We present the Multi-Array Galactic Plane Imaging Survey (MAGPIS), which maps portions of the first Galactic quadrant with an angular resolution, sensitivity and dynamic range that surpasses existing radio images of the Milky Way by more than an order of magnitude. The source detection threshold at 20 cm is in the range 1-2 mJy over the 85% of the survey region (5{sup o} < l < 32{sup o}, |b| < 0.8{sup o}) not covered by bright extended emission; the angular resolution is {approx} 6''. We catalog over 3000 discrete sources (diameters mostly < 30'') and present an atlas of {approx} 400 diffuse emission regions. New and archival data at 90 cm for the whole survey area are also presented. Comparison of our catalogs and images with the MSX mid-infrared data allow us to provide preliminary discrimination between thermal and non-thermal sources. We identify 49 high-probability supernova remnant candidates, increasing by a factor of seven the number of known remnants with diameters smaller than 50 in the survey region; several are pulsar wind nebula candidates and/or very small diameter remnants (D < 45''). We report the tentative identification of several hundred H II regions based on a comparison with the mid-IR …

We have combined a sample of 44 984 quasars, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 3, with the FIRST radio survey. Using a novel technique where the optical quasar position is matched to the complete radio environment within 450'', we are able to characterize the radio morphological make-up of what is essentially an optically selected quasar sample, regardless of whether the quasar (nucleus) itself has been detected in the radio. About 10% of the quasar population have radio cores brighter than 0.75 mJy at 1.4 GHz, and 1.7% have double lobed FR2-like radio morphologies. About 75% of the FR2 sources have a radio core (> 0.75mJy). A significant fraction ({approx}40%) of the FR2 quasars are bent by more than 10 degrees, indicating either interactions of the radio plasma with the ICM or IGM. We found no evidence for correlations with redshift among our FR2 quasars: radio lobe flux densities and radio source diameters of the quasars have similar distributions at low (mean 0.77) and high (mean 2.09) redshifts. Using a smaller high reliability FR2 sample of 422 quasars and two comparison samples of radio-quiet and non-FR2 radio-loud quasars, matched in their redshift distributions, we constructed composite …

This ongoing work concerns the creation of a deformable mirror by the integration of MEMS actuators with Nanolaminate foils through metal compression boning. These mirrors will use the advantages of these disparate technologies to achieve dense actuation of a high-quality, continuous mirror surface. They will enable advanced adaptive optics systems in large terrestrial telescopes. While MEMS actuators provide very dense actuation with high precision they can not provide large forces typically necessary to deform conventional mirror surfaces. Nanolaminate foils can be fabricated with very high surface quality while their extraordinary mechanical properties enable very thin, flexible foils to survive the rigors of fabrication. Precise metal compression bonding allows the attachment of the fragile MEMS actuators to the thin nanolaminate foils without creating distortions at the bond sites. This paper will describe work in four major areas: (1) modeling and design, (2) bonding development, (3) nanolaminate foil development, (4) producing a prototype. A first-principles analytical model was created and used to determine the design parameters. A method of bonding was determined that is both strong, and minimizes the localized deformation or print through. Work has also been done to produce nanolaminate foils that are sufficiently thin, flexible and flat to be …

We report follow-up observations of two gravitational lens candidates identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) dataset. We have confirmed that SDSS J102111.02+491330.4 is a previously unknown gravitationally lensed quasar. This lens system exhibits two images of a z = 1.72 quasar, with an image separation of 1''.14 {+-} 0.04. Optical and near-IR imaging of the system reveals the presence of the lensing galaxy between the two quasar images. Observations of SDSS J112012.12+671116.0 indicate that it is more likely a binary quasar than a gravitational lens. This system has two quasars at a redshift of z = 1.49, with an angular separation of 1''.49 {+-} 0.02. However, the two quasars have markedly different SEDs and no lens galaxy is apparent in optical and near-IR images of this system. We also present a list of 31 SDSS lens candidates which follow-up observations have confirmed are not gravitational lenses.

The point spread function (PSF) is an important measure ofspatial resolution in CCDs for point-like objects, since it can affectuse in imaging and spectroscopic applications. We present new data andtheoretical developments in the study of lateral charge diffusion inthick, fully-depleted charge-coupled devices (CCDs) developed at LawrenceBerkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Because they are fully depleted, theLBNL devices have no field-free region, and diffusion can be controlledthrough the application of an external bias voltage. We give results fora 3512x3512 format, 10.5 ?m pixel back-illuminated p-channel CCDdeveloped for the SuperNova/ Acceleration Probe (SNAP), a proposedsatellite-based experiment designed to study dark energy. The PSF wasmeasured at substrate bias voltages between 3 V and 115 V. At a biasvoltage of 115V, we measure an rms diffusion of 3.7 +- 0.2 ?m. Lateralcharge diffusion in LBNL CCDs is thus expected to meet the SNAPrequirements.

