Phase-referenced Interferometry and Narrow-angle Astrometry with SUSI

This thesis describes the development of an astrometric facility at the Sydney University Stellar Interferometer (SUSI) with an aim to measure at high precision the relative astrometry of bright close binary stars and ultimately to detect the presence of exoplanets within those binary star systems through observations of the systems’ perturbed motion. At the core of the facility is a new beam combiner that is phase-referenced to an existing primary beam combiner in the visible wave- length regime. The latter provides post-processed fringe-tracking information to the former for fringe stabilization and coherent integration of pre-recorded stellar fringes using newly developed data reduction software. Interference fringe packets of a binary star are recorded alternately; first the fringe packet of the primary, then the secondary, finally back to the primary again. The measurement of the fringe packet separation is facilitated by an air-filled differential delay line and a network of interferometer-based metrology systems. Characterizations and initial astronomical observations carried out with the dual beam combiner setup demonstrated for the first time the success of the dual-star phase-referencing technique in visible (~1μm) wavelengths. The current astrometric precision is larger than 100μas while the long term astrometric accuracy is yet to be characterized. In a parallel development, a complementary observing method using only the primary beam combiner is also demonstrated in this thesis. Relative astrometry of binary stars up to ~0.8” separation with this technique has been demonstrated to have precision of better than 100μas. A simple detection limit analysis based on a list of target binary stars estimates up to two exoplanet detections can be achieved with SUSI if the new astrometric facility attains precision of 10μas while the primary beam combiner operates at its designed peak performance. Finally, one new stellar companion was resolved and a preliminary astrometry for another suspected companion was estimated from the astronomical observation data collected throughout the course of this thesis

Kinematic characteristics of elite men's 50 km race walking.

Race walking is an endurance event which also requires great technical ability, particularly with respect to its two distinguishing rules. The 50 km race walk is the longest event in the athletics programme at the Olympic Games. The aims of this observational study were to identify the important kinematic variables in elite men's 50 km race walking, and to measure variation in those variables at different distances. Thirty men were analysed from video data recorded during a World Race Walking Cup competition. Video data were also recorded at four distances during the European Cup Race Walking and 12 men analysed from these data. Two camcorders (50 Hz) recorded at each race for 3D analysis. The results of this study showed that walking speed was associated with both step length (r=0.54,P=0.002) and cadence (r=0.58,P=0.001). While placing the foot further ahead of the body at heel strike was associated with greater step lengths (r=0.45,P=0.013), it was also negatively associated with cadence (r= -0.62,P<0.001). In the World Cup, knee angles ranged between 175 and 186° at initial contact and between 180 and 195° at midstance. During the European Cup, walking speed decreased significantly (F=9.35,P=0.002), mostly due to a decrease in step length between 38.5 and 48.5 km (t=8.59,P=0.014). From this study, it would appear that the key areas a 50 km race walker must develop and coordinate are step length and cadence, although it is also important to ensure legal walking technique is maintained with the onset of fatigue

Epidemiologic Study of Dental Caries Experience and Between-Meal Eating Patterns

The relationship between dental caries and between-meal snacks was investigated in a study of 1,486 high school students. The participants completed a questionnaire on between-meal habits and then were given dental examinations. The lack of differences in dental caries between racial and geographic groups was not related to the frequency of sucrose-containing, between-meal snacks.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66591/2/10.1177_00220345730520022501.pd

Structure and properties of a novel fulleride Sm6C60

A novel fulleride Sm6C60 has been synthesized using high temperature solid state reaction. The Rietveld refinement on high resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data shows that Sm6C60 is isostructural with body-centered cubic A6C60 (A=K, Ba). Raman spectrum of Sm6C60 is similar to that of Ba6C60, and the frequencies of two Ag modes in Sm6C60 are nearly the same as that of Ba6C60, suggesting that Sm is divalent and hybridization between C60 molecules and the Sm atom could exist in Sm6C60. Resistivity measurement shows a weak T-linear behavior above 180 K, the transport at low temperature is mainly dominated by granular-metal theory.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. B (March 12, 1999

Fluctuations and Instabilities of Ferromagnetic Domain Wall pairs in an External Magnetic Field

