12,292 research outputs found
The In-Orbit Performance of Batteries on the Skynet 4 Spacecraft Fleet: A NIckel-Cadmium Success Story
The SKYNET 4 constellation consists of three spacecraft which were launched between December 1988 and August 1990. The spacecraft are three-axis stabilized geostationary earth-orbiting military communications satellites with a design life of seven years on station. With the mission objective achieved all the batteries continue to give excellent performance. This paper presents a review of the history of the six batteries from cell procurement to the end of their design life and beyond. Differences in operational strategies are discussed and the lifetime trends in performance are analyzed. The combination of procurement acceptance criteria and the on-station battery management strategy utilized are presented as the prime factors in achieving completely successful battery performance throughout the mission
3D Computational Ghost Imaging
Computational ghost imaging retrieves the spatial information of a scene
using a single pixel detector. By projecting a series of known random patterns
and measuring the back reflected intensity for each one, it is possible to
reconstruct a 2D image of the scene. In this work we overcome previous
limitations of computational ghost imaging and capture the 3D spatial form of
an object by using several single pixel detectors in different locations. From
each detector we derive a 2D image of the object that appears to be illuminated
from a different direction, using only a single digital projector as
illumination. Comparing the shading of the images allows the surface gradient
and hence the 3D form of the object to be reconstructed. We compare our result
to that obtained from a stereo- photogrammetric system utilizing multiple high
resolution cameras. Our low cost approach is compatible with consumer
applications and can readily be extended to non-visible wavebands.Comment: 13pages, 4figure
Trigonometric parallaxes of young field L dwarfs
(Abridged) We aim to determine the trigonometric parallaxes and proper
motions of a sample of ten field L0-L5 dwarfs with spectroscopic evidence for
low-gravity atmospheres. We obtained J and Ks imaging data using 2-4-m class
telescopes with a typical cadence of one image per month between 2010 January
and 2012 December. We also obtained low resolution optical spectra (R~300,
500-1100 nm) using the 10-m GTCs to assess the presence of lithium absorption
in four targets and confirm their young age. Trigonometric parallaxes and
proper motions were derived to typical accuracies of 1 mas and +/-10 mas/yr.
All ten L dwarfs have large motions, and are located at distances between 9 and
47 pc. They lie above and on the sequence of field dwarfs in the absolute J and
K_s magnitude versus spectral type and luminosity versus Teff diagrams,
implying ages similar to or smaller than those typical of the field. The
detection of atomic lithium in the atmosphere of 2MASS J00452143+1634446 is
reported for the first time. Three dwarfs have locations in the HR diagram
indicative of old ages and high masses consistent with the observed lithium
depletion previously published. We did not find evidence for the presence of
astrometric companions with minimum detectable masses typically >=25 Mjup and
face-on, circular orbits with periods between 60-90 d and 3 yr around eight
targets. The astrometric and spectroscopic data indicate that about 60-70% of
the field L-type dwarfs in our sample with evidence for low-gravity atmospheres
are indeed young-to-intermediate-age brown dwarfs of the solar neighborhood
with expected ages and masses in the intervals 10-500 Myr and 11-45 Mjup. The
peaked-shape of the H-band spectra of L dwarfs, a signpost of youth, appears to
be present up to ages of 120-500 Myr and intermediate-to-high gravities.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Probing the Evaporation Dynamics of Ethanol/Gasoline Biofuel Blends Using Single Droplet Manipulation Techniques
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Amplitude equations and pattern selection in Faraday waves
We present a systematic nonlinear theory of pattern selection for parametric
surface waves (Faraday waves), not restricted to fluids of low viscosity. A
standing wave amplitude equation is derived from the Navier-Stokes equations
that is of gradient form. The associated Lyapunov function is calculated for
different regular patterns to determine the selected pattern near threshold.
