We propose a novel triple modulator-chicane (TMC) scheme to convert external input seed to shorter wavelengths. In the scheme high power seed lasers are used in the first and third modulator while only very low power seed is used in the second modulator. By properly choosing the parameters of the lasers and chicanes, we show that ultrahigh harmonics can be generated in the TMC scheme while simultaneously keeping the energy spread growth much smaller than beam's initial slice energy spread. As an example we show the feasibility of generating significant bunching at 1 nm and below from a low power ({approx} 100 kW) high harmonic generation seed at 20 nm assisted by two high power ({approx} 100 MW) UV lasers at 200 nm while keeping the energy spread growth within 40%. The supreme up-frequency conversion efficiency of the proposed TMC scheme together with its unique advantage in maintaining beam energy spread opens new opportunities for generating fully coherent x-rays at sub-nanometer wavelength from external seeds.

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will continuously image the entire sky visible from Cerro Pachon in northern Chile every 3-4 nights throughout the year. The LSST will provide data for a broad range of science investigations that require better than 1% photometric precision across the sky (repeatability and uniformity) and a similar accuracy of measured broadband color. The fast and persistent cadence of the LSST survey will significantly improve the temporal sampling rate with which celestial events and motions are tracked. To achieve these goals, and to optimally utilize the observing calendar, it will be necessary to obtain excellent photometric calibration of data taken over a wide range of observing conditions - even those not normally considered 'photometric'. To achieve this it will be necessary to routinely and accurately measure the full optical passband that includes the atmosphere as well as the instrumental telescope and camera system. The LSST mountain facility will include a new monochromatic dome illumination projector system to measure the detailed wavelength dependence of the instrumental passband for each channel in the system. The facility will also include an auxiliary spectroscopic telescope dedicated to measurement of atmospheric transparency at all locations in the sky during LSST …

MapReduce is increasingly becoming a popular framework, and a potent programming model. The most popular open source implementation of MapReduce, Hadoop, is based on the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). However, as HDFS is not POSIX compliant, it cannot be fully leveraged by applications running on a majority of existing HPC environments such as Teragrid and NERSC. These HPC environments typicallysupport globally shared file systems such as NFS and GPFS. On such resourceful HPC infrastructures, the use of Hadoop not only creates compatibility issues, but also affects overall performance due to the added overhead of the HDFS. This paper not only presents a MapReduce implementation directly suitable for HPC environments, but also exposes the design choices for better performance gains in those settings. By leveraging inherent distributed file systems' functions, and abstracting them away from its MapReduce framework, MARIANE (MApReduce Implementation Adapted for HPC Environments) not only allows for the use of the model in an expanding number of HPCenvironments, but also allows for better performance in such settings. This paper shows the applicability and high performance of the MapReduce paradigm through MARIANE, an implementation designed for clustered and shared-disk file systems and as such not dedicated to a specific …

Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) represent a class of optical fibers which have a wide spectrum of applications in the telecom and sensing industries. Currently, the Advanced Accelerator Research Department at SLAC is developing photonic bandgap particle accelerators, which are photonic crystal structures with a central defect used to accelerate electrons and achieve high longitudinal electric fields. Extremely compact and less costly than the traditional accelerators, these structures can support higher accelerating gradients and will open a new era in high energy physics as well as other fields of science. Based on direct laser acceleration in dielectric materials, the so called photonic band gap accelerators will benefit from mature laser and semiconductor industries. One of the key elements to direct laser acceleration in hollow core PCFs, is maintaining thermal and structural stability. Previous simulations demonstrate that accelerating modes are sensitive to the geometry of the defect region and the variations in the effective index. Unlike the telecom modes (for which over 95% of the energy propagates in the hollow core) most of the power of these modes is located in the glass at the periphery of the central hole which has a higher thermal constant than air ({gamma}{sub SiO{sub 2}} = …

Aerogel materials have myriad scientific and technological applications due to their large intrinsic surface areas and ultralow densities. However, creating a nanodiamond aerogel matrix has remained an outstanding and intriguing challenge. Here we report the high-pressure, high-temperature synthesis of a diamond aerogel from an amorphous carbon aerogel precursor using a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. Neon is used as a chemically inert, near-hydrostatic pressure medium that prevents collapse of the aerogel under pressure by conformally filling the aerogel's void volume. Electron and X-ray spectromicroscopy confirm the aerogel morphology and composition of the nanodiamond matrix. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements of recovered material reveal the formation of both nitrogen- and silicon- vacancy point-defects, suggesting a broad range of applications for this nanocrystalline diamond aerogel.

