Topographic mapping of the Mars MC quadrangles using HRSC data

The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) of ESA’s Mars Express mission [1, 2] is still running nominally and delivering new image strips to fill remaining gaps that lead to a contiguous coverage of the Martian surface at high resolution stereo. As a push broom scanning instrument with nine CCD line detectors mounted in parallel, its unique feature is the ability to obtain along-track stereo images and four colors during a single orbital pass. Thus, panchromatic stereo and color images from single orbits of the HRSC have been used to produce digital terrain models (DTMs) and orthoimages of the Martian surface since 2004 [3]. Since 2010 new HRSC multi-orbit data products have been generated, which have been developed into a global mapping program organized into MC-30 half-tiles, since 2014 [4,5]. Based on continuous coverage of an area, regional DTMs and orthomosaics can be produced by combining image data from multiple orbits using specifically adapted techniques for block-adjustment, DTM interpolation and image equalization [6]. The resulting DTMs and color orthomosaics are the baseline for a controlled topographic map series of Mars. The extents of the regional products follow the MC-30 (Mars Chart) global mapping scheme of Greeley and Batson [7]. For the generation of the DTMs and color mosaics, the MC- 30 quadrangles are further divided into East (E) and West (W). In parallel to the completion of the first half-tile DTM and color mosaic (MC-11-E) we developed a concept for a topographic map series of Mars [8,9]. To limit data volumes and map sizes, each quadrangle is subdivided into eight tiles (i.e. each half-tile into four tiles). The map scale of 1:700,000 is a compromise between the high DTM and orthomosaic resolution of 50 m/pxl and an acceptable hardcopy format of about 1 m in width to 2 m in height (≜14 pxl/mm). MC-11 was selected to be produced first because it contains the finally selected landing site, Oxia Planum, of ESA’s ExoMars mission with the Rosalind Franklin rover. After MC-11, the Global Topography and Mosaics Task Group (GTMTG) of the HRSC Science Team focussed on MC-13, which hosts the landing site of the Perseverance rover from NASA’s Mars 2020 mission, Jezero crater. The next HRSC MC quadrangles will also be equatorial ones (i.e. 19 and 20). All maps are available for the public at the HRSC team website (http://hrscteam.dlr.de/HMC30/index.html). [1] Neukum, G., et al., ESA Special Publication, 1240, pp. 17-36, 2004. [2] Jaumann, R., et al., Planetary and Space Science 55, pp. 928-952, 2007. [3] Gwinner, K., et al., Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 294, pp. 506-519, 2010. [4] Gwinner, K, et al., 41st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, #2727, 2010. [5] Dumke, A., et al., Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, #1533, 2010. [6] Gwinner, K. et al., Planetary and Space Science, 126, pp. 93-138, 2016. [7] Greeley, R. and Batson, G., Planetary Mapping, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1990. [8] Schulz, K., Bachelor Thesis, Beuth Hochschule für Technik Berlin, 2017. [9] Kersten, E., et al., EPSC Abstracts Vol. 12, EPSC2018-352, 2018

Weak localization with nonlinear bosonic matter waves

We investigate the coherent propagation of dilute atomic Bose-Einstein condensates through irregularly shaped billiard geometries that are attached to uniform incoming and outgoing waveguides. Using the mean-field description based on the nonlinear Gross-Pitaevskii equation, we develop a diagrammatic theory for the self-consistent stationary scattering state of the interacting condensate, which is combined with the semiclassical representation of the single-particle Green function in terms of chaotic classical trajectories within the billiard. This analytical approach predicts a universal dephasing of weak localization in the presence of a small interaction strength between the atoms, which is found to be in good agreement with the numerically computed reflection and transmission probabilities of the propagating condensate. The numerical simulation of this quasi-stationary scattering process indicates that this interaction-induced dephasing mechanism may give rise to a signature of weak antilocalization, which we attribute to the influence of non-universal short-path contributions.Comment: 67 pages, 19 figure

ADRIA LITHOSPHERE INVESTIGATION ALPHA - Cruise No. M86/3, January 20 - February 04, 2012, Brindisi (Italy) - Dubrovnik (Croatia)

The Adriatic Sea and underlying lithosphere remains the least investigated part of the Mediterranean Sea. To shed light on the plate tectonic setting in this central part of southern Europe, R/V METEOR cruise M86/3 set out to acquire deep penetrating seismic data in the Adriatic Sea. M86/3 formed the core of an amphibious investigation crossing Adria from the Italian Peninsula into Montenegro/Albania. A total of 111 OBS/OBH deployments were successfully carried out, in addition to 47 landstations both in Italy and Montenegro/Albania, which recorded the offshore airgun shots. In the scope of this shoreline-crossing study, the aim is to quantify the shallow geometry, deep boundaries and the architecture of the southern Adriatic crust and lithosphere and to provide insights on a possible decoupling zone between the northern and southern Adriatic domains. Investigating the structure of the Adriatic crust and lithospheric mantle and analyzing the tectonic activity are essential for understanding the mountain-building processes that underlie the neotectonics and earthquake hazard of the Periadriatic region, especially in the vicinity of local decoupling zones

Physics with Coherent Matter Waves

This review discusses progress in the new field of coherent matter waves, in particular with respect to Bose-Einstein condensates. We give a short introduction to Bose-Einstein condensation and the theoretical description of the condensate wavefunction. We concentrate on the coherence properties of this new type of matter wave as a basis for fundamental physics and applications. The main part of this review treats various measurements and concepts in the physics with coherent matter waves. In particular we present phase manipulation methods, atom lasers, nonlinear atom optics, optical elements, interferometry and physics in optical lattices. We give an overview of the state of the art in the respective fields and discuss achievements and challenges for the future

Systematic processing of Mars Express HRSC panchromatic and colour image mosaics: Image equalisation using an external brightness reference

After more than ten years in orbit at Mars, the coverage from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on the European Space Agency’s Mars Express is sufficient to begin constructing mosaic products on a global scale. We describe our systematic processing procedure and, in particular, the technique used to bring images affected by atmospheric dust into visual consistency with the mosaic. We outline how the same method is used to produce a relative colour mosaic which shows local colour differences. We demonstrate the results and show that the techniques may also be applied to images from other orbital cameras

Uneven Integration: Economic and Monetary Union in Central and Eastern Europe

Although central and eastern European states widely adopted central bank independence in the 1990s, many later baulked at meeting the Maastricht criteria and adopting the euro. We employ two key variables - regime and institutional "discontinuity" at the domestic level and the "credibility" of international institutions' policies - to explain these different responses to the requirements of economic and monetary union. Copyright (c) 2010 The Author(s). JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies (c) 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.