199 research outputs found
An All-Cryogenic THz Transmission Spectrometer
This paper describes a THz transmission spectrometer for the spectral range
of 2-65 cm^-1 (100 GHz to 2 THz) with a spectral resolution of at least 1.8
cm^-1 (50 GHz) where the source, sample, and detector are all fully contained
in a cryogenic environment. Cyclotron emission from a two-dimensional electron
gas heated with an electrical current serves as a magnetic field tunable
source. The spectrometer is demonstrated at 4.2 K by measuring the resonant
cyclotron absorption of a second two dimensional electron gas. Unique aspects
of the spectrometer are that 1) an ultra-broadband detector is used and 2) the
emitter is run quasi-continuously with a chopping frequency of only 1 Hz. Since
optical coupling to room temperature components is not necessary, this
technique is compatible with ultra-low temperature (sub 100 mK) operation.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures. Author affiliation and funding acknowledgements
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Comet 162P/Siding Spring: A Surprisingly Large Nucleus
We present an analysis of thermal emission from comet 162P/Siding Spring
(P/2004 TU12) measured during its discovery apparition in 2004 December. The
comet showed no dust coma at this time, so we have sampled emission from the
comet's nucleus. Observations using the Mid-Infrared Spectrometer and Imager
(MIRSI) were performed at NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility, where the peak of
the comet's spectral energy distribution was observed between 8 and 25 microns.
In combination with the three near-IR spectra presented by Campins et al.
(2006, Astron. J. 132, 1346) that show the Wien-law tail of the thermal
emission, the data provide powerful constraints on surface properties of the
nucleus. We find that the nucleus's effective radius is 6.0+/-0.8 km. This is
one of the largest radii known among Jupiter-family comets, which is unusual
considering that the comet was discovered only recently. Its geometric albedo
is 0.059+/-0.023 in the H band, 0.037+/-0.014 in the R band, and 0.034+/-0.013
in the V band. We also find that the nucleus of 162P has little IR beaming, and
this implies that the nucleus has low thermal inertia. Including all near-IR
spectra yields a beaming parameter of 1.01+/-0.20. This result is in agreement
with others showing that cometary nuclei have low thermal inertia and little IR
beaming. If confirmed for many nuclei, the interpretation of radiometry may not
be as problematic as feared.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, appearing in The Astronomical Journal, September
2006 issu
Refined parameters of the planet orbiting HD 189733
We report on the BVRI multi-band follow-up photometry of the transiting
extrasolar planet HD 189733b. We revise the transit parameters and find
planetary radius RP = 1.154+/- 0.032RJ and inclination i_P = 85.79+/-0.24deg.
The new density (~ 1g cm-3) is significantly higher than the former estimate (~
0.75g cm-3); this shows that from the current sample of 9 transiting planets,
only HD 209458 (and possibly OGLE-10b) have anomalously large radii and low
densities. We note that due to the proximity of the parent star, HD 189733b
currently has one of the most precise radius determinations among extrasolar
planets. We calculate new ephemerides: P = 2.218573+/-0.000020 days, T0 =
2453629.39420+/-0.00024 (HJD), and estimate the timing offsets of the 11
distinct transits with respect to the predictions of a constant orbital period,
which can be used to reveal the presence of additional planets in the system.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Ap
Non Equilibrium Electronic Distribution in Single Electron Devices
The electronic distribution in devices with sufficiently small diemnsions may
not be in thermal equilibrium with their surroundings. Systems where the
occupancies of electronic states are solely determined by tunneling processes
are analyzed. It is shown that the effective temperature of the device may be
higher, or lower, than that of its environment, depending on the applied
voltage and the energy dependence of the tunneling rates. The I-V
characteristics become asymmetric. Comparison with recent experiments is made
Charge Transport Processes in a Superconducting Single-Electron Transistor Coupled to a Microstrip Transmission Line
We have investigated charge transport processes in a superconducting
single-electron transistor (S-SET) fabricated in close proximity to a
two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. The
macroscopic bonding pads of the S-SET along with the 2DEG form a microstrip
transmission line. We observe a variety of current-carrying cycles in the S-SET
which we attribute to simultaneous tunneling of Cooper pairs and emission of
photons into the microstrip. We find good agreement between these experimental
results and simulations including both photon emission and photon-assisted
tunneling due to the electromagnetic environment.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, REVTeX
Serendipitous Geodesy from Bennu's Short-Lived Moonlets
The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx; or OREx) spacecraft arrived at its target, near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu, on December 3, 2018. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has since collected a wealth of scientific information in order to select a suitable site for sampling. Shortly after insertion into orbit on December 31, 2018, particles were identified in starfield images taken by the navigation camera (NavCam 1). Several groups within the OSlRlS-REx team analyzed the particle data in an effort to better understand this newfound activity of Bennu and to investigate the potential sensitivity of the particles to Bennu's geophysical parameters. A number of particles were identified through automatic and manual methods in multiple images, which could be turned into short sequences of optical tracking observations. Here, we discuss the precision orbit determination (OD) effort focused on these particles at NASA GSFC, which involved members of the Independent Navigation Team (INT) in particular. The particle data are combined with other OSIRIS-REx tracking data (radiometric from OSN and optical landmark data) using the NASA GSFC GEODYN orbit determination and geodetic parameter estimation software. We present the results of our study, particularly those pertaining to the gravity field of Bennu. We describe the force modeling improvements made to GEODYN specifically for this work, e.g., with a raytracing-based modeling of solar radiation pressure. The short-lived, low-flying moonlets enable us to determine a gravity field model up to a relatively high degree and order: at least degree 6 without constraints, and up to degree 10 when applying Kaula-like regularization. We can backward- and forward-integrate the trajectory of these particles to the ejection and landing sites on Bennu. We assess the recovered field by its impact on the OSIRIS-REx trajectory reconstruction and prediction quality in the various mission phases (e.g., Orbital A, Detailed Survey, and Orbital B)
