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At least 235 records · Page 13

Quantitative analysis of dislocations in 4H-SiC wafers using synchrotron X-ray topography with ultra-high angular resolution

Utilization of an Si(331) beam conditioner together with an Si(111) double-crystal monochromator (DCM) enables the angular resolution of synchrotron X-ray topography to be increased by an order of magnitude compared with grazing-incidence topography or back-reflection topography conducted with the DCM alone. This improved technique with extremely small beam divergence is referred to as synchrotron X-ray plane-wave topography (SXPWT). This study demonstrates that the rocking curve width of 4H-SiC 0008 in PWT is only 2.5" and thus the lattice distortion at the scale of 1" will significantly affect the diffracted intensity. This work reports the ultra-high angular resolution in SXPWT which enables detailed probing of the lattice distortion outside the dislocation core in 4H-SiC, where the sign of the Burgers vector can be readily determined through comparison with ray-tracing simulations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Evaluation of a flow direction probe and a pitot-static probe on the F-14 airplane at high angles of attack and sideslip

The measurement performance of a hemispherical flow-angularity probe and a fuselage-mounted pitot-static probe was evaluated at high flow angles as part of a test program on an F-14 airplane. These evaluations were performed using a calibrated pitot-static noseboom equipped with vanes for reference flow direction measurements, and another probe incorporating vanes but mounted on a pod under the fuselage nose. Data are presented for angles of attack up to 63, angles of sideslip from -22 deg to 22 deg, and for Mach numbers from approximately 0.3 to 1.3. During maneuvering flight, the hemispherical flow-angularity probe exhibited flow angle errors that exceeded 2 deg. Pressure measurements with the pitot-static probe resulted in very inaccurate data above a Mach number of 0.87 and exhibited large sensitivities with flow angle.

Larson, T. J.↗

First measurement of quarkonium polarization in nuclear collisions at the LHC

The polarization of inclusive J/ψ and Υ(1S) produced in Pb–Pb collisions at √ s NN = 5.02 TeV at the LHC is measured with the ALICE detector. The study is carried out by reconstructing the quarkonium through its decay to muon pairs in the rapidity region 2.5 < y < 4 and measuring the polar and azimuthal angular distributions of the muons. The polarization parameters λ θ , λ φ and λ θφ are measured in the helicity and Collins-Soper reference frames, in the transverse momentum interval 2 < p T < 10 GeV/c and p T < 15 GeV/c for the J/ψ and Υ(1S), respectively. The polarization parameters for the J/ψ are found to be compatible with zero, within a maximum of about two standard deviations at low p T , for both reference frames and over the whole p T range. The values are compared with the corresponding results obtained for pp collisions at √s = 7 and 8 TeV in a similar kinematic region by the ALICE and LHCb experiments. Although with much larger uncertainties, the polarization parameters for Υ(1S) production in Pb–Pb collisions are also consistent with zero

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

The role of the eROSITA all-sky survey in searches for sterile neutrino dark matter

We investigate for the first time the potential of angular auto- and cross-correlation power spectra in identifying sterile neutrino dark matter in the cosmic X-ray background. We take as reference the performance of the soon-to-be-launched eROSITA satellite. The main astrophysical background sources against sterile neutrino decays are active galactic nuclei, galaxies powered by X-ray binaries, and clusters of galaxies. While sterile neutrino decays are always subdominant in the auto-correlation power spectra, they can be efficiently enhanced when cross-correlating with tracers of the dark matter distribution such as galaxies in the 2MASS catalogues. We show that the planned four-years eROSITA all-sky survey will provide a large enough photon statistics to potentially yield very stringent constraints on the decay lifetime, enabling to firmly test the recently claimed 3.56-keV X-ray line found towards several clusters and galaxies and its decaying dark matter interpretation. However, we also show that in order to fully exploit the potential of eROSITA for dark matter searches, it is vital to overcome the shot-noise limitations inherent to galaxy catalogues as tracers for the dark matter distribution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Preliminary results from a subsonic high angle-of-attack flush airdata sensing (HI-FADS) system: Design, calibration, and flight test evaluation

