Double lenses

The analysis of the shear induced by a single cluster on the images of a large number of background galaxies is all centered around the curl-free character of a well-known vector field that can be derived from the data. Such basic property breaks down when the source galaxies happen to be observed through two clusters at different redshifts, partially aligned along the line of sight. In this paper we address the study of double lenses and obtain five main results. (i) First we generalize the procedure to extract the available information, contained in the observed shear field, from the case of a single lens to that of a double lens. (ii) Then we evaluate the possibility of detecting the signature of double lensing given the known properties of the distribution of clusters of galaxies. (iii) As a different astrophysical application, we demonstrate how the method can be used to detect the presence of a dark cluster that might happen to be partially aligned with a bright cluster studied in terms of statistical lensing. (iv) In addition, we show that the redshift distribution of the source galaxies, which in principle might also contribute to break the curl-free character of the shear field, actually produces systematic effects typically two orders of magnitude smaller than the double lensing effects we are focusing on. (v) Remarkably, a discussion of relevant contributions to the noise of the shear measurement has brought up an intrinsic limitation of weak lensing analyses, since one specific contribution, associated with the presence of a non-vanishing two-galaxy correlation function, turns out not to decrease with the density of source galaxies (and thus with the depth of the observations).Comment: 40 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ main journa

Direct and indirect impacts of shoreline development on shallow-water benthic communities in a depauperate estuarine system

Modification of natural coastlines is prevalent as human coastal populations swell and effects of global climate change become clearer. We investigated effects of shoreline hardening and environmental factors on benthic infauna and trophic structure in the Patuxent River, Maryland, a stressed mesohaline Chesapeake Bay tributary. We characterized differences in density, diversity, biomass, and trophic structure for large (\u3e3 mm) and small (\u3e500 μm) infauna adjacent to natural marsh, riprap, and bulkhead (i.e., seawall) shores throughout the river. Akaike information criterion model comparisons were used to assess the evidence for differences in benthic infaunal structure using primary (shoreline type) and secondary (e.g., sediment grain size, predator abundance) variables. There was strong evidence for secondary factors to explain reduced biomass of infauna adjacent to developed shorelines. For large infauna, evidence suggested that shorelines with riprap had reduced diversity, and with bulkhead had increased diversity. Increased wave energy and chlorophyll-a were associated with high densities for both size fractions riprap shorelines. Trends suggested high biomass and more carnivores, omnivores, and deposit feeders adjacent to natural marshes, compared to low biomass and more filter feeders at developed shorelines. While similar studies in lower Chesapeake Bay systems have shown clear effects of shoreline type on benthic communities, the extensive development in the Patuxent River may contribute to larger-scale stress, yet some shoreline-specific effects were detected. Non-parametric tests revealed differences in infaunal communities by shoreline type and river zone. Thus, the benthic community in this estuary is driven by local shoreline effects, as well as large-scale physical and biotic factors

Electrical Resistivity of a Thin Metallic Film

The electrical resistivity of a pure sample of a thin metallic film is found to depend on the boundary conditions. This conclusion is supported by a free-electron model calculation and confirmed by an ab initio relativistic Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker computation. The low-temperature resistivity is found to be zero for a free-standing film (reflecting boundary conditions) but nonzero when the film is sandwiched between two semi-infinite samples of the same material (outgoing boundary conditions). In the latter case, this resistivity scales inversely with the number of monolayers and is due to the background diffusive scattering by a finite lattice.Comment: 20 pages. To be published in Physical Review B, December 15, 199

The bar PANDA focussing-lightguide disc DIRC

bar PANDA will be a fixed target experiment internal to the HESR antiproton storage ring at the future FAIR complex. The ANDA detector requires excellent particle-identification capabilities in order to achieve its scientific potential. Cherenkov counters employing the DIRC principle were chosen as PID detectors for the Target Spectrometer. The proposed Focussing-Lightguide Disc DIRC will cover the forward part of the Target Spectrometer acceptance in the angular range between 5° and 22°. Its design includes a novel approach to mitigate dispersion effects in the solid radiator of a DIRC counter using optical elements. The dispersion correction will enable the Focussing-Lightguide Disc DIRC to provide pion-kaon identification for momenta well above 3.5 GeV/c

Reconstruction methods — P‾ANDA focussing-light guide disc DIRC

The Focussing-Lightguide Disc DIRC will provide crucial Particle Identification (PID) information for the P‾ANDA experiment at FAIR, GSI. This detector presents a challenging environment for reconstruction due to the complexity of the expected hit patterns and the operating conditions of the P‾ANDA experiment. A discussion of possible methods to reconstruct PID from this detector is given here. Reconstruction software is currently under development

Configuration development study of the X-24C hypersonic research airplane

Bottom line results were made of a three-phase study to determine the feasibility of designing, building, and operating, and maintaining an air-launched high performance aircraft capable of cruising at speeds up to Mach 8 for short durations. The results show that Lockalloy heat-sink structure affords the capability for a 'work-horse' vehicle which can serve as an excellent platform for this research. It was further concluded that the performance of a blended wing body configuration surpassed that of a lifting body design for typical X-24C missions. The cost of a two vehicle program, less engines, B-52 modification and contractor support after delivery, can be kept within $70M (in Jan. 1976 dollars)

Technical Design Report for the PANDA Solenoid and Dipole Spectrometer Magnets

This document is the Technical Design Report covering the two large spectrometer magnets of the PANDA detector set-up. It shows the conceptual design of the magnets and their anticipated performance. It precedes the tender and procurement of the magnets and, hence, is subject to possible modifications arising during this process

Physics Performance Report for PANDA Strong Interaction Studies with Antiprotons

To study fundamental questions of hadron and nuclear physics in interactions of antiprotons with nucleons and nuclei, the universal PANDA detector will be build. Gluonic excitations, the physics of strange and charm quarks and nucleon structure studies will be performed with unprecedented accuracy thereby allowing high-precision tests of the strong interaction. The proposed PANDA detector is a state-of-the-art internal target detector at the HESR at FAIR allowing the detection and identifcation of neutral and charged particles generated within the relevant angular and energy range. This report presents a summary of the physics accessible at PANDA and what performance can be expected