215 research outputs found
Multi-black hole solutions in five dimensions
Using a recently developed generalized Weyl formalism, we construct an
asymptotically flat, static vacuum Einstein solution that describes a
superposition of multiple five-dimensional Schwarzschild black holes. The
spacetime exhibits a U(1)\times U(1) rotational symmetry. It is argued that for
certain choices of parameters, the black holes are collinear and so may be
regarded as a five-dimensional generalization of the Israel-Khan solution. The
black holes are kept in equilibrium by membrane-like conical singularities
along the two rotational axes; however, they still distort one another by their
mutual gravitational attraction. We also generalize this solution to one
describing multiple charged black holes, with fixed mass-to-charge ratio, in
Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton theory.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figure
Optical modeling and polarization calibration for CMB measurements with ACTPol and Advanced ACTPol
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter (ACTPol) is a polarization
sensitive upgrade to the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. Located at an elevation
of 5190 m, ACTPol measures the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature
and polarization with arcminute-scale angular resolution. Calibration of the
detector angles is a critical step in producing maps of the CMB polarization.
Polarization angle offsets in the detector calibration can cause leakage in
polarization from E to B modes and induce a spurious signal in the EB and TB
cross correlations, which eliminates our ability to measure potential
cosmological sources of EB and TB signals, such as cosmic birefringence. We
present our optical modeling and measurements associated with calibrating the
detector angles in ACTPol.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, conference proceedings submitted to Proceedings
of SPIE; added reference in section 2 and merged repeated referenc
Mechanical design and development of TES bolometer detector arrays for the Advanced ACTPol experiment
The next generation Advanced ACTPol (AdvACT) experiment is currently underway
and will consist of four Transition Edge Sensor (TES) bolometer arrays, with
three operating together, totaling ~5800 detectors on the sky. Building on
experience gained with the ACTPol detector arrays, AdvACT will utilize various
new technologies, including 150mm detector wafers equipped with multichroic
pixels, allowing for a more densely packed focal plane. Each set of detectors
includes a feedhorn array of stacked silicon wafers which form a spline profile
leading to each pixel. This is then followed by a waveguide interface plate,
detector wafer, back short cavity plate, and backshort cap. Each array is
housed in a custom designed structure manufactured from high purity copper and
then gold plated. In addition to the detector array assembly, the array package
also encloses cryogenic readout electronics. We present the full mechanical
design of the AdvACT high frequency (HF) detector array package along with a
detailed look at the detector array stack assemblies. This experiment will also
make use of extensive hardware and software previously developed for ACT, which
will be modified to incorporate the new AdvACT instruments. Therefore, we
discuss the integration of all AdvACT arrays with pre-existing ACTPol
infrastructure.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation
conference proceeding
Geodesics, the Equivalence Principle and Singularities in Higher-dimensional General Relativity and Braneworlds
The geodesics of a spacetime seldom coincide with those of an embedded
submanifold of codimension one. We investigate this issue for
higher-dimensional general relativity-like models, firstly in the simpler case
without branes to isolate which features are already present, and then in the
more complicated case with branes. The framework in which we consider branes is
general enough to include asymmetric braneworlds but not thick branes. We apply
our results on geodesics to study both the equivalence principle and
cosmological singularities. Among the models we study these considerations
favour symmetric braneworlds with a negative bulk cosmological constant.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figures. Accepted by JCAP. Minor proofreading
corrections; several references adde
Design of 280 GHz feedhorn-coupled TES arrays for the balloon-borne polarimeter SPIDER
We describe 280 GHz bolometric detector arrays that instrument the
balloon-borne polarimeter SPIDER. A primary science goal of SPIDER is to
measure the large-scale B-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background
in search of the cosmic-inflation, gravitational-wave signature. 280 GHz
channels aid this science goal by constraining the level of B-mode
contamination from galactic dust emission. We present the focal plane unit
design, which consists of a 1616 array of conical, corrugated feedhorns
coupled to a monolithic detector array fabricated on a 150 mm diameter silicon
wafer. Detector arrays are capable of polarimetric sensing via waveguide
probe-coupling to a multiplexed array of transition-edge-sensor (TES)
bolometers. The SPIDER receiver has three focal plane units at 280 GHz, which
in total contains 765 spatial pixels and 1,530 polarization sensitive
bolometers. By fabrication and measurement of single feedhorns, we demonstrate
14.7 FHWM Gaussian-shaped beams with 1% ellipticity in a 30%
fractional bandwidth centered at 280 GHz. We present electromagnetic
simulations of the detection circuit, which show 94% band-averaged,
single-polarization coupling efficiency, 3% reflection and 3% radiative loss.
Lastly, we demonstrate a low thermal conductance bolometer, which is
well-described by a simple TES model and exhibits an electrical noise
equivalent power (NEP) = 2.6 10 W/,
consistent with the phonon noise prediction.Comment: Proceedings of SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 201
"The Book of Negroes’ illustrated edition: circulating African-Canadian history through the Middlebrow"
This article examines the 2009 deluxe illustrated edition of Lawrence Hill’s Commonwealth Writers’ Prize– and Canada Reads–winning novel The Book of Negroes, originally published in 2007. It relates the story of Aminata, a West African girl kidnapped and sold into slavery, and her experiences on an indigo plantation in the American south, followed by further displacements to Charleston, Nova Scotia, Sierra Leone, and London. In New York, as the Revolutionary War comes to a close, Aminata becomes the scribe for the Book of Negroes, documenting the Black Loyalists, as well as the slaves and indentured servants of white Loyalists, granted passage by the British to Canada. Hill has commented that the Book of Negroes is an important document about which Canadians are largely ignorant. This desire to circulate knowledge about African-Canadian history through the novel is particularly manifest in the illustrated edition of 2009, where a photograph of the Book of Negroes features prominently, along with countless other images and captions which supplement and interrupt Hill’s narrative. This article considers the significance and implications of this “keepsake” or “souvenir” edition, particularly its circulation of knowledge about African-Canadian history through visual pleasure
The top 10 research priorities in cystic fibrosis developed by a partnership between people with CF and healthcare providers
There remain many treatment uncertainties in cystic fibrosis (CF). With limited resources, research should focus on questions which are most important to the CF community. We conducted a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership in CF. Research questions were elicited and then prioritised in successive surveys. A workshop agreed the final top 10. Online methods avoided cross infection and widened participation. The elicitation survey had 482 respondents (1080 questions) and prioritisation survey 677 respondents. Participants were drawn equally from the patient and clinical communities globally. We have achieved a consensus on 10 research priorities which will be attractive to funders
Comparing complex impedance and bias step measurements of Simons Observatory transition edge sensors
The Simons Observatory (SO) will perform ground-based observations of the
cosmic microwave background (CMB) with several small and large aperture
telescopes, each outfitted with thousands to tens of thousands of
superconducting aluminum manganese (AlMn) transition-edge sensor bolometers
(TESs). In-situ characterization of TES responsivities and effective time
constants will be required multiple times each observing-day for calibrating
time-streams during CMB map-making. Effective time constants are typically
estimated in the field by briefly applying small amplitude square-waves on top
of the TES DC biases, and fitting exponential decays in the bolometer response.
These so-called "bias step" measurements can be rapidly implemented across
entire arrays and therefore are attractive because they take up little
observing time. However, individual detector complex impedance measurements,
while too slow to implement during observations, can provide a fuller picture
of the TES model and a better understanding of its temporal response. Here, we
present the results of dark TES characterization of many prototype SO
bolometers and compare the effective thermal time constants measured via bias
steps to those derived from complex impedance data.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation
2020, Paper Number: 11453-18
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