1,199 research outputs found
Low cost optical fibre based Fabry Pérot strain sensor production
The production of Fabry-Pérot based optical fibre sensors has long been an iterative
and labour intensive process. This paper demonstrates the production of Fabry-Pérot
based optical fibre strain sensors using chemical etching techniques. Utilising
hydrofluoric acid (HF) and singlemode optical fibres, a preferential etching
mechanism was observed around the core portion of the fibres. These etched fibre
ends were then spliced together successfully to form enclosed Fabry-Pérot cavities
between 18 and 60 μm in length. These sensors have then been deployed for strain
monitoring and have been subjected to strains of up to 1400 με on tensile test
specimens. Etched Fabry-Pérot cavity lengths were monitored using a white light
interferometry (WLI) system based on a CCD spectrometer and an 850 nm super
luminescent diode (SLD). A linear and repeatable response to these strain tests has
been shown with negligible sensitivity to temperature
Magnetically Stabilized Luminescent Excitations in Hexagonal Boron Nitride
Magnetically stabilized luminescence is observed in hexagonal boron nitride.
The luminescence is induced by absorption of cold neutrons and is in the
visible region. In the absence of a magnetic field, the photon emission level
is observed to decay over several hundred seconds. A fraction of this
luminescence can be suppressed if the temperature is T <~ 0.6 K and the
magnetic field is B >~ 1.0 T. Subsequent to irradiation and suppression,
luminescence can be induced by an increase in T or lowering of B. Possible
explanations include stabilization of triplet states or the localization and
stabilization of excitons.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, to appear in the Journal of Luminescenc
Stem cell factor (SCF) and c-kit in the ovine fetal testis in normal and nutrition perturbed pregnancies
Stem cell factor (SCF) and c-kit in the ovine fetal testis in normal and nutrition perturbed pregnancie
Atomic Bose Gas with Negative Scattering Length
We derive the equation of state of a dilute atomic Bose gas with an
interatomic interaction that has a negative scattering length and argue that
two continuous phase transitions, occuring in the gas due to quantum degeneracy
effects, are preempted by a first-order gas-liquid or gas-solid transition
depending on the details of the interaction potential. We also discuss the
consequences of this result for future experiments with magnetically trapped
spin-polarized atomic gasses such as lithium and cesium.Comment: 16 PAGES, REVTEX 3.0, ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION IN PHYS. REV.
Suitability of aircraft wastewater for pathogen detection and public health surveillance
International air travel is now widely recognised as one of the primary mechanisms responsible for the transnational movement and global spread of SARS-CoV-2. Monitoring the viral load and novel lineages within human-derived wastewater collected from aircraft and at air transport hubs has been proposed as an effective way to monitor the importation frequency of viral pathogens. The success of this approach, however, is highly dependent on the bathroom and defecation habits of air passengers during their journey. In this study of UK adults (n = 2103), we quantified the likelihood of defecation prior to departure, on the aircraft and upon arrival on both short- and long-haul flights. The results were then used to assess the likelihood of capturing the signal from infected individuals at UK travel hubs. To obtain a representative cross-section of the population, the survey was stratified by geographical region, gender, age, parenting status, and social class. We found that an individual's likelihood to defecate on short-haul flights ( 6 h in duration). This behaviour pattern was higher among males and younger age groups. The maximum likelihood of defecation was prior to departure (< 39 %). Based on known SARS-CoV-2 faecal shedding rates (30–60 %) and an equal probability of infected individuals being on short- (71 % of inbound flights) and long-haul flights (29 %), we estimate that aircraft wastewater is likely to capture ca. 8–14 % of SARS-CoV-2 cases entering the UK. Monte Carlo simulations predicted that SARS-CoV-2 would be present in wastewater on 14 % of short-haul flights and 62 % of long-haul flights under current pandemic conditions. We conclude that aircraft wastewater alone is insufficient to effectively monitor all the transboundary entries of faecal-borne pathogens but can form part of a wider strategy for public heath surveillance at national borders
Scintillation and charge extraction from the tracks of energetic electrons in superfluid helium-4
An energetic electron passing through liquid helium causes ionization along
its track. The ionized electrons quickly recombine with the resulting positive
ions, which leads to the production of prompt scintillation light. By applying
appropriate electric fields, some of the ionized electrons can be separated
from their parent ions. The fraction of the ionized electrons extracted in a
