We use a new method to estimate the injected mass composition of ultrahigh cosmic rays (UHECRs) at energies higher than 10 EeV. The method is based on comparison of the energy-dependent distribution of cosmic ray arrival directions as measured by the Telescope Array (TA) experiment with that calculated in a given putative model of UHECR under the assumption that sources trace the large-scale structure (LSS) of the Universe. As we report in the companion Letter, the TA data show large deflections with respect to the LSS which can be explained, assuming small extragalactic magnetic fields (EGMF), by an intermediate composition changing to a heavy one (iron) in the highest energy bin. Here we show that these results are robust to uncertainties in UHECR injection spectra, the energy scale of the experiment and galactic magnetic fields. The assumption of weak EGMF, however, strongly affects this interpretation at all but the highest energies E > 100 EeV, where the remarkable isotropy of the data implies a heavy injected composition even in the case of strong EGMF. This result also holds if UHECR sources are as rare as 2 x 10(-5) Mpc(-3), that is the conservative lower limit for the source number density.

After over 60 years, the powerful engines that accelerate ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) to the formidable energies at which we observe them from Earth remain mysterious. Assuming standard physics, we expect UHECR sources to lie within the local Universe (up to a few hundred~Mpc). The distribution of matter in the local Universe is anisotropic, and we expect this anisotropy to be imprinted on the distribution of UHECR arrival directions. Even though intervening intergalactic and Galactic magnetic fields deflect charged UHECRs and can distort these anisotropies, some amount of information on the distribution of the sources is preserved. In this proceedings contribution, we present the results of the joint Pierre Auger Observatory and Telescope Array searches for (a) the largest-scale anisotropies (the harmonic dipole and quadrupole) and (b) correlations with a sample of nearby starburst galaxies and the 2MRS catalogue tracing stellar mass within~250~Mpc. This analysis updates our previous results with the most recent available data, notably with the addition of 3~years of new Telescope Array data. The main finding is a correlation between the arrival directions of $12.1\%_{-3.1\%}^{+4.5\%}$~of UHECRs detected with $E \geq 38$~EeV by~Auger or with~$E \gtrsim 49$~EeV by~TA and the positions of nearby starburst galaxies on a ${15.1\text{deg}}_{-3.0\text{deg}}^{+4.6\text{deg}}$~angular scale, with a $4.7\sigma$~post-trial significance, up from $4.2\sigma$ obtained in our previous study.

Optically-pumped semiconductor lasers have a long history starting in the 1960's, soon after the invention of the semiconductor laser. After 30 years of being a scientific curiosity, modern semiconductor vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs), with watt-class power and high quality beam under diode laser pumping, were demonstrated in the mid-1990's in a small startup company Micracor. This chapter describes history of optically pumped semiconductor lasers, people involved in their development, and specifically the work in Micracor, where I was involved in the creation of the first VECSELs. Starting with a few photons of early devices at Micracor, we steadily improved laser performance through electronic bandstructure, optical and thermal design optimization, to culminate in the now familiar multi-quantum-well strain-compensated semiconductor laser structures in flip-chip configuration on diamond heatspreaders. VECSEL laser demonstration at Micracor triggered their subsequent commercial and scientific development in many research groups around the world. What seemed at the time like the biggest deficiencies of the VECSEL laser approach, optical pumping and external cavity configuration, in fact enabled versatility of their performance and application, with >100 W power, intracavity frequency doubling to visible wavelengths, femtosecond pulse modelocked operation, wavelength tunability etc. This chapter describes the origins of VECSELs, which today face multifaceted future with ever wider range of performance characteristics and a growing list of applications.

In this paper, we present the first high-speed video observation of a cloud-to-ground lightning flash and its associated downward-directed Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flash (TGF). The optical emission of the event was observed by a high-speed video camera running at 40,000 frames per second in conjunction with the Telescope Array Surface Detector, Lightning Mapping Array, interferometer, electric-field fast antenna, and the National Lightning Detection Network. The cloud-to-ground flash associated with the observed TGF was formed by a fast downward leader followed by a very intense return stroke peak current of -154 kA. The TGF occurred while the downward leader was below cloud base, and even when it was halfway in its propagation to ground. The suite of gamma-ray and lightning instruments, timing resolution, and source proximity offer us detailed information and therefore a unique look at the TGF phenomena.

The Telescope Array Collaboration has observed an excess of events with E ≥ 10^19.4 eV in the data which is centered at (RA, dec) = (19^∘, 35^∘). This is near the center of the Perseus-Pisces supercluster (PPSC). The PPSC is about 70 Mpc distant and is the closest supercluster in the Northern Hemisphere (other than the Virgo supercluster of which we are a part). A Li-Ma oversampling analysis with 20^∘-radius circles indicates an excess in the arrival direction of events with a local significance of about 4 standard deviations. The probability of having such excess close to the PPSC by chance is estimated to be 3.5 standard deviations. This result indicates that a cosmic ray source likely exists in that supercluster.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be an important diagnostic tool in optics R&D and manufacturing. We illustrate this with four applications. (1) Imaging of vibration modes of MEMS membranes. (2) Strain mapping of VCSEL chips. (3) Optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) of laser cavities. (4) Combined responsivity and 3D mapping of photodiode packages.

