Compensating amplitude-dependent tune-shift without driving fourth-order resonances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ögren, J.; Ziemann, V.

2017-10-01

If octupoles are used in a ring to correct the amplitude-dependent tune-shift one normally tries to avoid that the octupoles drive additional resonances. Here we consider the optimum placement of octupoles that only affects the amplitude-dependent tune-shift, but does not drive fourth-order resonances. The simplest way turns out to place three equally powered octupoles with 60 ° phase advance between adjacent magnets. Using two such octupole triplets separated by a suitable phase advance cancels all fourth-order resonance driving terms and forms a double triplet we call a six-pack. Using three six-packs at places with different ratios of the beta functions allows to independently control all amplitude-dependent tune-shift terms without exciting additional fourth-order resonances in first order of the octupole excitation.

A conformal mapping based fractional order approach for sub-optimal tuning of PID controllers with guaranteed dominant pole placement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Suman; Das, Saptarshi; Das, Shantanu; Gupta, Amitava

2012-09-01

A novel conformal mapping based fractional order (FO) methodology is developed in this paper for tuning existing classical (Integer Order) Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controllers especially for sluggish and oscillatory second order systems. The conventional pole placement tuning via Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) method is extended for open loop oscillatory systems as well. The locations of the open loop zeros of a fractional order PID (FOPID or PIλDμ) controller have been approximated in this paper vis-à-vis a LQR tuned conventional integer order PID controller, to achieve equivalent integer order PID control system. This approach eases the implementation of analog/digital realization of a FOPID controller with its integer order counterpart along with the advantages of fractional order controller preserved. It is shown here in the paper that decrease in the integro-differential operators of the FOPID/PIλDμ controller pushes the open loop zeros of the equivalent PID controller towards greater damping regions which gives a trajectory of the controller zeros and dominant closed loop poles. This trajectory is termed as "M-curve". This phenomena is used to design a two-stage tuning algorithm which reduces the existing PID controller's effort in a significant manner compared to that with a single stage LQR based pole placement method at a desired closed loop damping and frequency.

A Developmental Shift from Positive to Negative Connectivity in Human Amygdala-Prefrontal Circuitry

PubMed Central

Gee, Dylan G.; Humphreys, Kathryn L.; Flannery, Jessica; Goff, Bonnie; Telzer, Eva H.; Shapiro, Mor; Hare, Todd A.; Bookheimer, Susan Y.; Tottenham, Nim

2013-01-01

Recent human imaging and animal studies highlight the importance of frontoamygdala circuitry in the regulation of emotional behavior and its disruption in anxiety-related disorders. While tracing studies have suggested changes in amygdala-cortical connectivity through the adolescent period in rodents, less is known about the reciprocal connections within this circuitry across human development, when these circuits are being fine-tuned and substantial changes in emotional control are observed. The present study examined developmental changes in amygdala-prefrontal circuitry across the ages of 4 to 22 years using task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Results suggest positive amygdala-prefrontal connectivity in early childhood that switches to negative functional connectivity during the transition to adolescence. Amygdala-mPFC functional connectivity was significantly positive (greater than zero) among participants younger than ten, whereas functional connectivity was significantly negative (less than zero) among participants ten years and older, over and above the effect of amygdala reactivity. The developmental switch in functional connectivity was paralleled by a steady decline in amygdala reactivity. Moreover, the valence switch might explain age-related improvement in task performance and a developmentally normative decline in anxiety. Initial positive connectivity followed by a valence shift to negative connectivity provides a neurobiological basis for regulatory development and may present novel insight into a more general process of developing regulatory connections. PMID:23467374

Symmetry Breaking in Photonic Crystals: On-Demand Dispersion from Flatband to Dirac Cones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, H. S.; Dubois, F.; Deschamps, T.; Cueff, S.; Pardon, A.; Leclercq, J.-L.; Seassal, C.; Letartre, X.; Viktorovitch, P.

2018-02-01

We demonstrate that symmetry breaking opens a new degree of freedom to tailor energy-momentum dispersion in photonic crystals. Using a general theoretical framework in two illustrative practical structures, we show that breaking symmetry enables an on-demand tuning of the local density of states of the same photonic band from zero (Dirac cone dispersion) to infinity (flatband dispersion), as well as any constant density over an adjustable spectral range. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate experimentally the transformation of the very same photonic band from a conventional quadratic shape to a Dirac dispersion, a flatband dispersion, and a multivalley one. This transition is achieved by finely tuning the vertical symmetry breaking of the photonic structures. Our results provide an unprecedented degree of freedom for optical dispersion engineering in planar integrated photonic devices.

Symmetry Breaking in Photonic Crystals: On-Demand Dispersion from Flatband to Dirac Cones.

PubMed

Nguyen, H S; Dubois, F; Deschamps, T; Cueff, S; Pardon, A; Leclercq, J-L; Seassal, C; Letartre, X; Viktorovitch, P

2018-02-09

We demonstrate that symmetry breaking opens a new degree of freedom to tailor energy-momentum dispersion in photonic crystals. Using a general theoretical framework in two illustrative practical structures, we show that breaking symmetry enables an on-demand tuning of the local density of states of the same photonic band from zero (Dirac cone dispersion) to infinity (flatband dispersion), as well as any constant density over an adjustable spectral range. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate experimentally the transformation of the very same photonic band from a conventional quadratic shape to a Dirac dispersion, a flatband dispersion, and a multivalley one. This transition is achieved by finely tuning the vertical symmetry breaking of the photonic structures. Our results provide an unprecedented degree of freedom for optical dispersion engineering in planar integrated photonic devices.

Charged Galileon black holes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Babichev, Eugeny; Charmousis, Christos; Hassaine, Mokhtar, E-mail: eugeny.babichev@th.u-psud.fr, E-mail: christos.charmousis@th.u-psud.fr, E-mail: hassaine@inst-mat.utalca.cl

We consider an Abelian gauge field coupled to a particular truncation of Horndeski theory. The Galileon field has translation symmetry and couples non minimally both to the metric and the gauge field. When the gauge-scalar coupling is zero the gauge field reduces to a standard Maxwell field. By taking into account the symmetries of the action, we construct charged black hole solutions. Allowing the scalar field to softly break symmetries of spacetime we construct black holes where the scalar field is regular on the black hole event horizon. Some of these solutions can be interpreted as the equivalent of Reissner-Nordstrommore » black holes of scalar tensor theories with a non trivial scalar field. A self tuning black hole solution found previously is extended to the presence of dyonic charge without affecting whatsoever the self tuning of a large positive cosmological constant. Finally, for a general shift invariant scalar tensor theory we demonstrate that the scalar field Ansatz and method we employ are mathematically compatible with the field equations. This opens up the possibility for novel searches of hairy black holes in a far more general setting of Horndeski theory.« less

A primary shift rotation nurse scheduling using zero-one linear goal programming.

PubMed

Huarng, F

1999-01-01

In this study, the author discusses the effect of nurse shift schedules on circadian rhythm and some important ergonomics criteria. The author also reviews and compares different nurse shift scheduling methods via the criteria of flexibility, fairness, continuity in shift assignments, nurses' preferences, and ergonomics principles. In this article, a primary shift rotation system is proposed to provide better continuity in shift assignments to satisfy nurses' preferences. The primary shift rotation system is modeled as a zero-one linear goal programming (LGP) problem. To generate the shift assignment for a unit with 13 nurses, the zero-one LGP model takes less than 3 minutes on average, whereas the head nurses spend approximately 2 to 3 hours on shift scheduling. This study reports the process of implementing the primary shift rotation system.

Determining Absolute Zero Using a Tuning Fork

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldader, Jeffrey D.

2008-01-01

The Celsius and Kelvin temperature scales, we tell our students, are related. We explain that a change in temperature of 1 degree C corresponds to a change of 1 Kelvin and that atoms and molecules have zero kinetic energy at zero Kelvin, -273 degrees C. In this paper, we will show how students can derive the relationship between the Celsius and…

Propagation properties of hollow sinh-Gaussian beams in quadratic-index medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, Defeng; Li, Xiaohui; Pang, Xingxing; Zheng, Hairong; Ge, Yanqi

2017-10-01

Based on the Collins integral formula, the analytical expression for a hollow sinh-Gaussian (HsG) beam propagating through the quadratic-index medium is derived. The propagation properties of a single HsG beam and their interactions have been studied in detail with numerical examples. The results show that inhomogeneity can support self-repeating intensity distributions of HsG beams. With high-ordered beam order n, HsG beams could maintain their initial dark hollow distributions for a longer distance. In addition, interference fringes appear at the interactional region. The central intensity is a prominent peak for two in-phase beams, which is zero for two out-of phase beams. By tuning the initial beam phase shift, the distribution of the fringes can be controlled.

Measurements of the magnetic-field-tuned conductivity of disordered two-dimensional Mo43Ge57 and InOx superconducting films: evidence for a universal minimum superfluid response.

PubMed

Misra, S; Urban, L; Kim, M; Sambandamurthy, G; Yazdani, A

2013-01-18

Our measurements of the low frequency ac conductivity in strongly disordered two-dimensional films near the magnetic-field-tuned superconductor-to-insulator transition show a sudden drop in the phase stiffness of superconducting order with either increased temperature or magnetic field. Surprisingly, for two different material systems, the abrupt drop in the superfluid density in a magnetic field has the same universal value as that expected for a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in a zero magnetic field. The characteristic temperature at which phase stiffness is suddenly lost can be tuned to zero at a critical magnetic field, following a power-law behavior with a critical exponent consistent with that obtained in previous dc transport studies on the dissipative side of the transition.

Tunable magnetization of infrared epsilon-near-zero media via field-effect modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salary, Mohammad Mahdi; Mosallaei, Hossein

2018-04-01

In this letter, we demonstrate that field effect modulation enables electrical tuning of the effective permeability of epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) media at infrared frequencies. In particular, hexagonal silicon carbide (6H-SiC) is incorporated as an epsilon-near-zero host in a gated 6H-SiC/SiO2/Si heterostructure. The change in the applied voltage leads to a change in the carrier concentration of the accumulation layer formed at the interface of 6H-SiC and SiO2 which can alter the effective permeability of the heterostructure by virtue of the photonic doping effect. We will rigorously model and analyze the structure by linking charge transport and electromagnetic models. The presented mechanism allows for tuning the impedance and magnetization of ENZ materials in real-time while capturing extreme cases of epsilon-and-mu-near-zero and magnetic conductor. As such, it can be used for various applications such as real-time engineering of thermal emission, dynamic switching, reconfigurable tunneling, and holography.

Active thermal fine laser tuning in a broad spectral range and optical properties of cholesteric liquid crystal.

PubMed

Jeong, Mi-Yun; Kwak, Keumcheol

2016-11-20

In this study, we achieved active fine laser tuning in a broad spectral range with dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystal wedge-type cells through temperature control. The spatial pitch gradient of each position of the wedge cell at room temperature was almost maintained after developing a temperature gradient. To achieve the maximum tuning range, the chiral dopant concentration, thickness, thickness gradient, and temperature gradient on the wedge cell should be matched properly. In order to understand the laser tuning mechanism for temperature change, we studied the temperature dependence of optical properties of the photonic bandgap of cholesteric liquid crystals. In our cholesteric liquid crystal samples, when temperature was increased, photonic bandgaps were shifted toward blue, while the width of the photonic bandgap was decreased, regardless of whether the helicity was left-handed or right-handed. This is mainly due to the combination of decreased refractive indices, higher molecular anisotropy of chiral molecules, and increased chiral molecular solubility. We envisage that this kind of study will prove useful in the development of practical active tunable CLC laser devices.

Goos-Hänchen shift of partially coherent light fields in epsilon-near-zero metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziauddin; Chuang, You-Lin; Qamar, Sajid; Lee, Ray-Kuang

2016-05-01

The Goos-Hänchen (GH) shifts in the reflected light are investigated both for p and s polarized partial coherent light beams incident on epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterials. In contrary to the coherent counterparts, the magnitude of GH shift becomes non-zero for p polarized partial coherent light beam; while GH shift can be relatively large with a small degree of spatial coherence for s polarized partial coherent beam. Dependence on the beam width and the permittivity of ENZ metamaterials is also revealed for partial coherent light fields. Our results on the GH shifts provide a direction on the applications for partial coherent light sources in ENZ metamaterials.

Quantum percolation phase transition and magnetoelectric dipole glass in hexagonal ferrites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowley, S. E.; Vojta, T.; Jones, A. T.; Guo, W.; Oliveira, J.; Morrison, F. D.; Lindfield, N.; Baggio Saitovitch, E.; Watts, B. E.; Scott, J. F.

2017-07-01

Hexagonal ferrites not only have enormous commercial impact (£2 billion/year in sales) due to applications that include ultrahigh-density memories, credit-card stripes, magnetic bar codes, small motors, and low-loss microwave devices, they also have fascinating magnetic and ferroelectric quantum properties at low temperatures. Here we report the results of tuning the magnetic ordering temperature in PbF e12 -xG axO19 to zero by chemical substitution x . The phase transition boundary is found to vary as TN˜(1-x /xc ) 2 /3 with xc very close to the calculated spin percolation threshold, which we determine by Monte Carlo simulations, indicating that the zero-temperature phase transition is geometrically driven. We find that this produces a form of compositionally tuned, insulating, ferrimagnetic quantum criticality. Close to the zero-temperature phase transition, we observe the emergence of an electric dipole glass induced by magnetoelectric coupling. The strong frequency behavior of the glass freezing temperature Tm has a Vogel-Fulcher dependence with Tm finite, or suppressed below zero in the zero-frequency limit, depending on composition x . These quantum-mechanical properties, along with the multiplicity of low-lying modes near the zero-temperature phase transition, are likely to greatly extend applications of hexaferrites into the realm of quantum and cryogenic technologies.

Selective tuning of high-Q silicon photonic crystal nanocavities via laser-assisted local oxidation.

PubMed

Chen, Charlton J; Zheng, Jiangjun; Gu, Tingyi; McMillan, James F; Yu, Mingbin; Lo, Guo-Qiang; Kwong, Dim-Lee; Wong, Chee Wei

2011-06-20

We examine the cavity resonance tuning of high-Q silicon photonic crystal heterostructures by localized laser-assisted thermal oxidation using a 532 nm continuous wave laser focused to a 2.5 μm radius spot-size. The total shift is consistent with the parabolic rate law. A tuning range of up to 8.7 nm is achieved with ∼ 30 mW laser powers. Over this tuning range, the cavity Qs decreases from 3.2×10(5) to 1.2×10(5). Numerical simulations model the temperature distributions in the silicon photonic crystal membrane and the cavity resonance shift from oxidation.

Accurate Singular Values and Differential QD Algorithms

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-07-01

of the Cholesky Algorithm 5 4 The Quotient Difference Algorithm 8 5 Incorporation of Shifts 11 5.1 Shifted qd Algorithms...Effects of Finite Precision 18 7.1 Error Analysis - Overview ........ ........................... 18 7.2 High Relative Accuracy in the Presence of...showing that it was preferable to replace the DK zero-shift QR transform by two steps of zero-shift LR implemented in a qd (quotient- difference ) format

Dependence of the TMCI Threshold on the Space Charge Tune Shift

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Balbekov, V.

2016-07-20

Transverse mode coupling instability of a bunch with space charge is considered in frameworks of the boxcar model. Presented results demonstrate a monotonous growth of the TMCI threshold at increasing space charge tune shift, and do not support the supposition that the monotony can be violated at a higher SC.

Transverse mode coupling instability threshold with space charge and different wakefields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Balbekov, V.

Transverse mode coupling instability of a bunch with space charge and wake field is considered in frameworks of the boxcar model. Eigenfunctions of the bunch without wake are used as the basis for solution of the equations with the wake field included. Dispersion equation for the bunch eigentunes is obtained in the form of an infinite continued fraction. It is shown that influence of space charge on the instability essentially depends on the wake sign. In particular, threshold of the negative wake increases in absolute value until the space charge tune shift is rather small, and goes to zero atmore » higher space charge. The explanation of this behavior is developed by analysis of the bunch spectrum. As a result, a comparison of the results with published articles is represented.« less

Transverse mode coupling instability threshold with space charge and different wakefields

DOE PAGES

Balbekov, V.

2017-03-10

Transverse mode coupling instability of a bunch with space charge and wake field is considered in frameworks of the boxcar model. Eigenfunctions of the bunch without wake are used as the basis for solution of the equations with the wake field included. Dispersion equation for the bunch eigentunes is obtained in the form of an infinite continued fraction. It is shown that influence of space charge on the instability essentially depends on the wake sign. In particular, threshold of the negative wake increases in absolute value until the space charge tune shift is rather small, and goes to zero atmore » higher space charge. The explanation of this behavior is developed by analysis of the bunch spectrum. As a result, a comparison of the results with published articles is represented.« less

Electric field induced reversible 180° magnetization switching through tuning of interfacial exchange bias along magnetic easy-axis in multiferroic laminates

PubMed Central

Xue, Xu; Zhou, Ziyao; Peng, Bin; Zhu, Mingmin; Zhang, Yijun; Ren, Wei; Ren, Tao; Yang, Xi; Nan, Tianxiang; Sun, Nian X.; Liu, Ming

2015-01-01

E-field control of interfacial exchange coupling and deterministic switching of magnetization have been demonstrated in two sets of ferromagnetic(FM)/antiferromagnetic(AFM)/ferroelectric(FE) multiferroic heterostructures, including NiFe/NiCoO/glass/PZN-PT (011) and NiFe/FeMn/glass/PZN-PT (011). We designed this experiment to achieve exchange bias tuning along the magnetic easy axis, which is critical for realizing reversible 180° magnetization deterministic switching at zero or small magnetic bias. Strong exchange coupling were established across AFM-FM interfaces, which plays an important role in voltage control of magnetization switching. Through the competition between the E-field induced uniaxial anisotropy in ferromagnetic layer and unidirectional anisotropy in antiferromagnetic layer, the exchange bias was significantly shifted by up to |∆Hex|/Hex = 8% in NiFe/FeMn/glass/PZN-PT (011) and 13% in NiFe/NiCoO/glass/PZN-PT (011). In addition, the square shape of the hysteresis loop, as well as a strong shape tunability of |∆Hex|/Hc = 67.5 ~ 125% in NiFe/FeMn/glass/PZN-PT and 30 ~ 38% in NiFe/NiCoO/glass/PZN-PT were achieved, which lead to a near 180° magnetization switching. Electrical tuning of interfacial exchange coupling in FM/AFM/FE systems paves a new way for realizing magnetoelectric random access memories and other memory technologies. PMID:26576658

Electric field induced reversible 180° magnetization switching through tuning of interfacial exchange bias along magnetic easy-axis in multiferroic laminates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Xu; Zhou, Ziyao; Peng, Bin; Zhu, Mingmin; Zhang, Yijun; Ren, Wei; Ren, Tao; Yang, Xi; Nan, Tianxiang; Sun, Nian X.; Liu, Ming

2015-11-01

E-field control of interfacial exchange coupling and deterministic switching of magnetization have been demonstrated in two sets of ferromagnetic(FM)/antiferromagnetic(AFM)/ferroelectric(FE) multiferroic heterostructures, including NiFe/NiCoO/glass/PZN-PT (011) and NiFe/FeMn/glass/PZN-PT (011). We designed this experiment to achieve exchange bias tuning along the magnetic easy axis, which is critical for realizing reversible 180° magnetization deterministic switching at zero or small magnetic bias. Strong exchange coupling were established across AFM-FM interfaces, which plays an important role in voltage control of magnetization switching. Through the competition between the E-field induced uniaxial anisotropy in ferromagnetic layer and unidirectional anisotropy in antiferromagnetic layer, the exchange bias was significantly shifted by up to |ΔHex|/Hex = 8% in NiFe/FeMn/glass/PZN-PT (011) and 13% in NiFe/NiCoO/glass/PZN-PT (011). In addition, the square shape of the hysteresis loop, as well as a strong shape tunability of |ΔHex|/Hc = 67.5 ~ 125% in NiFe/FeMn/glass/PZN-PT and 30 ~ 38% in NiFe/NiCoO/glass/PZN-PT were achieved, which lead to a near 180° magnetization switching. Electrical tuning of interfacial exchange coupling in FM/AFM/FE systems paves a new way for realizing magnetoelectric random access memories and other memory technologies.

Electric field induced reversible 180° magnetization switching through tuning of interfacial exchange bias along magnetic easy-axis in multiferroic laminates.

PubMed

Xue, Xu; Zhou, Ziyao; Peng, Bin; Zhu, Mingmin; Zhang, Yijun; Ren, Wei; Ren, Tao; Yang, Xi; Nan, Tianxiang; Sun, Nian X; Liu, Ming

2015-11-18

E-field control of interfacial exchange coupling and deterministic switching of magnetization have been demonstrated in two sets of ferromagnetic(FM)/antiferromagnetic(AFM)/ferroelectric(FE) multiferroic heterostructures, including NiFe/NiCoO/glass/PZN-PT (011) and NiFe/FeMn/glass/PZN-PT (011). We designed this experiment to achieve exchange bias tuning along the magnetic easy axis, which is critical for realizing reversible 180° magnetization deterministic switching at zero or small magnetic bias. Strong exchange coupling were established across AFM-FM interfaces, which plays an important role in voltage control of magnetization switching. Through the competition between the E-field induced uniaxial anisotropy in ferromagnetic layer and unidirectional anisotropy in antiferromagnetic layer, the exchange bias was significantly shifted by up to |∆Hex|/Hex = 8% in NiFe/FeMn/glass/PZN-PT (011) and 13% in NiFe/NiCoO/glass/PZN-PT (011). In addition, the square shape of the hysteresis loop, as well as a strong shape tunability of |∆Hex|/Hc = 67.5 ~ 125% in NiFe/FeMn/glass/PZN-PT and 30 ~ 38% in NiFe/NiCoO/glass/PZN-PT were achieved, which lead to a near 180° magnetization switching. Electrical tuning of interfacial exchange coupling in FM/AFM/FE systems paves a new way for realizing magnetoelectric random access memories and other memory technologies.

Broadband perfect infrared absorption by tuning epsilon-near-zero and epsilon-near-pole resonances of multilayer ITO nanowires.

PubMed

Zhou, Kun; Cheng, Qiang; Song, Jinlin; Lu, Lu; Jia, Zhihao; Li, Junwei

2018-01-01

We numerically investigate the broadband perfect infrared absorption by tuning epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) and epsilon-near-pole (ENP) resonances of multilayer indium tin oxide nanowires (ITO NWs). The monolayer ITO NWs array shows intensive absorption at ENZ and ENP wavelengths for p polarization, while only at the ENP wavelength for s polarization. Moreover, the ENP resonances are almost omnidirectional and the ENZ resonances are angularly dependent. Therefore, the absorption bandwidth is broader for p polarization than that for s polarization when polarized waves are incident obliquely. The ENZ resonances can be tuned by altering the doping concentration and volume filling factor of ITO NWs. However, the ENP resonances only can be tuned by changing the doping concentration of ITO NWs, and volume filling factor impacts little on the ENP resonances. Based on the strong absorption properties of each layer at their own ENP and ENZ resonances, the tuned absorption of the bilayer ITO NWs with the different doping concentrations can be broader and stronger. Furthermore, multilayer ITO NWs can achieve broadband perfect absorption by controlling the doping concentration, volume filling factor, and length of the NWs in each layer. This study has the potential to apply to applications requiring efficient absorption and energy conversion.

40 CFR 72.91 - Phase I unit adjusted utilization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... sales is less than or equal to zero, then percentage change in dispatch system sales shall be treated as zero only for purposes of paragraph (a)(3)(iii) of this section. (D) If the result of the formula for “shift to sulfur-free generator” is less than or equal to zero, then “shift to sulfur-free generator” is...

40 CFR 72.91 - Phase I unit adjusted utilization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... sales is less than or equal to zero, then percentage change in dispatch system sales shall be treated as zero only for purposes of paragraph (a)(3)(iii) of this section. (D) If the result of the formula for “shift to sulfur-free generator” is less than or equal to zero, then “shift to sulfur-free generator” is...

40 CFR 72.91 - Phase I unit adjusted utilization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... sales is less than or equal to zero, then percentage change in dispatch system sales shall be treated as zero only for purposes of paragraph (a)(3)(iii) of this section. (D) If the result of the formula for “shift to sulfur-free generator” is less than or equal to zero, then “shift to sulfur-free generator” is...

40 CFR 72.91 - Phase I unit adjusted utilization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... sales is less than or equal to zero, then percentage change in dispatch system sales shall be treated as zero only for purposes of paragraph (a)(3)(iii) of this section. (D) If the result of the formula for “shift to sulfur-free generator” is less than or equal to zero, then “shift to sulfur-free generator” is...

40 CFR 72.91 - Phase I unit adjusted utilization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... sales is less than or equal to zero, then percentage change in dispatch system sales shall be treated as zero only for purposes of paragraph (a)(3)(iii) of this section. (D) If the result of the formula for “shift to sulfur-free generator” is less than or equal to zero, then “shift to sulfur-free generator” is...

Adaptation Shifts Preferred Orientation of Tuning Curve in the Mouse Visual Cortex

PubMed Central

Jeyabalaratnam, Jeyadarshan; Bharmauria, Vishal; Bachatene, Lyes; Cattan, Sarah; Angers, Annie; Molotchnikoff, Stéphane

2013-01-01

In frontalized mammals it has been demonstrated that adaptation produces shift of the peak of the orientation tuning curve of neuron following frequent or lengthier presentation of a non-preferred stimulus. Depending on the duration of adaptation the shift is attractive (toward the adapter) or repulsive (away from the adapter). Mouse exhibits a salt-and-pepper cortical organization of orientation maps, hence this species may respond differently to adaptation. To examine this question, we determined the effect of twelve minutes of adaptation to one particular orientation on neuronal orientation tuning curves in V1 of anesthetized mice. Multi-unit activity of neurons in V1 was recorded in a conventional fashion. Cells were stimulated with sine-wave drifting gratings whose orientation tilted in steps. Results revealed that similarly to cats and monkeys, majority of cells shifted their optimal orientation in the direction of the adapter while a small proportion exhibited a repulsive shift. Moreover, initially untuned cells showing poor tuning curves reacted to adaptation by displaying sharp orientation selectivity. It seems that modification of the cellular property following adaptation is a general phenomenon observed in all mammals in spite of the different organization pattern of the visual cortex. This study is of pertinence to comprehend the mechanistic pathways of brain plasticity. PMID:23717586

Manipulating the transmission through valve structure composed of zero-index metamaterial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yongxing; Sun, Zhouzhou; Xu, Ping

2017-11-01

We propose a valve structure composed of zero-index metamaterial to manipulate the electromagnetic wave conveniently and effectively through regulating the phase of reflected waves. Both the structure and characteristics of zero-index metamaterial need not to be changed when manipulating the transmission, which maintains the stability of zero-index metamaterial. Moreover, the good performance of tuning the electromagnetic wave is not limited by the shape and size of our proposed structure. By using our proposed valve structure, we demonstrate the realization of the tunable curved anisotropic ɛ-near-zero material waveguide with irregular shape, arbitrarily sized isotropic ɛ-near-zero material waveguide with high transmittance and the curved isotropic impedance matched ɛ-near-zero material waveguide without polarization limitations.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ptitsyn, V.; Bai, M.; Roser, T.

Polarized proton beams are accelerated in RHIC to 250 GeV energy with the help of Siberian Snakes. The pair of Siberian Snakes in each RHIC ring holds the design spin tune at 1/2 to avoid polarization loss during acceleration. However, in the presence of closed orbit errors, the actual spin tune can be shifted away from the exact 1/2 value. It leads to a corresponding shift of locations of higher-order ('snake') resonances and limits the available betatron tune space. The largest closed orbit effect on the spin tune comes from the horizontal orbit angle between the two snakes. During RHICmore » Run in 2009 dedicated measurements with polarized proton beams were taken to verify the dependence of the spin tune on the local orbits at the Snakes. The experimental results are presented along with the comparison with analytical predictions.« less

[Dynamics of tuning to orientation of cross-like figures in neurons from the cat visual cortex].

PubMed

Lazareva, N A; Tsutskiridze, D Iu; Shevelev, I A; Novikova, R V; Tikhomirov, A S; Sharaev, G A

2003-01-01

Dynamics of tuning to orientation of flashing light bar and to orientation of cross-like figure was studied by a temporal slices method in 87 neurons of the cat primary visual cortex. Tuning was plotted by spikes number in the entire response and in its successive fragments with a step of 20 ms. It was found that successive dynamic shift of preferred orientation of a bar was typical for 87% units, white such shift of preferred orientation of a cross was met in 75% of cases. Comparison of tuning dynamics for bar and cross allowed to separate units into three groups: the first one (58.6% of cases) with larger dynamic shift of a bar preferred orientation then of a cross (74.9 +/- 5.8 degrees [symbol: see text] 29.8 +/- 4.1 degrees, correspondingly, p < 0.00001), the second group (21.5%) with opposite effect (24.2 +/- 5.2 degrees and 69.2 +/- 10.0 degrees, p < 0.0002) and the third group (19.8%) without significant shift of preferred orientation of bar and cross and without difference in their dynamics. Possible mechanisms of the preferred orientation dynamics and its difference for bar and cross are discussed.

Workplace etiquette for the medical practice employee.

PubMed

Hills, Laura

2010-01-01

Medical practice workplace etiquette is slowly being modified and fine-tuned. New workplace etiquette rules have become necessary because of advances in communications technology, shifting norms, and expectations of what constitutes good manners. Today's medical practice employees must concern themselves with traditional workplace manners but also the manners that come into play when they make or receive cell phone calls, text messages, and e-mails, and when they use social networking media outside of work. This article offers 25 rules for good manners in the medical practice that relate to the ways employees interact with people today, whether face-to-face or when using electronic communications technologies. It offers practical guidelines for making introductions both inside and outside the medical practice. This article also provides a self-quiz to help medical practice employees assess their workplace etiquette intelligence and 12 tips for good workplace table manners.

Feedback and feedforward control of frequency tuning to naturalistic stimuli.

PubMed

Chacron, Maurice J; Maler, Leonard; Bastian, Joseph

2005-06-08

Sensory neurons must respond to a wide variety of natural stimuli that can have very different spatiotemporal characteristics. Optimal responsiveness to subsets of these stimuli can be achieved by devoting specialized neural circuitry to different stimulus categories, or, alternatively, this circuitry can be modulated or tuned to optimize responsiveness to current stimulus conditions. This study explores the mechanisms that enable neurons within the initial processing station of the electrosensory system of weakly electric fish to shift their tuning properties based on the spatial extent of the stimulus. These neurons are tuned to low frequencies when the stimulus is restricted to a small region within the receptive field center but are tuned to higher frequencies when the stimulus impinges on large regions of the sensory epithelium. Through a combination of modeling and in vivo electrophysiology, we reveal the respective contributions of the filtering characteristics of extended dendritic structures and feedback circuitry to this shift in tuning. Our results show that low-frequency tuning can result from the cable properties of an extended dendrite that conveys receptor-afferent information to the cell body. The shift from low- to high-frequency tuning, seen in response to spatially extensive stimuli, results from increased wide-band input attributable to activation of larger populations of receptor afferents, as well as the activation of parallel fiber feedback from the cerebellum. This feedback provides a cancellation signal with low-pass characteristics that selectively attenuates low-frequency responsiveness. Thus, with spatially extensive stimuli, these cells preferentially respond to the higher-frequency components of the receptor-afferent input.

Squeezing Alters Frequency Tuning of WGM Optical Resonator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mohageg, Makan; Maleki, Lute

2010-01-01

Mechanical squeezing has been found to alter the frequency tuning of a whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) optical resonator that has an elliptical shape and is made of lithium niobate. It may be possible to exploit this effect to design reconfigurable optical filters for optical communications and for scientific experiments involving quantum electrodynamics. Some background information is prerequisite to a meaningful description of the squeezing-induced alteration of frequency tuning: The spectrum of a WGM resonator is represented by a comblike plot of intensity versus frequency. Each peak of the comblike plot corresponds to an electromagnetic mode represented by an integer mode number, and the modes are grouped into sets represented by integer mode indices. Because lithium niobate is an electro-optically active material, the WGM resonator can be tuned (that is, the resonance frequencies can be shifted) by applying a suitable bias potential. The frequency shift of each mode is quantified by a tuning rate defined as the ratio between the frequency shift and the applied potential. In the absence of squeezing, all modes exhibit the same tuning rate. This concludes the background information. It has been demonstrated experimentally that when the resonator is squeezed along part of either of its two principal axes, tuning rates differ among the groups of modes represented by different indices (see figure). The differences in tuning rates could be utilized to configure the resonance spectrum to obtain a desired effect; for example, through a combination of squeezing and electrical biasing, two resonances represented by different mode indices could be set at a specified frequency difference something that could not be done through electrical biasing alone.

Impact of automatic calibration techniques on HMD life cycle costs and sustainable performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Speck, Richard P.; Herz, Norman E., Jr.

2000-06-01

Automatic test and calibration has become a valuable feature in many consumer products--ranging from antilock braking systems to auto-tune TVs. This paper discusses HMDs (Helmet Mounted Displays) and how similar techniques can reduce life cycle costs and increase sustainable performance if they are integrated into a program early enough. Optical ATE (Automatic Test Equipment) is already zeroing distortion in the HMDs and thereby making binocular displays a practical reality. A suitcase sized, field portable optical ATE unit could re-zero these errors in the Ready Room to cancel the effects of aging, minor damage and component replacement. Planning on this would yield large savings through relaxed component specifications and reduced logistic costs. Yet, the sustained performance would far exceed that attained with fixed calibration strategies. Major tactical benefits can come from reducing display errors, particularly in information fusion modules and virtual `beyond visual range' operations. Some versions of the ATE described are in production and examples of high resolution optical test data will be discussed.

Fiber-optic sensor for handgrip-strength monitoring: conception and design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Jinu; Zhao, Liping; Ngoi, Bryan K. A.

2005-06-01

Handgrip strength is an easy measure of skeletal muscle function as well as a powerful predictor of disability, morbidity, and mortality. In order to measure grip strength, a novel fiber-optic approach is proposed and demonstrated. The strain-dependent wavelength response of fiber Bragg gratings has been utilized to obtain the strength of individual fingers. Finite-element analysis is carried out to optimize the pressure transmission from the finger to the fiber Bragg grating. The effect of stiffness of the pressurizing media, its thickness, and the effect of contact fraction are evaluated. It is found that significant enhancement in the pressure sensitivity and wavelength-tuning range is achievable by optimizing these parameters. Also the stress-induced birefringence could be reduced to an insignificant near-zero value. The device is calibrated in terms of load to convert the wavelength shift to the strength of the grip. The time-dependent wavelength fluctuation is also studied and presented.

Precise control of coupling strength in photonic molecules over a wide range using nanoelectromechanical systems

PubMed Central

Du, Han; Zhang, Xingwang; Chen, Guoqiang; Deng, Jie; Chau, Fook Siong; Zhou, Guangya

2016-01-01

Photonic molecules have a range of promising applications including quantum information processing, where precise control of coupling strength is critical. Here, by laterally shifting the center-to-center offset of coupled photonic crystal nanobeam cavities, we demonstrate a method to precisely and dynamically control the coupling strength of photonic molecules through integrated nanoelectromechanical systems with a precision of a few GHz over a range of several THz without modifying the nature of their constituent resonators. Furthermore, the coupling strength can be tuned continuously from negative (strong coupling regime) to zero (weak coupling regime) and further to positive (strong coupling regime) and vice versa. Our work opens a door to the optimization of the coupling strength of photonic molecules in situ for the study of cavity quantum electrodynamics and the development of efficient quantum information devices. PMID:27097883

Red/blue-shift dual-directional regulation of α-(Ca, Sr)2SiO4:Eu(2+) phosphors resulting from the incorporation content of Eu(2+)/Sr(2+) ions.

PubMed

Lu, Zhijuan; Mao, Zhiyong; Chen, Jingjing; Wang, Dajian

2015-09-21

In this work, tunable emission from green to red and the inverse tuning from red to green in α-(Ca, Sr)2SiO4:Eu(2+) phosphors were demonstrated magically by varying the incorporation content of Eu(2+) and Sr(2+) ions, respectively. The tunable emission properties and the tuning mechanism of red-shift resulting from the Eu(2+) content as well as that of blue-shift induced by the Sr(2+) content were investigated in detail. As a result of fine-controlling the incorporation content of Eu(2+), the emission peak red-shifts from 541 nm to 640 nm. On the other hand, the emission peak inversely blue-shifts from 640 nm to 546 nm through fine-adjusting the incorporation content of Sr(2+). The excellent tuning characteristics for α-(Ca, Sr)2SiO4:Eu(2+) phosphors presented in this work exhibited their various application prospects in solid-state lighting combining with a blue chip or a near-UV chip.

Tuning group-velocity dispersion by optical force.

PubMed

Jiang, Wei C; Lin, Qiang

2013-07-15

We propose an optomechanical approach for dispersion dynamic tuning and microengineering by taking advantage of the optical force in nano-optomechanical structures. Simulations of a suspended coupled silicon waveguide show that the zero-dispersion wavelength can be tuned by 40 nm by an optical pump power of 3 mW. Our approach exhibits great potential for broad applications in dispersion-sensitive processes, which not only offers a new root toward versatile tunable nonlinear photonics but may also open up a great avenue toward a new regime of nonlinear dynamics coupling between nonlinear optical and optomechanical effects.

Magneto-transport studies of a few hole GaAs double quantum dot in tilted magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Studenikin, Sergei; Bogan, Alex; Tracy, Lisa; Gaudreau, Louis; Sachrajda, Andy; Korkusinski, Marek; Reno, John; Hargett, Terry

Compared to equivalent electron devices, single-hole spins interact weakly with lattice nuclear spins leading to extended quantum coherence times. This makes p-type Quantum Dots (QD) particularly attractive for practical quantum devices such as qubit circuits, quantum repeaters, quantum sensors etc. where long coherence time is required. Another property of holes is the possibility to tune their g-factor as a result of the strong anisotropy of the valance band. Hole g-factors can be conveniently tuned in situ from a large value to almost zero by tilting the magnetic field relative to the 2D hole gas surface normal. In this work we explore high-bias magneto-transport properties of a p-type double quantum dot (DQD) device fabricated from a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures using lateral split-gate technology. A charge detection technique is used to monitor number of holes and tune the p-DQD in a single hole regime around (1,1) and (2,0) occupation states where Pauli spin-blockaded transport is expected. Four states are identified in quantizing magnetic fields within the high-bias current stripe - three-fold triplet and a singlet which allows determining effective heavy hole g-factor as a function of the tilt angle from 90 to 0 degrees.

Effects of temperature on tuning of the auditory pathway in the cicada Tettigetta josei (Hemiptera, Tibicinidae).

PubMed

Fonseca, P J; Correia, T

2007-05-01

The effects of temperature on hearing in the cicada Tettigetta josei were studied. The activity of the auditory nerve and the responses of auditory interneurons to stimuli of different frequencies and intensities were recorded at different temperatures ranging from 16 degrees C to 29 degrees C. Firstly, in order to investigate the temperature dependence of hearing processes, we analyzed its effects on auditory tuning, sensitivity, latency and Q(10dB). Increasing temperature led to an upward shift of the characteristic hearing frequency, to an increase in sensitivity and to a decrease in the latency of the auditory response both in the auditory nerve recordings (periphery) and in some interneurons at the metathoracic-abdominal ganglionic complex (MAC). Characteristic frequency shifts were only observed at low frequency (3-8 kHz). No changes were seen in Q(10dB). Different tuning mechanisms underlying frequency selectivity may explain the results observed. Secondly, we investigated the role of the mechanical sensory structures that participate in the transduction process. Laser vibrometry measurements revealed that the vibrations of the tympanum and tympanal apodeme are temperature independent in the biologically relevant range (18-35 degrees C). Since the above mentioned effects of temperature are present in the auditory nerve recordings, the observed shifts in frequency tuning must be performed by mechanisms intrinsic to the receptor cells. Finally, the role of potassium channels in the response of the auditory system was investigated using a specific inhibitor of these channels, tetraethylammonium (TEA). TEA caused shifts on tuning and sensitivity of the summed response of the receptors similar to the effects of temperature. Thus, potassium channels are implicated in the tuning of the receptor cells.

Optoelectronic tuning of organoborylazadipyrromethenes via effective electronegativity at the metalloid center.

PubMed

Berhe, Seare A; Rodriguez, Marco T; Park, Eunsol; Nesterov, Vladimir N; Pan, Hongjun; Youngblood, W Justin

2014-03-03

Organoborylazadipyrromethenes were synthesized from free base and fluoroborylazadipyrromethenes and characterized with regard to their structural and electronic properties. B-N bond lengths, along with photophysical and redox behavior, appear dependent on the effective electronegativity at the boron atom as tuned by its substituents, with stronger electronegativity correlating to a shorter B-N bond length, red-shifted absorbance, enhanced fluorescence lifetime and yield, and positively shifted redox potentials.

Continuous fractional-order Zero Phase Error Tracking Control.

PubMed

Liu, Lu; Tian, Siyuan; Xue, Dingyu; Zhang, Tao; Chen, YangQuan

2018-04-01

A continuous time fractional-order feedforward control algorithm for tracking desired time varying input signals is proposed in this paper. The presented controller cancels the phase shift caused by the zeros and poles of controlled closed-loop fractional-order system, so it is called Fractional-Order Zero Phase Tracking Controller (FZPETC). The controlled systems are divided into two categories i.e. with and without non-cancellable (non-minimum-phase) zeros which stand in unstable region or on stability boundary. Each kinds of systems has a targeted FZPETC design control strategy. The improved tracking performance has been evaluated successfully by applying the proposed controller to three different kinds of fractional-order controlled systems. Besides, a modified quasi-perfect tracking scheme is presented for those systems which may not have available future tracking trajectory information or have problem in high frequency disturbance rejection if the perfect tracking algorithm is applied. A simulation comparison and a hardware-in-the-loop thermal peltier platform are shown to validate the practicality of the proposed quasi-perfect control algorithm. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computation of deuterium isotope perturbation of 13C NMR chemical shifts of alkanes: a local mode zero-point level approach.

PubMed

Yang, Kin S; Hudson, Bruce

2010-11-25

Replacement of H by D perturbs the (13)C NMR chemical shifts of an alkane molecule. This effect is largest for the carbon to which the D is attached, diminishing rapidly with intervening bonds. The effect is sensitive to stereochemistry and is large enough to be measured reliably. A simple model based on the ground (zero point) vibrational level and treating only the C-H(D) degrees of freedom (local mode approach) is presented. The change in CH bond length with H/D substitution as well as the reduction in the range of the zero-point level probability distribution for the stretch and both bend degrees of freedom are computed. The (13)C NMR chemical shifts are computed with variation in these three degrees of freedom, and the results are averaged with respect to the H and D distribution functions. The resulting differences in the zero-point averaged chemical shifts are compared with experimental values of the H/D shifts for a series of cycloalkanes, norbornane, adamantane, and protoadamantane. Agreement is generally very good. The remaining differences are discussed. The proton spectrum of cyclohexane- is revisited and updated with improved agreement with experiment.

Specialization of the auditory system for the processing of bio-sonar information in the frequency domain: Mustached bats.

PubMed

Suga, Nobuo

2018-04-01

For echolocation, mustached bats emit velocity-sensitive orientation sounds (pulses) containing a constant-frequency component consisting of four harmonics (CF 1-4 ). They show unique behavior called Doppler-shift compensation for Doppler-shifted echoes and hunting behavior for frequency and amplitude modulated echoes from fluttering insects. Their peripheral auditory system is highly specialized for fine frequency analysis of CF 2 (∼61.0 kHz) and detecting echo CF 2 from fluttering insects. In their central auditory system, lateral inhibition occurring at multiple levels sharpens V-shaped frequency-tuning curves at the periphery and creates sharp spindle-shaped tuning curves and amplitude tuning. The large CF 2 -tuned area of the auditory cortex systematically represents the frequency and amplitude of CF 2 in a frequency-versus-amplitude map. "CF/CF" neurons are tuned to a specific combination of pulse CF 1 and Doppler-shifted echo CF 2 or 3 . They are tuned to specific velocities. CF/CF neurons cluster in the CC ("C" stands for CF) and DIF (dorsal intrafossa) areas of the auditory cortex. The CC area has the velocity map for Doppler imaging. The DIF area is particularly for Dopper imaging of other bats approaching in cruising flight. To optimize the processing of behaviorally relevant sounds, cortico-cortical interactions and corticofugal feedback modulate the frequency tuning of cortical and sub-cortical auditory neurons and cochlear hair cells through a neural net consisting of positive feedback associated with lateral inhibition. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

McMillan Lens in a System with Space Charge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lobach, I.; Nagaitsev, S.; Stern, E.

Space charge (SC) in a circulating beam in a ring produces both betatron tune shift and betatron tune spread. These effects make some particles move on to a machine resonance and become unstable. Linear elements of beam optics cannot reduce the tune spread induced by SC because of its intrinsic nonlinear nature. We investigate the possibility to mitigate it by a thin McMillan lens providing a nonlinear axially symmetric kick, which is qualitatively opposite to the accumulated kick by SC. Experimentally, the proposed concept can be tested in Fermilab's IOTA ring. A thin McMillan lens can be implemented by amore » short (70 cm) insertion of an electron beam with specifically chosen density distribution in transverse directions. In this article, to see if McMillan lenses reduce the tune spread induced by SC, we make several simulations with particle tracking code Synergia. We choose such beam and lattice parameters that tune spread is roughly 0.5 and a beam instability due to the half-integer resonance 0.5 is observed. Then, we try to reduce emittance growth by shifting betatron tunes by adjusting quadrupoles and reducing the tune spread by McMillan lenses.« less

Optofluidic lens with tunable focal length and asphericity

PubMed Central

Mishra, Kartikeya; Murade, Chandrashekhar; Carreel, Bruno; Roghair, Ivo; Oh, Jung Min; Manukyan, Gor; van den Ende, Dirk; Mugele, Frieder

2014-01-01

Adaptive micro-lenses enable the design of very compact optical systems with tunable imaging properties. Conventional adaptive micro-lenses suffer from substantial spherical aberration that compromises the optical performance of the system. Here, we introduce a novel concept of liquid micro-lenses with superior imaging performance that allows for simultaneous and independent tuning of both focal length and asphericity. This is achieved by varying both hydrostatic pressures and electric fields to control the shape of the refracting interface between an electrically conductive lens fluid and a non-conductive ambient fluid. Continuous variation from spherical interfaces at zero electric field to hyperbolic ones with variable ellipticity for finite fields gives access to lenses with positive, zero, and negative spherical aberration (while the focal length can be tuned via the hydrostatic pressure). PMID:25224851

Threshold of transverse mode coupling instability with arbitrary space charge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Balbekov, V.

The threshold of the transverse mode coupling instability is calculated in framework of the square well model at arbitrary value of space charge tune shift. A new method of calculation is developed beyond the traditional expansion technique. The square, resistive, and exponential wakes are investigated. It is shown that the instability threshold goes up indefinitely when the tune shift increases. Finally, a comparison with conventional case of the parabolic potential well is performed.

Threshold of transverse mode coupling instability with arbitrary space charge

DOE PAGES

Balbekov, V.

2017-11-30

The threshold of the transverse mode coupling instability is calculated in framework of the square well model at arbitrary value of space charge tune shift. A new method of calculation is developed beyond the traditional expansion technique. The square, resistive, and exponential wakes are investigated. It is shown that the instability threshold goes up indefinitely when the tune shift increases. Finally, a comparison with conventional case of the parabolic potential well is performed.

Simulation of Dual-Electrode Capacitively Coupled Plasma Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Yijia; Ji, Linhong; Cheng, Jia

2016-12-01

Dual-electrode capacitively coupled plasma discharges are investigated here to lower the non-uniformity of plasma density. The dual-electrode structure proposed by Jung splits the electrode region and increases the flexibility of fine tuning non-uniformity. Different RF voltages, frequencies, phase-shifts and electrode areas are simulated and the influences are discussed. RF voltage and electrode area have a non-monotonic effect on non-uniformity, while frequency has a monotonic effect. Phase-shift has a cyclical influence on non-uniformity. A special combination of 224 V voltage and 11% area ratio with 10 MHz lowers the non-uniformity of the original set (200 V voltage and 0% area ratio with 10 MHz) by 46.5%. The position of the plasma density peak at the probe line has been tracked and properly tuning the phase-shift can obtain the same trace as tuning frequency or voltage. supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51405261)

Design of Octupole Channel for Integrable Optics Test Accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Antipov, Sergey; Carlson, Kermit; Castellotti, Riccardo

We present the design of octupole channel for Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA). IOTA is a test accelerator at Fermilab, aimed to conduct research towards high-intensity machines. One of the goals of the project is to demonstrate high nonlinear betatron tune shifts while retaining large dynamic aperture in a realistic accelerator design. At the first stage the tune shift will be attained with a special channel of octupoles, which creates a variable octupole potential over a 1.8 m length. The channel consists of 18 identical air-cooled octupole magnets. The magnets feature a simple low-cost design, while meeting the requirements onmore » maximum gradient - up to 1.4 kG/cm³, and field quality - strength of harmonics below 1%. Numerical simulations show that the channel is capable of producing a nonlinear tune shift of 0.08 without restriction of dynamic aperture of the ring.« less

Watt-level tunable 1.5  μm narrow linewidth fiber ring laser based on a temperature tuning π-phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating.

PubMed

Sun, Junjie; Wang, Zefeng; Wang, Meng; Zhou, Zhiyue; Tang, Ni; Chen, Jinbao; Gu, Xijia

2017-11-10

A watt-level tunable 1.5 μm narrow linewidth fiber ring laser using a temperature tuning π-phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating (π-PSFBG) is demonstrated here, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time. The π-PSFBG is employed as both a narrow band filter and a wavelength tuning component, and its central wavelength is thermally tuned by a thermo-electric cooler. The maximum laser power is about 1.1 W with a linewidth of ∼318  MHz (∼2.57  pm) and a power fluctuation of less than 3%. The wavelength tuning range of the laser is about 1.29 nm with a sensitivity of ∼14.33  pm/°C, and the wavelength fluctuation is about 0.2 pm. This work provides important reference for tunable fiber lasers with both high power and narrow linewidth.

Generation and detection of 80-Gbit/s return-to-zero differential phase-shift keying signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Möller, Lothar; Su, Yikai; Xie, Chongjin; Liu, Xiang; Leuthold, Juerg; Gill, Douglas; Wei, Xing

2003-12-01

Nonlinear polarization rotation between a pump and a probe signal in a highly nonlinear fiber is used as a modulation process to generate 80-Gbit/s return-to-zero differential phase-shift keying signals. Its performance is analyzed and compared with a conventional on-off keying modulated signal.

A Microwave Tunable Bandpass Filter for Liquid Crystal Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Weiping; Jiang, Di; Liu, Yupeng; Yang, Yuanwang; Gan, Baichuan

2017-07-01

In this paper, a novel microwave continuously tunable band-pass filter, based on nematic liquid crystals (LCs), is proposed. It uses liquid crystal (LC) as the electro-optic material to mainly realize frequency shift at microwave band by changing the dielectric anisotropy, when applying the bias voltage. According to simulation results, it achieves 840 MHz offset. Comparing to the existing tunable filter, it has many advantages, such as continuously tunable, miniaturization, low processing costs, low tuning voltage, etc. Thus, it has shown great potentials in frequency domain and practical applications in modern communication.

Cloverleaf microgyroscope with electrostatic alignment and tuning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Challoner, A. Dorian (Inventor); Gutierrez, Roman C. (Inventor); Tang, Tony K. (Inventor)

2007-01-01

A micro-gyroscope (10) having closed loop output operation by a control voltage (V.sub.ty), that is demodulated by a drive axis (x-axis) signal V.sub.thx of the sense electrodes (S1, S2), providing Coriolis torque rebalance to prevent displacement of the micro-gyroscope (10) on the output axis (y-axis) V.sub.thy.about.0. Closed loop drive axis torque, V.sub.tx maintains a constant drive axis amplitude signal, V.sub.thx. The present invention provides independent alignment and tuning of the micro-gyroscope by using separate electrodes and electrostatic bias voltages to adjust alignment and tuning. A quadrature amplitude signal, or cross-axis transfer function peak amplitude is used to detect misalignment that is corrected to zero by an electrostatic bias voltage adjustment. The cross-axis transfer function is either V.sub.thy/V.sub.ty or V.sub.tnx/V.sub.tx. A quadrature signal noise level, or difference in natural frequencies estimated from measurements of the transfer functions is used to detect residual mistuning, that is corrected to zero by a second electrostatic bias voltage adjustment.

Coumaraz-2-on-4-ylidene: Ambiphilic N-heterocyclic Carbenes with a Fine-Tunable Electronic Structure.

PubMed

Song, Hayoung; Kim, Hyunho; Lee, Eunsung

2018-05-16

Herein, a coumaraz-2-on-4-ylidene (1) as a new example of ambiphilic N-heterocyclic carbenes with fine tunable electronic properties is reported. The N-carbamic and aryl groups on carbene carbon provide exceptionally high electrophilicity and nucleophilicity simultaneously to the carbene center, as evidenced by the 77Se NMR chemical shifts of their selenoketone derivatives and the CO stretching strengths of their rhodium carbonyl complexes. Since the precursors of 1 could be synthesized from various functionalized Schiff bases in a practical and scalable manner, the electronic properties of 1 can be fine-tuned in quantitative and predictable way using the Hammett σ constant of the functional groups on aryl ring. The facile electronic tuning capability of 1 may be further applicable to eliciting novel properties in main-group and transition metal chemistry. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Activation of the Basolateral Amygdala Induces Long-Term Enhancement of Specific Memory Representations in the Cerebral Cortex

PubMed Central

Chavez, Candice M.; McGaugh, James L.; Weinberger, Norman M.

2013-01-01

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) modulates memory, particularly for arousing or emotional events, during post-training periods of consolidation. It strengthens memories whose substrates in part or whole are stored remotely, in structures such as the hippocampus, striatum and cerebral cortex. However, the mechanisms by which the BLA influences distant memory traces are unknown, largely because of the need for identifiable target mnemonic representations. Associative tuning plasticity in the primary auditory cortex (A1) constitutes a well-characterized candidate specific memory substrate that is ubiquitous across species, tasks and motivational states. When tone predicts reinforcement, the tuning of cells in A1 shifts toward or to the signal frequency within its tonotopic map, producing an over-representation of behaviorally important sounds. Tuning shifts have the cardinal attributes of forms of memory, including associativity, specificity, rapid induction, consolidation and long-term retention and are therefore likely memory representations. We hypothesized that the BLA strengthens memories by increasing their cortical representations. We recorded multiple unit activity from A1 of rats that received a single discrimination training session in which two tones (2.0 s) separated by 1.25 octaves were either paired with brief electrical stimulation (400 ms) of the BLA (CS+) or not (CS−). Frequency response areas generated by presenting a matrix of test tones (0.5–53.82 kHz, 0–70 dB) were obtained before training and daily for three weeks post-training. Tuning both at threshold and above threshold shifted predominantly toward the CS+ beginning on Day 1. Tuning shifts were maintained for the entire three weeks. Absolute threshold and bandwidth decreased, producing less enduring increases in sensitivity and selectivity. BLA-induced tuning shifts were associative, highly specific and long-lasting. We propose that the BLA strengthens memory for important experiences by increasing the number of neurons that come to best represent that event. Traumatic, intrusive memories might reflect abnormally extensive representational networks due to hyper-activity of the BLA consequent to the release of excessive amounts of stress hormones. PMID:23266792

Fraunhofer filters to reduce solar background for optical communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerr, E. L.

1986-01-01

A wavelength that lies within a spectral interval of reduced solar emission (a Fraunhofer line) can carry optical communications with reduced interference from direct or reflected background sunlight. Suitable Fraunhofer lines are located within the tuning range of good candidate lasers. The laser should be tunable dynamically to track Doppler shifts in the sunlight incident on any solar system body that may appear in the background as viewed by the receiver. A Fraunhofer filter used with a direct-detection receiver should be tuned to match the Doppler shifts of the source and background. The required tuning calculated here for various situations is also required if, instead, one uses a heterodyne receiver with limited post-detection bandwidth.

Tuning In: Parents of Young Children Speak up about What They Think, Know and Need. ZERO TO THREE National Parent Survey Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zero to Three, 2016

2016-01-01

ZERO TO THREE, in partnership with the Bezos Family Foundation, conducted a comprehensive research effort, including a series of in-home discussions and a large national parent survey with a diverse range of parents of children from birth to 5. Our findings provide brand new insights about the challenges parents face, what they do and do not…

Space charge tune shift, fast resonance traversal, and current limits in circular accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rees, G.H.

1996-06-01

Space charge tune shifts, fast resonance traversals, and current limits are important design issues for low energy, high power circular accelerators. Areas of interest are accumulator rings and fast cycling synchrotrons, and typical applications are for pulsed spallation neutron sources, heavy ion fusion storage ring drivers, and booster injectors for high energy proton and ion facilities. Aspects of the three topics are discussed in the paper. {copyright} {ital 1996 American Institute of Physics.}

De-Trending Techniques: Methods for Cleaning Questionable Shock Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grillo, Vincent J.

2010-01-01

Not all zero shifted acceleration data can De-trended using this technique. DC shifts, improper AC coupling, Circuit noise/EMI/EMR, Equivalent RC circuit gain response/Circuit saturation(Slew Rate Limited), fixture grounding and wiring losses can all contribute to bad shock data being recorded. Some data that is zero-shifted or exhibit large instantaneous velocity shifts is inherently bad and a retest is warranted. Clean Acceleration-Time history data can be bad upon examining the Velocity & Displacement profiles. Laser Vibrometers provide a high level of accuracy for pyrotechnic shock testing. Engineering judgment and experience will determine the validity of Shock data.

Real-Time and High-Resolution 3D Face Measurement via a Smart Active Optical Sensor.

PubMed

You, Yong; Shen, Yang; Zhang, Guocai; Xing, Xiuwen

2017-03-31

The 3D measuring range and accuracy in traditional active optical sensing, such as Fourier transform profilometry, are influenced by the zero frequency of the captured patterns. The phase-shifting technique is commonly applied to remove the zero component. However, this phase-shifting method must capture several fringe patterns with phase difference, thereby influencing the real-time performance. This study introduces a smart active optical sensor, in which a composite pattern is utilized. The composite pattern efficiently combines several phase-shifting fringes and carrier frequencies. The method can remove zero frequency by using only one pattern. Model face reconstruction and human face measurement were employed to study the validity and feasibility of this method. Results show no distinct decrease in the precision of the novel method unlike the traditional phase-shifting method. The texture mapping technique was utilized to reconstruct a nature-appearance 3D digital face.

Real-Time and High-Resolution 3D Face Measurement via a Smart Active Optical Sensor

PubMed Central

You, Yong; Shen, Yang; Zhang, Guocai; Xing, Xiuwen

2017-01-01

The 3D measuring range and accuracy in traditional active optical sensing, such as Fourier transform profilometry, are influenced by the zero frequency of the captured patterns. The phase-shifting technique is commonly applied to remove the zero component. However, this phase-shifting method must capture several fringe patterns with phase difference, thereby influencing the real-time performance. This study introduces a smart active optical sensor, in which a composite pattern is utilized. The composite pattern efficiently combines several phase-shifting fringes and carrier frequencies. The method can remove zero frequency by using only one pattern. Model face reconstruction and human face measurement were employed to study the validity and feasibility of this method. Results show no distinct decrease in the precision of the novel method unlike the traditional phase-shifting method. The texture mapping technique was utilized to reconstruct a nature-appearance 3D digital face. PMID:28362349

Labyrinth and cerebral-spinal fluid pressure changes in guinea pigs and monkeys during simulated zero G

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, D. E.

1977-01-01

This study was undertaken to explore the hypothesis that shifts of body fluids from the legs and torso toward the head contribute to the motion sickness experienced by astronauts and cosmonauts. The shifts in body fluids observed during zero-G exposure were simulated by elevating guinea pigs' and monkeys' torsos and hindquarters. Cerebral-spinal fluid pressure was recorded from a transducer located in a brain ventricle; labyrinth fluid pressure was recorded from a pipette cemented in a hole in a semicircular canal. An anticipated divergence in cerebral-spinal fluid pressure and labyrinth fluid pressure during torso elevation was not observed. The results of this study do not support a fluid shift mechanism of zero-G-induced motion sickness. However, a more complete test of the fluid shift mechanism would be obtained if endolymph and perilymph pressure changes were determined separately; we have been unable to perform this test to date.

Frequency Control: Proceedings of the 40th Annual Symposium on held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 28-30 May 1986

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-05-30

nonuniform and in part not specified. The actual values of the calculable quantities listed in TABLE IV and obtained on the basis of 61 observations of...is zero. GROUND FOR Since there are no known data on frequency shifts of PPER ELECTRODE. WHEN USED crystals for such nonuniform fields and voltages...PROTECTED BY US COPYRIGHT’ distribution of motional activity. In practical IRE National Convention Record, Part 6, cases, the nonuniform mode shape

Tuning the photoluminescence of graphene quantum dots through the charge transfer effect of functional groups.

PubMed

Jin, Sung Hwan; Kim, Da Hye; Jun, Gwang Hoon; Hong, Soon Hyung; Jeon, Seokwoo

2013-02-26

The band gap properties of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) arise from quantum confinement effects and differ from those in semimetallic graphene sheets. Tailoring the size of the band gap and understanding the band gap tuning mechanism are essential for the applications of GQDs in opto-electronics. In this study, we observe that the photoluminescence (PL) of the GQDs shifts due to charge transfers between functional groups and GQDs. GQDs that are functionalized with amine groups and are 1-3 layers thick and less than 5 nm in diameter were successfully fabricated using a two-step cutting process from graphene oxides (GOs). The functionalized GQDs exhibit a redshift of PL emission (ca. 30 nm) compared to the unfunctionalized GQDs. Furthermore, the PL emissions of the GQDs and the amine-functionalized GQDs were also shifted by changes in the pH due to the protonation or deprotonation of the functional groups. The PL shifts resulted from charge transfers between the functional groups and GQDs, which can tune the band gap of the GQDs. Calculations from density functional theory (DFT) are in good agreement with our proposed mechanism for band gap tuning in the GQDs through the use of functionalization.

