1,649 research outputs found
The Omega Counter, a Frequency Counter Based on the Linear Regression
This article introduces the {\Omega} counter, a frequency counter -- or a
frequency-to-digital converter, in a different jargon -- based on the Linear
Regression (LR) algorithm on time stamps. We discuss the noise of the
electronics. We derive the statistical properties of the {\Omega} counter on
rigorous mathematical basis, including the weighted measure and the frequency
response. We describe an implementation based on a SoC, under test in our
laboratory, and we compare the {\Omega} counter to the traditional {\Pi} and
{\Lambda} counters. The LR exhibits optimum rejection of white phase noise,
superior to that of the {\Pi} and {\Lambda} counters. White noise is the major
practical problem of wideband digital electronics, both in the instrument
internal circuits and in the fast processes which we may want to measure. The
{\Omega} counter finds a natural application in the measurement of the
Parabolic Variance, described in the companion article arXiv:1506.00687
[physics.data-an].Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure, 2 table
The Parabolic variance (PVAR), a wavelet variance based on least-square fit
This article introduces the Parabolic Variance (PVAR), a wavelet variance
similar to the Allan variance, based on the Linear Regression (LR) of phase
data. The companion article arXiv:1506.05009 [physics.ins-det] details the
frequency counter, which implements the LR estimate.
The PVAR combines the advantages of AVAR and MVAR. PVAR is good for long-term
analysis because the wavelet spans over , the same of the AVAR wavelet;
and good for short-term analysis because the response to white and flicker PM
is and , same as the MVAR.
After setting the theoretical framework, we study the degrees of freedom and
the confidence interval for the most common noise types. Then, we focus on the
detection of a weak noise process at the transition - or corner - where a
faster process rolls off. This new perspective raises the question of which
variance detects the weak process with the shortest data record. Our
simulations show that PVAR is a fortunate tradeoff. PVAR is superior to MVAR in
all cases, exhibits the best ability to divide between fast noise phenomena (up
to flicker FM), and is almost as good as AVAR for the detection of random walk
and drift
Weak and strong fillability of higher dimensional contact manifolds
For contact manifolds in dimension three, the notions of weak and strong
symplectic fillability and tightness are all known to be inequivalent. We
extend these facts to higher dimensions: in particular, we define a natural
generalization of weak fillings and prove that it is indeed weaker (at least in
dimension five),while also being obstructed by all known manifestations of
"overtwistedness". We also find the first examples of contact manifolds in all
dimensions that are not symplectically fillable but also cannot be called
overtwisted in any reasonable sense. These depend on a higher-dimensional
analogue of Giroux torsion, which we define via the existence in all dimensions
of exact symplectic manifolds with disconnected contact boundary.Comment: 68 pages, 5 figures. v2: Some attributions clarified, and other minor
edits. v3: exposition improved using referee's comments. Published by Invent.
Mat
Maser Oscillation in a Whispering-Gallery-Mode Microwave Resonator
We report the first observation of above-threshold maser oscillation in a
whispering-gallery(WG)-mode resonator, whose quasi-transverse-magnetic, 17th
azimuthal-order WG mode, at a frequency of approx. 12.038 GHz, with a loaded Q
of several hundred million, is supported on a cylinder of mono-crystalline
sapphire. An electron spin resonance (ESR) associated with Fe3+ ions, that are
substitutively included within the sapphire at a concentration of a few parts
per billion, coincides in frequency with that of the (considerably narrower) WG
mode. By applying a c.w. `pump' to the resonator at a frequency of approx.
