Upgrade to the SHARP EUV mask microscope

The Sharp High-NA Actinic Reticle review Project (SHARP) is a synchrotron-based, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) microscope dedicated to photomask research. A potential upgrade to the SHARP microscope is presented. The upgrade includes changing the light path in the instrument from its current off-Axis configuration to an on-Axis configuration. This change allows for an increased working distance of 2.5 mm or more. A central obscuration, added to the zoneplate aperture, blocks stray light from reaching the central part of the image, thus improving the image contrast. The imaging performance of the two configurations is evaluated by means of ray tracing

Lunar contour mapping system /lucom/ final report, 5 aug. 1964 - 18 mar. 1965

Radar sensor system for acquisition of lunar surface data - Lunar contour mapping syste

Properties of Nucleon Resonances by means of a Genetic Algorithm

We present an optimization scheme that employs a Genetic Algorithm (GA) to determine the properties of low-lying nucleon excitations within a realistic photo-pion production model based upon an effective Lagrangian. We show that with this modern optimization technique it is possible to reliably assess the parameters of the resonances and the associated error bars as well as to identify weaknesses in the models. To illustrate the problems the optimization process may encounter, we provide results obtained for the nucleon resonances $\Delta$(1230) and $\Delta$(1700). The former can be easily isolated and thus has been studied in depth, while the latter is not as well known experimentally.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables. Minor correction

CMB Lensing Reconstruction on the Full Sky

Gravitational lensing of the microwave background by the intervening dark matter mainly arises from large-angle fluctuations in the projected gravitational potential and hence offers a unique opportunity to study the physics of the dark sector at large scales. Studies with surveys that cover greater than a percent of the sky will require techniques that incorporate the curvature of the sky. We lay the groundwork for these studies by deriving the full sky minimum variance quadratic estimators of the lensing potential from the CMB temperature and polarization fields. We also present a general technique for constructing these estimators, with harmonic space convolutions replaced by real space products, that is appropriate for both the full sky limit and the flat sky approximation. This also extends previous treatments to include estimators involving the temperature-polarization cross-correlation and should be useful for next generation experiments in which most of the additional information from polarization comes from this channel due to sensitivity limitations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D; typos correcte

Techniques for the realization of ultrareliable spaceborne computers Interim scientific report

Error-free ultrareliable spaceborne computer

General relativity on a null surface: Hamiltonian formulation in the teleparallel geometry

The Hamiltonian formulation of general relativity on a null surface is established in the teleparallel geometry. No particular gauge conditons on the tetrads are imposed, such as the time gauge condition. By means of a 3+1 decomposition the resulting Hamiltonian arises as a completely constrained system. However, it is structurally different from the the standard Arnowitt-Deser-Misner (ADM) type formulation. In this geometrical framework the basic field quantities are tetrads that transform under the global SO(3,1) and the torsion tensor.Comment: 15 pages, Latex, no figures, to appear in the Gen. Rel. Gra

Dispersive estimates for Schrodinger operators in dimensions one and three

We prove L^1 --> L^\infty estimates for linear Schroedinger equations in dimensions one and three. The potentials are only required to satisfy some mild decay assumptions. No regularity on the potentials is assumed.Comment: 20 pages. Corrected typos and improved explanatory remarks at the en

Surface criticality in random field magnets

The boundary-induced scaling of three-dimensional random field Ising magnets is investigated close to the bulk critical point by exact combinatorial optimization methods. We measure several exponents describing surface criticality: $\beta_1$ for the surface layer magnetization and the surface excess exponents for the magnetization and the specific heat, $\beta_s$ and $\alpha_s$. The latter ones are related to the bulk phase transition by the same scaling laws as in pure systems, but only with the same violation of hyperscaling exponent $\theta$ as in the bulk. The boundary disorders faster than the bulk, and the experimental and theoretical implications are discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 9 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Geometry of weak lensing of CMB polarization

Hu [Phys. Rev. D62 (2000) 043007] has presented a harmonic-space method for calculating the effects of weak gravitational lensing on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) over the full sky. Computing the lensed power spectra to first order in the deflection power requires one to formulate the lensing displacement beyond the tangent-space approximation. We point out that for CMB polarization this displacement must undergo geometric corrections on the spherical sky to maintain statistical isotropy of the lensed fields. Although not discussed by Hu, these geometric effects are implicit in his analysis. However, there they are hidden by an overly-compact notation that is both unconventional and rather confusing. Here we aim to ameliorate this deficiency by providing a rigorous derivation of the lensed spherical power spectra.Comment: 3 page

Cosmology from String Theory

We explore the cosmological content of Salam-Sezgin six dimensional supergravity, and find a solution to the field equations in qualitative agreement with observation of distant supernovae, primordial nucleosynthesis abundances, and recent measurements of the cosmic microwave background. The carrier of the acceleration in the present de Sitter epoch is a quintessence field slowly rolling down its exponential potential. Intrinsic to this model is a second modulus which is automatically stabilized and acts as a source of cold dark matter with a mass proportional to an exponential function of the quintessence field (hence realizing VAMP models within a String context). However, any attempt to saturate the present cold dark matter component in this manner leads to unacceptable deviations from cosmological data -- a numerical study reveals that this source can account for up to about 7% of the total cold dark matter budget. We also show that (1) the model will support a de Sitter energy in agreement with observation at the expense of a miniscule breaking of supersymmetry in the compact space; (2) variations in the fine structure constant are controlled by the stabilized modulus and are negligible; (3) ``fifth''forces are carried by the stabilized modulus and are short range; (4) the long time behavior of the model in four dimensions is that of a Robertson-Walker universe with a constant expansion rate (w = -1/3). Finally, we present a String theory background by lifting our six dimensional cosmological solution to ten dimensions.Comment: Version to be published in Physical Review