The point spread function (PSF) of a fully-instrumented silicon/germanium Compton telescope has been measured as a function of energy and angle. Overall, the resolution ranged from 3{sup o} to 4{sup o} FWHM over most of the energy range and field of view. The various contributions to the resolution have been quantified. These contributions include the energy uncertainty and position uncertainty of the detector; source energy; Doppler broadening; and the 1/r broadening characteristic of Compton back-projection. Furthermore, a distortion of the PSF is observed for sources imaged off-axis from the detector. These contributions are discussed and compared to theory and simulations.

The structure and phase of the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} scale that forms on an Fe{sub 3}Al-based alloy (Fe-28Al-5Cr) (at %) was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). Oxidation was performed at 900 C and 1000 C for up to 190 min. TEM revealed that single-layer scales were formed after short oxidation times. Electron diffraction was used to show that the scales are composed of nanoscale crystallites of the {theta}, {gamma}, and {alpha} phases of alumina. Band-like structure was observed extending along three 120{sup o}-separated directions within the surface plane. Textured {theta} and {gamma} grains were the main components of the bands, while mixed {alpha} and transient phases were found between the bands. Extended oxidation produced a double-layered scale structure, with a continuous {alpha} layer at the scale/alloy interface, and a {gamma}/{theta} layer at the gas surface. The mechanism for the formation of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} scales on iron aluminide alloys is discussed and compared to that for nickel aluminide alloys.

We report the discovery of a new two-image gravitationally lensed quasar, SDSS J024634.11-082536.2 (SDSS J0246-0825). This object was selected as a lensed quasar candidate from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) by the same algorithm that was used to discover other SDSS lensed quasars (e.g., SDSS J0924+0219). Multicolor imaging with the Magellan Consortium's Walter Baade 6.5-m telescope and the spectroscopic observations using the W. M. Keck Observatory's Keck II telescope confirm that SDSS J0246-0825 consists of two lensed images ({Delta}{theta} = 1''.04) of a source quasar at z = 1.68. Imaging observations with the Keck telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope reveal an extended object between the two quasar components, which is likely to be a lensing galaxy of this system. From the absorption lines in the spectra of quasar components and the apparent magnitude of the galaxy, combined with the expected absolute magnitude from the Faber-Jackson relation, we estimate the redshift of the lensing galaxy to be z = 0.724. A highly distorted ring is visible in the Hubble Space Telescope images, which is likely to be the lensed host galaxy of the source quasar. Simple mass modeling predicts the possibility that there is a small (faint) lensing object …

We present a sample of 218 new quasar pairs with proper transverse separations R{sub prop} < 1 h{sup -1} Mpc over the redshift range 0.5 < z < 3.0, discovered from an extensive follow up campaign to find companions around the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and 2dF Quasar Redshift Survey quasars. This sample includes 26 new binary quasars with separations R{sub prop} < 50 h{sup -1} kpc ({theta} < 10''), more than doubling the number of such systems known. We define a statistical sample of binaries selected with homogeneous criteria and compute its selection function, taking into account sources of incompleteness. The first measurement of the quasar correlation function on scales 10 h{sup -1} kpc < R{sub prop} < 400 h{sup -1} kpc is presented. For R{sub prop} {approx}< 40 h{sup -1} kpc, we detect an order of magnitude excess clustering over the expectation from the large scale (R{sub prop} {approx}> 3 h{sup -1} Mpc) quasar correlation function, extrapolated down as a power law to the separations probed by our binaries. The excess grows to {approx}30 at R{sub prop} {approx} 10 h{sup -1} kpc, and provides compelling evidence that the quasar autocorrelation function gets progressively steeper on sub-Mpc scales. This …

Laser-driven shock compression of pre-compressed water (up to 1 GPa precompression) produces high-pressure, -temperature conditions in the water inducing two optical phenomena: opacity and reflectivity in the initially transparent water. The onset of reflectivity at infrared wavelengths can be interpreted as a semi-conductor to electronic conductor transition in water and is found at pressures above {approx}130 GPa for single-shocked samples pre-compressed to 1 GPa. This electronic conduction provides an additional contribution to the conductivity required for magnetic field generation in Icy Giant planets like Uranus and Neptune.

Article about the Arthouse Texas Prize party held in November of 2005.

To reach maximum sensitivity, any method used to search for orphan sources must be insensitive to local variations of the background. Using imaging and non-imaging techniques, we analyzed the same data acquired by a search instrument deployed as a large-area, coded-mask imager. Data from many passes past a 1 mCi source at 65 m from the instrument were used to construct a model of the instrument response. We then used the model to ''hide'' the source in data taken in a light urban environment. We compared the success of detecting the hidden sources using imaging coded-mask methods, pseudo-imaging based on a zero-area matched filter, and non-imaging using simple thresholding. The results clearly indicate the superiority of imaging with the coded-mask techniques returning the best results.