3,828 research outputs found
Andreev reflection in bosonic condensates
We study the bosonic analog of Andreev reflection at a normal-superfluid
interface where the superfluid is a boson condensate. We model the normal
region as a zone where nonlinear effects can be neglected. Against the
background of a decaying condensate, we identify a novel contribution to the
current of reflected atoms. The group velocity of this Andreev reflected
component differs from that of the normally reflected one. For a
three-dimensional planar or two-dimensional linear interface Andreev reflection
is neither specular nor conjugate.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Text revise
Issues concerning centralized versus decentralized power deployment
The results of a study of proposed lunar base architectures to identify issues concerning centralized and decentralized power system deployment options are presented. The power system consists of the energy producing system (power plant), the power conditioning components used to convert the generated power into the form desired for transmission, the transmission lines that conduct this power from the power sources to the loads, and the primary power conditioning hardware located at the user end. Three power system architectures, centralized, hybrid, and decentralized, were evaluated during the course of this study. Candidate power sources were characterized with respect to mass and radiator area. Two electrical models were created for each architecture to identify the preferred method of power transmission, dc or ac. Each model allowed the transmission voltage level to be varied at assess the impact on power system mass. The ac power system models also permitted the transmission line configurations and placements to determine the best conductor construction and installation location. Key parameters used to evaluate each configuration were power source and power conditioning component efficiencies, masses, and radiator areas; transmission line masses and operating temperatures; and total system mass
Doppler-free Yb Spectroscopy with Fluorescence Spot Technique
We demonstrate a simple technique to measure the resonant frequency of the
398.9 nm 1S0 - 1P1 transition for the different Yb isotopes. The technique,
that works by observing and aligning fluorescence spots, has enabled us to
measure transition frequencies and isotope shifts with an accuracy of 60 MHz.
We provide wavelength measurements for the transition that differ from
previously published work. Our technique also allows for the determination of
Doppler shifted transition frequencies for photoionisation experiments when the
atomic beam and laser beam are not perpendicular and furthermore allows us to
determine the average velocity of the atoms along the direction of atomic beam
Two-Level Systems in Evaporated Amorphous Silicon
In -beam evaporated amorphous silicon (-Si), the densities of two-level
systems (TLS), and , determined from specific heat
and internal friction measurements, respectively, have been shown to
vary by over three orders of magnitude. Here we show that and
are proportional to each other with a constant of
proportionality that is consistent with the measurement time dependence
proposed by Black and Halperin and does not require the introduction of
additional anomalous TLS. However, and depend strongly
on the atomic density of the film () which depends on both film
thickness and growth temperature suggesting that the -Si structure is
heterogeneous with nanovoids or other lower density regions forming in a dense
amorphous network. A review of literature data shows that this atomic density
dependence is not unique to -Si. These findings suggest that TLS are not
intrinsic to an amorphous network but require a heterogeneous structure to
form
Narrow-line magneto-optical trap for erbium
We report on the experimental realization of a robust and efficient
magneto-optical trap for erbium atoms, based on a narrow cooling transition at
583nm. We observe up to atoms at a temperature of about
. This simple scheme provides better starting conditions for direct
loading of dipole traps as compared to approaches based on the strong cooling
transition alone, or on a combination of a strong and a narrow kHz transition.
Our results on Er point to a general, simple and efficient approach to laser
cool samples of other lanthanide atoms (Ho, Dy, and Tm) for the production of
quantum-degenerate samples
Transverse laser cooling of a thermal atomic beam of dysprosium
A thermal atomic beam of dysprosium (Dy) atoms is cooled using the
transition at 421 nm. The cooling is
done via a standing light wave orthogonal to the atomic beam. Efficient
transverse cooling to the Doppler limit is demonstrated for all observable
isotopes of dysprosium. Branching ratios to metastable states are demonstrated
to be . A scheme for enhancement of the
nonzero-nuclear-spin-isotope cooling, as well as a method for direct
identification of possible trap states, is proposed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures v2: 7 pages, 7 figure
Optical interface created by laser-cooled atoms trapped in the evanescent field surrounding an optical nanofiber
Trapping and optically interfacing laser-cooled neutral atoms is an essential
requirement for their use in advanced quantum technologies. Here we
simultaneously realize both of these tasks with cesium atoms interacting with a
multi-color evanescent field surrounding an optical nanofiber. The atoms are
localized in a one-dimensional optical lattice about 200 nm above the nanofiber
surface and can be efficiently interrogated with a resonant light field sent
through the nanofiber. Our technique opens the route towards the direct
integration of laser-cooled atomic ensembles within fiber networks, an
important prerequisite for large scale quantum communication schemes. Moreover,
it is ideally suited to the realization of hybrid quantum systems that combine
atoms with, e.g., solid state quantum devices
The PCA Lens-Finder: application to CFHTLS
We present the results of a new search for galaxy-scale strong lensing
systems in CFHTLS Wide. Our lens-finding technique involves a preselection of
potential lens galaxies, applying simple cuts in size and magnitude. We then
perform a Principal Component Analysis of the galaxy images, ensuring a clean
removal of the light profile. Lensed features are searched for in the residual
images using the clustering topometric algorithm DBSCAN. We find 1098 lens
candidates that we inspect visually, leading to a cleaned sample of 109 new
lens candidates. Using realistic image simulations we estimate the completeness
of our sample and show that it is independent of source surface brightness,
Einstein ring size (image separation) or lens redshift. We compare the
properties of our sample to previous lens searches in CFHTLS. Including the
present search, the total number of lenses found in CFHTLS amounts to 678,
which corresponds to ~4 lenses per square degree down to i=24.8. This is
equivalent to ~ 60.000 lenses in total in a survey as wide as Euclid, but at
the CFHTLS resolution and depth.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication on A&
Characterisation and airborne deployment of a new counterflow virtual impactor inlet
A new counterflow virtual impactor (CVI) inlet is introduced with details of its design, laboratory characterisation tests and deployment on an aircraft during the 2011 Eastern Pacific Emitted Aerosol Cloud Experiment (E-PEACE). The CVI inlet addresses three key issues in previous designs; in particular, the inlet operates with: (i) negligible organic contamination; (ii) a significant sample flow rate to downstream instruments (∼15 l min^(−1)) that reduces the need for dilution; and (iii) a high level of accessibility to the probe interior for cleaning. Wind tunnel experiments characterised the cut size of sampled droplets and the particle size-dependent transmission efficiency in various parts of the probe. For a range of counter-flow rates and air velocities, the measured cut size was between 8.7–13.1 μm. The mean percentage error between cut size measurements and predictions from aerodynamic drag theory is 1.7%. The CVI was deployed on the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) Twin Otter for thirty flights during E-PEACE to study aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions off the central coast of California in July and August 2011. Results are reported to assess the performance of the inlet including comparisons of particle number concentration downstream of the CVI and cloud drop number concentration measured by two independent aircraft probes. Measurements downstream of the CVI are also examined from one representative case flight coordinated with shipboard-emitted smoke that was intercepted in cloud by the Twin Otter
Cavity Assisted Nondestructive Laser Cooling of Atomic Qubits
We analyze two configurations for laser cooling of neutral atoms whose
internal states store qubits. The atoms are trapped in an optical lattice which
is placed inside a cavity. We show that the coupling of the atoms to the damped
cavity mode can provide a mechanism which leads to cooling of the motion
without destroying the quantum information.Comment: 12 page
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