Computer Algorithms for Measurement Control and Signal Processing of Transient Scattering Signatures

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-01

CURVE * C Y2 IS THE BACKGROUND CURVE * C NSHIF IS THE NUMBER OF POINT TO SHIFT * C SET IS THE SUM OF THE POINT TO SHIFT * C IN ORDER TO ZERO PADDING ...reduces the spec- tral content in both the low and high frequency regimes. If the threshold is set to zero , a "naive’ deconvolution results. This provides...side of equation 5.2 was close to zero , so it can be neglected. As a result, the expected power is equal to the variance. The signal plus noise power

Epistatic interactions influence terrestrial–marine functional shifts in cetacean rhodopsin

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Like many aquatic vertebrates, whales have blue-shifting spectral tuning substitutions in the dim-light visual pigment, rhodopsin, that are thought to increase photosensitivity in underwater environments. We have discovered that known spectral tuning substitutions also have surprising epistatic effects on another function of rhodopsin, the kinetic rates associated with light-activated intermediates. By using absorbance spectroscopy and fluorescence-based retinal release assays on heterologously expressed rhodopsin, we assessed both spectral and kinetic differences between cetaceans (killer whale) and terrestrial outgroups (hippo, bovine). Mutation experiments revealed that killer whale rhodopsin is unusually resilient to pleiotropic effects on retinal release from key blue-shifting substitutions (D83N and A292S), largely due to a surprisingly specific epistatic interaction between D83N and the background residue, S299. Ancestral sequence reconstruction indicated that S299 is an ancestral residue that predates the evolution of blue-shifting substitutions at the origins of Cetacea. Based on these results, we hypothesize that intramolecular epistasis helped to conserve rhodopsin's kinetic properties while enabling blue-shifting spectral tuning substitutions as cetaceans adapted to aquatic environments. Trade-offs between different aspects of molecular function are rarely considered in protein evolution, but in cetacean and other vertebrate rhodopsins, may underlie multiple evolutionary scenarios for the selection of specific amino acid substitutions. PMID:28250185

Linear frequency tuning in an LC-resonant system using a C-V response controllable MEMS varactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Chang-Hoon; Yoon, Yong-Hoon; Ko, Seung-Deok; Seo, Min-Ho; Yoon, Jun-Bo

2017-12-01

This paper proposes a device level solution to achieve linear frequency tuning with respect to a tuning voltage ( V tune ) sweep in an inductor ( L)-capacitor ( C) resonant system. Since the linearity of the resonant frequency vs. tuning voltage ( f- V) relationship in an LC-resonant system is closely related to the C- V response characteristic of the varactor, we propose a C- V response tunable varactor to realize the linear frequency tuning. The proposed varactor was fabricated using microelectromechanical system (MEMS) surface micromachining. The fabricated MEMS varactor has the ability to dynamically change the C- V response characteristic according to a curve control voltage ( V curve- control ). When V curve- control was increased from zero to 9 V, the C- V response curve was changed from a linear to a concave form (i.e., the capacitance decreased quickly in the low tuning voltage region and slowly in the high tuning voltage region). This change in the C- V response characteristic resulted in a change in the f- V relationship, and we successfully demonstrated almost perfectly linear frequency tuning in the LC-resonant system, with a linearity factor of 99.95%.

Tuning Metamaterials by using Amorphous Magnetic Microwires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Dominguez, Victor; Garcia, Miguel Angel; Marin, Pilar; Hernando, Antonio

Tuning the electromagnetic properties of metamaterials using external stimulus result appealing for both, fundamental and applied reasons. Little work has been developed in the tuning of the properties of a metamaterial by magnetic fields. The main reason relies on the fact that most magnetic materials tale off their response at the microwave band, or they are moderately active only at their Ferromagnetic Resonance, as it is the case of ferrites. These limitations can be overcome using Co-based Magnetic microwires with a quasi-zero magnetostriction that leads to a high permeability at microwave frequencies. The inclusion of magnetic microwires in a metamaterial type Split Ring Resonator array (SRR) allows tuning their electromagnetic properties with low magnetic fields. The results clearly show an effective tune of the S-coefficients up-to 8 dB using 100 microwires per SRR for DC fields between 0 and 20 Oe.

On the Possibility of Using Nonlinear Elements for Landau Damping in High-Intensity Beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alexahin, Y.; Gianfelice-Wendt, E.; Lebedev, V.

2016-09-30

Direct space-charge force shifts incoherent tunes downwards from the coherent ones breaking the Landau mechanism of coherent oscillations damping at high beam intensity. To restore it nonlinear elements can be employed which move back tunes of large amplitude particles. In the present report we consider the possibility of creating a “nonlinear integrable optics” insertion in the Fermilab Recycler to host either octupoles or hollow electron lens for this purpose. For comparison we also consider the classic scheme with distributed octupole families. It is shown that for the Proton Improvement Plan II (PIP II) parameters the required nonlinear tune shift canmore » be created without destroying the dynamic aperture.« less

Multiple model self-tuning control for a class of nonlinear systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Miao; Wang, Xin; Wang, Zhenlei

2015-10-01

This study develops a novel nonlinear multiple model self-tuning control method for a class of nonlinear discrete-time systems. An increment system model and a modified robust adaptive law are proposed to expand the application range, thus eliminating the assumption that either the nonlinear term of the nonlinear system or its differential term is global-bounded. The nonlinear self-tuning control method can address the situation wherein the nonlinear system is not subject to a globally uniformly asymptotically stable zero dynamics by incorporating the pole-placement scheme. A novel, nonlinear control structure based on this scheme is presented to improve control precision. Stability and convergence can be confirmed when the proposed multiple model self-tuning control method is applied. Furthermore, simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Complementary shifts in photoreceptor spectral tuning unlock the full adaptive potential of ultraviolet vision in birds.

PubMed

Toomey, Matthew B; Lind, Olle; Frederiksen, Rikard; Curley, Robert W; Riedl, Ken M; Wilby, David; Schwartz, Steven J; Witt, Christopher C; Harrison, Earl H; Roberts, Nicholas W; Vorobyev, Misha; McGraw, Kevin J; Cornwall, M Carter; Kelber, Almut; Corbo, Joseph C

2016-07-12

Color vision in birds is mediated by four types of cone photoreceptors whose maximal sensitivities (λmax) are evenly spaced across the light spectrum. In the course of avian evolution, the λmax of the most shortwave-sensitive cone, SWS1, has switched between violet (λmax > 400 nm) and ultraviolet (λmax < 380 nm) multiple times. This shift of the SWS1 opsin is accompanied by a corresponding short-wavelength shift in the spectrally adjacent SWS2 cone. Here, we show that SWS2 cone spectral tuning is mediated by modulating the ratio of two apocarotenoids, galloxanthin and 11’,12’-dihydrogalloxanthin, which act as intracellular spectral filters in this cell type. We propose an enzymatic pathway that mediates the differential production of these apocarotenoids in the avian retina, and we use color vision modeling to demonstrate how correlated evolution of spectral tuning is necessary to achieve even sampling of the light spectrum and thereby maintain near-optimal color discrimination.

Realizing Fulde-Ferrell Superfluids via a Dark-State Control of Feshbach Resonances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Lianyi; Hu, Hui; Liu, Xia-Ji

2018-01-01

We propose that the long-sought Fulde-Ferrell superfluidity with nonzero momentum pairing can be realized in ultracold two-component Fermi gases of K 40 or Li 6 atoms by optically tuning their magnetic Feshbach resonances via the creation of a closed-channel dark state with a Doppler-shifted Stark effect. In this scheme, two counterpropagating optical fields are applied to couple two molecular states in the closed channel to an excited molecular state, leading to a significant violation of Galilean invariance in the dark-state regime and hence to the possibility of Fulde-Ferrell superfluidity. We develop a field theoretical formulation for both two-body and many-body problems and predict that the Fulde-Ferrell state has remarkable properties, such as anisotropic single-particle dispersion relation, suppressed superfluid density at zero temperature, anisotropic sound velocity, and rotonic collective mode. The latter two features can be experimentally probed using Bragg spectroscopy, providing a smoking-gun proof of Fulde-Ferrell superfluidity.

An approach to control tuning range and speed in 1D ternary photonic band gap material nano-layered optical filter structures electro-optically

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zia, Shahneel; Banerjee, Anirudh

2016-05-01

This paper demonstrates a way to control spectrum tuning capability in one-dimensional (1D) ternary photonic band gap (PBG) material nano-layered structures electro-optically. It is shown that not only tuning range, but also tuning speed of tunable optical filters based on 1D ternary PBG structures can be controlled Electro-optically. This approach finds application in tuning range enhancement of 1D Ternary PBG structures and compensating temperature sensitive transmission spectrum shift in 1D Ternary PBG structures.

An approach to control tuning range and speed in 1D ternary photonic band gap material nano-layered optical filter structures electro-optically

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zia, Shahneel, E-mail: shahneelzia@gmail.com; Banerjee, Anirudh, E-mail: abanerjee@amity.edu

2016-05-06

This paper demonstrates a way to control spectrum tuning capability in one-dimensional (1D) ternary photonic band gap (PBG) material nano-layered structures electro-optically. It is shown that not only tuning range, but also tuning speed of tunable optical filters based on 1D ternary PBG structures can be controlled Electro-optically. This approach finds application in tuning range enhancement of 1D Ternary PBG structures and compensating temperature sensitive transmission spectrum shift in 1D Ternary PBG structures.

Photonic doping of epsilon-near-zero media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liberal, Iñigo; Mahmoud, Ahmed M.; Li, Yue; Edwards, Brian; Engheta, Nader

2017-03-01

Doping a semiconductor with foreign atoms enables the control of its electrical and optical properties. We transplant the concept of doping to macroscopic photonics, demonstrating that two-dimensional dielectric particles immersed in a two-dimensional epsilon-near-zero medium act as dopants that modify the medium’s effective permeability while keeping its effective permittivity near zero, independently of their positions within the host. The response of a large body can be tuned with a single impurity, including cases such as engineering perfect magnetic conductor and epsilon-and-mu-near-zero media with nonmagnetic constituents. This effect is experimentally demonstrated at microwave frequencies via the observation of geometry-independent tunneling. This methodology might provide a new pathway for engineering electromagnetic metamaterials and reconfigurable optical systems.

Teleportation-based quantum information processing with Majorana zero modes

DOE PAGES

Vijay, Sagar; Fu, Liang

2016-12-29

In this work, we present a measurement-based scheme for performing braiding operations on Majorana zero modes in mesoscopic superconductor islands and for detecting their non-Abelian statistics without moving or hybridizing them. In our scheme for “braiding without braiding”, the topological qubit encoded in any pair of well-separated Majorana zero modes is read out from the transmission phase shift in electron teleportation through the island in the Coulomb-blockade regime. Finally, we propose experimental setups to measure the teleportation phase shift via conductance in an electron interferometer or persistent current in a closed loop.

Teleportation-based quantum information processing with Majorana zero modes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vijay, Sagar; Fu, Liang

In this work, we present a measurement-based scheme for performing braiding operations on Majorana zero modes in mesoscopic superconductor islands and for detecting their non-Abelian statistics without moving or hybridizing them. In our scheme for “braiding without braiding”, the topological qubit encoded in any pair of well-separated Majorana zero modes is read out from the transmission phase shift in electron teleportation through the island in the Coulomb-blockade regime. Finally, we propose experimental setups to measure the teleportation phase shift via conductance in an electron interferometer or persistent current in a closed loop.

Local tuning of the order parameter in superconducting weak links: A zero-inductance nanodevice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winik, Roni; Holzman, Itamar; Dalla Torre, Emanuele G.; Buks, Eyal; Ivry, Yachin

2018-03-01

Controlling both the amplitude and the phase of the superconducting quantum order parameter (" separators="|ψ ) in nanostructures is important for next-generation information and communication technologies. The lack of electric resistance in superconductors, which may be advantageous for some technologies, hinders convenient voltage-bias tuning and hence limits the tunability of ψ at the microscopic scale. Here, we demonstrate the local tunability of the phase and amplitude of ψ, obtained by patterning with a single lithography step a Nb nano-superconducting quantum interference device (nano-SQUID) that is biased at its nanobridges. We accompany our experimental results by a semi-classical linearized model that is valid for generic nano-SQUIDs with multiple ports and helps simplify the modelling of non-linear couplings among the Josephson junctions. Our design helped us reveal unusual electric characteristics with effective zero inductance, which is promising for nanoscale magnetic sensing and quantum technologies.

Anomalous time delays and quantum weak measurements in optical micro-resonators

PubMed Central

Asano, M.; Bliokh, K. Y.; Bliokh, Y. P.; Kofman, A. G.; Ikuta, R.; Yamamoto, T.; Kivshar, Y. S.; Yang, L.; Imoto, N.; Özdemir, Ş.K.; Nori, F.

2016-01-01

Quantum weak measurements, wavepacket shifts and optical vortices are universal wave phenomena, which originate from fine interference of multiple plane waves. These effects have attracted considerable attention in both classical and quantum wave systems. Here we report on a phenomenon that brings together all the above topics in a simple one-dimensional scalar wave system. We consider inelastic scattering of Gaussian wave packets with parameters close to a zero of the complex scattering coefficient. We demonstrate that the scattered wave packets experience anomalously large time and frequency shifts in such near-zero scattering. These shifts reveal close analogies with the Goos–Hänchen beam shifts and quantum weak measurements of the momentum in a vortex wavefunction. We verify our general theory by an optical experiment using the near-zero transmission (near-critical coupling) of Gaussian pulses propagating through a nano-fibre with a side-coupled toroidal micro-resonator. Measurements demonstrate the amplification of the time delays from the typical inverse-resonator-linewidth scale to the pulse-duration scale. PMID:27841269

The serpentine optical waveguide: engineering the dispersion relations and the stopped light points.

PubMed

Scheuer, Jacob; Weiss, Ori

2011-06-06

We present a study a new type of optical slow-light structure comprising a serpentine shaped waveguide were the loops are coupled. The dispersion relation, group velocity and GVD are studied analytically using a transfer matrix method and numerically using finite difference time domain simulations. The structure exhibits zero group velocity points at the ends of the Brillouin zone, but also within the zone. The position of mid-zone zero group velocity point can be tuned by modifying the coupling coefficient between adjacent loops. Closed-form analytic expressions for the dispersion relations, group velocity and the mid-zone zero v(g) points are found and presented.

Tuning the frequency of ultrashort laser pulses by a cross-phase-modulation-induced shift in a photonic crystal fiber.

PubMed

Konorov, S O; Akimov, D A; Zheltikov, A M; Ivanov, A A; Alfimov, M V; Scalora, M

2005-06-15

Femtosecond pulses of fundamental Cr:forsterite laser radiation are used as a pump field to tune the frequency of copropagating second-harmonic pulses of the same laser through cross-phase modulation in a photonic crystal fiber. Sub-100-kW femtosecond pump pulses coupled into a photonic crystal fiber with an appropriate dispersion profile can shift the central frequency of the probe field by more than 100 nm, suggesting a convenient way to control propagation and spectral transformations of ultrashort laser pulses.

Tuning the Pitch of a Wine Glass by Playing with the Liquid inside

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Courtois, Matthieu; Guirao, Boris; Fort, Emmanuel

2008-01-01

It is well known that the pitch of the sound produced by an excited glass shell can be tuned by adding some liquid in it. In this paper, it will be proved that the distribution of the liquid inside the shell plays a crucial role in this frequency shift. Thus it provides another way to tune the pitch of the sound by modifying the liquid…

Permanent fine tuning of silicon microring devices by femtosecond laser surface amorphization and ablation.

PubMed

Bachman, Daniel; Chen, Zhijiang; Fedosejevs, Robert; Tsui, Ying Y; Van, Vien

2013-05-06

We demonstrate the fine tuning capability of femtosecond laser surface modification as a permanent trimming mechanism for silicon photonic components. Silicon microring resonators with a 15 µm radius were irradiated with single 400 nm wavelength laser pulses at varying fluences. Below the laser ablation threshold, surface amorphization of the crystalline silicon waveguides yielded a tuning rate of 20 ± 2 nm/J · cm(-2)with a minimum resonance wavelength shift of 0.10nm. Above that threshold, ablation yielded a minimum resonance shift of -1.7 nm. There was some increase in waveguide loss for both trimming mechanisms. We also demonstrated the application of the method by using it to permanently correct the resonance mismatch of a second-order microring filter.

Photonic band-gap modulation of blue phase liquid crystal (Presentation Recording)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Tsung-Hsien

2015-10-01

Blue phase liquid crystals (BPLCs) are self-assembled 3D photonic crystals exhibiting high susceptibility to external stimuli. Two methods for the photonic bandgap tuning of BPs were demonstrated in this work. Introducing a chiral azobenzene into a cholesteric liquid crystal could formulate a photoresponsive BPLC. Under violet irradiation, the azo dye experiences trans-cis isomerization, which leads to lattice swelling as well as phase transition in different stages of the process. Ultrawide reversible tuning of the BP photonic bandgap from ultraviolet to near infrared has been achieved. The tuning is reversible and nonvolatile. We will then demonstract the electric field-induced bandgap tuning in polymer-stabilized BPLCs. Under different BPLCs material preparation conditions, both red-shift and broadening of the photonic bandgaps have been achieved respectively. The stop band can be shifted over 100 nm. The bandwidth can be expanded from ~ 30 nm to ~ 250 nm covering nearly the full visible range. It is believed that the developed approaches could strongly promote the use of BPLC in photonic applications.

Symmetry-protected zero-mode laser with a tunable spatial profile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Li

Majorana zero modes in condense matter systems have attracted considerable interest in topological quantum computation. In contrast, while robust zero modes have been observed in various photonic lattices, it remains an open question whether they can be used for the same purpose. To advance significantly the state-of-the-art in zero-mode photonics, new inspirations are needed for a better design and control of photonic systems. Using the zero modes protected by non-Hermitian particle-hole symmetry in a photonic lattice and the spatial degrees of freedom they offer, we propose a single-mode, fixed-frequency, and spatially tunable zero-mode laser. The system does not need to have zero modes before a localized pump is applied; they are created by the spontaneous restoration of particle-hole symmetry. By modifying this process using different pump configurations, we present a versatile way to tune the spatial profile of our zero-mode laser, with its lasing frequency pinned at the zero energy. Such a zero-mode laser may find applications in telecommunication, where spatial encoding is held by some to be last frontier of signal processing. This project is supported by the NSF under Grant No. DMR-1506987.

Tunable optical filter based on Sagnac phase-shift using single optical ring resonator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seraji, Faramarz E.; Asghari, Fatemeh

2010-02-01

In this paper, a single optical ring resonator connected to a Sagnac loop is used to demonstrate theoretically a novel narrow band optical filter response that is based on Sagnac phase-shift Δ φ. The given filter structure permits the Sagnac rotation to control the filter response. It is shown that by changing the Sagnac rotation rate, we can tune the filter response for desired bandwidths. To increase the wavelength selectivity of the filter, the Sagnac phase-shift should be as small as possible that is limited by the loop length. For Δ φ=0.1 rad, the obtained FWHM is 2.63 MHz for tuning loop length of 2 m. The simulation response agrees fairly with the recently reported experimental result.

Tunable Transmission and Deterministic Interface states in Double-zero-index Acoustic Metamaterials.

PubMed

Zhao, Wei; Yang, Yuting; Tao, Zhi; Hang, Zhi Hong

2018-04-20

Following the seminal work by Dubois et al. (Nat. Commun. 8, 14871 (2017)), we study a double-zero-index acoustic metamaterial with triangular lattice. By varying the height and diameter of air scatterers inside a parallel-plate acoustic waveguide, acoustic dispersion of the first-order waveguide mode can be manipulated and various interesting properties are explored. With accidental degeneracy of monopolar and dipolar modes, we numerically prove the double-zero-index properties of this novel acoustic metamaterial. Acoustic waveguides with tunable and asymmetric transmission are realized with this double-zero-index acoustic metamaterial embedded. Band inversion occurs if the bulk acoustic band diagram of this acoustic metamaterial is tuned. Deterministic interface states are found to exist on the interface between two acoustic metamaterials with inverted band diagrams.

Zero energy-storage ballast for compact fluorescent lamps

DOEpatents

Schultz, W.N.; Thomas, R.J.

1999-08-31

A CFL ballast includes complementary-type switching devices connected in series with their gates connected together at a control node. The switching devices supply a resonant tank circuit which is tuned to a frequency near, but slightly lower than, the resonant frequency of a resonant control circuit. As a result, the tank circuit restarts oscillations immediately following each zero crossing of the bus voltage. Such rapid restarts avoid undesirable flickering while maintaining the operational advantages and high efficacy of the CFL ballast. 4 figs.

Zero energy-storage ballast for compact fluorescent lamps

DOEpatents

Schultz, William Newell; Thomas, Robert James

1999-01-01

A CFL ballast includes complementary-type switching devices connected in series with their gates connected together at a control node. The switching devices supply a resonant tank circuit which is tuned to a frequency near, but slightly lower than, the resonant frequency of a resonant control circuit. As a result, the tank circuit restarts oscillations immediately following each zero crossing of the bus voltage. Such rapid restarts avoid undesirable flickering while maintaining the operational advantages and high efficacy of the CFL ballast.

Design and flight testing of a nullable compressor face rake

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holzman, J. K.; Payne, G. A.

1973-01-01

A compressor face rake with an internal valve arrangement to permit nulling was designed, constructed, and tested in the laboratory and in flight at the NASA Flight Research Center. When actuated by the pilot in flight, the nullable rake allowed the transducer zero shifts to be determined and then subsequently removed during data reduction. Design details, the fabrication technique, the principle of operation, brief descriptions of associated digital zero-correction programs and the qualification tests, and test results are included. Sample flight data show that the zero shifts were large and unpredictable but could be measured in flight with the rake. The rake functioned reliably and as expected during 25 hours of operation under flight environmental conditions and temperatures from 230 K (-46 F) to greater than 430 K (314 F). The rake was nulled approximately 1000 times. The in-flight zero-shift measurement technique, as well as the rake design, was successful and should be useful in future applications, particularly where accurate measurements of both steady-state and dynamic pressures are required under adverse environmental conditions.

A method of eliminating hydrogen maser wall shift

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levine, M. W.; Vessot, R. F. C.

1972-01-01

Maser output frequency shift was prevented by storage bulb kept at temperature at which wall shift is zero and effects of bulb size, shape, and surface texture are eliminated. Servo system is shown, along with bidirectional counter.

Myosin phosphatase Fine-tunes Zebrafish Motoneuron Position during Axonogenesis

PubMed Central

Granato, Michael

2016-01-01

During embryogenesis the spinal cord shifts position along the anterior-posterior axis relative to adjacent tissues. How motor neurons whose cell bodies are located in the spinal cord while their axons reside in adjacent tissues compensate for such tissue shift is not well understood. Using live cell imaging in zebrafish, we show that as motor axons exit from the spinal cord and extend through extracellular matrix produced by adjacent notochord cells, these cells shift several cell diameters caudally. Despite this pronounced shift, individual motoneuron cell bodies stay aligned with their extending axons. We find that this alignment requires myosin phosphatase activity within motoneurons, and that mutations in the myosin phosphatase subunit mypt1 increase myosin phosphorylation causing a displacement between motoneuron cell bodies and their axons. Thus, we demonstrate that spinal motoneurons fine-tune their position during axonogenesis and we identify the myosin II regulatory network as a key regulator. PMID:27855159

Breather solutions of a fourth-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the degenerate, soliton, and rogue wave limits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chowdury, Amdad; Krolikowski, Wieslaw; Akhmediev, N.

2017-10-01

We present one- and two-breather solutions of the fourth-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation. With several parameters to play with, the solution may take a variety of forms. We consider most of these cases including the general form and limiting cases when the modulation frequencies are 0 or coincide. The zero-frequency limit produces a combination of breather-soliton structures on a constant background. The case of equal modulation frequencies produces a degenerate solution that requires a special technique for deriving. A zero-frequency limit of this degenerate solution produces a rational second-order rogue wave solution with a stretching factor involved. Taking, in addition, the zero limit of the stretching factor transforms the second-order rogue waves into a soliton. Adding a differential shift in the degenerate solution results in structural changes in the wave profile. Moreover, the zero-frequency limit of the degenerate solution with differential shift results in a rogue wave triplet. The zero limit of the stretching factor in this solution, in turn, transforms the triplet into a singlet plus a low-amplitude soliton on the background. A large value of the differential shift parameter converts the triplet into a pure singlet.

Breather solutions of a fourth-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the degenerate, soliton, and rogue wave limits.

PubMed

Chowdury, Amdad; Krolikowski, Wieslaw; Akhmediev, N

2017-10-01

We present one- and two-breather solutions of the fourth-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation. With several parameters to play with, the solution may take a variety of forms. We consider most of these cases including the general form and limiting cases when the modulation frequencies are 0 or coincide. The zero-frequency limit produces a combination of breather-soliton structures on a constant background. The case of equal modulation frequencies produces a degenerate solution that requires a special technique for deriving. A zero-frequency limit of this degenerate solution produces a rational second-order rogue wave solution with a stretching factor involved. Taking, in addition, the zero limit of the stretching factor transforms the second-order rogue waves into a soliton. Adding a differential shift in the degenerate solution results in structural changes in the wave profile. Moreover, the zero-frequency limit of the degenerate solution with differential shift results in a rogue wave triplet. The zero limit of the stretching factor in this solution, in turn, transforms the triplet into a singlet plus a low-amplitude soliton on the background. A large value of the differential shift parameter converts the triplet into a pure singlet.

Complementary shifts in photoreceptor spectral tuning unlock the full adaptive potential of ultraviolet vision in birds

PubMed Central

Toomey, Matthew B; Lind, Olle; Frederiksen, Rikard; Curley, Robert W; Riedl, Ken M; Wilby, David; Schwartz, Steven J; Witt, Christopher C; Harrison, Earl H; Roberts, Nicholas W; Vorobyev, Misha; McGraw, Kevin J; Cornwall, M Carter; Kelber, Almut; Corbo, Joseph C

2016-01-01

Color vision in birds is mediated by four types of cone photoreceptors whose maximal sensitivities (λmax) are evenly spaced across the light spectrum. In the course of avian evolution, the λmax of the most shortwave-sensitive cone, SWS1, has switched between violet (λmax > 400 nm) and ultraviolet (λmax < 380 nm) multiple times. This shift of the SWS1 opsin is accompanied by a corresponding short-wavelength shift in the spectrally adjacent SWS2 cone. Here, we show that SWS2 cone spectral tuning is mediated by modulating the ratio of two apocarotenoids, galloxanthin and 11’,12’-dihydrogalloxanthin, which act as intracellular spectral filters in this cell type. We propose an enzymatic pathway that mediates the differential production of these apocarotenoids in the avian retina, and we use color vision modeling to demonstrate how correlated evolution of spectral tuning is necessary to achieve even sampling of the light spectrum and thereby maintain near-optimal color discrimination. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15675.001 PMID:27402384

Electric field induced structural colour tuning of a silver/titanium dioxide nanoparticle one-dimensional photonic crystal

PubMed Central

Aluicio-Sarduy, Eduardo; Callegari, Simone; Figueroa del Valle, Diana Gisell; Desii, Andrea; Kriegel, Ilka

2016-01-01

Summary An electric field is employed for the active tuning of the structural colour in photonic crystals, which acts as an effective external stimulus with an impact on light transmission manipulation. In this work, we demonstrate structural colour in a photonic crystal device comprised of alternating layers of silver nanoparticles and titanium dioxide nanoparticles, exhibiting spectral shifts of around 10 nm for an applied voltage of only 10 V. The accumulation of charge at the metal/dielectric interface with an applied electric field leads to an effective increase of the charges contributing to the plasma frequency in silver. This initiates a blue shift of the silver plasmon band with a simultaneous blue shift of the photonic band gap as a result of the change in the silver dielectric function (i.e. decrease of the effective refractive index). These results are the first demonstration of active colour tuning in silver/titanium dioxide nanoparticle-based photonic crystals and open the route to metal/dielectric-based photonic crystals as electro-optic switches. PMID:27826514

Electric field induced structural colour tuning of a silver/titanium dioxide nanoparticle one-dimensional photonic crystal.

PubMed

Aluicio-Sarduy, Eduardo; Callegari, Simone; Figueroa Del Valle, Diana Gisell; Desii, Andrea; Kriegel, Ilka; Scotognella, Francesco

2016-01-01

An electric field is employed for the active tuning of the structural colour in photonic crystals, which acts as an effective external stimulus with an impact on light transmission manipulation. In this work, we demonstrate structural colour in a photonic crystal device comprised of alternating layers of silver nanoparticles and titanium dioxide nanoparticles, exhibiting spectral shifts of around 10 nm for an applied voltage of only 10 V. The accumulation of charge at the metal/dielectric interface with an applied electric field leads to an effective increase of the charges contributing to the plasma frequency in silver. This initiates a blue shift of the silver plasmon band with a simultaneous blue shift of the photonic band gap as a result of the change in the silver dielectric function (i.e. decrease of the effective refractive index). These results are the first demonstration of active colour tuning in silver/titanium dioxide nanoparticle-based photonic crystals and open the route to metal/dielectric-based photonic crystals as electro-optic switches.

Phase shifts in the Fourier spectra of phase gratings and phase grids: an application for one-shot phase-shifting interferometry.

PubMed

Toto-Arellano, Noel-Ivan; Rodriguez-Zurita, Gustavo; Meneses-Fabian, Cruz; Vazquez-Castillo, Jose F

2008-11-10

Among several techniques, phase shifting interferometry can be implemented with a grating used as a beam divider to attain several interference patterns around each diffraction order. Because each pattern has to show a different phase-shift, a suitable shifting technique must be employed. Phase gratings are attractive to perform the former task due to their higher diffraction efficiencies. But as is very well known, the Fourier coefficients of only-phase gratings are integer order Bessel functions of the first kind. The values of these real-valued functions oscillate around zero, so they can adopt negative values, thereby introducing phase shifts of pi at certain diffraction orders. Because this almost trivial fact seems to have been overlooked in the literature regarding its practical implications, in this communication such phase shifts are stressed in the description of interference patterns obtained with grating interferometers. These patterns are obtained by placing two windows in the object plane of a 4f system with a sinusoidal grating/grid in the Fourier plane. It is shown that the corresponding experimental observations of the fringe modulation, as well as the corresponding phase measurements, are all in agreement with the proposed description. A one-shot phase shifting interferometer is finally proposed taking into account these properties after proper incorporation of modulation of polarization.

Wave propagation in elastic and damped structures with stabilized negative-stiffness components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drugan, W. J.

2017-09-01

Effects on wave propagation achievable by introduction of a negative-stiffness component are investigated via perhaps the simplest discrete repeating element that can remain stable in the component's presence. When the system is elastic, appropriate tuning of the stabilized component's negative stiffness introduces a no-pass zone theoretically extending from zero to an arbitrarily high frequency, tunable by a mass ratio adjustment. When the negative-stiffness component is tuned to the system's stability limit and a mass ratio is sufficiently small, the system restricts propagation to waves of approximately a single arbitrary frequency, adjustable by tuning the stiffness ratio of the positive-stiffness components. The elastic system's general solutions are closed-form and transparent. When damping is added, the general solutions are still closed-form, but so complex that they do not clearly display how the negative stiffness component affects the system's response and how it should best be tuned to achieve desired effects. Approximate solutions having these features are obtained via four perturbation analyses: one for long wavelengths; one for small damping; and two for small mass ratios. The long-wavelengths solution shows that appropriate tuning of the negative-stiffness component can prevent propagation of long-wavelength waves. The small damping solution shows that the zero-damping low-frequency no-pass zone remains, while waves that do propagate are highly damped when a mass ratio is made small. Finally, very interesting effects are achievable at the full system's stability limit. For small mass ratios, the wavelength range of waves prohibited from propagation can be adjusted, from all to none, by tuning the system's damping: When one mass ratio is small, all waves with wavelengths larger than an arbitrary damping-adjusted value can be prohibited from propagation, while when the inverse of this mass ratio is small, all waves with wavelengths outside an arbitrary single adjustable value or range of values can be prohibited from propagation. All of the approximate solutions' analytically-transparent predictions are confirmed by the exact solution. The conclusions are that a stabilized tuned negative-stiffness component greatly enhances control of wave propagation in a purely elastic system, and when adjustable damping is added, even further control is facilitated.

Enhancement cavities for zero-offset-frequency pulse trains.

PubMed

Holzberger, S; Lilienfein, N; Trubetskov, M; Carstens, H; Lücking, F; Pervak, V; Krausz, F; Pupeza, I

2015-05-15

The optimal enhancement of broadband optical pulses in a passive resonator requires a seeding pulse train with a specific carrier-envelope-offset frequency. Here, we control the phase of the cavity mirrors to tune the offset frequency for which a given comb is optimally enhanced. This enables the enhancement of a zero-offset-frequency train of sub-30-fs pulses to multi-kW average powers. The combination of pulse duration, power, and zero phase slip constitutes a crucial step toward the generation of attosecond pulses at multi-10-MHz repetition rates. In addition, this control affords the enhancement of pulses generated by difference-frequency mixing, e.g., for mid-infrared spectroscopy.

Tuning the hybridization bandgap by meta-molecules with in-unit interaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Yongqiang; Li, Yunhui, E-mail: liyunhui@tongji.edu.cn; Wu, Qian

2015-09-07

In this paper, we demonstrate that the hybridization bandgap (HBG) can be tuned conveniently by deep subwavelength meta-molecules with in-unit interaction. Spontaneous-emission-cancellation-like (SEC-like) effect is realized in a meta-molecule by introducing the destructive interference of two detuned meta-atoms. The meta-atoms consisting of subwavelength zero-index-metamaterial-based resonators are side-coupled to a microstrip. Compared to conventional HBG configurations, the presence of in-unit interaction between meta-atoms provides more flexibility in tuning the bandgap properties, keeping the device volume almost unchanged. Both numerical simulations and microwave experiments confirm that the width, depth, and spectrum shape of HBG can be tuned by simply introducing SEC-like interactionmore » into the meta-molecule. Due to these features, our design may be promising to be applied in microwave or optics communications systems with strict limitation of device volume and flexible bandgap properties.« less

Build MyTune: Children's Reflective Practice during Music Creativity Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Chia-Pao

2015-01-01

The current study examined how components of reflective practice interplay with children's music-making and sharing processes. This study employed a qualitative approach with 11 children who played classroom instruments and researcher-designed computer programs ("Build MyTune I" and "Build MyTune II") while attending music…

Tuning maps for setpoint changes and load disturbance upsets in a three capacity process under multivariable control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Litt, Jonathan S.; Smith, Ira C.

1991-01-01

Tuning maps are an aid in the controller tuning process because they provide a convenient way for the plant operator to determine the consequences of adjusting different controller parameters. In this application the maps provide a graphical representation of the effect of varying the gains in the state feedback matrix on startup and load disturbance transients for a three capacity process. Nominally, the three tank system, represented in diagonal form, has a Proportional-Integral control on each loop. Cross coupling is then introduced between the loops by using non-zero off-diagonal proportional parameters. Changes in transient behavior due to setpoint and load changes are examined by varying the gains of the cross coupling terms.

Tuning the Quantum Efficiency of Random Lasers - Intrinsic Stokes-Shift and Gain

PubMed Central

Lubatsch, Andreas; Frank, Regine

2015-01-01

We report the theoretical analysis for tuning the quantum efficiency of solid state random lasers. Vollhardt-Wölfle theory of photonic transport in disordered non-conserving and open random media, is coupled to lasing dynamics and solved positionally dependent. The interplay of non-linearity and homogeneous non-radiative frequency conversion by means of a Stokes-shift leads to a reduction of the quantum efficiency of the random laser. At the threshold a strong decrease of the spot-size in the stationary state is found due to the increase of non-radiative losses. The coherently emitted photon number per unit of modal surface is also strongly reduced. This result allows for the conclusion that Stokes-shifts are not sufficient to explain confined and extended mode regimes. PMID:26593237

Tuning the Quantum Efficiency of Random Lasers - Intrinsic Stokes-Shift and Gain.

PubMed

Lubatsch, Andreas; Frank, Regine

2015-11-23

We report the theoretical analysis for tuning the quantum efficiency of solid state random lasers. Vollhardt-Wölfle theory of photonic transport in disordered non-conserving and open random media, is coupled to lasing dynamics and solved positionally dependent. The interplay of non-linearity and homogeneous non-radiative frequency conversion by means of a Stokes-shift leads to a reduction of the quantum efficiency of the random laser. At the threshold a strong decrease of the spot-size in the stationary state is found due to the increase of non-radiative losses. The coherently emitted photon number per unit of modal surface is also strongly reduced. This result allows for the conclusion that Stokes-shifts are not sufficient to explain confined and extended mode regimes.

Advanced Energy Design Guide K-12: Next Generation of School Design and Operation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Torcellini, Paul A; Pless, Shanti

Driven by energy efficiency advances and renewable energy cost reductions, zero energy buildings are popping up all around the country. Although zero energy represents a bold paradigm shift - from buildings that consume energy to buildings that produce enough energy to meet their energy needs on an annual basis - it isn't a sudden shift. Zero energy buildings are the result of steady, incremental progress by researchers and building professionals working together to improve building energy performance. ASHRAE is taking the lead by publishing - in partnership with the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), themore » U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) - a new series of advanced energy design guides (AEDGs) focused on zero energy buildings. The recently completed Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings: Achieving Zero Energy (K-12 ZE AEDG) is the first in this series.« less

Broken symmetries, zero-energy modes, and quantum transport in disordered graphene: from supermetallic to insulating regimes.

PubMed

Cresti, Alessandro; Ortmann, Frank; Louvet, Thibaud; Van Tuan, Dinh; Roche, Stephan

2013-05-10

The role of defect-induced zero-energy modes on charge transport in graphene is investigated using Kubo and Landauer transport calculations. By tuning the density of random distributions of monovacancies either equally populating the two sublattices or exclusively located on a single sublattice, all conduction regimes are covered from direct tunneling through evanescent modes to mesoscopic transport in bulk disordered graphene. Depending on the transport measurement geometry, defect density, and broken sublattice symmetry, the Dirac-point conductivity is either exceptionally robust against disorder (supermetallic state) or suppressed through a gap opening or by algebraic localization of zero-energy modes, whereas weak localization and the Anderson insulating regime are obtained for higher energies. These findings clarify the contribution of zero-energy modes to transport at the Dirac point, hitherto controversial.

Gate-tunable current partition in graphene-based topological zero lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ke; Ren, Yafei; Deng, Xinzhou; Yang, Shengyuan A.; Jung, Jeil; Qiao, Zhenhua

2017-06-01

We demonstrate new mechanisms for gate-tunable current partition at topological zero-line intersections in a graphene-based current splitter. Based on numerical calculations of the nonequilibrium Green's functions and Landauer-Büttiker formula, we show that the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field on the order of a few Teslas allows for carrier sign dependent current routing. In the zero-field limit the control on current routing and partition can be achieved within a range of 10-90 % of the total incoming current by tuning the carrier density at tilted intersections or by modifying the relative magnitude of the bulk band gaps via gate voltage. We discuss the implications of our findings in the design of topological zero-line networks where finite orbital magnetic moments are expected when the current partition is asymmetric.

Adaptive metalenses with simultaneous electrical control of focal length, astigmatism, and shift.

PubMed

She, Alan; Zhang, Shuyan; Shian, Samuel; Clarke, David R; Capasso, Federico

2018-02-01

Focal adjustment and zooming are universal features of cameras and advanced optical systems. Such tuning is usually performed longitudinally along the optical axis by mechanical or electrical control of focal length. However, the recent advent of ultrathin planar lenses based on metasurfaces (metalenses), which opens the door to future drastic miniaturization of mobile devices such as cell phones and wearable displays, mandates fundamentally different forms of tuning based on lateral motion rather than longitudinal motion. Theory shows that the strain field of a metalens substrate can be directly mapped into the outgoing optical wavefront to achieve large diffraction-limited focal length tuning and control of aberrations. We demonstrate electrically tunable large-area metalenses controlled by artificial muscles capable of simultaneously performing focal length tuning (>100%) as well as on-the-fly astigmatism and image shift corrections, which until now were only possible in electron optics. The device thickness is only 30 μm. Our results demonstrate the possibility of future optical microscopes that fully operate electronically, as well as compact optical systems that use the principles of adaptive optics to correct many orders of aberrations simultaneously.

Quantum transport in coupled resonators enclosed synthetic magnetic flux

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jin, L., E-mail: jinliang@nankai.edu.cn

Quantum transport properties are instrumental to understanding quantum coherent transport processes. Potential applications of quantum transport are widespread, in areas ranging from quantum information science to quantum engineering, and not restricted to quantum state transfer, control and manipulation. Here, we study light transport in a ring array of coupled resonators enclosed synthetic magnetic flux. The ring configuration, with an arbitrary number of resonators embedded, forms a two-arm Aharonov–Bohm interferometer. The influence of magnetic flux on light transport is investigated. Tuning the magnetic flux can lead to resonant transmission, while half-integer magnetic flux quantum leads to completely destructive interference and transmissionmore » zeros in an interferometer with two equal arms. -- Highlights: •The light transport is investigated through ring array of coupled resonators enclosed synthetic magnetic field. •Aharonov–Bohm ring interferometer of arbitrary configuration is investigated. •The half-integer magnetic flux quantum leads to destructive interference and transmission zeros for two-arm at equal length. •Complete transmission is available via tuning synthetic magnetic flux.« less

Proton Injection into the Fermilab Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prebys, Eric; Antipov, Sergey; Piekarz, Henryk

The Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) is an experimental synchrotron being built at Fermilab to test the concept of non-linear "integrable optics". These optics are based on a lattice including non-linear elements that satisfies particular conditions on the Hamiltonian. The resulting particle motion is predicted to be stable but without a unique tune. The system is therefore insensitive to resonant instabilities and can in principle store very intense beams, with space charge tune shifts larger than those which are possible in conventional linear synchrotrons. The ring will initially be tested with pencil electron beams, but this poster describes the ultimatemore » plan to install a 2.5 MeV RFQ to inject protons, which will produce tune shifts on the order of unity. Technical details will be presented, as well as simulations of protons in the ring.« less

Two-phase charge-coupled device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kosonocky, W. F.; Carnes, J. E.

1973-01-01

A charge-transfer efficiency of 99.99% per stage was achieved in the fat-zero mode of operation of 64- and 128-stage two-phase charge-coupled shift registers at 1.0-MHz clock frequency. The experimental two-phase charge-coupled shift registers were constructed in the form of polysilicon gates overlapped by aluminum gates. The unidirectional signal flow was accomplished by using n-type substrates with 0.5 to 1.0 ohm-cm resistivity in conjunction with a channel oxide thickness of 1000 A for the polysilicon gates and 3000 A for the aluminum gates. The operation of the tested shift registers with fat zero is in good agreement with the free-charge transfer characteristics expected for the tested structures. The charge-transfer losses observed when operating the experimental shift registers without the fat zero are attributed to fast interface state trapping. The analytical part of the report contains a review backed up by an extensive appendix of the free-charge transfer characteristics of CCD's in terms of thermal diffusion, self-induced drift, and fringing field drift. Also, a model was developed for the charge-transfer losses resulting from charge trapping by fast interface states. The proposed model was verified by the operation of the experimental two-phase charge-coupled shift registers.

Stay tuned: active amplification tunes tree cricket ears to track temperature-dependent song frequency.

PubMed

Mhatre, Natasha; Pollack, Gerald; Mason, Andrew

2016-04-01

Tree cricket males produce tonal songs, used for mate attraction and male-male interactions. Active mechanics tunes hearing to conspecific song frequency. However, tree cricket song frequency increases with temperature, presenting a problem for tuned listeners. We show that the actively amplified frequency increases with temperature, thus shifting mechanical and neuronal auditory tuning to maintain a match with conspecific song frequency. Active auditory processes are known from several taxa, but their adaptive function has rarely been demonstrated. We show that tree crickets harness active processes to ensure that auditory tuning remains matched to conspecific song frequency, despite changing environmental conditions and signal characteristics. Adaptive tuning allows tree crickets to selectively detect potential mates or rivals over large distances and is likely to bestow a strong selective advantage by reducing mate-finding effort and facilitating intermale interactions. © 2016 The Author(s).

Electroencephalography Based Fusion Two-Dimensional (2D)-Convolution Neural Networks (CNN) Model for Emotion Recognition System.

PubMed

Kwon, Yea-Hoon; Shin, Sae-Byuk; Kim, Shin-Dug

2018-04-30

The purpose of this study is to improve human emotional classification accuracy using a convolution neural networks (CNN) model and to suggest an overall method to classify emotion based on multimodal data. We improved classification performance by combining electroencephalogram (EEG) and galvanic skin response (GSR) signals. GSR signals are preprocessed using by the zero-crossing rate. Sufficient EEG feature extraction can be obtained through CNN. Therefore, we propose a suitable CNN model for feature extraction by tuning hyper parameters in convolution filters. The EEG signal is preprocessed prior to convolution by a wavelet transform while considering time and frequency simultaneously. We use a database for emotion analysis using the physiological signals open dataset to verify the proposed process, achieving 73.4% accuracy, showing significant performance improvement over the current best practice models.

The influence of surround suppression on adaptation effects in primary visual cortex

PubMed Central

Wissig, Stephanie C.

2012-01-01

Adaptation, the prolonged presentation of stimuli, has been used to probe mechanisms of visual processing in physiological, imaging, and perceptual studies. Previous neurophysiological studies have measured adaptation effects by using stimuli tailored to evoke robust responses in individual neurons. This approach provides an incomplete view of how an adapter alters the representation of sensory stimuli by a population of neurons with diverse functional properties. We implanted microelectrode arrays in primary visual cortex (V1) of macaque monkeys and measured orientation tuning and contrast sensitivity in populations of neurons before and after prolonged adaptation. Whereas previous studies in V1 have reported that adaptation causes stimulus-specific suppression of responsivity and repulsive shifts in tuning preference, we have found that adaptation can also lead to response facilitation and shifts in tuning toward the adapter. To explain this range of effects, we have proposed and tested a simple model that employs stimulus-specific suppression in both the receptive field and the spatial surround. The predicted effects on tuning depend on the relative drive provided by the adapter to these two receptive field components. Our data reveal that adaptation can have a much richer repertoire of effects on neuronal responsivity and tuning than previously considered and suggest an intimate mechanistic relationship between spatial and temporal contextual effects. PMID:22423001

Analytical investigation of the dynamics of tethered constellations in Earth orbit, phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lorenzini, E. C.; Arnold, D. A.; Grossi, M. D.; Gullahorn, G. E.

1986-01-01

The g-tuning maneuvers of a 3-mass, vertical tethered system are considered. In particular, the case of reaching a zero-g acceleration level on board the middle mass from a non-zero initial condition is analyzed. A control law that provides a satisfactory transient response is derived. The constellation dynamics in the case of the middle mass travelling from one tether tip to the other is also investigated. Instabilities that take place at the end of the maneuver are analyzed and accommodated by devising suitable damping algorithms.

Quasiperiodic waves at the onset of zero-Prandtl-number convection with rotation.

PubMed

Kumar, Krishna; Chaudhuri, Sanjay; Das, Alaka

2002-02-01

We show the possibility of temporally quasiperiodic waves at the onset of thermal convection in a thin horizontal layer of slowly rotating zero-Prandtl-number Boussinesq fluid confined between stress-free conducting boundaries. Two independent frequencies emerge due to an interaction between straight rolls and waves along these rolls in the presence of Coriolis force, if the Taylor number is raised above a critical value. Constructing a dynamical system for the hydrodynamical problem, the competition between the interacting instabilities is analyzed. The forward bifurcation from the conductive state is self-tuned.

Persistent current and zero-energy Majorana modes in a p -wave disordered superconducting ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nava, Andrea; Giuliano, Rosa; Campagnano, Gabriele; Giuliano, Domenico

2017-04-01

We discuss the emergence of zero-energy Majorana modes in a disordered finite-length p -wave one-dimensional superconducting ring, pierced by a magnetic flux Φ tuned at an appropriate value Φ =Φ* . In the absence of fermion parity conservation, we evidence the emergence of the Majorana modes by looking at the discontinuities in the persistent current I [Φ ] at Φ =Φ* . By monitoring the discontinuities in I [Φ ] , we map out the region in parameter space characterized by the emergence of Majorana modes in the disordered ring.

Distribution of mean Doppler shift, spectral width, and skewness of coherent 50-MHz auroral radar backscatter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Watermann, J.; McNamara, A.G.; Sofko, G.J.

Some 7,700 radio aurora spectra obtained from a six link 50-MHz CW radar network set up on the Canadian prairies were analyzed with respect to the distributions of mean Doppler shift, spectral width and skewness. A comparison with recently published SABRE results obtained at 153 MHz shows substantial differences in the distributions which are probably due to different experimental and geophysical conditions. The spectra are mostly broad with mean Doppler shifts close to zero (type II spectra). The typical groupings of type I and type III spectra are clearly identified. All types appear to be in general much more symmetricmore » than those recorded with SABRE, and the skewness is only weakly dependent on the sign of the mean Doppler shift. Its distribution peaks near zero and shows a weak positive correlation with the type II Doppler shifts while the mostly positive type I Doppler shifts are slightly negatively correlated with the skewness.« less

Tuning selective reflection of light by surface anchoring in cholesteric cells with oblique helicoidal structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iadlovska, Olena S.; Maxwell, Graham R.; Babakhanova, Greta; Mehl, Georg H.; Welch, Christopher; Shiyanovskii, Sergij V.; Lavrentovich, Oleg D.

2018-04-01

Selective reflection of light by oblique helicoidal cholesteric (ChOH) can be tuned in a very broad spectral range by an applied electric field. In this work, we demonstrate that the peak wavelength of the selective reflection can be controlled by surface alignment of the director in sandwich cells. The peak wavelength is blue-shifted when the surface alignment is perpendicular to the bounding plates and red-shifted when it is planar. The effect is explained by the electric field redistribution within the cell caused by spatially varying heliconical ChOH structure. The observed phenomenon can be used in sensing applications.

Frequency-tuning input-shaped manifold-based switching control for underactuated space robot equipped with flexible appendages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kojima, Hirohisa; Ieda, Shoko; Kasai, Shinya

2014-08-01

Underactuated control problems, such as the control of a space robot without actuators on the main body, have been widely investigated. However, few studies have examined attitude control problems of underactuated space robots equipped with a flexible appendage, such as solar panels. In order to suppress vibration in flexible appendages, a zero-vibration input-shaping technique was applied to the link motion of an underactuated planar space robot. However, because the vibrational frequency depends on the link angles, simple input-shaping control methods cannot sufficiently suppress the vibration. In this paper, the dependency of the vibrational frequency on the link angles is measured experimentally, and the time-delay interval of the input shaper is then tuned based on the frequency estimated from the link angles. The proposed control method is referred to as frequency-tuning input-shaped manifold-based switching control (frequency-tuning IS-MBSC). The experimental results reveal that frequency-tuning IS-MBSC is capable of controlling the link angles and the main body attitude to maintain the target angles and that the vibration suppression performance of the proposed frequency-tuning IS-MBSC is better than that of a non-tuning IS-MBSC, which does not take the frequency variation into consideration.

Blue Shifting Tuning of the Selective Reflection of Polymer Stabilized Cholesteric Liquid Crystals (Postprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-08-08

deformation then affects the anchoring of the low-molar mass CLC mixture resulting in broadening of the reflection band due to nonuniformity in the pitch...confirmed that the tuning is a result of nonuniform pitch displacement across the cell gap.17 In this contribution, we report on the realization of yet

Simultaneous control of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and magnetic anisotropy in nanomagnetic trilayers

DOE PAGES

Balk, Andrew; Kim, Kyoung-Whan; Pierce, Daniel T.; ...

2017-08-17

Magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) microscopy measurements of magnetic bubble domains demonstrate that Ar + irradiation around 100 eV can tune the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) in Pt/Co/Pt trilayers. Varying the irradiation energy and dose changes the DMI sign and magnitude separately from the magnetic anisotropy, allowing tuning of the DMI while holding the coercive field constant. This simultaneous control emphasizes the different physical origins of these effects. To accurately measure the DMI, we propose and apply a physical model for a poorly understood peak in domain wall velocity at zero in-plane field. Finally, the ability to tune the DMI with themore » spatial resolution of the Ar + irradiation enables new fundamental investigations and technological applications of chiral nanomagnetics.« less

Bubble inductors: Pneumatic tuning of a stretchable inductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazarus, Nathan; Bedair, Sarah S.

2018-05-01

From adaptive matching networks in power systems to channel selectable RF filters and circuitry, tunable inductors are fundamental components for circuits requiring reconfigurability. Here we demonstrate a new continuously tunable inductor based on physically stretching the inductor traces themselves. Liquid-metal-based stretchable conductors are wrapped around a pneumatic bubble actuator, allowing the inductor to be collapsed or expanded by application of pressure. In vacuum the bubble collapses, bringing the loop area to nearly zero, while positive pressure brings a dramatic increase in area and loop inductance. Using this approach, the inductor demonstrated in this work was able to achieve a tuning ratio of 2.6 with 1-2 second response time. With conductors available that can stretch by hundreds of percent, this technique is promising for very large tuning ratios in continuously tunable inductors.

Ankle foot orthosis-footwear combination tuning: an investigation into common clinical practice in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Eddison, Nicola; Chockalingam, Nachiappan; Osborne, Stephen

2015-04-01

Ankle foot orthoses are used to treat a wide variety of gait pathologies. Ankle foot orthosis-footwear combination tuning should be routine clinical practice when prescribing an ankle foot orthosis. Current research suggests that failure to tune ankle foot orthosis-footwear combinations can lead to immediate detrimental effect on function, and in the longer term, it may actually contribute to deterioration. The purpose of this preliminary study was to identify the current level of knowledge clinicians have in the United Kingdom regarding ankle foot orthosis-footwear combination tuning and to investigate common clinical practice regarding ankle foot orthosis-footwear combination tuning among UK orthotists. Cross-sectional survey. A prospective study employing a multi-item questionnaire was sent out to registered orthotists and uploaded on to the official website of British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists to be accessed by their members. A total of 41 completed questionnaires were received. The results demonstrate that only 50% of participants use ankle foot orthosis-footwear combination tuning as standard clinical practice. The most prevalent factors preventing participants from carrying out ankle foot orthosis-footwear combination tuning are a lack of access to three-dimensional gait analysis equipment (37%) and a lack of time available in their clinics (27%). Although, ankle foot orthosis-footwear combination tuning has been identified as an essential aspect of the prescription of ankle foot orthoses, the results of this study show a lack of understanding of the key principles behind ankle foot orthosis-footwear combination tuning. © The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics 2014.

Sub-micrometer epsilon-near-zero electroabsorption modulators enabled by high-mobility cadmium oxide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Campione, Salvatore; Wood, Michael; Serkland, Darwin K.

Here, epsilon-near-zero materials provide a new path for tailoring light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. In this paper, we analyze a compact electroabsorption modulator based on epsilon-near-zero confinement in transparent conducting oxide films. The non-resonant modulator operates through field-effect carrier density tuning. We compare the performance of modulators composed of two different conducting oxides, namely indium oxide (In2O3) and cadmium oxide (CdO), and show that better modulation performance is achieved when using high-mobility (i.e. low-loss) epsilon-near-zero materials such as CdO. In particular, we show that non-resonant electroabsorption modulators with sub-micron lengths and greater than 5 dB extinction ratios may be achievedmore » through the proper selection of high-mobility transparent conducting oxides, opening a path for device miniaturization and increased modulation depth.« less

Sub-micrometer epsilon-near-zero electroabsorption modulators enabled by high-mobility cadmium oxide

DOE PAGES

Campione, Salvatore; Wood, Michael; Serkland, Darwin K.; ...

2017-07-06

Here, epsilon-near-zero materials provide a new path for tailoring light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. In this paper, we analyze a compact electroabsorption modulator based on epsilon-near-zero confinement in transparent conducting oxide films. The non-resonant modulator operates through field-effect carrier density tuning. We compare the performance of modulators composed of two different conducting oxides, namely indium oxide (In2O3) and cadmium oxide (CdO), and show that better modulation performance is achieved when using high-mobility (i.e. low-loss) epsilon-near-zero materials such as CdO. In particular, we show that non-resonant electroabsorption modulators with sub-micron lengths and greater than 5 dB extinction ratios may be achievedmore » through the proper selection of high-mobility transparent conducting oxides, opening a path for device miniaturization and increased modulation depth.« less

Controllability of the Coulomb charging energy in close-packed nanoparticle arrays.

PubMed

Duan, Chao; Wang, Ying; Sun, Jinling; Guan, Changrong; Grunder, Sergio; Mayor, Marcel; Peng, Lianmao; Liao, Jianhui

2013-11-07

We studied the electronic transport properties of metal nanoparticle arrays, particularly focused on the Coulomb charging energy. By comparison, we confirmed that it is more reasonable to estimate the Coulomb charging energy using the activation energy from the temperature-dependent zero-voltage conductance. Based on this, we systematically and comprehensively investigated the parameters that could be used to tune the Coulomb charging energy in nanoparticle arrays. We found that four parameters, including the particle core size, the inter-particle distance, the nearest neighboring number, and the dielectric constant of ligand molecules, could significantly tune the Coulomb charging energy.

Electromagnetic scattering by a uniaxial anisotropic sphere located in an off-axis Bessel beam.

PubMed

Qu, Tan; Wu, Zhen-Sen; Shang, Qing-Chao; Li, Zheng-Jun; Bai, Lu

2013-08-01

Electromagnetic scattering of a zero-order Bessel beam by an anisotropic spherical particle in the off-axis configuration is investigated. Based on the spherical vector wave functions, the expansion expression of the zero-order Bessel beam is derived, and its convergence is numerically discussed in detail. Utilizing the tangential continuity of the electromagnetic fields, the expressions of scattering coefficients are given. The effects of the conical angle of the wave vector components of the zero-order Bessel beam, the ratio of the radius of the sphere to the central spot radius of the zero-order Bessel beam, the shift of the beam waist center position along both the x and y axes, the permittivity and permeability tensor elements, and the loss of the sphere on the radar cross section (RCS) are numerically analyzed. It is revealed that the maximum RCS appears in the conical direction or neighboring direction when the sphere is illuminated by a zero-order Bessel beam. Furthermore, the RCS will decrease and the symmetry is broken with the shift of the beam waist center.

Tuning Superconductivity in FeSe Thin Films via Magnesium Doping.

PubMed

Qiu, Wenbin; Ma, Zongqing; Liu, Yongchang; Shahriar Al Hossain, Mohammed; Wang, Xiaolin; Cai, Chuanbing; Dou, Shi Xue

2016-03-01

In contrast to its bulk crystal, the FeSe thin film or layer exhibits better superconductivity performance, which recently attracted much interest in its fundamental research as well as in potential applications around the world. In the present work, tuning superconductivity in FeSe thin films was achieved by magnesium-doping technique. Tc is significantly enhanced from 10.7 K in pure FeSe films to 13.4 K in optimized Mg-doped ones, which is approximately 1.5 times higher than that of bulk crystals. This is the first time achieving the enhancement of superconducting transition temperature in FeSe thin films with practical thickness (120 nm) via a simple Mg-doping process. Moreover, these Mg-doped FeSe films are quite stable in atmosphere with Hc2 up to 32.7 T and Tc(zero) up to 12 K, respectively, implying their outstanding potential for practical applications in high magnetic fields. It was found that Mg enters the matrix of FeSe lattice, and does not react with FeSe forming any other secondary phase. Actually, Mg first occupies Fe-vacancies, and then substitutes for some Fe in the FeSe crystal lattices when Fe-vacancies are fully filled. Simultaneously, external Mg-doping introduces sufficient electron doping and induces the variation of electron carrier concentration according to Hall coefficient measurements. This is responsible for the evolution of superconducting performance in FeSe thin films. Our results provide a new strategy to improve the superconductivity of 11 type Fe-based superconductors and will help us to understand the intrinsic mechanism of this unconventional superconducting system.

Analytical minimization of synchronicity errors in stochastic identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernal, D.

2018-01-01

An approach to minimize error due to synchronicity faults in stochastic system identification is presented. The scheme is based on shifting the time domain signals so the phases of the fundamental eigenvector estimated from the spectral density are zero. A threshold on the mean of the amplitude-weighted absolute value of these phases, above which signal shifting is deemed justified, is derived and found to be proportional to the first mode damping ratio. It is shown that synchronicity faults do not map precisely to phasor multiplications in subspace identification and that the accuracy of spectral density estimated eigenvectors, for inputs with arbitrary spectral density, decrease with increasing mode number. Selection of a corrective strategy based on signal alignment, instead of eigenvector adjustment using phasors, is shown to be the product of the foregoing observations. Simulations that include noise and non-classical damping suggest that the scheme can provide sufficient accuracy to be of practical value.

Self-tuning pressure-feedback control by pole placement for vibration reduction of excavator with independent metering fluid power system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Ruqi; Xu, Bing; Zhang, Junhui; Cheng, Min

2017-08-01

Independent metering control systems are promising fluid power technologies compared with traditional valve controlled systems. By breaking the mechanical coupling between the inlet and outlet, the meter-out valve can open as large as possible to reduce energy consumptions. However, the lack of damping in outlet causes stronger vibrations. To address the problem, the paper designs a hybrid control method combining dynamic pressure-feedback and active damping control. The innovation resides in the optimization of damping by introducing pressure feedback to make trade-offs between high stability and fast response. To achieve this goal, the dynamic response pertaining to the control parameters consisting of feedback gain and cut-off frequency, are analyzed via pole-zero locations. Accordingly, these parameters are tuned online in terms of guaranteed dominant pole placement such that the optimal damping can be accurately captured under a considerable variation of operating conditions. The experiment is deployed in a mini-excavator. The results pertaining to different control parameters confirm the theoretical expectations via pole-zero locations. By using proposed self-tuning controller, the vibrations are almost eliminated after only one overshoot for different operation conditions. The overshoots are also reduced with less decrease of the response time. In addition, the energy-saving capability of independent metering system is still not affected by the improvement of controllability.

Differential Resonant Ring YIG Tuned Oscillator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parrott, Ronald A.

2010-01-01

A differential SiGe oscillator circuit uses a resonant ring-oscillator topology in order to electronically tune the oscillator over multi-octave bandwidths. The oscillator s tuning is extremely linear, because the oscillator s frequency depends on the magnetic tuning of a YIG sphere, whose resonant frequency is equal to a fundamental constant times the DC magnetic field. This extremely simple circuit topology uses two coupling loops connecting a differential pair of SiGe bipolar transistors into a feedback configuration using a YIG tuned filter creating a closed-loop ring oscillator. SiGe device technology is used for this oscillator in order to keep the transistor s 1/f noise to an absolute minimum in order to achieve minimum RF phase noise. The single-end resonant ring oscillator currently has an advantage in fewer parts, but when the oscillation frequency is greater than 16 GHz, the package s parasitic behavior couples energy to the sphere and causes holes and poor phase noise performance. This is because the coupling to the YIG is extremely low, so that the oscillator operates at near the unloaded Q. With the differential resonant ring oscillator, the oscillation currents are just in the YIG coupling mechanisms. The phase noise is even better, and the physical size can be reduced to permit monolithic microwave integrated circuit oscillators. This invention is a YIG tuned oscillator circuit making use of a differential topology to simultaneously achieve an extremely broadband electronic tuning range and ultra-low phase noise. As a natural result of its differential circuit topology, all reactive elements, such as tuning stubs, which limit tuning bandwidth by contributing excessive open loop phase shift, have been eliminated. The differential oscillator s open-loop phase shift is associated with completely non-dispersive circuit elements such as the physical angle of the coupling loops, a differential loop crossover, and the high-frequency phase shift of the n-p-n transistors. At the input of the oscillator s feedback loop is a pair of differentially connected n-p-n SiGe transistors that provides extremely high gain, and because they are bulk-effect devices, extremely low 1/f noise (leading to ultralow RF phase noise). The 1/f corner frequency for n-p-n SiGe transistors is approximately 500 Hz. The RF energy from the transistor s collector output is connected directly to the top-coupling loop (the excitation loop) of a single-sphere YIG tuned filter. A uniform magnetic field to bias the YIG must be at a right angle to any vector associated with an RF current in a coupling loop in order for the precession to interact with the RF currents.

