6,634 research outputs found
Method and apparatus for optical modulating a light signal Patent
Method and apparatus for optically modulating light or microwave bea
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
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
Brief for the Appellant, State of Rocky Mountain: Thirteenth Annual Pace National Environmental Moot Court Competition
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
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
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
Relaxation of Surface Profiles by Evaporation Dynamics
We present simulations of the relaxation towards equilibrium of one
dimensional steps and sinusoidal grooves imprinted on a surface below its
roughening transition. We use a generalization of the hypercube stacking model
of Forrest and Tang, that allows for temperature dependent
next-nearest-neighbor interactions. For the step geometry the results at T=0
agree well with the t^(1/4) prediction of continuum theory for the spreading of
the step. In the case of periodic profiles we modify the mobility for the tips
of the profile and find the approximate solution of the resulting free boundary
problem to be in reasonable agreement with the T=0 simulations.Comment: 6 pages, Revtex, 5 Postscript figures, to appear in PRB 15, October
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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
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