Dichroism for orbital angular momentum using parametric amplification

We theoretically analyze parametric amplification as a means to produce dichroism based on the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of an incident signal field. The nonlinear interaction is shown to provide differential gain between signal states of differing OAM, the peak gain occurring at half the OAM of the pump field

Ages of the Pliocene-Pleistocene Alexandra and Ngatutura Volcanics, western North Island, New Zealand, and some geological implications

The Alexandra and Ngatutura Volcanics are the two southernmost of the Pliocene-Quaternary volcanic fields of western and northern North Island, New Zealand, northwest of Taupo Volcanic Zone TVZ. The Ngatutura Basalts are an alkalic basaltic field comprising monogenetic volcanoes. The Alexandra Volcanics consist of three basaltic magma series: an alkalic (Okete Volcanics), calcalkalic (Karioi, Pirongia, Kakepuku, and Te Kawa Volcanics), and a minor potassic series. Twenty new K-Arages are presented for the Alexandra Volcanics and 9 new ages for the Ngatutura Basalts. Ages of the Alexandra Volcanics range from 2.74 to 1 .60 Ma, and the ages of all three magma series overlap. Ages of the Ngatutura Basalts range from 1 .83 to 1.54 Ma. Each basaltic field has a restricted time range and there is a progressive younging in age of the basaltic fields of western North Island from the Alexandra Volcanics in the south, to Ngatutura, to South Auckland, and then to the Auckland field in the north. Neither of the Alexandra nor Ngatutura Volcanics shows any younging direction of their volcanic centres or any age pattern within their fields, and there is no systematic variation in age with rock composition. Any correlation of age with degree of erosion of volcanic cones is invalid for these basaltic fields; instead, the degree of erosion may be controlled by the lithology of the cones and possibly by the extent of preservation offered by the thick cover deposits of the Kauroa, Hamilton, and younger tephra beds. Stratigraphic relations have enabled the earliest member of the Kauroa Ash Formation to be dated at 2.3 Ma. This formation represents a series of widespread rhyolitic plinian and ignimbrite eruptions probably derived from TVZ and initiated during the Late Pliocene

Brand Information Mitigating Negative Shocks on Animal Welfare: Is It More Effective to “Distract†Consumers or Make Them Aware?

To create and sustain a competitive advantage in markets that increasingly value animal welfare attributes, meat companies need to meet public and private production standards while communicating to final consumers through their brands. Data are collected from a representative sample of 460 U.S. residents through an on-line experiment on McDonald’s chicken breast sandwiches and analyzed with Latent Growth Modeling. This study assesses which content of positive brand information effectively mitigates the risk of negative information shocks on animal welfare. On average, brand information has the same positive impact on consumers’ beliefs and attitudes, regardless of whether it is related or unrelated to animal welfare. However, there is strong market segmentation in terms of consumers’ response when exposed to brand information, suggesting that brand managers would benefit from tailoring brand information according to consumers’ age, education, gender and income.animal welfare, brand, information, consumer behavior, multivariate statistics, Agribusiness, Livestock Production/Industries, Q1,

Maps of complex motion selectivity in the superior temporal cortex of the alert macaque monkey: a double-label 2-deoxyglucose study

The superior temporal sulcus (STS) of the macaque monkey contains multiple visual areas. Many neurons within these regions respond selectively to motion direction and to more complex motion patterns, such as expansion, contraction and rotation. Single-unit recording and optical recording studies in MT/MST suggest that cells with similar tuning properties are clustered into columns extending through multiple cortical layers. In this study, we used a double-label 2-deoxyglucose technique in awake, behaving macaque monkeys to clarify this functional organization. This technique allowed us to label, in a single animal, two populations of neurons responding to two different visual stimuli. In one monkey we compared expansion with contraction; in a second monkey we compared expansion with clockwise rotation. Within the STS we found a patchy arrangement of cortical columns with alternating stimulus selectivity: columns of neurons preferring expansion versus contraction were more widely separated than those selective for expansion versus rotation. This mosaic of interdigitating columns on the floor and posterior bank of the STS included area MT and some neighboring regions of cortex, perhaps including area MST