A nonintrusive high angle-of-attack flush airdata sensing (HI-FADS) system was installed and flight-tested on the F-18 high alpha research flight vehicle. The system is a matrix of 25 pressure orifices in concentric circles on the nose of the vehicle. The orifices determine angles of attack and sideslip, Mach number, and pressure altitude. Pressure was transmitted from the orifices to an electronically scanned pressure module by lines of pneumatic tubing. The HI-FADS system was calibrated and demonstrated using dutch roll flight maneuvers covering large Mach, angle-of-attack, and sideslip ranges. Reference airdata for system calibration were generated by a minimum variance estimation technique blending measurements from two wingtip airdata booms with inertial velocities, aircraft angular rates and attitudes, precision radar tracking, and meteorological analyses. The pressure orifice calibration was based on identifying empirical adjustments to modified Newtonian flow on a hemisphere. Calibration results are presented. Flight test results used all 25 orifices or used a subset of 9 orifices. Under moderate maneuvering conditions, the HI-FADS system gave excellent results over the entire subsonic Mach number range up to 55 deg angle of attack. The internal pneumatic frequency response of the system is accurate to beyond 10 Hz. Aerodynamic lags in the aircraft flow field caused some performance degradation during heavy maneuvering.

Whitmore, Stephen A.↗

Preliminary results from the COBE differential microwave radiometers - Large angular scale isotropy of the cosmic microwave background

Preliminary but precise micowave maps are presented of the sky, and thus of the early universe, derived as the first results from the Differential Microwave Radiometers experiment aboard COBE. The dipole anisotropy attributed to the motion of the solar system with respect to the CMB reference frame shows strongly in all six sky maps and is consistent with a Doppler-shifted thermal spectrum. The best-fitted dipole has amplitude 3.3 + or - 0.2 mK in the direction (alpha, delta) = 11.2 h + or - 0.2 h, -7 deg + or - 2 deg (J2000) or (l,b) = 265 deg + or - 2 deg, 48 deg + or - 2 deg. There is no clear evidence in the maps for any other large angular-scale feature. Limits on Delta T/T0 of 3 x 10 to the -5th (T0 = 2.735 K), 4 x 10 to the -5th, and 4 x 10 to the -5th are found for the rms quadrupole amplitude, monochromatic fluctuations, and Gaussian fluctuations, respectively. These measurements place the most severe constraints to date on many potential physical processes in the early universe.

Smoot, G. F.↗

SU-C-BRA-07: Variability of Patient-Specific Motion Models Derived Using Different Deformable Image Registration Algorithms for Lung Cancer Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) Patients

Purpose: To study the variability of patient-specific motion models derived from 4-dimensional CT (4DCT) images using different deformable image registration (DIR) algorithms for lung cancer stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) patients. Methods: Motion models are derived by 1) applying DIR between each 4DCT image and a reference image, resulting in a set of displacement vector fields (DVFs), and 2) performing principal component analysis (PCA) on the DVFs, resulting in a motion model (a set of eigenvectors capturing the variations in the DVFs). Three DIR algorithms were used: 1) Demons, 2) Horn-Schunck, and 3) iterative optical flow. The motion models derived were compared using patient 4DCT scans. Results: Motion models were derived and the variations were evaluated according to three criteria: 1) the average root mean square (RMS) difference which measures the absolute difference between the components of the eigenvectors, 2) the dot product between the eigenvectors which measures the angular difference between the eigenvectors in space, and 3) the Euclidean Model Norm (EMN), which is calculated by summing the dot products of an eigenvector with the first three eigenvectors from the reference motion model in quadrature. EMN measures how well an eigenvector can be reconstructed using another motion model derived using a different DIR algorithm. Results showed that comparing to a reference motion model (derived using the Demons algorithm), the eigenvectors of the motion model derived using the iterative optical flow algorithm has smaller RMS, larger dot product, and larger EMN values than those of the motion model derived using Horn-Schunck algorithm. Conclusion: The study showed that motion models vary depending on which DIR algorithms were used to derive them. The choice of a DIR algorithm may affect the accuracy of the resulting model, and it is important to assess the suitability of the algorithm chosen for a particular application. This project was supported, in part, through a Master Research Agreement with Varian Medical Systems, Inc, Palo Alto, CA.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Meson Spectroscopy in the Light Quark Sector

