609 research outputs found
Absolute frequency measurements of the line and fine-structure interval in K
We report a value for the -line frequency of K with 0.25 ppb
uncertainty. The frequency is measured using an evacuated ring-cavity resonator
whose length is calibrated against a reference laser. The line presents a
problem in identifying the line center because the closely-spaced energy levels
of the excited state are not resolved. We use computer modelling of the
measured spectrum to extract the line center and obtain a value of 391 015
578.040(75) MHz. In conjunction with our previous measurement of the
line, we determine the fine-structure interval in the state to be 1 729
997.132(90) MHz. The results represent significant improvement over previous
values.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Direct measurement of the fine-structure interval in alkali atoms using diode lasers
We demonstrate a technique for directly measuring the fine-structure interval
in alkali atoms using two frequency-stabilized diode lasers. Each laser has a
linewidth of order 1 MHz and precise tunability: one laser is tuned to a
hyperfine transition in the D_1 line, and the other laser to a hyperfine
transition in the D_2 line. The outputs of the lasers are fed into a scanning
Michelson interferometer that measures the ratio of their wavelengths
accurately. To illustrate the technique, we measure the fine-structure interval
in Rb, and obtain a value of 237.6000(3)(5) cm^-1 for the hyperfine-free
5P_{3/2} - 5P_{1/2} interval.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, to be published in Applied Physics Letters, 20
May 2002 editio
Holography of Gravitational Action Functionals
Einstein-Hilbert (EH) action can be separated into a bulk and a surface term,
with a specific ("holographic") relationship between the two, so that either
can be used to extract information about the other. The surface term can also
be interpreted as the entropy of the horizon in a wide class of spacetimes.
Since EH action is likely to just the first term in the derivative expansion of
an effective theory, it is interesting to ask whether these features continue
to hold for more general gravitational actions. We provide a comprehensive
analysis of lagrangians of the form L=Q_a^{bcd}R^a_{bcd}, in which Q_a^{bcd} is
a tensor with the symmetries of the curvature tensor, made from metric and
curvature tensor and satisfies the condition \nabla_cQ^{abcd}=0, and show that
they share these features. The Lanczos-Lovelock lagrangians are a subset of
these in which Q^{abcd} is a homogeneous function of the curvature tensor. They
are all holographic, in a specific sense of the term, and -- in all these cases
-- the surface term can be interpreted as the horizon entropy. The
thermodynamics route to gravity, in which the field equations are interpreted
as TdS=dE+pdV, seems to have greater degree of validity than the field
equations of Einstein gravity itself. The results suggest that the holographic
feature of EH action could also serve as a new symmetry principle in
constraining the semiclassical corrections to Einstein gravity. The
implications are discussed.Comment: revtex 4; 17 pages; no figure
Towards human technology symbiosis in the haptic mode
Search and rescue operations are often undertaken in dark and noisy environments in which rescue teams must rely on haptic feedback for exploration and safe exit. However, little attention has been paid specifically to haptic sensitivity in such contexts or to the possibility of enhancing communicational proficiency in the haptic mode as a life-preserving measure. Here we discuss the design of a haptic guide robot, inspired by careful study of the communication between blind person and guide dog. In the case of this partnership, the development of a symbiotic relationship between person and dog, based on mutual trust and confidence, is a prerequisite for successful task performance. We argue that a human-technology symbiosis is equally necessary and possible in the case of the robot guide. But this is dependent on the robot becoming 'transparent technology' in Andy Clark's sense. We report on initial haptic mode experiments in which a person uses a simple mobile mechanical device (a metal disk fixed with a rigid handle) to explore the immediate environment. These experiments demonstrate the extreme sensitivity and trainability of haptic communication and the speed with which users develop and refine their haptic proficiencies in using the device, permitting reliable and accurate discrimination between objects of different weights. We argue that such trials show the transformation of the mobile device into a transparent information appliance and the beginnings of the development of a symbiotic relationship between device and human user. We discuss how these initial explorations may shed light on the more general question of how a human mind, on being exposed to an unknown environment, may enter into collaboration with an external information source in order to learn about, and navigate, that environment
High-accuracy wavemeter based on a stabilized diode laser
We have built a high-accuracy wavelength meter for tunable lasers using a
scanning Michelson interferometer and a reference laser of known wavelength.
