22,218 research outputs found
Sub-Microarcsecond Astrometry with SIM-Lite: A Testbed-based Performance Assessment
SIM-Lite is an astrometric interferometer being designed for
sub-microarcsecond astrometry, with a wide range of applications from searches
for Earth-analogs to determining the distribution of dark matter. SIM-Lite
measurements can be limited by random and systematic errors, as well as
astrophysical noise. In this paper we focus on instrument systematic errors and
report results from SIM-Lite's interferometer testbed. We find that, for
narrow-angle astrometry such as used for planet finding, the end-of-mission
noise floor for SIM-Lite is below 0.035 uas.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Bringing closure to microlensing mass measurement
Interferometers offer multiple methods for studying microlensing events and
determining the properties of the lenses. We investigate the study of
microlensing events with optical interferometers, focusing on narrow-angle
astrometry, visibility, and closure phase. After introducing the basics of
microlensing and interferometry, we derive expressions for the signals in each
of these three channels. For various forecasts of the instrumental performance,
we discuss which method provides the best means of measuring the lens angular
Einstein radius theta_E, a prerequisite for determining the lens mass. If the
upcoming generation of large-aperture, AO-corrected long baseline
interferometers (e.g. VLTI, Keck, OHANA) perform as well as expected, theta_E
may be determined with signal-to-noise greater than 10 for all bright events.
We estimate that roughly a dozen events per year will be sufficiciently bright
and have long enough durations to allow the measurement of the lens mass and
distance from the ground. We also consider the prospects for a VLTI survey of
all bright lensing events using a Fisher matrix analysis, and find that even
without individual masses, interesting constraints may be placed on the bulge
mass function, although large numbers of events would be required.Comment: 23 pages, aastex, submitted to Ap
Observations of lightning processes using VHF radio interferometry
A single station, multiple baseline radio interferometer was used to locate the direction of VHF radiation from lightning discharges with microsec time resolution. Radiation source directions and electric field waveforms were analyzed for various types of breakdown events. These include initial breakdown and K type events of in-cloud activity, and the leaders of initial and subsequent strokes to ground and activity during and following return strokes. Radiation during the initial breakdown of a flash and in the early stages of initial leaders to ground is found to be similar. In both instances, the activity consists of localized bursts of radiation that are intense and slow moving. Motion within a given burst is unresolved by the interferometer. Radiation from in-cloud K type events is essentially the same as that from dart leaders; in both cases it is produced at the leading edge of a fast moving streamer that propagates along a well defined, often extensive path. K type events are sometimes terminated by fast field changes that are similar to the return stroke initiated by dart leaders; such K type events are the in-cloud analog of the dart leader return stroke process
The automation of next-to-leading order electroweak calculations
We present the key features relevant to the automated computation of all the
leading- and next-to-leading order contributions to short-distance cross
sections in a mixed-coupling expansion, with special emphasis on the first
subleading NLO term in the QCD+EW scenario, commonly referred to as NLO EW
corrections. We discuss, in particular, the FKS subtraction in the context of a
mixed-coupling expansion; the extension of the FKS subtraction to processes
that include final-state tagged particles, defined by means of fragmentation
functions; and some properties of the complex mass scheme. We combine the
present paper with the release of a new version of MadGraph5_aMC@NLO, capable
of dealing with mixed-coupling expansions. We use the code to obtain
illustrative inclusive and differential results for the 13-TeV LHC.Comment: 121 pages, 16 figure
Tele-autonomous control involving contacts: The applications of a high precision laser line range sensor
The object localization algorithm based on line-segment matching is presented. The method is very simple and computationally fast. In most cases, closed-form formulas are used to derive the solution. The method is also quite flexible, because only few surfaces (one or two) need to be accessed (sensed) to gather necessary range data. For example, if the line-segments are extracted from boundaries of a planar surface, only parameters of one surface and two of its boundaries need to be extracted, as compared with traditional point-surface matching or line-surface matching algorithms which need to access at least three surfaces in order to locate a planar object. Therefore, this method is especially suitable for applications when an object is surrounded by many other work pieces and most of the object is very difficult, is not impossible, to be measured; or when not all parts of the object can be reached. The theoretical ground on how to use line range sensor to located an object was laid. Much work has to be done in order to be really useful
Note on a new fundamental length scale instead of the Newtonian constant
The newly proposed entropic gravity suggests gravity as an emergent force
rather than a fundamental one. In this approach, the Newtonian constant
does not play a fundamental role any more, and a new fundamental constant is
required to replace its position. This request also arises from some
philosophical considerations to contemplate the physical foundations for the
unification of theories. We here consider the suggestion to derive from
more fundamental quantities in the presence of a new fundamental length scale
, which is suspected to originate from the structure of quantum space-time,
and can be measured directly from Lorentz-violating observations. Our results
are relevant to the fundamental understanding of physics, and more practically,
of natural units, as well as explanations of experimental constraints in
searching for Lorentz violation.Comment: 10 latex pages, final version for journal publicatio
Lower Bounds of Concurrence for Tripartite Quantum Systems
We derive an analytical lower bound for the concurrence of tripartite quantum
mixed states. A functional relation is established relating concurrence and the
generalized partial transpositions.Comment: 10 page
Enhanced Magnetization from Proton Irradiated Bulk van der Waals Magnet CrSiTe3
Van der Waals (vdWs) crystals have attracted a great deal of scientific
attention due to their interesting physical properties and widespread practical
applications. Among all, CrSiTe3 (CST) is a ferromagnetic semiconductor with
the Curie temperature (TC) of ~32 K. In this letter, we study the magnetic
properties of bulk CST single-crystal upon proton irradiation with the fluence
of 1x1018 protons/cm2. Most significantly, we observed an enhancement (23%) in
the saturation magnetization from 3.9 {\mu}B to 4.8 {\mu}B and is accompanied
by an increase in the coercive field (465-542 Oe) upon proton irradiation.
Temperature-dependent X-band electron paramagnetic resonance measurements show
no additional magnetically active defects/vacancies that are generated upon
proton irradiation. The findings from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and
Raman measurements lead us to believe that modification in the spin-lattice
coupling and introduction of disorder could cause enhancement in saturation
magnetization. This work demonstrates that proton irradiation is a feasible
method in modifying the magnetic properties of vdWs crystals, which represents
a significant step forward in designing future spintronic and
magneto-electronic applications
The Mount Wilson optical interferometer: The first automated instrument and the prospects for lunar interferometry
Before contemplating an optical interferometer on the Moon one must first review the accomplishments achieved by this technology in scientific applications for astronomy. This will be done by presenting the technical status of optical interferometry as achieved by the Mount Wilson Optical Interferometer. The further developments needed for a future lunar-based interferometer are discussed
Decay of scalar variance in isotropic turbulence in a bounded domain
The decay of scalar variance in isotropic turbulence in a bounded domain is
investigated. Extending the study of Touil, Bertoglio and Shao (2002; Journal
of Turbulence, 03, 49) to the case of a passive scalar, the effect of the
finite size of the domain on the lengthscales of turbulent eddies and scalar
structures is studied by truncating the infrared range of the wavenumber
spectra. Analytical arguments based on a simple model for the spectral
distributions show that the decay exponent for the variance of scalar
fluctuations is proportional to the ratio of the Kolmogorov constant to the
Corrsin-Obukhov constant. This result is verified by closure calculations in
which the Corrsin-Obukhov constant is artificially varied. Large-eddy
simulations provide support to the results and give an estimation of the value
of the decay exponent and of the scalar to velocity time scale ratio
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