Evidence for a large-scale supergalactic cosmic-ray multiplet (arrival directions correlated with energy) structure is reported for ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray (UHECR) energies above 1019 eV using 7 years of data from the Telescope Array (TA) surface detector and updated to 10 years. Previous energy–position correlation studies have made assumptions regarding magnetic field shapes and strength, and UHECR composition. Here the assumption tested is that, because the supergalactic plane is a fit to the average matter density of the local large-scale structure, UHECR sources and intervening extragalactic magnetic fields are correlated with this plane. This supergalactic deflection hypothesis is tested by the entire field-of-view (FOV) behavior of the strength of intermediate-scale energy–angle correlations. These multiplets are measured in spherical cap section bins (wedges) of the FOV to account for coherent and random magnetic fields. The structure found is consistent with supergalactic deflection, the previously published energy spectrum anisotropy results of the TA (the Hotspot and Coldspot), and toy-model simulations of a supergalactic magnetic sheet. The seven year data posttrial significance of this supergalactic structure of multiplets appearing by chance, on an isotropic sky, is found by Monte Carlo simulation to be 4.2σ. The 10 years of data posttrial significance is 4.1σ. Furthermore, the starburst galaxy M82 is shown to be a possible source of the TA Hotspot, and an estimate of the supergalactic magnetic field using UHECR measurements is presented.

In this paper we report the first close, high-resolution observations of downward-directed terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) detected by the large-area Telescope Array cosmic ray observatory, obtained in conjunction with broadband VHF interferometer and fast electric field change measurements of the parent discharge. The results show that the TGFs occur during strong initial breakdown pulses (IBPs) in the first few milliseconds of negative cloud-to-ground and low-altitude intracloud flashes and that the IBPs are produced by a newly identified streamer-based discharge process called fast negative breakdown. The observations indicate the relativistic runaway electron avalanches (RREAs) responsible for producing the TGFs are initiated by embedded spark-like transient conducting events (TCEs) within the fast streamer system and potentially also by individual fast streamers themselves. The TCEs are inferred to be the cause of impulsive sub-pulses that are characteristic features of classic IBP sferics. Additional development of the avalanches would be facilitated by the enhanced electric field ahead of the advancing front of the fast negative breakdown. In addition to showing the nature of IBPs and their enigmatic sub-pulses, the observations also provide a possible explanation for the unsolved question of how the streamer to leader transition occurs during the initial negative breakdown, namely, as a result of strong currents flowing in the final stage of successive IBPs, extending backward through both the IBP itself and the negative streamer breakdown preceding the IBP.

Motivated by the detection of a significant dipole structure in the arrival directions of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays above 8 EeV reported by the Pierre Auger Observatory (Auger), we search for a large-scale anisotropy using data collected with the surface detector array of the Telescope Array Experiment (TA). With 11 yr of TA data, a dipole structure in a projection of the R.A. is fitted with an amplitude of 3.3% ± 1.9% and a phase of 131° ± 33°. The corresponding 99% confidence-level upper limit on the amplitude is 7.3%. At the current level of statistics, the fitted result is compatible with both an isotropic distribution and the dipole structure reported by Auger.

The data obtained by transcriptome analysis of lumbar spinal cord segments, sciatic nerve, and the respiratory diaphragm of the mice performed after a space flight on board Bion-M1 biosatellite were processed by bioinformatic methods aimed at elucidation of the regularities in hypogravity-induced transcriptome changes in various compartments of motor neurons. The study revealed abnormalities of axonal transport in spinal motor neurons provoked by weightlessness. These data agree with the results of electron microscopy examination of the spinal cord in experimental animals. In space group mice sacrificed on the landing day, the content of perinuclear ribosomes in lumbar motoneurons surpassed that in control mice or in the recovery group examined 1 week after the flight. The data corroborate our hypothesis on contribution of axonal transport disturbances into pathogenesis of hypogravity motor syndrome. They can be employed as a launching pad for further study of hypogravity-triggered motor disorder mechanisms in order to elaborate the preventive therapy against the development of hypogravity motor syndrome in space flights.

A 1060 nm optically pumped tunable VCSEL was formed from an InGaAs/AlGaAs/GaAs half-VCSEL bonded to a MEMS movable mirror on a silicon substrate. The VCSEL was co-packaged in a 14-pin butterfly module with an 825 nm pump laser and a 1060 nm semiconductor optical amplifier. The co-packaged device exhibited shot-noise-limited sensitivity with up to 50 mW output power and 75 nm tunability. Ophthalmic OCT, especially whole-eye imaging and ocular biometry, is considered the primary application of this device. However, we have also investigated LiDAR to greater than 10 meter ranges with non-mechanical beam steering through angular diffraction from a grating. A new generation of photonic integrated circuit LiDARs work this way and we have investigated the depth resolution limitations due to time dispersion from the grating. Distributed fiber temperature sensing was also demonstrated.

