14,605 research outputs found
High dynamic range imaging with a single-mode pupil remapping system : a self-calibration algorithm for redundant interferometric arrays
The correction of the influence of phase corrugation in the pupil plane is a
fundamental issue in achieving high dynamic range imaging. In this paper, we
investigate an instrumental setup which consists in applying interferometric
techniques on a single telescope, by filtering and dividing the pupil with an
array of single-mode fibers. We developed a new algorithm, which makes use of
the fact that we have a redundant interferometric array, to completely
disentangle the astronomical object from the atmospheric perturbations (phase
and scintillation). This self-calibrating algorithm can also be applied to any
- diluted or not - redundant interferometric setup. On an 8 meter telescope
observing at a wavelength of 630 nm, our simulations show that a single mode
pupil remapping system could achieve, at a few resolution elements from the
central star, a raw dynamic range up to 10^6; depending on the brightness of
the source. The self calibration algorithm proved to be very efficient,
allowing image reconstruction of faint sources (mag = 15) even though the
signal-to-noise ratio of individual spatial frequencies are of the order of
0.1. We finally note that the instrument could be more sensitive by combining
this setup with an adaptive optics system. The dynamic range would however be
limited by the noise of the small, high frequency, displacements of the
deformable mirror.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
The Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES):Validity as a screening instrument for PTSD
The Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES) is a brief child-friendly measure designed to screen children at risk for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It has good face and construct validity, a stable factor structure, correlates well with other indices of distress, and has been used to screen very large samples of at-risk-children following a wide range of traumatic events. However, few studies have examined the scale's validity against a structured diagnostic interview based on the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. In the present study, the CRIES and the PTSD section of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule-Child and Parent Version (ADIS-CP) were administered to a sample of children and adolescents (n=63) recruited from hospital accident and emergency rooms and the validity of the CRIES as a screening tool evaluated. Cutoff scores were chosen from this sample with a low base-rate of PTSD (11.1%) to maximize sensitivity and minimize the likelihood that children with a diagnosis of PTSD would fail to be identified. Cutoff scores were then cross-validated in a sample of 52 clinically referred children who had a high base-rate of PTSD (67.3%). A cutoff score of 30 on the CRIES-13 and a cutoff score of 17 on the CRIES-8 maximized sensitivity and specificity, minimized the rate of false negatives, and correctly classified 75-83% of the children in the two samples. The CRIES-8 (which lacks any arousal items) worked as efficiently as the CRIES-13 (which includes arousal items) in correctly classifying children with and without PTSD. Results are discussed in light of the current literature and of the need for further development of effective screens for children at-risk of developing PTSD
Pupil remapping for high contrast astronomy: results from an optical testbed
The direct imaging and characterization of Earth-like planets is among the
most sought-after prizes in contemporary astrophysics, however current optical
instrumentation delivers insufficient dynamic range to overcome the vast
contrast differential between the planet and its host star. New opportunities
are offered by coherent single mode fibers, whose technological development has
been motivated by the needs of the telecom industry in the near infrared. This
paper presents a new vision for an instrument using coherent waveguides to
remap the pupil geometry of the telescope. It would (i) inject the full pupil
of the telescope into an array of single mode fibers, (ii) rearrange the pupil
so fringes can be accurately measured, and (iii) permit image reconstruction so
that atmospheric blurring can be totally removed. Here we present a laboratory
experiment whose goal was to validate the theoretical concepts underpinning our
proposed method. We successfully confirmed that we can retrieve the image of a
simulated astrophysical object (in this case a binary star) though a pupil
remapping instrument using single mode fibers.Comment: Accepted in Optics Expres
Sound velocity and absorption measurements under high pressure using picosecond ultrasonics in diamond anvil cell. Application to the stability study of AlPdMn
We report an innovative high pressure method combining the diamond anvil cell
device with the technique of picosecond ultrasonics. Such an approach allows to
accurately measure sound velocity and attenuation of solids and liquids under
pressure of tens of GPa, overcoming all the drawbacks of traditional
techniques. The power of this new experimental technique is demonstrated in
studies of lattice dynamics, stability domain and relaxation process in a
metallic sample, a perfect single-grain AlPdMn quasicrystal, and rare gas, neon
and argon. Application to the study of defect-induced lattice stability in
AlPdMn up to 30 GPa is proposed. The present work has potential for application
in areas ranging from fundamental problems in physics of solid and liquid
state, which in turn could be beneficial for various other scientific fields as
Earth and planetary science or material research
Effect of picosecond strain pulses on thin layers of the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)(As,P)
The effect of picosecond acoustic strain pulses (ps-ASP) on a thin layer of
(Ga,Mn)As co-doped with phosphorus was probed using magneto-optical Kerr effect
(MOKE). A transient MOKE signal followed by low amplitude oscillations was
evidenced, with a strong dependence on applied magnetic field, temperature and
ps-ASP amplitude. Careful interferometric measurement of the layer's thickness
variation induced by the ps-ASP allowed us to model very accurately the
resulting signal, and interpret it as the strain modulated reflectivity
(differing for probe polarizations), independently from dynamic
magnetization effects.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Optimal estimates of the diffusion coefficient of a single Brownian trajectory
Modern developments in microscopy and image processing are revolutionizing
areas of physics, chemistry and biology as nanoscale objects can be tracked
with unprecedented accuracy. The goal of single particle tracking is to
determine the interaction between the particle and its environment. The price
paid for having a direct visualization of a single particle is a consequent
lack of statistics. Here we address the optimal way of extracting diffusion
constants from single trajectories for pure Brownian motion. It is shown that
the maximum likelihood estimator is much more efficient than the commonly used
least squares estimate. Furthermore we investigate the effect of disorder on
the distribution of estimated diffusion constants and show that it increases
the probability of observing estimates much smaller than the true (average)
value.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
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