7,408 research outputs found
Simulations of a Scintillator Compton Gamma Imager for Safety and Security
We are designing an all-scintillator Compton gamma imager for use in security
investigations and remediation actions involving radioactive threat material.
To satisfy requirements for a rugged and portable instrument, we have chosen
solid scintillator for the active volumes of both the scatter and absorber
detectors. Using the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc Monte Carlo simulation package, we have
constructed models using four different materials for the scatter detector:
LaBr_3, NaI, CaF_2 and PVT. We have compared the detector performances using
angular resolution, efficiency, and image resolution. We find that while PVT
provides worse performance than that of the detectors based entirely on
inorganic scintillators, all of the materials investigated for the scatter
detector have the potential to provide performance adequate for our purposes.Comment: Revised text and figures, Presented at SORMA West 2008, Published in
IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Scienc
Bose-Einstein Condensation on a Permanent-Magnet Atom Chip
We have produced a Bose-Einstein condensate on a permanent-magnet atom chip
based on periodically magnetized videotape. We observe the expansion and
dynamics of the condensate in one of the microscopic waveguides close to the
surface. The lifetime for atoms to remain trapped near this dielectric material
is significantly longer than above a metal surface of the same thickness. These
results illustrate the suitability of microscopic permanent-magnet structures
for quantum-coherent preparation and manipulation of cold atoms.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, Published in Phys. Rev. A, Rapid Com
Bose-Einstein Condensation on a Permanent-Magnet Atom Chip
We have produced a Bose-Einstein condensate on a permanent-magnet atom chip
based on periodically magnetized videotape. We observe the expansion and
dynamics of the condensate in one of the microscopic waveguides close to the
surface. The lifetime for atoms to remain trapped near this dielectric material
is significantly longer than above a metal surface of the same thickness. These
results illustrate the suitability of microscopic permanent-magnet structures
for quantum-coherent preparation and manipulation of cold atoms.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, Published in Phys. Rev. A, Rapid Com
Memento Mori: The development and validation of the Death Reflection Scale
Despite its potential for advancing organizational behavior (OB) research, the topic of death awareness has been vastly understudied. Moreover, research on death awareness has predominantly focused on the anxietyâprovoking aspect of deathârelated cognitions, thus overlooking the positive aspect of death awareness, death reflection. This gap is exacerbated by the lack of a valid research instrument to measure death reflection. To address this issue, we offer a systematic conceptualization of death reflection, develop the Death Reflection Scale, and assess its psychometric properties across four studies. Further, using a sample of 268 firefighters, we examine whether death reflection buffers the detrimental impact of mortality cues at work on employee wellâbeing and safety performance. Results provide strong support for the psychometric properties of the Death Reflection Scale. Further, moderation analysis indicates death reflection weakens the negative effect of mortality cues on firefighters' safety performance. Overall, these findings suggest the newly developed Death Reflection Scale will prove useful in future research on deathârelated cognitions
The Partition Function of Multicomponent Log-Gases
We give an expression for the partition function of a one-dimensional log-gas
comprised of particles of (possibly) different integer charge at inverse
temperature {\beta} = 1 (restricted to the line in the presence of a
neutralizing field) in terms of the Berezin integral of an associated non-
homogeneous alternating tensor. This is the analog of the de Bruijn integral
identities [3] (for {\beta} = 1 and {\beta} = 4) ensembles extended to
multicomponent ensembles.Comment: 14 page
Candidate molecular ions for an electron electric dipole moment experiment
This paper is a theoretical work in support of a newly proposed experiment
(R. Stutz and E. Cornell, Bull. Am. Soc. Phys. 89, 76 2004) that promises
greater sensitivity to measurements of the electron's electric dipole moment
(EDM) based on the trapping of molecular ions. Such an experiment requires the
choice of a suitable molecule that is both experimentally feasible and
possesses an expectation of a reasonable EDM signal. We find that the molecular
ions PtH+, HfH+, and HfF+ are suitable candidates in their low-lying triplet
Delta states. In particular, we anticipate that the effective electric fields
generated inside these molecules are approximately of 73 GV/cm, -17 GV/cm, and
-18 GV/cm respectively. As a byproduct of this discussion, we also explain how
to make estimates of the size of the effective electric field acting in a
molecule, using commercially available, nonrelativistic molecular structure
software.Comment: 25 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Physical Review
Experiments on a videotape atom chip: fragmentation and transport studies
This paper reports on experiments with ultra-cold rubidium atoms confined in
microscopic magnetic traps created using a piece of periodically-magnetized
videotape mounted on an atom chip. The roughness of the confining potential is
studied with atomic clouds at temperatures of a few microKelvin and at
distances between 30 and 80 microns from the videotape-chip surface. The
inhomogeneities in the magnetic field created by the magnetized videotape close
to the central region of the chip are characterized in this way. In addition,
we demonstrate a novel transport mechanism whereby we convey cold atoms
confined in arrays of videotape magnetic micro-traps over distances as large as
~ 1 cm parallel to the chip surface. This conveying mechanism enables us to
survey the surface of the chip and observe potential-roughness effects across
different regions.Comment: 29 pages, 22 figures
Teachers' classroom feedback: still trying to get it right
This article examines feedback traditionally given by teachers in schools. Such feedback tends to focus on children's acquisition and retrieval of externally prescribed knowledge which is then assessed against mandated tests. It suggests that, from a sociocultural learning perspective, feedback directed towards such objectives may limit children's social development. In this article, I draw on observation and interview data gathered from a group of 27 9- to 10-year olds in a UK primary school. These data illustrate the children's perceived need to conform to, rather than negotiate, the teacher's feedback comments. They highlight the children's sense that the teacher's feedback relates to school learning but not to their own interests. The article also includes alternative examples of feedback which draw on children's own inquiries and which relate to the social contexts within which, and for whom, they act. It concludes by suggesting that instead of looking for the right answer to the question of what makes teachers' feedback effective in our current classrooms, a more productive question might be how a negotiation can be opened up among teachers and learners themselves, about how teachers' feedback could support children's learning most appropriately
PKS 1830-211: A Possible Compound Gravitational Lens
Measurements of the properties of gravitational lenses have the power to tell
us what sort of universe we live in. The brightest known radio Einstein
ring/gravitational lens PKS 1830-211 (Jauncey et al., 1991), whilst obscured by
our Galaxy at optical wavelengths, has recently been shown to contain
absorption at the millimetre waveband at a redshift of 0.89 (Wiklind and
Combes, 1996a). We report the detection of a new absorption feature, most
likely due to neutral hydrogen in a second redshift system at z = 0.19.
Follow-up VLBI observations have spatially resolved the absorption and reveal
it to cover the NE compact component and part of the lower surface brightness
ring. This new information, together with existing evidence of the unusual VLBI
radio structure and difficulties in modeling the lensing system, points to the
existence of a second lensing galaxy along our line of sight and implies that
PKS 1830-211 may be a compound gravitational lens.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX (aasms4.sty). Accepted for publication in
ApJ Letters. Preprint also available at
http://kerr.phys.utas.edu.au/preprints
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