2,809 research outputs found
Self-imaging silicon Raman amplifier
We propose a new type of waveguide optical amplifier. The device consists of
collinearly propagating pump and amplified Stokes beams with periodic imaging
of the Stokes beam due to the Talbot effect. The application of this device as
an Image preamplifier for Mid Wave Infrared (MWIR) remote sensing is discussed
and its performance is described. Silicon is the preferred material for this
application in MWIR due to its excellent transmission properties, high thermal
conductivity, high damage threshold and the mature fabrication technology. In
these devices, the Raman amplification process also includes four-wave-mixing
between various spatial modes of pump and Stokes signals. This phenomenon is
unique to nonlinear interactions in multimode waveguides and places a limit on
the maximum achievable gain, beyond which the image begins to distort. Another
source of image distortion is the preferential amplification of Stokes modes
that have the highest overlap with the pump. These effects introduce a tradeoff
between the gain and image quality. We show that a possible solution to this
trade-off is to restrict the pump into a single higher order waveguide mode.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures and 5 sections. Submitted to Optics Expres
Long term monitoring and field testing of an innovative multi-storey timber building
Peer reviewedPostprin
A Study of Different Modeling Choices For Simulating Platelets Within the Immersed Boundary Method
The Immersed Boundary (IB) method is a widely-used numerical methodology for
the simulation of fluid-structure interaction problems. The IB method utilizes
an Eulerian discretization for the fluid equations of motion while maintaining
a Lagrangian representation of structural objects. Operators are defined for
transmitting information (forces and velocities) between these two
representations. Most IB simulations represent their structures with
piecewise-linear approximations and utilize Hookean spring models to
approximate structural forces. Our specific motivation is the modeling of
platelets in hemodynamic flows. In this paper, we study two alternative
representations - radial basis functions (RBFs) and Fourier-based
(trigonometric polynomials and spherical harmonics) representations - for the
modeling of platelets in two and three dimensions within the IB framework, and
compare our results with the traditional piecewise-linear approximation
methodology. For different representative shapes, we examine the geometric
modeling errors (position and normal vectors), force computation errors, and
computational cost and provide an engineering trade-off strategy for when and
why one might select to employ these different representations.Comment: 33 pages, 17 figures, Accepted (in press) by APNU
A single molecule switch based on two Pd nanocrystals linked by a conjugated dithiol
Tunneling spectroscopy measurements have been carried out on a single
molecule device formed by two Pd nanocrystals (dia, 5 nm) electronically
coupled by a conducting molecule, dimercaptodiphenylacetylene. The I-V data,
obtained by positioning the tip over a nanocrystal electrode, exhibit negative
differential resistance (NDR) on a background M-I-M characteristics. The NDR
feature occurs at 0.67 V at 300 K and shifts to a higher bias of 1.93 V
at 90 K. When the tip is held in the middle region of the device, a coulomb
blockade region is observed (0.3 V).Comment: Accepted in Praman
Calcium-rich gap transients in the remote outskirts of galaxies
From the first two seasons of the Palomar Transient Factory, we identify three peculiar transients (PTF09dav, PTF10iuv, PTF11bij) with five distinguishing characteristics: peak luminosity in the gap between novae and supernovae (M_R â - 15.5 to -16.5), rapid photometric evolution (t_(rise) â12-15 days), large photospheric velocities (â6000 to 11000 km s^(-1)), early spectroscopic evolution into nebular phase (â1 to 3 months) and peculiar nebular spectra dominated by Calcium. We also culled the extensive decade-long Lick Observatory Supernova Search database and identified an additional member of this group, SN 2007ke. Our choice of photometric and spectroscopic properties was motivated by SN 2005E (Perets et al. 2010). To our surprise, as in the case of SN 2005E, all four members of this group are also clearly offset from the bulk of their host galaxy. Given the well-sampled early and late-time light curves, we derive ejecta masses in the range of 0.4--0.7 M_â. Spectroscopically, we find that there may be a diversity in the photospheric phase, but the commonality is in the unusual nebular spectra. Our extensive follow-up observations rule out standard thermonuclear and standard core-collapse explosions for this class of "Calcium-rich gap" transients. If the progenitor is a white dwarf, we are likely seeing a detonation of the white dwarf core and perhaps, even shock-front interaction with a previously ejected nova shell. In the less likely scenario of a massive star progenitor, a very non-standard channel specific to a low-metallicity environment needs to be invoked (e.g., ejecta fallback leading to black hole formation). Detection (or lack thereof) of a faint underlying host (dwarf galaxy, cluster) will provide a crucial and decisive diagnostic to choose between these alternatives
New Vistas in Braneworld Cosmology
Traditionally, higher-dimensional cosmological models have sought to provide
a description of the fundamental forces in terms of a unifying geometrical
construction. In this essay we discuss how, in their present incarnation,
higher-dimensional `braneworld' models might provide answers to a number of
cosmological puzzles including the issue of dark energy and the nature of the
big-bang singularity.Comment: Honorable mention in the 2002 Essay Competition of the Gravity
Research Foundation. 10 pages, 2 figure
A new null diagnostic customized for reconstructing the properties of dark energy from BAO data
Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) provide an important standard ruler which
can be used to probe the recent expansion history of our universe. We show how
a simple extension of the Om diagnostic, which we call Om3, can combine
standard ruler information from BAO with standard candle information from type
Ia supernovae (SNIa) to yield a powerful novel null diagnostic of the
cosmological constant hypothesis. A unique feature of Om3 is that it requires
minimal cosmological assumptions since its determination does not rely upon
prior knowledge of either the current value of the matter density and the
Hubble constant, or the distance to the last scattering surface. Observational
uncertainties in these quantities therefore do not affect the reconstruction of
Om3. We reconstruct Om3 using the Union 2.1 SNIa data set and BAO data from
SDSS, WiggleZ and 6dFGS. Our results are consistent with dark energy being the
cosmological constant. We show how Om and Om3 can be used to obtain accurate
model independent constraints on the properties of dark energy from future data
sets such as BigBOSS.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, discussions extended, results unchanged, matches
the final version published in PR
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