Technology challenges for space interferometry: the option of mid-infrared integrated optics

Nulling interferometry is a technique providing high angular resolution which is the core of the space missions Darwin and the Terrestrail Planet Finder. The first objective is to reach a deep degree of starlight cancelation in the range 6 -- 20 microns, in order to observe and to characterize the signal from an Earth-like planet. Among the numerous technological challenges involved in these missions, the question of the beam combination and wavefront filtering has an important place. A single-mode integrated optics (IO) beam combiner could support both the functions of filtering and the interferometric combination, simplifying the instrumental design. Such a perspective has been explored in this work within the project Integrated Optics for Darwin (IODA), which aims at developing a first IO combiner in the mid-infrared. The solutions reviewed here to manufacture the combiner are based on infrared dielectric materials on one side, and on metallic conductive waveguides on the other side. With this work, additional inputs are offered to pursue the investigation on mid-infrared photonics devices.Comment: Accepted in Adv. in Space Researc

Mid-infrared laser light nulling experiment using single-mode conductive waveguides

Aims: In the context of space interferometry missions devoted to the search of exo-Earths, this paper investigates the capabilities of new single mode conductive waveguides at providing modal filtering in an infrared and monochromatic nulling experiment; Methods: A Michelson laser interferometer with a co-axial beam combination scheme at 10.6 microns is used. After introducing a Pi phase shift using a translating mirror, dynamic and static measurements of the nulling ratio are performed in the two cases where modal filtering is implemented and suppressed. No additional active control of the wavefront errors is involved. Results: We achieve on average a statistical nulling ratio of 2.5e-4 with a 1-sigma upper limit of 6e-4, while a best null of 5.6e-5 is obtained in static mode. At the moment, the impact of external vibrations limits our ability to maintain the null to 10 to 20 seconds.; Conclusions: A positive effect of SM conductive waveguide on modal filtering has been observed in this study. Further improvement of the null should be possible with proper mechanical isolation of the setup.Comment: Accepted in A&A, 7 pages, 5 figure

Transmission measurement at 10.6 microns of Te2As3Se5 rib-waveguides on As2S3 substrate

The feasibility of chalcogenide rib waveguides working at lambda = 10.6 microns has been demonstrated. The waveguides comprised a several microns thick Te2As3Se5 film deposited by thermal evaporation on a polished As2S3 glass substrate and further etched by physical etching in Ar or CF4/O2 atmosphere. Output images at 10.6 microns and some propagation losses roughly estimated at 10dB/cm proved that the obtained structures behaved as channel waveguides with a good lateral confinement of the light. The work opens the doors to the realisation of components able to work in the mid and thermal infrared up to 20 microns and even more.Comment: The following article appeared in Vigreux-Bercovici et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 90, 011110 (2007) and may be found at http://link.aip.org/link/?apl/90/01111

Caged Gammarus fossarum (crustacea) as a robust tool for the characterization of bioavailable contamination levels in continental waters. Toward the determination of threshold values

We investigated the suitability of an active biomonitoring approach, using the ecologically relevant species Gammarus fossarum, to assess trends of bioavailable contamination in continental waters. Gammarids were translocated into cages at 27 sites, in the Rhône-Alpes region (France) during early autumn 2009. Study sites were chosen to represent different physico-chemical characteristics and various anthropic pressures. Biotic factors such as sex, weight and food availability were controlled in order to provide robust and comparable results. After one week of exposure, concentrations of 11 metals/metalloids (Cd, Pb, Hg, Ni, Zn, Cr, Co, Cu, As, Se and Ag) and 38 hydrophobic organic substances including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorobiphenyles (PCBs), pentabromodiphenylethers (PBDEs) and organochlorine pesticides, were measured in gammarids. All metals except Ag, and 33 organic substances among 38 were quantified in G. fossarum, showing that this species is relevant for chemical biomonitoring. The control of biotic factors allowed a robust and direct inter-site comparison of the bioavailable contamination levels. Overall, our results show the interest and robustness of the proposed methodological approach for assessing trends of bioavailable contamination, notably for metals and hydrophobic organic contaminants, in continental waters. Furthermore, we built threshold values of bioavailable contamination in gammarids, above which measured concentrations are expected to reveal a bioavailable contamination at the sampling site. Two ways to define such values were investigated, a statistical approach and a model fit. Threshold values were determined for almost all the substances investigated in this study and similar values were generally derived from the two approaches. Then, levels of contaminants measured in G. fossarum at the 27 study were compared to the threshold values obtained using the model fit. These threshold values could serve as a basis for further implementation of quality grids to rank sites according to the extent of the bioavailable contamination, with regard to the applied methodology

A new study of the spectroscopic binary 7 Vul with a Be star primary

We confirmed the binary nature of the Be star 7~Vul, derived a~more accurate spectroscopic orbit with an orbital period of (69.4212+/-0.0034) d, and improved the knowledge of the basic physical elements of the system. Analyzing available photometry and the strength of the \ha emission, we also document the long-term spectral variations of the Be primary. In addition, we confirmed rapid light changes with a~period of 0.5592 d, which is comparable to the expected rotational period of the Be primary, but note that its amplitude and possibly its period vary with time. We were able to disentangle only the He I 6678 A line of the secondary, which could support our tentative conclusion that the secondary appears to be a hot subdwarf. A search for this object in high-dispersion far-UV spectra could provide confirmation. Probable masses of the binary components are ($6\pm1$)~Mnom \ and ($0.6\pm0.1$)~Mnom. If the presence of a hot subdwarf is firmly confirmed, 7 Vul might be identified as a rare object with a B4-B5 primary; all Be + hot subdwarf systems found so far contain B0-B3 primaries.Comment: 17 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Bioaccumulation of perfluoroalkyl compounds in midge (Chironomus riparius) larvae exposed to sediment

