The mid-IR and near-IR interferometry of AGNs: key results and their implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kishimoto, M.

2015-09-01

Infrared interferometry has been very productive in directly probing the structure of AGNs at sub-pc scales. With tens of objects already probed in the mid-IR and near-IR, I will summarize the key results and im- plications from this direct exploration. The Keck interferometry in the near-IR and VLTI in the mid-IR shaped the luminosity dependence of the torus size and structure, while the latter also revealed an equatorial structure at several Rsub (dust sublimation radius), and a polar-elongated region at a few tens of Rsub. Notably, this polar component seems to dominate the compact mid-IR flux. This component can persuasively be attributed to a polar outflow. However, interferometry, through emissivity estimations, also indicates that it is not a UV-optically-thin cloud but participating in the obscuration of the nucleus. I will discuss how to accommodate all these facts to build a consistent picture.

Milli-magnitude IR Transit Detection: OGLE-TR-113

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramírez-Alegría, S.; Minniti, D.; Fernández, J. M.; Ruiz, M. T.; Gieren, W.; Pietrzynski, G.; Zoccali, M.; Ivanov, V.

2006-06-01

OGLE-TR-113-b is a giant exoplanet that was discovered independently by Bouchy et al. (2004, A&A, 421, L13), and by Konacki et al. (2004, ApJ, 609, L37). We present high quality near-IR and optical data during the transit of this planet in front of the star OGLE-TR-113 (V=14.42, α =10:52:24.4 and δ =-61:26:48.5). The K-band observations were obtained in May 2005 with SOFI+NTT, located at ESO La Silla (Chile), and the V-band observations were obtained in April 2005 with VIMOS+VLT, located at ESO Paranal (Chile). After the data reduction process and difference image photometry, it was possible to achieve millimagnitude precision for the transit light curves in both bands. The planetary transit is clearly seen for the first time in the K-band, with similar amplitudes A = 0.03 mag in both V, I, and K, confirming the planetary size of the OGLE-TR-113 companion. Our monitoring program for this and other OGLE transit candidates using accurate optical and near-IR photometry allows us to discard false positives (binaries, blends, giants, etc), and to refine the star/planet parameters.

Open House at the ESO Headquarters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madsen, C.

2006-12-01

On 15 October, the ESO Headquarters opened its doors to the public as part of the All-Campus Open House organised in connection with the inauguration of the extension of the underground line U6 from Munich to the Garching campus. The day was blessed with clear skies and plenty of sunshine, and a large number of citizens took advantage of the opportunity to visit the campus. The estimated number of visitors at ESO was close to 3000 people, a record number. Another record was set by the number of ESO staff who, in anticipation of the high num-ber of guests, volunteered to spend their Sunday at work to explain what ESO is doing and why it is important.

Main High-Resolution Near-IR Spectrometer for the VLT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piskunov, N.

2017-06-01

We present the ongoing CRISES+ project on the development of a cross-dispersed high resolution near-infrared spectrometer for the ESO Very Large Telescope. The presentation highlights the relation between science objectives, technical solutions, and the structure of the project. We also share some of the insights on the implementation and management of the project that are crucial for keeping the tight time-line through efficient interaction between consortium members.

ESO

Science.gov Websites

2009 100 Hours of Astronomy The Eye 3D IMAX® 3D Film Hidden Universe Open House Day 2011 Open House and Jupiter - 1994 Comet Hale Bopp - 1994 Astronomy Communication Seminars Outreach Education Educational Material Science in School ESO Astronomy Camp 2017 ESO Astronomy Camp 2016 ESO Astronomy Camp 2015

Portugal to Accede to ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2000-06-01

The Republic of Portugal will become the ninth member state of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) [1]. Today, during a ceremony at the ESO Headquarters in Garching (Germany), a corresponding Agreement was signed by the Portuguese Minister of Science and Technology, José Mariano Gago and the ESO Director General, Catherine Cesarsky , in the presence of other high officials from Portugal and the ESO member states (see Video Clip 05/00 below). Following subsequent ratification by the Portuguese Parliament of the ESO Convention and the associated protocols [2], it is foreseen that Portugal will formally join this organisation on January 1, 2001. Uniting European Astronomy ESO PR Photo 16/00 ESO PR Photo 16/00 [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 405 pix - 160k] [Normal - JPEG: 800 x 809 pix - 408k] Caption : Signing of the Portugal-ESO Agreement on June 27, 2000, at the ESO Headquarters in Garching (Germany). At the table, the ESO Director General, Catherine Cesarsky , and the Portuguese Minister of Science and Technology, José Mariano Gago . In his speech, the Portuguese Minister of Science and Technology, José Mariano Gago , stated that "the accession of Portugal to ESO is the result of a joint effort by ESO and Portugal during the last ten years. It was made possible by the rapid Portuguese scientific development and by the growth and internationalisation of its scientific community." He continued: "Portugal is fully committed to European scientific and technological development. We will devote our best efforts to the success of ESO". Catherine Cesarsky , ESO Director General since 1999, warmly welcomed the Portuguese intention to join ESO. "With the accession of their country to ESO, Portuguese astronomers will have great opportunities for working on research programmes at the frontiers of modern astrophysics." "This is indeed a good time to join ESO", she added. "The four 8.2-m VLT Unit Telescopes with their many first-class instruments are nearly ready, and the VLT

Pulsating stars in ω Centauri. Near-IR properties and period-luminosity relations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navarrete, Camila; Catelan, Márcio; Contreras Ramos, Rodrigo; Alonso-García, Javier; Gran, Felipe; Dékány, István; Minniti, Dante

2017-09-01

ω Centauri (NGC 5139) contains many variable stars of different types, including the pulsating type II Cepheids, RR Lyrae and SX Phoenicis stars. We carried out a deep, wide-field, near-infrared (IR) variability survey of ω Cen, using the VISTA telescope. We assembled an unprecedented homogeneous and complete J and KS near-IR catalog of variable stars in the field of ω Cen. In this paper we compare optical and near-IR light curves of RR Lyrae stars, emphasizing the main differences. Moreover, we discuss the ability of near-IR observations to detect SX Phoenicis stars given the fact that the amplitudes are much smaller in these bands compared to the optical. Finally, we consider the case in which all the pulsating stars in the three different variability types follow a single period-luminosity relation in the near-IR bands.

The ESO Survey of Non-Publishing Programmes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patat, F.; Boffin, H. M. J.; Bordelon, D.; Grothkopf, U.; Meakins, S.; Mieske, S.; Rejkuba, M.

2017-12-01

One of the classic ways to measure the success of a scientific facility is the publication return, which is defined as the refereed papers produced per unit of allocated resources (for example, telescope time or proposals). The recent studies by Sterzik et al. (2015, 2016) have shown that 30–50 % of the programmes allocated time at ESO do not produce a refereed publication. While this may be inherent to the scientific process, this finding prompted further investigation. For this purpose, ESO conducted a Survey of Non-Publishing Programmes (SNPP) within the activities of the Time Allocation Working Group, similar to the monitoring campaign that was recently implemented at ALMA (Stoehr et al., 2016). The SNPP targeted 1278 programmes scheduled between ESO Periods 78 and 90 (October 2006 to March 2013) that had not published a refereed paper as of April 2016. The poll was launched on 6 May 2016, remained open for four weeks, and returned 965 valid responses. This article summarises and discusses the results of this survey, the first of its kind at ESO.

ESO PR Highlights in 2004

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2005-01-01

Last year proved again a wonderful one for astronomy in general and for ESO in particular. Certainly the most important astronomical event for a large public was the unique Transit of Venus : on June 8, 2004, Venus - the Earth's sister planet - passed in front of the Sun. This rare event - the last one occurred in 1882 - attracted the attention of millions of people all over the world. ESO in cooperation with several other institutes and with support from the European Commission organised through the whole year the Venus Transit 2004 (VT-2004) public education programme that successfully exposed the broad public to a number of fundamental issues at the crucial interface between society and basic science. The web site experienced a record 55 million webhits during a period of 8 hours around the transit. The programme also re-enacted the historical determination of the distance to the Sun (the "Astronomical Unit") by collecting 4550 timings of the four contacts made by more than 1500 participating group of observers and combining them in a calculation of the AU. This resulted in an astonishing accurate value of the Astronomical Unit. More details are available at the VT-2004 website, whose wealth of information will certainly make it a useful tool until the next transit in 2012! For ESO also, 2004 proved a very special year. Finland officially joined as eleventh member state and in December, the Chilean President, Ricardo Lagos, visited the Paranal Observatory. Last year was also the Fifth anniversary of the Very Large Telescope, ESO's flagship facility, as on April 1, 1999 the first 8.2-m VLT Unit Telescope, Antu (UT1), was "handed over" to the astronomers. On this occasion, ESO released several products, including a selection of the best astronomical images taken with the VLT, the VLT Top 20. But there is no doubt that the numerous high quality images published last year are all contenders to top the charts of best astronomical pictures. The year 2004 also saw many

Upconversion of the mid-IR pulses to the near-IR in LiGaS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Kiyoshi; Umemura, Nobuhiro; Okamoto, Takuya; Petrov, Valentin

2018-02-01

This paper reports on the phase-matching properties of LiGaS2 for upconverting a Nd:YAG laser-pumped KTP and AgGaS2 optical parametric oscillator (OPO) at mid-IR to the near-IR by mixing with its pump source together with the new Sellmeier equations that provide a good reproduction of the present experimental results as well as the published data points of second-harmonic generation (SHG) and sum-frequency generation (SFG) of a CO2 laser, a Ti:Al2O3 laser-pumped optical parametric amplifier (OPA), and a Nd:YAG laser-pumped OPO in the mid-IR. This index formula gives the important information that group velocity mismatch (GVM) (Δsp = 1/υs - 1/υp) of LiGaS2 in the 4 - 11 μm range is 12 27 fs/mm lower than that of the widely used LiInS2, which makes it ideal for the upconversion of the mid-IR femtosecond pulses having large spectral bandwidths to the near-IR.

Serial removal of caries lesions from tooth occlusal surfaces using near-IR image-guided IR laser ablation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Kenneth H.; Tom, Henry; Darling, Cynthia L.; Fried, Daniel

2015-02-01

Previous studies have established that caries lesions can be imaged with high contrast without the interference of stains at near-IR wavelengths greater than 1300-nm. It has been demonstrated that computer controlled laser scanning systems utilizing IR lasers operating at high pulse repetition rates can be used for serial imaging and selective removal of caries lesions. In this study, we report our progress towards the development of algorithms for generating rasterized ablation maps from near-IR reflectance images for the removal of natural lesions from tooth occlusal surfaces. An InGaAs camera and a filtered tungsten-halogen lamp producing near-IR light in the range of 1500-1700-nm were used to collect crosspolarization reflectance images of tooth occlusal surfaces. A CO2 laser operating at a wavelength of 9.3- μm with a pulse duration of 10-15-μs was used for image-guided ablation.

Near-InfraRed Planet Searcher to Join HARPS on the ESO 3.6-metre Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouchy, F.; Doyon, R.; Artigau, É.; Melo, C.; Hernandez, O.; Wildi, F.; Delfosse, X.; Lovis, C.; Figueira, P.; Canto Martins, B. L..; González Hernández, J. I..; Thibault, S.; Reshetov, V.; Pepe, F.; Santos, N. C.; de Medeiros, J. R..; Rebolo, R.; Abreu, M.; Adibekyan, V. Z.; Bandy, T.; Benz, W.; Blind, N.; Bohlender, D.; Boisse, I.; Bovay, S.; Broeg, C.; Brousseau, D.; Cabral, A.; Chazelas, B.; Cloutier, R.; Coelho, J.; Conod, U.; Cumming, A.; Delabre, B.; Genolet, L.; Hagelberg, J.; Jayawardhana, R.; Käufl, H.-U.; Lafrenière, D.; de Castro Leão, I..; Malo, L.; de Medeiros Martins, A..; Matthews, J. M.; Metchev, S.; Oshagh, M.; Ouellet, M.; Parro, V. C.; Rasilla Piñeiro, J. L..; Santos, P.; Sarajlic, M.; Segovia, A.; Sordet, M.; Udry, S.; Valencia, D.; Vallée, P.; Venn, K.; Wade, G. A.; Saddlemyer, L.

2017-09-01

The Near-InfraRed Planet Searcher (NIRPS) is a new ultra-stable infrared (YJH) spectrograph that will be installed on ESO's 3.6-metre Telescope in La Silla, Chile. Aiming to achieve a precision of 1 m s-1, NIRPS is designed to find rocky planets orbiting M dwarfs, and will operate together with the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS), also on the 3.6-metre Telescope. In this article we describe the NIRPS science cases and present its main technical characteristics.

Eso's Situation in Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1995-02-01

ESO, the European Southern Observatory, in reply to questions raised by the international media, as well as an ongoing debate about the so-called "Paranal case" in Chilean newspapers, would like to make a number of related observations concerning its status and continued operation in that country [1]. THE ESO OBSERVATORY SITES IN CHILE The European Southern Observatory, an international organisation established and supported by eight European countries, has been operating more than 30 years in the Republic of Chile. Here ESO maintains one of the world's prime astronomical observatories on the La Silla mountain in the southern part of the Atacama desert. This location is in the Fourth Chilean Region, some 600 km north of Santiago de Chile. In order to protect the La Silla site against dust and light pollution from possible future mining industries, roads and settlements, ESO early acquired the territory around this site. It totals about 825 sq. km and has effectively contributed to the preservation of its continued, excellent "astronomical" quality. Each year, more than 500 astronomers from European countries, Chile and elsewhere profit from this when they come to La Silla to observe with one or more of the 15 telescopes now located there. In 1987, the ESO Council [2] decided to embark upon one of the most prestigious and technologically advanced projects ever conceived in astronomy, the Very Large Telescope (VLT). It will consist of four interconnected 8.2-metre telescopes and will become the largest optical telescope in the world when it is ready. It is safe to predict that many exciting discoveries will be made with this instrument, and it will undoubtedly play a very important role in our exploration of the distant universe and its many mysteries during the coming decades. THE VLT AND PARANAL In order to find the best site for the VLT, ESO performed a thorough investigation of many possible mountain tops, both near La Silla and in Northern Chile. They showed

ESO and Chile: 10 Years of Productive Scientific Collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2006-06-01

ESO and the Government of Chile launched today the book "10 Years Exploring the Universe", written by the beneficiaries of the ESO-Chile Joint Committee. This annual fund provides grants for individual Chilean scientists, research infrastructures, scientific congresses, workshops for science teachers and astronomy outreach programmes for the public. In a ceremony held in Santiago on 19 June 2006, the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) and the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs marked the 10th Anniversary of the Supplementary Agreement, which granted to Chilean astronomers up to 10 percent of the total observing time on ESO telescopes. This agreement also established an annual fund for the development of astronomy, managed by the so-called "ESO-Chile Joint Committee". ESO PR Photo 21/06 ESO PR Photo 21/06 Ten Years ESO-Chile Agreement Ceremony The celebration event was hosted by ESO Director General, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky, and the Director of Special Policy for the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Luis Winter. "ESO's commitment is, and always will be, to promote astronomy and scientific knowledge in the country hosting our observatories", said ESO Director General, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky. "We hope Chile and Europe will continue with great achievements in this fascinating joint adventure, the exploration of the universe." On behalf of the Government of Chile, Ambassador Luis Winter outlined the historical importance of the Supplementary Agreement, ratified by the Chilean Congress in 1996. "Such is the magnitude of ESO-Chile Joint Committee that, only in 2005, this annual fund represented 8 percent of all financing sources for Chilean astronomy, including those from Government and universities", Ambassador Winter said. The ESO Representative and Head of Science in Chile, Dr. Felix Mirabel, and the appointed Chilean astronomer for the ESO-Chile Joint Committee, Dr. Leonardo Bronfman, also took part in the

The near-IR Mbh-L and Mbh-n relations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vika, Marina; Driver, Simon P.; Cameron, Ewan; Kelvin, Lee; Robotham, Aaron

2012-01-01

We present near-infrared (near-IR) surface photometry (2D profiling) for a sample of 29 nearby galaxies for which supermassive black hole (SMBH) masses are constrained. The data are derived from the UKIDSS-LAS representing a significant improvement in image quality and depth over previous studies based on Two Micron All Sky Survey data. We derive the spheroid luminosity and spheroid Sérsic index for each galaxy with GALFIT3 and use these data to construct SMBH mass-bulge luminosity (Mbh-L) and SMBH-Sérsic index (Mbh-n) relations. The best-fitting K-band relation for elliptical and disc galaxies is log (Mbh/M⊙) =-0.36(±0.03)(MK+ 18) + 6.17(±0.16), with an intrinsic scatter of 0.4+0.09-0.06 dex, whilst for elliptical galaxies we find log (Mbh/M⊙) =-0.42(±0.06)(MK+ 22) + 7.5(±0.15), with an intrinsic scatter of 0.31+0.087-0.047 dex. Our revised Mbh-L relation agrees closely with the previous near-IR constraint by Graham. The lack of improvement in the intrinsic scatter in moving to higher quality near-IR data suggests that the SMBH relations are not currently limited by the quality of the imaging data but is either intrinsic or a result of uncertainty in the precise number of required components required in the profiling process. Contrary to expectation, a relation between SMBH mass and the Sérsic index was not found at near-IR wavelengths. This latter outcome is believed to be explained by the generic inconsistencies between 1D and 2D galaxy profiling which are currently under further investigation.

ESO Delegation to Visit Chile: the Chile-Eso Treaty and Paranal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1994-05-01

The ESO Council, in its extraordinary session on 28 April 1994, among other matters discussed the relations with the Republic of Chile and the situation around Paranal mountain [1], the designated site for the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). Council decided to send a high ranking delegation to Santiago de Chile to discuss with Chilean authorities the pending problems, including the finalisation of the new Treaty between the Republic of Chile and ESO and the legal aspects of the Paranal location. The ESO delegation will consist of Dr. Peter Creola (President of ESO Council), Dr. Catherine Cesarsky (Vice-President of ESO Council), Dr. Henrik Grage (Former Vice-President of ESO Council) and Professor Riccardo Giacconi (ESO Director General), the latter accompanied by his advisers. The delegation will arrive in Chile during the second half of May 1994. The ESO delegation will meet with the Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carlos Figueroa, and the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jose Miguel Insulza. Other meetings at high level are being planned. The delegation will report about these discussions to the ESO Council during its ordinary session on 7 - 8 June 1994. FOUR PARANAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE A series of four photos which show the current status of the work at Paranal has been prepared. Photographic colour prints for use by the media can be requested from the ESO Information and Photographic Service (please remember to indicate the identification numbers). [1] See ESO Press Release 07/94 of 21 April 1994. PHOTO CAPTIONS ESO PR PHOTO 08/94-1: CERRO PARANAL This aerial photo of the Paranal mountain, the designated site for the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT), was obtained on 22 March 1994. Paranal is situated in the driest part of the Chilean Atacama desert, approx. 130 km south of the city of Antofagasta, and about 12 km from the Pacific Ocean. In this view towards the West, the ocean is seen in the background. The altitude is 2650 metres

ESO science data product standard for 1D spectral products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Micol, Alberto; Arnaboldi, Magda; Delmotte, Nausicaa A. R.; Mascetti, Laura; Retzlaff, Joerg

2016-07-01

The ESO Phase 3 process allows the upload, validation, storage, and publication of reduced data through the ESO Science Archive Facility. Since its introduction, 2 million data products have been archived and published; 80% of them are one-dimensional extracted and calibrated spectra. Central to Phase3 is the ESO science data product standard that defines metadata and data format of any product. This contribution describes the ESO data standard for 1d-spectra, its adoption by the reduction pipelines of selected instrument modes for in-house generation of reduced spectra, the enhanced archive legacy value. Archive usage statistics are provided.

Shaping ESO2020+ Together: Feedback from the Community Poll

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Primas, F.; Ivison, R.; Berger, J.-P.; Caselli, P.; De Gregorio-Monsalvo, I.; Alonso Herrero, A.; Knudsen, K. K.; Leibundgut, B.; Moitinho, A.; Saviane, I.; Spyromilio, J.; Testi, L.; Vennes, S.

2015-09-01

A thorough evaluation and prioritisation of the ESO science programme into the 2020+ timeframe took place under the auspices of a working group, comprising astronomers drawn from ESO’s advisory structure and from within ESO. This group reported to ESO’s Scientific Technical Committee, and to ESO Council, concluding the exercise with the publication of a report, “Science Priorities at ESO”. A community poll and a dedicated workshop, held in January 2015, formed part of the information gathering process. The community poll was designed to probe the demographics of the user community, its scientific interests, use of observing facilities and plans for use of future telescopes and instruments, its views on types of observing programmes and on the provision of data processing and archiving. A total of 1775 full responses to the poll were received and an analysis of the results is presented here. Foremost is the importance of regular observing programmes on all ESO observing facilities, in addition to Large Programmes and Public Surveys. There was also a strong community requirement for ESO to process and archive data obtained at ESO facilities. Other aspects, especially those related to future facilities, are more challenging to interpret because of biases related to the distribution of science expertise and favoured wavelength regime amongst the targeted audience. The results of the poll formed a fundamental component of the report and pro-vide useful data to guide the evolution of ESO’s science programme.

ESO imaging survey: optical deep public survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mignano, A.; Miralles, J.-M.; da Costa, L.; Olsen, L. F.; Prandoni, I.; Arnouts, S.; Benoist, C.; Madejsky, R.; Slijkhuis, R.; Zaggia, S.

2007-02-01

This paper presents new five passbands (UBVRI) optical wide-field imaging data accumulated as part of the DEEP Public Survey (DPS) carried out as a public survey by the ESO Imaging Survey (EIS) project. Out of the 3 square degrees originally proposed, the survey covers 2.75 square degrees, in at least one band (normally R), and 1.00 square degrees in five passbands. The median seeing, as measured in the final stacked images, is 0.97 arcsec, ranging from 0.75 arcsec to 2.0 arcsec. The median limiting magnitudes (AB system, 2´´ aperture, 5σ detection limit) are UAB=25.65, BAB=25.54, VAB=25.18, RAB = 24.8 and IAB =24.12 mag, consistent with those proposed in the original survey design. The paper describes the observations and data reduction using the EIS Data Reduction System and its associated EIS/MVM library. The quality of the individual images were inspected, bad images discarded and the remaining used to produce final image stacks in each passband, from which sources have been extracted. Finally, the scientific quality of these final images and associated catalogs was assessed qualitatively by visual inspection and quantitatively by comparison of statistical measures derived from these data with those of other authors as well as model predictions, and from direct comparison with the results obtained from the reduction of the same dataset using an independent (hands-on) software system. Finally to illustrate one application of this survey, the results of a preliminary effort to identify sub-mJy radio sources are reported. To the limiting magnitude reached in the R and I passbands the success rate ranges from 66 to 81% (depending on the fields). These data are publicly available at CDS. Based on observations carried out at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile under program Nos. 164.O-0561, 169.A-0725, and 267.A-5729. Appendices A, B and C are only available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Czech Republic to Become Member of ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2006-12-01

Albert Einstein stayed in the famous city for periods of time. The Czech capital also played host to the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, first in 1967 and, more recently, in August 2006. Astronomy in the Czech Republic is shared between the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences and several leading universities, in Prague, Brno and Opava, among others. The Astronomical Institute operates the Ondrejov Observatory, with a 2-m optical telescope and a 10-m radio telescope. Czech astronomers are very active in many fields of this science, such as solar and stellar physics, and the study of interstellar matter, galaxies and planetary systems. Created in 1962, ESO, which quite fittingly means 'ace' in the Czech language, provides state-of-the-art research facilities to European astronomers and astrophysicists. ESO's activities cover a wide spectrum including the design and construction of world-class ground-based observational facilities for the member-state scientists, large telescope projects, design of innovative scientific instruments, developing new and advanced technologies, furthering European co-operation and carrying out European educational programmes. Whilst the Headquarters are located in Garching near Munich, Germany, ESO operates three observational sites in the Chilean Atacama desert. The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is located on Paranal, a 2 600m high mountain south of Antofagasta. At La Silla, 600 km north of Santiago de Chile at 2 400m altitude, ESO operates several medium-sized optical telescopes. The third site is the 5 000m high Llano de Chajnantor, near San Pedro de Atacama. Here a new submillimetre telescope (APEX) is in operation, and a giant array of 12-m submillimetre antennas (ALMA) is under development. Over 1 600 proposals are made each year for the use of the ESO telescopes.

ESO Reflex: A Graphical Workflow Engine for Data Reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hook, R.; Romaniello, M.; Péron, M.; Ballester, P.; Gabasch, A.; Izzo, C.; Ullgrén, M.; Maisala, S.; Oittinen, T.; Solin, O.; Savolainen, V.; Järveläinen, P.; Tyynelä, J.

2008-08-01

Sampo {http://www.eso.org/sampo} (Hook et al. 2005) is a project led by ESO and conducted by a software development team from Finland as an in-kind contribution to joining ESO. The goal is to assess the needs of the ESO community in the area of data reduction environments and to create pilot software products that illustrate critical steps along the road to a new system. Those prototypes will not only be used to validate concepts and understand requirements but will also be tools of immediate value for the community. Most of the raw data produced by ESO instruments can be reduced using CPL {http://www.eso.org/cpl} recipes: compiled C programs following an ESO standard and utilizing routines provided by the Common Pipeline Library. Currently reduction recipes are run in batch mode as part of the data flow system to generate the input to the ESO VLT/VLTI quality control process and are also made public for external users. Sampo has developed a prototype application called ESO Reflex {http://www.eso.org/sampo/reflex/} that integrates a graphical user interface and existing data reduction algorithms. ESO Reflex can invoke CPL-based recipes in a flexible way through a dedicated interface. ESO Reflex is based on the graphical workflow engine Taverna {http://taverna.sourceforge.net} that was originally developed by the UK eScience community, mostly for work in the life sciences. Workflows have been created so far for three VLT/VLTI instrument modes ( VIMOS/IFU {http://www.eso.org/instruments/vimos/}, FORS spectroscopy {http://www.eso.org/instruments/fors/} and AMBER {http://www.eso.org/instruments/amber/}), and the easy-to-use GUI allows the user to make changes to these or create workflows of their own. Python scripts and IDL procedures can be easily brought into workflows and a variety of visualisation and display options, including custom product inspection and validation steps, are available.

The Near and Far-IR SEDs of Spitzer GTO ULIRGs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, Jason; Armus, Lee; Spoon, Henrik

2008-03-01

Spectra of a sample of 109 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) have been obtained as part of the Spitzer IRS GTO program, providing a dataset with which to study the underlying obscured energy source(s) (i.e., AGN and/or starburst activity) powering ULIRGs in the local universe, and providing insight into the high-redshift infrared-luminous galaxies responsible for the bulk of the star-formation energy density at z = 2-3. As part of this effort, we have developed the CAFE spectral energy distribution decomposition tool to analyze the UV to sub-mm SEDs of these galaxies (including their IRS spectra). Sufficient photometry for these decompositions exists for approximately half of the GTO ULIRGs. However, we lack crucial data for the other half of the sample in either or both the 2-5 micron gap between the near-IR passbands and the start of the IRS wavelength coverage and the far-IR beyond 100 microns. These spectral regions provide critical constraints on the amount of hot dust near the dust sublimation temperature (indicating the presence of an AGN) and the total luminosity and mass of dust in the galaxy (dominated by the coldest dust emitting at far-IR wavelengths). We therefore propose to obtain IRAC observations in all channels and MIPS observations at 70 and 160 microns for the 37 and 17 GTO ULIRGs lacking data in these wavelength ranges, respectively. Considering its very low cost of 7.3 total hours of observation, the scientific return from this program is enormous: nearly doubling the number of GTO ULIRGs with full spectral coverage, and completing a dataset that is sure to be an invaluable resource well beyond the lifetime of Spitzer.

Near-IR and CP-OCT Imaging of Suspected Occlusal Caries Lesions

PubMed Central

Simon, Jacob C.; Kang, Hobin; Staninec, Michal; Jang, Andrew T.; Chan, Kenneth H.; Darling, Cynthia L.; Lee, Robert C.; Fried, Daniel

2017-01-01

Introduction Radiographic methods have poor sensitivity for occlusal lesions and by the time the lesions are radiolucent they have typically progressed deep into the dentin. New more sensitive imaging methods are needed to detect occlusal lesions. In this study, cross-polarization optical coherence tomography (CP-OCT) and near-IR imaging were used to image questionable occlusal lesions (QOC's) that were not visible on radiographs but had been scheduled for restoration on 30 test subjects. Methods Near-IR reflectance and transillumination probes incorporating a high definition InGaAs camera and near-IR broadband light sources were used to acquire images of the lesions before restoration. The reflectance probe utilized cross-polarization and operated at wavelengths from 1500–1700-nm where there is an increase in water absorption for higher contrast. The transillumination probe was operated at 1300-nm where the transparency of enamel is highest. Tomographic images (6×6×7 mm3) of the lesions were acquired using a high-speed swept-source CP-OCT system operating at 1300-nm before and after removal of the suspected lesion. Results Near-IR reflectance imaging at 1500–1700-nm yielded significantly higher contrast (p<0.05) of the demineralization in the occlusal grooves compared with visible reflectance imaging. Stains in the occlusal grooves greatly reduced the lesion contrast in the visible range yielding negative values. Only half of the 26 lesions analyzed showed the characteristic surface demineralization and increased reflectivity below the dentinal-enamel junction (DEJ) in 3D OCT images indicative of penetration of the lesion into the dentin. Conclusion This study demonstrates that near-IR imaging methods have great potential for improving the early diagnosis of occlusal lesions. PMID:28339115

Relations Between Chile and ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1994-06-01

As announced in an earlier Press Release (PR 08/94 of 6 May 1994), a high-ranking ESO delegation visited Santiago de Chile during the week of 24 - 28 May 1994 to discuss various important matters of mutual interest with the Chilean Government. It consisted of Dr. Peter Creola (President of ESO Council), Dr. Catherine Cesarsky (Vice-President of ESO Council), Dr. Henrik Grage (Former Vice-President of ESO Council) and Professor Riccardo Giacconi (ESO Director General), the latter accompanied by his advisers. THE SUPPLEMENTARY TREATY BETWEEN CHILE AND ESO Following a meeting with the ambassadors to Chile of the eight ESO member countries, the ESO delegation was received by the Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carlos Figueroa, and members of his staff. The ESO delegation was pleased to receive assurances that the present Chilean Government, like its predecessors, will continue to honour all contractual agreements, in particular the privileges and immunities of this Organisation, which were laid down in the Treaty between ESO and Chile that was signed by the parties in 1963 and ratified the following year. The discussions covered some aspects of the proposed Supplementary Treaty which has been under preparation during the past year. This included in particular the desire of the Chilean side to further increase the percentage of guaranteed time for Chilean astronomers at the future ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) and also the rules governing the installation by ESO member countries of additional telescopes at the ESO observatories in Chile. ESO invited a Chilean delegation to visit the ESO Headquarters in Garching (Germany) later this year for the final adjustment of the text of the Supplementary Treaty, after which it should be possible to proceed rapidly with the signing and ratification by the Chilean Parliament and the ESO Council. THE SITUATION AROUND PARANAL The ESO delegation expressed its deep concern to the Chilean Government about the continuing legal

Attenuation of near-IR light through dentin at wavelengths from 1300–1650-nm

PubMed Central

Chan, Andrew C.; Darling, Cynthia L.; Chan, Kenneth H.; Fried, Daniel

2014-01-01

Light scattering in dental enamel decreases markedly from the UV to the near-IR and recent studies employing near-IR transillumination and reflectance imaging including optical coherence tomography indicate that this wavelength region is ideally suited for imaging dental caries due to the high transparency of enamel. The opacity of dentin is an important factor in optimizing the contrast of demineralization in reflectance measurements. It also influences the contrast of occlusal lesions in transillumination. Light scattering in dentin is an order of magnitude larger than in enamel, it is highly anisotropic and has a different spectral light scattering dependence than enamel. The objective of this study was to measure the optical attenuation of near-IR light through dentin at near-IR wavelengths from 1300–1650-nm. In this study the collimated transmission of near-IR light through polished thin sections of dentin of 0.05 to 0.6 mm thickness was measured. Beer-Lambert plots show that the attenuation coefficients range in magnitude from 20 to 40 cm−1. Attenuation increased significantly with increasing wavelength and the increases were not entirely consistent with increased water absorption. PMID:24839373

President of Czech Republic visits ESO's Paranal Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2011-04-01

, Czech representative at the ESO Council. After the opening of the telescopes, President Klaus had the opportunity to enjoy the spectacular sunset over the Pacific Ocean from the VLT platform. Then he visited the VLT control room, which operates the four Unit Telescopes and the VLT Interferometer (VLTI). Here, the President took part in the start of observations from the console of one of the VLT Unit telescopes. More information ESO, the European Southern Observatory, is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive astronomical observatory. It is supported by 15 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory and VISTA, the world's largest survey telescope. ESO is the European partner of a revolutionary astronomical telescope ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. ESO is currently planning a 42-metre European Extremely Large optical/near-infrared Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky".

ESO PR Highlights in 2005

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2006-01-01

2005 was the year of Physics. It was thus also in part the year of astronomy and this is clearly illustrated by the numerous breakthroughs that were achieved, in particular using ESO's telescopes. One of the highlights was without any doubt the confirmation of the first image of an exoplanet , around the star 2M1207 (see ESO PR 12/05). ESO's telescopes also found a Neptune-mass exoplanet around a small star ( PR 30/05) - a discovery that proves crucial in the census of other planetary systems, and imaged a tiny companion in the close vicinity of the star GQ Lupi, a very young object still surrounded by a disc, with an age between 100,000 and 2 million years ( PR 09/05). Moreover, using a new high-contrast adaptive optics camera on the VLT, the NACO Simultaneous Differential Imager, or NACO SDI, astronomers were able for the first time to image a companion 120 times fainter than its star , very near the star AB Doradus A. This companion appears to be almost twice as heavy as theory predicts it to be ( PR 02/05). ESO's telescopes proved very useful in helping to solve a 30-year old puzzle . Astronomers have for the first time observed the visible light from a short gamma-ray burst (GRB). Using the 1.5m Danish telescope at La Silla (Chile), they showed that these short, intense bursts of gamma-ray emission most likely originate from the violent collision of two merging neutron stars ( PR 26/05). Additional evidence came from witnessing another event with the VLT ( PR 32/05). Also in this field, astronomers found the farthest known gamma-ray burst with ESO's VLT, observing an object with a redshift 6.3, i.e. that is seen when the Universe was less than 900 million years old ( PR 22/05). On July 4, NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft plunged onto Comet 9P/Tempel 1 with the aim to create a crater and expose pristine material from beneath the surface. For two days before and six days after, all major ESO telescopes have been observing the comet, in a coordinated fashion and in

NEAR: Low-mass Planets in α Cen with VISIR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasper, M.; Arsenault, R.; Käufl, H.-U.; Jakob, G.; Fuenteseca, E.; Riquelme, M.; Siebenmorgen, R.; Sterzik, M.; Zins, G.; Ageorges, N.; Gutruf, S.; Reutlinger, A.; Kampf, D.; Absil, O.; Carlomagno, B.; Guyon, O.; Klupar, P.; Mawet, D.; Ruane, G.; Karlsson, M.; Pantin, E.; Dohlen, K.

2017-09-01

ESO, in collaboration with the Breakthrough Initiatives, is working to modify the Very Large Telescope mid-IR imager (VISIR) to greatly enhance its ability to search for potentially habitable planets around both components of the binary Alpha Centauri, part of the closest stellar system to the Earth. Much of the funding for the NEAR (New Earths in the Alpha Cen Region) project is provided by the Breakthrough Initiatives, and ESO mostly provides staff and observing time. The concept combines adaptive optics using the deformable secondary mirror at Unit Telescope 4, a new annular groove phase mask (AGPM) coronagraph optimised for the most sensitive spectral bandpass in the N-band, and a novel internal chopper system for noise filtering based on a concept for longer wavelengths invented by the microwave pioneer Robert Dicke. The NEAR experiment is relevant to the mid-infrared METIS instrument on the Extremely Large Telescope, as the knowledge gained and proof of concept will be transferable.

A review of visible, near-IR, and mid-IR transitions in rare-earth doped glass waveguides for remote sensing and LIDAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jha, Animesh

2006-12-01

In the review article we explain the recent investigations on rare-earth doped glass and optical fibres for designing lasers which may be suitable for remote sensing and LIDAR applications. The paper explains the importance of engineering efficient lasing transitions in visible (480-650 nm) for generating UV lasers via one-stage harmonic generation. Besides visible transitions, we also demonstrate the transitions in near- and mid-IR via near-IR pumping scheme.

Finland to Join ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2004-03-01

Finland will become the eleventh member state of the European Southern Observatory. In a ceremony at the ESO Headquarters in Garching on 9 February 2004, an Agreement to this effect was signed by the Finnish Minister of Education and Science, Ms. Tuula Haatainen and the ESO Director General, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky, in the presence of other high officials from Finland and the ESO member states.

News from the ESO Science Archive Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobrzycki, A.; Arnaboldi, M.; Bierwirth, T.; Boelter, M.; Da Rocha, C.; Delmotte, N.; Forchì, V.; Fourniol, N.; klein Gebbinck, M.; Lange, U.; Mascetti, L.; Micol, A.; Moins, C.; Munte, C.; Pluciennik, C.; Retzlaff, J.; Romaniello, M.; Rosse, N.; Sequeiros, I. V.; Vuong, M.-H.; Zampieri, S.

2015-09-01

ESO Science Archive Facility (SAF) - one of the world's biggest astronomical archives - combines two roles: operational (ingest, tallying, safekeeping and distribution to observers of raw data taken with ESO telescopes and processed data generated both internally and externally) and scientific (publication and delivery of all flavours of data to external users). This paper presents the “State of the SAF.” SAF, as a living entity, is constantly implementing new services and upgrading the existing ones. We present recent and future developments related to the Archive's Request Handler and metadata handling as well as performance and usage statistics and trends. We also discuss the current and future datasets on offer at SAF.

Austria Declares Intent To Join ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2008-04-01

At a press conference today at the University of Vienna's Observatory, the Austrian Science Minister Johannes Hahn announced the decision by the Austrian Government to seek membership of ESO from 1 July this year. ESO PR Photo 11/08 ESO PR Photo 11/08 Announcing Austria's Intent to Join ESO Said Minister Hahn: "With membership of ESO, Austria's scientists will receive direct access to the world's leading infrastructure in astronomy. This strengthens Austria as a place for research and provides an opportunity for young researchers to continue their work from here. With this move, Austria takes an important step in the reinforcement of Europe's science and research infrastructure." The decision constitutes a major breakthrough for Austrian scientists who have argued for membership of ESO for many years. Seeking membership in ESO also marks a step towards the further development of the European Research and Innovation Area, an important element of Europe's so-called Lisbon Strategy. "ESO welcomes the Austrian bid to join our organisation. I salute the Austrian Government for taking this important step and look forward to working closely with our Austrian friends and colleagues in the years to come," commented the ESO Director General, Tim de Zeeuw. For Austrian astronomers, ESO membership means not only unrestricted access to ESO's world-leading observational facilities including the world's most advanced optical telescope, the Very Large Telescope, and full participation in the quasi-global ALMA project, but also the possibility to participate on a par with their European colleagues in the future projects of ESO, including the realisation of ESO's Extremely Large Telescope project (E-ELT), which is currently in the design phase. All these projects require some of the most advanced technologies in key areas such as optics, detectors, lightweight structures, etc. Austrian participation in ESO opens the door for Austrian industry and major research institutes of the

Near-IR Light-Cleavable Antibody Conjugates and Conjugate Precursors | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

Cancer.gov

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) developed novel groups of cyanine (Cy) based antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) chemical linkers that undergo photolytic cleavage upon irradiation with near-IR light. By using the fluorescent properties of the Cy linker to monitor localization of the ADC, and subsequent near-IR irradiation of cancerous tissue, drug release could be confined to the tumor microenvironment.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: KiDS-ESO-DR3 multi-band source catalog (de Jong+, 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Jong, J. T. A.; Verdoes Kleijn, G. A.; Erben, T.; Hildebrandt, H.; Kuijken, K.; Sikkema, G.; Brescia, M.; Bilicki, M.; Napolitano, N. R.; Amaro, V.; Begeman, K. G.; Boxhoorn, D. R.; Buddelmeijer, H.; Cavuoti, S.; Getman, F.; Grado, A.; Helmich, E.; Huang, Z.; Irisarri, N.; La Barbera, F.; Longo, G.; McFarland, J. P.; Nakajima, R.; Paolillo, M.; Puddu, E.; Radovich, M.; Rifatto, A.; Tortora, C; Valentijn, E. A.; Vellucci, C.; Vriend, W-J.; Amon, A.; Blake, C.; Choi, A.; Fenech, Conti I.; Herbonnet, R.; Heymans, C.; Hoekstra, H.; Klaes, D.; Merten, J.; Miller, L.; Schneider, P.; Viola, M.

2017-04-01

KiDS-ESO-DR3 contains a multi-band source catalogue encompassing all publicly released tiles, a total of 440 survey tiles including the coadded images, weight maps, masks and source lists of 292 survey tiles of KiDS-ESO-DR3, adding to the 148 tiles released previously (50 in KiDS-ESO-DR1 and 98 in KiDS-ESO-DR2). (1 data file).

Near-IR Image-Guided Laser Ablation of Demineralization on Tooth Occlusal Surfaces

PubMed Central

Tom, Henry; Chan, Kenneth H.; Darling, Cynthia L.; Fried, Daniel

2016-01-01

Introduction Studies have shown that reflectance images at near-IR wavelengths coincident with higher water absorption are well-suited for image-guided laser ablation of carious lesions since the contrast between sound and demineralized enamel is extremely high and interference from stains is minimized. The objective of this study was to demonstrate that near-IR reflectance images taken at a wavelength range of 1,500–1,700 nm can be used to guide a 9.3 μm CO2 laser for the selective ablation of early demineralization on tooth occlusal surfaces. Methods The occlusal surfaces of ten sound human molars were used in this in vitro study. Shallow simulated caries lesions with random patterns and varying depth and position were produced on tooth occlusal surfaces. Sequential near-IR reflectance images at 1,500–1,700 nm were used to guide the laser for the selective removal of the demineralized enamel. Digital microscopy and polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) were used to assess selectivity. Results Images taken before and after lesion removal suggest that the demineralized areas were removed with high selectivity. Although the estimated volume of tissue ablated was typically higher than the initial lesion volume measured with PS-OCT, the volume of enamel removed by the laser correlated well with the initial lesion volume. Conclusion Sequential near-IR reflectance images at 1,500–1,700 nm can be used to guide a 9.3 μm CO2 laser for the selective ablation of early demineralization on tooth occlusal surfaces. PMID:26763111

ESO Director General to Become President of AUI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1998-11-01

The appointment of Professor Riccardo Giacconi , Director General of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) since January 1, 1993, to the Presidency of Associated Universities, Inc. ( AUI ) in the USA, has been jointly announced by Professor Paul C. Martin, Chair of AUI's Board of Trustees and Mr. Henrik Grage, President of the ESO Council. Professor Giacconi will assume this new position at the end of his term at ESO as of July 1, 1999. AUI is a not-for-profit science management corporation that operates the National Radio Astronomy Observatory ( NRAO) under a Cooperative Agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF). Corporate headquarters are located in Washington, D.C. The President is its chief executive officer. Nine northeastern universities joined in founding AUI in 1946: Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University, The Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, the University of Rochester, and Yale University. Over the years, AUI has taken on a broad national character with a diversified Board of Trustees from universities and other institutions across the United States. ESO is an intergovernmental organization, at present with the following member countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. Portugal has an agreement with ESO aiming at full membership. ESO was founded in 1962 to establish and operate an astronomical observatory in the southern hemisphere and to promote and organize co-operation in astronomical research in Europe. While the ESO Headquarters are situated in Europe, the observing facilities are located in Chile (South America). The organization's main administrative and technical departments are located at the ESO Headquarters, in Garching near Munich, Germany. They include a number of highly specialized facilities, e.g. the optical, infrared, detector and instrumentation laboratories, all

Theoretical Near-IR Spectra for Surface Abundance Studies of Massive Stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sonneborn, George; Bouret, J.

2011-01-01

We present initial results of a study of abundance and mass loss properties of O-type stars based on theoretical near-IR spectra computed with state-of-the-art stellar atmosphere models. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be a powerful tool to obtain high signal-to-noise ratio near-IR (1-5 micron) spectra of massive stars in different environments of local galaxies. Our goal is to analyze model near-IR spectra corresponding to those expected from NIRspec on JWST in order to map the wind properties and surface composition across the parameter range of 0 stars and to determine projected rotational velocities. As a massive star evolves, internal coupling, related mixing, and mass loss impact its intrinsic rotation rate. These three parameters form an intricate loop, where enhanced rotation leads to more mixing which in turn changes the mass loss rate, the latter thus affecting the rotation rate. Since the effects of rotation are expected to be much more pronounced at low metallicity, we pay special attention to models for massive stars in the the Small Magellanic Cloud. This galaxy provides a unique opportunity to probe stellar evolution, and the feedback of massive stars on galactic evol.ution in conditions similar to the epoch of maximal star formation. Plain-Language Abstract: We present initial results of a study of abundance and mass loss properties of massive stars based on theoretical near-infrared (1-5 micron) spectra computed with state-of-the-art stellar atmosphere models. This study is to prepare for observations by the James Webb Space Telescope.

UK Announces Intention to Join ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2000-11-01

Summary The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) , the UK's strategic science investment agency, today announced that the government of the United Kingdom is making funds available that provide a baseline for this country to join the European Southern Observatory (ESO) . The ESO Director General, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky , and the ESO Community warmly welcome this move towards fuller integration in European astronomy. "With the UK as a potential member country of ESO, our joint opportunities for front-line research and technology will grow significantly", she said. "This announcement is a clear sign of confidence in ESO's abilities, most recently demonstrated with the construction and operation of the unique Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Paranal. Together we will look forward with confidence towards new, exciting projects in ground-based astronomy." It was decided earlier this year to place the 4-m UK Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope (VISTA) at Paranal, cf. ESO Press Release 03/00. Following negotiations between ESO and PPARC, a detailed proposal for the associated UK/ESO Agreement with the various entry modalities will now be presented to the ESO Council for approval. Before this Agreement can enter into force, the ESO Convention and associated protocols must also be ratified by the UK Parliament. Research and key technologies According to the PPARC press release, increased funding for science, announced by the UK government today, will enable UK astronomers to prepare for the next generation of telescopes and expand their current telescope portfolio through membership of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The uplift to its baseline budget will enable PPARC to enter into final negotiations for UK membership of the ESO. This will ensure that UK astronomers, together with their colleagues in the ESO member states, are actively involved in global scale preparations for the next generation of astronomy facilities. among these are ALMA

Photo-Redox Activated Drug Delivery Systems Operating Under Two Photon Excitation in the Near-IR

PubMed Central

Guardado-Alvarez, Tania M.; Devi, Lekshmi Sudha; Vabre, Jean-Marie; Pecorelli, Travis; Schwartz, Benjamin J.; Durand, Jean-Olivier; Mongin, Olivier; Blanchard-Desce, Mireille; Zink, Jeffrey I.

2014-01-01

We report the design and synthesis of a nano-container consisting of mesoporous silica nanoparticles with the pore openings covered by “snap-top” caps that are opened by near-IR light. A photo transducer molecule that is a reducing agent in an excited electronic state is covalently attached to the system. Near IR two-photon excitation causes inter-molecular electron transfer that reduces a disulfide bond holding the cap in place, thus allowing the cargo molecules to escape. We describe the operation of the “snap-top” release mechanism by both one- and two-photon activation. This system presents a proof of concept of a near-IR photoredox-induced nanoparticle delivery system that may lead to a new type of photodynamic drug release therapy. PMID:24647752

Photo-redox activated drug delivery systems operating under two photon excitation in the near-IR.

PubMed

Guardado-Alvarez, Tania M; Devi, Lekshmi Sudha; Vabre, Jean-Marie; Pecorelli, Travis A; Schwartz, Benjamin J; Durand, Jean-Olivier; Mongin, Olivier; Blanchard-Desce, Mireille; Zink, Jeffrey I

2014-05-07

We report the design and synthesis of a nano-container consisting of mesoporous silica nanoparticles with the pore openings covered by "snap-top" caps that are opened by near-IR light. A photo transducer molecule that is a reducing agent in an excited electronic state is covalently attached to the system. Near IR two-photon excitation causes inter-molecular electron transfer that reduces a disulfide bond holding the cap in place, thus allowing the cargo molecules to escape. We describe the operation of the "snap-top" release mechanism by both one- and two-photon activation. This system presents a proof of concept of a near-IR photoredox-induced nanoparticle delivery system that may lead to a new type of photodynamic drug release therapy.

Methane Line Intensities: Near and Far IR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Linda R.; Devi, V. Malathy; Wishnow, Edward H.; Sung, Keeyoon; Crawford, Timothy J.; Mantz, Arlan W.; Smith, Mary Ann H.; Predoi-Cross, Adriana; Benner, D. Chris

2014-11-01

Accurate knowledge of line intensities is crucial input for radiance calculations to interpret atmospheric observations of planets and moons. We have therefore undertaken extensive laboratory studies to measure the methane spectrum line-by-line in order to improve theoretical quantum mechanical modeling for molecular spectroscopy databases (e. g. HITRAN and GEISA) used by planetary astronomers. Preliminary results will be presented for selected ro-vibrational transitions in both the near-IR (1.66 and 2.2 - 2.4 microns) and the far-IR (80 - 120 microns) regions. For this, we have recorded high-resolution spectra (instrumental resolving power: 1,300,000 (NIR) and 10,000 (FIR)) with the Bruker 125HR Fourier transform spectrometer at JPL using isotopically-enriched 12CH4 and 13CH4, as well as normal methane samples. For the NIR wavelengths, three different absorption cells have been employed to achieve sample temperatures ranging from 78 K to 299 K: 1) a White cell set to a path length of 13.09 m for room temperature data, 2) a single-pass 0.2038 m cold cell and 3) a new coolable Herriott cell with a fixed 20.941 m optical path and configured for the first time to a FT-IR spectrometer. For the Far-IR, another coolable absorption chamber set to a 52 m optical path has been used. These new experiments and intensity measurements will be presented and discussed.Part of the research described in this paper was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, the University of California, Berkeley, Connecticut College, and NASA Langley under contracts and grants with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. A. Predoi-Cross and her research group have been supported by the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Spain to Join ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2006-03-01

On 13 February, at a ceremony in Madrid, an agreement was signed by the Spanish Minister of Education and Science, Mrs. María Jesús San Segundo, and the ESO Director General, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky, affirming their commitment to securing Spanish membership of ESO.

ESO Council Decides to Continue VLT Project at Paranal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1994-08-01

The Council [1] of the European Southern Observatory has met in extraordinary session at the ESO Headquarters in Garching near Munich on August 8 and 9, 1994. The main agenda items were concerned with the recent developments around ESO's relations with the host state, the Republic of Chile, as well as the status of the organisation's main project, the 16-metre equivalent Very Large Telescope (VLT) which will become the world's largest optical telescope. Council had decided to hold this special meeting [2] because of various uncertainties that have arisen in connection with the implementation of the VLT Project at Cerro Paranal, approx. 130 kilometres south of Antofagasta, capital of the II Region in Chile. Following continued consultations at different levels within the ESO member states and after careful consideration of all aspects of the current situation - including various supportive actions by the Chilean Government as well as the incessive attacks against this international organisation from certain sides reported in the media in that country - Council took the important decision to continue the construction of the VLT Observatory at Paranal, while at the same time requesting the ESO Management to pursue the ongoing studies of alternative solutions. THE COUNCIL DECISIONS In particular, the ESO Council took note of recent positive developments which have occurred since the May 1994 round of discussions with the Chilean authorities in Santiago. The confirmation of ESO's immunities as an International Organization in Chile, contained in a number of important statements and documents, is considered a significant step by the Chilean Government to insure to ESO the unhindered erection and later operation of the VLT on Paranal. Under these circumstances and in order to maintain progress on the VLT project, the ESO Council authorized the ESO Management to continue the on-site work at Paranal. Council also took note of the desire expressed by the Chilean Government

United Kingdom to Join ESO on July 1, 2002

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2001-12-01

ESO and PPARC Councils Endorse Terms of Accession [1] The Councils of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) , at their respective meetings on December 3 and 5, 2001, have endorsed the terms for UK membership of ESO, as recently agreed by their Negotiating Teams. All members of the Councils - the governing bodies of the two organisations - welcomed the positive spirit in which the extensive negotiations had been conducted and expressed great satisfaction at the successful outcome of a complex process. The formal procedure of accession will now commence in the UK and is expected to be achieved in good time to allow accession from July 2002. The European Southern Observatory is the main European organisation for astronomy and the United Kingdom will become its tenth member state [2]. ESO operates two major observatories in the Chilean Atacama desert where the conditions for astronomical observations are second-to-none on earth and it has recently put into operation the world's foremost optical/infrared telescope, the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at Paranal. With UK membership, British astronomers will join their European colleagues in preparing new projects now being planned on a global scale. They will also be able to pursue their research on some of the most powerful astronomical instruments available. The ESO Director General, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky , is "delighted that we have come this far after the lengthy negotiations needed to prepare properly the admission of another major European country to our organisation. When ESO was created nearly 40 years ago, the UK was planning for its own facilities in the southern hemisphere, in collaboration with Australia, and decided not to join. However, the impressive scientific and technological advances since then and ESOs emergence as a prime player on the European research scene have convinced our UK colleagues of the great advantages of presenting a

Metallo-Phthalocyanine Near-IR Fluorophores: Oligonucleotide Conjugates and Their Applications in PCR Assays

PubMed Central

Nesterova, Irina V.; Verdree, Vera T.; Pakhomov, Serhii; Strickler, Karen L.; Allen, Michael W.; Hammer, Robert P.; Soper, Steven A.

2011-01-01

Water soluble, metallo-pthalocyanine (MPc) near-IR fluorophores were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as highly stable and sensitive reporters for fluorescence assays. Their conjugation to oligonucleotides was achieved via succinimidyl ester-amino coupling chemistry with the conditions for conjugation extensively examined and optimized. In addition, various conjugate purification and isolation techniques were evaluated as well. Results showed that under proper conditions and following purification using reverse-phase ion-pair chromatography, labeling efficiencies near 80% could be achieved using ZnPc (Zn phthalocyanine) as the labeling fluorophore. Absorption and fluorescence spectra accumulated for the conjugates indicated that the intrinsic fluorescence properties of the MPc’s were not significantly altered by covalent attachment to oligonucleotides. As an example of the utility of MPc reporters, we used the MPc–oligonucleotide conjugates as primers for PCR (polymerase chain reaction) amplifications with the products sorted via electrophoresis and detected using near-IR fluorescence (λex = 680 nm). The MPc dyes were found to be more chemically stable under typical thermal cycling conditions used for PCR compared to the carbocyanine-based near-IR reporter systems typically used and produced single and narrow bands in the electrophoretic traces, indicative of producing a single PCR product during amplification. PMID:18030995

Wavelength dependence of ocular damage thresholds in the near-ir to far-ir transition region: proposed revisions to MPES.

PubMed

Zuclich, Joseph A; Lund, David J; Stuck, Bruce E

2007-01-01

This report summarizes the results of a series of infrared (IR) laser-induced ocular damage studies conducted over the past decade. The studies examined retinal, lens, and corneal effects of laser exposures in the near-IR to far-IR transition region (wavelengths from 1.3-1.4 mum with exposure durations ranging from Q-switched to continuous wave). The corneal and retinal damage thresholds are tabulated for all pulsewidth regimes, and the wavelength dependence of the IR thresholds is discussed and contrasted to laser safety standard maximum permissible exposure limits. The analysis suggests that the current maximum permissible exposure limits could be beneficially revised to (1) relax the IR limits over wavelength ranges where unusually high safety margins may unintentionally hinder applications of recently developed military and telecommunications laser systems; (2) replace step-function discontinuities in the IR limits by continuously varying analytical functions of wavelength and pulsewidth which more closely follow the trends of the experimental retinal (for point-source laser exposures) and corneal ED50 threshold data; and (3) result in an overall simplification of the permissible exposure limits over the wavelength range from 1.2-2.6 mum. A specific proposal for amending the IR maximum permissible exposure limits over this wavelength range is presented.

Near-IR spectral evolution of dusty starburst galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lançon, Ariane; Rocca-Volmerange, Brigitte

1996-11-01

We propose a multicomponent analysis of starburst galaxies, based on a model that takes into account the young and evolved stellar components and the gas emission, with their respective extinction, in the frame of a coherent dust distribution pattern. Near-IR signatures are preferentially investigated, in order to penetrate as deep as possible into the dusty starburst cores. We computed the 1.4-2.5 μm spectra of synthetic stellar populations evolving through strong, short timescale bursts of star formation (continuum and lines, R ≃ 500). The evolution model is specifically sensitive to cool stellar populations (AGB and red supergiant stars). It takes advantage of the stellar library of Lançon & Rocca-Volmerange (1992) [A&ASS, 96, 593], observed with the same instrument (FTS/CFHT) as the analysed galaxy sample, so that the instrumental effects are minimised. The main near-IR observable constraints are the molecular signatures of CO and H2O and the slope of the continuum, observed over a range exceptionally broad for spectroscopic data. The H - K colour determined from the spectra measures the intrinsic stellar energy distribution but also differential extinction, which is further constrained by optical emission line ratios. Other observational constraints are the near-IR emission lines (Brγ, He I 2.06 μm, [Fe II] 1.64 μm, H2 2.12 μm) and the far-IR luminosity. The coherence of the results relies on the interpretation in terms of stellar populations from which all observable properties are derived, so that the link between the various wavelength ranges is secured. The luminosity LK is used for the absolute calibration. We apply this approach to the typical spectrum of the core of NGC 1614. Consistent solutions for the starburst characteristics (star-formation rate, IMF, burst age, morphology) are found and the role of each observational constraint in deriving satisfactory models is extensively discussed. The acceptable contamination of the K band light by the

ESO's First Observatory Celebrates 40th Anniversary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2009-03-01

ESO's La Silla Observatory, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, became the largest astronomical observatory of its time. It led Europe to the frontline of astronomical research, and is still one of the most scientifically productive in ground-based astronomy. ESO PR Photo 12a/09 La Silla Aerial View ESO PR Photo 12b/09 The ESO New Technology Telescope ESO PR Photo 12c/09 SEST on La Silla ESO PR Photo 12d/09 Looking for the best site ESO PR Video 12a/09 ESOcast 5 With about 300 refereed publications attributable to the work of the observatory per year, La Silla remains at the forefront of astronomy. It has led to an enormous number of scientific discoveries, including several "firsts". The HARPS spectrograph is the world's foremost exoplanet hunter. It detected the system around Gliese 581, which contains what may be the first known rocky planet in a habitable zone, outside the Solar System (ESO 22/07). Several telescopes at La Silla played a crucial role in discovering that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating (ESO 21/98) and in linking gamma-ray bursts -- the most energetic explosions in the Universe since the Big Bang - with the explosions of massive stars (ESO 15/98). Since 1987, the ESO La Silla Observatory has also played an important role in the study and follow-up of the nearest supernova, SN 1987A (ESO 08/07). "The La Silla Observatory continues to offer the astronomical community exceptional capabilities," says ESO Director General, Tim de Zeeuw. "It was ESO's first presence in Chile and as such, it triggered a very long and fruitful collaboration with this country and its scientific community." The La Silla Observatory is located at the edge of the Chilean Atacama Desert, one of the driest and loneliest areas of the world. Like other observatories in this geographical area, La Silla is located far from sources of polluting light and, as the Paranal Observatory that houses the Very Large Telescope, it has one of the darkest and clearest

Extended Near-IR Spectra of NGC 1068

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martins, Lucimara; Ardila, Alberto; Gruenwald, Ruth; de Souza, Ronaldo

2010-05-01

NGC 1068 is a well-studied Seyfert type 2 AGN. Because of its proximity, it is one of the brightest Seyferts observed. Its nuclear region harbors a variety of astrophysical phenomena connected to physical conditions in the NLR and its emission lines. The relative importance of photoionization from the nucleus and shocks produced by jets has been long debated. To help resolve this controversy, we have carried out long-slit spectroscopy in the near-IR and present here for the first time spectroscopy of the whole range from 0.8 to 2.4 μm for this galaxy over 15″ in the nuclear region.

Report on the 2009 ESO Fellows Symposium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emsellem, Eric; West, Michael; Leibundgut, Bruno

2009-09-01

The fourth ESO Fellows Symposium took place in Garching from 8-10 June 2009. This year's symposium brought together 28 ESO Fellows from Chile and Germany to meet their colleagues from across the ocean, discuss their research and provide feedback on ESO's Fellowship programme. This year's symposium also included training workshops to enhance the practical skills of ESO Fellows in today's competitive job market.

Interpretation of the Near-IR Spectra of the Kuiper Belt Object

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eluszkiewicz, Janusz; Cady-Pereira, Karen; Brown, Michael E.; Stansberry, John A.

2007-01-01

Visible and near-IR observations of the Kuiper Belt Object (136472) 2005 FY(9) have indicated the presence of unusually long (1 cm or more) optical path lengths in a layer of methane ice. Using microphysical and radiative transfer modeling, we show that even at the frigid temperatures in the outer reaches of the solar system, a slab of low porosity methane ice can indeed form by pressureless sintering of micron-sized grains, and it can qualitatively reproduce the salient features of the measured spectra. A good semiquantitative match with the near-IR spectra can be obtained with a realistic slab model, provided the spectra are scaled to a visible albedo of 0.6, at the low end of the values currently estimated from Spitzer thermal measurements. Consistent with previous modeling studies, matching spectra scaled to higher albedos requires the incorporation of strong backscattering effects. The albedo may become better constrained through an iterative application of the slab model to the analysis of the thermal measurements from Spitzer and the visible/near-IR reflectance spectra. The slab interpretation offers two falsifiable predictions (1) Absence of an opposition surge, which is commonly attributed to the fluffiness of the optical surface. This prediction is best testable with a spacecraft, as Earth-based observations at true opposition will not be possible until early next century. (2) Unlikelihood of the simultaneous occurrence of very long spectroscopic path lengths in both methane and nitrogen ice on the surface of any Kuiper Belt Object, as the more volatile nitrogen would hinder densification in methane ice.

Selective laser ablation of carious lesions using simultaneous scanned near-IR diode and CO2 lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Kenneth H.; Fried, Daniel

2017-02-01

Previous studies have established that carious lesions can be imaged with high contrast using near-IR wavelengths coincident with high water absorption, namely 1450-nm, without the interference of stains. It has been demonstrated that computer-controlled laser scanning systems utilizing IR lasers operating at high pulse repetition rates can be used for serial imaging and selective removal of caries lesions. In this study, a point-to-point scanning system was developed integrating a 1450-nm diode laser with the CO2 ablation laser. This approach is advantageous since it does not require an expensive near-IR camera. In this pilot study, we demonstrate the feasibility of a combined NIR and IR laser system for the selective removal of carious lesions.

Selective Laser Ablation of Carious Lesions using Simultaneous Scanned Near-IR Diode and CO2 Lasers.

PubMed

Chan, Kenneth H; Fried, Daniel

2017-01-28

Previous studies have established that carious lesions can be imaged with high contrast using near-IR wavelengths coincident with high water absorption, namely 1450-nm, without the interference of stains. It has been demonstrated that computer-controlled laser scanning systems utilizing IR lasers operating at high pulse repetition rates can be used for serial imaging and selective removal of caries lesions. In this study, a point-to-point scanning system was developed integrating a 1450-nm diode laser with the CO 2 ablation laser. This approach is advantageous since it does not require an expensive near-IR camera. In this pilot study, we demonstrate the feasibility of a combined NIR and IR laser system for the selective removal of carious lesions.

Near-IR period-luminosity relations for pulsating stars in ω Centauri (NGC 5139)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navarrete, C.; Catelan, M.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Alonso-García, J.; Gran, F.; Dékány, I.; Minniti, D.

2017-08-01

Aims: The globular cluster ω Centauri (NGC 5139) hosts hundreds of pulsating variable stars of different types, thus representing a treasure trove for studies of their corresponding period-luminosity (PL) relations. Our goal in this study is to obtain the PL relations for RR Lyrae and SX Phoenicis stars in the field of the cluster, based on high-quality, well-sampled light curves in the near-infrared (IR). Methods: Observations were carried out using the VISTA InfraRed CAMera (VIRCAM) mounted on the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA). A total of 42 epochs in J and 100 epochs in KS were obtained, spanning 352 days. Point-spread function photometry was performed using DoPhot and DAOPHOT crowded-field photometry packages in the outer and inner regions of the cluster, respectively. Results: Based on the comprehensive catalog of near-IR light curves thus secured, PL relations were obtained for the different types of pulsators in the cluster, both in the J and KS bands. This includes the first PL relations in the near-IR for fundamental-mode SX Phoenicis stars. The near-IR magnitudes and periods of Type II Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars were used to derive an updated true distance modulus to the cluster, with a resulting value of (m - M)0 = 13.708 ± 0.035 ± 0.10 mag, where the error bars correspond to the adopted statistical and systematic errors, respectively. Adding the errors in quadrature, this is equivalent to a heliocentric distance of 5.52 ± 0.27 kpc. Based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile, with the VISTA telescope (project ID 087.D-0472, PI R. Angeloni).

CERN, ESA and ESO Launch "Physics On Stage"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2000-03-01

Physics is everywhere . The laws of physics govern the Universe, the Sun, the Earth and even our own lives. In today's rapidly developing society, we are becoming increasingly dependent on high technology - computers, transport, and communication are just some of the key areas that are the result of discoveries by scientists working in physics. But how much do the citizens of Europe really know about physics? Here is a unique opportunity to learn more about this elusive subject! [Go to Physics On Stage Website] Beginning in February 2000, three major European research organisations are organising a unique Europe-wide programme to raise the public awareness of physics and related sciences. "Physics on Stage" is launched by the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) , the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) , with support from the European Union. Other partners are the European Physical Society (EPS) and the European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE). This exciting programme is part of the European Week for Science and Technology and will culminate in a Science Festival during November 6-11, 2000, on the CERN premises at the French-Swiss border near Geneva. Why "Physics on Stage"? The primary goal of "Physics on Stage" is to counteract the current decline in interest and knowledge about physics among Europe's citizens by means of a series of highly visible promotional activities. It will bring together leading scientists and educators, government bodies and the media, to confront the diminishing attraction of physics to young people and to develop strategies to reverse this trend. The objective in the short term is to infuse excitement and to provide new educational materials. In the longer term, "Physics on Stage" will generate new developments by enabling experts throughout Europe to meet, exchange and innovate. "Physics on Stage" in 22 European Countries "Physics on Stage" has been initiated in 22 European

Image-guided removal of occlusal caries lesions with a λ= 9.3-µm CO2 laser using near-IR transillumination

PubMed Central

Chung, Leon C.; Tom, Henry; Chan, Kenneth H.; Simon, Jacob C.; Fried, Daniel; Darling, Cynthia L.

2015-01-01

Previous studies have shown that near-IR transillumination is well suited for imaging deep occlusal lesions. The purpose of this study was to determine if near-IR images can be used to guide a CO2 laser for the selective removal of natural occlusal lesions on extracted teeth. Near-IR occlusal transillumination images of extracted human teeth with natural occlusal caries lesions were acquired using an InGaAs camera and near-IR light at wavelengths from 1290 to 1470-nm from a filtered tungsten halogen source. A CO2 laser operating at 9.3-µm with a pulse duration of 10–15-µs and a pulse repetition rate of 100–300-Hz was used for caries removal. Optical Coherence tomography was used to confirm lesion presence and serial scans were used to assess selective removal. Teeth were also sectioned for histological examination using polarized light microscopy. This study suggests that near-infrared transillumination is a promising method for the image guided laser ablation of occlusal caries lesions but the use of serial near-IR transillumination imaging for monitoring lesion removal was limited. PMID:25914498

Multispectral near-IR reflectance imaging of simulated early occlusal lesions: Variation of lesion contrast with lesion depth and severity

PubMed Central

Simon, Jacob C.; Chan, Kenneth H.; Darling, Cynthia L.; Fried, Daniel

2014-01-01

Background and Objectives Early demineralization appears with high contrast at near-IR wavelengths due to a ten to twenty fold difference in the magnitude of light scattering between sound and demineralized enamel. Water absorption in the near-IR has a significant effect on the lesion contrast and the highest contrast has been measured in spectral regions with higher water absorption. The purpose of this study was to determine how the lesion contrast changes with lesion severity and depth for different spectral regions in the near-IR and compare that range of contrast with visible reflectance and fluorescence. Materials and Methods Forty-four human molars were used in this in vitro study. Teeth were painted with an acid-resistant varnish, leaving a 4×4 mm window on the occlusal surface of each tooth exposed for demineralization. Artificial lesions were produced in the unprotected windows after 12–48 hr exposure to a demineralizing solution at pH-4.5. Near-IR reflectance images were acquired over several near-IR spectral distributions, visible light reflectance, and fluorescence with 405-nm excitation and detection at wavelengths greater than 500-nm. Crossed polarizers were used for reflectance measurements to reduce interference from specular reflectance. Cross polarization optical coherence tomography (CP-OCT) was used to non-destructively assess the depth and severity of demineralization in each sample window. Matching two dimensional CP-OCT images of the lesion depth and integrated reflectivity were compared with the reflectance and fluorescence images to determine how accurately the variation in the lesion contrast represents the variation in the lesion severity. Results Artificial lesions appear more uniform on tooth surfaces exposed to an acid challenge at visible wavelengths than they do in the near-IR. Measurements of the lesion depth and severity using CP-OCT show that the lesion severity varies markedly across the sample windows and that the lesion

Optical and near-IR imaging observations of comet Austin 1989c1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watanabe, J.; Hiromoto, N.; Takami, H.; Aoki, TE.; Nakamura, T.; Takagishi, K.; Hatsukade, I.; Isobe, S.; Sasaki, G.; Sugai, H.

1990-01-01

Near-nucleus imaging observations of comet Austin (1989c1) were carried out by the Japanese CCD imaging team. Six telescopes were used to monitor the time variation of the near-nucleus images in C2, CN, H2O, and Na continuum in the optical region, and in J, H, and K bands in the near-IR region. A featureless, round shape of the comet was revealed in all images. Although some of the jet features are recognized by using an image enhancement technique, the azimuthal difference of the intensity distribution is about 10 percent. The images in the H2O band show complex ion structures near the nucleus.

Post-polymerization C-H Borylation of Donor-Acceptor Materials Gives Highly Efficient Solid State Near-Infrared Emitters for Near-IR-OLEDs and Effective Biological Imaging.

PubMed

Crossley, Daniel L; Urbano, Laura; Neumann, Robert; Bourke, Struan; Jones, Jennifer; Dailey, Lea Ann; Green, Mark; Humphries, Martin J; King, Simon M; Turner, Michael L; Ingleson, Michael J

2017-08-30

Post-polymerization modification of the donor-acceptor polymer, poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole), PF8-BT, by electrophilic C-H borylation is a simple method to introduce controllable quantities of near-infrared (near-IR) emitting chromophore units into the backbone of a conjugated polymer. The highly stable borylated unit possesses a significantly lower LUMO energy than the pristine polymer resulting in a reduction in the band gap of the polymer by up to 0.63 eV and a red shift in emission of more than 150 nm. Extensively borylated polymers absorb strongly in the deep red/near-IR and are highly emissive in the near-IR region of the spectrum in solution and solid state. Photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) values are extremely high in the solid state for materials with emission maxima ≥ 700 nm with PLQY values of 44% at 700 nm and 11% at 757 nm for PF8-BT with different borylation levels. This high brightness enables efficient solution processed near-IR emitting OLEDs to be fabricated and highly emissive borylated polymer loaded conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNPs) to be prepared. The latter are bright, photostable, low toxicity bioimaging agents that in phantom mouse studies show higher signal to background ratios for emission at 820 nm than the ubiquitous near-IR emissive bioimaging agent indocyanine green. This methodology represents a general approach for the post-polymerization functionalization of donor-acceptor polymers to reduce the band gap as confirmed by the C-H borylation of poly((9,9-dioctylfluorene)-2,7-diyl-alt-[4,7-bis(3-hexylthien-5-yl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole]-2c,2cc-diyl) (PF8TBT) resulting in a red shift in emission of >150 nm, thereby shifting the emission maximum to 810 nm.

Possible near-IR channels for remote sensing precipitable water vapor from geostationary satellite platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gao, B.-C.; Goetz, A. F. H.; Westwater, Ed R.; Conel, J. E.; Green, R. O.

1993-01-01

Remote sensing of troposheric water vapor profiles from current geostationary weather satellites is made using a few broadband infrared (IR) channels in the 6-13 micron region. Uncertainties greater than 20% exist in derived water vapor values just above the surface from the IR emission measurements. In this paper, we propose three near-IR channels, one within the 0.94-micron water vapor band absorption region, and the other two in nearby atmospheric windows, for remote sensing of precipitable water vapor over land areas, excluding lakes and rivers, during daytime from future geostationary satellite platforms. The physical principles are as follows. The reflectance of most surface targets varies approximately linearly with wavelength near 1 micron. The solar radiation on the sun-surface-sensor ray path is attenuated by atmospheric water vapor. The ratio of the radiance from the absorption channel with the radiances from the two window channels removes the surface reflectance effects and yields approximately the mean atmospheric water vapor transmittance of the absorption channel. The integrated water vapor amount from ground to space can be obtained with a precision of better than 5% from the mean transmittance. Because surface reflectances vary slowly with time, temporal variation of precipitable water vapor can be determined reliably. High spatial resolution, precipitable water vapor images are derived from spectral data collected by the Airborne Visable-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, which measures solar radiation reflected by the surface in the 0.4-2.5 micron region in 10-nm channels and has a ground instantaneous field of view of 20 m from its platform on an ER-2 aircraft at 20 km. The proposed near-IR reflectance technique would complement the IR emission techniques for remote sensing of water vapor profiles from geostationary satellite platforms, especially in the boundary layer where most of the water vapor is located.

