Focal plane transport assembly for the HEAO-B X-ray telescope

The High Energy Astronomy Observatory - Mission B (HEAO-B), an earth orbiting X-ray telescope facility capable of locating and imaging celestial X-ray sources within one second of arc in the celestial sphere, is considered. The Focal Plane Transport Assembly (FPTA) is one of the basic structural elements of the three thousand pound HEAO-B experiment payload. The FPTA is a multifunctional assembly which supports seven imaging X-ray detectors circumferentially about a central shaft and accurately positions any particular one into the focus of a high resolution mirror assembly. A drive system, position sensor, rotary coupler, and detent alignment system, all an integral part of the rotatable portion which in turn is supported by main bearings to the stationary focal plane housing are described

How can a 22-pole ion trap exhibit 10 local minima in the effective potential?

The column density distribution of trapped OH$^-$ ions in a 22-pole ion trap is measured for different trap parameters. The density is obtained from position-dependent photodetachment rate measurements. Overall, agreement is found with the effective potential of an ideal 22-pole. However, in addition we observe 10 distinct minima in the trapping potential, which indicate a breaking of the 22-fold symmetry. Numerical simulations show that a displacement of a subset of the radiofrequency electrodes can serve as an explanation for this symmetry breaking

Evaporation of buffer gas-thermalized anions out of a multipole rf ion trap

We identify plain evaporation of ions as the fundamental loss mechanism out of a multipole ion trap. Using thermalized negative Cl- ions we find that the evaporative loss rate is proportional to a Boltzmann factor. This thermodynamic description sheds new light on the dynamics of particles in time-varying confining potentials. It specifically allows us to extract the effective depth of the ion trap as the activation energy for evaporation. As a function of the rf amplitude we find two distinct regimes related to the stability of motion of the trapped ions. For low amplitudes the entire trap allows for stable motion and the trap depth increases with the rf field. For larger rf amplitudes, however, rapid energy transfer from the field to the ion motion can occur at large trap radii, which leads to a reduction of the effective trapping volume. In this regime the trap depth decreases again with increasing rf amplitude. We give an analytical parameterization of the trap depth for various multipole traps that allows predictions of the most favorable trapping conditions.Comment: Phys. Rev. Lett., in pres

Low-Frequency Characterization of Switched dc-dc Converters

Averaging techniques are developed here to represent buck, boost, and buck-boost types of switched dc-dc converters by approximate continuous models. Simple analytical expressions in terms of the circuit components are derived for the characteristic transient and frequency responses of timeaveraged (continuous) power-stage models for use in designing and understanding the behavior of corresponding switched power stages. Novel conclusions include the dependence of effective circuit component values upon switch duty ratio and the existence of a real positive zero in certain transfer functions. Responses from analog computer simulations of the switched and averaged power stages agree well and, in turn, confirm the analytic predictions. High-order systems can be analyzed by the averaging technique without a commensurate increase in complexity

Photodetachment of cold OH- in a multipole ion trap

The absolute photodetachment cross section of OH- anions at a rotational and translational temperature of 170K is determined by measuring the detachment-induced decay rate of the anions in a multipole radio-frequency ion trap. In comparison with previous results, the obtained cross section shows the importance of the initial rotational state distribution. Using a tomography scan of the photodetachment laser through the trapped ion cloud, the derived cross section is model-independent and thus features a small systematic uncertainty. The tomography also yields the column density of the OH- anions in the 22-pole ion trap in good agreement with the expected trapping potential of a large field free region bound by steep potential walls.Comment: Phys. Rev. Lett., in pres

Formation of ultracold LiCs molecules

We present the first observation of ultracold LiCs molecules. The molecules are formed in a two-species magneto-optical trap and detected by two-photon ionization and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The production rate coefficient is found to be in the range 10^{-18}\unit{cm^3s^{-1}} to 10^{-16}\unit{cm^3s^{-1}}, at least an order of magnitude smaller than for other heteronuclear diatomic molecules directly formed in a magneto-optical trap.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure

Zooplankton abundance in relation to state and type of intrusions onto the southeastern United States shelf during summer

The vertical distribution of zooplankton on the continental shelf of northeastern Florida was determined in and around upwelling events and related to concentrations of particulate matter. Doliolida and the cladoceran Penilia avirostris were significantly more abundant in upwelled water \u3c22°C and the cyclopoid genus Oncaea more abundant at warmer temperatures. The abundance of doliolida, Oithona and Oncaea in intrusions and the thermocline was significantly higher in older than in recently upwelled waters. The vertical sequences of the abundance of zooplankton and particulate matter (2-114 μm ESD) were identical. Zooplankton maxima co-occurred primarily with maxima in phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a) and only partly with primary productivity