Superfluidity of 4He in dense aerogel studied using quartz tuning fork

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumoto, K.; Okamoto, R.; Nakajima, A.; Abe, S.

2018-03-01

Superfluid 4He in aerogel is of interest because it has a normal component coupling to gel strand due to viscosity and a superfluid component with zero viscosity. Superfluid helium in aerogel has two sound modes, a slow critical mode and a fast one. In this study, quartz tuning fork was used in order to study acoustic properties of liquid 4He in aerogel with 90% porosity. Two pieces of aerogel were glued on both prongs of quartz tuning fork that had a resonance frequency of 33 kHz. The tuning fork was immersed in liquid 4He from 2 to 20 bar. The resonance frequency increased in the superfluid phase due to decrease in loaded mass. Temperature variation of resonance frequency was explained by that of superfluid density. Superfluid transition in aerogel was 2 mK lower than that without gel. Additional dissipation was observed in the temperature range between 1 K and transition temperature.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bai,M.; Ptitsyn, V.; Roser, T.

To keep the spin tune in the spin depolarizing resonance free region is required for accelerating polarized protons to high energy. In RHIC, two snakes are located at the opposite side of each accelerator. They are configured to yield a spin tune of 1/2. Two pairs of spin rotators are located at either side of two detectors in each ring in RHIC to provide longitudinal polarization for the experiments. Since the spin rotation from vertical to longitudinal is localized between the two rotators, the spin rotators do not change the spin tune. However, due to the imperfection of the orbitsmore » around the snakes and rotators, the spin tune can be shifted. This note presents the impact of the horizontal orbital angle between the two snakes on the spin tune, as well as the effect of the vertical orbital angle between two rotators at either side of the collision point on the spin tune.« less

40 CFR 63.11223 - How do I demonstrate continuous compliance with the work practice and management practice standards?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... a part of the tune-up of the boiler. (iii) The type and amount of fuel used over the 12 months prior... tune-up, the tune-up must be conducted within one week of startup. (c) If you own or operate an... must minimize the boiler's time spent during startup and shutdown following the manufacturer's...

Improved Intrapulse Raman Scattering Control via Asymmetric Airy Pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Yi; Tehranchi, Amirhossein; Wabnitz, Stefan; Kashyap, Raman; Chen, Zhigang; Morandotti, Roberto

2015-02-01

We experimentally demonstrate the possibility of tuning the frequency of a laser pulse via the use of an Airy pulse-seeded soliton self-frequency shift. The intrinsically asymmetric nature of Airy pulses, typically featured by either leading or trailing oscillatory tails (relatively to the main lobe), is revealed through the nonlinear generation of both a primary and a secondary Raman soliton self-frequency shift, a phenomenon which is driven by the soliton fission processes. The resulting frequency shift can be carefully controlled by using time-reversed Airy pulses or, alternatively, by applying an offset to the cubic phase modulation used to generate the pulses. When compared with the use of conventional chirped Gaussian pulses, our technique brings about unique advantages in terms of both efficient frequency tuning and feasibility, along with the generation and control of multicolor Raman solitons with enhanced tunability. Our theoretical analysis agrees well with our experimental observations.

Air-mass flux measurement system using Doppler-shifted filtered Rayleigh scattering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shirley, John A.; Winter, Michael

1993-01-01

An optical system has been investigated to measure mass flux distributions in the inlet of a high speed air-breathing propulsion system. Rayleigh scattered light from air is proportional to the number density of molecules and hence can be used to ascertain the gas density in a calibrated system. Velocity field measurements are achieved by spectrally filtering the elastically-scattered Doppler-shifted light with an absorbing molecular filter. A novel anamorphic optical collection system is used which allows optical rays from different scattering angles, that have different Doppler shifts, to be recorded separately. This is shown to obviate the need to tune the laser through the absorption to determine velocities, while retaining the ability to make spatially-resolved measurements along a line. By properly selecting the laser tuning and filter parameters, simultaneous density measurements can be made. These properties are discussed in the paper and experiments demonstrating the velocimetry capability are described.

Dependence of NMR noise line shapes on tuning, matching, and transmission line properties

PubMed Central

Bendet-Taicher, Eli; Müller, Norbert; Jerschow, Alexej

2014-01-01

The tuning and matching conditions of rf circuits, as well as the properties of the transmission lines connecting these to the preamplifier, have direct consequences for NMR probe sensitivity and as for the optimum delivery of rf power to the sample. In addition, tuning/matching conditions influence radiation damping effects, which manifest themselves as fast signal flip-back and line broadening effects, and can lead to concentration-dependent frequency shifts. Previous studies have also shown that the appearance of spin-noise and absorbed circuit noise signals heavily depended on tuning settings. Consequently, all these phenomena are linked together. The mutual connections and interdependences of these effects are highlighted and reviewed here. PMID:25505374

Precision tuning of InAs quantum dot emission wavelength by iterative laser annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubowski, Jan J.; Stanowski, Radoslaw; Dalacu, Dan; Poole, Philip J.

2018-07-01

Controlling the emission wavelength of quantum dots (QDs) over large surface area wafers is challenging to achieve directly through epitaxial growth methods. We have investigated an innovative post growth laser-based tuning procedure of the emission of self-assembled InAs QDs grown epitaxially on InP (001). A targeted blue shift of the emission is achieved with a series of iterative steps, with photoluminescence diagnostics employed between the steps to monitor the result of intermixing. We demonstrate tuning of the emission wavelength of ensembles of QDs to within approximately ±1 nm, while potentially better precision should be achievable for tuning the emission of individual QDs.

Interplay between spin-orbit coupling and crystal-field effect in topological insulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hyungjun; Yazyev, Oleg V.

2015-07-01

Band inversion, one of the key signatures of time-reversal invariant topological insulators (TIs), arises mostly due to the spin-orbit (SO) coupling. Here, based on ab initio density-functional calculations, we report a theoretical investigation of the SO-driven band inversion in isostructural bismuth and antimony chalcogenide TIs from the viewpoint of its interplay with the crystal-field effect. We calculate the SO-induced energy shift of states in the top valence and bottom conduction manifolds and reproduce this behavior using a simple one-atom model adjusted to incorporate the crystal-field effect. The crystal-field splitting is shown to compete with the SO coupling, that is, stronger crystal-field splitting leads to weaker SO band shift. We further show how both these effects can be controlled by changing the chemical composition, whereas the crystal-field splitting can be tuned by means of uniaxial strain. These results provide a practical guidance to the rational design of novel TIs as well as to controlling the properties of existing materials.

Robust PI and PID design for first- and second-order processes with zeros, time-delay and structured uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parada, M.; Sbarbaro, D.; Borges, R. A.; Peres, P. L. D.

2017-01-01

The use of robust design techniques such as the one based on ? and ? for tuning proportional integral (PI) and proportional integral derivative (PID) controllers have been limited to address a small set of processes. This work addresses the problem by considering a wide set of possible plants, both first- and second-order continuous-time systems with time delays and zeros, leading to PI and PID controllers. The use of structured uncertainties to handle neglected dynamics allows to expand the range of processes to be considered. The proposed approach takes into account the robustness of the controller with respect to these structured uncertainties by using the small-gain theorem. In addition, improved performance is sought through the minimisation of an upper bound to the closed-loop system ? norm. A Lyapunov-Krasovskii-type functional is used to obtain delay-dependent design conditions. The controller design is accomplished by means of a convex optimisation procedure formulated using linear matrix inequalities. In order to illustrate the flexibility of the approach, several examples considering recycle compensation, reduced-order controller design and a practical implementation are addressed. Numerical experiments are provided in each case to highlight the main characteristics of the proposed design method.

Jamming in Disordered and Ordered States: From RLP to FCC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silbert, Leonardo

2011-03-01

The concept of jamming was originally introduced in the context of zero-temperature, frictionless sphere packings through which the jamming transition was identified with the more familiar idea of random close packing. More recently, the jamming behaviour for particles with friction has led to a practical definition of the less well-defined random loose packed limit. However, there are a number of subtleties associated with jamming that extend these concepts further. Here we implement a range of protocols to generate jammed packings both with and without friction, and find that the jamming transition actually consists of a finite region in packing fraction depending on the protocol used to create the jammed state. Furthermore, we examine how it is possible to tune the structural properties of jammed packings from the disordered regime through to the ordered face centred cubic lattice, and the subsequent changes in the jamming properties as the structure is manipulated. Supported by NSF CBET-0828359.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Breznay, Nicholas P.; Tendulkar, Mihir; Zhang, Li

Here, we study the two-dimensional superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) in thin films of tantalum nitride. At zero magnetic field, films can be disorder-tuned across the SIT by adjusting thickness and film stoichiometry; insulating films exhibit classical hopping transport. Superconducting films exhibit a magnetic-field-tuned SIT, whose insulating ground state at high field appears to be a quantum-corrected metal. Scaling behavior at the field-tuned SIT shows classical percolation critical exponents zν ≈ 1.3, with a corresponding critical field H c << H c2, the upper critical field. The Hall effect exhibits a crossing point near H c, but with a nonuniversal critical valuemore » ρ c xy comparable to the normal-state Hall resistivity. We propose that high-carrier-density metals will always exhibit this pattern of behavior at the boundary between superconducting and (trivially) insulating ground states.« less

Superconductor to weak-insulator transitions in disordered tantalum nitride films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breznay, Nicholas P.; Tendulkar, Mihir; Zhang, Li; Lee, Sang-Chul; Kapitulnik, Aharon

2017-10-01

We study the two-dimensional superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) in thin films of tantalum nitride. At zero magnetic field, films can be disorder-tuned across the SIT by adjusting thickness and film stoichiometry; insulating films exhibit classical hopping transport. Superconducting films exhibit a magnetic-field-tuned SIT, whose insulating ground state at high field appears to be a quantum-corrected metal. Scaling behavior at the field-tuned SIT shows classical percolation critical exponents z ν ≈1.3 , with a corresponding critical field Hc≪Hc 2 , the upper critical field. The Hall effect exhibits a crossing point near Hc, but with a nonuniversal critical value ρxy c comparable to the normal-state Hall resistivity. We propose that high-carrier-density metals will always exhibit this pattern of behavior at the boundary between superconducting and (trivially) insulating ground states.

Precision measurement of transition matrix elements via light shift cancellation.

PubMed

Herold, C D; Vaidya, V D; Li, X; Rolston, S L; Porto, J V; Safronova, M S

2012-12-14

We present a method for accurate determination of atomic transition matrix elements at the 10(-3) level. Measurements of the ac Stark (light) shift around "magic-zero" wavelengths, where the light shift vanishes, provide precise constraints on the matrix elements. We make the first measurement of the 5s - 6p matrix elements in rubidium by measuring the light shift around the 421 and 423 nm zeros through diffraction of a condensate off a sequence of standing wave pulses. In conjunction with existing theoretical and experimental data, we find 0.3235(9)ea(0) and 0.5230(8)ea(0) for the 5s - 6p(1/2) and 5s - 6p(3/2) elements, respectively, an order of magnitude more accurate than the best theoretical values. This technique can provide needed, accurate matrix elements for many atoms, including those used in atomic clocks, tests of fundamental symmetries, and quantum information.

Near-field spectral shift of a zero-order Bessel beam scattered from a spherical particle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Feinan; Li, Jia; Belafhal, Abdelmajid; Chafiq, Abdelghani; Sun, Xiaobing

2018-06-01

Within the accuracy of the first-order Born approximation, expressions are derived for the near-zone spectrum of a zero-order Bessel beam scattered from a spherical particle whose correlation function satisfies a Gaussian distribution. The dependence of the spectral shift and spectral switch of the scattered field on the effective size of the scattering potential (ESSP) are determined by numerical simulations. It is shown that the spectral shift of the scattered field does not occur along the longitudinal propagation direction. Furthermore, when the medium’s ESSP is comparable with the central wavelength of the beam, the spectrum of the scattered field loses the Gaussian distribution and exhibits a blue shift as the reference point sufficiently far away from central origin. These results may have prospective applications in guiding tiny particles when the near-zone spectrums of scattered beams are captured and analyzed.

Nonlinear electro-optic tuning of plasmonic nano-filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotb, Rehab; Ismail, Yehea; Swillam, Mohamed A.

2015-03-01

Efficient, easy and accurate tuning techniques to a plasmonic nano-filter are investigated. The proposed filter supports both blue and red shift in the resonance wavelength. By varying the refractive index with a very small change (in the order of 10-3), the resonance wavelength can be controlled efficiently. Using Pockels material, an electrical tuning to the response of the filter is demonstrated. In addition, the behavior of the proposed filter can be controlled optically using Kerr material. A new approach of multi-stage electro-optic controlling is introduced. By cascading two stages and filling the first stage with pockels material and the second stage with kerr material, the output response of the second stage can be controlled by controlling the output response of the first stage electrically. Due to the sharp response of the proposed filter, 60nm shift in the resonance wavelength per 10 voltages is achieved. This nano-filter has compact size, low loss, sharp response and wide range of tunabilty which is highly demandable in many biological and sensing applications.

Attention during natural vision warps semantic representation across the human brain.

PubMed

Çukur, Tolga; Nishimoto, Shinji; Huth, Alexander G; Gallant, Jack L

2013-06-01

Little is known about how attention changes the cortical representation of sensory information in humans. On the basis of neurophysiological evidence, we hypothesized that attention causes tuning changes to expand the representation of attended stimuli at the cost of unattended stimuli. To investigate this issue, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure how semantic representation changed during visual search for different object categories in natural movies. We found that many voxels across occipito-temporal and fronto-parietal cortex shifted their tuning toward the attended category. These tuning shifts expanded the representation of the attended category and of semantically related, but unattended, categories, and compressed the representation of categories that were semantically dissimilar to the target. Attentional warping of semantic representation occurred even when the attended category was not present in the movie; thus, the effect was not a target-detection artifact. These results suggest that attention dynamically alters visual representation to optimize processing of behaviorally relevant objects during natural vision.

Attention During Natural Vision Warps Semantic Representation Across the Human Brain

PubMed Central

Çukur, Tolga; Nishimoto, Shinji; Huth, Alexander G.; Gallant, Jack L.

2013-01-01

Little is known about how attention changes the cortical representation of sensory information in humans. Based on neurophysiological evidence, we hypothesized that attention causes tuning changes to expand the representation of attended stimuli at the cost of unattended stimuli. To investigate this issue we used functional MRI (fMRI) to measure how semantic representation changes when searching for different object categories in natural movies. We find that many voxels across occipito-temporal and fronto-parietal cortex shift their tuning toward the attended category. These tuning shifts expand the representation of the attended category and of semantically-related but unattended categories, and compress the representation of categories semantically-dissimilar to the target. Attentional warping of semantic representation occurs even when the attended category is not present in the movie, thus the effect is not a target-detection artifact. These results suggest that attention dynamically alters visual representation to optimize processing of behaviorally relevant objects during natural vision. PMID:23603707

Auditory steady-state evoked potentials vs. compound action potentials for the measurement of suppression tuning curves in the sedated dog puppy.

PubMed

Markessis, Emily; Poncelet, Luc; Colin, Cécile; Hoonhorst, Ingrid; Collet, Grégory; Deltenre, Paul; Moore, Brian C J

2010-06-01

Auditory steady-state evoked potential (ASSEP) tuning curves were compared to compound action potential (CAP) tuning curves, both measured at 2 Hz, using sedated beagle puppies. The effect of two types of masker (narrowband noise and sinusoidal) on the tuning curve parameters was assessed. Whatever the masker type, CAP tuning curve parameters were qualitatively and quantitatively similar to the ASSEP ones, with a similar inter-subject variability, but with a greater incidence of upward tip displacement. Whatever the procedure, sinusoidal maskers produced sharper tuning curves than narrow-band maskers. Although these differences are not likely to have significant implications for clinical work, from a fundamental point of view, their origin requires further investigations. The same amount of time was needed to record a CAP and an ASSEP 13-point tuning curve. The data further validate the ASSEP technique, which has the advantages of having a smaller tendency to produce upward tip shifts than the CAP technique. Moreover, being non invasive, ASSEP tuning curves can be easily repeated over time in the same subject for clinical and research purposes.

Medial Entorhinal Grid Cells and Head Direction Cells Rotate with a T-Maze More Often During Less Recently Experienced Rotations

PubMed Central

Gupta, Kishan; Beer, Nathan J.; Keller, Lauren A.; Hasselmo, Michael E.

2014-01-01

Prior studies of head direction (HD) cells indicate strong landmark control over the preferred firing direction of these cells, with few studies exhibiting shifts away from local reference frames over time. We recorded spiking activity of grid and HD cells in the medial entorhinal cortex of rats, testing correlations of local environmental cues with the spatial tuning curves of these cells' firing fields as animals performed continuous spatial alternation on a T-maze that shared the boundaries of an open-field arena. The environment was rotated into configurations the animal had either seen or not seen in the past recording week. Tuning curves of both cell types demonstrated commensurate shifts of tuning with T-maze rotations during less recent rotations, more so than recent rotations. This strongly suggests that animals are shifting their reference frame away from the local environmental cues over time, learning to use a different reference frame more likely reliant on distal or idiothetic cues. In addition, grid fields demonstrated varying levels of “fragmentation” on the T-maze. The propensity for fragmentation does not depend on grid spacing and grid score, nor animal trajectory, indicating the cognitive treatment of environmental subcompartments is likely driven by task demands. PMID:23382518

Guide star lasers for adaptive optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, William Thomas, Jr.

Exploitation of the imaging capabilities of the new generation of ground-based astronomical telescopes relies heavily on Adaptive Optics (AO). Current AO system designs call for sodium guide star lasers capable of producing at least eight Watts of power tuned to the peak of the sodium D2 line, with a high duty cycle to avoid saturation, and with 0.5-1.0 GHz spectral broadening. This work comprises development and testing of six candidate laser systems and materials which may afford a path to achieving these goals. An end-pumped CW dye laser producing 4.0 Watts of tuned output power was developed and used to obtain the first accurate measurement of sodium layer scattering efficiency. Methods of optimizing the laser output through improving pump overlap efficiency and reducing the number of intracavity scattering surfaces are covered. The 1181 nm fluorescence peak of Mn5+ ion in Ba5 (PO4)3Cl could be tuned and doubled to reach 589 nm. While efforts to grow this crystal were under way, the Mn5+ ion in natural apatite (Ca5(PO4)3F) was studied as a potential laser material. Fluorescence saturation measurements and transmission saturation are presented, as well as efforts to obtain CW lasing in natural apatite. A Q-switched laser color-center laser in LiF : F-2 was developed and successfully tuned and doubled to the sodium D 2 line. Broad-band lasing of 80 mW and tuned narrow-band lasing of 35 mW at 1178 nm were obtained with 275 mW of input pump power at 1064 nm. The measured thermal properties of this material indicate its potential for scaling to much higher power. A Q-switched intracavity Raman laser was developed in which CaWO 4 was used to shift a Nd:YAG laser, the frequency-doubled output of which was centered at 589.3 nm. To obtain light at 589.0 nm, a compositionally tuned pump laser of Nd : Y3Ga1.1Al3.9O 12 was produced which generated the desired shift, but was inhomogeneous broadened, limiting the tunable power of the material. Finally, temperature tuning of a Nd:YAG laser was demonstrated in which the laser emitted up to 8.6 Watts at a temperature of -21.5 C, bringing the wavelength into a regime favorable for efficient Raman shifting by CaWO4.

Isotope effects in liquid water probed by transmission mode x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the oxygen K-edge.

PubMed

Schreck, Simon; Wernet, Philippe

2016-09-14

The effects of isotope substitution in liquid water are probed by x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the O K-edge as measured in transmission mode. Confirming earlier x-ray Raman scattering experiments, the D2O spectrum is found to be blue shifted with respect to H2O, and the D2O spectrum to be less broadened. Following the earlier interpretations of UV and x-ray Raman spectra, the shift is related to the difference in ground-state zero-point energies between D2O and H2O, while the difference in broadening is related to the difference in ground-state vibrational zero-point distributions. We demonstrate that the transmission-mode measurements allow for determining the spectral shapes with unprecedented accuracy. Owing in addition to the increased spectral resolution and signal to noise ratio compared to the earlier measurements, the new data enable the stringent determination of blue shift and broadening in the O K-edge x-ray absorption spectrum of liquid water upon isotope substitution. The results are compared to UV absorption data, and it is discussed to which extent they reflect the differences in zero-point energies and vibrational zero-point distributions in the ground-states of the liquids. The influence of the shape of the final-state potential, inclusion of the Franck-Condon structure, and differences between liquid H2O and D2O resulting from different hydrogen-bond environments in the liquids are addressed. The differences between the O K-edge absorption spectra of water from our transmission-mode measurements and from the state-of-the-art x-ray Raman scattering experiments are discussed in addition. The experimentally extracted values of blue shift and broadening are proposed to serve as a test for calculations of ground-state zero-point energies and vibrational zero-point distributions in liquid H2O and D2O. This clearly motivates the need for new calculations of the O K-edge x-ray absorption spectrum of liquid water.

Light shift effects in the Rb-87 maser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Busca, G.; Tetu, M.; Vanier, J.

1973-01-01

Previous work has shown the possibility to overcome the dependence of the Rb-87 maser frequency on light intensity by tuning the cavity at a proper setting. The conditions for this setting, called the light-independent frequency setting (LIFS), are carefully investigated. The results presented prove the existence of the LIFS and provide a new criterion for an automatic cavity tuning of the Rb maser.

On the Tuning of High-Resolution NMR Probes

PubMed Central

Pöschko, Maria Theresia; Schlagnitweit, Judith; Huber, Gaspard; Nausner, Martin; Horničáková, Michaela; Desvaux, Hervé; Müller, Norbert

2014-01-01

Three optimum conditions for the tuning of NMR probes are compared: the conventional tuning optimum, which is based on radio-frequency pulse efficiency, the spin noise tuning optimum based on the line shape of the spin noise signal, and the newly introduced frequency shift tuning optimum, which minimizes the frequency pushing effect on strong signals. The latter results if the radiation damping feedback field is not in perfect quadrature to the precessing magnetization. According to the conventional RLC (resistor–inductor–capacitor) resonant circuit model, the optima should be identical, but significant deviations are found experimentally at low temperatures, in particular on cryogenically cooled probes. The existence of different optima with respect to frequency pushing and spin noise line shape has important consequences on the nonlinearity of spin dynamics at high polarization levels and the implementation of experiments on cold probes. PMID:25210000

Critical band masking reveals the effects of optical distortions on the channel mediating letter identification.

PubMed

Young, Laura K; Smithson, Hannah E

2014-01-01

There is evidence that letter identification is mediated by only a narrow band of spatial frequencies and that the center frequency of the neural channel thought to underlie this selectivity is related to the size of the letters. When letters are spatially filtered (at a fixed size) the channel tuning characteristics change according to the properties of the spatial filter (Majaj et al., 2002). Optical aberrations in the eye act to spatially filter the image formed on the retina-their effect is generally to attenuate high frequencies more than low frequencies but often in a non-monotonic way. We might expect the change in the spatial frequency spectrum caused by the aberration to predict the shift in channel tuning observed for aberrated letters. We show that this is not the case. We used critical-band masking to estimate channel-tuning in the presence of three types of aberration-defocus, coma and secondary astigmatism. We found that the maximum masking was shifted to lower frequencies in the presence of an aberration and that this result was not simply predicted by the spatial-frequency-dependent degradation in image quality, assessed via metrics that have previously been shown to correlate well with performance loss in the presence of an aberration. We show that if image quality effects are taken into account (using visual Strehl metrics), the neural channel required to model the data is shifted to lower frequencies compared to the control (no-aberration) condition. Additionally, we show that when spurious resolution (caused by π phase shifts in the optical transfer function) in the image is masked, the channel tuning properties for aberrated letters are affected, suggesting that there may be interference between visual channels. Even in the presence of simulated aberrations, whose properties change from trial-to-trial, observers exhibit flexibility in selecting the spatial frequencies that support letter identification.

Design of an iterative auto-tuning algorithm for a fuzzy PID controller

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saeed, Bakhtiar I.; Mehrdadi, B.

2012-05-01

Since the first application of fuzzy logic in the field of control engineering, it has been extensively employed in controlling a wide range of applications. The human knowledge on controlling complex and non-linear processes can be incorporated into a controller in the form of linguistic terms. However, with the lack of analytical design study it is becoming more difficult to auto-tune controller parameters. Fuzzy logic controller has several parameters that can be adjusted, such as: membership functions, rule-base and scaling gains. Furthermore, it is not always easy to find the relation between the type of membership functions or rule-base and the controller performance. This study proposes a new systematic auto-tuning algorithm to fine tune fuzzy logic controller gains. A fuzzy PID controller is proposed and applied to several second order systems. The relationship between the closed-loop response and the controller parameters is analysed to devise an auto-tuning method. The results show that the proposed method is highly effective and produces zero overshoot with enhanced transient response. In addition, the robustness of the controller is investigated in the case of parameter changes and the results show a satisfactory performance.

Adaptable, high recall, event extraction system with minimal configuration.

PubMed

Miwa, Makoto; Ananiadou, Sophia

2015-01-01

Biomedical event extraction has been a major focus of biomedical natural language processing (BioNLP) research since the first BioNLP shared task was held in 2009. Accordingly, a large number of event extraction systems have been developed. Most such systems, however, have been developed for specific tasks and/or incorporated task specific settings, making their application to new corpora and tasks problematic without modification of the systems themselves. There is thus a need for event extraction systems that can achieve high levels of accuracy when applied to corpora in new domains, without the need for exhaustive tuning or modification, whilst retaining competitive levels of performance. We have enhanced our state-of-the-art event extraction system, EventMine, to alleviate the need for task-specific tuning. Task-specific details are specified in a configuration file, while extensive task-specific parameter tuning is avoided through the integration of a weighting method, a covariate shift method, and their combination. The task-specific configuration and weighting method have been employed within the context of two different sub-tasks of BioNLP shared task 2013, i.e. Cancer Genetics (CG) and Pathway Curation (PC), removing the need to modify the system specifically for each task. With minimal task specific configuration and tuning, EventMine achieved the 1st place in the PC task, and 2nd in the CG, achieving the highest recall for both tasks. The system has been further enhanced following the shared task by incorporating the covariate shift method and entity generalisations based on the task definitions, leading to further performance improvements. We have shown that it is possible to apply a state-of-the-art event extraction system to new tasks with high levels of performance, without having to modify the system internally. Both covariate shift and weighting methods are useful in facilitating the production of high recall systems. These methods and their combination can adapt a model to the target data with no deep tuning and little manual configuration.

Overlapping double potential wells in a single optical microtube cavity with vernier-scale-like tuning effect

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Madani, A.; Schmidt, O. G.; Material Systems for Nanoelectronics, Chemnitz University of Technology, Reichenhainer Str. 70, 09107 Chemnitz

2016-04-25

Spatially and temporally overlapping double potential wells are realized in a hybrid optical microtube cavity due to the coexistence of an aggregate of luminescent quantum dots embedded in the tube wall and the cone-shaped tube's geometry. The double potential wells produce two independent sets of optical modes with different sets of mode numbers, indicating phase velocity separation for the modes overlapping at the same frequency. The overlapping mode position can be tuned by modifying the tube cavity, where these mode sets shift with different magnitudes, allowing for a vernier-scale-like tuning effect.

Static strain tuning of quantum dots embedded in a photonic wire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tumanov, D.; Vaish, N.; Nguyen, H. A.; Curé, Y.; Gérard, J.-M.; Claudon, J.; Donatini, F.; Poizat, J.-Ph.

2018-03-01

We use strain to statically tune the semiconductor band gap of individual InAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded in a GaAs photonic wire featuring very efficient single photon collection. Thanks to the geometry of the structure, we are able to shift the QD excitonic transition by more than 25 meV by using nano-manipulators to apply the stress. Moreover, owing to the strong transverse strain gradient generated in the structure, we can relatively tune two QDs located in the wire waveguide and bring them in resonance, opening the way to the observation of collective effects such as superradiance.

Diode magnetic-field influence on radiographic spot size

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ekdahl, Carl A. Jr.

2012-09-04

Flash radiography of hydrodynamic experiments driven by high explosives is a well-known diagnostic technique in use at many laboratories. The Dual-Axis Radiography for Hydrodynamic Testing (DARHT) facility at Los Alamos was developed for flash radiography of large hydrodynamic experiments. Two linear induction accelerators (LIAs) produce the bremsstrahlung radiographic source spots for orthogonal views of each experiment ('hydrotest'). The 2-kA, 20-MeV Axis-I LIA creates a single 60-ns radiography pulse. For time resolution of the hydrotest dynamics, the 1.7-kA, 16.5-MeV Axis-II LIA creates up to four radiography pulses by slicing them out of a longer pulse that has a 1.6-{micro}s flattop. Bothmore » axes now routinely produce radiographic source spot sizes having full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) less than 1 mm. To further improve on the radiographic resolution, one must consider the major factors influencing the spot size: (1) Beam convergence at the final focus; (2) Beam emittance; (3) Beam canonical angular momentum; (4) Beam-motion blur; and (5) Beam-target interactions. Beam emittance growth and motion in the accelerators have been addressed by careful tuning. Defocusing by beam-target interactions has been minimized through tuning of the final focus solenoid for optimum convergence and other means. Finally, the beam canonical angular momentum is minimized by using a 'shielded source' of electrons. An ideal shielded source creates the beam in a region where the axial magnetic field is zero, thus the canonical momentum zero, since the beam is born with no mechanical angular momentum. It then follows from Busch's conservation theorem that the canonical angular momentum is minimized at the target, at least in principal. In the DARHT accelerators, the axial magnetic field at the cathode is minmized by using a 'bucking coil' solenoid with reverse polarity to cancel out whatever solenoidal beam transport field exists there. This is imperfect in practice, because of radial variation of the total field across the cathode surface, solenoid misalignments, and long-term variability of solenoid fields for given currents. Therefore, it is useful to quantify the relative importance of canonical momentum in determining the focal spot, and to establish a systematic methodology for tuning the bucking coils for minimum spot size. That is the purpose of this article. Section II provides a theoretical foundation for understanding the relative importance of the canonical momentum. Section III describes the results of simulations used to quantify beam parameters, including the momentum, for each of the accelerators. Section IV compares the two accelerators, especially with respect to mis-tuned bucking coils. Finally, Section IV concludes with a methodology for optimizing the bucking coil settings.« less

Practice and philosophy of climate model tuning across six US modeling centers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schmidt, Gavin A.; Bader, David; Donner, Leo J.

Model calibration (or tuning) is a necessary part of developing and testing coupled ocean–atmosphere climate models regardless of their main scientific purpose. There is an increasing recognition that this process needs to become more transparent for both users of climate model output and other developers. Knowing how and why climate models are tuned and which targets are used is essential to avoiding possible misattributions of skillful predictions to data accommodation and vice versa. This paper describes the approach and practice of model tuning for the six major US climate modeling centers. While details differ among groups in terms of scientificmore » missions, tuning targets, and tunable parameters, there is a core commonality of approaches. Furthermore, practices differ significantly on some key aspects, in particular, in the use of initialized forecast analyses as a tool, the explicit use of the historical transient record, and the use of the present-day radiative imbalance vs. the implied balance in the preindustrial era as a target.« less

Practice and philosophy of climate model tuning across six US modeling centers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Gavin A.; Bader, David; Donner, Leo J.; Elsaesser, Gregory S.; Golaz, Jean-Christophe; Hannay, Cecile; Molod, Andrea; Neale, Richard B.; Saha, Suranjana

2017-09-01

Model calibration (or tuning) is a necessary part of developing and testing coupled ocean-atmosphere climate models regardless of their main scientific purpose. There is an increasing recognition that this process needs to become more transparent for both users of climate model output and other developers. Knowing how and why climate models are tuned and which targets are used is essential to avoiding possible misattributions of skillful predictions to data accommodation and vice versa. This paper describes the approach and practice of model tuning for the six major US climate modeling centers. While details differ among groups in terms of scientific missions, tuning targets, and tunable parameters, there is a core commonality of approaches. However, practices differ significantly on some key aspects, in particular, in the use of initialized forecast analyses as a tool, the explicit use of the historical transient record, and the use of the present-day radiative imbalance vs. the implied balance in the preindustrial era as a target.

Practice and philosophy of climate model tuning across six US modeling centers

DOE PAGES

Schmidt, Gavin A.; Bader, David; Donner, Leo J.; ...

2017-09-01

Model calibration (or tuning) is a necessary part of developing and testing coupled ocean–atmosphere climate models regardless of their main scientific purpose. There is an increasing recognition that this process needs to become more transparent for both users of climate model output and other developers. Knowing how and why climate models are tuned and which targets are used is essential to avoiding possible misattributions of skillful predictions to data accommodation and vice versa. This paper describes the approach and practice of model tuning for the six major US climate modeling centers. While details differ among groups in terms of scientificmore » missions, tuning targets, and tunable parameters, there is a core commonality of approaches. Furthermore, practices differ significantly on some key aspects, in particular, in the use of initialized forecast analyses as a tool, the explicit use of the historical transient record, and the use of the present-day radiative imbalance vs. the implied balance in the preindustrial era as a target.« less

Measurement of temperature and concentration influence on the dispersion of fused silica glass photonic crystal fiber infiltrated with water-ethanol mixture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van, Hieu Le; Buczynski, Ryszard; Long, Van Cao; Trippenbach, Marek; Borzycki, Krzysztof; Manh, An Nguyen; Kasztelanic, Rafal

2018-01-01

We present experimental and simulation results of the zero-dispersion shift in photonics crystal fibers infiltrated with water-ethanol mixture. The fiber based on the fused silica glass with a hexagonal lattice consists of seven rings of air-holes filled by liquid. We show that it is possible to shift the zero-dispersion wavelength by 35 ps/nm/km when changing the temperature by 60 °C, and by 42 ps/nm/km when changing the concentration of ethanol from 0 to 100%. The results also show that for the optical fiber filed with pure ethanol the flattened part of the dispersion shifts from anomalous to the normal regime at temperatures below -70 °C.

Postgrowth tuning of the bandgap of single-layer molybdenum disulfide films by sulfur/selenium exchange.

PubMed

Ma, Quan; Isarraraz, Miguel; Wang, Chen S; Preciado, Edwin; Klee, Velveth; Bobek, Sarah; Yamaguchi, Koichi; Li, Emily; Odenthal, Patrick Michael; Nguyen, Ariana; Barroso, David; Sun, Dezheng; von Son Palacio, Gretel; Gomez, Michael; Nguyen, Andrew; Le, Duy; Pawin, Greg; Mann, John; Heinz, Tony F; Rahman, Talat Shahnaz; Bartels, Ludwig

2014-05-27

We demonstrate bandgap tuning of a single-layer MoS2 film on SiO2/Si via substitution of its sulfur atoms by selenium through a process of gentle sputtering, exposure to a selenium precursor, and annealing. We characterize the substitution process both for S/S and S/Se replacement. Photoluminescence and, in the latter case, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy provide direct evidence of optical band gap shift and selenium incorporation, respectively. We discuss our experimental observations, including the limit of the achievable bandgap shift, in terms of the role of stress in the film as elucidated by computational studies, based on density functional theory. The resultant films are stable in vacuum, but deteriorate under optical excitation in air.

Controlling graphene plasmons with a zero-index metasurface.

PubMed

Lin, Lihui; Lu, Yanxin; Yuan, Mengmeng; Shi, Fenghua; Xu, Haixia; Chen, Yihang

2017-11-30

Graphene plasmons, owing to their diverse applications including electro-optical modulation, optical sensing, spectral photometry and tunable lighting at the nanoscale, have recently attracted much attention. One key challenge in advancing this field is to precisely control the propagation of graphene plasmons. Here, we propose an on-chip integrated platform to engineer the wave front of the graphene plasmons through a metasurface with a refractive index of zero. We demonstrate that a well-designed graphene/photonic-crystal metasurface can possess conical plasmonic dispersion at the Brillouin zone center with a triply degenerate state at the Dirac frequency, giving rise to the zero-effective-index of graphene plasmons. Plane-wave-emission and focusing effects of the graphene plasmons are achieved by tailoring such a zero-index metasurface. In addition to the tunable Dirac point frequency enabled by the electrical tuning of the graphene Fermi level, our highly integrated system also provides stable performance even when defects exist. This actively controllable on-chip platform can potentially be useful for integrated photonic circuits and devices.

Tuning the transmission lineshape of a photonic crystal slab guided-resonance mode by polarization control.

PubMed

Huang, Ningfeng; Martínez, Luis Javier; Povinelli, Michelle L

2013-09-09

We demonstrate a system consisting of a two-dimensional photonic crystal slab and two polarizers which has a tunable transmission lineshape. The lineshape can be tuned from a symmetric Lorentzian to a highly asymmetric Fano lineshape by rotating the output polarizer. We use temporal coupled mode theory to explain the measurement results. The theory also predicts tunable phase shift and group delay.

Superconductor to weak-insulator transitions in disordered tantalum nitride films

DOE PAGES

Breznay, Nicholas P.; Tendulkar, Mihir; Zhang, Li; ...

2017-10-31

Here, we study the two-dimensional superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) in thin films of tantalum nitride. At zero magnetic field, films can be disorder-tuned across the SIT by adjusting thickness and film stoichiometry; insulating films exhibit classical hopping transport. Superconducting films exhibit a magnetic-field-tuned SIT, whose insulating ground state at high field appears to be a quantum-corrected metal. Scaling behavior at the field-tuned SIT shows classical percolation critical exponents zν ≈ 1.3, with a corresponding critical field H c << H c2, the upper critical field. The Hall effect exhibits a crossing point near H c, but with a nonuniversal critical valuemore » ρ c xy comparable to the normal-state Hall resistivity. We propose that high-carrier-density metals will always exhibit this pattern of behavior at the boundary between superconducting and (trivially) insulating ground states.« less

In-plane inertial coupling in tuned and severely mistuned bladed disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crawley, E. F.

1982-01-01

A model has been developed and verified for blade-disk-shaft coupling in rotors due to the in-plane rigid body modes of the disk. An analytic model has been developed which couples the in-plane rigid body modes of the disk on an elastic shaft with the blade bending modes. Bench resonance test were carried out on the M.I.T. Compressor Rotor, typical of research rotors with flexible blades and a thick rigid disk. When the rotor was carefully tuned, the structural coupling of the blades by the disks was confined to zero and one nodal diameter modes, whose modal frequencies were greater than the blade cantilever frequency. In the case of the tuned rotor, and in two cases where severe mistuning was intentionally introduced, agreement between the predicted and observed natural frequencies is excellent. The analytic model was then extended to include the effects of constant angular rotation of the disk.

Impurity bound states in mesoscopic topological superconducting loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Yan-Yan; Zha, Guo-Qiao; Zhou, Shi-Ping

2018-06-01

We study numerically the effect induced by magnetic impurities in topological s-wave superconducting loops with spin-orbit interaction based on spin-generalized Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. In the case of a single magnetic impurity, it is found that the midgap bound states can cross the Fermi level at an appropriate impurity strength and the circulating spin current jumps at the crossing point. The evolution of the zero-energy mode can be effectively tuned by the located site of a single magnetic impurity. For the effect of many magnetic impurities, two independent midway or edge impurities cannot lead to the overlap of zero modes. The multiple zero-energy modes can be effectively realized by embedding a single Josephson junction with impurity scattering into the system, and the spin current displays oscillatory feature with increasing the layer thickness.

Reconsidering Dark Matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aisenberg, Sol

2012-02-01

There is a difference between (a) distances of remote standard candles, SN Type Ia, and (b) distances based upon their red shifts. It was believed that these galaxies had accelerated and used Dark Energy. There are 2 assumptions not supported by observations. The first is that the red shifts for remote galaxies are due to the Doppler Effect associated with receding velocity. Hubble only observed red shifts as a function of distances of known stars, and never measured receding velocities. He suggested the Doppler Effect as a cause, but expressed doubt about the suggestion. There are other causes for a red shift - gravity red shift of light from the sun, and loss of photon energy by gravity interaction of photons with dust and gas in interstellar space. The second assumption is that Hubble's linear relationship between the observed red shift and the distance will be valid at very large distances. Increasing red shift corresponds to a decrease of photon energy towards zero, and cannot be used for very remote stars - where the photon energy approaches zero and the red shift dependence becomes nonlinear and asymptotic to a constant value. This predicts the difference between the galaxy distances and the distances determined from their observed red shifts. The recent Nobel Prize (to Schmidt, Reis, and Perlmutter) needs reexamination. Two basic assumptions that are the foundation of their work may not be accurate. Details are in my earlier essays in ``The Misunderstood Universe'', 2009. .

Patient-care time allocation by nurse practitioners and physician assistants in the intensive care unit.

PubMed

Carpenter, David L; Gregg, Sara R; Owens, Daniel S; Buchman, Timothy G; Coopersmith, Craig M

2012-02-15

Use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants ("affiliates") is increasing significantly in the intensive care unit (ICU). Despite this, few data exist on how affiliates allocate their time in the ICU. The purpose of this study was to understand the allocation of affiliate time into patient-care and non-patient-care activity, further dividing the time devoted to patient care into billable service and equally important but nonbillable care. We conducted a quasi experimental study in seven ICUs in an academic hospital and a hybrid academic/community hospital. After a period of self-reporting, a one-time monetary incentive of $2,500 was offered to 39 affiliates in each ICU in which every affiliate documented greater than 75% of their time devoted to patient care over a 6-month period in an effort to understand how affiliates allocated their time throughout a shift. Documentation included billable time (critical care, evaluation and management, procedures) and a new category ("zero charge time"), which facilitated record keeping of other patient-care activities. At baseline, no ICUs had documentation of 75% patient-care time by all of its affiliates. In the 6 months in which reporting was tied to a group incentive, six of seven ICUs had every affiliate document greater than 75% of their time. Individual time documentation increased from 53% to 84%. Zero-charge time accounted for an average of 21% of each shift. The most common reason was rounding, which accounted for nearly half of all zero-charge time. Sign out, chart review, and teaching were the next most common zero-charge activities. Documentation of time spent on billable activities also increased from 53% of an affiliate's shift to 63%. Time documentation was similar regardless of during which shift an affiliate worked. Approximately two thirds of an affiliate's shift is spent providing billable services to patients. Greater than 20% of each shift is spent providing equally important but not reimbursable patient care. Understanding how affiliates spend their time and what proportion of time is spent in billable activities can be used to plan the financial impact of staffing ICUs with affiliates.

Tuning the ferromagnetic resonance frequency of soft magnetic film by patterned permalloy micro-stripes with stripe-domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Lining; Xie, Hongkang; Cheng, Xiaohong; Zhao, Chenbo; Feng, Hongmei; Cao, Derang; Wang, Jianbo; Liu, Qingfang

2018-07-01

Periodic micro-stripes arrays with stripe domains structures upon continuous permalloy (Py) film were fabricated by sputtering, photolithography and ion beam etching technology. These samples display in-plane magnetic anisotropy, and stripe domains structure is observed by the magnetic force microscopy (MFM) in the area of the micro-stripes. The periodic micro-stripes show an effective impact on static and dynamic magnetic properties of Py continuous film. In the case of dynamic magnetic properties, the resonance frequency fr of these samples can be tuned by periodic micro-stripes arrays. Compared to continuous film with resonance frequency fr of 0.64 GHz, the fr of composite structures can be tuned by the separation gap of periodic micro-stripes arrays from 0.8 GHz to 2.3 GHz at zero-field. At the same time, the fr could be also tuned by rotating the samples within the plane. This attributes to the competition of shape anisotropy induced by micro-stripes and the dynamic anisotropy originating by stripe domains structure.

Selective enhancement of orientation tuning before saccades.

PubMed

Ohl, Sven; Kuper, Clara; Rolfs, Martin

2017-11-01

Saccadic eye movements cause a rapid sweep of the visual image across the retina and bring the saccade's target into high-acuity foveal vision. Even before saccade onset, visual processing is selectively prioritized at the saccade target. To determine how this presaccadic attention shift exerts its influence on visual selection, we compare the dynamics of perceptual tuning curves before movement onset at the saccade target and in the opposite hemifield. Participants monitored a 30-Hz sequence of randomly oriented gratings for a target orientation. Combining a reverse correlation technique previously used to study orientation tuning in neurons and general additive mixed modeling, we found that perceptual reports were tuned to the target orientation. The gain of orientation tuning increased markedly within the last 100 ms before saccade onset. In addition, we observed finer orientation tuning right before saccade onset. This increase in gain and tuning occurred at the saccade target location and was not observed at the incongruent location in the opposite hemifield. The present findings suggest, therefore, that presaccadic attention exerts its influence on vision in a spatially and feature-selective manner, enhancing performance and sharpening feature tuning at the future gaze location before the eyes start moving.

Adaptive tuned vibration absorber based on magnetorheological elastomer-shape memory alloy composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumbhar, Samir B.; Chavan, S. P.; Gawade, S. S.

2018-02-01

Shape memory alloy (SMA) is an attractive smart material which could be used as stiffness tuning element in adaptive tuned vibration absorber (ATVA). The sharp modulus change in SMA material during phase transformation creates difficulties for smooth tuning to track forcing frequency to minimize vibrations of primary system. However, high hysteresis damping at low temperature martensitic phase degrades performance of vibration absorber. This paper deals with the study of dynamic response of system in which SMA and magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) are combined together to act as a smart spring- mass-damper system in a tuned vibration absorber. This composite is used as two way stiffness tuning element in ATVA for smooth and continuous tuning and to minimize the adverse effect at low temperature by increasing equivalent stiffness. The stiffnesses of SMA element and MRE are varied respectively by changing temperature and strength of external magnetic field. The two way stiffness tuning ability and adaptivity have been demonstrated analytically and experimentally. The experimental results show good agreement with analytical results. The proposed composite is able to shift the stiffness consequently the natural frequency of primary system as well as reduce the vibration level of primary system by substantial mount.

Hydrostatic pressure-tuned magnetostructural transition and magnetocaloric effect in Mn-Co-Ge-In compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, F. X.; Shen, F. R.; Liu, Y.; Li, J.; Qiao, K. M.; Wang, J.; Hu, F. X.; Sun, J. R.; Shen, B. G.

2018-05-01

Polycrystalline MnCoGe0.99In0.01 with magnetostructural transition temperature (Tmstr) around 330 K has been prepared by arc-melting technique, and the pressure-tuned magnetostructural transition as well as the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) has been investigated. The experimental results indicate that a pressure (P) smaller than 0.53 GPa can shift Tmstr to lower temperature at a considerable rate of 119 K/GPa with the coupled nature of magnetostructural transition unchanged. However, as P reaches 0.53 GPa, the martensitic structural transition temperature (TM) further shifts to 254 K while the magnetic transition temperature of austenitic phase (TCA) occurs at around 282 K, denoting the decoupling of magnetostructural transition. Further increasing P to 0.87 GPa leads the further shift of TM to a lower temperature while the TCA keeps nearly unchanged. Therefore, the entropy change (ΔS) of the MnCoGe0.99In0.01 under different magnetic fields can be tailored by adjusting the hydrostatic pressure.

Alignment of defect levels and band edges through hybrid functionals: Effect of screening in the exchange term

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komsa, Hannu-Pekka; Broqvist, Peter; Pasquarello, Alfredo

2010-05-01

We investigate how various treatments of exact exchange affect defect charge transition levels and band edges in hybrid functional schemes for a variety of systems. We distinguish the effects of long-range vs short-range exchange and of local vs nonlocal exchange. This is achieved by the consideration of a set of four functionals, which comprise the semilocal Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) functional, the PBE hybrid (PBE0), the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE) functional, and a hybrid derived from PBE0 in which the Coulomb kernel in the exact exchange term is screened as in the HSE functional but which, unlike HSE, does not include a local expression compensating for the loss of the long-range exchange. We find that defect levels in PBE0 and in HSE almost coincide when aligned with respect to a common reference potential, due to the close total-energy differences in the two schemes. At variance, the HSE band edges determined within the same alignment scheme are found to shift significantly with respect to the PBE0 ones: the occupied and the unoccupied states undergo shifts of about +0.4eV and -0.4eV , respectively. These shifts are found to vary little among the materials considered. Through a rationale based on the behavior of local and nonlocal long-range exchange, this conclusion is generalized beyond the class of materials used in this study. Finally, we explicitly address the practice of tuning the band gap by adapting the fraction of exact exchange incorporated in the functional. When PBE0-like and HSE-like functionals are tuned to yield identical band gaps, their respective results for the positions of defect levels within the band gap and for the band alignments at interfaces are found to be very close.

Fine-tuning free paradigm of two-measures theory: k-essence, absence of initial singularity of the curvature, and inflation with graceful exit to the zero cosmological constant state

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guendelman, E. I.; Kaganovich, A. B.

2007-04-15

The dilaton-gravity sector of the two-measures field theory (TMT) is explored in detail in the context of spatially flat Friedman-Robertson-Walker (FRW) cosmology. The model possesses scale invariance which is spontaneously broken due to the intrinsic features of the TMT dynamics. The dilaton {phi} dependence of the effective Lagrangian appears only as a result of the spontaneous breakdown of the scale invariance. If no fine-tuning is made, the effective {phi}-Lagrangian p({phi},X) depends quadratically upon the kinetic term X. Hence TMT represents an explicit example of the effective k-essence resulting from first principles without any exotic term in the underlying action intendedmore » for obtaining this result. Depending of the choice of regions in the parameter space (but without fine-tuning), TMT exhibits different possible outputs for cosmological dynamics: (a) Absence of initial singularity of the curvature while its time derivative is singular. This is a sort of sudden singularities studied by Barrow on purely kinematic grounds. (b) Power law inflation in the subsequent stage of evolution. Depending on the region in the parameter space the inflation ends with a graceful exit either into the state with zero cosmological constant (CC) or into the state driven by both a small CC and the field {phi} with a quintessencelike potential. (c) Possibility of resolution of the old CC problem. From the point of view of TMT, it becomes clear why the old CC problem cannot be solved (without fine-tuning) in conventional field theories. (d) TMT enables two ways for achieving small CC without fine-tuning of dimensionful parameters: either by a seesaw type mechanism or due to a correspondence principle between TMT and conventional field theories (i.e. theories with only the measure of integration {radical}(-g) in the action). (e) There is a wide range of the parameters such that in the late time universe: the equation of state w=p/{rho}<-1; w asymptotically (as t{yields}{infinity}) approaches -1 from below; {rho} approaches a constant, the smallness of which does not require fine-tuning of dimensionful parameters.« less

Research investigation directed toward extending the useful range of the electromagnetic spectrum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartmann, S. R.

1971-01-01

The lifetimes and fine structure of He(-) were studied using time-of-flight techniques and quenching by a static axial magnetic field. Using level-crossing spectroscopy the hyperfine constants A and B and the lifetime of the 3 2P3/2 state of Li-7 were measured. Polarization of the Ru 7S level was created as a first step in determining the hyperfine structure of the alkali excited S state. The parametric interaction between light and microwaves in optically pumped Rb-87 vapor were investigated. Measurements and analyses of transitions in formaldehyde and its isotopic species and in the lowest two excited vibrational states of H2CO were also made, as well as of transitions in furan, pyrrole, formic acid, and cyanoacetylene. The Hanle effect was studied in the NO molecule, and RF oscillators were developed with flat, wideband output to observe excited state hyperfine transitions at zero field. Data was generated on the time-dependent behavior of photon echoes in ruby. Stimulated Raman scattering was studied in atomic Tl vapor. A Q switched, temperature-tuned ruby laser was developed which operates between 6934 and 6938 A. The frequency shift due to resonant interaction between identical radiating atoms was calculated.

Visual feedback for retuning to just intonation intervals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayers, R. Dean; Nordquist, Peter R.; Corn, Justin S.

2005-04-01

Musicians become used to equal temperament pitch intervals due to their widespread use in tuning pianos and other fixed-pitch instruments. For unaccompanied singing and some other performance situations, a more harmonious blending of sounds can be achieved by shifting to just intonation intervals. Lissajous figures provide immediate and striking visual feedback that emphasizes the frequency ratios and pitch intervals found among the first few members of a single harmonic series. Spirograph patterns (hypotrochoids) are also especially simple for ratios of small whole numbers, and their use for providing feedback to singers has been suggested previously [G. W. Barton, Jr., Am. J. Phys. 44(6), 593-594 (1976)]. A hybrid mixture of these methods for comparing two frequencies generates what appears to be a three dimensional Lissajous figure-a cylindrical wire mesh that rotates about its tilted vertical axis, with zero tilt yielding the familiar Lissajous figure. Sine wave inputs work best, but the sounds of flute, recorder, whistling, and a sung ``oo'' are good enough approximations to work well. This initial study compares the three modes of presentation in terms of the ease with which a singer can obtain a desired pattern and recognize its shape.

Wideband Bandpass Filter with High Selectivity and an Adjustable Notched-band Adopting a Multi-mode Resonator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Xing-Bing; Jiang, Ting

2018-04-01

A wideband bandpass filter (BPF) with an adjustable notched-band and high selectivity is proposed. The proposed BPF consists of a multi-mode resonator (MMR), two λ/2 resonators, and I/O feed lines with 50 ohm characteristic impedance. The MMR, connected as a whole by a wide stub, is composed of one I-shaped resonator and two open-loop resonators. Tightly coupling is built between MMR and λ/2 resonators. I/O feed lines are directly connected with two λ/2 resonators, respectively. Due to the use of tapped-line coupling, one transmission zero (TZ) is formed near low-edge of aim passband. High-edge of passband with one attendant TZ can be tuned to desired location by adjusting bottom-side position of used wide stub or bottom-side length of I-shaped resonator in MMR. The top-side length of I-shaped resonator is applied to improve upper stopband performance and shift undesired resonant mode of MMR near high-edge of aim passband to proper frequency point. The notched-band in aim passband is dominated by top-side position of wide stub in MMR. Good agreement is observed between simulated and measured results.

Frequency Invariability of (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O₃ Antiferroelectric Thick-Film Micro-Cantilevers.

PubMed

An, Kun; Jin, Xuechen; Meng, Jiang; Li, Xiao; Ren, Yifeng

2018-05-13

Micro-electromechanical systems comprising antiferroelectric layers can offer both actuation and transduction to integrated technologies. Micro-cantilevers based on the (Pb 0.97 La 0.02 )(Zr 0.95 Ti 0.05 )O₃ (PLZT) antiferroelectric thick film are fabricated by the micro-nano manufacturing process, to utilize the effect of phase transition induced strain and sharp phase switch of antiferroelectric materials. When micro-cantilevers made of antiferroelectric thick films were driven by sweep voltages, there were two resonant peaks corresponding to the natural frequency shift from 27.8 to 27.0 kHz, before and after phase transition. This is the compensation principle for the PLZT micro-cantilever to tune the natural frequency by the amplitude modulation of driving voltage, rather than of frequency modulation. Considering the natural frequency shift about 0.8 kHz and the frequency tuning ability about 156 Hz/V before the phase transition, this can compensate the frequency shift caused by increasing temperature by tuning only the amplitude of driving voltage, when the ultrasonic micro-transducer made of antiferroelectric thick films works for such a long period. Therefore, antiferroelectric thick films with hetero-structures incorporated into PLZT micro-cantilevers not only require a lower driving voltage (no more than 40 V) than rival bulk piezoelectric ceramics, but also exhibit better performance of frequency invariability, based on the amplitude modulation.

Tunable Magnetic Resonance in Microwave Spintronics Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Yunpeng; Fan, Xin; Xie, Yunsong; Zhou, Yang; Wang, Tao; Wilson, Jeffrey D.; Simons, Rainee N.; Chui, Sui-Tat; Xiao, John Q.

2015-01-01

Magnetic resonance is one of the key properties of magnetic materials for the application of microwave spintronics devices. The conventional method for tuning magnetic resonance is to use an electromagnet, which provides very limited tuning range. Hence, the quest for enhancing the magnetic resonance tuning range without using an electromagnet has attracted tremendous attention. In this paper, we exploit the huge exchange coupling field between magnetic interlayers, which is on the order of 4000 Oe and also the high frequency modes of coupled oscillators to enhance the tuning range. Furthermore, we demonstrate a new scheme to control the magnetic resonance frequency. Moreover, we report a shift in the magnetic resonance frequency as high as 20 GHz in CoFe based tunable microwave spintronics devices, which is 10X higher than conventional methods.

Tunable Magnetic Resonance in Microwave Spintronics Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Yunpeng; Fan, Xin; Xie, Yungsong; Zhou, Yang; Wang, Tao; Wilson, Jeffrey D.; Simons, Rainee N.; Chui, Sui-Tat; Xiao, John Q.

2015-01-01

Magnetic resonance is one of the key properties of magnetic materials for the application of microwave spintronics devices. The conventional method for tuning magnetic resonance is to use an electromagnet, which provides very limited tuning range. Hence, the quest for enhancing the magnetic resonance tuning range without using an electromagnet has attracted tremendous attention. In this paper, we exploit the huge exchange coupling field between magnetic interlayers, which is on the order of 4000 Oe and also the high frequency modes of coupled oscillators to enhance the tuning range. Furthermore, we demonstrate a new scheme to control the magnetic resonance frequency. Moreover, we report a shift in the magnetic resonance frequency as high as 20 GHz in CoFe-based tunable microwave spintronics devices, which is 10X higher than conventional methods.

Noncontact atomic force microscopy in liquid environment with quartz tuning fork and carbon nanotube probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kageshima, Masami; Jensenius, Henriette; Dienwiebel, Martin; Nakayama, Yoshikazu; Tokumoto, Hiroshi; Jarvis, Suzanne P.; Oosterkamp, Tjerk H.

2002-03-01

A force sensor for noncontact atomic force microscopy in liquid environment was developed by combining a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) probe with a quartz tuning fork. Solvation shells of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane on a graphite surface were detected both in the frequency shift and dissipation. Due to the high aspect ratio of the CNT probe, the long-range background force was barely detectable in the solvation region.

Chirped Grating Tunable Lasers for the Infrared Molecular Fingerprint Spectral Region

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

lasers with chirped gratings and compare both normal DFB (pump stripe perpendicular to grating) and -DFB (pump stripe perpendicular to facets...structure. Because the period of grating increases gradually laterally, wavelength tuning is implemented by shifting pump stripe to different positions on...tilted with respect to facets and adjusting the pump stripe normal to the grating. Continuous tuning of 30 nm around 3.1 µm with 320 mW single facet

Principal Attitudes Regarding Zero Tolerance and Racial Disparities in School Suspensions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heilbrun, Anna; Cornell, Dewey; Lovegrove, Peter

2015-01-01

Zero tolerance school discipline practices have been associated with a national increase in suspensions, a practice that has had a disproportionate negative impact on Black students. The present study investigated an association between principal attitudes toward zero tolerance and suspension rates for White and Black students in 306 Virginia high…

Frequency shift, damping, and tunneling current coupling with quartz tuning forks in noncontact atomic force microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nony, Laurent; Bocquet, Franck; Para, Franck; Loppacher, Christian

2016-09-01

A combined experimental and theoretical approach to the coupling between frequency-shift (Δ f ) , damping, and tunneling current (It) in combined noncontact atomic force microscopy/scanning tunneling microscopy using quartz tuning forks (QTF)-based probes is reported. When brought into oscillating tunneling conditions, the tip located at the QTF prong's end radiates an electromagnetic field which couples to the QTF prong motion via its piezoelectric tensor and loads its electrodes by induction. Our approach explains how those It-related effects ultimately modify the Δ f and the damping measurements. This paradigm to the origin of the coupling between It and the nc-AFM regular signals relies on both the intrinsic piezoelectric nature of the quartz constituting the QTF and its electrodes design.

Membrane Composition Tunes the Outer Hair Cell Motor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajagopalan, L.; Sfondouris, J.; Oghalai, J. S.; Pereira, F. A.; Brownell, W. E.

2009-02-01

Cholesterol and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an ω-3 fatty acid, affect membrane mechanical properties in different ways and modulate the function of membrane proteins. We have probed the functional consequence of altering cholesterol and DHA levels in the membranes of OHCs and prestin expressing HEK cells. Large, dynamic and reversible changes in prestin-associated charge movement and OHC motor activity result from altering the concentration of membrane cholesterol. Increasing membrane cholesterol shifts the q/V function ~ 50 mV in the hyperpolarizing direction, possibly a response related to increases in membrane stiffness. The voltage shift is linearly related to total membrane cholesterol. Increasing cholesterol also decreases the total charge moved in a linear fashion. Decreasing membrane cholesterol shifts the q/V function ~ 50 mV in the depolarizing direction with little or no effect on the amount of charge moved. In vivo increases in membrane cholesterol transiently increase but ultimately lead to decreases in DPOAE. Docosahexaenoic acid shifts the q/V function in the hyperpolarizing direction < 15 mV and increases total charge moved. Tuning of cochlear function by membrane cholesterol contributes to the exquisite temporal and frequency processing of mammalian hearing by optimizing the cochlear amplifier.

Ultra-wide tuning single channel filter based on one-dimensional photonic crystal with an air cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Xiaodan; Yang, Yibiao; Chen, Zhihui; Wang, Yuncai; Fei, Hongming; Deng, Xiao

2017-02-01

By inserting an air cavity into a one-dimensional photonic crystal of LiF/GaSb, a tunable filter covering the whole visible range is proposed. Following consideration of the dispersion of the materials, through modulating the thickness of the air cavity, we demonstrate that a single resonant peak can shift from 416.1 to 667.3 nm in the band gap at normal incidence by means of the transfer matrix method. The research also shows that the transmittance of the channel can be maximized when the number of periodic LiF/GaSb layers on one side of the air defect layer is equal to that of the other side. When adding a period to both sides respectively, the full width at half maximum of the defect mode is reduced by one order of magnitude. This structure will provide a promising approach to fabricate practical tunable filters in the visible region with ultra-wide tuning range. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 61575138, 61307069, 51205273), and the Top Young Academic Leaders and the Outstanding Innovative Teams of Higher Learning Institutions of Shanxi.

Identifying cochlear implant channels with poor electrode-neuron interface: partial tripolar, single-channel thresholds and psychophysical tuning curves

PubMed Central

Bierer, Julie Arenberg; Faulkner, Kathleen F.

