11,566 research outputs found
Electromagnetic multipole theory for optical nanomaterials
Optical properties of natural or designed materials are determined by the
electromagnetic multipole moments that light can excite in the constituent
particles. In this work we present an approach to calculate the multipole
excitations in arbitrary arrays of nanoscatterers in a dielectric host medium.
We introduce a simple and illustrative multipole decomposition of the electric
currents excited in the scatterers and link this decomposition to the classical
multipole expansion of the scattered field. In particular, we find that
completely different multipoles can produce identical scattered fields. The
presented multipole theory can be used as a basis for the design and
characterization of optical nanomaterials
Temperature dependence of instantons in QCD
We investigate the temperature dependence of the instanton contents of gluon
fields, using unquenched lattice QCD and the cooling method. The instanton size
parameter deduced from the correlation function decreases from 0.44fm below the
phase-transition temperature (MeV) to 0.33fm at 1.3 .
The instanton charge distribution is Poissonian above , but it deviates
from the convoluted Poisson at low temperature. The topological susceptibility
decreases rapidly below , showing the apparent restoration of the
symmetry already at .Comment: 8 pages TEX, 3 Postscript figures available at
http://www.krl.caltech.edu/preprints/MAP.htm
Achromatizing a liquid-crystal spectropolarimeter: Retardance vs Stokes-based calibration of HiVIS
Astronomical spectropolarimeters can be subject to many sources of systematic
error which limit the precision and accuracy of the instrument. We present a
calibration method for observing high-resolution polarized spectra using
chromatic liquid-crystal variable retarders (LCVRs). These LCVRs allow for
polarimetric modulation of the incident light without any moving optics at
frequencies >10Hz. We demonstrate a calibration method using pure Stokes input
states that enables an achromatization of the system. This Stokes-based
deprojection method reproduces input polarization even though highly chromatic
instrument effects exist. This process is first demonstrated in a laboratory
spectropolarimeter where we characterize the LCVRs and show example
deprojections. The process is then implemented the a newly upgraded HiVIS
spectropolarimeter on the 3.67m AEOS telescope. The HiVIS spectropolarimeter
has also been expanded to include broad-band full-Stokes spectropolarimetry
using achromatic wave-plates in addition to the tunable full-Stokes
polarimetric mode using LCVRs. These two new polarimetric modes in combination
with a new polarimetric calibration unit provide a much more sensitive
polarimetric package with greatly reduced systematic error.Comment: Accepted in PAS
Application of ERTS-1 imagery to state wide land information system in Minnesota
There are no author-identified significant results in this report
T Pyxidis: The First Cataclysmic Variable with a Collimated Jet
We present the first observational evidence for a collimated jet in a
cataclysmic variable system; the recurrent nova T Pyxidis. Optical spectra show
bipolar components of H with velocities , very similar
to those observed in the supersoft X-ray sources and in SS 433. We argue that a
key ingredient of the formation of jets in the supersoft X-ray sources and T
Pyx (in addition to an accretion disk threaded by a vertical magnetic field),
is the presence of nuclear burning on the surface of the white dwarf.Comment: 10 pages 2 figures to appear in ApJ Letter
Recovery of Large Angular Scale CMB Polarization for Instruments Employing Variable-delay Polarization Modulators
Variable-delay Polarization Modulators (VPMs) are currently being implemented
in experiments designed to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave
background on large angular scales because of their capability for providing
rapid, front-end polarization modulation and control over systematic errors.
Despite the advantages provided by the VPM, it is important to identify and
mitigate any time-varying effects that leak into the synchronously modulated
component of the signal. In this paper, the effect of emission from a K
VPM on the system performance is considered and addressed. Though instrument
design can greatly reduce the influence of modulated VPM emission, some
residual modulated signal is expected. VPM emission is treated in the presence
of rotational misalignments and temperature variation. Simulations of
time-ordered data are used to evaluate the effect of these residual errors on
the power spectrum. The analysis and modeling in this paper guides
experimentalists on the critical aspects of observations using VPMs as
front-end modulators. By implementing the characterizations and controls as
described, front-end VPM modulation can be very powerful for mitigating
noise in large angular scale polarimetric surveys. None of the systematic
errors studied fundamentally limit the detection and characterization of
B-modes on large scales for a tensor-to-scalar ratio of . Indeed,
is achievable with commensurately improved characterizations and
controls.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures, 1 table, matches published versio
The phonetic basis of phonological vowel nasality: Evidence from real-time MRI velum movement in German
It has been suggested that the development of contrastive vowel nasality in VN sequences may depend partly on the nature of the following consonant. In particular, there may be a preference for VN sequences preceding voiceless oral consonants to be phonologized due to aerodynamic constraints on velum height, resulting in temporal overlap of the vowel with a durationally constant velum gesture. We investigate the phonetic basis of this claim via direct imaging of velum kinematics in real-time MRI videos (50 fps) from 35 German speakers. The results show that, while the velum gesture does indeed begin and end earlier in /Vnt/ than in /Vnd/ sequences, the duration of the gesture itself is also shorter in this context. This suggests that increased temporal co-articulation in /Vnt/ sequences is not necessarily due to durational maintenance of the velum gesture, but to a temporally truncated velum gesture that is shifted in time
Delays in Leniency Application: Is There Really a Race to the Enforcer's Door?
This paper studies cartelsâ strategic behavior in delaying leniency applications, a take-up decision that has been ignored in the previous literature. Using European Commission decisions issued over a 16-year span, we show, contrary to common beliefs and the existing literature, that conspirators
often apply for leniency long after a cartel collapses. We estimate hazard and probit models to study the determinants of leniency-application delays. Statistical tests find that delays are symmetrically affected by antitrust policies and macroeconomic fluctuations. Our results shed light on the design of
enforcement programs against cartels and other forms of conspiracy
- âŠ