The first super-Earth Detection from the High Cadence and High Radial Velocity Precision Dharma Planet Survey

The Dharma Planet Survey (DPS) aims to monitor about 150 nearby very bright FGKM dwarfs (within 50 pc) during 2016$-$2020 for low-mass planet detection and characterization using the TOU very high resolution optical spectrograph (R$\approx$100,000, 380-900nm). TOU was initially mounted to the 2-m Automatic Spectroscopic Telescope at Fairborn Observatory in 2013-2015 to conduct a pilot survey, then moved to the dedicated 50-inch automatic telescope on Mt. Lemmon in 2016 to launch the survey. Here we report the first planet detection from DPS, a super-Earth candidate orbiting a bright K dwarf star, HD 26965. It is the second brightest star ($V=4.4$ mag) on the sky with a super-Earth candidate. The planet candidate has a mass of 8.47$\pm0.47M_{\rm Earth}$, period of $42.38\pm0.01$ d, and eccentricity of $0.04^{+0.05}_{-0.03}$. This RV signal was independently detected by Diaz et al. (2018), but they could not confirm if the signal is from a planet or from stellar activity. The orbital period of the planet is close to the rotation period of the star (39$-$44.5 d) measured from stellar activity indicators. Our high precision photometric campaign and line bisector analysis of this star do not find any significant variations at the orbital period. Stellar RV jitters modeled from star spots and convection inhibition are also not strong enough to explain the RV signal detected. After further comparing RV data from the star's active magnetic phase and quiet magnetic phase, we conclude that the RV signal is due to planetary-reflex motion and not stellar activity.Comment: 13 pages, 17 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRA

The first super-Earth detection from the high cadence and high radial velocity precision Dharma Planet Survey

The Dharma Planet Survey (DPS) aims to monitor about 150 nearby very bright FGKM dwarfs (within 50 pc) during 2016–2020 for low-mass planet detection and characterization using the TOU very high resolution optical spectrograph (⁠R≈100000⁠, 380–900 nm). TOU was initially mounted to the 2-m Automatic Spectroscopic Telescope at Fairborn Observatory in 2013–2015 to conduct a pilot survey, then moved to the dedicated 50-inch automatic telescope on Mt. Lemmon in 2016 to launch the survey. Here, we report the first planet detection from DPS, a super-Earth candidate orbiting a bright K dwarf star, HD 26965. It is the second brightest star (V = 4.4 mag) on the sky with a super-Earth candidate. The planet candidate has a mass of 8.47 ± 0.47MEarth, period of 42.38 ± 0.01 d, and eccentricity of 0.04+0.05−0.03⁠. This radial velocity (RV) signal was independently detected by Díaz et al., but they could not confirm if the signal is from a planet or stellar activity. The orbital period of the planet is close to the rotation period of the star (39–44.5 d) measured from stellar activity indicators. Our high precision photometric campaign and line bisector analysis of this star do not find any significant variations at the orbital period. Stellar RV jitters modelled from star-spots and convection inhibition are also not strong enough to explain the RV signal detected. After further comparing RV data from the star’s active magnetic phase and quiet magnetic phase, we conclude that the RV signal is due to planetary-reflex motion and not stellar activity

Visual adaptation enhances action sound discrimination

Prolonged exposure, or adaptation, to a stimulus in one modality can bias, but also enhance, perception of a subsequent stimulus presented within the same modality. However, recent research has also found that adaptation in one modality can bias perception in another modality. Here we show a novel crossmodal adaptation effect, where adaptation to a visual stimulus enhances subsequent auditory perception. We found that when compared to no adaptation, prior adaptation to visual, auditory or audiovisual hand actions enhanced discrimination between two subsequently presented hand action sounds. Discrimination was most enhanced when the visual action ‘matched’ the auditory action. In addition, prior adaptation to a visual, auditory or audiovisual action caused subsequent ambiguous action sounds to be perceived as less like the adaptor. In contrast, these crossmodal action aftereffects were not generated by adaptation to the names of actions. Enhanced crossmodal discrimination and crossmodal perceptual aftereffects may result from separate mechanisms operating in audiovisual action sensitive neurons within perceptual systems. Adaptation induced crossmodal enhancements cannot be explained by post-perceptual responses or decisions. More generally, these results together indicate that adaptation is a ubiquitous mechanism for optimizing perceptual processing of multisensory stimuli

