254 research outputs found
New ion trap for atomic frequency standard applications
A novel linear ion trap that permits storage of a large number of ions with reduced susceptibility to the second-order Doppler effect caused by the radio frequency (RF) confining fields has been designed and built. This new trap should store about 20 times the number of ions a conventional RF trap stores with no corresponding increase in second-order Doppler shift from the confining field. In addition, the sensitivity of this shift to trapping parameters, i.e., RF voltage, RF frequency, and trap size, is greatly reduced
Atomic frequency standards for ultra-high-frequency stability
The general features of the Hg-199(+) trapped-ion frequency standard are outlined and compared to other atomic frequency standards, especially the hydrogen maser. The points discussed are those which make the trapped Hg-199(+) standard attractive: high line Q, reduced sensitivity to external magnetic fields, and simplicity of state selection, among others
The JPL trapped mercury ion frequency standard
In order to provide frequency standards for the Deep Space Network (DSN) which are more stable than present-day hydrogen masers, a research task was established under the Advanced Systems Program of the TDA to develop a Hg-199(+) trapped ion frequency standard. The first closed-loop operation of this kind is described. Mercury-199 ions are confined in an RF trap and are state-selected through the use of optical pumping with 194 nm UV light from a Hg-202 discharge lamp. Absorption of microwave radiation at the hyperfine frequency (40.5 GHz) is signaled by atomic fluorescence of the UV light. The frequency of a 40.5 GHz oscillator is locked to a 1.6 Hz wide atomic absorption line of the trapped ions. The measured Allan variance of this locked oscillator is currently gamma sub y (pi) = 4.4 x 10 to the minus 12th/square root of pi for 20 is less than pi is less than 320 seconds, which is better stability than the best commercial cesium standards by almost a factor of 2. This initial result was achieved without magnetic shielding and without regulation of ion number
Simple analytic potentials for linear ion traps
A simple analytical model was developed for the electric and ponderomotive (trapping) potentials in linear ion traps. This model was used to calculate the required voltage drive to a mercury trap, and the result compares well with experiments. The model gives a detailed picture of the geometric shape of the trapping potenital and allows an accurate calculation of the well depth. The simplicity of the model allowed an investigation of related, more exotic trap designs which may have advantages in light-collection efficiency
Computer simulations of ions in radio-frequency traps
The motion of ions in a trapped-ion frequency standard affects the stability of the standard. In order to study the motion and structures of large ion clouds in a radio-frequency (RF) trap, a computer simulation of the system that incorporates the effect of thermal excitation of the ions was developed. Results are presented from the simulation for cloud sizes up to 512 ions, emphasizing cloud structures in the low-temperature regime
An apparatus for the electrodynamic containment of charged macroparticles
The dynamic moition of the ions contained in the trapped (199)Hg+ frequency standard contributes to the stability of the standard. In order to study these dynamics, a macroscopic analog of the (199)Hg+ trap is constructed. Containment of micron-sized particles in this trap allows direct visual observation of the particles' motion. Influenced by the confining fields and their own Coulomb repulsion, the particles can form stable arrays
An X-ray and Optical Investigation of the Environments Around Nearby Radio Galaxies
Investigations of the cluster environment of radio sources have not shown a
correlation between radio power and degree of clustering. However, it has been
demonstrated that extended X-ray luminosity and galaxy clustering do exhibit a
positive correlation. This study investigates a complete sample of 25 nearby (z
less than 0.06) radio galaxies which are not cataloged members of Abell
clusters. The environment of these radio galaxies is studied in both the X-ray
and the optical by means of the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS), ROSAT pointed
observations, and the Palomar optical Digitized Sky Survey (DSS). X-ray
luminosities and extents are determined from the RASS, and the DSS is used to
quantify the degree of clustering via the spatial two-point correlation
coefficient, Bgg. Of the 25 sources, 20 are greater than sigma detections in
the X-ray and 11 possessed Bgg's significantly in excess of that expected for
an isolated galaxy. Adding the criterion that the X-ray emission be resolved,
10 of the radio galaxies do appear to reside in poor clusters with extended
