22,218 research outputs found
Multiobjective analysis for the design and control of an electromagnetic valve actuator
The electromagnetic valve actuator can deliver much improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions in spark ignition (SI) engines owing to the potential for variable valve timing when compared with cam-operated, or conventional, variable valve strategies. The possibility exists to reduce pumping losses by throttle-free operation, along with closed-valve engine braking. However, further development is required to make the technology suitable for accept- ance into the mass production market. This paper investigates the application of multiobjective optimization techniques to the conflicting objective functions inherent in the operation of such a device. The techniques are utilized to derive the optimal force–displacement characteristic for the solenoid actuator, along with its controllability and dynamic/steady state performance
Proof of principle of a high-spatial-resolution, resonant-response gamma-ray detector for Gamma Resonance Absorption in 14N
The development of a mm-spatial-resolution, resonant-response detector based
on a micrometric glass capillary array filled with liquid scintillator is
described. This detector was developed for Gamma Resonance Absorption (GRA) in
14N. GRA is an automatic-decision radiographic screening technique that
combines high radiation penetration (the probe is a 9.17 MeV gamma ray) with
very good sensitivity and specificity to nitrogenous explosives. Detailed
simulation of the detector response to electrons and protons generated by the
9.17 MeV gamma-rays was followed by a proof-of-principle experiment, using a
mixed gamma-ray and neutron source. Towards this, a prototype capillary
detector was assembled, including the associated filling and readout systems.
Simulations and experimental results indeed show that proton tracks are
distinguishable from electron tracks at relevant energies, on the basis of a
criterion that combines track length and light intensity per unit length.Comment: 18 pages, 16 figure
Microlensing and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Are microlensing searches likely to discover planets that harbor life? Given
our present state of knowledge, this is a difficult question to answer. We
therefore begin by asking a more narrowly focused question: are conditions on
planets discovered via microlensing likely to be similar to those we experience
on Earth? In this paper I link the microlensing observations to the well-known
"Goldilocks Problem" (conditions on the Earth-like planets need to be "just
right"), to find that Earth-like planets discovered via microlensing are likely
to be orbiting stars more luminous than the sun. This means that light from the
planetary system's central star may contribute a significant fraction of the
baseline flux relative to the star that is lensed. Such blending of light from
the lens with light from the lensed source can, in principle, limit our ability
to detect these events. This turns out not to be a significant problem,
however. A second consequence of blending is the opportunity to determine the
spectral type of the lensed spectral type of the lensed star. This
circumstance, plus the possibility that finite-source-size effects are
important, implies that some meaningful follow-up observations are likely to be
possible for a subset Earth-like planets discovered via microlensing. In
addition, calculations indicate that reasonable requirements on the planet's
density and surface gravity imply that the mass of Earth-like planets is likely
to be within a factor of of an Earth mass.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures. To be published in the Astrophysical Journa
Equation of state of two--dimensional He at zero temperature
We have performed a Quantum Monte Carlo study of a two-dimensional bulk
sample of interacting 1/2-spin structureless fermions, a model of He
adsorbed on a variety of preplated graphite substrates. We have computed the
equation of state and the polarization energy using both the standard
fixed-node approximate technique and a formally exact methodology, relying on
bosonic imaginary-time correlation functions of operators suitably chosen in
order to extract fermionic energies. As the density increases, the fixed-node
approximation predicts a transition to an itinerant ferromagnetic fluid,
whereas the unbiased methodology indicates that the paramagnetic fluid is the
stable phase until crystallization takes place. We find that two-dimensional
He at zero temperature crystallizes from the paramagnetic fluid at a
density of 0.061 \AA with a narrow coexistence region of about 0.002
