1,373 research outputs found
Mariner Mars 1971 optical navigation demonstration
The feasibility of using a combination of spacecraft-based optical data and earth-based Doppler data to perform near-real-time approach navigation was demonstrated by the Mariner Mars 71 Project. The important findings, conclusions, and recommendations are documented. A summary along with publications and papers giving additional details on the objectives of the demonstration are provided. Instrument calibration and performance as well as navigation and science results are reported
Scalable simultaneous multi-qubit readout with 99.99% single-shot fidelity
We describe single-shot readout of a trapped-ion multi-qubit register using
space and time-resolved camera detection. For a single qubit we measure
0.9(3)x10^{-4} readout error in 400us exposure time, limited by the qubit's
decay lifetime. For a four-qubit register (a "qunybble") we measure an
additional error of only 0.1(1)x10^{-4} per qubit, despite the presence of 4%
optical cross-talk between neighbouring qubits. A study of the cross-talk
indicates that the method would scale with negligible loss of fidelity to
~10000 qubits at a density <~1 qubit/um^2, with a readout time ~1us/qubit.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; simulations added to fig.3, with some further
text and figure revisions. Main results unchanged
Report from solar physics
A discussion of the nature of solar physics is followed by a brief review of recent advances in the field. These advances include: the first direct experimental confirmation of the central role played by thermonuclear processes in stars; the discovery that the 5-minute oscillations of the Sun are a global seismic phenomenon that can be used as a probe of the structure and dynamical behavior of the solar interior; the discovery that the solar magnetic field is subdivided into individual flux tubes with field strength exceeding 1000 gauss. Also covered was a science strategy for pure solar physics. Brief discussions are given of solar-terrestrial physics, solar/stellar relationships, and suggested space missions
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Prevalence of iron deficiency in 62,685 women of seven race/ethnicity groups: The HEIRS Study.
BackgroundFew cross-sectional studies report iron deficiency (ID) prevalence in women of different race/ethnicity and ages in US or Canada.Materials and methodsWe evaluated screening observations on women who participated between 2001-2003 in a cross-sectional, primary care-based sample of adults ages ≥25 y whose observations were complete: race/ethnicity; age; transferrin saturation; serum ferritin; and HFE p.C282Y and p.H63D alleles. We defined ID using a stringent criterion: combined transferrin saturation <10% and serum ferritin <33.7 pmol/L (<15 μg/L). We compared ID prevalence in women of different race/ethnicity subgrouped by age and determined associations of p.C282Y and p.H63D to ID overall, and to ID in women ages 25-44 y with or without self-reported pregnancy.ResultsThese 62,685 women included 27,079 whites, 17,272 blacks, 8,566 Hispanics, 7,615 Asians, 449 Pacific Islanders, 441 Native Americans, and 1,263 participants of other race/ethnicity. Proportions of women with ID were higher in Hispanics and blacks than whites and Asians. Prevalence of ID was significantly greater in women ages 25-54 y of all race/ethnicity groups than women ages ≥55 y of corresponding race/ethnicity. In women ages ≥55 y, ID prevalence did not differ significantly across race/ethnicity. p.C282Y and p.H63D prevalence did not differ significantly in women with or without ID, regardless of race/ethnicity, age subgroup, or pregnancy.ConclusionsID prevalence was greater in Hispanic and black than white and Asian women ages 25-54 y. p.C282Y and p.H63D prevalence did not differ significantly in women with or without ID, regardless of race/ethnicity, age subgroup, or pregnancy
Director configuration of planar solitons in nematic liquid crystals
The director configuration of disclination lines in nematic liquid crystals
in the presence of an external magnetic field is evaluated. Our method is a
combination of a polynomial expansion for the director and of further
analytical approximations which are tested against a numerical shooting method.
