6,010 research outputs found
High Sensitivity Torsion Balance Tests for LISA Proof Mass Modeling
We have built a highly sensitive torsion balance to investigate small forces
between closely spaced gold coated surfaces. Such forces will occur between the
LISA proof mass and its housing. These forces are not well understood and
experimental investigations are imperative. We describe our torsion balance and
present the noise of the system. A significant contribution to the LISA noise
budget at low frequencies is the fluctuation in the surface potential
difference between the proof mass and its housing. We present first results of
these measurements with our apparatus.Comment: 6th International LISA Symposiu
Charge Management for Gravitational Wave Observatories using UV LEDs
Accumulation of electrical charge on the end mirrors of gravitational wave
observatories, such as the space-based LISA mission and ground-based LIGO
detectors, can become a source of noise limiting the sensitivity of such
detectors through electronic couplings to nearby surfaces. Torsion balances
provide an ideal means for testing gravitational wave technologies due to their
high sensitivity to small forces. Our torsion pendulum apparatus consists of a
movable Au-coated Cu plate brought near a Au-coated Si plate pendulum suspended
from a non-conducting quartz fiber. A UV LED located near the pendulum
photoejects electrons from the surface, and a UV LED driven electron gun
directs photoelectrons towards the pendulum surface. We have demonstrated both
charging and discharging of the pendulum with equivalent charging rates of
, as well as spectral measurements of the pendulum
charge resulting in a white noise level equivalent to .Comment: 5 pages, submitted to PR
VLBI Polarimetry of 177 Sources from the Caltech-Jodrell Bank Flat-spectrum Survey
We present VLBA observations and a statistical analysis of 5 GHz VLBI
polarimetry data from 177 sources in the Caltech-Jodrell Bank flat-spectrum
(CJF) survey. The CJF survey, a complete, flux-density-limited sample of 293
extragalactic radio sources, gives us the unique opportunity to compare a broad
range of source properties for quasars, galaxies and BL Lacertae objects. We
focus primarily on jet properties, specifically the correlation between the jet
axis angle and the polarization angle in the core and jet. A strong correlation
is found for the electric vector polarization angle in the cores of quasars to
be perpendicular to the jet axis. Contrary to previous claims, no correlation
is found between the jet polarization angle and the jet axis in either quasars
or BL Lac objects. With this large, homogeneous sample we are also able to
investigate cosmological issues and AGN evolution.Comment: Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal: 37 pages, 14 figure
A Compact Supermassive Binary Black Hole System
We report on the discovery of a supermassive binary black hole system in the
radio galaxy 0402+379, with a projected separation between the two black holes
of just 7.3 pc. This is the closest black hole pair yet found by more than two
orders of magnitude. These results are based upon recent multi-frequency
observations using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) which reveal two
compact, variable, flat-spectrum, active nuclei within the elliptical host
galaxy of 0402+379. Multi-epoch observations from the VLBA also provide
constraints on the total mass and dynamics of the system. Low spectral
resolution spectroscopy using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope indicates two velocity
systems with a combined mass of the two black holes of ~1.5 x 10^8 solar
masses. The two nuclei appear stationary while the jets emanating from the
weaker of the two nuclei appear to move out and terminate in bright hot spots.
