APDs as Single-Photon Detectors for Visible and Near-Infrared Wavelenghts down to Hz Rates

For the SPECTRAP experiment at GSI, Germany, detectors with Single-Photon counting capability in the visible and near-infrared regime are required. For the wavelength region up to 1100 nm we investigate the performance of 2x2 mm^2 avalanche photo diodes (APDs) of type S0223 manufactured by Radiation Monitoring Devices. To minimize thermal noise, the APDs are cooled to approximately -170 deg. C using liquid nitrogen. By operating the diodes close to the breakdown voltage it is possible to achieve relative gains in excess of 2x10^4. Custom-made low noise preamplifiers are used to read out the devices. The measurements presented in this paper have been obtained at a relative gain of 2.2x10^4. At a discriminator threshold of 6 mV the resulting dark count rate is in the region of 230/s. With these settings the studied APDs are able to detect single photons at 628 nm wavelength with a photo detection efficiency of (67+-7)%. Measurements at 1020 nm wavelength have been performed using the attenuated output of a grating spectrograph with a light bulb as photon source. With this setup the photo detection efficiency at 1020 nm has been determined to be (13+-3)%, again at a threshold of 6 mV.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Journal of Instrumentatio

Enhancement of perfluorooctanoate and perfluorooctanesulfonate activity at acoustic cavitation bubble interfaces

Acoustic cavitation driven by ultrasonic irradiation decomposes and mineralizes the recalcitrant perfluorinated surfactants perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA). Pyrolytic cleavage of the ionic headgroup is the rate-determining step. In this study, we examine the sonochemical adsorption of PFOX, where X = S for PFOS and A for PFOA, by determining kinetic order and absolute rates over an initial PFOX concentration range of 20 nM to 200 μM. Sonochemical PFOX kinetics transition from pseudo-first-order at low initial concentrations, [PFOX]_i 40 μM, as the bubble interface sites are saturated. At PFOX concentrations below 100 μM, concentration-dependent rates were modeled with Langmuir−Hinshelwood (LH) kinetics. Empirically determined rate maximums, V_(Max)^(−PFOA) = 2230 ± 560 nM min^−1 and V_(Max)^(−PFOS) = 230 ± 60 nM min^−1, were used in the LH model, and sonochemical surface activities were estimated to be K_(Sono)^(PFOS) = 120000 M^−1 and K_(Sono)^(PFOA) = 28500 M^−1, 60 and 80 times greater than equilibrium surface activities, K_(Eq)^(PFOS) and K_(Eq)^(PFOA). These results suggest enhanced sonochemical degradation rates for PFOX when the bubble interface is undersaturated. The present results are compared to previously reported sonochemical kinetics of nonvolatile surfactants

APDs as Single-Photon Detectors for Visible and Near-Infrared Wavelenghts down to Hz Rates

For the SPECTRAP experiment at GSI, Germany, detectors with Single-Photon counting capability in the visible and near-infrared regime are required. For the wavelength region up to 1100 nm we investigate the performance of 2x2 mm^2 avalanche photo diodes (APDs) of type S0223 manufactured by Radiation Monitoring Devices. To minimize thermal noise, the APDs are cooled to approximately -170 deg. C using liquid nitrogen. By operating the diodes close to the breakdown voltage it is possible to achieve relative gains in excess of 2x10^4. Custom-made low noise preamplifiers are used to read out the devices. The measurements presented in this paper have been obtained at a relative gain of 2.2x10^4. At a discriminator threshold of 6 mV the resulting dark count rate is in the region of 230/s. With these settings the studied APDs are able to detect single photons at 628 nm wavelength with a photo detection efficiency of (67+-7)%. Measurements at 1020 nm wavelength have been performed using the attenuated output of a grating spectrograph with a light bulb as photon source. With this setup the photo detection efficiency at 1020 nm has been determined to be (13+-3)%, again at a threshold of 6 mV.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Journal of Instrumentatio

APDs as Single-Photon Detectors for Visible and Near-Infrared Wavelenghts down to Hz Rates

