Security Clearance Process: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

[Excerpt] The security clearance process is designed to determine the trustworthiness of an individual prior to granting him or her access to classified national security information. The process has evolved since the early 1950s, with antecedents dating to World War II. This report highlights some of the fundamental aspects of the process by providing answers to frequently asked questions

Measuring the muon's anomalous magnetic moment to 0.14 ppm

The anomalous magnetic moment (g-2) of the muon was measured with a precision of 0.54 ppm in Experiment 821 at Brookhaven National Laboratory. A difference of 3.2 standard deviations between this experimental value and the prediction of the Standard Model has persisted since 2004; in spite of considerable experimental and theoretical effort, there is no consistent explanation for this difference. This comparison hints at physics beyond the Standard Model, but it also imposes strong constraints on those possibilities, which include supersymmetry and extra dimensions. The collaboration is preparing to relocate the experiment to Fermilab to continue towards a proposed precision of 0.14 ppm. This will require 20 times more recorded decays than in the previous measurement, with corresponding improvements in the systematic uncertainties. We describe the theoretical developments and the experimental upgrades that provide a compelling motivation for the new measurement.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, presented at International Nuclear Physics Conference 2010 (INPC 2010

Promoting Airport Walking: A Guide

A study found that signs placed in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to promote passengers walking to airport gates rather than taking shuttles resulted in several hundred more passengers a day choosing to walk (ceiling-mounted infrared sensors were used to count travelers entering and exiting the study location). The project was supported by Kresge and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study also produced a guide, "Promoting Airport Walking," intended primarily for airport managers who want their airports to encourage healthy habits and improve customer experiences

Mesoscopic Transport: The Electron-Gas Sum Rules in a Driven Quantum Point Contact

The nature of the electron gas is characterized, above all, by its multi-particle correlations. The conserving sum rules for the electron gas have been thoroughly studied for many years, and their centrality to the physics of metallic conduction is widely understood (at least in the many-body community). We review the role of the conserving sum rules in mesoscopic transport, as normative criteria for assessing the conserving status of mesoscopic models. In themselves, the sum rules are specific enough to rule out any such theory if it fails to respect the conservation laws. Of greater interest is the capacity of the compressibility sum rule, in particular, to reveal unexpected fluctuation effects in nonuniform mesoscopic structures.Comment: TeX, 11pp, no fi

A Multi-Band Far-Infrared Survey with a Balloon-Borne Telescope

Nine additional radiation sources, above a 3-sigma confidence level of 1300 Jy, were identified at 100 microns by far infrared photometry of the galactic plane using a 0.4 meter aperture, liquid helium cooled, multichannel far infrared balloon-borne telescope. The instrument is described, including its electronics, pointing and suspension systems, and ground support equipment. Testing procedures and flight staging are discussed along with the reduction and analysis of the data acquired. The history of infrared astronomy is reviewed. General infrared techniques and the concerns of balloon astronomers are explored

High efficiency InGaAs solar cells on Si by InP layer transfer

InP/Si substrates were fabricated through wafer bonding and helium-induced exfoliation of InP, and InGaAs solar cells lattice matched to bulk InP were grown on these substrates using metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition. The photovoltaic characteristics of the InGaAs cells fabricated on the wafer-bonded InP/Si substrates were comparable to those synthesized on commercially available epiready InP substrates, thus providing a demonstration of wafer-bonded InP/Si substrates as an alternative to bulk InP substrates for solar cell applications

Doctoral Studies of Students in Educational Administration Programs in UCEA Member Institutions

This research shows that the Ph.D and Ed.D degree programs in educational administration are virtually identical pursuits in UCEA member institutions