The discovery of this system has implications for the number of close binary
black holes that might be sources of gravitational radiation. Green Bank
Telescope observations at 22 GHz to search for water masers in this interesting
system are also presented.Comment: 34 pages, 7 figures, Accepted to The Astrophysical Journa
Critical behavior of thermopower and conductivity at the metal-insulator transition in high-mobility Si-MOSFET's
This letter reports thermopower and conductivity measurements through the
metal-insulator transition for 2-dimensional electron gases in high mobility
Si-MOSFET's. At low temperatures both thermopower and conductivity show
critical behavior as a function of electron density which is very similar to
that expected for an Anderson transition. In particular, when approaching the
critical density from the metallic side the diffusion thermopower appears to
diverge and the conductivity vanishes. On the insulating side the thermopower
shows an upturn with decreasing temperature.Comment: 4 pages with 3 figure
Imaging the Earth's Interior: the Angular Distribution of Terrestrial Neutrinos
Decays of radionuclides throughout the Earth's interior produce geothermal
heat, but also are a source of antineutrinos. The (angle-integrated)
geoneutrino flux places an integral constraint on the terrestrial radionuclide
distribution. In this paper, we calculate the angular distribution of
geoneutrinos, which opens a window on the differential radionuclide
distribution. We develop the general formalism for the neutrino angular
distribution, and we present the inverse transformation which recovers the
terrestrial radioisotope distribution given a measurement of the neutrino
angular distribution. Thus, geoneutrinos not only allow a means to image the
Earth's interior, but offering a direct measure of the radioactive Earth, both
(1) revealing the Earth's inner structure as probed by radionuclides, and (2)
allowing for a complete determination of the radioactive heat generation as a
function of radius. We present the geoneutrino angular distribution for the
favored Earth model which has been used to calculate geoneutrino flux. In this
model the neutrino generation is dominated by decays in the Earth's mantle and
crust; this leads to a very ``peripheral'' angular distribution, in which 2/3
of the neutrinos come from angles > 60 degrees away from the downward vertical.
We note the possibility of that the Earth's core contains potassium; different
geophysical predictions lead to strongly varying, and hence distinguishable,
central intensities (< 30 degrees from the downward vertical). Other
uncertainties in the models, and prospects for observation of the geoneutrino
angular distribution, are briefly discussed. We conclude by urging the
development and construction of antineutrino experiments with angular
sensitivity. (Abstract abridged.)Comment: 25 pages, RevTeX, 7 figures. Comments welcom
Geometry-dependent electrostatics near contact lines
Long-ranged electrostatic interactions in electrolytes modify their contact
angles on charged substrates in a scale and geometry dependent manner. For
angles measured at scales smaller than the typical Debye screening length, the
wetting geometry near the contact line must be explicitly considered. Using
variational and asymptotic methods, we derive new transcendental equations for
the contact angle that depend on the electrostatic potential only at the three
phase contact line. Analytic expressions are found in certain limits and
compared with predictions for contact angles measured with lower resolution. An
estimate for electrostatic contributions to {\it line} tension is also given.Comment: 3 .eps figures, 5p
Vortex Loop Phase Transitions in Liquid Helium, Cosmic Strings, and High-T_c Superconductors
The distribution of thermally excited vortex loops near a superfluid phase
transition is calculated from a renormalized theory. The number density of
loops with a given perimeter is found to change from exponential decay with
increasing perimeter to algebraic decay as T_c is approached, in agreement with
recent simulations of both cosmic strings and high-T_c superconductors.
Predictions of the value of the exponent of the algebraic decay at T_c and of
critical behavior in the vortex density are confirmed by the simulations,
giving strong support to the vortex-folding model proposed by Shenoy.Comment: Version to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett, with a number of corrections
and addition
Thermocapillary actuation of liquid flow on chemically patterned surfaces
We have investigated the thermocapillary flow of a Newtonian liquid on hydrophilic microstripes which are lithographically defined on a hydrophobic surface. The speed of the microstreams is studied as a function of the stripe width w, the applied thermal gradient |dT/dx| and the liquid volume V deposited on a connecting reservoir pad. Numerical solutions of the flow speed as a function of downstream position show excellent agreement with experiment. The only adjustable parameter is the inlet film height, which is controlled by the ratio of the reservoir pressure to the shear stress applied to the liquid stream. In the limiting cases where this ratio is either much smaller or much larger than unity, the rivulet speed shows a power law dependency on w, |dT/dx| and V. In this study we demonstrate that thermocapillary driven flow on chemically patterned surfaces can provide an elegant and tunable method for the transport of ultrasmall liquid volumes in emerging microfluidic technologies
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