AgCl-doped CdSe quantum dots with near-IR photoluminescence.

PubMed

Kotin, Pavel Aleksandrovich; Bubenov, Sergey Sergeevich; Mordvinova, Natalia Evgenievna; Dorofeev, Sergey Gennadievich

2017-01-01

We report the synthesis of colloidal CdSe quantum dots doped with a novel Ag precursor: AgCl. The addition of AgCl causes dramatic changes in the morphology of synthesized nanocrystals from spherical nanoparticles to tetrapods and finally to large ellipsoidal nanoparticles. Ellipsoidal nanoparticles possess an intensive near-IR photoluminescence ranging up to 0.9 eV (ca. 1400 nm). In this article, we explain the reasons for the formation of the ellipsoidal nanoparticles as well as the peculiarities of the process. The structure, Ag content, and optical properties of quantum dots are also investigated. The optimal conditions for maximizing both the reaction yield and IR photoluminescence quantum yield are found.

Remote Sensing of Water Vapor and Thin Cirrus Clouds using MODIS Near-IR Channels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gao, Bo-Cai; Kaufman, Yoram J.

2001-01-01

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), a major facility instrument on board the Terra Spacecraft, was successfully launched into space in December of 1999. MODIS has several near-IR channels within and around the 0.94 micrometer water vapor bands for remote sensing of integrated atmospheric water vapor over land and above clouds. MODIS also has a special near-IR channel centered at 1.375-micron with a width of 30 nm for remote sensing of cirrus clouds. In this paper, we describe briefly the physical principles on remote sensing of water vapor and cirrus clouds using these channels. We also present sample water vapor images and cirrus cloud images obtained from MODIS data.

Using ESO Reflex with Web Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Järveläinen, P.; Savolainen, V.; Oittinen, T.; Maisala, S.; Ullgrén, M. Hook, R.

2008-08-01

ESO Reflex is a prototype graphical workflow system, based on Taverna, and primarily intended to be a flexible way of running ESO data reduction recipes along with other legacy applications and user-written tools. ESO Reflex can also readily use the Taverna Web Services features that are based on the Apache Axis SOAP implementation. Taverna is a general purpose Web Service client, and requires no programming to use such services. However, Taverna also has some restrictions: for example, no numerical types such integers. In addition the preferred binding style is document/literal wrapped, but most astronomical services publish the Axis default WSDL using RPC/encoded style. Despite these minor limitations we have created simple but very promising test VO workflow using the Sesame name resolver service at CDS Strasbourg, the Hubble SIAP server at the Multi-Mission Archive at Space Telescope (MAST) and the WESIX image cataloging and catalogue cross-referencing service at the University of Pittsburgh. ESO Reflex can also pass files and URIs via the PLASTIC protocol to visualisation tools and has its own viewer for VOTables. We picked these three Web Services to try to set up a realistic and useful ESO Reflex workflow. They also demonstrate ESO Reflex abilities to use many kind of Web Services because each of them requires a different interface. We describe each of these services in turn and comment on how it was used

Signing of ESO-Poland Accession Agreement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2014-12-01

An agreement was signed by Professor Lena Kolarska-Bobińska, the Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education, and the ESO Director General Tim de Zeeuw in Warsaw on 28 October 2014 that will lead to the country joining ESO. The signing of the agreement followed its unanimous approval by the ESO Council during an extraordinary meeting on 8 October 2014. Poland will be welcomed as a new Member State, following subsequent ratification of the accession agreement by the Polish Parliament. Tim de Zeeuw’s speech at this ceremony is reproduced below.

Image-guided removal of occlusal caries lesions with a λ= 9.3-μm CO2 laser using near-IR transillumination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Leon C.; Tom, Henry; Chan, Kenneth H.; Simon, Jacob C.; Fried, Daniel; Darling, Cynthia L.

2015-02-01

Previous studies have shown that near-IR transillumination is well suited for imaging deep occlusal lesions. The purpose of this study was to determine if near-IR images can be used to guide a CO2 laser for the selective removal of natural occlusal lesions on extracted teeth. Near-IR occlusal transillumination images of extracted human teeth with natural occlusal caries lesions were acquired using an InGaAs camera and near-IR light at wavelengths from 1290 to 1470-nm from a filtered tungsten halogen source. A CO2 laser operating at 9.3-μm with a pulse duration of 10-15-μs and a pulse repetition rate of 100-300-Hz was used for caries removal. Optical Coherence tomography was used to confirm lesion presence and serial scans were used to assess selective removal. Teeth were also sectioned for histological examination using polarized light microscopy. This study suggests that near-infrared transillumination is a promising method for the image guided laser ablation of occlusal caries lesions but the use of serial near-IR transillumination imaging for monitoring lesion removal was limited.

ESO Successfully Tests Automation of Telescope Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1997-02-01

This week astronomers at the European Southern Observatory have tested a novel approach of doing astronomy from the ground. Inaugurating a new era, the ESO 3.5-metre New Technology Telescope (NTT) at La Silla successfully performed a series of observations under automatic control by advanced computer software developed by the ESO Data Management Division (DMD) for use with the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). This move has been made necessary by technological improvements in telescopes and the increasing competition among scientists for these valuable resources. Caption to ESO PR Photo 05/97 [JPG, 184k] This Press Release is accompanied by ESO Press Photo 05/97 of the NTT. New telescopes produce more data Over the past few years, astronomical telescopes and the amount of data they produce have grown rapidly in size. With the advent of increasingly efficient, large digital cameras, the new telescopes with mirrors as large as 8 to 10 metres in diameter will deliver Gigabytes of valuable information each night. There is little doubt that scientific breakthroughs will be made with these telescopes and it should be no surprise that there is fierce competition for precious observing nights among the international astronomical community. Automated observations In order to make sure that the available observing time at the VLT will be used in the best and most efficient way, ESO has been developing advanced computer systems which will automatically schedule observations according to the scientific priorities of astronomers and the prevailing conditions of weather and equipment at the observatory. Once the astronomical data is gathered it is processed automatically at the telescope to provide the astronomer with immediately useful astronomical images and other pertinent information. No longer will the astronomer be required to spend weeks processing data into a form where results can be extracted. The continuous flow of astronomical data made possible with this system is

Validation of Correction Algorithms for Near-IR Analysis of Human Milk in an Independent Sample Set-Effect of Pasteurization.

PubMed

Kotrri, Gynter; Fusch, Gerhard; Kwan, Celia; Choi, Dasol; Choi, Arum; Al Kafi, Nisreen; Rochow, Niels; Fusch, Christoph

2016-02-26

Commercial infrared (IR) milk analyzers are being increasingly used in research settings for the macronutrient measurement of breast milk (BM) prior to its target fortification. These devices, however, may not provide reliable measurement if not properly calibrated. In the current study, we tested a correction algorithm for a Near-IR milk analyzer (Unity SpectraStar, Brookfield, CT, USA) for fat and protein measurements, and examined the effect of pasteurization on the IR matrix and the stability of fat, protein, and lactose. Measurement values generated through Near-IR analysis were compared against those obtained through chemical reference methods to test the correction algorithm for the Near-IR milk analyzer. Macronutrient levels were compared between unpasteurized and pasteurized milk samples to determine the effect of pasteurization on macronutrient stability. The correction algorithm generated for our device was found to be valid for unpasteurized and pasteurized BM. Pasteurization had no effect on the macronutrient levels and the IR matrix of BM. These results show that fat and protein content can be accurately measured and monitored for unpasteurized and pasteurized BM. Of additional importance is the implication that donated human milk, generally low in protein content, has the potential to be target fortified.

The ESO Educational Office Reaches Out towards Europe's Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2001-12-01

ESA/ESO Astronomy Exercises Provide a Taste of Real Astronomy [1] Summary The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has been involved in many Europe-wide educational projects during the past years, in particular within European Science Weeks sponsored by the European Commission (EC). In order to further enhance the significant educational potential inherent in the numerous scientific endeavours now carried out by Europe's astronomers with ESO front-line telescope facilities, it has been decided to set up an Educational Office within the ESO EPR Department. It will from now on work closely with astronomy-oriented teachers, in particular at the high-school level , providing support, inspiration and new materials. Much of this interaction will happen via the European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE) In this context, and in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) , the first instalments of the "ESA/ESO Astronomy Exercise Series" have just been published, on the web ( http://www.astroex.org ) and in print (6 booklets totalling 100 pages; provided free-of-charge to teachers on request). They allow 16-19 year old students to gain exciting hands-on experience in astronomy, making realistic calculations with data obtained from observations by some of the world's best telescopes, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) . PR Photo 36/01 : The "ESA/ESO Astronomy Exercise Series" . Educational projects at ESO The European Southern Observatory (ESO) , through its Education and Public Relations Department (EPR) , has long been involved in educational activities, in particular by means of Europe-wide projects during successive European Science Weeks , with support from the European Commission (EC) . A most visible outcome has been the creation of the trailblazing European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE) - this was first discussed at an international meeting at the ESO Headquarters in November 1994 with the

ESO PR Highlights in 2000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2001-01-01

At the beginning of the new millennium, ESO and its staff are facing the future with confidence. The four 8.2-m Unit Telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) are in great shape and the VLT Interferometer (VLTI) will soon have "first fringes". The intercontinental ALMA project is progressing well and concepts for extremely large optical/infrared telescopes are being studied. They can also look back at a fruitful and rewarding past year. Perhaps the most important, single development has been the rapid transition of the Very Large Telescope (VLT). From being a "high-tech project under construction" it has now become a highly proficient, world-class astronomical observatory. This trend is clearly reflected in ESO's Press Releases , as more and more front-line scientific results emerge from rich data obtained at this very efficient facility. There were also exciting news from several of the instruments at La Silla. At the same time, the ESO community may soon grow, as steps towards membership are being taken by various European countries. Throughout 2000, a total of 54 PR communications were made, with a large number of Press Photos and Video Clips, cf. the 2000 PR Index. Some of the ESO PR highlights may be accessed directly via the clickable image on the present page. ESO PR Photo 01/01 is also available in a larger (non-clickable) version [ JPEG: 566 x 566 pix - 112k]. It may be reproduced, if credit is given to the European Southern Observatory.

ESO Reflex: a graphical workflow engine for data reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hook, Richard; Ullgrén, Marko; Romaniello, Martino; Maisala, Sami; Oittinen, Tero; Solin, Otto; Savolainen, Ville; Järveläinen, Pekka; Tyynelä, Jani; Péron, Michèle; Ballester, Pascal; Gabasch, Armin; Izzo, Carlo

ESO Reflex is a prototype software tool that provides a novel approach to astronomical data reduction by integrating a modern graphical workflow system (Taverna) with existing legacy data reduction algorithms. Most of the raw data produced by instruments at the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile are reduced using recipes. These are compiled C applications following an ESO standard and utilising routines provided by the Common Pipeline Library (CPL). Currently these are run in batch mode as part of the data flow system to generate the input to the ESO/VLT quality control process and are also exported for use offline. ESO Reflex can invoke CPL-based recipes in a flexible way through a general purpose graphical interface. ESO Reflex is based on the Taverna system that was originally developed within the UK life-sciences community. Workflows have been created so far for three VLT/VLTI instruments, and the GUI allows the user to make changes to these or create workflows of their own. Python scripts or IDL procedures can be easily brought into workflows and a variety of visualisation and display options, including custom product inspection and validation steps, are available. Taverna is intended for use with web services and experiments using ESO Reflex to access Virtual Observatory web services have been successfully performed. ESO Reflex is the main product developed by Sampo, a project led by ESO and conducted by a software development team from Finland as an in-kind contribution to joining ESO. The goal was to look into the needs of the ESO community in the area of data reduction environments and to create pilot software products that illustrate critical steps along the road to a new system. Sampo concluded early in 2008. This contribution will describe ESO Reflex and show several examples of its use both locally and using Virtual Observatory remote web services. ESO Reflex is expected to be released to the community in early 2009.

Near-IR multi-modal imaging of natural occlusal lesions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Dustin; Fried, Daniel; Darling, Cynthia L.

2009-02-01

Reflectance and transillumination imaging show demineralization with high contrast in the near-IR. The objective of this study is to use lesion size and contrast acquired in reflectance and transillumination near-infrared imaging modes to estimate the severity of natural occlusal caries lesions. Previous studies have shown that near-infrared (NIR) light can be used to effectively image artificial carious lesions. However, its efficacy on natural lesions requires further exploration. Fifty extracted teeth with varying amounts of occlusal decay were examined using a NIR imaging system operating at 1310-nm. Image analysis software was used to calculate contrast values between sound and carious tooth structure. After imaging, teeth were histologically sampled at 1-mm intervals in order to determine lesion depth. Lesion contrast in transillumination mode significantly increased with lesion depth (p<0.001), while lesion contrast in reflectance mode did not increase. The lesion area demonstrated a significant increase with lesion severity in both imaging modes. These results suggest that lesion contrast and area can be used to estimate lesion severity in NIR images.

Science with ESO's Multi-conjugate Adaptive-optics Demonstrator - MAD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melnick, Jorge; Marchetti, Enrico; Amico, Paola

2012-07-01

ESO's Multi-conjugate Adaptive-optics Demonstrator (MAD) was a prototype designed and built to demonstrate wide-field adaptive optics science on large telescopes. The outstanding results obtained during commissioning and guaranteed time observations (GTO) prompted ESO to issue and open call to the community for 23 science demonstration (SD) observing nights distributed in three runs (in order to provide access to the summer an winter skies). Thus, in total MAD was used for science for 33 nights including the 10 nights of GTO time. date, 19 articles in refereed journals (including one in Nature) have been published based fully or partially o MAD data. To the best of our knowledge, these are not only the first, but also the only scientific publication from MCAO instruments world-wide to date (at least in Astronomy). The scientific impact of these publication, as measured by the h-index, is comparable to that of other AO instruments on the VLT, although over the years these instruments have been allocated many more nights than MAD. In this contribution we present an overview of the scientific results from MAD and a more detailed discussion of the most cited papers.

Variability Survey of ω Centauri in the Near-IR: Period-Luminosity Relations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navarrete, Camila; Catelan, Márcio; Contreras Ramos, Rodrigo; Gran, Felipe; Alonso-García, Javier; Dékány, István

2015-08-01

ω Centauri (NGC 5139) is by far the most massive globular star cluster in the Milky Way, and has even been suggested to be the remnant of a dwarf galaxy. As such, it contains a large number of variable stars of different classes. Here we report on a deep, wide-field, near-infrared variability survey of omega Cen, carried out by our team using ESO's 4.1m VISTA telescope. Our time-series data comprise 42 and 100 epochs in J and Ks, respectively. This unique dataset has allowed us to derive complete light curves for hundreds of variable stars in the cluster, and thereby perform a detailed analysis of the near-infrared period-luminosity (PL) relations for different variability classes, including type II Cepheids, SX Phoenicis, and RR Lyrae stars. In this contribution, in addition to describing our survey and presenting the derived light curves, we present the resulting PL relations for each of these variability classes, including the first calibration of this sort for the SX Phoenicis stars. Based on these relations, we also provide an updated (pulsational) distance modulus for omega Cen, compare with results based on independent techniques, and discuss possible sources of systematic errors.

EVIDENCE FOR NON-STELLAR REST-FRAME NEAR-IR EMISSION ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED STAR FORMATION IN GALAXIES AT z ∼ 1

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

Lange, Johannes U.; Van Dokkum, Pieter G.; Momcheva, Ivelina G.

2016-03-01

We explore the presence of non-stellar rest-frame near-IR (2–5 μm) emission in galaxies at z ∼ 1. Previous studies identified this excess in relatively small samples and suggested that such non-stellar emission, which could be linked to the 3.3 μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons feature or hot dust emission, is associated with an increased star formation rate (SFR). In this Letter, we confirm and quantify the presence of an IR excess in a significant fraction of galaxies in the 3D-HST GOODS catalogs. By constructing a matched sample of galaxies with and without strong non-stellar near-IR emission, we find that galaxies with such emissionmore » are predominantly star-forming galaxies. Moreover, star-forming galaxies with an excess show increased mid- and far-IR and Hα emission compared to other star-forming galaxies without. While galaxies with a near-IR excess show a larger fraction of individually detected X-ray active galactic nuclei (AGNs), an X-ray stacking analysis, together with the IR-colors and Hα profiles, shows that AGNs are unlikely to be the dominant source of excess in the majority of galaxies. Our results suggest that non-stellar near-IR emission is linked to increased SFRs and is ubiquitous among star-forming galaxies. As such, the near-IR emission might be a powerful tool to measure SFRs in the era of the James Webb Space Telescope.« less

Validation of Correction Algorithms for Near-IR Analysis of Human Milk in an Independent Sample Set—Effect of Pasteurization

PubMed Central

Kotrri, Gynter; Fusch, Gerhard; Kwan, Celia; Choi, Dasol; Choi, Arum; Al Kafi, Nisreen; Rochow, Niels; Fusch, Christoph

2016-01-01

Commercial infrared (IR) milk analyzers are being increasingly used in research settings for the macronutrient measurement of breast milk (BM) prior to its target fortification. These devices, however, may not provide reliable measurement if not properly calibrated. In the current study, we tested a correction algorithm for a Near-IR milk analyzer (Unity SpectraStar, Brookfield, CT, USA) for fat and protein measurements, and examined the effect of pasteurization on the IR matrix and the stability of fat, protein, and lactose. Measurement values generated through Near-IR analysis were compared against those obtained through chemical reference methods to test the correction algorithm for the Near-IR milk analyzer. Macronutrient levels were compared between unpasteurized and pasteurized milk samples to determine the effect of pasteurization on macronutrient stability. The correction algorithm generated for our device was found to be valid for unpasteurized and pasteurized BM. Pasteurization had no effect on the macronutrient levels and the IR matrix of BM. These results show that fat and protein content can be accurately measured and monitored for unpasteurized and pasteurized BM. Of additional importance is the implication that donated human milk, generally low in protein content, has the potential to be target fortified. PMID:26927169

ESO Demonstration Project with the NRAO 12-m Antenna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heald, R.; Karban, R.

2000-03-01

During the months of September through November 1999, an ALMA joint demonstration project between the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) was carried out in Socorro/New Mexico. During this period, Robert Karban (ESO) and Ron Heald (NRAO) worked together on the ESO Demonstration Project. The project integrated ESO software and existing NRAO software (a prototype for the future ALMA control software) to control the motion of the Kitt Peak 12-m antenna. ESO software from the VLT provided the operator interface and coordinate transformation software, while Pat Wallace's TPOINT provided the pointing- model software.

Deep Sky Diving with the ESO New Technology Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1998-01-01

Technology Telescope. Many of the advanced technological concepts now incorporated into the VLT were first tested in the NTT. When this new facility entered into operation at La Silla in 1990, it represented a break-through in telescope technology and it has since then made many valuable contributions to front-line astronomical projects. Last year, the control and data flow system at the NTT was thoroughly refurbished to the high VLT standards and current observations with the NTT closely simulate the future operation of the VLT. The successful, early tests with the new operations system have been described in ESO Press Release 03/97. The NTT SUSI Deep Field With the possibility to test already now observing procedures which will become standard for the operation of the VLT, a group of astronomers [1] was granted NTT time for observations of Faint Galaxies in an Ultra-Deep Multicolour SUSI field . This is a programme aimed at the study of the distribution of faint galaxies in the field and of gravitational lensing effects (cosmic mirages and deformation of images of distant galaxies caused by the gravitational field of intervening matter). SUSI (SUperb Seeing Imager) is a high-resolution CCD-camera at the NTT that is particularly efficient under excellent sky conditions. The observations were fully defined in advance and were carried out in service mode from February to April 1997 with flexible scheduling by a team of dedicated ESO astronomers (the NTT team). Only in this way was it possible to obtain the exposures under optimal atmospheric conditions, i.e. `photometric' sky and little atmospheric turbulence (seeing better than 1 arcsec). A total of 122 CCD frames were obtained in four colours (blue, green-yellow, red and near-infrared) with a total exposure time of no less than 31.5 hours. The frames cover a 2.3 x 2.3 arcmin `empty' sky field centered south of the high-redshift quasar QSO BR 1202-0725 (z=4.7), located just south of the celestial equator. ESO PR Photo 01a/98

Pricing Employee Stock Options (ESOs) with Random Lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chendra, E.; Chin, L.; Sukmana, A.

2018-04-01

Employee Stock Options (ESOs) are stock options granted by companies to their employees. Unlike standard options that can be traded by typical institutional or individual investors, employees cannot sell or transfer their ESOs to other investors. The sale restrictions may induce the ESO’s holder to exercise them earlier. In much cited paper, Hull and White propose a binomial lattice in valuing ESOs which assumes that employees will exercise voluntarily their ESOs if the stock price reaches a horizontal psychological barrier. Due to nonlinearity errors, the numerical pricing results oscillate significantly so they may lead to large pricing errors. In this paper, we use the random lattice method to price the Hull-White ESOs model. This method can reduce the nonlinearity error by aligning a layer of nodes of the random lattice with a psychological barrier.

Optical+Near-IR Bayesian Classification of Quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehta, Sajjan S.; Richards, G. T.; Myers, A. D.

2011-05-01

We describe the details of an optimal Bayesian classification of quasars with combined optical+near-IR photometry from the SDSS and UKIDSS LAS surveys. Using only deep co-added SDSS photometry from the "Stripe 82" region and requiring full four-band UKIDSS detections, we reliably identify 2665 quasar candidates with a computed efficiency in excess of 99%. Relaxing the data constraints to combinations of two-band detections yields up to 6424 candidates with minimal trade-off in completeness and efficiency. The completeness and efficiency of the sample are investigated with existing spectra from the SDSS, 2SLAQ, and AUS surveys in addition to recent single-slit observations from Palomar Observatory, which revealed 22 quasars from a subsample of 29 high-z candidates. SDSS-III/BOSS observations will allow further exploration of the completeness/efficiency of the sample over 2.2

THE NARROW X-RAY TAIL AND DOUBLE Hα TAILS OF ESO 137-002 IN A3627

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

Zhang, B.; Lin, X. B.; Kong, X.

2013-11-10

We present the analysis of a deep Chandra observation of a ∼2 L{sub *} late-type galaxy, ESO 137-002, in the closest rich cluster A3627. The Chandra data reveal a long (∼>40 kpc) and narrow tail with a nearly constant width (∼3 kpc) to the southeast of the galaxy, and a leading edge ∼1.5 kpc from the galaxy center on the upstream side of the tail. The tail is most likely caused by the nearly edge-on stripping of ESO 137-002's interstellar medium (ISM) by ram pressure, compared to the nearly face-on stripping of ESO 137-001 discussed in our previous work. Spectralmore » analysis of individual regions along the tail shows that the gas throughout it has a rather constant temperature, ∼1 keV, very close to the temperature of the tails of ESO 137-001, if the same atomic database is used. The derived gas abundance is low (∼0.2 solar with the single-kT model), an indication of the multiphase nature of the gas in the tail. The mass of the X-ray tail is only a small fraction (<5%) of the initial ISM mass of the galaxy, suggesting that the stripping is most likely at an early stage. However, with any of the single-kT, double-kT, and multi-kT models we tried, the tail is always 'over-pressured' relative to the surrounding intracluster medium (ICM), which could be due to the uncertainties in the abundance, thermal versus non-thermal X-ray emission, or magnetic support in the ICM. The Hα data from the Southern Observatory for Astrophysical Research show a ∼21 kpc tail spatially coincident with the X-ray tail, as well as a secondary tail (∼12 kpc long) to the east of the main tail diverging at an angle of ∼23° and starting at a distance of ∼7.5 kpc from the nucleus. At the position of the secondary Hα tail, the X-ray emission is also enhanced at the ∼2σ level. We compare the tails of ESO 137-001 and ESO 137-002, and also compare the tails to simulations. Both the similarities and differences of the tails pose challenges to the simulations. Several

ESO Telescope Designer Raymond Wilson Wins Prestigious Kavli Award for Astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2010-06-01

with four individual telescopes with 17.5 cm thick 8.2-metre mirrors. Active optics has contributed towards making the VLT the world's most successful ground-based observatory and will be an integral part of ESO's European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) project. Active optics technology is also part of the twin 10-metre Keck telescopes, the Subaru telescope's 8.2-metre mirror and the two 8.1-metre Gemini telescopes. Co-prize winners Jerry Nelson and Roger Angel respectively pioneered the use of segmentation in telescope primary mirrors - as used on the Keck telescopes, and the development of lightweight mirrors with short focal ratios. A webcast from Oslo, Norway, announcing the prize winners is available at www.kavlifoundation.org and www.kavliprize.no. More information ESO, the European Southern Observatory, is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive astronomical observatory. It is supported by 14 countries: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory and VISTA, the world's largest survey telescope. ESO is the European partner of a revolutionary astronomical telescope ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. ESO is currently planning a 42-metre European Extremely Large optical/near-infrared Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky".

Some non-atlas work at ESO Sky Atlas Laboratory.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madsen, C.

The ESO Sky Atlas Laboratory (SAL) was set up in 1972 with the aim of producing the ESO Quick Blue Survey and later the joint ESO/SERC Survey of the Southern Sky. With the establishment of a Scientific Group, it became apparent that ESO had additional photographic needs, the fullfilment of which was also entrusted to SAL. Thus, in the course of the years, the "Photographic Section" evolved as a subdivision of the Sky Atlas Laboratory.

ESO Welcomes Finland as Eleventh Member State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cesarsky, C.

2004-09-01

In early July, Finland joined ESO as the eleventh member state, following the completion of the formal accession procedure. Before this event, however, Finland and ESO had been in contact for a long time. Under an agreement with Sweden, Finnish astronomers had for quite a while enjoyed access to the SEST at La Silla. Finland had also been a very active participant in ESO's educational activities since they began in 1993. It became clear, that science and technology, as well as education, were priority areas for the Finnish government.

Wavelength-agile near-IR optical parametric oscillator using a deposited silicon waveguide.

PubMed

Wang, Ke-Yao; Foster, Mark A; Foster, Amy C

2015-06-15

Using a deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) waveguide, we demonstrate ultra-broad bandwidth (60 THz) parametric amplification via four-wave mixing (FWM), and subsequently achieve the first silicon optical parametric oscillator (OPO) at near-IR wavelengths. Utilization of the time-dispersion-tuned technique provides an optical source with active wavelength tuning over 42 THz with a fixed pump wave.

An Empirical Decomposition of Near-IR Emission into Galactic and Extragalactic Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dwek, Eli; Arendt, Richard G.

2002-01-01

We decompose the COBE/DIRBE observations of the near-IR sky brightness (minus zodiacal light) into Galactic stellar and interstellar medium (ISM) components and an extragalactic background. This empirical procedure allows us to estimate the 4.9 micron cosmic infrared background (CIB) as a function of the CIB intensity at shorter wavelengths. A weak indication of a rising CIB intensity at wavelengths greater than 3.5$ microns hints at interesting astrophysics in the CIB spectrum, or warns that the foreground zodiacal emission may be incompletely subtracted. Subtraction of only the stellar component from the zodiacal-light-subtracted all--sky map reveals the clearest 3.5 micron ISM emission map, which is found to be tightly correlated with the ISM emission at far-IR wavelengths.

Near-IR laser-triggered target cell collection using a carbon nanotube-based cell-cultured substrate.

PubMed

Sada, Takao; Fujigaya, Tsuyohiko; Niidome, Yasuro; Nakazawa, Kohji; Nakashima, Naotoshi

2011-06-28

Unique near-IR optical properties of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNTs) are of interest in many biological applications. Here we describe the selective cell detachment and collection from an SWNT-coated cell-culture dish triggered by near-IR pulse laser irradiation. First, HeLa cells were cultured on an SWNT-coated dish prepared by a spraying of an aqueous SWNT dispersion on a glass dish. The SWNT-coated dish was found to show a good cell adhesion behavior as well as a cellular proliferation rate similar to a conventional glass dish. We discovered, by near-IR pulse laser irradiation (at the laser power over 25 mW) to the cell under optical microscopic observation, a quick single-cell detachment from the SWNT-coated surface. Shockwave generation from the irradiated SWNTs is expected to play an important role for the cell detachment. Moreover, we have succeeded in catapulting the target single cell from the cultured medium when the depth of the medium was below 150 μm and the laser power was stronger than 40 mW. The captured cell maintained its original shape. The retention of the genetic information of the cell was confirmed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. A target single-cell collection from a culture medium under optical microscopic observation is significant in wide fields of single-cell studies in biological areas.

Acousto-Optic Tunable Filter Spectroscopic Instrumentation for Quantitative Near-Ir Analysis of Organic Materials.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eilert, Arnold James

1995-01-01

The utility of near-IR spectroscopy for routine quantitative analyses of a wide variety of compositional, chemical, or physical parameters of organic materials is well understood. It can be used for relatively fast and inexpensive non-destructive bulk material analysis before, during, and after processing. It has been demonstrated as being a particularly useful technique for numerous analytical applications in cereal (food and feed) science and industry. Further fulfillment of the potential of near-IR spectroscopic analysis, both in the process and laboratory environment, is reliant upon the development of instrumentation that is capable of meeting the challenges of increasingly difficult applications. One approach to the development of near-IR spectroscopic instrumentation that holds a great deal of promise is acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) technology. A combination of attributes offered by AOTF spectrometry, including speed, optical throughput, wavelength reproducibility, ruggedness (no -moving-parts operation) and flexibility, make it particularly desirable for numerous applications. A series of prototype (research model) acousto -optic tunable filter instruments were developed and tested in order to investigate the feasibility of the technology for quantitative near-IR spectrometry. Development included design, component procurement, assembly and/or configuration of the optical and electronic subsystems of which each functional spectrometer arrangement was comprised, as well as computer interfacing and acquisition/control software development. Investigation of this technology involved an evolution of several operational spectrometer systems, each of which offered improvements over its predecessor. Appropriate testing was conducted at various stages of development. Demonstrations of the potential applicability of our AOTF spectrometer to quantitative process monitoring or laboratory analysis of numerous organic substances, including food materials, were

ESO Science Outreach Network in Poland during 2011-2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czart, Krzysztof

2014-12-01

ESON Poland works since 2010. One of the main tasks of the ESO Science Outreach Network (ESON) is translation of various materials at ESO website, as well as contacts with journalists. We support also science festivals, conferences, contests, exhibitions, astronomy camps and workshops and other educational and outreach activities. During 2011-2013 we supported events like ESO Astronomy Camp 2013, ESO Industry Days in Warsaw, Warsaw Science Festival, Torun Festival of Science and Art, international astronomy olympiad held in Poland and many others. Among big tasks there was also translation of over 60 ESOcast movies.

ESO telbib: Linking In and Reaching Out

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grothkopf, U.; Meakins, S.

2015-04-01

Measuring an observatory's research output is an integral part of its science operations. Like many other observatories, ESO tracks scholarly papers that use observational data from ESO facilities and uses state-of-the-art tools to create, maintain, and further develop the Telescope Bibliography database (telbib). While telbib started out as a stand-alone tool mostly used to compile lists of papers, it has by now developed into a multi-faceted, interlinked system. The core of the telbib database is links between scientific papers and observational data generated by the La Silla Paranal Observatory residing in the ESO archive. This functionality has also been deployed for ALMA data. In addition, telbib reaches out to several other systems, including ESO press releases, the NASA ADS Abstract Service, databases at the CDS Strasbourg, and impact scores at Altmetric.com. We illustrate these features to show how the interconnected telbib system enhances the content of the database as well as the user experience.

A New Method for Wide-field Near-IR Imaging with the Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momcheva, Ivelina G.; van Dokkum, Pieter G.; van der Wel, Arjen; Brammer, Gabriel B.; MacKenty, John; Nelson, Erica J.; Leja, Joel; Muzzin, Adam; Franx, Marijn

2017-01-01

We present a new technique for wide and shallow observations using the near-infrared channel of Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Wide-field near-IR surveys with HST are generally inefficient, as guide star acquisitions make it impractical to observe more than one pointing per orbit. This limitation can be circumvented by guiding with gyros alone, which is possible as long as the telescope has three functional gyros. The method presented here allows us to observe mosaics of eight independent WFC3-IR pointings in a single orbit by utilizing the fact that HST drifts by only a very small amount in the 25 s between non-destructive reads of unguided exposures. By shifting the reads and treating them as independent exposures the full resolution of WFC3 can be restored. We use this “drift and shift” (DASH) method in the Cycle 23 COSMOS-DASH program, which will obtain 456 WFC3 H 160 pointings in 57 orbits, covering an area of 0.6 degree in the COSMOS field down to H 160 = 25. When completed, the program will more than triple the area of extra-galactic survey fields covered by near-IR imaging at HST resolution. We demonstrate the viability of the method with the first four orbits (32 pointings) of this program. We show that the resolution of the WFC3 camera is preserved, and that structural parameters of galaxies are consistent with those measured in guided observations.

Obituary: ESO Astronomer, Alphonse Florsch (Zeekoegat 1962)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swanepoel, Eric

2015-10-01

In June 1962 Alphonse Florsch, his wife Marguerite and their two sons Bruno (7) and Nicolas (5), came from France to work at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) at Zeekoegat (Florsch 2005-2006). This was during the time of site testing to find the best location for ESO.

Chapter 1.1 Crystallinity of Nanocellulose Materials by Near-IR FT-Raman Spectroscopy

Treesearch

Umesh P. Agarwal; Richard S. Reiner; Sally A. Ralph

2013-01-01

Considering that crystallinity is one of the important properties that influence the end use of cellulose nanomaterials, it is important that the former be measured accurately. Recently, a new method based on near-IR FTRaman spectroscopy was proposed to determine cellulose I crystallinity. It was reported that in the Raman spectrum of cellulose materials, the...

Thirty-Seven Years of Service with ESO!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breysacher, J.

2002-12-01

On December 1st, 2002, after thirty- seven years of service, first in Chile and then in Garching, Ms. Christa Euler will leave ESO to enjoy a welldeserved retirement. Among the current staff, she is probably the only person who started her career at ESO just four years after the Organization was founded.

Colloidal silicon quantum dots: synthesis and luminescence tuning from the near-UV to the near-IR range

PubMed Central

Ghosh, Batu; Shirahata, Naoto

2014-01-01

This review describes a series of representative synthesis processes, which have been developed in the last two decades to prepare silicon quantum dots (QDs). The methods include both top-down and bottom-up approaches, and their methodological advantages and disadvantages are presented. Considerable efforts in surface functionalization of QDs have categorized it into (i) a two-step process and (ii) in situ surface derivatization. Photophysical properties of QDs are summarized to highlight the continuous tuning of photoluminescence color from the near-UV through visible to the near-IR range. The emission features strongly depend on the silicon nanostructures including QD surface configurations. Possible mechanisms of photoluminescence have been summarized to ascertain the future challenges toward industrial use of silicon-based light emitters. PMID:27877634

ESO Helps Antofagasta Region after the Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2007-11-01

On November 14 at 12:41 local time, a major earthquake with magnitude 7.7 on the Richter scale affected the north of Chile. The epicentre was located 35 km from the city of Tocopilla and 170 km of Antofagasta. Two persons died and tens were injured, while buildings were damaged in several cities. In the Maria Elena-Tocopilla area, several thousand homes were destroyed or damaged. In an act of solidarity with the local community and its authorities, ESO immediately announced a donation of 30 millions Chilean pesos (around 40,000 euros) to Antofagasta's Regional Government to support reconstruction in the Region II. ESO and its staff have been shocked by the earthquake and its impact on local communities, especially on the people of Tocopilla. The ESO Representation in Chile formally contacted the regional authorities to explore with them possible ways to collaborate in this difficult moment. In addition, many of ESO staff are personally cooperating with the victims, under the coordination of Cruz Roja, the organisation currently in charge of implementing individual efforts.

ESO and NSF Sign Agreement on ALMA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2003-02-01

that we will be able to study and understand our universe in ways that have previously been beyond our vision". The recent Presidential decree from Chile for AUI and the agreement signed in late 2002 between ESO and the Government of the Republic of Chile (cf. ESO PR 18/02) recognize the interest that the ALMA Project has for Chile, as it will deepen and strengthen the cooperation in scientific and technological matters between the parties. A joint ALMA Board has been established which oversees the realisation of the ALMA project via the management structure. This Board meets for the first time on February 24-25, 2003, at NSF in Washington and will witness this historic event. ALMA: Imaging the Light from Cosmic Dawn ESO PR Photo 06a/03 ESO PR Photo 06a/03 [Preview - JPEG: 588 x 400 pix - 52k [Normal - JPEG: 1176 x 800 pix - 192k] [Hi-Res - JPEG: 3300 x 2244 pix - 2.0M] ESO PR Photo 06b/03 ESO PR Photo 06b/03 [Preview - JPEG: 502 x 400 pix - 82k [Normal - JPEG: 1003 x 800 pix - 392k] [Hi-Res - JPEG: 2222 x 1773 pix - 3.0M] ESO PR Photo 06c/03 ESO PR Photo 06c/03 [Preview - JPEG: 474 x 400 pix - 84k [Normal - JPEG: 947 x 800 pix - 344k] [Hi-Res - JPEG: 2272 x 1920 pix - 2.0M] ESO PR Photo 06d/03 ESO PR Photo 06d/03 [Preview - JPEG: 414 x 400 pix - 69k [Normal - JPEG: 828 x 800 pix - 336k] [HiRes - JPEG: 2935 x 2835 pix - 7.4k] Captions: PR Photo 06a/03 shows an artist's view of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), with 64 12-m antennae. PR Photo 06b/03 is another such view, with the array arranged in a compact configuration at the high-altitude Chajnantor site. The ALMA VertexRSI prototype antennae is shown in PR Photo 06c/03 on the Antenna Test Facility (ATF) site at the NRAO Very Large Array (VLA) site near Socorro (New Mexico, USA). The future ALMA site at Llano de Chajnantor at 5000 metre altitude, some 40 km East of the village of San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) is seen in PR Photo 06d/03 - this view was obtained at 11 hrs in the morning on a crisp and clear

Vaccination with NY-ESO-1 overlapping peptides mixed with Picibanil OK-432 and montanide ISA-51 in patients with cancers expressing the NY-ESO-1 antigen.

PubMed

Wada, Hisashi; Isobe, Midori; Kakimi, Kazuhiro; Mizote, Yu; Eikawa, Shingo; Sato, Eiichi; Takigawa, Nagio; Kiura, Katsuyuki; Tsuji, Kazuhide; Iwatsuki, Keiji; Yamasaki, Makoto; Miyata, Hiroshi; Matsushita, Hirokazu; Udono, Heiichiro; Seto, Yasuyuki; Yamada, Kazuhiro; Nishikawa, Hiroyoshi; Pan, Linda; Venhaus, Ralph; Oka, Mikio; Doki, Yuichiro; Nakayama, Eiichi

2014-01-01

We conducted a clinical trial of an NY-ESO-1 cancer vaccine using 4 synthetic overlapping long peptides (OLP; peptides #1, 79-108; #2, 100-129; #3, 121-150; and #4, 142-173) that include a highly immunogenic region of the NY-ESO-1 molecule. Nine patients were immunized with 0.25 mg each of three 30-mer and a 32-mer long NY-ESO-1 OLP mixed with 0.2 KE Picibanil OK-432 and 1.25 mL Montanide ISA-51. The primary endpoints of this study were safety and NY-ESO-1 immune responses. Five to 18 injections of the NY-ESO-1 OLP vaccine were well tolerated. Vaccine-related adverse events observed were fever and injection site reaction (grade 1 and 2). Two patients showed stable disease after vaccination. An NY-ESO-1-specific humoral immune response was observed in all patients and an antibody against peptide #3 (121-150) was detected firstly and strongly after vaccination. NY-ESO-1 CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses were elicited in these patients and their epitopes were identified. Using a multifunctional cytokine assay, the number of single or double cytokine-producing cells was increased in NY-ESO-1-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells after vaccination. Multiple cytokine-producing cells were observed in PD-1 (-) and PD-1 (+) CD4 T cells. In conclusion, our study indicated that the NY-ESO-1 OLP vaccine mixed with Picibanil OK-432 and Montanide ISA-51 was well tolerated and elicited NY-ESO-1-specific humoral and CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses in immunized patients.

Overview of ESO Large Single Dish Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Testi, Leonardo

2018-01-01

In this talk I will briefly summarize the motivation, methodology and outcome of the ESO Submm Single Dish Strategy WG. The WG was established by the ESO Director for Science and completed its work at the end of 2015. I will summarize the status of the report recommendations, which, among other things, led to the organization of the AtLAST workshop.

Professor Tim de Zeeuw Takes Up Duty as New ESO Director General

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2007-09-01

On 1 September, Tim de Zeeuw became the new ESO Director General, succeeding Catherine Cesarsky. In his first day in office, he kindly agreed to answer a few questions. ESO PR Photo 38/07 ESO PR Video 38/07 Watch the Video! How would you describe the current period for astronomy? Tim de Zeeuw: We are in an extremely exciting time for astronomy and I think this is understood worldwide and not just by astronomers. The technology is now available to look not only at the farthest objects in the Universe, where the light left a long time ago, allowing us to see how the Universe evolved and developed, but we can even detect signatures of planets around other stars, and that answers an age-old question which is a fundamental question in all of science, and really excites the general public. How do you see the role of ESO in this context? Tim de Zeeuw: ESO has a very important role in the context of European and worldwide astronomy because it is one of the leading organisations for ground-based astronomy. You may even say it is the pre-eminent organisation. Therefore, we have both an opportunity and a responsibility to lead the further developments in astronomy. Where do you see ESO developing in the coming years? Tim de Zeeuw: I see three main goals for ESO in the coming years. The first one is to get the best possible science out of the Very Large Telescope, the interferometer and the survey telescopes, all of them on Paranal. The second is to build ALMA, the new observatory at 5 000 metres in the high Andes. Together with our North American and East Asian partners, we need to deliver this on budget and on time, and prepare the European astronomers for leading the science. The third main goal is to design a world-leading Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which may have a main mirror with a diameter larger than 40 metres and will enable wonderful science. And of course, we don't only want to design it, we also want to construct it. And what about La Silla? Tim de Zeeuw: La

Multichannel extremely broadband near-IR radiation sources for optical coherence tomography

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

Wojtkowski, M; Fujimoto, J G; Lapin, P I

The construction and output parameters of two experimental samples of near-IR radiation sources based on the superposition of radiation from several superluminescent diodes are described. The first, three-channel sample emitting 18 mW of cw output power in a spectral band of width 105 nm through a single-mode fibre, is optimised for ophthalmology coherence tomography. The second, four-channel sample emits the 870-nm band of width more than 200 nm, which corresponds to the record coherence length smaller than 4 {mu}m. (laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics)

Airborne observed solar elevation and row direction effects on the near-IR/red ratio of cotton

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Millard, J. P.; Jackson, R. D.; Goettelman, R. C.; Leroy, M. J. (Principal Investigator)

1981-01-01

An airborne multispectral scanner was used to obtain data over two adjacent cotton fields having rows perpendicular to one another, at three times of day (different solar elevations), and on two dates (different plant size). The near IR/red ratios were displayed in image form, so that within-field variations and differences between fields could be easily assessed. The ratio varied with changing Sun elevation for north-south oriented rows, but no variation was detected for east-west oriented rows.

The VANDELS ESO spectroscopic survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McLure, R. J.; Pentericci, L.; Cimatti, A.; Dunlop, J. S.; Elbaz, D.; Fontana, A.; Nandra, K.; Amorin, R.; Bolzonella, M.; Bongiorno, A.; Carnall, A. C.; Castellano, M.; Cirasuolo, M.; Cucciati, O.; Cullen, F.; De Barros, S.; Finkelstein, S. L.; Fontanot, F.; Franzetti, P.; Fumana, M.; Gargiulo, A.; Garilli, B.; Guaita, L.; Hartley, W. G.; Iovino, A.; Jarvis, M. J.; Juneau, S.; Karman, W.; Maccagni, D.; Marchi, F.; Mármol-Queraltó, E.; Pompei, E.; Pozzetti, L.; Scodeggio, M.; Sommariva, V.; Talia, M.; Almaini, O.; Balestra, I.; Bardelli, S.; Bell, E. F.; Bourne, N.; Bowler, R. A. A.; Brusa, M.; Buitrago, F.; Caputi, K. I.; Cassata, P.; Charlot, S.; Citro, A.; Cresci, G.; Cristiani, S.; Curtis-Lake, E.; Dickinson, M.; Fazio, G. G.; Ferguson, H. C.; Fiore, F.; Franco, M.; Fynbo, J. P. U.; Galametz, A.; Georgakakis, A.; Giavalisco, M.; Grazian, A.; Hathi, N. P.; Jung, I.; Kim, S.; Koekemoer, A. M.; Khusanova, Y.; Le Fèvre, O.; Lotz, J. M.; Mannucci, F.; Maltby, D. T.; Matsuoka, K.; McLeod, D. J.; Mendez-Hernandez, H.; Mendez-Abreu, J.; Mignoli, M.; Moresco, M.; Mortlock, A.; Nonino, M.; Pannella, M.; Papovich, C.; Popesso, P.; Rosario, D. P.; Salvato, M.; Santini, P.; Schaerer, D.; Schreiber, C.; Stark, D. P.; Tasca, L. A. M.; Thomas, R.; Treu, T.; Vanzella, E.; Wild, V.; Williams, C. C.; Zamorani, G.; Zucca, E.

2018-05-01

VANDELS is a uniquely-deep spectroscopic survey of high-redshift galaxies with the VIMOS spectrograph on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT). The survey has obtained ultra-deep optical (0.48 < λ < 1.0 μm) spectroscopy of ≃2100 galaxies within the redshift interval 1.0 ≤ z ≤ 7.0, over a total area of ≃ 0.2 deg2 centred on the CANDELS UDS and CDFS fields. Based on accurate photometric redshift pre-selection, 85% of the galaxies targeted by VANDELS were selected to be at z ≥ 3. Exploiting the red sensitivity of the refurbished VIMOS spectrograph, the fundamental aim of the survey is to provide the high signal-to-noise ratio spectra necessary to measure key physical properties such as stellar population ages, masses, metallicities and outflow velocities from detailed absorption-line studies. Using integration times calculated to produce an approximately constant signal-to-noise ratio (20 < tint < 80 hours), the VANDELS survey targeted: a) bright star-forming galaxies at 2.4 ≤ z ≤ 5.5, b) massive quiescent galaxies at 1.0 ≤ z ≤ 2.5, c) fainter star-forming galaxies at 3.0 ≤ z ≤ 7.0 and d) X-ray/Spitzer-selected active galactic nuclei and Herschel-detected galaxies. By targeting two extragalactic survey fields with superb multi-wavelength imaging data, VANDELS will produce a unique legacy data set for exploring the physics underpinning high-redshift galaxy evolution. In this paper we provide an overview of the VANDELS survey designed to support the science exploitation of the first ESO public data release, focusing on the scientific motivation, survey design and target selection.

Ba3Fe1.56Ir1.44O9: A Polar Semiconducting Triple Perovskite with Near Room Temperature Magnetic Ordering.

PubMed

Ferreira, Timothy; Carone, Darren; Huon, Amanda; Herklotz, Andreas; Stoian, Sebastian A; Heald, Steve M; Morrison, Gregory; Smith, Mark D; Loye, Hans-Conrad Zur

2018-05-29

The crystal chemistry and magnetic properties for two triple perovskites, Ba 3 Fe 1.56 Ir 1.44 O 9 and Ba 3 NiIr 2 O 9 , grown as large, highly faceted single crystals from a molten strontium carbonate flux, are reported. Unlike the idealized A 3 MM 2 'O 9 hexagonal symmetry characteristic of most triple perovskites, including Ba 3 NiIr 2 O 9, Ba 3 Fe 1.56 Ir 1.44 O 9 possesses significant site-disorder, resulting in a noncentrosymmetric polar structure with trigonal symmetry. The valence of iron and iridium in the heavily distorted Fe/Ir sites was determined to be Fe(III) and Ir(V) by X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES). Density functional theory calculations were conducted to understand the effect of the trigonal distortion on the local Fe(III)O 6 electronic structure, and the spin state of iron was determined to be S = 5/2 by Mössbauer spectroscopy. Conductivity measurements indicate thermally activated semiconducting behavior in the trigonal perovskite. Magnetic properties were measured and near room temperature magnetic ordering (T N = 270 K) was observed for Ba 3 Fe 1.56 Ir 1.44 O 9 .

Southern Fireworks above ESO Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1999-05-01

telescope at La Silla on May 11, 1999, at 08:42 UT, under inferior observing conditions (seeing = 1.9 arcsec). The exposure time was 450 sec in a B(lue) filter. The optical image of the afterglow of GRB 990510 is indicated with an arrow in the upper part of the field that measures about 8 x 16 arcmin 2. The original scale is 0.24 pix/arcsec and there are 2k x 4k pixels in the original frame. North is up and East is left. Caption to PR Photo 22b/99 : This is a (false-)colour composite of the area around the optical image of the afterglow of GRB 990510, based on three near-infrared exposures with the SOFI multi-mode instrument at the 3.6-m ESO New Technology Telescope (NTT) at La Silla, obtained on May 10, 1999, between 23:15 and 23:45 UT. The exposure times were 10 min each in the J- (1.2 µm; here rendered in blue), H- (1.6 µm; green) and K-bands (2.2 µm; red); the image quality is excellent (0.6 arcsec). The field measures about 5 x 5 arcmin 2 ; the original pixel size is 0.29 arcsec. North is up and East is left. ESO PR Photo 22c/99 ESO PR Photo 22c/99 [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 235 pix - 81k] [Normal - JPEG: 800 x 469 pix - 244k] [High-Res - JPEG: 2732 x 1603 pix - 2.6M] ESO PR Photo 22d/99 ESO PR Photo 22d/99 [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 441 pix - 154k] [Normal - JPEG: 800 x 887 pix - 561k] [High-Res - JPEG: 2300 x 2537 pix - 2.3M] Caption to PR Photo 22c/99 : To the left is a reproduction of a short (30 sec) centering exposure in the V-band (green-yellow light), obtained with VLT ANTU and the multi-mode FORS1 instrument on May 11, 1999, at 03:48 UT under mediocre observing conditions (image quality 1.0 arcsec).The optical image of the afterglow of GRB 990510 is easily seen in the box, by comparison with an exposure of the same sky field before the explosion, made with the ESO Schmidt Telescope in 1986 (right).The exposure time was 120 min on IIIa-F emulsion behind a R(ed) filter. The field shown measures about 6.2 x 6.2 arcmin 2. North is up and East is left. Caption to PR

N° 15-2000: ESA, CERN and ESO launch "Physics on Stage"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2000-03-01

But how much do the citizens of Europe really know about physics? Here is a unique opportunity to learn more about this elusive subject! Beginning in February 2000, three major European research establishments [1] are organising a unique Europe-wide programme to raise the public awareness of physics and related sciences. "Physics on Stage" is launched by the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), and the European Southern Observatory (ESO), with support from the European Union (EU). Other partners include the European Physical Society (EPS) and the European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE). This exciting programme is part of the European Week for Science and Technology and will culminate in a Science Festival during November 6-11, 2000, at CERN, Geneva. Why "Physics on Stage"? The primary goal of "Physics on Stage" is to counteract the current decline in interest and knowledge of physics among Europe's citizens by means of a series of highly visible promotional activities. It will bring together leading scientists and educators, government bodies and the media, to confront the diminishing attraction of physics to young people and to develop strategies to reverse this trend. The objective in the short term is to infuse excitement and to provide new educational materials. In the longer term, "Physics on Stage" will generate new developments by enabling experts throughout Europe to meet, exchange and innovate. "Physics on Stage" in 22 European Countries. "Physics on Stage" has been initiated in 22 European countries [2]. In each country, a dedicated National Steering Committee (NSC) is being formed which will be responsible for their own national programme. A list of contact addresses is attached below. "Physics on Stage" is based on a series of high-profile physics-related activities that will inform the European public in general, and European high school physics teachers and media representatives in particular

Real-time near-IR imaging of laser-ablation crater evolution in dental enamel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darling, Cynthia L.; Fried, Daniel

2007-02-01

We have shown that the enamel of the tooth is almost completely transparent near 1310-nm in the near-infrared and that near-IR (NIR) imaging has considerable potential for the optical discrimination of sound and demineralized tissue and for observing defects in the interior of the tooth. Lasers are now routinely used for many applications in dentistry including the ablation of dental caries. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that real-time NIR imaging can be used to monitor laser-ablation under varying conditions to assess peripheral thermal and transient-stress induced damage and to measure the rate and efficiency of ablation. Moreover, NIR imaging may have considerable potential for monitoring the removal of demineralized areas of the tooth during cavity preparations. Sound human tooth sections of approximately 3-mm thickness were irradiated by a CO II laser under varying conditions with and without a water spray. The incision area in the interior of each sample was imaged using a tungsten-halogen lamp with band-pass filter centered at 131--nm combined with an InGaAs focal plane array with a NIR zoom microscope in transillumination. Due to the high transparency of enamel at 1310-nm, laser-incisions were clearly visible to the dentin-enamel junction and crack formation, dehydration and irreversible thermal changes were observed during ablation. This study showed that there is great potential for near-IR imaging to monitor laser-ablation events in real-time to: assess safe laser operating parameters by imaging thermal and stress-induced damage, elaborate the mechanisms involved in ablation such as dehydration, and monitor the removal of demineralized enamel.

Large-format platinum silicide microwave kinetic inductance detectors for optical to near-IR astronomy.

PubMed

Szypryt, P; Meeker, S R; Coiffard, G; Fruitwala, N; Bumble, B; Ulbricht, G; Walter, A B; Daal, M; Bockstiegel, C; Collura, G; Zobrist, N; Lipartito, I; Mazin, B A

2017-10-16

We have fabricated and characterized 10,000 and 20,440 pixel Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector (MKID) arrays for the Dark-speckle Near-IR Energy-resolved Superconducting Spectrophotometer (DARKNESS) and the MKID Exoplanet Camera (MEC). These instruments are designed to sit behind adaptive optics systems with the goal of directly imaging exoplanets in a 800-1400 nm band. Previous large optical and near-IR MKID arrays were fabricated using substoichiometric titanium nitride (TiN) on a silicon substrate. These arrays, however, suffered from severe non-uniformities in the TiN critical temperature, causing resonances to shift away from their designed values and lowering usable detector yield. We have begun fabricating DARKNESS and MEC arrays using platinum silicide (PtSi) on sapphire instead of TiN. Not only do these arrays have much higher uniformity than the TiN arrays, resulting in higher pixel yields, they have demonstrated better spectral resolution than TiN MKIDs of similar design. PtSi MKIDs also do not display the hot pixel effects seen when illuminating TiN on silicon MKIDs with photons with wavelengths shorter than 1 µm.

ATLAST Detector Needs for Direct Spectroscopic Biosignature Characterization in the Visible and Near-IR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rauscher, Bernard J.; Bolcar, Matthew R.; Clampin, Mark; Domagal-Goldman, Shawn D.; McElwain, Michael W.; Moseley, S. H.; Stahle, Carl; Stark, Christopher C.; Thronson, Harley A.

2015-01-01

Are we alone? Answering this ageless question will be a major focus for astrophysics in coming decades. Our tools will include unprecedentedly large UV-Optical-IR space telescopes working with advanced coronagraphs and starshades. Yet, these facilities will not live up to their full potential without better detectors than we have today. To inform detector development, this paper provides an overview of visible and near-IR (VISIR; lambda = 0.4 - 1.8 micrometers) detector needs for the Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST), specifically for spectroscopic characterization of atmospheric biosignature gasses. We also provide a brief status update on some promising detector technologies for meeting these needs in the context of a passively cooled ATLAST.

The Potential of ESO for Asteroseismology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aerts, Conny

2017-08-01

The research field of asteroseismology is currently undergoing its first revolution. We start with a brief history of how this field of stellar physics evolved from dream to reality, including ESO's role in it. Subsequently, we highlight how asteroseismology can serve various topics in astrophysics and focus on the current status. We discuss recent findings on the rotation and chemical mixing inside stars. Finally, we look at the perspectives of the second and third revolution in this area and highlight how ESO can play an optimal role in it.

Koha@ESO Reloaded

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meakins, S.; Grothkopf, U.

2015-04-01

What happened to the ESO library's plan to use the open source software Koha as their new library system? After an intensive migration process, we finally went online in June 2012. We want to share some of our experiences, point out advantages and disadvantages of an open source system and show some highlights of Koha, especially the flexibility the system offers.

Fluorenyl benzothiadiazole and benzoselenadiazole near-IR fluorescent probes for two-photon fluorescence imaging (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belfield, Kevin D.; Yao, Sheng; Kim, Bosung; Yue, Xiling

2016-03-01

Imaging biological samples with two-photon fluorescence (2PF) microscopy has the unique advantage of resulting high contrast 3D resolution subcellular image that can reach up to several millimeters depth. 2PF probes that absorb and emit at near IR region need to be developed. Two-photon excitation (2PE) wavelengths are less concerned as 2PE uses wavelengths doubles the absorption wavelength of the probe, which means 2PE wavelengths for probes even with absorption at visible wavelength will fall into NIR region. Therefore, probes that fluoresce at near IR region with high quantum yields are needed. A series of dyes based on 5-thienyl-2, 1, 3-benzothiadiazole and 5-thienyl-2, 1, 3-benzoselenadiazole core were synthesized as near infrared two-photon fluorophores. Fluorescence maxima wavelengths as long as 714 nm and fluorescence quantum yields as high as 0.67 were achieved. The fluorescence quantum yields of the dyes were nearly constant, regardless of solvents polarity. These diazoles exhibited large Stokes shift (<114nm), high two-photon absorption cross sections (up to 2,800 GM), and high two-photon fluorescence figure of merit (FM , 1.04×10-2 GM). Cells incubated on a 3D scaffold with one of the new probes (encapsulated in Pluronic micelles) exhibited bright fluorescence, enabling 3D two-photon fluorescence imaging to a depth of 100 µm.

Low Mass AGN: Combining IRAC With Near-IR Grism Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colbert, James; Teplitz, Harry; Malkan, Matt; Scarlata, Claudia; Bagley, Micaela; Baronchelli, Ivano; Hayden-Pawson, Connor; Rafelski, Marc

2017-10-01

Low mass AGN are critical to understanding the evolution of AGNs and stars in galaxies, marking the time periods of highest accretion efficiency and greatest likely deviations from the black hole mass - sigma correlation. Using the WFC3 Infrared Spectroscopic Parallels (WISP), we have just recently identified 68 candidate z > 1 AGN in 27 fields from their near-infrared emission line ratios. The WISP survey selects emission line galaxies without any pre-selection bias and is exquisitely sensitive to low mass (down to 10^7 solar masses), high-equivalent width galaxies that are missed by most other surveys. We propose to take IRAC 4.5 micron imaging of these AGN candidate fields in order to confirm 68 low mass AGN candidates, identify additional low mass IR-AGN missed by emission line selection, and produce the SED fits that can separate hot dust from star light, allowing comparison of stellar mass to AGN bolometric luminosity. The upcoming Euclid and WFIRST missions will generate hundreds of thousands of near-infrared spectra over a similar redshift range to WISP. For most of these objects, near-infrared emission line ratios will be the only viable AGN diagnostic. The Spitzer IRAC color AGN selection is one of the most robust AGN identifiers available. We wish to test these near-infrared emission line selection methods against the IRAC selection in order to evaluate the reliability of the AGN these future missions are likely to produce.

Status of Women at ESO: a Pilot Study on ESO Staff Gender Distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Primas, F.

2007-06-01

Equal career opportunities require working conditions that make it possible to reconcile family needs and career development. This article describes the goals and main findings of a pilot investigation that has recently been ­carried out at ESO focusing on gender balance issues.

A Calibrated Measurement of the Near-IR Continuum Sky Brightness Using Magellan/FIRE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sullivan, Peter W.; Simcoe, Robert A.

2012-12-01

We characterize the near-IR sky background from 308 observations with the Folded-port InfraRed Echellette (FIRE) spectrograph at Magellan. A subset of 105 observations selected to minimize lunar and thermal effects gives a continuous, median spectrum from 0.83 to 2.5 μm, which we present in Table 2. The data are used to characterize the broadband continuum emission between atmospheric OH features and correlate its properties with observing conditions such as lunar angle and time of night. We find that the Moon contributes significantly to the inter-line continuum in Y and J bands, whereas the observed H-band continuum is dominated by the blended Lorentzian wings of multiple OH line profiles, even at R = 6000. Lunar effects may be mitigated in Y and J through careful scheduling of observations, but the most ambitious near-IR programs will benefit from allocation during dark observing time if those observations are not limited by read noise. In Y and J, our measured continuum exceeds space-based average estimates of the zodiacal light, but it is not readily identified with known terrestrial foregrounds. If further measurements confirm such a fundamental background, it would impact requirements for OH-suppressed instruments operating in this regime.

Mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke: Consensus statement by ESO-Karolinska Stroke Update 2014/2015, supported by ESO, ESMINT, ESNR and EAN.

PubMed

Wahlgren, Nils; Moreira, Tiago; Michel, Patrik; Steiner, Thorsten; Jansen, Olav; Cognard, Christophe; Mattle, Heinrich P; van Zwam, Wim; Holmin, Staffan; Tatlisumak, Turgut; Petersson, Jesper; Caso, Valeria; Hacke, Werner; Mazighi, Mikael; Arnold, Marcel; Fischer, Urs; Szikora, Istvan; Pierot, Laurent; Fiehler, Jens; Gralla, Jan; Fazekas, Franz; Lees, Kennedy R

2016-01-01

The original version of this consensus statement on mechanical thrombectomy was approved at the European Stroke Organisation (ESO)-Karolinska Stroke Update conference in Stockholm, 16-18 November 2014. The statement has later, during 2015, been updated with new clinical trials data in accordance with a decision made at the conference. Revisions have been made at a face-to-face meeting during the ESO Winter School in Berne in February, through email exchanges and the final version has then been approved by each society. The recommendations are identical to the original version with evidence level upgraded by 20 February 2015 and confirmed by 15 May 2015. The purpose of the ESO-Karolinska Stroke Update meetings is to provide updates on recent stroke therapy research and to discuss how the results may be implemented into clinical routine. Selected topics are discussed at consensus sessions, for which a consensus statement is prepared and discussed by the participants at the meeting. The statements are advisory to the ESO guidelines committee. This consensus statement includes recommendations on mechanical thrombectomy after acute stroke. The statement is supported by ESO, European Society of Minimally Invasive Neurological Therapy (ESMINT), European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR), and European Academy of Neurology (EAN). © 2016 World Stroke Organization.

REOSC Delivers the Best Astronomical Mirror in the World to ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1999-12-01

On December 14, 1999, REOSC , the Optical Department of the SAGEM Group , finished the polishing of the fourth 8.2-m main mirror for the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory. The mirror was today delivered to ESO at a ceremony at the REOSC factory in Saint Pierre du Perray, just south of Paris. The precision of the form of the mirror that was achieved during the polishing process is 8.5 nanometer (1 nanometer = 1 millionth of a millimetre) over the optical surface. This exceptional value corresponds to an optical resolution (theoretical image sharpness) of 0.03 arcseconds in the visible spectrum. This corresponds to distinguishing two objects separated by only 15 cm at a distance of 1000 km and will allow to detect astronomical objects that are 10,000 million times fainter than what can be perceived with the unaided eye. This impressive measure of quality, achieved by the REOSC teams during much painstaking work, implies that this VLT mirror is the most accurate in the world. In fact, all four 8.2-m VLT main mirrors polished by REOSC are well within the very strict specifications set by ESO, but this is the best of them all. The celebration today is the successful highlight of a contract initiated more than ten years ago, during which REOSC has perfected new polishing and control techniques - innovations improved and developed in a unique workshop dedicated to these giant mirrors. These methods and means are directly applicable to the new generations of segmented mirrors that are now being developed for astronomy and space observations. They are, in this sense, at the foremost front of optical technology. REOSC, the Optical Department of the SAGEM Group , is specialised in the study and realisation of high-precision optics for astronomy, space, defence, science and industry. For earlier information about the work on the VLT mirrors, cf. ESO Press Release 15/95 (13 November 1995). The SAGEM Group is a French high-technology group. It

ESO089-G018 and ESO089-G019: long-slit spectroscopy of emission-line galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Rocha-Poppe, P. C.; Faúndez-Abans, M.; Fernandes-Martin, V. A.; Fernandes, I. F.; de Oliveira-Abans, M.; Rodrígues-Ardila, A.

2010-03-01

We present the first spectroscopic observations for the galaxies ESO089-G018 (hereafter G18, an Sb(?)-type galaxy seen nearly edge-on) and ESO089-G019 (hereafter G19, an SA(s): a peculiar galaxy), extracted from the sample of ring-shaped galaxies compiled in Faúndez-Abans & de Oliveira-Abans. The main goal of this work is to investigate the spectral classification using the three line-ratio diagrams, called diagnostic diagrams, of Veilleux & Osterbrock. However, in order to separate the different types of galaxies [HII galaxies, Seyfert 2 galaxies and low-ionization nuclear emission-line region galaxies (LINERs)] we have to used empirical boundaries between them. Based on the observed spectra, we suggest G18 is a `weak-[OI] LINER' or even a `transition object' or LINER/HII. In the case of G19, we see Hβ in absorption and no [OIII] lines, impeding the [OIII]/Hβ ratio to be estimated. However, other lines ratios have been evaluated for the discussion. We classify the nature of G19 as ambiguous, because of the difficulty in determining its ionizing source (narrow-line active galactic nuclei or HII galaxies) in different diagnostic diagrams. The errors in the fluxes were mostly caused by uncertainties in the placement of the continuum level. We have estimated nuclear redshift of z = 0.034 (G18) and z = 0.039 (G19), corresponding to a heliocentric velocity of 10246 and 11734kms-1, respectively. Some other physical parameters have been derived whenever possible. All spectra were reduced and analysed in a homogeneous way with the standard IRAF procedures. Based on observations carried out at Observatório do Pico dos Dias (OPD), which operated by the LNA/MCT, Brazil-MG. E-mail: paulopoppe@gmail.com

Production of Previews and Advanced Data Products for the ESO Science Archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rité, C.; Slijkhuis, R.; Rosati, P.; Delmotte, N.; Rino, B.; Chéreau, F.; Malapert, J.-C.

2008-08-01

We present a project being carried out by the Virtual Observatory Systems Department/Advanced Data Products group in order to populate the ESO Science Archive Facility with image previews and advanced data products. The main goal is to provide users of the ESO Science Archive Facility with the possibility of viewing pre-processed images associated with instruments like WFI, ISAAC and SOFI before actually retrieving the data for full processing. The image processing is done by using the ESO/MVM image reduction software developed at ESO, to produce astrometrically calibrated FITS images, ranging from simple previews of single archive images, to fully stacked mosaics. These data products can be accessed via the ESO Science Archive Query Form and also be viewed with the browser VirGO {http://archive.eso.org/cms/virgo}.

First Data Release of the ESO-ARO Public Survey SAMPLING—SMT “All-sky” Mapping of Planck Interstellar Nebulae in the Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ke; Zahorecz, Sarolta; Cunningham, Maria R.; Tóth, L. Viktor; Liu, Tie; Lu, Xing; Wang, Yuan; Cosentino, Giuliana; Sung, Ren-Shiang; Sokolov, Vlas; Wang, Shen; Wang, Yuwei; Zhang, Zhiyu; Li, Di; Kim, Kee-Tae; Tatematsu, Ken’ichi; Testi, Leonardo; Wu, Yuefang; Yang, Ji; SAMPLING Collaboration

2018-01-01

We make the first data release (DR1) of the ongoing ESO Public Survey SAMPLING (http://dx.doi.org/10.7910/DVN/0L8NHX). DR1 comprises of 124 fields distributed in $70^\\circ < l < 216^\\circ$, $-35^\\circ < b < 25^\\circ$. The 12CO and 13CO (2-1) cubes are gridded in $8"$ pixels, with an effective resolution of $36"$. The channel width is 0.33 km/s and the RMS noise is $T_{\\rm mb}<0.2$ K. Once completed, SAMPLING and complementary surveys will initiate the first major step forward to characterize molecular clouds and star formation on truly Galactic scales.

ESO PR Highlights in 2006

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2007-01-01

Last year proved to be another exceptional year for the European organisation for ground-based astronomy. ESO should begin the New Year with two new member states: Spain (PR 05/06) and the Czech Republic (PR 52/06). ESO PR Highlights 2006 2006 was a year of renovation and revolution in the world of planets. A new Earth-like exoplanet has been discovered (PR 03/06) using a network of telescopes from all over the world (including the Danish 1.54-m one at ESO La Silla). It is not the only child of this fruitful year: thanks to the combined use of ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) and La Silla instruments, a surprising system of twin giant exoplanets was found (PR 29/06), and a trio of Neptune-like planets hosted by a nearby star were identified (PR 18/06). These results open new perspectives on the search for habitable zones and on the understanding of the mechanism of planet formation. The VISIR instrument on the VLT has been providing unique information to answer this last question, by supplying a high resolution view of a planet-forming disc (PR 36/06). There are not only new members in the planets' register: during the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union held in Prague (Czech Republic), it was decided that Pluto is not a planet anymore but a 'dwarf planet'. Whatever its status, Pluto still has a satellite, Charon, whose radius and density have been measured more accurately by observing a rare occultation from different sites, including Cerro Paranal (PR 02/06). The scientific community dedicated 2006 to the great physicist James Clerk Maxwell (it was the 175th anniversary of the birth): without his electromagnetic theory of light, none of the astonishing discoveries of modern physics could have been achieved. Nowadays we can look at distant galaxies in great detail: the GIRAFFE spectrograph on the VLT revealed that galaxies 6 billion years ago had the same amount of dark matter relative to stars than nowadays (PR 10/06), while SINFONI gave an

ESO Advanced Data Products for the Virtual Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Retzlaff, J.; Delmotte, N.; Rite, C.; Rosati, P.; Slijkhuis, R.; Vandame, B.

2006-07-01

Advanced Data Products, that is, completely reduced, fully characterized science-ready data sets, play a crucial role for the success of the Virtual Observatory as a whole. We report on on-going work at ESO towards the creation and publication of Advanced Data Products in compliance with present VO standards on resource metadata. The new deep NIR multi-color mosaic of the GOODS/CDF-S region is used to showcase different aspects of the entire process: data reduction employing our MVM-based reduction pipeline, calibration and data characterization procedures, standardization of metadata content, and, finally, a prospect of the scientific potential illustrated by new results on deep galaxy number counts.

PESSTO: survey description and products from the first data release by the Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey of Transient Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smartt, S. J.; Valenti, S.; Fraser, M.; Inserra, C.; Young, D. R.; Sullivan, M.; Pastorello, A.; Benetti, S.; Gal-Yam, A.; Knapic, C.; Molinaro, M.; Smareglia, R.; Smith, K. W.; Taubenberger, S.; Yaron, O.; Anderson, J. P.; Ashall, C.; Balland, C.; Baltay, C.; Barbarino, C.; Bauer, F. E.; Baumont, S.; Bersier, D.; Blagorodnova, N.; Bongard, S.; Botticella, M. T.; Bufano, F.; Bulla, M.; Cappellaro, E.; Campbell, H.; Cellier-Holzem, F.; Chen, T.-W.; Childress, M. J.; Clocchiatti, A.; Contreras, C.; Dall'Ora, M.; Danziger, J.; de Jaeger, T.; De Cia, A.; Della Valle, M.; Dennefeld, M.; Elias-Rosa, N.; Elman, N.; Feindt, U.; Fleury, M.; Gall, E.; Gonzalez-Gaitan, S.; Galbany, L.; Morales Garoffolo, A.; Greggio, L.; Guillou, L. L.; Hachinger, S.; Hadjiyska, E.; Hage, P. E.; Hillebrandt, W.; Hodgkin, S.; Hsiao, E. Y.; James, P. A.; Jerkstrand, A.; Kangas, T.; Kankare, E.; Kotak, R.; Kromer, M.; Kuncarayakti, H.; Leloudas, G.; Lundqvist, P.; Lyman, J. D.; Hook, I. M.; Maguire, K.; Manulis, I.; Margheim, S. J.; Mattila, S.; Maund, J. R.; Mazzali, P. A.; McCrum, M.; McKinnon, R.; Moreno-Raya, M. E.; Nicholl, M.; Nugent, P.; Pain, R.; Pignata, G.; Phillips, M. M.; Polshaw, J.; Pumo, M. L.; Rabinowitz, D.; Reilly, E.; Romero-Cañizales, C.; Scalzo, R.; Schmidt, B.; Schulze, S.; Sim, S.; Sollerman, J.; Taddia, F.; Tartaglia, L.; Terreran, G.; Tomasella, L.; Turatto, M.; Walker, E.; Walton, N. A.; Wyrzykowski, L.; Yuan, F.; Zampieri, L.

