Optically induced free carrier light modulator

Signal carrier laser beam is optically modulated by a second laser beam of different frequency acting on a free carrier source to which the signal carrier laser is directed. The second laser beam affects the transmission characteristics of the free carrier source to light from the signal carrier laser, thus modulating it

Method and apparatus for optical modulating a light signal Patent

Method and apparatus for optically modulating light or microwave bea

Macroscopic equations for the adiabatic piston

A simplified version of a classical problem in thermodynamics -- the adiabatic piston -- is discussed in the framework of kinetic theory. We consider the limit of gases whose relaxation time is extremely fast so that the gases contained on the left and right chambers of the piston are always in equilibrium (that is the molecules are uniformly distributed and their velocities obey the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution) after any collision with the piston. Then by using kinetic theory we derive the collision statistics from which we obtain a set of ordinary differential equations for the evolution of the macroscopic observables (namely the piston average velocity and position, the velocity variance and the temperatures of the two compartments). The dynamics of these equations is compared with simulations of an ideal gas and a microscopic model of gas settled to verify the assumptions used in the derivation. We show that the equations predict an evolution for the macroscopic variables which catches the basic features of the problem. The results here presented recover those derived, using a different approach, by Gruber, Pache and Lesne in J. Stat. Phys. 108, 669 (2002) and 112, 1177 (2003).Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures (revTeX4) The paper has been completely rewritten with new derivation and results, supplementary information can be found at http://denali.phys.uniroma1.it/~cencini/Papers/cppv07_supplements.pd

EarthN: A new Earth System Nitrogen Model

The amount of nitrogen in the atmosphere, oceans, crust, and mantle have important ramifications for Earth's biologic and geologic history. Despite this importance, the history and cycling of nitrogen in the Earth system is poorly constrained over time. For example, various models and proxies contrastingly support atmospheric mass stasis, net outgassing, or net ingassing over time. In addition, the amount available to and processing of nitrogen by organisms is intricately linked with and provides feedbacks on oxygen and nutrient cycles. To investigate the Earth system nitrogen cycle over geologic history, we have constructed a new nitrogen cycle model: EarthN. This model is driven by mantle cooling, links biologic nitrogen cycling to phosphate and oxygen, and incorporates geologic and biologic fluxes. Model output is consistent with large (2-4x) changes in atmospheric mass over time, typically indicating atmospheric drawdown and nitrogen sequestration into the mantle and continental crust. Critical controls on nitrogen distribution include mantle cooling history, weathering, and the total Bulk Silicate Earth+atmosphere nitrogen budget. Linking the nitrogen cycle to phosphorous and oxygen levels, instead of carbon as has been previously done, provides new and more dynamic insight into the history of nitrogen on the planet.Comment: 36 pages, 12 figure

The Use of Gamma-ray Bursts as Direction and Time Markers in SETI Strategies

When transmitting a signal over a large distance it is more efficient to send a brief beamed signal than a continuous omni-directional transmission but this requires that the receiver knows where and when to look for the transmission. For SETI, the use of various natural phenomena has previously been suggested to achieve the desired synchronization. Here it is proposed that gamma-ray bursts may well the best ``synchronizers'' of all currently known phenomena due to their large intrinsic luminosities, high occurrence rate, isotropic sky distribution, large distance from the Galaxy, short duration, and easy detectability. For targeted searches, precise positions for gamma-ray bursts are required together with precise distance measurements to a target star. The required burst position determinations are now starting to be obtained, aided in large part by the discovery of optical afterglows. Good distance measurements are currently available from Hipparcos and even better measurements should be provided by spacecraft now being developed. For non-targeted searches, positional accuracies simply better than a detector's field of view may suffice but the time delay between the detection of a gamma-ray burst and the reception of the transmitted signal cannot be predicted in an obvious way.Comment: 8 pages, accepted for publication in PAS

Segregation and charge-density-wave order in the spinless Falicov-Kimball model

The spinless Falicov-Kimball model is solved exactly in the limit of infinite-dimensions on both the hypercubic and Bethe lattices. The competition between segregation, which is present for large U, and charge-density-wave order, which is prevalent at moderate U, is examined in detail. We find a rich phase diagram which displays both of these phases. The model also shows nonanalytic behavior in the charge-density-wave transition temperature when U is large enough to generate a correlation-induced gap in the single-particle density of states.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure

A Robust Iterative Unfolding Method for Signal Processing

There is a well-known series expansion (Neumann series) in functional analysis for perturbative inversion of specific operators on Banach spaces. However, operators that appear in signal processing (e.g. folding and convolution of probability density functions), in general, do not satisfy the usual convergence condition of that series expansion. This article provides some theorems on the convergence criteria of a similar series expansion for this more general case, which is not covered yet by the literature. The main result is that a series expansion provides a robust unbiased unfolding and deconvolution method. For the case of the deconvolution, such a series expansion can always be applied, and the method always recovers the maximum possible information about the initial probability density function, thus the method is optimal in this sense. A very significant advantage of the presented method is that one does not have to introduce ad hoc frequency regulations etc., as in the case of usual naive deconvolution methods. For the case of general unfolding problems, we present a computer-testable sufficient condition for the convergence of the series expansion in question. Some test examples and physics applications are also given. The most important physics example shall be (which originally motivated our survey on this topic) the case of pi^0 --> gamma+gamma particle decay: we show that one can recover the initial pi^0 momentum density function form the measured single gamma momentum density function by our series expansion.Comment: 23 pages, 9 figure

Observing biogeochemical cycles at global scales with profiling floats and gliders: prospects for a global array

Chemical and biological sensor technologies have advanced rapidly in the past five years. Sensors that require low power and operate for multiple years are now available for oxygen, nitrate, and a variety of bio-optical properties that serve as proxies for important components of the carbon cycle (e.g., particulate organic carbon). These sensors have all been deployed successfully for long periods, in some cases more than three years, on platforms such as profiling floats or gliders. Technologies for pH, pCO2, and particulate inorganic carbon are maturing rapidly as well. These sensors could serve as the enabling technology for a global biogeochemical observing system that might operate on a scale comparable to the current Argo array. Here, we review the scientific motivation and the prospects for a global observing system for ocean biogeochemistry