2010-01-01

Objectives The goal of this study was to evaluate the ability of a threshold measure, made with a restricted electrode configuration, to identify channels exhibiting relatively poor spatial selectivity. With a restricted electrode configuration, channel-to-channel variability in threshold may reflect variations in the interface between the electrodes and auditory neurons (i.e., nerve survival, electrode placement, tissue impedance). These variations in the electrode-neuron interface should also be reflected in psychophysical tuning curve measurements. Specifically, it is hypothesized that high single-channel thresholds obtained with the spatially focused partial tripolar electrode configuration are predictive of wide or tip-shifted psychophysical tuning curves. Design Data were collected from five cochlear implant listeners implanted with the HiRes 90k cochlear implant (Advanced Bionics). Single-channel thresholds and most comfortable listening levels were obtained for stimuli that varied in presumed electrical field size by using the partial tripolar configuration, for which a fraction of current (σ) from a center active electrode returns through two neighboring electrodes and the remainder through a distant indifferent electrode. Forward-masked psychophysical tuning curves were obtained for channels with the highest, lowest, and median tripolar (σ=1 or 0.9) thresholds. The probe channel and level were fixed and presented with either the monopolar (σ=0) or a more focused partial tripolar (σ ≥ 0.55) configuration. The masker channel and level were varied while the configuration was fixed to σ = 0.5. A standard, three-interval, two-alternative forced choice procedure was used for thresholds and masked levels. Results Single-channel threshold and variability in threshold across channels systematically increased as the compensating current, σ, increased and the presumed electrical field became more focused. Across subjects, channels with the highest single-channel thresholds, when measured with a narrow, partial tripolar stimulus, had significantly broader psychophysical tuning curves than the lowest threshold channels. In two subjects, the tips of the tuning curves were shifted away from the probe channel. Tuning curves were also wider for the monopolar probes than with partial tripolar probes, for both the highest and lowest threshold channels. Conclusions These results suggest that single-channel thresholds measured with a restricted stimulus can be used to identify cochlear implant channels with poor spatial selectivity. Channels having wide or tip-shifted tuning characteristics would likely not deliver the appropriate spectral information to the intended auditory neurons, leading to suboptimal perception. As a clinical tool, quick identification of impaired channels could lead to patient-specific mapping strategies and result in improved speech and music perception. PMID:20090533

Tunable cavity coupling of the zero phonon line of a nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, S.; Dolan, P. R.; Grange, T.; Trichet, A. A. P.; Hornecker, G.; Chen, Y. C.; Weng, L.; Hughes, G. M.; Watt, A. A. R.; Auffèves, A.; Smith, J. M.

2015-12-01

We demonstrate the tunable enhancement of the zero phonon line of a single nitrogen-vacancy colour centre in diamond at cryogenic temperature. An open cavity fabricated using focused ion beam milling provides mode volumes as small as 1.24 μm3 (4.7 {λ }3) and quality factor Q≃ 3000. In situ tuning of the cavity resonance is achieved with piezoelectric actuators. At optimal coupling to a TEM00 cavity mode, the signal from individual zero phonon line transitions is enhanced by a factor of 6.25 and the overall emission rate of the NV- centre is increased by 40% compared with that measured from the same centre in the absence of cavity field confinement. This result represents a step forward in the realisation of efficient spin-photon interfaces and scalable quantum computing using optically addressable solid state spin qubits.

Performance evaluation of the zero-multipole summation method in modern molecular dynamics software.

PubMed

Sakuraba, Shun; Fukuda, Ikuo

2018-05-04

The zero-multiple summation method (ZMM) is a cutoff-based method for calculating electrostatic interactions in molecular dynamics simulations, utilizing an electrostatic neutralization principle as a physical basis. Since the accuracies of the ZMM have been revealed to be sufficient in previous studies, it is highly desirable to clarify its practical performance. In this paper, the performance of the ZMM is compared with that of the smooth particle mesh Ewald method (SPME), where the both methods are implemented in molecular dynamics software package GROMACS. Extensive performance comparisons against a highly optimized, parameter-tuned SPME implementation are performed for various-sized water systems and two protein-water systems. We analyze in detail the dependence of the performance on the potential parameters and the number of CPU cores. Even though the ZMM uses a larger cutoff distance than the SPME does, the performance of the ZMM is comparable to or better than that of the SPME. This is because the ZMM does not require a time-consuming electrostatic convolution and because the ZMM gains short neighbor-list distances due to the smooth damping feature of the pairwise potential function near the cutoff length. We found, in particular, that the ZMM with quadrupole or octupole cancellation and no damping factor is an excellent candidate for the fast calculation of electrostatic interactions. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Heparin-based hydrogels with tunable sulfation & degradation for anti-inflammatory small molecule delivery.

PubMed

Peng, Yifeng; Tellier, Liane E; Temenoff, Johnna S

2016-08-16

Sustained release of anti-inflammatory agents remains challenging for small molecule drugs due to their low molecular weight and hydrophobicity. Therefore, the goal of this study was to control the release of a small molecule anti-inflammatory agent, crystal violet (CV), from hydrogels fabricated with heparin, a highly sulfated glycosaminoglycan capable of binding positively-charged molecules such as CV. In this system, both electrostatic interactions between heparin and CV and hydrogel degradation were tuned simultaneously by varying the level of heparin sulfation and varying the amount of dithiothreitol within hydrogels, respectively. It was found that heparin sulfation significantly affected CV release, whereby more sulfated heparin hydrogels (Hep and Hep(-N)) released CV with near zero-order release kinetics (R-squared values between 0.96-0.99). Furthermore, CV was released more quickly from fast-degrading hydrogels than slow-degrading hydrogels, providing a method to tune total CV release between 5-15 days while maintaining linear release kinetics. In particular, N-desulfated heparin hydrogels exhibited efficient CV loading (∼90% of originally included CV), near zero-order CV release kinetics, and maintenance of CV bioactivity after release, making this hydrogel formulation a promising CV delivery vehicle for a wide range of inflammatory diseases.

Characterization of Luminescent Materials with 151Eu Mössbauer Spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Johnson, Charles E.; Schweizer, Stefan

2018-01-01

The application of Mössbauer spectroscopy to luminescent materials is described. Many solids doped with europium are luminescent, i.e., when irradiated with light they emit light of a longer wavelength. These materials therefore have practical applications in tuning the light output of devices like light emitting diodes. The optical properties are very different for the two possible valence states Eu2+ and Eu3+, the former producing ultraviolet/visible light that shifts from violet to red depending on the host and the latter red light, so it is important to have a knowledge of their behavior in a sample environment. Photoluminescence spectra cannot give a quantitative analysis of Eu2+ and Eu3+ ions. Mössbauer spectroscopy, however, is more powerful and gives a separate spectrum for each oxidation state enabling the relative amount present to be estimated. The oxidation state can be identified from its isomer shift which is between −12 and −15 mm/s for Eu2+ compared to around 0 mm/s for Eu3+. Furthermore, within each oxidation state, there are changes depending on the ligands attached to the europium: the shift is more positive for increased covalency of the bonding ligand X, or Eu concentration, and decreases for increasing Eu–X bond length. PMID:29772832

Mass-stiffness substructuring of an elastic metasurface for full transmission beam steering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hyuk; Lee, Jun Kyu; Seung, Hong Min; Kim, Yoon Young

2018-03-01

The metasurface concept has a significant potential due to its novel wavefront-shaping functionalities that can be critically useful for ultrasonic and solid wave-based applications. To achieve the desired functionalities, elastic metasurfaces should cover full 2π phase shift and also acquire full transmission within subwavelength scale. However, they have not been explored much with respect to the elastic regime, because the intrinsic proportionality of mass-stiffness within the continuum elastic media causes an inevitable trade-off between abrupt phase shift and sufficient transmission. Our goal is to engineer an elastic metasurface that can realize an inverse relation between (amplified) effective mass and (weakened) stiffness in order to satisfy full 2π phase shift as well as full transmission. To achieve this goal, we propose a continuum elastic metasurface unit cell that is decomposed into two substructures, namely a mass-tuning substructure with a local dipolar resonator and a stiffness-tuning substructure composed of non-resonant multiply-perforated slits. We demonstrate analytically, numerically, and experimentally that this unique substructured unit cell can satisfy the required phase shift with high transmission. The substructuring enables independent tuning of the elastic properties over a wide range of values. We use a mass-spring model of the proposed continuum unit cell to investigate the working mechanism of the proposed metasurface. With the designed metasurface consisting of substructured unit cells embedded in an aluminum plate, we demonstrate that our metasurface can successfully realize anomalous steering and focusing of in-plane longitudinal ultrasonic beams. The proposed substructuring concept is expected to provide a new principle for the design of general elastic metasurfaces that can be used to efficiently engineer arbitrary wave profiles.

Effect of pore occupancy on the acoustic properties of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-8: A Brillouin spectroscopic study at ambient and low temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radhakrishnan, Dhanya; Narayana, Chandrabhas

2015-12-01

Brillouin spectroscopy is used to study the effect of pore occupancy on the elastic constants by incorporating various guest molecules into zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-8. A systematic study on the effect of mass and polarizability of the guest has been carried out by incorporating alcohols of varying chain lengths at room temperature. The interaction between the guest and host affects the elastic properties, lifetimes and guest dynamics inside the pores. The elastic anisotropy was seen to reduce upon incorporation of the guests. We have also studied the temperature dependence of the acoustic modes on gas adsorption to understand the framework flexibility. The Brillouin shift of the acoustic modes increases upon temperature dependent gas adsorption with transverse acoustic modes exhibiting a larger shift. This suggests a hardening of otherwise low shear modulus of ZIF-8. Our findings give insight into the role of guest molecules and temperature in tuning the elastic properties of ZIF-8 which is important for practical applications.

High-Speed Stark Wavelength Tuning of MidIR Interband Cascade Lasers

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-15

STARK WAVELENGTH TUNING OF MidIR ICLs 361 Fig. 2. Lasing spectra of the tunable ICL at different bias currents. injection region at before tunneling ...the energy separation between and (and hence the emission wavelength) undergoes a linear Stark shift that depends on the bias current which controls...response Fig. 3. Lasing spectra of the tunable ICL at different bias modulation frequen- cies. Fig. 4. Dependence of the intensity of the Line 2 on bias

Tunable absorption resonances in the ultraviolet for InP nanowire arrays.

PubMed

Aghaeipour, Mahtab; Anttu, Nicklas; Nylund, Gustav; Samuelson, Lars; Lehmann, Sebastian; Pistol, Mats-Erik

2014-11-17

The ability to tune the photon absorptance spectrum is an attracting way of tailoring the response of devices like photodetectors and solar cells. Here, we measure the reflectance spectra of InP substrates patterned with arrays of vertically standing InP nanowires. Using the reflectance spectra, we calculate and analyze the corresponding absorptance spectra of the nanowires. We show that we can tune absorption resonances for the nanowire arrays into the ultraviolet by decreasing the diameter of the nanowires. When we compare our measurements with electromagnetic modeling, we generally find good agreement. Interestingly, the remaining differences between modeled and measured spectra are attributed to a crystal-phase dependence in the refractive index of InP. Specifically, we find indication of significant differences in the refractive index between the modeled zinc-blende InP nanowires and the measured wurtzite InP nanowires in the ultraviolet. We believe that such crystal-phase dependent differences in the refractive index affect the possibility to excite optical resonances in the large wavelength range of 345 < λ < 390 nm. To support this claim, we investigated how resonances in nanostructures can be shifted in wavelength by geometrical tuning. We find that dispersion in the refractive index can dominate over geometrical tuning and stop the possibility for such shifting. Our results open the door for using crystal-phase engineering to optimize the absorption in InP nanowire-based solar cells and photodetectors.

Wavelength shifting of intra-cavity photons: Adiabatic wavelength tuning in rapidly wavelength-swept lasers

PubMed Central

Jirauschek, Christian; Huber, Robert

2015-01-01

We analyze the physics behind the newest generation of rapidly wavelength tunable sources for optical coherence tomography (OCT), retaining a single longitudinal cavity mode during operation without repeated build up of lasing. In this context, we theoretically investigate the currently existing concepts of rapidly wavelength-swept lasers based on tuning of the cavity length or refractive index, leading to an altered optical path length inside the resonator. Specifically, we consider vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with microelectromechanical system (MEMS) mirrors as well as Fourier domain mode-locked (FDML) and Vernier-tuned distributed Bragg reflector (VT-DBR) lasers. Based on heuristic arguments and exact analytical solutions of Maxwell’s equations for a fundamental laser resonator model, we show that adiabatic wavelength tuning is achieved, i.e., hopping between cavity modes associated with a repeated build up of lasing is avoided, and the photon number is conserved. As a consequence, no fundamental limit exists for the wavelength tuning speed, in principle enabling wide-range wavelength sweeps at arbitrary tuning speeds with narrow instantaneous linewidth. PMID:26203373

Associative learning in baboons (Papio papio) and humans (Homo sapiens): species differences in learned attention to visual features.

PubMed

Fagot, J; Kruschke, J K; Dépy, D; Vauclair, J

1998-10-01

We examined attention shifting in baboons and humans during the learning of visual categories. Within a conditional matching-to-sample task, participants of the two species sequentially learned two two-feature categories which shared a common feature. Results showed that humans encoded both features of the initially learned category, but predominantly only the distinctive feature of the subsequently learned category. Although baboons initially encoded both features of the first category, they ultimately retained only the distinctive features of each category. Empirical data from the two species were analyzed with the 1996 ADIT connectionist model of Kruschke. ADIT fits the baboon data when the attentional shift rate is zero, and the human data when the attentional shift rate is not zero. These empirical and modeling results suggest species differences in learned attention to visual features.

Energy of the quasi-free electron in supercritical krypton near the critical point.

PubMed

Li, Luxi; Evans, C M; Findley, G L

2005-12-01

Field ionization measurements of high-n CH(3)I and C(2)H(5)I Rydberg states doped into krypton are presented as a function of krypton number density along the critical isotherm. These data exhibit a decrease in the krypton-induced shift of the dopant ionization energy near the critical point. This change in shift is modeled to within +/-0.2% of experiment using a theory that accounts for the polarization of krypton by the dopant ion, the polarization of krypton by the quasi-free electron that arises from field ionization of the dopant, and the zero point kinetic energy of the free electron. The overall decrease in the shift of the dopant ionization energy near the critical point of krypton, which is a factor of 2 larger than that observed in argon, is dominated by the increase in the zero point kinetic energy of the quasi-free electron.

Adaptable, high recall, event extraction system with minimal configuration

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background Biomedical event extraction has been a major focus of biomedical natural language processing (BioNLP) research since the first BioNLP shared task was held in 2009. Accordingly, a large number of event extraction systems have been developed. Most such systems, however, have been developed for specific tasks and/or incorporated task specific settings, making their application to new corpora and tasks problematic without modification of the systems themselves. There is thus a need for event extraction systems that can achieve high levels of accuracy when applied to corpora in new domains, without the need for exhaustive tuning or modification, whilst retaining competitive levels of performance. Results We have enhanced our state-of-the-art event extraction system, EventMine, to alleviate the need for task-specific tuning. Task-specific details are specified in a configuration file, while extensive task-specific parameter tuning is avoided through the integration of a weighting method, a covariate shift method, and their combination. The task-specific configuration and weighting method have been employed within the context of two different sub-tasks of BioNLP shared task 2013, i.e. Cancer Genetics (CG) and Pathway Curation (PC), removing the need to modify the system specifically for each task. With minimal task specific configuration and tuning, EventMine achieved the 1st place in the PC task, and 2nd in the CG, achieving the highest recall for both tasks. The system has been further enhanced following the shared task by incorporating the covariate shift method and entity generalisations based on the task definitions, leading to further performance improvements. Conclusions We have shown that it is possible to apply a state-of-the-art event extraction system to new tasks with high levels of performance, without having to modify the system internally. Both covariate shift and weighting methods are useful in facilitating the production of high recall systems. These methods and their combination can adapt a model to the target data with no deep tuning and little manual configuration. PMID:26201408

Removing the depth-degeneracy in optical frequency domain imaging with frequency shifting

PubMed Central

Yun, S. H.; Tearney, G. J.; de Boer, J. F.; Bouma, B. E.

2009-01-01

A novel technique using an acousto-optic frequency shifter in optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI) is presented. The frequency shift eliminates the ambiguity between positive and negative differential delays, effectively doubling the interferometric ranging depth while avoiding image cross-talk. A signal processing algorithm is demonstrated to accommodate nonlinearity in the tuning slope of the wavelength-swept OFDI laser source. PMID:19484034

Improving water management practices to reduce nutrient export from rice paddy fields.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhi-Jian; Yao, Ju-Xiang; Wang, Zhao-De; Xu, Xin; Lin, Xian-Yong; Czapar, George F; Zhang, Jian-Ying

2011-01-01

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loss from rice paddy fields represents a significant threat to water quality in China. In this project, three irrigation-drainage regimes were compared, including one conventional irrigation-drainage regime, i.e. continuous submergence regime (CSR), and two improved regimes, i.e. the alternating submergence-nonsubmergence regime (ASNR) and the zero-drainage irrigation technology (ZDIT), to seek cost-effective practices for reducing nutrient loss. The data from these comparisons showed that, excluding the nutrient input from irrigation, the net exports of total N and total P via surface field drainage ranged from -3.93 to 2.39 kg ha and 0.17 to 0.95 g ha(-1) under the CSR operation, respectively, while N loss was -2.46 to -2.23 kg ha(-1) and P export was -0.65 to 0.31 kg ha(-1) under the improved regimes. The intensity of P export was positively correlated to the rate of P application. Reducing the draining frequency or postponing the draining operation would shift the ecological role of the paddy field from a nutrient export source to an interception sink when ASNR or the zero-drainage water management was used. In addition, since the rice yields are being guaranteed at no additional cost, the improved irrigation-drainage operations would have economic as well as environmental benefits.

A test of inflated zeros for Poisson regression models.

PubMed

He, Hua; Zhang, Hui; Ye, Peng; Tang, Wan

2017-01-01

Excessive zeros are common in practice and may cause overdispersion and invalidate inference when fitting Poisson regression models. There is a large body of literature on zero-inflated Poisson models. However, methods for testing whether there are excessive zeros are less well developed. The Vuong test comparing a Poisson and a zero-inflated Poisson model is commonly applied in practice. However, the type I error of the test often deviates seriously from the nominal level, rendering serious doubts on the validity of the test in such applications. In this paper, we develop a new approach for testing inflated zeros under the Poisson model. Unlike the Vuong test for inflated zeros, our method does not require a zero-inflated Poisson model to perform the test. Simulation studies show that when compared with the Vuong test our approach not only better at controlling type I error rate, but also yield more power.

Optically induced metal-to-dielectric transition in Epsilon-Near-Zero metamaterials

PubMed Central

Kaipurath, R. M.; Pietrzyk, M.; Caspani, L.; Roger, T.; Clerici, M.; Rizza, C.; Ciattoni, A.; Di Falco, A.; Faccio, D.

2016-01-01

Epsilon-Near-Zero materials exhibit a transition in the real part of the dielectric permittivity from positive to negative value as a function of wavelength. Here we study metal-dielectric layered metamaterials in the homogenised regime (each layer has strongly subwavelength thickness) with zero real part of the permittivity in the near-infrared region. By optically pumping the metamaterial we experimentally show that close to the Epsilon-Near-Zero (ENZ) wavelength the permittivity exhibits a marked transition from metallic (negative permittivity) to dielectric (positive permittivity) as a function of the optical power. Remarkably, this transition is linear as a function of pump power and occurs on time scales of the order of the 100 fs pump pulse that need not be tuned to a specific wavelength. The linearity of the permittivity increase allows us to express the response of the metamaterial in terms of a standard third order optical nonlinearity: this shows a clear inversion of the roles of the real and imaginary parts in crossing the ENZ wavelength, further supporting an optically induced change in the physical behaviour of the metamaterial. PMID:27292270

Gain and frequency tuning within the mouse cochlear apex

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oghalai, John S.; Raphael, Patrick D.; Gao, Simon

Normal mammalian hearing requires cochlear outer hair cell active processes that amplify the traveling wave with high gain and sharp tuning, termed cochlear amplification. We have used optical coherence tomography to study cochlear amplification within the apical turn of the mouse cochlea. We measured not only classical basilar membrane vibratory tuning curves but also vibratory responses from the rest of the tissues that compose the organ of Corti. Basilar membrane tuning was sharp in live mice and broad in dead mice, whereas other regions of the organ of Corti demonstrated phase shifts consistent with additional filtering beyond that provided bymore » basilar membrane mechanics. We use these experimental data to support a conceptual framework of how cochlear amplification is tuned within the mouse cochlear apex. We will also study transgenic mice with targeted mutations that affect different biomechanical aspects of the organ of Corti in an effort to localize the underlying processes that produce this additional filtering.« less

16 CFR Figure 5 to Subpart A of... - Zero Reference Point Related to Detecting Plane

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Zero Reference Point Related to Detecting Plane 5 Figure 5 to Subpart A of Part 1209 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION.... 1209, Subpt. A, Fig. 5 Figure 5 to Subpart A of Part 1209—Zero Reference Point Related to Detecting...

16 CFR Figure 5 to Subpart A of... - Zero Reference Point Related to Detecting Plane

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Zero Reference Point Related to Detecting Plane 5 Figure 5 to Subpart A of Part 1209 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION.... 1209, Subpt. A, Fig. 5 Figure 5 to Subpart A of Part 1209—Zero Reference Point Related to Detecting...

16 CFR Figure 5 to Subpart A of... - Zero Reference Point Related to Detecting Plane

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Zero Reference Point Related to Detecting Plane 5 Figure 5 to Subpart A of Part 1209 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION.... 1209, Subpt. A, Fig. 5 Figure 5 to Subpart A of Part 1209—Zero Reference Point Related to Detecting...

Tuning the resonance frequencies and mode shapes in a large range multi-degree of freedom micromirror.

PubMed

Morrison, Jessica; Imboden, Matthias; Bishop, David J

2017-04-03

The ability to actively shift the primary resonance of a 2D scanning micromirror allows the user to set the scanning direction, set the scanning frequency, and lift otherwise degenerate modes in a symmetrically designed system. In most cases, resonant scanning micromirrors require frequency stability in order to perform imaging and projection functions properly. This paper suggests a method to tune the tip and tilt resonant frequencies in real time while actively suppressing or allowing degeneracy of the two modes in a symmetric electrothermal micromirror. We show resonant frequency tuning with a range of degeneracy separation of 470 Hz or by approximately ±15% and controllable coupling.

Synthetic-Type Control Charts for Time-Between-Events Monitoring

PubMed Central

Yen, Fang Yen; Chong, Khoo Michael Boon; Ha, Lee Ming

2013-01-01

This paper proposes three synthetic-type control charts to monitor the mean time-between-events of a homogenous Poisson process. The first proposed chart combines an Erlang (cumulative time between events, Tr) chart and a conforming run length (CRL) chart, denoted as Synth-Tr chart. The second proposed chart combines an exponential (or T) chart and a group conforming run length (GCRL) chart, denoted as GR-T chart. The third proposed chart combines an Erlang chart and a GCRL chart, denoted as GR-Tr chart. By using a Markov chain approach, the zero- and steady-state average number of observations to signal (ANOS) of the proposed charts are obtained, in order to evaluate the performance of the three charts. The optimal design of the proposed charts is shown in this paper. The proposed charts are superior to the existing T chart, Tr chart, and Synth-T chart. As compared to the EWMA-T chart, the GR-T chart performs better in detecting large shifts, in terms of the zero- and steady-state performances. The zero-state Synth-T4 and GR-Tr (r = 3 or 4) charts outperform the EWMA-T chart for all shifts, whereas the Synth-Tr (r = 2 or 3) and GR-T 2 charts perform better for moderate to large shifts. For the steady-state process, the Synth-Tr and GR-Tr charts are more efficient than the EWMA-T chart in detecting small to moderate shifts. PMID:23755231

Advanced investigation of two-phase charge-coupled devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kosonocky, W. F.; Carnes, J. E.

1973-01-01

The performance of experimental two phase, charge-coupled shift registers constructed using polysilicon gates overlapped by aluminum gates was studied. Shift registers with 64, 128, and 500 stages were built and operated. Devices were operated at the maximum clock frequency of 20 MHz. Loss per transfer of less than .0001 was demonstrated for fat zero operation. The effect upon transfer efficiency of various structural and materials parameters was investigated including substrate orientation, resistivity, and conductivity type; channel width and channel length; and method of channel confinement. Operation of the devices with and without fat zero was studied as well as operation in the complete charge transfer mode and the bias charge, or bucket brigade mode.

Spectroscopic imaging using acousto-optic tunable filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouhifd, Mounir; Whelan, Maurice

2007-07-01

We report on novel hyper-spectral imaging filter-modules based on acousto-optic tuneable filters (AOTF). The AOTF functions as a full-field tuneable bandpass filter which offers fast continuous or random access tuning with high filtering efficiency. Due to the diffractive nature of the device, the unfiltered zero-order and the filtered first-order images are geometrically separated. The modules developed exploit this feature to simultaneously route both the transmitted white-light image and the filtered fluorescence image to two separate cameras. Incorporation of prisms in the optical paths and careful design of the relay optics in the filter module have overcome a number of aberrations inherent to imaging through AOTFs, leading to excellent spatial resolution. A number of practical uses of this technique, both for in vivo auto-fluorescence endoscopy and in vitro fluorescence microscopy were demonstrated. We describe the operational principle and design of recently improved prototype instruments for fluorescence-based diagnostics and demonstrate their performance by presenting challenging hyper-spectral fluorescence imaging applications.

LINEAR AND NONLINEAR CORRECTIONS IN THE RHIC INTERACTION REGIONS.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

PILAT,F.; CAMERON,P.; PTITSYN,V.

2002-06-02

A method has been developed to measure operationally the linear and non-linear effects of the interaction region triplets, that gives access to the multipole content through the action kick, by applying closed orbit bumps and analysing tune and orbit shifts. This technique has been extensively tested and used during the RHIC operations in 2001. Measurements were taken at 3 different interaction regions and for different focusing at the interaction point. Non-linear effects up to the dodecapole have been measured as well as the effects of linear, sextupolar and octupolar corrections. An analysis package for the data processing has been developedmore » that through a precise fit of the experimental tune shift data (measured by a phase lock loop technique to better than 10{sup -5} resolution) determines the multipole content of an IR triplet.« less

Low-loss tunable 1D ITO-slot photonic crystal nanobeam cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amin, Rubab; Tahersima, Mohammad H.; Ma, Zhizhen; Suer, Can; Liu, Ke; Dalir, Hamed; Sorger, Volker J.

2018-05-01

Tunable optical material properties enable novel applications in both versatile metamaterials and photonic components including optical sources and modulators. Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) are able to highly tune their optical properties with applied bias via altering their free carrier concentration and hence plasma dispersion. The TCO material indium tin oxide (ITO) exhibits unity-strong index change and epsilon-near-zero behavior. However, with such tuning the corresponding high optical losses, originating from the fundamental Kramers–Kronig relations, result in low cavity finesse. However, achieving efficient tuning in ITO-cavities without using light–matter interaction enhancement techniques such as polaritonic modes, which are inherently lossy, is a challenge. Here we discuss a novel one-dimensional photonic crystal nanobeam cavity to deliver a cavity system offering a wide range of resonance tuning range, while preserving physical compact footprints. We show that a vertical silicon-slot waveguide incorporating an actively gated-ITO layer delivers ∼3.4 nm of tuning. By deploying distributed feedback, we are able to keep the Q-factor moderately high with tuning. Combining this with the sub-diffraction limited mode volume (0.1 (λ/2n)3) from the photonic (non-plasmonic) slot waveguide, facilitates a high Purcell factor exceeding 1000. This strong light–matter-interaction shows that reducing the mode volume of a cavity outweighs reducing the losses in diffraction limited modal cavities such as those from bulk Si3N4. These tunable cavities enable future modulators and optical sources such as tunable lasers.

"Tuning in to Kids": Improving Emotion Socialization Practices in Parents of Preschool Children--Findings from a Community Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Havighurst, Sophie S.; Wilson, Katherine R.; Harley, Ann E.; Prior, Margot R.; Kehoe, Christiane

2010-01-01

Background: This study evaluated a new prevention and early intervention parenting program: "Tuning in to Kids." The program aims to improve emotion socialization practices in parents of preschool children and is based on research evidence that parents' responses to, and coaching of, their children's emotions influence emotional and behavioral…

Atomic Linkage Flexibility Tuned Isotropic Negative, Zero, and Positive Thermal Expansion in MZrF 6 (M = Ca, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Zn)

DOE PAGES

Hu, Lei; Chen, Jun; Xu, Jiale; ...

2016-10-26

The controllable isotropic thermal expansion with a broad coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) window is intriguing but remains challenge. Herein we report a cubic MZrF 6 series (M = Ca, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Zn), which exhibit controllable thermal expansion over a wide temperature range and with a broader CTE window (–6.69 to +18.23 × 10 –6/K). In particular, an isotropic zero thermal expansion (ZTE) is achieved in ZnZrF 6, which is one of the rarely documented hightemperature isotropic ZTE compounds. By utilizing temperature dependent high-energy synchrotron X-ray total scattering diffraction, it is found that the flexibility of metal···Fmore » atomic linkages in MZrF 6 plays a critical role in distinct thermal expansions. The flexible metal···F atomic linkages induce negative thermal expansion (NTE) for CaZrF 6, whereas the stiff ones bring positive thermal expansion (PTE) for 6. Thermal expansion could be transformed from striking negative, to zero, and finally to considerable positive though tuning the flexibility of metal···F atomic linkages by substitution with a series of cations on M sites of MZrF 6. In conclusion, the present study not only extends the scope of NTE families and rare high-temperature isotropic ZTE compounds but also proposes a new method to design systematically controllable isotropic thermal expansion frameworks from the perspective of atomic linkage flexibility.« less

Atomic Linkage Flexibility Tuned Isotropic Negative, Zero, and Positive Thermal Expansion in MZrF 6 (M = Ca, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Zn)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hu, Lei; Chen, Jun; Xu, Jiale

The controllable isotropic thermal expansion with a broad coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) window is intriguing but remains challenge. Herein we report a cubic MZrF 6 series (M = Ca, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Zn), which exhibit controllable thermal expansion over a wide temperature range and with a broader CTE window (–6.69 to +18.23 × 10 –6/K). In particular, an isotropic zero thermal expansion (ZTE) is achieved in ZnZrF 6, which is one of the rarely documented hightemperature isotropic ZTE compounds. By utilizing temperature dependent high-energy synchrotron X-ray total scattering diffraction, it is found that the flexibility of metal···Fmore » atomic linkages in MZrF 6 plays a critical role in distinct thermal expansions. The flexible metal···F atomic linkages induce negative thermal expansion (NTE) for CaZrF 6, whereas the stiff ones bring positive thermal expansion (PTE) for 6. Thermal expansion could be transformed from striking negative, to zero, and finally to considerable positive though tuning the flexibility of metal···F atomic linkages by substitution with a series of cations on M sites of MZrF 6. In conclusion, the present study not only extends the scope of NTE families and rare high-temperature isotropic ZTE compounds but also proposes a new method to design systematically controllable isotropic thermal expansion frameworks from the perspective of atomic linkage flexibility.« less

Tuning of the Hanle effect from EIT to EIA using spatially separated probe and control beams.

PubMed

Bhattarai, Mangesh; Bharti, Vineet; Natarajan, Vasant

2018-05-14

We demonstrate a technique for continuous tuning of the Hanle effect from electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) to electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) by changing the polarization ellipticity of a control beam. In contrast to previous work in this field, we use spatially separated probe and control beams. The experiments are done using magnetic sublevels of the F g  = 4 → F e  = 5 closed hyperfine transition in the 852 nm D 2 line of 133 Cs. The atoms are contained in a room temperature vapor cell with anti-relaxation (paraffin) coating on the walls. The paraffin coating is necessary for the atomic coherence to be transported between the beams. The experimental results are supported by a density-matrix analysis of the system, which also explains the observed amplitude and zero-crossing of the resonances. Such continuous tuning of the sign of a resonance has important applications in quantum memory and other precision measurements.

Topological π Junctions from Crossed Andreev Reflection in the Quantum Hall Regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finocchiaro, F.; Guinea, F.; San-Jose, P.

2018-03-01

We consider a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in the quantum Hall regime in the presence of a Zeeman field, with the Fermi level tuned to a filling factor of ν =1 . We show that, in the presence of spin-orbit coupling, contacting the 2DEG with a narrow strip of an s -wave superconductor produces a topological superconducting gap along the contact as a result of crossed Andreev reflection (CAR) processes across the strip. The sign of the topological gap, controlled by the CAR amplitude, depends periodically on the Fermi wavelength and strip width and can be externally tuned. An interface between two halves of a long strip with topological gaps of opposite sign implements a robust π junction, hosting a pair of Majorana zero modes that do not split despite their overlap. We show that such a configuration can be exploited to perform protected non-Abelian tunnel-braid operations without any fine tuning.

Active molecular plasmonics: tuning surface plasmon resonances by exploiting molecular dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Kai; Leong, Eunice Sok Ping; Rukavina, Michael; Nagao, Tadaaki; Liu, Yan Jun; Zheng, Yuebing

2015-06-01

Molecular plasmonics explores and exploits the molecule-plasmon interactions on metal nanostructures to harness light at the nanoscale for nanophotonic spectroscopy and devices. With the functional molecules and polymers that change their structural, electrical, and/or optical properties in response to external stimuli such as electric fields and light, one can dynamically tune the plasmonic properties for enhanced or new applications, leading to a new research area known as active molecular plasmonics (AMP). Recent progress in molecular design, tailored synthesis, and self-assembly has enabled a variety of scenarios of plasmonic tuning for a broad range of AMP applications. Dimension (i.e., zero-, two-, and threedimensional) of the molecules on metal nanostructures has proved to be an effective indicator for defining the specific scenarios. In this review article, we focus on structuring the field of AMP based on the dimension of molecules and discussing the state of the art of AMP. Our perspective on the upcoming challenges and opportunities in the emerging field of AMP is also included.

SEMICONDUCTOR INTEGRATED CIRCUITS 8.64-11.62 GHz CMOS VCO and divider in a zero-IF 802.11a/b/g WLAN and Bluetooth application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Sun; Niansong, Mei; Bo, Lu; Yumei, Huang; Zhiliang, Hong

2010-10-01

A fully integrated VCO and divider implemented in SMIC 0.13-μm RFCMOS 1P8M technology with a 1.2 V supply voltage is presented. The frequency of the VCO is tuning from 8.64 to 11.62 GHz while the quadrature LO signals for 802.11a WLAN in 5.8 GHz band or for 802.11b/g WLAN and Bluetooth in 2.4 GHz band can be obtained by a frequency division by 2 or 4, respectively. A 6 bit switched capacitor array is applied for precise tuning of all necessary frequency bands. The testing results show that the VCO has a phase noise of—113 dBc @ 1 MHz offset from the carrier of 5.5 GHz by dividing VCO output by two and the VCO core consumes 3.72 mW. The figure-of-merit for the tuning-range (FOMT) of the VCO is -192.6 dBc/Hz.

Tuning fuzzy PD and PI controllers using reinforcement learning.

PubMed

Boubertakh, Hamid; Tadjine, Mohamed; Glorennec, Pierre-Yves; Labiod, Salim

2010-10-01

In this paper, we propose a new auto-tuning fuzzy PD and PI controllers using reinforcement Q-learning (QL) algorithm for SISO (single-input single-output) and TITO (two-input two-output) systems. We first, investigate the design parameters and settings of a typical class of Fuzzy PD (FPD) and Fuzzy PI (FPI) controllers: zero-order Takagi-Sugeno controllers with equidistant triangular membership functions for inputs, equidistant singleton membership functions for output, Larsen's implication method, and average sum defuzzification method. Secondly, the analytical structures of these typical fuzzy PD and PI controllers are compared to their classical counterpart PD and PI controllers. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is proven through simulation examples. Copyright © 2010 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

C IV Doppler shifts observed in active region filaments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klimchuk, J. A.

1986-01-01

The Doppler shift properties of 21 active region filaments were studied using C IV Dopplergram data. Most are associated with corridors of weak magnetic field that separate opposite polarity strong fields seen in photospheric magnetograms. A majority of the filaments are relatively blue shifted, although several lie very close to the dividing lines between blue and red shift. Only one filament in the samples is clearly red shifted. A new calibration procedure for Dopplergrams indicates that sizable zero point offsets are often required. The center-to-limb behavior of the resulting absolute Doppler shifts suggests that filament flows are usually quite small. It is possible that they vanish.

Linear Hyperfine Tuning of Donor Spins in Silicon Using Hydrostatic Strain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansir, J.; Conti, P.; Zeng, Z.; Pla, J. J.; Bertet, P.; Swift, M. W.; Van de Walle, C. G.; Thewalt, M. L. W.; Sklenard, B.; Niquet, Y. M.; Morton, J. J. L.

2018-04-01

We experimentally study the coupling of group V donor spins in silicon to mechanical strain, and measure strain-induced frequency shifts that are linear in strain, in contrast to the quadratic dependence predicted by the valley repopulation model (VRM), and therefore orders of magnitude greater than that predicted by the VRM for small strains |ɛ |<10-5. Through both tight-binding and first principles calculations we find that these shifts arise from a linear tuning of the donor hyperfine interaction term by the hydrostatic component of strain and achieve semiquantitative agreement with the experimental values. Our results provide a framework for making quantitative predictions of donor spins in silicon nanostructures, such as those being used to develop silicon-based quantum processors and memories. The strong spin-strain coupling we measure (up to 150 GHz per strain, for Bi donors in Si) offers a method for donor spin tuning—shifting Bi donor electron spins by over a linewidth with a hydrostatic strain of order 10-6—as well as opportunities for coupling to mechanical resonators.

Elastic positron scattering by C{sub 2}H{sub 2}: Differential cross sections and virtual state formation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carvalho, Claudia R.C. de; Varella, Marcio T. do N; Lima, Marco A.P.

2003-12-01

We present calculated elastic differential cross sections for positron-acetylene scattering, obtained by using the Schwinger multichannel method. Our results are in very good agreement with quasielastic experimental data of Kauppila et al. [Nucl. Instrum. Meth. Phys. Res. B 192, 162 (2002)]. We also discuss the existence of a virtual state (zero-energy resonance) in e{sup +}-C{sub 2}H{sub 2} collisions, based on the behavior of the integral cross section and of the s-wave phase shift. As expected the fixed-nuclei cross section and annihilation parameter (Z{sub eff}) present the same energy dependence at very low impact energies. As the virtual state energy approachesmore » zero, the magnitude of both cross section and Z{sub eff} are extremely enhanced (at zero impact energy). The possibility of shifting from a low-lying virtual state to a shallow bound state is not expected to significantly affect room-temperature annihilation rates.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pfeffer, H.; Saewert, G.

This paper reports on a 6 kV modulator built and installed at Fermilab to drive the electron gun anode for the Tevatron Electron Lens (TEL). The TEL was built with the intention of shifting the individual (anti)proton bunch tunes to even out the tune spread among all 36 bunches with the desire of improving Tevatron integrated luminosity. This modulator is essentially a 6 kV arbitrary waveform generator that enables the TEL to define the electron beam intensity on a bunch-by-bunch basis. A voltage waveform is constructed having a 7 μs duration that corresponds to the tune shift requirements of amore » 12-bunch (anti)proton beam pulse train. This waveform is played out for any one or all three bunch trains in the Tevatron. The programmed waveform voltages transition to different levels at time intervals corresponding to the 395 ns bunch spacing. In addition, complex voltage waveforms can be played out at a sustained rate of 143 kHz over the full 6 kV output range. This paper describes the novel design of the inductive adder topology employing five transformers. It describes the design aspects that minimize switching losses for this multi-kilovolt, high repetition rate and high duty factor application.« less

Psychoacoustic Factors in Musical Intonation: Beats, Interval Tuning, and Inharmonicity.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keislar, Douglas Fleming

Three psychoacoustic experiments were conducted using musically experienced subjects. In the first two experiments, the interval tested was the perfect fifth F4-C5; in the final one it was the major third F4-A4. The beat rate was controlled by two different methods: (1) simply retuning the interval, and (2) frequency-shifting one partial of each pair of beating partials without changing the overall interval tuning. The second method introduces inharmonicity. In addition, two levels of beat amplitude were introduced by using either a complete spectrum of 16 equal-amplitude partials per note, or by deleting one partial from each pair of beating partials. The results of all three experiments indicate that, for these stimuli, beating does not contribute significantly to the percept of "out-of-tuneness," because it made no difference statistically whether the beat amplitude was maximal or minimal. By contrast, mistuning the interval was highly significant. For the fifths, frequency-shifting the appropriate partials had about as much effect on the perceived intonation as mistuning the interval. For thirds, this effect was weaker, presumably since there were fewer inharmonic partials and they were higher in the harmonic series. Subjects were less consistent in their judgments of thirds than of fifths, perhaps because the equal-tempered and just thirds differ noticeably, unlike fifths. Since it is unlikely that beats would be more audible in real musical situations than under these laboratory conditions, these results suggest that the perception of intonation in music is dependent on the actual interval tuning rather than the concomitant beat rate. If beating partials are unimportant vis-a-vis interval tuning, this strengthens the argument for a cultural basis for musical intonation and scales, as opposed to the acoustical basis set forth by Helmholtz and others.

Twist-induced tuning in tapered fiber couplers.

PubMed

Birks, T A

1989-10-01

The power-splitting ratio of fused tapered single-mode fiber couplers can be reversibly tuned by axial twisting without affecting loss. The twist-tuning behavior of a range of different tapered couplers is described. A simple expression for twist-tuning can be derived by representing the effects of twist by a change in the refractive index profile. Good agreement between this expression and experimental results is demonstrated. Repeated tuning over tens of thousands of cycles is found not to degrade coupler performance, and a number of practical applications, including a freely tunable tapered coupler, are described.

Design of multi-wavelength tunable filter based on Lithium Niobate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ailing; Yao, Yuan; Zhang, Yue; Song, Hongyun

2018-05-01

A multi-wavelength tunable filter is designed. It consists of multiple waveguides among multiple waveguide gratings. A pair of electrodes were placed on both sides of each waveguide. The tunable filter uses the electro-optic effect of Lithium Niobate to tune the phase caused by each waveguide. Consequently, the wavelength and wavelength spacing of the filter are tuned by changing external voltages added on the electrode pairs. The tunable property of the filter is analyzed by phase matching condition and transfer-matrix method. Numerical results show that not only multiple wavelengths with narrow bandwidth are tuned with nearly equal spacing by synchronously changing the voltages added on all electrode pairs, but also the number of wavelengths is determined by the number of phase shifts caused by electrode pairs. Furthermore, due to the electro-optic effect of Lithium Niobate, the tuning speed of the filter can reach the order of ns.

Beyond Fine Tuning: Adding capacity to leverage few labels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hodas, Nathan O.; Shaffer, Kyle J.; Yankov, Artem

2017-12-09

In this paper we present a technique to train neural network models on small amounts of data. Current methods for training neural networks on small amounts of rich data typically rely on strategies such as fine-tuning a pre-trained neural networks or the use of domain-specific hand-engineered features. Here we take the approach of treating network layers, or entire networks, as modules and combine pre-trained modules with untrained modules, to learn the shift in distributions between data sets. The central impact of using a modular approach comes from adding new representations to a network, as opposed to replacing representations via fine-tuning.more » Using this technique, we are able surpass results using standard fine-tuning transfer learning approaches, and we are also able to significantly increase performance over such approaches when using smaller amounts of data.« less

Higher-order formulas of amplitude-dependent tune shift caused by a sextupole magnetic field distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soutome, Kouichi; Tanaka, Hitoshi

2017-06-01

Nowadays, designs for ring-based light sources use multibend lattices for achieving a very small emittance of around 100 pmrad. In this type of storage ring, the chromaticity correcting sextupoles generally have greater strengths than those used in typical third-generation light sources. Therefore, controlling lattice nonlinearity such as amplitude-dependent tune shift (ADTS) is important for enabling stable operations and smooth beam commissioning. As the strength of the sextupoles increases, their higher-order terms contribute significantly to ADTS, rendering well-known lowest-order formulas inadequate for describing tune variations at large horizontal amplitudes. In response, we have derived explicit expressions of ADTS up to the fourth order in sextupole strength based on the canonical perturbation theory, assuming that the amplitude of a vertical betatron oscillation is smaller compared with the horizontal one. The new formulas express the horizontal and vertical betatron tune variations as functions of the action variables: Jx and Jy up to O (Jx2) and O (Jy) . The derived formulas were applied to a five-bend achromat lattice designed for the SPring-8 upgrade. By comparing the calculated results with the tracking simulations, we found that (1) the formulas accurately express ADTS around a horizontal amplitude of ˜10 mm and (2) the nonlinear terms of the fourth order in sextupole strength govern the behaviors of circulating electrons at large horizontal amplitudes. In this paper, we present explicit expressions of fourth-order formulas of ADTS and provide some examples to illustrate their effectiveness.

Ion related problems for the XLS ring

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bozoki, E.; Halama, H.

1989-07-11

The electron beam in the XLS will collide with the residual gas in the vacuum chamber. The positive ions will be trapped in the potential well of the electron beam. They will perform stable or unstable oscillations around the beam under the repetitive Coulomb force of the bunches. If not cleared, the captured ions will lead to partial or total neutralization of the beam, causing both, a decrease of life-time and a change in the vertical tunes as well as an increase in the tune-spread. They can also cause coherent transverse instabilities. The degree of neutralization {theta} that one canmore » tolerate, is primarily determined by the allowable tune shift, which of the XLS is between 1 and 5 10{sup {minus}3}. Electrostatic clearing electrodes will be used to keep the neutralization below the desired limit. In order to determine their location and the necessary clearing-rate and voltage, we examine the ion production rate, longitudinal velocity of ions in field-free regions and in the dipoles to see what distance the ions can travel without clearing before the neutralization of the beam reaches the prescribed limit, beam potential to see the locations of the potential wells, voltage requirements for ion clearing, critical mass for ion capture in the bunched beam, tune shift caused by neutralization of the beam, pressure rise due to the trapped ions and power dissipation due to beam image current. 13 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs.« less

Quasi-continuous frequency tunable terahertz quantum cascade lasers with coupled cavity and integrated photonic lattice.

PubMed

Kundu, Iman; Dean, Paul; Valavanis, Alexander; Chen, Li; Li, Lianhe; Cunningham, John E; Linfield, Edmund H; Davies, A Giles

2017-01-09

We demonstrate quasi-continuous tuning of the emission frequency from coupled cavity terahertz frequency quantum cascade lasers. Such coupled cavity lasers comprise a lasing cavity and a tuning cavity which are optically coupled through a narrow air slit and are operated above and below the lasing threshold current, respectively. The emission frequency of these devices is determined by the Vernier resonance of longitudinal modes in the lasing and the tuning cavities, and can be tuned by applying an index perturbation in the tuning cavity. The spectral coverage of the coupled cavity devices have been increased by reducing the repetition frequency of the Vernier resonance and increasing the ratio of the free spectral ranges of the two cavities. A continuous tuning of the coupled cavity modes has been realized through an index perturbation of the lasing cavity itself by using wide electrical heating pulses at the tuning cavity and exploiting thermal conduction through the monolithic substrate. Single mode emission and discrete frequency tuning over a bandwidth of 100 GHz and a quasi-continuous frequency coverage of 7 GHz at 2.25 THz is demonstrated. An improvement in the side mode suppression and a continuous spectral coverage of 3 GHz is achieved without any degradation of output power by integrating a π-phase shifted photonic lattice in the laser cavity.

First principles study on mixed orthorhombic perovskite CH3NH3 Pb(I1-xBrx) 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Zhou; Yi, Zhijun

2017-11-01

Chemically tuned inorganic-organic hybrid halide perovskites based on iodine and bromine halide anions have been studied using first-principles calculations. Firstly, our results show that the volume of CH3NH3 Pb(I1-xBrx) 3 decreases linearly with the concentration of Br ions, and the band gap can be tuned from 1.9 eV to 2.3 eV by substituting I with Br, resulting in the shift of absorption onset from 650 nm (1.9 eV) to 540 nm (2.3 eV). Secondly, our calculations show that the color of crystal can be tuned from wine to yellow by substituting I with Br.

Tuning exciton energy and fine-structure splitting in single InAs quantum dots by applying uniaxial stress

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Su, Dan; Dou, Xiuming; Wu, Xuefei

2016-04-15

Exciton and biexciton emission energies as well as excitonic fine-structure splitting (FSS) in single InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) have been continuously tuned in situ in an optical cryostat using a developed uniaxial stress device. With increasing tensile stress, the red shift of excitonic emission is up to 5 nm; FSS decreases firstly and then increases monotonically, reaching a minimum value of approximately 10 μeV; biexciton binding energy decreases from 460 to 106 μeV. This technique provides a simple and convenient means to tune QD structural symmetry, exciton energy and biexciton binding energy and can be used for generating entangled andmore » indistinguishable photons.« less

Nonlinear modal resonances in low-gravity slosh-spacecraft systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peterson, Lee D.

1991-01-01

Nonlinear models of low gravity slosh, when coupled to spacecraft vibrations, predict intense nonlinear eigenfrequency shifts at zero gravity. These nonlinear frequency shifts are due to internal quadratic and cubic resonances between fluid slosh modes and spacecraft vibration modes. Their existence has been verified experimentally, and they cannot be correctly modeled by approximate, uncoupled nonlinear models, such as pendulum mechanical analogs. These predictions mean that linear slosh assumptions for spacecraft vibration models can be invalid, and may lead to degraded control system stability and performance. However, a complete nonlinear modal analysis will predict the correct dynamic behavior. This paper presents the analytical basis for these results, and discusses the effect of internal resonances on the nonlinear coupled response at zero gravity.

Zero-G experiments in two-phase fluids flow regimes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heppner, D. B.; King, C. D.; Littles, J. W.

1975-01-01

The two-phase flows studied were liquid and gas mixtures in a straight flow channel of circular cross-section. Boundaries between flow regimes have been defined for normogravity on coordinates of gas quality and total mass velocity; and, when combined with boundary expressions having a Froude number term, an analytical model was derived predicting boundary shifts with changes in gravity level. Experiments with air and water were performed, first in the normogravity environment of a ground laboratory and then in 'zero gravity' aboard a KC-135 aircraft flying parabolic trajectories. Data reduction confirmed regime boundary shifts in the direction predicted, although the magnitude was a little less than predicted. Pressure drop measurements showed significant increases for the low gravity condition.

Temperature effects on the band gaps of Lamb waves in a one-dimensional phononic-crystal plate (L).

PubMed

Cheng, Y; Liu, X J; Wu, D J

2011-03-01

This study investigates the temperature-tuned band gaps of Lamb waves in a one-dimensional phononic-crystal plate, which is formed by alternating strips of ferroelectric ceramic Ba(0.7)Sr(0.3)TiO(3) and epoxy. The sensitive and continuous temperature-tunability of Lamb wave band gaps is demonstrated using the analyses of the band structures and the transmission spectra. The width and position of Lamb wave band gaps shift prominently with variation of temperature in the range of 26 °C-50 °C. For example, the width of the second band gap increases from 0.066 to 0.111 MHz as the temperature is increased from 26 °C to 50 °C. The strong shift promises that the structure could be suitable for temperature-tuned multi-frequency Lamb wave filters. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America

Frequency modulation of high-order harmonic generation in an orthogonally polarized two-color laser field.

PubMed

Li, Guicun; Zheng, Yinghui; Ge, Xiaochun; Zeng, Zhinan; Li, Ruxin

2016-08-08

We have experimentally investigated the frequency modulation of high-order harmonics in an orthogonally polarized two-color laser field consisting of a mid-infrared 1800nm fundamental pulse and its second harmonic pulse. It is demonstrated that the high harmonic spectra can be fine-tuned as we slightly change the relative delay of the two-color laser pulses. By analyzing the relative frequency shift of each harmonic at different two-color delays, the nonadiabatic spectral shift induced by the rapid variation of the intensity-dependent intrinsic dipole phase can be distinguished from the blueshift induced by the change of the refractive index during self-phase modulation (SPM). Our comprehensive analysis shows that the frequency modulation pattern is a reflection of the average emission time of high-order harmonic generation (HHG), thus offering a simple method to fine-tune the spectra of the harmonics on a sub-cycle time scale.

Circuit filling factor (CFF) for multiply tuned probes, revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conradi, Mark S.; Zens, Albert P.

2018-07-01

The concept of circuit filling factor (CFF) is re-examined for multi-tuned, multi-inductor probe circuits. The CFF is the fraction of magnetic stored energy residing in the NMR coil. The CFF theorem states that the CFF sums to unity across all the resonant normal modes. It dictates that improved performance from a large CFF in one mode comes at the expense of CFF (and performance) at the other mode(s). Simple analytical calculations of two-mode circuits are used to demonstrate and confirm the CFF theorem. A triple-resonance circuit is calculated to show the large trade-offs involved there. The theorem can provide guidance for choosing the best circuit and relative inductances in multi-nuclear probes. The CFF is directly accessible from ball frequency-shift measurements. We give experimental measures of the CFF from ball shifts and compare to calculated values of the CFF, with good agreement.

Advanced Optical Fiber Communications Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-08-31

phase locking . The PZT port has a tuning coefficient of 3.4 MHz/V. The time constants of the optical phase - locked loop ( OPLL ) filter’s pole and zero are... with the PSK receiver optical phase -I-ocked loop ( OPLL ). As we increased nz in our experiments, the larger signal fluctuations made it increasingly... lasers , since a phase - locked loop is 114 I not required for the DPSK receiver (unlike

Measurements of the electric field of zero-point optical phonons in GaAs quantum wells support the Urbach rule for zero-temperature lifetime broadening.

PubMed

Bhattacharya, Rupak; Mondal, Richarj; Khatua, Pradip; Rudra, Alok; Kapon, Eli; Malzer, Stefan; Döhler, Gottfried; Pal, Bipul; Bansal, Bhavtosh

2015-01-30

We study a specific type of lifetime broadening resulting in the well-known exponential "Urbach tail" density of states within the energy gap of an insulator. After establishing the frequency and temperature dependence of the Urbach edge in GaAs quantum wells, we show that the broadening due to the zero-point optical phonons is the fundamental limit to the Urbach slope in high-quality samples. In rough analogy with Welton's heuristic interpretation of the Lamb shift, the zero-temperature contribution to the Urbach slope can be thought of as arising from the electric field of the zero-point longitudinal-optical phonons. The value of this electric field is experimentally measured to be 3  kV cm-1, in excellent agreement with the theoretical estimate.

A heteronuclear zero quantum coherence Nz-exchange experiment that resolves resonance overlap and its application to measure the rates of heme binding to the IsdC protein.

PubMed

Robson, Scott A; Peterson, Robert; Bouchard, Louis-S; Villareal, Valerie A; Clubb, Robert T

2010-07-21

Chemical exchange phenomena in NMR spectra can be quantitatively interpreted to measure the rates of ligand binding, as well as conformational and chemical rearrangements. In macromolecules, processes that occur slowly on the chemical shift time scale are frequently studied using 2D heteronuclear ZZ or N(z)-exchange spectroscopy. However, to successfully apply this method, peaks arising from each exchanging species must have unique chemical shifts in both dimensions, a condition that is often not satisfied in protein-ligand binding equilibria for (15)N nuclei. To overcome the problem of (15)N chemical shift degeneracy we developed a heteronuclear zero-quantum (and double-quantum) coherence N(z)-exchange experiment that resolves (15)N chemical shift degeneracy in the indirect dimension. We demonstrate the utility of this new experiment by measuring the heme binding kinetics of the IsdC protein from Staphylococcus aureus. Because of peak overlap, we could not reliably analyze binding kinetics using conventional methods. However, our new experiment resulted in six well-resolved systems that yielded interpretable data. We measured a relatively slow k(off) rate of heme from IsdC (<10 s(-1)), which we interpret as necessary so heme loaded IsdC has time to encounter downstream binding partners to which it passes the heme. The utility of using this new exchange experiment can be easily expanded to (13)C nuclei. We expect our heteronuclear zero-quantum coherence N(z)-exchange experiment will expand the usefulness of exchange spectroscopy to slow chemical exchange events that involve ligand binding.

V1 orientation plasticity is explained by broadly tuned feedforward inputs and intracortical sharpening.

PubMed

Teich, Andrew F; Qian, Ning

2010-03-01

Orientation adaptation and perceptual learning change orientation tuning curves of V1 cells. Adaptation shifts tuning curve peaks away from the adapted orientation, reduces tuning curve slopes near the adapted orientation, and increases the responses on the far flank of tuning curves. Learning an orientation discrimination task increases tuning curve slopes near the trained orientation. These changes have been explained previously in a recurrent model (RM) of orientation selectivity. However, the RM generates only complex cells when they are well tuned, so that there is currently no model of orientation plasticity for simple cells. In addition, some feedforward models, such as the modified feedforward model (MFM), also contain recurrent cortical excitation, and it is unknown whether they can explain plasticity. Here, we compare plasticity in the MFM, which simulates simple cells, and a recent modification of the RM (MRM), which displays a continuum of simple-to-complex characteristics. Both pre- and postsynaptic-based modifications of the recurrent and feedforward connections in the models are investigated. The MRM can account for all the learning- and adaptation-induced plasticity, for both simple and complex cells, while the MFM cannot. The key features from the MRM required for explaining plasticity are broadly tuned feedforward inputs and sharpening by a Mexican hat intracortical interaction profile. The mere presence of recurrent cortical interactions in feedforward models like the MFM is insufficient; such models have more rigid tuning curves. We predict that the plastic properties must be absent for cells whose orientation tuning arises from a feedforward mechanism.

Application of genetic algorithms to tuning fuzzy control systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Espy, Todd; Vombrack, Endre; Aldridge, Jack

1993-01-01

Real number genetic algorithms (GA) were applied for tuning fuzzy membership functions of three controller applications. The first application is our 'Fuzzy Pong' demonstration, a controller that controls a very responsive system. The performance of the automatically tuned membership functions exceeded that of manually tuned membership functions both when the algorithm started with randomly generated functions and with the best manually-tuned functions. The second GA tunes input membership functions to achieve a specified control surface. The third application is a practical one, a motor controller for a printed circuit manufacturing system. The GA alters the positions and overlaps of the membership functions to accomplish the tuning. The applications, the real number GA approach, the fitness function and population parameters, and the performance improvements achieved are discussed. Directions for further research in tuning input and output membership functions and in tuning fuzzy rules are described.

Attitude dynamics and control of a spacecraft using shifting mass distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahn, Young Tae

Spacecraft need specific attitude control methods that depend on the mission type or special tasks. The dynamics and the attitude control of a spacecraft with a shifting mass distribution within the system are examined. The behavior and use of conventional attitude control actuators are widely developed and performing at the present time. However, the advantage of a shifting mass distribution concept can complement spacecraft attitude control, save mass, and extend a satellite's life. This can be adopted in practice by moving mass from one tank to another, similar to what an airplane does to balance weight. Using this shifting mass distribution concept, in conjunction with other attitude control devices, can augment the three-axis attitude control process. Shifting mass involves changing the center-of-mass of the system, and/or changing the moments of inertia of the system, which then ultimately can change the attitude behavior of the system. This dissertation consists of two parts. First, the equations of motion for the shifting mass concept (also known as morphing) are developed. They are tested for their effects on attitude control by showing how shifting the mass changes the spacecraft's attitude behavior. Second, a method for optimal mass redistribution is shown using a combinatorial optimization theory under constraints. It closes with a simple example demonstrating an optimal reconfiguration. The procedure of optimal reconfiguration from one mass distribution to another to accomplish attitude control has been demonstrated for several simple examples. Mass shifting could work as an attitude controller for fine-tuning attitude behavior in small satellites. Various constraints can be applied for different situations, such as no mass shift between two tanks connected by a failed pipe or total amount of shifted mass per pipe being set for the time optimum solution. Euler angle changes influenced by the mass reconfiguration are accomplished while stability conditions are satisfied. In order to increase the accuracy, generally, more than two control systems are installed in a satellite. Combination with another actuator will be examined to fulfill the full attitude control maneuver. Future work can also include more realistic spacecraft design and operational considerations on the behavior of this type of control system.

Beyond Zero Based Budgeting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogden, Daniel M., Jr.

