25,786 research outputs found
Conical scan tracking system employing a large antenna
A conical scan tracking system for tracking spacecraft and distant radio sources is described. The system detects small sinusoidal modulation in received power from a source that is off target with a frequency equal to a very low scan rate, an amplitude proportional to angular deviation of the source from the target, and a phase directly related to the direction the source is off target. The sinusoid is digitally correlated with inphase and out-of-phase scan sinusoids to obtain azimuth/elevation and hour angle/declination signals which are digitally integrated over exactly one scan period to obtain correction signals for an antenna pointing subsystem
Conical-scan tracking with the 64-m-diameter antenna at goldstone
The theory and experimental work which demonstrated the feasibility of conical-scan tracking with a 64 m diameter paraboloid antenna is documented. The purpose of this scheme is to actively track spacecraft and radio sources continuously with an accuracy superior to that obtained by manual correction of the computer driven pointing. The conical-scan implementation gives increased tracking accuracy with X-band spacecraft signals, as demonstrated in the Mariner Venus/Mercury 1973 mission. Also, the high accuracy and ease of measurement with conical-scan tracking allow evaluation of systematic and random antenna tracking errors
Tantalum-based diffusion barriers in Si/Cu VLSI metallizations
We have studied sputter-deposited Ta, Ta36Si14, and Ta36Si14N50 thin films as diffusion barriers between Cu overlayers and Si substrates. Electrical measurements on Si n + p shallow junction diodes demonstrate that a 180-nm-thick Ta film is not an effective diffusion barrier. For the standard test of 30-min annealing in vacuum applied in the present study, the Ta barrier fails after annealing at 500 °C. An amorphous Ta74Si26 thin film improves the performance by raising the failure temperature of a /Ta74Si26(100 nm)/Cu(500 nm) metallization to 650 °C. Unparalled results are obtained with an amorphous ternary Ta36Si14N50 thin film in the Si/Ta36Si14N50 (120 nm)/Cu(500 nm) and in the Si/TiSi2(30 nm)/Ta36SiN50 (80 nm)/Cu(500 nm) metallization that break down only after annealing at 900 °C. The failure is induced by a premature crystallization of the Ta36Si14N50 alloy (whose crystallization temperature exceeds 1000 °C) when in contact with copper
Criteria for generalized macroscopic and mesoscopic quantum coherence
We consider macroscopic, mesoscopic and "S-scopic" quantum superpositions of
eigenstates of an observable, and develop some signatures for their existence.
We define the extent, or size of a superposition, with respect to an
observable \hat{x}, as being the range of outcomes of \hat{x} predicted by that
superposition. Such superpositions are referred to as generalized -scopic
superpositions to distinguish them from the extreme superpositions that
superpose only the two states that have a difference in their prediction
for the observable. We also consider generalized -scopic superpositions of
coherent states. We explore the constraints that are placed on the statistics
if we suppose a system to be described by mixtures of superpositions that are
restricted in size. In this way we arrive at experimental criteria that are
sufficient to deduce the existence of a generalized -scopic superposition.
The signatures developed are useful where one is able to demonstrate a degree
of squeezing. We also discuss how the signatures enable a new type of
Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen gedanken experiment.Comment: 15 pages, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Unified criteria for multipartite quantum nonlocality
Wiseman and co-workers (Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 140402, 2007) proposed a
distinction between the nonlocality classes of Bell's nonlocality, steering and
entanglement based on whether or not an overseer trusts each party in a
bipartite scenario where they are asked to demonstrate entanglement. Here we
extend that concept to the multipartite case and derive inequalities that
progressively test for those classes of nonlocality, with different thresholds
for each level. This framework includes the three classes of nonlocality above
in special cases and introduces a family of others.Comment: V2: corrected image display; V3: substantial changes including new
proofs, arguments, and result
An over-land aerosol optical depth data set for data assimilation by filtering, correction, and aggregation of MODIS Collection 5 optical depth retrievals
MODIS Collection 5 retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD) over land (MOD04/MYD04) was evaluated using 4 years of matching AERONET observations, to assess its suitability for aerosol data assimilation in numerical weather prediction models. Examination of errors revealed important sources of variation in random errors (e.g., atmospheric path length, scattering angle "hot spot"), and systematic biases (e.g., snow and cloud contamination, surface albedo bias). A set of quality assurance (QA) filters was developed to avoid conditions with potential for significant AOD error. An empirical correction for surface boundary condition using the MODIS 16-day albedo product captured 25% of the variability in the site mean bias at low AOD. A correction for regional microphysical bias using the AERONET fine/coarse partitioning information increased the global correlation between MODIS and AERONET from <i>r</i><sup>2</sup> = 0.62–0.65 to <i>r</i><sup>2</sup> = 0.71–0.73. Application of these filters and corrections improved the global fraction of MODIS AOD within (0.05 ± 20%) of AERONET to 77%, up from 67% using only built-in MODIS QA. The compliant fraction in individual regions was improved by as much as 20% (South America). An aggregated Level 3 product for use in a data assimilation system is described, along with a prognostic error model to estimate uncertainties on a per-observation basis. The new filtered and corrected Level 3 product has improved performance over built-in MODIS QA with less than a 15% reduction in overall data available for data assimilation
High temperature materials study
High temperature operating electronic devices for vapor deposition reactor syste
Can we improve the prediction of hip fracture by assessing bone structure using shape and appearance modelling?
Copyright 2013 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Peer reviewedPreprin
Experimental criteria for steering and the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox
We formally link the concept of steering (a concept created by Schrodinger
but only recently formalised by Wiseman, Jones and Doherty [Phys. Rev. Lett.
98, 140402 (2007)] and the criteria for demonstrations of
Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox introduced by Reid [Phys. Rev. A, 40, 913
(1989)]. We develop a general theory of experimental EPR-steering criteria,
derive a number of criteria applicable to discrete as well as
continuous-variables observables, and study their efficacy in detecting that
form of nonlocality in some classes of quantum states. We show that previous
versions of EPR-type criteria can be rederived within this formalism, thus
unifying these efforts from a modern quantum-information perspective and
clarifying their conceptual and formal origin. The theory follows in close
analogy with criteria for other forms of quantum nonlocality (Bell-nonlocality,
entanglement), and because it is a hybrid of those two, it may lead to insights
into the relationship between the different forms of nonlocality and the
criteria that are able to detect them.Comment: Changed title, updated references, minor corrections, added
journal-ref and DO
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