given applied field depends on the separation distance between the electrons
and the ions. We report the determination of the mean electron-ion separation
distance for charge pairs produced along the tracks of beta particles in
superfluid helium at 1.5 K by studying the quenching of the scintillation light
under applied electric fields. Knowledge of this mean separation parameter will
aid in the design of particle detectors that use superfluid helium as a target
material.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure
Off-limb (spicule) DEM distribution from SoHO/SUMER observations
In the present work we derive a Differential Emission Measure (DEM) dis-
tribution from a region dominated by spicules. We use spectral data from the
Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) spectrometer
on-board the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO) covering the entire SUMER
wavelength range taken off-limb in the Northern polar coronal hole to construct
this DEM distribution using the CHIANTI atomic database. This distribution is
then used to study the thermal properties of the emission contributing to the
171 {\AA} channel in the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on-board the Solar
Dynamics Observatory (SDO). From our off-limb DEM we found that the radiance in
the AIA 171 {\AA} channel is dominated by emission from the Fe ix 171.07 {\AA}
line and has sparingly little contribution from other lines. The product of the
Fe ix 171.07 {\AA} line contribution function with the off-limb DEM was found
to have a maximum at logTmax (K) = 5.8 indicating that during spicule
observations the emission in this line comes from plasma at transition region
temperatures rather than coronal. For comparison, the same product with a quiet
Sun and prominence DEM were found to have a maximum at logT max (K) = 5.9 and
logTmax (K) = 5.7, respectively. We point out that the interpretation of data
obtained from the AIA 171 {\AA} filter should be done with foreknowledge of the
thermal nature of the observed phenomenon. For example, with an off-limb DEM we
find that only 3.6% of the plasma is above a million degrees, whereas using a
quiet Sun DEM, this contribution rises to 15%.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures accepted by Solar Physic
Molecular vibration in cold collision theory
Cold collisions of ground state oxygen molecules with Helium have been
investigated in a wide range of cold collision energies (from 1 K up to 10
K) treating the oxygen molecule first as a rigid rotor and then introducing the
vibrational degree of freedom. The comparison between the two models shows that
at low energies the rigid rotor approximation is very accurate and able to
describe all the dynamical features of the system. The comparison between the
two models has also been extended to cases where the interaction potential He -
O is made artificially stronger. In this case vibration can perturb rate
constants, but fine-tuning the rigid rotor potential can alleviate the
discrepancies between the two models.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure
Quantum correlated twin atomic beams via photo-dissociation of a molecular Bose-Einstein condensate
We study the process of photo-dissociation of a molecular Bose-Einstein
condensate as a potential source of strongly correlated twin atomic beams. We
show that the two beams can possess nearly perfect quantum squeezing in their
relative numbers.Comment: Corrected LaTeX file layou
A mutli-technique search for the most primitive CO chondrites
As part of a study to identify the most primitive COs and to look for weakly altered CMs amongst the COs, we have conducted a multi-technique study of 16 Antarctic meteorites that had been classified as primitive COs. For this study, we have determined: (1) the bulk H, C and N abundances and isotopes, (2) bulk O isotopic compositions, (3) bulk modal mineralogies, and (4) for some selected samples the abundances and compositions of their insoluble organic matter (IOM). Two of the 16 meteorites do appear to be CMs – BUC 10943 seems to be a fairly typical CM, while MIL 090073 has probably been heated. Of the COs, DOM 08006 appears to be the most primitive CO identified to date and is quite distinct from the other members of its pairing group. The other COs fall into two groups that are less primitive than DOM 08006 and ALH 77307, the previously most primitive CO. The first group is composed of members of the DOM 08004 pairing group, except DOM 08006. The second group is composed of meteorites belonging to the MIL 03377 and MIL 07099 pairing groups. These two pairing groups should probably be combined. There is a dichotomy in the bulk O isotopes between the primitive (all Antarctic finds) and the more metamorphosed COs (mostly falls). This dichotomy can only partly be explained by the terrestrial weathering experienced by the primitive Antarctic samples. It seems that the more equilibrated samples interacted to a greater extent with 16O-poor material, probably water, than the more primitive meteorites
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