X-ray Amorphous Components of Antarctica Dry Valley Soils: Weathering Implications for Mars

The Antarctic Dry Valleys (ADV) comprise the largest ice-free region of Antarctica. Precipitation usually occurs as snow, relative humidity is frequently low, and mean annual temperatures are about -20C [1]. Substantial work has focused on soil formation in the ADVs [2], however, little work has focused on the mineralogy of secondary alteration phases. The dominant weathering process in the ADV region is physical weathering, however, chemical weathering has been well documented [3]. The occurrence of chemical weathering processes are suggested by the presence of clay minerals and iron and titanium oxides in soil. Previously we have investigated soils from two sites in the ADVs and have shown evidence of chemical weathering by the presence of clay minerals (vermiculite, smectite), short-range ordered (SRO) and/or X-ray amorphous materials, and Fe- and Tioxides as well as the presence of discrete calcite crystals [4, 5]. The Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument onboard the Mars Curiosity rover has detected abundant amounts (approx. 25-30 wt. %) of X-ray amorphous materials in a windblown deposit or soil (Rocknest) and in a sedimentary rocks [6,7,8]. The occurrence of large amounts of X-ray amorphous materials in Mars sediments is surprising because these materials are usually present in small quantities in terrestrial environments. The objective of this study is to further characterize the chemistry and mineralogy, specifically the secondary alteration mineralogy and the presence of X-ray amorphous material, of soils from two sites we have previously studied, a subxerous soil in Taylor Valley, and an ultraxerous soil in University Valley. While the chemical alteration processes and mineralogy of the ADV has been documented previously, there has been limited discussion on the occurrence and formation of X-ray amorphous and SRO materials in Antarctica soils. The process of aqueous alteration in the ADVs may have implications for pedogenic processes on Mars, and may lead to a better understanding to the abundance of amorphous material found in sediments in Gale crater

Parametric Analysis of the Selective Laser Sintering Process

Qualitative and quantitative analyses are required to develop Selective Laser Sintering into a viable Manufacturing process. A simplified mathematical model for sintering incorporating the heat tJ;ansfer equation. and the sintering rate equation, but using temperature independent thermal properties, is presented in this paper. A practical result is the calculation of sintering depthdeftned as the depth of powder where the void fraction is less than 0.1 as a function of control parameters, such as the laser power intensity, the laser scanning velocity, and the initial bedtemperature. We derive the general behavior of laser sintering. A comparison of model predictions with laser sinterlng tests is provided.Mechanical Engineerin

SU(2)-in-SU(1,1) Nested Interferometer for Highly Sensitive, Loss-Tolerant Quantum Metrology

We present experimental and theoretical results on a new interferometer topology that nests a SU(2) interferometer, e.g., a Mach-Zehnder or Michelson interferometer, inside a SU(1,1) interferometer, i.e., a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with parametric amplifiers in place of beam splitters. This SU(2)-in-SU(1,1) nested interferometer (SISNI) simultaneously achieves high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), sensitivity beyond the standard quantum limit (SQL) and tolerance to photon losses external to the interferometer, e.g., in detectors. We implement a SISNI using parametric amplification by four-wave mixing (FWM) in Rb vapor and a laser-fed Mach-Zehnder SU(2) interferometer. We observe path-length sensitivity with SNR 2.2 dB beyond the SQL at power levels (and thus SNR) 2 orders of magnitude beyond those of previous loss-tolerant interferometers. We find experimentally the optimal FWM gains and find agreement with a minimal quantum noise model for the FWM process. The results suggest ways to boost the in-practice sensitivity of high-power interferometers, e.g., gravitational wave interferometers, and may enable high-sensitivity, quantum-enhanced interferometry at wavelengths for which efficient detectors are not available.Comment: 6 pages + 4 of supplemental material, 5 figure

Thermal Analyzer for Planetary Soil (TAPS): an in Situ Instrument for Mineral and Volatile-element Measurements

Thermal Analyzer for Planetary Soil (TAPS) offers a specific implementation for the generic thermal analyzer/evolved-gas analyzer (TA/EGA) function included in the Mars Environmental Survey (MESUR) strawman payload; applications to asteroids and comets are also possible. The baseline TAPS is a single-sample differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), backed by a capacitive-polymer humidity sensor, with an integrated sampling mechanism. After placement on a planetary surface, TAPS acquires 10-50 mg of soil or sediment and heats the sample from ambient temperature to 1000-1300 K. During heating, DSC data are taken for the solid and evolved gases are swept past the water sensor. Through ground based data analysis, multicomponent DSC data are deconvolved and correlated with the water release profile to quantitatively determine the types and relative proportions of volatile-bearing minerals such as clays and other hydrates, carbonates, and nitrates. The rapid-response humidity sensors also achieve quantitative analysis of total water. After conclusion of soil-analysis operations, the humidity sensors become available for meteorology. The baseline design fits within a circular-cylindrical volume less than 1000 cm(sup 3), occupies 1.2 kg mass, and consumes about 2 Whr of power per analysis. Enhanced designs would acquire and analyze multiple samples and employ additional microchemical sensors for analysis of CO2, SO2, NO(x), and other gaseous species. Atmospheric pumps are also being considered as alternatives to pressurized purge gas

Evidence for Adsorption of Chlorine Species on Iron(III) (hydr)oxides in the Sheepbed Mudstone, Gale Crater, Mars

