178 research outputs found
The QUEST large area CCD camera
We have designed, constructed, and put into operation a very large area CCD camera that covers the field of view of the 1.2 m Samuel Oschin Schmidt Telescope at the Palomar Observatory. The camera consists of 112 CCDs arranged in a mosaic of four rows with 28 CCDs each. The CCDs are 600 x 2400 pixel Sarnoff thinned, back-illuminated devices with 13 µm x 13 µm pixels. The camera covers an area of 4.6° x 3.6° on the sky with an active area of 9.6 deg_2. This camera has been installed at the prime focus of the telescope and commissioned, and scientific-quality observations on the Palomar-QUEST Variability Sky Survey were started in 2003 September. The design considerations, construction features, and performance parameters of this camera are described in this paper
Somatic Mutations of PIK3R1 Promote Gliomagenesis
The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway is targeted for frequent alteration in glioblastoma (GBM) and is one of the core GBM pathways defined by The Cancer Genome Atlas. Somatic mutations of PIK3R1 are observed in multiple tumor types, but the tumorigenic activity of these mutations has not been demonstrated in GBM. We show here that somatic mutations in the iSH2 domain of PIK3R1 act as oncogenic driver events. Specifically, introduction of a subset of the mutations identified in human GBM, in the nSH2 and iSH2 domains, increases signaling through the PI3K pathway and promotes tumorigenesis of primary normal human astrocytes in an orthotopic xenograft model. Furthermore, we show that cells that are dependent on mutant P85α-mediated PI3K signaling exhibit increased sensitivity to a small molecule inhibitor of AKT. Together, these results suggest that GBM patients whose tumors carry mutant PIK3R1 alleles may benefit from treatment with inhibitors of AKT
Identification of Radiopure Titanium for the LZ Dark Matter Experiment and Future Rare Event Searches
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will search for dark matter particle
interactions with a detector containing a total of 10 tonnes of liquid xenon
within a double-vessel cryostat. The large mass and proximity of the cryostat
to the active detector volume demand the use of material with extremely low
intrinsic radioactivity. We report on the radioassay campaign conducted to
identify suitable metals, the determination of factors limiting radiopure
production, and the selection of titanium for construction of the LZ cryostat
and other detector components. This titanium has been measured with activities
of U~1.6~mBq/kg, U~0.09~mBq/kg,
Th~~mBq/kg, Th~~mBq/kg, K~0.54~mBq/kg, and Co~0.02~mBq/kg (68\% CL).
Such low intrinsic activities, which are some of the lowest ever reported for
titanium, enable its use for future dark matter and other rare event searches.
Monte Carlo simulations have been performed to assess the expected background
contribution from the LZ cryostat with this radioactivity. In 1,000 days of
WIMP search exposure of a 5.6-tonne fiducial mass, the cryostat will contribute
only a mean background of (stat)(sys) counts.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Astroparticle
Physic
Supernova / Acceleration Probe: A Satellite Experiment to Study the Nature of the Dark Energy
The Supernova / Acceleration Probe (SNAP) is a proposed space-based
experiment designed to study the dark energy and alternative explanations of
the acceleration of the Universe's expansion by performing a series of
complementary systematics-controlled measurements. We describe a
self-consistent reference mission design for building a Type Ia supernova
Hubble diagram and for performing a wide-area weak gravitational lensing study.
A 2-m wide-field telescope feeds a focal plane consisting of a 0.7
square-degree imager tiled with equal areas of optical CCDs and near infrared
sensors, and a high-efficiency low-resolution integral field spectrograph. The
SNAP mission will obtain high-signal-to-noise calibrated light-curves and
spectra for several thousand supernovae at redshifts between z=0.1 and 1.7. A
wide-field survey covering one thousand square degrees resolves ~100 galaxies
per square arcminute. If we assume we live in a cosmological-constant-dominated
Universe, the matter density, dark energy density, and flatness of space can
all be measured with SNAP supernova and weak-lensing measurements to a
systematics-limited accuracy of 1%. For a flat universe, the
density-to-pressure ratio of dark energy can be similarly measured to 5% for
the present value w0 and ~0.1 for the time variation w'. The large survey area,
depth, spatial resolution, time-sampling, and nine-band optical to NIR
photometry will support additional independent and/or complementary dark-energy
measurement approaches as well as a broad range of auxiliary science programs.
