Description
Water probably flowed across ancient Mars, but whether it ever exists as a liquid on the surface today remains debatable. Recurring slope lineae are narrow (0.5 to 5 meters), relatively dark markings on steep (25° to 40°) slopes; repeat images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment show them to appear and incrementally grow during warm seasons and fade in cold seasons. They extend downslope from bedrock outcrops, often associated with small channels, and hundreds of them form in some rare locations. RSL appear and lengthen in the late southern spring and summer from 48°S to 32°S latitudes favoring equator-facing slopes, which are times and places with peak surface temperatures from ~250 to 300 kelvin. Liquid brines near the surface might explain this activity, but the exact mechanism and source of water are not understood.
Presented Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011
Abstract: The physical limit for the number of pixels per color channel per frame in an optical imager is approximately equal to the aperture area in square microns. While this limit is essentially achieved in megapixel scale cell phone cameras, the limit of 100 megapixels for cm apertures, 10...
Published 10/18/12
Abstract:
The fate of an ultrashort laser pulse propagating in air depends crucially upon its peak power. Below a critical value, Pcr, group velocity dispersion and beam diffraction combine to rapidly reduce the pulse intensity. On the other hand, if P is less than Pcr, a completely different...
Published 10/18/12
Abstract: Organic semiconductor materials offer the potential of low-cost and flexible displays and lighting solutions, some of which have already made it to the marketplace. Despite this, much of the underlying optical physics remains poorly understood and hinders progress towards better and...
Published 10/18/12