Interferometric characterization of the optical window for LISA Pathfinder and LISA

In LISA Pathfinder and LISA the position fluctuations of drag free test masses will be determined interferometrically to picometer precision. To this end, laser light is brought to interference on an ultra stable optical bench after being reflected on the test mass, which needs to be in an ultra-high vacuum. The present baseline for both missions includes a separate vacuum enclosure for each test mass, so that the sensing laser beam has to pass through an optical window. This window is therefore a transmissive element in the interferometer and its associated pathlength fluctuations are potentially significant. We have selected an athermal glass that should minimize the thermally induced pathlength changes.Several prototype windows, both mounted and unmounted, have been produced and characterized. The pathlength sensitivity to both temperature fluctuations and temperature gradients has been measured with a dedicated interferometer prototype. We have also compared the long-term stability of the LISA Technology Package interferometer when an optical window is present in the optical path to the situation without window. Finally, glass samples have been radiated and the absorption in the glass after the radiation tests has been measured to be negligible at the wavelength of interest (1064 nm). We present here the results of our measurements, which indicate that using a window does not influence the interferometer performance

The Pierre Auger Observatory III: Other Astrophysical Observations

Astrophysical observations of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays with the Pierre Auger ObservatoryComment: Contributions to the 32nd International Cosmic Ray Conference, Beijing, China, August 201

25 years of HIV-1 research – progress and perspectives

Twenty-five years after the discovery and isolation of the human immunodeficiency virus by French and American scientists, much progress has been made in basic research, clinical treatment, and public health prevention measures for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Here, we summarize, in brief, advances that have been achieved and provide some perspectives on future challenges

The Pierre Auger Observatory IV: Operation and Monitoring

Technical reports on operations and monitoring of the Pierre Auger ObservatoryComment: Constributions to 32nd International Cosmic Ray Conference, Beijing, China, August 201

The Pierre Auger Observatory II: Studies of Cosmic Ray Composition and Hadronic Interaction models

Studies of the composition of the highest energy cosmic rays with the Pierre Auger Observatory, including examination of hadronic physics effects on the structure of extensive air showers.Comment: Contributions to the 32nd International Cosmic Ray Conference, Beijing, China, August 201

The effect of the geomagnetic field on cosmic ray energy estimates and large scale anisotropy searches on data from the Pierre Auger Observatory

We present a comprehensive study of the influence of the geomagnetic field on the energy estimation of extensive air showers with a zenith angle smaller than $60^\circ$, detected at the Pierre Auger Observatory. The geomagnetic field induces an azimuthal modulation of the estimated energy of cosmic rays up to the ~2% level at large zenith angles. We present a method to account for this modulation of the reconstructed energy. We analyse the effect of the modulation on large scale anisotropy searches in the arrival direction distributions of cosmic rays. At a given energy, the geomagnetic effect is shown to induce a pseudo-dipolar pattern at the percent level in the declination distribution that needs to be accounted for.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figure

Micromechanical Properties of Injection-Molded Starch–Wood Particle Composites

The micromechanical properties of injection molded starch–wood particle composites were investigated as a function of particle content and humidity conditions. The composite materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. The microhardness of the composites was shown to increase notably with the concentration of the wood particles. In addition,creep behavior under the indenter and temperature dependence were evaluated in terms of the independent contribution of the starch matrix and the wood microparticles to the hardness value. The influence of drying time on the density and weight uptake of the injection-molded composites was highlighted. The results revealed the role of the mechanism of water evaporation, showing that the dependence of water uptake and temperature was greater for the starch–wood composites than for the pure starch sample. Experiments performed during the drying process at 70°C indicated that the wood in the starch composites did not prevent water loss from the samples.Peer reviewe