Pion-induced Drell-Yan processes and the flavor-dependent EMC effect

Pion-induced Drell-Yan processes are proposed as a potential tool to measure the flavor dependence of the EMC effect, that is, the flavor-dependent modification of quark distributions in the nuclear medium. Existing pionic Drell-Yan data are compared with calculations using a recent model for nuclear quark distributions that incorporates flavor-dependent nuclear effects. While no firm conclusions can yet be drawn, we demonstrate that existing Drell-Yan data seem to imply a flavor dependence of the EMC effect. We highlight how pion-induced Drell-Yan experiments on nuclear targets can access important new aspects of the EMC effect, not probed in deep inelastic scattering, and will therefore provide very stringent constrains for models of nuclear quark distributions. Predictions for possible future pion-induced Drell-Yan experiments are also presented.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Modern Aerocapture Guidance to Enable Reduced-Lift Vehicles at Neptune

Aerocapture is covered extensively in the literature as means of achieving orbital insertion with dramatic mass-saving results compared to fully-propulsive systems. One of the primary obstacles facing aerocapture is the inherent uncertainty associated with passing through a planets upper atmosphere. In-flight dispersions due to delivery errors, environment variables, and aerodynamic performance impose a large flight envelope. System studies for aerocapture often select high lift-to-drag ratios to compensate for these uncertainties. However, modern predictor-corrector guidance strategies have shown promise in recent years to provide robust control schemes in-situ. These algorithms do not rely on a pre-calculated reference trajectory and instead employ a numerical optimizer to continuously solve nonlinear equations of motion each guidance cycle. Numerical predictor-corrector strategies may provide considerable accuracy over heritage guidance schemes. The goal of this study is reproduce a landmark study of Neptune aerocapture and apply modern guidance to illustrate relative performance improvements and cost-saving potential. Capture constraints based on the theoretical corridor width are considered. Results indicate that heritage vehicles with moderate lift-to-drag ratios, lower than previous studies have indicated, may prove viable for aerocapture at Neptune

Frequency-offset insensitive digital modem techniques

Conventional DPSK systems are adversely affected by transmitter/receiver frequency offsets due to frequency reference errors and Doppler shifts. Two DPSK modem concepts are presented which avoid the long frequency acquisition process of conventional DPSK. One technique involves a modified demodulator for conventional DPSK signals, while the other involves making minor changes to both the modulator and demodulator. Simulation results are provided showing performance relative to conventional DPSK

Lagrange Multipliers, (Exact) Regularization and Error Bounds for Monotone Variational Inequalities

We examine two central regularization strategies for monotone variational inequalities, the first a direct regularization of the operative monotone mapping, and the second via regularization of the associated dual gap function. A key link in the relationship between the solution sets to these various regularized problems is the idea of exact regularization, which, in turn, is fundamentally associated with the existence of Lagrange multipliers for the regularized variational inequality. A regularization is said to be exact if a solution to the regularized problem is a solution to the unregularized problem for all parameters beyond a certain value. The Lagrange multipliers corresponding to a particular regularization of a variational inequality, on the other hand, are defined via the dual gap function. Our analysis suggests various conceptual, iteratively regularized numerical schemes, for which we provide error bounds, and hence stopping criteria, under the additional assumption that the solution set to the unregularized problem is what we call weakly sharp of order greater than one.Comment: Updated version after referee comments. 34 pages, 1 table, 20 reference

Signature of strong atom-cavity interaction on critical coupling

We study a critically coupled cavity doped with resonant atoms with metamaterial slabs as mirrors. We show how resonant atom-cavity interaction can lead to a splitting of the critical coupling dip. The results are explained in terms of the frequency and lifetime splitting of the coupled system.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Surface Resistance Imaging with a Scanning Near-Field Microwave Microscope

We describe near-field imaging of sample sheet resistance via frequency shifts in a resonant coaxial scanning microwave microscope. The frequency shifts are related to local sample properties, such as surface resistance and dielectric constant. We use a feedback circuit to track a given resonant frequency, allowing measurements with a sensitivity to frequency shifts as small as one parts in 50000 for a 30 ms sampling time. The frequency shifts can be converted to sheet resistance based on a simple model of the system.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures; for color versions of figures see www.csr.umd.edu/research/hifreq/micr_microscopy.htm

Low Power Superconducting Microwave Applications and Microwave Microscopy

We briefly review some non-accelerator high-frequency applications of superconductors. These include the use of high-Tc superconductors in front-end band-pass filters in cellular telephone base stations, the High Temperature Superconductor Space Experiment, and high-speed digital electronics. We also present an overview of our work on a novel form of near-field scanning microscopy at microwave frequencies. This form of microscopy can be used to investigate the microwave properties of metals and dielectrics on length scales as small as 1 mm. With this microscope we have demonstrated quantitative imaging of sheet resistance and topography at microwave frequencies. An examination of the local microwave response of the surface of a heat-treated bulk Nb sample is also presented.Comment: 11 pages, including 6 figures. Presented at the Eight Workshop on RF Superconductivity. To appear in Particle Accelerator

Near-Field Scanning Microwave Microscopy: Measuring Local Microwave Properties and Electric Field Distributions

We describe the near-field microwave microscopy of microwave devices on a length scale much smaller than the wavelength used for imaging. Our microscope can be operated in two possible configurations, allowing a quantitative study of either material properties or local electric fields.Comment: 4 pages, 8 figures, minor corrections to text and 2 figure

Superconducting Material Diagnostics using a Scanning Near-Field Microwave Microscope

We have developed scanning near-field microwave microscopes which can image electrodynamic properties of superconducting materials on length scales down to about 2 $\mu$m. The microscopes are capable of quantitative imaging of sheet resistance of thin films, and surface topography. We demonstrate the utility of the microscopes through images of the sheet resistance of a YBa2Cu3O7-d thin film wafer, images of bulk Nb surfaces, and spatially resolved measurements of Tc of a YBa2Cu3O7-d thin film. We also discuss some of the limitations of the microscope and conclude with a summary of its present capabilities.Comment: 6 pages with 9 figures, Proceedings of the Applied Superconductivity Conference 199

Effect of long range connections on an infinite randomness fixed point associated with the quantum phase transitions in a transverse Ising model

We study the effect of long-range connections on the infinite-randomness fixed point associated with the quantum phase transitions in a transverse Ising model (TIM). The TIM resides on a long-range connected lattice where any two sites at a distance r are connected with a non-random ferromagnetic bond with a probability that falls algebraically with the distance between the sites as 1/r^{d+\sigma}. The interplay of the fluctuations due to dilutions together with the quantum fluctuations due to the transverse field leads to an interesting critical behaviour. The exponents at the critical fixed point (which is an infinite randomness fixed point (IRFP)) are related to the classical "long-range" percolation exponents. The most interesting observation is that the gap exponent \psi is exactly obtained for all values of \sigma and d. Exponents depend on the range parameter \sigma and show a crossover to short-range values when \sigma >= 2 -\eta_{SR} where \eta_{SR} is the anomalous dimension for the conventional percolation problem. Long-range connections are also found to tune the strength of the Griffiths phase.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, To appear in Phys. Rev.