X-ray emission suggestive of the presence of an intracluster medium. Eight of
these galaxies also possess high spatial correlation coefficients. Taken
together, these data suggest that the radio galaxies reside in a low richness
extension of the Abell clusters. The unresolved X-ray emission from the other
galaxies is most likely associated with AGN phenomena. Furthermore, although
the sample size is small, it appears that the environments of FR I and FR II
sources differ. FR I's tend to be more frequently associated with extended
X-ray emission (10 of 18), whereas FR II's are typically point sources or
non-detections in the X-ray (none of the 7 sources exhibit extended X-ray
emission).Comment: 28 page postscript file including figures and tables, plus one
landscape table and 5 GIF figure
Dominant Nuclear Outflow Driving Mechanisms in Powerful Radio Galaxies
In order to identify the dominant nuclear outflow mechanisms in Active
Galactic Nuclei, we have undertaken deep, high resolution observations of two
compact radio sources (PKS 1549-79 and PKS 1345+12) with the Advanced Camera
for Surveys (ACS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. Not only are these targets
known to have powerful emission line outflows, but they also contain all the
potential drivers for the outflows: relativistic jets, quasar nuclei and
starbursts. ACS allows the compact nature (<0.15") of these radio sources to be
optically resolved for the first time. Through comparison with existing radio
maps we have seen consistency in the nuclear position angles of both the
optical emission line and radio data. There is no evidence for bi-conical
emission line features on the large-scale and there is a divergance in the
relative position angles of the optical and radio structure. This enables us to
exclude starburst driven outflows. However, we are unable to clearly
distinguish between radiative AGN wind driven outflows and outflows powered by
relativistic radio jets. The small scale bi-conical features, indicative of
such mechanisms could be below the resolution limit of ACS, especially if
aligned close to the line of sight. In addition, there may be offsets between
the radio and optical nuclei induced by heavy dust obscuration, nebular
continuum or scattered light from the AGN.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, emulateapj, ApJ Accepte
Ultra-low noise microwave generation with fiber-based optical frequency comb and application to atomic fountain clock
We demonstrate the use of a fiber-based femtosecond laser locked onto an
ultra-stable optical cavity to generate a low-noise microwave reference signal.
Comparison with both a liquid Helium cryogenic sapphire oscillator (CSO) and a
Ti:Sapphire-based optical frequency comb system exhibit a stability about
between 1 s and 10 s. The microwave signal from the fiber
system is used to perform Ramsey spectroscopy in a state-of-the-art Cesium
fountain clock. The resulting clock system is compared to the CSO and exhibits
a stability of . Our continuously operated
fiber-based system therefore demonstrates its potential to replace the CSO for
atomic clocks with high stability in both the optical and microwave domain,
most particularly for operational primary frequency standards.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure
APM 08279+5255: an ultraluminous BAL quasar at a redshift z=3.87
We report on the discovery of a highly luminous, broad absorption line quasar
at a redshift of which is positionally coincident, within one
arcsecond, with the IRAS FSC source F08279+5255. A chance alignment of the
quasar and the IRAS source is extremely unlikely and we argue that the optical
and FIR flux are different manifestations of the same object. With an R-band
magnitude of 15.2, and an IRAS 60\mum flux of 0.51\jy, APM 08279+5255 is
(apparently) easily the most intrinsically luminous object known, with
L_{Bol}\sim5\times10^{15}L_{\odot}}. Imaging suggests that gravitational
lensing may play a role in amplifying the intrinsic properties of the system.
The optical spectrum of the quasar clearly reveals the presence of three
potential lensing galaxies, \mg absorption systems at and ,
and a \ly absorption system at . We estimate the total amplification of
the optical component to be , but, due to the larger scale of the
emitting region, would expect the infrared amplification to be significantly
less. Even making the conservative assumption that all wavelengths are
amplified by a factor 40, APM 08279+5255 still possesses a phenomenal
luminosity of \simgt 10^{14L_{\odot}}, indicating that it belongs to a small,
but significant population of high--redshift, hyperluminous objects with
copious infrared emission.Comment: 15 Pages with Four figures. Accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journa
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