4,502 research outputs found
Specifications for and preliminary design of a plant growth chamber for orbital experimental experiments
It was proposed that plant experiments be performed on board the space shuttle. To permit the proper execution of most tests, the craft must contain a plant growth chamber which is adequately designed to control those environmental factors which can induce changes in a plant's physiology and morphology. The various needs of, and environmental factors affecting, plants are identified. The permissilbe design, construction and performance limits for a plant-growth chamber are set, and tentative designs were prepared for units which are compatible with both the botanical requirements and the constraints imposed by the space shuttle
Self-contained breathing apparatus
A self-contained breathing apparatus with automatic redundant fluid pressure controls and a facemask mounted low pressure whistle alarm is described. The first stage of the system includes pair of pressure regulators connected in parallel with different outlet pressures, both of which reduce the pressure of the stored supply gas to pressures compatible with the second stage breathing demand regulator. A primary regulator in the first stage delivers a low output pressure to the demand regulator. In the event of a failure closed condition of the primary regulator an automatic transfer valve switches on the backup regulator. A warning that the supply pressure has been depleted is also provided by a supply pressure actuated transfer valve which transfers the output of the first stage pressure regulators from the primary to the backup regulator. The alarm is activated in either the failure closed condition or if the supply pressure is reduced to a dangerously low level
Frequency-Tunable Josephson Junction Resonator for Quantum Computing
We have fabricated and measured a high-Q Josephson junction resonator with a
tunable resonance frequency. A dc magnetic flux allows the resonance frequency
to be changed by over 10 %. Weak coupling to the environment allows a quality
factor of 7000 when on average less than one photon is stored in the
resonator. At large photon numbers, the nonlinearity of the Josephson junction
creates two stable oscillation states. This resonator can be used as a tool for
investigating the quality of Josephson junctions in qubits below the single
photon limit, and can be used as a microwave qubit readout at high photon
numbers.Comment: 3 pages, 5 figure
The integrated dynamic land use and transport model MARS
Cities worldwide face problems like congestion or outward migration of businesses. The involved transport and land use interactions require innovative tools. The dynamic Land Use and Transport Interaction model MARS (Metropolitan Activity Relocation Simulator) is part of a structured decision making process. Cities are seen as self organizing systems. MARS uses Causal Loop Diagrams from Systems Dynamics to explain cause and effect relations. MARS has been benchmarked against other published models. A user friendly interface has been developed to support decision makers. Its usefulness was tested through workshops in Asia. This paper describes the basis, capabilities and uses of MARS
Quantum nondemolition measurement of a nonclassical state of a massive object
While quantum mechanics exquisitely describes the behavior of microscopic
systems, one ongoing challenge is to explore its applicability to systems of
larger size and mass. Unfortunately, quantum states of increasingly macroscopic
objects are more easily corrupted by unintentional measurements from the
classical environment. Additionally, even the intentional measurements from the
observer can further perturb the system. In optomechanics, coherent light
fields serve as the intermediary between the fragile mechanical states and our
inherently classical world by exerting radiation pressure forces and extracting
mechanical information. Here we engineer a microwave cavity optomechanical
system to stabilize a nonclassical steady-state of motion while independently,
continuously, and nondestructively monitoring it. By coupling the motion of an
aluminum membrane to two microwave cavities, we separately prepare and measure
a squeezed state of motion. We demonstrate a quantum nondemolition (QND)
measurement of sub-vacuum mechanical quadrature fluctuations. The techniques
developed here have direct applications in the areas of quantum-enhanced
sensing and quantum information processing, and could be further extended to
more complex quantum states.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
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