1,542 research outputs found
Identification of the Microlens in Event MACHO-LMC-20
We report on the identification of the lens responsible for microlensing
event MACHO-LMC-20. As part of a \textit{Spitzer}/IRAC program conducting
mid-infrared follow-up of the MACHO Large Magellanic Cloud microlensing fields,
we discovered a significant flux excess at the position of the source star for
this event. These data, in combination with high resolution near-infrared
\textit{Magellan}/PANIC data has allowed us to classify the lens as an early M
dwarf in the thick disk of the Milky Way, at a distance of kpc. This
is only the second microlens to have been identified, the first also being a M
dwarf star in the disk. Together, these two events are still consistent with
the expected frequency of nearby stars in the Milky Way thin and thick disks
acting as lenses.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to ApJ Letter
Active vibration mitigation of distributed parameter, smart-type structures using Pseudo-Feedback Optimal Control (PFOC)
A new, near-optimal feedback control technique is introduced that is shown to provide excellent vibration attenuation for those distributed parameter systems that are often encountered in the areas of aeroservoelasticity and large space systems. The technique relies on a novel solution methodology for the classical optimal control problem. Specifically, the quadratic regulator control problem for a flexible vibrating structure is first cast in a weak functional form that admits an approximate solution. The necessary conditions (first-order) are then solved via a time finite-element method. The procedure produces a low dimensional, algebraic parameterization of the optimal control problem that provides a rigorous basis for a discrete controller with a first-order like hold output. Simulation has shown that the algorithm can successfully control a wide variety of plant forms including multi-input/multi-output systems and systems exhibiting significant nonlinearities. In order to firmly establish the efficacy of the algorithm, a laboratory control experiment was implemented to provide planar (bending) vibration attenuation of a highly flexible beam (with a first clamped-free mode of approximately 0.5 Hz)
Far Infrared Prperties of M Dwarfs
We report the mid- and far-infrared properties of nearby M dwarfs.
Spitzer/MIPS measurements were obtained for a sample of 62 stars at 24 um, with
subsamples of 41 and 20 stars observed at 70 um and 160 um respectively. We
compare the results with current models of M star photospheres and look for
indications of circumstellar dust in the form of significant deviations of
K-[24 um] colors and 70 um / 24 um flux ratios from the average M star values.
At 24 um, all 62 of the targets were detected; 70 um detections were achieved
for 20 targets in the subsample observed; and no detections were seen in the
160 um subsample. No clear far-infrared excesses were detected in our sample.
The average far infrared excess relative to the photospheric emission of the M
stars is at least four times smaller than the similar average for a sample of
solar-type stars. However, this limit allows the average fractional infrared
luminosity in the M-star sample to be similar to that for more massive stars.
We have also set low limits for the maximum mass of dust possible around our
stars.Comment: 28 pages, 4 figures, to be published in The Astrophysical Journa
Near and Mid-IR Photometry of the Pleiades, and a New List of Substellar Candidate Members
We make use of new near and mid-IR photometry of the Pleiades cluster in
order to help identify proposed cluster members. We also use the new photometry
with previously published photometry to define the single-star main sequence
locus at the age of the Pleiades in a variety of color-magnitude planes.
The new near and mid-IR photometry extend effectively two magnitudes deeper
than the 2MASS All-Sky Point Source catalog, and hence allow us to select a new
set of candidate very low mass and sub-stellar mass members of the Pleiades in
the central square degree of the cluster. We identify 42 new candidate members
fainter than Ks =14 (corresponding to 0.1 Mo). These candidate members should
eventually allow a better estimate of the cluster mass function to be made down
to of order 0.04 solar masses.