1978-01-01

Suggests that the most practical budgeting system for most managers is a formalized combination of incremental and zero-based analysis because little can be learned about most programs from an annual zero-based budget. (Author/IRT)

Longitudinal asymmetry and its effect on pseudorapidity distributions in Pb-Pb collisions at √{sNN } = 2.76 TeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acharya, S.; Adam, J.; Adamová, D.; Adolfsson, J.; Aggarwal, M. M.; Aglieri Rinella, G.; Agnello, M.; Agrawal, N.; Ahammed, Z.; Ahmad, N.; Ahn, S. U.; Aiola, S.; Akindinov, A.; Al-Turany, M.; Alam, S. N.; Alba, J. L. B.; Albuquerque, D. S. D.; Aleksandrov, D.; Alessandro, B.; Alfaro Molina, R.; Alici, A.; Alkin, A.; Alme, J.; Alt, T.; Altenkamper, L.; Altsybeev, I.; Alves Garcia Prado, C.; Andrei, C.; Andreou, D.; Andrews, H. A.; Andronic, A.; Anguelov, V.; Anson, C.; Antičić, T.; Antinori, F.; Antonioli, P.; Anwar, R.; Aphecetche, L.; Appelshäuser, H.; Arcelli, S.; Arnaldi, R.; Arnold, O. W.; Arsene, I. C.; Arslandok, M.; Audurier, B.; Augustinus, A.; Averbeck, R.; Azmi, M. D.; Badalà, A.; Baek, Y. W.; Bagnasco, S.; Bailhache, R.; Bala, R.; Baldisseri, A.; Ball, M.; Baral, R. C.; Barbano, A. M.; Barbera, R.; Barile, F.; Barioglio, L.; Barnaföldi, G. G.; Barnby, L. S.; Barret, V.; Bartalini, P.; Barth, K.; Bartsch, E.; Basile, M.; Bastid, N.; Basu, S.; Batigne, G.; Batyunya, B.; Batzing, P. C.; Bearden, I. G.; Beck, H.; Bedda, C.; Behera, N. K.; Belikov, I.; Bellini, F.; Bello Martinez, H.; Bellwied, R.; Beltran, L. G. E.; Belyaev, V.; Bencedi, G.; Beole, S.; Bercuci, A.; Berdnikov, Y.; Berenyi, D.; Bertens, R. A.; Berzano, D.; Betev, L.; Bhasin, A.; Bhat, I. R.; Bhati, A. K.; Bhattacharjee, B.; Bhom, J.; Bianchi, A.; Bianchi, L.; Bianchi, N.; Bianchin, C.; Bielčík, J.; Bielčíková, J.; Bilandzic, A.; Biro, G.; Biswas, R.; Biswas, S.; Blair, J. T.; Blau, D.; Blume, C.; Boca, G.; Bock, F.; Bogdanov, A.; Boldizsár, L.; Bombara, M.; Bonomi, G.; Bonora, M.; Book, J.; Borel, H.; Borissov, A.; Borri, M.; Botta, E.; Bourjau, C.; Bratrud, L.; Braun-Munzinger, P.; Bregant, M.; Broker, T. A.; Broz, M.; Brucken, E. J.; Bruna, E.; Bruno, G. E.; Budnikov, D.; Buesching, H.; Bufalino, S.; Buhler, P.; Buncic, P.; Busch, O.; Buthelezi, Z.; Butt, J. B.; Buxton, J. T.; Cabala, J.; Caffarri, D.; Caines, H.; Caliva, A.; Calvo Villar, E.; Camerini, P.; Capon, A. A.; Carena, F.; Carena, W.; Carnesecchi, F.; Castillo Castellanos, J.; Castro, A. J.; Casula, E. A. R.; Ceballos Sanchez, C.; Cerello, P.; Chandra, S.; Chang, B.; Chapeland, S.; Chartier, M.; Chattopadhyay, S.; Chattopadhyay, S.; Chauvin, A.; Cheshkov, C.; Cheynis, B.; Chibante Barroso, V.; Chinellato, D. D.; Cho, S.; Chochula, P.; Chojnacki, M.; Choudhury, S.; Chowdhury, T.; Christakoglou, P.; Christensen, C. H.; Christiansen, P.; Chujo, T.; Chung, S. U.; Cicalo, C.; Cifarelli, L.; Cindolo, F.; Cleymans, J.; Colamaria, F.; Colella, D.; Collu, A.; Colocci, M.; Concas, M.; Conesa Balbastre, G.; Conesa Del Valle, Z.; Connors, M. E.; Contreras, J. G.; Cormier, T. M.; Corrales Morales, Y.; Cortés Maldonado, I.; Cortese, P.; Cosentino, M. R.; Costa, F.; Costanza, S.; Crkovská, J.; Crochet, P.; Cuautle, E.; Cunqueiro, L.; Dahms, T.; Dainese, A.; Danisch, M. C.; Danu, A.; Das, D.; Das, I.; Das, S.; Dash, A.; Dash, S.; de, S.; de Caro, A.; de Cataldo, G.; de Conti, C.; de Cuveland, J.; de Falco, A.; de Gruttola, D.; De Marco, N.; de Pasquale, S.; de Souza, R. D.; Degenhardt, H. F.; Deisting, A.; Deloff, A.; Deplano, C.; Dhankher, P.; di Bari, D.; di Mauro, A.; di Nezza, P.; di Ruzza, B.; Dietel, T.; Dillenseger, P.; Divià, R.; Djuvsland, Ø.; Dobrin, A.; Domenicis Gimenez, D.; Dönigus, B.; Dordic, O.; Doremalen, L. V. R.; Dubey, A. K.; Dubla, A.; Ducroux, L.; Duggal, A. K.; Dukhishyam, M.; Dupieux, P.; Ehlers, R. J.; Elia, D.; Endress, E.; Engel, H.; Epple, E.; Erazmus, B.; Erhardt, F.; Espagnon, B.; Esumi, S.; Eulisse, G.; Eum, J.; Evans, D.; Evdokimov, S.; Fabbietti, L.; Faivre, J.; Fantoni, A.; Fasel, M.; Feldkamp, L.; Feliciello, A.; Feofilov, G.; Fernández Téllez, A.; Ferretti, A.; Festanti, A.; Feuillard, V. J. G.; Figiel, J.; Figueredo, M. A. S.; Filchagin, S.; Finogeev, D.; Fionda, F. M.; Floris, M.; Foertsch, S.; Foka, P.; Fokin, S.; Fragiacomo, E.; Francescon, A.; Francisco, A.; Frankenfeld, U.; Fronze, G. G.; Fuchs, U.; Furget, C.; Furs, A.; Fusco Girard, M.; Gaardhøje, J. J.; Gagliardi, M.; Gago, A. M.; Gajdosova, K.; Gallio, M.; Galvan, C. D.; Ganoti, P.; Garabatos, C.; Garcia-Solis, E.; Garg, K.; Gargiulo, C.; Gasik, P.; Gauger, E. F.; Gay Ducati, M. B.; Germain, M.; Ghosh, J.; Ghosh, P.; Ghosh, S. K.; Gianotti, P.; Giubellino, P.; Giubilato, P.; Gladysz-Dziadus, E.; Glässel, P.; Goméz Coral, D. M.; Gomez Ramirez, A.; Gonzalez, A. S.; González-Zamora, P.; Gorbunov, S.; Görlich, L.; Gotovac, S.; Grabski, V.; Graczykowski, L. K.; Graham, K. L.; Greiner, L.; Grelli, A.; Grigoras, C.; Grigoriev, V.; Grigoryan, A.; Grigoryan, S.; Gronefeld, J. M.; Grosa, F.; Grosse-Oetringhaus, J. F.; Grosso, R.; Gruber, L.; Guber, F.; Guernane, R.; Guerzoni, B.; Gulbrandsen, K.; Gunji, T.; Gupta, A.; Gupta, R.; Guzman, I. B.; Haake, R.; Hadjidakis, C.; Hamagaki, H.; Hamar, G.; Hamon, J. C.; Haque, M. R.; Harris, J. W.; Harton, A.; Hassan, H.; Hatzifotiadou, D.; Hayashi, S.; Heckel, S. T.; Hellbär, E.; Helstrup, H.; Herghelegiu, A.; Hernandez, E. G.; Herrera Corral, G.; Herrmann, F.; Hess, B. A.; Hetland, K. F.; Hillemanns, H.; Hills, C.; Hippolyte, B.; Hladky, J.; Hohlweger, B.; Horak, D.; Hornung, S.; Hosokawa, R.; Hristov, P.; Hughes, C.; Humanic, T. J.; Hussain, N.; Hussain, T.; Hutter, D.; Hwang, D. S.; Iga Buitron, S. A.; Ilkaev, R.; Inaba, M.; Ippolitov, M.; Irfan, M.; Islam, M. S.; Ivanov, M.; Ivanov, V.; Izucheev, V.; Jacak, B.; Jacazio, N.; Jacobs, P. M.; Jadhav, M. B.; Jadlovsky, J.; Jaelani, S.; Jahnke, C.; Jakubowska, M. J.; Janik, M. A.; Jayarathna, P. H. S. Y.; Jena, C.; Jena, S.; Jercic, M.; Jimenez Bustamante, R. T.; Jones, P. G.; Jusko, A.; Kalinak, P.; Kalweit, A.; Kang, J. H.; Kaplin, V.; Kar, S.; Karasu Uysal, A.; Karavichev, O.; Karavicheva, T.; Karayan, L.; Karczmarczyk, P.; Karpechev, E.; Kebschull, U.; Keidel, R.; Keijdener, D. L. D.; Keil, M.; Ketzer, B.; Khabanova, Z.; Khan, P.; Khan, S. A.; Khanzadeev, A.; Kharlov, Y.; Khatun, A.; Khuntia, A.; Kielbowicz, M. M.; Kileng, B.; Kim, B.; Kim, D.; Kim, D. J.; Kim, H.; Kim, J. S.; Kim, J.; Kim, M.; Kim, M.; Kim, S.; Kim, T.; Kirsch, S.; Kisel, I.; Kiselev, S.; Kisiel, A.; Kiss, G.; Klay, J. L.; Klein, C.; Klein, J.; Klein-Bösing, C.; Klewin, S.; Kluge, A.; Knichel, M. L.; Knospe, A. G.; Kobdaj, C.; Kofarago, M.; Köhler, M. K.; Kollegger, T.; Kondratiev, V.; Kondratyeva, N.; Kondratyuk, E.; Konevskikh, A.; Konyushikhin, M.; Kopcik, M.; Kour, M.; Kouzinopoulos, C.; Kovalenko, O.; Kovalenko, V.; Kowalski, M.; Koyithatta Meethaleveedu, G.; Králik, I.; Kravčáková, A.; Kreis, L.; Krivda, M.; Krizek, F.; Kryshen, E.; Krzewicki, M.; Kubera, A. M.; Kučera, V.; Kuhn, C.; Kuijer, P. G.; Kumar, A.; Kumar, J.; Kumar, L.; Kumar, S.; Kundu, S.; Kurashvili, P.; Kurepin, A.; Kurepin, A. B.; Kuryakin, A.; Kushpil, S.; Kweon, M. J.; Kwon, Y.; La Pointe, S. L.; La Rocca, P.; Lagana Fernandes, C.; Lai, Y. S.; Lakomov, I.; Langoy, R.; Lapidus, K.; Lara, C.; Lardeux, A.; Lattuca, A.; Laudi, E.; Lavicka, R.; Lea, R.; Leardini, L.; Lee, S.; Lehas, F.; Lehner, S.; Lehrbach, J.; Lemmon, R. C.; Lenti, V.; Leogrande, E.; León Monzón, I.; Lévai, P.; Li, X.; Lien, J.; Lietava, R.; Lim, B.; Lindal, S.; Lindenstruth, V.; Lindsay, S. W.; Lippmann, C.; Lisa, M. A.; Litichevskyi, V.; Llope, W. J.; Lodato, D. F.; Loenne, P. I.; Loginov, V.; Loizides, C.; Loncar, P.; Lopez, X.; López Torres, E.; Lowe, A.; Luettig, P.; Luhder, J. R.; Lunardon, M.; Luparello, G.; Lupi, M.; Lutz, T. H.; Maevskaya, A.; Mager, M.; Mahajan, S.; Mahmood, S. M.; Maire, A.; Majka, R. D.; Malaev, M.; Malinina, L.; Mal'Kevich, D.; Malzacher, P.; Mamonov, A.; Manko, V.; Manso, F.; Manzari, V.; Mao, Y.; Marchisone, M.; Mareš, J.; Margagliotti, G. V.; Margotti, A.; Margutti, J.; Marín, A.; Markert, C.; Marquard, M.; Martin, N. A.; Martinengo, P.; Martinez, J. A. L.; Martínez, M. I.; Martínez García, G.; Martinez Pedreira, M.; Masciocchi, S.; Masera, M.; Masoni, A.; Masson, E.; Mastroserio, A.; Mathis, A. M.; Matuoka, P. F. T.; Matyja, A.; Mayer, C.; Mazer, J.; Mazzilli, M.; Mazzoni, M. A.; Meddi, F.; Melikyan, Y.; Menchaca-Rocha, A.; Meninno, E.; Mercado Pérez, J.; Meres, M.; Mhlanga, S.; Miake, Y.; Mieskolainen, M. M.; Mihaylov, D. L.; Mikhaylov, K.; Milosevic, J.; Mischke, A.; Mishra, A. N.; Miśkowiec, D.; Mitra, J.; Mitu, C. M.; Mohammadi, N.; Mohanty, B.; Mohisin Khan, M.; Moreira de Godoy, D. A.; Moreno, L. A. P.; Moretto, S.; Morreale, A.; Morsch, A.; Muccifora, V.; Mudnic, E.; Mühlheim, D.; Muhuri, S.; Mukherjee, M.; Mulligan, J. D.; Munhoz, M. G.; Münning, K.; Munzer, R. H.; Murakami, H.; Murray, S.; Musa, L.; Musinsky, J.; Myers, C. J.; Myrcha, J. W.; Nag, D.; Naik, B.; Nair, R.; Nandi, B. K.; Nania, R.; Nappi, E.; Narayan, A.; Naru, M. U.; Natal da Luz, H.; Nattrass, C.; Navarro, S. R.; Nayak, K.; Nayak, R.; Nayak, T. K.; Nazarenko, S.; Nedosekin, A.; Negrao de Oliveira, R. A.; Nellen, L.; Nesbo, S. V.; Ng, F.; Nicassio, M.; Niculescu, M.; Niedziela, J.; Nielsen, B. S.; Nikolaev, S.; Nikulin, S.; Nikulin, V.; Noferini, F.; Nomokonov, P.; Nooren, G.; Noris, J. C. C.; Norman, J.; Nyanin, A.; Nystrand, J.; Oeschler, H.; Oh, S.; Ohlson, A.; Okubo, T.; Olah, L.; Oleniacz, J.; Oliveira da Silva, A. C.; Oliver, M. H.; Onderwaater, J.; Oppedisano, C.; Orava, R.; Oravec, M.; Ortiz Velasquez, A.; Oskarsson, A.; Otwinowski, J.; Oyama, K.; Pachmayer, Y.; Pacik, V.; Pagano, D.; Pagano, P.; Paić, G.; Palni, P.; Pan, J.; Pandey, A. K.; Panebianco, S.; Papikyan, V.; Pappalardo, G. S.; Pareek, P.; Park, J.; Parmar, S.; Passfeld, A.; Pathak, S. P.; Patra, R. N.; Paul, B.; Pei, H.; Peitzmann, T.; Peng, X.; Pereira, L. G.; Pereira da Costa, H.; Peresunko, D.; Perez Lezama, E.; Peskov, V.; Pestov, Y.; Petráček, V.; Petrov, V.; Petrovici, M.; Petta, C.; Pezzi, R. P.; Piano, S.; Pikna, M.; Pillot, P.; Pimentel, L. O. D. L.; Pinazza, O.; Pinsky, L.; Piyarathna, D. B.; Płoskoń, M.; Planinic, M.; Pliquett, F.; Pluta, J.; Pochybova, S.; Podesta-Lerma, P. L. M.; Poghosyan, M. G.; Polichtchouk, B.; Poljak, N.; Poonsawat, W.; Pop, A.; Poppenborg, H.; Porteboeuf-Houssais, S.; Pozdniakov, V.; Prasad, S. K.; Preghenella, R.; Prino, F.; Pruneau, C. A.; Pshenichnov, I.; Puccio, M.; Puddu, G.; Pujahari, P.; Punin, V.; Putschke, J.; Raha, S.; Rajput, S.; Rak, J.; Rakotozafindrabe, A.; Ramello, L.; Rami, F.; Rana, D. B.; Raniwala, R.; Raniwala, S.; Räsänen, S. S.; Rascanu, B. T.; Rathee, D.; Ratza, V.; Ravasenga, I.; Read, K. F.; Redlich, K.; Rehman, A.; Reichelt, P.; Reidt, F.; Ren, X.; Renfordt, R.; Reolon, A. R.; Reshetin, A.; Reygers, K.; Riabov, V.; Ricci, R. A.; Richert, T.; Richter, M.; Riedler, P.; Riegler, W.; Riggi, F.; Ristea, C.; Rodríguez Cahuantzi, M.; Røed, K.; Rogochaya, E.; Rohr, D.; Röhrich, D.; Rokita, P. S.; Ronchetti, F.; Rosas, E. D.; Rosnet, P.; Rossi, A.; Rotondi, A.; Roukoutakis, F.; Roy, A.; Roy, C.; Roy, P.; Rueda, O. V.; Rui, R.; Rumyantsev, B.; Rustamov, A.; Ryabinkin, E.; Ryabov, Y.; Rybicki, A.; Saarinen, S.; Sadhu, S.; Sadovsky, S.; Šafařík, K.; Saha, S. K.; Sahlmuller, B.; Sahoo, B.; Sahoo, P.; Sahoo, R.; Sahoo, S.; Sahu, P. K.; Saini, J.; Sakai, S.; Saleh, M. A.; Salzwedel, J.; Sambyal, S.; Samsonov, V.; Sandoval, A.; Sarkar, D.; Sarkar, N.; Sarma, P.; Sas, M. H. P.; Scapparone, E.; Scarlassara, F.; Schaefer, B.; Scharenberg, R. P.; Scheid, H. S.; Schiaua, C.; Schicker, R.; Schmidt, C.; Schmidt, H. R.; Schmidt, M. O.; Schmidt, M.; Schmidt, N. V.; Schukraft, J.; Schutz, Y.; Schwarz, K.; Schweda, K.; Scioli, G.; Scomparin, E.; Šefčík, M.; Seger, J. E.; Sekiguchi, Y.; Sekihata, D.; Selyuzhenkov, I.; Senosi, K.; Senyukov, S.; Serradilla, E.; Sett, P.; Sevcenco, A.; Shabanov, A.; Shabetai, A.; Shahoyan, R.; Shaikh, W.; Shangaraev, A.; Sharma, A.; Sharma, A.; Sharma, M.; Sharma, M.; Sharma, N.; Sheikh, A. I.; Shigaki, K.; Shou, Q.; Shtejer, K.; Sibiriak, Y.; Siddhanta, S.; Sielewicz, K. M.; Siemiarczuk, T.; Silaeva, S.; Silvermyr, D.; Silvestre, C.; Simatovic, G.; Simonetti, G.; Singaraju, R.; Singh, R.; Singhal, V.; Sinha, T.; Sitar, B.; Sitta, M.; Skaali, T. B.; Slupecki, M.; Smirnov, N.; Snellings, R. J. M.; Snellman, T. W.; Song, J.; Song, M.; Soramel, F.; Sorensen, S.; Sozzi, F.; Spiriti, E.; Sputowska, I.; Srivastava, B. K.; Stachel, J.; Stan, I.; Stankus, P.; Stenlund, E.; Stocco, D.; Storetvedt, M. M.; Strmen, P.; Suaide, A. A. P.; Sugitate, T.; Suire, C.; Suleymanov, M.; Suljic, M.; Sultanov, R.; Šumbera, M.; Sumowidagdo, S.; Suzuki, K.; Swain, S.; Szabo, A.; Szarka, I.; Tabassam, U.; Takahashi, J.; Tambave, G. J.; Tanaka, N.; Tarhini, M.; Tariq, M.; Tarzila, M. G.; Tauro, A.; Tejeda Muñoz, G.; Telesca, A.; Terasaki, K.; Terrevoli, C.; Teyssier, B.; Thakur, D.; Thakur, S.; Thomas, D.; Thoresen, F.; Tieulent, R.; Tikhonov, A.; Timmins, A. R.; Toia, A.; Torres, S. R.; Tripathy, S.; Trogolo, S.; Trombetta, G.; Tropp, L.; Trubnikov, V.; Trzaska, W. H.; Trzeciak, B. A.; Tsuji, T.; Tumkin, A.; Turrisi, R.; Tveter, T. S.; Ullaland, K.; Umaka, E. N.; Uras, A.; Usai, G. L.; Utrobicic, A.; Vala, M.; van der Maarel, J.; van Hoorne, J. W.; van Leeuwen, M.; Vanat, T.; Vande Vyvre, P.; Varga, D.; Vargas, A.; Vargyas, M.; Varma, R.; Vasileiou, M.; Vasiliev, A.; Vauthier, A.; Vázquez Doce, O.; Vechernin, V.; Veen, A. M.; Velure, A.; Vercellin, E.; Vergara Limón, S.; Vernet, R.; Vértesi, R.; Vickovic, L.; Vigolo, S.; Viinikainen, J.; Vilakazi, Z.; Villalobos Baillie, O.; Villatoro Tello, A.; Vinogradov, A.; Vinogradov, L.; Virgili, T.; Vislavicius, V.; Vodopyanov, A.; Völkl, M. A.; Voloshin, K.; Voloshin, S. A.; Volpe, G.; von Haller, B.; Vorobyev, I.; Voscek, D.; Vranic, D.; Vrláková, J.; Wagner, B.; Wang, H.; Wang, M.; Watanabe, D.; Watanabe, Y.; Weber, M.; Weber, S. G.; Weiser, D. F.; Wenzel, S. C.; Wessels, J. P.; Westerhoff, U.; Whitehead, A. M.; Wiechula, J.; Wikne, J.; Wilk, G.; Wilkinson, J.; Willems, G. A.; Williams, M. C. S.; Willsher, E.; Windelband, B.; Witt, W. E.; Yalcin, S.; Yamakawa, K.; Yang, P.; Yano, S.; Yin, Z.; Yokoyama, H.; Yoo, I.-K.; Yoon, J. H.; Yurchenko, V.; Zaccolo, V.; Zaman, A.; Zampolli, C.; Zanoli, H. J. C.; Zardoshti, N.; Zarochentsev, A.; Závada, P.; Zaviyalov, N.; Zbroszczyk, H.; Zhalov, M.; Zhang, H.; Zhang, X.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, C.; Zhang, Z.; Zhao, C.; Zhigareva, N.; Zhou, D.; Zhou, Y.; Zhou, Z.; Zhu, H.; Zhu, J.; Zichichi, A.; Zimmermann, A.; Zimmermann, M. B.; Zinovjev, G.; Zmeskal, J.; Zou, S.; Alice Collaboration

2018-06-01

First results on the longitudinal asymmetry and its effect on the pseudorapidity distributions in Pb-Pb collisions at √{sNN } = 2.76 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider are obtained with the ALICE detector. The longitudinal asymmetry arises because of an unequal number of participating nucleons from the two colliding nuclei, and is estimated for each event by measuring the energy in the forward neutron-Zero-Degree-Calorimeters (ZNs). The effect of the longitudinal asymmetry is measured on the pseudorapidity distributions of charged particles in the regions | η | < 0.9, 2.8 < η < 5.1 and - 3.7 < η < - 1.7 by taking the ratio of the pseudorapidity distributions from events corresponding to different regions of asymmetry. The coefficients of a polynomial fit to the ratio characterise the effect of the asymmetry. A Monte Carlo simulation using a Glauber model for the colliding nuclei is tuned to reproduce the spectrum in the ZNs and provides a relation between the measurable longitudinal asymmetry and the shift in the rapidity (y0) of the participant zone formed by the unequal number of participating nucleons. The dependence of the coefficient of the linear term in the polynomial expansion, c1, on the mean value of y0 is investigated.

Absolute Definition of Phase Shift in the Elastic Scattering of a Particle from Compound Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Temkin, A.

1961-01-01

The projection of the target wave function on the total wave function of a scattered particle interacting with the target system is used to define an absolute phase shift including any multiples of pi. With this definition of the absolute phase shift, one can prove rigorously in the limit of zero energy for s-wave electrons scattered from atomic hydrogen that the triplet phase shift must approach a nonzero multiple of pi. One can further show that at least one pi of this phase shift is not connected with the existence of a bound state of the H- ion.

Precise Stabilization of the Optical Frequency of WGMRs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Savchenkov, Anatoliy; Matsko, Andrey; Matsko, Andrey; Yu, Nan; Maleki, Lute; Iltchenko, Vladimir

2009-01-01

Crystalline whispering gallery mode resonators (CWGMRs) made of crystals with axial symmetry have ordinary and extraordinary families of optical modes. These modes have substantially different thermo-refractive constants. This results in a very sharp dependence of differential detuning of optical frequency on effective temperature. This frequency difference compared with clock gives an error signal for precise compensation of the random fluctuations of optical frequency. Certain crystals, like MgF2, have turnover points where the thermo-refractive effect is completely nullified. An advantage for applications using WGMRs for frequency stabilization is in the possibility of manufacturing resonators out of practically any optically transparent crystal. It is known that there are crystals with negative and zero thermal expansion at some specific temperatures. Doping changes properties of the crystals and it is possible to create an optically transparent crystal with zero thermal expansion at room temperature. With this innovation s stabilization technique, the resultant WGMR will have absolute frequency stability The expansion of the resonator s body can be completely compensated for by nonlinear elements. This results in compensation of linear thermal expansion (see figure). In three-mode, the MgF2 resonator, if tuned at the turnover thermal point, can compensate for all types of random thermal-related frequency drift. Simplified dual-mode method is also available. This creates miniature optical resonators with good short- and long-term stability for passive secondary frequency ethalon and an active resonator for active secondary frequency standard (a narrowband laser with long-term stability).

Bandgap Tuning of Silicon Quantum Dots by Surface Functionalization with Conjugated Organic Groups.

PubMed

Zhou, Tianlei; Anderson, Ryan T; Li, Huashan; Bell, Jacob; Yang, Yongan; Gorman, Brian P; Pylypenko, Svitlana; Lusk, Mark T; Sellinger, Alan

2015-06-10

The quantum confinement and enhanced optical properties of silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) make them attractive as an inexpensive and nontoxic material for a variety of applications such as light emitting technologies (lighting, displays, sensors) and photovoltaics. However, experimental demonstration of these properties and practical application into optoelectronic devices have been limited as SiQDs are generally passivated with covalently bound insulating alkyl chains that limit charge transport. In this work, we show that strategically designed triphenylamine-based surface ligands covalently bonded to the SiQD surface using conjugated vinyl connectivity results in a 70 nm red-shifted photoluminescence relative to their decyl-capped control counterparts. This suggests that electron density from the SiQD is delocalized into the surface ligands to effectively create a larger hybrid QD with possible macroscopic charge transport properties.

Optofluidic tuning of multimode interference fiber filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonio-Lopez, J. E.; May-Arrioja, D. A.; LiKamWa, P.

2009-05-01

We report on the optofluidic tuning of MMI-based bandpass filters. It is well known that MMI devices exhibit their highest sensitivity when their diameter (D) is modified, since they have a D2 wavelength dependence. In order to increase the MMF diameter we use a special fiber, called No-Core fiber, which is basically a MMF with a diameter of 125 μm with air as the cover. Therefore, when this No-Core fiber is immersed in liquids with different refractive indexes, as a result of the Goes-Hänchen shift the effective width (fundamental mode width) of the No-Core fiber is increased, and thus the peak wavelength is tuned. A tunability of almost 40 nm in going from air (n=1.333) to ethylene glycol (n=1.434) was easily obtained, with a minimum change in peak transmission, contrast, and bandwidth. Moreover, since replacing the entire liquid can be difficult, the device was placed vertically and the liquid was covering the No-Core fiber in small steps. This provided similar amount of tuning as before, but a more controllable tuning mechanism.

Penetrating transmission zeros in the design of robust servomechanism systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, S. H.; Davison, E. J.

1981-01-01

In the design of a robust servomechanism system, it is well known that the system cannot track a reference signal whose frequency coincides with the transmission zeros of the system. This paper proposes a new design method for overcoming this difficulty. The controller to be used employs a sampler and holding device with exponential decay. It is shown that the transmission zeros of the discretized system can be shifted by changing the rate of the exponential decay of the holding device. Thus, it is possible to design a robust controller for the discretized system to track any reference signal of given frequency, even if the given frequency coincides with the transmission zeros of the original continuous-time system.

Absorption of laser plasma in competition with oscillation currents for a terahertz spectrum.

PubMed

Li, Xiaolu; Bai, Ya; Li, Na; Liu, Peng

2018-01-01

We generate terahertz radiation in a supersonic jet of nitrogen molecules pumped by intense two-color laser pulses. The tuning of terahertz spectra from blue shift to red shift is observed by increasing laser power and stagnation pressure, and the red shift range is enlarged with the increased stagnation pressure. Our simulation reveals that the plasma absorption of the oscillation currents and expanded plasma column owing to increased laser intensity and gas number density are crucial factors in the recurrence of the red shift of terahertz spectra. The findings disclose the microscopic mechanism of terahertz radiation and present a controlling knob for the manipulation of a broadband terahertz spectrum from laser plasma.

Transductive multi-view zero-shot learning.

PubMed

Fu, Yanwei; Hospedales, Timothy M; Xiang, Tao; Gong, Shaogang

2015-11-01

Most existing zero-shot learning approaches exploit transfer learning via an intermediate semantic representation shared between an annotated auxiliary dataset and a target dataset with different classes and no annotation. A projection from a low-level feature space to the semantic representation space is learned from the auxiliary dataset and applied without adaptation to the target dataset. In this paper we identify two inherent limitations with these approaches. First, due to having disjoint and potentially unrelated classes, the projection functions learned from the auxiliary dataset/domain are biased when applied directly to the target dataset/domain. We call this problem the projection domain shift problem and propose a novel framework, transductive multi-view embedding, to solve it. The second limitation is the prototype sparsity problem which refers to the fact that for each target class, only a single prototype is available for zero-shot learning given a semantic representation. To overcome this problem, a novel heterogeneous multi-view hypergraph label propagation method is formulated for zero-shot learning in the transductive embedding space. It effectively exploits the complementary information offered by different semantic representations and takes advantage of the manifold structures of multiple representation spaces in a coherent manner. We demonstrate through extensive experiments that the proposed approach (1) rectifies the projection shift between the auxiliary and target domains, (2) exploits the complementarity of multiple semantic representations, (3) significantly outperforms existing methods for both zero-shot and N-shot recognition on three image and video benchmark datasets, and (4) enables novel cross-view annotation tasks.

Fine golden rings: Tunable surface plasmon resonance from assembled nanorods in topological defects of liquid crystals

DOE PAGES

Lee, Elaine; Xia, Yu; Ferrier, Jr., Robert C.; ...

2016-02-08

Unprecedented, reversible, and dynamic control over an assembly of gold nanorods dispersed in liquid crystals (LC) is demonstrated. The LC director field is dynamically tuned at the nanoscale using microscale ring confinement through the interplay of elastic energy at different temperatures, thus fine-tuning its core replacement energy to reversibly sequester nanoscale inclusions at the microscale. As a result, this leads to shifts of 100 nm or more in the surface plasmon resonance peak, an order of magnitude greater than any previous work with AuNR composites.

Operation of a wet near-field scanning optical microscope in stable zones by minimizing the resonance change of tuning forks.

PubMed

Park, Kyoung-Duck; Park, Doo Jae; Lee, Seung Gol; Choi, Geunchang; Kim, Dai-Sik; Byeon, Clare Chisu; Choi, Soo Bong; Jeong, Mun Seok

2014-02-21

A resonant shift and a decrease of resonance quality of a tuning fork attached to a conventional fiber optic probe in the vicinity of liquid is monitored systematically while varying the protrusion length and immersion depth of the probe. Stable zones where the resonance modification as a function of immersion depth is minimized are observed. A wet near-field scanning optical microscope (wet-NSOM) is operated for a sample within water by using such a stable zone.

Structural studies and band gap tuning of Cr doped ZnO nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Srinet, Gunjan, E-mail: gunjansrinet@gmail.com; Kumar, Ravindra, E-mail: gunjansrinet@gmail.com; Sajal, Vivek, E-mail: gunjansrinet@gmail.com

2014-04-24

Structural and optical properties of Cr doped ZnO nanoparticles prepared by the thermal decomposition method are presented. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the substitution of Cr on Zn sites without changing the wurtzite structure of ZnO. Modified form of W-H equations was used to calculate various physical parameters and their variation with Cr doping is discussed. Significant red shift was observed in band gap, i.e., a band gap tuning is achieved by Cr doping which could eventually be useful for optoelectronic applications.

ION EFFECTS IN THE APS PARTICLE ACCUMULATOR RING

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Calvey, J.; Harkay, K.; Yao, CY.

2017-06-25

Trapped ions in the APS Particle Accumulator Ring (PAR) lead to a positive coherent tune shift in both planes, which increases along the PAR cycle as more ions accumulate. This effect has been studied using an ion simulation code developed at SLAC. After modifying the code to include a realistic vacuum profile, multiple ionization, and the effect of shaking the beam to measure the tune, the simulation agrees well with our measurements. This code has also been used to evaluate the possibility of ion instabilities at the high bunch charge needed for the APS-Upgrade.

Dependency between light intensity and refractive development under light-dark cycles.

PubMed

Cohen, Yuval; Belkin, Michael; Yehezkel, Oren; Solomon, Arieh S; Polat, Uri

2011-01-01

The emmetropization process involves fine-tuning the refractive state by altering the refractive components toward zero refraction. In this study, we provided light-dark cycle conditions at several intensities and examined the effect of light intensity on the progression of chicks' emmetropization. Chicks under high-, medium-, and low-light intensities (10,000, 500, and 50 lux, respectively) were followed for 90 days by retinoscopy, keratometry, as well as ultrasound measurements. Emmetropization was reached from days 30-50 and from days 50-60 for the low- and medium-intensity groups, respectively. On day 90, most chicks in the low-intensity group were myopic, with a mean refraction of -2.41D (95% confidence interval (CI) -2.9 to -1.8D), whereas no chicks in the high-intensity group developed myopia, but they exhibited a stable mean hyperopia of +1.1D. The medium-intensity group had a mean refraction of +0.03D. The low-intensity group had a deeper vitreous chamber depth and a longer axial length compared with the high-intensity group, and shifted refraction to the myopic side. The low-intensity group had a flatter corneal curvature, a deeper anterior chamber, and a thinner lens compared with the high-intensity group, and shifted refraction to the hyperopic side. In all groups the corneal power was correlated with the three examined levels of log light intensity for all examined times (e.g., day 20 r = 0.6 P < 0.0001, day 90 r = 0.56 P < 0.0001). Thus, under light-dark cycles, light intensity is an environmental factor that modulates the process of emmetropization, and the low intensity of ambient light is a risk factor for developing myopia. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A 13.56-mbps pulse delay modulation based transceiver for simultaneous near-field data and power transmission.

PubMed

Kiani, Mehdi; Ghovanloo, Maysam

2015-02-01

A fully-integrated near-field wireless transceiver has been presented for simultaneous data and power transmission across inductive links, which operates based on pulse delay modulation (PDM) technique. PDM is a low-power carrier-less modulation scheme that offers wide bandwidth along with robustness against strong power carrier interference, which makes it suitable for implantable neuroprosthetic devices, such as retinal implants. To transmit each bit, a pattern of narrow pulses are generated at the same frequency of the power carrier across the transmitter (Tx) data coil with specific time delays to initiate decaying ringing across the tuned receiver (Rx) data coil. This ringing shifts the zero-crossing times of the undesired power carrier interference on the Rx data coil, resulting in a phase shift between the signals across Rx power and data coils, from which the data bit stream can be recovered. A PDM transceiver prototype was fabricated in a 0.35- μm standard CMOS process, occupying 1.6 mm(2). The transceiver achieved a measured 13.56 Mbps data rate with a raw bit error rate (BER) of 4.3×10(-7) at 10 mm distance between figure-8 data coils, despite a signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) of -18.5 dB across the Rx data coil. At the same time, a class-D power amplifier, operating at 13.56 MHz, delivered 42 mW of regulated power across a separate pair of high-Q power coils, aligned with the data coils. The PDM data Tx and Rx power consumptions were 960 pJ/bit and 162 pJ/bit, respectively, at 1.8 V supply voltage.

Acousto-optic devices for operation with 2μm fibre lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, J. D.; Stevens, G.; Shardlow, P. C.

2016-03-01

Fibre lasers operating in the 2μm region are of increasing interest for a range of applications, including laser machining and biomedical systems. The large mode area compared to 1μm fibre lasers combined with operation in an "eye-safe" region of the spectrum makes them particularly attractive. When developing fibre lasers at 1μm and 1·5μm manufacturers were able to call upon enabling technologies used by the telecoms industry, but at longer wavelengths, including 2μm, many such components are either unavailable or immature. We report on recent developments of Acousto-Optic Modulators and Tunable Filters that are specifically optimised for use with fibre systems operating at or around 2μm. AO devices are interesting due to their ability to conserve spatial-coherence, making them appropriate for use with single-mode optical fibres. We describe how the choice of interaction medium is an important consideration, particularly affecting the drive power and the polarisation behaviour of the device - the latter being an important parameter when used in a fibre system. We also describe two designs of AO Tunable Filter intended for laser tuning. Both designs have been demonstrated intracavity in 2μm fibre lasers. The first gives exceptionally narrow resolution (δλ/λ<0·1%). The second design is of a novel type of AOTF where a matched pair of AOTFs is configured to give a substantially net zero frequency-shift with little or no loss of pointing stability, any minor deviations in manufacture being self-compensated. Furthermore, small controlled frequency-shifts (up to about 10kHz) may be introduced with little or no detriment to the alignment of the system.

Majorana bound states from exceptional points in non-topological superconductors

PubMed Central

San-Jose, Pablo; Cayao, Jorge; Prada, Elsa; Aguado, Ramón

2016-01-01

Recent experimental efforts towards the detection of Majorana bound states have focused on creating the conditions for topological superconductivity. Here we demonstrate an alternative route, which achieves fully localised zero-energy Majorana bound states when a topologically trivial superconductor is strongly coupled to a helical normal region. Such a junction can be experimentally realised by e.g. proximitizing a finite section of a nanowire with spin-orbit coupling, and combining electrostatic depletion and a Zeeman field to drive the non-proximitized (normal) portion into a helical phase. Majorana zero modes emerge in such an open system without fine-tuning as a result of charge-conjugation symmetry, and can be ultimately linked to the existence of ‘exceptional points’ (EPs) in parameter space, where two quasibound Andreev levels bifurcate into two quasibound Majorana zero modes. After the EP, one of the latter becomes non-decaying as the junction approaches perfect Andreev reflection, thus resulting in a Majorana dark state (MDS) localised at the NS junction. We show that MDSs exhibit the full range of properties associated to conventional closed-system Majorana bound states (zero-energy, self-conjugation, 4π-Josephson effect and non-Abelian braiding statistics), while not requiring topological superconductivity. PMID:26865011

Methods of preparation and modification of advanced zero-valent iron nanoparticles, their properties and application in water treatment technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filip, Jan; Kašlík, Josef; Medřík, Ivo; Petala, Eleni; Zbořil, Radek; Slunský, Jan; Černík, Miroslav; Stavělová, Monika

2014-05-01

Zero-valent iron nanoparticles are commonly used in modern water treatment technologies. Compared to conventionally-used macroscopic iron or iron microparticles, the using of nanoparticles has the advantages given mainly by their generally large specific surface area (it drives their high reactivity and/or sorption capacity), small dimensions (it allows their migration e.g. in ground water), and particular physical and chemical properties. Following the applications of zero-valent iron particles in various pilot tests, there arose several critical suggestions for improvements of used nanomaterials and for development of new generation of reactive nanomaterials. In the presentation, the methods of zero-valent iron nanoparticles synthesis will be summarized with a special attention paid to the thermally-induced solid-state reaction allowing preparation of zero-valent iron nanoparticles in an industrial scale. Moreover, the method of thermal reduction of iron-oxide precursors enables to finely tune the critical parameters (mainly particle size and morphology, specific surface area, surface chemistry of nanoparticles etc.) of resulting zero-valet iron nanoparticles. The most important trends of advanced nanoparticles development will be discussed: (i) surface modification of nanomaterilas, (ii) development of nanocomposites and (iii) development of materials for combined reductive-sorption technologies. Laboratory testing of zero-valent iron nanoparticles reactivity and migration will be presented and compared with the field observations: the advanced zero-valent iron nanoparticles were used for groundwater treatment at the locality contaminated by chlorinated hydrocarbons (VC, DCE, TCE and PCE) and reacted nanoparticles were extracted from the sediments for their fate assessment. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic "Competence Centres" (project No. TE01020218) and the EU FP7 (project NANOREM).

Citizens' views on the practices of zero-grazing and cow-calf separation in the dairy industry: Does providing information increase acceptability?

PubMed

Hötzel, Maria J; Cardoso, Clarissa S; Roslindo, Angélica; von Keyserlingk, Marina A G

2017-05-01

The primary aim of this study was to assess the influence of provision of information on lay citizens' opinions regarding 2 common management practices, zero-grazing and cow-calf separation. To aid in the interpretation of the findings, our secondary aim was to explore the awareness and opinions of Brazilian citizens about these practices. We surveyed a convenience sample of Brazilian citizens (192 men and 208 women), recruited in a public place, with the majority stating that they were largely unfamiliar with animal production and lived in urban environments. Participants were presented short scenarios with information on the primary production factors and welfare concerns for and against zero-grazing (n = 200) or cow-calf separation (n = 200). Participants were then asked to state their position (reject, indifferent, or support), and to provide the reason(s) justifying their position. Immediately following, participants were provided a short statement describing either zero-grazing or cow-calf separation, depending on what question they responded to in the first part. Two closed questions (Q) followed each of these statements: (Q1) "Are you aware of this practice?" with choices yes, somewhat, or no, and (Q2) "What is your position regarding this practice?" with choices reject, indifferent, or support. Only 31 and 33% of the respondents were aware of zero-grazing and cow-calf separation, respectively. Previous awareness of existence of practice did not influence levels of support. Provision of information resulted in more people rejecting the practices of zero-grazing and cow-calf separation. Participants' main justifications to reject zero-grazing and cow-calf separation focused on perceived negative effects of practices on farm animal welfare and product quality, and loss of naturalness. Survey participants, Brazilians living in urban environments, with little or no association with dairy production, were generally unaware that many cows do not have access to pasture and that cows are separated from their calf at birth. Independent of provision of additional information, most participants did not support these practices. Provision of brief explanatory information played a minor role in influencing people's views, but failed to result in general acceptance. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of Tillage Practices on Soil Properties and Crop Productivity in Wheat-Mungbean-Rice Cropping System under Subtropical Climatic Conditions

PubMed Central

Islam, Md. Monirul; Hasanuzzaman, Mirza

2014-01-01

This study was conducted to know cropping cycles required to improve OM status in soil and to investigate the effects of medium-term tillage practices on soil properties and crop yields in Grey Terrace soil of Bangladesh under wheat-mungbean-T. aman cropping system. Four different tillage practices, namely, zero tillage (ZT), minimum tillage (MT), conventional tillage (CT), and deep tillage (DT), were studied in a randomized complete block (RCB) design with four replications. Tillage practices showed positive effects on soil properties and crop yields. After four cropping cycles, the highest OM accumulation, the maximum root mass density (0–15 cm soil depth), and the improved physical and chemical properties were recorded in the conservational tillage practices. Bulk and particle densities were decreased due to tillage practices, having the highest reduction of these properties and the highest increase of porosity and field capacity in zero tillage. The highest total N, P, K, and S in their available forms were recorded in zero tillage. All tillage practices showed similar yield after four years of cropping cycles. Therefore, we conclude that zero tillage with 20% residue retention was found to be suitable for soil health and achieving optimum yield under the cropping system in Grey Terrace soil (Aeric Albaquept). PMID:25197702

Fast parallel MR image reconstruction via B1-based, adaptive restart, iterative soft thresholding algorithms (BARISTA).

PubMed

Muckley, Matthew J; Noll, Douglas C; Fessler, Jeffrey A

2015-02-01

Sparsity-promoting regularization is useful for combining compressed sensing assumptions with parallel MRI for reducing scan time while preserving image quality. Variable splitting algorithms are the current state-of-the-art algorithms for SENSE-type MR image reconstruction with sparsity-promoting regularization. These methods are very general and have been observed to work with almost any regularizer; however, the tuning of associated convergence parameters is a commonly-cited hindrance in their adoption. Conversely, majorize-minimize algorithms based on a single Lipschitz constant have been observed to be slow in shift-variant applications such as SENSE-type MR image reconstruction since the associated Lipschitz constants are loose bounds for the shift-variant behavior. This paper bridges the gap between the Lipschitz constant and the shift-variant aspects of SENSE-type MR imaging by introducing majorizing matrices in the range of the regularizer matrix. The proposed majorize-minimize methods (called BARISTA) converge faster than state-of-the-art variable splitting algorithms when combined with momentum acceleration and adaptive momentum restarting. Furthermore, the tuning parameters associated with the proposed methods are unitless convergence tolerances that are easier to choose than the constraint penalty parameters required by variable splitting algorithms.

Fast Parallel MR Image Reconstruction via B1-based, Adaptive Restart, Iterative Soft Thresholding Algorithms (BARISTA)

PubMed Central

Noll, Douglas C.; Fessler, Jeffrey A.

2014-01-01

Sparsity-promoting regularization is useful for combining compressed sensing assumptions with parallel MRI for reducing scan time while preserving image quality. Variable splitting algorithms are the current state-of-the-art algorithms for SENSE-type MR image reconstruction with sparsity-promoting regularization. These methods are very general and have been observed to work with almost any regularizer; however, the tuning of associated convergence parameters is a commonly-cited hindrance in their adoption. Conversely, majorize-minimize algorithms based on a single Lipschitz constant have been observed to be slow in shift-variant applications such as SENSE-type MR image reconstruction since the associated Lipschitz constants are loose bounds for the shift-variant behavior. This paper bridges the gap between the Lipschitz constant and the shift-variant aspects of SENSE-type MR imaging by introducing majorizing matrices in the range of the regularizer matrix. The proposed majorize-minimize methods (called BARISTA) converge faster than state-of-the-art variable splitting algorithms when combined with momentum acceleration and adaptive momentum restarting. Furthermore, the tuning parameters associated with the proposed methods are unitless convergence tolerances that are easier to choose than the constraint penalty parameters required by variable splitting algorithms. PMID:25330484

"CH"/N substituted mer-Gaq3 and mer-Alq3 derivatives: an effective approach for the tuning of emitting color.

PubMed

Gahungu, Godefroid; Zhang, Jingping

2005-09-22

Equilibrium geometry configurations of the "CH"/N substituted Alq3 and Gaq3 derivatives are calculated by density functional theory (B3LYP/6-31G). The frontier molecular orbital and gap energy calculations for all complexes have been performed at the HF/6-31G level. It was shown that, compared to the pristine molecules, the HOMO and LUMO are stabilized, the net effect being however an increasing/decreasing of the gap (Eg) depending on the position of the substituted group. On the basis of the equilibrium geometries, the effect of the substitution on the absorption and emission spectra was evaluated using TDB3LYP/3-21G. It was shown that the change of "CH"/N substituted position on 8-hydroxyquinoline ligand is a powerful approach for the tuning of emitting color. An important blue shift was predicted for 5-substituted 8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives, an important red one being observed for 4-substituted ones. Interestingly, relatively significant blue and red shifts were also predicted for the 7- and 2-substituted derivatives. In this work, the correlation between the spectrum shifts and the metal-ligand bonding is also discussed.

Thermodynamic Tuning of Mg-Based Hydrogen Storage Alloys: A Review

PubMed Central

Zhu, Min; Lu, Yanshan; Ouyang, Liuzhang; Wang, Hui

2013-01-01

Mg-based hydrides are one of the most promising hydrogen storage materials because of their relatively high storage capacity, abundance, and low cost. However, slow kinetics and stable thermodynamics hinder their practical application. In contrast to the substantial progress in the enhancement of the hydrogenation/dehydrogenation kinetics, thermodynamic tuning is still a great challenge for Mg-based alloys. At present, the main strategies to alter the thermodynamics of Mg/MgH2 are alloying, nanostructuring, and changing the reaction pathway. Using these approaches, thermodynamic tuning has been achieved to some extent, but it is still far from that required for practical application. In this article, we summarize the advantages and disadvantages of these strategies. Based on the current progress, finding reversible systems with high hydrogen capacity and effectively tailored reaction enthalpy offers a promising route for tuning the thermodynamics of Mg-based hydrogen storage alloys. PMID:28788353

Fluorinated Alq3 derivatives with tunable optical properties.

PubMed

Shi, Yue-Wen; Shi, Min-Min; Huang, Jia-Chi; Chen, Hong-Zheng; Wang, Mang; Liu, Xiao-Dong; Ma, Yu-Guang; Xu, Hai; Yang, Bing

2006-05-14

This communication reports that not only the emission colour but also the photoluminescence quantum yield of Alq3 can be tuned by introducing fluorine atoms at different positions; with fluorination at C-5 the emission is red-shifted with a tremendously decreased intensity, fluorination at C-6 causes a blue-shift with a significantly increased intensity, and fluorination at C-7 has a minor effect on both the colour and intensity of Alq3's emission.

Innovative Acoustic Sensor Technologies for Leak Detection in Challenging Pipe Types

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-30

consuming field surveys using sounders (listening sticks) that relied heavily upon operator skill or noise correlators that were tuned for finding leaks...installation and setup cost • Annual service fee Periodic Inspection Deployed in a “lift and shift” survey using acoustic cross- correlation ...the correlator , a zero reading is displayed and one of the sensors can be placed to evaluate the next pipe segment in the field survey . Table 2

Two particle model for studying the effects of space-charge force on strong head-tail instabilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chin, Yong Ho; Chao, Alexander Wu; Blaskiewicz, Michael M.

In this paper, we present a new two particle model for studying the strong head-tail instabilities in the presence of the space-charge force. It is a simple expansion of the well-known two particle model for strong head-tail instability and is still analytically solvable. No chromaticity effect is included. It leads to a formula for the growth rate as a function of the two dimensionless parameters: the space-charge tune shift parameter (normalized by the synchrotron tune) and the wakefield strength, Upsilon. The three-dimensional contour plot of the growth rate as a function of those two dimensionless parameters reveals stopband structures. Manymore » simulation results generally indicate that a strong head-tail instability can be damped by a weak space-charge force, but the beam becomes unstable again when the space-charge force is further increased. The new two particle model indicates a similar behavior. In weak space-charge regions, additional tune shifts by the space-charge force dissolve the mode coupling. As the space-charge force is increased, they conversely restore the mode coupling, but then a further increase of the space-charge force decouples the modes again. Lastly, this mode coupling/decoupling behavior creates the stopband structures.« less

Two particle model for studying the effects of space-charge force on strong head-tail instabilities

DOE PAGES

Chin, Yong Ho; Chao, Alexander Wu; Blaskiewicz, Michael M.

2016-01-19

In this paper, we present a new two particle model for studying the strong head-tail instabilities in the presence of the space-charge force. It is a simple expansion of the well-known two particle model for strong head-tail instability and is still analytically solvable. No chromaticity effect is included. It leads to a formula for the growth rate as a function of the two dimensionless parameters: the space-charge tune shift parameter (normalized by the synchrotron tune) and the wakefield strength, Upsilon. The three-dimensional contour plot of the growth rate as a function of those two dimensionless parameters reveals stopband structures. Manymore » simulation results generally indicate that a strong head-tail instability can be damped by a weak space-charge force, but the beam becomes unstable again when the space-charge force is further increased. The new two particle model indicates a similar behavior. In weak space-charge regions, additional tune shifts by the space-charge force dissolve the mode coupling. As the space-charge force is increased, they conversely restore the mode coupling, but then a further increase of the space-charge force decouples the modes again. Lastly, this mode coupling/decoupling behavior creates the stopband structures.« less

A 6 kV arbitrary waveform generator for the Tevatron Electron Lens

DOE PAGES

Pfeffer, H.; Saewert, G.

2011-11-09

This paper reports on a 6 kV modulator built and installed at Fermilab to drive the electron gun anode for the Tevatron Electron Lens (TEL). The TEL was built with the intention of shifting the individual (anti)proton bunch tunes to even out the tune spread among all 36 bunches with the desire of improving Tevatron integrated luminosity. This modulator is essentially a 6 kV arbitrary waveform generator that enables the TEL to define the electron beam intensity on a bunch-by-bunch basis. A voltage waveform is constructed having a 7 μs duration that corresponds to the tune shift requirements of amore » 12-bunch (anti)proton beam pulse train. This waveform is played out for any one or all three bunch trains in the Tevatron. The programmed waveform voltages transition to different levels at time intervals corresponding to the 395 ns bunch spacing. In addition, complex voltage waveforms can be played out at a sustained rate of 143 kHz over the full 6 kV output range. This paper describes the novel design of the inductive adder topology employing five transformers. It describes the design aspects that minimize switching losses for this multi-kilovolt, high repetition rate and high duty factor application.« less

Identification of Mott insulators and Anderson insulators in self-assembled gold nanoparticles thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Cheng-Wei; Ni, I.-Chih; Tzeng, Shien-Der; Wu, Cen-Shawn; Kuo, Watson

2014-05-01

How the interparticle tunnelling affects the charge conduction of self-assembled gold nanoparticles is studied by three means: tuning the tunnel barrier width by different molecule modification and by substrate bending, and tuning the barrier height by high-dose electron beam exposure. All approaches indicate that the metal-Mott insulator transition is governed predominantly by the interparticle coupling strength, which can be quantified by the room temperature sheet resistance. The Hubbard gap, following the prediction of quantum fluctuation theory, reduces to zero rapidly as the sheet resistance decreases to the quantum resistance. At very low temperature, the fate of devices near the Mott transition depends on the strength of disorder. The charge conduction is from nearest-neighbour hopping to co-tunnelling between nanoparticles in Mott insulators whereas it is from variable-range hopping through charge puddles in Anderson insulators. When the two-dimensional nanoparticle network is under a unidirectional strain, the interparticle coupling becomes anisotropic so the average sheet resistance is required to describe the charge conduction.How the interparticle tunnelling affects the charge conduction of self-assembled gold nanoparticles is studied by three means: tuning the tunnel barrier width by different molecule modification and by substrate bending, and tuning the barrier height by high-dose electron beam exposure. All approaches indicate that the metal-Mott insulator transition is governed predominantly by the interparticle coupling strength, which can be quantified by the room temperature sheet resistance. The Hubbard gap, following the prediction of quantum fluctuation theory, reduces to zero rapidly as the sheet resistance decreases to the quantum resistance. At very low temperature, the fate of devices near the Mott transition depends on the strength of disorder. The charge conduction is from nearest-neighbour hopping to co-tunnelling between nanoparticles in Mott insulators whereas it is from variable-range hopping through charge puddles in Anderson insulators. When the two-dimensional nanoparticle network is under a unidirectional strain, the interparticle coupling becomes anisotropic so the average sheet resistance is required to describe the charge conduction. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr06627d

On-line calibration of high-response pressure transducers during jet-engine testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Armentrout, E. C.

1974-01-01

Jet engine testing is reported concerned with the effect of inlet pressure and temperature distortions on engine performance and involves the use of numerous miniature pressure transducers. Despite recent improvements in the manufacture of miniature pressure transducers, they still exhibit sensitivity change and zero-shift with temperature and time. To obtain meaningful data, a calibration system is needed to determine these changes. A system has been developed which provides for computer selection of appropriate reference pressures selected from nine different sources to provide a two- or three-point calibration. Calibrations are made on command, before and sometimes after each data point. A unique no leak matrix valve design is used in the reference pressure system. Zero-shift corrections are measured and the values are automatically inserted into the data reduction program.

A Core-Offset Mach Zehnder Interferometer Based on A Non-Zero Dispersion-Shifted Fiber and Its Torsion Sensing Application.

PubMed

Huerta-Mascotte, Eduardo; Sierra-Hernandez, Juan M; Mata-Chavez, Ruth I; Jauregui-Vazquez, Daniel; Castillo-Guzman, Arturo; Estudillo-Ayala, Julian M; Guzman-Chavez, Ana D; Rojas-Laguna, Roberto

2016-06-10

In this paper, an all-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based on a non-zero dispersion-shifted fiber (NZ-DSF) is presented. The MZI was implemented by core-offset fusion splicing one section of a NZ-DSF fiber between two pieces of single mode fibers (SMFs). Here, the NZ-DSF core and cladding were used as the arms of the MZI, while the core-offset sections acted as optical fiber couplers. Thus, a MZI interference spectrum with a fringe contrast (FC) of about 20 dB was observed. Moreover, its response spectrum was experimentally characterized to the torsion parameter and a sensitivity of 0.070 nm/° was achieved. Finally, these MZIs can be implemented in a compact size and low cost.

A Core-Offset Mach Zehnder Interferometer Based on A Non-Zero Dispersion-Shifted Fiber and Its Torsion Sensing Application

PubMed Central

Huerta-Mascotte, Eduardo; Sierra-Hernandez, Juan M.; Mata-Chavez, Ruth I.; Jauregui-Vazquez, Daniel; Castillo-Guzman, Arturo; Estudillo-Ayala, Julian M.; Guzman-Chavez, Ana D.; Rojas-Laguna, Roberto

2016-01-01

In this paper, an all-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based on a non-zero dispersion-shifted fiber (NZ-DSF) is presented. The MZI was implemented by core-offset fusion splicing one section of a NZ-DSF fiber between two pieces of single mode fibers (SMFs). Here, the NZ-DSF core and cladding were used as the arms of the MZI, while the core-offset sections acted as optical fiber couplers. Thus, a MZI interference spectrum with a fringe contrast (FC) of about 20 dB was observed. Moreover, its response spectrum was experimentally characterized to the torsion parameter and a sensitivity of 0.070 nm/° was achieved. Finally, these MZIs can be implemented in a compact size and low cost. PMID:27294930

Fast-scale non-linear distortion analysis of peak-current-controlled buck-boost inverters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hao; Dong, Shuai; Yi, Chuanzhi; Guan, Weimin

2018-02-01

This paper deals with fast-scale non-linear distortion behaviours including asymmetrical period-doubling bifurcation and zero-crossing distortion in peak-current-controlled buck-boost inverters. The underlying mechanisms of the fast-scale non-linear distortion behaviours in inverters are revealed. The folded bifurcation diagram is presented to analyse the asymmetrical phenomenon of fast-scale period-doubling bifurcation. In view of the effect of phase shift and current ripple, the analytical expressions for one pair of critical phase angles are derived by using the design-oriented geometrical current approach. It is shown that the phase shift between inductor current and capacitor voltage should be responsible for the zero-crossing distortion phenomenon. These results obtained here are useful to optimise the circuit design and improve the circuit performance.

Light stops and fine-tuning in MSSM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Çiçi, Ali; Kırca, Zerrin; Ün, Cem Salih

2018-01-01

We discuss the fine-tuning issue within the MSSM framework. Following the idea that the fine-tuning can measure effects of some missing mechanism, we impose non-universal gaugino masses at the GUT scale, and explore the low scale implications. We realize that the fine-tuning parametrized with Δ _{EW} can be as low as zero. We consider the stop mass with a special importance and focus on the mass scales as m_{\\tilde{t}} ≤ 700 GeV, which are excluded by the current experiments when the stop decays into a neutralino along with a top quark or a chargino along with a bottom quark. We find that the stop mass can be as low as about 250 GeV with Δ _{EW} ˜ 50. We find that the solutions in this region can be exluded only up to 60% when stop decays into a neutralino-top quark, and 50% when it decays into a chargino-b quark. Setting 65% CL to be potential exclusion and 95% to be pure exclusion limit such solutions will be tested in near future experiments, which are conducted with higher luminosity. In addition to stop, the region with low fine-tuning and light stops predicts masses for the other supersymmetric particles such as m_{\\tilde{b}} ≳ 700 GeV, m_{\\tilde{τ }} ≳ 1 TeV, m_{\\tilde{χ }1^{± }} ≳ 120 GeV. The details for the mass scales and decay rates are also provided by tables of benchmark points.

Performance of an Optimally Tuned Range-Separated Hybrid Functional for 0-0 Electronic Excitation Energies.

PubMed

Jacquemin, Denis; Moore, Barry; Planchat, Aurélien; Adamo, Carlo; Autschbach, Jochen

2014-04-08

Using a set of 40 conjugated molecules, we assess the performance of an "optimally tuned" range-separated hybrid functional in reproducing the experimental 0-0 energies. The selected protocol accounts for the impact of solvation using a corrected linear-response continuum approach and vibrational corrections through calculations of the zero-point energies of both ground and excited-states and provides basis set converged data thanks to the systematic use of diffuse-containing atomic basis sets at all computational steps. It turns out that an optimally tuned long-range corrected hybrid form of the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof functional, LC-PBE*, delivers both the smallest mean absolute error (0.20 eV) and standard deviation (0.15 eV) of all tested approaches, while the obtained correlation (0.93) is large but remains slightly smaller than its M06-2X counterpart (0.95). In addition, the efficiency of two other recently developed exchange-correlation functionals, namely SOGGA11-X and ωB97X-D, has been determined in order to allow more complete comparisons with previously published data.

An Active Filter Primer, Mod 1.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-02-01

D-Element Phase Shifting Super-Capacitor Delay Network Frequency Domain Filtering 20...Response A-44 O-OF-3 Notch Response A-45 1-Pole 1-Zero All-Pass Response A-46 2-Pole 2-Zero 90°-Phase-Difference Network Response. . . . A-47 A-13...Delagrange, "A Useful Filter Family," NSWC WOL TR 75-170. 7. E. A. Guillemin, Synthesis of Passive Networks , Wiley, 1957. 8. Harry Y-F. Lam, Analog and

Two-dimensional Dirac fermions in thin films of C d3A s2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galletti, Luca; Schumann, Timo; Shoron, Omor F.; Goyal, Manik; Kealhofer, David A.; Kim, Honggyu; Stemmer, Susanne

2018-03-01

Two-dimensional states in confined thin films of the three-dimensional Dirac semimetal C d3A s2 are probed by transport and capacitance measurements under applied magnetic and electric fields. The results establish the two-dimensional Dirac electronic spectrum of these states. We observe signatures of p -type conduction in the two-dimensional states as the Fermi level is tuned across their charge neutrality point and the presence of a zero-energy Landau level, all of which indicate topologically nontrivial states. The resistance at the charge neutrality point is approximately h /e2 and increases rapidly under the application of a magnetic field. The results open many possibilities for gate-tunable topological devices and for the exploration of novel physics in the zero-energy Landau level.

Tuning of Terahertz Resonances of Pyridyl Benzamide Derivatives by Electronegative Atom Substitution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dash, Jyotirmayee; Ray, Shaumik; Devi, Nirmala; Basutkar, Nitin; Gonnade, Rajesh G.; Ambade, Ashootosh V.; Pesala, Bala

2018-05-01

N-(pyridin-2-yl) benzamide (Ph2AP)-based organic molecules with prominent terahertz (THz) signatures (less than 5 THz) have been synthesized. The THz resonances are tuned by substituting the most electronegative atom, fluorine, at ortho (2F-Ph2AP), meta (3F-Ph2AP), and para (4F-Ph2AP) positions in a Ph2AP molecule. Substitution of fluorine helps in varying the charge distribution of the atoms forming hydrogen bond and hence strength of the hydrogen bond is varied which helps in tuning the THz resonances. The tuning of lower THz resonances of 2F-Ph2AP, 3F-Ph2AP, and 4F-Ph2AP has been explained in terms of compliance constant (relaxed force constant). Four-molecule cluster simulations have been carried out using Gaussian09 software to calculate the compliance constant of the hydrogen bonds. Crystal structure simulations of the above molecules using CRYSTAL14 software have been carried out to understand the origin of THz resonances. It has been observed that THz resonances are shifted to higher frequencies with stronger hydrogen bonds. The study shows that 3F-Ph2AP and 4F-Ph2AP have higher hydrogen bond strength and hence the THz resonances originating due to stretching of intermolecular hydrogen bonds have been shifted to higher frequencies compared to 2F-Ph2AP. The methodology presented here will help in designing novel organic molecules by substituting various electronegative atoms in order to achieve prominent THz resonances.

Distinct effects of brief and prolonged adaptation on orientation tuning in primary visual cortex

PubMed Central

Patterson, Carlyn A.; Wissig, Stephanie C.; Kohn, Adam

2013-01-01

Recent stimulus history–adaptation–alters neuronal responses and perception. Previous electrophysiological and perceptual studies suggest that prolonged adaptation strengthens and makes more persistent the effects seen after briefer exposures. However, no systematic comparison has been made between the effects of adaptation lasting hundreds of milliseconds, which might arise during a single fixation, and the more prolonged adaptation typically used in imaging and perceptual studies. Here we determine how 0.4 s, 4 s, and 40 s of adaptation alters orientation tuning in primary visual cortex of anesthetized macaque monkeys, and how quickly responses recover after adapter offset. We measured responses to small (1.3 deg) and large (7.4 deg) gratings because previous work has shown that adaptation effects can depend on stimulus size. Adaptation with small gratings reduced responsivity and caused tuning to shift away from the adapter. These effects strengthened with more prolonged adaptation. For responses to large gratings, brief and prolonged adaptation produced indistinguishable effects on responsivity but caused opposite shifts in tuning preference. Recovery from adaptation was notably slower after prolonged adaptation, even when this did not induce stronger effects. We show that our results can be explained by an adaptation-induced weakening of surround suppression, the dynamics of this suppression, and differential effects of brief and prolonged adaptation across response epochs. Our findings show that effects do not simply scale with adaptation duration, and suggest that distinct strategies exist for adjusting to moment-to-moment fluctuations in input and to more persistent visual stimuli. PMID:23303933

Temperature-tuned erbium-doped fiber ring laser with Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on two quasi-abrupt tapered fiber sections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selvas-Aguilar, R.; Martínez-Rios, A.; Anzueto-Sánchez, G.; Castillo-Guzmán, A.; Hernández-Luna, M. C.; Robledo-Fava, R.