Midge larvae (Chironomus riparius) were exposed to sediments from a deposition sampled at a site along the Rhône River (France) downstream of an industrial site releasing various perfluorinated chemicals. This sediment is characterized by high concentrations of perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA) and perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA) and a low perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) concentration. Concentrations of 23 perfluoroalkyl compounds, including C4eC14 carboxylate acids, C4eC10 sulfonates, and seven precursors, were analyzed in overlying and pore water, sediment, and larvae. Midge larvae accumulated carboxylate acids (C11eC14), PFOS, and two precursors (perfluorooctane sulfonamide: FOSA and 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid, 6:2 FTSA). These substances accumulated mainly during the fourth instar larvae exponential growth phase. Accumulation of 6:2 FTSA, PFUnA, and PFOS occured via trophic and tegumentary routes. Other compounds mainly accumulated from food. Kinetics followed a partition model, from which uptake and elimination constants were derived

Rat Dendritic Cells Function as Accessory Cells and Control the Production of a Soluble Factor Required for Mitogenic Responses of T Lymphocytes.

Transformation of T lymphocytes, induced by treatment with periodate or with neuraminidase plus galactose oxidase, requires the participation of accessory cells. Procedures were developed for the fractionation of rat lymph node cells, by which most of the lymphocytes can be recovered as a major population of cells that do not respond to mitogenic stimulation unless accessory cells from a separated minor population are added. Further purification led to a 1000-fold overall increase in accessory activity per cell, with a 50-70% yield. The purest preparations were virtually free of macrophages and contained more than 90% typical dendritic cells. Maximum responses occurred at a ratio of only one dendritic cell per 200 periodate-treated lymphocytes. This evidence thus indicates strongly that in rats, dendritic cells--not macrophages--function as accessory cells. Further, the number of dendritic cells in a preparation governed the magnitude of the mitogenic response and was limiting in the case of unfractionated lymph node cells. In addition, when oxidized with periodate or with neuraminidase plus galactose oxidase, the dendritic cell served as a very potent indirect stimulator of untreated responder lymphocytes. Both functions of the dendritic cell appeared to lack species specificity, since mouse dendritic cells were very active when tested with rat responder lymphocytes. A soluble factor (accessory cell-replacing factor), produced by cultures of lymph node or spleen cells subjected to oxidative mitogenesis, enabled otherwise unresponsive mitogen-treated lymphocytes to respond. Dendritic cells were required for the production of this factor but may not be solely responsible for its production

Planet Formation Imager (PFI): Introduction and Technical Considerations

Complex non-linear and dynamic processes lie at the heart of the planet formation process. Through numerical simulation and basic observational constraints, the basics of planet formation are now coming into focus. High resolution imaging at a range of wavelengths will give us a glimpse into the past of our own solar system and enable a robust theoretical framework for predicting planetary system architectures around a range of stars surrounded by disks with a diversity of initial conditions. Only long-baseline interferometry can provide the needed angular resolution and wavelength coverage to reach these goals and from here we launch our planning efforts. The aim of the "Planet Formation Imager" (PFI) project is to develop the roadmap for the construction of a new near-/mid-infrared interferometric facility that will be optimized to unmask all the major stages of planet formation, from initial dust coagulation, gap formation, evolution of transition disks, mass accretion onto planetary embryos, and eventual disk dispersal. PFI will be able to detect the emission of the cooling, newly-formed planets themselves over the first 100 Myrs, opening up both spectral investigations and also providing a vibrant look into the early dynamical histories of planetary architectures. Here we introduce the Planet Formation Imager (PFI) Project (www.planetformationimager.org) and give initial thoughts on possible facility architectures and technical advances that will be needed to meet the challenging top-level science requirements.Comment: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation conference, June 2014, Paper ID 9146-35, 10 pages, 2 Figure

Design of Efficient Water Pricing Policies Integrating Basinwide Resource Opportunity Costs

By ignoring the opportunity cost of water use, water is undervalued, which can lead to significant errors in investments and water allocation decisions. The marginal resource opportunity cost (MROC) varies in time and space, as resource availability, demands, and users’ WTP vary. This spatial and temporal variability can only be captured by basinwide hydro-economic models integrating water demands and environmental requirements, resources, infrastructure, and operational and institutional restrictions. This paper presents a method for the simulation of water pricing policies linked to water availability, and the design of efficient pricing policies that incorporate the basinwide marginal value of water. Two approaches were applied: priority-based simulation and economic optimization. The improvement in economic efficiency was assessed by comparing the results from simulation of the current system operation and the pricing schedule. The difference between the benefits for the simulated current management and the upper bound benefits from optimization indicates the maximum gap that could be bridged with pricing. In the application to a synthetic case, a storage-dependent step pricing schedule derived from average MROC values led to benefits that capture 80% of the gap of net benefits between management without pricing and the economically optimal management. Different pricing policies were tested, depending not only on reservoir storage but also on previous inflows. The results show that the method is useful for designing pricing policies that enhance the economic benefits, leading to more efficient resource allocations over time and across the competing uses.This study has been partially funded by the EU 6th FP project AQUAMONEY (SSPI-022723), the 7th FP GENESIS project (226536), and SAWARES (Plan Nacional I+D+i 2008-2011, CGL2009-13238-C02-01 and C02-02) and SCARCE (Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065) of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.Pulido-Velazquez, M.; Álvarez Mendiola, E.; Andreu Álvarez, J. (2013). Design of Efficient Water Pricing Policies Integrating Basinwide Resource Opportunity Costs. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management. 139(5):583-592. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0000262S583592139