183 research outputs found
Adaptable Diffraction Gratings With Wavefront Transformation
Diffraction gratings are optical components with regular patterns of grooves, which angularly disperse incoming light by wavelength. Traditional diffraction gratings have static planar, concave, or convex surfaces. However, if they could be made so that they can change the surface curvature at will, then they would be able to focus on particular segments, self-calibrate, or perform fine adjustments. This innovation creates a diffraction grating on a deformable surface. This surface could be bent at will, resulting in a dynamic wavefront transformation. This allows for self-calibration, compensation for aberrations, enhancing image resolution in a particular area, or performing multiple scans using different wavelengths. A dynamic grating gives scientists a new ability to explore wavefronts from a variety of viewpoints
Focusing Diffraction Grating Element with Aberration Control
Diffraction gratings are optical components with regular patterns of grooves, which angularly disperse incoming light by wavelength in a single plane, called dispersion plane. Traditional gratings on flat substrates do not perform wavefront transformation in the plane perpendicular to the dispersion plane. The device proposed here exhibits regular diffraction grating behavior, dispersing light. In addition, it performs wavelength transformation (focusing or defocusing) of diffracted light in a direction perpendicular to the dispersion plane (called sagittal plane). The device is composed of a diffraction grating with the grooves in the form of equidistant arcs. It may be formed by defining a single arc or an arc approximation, then translating it along a certain direction by a distance equal to a multiple of a fixed distance ("grating period") to obtain other groove positions. Such groove layout is nearly impossible to obtain using traditional ruling methods, such as mechanical ruling or holographic scribing, but is trivial for lithographically scribed gratings. Lithographic scribing is the newly developed method first commercially introduced by LightSmyth Technologies, which produces gratings with the highest performance and arbitrary groove shape/spacing for advanced aberration control. Unlike other types of focusing gratings, the grating is formed on a flat substrate. In a plane perpendicular to the substrate and parallel to the translation direction, the period of the grating and, therefore, the projection of its k-vector onto the plane is the same for any location on the grating surface. In that plane, no waveform transformation by the grating k-vector occurs, except of simple redirection
Single integrated device for optical CDMA code processing in dual-code environment
We report on the design, fabrication and performance of a matching integrated optical CDMA encoder-decoder pair based on holographic Bragg reflector technology. Simultaneous encoding/decoding operation of two multiple wavelength-hopping time-spreading codes was successfully demonstrated and shown to support two error-free OCDMA links at OC-24. A double-pass scheme was employed in the devices to enable the use of longer code length
ejecta in young supernova remnants
Context: Tracing unstable isotopes produced in supernova nucleosynthesis
provides a direct diagnostic of supernova explosion physics. Theoretical models
predict an extensive variety of scenarios, which can be constrained through
observations of the abundant isotopes Ni and Ti. Direct evidence
of the latter was previously found only in two core-collapse supernova events,
and appears to be absent in thermonuclear supernovae.Aims: We aim to to
constrain the supernova progenitor types of Cas A, SN 1987A, Vela Jr.,
G1.9+0.3, SN1572, and SN1604 through their Ti ejecta masses and
explosion kinematics. Methods: We analyzed INTEGRAL/SPI observations of the
candidate sources utilizing an empirically motivated high-precision background
model. We analyzed the three dominant spectroscopically resolved de-excitation
lines at 68, 78, and 1157\,keV emitted in the decay chain of Ti. The
fluxes allow the determination of the production yields of Ti. Remnant
kinematics were obtained from the Doppler characteristics of the lines.
