensitive search to date for structure in the photospheres of late L dwarfs at mid-IR wavelengths, and our photometry provides stringent upper limits to the extent to which the photospheres of these transition L dwarfs are structured
A search for L dwarf binary systems
We present analysis of HST Planetary Camera images of twenty L dwarfs
identified in the course of the Two Micron All-Sky Survey. Four of the targets
have faint, red companions at separations between 0.07 and 0.29 arcseconds (1.6
to 7.6 AU). In three cases, the bolometric magnitudes of the components differ
by less than 0.3 magnitudes. Since the cooling rate for brown dwarfs is a
strong function of mass, similarity in luminosities implies comparable masses.
The faint component in the 2M0850 system, however, is over 1.3 magnitudes
fainter than the primary in the I-band, and ~0.8 magnitudes fainter in M(bol).
Indeed, 2M0850B is ~0.8 magnitudes fainter in I than the lowest luminosity L
dwarf currently known, while the absolute magnitude we deduce at J is almost
identical with M_J for Gl 229B. Theoretical models indicate a mass ratio of
\~0.75. The mean separation of the L dwarf binaries in the current sample is
smaller by a factor of two than amongst M dwarfs. We discuss the implications
of these results for the temperature scale in the L/T transition region and for
the binary frequency amongst L dwarfs.Comment: 38 pages, 11 figures; accepted for A
The First Ultra-cool Brown Dwarf Discovered by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer
We report the discovery of the first new ultra-cool brown dwarf (BDs) found with the Wide-field Infrared Survey
Explorer (WISE). The objectâs preliminary designation is WISEPC J045853.90+643451.9. Follow-up spectroscopy
with the LUCIFER instrument on the Large Binocular Telescope indicates that it is a very late-type T dwarf with a
spectral type approximately equal to T9. Fits to an IRTF/SpeX 0.8â2.5 ÎŒm spectrum to the model atmospheres of
Marley and Saumon indicate an effective temperature of approximately 600 K as well as the presence of vertical
mixing in its atmosphere. The new BD is easily detected by WISE, with a signal-to-noise ratio of ~36 at 4.6 ÎŒm.
Current estimates place it at a distance of 6â10 pc. This object represents the first in what will likely be hundreds of
nearby BDs found by WISE that will be suitable for follow-up observations, including those with the James Webb
Space Telescope. One of the two primary scientific goals of the WISE mission is to find the coolest, closest stars to
our Sun; the discovery of this new BD proves that WISE is capable of fulfilling this objective
Resolving the fine-scale velocity structure of continental hyperextension at the Deep Galicia Margin using full-waveform inversion
Continental hyperextension during magma-poor rifting at the Deep Galicia Margin is characterised by a complex pattern of faulting, thin continental fault blocks, and the serpentinisation, with local exhumation, of mantle peridotites along the S-reflector, interpreted as a detachment surface. In order to understand fully the evolution of these features, it is important to image seismically the structure and to model the velocity structure to the greatest resolution possible. Travel-time tomography models have revealed the long-wavelength velocity structure of this hyperextended domain, but are often insufficient to match accurately the short-wavelength structure observed in reflection seismic imaging. Here we demonstrate the application of two-dimensional (2D) time-domain acoustic full-waveform inversion to deep water seismic data collected at the Deep Galicia Margin, in order to attain a high resolution velocity model of continental hyperextension. We have used several quality assurance procedures to assess the velocity model, including comparison of the observed and modelled waveforms, checkerboard tests, testing of parameter and inversion strategy, and comparison with the migrated reflection image. Our final model exhibits an increase in the resolution of subsurface velocities, with particular improvement observed in the westernmost continental fault blocks, with a clear rotation of the velocity field to match steeply dipping reflectors. Across the S-reflector there is a sharpening in the velocity contrast, with lower velocities beneath S indicative of preferential mantle serpentinisation. This study supports the hypothesis that normal faulting acts to hydrate the upper mantle peridotite, observed as a systematic decrease in seismic velocities, consistent with increased serpentinisation. Our results confirm the feasibility of applying the full-waveform inversion method to sparse, deep water crustal datasets
