Observation of enhanced optical spring damping in a macroscopic mechanical resonator and application for parametric instability control in advanced gravitational-wave detectors

We show that optical spring damping in an optomechanical resonator can be enhanced by injecting a phase delay in the laser frequency-locking servo to rotate the real and imaginary components of the optical spring constant. This enhances damping at the expense of optical rigidity. We demonstrate enhanced parametric damping which reduces the Q factor of a 0.1-kg-scale resonator from 1.3×10^5 to 6.5×10^3. By using this technique adequate optical spring damping can be obtained to damp parametric instability predicted for advanced laser interferometer gravitational-wave detectors

Forming simulation of a thermoplastic commingled woven textile on a double dome

This paper presents thermoforming experiments and FE simulations of a commingled glass-PP woven composite on a double dome geometry, with the aim of assessing the correspondence of predicted and experimental shear angles. Large local deformations - especially in-plane shear, i.e. relative rotation between the two yarn families – occur when draping a textile on a three dimensional part and eventually unwanted phenomena like wrinkling or tearing may occur. The macroscopic drape behaviour of a weave is generally subdivided into: 1) The high tensile resistance along the yarn directions, expressed as non-linear stress-strain curves, and 2) The shear resistance, expressed as non-linear shear force versus shear angle curves. The constitutive model is constituted of a dedicated non-orthogonal hypo-elastic shear resistance model, previously described in [1, 2], combined with truss elements that represent the high tensile resistance along the yarn directions. This model is implemented in a user subroutine of the ABAQUS explicit FE solver. The material parameters have been identified via textile biaxial tensile tests at room temperature and bias extension tests at 200°. Thermoforming experiments are performed on a rectangular blank with the warp direction along the second symmetry plane of the tool, with a preheating temperature of 200°C, a constant mold temperature of about 70°C, and a blankholder ring. It was concluded that the shear angles were fairly well predicted for this particular case study, which could be expected in view of the fact that no wrinkles had formed during the thermoforming experiment

Using a quantum dot as a high-frequency shot noise detector

We present the experimental realization of a Quantum Dot (QD) operating as a high-frequency noise detector. Current fluctuations produced in a nearby Quantum Point Contact (QPC) ionize the QD and induce transport through excited states. The resulting transient current through the QD represents our detector signal. We investigate its dependence on the QPC transmission and voltage bias. We observe and explain a quantum threshold feature and a saturation in the detector signal. This experimental and theoretical study is relevant in understanding the backaction of a QPC used as a charge detector.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter

Constraints on the Formation of PSR J0737-3039: the most probable isotropic kick magnitude

A strongly relativistic binary pulsar has been recently discovered with the 64m Parkes telescope (Burgay et al. 2003). Here we use the measured properties of this binary (masses and orbital characteristics as well as age estimates), and we derive the complete set of constraints imposed on the physical properties of the binary pulsar progenitor right before the second supernova explosion. We find that: (i) according to our current understanding of neutron-star formation, the helium-rich progenitor of the second neutron star is most likely overflowing its Roche lobe; (ii) the neutron-star kick magnitude is constrained in the range 60-1560 km/s, with the most probable value being equal to 150 km/s. While the first conclusion is in agreement with Dewi & van den Heuvel (2003), our upper limit on the kick magnitude is significantly larger than that derived by these authors. We find that the difference arises because Dewi & van den Heuvel (2003) inadvertently neglected to consider kicks directed out of the pre-supernova orbital plane.Comment: accepted by ApJ Letters, revised version taking into account the referee's comment

Current Accuracy of Augmented Reality Neuronavigation Systems: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND Augmented reality neuronavigation (ARN) systems can overlay three-dimensional anatomy and pathology without the need for a two-dimensional external monitor. Accuracy is crucial for their clinical applicability. We performed a systematic review regarding the reported accuracy of ARN systems and compared them with the accuracy of conventional infrared neuronavigation (CIN). OBJECTIVE Explore the current navigation accuracy of ARN systems and compare them with CIN. METHODS Pubmed and Embase were searched for ARN and CIN systems. For ARN: type of system, method of patient-to-image registration, accuracy method and accuracy of the system was noted. For CIN: navigation accuracy, expressed as target registration error (TRE), was noted. A meta-analysis was performed comparing the TRE of ARN and CIN systems. RESULTS 35 studies were included, 12 for ARN and 23 for CIN. ARN systems were divided into head-mounted display and heads-up display. In ARN, four methods were encountered for patient-to-image registration, of which point-pair matching was the one most frequently used. Five methods for assessing accuracy were described. 94 TRE measurements of ARN systems were compared with 9058 TRE measurements of CIN systems. Mean TRE was 2.5 mm (CI 95% 0.7 - 4.4) for ARN systems and 2.6 mm (CI 95% 2.1 - 3.1) for CIN systems. CONCLUSIONS In ARN, there seems to be lack of agreement regarding the best method to assess accuracy. Nevertheless, ARN systems seem able to achieve an accuracy comparable with CIN systems. Future studies should be prospective and compare TREs which should be measured in a standardized fashion

Control and Detection of Singlet-Triplet Mixing in a Random Nuclear Field

We observe mixing between two-electron singlet and triplet states in a double quantum dot, caused by interactions with nuclear spins in the host semiconductor. This mixing is suppressed by applying a small magnetic field, or by increasing the interdot tunnel coupling and thereby the singlet-triplet splitting. Electron transport involving transitions between triplets and singlets in turn polarizes the nuclei, resulting in striking bistabilities. We extract from the fluctuating nuclear field a limitation on the time-averaged spin coherence time T2* of 25 ns. Control of the electron-nuclear interaction will therefore be crucial for the coherent manipulation of individual electron spins.Comment: 4 pages main text, 4 figure