Understanding the hadron spectrum is one of the fundamental issues in modern particle physics. We know that existing hadron configurations include baryons, made of three quarks, and mesons, made of quark-antiquark pairs. However most of the mass of the hadrons is not due to the mass of these elementary constituents but to their binding force. Studying the hadron spectrum is therefore a tool to understand one of the fundamental forces in nature, the strong force, and Quantum Chromo Dynamics (QCD), the theory that describes it. This investigation can provide an answer to fundamental questions as what is the origin of the mass of hadrons, what is the origin of quark confinement, what are the relevant degrees of freedom to describe these complex systems and how the transition between the elementary constituents, quarks and gluons, and baryons and mesons occurs. In this field a key tool is given by meson spectroscopy. Mesons, being made by a quark and an anti-quark, are the simplest quark bound system and therefore the ideal benchmark to study the interaction between quarks and understand what the role of gluons is. In this investigation, it is fundamental to precisely determine the spectrum and properties of mesons but also to search for possible unconventional states beyond the configuration q{anti q} as tetraquarks (qq{anti qq}), hybrids (q{anti q}g) and glueballs. These states can be distinguished unambiguously from regular mesons when they have exotic quantum numbers, i.e. combinations of total angular momentum, spin and parity that are not allowed for q{anti q} states. These are called exotic quantum numbers and the corresponding states are referred to as exotics. The study of the meson spectrum and the search for exotics is among the goals of several experiments in the world that exploit different reaction processes, as e{sup +}e{sup -} annihilation, p{anti p} annihilation, pion scattering, proton-proton scattering and photo-production, to produce meson states. This intense effort is leading to a very rich phenomenology in this sector and, together with recent theoretical progress achieved with lattice QCD calculations, is providing crucial information to reach a deeper understanding of strong interaction. In these proceedings I will review the present status of meson spectroscopy in the light quark sector and the plans and perspectives for future experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Bulk flow and correlation measurements at LHCb

Particle correlations are a powerful tool to study the properties of the bulk nuclear matter produced in relativistic heavy ion collisions. The momentum correlations between identical particles originating from the same particle-emitting source, referred to as the Bose-Einstein correlations, measure scales that are related to the geometrical size of the source. The two-particle azimuthal angular correlations measure the spatial anisotropy of produced particles, providing information on collective phenomena arising in the dense nuclear medium. This contribution will discuss new LHCb measurements of Bose- Einstein correlations and, for the first time, the collective flow coefficients in the far forward rapidity region.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

The ALS OSMS: Optical Surface Measuring System for high accuracy two-dimensional slope metrology with state-of-the-art x-ray mirrors

We report that to preserve the brightness and coherence of x-rays produced by diffraction-limited-storage-ring (DLSR) and free-electron laser (FEL) light sources, beamline optics must have unprecedented quality. For example, in the case of the most advanced beamlines for the DLSR source under development at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), the ALS-U, we need highly curved x-ray mirrors with surface slope tolerances better than 50-100 nrad (root-mean-square, rms). At the ALS X-Ray Optics Lab (XROL), we are working on the development of a new Optical Surface Measuring System (OSMS) with the required measurement accuracy. The OSMS is capable for the two-dimensional (2D) surface slope metrology over the spatial range from the sub-mm scale to the clear aperture. Usage of different arrangements of the OSMS sensors allows measuring the mirrors in the face-up or side-facing orientation, corresponding to the beamline application. The OSMS translation system and data acquisition software are designed to support multi scan measurement runs optimized for automatic suppression and compensation of instrumental drifts and major angular and spatial systematic errors. Here, we discuss the recent results of the OSMS research and development project. We provide details of the OSMS design and describe results of experimental performance tests of the gantry system. In particular, we show that the system is capable for measurement repeatability with strongly curved mirrors on the level of 20 nrad (rms). The high angular resolution of the OSMS rotational tip-tilt stage is adequate for implementation of instrumental calibration with using the mirror under test as a reference. The achieved measuring accuracy is demonstrated via comparison to metrology with the carefully calibrated Developmental Long Trace Profiler, also available at the XROL.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Projection system for display of parallax and perspective

