616 research outputs found
The end-to-end testbed of the Optical Metrology System on-board LISA Pathfinder
LISA Pathfinder is a technology demonstration mission for the Laser
Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). The main experiment on-board LISA
Pathfinder is the so-called LISA Technology Package (LTP) which has the aim to
measure the differential acceleration between two free-falling test masses with
an accuracy of 3x10^(-14) ms^(-2)/sqrt[Hz] between 1 mHz and 30 mHz. This
measurement is performed interferometrically by the Optical Metrology System
(OMS) on-board LISA Pathfinder. In this paper we present the development of an
experimental end-to-end testbed of the entire OMS. It includes the
interferometer and its sub-units, the interferometer back-end which is a
phasemeter and the processing of the phasemeter output data. Furthermore,
3-axes piezo actuated mirrors are used instead of the free-falling test masses
for the characterisation of the dynamic behaviour of the system and some parts
of the Drag-free and Attitude Control System (DFACS) which controls the test
masses and the satellite. The end-to-end testbed includes all parts of the LTP
that can reasonably be tested on earth without free-falling test masses. At its
present status it consists mainly of breadboard components. Some of those have
already been replaced by Engineering Models of the LTP experiment. In the next
steps, further Engineering Models and Flight Models will also be inserted in
this testbed and tested against well characterised breadboard components. The
presented testbed is an important reference for the unit tests and can also be
used for validation of the on-board experiment during the mission
Efficient photosynthesis of carbon monoxide from CO2 using perovskite photovoltaics
Artificial photosynthesis, mimicking nature in its efforts to store solar energy, has received considerable attention from the research community. Most of these attempts target the production of H2 as a fuel and our group recently demonstrated solar-to-hydrogen conversion at 12.3% efficiency. Here, in an effort to take this approach closer to real photosynthesis, which is based on the conversion of CO2, we demonstrate the efficient reduction of CO2 to carbon monoxide driven solely by simulated sunlight using water as the electron source. Employing series-connected perovskite photovoltaics and high-performance catalyst electrodes, we reach a solar-to-CO efficiency exceeding 6.5%, which represents a new benchmark in sunlight-driven CO2 conversion. Considering hydrogen as a secondary product, an efficiency exceeding 7% is observed. Furthermore, this study represents one of the first demonstrations of extended, stable operation of perovskite photovoltaics, whose large open-circuit voltage is shown to be particularly suited for this process
Assessment of the radiological impact of a decommissioning nuclear power plant in Italy
The assessment of the radiological impact of a decommissioning Nuclear Power
Plant is presented here through the results of an environmental monitoring
survey carried out in the area surrounding the Garigliano Power Plant. The
levels of radioactivity in soil, water, air and other environmental matrices
are shown, in which {\alpha}, {\beta} and {\gamma} activity and {\gamma}
equivalent dose rate are measured. Radioactivity levels of the samples from the
Garigliano area are analyzed and then compared to those from a control zone
situated more than 100 km away. Moreover, a comparison is made with a previous
survey held in 2001. The analyses and comparisons show no significant
alteration in the radiological characteristics of the area surroundings the
plant, with an overall radioactivity depending mainly from the global fallout
and natural sources
Assessment of the radiological impact of a decommissioning nuclear power plant in Italy
The assessment of the radiological impact of a decommissioning Nuclear Power
Plant is presented here through the results of an environmental monitoring
survey carried out in the area surrounding the Garigliano Power Plant. The
levels of radioactivity in soil, water, air and other environmental matrices
are shown, in which {\alpha}, {\beta} and {\gamma} activity and {\gamma}
equivalent dose rate are measured. Radioactivity levels of the samples from the
Garigliano area are analyzed and then compared to those from a control zone
situated more than 100 km away. Moreover, a comparison is made with a previous
survey held in 2001. The analyses and comparisons show no significant
alteration in the radiological characteristics of the area surroundings the
plant, with an overall radioactivity depending mainly from the global fallout
and natural sources.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, 2 table
AMS measurements of cosmogenic and supernova-ejected radionuclides in deep-sea sediment cores
Samples of two deep-sea sediment cores from the Indian Ocean are analyzed
with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) to search for traces of recent
supernova activity around 2 Myr ago. Here, long-lived radionuclides, which are
synthesized in massive stars and ejected in supernova explosions, namely 26Al,
53Mn and 60Fe, are extracted from the sediment samples. The cosmogenic isotope
