479 research outputs found
MPF: A portable message passing facility for shared memory multiprocessors
The design, implementation, and performance evaluation of a message passing facility (MPF) for shared memory multiprocessors are presented. The MPF is based on a message passing model conceptually similar to conversations. Participants (parallel processors) can enter or leave a conversation at any time. The message passing primitives for this model are implemented as a portable library of C function calls. The MPF is currently operational on a Sequent Balance 21000, and several parallel applications were developed and tested. Several simple benchmark programs are presented to establish interprocess communication performance for common patterns of interprocess communication. Finally, performance figures are presented for two parallel applications, linear systems solution, and iterative solution of partial differential equations
Constraints on the Interactions between Dark Matter and Baryons from the X-ray Quantum Calorimetry Experiment
Although the rocket-based X-ray Quantum Calorimetry (XQC) experiment was
designed for X-ray spectroscopy, the minimal shielding of its calorimeters, its
low atmospheric overburden, and its low-threshold detectors make it among the
most sensitive instruments for detecting or constraining strong interactions
between dark matter particles and baryons. We use Monte Carlo simulations to
obtain the precise limits the XQC experiment places on spin-independent
interactions between dark matter and baryons, improving upon earlier analytical
estimates. We find that the XQC experiment rules out a wide range of
nucleon-scattering cross sections centered around one barn for dark matter
particles with masses between 0.01 and 10^5 GeV. Our analysis also provides new
constraints on cases where only a fraction of the dark matter strongly
interacts with baryons.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures. Extended discussion of methodology, to appear in
PR
Implementation and performance of SIBYLS: a dual endstation small-angle X-ray scattering and macromolecular crystallography beamline at the Advanced Light Source.
The SIBYLS beamline (12.3.1) of the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, supported by the US Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health, is optimized for both small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and macromolecular crystallography (MX), making it unique among the world's mostly SAXS or MX dedicated beamlines. Since SIBYLS was commissioned, assessments of the limitations and advantages of a combined SAXS and MX beamline have suggested new strategies for integration and optimal data collection methods and have led to additional hardware and software enhancements. Features described include a dual mode monochromator [containing both Si(111) crystals and Mo/B(4)C multilayer elements], rapid beamline optics conversion between SAXS and MX modes, active beam stabilization, sample-loading robotics, and mail-in and remote data collection. These features allow users to gain valuable insights from both dynamic solution scattering and high-resolution atomic diffraction experiments performed at a single synchrotron beamline. Key practical issues considered for data collection and analysis include radiation damage, structural ensembles, alternative conformers and flexibility. SIBYLS develops and applies efficient combined MX and SAXS methods that deliver high-impact results by providing robust cost-effective routes to connect structures to biology and by performing experiments that aid beamline designs for next generation light sources
Constraints on the interactions between dark matter and baryons from the x-ray quantum calorimetry
Although the rocket-based x-ray quantum calorimetry (XQC) experiment was designed for x-ray spectroscopy, the minimal shielding of its calorimeters, its low atmospheric overburden, and its low-threshold detectors make it among the most sensitive instruments for detecting or constraining strong interactions between dark matter particles and baryons. We use Monte Carlo simulations to obtain the precise limits the XQC experiment places on spin-independent interactions between dark matter and baryons, improving upon earlier analytical estimates. We find that the XQC experiment rules out a wide range of nucleon-scattering cross sections centered around 1 b for dark matter particles with masses between 0.01 and 10^5 GeV. Our analysis also provides new constraints on cases where only a fraction of the dark matter strongly interacts with baryons
Adaptive Optics Nulling Interferometric Constraints on the Mid-Infrared Exozodiacal Dust Emission around Vega
We present the results of mid-infrared nulling interferometric observations
of the main-sequence star alpha Lyr (Vega) using the 6.5 m MMT with its
adaptive secondary mirror. From the observations at 10.6 microns, we find that
there is no resolved emission from the circumstellar environment (at
separations greater than 0.8 AU) above 2.1% (3 sigma limit) of the level of the
stellar photospheric emission. Thus, we are able to place an upper limit on the
density of dust in the inner system of 650 times that of our own solar system's
zodiacal cloud. This limit is roughly 2.8 times better than those determined
with photometric excess observations such as those by IRAS. Comparison with
far-infrared observations by IRAS shows that the density of warm dust in the
inner system (< 30 AU) is significantly lower than cold dust at larger
separations. We consider two scenarios for grain removal, the sublimation of
ice grains and the presence of a planetary mass "sweeper." We find that if
sublimation of ice grains is the only removal process, a large fraction (> 80%)
of the material in the outer system is ice.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, Accepted to The Astrophysical Journal Letter
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