1,492 research outputs found
Application of radar for automotive collision avoidance. Volume 1: Technical report
The purpose of this project was research and development of an automobile collision avoidance radar system. The major finding was that the application of radar to the automobile collision avoidance problem deserves continued research even though the specific approach investigated in this effort did not perform adequately in its angle measurement capability. Additional findings were that: (1) preliminary performance requirements of a candidate radar system are not unreasonable; (2) the number and severity of traffic accidents could be reduced by using a collision avoidance radar system which observes a fairly wide (at least + or - 10 deg) field of view ahead of the vehicle; (3) the health radiation hazards of a probable radar design are not significant even when a large number of radar-equipped vehicles are considered; (4) effects of inclement weather on radar operation can be accommodated in most cases; (5) the phase monopulse radar technique as implemented demonstrated inferior angle measurement performance which warrants the recommendation of investigating alternative radar techniques; and (6) extended target and multipath effects, which presumably distort the amplitude and phase distribution across the antenna aperture, are responsible for the observed inadequate phase monopulse radar performance
Microwave microstrip resonator measurements of Y1Ba2Cu3O(7-x) and Bi2Sr2Ca1Cu2O(8-y) thin films
Radio frequency (RF) surface resistance measurement experiments on high T(sub c) thin films were performed. The method uses a microstrip resonator comprising a top gold conductor strip, an alumina dielectric layer, and a separate superconductivity ground plane. The surface resistance of the superconducting ground plane can be determined, with reference to a gold calibration standard, from the measured quality factor of the half-wave resonator. Initial results near 7 GHz over the temperature range from 25 to 300 K are presented for YBa2Cu3O(7-x) and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(8-y) thin film samples deposited by an electron beam flash evaporation process. The RF surface resistance at 25 K for both materials in these samples was found to be near 25 milliohms
Bose-Einstein Condensate Driven by a Kicked Rotor in a Finite Box
We study the effect of different heating rates of a dilute Bose gas confined
in a quasi-1D finite, leaky box. An optical kicked-rotor is used to transfer
energy to the atoms while two repulsive optical beams are used to confine the
atoms. The average energy of the atoms is localized after a large number of
kicks and the system reaches a nonequilibrium steady state. A numerical
simulation of the experimental data suggests that the localization is due to
energetic atoms leaking over the barrier. Our data also indicates a correlation
between collisions and the destruction of the Bose-Einstein condensate
fraction.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure
Regular-to-chaotic tunneling rates using a fictitious integrable system
We derive a formula predicting dynamical tunneling rates from regular states
to the chaotic sea in systems with a mixed phase space. Our approach is based
on the introduction of a fictitious integrable system that resembles the
regular dynamics within the island. For the standard map and other kicked
systems we find agreement with numerical results for all regular states in a
regime where resonance-assisted tunneling is not relevant.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Norm Optimal Iterative Learning Control with Application to Problems in Accelerator based Free Electron Lasers and Rehabilitation Robotics
This paper gives an overview of the theoretical basis of the norm optimal approach to iterative learning control followed by results that describe more recent work which has experimentally benchmarking the performance that can be achieved. The remainder of then paper then describes its actual application to a physical process and a very novel application in stroke rehabilitation
Late metal-silicate separation on the IAB parent asteroid: Constraints from combined W and Pt isotopes and thermal modelling
The short-lived Hf-W decay system is a powerful chronometer
for constraining the timing of metal-silicate separation and core formation in
planetesimals and planets. Neutron capture effects on W isotopes, however,
significantly hamper the application of this tool. In order to correct for
neutron capture effects, Pt isotopes have emerged as a reliable in-situ neutron
dosimeter. This study applies this method to IAB iron meteorites, in order to
constrain the timing of metal segregation on the IAB parent body. The
W values obtained for the IAB iron meteorites range from -3.61
0.10 to -2.73 0.09. Correlating Pt with
W data yields a pre-neutron capture W of -2.90 0.06. This
corresponds to a metal-silicate separation age of 6.0 0.8 Ma after CAI
for the IAB parent body, and is interpreted to represent a body-wide melting
event. Later, between 10 and 14 Ma after CAI, an impact led to a catastrophic
break-up and subsequent reassembly of the parent body. Thermal models of the
interior evolution that are consistent with these estimates suggest that the
IAB parent body underwent metal-silicate separation as a result of internal
