Direct Evidence from Spitzer for a low-luminosity AGN at the center of the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 315

We present the {\it Spitzer} Space Telescope InfraRed Array Camera (IRAC) and Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS) observations of the elliptical galaxy NGC 315. After removal of the host galaxy's stellar emission, we detected for the first time an infrared-red nucleus in NGC 315. We measured the spectral energy distribution (SED) for this active nucleus with wavelength range covering from radio to X-ray, and obtained the bolometric luminosity of $\rm L_{bol} \approx 1.9 \times 10^{43} ergs s^{-1}$, corresponding to an extremely low Eddington ratio (L/L$_{\rm Edd}$) of 4.97 $\times$ 10$^{-4}$. Our results confirm that the physical nature of the nucleus of NGC 315 is a low-luminosity AGN, consistent with the recent optical and {\it Chandra} X-ray observations.Comment: 4 pages, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Chaotic behavior of the Compound Nucleus, open Quantum Dots and other nanostructures

It is well established that physical systems exhibit both ordered and chaotic behavior. The chaotic behavior of nanostructure such as open quantum dots has been confirmed experimentally and discussed exhaustively theoretically. This is manifested through random fluctuations in the electronic conductance. What useful information can be extracted from this noise in the conductance? In this contribution we shall address this question. In particular, we will show that the average maxima density in the conductance is directly related to the correlation function whose characteristic width is a measure of energy- or applied magnetic field- correlation length. The idea behind the above has been originally discovered in the context of the atomic nucleus, a mesoscopic system. Our findings are directly applicable to graphene.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. Contribution to: "4th International Workshop on Compound-Nuclear Reactions and Related Topics (CNR*13)", October 7-11, 2013, Maresias, Brazil. To appear in the proceeding

Drag-compensated, precision-powered hinge system

The design of a high precision powered hinge is complicated by the unavoidable presence of parasitic drag torque resulting mainly from friction and transfer of power, signals, and fluids across the hinge. Regardless of the type of drive system selected, it is impossible to completely eliminate all parasitic drag. However, the mechanism described here comes very close to providing a drag free system. All sources of parasitic drag torque are collected on a shaft which is powered by an electric motor independent of the main hinge drive. Under control of a sensor, the electric motor applies a compensating torque equal to that of the parasitic drag torque, allowing the main hinge drive to operate in a practically drag free environment with very high positioning precision

Nondestructive ultrasonic measurement of bolt preload using the pulsed-phase locked-loop interferometer

Achieving accurate preload in threaded fasteners is an important and often critical problem which is encountered in nearly all sectors of government and industry. Conventional tensioning methods which rely on torque carry with them the disadvantage of requiring constant friction in the fastener in order to accurately correlate torque to preload. Since most of the applied torque typically overcomes friction rather than tensioning the fastener, small variations in friction can cause large variations in preload. An instrument called a pulsed phase locked loop interferometer, which was recently developed at NASA Langley, has found widespread use for measurement of stress as well as material properties. When used to measure bolt preload, this system detects changes in the fastener length and sound velocity which are independent of friction. The system is therefore capable of accurately establishing the correct change in bolt tension. This high resolution instrument has been used for precision measurement of preload in critical fasteners for numerous applications such as the space shuttle landing gear and helicopter main rotors

Spontaneous spatial fractal pattern formation in absorptive systems

We predict, for the first time to our knowledge, that purely-absorptive nonlinearity can support spontaneous spatial fractal pattern formation. A passive optical ring cavity with a thin slice of saturable absorber is analyzed. Linear stability analysis yields threshold curves for Turing (static) instabilities with features proposed as characteristics of potential fractal pattern formation. Numerical simulations of the fully-nonlinear dynamics, with both one and two transverse dimensions, confirm theoretical predictions

Ultrasonic calibration device

Device is an instrument for producing known changes in both acoustic absorption and phase velocity. Calibration signal arises from actual change of acoustic parameters, not from electrical simulation. Instrument is able to simulate changes in sensitivity enhancement achieved by use of ultrasonic resonators, which cannot be achieved using electrical calibration techniques

Survival Probability in a Random Velocity Field

The time dependence of the survival probability, S(t), is determined for diffusing particles in two dimensions which are also driven by a random unidirectional zero-mean velocity field, v_x(y). For a semi-infinite system with unbounded y and x>0, and with particle absorption at x=0, a qualitative argument is presented which indicates that S(t)~t^{-1/4}. This prediction is supported by numerical simulations. A heuristic argument is also given which suggests that the longitudinal probability distribution of the surviving particles has the scaling form P(x,t)~ t^{-1}u^{1/3}g(u). Here the scaling variable u is proportional to x/t^{3/4}, so that the overall time dependence of P(x,t) is proportional to t^{-5/4}, and the scaling function g(u) has the limiting dependences g(u) approaching a constant as u--->0 and g(u)~exp(-u^{4/3}) as u--->infinity. This argument also suggests an effective continuum equation of motion for the infinite system which reproduces the correct asymptotic longitudinal probability distribution.Comment: 6 pages, RevTeX, 5 figures includes, to be submitted to Phys. Rev.

Quantum interference and non-locality of independent photons from disparate sources

We quantitatively investigate the non-classicality and non-locality of a whole new class of mixed disparate quantum and semiquantum photon sources at the quantum-classical boundary. The latter include photon added thermal and photon added coherent sources, experimentally investigated recently by Zavatta et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 140406 (2009)]. The key quantity in our investigations is the visibility of the corresponding photon-photon correlation function. We present explicit results on the violations of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality - which is a measure of nonclassicality - as well as of Bell-type inequalities.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

The joys of permutation symmetry: direct measurements of entanglement

So-called direct measurements of entanglement are collective measurements on multiple copies of a (bipartite or multipartite) quantum system that directly provide one a value for some entanglement measure, such as the concurrence for bipartite states. Multiple copies are needed since the entanglement of a mixed state is not a linear function of the density matrix. Unfortunately, so far all experimental implementations of direct measurements made unverified assumptions about the form of the states, and, therefore, do not qualify as entanglement verification tests. I discuss how a direct measurement can be turned into a quantitative entanglement verification test by exploiting a recent theorem by Renner (R. Renner, Nature Physics 3, 645 (2007)).Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Dynamics of colloidal particles in ice

We use X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (XPCS) to probe the dynamics of colloidal particles in polycrystalline ice. During freezing, the dendritic ice morphology and rejection of particles from the ice created regions of high-particle-density, where some of the colloids were forced into contact and formed disordered aggregates. We find that the particles in these high density regions underwent ballistic motion coupled with both stretched and compressed exponential decays of the intensity autocorrelation function, and that the particles’ characteristic velocity increased with temperature. We explain this behavior in terms of ice grain boundary migration