1,262 research outputs found
An integrated cryogenic optical modulator
Integrated electrical and photonic circuits (PIC) operating at cryogenic
temperatures are fundamental building blocks required to achieve scalable
quantum computing, and cryogenic computing technologies. Optical interconnects
offer better performance and thermal insulation than electrical wires and are
imperative for true quantum communication. Silicon PICs have matured for room
temperature applications but their cryogenic performance is limited by the
absence of efficient low temperature electro-optic (EO) modulation. While
detectors and lasers perform better at low temperature, cryogenic optical
switching remains an unsolved challenge. Here we demonstrate EO switching and
modulation from room temperature down to 4 K by using the Pockels effect in
integrated barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based devices. We report the nonlinear
optical (NLO) properties of BaTiO3 in a temperature range which has previously
not been explored, showing an effective Pockels coefficient of 200 pm/V at 4 K.
We demonstrate the largest EO bandwidth (30 GHz) of any cryogenic switch to
date, ultra-low-power tuning which is 10^9 times more efficient than thermal
tuning, and high-speed data modulation at 20 Gbps. Our results demonstrate a
missing component for cryogenic PICs. It removes major roadblocks for the
realisation of novel cryogenic-compatible systems in the field of quantum
computing and supercomputing, and for interfacing those systems with the real
world at room-temperature
Disassembly of Li Ion cellsâcharacterization and safety considerations of a recycling scheme
It is predicted there will be a rapid increase in the number of lithium ion batteries reaching end of life. However, recently only 5% of lithium ion batteries (LIBs) were recycled in the European Union. This paper explores why and how this can be improved by controlled dismantling, characterization and recycling. Currently, the favored disposal route for batteries is shredding of complete systems and then separation of individual fractions. This can be effective for the partial recovery of some materials, producing impure, mixed or contaminated waste streams. For an effective circular economy it would be beneficial to produce greater purity waste streams and be able to re-use (as well as recycle) some components; thus, a dismantling system could have advantages over shredding. This paper presents an alternative complete system disassembly process route for lithium ion batteries and examines the various processes required to enable material or component recovery. A schematic is presented of the entire process for all material components along with a materials recovery assay. Health and safety considerations and options for each stage of the process are also reported. This is with an aim of encouraging future battery dismantling operations
Report of the panel on earth rotation and reference frames, section 7
Objectives and requirements for Earth rotation and reference frame studies in the 1990s are discussed. The objectives are to observe and understand interactions of air and water with the rotational dynamics of the Earth, the effects of the Earth's crust and mantle on the dynamics and excitation of Earth rotation variations over time scales of hours to centuries, and the effects of the Earth's core on the rotational dynamics and the excitation of Earth rotation variations over time scales of a year or longer. Another objective is to establish, refine and maintain terrestrial and celestrial reference frames. Requirements include improvements in observations and analysis, improvements in celestial and terrestrial reference frames and reference frame connections, and improved observations of crustal motion and mass redistribution on the Earth
Population demography maintains biogeographic boundaries
Funding Information: This manuscript was the result of a working group funded by a Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science grant to JPL and KEM. We thank Ben Holt and the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate for sharing their map of mammal biogeographic regions. We thank Laura Pollock, Isaac Eckert and Federico Riva for comments on the written document and discussion of the topic. We also thank Anna Hargreaves, Brian Leung, Jonathan Belmaker, Lilian Sales and Shahar Chaikin for additional discussions. We are also grateful to the authors whose work provided the raw data for this synthesis. KEM is supported by a NSERC Discovery Grant. GM and JPL were supported by the Concordia University Research Chair in Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning. GM is additionally supported by a Concordia Graduate Fellowship. CS and CJG were supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant to CJG. CS was also supported by a U. Manitoba Graduate Fellowship, and a U. Manitoba Graduate Enhancement of Triâcouncil funding grant to CJG. The authors declare no conflict of interest.Peer reviewedPostprin
Dark Matter and Baryons in the Most X-ray Luminous and Merging Galaxy Cluster RX J1347.5-1145
The galaxy cluster RX J1347-1145 is one of the most X-ray luminous and most
massive clusters known. Its extreme mass makes it a prime target for studying
issues addressing cluster formation and cosmology. In this paper we present new
high-resolution HST/ACS and Chandra X-ray data. The high resolution and
sensitivity of ACS enabled us to detect and quantify several new multiply
imaged sources, we now use a total of eight for the strong lensing analysis.