2015-07-01

Context. The Public European Southern Observatory Spectroscopic Survey of Transient Objects (PESSTO) began as a public spectroscopic survey in April 2012. PESSTO classifies transients from publicly available sources and wide-field surveys, and selects science targets for detailed spectroscopic and photometric follow-up. PESSTO runs for nine months of the year, January - April and August - December inclusive, and typically has allocations of 10 nights per month. Aims: We describe the data reduction strategy and data products that are publicly available through the ESO archive as the Spectroscopic Survey data release 1 (SSDR1). Methods: PESSTO uses the New Technology Telescope with the instruments EFOSC2 and SOFI to provide optical and NIR spectroscopy and imaging. We target supernovae and optical transients brighter than 20.5m for classification. Science targets are selected for follow-up based on the PESSTO science goal of extending knowledge of the extremes of the supernova population. We use standard EFOSC2 set-ups providing spectra with resolutions of 13-18 Å between 3345-9995 Å. A subset of the brighter science targets are selected for SOFI spectroscopy with the blue and red grisms (0.935-2.53 μm and resolutions 23-33 Å) and imaging with broadband JHKs filters. Results: This first data release (SSDR1) contains flux calibrated spectra from the first year (April 2012-2013). A total of 221 confirmed supernovae were classified, and we released calibrated optical spectra and classifications publicly within 24 h of the data being taken (via WISeREP). The data in SSDR1 replace those released spectra. They have more reliable and quantifiable flux calibrations, correction for telluric absorption, and are made available in standard ESO Phase 3 formats. We estimate the absolute accuracy of the flux calibrations for EFOSC2 across the whole survey in SSDR1 to be typically ~15%, although a number of spectra will have less reliable absolute flux calibration because of

Dutch Minister of Science Visits ESO Facilities in Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2005-05-01

Mrs. Maria van der Hoeven, the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, who travelled to the Republic of Chile, arrived at the ESO Paranal Observatory on Friday afternoon, May 13, 2005. The Minister was accompanied, among others, by the Dutch Ambassador to Chile, Mr. Hinkinus Nijenhuis, and Mr. Cornelis van Bochove, the Dutch Director of Science. The distinguished visitors were able to acquaint themselves with one of the foremost European research facilities, the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT), during an overnight stay at this remote site, and later, with the next major world facility in sub-millimetre and millimetre astronomy, the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). At Paranal, the guests were welcomed by the ESO Director General, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky; the ESO Council President, Prof. Piet van der Kruit; the ESO Representative in Chile, Prof. Felix Mirabel; the Director of the La Silla Paranal Observatory, Dr. Jason Spyromilio; by one of the Dutch members of the ESO Council, Prof. Tim de Zeeuw; by the renowned astrophysicist from Leiden, Prof. Ewine van Dishoek, as well as by ESO staff members. The visitors were shown the various high-tech installations at the observatory, including many of the large, front-line VLT astronomical instruments that have been built in collaboration between ESO and European research institutes. Explanations were given by ESO astronomers and engineers and the Minister gained a good impression of the wide range of exciting research programmes that are carried out with the VLT. Having enjoyed the spectacular sunset over the Pacific Ocean from the Paranal deck, the Minister visited the VLT Control Room from where the four 8.2-m Unit Telescopes and the VLT Interferometer (VLTI) are operated. Here, the Minister was invited to follow an observing sequence at the console of the Kueyen (UT2) and Melipal (UT3) telescopes. "I was very impressed, not just by the technology and the science, but most of all by all the people involved

Britain Approaches ESO about Installation of Major New Telescope at Paranal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2000-02-01

The Executive Board of the UK Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope (VISTA) project announced today [1] that it is aiming at the installation of a new and powerful astronomical telescope at the ESO Paranal Observatory (Chile). This 4-metre telescope is a specialised wide-angle facility equipped with powerful cameras and efficient detectors that will enable it to obtain deep images of large sky areas in short time. These survey observations will be made in several wavebands in the optical and, in particular, the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. VISTA will become the largest and most effective telescope of its type when it enters into operation in 2004. It is a project of a consortium of 18 UK universities [2]. Construction is expected to start in spring 2000. Funding of the project was announced in May 1999, as one of the first allocations from the "Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF)", an initiative of the UK Government's Department of Trade and Industry, the Wellcome Trust, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. ESO's Director General, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky , is very pleased with this decision. She received a mandate from the ESO Council in December 1999 to negotiate a contract with the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) , acting on behalf of the VISTA Executive Board, for the installation of VISTA at Paranal and now looks forward to settle the associated legal and operational details with her British counterparts at good pace. "The installation of VISTA at Paranal will be of great benefit to all European astronomers", she says. "The placement of a survey telescope of this size next to ESO's VLT, the world's largest optical telescope, opens a plethora of exciting opportunities for joint research projects. Deep observations with VISTA, especially in infrared wavebands, will provide a most valuable, first census of large regions of space. This will most certainly lead to the discoveries of many new and

NY-ESO-1 Protein Cancer Vaccine With Poly-ICLC and OK-432: Rapid and Strong Induction of NY-ESO-1-specific Immune Responses by Poly-ICLC.

PubMed

Takeoka, Tomohira; Nagase, Hirotsugu; Kurose, Koji; Ohue, Yoshihiro; Yamasaki, Makoto; Takiguchi, Shuji; Sato, Eiichi; Isobe, Midori; Kanazawa, Takayuki; Matsumoto, Mitsunobu; Iwahori, Kota; Kawashima, Atsunari; Morimoto-Okazawa, Akiko; Nishikawa, Hiroyoshi; Oka, Mikio; Pan, Linda; Venhaus, Ralph; Nakayama, Eiichi; Mori, Masaki; Doki, Yuichiro; Wada, Hisashi

2017-03-23

We conducted a clinical trial of a cancer vaccine using NY-ESO-1 protein with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid-poly-L-lysine carboxymethylcellulose (poly-ICLC) and/or OK-432 against solid tumors. A total of 15 patients were sequentially enrolled in 4 cohorts. Patients in cohort 1 received NY-ESO-1 protein; cohort 2a received NY-ESO-1 protein+OK-432; cohort 2b received NY-ESO-1 protein+poly-ICLC; cohort 3 received NY-ESO-1 protein+OK-432+poly-ICLC with Montanide ISA-51. The endpoints of this trial were safety, NY-ESO-1 immune responses, and clinical response. Vaccine-related adverse events observed were fever and injection-site reaction (grade 1). Two patients showed stable disease after vaccination. NY-ESO-1 antibodies were observed in 4 patients at the baseline (sero-positive) and augmented in all patients after vaccination. Eleven patients showed a conversion of negative antibody responses at baseline to positive after vaccination (seroconversion). The seroconversions were observed in all 11 sero-negative patients by the fourth immunization; in particular, it was observed by the second immunization in patients with poly-ICLC, and these induced antibody responses were stronger than those in patients immunized without poly-ICLC. The number of NY-ESO-1-specific interferon (IFN)γ-producing T cells was increased in patients immunized with poly-ICLC and/or OK-432, and furthermore, the increase of IFNγ-producing CD8 T cells in patients immunized with poly-ICLC was significantly higher than that in patients without poly-ICLC. Nonspecific activations of T-cell or antigen presenting cells were not observed. Our present study showed that poly-ICLC is a promising adjuvant for cancer vaccines.

Retrieval of Surface Lambert Albedos and Aerosols Optical Depths Using OMEGA Near-IR EPF Observations of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincendon, M.; Langevin, Y.; Poulet, F.; Bibring, J.-P.; Gondet, B.

2007-03-01

We have analyzed five EPF sequences acquired by OMEGA/Mars Express in the near-IR over ice-free and ice-covered surfaces to retrieve simultaneously the Lambert albedo of the surface and the optical depth of aerosols.

Single-domain antibody bioconjugated near-IR quantum dots for targeted cellular imaging of pancreatic cancer.

PubMed

Zaman, Md Badruz; Baral, Toya Nath; Jakubek, Zygmunt J; Zhang, Jianbing; Wu, Xiaohua; Lai, Edward; Whitfield, Dennis; Yu, Kui

2011-05-01

Successful targeted imaging of BxPC3 human pancreatic cancer cells is feasible with near-IR CdTeSe/CdS quantum dots (QDs) functionalized with single-domain antibody (sdAb) 2A3. For specific targeting, sdAbs are superior to conventional antibodies, especially in terms of stability, aggregation, and production cost. The bright CdTeSe/CdS QDs were synthesized to emit in the diagnostic window of 650-900 nm with a narrow emission band. 2A3 was derived from llama and is small in size of 13 kDa, but with fully-functional recognition to the target carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 6 (CEACAM6), a possible biomarker as a therapeutic target of pancreatic cancer. For compelling imaging, optical may be the most sensible among the various imaging modalities, regarding the sensitivity and cost. This first report on sdAb-conjugated near-IR QDs with high signal to background sensitivity for targeted cellular imaging brings insights into the development of optical molecular imaging for early stage cancer diagnosis.

Near-IR 2D-spectroscopy of the 4''x 4'' region around the Active Galactic Nucleus of NGC 1068 with ISAAC/VLT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galliano, E.; Alloin, D.

2002-10-01

New near-IR long slit spectroscopic data obtained with ISAAC on VLT/ANTU (ESO/Paranal) complement and extend our previously published near-IR data (Alloin et al. \\cite{all01}) to produce Brgamma and H2 emission line maps and line profile grids of the central 4'' x 4'' region surrounding the central engine of NGC 1068. The seeing quality together with the use of an 0.3'' wide slit and 0.3'' slit position offsets allow one to perform 2D-spectroscopy at a spatial resolution ~ 0.5''. Slit orientations (PA = 102 degr and PA = 12 degr) were chosen so as to match respectively the equatorial plane and the axis of the suspected molecular/dusty torus in NGC 1068. The selected wavelength range from 2.1 to 2.2μm is suitable to detect and analyze the Brgamma and H2 emission lines at a spectral resolution corresponding to 35km s-1. An asymmetric distribution of H2 emission around the continuum peak is observed. No H2 emission is detected at the location of the strong 2.2μm continuum core (coincident within error-bars with the central engine location), while two conspicuous knots of H2 emission are detected at about 1'' on each side of the central engine along PA = 90 degr, with a projected velocity difference of 140km s-1: this velocity jump has been interpreted in Alloin et al. (\\cite{all01}) as the signature of a rotating disk of molecular material. From this new data set, we find that only very low intensity Brgamma emission is detected at the location of the two main knots of H2 emission. Another knot with both H2 and Brgamma emission is detected to the North of the central engine, close to the radio source C where the small scale radio jet is redirected and close to the brightest [OIII] cloud NLR-B. It has a counterpart to the South, placed almost symmetrically with respect to the central engine, although mainly visible in the Brgamma emission. The northern and southern knots appear to be related to the ionization cone. At the achieved spectral resolution, the H2

Three novel NY-ESO-1 epitopes bound to DRB1*0803, DQB1*0401 and DRB1*0901 recognized by CD4 T cells from CHP-NY-ESO-1-vaccinated patients.

PubMed

Mizote, Yu; Taniguchi, Taku; Tanaka, Kei; Isobe, Midori; Wada, Hisashi; Saika, Takashi; Kita, Shoichi; Koide, Yukari; Uenaka, Akiko; Nakayama, Eiichi

2010-07-19

Three novel NY-ESO-1 CD4 T cell epitopes were identified using PBMC obtained from patients who were vaccinated with a complex of cholesterol-bearing hydrophobized pullulan (CHP) and NY-ESO-1 protein (CHP-NY-ESO-1). The restriction molecules were determined by antibody blocking and using various EBV-B cells with different HLA alleles as APC to present peptides to CD4 T cells. The minimal epitope peptides were determined using various N- and C-termini truncated peptides deduced from 18-mer overlapping peptides originally identified for recognition. Those epitopes were DRB1*0901-restricted NY-ESO-1 87-100, DQB1*0401-restricted NY-ESO-1 95-107 and DRB1*0803-restricted NY-ESO-1 124-134. CD4 T cells used to determine those epitope peptides recognized EBV-B cells or DC that were treated with recombinant NY-ESO-1 protein or NY-ESO-1-expressing tumor cell lysate, suggesting that the epitope peptides are naturally processed. These CD4 T cells showed a cytokine profile with Th1 characteristics. Furthermore, NY-ESO-1 87-100 peptide/HLA-DRB1*0901 tetramer staining was observed. Multiple Th1-type CD4 T cell responses are beneficial for inducing effective anti-tumor responses after NY-ESO-1 protein vaccination. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

UNTANGLING THE NEAR-IR SPECTRAL FEATURES IN THE PROTOPLANETARY ENVIRONMENT OF KH 15D

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

Arulanantham, Nicole A.; Herbst, William; Gilmore, Martha S.

2017-01-10

We report on Gemini/GNIRS observations of the binary T Tauri system V582 Mon (KH 15D) at three orbital phases. These spectra allow us to untangle five components of the system: the photosphere and magnetosphere of star B, the jet, scattering properties of the ring material, and excess near-infrared (near-IR) radiation previously attributed to a possible self-luminous planet. We confirm an early-K subgiant classification for star B and show that the magnetospheric He i emission line is variable, possibly indicating increased mass accretion at certain times. As expected, the H{sub 2} emission features associated with the inner part of the jetmore » show no variation with orbital phase. We show that the reflectance spectrum for the scattered light has a distinctive blue slope and spectral features consistent with scattering and absorption by a mixture of water and methane ice grains in the 1–50 μ m size range. This suggests that the methane frost line is closer than ∼5 au in this system, requiring that the grains be shielded from direct radiation. After correcting for features from the scattered light, jet, magnetosphere, and photosphere, we confirm the presence of leftover near-IR light from an additional source, detectable near minimum brightness. A spectral emission feature matching the model spectrum of a 10 M {sub J}, 1 Myr old planet is found in the excess flux, but other expected features from this model are not seen. Our observations, therefore, tentatively support the picture that a luminous planet is present within the system, although they cannot yet be considered definitive.« less

The Emergence of the Infrared Transient VVV-WIT-06

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minniti, D.; Saito, R. K.; Forster, F.; Pignata, G.; Ivanov, V. D.; Lucas, P. W.; Beamin, J. C.; Borissova, J.; Catelan, M.; Gonzalez, O. A.; Hempel, M.; Hsiao, E.; Kurtev, R.; Majaess, D.; Masetti, N.; Morrell, N. I.; Phillips, M. M.; Pullen, J. B.; Rejkuba, M.; Smith, L.; Surot, F.; Valenti, E.; Zoccali, M.

2017-11-01

We report the discovery of an enigmatic large-amplitude ({{Δ }}{Ks}> 10.5 mag) transient event in near-IR data obtained by the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) ESO Public Survey. The object (designated VVV-WIT-06) is located at R.A. = 17:07:18.917, decl. = -39:06:26.45 (J2000), corresponding to Galactic coordinates l = 347.14539, b = 0.88522. It exhibits a clear eruption, peaking at Ks = 9 mag during 2013 July and fading to {Ks}˜ 16.5 in 2017. Our late near-IR spectra show post-outburst emission lines, including some broad emission lines (upward of {FWHM}˜ 3000 km s-1). We estimate a total extinction of {A}V=10{--}15 mag in the surrounding field, and no progenitor was observed in ZYJHKs images obtained during 2010-2012 (down to {K}s> 18.5 mag). Subsequent deep near-IR imaging and spectroscopy, in concert with the available multiband photometry, indicate that VVV-WIT-06 may be either: (I) the closest Type I SN observed in about 400 years, (II) an exotic high-amplitude nova that would extend the known realm of such objects, or (III) a stellar merger. In all of these cases, VVV-WIT-06 is a fascinating and curious astrophysical target under any of the scenarios considered. Based on observations taken within the ESO programmes 179.B-2002 and 298.D-5048, and on observations carried out at the Magellan Telescope at LCO.

Report on the ''ESO Python Boot Camp — Pilot Version''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dias, B.; Milli, J.

2017-03-01

The Python programming language is becoming very popular within the astronomical community. Python is a high-level language with multiple applications including database management, handling FITS images and tables, statistical analysis, and more advanced topics. Python is a very powerful tool both for astronomical publications and for observatory operations. Since the best way to learn a new programming language is through practice, we therefore organised a two-day hands-on workshop to share expertise among ESO colleagues. We report here the outcome and feedback from this pilot event.

ESO and Fokker Space Sign Contract about VLTI Delay Line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1998-03-01

variations due to atmospheric disturbances and/or mechanical vibrations along the optical path length. The VLTI Delay Line system consists of a retro-reflector mounted on a moving base. The optical design of this `Cat's Eye' is of the Ritchey-Chretien type that reflects the light very effectively. For this particular application, the `Cat's Eye' is not a corner cube with 3 perpendicular mirrors as is the case in the reflectors on cars and bicycles; it is in fact a telescope with a mirror at the focus that sends a light beam back in a direction parallel to the one it came from. The moving base enables the Cat's Eye to travel along a 60 metres long rail track, thereby providing optical path difference corrections of up to 120 metres, as required for the VLT telescope configurations at Paranal. The necessary, rapid path length corrections are performed by a fine positioning loop in which a piezo crystal (mounted on the backside of the Variable Curvature Mirror M3) is used to correct the fast optical path variations as measured by a Fringe Sensing Unit (FSU). The latter provides a signal to the Delay Line system via a fast link to the Delay Line Local Control Unit. An optical datalink to the Cat's Eye on the carriage ensures the transfer of data to the Piezo controller. The carriage is driven by a Linear Induction Motor. The coils for the motor are mounted on the floor of the Delay Line Long Support Bench and the magnets are mounted on the bottom of the carriage. The metrology system (to measure the carriage position) consists of a laser-interferometer whose beam follows the same path as the light beams from the telescopes via the Cat's Eye. The main design parameters are shown here: Optical Path range above 120 m Optical Path resolution better than 20 nm Optical Path stability better than 14 nm over any 0.01 sec (in the visible spectral range) better than 50 nm over any 0.05 sec (in Near-IR spectral range) better than 225 nm over any 0.3 sec (in Thermal-IR spectral range

The Gaia-ESO Survey: dynamics of ionized and neutral gas in the Lagoon nebula (M 8)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damiani, F.; Bonito, R.; Prisinzano, L.; Zwitter, T.; Bayo, A.; Kalari, V.; Jiménez-Esteban, F. M.; Costado, M. T.; Jofré, P.; Randich, S.; Flaccomio, E.; Lanzafame, A. C.; Lardo, C.; Morbidelli, L.; Zaggia, S.

2017-08-01

Aims: We present a spectroscopic study of the dynamics of the ionized and neutral gas throughout the Lagoon nebula (M 8), using VLT-FLAMES data from the Gaia-ESO Survey. The new data permit exploration of the physical connections between the nebular gas and the stellar population of the associated star cluster NGC 6530. Methods: We characterized through spectral fitting emission lines of Hα, [N II] and [S II] doublets, [O III], and absorption lines of sodium D doublet, using data from the FLAMES-Giraffe and UVES spectrographs, on more than 1000 sightlines toward the entire face of the Lagoon nebula. Gas temperatures are derived from line-width comparisons, densities from the [S II] doublet ratio, and ionization parameter from Hα/[N II] ratio. Although doubly-peaked emission profiles are rarely found, line asymmetries often imply multiple velocity components along the same line of sight. This is especially true for the sodium absorption, and for the [O III] lines. Results: Spatial maps for density and ionization are derived, and compared to other known properties of the nebula and of its massive stars 9 Sgr, Herschel 36 and HD 165052 which are confirmed to provide most of the ionizing flux. The detailed velocity fields across the nebula show several expanding shells, related to the cluster NGC 6530, the O stars 9 Sgr and Herschel 36, and the massive protostar M 8East-IR. The origins of kinematical expansion and ionization of the NGC 6530 shell appear to be different. We are able to put constrains on the line-of-sight (relative or absolute) distances between some of these objects and the molecular cloud. The data show that the large obscuring band running through the middle of the nebula is being compressed by both sides, which might explain its enhanced density. We also find an unexplained large-scale velocity gradient across the entire nebula. At larger distances, the transition from ionized to neutral gas is studied using the sodium lines. Based on observations

ESO imaging survey: infrared observations of CDF-S and HDF-S

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olsen, L. F.; Miralles, J.-M.; da Costa, L.; Benoist, C.; Vandame, B.; Rengelink, R.; Rité, C.; Scodeggio, M.; Slijkhuis, R.; Wicenec, A.; Zaggia, S.

2006-06-01

This paper presents infrared data obtained from observations carried out at the ESO 3.5 m New Technology Telescope (NTT) of the Hubble Deep Field South (HDF-S) and the Chandra Deep Field South (CDF-S). These data were taken as part of the ESO Imaging Survey (EIS) program, a public survey conducted by ESO to promote follow-up observations with the VLT. In the HDF-S field the infrared observations cover an area of ~53 square arcmin, encompassing the HST WFPC2 and STIS fields, in the JHKs passbands. The seeing measured in the final stacked images ranges from 0.79 arcsec to 1.22 arcsec and the median limiting magnitudes (AB system, 2'' aperture, 5σ detection limit) are J_AB˜23.0, H_AB˜22.8 and K_AB˜23.0 mag. Less complete data are also available in JKs for the adjacent HST NICMOS field. For CDF-S, the infrared observations cover a total area of ~100 square arcmin, reaching median limiting magnitudes (as defined above) of J_AB˜23.6 and K_AB˜22.7 mag. For one CDF-S field H band data are also available. This paper describes the observations and presents the results of new reductions carried out entirely through the un-supervised, high-throughput EIS Data Reduction System and its associated EIS/MVM C++-based image processing library developed, over the past 5 years, by the EIS project and now publicly available. The paper also presents source catalogs extracted from the final co-added images which are used to evaluate the scientific quality of the survey products, and hence the performance of the software. This is done comparing the results obtained in the present work with those obtained by other authors from independent data and/or reductions carried out with different software packages and techniques. The final science-grade catalogs together with the astrometrically and photometrically calibrated co-added images are available at CDS.

The Spectacular Radio-Near-IR-X-Ray Jet of 3C 111: the X-Ray Emission Mechanism and Jet Kinematics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clautice, Devon; Perlman, Eric S.; Georganopoulos, Markos; Lister, Matthew L.; Tombesi, Francesco; Cara, Mihai; Marshall, Herman L.; Hogan, Brandon M.; Kazanas, Demos

2016-01-01

Relativistic jets are the most energetic manifestation of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) phenomenon. AGN jets are observed from the radio through gamma-rays and carry copious amounts of matter and energy from the subparsec central regions out to the kiloparsec and often megaparsec scale galaxy and cluster environs. While most spatially resolved jets are seen in the radio, an increasing number have been discovered to emit in the optical/near- IR and/or X-ray bands. Here we discuss a spectacular example of this class, the 3C 111 jet, housed in one of the nearest, double-lobed FR II radio galaxies known. We discuss new, deep Chandra and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations that reveal both near-IR and X-ray emission from several components of the 3C 111 jet, as well as both the northern and southern hotspots. Important differences are seen between the morphologies in the radio, X-ray, and near-IR bands. The long (over 100 kpc on each side), straight nature of this jet makes it an excellent prototype for future, deep observations, as it is one of the longest such features seen in the radio, near-IR/optical, and X-ray bands. Several independent lines of evidence, including the X-ray and broadband spectral shape as well as the implied velocity of the approaching hotspot, lead us to strongly disfavor the EC/CMB model and instead favor a two-component synchrotron model to explain the observed X-ray emission for several jet components. Future observations with NuSTAR, HST, and Chandra will allow us to further constrain the emission mechanisms.

THE SPECTACULAR RADIO-NEAR-IR-X-RAY JET OF 3C 111: THE X-RAY EMISSION MECHANISM AND JET KINEMATICS

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

Clautice, Devon; Perlman, Eric S.; Georganopoulos, Markos

2016-08-01

Relativistic jets are the most energetic manifestation of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) phenomenon. AGN jets are observed from the radio through gamma-rays and carry copious amounts of matter and energy from the sub-parsec central regions out to the kiloparsec and often megaparsec scale galaxy and cluster environs. While most spatially resolved jets are seen in the radio, an increasing number have been discovered to emit in the optical/near-IR and/or X-ray bands. Here we discuss a spectacular example of this class, the 3C 111 jet, housed in one of the nearest, double-lobed FR II radio galaxies known. We discuss new,more » deep Chandra and Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) observations that reveal both near-IR and X-ray emission from several components of the 3C 111 jet, as well as both the northern and southern hotspots. Important differences are seen between the morphologies in the radio, X-ray, and near-IR bands. The long (over 100 kpc on each side), straight nature of this jet makes it an excellent prototype for future, deep observations, as it is one of the longest such features seen in the radio, near-IR/optical, and X-ray bands. Several independent lines of evidence, including the X-ray and broadband spectral shape as well as the implied velocity of the approaching hotspot, lead us to strongly disfavor the EC/CMB model and instead favor a two-component synchrotron model to explain the observed X-ray emission for several jet components. Future observations with NuSTAR , HST , and Chandra will allow us to further constrain the emission mechanisms.« less

Bismuth-doped optical fibres: A new breakthrough in near-IR lasing media

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

Dianov, Evgenii M

Recent results demonstrate that bismuth-doped optical fibres have considerable potential as near-IR active lasing media. This paper examines bismuth-doped fibres intended for the fabrication of fibre lasers and optical amplifiers and reviews recent results on the luminescence properties of various types of bismuth-doped fibres and the performance of bismuth-doped fibre lasers and optical amplifiers for the spectral range 1150 - 1550 nm. Problems are discussed that have yet to be solved in order to improve the efficiency of the bismuth lasers and optical amplifiers. (optical fibres, lasers and amplifiers. properties and applications)

A phase I study of vaccination with NY-ESO-1f peptide mixed with Picibanil OK-432 and Montanide ISA-51 in patients with cancers expressing the NY-ESO-1 antigen.

PubMed

Kakimi, Kazuhiro; Isobe, Midori; Uenaka, Akiko; Wada, Hisashi; Sato, Eiichi; Doki, Yuichiro; Nakajima, Jun; Seto, Yasuyuki; Yamatsuji, Tomoki; Naomoto, Yoshio; Shiraishi, Kenshiro; Takigawa, Nagio; Kiura, Katsuyuki; Tsuji, Kazuhide; Iwatsuki, Keiji; Oka, Mikio; Pan, Linda; Hoffman, Eric W; Old, Lloyd J; Nakayama, Eiichi

2011-12-15

We conducted a phase I clinical trial of a cancer vaccine using a 20-mer NY-ESO-1f peptide (NY-ESO-1 91-110) that includes multiple epitopes recognized by antibodies, and CD4 and CD8 T cells. Ten patients were immunized with 600 μg of NY-ESO-1f peptide mixed with 0.2 KE Picibanil OK-432 and 1.25 ml Montanide ISA-51. Primary end points of the study were safety and immune response. Subcutaneous injection of the NY-ESO-1f peptide vaccine was well tolerated. Vaccine-related adverse events observed were fever (Grade 1), injection-site reaction (Grade 1 or 2) and induration (Grade 2). Vaccination with the NY-ESO-1f peptide resulted in an increase or induction of NY-ESO-1 antibody responses in nine of ten patients. The sera reacted with recombinant NY-ESO-1 whole protein as well as the NY-ESO-1f peptide. An increase in CD4 and CD8 T cell responses was observed in nine of ten patients. Vaccine-induced CD4 and CD8 T cells responded to NY-ESO-1 91-108 in all patients with various HLA types with a less frequent response to neighboring peptides. The findings indicate that the 20-mer NY-ESO-1f peptide includes multiple epitopes recognized by CD4 and CD8 T cells with distinct specificity. Of ten patients, two with lung cancer and one with esophageal cancer showed stable disease. Our study shows that the NY-ESO-1f peptide vaccine was well tolerated and elicited humoral, CD4 and CD8 T cell responses in immunized patients. Copyright © 2011 UICC.

Saturn Auroras Seen In Visible And Near-IR By Cassini ISS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wellington, Danika; Dyudina, U.; Ewald, S.; Ingersoll, A.

2010-10-01

New data from the Cassini ISS narrow-angle camera allows us to make measurements of Saturn's night-side auroras in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The aurora was detected in hydrogen alpha (652-661 nm), red (574-724 nm), and broad-band infrared (668-833 nm) wavelengths, and also faintly in blue (405-505 nm) and green (507-632 nm) wavelengths. The brightness in each filter appears to agree with predicted spectra for Saturnian auroras (Aguilar, 2008). Along with the spectra and brightness measurements, we will present two 400+ frame movies taken in the clear filter, one showing aurora in the northern hemisphere from October 5-9, 2009, with a timestep of approximately three minutes, and the other showing the aurora in the southern hemisphere, from June 26, 2010, with a timestep of approximately one minute. These movies show the aurora varying dramatically with both time and longitude. Near the limb the height of the aurora above its base can be measured; this height can reach more than 1200 km. The main auroral oval in the southern hemisphere appears near -72° latitude, with smaller instances of auroral activity near -75° and -77°. Aguilar, A., J. M. Ajello, R. S. Mangina, G. K. James, H. Abgrall, and E. Roueff, "The electron-excited middle UV to near IR spectrum of H2 : Cross-sections and transition probabilities", Astrophys. J. Supp. Ser., 177 (2008).

Blockbuster starring ESO Paranal opens tomorrow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2008-10-01

The 22nd James Bond adventure is due for release tomorrow, 31 October 2008, in the UK and a week later in the rest of the world. A key location in the movie is the Residencia, the hotel for astronomers and staff at ESO's Paranal Observatory. Blockbuster starring ESO Paranal opens tomorrow ESO PR Photo 38/08 The James Bond "Quantum of Solace" filmmakers Quantum of Solace is the latest film in one of most successful movie franchises -- that of renowned 007 Agent James Bond of the British Secret Service MI6. The agent "on Her Majesty's secret service" is once again played by Daniel Craig. Key scenes of the movie were filmed at Paranal, the home of ESO's Very Large Telescope, and the most advanced optical telescope in the world. Usually occupied by no more than 100 astronomers, engineers and technicians, Paranal welcomed the 300-strong film crew for several days of shooting at the end of March 2008. The crew travelled from their hotel base in Antofagasta for up to two hours each morning to reach the filming locations. "We are delighted to have a movie like this filmed at Paranal and it was extremely good to see how careful the crew were with the surroundings and how mindful they were of the fact that they were in an operating, working observatory", says Tim de Zeeuw, ESO Director General. "Paranal is a unique observatory in a unique setting and it is no real surprise that it plays a major part in a James Bond movie", he adds. The filmmakers were mostly interested in filming exterior scenes at the Paranal Residencia, the accommodation for staff operating the Very Large Telescope. In the movie, the Residencia is supposedly the "Perla de Las Dunas", a unique hotel in the desert. Cerro Paranal is a 2600 m high mountain in the Chilean Atacama Desert, perhaps the driest on Earth. The high altitude site and extreme dryness make excellent conditions for astronomical observations. To make it possible for people to live and work here, a hotel, or Residencia, was built at the

Transillumination and reflectance probes for in vivo near-IR imaging of dental caries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simon, Jacob C.; Lucas, Seth A.; Staninec, Michal; Tom, Henry; Chan, Kenneth H.; Darling, Cynthia L.; Fried, Daniel

2014-02-01

Previous studies have demonstrated the utility of near infrared (NIR) imaging for caries detection employing transillumination and reflectance imaging geometries. Three intra-oral NIR imaging probes were fabricated for the acquisition of in vivo, real time videos using a high definition InGaAs SWIR camera and near-IR broadband light sources. Two transillumination probes provide occlusal and interproximal images using 1300-nm light where water absorption is low and enamel manifests the highest transparency. A third reflectance probe utilizes cross polarization and operates at >1500-nm, where water absorption is higher which reduces the reflectivity of sound tissues, significantly increasing lesion contrast. These probes are being used in an ongoing clinical study to assess the diagnostic performance of NIR imaging for the detection of caries lesions in teeth scheduled for extraction for orthodontic reasons.

Fully Integrated Optical Spectrometer in Visible and Near-IR in CMOS.

PubMed

Hong, Lingyu; Sengupta, Kaushik

2017-12-01

Optical spectrometry in the visible and near-infrared range has a wide range of applications in healthcare, sensing, imaging, and diagnostics. This paper presents the first fully integrated optical spectrometer in standard bulk CMOS process without custom fabrication, postprocessing, or any external optical passive structure such as lenses, gratings, collimators, or mirrors. The architecture exploits metal interconnect layers available in CMOS processes with subwavelength feature sizes to guide, manipulate, control, diffract light, integrated photodetector, and read-out circuitry to detect dispersed light, and then back-end signal processing for robust spectral estimation. The chip, realized in bulk 65-nm low power-CMOS process, measures 0.64 mm 0.56 mm in active area, and achieves 1.4 nm in peak detection accuracy for continuous wave excitations between 500 and 830 nm. This paper demonstrates the ability to use these metal-optic nanostructures to miniaturize complex optical instrumentation into a new class of optics-free CMOS-based systems-on-chip in the visible and near-IR for various sensing and imaging applications.

Tim de Zeeuw to Become the Next Director General of ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2007-01-01

The ESO Council has just appointed Tim de Zeeuw, 50, as the next Director General of ESO, effective as of 1 September 2007, when the current Director General, Catherine Cesarsky will complete her mandate. ESO PR Photo 02/07 ESO PR Photo 03/07 Professor Tim de Zeeuw "ESO is Europe's flagship organisation for ground-based astronomy," said, Richard Wade, President of the ESO Council. "The ESO Council is very pleased that Professor de Zeeuw has accepted the task as its next Director General. He has played a key role over the last few years in developing a strategic vision for ESO, and I have every confidence that he will now lead the organisation in the realisation of that exciting vision." Tim de Zeeuw has an excellent record, both as a highly respected scientist and as a leader of an internationally recognised science institute in the Netherlands. He is Scientific Director of the Leiden Observatory, a research institute in the College of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of Leiden University. Tim de Zeeuw also has considerable experience as regards science policy issues. Catherine Cesarsky, ESO's current Director General commented: "Over the recent years, ESO has developed considerably with more activities and new member states, and with its ambitious project portfolio, ESO is clearly facing an exciting future. I shall be delighted to pass the baton to Tim de Zeeuw, who as a recent Council member is very familiar with our Organisation." "It is a great honour and an exciting challenge to lead this world-class organisation in the years to come in support of one of the most dynamic areas of science today," said de Zeeuw. "I look forward to overseeing the continued upgrading of the Very Large Telescope with the second-generation instrumentation and the completion of the ALMA project, and in particular to help developing the future European Extremely Large Telescope." Tim de Zeeuw's main research interests embrace the formation, structure and dynamics of galaxies

GeS2–In2S3–CsI Chalcogenide Glasses Doped with Rare Earth Ions for Near- and Mid-IR Luminescence

PubMed Central

Li, Legang; Bian, Junyi; Jiao, Qing; Liu, Zijun; Dai, Shixun; Lin, Changgui

2016-01-01

Chalcogenide glass has been considered as a promising host for the potential laser gain and amplifier media operating in near- and mid-IR spectral region. In this work, the IR luminescence spectra of rare earth ions (Tm3+, Er3+, and Dy3+) doped 65GeS2–25In2S3–10CsI chalcogenide glasses were measured under the excitation of an 808 nm laser diode. To the best of our knowledge, it firstly provides the luminescence spectra of a full near- and mid-IR spectral range from 1 to 4 μm in rare earth ions doped chalcogenide glasses. The results of absorption spectra, luminescence spectra, and fluorescence decay curves were obtained in these samples with singly-, co- and triply-doping behaviors of Tm3+, Er3+, and Dy3+ ions. In order to search possible efficient IR emissions, the luminescence behavior was investigated specifically with the variation of doping behaviors and dopant ions, especially in the samples co- and triply-doped active ions. The results suggest that favorable near- and mid-IR luminescence of rare earth ions can be further modified in chalcogenide glasses through an elaborated design of doping behavior and optically active ions. PMID:27869231

ESO & NOT photometric monitoring of the Cloverleaf quasar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostensen, R.; Remy, M.; Lindblad, P. O.; Refsdal, S.; Stabell, R.; Surdej, J.; Barthel, P. D.; Emanuelsen, P. I.; Festin, L.; Gosset, E.; Hainaut, O.; Hakala, P.; Hjelm, M.; Hjorth, J.; Hutsemekers, D.; Jablonski, M.; Kaas, A. A.; Kristen, H.; Larsson, S.; Magain, P.; Pettersson, B.; Pospieszalska-Surdej, A.; Smette, A.; Teuber, J.; Thomsen, B.; van Drom, E.

1997-12-01

The Cloverleaf quasar, H1413+117, has been photometrically monitored at ESO (La Silla, Chile) and with the NOT (La Palma, Spain) during the period 1987--1994. All good quality CCD frames have been successfully analysed using two independent methods (i.e. an automatic image decomposition technique and an interactive CLEAN algorithm). The photometric results from the two methods are found to be very similar, and they show that the four lensed QSO images vary significantly in brightness (by up to 0.45 mag), nearly in parallel. The lightcurve of the $D$ component presents some slight departures from the general trend which are very likely caused by micro-lensing effects. Upper limits, at the 99% confidence level, of 150 days on the absolute value for the time delays between the photometric lightcurves of this quadruply imaged variable QSO, are derived. This is unfortunately too large to constrain the lens model but there is little doubt that a better sampling of the lightcurves should allow to accurately derive these time delays. Pending a direct detection of the lensing galaxy (position and redshift), this system thus constitutes another good candidate for a direct and independent determination of the Hubble parameter. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory (La Silla, Chile) and with the Nordic Optical Telescope (La Palma, Spain). Table 1. Logbook for the ESO and NOT observations together with photometric results for the Cloverleaf quasar. This long table can be accessed on the WWW at the URL address: http://vela.astro.ulg.ac.be/grav_lens/glp_homepage.html}

The Gaia-ESO Survey: Churning through the Milky Way

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayden, M. R.; Recio-Blanco, A.; de Laverny, P.; Mikolaitis, S.; Guiglion, G.; Hill, V.; Gilmore, G.; Randich, S.; Bayo, A.; Bensby, T.; Bergemann, M.; Bragaglia, A.; Casey, A.; Costado, M.; Feltzing, S.; Franciosini, E.; Hourihane, A.; Jofre, P.; Koposov, S.; Kordopatis, G.; Lanzafame, A.; Lardo, C.; Lewis, J.; Lind, K.; Magrini, L.; Monaco, L.; Morbidelli, L.; Pancino, E.; Sacco, G.; Stonkute, E.; Worley, C. C.; Zwitter, T.

2018-01-01

Context. There have been conflicting results with respect to the extent that radial migration has played in the evolution of the Galaxy. Additionally, observations of the solar neighborhood have shown evidence of a merger in the past history of the Milky Way that drives enhanced radial migration. Aims: We attempt to determine the relative fraction of stars that have undergone significant radial migration by studying the orbital properties of metal-rich ([Fe/H] > 0.1) stars within 2 kpc of the Sun. We also aim to investigate the kinematic properties, such as velocity dispersion and orbital parameters, of stellar populations near the Sun as a function of [Mg/Fe] and [Fe/H], which could show evidence of a major merger in the past history of the Milky Way. Methods: We used a sample of more than 3000 stars selected from the fourth internal data release of the Gaia-ESO Survey. We used the stellar parameters from the Gaia-ESO Survey along with proper motions from PPMXL to determine distances, kinematics, and orbital properties for these stars to analyze the chemodynamic properties of stellar populations near the Sun. Results: Analyzing the kinematics of the most metal-rich stars ([Fe/H] > 0.1), we find that more than half have small eccentricities (e< 0.2) or are on nearly circular orbits. Slightly more than 20% of the metal-rich stars have perigalacticons Rp> 7 kpc. We find that the highest [Mg/Fe], metal-poor populations have lower vertical and radial velocity dispersions compared to lower [Mg/Fe] populations of similar metallicity by 10 km s-1. The median eccentricity increases linearly with [Mg/Fe] across all metallicities, while the perigalacticon decreases with increasing [Mg/Fe] for all metallicities. Finally, the most [Mg/Fe]-rich stars are found to have significant asymmetric drift and rotate more than 40 km s-1 slower than stars with lower [Mg/Fe] ratios. Conclusions: While our results cannot constrain how far stars have migrated, we propose that migration

Blasting away a dwarf galaxy: the `tail' of ESO 324-G024

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Megan C.; Kamphuis, Peter; Koribalski, Bärbel S.; Wang, Jing; Oh, Se-Heon; Hill, Alex S.; O'Sullivan, Shane; Haan, Sebastian; Serra, Paolo

2015-08-01

We present Australia Telescope Compact Array radio data of the dwarf irregular galaxy ESO 324-G024 which is seen in projection against the giant, northern lobe of the radio galaxy Centaurus A (Cen A, NGC 5128). The distorted morphology and kinematics of ESO 324-G024, as observed in the 21 cm spectral line emission of neutral hydrogen, indicate disruptions by external forces. We investigate whether tidal interactions and/or ram pressure stripping are responsible for the formation of the H I tail stretching to the north-east of ESO 324-G024 with the latter being most probable. Furthermore, we closely analyse the sub-structure of Cen A's polarized radio lobes to ascertain whether ESO 324-G024 is located in front, within or behind the northern lobe. Our multiwavelength, multicomponent approach allows us to determine that ESO 324-G024 is most likely behind the northern radio lobe of Cen A. This result helps to constrain the orientation of the lobe, which is likely inclined to our line of sight by approximately 60° if NGC 5128 and ESO 324-G024 are at the same distance.

ESO unveils an amazing, interactive, 360-degree panoramic view of the entire night sky

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2009-09-01

French writer and astrophotographer Serge Brunier and his fellow Frenchman Frédéric Tapissier. Brunier spent several weeks during the period between August 2008 and February 2009 capturing the sky, mostly from ESO observatories at La Silla and Paranal in Chile. In order to cover the full Milky Way, Brunier also made a week-long trip to La Palma, one of the Canary Islands, to photograph the northern skies [1]. Once the raw photographs were in hand, image processing by Tapissier and ESO experts helped to convey accurately the night sky as our eyes behold it [2]. The resulting image, now available on GigaGalaxy Zoom, is composed of almost 300 fields each individually captured by Brunier four times, adding up to nearly 1200 photos that encompass the entire night sky. "I wanted to show a sky that everyone can relate to - with its constellations, its thousands of stars, with names familiar since childhood, its myths shared by all civilisations since Homo became Sapiens," says Brunier. "The image was therefore made as man sees it, with a regular digital camera under the dark skies in the Atacama Desert and on La Palma." As photographing extended over several months, objects from the Solar System came and went through the star fields, with bright planets such as Venus and Jupiter. A brilliant, emerald-green comet also flew by, although spotting it among a background of tens of millions of stars will be difficult (but rewarding). Overall, the creators of the GigaGalaxy Zoom project hope that these tremendous efforts in bringing the night sky as observed under the best conditions on the planet to stargazers everywhere will inspire awe for the beautiful, immense Universe that we live in. "The vision of the IYA2009 is to help people rediscover their place in the Universe through the day- and night-time sky, and this is exactly what the GigaGalaxy Zoom project is all about," says project coordinator Henri Boffin. The second dramatic GigaGalaxy Zoom image will be revealed next week

ESO Receives Computerworld Honors Program 21st Century Achievement Award in Science Category

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2005-06-01

papers in peer-reviewed journals, ESO is now one of the leading astronomical facilities in the world. Coupled with cutting edge optical telescopes and astronomical instruments at the Chile sites, the DFS has contributed to this success by providing the fundamental IT infrastructure for observation and data management." The case study about ESO, together with the case studies from the other winners and laureates of the 2005 Collection, is available on the Computerworld Honors Program Archives On-Line, www.cwheroes.org, and also distributed to more than 134 members of the Computerworld Honors Global Archives. According to Dan Morrow, a founding director and chief historian for the Honors Program, "This year's award recipients exemplify the very best in the creative use of IT in service to mankind. Their work and their stories are outstanding contributions to the history of the information technology revolution in every sense of the word, and, for the archives we serve all over the world, they are, truly, priceless." From more than 250 nominations submitted this year by the industry chairmen and CEO's who serve on the program's Chairmen's Committee, 162 were honoured as laureates at ceremonies in San Francisco, on April 3, 2005, when their case studies officially became part of the Computerworld Honors 2005 Collection. Of these, 48 finalists were chosen by an academy of distinguished judges to attend the June 6 gala in Washington, D.C., at which 10 were announced recipients of the award, one in each of the following categories: Business and Related Services; Education and Academia; Environment, Energy and Agriculture; Finance, Insurance and Real Estate; Government and Non-Profit Organizations; Manufacturing; Media, Arts and Entertainment; Medicine; Science; and Transportation. Additional information about the 2005 Collection is available at www.cwheroes.org, where the entire collection is available to scholars, researchers and the general public. The ESO Data Management and

VirGO: A Visual Browser for the ESO Science Archive Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chéreau, F.

2008-08-01

VirGO is the next generation Visual Browser for the ESO Science Archive Facility developed by the Virtual Observatory (VO) Systems Department. It is a plug-in for the popular open source software Stellarium adding capabilities for browsing professional astronomical data. VirGO gives astronomers the possibility to easily discover and select data from millions of observations in a new visual and intuitive way. Its main feature is to perform real-time access and graphical display of a large number of observations by showing instrumental footprints and image previews, and to allow their selection and filtering for subsequent download from the ESO SAF web interface. It also allows the loading of external FITS files or VOTables, the superimposition of Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) background images, and the visualization of the sky in a `real life' mode as seen from the main ESO sites. All data interfaces are based on Virtual Observatory standards which allow access to images and spectra from external data centers, and interaction with the ESO SAF web interface or any other VO applications supporting the PLASTIC messaging system. The main website for VirGO is at http://archive.eso.org/cms/virgo.

Near-zero IR transmission of VO2 thin films deposited on Si substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chunzi; Koughia, Cyril; Li, Yuanshi; Cui, Xiaoyu; Ye, Fan; Shiri, Sheida; Sanayei, Mohsen; Wen, Shi-Jie; Yang, Qiaoqin; Kasap, Safa

2018-05-01

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin films of different thickness have been deposited on Si substrates by using DC magnetron sputtering. The effects of substrate pre-treatment by means of seeding (spin coating and ultrasonic bathing) and biasing on the structure and optical properties were investigated. Seeding results in a smaller grain size in the oxide film, whereas biasing results in square-textured crystals. VO2 thin films of 150 nm thick show a near-zero IR transmission in switched state. Especially, the 150 nm thick VO2 thin film with seeding treatment shows an enhanced switching efficiency.

Operating a petabyte class archive at ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suchar, Dieter; Lockhart, John S.; Burrows, Andrew

2008-07-01

The challenges of setting up and operating a Petabyte Class Archive will be described in terms of computer systems within a complex Data Centre environment. The computer systems, including the ESO Primary and Secondary Archive and the associated computational environments such as relational databases will be explained. This encompasses the entire system project cycle, including the technical specifications, procurement process, equipment installation and all further operational phases. The ESO Data Centre construction and the complexity of managing the environment will be presented. Many factors had to be considered during the construction phase, such as power consumption, targeted cooling and the accumulated load on the building structure to enable the smooth running of a Petabyte class Archive.

In vivo flow cytometry and time-resolved near-IR angiography and lymphography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galanzha, Ekaterina I.; Tuchin, Valery V.; Brock, Robert W.; Zharov, Vladimir P.

2007-05-01

Integration of photoacoustic and photothermal techniques with high-speed, high-resolution transmission and fluorescence microscopy shows great potential for in vivo flow cytometry and indocyanine green (ICG) near-infrared (IR) angiography of blood and lymph microvessels. In particular, the capabilities of in vivo flow cytometry using rat mesentery and nude mouse ear models are demonstrated for real-time quantitative detection of circulating and migrating individual blood and cancer cells in skin, mesentery, lymph nodes, liver, kidney; studying vascular dynamics with a focus on lymphatics; monitoring cell traffic between blood and lymph systems; high-speed imaging of cell deformability in flow; and label-free real-time monitoring of single cell extravasation from blood vessel lumen into tissue. As presented, the advantages of ICG IR-angiography include estimation of time resolved dye dynamics (appearance and clearance) in blood and lymph microvessels using fluorescent and photoacoustic modules of the integrated technique. These new approaches are important for monitoring and quantifying metastatic and apoptotic cells; comparative measurements of plasma and cell velocities; analysis of immune responses; monitoring of circulating macromolecules, chylomicrons, bacteria, viruses and nanoparticles; molecular imaging. In the future, we believe that the integrated technique presented will have great potential for translation to early disease diagnoses (e.g. cancer) or assessment of innovative therapeutic interventions in humans.

Participant Perspectives on the ESO Astronomy Camp Programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olivotto, C.; Cenadelli, D.; Gamal, M.; Grossmann, D.; Teller, L. A. I.; Marta, A. S.; Matoni, C. L.; Taillard, A.

2015-09-01

This article describes the experience of attending the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Astronomy Camp from the perspective of its participants - students aged between 16 and 18 years old from around the world. The students shared a week together during the winter of 2014 in the Alpine village of Saint-Barthelemy, Italy. The camp was organised by ESO in collaboration with Sterrenlab and the Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley and offered a rich programme of astronomy and leisure activities. This article focuses on the concept of astronomy camps, and their role as a unique tool to complement formal classroom education, rather than on the astronomy activities and the scientific programme. Thus, it is not an academic review of the implemented methodologies, but rather a reflection on the overall experience. The article was brought together from collaborative accounts by some of the participants who were asked to reflect on the experience. The participants who contributed to this article represent the diversity of the ESO Astronomy Camp's alumni community.

ESO Council Visits First VLT Unit Telescope Structure in Milan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1995-12-01

As the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) rapidly takes on shape, Europe has just come one step closer to the realisation of its 556 million DEM astronomical showcase project. Last week, the ESO Council held its semi-annual meeting in Milan (Italy) [1]. During a break in the long agenda list, Council members had the opportunity to visit the Ansaldo factory in the outskirts of this city and to see for the first time the assembled mechanical structure of one of the four 8.2-metre VLT Unit telescopes. This Press Release is accompanied by a photo that shows the ESO Council delegates in front of the giant telescope. After a long climb up the steep staircase to the large Nasmyth platform at the side of the telescope where the astronomical instruments will later be placed, Dr. Peter Creola (Switzerland) , President of the ESO Council and a mechanics expert, grabbed the handrail and surveyed the structure with a professional eye: `I knew it was going to be big, but not that enormous!', he said. Other delegates experienced similar feelings, especially when they watched the 430 tonnes of steel in the 24-metre tall and squat structure turn smoothly and silently around the vertical axis. The Chairman of the ESO Scientific Technical Committee (STC), Dr. Johannes Andersen (Denmark) , summarized his first, close encounter with the VLT by `This is great fun!' and several of his colleague astronomers were soon seen in various corners of the vast structure, engaged in elated discussions about the first scientific investigations to be done with the VLT in two years' time. The VLT Main Structures The visit by Council took place at the invitation of Ansaldo Energia S.p.A. (Genova), EIE-European Industrial Engineering S.r.I. (Venice) and SOIMI-Societa Impianti Industriale S.p.A. (Milan), the three Italian enterprises responsible for the construction of the main structures of the VLT 8.2-metre Unit telescopes. Short speeches were given on this occasion by Drs. Ferruccio Bressani (Ansaldo

ESO Astronomers Detect a Galaxy at the Edge of the Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1995-09-01

of the 18th magnitude quasar QSO 1202-07 with the EMMI Multi-Mode instrument at the ESO NTT telescope. At the redshift of z = 4.70, this quasar is one of the most distant, known objects. The astronomers noted a strong absorption line in the spectrum at a wavelength near 6545 A, indicating the existence of a massive cloud of neutral hydrogen in the line of sight towards the quasar. The quasar light shines through the cloud and from the measured wavelength, a cloud redshift of z = 4.38 can be deduced. This corresponds to a ``look-back time'' of ~ 90 percent of the age of the Universe. At smaller redshifts, such strong absorption-line systems (known as ``damped Lyman-alpha systems'') have been shown to be associated with visible galaxies in which are located the hydrogen clouds that cause the absorption lines in the quasar spectra. It is therefore reasonable to surmise that the absorption line seen at redshift z = 4.38 in the spectrum of QSO 1202-07 also arises in an intervening galaxy, situated at a distance that corresponds to this redshift. This is further supported by the detection in the near-infrared region (7000 - 9000 A) of the QSO spectrum, and at the same redshift as that of the cloud, of several absorption lines of other elements in various ionization stages, for instance neutral oxygen (O I), single-ionized carbon, silicon and aluminium (C II, Si II, Al II), as well as triple-ionized carbon and silicon (C IV, Si IV). This observation proves decisively that the hydrogen cloud, even though it is located at a very large distance and is therefore observed at a time when the Universe was only about 10 percent as old as now, has already been enriched by heavier elements. The observed elements cannot date from the Big Bang (only the lightest elements were synthesized then) and they were obviously produced by nuclear reactions in the interior of massive stars. These stars, in turn, must have been born and already arrived at the end of their evolution (thereby

Optical design of a versatile FIRST high-resolution near-IR spectrograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Bo; Ge, Jian

2012-09-01

We report the update optical design of a versatile FIRST high resolution near IR spectrograph, which is called Florida IR Silicon immersion grating spectromeTer (FIRST). This spectrograph uses cross-dispersed echelle design with white pupils and also takes advantage of the image slicing to increase the spectra resolution, while maintaining the instrument throughput. It is an extremely high dispersion R1.4 (blazed angle of 54.74°) silicon immersion grating with a 49 mm diameter pupil is used as the main disperser at 1.4μm -1.8μm to produce R=72,000 while an R4 echelle with the same pupil diameter produces R=60,000 at 0.8μm -1.35μm. Two cryogenic Volume Phase Holographic (VPH) gratings are used as cross-dispersers to allow simultaneous wavelength coverage of 0.8μm -1.8μm. The butterfly mirrors and dichroic beamsplitters make a compact folding system to record these two wavelength bands with a 2kx2k H2RG array in a single exposure. By inserting a mirror before the grating disperser (the SIG and the echelle), this spectrograph becomes a very efficient integral field 3-D imaging spectrograph with R=2,000-4,000 at 0.8μm-1.8μm by coupling a 10x10 telescope fiber bundle with the spectrograph. Details about the optical design and performance are reported.

User Interface for the ESO Advanced Data Products Image Reduction Pipeline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rité, C.; Delmotte, N.; Retzlaff, J.; Rosati, P.; Slijkhuis, R.; Vandame, B.

2006-07-01

The poster presents a friendly user interface for image reduction, totally written in Python and developed by the Advanced Data Products (ADP) group. The interface is a front-end to the ESO/MVM image reduction package, originally developed in the ESO Imaging Survey (EIS) project and used currently to reduce imaging data from several instruments such as WFI, ISAAC, SOFI and FORS1. As part of its scope, the interface produces high-level, VO-compliant, science images from raw data providing the astronomer with a complete monitoring system during the reduction, computing also statistical image properties for data quality assessment. The interface is meant to be used for VO services and it is free but un-maintained software and the intention of the authors is to share code and experience. The poster describes the interface architecture and current capabilities and give a description of the ESO/MVM engine for image reduction. The ESO/MVM engine should be released by the end of this year.

ALBERMARLE PAMLICO IR 2002

EPA Science Inventory

The 2002 Albermarle Pamlico Implementation Review (IR) highlights recent successes and challenges with the estuary program. Various components within the IR include: CCMP implementation, outlining priority management actions, public involvement, stakeholder contribution, and limi...

Deformable mirrors development program at ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stroebele, Stefan; Vernet, Elise; Brinkmann, Martin; Jakob, Gerd; Lilley, Paul; Casali, Mark; Madec, Pierre-Yves; Kasper, Markus

2016-07-01

Over the last decade, adaptive optics has become essential in different fields of research including medicine and industrial applications. With this new need, the market of deformable mirrors has expanded a lot allowing new technologies and actuation principles to be developed. Several E-ELT instruments have identified the need for post focal deformable mirrors but with the increasing size of the telescopes the requirements on the deformable mirrors become more demanding. A simple scaling up of existing technologies from few hundred actuators to thousands of actuators will not be sufficient to satisfy the future needs of ESO. To bridge the gap between available deformable mirrors and the future needs for the E-ELT, ESO started a development program for deformable mirror technologies. The requirements and the path to get the deformable mirrors for post focal adaptive optics systems for the E-ELT is presented.

The Gaia-ESO Survey: Calibration strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pancino, E.; Lardo, C.; Altavilla, G.; Marinoni, S.; Ragaini, S.; Cocozza, G.; Bellazzini, M.; Sabbi, E.; Zoccali, M.; Donati, P.; Heiter, U.; Koposov, S. E.; Blomme, R.; Morel, T.; Símon-Díaz, S.; Lobel, A.; Soubiran, C.; Montalban, J.; Valentini, M.; Casey, A. R.; Blanco-Cuaresma, S.; Jofré, P.; Worley, C. C.; Magrini, L.; Hourihane, A.; François, P.; Feltzing, S.; Gilmore, G.; Randich, S.; Asplund, M.; Bonifacio, P.; Drew, J. E.; Jeffries, R. D.; Micela, G.; Vallenari, A.; Alfaro, E. J.; Allende Prieto, C.; Babusiaux, C.; Bensby, T.; Bragaglia, A.; Flaccomio, E.; Hambly, N.; Korn, A. J.; Lanzafame, A. C.; Smiljanic, R.; Van Eck, S.; Walton, N. A.; Bayo, A.; Carraro, G.; Costado, M. T.; Damiani, F.; Edvardsson, B.; Franciosini, E.; Frasca, A.; Lewis, J.; Monaco, L.; Morbidelli, L.; Prisinzano, L.; Sacco, G. G.; Sbordone, L.; Sousa, S. G.; Zaggia, S.; Koch, A.

2017-02-01

The Gaia-ESO survey (GES) is now in its fifth and last year of observations and has produced tens of thousands of high-quality spectra of stars in all Milky Way components. This paper presents the strategy behind the selection of astrophysical calibration targets, ensuring that all GES results on radial velocities, atmospheric parameters, and chemical abundance ratios will be both internally consistent and easily comparable with other literature results, especially from other large spectroscopic surveys and from Gaia. The calibration of GES is particularly delicate because of (I) the large space of parameters covered by its targets, ranging from dwarfs to giants, from O to M stars; these targets have a large wide of metallicities and also include fast rotators, emission line objects, and stars affected by veiling; (II) the variety of observing setups, with different wavelength ranges and resolution; and (III) the choice of analyzing the data with many different state-of-the-art methods, each stronger in a different region of the parameter space, which ensures a better understanding of systematic uncertainties. An overview of the GES calibration and homogenization strategy is also given, along with some examples of the usage and results of calibrators in GES iDR4, which is the fourth internal GES data release and will form the basis of the next GES public data release. The agreement between GES iDR4 recommended values and reference values for the calibrating objects are very satisfactory. The average offsets and spreads are generally compatible with the GES measurement errors, which in iDR4 data already meet the requirements set by the main GES scientific goals. Based on data products from observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under programme IDs 188.B-3002 and 193.B-0936.Full Table 2 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http

Reaching New Heights in Astronomy - ESO Long Term Perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Zeeuw, T.

2016-12-01

A comprehensive description of ESO in the current global astronomical context, and its plans for the next decade and beyond, are presented. This survey covers all aspects of the Organisation, including the optical-infrared programme at the La Silla Paranal Observatory, the submillimetre facilities ALMA and APEX, the construction of the 39-metre European Extremely Large Telescope and the science operation of these facilities. An extension of the current optical/infrared/submillimetre facilities into multi-messenger astronomy has been made with the decision to host the southern Cherenkov Telescope Array at Paranal. The structure of the Organisation is presented and the further development of the staff is described within the scope of the long-range financial planning. The role of Chile is highlighted and expansion of the number of Member States beyond the current 15 is discussed. The strengths of the ESO model, together with challenges as well as possible new opportunities and initiatives, are examined and a strategy for the future of ESO is outlined.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Empirical calibration of the near-IR Ca triplet (Cenarro+ 2001)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cenarro; A. J.; Cardiel; N.; Gorgas; J.; Peletier; R. F.; Vazdekis; A.; Prada; F.

2001-09-01

File table contains details of the new near-IR stellar library observed to calibrate the Ca II triplet. It includes the indices CaT*, CaT and PaT measured over the final spectra as well as their corresponding errors. The Henry Draper Catalogue number, other names (mainly HR and BD numbers), coordinates, spectral type, luminosity class, apparent magnitude and atmospheric parameters (as derived in Paper II; Cenarro et al., 2001MNRAS.326..981C) are also given. (1 data file).

VirGO: A Visual Browser for the ESO Science Archive Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chéreau, Fabien

2012-04-01

VirGO is the next generation Visual Browser for the ESO Science Archive Facility developed by the Virtual Observatory (VO) Systems Department. It is a plug-in for the popular open source software Stellarium adding capabilities for browsing professional astronomical data. VirGO gives astronomers the possibility to easily discover and select data from millions of observations in a new visual and intuitive way. Its main feature is to perform real-time access and graphical display of a large number of observations by showing instrumental footprints and image previews, and to allow their selection and filtering for subsequent download from the ESO SAF web interface. It also allows the loading of external FITS files or VOTables, the superimposition of Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) background images, and the visualization of the sky in a `real life' mode as seen from the main ESO sites. All data interfaces are based on Virtual Observatory standards which allow access to images and spectra from external data centers, and interaction with the ESO SAF web interface or any other VO applications supporting the PLASTIC messaging system.

If we build it, will they come? Curation and use of the ESO telescope bibliography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grothkopf, Uta; Meakins, Silvia; Bordelon, Dominic

2015-12-01

The ESO Telescope Bibliography (telbib) is a database of refereed papers published by the ESO users community. It links data in the ESO Science Archive with the published literature, and vice versa. Developed and maintained by the ESO library, telbib also provides insights into the organization's research output and impact as measured through bibliometric studies. Curating telbib is a multi-step process that involves extensive tagging of the database records. Based on selected use cases, this talk will explain how the rich metadata provide parameters for reports and statistics in order to investigate the performance of ESO's facilities and to understand trends and developments in the publishing behaviour of the user community.

Saturn aurora movies in visible and near-IR observed by Cassini ISS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dyudina, U.; Wellington, D.; Ewald, S. P.; Ingersoll, A. P.; Porco, C.

2010-12-01

New 2009-2010 movies from the Cassini camera show Saturn’s auroral curtains move and change in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The observations reveal reddish color of the aurora observed in filters spanning different wavelengths. The aurora was detected in H-alpha (652-661 nm), red (574-724 nm), and broad-band infrared (668-833 nm) wavelengths, and also faintly in blue (405-505 nm) and green (507-632 nm) wavelengths. The prominent H-alpha line and the overall spectral shape agrees with predicted spectra for Saturnian auroras (Aguilar, 2008). Along with the spectra and brightness measurements, we will present two 400+ frame movies taken in the clear filter, one showing aurora in the northern hemisphere from October 5-9, 2009, and the other showing the aurora in the southern hemisphere, from June 26, 2010. These movies show the aurora varying dramatically with longitude and rotating together with Saturn. The main longitudinal structure of the aurora can persist for ~3 days, as seen on the repeated views of the same longitudes several Saturn rotations later. Besides the steady main structure, aurora may brighten suddenly on the timescales on the order of 10 minutes. Near the limb the height of the auroral curtains above its base can be measured; this height can reach more than 1200 km. The main auroral oval in the northern hemisphere appears near 75° latitude. The main auroral oval in the southern hemisphere appears near -72° latitude, with smaller instances of auroral activity near -75° and -77°. Reference: Aguilar, A., J. M. Ajello, R. S. Mangina, G. K. James, H. Abgrall, and E. Roueff, “The electron-excited middle UV to near IR spectrum of H2 : Cross-sections and transition probabilities”, Astrophys. J. Supp. Ser., 177 (2008).

First Giant Mirror for the ESO VLT Ready at REOSC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1995-11-01

The REOSC Contract In 1989, the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the European Organisation for Astronomy, awarded to REOSC, a subsidiary of the SFIM Group and located in Saint Pierre du Perray (France), a comprehensive contract for the polishing of four 8.2-metre diameter mirrors for the unit telescopes of the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) project. These mirrors are the largest ever manufactured and polished. This contract comprises not only the polishing and high-precision optical testing of each giant mirror, but also the safe condition of transportation of the blanks which were manufactured by Schott Glaswerke in Mainz (Germany). In order to fulfill the contract, REOSC conceived, built and equipped a novel, high-tech workshop which would allow to polish and test the mirrors, each of which has a surface area of more than 50 square metres. First 8.2-Metre Mirror is Ready and within Specifications The REOSC polishing facility for giant mirrors was built in Saint Pierre du Perray, just south of Paris. It is equipped with two machines: one for grinding and the other for polishing the mirrors, and both with 150-actuator systems that support the thin and flexible mirrors. All equipment is computer controlled. State-of-the-art interferometers probe the accuracy of the mirror surface as the polishing proceeds; they are installed at the top level of the facility in a 30-metre high tower, at the centre of the mirror's radius of curvature. The success of the work at REOSC is now evident by the fact that careful measurements of the first mirror earlier this month have shown that the final optical surface is correct to within 0.00005 millimetres. For illustration, this corresponds to an accuracy of only 1 millimetre deviation over a surface with a diameter of 165 kilometres (equivalent to the entire Paris area)! ESO Receives the First VLT Mirror After having been carefully placed in a special transport box designed by REOSC, the first mirror blank, weighing 23.5 tons and

Photometric calibration of NGS/POSS and ESO/SRC plates using the NOAO PDS measuring engine. I - Stellar photometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cutri, Roc M.; Low, Frank J.; Marvel, Kevin B.

1992-01-01

The PDS/Monet measuring engine at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory was used to obtain photometry of nearly 10,000 stars on the NGS/POSS and 2000 stars on the ESO/SRC Survey glass plates. These measurements have been used to show that global transformation functions exist that allow calibration of stellar photometry from any blue or red plate to equivalent Johnson B and Cousins R photoelectric magnitudes. The four transformation functions appropriate for the POSS O and E and ESO/SRC J and R plates were characterized, and it was found that, within the measurement uncertainties, they vary from plate to plate only by photometric zero-point offsets. A method is described to correct for the zero-point shifts and to obtain calibrated B and R photometry of stellar sources to an average accuracy of 0.3-0.4 mag within the range R between values of 8 and 19.5 for red plates in both surveys, B between values of 9 and 20.5 on POSS blue plates, and B between values of 10 and 20.5 on ESO/SRC blue plates. This calibration procedure makes it possible to obtain rapid photometry of very large numbers of stellar sources.

Near-IR Two-Photon Fluorescent Sensor for K(+) Imaging in Live Cells.

PubMed

Sui, Binglin; Yue, Xiling; Kim, Bosung; Belfield, Kevin D

2015-08-19

A new two-photon excited fluorescent K(+) sensor is reported. The sensor comprises three moieties, a highly selective K(+) chelator as the K(+) recognition unit, a boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivative modified with phenylethynyl groups as the fluorophore, and two polyethylene glycol chains to afford water solubility. The sensor displays very high selectivity (>52-fold) in detecting K(+) over other physiological metal cations. Upon binding K(+), the sensor switches from nonfluorescent to highly fluorescent, emitting red to near-IR (NIR) fluorescence. The sensor exhibited a good two-photon absorption cross section, 500 GM at 940 nm. Moreover, it is not sensitive to pH in the physiological pH range. Time-dependent cell imaging studies via both one- and two-photon fluorescence microscopy demonstrate that the sensor is suitable for dynamic K(+) sensing in living cells.

The Black Hole Mass-Bulge Luminosity Relationship for Reverberation- Mapped AGNs in the Near-IR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manne-Nicholas, Emily R.; Bentz, Misty C.

2013-02-01

We propose to use WHIRC on WIYN to obtain high spatial resolution near-IR images of the remaining host galaxies in our sample of reverberation-mapped AGNs in order to study the effect of host-galaxy morphology on the M_BH-L_bulge scaling relationship. Recent studies of the M_BH-sigma_star relationship, which is based on the stellar and gas-dynamical sample of black hole masses, have uncovered a possible offset in the relationship due to the presence of a pseudobulge or bar in the host galaxy. This offset would adversely affect ones ability to use the M_BH-sigma_star relationship as a way to estimate black hole masses efficiently because it would require the detailed morphology of the galaxy to be known it a priori. Preliminary results based on optical HST data suggest that the M_BH-L_bulge is not plagued by this same offset. However, due to dust and on-going star formation, the optical data yield an M_BH-L_bulge relationship with a slightly higher scatter. WHIRC near-IR imaging is essential to minimize the effects of dust and star formation in order to confirm the M_BH-L_bulge relationship as a more accurate predictor of black hole masses and a potentially more fundamental relationship, thus informing our understanding of black hole and galaxy co-evolution across cosmic time. emphThe proposed observations will comprise a significant portion of the PI's PhD thesis.

The Gaia-ESO Survey: A globular cluster escapee in the Galactic halo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lind, K.; Koposov, S. E.; Battistini, C.; Marino, A. F.; Ruchti, G.; Serenelli, A.; Worley, C. C.; Alves-Brito, A.; Asplund, M.; Barklem, P. S.; Bensby, T.; Bergemann, M.; Blanco-Cuaresma, S.; Bragaglia, A.; Edvardsson, B.; Feltzing, S.; Gruyters, P.; Heiter, U.; Jofre, P.; Korn, A. J.; Nordlander, T.; Ryde, N.; Soubiran, C.; Gilmore, G.; Randich, S.; Ferguson, A. M. N.; Jeffries, R. D.; Vallenari, A.; Allende Prieto, C.; Pancino, E.; Recio-Blanco, A.; Romano, D.; Smiljanic, R.; Bellazzini, M.; Damiani, F.; Hill, V.; de Laverny, P.; Jackson, R. J.; Lardo, C.; Zaggia, S.

2015-03-01

A small fraction of the halo field is made up of stars that share the light element (Z ≤ 13) anomalies characteristic of second generation globular cluster (GC) stars. The ejected stars shed light on the formation of the Galactic halo by tracing the dynamical history of the clusters, which are believed to have once been more massive. Some of these ejected stars are expected to show strong Al enhancement at the expense of shortage of Mg, but until now no such star has been found. We search for outliers in the Mg and Al abundances of the few hundreds of halo field stars observed in the first eighteen months of the Gaia-ESO public spectroscopic survey. One halo star at the base of the red giant branch, here referred to as 22593757-4648029 is found to have [ Mg/Fe ] = -0.36 ± 0.04 and [ Al/Fe ] = 0.99 ± 0.08, which is compatible with the most extreme ratios detected in GCs so far. We compare the orbit of 22593757-4648029 to GCs of similar metallicity andfind it unlikely that this star has been tidally stripped with low ejection velocity from any of the clusters. However, both chemical and kinematic arguments render it plausible that the star has been ejected at high velocity from the anomalous GC ω Centauri within the last few billion years. We cannot rule out other progenitor GCs, because some may have disrupted fully, and the abundance and orbital data are inadequate for many of those that are still intact. Based on data acquired by the Gaia-ESO Survey, programme ID 188.B-3002. Observations were made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory.Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

The Gaia-ESO Survey: Empirical determination of the precision of stellar radial velocities and projected rotation velocities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, R. J.; Jeffries, R. D.; Lewis, J.; Koposov, S. E.; Sacco, G. G.; Randich, S.; Gilmore, G.; Asplund, M.; Binney, J.; Bonifacio, P.; Drew, J. E.; Feltzing, S.; Ferguson, A. M. N.; Micela, G.; Neguerela, I.; Prusti, T.; Rix, H.-W.; Vallenari, A.; Alfaro, E. J.; Allende Prieto, C.; Babusiaux, C.; Bensby, T.; Blomme, R.; Bragaglia, A.; Flaccomio, E.; Francois, P.; Hambly, N.; Irwin, M.; Korn, A. J.; Lanzafame, A. C.; Pancino, E.; Recio-Blanco, A.; Smiljanic, R.; Van Eck, S.; Walton, N.; Bayo, A.; Bergemann, M.; Carraro, G.; Costado, M. T.; Damiani, F.; Edvardsson, B.; Franciosini, E.; Frasca, A.; Heiter, U.; Hill, V.; Hourihane, A.; Jofré, P.; Lardo, C.; de Laverny, P.; Lind, K.; Magrini, L.; Marconi, G.; Martayan, C.; Masseron, T.; Monaco, L.; Morbidelli, L.; Prisinzano, L.; Sbordone, L.; Sousa, S. G.; Worley, C. C.; Zaggia, S.

2015-08-01

Context. The Gaia-ESO Survey (GES) is a large public spectroscopic survey at the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope. Aims: A key aim is to provide precise radial velocities (RVs) and projected equatorial velocities (vsini) for representative samples of Galactic stars, which will complement information obtained by the Gaia astrometry satellite. Methods: We present an analysis to empirically quantify the size and distribution of uncertainties in RV and vsini using spectra from repeated exposures of the same stars. Results: We show that the uncertainties vary as simple scaling functions of signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and vsini, that the uncertainties become larger with increasing photospheric temperature, but that the dependence on stellar gravity, metallicity and age is weak. The underlying uncertainty distributions have extended tails that are better represented by Student's t-distributions than by normal distributions. Conclusions: Parametrised results are provided, which enable estimates of the RV precision for almost all GES measurements, and estimates of the vsini precision for stars in young clusters, as a function of S/N, vsini and stellar temperature. The precision of individual high S/N GES RV measurements is 0.22-0.26 km s-1, dependent on instrumental configuration. Based on observations collected with the FLAMES spectrograph at VLT/UT2 telescope (Paranal Observatory, ESO, Chile), for the Gaia- ESO Large Public Survey (188.B-3002).Full Table 2 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/580/A75

WFIRST: Principal Components Analysis of H4RG-10 Near-IR Detector Data Cubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rauscher, Bernard

2018-01-01

The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope’s (WFIRST) Wide Field Instrument (WFI) incorporates an array of eighteen Teledyne H4RG-10 near-IR detector arrays. Because WFIRST’s science investigations require controlling systematic uncertainties to state-of-the-art levels, we conducted principal components analysis (PCA) of some H4RG-10 test data obtained in the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Detector Characterization Laboratory (DCL). The PCA indicates that the Legendre polynomials provide a nearly orthogonal representation of up-the-ramp sampled illuminated data cubes, and suggests other representations that may provide an even more compact representation of the data in some circumstances. We hypothesize that by using orthogonal representations, such as those described here, it may be possible to control systematic errors better than has been achieved before for NASA missions. We believe that these findings are probably applicable to other H4RG, H2RG, and H1RG based systems.

