323 research outputs found
Photonic realization of the relativistic Kronig-Penney model and relativistic Tamm surface states
Photonic analogues of the relativistic Kronig-Penney model and of
relativistic surface Tamm states are proposed for light propagation in fibre
Bragg gratings (FBGs) with phase defects. A periodic sequence of phase slips in
the FBG realizes the relativistic Kronig-Penney model, the band structure of
which being mapped into the spectral response of the FBG. For the semi-infinite
FBG Tamm surface states can appear and can be visualized as narrow resonance
peaks in the transmission spectrum of the grating
Discovery of a Planetary-Mass Brown Dwarf with a Circumstellar Disk
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, the 4 m Blanco telescope at the Cerro
Tololo Inter-American Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope, we have
performed deep imaging from 0.8 to 8 um of the southern subcluster in the
Chamaeleon I star-forming region. In these data, we have discovered an object,
Cha 110913-773444, whose colors and magnitudes are indicative of a very
low-mass brown dwarf with a circumstellar disk. In a near-infrared spectrum of
this source obtained with the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph, the presence
of strong steam absorption confirms its late-type nature (>=M9.5) while the
shapes of the H- and K-band continua and the strengths of the Na I and K I
lines demonstrate that it is a young, pre-main-sequence object rather than a
field dwarf. A comparison of the bolometric luminosity of Cha 110913-773444 to
the luminosities predicted by the evolutionary models of Chabrier and Baraffe
and Burrows and coworkers indicates a mass of 8+7/-3 M_Jup, placing it fully
within the mass range observed for extrasolar planetary companions (M<=15
M_Jup). The spectral energy distribution of this object exhibits mid-infrared
excess emission at >5 um, which we have successfully modeled in terms of an
irradiated viscous accretion disk with M'<=10e-12 M_sun/year. Cha 110913-773444
is now the least massive brown dwarf observed to have a circumstellar disk, and
indeed is one of the least massive free-floating objects found to date. These
results demonstrate that the raw materials for planet formation exist around
free-floating planetary-mass bodies.Comment: 5 pages, accepted to Astrophysical Journal Letter
Performance comparison of sampling designs for quality and safety control of raw materials in bulk: a simulation study based on NIR spectral data and geostatistical analysis
This study exploits the potential of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to deliver a measurement for each sampling point. Furthermore, it provides a protocol for the modelling of the spatial pattern of analytical constituents. On the basis of these two aspects, the methodology proposed in this work offers an opportunity to provide a real-time monitoring system to evaluate raw materials, easing and optimising the existing procedures for sampling and analysing products transported in bulk. In this paper, Processed Animal Proteins (PAPs) were selected as case study, and two types of quality/safety issues were tested in PAP lots —induced by moisture and cross-contamination. A simulation study, based on geostatistical analysis and the use of a set of sampling protocols, made a qualitative analysis possible to compare the representation of the spatial surfaces produced by each design. Moreover, the Root Mean Square Error of Prediction (RMSEP), calculated from the differences between the analytical values and the geostatistical predictions at unsampled locations, was used to measure the performance in each case. Results show the high sensitivity of the process to the sampling plan used — understood as the sampling design plus the sampling intensity. In general, a gradual decrease in the performance can be observed as the sampling intensity decreases, so that unlike for higher intensities, the too low ones resulted in oversmoothed surfaces which did not manage to represent the actual distribution. Overall, Stratified and Simple Random samplings achieved the best results in most cases. This indicated that an optimal balance between the design and the intensity of the sampling plan is imperative to perform this methodology
Multistage and adaptive sampling protocols combined with near-infrared spectral sensors for automated monitoring of raw materials in bulk
A near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy-based real-time monitoring system is proposed to sample and analyse agro-industrial raw materials transported in bulk in a single stage, easing and optimising the evaluation process of incoming lots at reception of agri-food plants. NIR analysis allows rapid and cost-effective analytical results to be obtained, and hence to rethink current sampling protocols. For this purpose, multistage and adaptive sampling designs were tested in this paper, which have been reported (in soil science and ecology) to be more flexible and efficient than conventional strategies to study patterns of clustering or patchiness, which can be the result of natural phenomena. The additional spatial information provided by NIR has also been exploited, using geostatistical analysis to model the spatial pattern of key analytical constituents in Processed Animal Proteins (PAPs). This study addresses the assessment of two kinds of quality/safety issues in PAP lots – moisture accumulation and cross-contamination. After a simulation study, qualitative and quantitative analyses were carried out to make a performance comparison between sampling designs. Results show that sampling densities below 10–15% demonstrated higher estimation errors, failing to represent the actual spatial patterns, while a stratified adaptive cluster sampling design achieved the best performance
Physical nature of critical wave functions in Fibonacci systems
We report on a new class of critical states in the energy spectrum of general
Fibonacci systems. By introducing a transfer matrix renormalization technique,
we prove that the charge distribution of these states spreads over the whole
system, showing transport properties characteristic of electronic extended
states. Our analytical method is a first step to find out the link between the
spatial structure of these critical wave functions and the quasiperiodic order
of the underlying lattice.Comment: REVTEX 3.0, 11 pages, 2 figures available upon request. To appear in
Phys. Rev. Let
Delocalization of states in two component superlattices with correlated disorder
Electron and phonon states in two different models of intentionally
disordered superlattices are studied analytically as well as numerically. The
localization length is calculated exactly and we found that it diverges for
particular energies or frequencies, suggesting the existence of delocalized
states for both electrons and phonons. Numerical calculations for the
transmission coefficient support the existence of these delocalized states.Comment: RevTeX, 12 pages, 2 PS figures adde
Depinning of kinks in a Josephson-junction ratchet array
We have measured the depinning of trapped kinks in a ratchet potential using
a fabricated circular array of Josephson junctions. Our ratchet system consists
of a parallel array of junctions with alternating cell inductances and
junctions areas. We have compared this ratchet array with other circular
arrays. We find experimentally and numerically that the depinning current
depends on the direction of the applied current in our ratchet ring. We also
find other properties of the depinning current versus applied field, such as a
long period and a lack of reflection symmetry, which we can explain
analytically.Comment: to be published in PR
- …