10Be, which is mainly produced in the Earths atmosphere, is analyzed for dating
purposes of the marine sediment cores. The first AMS measurement results for
10Be and 26Al are presented, which represent for the first time a detailed
study in the time period of 1.7-3.1 Myr with high time resolution. Our first
results do not support a significant extraterrestrial signal of 26Al above
terrestrial background. However, there is evidence that, like 10Be, 26Al might
be a valuable isotope for dating of deep-sea sediment cores for the past few
million years.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, Proceedings of the Heavy Ion Accelerator
Symposium on Fundamental and Applied Science, 2013, will be published by the
EPJ Web of conference
Highly efficient planar perovskite solar cells through band alignment engineering
The simplification of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), by replacing the mesoporous electron selective layer (ESL) with a planar one, is advantageous for large-scale manufacturing. PSCs with a planar TiO2 ESL have been demonstrated, but these exhibit unstabilized power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). Herein we show that planar PSCs using TiO2 are inherently limited due to conduction band misalignment and demonstrate, with a variety of characterization techniques, for the first time that SnO2 achieves a barrier-free energetic configuration, obtaining almost hysteresis-free PCEs of over 18% with record high voltages of up to 1.19 V
Multiple dimensions of excessive daytime sleepiness
Background: In this study we investigated subjective measures of sleepiness and related our findings to dimensions of affect, fatigue, emotion, mood and quality of life based on a hypothetical multidimensional model of sleepiness. Methods: Patients referred to a sleep clinic were assessed regarding their excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), sleep complaints, routine and symptoms. Age, gender and body mass index (BMI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS), the Samn-Perelli fatigue Scale (SPS), the Global Vigor and Affect Scale (GVS and GAS, respectively), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-A and HADS-D, respectively), and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PAS and NAS, respectively) scores were recorded. Results: Fifty patients [25 male, 45.2 (18.7) years] completed the questionnaires. The ESS scores were positively correlated with SSS, SPS, HADS-A, HADS-D and NAS scores and negatively with GVS and GAS scores (P<0.05). The SPS (P<0.001) and HADS-A scores (P=0.002) were independently associated with the ESS scores (R2=0.532, adjusted R2 =0.4794, P<0.001). Conclusions: A model of sleepiness that assesses dimensions of fatigue and anxiety could explain the symptom of subjective sleepiness better than the isolated use of the ESS
Relationship between 129I and 127I contents in bovine thyroid glands from Argentina
129I/127I ratios and iodine concentrations in bovine thyroids stemming from Argentina were determined by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and gas chromatography (GC), respectively. From these measurements, a relationship of the 129I/127I ratio with iodine content in the gland was obtained. A weak correlation between the two isotopes was found, suggesting that 129I re-emission from the ocean is not the only process for the 129I deposition in Argentina. Moreover, contributions to the total 129I inventory in the Southern hemisphere from both natural and anthropogenic sources were theoretically studied. Surface compartments present similar contribution from natural sources and nuclear explosions fallout.Fil: Negri, Agustin Eduardo. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez Niello, Jorge Oscar. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Wallner, A.. Universidad de Viena; AustriaFil: Arazi, Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (Centro Atómico Constituyentes). Proyecto Tandar; ArgentinaFil: Steier, P.. Universidad de Viena; Austri
In situ observation of picosecond polaron self-localisation in α-Fe2O3 photoelectrochemical cells
Hematite (α-Fe2O3) is the most studied artificial oxygen-evolving photo-anode and yet its efficiency limitations and their origin remain unknown. A sub-picosecond reorganisation of the hematite structure has been proposed as the mechanism which dictates carrier lifetimes, energetics and the ultimate conversion yields. However, the importance of this reorganisation for actual device performance is unclear. Here we report an in situ observation of charge carrier self-localisation in a hematite device, and demonstrate that this process affects recombination losses in photoelectrochemical cells. We apply an ultrafast, device-based optical-control method to resolve the subpicosecond formation of small polarons and estimate their reorganisation energy to be ~0.5 eV. Coherent oscillations in the photocurrent signals indicate that polaron formation may be coupled to specific phonon modes (<100 cm-1). Our results bring together spectroscopic and device characterisation approaches to reveal new photophysics of broadly-studied hematite devices
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