Dynamical Evolution of Simulated Particles Ejected from Asteroid Bennu
In early 2019, the OSIRIS‐REx spacecraft discovered small particles being ejected from the surface of the near‐Earth asteroid Bennu. Although they were seen to be ejected at slow speeds, on the order of tens of cm/s, a number of particles were surprisingly seen to orbit for multiple revolutions and days, which requires a dynamical mechanism to quickly and substantially modify the orbit to prevent re‐impact upon their first periapse passage. This paper demonstrates that, based on simulations constrained by the conditions of the observed events, the combined effects of gravity, solar radiation pressure, and thermal radiation pressure from Bennu can produce many sustained orbits for ejected particles. Furthermore, the simulated populations exhibit two interesting phenomena that could play an important role in the geophysical evolution of bodies such as Bennu. First, small particles (<1 cm radius) are preferentially removed from the system, which could lead to a deficit of such particles on the surface. Second, re‐impacting particles preferentially land near or on the equatorial bulge of Bennu. Over time, this can lead to crater in‐filling and growth of the equatorial radius without requiring landslides
Autonomous Detection of Particles and Tracks in Optical Images
During its initial orbital phase in early 2019, the Origins, Spectral
Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer
(OSIRIS-REx) asteroid sample return mission detected small particles apparently
emanating from the surface of the near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu in optical
navigation images. Identification and characterization of the physical and
dynamical properties of these objects became a mission priority in terms of
both spacecraft safety and scientific investigation. Traditional techniques for
particle identification and tracking typically rely on manual inspection and
are often time-consuming. The large number of particles associated with the
Bennu events and the mission criticality rendered manual inspection techniques
infeasible for long-term operational support. In this work, we present
techniques for autonomously detecting potential particles in monocular images
and providing initial correspondences between observations in sequential
images, as implemented for the OSIRIS-REx mission.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figure
Overcoming the Challenges Associated with Image-based Mapping of Small Bodies in Preparation for the OSIRIS-REx Mission to (101955) Bennu
The OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission is the third mission in NASA's
New Frontiers Program and is the first U.S. mission to return samples from an
asteroid to Earth. The most important decision ahead of the OSIRIS-REx team is
the selection of a prime sample-site on the surface of asteroid (101955) Bennu.
Mission success hinges on identifying a site that is safe and has regolith that
can readily be ingested by the spacecraft's sampling mechanism. To inform this
mission-critical decision, the surface of Bennu is mapped using the OSIRIS-REx
Camera Suite and the images are used to develop several foundational data
products. Acquiring the necessary inputs to these data products requires
observational strategies that are defined specifically to overcome the
challenges associated with mapping a small irregular body. We present these
strategies in the context of assessing candidate sample-sites at Bennu
according to a framework of decisions regarding the relative safety,
sampleability, and scientific value across the asteroid's surface. To create
data products that aid these assessments, we describe the best practices
developed by the OSIRIS-REx team for image-based mapping of irregular small
bodies. We emphasize the importance of using 3D shape models and the ability to
work in body-fixed rectangular coordinates when dealing with planetary surfaces
that cannot be uniquely addressed by body-fixed latitude and longitude.Comment: 31 pages, 10 figures, 2 table
The Rapidly Flaring Afterglow of the Very Bright and Energetic GRB 070125
We report on multiwavelength observations, ranging from X-ray to radio wave bands, of the IPN-localized gamma-ray burst GRB 070125. Spectroscopic observations reveal the presence of absorption lines due to O I, Si II, and C IV, implying a likely redshift of z = 1.547. The well-sampled light curves, in particular from 0.5 to 4 days after the burst, suggest a jet break at 3.7 days, corresponding to a jet opening angle of ~7.0°, and implying an intrinsic GRB energy in the 1-10,000 keV band of around Eγ = (6.3–6.9) × 1051 ergs (based on the fluences measured by the gamma-ray detectors of the IPN). GRB 070125 is among the brightest afterglows observed to date. The SED implies a host extinction of AV \u3c 0.9 mag . Two rebrightening episodes are observed, one with excellent time coverage, showing an increase in flux of 56% in ~8000 s. The evolution of the afterglow light curve is achromatic at all times. Late-time observations of the afterglow do not show evidence for emission from an underlying host galaxy or supernova. Any host galaxy would be subluminous, consistent with current GRB host galaxy samples. Evidence for strong Mg II absorption features is not found, which is perhaps surprising in view of the relatively high redshift of this burst and the high likelihood for such features along GRB-selected lines of sight
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