Mechanical Evidence of the Orbital Angular Momentum to Energy Ratio of Vortex Beams

We measure, in a single experiment, both the radiation pressure and the torque due to a wide variety of propagating acoustic vortex beams. The results validate, for the first time directly, the theoretically predicted ratio of the orbital angular momentum to linear momentum in a propagating beam. We experimentally determine this ratio using simultaneous measurements of both the levitation force and the torque on an acoustic absorber exerted by a broad range of helical ultrasonic beams produced by a 1000-element matrix transducer array. In general, beams with helical phase fronts have been shown to contain orbital angular momentum as the result of the azimuthal component of the Poynting vector around the propagation axis. Theory predicts that for both optical and acoustic helical beams the ratio of the angular momentum current of the beam to the power should be given by the ratio of the beam’s topological charge to its angular frequency. This direct experimental observation that the ratio of the torque to power does convincingly match the expected value (given by the topological charge to angular frequency ratio of the beam) is a fundamental result

Video recording true single-photon double-slit interference

As normally used, no commercially available camera has a low-enough dark noise to directly produce video recordings of double-slit interference at the photon-by-photon level, because readout noise significantly contaminates or overwhelms the signal. In this work, noise levels are significantly reduced by turning on the camera only when the presence of a photon has been heralded by the arrival, at an independent detector, of a time-correlated photon produced via parametric down-conversion. This triggering scheme provides the improvement required for direct video imaging of Young's double-slit experiment with single photons, allowing clarified versions of this foundational demonstration. Further, we introduce variations on this experiment aimed at promoting discussion of the role spatial coherence plays in such a measurement. We also emphasize complementary aspects of single-photon measurement, where imaging yields (transverse) position information, while diffraction yields the transverse momentum, and highlight the roles of transverse position and momentum correlations between down-converted photons, including examples of "ghost" imaging and diffraction. The videos can be accessed at http://sun.iwu.edu/~gspaldin/SinglePhotonVideos.html online.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

Simultaneous Water Vapor and Dry Air Optical Path Length Measurements and Compensation with the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer

The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer uses a near-infrared camera to measure the optical path length variations between the two AO-corrected apertures and provide high-angular resolution observations for all its science channels (1.5-13 $\mu$m). There is however a wavelength dependent component to the atmospheric turbulence, which can introduce optical path length errors when observing at a wavelength different from that of the fringe sensing camera. Water vapor in particular is highly dispersive and its effect must be taken into account for high-precision infrared interferometric observations as described previously for VLTI/MIDI or the Keck Interferometer Nuller. In this paper, we describe the new sensing approach that has been developed at the LBT to measure and monitor the optical path length fluctuations due to dry air and water vapor separately. After reviewing the current performance of the system for dry air seeing compensation, we present simultaneous H-, K-, and N-band observations that illustrate the feasibility of our feedforward approach to stabilize the path length fluctuations seen by the LBTI nuller.Comment: SPIE conference proceeding

The HOSTS Survey for Exozodiacal Dust: Preliminary results and future prospects

[abridged] The presence of large amounts of dust in the habitable zones of nearby stars is a significant obstacle for future exo-Earth imaging missions. We executed an N band nulling interferometric survey to determine the typical amount of such exozodiacal dust around a sample of nearby main sequence stars. The majority of our data have been analyzed and we present here an update of our ongoing work. We find seven new N band excesses in addition to the high confidence confirmation of three that were previously known. We find the first detections around Sun-like stars and around stars without previously known circumstellar dust. Our overall detection rate is 23%. The inferred occurrence rate is comparable for early type and Sun-like stars, but decreases from 71% [+11%/-20%] for stars with previously detected mid- to far-infrared excess to 11% [+9%/-4%] for stars without such excess, confirming earlier results at high confidence. For completed observations on individual stars, our sensitivity is five to ten times better than previous results. Assuming a lognormal luminosity function of the dust, we find upper limits on the median dust level around all stars without previously known mid to far infrared excess of 11.5 zodis at 95% confidence level. The corresponding upper limit for Sun-like stars is 16 zodis. An LBTI vetted target list of Sun-like stars for exo-Earth imaging would have a corresponding limit of 7.5 zodis. We provide important new insights into the occurrence rate and typical levels of habitable zone dust around main sequence stars. Exploiting the full range of capabilities of the LBTI provides a critical opportunity for the detailed characterization of a sample of exozodiacal dust disks to understand the origin, distribution, and properties of the dust.Comment: To appear in SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2018 proceedings. Some typos fixed, one reference adde

Structure of turbulent sonic underexpanded free jets

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/76109/1/AIAA-10145-898.pd

Defining Meyer's loop-temporal lobe resections, visual field deficits and diffusion tensor tractography