heating by short-lived radionuclides and accreted at around 1.4 0.1 Ma
after CAIs with a radius of greater than 60 km.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables; open access article under the CC
BY-NC-ND license (see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Behavioral suites mediate group-level foraging dynamics in communities of tropical stingless bees
Competition for floral resources is a key force shaping pollinator communities, particularly among social bees. The ability of social bees to recruit nestmates for group foraging is hypothesized to be a major factor in their ability to dominate rich resources such as mass-flowering trees. We tested the role of group foraging in attaining dominance by stingless bees, eusocial tropical pollinators that exhibit high diversity in foraging strategies. We provide the first experimental evidence that meliponine group foraging strategies, large colony sizes and aggressive behavior form a suite of traits that enable colonies to improve dominance of rich resources. Using a diverse assemblage of Brazilian stingless bee species and an array of artificial “flowers” that provided a sucrose reward, we compared species’ dominance and visitation under unrestricted foraging conditions and with experimental removal of group-foraging species. Dominance does not vary with individual body size, but rather with foraging group size. Species that recruit larger numbers of nestmates (Scaptotrigona aff. depilis, Trigona hyalinata, Trigona spinipes) dominated both numerically (high local abundance) and behaviorally (controlling feeders). Removal of group-foraging species increased feeding opportunities for solitary foragers (Frieseomelitta varia, Melipona quadrifasciata and Nannotrigona testaceicornis). Trigona hyalinata always dominated under unrestricted conditions. When this species was removed, T. spinipes or S. aff. depilis controlled feeders and limited visitation by solitary-foraging species. Because bee foraging patterns determine plant pollination success, understanding the forces that shape these patterns is crucial to ensuring pollination of both crops and natural areas in the face of current pollinator declines
Record statistics in random vectors and quantum chaos
The record statistics of complex random states are analytically calculated,
and shown that the probability of a record intensity is a Bernoulli process.
The correlation due to normalization leads to a probability distribution of the
records that is non-universal but tends to the Gumbel distribution
asymptotically. The quantum standard map is used to study these statistics for
the effect of correlations apart from normalization. It is seen that in the
mixed phase space regime the number of intensity records is a power law in the
dimensionality of the state as opposed to the logarithmic growth for random
states.Comment: figures redrawn, discussion adde
Effect of pressure on the polarized infrared optical response of quasi-one-dimensional LaTiO
The pressure-induced changes in the optical properties of the
quasi-one-dimensional conductor LaTiO were studied by
polarization-dependent mid-infrared micro-spectroscopy at room temperature. For
the polarization of the incident radiation parallel to the conducting
direction, the optical conductivity spectrum shows a pronounced mid-infrared
absorption band, exhibiting a shift to lower frequencies and an increase in
oscillator strength with increasing pressure. On the basis of its pressure
dependence, interpretations of the band in terms of electronic transitions and
polaronic excitations are discussed. Discontinuous changes in the optical
response near 15 GPa are in agreement with a recently reported pressure-induced
structural phase transition and indicate the onset of a dimensional crossover
in this highly anisotropic system.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Equilibrium model for two low-pressure electronegative plasmas connected by a double layer
Plihon et al. [J. Appl. Phys.98, 023306 (2005)] have recently shown that double layers usually form during the expansion of a low pressure electronegative plasma. These double layers act as permeable internal boundaries between the source (upstream) plasma and the downstream expanding plasma; positive ions flow from upstream to downstream whereas negative ions flow in the opposite direction. So far, the detailed physical mechanisms leading to their formation have not been identified. In this paper, we develop a model for the two plasma equilibria, upstream and downstream, assuming that the double layer exists and couples the two plasmas. At very low pressure, typically 0.5mTorr, the coupling is strong and acts both ways. The negative ions created downstream contributes to the upstream equilibrium as well as the upstream positive ions contribute to the downstream equilibrium. As the pressure increases, the situation becomes asymmetric. The sourceplasma is not affected by the negative ions flowing from downstream, whereas the positive ions coming from the source control the downstream plasma equilibrium, where local ionization is negligible.This work has been supported by the European Space
Agency, under Ariadna Study Contract No. ACT-04-3101.
One of the authors A.J.L. acknowledges the hospitality of
the LPTP, where the collaboration was begun
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