Near-IR Spectroscopy of Luminous LoBAL Quasars at 1 < z < 2.5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulze, Andreas; Schramm, Malte; Zuo, Wenwen; Wu, Xue-Bing; Urrutia, Tanya; Kotilainen, Jari; Reynolds, Thomas; Terao, Koki; Nagao, Tohru; Izumiura, Hideyuki

2017-10-01

We present near-IR spectroscopy of 22 luminous low-ionization broad absorption line quasars (LoBAL QSOs) at redshift 1.3< z< 2.5, with 12 objects at z ˜ 1.5 and 10 at z ˜ 2.3. The spectra cover the rest-frame Hα and Hβ line regions, allowing us to obtain robust black hole mass estimates based on the broad Hα line. We use these data, augmented by a lower-redshift sample from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, to test the proposed youth scenario for LoBALs, which suggests that LoBALs constitute an early short-lived evolutionary stage of quasar activity, by probing for any difference in their masses, Eddington ratios, or rest-frame optical spectroscopic properties compared to normal quasars. In addition, we construct the UV to mid-IR spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for the LoBAL sample and a matched non-BAL quasar sample. We do not find any statistically significant difference between LoBAL QSOs and non-BAL QSOs in their black hole mass or Eddington ratio distributions. The mean UV to mid-IR SED of the LoBAL QSOs is consistent with non-BAL QSOs, apart from their stronger reddening. At z> 1 there is no clear difference in their optical emission line properties. We do not see particularly weak [O III] or strong Fe II emission. The LoBAL QSOs do not show a stronger prevalence of ionized gas outflows as traced by the [O III] line, compared to normal QSOs of similar luminosity. We conclude that the optical-MIR properties of LoBAL QSOs are consistent with the general quasar population and do not support them to constitute a special phase of active galactic nucleus evolution.

The AMBRE Project: Stellar parameterisation of the ESO:UVES archived spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Worley, C. C.; de Laverny, P.; Recio-Blanco, A.; Hill, V.; Bijaoui, A.

2016-06-01

Context. The AMBRE Project is a collaboration between the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA) that has been established to determine the stellar atmospheric parameters for the archived spectra of four ESO spectrographs. Aims: The analysis of the UVES archived spectra for their stellar parameters was completed in the third phase of the AMBRE Project. From the complete ESO:UVES archive dataset that was received covering the period 2000 to 2010, 51 921 spectra for the six standard setups were analysed. These correspond to approximately 8014 distinct targets (that comprise stellar and non-stellar objects) by radial coordinate search. Methods: The AMBRE analysis pipeline integrates spectral normalisation, cleaning and radial velocity correction procedures in order that the UVES spectra can then be analysed automatically with the stellar parameterisation algorithm MATISSE to obtain the stellar atmospheric parameters. The synthetic grid against which the MATISSE analysis is carried out is currently constrained to parameters of FGKM stars only. Results: Stellar atmospheric parameters are reported for 12 403 of the 51 921 UVES archived spectra analysed in AMBRE:UVES. This equates to ~23.9% of the sample and ~3708 stars. Effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity, and alpha element to iron ratio abundances are provided for 10 212 spectra (~19.7%), while effective temperature at least is provided for the remaining 2191 spectra. Radial velocities are reported for 36 881 (~71.0%) of the analysed archive spectra. While parameters were determined for 32 306 (62.2%) spectra these parameters were not considered reliable (and thus not reported to ESO) for reasons such as very low S/N, too poor radial velocity determination, spectral features too broad for analysis, and technical issues from the reduction. Similarly the parameters of a further 7212 spectra (13.9%) were also not reported to ESO based on quality criteria and error

The Challenges in Metadata Management: 20+ Years of ESO Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vera, I.; Da Rocha, C.; Dobrzycki, A.; Micol, A.; Vuong, M.

2015-09-01

The European Southern Observatory Science Archive Facility has been in operations for more than 20 years. It contains data produced by ESO telescopes as well as the metadata needed for characterizing and distributing those data. This metadata is used to build the different archive services provided by the Archive. Over these years, services have been added, modified or even decommissioned creating a cocktail of new, evolved and legacy data systems. The challenge for the Archive is to harmonize the differences of those data systems to provide the community with a homogeneous experience when using ESO data. In this paper, we present ESO experience in three particular challenging areas. First discussion is dedicated to the problem of metadata quality over the time, second discusses how to integrate obsolete data models on the current services and finally we will present the challenges of ever growing databases. We describe our experience dealing with those issues and the solutions adopted to mitigate them.

Development of a Near-Ir Cavity Enhanced Absorption Spectrometer for the Detection of Atmospheric Oxidation Products and Organoamines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eddingsaas, Nathan C.; Jewell, Breanna; Thurnherr, Emily

2014-06-01

An estimated 10,000 to 100,000 different compounds have been measured in the atmosphere, each one undergoes many oxidation reactions that may or may not degrade air quality. To date, the fate of even some of the most abundant hydrocarbons in the atmosphere is poorly understood. One difficulty is the detection of atmospheric oxidation products that are very labile and decompose during analysis. To study labile species under atmospheric conditions, a highly sensitive, non-destructive technique is needed. Here we describe a near-IR incoherent broadband cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (IBBCEAS) setup that we are developing to meet this end. We have chosen to utilize the near-IR, where vibrational overtone absorptions are observed, due to the clean spectral windows and better spectral separation of absorption features. In one spectral window we can simultaneously and continuously monitor the composition of alcohols, hydroperoxides, and carboxylic acids in an air mass. In addition, we have used our CEAS setup to detect organoamines. The long effective path length of CEAS allows for low detection limits, even of the overtone absorption features, at ppb and ppt levels.

Gaia-ESO Survey: Global properties of clusters Trumpler 14 and 16 in the Carina nebula ⋆⋆

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damiani, F.; Klutsch, A.; Jeffries, R. D.; Randich, S.; Prisinzano, L.; Maíz Apellániz, J.; Micela, G.; Kalari, V.; Frasca, A.; Zwitter, T.; Bonito, R.; Gilmore, G.; Flaccomio, E.; Francois, P.; Koposov, S.; Lanzafame, A. C.; Sacco, G. G.; Bayo, A.; Carraro, G.; Casey, A. R.; Alfaro, E. J.; Costado, M. T.; Donati, P.; Franciosini, E.; Hourihane, A.; Jofré, P.; Lardo, C.; Lewis, J.; Magrini, L.; Monaco, L.; Morbidelli, L.; Worley, C. C.; Vink, J. S.; Zaggia, S.

2017-07-01

Aims: We present the first extensive spectroscopic study of the global population in star clusters Trumpler 16, Trumpler 14, and Collinder 232 in the Carina nebula, using data from the Gaia-ESO Survey, down to solar-mass stars. Methods: In addition to the standard homogeneous survey data reduction, a special processing was applied here because of the bright nebulosity surrounding Carina stars. Results: We find about 400 good candidate members ranging from OB types down to slightly subsolar masses. About 100 heavily reddened early-type Carina members found here were previously unrecognized or poorly classified, including two candidate O stars and several candidate Herbig Ae/Be stars. Their large brightness makes them useful tracers of the obscured Carina population. The spectroscopically derived temperatures for nearly 300 low-mass members enables the inference of individual extinction values and the study of the relative placement of stars along the line of sight. Conclusions: We find a complex spatial structure with definite clustering of low-mass members around the most massive stars and spatially variable extinction. By combining the new data with existing X-ray data, we obtain a more complete picture of the three-dimensional spatial structure of the Carina clusters and of their connection to bright and dark nebulosity and UV sources. The identification of tens of background giants also enables us to determine the total optical depth of the Carina nebula along many sightlines. We are also able to put constraints on the star formation history of the region with Trumpler 14 stars found to be systematically younger than stars in other subclusters. We find a large percentage of fast-rotating stars among Carina solar-mass members, which provide new constraints on the rotational evolution of pre-main-sequence stars in this mass range. Based on observations collected with the FLAMES spectrograph at VLT/UT2 telescope (Paranal Observatory, ESO, Chile), for the Gaia-ESO

Final binary star results from the ESO VLT Lunar occultations program

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

Richichi, A.; Fors, O.; Cusano, F.

2014-03-01

We report on 13 subarcsecond binaries, detected by means of lunar occultations in the near-infrared at the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). They are all first-time detections except for the visual binary HD 158122, which we resolved for the first time in the near-infrared. The primaries have magnitudes in the range K = 4.5-10.0, and companions in the range K = 6.8-11.1. The magnitude differences have a median value of 2.4, with the largest being 4.6. The projected separations are in the range of 4-168 mas, with a median of 13 mas. We discuss and compare our results with themore » available literature. With this paper, we conclude the mining for binary star detections in the 1226 occultations recorded at the VLT with the ISAAC instrument. We expect that the majority of these binaries may be unresolvable by adaptive optics on current telescopes, and they might be challenging for long-baseline interferometry. However, they constitute an interesting sample for future larger telescopes and for astrometric missions such as GAIA.« less

VirGO: A Visual Browser for the ESO Science Archive Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatziminaoglou, Evanthia; Chéreau, Fabien

2009-03-01

VirGO is the next generation Visual Browser for the ESO Science Archive Facility (SAF) developed in the Virtual Observatory Project Office. VirGO enables astronomers to discover and select data easily from millions of observations in a visual and intuitive way. It allows real-time access and the graphical display of a large number of observations by showing instrumental footprints and image previews, as well as their selection and filtering for subsequent download from the ESO SAF web interface. It also permits the loading of external FITS files or VOTables, as well as the superposition of Digitized Sky Survey images to be used as background. All data interfaces are based on Virtual Observatory (VO) standards that allow access to images and spectra from external data centres, and interaction with the ESO SAF web interface or any other VO applications.

NASA and ESA astronauts visit ESO. Hubble repair team meets European astronomers in Garching.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1994-02-01

On Wednesday, February 16, 1994, seven NASA and ESA astronauts and their spouses will spend a day at the Headquarters of the European Southern Observatory. They are the members of the STS-61 crew that successfully repaired the Hubble Space Telescope during a Space Shuttle mission in December 1993. This will be the only stop in Germany during their current tour of various European countries. ESO houses the Space Telescope European Coordinating Facility (ST/ECF), a joint venture by the European Space Agency and ESO. This group of astronomers and computer specialists provide all services needed by European astronomers for observations with the Space Telescope. Currently, the European share is about 20 of the total time available at this telescope. During this visit, a Press Conference will be held on Wednesday, February 16, 11:45 - 12:30 at the ESO Headquarters Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2 D-85748 Garching bei Munchen. Please note that participation in this Press Conference is by invitation only. Media representatives may obtain invitations from Mrs. E. Volk, ESO Information Service at this address (Tel.: +49-89-32006276; Fax.: +49-89-3202362), until Friday, February 11, 1994. After the Press Conference, between 12:30 - 14:00, a light refreshment will be served at the ESO Headquarters to all participants. >From 14:00 - 15:30, the astronauts will meet with students and teachers from the many scientific institutes in Garching in the course of an open presentation at the large lecture hall of the Physics Department of the Technical University. It is a 10 minute walk from ESO to the hall. Later the same day, the astronauts will be back at ESO for a private discussion of various space astronomy issues with their astronomer colleagues, many of whom are users of the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as ground-based telescopes at the ESO La Silla Observatory and elsewhere. The astronauts continue to Switzerland in the evening.

The Gaia-ESO Survey: open clusters in Gaia-DR1 . A way forward to stellar age calibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randich, S.; Tognelli, E.; Jackson, R.; Jeffries, R. D.; Degl'Innocenti, S.; Pancino, E.; Re Fiorentin, P.; Spagna, A.; Sacco, G.; Bragaglia, A.; Magrini, L.; Prada Moroni, P. G.; Alfaro, E.; Franciosini, E.; Morbidelli, L.; Roccatagliata, V.; Bouy, H.; Bravi, L.; Jiménez-Esteban, F. M.; Jordi, C.; Zari, E.; Tautvaišiene, G.; Drazdauskas, A.; Mikolaitis, S.; Gilmore, G.; Feltzing, S.; Vallenari, A.; Bensby, T.; Koposov, S.; Korn, A.; Lanzafame, A.; Smiljanic, R.; Bayo, A.; Carraro, G.; Costado, M. T.; Heiter, U.; Hourihane, A.; Jofré, P.; Lewis, J.; Monaco, L.; Prisinzano, L.; Sbordone, L.; Sousa, S. G.; Worley, C. C.; Zaggia, S.

2018-05-01

and demonstrates the potential of combining Gaia and ground-based spectroscopic datasets. Based on observations collected with the FLAMES instrument at VLT/UT2 telescope (Paranal Observatory, ESO, Chile), for the Gaia-ESO Large Public Spectroscopic Survey (188.B-3002, 193.B-0936).Additional tables are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/612/A99

Strategy for monitoring T cell responses to NY-ESO-1 in patients with any HLA class I allele

PubMed Central

Gnjatic, Sacha; Nagata, Yasuhiro; Jäger, Elke; Stockert, Elisabeth; Shankara, Srinivas; Roberts, Bruce L.; Mazzara, Gail P.; Lee, Sang Yull; Dunbar, P. Rod; Dupont, Bo; Cerundolo, Vincenzo; Ritter, Gerd; Chen, Yao-Tseng; Knuth, Alexander; Old, Lloyd J.

2000-01-01

NY-ESO-1 elicits frequent antibody responses in cancer patients, accompanied by strong CD8+ T cell responses against HLA-A2-restricted epitopes. To broaden the range of cancer patients who can be assessed for immunity to NY-ESO-1, a general method was devised to detect T cell reactivity independent of prior characterization of epitopes. A recombinant adenoviral vector encoding the full cDNA sequence of NY-ESO-1 was used to transduce CD8-depleted peripheral blood lymphocytes as antigen-presenting cells. These modified antigen-presenting cells were then used to restimulate memory effector cells against NY-ESO-1 from the peripheral blood of cancer patients. Specific CD8+ T cells thus sensitized were assayed on autologous B cell targets infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus encoding NY-ESO-1. Strong polyclonal responses were observed against NY-ESO-1 in antibody-positive patients, regardless of their HLA profile. Because the vectors do not cross-react immunologically, only responses to NY-ESO-1 were detected. The approach described here allows monitoring of CD8+ T cell responses to NY-ESO-1 in the context of various HLA alleles and has led to the definition of NY-ESO-1 peptides presented by HLA-Cw3 and HLA-Cw6 molecules. PMID:11005863

Detecting esophageal disease with second-generation capsule endoscopy: initial evaluation of the PillCam ESO 2.

PubMed

Gralnek, I M; Adler, S N; Yassin, K; Koslowsky, B; Metzger, Y; Eliakim, R

2008-04-01

Esophageal capsule endoscopy (ECE) provides an alternative, minimally invasive modality for evaluating the esophagus. This study evaluates the performance and test characteristics of a second-generation esophageal capsule endoscope, the PillCam ESO 2. Adults with known or suspected esophageal disease were included. Using the simplified ingestion procedure, each patient underwent capsule endoscopy with the PillCam ESO 2. Following ECE, esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) was performed on the same day by an investigator who was blinded to the results of the ECE. In random order, capsule endoscopy videos were read and interpreted by the study investigator blinded to EGD results. 28 patients (19 men, 9 women; mean age 53.3 years) were included. In 82 % of the patients, at least 75 % of the Z line was visualized by the PillCam ESO 2. A per-lesion analysis demonstrated that the PillCam ESO 2 had definitive results in 30/43 lesions (69.8 %) and EGD in 29/43 (67.4 %), P value = 0.41. Compared with EGD for detecting suspected Barrett's esophagus and esophagitis, the PillCam ESO 2 had a sensitivity of 100 % and a specificity of 74 %, and a sensitivity of 80 % and a specificity of 87 %, respectively. The PillCam ESO 2 demonstrated 86 % agreement with EGD in describing the Z line (kappa statistic 0.68). The modified ingestion protocol provided excellent cleansing, with bubbles/saliva having no or only a minor effect on Z line images in 86 % of cases. The PillCam ESO 2 demonstrated excellent visualization of the Z line. Compared with standard EGD, the PillCam ESO 2 had good test characteristics with high rates of detection of suspected Barrett's esophagus and esophagitis. This study provides indirect validation of the simplified ingestion procedure. The PillCam ESO 2 acquires high quality esophageal images, performs safely, and should be able to replace the current PillCam ESO.

Fluorescence imaging with multifunctional polyglycerol sulfates: novel polymeric near-IR probes targeting inflammation.

PubMed

Licha, Kai; Welker, Pia; Weinhart, Marie; Wegner, Nicole; Kern, Sylvia; Reichert, Stefanie; Gemeinhardt, Ines; Weissbach, Carmen; Ebert, Bernd; Haag, Rainer; Schirner, Michael

2011-12-21

We present a highly selective approach for the targeting of inflammation with a multivalent polymeric probe. Dendritic polyglycerol was employed to synthesize a polyanionic macromolecular conjugate with a near-infrared fluorescent dye related to Indocyanine Green (ICG). On the basis of the dense assembly of sulfate groups which were generated from the polyol core, the resulting polyglycerol sulfate (molecular weight 12 kD with ~70 sulfate groups) targets factors of inflammation (IC(50) of 3-6 nM for inhibition of L-selectin binding) and is specifically transported into inflammatory cells. The in vivo accumulation studied by near-IR fluorescence imaging in an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis demonstrated fast and selective uptake which enabled the differentiation of diseased joints (score 1-3) with a 3.5-fold higher fluorescence level and a signal maximum at 60 min post injection. Localization in tissues using fluorescence histology showed that the conjugates are deposited in the inflammatory infiltrate in the synovial membrane, whereas nonsulfated control was not detected in association with disease. Hence, this type of polymeric imaging probe is an alternative to current bioconjugates and provides future options for targeted imaging and drug delivery.

AOTF near-IR spectrometers for study of Lunar and Martian surface composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korablev, O.; Kiselev, A.; Vyazovetskiy, N.; Fedorova, A.; Evdokimova, N.; Stepanov, A.; Titov, A.; Kalinnikov, Y.; Kuzmin, R. O.; Bazilevsky, A. T.; Bondarenko, A.; Moiseev, P.

2013-09-01

The series of the AOTF near-IR spectrometers is developed in Moscow Space Research Institute for study of Lunar and Martian surface composition in the vicinity of a lander or a rover. Lunar Infrared Spectrometer (LIS) is an experiment onboard Luna-Glob (launch in 2015) and Luna-Resurs (launch in 2017) Russian surface missions. The LIS is mounted on the mechanic arm of landing module in the field of view (45°) of stereo TV camera. Infrared Spectrometer for ExoMars (ISEM) is an experiment onboard ExoMars (launch in 2018) ESARoscosmos rover. The ISEM instrument is mounted on the rover's mast together with High Resolution camera (HRC). Spectrometers will provide measurements of selected surface area in the spectral range of 1.15-3.3 μm. The electrically commanded acousto-optic filter scans sequentially at a desired sampling, with random access, over the entire spectral range.

Real-time near IR (1310 nm) imaging of CO2 laser ablation of enamel.

PubMed

Darling, Cynthia L; Fried, Daniel

2008-02-18

The high-transparency of dental enamel in the near-IR (NIR) can be exploited for real-time imaging of ablation crater formation during drilling with lasers. NIR images were acquired with an InGaAs focal plane array and a NIR zoom microscope during drilling incisions in human enamel samples with a lambda=9.3-microm CO(2) laser operating at repetition rates of 50-300-Hz with and without a water spray. Crack formation, dehydration and thermal changes were observed during ablation. These initial images demonstrate the potential of NIR imaging to monitor laser-ablation events in real-time to provide information about the mechanism of ablation and to evaluate the potential for peripheral thermal and mechanical damage.

ESO 243-49 HLX-1: scaling of X-ray spectral properties and black hole mass determination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titarchuk, Lev; Seifina, Elena

2016-11-01

We report the results of Swift/XRT observations (2008-2015) of a hyper-luminous X-ray source, ESO 243-49 HLX-1. We demonstrate a strong observational evidence that ESO 243-49 HLX-1 undergoes spectral transitions from the low/hard state to the high/soft state during these observations. The spectra of ESO 243-49 HLX-1 are well fitted by the so-called bulk motion Comptonization model for all spectral states. We have established the photon index (Γ) saturation level, Γsat = 3.0 ± 0.1, in the Γ versus mass accretion rate (Ṁ) correlation. This Γ-Ṁ correlation allows us to estimate black hole (BH) mass in ESO 243-49 HLX-1 to be MBH 7 × 104 M⊙ assuming the distance to ESO 243-49 of 95 Mpc. For the BH mass estimate we use the scaling method taking Galactic BHs XTE J1550-564, H 1743-322 and 4U 1630-472, and an extragalactic BH source, M101 ULX-1 as reference sources. The Γ versus Ṁ correlation revealed in ESO 243-49 HLX-1 is similar to those in a number of Galactic and extragalactic BHs and it clearly shows the correlation along with the strong Γ saturation at ≈3. This is a robust observational evidence for the presence of a BH in ESO 243-49 HLX-1. We also find that the seed (disk) photon temperatures are quite low, of order of 50-140 eV which are consistent with high BH mass in ESO 243-49 HLX-1.

The UV to Near-IR Optical Properties of PAHs: A Semi-Empirical Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mattioda, A. L.; Allamandola, L. J.; Hudgins, D. M.

2005-01-01

Interstellar Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) infrared emission features represent an important and unique diagnostic tool of the chemical and physical conditions throughout the universe. However, one challenge facing the widely accepted PAH emission model has been the detection of infrared features in regions of low UV flux. Utilizing recently published laboratory Near Infrared VIR) PAH ion absorption data measured in our laboratory, we build upon previous models for PAH ion absorption in the UV-Vis to extrapolate a new model which incorporates PAH ion absorption in the NIR. This model provides a basis for comparing the relative energy absorption of PAH ions in the UV-Vis and NIR regions for a wide variety of stellar types. This model demonstrates that the radiation from late-type stars can pump the mid-IR PAH features.

Three Good Reasons for Celebrating at the ESO/ST-ECF Science Archive Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2000-12-01

Great Demand for Data from New "Virtual Observatory" Summary Due to a happy coincidence, the ESO/ST-ECF Science Archive Facility is celebrating three different milestones at the same time: * its 10th anniversary since the establishment in 1991 * the 10,000th request for data , and * the signing-up of active user number 2000 . This Archive contains over 8 Terabytes (1 Terabyte = 1 million million bytes) of valuable observational data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) and other ESO telescopes . Its success paves the way for the establishment of "Virtual Observatories" from which first-class data can be obtained by astronomers all over the world. This greatly enhances the opportunities for more (young) scientists to participate in front-line research. PR Photo 34/00 : Front-page of a new brochure, describing the ESO/ST-ECF Science Archive Facility. Just 10 years ago, on the 1st of January 1991, the ESO/ST-ECF (European Southern Observatory/Space Telescope-European Coordinating Facility) Science Archive Facility opened. It has since served the astronomical community with gigabyte after gigabyte of high-quality astronomical data from some of the world's leading telescopes. The Archive, which is located in Garching, just outside Munich (Germany), contains data from the 2.4-m NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope , as well as from several ESO telescopes: the four 8.2-m Unit Telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory , and the 3.5-m New Technology Telescope (NTT) , the 3.6-m telescope and the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope at La Silla. The Archive is a continuously developing project - in terms of amounts of data stored, the number of users and in particular because of the current dramatic development of innovative techniques for data handling and storage. In the year 2000 more than 2 Terabytes (2000 Gigabytes) of data were distributed to users worldwide. The archiving of VLT data has been described in ESO PR

Directed evolution for improved secretion of cancer-testis antigen NY-ESO-1 from yeast.

PubMed

Piatesi, Andrea; Howland, Shanshan W; Rakestraw, James A; Renner, Christoph; Robson, Neil; Cebon, Jonathan; Maraskovsky, Eugene; Ritter, Gerd; Old, Lloyd; Wittrup, K Dane

2006-08-01

NY-ESO-1 is a highly immunogenic tumor antigen and a promising vaccine candidate in cancer immunotherapy. Access to purified protein both for vaccine formulations and for monitoring antigen-specific immune responses is vital to vaccine development. Currently available recombinant Escherichia coli-derived NY-ESO-1 is isolated from inclusion bodies as a complex protein mixture and efforts to improve the purity of this antigen are required, especially for later-stage clinical trials. Using yeast cell surface display and fluorescence activated cell sorting techniques, we have engineered an NY-ESO-1 variant (NY-ESO-L5; C(75)A C(76)A C(78)A L(153)H) with a 100x improved display level on yeast compared to the wild-type protein. This mutant can be effectively produced as an Aga2p-fusion and purified in soluble form directly from the yeast cell wall. In the process, we have identified the epitope recognized by anti-NY-ESO-1 mAb E978 (79-87, GARGPESRL). The availability of an alternative expression host for this important antigen will help avoid artifactual false positive tests of patient immune response due to reaction against expression-host-specific contaminants.

Imaging cervical cytology with scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) coupled with an IR-FEL.

PubMed

Halliwell, Diane E; Morais, Camilo L M; Lima, Kássio M G; Trevisan, Julio; Siggel-King, Michele R F; Craig, Tim; Ingham, James; Martin, David S; Heys, Kelly A; Kyrgiou, Maria; Mitra, Anita; Paraskevaidis, Evangelos; Theophilou, Georgios; Martin-Hirsch, Pierre L; Cricenti, Antonio; Luce, Marco; Weightman, Peter; Martin, Francis L

2016-07-12

Cervical cancer remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women, especially in the developing world. Increased synthesis of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids is a pre-condition for the rapid proliferation of cancer cells. We show that scanning near-field optical microscopy, in combination with an infrared free electron laser (SNOM-IR-FEL), is able to distinguish between normal and squamous low-grade and high-grade dyskaryosis, and between normal and mixed squamous/glandular pre-invasive and adenocarcinoma cervical lesions, at designated wavelengths associated with DNA, Amide I/II and lipids. These findings evidence the promise of the SNOM-IR-FEL technique in obtaining chemical information relevant to the detection of cervical cell abnormalities and cancer diagnosis at spatial resolutions below the diffraction limit (≥0.2 μm). We compare these results with analyses following attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy; although this latter approach has been demonstrated to detect underlying cervical atypia missed by conventional cytology, it is limited by a spatial resolution of ~3 μm to 30 μm due to the optical diffraction limit.

Imaging cervical cytology with scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) coupled with an IR-FEL

PubMed Central

Halliwell, Diane E.; Morais, Camilo L. M.; Lima, Kássio M. G.; Trevisan, Julio; Siggel-King, Michele R. F.; Craig, Tim; Ingham, James; Martin, David S.; Heys, Kelly A.; Kyrgiou, Maria; Mitra, Anita; Paraskevaidis, Evangelos; Theophilou, Georgios; Martin-Hirsch, Pierre L.; Cricenti, Antonio; Luce, Marco; Weightman, Peter; Martin, Francis L.

2016-01-01

Cervical cancer remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women, especially in the developing world. Increased synthesis of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids is a pre-condition for the rapid proliferation of cancer cells. We show that scanning near-field optical microscopy, in combination with an infrared free electron laser (SNOM-IR-FEL), is able to distinguish between normal and squamous low-grade and high-grade dyskaryosis, and between normal and mixed squamous/glandular pre-invasive and adenocarcinoma cervical lesions, at designated wavelengths associated with DNA, Amide I/II and lipids. These findings evidence the promise of the SNOM-IR-FEL technique in obtaining chemical information relevant to the detection of cervical cell abnormalities and cancer diagnosis at spatial resolutions below the diffraction limit (≥0.2 μm). We compare these results with analyses following attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy; although this latter approach has been demonstrated to detect underlying cervical atypia missed by conventional cytology, it is limited by a spatial resolution of ~3 μm to 30 μm due to the optical diffraction limit. PMID:27406404

Nondestructive Clinical Assessment of Occlusal Caries Lesions using Near-IR Imaging Methods

PubMed Central

Staninec, Michal; Douglas, Shane M.; Darling, Cynthia L.; Chan, Kenneth; Kang, Hobin; Lee, Robert C.; Fried, Daniel

2011-01-01

Objective Enamel is highly transparent in the near-IR (NIR) at wavelengths near 1300-nm, and stains are not visible. The purpose of this study was to use NIR transillumination and optical coherence tomography (OCT) to estimate the severity of caries lesions on occlusal surfaces both in vivo and on extracted teeth. Methods Extracted molars with suspected occlusal lesions were examined with OCT and polarization sensitive OCT (PS-OCT), and subsequently sectioned and examined with polarized light microscopy (PLM) and transverse microradiography (TMR). Teeth in test subjects with occlusal caries lesions that were not cavitated or visible on radiographs were examined using NIR transillumination at 1310 nm using a custom built probe attached to an indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) camera and a linear OCT scanner. After imaging, cavities were prepared using dye staining to guide caries removal and physical impressions of the cavities were taken. Results The lesion severity determined from OCT and PS-OCT scans in vitro correlated with the depth determined using polarized light microscopy (PLM) and transverse microradiography (TMR). Occlusal caries lesions appeared in NIR images with high contrast in vivo. OCT scans showed that most of the lesions penetrated to dentin and spread laterally below the sound enamel. Conclusion This study demonstrates that both NIR transillumination and OCT are promising new methods for the clinical diagnosis of occlusal caries. PMID:22109697

IR Variability of Eta Carinae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Nathan

2007-02-01

Every 5.5 years, η Carinae experiences a dramatic ``spectroscopic event'' when high-excitation lines in its UV, optical, and IR spectrum disappear, and its hard X-ray and radio continuum flux crash. This periodicity has been attributed to an eccentric binary system with a shell ejection occurring at periastron. In addition, η Car shows long term changes as it is still recovering from its giant 19th century outburst. Both types of variability are directly linked to the current mass-loss rate and dust formation in its wind. Mid-IR images and spectra with T-ReCS provide a direct measure of changes in the current bolometric luminosity and trace dust formation episodes. This will provide a direct measurement of the mass ejected. Near-IR emission lines trace related changes in the post-event wind and ionization changes in the circumstellar environment needed to test specific models for the cause of η Car's variability as it recovers from its recent ``event''. High resolution near-IR spectra with GNIRS will continue the important work of HST/STIS, investigating changes in the direct and reflected spectrum of the stellar wind, and ionization changes in the nebula.

Domain walls and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in epitaxial Co/Ir(111) and Pt/Co/Ir(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perini, Marco; Meyer, Sebastian; Dupé, Bertrand; von Malottki, Stephan; Kubetzka, André; von Bergmann, Kirsten; Wiesendanger, Roland; Heinze, Stefan

2018-05-01

We use spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory (DFT) to study domain walls (DWs) and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) in epitaxial films of Co/Ir(111) and Pt/Co/Ir(111). Our measurements reveal DWs with fixed rotational sense for one monolayer of Co on Ir, with a wall width around 2.7 nm. With Pt islands on top, we observe that the DWs occur mostly in the uncovered Co/Ir areas, suggesting that the wall energy density is higher in Pt/Co/Ir(111). From DFT we find an interfacial DMI that stabilizes Néel-type DWs with clockwise rotational sense. The calculated DW widths are in good agreement with the experimental observations. The calculated total DMI nearly doubles from Co/Ir(111) to Pt/Co/Ir(111); however, in the latter case the DMI is almost entirely due to the Pt with only a minor Ir contribution. Therefore a simple additive effect, in which both interfaces contribute significantly to the total DMI, is not observed for one atomic Co layer sandwiched between Ir and Pt.

Induction of CD8 T-cell responses restricted to multiple HLA class I alleles in a cancer patient by immunization with a 20-mer NY-ESO-1f (NY-ESO-1 91-110) peptide.

PubMed

Eikawa, Shingo; Kakimi, Kazuhiro; Isobe, Midori; Kuzushima, Kiyotaka; Luescher, Immanuel; Ohue, Yoshihiro; Ikeuchi, Kazuhiro; Uenaka, Akiko; Nishikawa, Hiroyoshi; Udono, Heiichiro; Oka, Mikio; Nakayama, Eiichi

2013-01-15

Immunogenicity of a long 20-mer NY-ESO-1f peptide vaccine was evaluated in a lung cancer patient TK-f01, immunized with the peptide with Picibanil OK-432 and Montanide ISA-51. We showed that internalization of the peptide was necessary to present CD8 T-cell epitopes on APC, contrasting with the direct presentation of the short epitope. CD8 T-cell responses restricted to all five HLA class I alleles were induced in the patient after the peptide vaccination. Clonal analysis showed that B*35:01 and B*52:01-restricted CD8 T-cell responses were the two dominant responses. The minimal epitopes recognized by A*24:02, B*35:01, B*52:01 and C*12:02-restricted CD8 T-cell clones were defined and peptide/HLA tetramers were produced. NY-ESO-1 91-101 on A*24:02, NY-ESO-1 92-102 on B*35:01, NY-ESO-1 96-104 on B*52:01 and NY-ESO-1 96-104 on C*12:02 were new epitopes first defined in this study. Identification of the A*24:02 epitope is highly relevant for studying the Japanese population because of its high expression frequency (60%). High affinity CD8 T-cells recognizing tumor cells naturally expressing the epitopes and matched HLA were induced at a significant level. The findings suggest the usefulness of a long 20-mer NY-ESO-1f peptide harboring multiple CD8 T-cell epitopes as an NY-ESO-1 vaccine. Characterization of CD8 T-cell responses in immunomonitoring using peptide/HLA tetramers revealed that multiple CD8 T-cell responses comprised the dominant response. Copyright © 2012 UICC.

CUBES: cassegrain U-band Brazil-ESO spectrograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbuy, B.; Bawden Macanhan, V.; Bristow, P.; Castilho, B.; Dekker, H.; Delabre, B.; Diaz, M.; Gneiding, C.; Kerber, F.; Kuntschner, H.; La Mura, G.; Maciel, W.; Meléndez, J.; Pasquini, L.; Pereira, C. B.; Petitjean, P.; Reiss, R.; Siqueira-Mello, C.; Smiljanic, R.; Vernet, J.

2014-11-01

CUBES is a high-efficiency, medium-resolution ( R˜20,000) ground based UV (300-400 nm) spectrograph, to be installed in the cassegrain focus of one of ESO's VLT unit telescopes in 2017/18. The CUBES project is a joint venture between ESO and IAG/USP, and LNA/MCTI. CUBES will provide access to a wealth of new and relevant information for stellar as well as extragalactic sources. Main science cases include the study of beryllium and heavy elements in metal-poor stars, the direct determination of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen abundances by study of molecular bands in the UV range, as well as the study of active galactic nuclei and the quasar absorption lines. With a streamlined modern instrument design, high efficiency dispersing elements and UV-sensitive detectors, it will give a significant gain in sensitivity over existing ground based medium-high resolution spectrographs, enabling vastly increased sample sizes accessible to the astronomical community. We present here a brief overview of the project including the status, science cases and a discussion of the design options.

Estimation of Cellulose Crystallinity of Lignocelluloses Using Near-IR FT-Raman Spectroscopy and Comparison of the Raman and Segal-WAXS Methods

Treesearch

Umesh P. Agarwal; Richard R. Reiner; Sally A. Ralph

2013-01-01

Of the recently developed univariate and multivariate near-IR FT-Raman methods for estimating cellulose crystallinity, the former method was applied to a variety of lignocelluloses: softwoods, hardwoods, wood pulps, and agricultural residues/fibers. The effect of autofluorescence on the crystallinity estimation was minimized by solvent extraction or chemical treatment...

UV, visible, and near-IR reflectivity data for magnetic soils/rocks from Brazil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vempati, R. K.; Morris, R. V.; Lauer, H. V., Jr.; Coey, J. M. D.

1991-01-01

The objective is to obtain UV, visible, and near-IR reflectivity spectra for several magnetic Brazilian soils/rocks and compare them to corresponding data for Mars to see if these materials satisfy both magnetic and spectral constraints for Mars. Selected physical properties of the magnetic Brazilian soils/rocks are presented. In general, the spectral features resulting from ferric crystal-field transitions are much better defined in the spectra of the magnetic Brazilian soils/rocks than in Martian spectral data. Presumably, this results from a relatively higher proportion of crystalline ferric oxides for the former. The apparent masking of the spectral signature of maghemite by hematite or goethite for the Brazilian samples implies the magnetic and spectral constraints for Mars can be decoupled. That is, maghemite may be present in magnetically-significant but optically-insignificant amounts compared to crystalline hematite.

Europe's Astronomy Teachers Meet at ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1994-12-01

European Association for Astronomy Education Formed A joint EU/ESO Workshop (1) on the Teaching of Astronomy in Europe was held at the ESO Headquarters from November 25-30, 1994, under the auspices of the 1994 European Week for Scientific Culture. More than 100 teachers from secondary schools in 17 European countries participated together with representatives of national ministries and local authorities, as well as professional astronomers. This meeting was the first of its kind ever held and was very successful. As a most visible and immediate outcome, the participants agreed to form the "European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE)", uniting astronomy educators all over Europe into one network. A provisional Executive Committee of the EAAE was elected which will work towards the organisation of a constitutional conference within the next year. The participants unanimously adopted a "Declaration on the Teaching of Astronomy in Europe", specifying the overall aims and initial actions needed to achieve them. Astronomy: Science, Technology and Culture At the beginning of the Workshop the participants listened to lectures by several specialists about some of the most active fields of astronomy. The scientific sessions included topics as diverse as minor bodies in the solar system, nucleosynthesis, interstellar chemistry and cosmology. Then followed overviews of various recent advances in astronomical technology, some of which are already having direct impact on highly specialized sectors of European industry. They included the advanced use of computers in astronomy, for instance within image processing and data archiving, as well as a demonstration of remote observing. Discussing the cultural aspects, Nigel Calder (UK) and Hubert Reeves (France) emphasized the important role of astronomy in modern society, in particular its continuing influence on our perceptions of mankind's unique location in time and space. Teaching of Astronomy in European Countries

A Sensitivity Study on the Effects of Particle Chemistry, Asphericity and Size on the Mass Extinction Efficiency of Mineral Dust in the Earth's Atmosphere: From the Near to Thermal IR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansell, R. A., Jr.; Reid, J. S.; Tsay, S. C.; Roush, T. L.; Kalashnikova, O. V.

2011-01-01

To determine a plausible range of mass extinction efficiencies (MEE) of terrestrial atmospheric dust from the near to thermal IR, sensitivity analyses are performed over an extended range of dust microphysical and chemistry perturbations. The IR values are subsequently compared to those in the near-IR, to evaluate spectral relationships in their optical properties. Synthesized size distributions consistent with measurements, model particle size, while composition is defined by the refractive indices of minerals routinely observed in dust, including the widely used OPAC/Hess parameterization. Single-scattering properties of representative dust particle shapes are calculated using the T-matrix, Discrete Dipole Approximation and Lorenz-Mie light-scattering codes. For the parameterizations examined, MEE ranges from nearly zero to 1.2 square meters per gram, with the higher values associated with non-spheres composed of quartz and gypsum. At near-IR wavelengths, MEE for non-spheres generally exceeds those for spheres, while in the thermal IR, shape-induced changes in MEE strongly depend on volume median diameter (VMD) and wavelength, particularly for MEE evaluated at the mineral resonant frequencies. MEE spectral distributions appear to follow particle geometry and are evidence for shape dependency in the optical properties. It is also shown that non-spheres best reproduce the positions of prominent absorption peaks found in silicates. Generally, angular particles exhibit wider and more symmetric MEE spectral distribution patterns from 8-10 micrometers than those with smooth surfaces, likely due to their edge-effects. Lastly, MEE ratios allow for inferring dust optical properties across the visible-IR spectrum. We conclude the MEE of dust aerosol are significant for the parameter space investigated, and are a key component for remote sensing applications and the study of direct aerosol radiative effects.

ALMA On the Move - ESO Awards Important Contract for the ALMA Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2005-12-01

Only two weeks after awarding its largest-ever contract for the procurement of antennas for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array project (ALMA), ESO has signed a contract with Scheuerle Fahrzeugfabrik GmbH, a world-leader in the design and production of custom-built heavy-duty transporters, for the provision of two antenna transporting vehicles. These vehicles are of crucial importance for ALMA. ESO PR Photo 41a/05 ESO PR Photo 41a/05 The ALMA Transporter (Artist's Impression) [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 756 pix - 234k] [Normal - JPEG: 800 x 1512 pix - 700k] [Full Res - JPEG: 1768 x 3265 pix - 2.3M] Caption: Each of the ALMA transporters will be 10 m wide, 4.5 m high and 16 m long. "The timely awarding of this contract is most important to ensure that science operations can commence as planned," said ESO Director General Catherine Cesarsky. "This contract thus marks a further step towards the realization of the ALMA project." "These vehicles will operate in a most unusual environment and must live up to very strict demands regarding performance, reliability and safety. Meeting these requirements is a challenge for us, and we are proud to have been selected by ESO for this task," commented Hans-Jörg Habernegg, President of Scheuerle GmbH. ESO PR Photo 41b/05 ESO PR Photo 41b/05 Signing the Contract [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 572 pix - 234k] [Normal - JPEG: 800 x 1143 pix - 700k] [HiRes - JPEG: 4368 x 3056 pix - 2.3M] Caption: (left to right) Mr Thomas Riek, Vice-President of Scheuerle GmbH, Dr Catherine Cesarsky, ESO Director General and Mr Hans-Jörg Habernegg, President of Scheuerle GmbH. When completed on the high-altitude Chajnantor site in Chile, ALMA is expected to comprise more than 60 antennas, which can be placed in different locations on the plateau but which work together as one giant telescope. Changing the relative positions of the antennas and thus also the configuration of the array allows for different observing modes, comparable to using a zoom lens, offering

78 FR 15337 - IRS Truncated Taxpayer Identification Numbers; Hearing Cancellation

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-11

... Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Cancellation of a notice of public hearing on proposed rulemaking. SUMMARY: This document cancels a public hearing on proposed regulations under the Internal Revenue Code... IRS truncated taxpayer identification number, a TTIN. DATES: The public hearing, originally scheduled...

Optical/IR from ground

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strom, Stephen; Sargent, Wallace L. W.; Wolff, Sidney; Ahearn, Michael F.; Angel, J. Roger; Beckwith, Steven V. W.; Carney, Bruce W.; Conti, Peter S.; Edwards, Suzan; Grasdalen, Gary

1991-01-01

Optical/infrared (O/IR) astronomy in the 1990's is reviewed. The following subject areas are included: research environment; science opportunities; technical development of the 1980's and opportunities for the 1990's; and ground-based O/IR astronomy outside the U.S. Recommendations are presented for: (1) large scale programs (Priority 1: a coordinated program for large O/IR telescopes); (2) medium scale programs (Priority 1: a coordinated program for high angular resolution; Priority 2: a new generation of 4-m class telescopes); (3) small scale programs (Priority 1: near-IR and optical all-sky surveys; Priority 2: a National Astrometric Facility); and (4) infrastructure issues (develop, purchase, and distribute optical CCDs and infrared arrays; a program to support large optics technology; a new generation of large filled aperture telescopes; a program to archive and disseminate astronomical databases; and a program for training new instrumentalists)

MHC class II/ESO tetramer-based generation of in vitro primed anti-tumor T-helper lines for adoptive cell therapy of cancer.

PubMed

Poli, Caroline; Raffin, Caroline; Dojcinovic, Danijel; Luescher, Immanuel; Ayyoub, Maha; Valmori, Danila

2013-02-01

Generation of tumor-antigen specific CD4(+) T-helper (T(H)) lines through in vitro priming is of interest for adoptive cell therapy of cancer, but the development of this approach has been limited by the lack of appropriate tools to identify and isolate low frequency tumor antigen-specific CD4(+) T cells. Here, we have used recently developed MHC class II/peptide tetramers incorporating an immunodominant peptide from NY-ESO-1 (ESO), a tumor antigen frequently expressed in different human solid and hematologic cancers, to implement an in vitro priming platform allowing the generation of ESO-specific T(H) lines. We isolated phenotypically defined CD4(+) T-cell subpopulations from circulating lymphocytes of DR52b(+) healthy donors by flow cytometry cell sorting and stimulated them in vitro with peptide ESO(119-143), autologous APC and IL-2. We assessed the frequency of ESO-specific cells in the cultures by staining with DR52b/ESO(119-143) tetramers (ESO-tetramers) and TCR repertoire of ESO-tetramer(+) cells by co-staining with TCR variable β chain (BV) specific antibodies. We isolated ESO-tetramer(+) cells by flow cytometry cell sorting and expanded them with PHA, APC and IL-2 to generate ESO-specific T(H) lines. We characterized the lines for antigen recognition, by stimulation with ESO peptide or recombinant protein, cytokine production, by intracellular staining using specific antibodies, and alloreactivity, by stimulation with allo-APC. Using this approach, we could consistently generate ESO-tetramer(+) T(H) lines from conventional CD4(+)CD25(-) naïve and central memory populations, but not from effector memory populations or CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg. In vitro primed T(H) lines recognized ESO with affinities comparable to ESO-tetramer(+) cells from patients immunized with an ESO vaccine and used a similar TCR repertoire. In this study, using MHC class II/ESO tetramers, we have implemented an in vitro priming platform allowing the generation of ESO

THE ORION FINGERS: NEAR-IR SPECTRAL IMAGING OF AN EXPLOSIVE OUTFLOW

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

Youngblood, Allison; Bally, John; Ginsburg, Adam, E-mail: allison.youngblood@colorado.edu

2016-06-01

We present near-IR (1.1–2.4 μ m) position–position–velocity cubes of the 500 year old Orion BN/KL explosive outflow with spatial resolution 1″ and spectral resolution 86 km s{sup −1}. We construct integrated intensity maps free of continuum sources of 15 H{sub 2} and [Fe ii] lines while preserving kinematic information of individual outflow features. Included in the detected H{sub 2} lines are the 1-0 S(1) and 1-0 Q(3) transitions, allowing extinction measurements across the outflow. Additionally, we present dereddened flux ratios for over two dozen outflow features to allow for the characterization of the true excitation conditions of the BN/KL outflow. All of themore » ratios show the dominance of the shock excitation of the H{sub 2} emission, although some features exhibit signs of fluorescent excitation from stellar radiation or J-type shocks. We also detect tracers of the PDR/ionization front north of the Trapezium stars in [O i] and [Fe ii] and analyze other observed outflows not associated with the BN/KL outflow.« less

IR Variability of Eta Carinae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Nathan

2008-02-01

Every 5.5 years, η Carinae experiences a dramatic ``spectroscopic event'' when high-excitation lines in its UV, optical, and IR spectrum disappear, and its hard X-ray and radio continuum flux crash. This periodicity has been attributed to an eccentric binary system with a shell ejection occurring at periastron, and the next periastron event will occur at the very end of 2008. In addition, η Car shows long term changes as it is still recovering from its giant 19th century outburst. Both types of variability are directly linked to the current mass-loss rate and dust formation in its wind. Mid-IR images and spectra with T-ReCS provide a direct measure of changes in the current bolometric luminosity and a direct measure of the massw in dust formation episodes that may occur at periastron in the colliding wind shock. Near-IR emission lines trace related changes in the post-event wind and ionization changes in the circumstellar environment needed to test specific models for the cause of η Car's variability as it recovers from its recent ``event''. High resolution near-IR spectra with Phoenix will continue the important work of HST/STIS, investigating changes in the direct and reflected spectrum of the stellar wind, and ionization changes in the nebula.

Near-IR imaging of erbium laser ablation with a water spray

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darling, Cynthia L.; Maffei, Marie E.; Fried, William A.; Fried, Daniel

2008-02-01

Near-IR (NIR) imaging can be used to view the formation of ablation craters during laser ablation since the enamel of the tooth is almost completely transparent near 1310-nm1. Laser ablation craters can be monitored under varying irradiation conditions to assess peripheral thermal and transient-stress induced damage, measure the rate and efficiency of ablation and provide insight into the ablation mechanism. There are fundamental differences in the mechanism of enamel ablation using erbium lasers versus carbon dioxide laser systems due to the nature of the primary absorber and it is necessary to have water present on the tooth surface for efficient ablation at erbium laser wavelengths. In this study, sound human tooth sections of approximately 2-3-mm thickness were irradiated by free running and Q-switched Er:YAG & Er:YSGG lasers under varying conditions with and without a water spray. The incision area in the interior of each sample was imaged using a tungsten-halogen lamp with a band-pass filter centered at 1310-nm combined with an InGaAs area camera with a NIR zoom microscope. Obvious differences in the crater evolution were observed between CO2 and erbium lasers. Ablation stalled after a few laser pulses without a water spray as anticipated. Efficient ablation was re-initiated by resuming the water spray. Micro-fractures were continuously produced apparently driven along prism lines during multi-pulse ablation. These fractures or fissures appeared to merge together as the crater evolved to form the leading edge of the ablation crater. These observations support the proposed thermo-mechanical mechanisms of erbium laser involving the strong mechanical forces generated by selective absorption by water.

The ESO Observing Programmes Committee

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westerlund, B. E.

1982-06-01

Since 1978 the ESO Observing Programmes Committee (OPC) has "the function to inspect and rank the proposals made for observing programmes at La Silla, and thereby to advise the Director General on the distribution of observing time". The members (one from each member country) and their alternates are nominated by the respective national committees for five-year terms (not immediately renewable). The terms are staggered so that each year one or two persons are replaced. The Chairman is appointed annually by the Council. He is invited to attend Council meetings and to report to its members.

ESO-Hα 574 and Par-Lup 3-4 jets: Exploring the spectral, kinematical, and physical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whelan, E. T.; Bonito, R.; Antoniucci, S.; Alcalá, J. M.; Giannini, T.; Nisini, B.; Bacciotti, F.; Podio, L.; Stelzer, B.; Comerón, F.

2014-05-01

In this paper a comprehensive analysis of VLT/X-Shooter observations of two jet systems, namely ESO-Hα 574 a K8 classical T Tauri star and Par-Lup 3-4 a very low mass (0.13 M⊙) M5 star, is presented. Both stars are known to have near-edge on accretion disks. A summary of these first X-shooter observations of jets was given in a 2011 letter. The new results outlined here include flux tables of identified emission lines, information on the morphology, kinematics and physical conditions of both jets and, updated estimates of Ṁout/Ṁacc. Asymmetries in the ESO-Hα 574 flow are investigated while the Par-Lup 3-4 jet is much more symmetric. The density, temperature, and therefore origin of the gas traced by the Balmer lines are investigated from the Balmer decrements and results suggest an origin in a jet for ESO-Hα 574 while for Par-Lup 3-4 the temperature and density are consistent with an accretion flow. Ṁacc is estimated from the luminosity of various accretion tracers. For both targets, new luminosity relationships and a re-evaluation of the effect of reddening and grey extinction (due to the edge-on disks) allows for substantial improvements on previous estimates of Ṁacc. It is found that log(Ṁacc) = -9.15 ± 0.45M⊙ yr-1 and -9.30 ± 0.27M⊙ yr-1 for ESO-Hα 574 and Par-Lup 3-4 respectively. Additionally, the physical conditions in the jets (electron density, electron temperature, and ionisation) are probed using various line ratios and compared with previous determinations from iron lines. The results are combined with the luminosity of the [SII]λ6731 line to derive Ṁout through a calculation of the gas emissivity based on a 5-level atom model. As this method for deriving Ṁout comes from an exact calculation based on the jet parameters (measured directly from the spectra) rather than as was done previously from an approximate formula based on the value of the critical density at an assumed unknown temperature, values of Ṁout are far more

A 12 μm ISOCAM survey of the ESO-Sculptor field. Data reduction and analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seymour, N.; Rocca-Volmerange, B.; de Lapparent, V.

2007-12-01

We present a detailed reduction of a mid-infrared 12 μm (LW10 filter) ISOCAM open time observation performed on the ESO-Sculptor Survey field (Arnouts et al. 1997, A&AS, 124, 163). A complete catalogue of 142 sources (120 galaxies and 22 stars), detected with high significance (equivalent to 5σ), is presented above an integrated flux density of 0.24 {mJy}. Star/galaxy separation is performed by a detailed study of colour-colour diagrams. The catalogue is complete to 1 {mJy} and, below this flux density, the incompleteness is corrected using two independent methods. The first method uses stars and the second uses optical counterparts of the ISOCAM galaxies; these methods yield consistent results. We also apply an empirical flux density calibration using stars in the field. For each star, the 12 μm flux density is derived by fitting optical colours from a multi-band χ2 to stellar templates (BaSel-2.0) and using empirical optical-IR colour-colour relations. This article is a companion analysis to our 2007 paper (Rocca-Volmerange et al. 2007, A&A, 475, 801) where the 12 μ m faint galaxy counts are presented and analysed per galaxy type with the evolutionary code PÉGASE.3. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), La Silla, Chile, and on observations with ISO, an ESA project with instruments funded by ESA Member States (especially the PI countries: France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) and with the participation of ISAS and NASA. Full Table [see full textsee full textsee full textsee full textsee full textsee full text] is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/475/791

The ESO Scientific and Technical Committee.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Léna, P.

1982-03-01

Since 1978, the structure of ESO involves a Scientific and Technical Committee (STC) which advises the Council on scientific and technical matters. This committee meets twice a year, usually at Garehing; its members are nominated by the Council and their term is 4 years. The STC has 10 members, who are as evenly distributed as possible among member countries, although indeed mainly chosen for their scientific abilities. The chairman is invited to attend Council meetings and to report to the members.

Antitumor Activity Associated with Prolonged Persistence of Adoptively Transferred NY-ESO-1c259T cells in Synovial Sarcoma.

PubMed

D'Angelo, Sandra P; Melchiori, Luca; Merchant, Melinda S; Bernstein, Donna B; Glod, John; Kaplan, Rosandra N; Grupp, Stephan A; Tap, William D; Chagin, Karen; Binder, Gwendolyn K; Basu, Samik; Lowther, Daniel E; Wang, Ruoxi; Bath, Natalie; Tipping, Alex; Betts, Gareth; Ramachandran, Indu; Navenot, Jean-Marc; Zhang, Hua; Wells, Daniel K; Van Winkle, Erin; Kari, Gabor; Trivedi, Trupti; Holdich, Tom; Pandite, Lini N; Amado, Rafael; Mackall, Crystal L

2018-06-11

We evaluated safety and activity of autologous T cells expressing NY-ESO-1c259, an affinity-enhanced T cell receptor (TCR) recognizing an HLA-A2-restricted NY-ESO-1/LAGE-1a-derived peptide, in patients with metastatic synovial sarcoma (NY-ESO-1c259T cells). Confirmed antitumor responses occurred in 50% of patients (6/12) and were characterized by tumor shrinkage over several months. Circulating NY-ESO-1c259T cells were present post-infusion in all patients and persisted for at least 6 months in all responders. Most infused NY-ESO-1c259T cells exhibited an effector memory phenotype following the ex vivo expansion, but the persisting pools comprised largely central memory and stem cell memory subsets, which remained polyfunctional and showed no evidence for T cell exhaustion despite persistent tumor burdens. Next generation sequencing of endogenous TCRs in CD8+ NY-ESO-1c259T cells revealed clonal diversity without contraction over time. These data suggest that regenerative pools of NY-ESO-1c259T cells produced a continuing supply of effector cells to mediate sustained, clinically meaningful antitumor effects. Copyright ©2018, American Association for Cancer Research.

Non-destructive clinical assessment of occlusal caries lesions using near-IR imaging methods.

PubMed

Staninec, Michal; Douglas, Shane M; Darling, Cynthia L; Chan, Kenneth; Kang, Hobin; Lee, Robert C; Fried, Daniel

2011-12-01

Enamel is highly transparent in the near-IR (NIR) at wavelengths near 1,300 nm, and stains are not visible. The purpose of this study was to use NIR transillumination and optical coherence tomography (OCT) to estimate the severity of caries lesions on occlusal surfaces both in vivo and on extracted teeth. Extracted molars with suspected occlusal lesions were examined with OCT and polarization sensitive OCT (PS-OCT), and subsequently sectioned and examined with polarized light microscopy (PLM) and transverse microradiography (TMR). Teeth in test subjects with occlusal caries lesions that were not cavitated or visible on radiographs were examined using NIR transillumination at 1,310 nm using a custom built probe attached to an indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) camera and a linear OCT scanner. After imaging, cavities were prepared using dye staining to guide caries removal and physical impressions of the cavities were taken. The lesion severity determined from OCT and PS-OCT scans in vitro correlated with the depth determined using PLM and TMR. Occlusal caries lesions appeared in NIR images with high contrast in vivo. OCT scans showed that most of the lesions penetrated to dentin and spread laterally below the sound enamel. This study demonstrates that both NIR transillumination and OCT are promising new methods for the clinical diagnosis of occlusal caries. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

ESO's VLT Helps ESA's Rosetta Spacecraft Prepare to Ride on a Cosmic Bullet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2002-02-01

New Images of Comet Wirtanen's Nucleus [1] Summary New images of Comet Wirtanen's 1-km 'dirty snowball' nucleus have been obtained with the ESO Very Large Telescope at Paranal (Chile). They show this object at a distance of approx. 435 million km from the Sun, about the same as when the Rosetta spacecraft of the European Space Agency (ESA) arrives in 2011. The new observations indicate that the comet has a very low degree of activity at this point in its orbit - almost no material is seen around the nucleus. This means that there will not be so much dust near the nucleus as to make the planned landing dramatically difficult. PR Photo 06a/02 : The Nucleus of Comet Wirtanen (composite photo). PR Photo 06b/02 : Comet Wirtanen's motion in the sky (animated). A distant target ESO PR Photo 06a/02 ESO PR Photo 06a/02 [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 445 pix - 120k] [Normal - JPEG: 800 x 890 pix - 1.1M] ESO PR Photo 06b/02 ESO PR Photo 06b/02 [Animated GIF: 400 x 420 pix - 312k] Caption : PR Photo 06a/02 shows a (false-colour) composite image of the nucleus of Comet Wirtanen (the point of light at the centre), recorded on December 9, 2001, with the FORS2 multi-mode instrument at the 8.2-m VLT YEPUN Unit Telescope. It is based on four exposures and since the telescope was set to track the motion of the comet in the sky, the images of stars in the field are seen as four consecutive trails. The measured brightness and the fact that the image of the comet's 'dirty snowball' nucleus is almost star-like indicates that it is surrounded by a very small amount of gas or dust. The diameter of the nucleus is about 1 km and the distance to the comet from the Earth was approx. 534 million km. In PR Photo 06b/02 , the four exposures have been combined to show the motion of the comet during the four exposures. Technical information about the photos is available below. Chase a fast-moving comet, land on it and 'ride' it while it speeds up towards the Sun: not the script of a science-fiction movie

Multicentric analysis of performance after major lung resections by using the European Society Objective Score (ESOS).

PubMed

Brunelli, Alessandro; Varela, Gonzalo; Van Schil, Paul; Salati, Michele; Novoa, Nuria; Hendriks, Jeroen M; Jimenez, Marcelo F; Lauwers, Patrick

2008-02-01

Outcome endpoints are still the most widely used indicators of performance. However, they need to be risk-adjusted in order to be reliable instruments of audit. Recently, the European Society Objective Score (ESOS) was developed from the online European Thoracic Surgery Database as an audit tool. In this study, we applied for the first time the ESOS.01 to assess the performance of three European thoracic surgery units during three successive years of activity. This study is a retrospective analysis performed on prospective databases. We analysed 695 patients submitted to pneumonectomy (117) or lobectomy (578) for lung neoplasm at three European dedicated thoracic surgery units (unit A 264 patients, unit B 262, unit C 169) from January 2004 through December 2006. Qualified thoracic surgeons performed all the operations. No patients in this series were in the original ESOS development set. ESOS.01 was used to estimate the risk of in-hospital mortality in all patients. Observed and predicted mortality rates were then compared within each unit by the z-test. Cumulative observed mortality rates in units A, B and C were 2.3% (six cases), 2.7% (seven cases) and 4.1% (seven cases), respectively. We were not able to find statistically significant differences between observed and ESOS-predicted mortality rates. The comparison of risk-adjusted mortality rates between units did not show significant differences (unit A 3.9%, unit B 3.3%, unit C 5.6%). The use of ESOS.01 revealed that the performances of all units were in line with the predicted ones during each period under analysis and did not differ between each other. The results of our study warrant future efforts to refine the ESOS model and to develop other risk-adjusted outcome indicators with the aim to establish European benchmarks of performance.

Nd:AlN polycrystalline ceramics: A candidate media for tunable, high energy, near IR lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wieg, A. T.; Grossnickle, M. J.; Kodera, Y.; Gabor, N. M.; Garay, J. E.

2016-09-01

We present processing and characterization of Nd-doped aluminum nitride (Nd:AlN) polycrystalline ceramics. We compare ceramics with significant segregation of Nd to those exhibiting minimal segregation. Spatially resolved photoluminescence maps reveal a strong correlation between homogeneous Nd doping and spatially homogeneous light emission. The spectroscopically resolved light emission lines show excellent agreement with the expected Nd electronic transitions. Notably, the lines are significantly broadened, producing near IR emission (˜1077 nm) with a remarkable ˜100 nm bandwidth at room temperature. We attribute the broadened lines to a combination of effects: multiple Nd-sites, anisotropy of AlN and phonon broadening. These broadened, overlapping lines in a media with excellent thermal conductivity have potential for Nd-based, tunable lasers with high average power.

Tropospheric Ozone Near-Nadir-Viewing IR Spectral Sensitivity and Ozone Measurements from NAST-I

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhou, Daniel K.; Smith, William L.; Larar, Allen M.

2001-01-01

Infrared ozone spectra from near nadir observations have provided atmospheric ozone information from the sensor to the Earth's surface. Simulations of the NPOESS Airborne Sounder Testbed-Interferometer (NAST-I) from the NASA ER-2 aircraft (approximately 20 km altitude) with a spectral resolution of 0.25/cm were used for sensitivity analysis. The spectral sensitivity of ozone retrievals to uncertainties in atmospheric temperature and water vapor is assessed in order to understand the relationship between the IR emissions and the atmospheric state. In addition, ozone spectral radiance sensitivity to its ozone layer densities and radiance weighting functions reveals the limit of the ozone profile retrieval accuracy from NAST-I measurements. Statistical retrievals of ozone with temperature and moisture retrievals from NAST-I spectra have been investigated and the preliminary results from NAST-I field campaigns are presented.

Abundant molecular gas and inefficient star formation in intracluster regions: ram pressure stripped tail of the Norma galaxy ESO137-001

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

Jáchym, Pavel; Combes, Françoise; Cortese, Luca

For the first time, we reveal large amounts of cold molecular gas in a ram-pressure-stripped tail, out to a large 'intracluster' distance from the galaxy. With the Actama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) telescope, we have detected {sup 12}CO(2-1) emission corresponding to more than 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉} of H{sub 2} in three Hα bright regions along the tail of the Norma cluster galaxy ESO 137-001, out to a projected distance of 40 kpc from the disk. ESO 137-001 has an 80 kpc long and bright X-ray tail associated with a shorter (40 kpc) and broader tail of numerous star formingmore » H II regions. The amount of ∼1.5 × 10{sup 8} M {sub ☉} of H{sub 2} found in the most distant region is similar to molecular masses of tidal dwarf galaxies, though the standard Galactic CO-to-H{sub 2} factor could overestimate the H{sub 2} content. Along the tail, we find the amount of molecular gas to drop, while masses of the X-ray-emitting and diffuse ionized components stay roughly constant. Moreover, the amounts of hot and cold gas are large and similar, and together nearly account for the missing gas from the disk. We find a very low SFE (τ{sub dep} > 10{sup 10} yr) in the stripped gas in ESO 137-001 and suggest that this is due to a low average gas density in the tail, or turbulent heating of the interstellar medium that is induced by a ram pressure shock. The unprecedented bulk of observed H{sub 2} in the ESO 137-001 tail suggests that some stripped gas may survive ram pressure stripping in the molecular phase.« less

Live Webcasts from CERN and ESO for European Science and Technology Week

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2002-10-01

Visit http://www.cern.ch/sci-tech on 7 - 8 November to find out what modern Europeans can't live without. Seven of Europe's leading Research Organizations [1] are presenting three live Webcasts from CERN in a joint outreach programme for the European Science and Technology Week . The aim of Sci-Tech... couldn't be without it! is to show how today's society couldn't be without cutting-edge scientific research. See also ESO Press Release 05/02. Northern Europeans can't imagine their households without ovens, whereas Southern Europeans identify the refrigerator as the most essential household appliance. In the area of communications, cars and motorbikes are clearly the technologies of choice in Italy, but are regarded as less important in countries like Norway and Germany. For entertainment, the personal computer is a clear winner as the device is considered most essential by all Europeans, followed by the TV and the Internet. This hit parade of technological marvels is the result of a phone and online survey conducted by the Sci-Tech... couldn't be without it! team for this year's European Science and Technology Week on 4-10 November. The technologies Europeans could not be without, form the starting point of three entertaining and informative Webcast shows in Italian (Thursday 7 November at 10:00 CET), French (Thursday 7 November at 15:00 CET) and English (Friday 8 November at 15:00 CET), broadcast live on the Internet from a studio at CERN. During these Webcasts scientists from the seven research Organizations and their industrial partners Sun Microsystems, Siemens, L'Oreal and Luminex will engage - from the CERN studio or from remote locations through teleconference links - an audience of Internauts all over the world. The public will be taken inside their most popular gadgets to discover the science that made them possible and how vital fundamental research has been in the creation of modern technology. Fundamental science will be brought as close as possible to

ESDIS Standards Office (ESO): Requirements, Standards and Practices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, Andrew E.; Mcinerney, Mark Allen; Enloe, Yonsok K.; Conover, Helen T.; Doyle, Allan

2016-01-01

The ESDIS Standards Office assists the ESDIS Project in formulating standards policy for NASA Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS), coordinates standards activities within ESDIS, and provides technical expertise and assistance with standards related tasks within the NASA Earth Science Data System Working Groups (ESDSWG). This poster summarizes information found on the earthdata.nasa.gov site that describes the ESO.

Low altitude cloud height and methane humidity retrievals on Titan in the near-IR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adamkovics, M.; Hayes, A.; Mitchell, J.; De Pater, I.; Young, E.

2013-12-01

The formation of low altitude clouds on Titan, with cloud-top altitudes below ~10km, likely occurs by a fundamentally different mechanism than for the clouds commonly observed to have cloud-tops in the upper troposphere, above ~15km [1]. Near-infrared spectroscopy of clouds has been the method of choice for determining cloud altitudes [2], however, uncertainties in aerosols scattering properties and opacities, together with limitations in laboratory measurements of gas opacities (in particular for methane), lead to uncertainties in how accurately the altitude of low clouds can be retrieved [3]. Here we revisit near-IR spectra obtained with Keck and Cassini using new laboratory methane line data in the HITRAN 2012 database [4] to address the problem of measuring the altitudes of low clouds. We discuss the role of topography in relation to the formation of low clouds and other diagnostics of conditions near the surface, such as the tropospheric methane humidity. We reanalyze measurements the tropospheric humidity variation [5] and describe observational strategies for improved diagnostics of the tropospheric humidity on Titan . Acknowledgements: Funding for this work is provided by the NSF grant AST-1008788 and NASA OPR grant NNX12AM81G. References: [1] Brown, et al. (2009) ApJ, 706, L110-L113. [2] Ádámkovics et al. (2010) Icarus, 208, 868-877. [3] Griffith et al. (2012) Icarus, 218, 975-988. [4] Rothman et al. (2013) AIP Conf. Proc., 1545, 223-231. [5] Penteado & Griffith (2010) Icarus, 206, 345-351.

ESO 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirey, R.

2012-12-01

To formally mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the ESO Convention, a gala dinner was held in the Munich Residenz. A brief report of the event is presented and the speeches are reproduced. The speakers were the President of the Council, Xavier Barcons; the German Minister for Education and Research, Prof. Dr Annette Schavan; the Bavarian State Minister for Science, Research and the Arts, Dr Wolfgang Heubisch; physics Nobel Laureate, Brian Schmidt; the current Director General, Tim de Zeeuw and the Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alfredo Moreno Charme.

Measurement of atmospheric OH by titration of near-IR fluorescent dyes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Betterton, Eric A.; Gast, Karl

1994-01-01

Recent research has shown that certain polymethine dyes can be detected at ultratrace levels (greater than or equal to 6x10(exp -14) M) in solution by fluorimetry. These detection limits are possible because of the inherent sensitivity of fluorescence techniques, because the dyes fluoresce in the near infrared region where background interference is negligible, and because powerful infrared diode lasers are now available to improve the signal to noise ratio. Other work has shown that the hydroxyl radical destroys the ability of polymethine dyes to fluoresce. These observations form the basis for a new hydroxyl radical detector that is essentially a fluorometric titrator. Theoretically, the detector should show an acceptable sensitivity and response time. Assuming that the atmospheric HO concentration is about 10(exp -11) moles m(exp -3) (i.e. 10(exp 6) molecules cm(exp -3)), then 10 L of air 'titrated' with 20 mL of 10(exp -11) M dye solution (an easily detected concentration) should result in a drop in the fluorescent signal of 50 percent - a readily detectable change. At a flow rate of 3 L min(exp -1) the sampling time would be 3 minutes. The biggest potential problem is selectivity: other oxidants may also cause the fluorescence signal to be lost. The chemistry of polymethine dyes has not been studied in detail and so no quantitative data are available. However, a survey of the literature suggests that in general HO should react up to six orders of magnitude faster than HO2 and other radicals such as RO2 and RO. It should also react much more rapidly than H2O2 and O3. Thus it may be possible to discriminate kinetically against potential interfering substances. It was shown in the laboratory that 10(exp -4) M H2O2 has little effect on the absorption spectrum of the dye IR125 over a period of hours but that the band at 780 nm is slowly lost in water over a period of days even under argon in the dark. By contrast, DMSO solutions of IR125 are stable.

Near-IR supercontinuum generation based on a telecom single-mode fibre in an all-fibre format, and its power combining

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

Rumao Tao; Xiaolin Wang; Xiao, H

Near-IR supercontinuum (SC) is generated based on a standard telecommunication single-mode (SM) fibre in an all-fibre format. The observed spectrum covers the spectral range from 1050 nm to 1700 nm. High-efficiency combining of the SC power is demonstrated for the first time, and the spectral SC properties are shown to be maintained after power combining. The results may find applications in sensing, spectroscopy and medicine. (control of laser radiation parameters)

Adjuvant NY-ESO-1 vaccine immunotherapy in high-risk resected melanoma: a retrospective cohort analysis.

PubMed

Lattanzi, Michael; Han, Joseph; Moran, Una; Utter, Kierstin; Tchack, Jeremy; Sabado, Rachel Lubong; Berman, Russell; Shapiro, Richard; Huang, Hsin-Hui; Osman, Iman; Bhardwaj, Nina; Pavlick, Anna C

2018-05-18

Cancer-testis antigen NY-ESO-1 is a highly immunogenic melanoma antigen which has been incorporated into adjuvant vaccine clinical trials. Three such early-phase trials were conducted at our center among patients with high-risk resected melanoma. We herein report on the pooled long-term survival outcomes of these patients in comparison to historical controls. All melanoma patients treated at NYU Langone Health under any of three prospective adjuvant NY-ESO-1 vaccine trials were retrospectively pooled into a single cohort. All such patients with stage III melanoma were subsequently compared to historical control patients identified via a prospective institutional database with protocol-driven follow-up. Survival times were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox proportional hazard models were employed to identify significant prognostic factors and control for confounding variables. A total of 91 patients were treated with an NY-ESO-1 vaccine for the treatment of high-risk resected melanoma. Of this group, 67 patients were stage III and were selected for comparative analysis with 123 historical control patients with resected stage III melanoma who received no adjuvant therapy. Among the pooled vaccine cohort (median follow-up 61 months), the estimated median recurrence-free survival was 45 months, while the median overall survival was not yet reached. In the control cohort of 123 patients (median follow-up 30 months), the estimated median recurrence-free and overall survival were 22 and 58 months, respectively. Within the retrospective stage III cohort, NY-ESO-1 vaccine was associated with decreased risk of recurrence (HR = 0.56, p < 0.01) and death (HR = 0.51, p = 0.01). Upon controlling for sub-stage, the adjuvant NY-ESO-1 clinical trial cohort continued to exhibit decreased risk of recurrence (HR = 0.45, p < 0.01) and death (HR = 0.40, p < 0.01). In this small retrospective cohort of resected stage III melanoma

Third-generation intelligent IR focal plane arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caulfield, H. John; Jack, Michael D.; Pettijohn, Kevin L.; Schlesselmann, John D.; Norworth, Joe

1998-03-01

SBRC is at the forefront of industry in developing IR focal plane arrays including multi-spectral technology and '3rd generation' functions that mimic the human eye. 3rd generation devices conduct advanced processing on or near the FPA that serve to reduce bandwidth while performing needed functions such as automatic target recognition, uniformity correction and dynamic range enhancement. These devices represent a solution for processing the exorbitantly high bandwidth coming off large area FPAs without sacrificing systems sensitivity. SBRC's two-color approach leverages the company's HgCdTe technology to provide simultaneous multiband coverage, from short through long wave IR, with near theoretical performance. IR systems that are sensitive to different spectral bands achieve enhanced capabilities for target identification and advanced discrimination. This paper will provide a summary of the issues, the technology and the benefits of SBRC's third generation smart and two-color FPAs.

