58,671 research outputs found
Crosstalk Correction in Atomic Force Microscopy
Commercial atomic force microscopes usually use a four-segmented photodiode
to detect the motion of the cantilever via laser beam deflection. This read-out
technique enables to measure bending and torsion of the cantilever separately.
A slight angle between the orientation of the photodiode and the plane of the
readout beam, however, causes false signals in both readout channels, so-called
crosstalk, that may lead to misinterpretation of the acquired data. We
demonstrate this fault with images recorded in contact mode on ferroelectric
crystals and present an electronic circuit to compensate for it, thereby
enabling crosstalk-free imaging
Real-time pilot guidance system for improved flight test maneuvers
The Dryden Flight Research Facility of the NASA Ames Research Center has developed a pilot trajectory guidance system that increases the accuracy of flight-test data and decreases the time required to achieve and maintain desired test conditions. The system usually presented to the pilot computed differences between reference or desired and actual flight state conditions. The pilot then used a cockpit display as an aid to acquire and hold desired test conditions. This paper discusses various flight-test maneuvers and the quality of data obtained using the guidance system. Some comparisons are made between the quality of maneuvers obtained with and without the system. Limited details of the guidance system and algorithms used are included. In general, the guidance system improved the quality of the maneuvers and trajectories flown, as well as allowing trajectories to be flown that would not have been possible without the system. This system has moved from the developmental stage to full operational use in various Dryden research and test aircraft
Impact of Electrostatic Forces in Contact Mode Scanning Force Microscopy
In this contribution we address the question to what extent surface
charges affect contact-mode scanning force microscopy measurements. % We
therefore designed samples where we could generate localized electric field
distributions near the surface as and when required. % We performed a series of
experiments where we varied the load of the tip, the stiffness of the
cantilever and the hardness of the sample surface. % It turned out that only
for soft cantilevers could an electrostatic interaction between tip and surface
charges be detected, irrespective of the surface properties, i.\,e. basically
regardless its hardness. % We explain these results through a model based on
the alteration of the tip-sample potential by the additional electric field
between charged tip and surface charges
Two-temperature coronal flow above a thin disk
We extended the disk corona model (Meyer & Meyer-Hofmeister 1994; Meyer, Liu,
& Meyer-Hofmeister 2000a) to the inner region of galactic nuclei by including
different temperatures in ions and electrons as well as Compton cooling. We
found that the mass evaporation rate and hence the fraction of accretion energy
released in the corona depend strongly on the rate of incoming mass flow from
outer edge of the disk, a larger rate leading to more Compton cooling, less
efficient evaporation and a weaker corona. We also found a strong dependence on
the viscosity, higher viscosity leading to an enhanced mass flow in the corona
and therefore more evaporation of gas from the disk below. If we take accretion
rates in units of the Eddington rate our results become independent on the mass
of the central black hole. The model predicts weaker contributions to the hard
X-rays for objects with higher accretion rate like narrow-line Seyfert 1
galaxies (NLS1s), in agreement with observations. For luminous active galactic
nuclei (AGN) strong Compton cooling in the innermost corona is so efficient
that a large amount of additional heating is required to maintain the corona
above the thin disk.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures. ApJ accepte
Unified constitutive model for single crystal deformation behavior with applications
Single crystal materials are being used in gas turbine airfoils and are candidates for other hot section components because of their increased temperature capabilities and resistance to thermal fatigue. Development of a constitutive model which assesses the inelastic behavior of these materials has been studied in 2 NASA programs: Life Prediction and Constitutive Models for Engine Hot Section Anisotropic Materials and Biaxial Constitutive Equation Development for Single Crystals. The model has been fit to a large body of constitutive data for single crystal PWA 1480 material. The model uses a unified approach for computing total inelastic strains (creep plus plasticity) on crystallographic slip systems reproducing observed directional and strain rate effects as a natural consequence of the summed slip system quantities. The model includes several of the effects that have been reported to influence deformation in single crystal materials, such as shear stress, latent hardening, and cross slip. The model is operational in a commercial Finite Element code and is being installed in a Boundary Element Method code
Searching for gas giant planets on Solar System scales - A NACO/APP L'-band survey of A- and F-type Main Sequence stars
We report the results of a direct imaging survey of A- and F-type main
sequence stars searching for giant planets. A/F stars are often the targets of
surveys, as they are thought to have more massive giant planets relative to
solar-type stars. However, most imaging is only sensitive to orbital
separations 30 AU, where it has been demonstrated that giant planets are
rare. In this survey, we take advantage of the high-contrast capabilities of
the Apodizing Phase Plate coronagraph on NACO at the Very Large Telescope.