A projection system for the display of parallax and perspective of a real image from a hologram is presented. A reference beam was projected in a sequence of several projections at selected angles of perspective through the hologram, this sequence being rapidly performed. The resulting angular spaced images emitting from the hologram were directed onto a mirror which was coordinately tilted to reflect all of the resulting images to register onto a screen where they appeared as a single three dimensional image.

Kurtz, R. L.↗

The Mars Observer differential one-way range demonstration

Current methods of angular spacecraft positioning using station differenced range data require an additional observation of an extragalactic radio source (quasar) to estimate the timing offset between the reference clocks at the two Deep Space Stations. The quasar observation is also used to reduce the effects of instrumental and media delays on the radio metric observable by forming a difference with the spacecraft observation (delta differential one-way range, delta DOR). An experiment has been completed using data from the Global Positioning System satellites to estimate the station clock offset, eliminating the need for the quasar observation. The requirements for direct measurement of the instrumental delays that must be made in the absence of a quasar observation are assessed. Finally, the results of the 'quasar-free' differential one-way range, or DOR, measurements of the Mars Observer spacecraft are compared with those of simultaneous conventional delta DOR measurements.

Kroger, P. M.↗

Investigation of wing upper surface flow-field disturbance due to NASA DC-8-72 in-flight inboard thrust-reverser deployment

An investigation of the wing upper surface flow-field disturbance due to in-flight inboard thrust reverser deployment on the NASA DC-8-72, which was conducted cooperatively by NASA Ames, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), McDonnell Douglas, and the Aerospace Industry Association (AIA), is outlined and discussed in detail. The purpose of this flight test was to obtain tufted flow visualization data which demonstrates the effect of thrust reverser deployment on the wing upper surface flow field to determine if the disturbed flow regions could be modeled by computational methods. A total of six symmetric thrust reversals of the two inboard engines were performed to monitor tuft and flow cone patterns as well as the character of their movement at the nominal Mach numbers of 0.55, 0.70, and 0.85. The tufts and flow cones were photographed and video-taped to determine the type of flow field that occurs with and without the thrust reversers deployed. In addition, the normal NASA DC-8 onboard Data Acquisition Distribution System (DADS) was used to synchronize the cameras. Results of this flight test will be presented in two parts. First, three distinct flow patterns associated with the above Mach numbers were sketched from the motion videos and discussed in detail. Second, other relevant aircraft parameters, such as aircraft's angular orientation, altitude, Mach number, and vertical descent, are discussed. The flight test participants' comments were recorded on the videos and the interested reader is referred to the video supplement section of this report for that information.

Hamid, Hedayat U.↗

Influence of radiation dose and reconstruction algorithm in MDCT assessment of airway wall thickness: A phantom study