Report on the ''2017 ESO Calibration Workshop: The Second-Generation VLT Instruments and Friends''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smette, A.; Kerber, F.; Kaufer, A.

2017-03-01

The participants at the 2017 ESO Calibration Workshop shared their experiences and the challenges encountered in calibrating VLT second-generation instruments and the upgraded first-generation instruments, and discussed improvements in the characterisation of the atmosphere and data reduction. A small group of ESO participants held a follow-up retreat and identified possible game changers in the future operations of the La Silla Paranal Observatory: feedback on the proposals is encouraged.

Core network infrastructure supporting the VLT at ESO Paranal in Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reay, Harold

2000-06-01

In October 1997 a number of projects were started at ESO's Paranal Observatory at Cerro Paranal in Chile to upgrade the communications infrastructure in place at the time. The planned upgrades were to internal systems such as computer data networks and telephone installations and also data links connecting Paranal to other ESO sites. This paper details the installation work carried out on the Paranal Core Network (PCN) during the period of October 1997 to December 1999. These installations were to provide both short term solutions to the requirement for reliable high bandwidth network connectivity between Paranal and ESO HQ in Garching, Germany in time for UTI (Antu) first light and perhaps more importantly, to provide the core systems necessary for a site moving towards operational status. This paper explains the reasons for using particular cable types, network topology, and fiber backbone design and implementation. We explain why it was decided to install the PCN in two distinct stages and how equipment used in temporary installations was re-used in the Very Large Telescope networks. Finally we describe the tools used to monitor network and satellite link performance and will discuss whether network backbone bandwidth meets the expected utilization and how this bandwidth can easily be increased in the future should there be a requirement.

Therapeutical solutions for non-malignant eso-bronchial fistulas

PubMed Central

Galie, N; Grigorie, V

2009-01-01

We assessed the efficacy of surgical treatment for the patients with eso-respiratory fistulas. The following cases revealed the anesthesic and surgical difficulties, and also intraoperative and postoperative complications that can occur when the esophageal contents get into the respiratory system. In these situations, therapy must be adapted according to fistula’s topography and etiology, and also to patients’ biological conditions. PMID:20108499

The type 2 diabetes and insulin-resistance locus near IRS1 is a determinant of HDL cholesterol and triglycerides levels among diabetic subjects.

PubMed

Sharma, Rajani; Prudente, Sabrina; Andreozzi, Francesco; Powers, Christine; Mannino, Gaia; Bacci, Simonetta; Gervino, Ernest V; Hauser, Thomas H; Succurro, Elena; Mercuri, Luana; Goheen, Elizabeth H; Shah, Hetal; Trischitta, Vincenzo; Sesti, Giorgio; Doria, Alessandro

2011-05-01

SNP rs2943641 near the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) gene has been found to be associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and insulin-resistance in genome-wide association studies. We investigated whether this SNP is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and coronary artery disease (CAD) among diabetic individuals. SNP rs2943641 was typed in 2133 White T2D subjects and tested for association with BMI, serum HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, hypertension history, and CAD risk. HDL cholesterol decreased by 1mg/dl (p = 0.004) and serum triglycerides increased by 6 mg/dl (p = 0.016) for each copy of the insulin-resistance allele. Despite these effects, no association was found with increased CAD risk (OR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.88-1.13). The insulin-resistance and T2D locus near the IRS1 gene is a determinant of lower HDL cholesterol among T2D subjects. However, this effect is small and does not translate into a detectable increase in CAD risk in this population. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

ESO adaptive optics facility progress report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arsenault, Robin; Madec, Pierre-Yves; Paufique, Jerome; La Penna, Paolo; Stroebele, Stefan; Vernet, Elise; Pirard, Jean-Francois; Hackenberg, Wolfgang; Kuntschner, Harald; Jochum, Lieselotte; Kolb, Johann; Muller, Nicolas; Le Louarn, Miska; Amico, Paola; Hubin, Norbert; Lizon, Jean-Louis; Ridings, Rob; Abad, Jose A.; Fischer, Gert; Heinz, Volker; Kiekebusch, Mario; Argomedo, Javier; Conzelmann, Ralf; Tordo, Sebastien; Donaldson, Robert; Soenke, Christian; Duhoux, Philippe; Fedrigo, Enrico; Delabre, Bernard; Jost, Andreas; Duchateau, Michel; Downing, Mark; Moreno, Javier R.; Dorn, Reinhold; Manescau, Antonio; Bonaccini Calia, Domenico; Quattri, Marco; Dupuy, Christophe; Guidolin, Ivan M.; Comin, Mauro; Guzman, Ronald; Buzzoni, Bernard; Quentin, Jutta; Lewis, Steffan; Jolley, Paul; Kraus, Maximilian; Pfrommer, Thomas; Biasi, Roberto; Gallieni, Daniele; Bechet, Clementine; Stuik, Remko

2012-07-01

The ESO Adaptive Optics Facility (AOF) consists in an evolution of one of the ESO VLT unit telescopes to a laser driven adaptive telescope with a deformable mirror in its optical train. The project has completed the procurement phase and several large structures have been delivered to Garching (Germany) and are being integrated (the AO modules GRAAL and GALACSI and the ASSIST test bench). The 4LGSF Laser (TOPTICA) has undergone final design review and a pre-production unit has been built and successfully tested. The Deformable Secondary Mirror is fully integrated and system tests have started with the first science grade thin shell mirror delivered by SAGEM. The integrated modules will be tested in stand-alone mode in 2012 and upon delivery of the DSM in late 2012, the system test phase will start. A commissioning strategy has been developed and will be updated before delivery to Paranal. A substantial effort has been spent in 2011-2012 to prepare the unit telescope to receive the AOF by preparing the mechanical interfaces and upgrading the cooling and electrical network. This preparation will also simplify the final installation of the facility on the telescope. A lot of attention is given to the system calibration, how to record and correct any misalignment and control the whole facility. A plan is being developed to efficiently operate the AOF after commissioning. This includes monitoring a relevant set of atmospheric parameters for scheduling and a Laser Traffic control system to assist the operator during the night and help/support the observing block preparation.

Forty Years at ESO - Bernard Delabre and Optical Designs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Zeeuw, T.; Lévêque, S.; Pasquini, L.; Péron, M.; Spyromilio, J.

2017-09-01

The optical designer Bernard Delabre has retired from ESO after 40 years at the forefront of telescope and instrument optics. A short overview of his achievements and his legacy of astronomical telescopes and instrumenta-tion is presented. Bernard Delabre was awarded the 2017 Tycho Brahe Prize by the European Astronomical Society.

NY-ESO-1 antigen-reactive T cell receptors exhibit diverse therapeutic capability

PubMed Central

Sommermeyer, Daniel; Conrad, Heinke; Krönig, Holger; Gelfort, Haike; Bernhard, Helga; Uckert, Wolfgang

2013-01-01

The cancer-testis antigen NY-ESO-1 has been used as a target for different immunotherapies like vaccinations and adoptive transfer of antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells, as it is expressed in various tumor types and has limited expression in normal cells. The in vitro generation of T cells with defined antigen specificity by T cell receptor (TCR) gene transfer is an established method to create cells for immunotherapy. However, an extensive characterization of TCR which are candidates for treatment of patients is crucial for successful therapies. The TCR has to be efficiently expressed, their affinity to the desired antigen should be high enough to recognize low amounts of endogenously processed peptides on tumor cells, and the TCR should not be cross-reactive to other antigens. We characterized three NY-ESO-1 antigen-reactive cytotoxic T lymphocyte clones which were generated by different approaches of T cell priming (autologous, allogeneic), and transferred their TCR into donor T cells for more extensive evaluations. Although one TCR most efficiently bound MHC-multimers loaded with NY-ESO-1 peptide, T cells expressing this transgenic TCR were not able to recognize endogenously processed antigen. A second TCR recognized HLA-A2 independent of the bound peptide beside its much stronger recognition of NY-ESO-1 bound to HLA-A2. A third TCR displayed an intermediate but peptide-specific performance in all functional assays and, therefore, is the most promising candidate TCR for further clinical development. Our data indicate that multiple parameters of TCR gene-modified T cells have to be evaluated to identify an optimal TCR candidate for adoptive therapy. PMID:22907642

Selective ablation of carious lesions using an integrated near-IR imaging system and a novel 9.3-μm CO2 Laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Kenneth H.; Fried, Nathaniel M.; Fried, Daniel

2018-02-01

Previous studies have shown that reflectance imaging at wavelengths greater than 1200-nm can be used to image demineralization on tooth occlusal surfaces with high contrast and without the interference of stains. In addition, these near-IR imaging systems can be integrated with laser ablation systems for the selective removal of carious lesions. Higher wavelengths, such as 1950-nm, yield higher lesion contrast due to higher water absorption and lower scattering. In this study, a point-to-point scanning system employing diode and fiber lasers operating at 1450, 1860, 1880, and 1950-nm was used to acquire reflected light images of the tooth surface. Artificial lesions were imaged at these wavelengths to determine the highest lesion contrast. Near-IR images at 1880-nm were used to demarcate lesion areas for subsequent selective carious lesion removal using a new compact air-cooled CO2 laser prototype operating at 9.3-μm. The highest lesion contrast was at 1950-nm and the dual NIR/CO2 laser system selectively removed the simulated lesions with a mean loss of only 12-μm of sound enamel.

Exploring the NRO Opportunity for a Hubble-Sized Wide-Field Near-IR Space Telescope - New WFIRST

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dressler, Alan; Spergel, David; Mountain, Matt; Postman, Mark; Elliott, Erin; Bendek, Eduardo; Bennett, David; Dalcanton, Julianne; Gaudi, Scott; Gehrels, Neil;

Effects of Palagonitic Dust Coatings on Visible, Near-IR, and Mossbauer Spectra of Rocks and Minerals: Implication for Mineralogical Remote Sensing of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, R.; Graff, T. G.; Shelfer, T. D.; Bell, J. F., III

2001-01-01

Visible, near-IR, and Mossbauer measurements on dust coated rocks and minerals show that a 300 5m thick layer is required to obscure the substrate for VNIR measurements and that a greater than 2000-micron-thick layer is required to obscure the substrate for Mossbauer measurements. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

An Atomically Precise Au10 Ag2 Nanocluster with Red-Near-IR Dual Emission.

PubMed

Lei, Zhen; Guan, Zong-Jie; Pei, Xiao-Li; Yuan, Shang-Fu; Wan, Xian-Kai; Zhang, Jin-Yuan; Wang, Quan-Ming

2016-08-01

A red-near-IR dual-emissive nanocluster with the composition [Au10 Ag2 (2-py-C≡C)3 (dppy)6 ](BF4 )5 (1; 2-py-C≡C is 2-pyridylethynyl, dppy=2-pyridyldiphenylphosphine) has been synthesized. Single-crystal X-ray structural analysis reveals that 1 has a trigonal bipyramidal Au10 Ag2 core that contains a planar Au4 (2-py-C≡C)3 unit sandwiched by two Au3 Ag(dppy)3 motifs. Cluster 1 shows intense red-NIR dual emission in solution. The visible emission originates from metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) from silver atoms to phosphine ligands in the Au3 Ag(dppy)3 motifs, and the intense NIR emission is associated with the participation of 2-pyridylethynyl in the frontier orbitals of the cluster, which is confirmed by a time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculation. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Organic photovoltaic devices comprising solution-processed substituted metal-phthalocyanines and exhibiting near-IR photo-sensitivity

DOEpatents

McGrath, Dominic V.; Mayukh, Mayank; Placencia, Diogenes; Armstrong, Neal R.

2016-11-29

Organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices are disclosed. An exemplary device has first and second electrodes and an organic, photovoltaically active zone located between the first and second electrodes. The photovoltaically active zone includes an organic electron-donor material and an organic electron-acceptor material. The electron-donor material includes one or more trivalent- or tetravalent-metal phthalocyanines with alkylchalcogenide ring substituents, and is soluble in at least one organic solvent. This solubility facilitates liquid-processability of the donor material, including formation of thin-films, on an unlimited scale to form planar and bulk heterojunctions in organic OPVs. These donor materials are photovoltaically active in both visible and near-IR wavelengths of light, enabling more of the solar spectrum, for example, to be applied to producing electricity. Also disclosed are methods for producing the metalated phthalocyanines and actual devices.

Study on IR Properties of Reduced Graphene Oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Deyue; Li, Xiaoxia; Guo, Yuxiang; Zeng, Yurun

2018-01-01

Firstly, the reduced graphene oxide was prepared by modified hummer method and characterized. Then, the complex refractive index of reduced graphene oxide in IR band was tested and its IR absorption and radiation properties were researched by correlated calculation. The results show that reduced graphene oxide prepared by hummer method are multilayered graphene with defects and functional groups on its surface. Its absorption in near and far IR bands is strong, but it’s weaker in middle IR band. At the IR atmosphere Window, its normal spectral emissivity decreases with wavelength increasing, and its total normal spectral emissivity in 3 ∼ 5μm and 8 ∼ 14μm are 0.75 and 0.625, respectively. Therefore, reduced graphene oxide can be used as IR absorption and coating materials and have a great potential in microwave and infrared compatible materials.

The First School for Young Astronomers Organized by ESO and the Astronomical Council of the USSR Acadeny of Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Odorico, S.

1987-12-01

The first international school for young astronomers organized jointly by ESO and the Astronomical Council of the USSR Academy of Sciences took place from the 22nd to the 29th of September at the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory of the Academy of Sciences of Armenia and was dedicated to "Observations with Large Telescopes". It was appropriately closed with a oneday visit to the Special Astrophysical Observatory at Zelenchukskaja, in northern Caucasus, home of the 6-m telescope, the largest in the world. The lecturers came from ESO and from the Soviet Union; the 45 participants were from ESO member states, from Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Poland, Spain and the USSR. After the welcome addresses by Academician V.A. Ambartsumian and by E. Ye Khachikian, Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, the school was opened by M. Tarenghi of ESO who spoke on the characteristics of existing ESO telescopes and on the innovative features of the ESO 3.5-m New Technology Telescope, to be erected at La Silla next year. H. A. Abrahamian and J.A. Stepanian of the Byurakan Observatory presented the Byurakan 2.6-m telescope and the 1-m Schmidt respectively, illustrating the scientific programmes carried out in the recent past and presently at these two facilities.

Simultaneous optical and IR photometry of the T Tauri star RU LUPI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giovannelli, F.; Errico, L.; Vittone, A. A.; Rossi, C.

1991-01-01

Two simultaneous optical and IR photometric observation runs of RU Lupi were carried out at the ESO in February 1983 and in June 1986 within the framework of a large multifrequency coordinated campaign of observations. RU Lupi was found in two different states. In the first case the star was in 'quiescence', in the second it was brighter and showed larger variations due to flare like event (FLE). A positive correlation between luminosity and its variations has been found. A Fourier analysis of the light curve available in literature was performed to point out the rotational period. The analysis of these data excludes any periodicity. The color-color diagnostic diagram clearly shows that RU Lupi variability is mainly due to a strong photospheric and chromospheric activity.

The big comet crash of 1994. Intensive observational campaign at ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1994-01-01

-based radio telescopes, as well as from several spacecraft, including Ulysses, now en route towards its first pass below the Sun. There may also be changes in the plasma torus that girdles Jupiter near the orbit of the volcanic moon Io, and some cometary dust particles may collect in Jupiter's faint ring. All in all, this spectacular event offers a unique opportunity to study Jupiter and its atmosphere. It may also provide a first ``look'' into its hitherto unobservable inner regions. Nobody knows for sure, how dramatic the effects of the impacts will actually be, but unless we are prepared to observe them, we may lose a great chance that is unlikely to come back in many years, if ever. WHICH PREPARATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE AT ESO ? In November of last year, a group of 25 cometary and planetary specialists from Europe and the U.S.A. met at ESO to discuss possible observations from the ESO La Silla observatory in connection with the cometary impacts at Jupiter. In a resulting report, they emphazised that ESO is in a particularly advantageous situation in this respect, because the excellent site of this observatory is located in the south and Jupiter will be 12 degrees south of the celestial equator at the time of the event and therefore well observable from here; the time available from observatories in the northern hemisphere will be much more restricted. Moreover, many different observing techniques are available at La Silla; this provides optimal conditions for effective coordination of the various programmes, in particular what concerns imaging and spectral observations in the infrared and submillimetre wavebands. A joint request for a coordinated observing programme was submitted by the group to the ESO Observing Programmes Committee. During its meeting at the end of November 1993, this committee reacted very positively and a substantial number of observing nights at the major telescopes at La Silla was granted at the time of the impacts in July 1994. The total amount of

Properties of RR Lyrae stars in the inner regions of the Large Magellanic Cloud. III. Near-infrared study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borissova, J.; Rejkuba, M.; Minniti, D.; Catelan, M.; Ivanov, V. D.

2009-08-01

Context: RR Lyrae variable stars are the primary Population II distance indicator. Likewise, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) constitutes a key step in the extragalactic distance scale. Aims: By combining near-IR photometry and spectroscopically measured metallicities for a homogeneous sample of 50 RR Lyr stars in the LMC, we investigate the metallicity dependence of the period-luminosity relation in the near-infrared (IR), use the newly derived relations to re-derive the distance to the LMC, and compare the distance moduli obtained from RR Lyr and red clump stars. Methods: This paper presents new (single-epoch) J-band and (multi-epoch) K_s-band photometry of RR Lyr stars in 7 different LMC fields, observed with the near-IR camera SOFI at ESO's New Technology Telescope. Additional K_s-band data for another two LMC fields were taken with the ISPI infrared array at CTIO's Blanco 4m telescope. The near-IR photometry was cross-correlated with the MACHO and OGLE databases, resulting in a catalog of 62 RR Lyr stars with BVRIJKs photometry. A subsample of 50 stars also has spectroscopically measured metallicities. Results: In the deep JK color-magnitude diagrams of 7 fields, red giant branch, red clump and RR Lyr stars are detected. The majority of RR Lyr stars are located within the instability strip with near-IR colors between 0.14 ≤ (J-K_s)_0<0.32. The period-luminosity relation only has a very mild dependence on metallicity in the K band, consistent with no dependence: MKs =2.11(± 0.17) log{P} + 0.05(± 0.07) [Fe/H] - 1.05. In the J band the currently available data do not allow firm conclusions regarding the metallicity dependence of the period-luminosity relation. Conclusions: The distance modulus of the LMC, derived using our near-IR period-luminosity-metallicity relation for RR Lyr stars, is (m-M)_0=18.53 ± 0.13, in very good agreement with the distance modulus from the red clump stars, 18.46 ± 0.07. However, LMC modulus derived from the RR Lyrae stars

Immunohistochemical assessment of NY-ESO-1 expression in esophageal adenocarcinoma resection specimens.

PubMed

Hayes, Stephen J; Hng, Keng Ngee; Clark, Peter; Thistlethwaite, Fiona; Hawkins, Robert E; Ang, Yeng

2014-04-14

To assess NY-ESO-1 expression in a cohort of esophageal adenocarcinomas. A retrospective search of our tissue archive for esophageal resection specimens containing esophageal adenocarcinoma was performed, for cases which had previously been reported for diagnostic purposes, using the systematised nomenclature of human and veterinary medicine coding system. Original haematoxylin and eosin stained sections were reviewed, using light microscopy, to confirm classification and tumour differentiation. A total of 27 adenocarcinoma resection specimens were then assessed using immunohistochemistry for NY-ESO-1 expression: 4 well differentiated, 14 moderately differentiated, 4 moderate-poorly differentiated, and 5 poorly differentiated. Four out of a total of 27 cases of esophageal adenocarcinoma examined (15%) displayed diffuse cytoplasmic and nuclear expression for NY-ESO-1. They displayed a heterogeneous and mosaic-type pattern of diffuse staining. Diffuse cytoplasmic staining was not identified in any of these structures: stroma, normal squamous epithelium, normal submucosal gland and duct, Barrett's esophagus (goblet cell), Barrett's esophagus (non-goblet cell) and high grade glandular dysplasia. All adenocarcinomas showed an unexpected dot-type pattern of staining at nuclear, paranuclear and cytoplasmic locations. Similar dot-type staining, with varying frequency and size of dots, was observed on examination of Barrett's metaplasia, esophageal submucosal gland acini and the large bowel negative control, predominantly at the crypt base. Furthermore, a prominent pattern of apical (luminal) cytoplasmic dot-type staining was observed in some cases of Barrett's metaplasia and also adenocarcinoma. A further morphological finding of interest was noted on examination of haematoxylin and eosin stained sections, as aggregates of lymphocytes were consistently noted to surround submucosal glands. We have demonstrated for the first time NY-ESO-1 expression by esophageal

Immunohistochemical assessment of NY-ESO-1 expression in esophageal adenocarcinoma resection specimens

PubMed Central

Hayes, Stephen J; Hng, Keng Ngee; Clark, Peter; Thistlethwaite, Fiona; Hawkins, Robert E; Ang, Yeng

2014-01-01

AIM: To assess NY-ESO-1 expression in a cohort of esophageal adenocarcinomas. METHODS: A retrospective search of our tissue archive for esophageal resection specimens containing esophageal adenocarcinoma was performed, for cases which had previously been reported for diagnostic purposes, using the systematised nomenclature of human and veterinary medicine coding system. Original haematoxylin and eosin stained sections were reviewed, using light microscopy, to confirm classification and tumour differentiation. A total of 27 adenocarcinoma resection specimens were then assessed using immunohistochemistry for NY-ESO-1 expression: 4 well differentiated, 14 moderately differentiated, 4 moderate-poorly differentiated, and 5 poorly differentiated. RESULTS: Four out of a total of 27 cases of esophageal adenocarcinoma examined (15%) displayed diffuse cytoplasmic and nuclear expression for NY-ESO-1. They displayed a heterogeneous and mosaic-type pattern of diffuse staining. Diffuse cytoplasmic staining was not identified in any of these structures: stroma, normal squamous epithelium, normal submucosal gland and duct, Barrett’s esophagus (goblet cell), Barrett’s esophagus (non-goblet cell) and high grade glandular dysplasia. All adenocarcinomas showed an unexpected dot-type pattern of staining at nuclear, paranuclear and cytoplasmic locations. Similar dot-type staining, with varying frequency and size of dots, was observed on examination of Barrett’s metaplasia, esophageal submucosal gland acini and the large bowel negative control, predominantly at the crypt base. Furthermore, a prominent pattern of apical (luminal) cytoplasmic dot-type staining was observed in some cases of Barrett’s metaplasia and also adenocarcinoma. A further morphological finding of interest was noted on examination of haematoxylin and eosin stained sections, as aggregates of lymphocytes were consistently noted to surround submucosal glands. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated for the first time NY-ESO

IR Spectroscopy and Photo-Chemistry of Extraterrestrial Ices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bernstein, Max P.; Mastrapa, Rachel; Elsila, Jamie; Sandford, Scott

2005-01-01

Dense molecular clouds from which planetary systems form and the outer Solar System are both cold environments dominated by ices. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is used to probe these ices, but the IR absorptions of molecules depend on the conditions. As a result appropriate lab data is needed to correctly fit spectra of extraterrestrial ices. Such fits have shown that most of these ices are composed primarily of H2O, but also contain 1-10 percent of other simple molecules such as CO2, CO, CH4, & NH3;. We shall present near IR spectra of ice mixtures of relevance to icy outer Solar System bodies and show that they still hold surprises, such as the Cheshire cat-like CO2 (2v3) overtone near 2.134 micrometers (4685 cm-1) that is absent from spectra of pure CO2 but present in H2O-CO2 mixtures.

Quantifying photometric observing conditions on Paranal using an IR camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerber, Florian; Querel, Richard R.; Hanuschik, Reinhard

2014-08-01

A Low Humidity and Temperature Profiling (LHATPRO) microwave radiometer, manufactured by Radiometer Physics GmbH (RPG), is used to monitor sky conditions over ESO's Paranal observatory in support of VLT science operations. In addition to measuring precipitable water vapour (PWV) the instrument also contains an IR camera measuring sky brightness temperature at 10.5 μm. Due to its extended operating range down to -100 °C it is capable of detecting very cold and very thin, even sub-visual, cirrus clouds. We present a set of instrument flux calibration values as compared with a detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) of the IR camera zenith-looking sky brightness data measured above Paranal taken over the past two years. We show that it is possible to quantify photometric observing conditions and that the method is highly sensitive to the presence of even very thin clouds but robust against variations of sky brightness caused by effects other than clouds such as variations of precipitable water vapour. Hence it can be used to determine photometric conditions for science operations. About 60 % of nights are free of clouds on Paranal. More work will be required to classify the clouds using this technique. For the future this approach might become part of VLT science operations for evaluating nightly sky conditions.

Measurement of serum antibodies against NY-ESO-1 by ELISA: A guide for the treatment of specific immunotherapy for patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

PubMed

Long, Yan-Yan; Wang, Yu; Huang, Qian-Rong; Zheng, Guang-Shun; Jiao, Shun-Chang

2014-10-01

NY-ESO-1 has been identified as one of the most immunogenic antigens; thus, is a highly attractive target for cancer immunotherapy. The present study analyzed the expression of serum antibodies (Abs) against NY-ESO-1 in patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC), with the aim of guiding the treatment of NY-ESO-1-based specific-immunotherapy for these patients. Furthermore, the present study was the first to evaluate the kinetic expression of anti-NY-ESO-1 Abs and investigate the possible influencing factors. A total of 239 serum samples from 155 pathologically confirmed patients with advanced CRC (stages III and IV) were collected. The presence of spontaneous Abs against NY-ESO-1 was analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results demonstrated that 24.5% (38/155) of the investigated patients were positive for NY-ESO-1-specific Abs. No statistically significant correlations were identified between the expression of anti-NY-ESO-1 Abs and clinicopathological parameters, including age and gender, location, grading, local infiltration, lymph node status, metastatic status and K-ras mutation status (P>0.05). In 59 patients, the kinetic expression of anti-NY-ESO-1 Abs was analyzed, of which 14 patients were initially positive and 45 patients were initially negative. Notably, 16/59 (27.1%) patients changed their expression status during the study period, and the initially positive patients were more likely to change compared with the initially negative patients (85.7 vs. 8.8%; P<0.001). Therefore, monitoring serum Abs against NY-ESO-1 by ELISA is an easy and feasible method. The high expression rate of NY-ESO-1-specific Abs in CRC patients indicates that measuring the levels of serum Abs against NY-ESO-1 may guide the treatment of NY-ESO-1-based specific immunotherapy for patients with advanced CRC.

Measurement of serum antibodies against NY-ESO-1 by ELISA: A guide for the treatment of specific immunotherapy for patients with advanced colorectal cancer

PubMed Central

LONG, YAN-YAN; WANG, YU; HUANG, QIAN-RONG; ZHENG, GUANG-SHUN; JIAO, SHUN-CHANG

2014-01-01

NY-ESO-1 has been identified as one of the most immunogenic antigens; thus, is a highly attractive target for cancer immunotherapy. The present study analyzed the expression of serum antibodies (Abs) against NY-ESO-1 in patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC), with the aim of guiding the treatment of NY-ESO-1-based specific-immunotherapy for these patients. Furthermore, the present study was the first to evaluate the kinetic expression of anti-NY-ESO-1 Abs and investigate the possible influencing factors. A total of 239 serum samples from 155 pathologically confirmed patients with advanced CRC (stages III and IV) were collected. The presence of spontaneous Abs against NY-ESO-1 was analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results demonstrated that 24.5% (38/155) of the investigated patients were positive for NY-ESO-1-specific Abs. No statistically significant correlations were identified between the expression of anti-NY-ESO-1 Abs and clinicopathological parameters, including age and gender, location, grading, local infiltration, lymph node status, metastatic status and K-ras mutation status (P>0.05). In 59 patients, the kinetic expression of anti-NY-ESO-1 Abs was analyzed, of which 14 patients were initially positive and 45 patients were initially negative. Notably, 16/59 (27.1%) patients changed their expression status during the study period, and the initially positive patients were more likely to change compared with the initially negative patients (85.7 vs. 8.8%; P<0.001). Therefore, monitoring serum Abs against NY-ESO-1 by ELISA is an easy and feasible method. The high expression rate of NY-ESO-1-specific Abs in CRC patients indicates that measuring the levels of serum Abs against NY-ESO-1 may guide the treatment of NY-ESO-1-based specific immunotherapy for patients with advanced CRC. PMID:25187840

AOTF near-IR spectrometers for study of Lunar and Martian surface composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, A.; Korablev, O.; Mantsevich, S.; Vyazovetskiy, N.; Fedorova, A.; Evdokimova, N.; Stepanov, A.; Titov, A.; Kalinnikov, Y.; Kuzmin, R.; Kiselev, A.; Bazilevsky, A.; Bondarenko, A.; Dokuchaev, I.; Moiseev, P.; Victorov, A.; Berezhnoy, A.; Skorov, Y.; Bisikalo, D.; Velikodsky, Y.

2014-04-01

The series of the AOTF near-IR spectrometers is developed in Moscow Space Research Institute for study of Lunar and Martian surface composition in the vicinity of a lander or a rover. Lunar Infrared Spectrometer (LIS) is an experiment onboard Luna-Glob (launch in 2017) and Luna- Resurs (launch in 2019) Russian surface missions. It's a pencil-beam spectrometer to be pointed by a robotic arm of the landing module. The instrument's field of view (FOV) of 1° is co-aligned with the FOV(45°) of a stereo TV camera. Infrared Spectrometer for ExoMars (ISEM) is an experiment onboard ExoMars (launch in 2018) ESARoscosmos rover. It's spectrometer based on LIS with required redesign for ExoMars mission. The ISEM instrument is mounted on the rover's mast coaligned with the FOV (5°) of High Resolution camera (HRC). Spectrometers and are intended for study of the surface composition in the vicinity of the lander and rover. The spectrometers will provide measurements of selected surface areas in the spectral range of 1.15-3.3 μm. The spectral selection is provided by acoustooptic tunable filter (AOTF), which scans the spectral range sequentially. Electrical command of the AOTF allows selecting the spectral sampling, and permits a random access if needed.

The Black Hole Mass-Bulge Luminosity Relationship for Reverberation-Mapped AGNs in the Near-IR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholas, Emily; Bentz, M. C.

2014-01-01

We present preliminary results for a near-IR M-L scaling relationship for active galaxies in the reverberation sample. We are particularly interested in the effect of host-galaxy morphology on the M-L scaling relationship. In order to study evolution over cosmic time we must employ scaling relations, which are calibrated to the direct methods of black hole mass measurement and rely on correlations between host galaxy properties and black hole masses. However, it remains uncertain which scaling relation most reliably predicts black hole masses based on host galaxy observables. Recent studies of the M- relationship have uncovered a possible offset in the relationship due to the presence of a pseudobulge or bar in the host galaxy. This offset would adversely affect one's ability to use the M-relationship as a way to estimate black hole masses efficiently because it would require the detailed morphology of the galaxy to be known a priori. Preliminary results based on optical HST data suggest that the M-L relation for active galaxies with reverberation-based black hole masses is not plagued by the same offsets. However, due to dust and on-going star formation, the optical data yield an M-L relationship with a slightly higher scatter than the M- relation. We have carried out near-IR imaging with the WIYN High-Resolution Infrared Camera (WHIRC) on the WIYN telescope to minimize the effects of dust and star formation in order to test whether the M-L relationship is a more accurate predictor of black hole masses and a potentially more fundamental relationship. The imaging campaign has been completed, and we are currently in the process of carefully modeling the galaxy surface brightness features so that we can accurately remove the contribution from the point spread function of the active nucleus. We present our preliminary results here, and we expect that the final results will prove to be quite useful in conjunction with future large imaging surveys, such as LSST, which

Resolving Planet Formation in the Era of ALMA and Extreme AO Report on the joint ESO/NRAO Conference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dent, W. R. F.; Hales, A.; Milli, J.

2016-12-01

ALMA in its long-baseline configuration, as well as new optical/near-infrared adaptive optics instruments such as SPHERE and GPI, are now able to achieve spatial resolutions considerably better than 0.1 arcseconds. These facilities are enabling us to observe for the first time the regions around young stars where planets form. Already, complex structures including holes, spiral waves and extreme asymmetries are being found in these protoplanetary discs. To discuss these newly-imaged phenomena, and to enable cross-fertilisation of ideas between the two wavelength ranges, a joint ESO/NRAO workshop was held in Santiago. We present here a summary and some highlights of the meeting.

Visible and Near-IR Reflectance Spectra of Mars Analogue Materials Under Arid Conditions for Interpretation of Martian Surface Mineralogy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, R. V.; Graff, T. G.; Achilles, C. N.; Agresti, D. G.; Ming, D. W.; Golden, D. C.

2011-01-01

Visible and near-IR (VNIR) spectra from the hyper-spectral imagers MRO-CRISM and Mars Express OMEGA in martian orbit have signatures from Fe-bearing phases (e.g., olivine, pyroxene, and jarosite), H2O/OH-bearing phases (e.g., smectites and other phyllosilicates, sulfates, and high-SiO2 phases), and carbonate [e.g., 1-5]. Mineralogical assignments of martian spectral features are made on the basis of VNIR spectra acquired in the laboratory under appropriate environmental conditions on samples whose mineralogical composition is known. We report here additional results for our ongoing project [6] to acquire VNIR spectra under arid conditions.

A Concept for Seeing-Limited Near-IR Spectroscopy on the Giant Magellan Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simcoe, Robert A.; Furesz, Gabor; Egan, Mark; Malonis, Andrew; Hellickson, Tim

2016-09-01

We present a simple seeing-limited IR spectrometer design for the Giant Magellan Telescope, with continuous R = 6000 coverage from 0.87-2.50 microns for a 0:7" slit. The instrument's design is based on an asymmetric white pupil echelle layout, with dichroics splitting the optical train into yJ, H, and K channels after the pupil transfer mirror. A separate low-dispersion mode offers single-object R ~ 850 spectra which also cover the full NIR bandpass in each exposure. Catalog gratings and H2RG detectors are used to minimize cost, and only two cryogenic rotary mechanisms are employed, reducing mechanical complexity. The instrument dewar occupies an envelope of 1:8×1:5×1:2 meters, satisfying mass and volume requirements for GMT with comfortable margin. We estimate the system throughput at ~35% including losses from the atmosphere, telescope, and instrument (i.e. all coatings, gratings, and sensors). This optical efficiency is comparable to the FIRE spectrograph on Magellan, and we have specified and designed fast cameras so the GMT instrument will have an almost identical pixel scale as FIRE. On the 6.5 meter Magellan telescopes, FIRE is read-noise limited in the y and J bands, similar to other existing near-IR spectrometers and also to JWST/NIRSPEC. GMT's twelve-fold increase in collecting area will therefore offer gains in signal-to-noise per exposure that exceed those of moderate resolution optical instruments, which are already sky-noise limited on today's telescopes. Such an instrument would allow GMT to pursue key early science programs on the Epoch of Reionization, galaxy formation, transient astronomy, and obscured star formation environments prior to commissioning of its adaptive optics system. This design study demonstrates the feasibility of developing relatively affordable spectrometers at the ELT scale, in response to the pressures of joint funding for these telescopes and their associated instrument suites.

In vivo near-IR imaging of approximal dental decay at 1,310 nm.

PubMed

Staninec, Michal; Lee, Chulsung; Darling, Cynthia L; Fried, Daniel

2010-04-01

The high transparency of dental enamel in the near-IR (NIR) light at 1,310-nm can be exploited for imaging dental caries without the use of ionizing radiation (X-rays). We present the results of the first in vivo imaging study in which NIR images were acquired of approximal contact surfaces. NIR imaging hand-pieces were developed and attached to a compact InGaAs focal plane array and subsequently used to acquire in vivo NIR images of 33 caries lesions on 18 test subjects. The carious lesions were discernible on bitewing radiographs, but were not visible upon clinical examination. NIR images were acquired in vivo from three directions and the majority of lesions examined were too small to require restoration, based on accepted bitewing radiograph criteria. All but one of the 33 lesions examined were successfully imaged from at least one direction. This first in vivo study of imaging at the 1,310-nm wavelength region shows that NIR imaging has great potential as a screening tool for the detection of approximal lesions without the use of ionizing radiation. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Mid-IR femtosecond frequency conversion by soliton-probe collision in phase-mismatched quadratic nonlinear crystals.

PubMed

Liu, Xing; Zhou, Binbin; Guo, Hairun; Bache, Morten

2015-08-15

We show numerically that ultrashort self-defocusing temporal solitons colliding with a weak pulsed probe in the near-IR can convert the probe to the mid-IR. A near-perfect conversion efficiency is possible for a high effective soliton order. The near-IR self-defocusing soliton can form in a quadratic nonlinear crystal (beta-barium borate) in the normal dispersion regime due to cascaded (phase-mismatched) second-harmonic generation, and the mid-IR converted wave is formed in the anomalous dispersion regime between λ=2.2-2.4  μm as a resonant dispersive wave. This process relies on nondegenerate four-wave mixing mediated by an effective negative cross-phase modulation term caused by cascaded soliton-probe sum-frequency generation.

The AMBRE project: Parameterisation of FGK-type stars from the ESO:HARPS archived spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Pascale, M.; Worley, C. C.; de Laverny, P.; Recio-Blanco, A.; Hill, V.; Bijaoui, A.

2014-10-01

Context. The AMBRE project is a collaboration between the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA). It has been established to determine the stellar atmospheric parameters of the archived spectra of four ESO spectrographs. Aims: The analysis of the ESO:HARPS archived spectra for the determination of their atmospheric parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, global metallicities, and abundance of α-elements over iron) is presented. The sample being analysed (AMBRE:HARPS) covers the period from 2003 to 2010 and is comprised of 126 688 scientific spectra corresponding to ~17 218 different stars. Methods: For the analysis of the AMBRE:HARPS spectral sample, the automated pipeline developed for the analysis of the AMBRE:FEROS archived spectra has been adapted to the characteristics of the HARPS spectra. Within the pipeline, the stellar parameters are determined by the MATISSE algorithm, which has been developed at OCA for the analysis of large samples of stellar spectra in the framework of galactic archaeology. In the present application, MATISSE uses the AMBRE grid of synthetic spectra, which covers FGKM-type stars for a range of gravities and metallicities. Results: We first determined the radial velocity and its associated error for the ~15% of the AMBRE:HARPS spectra, for which this velocity had not been derived by the ESO:HARPS reduction pipeline. The stellar atmospheric parameters and the associated chemical index [α/Fe] with their associated errors have then been estimated for all the spectra of the AMBRE:HARPS archived sample. Based on key quality criteria, we accepted and delivered the parameterisation of 93 116 (74% of the total sample) spectra to ESO. These spectra correspond to ~10 706 stars; each are observed between one and several hundred times. This automatic parameterisation of the AMBRE:HARPS spectra shows that the large majority of these stars are cool main-sequence dwarfs with metallicities

NY-ESO-1 autoantibody as a tumor-specific biomarker for esophageal cancer: screening in 1969 patients with various cancers.

PubMed

Oshima, Yoko; Shimada, Hideaki; Yajima, Satoshi; Nanami, Tatsuki; Matsushita, Kazuyuki; Nomura, Fumio; Kainuma, Osamu; Takiguchi, Nobuhiro; Soda, Hiroaki; Ueda, Takeshi; Iizasa, Toshihiko; Yamamoto, Naoto; Yamamoto, Hiroshi; Nagata, Matsuo; Yokoi, Sana; Tagawa, Masatoshi; Ohtsuka, Seiko; Kuwajima, Akiko; Murakami, Akihiro; Kaneko, Hironori

2016-01-01

Although serum NY-ESO-1 antibodies (s-NY-ESO-1-Abs) have been reported in patients with esophageal carcinoma, this assay system has not been used to study a large series of patients with various other cancers. Serum samples of 1969 cancer patients [esophageal cancer (n = 172), lung cancer (n = 269), hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 91), prostate cancer (n = 358), gastric cancer (n = 313), colorectal cancer (n = 262), breast cancer (n = 365)] and 74 healthy individuals were analyzed using an originally developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay system for s-NY-ESO-1-Abs. The optical density cut-off value, determined as the mean plus three standard deviations for serum samples from the healthy controls, was fixed at 0.165. Conventional tumor markers were also evaluated in patients with esophageal carcinoma. The positive rate of s-NY-ESO-1-Abs in patients with esophageal cancer (31 %) was significantly higher than that in the other groups: patients with lung cancer (13 %), patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (11 %), patients with prostate cancer (10 %), patients with gastric cancer (10 %), patients with colorectal cancer (8 %), patients with breast cancer (7 %), and healthy controls (0 %). The positive rate of s-NY-ESO-1-Abs was comparable to that of serum p53 antibodies (33 %), squamous cell carcinoma antigen (36 %), carcinoembryonic antigen (26 %), and CYFRA 21-1 (18 %) and gradually increased with the tumor stage. The positive rate of s-NY-ESO-1-Abs was significantly higher in patients with esophageal cancer than in patients with the other types of cancers. On the basis of its high specificity and sensitivity, even in patients with stage I tumors, s-NY-ESO-1-Abs may be one of the first choices for esophageal cancer.

ESO Signs Largest-Ever European Industrial Contract For Ground-Based Astronomy Project ALMA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2005-12-01

ESO, the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, announced today that it has signed a contract with the consortium led by Alcatel Alenia Space and composed also of European Industrial Engineering (Italy) and MT Aerospace (Germany), to supply 25 antennas for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) project, along with an option for another seven antennas. The contract, worth 147 million euros, covers the design, manufacture, transport and on-site integration of the antennas. It is the largest contract ever signed in ground-based astronomy in Europe. The ALMA antennas present difficult technical challenges, since the antenna surface accuracy must be within 25 microns, the pointing accuracy within 0.6 arc seconds, and the antennas must be able to be moved between various stations on the ALMA site. This is especially remarkable since the antennas will be located outdoor in all weather conditions, without any protection. Moreover, the ALMA antennas can be pointed directly at the Sun. ALMA will have a collecting area of more than 5,600 square meters, allowing for unprecedented measurements of extremely faint objects. The signing ceremony took place on December 6, 2005 at ESO Headquarters in Garching, Germany. "This contract represents a major milestone. It allows us to move forward, together with our American and Japanese colleagues, in this very ambitious and unique project," said ESO's Director General, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky. "By building ALMA, we are giving European astronomers access to the world's leading submillimetre facility at the beginning of the next decade, thereby fulfilling Europe's desire to play a major role in this field of fundamental research." Pascale Sourisse, Chairman and CEO of Alcatel Alenia Space, said: "We would like to thank ESO for trusting us to take on this new challenge. We are bringing to the table not only our recognized expertise in antenna development, but also our long-standing experience in

The use of near-infrared photography to image fired bullets and cartridge cases.

PubMed

Stein, Darrell; Yu, Jorn Chi Chung

2013-09-01

An imaging technique that is capable of reducing glare, reflection, and shadows can greatly assist the process of toolmarks comparison. In this work, a camera with near-infrared (near-IR) photographic capabilities was fitted with an IR filter, mounted to a stereomicroscope, and used to capture images of toolmarks on fired bullets and cartridge cases. Fluorescent, white light-emitting diode (LED), and halogen light sources were compared for use with the camera. Test-fired bullets and cartridge cases from different makes and models of firearms were photographed under either near-IR or visible light. With visual comparisons, near-IR images and visible light images were comparable. The use of near-IR photography did not reveal more details and could not effectively eliminate reflections and glare associated with visible light photography. Near-IR photography showed little advantages in manual examination of fired evidence when it was compared with visible light (regular) photography. © 2013 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

The Gaia-ESO Survey Astrophysical Calibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pancino, E.; Gaia-ESO Survey Consortium

2016-05-01

The Gaia-ESO Survey is a wide field spectroscopic survey recently started with the FLAMES@VLT in Cerro Paranal, Chile. It will produce radial velocities more accurate than Gaia's for faint stars (down to V ≃ 18), and astrophysical parameters and abundances for approximately 100 000 stars, belonging to all Galactic populations. 300 nights were assigned in 5 years (with the last year subject to approval after a detailed report). In particular, to connect with other ongoing and planned spectroscopic surveys, a detailed calibration program — for the astrophysical parameters derivation — is planned, including well known clusters, Gaia benchmark stars, and special equatorial calibration fields designed for wide field/multifiber spectrographs.

Impaired Insulin Signaling is Associated with Hepatic Mitochondrial Dysfunction in IR+/--IRS-1+/- Double Heterozygous (IR-IRS1dh) Mice.

PubMed

Franko, Andras; Kunze, Alexander; Böse, Marlen; von Kleist-Retzow, Jürgen-Christoph; Paulsson, Mats; Hartmann, Ursula; Wiesner, Rudolf J

2017-05-30

Mitochondria play a pivotal role in energy metabolism, but whether insulin signaling per se could regulate mitochondrial function has not been identified yet. To investigate whether mitochondrial function is regulated by insulin signaling, we analyzed muscle and liver of insulin receptor (IR) +/- -insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) +/- double heterozygous (IR-IRS1dh) mice, a well described model for insulin resistance. IR-IRS1dh mice were studied at the age of 6 and 12 months and glucose metabolism was determined by glucose and insulin tolerance tests. Mitochondrial enzyme activities, oxygen consumption, and membrane potential were assessed using spectrophotometric, respirometric, and proton motive force analysis, respectively. IR-IRS1dh mice showed elevated serum insulin levels. Hepatic mitochondrial oxygen consumption was reduced in IR-IRS1dh animals at 12 months of age. Furthermore, 6-month-old IR-IRS1dh mice demonstrated enhanced mitochondrial respiration in skeletal muscle, but a tendency of impaired glucose tolerance. On the other hand, 12-month-old IR-IRS1dh mice showed improved glucose tolerance, but normal muscle mitochondrial function. Our data revealed that deficiency in IR/IRS-1 resulted in normal or even elevated skeletal muscle, but impaired hepatic mitochondrial function, suggesting a direct cross-talk between insulin signaling and mitochondria in the liver.

Highly sensitive detection of cancer cells using femtosecond dual-wavelength near-IR two-photon imaging.

PubMed

Starkey, Jean R; Makarov, Nikolay S; Drobizhev, Mikhail; Rebane, Aleksander

2012-07-01

We describe novel imaging protocols that allow detection of small cancer cell colonies deep inside tissue phantoms with high sensitivity and specificity. We compare fluorescence excited in Styryl-9M molecules by femtosecond pulses at near IR wavelengths, where Styryl-9M shows the largest dependence of the two-photon absorption (2PA) cross section on the local environment. We show that by calculating the normalized ratio of the two-photon excited fluorescence (2PEF) intensity at 1200 nm and 1100 nm excitation wavelengths we can achieve high sensitivity and specificity for determining the location of cancer cells surrounded by normal cells. The 2PEF results showed a positive correlation with the levels of MDR1 proteins expressed by the cells, and, for high MDR1 expressors, as few as ten cancer cells could be detected. Similar high sensitivity is also demonstrated for tumor colonies induced in mouse external ears. This technique could be useful in early cancer detection, and, perhaps, also in monitoring dormant cancer deposits.

AO wavefront sensing detector developments at ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downing, Mark; Kolb, Johann; Baade, Dietrich; Iwert, Olaf; Hubin, Norbert; Reyes, Javier; Feautrier, Philippe; Gach, Jean-Luc; Balard, Philippe; Guillaume, Christian; Stadler, Eric; Magnard, Yves

2010-07-01

The detector is a critical component of any Adaptive Optics WaveFront Sensing (AO WFS) system. The required combination of fast frame rate, high quantum efficiency, low noise, large number and size of pixels, and low image lag can often only be met by specialized custom developments. ESO's very active WFS detector development program is described. Key test results are presented for newly developed detectors: a) the e2v L3Vision CCD220 (the fastest/lowest noise AO detector to date) to be deployed soon on 2nd Generation VLT instruments, and b) the MPI-HLL pnCCD with its superb high "red" response. The development of still more advanced laser/natural guide-star WFS detectors is critical for the feasibility of ESO's EELT. The paper outlines: a) the multi-phased development plan that will ensure detectors are available on-time for EELT first-light AO systems, b) results of design studies performed by industry during 2007 including a comparison of the most promising technologies, c) results from CMOS technology demonstrators that were built and tested over the past two years to assess and validate various technologies at the pixel level, their fulfillment of critical requirements (especially read noise and speed), and scalability to full-size. The next step will be towards Scaled-Down Demonstrators (SDD) to retire architecture and process risks. The SDD will be large enough to be used for E-ELT first-light AO WFS systems. For full operability, 30-50 full-scale devices will be needed.

Water vapor retrieval from near-IR measurements of polarized scanning atmospheric corrector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qie, Lili; Ning, Yuanming; Zhang, Yang; Chen, Xingfeng; Ma, Yan; Li, Zhengqiang; Cui, Wenyu

2018-02-01

Water vapor and aerosol are two key atmospheric factors effecting the remote sensing image quality. As water vapor is responsible for most of the solar radiation absorption occurring in the cloudless atmosphere, accurate measurement of water content is important to not only atmospheric correction of remote sensing images, but also many other applications such as the study of energy balance and global climate change, land surface temperature retrieval in thermal remote sensing. A multi-spectral, single-angular, polarized radiometer called Polarized Scanning Atmospheric Corrector (PSAC) were developed in China, which are designed to mount on the same satellite platform with the principle payload and provide essential parameters for principle payload image atmospheric correction. PSAC detect water vapor content via measuring atmosphere reflectance at water vapor absorbing channels (i.e. 0.91 μm) and nearby atmospheric window channel (i.e. 0.865μm). A near-IR channel ratio method was implemented to retrieve column water vapor (CWV) amount from PSAC measurements. Field experiments were performed at Yantai, in Shandong province of China, PSAC aircraft observations were acquired. The comparison between PSAC retrievals and ground-based Sun-sky radiometer measurements of CWV during the experimental flights illustrates that this method retrieves CWV with relative deviations ranging from 4% 13%. This method retrieve CWV more accurate over land than over ocean, as the water reflectance is low.

The MATISSE analysis of large spectral datasets from the ESO Archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Worley, C.; de Laverny, P.; Recio-Blanco, A.; Hill, V.; Vernisse, Y.; Ordenovic, C.; Bijaoui, A.

2010-12-01

The automated stellar classification algorithm, MATISSE, has been developed at the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA) in order to determine stellar temperatures, gravities and chemical abundances for large datasets of stellar spectra. The Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) has selected MATISSE as one of the key programmes to be used in the analysis of the Gaia Radial Velocity Spectrometer (RVS) spectra. MATISSE is currently being used to analyse large datasets of spectra from the ESO archive with the primary goal of producing advanced data products to be made available in the ESO database via the Virtual Observatory. This is also an invaluable opportunity to identify and address issues that can be encountered with the analysis large samples of real spectra prior to the launch of Gaia in 2012. The analysis of the archived spectra of the FEROS spectrograph is currently underway and preliminary results are presented.

MIRIS observation of near-infrared diffuse Galactic light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onishi, Yosuke; Sano, Kei; Matsuura, Shuji; Jeong, Woong-Seob; Pyo, Jeonghyun; Kim, Il-Jong; Seo, Hyun Jong; Han, Wonyong; Lee, DaeHee; Moon, Bongkon; Park, Wonkee; Park, Younsik; Kim, MinGyu; Matsumoto, Toshio; Matsuhara, Hideo; Nakagawa, Takao; Tsumura, Kohji; Shirahata, Mai; Arai, Toshiaki; Ienaka, Nobuyuki

2018-06-01

We report near-infrared (IR) observations of high Galactic latitude clouds to investigate diffuse Galactic light (DGL), which is starlight scattered by interstellar dust grains. The observations were performed at 1.1 and 1.6 μm with a wide-field camera instrument, the Multi-purpose Infra-Red Imaging System (MIRIS) onboard the Korean satellite STSAT-3. The DGL brightness is measured by correlating the near-IR images with a far-IR 100 μm map of interstellar dust thermal emission. The wide-field observation of DGL provides the most accurate DGL measurement achieved to-date. We also find a linear correlation between optical and near-IR DGL in the MBM32 field. To study interstellar dust properties in MBM32, we adopt recent dust models with and without μm-sized very large grains and predict the DGL spectra, taking into account the reddening effect of the interstellar radiation field. The result shows that the observed color of the near-IR DGL is closer to the model spectra without very large grains. This may imply that dust growth in the observed MBM32 field is not active owing to the low density of its interstellar medium.

Recombinant Lactobacillus plantarum induces immune responses to cancer testis antigen NY-ESO-1 and maturation of dendritic cells

PubMed Central

Mobergslien, Anne; Vasovic, Vlada; Mathiesen, Geir; Fredriksen, Lasse; Westby, Phuong; Eijsink, Vincent GH; Peng, Qian; Sioud, Mouldy

2015-01-01

Given their safe use in humans and inherent adjuvanticity, Lactic Acid Bacteria may offer several advantages over other mucosal delivery strategies for cancer vaccines. The objective of this study is to evaluate the immune responses in mice after oral immunization with Lactobacillus (L) plantarum WCFS1 expressing a cell-wall anchored tumor antigen NY-ESO-1. And to investigate the immunostimulatory potency of this new candidate vaccine on human dendritic cells (DCs). L. plantarum displaying NY-ESO-1 induced NY-ESO-1 specific antibodies and T-cell responses in mice. By contrast, L. plantarum displaying conserved proteins such as heat shock protein-27 and galectin-1, did not induce immunity, suggesting that immune tolerance to self-proteins cannot be broken by oral administration of L. plantarum. With respect to immunomodulation, immature DCs incubated with wild type or L. plantarum-NY-ESO-1 upregulated the expression of co-stimulatory molecules and secreted a large amount of interleukin (IL)-12, TNF-α, but not IL-4. Moreover, they upregulated the expression of immunosuppressive factors such as IL-10 and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. Although L. plantarum-matured DCs expressed inhibitory molecules, they stimulated allogeneic T cells in-vitro. Collectively, the data indicate that L. plantarum-NY-ESO-1 can evoke antigen-specific immunity upon oral administration and induce DC maturation, raising the potential of its use in cancer immunotherapies. PMID:26185907

Molecular hydrogen in the vicinity of NGC 7538 IRS 1 and IRS 2 - Temperature and ortho-to-para ratio

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoban, Susan; Reuter, Dennis C.; Mumma, Michael J.; Storrs, Alex D.

1991-01-01

Near-infrared spectroscopic observations of the active star-forming region near NGC 7538 IRS 1 and IRS 2 were made. The relative intensities of the v = 1-0 Q(1), Q(3), and Q(5) lines of molecular hydrogen are used to calculate a rotational excitation temperature. Comparison of the measured intensity of the Q(2) transition relative to the intensity of Q(1) and Q(3) permitted the retrieval of the ratio of ortho-to-para hydrogen. It is found that an ortho-to-para ratio of between 1.6 and 2.35 is needed to explain the Q-branch line intensity ratios, depending on the excitation model used. This range in ortho-to-para ratios implies a range of molecular hydrogen formation temperature of approximately 105 K to 140 K.

ESO 2.2-m WFI Image of the Tarantula Nebula

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA image release May 11, 2010 Hubble Catches Heavyweight Runaway Star Speeding from 30 Doradus Image: ESO 2.2-m WFI Image of the Tarantula Nebula A blue-hot star, 90 times more massive than our Sun, is hurtling across space fast enough to make a round trip from Earth to the Moon in merely two hours. Though the speed is not a record-breaker, it is unique to find a homeless star that has traveled so far from its nest. The only way the star could have been ejected from the star cluster where it was born is through a tussle with a rogue star that entered the binary system where the star lived, which ejected the star through a dynamical game of stellar pinball. This is strong circumstantial evidence for stars as massive as 150 times our Sun's mass living in the cluster. Only a very massive star would have the gravitational energy to eject something weighing 90 solar masses. The runaway star is on the outskirts of the 30 Doradus nebula, a raucous stellar breeding ground in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud. The finding bolsters evidence that the most massive stars in the local universe reside in 30 Doradus, making it a unique laboratory for studying heavyweight stars. 30 Doradus, also called the Tarantula Nebula, is roughly 170,000 light-years from Earth. To learn more about this image go to: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/runaway-star.html Credit: NASA/ESO, J. Alves (Calar Alto, Spain), and B. Vandame and Y. Beletski (ESO) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe.

Near-IR Period-Luminosity Relations for variable stars in ω Centauri

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navarrete, C.; Catelan, M.; Contreras Ramos, R.; Gran, F.; Alonso-García, J.; Dékány, I.

2014-10-01

We report on an extensive time-series study of the globular cluster ω Centauri (NGC 5139), obtained in the framework of the VVV Templates project (Catelan et al. 2013, arXiv: 1310.1996). This cluster was chosen for this project due to its large variable star content. A total of 42 and 100 epochs of the cluster in J and K_{S}, respectively, were taken using VIRCAM@VISTA, and PSF photometry was performed to derive light curves for 270 pulsating stars (RRab, RRc, type II Cepheids and SX Phoenicis) with an unprecedented phase coverage in the near-IR. Period-Luminosity (PL) relations in both bands were derived using Fourier fitted magnitudes for RR Lyrae and Type II Cepheids, while weighted-average magnitudes were used for SX Phe stars. Using the PL relation for RRab stars derived by Dékány et al. (2013, ApJ, 776, 19L) in the VISTA K_{S} system, we determine a distance modulus of (m-M)_{0} = 13.78 ± 0.04 mag, in good agreement with Del Principe et al. (2006, ApJ, 652, 362). From Type II Cepheids we derived a value of (m-M)_{0} = 13.67 ± 0.07 mag, similar to what was found by Matsunaga et al. (2006, MNRAS, 370, 1979). For SX Phe stars, we use the derived periods and magnitudes to infer their pulsation modes, and we confirm that at least 12 of them are fundamental-mode pulsators (Olech et al. 2005, MNRAS, 363, 40).

Comprehensive adipocytic and neurogenic tissue microarray analysis of NY-ESO-1 expression - a promising immunotherapy target in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor and liposarcoma

PubMed Central

Shurell, Elizabeth; Vergara-Lluri, Maria E.; Li, Yunfeng; Crompton, Joseph G.; Singh, Arun; Bernthal, Nicholas; Wu, Hong; Eilber, Fritz C.; Dry, Sarah M.

2016-01-01

Background Immunotherapy targeting cancer-testis antigen NY-ESO-1 shows promise for tumors with poor response to chemoradiation. Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) and liposarcomas (LPS) are chemoresistant and have few effective treatment options. Materials Methods Using a comprehensive tissue microarray (TMA) of both benign and malignant tumors in primary, recurrent, and metastatic samples, we examined NY-ESO-1 expression in peripheral nerve sheath tumor (PNST) and adipocytic tumors. The PNST TMA included 42 MPNSTs (spontaneous n = 26, NF1-associated n = 16), 35 neurofibromas (spontaneous n = 22, NF-1 associated n = 13), 11 schwannomas, and 18 normal nerves. The LPS TMA included 48 well-differentiated/dedifferentiated (WD/DD) LPS, 13 myxoid/round cell LPS, 3 pleomorphic LPS, 8 lipomas, 1 myelolipoma, and 3 normal adipocytic tissue samples. Stained in triplicate, NY-ESO-1 intensity and density were scored. Results NY-ESO-1 expression was exclusive to malignant tumors. 100% of myxoid/round cell LPS demonstrated NY-ESO-1 expression, while only 6% of WD/DD LPS showed protein expression, one of which was WD LPS. Of MPNST, 4/26 (15%) spontaneous and 2/16 (12%) NF1-associated MPNSTs demonstrated NY-ESO-1 expression. Strong NY-ESO-1 expression was observed in myxoid/round cell and dedifferentiated LPS, and MPNST in primary, neoadjuvant, and metastatic settings. Conclusions We found higher prevalence of NY-ESO-1 expression in MPNSTs than previously reported, highlighting a subset of MPNST patients who may benefit from immunotherapy. This study expands our understanding of NY-ESO-1 in WD/DD LPS and is the first demonstration of staining in a WD LPS and metastatic/recurrent myxoid/round cell LPS. These results suggest immunotherapy targeting NY-ESO-1 may benefit patients with aggressive tumors resistant to conventional therapy. PMID:27655679

Hubble Space Telescope Scattered-light Imaging and Modeling of the Edge-on Protoplanetary Disk ESO-Hα 569

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolff, Schuyler G.; Perrin, Marshall D.; Stapelfeldt, Karl; Duchêne, Gaspard; Ménard, Francois; Padgett, Deborah; Pinte, Christophe; Pueyo, Laurent; Fischer, William J.

2017-12-01

We present new Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys observations and detailed models for a recently discovered edge-on protoplanetary disk around ESO-Hα 569 (a low-mass T Tauri star in the Cha I star-forming region). Using radiative transfer models, we probe the distribution of the grains and overall shape of the disk (inclination, scale height, dust mass, flaring exponent, and surface/volume density exponent) by model fitting to multiwavelength (F606W and F814W) HST observations together with a literature-compiled spectral energy distribution. A new tool set was developed for finding optimal fits of MCFOST radiative transfer models using the MCMC code emcee to efficiently explore the high-dimensional parameter space. It is able to self-consistently and simultaneously fit a wide variety of observables in order to place constraints on the physical properties of a given disk, while also rigorously assessing the uncertainties in those derived properties. We confirm that ESO-Hα 569 is an optically thick nearly edge-on protoplanetary disk. The shape of the disk is well-described by a flared disk model with an exponentially tapered outer edge, consistent with models previously advocated on theoretical grounds and supported by millimeter interferometry. The scattered-light images and spectral energy distribution are best fit by an unusually high total disk mass (gas+dust assuming a ratio of 100:1) with a disk-to-star mass ratio of 0.16.

Spatially Resolved Observations of the Galactic Center Source IRS 21

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanner, A.; Ghez, A. M.; Morris, M.; Becklin, E. E.; Cotera, A.; Ressler, M.; Werner, M.; Wizinowich, P.

2002-08-01

We present diffraction-limited 2-25 μm images obtained with the W. M. Keck 10 m telescopes that spatially resolve the cool source IRS 21, one of a small group of enigmatic objects in the central parsec of our Galaxy that have eluded classification. Modeled as a Gaussian, the azimuthally averaged intensity profile of IRS 21 has a half-width at half-maximum (HWHM) size of 650+/-80 AU at 2.2 μm and an average HWHM size of 1600+/-200 AU at mid-infrared wavelengths. These large apparent sizes imply an extended distribution of dust. The mid-infrared color map indicates that IRS 21 is a self-luminous source rather than an externally heated dust clump as originally suggested. The spectral energy distribution has distinct near- and mid-infrared components. A simple radiative transfer code, which simultaneously fits the near- and mid-infrared photometry and intensity profiles, supports a model in which the near-infrared radiation is scattered and extincted light from an embedded central source, while the mid-infrared emission is from thermally reradiating silicate dust. We argue that IRS 21 (and by analogy, the other luminous sources along the Northern Arm) is a massive star experiencing rapid mass loss and plowing through the Northern Arm, thereby generating a bow shock, which is spatially resolved in our observations.

Visual and near-IR spectrophotometry of asteroids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lebofsky, Larry A.

1991-01-01

We have been continuing our studies of the spectral properties of dark asteroids in the solar system. From these studies we expect to learn about the distribution of volatile materials, such as water in clay materials (water of hydration) and how the asteroids may relate to the comets. Our most recent work has been concentrating on simultaneous visual and near infrared photometry near Earth, main belt, and trojan asteroids. We have made observations of some unusual asteroids such as Chiron, which has recently shown cometary activity, and 944 Hidalgo, which has a comet-like orbit. We have also begun studies of the small, dark satellites of Mars and Jupiter in order to understand better how they may relate to the steroids. Could they actually be captured asteroids or comets?

The FUV to Near-IR Morphologies of Luminous Infrared Galaxies in the Goals Sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petty, S. M.; Armus, L.; Charmandaris, V.; Evans, A. S.; Le Floc'h, E.; Bridge, C.; Díaz-Santos, T.; Howell, J. H.; Inami, H.; Psychogyios, A.; Stierwalt, S.; Surace, J. A.

2014-12-01

We compare the morphologies of a sample of 20 luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) from the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS) in the FUV, B, I, and H bands, using the Gini (G) and M20 parameters to quantitatively estimate the distribution and concentration of flux as a function of wavelength. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images provide an average spatial resolution of ˜ 80 pc. While our LIRGs can be reliably classified as mergers across the entire range of wavelengths studied here, there is a clear shift toward more negative M20 (more bulge-dominated) and a less significant decrease in G values at longer wavelengths. We find no correlation between the derived FUV G-M20 parameters and the global measures of the IR to FUV flux ratio (IRX). Given the fine resolution in our HST data, this suggests either that the UV morphology and IRX are correlated on very small scales, or that the regions emitting the bulk of the IR emission emit almost no FUV light. We use our multi-wavelength data to simulate how merging LIRGs would appear from z˜ 0.5-3 in deep optical and near-infrared images such as the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field, and use these simulations to measure the G-M20 at these redshifts. Our simulations indicate a noticeable decrease in G, which flattens at z≥slant 2 by as much as 40%, resulting in mis-classifying our LIRGs as disk-like, even in the rest-frame FUV. The higher redshift values of M20 for the GOALS sources do not appear to change more than about 10% from the values at z˜ 0. The change in G-M20 is caused by the surface brightness dimming of extended tidal features and asymmetries, and also the decreased spatial resolution which reduced the number of individual clumps identified. This effect, seen as early as z˜ 0.5, could easily lead to an underestimate of the number of merging galaxies at high-redshift in the rest-frame FUV.

Winds in the Middle Cloud Deck From the Near-IR Imaging by the Venus Monitoring Camera Onboard Venus Express

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khatuntsev, I. V.; Patsaeva, M. V.; Titov, D. V.; Ignatiev, N. I.; Turin, A. V.; Fedorova, A. A.; Markiewicz, W. J.

2017-11-01

For more than 8 years the Venus Monitoring Camera (VMC) onboard the Venus Express orbiter performed continuous imaging of the Venus cloud layer in UV, visible and near-IR filters. We applied the correlation approach to sequences of the near-IR images at 965 nm to track cloud features and determine the wind field in the middle and lower cloud (49-57 km). From the VMC images that spanned from December of 2006 through August of 2013 we derived zonal and meridional components of the wind field. In low-to-middle latitudes (5-65°S) the velocity of the retrograde zonal wind was found to be 68-70 m/s. The meridional wind velocity slowly decreases from peak value of +5.8 ± 1.2 m/s at 15°S to 0 at 65-70°S. The mean meridional speed has a positive sign at 5-65°S suggesting equatorward flow. This result, together with the earlier measurements of the poleward flow at the cloud tops, indicates the presence of a closed Hadley cell in the altitude range 55-65 km. Long-term variations of zonal and meridional velocity components were found during 1,200 Earth days of observation. At 20° ± 5°S the zonal wind speed increases from -67.18 ± 1.81 m/s to -77.30 ± 2.49 m/s. The meridional wind gradually increases from +1.30 ± 1.82 m/s to +8.53 ± 2.14 m/s. Following Bertaux et al. (2016) we attribute this long-term trend to the influence from the surface topography on the dynamical process in the atmosphere via the upward propagation of gravity waves that became apparent in the VMC observations due to slow drift of the Venus Express orbit over Aphrodite Terra.

Compact near-IR and mid-IR cavity ring down spectroscopy device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, J. Houston (Inventor)

2011-01-01

This invention relates to a compact cavity ring down spectrometer for detection and measurement of trace species in a sample gas using a tunable solid-state continuous-wave mid-infrared PPLN OPO laser or a tunable low-power solid-state continuous wave near-infrared diode laser with an algorithm for reducing the periodic noise in the voltage decay signal which subjects the data to cluster analysis or by averaging of the interquartile range of the data.

Impaired Insulin Signaling is Associated with Hepatic Mitochondrial Dysfunction in IR+/−-IRS-1+/− Double Heterozygous (IR-IRS1dh) Mice

PubMed Central

Franko, Andras; Kunze, Alexander; Böse, Marlen; von Kleist-Retzow, Jürgen-Christoph; Paulsson, Mats; Hartmann, Ursula; Wiesner, Rudolf J.

2017-01-01

Mitochondria play a pivotal role in energy metabolism, but whether insulin signaling per se could regulate mitochondrial function has not been identified yet. To investigate whether mitochondrial function is regulated by insulin signaling, we analyzed muscle and liver of insulin receptor (IR)+/−-insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1)+/− double heterozygous (IR-IRS1dh) mice, a well described model for insulin resistance. IR-IRS1dh mice were studied at the age of 6 and 12 months and glucose metabolism was determined by glucose and insulin tolerance tests. Mitochondrial enzyme activities, oxygen consumption, and membrane potential were assessed using spectrophotometric, respirometric, and proton motive force analysis, respectively. IR-IRS1dh mice showed elevated serum insulin levels. Hepatic mitochondrial oxygen consumption was reduced in IR-IRS1dh animals at 12 months of age. Furthermore, 6-month-old IR-IRS1dh mice demonstrated enhanced mitochondrial respiration in skeletal muscle, but a tendency of impaired glucose tolerance. On the other hand, 12-month-old IR-IRS1dh mice showed improved glucose tolerance, but normal muscle mitochondrial function. Our data revealed that deficiency in IR/IRS-1 resulted in normal or even elevated skeletal muscle, but impaired hepatic mitochondrial function, suggesting a direct cross-talk between insulin signaling and mitochondria in the liver. PMID:28556799

First High Resolution IR Spectra of 2-^{13}C-PROPANE. the νb{9} B-Type Band Near 366.767 \\wn and the νb{26} C-Type Band Near 746.615 \\wn. Determination of Ground and Upper State Constants.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daunt, S. J.; Grzywacz, Robert; Lafferty, Walter; Flaud, Jean-Marie; Billinghurst, Brant E.

2017-06-01

This is the first report in a project to record high resolution IR data of the ^{13}C and D substituted isotopologues of propane. In this talk we will give details on the first high resolution (Δν = 0.0009 \\wn) IR investigation of 2-^{13}C-propane. Spectra of the CCC skeletal bending mode near 336.767 \\wn (B-type) and the wagging mode near 746.615 \\wn (C-type) were recorded using the FTS on the Far-IR beamline of the Canadian Light Source (CLS). The spectra were assigned both traditionally and with the aid of the PGOPHER program of Colin Western. The only available MW data on this molecule are the six K =0 J lines from Lide. We therefore had to use the present data to determine a new set of ground state constants that included centrifugal distortion terms for this molecule. We compare these experimentally determined values with the recent ab initio values of Villa, Senent & Carvajal. Upper state constants for both bands have been found that provide a good simulation of the spectra. The hope is that this data will be useful in identifying isotopic propane lines in Titan and other astrophysical objects. C. Western, J. Quant. Spectrosc. & Rad. Transf. 186, 221 ff. (2017). Lide, J.Chem. Phys. 33, p.1514ff. (1960). Villa, Senent & Carvajal, PCCP 15, 10258 (2013).

AEGIS: The Diversity of Bright Near-IR-selected Distant Red Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conselice, C. J.; Newman, J. A.; Georgakakis, A.; Almaini, O.; Coil, A. L.; Cooper, M. C.; Eisenhardt, P.; Foucaud, S.; Koekemoer, A.; Lotz, J.; Noeske, K.; Weiner, B.; Willmer, C. N. A.

2007-05-01

We use deep and wide near-infrared (NIR) imaging from the Palomar telescope combined with DEEP2 spectroscopy and HST and Chandra imaging to investigate the nature of galaxies that are red in NIR colors. We locate these ``distant red galaxies'' (DRGs) through the color cut (J-K)Vega>2.3 over 0.7 deg2, where we find 1010 DRG candidates down to Ks=20.5. We combine 95 high-quality spectroscopic redshifts with photometric redshifts from BRIJK photometry to determine the redshift and stellar mass distributions for these systems, and the morphological/structural and X-ray properties for 107 DRGs in the Extended Groth Strip. We find that many bright (J-K)Vega>2.3 galaxies with Ks<20.5 are at redshifts z<2, with 64% in the range 12 systems being massive with M*>1011 Msolar. HST imaging shows that the structural properties and morphologies of DRGs are also diverse, with the majority elliptical/compact (57%) and the remainder edge-on spiral (7%) and peculiar (29%). The DRGs at z<1.4 with high-quality spectroscopic redshifts are generally compact, with small half-light radii, and span a range in rest-frame optical properties. The spectral energy distribution for the DRGs at z<1.4 differs from higher redshift DRGs: they are bluer by 1 mag in observed (I-J) color. A pure IR color selection of high-redshift populations is not sufficient to identify unique populations, and other colors or spectroscopic redshifts are needed to produce homogeneous samples.

Back-stepping active disturbance rejection control design for integrated missile guidance and control system via reduced-order ESO.

PubMed

Xingling, Shao; Honglun, Wang

2015-07-01

This paper proposes a novel composite integrated guidance and control (IGC) law for missile intercepting against unknown maneuvering target with multiple uncertainties and control constraint. First, by using back-stepping technique, the proposed IGC law design is separated into guidance loop and control loop. The unknown target maneuvers and variations of aerodynamics parameters in guidance and control loop are viewed as uncertainties, which are estimated and compensated by designed model-assisted reduced-order extended state observer (ESO). Second, based on the principle of active disturbance rejection control (ADRC), enhanced feedback linearization (FL) based control law is implemented for the IGC model using the estimates generated by reduced-order ESO. In addition, performance analysis and comparisons between ESO and reduced-order ESO are examined. Nonlinear tracking differentiator is employed to construct the derivative of virtual control command in the control loop. Third, the closed-loop stability for the considered system is established. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed IGC law in enhanced interception performance such as smooth interception course, improved robustness against multiple uncertainties as well as reduced control consumption during initial phase are demonstrated through simulations. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Type IIP SN 2005ay: An Extensive Study From UltraViolet To Near-IR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bufano, F. M.; Turatto, M.; Zampieri, L.; Gal-Yam, A.