Anterior temporal lobe resection is often complicated by superior quadrantic visual field deficits (VFDs). In some cases this can be severe enough to prohibit driving, even if a patient is free of seizures. These deficits are caused by damage to Meyer's loop of the optic radiation, which shows considerable heterogeneity in its anterior extent. This structure cannot be distinguished using clinical magnetic resonance imaging sequences. Diffusion tensor tractography is an advanced magnetic resonance imaging technique that enables the parcellation of white matter. Using seed voxels antero-lateral to the lateral geniculate nucleus, we applied this technique to 20 control subjects, and 21 postoperative patients. All patients had visual fields assessed with Goldmann perimetry at least three months after surgery. We measured the distance from the tip of Meyer's loop to the temporal pole and horn in all subjects. In addition, we measured the size of temporal lobe resection using postoperative T1-weighted images, and quantified VFDs. Nine patients suffered VFDs ranging from 22% to 87% of the contralateral superior quadrant. In patients, the range of distance from the tip of Meyer's loop to the temporal pole was 24–43 mm (mean 34 mm), and the range of distance from the tip of Meyer's loop to the temporal horn was –15 to +9 mm (mean 0 mm). In controls the range of distance from the tip of Meyer's loop to the temporal pole was 24–47 mm (mean 35 mm), and the range of distance from the tip of Meyer's loop to the temporal horn was –11 to +9 mm (mean 0 mm). Both quantitative and qualitative results were in accord with recent dissections of cadaveric brains, and analysis of postoperative VFDs and resection volumes. By applying a linear regression analysis we showed that both distance from the tip of Meyer's loop to the temporal pole and the size of resection were significant predictors of the postoperative VFDs. We conclude that there is considerable variation in the anterior extent of Meyer's loop. In view of this, diffusion tensor tractography of the optic radiation is a potentially useful method to assess an individual patient's risk of postoperative VFDs following anterior temporal lobe resection

Operational experience, improvements, and performance of the CDF Run II silicon vertex detector

The Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) pursues a broad physics program at Fermilab's Tevatron collider. Between Run II commissioning in early 2001 and the end of operations in September 2011, the Tevatron delivered 12 fb-1 of integrated luminosity of p-pbar collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV. Many physics analyses undertaken by CDF require heavy flavor tagging with large charged particle tracking acceptance. To realize these goals, in 2001 CDF installed eight layers of silicon microstrip detectors around its interaction region. These detectors were designed for 2--5 years of operation, radiation doses up to 2 Mrad (0.02 Gy), and were expected to be replaced in 2004. The sensors were not replaced, and the Tevatron run was extended for several years beyond its design, exposing the sensors and electronics to much higher radiation doses than anticipated. In this paper we describe the operational challenges encountered over the past 10 years of running the CDF silicon detectors, the preventive measures undertaken, and the improvements made along the way to ensure their optimal performance for collecting high quality physics data. In addition, we describe the quantities and methods used to monitor radiation damage in the sensors for optimal performance and summarize the detector performance quantities important to CDF's physics program, including vertex resolution, heavy flavor tagging, and silicon vertex trigger performance.Comment: Preprint accepted for publication in Nuclear Instruments and Methods A (07/31/2013

Increased prevalence of the pfdhfr/phdhps quintuple mutant and rapid emergence of pfdhps resistance mutations at codons 581 and 613 in Kisumu, Kenya

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Anti-malarial drug resistance in Kenya prompted two drug policy changes within a decade: sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) replaced chloroquine (CQ) as the first-line anti-malarial in 1998 and artemether-lumefantrine (AL) replaced SP in 2004. Two cross-sectional studies were conducted to monitor changes in the prevalence of molecular markers of drug resistance over the period in which SP was used as the first-line anti-malarial. The baseline study was carried out from 1999-2000, shortly after implementation of SP, and the follow-up study occurred from 2003-2005, during the transition to AL.</p> <p>Materials and methods</p> <p>Blood was collected from malaria smear-positive, symptomatic patients presenting to outpatient centers in Kisumu, Kenya, during the baseline and follow-up studies. Isolates were genotyped at codons associated with SP and CQ resistance. <it>In vitro </it>IC₅₀values for antifolates and quinolones were determined for isolates from the follow-up study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of isolates containing the <it>pfdhfr </it>N51I/C59R/S108N/<it>pfdhps </it>A437G/K540E quintuple mutant associated with SP-resistance rose from 21% in the baseline study to 53% in the follow-up study (p < 0.001). Isolates containing the <it>pfdhfr </it>I164L mutation were absent from both studies. The <it>pfdhps </it>mutations A581G and A613S/T were absent from the baseline study but were present in 85% and 61%, respectively, of isolates from the follow-up study. At follow-up, parasites with mutations at five <it>pfdhps </it>codons, 436, 437, 540, 581, and 613, accounted for 39% of isolates. The CQ resistance-associated mutations <it>pfcrt </it>K76T and <it>pfmdr1 </it>N86Y rose from 82% to 97% (p = 0.001) and 44% to 76% (p < 0.001), respectively, from baseline to follow-up.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>During the period in which SP was the first-line anti-malarial in Kenya, highly SP-resistant parasites emerged, including isolates harboring <it>pfdhps </it>mutations not previously observed there. SP continues to be widely used in Kenya; however, given the highly resistant genotypes observed in this study, its use as a first-line anti-malarial should be discouraged, particularly for populations without acquired immunity to malaria. The increase in the <it>pfcrt </it>K76T prevalence, despite efforts to reduce CQ use, suggests that either these efforts are not adequate to alleviate CQ pressure in Kisumu, or that drug pressure is derived from another source, such as the second-line anti-malarial amodiaquine.</p