Calculation of wind-driven surface currents in the North Atlantic Ocean

Calculations to simulate the wind driven near surface currents of the North Atlantic Ocean are described. The primitive equations were integrated on a finite difference grid with a horizontal resolution of 2.5 deg in longitude and latitude. The model ocean was homogeneous with a uniform depth of 100 m and with five levels in the vertical direction. A form of the rigid-lid approximation was applied. Generally, the computed surface current patterns agreed with observed currents. The development of a subsurface equatorial countercurrent was observed

Cratering in low-density targets

Cratering in low density targets, and comparisons of various hypervelocity projectile-target combination

Adaptation of a general circulation model to ocean dynamics

A primitive-variable general circulation model of the ocean was formulated in which fast external gravity waves are suppressed with rigid-lid surface constraint pressires which also provide a means for simulating the effects of large-scale free-surface topography. The surface pressure method is simpler to apply than the conventional stream function models, and the resulting model can be applied to both global ocean and limited region situations. Strengths and weaknesses of the model are also presented

SHEEP: The Search for the High Energy Extragalactic Population

We present the SHEEP survey for serendipitously-detected hard X-ray sources in ASCA GIS images. In a survey area of $\sim 40$ deg$^{2}$, 69 sources were detected in the 5-10 keV band to a limiting flux of $\sim 10^{-13}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. The number counts agree with those obtained by the similar BeppoSAX HELLAS survey, and both are in close agreement with ASCA and BeppoSAX 2-10 keV surveys. Spectral analysis of the SHEEP sample reveals that the 2-10 and 5-10 keV surveys do not sample the same populations, however, as we find considerably harder spectra, with an average $\Gamma\sim1.0$ assuming no absorption. The implication is that the agreement in the number counts is coincidental, with the 5-10 keV surveys gaining approximately as many hard sources as they lose soft ones, when compared to the 2-10 keV surveys. This is hard to reconcile with standard AGN ``population synthesis'' models for the X-ray background, which posit the existence of a large population of absorbed sources. We find no evidence of the population hardening at faint fluxes, with the exception that the few very brightest objects are anomalously soft. 53 of the SHEEP sources have been covered by ROSAT in the pointed phase. Of these 32 were detected. An additional 3 were detected in the RASS. As expected the sources detected with ROSAT are systematically softer than those detected with ASCA alone, and of the sample as a whole (truncated).Comment: 36 pages, 7 figs, to appear in Ap

Light forces in ultracold photoassociation

We study the time-resolved photoassociation of ultracold sodium in an optical dipole trap. The photoassociation laser excites pairs of atoms to molecular states of large total angular momentum at high intensities (above 20 kW/cm$^{2}$). Such transitions are generally suppressed at ultracold temperatures by the centrifugal barriers for high partial waves. Time-resolved ionization measurements reveal that the atoms are accelerated by the dipole potential of the photoassociation beam. We change the collision energy by varying the potential depth, and observe a strong variation of the photoassociation rate. These results demonstrate the important role of light forces in cw photoassociation at high intensities.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

The SLAC Polarized Electron Source

The SLAC PES, developed in the early 1990s for the SLC, has been in continuous use since 1992, during which time it has undergone numerous upgrades. The upgrades include improved cathodes with their matching laser systems, modified activation techniques and better diagnostics. The source itself and its performance with these upgrades will be described with special attention given to recent high-intensity long-pulse operation for the E-158 fixed-target parity-violating experiment.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, Workshop on Polarized Electron Sources and Polarimeters (PESP 2002), September 4-6, 2002, Danvers, M

Valuing Avoided Soil Erosion by Considering Private and Public Net Benefits

The population in New Zealand is expected to increase to over five million by the mid 2020’s from the current level of 4.3 million (Statistics New Zealand, 2009). An increasing demand for primary produce as a result may put pressure on marginal land to be farmed. Understanding the economic value of avoided erosion in New Zealand is therefore an important factor in policy making to optimise the soil related activities in the economy. Establishing a methodology for estimating the economic value of avoided soil erosion is the first step in assessing the problem. This study uses the future forest scenarios developed by Scion to identify potential afforestation areas and thereby compare the current erosion/sedimentation status under current land-use (non woody vegetation) with potential future afforestation. The study aims to quantify the incremental public and private net benefits from the change in scenario. The notion has come under different headings in the literature, such as on-site and off-site erosion effects or sediment and soil erosion effects, all of which recognize the importance of separation of effects to avoid double-counting. The separation into public and private benefits and costs in this case, while avoiding double-counting, will also help identify appropriate policy instruments to avoid soil erosion damage using the private and public net benefit framework (Pannell, 2008).Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use,

The Energy-dependent X-ray Timing Characteristics of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Mkn 766

We present the energy-dependent power spectral density (PSD) and cross-spectral properties of Mkn 766, obtained from combining data obtained during an XMM-Newton observation spanning six revolutions in 2005 with data obtained from an XMM-Newton long-look in 2001. The PSD shapes and rms-flux relations are found to be consistent between the 2001 and 2005 observations, suggesting the 2005 observation is simply a low-flux extension of the 2001 observation and permitting us to combine the two data sets. The resulting PSD has the highest temporal frequency resolution for any AGN PSD measured to date. Applying a broken power-law model yields break frequencies which increase in temporal frequency with photon energy. Obtaining a good fit when assuming energy-independent break frequencies requires the presence of a Lorentzian at 4.6+/-0.4 * 10^-4 Hz whose strength increases with photon energy, a behavior seen in black hole X-ray binaries. The cross-spectral properties are measured; temporal frequency-dependent soft-to-hard time lags are detected in this object for the first time. Cross-spectral results are consistent with those for other accreting black hole systems. The results are discussed in the context of several variability models, including those based on inwardly-propagating viscosity variations in the accretion disk.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 18 pages, 9 figures. Uses emulateapj5.st