4,605 research outputs found
Fatigue loading history reconstruction based on the rain-flow technique
Methods are considered for reducing a non-random fatigue loading history to a concise description and then for reconstructing a time history similar to the original. In particular, three methods of reconstruction based on a rain-flow cycle counting matrix are presented. A rain-flow matrix consists of the numbers of cycles at various peak and valley combinations. Two methods are based on a two dimensional rain-flow matrix, and the third on a three dimensional rain-flow matrix. Histories reconstructed by any of these methods produce a rain-flow matrix identical to that of the original history, and as a result the resulting time history is expected to produce a fatigue life similar to that for the original. The procedures described allow lengthy loading histories to be stored in compact form
Fatigue life estimates for helicopter loading spectra
Helicopter loading histories applied to notch metal samples are used as examples, and their fatigue lives are calculated by using a simplified version of the local strain approach. This simplified method has the advantage that it requires knowing the loading history in only the reduced form of ranges and means and number of cycles from the rain-flow cycle counting method. The calculated lives compare favorably with test data
Cold Atom Physics Using Ultra-Thin Optical Fibers: Light-Induced Dipole Forces and Surface Interactions
The strong evanescent field around ultra-thin unclad optical fibers bears a
high potential for detecting, trapping, and manipulating cold atoms.
Introducing such a fiber into a cold atom cloud, we investigate the interaction
of a small number of cold Caesium atoms with the guided fiber mode and with the
fiber surface. Using high resolution spectroscopy, we observe and analyze
light-induced dipole forces, van der Waals interaction, and a significant
enhancement of the spontaneous emission rate of the atoms. The latter can be
assigned to the modification of the vacuum modes by the fiber.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Quantum reflection of atoms from a solid surface at normal incidence
We observed quantum reflection of ultracold atoms from the attractive
potential of a solid surface. Extremely dilute Bose-Einstein condensates of
^{23}Na, with peak density 10^{11}-10^{12}atoms/cm^3, confined in a weak
gravito-magnetic trap were normally incident on a silicon surface. Reflection
probabilities of up to 20 % were observed for incident velocities of 1-8 mm/s.
The velocity dependence agrees qualitatively with the prediction for quantum
reflection from the attractive Casimir-Polder potential. Atoms confined in a
harmonic trap divided in half by a solid surface exhibited extended lifetime
due to quantum reflection from the surface, implying a reflection probability
above 50 %.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. Lett. (December 2004)5 pages, 4 figure
Low-Order Modeling of Combustion Noise in an Aero-Engine: The Effect of Entropy Dispersion
The present work studies the effect of entropy dispersion on the level of combustion noise at the turbine outlet of the Rolls-Royce ANTLE aero-engine. A new model for the decay of entropy waves, based on modeling dispersion effects, is developed and utilized in a low-order network model of the combustor (i.e., LOTAN code that solves the unsteady Euler equations). The proposed model for the dispersion of entropy waves only requires the mean velocity field as an input, obtained by Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) computations of the demonstrator combustor. LOTAN is then coupled with a low-order model code (LINEARB) based on the semi-actuator disk model that studies propagation of combustion noise through turbine blades. Thus, by combining LOTAN and LINERAB, the combustion noise and its counterparts, direct and indirect noise, generated at the turbine exit are predicted. In comparison with experimental data, it is found that without the inclusion of entropy dispersion, the level of combustion noise at the turbine exit is overpredicted by almost 2 orders of magnitude. The introduction of entropy dispersion in LOTAN results in a much better agreement with the experimental data, highlighting the importance of entropy wave dispersion for the prediction of combustion noise in real engines. In more detail, the agreement with the experiment for high and low frequencies was very good. At intermediate frequencies, the experimental measurements are still overpredicted; however, the predicted noise is much smaller compared to the case without entropy dispersion. This discrepancy is attributed to (i) the role of turbulent mixing in the overall decay of the entropy fluctuations inside the combustor, not considered in the model developed for the decay of entropy waves, and (ii) the absence of a proper model in LINEARB for the decay of entropy waves as they pass through the turbine blade rows. These are areas that still need further development to improve the prediction of low-order network codes.</jats:p
Measurement of Photon Statistics with Live Photoreceptor Cells
We analyzed the electrophysiological response of an isolated rod
photoreceptor of Xenopus laevis under stimulation by coherent and
pseudo-thermal light sources. Using the suction electrode technique for single
cell recordings and a fiber optics setup for light delivery allowed
measurements of the major statistical characteristics of the rod response. The
results indicate differences in average responses of rod cells to coherent and
pseudo-thermal light of the same intensity and also differences in
signal-to-noise ratios and second order intensity correlation functions. These
findings should be relevant for interdisciplinary studies seeking applications
of quantum optics in biology.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure
Optical interface created by laser-cooled atoms trapped in the evanescent field surrounding an optical nanofiber
Trapping and optically interfacing laser-cooled neutral atoms is an essential
requirement for their use in advanced quantum technologies. Here we
simultaneously realize both of these tasks with cesium atoms interacting with a
multi-color evanescent field surrounding an optical nanofiber. The atoms are
localized in a one-dimensional optical lattice about 200 nm above the nanofiber
surface and can be efficiently interrogated with a resonant light field sent
through the nanofiber. Our technique opens the route towards the direct
integration of laser-cooled atomic ensembles within fiber networks, an
important prerequisite for large scale quantum communication schemes. Moreover,
it is ideally suited to the realization of hybrid quantum systems that combine
atoms with, e.g., solid state quantum devices
Enhancing image contrast using coherent states and photon number resolving detectors
We experimentally map the transverse profile of diffraction-limited beams
using photon-number-resolving detectors. We observe strong compression of
diffracted beam profiles for high detected photon number. This effect leads to
higher contrast than a conventional irradiance profile between two Airy
disk-beams separated by the Rayleigh criterion.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Optics Expres
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