(Abridged)Comment: 40 pages, 18 figures, submitted to PASP, http://snap.lbl.go
Weak Lensing from Space I: Instrumentation and Survey Strategy
A wide field space-based imaging telescope is necessary to fully exploit the
technique of observing dark matter via weak gravitational lensing. This first
paper in a three part series outlines the survey strategies and relevant
instrumental parameters for such a mission. As a concrete example of hardware
design, we consider the proposed Supernova/Acceleration Probe (SNAP). Using
SNAP engineering models, we quantify the major contributions to this
telescope's Point Spread Function (PSF). These PSF contributions are relevant
to any similar wide field space telescope. We further show that the PSF of SNAP
or a similar telescope will be smaller than current ground-based PSFs, and more
isotropic and stable over time than the PSF of the Hubble Space Telescope. We
outline survey strategies for two different regimes - a ``wide'' 300 square
degree survey and a ``deep'' 15 square degree survey that will accomplish
various weak lensing goals including statistical studies and dark matter
mapping.Comment: 25 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, replaced with Published Versio
Calibration and application of a sediment accumulation rate model – a case study
A mechanistic mass balance model for sediment accumulation rate (SAR) that accommodates the dry density and burial velocity of solids and the depth dependency of porosity was tested and applied to Onondaga Lake, New York, for a 130-year period. The modeling for this case study is supported by a rich history of multiple anthropogenic drivers and coupled date horizons from the paleolimnological record, characterization of physical attributes of the sediments, and long-term monitoring of the water column and lake inputs. The consistency of predictions of SAR and measurements of downward flux of suspended particulate material (DFSPM) from a long-term sediment trap program was also evaluated. The model was demonstrated to perform well in simulating the lake’s history of SAR, which was supported by 10 different depth–date horizons. This history for 100 years was regulated by the production of soda-ash at an adjoining industry, which enhanced autochthonous formation and deposition of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), proportional to the level of production of this chemical. The SAR was extraordinarily high (~5 kg m-2 yr-1) during the 40 years of peak soda-ash production. An abrupt, more than 2-fold decrease in SAR occurred when the industry closed. The contemporary SAR remains relatively high as a result of multiple drivers but is serving to enhance burial of contaminants, including mercury, as part of an ongoing rehabilitation program. A high level of consistency (within 30%) between the contemporary SAR and an annual estimate of DFSPM was documented. The utility of the model was demonstrated through applications that depict the amount of deposits contributed by the industry, the effect of compaction on burial velocity, the dilution effect of the high SAR values on the paleolimnological record, and the resolution of sediment diagenesis kinetics
Discovery of the Optical Transient of the Gamma Ray Burst 990308
The optical transient of the faint Gamma Ray Burst 990308 was detected by the
QUEST camera on the Venezuelan 1-m Schmidt telescope starting 3.28 hours after
the burst. Our photometry gives , , , and for times ranging from 3.28 to 3.47
hours after the burst. The colors correspond to a spectral slope of close to
. Within the standard synchrotron fireball model,
this requires that the external medium be less dense than , the
electrons contain of the shock energy, and the magnetic field energy
must be less than 24% of the energy in the electrons for normal interstellar or
circumstellar densities. We also report upper limits of at 132 s
(with LOTIS), from 132-1029s (with LOTIS), at 28.2 min
(with Super-LOTIS), and a 8.5 GHz flux of at 110 days (with the
Very Large Array). WIYN 3.5-m and Keck 10-m telescopes reveal this location to
be empty of any host galaxy to and . The lack of a host
galaxy likely implies that it is either substantially subluminous or more
distant than a red shift of .Comment: ApJ Lett submitted, 5 pages, 2 figures, no space for 12 coauthor
A Large Area CCD Camera for the Schmidt Telescope at the Venezuelan National Astronomical Observatory
We have designed, constructed and put into operation a large area CCD camera
that covers a large fraction of the image plane of the 1 meter Schmidt
telescope at Llano del Hato in Venezuela. The camera consists of 16 CCD devices
arranged in a 4 x 4 mosaic covering 2.3 degrees x 3.5 degrees of sky. The CCDs
are 2048 x 2048 LORAL devices with 15 micron pixels. The camera is optimized
for drift scan photometry and objective prism spectroscopy. The design
considerations, construction features and performance parameters are described
in the following article.Comment: 34 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in PAS
- …