Precision laser range finder system design for Advanced Technology Laboratory applications

Preliminary system design of a pulsed precision ruby laser rangefinder system is presented which has a potential range resolution of 0.4 cm when atmospheric effects are negligible. The system being proposed for flight testing on the advanced technology laboratory (ATL) consists of a modelocked ruby laser transmitter, course and vernier rangefinder receivers, optical beacon retroreflector tracking system, and a network of ATL tracking retroreflectors. Performance calculations indicate that spacecraft to ground ranging accuracies of 1 to 2 cm are possible

Electrodeposition of nanocrystalline Ni-Mo alloys from alkaline glycinate solutions

The induced electrodeposition of nanocrystalline Ni-Mo alloys was investigated using two different molar ratios of Ni:Mo in sodium glycinate solution at pH 9.3. The chemical nature of the Ni2+ and MoO4 2- in alkaline glycinate solution was studied using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The composition of the coating layer was determined using EDX. The crystallinity of electrodeposits was examined using XRD, whereas, the morphology and topography were investigated using SEM and AFM, respectively. The corrosion resistance of Ni-Mo alloys compared to pure Ni was studied in 3.5 % NaCl solution using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance techniques. Ni-Mo alloy electrodeposited from the solution containing [MoO4 2-]/[Ni2+] molar ratio of 0.2 show higher corrosion resistance compared to plating solutions of molar ratio 0.1 and pure Ni.NPRP Grant 4-306-2-111 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a Member of The Qatar Foundation).Scopu

Nanophase Magnetite and Pyrrhotite in ALH84001 Martian Meteorite: Evidence for an Abiotic Origin

The nanophase magnetite crystals in the black rims of pancake-shaped carbonate globules of the Martian meteorite ALH84001 have been studied extensively because of the claim by McKay et al.that they are biogenic in origin. A subpopulation of these magnetite crystals are reported to conform to a unique elongated shape called "truncated hexa-octahedral" or "THO" by Thomas-Keprta et al. They claim these THO magnetite crystals can only be produced by living bacteria thus forming a biomarker in the meteorite. In contrast, thermal decomposition of Fe-rich carbonate has been suggested as an alternate hypothesis for the elongated magnetite formation in ALH84001 carbonates. The experimental and observational evidence for the inorganic formation of nanophase magnetite and pyrrhotite in ALH84001 by decomposition of Fe-rich carbonate in the presence of pyrite are provided

Decay of Superconducting and Magnetic Correlations in One- and Two-Dimensional Hubbard Models

In a general class of one and two dimensional Hubbard models, we prove upper bounds for the two-point correlation functions at finite temperatures for electrons, for electron pairs, and for spins. The upper bounds decay exponentially in one dimension, and with power laws in two dimensions. The bounds rule out the possibility of the corresponding condensation of superconducting electron pairs, and of the corresponding magnetic ordering. Our method is general enough to cover other models such as the t-J model.Comment: LaTeX, 8 pages, no figures. A reference appeared after the publication is adde

Terrestrial impact melts as analogues for the hematization of Martian surface materials

Visible and near-IR reflectivity and Mossbauer data were obtained on powders of hydrothermally-altered impact melt sheets from West Clearwater Lake, Manicouagan, and Ries (Polsingen) impact structures. The data support previous interpretations that Martian bright regions spectra can be interpreted by a ferric-bearing phase that has a relatively featureless absorption edge together with some well-crystalline (bulk) hematite to account for the 860 nm hematite band. The data also show that bands at wavelengths longer than 900 nm, which are characteristic of Martian dark regions, occur when both hematite and pyroxene are present. It thus follows that hematization of Mars can be attributed, at least in part, to hydrothermal alterations of impact melt sheets. Impact heating could also form bulk-Hm from nanophase ferric oxides

Corrections to the universal behavior of the Coulomb-blockade peak splitting for quantum dots separated by a finite barrier

Building upon earlier work on the relation between the dimensionless interdot channel conductance g and the fractional Coulomb-blockade peak splitting f for two electrostatically equivalent dots, we calculate the leading correction that results from an interdot tunneling barrier that is not a delta-function but, rather, has a finite height V and a nonzero width xi and can be approximated as parabolic near its peak. We develop a new treatment of the problem for g much less than 1 that starts from the single-particle eigenstates for the full coupled-dot system. The finiteness of the barrier leads to a small upward shift of the f-versus-g curve at small values of g. The shift is a consequence of the fact that the tunneling matrix elements vary exponentially with the energies of the states connected. Therefore, when g is small, it can pay to tunnel to intermediate states with single-particle energies above the barrier height V. The correction to the zero-width behavior does not affect agreement with recent experimental results but may be important in future experiments.Comment: Title changed from ``Non-universal...'' to ``Corrections to the universal...'' No other changes. 10 pages, 1 RevTeX file with 2 postscript figures included using eps

Lepidocrocite to Maghemite to Hematite: A way to have Magnetic and Hematitic Martian Soil