Discovery of a Bright Field Methane (T-type) Brown Dwarf by 2MASS
We report the discovery of a bright (J = 13.830.03) methane brown dwarf,
or T dwarf, by the Two Micron All Sky Survey. This object, 2MASSI
J0559191-140448, is the first brown dwarf identified by the newly commissioned
CorMASS instrument mounted on the Palomar 60-inch Telescope. Near-infrared
spectra from 0.9 - 2.35 \micron show characteristic CH bands at 1.1, 1.3,
1.6, and 2.2 \micron, which are significantly shallower than those seen in
other T dwarfs discovered to date. Coupled with the detection of an FeH band at
0.9896 \micron and two sets of K I doublets at J-band, we propose that 2MASS
J0559-14 is a warm T dwarf, close to the transition between L and T spectral
classes. The brightness of this object makes it a good candidate for detailed
investigation over a broad wavelength regime and at higher resolution.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, accepted to AJ for publication August
200
Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS Observations of T Dwarfs: Brown Dwarf Multiplicity and New Probes of the L/T Transition
We present the results of a Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS imaging survey of
22 T-type field brown dwarfs. Five are resolved as binary systems with angular
separations of 0"05-0"35, and companionship is established on the basis of
component F110W-F170M colors (indicative of CH4 absorption) and low
probabilities of background contamination. Prior ground-based observations show
2MASS 1553+1532AB to be a common proper motion binary. The properties of these
systems - low multiplicity fraction (11[+7][-3]% resolved, as corrected for
sample selection baises), close projected separations (a = 1.8-5.0 AU) and
near-unity mass ratios - are consistent with previous results for field brown
dwarf binaries. Three of the binaries have components that span the
poorly-understood transition between L dwarfs and T dwarfs. Spectral
decomposition analysis of one of these, SDSS 1021-0304AB, reveals a peculiar
flux reversal between its components, as its T5 secondary is ~30% brighter at
1.05 and 1.27 micron than its T1 primary. This system, 2MASS 0518-2828AB and
SDSS 1534+1615AB all demonstrate that the J-band brightening observed between
late-type L to mid-type T dwarfs is an intrinsic feature of this spectral
transition, albeit less pronounced than previously surmised. We also find that
the resolved binary fraction of L7 to T3.5 dwarfs is twice that of other L and
T dwarfs, an anomaly that can be explained by a relatively rapid evolution of
brown dwarfs through the L/T transition, perhaps driven by dynamic
(nonequilibrium) depletion of photospheric condensates.Comment: ~40 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication to ApJ. Note that
emulateapj style file cuts off part of Table
Four nearby L dwarfs
We present spectroscopic, photometric and astrometric observations of four
bright L dwarfs identified in the course of the 2MASS near-infrared survey. Our
spectroscopic data extend to wavelengths shortward of 5000\AA in the L0 dwarf
2MASSJ0746+2000 and the L4 dwarf 2MASSJ0036+1840, allowing the identification
of absorption bands due to MgH and CaOH. The atomic resonance lines Ca I
4227\AA and Na I 5890/5896\AA are extremely strong, with the latter having an
equivalent width of 240\AA in the L4 dwarf. By spectral type L5, the D lines
extend over \AA and absorb a substantial fraction of the flux emitted
in the V band, with a corresponding effect on the (V-I) broadband colour. The
KI resonance doublet at 7665/7699\AA increases in equivalent width from
spectral type M3 to M7, but decreases in strength from M7 to L0 before
broadening substantially at later types. These variations are likely driven by
dust formation in these cool atmospheres.Comment: to appear in AJ, January 2000; 27 pages, including 3 tables and 7
figures embedded in the tex
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