Results: We find a significant signal for Cas A in all three lines with a
combined significance of 5.4. The fluxes are ph cm s, and ph cm
s for the Ti and Sc decay, respectively. We obtain higher
fluxes for Ti with our analysis of Cas A than were obtained in previous
analyses. We discuss potential differences. Conclusions: We obtain a high
Ti ejecta mass for Cas A that is in disagreement with ejecta yields from
symmetric 2D models. Upper limits for the other core-collapse supernovae are in
agreement with model predictions and previous studies. The upper limits we find
for the three thermonuclear supernovae consistently exclude the double
detonation and pure helium deflagration models as progenitors.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, Accepted for publication in A&
Background modelling for -ray spectroscopy with INTEGRAL/SPI
The coded-mask spectrometer-telescope SPI on board the INTEGRAL observatory
records photons in the energy range between 20 and 8000 keV. A robust and
versatile method to model the dominating instrumental background (BG) radiation
is difficult to establish for such a telescope in the rapidly changing space
environment. From long-term monitoring of SPI's Germanium detectors, we built
up a spectral parameter data base, which characterises the instrument response
as well as the BG behaviour. We aim to build a self-consistent and broadly
applicable BG model for typical science cases of INTEGRAL/SPI, based on this
data base. The general analysis method for SPI relies on distinguishing between
illumination patterns on the 19-element Germanium detector array from BG and
sky in a maximum likelihood framework. We illustrate how the complete set of
measurements, even including the exposures of the sources of interest, can be
used to define a BG model. We apply our method to different science cases,
including point-like, diffuse, continuum, and line emission, and evaluate the
adequacy in each case. From likelihood values and the number of fitted
parameters, we determine how strong the impact of the unknown BG variability
is. We find that the number of fitted parameters, i.e. how often the BG has to
be re-normalised, depends on the emission type (diffuse with many observations
over a large sky region, or point-like with concentrated exposure around one
source), and the spectral energy range and bandwidth. A unique time scale,
valid for all analysis issues, is not applicable for INTEGRAL/SPI, but must and
can be inferred from the chosen data set. We conclude that our BG modelling
method is usable in a large variety of INTEGRAL/SPI science cases, and provides
nearly systematics-free and robust results.Comment: 11 pages, 2 appendix pages, 9 figures, 4 appendix figures, 4 tables;
based on the work of Diehl et al. (2018), Siegert (2017), and Siegert (2013
Galactic Population Synthesis of Radioactive Nucleosynthesis Ejecta
© The Authors 2023. This is an Open Access article, published by EDP Sciences, under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0).Diffuse gamma-ray line emission traces freshly produced radioisotopes in the interstellar gas, providing a unique perspective on the entire Galactic cycle of matter from nucleosynthesis in massive stars to their ejection and mixing in the interstellar medium. We aim at constructing a model of nucleosynthesis ejecta on galactic scale which is specifically tailored to complement the physically most important and empirically accessible features of gamma-ray measurements in the MeV range, in particular for decay gamma-rays such as Al, Fe or Ti. Based on properties of massive star groups, we developed a Population Synthesis Code which can instantiate galaxy models quickly and based on many different parameter configurations, such as the star formation rate, density profiles, or stellar evolution models. As a result, we obtain model maps of nucleosynthesis ejecta in the Galaxy which incorporate the population synthesis calculations of individual massive star groups. Based on a variety of stellar evolution models, supernova explodabilities, and density distributions, we find that the measured Al distribution from INTEGRAL/SPI can be explained by a Galaxy-wide population synthesis model with a star formation rate of - and a spiral-arm dominated density profile with a scale height of at least 700 pc. Our model requires that most massive stars indeed undergo a supernova explosion. This corresponds to a supernova rate in the Milky Way of - per century, with quasi-persistent Al and Fe masses of - and -, respectively. Comparing the simulated morphologies to SPI data suggests that a frequent merging of superbubbles may take place in the Galaxy, and that an unknown but strong foreground emission at 1.8 MeV could be present.Peer reviewe
Experimental Research in Synthetic Molecular Communications -- Part I: Overview and Short-Range Systems
Since its emergence from the communication engineering community around one
and a half decades ago, the field of Synthetic Molecular Communication (SMC)
has experienced continued growth, both in the number of technical contributions
from a vibrant community and in terms of research funding. Throughout this
process, the vision of SMC as a novel, revolutionary communication paradigm has
constantly evolved, driven by feedback from theoretical and experimental
studies, respectively. It is believed that especially the latter ones will be
crucial for the transition of SMC towards a higher technology readiness level
in the near future. In this spirit, we present here a comprehensive survey of
experimental research in SMC. In particular, this survey focuses on