Comparative bioinformatic analysis of sciatic nerve transcriptomes of C57BL/6J mice was carried out. Animals were divided into three groups: Flight, 30-day spaceflight; Recovery, 30-day spaceflight with subsequent 7-day readaptation; and Control. A significant pool of genes with an absolute difference in expression of more than 32 times compared to the control group was revealed in mice after the 30-day spaceflight (Flight and Recovery groups). Comparative analysis of the Flight and Recovery groups of murine transcriptomes did not reveal any significant differences in gene expression. In animals after spaceflight on board the biosatellite, using the KEGG database (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes), we identified genes related to the state of metabolic and signaling pathways involved in actin cytoskeleton regulation, regulation of potential-dependent calcium, sodium, and potassium channels, and myelination of nerve fibers.

The Pierre Auger Collaboration (Auger) recently reported a correlation between the arrival directions of cosmic rays with energies above 39 EeV and the flux pattern of 23 nearby starburst galaxies (SBGs). In this Letter, we tested the same hypothesis using cosmic rays detected by the Telescope Array experiment (TA) in the 9-year period from May 2008 to May 2017. Unlike the Auger analysis, we did not optimize the parameter values but kept them fixed to the best-fit values found by Auger, namely 9.7% for the anisotropic fraction of cosmic rays assumed to originate from the SBGs in the list and 12.9° for the angular scale of the correlations. The energy threshold we adopted is 43 EeV, corresponding to 39 EeV in Auger when taking into account the energy-scale difference between two experiments. We find that the TA data is compatible with isotropy to within 1.1{\sigma} and with the Auger result to within 1.4{\sigma}, meaning that it is not capable to discriminate between these two hypotheses.

Most swept external cavity diode lasers tune in the short-to-long wavelength direction (red tuning). Lower relative intensity noise (RIN) and higher output power are typically possible in this direction. We show here that long-to-short tuning (blue tuning) is possible for a short, linear cavity laser that has both low noise and high power. This mode of operation is made possible by nonlinear frequency broadening in the semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) followed by clipping of the red portion of the spectrum by the micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) tunable Fabry-Perot filter. Blue shifting during gain recovery is an important broadening mechanism. There is an approximate 50% advantage in coherence length for the same filter bandwidth for blue over red tuning, which allows deeper imaging in optical coherence tomography (OCT) applications. Calculations contrasting the blue tuning mechanism with red tuning are presented. The accuracy of the blue-tuning model is confirmed by coherence and coherence revival measurements and simulations.

Abstract Evidence for an intermediate-scale energy spectrum anisotropy has been found in the arrival directions of ultra-high energy cosmic rays for energies greater than 1019.2 eV in the northern hemisphere using 7 years of Telescope Array surface detector data. A relative energy distribution test is done comparing events inside oversampled spherical caps of equal exposure, to those outside, using the Poisson likelihood ratio. The center of maximum significance is at 9h16m, 45°, and has a deficit of events with energies 1019.2 ≤ E < 1019.75 eV and an excess for E ≥ 1019.75 eV. The post-trial probability of this energy anisotropy, appearing by chance anywhere on an isotropic sky, is found by Monte Carlo simulation to be 9 × 10−5 (3.74σ global).

Results of the search for $\sim (10^{16} - 10^{17.5})$ eV primary cosmic-ray photons with the data of the Moscow State University (MSU) Extensive Air Shower (EAS) array are reported. The full-scale reanalysis of the data with modern simulations of the installation does not confirm previous indications of the excess of gamma-ray candidate events. Upper limits on the corresponding gamma-ray flux are presented. The limits are the most stringent published ones at energies $\sim 10^{17}$ eV.

Some discrepancies have been reported between observed and simulated muon content of extensive air showers: the number of observed muons exceeded the expectations in HiRes-MIA, Yakutsk and Pierre Auger Observatory data. Here, we analyze the data of the Moscow State University Extensive Air Shower (EAS-MSU) array on E-mu, greater than or similar to 10 GeV muons in showers caused by similar to (10(17) - 10(18)) eV primary particles and demonstrate that they agree with simulations (QGSJET-II-04 hadronic interaction model) once the primary composition inferred from the surface-detector data is assumed. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

During the operation of electric-power systems, there is often a problem of splitting up the capacity of transformers installed on substations, which, as a rule, entails mounting two or more transformers in parallel instead of a single one, the total capacity of which is the same. In such replacement, there is a problem of uniform distribution of the load between transformers. When using transformers that have the same capacity and are structurally similar, uniformity of load distribution is reached achieved owing to symmetry of parallel circuits. However, if transformers with of different designs and various transformation ratios are connected, then uniformity of a capacity distribution between transformers is violated. With an increase in the total load current, in the case of double-wound transformer I and triple-wound transformer II connected in parallel, the secondary current of transformer I increases, as does its primary current, while the primary and secondary currents of transformer II decrease. In addition, the total current from the mains is less than the current of the primary winding of transformer I . With an increase in the loading current, the secondary current of transformer I increases and the secondary current of transformer II decreases. At the highest value of the secondary current of transformer II , the vector of primary current of this transformer advances the voltage vector by more than by 90°. In addition, the secondary winding of transformer II consumes active power from transformer I and returns it to its primary winding.