Direct measurement of phase of foreward-scattered light using polarization heterodyne interferometer

We describe direct measurement of phase of ballistic photons transmitted through objects hidden in a turbid medium using a polarization interferometer employing a rotating analyzer. The unwrapped phase difference measurements from interferometry was possible for medium levels of turbidity and accurate phase measurement from the sinusoidal intensity was not detectable when l/l* is increased beyond 4.3. The measured phase on reconstruction using standard tomographic algorithms resulted in the recovery of the refractive index profile of the object hidden in the turbid medium.

Multiple beam interference of light in an absorbing wedge

Multiple beam interference of light in a wedge is considered when the wedge is filled with an absorbing medium. The aim is to examine a method that may give values of both the real and the imaginary parts of the refractive index of the absorbing medium. We propose here a method to determine these quantities from simple techniques like fringe counting and interferometry, by using as the incident wave either a single Gaussian beam or two parallel Gaussian beams.

The Kπ form factors from analyticity and unitarity

Analyticity and unitarity techniques are employed to obtain bounds on the shape parameters of the scalar and vector form factors of semileptonic K l3 decays. For this purpose we use vector and scalar correlators evaluated in pQCD, a low energy theorem for scalar form factor, lattice results for the ratio of kaon and pion decay constants, chiral perturbation theory calculations for the scalar form factor at the Callan-Treiman point and experimental information on the phase and modulus of Kπ form factors up to an energy t in = 1GeV 2. We further derive regions on the real axis and in the complex-energy plane where the form factors cannot have zeros.

Measurement of in-plane and out-of-plane displacements and strains using digital holographic moire

The paper proposes a non-destructive method for simultaneous measurement of in-plane and out-of-plane displacements and strains undergone by a deformed specimen from a single moire fringe pattern obtained on the specimen in a dual beam digital holographic interferometry setup. The moire fringe pattern encodes multiple interference phases which carry the information on multidimensional deformation. The interference field is segmented in each column and is modeled as multicomponent quadratic/cubic frequency-modulated signal in each segment. Subsequently, the product form of modified cubic phase function is used for accurate estimation of phase parameters. The estimated phase parameters are further utilized for direct estimation of the unwrapped interference phases and phase derivatives. The simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Constraints on the omega pi form factor from analyticity and unitarity

Motivated by the discrepancies noted recently between the theoretical calculations of the electromagnetic omega pi form factor and certain experimental data, we investigate this form factor using analyticity and unitarity in a framework known as the method of unitarity bounds. We use a QCD correlator computed on the spacelike axis by operator product expansion and perturbative QCD as input, and exploit unitarity and the positivity of its spectral function, including the two-pion contribution that can be reliably calculated using high-precision data on the pion form factor. From this information, we derive upper and lower bounds on the modulus of the omega pi form factor in the elastic region. The results provide a significant check on those obtained with standard dispersion relations, confirming the existence of a disagreement with experimental data in the region around 0.6 GeV.

Biochemical Characterization of Nonamer Binding Domain of RAG1 Reveals its Thymine Preference with Respect to Length and Position

RAG complex consisting of RAG1 and RAG2 is a site-specific endonuclease responsible for the generation of antigen receptor diversity. It cleaves recombination signal sequence (RSS), comprising of conserved heptamer and nonamer. Nonamer binding domain (NBD) of RAG1 plays a central role in the recognition of RSS. To investigate the DNA binding properties of the domain, NBD of murine RAG1 was cloned, expressed and purified. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that NBD binds with high affinity to nonamer in the context of 12/23 RSS or heteroduplex DNA. NBD binding was specific to thymines when single stranded DNA containing poly A, C, G or T were used. Biolayer interferometry studies showed that poly T binding to NBD was robust and comparable to that of 12RSS. More than 23 nt was essential for NBD binding at homothymidine stretches. On a double-stranded DNA, NBD could bind to A:T stretches, but not G:C or random sequences. Although NBD is indispensable for sequence specific activity of RAGs, external supplementation of purified nonamer binding domain to NBD deleted cRAG1/cRAG2 did not restore its activity, suggesting that the overall domain architecture of RAG1 is important. Therefore, we define the sequence requirements of NBD binding to DNA.

Toward a High-Resolution Monitoring of Continental Surface Water Extent and Dynamics, at Global Scale: from GIEMS (Global Inundation Extent from Multi-Satellites) to SWOT (Surface Water Ocean Topography)

Up to now, high-resolution mapping of surface water extent from satellites has only been available for a few regions, over limited time periods. The extension of the temporal and spatial coverage was difficult, due to the limitation of the remote sensing technique e.g., the interaction of the radiation with vegetation or cloud for visible observations or the temporal sampling with the synthetic aperture radar (SAR)]. The advantages and the limitations of the various satellite techniques are reviewed. The need to have a global and consistent estimate of the water surfaces over long time periods triggered the development of a multi-satellite methodology to obtain consistent surface water all over the globe, regardless of the environments. The Global Inundation Extent from Multi-satellites (GIEMS) combines the complementary strengths of satellite observations from the visible to the microwave, to produce a low-resolution monthly dataset () of surface water extent and dynamics. Downscaling algorithms are now developed and applied to GIEMS, using high-spatial-resolution information from visible, near-infrared, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite images, or from digital elevation models. Preliminary products are available down to 500-m spatial resolution. This work bridges the gaps and prepares for the future NASA/CNES Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission to be launched in 2020. SWOT will delineate surface water extent estimates and their water storage with an unprecedented spatial resolution and accuracy, thanks to a SAR in an interferometry mode. When available, the SWOT data will be adopted to downscale GIEMS, to produce a long time series of water surfaces at global scale, consistent with the SWOT observations.