The APX Spectrometer for Martian Missions

Obtaining the chemical composition of any planetary body should be a prime science objective of each planetary mission. The APX spectrometer has been designed to provide a detailed and complete chemical composition of all major (except H) and minor elements with high accuracy, in situ and remotely. From such complete analyses a first-order mineralogy of analyzed samples can be deduced. Laboratory studies in the past have shown that rock types (e.g., dunites, basalts, Philippinate 300 sample) were a uniquely in blind test analyses. Such identification is more accurate than can be obtained from any other remote spectroscopic technique. The APX technique is based on three modes of nuclear and atomic interactions of alpha particles with matter resulting in three different energy spectra containing the compositional information. The instrument uses 50 to 100 mCi of Cm-242 or Cm-244 transuranium radioisotopes to provide a monoenergetic beam of alpha particles (6.01 MeV and 5.80 MeV respectively) and solid-state detectors for acquiring the energy spectra

Experiments on asteroids using hard landers

Hard lander missions to asteroids are examined using the Westphal penetrator study as a basis. Imagery and chemical information are considered to be the most significant science to be obtained. The latter, particularly a detailed chemical analysis performed on an uncontaminated sample, may answer questions about the relationships of asteroids to meteorites and the place of asteroids in theories of the formation of the solar system

Optically induced spin gates in coupled quantum dots using the electron-hole exchange interaction

We propose a fast optically induced two-qubit \textsc{c-phase} gate between two resident spins in a pair of coupled quantum dots. An excited bound state which extends over the two dots provides an effective electron-electron exchange interaction. The gate is made possible by the electron-hole exchange interaction, which isolates a single transition in the system. When combined with appropriate single qubit rotations, this gate generates an entangled state of the two spins

An Alpha-p-x Analytical Instrument for Lunar Resource Investigations

An instrument using alpha backscattering, alpha-proton nuclear reactions, and x-ray production by alpha particles and other auxiliary sources can be used on lunar landers to provide detailed analytical information concerning the lunar surface material. This information is important scientifically and can be the basis for utilizing efficiently lunar resources to build lunar colonies in the future. This alpha particle instrument uses radioactive isotopes, silicon detectors for the alpha and proton modes, and mercuric iodide detectors operating at room temperature for the x-ray mode. The alpha and proton modes of the instrument can provide an analysis for all elements (except hydrogen) present in amounts greater than about 1 percent by atom. These modes have excellent sensitivity and accuracy for the lighter elements, in particular, directly determining the amount of oxygen in the lunar soil. This is an element of paramount significance for the lunar resource mission. The x-ray mode makes possible a determination of Ti, Fe, and other important metals with even greater accuracy. In general, the x-ray mode provides increased sensitivity for heavier elements, in many cases achieving a sensitivity of several hundred ppm

Spatio-temporal modelling of extreme storms

A flexible spatio-temporal model is implemented to analyse extreme extra-tropical cyclones objectively identified over the Atlantic and Europe in 6-hourly re-analyses from 1979-2009. Spatial variation in the extremal properties of the cyclones is captured using a 150 cell spatial regularisation, latitude as a covariate, and spatial random effects. The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is also used as a covariate and is found to have a significant effect on intensifying extremal storm behaviour, especially over Northern Europe and the Iberian peninsula. Estimates of lower bounds on minimum sea-level pressure are typically 10-50 hPa below the minimum values observed for historical storms with largest differences occurring when the NAO index is positive.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/14-AOAS766 the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Nonlinear surface impurity in a semi-infinite 2D square lattice

We examine the formation of localized states on a generalized nonlinear impurity located at, or near the surface of a semi-infinite 2D square lattice. Using the formalism of lattice Green functions, we obtain in closed form the number of bound states as well as their energies and probability profiles, for different nonlinearity parameter values and nonlinearity exponents, at different distances from the surface. We specialize to two cases: impurity close to an "edge" and impurity close to a "corner". We find that, unlike the case of a 1D semi-infinite lattice, in 2D, the presence of the surface helps the formation of a localized state.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, submitted to PR

A hidden semi-Markov model for characterising regime shifts in ocean density variability

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this recordSocietally important decadal predictions of temperature and precipitation over Europe are largely affected by variability in the North Atlantic Ocean. Within this region, the Labrador Sea is of particular importance due its link between surface-driven density variability and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Using physical justifications, we propose a statistical model to describe the temporal variability of ocean density in terms of salinity-driven and temperature-driven density. This is a hidden semi-Markov model that allows for either a salinity-driven or a temperature-driven ocean density regime, such that the persistence in each regime is governed probabilistically by a semiMarkov chain. The model is fitted in the Bayesian framework, and a reversible MCMC algorithm is proposed to deal with a single-regime scenario. The model is first applied to a reanalysis data set, where model checking measures are also proposed. Then it is applied to data from 43 climate models to investigate whether and how ocean density variability differs between them and also the reanalysis data. Parameter estimates relating to the mean holding time for each regime are used to establish a link between regime behaviour and the AMOC

Fast Two-Qubit Gates in Semiconductor Quantum Dots using a Photonic Microcavity

Implementations for quantum computing require fast single- and multi-qubit quantum gate operations. In the case of optically controlled quantum dot qubits theoretical designs for long-range two- or multi-qubit operations satisfying all the requirements in quantum computing are not yet available. We have developed a design for a fast, long-range two-qubit gate mediated by a photonic microcavity mode using excited states of the quantum dot-cavity system that addresses these needs. This design does not require identical qubits, it is compatible with available optically induced single qubit operations, and it advances opportunities for scalable architectures. We show that the gate fidelity can exceed 90% in experimentally accessible systems

Electric coupling to the magnetic resonance of split ring resonators

We study both theoretically and experimentally the transmission properties of a lattice of split ring resonators (SRRs) for different electromagnetic (EM) field polarizations and propagation directions. We find unexpectedly that the incident electric field E couples to the magnetic resonance of the SRR when the EM waves propagate perpendicular to the SRR plane and the incident E is parallel to the gap-bearing sides of the SRR. This is manifested by a dip in the transmission spectrum. A simple analytic model is introduced to explain this interesting behavior.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

A Tonks Giradeau Gas in the Presence of a Local Potential

The physics of a Tonks-Giradeau Gas in the presence of a local potential is studied. In order to evaluate the single particle density matrix (SPDM) of the many-body ground state, the Wiger-Jordan transformation is used. The eigenvector with the largest eigenvalue of the SPDM corresponds to the "Bose-Einstein Condensate"(BEC) State. We find that the "BEC" state density at the positon of the local potential decreases, as expected, in the case of a repulsive potential. For an attractive potential, it decreases or increases depending on the strength of the potential. The superfluidity of this system is investigated both numerically and perturbatively. An experimental method for detecting the effect of an impurity in a Tonks-Giradueau gas is discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure