127 research outputs found
Global Navigation Satellite System Signal Decomposition and Parameterization Algorithm
A method and apparatus is provided for intra-PIT signal decomposition of a signal received with RF front end hardware. The method begins by aligning a signal received by RF front end hardware into integer multiples of a duration of a pseudorandom noise code sequence. A search grid is computed based on an integer multiple of the aligned signal. A plurality of initial ray parameters associated with the computed search grid is coarsely estimated. Using the coarsely estimated plurality of initial ray parameters, a fine estimation of the plurality of initial ray parameters is initiated utilizing stochastic search and optimization techniques. A stopping criteria statistic is computed by comparing a peak power of the search grid with a noise power present in the search grid. Finally, in response to determining the stopping criteria statistic being less than a stopping criteria threshold, processing a next integer multiple of the aligned signal
Characteristics and capacities of the NASA Lewis Research Center high precision 6.7- by 6.7-m planar near-field scanner
A very precise 6.7- by 6.7-m planar near-field scanner has recently become operational at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The scanner acquires amplitude and phase data at discrete points over a vertical rectangular grid. During the design phase for this scanner, special emphasis was given to the dimensional stability of the structures and the ease of adjustment of the rails that determine the accuracy of the scan plane. A laser measurement system is used for rail alignment and probe positioning. This has resulted in very repeatable horizontal and vertical motion of the probe cart and hence precise positioning in the plane described by the probe tip. The resulting accuracy will support near-field measurements at 60 GHz without corrections. Subsystem design including laser, electronic and mechanical and their performance is described. Summary data are presented on the scan plane flatness and environmental temperature stability. Representative near-field data and calculated far-field test results are presented. Prospective scanner improvements to increase test capability are also discussed
Noise Probe of the Dynamic Phase Separation in La2/3Ca1/3MnO3
Giant Random Telegraph Noise (RTN) in the resistance fluctuation of a
macroscopic film of perovskite-type manganese oxide La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 has been
observed at various temperatures ranging from 4K to 170K, well below the Curie
temperature (TC = 210K). The amplitudes of the two-level-fluctuations (TLF)
vary from 0.01% to 0.2%. We use a statistical analysis of the life-times of the
TLF to gain insight into the microscopic electronic and magnetic state of this
manganite. At low temperature (below 30K) The TLF is well described by a
thermally activated two-level model. An estimate of the energy difference
between the two states is inferred. At higher temperature (between 60K and
170K) we observed critical effects of the temperature on the life-times of the
TLF. We discuss this peculiar temperature dependence in terms of a sharp change
in the free energy functional of the fluctuators. We attribute the origin of
the RTN to be a dynamic mixed-phase percolative conduction process, where
manganese clusters switch back and forth between two phases that differ in
their conductivity and magnetization.Comment: 15 pages, PDF only, Phys. Rev. Lett. (in press
Magnetic frustration in a stoichiometric spin-chain compound, CaCoIrO
The temperature dependent ac and dc magnetization and heat capacity data of
CaCoIrO, a spin-chain compound crystallizing in a KCdCl-derived
rhombohedral structure, show the features due to magnetic ordering of a
frustrated-type below about 30 K, however without exhibiting the signatures of
the so-called "partially disordered antiferromagnetic structure" encountered in
the isostructural compounds, CaCoO and CaCoRhO. This class
of compounds thus provides a variety for probing the consequences of magnetic
frustration due to topological reasons in stoichiometric spin-chain materials,
presumably arising from subtle differences in the interchain and intrachain
magnetic coupling strengths. This compound presents additional interesting
situations in the sense that, ac susceptibility exhibits a large frequency
dependence in the vicinity of 30 K uncharacteristic of conventional
spin-glasses, with this frustrated magnetic state being robust to the
application of external magnetic fields.Comment: Physical Review (Rapid Communications), in pres
Diffusive and ballistic current spin-polarization in magnetron-sputtered L1o-ordered epitaxial FePt
We report on the structural, magnetic, and electron transport properties of a
L1o-ordered epitaxial iron-platinum alloy layer fabricated by
magnetron-sputtering on a MgO(001) substrate. The film studied displayed a long
range chemical order parameter of S~0.90, and hence has a very strong
perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. In the diffusive electron transport regime,
for temperatures ranging from 2 K to 258 K, we found hysteresis in the
magnetoresistance mainly due to electron scattering from magnetic domain walls.
At 2 K, we observed an overall domain wall magnetoresistance of about 0.5 %. By
evaluating the spin current asymmetry alpha = sigma_up / sigma_down, we were
able to estimate the diffusive spin current polarization. At all temperatures
ranging from 2 K to 258 K, we found a diffusive spin current polarization of >
80%. To study the ballistic transport regime, we have performed point-contact
Andreev-reflection measurements at 4.2 K. We obtained a value for the ballistic
current spin polarization of ~42% (which compares very well with that of a
polycrystalline thin film of elemental Fe). We attribute the discrepancy to a
difference in the characteristic scattering times for oppositely spin-polarized
electrons, such scattering times influencing the diffusive but not the
ballistic current spin polarization.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figure
Cooling rate dependence of the antiferromagnetic domain structure of a single crystalline charge ordered manganite
The low temperature phase of single crystals of NdCaMnO
and GdCaMnO manganites is investigated by squid
magnetometry. NdCaMnO undergoes a charge-ordering
transition at =245K, and a long range CE-type antiferromagnetic state
is established at =145K. The dc-magnetization shows a cooling rate
dependence below , associated with a weak spontaneous moment. The
associated excess magnetization is related to uncompensated spins in the
CE-type antiferromagnetic structure, and to the presence in this state of
fully orbital ordered regions separated by orbital domain walls. The observed
cooling rate dependence is interpreted to be a consequence of the rearrangement
of the orbital domain state induced by the large structural changes occurring
upon cooling.Comment: REVTeX4; 7 pages, 4 figures. Revised 2001/12/0
Long range magnetic ordering in a spin-chain compound, CaCuMnO, with multiple bond distances
The results of ac and dc magnetization and heat capacity measurements as a
function of temperature (T = 1.8 to 300 K) are reported for a
quasi-one-dimensional compound, CaCuMnO, crystallizing in a
triclinically distorted KCdCl-type structure. The results reveal that
this compound undergoes antiferromagnetic ordering close to 5.5 K. In addition,
there is another magnetic transition below 3.6 K. Existence of two long-range
magnetic transitions is uncommon among quasi-one-dimensional systems. It is
interesting to note that both the magnetic transitions are of long-range type,
instead of spin-glass type, in spite of the fact that the Cu-O and Mn-O bond
distances are multiplied due to this crystallographic distortion. In view of
this, this compound could serve as a nice example for studying
"order-in-disorder" phenomena.Comment: Physical Review (in press
The effectiveness of anaerobic digestion in removing estrogens and nonylphenol ethoxylates
This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Journal of Hazardous Materials. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2011 Elsevier B.V.The fate and behaviour of two groups of endocrine disrupting chemicals, steroid estrogens and nonylphenol ethoxylates, have been evaluated during the anaerobic digestion of primary and mixed sewage sludge under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Digestion occurred over six retention times, in laboratory scale reactors, treating sludges collected from a sewage treatment works in the United Kingdom. It has been established that sludge concentrations of both groups of compounds demonstrated temporal variations and that concentrations in mixed sludge were influenced by the presence of waste activated sludge as a result of transformations during aerobic treatment. The biodegradation of total steroid estrogens was >50% during primary sludge digestion with lower removals observed for mixed sludge, which reflected bulk organic solids removal efficiencies. The removal of nonylphenol ethoxylates was greater in mixed sludge digestion (>58%) compared with primary sludge digestion and did not reflect bulk organic removal efficiencies. It is apparent that anaerobic digestion reduces the concentrations of these compounds, and would therefore be expected to confer a degree of protection against exposure and transfer of both groups of compounds to the receiving/re-use environment.Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, and EPSRC
Magnetic field strength and orientation effects on Co-Fe discontinuous multilayers close to percolation
Magnetization and magnetoresistance in function of the magnitude and orientation of applied magnetic field were studied in Co-Fe discontinuous multilayers close to their structural percolation. The high pulsed magnetic fields up to 33 T were used in the 120–310 K temperature range. Comparison between longitudinal and transverse (with respect to the film plane) field configurations was made in the low-field and high-field regimes in order to clarify the nature of the measured negative magnetoresistance. Coexistence of two distinct magnetic fractions, superparamagnetic (SPM, consisting of small spherical Co-Fe granules) and superferromagnetic (SFM, by bigger Co-Fe clusters), was established in this system. These fractions were shown to have different relevance for the system magnetization and magnetotransport. While the magnetization is almost completely (up to ∼97%) defined by the SFM contribution and practically independent of temperature (in this range), the magnetoresistance experiences a crossover from a regime dominated by Langevin correlations (suppressed with temperature) between neighbor SPM and SFM moments at low fields, to that dominated by spin scattering (enhanced with temperature) of charge carriers within SFM clusters at high fields. Also, the demagnetizing effects, sensitive to the field orientation, were found to essentially define the low-field behavior and characteristic crossover field
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