39,294 research outputs found
Holddown arm release mechanism used on Saturn vehicles
With the development of the Saturn launch vehicle, it became mandatory to develop a system for restraining the vehicle until after all checks and engine thrust buildup were completed. The basic Saturn I holddown arm constrains the vehicle by clamping it between a fixed support and a movable jaw. The jaw is on a link pinned to rotate sufficiently to release the vehicle. There are three links in the jaw (restraining) system arranged so that with a small force provided by a pneumatic separator mechanism, the large loads of the vehicle can be restrained. Design details discussed are the link system, the separator, adjustments, and the energy absorber. The function of preloading is discussed. The secondary release system is described. Finally, the design differences between the Saturn I and the Saturn V arm are described
Lorentz Violation and Synchrotron Radiation
We consider the radiation emitted by an ultrarelativistic charged particle
moving in a magnetic field, in the presence of an additional Lorentz-violating
interaction. In contrast with prior work, we treat a form of Lorentz violation
that is represented by a renormalizable operator. Neglecting the radiative
reaction force, the particle's trajectory can be determined exactly. The
resulting orbit is generally noncircular and does not lie in the place
perpendicular to the magnetic field. We do not consider any Lorentz violation
in the electromagnetic sector, so the radiation from the accelerated charge can
be determined by standard means, and the radiation spectrum will exhibit a
Lorentz-violating directional dependence. Using data on emission from the Crab
nebula, we can set a bound on a particular combination of Lorentz-violating
coefficients at the level.Comment: 14 page
Gas morphology and energetics at the surface of PDRs: New insights with Herschel observations of NGC 7023
Context. We investigate the physics and chemistry of the gas and dust in dense photon-dominated regions (PDRs), along with their dependence on the illuminating UV field.
Aims. Using Herschel/HIFI observations, we study the gas energetics in NGC 7023 in relation to the morphology of this nebula. NGC 7023 is the prototype of a PDR illuminated by a B2V star and is one of the key targets of Herschel.
Methods. Our approach consists in determining the energetics of the region by combining the information carried by the mid-IR spectrum (extinction by classical grains, emission from very small dust particles) with that of the main gas coolant lines. In this letter, we discuss more specifically the intensity and line profile of the 158 μm (1901 GHz) [C ii] line measured by HIFI and provide information on the emitting gas.
Results. We show that both the [C ii] emission and the mid-IR emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) arise from the regions located in the transition zone between atomic and molecular gas. Using the Meudon PDR code and a simple transfer model, we find good agreement between the calculated and observed [C ii] intensities.
Conclusions. HIFI observations of NGC 7023 provide the opportunity to constrain the energetics at the surface of PDRs. Future work will include analysis of the main coolant line [O i] and use of a new PDR model that includes PAH-related species
Generalised photon sieves: fine control of complex fields with simple pinhole arrays
Spatial shaping of light beams has led to numerous new applications in fields such as imaging, optical communication, and micromanipulation. However, structured radiation is less well explored beyond visible optics, where methods for shaping fields are more limited. Binary amplitude filters are often used in these regimes and one such example is a photon sieve consisting of an arrangement of pinholes, the positioning of which can tightly focus incident radiation. Here, we describe a method to design generalized photon sieves: arrays of pinholes that generate arbitrary structured complex fields at their foci. We experimentally demonstrate this approach by the production of Airy and Bessel beams, and Laguerre–Gaussian and Hermite–Gaussian modes. We quantify the beam fidelity and photon sieve efficiency, and also demonstrate control over additional unwanted diffraction orders and the incorporation of aberration correction. The fact that these photon sieves are robust and simple to construct will be useful for the shaping of short- or long-wavelength radiation and eases the fabrication challenges set by more intricately patterned binary amplitude masks
A solar spectroscopic absolute abundance of argon from RESIK
Observations of He-like and H-like Ar (Ar XVII and Ar XVIII) lines at 3.949
Angstroms and 3.733 Angstroms respectively with the RESIK X-ray spectrometer on
the CORONAS-F spacecraft, together with temperatures and emission measures from
the two channels of GOES, have been analyzed to obtain the abundance of Ar in
flare plasmas in the solar corona. The line fluxes per unit emission measure
show a temperature dependence like that predicted from theory, and lead to
spectroscopically determined values for the absolute Ar abundance, A(Ar) = 6.44
pm 0.07 (Ar XVII) and 6.49 pm 0.16 (Ar XVIII) which are in agreement to within
uncertainties. The weighted mean is 6.45 pm 0.06, which is between two recent
compilations of the solar Ar abundance and suggest that the photospheric and
coronal abundances of Ar are very similar.Comment: 4 figure
Highly Ionized Potassium Lines in Solar X-ray Spectra and the Abundance of Potassium
The abundance of potassium is derived from X-ray lines observed during flares
by the RESIK instrument on the solar mission CORONAS-F between 3.53 A and 3.57
A. The lines include those emitted by He-like K and Li-like K dielectronic
satellites, which have been synthesized using the CHIANTI atomic code and newly
calculated atomic data. There is good agreement of observed and synthesized
spectra, and the theoretical behavior of the spectra with varying temperature
estimated from the ratio of the two GOES channels is correctly predicted. The
observed fluxes of the He-like K resonance line per unit emission measure gives
log A(K) = 5.86 (on a scale log A(H) = 12), with a total range of a factor 2.9.
This is higher than photospheric abundance estimates by a factor 5.5, a
slightly greater enhancement than for other elements with first ionization
potential (FIP) less than about 10 eV. There is, then, the possibility that
enrichment of low-FIP elements in coronal plasmas depends weakly on the value
of the FIP which for K is extremely low (4.34 eV). Our work also suggests that
fractionation of elements to form the FIP effect occurs in the low chromosphere
rather than higher up, as in some models.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure
Coarse-grained microscopic model of glass formers
We introduce a coarse-grained model for atomic glass formers. Its elements
are physically motivated local microscopic dynamical rules parameterized by
observables. Results of the model are established and used to interpret the
measured behaviors of supercooled fluids approaching glass transitions. The
model predicts the presence of a crossover from hierarchical super-Arrhenius
dynamics at short length scales to diffusive Arrhenius dynamics at large length
scales. This prediction distinguishes our model from other theories of glass
formers and can be tested by experiment.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Shiga toxin production and translocation during microaerobic human colonic infection with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 and O104:H4
Haemolytic uraemic syndrome caused by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is dependent on release of Shiga toxins (Stxs) during intestinal infection and subsequent absorption into the bloodstream. An understanding of Stx-related events in the human gut is limited due to lack of suitable experimental models. In this study, we have used a vertical diffusion chamber system with polarized human colon carcinoma cells to simulate the microaerobic (MA) environment in the human intestine and investigate its influence on Stx release and translocation during STEC O157:H7 and O104:H4 infection. Stx2 was the major toxin type released during infection. Whereas microaerobiosis significantly reduced bacterial growth as well as Stx production and release into the medium, Stx translocation across the epithelial monolayer was enhanced under MA versus aerobic conditions. Increased Stx transport was dependent on STEC infection and occurred via a transcellular pathway other than macropinocytosis. While MA conditions had a similar general effect on Stx release and absorption during infection with STEC O157:H7 and O104:H4, both serotypes showed considerable differences in colonization, Stx production, and Stx translocation which suggest alternative virulence strategies. Taken together, our study suggests that the MA environment in the human colon may modulate Stx-related events and enhance Stx absorption during STEC infection
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