highlighting the major drivers behind different lines of experimental research
in terms of the respective envisioned applications. This approach allows us to
categorize existing works and identify current research gaps that still hinder
the development of practical SMC-based applications. Our survey consists of two
parts; this paper and a companion paper. While the companion paper focuses on
SMC with relatively long communication ranges, this paper covers SMC over short
distances of typically not more than a few millimeters.Comment: 10 pages, 1 table, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in the IEEE
Nanotechnology Magazin
Experimental Research in Synthetic Molecular Communications -- Part II: Long-Range Communication
In this second part of our survey on experimental research in Synthetic
Molecular Communication (SMC), we review works on long-range SMC systems, i.e.,
systems with communication ranges of more than a few millimeters. Despite the
importance of experimental research for the evolution of SMC towards a mature
communication paradigm that will eventually support revolutionary applications
beyond the reach of today's prevalent communication paradigms, the existing
body of literature is still comparatively sparse. Long-range SMC systems have
been proposed in the literature for information transmission in two types of
fluid media, liquid and air. While both types of SMC systems, liquid-based and
air-based systems, rely on encoding and transmitting information using
molecules, they differ substantially in terms of the physical system designs
and in the type of applications they are intended for. In this paper, we
present a systematic characterization of experimental works on long-range SMC
that reveals the major drivers of these works in terms of the respective target
applications. Furthermore, the physical designs for long-range SMC proposed in
the literature are comprehensively reviewed. In this way, our survey will
contribute to making experimental research in this field more accessible and
identifying novel directions for future research.Comment: 10 pages, 2 tables, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in the IEEE
Nanotechnology Magazin
The Locations of Gamma-Ray Bursts Measured by COMPTEL
The COMPTEL instrument on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory is used to
measure the locations of gamma-ray bursts through direct imaging of MeV
photons. In a comprehensive search, we have detected and localized 29 bursts
observed between 1991 April 19 and 1995 May 31. The average location accuracy
of these events is 1.25\arcdeg (1), including a systematic error of
\sim0.5\arcdeg, which is verified through comparison with Interplanetary
Network (IPN) timing annuli. The combination of COMPTEL and IPN measurements
results in locations for 26 of the bursts with an average ``error box'' area of
only 0.3 deg (1). We find that the angular distribution of
COMPTEL burst locations is consistent with large-scale isotropy and that there
is no statistically significant evidence of small-angle auto-correlations. We
conclude that there is no compelling evidence for burst repetition since no
more than two of the events (or 7% of the 29 bursts) could possibly have
come from the same source. We also find that there is no significant
correlation between the burst locations and either Abell clusters of galaxies
or radio-quiet quasars. Agreement between individual COMPTEL locations and IPN
annuli places a lower limit of 100~AU (95% confidence) on the distance to
the stronger bursts.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, 1998 Jan. 1,
Vol. 492. 33 pages, 9 figures, 5 table
Pinning quantum phase transition for a Luttinger liquid of strongly interacting bosons
One of the most remarkable results of quantum mechanics is the fact that
many-body quantum systems may exhibit phase transitions even at zero
temperature. Quantum fluctuations, deeply rooted in Heisenberg's uncertainty
principle, and not thermal fluctuations, drive the system from one phase to
another. Typically, the relative strength of two competing terms in the
system's Hamiltonian is changed across a finite critical value. A well-known
example is the Mott-Hubbard quantum phase transition from a superfluid to an
insulating phase, which has been observed for weakly interacting bosonic atomic
gases. However, for strongly interacting quantum systems confined to
lower-dimensional geometry a novel type of quantum phase transition may be
induced for which an arbitrarily weak perturbation to the Hamiltonian is
sufficient to drive the transition. Here, for a one-dimensional (1D) quantum
gas of bosonic caesium atoms with tunable interactions, we observe the
commensurate-incommensurate quantum phase transition from a superfluid
Luttinger liquid to a Mott-insulator. For sufficiently strong interactions, the
transition is induced by adding an arbitrarily weak optical lattice
commensurate with the atomic granularity, which leads to immediate pinning of
the atoms. We map out the phase diagram and find that our measurements in the
strongly interacting regime agree well with a quantum field description based
on the exactly solvable sine-Gordon model. We trace the phase boundary all the
way to the weakly interacting regime where we find good agreement with the
predictions of the 1D Bose-Hubbard model. Our results open up the experimental
study of quantum phase transitions, criticality, and transport phenomena beyond
Hubbard-type models in the context of ultracold gases
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