Combining this information with shape measurements of weak lensing sources in
the central regions of the cluster, we derive a high-resolution,
absolutely-calibrated mass map. This map provides the best available
quantification of the total mass of the central part of the cluster to date. We
compare the reconstructed mass with that inferred from the new Chandra X-ray
data, and conclude that both mass estimates agree extremely well in the
observed region, namely within 400 / h_70 kpc of the cluster center. In
addition we study the major baryonic components (gas and stars) and hence
derive the dark matter distribution in the center of the cluster. We find that
the dark matter and baryons are both centered on the BCG within the
uncertainties (alignment is better than <10 kpc). We measure the corresponding
1-D profiles and find that dark matter distribution is consistent with both NFW
and cored profiles, indicating that a more extended radial analysis is needed
to pinpoint the concentration parameter, and hence the inner slope of the dark
matter profile.Comment: 12 pages, Accepted for publication in ApJ, full-res version
http://www.physics.ucsb.edu/~marusa/RXJ1347.pd
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Development of a Charge Adjustment Model for Cardiac Catheterization
A methodology that would allow for comparison of charges across institutions has not been developed for catheterization in congenital heart disease. A single institution catheterization database with prospectively collected case characteristics was linked to hospital charges related and limited to an episode of care in the catheterization laboratory for fiscal years 2008â2010. Catheterization charge categories (CCC) were developed to group types of catheterization procedures using a combination of empiric data and expert consensus. A multivariable model with outcome charges was created using CCC and additional patient and procedural characteristics. In 3 fiscal years, 3,839 cases were available for analysis. Forty catheterization procedure types were categorized into 7 CCC yielding a grouper variable with an R2 explanatory value of 72.6 %. In the final CCC, the largest proportion of cases was in CCC 2 (34 %), which included diagnostic cases without intervention. Biopsy cases were isolated in CCC 1 (12 %), and percutaneous pulmonary valve placement alone made up CCC 7 (2 %). The final model included CCC, number of interventions, and cardiac diagnosis (R2 = 74.2 %). Additionally, current financial metrics such as APR-DRG severity of illness and case mix index demonstrated a lack of correlation with CCC. We have developed a catheterization procedure type financial grouper that accounts for the diverse case population encountered in catheterization for congenital heart disease. CCC and our multivariable model could be used to understand financial characteristics of a population at a single point in time, longitudinally, and to compare populations
Electroactive polymers for sensing.
Electromechanical coupling in electroactive polymers (EAPs) has been widely applied for actuation and is also being increasingly investigated for sensing chemical and mechanical stimuli. EAPs are a unique class of materials, with low-moduli high-strain capabilities and the ability to conform to surfaces of different shapes. These features make them attractive for applications such as wearable sensors and interfacing with soft tissues. Here, we review the major types of EAPs and their sensing mechanisms. These are divided into two classes depending on the main type of charge carrier: ionic EAPs (such as conducting polymers and ionic polymer-metal composites) and electronic EAPs (such as dielectric elastomers, liquid-crystal polymers and piezoelectric polymers). This review is intended to serve as an introduction to the mechanisms of these materials and as a first step in material selection for both researchers and designers of flexible/bendable devices, biocompatible sensors or even robotic tactile sensing units.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from The Royal Society Publishing via https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2016.002
Gemini Planet Imager Observational Calibrations VI: Photometric and Spectroscopic Calibration for the Integral Field Spectrograph
The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is a new facility instrument for the Gemini
Observatory designed to provide direct detection and characterization of
planets and debris disks around stars in the solar neighborhood. In addition to
its extreme adaptive optics and corona graphic systems which give access to
high angular resolution and high-contrast imaging capabilities, GPI contains an
integral field spectrograph providing low resolution spectroscopy across five
bands between 0.95 and 2.5 m. This paper describes the sequence of
processing steps required for the spectro-photometric calibration of GPI
science data, and the necessary calibration files. Based on calibration
observations of the white dwarf HD 8049B we estimate that the systematic error
in spectra extracted from GPI observations is less than 5%. The flux ratio of
the occulted star and fiducial satellite spots within coronagraphic GPI
observations, required to estimate the magnitude difference between a target
and any resolved companions, was measured in the -band to be in laboratory measurements and using
on-sky observations. Laboratory measurements for the , , and
filters are also presented. The total throughput of GPI, Gemini South and the
atmosphere of the Earth was also measured in each photometric passband, with a
typical throughput in -band of 18% in the non-coronagraphic mode, with some
variation observed over the six-month period for which observations were
available. We also report ongoing development and improvement of the data cube
extraction algorithm.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures. Proceedings of the SPIE, 9147-30
Causality in relativistic many body theory
The stability of the nuclear matter system with respect to density
fluctuations is examined exploring in detail the pole structure of the
electro-nuclear response functions. Making extensive use of the method of
dispersion integrals we calculate the full polarization propagator not only for
real energies in the spacelike and timelike regime but also in the whole
complex energy plane. The latter proved to be necessary in order to identify
unphysical causality violating poles which are the consequence of a neglection
of vacuum polarization. On the contrary it is shown that Dirac sea effects
stabilize the nuclear matter system shifting the unphysical pole from the upper
energy plane back to the real axis. The exchange of strength between these real
timelike collective excitations and the spacelike energy regime is shown to
lead to a reduction of the quasielastic peak as it is seen in electron
scattering experiments. Neglecting vacuum polarization one also obtains a
reduction of the quasielastic peak but in this case the strength is partly
shifted to the causality violating pole mentioned above which consequently
cannot be considered as a physical reliable result. Our investigation of the
response function in the energy region above the threshold of nucleon
anti-nucleon production leads to another remarkable result. Treating the
nucleons as point-like Dirac particles we show that for any isospin independent
NN-interaction RPA-correlations provide a reduction of the production amplitude
for -pairs by a factor 2.Comment: 19 pages Latex including 12 postscript figure
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