\AA. Remarkably, the spin susceptibility turns out in very good
agreement with experiments.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Evidence of Skyrmion excitations about in n-Modulation Doped Single Quantum Wells by Inter-band Optical Transmission
We observe a dramatic reduction in the degree of spin-polarization of a
two-dimensional electron gas in a magnetic field when the Fermi energy moves
off the mid-point of the spin-gap of the lowest Landau level, . This
rapid decay of spin alignment to an unpolarized state occurs over small changes
to both higher and lower magnetic field. The degree of electron spin
polarization as a function of is measured through the magneto-absorption
spectra which distinguish the occupancy of the two electron spin states. The
data provide experimental evidence for the presence of Skyrmion excitations
where exchange energy dominates Zeeman energy in the integer quantum Hall
regime at
Cooperating or Fighting with Decoherence in the Optimal Control of Quantum Dynamics
This paper explores the use of laboratory closed-loop learning control to
either fight or cooperate with decoherence in the optimal manipulation of
quantum dynamics. Simulations of the processes are performed in a Lindblad
formulation on multilevel quantum systems strongly interacting with the
environment without spontaneous emission. When seeking a high control yield it
is possible to find fields that successfully fight with decoherence while
attaining a good quality yield. When seeking modest control yields, fields can
be found which are optimally shaped to cooperate with decoherence and thereby
drive the dynamics more efficiently. In the latter regime when the control
field and the decoherence strength are both weak, a theoretical foundation is
established to describe how they cooperate with each other. In general, the
results indicate that the population transfer objectives can be effectively met
by appropriately either fighting or cooperating with decoherence
Two-photon absorption in potassium niobate
We report measurements of thermal self-locking of a Fabry-Perot cavity
containing a potassium niobate (KNbO3) crystal. We develop a method to
determine linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients in intracavity
crystals by detailed analysis of the transmission lineshapes. These lineshapes
are typical of optical bistability in thermally loaded cavities. For our
crystal, we determine the one-photon absorption coefficient at 846 nm to be
(0.0034 \pm 0.0022) per m and the two-photon absorption coefficient at 846 nm
to be (3.2 \pm 0.5) \times 10^{-11} m/W and the one-photon absorption
coefficient at 423 nm to be (13 \pm 2) per m. We also address the issue of
blue-light-induced-infrared-absorption (BLIIRA), and determine a coefficient
for this excited state absorption process. Our method is particularly well
suited to bulk absorption measurements where absorption is small compared to
scattering. We also report new measurements of the temperature dependence of
the index of refraction at 846 nm, and compare to values in the literature.Comment: 8 pages. To appear in J. Opt. Soc. Am.
Multi-objective evolutionary–fuzzy augmented flight control for an F16 aircraft
In this article, the multi-objective design of a fuzzy logic augmented flight controller for a high performance fighter jet (the Lockheed-Martin F16) is described. A fuzzy logic controller is designed and its membership functions tuned by genetic algorithms in order to design a roll, pitch, and yaw flight controller with enhanced manoeuverability which still retains safety critical operation when combined with a standard inner-loop stabilizing controller. The controller is assessed in terms of pilot effort and thus reduction of pilot fatigue. The controller is incorporated into a six degree of freedom motion base real-time flight simulator, and flight tested by a qualified pilot instructor
Q^2 Evolution of the Neutron Spin Structure Moments using a ^3He Target
We have measured the spin structure functions g_1 and g_2 of ^3He in a double-spin experiment by inclusively scattering polarized electrons at energies ranging from 0.862 to 5.058 GeV off a polarized ^3He target at a 15.5° scattering angle. Excitation energies covered the resonance and the onset of the deep inelastic regions. We have determined for the first time the Q^2 evolution of Γ_1(Q^2)=∫_0^1g_1(x,Q^2)dx, Γ_2(Q^2)=∫_0^1g_2(x,Q^2)dx, and d_2(Q^2)=∫_0^1x^2[2g_1(x,Q^2)+3g_2(x,Q^2)]dx for the neutron in the range 0.1 ≤ Q^2 ≤0.9 GeV^2 with good precision. Γ_1(Q^2) displays a smooth variation from high to low Q^2. The Burkhardt-Cottingham sum rule holds within uncertainties and d_2 is nonzero over the measured range
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