A Convergent Method for Calculating the Properties of Many Interacting Electrons

A method is presented for calculating binding energies and other properties of extended interacting systems using the projected density of transitions (PDoT) which is the probability distribution for transitions of different energies induced by a given localized operator, the operator on which the transitions are projected. It is shown that the transition contributing to the PDoT at each energy is the one which disturbs the system least, and so, by projecting on appropriate operators, the binding energies of equilibrium electronic states and the energies of their elementary excitations can be calculated. The PDoT may be expanded as a continued fraction by the recursion method, and as in other cases the continued fraction converges exponentially with the number of arithmetic operations, independent of the size of the system, in contrast to other numerical methods for which the number of operations increases with system size to maintain a given accuracy. These properties are illustrated with a calculation of the binding energies and zone-boundary spin- wave energies for an infinite spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain, which is compared with analytic results for this system and extrapolations from finite rings of spins.Comment: 30 pages, 4 figures, corrected pd

The Energy-Momentum tensor on SpincSpin^c manifolds

On $Spin^c$ manifolds, we study the Energy-Momentum tensor associated with a spinor field. First, we give a spinorial Gauss type formula for oriented hypersurfaces of a $Spin^c$ manifold. Using the notion of generalized cylinders, we derive the variationnal formula for the Dirac operator under metric deformation and point out that the Energy-Momentum tensor appears naturally as the second fundamental form of an isometric immersion. Finally, we show that generalized $Spin^c$ Killing spinors for Codazzi Energy-Momentum tensor are restrictions of parallel spinors.Comment: To appear in IJGMMP (International Journal of Geometric Methods in Modern Physics), 22 page

Thermal kinetic inductance detectors for ground-based millimeter-wave cosmology

We show measurements of thermal kinetic inductance detectors (TKID) intended for millimeter wave cosmology in the 200-300 GHz atmospheric window. The TKID is a type of bolometer which uses the kinetic inductance of a superconducting resonator to measure the temperature of the thermally isolated bolometer island. We measure bolometer thermal conductance, time constant and noise equivalent power. We also measure the quality factor of our resonators as the bath temperature varies to show they are limited by effects consistent with coupling to two level systems.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to Journal of Low Temperature Physic

Birth Kick Distributions and the Spin-Kick Correlation of Young Pulsars

Evidence from pulsar wind nebula symmetry axes and radio polarization observations suggests that pulsar motions correlate with the spin directions. We assemble this evidence for young isolated pulsars and show how it can be used to quantitatively constrain birth kick scenarios. We illustrate by computing several plausible, but idealized, models where the momentum thrust is proportional to the neutrino cooling luminosity of the proto-neutron star. Our kick simulations include the effects of pulsar acceleration and spin-up and our maximum likelihood comparison with the data constrains the model parameters. The fit to the pulsar spin and velocity measurements suggests that: i) the anisotropic momentum required amounts to ~10% of the neutrino flux, ii) while a pre-kick spin of the star is required, the preferred magnitude is small 10-20rad/s, so that for the best-fit models iii) the bulk of the spin is kick-induced with $\bar \Omega$ ~120rad/s and iv) the models suggest that the anisotropy emerges on a timescale $\tau$ ~1-3s.Comment: 37 pages, 13 figures, ApJ accepte

Planetary geosciences, 1989-1990

NASA's Planetary Geosciences Programs (the Planetary Geology and Geophysics and the Planetary Material and Geochemistry Programs) provide support and an organizational framework for scientific research on solid bodies of the solar system. These research and analysis programs support scientific research aimed at increasing our understanding of the physical, chemical, and dynamic nature of the solid bodies of the solar system: the Moon, the terrestrial planets, the satellites of the outer planets, the rings, the asteroids, and the comets. This research is conducted using a variety of methods: laboratory experiments, theoretical approaches, data analysis, and Earth analog techniques. Through research supported by these programs, we are expanding our understanding of the origin and evolution of the solar system. This document is intended to provide an overview of the more significant scientific findings and discoveries made this year by scientists supported by the Planetary Geosciences Program. To a large degree, these results and discoveries are the measure of success of the programs