The coefficient of a potential R{sup 4} counterterm in N = 8 supergravity has been shown previously to vanish in an explicit three-loop calculation. The R{sup 4} term respects N = 8 supersymmetry; hence this result poses the question of whether another symmetry could be responsible for the cancellation of the three-loop divergence. In this article we investigate possible restrictions from the coset symmetry E{sub 7(7)}/SU(8), using a double-soft scalar limit relation derived recently by Arkani-Hamed et al. In order to implement the relation, we make use of the fact that the R{sup 4} term occurs in the low-energy expansion of closed-string tree-level amplitudes. We find that the matrix elements of R{sup 4} that we investigated all obey the double-soft scalar limit relation, suggesting that E{sub 7(7)} is also respected by the R{sup 4} term.

Hyperaccumulation, the rare capacity of certain plant species to accumulate toxic trace elements to levels several orders of magnitude higher than other species growing on the same site, is thought to be an elemental defense mechanism against herbivores and pathogens. Previous research has shown that selenium (Se) hyperaccumulation protects plants from a variety of herbivores and pathogens. Selenium hyperaccumulating plants sequester Se in discrete locations in the leaf periphery, making them potentially more susceptible to some herbivore feeding modes than others. In this study we investigate the protective function of Se in the Se hyperaccumulators Stanleya pinnata and Astragalus bisulcatus against two cell disrupting herbivores, the western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) and the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae). Astragalus bisulcatus and S. pinnata with high Se concentrations (greater than 650 mg Se kg{sup -1}) were less subject to thrips herbivory than plants with low Se levels (less than 150 mg Se kg{sup -1}). Furthermore, in plants containing elevated Se levels, leaves with higher concentrations of Se suffered less herbivory than leaves with less Se. Spider mites also preferred to feed on low-Se A. bisulcatus and S. pinnata plants rather than high-Se plants. Spider mite populations on A. bisulcatus decreased after …

We present results of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) microprobe analyses of ancient ceramic cross-sections aiming at deciphering the different firing protocols used for their production. Micro-focused XRF elemental mapping, Fe chemical mapping and Fe K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy were performed on pre-sigillata ceramics from southern Gaul, and terra Sigillata vessels from Italy and southern Gaul. Pieces from the different workshops and regions showed significant difference in the starting clay material, clay conditioning and kiln firing condition. By contrast, sherds from the same workshop exhibited more subtle differences and possible misfirings. Understanding the precise firing conditions and protocols would allow recreation of kilns for various productions. Furthermore, evolution and modification of kiln design would shed some light on how ancient potters devised solutions to diverse technological problems they encountered.

The well-known Haissinski distribution provides a stable equilibrium of longitudinal beam distribution in electron storage rings below a threshold current. Yet, how to accurately determine this threshold, above which the Haissinski distribution becomes unstable, is not firmly established in theory. In this paper, we will show how to apply the Laguerre polynomials in an analysis of this stability that are associated with the potential-well distortion. Our approach provides an alternative to the discretization method proposed by Oide and Yokoya. Moreover, it reestablishes an essential connection to the theory of mode coupling originated by Sacherer. Our new and self-consistent method is applied to study the microwave instability driven by commonly known impedances, including coherent synchrotron radiation in free space.

Two hybrid sulfur (HyS) cycle process flowsheets intended for use with high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) are presented. The flowsheets were developed for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) program, and couple a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer for the SO2-depolarized electrolysis step with a silicon carbide bayonet reactor for the high-temperature decomposition step. One presumes an HTGR reactor outlet temperature (ROT) of 950 C, the other 750 C. Performance was improved (over earlier flowsheets) by assuming that use of a more acid-tolerant PEM, like acid-doped poly[2,2'-(m-phenylene)-5,5'-bibenzimidazole] (PBI), instead of Nafion{reg_sign}, would allow higher anolyte acid concentrations. Lower ROT was accommodated by adding a direct contact exchange/quench column upstream from the bayonet reactor and dropping the decomposition pressure. Aspen Plus was used to develop material and energy balances. A net thermal efficiency of 44.0% to 47.6%, higher heating value basis is projected for the 950 C case, dropping to 39.9% for the 750 C case.

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We perform a Dalitz plot analysis of about 100,000 D{sub s}{sup +} decays to K{sup +}K{sup -}{pi}{sup +} and measure the complex amplitudes of the intermediate resonances which contribute to this decay mode. We also measure the relative branching fractions of D{sub s}{sup +} {yields} K{sup +}K{sup +}{pi}{sup -} and D{sub s}{sup +} {yields} K{sup +}K{sup +}K{sup -}. For this analysis we use a 384 fb{sup -1} data sample, recorded by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e{sup +}e{sup -} collider running at center-of-mass energies near 10.58 GeV.