2006-08-01

Several supernova types are thought to explode via the gravitational collapse of the core of massive stars at the end of their lifetimes. The great observational diversity has not been fully understood even if it clearly involves the progenitor masses and configurations at the time of explosion. These Supernovae, called Core Collapse Supernovae (CC SNe), are expected to dominate the counts of SNe observed at high redshifts and to be the only observable probe of the first generation stars (Pop III). Recently indicated as reliable distance indicators (Hamuy 02, Pastorello `03), CC SNe are objects of great interest but significantly less studied in comparison with the Termonuclear ones. With the aim to understand better the reasons of the heterogeneous behaviour , we have started an extensive study of the properties of SN II with different observational features (luminosity, velocity, etc..). Here we present the last results on our first observed target, SN2005ay, a Type IIP supernova observed in an extended way from the Ultraviolet wavelengths, provided by the GALEX , to the Optical and near-IR , obtained with IISP (Italian Intensive Supernova Program).

Light up-conversion from near-infrared to blue using a photoresponsive organic light-emitting device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chikamatsu, Masayuki; Ichino, Yoshiro; Takada, Noriyuki; Yoshida, Manabu; Kamata, Toshihide; Yase, Kiyoshi

2002-07-01

A photoresponsive organic light-emitting device combining blue-emitting organic electroluminescent (EL) diode with titanyl phthalocyanine as a near-infrared (IR) sensitive layer was fabricated. By irradiating near-IR light to the device, blue emission occurred in the lower drive voltage (between 5 and 12 V). The result indicates that the device acts as a light switch and/or an up-converter from near-IR light (1.6 eV) to blue (2.6 eV). The EL response times of rise and decay using a near-IR light trigger were 260 and 330 mus, respectively. At a higher voltage (above 12 V), enhancement of blue emission was observed with near-IR light irradiation. The ON/OFF ratio reached a maximum of 103.

IR Variability During a Shell Ejection of Eta Carinae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Nathan

2006-02-01

Every 5.5 years, η Carinae experiences a dramatic ``spectroscopic event'' when high-excitation lines in its UV, optical, and IR spectrum disappear, and its hard X-ray and radio continuum flux crash. This periodicity has been attributed to a very eccentric binary system with a shell ejection occurring at periastron. Mid-IR images and spectra with T-ReCS are needed to measure changes in the current bolometric luminosity and to trace dust formation episodes. This will provide a direct estimate of the mass ejected. Near-IR emission lines trace related changes in the post-event wind and ionization changes in the circumstellar environment needed to test specific models for the cause of η Car's variability as it recovers from its recent ``event''. High resolution near-IR spectra with GNIRS will continue the important work of HST/STIS, investigating changes in the direct and reflected spectrum of the stellar wind, and ionization changes in the nebula. The complex kinematic structure of η Car's ejecta also holds important clues to its mass ejection history, and is essential for interpreting other data. Phoenix can provide a unique kinematic map of the complex density and time-variable ionization structure of η Car's nebula, which is our best example of the pre-explosion environment of very massive stars.

Application of an Ir tracer to determine soot exposure to students commuting to school on Baltimore public buses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Charles C.; Suarez, Ana E.; Lin, Zhibo; Kidwell, Christopher B.; Borgoul, Polina V.; Caffrey, Peter F.; Ondov, John M.; Sattler, Barbara

An important component of urban aerosol, diesel soot is a known respiratory irritant and contains mutagenic and carcinogenic organic compounds. To estimate student exposures to soot emitted from public diesel buses during commutes to city high schools, a portion of the Baltimore municipal fuel supply was tagged with an iridium tracer and exposure was monitored during commutes with personal aerosol monitors as a part of an Environmental Justice Project. A total of 68.2 g of Ir as iridium(III)-2,4-pentanedionate were used to induce a concentration of 48.5 μg Ir ℓ -1 of fuel. Twenty samples were collected over 10 days while four students commuted on regularly scheduled buses and a fifth student commuted by private car. Individual samples integrated from 1 to 4 round trips. Iridium analyses were performed instrumentally after neutron activation with a detection limit (DL) of about 500 fg. For students commuting by bus and following protocols, Ir tracer concentrations ranged from 53±38 to >1980±49 fg m -3. Concentrations up to 3530±220 fg m -3 were observed for student #5, who sampled only when boarding and disembarking. Exposure were greatest for students commuting through the heavily trafficked central business district. Corresponding estimates of exposures to soot emitted from municipal buses ranged from ⩽3 to 82 ng soot m -3 (⩽145 ng m -3 for student #5), i.e. well below the exposure level of 2-10 μg m -3 total C from all sources, including the more than 30,000 diesel trucks which pass through the city's major toll facilities each day. Ir was undetectable in samples collected by the student commuting by car when its windows were closed, but comparable to those of the other students when commutes were made with windows open. The Ir tracer DL corresponds to about 21 ng soot, about half of which is carbon. This is far below the 230 ng reported for analysis by a highly sensitive thermal-optical technique.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: 12um ISOCAM survey of the ESO-Sculptor field (Seymour+, 2007)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seymour, N.; Rocca-Volmerange, B.; de Lapparent, V.

2007-11-01

We present a detailed reduction of a mid-infrared 12um (LW10 filter) ISOCAM open time observation performed on the ESO-Sculptor Survey field (Arnouts et al., 1997A&AS..124..163A). A complete catalogue of 142 sources (120 galaxies and 22 stars), detected with high significance (equivalent to 5{sigma}), is presented above an integrated flux density of 0.31mJy. Star/galaxy separation is performed by a detailed study of colour-colour diagrams. The catalogue is complete to 1mJy and, below this flux density, the incompleteness is corrected using two independent methods. The first method uses stars and the second uses optical counterparts of the ISOCAM galaxies; these methods yield consistent results. We also apply an empirical flux density calibration using stars in the field. For each star, the 12um flux density is derived by fitting optical colours from a multi-band {chi}2 to stellar templates (BaSel-2.0) and using empirical optical-IR colour-colour relations. This article is a companion analysis to our 2007 paper (Rocca-Volmerange et al. 2007A&A...475..801R) where the 12um faint galaxy counts are presented and analysed per galaxy type with the evolutionary code PEGASE.3. (1 data file).

Hubble and ESO's VLT provide unique 3D views of remote galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2009-03-01

Astronomers have obtained exceptional 3D views of distant galaxies, seen when the Universe was half its current age, by combining the twin strengths of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's acute eye, and the capacity of ESO's Very Large Telescope to probe the motions of gas in tiny objects. By looking at this unique "history book" of our Universe, at an epoch when the Sun and the Earth did not yet exist, scientists hope to solve the puzzle of how galaxies formed in the remote past. ESO PR Photo 10a/09 A 3D view of remote galaxies ESO PR Photo 10b/09 Measuring motions in 3 distant galaxies ESO PR Video 10a/09 Galaxies in collision For decades, distant galaxies that emitted their light six billion years ago were no more than small specks of light on the sky. With the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope in the early 1990s, astronomers were able to scrutinise the structure of distant galaxies in some detail for the first time. Under the superb skies of Paranal, the VLT's FLAMES/GIRAFFE spectrograph (ESO 13/02) -- which obtains simultaneous spectra from small areas of extended objects -- can now also resolve the motions of the gas in these distant galaxies (ESO 10/06). "This unique combination of Hubble and the VLT allows us to model distant galaxies almost as nicely as we can close ones," says François Hammer, who led the team. "In effect, FLAMES/GIRAFFE now allows us to measure the velocity of the gas at various locations in these objects. This means that we can see how the gas is moving, which provides us with a three-dimensional view of galaxies halfway across the Universe." The team has undertaken the Herculean task of reconstituting the history of about one hundred remote galaxies that have been observed with both Hubble and GIRAFFE on the VLT. The first results are coming in and have already provided useful insights for three galaxies. In one galaxy, GIRAFFE revealed a region full of ionised gas, that is, hot gas composed of atoms that have been stripped of

New Method for Data Treatment Developed at ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1996-08-01

How Future Astronomical Observations Will be Done The past four centuries have seen dramatic improvements in astronomical equipment, in terms of better and larger telescopes, more accurate and sensitive detectors and, not the least, by advanced space instruments with access to new spectral regions. However, until recently there has been little progress on another equally important front, that of quantifying the unavoidable influence of this equipment on the astronomical data they produce . For a long time, astronomers have desired to remove efficiently these `instrumental effects' from their data, in order to give them a clearer understanding of the objects in the Universe and their properties. But it is only now that this fundamental problem can finally be tackled efficiently, with the advent of digital imaging techniques and powerful computers. Two researchers at the ESO Headquarters, Michael R. Rosa of the Space Telescope European Co-ordinating Facility (ST/ECF [1]) and Pascal Ballester of the Data Management Division (DMD) are now developing a new approach to this age-old problem. These results are important for the future use of the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) , the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and other large facilities as well [2]. The observational process Observations are crucial to the progress of all natural sciences, including astronomy. Nevertheless, the properties of the observed objects are rarely revealed directly. First, observational data are gathered at the telescopes with instruments such as cameras and spectrophotometers. Then these `raw' data are processed with advanced computer programmes to produce scientifically meaningful data which are finally scrutinized by the astronomers in order to learn more about the observed celestial objects. A basic problem in this chain is the influence of the telescopes and instruments on the data they produce. The `raw' observational data carries the marks, not only of the celestial objects that are

Introducing CUBES: the Cassegrain U-band Brazil-ESO spectrograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bristow, Paul; Barbuy, Beatriz; Macanhan, Vanessa B.; Castilho, Bruno; Dekker, Hans; Delabre, Bernard; Diaz, Marcos; Gneiding, Clemens; Kerber, Florian; Kuntschner, Harald; La Mura, Giovanni; Reiss, Roland; Vernet, J.

2014-07-01

CUBES is a high-efficiency, medium-resolution (R ≃ 20, 000) spectrograph dedicated to the "ground based UV" (approximately the wavelength range from 300 to 400nm) destined for the Cassegrain focus of one of ESO's VLT unit telescopes in 2018/19. The CUBES project is a joint venture between ESO and Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG) at the Universidade de São Paulo and the Brazilian Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica (LNA). CUBES will provide access to a wealth of new and relevant information for stellar as well as extra-galactic sources. Principle science cases include the study of heavy elements in metal-poor stars, the direct determination of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen abundances by study of molecular bands in the UV range and the determination of the Beryllium abundance as well as the study of active galactic nuclei and the inter-galactic medium. With a streamlined modern instrument design, high efficiency dispersing elements and UV-sensitive detectors, it will enable a significant gain in sensitivity over existing ground based medium-high resolution spectrographs enabling vastly increased sample sizes accessible to the astronomical community. We present here a brief overview of the project, introducing the science cases that drive the design and discussing the design options and technological challenges.

Near-IR Resonance Raman Spectroscopy of Archaerhodopsin 3: Effects of Transmembrane Potential

PubMed Central

Saint Clair, Erica C.; Ogren, John I.; Mamaev, Sergey; Russano, Daniel; Kralj, Joel M.; Rothschild, Kenneth J.

2013-01-01

Archaerhodopsin 3 (AR3) is a light driven proton pump from Halorubrum sodomense that has been used as a genetically targetable neuronal silencer and an effective fluorescent sensor of transmembrane potential. Unlike the more extensively studied bacteriorhodopsin (BR) from Halobacterium salinarum, AR3 readily incorporates into the plasma membrane of both E. coli and mammalian cells. Here, we used near-IR resonance Raman confocal microscopy to study the effects of pH and membrane potential on the AR3 retinal chromophore structure. Measurements were performed both on AR3 reconstituted into E. coli polar lipids and in vivo in E. coli expressing AR3 in the absence and presence of a negative transmembrane potential. The retinal chromophore structure of AR3 is in an all-trans configuration almost identical to BR over the entire pH range from 3–11. Small changes are detected in the retinal ethylenic stretching frequency and Schiff Base (SB) hydrogen bonding strength relative to BR which may be related to a different water structure near the SB. In the case of the AR3 mutant D95N, at neutral pH an all-trans retinal O-like species (Oall-trans) is found. At higher pH a second 13-cis retinal N-like species (N13-cis) is detected which is attributed to a slowly decaying intermediate in the red-light photocycle of D95N. However, the amount of N13-cis detected is less in E. coli cells but is restored upon addition of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP) or sonication, both of which dissipate the normal negative membrane potential. We postulate that these changes are due to the effect of membrane potential on the N13-cis to M13-cis levels accumulated in the D95N red-light photocycle and on a molecular level by the effects of the electric field on the protonation/deprotonation of the cytoplasmic accessible SB. This mechanism also provides a possible explanation for the observed fluorescence dependence of AR3 and other microbial rhodopsins on transmembrane potential

News from ESO Archive Services: Next Generation Request Handler and Data Access Delegation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fourniol, N.; Lockhart, J.; Suchar, D.; Tacconi-Garman, L. E.; Moins, C.; Bierwirth, T.; Eglitis, P.; Vuong, M.; Micol, A.; Delmotte, N.; Vera, I.; Dobrzycki, A.; Forchì, V.; Lange, U.; Sogni, F.

2012-09-01

We present the new ESO Archive services which improve the electronic data access via the Download Manager and also provide PIs with the option to delegate data access to their collaborators via the Data Access Control.

Fiber Delivery of mid-IR lasers

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

Kriesel, J.M.; Gat, N.; Bernacki, Bruce E.

2011-08-24

Fiber optics for the visible to near infrared (NIR) wavelength regimes (i.e. = 0.42 {mu}m) have proven to be extremely useful for a myriad of applications such as telecommunications, illumination, and sensors because they enable convenient, compact, and remote delivery of laser beams. Similarly, there is a need for fiber optics operating at longer wavelengths. For example, systems operating in the mid-IR regime (i.e., = 314 {mu}m) are being developed to detect trace molecular species with far-reaching applications, such as detecting explosives on surfaces, pollutants in the environment, and biomarkers in the breath of a patient. Furthermore, with the increasingmore » availability of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) which are semiconductor lasers that operate in the mid-IR regime additional uses are rapidly being developed. Here, we describe the development of hollow-core fibers for delivery of high-quality mid-IR laser beams across a broad spectral range.« less

Impact of amorphization on the electronic properties of Zn-Ir-O systems.

PubMed

Muñoz Ramo, David; Bristowe, Paul D

2016-09-01

We analyze the geometry and electronic structure of a series of amorphous Zn-Ir-O systems using classical molecular dynamics followed by density functional theory taking into account two different charge states of Ir (+3 and  +4). The structures obtained consist of a matrix of interconnected metal-oxygen polyhedra, with Zn adopting preferentially a coordination of 4 and Ir a mixture of coordinations between 4 and 6 that depend on the charge state of Ir and its concentration. The amorphous phases display reduced band gaps compared to crystalline ZnIr2O4 and exhibit localized states near the band edges, which harm their transparency and hole mobility. Increasing amounts of Ir in the Ir(4+) phases decrease the band gap further while not altering it significantly in the Ir(3+) phases. The results are consistent with recent transmittance and resistivity measurements.

Edison and radiatively-cooled IR space observatories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thronson, H. A.; Hawarden, T. G.; Bally, J.; Burnell, S. J. Bell; Penny, A. J.; Rapp, D.

1993-01-01

Radiative cooling of IR space telescopes is an alternative to embedding within massive cryostats and should offer advantages for future missions, including longer life, larger aperture for a fixed spacecraft size, lower cost due to less complex engineering, and easier ground handling. Relatively simple analyses of conventional designs show that it is possible to achieve telescope temperatures in the range of 25 to 40 K at distances from the sun of about 1 AU. Lower temperatures may be possible with 'open' designs or distant orbits. At approximately 25 K, an observatory will be limited by the celestial thermal background in the near- and mid-IR and by the confusion limit in the far-IR. We outline here our concept for a moderate aperture (approximately 1.75 m; Ariane 4 or Atlas launch) international space observatory for the next decade.

Integration of the instrument control electronics for the ESPRESSO spectrograph at ESO-VLT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldini, V.; Calderone, G.; Cirami, R.; Coretti, I.; Cristiani, S.; Di Marcantonio, P.; Mégevand, D.; Riva, M.; Santin, P.

2016-07-01

ESPRESSO, the Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanet and Stable Spectroscopic Observations of the ESO - Very Large Telescope site, is now in its integration phase. The large number of functions of this complex instrument are fully controlled by a Beckhoff PLC based control electronics architecture. Four small and one large cabinets host the main electronic parts to control all the sensors, motorized stages and other analogue and digital functions of ESPRESSO. The Instrument Control Electronics (ICE) is built following the latest ESO standards and requirements. Two main PLC CPUs are used and are programmed through the TwinCAT Beckhoff dedicated software. The assembly, integration and verification phase of ESPRESSO, due to its distributed nature and different geographical locations of the consortium partners, is quite challenging. After the preliminary assembling and test of the electronic components at the Astronomical Observatory of Trieste and the test of some electronics and software parts at ESO (Garching), the complete system for the control of the four Front End Unit (FEU) arms of ESPRESSO has been fully assembled and tested in Merate (Italy) at the beginning of 2016. After these first tests, the system will be located at the Geneva Observatory (Switzerland) until the Preliminary Acceptance Europe (PAE) and finally shipped to Chile for the commissioning. This paper describes the integration strategy of the ICE workpackage of ESPRESSO, the hardware and software tests that have been performed, with an overall view of the experience gained during these project's phases.

Mid-ir Properties Of Seyferts: Spitzer/irs Spectroscopy Of The Iras 12µM Seyfert Sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yanling; Charmandaris, V.; Huang, J.

2009-05-01

The study of Seyfert galaxies is of particular interest as they trace the build up of SMBH at the centers of galaxies and they are responsible for the most of the cosmic X-ray background at redshift z 0.8. Given the high obscuration of their nuclei by dust extinction, a large fraction of their emitted radiation is absorbed and reemitted in the infrared. It has been recently demonstrated that mid-infrared spectroscopy, in particular with ISO and Spitzer, is a powerful tool to probe the physics of the radiation field of deeply enshrouded galactic nuclei. Here we present our analysis on the properties of Seyfert galaxies based mostly on our uniformly extracted low-resolution Spitzer/IRS 5.5-35micron spectra for 103 Seyfert galaxies, nearly 90% of the local 12 µm IRAS Seyfert sample. We find that we are able to disentangle the AGN/starburst contribution of the mid-IR emission, and estimate the circumnuclear star formation rate using typical mid-IR tracers. We also find that the mid-IR properties of Type 1 and Type 2 Seyferts are indistinguishable at a given luminosiry range, placing constrains both on the infrared optical depth to their nuclei galaxies as well as to the applicability of the unified AGN model.

Observing facilities at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile for cometary observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schnur, G. F. O.; Kohoutek, L.; Rahe, J.

1981-01-01

The (ESO) is located on the mountain La Silla (geographical coordinates: 4h42m55s10 west, -29 deg 15' 25".8 south, 2400 m elevation. The size of the telescopes ranges from a 40 cm Astrograph to the 3.6 m Richey-Chretien telescope. Future telescopes are discussed: a 2.2 m RC-Telescope which will be identical with the German 2.2 m telescope on Calor Alto in SE-Spain, and a 3.5 m telescope, the New Technology Telescope. In addition to these telescopes, a great number of auxiliary instrumentation are operational. Because ESO has to serve all requests of the visiting astronomers these instruments are designed for very different applications. The telescopes and auxiliary instruments that are especially suited for cometary observations are discussed. The dicussion is divided into three parts: photography, photometry-polarimetry and spectroscopy.

Evidence for Interlayer Collapse of Nontronite on Mars from Laboratory Visible and Near-IR Reflective Spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, Richard V.; Ming, D. W.; Golden, D. C.; Graff, T. G.; Achilles, C. N.

2010-01-01

Dioctahedral smectites (e.g., nontronite and montmorillionite) are interpreted to occupy the optical surface of Mars at a number of locations on the basis of spectral features derived from interlayer H2O and MOH (M=Fe(3+)2, Fe(3+)Al, Al2, etc.) as observed by orbiting MRO-CRISM and MEx-OMEGA hyperspectral imaging spectrometers. At wavelengths shorter than approximately 2.7 micrometers, the strongest bands from interlayer H2O occur at approximately 1.4 and 1.9 micrometers from 2v1 and v1+v2, respectively, where v1 and v2 are the fundamental stretching and bending vibrations of the H2O molecule. Smectite MOH vibrations occur near 1.4 micrometers (stretching overtone) and in the region between 2.1 and 2.7 micrometers (stretching + bending combination). Because interlayer H2O can exchange with the martian environment, a number of studies have examined the strength of the interlayer H2O spectral features under Mars-like environmental conditions. The relationship between spectral properties and the underlying crystal structure of the smectites was not determined, and the extent of interlayer H2O removal was not established. We report combined visible and near-IR (VNIR), Mossbauer (MB), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data for samples of the Fe-bearing smectite nontronite where the interlayer was collapsed by complete removal of interlayer H2O.

Facile Dehydrogenation of Ethane on the IrO2(110) Surface.

PubMed

Bian, Yingxue; Kim, Minkyu; Li, Tao; Asthagiri, Aravind; Weaver, Jason F

2018-02-21

Realizing the efficient and selective conversion of ethane to ethylene is important for improving the utilization of hydrocarbon resources, yet remains a major challenge in catalysis. Herein, ethane dehydrogenation on the IrO 2 (110) surface is investigated using temperature-programmed reaction spectroscopy (TPRS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The results show that ethane forms strongly bound σ-complexes on IrO 2 (110) and that a large fraction of the complexes undergo C-H bond cleavage during TPRS at temperatures below 200 K. Continued heating causes as much as 40% of the dissociated ethane to dehydrogenate and desorb as ethylene near 350 K, with the remainder oxidizing to CO x species. Both TPRS and DFT show that ethylene desorption is the rate-controlling step in the conversion of ethane to ethylene on IrO 2 (110) during TPRS. Partial hydrogenation of the IrO 2 (110) surface is found to enhance ethylene production from ethane while suppressing oxidation to CO x species. DFT predicts that hydrogenation of reactive oxygen atoms of the IrO 2 (110) surface effectively deactivates these sites as H atom acceptors, and causes ethylene desorption to become favored over further dehydrogenation and oxidation of ethane-derived species. The study reveals that IrO 2 (110) exhibits an exceptional ability to promote ethane dehydrogenation to ethylene near room temperature, and provides molecular-level insights for understanding how surface properties influence selectivity toward ethylene production.

Infrared spectroscopic near-field mapping of single nanotransistors.

PubMed

Huber, A J; Wittborn, J; Hillenbrand, R

2010-06-11

We demonstrate the application of scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) for infrared (IR) spectroscopic material recognition in state-of-the-art semiconductor devices. In particular, we employ s-SNOM for imaging of industrial CMOS transistors with a resolution better than 20 nm, which allows for the first time IR spectroscopic recognition of amorphous SiO(2) and Si(3)N(4) components in a single transistor device. The experimentally recorded near-field spectral signature of amorphous SiO(2) shows excellent agreement with model calculations based on literature dielectric values, verifying that the characteristic near-field contrasts of SiO(2) stem from a phonon-polariton resonant near-field interaction between the probing tip and the SiO(2) nanostructures. Local material recognition by s-SNOM in combination with its capabilities of contact-free and non-invasive conductivity- and strain-mapping makes IR near-field microscopy a versatile metrology technique for nanoscale material characterization and semiconductor device analysis with application potential in research and development, failure analysis and reverse engineering.

Individual Objective and Subjective Fixation Disparity in Near Vision

PubMed Central

Jaschinski, Wolfgang

2017-01-01

Binocular vision refers to the integration of images in the two eyes for improved visual performance and depth perception. One aspect of binocular vision is the fixation disparity, which is a suboptimal condition in individuals with respect to binocular eye movement control and subsequent neural processing. The objective fixation disparity refers to the vergence angle between the visual axes, which is measured with eye trackers. Subjective fixation disparity is tested with two monocular nonius lines which indicate the physical nonius separation required for perceived alignment. Subjective and objective fixation disparity represent the different physiological mechanisms of motor and sensory fusion, but the precise relation between these two is still unclear. This study measures both types of fixation disparity at viewing distances of 40, 30, and 24 cm while observers fixated a central stationary fusion target. 20 young adult subjects with normal binocular vision were tested repeatedly to investigate individual differences. For heterophoria and subjective fixation disparity, this study replicated that the binocular system does not properly adjust to near targets: outward (exo) deviations typically increase as the viewing distance is shortened. This exo proximity effect—however—was not found for objective fixation disparity, which–on the average–was zero. But individuals can have reliable outward (exo) or inward (eso) vergence errors. Cases with eso objective fixation disparity tend to have less exo states of subjective fixation disparity and heterophoria. In summary, the two types of fixation disparity seem to respond in a different way when the viewing distance is shortened. Motor and sensory fusion–as reflected by objective and subjective fixation disparity–exhibit complex interactions that may differ between individuals (eso versus exo) and vary with viewing distance (far versus near vision). PMID:28135308

Covalent IR820-PEG-diamine nanoconjugates for theranostic applications in cancer.

PubMed

Fernandez-Fernandez, Alicia; Manchanda, Romila; Carvajal, Denny A; Lei, Tingjun; Srinivasan, Supriya; McGoron, Anthony J

2014-01-01

Near-infrared dyes can be used as theranostic agents in cancer management, based on their optical imaging and localized hyperthermia capabilities. However, their clinical translatability is limited by issues such as photobleaching, short circulation times, and nonspecific biodistribution. Nanoconjugate formulations of cyanine dyes, such as IR820, may be able to overcome some of these limitations. We covalently conjugated IR820 with 6 kDa polyethylene glycol (PEG)-diamine to create a nanoconjugate (IRPDcov) with potential for in vivo applications. The conjugation process resulted in nearly spherical, uniformly distributed nanoparticles of approximately 150 nm diameter and zeta potential -0.4±0.3 mV. The IRPDcov formulation retained the ability to fluoresce and to cause hyperthermia-mediated cell-growth inhibition, with enhanced internalization and significantly enhanced cytotoxic hyperthermia effects in cancer cells compared with free dye. Additionally, IRPDcov demonstrated a significantly longer (P<0.05) plasma half-life, elimination half-life, and area under the curve (AUC) value compared with IR820, indicating larger overall exposure to the theranostic agent in mice. The IRPDcov conjugate had different organ localization than did free IR820, with potential reduced accumulation in the kidneys and significantly lower (P<0.05) accumulation in the lungs. Some potential advantages of IR820-PEG-diamine nanoconjugates may include passive targeting of tumor tissue through the enhanced permeability and retention effect, prolonged circulation times resulting in increased windows for combined diagnosis and therapy, and further opportunities for functionalization, targeting, and customization. The conjugation of PEG-diamine with a near-infrared dye provides a multifunctional delivery vector whose localization can be monitored with noninvasive techniques and that may also serve for guided hyperthermia cancer treatments.

FT-Raman and FT-IR spectra of some heterobimetallic complexes with phenylcyclopentadienyl ligands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nie, Chong-Shi; Guo, Jianhua; Qian, Changtao; Tan, Ying

1996-11-01

The FT-Raman and selected IR spectra of 14 heterobimetallic complexes of (CO) 3CrC 6H 5-C 5H 4M(CO) n(NO) mX (M = transition metal, X = other ligands) are reported. FT-Raman exhibits distinct strong characteristic bands of coordinated C 6H 5-C 5H 4 ligand ring deformation near 1540, 1490 and 1280 cm -1 and the coordinated phenyl ring deformation mode near 1000 cm -1, which are negligible in IR spectra. It is also easy to find the M-CO stretching and M-C-O bending as well as phenyl-M stretching bands in the FT-Raman spectra. The v(CO) IR absorptions in THF solution were reasonably assigned according to the local symmetry of the complexes.

Olivine Composition of the Mars Trojan 5261 Eureka: Spitzer IRS Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lim, L. F.; Burt, B. J.; Emery, J. P.; Mueller, M.; Rivkin, A. S.; Trilling, D.

2011-01-01

The largest Mars trojan, 5261 Eureka, is one of two prototype "Sa" asteroids in the Bus-Demeo taxonomy. Analysis of its visible/near-IR spectrum led to the conclusion that it might represent either an angritic analog or an olivine-rich composition such as an R chondrite. Spitzer IRS data (5-30 micrometers) have enabled us to resolve this ambiguity. The thermal-IR spectrum exhibits strong olivine reststrahlen features consistent with a composition of approximately equals Fo60-70. Laboratory spectra of R chondrites, brachinites, and chassignites are dominated by similar features.

RFA-based 589-nm guide star lasers for ESO VLT: a paradigm shift in performance, operational simplicity, reliability, and maintenance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedenauer, Axel; Karpov, Vladimir; Wei, Daoping; Hager, Manfred; Ernstberger, Bernhard; Clements, Wallace R. L.; Kaenders, Wilhelm G.

2012-07-01

Large telescopes equipped with adaptive optics require 20-25W CW 589-nm sources with emission linewidths of ~5 MHz. These Guide Star (GS) lasers should also be highly reliable and simple to operate and maintain for many years at the top of a mountain facility. Under contract from ESO, industrial partners TOPTICA and MPBC are nearing completion of the development of GS lasers for the ESO VLT, with delivery of the first of four units scheduled for December 2012. We report on the design and performance of the fully-engineered Pre-Production Unit (PPU), including system reliability/availability analysis, the successfully-concluded qualification testing, long-term component and system level tests and long-term maintenance and support planning. The chosen approach is based on ESO's patented narrow-band Raman Fiber Amplifier (EFRA) technology. A master oscillator signal from a linearly-polarized TOPTICA 20-mW, 1178-nm CW diode laser, with stabilized emission frequency and controllable linewidth up to a few MHz, is amplified in an MPBC polarization-maintaining (PM) RFA pumped by a high-power 1120-nm PM fiber laser. With efficient stimulated Brillouin scattering suppression, an unprecedented 40W of narrow-band RFA output has been obtained. This is then mode-matched into a resonant-cavity doubler with a free-spectral-range matching the sodium D2a to D2b separation, allowing simultaneous generation of an additional frequency component (D2b line) to re-pump the sodium atom electronic population. With this technique, the return flux can be increased without having to resort to electro-optical modulators and without the risk of introducing optical wave front distortions. The demonstrated output powers with doubling efficiencies >80% at 589 nm easily exceed the 20W design goal and require less than 700 W of electrical power. In summary, the fiber-based guide star lasers provide excellent beam quality and are modular, turn-key, maintenance-free, reliable, efficient, and ruggedized

The near-infrared radius-luminosity relationship for active galactic nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landt, Hermine; Bentz, Misty C.; Peterson, Bradley M.; Elvis, Martin; Ward, Martin J.; Korista, Kirk T.; Karovska, Margarita

2011-05-01

Black hole masses for samples of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are currently estimated from single-epoch optical spectra. In particular, the size of the broad-line emitting region needed to compute the black hole mass is derived from the optical or ultraviolet continuum luminosity. Here we consider the relationship between the broad-line region size, R, and the near-infrared (near-IR) AGN continuum luminosity, L, as the near-IR continuum suffers less dust extinction than at shorter wavelengths and the prospects for separating the AGN continuum from host-galaxy starlight are better in the near-IR than in the optical. For a relationship of the form R∝Lα, we obtain for a sample of 14 reverberation-mapped AGN a best-fitting slope of α= 0.5 ± 0.1, which is consistent with the slope of the relationship in the optical band and with the value of 0.5 naïvely expected from photoionization theory. Black hole masses can then be estimated from the near-IR virial product, which is calculated using the strong and unblended Paschen broad emission lines (Paα or Paβ).

Near-IR High-Resolution Imaging Polarimetry of the SU Aur Disk: Clues for Tidal Tails?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

De Leon, Jerome; Michihiro, Takami; Karr, Jennifer; Hashimoto, Jun; Kudo, Tomoyuki; Sitko, Michael; Mayama, Satoshi; Kusakabe, Nobuyuki; Grady, Carol A.; McElwain, Michael W.

2015-01-01

We present new high-resolution (approximately 0.09) H-band imaging observations of the circumstellar disk around the T Tauri star SU Aur. Our observations with Subaru-HiCIAO have revealed the presence of scattered light as close as 0.15 (approximately 20 AU) to the star. Within our image, we identify bright emission associated with a disk with a minimum radius of approximately 90 AU, an inclination of approximately 35 deg from the plane of the sky, and an approximate PA of 15 deg for the major axis. We find a brightness asymmetry between the northern and southern sides of the disk due to a non-axisymmetric disk structure. We also identify a pair of asymmetric tail structures extending east and west from the disk. The western tail extends at least 2. 5 (350 AU) from the star, and is probably associated with a reflection nebula previously observed at optical and near-IR wavelengths. The eastern tail extends at least 1 (140 AU) at the present signal-to-noise. These tails are likely due to an encounter with an unseen brown dwarf, but our results do not exclude the explanation that these tails are outflow cavities or jets.

Synthesis and characterization of near IR fluorescent albumin nanoparticles for optical detection of colon cancer.

PubMed

Cohen, Sarit; Pellach, Michal; Kam, Yossi; Grinberg, Igor; Corem-Salkmon, Enav; Rubinstein, Abraham; Margel, Shlomo

2013-03-01

Near IR (NIR) fluorescent human serum albumin (HSA) nanoparticles hold great promise as contrast agents for tumor diagnosis. HSA nanoparticles are considered to be biocompatible, non-toxic and non-immunogenic. In addition, NIR fluorescence properties of these nanoparticles are important for in vivo tumor diagnostics, with low autofluorescence and relatively deep penetration of NIR irradiation due to low absorption of biomatrices. The present study describes the synthesis of new NIR fluorescent HSA nanoparticles, by entrapment of a NIR fluorescent dye within the HSA nanoparticles, which also significantly increases the photostability of the dye. Tumor-targeting ligands such as peanut agglutinin (PNA) and anti-carcinoembryonic antigen antibodies (anti-CEA) were covalently conjugated to the NIR fluorescent albumin nanoparticles, increasing the potential fluorescent signal in tumors with upregulated corresponding receptors. Specific colon tumor detection by the NIR fluorescent HSA nanoparticles was demonstrated in a chicken embryo model and a rat model. In future work we also plan to encapsulate cancer drugs such as doxorubicin within the NIR fluorescent HSA nanoparticles for both colon cancer imaging and therapy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

System analysis tools for an ELT at ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, Michael; Koch, Franz

2006-06-01

Engineering of complex, large scale systems like the ELT designs currently investigated and developed in Europe and Northern America require powerful and sophisticated tools within specific technical disciplines such as mechanics, optics and control engineering. However, even analyzing a certain component of the telescope like the telescope structure necessitates a system approach to evaluate the structural effects onto the optical performance. This paper shows several software tools developed by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) which focus onto the system approach in the analyses: Using modal results of a finite element analysis the SMI-toolbox allows an easy generation of structural models with different sizes and levels of accuracy for the control design and closed-loop simulations. The optical modeling code BeamWarrior was developed by ESO and Astrium GmbH, Germany) especially for integrated modeling and interfering with a structural model. Within BeamWarrior displacements and deformations can be applied in an arbitrary coordinate system, and hence also in the global coordinates of the FE model avoiding error prone transformations. In addition to this, a sparse state space model object was developed for Matlab to gain in computational efficiency and reduced memory requirements due to the sparsity pattern of both the structural models and the control architecture. As one result these tools allow building an integrated model in order to reliably simulate interactions, cross-coupling effects, system responses, and to evaluate global performance. In order to evaluate disturbance effects on the optical performance in openloop more efficiently, an optical evaluation toolbox was built in the FE software ANSYS which performs Zernike decomposition and best-fit computation of the deformations directly in the FE analysis.

Differences in visible and near-IR responses, and derived vegetation indices, for the NOAA-9 and NOAA-10 AVHRRs: a case study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gallo, Kevin P.; Eidenshink, Jeffery C.

1988-01-01

This study evaluates the differences in the visible and near-IR responses of the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometers (AVHRR) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-9 and -10 satellites for coincident sample locations. The study also evaluates the differences in vegetation indices computed from those data. Data were acquired of the southeast portion of the United States for the 6 December 1986 daylight orbits of NOAA-9 and NOAA-10 satellites. The results suggest that, with appropriate gain and offset, the vegetation indices of the two sensor systems may be interchangeable for assessment of land surfaces.

The methane distribution on Titan: high resolution spectroscopy in the near-IR with Keck NIRSPEC/AO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adamkovics, Mate; Mitchell, Jonathan L.

2014-11-01

The distribution of methane on Titan is a diagnostic of regional scale meteorology and large scale atmospheric circulation. The observed formation of clouds and the transport of heat through the atmosphere both depend on spatial and temporal variations in methane humidity. We have performed observations to measure the the distribution on methane Titan using high spectral resolution near-IR (H-band) observations made with NIRSPEC, with adaptive optics, at Keck Observatory in July 2014. This work builds on previous attempts at this measurement with improvement in the observing protocol and data reduction, together with increased integration times. Radiative transfer models using line-by-line calculation of methane opacities from the HITRAN2012 database are used to retrieve methane abundances. We will describe analysis of the reduced observations, which show latitudinal spatial variation in the region the spectrum that is thought to be sensitive to methane abundance. Quantifying the methane abundance variation requires models that include the spatial variation in surface albedo and meridional haze gradient; we will describe (currently preliminary) analysis of the the methane distribution and uncertainties in the retrieval.

Adaptive optics for the ESO-VLT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merkle, Fritz

1989-04-01

This paper discusses adaptive optics, its performance, and its requirements for applications in astronomy to overcome limitations due to atmospheric turbulence. Guidelines for the implementation of these devices in telescopes are given, in particular for the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at ESO. It is intended to equip each one of the four 8-m telescopes of the VLT, which are arranged in a linear array with an independent adaptive optical system. These systems will serve the individual and the combined coude foci. A small-scale prototype adaptive system is under development. It is equipped with a 19-piezoelectric-actuator deformable mirror, a Shack-Hartmann-type wavefront sensor, and a dedicated wavefront computer for closing the feedback loop. This system is based on a polychromatic approach; i.e., it senses the wavefront in the visible, but the adaptive correction loop works at 3-5 microns.

A near infrared holographic glucose sensor.

PubMed

Vezouviou, Evangelia; Lowe, Christopher R

2015-06-15

Real-time glucose monitoring has been beneficial in reducing health complications associated with diabetes as well as a decrease in mortality. This report describes a novel holographic platform, fabricated via laser ablation on chitosan hydrogel with gold nanoparticles with a replaying in visible and near IR. The sensor responded with a 12 nm and 7 nm shift in wavelength at glucose concentrations in the 0-70 mM range and in the visible and near IR, respectively, at pH 7.4 and an ionic strength of 154 mM. The sensor did not respond to potential interferences found in the interstitial fluid, such as fructose, vitamin C and lactate, at their respective normal concentrations and was stable to fluctuations in temperature, pH and ionic strength. The characteristics of this sensor suggests that it may be applicable for use as an implanted device for the real time monitoring of glucose concentrations in the interstitial fluid using near IR as the interrogating medium. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GFIT2: an experimental algorithm for vertical profile retrieval from near-IR spectra

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

Connor, Brian J.; Sherlock, Vanessa; Toon, Geoff

An algorithm for retrieval of vertical profiles from ground-based spectra in the near IR is described and tested. Known as GFIT2, the algorithm is primarily intended for CO 2, and is used exclusively for CO 2 in this paper. Retrieval of CO 2 vertical profiles from ground-based spectra is theoretically possible, would be very beneficial for carbon cycle studies and the validation of satellite measurements, and has been the focus of much research in recent years. GFIT2 is tested by application both to synthetic spectra and to measurements at two Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) sites. We demonstrate thatmore » there are approximately 3° of freedom for the CO 2 profile, and the algorithm performs as expected on synthetic spectra. We show that the accuracy of retrievals of CO 2 from measurements in the 1.61 μ (6220 cm -1) spectral band is limited by small uncertainties in calculation of the atmospheric spectrum. We investigate several techniques to minimize the effect of these uncertainties in calculation of the spectrum. These techniques are somewhat effective but to date have not been demonstrated to produce CO 2 profile retrievals with sufficient precision for applications to carbon dynamics. As a result, we finish by discussing ongoing research which may allow CO 2 profile retrievals with sufficient accuracy to significantly improve the scientific value of the measurements from that achieved with column retrievals.« less

GFIT2: an experimental algorithm for vertical profile retrieval from near-IR spectra

DOE PAGES

Connor, Brian J.; Sherlock, Vanessa; Toon, Geoff; ...

2016-08-02

An algorithm for retrieval of vertical profiles from ground-based spectra in the near IR is described and tested. Known as GFIT2, the algorithm is primarily intended for CO 2, and is used exclusively for CO 2 in this paper. Retrieval of CO 2 vertical profiles from ground-based spectra is theoretically possible, would be very beneficial for carbon cycle studies and the validation of satellite measurements, and has been the focus of much research in recent years. GFIT2 is tested by application both to synthetic spectra and to measurements at two Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) sites. We demonstrate thatmore » there are approximately 3° of freedom for the CO 2 profile, and the algorithm performs as expected on synthetic spectra. We show that the accuracy of retrievals of CO 2 from measurements in the 1.61 μ (6220 cm -1) spectral band is limited by small uncertainties in calculation of the atmospheric spectrum. We investigate several techniques to minimize the effect of these uncertainties in calculation of the spectrum. These techniques are somewhat effective but to date have not been demonstrated to produce CO 2 profile retrievals with sufficient precision for applications to carbon dynamics. As a result, we finish by discussing ongoing research which may allow CO 2 profile retrievals with sufficient accuracy to significantly improve the scientific value of the measurements from that achieved with column retrievals.« less

How to Communicate Near Earth Objects with the Public - Klet Observatory Experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ticha, Jana; Tichy, Milos; Kocer, Michal

2015-08-01

Near-Earth Object (NEO) research is counted among the most popular parts of communicating astronomy with the public. Increasing research results in the field of Near-Earth Objects as well as impact hazard investigations cause growing interest among general public and media. Furthermore NEO related issues have outstanding educational value. So thus communicating NEO detection, NEO characterization, possible impact effects, space missions to NEOs, ways of mitigation and impact warnings with the public and media belong to the most important tasks of scientists and research institutions.Our institution represents an unique liaison of the small professional research institution devoted especially to NEO studies (the Klet Observatory, Czech Republic) and the educational and public outreach branch (the Observatory and Planetarium Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic). This all has been giving us an excellent opportunity for bringing NEO information to wider audience. We have been obtaining a wide experience in communicating NEOs with the public more than twenty years.There is a wide spectrum of public outreach tools aimed to NEO research and hazard. As the most useful ones we consider two special on-line magazines (e-zins) devoted to asteroids (www.planetky.cz) and comets (www.komety.cz) in Czech language, educational multimedia presentations for schools at different levels in planetarium, summer excursions for wide public just at the Klet Observatory on the top of the Klet mountain, public lectures, meetings and exhibitions. It seems to be very contributing and favoured by public to have opportunities for more or less informal meetings just with NEO researchers from time to time. Very important part of NEO public outreach consists of continuous contact with journalists and media including press releases, interviews, news, periodical programs. An increasing role of social media is taken into account through Facebook and Twitter profiles.The essential goal of all mentioned NEO

Componential distribution analysis of food using near infrared ray image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamauchi, Hiroki; Kato, Kunihito; Yamamoto, Kazuhiko; Ogawa, Noriko; Ohba, Kimie

2008-11-01

The components of the food related to the "deliciousness" are usually evaluated by componential analysis. The component content and type of components in the food are determined by this analysis. However, componential analysis is not able to analyze measurements in detail, and the measurement is time consuming. We propose a method to measure the two-dimensional distribution of the component in food using a near infrared ray (IR) image. The advantage of our method is to be able to visualize the invisible components. Many components in food have characteristics such as absorption and reflection of light in the IR range. The component content is measured using subtraction between two wavelengths of near IR light. In this paper, we describe a method to measure the component of food using near IR image processing, and we show an application to visualize the saccharose in the pumpkin.

Expression and clinical significance of MAGE and NY-ESO-1 cancer-testis antigens in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck.

PubMed

Veit, Johannes A; Heine, Daniela; Thierauf, Julia; Lennerz, Jochen; Shetty, Subasch; Schuler, Patrick J; Whiteside, Theresa; Beutner, Dirk; Meyer, Moritz; Grünewald, Inga; Ritter, Gerd; Gnjatic, Sacha; Sikora, Andrew G; Hoffmann, Thomas K; Laban, Simon

2016-07-01

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the head and neck is a rare but highly malignant tumor. Cancer-testis antigens (CTAs) represent an immunogenic family of cancer-specific proteins and thus represent an attractive target for immunotherapy. Eighty-four cases of ACC were identified, the CTAs pan-Melanoma antigen (pan-MAGE; M3H67) and New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (NY-ESO-1; E978) were detected immunohistochemically (IHC) and correlated with clinical data. Expression of NY-ESO-1 was found in 48 of 84 patients (57.1%) and of pan-MAGE in 28 of 84 patients (31.2%). Median overall survival (OS) in NY-ESO-1 positive versus negative patients was 130.8 and 282.0 months (p = .223), respectively. OS in pan-MAGE positive versus negative patients was 105.3 and 190.5 months, respectively (p = .096). Patients expressing both NY-ESO-1 and pan-MAGE simultaneously had significantly reduced OS with a median of 90.5 months compared with 282.0 months in negative patients (p = .047). A significant fraction of patients with ACC show expression of the CTAs NY-ESO-1 and/or pan-MAGE with promising immunotherapeutic implications. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 1008-1016, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

AMBER/VLTI and MIDI/VLTI spectro-interferometric observations of the B[e] supergiant CPD-57°2874. Size and geometry of the circumstellar envelope in the near- and mid-IR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domiciano de Souza, A.; Driebe, T.; Chesneau, O.; Hofmann, K.-H.; Kraus, S.; Miroshnichenko, A. S.; Ohnaka, K.; Petrov, R. G.; Preisbisch, T.; Stee, P.; Weigelt, G.; Lisi, F.; Malbet, F.; Richichi, A.

2007-03-01

We present the first high spatial and spectral resolution observations of the circumstellar envelope (CSE) of a B[e] supergiant (CPD-57°2874), performed with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Spectra, visibilities and closure phase were obtained using the beam-combiner instruments AMBER (near-IR interferometry with three 8.3 m Unit Telescopes or UTs) and MIDI (mid-IR interferometry with two UTs). The interferometric observations of the CSE are well fitted by an elliptical Gaussian model with FWHM diameters varying linearly with wavelength. Typical diameters measured are ≃1.8×3.4 mas or ≃4.5×8.5 AU (adopting a distance of 2.5 kpc) at 2.2 μm, and ≃12×15 mas or ≃30×38 AU at 12 μm. The size of the region emitting the Brγ flux is ≃2.8×5.2 mas or ≃7.0×13.0 AU. The major-axis position angle of the elongated CSE in the mid-IR (≃144°) agrees well with previous polarimetric data, hinting that the hot-dust emission originates in a disk-like structure. In addition to the interferometric observations we also present new optical (UBVR_cI_c) and near-IR (JHKL) broadband photometric observations of CPD-57°2874. Our spectro-interferometric VLTI observations and data analysis support the non-spherical CSE paradigm for B[e] supergiants. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, Paranal, Chile, within the AMBER science demonstration time programme 074.A-9026 and the MIDI open time programme 074.D-0101.

Quasar probabilities and redshifts from WISE mid-IR through GALEX UV photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiPompeo, M. A.; Bovy, J.; Myers, A. D.; Lang, D.

2015-09-01

Extreme deconvolution (XD) of broad-band photometric data can both separate stars from quasars and generate probability density functions for quasar redshifts, while incorporating flux uncertainties and missing data. Mid-infrared photometric colours are now widely used to identify hot dust intrinsic to quasars, and the release of all-sky WISE data has led to a dramatic increase in the number of IR-selected quasars. Using forced photometry on public WISE data at the locations of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) point sources, we incorporate this all-sky data into the training of the XDQSOz models originally developed to select quasars from optical photometry. The combination of WISE and SDSS information is far more powerful than SDSS alone, particularly at z > 2. The use of SDSS+WISE photometry is comparable to the use of SDSS+ultraviolet+near-IR data. We release a new public catalogue of 5537 436 (total; 3874 639 weighted by probability) potential quasars with probability PQSO > 0.2. The catalogue includes redshift probabilities for all objects. We also release an updated version of the publicly available set of codes to calculate quasar and redshift probabilities for various combinations of data. Finally, we demonstrate that this method of selecting quasars using WISE data is both more complete and efficient than simple WISE colour-cuts, especially at high redshift. Our fits verify that above z ˜ 3 WISE colours become bluer than the standard cuts applied to select quasars. Currently, the analysis is limited to quasars with optical counterparts, and thus cannot be used to find highly obscured quasars that WISE colour-cuts identify in significant numbers.

Modulated near-field spectral extraction of broadband mid-infrared signals with a ceramic light source.

PubMed

Ishikawa, Michio; Katsura, Makoto; Nakashima, Satoru; Aizawa, Kento; Inoue, Tsutomu; Okamura, Hidekazu; Ikemoto, Yuka

2011-06-20

In order to obtain broadband near-field infrared (IR) spectra, a Fourier-transform IR spectrometer (FT-IR) and a ceramic light source were used with a scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscope (s-SNOM). To suppress the background (far-field) scattering, the distance between the scattering probe and the sample was modulated with frequency Ω by a piezo-electric actuator, and the Ω component was extracted from the signal with a lock-in detection. With Ω=30 kHz, a peak-to-peak modulation amplitude of 198 nm, and a probe with smooth surface near the tip, broadband near-field IR spectra could be obtained in the 1200-2500 cm(-1).

Summertime Coincident Observations of Ice Water Path in the Visible/Near-IR, Radar, and Microwave Frequencies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pittman, Jasna V.; Robertson, Franklin R.; Atkinson, Robert J.

2008-01-01

Accurate representation of the physical and radiative properties of clouds in climate models continues to be a challenge. At present, both remote sensing observations and modeling of microphysical properties of clouds rely heavily on parameterizations or assumptions on particle size distribution (PSD) and cloud phase. In this study, we compare Ice Water Path (IWP), an important physical and radiative property that provides the amount of ice present in a cloud column, using measurements obtained via three different retrieval strategies. The datasets we use in this study include Visible/Near-IR IWP from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument flying aboard the Aqua satellite, Radar-only IWP from the CloudSat instrument operating at 94 GHz, and NOAA/NESDIS operational IWP from the 89 and 157 GHz channels of the Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) instrument flying aboard the NOAA-18 satellite. In the Visible/Near-IR, IWP is derived from observations of optical thickness and effective radius. CloudSat IWP is determined from measurements of cloud backscatter and assumed PSD. MHS IWP retrievals depend on scattering measurements at two different, non-water absorbing channels, 89 and 157 GHz. In order to compare IWP obtained from these different techniques and collected at different vertical and horizontal resolutions, we examine summertime cases in the tropics (30S - 30N) when all 3 satellites are within 4 minutes of each other (approximately 1500 km). All measurements are then gridded to a common 15 km x 15 km box determined by MHS. In a grid box comparison, we find CloudSat to report the highest IWP followed by MODIS, followed by MHS. In a statistical comparison, probability density distributions show MHS with the highest frequencies at IWP of 100-1000 g/m(exp 2) and CloudSat with the longest tail reporting IWP of several thousands g/m(exp 2). For IWP greater than 30 g/m(exp 2), MODIS is consistently higher than CloudSat, and it is higher at

Relativistic Electron Acceleration with Ultrashort Mid-IR Laser Pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feder, Linus; Woodbury, Daniel; Shumakova, Valentina; Gollner, Claudia; Miao, Bo; Schwartz, Robert; Pugžlys, Audrius; Baltuška, Andrius; Milchberg, Howard

2017-10-01

We report the first results of laser plasma wakefield acceleration driven by ultrashort mid-infrared laser pulses (λ = 3.9 μm , pulsewidth 100 fs, energy <20 mJ, peak power <1 TW), which enables near- and above-critical density interactions with moderate-density gas jets. We present thresholds for electron acceleration based on critical parameters for relativistic self-focusing and target width, as well as trends in the accelerated beam profiles, charge and energy spectra which are supported by 3D particle-in-cell simulations. These results extend earlier work with sub-TW self-modulated laser wakefield acceleration using near IR drivers to the Mid-IR, and enable us to capture time-resolved images of relativistic self-focusing of the laser pulse. This work supported by DOE (DESC0010706TDD, DESC0015516); AFOSR(FA95501310044, FA95501610121); NSF(PHY1535519); DHS.

Unusual thermal expansion of Sr{sub 2}IrO{sub 4}: A variable temperature synchrotron X-ray diffraction study

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

Ranjbar, Ben; Kennedy, Brendan J.

The structure of Sr{sub 2}IrO{sub 4} has been studied between 20 and 1273 K using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Sr{sub 2}IrO{sub 4} undergoes an apparently continuous transition from I4{sub 1}/acd to I4/mmm near 1123 K. The cooperative tilting of the corner sharing IrO{sub 6} octahedra in I4{sub 1}/acd results in highly anisotropic and unusual thermal expansion behavior with negative thermal expansion along the c-axis. - Graphical abstract: The progressive reduction in the magnitude of the tilting of the corner sharing IrO{sub 6} octahedra in Sr{sub 2}IrO{sub 4} results in negative thermal expansion along the c-axis before undergoing an apparently continuous transitionmore » from I4{sub 1}/acd to I4/mmm near 1123 K. - Highlights: • Thermal expansion of Sr{sub 2}IrO{sub 4} was studied using Synchrotron-XRD. • Unusual negative thermal expansion along c-axis observed. • I4{sub 1}/acd→I4/mmm phase transition detected near 1120 K. • Tilting of the corner sharing IrO{sub 6} octahedra related to the observed NTE.« less

The ESA/ESO/NASA Photoshop FITS Liberator 3: Have your say on new features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nielsen, L. H.; Christensen, L. L.; Hurt, R. L.; Nielsen, K.; Johansen, T.

2008-06-01

The popular, free ESA/ESO/NASA Photoshop FITS Liberator image processing software (a plugin for Adobe Photoshop) is about to get simpler, faster and more user-friendly! Here we would like to solicit inputs from the community of users.

High-Resolution Near-Infrared Speckle Interferometry and Radiative Transfer Modeling of the OH/IR Star OH 26.5+0.6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Driebe, T.; Riechers, D.; Balega, Y. Y.; Hofmann, K.-H.; Men'shchikov, A. B.; Weigelt, G.

We present near-infrared speckle interferometry of the OH/IR star OH 26.5+0.6 in the K' band obtained with the 6m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) in Oct. 2003. At a wavelength of λ = 2.13 μm the diffraction-limited resolution of 74 mas was attained. The reconstructed visibility reveals a spherically symmetric, circumstellar dust shell (CDS) surrounding the central star. In accordance with the deep silicate absorption feature in the spectral energy distribution (SED), the drop of the visibility function to a value of 0.36 at the cutoff frequency indicates a rather large optical depth of the CDS. To determine the structure and the properties of the CDS of OH 26.5+0.6, radiative transfer calculations using the code DUSTY[3] were performed to simultaneously model its visibility and the SED. Since OH 26.5+0.6 is highly variable, the observational data taken into consideration for the modeling correspond to different phases of the object's variability cycle. As in the case of another OH/IR star, OH 104.9+2.4 (see [5] and Riechers et al., this volume), we used these observational constraints at different epochs to derive several physical parameters of the central star and the CDS of OH 26.5+0.6 as a function of phase

The advantage of hollow mesoporous carbon as a near-infrared absorbing drug carrier in chemo-photothermal therapy compared with IR-820.

PubMed

Zhao, Qinfu; Wang, Xiudan; Yan, Yue; Wang, Da; Zhang, Ying; Jiang, Tongying; Wang, Siling

2017-03-01

In this study, we synthesized a kind of hollow mesoporous carbon (HMC) as near-infrared (NIR) nanomaterial and made a comparison between HMC and IR-820 commercially available in terms of heat generation properties and thermal stability exposed under NIR laser irradiation. The NIR-induced photothermal tests indicated that HMC had excellent heat generating capacity and remained stable after exposed to NIR laser irradiation for several times. On the contrary, the IR-820 was thermal unstable and degraded completely after exposed to NIR laser irradiation for only one time. The anticancer drug DOX was chosen as a model drug to evaluate the loading capacity and release properties of carboxylated HMC (HMC-COOH). The drug loading efficiency of HMC-COOH could reach to 39.7%. In vitro release results indicated that the release rate of DOX was markedly increased under NIR laser irradiation both in pH5.0 and pH7.4 PBS. Cell viability experiments indicated that HMC-COOH/DOX has a synergistic therapeutic effect by combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy. This present research demonstrated that HMC could be employed as NIR-adsorbing agents as well as drug carriers to load lots of drug, realizing the synergistic treatment of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interactions of monochromatic visible light and near-IR radiation with cells: currently discussed mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karu, Tiina I.

1995-05-01

Biological responses of cells to visible and near IR (laser) radiation occur due to physical and/or chemical changes in photoacceptor molecules, components of respiratory chains (cyt a/a3 in mitochondria, and cyt d in E. coli). As a result of the photoexcitation of electronic states, the following physical and/or chemical changes can occur: alteration of redox properties and acceleration of electron transfer, changes in biochemical activity due to local transient heating of chromophores, one-electron auto-oxidation and O2- production, and photodynamic action and 1O2 production. Different reaction channels can be activated to achieve the photobiological macroeffect. The primary physical and/or chemical changes induced by light in photoacceptor molecules are followed by a cascade of biochemical reactions in the cell that do not need further light activation and occur in the dark (photosignal transduction and amplification chains). These reactions are connected with changes in cellular homeostasis parameters. The crucial step here is thought to be an alteration of the cellular redox state: a shift towards oxidation is associated with stimulation of cellular vitality, and a shift towards reduction is linked to inhibition. Cells with a lower than normal pH, where the redox state is shifted in the reduced direction, are considered to be more sensitive to the stimulative action of light than those with the respective parameters being optimal or near optimal. This circumstance explains the possible variations in observed magnitudes of low-power laser effects. Light action on the redox state of a cell via the respiratory chain also explains the diversity of low-power laser effects. Beside explaining many controversies in the field of low-power laser effects (i.e., the diversity of effects, the variable magnitude or absence of effects in certain studies), the proposed redox-regulation mechanism may be a fundamental explanation of some clinical effects of irradiation, for

Least-mean-square spatial filter for IR sensors.

PubMed

Takken, E H; Friedman, D; Milton, A F; Nitzberg, R

1979-12-15

A new least-mean-square filter is defined for signal-detection problems. The technique is proposed for scanning IR surveillance systems operating in poorly characterized but primarily low-frequency clutter interference. Near-optimal detection of point-source targets is predicted both for continuous-time and sampled-data systems.

High temperature Ir segregation in Ir-B ceramics: Effect of oxygen presence on stability of IrB 2 and other Ir-B phases

DOE PAGES

Xie, Zhilin; Terracciano, Anthony C.; Cullen, David A.; ...

2015-05-13

The formation of IrB 2, IrB 1.35, IrB 1.1 and IrB monoboride phases in the Ir–B ceramic nanopowder was confirmed during mechanochemical reaction between metallic Ir and elemental B powders. The Ir–B phases were analysed after 90 h of high energy ball milling and after annealing of the powder for 72 h at 1050°C in vacuo. The iridium monoboride (IrB) orthorhombic phase was synthesised experimentally for the first time and identified by powder X-ray diffraction. Additionally, the ReB 2 type IrB 2 hexagonal phase was also produced for the first time and identified by high resolution transmission electron microscope. Irmore » segregation along disordered domains of the boron lattice was found to occur during high temperature annealing. Furthermore, these nanodomains may have useful catalytic properties.« less

Near-Real-Time Analysis of Publicly Communicated Disaster Response Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girard, Trevor

2015-04-01

During a disaster situation the public will need to make critical actions regarding what to do, where to go, how to get there, and so on. The more informed the public is, the better actions they are able to make, resulting in reduced disaster impacts. The criteria for what information to provide the public needs to change depending on the specific needs of the disaster affected population. The method of dissemination also needs to match the communication channels that the public typically uses in disaster situations. This research project investigates the dynamic information needs of disaster affected populations and how information leads to actions. The purpose of the research project is to identify key indicators for measuring how well informed the public is during disasters. The indicators are limited to those which can be observed as communication is happening (i.e., in near-real-time). By doing so, the indicators can be analyzed as disaster situations unfold, deficiencies can be identified, and recommendations can be made to potentially improve communication while the response is still underway. The end goal of the research is to improve the ability of communicators to inform disaster affected communities. A classification scheme has been developed to categorize the information provided to the public during disasters. Under each category is a set of typical questions that the information should answer. These questions are the result of a best observed practice review of the information available during 11 disasters. For example, under the category 'Life Saving Response', the questions which should be answered are who is doing what (Evacuation, SAR), where and when, and the amount of the affected communities' needs being covered by these actions. Review of what questions remain unanswered acts as the first indicator, referred to as an 'Information Gap Analysis'. Comparative analysis of the information within categories, between categories, and between similar

Ten-watt level picosecond parametric mid-IR source broadly tunable in wavelength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vyvlečka, Michal; Novák, Ondřej; Roškot, Lukáscaron; Smrž, Martin; Mužík, Jiří; Endo, Akira; Mocek, Tomáš

2018-02-01

Mid-IR wavelength range (between 2 and 8 μm) offers perspective applications, such as minimally-invasive neurosurgery, gas sensing, or plastic and polymer processing. Maturity of high average power near-IR lasers is beneficial for powerful mid-IR generation by optical parametric conversion. We utilize in-house developed Yb:YAG thin-disk laser of 100 W average power at 77 kHz repetition rate, wavelength of 1030 nm, and about 2 ps pulse width for pumping of a ten-watt level picosecond mid-IR source. Seed beam is obtained by optical parametric generation in a double-pass 10 mm long PPLN crystal pumped by a part of the fundamental near-IR beam. Tunability of the signal wavelength between 1.46 μm and 1.95 μm was achieved with power of several tens of miliwatts. Main part of the fundamental beam pumps an optical parametric amplification stage, which includes a walk-off compensating pair of 10 mm long KTP crystals. We already demonstrated the OPA output signal and idler beam tunability between 1.70-1.95 μm and 2.18-2.62 μm, respectively. The signal and idler beams were amplified up to 8.5 W and 5 W, respectively, at 42 W pump without evidence of strong saturation. Thus, increase in signal and idler output power is expected for pump power increase.

75 FR 29817 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Publication 1345

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-27

... Publication 1345 AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments... Publication 1345, Handbook for Authorized IRS e-file Providers. DATES: Written comments should be received on....gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Publication 1345, Handbook for Authorized IRS e-file Providers...

Young Astronomers' Observe with ESO Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1995-11-01

Today, forty 16-18 year old students and their teachers are concluding a one-week, educational `working visit' to the ESO Headquarters in Garching (See ESO Press Release 14/95 of 8 November 1995). They are the winners of the Europe-wide contest `Europe Towards the Stars', organised by ESO with the support of the European Union, under the auspices of the Third European Week for Scientific and Technological Culture. From November 14-20, they have worked with professional ESO astronomers in order to get insight into the methods and principles of modern astronomy and astrophysics, as carried out at one of the world's foremost international centres. This included very successful remote observations with the ESO 3.5-m New Technology Telescope (NTT) and the 1.4-m Coude Auxiliary Telescope (CAT) via a satellite link between the ESO Headquarters and the La Silla observatory in Chile, 12,000 kilometres away. After a general introduction to modern astronomy on the first day of the visit, the participants divided into six teams, according to their interests. Some chose to observe distant galaxies, others prefered to have a closer look on binary stars, and one team decided to investigate a star which is thought to be surrounded by a proto-planetary system. Each team was supported by an experienced ESO astronomer. Then followed the observations at the remote consoles during three nights, the first at the NTT and the following at the CAT. Each team had access to the telescope during half a night. Although the work schedule - exactly as in `real' science - was quite hard, especially during the following data reduction and interpretative phase, all teams managed extremely well and in high spirits. The young astronomers' observations were favoured by excellent atmospheric conditions. At the NTT, the seeing was better than 0.5 arcsecond during several hours, an exceptional value that allows very good images to be obtained. All observations represent solid and interesting science, and

Going Online With Ocean Drilling Publications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klaus, A. D.; Petronotis, K. E.

2003-12-01

distribution. And the CD-ROM product allows ODP to enhance the electronic resources available to researchers by including an index of all published IR/SR volume pairs on each CD, detailed site maps, movies, unlimited color images, and other supplementary data sets provided by authors. Our next venture is to digitize the older printed ODP volumes and the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) series and make these publications available online in HTML and PDF formats as well. This will provide the scientific community with more than 30 years of marine earth science research at the click of a mouse, a legacy that will be built upon by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) in the near future.

Compact erbium lasers in the IR photorefractive keratectomy (PRK)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Baining; Eichler, Hans J.; Sperlich, O.; Holschbach, A.; Kayser, M.

1996-09-01

Erbium lasers deliver laser radiation near 3 micrometers and are a promising alternative to excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (UV-PRK). In addition to easier handling due to all solid state technology, especially when operated in the fundamental mode, IR-PRK eliminates the potential of mutagenic side effects associated with UV-PRK. However, a successful IR-PRK for the clinic treatment in the near future demands both technological development of erbium lasers in different operation modes and clinical investigation of interaction between 3 micrometers radiation and human corneas. The excellent cooperation between university, company and hospital makes this possible. Uncoated thin plates made from infrared materials were found to be effective etalon reflectors with high damage threshold as high as 1 GW/cm2 for erbium lasers. Four kinds of such reflectors were successfully tested in Q-switched Er:YAG-laser at 2.94 micrometers and Er:Cr:YSGG-laser at 2.80 micrometers. Very stable operation of our erbium lasers with high output energy both in free-running and Q-switched modes is realized. First infrared photorefractive keratectomy (IR-PRK) for myopic correction in human corneas by a free-running erbium laser based on our new construction concepts was achieved.

Optical, Near-IR, and X-Ray Observations of SN 2015J and Its Host Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nucita, A. A.; De Paolis, F.; Saxton, R.; Testa, V.; Strafella, F.; Read, A.; Licchelli, D.; Ingrosso, G.; Convenga, F.; Boutsia, K.

2017-12-01

SN 2015J was discovered on 2015 April 27th and is classified as an SN IIn. At first, it appeared to be an orphan SN candidate, I.e., without any clear identification of its host galaxy. Here, we present an analysis of the observations carried out by the VLT 8 m class telescope with the FORS2 camera in the R band and the Magellan telescope (6.5 m) equipped with the IMACS Short-Camera (V and I filters) and the FourStar camera (Ks filter). We show that SN 2015J resides in what appears to be a very compact galaxy, establishing a relation between the SN event and its natural host. We also present and discuss archival and new X-ray data centered on SN 2015J. At the time of the supernova explosion, Swift/XRT observations were made and a weak X-ray source was detected at the location of SN 2015J. Almost one year later, the same source was unambiguously identified during serendipitous observations by Swift/XRT and XMM-Newton, clearly showing an enhancement of the 0.3-10 keV band flux by a factor ≃ 30 with respect to the initial state. Swift/XRT observations show that the source is still active in the X-rays at a level of ≃ 0.05 counts s-1. The unabsorbed X-ray luminosity derived from the XMM-Newton slew and SWIFT observations, {L}x≃ 5× {10}41 erg s-1, places SN 2015J among the brightest young supernovae in X-rays. Based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and NASA, with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla-Paranal Observatory under program ID 298.D-5016(A), and with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. We also acknowledge the use of public data from the Swift data archive.

Statistical sensor fusion analysis of near-IR polarimetric and thermal imagery for the detection of minelike targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weisenseel, Robert A.; Karl, William C.; Castanon, David A.; DiMarzio, Charles A.

1999-02-01

We present an analysis of statistical model based data-level fusion for near-IR polarimetric and thermal data, particularly for the detection of mines and mine-like targets. Typical detection-level data fusion methods, approaches that fuse detections from individual sensors rather than fusing at the level of the raw data, do not account rationally for the relative reliability of different sensors, nor the redundancy often inherent in multiple sensors. Representative examples of such detection-level techniques include logical AND/OR operations on detections from individual sensors and majority vote methods. In this work, we exploit a statistical data model for the detection of mines and mine-like targets to compare and fuse multiple sensor channels. Our purpose is to quantify the amount of knowledge that each polarimetric or thermal channel supplies to the detection process. With this information, we can make reasonable decisions about the usefulness of each channel. We can use this information to improve the detection process, or we can use it to reduce the number of required channels.

The Gaia-ESO Survey: Structural and dynamical properties of the young cluster Chamaeleon I

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sacco, G. G.; Spina, L.; Randich, S.; Palla, F.; Parker, R. J.; Jeffries, R. D.; Jackson, R.; Meyer, M. R.; Mapelli, M.; Lanzafame, A. C.; Bonito, R.; Damiani, F.; Franciosini, E.; Frasca, A.; Klutsch, A.; Prisinzano, L.; Tognelli, E.; Degl'Innocenti, S.; Prada Moroni, P. G.; Alfaro, E. J.; Micela, G.; Prusti, T.; Barrado, D.; Biazzo, K.; Bouy, H.; Bravi, L.; Lopez-Santiago, J.; Wright, N. J.; Bayo, A.; Gilmore, G.; Bragaglia, A.; Flaccomio, E.; Koposov, S. E.; Pancino, E.; Casey, A. R.; Costado, M. T.; Donati, P.; Hourihane, A.; Jofré, P.; Lardo, C.; Lewis, J.; Magrini, L.; Monaco, L.; Morbidelli, L.; Sousa, S. G.; Worley, C. C.; Zaggia, S.

2017-05-01

the level of mass segregation ΛMSR of the cluster. The comparison between these structural properties and the results of N-body simulations suggests that the cluster formed in a low-density environment, in virial equilibrium or a supervirial state, and highly substructured. This work is one of the last ones carried out with the help and support of our friend and colleague Francesco Palla, who passed away on 26 January 2016.Full Tables 1 and 2 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/601/A97Based on observations made with the ESO/VLT, at Paranal Observatory, under program 188.B-3002 (The Gaia-ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey).

Calibrated Mid-wave Infrared (IR) (MidIR) and Long-wave IR (LWIR) Stokes and Degree-of-Liner Polarization (DOLP)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

LWIR long-wave IR MCT mercury cadmium telluride MidIR mid-wave IR NUC nonuniformity corrections ROI regions-of-interest 22 No. of Copies...Calibrated Mid-wave Infrared (IR) (MidIR) and Long-wave IR ( LWIR ) Stokes and Degree-of-Liner Polarization (DOLP) by Kristan P. Gurton and... LWIR ) Stokes and Degree-of-Liner Polarization (DOLP) Kristan P. Gurton and Melvin Felton Computational and Information Sciences Directorate

Broadband near-field infrared spectromicroscopy using photothermal probes and synchrotron radiation.

PubMed

Donaldson, Paul M; Kelley, Chris S; Frogley, Mark D; Filik, Jacob; Wehbe, Katia; Cinque, Gianfelice

2016-02-08

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate the use of infrared synchrotron radiation (IR-SR) as a broadband source for photothermal near-field infrared spectroscopy. We assess two methods of signal transduction; cantilever resonant thermal expansion and scanning thermal microscopy. By means of rapid mechanical chopping (50-150 kHz), we modulate the IR-SR at rates matching the contact resonance frequencies of atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilevers, allowing us to record interferograms yielding Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) photothermal absorption spectra of polystyrene and cyanoacrylate films. Complementary offline measurements using a mechanically chopped CW IR laser confirmed that the resonant thermal expansion IR-SR measurements were below the diffraction limit, with a spatial resolution better than 500 nm achieved at a wavelength of 6 μm, i.e. λ/12 for the samples studied. Despite achieving the highest signal to noise so far for a scanning thermal microscopy measurement under conditions approaching near-field (dictated by thermal diffusion), the IR-SR resonant photothermal expansion FT-IR spectra measured were significantly higher in signal to noise in comparison with the scanning thermal data.

AO WFS detector developments at ESO to prepare for the E-ELT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downing, Mark; Casali, Mark; Finger, Gert; Lewis, Steffan; Marchetti, Enrico; Mehrgan, Leander; Ramsay, Suzanne; Reyes, Javier

2016-07-01

ESO has a very active on-going AO WFS detector development program to not only meet the needs of the current crop of instruments for the VLT, but also has been actively involved in gathering requirements, planning, and developing detectors and controllers/cameras for the instruments in design and being proposed for the E-ELT. This paper provides an overall summary of the AO WFS Detector requirements of the E-ELT instruments currently in design and telescope focal units. This is followed by a description of the many interesting detector, controller, and camera developments underway at ESO to meet these needs; a) the rationale behind and plan to upgrade the 240x240 pixels, 2000fps, "zero noise", L3Vision CCD220 sensor based AONGC camera; b) status of the LGSD/NGSD High QE, 3e- RoN, fast 700fps, 1760x1680 pixels, Visible CMOS Imager and camera development; c) status of and development plans for the Selex SAPHIRA NIR eAPD and controller. Most of the instruments and detector/camera developments are described in more detail in other papers at this conference.

IR780 based nanomaterials for cancer imaging and photothermal, photodynamic and combinatorial therapies.

