Oxygen deficiency structure in iron-based high temperature superconductor GdFeAsO

Oxygen deficiency in the iron-based HTSCGdFeAsO 1�� seems to create a parallelogram shaped Fe2+-ion/oxygen deficiency pattern in the Fe2O2 plane in c-direction. These two-dimensional nano structures form superconducting current channels which are separated by h = 0.828nm. The doping distance in direct ion of the super-current shows a strong correlation to the transition temperature

Forecasting Government Bond Spreads with Heuristic Models:Evidence from the Eurozone Periphery

This study investigates the predictability of European long-term government bond spreads through the application of heuristic and metaheuristic support vector regression (SVR) hybrid structures. Genetic, krill herd and sine–cosine algorithms are applied to the parameterization process of the SVR and locally weighted SVR (LSVR) methods. The inputs of the SVR models are selected from a large pool of linear and non-linear individual predictors. The statistical performance of the main models is evaluated against a random walk, an Autoregressive Moving Average, the best individual prediction model and the traditional SVR and LSVR structures. All models are applied to forecast daily and weekly government bond spreads of Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain over the sample period 2000–2017. The results show that the sine–cosine LSVR is outperforming its counterparts in terms of statistical accuracy, while metaheuristic approaches seem to benefit the parameterization process more than the heuristic ones

MICADO, the ELT first-light imager

International audienceThe MICADO instrument is the first light imager of the European ELT. It will work in the near-infrared (0.8-2.4 μm), over a large field (up to 50") and high sensitivity (similar to JWST). MICADO will benefit from two modes of adaptive optics correction: a MCAO correction, uniform on the field of MICADO and developed by the MAORY consortium, and a classic correction of the SCAO type, with high performance in the direction of the star guide and developed under the responsibility of the MICADO consortium. In a phased approach of the integration of adaptive optics to the ELT, MICADO will first be operational in SCAO mode. Offering four observing modes (imaging mode, astrometry, long-slit spectroscopy with R∼20000 and high contrast imaging), MICADO aims to scan a wide range of scientific objectives: small bodies and planets of the solar system, exoplanets and exo-disks, stellar populations in distant galaxies, black holes and the center of our galaxy, evolution and dynamics of galaxies

MICADO:first light imager for the E-ELT

MICADO will equip the E-ELT with a first light capability for diffraction limited imaging at near-infrared wavelengths. The instrument's observing modes focus on various flavours of imaging, including astrometric, high contrast, and time resolved. There is also a single object spectroscopic mode optimised for wavelength coverage at moderately high resolution. This contribution provides an overview of the key functionality of the instrument, outlining the scientific rationale for its observing modes. The interface between MICADO and the adaptive optics system MAORY that feeds it is summarised. The design of the instrument is discussed, focusing on the optics and mechanisms inside the cryostat, together with a brief overview of the other key sub-systems

The MICADO first light imager for the ELT: overview, operation, simulation

International audienc