147 research outputs found
Sub-Pixel Response Measurement of Near-Infrared Sensors
Wide-field survey instruments are used to efficiently observe large regions
of the sky. To achieve the necessary field of view, and to provide a higher
signal-to-noise ratio for faint sources, many modern instruments are
undersampled. However, precision photometry with undersampled imagers requires
a detailed understanding of the sensitivity variations on a scale much smaller
than a pixel. To address this, a near-infrared spot projection system has been
developed to precisely characterize near-infrared focal plane arrays and to
study the effect of sub-pixel non uniformity on precision photometry.
Measurements of large format near-infrared detectors demonstrate the power of
this system for understanding sub-pixel response.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figures, submitted to PAS
Size-effects in the Density of States in NS and SNS junctions
The quasiparticle local density of states (LDOS) is studied in clean NS and
SNS junctions with increasing transverse size, from quasi-one-dimensional to
three-dimensional. It is shown that finite transverse dimensions are related to
pronounced effects in the LDOS, such as fast oscillations superimposed on the
quasiparticle interference oscillations (for NS) and additional peaks in the
bound state spectrum in the subgap region (for SNS). Also, the validity of the
Andreev approximation is discussed. It turns out to be an acceptable
approximation in all situations tested.Comment: 9 pages, RevTex, 5 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev.
Andreev Reflection In Ferromagnet-Superconductor Junctions
The transport properties of a ferromagnet-superconductor (FS) junction are
studied in a scattering formulation. Andreev reflection at the FS interface is
strongly affected by the exchange interaction in the ferromagnet. The
conductance G_FS of a ballistic point contact between F and S can be both
larger or smaller than the value G_FN with the superconductor in the normal
state, depending on the ratio of the exchange and Fermi energies. If the
ferromagnet contains a tunnel barrier (I), the conductance G_FIFS exhibits
resonances which do not vanish in linear response -- in contrast to the Tomasch
oscillations for non-ferromagnetic materials.Comment: 8 pages, RevTeX v3.0, including 3 encapsulated postscript figures;
[2017: figures included in text
New Measurement of the Cosmic-Ray Positron Fraction from 5 to 15 GeV
We present a new measurement of the cosmic-ray positron fraction at energies
between 5 and 15 GeV with the balloon-borne HEAT-pbar instrument in the spring
of 2000. The data presented here are compatible with our previous measurements,
obtained with a different instrument. The combined data from the three HEAT
flights indicate a small positron flux of non-standard origin above 5 GeV. We
compare the new measurement with earlier data obtained with the HEAT-e+-
instrument, during the opposite epoch of the solar cycle, and conclude that our
measurements do not support predictions of charge sign dependent solar
modulation of the positron abundance at 5 GeV.Comment: accepted for publication in PR
Energy Spectra, Altitude Profiles and Charge Ratios of Atmospheric Muons
We present a new measurement of air shower muons made during atmospheric
ascent of the High Energy Antimatter Telescope balloon experiment. The muon
charge ratio mu+ / mu- is presented as a function of atmospheric depth in the
momentum interval 0.3-0.9 GeV/c. The differential mu- momentum spectra are
presented between 0.3 and about 50 GeV/c at atmospheric depths between 13 and
960 g/cm^2. We compare our measurements with other recent data and with Monte
Carlo calculations of the same type as those used in predicting atmospheric
neutrino fluxes. We find that our measured mu- fluxes are smaller than the
predictions by as much as 70% at shallow atmospheric depths, by about 20% at
the depth of shower maximum, and are in good agreement with the predictions at
greater depths. We explore the consequences of this on the question of
atmospheric neutrino production.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. D (2000
The Energy Spectra and Relative Abundances of Electrons and Positrons in the Galactic Cosmic Radiation
Observations of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons have been made with a new
balloon-borne detector, HEAT (the "High-Energy Antimatter Telescope"), first
flown in 1994 May from Fort Sumner, NM. We describe the instrumental approach
and the data analysis procedures, and we present results from this flight. The
measurement has provided a new determination of the individual energy spectra
of electrons and positrons from 5 GeV to about 50 GeV, and of the combined
"all-electron" intensity (e+ + e-) up to about 100 GeV. The single power-law
spectral indices for electrons and positrons are alpha = 3.09 +/- 0.08 and 3.3
+/- 0.2, respectively. We find that a contribution from primary sources to the
positron intensity in this energy region, if it exists, must be quite small.Comment: latex2e file, 30 pages, 15 figures, aas2pp4.sty and epsf.tex needed.
To appear in May 10, 1998 issue of Ap.
Andreev reflection and tunneling spectrum in metal-superconductor-metal junctions
The tunneling spectrum of an electron and a hole in
metal-superconductor-metal junctions is computed using the
Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk theory. The incident and the outgoing currents finally
balance each other by an interface charge inside the superconductor and metal
junction. The present computation shows a more abundant structure compared to
that on a metal-superconductor junction, such as the resonance at bias voltages
above the energy gap of the superconductor. The density of the interface charge
shows a quantum-like oscillation
Inter-Edge interaction in the Quantum Hall Effect
We consider effects of the interaction between electrons drifting along the
opposite sides of a narrow sample under the conditions of the quantum Hall
effect. A spatial variation of this interaction leads to backward scattering of
collective excitations propagating along the edges. Experiments on propagation
of the edge modes in samples with constrictions may give information about the
strength of the inter-edge electron interaction in the quantum Hall regime.Comment: 12 Pages, Latex, Accepted for publication in PRL
A Self-Consistent Microscopic Theory of Surface Superconductivity
The electronic structure of the superconducting surface sheath in a type-II
superconductor in magnetic fields is calculated
self-consistently using the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. We find that the
pair potential exhibits pronounced Friedel oscillations near the
surface, in marked contrast with the results of Ginzburg-Landau theory. The
role of magnetic edge states is emphasized. The local density of states near
the surface shows a significant depletion near the Fermi energy due to the
development of local superconducting order. We suggest that this structure
could be unveiled by scanning-tunneling microscopy studies performed near the
edge of a superconducting sample.Comment: 12 pages, Revtex 3.0, 3 postscript figures appende
The second flight of the SUNRISE balloon-borne solar observatory: overview of instrument updates, the flight, the data and first results
The SUNRISE balloon-borne solar observatory, consisting of a 1~m aperture
telescope that provided a stabilized image to a UV filter imager and an imaging
vector polarimeter, carried out its second science flight in June 2013. It
provided observations of parts of active regions at high spatial resolution,
including the first high-resolution images in the Mg~{\sc ii}~k line. The
obtained data are of very high quality, with the best UV images reaching the
diffraction limit of the telescope at 3000~\AA\ after Multi-Frame Blind
Deconvolution reconstruction accounting for phase-diversity information. Here a
brief update is given of the instruments and the data reduction techniques,
which includes an inversion of the polarimetric data. Mainly those aspects that
evolved compared with the first flight are described. A tabular overview of the
observations is given. In addition, an example time series of a part of the
emerging active region NOAA AR~11768 observed relatively close to disk centre
is described and discussed in some detail. The observations cover the pores in
the trailing polarity of the active region, as well as the polarity inversion
line where flux emergence was ongoing and a small flare-like brightening
occurred in the course of the time series. The pores are found to contain
magnetic field strengths ranging up to 2500~G and, while large pores are
clearly darker and cooler than the quiet Sun in all layers of the photosphere,
the temperature and brightness of small pores approach or even exceed those of
the quiet Sun in the upper photosphere.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa
- âŠ