2,491 research outputs found
Filling in the Gaps in the 4.85 GHz Sky
We describe a 4.85 GHz survey of bright, flat-spectrum radio sources
conducted with the Effelsberg 100 m telescope in an attempt to improve the
completeness of existing surveys, such as CRATES. We report the results of
these observations and of follow-up 8.4 GHz observations with the VLA of a
subset of the sample. We comment on the connection to the WMAP point source
catalog and on the survey's effectiveness at supplementing the CRATES sky
coverage.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in the
Astronomical Journal. Tables available in electronic form:
http://astro.stanford.edu/gaps
Magnetic field tuning of coplanar waveguide resonators
We describe measurements on microwave coplanar resonators designed for
quantum bit experiments. Resonators have been patterned onto sapphire and
silicon substrates, and quality factors in excess of a million have been
observed. The resonant frequency shows a high sensitivity to magnetic field
applied perpendicular to the plane of the film, with a quadratic dependence for
the fundamental, second and third harmonics. Frequency shift of hundreds of
linewidths can be obtained.Comment: Accepted for publication in AP
On the properties of superconducting planar resonators at mK temperatures
Planar superconducting resonators are now being increasingly used at mK
temperatures in a number of novel applications. They are also interesting
devices in their own right since they allow us to probe the properties of both
the superconductor and its environment. We have experimentally investigated
three types of niobium resonators - including a lumped element design -
fabricated on sapphire and SiO_2/Si substrates. They all exhibit a non-trivial
temperature dependence of their centre frequency and quality factor. Our
results shed new light on the interaction between the electromagnetic waves in
the resonator and two-level fluctuators in the substrate.Comment: V2 includes some minor corrections/changes. Submitted to PR
Circuit QED with a Flux Qubit Strongly Coupled to a Coplanar Transmission Line Resonator
We propose a scheme for circuit quantum electrodynamics with a
superconducting flux-qubit coupled to a high-Q coplanar resonator. Assuming
realistic circuit parameters we predict that it is possible to reach the strong
coupling regime. Routes to metrological applications, such as single photon
generation and quantum non-demolition measurements are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Design and experimental demonstration of optomechanical paddle nanocavities
We present the design, fabrication and initial characterization of a paddle
nanocavity consisting of a suspended sub-picogram nanomechanical resonator
optomechanically coupled to a photonic crystal nanocavity. The optical and
mechanical properties of the paddle nanocavity can be systematically designed
and optimized, and key characteristics including mechanical frequency easily
tailored. Measurements under ambient conditions of a silicon paddle nanocavity
demonstrate an optical mode with quality factor ~ 6000 near 1550 nm, and
optomechanical coupling to several mechanical resonances with frequencies
~ 12-64 MHz, effective masses ~ 350-650 fg, and
mechanical quality factors ~ 44-327. Paddle nanocavities are promising
for optomechanical sensing and nonlinear optomechanics experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Optical Spectroscopy of Bright Fermi LAT Blazars
We report on HET and Palomar 5 m spectroscopy of recently identified
-ray blazars in the {\it Fermi} LAT Bright Source List. These data
provide identifications for 10 newly discovered -ray flat spectrum
radio quasars (FSRQ) and six new BL Lacs plus improved spectroscopy for six
additional BL Lacs. We substantially improve the identification completeness of
the bright LAT blazars and give new redshifts and constraints, new
estimates of the black hole masses and new measurements of the optical SED.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap
An intelligent, free-flying robot
The ground based demonstration of the extensive extravehicular activity (EVA) Retriever, a voice-supervised, intelligent, free flying robot, is designed to evaluate the capability to retrieve objects (astronauts, equipment, and tools) which have accidentally separated from the Space Station. The major objective of the EVA Retriever Project is to design, develop, and evaluate an integrated robotic hardware and on-board software system which autonomously: (1) performs system activation and check-out; (2) searches for and acquires the target; (3) plans and executes a rendezvous while continuously tracking the target; (4) avoids stationary and moving obstacles; (5) reaches for and grapples the target; (6) returns to transfer the object; and (7) returns to base
J16021+3326: New Multi-Frequency Observations of a Complex Source
We present multifrequency Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of
J16021+3326. These observations, along with variability data obtained from the
Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) candidate gamma-ray blazar monitoring
program, clearly indicate this source is a blazar. The peculiar characteristic
of this blazar, which daunted previous classification attempts, is that we
appear to be observing down a precessing jet, the mean orientation of which is
aligned with us almost exactly.Comment: 16 pages, 7 Figures, 2 Tables, accepted to Ap
Dissipative and Dispersive Optomechanics in a Nanocavity Torque Sensor
Dissipative and dispersive optomechanical couplings are experimentally
observed in a photonic crystal split-beam nanocavity optimized for detecting
nanoscale sources of torque. Dissipative coupling of up to approximately
MHz/nm and dispersive coupling of GHz/nm enable measurements of sub-pg
torsional and cantilever-like mechanical resonances with a thermally-limited
torque detection sensitivity of 1.2 in ambient conditions and 1.3 in low vacuum. Interference between
optomechanical coupling mechanisms is observed to enhance detection sensitivity
and generate a mechanical-mode-dependent optomechanical wavelength response.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Characteristics of Gamma-Ray Loud Blazars in the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey
The radio properties of blazars detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on
board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have been observed as part of the
VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey (VIPS). This large, flux-limited sample of
active galactic nuclei (AGN) provides insights into the mechanism that produces
strong gamma-ray emission. At lower flux levels, radio flux density does not
directly correlate with gamma-ray flux. We find that the LAT-detected BL Lacs
tend to be similar to the non-LAT BL Lacs, but that the LAT-detected FSRQs are
often significantly different from the non-LAT FSRQs. The differences between
the gamma-ray loud and quiet FSRQs can be explained by Doppler boosting; these
objects appear to require larger Doppler factors than those of the BL Lacs. It
is possible that the gamma-ray loud FSRQs are fundamentally different from the
gamma-ray quiet FSRQs. Strong polarization at the base of the jet appears to be
a signature for gamma-ray loud AGN.Comment: 32 pages, 9 figures, accepted by Ap
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