11,609 research outputs found
Comparative assessment of out-of-core nuclear thermionic power systems
The hardware selections available for fabrication of a nuclear electric propulsion stage for planetary exploration were explored. The investigation was centered around a heat-pipe-cooled, fast-spectrum nuclear reactor for an out-of-core power conversion system with sufficient detail for comparison with the in-core system studies completed previously. A survey of competing power conversion systems still indicated that the modular reliability of thermionic converters makes them the desirable choice to provide the 240-kWe end-of-life power for at least 20,000 full power hours. The electrical energy will be used to operate a number of mercury ion bombardment thrusters with a specific impulse in the range of about 4,000-5,000 seconds
Mechanical properties of polyethylene terephthalate under selected conditions and methods of preparation Semiannual progress report, period ending 31 Oct. 1967
Mechanical properties of polyethylene terephthalate under selected conditions and methods of preparatio
Femtosecond pulses and dynamics of molecular photoexcitation: RbCs example
We investigate the dynamics of molecular photoexcitation by unchirped
femtosecond laser pulses using RbCs as a model system. This study is motivated
by a goal of optimizing a two-color scheme of transferring
vibrationally-excited ultracold molecules to their absolute ground state. In
this scheme the molecules are initially produced by photoassociation or
magnetoassociation in bound vibrational levels close to the first dissociation
threshold. We analyze here the first step of the two-color path as a function
of pulse intensity from the low-field to the high-field regime. We use two
different approaches, a global one, the 'Wavepacket' method, and a restricted
one, the 'Level by Level' method where the number of vibrational levels is
limited to a small subset. The comparison between the results of the two
approaches allows one to gain qualitative insights into the complex dynamics of
the high-field regime. In particular, we emphasize the non-trivial and
important role of far-from-resonance levels which are adiabatically excited
through 'vertical' transitions with a large Franck-Condon factor. We also point
out spectacular excitation blockade due to the presence of a quasi-degenerate
level in the lower electronic state. We conclude that selective transfer with
femtosecond pulses is possible in the low-field regime only. Finally, we extend
our single-pulse analysis and examine population transfer induced by coherent
trains of low-intensity femtosecond pulses.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figure
Ink dating using thermal desorption and gas chromatography / mass spectrometry: comparison of results obtained in two laboratories
Recent ink dating methods focused mainly on changes in solvent amounts occurring over time. A promising method was developed at the Landeskriminalamt of Munich using thermal desorption (TD) followed by gas chromatography / mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. Sequential extractions of the phenoxyethanol present in ballpoint pen ink entries were carried out at two different temperatures. This method is applied in forensic practice and is currently implemented in several laboratories participating to the InCID group (International Collaboration on Ink Dating). However, harmonization of the method between the laboratories proved to be a particularly sensitive and time consuming task.
The main aim of this work was therefore to implement the TD-GC/MS method at the Bundeskriminalamt (Wiesbaden, Germany) in order to evaluate if results were comparable to those obtained in Munich. At first validation criteria such as limits of reliable measurements, linearity and repeatability were determined. Samples were prepared in three different laboratories using the same inks and analyzed using two TDS-GC/MS instruments (one in Munich and one in Wiesbaden). The inter- and intra-laboratory variability of the ageing parameter was determined and ageing curves were compared. While inks stored in similar conditions yielded comparable ageing curves, it was observed that significantly different storage conditions had an influence on the resulting ageing curves. Finally, interpretation models, such as thresholds and trend tests, were evaluated and discussed in view of the obtained results. Trend tests were considered more suitable than threshold models. As both approaches showed limitations, an alternative model, based on the slopes of the ageing curves, was also proposed
Cotunneling thermopower of single electron transistors
We study the thermopower of a quantum dot weakly coupled to two reservoirs by
tunnel junctions. At low temperatures the transport through the dot is
suppressed by charging effects (Coulomb blockade). As a result the thermopower
shows an oscillatory dependence on the gate voltage. We study this dependence
in the limit of low temperatures where the transport through the dot is
dominated by the processes of inelastic cotunneling. We also obtain a crossover
formula for intermediate temperatures which connects our cotunneling results to
the known sawtooth behavior in the sequential tunneling regime. As the
temperature is lowered, the amplitude of thermopower oscillations increases,