For fluids of large viscosity, the selected wave pattern consists of parallel
stripes. At lower viscosity, patterns of square symmetry are obtained in the
capillary regime (large frequencies). At lower frequencies (the mixed
gravity-capillary regime), a sequence of six-fold (hexagonal), eight-fold, ...
patterns are predicted. The regions of stability of the various patterns are in
quantitative agreement with recent experiments conducted in large aspect ratio
systems.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, Revte
Transport of flexible chiral objects in a uniform shear flow
The transport of slightly deformable chiral objects in a uniform shear flow
is investigated. Depending on the equilibrium configuration one finds up to
four different asymptotic states that can be distinguished by a lateral drift
velocity of their center of mass, a rotational motion about the center of mass
and deformations of the object. These deformations influence the magnitudes of
the principal axes of the second moment tensor of the considered object and
also modify a scalar index characterizing its chirality. Moreover, the
deformations induced by the shear flow are essential for the phenomenon of
dynamical symmetry breaking: Objects that are achiral under equilibrium
conditions may dynamically acquire chirality and consequently experience a
drift in the lateral direction.Comment: 25 pages, 16 figure
Hawking radiation in an electro-magnetic wave-guide?
It is demonstrated that the propagation of electro-magnetic waves in an
appropriately designed wave-guide is (for large wave-lengths) analogous to that
within a curved space-time -- such as around a black hole. As electro-magnetic
radiation (e.g., micro-weaves) can be controlled, amplified, and detected (with
present-day technology) much easier than sound, for example, we propose a
set-up for the experimental verification of the Hawking effect. Apart from
experimentally testing this striking prediction, this would facilitate the
investigation of the trans-Planckian problem. PACS: 04.70.Dy, 04.80.-y,
42.50.-p, 84.40.Az.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX, 1 figur
Treatment of bone metastases from breast cancer with (3-amino-1-hydroxypropylidene)-1,1-bisphosphonate (APD).
Twenty-eight patients with progressive symptomatic bone metastases from breast cancer received (3-amino-1-hydroxypropylidene)-1,1-bisphosphonate (APD) 30 mg in 500 ml of 0.9% saline infused over 2 h every 14 days. No other systemic therapy for breast cancer was prescribed. All patients had progressed on at least one previous systemic treatment. APD was continued until the disease progressed. Patients were assessed for objective response by the UICC criteria. In addition, subjective response was determined by a pain questionnaire. Radiological evidence of bone healing with sclerosis of lytic disease (UICC partial response) was seen in 4 patients. The median duration of response was 10 months. Eleven patients had stable disease for at least 3 months (median 5 months) and 9 progressed. Symptomatic response occurred in 9 patients and 12 reported an improvement in quality of life. Treatment was tolerated well with no significant toxicity. In conclusion, long-term inhibition of bone destruction is possible with APD therapy alone and both subjective and objective responses are seen
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A purely kinetic description of the evaporation of water droplets
The process of water evaporation, although deeply studied, does not enjoy a kinetic description that captures known physics and can be integrated with other detailed processes such as drying of catalytic membranes embedded in vapor-fed devices and chemical reactions in aerosol whose volumes are changing dynamically. In this work, we present a simple, three-step kinetic model for water evaporation that is based on theory and validated by using well-established thermodynamic models of droplet size as a function of time, temperature, and relative humidity as well as data from time-resolved measurements of evaporating droplet size. The kinetic mechanism for evaporation is a combination of two limiting processes occurring in the highly dynamic liquid-vapor interfacial region: direct first order desorption of a single water molecule and desorption resulting from a local fluctuation, described using third order kinetics. The model reproduces data over a range of relative humidities and temperatures only if the interface that separates bulk water from gas phase water has a finite width, consistent with previous experimental and theoretical studies. The influence of droplet cooling during rapid evaporation on the kinetics is discussed; discrepancies between the various models point to the need for additional experimental data to identify their origin
Spin Resonance and dc Current Generation in a Quantum Wire
We show that in a quantum wire the spin-orbit interaction leads to a narrow
spin resonance at low temperatures, even in the absence of an external magnetic
field. Resonance absorption by linearly polarized radiation gives a dc spin
current; resonance absorption by circularly polarized radiation gives a dc
electric current or magnetization
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