Soliton excitations and their stability in anisotropic quasi-1D ferromagnets are analyzed analytically. In the presence of an external magnetic field, the lowest lying topological excitations are shown to be either soliton-soliton or soliton-antisoliton pairs. In ferromagnetic samples of macro- or mesoscopic size, these configurations correspond to twisted or untwisted pairs of Bloch walls. It is shown that the fluctuations around these configurations are governed by the same set of operators. The soliton-antisoliton pair has exactly one unstable mode and thus represents a critical nucleus for thermally activated magnetization reversal in effectively one-dimensional systems. The soliton-soliton pair is stable for small external fields but becomes unstable for large magnetic fields. From the detailed expression of this instability threshold and an analysis of nonlocal demagnetizing effects it is shown that the relative chirality of domain walls can be detected experimentally in thin ferromagnetic films. The static properties of the present model are equivalent to those of a nonlinear sigma-model with anisotropies. In the limit of large hard-axis anisotropy the model reduces to a double sine-Gordon model.Comment: 15 pages RevTex 3.0 (twocolumn), 9 figures available on request, to appear in Phys Rev B, Dec (1994

Insulating and Conducting Phases of RbC60

Optical measurements were performed on thin films of Rb$_{x}$C$_{60}$, identified by X-ray diffraction as mostly $x=1$ material. The samples were subjected to various heat treatments, including quenching and slow cooling from 400K. The dramatic increase in the transmission of the quenched samples, and the relaxation towards the transmission observed in slow cooled samples provides direct evidence for the existence of a metastable insulating phase. Slow cooling results in a phase transition between two electrically conducting phases.Comment: Minor revisions. Submitted to PRB, RevTeX 3.0 file, 2 postscript figures included, ir_dop

Regular and stochastic behavior of Parkinsonian pathological tremor signals

Regular and stochastic behavior in the time series of Parkinsonian pathological tremor velocity is studied on the basis of the statistical theory of discrete non-Markov stochastic processes and flicker-noise spectroscopy. We have developed a new method of analyzing and diagnosing Parkinson's disease (PD) by taking into consideration discreteness, fluctuations, long- and short-range correlations, regular and stochastic behavior, Markov and non-Markov effects and dynamic alternation of relaxation modes in the initial time signals. The spectrum of the statistical non-Markovity parameter reflects Markovity and non-Markovity in the initial time series of tremor. The relaxation and kinetic parameters used in the method allow us to estimate the relaxation scales of diverse scenarios of the time signals produced by the patient in various dynamic states. The local time behavior of the initial time correlation function and the first point of the non-Markovity parameter give detailed information about the variation of pathological tremor in the local regions of the time series. The obtained results can be used to find the most effective method of reducing or suppressing pathological tremor in each individual case of a PD patient. Generally, the method allows one to assess the efficacy of the medical treatment for a group of PD patients.Comment: 39 pages, 10 figures, 1 table Physica A, in pres

Electron-phonon interaction in C70

The matrix elements of the deformation potential of C$_{70}$ are calculated by means of a simple, yet accurate solution of the electron-phonon coupling problem in fullerenes, based on a parametrization of the ground state electronic density of the system in terms of $sp^{2+x}$ hybridized orbitals. The value of the calculated dimensionless total electron-phonon coupling constant is $\lambda\approx0.1$, an order of magnitude smaller than in C$_{60}$, consistent with the lack of a superconducting phase transition in C$_{70}$A$_3$ fullerite, and in overall agreement with measurements of the broadening of Raman peaks in C$_{70}$K$_4$. We also calculate the photoemission cross section of C$_{70}^-$, which is found to display less structure than that associated with C$_{60}^-$, in overall agreement with the experimental findings.Comment: To be published in Phys. Rev.

Details on high frequency blood collection, data analysis, available material and patient characteristics in BIOMArCS

The Biomarker Study to Identify the Acute Risk of a Coronary Syndrome (BIOMArCS) is a prospective, observational study that has been designed to study the evolution of blood biomarkers in post-acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. In our recently published study “Temporal evolution of Myeloperoxidase and Galec

Coexistence of 'alpha+ 208Pb' cluster structures and single-particle excitations in 212Po

Excited states in 212Po have been populated by alpha transfer using the 208Pb(18O,14C) reaction at 85MeV beam energy and studied with the EUROBALL IV gamma multidetector array. The level scheme has been extended up to ~ 3.2 MeV excitation energy from the triple gamma coincidence data. Spin and parity values of most of the observed states have been assigned from the gamma angular distributions and gamma -gamma angular correlations. Several gamma lines with E(gamma) < 1 MeV have been found to be shifted by the Doppler effect, allowing for the measurements of the associated lifetimes by the DSAM method. The values, found in the range [0.1-0.6] ps, lead to very enhanced E1 transitions. All the emitting states, which have non-natural parity values, are discussed in terms of alpha-208Pb structure. They are in the same excitation-energy range as the states issued from shell-model configurations.Comment: 21 pages, 19 figures, corrected typos, revised arguments in Sect. III