31.34 GHz, with no applied d.c. magnetic field, the WG (`signal') mode is
energized through a three-level maser scheme. Preliminary measurements
demonstrate a frequency stability (Allan deviation) of a few times 1e-14 for
sampling intervals up to 100 s.Comment: REVTeX v.4, 3 pages, with a separate .bbl file and 3 .eps figure
Highly efficient synthesis of the tricyclic core of Taxol by cascade metathesis
An efficient enantioselective synthesis of the ABC tricyclic core of the anticancer drug Taxol is reported. The key step of this synthesis is a cascade metathesis reaction, which leads in one operation to the required tricycle if appropriate fine-tuning of the dienyne precursor is performed
Controlling the Frequency-Temperature Sensitivity of a Cryogenic Sapphire Maser Frequency Standard by Manipulating Fe3+ Spins in the Sapphire Lattice
To create a stable signal from a cryogenic sapphire maser frequency standard,
the frequency-temperature dependence of the supporting Whispering Gallery mode
must be annulled. We report the ability to control this dependence by
manipulating the paramagnetic susceptibility of Fe3+ ions in the sapphire
lattice. We show that the maser signal depends on other Whispering Gallery
modes tuned to the pump signal near 31 GHz, and the annulment point can be
controlled to exist between 5 to 10 K depending on the Fe3+ ion concentration
and the frequency of the pump. This level of control has not been achieved
previously, and will allow improvements in the stability of such devices.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figure
Ultra-Low Noise Microwave Extraction from Fiber-Based Optical Frequency Comb
In this letter, we report on all-optical fiber approach to the generation of
ultra-low noise microwave signals. We make use of two erbium fiber mode-locked
lasers phase locked to a common ultra-stable laser source to generate an 11.55
GHz signal with an unprecedented relative phase noise of -111 dBc/Hz at 1 Hz
from the carrier.The residual frequency instability of the microwave signals
derived from the two optical frequency combs is below 2.3 10^(-16) at 1s and
about 4 10^(-19) at 6.5 10^(4)s (in 5 Hz bandwidth, three days continuous
operation).Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
Nuclear break-up of 11Be
The break-up of 11Be was studied at 41AMeV using a secondary beam of 11Be
from the GANIL facility on a 48Ti target by measuring correlations between the
10Be core, the emitted neutrons and gamma rays. The nuclear break-up leading to
the emission of a neutron at large angle in the laboratory frame is identified
with the towing mode through its characteristic n-fragment correlation. The
experimental spectra are compared with a model where the time dependent
Schrodinger equation (TDSE) is solved for the neutron initially in the 11 Be. A
good agreement is found between experiment and theory for the shapes of neutron
experimental energies and angular distributions. The spectroscopic factor of
the 2s orbital is tentatively extracted to be 0.46+-0.15. The neutron emission
from the 1p and 1d orbitals is also studied
Distribution and lability of land-derived organic matter in the surface sediments of the Rhône prodelta and the adjacent shelf (Mediterranean Sea, France): a multi proxy study
The Gulf of Lions is a river-dominated ocean margin that receives high loads of nutrients and particulate matter from the Rhône River but most particulate materials settle rapidly on the nearshore seafloor. One question is raised on the fate of these large quantities of organic carbon delivered by the river to the coastal marine environment. Surface sediments (0–0.5 cm) were collected in the Rhône prodelta and its adjacent shelf during a period of low river discharge (April 2007, 16 stations). The sources, distribution and lability of sedimentary organic matter were examined using bulk (organic carbon, total nitrogen, stable carbon isotope ratios, and grain size) and molecular-level (pigments, amino acids, fatty acids, and &delta;<sup>13</sup>C of individual fatty acids) analyses. Our results confirmed previous observations of a southwestward Rhodanian imprint in the nearshore sediments, with 97% of terrigenous inputs of organic matter near the river mouth. Isotopic values of bulk organic carbon, as well as fatty acid biomarkers and compound-specific &delta;<sup>13</sup>C signatures of most fatty acids clearly indicate that the Rhône inputs consist of a mixture of organic matter (OM) from different origins with a strong contribution from terrestrial sources (soil and plant debris), and a smaller input from freshwater microalgae, mostly diatoms. The influence of the Rhône River was prominent within the first ten kilometers, but may still be observed on the outer shelf (~21 km) as indicated by the occurrence of long chain fatty acids, which are derived from vascular plants, and their &delta;<sup>13</sup>C signatures. In the proximal prodelta, bacteria-specific fatty acids were abundant (1.65 mg g<sup>−1</sup> OC at the mouth site) and were relatively depleted in &delta;<sup>13</sup>C confirming that bacteria mostly utilize land-derived OM. In the shelf area, the inputs of marine OM and its predominant utilization by the bacteria was confirmed, but the coupling between the pelagic and the benthic compartments appeared limited at this period of the year. <br><br> Overall, degradation indexes based on amino acids (Dauwe's degradation index) and pigments (ratio of intact chlorophyll-<I>a</I> to the sum of chlorophyll-<I>a</I> + phaeopigment-<I>a</I>), as well as isotopic enrichment of source-specific fatty acids reveal an offshore gradient of OM decay reflecting the rapid deposition of the terrestrial material in the prodelta, the low mixing with OM deriving from marine sources and the efficient degradation of the OM. The OM delivered by the Rhône is relatively labile based on the intermediary value of Dauwe's degradation index, the high proportion of bio-available nitrogen and the occurrence of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Deltaic sediments off the Rhône River should thus be of sufficiently high nutritional quality to sustain dense macrofaunal communities
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