2014-10-01

We present a wavelength tuning of an Erbium-Doped Fiber Ring Laser (EDFRL) based in a Mach-Zehnder fiber interferometer (MZFI) that consists on two tapers fabricated on commercial SMF28 from Corning as an intracavity filter. The MZFI spectral interference pattern is modified by external refractive index changes that alter the light transmission characteristics. In this work, the fiber device is immersed into a glycerol solution with higher dispersion in its refractive index in relation with temperature. Since the temperature sensitiveness of the glycerol is much higher than that of the fiber in a temperature range from 25-110 °C, therefore, the spectral changes are mainly due to the dispersion of glycerol refractive index when heat increases. Also, when this device is inserted into the EDFRL cavity, the gain spectrum of the EDF is modified accordingly and the changes, which can be controlled in an electrical heater, allow the tuning of the laser wavelength determined by the interference fringes. A wavelength shift as high as 180 pm/°C and a tunable range of 12 nm are obtained. The side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of the fiber laser is around 25-30 dB depending on the notch filtering position. The insertion losses of the filter are below 0.3 dB and the measured wavelength shift has a quasilinear dependence as a function of temperature in the 80-110 °C. This method is very simple, portable and inexpensive over traditional methods to tune a fiber laser.

Phase-shift parametrization and extraction of asymptotic normalization constants from elastic-scattering data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramírez Suárez, O. L.; Sparenberg, J.-M.

2017-09-01

We introduce a simplified effective-range function for charged nuclei, related to the modified K matrix but differing from it in several respects. Negative-energy zeros of this function correspond to bound states. Positive-energy zeros correspond to resonances and "echo poles" appearing in elastic-scattering phase-shifts, while its poles correspond to multiple-of-π phase shifts. Padé expansions of this function allow one to parametrize phase shifts on large energy ranges and to calculate resonance and bound-state properties in a very simple way, independently of any potential model. The method is first tested on a d -wave 12C+α potential model. It is shown to lead to a correct estimate of the subthreshold-bound-state asymptotic normalization constant (ANC) starting from the elastic-scattering phase shifts only. Next, the 12C+α experimental p -wave and d -wave phase shifts are analyzed. For the d wave, the relatively large error bars on the phase shifts do not allow one to improve the ANC estimate with respect to existing methods. For the p wave, a value agreeing with the 12C(6Li,d )16O transfer-reaction measurement and with the recent remeasurement of the 16Nβ -delayed α decay is obtained, with improved accuracy. However, the method displays two difficulties: the results are sensitive to the Padé-expansion order and the simplest fits correspond to an imaginary ANC, i.e., to a negative-energy "echo pole," the physical meaning of which is still debatable.

Bloch-Siegert shift in an interacting Bose-Einstein condensate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jinyi; Eigen, Christoph; Lopes, Raphael; Garratt, Sam; Rousso, David; Smith, Robert P.; Hadzibabic, Zoran; Navon, Nir

2017-04-01

The Bloch-Siegert shift (BSS) is a paradigmatic frequency shift that arises from the nonlinear response of a two-level system (TLS) subjected to strong driving fields. When a TLS is driven by a linearly polarized field, the co-rotating-wave component leads to the famous Rabi oscillations. By contrast the co-rotating-wave component, whose role is usually neglected in a weak driving, leads to a frequency shift of the TLS resonance frequency. This phenomenon is encountered in various areas, from quantum optics to nuclear magnetic resonance.Here, we investigate the BSS in a box-trapped 87 Rb Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) driven by a strong oscillating magnetic field gradient. By tuning the chemical potential of the gas, we investigate how the BSS evolves from the ideal shift of the two lowest energy levels of a single particle in a box to the unexplored shift of long-wavelength collective excitations of the interacting BEC.

On canonical cylinder sections for accurate determination of contact angle in microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Concus, Paul; Finn, Robert; Zabihi, Farhad

1992-01-01

Large shifts of liquid arising from small changes in certain container shapes in zero gravity can be used as a basis for accurately determining contact angle. Canonical geometries for this purpose, recently developed mathematically, are investigated here computationally. It is found that the desired nearly-discontinuous behavior can be obtained and that the shifts of liquid have sufficient volume to be readily observed.

On-chip programmable ultra-wideband microwave photonic phase shifter and true time delay unit.

PubMed

Burla, Maurizio; Cortés, Luis Romero; Li, Ming; Wang, Xu; Chrostowski, Lukas; Azaña, José

2014-11-01

We proposed and experimentally demonstrated an ultra-broadband on-chip microwave photonic processor that can operate both as RF phase shifter (PS) and true-time-delay (TTD) line, with continuous tuning. The processor is based on a silicon dual-phase-shifted waveguide Bragg grating (DPS-WBG) realized with a CMOS compatible process. We experimentally demonstrated the generation of delay up to 19.4 ps over 10 GHz instantaneous bandwidth and a phase shift of approximately 160° over the bandwidth 22-29 GHz. The available RF measurement setup ultimately limits the phase shifting demonstration as the device is capable of providing up to 300° phase shift for RF frequencies over a record bandwidth approaching 1 THz.

Tuning the functional properties of PMN-PT single crystals via doping and thermoelectrical treatments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Laihui; Dietze, Matthias; Solterbeck, Claus-Henning; Luo, Haosu; Es-Souni, Mohammed

2013-12-01

Single crystals based on solid solutions of lead-magnesium-niobate (PMN) and lead titanate (PT) have emerged as highly promising multifunctional systems combining piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and electro-optic properties that surpass by far those of the best known lead-zirkonium-titanate ceramics. In this paper we present new findings on how the phase transition temperature and the dielectric and ferroelectric properties can be tuned depending on crystal composition, orientation, and thermoelectrical treatment. Mn-doped and pure 0.72PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-0.28PbTiO3 (0.72PMN-0.28PT) single crystals with ⟨111⟩ and ⟨001⟩ orientations were investigated. A special attention was devoted to field cooling (FC), i.e., cooling under electric field from different temperatures. The results illustrate different findings that were not reported before: the Curie temperature, i.e., ferroelectric-paraelectric transition temperature, is enhanced after field cooling of the Mn-doped, ⟨001⟩-oriented crystal while such a shift is not observed in the ⟨111⟩-oriented and the non-doped crystals. In addition, substantial polarization suppression occurs in the Mn-doped crystals upon FC from high temperature regardless of orientation. Based on piezoforce microscopy of the domain structure that shows suppression of domain growth following field cooling from 200 °C, we propose a mechanism for polarization suppression based on domain pinning by charged defects. The practical importance of our results lies in showing the opportunity offered by a proper choice of crystal composition and poling conditions for tuning the functional properties of PMN-PT single crystals for a specific application. This should contribute to the understanding of their properties towards advanced sensor and transducers devices.

The I=2 ππ S-wave Scattering Phase Shift from Lattice QCD

DOE PAGES

Beane, S. R.; Chang, E.; Detmold, W.; ...

2012-02-16

The π +π + s-wave scattering phase-shift is determined below the inelastic threshold using Lattice QCD. Calculations were performed at a pion mass of m π ≈ 390 MeV with an anisotropic n f = 2+1 clover fermion discretization in four lattice volumes, with spatial extent L ≈ 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 and 3.9 fm, and with a lattice spacing of b s ≈ 0.123 fm in the spatial direction and b t b s/3.5 in the time direction. The phase-shift is determined from the energy-eigenvalues of π +π + systems with both zero and non-zero total momentum in the latticemore » volume using Luscher's method. Our calculations are precise enough to allow for a determination of the threshold scattering parameters, the scattering length a, the effective range r, and the shape-parameter P, in this channel and to examine the prediction of two-flavor chiral perturbation theory: m π 2 a r = 3+O(m π 2/Λ χ 2). Chiral perturbation theory is used, with the Lattice QCD results as input, to predict the scattering phase-shift (and threshold parameters) at the physical pion mass. Our results are consistent with determinations from the Roy equations and with the existing experimental phase shift data.« less

Zero tolerance enforcement varies with laws and practices among U.S. states

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-03-11

All states now have zero tolerance laws prohibiting people younger than 21 from driving with any positive blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Congress made zero tolerance a national standard in 1995, passing a law to withhold highway funds from states...

Adaptation and inhibition underlie responses to time-varying interaural phase cues in a model of inferior colliculus neurons.

PubMed

Borisyuk, Alla; Semple, Malcolm N; Rinzel, John

2002-10-01

A mathematical model was developed for exploring the sensitivity of low-frequency inferior colliculus (IC) neurons to interaural phase disparity (IPD). The formulation involves a firing-rate-type model that does not include spikes per se. The model IC neuron receives IPD-tuned excitatory and inhibitory inputs (viewed as the output of a collection of cells in the medial superior olive). The model cell possesses cellular properties of firing rate adaptation and postinhibitory rebound (PIR). The descriptions of these mechanisms are biophysically reasonable, but only semi-quantitative. We seek to explain within a minimal model the experimentally observed mismatch between responses to IPD stimuli delivered dynamically and those delivered statically (McAlpine et al. 2000; Spitzer and Semple 1993). The model reproduces many features of the responses to static IPD presentations, binaural beat, and partial range sweep stimuli. These features include differences in responses to a stimulus presented in static or dynamic context: sharper tuning and phase shifts in response to binaural beats, and hysteresis and "rise-from-nowhere" in response to partial range sweeps. Our results suggest that dynamic response features are due to the structure of inputs and the presence of firing rate adaptation and PIR mechanism in IC cells, but do not depend on a specific biophysical mechanism. We demonstrate how the model's various components contribute to shaping the observed phenomena. For example, adaptation, PIR, and transmission delay shape phase advances and delays in responses to binaural beats, adaptation and PIR shape hysteresis in different ranges of IPD, and tuned inhibition underlies asymmetry in dynamic tuning properties. We also suggest experiments to test our modeling predictions: in vitro simulation of the binaural beat (phase advance at low beat frequencies, its dependence on firing rate), in vivo partial range sweep experiments (dependence of the hysteresis curve on parameters), and inhibition blocking experiments (to study inhibitory tuning properties by observation of phase shifts).

Wide-range tuning of polymer microring resonators by the photobleaching of CLD-1 chromophores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poon, Joyce K. S.; Huang, Yanyi; Paloczi, George T.; Yariv, Amnon; Zhang, Cheng; Dalton, Larry R.

2004-11-01

We present a simple and effective method for the postfabrication trimming of optical microresonators. We photobleach CLD-1 chromophores to tune the resonance wavelengths of polymer microring resonator optical notch filters. A maximum wavelength shift of -8.73 nm is observed. The resonators are fabricated with a soft-lithography molding technique and have an intrinsic Q value of 2.6×10^4 and a finesse of 9.3. The maximum extinction ratio of the resonator filters is -34 dB, indicating that the critical coupling condition has been satisfied.

The Physics of Life and Quantum Complex Matter: A Case of Cross-Fertilization

PubMed Central

Poccia, Nicola; Bianconi, Antonio

2011-01-01

Progress in the science of complexity, from the Big Bang to the coming of humankind, from chemistry and biology to geosciences and medicine, and from materials engineering to energy sciences, is leading to a shift of paradigm in the physical sciences. The focus is on the understanding of the non-equilibrium process in fine tuned systems. Quantum complex materials such as high temperature superconductors and living matter are both non-equilibrium and fine tuned systems. These topics have been subbjects of scientific discussion in the Rome Symposium on the “Quantum Physics of Living Matter”. PMID:26791661

Impurity-induced tuning of quantum-well States in spin-dependent resonant tunneling.

PubMed

Kalitsov, Alan; Coho, A; Kioussis, Nicholas; Vedyayev, Anatoly; Chshiev, M; Granovsky, A

2004-07-23

We report exact model calculations of the spin-dependent tunneling in double magnetic tunnel junctions in the presence of impurities in the well. We show that the impurity can tune selectively the spin channels giving rise to a wide variety of interesting and novel transport phenomena. The tunneling magnetoresistance, the spin polarization, and the local current can be dramatically enhanced or suppressed by impurities. The underlying mechanism is the impurity-induced shift of the quantum well states (QWSs), which depends on the impurity potential, impurity position, and the symmetry of the QWS. Copyright 2004 The American Physical Society

Robust Stability of Scaled-Four-Channel Teleoperation with Internet Time-Varying Delays

PubMed Central

Delgado, Emma; Barreiro, Antonio; Falcón, Pablo; Díaz-Cacho, Miguel

2016-01-01

We describe the application of a generic stability framework for a teleoperation system under time-varying delay conditions, as addressed in a previous work, to a scaled-four-channel (γ-4C) control scheme. Described is how varying delays are dealt with by means of dynamic encapsulation, giving rise to mu-test conditions for robust stability and offering an appealing frequency technique to deal with the stability robustness of the architecture. We discuss ideal transparency problems and we adapt classical solutions so that controllers are proper, without single or double differentiators, and thus avoid the negative effects of noise. The control scheme was fine-tuned and tested for complete stability to zero of the whole state, while seeking a practical solution to the trade-off between stability and transparency in the Internet-based teleoperation. These ideas were tested on an Internet-based application with two Omni devices at remote laboratory locations via simulations and real remote experiments that achieved robust stability, while performing well in terms of position synchronization and force transparency. PMID:27128914

Pressure-tuned quantum criticality in the antiferromagnetic Kondo semimetal CeNi 2–δAs 2

DOE PAGES

Luo, Yongkang; Ronning, F.; Wakeham, N.; ...

2015-10-19

The easily tuned balance among competing interactions in Kondo-lattice metals allows access to a zero-temperature, continuous transition between magnetically ordered and disordered phases, a quantum-critical point (QCP). Indeed, these highly correlated electron materials are prototypes for discovering and exploring quantum-critical states. Theoretical models proposed to account for the strange thermodynamic and electrical transport properties that emerge around the QCP of a Kondo lattice assume the presence of an indefinitely large number of itinerant charge carriers. Here, we report a systematic transport and thermodynamic investigation of the Kondo-lattice system CeNi 2–δAs 2 (δ ≈ 0.28) as its antiferromagnetic order is tunedmore » by pressure and magnetic field to zero-temperature boundaries. These experiments show that the very small but finite carrier density of ~0.032 e –/formular unit in CeNi 2–δAs 2 leads to unexpected transport signatures of quantum criticality and the delayed development of a fully coherent Kondo-lattice state with decreasing temperature. Here, the small carrier density and associated semimetallicity of this Kondo-lattice material favor an unconventional, local-moment type of quantum criticality and raises the specter of the Nozières exhaustion idea that an insufficient number of conduction-electron spins to separately screen local moments requires collective Kondo screening.« less

SERS of Individual Nanoparticles on a Mirror: Size Does Matter, but so Does Shape

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Coupling noble metal nanoparticles by a 1 nm gap to an underlying gold mirror confines light to extremely small volumes, useful for sensing on the nanoscale. Individually measuring 10 000 of such gold nanoparticles of increasing size dramatically shows the different scaling of their optical scattering (far-field) and surface-enhanced Raman emission (SERS, near-field). Linear red-shifts of the coupled plasmon modes are seen with increasing size, matching theory. The total SERS from the few hundred molecules under each nanoparticle dramatically increases with increasing size. This scaling shows that maximum SERS emission is always produced from the largest nanoparticles, irrespective of tuning to any plasmonic resonances. Changes of particle facet with nanoparticle size result in vastly weaker scaling of the near-field SERS, without much modifying the far-field, and allows simple approaches for optimizing practical sensing. PMID:27223478

SERS of Individual Nanoparticles on a Mirror: Size Does Matter, but so Does Shape.

PubMed

Benz, Felix; Chikkaraddy, Rohit; Salmon, Andrew; Ohadi, Hamid; de Nijs, Bart; Mertens, Jan; Carnegie, Cloudy; Bowman, Richard W; Baumberg, Jeremy J

2016-06-16

Coupling noble metal nanoparticles by a 1 nm gap to an underlying gold mirror confines light to extremely small volumes, useful for sensing on the nanoscale. Individually measuring 10 000 of such gold nanoparticles of increasing size dramatically shows the different scaling of their optical scattering (far-field) and surface-enhanced Raman emission (SERS, near-field). Linear red-shifts of the coupled plasmon modes are seen with increasing size, matching theory. The total SERS from the few hundred molecules under each nanoparticle dramatically increases with increasing size. This scaling shows that maximum SERS emission is always produced from the largest nanoparticles, irrespective of tuning to any plasmonic resonances. Changes of particle facet with nanoparticle size result in vastly weaker scaling of the near-field SERS, without much modifying the far-field, and allows simple approaches for optimizing practical sensing.

Electrically tunable whispering gallery mode microresonator based on a grapefruit-microstructured optical fiber infiltrated with nematic liquid crystals.

PubMed

Yang, Chengkun; Zhang, Hao; Liu, Bo; Lin, Shiwei; Li, Yuetao; Liu, Haifeng

2017-08-01

An electrically tunable whispering gallery mode (WGM) microresonator based on an HF-etched microstructured optical fiber (MOF) infiltrated with nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Experimental results indicate that as the peak-to-peak voltage of the applied AC electric field increases from 160 to 220 V, WGM resonance peaks gradually move toward a shorter wavelength region by 0.527 nm with a wavelength sensitivity up to 0.01  nm/V for a TM1691 mode, and the Q-factor for each WGM resonance peak rapidly decreases with the increment of applied electric voltage. The proposed electrically controlled WGM tuning scheme shows a linear resonance wavelength shift with good spectral reversibility, which makes it a promising candidate to serve as an integrated functional photonic device in practical use and in related fundamental scientific studies.

Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions, threshold microstructure, and psychophysical tuning over a wide frequency range in humansa

PubMed Central

Baiduc, Rachael R.; Lee, Jungmee; Dhar, Sumitrajit

2014-01-01

Hearing thresholds have been shown to exhibit periodic minima and maxima, a pattern known as threshold microstructure. Microstructure has previously been linked to spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) and normal cochlear function. However, SOAEs at high frequencies (>4 kHz) have been associated with hearing loss or cochlear pathology in some reports. Microstructure would not be expected near these high-frequency SOAEs. Psychophysical tuning curves (PTCs), the expression of frequency selectivity, may also be altered by SOAEs. Prior comparisons of tuning between ears with and without SOAEs demonstrated sharper tuning in ears with emissions. Here, threshold microstructure and PTCs were compared at SOAE frequencies ranging between 1.2 and 13.9 kHz using subjects without SOAEs as controls. Results indicate: (1) Threshold microstructure is observable in the vicinity of SOAEs of all frequencies; (2) PTCs are influenced by SOAEs, resulting in shifted tuning curve tips, multiple tips, or inversion. High frequency SOAEs show a greater effect on PTC morphology. The influence of most SOAEs at high frequencies on threshold microstructure and PTCs is consistent with those at lower frequencies, suggesting that high-frequency SOAEs reflect the same cochlear processes that lead to SOAEs at lower frequencies. PMID:24437770

Nanocluster-based white-light-emitting material employing surface tuning

DOEpatents

Wilcoxon, Jess P [Albuquerque, NM; Abrams, Billie L [Albuquerque, NM; Thoma, Steven G [Albuquerque, NM

2007-06-26

A method for making a nanocrystal-based material capable of emitting light over a sufficiently broad spectral range to appear white. Surface-modifying ligands are used to shift and broaden the emission of semiconductor nanocrystals to produce nanoparticle-based materials that emit white light.

Microfiber Structures for Sensor Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harun, S. W.; Lim, K. S.; Ahmad, H.

Microfiber loop resonator (MLR) and microfiber knot resonator (MKR) are fabricated using melt-stretching method for applications in temperature and current sensor, respectively. The MLR is embedded into low refractive index polymer for robustness. Although the spacing of the transmission comb spectrum of the MLR is unchanged with temperature, the extinction ratio of the spectrum is observed to decrease linearly with temperature due to induced changes in the material's refractive index. The slope of the extinction ratio reduction against temperature is about 0.043dB/°C. With the assistance of a copper wire that is wrapped by the MKR, resonant wavelength can be tuned by varying the electric current delivered to the wire. The resonant wavelength change is based on the thermally induced optical phase shift in the MKR due to the heat produced by the flow of electric current over a short transit length. It is shown that the wavelength shift is linearly proportional to the square of current in the copper wire with a tuning slope of 46 pm/A2.

Racial athletic stereotype confirmation in college football recruiting.

PubMed

Thomas, Grant; Good, Jessica J; Gross, Alexi R

2015-01-01

The present study tested real-world racial stereotype use in the context of college athletic recruiting. Stereotype confirmation suggests that observers use stereotypes as hypotheses and interpret relevant evidence in a biased way that confirms their stereotypes. Shifting standards suggest that the evaluative standard to which we hold a target changes as a function of their group membership. We examined whether stereotype confirmation and shifting standards effects would be seen in college football coaches during recruiting. College football coaches evaluated a Black or White player on several attributes and made both zero- and non-zero-sum allocations. Results suggested that coaches used the evidence presented to develop biased subjective evaluations of the players based on race while still maintaining equivalent objective evaluations. Coaches also allocated greater overall resources to the Black recruit than the White recruit.

Practical design of a 4 Tesla double-tuned RF surface coil for interleaved 1H and 23Na MRI of rat brain.

PubMed

Alecci, M; Romanzetti, S; Kaffanke, J; Celik, A; Wegener, H P; Shah, N J

2006-08-01

MRI is proving to be a very useful tool for sodium quantification in animal models of stroke, ischemia, and cancer. In this work, we present the practical design of a dual-frequency RF surface coil that provides (1)H and (23)Na images of the rat head at 4 T. The dual-frequency RF surface coil comprised of a large loop tuned to the (1)H frequency and a smaller co-planar loop tuned to the (23)Na frequency. The mutual coupling between the two loops was eliminated by the use of a trap circuit inserted in the smaller coil. This independent-loop design was versatile since it enabled a separate optimisation of the sensitivity and RF field distributions of the two coils. To allow for an easy extension of this simple double-tuned coil design to other frequencies (nuclei) and dimensions, we describe in detail the practical aspects of the workbench design and MRI testing using a phantom that mimics in vivo conditions. A comparison between our independent-loop, double-tuned coil and a single-tuned (23)Na coil of equal size obtained with a phantom matching in vivo conditions, showed a reduction of the (23)Na sensitivity (about 28 %) because of signal losses in the trap inductance. Typical congruent (1)H and (23)Na rat brain images showing good SNR ((23)Na: brain 7, ventricular cerebrospinal fluid 11) and spatial resolution ((23)Na: 1.25 x 1.25 x 5mm(3)) are also reported. The in vivo SNR values obtained with this coil were comparable to, if not better than, other contemporary designs in the literature.

Practical design of a 4 Tesla double-tuned RF surface coil for interleaved 1H and 23Na MRI of rat brain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alecci, M.; Romanzetti, S.; Kaffanke, J.; Celik, A.; Wegener, H. P.; Shah, N. J.

2006-08-01

MRI is proving to be a very useful tool for sodium quantification in animal models of stroke, ischemia, and cancer. In this work, we present the practical design of a dual-frequency RF surface coil that provides 1H and 23Na images of the rat head at 4 T. The dual-frequency RF surface coil comprised of a large loop tuned to the 1H frequency and a smaller co-planar loop tuned to the 23Na frequency. The mutual coupling between the two loops was eliminated by the use of a trap circuit inserted in the smaller coil. This independent-loop design was versatile since it enabled a separate optimisation of the sensitivity and RF field distributions of the two coils. To allow for an easy extension of this simple double-tuned coil design to other frequencies (nuclei) and dimensions, we describe in detail the practical aspects of the workbench design and MRI testing using a phantom that mimics in vivo conditions. A comparison between our independent-loop, double-tuned coil and a single-tuned 23Na coil of equal size obtained with a phantom matching in vivo conditions, showed a reduction of the 23Na sensitivity (about 28 %) because of signal losses in the trap inductance. Typical congruent 1H and 23Na rat brain images showing good SNR ( 23Na: brain 7, ventricular cerebrospinal fluid 11) and spatial resolution ( 23Na: 1.25 × 1.25 × 5 mm 3) are also reported. The in vivo SNR values obtained with this coil were comparable to, if not better than, other contemporary designs in the literature.

Vibration reduction in a tilting rotor using centrifugal pendulum vibration absorbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Chengzhi; Shaw, Steven W.; Parker, Robert G.

2016-12-01

This paper investigates vibration reduction in a rigid rotor with tilting, rotational, and translational motions using centrifugal pendulum vibration absorbers (CPVAs). A linearized vibration model is derived for the system consisting of the rotor and multiple sets of absorbers tuned to different orders. Each group of absorbers lies in a given plane perpendicular to the rotor rotation axis. Gyroscopic system modal analysis is applied to derive the steady-state response of the absorbers and the rotor to external, rotor-order, periodic forces and torques with frequency mΩ, where Ω is the mean rotor speed and m is the engine order (rotor-order). It is found that an absorber group with tuning order m is effective at reducing the rotor translational, tilting, and rotational vibrations, provided certain conditions are met. When the periodic force and torque are caused by N substructures that are equally spaced around the rotor, the rotor translational and tilting vibrations at order j are addressed by two absorber groups with tuning orders jN±1. In this case, the rotor rotational vibration at order j can be attenuated by an absorber group with tuning order jN. The results show how the response depends on the load amplitudes and order, the rotor speed, and design parameters associated with the sets of absorbers, most importantly, their tuning, mass, and plane of placement. In the ideal case with zero damping and exact tuning of the absorber sets, the vibrations can be eliminated for a range of loads over which the linearized model holds. The response for systems with detuned absorbers is also determined, which is relevant to applications where small detuning is employed due to robustness issues, and to allow for a larger range of operating loads over which the absorbers are effective. The system also exhibits undesirable resonances very close to these tuning conditions, an issue that is difficult to resolve and deserves further investigation.

First direct comparison of high and low ionization line kinematics in active galactic nuclei

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sulentic, J. W.; Marziani, P.; Dultzin-Hacyan, D.; Calvani, M.; Moles, M.

1995-01-01

We present first results of a comparison of emission line shift properties for the high (HILs) and low (LILs) ionization lines in 43 low-reshift quasars. We identify a core sample of C IV lambda 1549 and hydrogen beta profiles with a wide distribution of red- and blueshifts (less than or equal to +/- 1000 km/sec). We also identify two tails in this distribution: one with large hydrogen beta redshifts (greater than or equal to 2000 km/sec) and another with large C IV blueshifts (greater than or equal to 1500 km/sec). The tails are mutually exclusive. All objects with extreme hydrogen beta redshift are radio loud, and all objects with extreme C IV blueshift are radio quiet. The core samples of smaller shifts can be most simply divided into: (1) hydrogen beta - a redshifted radio-loud population (related to the tail) and a radio-quiet population with mean shift near zero, and (2) C IV - a blueshifted radio-quiet population (related to the tail) and a radio-loud population with mean shift near zero. The results suggest fundamentally different kinematics for the HILs and LILs. They also suggest very different kinematics for radio-loud and radio-quiet active galactic nuclei. They also favor a predominance of radial motion in a large fraction of the sample.

Calculation of NMR chemical shifts in organic solids: accounting for motional effects.

PubMed

Dumez, Jean-Nicolas; Pickard, Chris J

2009-03-14

NMR chemical shifts were calculated from first principles for well defined crystalline organic solids. These density functional theory calculations were carried out within the plane-wave pseudopotential framework, in which truly extended systems are implicitly considered. The influence of motional effects was assessed by averaging over vibrational modes or over snapshots taken from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. It is observed that the zero-point correction to chemical shifts can be significant, and that thermal effects are particularly noticeable for shielding anisotropies and for a temperature-dependent chemical shift. This study provides insight into the development of highly accurate first principles calculations of chemical shifts in solids, highlighting the role of motional effects on well defined systems.

Model-independent particle accelerator tuning

DOE PAGES

Scheinker, Alexander; Pang, Xiaoying; Rybarcyk, Larry

2013-10-21

We present a new model-independent dynamic feedback technique, rotation rate tuning, for automatically and simultaneously tuning coupled components of uncertain, complex systems. The main advantages of the method are: 1) It has the ability to handle unknown, time-varying systems, 2) It gives known bounds on parameter update rates, 3) We give an analytic proof of its convergence and its stability, and 4) It has a simple digital implementation through a control system such as the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS). Because this technique is model independent it may be useful as a real-time, in-hardware, feedback-based optimization scheme formore » uncertain and time-varying systems. In particular, it is robust enough to handle uncertainty due to coupling, thermal cycling, misalignments, and manufacturing imperfections. As a result, it may be used as a fine-tuning supplement for existing accelerator tuning/control schemes. We present multi-particle simulation results demonstrating the scheme’s ability to simultaneously adaptively adjust the set points of twenty two quadrupole magnets and two RF buncher cavities in the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center Linear Accelerator’s transport region, while the beam properties and RF phase shift are continuously varying. The tuning is based only on beam current readings, without knowledge of particle dynamics. We also present an outline of how to implement this general scheme in software for optimization, and in hardware for feedback-based control/tuning, for a wide range of systems.« less

The integration of nonsimultaneous frequency components into a single virtual pitch.

PubMed

Ciocca, V; Darwin, C J

1999-04-01

The integration of nonsimultaneous frequency components into a single virtual pitch was investigated by using a pitch matching task in which a mistuned 4th harmonic (mistuned component) produced pitch shifts in a harmonic series (12 equal-amplitude harmonics of a 155-Hz F0). In experiment 1, the mistuned component could either be simultaneous, stop as the target started (pre-target component), or start as the target stopped (post-target component). Pitch shifts produced by the pre-target components were significantly smaller than those obtained with simultaneous components; in the post-target condition, the size of pitch shifts did not decrease relative to the simultaneous condition. In experiment 2, a silent gap of 20, 40, 80, or 160 ms was introduced between the nonsimultaneous components and the target sound. In the pre-target condition, pitch shifts were reduced to zero for silent gaps of 80 ms or longer; by contrast, a gap of 160 ms was required to eliminate pitch shifts in the post-target condition. The third experiment tested the hypothesis that, when post-target components were presented, the processing of the pitch of the target tone started at the onset of the target, and ended at the gap duration at which pitch shifts decreased to zero. This hypothesis was confirmed by the finding that pitch shifts could not be observed when the target tone had a duration of 410 ms. Taken together, the results of these experiments show that nonsimultaneous components that occur after the onset of the target sound make a larger contribution to the virtual pitch of the target, and over a longer period, than components that precede the onset of the target sound.

Dynamical approach to the cosmological constant.

PubMed

Mukohyama, Shinji; Randall, Lisa

2004-05-28

We consider a dynamical approach to the cosmological constant. There is a scalar field with a potential whose minimum occurs at a generic, but negative, value for the vacuum energy, and it has a nonstandard kinetic term whose coefficient diverges at zero curvature as well as the standard kinetic term. Because of the divergent coefficient of the kinetic term, the lowest energy state is never achieved. Instead, the cosmological constant automatically stalls at or near zero. The merit of this model is that it is stable under radiative corrections and leads to stable dynamics, despite the singular kinetic term. The model is not complete, however, in that some reheating is required. Nonetheless, our approach can at the very least reduce fine-tuning by 60 orders of magnitude or provide a new mechanism for sampling possible cosmological constants and implementing the anthropic principle.

Double-Paddle Oscillators as Probes of Quantum Turbulence in the Zero Temperature Limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmoranzer, David; Jackson, Martin; Zemma, Elisa; Luzuriaga, Javier

2017-06-01

We present a technical report on our tests of a double-paddle oscillator as a detector of quantum turbulence in superfluid 4He at low temperatures ranging from 20 to 1100 mK. The device, known to operate well in the two-fluid regime (Zemma and Luzuriaga in J Low Temp Phys 166:171-181, 2012), is also capable of detecting quantum turbulence in the zero temperature limit. The oscillator demonstrated Lorentzian responses with quality factors of order 10^5 in vacuum, and displayed negative-Duffing resonances in liquid, even at moderate drives. In superfluid He-II at low temperatures, its sensitivity was adversely affected by acoustic damping at higher harmonics. While it successfully created and detected the quantum turbulence, its overall performance does not compare favourably with other oscillators such as tuning forks.

Recurrent competition explains temporal effects of attention in MSTd

PubMed Central

Layton, Oliver W.; Browning, N. Andrew

2012-01-01

Navigation in a static environment along straight paths without eye movements produces radial optic flow fields. A singularity called the focus of expansion (FoE) specifies the direction of travel (heading) of the observer. Cells in primate dorsal medial superior temporal area (MSTd) respond to radial fields and are therefore thought to be heading-sensitive. Humans frequently shift their focus of attention while navigating, for example, depending on the favorable or threatening context of approaching independently moving objects. Recent neurophysiological studies show that the spatial tuning curves of primate MSTd neurons change based on the difference in visual angle between an attentional prime and the FoE. Moreover, the peak mean population activity in MSTd retreats linearly in time as the distance between the attentional prime and FoE increases. We present a dynamical neural circuit model that demonstrates the same linear temporal peak shift observed electrophysiologically. The model qualitatively matches the neuron tuning curves and population activation profiles. After model MT dynamically pools short-range motion, model MSTd incorporates recurrent competition between units tuned to different radial optic flow templates, and integrates attentional signals from model area frontal eye fields (FEF). In the model, population activity peaks occur when the recurrent competition is most active and uncertainty is greatest about the relative position of the FoE. The nature of attention, multiplicative or non-multiplicative, is largely irrelevant, so long as attention has a Gaussian-like profile. Using an appropriately tuned sigmoidal signal function to modulate recurrent feedback affords qualitative fits of deflections in the population activity that otherwise appear to be low-frequency noise. We predict that these deflections mark changes in the balance of attention between the priming and FoE locations. PMID:23060788

Spiking and Excitatory/Inhibitory Input Dynamics of Barrel Cells in Response to Whisker Deflections of Varying Velocity and Angular Direction.

PubMed

Patel, Mainak

2018-01-15

The spiking of barrel regular-spiking (RS) cells is tuned for both whisker deflection direction and velocity. Velocity tuning arises due to thalamocortical (TC) synchrony (but not spike quantity) varying with deflection velocity, coupled with feedforward inhibition, while direction selectivity is not fully understood, though may be due partly to direction tuning of TC spiking. Data show that as deflection direction deviates from the preferred direction of an RS cell, excitatory input to the RS cell diminishes minimally, but temporally shifts to coincide with the time-lagged inhibitory input. This work constructs a realistic large-scale model of a barrel; model RS cells exhibit velocity and direction selectivity due to TC input dynamics, with the experimentally observed sharpening of direction tuning with decreasing velocity. The model puts forth the novel proposal that RS→RS synapses can naturally and simply account for the unexplained direction dependence of RS cell inputs - as deflection direction deviates from the preferred direction of an RS cell, and TC input declines, RS→RS synaptic transmission buffers the decline in total excitatory input and causes a shift in timing of the excitatory input peak from the peak in TC input to the delayed peak in RS input. The model also provides several experimentally testable predictions on the velocity dependence of RS cell inputs. This model is the first, to my knowledge, to study the interaction of direction and velocity and propose physiological mechanisms for the stimulus dependence in the timing and amplitude of RS cell inputs. Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer and Substituent Effects in Catechol-Based Deep Eutectic Solvents: Gross and Fine Tuning of Redox Activity.

PubMed

Smith, Parker J; Goeltz, John C

2017-12-07

The 1,2-diol moiety in a variety of substituted catechols allows formation of room temperature ionic melts in a 2:1 ratio with choline chloride or choline dihydrogen citrate. These deep eutectic solvents were 4.3-6.6 M in redox active catechols. Substituents on 3- and 4-substituted catechols shift both E° and pK a such that Hammett parameters predict the observed E p for oxidation in square wave voltammetry. The proton acceptor for the proton-coupled oxidation shifts the observed E p more strongly than the substituents within the substituents and acceptors reported here. The shift is predicted well by the pK a of the conjugate acid of the proton acceptor, i.e., water in aqueous solutions or chloride or dihydrogen citrate in the DESs in this study. Together, the substituent and the proton acceptor allow gross and fine-tuning of the oxidation potential for catechol over 750 mV, the first demonstration of control of the thermodynamics of proton-coupled electron transfer in deep eutectic solvents. Changing the substituents on the HBD affords fine control in tens of millivolts, while changing the base strength of the anion of the organic salt affords gross control across hundreds of millivolts.

Electrical tuning of a quantum plasmonic resonance

DOE PAGES

Liu, Xiaoge; Kang, Ju -Hyung; Yuan, Hongtao; ...

2017-06-12

Surface plasmon (SP) excitations in metals facilitate confinement of light into deep-subwavelength volumes and can induce strong light–matter interaction. Generally, the SP resonances supported by noble metal nanostructures are explained well by classical models, at least until the nanostructure size is decreased to a few nanometres, approaching the Fermi wavelength λ F of the electrons. Although there is a long history of reports on quantum size effects in the plasmonic response of nanometre-sized metal particles systematic experimental studies have been hindered by inhomogeneous broadening in ensemble measurements, as well as imperfect control over size, shape, faceting, surface reconstructions, contamination, chargingmore » effects and surface roughness in single-particle measurements. In particular, observation of the quantum size effect in metallic films and its tuning with thickness has been challenging as they only confine carriers in one direction. Here, we show active tuning of quantum size effects in SP resonances supported by a 20-nm-thick metallic film of indium tin oxide (ITO), a plasmonic material serving as a low-carrier-density Drude metal. An ionic liquid (IL) is used to electrically gate and partially deplete the ITO layer. The experiment shows a controllable and reversible blue-shift in the SP resonance above a critical voltage. As a result, a quantum-mechanical model including the quantum size effect reproduces the experimental results, whereas a classical model only predicts a red shift.« less

Electrical tuning of a quantum plasmonic resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiaoge; Kang, Ju-Hyung; Yuan, Hongtao; Park, Junghyun; Kim, Soo Jin; Cui, Yi; Hwang, Harold Y.; Brongersma, Mark L.

2017-09-01

Surface plasmon (SP) excitations in metals facilitate confinement of light into deep-subwavelength volumes and can induce strong light-matter interaction. Generally, the SP resonances supported by noble metal nanostructures are explained well by classical models, at least until the nanostructure size is decreased to a few nanometres, approaching the Fermi wavelength λF of the electrons. Although there is a long history of reports on quantum size effects in the plasmonic response of nanometre-sized metal particles, systematic experimental studies have been hindered by inhomogeneous broadening in ensemble measurements, as well as imperfect control over size, shape, faceting, surface reconstructions, contamination, charging effects and surface roughness in single-particle measurements. In particular, observation of the quantum size effect in metallic films and its tuning with thickness has been challenging as they only confine carriers in one direction. Here, we show active tuning of quantum size effects in SP resonances supported by a 20-nm-thick metallic film of indium tin oxide (ITO), a plasmonic material serving as a low-carrier-density Drude metal. An ionic liquid (IL) is used to electrically gate and partially deplete the ITO layer. The experiment shows a controllable and reversible blue-shift in the SP resonance above a critical voltage. A quantum-mechanical model including the quantum size effect reproduces the experimental results, whereas a classical model only predicts a red shift.

Interferometric rotation sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walsh, T. M.

1972-01-01

Sensor generates interference fringes varying in number (horizontally and vertically) as a function of the total angular deviation relative to the line-of-sight axis. Device eliminates errors from zero or null shift due to lack of electrical circuitry stability.

Above-threshold scattering about a Feshbach resonance for ultracold atoms in an optical collider.

PubMed

Horvath, Milena S J; Thomas, Ryan; Tiesinga, Eite; Deb, Amita B; Kjærgaard, Niels

2017-09-06

Ultracold atomic gases have realized numerous paradigms of condensed matter physics, where control over interactions has crucially been afforded by tunable Feshbach resonances. So far, the characterization of these Feshbach resonances has almost exclusively relied on experiments in the threshold regime near zero energy. Here, we use a laser-based collider to probe a narrow magnetic Feshbach resonance of rubidium above threshold. By measuring the overall atomic loss from colliding clouds as a function of magnetic field, we track the energy-dependent resonance position. At higher energy, our collider scheme broadens the loss feature, making the identification of the narrow resonance challenging. However, we observe that the collisions give rise to shifts in the center-of-mass positions of outgoing clouds. The shifts cross zero at the resonance and this allows us to accurately determine its location well above threshold. Our inferred resonance positions are in excellent agreement with theory.Studies on energy-dependent scattering of ultracold atoms were previously carried out near zero collision energies. Here, the authors observe a magnetic Feshbach resonance in ultracold Rb collisions for above-threshold energies and their method can also be used to detect higher partial wave resonances.

Identifying cochlear implant channels with poor electrode-neuron interface: partial tripolar, single-channel thresholds and psychophysical tuning curves.

PubMed

Bierer, Julie Arenberg; Faulkner, Kathleen F

2010-04-01

The goal of this study was to evaluate the ability of a threshold measure, made with a restricted electrode configuration, to identify channels exhibiting relatively poor spatial selectivity. With a restricted electrode configuration, channel-to-channel variability in threshold may reflect variations in the interface between the electrodes and auditory neurons (i.e., nerve survival, electrode placement, and tissue impedance). These variations in the electrode-neuron interface should also be reflected in psychophysical tuning curve (PTC) measurements. Specifically, it is hypothesized that high single-channel thresholds obtained with the spatially focused partial tripolar (pTP) electrode configuration are predictive of wide or tip-shifted PTCs. Data were collected from five cochlear implant listeners implanted with the HiRes90k cochlear implant (Advanced Bionics Corp., Sylmar, CA). Single-channel thresholds and most comfortable listening levels were obtained for stimuli that varied in presumed electrical field size by using the pTP configuration for which a fraction of current (sigma) from a center-active electrode returns through two neighboring electrodes and the remainder through a distant indifferent electrode. Forward-masked PTCs were obtained for channels with the highest, lowest, and median tripolar (sigma = 1 or 0.9) thresholds. The probe channel and level were fixed and presented with either the monopolar (sigma = 0) or a more focused pTP (sigma > or = 0.55) configuration. The masker channel and level were varied, whereas the configuration was fixed to sigma = 0.5. A standard, three-interval, two-alternative forced choice procedure was used for thresholds and masked levels. Single-channel threshold and variability in threshold across channels systematically increased as the compensating current, sigma, increased and the presumed electrical field became more focused. Across subjects, channels with the highest single-channel thresholds, when measured with a narrow, pTP stimulus, had significantly broader PTCs than the lowest threshold channels. In two subjects, the tips of the tuning curves were shifted away from the probe channel. Tuning curves were also wider for the monopolar probes than with pTP probes for both the highest and lowest threshold channels. These results suggest that single-channel thresholds measured with a restricted stimulus can be used to identify cochlear implant channels with poor spatial selectivity. Channels having wide or tip-shifted tuning characteristics would likely not deliver the appropriate spectral information to the intended auditory neurons, leading to suboptimal perception. As a clinical tool, quick identification of impaired channels could lead to patient-specific mapping strategies and result in improved speech and music perception.

In-hardware demonstration of model-independent adaptive tuning of noisy systems with arbitrary phase drift

DOE PAGES

Scheinker, Alexander; Baily, Scott; Young, Daniel; ...

2014-08-01

In this work, an implementation of a recently developed model-independent adaptive control scheme, for tuning uncertain and time varying systems, is demonstrated on the Los Alamos linear particle accelerator. The main benefits of the algorithm are its simplicity, ability to handle an arbitrary number of components without increased complexity, and the approach is extremely robust to measurement noise, a property which is both analytically proven and demonstrated in the experiments performed. We report on the application of this algorithm for simultaneous tuning of two buncher radio frequency (RF) cavities, in order to maximize beam acceptance into the accelerating electromagnetic fieldmore » cavities of the machine, with the tuning based only on a noisy measurement of the surviving beam current downstream from the two bunching cavities. The algorithm automatically responds to arbitrary phase shift of the cavity phases, automatically re-tuning the cavity settings and maximizing beam acceptance. Because it is model independent it can be utilized for continuous adaptation to time-variation of a large system, such as due to thermal drift, or damage to components, in which the remaining, functional components would be automatically re-tuned to compensate for the failing ones. We start by discussing the general model-independent adaptive scheme and how it may be digitally applied to a large class of multi-parameter uncertain systems, and then present our experimental results.« less

A parametric model and estimation techniques for the inharmonicity and tuning of the piano.

PubMed

Rigaud, François; David, Bertrand; Daudet, Laurent

2013-05-01

Inharmonicity of piano tones is an essential property of their timbre that strongly influences the tuning, leading to the so-called octave stretching. It is proposed in this paper to jointly model the inharmonicity and tuning of pianos on the whole compass. While using a small number of parameters, these models are able to reflect both the specificities of instrument design and tuner's practice. An estimation algorithm is derived that can run either on a set of isolated note recordings, but also on chord recordings, assuming that the played notes are known. It is applied to extract parameters highlighting some tuner's choices on different piano types and to propose tuning curves for out-of-tune pianos or piano synthesizers.

Practical Applications of a Building Method to Construct Aerodynamic Database of Guided Missile Using Wind Tunnel Test Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Duk-hyun; Lee, Hyoung-Jin

2018-04-01

A study of efficient aerodynamic database modeling method was conducted. A creation of database using periodicity and symmetry characteristic of missile aerodynamic coefficient was investigated to minimize the number of wind tunnel test cases. In addition, studies of how to generate the aerodynamic database when the periodicity changes due to installation of protuberance and how to conduct a zero calibration were carried out. Depending on missile configurations, the required number of test cases changes and there exist tests that can be omitted. A database of aerodynamic on deflection angle of control surface can be constituted using phase shift. A validity of modeling method was demonstrated by confirming that the result which the aerodynamic coefficient calculated by using the modeling method was in agreement with wind tunnel test results.

Results of the study of the vestibular apparatus and the functions of the perception of space in cosmonauts (pre- and post-flight observations)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yakovleva, I. Y.; Kornilova, L. N.; Tarasov, I. K.; Alekseyev, V. N.

1980-01-01

The effect of the set of space flight factors caused a change in the activity of the vestibular apparatus and the spatial perception function. More significant and longer shifts were observed during expeditions of great duration. The detected disorders (increase in reactivity of the otolithic apparatus, decrease in sensitivity of the cupula receptor, deterioration in the perception accuracy, etc.) had a definite tendency to be restored. The primary damage to the otolithic reflex (changes were found in practically all the subjects) is probably caused by the specific effect of zero gravitation, and apparently, may be one of the trigger mechanisms for discrepancy in the activity of the sensory systems, disorders in the correcting function of the cerebellum, and central vestibular formations.

The Effective Business Practices of Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

perspective, such as previous release dates of the iPhone or changes in supporting platforms such as iTunes . Through this type of analysis, which breaks down...For example, Apple’s iPod/ iTunes business model encompassed two main activities: provide customers with an easy way to browse, purchase, and listen to...two separate activities, each with different customers, value, and infrastructure, in order to make up its iPod/ iTunes business model. This is

Instrumentation for measuring aircraft noise and sonic boom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zuckerwar, A. J. (Inventor)

1976-01-01

Improved instrumentation suitable for measuring aircraft noise and sonic booms is described. An electric current proportional to the sound pressure level at a condenser microphone is produced and transmitted over a cable and amplified by a zero drive amplifier. The converter consists of a local oscillator, a dual-gate field-effect transistor mixer, and a voltage regulator/impedance translator. The improvements include automatic tuning compensation against changes in static microphone capacitance and means for providing a remote electrical calibration capability.

Carbon nanotube/polymer composite coated tapered fiber for four wave mixing based wavelength conversion.

PubMed

Xu, Bo; Omura, Mika; Takiguchi, Masato; Martinez, Amos; Ishigure, Takaaki; Yamashita, Shinji; Kuga, Takahiro

2013-02-11

In this paper, we demonstrate a nonlinear optical device based on a fiber taper coated with a carbon nanotube (CNT)/polymer composite. Using this device, four wave mixing (FWM) based wavelength conversion of 10 Gb/s Non-return-to-zero signal is achieved. In addition, we investigate wavelength tuning, two photon absorption and estimate the effective nonlinear coefficient of the CNTs embedded in the tapered fiber to be 1816.8 W(-1)km(-1).

Give Me a Hand... As We Dance With the Dragon: Fine Tuning the Asia-Pacific Hands Concept

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

3 The Chairman stated, “Future commanders of our force will need deep regional understanding to execute their missions, starting in the Phase Zero...310. 45 “Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” 4. 24 Through a cursory study of cultural influences in Afghanistan and Pakistan, one starts to see their...thought.5 One can start to imagine the Hands’ strategic importance during the Second World War as the U.S. sought to keep China as an active

Quench dynamics in superconducting nanojunctions: Metastability and dynamical Yang-Lee zeros

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Souto, R. Seoane; Martín-Rodero, A.; Yeyati, A. Levy

2017-10-01

We study the charge transfer dynamics following the formation of a phase or voltage biased superconducting nanojunction using a full counting statistics analysis. We demonstrate that the evolution of the zeros of the generating function allows one to identify the population of different many body states much in the same way as the accumulation of Yang-Lee zeros of the partition function in equilibrium statistical mechanics is connected to phase transitions. We give an exact expression connecting the dynamical zeros to the charge transfer cumulants and discuss when an approximation based on "dominant" zeros is valid. We show that, for generic values of the parameters, the system gets trapped into a metastable state characterized by a nonequilibrium population of the many body states which is dependent on the initial conditions. We study in particular the effect of the switching rates in the dynamics showing that, in contrast to intuition, the deviation from thermal equilibrium increases for the slower rates. In the voltage biased case the steady state is reached independent of the initial conditions. Our method allows us to obtain accurate results for the steady state current and noise in quantitative agreement with steady state methods developed to describe the multiple Andreev reflections regime. Finally, we discuss the system dynamics after a sudden voltage drop showing the possibility of tuning the many body states population by an appropriate choice of the initial voltage, providing a feasible experimental way to access the quench dynamics and control the state of the system.

Investigation of a pulsed current annealing method in reusing MOSFET dosimeters for in vivo IMRT dosimetry.

PubMed

Luo, Guang-Wen; Qi, Zhen-Yu; Deng, Xiao-Wu; Rosenfeld, Anatoly

2014-05-01

To explore the feasibility of pulsed current annealing in reusing metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) dosimeters for in vivo intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) dosimetry. Several MOSFETs were irradiated at d(max) using a 6 MV x-ray beam with 5 V on the gate and annealed with zero bias at room temperature. The percentage recovery of threshold voltage shift during multiple irradiation-annealing cycles was evaluated. Key dosimetry characteristics of the annealed MOSFET such as the dosimeter's sensitivity, reproducibility, dose linearity, and linearity of response within the dynamic range were investigated. The initial results of using the annealed MOSFETs for IMRT dosimetry practice were also presented. More than 95% of threshold voltage shift can be recovered after 24-pulse current continuous annealing in 16 min. The mean sensitivity degradation was found to be 1.28%, ranging from 1.17% to 1.52%, during multiple annealing procedures. Other important characteristics of the annealed MOSFET remained nearly consistent before and after annealing. Our results showed there was no statistically significant difference between the annealed MOSFETs and their control samples in absolute dose measurements for IMRT QA (p = 0.99). The MOSFET measurements agreed with the ion chamber results on an average of 0.16% ± 0.64%. Pulsed current annealing provides a practical option for reusing MOSFETs to extend their operational lifetime. The current annealing circuit can be integrated into the reader, making the annealing procedure fully automatic.

Computational study of the shift of the G band of double-walled carbon nanotubes due to interlayer interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popov, Valentin N.; Levshov, Dmitry I.; Sauvajol, Jean-Louis; Paillet, Matthieu

2018-04-01

The interactions between the layers of double-walled carbon nanotubes induce a measurable shift of the G bands relative to the isolated layers. While experimental data on this shift in freestanding double-walled carbon nanotubes has been reported in the past several years, a comprehensive theoretical description of the observed shift is still lacking. The prediction of this shift is important for supporting the assignment of the measured double-walled nanotubes to particular nanotube types. Here, we report a computational study of the G-band shift as a function of the semiconducting inner layer radius and interlayer separation. We find that with increasing interlayer separation, the G band shift decreases, passes through zero and becomes negative, and further increases in absolute value for the wide range of considered inner layer radii. The theoretical predictions are shown to agree with the available experimental data within the experimental uncertainty.

Local switching of two-dimensional superconductivity using the ferroelectric field effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, K. S.; Gabay, M.; Jaccard, D.; Shibuya, K.; Ohnishi, T.; Lippmaa, M.; Triscone, J.-M.

2006-05-01

Correlated oxides display a variety of extraordinary physical properties including high-temperature superconductivity and colossal magnetoresistance. In these materials, strong electronic correlations often lead to competing ground states that are sensitive to many parameters-in particular the doping level-so that complex phase diagrams are observed. A flexible way to explore the role of doping is to tune the electron or hole concentration with electric fields, as is done in standard semiconductor field effect transistors. Here we demonstrate a model oxide system based on high-quality heterostructures in which the ferroelectric field effect approach can be studied. We use a single-crystal film of the perovskite superconductor Nb-doped SrTiO3 as the superconducting channel and ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 as the gate oxide. Atomic force microscopy is used to locally reverse the ferroelectric polarization, thus inducing large resistivity and carrier modulations, resulting in a clear shift in the superconducting critical temperature. Field-induced switching from the normal state to the (zero resistance) superconducting state was achieved at a well-defined temperature. This unique system could lead to a field of research in which devices are realized by locally defining in the same material superconducting and normal regions with `perfect' interfaces, the interface being purely electronic. Using this approach, one could potentially design one-dimensional superconducting wires, superconducting rings and junctions, superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) or arrays of pinning centres.

QED test and nuclear radius determination of helium atom by laser spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavone, F. S.

1995-01-01

The 23S1-33P0 4He transition at λ = 389 nm is measured with respect to a previously frequency calibrated 87Rb two-photon transition at 2λ = 778 nm. The 4He absolute frequency is 770 732 839 058 (190) kHz, with an accuracy of 2.4 parts in 1010. A Lamb shift value of + 4057.61 (79) MHz, with 600 kHz uncertainty arising from the theoretical position of the 33P0 energy level, is extracted for the 23S1. This value is more than two orders of magnitude more accurate than the current best theoretical predictions. By means of a novel heterodyne spectrometer using only one laser tuned at the atomic frequency, we have measured for the first time the 3He-4He isotope separation for the 23S1-33P0 transition at 389 nm. Our experimental result of 45 394 425 (140) kHz, for the F = 1/2-1/2 3He component, is compared with the theoretical prediction which has similar accuracy and depends also on the rms nuclear radius of 3He. For this we determine a preliminary value of 1.923 (37) fm which shows a slight discrepancy with previous values obtained by extrapolation to zero momentum transfer from high energy scattering measurements.

Signal-to-noise ratio estimation using adaptive tuning on the piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation model for images.

PubMed

Sim, K S; Yeap, Z X; Tso, C P

2016-11-01

An improvement to the existing technique of quantifying signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of scanning electron microscope (SEM) images using piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation (PCHIP) technique is proposed. The new technique uses an adaptive tuning onto the PCHIP, and is thus named as ATPCHIP. To test its accuracy, 70 images are corrupted with noise and their autocorrelation functions are then plotted. The ATPCHIP technique is applied to estimate the uncorrupted noise-free zero offset point from a corrupted image. Three existing methods, the nearest neighborhood, first order interpolation and original PCHIP, are used to compare with the performance of the proposed ATPCHIP method, with respect to their calculated SNR values. Results show that ATPCHIP is an accurate and reliable method to estimate SNR values from SEM images. SCANNING 38:502-514, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tuning of optical mode magnetic resonance in CoZr/Ru/CoZr synthetic antiferromagnetic trilayers by oblique sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wenqiang; Wang, Fenglong; Cao, Cuimei; Li, Pingping; Yao, Jinli; Jiang, Changjun

2018-04-01

CoZr/Ru/CoZr synthetic antiferromagnetic trilayers with strong antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling were fabricated by an oblique sputtering method that induced in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. A microstrip method using a vector network analyzer was applied to investigate the magnetic resonance modes of the trilayers, including the acoustic modes (AMs) and the optical modes (OMs). At zero magnetic field, the CoZr/Ru/CoZr trilayers showed OMs with resonance frequencies of up to 7.1 GHz. By increasing the applied external magnetic field, the magnetic resonance mode can be tuned to various OMs, mixed modes, and AMs. Additionally, the magnetic resonance mode showed an angular dependence between the magnetization and the microwave field, which showed similar switching of the magnetic modes with variation of the angle. Our results provide important information that will be helpful in the design of multifunctional microwave devices.

Majorana splitting from critical currents in Josephson junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cayao, Jorge; San-Jose, Pablo; Black-Schaffer, Annica M.; Aguado, Ramón; Prada, Elsa

2017-11-01

A semiconducting nanowire with strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling and coupled to a superconductor can be tuned by an external Zeeman field into a topological phase with Majorana zero modes. Here we theoretically investigate how this exotic topological superconductor phase manifests in Josephson junctions based on such proximitized nanowires. In particular, we focus on critical currents in the short junction limit (LN≪ξ , where LN is the junction length and ξ is the superconducting coherence length) and show that they contain important information about nontrivial topology and Majoranas. This includes signatures of the gap inversion at the topological transition and a unique oscillatory pattern that originates from Majorana interference. Interestingly, this pattern can be modified by tuning the transmission across the junction, thus providing complementary evidence of Majoranas and their energy splittings beyond standard tunnel spectroscopy experiments, while offering further tunability by virtue of the Josephson effect.

CO2 DIAL system: construction, measurements, and future development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vicenik, Jiri

1999-07-01

A miniature CO2 DIAL system has been constructed. Dimension of the system are 500 X 450 X 240 mm, its mass is only 28 kg. The system consists of two tunable TEA CO2 lasers, receiving optics, IR detector, signal processing electronics and single chip microcomputer with display. The lasers are tuned manually by means of micrometric screw and are capable to generate pulses on more than 50 CO2 laser lines. The output energy is 50 mJ. The system was tested using various toxic gases and simulants, mostly at range 300 m, most of the measurements were done using pyrodetector in the receiver. The system shows good sensitivity, but it exhibits substantial instability of zero concentration. In the next stage the work will be concentrated on use of high-sensitivity MCT detector in the receiver and implementation of automatic tuning of lasers to the system.

Negative thermal expansion near two structural quantum phase transitions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Occhialini, Connor A.; Handunkanda, Sahan U.; Said, Ayman

Recent experimental work has revealed that the unusually strong, isotropic structural negative thermal expansion in cubic perovskite ionic insulator ScF3 occurs in excited states above a ground state tuned very near a structural quantum phase transition, posing a question of fundamental interest as to whether this special circumstance is related to the anomalous behavior. To test this hypothesis, we report an elastic and inelastic x-ray scattering study of a second system Hg2I2 also tuned near a structural quantum phase transition while retaining stoichiometric composition and high crystallinity. We find similar behavior and significant negative thermal expansion below 100 K formore » dimensions along the body-centered-tetragonal c axis, bolstering the connection between negative thermal expansion and zero-temperature structural transitions.We identify the common traits between these systems and propose a set of materials design principles that can guide discovery of newmaterials exhibiting negative thermal expansion« less

Negative thermal expansion near two structural quantum phase transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Occhialini, Connor A.; Handunkanda, Sahan U.; Said, Ayman; Trivedi, Sudhir; Guzmán-Verri, G. G.; Hancock, Jason N.

2017-12-01

Recent experimental work has revealed that the unusually strong, isotropic structural negative thermal expansion in cubic perovskite ionic insulator ScF3 occurs in excited states above a ground state tuned very near a structural quantum phase transition, posing a question of fundamental interest as to whether this special circumstance is related to the anomalous behavior. To test this hypothesis, we report an elastic and inelastic x-ray scattering study of a second system Hg2I2 also tuned near a structural quantum phase transition while retaining stoichiometric composition and high crystallinity. We find similar behavior and significant negative thermal expansion below 100 K for dimensions along the body-centered-tetragonal c axis, bolstering the connection between negative thermal expansion and zero-temperature structural transitions. We identify the common traits between these systems and propose a set of materials design principles that can guide discovery of new materials exhibiting negative thermal expansion.

Ultra-flat wideband single-pump Raman-enhanced parametric amplification.

PubMed

Gordienko, V; Stephens, M F C; El-Taher, A E; Doran, N J

2017-03-06

We experimentally optimize a single pump fiber optical parametric amplifier in terms of gain spectral bandwidth and gain variation (GV). We find that optimal performance is achieved with the pump tuned to the zero-dispersion wavelength of dispersion stable highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF). We demonstrate further improvement of parametric gain bandwidth and GV by decreasing the HNLF length. We discover that Raman and parametric gain spectra produced by the same pump may be merged together to enhance overall gain bandwidth, while keeping GV low. Consequently, we report an ultra-flat gain of 9.6 ± 0.5 dB over a range of 111 nm (12.8 THz) on one side of the pump. Additionally, we demonstrate amplification of a 60 Gbit/s QPSK signal tuned over a portion of the available bandwidth with OSNR penalty less than 1 dB for Q² below 14 dB.

Scalable fabrication of coupled NV center - photonic crystal cavity systems by self-aligned N ion implantation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schröder, T.; Walsh, M.; Zheng, J.

2017-04-06

Towards building large-scale integrated photonic systems for quantum information processing, spatial and spectral alignment of single quantum systems to photonic nanocavities is required. In this paper, we demonstrate spatially targeted implantation of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers into the mode maximum of 2-d diamond photonic crystal cavities with quality factors up to 8000, achieving an average of 1.1 ± 0.2 NVs per cavity. Nearly all NV-cavity systems have significant emission intensity enhancement, reaching a cavity-fed spectrally selective intensity enhancement, F int, of up to 93. Although spatial NV-cavity overlap is nearly guaranteed within about 40 nm, spectral tuning of the NV’smore » zero-phonon-line (ZPL) is still necessary after fabrication. To demonstrate spectral control, we temperature tune a cavity into an NV ZPL, yielding F ZPL int~5 at cryogenic temperatures.« less

Bandwidth optimization of femtosecond pure-rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering by pump/Stokes spectral focusing.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kearney, Sean Patrick

A simple spectral focusing scheme for bandwidth optimization of gas-phase rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectra is presented. The method is useful when femtosecond pump/Stokes preparation of the Raman coherence is utilized. The approach is of practical utility when working with laser pulses that are not strictly transform limited, or when windows or other sources of pulse chirp may be present in the experiment. A delay between the femtosecond preparation pulses is introduced to shift the maximum Raman preparation away from zero frequency and toward the Stokes or anti-Stokes side of the spectrum with no loss in total preparationmore » bandwidth. Shifts of 100 cm -1 or more are attainable and allow for enhanced detection of high-energy (150-300 cm -1) rotational Raman transitions at near transform-limited optimum sensitivity. A simple theoretical treatment for the case of identical pump and Stokes pulses with linear frequency chirp is presented. The approach is then demonstrated experimentally for typical levels of transform-limited laser performance obtained our laboratory with nonresonant CARS in argon and Raman-resonant spectra from a lean H 2/air flat flame.« less

Critical current oscillations of elliptical Josephson junctions with single-domain ferromagnetic layers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Glick, Joseph A.; Khasawneh, Mazin A.; Niedzielski, Bethany M.

We report that josephson junctions containing ferromagnetic layers are of considerable interest for the development of practical cryogenic memory and superconducting qubits. Such junctions exhibit a ground-state phase shift of π for certain ranges of ferromagnetic layer thicknesses. We present studies of Nb based micron-scale elliptically shaped Josephson junctions containing ferromagnetic barriers of Ni 81Fe 19 or Ni 65Fe 15Co 20. By applying an external magnetic field, the critical current of the junctions is found to follow characteristic Fraunhofer patterns and display sharp switching behavior suggestive of single-domain magnets. The high quality of the Fraunhofer patterns enables us to extractmore » the maximum value of the critical current even when the peak is shifted significantly outside the range of the data due to the magnetic moment of the ferromagnetic layer. The maximum value of the critical current oscillates as a function of the ferromagnetic barrier thickness, indicating transitions in the phase difference across the junction between values of zero and π. Lastly, we compare the data to previous work and to models of the 0-π transitions based on existing theories.« less

Bandwidth optimization of femtosecond pure-rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering by pump/Stokes spectral focusing.

