Geologic application of thermal inertia imaging using HCMM data

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Geologic applications of thermal inertia image using HCMM data

The author has identified the following significant results. Comparison of a simulated HCMM image of the Pisgah Crater, California test site obtained from aircraft data with an image generated from the preliminary satellite data tape of the area indicates that the HCMM satellite data appears much as predicted by the simulation

Conductance Phases in Aharonov-Bohm Ring Quantum Dots

The regimes of growing phases (for electron numbers N~0-8) that pass into regions of self-returning phases (for N>8), found recently in quantum dot conductances by the Weizmann group are accounted for by an elementary Green function formalism, appropriate to an equi-spaced ladder structure (with at least three rungs) of electronic levels in the quantum dot. The key features of the theory are physically a dissipation rate that increases linearly with the level number (and tentatively linked to coupling to longitudinal optical phonons) and a set of Fano-like meta-stable levels, which disturb the unitarity, and mathematically the change over of the position of the complex transmission amplitude-zeros from the upper-half in the complex gap-voltage plane to the lower half of that plane. The two regimes are identified with (respectively) the Blaschke-term and the Kramers-Kronig integral term in the theory of complex variables.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figure

On L2L^2 -functions with bounded spectrum

We consider the class $PW(\mathbb R^n)$ of functions in $L^2(\mathbb R^n)$, whose Fourier transform has bounded support. We obtain a description of continuous maps $\varphi : \mathbb R^m\rightarrow\mathbb R^n$ such that $f\circ\varphi\in PW(\mathbb R^m)$ for every function $f\in PW(\mathbb R^n)$. Only injective affine maps $\varphi$ have this property

Evidence for Rapid Oxidative Phosphorylation and Lactate Fermentation in Motile Human Sperm by Hyperpolarized 13C Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Poor sperm motility is a common cause of male infertility for which there are no empirical therapies. Sperm motility is powered by adenosine triphosphate but the relative importance of lactate fermentation and Oxidative Phosphorylation (OxPhos) is debated. To study the relationship between energy metabolism and sperm motility we used dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (dDNP) for the first time to show the rapid conversion of 13C1-pyruvate to lactate and bicarbonate, indicating active glycolytic and OxPhos metabolism in sperm. The magnitude of both lactate and bicarbonate signals were positively correlated with the concentration of progressively motile sperm. After controlling for sperm concentration, increased progressive sperm motility generated more pyruvate conversion to lactate and bicarbonate. The technique of dDNP allows ‘snapshots’ of sperm metabolism to be tracked over the different stages of their life. This may provide help to uncover the causes of poor sperm motility and suggest new approaches for novel treatments or therapies

Self-adjoint Lyapunov variables, temporal ordering and irreversible representations of Schroedinger evolution

In non relativistic quantum mechanics time enters as a parameter in the Schroedinger equation. However, there are various situations where the need arises to view time as a dynamical variable. In this paper we consider the dynamical role of time through the construction of a Lyapunov variable - i.e., a self-adjoint quantum observable whose expectation value varies monotonically as time increases. It is shown, in a constructive way, that a certain class of models admit a Lyapunov variable and that the existence of a Lyapunov variable implies the existence of a transformation mapping the original quantum mechanical problem to an equivalent irreversible representation. In addition, it is proved that in the irreversible representation there exists a natural time ordering observable splitting the Hilbert space at each t>0 into past and future subspaces.Comment: Accepted for publication in JMP. Supercedes arXiv:0710.3604. Discussion expanded to include the case of Hamiltonians with an infinitely degenerate spectru

Photon wave mechanics and position eigenvectors

One and two photon wave functions are derived by projecting the quantum state vector onto simultaneous eigenvectors of the number operator and a recently constructed photon position operator [Phys. Rev A 59, 954 (1999)] that couples spin and orbital angular momentum. While only the Landau-Peierls wave function defines a positive definite photon density, a similarity transformation to a biorthogonal field-potential pair of positive frequency solutions of Maxwell's equations preserves eigenvalues and expectation values. We show that this real space description of photons is compatible with all of the usual rules of quantum mechanics and provides a framework for understanding the relationships amongst different forms of the photon wave function in the literature. It also gives a quantum picture of the optical angular momentum of beams that applies to both one photon and coherent states. According to the rules of qunatum mechanics, this wave function gives the probability to count a photon at any position in space.Comment: 14 pages, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Task-Specific Ionic Liquids for Mars Exploration (Green Chemistry for a Red Planet)

Ionic Liquids (ILs) are organic salts with low melting points that are liquid at or near room temperature. The combinations of available ions and task-specific molecular designability make them suitable for a huge variety of tasks. Because of their low flammability, low vapor pressure, and stability in harsh environments (extreme temperatures, hard vacuum) they are generally much safer and "greener" than conventional chemicals and are thus suitable for a wide range of applications that support NASA exploration goals. This presentation describes several of the ongoing applications that are being developed at MSFC

Metals and Oxygen Mining from Meteorites, Asteroids and Planets using Reusable Ionic Liquids

In order for humans to explore beyond Low Earth Orbit both safely and economically, it will be essential to learn how to make use of in situ materials and energy in an environment much different than on earth. Precursor robotic missions will be necessary to determine what resources will be available and to demonstrate the capabilities for their use. To that end, we have recently been studying acidic Ionic Liquid (IL) systems for use in a low temperature (< 200 C) process to solubilize regolith, and to extract, as water, the oxygen available in metal oxides. Using this method, we have solubilized lunar regolith simulant (JSC-1A), as well as extraterrestrial materials in the form of meteorites, and have extracted up to 80% of the available oxygen. Moreover, by using a hydrogen gas electrode, we have shown that the IL can be regenerated at the anode and metals (e.g. iron) can be plated onto the cathode. These results indicate that IL processing is an excellent candidate for extracting oxygen in situ, for life support and propulsion, and for extracting metals to be used as feedstock in fabrication processes. We have obtained small amounts of meteorite materials believed by meteoriticists to have originated from our moon, Mars, and the asteroid Vesta, and were able to solubilize those using acidic IL systems. From the Vesta meteorite, we were able to extract about 60% of the available oxygen as water. As far as is known, this is the first time that extraterrestrial/earth hybrid water has been obtained. NMR analysis provided proof that the liquid retrieved is indeed water. We have also been able to electro-plate nickel and iron contained in meteorite material. By varying voltage they can be plated separately (electro-winning), and we plan to soon have sufficient quantities to form usable parts utilizing the additive manufacturing process

On the inconsistency of the Bohm-Gadella theory with quantum mechanics

The Bohm-Gadella theory, sometimes referred to as the Time Asymmetric Quantum Theory of Scattering and Decay, is based on the Hardy axiom. The Hardy axiom asserts that the solutions of the Lippmann-Schwinger equation are functionals over spaces of Hardy functions. The preparation-registration arrow of time provides the physical justification for the Hardy axiom. In this paper, it is shown that the Hardy axiom is incorrect, because the solutions of the Lippmann-Schwinger equation do not act on spaces of Hardy functions. It is also shown that the derivation of the preparation-registration arrow of time is flawed. Thus, Hardy functions neither appear when we solve the Lippmann-Schwinger equation nor they should appear. It is also shown that the Bohm-Gadella theory does not rest on the same physical principles as quantum mechanics, and that it does not solve any problem that quantum mechanics cannot solve. The Bohm-Gadella theory must therefore be abandoned.Comment: 16 page