PubMed

Alves, Cátia G; Lima-Sousa, Rita; de Melo-Diogo, Duarte; Louro, Ricardo O; Correia, Ilídio J

2018-05-05

IR780, a molecule with a strong optical absorption and emission in the near infrared (NIR) region, is receiving an increasing attention from researchers working in the area of cancer treatment and imaging. Upon irradiation with NIR light, IR780 can produce reactive oxygen species as well as increase the body temperature, thus being a promising agent for application in cancer photodynamic and photothermal therapy. However, IR780's poor water solubility, fast clearance, acute toxicity and low tumor uptake may limit its use. To overcome such issues, several types of nanomaterials have been used to encapsulate and deliver IR780 to tumor cells. This mini-review is focused on the application of IR780 based nanostructures for cancer imaging, and photothermal, photodynamic and combinatorial therapies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DISCOVERING THE MISSING 2.2 < z < 3 QUASARS BY COMBINING OPTICAL VARIABILITY AND OPTICAL/NEAR-INFRARED COLORS

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

Wu Xuebing; Wang Ran; Bian Fuyan

2011-09-15

The identification of quasars in the redshift range 2.2 < z < 3 is known to be very inefficient because the optical colors of such quasars are indistinguishable from those of stars. Recent studies have proposed using optical variability or near-infrared (near-IR) colors to improve the identification of the missing quasars in this redshift range. Here we present a case study combining both methods. We select a sample of 70 quasar candidates from variables in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82, which are non-ultraviolet excess sources and have UKIDSS near-IR public data. They are clearly separated into two partsmore » on the Y - K/g - z color-color diagram, and 59 of them meet or lie close to a newly proposed Y - K/g - z selection criterion for z < 4 quasars. Of these 59 sources, 44 were previously identified as quasars in SDSS DR7, and 35 of them are quasars at 2.2 < z < 3. We present spectroscopic observations of 14 of 15 remaining quasar candidates using the Bok 2.3 m telescope and the MMT 6.5 m telescope, and successfully identify all of them as new quasars at z = 2.36-2.88. We also apply this method to a sample of 643 variable quasar candidates with SDSS-UKIDSS nine-band photometric data selected from 1875 new quasar candidates in SDSS Stripe 82 given by Butler and Bloom based on the time-series selections, and find that 188 of them are probably new quasars with photometric redshifts at 2.2 < z < 3. Our results indicate that the combination of optical variability and optical/near-IR colors is probably the most efficient way to find 2.2 < z < 3 quasars and is very helpful for constructing a complete quasar sample. We discuss its implications for ongoing and upcoming large optical and near-IR sky surveys.« less

IRS memorandum limits joint ventures.

PubMed

Herman, A W

1992-08-01

Based on a new memorandum, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will be looking at joint hospital/physician activities with greater attention to the nuances of public versus private benefit. As a result, hospitals face greater risk of losing their tax-exempt status in the maze of joint ventures, physician recruitment, and practice acquisition. To be successful, ventures will have to be backed by sound reasoning and thorough documentation.

Report on the ESO Workshop ''Satellites and Streams in Santiago''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Küpper, A. H. W.; Mieske, S.

2015-09-01

Galactic satellites and tidal streams are arguably the two most direct imprints of hierarchical structure formation in the haloes of galaxies. At this ESO workshop we sought to create the big picture of the galactic accretion process, and shed light on the interplay between satellites and streams in the Milky Way, Andromeda and beyond. The Scientific Organising Committee prepared a well-balanced programme with 60 talks and 30 poster contributions, resulting in a meeting which was greatly enjoyed by the more than 110 participants at the venue, and worldwide via Twitter (#SSS15).

Nonlinear optical properties of thick composite media with vanadium dioxide nanoparticles. I. Self-defocusing of radiation in the visible and near-IR regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostrosablina, A. A.; Sidorov, A. I.

2005-07-01

This paper presents the experimental and theoretical results of a study of the interaction of pulsed laser radiation with thick composite media containing nanoparticles of vanadium dioxide (VO2). It establishes that the reversible semiconductor-metal phase transition that occurs in VO2 nanoparticles under the action of radiation can produce self-defocusing of radiation in the visible and near-IR regions because of the formation of a photoinduced dynamic lens. An analysis is carried out of how the radiation intensity affects the dynamics of these processes. It is shown that photoinduced absorption and scattering play a role in forming the nonlinear optical response.

Broadband near-field mid-infrared spectroscopy and application to phonon resonances in quartz.

PubMed

Ishikawa, Michio; Katsura, Makoto; Nakashima, Satoru; Ikemoto, Yuka; Okamura, Hidekazu

2012-05-07

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is a versatile analytical method and nano-scale spatial resolution could be achieved by scattering type near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM). The spectral bandwidth was, however, limited to approximately 300 cm(-1) with a laser light source. In the present study, the development of a broadband mid-IR near-field spectroscopy with a ceramic light source is demonstrated. A much wider bandwidth (at least 3000 to 1000 cm(-1)) is achieved with a ceramic light source. The experimental data on quartz Si-O phonon resonance bands are well reproduced by theoretical simulations indicating the validity of the present broadband near-field IR spectroscopy.

High-power, continuous-wave, tunable mid-IR, higher-order vortex beam optical parametric oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aadhi, A.; Sharma, Varun; Samanta, G. K.

2018-05-01

We report on a novel experimental scheme to generate continuous-wave (cw), high power, and higher-order optical vortices tunable across mid-IR wavelength range. Using cw, two-crystal, singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (T-SRO) and pumping one of the crystals with Gaussian beam and the other crystal with optical vortices of orders, lp = 1 to 6, we have directly transferred the vortices at near-IR to the mid-IR wavelength range. The idler vortices of orders, li = 1 to 6, are tunable across 2276-3576 nm with a maximum output power of 6.8 W at order of, li = 1, for the pump power of 25 W corresponding to a near-IR vortex to mid-IR vortex conversion efficiency as high as 27.2%. Unlike the SROs generating optical vortices restricted to lower orders due to the elevated operation threshold with pump vortex orders, here, the coherent energy coupling between the resonant signals of the crystals of T-SRO facilitates the transfer of pump vortex of any order to the idler wavelength without stringent operation threshold condition. The generic experimental scheme can be used in any wavelength range across the electromagnetic spectrum and in all time scales from cw to ultrafast regime.

Building-up a database of spectro-photometric standards from the UV to the NIR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vernet, J.; Kerber, F.; Mainieri, V.; Rauch, T.; Saitta, F.; D'Odorico, S.; Bohlin, R.; Ivanov, V.; Lidman, C.; Mason, E.; Smette, A.; Walsh, J.; Fosbury, R.; Goldoni, P.; Groot, P.; Hammer, F.; Kaper, L.; Horrobin, M.; Kjaergaard-Rasmussen, P.; Royer, F.

2010-11-01

We present results of a project aimed at establishing a set of 12 spectro-photometric standards over a wide wavelength range from 320 to 2500 nm. Currently no such set of standard stars covering the near-IR is available. Our strategy is to extend the useful range of existing well-established optical flux standards (Oke 1990, Hamuy et al. 1992, 1994) into the near-IR by means of integral field spectroscopy with SINFONI at the VLT combined with state-of-the-art white dwarf stellar atmospheric models (TMAP, Holberg et al. 2008). As a solid reference, we use two primary HST standard white dwarfs GD71 and GD153 and one HST secondary standard BD+17 4708. The data were collected through an ESO “Observatory Programme” over ~40 nights between February 2007 and September 2008.

IGRINS NEAR-IR HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY OF MULTIPLE JETS AROUND LkHα 234

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

Oh, Heeyoung; Yuk, In-Soo; Park, Byeong-Gon

2016-02-01

We present the results of high-resolution near-IR spectroscopy toward the multiple outflows around the Herbig Be star LkHα 234 using the Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrograph. Previous studies indicate that the region around LkHα 234 is complex, with several embedded young stellar objects and the outflows associated with them. In simultaneous H- and K-band spectra from HH 167, we detected 5 [Fe ii] and 14 H{sub 2} emission lines. We revealed a new [Fe ii] jet driven by radio continuum source VLA 3B. Position–velocity diagrams of the H{sub 2} 1−0 S(1) λ2.122 μm line show multiple velocity peaks. The kinematics maymore » be explained by a geometrical bow shock model. We detected a component of H{sub 2} emission at the systemic velocity (V{sub LSR} = −10.2 km s{sup −1}) along the whole slit in all slit positions, which may arise from the ambient photodissociation region. Low-velocity gas dominates the molecular hydrogen emission from knots A and B in HH 167, which is close to the systemic velocity; [Fe ii] emission lines are detected farther from the systemic velocity, at V{sub LSR} = −100–−130 km s{sup −1}. We infer that the H{sub 2} emission arises from shocked gas entrained by a high-velocity outflow. Population diagrams of H{sub 2} lines imply that the gas is thermalized at a temperature of 2500–3000 K and the emission results from shock excitation.« less

Magellan Adaptive Optics First-light Observations of the Exoplanet β Pic B. I. Direct Imaging in the Far-red Optical with MagAO+VisAO and in the Near-ir with NICI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Males, Jared R.; Close, Laird M.; Morzinski, Katie M.; Wahhaj, Zahed; Liu, Michael C.; Skemer, Andrew J.; Kopon, Derek; Follette, Katherine B.; Puglisi, Alfio; Esposito, Simone; Riccardi, Armando; Pinna, Enrico; Xompero, Marco; Briguglio, Runa; Biller, Beth A.; Nielsen, Eric L.; Hinz, Philip M.; Rodigas, Timothy J.; Hayward, Thomas L.; Chun, Mark; Ftaclas, Christ; Toomey, Douglas W.; Wu, Ya-Lin

2014-05-01

We present the first ground-based CCD (λ < 1 μm) image of an extrasolar planet. Using the Magellan Adaptive Optics system's VisAO camera, we detected the extrasolar giant planet β Pictoris b in Y-short (YS , 0.985 μm), at a separation of 0.470 ± 0.''010 and a contrast of (1.63 ± 0.49) × 10-5. This detection has a signal-to-noise ratio of 4.1 with an empirically estimated upper limit on false alarm probability of 1.0%. We also present new photometry from the Gemini Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imager instrument on the Gemini South telescope, in CH 4S,1% (1.58 μm), KS (2.18 μm), and K cont (2.27 μm). A thorough analysis of our photometry combined with previous measurements yields an estimated near-IR spectral type of L2.5 ± 1.5, consistent with previous estimates. We estimate log (L bol/L ⊙) = -3.86 ± 0.04, which is consistent with prior estimates for β Pic b and with field early-L brown dwarfs (BDs). This yields a hot-start mass estimate of 11.9 ± 0.7 M Jup for an age of 21 ± 4 Myr, with an upper limit below the deuterium burning mass. Our L bol-based hot-start estimate for temperature is T eff = 1643 ± 32 K (not including model-dependent uncertainty). Due to the large corresponding model-derived radius of R = 1.43 ± 0.02 R Jup, this T eff is ~250 K cooler than would be expected for a field L2.5 BD. Other young, low-gravity (large-radius), ultracool dwarfs and directly imaged EGPs also have lower effective temperatures than are implied by their spectral types. However, such objects tend to be anomalously red in the near-IR compared to field BDs. In contrast, β Pic b has near-IR colors more typical of an early-L dwarf despite its lower inferred temperature.

Investigating SLIM Disk Solutions FOR HLX-1 IN ESO 243-49

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Godet, O.; Plazolles, B.; Kawaguchi, T.; Lasota, J.-P; Barret, d.; Farrell, S. A.; Braito, V.; Servillat, M.; Webb, N.; Gehrels, N.

2012-01-01

The hyperluminous X-ray source HLX-1 in the galaxy ESO 243-49, currently the best intermediate-mass blackhole (BH) candidate, displays spectral transitions similar to those observed in Galactic BH binaries, but with aluminosity 100-1000 times higher. We investigated the X-ray properties of this unique source by fitting multiepochdata collected by Swift, XMM-Newton, and Chandra with a disk model computing spectra for a wide rangeof sub- and super-Eddington accretion rates assuming a non-spinning BH and a face-on disk (i=0 deg.). Under theseassumptions we find that the BH in HLX-1 is in the intermediate-mass range (approximately 2 x 10(exp 4) solar mass) and the accretionflow is in the sub-Eddington regime. The disk radiation efficiency is eta = 0.11 plus or minus 0.03. We also show that the source does follow the LX is proportional to T(exp 4) relation for our mass estimate. At the outburst peaks, the source radiates near the Eddington limit. The accretion rate then stays constant around 4 x 10(exp 4) solar mass yr (sup -1) for several days and then decreases exponentially. Such plateaus in the accretion rate could be evidence that enhanced mass-transfer rateis the driving outburst mechanism in HLX-1. We also report on the new outburst observed in 2011 August by theSwift X-Ray Telescope. The time of this new outburst further strengthens the approximately 1 year recurrence timescale.

C-H Hot Bands in the Near-IR Emission Spectra of Leonids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freund, F. T.; Scoville, J.; Holm, R.; Seelemann, R.; Freund, M. M.

2002-01-01

The reported infrared (IR) emission spectra from 1999 Leonid fireballs show a 3.4 micron C-H emission band and unidentified bands at longer wavelengths. Upon atmospheric entry, the Leonid meteorites were flash-heated to temperatures around 2400K, which would destroy any organics on the surface of the meteorite grains. We propose that the nu(sub )CH emission band in the Leonid emission spectra arises from matrix-embedded C(sub n)-H-O entities that are protected from instant pyrolysis. Our model is based on IR absorption nu(sub )CH bands, which we observed in laboratory-grown MgO and natural olivine single crystals, where they arise from C(sub n)-H-O units imbedded in the mineral matrix, indicative of aliphatic -CH2- and -CH3 organics. Instead of being pyrolyzed, the C(sub n)-H-O entities in the Leonid trails become vibrationally excited to higher levels n = 1, 2, 3 etc. During de-excitation they emit at 3.4 microns, due to the (0 => 1) transition, and at longer wavelengths, due to hot bands. As a first step toward verifying this hypothesis we measured the C-H vibrational manifold of hexane (C6H14). The calculated positions of the (2 => l ) , (3 => 2), and possibly (4 => 3) hot bands agree with the Leonid emission bands at 3.5, 3.8 and 4.l microns.

Magnetic and crystal structures of the honeycomb lattice Na2IrO3 and single layer Sr2IrO4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Feng

2013-03-01

5 d based iridates have recently attracted great attention due to the large spin-orbit coupling (SOC). It is now recognized that the SOC that competes with other relevant energies, particularly the on-site Coulomb interaction U, and have driven novel electronic and magnetic phases. Combining single crystal neutron and x-ray diffractions, we have investigated the magnetic and crystal structures of the honeycomb lattice Na2IrO3. The system orders magnetically below 18.1 K with Ir4+ ions forming zigzag spin chains within the layered honeycomb network with ordered moment of 0.22 μB /Ir site. Such a configuration sharply contrasts the Neel or stripe states proposed in the Kitaev-Heisenberg model. The structure refinement reveals that the Ir atoms form nearly ideal 2D honeycomb lattice while the IrO6 octahedra experience a trigonal distortion that is critical to the ground state. The results of this study provide much-needed experimental insights into the magnetic and crystal structure crucial to the understanding of the exotic magnetic order and possible topological characteristics in the 5 d-electron based honeycomb lattice. Neutron diffraction experiments are also performed to investigate the magnetic and crystal structure of the single layer iridate Sr2IrO4, where new structural information and spin order are obtained that is not available from previous neutron powder diffraction measurement. This work was sponsored in part by the Scientific User Facilities Division, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, US Department of Energy.

VVV Survey Search for Habitable Planets around M Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minniti, Dante

2015-08-01

VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) is a public ESO near- infrared (near-IR) variability survey aimed at scanning the Milky Way Bulge and an adjacent section of the mid-plane. The survey covers an area of 562 sqdeg in the Galactic bulge and the southern disk, containing a billion point sources. In this work we discuss the selection of nearby M-type dwarf stars using multicolor cuts. The ZYJHKs photometry allows an accurate estimation of the spectral types of the M-dwarf candidates. Our procedure is applied for fields located far from the Galactic center where the photometric quality is best. The results of this search covering 15 sqdeg allow us to estimate the total number of M-dwarfs that can be photometrically monitored in the VVV database. In addition, we analyze the light curves of the ~10000 best candidate M-dwarf stars searching for extrasolar planetary transits. In this poster we present the light curves of a hundred good transit candidates, and select those that lie in the HZ around their parent stars.

MOSE: A Demonstrator for an Automatic Operational System for the Optical Turbulence Forecast for ESO Sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masciadri, Elena; Lascaux, F.; Turchi, A.; Fini, L.

2017-09-01

"Most of the observations performed with new-generation ground-based telescopes are employing the Service Mode. To optimize the flexible-scheduling of scientific programs and instruments, the optical turbulence (OT) forecast is a must, particularly when observations are supported by adaptive optics (AO) and Interferometry. Reliable OT forecast are crucial to optimize the usage of AO and interferometric facilities which is not possible when using only optical measurements. Numerical techniques are the best placed to achieve such a goal. The MOSE project (MOdeling ESO Sites), co-funded by ESO, aimed at proving the feasibility of the forecast of (1) all the classical atmospheric parameters (such as temperature, wind speed and direction, relative humidity) and (2) the optical turbulence i.e. the CN 2 profiles and all the main integrated astro-climatic parameters derived from the CN 2 (the seeing, the isoplanatic angle, the wavefront coherence time) above the two ESO sites of Cerro Paranal and Cerro Armazones. The proposed technique is based on the use of a non-hydrostatic atmospheric meso-scale model and a dedicated code for the optical turbulence. The final goal of the project aimed at implementing an automatic system for the operational forecasts of the aforementioned parameters to support the astronomical observations above the two sites. MOSE Phase A and B have been completed and a set of dedicated papers have been published on the topic. Model performances have been extensively quantified with several dedicated figures of merit and we proved that our tool is able to provide reliable forecasts of optical turbulence and atmospheric parameters with very satisfactory score of success. This should guarantee us to make a step ahead in the framework of the Service Mode of new generation telescopes. A conceptual design as well as an operational plan of the automatic system has been submitted to ESO as integral part of the feasibility study. We completed a negotiation with

Fabrication of 3D polymer photonic crystals for near-IR applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Peng; Qiu, Liang; Shi, Shouyuan; Schneider, Garrett J.; Prather, Dennis W.; Sharkawy, Ahmed; Kelmelis, Eric

2008-02-01

occurred as we reduced the lattice constant for near-IR applications. In this work, we address this problem by employing SU8. The exposure is vertically confined by using a mismatched 220nm DUV source. Intermixing problem is eliminated due to more densely crosslinked resist molecules. Using this method, we have demonstrated 3D "woodpile" structure with 1.55μm lattice constant and a 2mm-by-2mm pattern area.

The Gaia-ESO Survey. Mg-Al anti-correlation in iDR4 globular clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pancino, E.; Romano, D.; Tang, B.; Tautvaišienė, G.; Casey, A. R.; Gruyters, P.; Geisler, D.; San Roman, I.; Randich, S.; Alfaro, E. J.; Bragaglia, A.; Flaccomio, E.; Korn, A. J.; Recio-Blanco, A.; Smiljanic, R.; Carraro, G.; Bayo, A.; Costado, M. T.; Damiani, F.; Jofré, P.; Lardo, C.; de Laverny, P.; Monaco, L.; Morbidelli, L.; Sbordone, L.; Sousa, S. G.; Villanova, S.

2017-05-01

We use Gaia-ESO (GES) Survey iDR4 data to explore the Mg-Al anti-correlation in globular clusters that were observed as calibrators, as a demonstration of the quality of Gaia-ESO Survey data and analysis. The results compare well with the available literature, within 0.1 dex or less, after a small (compared to the internal spreads) offset between the UVES and GIRAFFE data of 0.10-0.15 dex was taken into account. In particular, for the first time we present data for NGC 5927, which is one of the most metal-rich globular clusters studied in the literature so far with [ Fe / H ] = - 0.39 ± 0.04 dex; this cluster was included to connect with the open cluster regime in the Gaia-ESO Survey internal calibration. The extent and shape of the Mg-Al anti-correlation provide strong constraints on the multiple population phenomenon in globular clusters. In particular, we studied the dependency of the Mg-Al anti-correlation extension with metallicity, present-day mass,and age of the clusters, using GES data in combination with a large set of homogenized literature measurements.We find a dependency with both metallicity and mass, which is evident when fitting for the two parameters simultaneously, but we do not find significant dependency with age. We confirm that the Mg-Al anti-correlation is not seen in all clusters, but disappears for the less massive or most metal-rich clusters. We also use our data set to see whether a normal anti-correlation would explain the low [Mg/α] observed in some extragalactic globular clusters, but find that none of the clusters in our sample can reproduce it; a more extreme chemical composition, such as that of NGC 2419, would be required. We conclude that GES iDR4 data already meet the requirements set by the main survey goals and can be used to study globular clusters in detail, even if the analysis procedures were not specifically designed for them. Based on data products from observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla Paranal

Marker-free transgenic (MFT) near-isogenic introgression lines (NIILs) of 'golden' indica rice (cv. IR64) with accumulation of provitamin A in the endosperm tissue.

PubMed

Baisakh, Niranjan; Rehana, Sayda; Rai, Mayank; Oliva, Norman; Tan, Jing; Mackill, David J; Khush, Gurdev S; Datta, Karabi; Datta, Swapan K

2006-07-01

We have developed near-isogenic introgression lines (NIILs) of an elite indica rice cultivar (IR64) with the genes for beta-carotene biosynthesis from dihaploid (DH) derivatives of golden japonica rice (cv. T309). A careful analysis of the DH lines indicated the integration of the genes of interest [phytoene synthase (psy) and phytoene desaturase (crtI)] and the selectable marker gene (hygromycin phosphotransferase, hph) in two unlinked loci. During subsequent crossing, progenies could be obtained carrying only the locus with psy and crtI, which was segregated independently from the locus containing the hph gene during meiotic segregation. The NIILs (BC(2)F(2)) showed maximum similarity with the recurrent parent cultivar IR64. Further, progenies of two NIILs were devoid of any fragments beyond the left or right border, including the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (cat) antibiotic resistance gene of the transformation vector. Spectrophotometric readings showed the accumulation of up to 1.06 microg total carotenoids, including beta-carotene, in 1 g of the endosperm. The accumulation of beta-carotene was also evident from the clearly visible yellow colour of the polished seeds.

ESO Observations of New Moon of Jupiter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2000-08-01

Two astronomers, both specialists in minor bodies in the solar system, have performed observations with ESO telescopes that provide important information about a small moon, recently discovered in orbit around the solar system's largest planet, Jupiter. Brett Gladman (of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and working at Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, France) and Hermann Boehnhardt ( ESO-Paranal) obtained detailed data on the object S/1999 J 1 , definitively confirming it as a natural satellite of Jupiter. Seventeen Jovian moons are now known. The S/1999 J 1 object On July 20, 2000, the Minor Planet Center (MPC) of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) announced on IAU Circular 7460 that orbital computations had shown a small moving object, first seen in the sky in 1999, to be a new candidate satellite of Jupiter. The conclusion was based on several positional observations of that object made in October and November 1999 with the Spacewatch Telescope of the University of Arizona (USA). In particular, the object's motion in the sky was compatible with that of an object in orbit around Jupiter. Following the official IAU procedure, the IAU Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams designated the new object as S/1999 J 1 (the 1st candidate Satellite of Jupiter to be discovered in 1999). Details about the exciting detective story of this object's discovery can be found in an MPC press release and the corresponding Spacewatch News Note. Unfortunately, Jupiter and S/1999 J 1 were on the opposite side of the Sun as seen from the Earth during the spring of 2000. The faint object remained lost in the glare of the Sun in this period and, as expected, a search in July 2000 through all available astronomical data archives confirmed that it had not been seen since November 1999, nor before that time. With time, the extrapolated sky position of S/1999 J 1 was getting progressively less accurate. New observations were thus urgently needed to "recover

Near-infrared radiation curable multilayer coating systems and methods for applying same

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

Bowman, Mark P; Verdun, Shelley D; Post, Gordon L

2015-04-28

Multilayer coating systems, methods of applying and related substrates are disclosed. The coating system may comprise a first coating comprising a near-IR absorber, and a second coating deposited on a least a portion of the first coating. Methods of applying a multilayer coating composition to a substrate may comprise applying a first coating comprising a near-IR absorber, applying a second coating over at least a portion of the first coating and curing the coating with near infrared radiation.

Mars atmosphere studies with the SPICAM IR emission phase function observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trokhimovskiy, Alexander; Fedorova, Anna; Montmessin, Franck; Korablev, Oleg; Bertaux, Jean-Loup

Emission Phase Function (EPF) observations is a powerful tool for characterization of atmosphere and surface. EPF sequence provides the extensive coverage of scattering angles above the targeted surface location which allow to separate the surface and aerosol scattering, study a vertical distribution of minor species and aerosol properties. SPICAM IR instrument on Mars Express mission provides continuous atmospheric observations in near IR (1-1.7 mu) in nadir and limb starting from 2004. For the first years of SPICAM operation only a very limited number of EPFs was performed. But from the mid 2013 (Ls=225, MY31) SPICAM EPF observations become rather regular. Based on the multiple-scattering radiative transfer model SHDOM, we analyze equivalent depths of carbon dioxide (1,43 mu) and water vapour (1,38 mu) absorption bands and their dependence on airmass during observation sequence to get aerosol optical depths and properties. The derived seasonal dust opacities from near IR can be used to retrieve the size distribution from comparison with simultaneous results of other instruments in different spectral ranges. Moreover, the EPF observations of water vapour band allow to access poorly known H2O vertical distribution for different season and locations.

Near-infrared transillumination at 1310-nm for the imaging of early dental decay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Robert S.; Huynh, Gigi D.; Jones, Graham C.; Fried, Daniel

2003-09-01

New imaging technologies are needed for the early detection of dental caries (decay) in the interproximal contact sites between teeth. Previous measurements have demonstrated that dental enamel is highly transparent in the near-IR at 1300-nm. In this study, a near-IR imaging system operating at 1300-nm was used to acquire images through tooth sections of varying thickness and whole teeth in order to demonstrate the utility of a near-IR dental transillumination system for the imaging of early dental caries (decay). Simulated lesions, which model the optical scattering of natural dental caries, were placed in plano-parallel dental enamel sections. The contrast ratio between the simulated lesions and surrounding sound enamel was calculated from analysis of acquired projection images. The results show significant contrast between the lesion and the enamel (>0.35) and a spatial line profile that clearly resolves the lesion in samples as thick as 6.75-mm. This study clearly demonstrates that a near-IR transillumination system has considerable potential for the imaging of early dental decay.

Near-infrared transillumination at 1310-nm for the imaging of early dental decay.

PubMed

Jones, Robert; Huynh, Gigi; Jones, Graham; Fried, Daniel

2003-09-08

New imaging technologies are needed for the early detection of dental caries (decay) in the interproximal contact sites between teeth. Previous measurements have demonstrated that dental enamel is highly transparent in the near-IR at 1300-nm. In this study, a near-IR imaging system operating at 1300-nm was used to acquire images through tooth sections of varying thickness and whole teeth in order to demonstrate the utility of a near-IR dental transillumination system for the imaging of early dental caries (decay). Simulated lesions, which model the optical scattering of natural dental caries, were placed in plano-parallel dental enamel sections. The contrast ratio between the simulated lesions and surrounding sound enamel was calculated from analysis of acquired projection images. The results show significant contrast between the lesion and the enamel (>0.35) and a spatial line profile that clearly resolves the lesion in samples as thick as 6.75-mm. This study clearly demonstrates that a near-IR transillumination system has considerable potential for the imaging of early dental decay.

IR CMOS: near infrared enhanced digital imaging (Presentation Recording)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pralle, Martin U.; Carey, James E.; Joy, Thomas; Vineis, Chris J.; Palsule, Chintamani

2015-08-01

SiOnyx has demonstrated imaging at light levels below 1 mLux (moonless starlight) at video frame rates with a 720P CMOS image sensor in a compact, low latency camera. Low light imaging is enabled by the combination of enhanced quantum efficiency in the near infrared together with state of the art low noise image sensor design. The quantum efficiency enhancements are achieved by applying Black Silicon, SiOnyx's proprietary ultrafast laser semiconductor processing technology. In the near infrared, silicon's native indirect bandgap results in low absorption coefficients and long absorption lengths. The Black Silicon nanostructured layer fundamentally disrupts this paradigm by enhancing the absorption of light within a thin pixel layer making 5 microns of silicon equivalent to over 300 microns of standard silicon. This results in a demonstrate 10 fold improvements in near infrared sensitivity over incumbent imaging technology while maintaining complete compatibility with standard CMOS image sensor process flows. Applications include surveillance, nightvision, and 1064nm laser see spot. Imaging performance metrics will be discussed. Demonstrated performance characteristics: Pixel size : 5.6 and 10 um Array size: 720P/1.3Mpix Frame rate: 60 Hz Read noise: 2 ele/pixel Spectral sensitivity: 400 to 1200 nm (with 10x QE at 1064nm) Daytime imaging: color (Bayer pattern) Nighttime imaging: moonless starlight conditions 1064nm laser imaging: daytime imaging out to 2Km

Energetic mid-IR femtosecond pulse generation by self-defocusing soliton-induced dispersive waves in a bulk quadratic nonlinear crystal.

PubMed

Zhou, Binbin; Guo, Hairun; Bache, Morten

2015-03-09

Generating energetic femtosecond mid-IR pulses is crucial for ultrafast spectroscopy, and currently relies on parametric processes that, while efficient, are also complex. Here we experimentally show a simple alternative that uses a single pump wavelength without any pump synchronization and without critical phase-matching requirements. Pumping a bulk quadratic nonlinear crystal (unpoled LiNbO(3) cut for noncritical phase-mismatched interaction) with sub-mJ near-IR 50-fs pulses, tunable and broadband (∼ 1,000 cm(-1)) mid-IR pulses around 3.0 μm are generated with excellent spatio-temporal pulse quality, having up to 10.5 μJ energy (6.3% conversion). The mid-IR pulses are dispersive waves phase-matched to near-IR self-defocusing solitons created by the induced self-defocusing cascaded nonlinearity. This process is filament-free and the input pulse energy can therefore be scaled arbitrarily by using large-aperture crystals. The technique can readily be implemented with other crystals and laser wavelengths, and can therefore potentially replace current ultrafast frequency-conversion processes to the mid-IR.

The Gaia-ESO Survey: the present-day radial metallicity distribution of the Galactic disc probed by pre-main-sequence clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spina, L.; Randich, S.; Magrini, L.; Jeffries, R. D.; Friel, E. D.; Sacco, G. G.; Pancino, E.; Bonito, R.; Bravi, L.; Franciosini, E.; Klutsch, A.; Montes, D.; Gilmore, G.; Vallenari, A.; Bensby, T.; Bragaglia, A.; Flaccomio, E.; Koposov, S. E.; Korn, A. J.; Lanzafame, A. C.; Smiljanic, R.; Bayo, A.; Carraro, G.; Casey, A. R.; Costado, M. T.; Damiani, F.; Donati, P.; Frasca, A.; Hourihane, A.; Jofré, P.; Lewis, J.; Lind, K.; Monaco, L.; Morbidelli, L.; Prisinzano, L.; Sousa, S. G.; Worley, C. C.; Zaggia, S.

2017-05-01

made with the ESO/VLT, at Paranal Observatory, under program 188.B-3002 (The Gaia-ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey).Full Table 1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/601/A70

Electroactive Shape Memory Property of a Cu-decorated CNT Dispersed PLA/ESO Nanocomposite

PubMed Central

Alam, Javed; Khan, Aslam; Alam, Manawwer; Mohan, Raja

2015-01-01

Shape memory polymer (SMP) nanocomposites with a fast electro-actuation speed were prepared by dispersing Cu-decorated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (Cu-CNTs, 1 wt %, 2 wt %, and 3 wt %) in a polylactic acid (PLA)/epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) blend matrix. The shape memory effect (SME) induced by an electrical current was investigated by a fold-deploy “U”-shape bending test. In addition, the Cu-CNT dispersed PLA/ESO nanocomposite was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and tensile and electrical measurements. The results demonstrated that the SME was dependent on the Cu-CNT content in the nanocomposites. When comparing the SMEs of the nanocomposite specimens with different Cu-CNT contents, the 2 wt % Cu-CNT dispersed system exhibited a shape recovery as high as 98% within 35 s due to its higher electrical conductivity that results from uniform Cu-CNT dispersion. However, the nanocomposites that contained 1 wt % and 3 wt % Cu-CNTs required 75 s and 63 s, respectively, to reach a maximum recovery level. In addition, the specimens exhibited better mechanical properties after the addition of Cu-CNTs. PMID:28793570

Unusual Coexistence of Nickel(II) and Nickel(IV) in the Quadruple Perovskite Ba 4Ni 2Ir 2O 12 Containing Ir 2NiO 12 Mixed-Metal-Cation Trimers

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

Ferreira, Timothy; Heald, Steve M.; Smith, Mark. D.

In this paper, the crystal chemistry and magnetic properties of two hexagonal nickel(IV)-containing perovskites, Ba 4Ni 1.94Ir 2.06O 12 and BaNiO 3, are reported. The 12R perovskite, Ba 4Ni 1.94Ir 2.06O 12, possesses an unexpected coexistence of nickel(II) and nickel(IV). This quadruple perovskite structure contains Ir 2NiO 12 mixed-metal-cation units in which direct metal–metal bonding between nickel(IV) and iridium(V) is inferred. Finally, X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were conducted to confirm the simultaneous presence of nickel(II) and nickel(IV).

Unusual Coexistence of Nickel(II) and Nickel(IV) in the Quadruple Perovskite Ba 4Ni 2Ir 2O 12 Containing Ir 2NiO 12 Mixed-Metal-Cation Trimers

DOE PAGES

Ferreira, Timothy; Heald, Steve M.; Smith, Mark. D.; ...

2018-03-02

In this paper, the crystal chemistry and magnetic properties of two hexagonal nickel(IV)-containing perovskites, Ba 4Ni 1.94Ir 2.06O 12 and BaNiO 3, are reported. The 12R perovskite, Ba 4Ni 1.94Ir 2.06O 12, possesses an unexpected coexistence of nickel(II) and nickel(IV). This quadruple perovskite structure contains Ir 2NiO 12 mixed-metal-cation units in which direct metal–metal bonding between nickel(IV) and iridium(V) is inferred. Finally, X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were conducted to confirm the simultaneous presence of nickel(II) and nickel(IV).

IR Instruments | CTIO

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Visitor's Computer Guidelines Network Connection Request Instruments Instruments by Telescope IR Instruments ‹› You are here CTIO Home » Astronomers » Instruments » IR Instruments IR Instruments Infrared Imaging ANDICAM - Ohio State Visual/IR Imager (on SMARTS 1.3m Telescope) OSIRIS - The Ohio State

TCS and peripheral robotization and upgrade on the ESO 1-meter telescope at La Silla Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ropert, S.; Suc, V.; Jordán, A.; Tala, M.; Liedtke, P.; Royo, S.

2016-07-01

In this work we describe the robotization and upgrade of the ESO 1m telescope located at La Silla Observatory. The ESO 1m telescope was the first telescope installed in La Silla, in 1966. It now hosts as a main instrument the FIber Dual EchellE Optical Spectrograph (FIDEOS), a high resolution spectrograph designed for precise Radial Velocity (RV) measurements on bright stars. In order to meet this project's requirements, the Telescope Control System (TCS) and some of its mechanical peripherals needed to be upgraded. The TCS was also upgraded into a modern and robust software running on a group of single board computers interacting together as a network with the CoolObs TCS developed by ObsTech. One of the particularities of the CoolObs TCS is that it allows to fuse the input signals of 2 encoders per axis in order to achieve high precision and resolution of the tracking with moderate cost encoders. One encoder is installed on axis at the telescope and the other on axis at the motor. The TCS was also integrated with the FIDEOS instrument system so that all the system can be controlled through the same remote user interface. Our modern TCS unit allows the user to run observations remotely through a secured internet web interface, minimizing the need of an on-site observer and opening a new age in robotic astronomy for the ESO 1m telescope.

First High Resolution IR Study of the νb{14} (a') A-Type Band Near 421.847 \\wn of 2-^{13}C-PROPENE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daunt, S. J.; Grzywacz, Robert; Billinghurst, Brant E.

2017-06-01

This is is the first high resolution IR study of any band of the 2-^{13}C-propene species. There have been only two previous high resolution studies of vibration-rotation bands of the normal species. The band examined here is the νb{14} (A') CCC skeletal bending near 421.847 \\wn which has an A-Type asymmetric rotor structure. The spectra were recorded on the FTS at the Far-IR beamline of the Canadian Light Source with a resolution of Δν = 0.0009 \\wn. We have assigned and fitted around 2200 transitions and determined ground and upper state rotational constants. Lines with J up to 49 and K up to 12 were included. The subbands with K greater than 12 were perturbed and show torsional splittings that vary from small to extremely large. The fitting was done with the PGOPHER program of Colin Western. The GS constants are in good agreement with the MW constants reported recently by Craig, Groner and co-workers. Ainetschian, Fraser, Ortigoso & Pate, J. Chem. Phys. 100, 729 ff. (1994); Lafferty, Flaud & Herman, J. Mol. Struct. 780-781, 65 ff. (2006). Western, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Rad. Transf. 186, 221 ff. (2017). Paper M109, 71st ISMS Symposium (2016); J. Mol. Spectrosc. 328, 1-6 (2016).

Supernova rates from the Southern inTermediate Redshift ESO Supernova Search (STRESS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Botticella, M. T.; Riello, M.; Cappellaro, E.; Benetti, S.; Altavilla, G.; Pastorello, A.; Turatto, M.; Greggio, L.; Patat, F.; Valenti, S.; Zampieri, L.; Harutyunyan, A.; Pignata, G.; Taubenberger, S.

2008-02-01

Aims:To measure the supernova (SN) rates at intermediate redshift we performed a search, the Southern inTermediate Redshift ESO Supernova Search (STRESS). Unlike most of the current high redshift SN searches, this survey was specifically designed to estimate the rate for both type Ia and core collapse (CC) SNe. Methods: We counted the SNe discovered in a selected galaxy sample measuring SN rate per unit blue band luminosity. Our analysis is based on a sample of 43 000 galaxies and on 25 spectroscopically confirmed SNe plus 64 selected SN candidates. Our approach is aimed at obtaining a direct comparison of the high redshift and local rates and at investigating the dependence of the rates on specific galaxy properties, most notably their colour. Results: The type Ia SN rate, at mean redshift z=0.3, is 0.22+0.10 +0.16-0.08 -0.14 h702 SNu, while the CC SN rate, at z=0.21, is 0.82+0.31 +0.30-0.24 -0.26 h702 SNu. The quoted errors are the statistical and systematic uncertainties. Conclusions: With respect to the local value, the CC SN rate at z=0.2 is higher by a factor of 2, whereas the type Ia SN rate remains almost constant. This implies that a significant fraction of SN Ia progenitors has a lifetime longer than 2{-}3 Gyr. We also measured the SN rates in the red and blue galaxies and found that the SN Ia rate seems to be constant in galaxies of different colour, whereas the CC SN rate seems to peak in blue galaxies, as in the local Universe. SN rates per unit volume were found to be consistent with other measurements showing a steeper evolution with redshift for CC SNe than SNe Ia. We have exploited the link between SFH and SN rates to predict the evolutionary behaviour of the SN rates and compare it with the path indicated by observations. We conclude that in order to constrain the mass range of CC SN progenitors and SN Ia progenitor models it is necessary to reduce the uncertainties in the cosmic SFH. In addition it is important to apply a consistent dust

The AMBRE Project: Stellar parameterisation of the ESO:FEROS archived spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Worley, C. C.; de Laverny, P.; Recio-Blanco, A.; Hill, V.; Bijaoui, A.; Ordenovic, C.

2012-06-01

Context. The AMBRE Project is a collaboration between the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA) that has been established in order to carry out the determination of stellar atmospheric parameters for the archived spectra of four ESO spectrographs. Aims: The analysis of the FEROS archived spectra for their stellar parameters (effective temperatures, surface gravities, global metallicities, alpha element to iron ratios and radial velocities) has been completed in the first phase of the AMBRE Project. From the complete ESO:FEROS archive dataset that was received, a total of 21 551 scientific spectra have been identified, covering the period 2005 to 2010. These spectra correspond to 6285 stars. Methods: The determination of the stellar parameters was carried out using the stellar parameterisation algorithm, MATISSE (MATrix Inversion for Spectral SynthEsis), which has been developed at OCA to be used in the analysis of large scale spectroscopic studies in galactic archaeology. An analysis pipeline has been constructed that integrates spectral normalisation, cleaning and radial velocity correction procedures in order that the FEROS spectra could be analysed automatically with MATISSE to obtain the stellar parameters. The synthetic grid against which the MATISSE analysis is carried out is currently constrained to parameters of FGKM stars only. Results: Stellar atmospheric parameters, effective temperature, surface gravity, metallicity and alpha element abundances, were determined for 6508 (30.2%) of the FEROS archived spectra (~3087 stars). Radial velocities were determined for 11 963 (56%) of the archived spectra. 2370 (11%) spectra could not be analysed within the pipeline due to very low signal-to-noise ratios or missing spectral orders. 12 673 spectra (58.8%) were analysed in the pipeline but their parameters were discarded based on quality criteria and error analysis determined within the automated process. The majority of

The Gaia-ESO Survey: Probes of the inner disk abundance gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobson, H. R.; Friel, E. D.; Jílková, L.; Magrini, L.; Bragaglia, A.; Vallenari, A.; Tosi, M.; Randich, S.; Donati, P.; Cantat-Gaudin, T.; Sordo, R.; Smiljanic, R.; Overbeek, J. C.; Carraro, G.; Tautvaišienė, G.; San Roman, I.; Villanova, S.; Geisler, D.; Muñoz, C.; Jiménez-Esteban, F.; Tang, B.; Gilmore, G.; Alfaro, E. J.; Bensby, T.; Flaccomio, E.; Koposov, S. E.; Korn, A. J.; Pancino, E.; Recio-Blanco, A.; Casey, A. R.; Costado, M. T.; Franciosini, E.; Heiter, U.; Hill, V.; Hourihane, A.; Lardo, C.; de Laverny, P.; Lewis, J.; Monaco, L.; Morbidelli, L.; Sacco, G. G.; Sousa, S. G.; Worley, C. C.; Zaggia, S.

2016-06-01

Context. The nature of the metallicity gradient inside the solar circle (RGC < 8 kpc) is poorly understood, but studies of Cepheids and a small sample of open clusters suggest that it steepens in the inner disk. Aims: We investigate the metallicity gradient of the inner disk using a sample of inner disk open clusters that is three times larger than has previously been studied in the literature to better characterize the gradient in this part of the disk. Methods: We used the Gaia-ESO Survey (GES) [Fe/H] values and stellar parameters for stars in 12 open clusters in the inner disk from GES-UVES data. Cluster mean [Fe/H] values were determined based on a membership analysis for each cluster. Where necessary, distances and ages to clusters were determined via comparison to theoretical isochrones. Results: The GES open clusters exhibit a radial metallicity gradient of -0.10 ± 0.02 dex kpc-1, consistent with the gradient measured by other literature studies of field red giant stars and open clusters in the range RGC ~ 6-12 kpc. We also measure a trend of increasing [Fe/H] with increasing cluster age, as has also been found in the literature. Conclusions: We find no evidence for a steepening of the inner disk metallicity gradient inside the solar circle as earlier studies indicated. The age-metallicity relation shown by the clusters is consistent with that predicted by chemical evolution models that include the effects of radial migration, but a more detailed comparison between cluster observations and models would be premature. Based on data products from observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under programme ID 188.B-3002 and 193.B-0936. These data products have been processed by the Cambridge Astronomy Survey Unit (CASU) at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, and by the FLAMES/UVES reduction team at INAF/Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri. These data have been obtained from the Gaia-ESO Survey Data Archive

Positions of Asteroids Obtained with the GPO Telescope at ESO, Chile and with the Kvistaberg Schmidt Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lagerkvist, C.-I.; Olofsson, K.; From, A.; Hammarback, G.; Magnusson, P.; Morell, O.

1985-01-01

In this paper we present 101 positions of asteroids obtained during Augnst 1982 with the GPO astrograph at ESO, Chile and with the Kvistaberg Schmidt telescope during September 1979 and February 1981.

IR-IR Conformation Specific Spectroscopy of Na+(Glucose) Adducts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voss, Jonathan M.; Kregel, Steven J.; Fischer, Kaitlyn C.; Garand, Etienne

2018-01-01

We report an IR-IR double resonance study of the structural landscape present in the Na+(glucose) complex. Our experimental approach involves minimal modifications to a typical IR predissociation setup, and can be carried out via ion-dip or isomer-burning methods, providing additional flexibility to suit different experimental needs. In the current study, the single-laser IR predissociation spectrum of Na+(glucose), which clearly indicates contributions from multiple structures, was experimentally disentangled to reveal the presence of three α-conformers and five β-conformers. Comparisons with calculations show that these eight conformations correspond to the lowest energy gas-phase structures with distinctive Na+ coordination. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Nuclei of dwarf spheroidal galaxies KKs 3 and ESO 269-66 and their counterparts in our Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharina, M. E.; Shimansky, V. V.; Kniazev, A. Y.

2017-10-01

We present the analysis of medium-resolution spectra obtained at the Southern African Large Telescope for nuclear globular clusters (GCs) in two dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs). The galaxies have similar star formation histories, but they are situated in completely different environments. ESO 269-66 is a close neighbour of the giant S0 NGC 5128. KKs 3 is one of the few truly isolated dSphs within 10 Mpc. We estimate the helium abundance Y = 0.3, age = 12.6 ± 1 Gyr, [Fe/H] = -1.5, -1.55 ± 0.2 dex, and abundances of C, N, Mg, Ca, Ti, and Cr for the nuclei of ESO 269-66 and KKs 3. Our surface photometry results using Hubble Space Telescope images yield the half-light radius of the cluster in KKs 3, rh = 4.8 ± 0.2 pc. We demonstrate the similarities of medium-resolution spectra, ages, chemical compositions, and structure for GCs in ESO 269-66 and KKs 3 and for several massive Galactic GCs with [Fe/H] ∼ -1.6 dex. All Galactic GCs posses Extended Blue Horizontal Branches and multiple stellar populations. Five of the selected Galactic objects are iron-complex GCs. Our results indicate that the sample GCs observed now in different environments had similar conditions of their formation ∼1 Gyr after the Big Bang.

Highly coherent mid-IR supercontinuum by self-defocusing solitons in lithium niobate waveguides with all-normal dispersion.

PubMed

Guo, Hairun; Zhou, Binbin; Zeng, Xianglong; Bache, Morten

2014-05-19

We numerically investigate self-defocusing solitons in a lithium niobate (LN) waveguide designed to have a large refractive index (RI) change. The waveguide evokes strong waveguide dispersion and all-normal dispersion is found in the entire guiding band spanning the near-IR and the beginning of the mid-IR. Meanwhile, a self-defocusing nonlinearity is invoked by the cascaded (phase-mismatched) second-harmonic generation under a quasi-phase-matching pitch. Combining this with the all-normal dispersion, mid-IR solitons can form and the waveguide presents the first all-nonlinear and solitonic device where no linear dispersion (i.e. non-solitonic) regimes exist within the guiding band. Soliton compressions at 2 μm and 3 μm are investigated, with nano-joule single cycle pulse formations and highly coherent octave-spanning supercontinuum generations. With an alternative design on the waveguide dispersion, the soliton spectral tunneling effect is also investigated, with which few-cycle pico-joule pulses at 2 μm are formed by a near-IR pump.

Mid-IR laser system for advanced neurosurgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klosner, M.; Wu, C.; Heller, D. F.

2014-03-01

We present work on a laser system operating in the near- and mid-IR spectral regions, having output characteristics designed to be optimal for cutting various tissue types. We provide a brief overview of laser-tissue interactions and the importance of controlling certain properties of the light beam. We describe the principle of operation of the laser system, which is generally based on a wavelength-tunable alexandrite laser oscillator/amplifier, and multiple Raman conversion stages. This configuration provides robust access to the mid-IR spectral region at wavelengths, pulse energies, pulse durations, and repetition rates that are attractive for neurosurgical applications. We summarize results for ultra-precise selective cutting of nerve sheaths and retinas with little collateral damage; this has applications in procedures such as optic-nerve-sheath fenestration and possible spinal repair. We also report results for cutting cornea, and dermal tissues.

The expectation of applying IR guidance in medium range air-to-air missiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Lijuan; Liu, Ke

2016-10-01

IR guidance has been widely used in near range dogfight air-to-air missiles while radar guidance is dominant in medium and long range air-to-air missiles. With the development of stealth airplanes and advanced electronic countermeasures, radar missiles have met with great challenges. In this article, the advantages and potential problems of applying IR guidance in medium range air-to-air missiles are analyzed. Approaches are put forward to solve the key technologies including depressing aerodynamic heating, increasing missiles' sensitivity and acquiring target after launch. IR medium range air-to-air missiles are predicted to play important role in modern battle field.

Impact of animal density on cattle nutrition in dry Mediterranean rangelands: a faecal near-IR spectroscopy-aided study.

PubMed

Landau, S Y; Dvash, L; Yehuda, Y; Muklada, H; Peleg, G; Henkin, Z; Voet, H; Ungar, E D

2018-02-01

In the context of determining the sustainable carrying capacity of dry-Mediterranean herbaceous rangelands, we examined the effect of animal density on cattle nutrition, which is fundamental to animal performance and welfare. The effects on dietary components of low (0.56 cows/ha; L) and high (1.11 cows/ha; H) animal densities were monitored for three consecutive years in grazing beef cows. In the dry season (summer and early autumn), cows had free access to N-rich poultry litter (PL) given as a dietary supplement. In each season, near-IR spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to predict the chemical composition of herbage samples (ash, NDF, CP, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and metabolizable energy (ME) content from IVDMD). Near-IR spectroscopy was applied also to faecal samples to determine the chemical composition of the diet selected by the animal, as well as the contents of ash, NDF and CP in the faeces themselves. A faecal-NIRS equation was applied to estimate the dietary proportion of PL. Seasonal categories were green, dry without PL supplementation and dry with it. We found no effects of animal density on nutrition during the green season but effects were apparent when cows consumed dry pasture. Ash content predicted by faecal NIRS was higher in the diet than in plant samples clipped from pasture, which infers that cows ingested soil. Dietary and faecal ash contents were higher (P<0.05) at the H, implying greater soil intake in these animals. During the dry period, dietary contents of ME were higher in L than in H (P<0.05). Poultry litter supplementation was associated with a marked increase (P<0.01) in dietary and faecal CP contents. Poultry litter represented 0.45 and 0.59 of the diet in treatments L and H, respectively (P<0.05). Consequently, treatment H had higher faecal protein (P<0.05). A tendency of higher dietary protein (P=0.08) and lower dietary NDF (P=0.10) in treatment H was probably related to greater PL ingestion. Given that high and

The Gaia-ESO Survey: Sodium and aluminium abundances in giants and dwarfs. Implications for stellar and Galactic chemical evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smiljanic, R.; Romano, D.; Bragaglia, A.; Donati, P.; Magrini, L.; Friel, E.; Jacobson, H.; Randich, S.; Ventura, P.; Lind, K.; Bergemann, M.; Nordlander, T.; Morel, T.; Pancino, E.; Tautvaišienė, G.; Adibekyan, V.; Tosi, M.; Vallenari, A.; Gilmore, G.; Bensby, T.; François, P.; Koposov, S.; Lanzafame, A. C.; Recio-Blanco, A.; Bayo, A.; Carraro, G.; Casey, A. R.; Costado, M. T.; Franciosini, E.; Heiter, U.; Hill, V.; Hourihane, A.; Jofré, P.; Lardo, C.; de Laverny, P.; Lewis, J.; Monaco, L.; Morbidelli, L.; Sacco, G. G.; Sbordone, L.; Sousa, S. G.; Worley, C. C.; Zaggia, S.

2016-05-01

cannot simultaneously explain the run of [Al/Fe] with [Fe/H], and vice versa. The comparison with stellar ages is hampered by severe uncertainties. Indeed, reliable age estimates are available for only a half of the stars of the sample. We conclude that Al is underproduced by the models, except for stellar ages younger than about 7 Gyr. In addition, some significant source of late Na production seems to be missing in the models. Either current Na and Al yields are affected by large uncertainties, and/or some important Galactic source(s) of these elements has as yet not been taken into account. Based on observations made with the ESO/VLT, at Paranal Observatory, under program 188.B-3002 (The Gaia-ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey), and on data obtained from the ESO Archive originally observed under programs 60.A-9143, 076.B-0263 and 082.D-0726.Table 1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/589/A115

IR-IR Conformation Specific Spectroscopy of Na +(Glucose) Adducts

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

Voss, Jonathan M.; Kregel, Steven J.; Fischer, Kaitlyn C.

Here in this paper we report an IR-IR double resonance study of the structural landscape present in the Na +(glucose) complex. Our experimental approach involves minimal modifications to a typical IR predissociation setup, and can be carried out via ion-dip or isomer-burning methods, providing additional flexibility to suit different experimental needs. In the current study, the single-laser IR predissociation spectrum of Na +(glucose), which clearly indicates contributions from multiple structures, was experimentally disentangled to reveal the presence of three α-conformers and five β-conformers. Comparisons with calculations show that these eight conformations correspond to the lowest energy gas-phase structures with distinctivemore » Na+ coordination.« less

IR-IR Conformation Specific Spectroscopy of Na +(Glucose) Adducts

DOE PAGES

Voss, Jonathan M.; Kregel, Steven J.; Fischer, Kaitlyn C.; ...

2017-09-27

Here in this paper we report an IR-IR double resonance study of the structural landscape present in the Na +(glucose) complex. Our experimental approach involves minimal modifications to a typical IR predissociation setup, and can be carried out via ion-dip or isomer-burning methods, providing additional flexibility to suit different experimental needs. In the current study, the single-laser IR predissociation spectrum of Na +(glucose), which clearly indicates contributions from multiple structures, was experimentally disentangled to reveal the presence of three α-conformers and five β-conformers. Comparisons with calculations show that these eight conformations correspond to the lowest energy gas-phase structures with distinctivemore » Na+ coordination.« less

Near-IR laser frequency standard stabilized using FM-spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ružička, Bohdan; Číp, Ondřej; Lazar, Josef

2006-02-01

At the present time fiber-optics and optical communication are in rapid progress. Modern technologies such as DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplex) need precise stability of laser frequencies. According to this fact, requirements of new etalons of optical frequencies in the telecommunication band is rapidly growing. Lasers working in near infrared telecommunication band (1500-1600 nm) can be stabilized to 12C IIH II or 13C IIH II (acetylene) gas absorption lines. The acetylene gas absorption has been widely studied and accepted by international bodies of standardization as a primary wavelength reference in the near infrared band around 1550nm. Our aim was to design and develop a compact fibre optics laser system generating coherent light in near-JR band with high frequency stability (at least 1.10 -8). This system should become a base for realization of a primary frequency standard for optical communications in the Czech Republic. Such an etalon will be needed for calibration of wavelength-meters and spectral analysers for DWDM communication systems. We are co-operating with CMI (Czech Metrology Institute) on this project. We present stabilized laser system based on a single frequency DFB (Distributed Feedback) laser diode with a narrow spectral profile. The laser is pre-stabilized by means of the FM-spectroscopy on a passive resonator. Thanks to a fast feed-back loop we are able to improve spectral characteristics of the laser. The laser frequency is locked by a relatively slow second feed-back loop on an absorption line of acetylene vapour which is sealed in a cell under the optimised pressure.

Electronic structure, local magnetism, and spin-orbit effects of Ir(IV)-, Ir(V)-, and Ir(VI)-based compounds

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

Laguna-Marco, M. A.; Kayser, P.; Alonso, J. A.

2015-06-01

Element- and orbital-selective x-ray absorption and magnetic circular dichroism measurements are carried out to probe the electronic structure and magnetism of Ir 5d electronic states in double perovskite Sr2MIrO6 (M = Mg, Ca, Sc, Ti, Ni, Fe, Zn, In) and La2NiIrO6 compounds. All the studied systems present a significant influence of spin-orbit interactions in the electronic ground state. In addition, we find that the Ir 5d local magnetic moment shows different character depending on the oxidation state despite the net magnetization being similar for all the compounds. Ir carries an orbital contribution comparable to the spin contribution for Ir4+ (5d(5))more » and Ir5+ (5d(4)) oxides, whereas the orbital contribution is quenched for Ir6+ (5d(3)) samples. Incorporation of a magnetic 3d atom allows getting insight into the magnetic coupling between 5d and 3d transition metals. Together with previous susceptibility and neutron diffractionmeasurements, the results indicate that Ir carries a significant local magnetic moment even in samples without a 3d metal. The size of the (small) net magnetization of these compounds is a result of predominant antiferromagnetic interactions between local moments coupled with structural details of each perovskite structure« less

Tracers of Star Formation in the Near Infrared

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martins, L.; Ardila, A.; Gruenwald, R.; de Souza, R.

2010-04-01

Starburst features in the optical are nowadays well known, but the use of this knowledge is not always possible (e.g. objects heavily obscured). In this case the near-IR is of unprecedented value. Recent models show that TP-AGB stars should dominate the NIR spectra of populations 0.3 to 2 Gyr old. While the optical spectra is insensitive to the presence of these stars, the near-IR changes dramatically. Not only does the absolute flux in the near-IR is affected, but also peculiar absorption features appear. These features can be used as indicators of 1 Gyr stellar population. In this work we used the IRTF Spex to create the first empirical database of NIR spectra of carefully selected starbursts, to test for the first time and in a consistent way the new stellar population models that account for the TP-AGB. The methodology used is to do stellar population synthesis in the optical and in the NIR, and compare the predictions of both spectral regions. We also compare the strength of important features of the TP-AGB stars, like the CN (1.1 microns) and CO (2.3 microns) bands with optical diagnostics.

Fabrication of flexible Ir and Ir-Rh wires and application for thermocouple

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murakami, Rikito; Kamada, Kei; Shoji, Yasuhiro; Yokota, Yuui; Yoshino, Masao; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Ohashi, Yuji; Yamaji, Akihiro; Yoshikawa, Akira

2018-04-01

The fabrication and thermal electromotive force characteristics of Ir/Ir-Rh thermocouples capable of repeated bending deformation are described. Ir and Ir-Rh wires with a diameter of 0.5 mm were fabricated using the alloy-micro-pulling-down method. Scanning electron microscopy and electron backscattering diffraction of the radial cross section of the grown wires were performed to investigate the microstructure and orientation of the crystal grains. At the start of growth, the microstructure was polycrystalline with diameters of several hundred micrometers, while at the 8-m growth point it was found to be monocrystalline. The observed single crystals of pure Ir and Ir-Rh alloy were oriented in the 〈1 1 3〉 and 〈1 1 2〉 directions, respectively, whereas the polycrystalline Ir-Rh samples showed preferential growth in the 〈1 0 0〉 direction. The thermal electromotive force of the fabricated Ir/Ir-Rh thermocouple was measured by the comparison technique and the fixed-point technique, and the thermoelectric power was estimated to be 5.9 μV/°C in the range from 600°C to 1100°C.

New Inspiring Planetarium Show Introduces ALMA to the Public

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2009-03-01

As part of a wide range of education and public outreach activities for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009), ESO, together with the Association of French Language Planetariums (APLF), has produced a 30-minute planetarium show, In Search of our Cosmic Origins. It is centred on the global ground-based astronomical Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) project and represents a unique chance for planetariums to be associated with the IYA2009. ESO PR Photo 09a/09 Logo of the ALMA Planetarium Show ESO PR Photo 09b/09 Galileo's first observations with a telescope ESO PR Photo 09c/09 The ALMA Observatory ESO PR Photo 09d/09 The Milky Way band ESO PR Video 09a/09 Trailer in English ALMA is the leading telescope for observing the cool Universe -- the relic radiation of the Big Bang, and the molecular gas and dust that constitute the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. It is currently being built in the extremely arid environment of the Chajnantor plateau, at 5000 metres altitude in the Chilean Andes, and will start scientific observations around 2011. ALMA, the largest current astronomical project, is a revolutionary telescope, comprising a state-of-the-art array of 66 giant 12-metre and 7-metre diameter antennas observing at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths. In Search of our Cosmic Origins highlights the unprecedented window on the Universe that this facility will open for astronomers. "The show gives viewers a fascinating tour of the highest observatory on Earth, and takes them from there out into our Milky Way, and beyond," says Douglas Pierce-Price, the ALMA Public Information Officer at ESO. Edited by world fulldome experts Mirage3D, the emphasis of the new planetarium show is on the incomparable scientific adventure of the ALMA project. A young female astronomer guides the audience through a story that includes unique animations and footage, leading the viewer from the first observations by Galileo

S- Cis Diene Conformation: A New Bathochromic Shift Strategy for Near-Infrared Fluorescence Switchable Dye and the Imaging Applications.

PubMed

Chen, Hsiang-Jung; Chew, Chee Ying; Chang, En-Hao; Tu, Yu-Wei; Wei, Li-Yu; Wu, Bo-Han; Chen, Chien-Hung; Yang, Ya-Ting; Huang, Su-Chin; Chen, Jen-Kun; Chen, I-Chia; Tan, Kui-Thong

2018-04-18

In this paper, we present a novel charge-free fluorescence-switchable near-infrared (IR) dye based on merocyanine for target specific imaging. In contrast to the typical bathochromic shift approach by extending π-conjugation, the bathochromic shift of our merocyanine dye to the near-IR region is due to an unusual S- cis diene conformer. This is the first example where a fluorescent dye adopts the stable S- cis conformation. In addition to the novel bathochromic shift mechanism, the dye exhibits fluorescence-switchable properties in response to polarity and viscosity. By incorporating a protein-specific ligand to the dye, the probes (for SNAP-tag and hCAII proteins) exhibited dramatic fluorescence increase (up to 300-fold) upon binding with its target protein. The large fluorescence enhancement, near-IR absorption/emission, and charge-free scaffold enabled no-wash and site-specific imaging of target proteins in living cells and in vivo with minimum background fluorescence. We believe that our unconventional approach for a near-IR dye with the S- cis diene conformation can lead to new strategies for the design of near-IR dyes.

Expression of cancer/testis antigens in salivary gland carcinomas with reference to MAGE-A and NY-ESO-1 expression in adenoid cystic carcinoma.

PubMed

Beppu, Shintaro; Ito, Yohei; Fujii, Kana; Saida, Kosuke; Takino, Hisashi; Masaki, Ayako; Murase, Takayuki; Kusafuka, Kimihide; Iida, Yoshiyuki; Onitsuka, Tetsuro; Yatabe, Yasushi; Hanai, Nobuhiro; Hasegawa, Yasuhisa; Ijichi, Kei; Murakami, Shingo; Inagaki, Hiroshi

2017-08-01

Cancer/testis antigens (CTAs) are detected in cancer cells but not in healthy normal tissues, with the exception of gametogenic tissues. CTAs are highly immunogenic proteins, and thus represent ideal targets for cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-mediated specific immune therapy. The aim of this study was to screen CTA expression in various types of salivary gland carcinoma and to clarify clinicopathological significance of MAGE-A and NY-ESO-1 expression in adenoid cystic carcinomas (AdCCs) of the salivary gland, which is one of the most common salivary gland carcinomas, and usually has a fatal outcome. We used immunohistochemistry to examine the expression of four CTAs (MAGE-A, NY-ESO-1, CT7, and GAGE7) in various types of salivary gland carcinoma (n = 95). When carcinoma cases were divided into low-grade and intermediate/high-grade types, NY-ESO-1 and CT7 were expressed more frequently in intermediate/high-grade carcinomas. We then focused on MAGE-A and NY-ESO-1 expression in a large cohort of adenoid cystic carcinomas (AdCCs) (n = 46). MAGE-A and NY-ESO-1 were frequently expressed in AdCC; specifically, MAGE-A was expressed in >60% of the AdCC cases. MAGE-A expression and tumour site (minor salivary gland) were identified as independent risk factors for locoregional tumour recurrence. These findings suggest that CTAs may be expressed in a variety of salivary gland carcinomas, especially in those with higher histological grades. In addition, MAGE-A, which is frequently expressed in AdCC cases, may be a useful prognostic factor for poorer locoregional recurrence-free survival. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Detection of magnetic field in the B2 star ρ Ophiuchi A with ESO FORS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pillitteri, I.; Fossati, L.; Castro Rodriguez, N.; Oskinova, L.; Wolk, S. J.

2018-02-01

Circumstantial evidence suggests that magnetism and enhanced X-ray emission are likely correlated in early B-type stars: similar fractions of them ( 10%) are strong and hard X-ray sources and possess strong magnetic fields. It is also known that some B-type stars have spots on their surface. Yet up to now no X-ray activity associated with spots on early-type stars was detected. In this Letter we report the detection of a magnetic field on the B2V star ρ Oph A. Previously, we assessed that the X-ray activity of this star is associated with a surface spot, herewith we establish its magnetic origin. We analyze spectra of ρ Oph A obtained with the FORS2 spectrograph at ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) at two epochs, and detect a longitudinal component of the magnetic field of the order of 500 G in one of the datasets. The detection of the magnetic field only at one epoch can be explained by stellar rotation which is also invoked to explain observed periodic X-ray activity. From archival HARPS ESO VLT high resolution spectra we derived the fundamental stellar parameters of ρ Oph A and further constrained its age. We conclude that ρ Oph A provides strong evidence for the presence of active X-ray emitting regions on young magnetized early type stars. Based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere under ESO programmes 099.D-0067(A) and 078.C-0403(A).

78 FR 21708 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Publication 1345

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-11

... Publication 1345 AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments... Publication 1345, Handbook for Authorized IRS e-file Providers. DATES: Written comments should be received on... [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Publication 1345, Handbook for Authorized...

Awesome Universe: an exhibition with images that showcase celestial objects as seen by ESO's observatories and associated activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marin-Farrona, A. M.

2015-05-01

In September 2013, an ESO exhibition was shown in Santander: ``Awesome Universe -- the Cosmos through the eyes of the European Southern Observatory". Around the exhibition, were proposed several activities: guide tours for children, younger and adults, workshops, film projections... In this way, the exhibition was visited by more than two thousand persons. We must keep in mind that Santander is a small city and its population does not usually take part in outreach activity. With this contribution, we want to teach the way in which it is possible to take advantage of science exhibitions. It made possible to show stunning images that showcase celestial objects as seen by ESO's observatories to the great majority of Santander population, and to awaken their interest in or enthusiasm for science.

THE FAST DECLINING TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA 2003gs, AND EVIDENCE FOR A SIGNIFICANT DISPERSION IN NEAR-INFRARED ABSOLUTE MAGNITUDES OF FAST DECLINERS AT MAXIMUM LIGHT

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

Krisciunas, Kevin; Marion, G. H.; Suntzeff, Nicholas B.

2009-12-15

We obtained optical photometry of SN 2003gs on 49 nights, from 2 to 494 days after T(B {sub max}). We also obtained near-IR photometry on 21 nights. SN 2003gs was the first fast declining Type Ia SN that has been well observed since SN 1999by. While it was subluminous in optical bands compared to more slowly declining Type Ia SNe, it was not subluminous at maximum light in the near-IR bands. There appears to be a bimodal distribution in the near-IR absolute magnitudes of Type Ia SNe at maximum light. Those that peak in the near-IR after T(B {sub max})more » are subluminous in the all bands. Those that peak in the near-IR prior to T(B {sub max}), such as SN 2003gs, have effectively the same near-IR absolute magnitudes at maximum light regardless of the decline rate {delta}m {sub 15}(B). Near-IR spectral evidence suggests that opacities in the outer layers of SN 2003gs are reduced much earlier than for normal Type Ia SNe. That may allow {gamma} rays that power the luminosity to escape more rapidly and accelerate the decline rate. This conclusion is consistent with the photometric behavior of SN 2003gs in the IR, which indicates a faster than normal decline from approximately normal peak brightness.« less

Cloud structure on Uranus as constrained by near IR 1.1-1.8 micron spectra.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sromovsky, L. A.; Fry, P. M.

2005-08-01

Three uranian cloud layers were identified by West et al. (Uranus, Univ. Arizona Press, 1991): an optically thin stratospheric haze, an optically thicker methane haze (0.4 < τ < 1) primarily in the 1.2-1.3 bar region, and a cloud of unknown composition near 3 bars. Using improved methane band models of Irwin et al. (BAAS, this issue) we were able to test this paradigm using near-IR spectra covering 1.1-1.8 μ m, a range well suited for distinguishing the main cloud levels. We assumed a 2-cloud model in which the lower cloud is opaque and the upper cloud consists of broken opaque elements. The pressure and fractional coverage of the upper cloud and the pressure and albedo of the lower cloud were adjusted to fit the 1975 geometric albedo spectrum of Fink and Larsen (ApJ 233, 1021-40, 1979), with the following results (first two rows): Fit Range & Upper & Upper & Lower & Lower & (μ m) & P (bars) & Fraction(%) & P (bars) & Albedo (%) & χ2 1.175-1.34 & 2.2±0.15 & 2.8±0.4 & 6.6+1.2-0.7 & 6.5±0.8 & 206 1.450-1.70 & 1.8±0.10 & 2.2±0.3 & 5.2+0.8-0.4 & 3.3±0.3& 223 1.175-1.34 & 1.25 (fixed) & 0.15±0.08 & 3.1 (fixed) & 6.6±0.8 & 296 1.450-1.70 & 1.25 (fixed) & 0.66±0.05 & 3.1 (fixed) & 4.4±0.1 & 281 Fixing clouds at paradigm pressures of 1.25 bars and 3.1 bars yields a significant reduction in fit quality and a very small upper cloud contribution (last two rows). The paradigm-violating best-fit results are consistent with an analysis of seven-band Keck AO imaging observations (Sromovsky and Fry, in preparation), which concludes that the 1.2-bar cloud is at best a minor contributor to Uranus' reflectivity and that latitudinal variations in brightness are mainly controlled by deeper clouds. How prior results can be explained in the context of these new results remains to be determined. This research was supported by a grant from NASA's Planetary Astronomy Program.

Coexisting charge and magnetic orders in the dimer-chain iridate Ba 5AlIr 2O 11

DOE PAGES

Terzic, J.; Wang, J. C.; Ye, Feng; ...

2015-06-29

In this paper, we have synthesized and studied single-crystal Ba 5AlIr 2O 11 that features dimer chains of two inequivalent octahedra occupied by tetravalent Ir 4+(5d 5) and pentavalent Ir 5+(5d 4) ions, respectively. Ba 5AlIr 2O 11 is a Mott insulator that undergoes a subtle structural phase transition near T S=210K and a magnetic transition at T M=4.5K; the latter transition is surprisingly resistant to applied magnetic fields μ oH≤12T but more sensitive to modest applied pressure (dT M/dp ≈ +0.61K/GPa). All results indicate that the phase transition at T S signals an enhanced charge order that induces electricalmore » dipoles and strong dielectric response near T S. It is clear that the strong covalency and spin-orbit interaction (SOI) suppress double exchange in Ir dimers and stabilize a novel magnetic state that is neither S=3/2 nor J=1/2, but rather lies in an “intermediate” regime between these two states. Finally, the novel behavior of Ba 5AlIr 2O 11 therefore provides unique insights into the physics of SOI along with strong covalency in competition with double-exchange interactions of comparable strength.« less

Identification of dusty massive stars in star-forming dwarf irregular galaxies in the Local Group with mid-IR photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Britavskiy, N. E.; Bonanos, A. Z.; Mehner, A.; Boyer, M. L.; McQuinn, K. B. W.

2015-12-01

Context. Increasing the statistics of spectroscopically confirmed evolved massive stars in the Local Group enables the investigation of the mass loss phenomena that occur in these stars in the late stages of their evolution. Aims: We aim to complete the census of luminous mid-IR sources in star-forming dwarf irregular (dIrr) galaxies of the Local Group. To achieve this we employed mid-IR photometric selection criteria to identify evolved massive stars, such as red supergiants (RSGs) and luminous blue variables (LBVs), by using the fact that these types of stars have infrared excess due to dust. Methods: The method is based on 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm photometry from archival Spitzer Space Telescope images of nearby galaxies. We applied our criteria to four dIrr galaxies: Pegasus, Phoenix, Sextans A, and WLM, selecting 79 point sources that we observed with the VLT/FORS2 spectrograph in multi-object spectroscopy mode. Results: We identified 13 RSGs, of which 6 are new discoveries, as well as two new emission line stars, and one candidate yellow supergiant. Among the other observed objects we identified carbon stars, foreground giants, and background objects, such as a quasar and an early-type galaxy that contaminate our survey. We use the results of our spectroscopic survey to revise the mid-IR and optical selection criteria for identifying RSGs from photometric measurements. The optical selection criteria are more efficient in separating extragalactic RSGs from foreground giants than mid-IR selection criteria, but the mid-IR selection criteria are useful for identifying dusty stars in the Local Group. This work serves as a basis for further investigation of the newly discovered dusty massive stars and their host galaxies. Based on observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under programme IDs 090.D-0009 and 091.D-0010.Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

VizieR Online Data Catalog: KiDS-ESO-DR2 multi-band source catalog (de Jong+, 2015)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Jong, J. T. A.; Verdoes Kleijn, G. A.; Boxhoorn, D. R.; Buddelmeijer, H.; Capaccioli, M.; Getman, F.; Grado, A.; Helmich, E.; Huang, Z.; Irisarri, N.; Kuijken, K.; La Barbera, F.; McFarland, J. P.; Napolitano, N. R.; Radovich, M.; Sikkema, G.; Valentijn, E. A.; Begeman, K. G.; Brescia, M.; Cavuoti, S.; Choi, A.; Cordes, O.-M.; Covone, G.; Dall'Ora, M.; Hildebrandt, H.; Longo, G.; Nakajima, R.; Paolillo, M.; Puddu, E.; Rifatto, A.; Tortora, C.; van Uitert, E.; Buddendiek, A.; Harnois-Deraps, J.; Erben, T.; Eriksen, M. B.; Heymans, C.; Hoekstra, H.; Joachimi, B.; Kitching, T. D.; Klaes, D.; Koopmans, L. V. E.; Koehlinger, F.; Roy, N.; Sifon, C.; Schneider, P.; Sutherland, W. J.; Viola, M.; Vriend, W.-J.