For the SPECTRAP experiment at GSI, Germany, detectors with Single-Photon counting capability in the visible and near-infrared regime are required. For the wavelength region up to 1100 nm we investigate the performance of 2x2 mm^2 avalanche photo diodes (APDs) of type S0223 manufactured by Radiation Monitoring Devices. To minimize thermal noise, the APDs are cooled to approximately -170 deg. C using liquid nitrogen. By operating the diodes close to the breakdown voltage it is possible to achieve relative gains in excess of 2x10^4. Custom-made low noise preamplifiers are used to read out the devices. The measurements presented in this paper have been obtained at a relative gain of 2.2x10^4. At a discriminator threshold of 6 mV the resulting dark count rate is in the region of 230/s. With these settings the studied APDs are able to detect single photons at 628 nm wavelength with a photo detection efficiency of (67+-7)%. Measurements at 1020 nm wavelength have been performed using the attenuated output of a grating spectrograph with a light bulb as photon source. With this setup the photo detection efficiency at 1020 nm has been determined to be (13+-3)%, again at a threshold of 6 mV.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Journal of Instrumentatio

Hysteretic and chaotic dynamics of viscous drops in creeping flows with rotation

It has been shown in our previous publication (Blawzdziewicz,Cristini,Loewenberg,2003) that high-viscosity drops in two dimensional linear creeping flows with a nonzero vorticity component may have two stable stationary states. One state corresponds to a nearly spherical, compact drop stabilized primarily by rotation, and the other to an elongated drop stabilized primarily by capillary forces. Here we explore consequences of the drop bistability for the dynamics of highly viscous drops. Using both boundary-integral simulations and small-deformation theory we show that a quasi-static change of the flow vorticity gives rise to a hysteretic response of the drop shape, with rapid changes between the compact and elongated solutions at critical values of the vorticity. In flows with sinusoidal temporal variation of the vorticity we find chaotic drop dynamics in response to the periodic forcing. A cascade of period-doubling bifurcations is found to be directly responsible for the transition to chaos. In random flows we obtain a bimodal drop-length distribution. Some analogies with the dynamics of macromolecules and vesicles are pointed out.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures. submitted to Journal of Fluid Mechanic

Design and Development of the Clementine Spacecraft Sensor Bench

The Clementine spacecraft was developed to demonstrate the performance of BMDO\u27s lightweight sensor suite. The suite consisted of five different sensors (Star Trackers, UV/Vis, HiRes, NIR, LWIR) and a UDAR (Laser Impulse Detection And Ranging) system. The worst-case sensor operating requirements for the Clementine mission were: interface temperature with -20 to 2° C, alignment to +/- 100µRad, and jitter kept below 40 Rad in 40msec. The average hear dissipation of the suite was over 100 Watts while operating for two of the five hour lunar orbit. To accomplish the mission the sensor suite was integrated onto a single-substrate sensor bench within the spacecraft. The bench met the stringent thermal, alignment, and jitter requirements of the sensors, and concurrently isolated the sensors from outside spacecraft contamination, as well as thermal and structural flexure. Also taken into account were the mission design drivers of hot thermal environment in lunar orbit, limited volume in the spacecraft, minimal weight, limited budget, and a six month schedule from concept to delivery of a flight bench. The design and development of the sensor bench will be discussed. Three different types of heat pipes were used to transport the heat of the sensors to radiators located on the side of the spacecraft. A beryllium metal block was used as a thermal capacitor during peak heat loads. Thermal straps connected sensors to heat pipes to keep thermal gradients as little as 3° C per inch across the interface. The bench was fastened in a quasi-kinematic fashion to eliminate the transfer of spacecraft structural loads and thermal flexing, and yet was rigid enough to keep alignment through launch. The bench substrate itself was made out of aluminum honeycomb. The alignment mechanism consisted of a nut-on-nut method to attain and keep the 100µRad requirement. Volume and alignment constraints dictated sensor location on the bench. Development of the bench involved rigorous testing to insure requirements were met. These tests involved development alignment checks, vibration testing at the sensor bench level, system level qual vibes and TDVT, system level jitter testing, as well as the flight system vibe, TV AC and functional. Lessons learned will be discussed

Combustion characteristics of compression ignition engine operating on rapeseed oil-diesel fuel blends

