234 research outputs found
Meteoroid and debris special investigation group data acquisition procedures
The entire LDEF spacecraft was examined by M&D SIG for impact (i.e., craters greater than or = 0.5 mm and penetrations greater than or = 0.3 mm in diameter) and related features (e.g., debris, secondaries). During the various detailed surveys conducted at NASA Kennedy, approx. 5,000 impact related features were photodocumented, and their locations measured and recorded; an additional approx. 30,000 smaller features were counted. The equipment and techniques used by the M&D SIG permitted the determination and recording of the locations and diameters of the 5,000 imaged features. A variety of experimental and LDEF structural hardware was acquired by the M&D SIG and is presently being examined and curated at NASA Johnson
Quantum key distribution using a triggered quantum dot source emitting near 1.3 microns
We report the distribution of a cryptographic key, secure from photon number
splitting attacks, over 35 km of optical fiber using single photons from an
InAs quantum dot emitting ~1.3 microns in a pillar microcavity. Using below
GaAs-bandgap optical excitation, we demonstrate suppression of multiphoton
emission to 10% of the Poissonian level without detector dark count
subtraction. The source is incorporated into a phase encoded interferometric
scheme implementing the BB84 protocol for key distribution over standard
telecommunication optical fiber. We show a transmission distance advantage over
that possible with (length-optimized) uniform intensity weak coherent pulses at
1310 nm in the same system.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Power-law running of the effective gluon mass
The dynamically generated effective gluon mass is known to depend
non-trivially on the momentum, decreasing sufficiently fast in the deep
ultraviolet, in order for the renormalizability of QCD to be preserved. General
arguments based on the analogy with the constituent quark masses, as well as
explicit calculations using the operator-product expansion, suggest that the
gluon mass falls off as the inverse square of the momentum, relating it to the
gauge-invariant gluon condensate of dimension four. In this article we
demonstrate that the power-law running of the effective gluon mass is indeed
dynamically realized at the level of the non-perturbative Schwinger-Dyson
equation. We study a gauge-invariant non-linear integral equation involving the
gluon self-energy, and establish the conditions necessary for the existence of
infrared finite solutions, described in terms of a momentum-dependent gluon
mass. Assuming a simplified form for the gluon propagator, we derive a
secondary integral equation that controls the running of the mass in the deep
ultraviolet. Depending on the values chosen for certain parameters entering
into the Ansatz for the fully-dressed three-gluon vertex, this latter equation
yields either logarithmic solutions, familiar from previous linear studies, or
a new type of solutions, displaying power-law running. In addition, it
furnishes a non-trivial integral constraint, which restricts significantly (but
does not determine fully) the running of the mass in the intermediate and
infrared regimes. The numerical analysis presented is in complete agreement
with the analytic results obtained, showing clearly the appearance of the two
types of momentum-dependence, well-separated in the relevant space of
parameters. Open issues and future directions are briefly discussed.Comment: 37 pages, 5 figure
Magnetic-field-induced reduction of the exciton polarization splitting in InAs quantum dots
By the application of an in-plane magnetic field, we demonstrate control of
the fine structure polarisation splitting of the exciton emission lines in
individual InAs quantum dots. The selection of quantum dots with certain
barrier composition and confinement energies is found to determine the magnetic
field dependent increase or decrease of the separation of the bright exciton
emission lines, and has enabled the splitting to be tuned to zero within the
resolution of our experiments. Observed behaviour allows us to determine
g-factors and exchange splittings for different types of dots.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
Single-photon-emitting diodes: a review
Compact and reliable sources of non-classical light could find many
applications in emerging technologies such as quantum cryptography, quantum
imaging and also in fundamental tests of quantum physics. Single self-assembled
quantum dots have been widely studied for this reason, but the vast majority of
reported work has been limited to optically excited sources. Here we discuss
the progress made so far, and prospects for, electrically driven
single-photon-emitting diodes (SPEDs).Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure
Humane Killing and the Ethics of the Secular: Regulating the Death Penalty, Euthanasia, and Animal Slaughter
Extending geodemographics using data primitives: a review and a methodological proposal
This paper reviews geodemographic classifications and developments in contemporary classifications. It develops a critique of current approaches and identifiea a number of key limitations. These include the problems associated with the geodemographic cluster label (few cluster members are typical or have the same properties as the cluster centre) and the failure of the static label to describe anything about the underlying neighbourhood processes and dynamics. To address these limitations, this paper proposed a data primitives approach. Data primitives are the fundamental dimensions or measurements that capture the processes of interest. They can be used to describe the current state of an area in a multivariate feature space, and states can be compared over multiple time periods for which data are available, through for example a change vector approach. In this way, emergent social processes, which may be too weak to result in a change in a cluster label, but are nonetheless important signals, can be captured. As states are updated (for example, as new data become available), inferences about different social processes can be made, as well as classification updates if required. State changes can also be used to determine neighbourhood trajectories and to predict or infer future states. A list of data primitives was suggested from a review of the mechanisms driving a number of neighbourhood-level social processes, with the aim of improving the wider understanding of the interaction of complex neighbourhood processes and their effects. A small case study was provided to illustrate the approach. In this way, the methods outlined in this paper suggest a more nuanced approach to geodemographic research, away from a focus on classifications and static data, towards approaches that capture the social dynamics experienced by neighbourhoods
Toward a General Theory of Standards of Proof
Which standard of proof is best for a particular type of case This deceptively simple question has been much discussed but the current state of understanding is unsatisfactory Statisticians posed a general answer philosophers and others launched an assault on that answer practically oriented scholars draw on both strains unsystematically and courts generally offer little or no reasoning for their decisions The goal of this article is to outline a systematic and complete justification for selecting one probabilistic standard of proof over another By training a microscope on one small corner of the law incapacity will contests this article demonstrates the relevance of old factors identifies several new factors and integrates the factors into an approach that will hopefully guide future inquiry One important implication is that the choice of proof standard will almost necessarily be tentative too much is unknown or unknowabl
Mismatches in scale between highly mobile marine megafauna and marine protected areas
Marine protected areas (MPAs), particularly large MPAs, are increasing in number and size around the globe in part to facilitate the conservation of marine megafauna under the assumption that large-scale MPAs better align with vagile life histories; however, this alignment is not well established. Using a global tracking dataset from 36 species across five taxa, chosen to reflect the span of home range size in highly mobile marine megafauna, we show most MPAs are too small to encompass complete home ranges of most species. Based on size alone, 40% of existing MPAs could encompass the home ranges of the smallest ranged species, while only \u3c 1% of existing MPAs could encompass those of the largest ranged species. Further, where home ranges and MPAs overlapped in real geographic space, MPAs encompassed \u3c 5% of core areas used by all species. Despite most home ranges of mobile marine megafauna being much larger than existing MPAs, we demonstrate how benefits from MPAs are still likely to accrue by targeting seasonal aggregations and critical life history stages and through other management techniques
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