DOE PAGES

Kearney, Sean Patrick

2014-07-01

A simple spectral focusing scheme for bandwidth optimization of gas-phase rotational coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectra is presented. The method is useful when femtosecond pump/Stokes preparation of the Raman coherence is utilized. The approach is of practical utility when working with laser pulses that are not strictly transform limited, or when windows or other sources of pulse chirp may be present in the experiment. A delay between the femtosecond preparation pulses is introduced to shift the maximum Raman preparation away from zero frequency and toward the Stokes or anti-Stokes side of the spectrum with no loss in total preparationmore » bandwidth. Shifts of 100 cm -1 or more are attainable and allow for enhanced detection of high-energy (150-300 cm -1) rotational Raman transitions at near transform-limited optimum sensitivity. A simple theoretical treatment for the case of identical pump and Stokes pulses with linear frequency chirp is presented. The approach is then demonstrated experimentally for typical levels of transform-limited laser performance obtained our laboratory with nonresonant CARS in argon and Raman-resonant spectra from a lean H 2/air flat flame.« less

Critical current oscillations of elliptical Josephson junctions with single-domain ferromagnetic layers

DOE PAGES

Glick, Joseph A.; Khasawneh, Mazin A.; Niedzielski, Bethany M.; ...

2017-10-06

We report that josephson junctions containing ferromagnetic layers are of considerable interest for the development of practical cryogenic memory and superconducting qubits. Such junctions exhibit a ground-state phase shift of π for certain ranges of ferromagnetic layer thicknesses. We present studies of Nb based micron-scale elliptically shaped Josephson junctions containing ferromagnetic barriers of Ni 81Fe 19 or Ni 65Fe 15Co 20. By applying an external magnetic field, the critical current of the junctions is found to follow characteristic Fraunhofer patterns and display sharp switching behavior suggestive of single-domain magnets. The high quality of the Fraunhofer patterns enables us to extractmore » the maximum value of the critical current even when the peak is shifted significantly outside the range of the data due to the magnetic moment of the ferromagnetic layer. The maximum value of the critical current oscillates as a function of the ferromagnetic barrier thickness, indicating transitions in the phase difference across the junction between values of zero and π. Lastly, we compare the data to previous work and to models of the 0-π transitions based on existing theories.« less

Learning to Listen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Safir, Shane

2017-01-01

How do school leaders navigate a complex change process? Simply put: They listen. This is the contention that Shane Safir puts forth in this article. She outlines five reasons for becoming a "listening leader": Listening helps leaders tune into and shift the dominant narrative; keep their finger on the pulse of complex change; stay true…

Microwave photonic filter using multiwavelength Brillouin-erbium fiber laser with double-Brillouin-frequency shift

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Loh, K. K.; Yeo, K. S.; Shee, Y. G.

2015-04-24

A microwave photonic filter based on double-Brillouin-frequency spaced multiwavelength Brillouin-erbium fiber laser (BEFL) is experimentally demonstrated. The filter selectivity can be easily adjusted by tuning and apodizing the optical taps generated from the multiwavelength BEFL. Reconfiguration of different frequency responses are demonstrated.

Self-Action of Second Harmonic Generation and Longitudinal Temperature Gradient in Nonlinear-Optical Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baranov, A. I.; Konyashkin, A. V.; Ryabushkin, O. A.

2015-09-01

Model of second harmonic generation with thermal self-action was developed. Second harmonic generation temperature phase matching curves were measured and calculated for periodically polled lithium niobate crystal. Both experimental and calculated data show asymmetrical shift of temperature tuning curves with pump power.

Maintaining Investment Success: The Importance of Asset Suballocation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrell, Louis R.

1997-01-01

To meet demand for increased funding, in a period of probable declining investment returns, colleges and universities must fine-tune their asset suballocations to enhance returns. While the institution should adhere to major asset allocation classes, there can be much flexibility, and enhanced return, in shifting suballocations within the major…

Tuning the electrocaloric enhancement near the morphotropic phase boundary in lead-free ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Goupil, Florian; McKinnon, Ruth; Koval, Vladimir; Viola, Giuseppe; Dunn, Steve; Berenov, Andrey; Yan, Haixue; Alford, Neil Mcn.

2016-06-01

The need for more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly alternatives in the refrigeration industry to meet global emission targets has driven efforts towards materials with a potential for solid state cooling. Adiabatic depolarisation cooling, based on the electrocaloric effect (ECE), is a significant contender for efficient new solid state refrigeration techniques. Some of the highest ECE performances reported are found in compounds close to the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). This relationship between performance and the MPB makes the ability to tune the position of the MPB an important challenge in electrocaloric research. Here, we report direct ECE measurements performed on MPB tuned NBT-06BT bulk ceramics with a combination of A-site substitutions. We successfully shift the MPB of these lead-free ceramics closer to room temperature, as required for solid state refrigeration, without loss of the criticality of the system and the associated ECE enhancement.

Tuning the electrocaloric enhancement near the morphotropic phase boundary in lead-free ceramics

PubMed Central

Le Goupil, Florian; McKinnon, Ruth; Koval, Vladimir; Viola, Giuseppe; Dunn, Steve; Berenov, Andrey; Yan, Haixue; Alford, Neil McN.

2016-01-01

The need for more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly alternatives in the refrigeration industry to meet global emission targets has driven efforts towards materials with a potential for solid state cooling. Adiabatic depolarisation cooling, based on the electrocaloric effect (ECE), is a significant contender for efficient new solid state refrigeration techniques. Some of the highest ECE performances reported are found in compounds close to the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). This relationship between performance and the MPB makes the ability to tune the position of the MPB an important challenge in electrocaloric research. Here, we report direct ECE measurements performed on MPB tuned NBT-06BT bulk ceramics with a combination of A-site substitutions. We successfully shift the MPB of these lead-free ceramics closer to room temperature, as required for solid state refrigeration, without loss of the criticality of the system and the associated ECE enhancement. PMID:27312287

No hair theorem in quasi-dilaton massive gravity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, De-Jun; Zhou, Shuang-Yong

We investigate the static, spherically symmetric black hole solutions in the quasi-dilaton model and its generalizations, which are scalar extended dRGT massive gravity with a shift symmetry. We show that, unlike generic scalar extended massive gravity models, these theories do not admit static, spherically symmetric black hole solutions until the theory parameters in the dRGT potential are fine-tuned. When fine-tuned, the geometry of the static, spherically symmetric black hole is necessarily that of general relativity and the quasi-dilaton field is constant across the spacetime. The fine-tuning and the no hair theorem apply to black holes with flat, anti-de Sitter ormore » de Sitter asymptotics. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Funded by SCOAP(3).« less

Temperature tuning of lasing emission from dye-doped liquid crystal at intermediate twisted phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Kuan-Cheng; Lin, Ja-Hon; Jian, Li-Hao; Chen, Yao-Hui; Wu, Jin-Jei

2015-07-01

Temperature tuning of lasing emission from dye-doped cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) at intermediate twisted phase has been demonstrated in this work. With heavily doping of 42.5% chiral molecules into the nematic liquid crystals, the shifts of photonic bandgap versus temperature is obviously as thermal controlling of the sample below the certain value. By the differential scanning calorimetr measuremet, we demonstrate the phase transition from the CLC to the smectic phase when the temperature is lowered to be about 15°C. Between CLC and smectic phase, the liquid crystal mixtures are operated at intermediate twisted phase that can be used the temperature related refractive mirror. After pump by the Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, the lasing emission from this dye doped LC mixtures has been demonstrated whose emission wavelength can be tuned from 566 to 637 nm with 1.4°C variation.

Tuning the electrocaloric enhancement near the morphotropic phase boundary in lead-free ceramics.

PubMed

Le Goupil, Florian; McKinnon, Ruth; Koval, Vladimir; Viola, Giuseppe; Dunn, Steve; Berenov, Andrey; Yan, Haixue; Alford, Neil McN

2016-06-17

The need for more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly alternatives in the refrigeration industry to meet global emission targets has driven efforts towards materials with a potential for solid state cooling. Adiabatic depolarisation cooling, based on the electrocaloric effect (ECE), is a significant contender for efficient new solid state refrigeration techniques. Some of the highest ECE performances reported are found in compounds close to the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). This relationship between performance and the MPB makes the ability to tune the position of the MPB an important challenge in electrocaloric research. Here, we report direct ECE measurements performed on MPB tuned NBT-06BT bulk ceramics with a combination of A-site substitutions. We successfully shift the MPB of these lead-free ceramics closer to room temperature, as required for solid state refrigeration, without loss of the criticality of the system and the associated ECE enhancement.

No hair theorem in quasi-dilaton massive gravity

DOE PAGES

Wu, De-Jun; Zhou, Shuang-Yong

2016-04-11

We investigate the static, spherically symmetric black hole solutions in the quasi-dilaton model and its generalizations, which are scalar extended dRGT massive gravity with a shift symmetry. We show that, unlike generic scalar extended massive gravity models, these theories do not admit static, spherically symmetric black hole solutions until the theory parameters in the dRGT potential are fine-tuned. When fine-tuned, the geometry of the static, spherically symmetric black hole is necessarily that of general relativity and the quasi-dilaton field is constant across the spacetime. The fine-tuning and the no hair theorem apply to black holes with flat, anti-de Sitter ormore » de Sitter asymptotics. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Funded by SCOAP(3).« less

Novel thermal annealing methodology for permanent tuning polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings to longer wavelengths.

PubMed

Pospori, A; Marques, C A F; Sagias, G; Lamela-Rivera, H; Webb, D J

2018-01-22

The Bragg wavelength of a polymer optical fiber Bragg grating can be permanently shifted by utilizing the thermal annealing method. In all the reported fiber annealing cases, the authors were able to tune the Bragg wavelength only to shorter wavelengths, since the polymer fiber shrinks in length during the annealing process. This article demonstrates a novel thermal annealing methodology for permanently tuning polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings to any desirable spectral position, including longer wavelengths. Stretching the polymer optical fiber during the annealing process, the period of Bragg grating, which is directly related with the Bragg wavelength, can become permanently longer. The methodology presented in this article can be used to multiplex polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings at any desirable spectral position utilizing only one phase-mask for their photo-inscription, reducing thus their fabrication cost in an industrial setting.

Multichannel analyzers at high rates of input

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rudnick, S. J.; Strauss, M. G.

1969-01-01

Multichannel analyzer, used with a gating system incorporating pole-zero compensation, pile-up rejection, and baseline-restoration, achieves good resolution at high rates of input. It improves resolution, reduces tailing and rate-contributed continuum, and eliminates spectral shift.

Soft robot design methodology for `push-button' manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paik, Jamie

2018-06-01

`Push-button' or fully automated manufacturing would enable the production of robots with zero intervention from human hands. Realizing this utopia requires a fundamental shift from a sequential (design-materials-manufacturing) to a concurrent design methodology.

Budgeting--A Management Approach for the '80s.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodel, Ross A.

1980-01-01

Zero-base budgeting is a management tool that provides a system that is responsive to change, incorporates sound principles of management, satisfies the need to effectively shift resources, and does not overload the budget staff. (Author/MLF)

A Zero-Dimensional Organic Seesaw-Shaped Tin Bromide with Highly Efficient Strongly Stokes-Shifted Deep-Red Emission

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Chenkun; Lin, Haoran; Shi, Hongliang

The synthesis and characterization is reported of (C 9NH 20) 2SnBr 4, a novel organic metal halide hybrid with a zero-dimensional (0D) structure, in which individual seesaw-shaped tin (II) bromide anions (SnBr 4 2-) are co-crystallized with 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium cations (C 9NH 20 +). Upon photoexcitation, the bulk crystals exhibit a highly efficient broadband deep-red emission peaked at 695 nm, with a large Stokes shift of 332 nm and a high quantum efficiency of around 46 %. Furthermore, the unique photophysical properties of this hybrid material are attributed to two major factors: 1) the 0D structure allowing the bulk crystals tomore » exhibit the intrinsic properties of individual SnBr 4 2- species, and 2) the seesaw structure then enables a pronounced excited state structural deformation as confirmed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations.« less

Detection of gaseous oxygen using temperature tuned laser diodes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fox, Curtis W.; Disimile, Peter J.

1990-01-01

The development of an optical differential absorption technique using laser diodes is discussed. The technique is being developed as a solution to overcome the difficulties imposed by conventional liquid rocket propulsion system leak detection such as damage to the engine, cumbersome equipment, and excessive amounts of time. The detection of O2 at atmospheric pressure and temperature using laser diodes is demonstrated. Also, it is shown that, by temperature tuning the laser diode, the wavelength was shifted to a level where the oxygen absorption peaks are found. The levels of transmission determined via experimental means and those calculated from spectral data are found to be in close agreement.

Band gap tuning of epitaxial SrTiO{sub 3-δ}/Si(001) thin films through strain engineering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cottier, Ryan J.; Steinle, Nathan A.; Currie, Daniel A.

2015-11-30

We investigate the effect of strain and oxygen vacancies (V{sub O}) on the crystal and optical properties of oxygen deficient, ultra-thin (4–30 nm) films of SrTiO{sub 3-δ} (STO) grown heteroepitaxially on p-Si(001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. We demonstrate that STO band gap tuning can be achieved through strain engineering and show that the energy shift of the direct energy gap transition of SrTiO{sub 3-δ}/Si films has a quantifiable dimensional and doping dependence that correlates well with the changes in crystal structure.

Fully tunable 360° microwave photonic phase shifter based on a single semiconductor optical amplifier.

PubMed

Sancho, Juan; Lloret, Juan; Gasulla, Ivana; Sales, Salvador; Capmany, José

2011-08-29

A fully tunable microwave photonic phase shifter involving a single semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is proposed and demonstrated. 360° microwave phase shift has been achieved by tuning the carrier wavelength and the optical input power injected in an SOA while properly profiting from the dispersion feature of a conveniently designed notch filter. It is shown that the optical filter can be advantageously employed to switch between positive and negative microwave phase shifts. Numerical calculations corroborate the experimental results showing an excellent agreement.

Quantum/molecular mechanics study of firefly bioluminescence on luciferase oxidative conformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinto da Silva, Luís; Esteves da Silva, Joaquim C. G.

2014-07-01

This is the first report of a computational study of the color tuning mechanism of firefly bioluminescence, using the oxidative conformation of luciferase. The results of these calculations demonstrated that the electrostatic field generated by luciferase is fundamental both for the emission shift and efficiency. Further calculations indicated that a shift in emission is achieved by modulating the energy, at different degrees, of the emissive and ground states. These differences in energy modulation will then lead to changes in the energy gap between the states.

A Neural Mechanism of Preference Shifting Under Zero Price Condition

PubMed Central

Votinov, Mikhail; Aso, Toshihiko; Fukuyama, Hidenao; Mima, Tatsuya

2016-01-01

In everyday life, free products have a strong appeal to us, even if we do not need them. Behavioral studies demonstrated that people have a tendency to switch their preference from preferred more expensive products to less preferable, cheaper alternatives, when the cheaper option becomes free. However, the neural representation of this behavioral anomaly called “Zero price” is still unclear. Using fMRI, we studied subjects while they performed binary preference choice task for items with different prices. We found that zero-related change of preference was associated with activation of the choice network, which includes inferior parietal lobule (IPL), posterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex. Moreover, the amount of activation in medial prefrontal cortex was positively correlated with the subjective happiness score of getting free products. Our findings suggest that the Zero-price effect is driven by affective evaluations during decision-making. PMID:27148024

Zero-reabsorption doped-nanocrystal luminescent solar concentrators.

PubMed

Erickson, Christian S; Bradshaw, Liam R; McDowall, Stephen; Gilbertson, John D; Gamelin, Daniel R; Patrick, David L

2014-04-22

Optical concentration can lower the cost of solar energy conversion by reducing photovoltaic cell area and increasing photovoltaic efficiency. Luminescent solar concentrators offer an attractive approach to combined spectral and spatial concentration of both specular and diffuse light without tracking, but they have been plagued by luminophore self-absorption losses when employed on practical size scales. Here, we introduce doped semiconductor nanocrystals as a new class of phosphors for use in luminescent solar concentrators. In proof-of-concept experiments, visibly transparent, ultraviolet-selective luminescent solar concentrators have been prepared using colloidal Mn(2+)-doped ZnSe nanocrystals that show no luminescence reabsorption. Optical quantum efficiencies of 37% are measured, yielding a maximum projected energy concentration of ∼6× and flux gain for a-Si photovoltaics of 15.6 in the large-area limit, for the first time bounded not by luminophore self-absorption but by the transparency of the waveguide itself. Future directions in the use of colloidal doped nanocrystals as robust, processable spectrum-shifting phosphors for luminescent solar concentration on the large scales required for practical application of this technology are discussed.

40 CFR 1066.425 - Performing emission tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... as described in paragraph (g)(5) of this section and zero and span all batch gas analyzers as soon as practical before any batch sample analysis. You may perform this batch analyzer zero and span before the end... value after stabilizing a zero gas to the analyzer. Stabilization may include time to purge the analyzer...

Practical Considerations for Use of Mobile Apps at the Tactical Edge

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

and logging The commercial app stores must scale to very large numbers of users (e.g., iTunes has over 800 million accounts, most with credit cards ...over a million Android apps and a million iOS apps are available for download from the Google Play and Apple iTunes app stores, respectively. Of these...apps and a million iOS apps are available for download from the Google Play and Apple iTunes app stores, respectively. Of these, most would not be

Out-of-plane spin polarization of edge currents in Chern insulator with Rashba spin-orbit interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Tsung-Wei; Hsiao, Chin-Lun; Hu, Chong-Der

2016-07-01

We investigate the change in the non-zero Chern number and out-of-plane spin polarization of the edge currents in a honeycomb lattice with the Haldane-Rashba interaction. This interaction breaks the time-reversal symmetry due to the Haldane phase caused by a current loop at the site-I and site-II atoms, and also accounts for the Rashba-type spin-orbit interaction. The Rashba spin-orbit interaction increases the number of Dirac points and the band-touching phenomenon can be generated by tuning the on-site potential in the non-zero Haldane phase. By using the Pontryagin winding number and numerical Berry curvature methods, we find that the Chern number pattern is {+2, -1, 0} and {-2, +1, 0} for the positive and negative Haldane phase, respectively. A non-zero Chern number is called a Chern-insulating phase. We discovered that changes in both the Haldane phase and on-site potential leads to a change in the orientation of the bulk spin polarization of site-I and site-II atoms. Interestingly, in a ribbon with a zigzag edge, which naturally has site-I atoms at one outer edge and site-II atoms at the opposite outer edge, the spin polarization of the edge states approximately obeys the properties of bulk spin polarization regardless of the change in the Chern number. In addition, even when the Chern number changes from  +2 to  -1 (or  -2 to  +1), by tuning the strength of the on-site potential, the sign of the spin polarization of the edge states persists. This approximate bulk-edge correspondence of the spin polarization in the Haldane-Rashba system would play an important role in spintronics, because it enables us to control the orientation of the spin polarization in a single Chern-insulating phase.

Out-of-plane spin polarization of edge currents in Chern insulator with Rashba spin-orbit interaction.

PubMed

Chen, Tsung-Wei; Hsiao, Chin-Lun; Hu, Chong-Der

2016-07-13

We investigate the change in the non-zero Chern number and out-of-plane spin polarization of the edge currents in a honeycomb lattice with the Haldane-Rashba interaction. This interaction breaks the time-reversal symmetry due to the Haldane phase caused by a current loop at the site-I and site-II atoms, and also accounts for the Rashba-type spin-orbit interaction. The Rashba spin-orbit interaction increases the number of Dirac points and the band-touching phenomenon can be generated by tuning the on-site potential in the non-zero Haldane phase. By using the Pontryagin winding number and numerical Berry curvature methods, we find that the Chern number pattern is {+2, -1, 0} and {-2, +1, 0} for the positive and negative Haldane phase, respectively. A non-zero Chern number is called a Chern-insulating phase. We discovered that changes in both the Haldane phase and on-site potential leads to a change in the orientation of the bulk spin polarization of site-I and site-II atoms. Interestingly, in a ribbon with a zigzag edge, which naturally has site-I atoms at one outer edge and site-II atoms at the opposite outer edge, the spin polarization of the edge states approximately obeys the properties of bulk spin polarization regardless of the change in the Chern number. In addition, even when the Chern number changes from  +2 to  -1 (or  -2 to  +1), by tuning the strength of the on-site potential, the sign of the spin polarization of the edge states persists. This approximate bulk-edge correspondence of the spin polarization in the Haldane-Rashba system would play an important role in spintronics, because it enables us to control the orientation of the spin polarization in a single Chern-insulating phase.

Controlling pulse delay by light and low magnetic fields: slow light in emerald induced by transient spectral hole-burning.

PubMed

Rajan, Rajitha Papukutty; Riesen, Hans; Rebane, Aleksander

2013-11-15

Slow light based on transient spectral hole-burning is reported for emerald, Be(3)Al(2)Si(6)O(18):Cr(3+). Experiments were conducted in π polarization on the R(1)(± 3/2) line (E2 ← A(2)4) at 2.2 K in zero field and low magnetic fields B||c. The hole width was strongly dependent on B||c, and this allowed us to smoothly tune the pulse delay from 40 to 154 ns between zero field and B||c = 15.2 mT. The latter corresponds to a group velocity of 16 km/s. Slow light in conjunction with a linear filter theory can be used as a powerful and accurate technique in time-resolved spectroscopy, e.g., to determine spectral hole-widths as a function of time.

Edge-mode superconductivity in a two-dimensional topological insulator.

PubMed

Pribiag, Vlad S; Beukman, Arjan J A; Qu, Fanming; Cassidy, Maja C; Charpentier, Christophe; Wegscheider, Werner; Kouwenhoven, Leo P

2015-07-01

Topological superconductivity is an exotic state of matter that supports Majorana zero-modes, which have been predicted to occur in the surface states of three-dimensional systems, in the edge states of two-dimensional systems, and in one-dimensional wires. Localized Majorana zero-modes obey non-Abelian exchange statistics, making them interesting building blocks for topological quantum computing. Here, we report superconductivity induced in the edge modes of semiconducting InAs/GaSb quantum wells, a two-dimensional topological insulator. Using superconducting quantum interference we demonstrate gate-tuning between edge-dominated and bulk-dominated regimes of superconducting transport. The edge-dominated regime arises only under conditions of high-bulk resistivity, which we associate with the two-dimensional topological phase. These experiments establish InAs/GaSb as a promising platform for the confinement of Majoranas into localized states, enabling future investigations of non-Abelian statistics.

Chiral Majorana fermion modes regulated by a scanning tunneling microscope tip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yan-Feng; Hou, Zhe; Zhang, Ying-Tao; Sun, Qing-Feng

2018-03-01

The Majorana fermion can be described by a real wave function with only two phases (zero and π ) which provide a controllable degree of freedom. We propose a strategy to regulate the phase of the chiral Majorana state by coupling with a scanning tunneling microscope tip in a system consisting of a quantum anomalous Hall insulator coupled with a superconductor. With the change in the chemical potential, the chiral Majorana state can be tuned alternately between zero and π , in which the perfect normal tunneling and perfect crossed Andreev reflection appear, respectively. The perfect crossed Andreev reflection, by which a Cooper pair can be split into two electrons going into different terminals completely, leads to a pumping current and distinct quantized resistances. These findings may provide a signature of Majorana fermions and pave a feasible avenue to regulate the phase of the Majorana state.

Particle-hole symmetry reveals failed superconductivity in the metallic phase of two-dimensional superconducting films

DOE PAGES

Breznay, Nicholas P.; Kapitulnik, Aharon

2017-09-15

Electrons confined to two dimensions display an unexpected diversity of behaviors as they are cooled to absolute zero. Noninteracting electrons are predicted to eventually “localize” into an insulating ground state, and it has long been supposed that electron correlations stabilize only one other phase: superconductivity. However, many two-dimensional (2D) superconducting materials have shown surprising evidence for metallic behavior, where the electrical resistivity saturates in the zero-temperature limit; the nature of this unexpected metallic state remains under intense scrutiny. We report electrical transport properties for two disordered 2D superconductors, indium oxide and tantalum nitride, and observe a magnetic field–tuned transition frommore » a true superconductor to a metallic phase with saturated resistivity. Lastly, this metallic phase is characterized by a vanishing Hall resistivity, suggesting that it retains particle-hole symmetry from the disrupted superconducting state.« less

Zero-Field Ambient-Pressure Quantum Criticality in the Stoichiometric Non-Fermi Liquid System CeRhBi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anand, Vivek K.; Adroja, Devashibhai T.; Hillier, Adrian D.; Shigetoh, Keisuke; Takabatake, Toshiro; Park, Je-Geun; McEwen, Keith A.; Pixley, Jedediah H.; Si, Qimiao

2018-06-01

We present the spin dynamics study of a stoichiometric non-Fermi liquid (NFL) system CeRhBi, using low-energy inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and muon spin relaxation (μSR) measurements. It shows evidence for an energy-temperature (E/T) scaling in the INS dynamic response and a time-field (t/Hη) scaling of the μSR asymmetry function indicating a quantum critical behavior in this compound. The E/T scaling reveals a local character of quantum criticality consistent with the power-law divergence of the magnetic susceptibility, logarithmic divergence of the magnetic heat capacity and T-linear resistivity at low temperature. The occurrence of NFL behavior and local criticality over a very wide dynamical range at zero field and ambient pressure without any tuning in this stoichiometric heavy fermion compound is striking, making CeRhBi a model system amenable to in-depth studies for quantum criticality.

Kosterlitz-Thouless transition and vortex-antivortex lattice melting in two-dimensional Fermi gases with p - or d -wave pairing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Gaoqing; He, Lianyi; Huang, Xu-Guang

2017-12-01

We present a theoretical study of the finite-temperature Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) and vortex-antivortex lattice (VAL) melting transitions in two-dimensional Fermi gases with p - or d -wave pairing. For both pairings, when the interaction is tuned from weak to strong attractions, we observe a quantum phase transition from the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superfluidity to the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of difermions. The KT and VAL transition temperatures increase during this BCS-BEC transition and approach constant values in the deep BEC region. The BCS-BEC transition is characterized by the nonanalyticities of the chemical potential, the superfluid order parameter, and the sound velocities as functions of the interaction strength at both zero and finite temperatures; however, the temperature effect tends to weaken the nonanalyticities compared to the zero-temperature case. The effect of mismatched Fermi surfaces on the d -wave pairing is also studied.

Particle-hole symmetry reveals failed superconductivity in the metallic phase of two-dimensional superconducting films

PubMed Central

Breznay, Nicholas P.; Kapitulnik, Aharon

2017-01-01

Electrons confined to two dimensions display an unexpected diversity of behaviors as they are cooled to absolute zero. Noninteracting electrons are predicted to eventually “localize” into an insulating ground state, and it has long been supposed that electron correlations stabilize only one other phase: superconductivity. However, many two-dimensional (2D) superconducting materials have shown surprising evidence for metallic behavior, where the electrical resistivity saturates in the zero-temperature limit; the nature of this unexpected metallic state remains under intense scrutiny. We report electrical transport properties for two disordered 2D superconductors, indium oxide and tantalum nitride, and observe a magnetic field–tuned transition from a true superconductor to a metallic phase with saturated resistivity. This metallic phase is characterized by a vanishing Hall resistivity, suggesting that it retains particle-hole symmetry from the disrupted superconducting state. PMID:28929135

Particle-hole symmetry reveals failed superconductivity in the metallic phase of two-dimensional superconducting films.

PubMed

Breznay, Nicholas P; Kapitulnik, Aharon

2017-09-01

Electrons confined to two dimensions display an unexpected diversity of behaviors as they are cooled to absolute zero. Noninteracting electrons are predicted to eventually "localize" into an insulating ground state, and it has long been supposed that electron correlations stabilize only one other phase: superconductivity. However, many two-dimensional (2D) superconducting materials have shown surprising evidence for metallic behavior, where the electrical resistivity saturates in the zero-temperature limit; the nature of this unexpected metallic state remains under intense scrutiny. We report electrical transport properties for two disordered 2D superconductors, indium oxide and tantalum nitride, and observe a magnetic field-tuned transition from a true superconductor to a metallic phase with saturated resistivity. This metallic phase is characterized by a vanishing Hall resistivity, suggesting that it retains particle-hole symmetry from the disrupted superconducting state.

Negative hyperconjugation and red-, blue- or zero-shift in X-Z∙∙∙Y complexes.

PubMed

Joy, Jyothish; Jemmis, Eluvathingal D; Vidya, Kaipanchery

2015-01-01

A generalized explanation is provided for the existence of the red- and blue-shifting nature of X-Z bonds (Z=H, halogens, chalcogens, pnicogens, etc.) in X-Z∙∙∙Y complexes based on computational studies on a selected set of weakly bonded complexes and analysis of existing literature data. The additional electrons and orbitals available on Z in comparison to H make for dramatic differences between the H-bond and the rest of the Z-bonds. The nature of the X-group and its influence on the X-Z bond length in the parent X-Z molecule largely controls the change in the X-Z bond length on X-Z∙∙∙Y bond formation; the Y-group usually influences only the magnitude of the effects controlled by X. The major factors which control the X-Z bond length change are: (a) negative hyperconjugative donation of electron density from X-group to X-Z σ* antibonding molecular orbital (ABMO) in the parent X-Z, (b) induced negative hyperconjugation from the lone pair of electrons on Z to the antibonding orbitals of the X-group, and (c) charge transfer (CT) from the Y-group to the X-Z σ* orbital. The exchange repulsion from the Y-group that shifts partial electron density at the X-Z σ* ABMO back to X leads to blue-shifting and the CT from the Y-group to the σ* ABMO of X-Z leads to red-shifting. The balance between these two opposing forces decides red-, zero- or blue-shifting. A continuum of behaviour of X-Z bond length variation is inevitable in X-Z∙∙∙Y complexes.

16 CFR Figure 5 to Subpart A of... - Zero Reference Point Related to Detecting Plane

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Zero Reference Point Related to Detecting Plane 5 Figure 5 to Subpart A of Part 1209 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS INTERIM SAFETY STANDARD FOR CELLULOSE INSULATION The Standard Pt. 1209, Subpt. A, Fig. 5 Figure 5 to Subpart A o...

Practical Application Limits of Fuel Cells and Batteries for Zero Emission Vessels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Minnehan, John J.; Pratt, Joseph William

Batteries and hydrogen fuel cells provide zero emission power at the point of use. They are studied as an alternative powerplant for maritime vessels by considering 14 case studies of various ship sizes and routes varying from small passenger vessels to the largest cargo ships. The method used was to compare the mass and volume of the required zero emission solution to the available mass and volume on an existing vessel considering its current engine and fuel storage systems. The results show that it is practically feasible to consider these zero emission technologies for most vessels in the world's fleet.more » Hydrogen fuel cells proved to be the most capable while battery systems showed an advantage for high power, short duration missions. The results provide a guide to ship designers to determine the most suitable types of zero emission powerplants to fit a ship based on its size and energy requirements.« less

Ocular Blood Flow Measured Noninvasively in Zero Gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ansari, Rafat R.; Manuel, Francis K.; Geiser, Martial; Moret, Fabrice; Messer, Russell K.; King, James F.; Suh, Kwang I.

2003-01-01

In spaceflight or a reduced-gravity environment, bodily fluids shift to the upper extremities of the body. The pressure inside the eye, or intraocular pressure, changes significantly. A significant number of astronauts report changes in visual acuity during orbital flight. To date this remains of unknown etiology. Could choroidal engorgement be the primary mechanism and a change in the curvature or shape of the cornea or lens be the secondary mechanism for this change in visual acuity? Perfused blood flow in the dense meshwork of capillaries of the choroidal tissue (see the preceding illustration) provides necessary nutrients to the outer layers of the retina (photoreceptors) to keep it healthy and maintain good vision. Unlike the vascular system, the choroid has no baroreceptors to autoregulate fluid shifts, so it can remain engorged, pushing the macula forward and causing a hyperopic (farsighted) shift of the eye. Experiments by researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center could help answer this question and facilitate planning for long-duration missions. We are investigating the effects of zero gravity on the choroidal blood flow of volunteer subjects. This pilot project plans to determine if choroidal blood flow is autoregulated in a reduced-gravity environment.

Project Tune-Up: A New Look at Project Prepare. Final Report. 1994-1995.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Central Intermediate Unit 10, Pleasant Gap, PA.

This document includes a report on Project Tune-Up, which was conducted to update Project Prepare, a program to help Pennsylvania adult learners prepare for business school entrance examinations, the PSB [Pennsylvania State Board]-Aptitude for Practical Nursing examination, and college placement examinations. The report describes how the Project…

Reduced temporal processing in older, normal-hearing listeners evident from electrophysiological responses to shifts in interaural time difference.

PubMed

Ozmeral, Erol J; Eddins, David A; Eddins, Ann C

2016-12-01

Previous electrophysiological studies of interaural time difference (ITD) processing have demonstrated that ITDs are represented by a nontopographic population rate code. Rather than narrow tuning to ITDs, neural channels have broad tuning to ITDs in either the left or right auditory hemifield, and the relative activity between the channels determines the perceived lateralization of the sound. With advancing age, spatial perception weakens and poor temporal processing contributes to declining spatial acuity. At present, it is unclear whether age-related temporal processing deficits are due to poor inhibitory controls in the auditory system or degraded neural synchrony at the periphery. Cortical processing of spatial cues based on a hemifield code are susceptible to potential age-related physiological changes. We consider two distinct predictions of age-related changes to ITD sensitivity: declines in inhibitory mechanisms would lead to increased excitation and medial shifts to rate-azimuth functions, whereas a general reduction in neural synchrony would lead to reduced excitation and shallower slopes in the rate-azimuth function. The current study tested these possibilities by measuring an evoked response to ITD shifts in a narrow-band noise. Results were more in line with the latter outcome, both from measured latencies and amplitudes of the global field potentials and source-localized waveforms in the left and right auditory cortices. The measured responses for older listeners also tended to have reduced asymmetric distribution of activity in response to ITD shifts, which is consistent with other sensory and cognitive processing models of aging. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

The venetian-blind effect: a preference for zero disparity or zero slant?

PubMed Central

Vlaskamp, Björn N. S.; Guan, Phillip; Banks, Martin S.

2013-01-01

When periodic stimuli such as vertical sinewave gratings are presented to the two eyes, the initial stage of disparity estimation yields multiple solutions at multiple depths. The solutions are all frontoparallel when the sinewaves have the same spatial frequency; they are all slanted when the sinewaves have quite different frequencies. Despite multiple solutions, humans perceive only one depth in each visual direction: a single frontoparallel plane when the frequencies are the same and a series of small slanted planes—Venetian blinds—when the frequencies are quite different. These percepts are consistent with a preference for solutions that minimize absolute disparity or overall slant. The preference for minimum disparity and minimum slant are identical for gaze at zero eccentricity; we dissociated the predictions of the two by measuring the occurrence of Venetian blinds when the stimuli were viewed in eccentric gaze. The results were generally quite consistent with a zero-disparity preference (Experiment 1), but we also observed a shift toward a zero-slant preference when the edges of the stimulus had zero slant (Experiment 2). These observations provide useful insights into how the visual system constructs depth percepts from a multitude of possible depths. PMID:24273523

The venetian-blind effect: a preference for zero disparity or zero slant?

PubMed

Vlaskamp, Björn N S; Guan, Phillip; Banks, Martin S

2013-01-01

When periodic stimuli such as vertical sinewave gratings are presented to the two eyes, the initial stage of disparity estimation yields multiple solutions at multiple depths. The solutions are all frontoparallel when the sinewaves have the same spatial frequency; they are all slanted when the sinewaves have quite different frequencies. Despite multiple solutions, humans perceive only one depth in each visual direction: a single frontoparallel plane when the frequencies are the same and a series of small slanted planes-Venetian blinds-when the frequencies are quite different. These percepts are consistent with a preference for solutions that minimize absolute disparity or overall slant. The preference for minimum disparity and minimum slant are identical for gaze at zero eccentricity; we dissociated the predictions of the two by measuring the occurrence of Venetian blinds when the stimuli were viewed in eccentric gaze. The results were generally quite consistent with a zero-disparity preference (Experiment 1), but we also observed a shift toward a zero-slant preference when the edges of the stimulus had zero slant (Experiment 2). These observations provide useful insights into how the visual system constructs depth percepts from a multitude of possible depths.

Solute partitioning in multi-component γ/γ' Co–Ni-base superalloys with near-zero lattice misfit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meher, S.; Carroll, L. J.; Pollock, T. M.

The addition of nickel to cobalt-base alloys enables alloys with a near zero γ – γ' lattice misfit. The solute partitioning between ordered γ' precipitates and the disordered γ matrix have been investigated using atom probe tomography. Lastly, the unique shift in solute partitioning in these alloys, as compared to that in simpler Co-base alloys, derives from changes in site substitution of solutes as the relative amounts of Co and Ni change, highlighting new opportunities for the development of advanced tailored alloys.

Solute partitioning in multi-component γ/γ' Co–Ni-base superalloys with near-zero lattice misfit

DOE PAGES

Meher, S.; Carroll, L. J.; Pollock, T. M.; ...

2015-11-21

The addition of nickel to cobalt-base alloys enables alloys with a near zero γ – γ' lattice misfit. The solute partitioning between ordered γ' precipitates and the disordered γ matrix have been investigated using atom probe tomography. Lastly, the unique shift in solute partitioning in these alloys, as compared to that in simpler Co-base alloys, derives from changes in site substitution of solutes as the relative amounts of Co and Ni change, highlighting new opportunities for the development of advanced tailored alloys.

Tuning of Thermal Stability in Layered Li(NixMnyCoz)O2.

PubMed

Zheng, Jiaxin; Liu, Tongchao; Hu, Zongxiang; Wei, Yi; Song, Xiaohe; Ren, Yang; Wang, Weidong; Rao, Mumin; Lin, Yuan; Chen, Zonghai; Lu, Jun; Wang, Chongmin; Amine, Khalil; Pan, Feng

2016-10-12

Understanding and further designing new layered Li(Ni x Mn y Co z )O 2 (NMC) (x + y + z = 1) materials with optimized thermal stability is important to rechargeable Li batteries (LIBs) for electrical vehicles (EV). Using ab initio calculations combined with experiments, we clarified how the thermal stability of NMC materials can be tuned by the most unstable oxygen, which is determined by the local coordination structure unit (LCSU) of oxygen (TM(Ni, Mn, Co) 3 -O-Li 3-x' ): each O atom bonds with three transition metals (TM) from the TM-layer and three to zero Li from fully discharged to charged states from the Li-layer. Under this model, how the lithium content, valence states of Ni, contents of Ni, Mn, and Co, and Ni/Li disorder to tune the thermal stability of NMC materials by affecting the sites, content, and the release temperature of the most unstable oxygen is proposed. The synergistic effect between Li vacancies and raised valence state of Ni during delithiation process can aggravate instability of oxygen, and oxygen coordinated with more nickel (especially with high valence state) in LSCU becomes more unstable at a fixed delithiation state. The Ni/Li mixing would decrease the thermal stability of the "Ni═Mn" group NMC materials but benefit the thermal stability of "Ni-rich" group, because the Ni in the Li layer would form 180° Ni-O-Ni super exchange chains in "Ni-rich" NMC materials. Mn and Co doping can tune the initial valence state of Ni, local coordination environment of oxygen, and the Ni/Li disorder, thus to tune the thermal stability directly.

Tuning of Thermal Stability in Layered Li(Ni x Mn y Co z )O 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zheng, Jiaxin; Liu, Tongchao; Hu, Zongxiang

2016-09-19

Understanding and further designing new layered Li(Ni xMn yCo z)O 2 (NMC) (x + y + z = 1) materials with optimized thermal stability is important to rechargeable Li batteries (LIBs) for electrical vehicles (EV). Using ab initio calculations combined with experiments, we clarified how the thermal stability of NMC materials can be tuned by the most unstable oxygen, which is determined by the local coordination structure unit (LCSU) of oxygen (TM(Ni, Mn, Co) 3-O-Li 3-x'): each O atom bonds with three transition metals (TM) from the TM-layer and three to zero Li from fully discharged to charged states frommore » the Li-layer. Under this model, how the lithium content, valence states of Ni, contents of Ni, Mn, and Co, and Ni/Li disorder to tune the thermal stability of NMC materials by affecting the sites, content, and the release temperature of the most unstable oxygen is proposed. The synergistic effect between Li vacancies and raised valence state of Ni during delithiation process can aggravate instability of oxygen, and oxygen coordinated with more nickel (especially with high valence state) in LSCU becomes more unstable at a fixed delithiation state. The Ni/Li mixing would decrease the thermal stability of the “NiMn” group NMC materials but benefit the thermal stability of “Ni-rich” group, because the Ni in the Li layer would form 180° Ni-O-Ni super exchange chains in “Ni-rich” NMC materials. Mn and Co doping can tune the initial valence state of Ni, local coordination environment of oxygen, and the Ni/Li disorder, thus to tune the thermal stability directly.« less

Tunable Photonic Band Gap of PS-b-P2VP Lamellar Film Using Metal Ions and pH Gradation.

PubMed

Baek, Young-Bin; Choi, Soo-Hyung; Shin, Dong-Myung

2015-02-01

Optical properties of photonic crystal film were investigated by tuning photonic band gap (PBG). The lamellar-forming photonic films were prepared by nearly symmetric poly(styrene-b-2-vinyl pyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) block copolymers. Molecular weight of PS block and P2VP block is 52 kg/mol, and 57 kg/mol, respectively. When submerged in water, the lamellar films were swollen and show Bragg reflection in visible light region. We observed that the reflection color can be tuned by ion concentration (e.g., hydrogen or metal ion) in water. The higher concentration of hydrogen ion in solution, the longer reflectance wavelength shifted (from 537 nm to 743 nm). In addition, max-reflectance wavelength is dependent on both metal ion and the concentration. The max-reflectance wavelength is shifted from 653 nm (i.e., in water without ion) to 430 nm, 465 nm, and 505 nm for 120 mM of Ca2+, Fe2+, and Cu2+, respectively. Therefore, we can control the photonic band gap of photonic devices by changing the condition of swelling solution.

Inactivation of the infragranular striate cortex broadens orientation tuning of supragranular visual neurons in the cat.

PubMed

Allison, J D; Bonds, A B

1994-01-01

Intracortical inhibition is believed to enhance the orientation tuning of striate cortical neurons, but the origin of this inhibition is unclear. To examine the possible influence of ascending inhibitory projections from the infragranular layers of striate cortex on the orientation selectivity of neurons in the supragranular layers, we measured the spatiotemporal response properties of 32 supragranular neurons in the cat before, during, and after neural activity in the infragranular layers beneath the recorded cells was inactivated by iontophoretic administration of GABA. During GABA iontophoresis, the orientation tuning bandwidth of 15 (46.9%) supragranular neurons broadened as a result of increases in response amplitude to stimuli oriented about +/- 20 degrees away from the preferred stimulus angle. The mean (+/- SD) baseline orientation tuning bandwidth (half width at half height) of these neurons was 13.08 +/- 2.3 degrees. Their mean tuning bandwidth during inactivation of the infragranular layers increased to 19.59 +/- 2.54 degrees, an increase of 49.7%. The mean percentage increase in orientation tuning bandwidth of the individual neurons was 47.4%. Four neurons exhibited symmetrical changes in their orientation tuning functions, while 11 neurons displayed asymmetrical changes. The change in form of the orientation tuning functions appeared to depend on the relative vertical alignment of the recorded neuron and the infragranular region of inactivation. Neurons located in close vertical register with the inactivated infragranular tissue exhibited symmetric changes in their orientation tuning functions. The neurons exhibiting asymmetric changes in their orientation tuning functions were located just outside the vertical register. Eight of these 11 neurons also demonstrated a mean shift of 6.67 +/- 5.77 degrees in their preferred stimulus orientation. The magnitude of change in the orientation tuning functions increased as the delivery of GABA was prolonged. Responses returned to normal approximately 30 min after the delivery of GABA was discontinued. We conclude that inhibitory projections from neurons within the infragranular layers of striate cortex in cats can enhance the orientation selectivity of supragranular striate cortical neurons.

Quantitative Simulations of MST Visual Receptive Field Properties Using a Template Model of Heading Estimation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, Leland S.; Perrone, J. A.

1997-01-01

We previously developed a template model of primate visual self-motion processing that proposes a specific set of projections from MT-like local motion sensors onto output units to estimate heading and relative depth from optic flow. At the time, we showed that that the model output units have emergent properties similar to those of MSTd neurons, although there was little physiological evidence to test the model more directly. We have now systematically examined the properties of the model using stimulus paradigms used by others in recent single-unit studies of MST: 1) 2-D bell-shaped heading tuning. Most MSTd neurons and model output units show bell-shaped heading tuning. Furthermore, we found that most model output units and the finely-sampled example neuron in the Duffy-Wurtz study are well fit by a 2D gaussian (sigma approx. 35deg, r approx. 0.9). The bandwidth of model and real units can explain why Lappe et al. found apparent sigmoidal tuning using a restricted range of stimuli (+/-40deg). 2) Spiral Tuning and Invariance. Graziano et al. found that many MST neurons appear tuned to a specific combination of rotation and expansion (spiral flow) and that this tuning changes little for approx. 10deg shifts in stimulus placement. Simulations of model output units under the same conditions quantitatively replicate this result. We conclude that a template architecture may underlie MT inputs to MST.

Surface charge control for zwitterionic polymer brushes: Tailoring surface properties to antifouling applications.

PubMed

Guo, Shanshan; Jańczewski, Dominik; Zhu, Xiaoying; Quintana, Robert; He, Tao; Neoh, Koon Gee

2015-08-15

Electrostatic interactions play an important role in adhesion phenomena particularly for biomacromolecules and microorganisms. Zero charge valence of zwitterions has been claimed as the key to their antifouling properties. However, due to the differences in the relative strength of their acid and base components, zwitterionic materials may not be charge neutral in aqueous environments. Thus, their charge on surfaces should be further adjusted for a specific pH environment, e.g. physiological pH typical in biomedical applications. Surface zeta potential for thin polymeric films composed of polysulfobetaine methacrylate (pSBMA) brushes is controlled through copolymerizing zwitterionic SBMA and cationic methacryloyloxyethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (METAC) via surface-initiated atom transfer polymerization. Surface properties including zeta potential, roughness, free energy and thickness are measured and the antifouling performance of these surfaces is assessed. The zeta potential of pSBMA brushes is -40 mV across a broad pH range. By adding 2% METAC, the zeta potential of pSBMA can be tuned to zero at physiological pH while minimally affecting other physicochemical properties including dry brush thickness, surface free energy and surface roughness. Surfaces with zero and negative zeta potential best resist fouling by bovine serum albumin, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Surfaces with zero zeta potential also reduce fouling by lysozyme more effectively than surfaces with negative and positive zeta potential. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cross-orientation suppression in human visual cortex

PubMed Central

Heeger, David J.

2011-01-01

Cross-orientation suppression was measured in human primary visual cortex (V1) to test the normalization model. Subjects viewed vertical target gratings (of varying contrasts) with or without a superimposed horizontal mask grating (fixed contrast). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the activity in each of several hypothetical channels (corresponding to subpopulations of neurons) with different orientation tunings and fit these orientation-selective responses with the normalization model. For the V1 channel maximally tuned to the target orientation, responses increased with target contrast but were suppressed when the horizontal mask was added, evident as a shift in the contrast gain of this channel's responses. For the channel maximally tuned to the mask orientation, a constant baseline response was evoked for all target contrasts when the mask was absent; responses decreased with increasing target contrast when the mask was present. The normalization model provided a good fit to the contrast-response functions with and without the mask. In a control experiment, the target and mask presentations were temporally interleaved, and we found no shift in contrast gain, i.e., no evidence for suppression. We conclude that the normalization model can explain cross-orientation suppression in human visual cortex. The approach adopted here can be applied broadly to infer, simultaneously, the responses of several subpopulations of neurons in the human brain that span particular stimulus or feature spaces, and characterize their interactions. In addition, it allows us to investigate how stimuli are represented by the inferred activity of entire neural populations. PMID:21775720

Rapid pitch correction in choir singers.

PubMed

Grell, Anke; Sundberg, Johan; Ternström, Sten; Ptok, Martin; Altenmüller, Eckart

2009-07-01

Highly and moderately skilled choral singers listened to a perfect fifth reference, with the instruction to complement the fifth such that a major triad resulted. The fifth was suddenly and unexpectedly shifted in pitch, and the singers' task was to shift the fundamental frequency of the sung tone accordingly. The F0 curves during the transitions often showed two phases, an initial quick and large change followed by a slower and smaller change, apparently intended to fine-tune voice F0 to complement the fifth. Anesthetizing the vocal folds of moderately skilled singers tended to delay the reaction. The means of the response times varied in the range 197- 259 ms depending on direction and size of the pitch shifts, as well as on skill and anesthetization.

Ultrafast control of strong light-matter coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lange, Christoph; Cancellieri, Emiliano; Panna, Dmitry; Whittaker, David M.; Steger, Mark; Snoke, David W.; Pfeiffer, Loren N.; West, Kenneth W.; Hayat, Alex

2018-01-01

We dynamically modulate strong light-matter coupling in a GaAs/AlGaAs microcavity using intense ultrashort laser pulses tuned below the interband exciton energy, which induce a transient Stark shift of the cavity polaritons. For 225-fs pulses, shorter than the cavity Rabi cycle period of 1000 fs, this shift decouples excitons and cavity photons for the duration of the pulse, interrupting the periodic energy exchange between photonic and electronic states. For 1500-fs pulses, longer than the Rabi cycle period, however, the Stark shift does not affect the strong coupling. The two regimes are marked by distinctly different line shapes in ultrafast reflectivity measurements—regardless of the Stark field intensity. The crossover marks the transition from adiabatic to diabatic switching of strong light-matter coupling.

Nonparametric relevance-shifted multiple testing procedures for the analysis of high-dimensional multivariate data with small sample sizes.

PubMed

Frömke, Cornelia; Hothorn, Ludwig A; Kropf, Siegfried

2008-01-27

In many research areas it is necessary to find differences between treatment groups with several variables. For example, studies of microarray data seek to find a significant difference in location parameters from zero or one for ratios thereof for each variable. However, in some studies a significant deviation of the difference in locations from zero (or 1 in terms of the ratio) is biologically meaningless. A relevant difference or ratio is sought in such cases. This article addresses the use of relevance-shifted tests on ratios for a multivariate parallel two-sample group design. Two empirical procedures are proposed which embed the relevance-shifted test on ratios. As both procedures test a hypothesis for each variable, the resulting multiple testing problem has to be considered. Hence, the procedures include a multiplicity correction. Both procedures are extensions of available procedures for point null hypotheses achieving exact control of the familywise error rate. Whereas the shift of the null hypothesis alone would give straight-forward solutions, the problems that are the reason for the empirical considerations discussed here arise by the fact that the shift is considered in both directions and the whole parameter space in between these two limits has to be accepted as null hypothesis. The first algorithm to be discussed uses a permutation algorithm, and is appropriate for designs with a moderately large number of observations. However, many experiments have limited sample sizes. Then the second procedure might be more appropriate, where multiplicity is corrected according to a concept of data-driven order of hypotheses.

Induction motor speed drive improvement using fuzzy IP-self-tuning controller. A real time implementation.

PubMed

Lokriti, Abdesslam; Salhi, Issam; Doubabi, Said; Zidani, Youssef

2013-05-01

An IP-self-tuning controller tuned by a fuzzy adjustor, is proposed to improve induction machine speed control. The interest of such controller is the possibility to adjust only one gain, instead of two gains for the case of the PI-self-tuning controllers commonly used in the literature. This paper presents simulation and experimental results. These latter were obtained by practical implementation on a DSPace 1104 board of three different speed controllers (the classical IP, the fuzzy-like-PI and the IP-self-tuning), for a 1.5KW induction machine. The paper presents different tests used to compare the performances of the proposed controller to the two others in terms of computation time, tracking performances and disturbances rejection. Copyright © 2012 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Time-reversal symmetry breaking with acoustic pumping of nanophotonic circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sohn, Donggyu B.; Kim, Seunghwi; Bahl, Gaurav

2018-02-01

Achieving non-reciprocal light propagation via stimuli that break time-reversal symmetry, without magneto-optics, remains a major challenge for integrated nanophotonic devices. Recently, optomechanical microsystems in which light and vibrational modes are coupled through ponderomotive forces have demonstrated strong non-reciprocal effects through a variety of techniques, but always using optical pumping. None of these approaches has demonstrated bandwidth exceeding that of the mechanical system, and all of them require optical power; these are both fundamental and practical issues. Here, we resolve both challenges by breaking time-reversal symmetry using a two-dimensional acoustic pump that simultaneously provides a non-zero overlap integral for light-sound interaction and also satisfies the necessary phase-matching. We use this technique to produce a non-reciprocal modulator (a frequency shifting isolator) by means of indirect interband scattering. We demonstrate mode conversion asymmetry up to 15 dB and efficiency as high as 17% over a bandwidth exceeding 1 GHz.

Auditory brainstem responses predict auditory nerve fiber thresholds and frequency selectivity in hearing impaired chinchillas

PubMed Central

Henry, Kenneth S.; Kale, Sushrut; Scheidt, Ryan E.; Heinz, Michael G.

2011-01-01

Non-invasive auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) are commonly used to assess cochlear pathology in both clinical and research environments. In the current study, we evaluated the relationship between ABR characteristics and more direct measures of cochlear function. We recorded ABRs and auditory nerve (AN) single-unit responses in seven chinchillas with noise induced hearing loss. ABRs were recorded for 1–8 kHz tone burst stimuli both before and several weeks after four hours of exposure to a 115 dB SPL, 50 Hz band of noise with a center frequency of 2 kHz. Shifts in ABR characteristics (threshold, wave I amplitude, and wave I latency) following hearing loss were compared to AN-fiber tuning curve properties (threshold and frequency selectivity) in the same animals. As expected, noise exposure generally resulted in an increase in ABR threshold and decrease in wave I amplitude at equal SPL. Wave I amplitude at equal sensation level (SL), however, was similar before and after noise exposure. In addition, noise exposure resulted in decreases in ABR wave I latency at equal SL and, to a lesser extent, at equal SPL. The shifts in ABR characteristics were significantly related to AN-fiber tuning curve properties in the same animal at the same frequency. Larger shifts in ABR thresholds and ABR wave I amplitude at equal SPL were associated with greater AN threshold elevation. Larger reductions in ABR wave I latency at equal SL, on the other hand, were associated with greater loss of AN frequency selectivity. This result is consistent with linear systems theory, which predicts shorter time delays for broader peripheral frequency tuning. Taken together with other studies, our results affirm that ABR thresholds and wave I amplitude provide useful estimates of cochlear sensitivity. Furthermore, comparisons of ABR wave I latency to normative data at the same SL may prove useful for detecting and characterizing loss of cochlear frequency selectivity. PMID:21699970

Quantification of Cardiac Biomarkers using Label-free and Multiplexed Gold Nanorod Bioprobes for Myocardial Infarction Diagnosis

PubMed Central

Tang, Liang; Casas, Justin

2014-01-01

Gold nanorod (GNR) is an attractive optical transducer for label-free biosensing owing to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) which is highly sensitive to the dielectric constant of the surrounding medium modulated by biological bindings. By adjusting the nanorod aspect ratio (length to width ratio), desired absorption wavelength can be continuously tuned from 600 to 1,100 nm. Here we demonstrated a linear relationship between the aspect ratio and the LSPR peak wavelength. Taking advantage of this tunability feature, we developed a multiplexed GNR sensor by combining nanorods with distinct LSPR wavelengths. Specifically, GNRs of AR 2.1 and 4.2 exhibiting longitudinal plasmonic band of 640 and 830 nm respectively were functionalized with specific antibody. Concentrations of multiple analytes were measured by correlating to the spectral shift at the distinct plasmon band maxima upon specific binding. The practical use of this mixed bioprobes for simultaneous quantification of cardiac biomarkers (myoglobin and cardiac troponin I) in the clinically significant sensing range was described. The LSPR red shift magnitude is linearly proportional to the increase in the target analyte concentration (R2 = 0.98). The calibration curve can clearly differentiate varying biomarker amounts with a high specificity. For multiplexed biosensing, the plasmon shift at the dedicated peak wavelength can be specifically correlated with spiked biomarker for simultaneous detection in the sample mixture. This technology can be further transformed onto miniaturized biochips based on the nanosized optical transducer to allow point-of-care blood testing for risk stratifications of cardiac patients in clinical settings. PMID:24858675

Dispersion transitions and pole-zero characteristics of finite inertially amplified acoustic metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al Ba'ba'a, H.; DePauw, D.; Singh, T.; Nouh, M.

2018-03-01

This work presents a comprehensive analysis of wave dispersion patterns and band gap formation associated with Inertially Amplified Acoustic Metamaterials (IAAM). The findings explain the different mechanisms by which inertial amplification affect wave dispersion in the individual IAAM cell as well as the evolution of such effects in finite configurations of these cells. Derived expressions for acoustic wave dispersion in IAAMs reveal unique features including flat dispersion branches with zero group velocity and a transition from a metamaterial (local resonance) to a phononic behavior that is directly related to the location and magnitude of the inerter elements. Using a closed-form transfer function approach, the translation of such effects to IAAM realizations with a known number of cells is interpreted from the pole-zero distributions of the resultant finite structures. It is also shown that band gaps are not always necessarily enlarged in the presence of inertial amplification. Comparing with benchmark conventional acoustic metamaterials, the conditions leading up to favorable as well as inferior IAAM designs are fully derived. Finally, an alternative resonator-free acoustic metamaterial is presented and shown to exhibit local resonance effects under appropriately tuned conditions.

Fine-tuning of electronic properties in donor-acceptor conjugated polymers based on oligothiophenes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imae, Ichiro; Sagawa, Hitoshi; Harima, Yutaka

2018-03-01

A novel series of donor-acceptor conjugated polymers having oligothiophenes with well-defined structures were synthesized and their optical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic properties were investigated. It was found that the absorption bands of polymers were red-shifted with increasing number of ethylenedioxy groups added to each oligothiophene unit and that their band edges reached over 1000 nm. The systematical fine-tuning of the electronic properties was achieved using the chemical structures of oligothiophene units. Photovoltaic cells based on polymer/(6,6)-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) exhibited power conversion efficiencies in the range from 0.004 to 1.10%, reflecting the electronic properties of the polymers.

Elastic metamaterials for tuning circular polarization of electromagnetic waves

PubMed Central

Zárate, Yair; Babaee, Sahab; Kang, Sung H.; Neshev, Dragomir N.; Shadrivov, Ilya V.; Bertoldi, Katia; Powell, David A.

2016-01-01

Electromagnetic resonators are integrated with advanced elastic material to develop a new type of tunable metamaterial. An electromagnetic-elastic metamaterial able to switch on and off its electromagnetic chiral response is experimentally demonstrated. Such tunability is attained by harnessing the unique buckling properties of auxetic elastic materials (buckliballs) with embedded electromagnetic resonators. In these structures, simple uniaxial compression results in a complex but controlled pattern of deformation, resulting in a shift of its electromagnetic resonance, and in the structure transforming to a chiral state. The concept can be extended to the tuning of three-dimensional materials constructed from the meta-molecules, since all the components twist and deform into the same chiral configuration when compressed. PMID:27320212

Photochemical isotope separation

DOEpatents

Robinson, C. Paul; Jensen, Reed J.; Cotter, Theodore P.; Greiner, Norman R.; Boyer, Keith

1987-01-01

A process for separating isotopes by selective excitation of isotopic species of a volatile compound by tuned laser light. A highly cooled gas of the volatile compound is produced in which the isotopic shift is sharpened and defined. Before substantial condensation occurs, the cooled gas is irradiated with laser light precisely tuned to a desired wavelength to selectively excite a particular isotopic species in the cooled gas. The laser light may impart sufficient energy to the excited species to cause it to undergo photochemical reaction or even to photoionize. Alternatively, a two-photon irradiation may be applied to the cooled gas to induce photochemical reaction or photoionization. The process is particularly applicable to the separation of isotopes of uranium and plutonium.

Laser isotope separation

DOEpatents

Robinson, C. Paul; Jensen, Reed J.; Cotter, Theodore P.; Boyer, Keith; Greiner, Norman R.

1988-01-01

A process and apparatus for separating isotopes by selective excitation of isotopic species of a volatile compound by tuned laser light. A highly cooled gas of the volatile compound is produced in which the isotopic shift is sharpened and defined. Before substantial condensation occurs, the cooled gas is irradiated with laser light precisely tuned to a desired wavelength to selectively excite a particular isotopic species in the cooled gas. The laser light may impart sufficient energy to the excited species to cause it to undergo photolysis, photochemical reaction or even to photoionize. Alternatively, a two-photon irradiation may be applied to the cooled gas to induce photolysis, photochemical reaction or photoionization. The process is particularly applicable to the separation of isotopes of uranium.

Isotope separation by laser means

DOEpatents

Robinson, C. Paul; Jensen, Reed J.; Cotter, Theodore P.; Greiner, Norman R.; Boyer, Keith

1982-06-15

A process for separating isotopes by selective excitation of isotopic species of a volatile compound by tuned laser light. A highly cooled gas of the volatile compound is produced in which the isotopic shift is sharpened and defined. Before substantial condensation occurs, the cooled gas is irradiated with laser light precisely tuned to a desired wavelength to selectively excite a particular isotopic species in the cooled gas. The laser light may impart sufficient energy to the excited species to cause it to undergo photochemical reaction or even to photoionize. Alternatively, a two-photon irradiation may be applied to the cooled gas to induce photochemical reaction or photoionization. The process is particularly applicable to the separation of isotopes of uranium and plutonium.

Elastic metamaterials for tuning circular polarization of electromagnetic waves.

PubMed

Zárate, Yair; Babaee, Sahab; Kang, Sung H; Neshev, Dragomir N; Shadrivov, Ilya V; Bertoldi, Katia; Powell, David A

2016-06-20

Electromagnetic resonators are integrated with advanced elastic material to develop a new type of tunable metamaterial. An electromagnetic-elastic metamaterial able to switch on and off its electromagnetic chiral response is experimentally demonstrated. Such tunability is attained by harnessing the unique buckling properties of auxetic elastic materials (buckliballs) with embedded electromagnetic resonators. In these structures, simple uniaxial compression results in a complex but controlled pattern of deformation, resulting in a shift of its electromagnetic resonance, and in the structure transforming to a chiral state. The concept can be extended to the tuning of three-dimensional materials constructed from the meta-molecules, since all the components twist and deform into the same chiral configuration when compressed.

27 CFR 30.61 - Table 1, showing the true percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at temperatures between zero and 100 degrees... true percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at temperatures between zero and 100... hydrometer likely to occur in practice at temperatures between zero and 100 degrees Fahrenheit and shall be...