and their shape changes qualitatively.Comment: 9 pages, including 4 figure
Frontiers of the physics of dense plasmas and planetary interiors: experiments, theory, applications
Recent developments of dynamic x-ray characterization experiments of dense
matter are reviewed, with particular emphasis on conditions relevant to
interiors of terrestrial and gas giant planets. These studies include
characterization of compressed states of matter in light elements by x-ray
scattering and imaging of shocked iron by radiography. Several applications of
this work are examined. These include the structure of massive "Super Earth"
terrestrial planets around other stars, the 40 known extrasolar gas giants with
measured masses and radii, and Jupiter itself, which serves as the benchmark
for giant planets.Comment: Accepted to Physics of Plasmas special issue. Review from
HEDP/HEDLA-08, April 12-15, 200
ATLASGAL-selected massive clumps in the inner Galaxy: VI. Kinetic temperature and spatial density measured with formaldehyde
We aim to directly determine the kinetic temperature and spatial density with
formaldehyde for the 100 brightest ATLASGAL-selected clumps at 870 m
representing various evolutionary stages of high-mass star formation. Ten
transitions ( = 3-2 and 4-3) of ortho- and para-HCO near 211, 218, 225,
and 291 GHz were observed with the APEX 12 m telescope. Using non-LTE models
with RADEX, we derive the gas kinetic temperature and spatial density using the
measured p-HCO 3-2/3-2,
4-3/4-3, and 4-3/3-2
ratios. The gas kinetic temperatures derived from the p-HCO
3-2/3-2 and 4-3/4-3
line ratios are high, ranging from 43 to 300 K with an unweighted average of
91 4 K. Deduced values from the = 3-2 and 4-3
transitions are similar. Spatial densities of the gas derived from the
p-HCO 4-3/3-2 line ratios yield 0.6-8.3
10 cm with an unweighted average of 1.5 (0.1)
10 cm. A comparison of kinetic temperatures derived from p-HCO,
NH, and the dust emission indicates that p-HCO traces a distinctly
higher temperature than the NH (2,2)/(1,1) transitions and the dust,
tracing heated gas more directly associated with the star formation process.
The HCO linewidths are found to be correlated with bolometric luminosity
and increase with the evolutionary stage of the clumps, which suggests that
higher luminosities tend to be associated with a more turbulent molecular
medium. It seems that the spatial densities measured with HCO do not vary
significantly with the evolutionary stage of the clumps. However, averaged gas
kinetic temperatures derived from HCO increase with time through the
evolution of the clumps.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Cascade of magnetic field induced Lifshitz transitions in the ferromagnetic Kondo lattice material YbNi4P2
A ferromagnetic quantum critical point is thought not to exist in two and
three-dimensional metallic systems yet is realized in the Kondo lattice
compound YbNi4(P,As)2, possibly due to its one-dimensionality. It is crucial to
investigate the dimensionality of the Fermi surface of YbNi4P2 experimentally
but common probes such as ARPES and quantum oscillation measurements are
lacking. Here, we studied the magnetic field dependence of transport and
thermodynamic properties of YbNi4P2. The Kondo effect is continuously
suppressed and additionally we identify nine Lifshitz transitions between 0.4
and 18 T. We analyze the transport coefficients in detail and identify the type
of Lifshitz transitions as neck or void type to gain information on the Fermi
surface of YbNi4P2. The large number of Lifshitz transitions observed within
this small energy window is unprecedented and results from the particular flat
renormalized band structure with strong 4f-electron character shaped by the
Kondo lattice effect.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Photoassociation of cold atoms with chirped laser pulses: time-dependent calculations and analysis of the adiabatic transfer within a two-state model
This theoretical paper presents numerical calculations for photoassociation
of ultracold cesium atoms with a chirped laser pulse and detailed analysis of
the results. In contrast with earlier work, the initial state is represented by
a stationary continuum wavefunction. In the chosen example, it is shown that an
important population transfer is achieved to vibrational levels in
the vicinity of the v=98 bound level in the external well of the
potential. Such levels lie in the energy range swept by
the instantaneous frequency of the pulse, thus defining a ``photoassociation
window''. Levels outside this window may be significantly excited during the
pulse, but no population remains there after the pulse. Finally, the population
transfer to the last vibrational levels of the ground (6s + 6s)
is significant, making stable molecules. The results are interpreted in the
framework of a two state model as an adiabatic inversion mechanism, efficient
only within the photoassociation window. The large value found for the
photoassociation rate suggests promising applications. The present chirp has
been designed in view of creating a vibrational wavepacket in the excited state
which is focussing at the barrier of the double well potential.Comment: 49 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
- …