Chlorine is a widespread element on Mars present in dust, soils and rocks, including the Sheepbed mudstone at Yellowknife Bay, Gale crater. Combined elemental and volatile analyses of two drilled samples, Cumberland and John Klein, indicated that chloride (Cl-) and perchlorate (ClO4 -) are likely present in the mudstone. The nature of chlorine species in Sheepbed mudstone is still not well constrained. It has been proposed that both are present as amorphous or crystalline salts physically mixed with mudstone minerals. We alternatively hypothesize that adsorbed perchlorate and chloride exist in the mudstone and adsorption could occur, in particular, on Fe(III) (hydr)oxide phases as supported by laboratory observations on terrestrial materials. Mineralogical and compositional analyses of the drilled Cumberland mudstone sample revealed the presence of ~30 wt% of a Fe-rich X-ray amorphous phase. Ferrihydrite has been proposed as a component of the Fe-rich X-ray amorphous material. The objectives of this work were to determine adsorption of perchlorate and chloride on ferrihydrite and to enable data comparison by characterizing adsorbed chloride and perchlorate with thermal and evolved gas analysis run under operating conditions similar to the SAM instrument onboard the Curiosity rover

Valence bond spin liquid state in two-dimensional frustrated spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnets

Fermionic valence bond approach in terms of SU(4) representation is proposed to describe the $J_{1}-J_{2}$ frustrated Heisenberg antiferromagnetic (AF) model on a {\it bipartite} square lattice. A uniform mean field solution without breaking the translational and rotational symmetries describes a valence bond spin liquid state, interpolating the two different AF ordered states in the large $J_{1}$ and large $J_{2}$ limits, respectively. This novel spin liquid state is gapless with the vanishing density of states at the Fermi nodal points. Moreover, a sharp resonance peak in the dynamic structure factor is predicted for momenta ${\bf q}=(0,0)$ and $(\pi ,\pi)$ in the strongly frustrated limit $J_{2}/J_{1}\sim 1/2$, which can be checked by neutron scattering experiment.Comment: Revtex file, 4 pages, 4 figure

On the Validity of the Tomonaga Luttinger Liquid Relations for the One-dimensional Holstein Model

For the one-dimensional Holstein model, we show that the relations among the scaling exponents of various correlation functions of the Tomonaga Luttinger liquid (LL), while valid in the thermodynamic limit, are significantly modified by finite size corrections. We obtain analytical expressions for these corrections and find that they decrease very slowly with increasing system size. The interpretation of numerical data on finite size lattices in terms of LL theory must therefore take these corrections into account. As an important example, we re-examine the proposed metallic phase of the zero-temperature, half-filled one-dimensional Holstein model without employing the LL relations. In particular, using quantum Monte Carlo calculations, we study the competition between the singlet pairing and charge ordering. Our results do not support the existence of a dominant singlet pairing state.Comment: 7 page

Spectral, mineralogical, and geochemical variations across Home Plate, Gusev Crater, Mars indicate high and low temperature alteration

Over the last ~ 3 years in Gusev Crater, Mars, the Spirit rover observed coherent variations in color, mineralogy, and geochemistry across Home Plate, an ~ 80 m-diameter outcrop of basaltic tephra. Observations of Home Plate from orbit and from the summit of Husband Hill reveal clear differences in visible/near-infrared (VNIR) colors between its eastern and western regions that are consistent with mineralogical compositions indicated by Mössbauer spectrometer (MB) and by Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES). Pyroxene and magnetite dominate the east side, while olivine, nanophase Fe oxide (npOx) and glass are more abundant on the western side. Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) observations reveal that eastern Home Plate has higher Si/Mg, Al, Zn, Ni, and K, while Cl and Br are higher in the west. We propose that these variations are the result of two distinct alteration regimes that may or may not be temporally related: a localized, higher temperature recrystallization and alteration of the east side of Home Plate and lower temperature alteration of the western side that produced npOx

Equation of state of the hot dense matter in a multi-phase transport model

Within the framework of a multi-phase transport model, we study the equation of state and pressure anisotropy of the hot dense matter produced in central relativistic heavy ion collisions. Both are found to depend on the hadronization scheme and scattering cross sections used in the model. Furthermore, only partial thermalization is achieved in the produced matter as a result of its fast expansion

Evolution of hepatitis B virus liver disease after hepatic replacement. Practical and theoretical considerations

The morphologic evolution of hepatitis B virus (HBV) liver disease in 45 hepatic allograft recipients who were HBV surface-antigen positive (HBs-Ag+) at the time of liver replacement and who survived for more than 60 days was studied by routine histologic and immunocytochemical analysis of serial pathology specimens. The findings in these patients were compared to a control group of 30 individuals who were immune to the HBV (anti-HBs antibody positive), but required hepatic replacement for other reasons. Eight of the forty-five (18%) HBsAg-positive patients have no serologic evidence of HBV reinfection after transplantation. All 37 remaining patients are reinfected; 21 (47%) developed chronic active hepatitis and/or cirhosis, 3 (7%) developed submassive necrosis, and 6 (14%) developed chronic lobular hepatitis. One patient lost her graft to chronic rejection, despite reinfection with the B virus. Four other patients (9%) developed a chronic carrier state. No long-term follow-up biopsies were available in the remaining two patients. The histologic features associated with dysfunction related to recurrent HBV infection evolved from an acute to chronic phase and were similar to hepatitis B seen in nonallografted livers. Furthermore HBV-related lesions could be separated from rejection using routine histology alone. The only exception to this conclusion was the occurrence of a peculiar HBV-related lesion in two recipients, described herein. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated the presence of viral antigens in almost all cases. Hepatic inflammation also was commonly present during HBV disease and consisted mostly of accessory cells and T lymphocytes. Analysis of the effect of major histocompatibility complex matching revealed no clear association between the number of class I or II matches or mismatches and the development, or pattern, of active hepatitis in the allograft. Peculiar pathologic alterations in several of the biopsies and failed allografts after HBV reinfection suggests that, under special circumstances, the B virus may by cytopathic