27 CFR 30.61 - Table 1, showing the true percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at temperatures between zero and 100 degrees... true percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at temperatures between zero and 100... hydrometer likely to occur in practice at temperatures between zero and 100 degrees Fahrenheit and shall be...

27 CFR 30.61 - Table 1, showing the true percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at temperatures between zero and 100 degrees... true percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at temperatures between zero and 100... hydrometer likely to occur in practice at temperatures between zero and 100 degrees Fahrenheit and shall be...

27 CFR 30.61 - Table 1, showing the true percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at temperatures between zero and 100 degrees... true percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at temperatures between zero and 100... hydrometer likely to occur in practice at temperatures between zero and 100 degrees Fahrenheit and shall be...

27 CFR 30.61 - Table 1, showing the true percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at temperatures between zero and 100 degrees... true percent of proof spirit for any indication of the hydrometer at temperatures between zero and 100... hydrometer likely to occur in practice at temperatures between zero and 100 degrees Fahrenheit and shall be...

ROStoJAUSBridge Manual

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

Description A dass that handles Imming the JAUS header pmUon of JAUS messages. jaus_hmd~_msg is included as a data member in all JAUS messages. Member...scaleTolnt16 (float val, float low, float high) [related] Scales signed short value val, which is bounded by low and high. Shifts the center point of low...and high to zero, and shifts val accordingly. V a! is then up scaled by the ratio of the range of short values to the range of values from high to low

Fine-Tuning in a Design Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Foo Him; Toh, Pee Choon; Toh, Tin Lam

2013-01-01

Quek, Tay, Toh, Leong, and Dindyal (2011) proposed that a design-theory-practice troika should always be considered for a designed package to be acceptable to the research users who, in this case, are teachers and schools. This paper describes the fine-tuning to the MProSE problem-solving design made by the teachers in the school after first round…

A two-phase control algorithm for gear-shifting in a novel multi-speed transmission for electric vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roozegar, M.; Angeles, J.

2018-05-01

In light of the current low energy-storage capacity of electric batteries, multi-speed transmissions (MSTs) are being considered for applications in electric vehicles (EVs), since MSTs decrease the energy consumption of the EV via gear-shifting. Nonetheless, swiftness and seamlessness are the major concerns in gear-shifting. This study focuses on developing a gear-shifting control scheme for a novel MST designed for EVs. The main advantages of the proposed MST are simplicity and modularity. Firstly, the dynamics model of the transmission is formulated. Then, a two-phase algorithm is proposed for shifting between each two gear ratios, which guarantees a smooth and swift shift. In other words, a separate control set is applied for shifting between each gear pair, which includes two independent PID controllers, tuned using trial-and-error and a genetic algorithm (GA), for the two steps of the algorithm and a switch. A supervisory controller is also employed to choose the proper PID gains, called PID gain-scheduling. Simulation results for various controllers and conditions are reported and compared, indicating that the proposed scheme is highly promising for a desired gear-shifting even in the presence of an unknown external disturbance.

Tunable Kondo physics in a carbon nanotube double quantum dot.

PubMed

Chorley, S J; Galpin, M R; Jayatilaka, F W; Smith, C G; Logan, D E; Buitelaar, M R

2012-10-12

We investigate a tunable two-impurity Kondo system in a strongly correlated carbon nanotube double quantum dot, accessing the full range of charge regimes. In the regime where both dots contain an unpaired electron, the system approaches the two-impurity Kondo model. At zero magnetic field the interdot coupling disrupts the Kondo physics and a local singlet state arises, but we are able to tune the crossover to a Kondo screened phase by application of a magnetic field. All results show good agreement with a numerical renormalization group study of the device.

Single-resonator double-negative metamaterial

DOEpatents

Warne, Larry K.; Basilio, Lorena I.; Langston, William L.; Johnson, William A.; Ihlefeld, Jon; Ginn, III, James C.; Clem, Paul G.; Sinclair, Michael B.

2016-06-21

Resonances can be tuned in dielectric resonators in order to construct single-resonator, negative-index metamaterials. For example, high-contrast inclusions in the form of metallic dipoles can be used to shift the first electric resonance down (in frequency) to the first magnetic resonance, or alternatively, air splits can be used to shift the first magnetic resonance up (in frequency) near the first electric resonance. Degenerate dielectric designs become especially useful in infrared- or visible-frequency applications where the resonator sizes associated with the lack of high-permittivity materials can become of sufficient size to enable propagation of higher-order lattice modes in the resulting medium.

Amplitude and phase modulation in microwave ring resonators by doped CVD graphene.

PubMed

Grande, M; Bianco, G V; Capezzuto, P; Petruzzelli, V; Prudenzano, F; Scalora, M; Bruno, G; D'Orazio, A

2018-08-10

In this paper, we numerically and experimentally demonstrate how to modulate the amplitude and phase of a microwave ring resonator by means of few-layers chemical vapour deposition graphene. In particular, both numerical and experimental results show a modulation of about 10 dB and a 90 degrees-shift (quadrature phase shift) when the graphene sheet-resistance is varied. These findings prove once again that graphene could be efficiently exploited for the dynamically tuning and modulation of microwave devices fostering the realization of (i) innovative beam-steering and beam-forming systems and (ii) graphene-based sensors.

Organisational characteristics associated with shift work practices and potential opportunities for intervention: findings from a Canadian study.

PubMed

Hall, Amy L; Smit, Andrea N; Mistlberger, Ralph E; Landry, Glenn J; Koehoorn, Mieke

2017-01-01

Shift work is a common working arrangement with wide-ranging implications for worker health. Organisational determinants of shift work practices are not well characterised; such information could be used to guide evidence-based research and best practices to mitigate shift work's negative effects. This exploratory study aimed to describe and assess organisational-level determinants of shift work practices thought to affect health, across a range of industry sectors. Data on organisational characteristics, shift work scheduling, provision of shift work education materials/training to employees and night-time lighting policies in the workplace were collected during phone interviews with organisations across the Canadian province of British Columbia. Relationships between organisational characteristics and shift work practices were assessed using multivariable logistic regression models. The study sample included 88 participating organisations, representing 30 700 shift workers. Long-duration shifts, provision of shift work education materials/training to employees and night-time lighting policies were reported by approximately one-third of participating organisations. Odds of long-duration shifts increased in larger workplaces and by industry. Odds of providing shift work education materials/training increased in larger workplaces, in organisations reporting concern for shift worker health and in organisations without seasonal changes in shift work. Odds of night-time lighting policies in the workplace increased in organisations reporting previous workplace accidents or incidents that occurred during non-daytime hours, site maintenance needs and client service or care needs. This study points to organisational determinants of shift work practices that could be useful for targeting research and workplace interventions. Results should be interpreted as preliminary in an emerging body of literature on shift work and health. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

The Public Life of Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowe, Josh

2011-01-01

The mid-twentieth century marked a shift in Americans' fundamental orientation toward information. Rather than news or knowledge, information became a disembodied quantum--strings of ones and zeros processed, increasingly, by complex machines. This dissertation examines how Americans became acquainted with "information", as newly conceived by…

Electronic zero-point fluctuation forces inside circuit components

PubMed Central

Leonhardt, Ulf

2018-01-01

One of the most intriguing manifestations of quantum zero-point fluctuations are the van der Waals and Casimir forces, often associated with vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. We study generalized fluctuation potentials acting on internal degrees of freedom of components in electrical circuits. These electronic Casimir-like potentials are induced by the zero-point current fluctuations of any general conductive circuit. For realistic examples of an electromechanical capacitor and a superconducting qubit, our results reveal the possibility of tunable forces between the capacitor plates, or the level shifts of the qubit, respectively. Our analysis suggests an alternative route toward the exploration of Casimir-like fluctuation potentials, namely, by characterizing and measuring them as a function of parameters of the environment. These tunable potentials may be useful for future nanoelectromechanical and quantum technologies. PMID:29719863

Cumulative sum control charts for monitoring geometrically inflated Poisson processes: An application to infectious disease counts data.

PubMed

Rakitzis, Athanasios C; Castagliola, Philippe; Maravelakis, Petros E

2018-02-01

In this work, we study upper-sided cumulative sum control charts that are suitable for monitoring geometrically inflated Poisson processes. We assume that a process is properly described by a two-parameter extension of the zero-inflated Poisson distribution, which can be used for modeling count data with an excessive number of zero and non-zero values. Two different upper-sided cumulative sum-type schemes are considered, both suitable for the detection of increasing shifts in the average of the process. Aspects of their statistical design are discussed and their performance is compared under various out-of-control situations. Changes in both parameters of the process are considered. Finally, the monitoring of the monthly cases of poliomyelitis in the USA is given as an illustrative example.

Color-tuned neurons are spatially clustered according to color preference within alert macaque posterior inferior temporal cortex

PubMed Central

Conway, Bevil R.; Tsao, Doris Y.

2009-01-01

Large islands of extrastriate cortex that are enriched for color-tuned neurons have recently been described in alert macaque using a combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and single-unit recording. These millimeter-sized islands, dubbed “globs,” are scattered throughout the posterior inferior temporal cortex (PIT), a swath of brain anterior to area V3, including areas V4, PITd, and posterior TEO. We investigated the micro-organization of neurons within the globs. We used fMRI to identify the globs and then used MRI-guided microelectrodes to test the color properties of single glob cells. We used color stimuli that sample the CIELUV perceptual color space at regular intervals to test the color tuning of single units, and make two observations. First, color-tuned neurons of various color preferences were found within single globs. Second, adjacent glob cells tended to have the same color tuning, demonstrating that glob cells are clustered by color preference and suggesting that they are arranged in color columns. Neurons separated by 50 μm, measured parallel to the cortical sheet, had more similar color tuning than neurons separated by 100 μm, suggesting that the scale of the color columns is <100 μm. These results show that color-tuned neurons in PIT are organized by color preference on a finer scale than the scale of single globs. Moreover, the color preferences of neurons recorded sequentially along a given electrode penetration shifted gradually in many penetrations, suggesting that the color columns are arranged according to a chromotopic map reflecting perceptual color space. PMID:19805195

Molecular Mechanism of Wide Photoabsorption Spectral Shifts of Color Variants of Human Cellular Retinol Binding Protein II.

PubMed

Cheng, Cheng; Kamiya, Motoshi; Uchida, Yoshihiro; Hayashi, Shigehiko

2015-10-21

Color variants of human cellular retinol binding protein II (hCRBPII) created by protein engineering were recently shown to exhibit anomalously wide photoabsorption spectral shifts over ∼200 nm across the visible region. The remarkable phenomenon provides a unique opportunity to gain insight into the molecular basis of the color tuning of retinal binding proteins for understanding of color vision as well as for engineering of novel color variants of retinal binding photoreceptor proteins employed in optogenetics. Here, we report a theoretical investigation of the molecular mechanism underlying the anomalously wide spectral shifts of the color variants of hCRBPII. Computational modeling of the color variants with hybrid molecular simulations of free energy geometry optimization succeeded in reproducing the experimentally observed wide spectral shifts, and revealed that protein flexibility, through which the active site structure of the protein and bound water molecules is altered by remote mutations, plays a significant role in inducing the large spectral shifts.

Widely tunable laser frequency offset lock with 30 GHz range and 5 THz offset.

PubMed

Biesheuvel, J; Noom, D W E; Salumbides, E J; Sheridan, K T; Ubachs, W; Koelemeij, J C J

2013-06-17

We demonstrate a simple and versatile method to greatly extend the tuning range of optical frequency shifting devices, such as acousto-optic modulators (AOMs). We use this method to stabilize the frequency of a tunable narrow-band continuous-wave (CW) laser to a transmission maximum of an external Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) with a tunable frequency offset. This is achieved through a servo loop which contains an in-loop AOM for simple radiofrequency (RF) tuning of the optical frequency over the full 30 GHz mode-hop-free tuning range of the CW laser. By stabilizing the length of the FPI to a stabilized helium-neon (HeNe) laser (at 5 THz offset from the tunable laser) we simultaneously transfer the ~ 1 MHz absolute frequency stability of the HeNe laser to the entire 30 GHz range of the tunable laser. Thus, our method allows simple, wide-range, fast and reproducible optical frequency tuning and absolute optical frequency measurements through RF electronics, which is here demonstrated by repeatedly recording a 27-GHz-wide molecular iodine spectrum at scan rates up to 500 MHz/s. General technical aspects that determine the performance of the method are discussed in detail.

Active Tuning of Spontaneous Emission by Mie-Resonant Dielectric Metasurfaces.

PubMed

Bohn, Justus; Bucher, Tobias; Chong, Katie E; Komar, Andrei; Choi, Duk-Yong; Neshev, Dragomir N; Kivshar, Yuri S; Pertsch, Thomas; Staude, Isabelle

2018-06-13

Mie-resonant dielectric metasurfaces offer comprehensive opportunities for the manipulation of light fields with high efficiency. Additionally, various strategies for the dynamic tuning of the optical response of such metasurfaces were demonstrated, making them important candidates for reconfigurable optical devices. However, dynamic control of the light-emission properties of active Mie-resonant dielectric metasurfaces by an external control parameter has not been demonstrated so far. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the dynamic tuning of spontaneous emission from a Mie-resonant dielectric metasurface that is situated on a fluorescent substrate and embedded into a liquid crystal cell. By switching the liquid crystal from the nematic state to the isotropic state via control of the cell temperature, we induce a shift of the spectral position of the metasurface resonances. This results in a change of the local photonic density of states, which, in turn, governs the enhancement of spontaneous emission from the substrate. Specifically, we observe spectral tuning of both the electric and magnetic dipole resonances, resulting in a 2-fold increase of the emission intensity at λ ≈ 900 nm. Our results demonstrate a viable strategy to realize flat tunable light sources based on dielectric metasurfaces.

Cyto-molecular Tuning of Quantum Dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Bong; Suresh, Sindhuja; Ekpenyong, Andrew

Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanoparticles composed of groups II-VI or III-V elements, with physical dimensions smaller than the exciton Bohr radius, and between 1-10 nm. Their applications and promising myriad applications in photovoltaic cells, biomedical imaging, targeted drug delivery, quantum computing, etc, have led to much research on their interactions with other systems. For biological systems, research has focused on biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of QDs in the context of imaging/therapy. However, there is a paucity of work on how biological systems might be used to tune QDs. Here, we hypothesize that the photo-electronic properties of QDs can be tuned by biological macromolecules following controlled changes in cellular activities. Using CdSe/ZnS core-shell QDs, we perform spectroscopic analysis of optically excited colloidal QDs with and without promyelocytic HL60 cells. Preliminary results show shifts in the emission spectra of the colloidal dispersions with and without cells. We will present results for activated HL60-derived cells where specific macromolecules produced by these cells perturb the electric dipole moments of the excited QDs and the associated electric fields, in ways that constitute what we describe as cyto-molecular tuning. Startup funds from the College of Arts and Sciences, Creighton University (to AEE).

Tuning the threshold voltage of carbon nanotube transistors by n-type molecular doping for robust and flexible complementary circuits

PubMed Central

Wang, Huiliang; Wei, Peng; Li, Yaoxuan; Han, Jeff; Lee, Hye Ryoung; Naab, Benjamin D.; Liu, Nan; Wang, Chenggong; Adijanto, Eric; Tee, Benjamin C.-K.; Morishita, Satoshi; Li, Qiaochu; Gao, Yongli; Cui, Yi; Bao, Zhenan

2014-01-01

Tuning the threshold voltage of a transistor is crucial for realizing robust digital circuits. For silicon transistors, the threshold voltage can be accurately controlled by doping. However, it remains challenging to tune the threshold voltage of single-wall nanotube (SWNT) thin-film transistors. Here, we report a facile method to controllably n-dope SWNTs using 1H-benzoimidazole derivatives processed via either solution coating or vacuum deposition. The threshold voltages of our polythiophene-sorted SWNT thin-film transistors can be tuned accurately and continuously over a wide range. Photoelectron spectroscopy measurements confirmed that the SWNT Fermi level shifted to the conduction band edge with increasing doping concentration. Using this doping approach, we proceeded to fabricate SWNT complementary inverters by inkjet printing of the dopants. We observed an unprecedented noise margin of 28 V at VDD = 80 V (70% of 1/2VDD) and a gain of 85. Additionally, robust SWNT complementary metal−oxide−semiconductor inverter (noise margin 72% of 1/2VDD) and logic gates with rail-to-rail output voltage swing and subnanowatt power consumption were fabricated onto a highly flexible substrate. PMID:24639537

[Design and research progress of zero profile cervical Interbody cage].

PubMed

Zhu, Jia; Wang, Song; Liao, Zhenhua; Liu, Weiqiang

2017-02-01

Zero profile cervical interbody cage is an improvement of traditional fusion products and necessary supplement of emerging artificial intervertebral disc products. When applied in Anterior Cervical Decompression Fusion(ACDF), zero profile cervical interbody cage can preserve the advantages of traditional fusion and reduce the incidence of postoperative complications. Moreover, zero profile cervical interbody cage can be applied under the tabu symptoms of Artificial Cervical Disc Replacement(ACDR). This article summarizes zero profile interbody cage products that are commonly recognized and widely used in clinical practice in recent years, and reviews the progress of structure design and material research of zero profile cervical interbody cage products. Based on the latest clinical demands and research progress, this paper also discusses the future development directions of zero profile interbody cage.

High Energy-Density and Reversibility of Iron Fluoride Cathode Enabled Via an Intercalation-Extrusion Reaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fan, Xiulin; Hu, Enyuan; Ji, Xiao

Iron fluoride, an intercalation-conversion cathode for lithium ion batteries, promises a high theoretical energy density of 1922 Wh Kg –1. However, poor electrochemical reversibility due to repeated breaking/reformation of metal-fluoride bonds poses a grand challenge for its practical application. Here we report that both a high reversibility over 1000 cycles and a high capacity of 420 mAh g –1 can be realized by concerted doping of cobalt and oxygen into iron fluoride. In the doped nanorods, an energy density of ~1000 Wh Kg –1 with a decay rate of 0.03% per cycle is achieved. The anion and cation’s co-substitutions thermodynamicallymore » reduce conversion-reaction potential and shift the reaction from less reversible intercalation-conversion reaction in iron fluoride to a highly reversible intercalation-extrusion reaction in doped material. Furthermore, the co-substitution strategy to tune the thermodynamic features of the reactions could be extended to other high energy conversion materials for improved performance.« less

Measuring patient-perceived hospital service quality: a conceptual framework.

PubMed

Pai, Yogesh P; Chary, Satyanarayana T

2016-04-18

Purpose - Although measuring healthcare service quality is not a new phenomenon, the instruments used to measure are timeworn. With the shift in focus to patient centric processes in hospitals and recognizing healthcare to be different compared to other services, service quality measurement needs to be tuned specifically to healthcare. The purpose of this paper is to design a conceptual framework for measuring patient perceived hospital service quality (HSQ), based on existing service quality literature. Design/methodology/approach - Using HSQ theories, expanding existing healthcare service models and literature, a conceptual framework is proposed to measure HSQ. The paper outlines patient perceived service quality dimensions. Findings - An instrument for measuring HSQ dimensions is developed and compared with other service quality measuring instruments. The latest dimensions are in line with previous studies, but a relationship dimension is added. Practical implications - The framework empowers managers to assess healthcare quality in corporate, public and teaching hospitals. Originality/value - The paper helps academics and practitioners to assess HSQ from a patient perspective.

High Energy-Density and Reversibility of Iron Fluoride Cathode Enabled Via an Intercalation-Extrusion Reaction

DOE PAGES

Fan, Xiulin; Hu, Enyuan; Ji, Xiao; ...

2018-05-30

Iron fluoride, an intercalation-conversion cathode for lithium ion batteries, promises a high theoretical energy density of 1922 Wh Kg –1. However, poor electrochemical reversibility due to repeated breaking/reformation of metal-fluoride bonds poses a grand challenge for its practical application. Here we report that both a high reversibility over 1000 cycles and a high capacity of 420 mAh g –1 can be realized by concerted doping of cobalt and oxygen into iron fluoride. In the doped nanorods, an energy density of ~1000 Wh Kg –1 with a decay rate of 0.03% per cycle is achieved. The anion and cation’s co-substitutions thermodynamicallymore » reduce conversion-reaction potential and shift the reaction from less reversible intercalation-conversion reaction in iron fluoride to a highly reversible intercalation-extrusion reaction in doped material. Furthermore, the co-substitution strategy to tune the thermodynamic features of the reactions could be extended to other high energy conversion materials for improved performance.« less

Origin of multiple band gap values in single width nanoribbons

PubMed Central

Goyal, Deepika; Kumar, Shailesh; Shukla, Alok; Kumar, Rakesh

2016-01-01

Deterministic band gap in quasi-one-dimensional nanoribbons is prerequisite for their integrated functionalities in high performance molecular-electronics based devices. However, multiple band gaps commonly observed in graphene nanoribbons of the same width, fabricated in same slot of experiments, remain unresolved, and raise a critical concern over scalable production of pristine and/or hetero-structure nanoribbons with deterministic properties and functionalities for plethora of applications. Here, we show that a modification in the depth of potential wells in the periodic direction of a supercell on relative shifting of passivating atoms at the edges is the origin of multiple band gap values in nanoribbons of the same width in a crystallographic orientation, although they carry practically the same ground state energy. The results are similar when calculations are extended from planar graphene to buckled silicene nanoribbons. Thus, the findings facilitate tuning of the electronic properties of quasi-one-dimensional materials such as bio-molecular chains, organic and inorganic nanoribbons by performing edge engineering. PMID:27808172

A cryostatic, fast scanning, wideband NQR spectrometer for the VHF range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scharfetter, Hermann; Bödenler, Markus; Narnhofer, Dominik

2018-01-01

In the search for a novel MRI contrast agent which relies on T1 shortening due to quadrupolar interaction between Bi nuclei and protons, a fast scanning wideband system for zero-field nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) spectroscopy is required. Established NQR probeheads with motor-driven tune/match stages are usually bulky and slow, which can be prohibitive if it comes to Bi compounds with low SNR (excessive averaging) and long quadrupolar T1 times. Moreover many experiments yield better results at low temperatures such as 77 K (liquid nitrogen, LN) thus requiring easy to use cryo-probeheads. In this paper we present electronically tuned wideband probeheads for bands in the frequency range 20-120 MHz which can be immersed in LN and which enable very fast explorative scans over the whole range. To this end we apply an interleaved subspectrum sampling strategy (ISS) which relies on the electronic tuning capability. The superiority of the new concept is demonstrated with an experimental scan of triphenylbismuth from 24 to 116 MHz, both at room temperature and in LN. Especially for the first transition which exhibits extremely long T1 times (64 ms) the and low signal the new approach allows an acceleration factor by more than 100 when compared to classical methods.

EQUILUMINANCE CELLS IN VISUAL CORTICAL AREA V4

PubMed Central

Bushnell, Brittany N.; Harding, Philip J.; Kosai, Yoshito; Bair, Wyeth; Pasupathy, Anitha

2011-01-01

We report a novel class of V4 neuron in the macaque monkey that responds selectively to equiluminant colored form. These "equiluminance" cells stand apart because they violate the well established trend throughout the visual system that responses are minimal at low luminance contrast and grow and saturate as contrast increases. Equiluminance cells, which compose about 22% of V4, exhibit the opposite behavior: responses are greatest near zero contrast and decrease as contrast increases. While equilumiance cells respond preferentially to equiluminant colored stimuli, strong hue tuning is not their distinguishing feature—some equilumiance cells do exhibit strong unimodal hue tuning but many show little or no tuning for hue. We find that equiluminance cells are color and shape selective to a degree comparable to other classes of V4 cells with more conventional contrast response functions. Those more conventional cells respond equally well to achromatic luminance and equiluminant color stimuli, analogous to color-luminance cells described in V1. The existence of equiluminance cells, which have not been reported in V1 or V2, suggests that chromatically-defined boundaries and shapes are given special status in V4 and raises the possibility that form at equiluminance and form at higher contrasts are processed in separate channels in V4. PMID:21880901

Intermittent operation of QC-lasers for mid-IR spectroscopy with low heat dissipation: tuning characteristics and driving electronics.

PubMed

Fischer, M; Tuzson, B; Hugi, A; Brönnimann, R; Kunz, A; Blaser, S; Rochat, M; Landry, O; Müller, A; Emmenegger, L

2014-03-24

Intermittent scanning for continuous-wave quantum cascade lasers is proposed along with a custom-built laser driver optimized for such operation. This approach lowers the overall heat dissipation of the laser by dropping its drive current to zero between individual scans and holding a longer pause between scans. This allows packaging cw-QCLs in TO–3 housings with built-in collimating optics, thus reducing cost and footprint of the device. The fully integrated, largely analog, yet flexible laser driver eliminates the need for any external electronics for current modulation, lowers the demands on power supply performance, and allows shaping of the tuning current in a wide range. Optimized ramp shape selection leads to large and nearly linear frequency tuning (>1.5 cm−1). Experimental characterization of the proposed scheme with a QCL emitting at 7.7 μm gave a frequency stability of 3.2×10−5 cm−1 for the laser emission, while a temperature dependence of 2.3×10−4 cm−1/K was observed when the driver electronics was exposed to sudden temperature changes. We show that these characteristics make the driver suitable for high precision trace gas measurements by analyzing methane absorption lines in the respective spectral region.

Simple graph models of information spread in finite populations

PubMed Central

Voorhees, Burton; Ryder, Bergerud

2015-01-01

We consider several classes of simple graphs as potential models for information diffusion in a structured population. These include biases cycles, dual circular flows, partial bipartite graphs and what we call ‘single-link’ graphs. In addition to fixation probabilities, we study structure parameters for these graphs, including eigenvalues of the Laplacian, conductances, communicability and expected hitting times. In several cases, values of these parameters are related, most strongly so for partial bipartite graphs. A measure of directional bias in cycles and circular flows arises from the non-zero eigenvalues of the antisymmetric part of the Laplacian and another measure is found for cycles as the value of the transition probability for which hitting times going in either direction of the cycle are equal. A generalization of circular flow graphs is used to illustrate the possibility of tuning edge weights to match pre-specified values for graph parameters; in particular, we show that generalizations of circular flows can be tuned to have fixation probabilities equal to the Moran probability for a complete graph by tuning vertex temperature profiles. Finally, single-link graphs are introduced as an example of a graph involving a bottleneck in the connection between two components and these are compared to the partial bipartite graphs. PMID:26064661

Remarkable influence of slack on the vibration of a single-walled carbon nanotube resonator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ning, Zhiyuan; Fu, Mengqi; Wu, Gongtao; Qiu, Chenguang; Shu, Jiapei; Guo, Yao; Wei, Xianlong; Gao, Song; Chen, Qing

2016-04-01

We for the first time quantitatively investigate experimentally the remarkable influence of slack on the vibration of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) resonator with a changeable channel length fabricated in situ inside a scanning electron microscope, compare the experimental results with the theoretical predictions calculated from the measured geometric and mechanical parameters of the same SWCNT, and find the following novel points. We demonstrate experimentally that as the slack s is increased from about zero to 1.8%, the detected vibration transforms from single-mode to multimode vibration, and the gate-tuning ability gradually attenuates for all the vibration modes. The quadratic tuning coefficient α decreases linearly with when the gate voltage Vdcg is small and the nanotube resonator operates in the beam regime. The linear tuning coefficient γ decreases linearly with when Vdcg has an intermediate value and the nanotube resonator operates in the catenary regime. The calculated α and γ fit the experimental values of the even in-plane mode reasonably well. As the slack is increased, the quality factor Q of the resonator linearly goes up, but the increase is far less steep than that predicted by the previous theoretical study. Our results are important to understand and design resonators based on CNT and other nanomaterials.

Fluorescence from Multiple Chromophore Hydrogen-Bonding States in the Far-Red Protein TagRFP675.

PubMed

Konold, Patrick E; Yoon, Eunjin; Lee, Junghwa; Allen, Samantha L; Chapagain, Prem P; Gerstman, Bernard S; Regmi, Chola K; Piatkevich, Kiryl D; Verkhusha, Vladislav V; Joo, Taiha; Jimenez, Ralph

2016-08-04

Far-red fluorescent proteins are critical for in vivo imaging applications, but the relative importance of structure versus dynamics in generating large Stokes-shifted emission is unclear. The unusually red-shifted emission of TagRFP675, a derivative of mKate, has been attributed to the multiple hydrogen bonds with the chromophore N-acylimine carbonyl. We characterized TagRFP675 and point mutants designed to perturb these hydrogen bonds with spectrally resolved transient grating and time-resolved fluorescence (TRF) spectroscopies supported by molecular dynamics simulations. TRF results for TagRFP675 and the mKate/M41Q variant show picosecond time scale red-shifts followed by nanosecond time blue-shifts. Global analysis of the TRF spectra reveals spectrally distinct emitting states that do not interconvert during the S1 lifetime. These dynamics originate from photoexcitation of a mixed ground-state population of acylimine hydrogen bond conformers. Strategically tuning the chromophore environment in TagRFP675 might stabilize the most red-shifted conformation and result in a variant with a larger Stokes shift.

The Business Case for Automated Software Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menzies, Tim; Elrawas, Oussama; Hihn, Jairus M.; Feather, Martin S.; Madachy, Ray; Boehm, Barry

2007-01-01

Adoption of advanced automated SE (ASE) tools would be more favored if a business case could be made that these tools are more valuable than alternate methods. In theory, software prediction models can be used to make that case. In practice, this is complicated by the 'local tuning' problem. Normally. predictors for software effort and defects and threat use local data to tune their predictions. Such local tuning data is often unavailable. This paper shows that assessing the relative merits of different SE methods need not require precise local tunings. STAR 1 is a simulated annealer plus a Bayesian post-processor that explores the space of possible local tunings within software prediction models. STAR 1 ranks project decisions by their effects on effort and defects and threats. In experiments with NASA systems. STARI found one project where ASE were essential for minimizing effort/ defect/ threats; and another project were ASE tools were merely optional.

Wave-packet formation at the zero-dispersion point in the Gardner-Ostrovsky equation.

PubMed

Whitfield, A J; Johnson, E R

2015-05-01

The long-time effect of weak rotation on an internal solitary wave is the decay into inertia-gravity waves and the eventual emergence of a coherent, steadily propagating, nonlinear wave packet. There is currently no entirely satisfactory explanation as to why these wave packets form. Here the initial value problem is considered within the context of the Gardner-Ostrovsky, or rotation-modified extended Korteweg-de Vries, equation. The linear Gardner-Ostrovsky equation has maximum group velocity at a critical wave number, often called the zero-dispersion point. It is found here that a nonlinear splitting of the wave-number spectrum at the zero-dispersion point, where energy is shifted into the modulationally unstable regime of the Gardner-Ostrovsky equation, is responsible for the wave-packet formation. Numerical comparisons of the decay of a solitary wave in the Gardner-Ostrovsky equation and a derived nonlinear Schrödinger equation at the zero-dispersion point are used to confirm the spectral splitting.

Distributed temperature and strain discrimination with stimulated brillouin scattering and rayleigh backscatter in an optical fiber.

PubMed

Zhou, Da-Peng; Li, Wenhai; Chen, Liang; Bao, Xiaoyi

2013-01-31

A distributed optical fiber sensor with the capability of simultaneously measuring temperature and strain is proposed using a large effective area non-zero dispersion shifted fiber (LEAF) with sub-meter spatial resolution. The Brillouin frequency shift is measured using Brillouin optical time-domain analysis (BOTDA) with differential pulse-width pair technique, while the spectrum shift of the Rayleigh backscatter is measured using optical frequency-domain reflectometry (OFDR). These shifts are the functions of both temperature and strain, and can be used as two independent parameters for the discrimination of temperature and strain. A 92 m measurable range with the spatial resolution of 50 cm is demonstrated experimentally, and accuracies of ±1.2 °C in temperature and ±15 με in strain could be achieved.

Feature-Selective Attention Adaptively Shifts Noise Correlations in Primary Auditory Cortex.

PubMed

Downer, Joshua D; Rapone, Brittany; Verhein, Jessica; O'Connor, Kevin N; Sutter, Mitchell L

2017-05-24

Sensory environments often contain an overwhelming amount of information, with both relevant and irrelevant information competing for neural resources. Feature attention mediates this competition by selecting the sensory features needed to form a coherent percept. How attention affects the activity of populations of neurons to support this process is poorly understood because population coding is typically studied through simulations in which one sensory feature is encoded without competition. Therefore, to study the effects of feature attention on population-based neural coding, investigations must be extended to include stimuli with both relevant and irrelevant features. We measured noise correlations ( r noise ) within small neural populations in primary auditory cortex while rhesus macaques performed a novel feature-selective attention task. We found that the effect of feature-selective attention on r noise depended not only on the population tuning to the attended feature, but also on the tuning to the distractor feature. To attempt to explain how these observed effects might support enhanced perceptual performance, we propose an extension of a simple and influential model in which shifts in r noise can simultaneously enhance the representation of the attended feature while suppressing the distractor. These findings present a novel mechanism by which attention modulates neural populations to support sensory processing in cluttered environments. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Although feature-selective attention constitutes one of the building blocks of listening in natural environments, its neural bases remain obscure. To address this, we developed a novel auditory feature-selective attention task and measured noise correlations ( r noise ) in rhesus macaque A1 during task performance. Unlike previous studies showing that the effect of attention on r noise depends on population tuning to the attended feature, we show that the effect of attention depends on the tuning to the distractor feature as well. We suggest that these effects represent an efficient process by which sensory cortex simultaneously enhances relevant information and suppresses irrelevant information. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/375378-15$15.00/0.

Feature-Selective Attention Adaptively Shifts Noise Correlations in Primary Auditory Cortex

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Sensory environments often contain an overwhelming amount of information, with both relevant and irrelevant information competing for neural resources. Feature attention mediates this competition by selecting the sensory features needed to form a coherent percept. How attention affects the activity of populations of neurons to support this process is poorly understood because population coding is typically studied through simulations in which one sensory feature is encoded without competition. Therefore, to study the effects of feature attention on population-based neural coding, investigations must be extended to include stimuli with both relevant and irrelevant features. We measured noise correlations (rnoise) within small neural populations in primary auditory cortex while rhesus macaques performed a novel feature-selective attention task. We found that the effect of feature-selective attention on rnoise depended not only on the population tuning to the attended feature, but also on the tuning to the distractor feature. To attempt to explain how these observed effects might support enhanced perceptual performance, we propose an extension of a simple and influential model in which shifts in rnoise can simultaneously enhance the representation of the attended feature while suppressing the distractor. These findings present a novel mechanism by which attention modulates neural populations to support sensory processing in cluttered environments. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Although feature-selective attention constitutes one of the building blocks of listening in natural environments, its neural bases remain obscure. To address this, we developed a novel auditory feature-selective attention task and measured noise correlations (rnoise) in rhesus macaque A1 during task performance. Unlike previous studies showing that the effect of attention on rnoise depends on population tuning to the attended feature, we show that the effect of attention depends on the tuning to the distractor feature as well. We suggest that these effects represent an efficient process by which sensory cortex simultaneously enhances relevant information and suppresses irrelevant information. PMID:28432139

Ultra-wideband all-fiber tunable Tm/Ho-co-doped laser at 2 μm.

PubMed

Xue, Guanghui; Zhang, Bin; Yin, Ke; Yang, Weiqiang; Hou, Jing

2014-10-20

We demonstrate an all-fiber tunable Tm/Ho-codoped laser operating in the 2 μm wavelength region. The wavelength tuning range of the Tm/Ho-codoped fiber laser (THFL) with 1-m length of Tm/Ho-codoped fiber (THDF) was from 1727 nm to 2030 nm. Efficient short wavelength operation and ultra-wide wavelength tuning range of 303 nm were both achieved. To the best of our knowledge, this is the broadest tuning range that has been reported for an all-fiber rare-earth-doped laser to date. By increasing the THDF length to 2 m, the obtainable wavelength of the THFL was further red-shifted to the range from 1768 nm to 2071 nm. The output power of the THFL was scaled up from 1810 nm to 2010 nm by using a stage of Tm/Ho-codoped fiber amplifier (THFA), which exhibited the maximum slope efficiency of 42.6% with output power of 408 mW at 1910 nm.

Influence of growth flux solvent on anneal-tuning of ground states in CaFe2As2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roncaioli, Connor; Drye, Tyler; Saha, Shanta R.; Paglione, Johnpierre

2018-04-01

The effects of anneal-tuning of single-crystalline samples of CaFe2As2 synthesized via a molten Sn-flux method are investigated using x-ray diffraction, chemical composition, electrical transport, and magnetic susceptibility measurements in order to understand the role of growth conditions on the resultant phase diagram. Previous studies of CaFe2As2 crystals synthesized using a self-flux (FeAs) method revealed an ability to tune the structural and magnetic properties of this system by control of post-synthesis annealing conditions, resulting in an ambient pressure phase diagram that spans from tetragonal/orthorhombic antiferromagnetism to the collapsed tetragonal phase of this system. In this work, we compare previous results to those obtained on crystals synthesized via Sn flux, finding similar tunability in both self- and Sn-flux cases, but less sensitivity to annealing temperatures in the latter case, resulting in a temperature-shifted phase diagram.

Slow-light-enhanced energy efficiency for graphene microheaters on silicon photonic crystal waveguides

PubMed Central

Yan, Siqi; Zhu, Xiaolong; Frandsen, Lars Hagedorn; Xiao, Sanshui; Mortensen, N. Asger; Dong, Jianji; Ding, Yunhong

2017-01-01

Slow light has been widely utilized to obtain enhanced nonlinearities, enhanced spontaneous emissions and increased phase shifts owing to its ability to promote light–matter interactions. By incorporating a graphene on a slow-light silicon photonic crystal waveguide, here we experimentally demonstrate an energy-efficient graphene microheater with a tuning efficiency of 1.07 nmmW−1 and power consumption per free spectral range of 3.99 mW. The rise and decay times (10–90%) are only 750 and 525 ns, which, to the best of our knowledge, are the fastest reported response times for microheaters in silicon photonics. The corresponding figure of merit of the device is 2.543 nW s, one order of magnitude better than results reported in previous studies. The influence of the length and shape of the graphene heater to the tuning efficiency is further investigated, providing valuable guidelines for enhancing the tuning efficiency of the graphene microheater. PMID:28181531

The photochemical determinants of color vision: revealing how opsins tune their chromophore's absorption wavelength.

PubMed

Wang, Wenjing; Geiger, James H; Borhan, Babak

2014-01-01

The evolution of a variety of important chromophore-dependent biological processes, including microbial light sensing and mammalian color vision, relies on protein modifications that alter the spectral characteristics of a bound chromophore. Three different color opsins share the same chromophore, but have three distinct absorptions that together cover the entire visible spectrum, giving rise to trichromatic vision. The influence of opsins on the absorbance of the chromophore has been studied through methods such as model compounds, opsin mutagenesis, and computational modeling. The recent development of rhodopsin mimic that uses small soluble proteins to recapitulate the binding and wavelength tuning of the native opsins provides a new platform for studying protein-regulated spectral tuning. The ability to achieve far-red shifted absorption in the rhodopsin mimic system was attributed to a combination of the lack of a counteranion proximal to the iminium, and a uniformly neutral electrostatic environment surrounding the chromophore. © 2014 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

Band Gap Engineering with Ultralarge Biaxial Strains in Suspended Monolayer MoS2.

PubMed

Lloyd, David; Liu, Xinghui; Christopher, Jason W; Cantley, Lauren; Wadehra, Anubhav; Kim, Brian L; Goldberg, Bennett B; Swan, Anna K; Bunch, J Scott

2016-09-14

We demonstrate the continuous and reversible tuning of the optical band gap of suspended monolayer MoS2 membranes by as much as 500 meV by applying very large biaxial strains. By using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to grow crystals that are highly impermeable to gas, we are able to apply a pressure difference across suspended membranes to induce biaxial strains. We observe the effect of strain on the energy and intensity of the peaks in the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum and find a linear tuning rate of the optical band gap of 99 meV/%. This method is then used to study the PL spectra of bilayer and trilayer devices under strain and to find the shift rates and Grüneisen parameters of two Raman modes in monolayer MoS2. Finally, we use this result to show that we can apply biaxial strains as large as 5.6% across micron-sized areas and report evidence for the strain tuning of higher level optical transitions.

Laser Metrology Heterodyne Phase-Locked Loop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loya, Frank; Halverson, Peter

2009-01-01

A method reduces sensitivity to noise in a signal from a laser heterodyne interferometer. The phase-locked loop (PLL) removes glitches that occur in a zero-crossing detector s output [that can happen if the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the heterodyne signal is low] by the use of an internal oscillator that produces a square-wave signal at a frequency that is inherently close to the heterodyne frequency. It also contains phase-locking circuits that lock the phase of the oscillator to the output of the zero-crossing detector. Because the PLL output is an oscillator signal, it is glitch-free. This enables the ability to make accurate phase measurements in spite of low SNR, creates an immunity to phase error caused by shifts in the heterodyne frequency (i.e. if the target moves causing Doppler shift), and maintains a valid phase even when the signal drops out for brief periods of time, such as when the laser is blocked by a stray object.

Mesoscopic structure formation in condensed matter due to vacuum fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sen, Siddhartha; Gupta, Kumar S.; Coey, J. M. D.

2015-10-01

An observable influence of zero-point fluctuations of the vacuum electromagnetic field on bound electrons is well known in the hydrogen atom, where it produces the Lamb shift. Here, we adapt an approach used to explain the Lamb shift in terms of a slight expansion of the orbits due to interaction with the zero-point field and apply it to assemblies of N electrons that are modeled as independent atomically bound two-level systems. The effect is to stabilize a collective ground-state energy, which leads to a prediction of novel effects at room temperature for quasi-two-dimensional systems over a range of parameters in the model, namely, N , the two-level excitation energy ℏ ω and the ionization energy ℏ ω +ɛ . Some mesoscopic systems where these effects may be observable include water sheaths on protein or DNA, surfaces of gaseous nanobubbles, and the magnetic response of inhomogeneous, electronically dilute oxides. No such effects are envisaged for uniform three-dimensional systems.

Modal propagation angles in a cylindrical duct with flow and their relation to sound radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rice, E. J.; Heidmann, M. F.; Sofrin, T. G.

1979-01-01

The main emphasis is upon the propagation angle with respect to the duct axis and its relation to the far-field acoustic radiation pattern. When the steady flow Mach number is accounted for in the duct, the propagation angle in the duct is shown to be coincident with the angle of the principal lobe of far-field radiation obtained using the Wiener-Hopf technique. Different Mach numbers are allowed within the duct and in the external field. For static tests with a steady flow in an inlet but with no external Mach number the far-field radiation pattern is shifted considerably toward the inlet axis when compared to zero Mach number radiation theory. As the external Mach number is increased the noise radiation pattern is shifted away from the inlet axis. The theory is developed using approximations for sound propagation in circular ducts. An exact analysis using Hankel function solutions for the zero Mach number case is given to provide a check of the simpler approximate theory.

Optical DC overlay measurement in the 2nd level process of 65 nm alternating phase shift mask

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Jian; Han, Ke; Lee, Kyung; Korobko, Yulia; Silva, Mary; Chavez, Joas; Irvine, Brian; Henrichs, Sven; Chakravorty, Kishore; Olshausen, Robert; Chandramouli, Mahesh; Mammen, Bobby; Padmanaban, Ramaswamy

2005-11-01

Alternating phase shift mask (APSM) techniques help bridge the significant gap between the lithography wavelength and the patterning of minimum features, specifically, the poly line of 35 nm gate length (1x) in Intel's 65 nm technology. One of key steps in making APSM mask is to pattern to within the design tolerances the 2nd level resist so that the zero-phase apertures will be protected by the resist and the pi-phase apertures will be wide open for quartz etch. The ability to align the 2nd level to the 1st level binary pattern, i.e. the 2nd level overlay capability is very important, so is the capability of measuring the overlay accurately. Poor overlay could cause so-called the encroachment after quartz etch, producing undesired quartz bumps in the pi-apertures or quartz pits in the zero-apertures. In this paper, a simple, low-cost optical setup for the 2nd level DC (develop check) overlay measurements in the high volume manufacturing (HVM) of APSM masks is presented. By removing systematic errors in overlay associated with TIS and MIS (tool-induced shift and Mask-process induced shift), it is shown that this setup is capable of supporting the measurement of DC overlay with a tolerance as small as +/- 25 nm. The outstanding issues, such as DC overlay error component analysis, DC - FC (final check) overlay correlation and the overlay linearity (periphery vs. indie), are discussed.

Cochlear-implant spatial selectivity with monopolar, bipolar and tripolar stimulation.

PubMed

Zhu, Ziyan; Tang, Qing; Zeng, Fan-Gang; Guan, Tian; Ye, Datian

2012-01-01

Sharp spatial selectivity is critical to auditory performance, particularly in pitch-related tasks. Most contemporary cochlear implants have employed monopolar stimulation that produces broad electric fields, which presumably contribute to poor pitch and pitch-related performance by implant users. Bipolar or tripolar stimulation can generate focused electric fields but requires higher current to reach threshold and, more interestingly, has not produced any apparent improvement in cochlear-implant performance. The present study addressed this dilemma by measuring psychophysical and physiological spatial selectivity with both broad and focused stimulations in the same cohort of subjects. Different current levels were adjusted by systematically measuring loudness growth for each stimulus, each stimulation mode, and in each subject. Both psychophysical and physiological measures showed that, although focused stimulation produced significantly sharper spatial tuning than monopolar stimulation, it could shift the tuning position or even split the tuning tips. The altered tuning with focused stimulation is interpreted as a result of poor electrode-to-neuron interface in the cochlea, and is suggested to be mainly responsible for the lack of consistent improvement in implant performance. A linear model could satisfactorily quantify the psychophysical and physiological data and derive the tuning width. Significant correlation was found between the individual physiological and psychophysical tuning widths, and the correlation was improved by log-linearly transforming the physiological data to predict the psychophysical data. Because the physiological measure took only one-tenth of the time of the psychophysical measure, the present model is of high clinical significance in terms of predicting and improving cochlear-implant performance. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cochlear Implant Spatial Selectivity with Monopolar, Bipolar and Tripolar Stimulation

PubMed Central

Zhu, Ziyan; Tang, Qing; Zeng, Fan-Gang; Guan, Tian; Ye, Datian

2011-01-01

Sharp spatial selectivity is critical to auditory performance, particularly in pitch related tasks. Most contemporary cochlear implants have employed monopolar stimulation that produces broad electric fields, which presumably contribute to poor pitch and pitch-related performance by implant users. Bipolar or tripolar stimulation can generate focused electric fields but requires higher current to reach threshold and, more interestingly, has not produced any apparent improvement in cochlear implant performance. The present study addressed this dilemma by measuring psychophysical and physiological spatial selectivity with both broad and focused stimulations in the same cohort of subjects. Different current levels were adjusted by systematically measuring loudness growth for each stimulus, each stimulation mode, and in each subject. Both psychophysical and physiological measures showed that, although focused stimulation produced significantly sharper spatial tuning than monopolar stimulation, it could shift the tuning position or even split the tuning tips. The altered tuning with focused stimulation is interpreted as a result of poor electrode-to-neuron interface in the cochlea, and is suggested to be mainly responsible for the lack of consistent improvement in implant performance. A linear model could satisfactorily quantify the psychophysical and physiological data and derive the tuning width. Significant correlation was found between the individual physiological and psychophysical tuning widths, and the correlation was improved by log-linearly transforming the physiological data to predict the psychophysical data. Because the physiological measure took only one-tenth of the time of the psychophysical measure, the present model is of high clinical significance in terms of predicting and improving cochlear implant performance. PMID:22138630

Single-particle dynamics in a nonlinear accelerator lattice: attaining a large tune spread with octupoles in IOTA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Antipov, S. A.; Nagaitsev, S.; Valishev, A.

2017-04-01

Fermilab is constructing the Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) as the centerpiece of the Accelerator R&D Program towards high-intensity circular machines. One of the factors limiting the beam intensity in present circular accelerators is collective instabilities, which can be suppressed by a spread of betatron frequencies (tunes) through the Landau damping mechanism or by an external damper, if the instability is slow enough. The spread is usually created by octupole magnets, which introduce the tune dependence on the amplitude and, in some cases, by a chromatic spread (tune dependence on particle's momentum). The introduction of octupoles usually lead to amore » resonant behavior and a reduction of the dynamic aperture. One of the goals of the IOTA research program is to achieve a high betatron tune spread, while retaining a large dynamic aperture using conventional octupole magnets in a special but realistic accelerator configuration. In this report, we present results of computer simulations of an electron beam in the IOTA by particle tracking and the Frequency Map Analysis. The results show that the ring's octupole magnets can be configured to provide a betatron tune shift of 0.08 (for particles at large amplitudes) with the dynamical aperture of over 20 beam sigma for a 150-MeV electron beam. The influence of the synchrotron motion, lattice errors, and magnet imperfections is insignificant for the parameters and levels of tolerances set by the design of the ring. The described octupole insert could be beneficial for suppression of space-charge induced instabilities in high intensity machines.« less

Quantum Critical Higgs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellazzini, Brando; Csáki, Csaba; Hubisz, Jay; Lee, Seung J.; Serra, Javi; Terning, John

2016-10-01

The appearance of the light Higgs boson at the LHC is difficult to explain, particularly in light of naturalness arguments in quantum field theory. However, light scalars can appear in condensed matter systems when parameters (like the amount of doping) are tuned to a critical point. At zero temperature these quantum critical points are directly analogous to the finely tuned standard model. In this paper, we explore a class of models with a Higgs near a quantum critical point that exhibits non-mean-field behavior. We discuss the parametrization of the effects of a Higgs emerging from such a critical point in terms of form factors, and present two simple realistic scenarios based on either generalized free fields or a 5D dual in anti-de Sitter space. For both of these models, we consider the processes g g →Z Z and g g →h h , which can be used to gain information about the Higgs scaling dimension and IR transition scale from the experimental data.

Bending strain engineering in quantum spin hall system for controlling spin currents

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, Bing; Jin, Kyung-Hwan; Cui, Bin

Quantum spin Hall system can exhibit exotic spin transport phenomena, mediated by its topological edge states. The concept of bending strain engineering to tune the spin transport properties of a quantum spin Hall system is demonstrated. Here, we show that bending strain can be used to control the spin orientation of counter-propagating edge states of a quantum spin system to generate a non-zero spin current. This physics mechanism can be applied to effectively tune the spin current and pure spin current decoupled from charge current in a quantum spin Hall system by control of its bending curvature. Moreover, the curvedmore » quantum spin Hall system can be achieved by the concept of topological nanomechanical architecture in a controllable way, as demonstrated by the material example of Bi/Cl/Si(111) nanofilm. This concept of bending strain engineering of spins via topological nanomechanical architecture affords a promising route towards the realization of topological nano-mechanospintronics.« less

Bending strain engineering in quantum spin hall system for controlling spin currents

DOE PAGES

Huang, Bing; Jin, Kyung-Hwan; Cui, Bin; ...

2017-06-16

Quantum spin Hall system can exhibit exotic spin transport phenomena, mediated by its topological edge states. The concept of bending strain engineering to tune the spin transport properties of a quantum spin Hall system is demonstrated. Here, we show that bending strain can be used to control the spin orientation of counter-propagating edge states of a quantum spin system to generate a non-zero spin current. This physics mechanism can be applied to effectively tune the spin current and pure spin current decoupled from charge current in a quantum spin Hall system by control of its bending curvature. Moreover, the curvedmore » quantum spin Hall system can be achieved by the concept of topological nanomechanical architecture in a controllable way, as demonstrated by the material example of Bi/Cl/Si(111) nanofilm. This concept of bending strain engineering of spins via topological nanomechanical architecture affords a promising route towards the realization of topological nano-mechanospintronics.« less

Volume-wise destruction of the antiferromagnetic Mott insulating state through quantum tuning.

PubMed

Frandsen, Benjamin A; Liu, Lian; Cheung, Sky C; Guguchia, Zurab; Khasanov, Rustem; Morenzoni, Elvezio; Munsie, Timothy J S; Hallas, Alannah M; Wilson, Murray N; Cai, Yipeng; Luke, Graeme M; Chen, Bijuan; Li, Wenmin; Jin, Changqing; Ding, Cui; Guo, Shengli; Ning, Fanlong; Ito, Takashi U; Higemoto, Wataru; Billinge, Simon J L; Sakamoto, Shoya; Fujimori, Atsushi; Murakami, Taito; Kageyama, Hiroshi; Alonso, Jose Antonio; Kotliar, Gabriel; Imada, Masatoshi; Uemura, Yasutomo J

2016-08-17

RENiO3 (RE=rare-earth element) and V2O3 are archetypal Mott insulator systems. When tuned by chemical substitution (RENiO3) or pressure (V2O3), they exhibit a quantum phase transition (QPT) between an antiferromagnetic Mott insulating state and a paramagnetic metallic state. Because novel physics often appears near a Mott QPT, the details of this transition, such as whether it is first or second order, are important. Here, we demonstrate through muon spin relaxation/rotation (μSR) experiments that the QPT in RENiO3 and V2O3 is first order: the magnetically ordered volume fraction decreases to zero at the QPT, resulting in a broad region of intrinsic phase separation, while the ordered magnetic moment retains its full value until it is suddenly destroyed at the QPT. These findings bring to light a surprising universality of the pressure-driven Mott transition, revealing the importance of phase separation and calling for further investigation into the nature of quantum fluctuations underlying the transition.

Volume-wise destruction of the antiferromagnetic Mott insulating state through quantum tuning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frandsen, Benjamin A.; Liu, Lian; Cheung, Sky C.; Guguchia, Zurab; Khasanov, Rustem; Morenzoni, Elvezio; Munsie, Timothy J. S.; Hallas, Alannah M.; Wilson, Murray N.; Cai, Yipeng; Luke, Graeme M.; Chen, Bijuan; Li, Wenmin; Jin, Changqing; Ding, Cui; Guo, Shengli; Ning, Fanlong; Ito, Takashi U.; Higemoto, Wataru; Billinge, Simon J. L.; Sakamoto, Shoya; Fujimori, Atsushi; Murakami, Taito; Kageyama, Hiroshi; Alonso, Jose Antonio; Kotliar, Gabriel; Imada, Masatoshi; Uemura, Yasutomo J.

2016-08-01

RENiO3 (RE=rare-earth element) and V2O3 are archetypal Mott insulator systems. When tuned by chemical substitution (RENiO3) or pressure (V2O3), they exhibit a quantum phase transition (QPT) between an antiferromagnetic Mott insulating state and a paramagnetic metallic state. Because novel physics often appears near a Mott QPT, the details of this transition, such as whether it is first or second order, are important. Here, we demonstrate through muon spin relaxation/rotation (μSR) experiments that the QPT in RENiO3 and V2O3 is first order: the magnetically ordered volume fraction decreases to zero at the QPT, resulting in a broad region of intrinsic phase separation, while the ordered magnetic moment retains its full value until it is suddenly destroyed at the QPT. These findings bring to light a surprising universality of the pressure-driven Mott transition, revealing the importance of phase separation and calling for further investigation into the nature of quantum fluctuations underlying the transition.

Recreation Embedded State Tuning for Optimal Readiness and Effectiveness (RESTORE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pope, Alan T.; Prinzel, Lawrence J., III

2005-01-01

Physiological self-regulation training is a behavioral medicine intervention that has demonstrated capability to improve psychophysiological coping responses to stressful experiences and to foster optimal behavioral and cognitive performance. Once developed, these psychophysiological skills require regular practice for maintenance. A concomitant benefit of these physiologically monitored practice sessions is the opportunity to track crew psychophysiological responses to the challenges of the practice task in order to detect shifts in adaptability that may foretell performance degradation. Long-duration missions will include crew recreation periods that will afford physiological self-regulation training opportunities. However, to promote adherence to the regimen, the practice experience that occupies their recreation time must be perceived by the crew as engaging and entertaining throughout repeated reinforcement sessions on long-duration missions. NASA biocybernetic technologies and publications have developed a closed-loop concept that involves adjusting or modulating (cybernetic, for governing) a person's task environment based upon a comparison of that person's physiological responses (bio-) with a training or performance criterion. This approach affords the opportunity to deliver physiological self-regulation training in an entertaining and motivating fashion and can also be employed to create a conditioned association between effective performance state and task execution behaviors, while enabling tracking of individuals psychophysiological status over time in the context of an interactive task challenge. This paper describes the aerospace spin-off technologies in this training application area as well as the current spin-back application of the technologies to long-duration missions - the Recreation Embedded State Tuning for Optimal Readiness and Effectiveness (RESTORE) concept. The RESTORE technology is designed to provide a physiological self-regulation training countermeasure for maintaining and reinforcing cognitive readiness, resilience under psychological stress, and effective mood states in long-duration crews. The technology consists of a system for delivering physiological self-regulation training and for tracking crew central and autonomic nervous system function; the system interface is designed to be experienced as engaging and entertaining throughout repeated training sessions on long-duration missions. Consequently, this self-management technology has threefold capability for recreation, behavioral health problem prophylaxis and remediation, and psychophysiological assay. The RESTORE concept aims to reduce the risk of future manned exploration missions by enhancing the capability of individual crewmembers to self-regulate cognitive states through recreation-embedded training protocols to effectively deal with the psychological toll of long-duration space flight.

Electrical tuning of the polarization state of light using graphene-integrated anisotropic metasurfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutta-Gupta, Shourya; Dabidian, Nima; Kholmanov, Iskandar; Belkin, Mikhail A.; Shvets, Gennady

2017-03-01

Plasmonic metasurfaces have been employed for moulding the flow of transmitted and reflected light, thereby enabling numerous applications that benefit from their ultra-thin sub-wavelength format. Their appeal is further enhanced by the incorporation of active electro-optic elements, paving the way for dynamic control of light's properties. In this paper, we realize a dynamic polarization state generator using a graphene-integrated anisotropic metasurface (GIAM) that converts the linear polarization of the incident light into an elliptical one. This is accomplished by using an anisotropic metasurface with two principal polarization axes, one of which possesses a Fano-type resonance. A gate-controlled single-layer graphene integrated with the metasurface was employed as an electro-optic element controlling the phase and intensity of light polarized along the resonant axis of the GIAM. When the incident light is polarized at an angle to the resonant axis of the metasurface, the ellipticity of the reflected light can be dynamically controlled by the application of a gate voltage. Thus accomplished dynamic polarization control is experimentally demonstrated and characterized by measuring the Stokes polarization parameters. Large changes of the ellipticity and the tilt angle of the polarization ellipse are observed. Our measurements show that the tilt angle can be changed from positive values through zero to negative values while keeping the ellipticity constant, potentially paving the way to rapid ellipsometry and other characterization techniques requiring fast polarization shifting. This article is part of the themed issue 'New horizons for nanophotonics'.

Active material, optical mode and cavity impact on nanoscale electro-optic modulation performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amin, Rubab; Suer, Can; Ma, Zhizhen; Sarpkaya, Ibrahim; Khurgin, Jacob B.; Agarwal, Ritesh; Sorger, Volker J.

2017-10-01

Electro-optic modulation is a key function in optical data communication and possible future optical compute engines. The performance of modulators intricately depends on the interaction between the actively modulated material and the propagating waveguide mode. While a variety of high-performance modulators have been demonstrated, no comprehensive picture of what factors are most responsible for high performance has emerged so far. Here we report the first systematic and comprehensive analytical and computational investigation for high-performance compact on-chip electro-optic modulators by considering emerging active materials, model considerations and cavity feedback at the nanoscale. We discover that the delicate interplay between the material characteristics and the optical mode properties plays a key role in defining the modulator performance. Based on physical tradeoffs between index modulation, loss, optical confinement factors and slow-light effects, we find that there exist combinations of bias, material and optical mode that yield efficient phase or amplitude modulation with acceptable insertion loss. Furthermore, we show how material properties in the epsilon near zero regime enable reduction of length by as much as by 15 times. Lastly, we introduce and apply a cavity-based electro-optic modulator figure of merit, Δλ/Δα, relating obtainable resonance tuning via phase shifting relative to the incurred losses due to the fundamental Kramers-Kronig relations suggesting optimized device operating regions with optimized modulation-to-loss tradeoffs. This work paves the way for a holistic design rule of electro-optic modulators for high-density on-chip integration.

Effects of sensorineural hearing loss on temporal coding of harmonic and inharmonic tone complexes in the auditory nerve

PubMed Central

Kale, Sushrut; Micheyl, Christophe; Heinz, Michael G.

2013-01-01

Listeners with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) often show poorer thresholds for fundamental-frequency (F0) discrimination, and poorer discrimination between harmonic and frequency-shifted (inharmonic) complex tones, than normal-hearing (NH) listeners—especially when these tones contain resolved or partially resolved components. It has been suggested that these perceptual deficits reflect reduced access to temporal-fine-structure (TFS) information, and could be due to degraded phase-locking in the auditory nerve (AN) with SNHL. In the present study, TFS and temporal-envelope (ENV) cues in single AN-fiber responses to bandpass-filtered harmonic and inharmonic complex tones were measured in chinchillas with either normal hearing or noise-induced SNHL. The stimuli were comparable to those used in recent psychophysical studies of F0 and harmonic/inharmonic discrimination. As in those studies, the rank of the center component was manipulated to produce different resolvability conditions, different phase relationships (cosine and random phase) were tested, and background noise was present. Neural TFS and ENV cues were quantified using cross-correlation coefficients computed using shuffled cross-correlograms between neural responses to REF (harmonic) and TEST (F0- or frequency-shifted) stimuli. In animals with SNHL, AN-fiber tuning curves showed elevated thresholds, broadened tuning, best-frequency shifts, and downward shifts in the dominant TFS response component; however, no significant degradation in the ability of AN fibers to encode TFS or ENV cues was found. Consistent with optimal-observer analyses, the results indicate that TFS and ENV cues depended only on the relevant frequency shift in Hz and thus were not degraded because phase-locking remained intact. These results suggest that perceptual “TFS-processing” deficits do not simply reflect degraded phase-locking at the level of the AN. To the extent that performance in F0 and harmonic/inharmonic discrimination tasks depend on TFS cues, it is likely through a more complicated (sub-optimal) decoding mechanism, which may involve “spatiotemporal” (place-time) neural representations. PMID:23716215

Structural zeroes and zero-inflated models.

PubMed

He, Hua; Tang, Wan; Wang, Wenjuan; Crits-Christoph, Paul

2014-08-01

In psychosocial and behavioral studies count outcomes recording the frequencies of the occurrence of some health or behavior outcomes (such as the number of unprotected sexual behaviors during a period of time) often contain a preponderance of zeroes because of the presence of 'structural zeroes' that occur when some subjects are not at risk for the behavior of interest. Unlike random zeroes (responses that can be greater than zero, but are zero due to sampling variability), structural zeroes are usually very different, both statistically and clinically. False interpretations of results and study findings may result if differences in the two types of zeroes are ignored. However, in practice, the status of the structural zeroes is often not observed and this latent nature complicates the data analysis. In this article, we focus on one model, the zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression model that is commonly used to address zero-inflated data. We first give a brief overview of the issues of structural zeroes and the ZIP model. We then given an illustration of ZIP with data from a study on HIV-risk sexual behaviors among adolescent girls. Sample codes in SAS and Stata are also included to help perform and explain ZIP analyses.