1,181 research outputs found
AAO Starbugs: software control and associated algorithms
The Australian Astronomical Observatory's TAIPAN instrument deploys 150
Starbug robots to position optical fibres to accuracies of 0.3 arcsec, on a 32
cm glass field plate on the focal plane of the 1.2 m UK-Schmidt telescope. This
paper describes the software system developed to control and monitor the
Starbugs, with particular emphasis on the automated path-finding algorithms,
and the metrology software which keeps track of the position and motion of
individual Starbugs as they independently move in a crowded field. The software
employs a tiered approach to find a collision-free path for every Starbug, from
its current position to its target location. This consists of three
path-finding stages of increasing complexity and computational cost. For each
Starbug a path is attempted using a simple method. If unsuccessful,
subsequently more complex (and expensive) methods are tried until a valid path
is found or the target is flagged as unreachable.Comment: 10 pages, to be published in Proc. SPIE 9913, Software and
Cyberinfrastructure for Astronomy IV; 201
Empirical comparison of high gradient achievement for different metals in DC and pulsed mode
For the SwissFEL project, an advanced high gradient low emittance gun is
under development. Reliable operation with an electric field, preferably above
125 MV/m at a 4 mm gap, in the presence of an UV laser beam, has to be achieved
in a diode configuration in order to minimize the emittance dilution due to
space charge effects. In the first phase, a DC breakdown test stand was used to
test different metals with different preparation methods at voltages up to 100
kV. In addition high gradient stability tests were also carried out over
several days in order to prove reliable spark-free operation with a minimum
dark current. In the second phase, electrodes with selected materials were
installed in the 250 ns FWHM, 500 kV electron gun and tested for high gradient
breakdown and for quantum efficiency using an ultra-violet laser.Comment: 25 pages, 13 figures, 5 tables. Follow up from FEL 2008 conference
(Geyongju Korea 2008) New Title in JVST A (2010) : Vacuum breakdown limit and
quantum efficiency obtained for various technical metals using DC and pulsed
voltage source
Determining intended evidence relations in natural language arguments
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72555/1/j.1467-8640.1991.tb00386.x.pd
The Physicist's Guide to the Orchestra
An experimental study of strings, woodwinds (organ pipe, flute, clarinet,
saxophone and recorder), and the voice was undertaken to illustrate the basic
principles of sound production in music instruments. The setup used is simple
and consists of common laboratory equipment. Although the canonical examples
(standing wave on a string, in an open and closed pipe) are easily reproduced,
they fail to explain the majority of the measurements. The reasons for these
deviations are outlined and discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures (jpg files). Submitted to European Journal of
Physic
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