Combined with optimized principal component analysis post-processing, we are
sensitive to planetary-mass companions (2 to 12 ) at Solar System
scales (30 AU). We obtained data on 13 stars in L'-band and detected one
new companion as part of this survey: an M dwarf companion around HD
984. We re-detect low-mass companions around HD 12894 and HD 20385, both
reported shortly after the completion of this survey. We use Monte Carlo
simulations to determine new constraints on the low-mass (80 )
companion frequency, as a function of mass and separation. Assuming solar-type
planet mass and separation distributions, normalized to the planet frequency
appropriate for A-stars, and the observed companion mass-ratio distribution for
stellar companions extrapolated to planetary masses, we derive a truncation
radius for the planetary mass companion surface density of 135 AU at 95%
confidence.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 8 pages, 4 figure
Radioactive Probes of the Supernova-Contaminated Solar Nebula: Evidence that the Sun was Born in a Cluster
We construct a simple model for radioisotopic enrichment of the protosolar
nebula by injection from a nearby supernova, based on the inverse square law
for ejecta dispersion. We find that the presolar radioisotopes abundances
(i.e., in solar masses) demand a nearby supernova: its distance can be no
larger than 66 times the size of the protosolar nebula, at a 90% confidence
level, assuming 1 solar mass of protosolar material. The relevant size of the
nebula depends on its state of evolution at the time of radioactivity
injection. In one scenario, a collection of low-mass stars, including our sun,
formed in a group or cluster with an intermediate- to high-mass star that ended
its life as a supernova while our sun was still a protostar, a starless core,
or perhaps a diffuse cloud. Using recent observations of protostars to estimate
the size of the protosolar nebula constrains the distance of the supernova at
0.02 to 1.6 pc. The supernova distance limit is consistent with the scales of
low-mass stars formation around one or more massive stars, but it is closer
than expected were the sun formed in an isolated, solitary state. Consequently,
if any presolar radioactivities originated via supernova injection, we must
conclude that our sun was a member of such a group or cluster that has since
dispersed, and thus that solar system formation should be understood in this
context. In addition, we show that the timescale from explosion to the creation
of small bodies was on the order of 1.8 Myr (formal 90% confidence range of 0
to 2.2 Myr), and thus the temporal choreography from supernova ejecta to
meteorites is important. Finally, we can not distinguish between progenitor
masses from 15 to 25 solar masses in the nucleosynthesis models; however, the
20 solar mass model is somewhat preferred.Comment: ApJ accepted, 19 pages, 3 figure
Properties of Intercalated 2H-NbSe2, 4Hb-TaS2 and 1T-TaS2
The layered compounds 2H-NbSe, 24Hb-TaS, 2and 1T-TaS2 have been intercalated with organic molecules; and the resulting crystal structure, heat capacity, conductivity, and superconductivity have been studied. The coordination in the disulfide layers was found to be unchanged in the product phase. Resistance minima appear and the superconducting transition temperature is reduced in the NbSe2 complex. Conversely, superconductivity is induced in the 4Hb-TaS2 complex. Corresponding evidence of a large change of the density of states, negative for 2H-NbSe2 and positive for 4Hb-TaS2, was also observed upon intercalation. The transport properties of all the intercalation complexes show a pronounced dependence upon the coordination of the transition metal
Binding between two-component bosons in one dimension
We investigate the ground state of one-dimensional few-atom Bose-Bose
mixtures under harmonic confinement throughout the crossover from weak to
strong inter-species attraction. The calculations are based on the numerically
exact multi-configurational time-dependent Hartree method. For repulsive
components we detail the condition for the formation of a molecular
Tonks-Girardeau gas in the regime of intermediate inter-species interactions,
and the formation of a molecular condensate for stronger coupling. Beyond a
critical inter-species attraction, the system collapses to an overall bound
state. Different pathways emerge for unequal particle numbers and intra-species
interactions. In particular, for mixtures with one attractive component, this
species can be viewed as an effective potential dimple in the trap center for
the other, repulsive component.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure
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