28,297 research outputs found
Measuring surface-area-to-volume ratios in soft porous materials using laser-polarized xenon interphase exchange NMR
We demonstrate a minimally invasive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
technique that enables determination of the surface-area-to-volume ratio (S/V)
of soft porous materials from measurements of the diffusive exchange of
laser-polarized 129Xe between gas in the pore space and 129Xe dissolved in the
solid phase. We apply this NMR technique to porous polymer samples and find
approximate agreement with destructive stereological measurements of S/V
obtained with optical confocal microscopy. Potential applications of
laser-polarized xenon interphase exchange NMR include measurements of in vivo
lung function in humans and characterization of gas chromatography columns.Comment: 14 pages of text, 4 figure
The laboratory telerobotic manipulator program
New opportunities for the application of telerobotic systems to enhance human intelligence and dexterity in the hazardous environment of space are presented by the NASA Space Station Program. Because of the need for significant increases in extravehicular activity and the potential increase in hazards associated with space programs, emphasis is being heightened on telerobotic systems research and development. The Laboratory Telerobotic Manipulator (LTM) program is performed to develop and demonstrate ground-based telerobotic manipulator system hardware for research and demonstrations aimed at future NASA applications. The LTM incorporates traction drives, modularity, redundant kinematics, and state-of-the-art hierarchical control techniques to form a basis for merging the diverse technological domains of robust, high-dexterity teleoperations and autonomous robotic operation into common hardware to further NASA's research
Four new planets around giant stars and the mass-metallicity correlation of planet-hosting stars
CONTEXT. Exoplanet searches have demonstrated that giant planets are
preferentially found around metal-rich stars and that their fraction increases
with the stellar mass. AIMS. During the past six years, we have conducted a
radial velocity follow-up program of 166 giant stars, to detect substellar
companions, and characterizing their orbital properties. Using this
information, we aim to study the role of the stellar evolution in the orbital
parameters of the companions, and to unveil possible correlations between the
stellar properties and the occurrence rate of giant planets. METHODS. Using
FEROS and CHIRON spectra, we have computed precision radial velocities and we
have derived atmospheric and physical parameters for all of our targets.
Additionally, velocities computed from UCLES spectra are presented here. By
studying the periodic radial velocity signals, we have detected the presence of
several substellar companions. RESULTS. We present four new planetary systems
around the giant stars HIP8541, HIP74890, HIP84056 and HIP95124. Additionally,
we find that giant planets are more frequent around metal-rich stars, reaching
a peak in the detection of = 16.7% around stars with
[Fe/H] 0.35 dex. Similarly, we observe a positive correlation of the
planet occurrence rate with the stellar mass, between M 1.0 -2.1
M, with a maximum of = 13.0%, at M = 2.1
M. CONCLUSIONS. We conclude that giant planets are preferentially
formed around metal-rich stars. Also, we conclude that they are more
efficiently formed around more massive stars, in the mass range of M
1.0 - 2.1 M. These observational results confirm previous
findings for solar-type and post-MS hosting stars, and provide further support
to the core-accretion formation model.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
The role of symmetry on interface states in magnetic tunnel junctions
When an electron tunnels from a metal into the barrier in a magnetic tunnel
junction it has to cross the interface. Deep in the metal the eigenstates for
the electron can be labelled by the point symmetry group of the bulk but around
the interface this symmetry is reduced and one has to use linear combinations
of the bulk states to form the eigenstates labelled by the irreducible
representations of the point symmetry group of the interface. In this way there
can be states localized at the interface which control tunneling. The
conclusions as to which are the dominant tunneling states are different from
that conventionally found.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, accepted in PRB, v2: reference 3 complete
A Bayesian approach to the estimation of maps between riemannian manifolds
Let \Theta be a smooth compact oriented manifold without boundary, embedded
in a euclidean space and let \gamma be a smooth map \Theta into a riemannian
manifold \Lambda. An unknown state \theta \in \Theta is observed via
X=\theta+\epsilon \xi where \epsilon>0 is a small parameter and \xi is a white
Gaussian noise. For a given smooth prior on \Theta and smooth estimator g of
the map \gamma we derive a second-order asymptotic expansion for the related
Bayesian risk. The calculation involves the geometry of the underlying spaces
\Theta and \Lambda, in particular, the integration-by-parts formula. Using this
result, a second-order minimax estimator of \gamma is found based on the modern
theory of harmonic maps and hypo-elliptic differential operators.Comment: 20 pages, no figures published version includes correction to eq.s
31, 41, 4
'The show must go on': Event dramaturgy as consolidation of community
Event dramaturgy and cultural performance have not been examined in the literature from a strategic standpoint of fostering the social value of events. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the case of the Water Carnival, a celebratory event in a rural community of Southwest Texas, demonstrating the essence of this event as a symbolic social space, wherein event participants instantiate a shared and valued sense of community. A hermeneutical approach was employed, interpreting the event and its symbolisms as a text, combined with findings from ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observation, in-depth interviews and analysis of archival documents. The study examines the ways that dramaturgy in the Water Carnival helps frame the ongoing public discourse for community improvement and enhances social capital. The implications of the study for social leverage of events are discussed. It is suggested that a foundation for strategic social planning is the understanding of events as symbolic social spaces and their embeddedness in community development, which can be accomplished when events are pertinent to public discourse, address community issues, represent an inclusive range of stakeholders, and promote cooperation
Crossing the Brown Dwarf Desert Using Adaptive Optics: A Very Close L-Dwarf Companion to the Nearby Solar Analog HR 7672
We have found a very faint companion to the active solar analog HR 7672 (HD
190406; GJ 779; 15 Sge). Three epochs of high resolution imaging using adaptive
optics (AO) at the Gemini-North and Keck II Telescopes demonstrate that HR
7672B is a common proper motion companion, with a separation of 0.79" (14 AU)
and a 2.16 um flux ratio of 8.6 mags. Using follow-up K-band spectroscopy from
Keck AO+NIRSPEC, we measure a spectral type of L4.5+/-1.5. This is the closest
ultracool companion around a main sequence star found to date by direct
imaging. We estimate the primary has an age of 1-3 Gyr. Assuming coevality, the
companion is most likely substellar, with a mass of 55-78 Mjup based on
theoretical models. The primary star shows a long-term radial velocity trend,
and we combine the radial velocity data and AO imaging to set a firm
(model-independent) lower limit of 48 Mjup. In contrast to the paucity of brown
dwarf companions at <~4 AU around FGK dwarfs, HR 7672B implies that brown dwarf
companions do exist at separations comparable to those of the giant planets in
our own solar system. Its presence is at variance with scenarios where brown
dwarfs form as ejected stellar embryos. Moreover, since HR 7672B is likely too
massive to have formed in a circumstellar disk as planets are believed to, its
discovery suggests that a diversity of physical processes act to populate the
outer regions of exoplanetary systems.Comment: Astrophysical Journal, in pres
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