ArticleThe effect of biofuels on the operational parameters of the combustion engines, such as performance parameters or emission production, are monitored often. These changes are, however, based on the effect of biofuels on the course of combustion pressure inside the combustion chamber. The contribution deals with the effect of rapeseed oil-diesel fuel blends on the combustion characteristics of turbocharged compression ignition engine. The course of cylinder pressure was monitored and analysed and heat release rate was calculated. The brake specific fuel consumption, indicated and brake thermal efficiency were calculated and evaluated, in-cylinder temperature and ignition delay were also evaluated. As a test fuels a 5% and 20% concentrations of rapeseed oil in diesel fuel were selected while 100% diesel fuel was used as a reference. Turbocharged CI engine Zetor 1204 located in the tractor Zetor Forterra 8642 was used for measurement. During measurement the rotation speed of the engine was kept constant at approx. 1950 min-1 and the load of the engine was selected at approx. 20, 60, 80 and 100%. The results showed decreased cylinder peak pressure, decreased intensity of heat release rate and earlier end of combustion in all tested loads for both tested fuel blends in comparison with diesel fuel, while the lowest peak cylinder pressure was reached using fuel with 5% rapeseed oil. Fuel with 5% rapeseed oil also showed highest indicated efficiency. Ignition delay was found shorter with both of the blended fuels in comparison with diesel fuel

A direct optical method for the study of grain boundary melting

The structure and evolution of grain boundaries underlies the nature of polycrystalline materials. Here we describe an experimental apparatus and light reflection technique for measuring disorder at grain boundaries in optically clear material, in thermodynamic equilibrium. The approach is demonstrated on ice bicrystals. Crystallographic orientation is measured for each ice sample. The type and concentration of impurity in the liquid can be controlled and the temperature can be continuously recorded and controlled over a range near the melting point. The general methodology is appropriate for a wide variety of materials.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, updated with minor changes made to published versio

Dynamics of explosive degassing of magma: Observations of fragmenting two-phase flows

Liquid explosions, generated by rapid degassing of strongly supersaturated liquids, have been investigated in the laboratory with a view to understanding the basic physical processes operating during bubble nucleation and growth and the subsequent behavior of the expanding two-phase flow. Experiments are carried out in a shock tube and are monitored by high-speed photography and pressure transducers. Theoretical CO_2 supersaturations up to 455 times the ambient saturation concentration are generated by a chemical reaction; K_2CO_3 solution is suddenly injected into an excess of HCl solution in such a way as to mix the two solutions rapidly. Immediately after the injection event, a bubble nucleation delay of a few milliseconds is followed by rapid nucleation and explosive expansion of CO_2 bubbles forming a highly heterogeneous foam. Enhanced diffusion due to advection in the flow coupled with continuous mixing of the reactants, and hence on-going bubble nucleation after injection, generates an increasingly accelerating flow until the reactants become depleted at peak accelerations of around 150 g and velocities of about 15 m s^(−1). Stretching of the accelerating two-phase mixture enhances the mixing. Liberation of CO_2 vapor is spatially inhomogeneous leading to ductile fragmentation occurring throughout the flow in regions of greatest gas release as the consequence of the collision and stretching of fluid streams. The violence of the eruptions is controlled by using different concentrations of the HCl and K_2CO_3 solutions, which alters the CO_2 supersaturation and yield and also the efficiency of the mixing process. Peak acceleration is proportional to theoretical supersaturation. Pressure measurements at the base of the shock tube show an initial nucleation delay and a pressure pulse related to the onset of explosive bubble formation. These chemically induced explosions differ from liquid explosions created in other experiments. In explosions caused by sudden depressurization of CO_2-saturated water, the bubbles nucleate uniformly throughout the liquid in a single nucleation event. Subsequent bubble growth causes the two-phase mixture to be accelerated upward at nearly constant accelerations. Explosively boiling liquids, in which heterogeneous nucleation is suppressed, experience an evaporation wave which propagates down into the liquid column at constant average velocity. Fragmentation occurs at the sharply defined leading edge of the wavefront. The chemical flows effectively simulate highly explosive volcanic eruptions as they are comparable in terms of flow densities, velocities, accelerations, and in the large range of scales present. The large accelerations cause strong extensional strain and longitudinal deformation. Comparable deformation rates in volcanic systems could be sufficient to approach conditions for brittle fragmentation. Tube pumice is a major component of plinian deposits and ignimbrites and preserves evidence of accelerating flow conditions