A biogeographical appraisal of the threatened South East Africa Montane Archipelago ecoregion

Recent biological surveys of ancient inselbergs in southern Malawi and northern Mozambique have led to the discovery and description of many species new to science, and overlapping centres of endemism across multiple taxa. Combining these endemic taxa with data on geology and climate, we propose the ‘South East Africa Montane Archipelago’ (SEAMA) as a distinct ecoregion of global biological importance. The ecoregion encompasses 30 granitic inselbergs reaching > 1000 m above sea level, hosting the largest (Mt Mabu) and smallest (Mt Lico) mid-elevation rainforests in southern Africa, as well as biologically unique montane grasslands. Endemic taxa include 127 plants, 45 vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) and 45 invertebrate species (butterflies, freshwater crabs), and two endemic genera of plants and reptiles. Existing dated phylogenies of endemic animal lineages suggests this endemism arose from divergence events coinciding with repeated isolation of these mountains from the pan-African forests, together with the mountains’ great age and relative climatic stability. Since 2000, the SEAMA has lost 18% of its primary humid forest cover (up to 43% in some sites)—one of the highest deforestation rates in Africa. Urgently rectifying this situation, while addressing the resource needs of local communities, is a global priority for biodiversity conservation

Optimum microchannel plate (MCP) configuration for use in high-speed, high-resolution x-ray imaging

Microchannel plates (MCPs) are incorporated in a wide variety of x-ray imaging and detection devices. Experimental measurements are presented in this paper which are used to determine the MCP and phosphor configuration for optimizing spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and gain in an x-ray framing camera. We investigate with the use of pulsed electron accelerating voltages to attain extraction fields higher than those possible at safe DC levels. In addition, MCPs with exit faces coated with an insulating material, in order to increase the maximum safe DC electron extraction field, were also tested

Ultrafast semiconductor laser-diode-seeded Cr: LiSAF regenerative amplifier system

An ultrafast, hybrid mode-locked semiconductor laser-diode system has been used to seed a flash-lamppumped Cr:LiSAF regenerative amplifier system, producing subpicosecond pulses with millijoule output pulse energy. This system has the potential to eliminate argon-ion-pumped-based, ultrafast laser systems. © 1997 Optical Society of America

Kev X-Ray Imaging Of A Fs Laser Plasma With A Spherically Curved Crystal

Images of a 130fs laser produced Ta-plasma were obtained with a spherically curved Mica crystal in four narrow spectral bands simultaneously. These are to our knowledge the first published x-ray images of a fs plasma. Also Mica was used for the first time as the imaging crystal. The resolved plasma size in the experiment (50 μm · 90 μm) agrees with ray-tracing calculations and corresponds to the actual source size in our current setup. The four spectral bands of imaging are due to the strong Mica reflectivity in higher Bragg diffraction orders. All contributing bands have an energy higher than 1keV. Several laser shots were accumulated to achieve the required flux on the detector. Source spectroscopy was conducted to verify the source emission and the plasma density during the interaction with the 130fs laser pulse. Based on our experimental data the luminosity of crystal imaging is compared to a pinhole camera

X-Ray Flash Microprobing Of Structural Dynamics In Exploding Crystals

We describe a new technique for investigating transient structural changes in solid materials involving short pulses of hard x-rays emitted by laser produced plasmas. Using a subpicosecond terawatt scale laser system, this technique promises to be simple and broadly applicable to both single-crystal and polycrystalline samples of thickness up to millimeters and mean atomic number up to approximately 30. Spatial resolutions of order 10 μm should be possible. Of particular interest are the so-called energetic materials, chemical high explosives, whose initiation and reaction dynamics in relation to physical microstructure are poorly known