2016-10-01

KiDS data releases consist of ~1 square degree tiles that have been successfully observed in all four survey filters (u,g,r,i). The second data release (KiDS-ESO-DR2) was available in February 2015 and contains imaging data, masks and single-band source lists for all tiles observed in all four filters for which observations were completed during the second year of regular operations (1 October 2012 to 31 September 2013), a total of 98 tiles. Apart from the data products mentioned above, KiDS-ESO-DR2 also provides a multi-band source catalogue based on the combined set of 148 tiles released in the first two data releases. A complete list of all tiles with data quality parameters can be found on the KiDS website: http://kids.strw.leidenuniv.nl/DR2/ (1 data file).

Near-IR Spectroscopy of Herbig Ae/Be Companion Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodgers, B. M.; van der Bliek, N. S.; Brandvig, B.; Thomas, S.; Doppmann, G.; Bouvier, J.

2005-12-01

We present first results of a program to obtain near-infrared spectra of candidate companions to intermediate mass pre-main sequence Herbig Ae/Be (HAEBE) stars. Accurate spectral classification is critical to proper identification of the secondary star and interpretation of its spectral energy distribution. Spectra also allow analysis of emission lines and other stellar charcteristics such as veiling and rotation, to determine the companion's evolutionary status and help establish binarity. Of the first six objects observed with GNIRS on Gemini South (AS310 NW, HD76534, HD150193, HR5999, HD141569 and CO Ori), we find two B+B companion pairs, three early A primaries with T Tauri type secondaries (G, K and M type), and a peculiar F+F pair in which the secondary star is the primary emission star (respectively). If true binaries, three systems are similar spectral type pairs but with very different extinction and emission properties. The three late-type secondaries all exhibit significant near-infrared excess, but only weak emission lines. Other components of our project are an AO-fed near-infrared imaging survey of a large sample of HAEBE systems (N. S. van der Bliek et al. poster) and modeling of companion spectral energy distributions (B. Brandvig et al. poster). Together, these three complementary approaches will result in the most thorough accounting of multiple HAEBE systems to date. Our initial spectroscopy sample contains about 40 objects taken from the literature, roughly half from Bouvier and Corporon (2001). Based on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (United Kingdom), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), CNPq (Brazil

Extending ORAC-DR for Offline Processing of ESO, INGRID, and Classic Cam data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Currie, M. J.

2004-07-01

ORAC-DR--a flexible reduction pipeline---was originally developed by the Joint Astronomy Centre for real-time inspection of reduced data at its telescopes. Starlink is extending ORAC-DR to process at home institutions data from other observatories, notably ESO, whose instruments make no provision for ORAC-DR. I outline the problems encountered and solutions implemented or proposed to apply ORAC-DR to the infra-red instruments ISAAC, NACO, INGRID, and Classic~Cam.

Nonstationary EO/IR Clutter Suppression and Dim Object Tracking

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

Brown, A., and Brown, J., Enhanced Algorithms for EO /IR Electronic Stabilization, Clutter Suppression, and Track - Before - Detect for Multiple Low...estimation-suppression and nonlinear filtering-based multiple-object track - before - detect . These algorithms are suitable for integration into...In such cases, it is imperative to develop efficient real or near-real time tracking before detection methods. This paper continues the work started

A Continued Census of Mid-IR Variability from ULXs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, Ryan; Kasliwal, Mansi; Heida, Marianne; Walton, Dom

2017-04-01

The nature of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) that radiate at luminosities >10^39 erg/s is still a mystery. ULXs are believed to be binaries with an accreting compact object and stellar mass-donor companion, but such high luminosities require accretion rates that are factors of 100 greater than the Eddington limit for accretion onto a neutron star or stellar mass black hole. The difficulties in interpreting ULXs are largely attributed to current observational challenges in determining their orbital properties as well as the properties of the mass-donor companion. Recently, near- and mid-infrared (IR) observations have been demonstrated as powerful diagnostics of the mass-donor companion and the circumstellar environment of ULXs. For example, serendipitous Spitzer/IRAC observations of the ULX Holmberg II X-1 in our Spitzer Infrared Intensive Transients Survey (SPIRITS) revealed the first detection of mid-IR variability from a ULX, where we claimed that the mid-IR emission arises from a dusty circumbinary torus in the winds of a supergiant B[e] mass-donor companion. We identified 5 additional mid-IR ULX counterparts detected by Spitzer/IRAC, one of which shows significant variability like Holmberg II X-1. Although we are finding a growing sample of ULXs exhibiting mid-IR variability, it is unclear what causes it. Notably, the week - year cadence baselines of the SPIRITS observations are inadequate for resolving variability timescales consistent with several observed ULX orbital periods. In this proposal, we request time-series observations of 6 ULXs with cadence baselines ranging from 0.5 days to 1 week in order to identify the timescales associated mid-IR variability.

IR radiation characteristics and operating range research for a quad-rotor unmanned aircraft vehicle.

PubMed

Gong, Mali; Guo, Rui; He, Sifeng; Wang, Wei

2016-11-01

The security threats caused by multi-rotor unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) are serious, especially in public places. To detect and control multi-rotor UAVs, knowledge of IR characteristics is necessary. The IR characteristics of a typical commercial quad-rotor UAV are investigated in this paper through thermal imaging with an IR camera. Combining the 3D geometry and IR images of the UAV, a 3D IR characteristics model is established so that the radiant power from different views can be obtained. An estimation of operating range to detect the UAV is calculated theoretically using signal-to-noise ratio as the criterion. Field experiments are implemented with an uncooled IR camera in an environment temperature of 12°C and a uniform background. For the front view, the operating range is about 150 m, which is close to the simulation result of 170 m.

Comet Halley passes the halfway mark. Very distant image obtained with the ESO NTT.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1994-02-01

Eight years after the passage of Comet Halley in early 1986, astronomers at the European Southern Observatory have succeeded in obtaining an image [1] of this famous object at a distance of no less than 2,820 million km from the Sun. The comet is now about as far away as giant planet Uranus. It recently passed the halfway mark towards the most distant point of its very elongated 76-year orbit. The image shows the 6 x 15 km avocado-shaped nucleus as an extremely faint point of light without any surrounding dust cloud. It appears that the surface is now completely frozen and the comet has ceased to emit dust and gas. This observation was made with the ESO 3.58 metre New Technology Telescope (NTT). It is by far the faintest and most distant image ever recorded of this comet. A DIFFICULT OBSERVATION The new Halley image was obtained in the course of an observational programme by a small group of astronomers [2], aimed at the investigation of distant solar system objects. The observation was difficult to perform and is close to the limit of what is possible, even with the NTT, one of the technologically most advanced astronomical telescopes. In fact, this observation may be compared to viewing a black golfball, used during a late evening game, from a distance of 12,000 km. At Halley's present, very large distance from the Sun, the intensity of the solar light is over 350 times fainter than here on Earth. The surface of the cometary nucleus is very dark; it reflects only 4 % of the infalling sunlight. The amount of light received from Halley is therefore extremely small: the recorded star-like image of the nucleus is about 160 million times fainter than the faintest star that can be seen with the unaided eye. A long exposure was needed to catch enough light to show the object; even with the very sensitive SuSI CCD camera at the NTT, the shutter had to be kept open for a total of 3 hours 45 minutes. During this time, of the order of 9000 photons from Comet Halley were

IRS Releases Tax Questionnaire that Asks Colleges to Disclose More

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelderman, Eric

2008-01-01

Nearly 400 colleges across the United States are about to be asked to disclose intimate financial details of their operations to the Internal Revenue Service. This article reports on a highly detailed financial questionnaire designed by the IRS for the first phase of its Colleges and Universities Compliance Project, which is part of a continuing…

Magellan adaptive optics first-light observations of the exoplanet β PIC b. I. Direct imaging in the far-red optical with MagAO+VisAO and in the near-IR with NICI {sup ,}

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

Males, Jared R.; Close, Laird M.; Morzinski, Katie M.

We present the first ground-based CCD (λ < 1 μm) image of an extrasolar planet. Using the Magellan Adaptive Optics system's VisAO camera, we detected the extrasolar giant planet β Pictoris b in Y-short (Y{sub S} , 0.985 μm), at a separation of 0.470 ± 0.''010 and a contrast of (1.63 ± 0.49) × 10{sup –5}. This detection has a signal-to-noise ratio of 4.1 with an empirically estimated upper limit on false alarm probability of 1.0%. We also present new photometry from the Gemini Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imager instrument on the Gemini South telescope, in CH {sub 4S,1%} (1.58 μm), K{submore » S} (2.18 μm), and K {sub cont} (2.27 μm). A thorough analysis of our photometry combined with previous measurements yields an estimated near-IR spectral type of L2.5 ± 1.5, consistent with previous estimates. We estimate log (L {sub bol}/L {sub ☉}) = –3.86 ± 0.04, which is consistent with prior estimates for β Pic b and with field early-L brown dwarfs (BDs). This yields a hot-start mass estimate of 11.9 ± 0.7 M {sub Jup} for an age of 21 ± 4 Myr, with an upper limit below the deuterium burning mass. Our L {sub bol}-based hot-start estimate for temperature is T {sub eff} = 1643 ± 32 K (not including model-dependent uncertainty). Due to the large corresponding model-derived radius of R = 1.43 ± 0.02 R {sub Jup}, this T {sub eff} is ∼250 K cooler than would be expected for a field L2.5 BD. Other young, low-gravity (large-radius), ultracool dwarfs and directly imaged EGPs also have lower effective temperatures than are implied by their spectral types. However, such objects tend to be anomalously red in the near-IR compared to field BDs. In contrast, β Pic b has near-IR colors more typical of an early-L dwarf despite its lower inferred temperature.« less

VizieR Online Data Catalog: VIMOS Public Extragalactic Survey (VIPERS) DR1 (Garilli+, 2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garilli, B.; Guzzo, L.; Scodeggio, M.; Bolzonella, M.; Abbas, U.; Adami, C.; Arnouts, S.; Bel, J.; Bottini, D.; Branchini, E.; Cappi, A.; Coupon, J.; Cucciati, O.; Davidzon, I.; de Lucia, G.; de la Torre, S.; Franzetti, P.; Fritz, A.; Fumana, M.; Granett, B. R.; Ilbert, O.; Iovino, A.; Krywult, J.; Le Brun, V.; Le Fevre, O.; Maccagni, D.; Malek, K.; Marulli, F.; McCracken, H. J.; Paioro, L.; Polletta, M.; Pollo, A.; Schlagenhaufer, H.; Tasca, L. A. M.; Tojeiro, R.; Vergani, D.; Zamorani, G.; Zanichelli, A.; Burden, A.; di Porto, C.; Marchetti, A.; Marinoni, C.; Mellier, Y.; Moscardini, L.; Nichol, R. C.; Peacock, J. A.; Percival, W. J.; Phleps, S.; Wolk, M.

2014-09-01

We present the first Public Data Release (PDR-1) of the VIMOS Public Extragalactic Survey (VIPERS). It comprises 57204 spectroscopic measurements together with all additional information necessary for optimal scientific exploitation of the data, in particular the associated photometric measurements and quantification of the photometric and survey completeness. VIPERS is an ESO Large Programme designed to build a spectroscopic sample of =~100000 galaxies with iAB<22.5 and 0.5nearly 24 deg2, for a total comoving volume between z=0.5 and 1.2 of =~4x107(Mpc/h)3 and a median galaxy redshift of z=~0.8. The release presented in this paper includes data from virtually the entire W4 field and nearly half of the W1 area, thus representing 64% of the final dataset. We provide a detailed description of sample selection, observations and data reduction procedures; we summarise the global properties of the spectroscopic catalogue and explain the associated data products and their use, and provide all the details for accessing the data through the survey database (http://vipers.inaf.it) where all information can be queried interactively. (4 data files).

Fluorescence multiplexing with time-resolved and spectral discrimination using a near-IR detector.

PubMed

Zhu, Li; Stryjewski, Wieslaw; Lassiter, Suzanne; Soper, Steven A

2003-05-15

We report on the design and performance of a two-color, time-resolved detector for the acquisition of both steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence data acquired in real time during the capillary gel electrophoresis separation of DNA sequencing fragments. The detector consisted of a pair of pulsed laser diodes operating at 680 and 780 nm. The diode heads were coupled directly to single-mode fibers, which were terminated into a single fiber mounted via a FC/PC connector to the detector body. The detector contained a dichroic filter, which directed the dual-laser beams to an objective. The objective focused the laser light into a capillary gel column and also collected the resulting fluorescence emission. The dual-color emission was transmitted through the dichroic and focused onto a multimode fiber (core diameter 50 microm), which carried the luminescence to a pair of single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). The emission was sorted spectrally using a second dichroic onto one of two SPADs and isolated using appropriate interference filters (710- or 810-nm channel). The dual-color detector demonstrated a time response of 450 and 510 ps (fwhm) for the 710- and 810-nm channels, respectively. The mass detection limits for two near-IR dye-labeled sequencing primers electrophoresed in a capillary gel column were found to be 7.1 x 10(-21) and 3.2 x 10(-20) mol (SNR = 3) for the 710- and 810-nm detector channels, respectively. In addition, no leakage of luminescence excited at 680 nm was observed in the 810-nm channel or 780-nm excited luminescence into the 710-nm channel. An M13mp18 template was sequenced in a single capillary gel column using a two-color, two-lifetime format. The read length was found to be 650 base pairs for the test template at a calling accuracy of 95.1% using a linear poly(dimethylacrylamide) (POP6) gel column, with the read length determined primarily by the electrophoretic resolution produced by the sieving gel.

Spectrum of Th-Ar Hollow Cathode Lamps

National Institute of Standards and Technology Data Gateway

SRD 161 NIST Spectrum of Th-Ar Hollow Cathode Lamps (Web, free access)   This atlas presents observations of the infra-red (IR) spectrum of a low current Th-Ar hollow cathode lamp with the 2-m Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) at NIST. These observations establish more than 2400 lines that are suitable for use as wavelength standards in the range 691 nm to 5804 nm. The observations were made in collaboration with the European Southern Observatory (ESO), in order to provide calibration reference data for new high-resolution Echelle spectrographs, such as the Cryogenic High-Resolution IR Echelle Spectrograph ([CRIRES]), ESO's new IR spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope in Chile.

Engineering of near IR fluorescent albumin nanoparticles for in vivo detection of colon cancer.

PubMed

Cohen, Sarit; Margel, Shlomo

2012-08-14

The use of near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging techniques has gained great interest for early detection of cancer because water and other intrinsic biomolecules display negligible absorption or autofluorescence in this region. Novel fluorescent nanoparticles with potential to improve neoplasm detection sensitivity may prove to be a valuable tool in early detection of colon tumors. The present study describes the synthesis and use of NIR fluorescent albumin nanoparticles as a diagnostic tool for detection of colon cancer. These fluorescent nanoparticles were prepared by a precipitation process of human serum albumin (HSA) in aqueous solution in the presence of a carboxylic acid derivative of the NIR dye IR-783 (CANIR). Tumor-targeting ligands such as peanut agglutinin (PNA), anti-carcinoembryonic antigen antibodies (anti-CEA) and tumor associated glycoprotein-72 monoclonal antibodies (anti-TAG-72) were covalently conjugated to the albumin nanoparticles via the surface carboxylate groups by using the carbodiimide activation method. Leakage of the encapsulated dye into PBS containing 4% HSA or human bowel juice was not detected. This study also demonstrates that the encapsulation of the NIR fluorescent dye within the HSA nanoparticles reduces the photobleaching of the dye significantly. Specific colon tumor detection in a mouse model was demonstrated for PNA, anti-CEA and anti-TAG-72 conjugated NIR fluorescent HSA nanoparticles. These bioactive NIR fluorescent albumin nanoparticles also detected invisible tumors that were revealed as pathological only subsequent to histological analysis. These results may suggest a significant advantage of NIR fluorescence imaging using NIR fluorescent nanoparticles over regular colonoscopy. In future work we plan to broaden this study by encapsulating cancer drugs, such as paclitaxel and doxorubicin, within these biodegradable NIR fluorescent HSA nanoparticles, in order to use them for both detection as well as therapy of colon

Engineering of near IR fluorescent albumin nanoparticles for in vivo detection of colon cancer

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The use of near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging techniques has gained great interest for early detection of cancer because water and other intrinsic biomolecules display negligible absorption or autofluorescence in this region. Novel fluorescent nanoparticles with potential to improve neoplasm detection sensitivity may prove to be a valuable tool in early detection of colon tumors. Methods The present study describes the synthesis and use of NIR fluorescent albumin nanoparticles as a diagnostic tool for detection of colon cancer. These fluorescent nanoparticles were prepared by a precipitation process of human serum albumin (HSA) in aqueous solution in the presence of a carboxylic acid derivative of the NIR dye IR-783 (CANIR). Tumor-targeting ligands such as peanut agglutinin (PNA), anti-carcinoembryonic antigen antibodies (anti-CEA) and tumor associated glycoprotein-72 monoclonal antibodies (anti-TAG-72) were covalently conjugated to the albumin nanoparticles via the surface carboxylate groups by using the carbodiimide activation method. Results and discussion Leakage of the encapsulated dye into PBS containing 4% HSA or human bowel juice was not detected. This study also demonstrates that the encapsulation of the NIR fluorescent dye within the HSA nanoparticles reduces the photobleaching of the dye significantly. Specific colon tumor detection in a mouse model was demonstrated for PNA, anti-CEA and anti-TAG-72 conjugated NIR fluorescent HSA nanoparticles. These bioactive NIR fluorescent albumin nanoparticles also detected invisible tumors that were revealed as pathological only subsequent to histological analysis. Conclusions These results may suggest a significant advantage of NIR fluorescence imaging using NIR fluorescent nanoparticles over regular colonoscopy. In future work we plan to broaden this study by encapsulating cancer drugs, such as paclitaxel and doxorubicin, within these biodegradable NIR fluorescent HSA nanoparticles, in order to

SN IA in the IR: RAISIN A progress report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirshner, Robert P.; The RAISIN TEAM

2014-01-01

SN Ia have proven to be a powerful tool for cosmology. Near-IR observations of SN Ia promise even better results because the supernovae are more nearly standard candles at those wavelengths and absorption by dust is diminished by a factor of 4 compared to rest-frame B-band observations. Near IR observations of cosmologically-distant SN Ia discovered with PanSTARRS are underway using the infrared camera on the Hubble Space Telescope (GO-13046). These targets are discovered in the difference images created in the CfA/JHU pipeline, confirmed spectroscopically at the MMT, Magellan, Gemini, or Keck, and inserted in a non-disruptive way into the HST observing schedule for WFC3-IR. We have observed over 20 SN Ia in the range 0.2 < z < 0.5 during Cycle 21 and this is a progress report on the analysis. The final results require a repeat observation after the supernova has faded. Those will be completed in 2014, but we have a sufficient sample of objects for which the supernova is well separated from the host galaxy to illustrate the power of this technique. Preliminary analysis shows HST data can reduce the uncertainty in the distance to each supernova by a factor or 2. Sufficiently large supernova samples have been gathered at all redshifts so that statistical errors in interesting parameters (like the dark energy equation-of-state index (1 +w)), have been driven down to the same level as the systematic errors (about 7%). Further progress is limited by our ability to master the systematic errors. These include the correction for luminosity based on the light curve shape and the correction based on intrinsic color and reddening by dust. Since SN IA behave better in the IR in both these ways, there is reason to expect that this approach will be effective in driving down the systematic errors over time. If we are diligent in building up the size of the sample that is observed in the rest-frame infrared, we can expect more certain knowledge of the properties of dark energy

Molecfit: A general tool for telluric absorption correction. II. Quantitative evaluation on ESO-VLT/X-Shooterspectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kausch, W.; Noll, S.; Smette, A.; Kimeswenger, S.; Barden, M.; Szyszka, C.; Jones, A. M.; Sana, H.; Horst, H.; Kerber, F.

2015-04-01

Context. Absorption by molecules in the Earth's atmosphere strongly affects ground-based astronomical observations. The resulting absorption line strength and shape depend on the highly variable physical state of the atmosphere, i.e. pressure, temperature, and mixing ratio of the different molecules involved. Usually, supplementary observations of so-called telluric standard stars (TSS) are needed to correct for this effect, which is expensive in terms of telescope time. We have developed the software package molecfit to provide synthetic transmission spectra based on parameters obtained by fitting narrow ranges of the observed spectra of scientific objects. These spectra are calculated by means of the radiative transfer code LBLRTM and an atmospheric model. In this way, the telluric absorption correction for suitable objects can be performed without any additional calibration observations of TSS. Aims: We evaluate the quality of the telluric absorption correction using molecfit with a set of archival ESO-VLT/X-Shooter visible and near-infrared spectra. Methods: Thanks to the wavelength coverage from the U to the K band, X-Shooter is well suited to investigate the quality of the telluric absorption correction with respect to the observing conditions, the instrumental set-up, input parameters of the code, the signal-to-noise of the input spectrum, and the atmospheric profiles. These investigations are based on two figures of merit, Ioff and Ires, that describe the systematic offsets and the remaining small-scale residuals of the corrections. We also compare the quality of the telluric absorption correction achieved with molecfit to the classical method based on a telluric standard star. Results: The evaluation of the telluric correction with molecfit shows a convincing removal of atmospheric absorption features. The comparison with the classical method reveals that molecfit performs better because it is not prone to the bad continuum reconstruction, noise, and

Study on seasonal IR signature change of a ship by considering seasonal marine environmental conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Do-Hwi; Han, Kuk-Il; Choi, Jun-Hyuk; Kim, Tae-Kuk

2017-05-01

Infrared (IR) signal emitted from objects over 0 degree Kelvin has been used to detect and recognize the characteristics of those objects. Recently more delicate IR sensors have been applied for various guided missiles and they affect a crucial influence on object's survivability. Especially, in marine environment it is more vulnerable to be attacked by IR guided missiles since there are nearly no objects for concealment. To increase the survivability of object, the IR signal of the object needs to be analyzed properly by considering various marine environments. IR signature of a naval ship consists of the emitted energy from ship surface and the reflected energy by external sources. Surface property such as the emissivity and the absorptivity on the naval ship varies with different paints applied on the surface and the reflected IR signal is also affected by the surface radiative property, the sensor's geometric position and various climatic conditions in marine environment. Since the direct measurement of IR signal using IR camera is costly and time consuming job, computer simulation methods are developing rapidly to replace those experimental tasks. In this study, we are demonstrate a way of analyzing the IR signal characteristics by using the measured background IR signals using an IR camera and the estimated target IR signals from the computer simulation to find the seasonal trends of IR threats of a naval ship. Through this process, measured weather data are used to analyze more accurate IR signal conditions for the naval ship. The seasonal change of IR signal contrast between the naval ship and the marine background shows that the highest contrast radiant intensity (CRI) value is appeared in early summer.

Underrepresentation of Women and Minorities in the United States IR Academic Physician Workforce.

PubMed

Higgins, Mikhail C S S; Hwang, Wei-Ting; Richard, Chase; Chapman, Christina H; Laporte, Angelique; Both, Stefan; Thomas, Charles R; Deville, Curtiland

2016-12-01

To assess the United States interventional radiology (IR) academic physician workforce diversity and comparative specialties. Public registries were used to assess demographic differences among 2012 IR faculty and fellows, diagnostic radiology (DR) faculty and residents, DR subspecialty fellows (pediatric, abdominal, neuroradiology, and musculoskeletal), vascular surgery and interventional cardiology trainees, and 2010 US medical school graduates and US Census using binomial tests with .001 significance level (Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons). Significant trends in IR physician representation were evaluated from 1992 to 2012. Women (15.4%), blacks (2.0%), and Hispanics (6.2%) were significantly underrepresented as IR fellows compared with the US population. Women were underrepresented as IR (7.3%) versus DR (27.8%) faculty and IR fellows (15.4%) versus medical school graduates (48.3%), DR residents (27.8%), pediatric radiology fellows (49.4%), and vascular surgery trainees (27.7%) (all P < .001). IR ranked last in female representation among radiologic subspecialty fellows. Blacks (1.8%, 2.1%, respectively, for IR faculty and fellows); Hispanics (1.8%, 6.2%); and combined American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (1.8%, 0) showed no significant differences in representation as IR fellows compared with IR faculty, DR residents, other DR fellows, or interventional cardiology or vascular surgery trainees. Over 20 years, there was no significant increase in female or black representation as IR fellows or faculty. Women, blacks, and Hispanics are underrepresented in the IR academic physician workforce relative to the US population. Given prevalent health care disparities and an increasingly diverse society, research and training efforts should address IR physician workforce diversity. Copyright © 2016 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Physical Model-based Correction for Charge Traps in the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 Near-IR Detector and Its Applications to Transiting Exoplanets and Brown Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yifan; Apai, Dániel; Lew, Ben W. P.; Schneider, Glenn

2017-06-01

The Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) near-IR channel is extensively used in time-resolved observations, especially for transiting exoplanet spectroscopy as well as brown dwarf and directly imaged exoplanet rotational phase mapping. The ramp effect is the dominant source of systematics in the WFC3 for time-resolved observations, which limits its photometric precision. Current mitigation strategies are based on empirical fits and require additional orbits to help the telescope reach a thermal equilibrium. We show that the ramp-effect profiles can be explained and corrected with high fidelity using charge trapping theories. We also present a model for this process that can be used to predict and to correct charge trap systematics. Our model is based on a very small number of parameters that are intrinsic to the detector. We find that these parameters are very stable between the different data sets, and we provide best-fit values. Our model is tested with more than 120 orbits (∼40 visits) of WFC3 observations and is proved to be able to provide near photon noise limited corrections for observations made with both staring and scanning modes of transiting exoplanets as well as for starting-mode observations of brown dwarfs. After our model correction, the light curve of the first orbit in each visit has the same photometric precision as subsequent orbits, so data from the first orbit no longer need to be discarded. Near-IR arrays with the same physical characteristics (e.g., JWST/NIRCam) may also benefit from the extension of this model if similar systematic profiles are observed.

Investigating the Evolution of the Dual AGN System ESO 509-IG066

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosec, P.; Brightman, M.; Stern, D.; Müller-Sánchez, F.; Koss, M.; Oh, K.; Assef, R. J.; Gandhi, P.; Harrison, F. A.; Jun, H.; Masini, A.; Ricci, C.; Walton, D. J.; Treister, E.; Comerford, J.; Privon, G.

2017-12-01

We analyze the evolution of the dual active galactic nucleus (AGN) in ESO 509-IG066, a galaxy pair located at z = 0.034 whose nuclei are separated by 11 kpc. Previous observations with XMM-Newton on this dual AGN found evidence for two moderately obscured ({N}{{H}} ˜ 1022 cm-2) X-ray luminous ({L}{{X}} ˜ 1043 erg s-1) nuclear sources. We present an analysis of subsequent Chandra, NuSTAR, and Swift/XRT observations that show one source has dropped in flux by a factor of 10 between 2004 and 2011, which could be explained by either an increase in the absorbing column or an intrinsic fading of the central engine, possibly due to a decrease in mass accretion. Both of these scenarios are predicted by galaxy merger simulations. The source that has dropped in flux is not detected by NuSTAR, which argues against absorption, unless it is extreme. However, new Keck/LRIS optical spectroscopy reveals a previously unreported broad Hα line that is highly unlikely to be visible under the extreme absorption scenario. We therefore conclude that the black hole in this nucleus has undergone a dramatic drop in its accretion rate. From AO-assisted near-infrared integral-field spectroscopy of the other nucleus, we find evidence that the galaxy merger is having a direct effect on the kinematics of the gas close to the nucleus of the galaxy, providing a direct observational link between the galaxy merger and the mass accretion rate onto the black hole.

Highly Stable Bimetallic AuIr/TiO₂ Catalyst: Physical Origins of the Intrinsic High Stability against Sintering.

PubMed

Han, Chang Wan; Majumdar, Paulami; Marinero, Ernesto E; Aguilar-Tapia, Antonio; Zanella, Rodolfo; Greeley, Jeffrey; Ortalan, Volkan

2015-12-09

It has been a long-lived research topic in the field of heterogeneous catalysts to find a way of stabilizing supported gold catalyst against sintering. Herein, we report highly stable AuIr bimetallic nanoparticles on TiO2 synthesized by sequential deposition-precipitation. To reveal the physical origin of the high stability of AuIr/TiO2, we used aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), STEM-tomography, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Three-dimensional structures of AuIr/TiO2 obtained by STEM-tomography indicate that AuIr nanoparticles on TiO2 have intrinsically lower free energy and less driving force for sintering than Au nanoparticles. DFT calculations on segregation behavior of AuIr slabs on TiO2 showed that the presence of Ir near the TiO2 surface increases the adhesion energy of the bimetallic slabs to the TiO2 and the attractive interactions between Ir and TiO2 lead to higher stability of AuIr nanoparticles as compared to Au nanoparticles.

A near-infrared relationship for estimating black hole masses in active galactic nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landt, Hermine; Ward, Martin J.; Peterson, Bradley M.; Bentz, Misty C.; Elvis, Martin; Korista, Kirk T.; Karovska, Margarita

2013-06-01

Black hole masses for samples of active galactic nuclei (AGN) are currently estimated from single-epoch optical spectra using scaling relations anchored in reverberation mapping results. In particular, the two quantities needed for calculating black hole masses, namely the velocity and the radial distance of the orbiting gas are derived from the widths of the Balmer hydrogen broad emission lines and the optical continuum luminosity, respectively. We have recently presented a near-infrared (near-IR) relationship for estimating AGN black hole masses based on the widths of the Paschen hydrogen broad emission lines and the total 1 μm continuum luminosity. The near-IR offers several advantages over the optical: it suffers less from dust extinction, the AGN continuum is observed only weakly contaminated by the host galaxy and the strongest Paschen broad emission lines Paα and Paβ are unblended. Here, we improve the calibration of the near-IR black hole mass relationship by increasing the sample from 14 to 23 reverberation-mapped AGN using additional spectroscopy obtained with the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph. The additional sample improves the number statistics in particular at the high-luminosity end.

Highlights from the CERN/ESO/NordForsk ''Gender in Physics Day''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Primas, F.; Guinot, G.; Strandberg, L.

2017-03-01

In their role as observers on the EU Gender Equality Network in the European Research Area (GENERA) project, funded under the Horizon 2020 framework, CERN, ESO and NordForsk joined forces and organised a Gender in Physics Day at the CERN Globe of Science and Innovation. The one-day conference aimed to examine innovative activities promoting gender equality, and to discuss gender-oriented policies and best practice in the European Research Area (with special emphasis on intergovernmental organisations), as well as the importance of building solid networks. The event was very well attended and was declared a success. The main highlights of the meeting are reported.

Two-Step Processes and IR Recording in Photorefractive Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraetzig, Eckhard; Buse, Karsten

Two-step excitation processes have been used for hologram storage in photorefractive crystals. By this means the interference pattern can be formed with red or near-IR light and nondestructive readout of information is possible. Often shallow levels are involved in the holographic recording process in photorefractive crystals. The shallow levels can be populated by illumination with visible or UV pulses forming states with relatively long lifetimes, thus sensitizing the crystals for holographic recording with IR pulses. In LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 the most important shallow levels have been identified. They result from NbLi^5+ and TaLi^5+ antisite defects (Nb5+ or Ta5+ on Li+ site). The crystals can also be pre-illuminated with visible light from a cw argon laser or a xenon lamp and holograms can be recorded with red light from a laser diode. The sensitization process is possible for other photorefractive crystals, too. The holograms can be read nondestructively with IR light and can be erased with green light. The hologram lifetime is limited by electron tunneling or by an ionic conductivity. Lifetimes up to years can be achieved. Recording of components for telecommunication applications with IR light allows one to create reconfigurable and thus more versatile devices.

Diogenite-like Features in the Spitzer IRS (5-35 micrometers) Spectrum of 956 ELISA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lim, Lucy F.; Emery, Joshua P.; Moskovitz, Nicholas A.

2009-01-01

We report preliminary results from the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) observations of the V-type asteroid 956 Elisa. Elisa was observed as part of a campaign to measure the 5.2-38 micron spectra of small basaltic asteroids with the Spitzer IRS. Targets include members of the dynamical family of the unique large differentiated asteroid 4 Vesta ("Vesroids"), several outer-main-belt basaltic asteroids whose orbits exclude them from originating on 4 Vesta, and the basaltic near-Earth asteroid 4055 Magellan.

The 3D Structure of Eta Carinae's Nebula: A Definitive Picture from High-Dispersion Near-IR Spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, N.

2006-01-01

High resolution long-slit spectra obtained with the Phoenix spectrograph on Gemini South provide our most accurate probe of the 3D structure of the Homunculus Nebula around Eta Carinae. Emission from molecular hydrogen at 2.122 microns traces a very thin outer skin, which contains the vast majority of the more than 10 solar masses of material in the nebula. This emission, in turn, yields our first definitive picture of the exact shape of the nebula, plus the latitude dependence of the mass-loss rate, speed, kinetic energy, shell thickness, and other properties associated with Eta Car's 19th century explosion. This will be critical for testing any models for the outburst mechanism. A preliminary analysis suggests that explosion from a critically rotating star was the dominant mechanism that gave rise to both the bipolar shape of the nebula and the production of its equatorial disk. [Fe II] emission in the near IR traces a geometrically thicker but less massive shell found on the inner surface of the H2 skin --- this is either a reverse shock that decelerates Eta Car's wind or a warm PDR. [Fe Ill emission also clarifies the structure of an inner "Little Homunculus" seen previously in HST/STlS spectra. Comparing these two tracers of cool molecular gas and warm partially-ionized gas resolves some significant confusion about the complex structure noted in previous studies.

Magnetism and anisotropy of Ir5+ based double perovskites Sr2CoIrO6andSr2FeIrO6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terzic, Jasminka; Yuan, S. J.; Song, W. H.; Aswartham, S.; Cao, G.

2015-03-01

We report on structural, thermodynamic and transport study of single-crystal double perovskites Sr2CoIrO6andSr2FeIrO6.TheisostructuralSr2CoIrO6andSr2FeIrO6 feature a cubic crystal structure with pentavalent Ir5+(5d4) which are anticipated to have J =0 singlet ground states in the strong spin-orbit coupling limit. Here we observe magnetic coupling between 5d and 3d (Co, Fe) elements, which result in antiferromagnetic order at high temperatures in both double perovskites. Of the two, Sr2CoIrO6 displays antiferromagnetic metallic behavior with a pronounced magnetic anisotropy; in sharp contrast, the isostructural Sr2FeIrO6 exhibits an antiferroamagnetic, insulating ground state without discernible magnetic anisotropy. The data will be discussed and presented with comparisons drawn with similar systems. This work was supported by NSF via Grant DMR 1265162.

Flux growth of Yb(6.6)Ir(6)Sn(16) having mixed-valent ytterbium.

PubMed

Peter, Sebastian C; Subbarao, Udumula; Rayaprol, Sudhindra; Martin, Joshua B; Balasubramanian, Mahalingam; Malliakas, Christos D; Kanatzidis, Mercouri G

2014-07-07

The compound Yb6.6Ir6Sn16 was obtained as single crystals in high yield from the reaction of Yb with Ir and Sn run in excess indium. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis shows that Yb6.6Ir6Sn16 crystallizes in the tetragonal space group P42/nmc with a = b = 9.7105(7) Å and c = 13.7183(11) Å. The crystal structure is composed of a [Ir6Sn16] polyanionic network with cages in which the Yb atoms are embedded. The Yb sublattice features extensive vacancies on one crystallographic site. Magnetic susceptibility measurements on single crystals indicate Curie-Weiss law behavior <100 K with no magnetic ordering down to 2 K. The magnetic moment within the linear region (<100 K) is 3.21 μB/Yb, which is ∼70% of the expected value for a free Yb(3+) ion suggesting the presence of mixed-valent ytterbium atoms. X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy confirms that Yb6.6Ir6Sn16 exhibits mixed valence. Resistivity and heat capacity measurements for Yb6.6Ir6Sn16 indicate non-Fermi liquid metallic behavior.

Spin orientations of the spin-half Ir 4+ ions in Sr 3NiIrO 6, Sr 2IrO 4 and Na 2IrO 3: Density functional, perturbation theory and Madelung potential analyses

DOE PAGES

Gordon, Elijah E.; Xiang, Hongjun; Koehler, Jurgen; ...

2016-03-01

The spins of the low-spin Ir 4+ (S = 1/2, d 5) ions at the octahedral sites of the oxides Sr 3NiIrO 6, Sr 2IrO 4 and Na 2IrO 3 exhibit preferred orientations with respect to their IrO6 octahedra. We evaluated the magnetic anisotropies of these S = 1/2 ions on the basis of DFT calculations including spin-orbit coupling (SOC), and probed their origin by performing perturbation theory analyses with SOC as perturbation within the LS coupling scheme. The observed spin orientations of Sr 3NiIrO 6 and Sr 2IrO 4 are correctly predicted by DFT calculations, and are accounted formore » by the perturbation theory analysis. As for the spin orientation of Na 2IrO 3, both experimental studies and DFT calculations have not been unequivocal. Our analysis reveals that the Ir 4+ spin orientation of Na 2IrO 3 should have nonzero components along the c- and a-axes directions. The spin orientations determined by DFT calculations are sensitive to the accuracy of the crystal structures employed, which is explained by perturbation theory analyses when interactions between adjacent Ir 4+ ions are taken into consideration. There are indications implying that the 5d electrons of Na 2IrO 3 are less strongly localized compared with those of Sr 3NiIrO 6 and Sr 2IrO 4. This implication was confirmed by showing that the Madelung potentials of the Ir 4+ ions are less negative in Na 2IrO 3 than in Sr 3NiIrO 6, Sr 2IrO 4. Most transition-metal S = 1/2 ions do have magnetic anisotropies because the SOC induces interactions among their crystal-field split d-states, and the associated mixing of the states modifies only the orbital parts of the states. This finding cannot be mimicked by a spin Hamiltonian because this model Hamiltonian lacks the orbital degree of freedom, thereby leading to the spin-half syndrome. As a result, the spin-orbital entanglement for the 5d spin-half ions Ir 4+ is not as strong as has been assumed lately.« less

Spin orientations of the spin-half Ir4+ ions in Sr3NiIrO6, Sr2IrO4, and Na2IrO3: Density functional, perturbation theory, and Madelung potential analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, Elijah E.; Xiang, Hongjun; Köhler, Jürgen; Whangbo, Myung-Hwan

2016-03-01

The spins of the low-spin Ir4+ (S = 1/2, d5) ions at the octahedral sites of the oxides Sr3NiIrO6, Sr2IrO4, and Na2IrO3 exhibit preferred orientations with respect to their IrO6 octahedra. We evaluated the magnetic anisotropies of these S = 1/2 ions on the basis of density functional theory (DFT) calculations including spin-orbit coupling (SOC), and probed their origin by performing perturbation theory analyses with SOC as perturbation within the LS coupling scheme. The observed spin orientations of Sr3NiIrO6 and Sr2IrO4 are correctly predicted by DFT calculations, and are accounted for by the perturbation theory analysis. As for the spin orientation of Na2IrO3, both experimental studies and DFT calculations have not been unequivocal. Our analysis reveals that the Ir4+ spin orientation of Na2IrO3 should have nonzero components along the c- and a-axis directions. The spin orientations determined by DFT calculations are sensitive to the accuracy of the crystal structures employed, which is explained by perturbation theory analyses when interactions between adjacent Ir4+ ions are taken into consideration. There are indications implying that the 5d electrons of Na2IrO3 are less strongly localized compared with those of Sr3NiIrO6 and Sr2IrO4. This implication was confirmed by showing that the Madelung potentials of the Ir4+ ions are less negative in Na2IrO3 than in Sr3NiIrO6 and Sr2IrO4. Most transition-metal S = 1/2 ions do have magnetic anisotropies because the SOC induces interactions among their crystal-field split d-states, and the associated mixing of the states modifies only the orbital parts of the states. This finding cannot be mimicked by a spin Hamiltonian because this model Hamiltonian lacks the orbital degree of freedom, thereby leading to the spin-half syndrome. The spin-orbital entanglement for the 5d spin-half ions Ir4+ is not as strong as has been assumed.

STRESS a SN survey at ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Botticella, M. T.

We performed the Southern inTermediate Redshift ESO Supernova Search (STRESS), a survey specifically designed to measure the rate of both SNe Ia and CC SNe, in order to obtain a direct comparison of the high redshift and local rates and to investigate the dependence of the rates on specific galaxy properties, most notably their colour. We found that the type Ia SN rate, at mean redshift z = 0.3, is 0.22+0.10+0.16-0.08-0.14 h270 SNu, while the CC SN rate, at z = 0.21, is 0.82+0.31+0.300.24-0.26 h270 SNu. The quoted errors are the statistical and systematic uncertainties. With respect to the local value, the CC SN rate at z = 0.2 is higher by a factor of ˜ 2, whereas the type Ia SN rate remains almost constant. We also measured the SN rates in the red and blue galaxies and found that the SN Ia rate seems to be constant in galaxies of different colour, whereas the CC SN rate seems to peak in blue galaxies, as in the local Universe. Finally we exploited the link between SFH and SN rates to predict the evolutionary behaviour of the SN rates and compare it with the path indicated by observations.

Non-Destructive and Discriminating Identification of Illegal Drugs by Transient Absorption Spectroscopy in the Visible and Near-IR Wavelength Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Chie; Furube, Akihiro; Katoh, Ryuzi; Nonaka, Hidehiko; Inoue, Hiroyuki

2008-11-01

We have tested the possibility of identifying illegal drugs by means of nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy with a 10-ns UV-laser pulse for the excitation light and visible-to-near-IR light for the probe light. We measured the transient absorption spectra of acetonitrile solutions of d-methamphetamine, dl-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine hydrochloride (MDMA), and dl-N-methyl-1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-butanamine hydrochloride (MBDB), which are illegal drugs widely consumed in Japan. Transient absorption signals of these drugs were observed between 400 and 950 nm, a range in which they are transparent in the ground state. By analyzing the spectra in terms of exponential and Gaussian functions, we could identify the drugs and discriminate them from chemical substances having similar structures. We propose that transient absorption spectroscopy will be a useful, non-destructive method of inspecting for illegal drugs, especially when they are dissolved in liquids. Such a method may even be used for drugs packed in opaque materials if it is further extended to utilize intense femtosecond laser pulses.

LIGO GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DETECTION, PRIMORDIAL BLACK HOLES, AND THE NEAR-IR COSMIC INFRARED BACKGROUND ANISOTROPIES

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

Kashlinsky, A., E-mail: Alexander.Kashlinsky@nasa.gov

LIGO's discovery of a gravitational wave from two merging black holes (BHs) of similar masses rekindled suggestions that primordial BHs (PBHs) make up the dark matter (DM). If so, PBHs would add a Poissonian isocurvature density fluctuation component to the inflation-produced adiabatic density fluctuations. For LIGO's BH parameters, this extra component would dominate the small-scale power responsible for collapse of early DM halos at z ≳ 10, where first luminous sources formed. We quantify the resultant increase in high- z abundances of collapsed halos that are suitable for producing the first generation of stars and luminous sources. The significantly increasedmore » abundance of the early halos would naturally explain the observed source-subtracted near-IR cosmic infrared background (CIB) fluctuations, which cannot be accounted for by known galaxy populations. For LIGO's BH parameters, this increase is such that the observed CIB fluctuation levels at 2–5 μ m can be produced if only a tiny fraction of baryons in the collapsed DM halos forms luminous sources. Gas accretion onto these PBHs in collapsed halos, where first stars should also form, would straightforwardly account for the observed high coherence between the CIB and unresolved cosmic X-ray background in soft X-rays. We discuss modifications possibly required in the processes of first star formation if LIGO-type BHs indeed make up the bulk or all of DM. The arguments are valid only if the PBHs make up all, or at least most, of DM, but at the same time the mechanism appears inevitable if DM is made of PBHs.« less

A LABOCA Survey of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South—Submillimeter Properties of Near-infrared Selected Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greve, T. R.; Weiβ, A.; Walter, F.; Smail, I.; Zheng, X. Z.; Knudsen, K. K.; Coppin, K. E. K.; Kovács, A.; Bell, E. F.; de Breuck, C.; Dannerbauer, H.; Dickinson, M.; Gawiser, E.; Lutz, D.; Rix, H.-W.; Schinnerer, E.; Alexander, D.; Bertoldi, F.; Brandt, N.; Chapman, S. C.; Ivison, R. J.; Koekemoer, A. M.; Kreysa, E.; Kurczynski, P.; Menten, K.; Siringo, G.; Swinbank, M.; van der Werf, P.

2010-08-01

Using the 330 hr ESO-MPG 870 μm survey of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (ECDF-S) obtained with the Large Apex BOlometer CAmera (LABOCA) on the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX), we have carried out a stacking analysis at submillimeter (submm) wavelengths of a sample of 8266 near-infra-red (near-IR) selected (K vega <= 20) galaxies, including 893 BzK galaxies, 1253 extremely red objects (EROs), and 737 distant red galaxies (DRGs), selected from the Multi-wavelength Survey by Yale-Chile (MUSYC). We measure average 870 μm fluxes of 0.22 ± 0.01 mJy (22.0σ), 0.48 ± 0.04 mJy (12.0σ), 0.39 ± 0.03 mJy (13.0σ), and 0.43 ± 0.04 mJy (10.8σ) for the K vega <= 20, BzK, ERO, and DRG samples, respectively. For the BzK, ERO, and DRG sub-samples, which overlap to some degree and are likely to be at z ~= 1-2, this implies an average far-IR luminosity of ~(1-5) × 1011 Lsun and star formation rate (SFR) of ~20-90 Msun . Splitting the BzK galaxies into star-forming (sBzK) and passive (pBzK) galaxies, the former is significantly detected (0.50 ± 0.04 mJy, 12.5σ) while the latter is only marginally detected (0.34 ± 0.10 mJy, 3.4σ), thus confirming that the sBzK and pBzK criteria to some extent select obscured, star-forming, and truly passive galaxies, respectively. The K vega <= 20 galaxies are found to contribute 7.27 ± 0.34 Jy deg-2 (16.5% ± 5.7%) to the 870 μm extragalactic background light (EBL). sBzK and pBzK galaxies contribute 1.49 ± 0.22 Jy deg-2 (3.4% ± 1.3%) and 0.20 ± 0.14 Jy deg-2 (0.5% ± 0.3%) to the EBL. We present the first delineation of the average submm signal from the K vega <= 20 selected galaxies and their contribution to the submm EBL as a function of (photometric) redshift, and find a decline in the average submm signal (and therefore IR luminosity and SFR) by a factor ~2-3 from z ~ 2 to z ~ 0. This is in line with a cosmic star formation history in which the star formation activity in galaxies increases significantly at z >~ 1. A

Epitaxial growth of Al9Ir2 intermetallic compound on Al(100): Mechanism and interface structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadok, J.; Pussi, K.; Šturm, S.; Ambrožič, B.; Gaudry, É.; de Weerd, M.-C.; Fournée, V.; Ledieu, J.

2018-04-01

The adsorption of Ir adatoms on Al(100) has been investigated under various exposures and temperature conditions. The experimental and theoretical results reveal a diffusion of Ir adatoms within the Al(100) surface selvedge already at 300 K. Above 593 K, two domains of a (√{5 }×√{5 }) R 26 .6∘ phase are identified by low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and scanning tunneling microscopy measurements. This phase corresponds to the initial growth of an Al9Ir2 compound at the Al(100) surface. The Al9Ir2 intermetallic domains are terminated by bulklike pure Al layers. The structural stability of Al9Ir2 (001) grown on Al(100) has been analyzed by density functional theory based calculations. Dynamical LEED analysis is consistent with an Ir adsorption leading to the growth of an Al9Ir2 intermetallic compound. We propose that the epitaxial relationship Al9Ir2(001 ) ∥Al (100) and Al9Ir2[100 ] ∥Al [031 ]/[013 ] originates from a matching of Al atomic arrangements present both on Al(100) and on pure Al(001) layers present in the Al9Ir2 compound. Finally, the interface between Al9Ir2 precipitates and the Al matrix has been characterized by transmission electron microscopy measurements. The cross-sectional observations are consistent with the formation of Al9Ir2 (001) compounds. These measurements indicate an important Ir diffusion within Al(100) near the surface region. The coherent interface between Al9Ir2 and the Al matrix is sharp.

Groundbased near-IR observations of the surface of Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meadows, V. S.; Crisp, D.; Allen, D. A.

1992-01-01

We present images of the nightside of Venus taken in the near-infrared windows at 1.0, 1.1, 1.18, 1.28, 1.31, and 2.3 microns with the new infrared camera/spectrometer IRIS on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. These data were taken in spectral-mapping mode. This technique involves scanning the telescope perpendicular to the slit, while collecting spectra at successive slit positions across the planet. We produce data cubes with one spectral and two spatial dimensions. Images can be extracted over any wavelength regions. Each image has square pixels of 0.8 inch resolution. We reduced the scattered light from the sunlit crescent in images extracted from each window by subtracting images taken on either side of the window, where the Venus atmosphere is opaque. Unlike the short wavelength windows, which reveal thermal contrasts that originate primarily from the surface and deep atmosphere, the emission in the 2.3 microns window is produced at much higher altitudes (30-40 km). Emission contrasts seen near 2.3 microns are associated with horizontal variations in the cloud optical depths, and have rotation periods of about six days. We detect large contrasts in infrared emission (20-40 percent) across the disc of Venus in the 1.0-, 1.1-, 1.18-, 1.28-, and 1.31-micron images. Contrasts at these wavelengths may be due to a combination of variations in the optical depths of the overlying sulfuric acid clouds and differences in surface emission. Comparison with the 2.3-micron images show that the patterns seen in the 1.28- and 1.31-micron windows are consistent with cloud optical depth variations alone and require no contribution from the surface. However, images at 1.0, 1.1, and 1.8 microns from July 1991 show a dark feature having a contrast that increases with decreasing wavelength. This behavior is contrary to that expected of cloud absorption. Images taken on three successive days in October show another dark feature that is stationary with respect to the surface. These

Using 2D correlation analysis to enhance spectral information available from highly spatially resolved AFM-IR spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcott, Curtis; Lo, Michael; Hu, Qichi; Kjoller, Kevin; Boskey, Adele; Noda, Isao

2014-07-01

The recent combination of atomic force microscopy and infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR) has led to the ability to obtain IR spectra with nanoscale spatial resolution, nearly two orders-of-magnitude better than conventional Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) microspectroscopy. This advanced methodology can lead to significantly sharper spectral features than are typically seen in conventional IR spectra of inhomogeneous materials, where a wider range of molecular environments are coaveraged by the larger sample cross section being probed. In this work, two-dimensional (2D) correlation analysis is used to examine position sensitive spectral variations in datasets of closely spaced AFM-IR spectra. This analysis can reveal new key insights, providing a better understanding of the new spectral information that was previously hidden under broader overlapped spectral features. Two examples of the utility of this new approach are presented. Two-dimensional correlation analysis of a set of AFM-IR spectra were collected at 200-nm increments along a line through a nucleation site generated by remelting a small spot on a thin film of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate). There are two different crystalline carbonyl band components near 1720 cm-1 that sequentially disappear before a band at 1740 cm-1 due to more disordered material appears. In the second example, 2D correlation analysis of a series of AFM-IR spectra spaced every 1 μm of a thin cross section of a bone sample measured outward from an osteon center of bone growth. There are many changes in the amide I and phosphate band contours, suggesting changes in the bone structure are occurring as the bone matures.

Exploring the Thermal Limits of IR-Based Automatic Whale Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-30

spouts during the northward humpback whale migration, which occurs annually rather close to shore near North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia...with concurrent visual observations. APPROACH By obtaining continuous IR video footage during two successive northward humpback whale ... Whale Detection (ETAW) Olaf Boebel P.O. Box 120161 27515 Bremerhaven GERMANY phone: +49 (471) 4831-1879 fax: +49 (471) 4831-1797 email

Neutron-capture element abundances in the planetary nebula NGC 5315 from deep high-resolution optical and near-IR spectrophotometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madonna, S.; García-Rojas, J.; Sterling, N. C.; Luridiana, V.

2017-03-01

We have done a spectroscopical analysis of the type I planetary nebula (PN) NGC 5315, through high-resolution (R ˜ 40000) optical spectroscopy with UVES at the 8.2m Very Large Telescope, and medium-resolution (R ˜ 4800) near-IR spectroscopy with FIRE at the 6.5m Magellan Baade telescope, covering a wide spectral range from 0.31 μm to 2.50μm. The main aim of this work is to investigate the slow neutron(n)-capture process (the s-process) in the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) star progenitor of a type I PNe. We detected and identified about 700 features, including lines from the n-capture elements Kr, Se, and possibly Br and Xe. We compute physical conditions using line ratios of common ions. Ionic abundances are computed for the species with available atomic data. We calculate total abundances using recent ionization correction factors (ICFs) or by summing ionic abundances. Our results for common elements are in good agreement with previous works on the same object. We do not find a substantial s-process enrichment in NGC 5315, which is typical for type I PNe.

Demonstration of KHILS two-color IR projection capability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Lawrence E.; Coker, Jason S.; Garbo, Dennis L.; Olson, Eric M.; Murrer, Robert Lee, Jr.; Bergin, Thomas P.; Goldsmith, George C., II; Crow, Dennis R.; Guertin, Andrew W.; Dougherty, Michael; Marler, Thomas M.; Timms, Virgil G.

1998-07-01

transmission path of the beam combiner provided the LWIR (6.75 to 12 microns), while the reflective path produced the MWIR (3 to 6.5 microns). Each resistor array was individually projected into the Agema through the beam combiner at incremental output levels. Once again the Agema's output counts were recorded at each resistor array output level. These projections established the resistor array output to Agema count curves for the MWIR and LWIR resistor arrays. Using the radiance to Agema counts curves, the MWIR and LWIR resistor array output to radiance curves were established. With the calibration curves established, a two-color movie was projected and compared to the generated movie radiance values. By taking care to correctly account for the spectral qualities of the Agema camera, the calibration filters, and the diachroic beam combiner, the projections matched the theoretical calculations. In the near future, a Lockheed- Martin Multiple Quantum Well camera with true two-color IR capability will be tested.

High-resolution TNG spectra of T Tauri stars. Near-IR GIANO observations of the young variables XZ Tauri and DR Tauri

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antoniucci, S.; Nisini, B.; Biazzo, K.; Giannini, T.; Lorenzetti, D.; Sanna, N.; Harutyunyan, A.; Origlia, L.; Oliva, E.

2017-10-01

Aims: We aim to characterise the star-disk interaction region in T Tauri stars that show photometric and spectroscopic variability. Methods: We used the GIANO instrument at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo to obtain near-infrared high-resolution spectra (R 50 000) of XZ Tau and DR Tau, which are two actively accreting T Tauri stars classified as EXors. Equivalent widths and profiles of the observed features are used to derive information on the properties of the inner disk, the accretion columns, and the winds. Results: Both sources display composite H I line profiles, where contributions from both accreting gas and high-velocity winds can be recognised. These lines are progressively more symmetric and narrower with increasing upper energy which may be interpreted in terms of two components with different decrements or imputed to self-absorption effects. XZ Tau is observed in a relatively high state of activity with respect to literature observations. The variation of the He I 1.08 μm line blue-shifted absorption, in particular, suggests that the inner wind has undergone a dramatic change in its velocity structure, connected with a recent accretion event. DR Tau has a more stable wind as its He I 1.08 μm absorption does not show variations with time in spite of strong variability of the emission component. The IR veiling in the two sources can be interpreted as due to blackbody emission at temperatures of 1600 K and 2300 K for XZ Tau and DR Tau, respectively, with emitting areas 30 times larger than the central star. While for XZ Tau these conditions are consistent with emission from the inner rim of the dusty disk, the fairly high temperature inferred for DR Tau might suggest that its veiling originates from a thick gaseous disk located within the dust sublimation radius. Strong and broad metallic lines, mainly from C I and Fe I, are detected in XZ Tau, similar to those observed in other EXor sources during burst phases. At variance, DR Tau shows weaker and

Electronic structure of Rh and Ru doped Sr2IrO4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chikara, Shalinee; Fabbris, Gilberto; Terzic, Jasminka; Qi, Tongfei; Butrouna, Kamal; Veiga, Larissa; Souza Neto, Narcizo; Cao, Gang; Haskel, Daniel

2014-03-01

Sr2IrO4 is a spin-orbit interaction(SOI) assisted insulator. It has been proposed that the weaker SOI in the 4 d -substituted Sr2Ir1-x(Ru, Rh)xO4 closes the insulating gap, rendering it a paramagnetic metal. Rh(4d5) is isoelectronic to Ir(5d5) whereas Ru(4d4) has one less electron in the 4 d -band. The AFM-I/PM-M transition takes place at lower x for Ru than Rh, presumably due to the effect of hole doping. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements at the Ir L2 , 3 edges show that < L . S > is non-zero and independent of x. This is indicative of a strong local 5 d spin orbit interaction that is rather insensitive to the 4 d doping. In contrast, measurements at the L2 , 3 edges of Ru and Rh show < L . S > ~ 0 for all x. The results point to the importance of local 4 d / 5 d - 2 p hybridization as opposed to 4 d - 5 d band formation in the Rh and Ru doped Sr2IrO4.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Spitzer/IRS obs. of Magellanic carbon stars (Sloan+, 2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sloan, G. C.; Kraemer, K. E.; McDonald, I.; Groenewegen, M. A. T.; Wood, P. R.; Zijlstra, A. A.; Lagadec, E.; Boyer, M. L.; Kemper, F.; Matsuura, M.; Sahai, R.; Sargent, B. A.; Srinivasan, S.; van Loon, J. T.; Volk, K.

2016-09-01

Table 1 lists the 144 objects in the LMC and 40 in the SMC observed with the IRS (spectral coverage at 5-14um and 14-37um, respectively, with a resolution R~80-120) and identified as carbon stars. A variety of Spitzer observing programs contributed to the present sample of carbon stars (see Note 2 in table 1). We adopt distance moduli for the LMC and SMC of 18.5 and 18.9, respectively. For all of our targets, we have constructed SEDs based on multi-epoch photometry in the optical, near-IR, and mid-IR from several surveys. The mid-IR data come from the SAGE survey of the LMC (Meixner et al. 2006, J/AJ/132/2268) and the SAGE-SMC survey for the SMC (Gordon et al. 2011AJ....142..102G)). The SAGE-VAR survey adds four epochs from the Warm Spitzer Mission at 3.6 and 4.5um for portions of the LMC and SMC (Riebel et al. 2015ApJ...807....1R). We also used additional epochs at 3.4 and 4.6um from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Experiment (WISE; Wright et al. 2010AJ....140.1868W) and the NEOWISE reactivation mission (Mainzer et al. 2014ApJ...792...30M). Near-IR photometry comes from the 2MASS survey, and the deeper 2MASS-6X survey provides a second epoch at J, H, and Ks (Cutri et al. 2012, II/281; Skrutskie et al. 2006, VII/233). Additional epochs come from the Deep Near-IR Survey of the Southern Sky (DENIS) at J and Ks (Cioni et al. 2000, II/228) and the IR Survey Facility (IRSF) at J, H, and Ks (Kato et al. 2007, II/288). In the optical, we relied on the Magellanic Clouds Photometric Survey (MCPS) at U, B, V, and I (Zaritsky et al. 2002, J/AJ/123/855; 2004, J/AJ/128/1606). DENIS adds data at I. Additional mean magnitudes at V and I in the LMC come from the OGLE-III Shallow Survey (Ulaczyk et al. 2013, J/AcA/63/1). Where possible, we replaced the V and I data with mean magnitudes from the OGLE-III surveys of the Magellanic Clouds, which also give pulsation periods and amplitudes (Soszynski et al. 2009, J/AcA/59/335; 2011, J/AcA/61/217). We also consider a Galactic control

Optical Testing of Diamond Machined, Aspheric Mirrors for Groundbased, Near-IR Astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chambers, V. John; Mink, Ronald G.; Ohl, Raymond G.; Connelly, Joseph A.; Mentzell, J. Eric; Arnold, Steven M.; Greenhouse, Matthew A.; Winsor, Robert S.; MacKenty, John W.

2002-01-01

The Infrared Multi-Object Spectrometer (IRMOS) is a facility-class instrument for the Kitt Peak National Observatory 4 and 2.1 meter telescopes. IRMOS is a near-IR (0.8-2.5 micron) spectrometer and operates at approximately 80 K. The 6061-T651 aluminum bench and mirrors constitute an athermal design. The instrument produces simultaneous spectra at low- to mid-resolving power (R=lambda/delta lambda= 300-3000) of approximately 100 objects in its 2.8 x 2.0 arcmin field. We describe ambient and cryogenic optical testing of the IRMOS mirrors across a broad range in spatial frequency (figure error, mid-frequency error, and microroughness). The mirrors include three rotationally symmetric, off-axis conic sections, one off-axis biconic, and several flat fold mirrors. The symmetric mirrors include convex and concave prolate and oblate ellipsoids. They range in aperture from 94x86 mm to 286x269 mm and in f-number from 0.9 to 2.4. The biconic mirror is concave and has a 94x76 mm aperture, R(sub x)=377 mm, k(sub x)=0.0778, R(sub y)=407 mm, and k(sub y)=0.1265 and is decentered by -2 mm in X and 227 mm in Y. All of the mirrors have an aspect ratio of approximately 6:1. The surface error fabrication tolerances are less than 10 nm RMS microroughness, 'best effort' for mid-frequency error, and less than 63.3 nm RMS figure error. Ambient temperature (approximately 293 K) testing is performed for each of the three surface error regimes, and figure testing is also performed at approximately 80 K. Operation of the ADE Phaseshift MicroXAM white light interferometer (micro-roughness) and the Bauer Model 200 profilometer (mid-frequency error) is described. Both the sag and conic values of the aspheric mirrors make these tests challenging. Figure testing is performed using a Zygo GPI interferometer, custom computer generated holograms (CGH), and optomechanical alignment fiducials. Cryogenic CGH null testing is discussed in detail. We discuss complications such as the change in

A Physical Model-based Correction for Charge Traps in the Hubble Space Telescope ’s Wide Field Camera 3 Near-IR Detector and Its Applications to Transiting Exoplanets and Brown Dwarfs

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

Zhou, Yifan; Apai, Dániel; Schneider, Glenn

The Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) near-IR channel is extensively used in time-resolved observations, especially for transiting exoplanet spectroscopy as well as brown dwarf and directly imaged exoplanet rotational phase mapping. The ramp effect is the dominant source of systematics in the WFC3 for time-resolved observations, which limits its photometric precision. Current mitigation strategies are based on empirical fits and require additional orbits to help the telescope reach a thermal equilibrium . We show that the ramp-effect profiles can be explained and corrected with high fidelity using charge trapping theories. We also present a model for this processmore » that can be used to predict and to correct charge trap systematics. Our model is based on a very small number of parameters that are intrinsic to the detector. We find that these parameters are very stable between the different data sets, and we provide best-fit values. Our model is tested with more than 120 orbits (∼40 visits) of WFC3 observations and is proved to be able to provide near photon noise limited corrections for observations made with both staring and scanning modes of transiting exoplanets as well as for starting-mode observations of brown dwarfs. After our model correction, the light curve of the first orbit in each visit has the same photometric precision as subsequent orbits, so data from the first orbit no longer need to be discarded. Near-IR arrays with the same physical characteristics (e.g., JWST/NIRCam ) may also benefit from the extension of this model if similar systematic profiles are observed.« less

Far-IR transparency and dynamic infrared signature control with novel conducting polymer systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandrasekhar, Prasanna; Dooley, T. J.

1995-09-01

Materials which possess transparency, coupled with active controllability of this transparency in the infrared (IR), are today an increasingly important requirement, for varied applications. These applications include windows for IR sensors, IR-region flat panel displays used in camouflage as well as in communication and sight through night-vision goggles, coatings with dynamically controllable IR-emissivity, and thermal conservation coatings. Among stringent requirements for these applications are large dynamic ranges (color contrast), 'multi-color' or broad-band characteristics, extended cyclability, long memory retention, matrix addressability, small area fabricability, low power consumption, and environmental stability. Among materials possessing the requirements for variation of IR signature, conducting polymers (CPs) appear to be the only materials with dynamic, actively controllable signature and acceptable dynamic range. Conventional CPs such as poly(alkyl thiophene), poly(pyrrole) or poly(aniline) show very limited dynamic range, especially in the far-IR, while also showing poor transparency. We have developed a number of novel CP systems ('system' implying the CP, the selected dopant, the synthesis method, and the electrolyte) with very wide dynamic range (up to 90% in both important IR regions, 3 - 5 (mu) and 8 - 12 (mu) ), high cyclability (to 105 cycles with less than 10% optical degradation), nearly indefinite optical memory retention, matrix addressability of multi-pixel displays, very wide operating temperature and excellent environmental stability, low charge capacity, and processability into areas from less than 1 mm2 to more than 100 cm2. The criteria used to design and arrive at these CP systems, together with representative IR signature data, are presented in this paper.

Near-infrared muscle functional monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrari, Marco; De Blasi, Roberto A.; Ferrari, Adriano; Pizzi, Assunta; Quaresima, Valentina

1994-01-01

The oxygenation of human muscle tissue can be investigated using near IR spectroscopy (NIRS). Oxy and deoxy hemoglobin changes can be quantified combining attenuation measurements with pathlength data obtained by time resolved spectroscopy. This study reports the application of NIRS to non- invasive measurements of quadriceps oxygenation on muscular dystrophy patients during treadmill exercise.

The Ionotropic Receptors IR21a and IR25a mediate cool sensing in Drosophila.

PubMed

Ni, Lina; Klein, Mason; Svec, Kathryn V; Budelli, Gonzalo; Chang, Elaine C; Ferrer, Anggie J; Benton, Richard; Samuel, Aravinthan Dt; Garrity, Paul A

2016-04-29

Animals rely on highly sensitive thermoreceptors to seek out optimal temperatures, but the molecular mechanisms of thermosensing are not well understood. The Dorsal Organ Cool Cells (DOCCs) of the Drosophila larva are a set of exceptionally thermosensitive neurons critical for larval cool avoidance. Here, we show that DOCC cool-sensing is mediated by Ionotropic Receptors (IRs), a family of sensory receptors widely studied in invertebrate chemical sensing. We find that two IRs, IR21a and IR25a, are required to mediate DOCC responses to cooling and are required for cool avoidance behavior. Furthermore, we find that ectopic expression of IR21a can confer cool-responsiveness in an Ir25a-dependent manner, suggesting an instructive role for IR21a in thermosensing. Together, these data show that IR family receptors can function together to mediate thermosensation of exquisite sensitivity.

Irs2 and Irs4 synergize in non-LepRb neurons to control energy balance and glucose homeostasis.

PubMed

Sadagurski, Marianna; Dong, X Charlie; Myers, Martin G; White, Morris F

2014-02-01

Insulin receptor substrates (Irs1, 2, 3 and Irs4) mediate the actions of insulin/IGF1 signaling. They have similar structure, but distinctly regulate development, growth, and metabolic homeostasis. Irs2 contributes to central metabolic sensing, partially by acting in leptin receptor (LepRb)-expressing neurons. Although Irs4 is largely restricted to the hypothalamus, its contribution to metabolic regulation is unclear because Irs4-null mice barely distinguishable from controls. We postulated that Irs2 and Irs4 synergize and complement each other in the brain. To examine this possibility, we investigated the metabolism of whole body Irs4(-/y) mice that lacked Irs2 in the CNS (bIrs2(-/-)·Irs4(-/y)) or only in LepRb-neurons (Lepr (∆Irs2) ·Irs4 (-/y) ). bIrs2(-/-)·Irs4(-/y) mice developed severe obesity and decreased energy expenditure, along with hyperglycemia and insulin resistance. Unexpectedly, the body weight and fed blood glucose levels of Lepr (∆Irs2) ·Irs4 (-/y) mice were not different from Lepr (∆Irs2) mice, suggesting that the functions of Irs2 and Irs4 converge upon neurons that are distinct from those expressing LepRb.

The Gaia-ESO Survey: Galactic evolution of sulphur and zinc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duffau, S.; Caffau, E.; Sbordone, L.; Bonifacio, P.; Andrievsky, S.; Korotin, S.; Babusiaux, C.; Salvadori, S.; Monaco, L.; François, P.; Skúladóttir, Á.; Bragaglia, A.; Donati, P.; Spina, L.; Gallagher, A. J.; Ludwig, H.-G.; Christlieb, N.; Hansen, C. J.; Mott, A.; Steffen, M.; Zaggia, S.; Blanco-Cuaresma, S.; Calura, F.; Friel, E.; Jiménez-Esteban, F. M.; Koch, A.; Magrini, L.; Pancino, E.; Tang, B.; Tautvaišienė, G.; Vallenari, A.; Hawkins, K.; Gilmore, G.; Randich, S.; Feltzing, S.; Bensby, T.; Flaccomio, E.; Smiljanic, R.; Bayo, A.; Carraro, G.; Casey, A. R.; Costado, M. T.; Damiani, F.; Franciosini, E.; Hourihane, A.; Jofré, P.; Lardo, C.; Lewis, J.; Morbidelli, L.; Sousa, S. G.; Worley, C. C.

2017-08-01

Context. Due to their volatile nature, when sulphur and zinc are observed in external galaxies, their determined abundances represent the gas-phase abundances in the interstellar medium. This implies that they can be used as tracers of the chemical enrichment of matter in the Universe at high redshift. Comparable observations in stars are more difficult and, until recently, plagued by small number statistics. Aims: We wish to exploit the Gaia-ESO Survey (GES) data to study the behaviour of sulphur and zinc abundances of a large number of Galactic stars, in a homogeneous way. Methods: By using the UVES spectra of the GES sample, we are able to assemble a sample of 1301 Galactic stars, including stars in open and globular clusters in which both sulphur and zinc were measured. Results: We confirm the results from the literature that sulphur behaves as an α-element. We find a large scatter in [Zn/Fe] ratios among giant stars around solar metallicity. The lower ratios are observed in giant stars at Galactocentric distances less than 7.5 kpc. No such effect is observed among dwarf stars, since they do not extend to that radius. Conclusions: Given the sample selection, giants and dwarfs are observed at different Galactic locations, and it is plausible, and compatible with simple calculations, that Zn-poor giants trace a younger population more polluted by SN Ia yields. It is necessary to extend observations in order to observe both giants and dwarfs at the same Galactic location. Further theoretical work on the evolution of zinc is also necessary. Based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere under ESO programmes 188.B-3002, 193.B-0936.The full table of S abundances is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/604/A128

The VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS): Science Highlights and Final Data Release

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzzo, L.; Vipers Team

2017-06-01

The VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey (VIPERS) released its final set of nearly 90 000 galaxy redshifts in November 2016, together with a series of science papers that range from the detailed evolution of galaxies over the past 8 Gyr to the growth rate and the power spectrum of cosmological structures measured at about half the Hubble time. These are the results of a map of the distribution of galaxies and their properties which is unprecedented in its combination of large volume and detailed sampling at 0.5 < z < 1.2. In this article, the survey design and data properties are briefly summarised and an overview of the key scientific results published so far is provided. The VIPERS data, obtained within the framework of an ESO Large Programme over the equivalent of just under 55 nights at the Very Large Telescope, will remain the largest legacy of the VIMOS spectrograph and its still unsurpassed ability to reach target densities close to 10000 spectra per square degree.

White organic light-emitting diodes utilized by near UV-deep blue emitter and exciplex emission.

PubMed

Park, Young Wook; Kim, Young Min; Choi, Jin Hwan; Park, Tae Hyun; Choi, Hyun Ju; Yu, Hong Jung; Cho, Min Ju; Choi, Dong Hoon; Kim, Sung Hyun; Ju, Byeong Kwon

2011-02-01

Numerous investigations have been made into the development of wide color gamut displays for deep-blue OLEDs, including the RGB sub pixels, and white OLEDs (WOLEDs). One of the well known deep-blue emissive dopants, tris(phenyl-methyl-benzimidazolyl)iridium(III) [Ir(pmb)3], successfully introduced its fascinating color coordinate of Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) 1931 (0.17, 0.06), however there have been no reports utilizing its accomplishments as WOLEDs. In this report, using only one phosphorescent dopant, the near UV-deep blue emissive Ir(pmb)3, the WOLEDs having the CIE 1931 coordinate of (0.33, 0.38) at 100 cd/m2 with a color rendering index of 85 are demonstrated. The white emission of the fabricated OLEDs are oriented from the near UV-deep blue emission of Ir(pmb)3 and the successfully controlled exciplex emission, between the Ir(pmb)3-host, and the Ir(pmb)3-interfaced material.

Strong enhancement of s -wave superconductivity near a quantum critical point of Ca 3 Ir 4 Sn 13

DOE PAGES