35,880 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
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.
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
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 unusual pi* shape resonance in the near-threshold photoionization of S(1) para-difluorobenzene
Previously reported dramatic changes in photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) as a function of photoelectron kinetic energy following the ionization of S1 p-difluorobenzene are shown to be explained by a shape resonance in the b(2g) symmetry continuum. The characteristics of this resonance are clearly demonstrated by a theoretical multiple-scattering treatment of the photoionization dynamics. New experimental data are presented which demonstrate an apparent insensitivity of the PADs to both vibrational motion and prepared molecular alignment, however, the calculations suggest that strong alignment effects may nevertheless be recognized in the detail of the comparison with experimental data. The apparent, but unexpected, indifference to vibrational excitation is rationalized by considering the nature of the resonance. The correlation of this shape resonance in the continuum with a virtual pi* antibonding orbital is considered. Because this orbital is characteristic of the benzene ring, the existence of similar resonances in related substituted benzenes is discussed.Bellm, SM: Davies, JA: Whiteside, PT; Guo, J: Powis, I; and Reid KL
Compulsory community service for doctors in South Africa - an evaluation of the first year
On 12 December 1997 the then State President, Mr Nelson Mandela, signed into law t.'le Health Professions Amendment Act, sealing the debates that had raged for some time over compulsory community service (CS) and postgraduate vocational training for medical graduates in South Africa. The first cohort of 26 doctors started their CS in July 1998, followed by a larger cohort of 1 088 in January 1999. This report presents an attempt to evaluate the effects and impact of this scheme at the end of the first year of full operation
The not-so-massive black hole in the microquasar GRS1915+105
We present a new dynamical study of the black hole X-ray transient GRS1915+105 making use of near-infrared spectroscopy obtained with X-shooter at the VLT. We detect a large number of donor star absorption features across a wide range of wavelengths spanning the H and K bands. Our 24 epochs covering a baseline of over 1 year permit us to determine a new binary ephemeris including a refined orbital period of P=33.85 +/- 0.16 d. The donor star radial velocity curves deliver a significantly improved determination of the donor semi-amplitude which is both accurate (K_2=126 +/- 1 km/s) and robust against choice of donor star template and spectral features used. We furthermore constrain the donor star's rotational broadening to vsini=21 +/-4 km/s, delivering a binary mass ratio of q=0.042 +/- 0.024. If we combine these new constraints with distance and inclination estimates derived from modelling the radio emission, a black hole mass of M_BH=10.1 +/- 0.6 M_sun is inferred, paired with an evolved mass donor of M_2=0.47 +/- 0.27 M_sun. Our analysis suggests a more typical black hole mass for GRS1915+105 rather than the unusually high values derived in the pioneering dynamical study by Greiner et al. (2001). Our data demonstrate that high-resolution infrared spectroscopy of obscured accreting binaries can deliver dynamical mass determinations with a precision on par with optical studies
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