The reference laser is a frequency stabilized diode laser locked to an atomic
transition in Rb. The wavemeter has a statistical error per measurement of 5
parts in which can be reduced considerably by averaging. Using a second
stabilized diode laser, we have verified that systematic errors are below 4
parts in .Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure
Homogeneous Relaxation at Strong Coupling from Gravity
Homogeneous relaxation is a ubiquitous phenomenon in semiclassical kinetic
theories where the quasiparticles are distributed uniformly in space, and the
equilibration involves only their velocity distribution. For such solutions,
the hydrodynamic variables remain constant. We construct asymptotically AdS
solutions of Einstein's gravity dual to such processes at strong coupling,
perturbatively in the amplitude expansion, where the expansion parameter is the
ratio of the amplitude of the non-hydrodynamic shear-stress tensor to the
pressure. At each order, we sum over all time derivatives through exact
recursion relations. We argue that the metric has a regular future horizon,
order by order in the amplitude expansion, provided the shear-stress tensor
follows an equation of motion. At the linear order, this equation of motion
implies that the metric perturbations are composed of zero wavelength
quasinormal modes. Our method allows us to calculate the non-linear corrections
to this equation perturbatively in the amplitude expansion. We thus derive a
special case of our previous conjecture on the regularity condition on the
boundary stress tensor that endows the bulk metric with a regular future
horizon, and also refine it further. We also propose a new outlook for
heavy-ion phenomenology at RHIC and ALICE.Comment: 60 pages, a section titled "Outlook for RHIC and ALICE" has been
added, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Status of Zero Degree Calorimeter for CMS Experiment
The Zero Degree Calorimeter (ZDC) is integral part of the CMS experiment,
especially, for heavy ion studies. The design of the ZDC includes two
independent calorimeter sections: an electromagnetic section and a hadronic
section. Sampling calorimeters using tungsten and quartz fibers have been
chosen for the energy measurements. An overview of the ZDC is presented along
with a current status of calorimeter's preparation for Day 1 of LHC.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, to appear in the proceedings of CALOR06,
June 5-9, 2006 Chicago, US
Experience of using a haptic interface to follow a robot without visual feedback
Search and rescue operations are often undertaken in smoke filled and noisy environments in which rescue teams must rely on haptic feedback for navigation and safe exit. In this paper, we discuss designing and evaluating a haptic interface to enable a human being to follow a robot through an environment with no-visibility. We first discuss the considerations that have led to our current interface design. The second part of the paper describes our testing procedure and the results of our first tests. Based on these results we discuss future improvements of our design
The holographic spectral function in non-equilibrium states
We develop holographic prescriptions for obtaining spectral functions in
non-equilibrium states and space-time dependent non-equilibrium shifts in the
energy and spin of quasi-particle like excitations. We reproduce strongly
coupled versions of aspects of non-equilibrium dynamics of Fermi surfaces in
Landau's Fermi-liquid theory. We find that the incoming wave boundary condition
at the horizon does not suffice to obtain a well-defined perturbative expansion
for non-equilibrium observables. Our prescription, based on analysis of
regularity at the horizon, allows such a perturbative expansion to be achieved
nevertheless and can be precisely formulated in a universal manner independent
of the non-equilibrium state, provided the state thermalizes. We also find that
the non-equilibrium spectral function furnishes information about the
relaxation modes of the system. Along the way, we argue that in a typical
non-supersymmetric theory with a gravity dual, there may exist a window of
temperature and chemical potential at large N, in which a generic
non-equilibrium state can be characterized by just a finitely few operators
with low scaling dimensions, even far away from the hydrodynamic limit.Comment: revtex; 43 pages, 2 figures; typos corrected, accepted for
publication in PR
Exploring haptic feedback for robot to human communication
Search and rescue operations are often undertaken in low-visibility smoky environments in which rescue teams must rely on haptic feedback for navigation, exploration and safe exit. The aim is to enable a human being to explore the environment using a robot. In this paper we evaluate haptic means for robot to human communication. We describe the testing procedure and the results of our first tests. Based on these results, we discuss improvements of our design
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