405 research outputs found
Crowded-Field Astrometry with the Space Interferometry Mission - I. Estimating the Single-Measurement Astrometric Bias Arising from Confusion
The accuracy of position measurements on stellar targets with the future
Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) will be limited not only by photon noise and
by the properties of the instrument (design, stability, etc.) and the overall
measurement program (observing strategy, reduction methods, etc.), but also by
the presence of other "confusing" stars in the field of view (FOV). We use a
simple "phasor" model as an aid to understanding the main effects of this
"confusion bias" in single observations with SIM. This analytic model has been
implemented numerically in a computer code and applied to a selection of
typical SIM target fields drawn from some of the Key Projects already accepted
for the Mission. We expect that less than 1% of all SIM targets will be
vulnerable to confusion bias; we show that for the present SIM design,
confusion may be a concern if the surface density of field stars exceeds 0.4
star/arcsec^2. We have developed a software tool as an aid to ascertaining the
possible presence of confusion bias in single observations of any arbitrary
field. Some a priori knowledge of the locations and spectral energy
distributions of the few brightest stars in the FOV is helpful in establishing
the possible presence of confusion bias, but the information is in general not
likely to be available with sufficient accuracy to permit its removal. We
discuss several ways of reducing the likelihood of confusion bias in crowded
fields. Finally, several limitations of the present semi-analytic approach are
reviewed, and their effects on the present results are estimated. The simple
model presented here provides a good physical understanding of how confusion
arises in a single SIM observation, and has sufficient precision to establish
the likelihood of a bias in most cases.Comment: 28 pages, 20 figures, 1 table; to appear in December 2007 issue of
PAS
Atmospheric radiation model for water surfaces
An atmospheric correction model was extended to account for various atmospheric radiation components in remotely sensed data. Components such as the atmospheric path radiance which results from singly scattered sky radiation specularly reflected by the water surface are considered. A component which is referred to as the virtual Sun path radiance, i.e. the singly scattered path radiance which results from the solar radiation which is specularly reflected by the water surface is also considered. These atmospheric radiation components are coded into a computer program for the analysis of multispectral remote sensor data over the Great Lakes of the United States. The user must know certain parameters, such as the visibility or spectral optical thickness of the atmosphere and the geometry of the sensor with respect to the Sun and the target elements under investigation
A Networks-Science Investigation into the Epic Poems of Ossian
In 1760 James Macpherson published the first volume of a series of epic poems
which he claimed to have translated into English from ancient Scottish-Gaelic
sources. The poems, which purported to have been composed by a third-century
bard named Ossian, quickly achieved wide international acclaim. They invited
comparisons with major works of the epic tradition, including Homer's Iliad and
Odyssey, and effected a profound influence on the emergent Romantic period in
literature and the arts. However, the work also provoked one of the most famous
literary controversies of all time, colouring the reception of the poetry to
this day. The authenticity of the poems was questioned by some scholars, while
others protested that they misappropriated material from Irish mythological
sources. Recent years have seen a growing critical interest in Ossian,
initiated by revisionist and counter-revisionist scholarship and by the
two-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of the first collected edition of the
poems in 1765. Here we investigate Ossian from a networks-science point of
view. We compare the connectivity structures underlying the societies described
in the Ossianic narratives with those of ancient Greek and Irish sources.
Despite attempts, from the outset, to position Ossian alongside the Homeric
epics and to distance it from Irish sources, our results indicate significant
network-structural differences between Macpherson's text and those of Homer.
They also show a strong similarity between Ossianic networks and those of the
narratives known as Acallam na Sen\'orach (Colloquy of the Ancients) from the
Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology.Comment: Accepted for publication in Advances in Complex system
Polarization selection rules for inter-Landau level transitions in epitaxial graphene revealed by infrared optical Hall effect
We report on polarization selection rules of inter-Landau level transitions
using reflection-type optical Hall effect measurements from 600 to 4000 cm-1 on
epitaxial graphene grown by thermal decomposition of silicon carbide. We
observe symmetric and anti-symmetric signatures in our data due to polarization
preserving and polarization mixing inter-Landau level transitions,
respectively. From field-dependent measurements we identify that transitions in
decoupled graphene mono-layers are governed by polarization mixing selection
rules, whereas transitions in coupled graphene mono-layers are governed by
polarization preserving selection rules. The selection rules may find
explanation by different coupling mechanisms of inter-Landau level transitions
with free charge carrier magneto-optic plasma oscillations
Development and characterization of positively selected brain-adapted SIV
HIV is found in the brains of most infected individuals but only 30% develop neurological disease. Both viral and host factors are thought to contribute to the motor and cognitive disorders resulting from HIV infection. Here, using the SIV/rhesus monkey system, we characterize the salient characteristics of the virus from the brain of animals with neuropathological disorders. Nine unique molecular clones of SIV were derived from virus released by microglia cultured from the brains of two macaques with SIV encephalitis. Sequence analysis revealed a remarkably high level of similarity between their env and nef genes as well as their 3' LTR. As this genotype was found in the brains of two separate animals, and it encoded a set of distinct amino acid changes from the infecting virus, it demonstrates the convergent evolution of the virus to a unique brain-adapted genotype. This genotype was distinct from other macrophage-tropic and neurovirulent strains of SIV. Functional characterization of virus derived from representative clones showed a robust in vitro infection of 174xCEM cells, primary macrophages and primary microglia. The infectious phenotype of this virus is distinct from that shown by other strains of SIV, potentially reflecting the method by which the virus successfully infiltrates and infects the CNS. Positive in vivo selection of a brain-adapted strain of SIV resulted in a near-homogeneous strain of virus with distinct properties that may give clues to the viral basis of neuroAIDS
Synchronous imaging for rapid visualization of complex vibration profiles in electromechanical microresonators
Synchronous imaging is used in dynamic space-domain vibration profile studies
of capacitively driven, thin n+ doped poly-silicon microbridges oscillating at
rf frequencies. Fast and high-resolution actuation profile measurements of
micromachined resonators are useful when significant device nonlinearities are
present. For example, bridges under compressive stress near the critical Euler
value often reveal complex dynamics stemming from a state close to the onset of
buckling. This leads to enhanced sensitivity of the vibration modes to external
conditions, such as pressure, temperatures, and chemical composition, the
global behavior of which is conveniently evaluated using synchronous imaging
combined with spectral measurements. We performed an experimental study of the
effects of high drive amplitude and ambient pressure on the resonant vibration
profiles in electrically-driven microbridges near critical buckling. Numerical
analysis of electrostatically driven post-buckled microbridges supports the
richness of complex vibration dynamics that are possible in such
micro-electromechanical devices.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure, submitted to Physical Review
Vertical conduction properties of few-layer epitaxial graphene / n-type 4H-SiC heterojunctions at cryogenic temperatures
Vertical diodes of epitaxial graphene on n 4H-SiC were investigated. The graphene Raman spectraexhibited a higher intensity in the G-line than the 2D-line, indicative of a few-layer graphene film.Rectifying properties improved at low temperatures as the reverse leakage decreased over six ordersof magnitude without freeze-out in either material. Carrier concentration of 10 16 cm 3in the SiCremained stable down to 15 K, while accumulation charge decreased and depletion width increasedin forward bias. The low barrier height of 0.08 eV and absence of recombination-induced emissionindicated majority carrier field emission as the dominant conduction mechanism
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