The results are particularly simple when the elastic constants are equal, but
we discuss the general case of elastic anisotropy. The director field is
continuous everywhere apart from a straight line segment whose length depends
on the value of the magnetic field. This indicates the possibility of an
elongated defect core for disclination lines in nematics due to an external
magnetic field.Comment: 12 pages, Revtex, 8 postscript figure
Magneto-optical Trapping of Cadmium
We report the laser-cooling and confinement of Cd atoms in a magneto-optical
trap, and characterize the loading process from the background Cd vapor. The
trapping laser drives the 1S0-1P1 transition at 229 nm in this two-electron
atom and also photoionizes atoms directly from the 1P1 state. This
photoionization overwhelms the other loss mechanisms and allows a direct
measurement of the photoionization cross section, which we measure to be
2(1)x10^(-16)cm^(2) from the 1P1 state. When combined with nearby laser-cooled
and trapped Cd^(+) ions, this apparatus could facilitate studies in ultracold
interactions between atoms and ions.Comment: 8 pages, 11 figure
Manipulation and Detection of a Trapped Yb+ Ion Hyperfine Qubit
We demonstrate the use of trapped ytterbium ions as quantum bits for quantum
information processing. We implement fast, efficient state preparation and
state detection of the first-order magnetic field-insensitive hyperfine levels
of 171Yb+, with a measured coherence time of 2.5 seconds. The high efficiency
and high fidelity of these operations is accomplished through the stabilization
and frequency modulation of relevant laser sources.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl
Stochastic Analysis of Dimerization Systems
The process of dimerization, in which two monomers bind to each other and
form a dimer, is common in nature. This process can be modeled using rate
equations, from which the average copy numbers of the reacting monomers and of
the product dimers can then be obtained. However, the rate equations apply only
when these copy numbers are large. In the limit of small copy numbers the
system becomes dominated by fluctuations, which are not accounted for by the
rate equations. In this limit one must use stochastic methods such as direct
integration of the master equation or Monte Carlo simulations. These methods
are computationally intensive and rarely succumb to analytical solutions. Here
we use the recently introduced moment equations which provide a highly
simplified stochastic treatment of the dimerization process. Using this
approach, we obtain an analytical solution for the copy numbers and reaction
rates both under steady state conditions and in the time-dependent case. We
analyze three different dimerization processes: dimerization without
dissociation, dimerization with dissociation and hetero-dimer formation. To
validate the results we compare them with the results obtained from the master
equation in the stochastic limit and with those obtained from the rate
equations in the deterministic limit. Potential applications of the results in
different physical contexts are discussed.Comment: 10 figure
Relationship between retinal layer thickness and the visual field in early age-related macular degeneration
PURPOSE:
To quantify and compare the structural and functional changes in subjects with early age-related macular degeneration (AMD), using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and microperimetry.
METHODS:
Twenty-one eyes of 21 subjects with early AMD were examined. MP-1 10-2 visual fields (VFs) and SD-OCT line and detail volume scans were acquired. The thicknesses of the outer segment (OS; distance between inner segment ellipsoid band and upper retinal pigment epithelium [RPE] border) and RPE layers and elevation of the RPE from Bruch's membrane were measured using a computer-aided manual segmentation technique. Thickness values were compared with those for 15 controls, and values at locations with VF total deviation defects were compared with values at nondefect locations at equivalent eccentricities.
RESULTS:
Sixteen of 21 eyes with AMD had VF defects. Compared with controls, line scans showed significant thinning of the OS layer (P = 0.006) and thickening and elevation of the RPE (P = 0.037, P = 0.002). The OS layer was significantly thinner in locations with VF defects compared with locations without defects (P = 0.003). There was a negligible difference between the retinal layer thickness values of the 5 eyes without VF defects and the values of normal controls.
CONCLUSIONS:
In early AMD, when VF defects were present, there was significant thinning of the OS layer and thickening and elevation of the RPE. OS layer thinning was significantly associated with decreased visual sensitivity, consistent with known photoreceptor loss in early AMD. For AMD subjects without VF defects, thickness values were normal. The results highlight the clinical utility of both SD-OCT retinal layer quantification and VF testing in early AMD
High Resolution Observations using Adaptive Optics: Achievements and Future Needs
Over the last few years, several interesting observations were obtained with
the help of solar Adaptive Optics (AO). In this paper, few observations made
using the solar AO are enlightened and briefly discussed. A list of
disadvantages with the current AO system are presented. With telescopes larger
than 1.5m are expected during the next decade, there is a need to develop the
existing AO technologies for large aperture telescopes. Some aspects of this
development are highlighted. Finally, the recent AO developments in India are
also presented
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