We also use new IRAC data, in particular the images obtained at 8 um, in
order to comment briefly on interstellar dust in and near the Pleiades. We
confirm, as expected, that -- with one exception -- a sample of low mass stars
recently identified as having 24 um excesses due to debris disks do not have
significant excesses at IRAC wavelengths. However, evidence is also presented
that several of the Pleiades high mass stars are found to be impacting with
local condensations of the molecular cloud that is passing through the Pleiades
at the current epoch.Comment: Accepted to ApJS; data tables and embedded-figure version available
at http://spider.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/stauffer/pleiades07
Pseudo-single crystal electrochemistry on polycrystalline electrodes : visualizing activity at grains and grain boundaries on platinum for the Fe2+/Fe3+ redox reaction
The influence of electrode surface structure on electrochemical reaction rates and mechanisms is a major theme in electrochemical research, especially as electrodes with inherent structural heterogeneities are used ubiquitously. Yet, probing local electrochemistry and surface structure at complex surfaces is challenging. In this paper, high spatial resolution scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) complemented with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is demonstrated as a means of performing âpseudo-single-crystalâ electrochemical measurements at individual grains of a polycrystalline platinum electrode, while also allowing grain boundaries to be probed. Using the Fe2+/3+ couple as an illustrative case, a strong correlation is found between local surface structure and electrochemical activity. Variations in electrochemical activity for individual high index grains, visualized in a weakly adsorbing perchlorate medium, show that there is higher activity on grains with a significant (101) orientation contribution, compared to those with (001) and (111) contribution, consistent with findings on single-crystal electrodes. Interestingly, for Fe2+ oxidation in a sulfate medium a different pattern of activity emerges. Here, SECCM reveals only minor variations in activity between individual grains, again consistent with single-crystal studies, with a greatly enhanced activity at grain boundaries. This suggests that these sites may contribute significantly to the overall electrochemical behavior measured on the macroscale
Sustainability disclosure and reputation: a comparative study
âThis is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Corporate Reputation Review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Corporate Reputation Review 14(2), pp.79-96 is available online at: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/crr/index.htmlâDrawing on legitimacy theory, we discuss that a companyâs reputation is a determinant of
sustainability disclosure. Specifically, we consider the concept of reputation into three
dimensions for analysis: stakeholdersâ commitment, financial performance and media
exposure. This paper differs from previous social and environmental reporting studies in
that it investigates both internal and external contextual factors that influence disclosure
practice. We claim that companies with a good financial performance, that are adopting an
active strategic position towards stakeholders and that are exposed to significant public
pressure are more likely to use sustainability disclosure in order to communicate their
legitimacy to operate to stakeholders. Moreover the paper analyses a wide range of
corporate reports for their social and environmental content using an international sample
that allows for a comparison of disclosure practices among Continental European, UK and
USA companies. Our results show that stakeholder commitment and media exposure are
positively associated with sustainability disclosure. Moreover, we find evidence that the
drivers of disclosure vary by information type
The Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) for the Spitzer Space Telescope
The Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) is one of three focal plane instruments in
the Spitzer Space Telescope. IRAC is a four-channel camera that obtains
simultaneous broad-band images at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 microns. Two nearly
adjacent 5.2x5.2 arcmin fields of view in the focal plane are viewed by the
four channels in pairs (3.6 and 5.8 microns; 4.5 and 8 microns). All four
detector arrays in the camera are 256x256 pixels in size, with the two shorter
wavelength channels using InSb and the two longer wavelength channels using
Si:As IBC detectors. IRAC is a powerful survey instrument because of its high
sensitivity, large field of view, and four-color imaging. This paper summarizes
the in-flight scientific, technical, and operational performance of IRAC.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in the ApJS. A higher
resolution version is at http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/irac/publication
The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) Spectrographs
We describe the design and performance of the near-infrared (1.51--1.70
micron), fiber-fed, multi-object (300 fibers), high resolution (R =
lambda/delta lambda ~ 22,500) spectrograph built for the Apache Point
Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). APOGEE is a survey of ~
10^5 red giant stars that systematically sampled all Milky Way populations
(bulge, disk, and halo) to study the Galaxy's chemical and kinematical history.
It was part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) from 2011 -- 2014
using the 2.5 m Sloan Foundation Telescope at Apache Point Observatory, New
Mexico. The APOGEE-2 survey is now using the spectrograph as part of SDSS-IV,
as well as a second spectrograph, a close copy of the first, operating at the
2.5 m du Pont Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. Although several
fiber-fed, multi-object, high resolution spectrographs have been built for
visual wavelength spectroscopy, the APOGEE spectrograph is one of the first
such instruments built for observations in the near-infrared. The instrument's
successful development was enabled by several key innovations, including a
"gang connector" to allow simultaneous connections of 300 fibers; hermetically
sealed feedthroughs to allow fibers to pass through the cryostat wall
continuously; the first cryogenically deployed mosaic volume phase holographic
grating; and a large refractive camera that includes mono-crystalline silicon
and fused silica elements with diameters as large as ~ 400 mm. This paper
contains a comprehensive description of all aspects of the instrument including
the fiber system, optics and opto-mechanics, detector arrays, mechanics and
cryogenics, instrument control, calibration system, optical performance and
stability, lessons learned, and design changes for the second instrument.Comment: 81 pages, 67 figures, PASP, accepte
Very Low Mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs of the Young Open Cluster IC2391
We have identified a large sample of probable low mass members of the young
open cluster IC2391 based on optical (VRIZ) and Infrared (JHK) photometry.
Our sample includes 50 probable members and 82 possible members, both very low
mass stars and brown dwarfs. We also provide accurate positions for these stars
and brown dwarf candidates derived from red UK Schmidt plates measured using
the microdensitometer SuperCOSMOS. Assuming an age of 53 Myr, we estimate that
we have reached a mass of 0.025 M, if the identified objects are indeed
members of IC2391.Comment: Accepted Ap
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