Camera for QUasars in EArly uNiverse (CQUEAN)

We describe the overall characteristics and the performance of an optical CCD camera system, Camera for QUasars in EArly uNiverse (CQUEAN), which is being used at the 2.1 m Otto Struve Telescope of the McDonald Observatory since 2010 August. CQUEAN was developed for follow-up imaging observations of red sources such as high redshift quasar candidates (z >= 5), Gamma Ray Bursts, brown dwarfs, and young stellar objects. For efficient observations of the red objects, CQUEAN has a science camera with a deep depletion CCD chip which boasts a higher quantum efficiency at 0.7 - 1.1 um than conventional CCD chips. The camera was developed in a short time scale (~ one year), and has been working reliably. By employing an auto-guiding system and a focal reducer to enhance the field of view on the classical Cassegrain focus, we achieve a stable guiding in 20 minute exposures, an imaging quality with FWHM >= 0.6" over the whole field (4.8' * 4.8'), and a limiting magnitude of z = 23.4 AB mag at 5-sigma with one hour total integration time.Comment: Accepted for publication in PASP. 26 pages including 5 tables and 24 figure

Simulation of aromatic SOA formation using the lumping model integrated with explicit gas-phase kinetic mechanisms and aerosol-phase reactions

The Unified Partitioning-Aerosol phase Reaction (UNIPAR) model has been developed to predict the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation through multiphase reactions. The model was evaluated with aromatic SOA data produced from the photooxidation of toluene and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (135-TMB) under various concentrations of NO_x and SO₂ using an outdoor reactor (University of Florida Atmospheric PHotochemical Outdoor Reactor (UF-APHOR) chamber). When inorganic species (sulfate, ammonium and water) are present in aerosol, the prediction of both toluene SOA and 135-TMB SOA, in which the oxygen-to-carbon (O : C) ratio is lower than 0.62, are approached under the assumption of a complete organic/electrolyte-phase separation below a certain relative humidity. An explicit gas-kinetic model was employed to express gas-phase oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons. Gas-phase products are grouped based on their volatility (6 levels) and reactivity (5 levels) and exploited to construct the stoichiometric coefficient (α_i,j) matrix, the set of parameters used to describe the concentrations of organic compounds in multiphase. Weighting of the α_i,j matrix as a function of NO_x improved the evaluation of NO_x effects on aromatic SOA. The total amount of organic matter (OM_T) is predicted by two modules in the UNIPAR model: OM_P by a partitioning process and OM_AR by aerosol-phase reactions. The OM_AR module predicts multiphase reactions of organic compounds, such as oligomerization, acid-catalyzed reactions, and organosulfate (OS) formation. The model reasonably simulates SOA formation under various aerosol acidities, NO_x concentrations, humidities and temperatures. Furthermore, the OS fractions in the SOA predicted by the model were in good agreement with the experimentally measured OS fractions

Infrared spectroscopy under multi-extreme conditions: Direct observation of pseudo gap formation and collapse in CeSb

Infrared reflectivity measurements of CeSb under multi-extreme conditions (low temperatures, high pressures and high magnetic fields) were performed. A pseudo gap structure, which originates from the magnetic band folding effect, responsible for the large enhancement in the electrical resistivity in the single-layered antiferromagnetic structure (AF-1 phase) was found at a pressure of 4 GPa and at temperatures of 35 - 50 K. The optical spectrum of the pseudo gap changes to that of a metallic structure with increasing magnetic field strength and increasing temperature. This change is the result of the magnetic phase transition from the AF-1 phase to other phases as a function of the magnetic field strength and temperature. This result is the first optical observation of the formation and collapse of a pseudo gap under multi-extreme conditions.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Focusing and Compression of Ultrashort Pulses through Scattering Media

Light scattering in inhomogeneous media induces wavefront distortions which pose an inherent limitation in many optical applications. Examples range from microscopy and nanosurgery to astronomy. In recent years, ongoing efforts have made the correction of spatial distortions possible by wavefront shaping techniques. However, when ultrashort pulses are employed scattering induces temporal distortions which hinder their use in nonlinear processes such as in multiphoton microscopy and quantum control experiments. Here we show that correction of both spatial and temporal distortions can be attained by manipulating only the spatial degrees of freedom of the incident wavefront. Moreover, by optimizing a nonlinear signal the refocused pulse can be shorter than the input pulse. We demonstrate focusing of 100fs pulses through a 1mm thick brain tissue, and 1000-fold enhancement of a localized two-photon fluorescence signal. Our results open up new possibilities for optical manipulation and nonlinear imaging in scattering media

A TaqMan qPCR method for detecting kdr resistance in Aphis gossypii demonstrates improved sensitivity compared to conventional PCR–RFLP

© 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, has emerged as a prominent pest in Australian cotton production, and monitoring pesticide resistance including pyrethroids in field populations is crucial for its sustainable management. We examined the distribution of kdr resistance in 35 field-collected A. gossypii populations and used TaqMan qPCR assays with pooled samples. The study demonstrated proof of concept that pooled insect qPCR methodology provided effective detection with better sensitivity than individual PCR–RFLP genotyping techniques for the kdr resistance allele. The practical outcome is that routine resistance monitoring can examine more sites while increasing the likelihood of detecting incipient resistance at those sites. More importantly, the method is adaptable to any genetically caused resistance and so not limited to A. gossypii or even insect control. It cannot be overstressed that the ability to detected resistance at very low frequencies is critical to all sustainable resistance management. Early detection of resistance provides critical time for the modification of chemical use prior to potential insecticide control failure

Order reduction approaches for the algebraic Riccati equation and the LQR problem

We explore order reduction techniques for solving the algebraic Riccati equation (ARE), and investigating the numerical solution of the linear-quadratic regulator problem (LQR). A classical approach is to build a surrogate low dimensional model of the dynamical system, for instance by means of balanced truncation, and then solve the corresponding ARE. Alternatively, iterative methods can be used to directly solve the ARE and use its approximate solution to estimate quantities associated with the LQR. We propose a class of Petrov-Galerkin strategies that simultaneously reduce the dynamical system while approximately solving the ARE by projection. This methodology significantly generalizes a recently developed Galerkin method by using a pair of projection spaces, as it is often done in model order reduction of dynamical systems. Numerical experiments illustrate the advantages of the new class of methods over classical approaches when dealing with large matrices

Perovskite solar cells: a deep analysis using current–voltage and capacitance–voltage techniques

Perovskite solar cells exhibiting~14–15% efficiency were experimentally measured using current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) techniques in order to extract material and device properties, and understand the action of photovoltaic (PV) operation. Deep analyses were carried out on dark- and illuminated I–V curves, and dark C–V curves. Results were compared with those of graded bandgap solar cells fabricated on inorganic n-type window layers. These analyses according to a physicist’s point of view lead to understand the perovskite solar cell as a graded bandgap solar cell built on a p-type window layer. I–V and C–V results show very similar behaviour and the principle of PV action is identical. Once the stability issues with perovskites are solved, these devices have very high potential of producing next generation solar cells reaching at least mid-20% efficiency values