Purpose: Wall thickness (WT) is an airway feature of great interest for the assessment of morphological changes in the lung parenchyma. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) has recently been used to evaluate airway WT, but the potential risk of radiation-induced carcinogenesis—particularly in younger patients—might limit a wider use of this imaging method in clinical practice. The recent commercial implementation of the statistical model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) algorithm, instead of the conventional filtered back projection (FBP) algorithm, has enabled considerable radiation dose reduction in many other clinical applications of MDCT. The purpose of this work was to study the impact of radiation dose and MBIR in the MDCT assessment of airway WT. Methods: An airway phantom was scanned using a clinical MDCT system (Discovery CT750 HD, GE Healthcare) at 4 kV levels and 5 mAs levels. Both FBP and a commercial implementation of MBIR (Veo{sup TM}, GE Healthcare) were used to reconstruct CT images of the airways. For each kV–mAs combination and each reconstruction algorithm, the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the airways was measured, and the WT of each airway was measured and compared with the nominal value; the relative bias and the angular standard deviation in the measured WT were calculated. For each airway and reconstruction algorithm, the overall performance of WT quantification across all of the 20 kV–mAs combinations was quantified by the sum of squares (SSQs) of the difference between the measured and nominal WT values. Finally, the particular kV–mAs combination and reconstruction algorithm that minimized radiation dose while still achieving a reference WT quantification accuracy level was chosen as the optimal acquisition and reconstruction settings. Results: The wall thicknesses of seven airways of different sizes were analyzed in the study. Compared with FBP, MBIR improved the CNR of the airways, particularly at low radiation dose levels. For FBP, the relative bias and the angular standard deviation of the measured WT increased steeply with decreasing radiation dose. Except for the smallest airway, MBIR enabled significant reduction in both the relative bias and angular standard deviation of the WT, particularly at low radiation dose levels; the SSQ was reduced by 50%–96% by using MBIR. The optimal reconstruction algorithm was found to be MBIR for the seven airways being assessed, and the combined use of MBIR and optimal kV–mAs selection resulted in a radiation dose reduction of 37%–83% compared with a reference scan protocol with a dose level of 1 mGy. Conclusions: The quantification accuracy of airway WT is strongly influenced by radiation dose and reconstruction algorithm. The MBIR algorithm potentially allows the desired WT quantification accuracy to be achieved with reduced radiation dose, which may enable a wider clinical use of MDCT for the assessment of airway WT, particularly for younger patients who may be more sensitive to exposures with ionizing radiation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

CLUSTERING OF SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY III PHOTOMETRIC LUMINOUS GALAXIES: THE MEASUREMENT, SYSTEMATICS, AND COSMOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) surveyed 14,555 deg{sup 2}, and delivered over a trillion pixels of imaging data. We present a study of galaxy clustering using 900,000 luminous galaxies with photometric redshifts, spanning between z = 0.45 and z = 0.65, constructed from the SDSS using methods described in Ross et al. This data set spans 11,000 deg{sup 2} and probes a volume of 3 h {sup -3} Gpc{sup 3}, making it the largest volume ever used for galaxy clustering measurements. We describe in detail the construction of the survey window function and various systematics affecting our measurement. With such a large volume, high-precision cosmological constraints can be obtained given careful control and understanding of the observational systematics. We present a novel treatment of the observational systematics and its applications to the clustering signals from the data set. In this paper, we measure the angular clustering using an optimal quadratic estimator at four redshift slices with an accuracy of {approx}15%, with a bin size of {delta}{sub l} = 10 on scales of the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs; at l {approx} 40-400). We also apply corrections to the power spectra due to systematics and derive cosmological constraints using the full shape of the power spectra. For a flat {Lambda}CDM model, when combined with cosmic microwave background Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe 7 (WMAP7) and H{sub 0} constraints from using 600 Cepheids observed by Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3; HST), we find {Omega}{sub {Lambda}} = 0.73 {+-} 0.019 and H{sub 0} to be 70.5 {+-} 1.6 s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1} km. For an open {Lambda}CDM model, when combined with WMAP7 + HST, we find {Omega}{sub K} = 0.0035 {+-} 0.0054, improved over WMAP7+HST alone by 40%. For a wCDM model, when combined with WMAP7+HST+SN, we find w = -1.071 {+-} 0.078, and H{sub 0} to be 71.3 {+-} 1.7 s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1} km, which is competitive with the latest large-scale structure constraints from large spectroscopic surveys such as the SDSS Data Release 7 (DR7) and WiggleZ. We also find that systematic-corrected power spectra give consistent constraints on cosmological models when compared with pre-systematic correction power spectra in the angular scales of interest. The SDSS-III Data Release 8 (SDSS-III DR8) Angular Clustering Data allow a wide range of investigations into the cosmological model, cosmic expansion (via BAO), Gaussianity of initial conditions, and neutrino masses. Here, we refer to our companion papers for further investigations using the clustering data. Our calculation of the survey selection function, systematics maps, and likelihood function for the COSMOMC package will be released at http://portal.nersc.gov/project/boss/galaxy/photoz/.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