We examined decomposition products of lepidocrocite, which were produced by heating the phase in air at temperatures up to 525 C for 3 and 300 hr, by XRD, TEM, magnetic methods, and reflectance spectroscopy (visible and near-IR). Single-crystal lepidocrocite particles dehydroxilated to polycrystalline particles of disordered maghemite which subsequently transformed to polycrystalline particles of hematite. Essentially pure maghemite was obtained at 265 and 223 C for the 3 and 300 hr heating experiments, respectively. Its saturation magnetization (J(sub s)) and mass specific susceptibility are approximately 50 A(sq m)/kg and approximately 40 cubic micrometers/kg, respectively. Because hematite is spectrally dominant, spectrally-hematitic samples (i.e., characterized bv a minimum near 860 nm and a maximum near 750 nm) could also be strongly magnetic (J(sub s) up to approximately 30 A(sq m)/kg) from the masked maghemite component. TEM analyses showed that individual particles are polycrystalline with respect to both maghemite and hematite. The spectrally-hematitic and magnetic Mh+Hm particles can satisfy the spectral and magnetic constraints for Martian surface materials over a wide range of values of Mh/(Mh+Hm) and as either pure oxide powders or (within limits) as components of multiphase particles. These experiments are consistent with lepidocrocite as the precursor of Mh+Hm assemblages on Mars, but other phases (e.g., magnetite) that decompose to Mh and Hm are also possible precursors. Simulations done with a copy of the Mars Pathfinder Magnet Array showed that spectrally hematitic Mh+Hm powders having J(sub s) equal to 20.6 A(sq m)/kg adhered to all five magnets

High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) of nanophase ferric oxides

Iron oxide minerals are the prime candidates for Fe(III) signatures in remotely sensed Martian surface spectra. Magnetic, Mossbauer, and reflectance spectroscopy have been carried out in the laboratory in order to understand the mineralogical nature of Martian analog ferric oxide minerals of submicron or nanometer size range. Out of the iron oxide minerals studied, nanometer sized ferric oxides are promising candidates for possible Martian spectral analogs. 'Nanophase ferric oxide (np-Ox)' is a generic term for ferric oxide/oxihydroxide particles having nanoscale (less than 10 nm) particle dimensions. Ferrihydrite, superparamagnetic particles of hematite, maghemite and goethite, and nanometer sized particles of inherently paramagnetic lepidocrocite are all examples of nanophase ferric oxides. np-Ox particles in general do not give X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns with well defined peaks and would often be classified as X-ray amorphous. Therefore, different np-Oxs preparations should be characterized using a more sensitive technique e.g., high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The purpose of this study is to report the particle size, morphology and crystalline order, of five np-Ox samples by HRTEM imaging and electron diffraction (ED)

A general moment NRIXS approach to the determination of equilibrium Fe isotopic fractionation factors: application to goethite and jarosite

We measured the reduced partition function ratios for iron isotopes in goethite FeO(OH), potassium-jarosite KFe3(SO4)2(OH)6, and hydronium-jarosite (H3O)Fe3(SO4)2(OH)6, by Nuclear Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering (NRIXS, also known as Nuclear Resonance Vibrational Spectroscopy -NRVS- or Nuclear Inelastic Scattering -NIS) at the Advanced Photon Source. These measurements were made on synthetic minerals enriched in 57Fe. A new method (i.e., the general moment approach) is presented to calculate {\beta}-factors from the moments of the NRIXS spectrum S(E). The first term in the moment expansion controls iron isotopic fractionation at high temperature and corresponds to the mean force constant of the iron bonds, a quantity that is readily measured and often reported in NRIXS studies.Comment: 38 pages, 2 tables, 8 figures. In press at Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. Appendix C contains new derivations relating the moments of the iron PDOS to the moments of the excitation probability function measured in Nuclear Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scatterin

Thermal and Evolved Gas Analysis of Geologic Samples Containing Organic Materials: Implications for the 2007 Mars Phoenix Scout Mission

The Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) instrument scheduled to fly onboard the 2007 Mars Phoenix Scout Mission will perform differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and evolved gas analysis (EGA) of soil samples and ice collected from the surface and subsurface at a northern landing site on Mars. We have been developing a sample characterization data library using a laboratory DSC integrated with a quadrupole mass spectrometer to support the interpretations of TEGA data returned during the mission. The laboratory TEGA test-bed instrument has been modified to operate under conditions similar to TEGA, i.e., reduced pressure (e.g., 100 torr) and reduced carrier gas flow rates. We have previously developed a TEGA data library for a variety of volatile-bearing mineral phases, including Fe-oxyhydroxides, phyllosilicates, carbonates, and sulfates. Here we examine the thermal and evolved gas properties of samples that contain organics. One of the primary objectives of the Phoenix Scout Mission is to search for habitable zones by assessing organic or biologically interesting materials in icy soil. Nitrogen is currently the carrier gas that will be used for TEGA. In this study, we examine two possible modes of detecting organics in geologic samples; i.e., pyrolysis using N2 as the carrier gas and combustion using O2 as the carrier gas