SU-E-T-390: Characterization of the PTW Synthetic Diamond Detector for Radiation Therapy Measurements

Purpose: To investigate the dosimetric properties of new commercially available synthetic single crystal diamond detector under irradiation with therapeutic photon beams from linear accelerators. Methods: A single crystal diamond detector was tested using 6MV photon beam. The detector performance was evaluated for reproducibility, linearity with dose, dose rate dependence, angular dependence, collection efficiency, and measurement of output factors. Lateral field profiles, and percentage depth dose profiles were measured and compared against commercially available detectors. Results: Reproducibility of the detector measurement has a standard deviation of 0.1%. A good linear behavior of the detector response as a function of the delivered dose is observed with deviations below ±0.03% in the dose range from 0.1 to 5Gy. In addition, the detector response is dose rate independent, with deviations below 0.1% in the investigated dose rate range from 1 to 10Gy per min. Charge collection efficiency deviations were within 0.07% from 1 to 10Gy. No angular dependence along the radial direction while up to 1.3% angular dependence was observed in the axial direction. Percentage depth dose curves obtained from the diamond detector are in good agreement with the ones from the reference dosimeters. Lateral beam profile measurements show an overall good agreement among detectors, taking into account their respective geometrical features. The spatial resolution of solid state detectors is confirmed to be better than that of ionization chambers, being the one from the diamond detector comparable to that of the silicon diode. Conclusions: The observed dosimetric properties indicate that the tested diamond detector is a suitable candidate for clinical photon beam dosimetry. The agreement with reference dosimeters show that the detector is suitable for measurements for large fields as well as small fields as the ones used for stereotactic radiotherapy.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Exact-to-precision generalized perturbation for neutron transport calculation

This manuscript extends the exact-to-precision generalized perturbation theory (E{sub P}GPT), introduced previously, to neutron transport calculation whereby previous developments focused on neutron diffusion calculation only. The E{sub P}GPT collectively denotes new developments in generalized perturbation theory (GPT) that place premium on computational efficiency and defendable accuracy in order to render GPT a standard analysis tool in routine design and safety reactor calculations. EPGPT constructs a surrogate model with quantifiable accuracy which can replace the original neutron transport model for subsequent engineering analysis, e.g. functionalization of the homogenized few-group cross sections in terms of various core conditions, sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification. This is achieved by reducing the effective dimensionality of the state variable (i.e. neutron angular flux) by projection onto an active subspace. Confining the state variations to the active subspace allows one to construct a small number of what is referred to as the 'active' responses which are solely dependent on the physics model rather than on the responses of interest, the number of input parameters, or the number of points in the state phase space. (authors)

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Balloon-Borne Observations of the Anisotropy of the Cosmic Microwave'Background on Angular Scales of 0.2 to 40 Degrees'

During this final period, BOOMERANG was deployed to McMurdo Mtn., Antarctica in late 1998 and successfully flew a 10.5 day long duration flight. The experiment returned excellent data, and produced the first resolved images of the early universe. These results, as well as those produced during a test flight over North America in August, 1997, are given in the references below. Analysis of the data from the 1998 flight is continuing. In parallel, we have begun to prepare the payload for a long-duration flight from McMurdo in December 2001. For this flight, the focal plane is being outfitted with polarization sensitive detectors, with the goal of detecting the polarization of the CMB that is predicted to exist at degree angular scales.

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