arXiv subjects

N. Lal

Publications and source records attributed to N. Lal.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Metropolitan-scale Entanglement Distribution with Co-existing Quantum and Classical Signals in a single fiber

The development of prototype metropolitan-scale quantum networks is underway and entails transmitting quantum information via single photons through deployed optical fibers spanning several tens of kilometers. The major challenges in building metropolitan-scale quantum networks are compensation of polarization mode dispersion, high-precision clock synchronization, and compensation for cumulative transmission time fluctuations. One approach addressing these challenges is to co-propagate classical probe signals in the same fiber as the quantum signal. Thus, both signals experience the same conditions, and the changes of the fiber can therefore be monitored and compensated. Here, we demonstrate the distribution of polarization entangled quantum signals co-propagating with the White Rabbit Precision Time Protocol (WR-PTP) classical signals in the same single-core fiber strand at metropolitan-scale distances. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of this quantum-classical coexistence by achieving high-fidelity entanglement distribution between nodes separated by 100 km of optical fiber. This advancement is a significant step towards the practical implementation of robust and efficient metropolitan-scale quantum networks.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

No Stagnation Region Before the Heliopause at Voyager 1? Inferences From New Voyager 2 Results

We present anisotropy results for anomalous cosmic-ray (ACR) protons in the energy range $\sim$0.5-35 MeV from Cosmic Ray Subsytem (CRS) data collected during calibration roll maneuvers for the magnetometer instrument when Voyager 2 (V2) was in the inner heliosheath. We use a new technique to derive for the first time the radial component of the anisotropy vector from CRS data. We find that the CRS-derived radial solar wind speeds, when converted from the radial components of the anisotropy vectors via the Compton-Getting (C-G) effect, generally agree with those similarly-derived speeds from the Low-Energy Charged Particle experiment using 28-43 keV data. However, they often differ significantly from the radial solar wind speeds measured directly by the Plasma Science (PLS) instrument. There are both periods when the C-G-derived radial solar wind speeds are significantly higher than those measured by PLS and times when they are significantly lower. The differences are not expected nor explained, but it appears that after a few years in the heliosheath the V2 radial solar wind speeds derived from the C-G method underestimate the true speeds as the spacecraft approaches the heliopause. We discuss the implications of this observation for the stagnation region reported along the Voyager 1 trajectory as it approached the heliopause inferred using the C-G method.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Galactic Cosmic-Ray Anisotropies: Voyager 1 in the Local Interstellar Medium

Since crossing the heliopause on August 25, 2012, Voyager 1 observed reductions in galactic cosmic ray count rates caused by a time-varying depletion of particles with pitch angles near 90-deg, while intensities of particles with other pitch angles remain unchanged. Between late 2012 and mid-2017, three large-scale events occurred, lasting from ~100 to ~630 days. Omnidirectional and directional high-energy data from Voyager 1's Cosmic Ray Subsystem are used to report cosmic ray intensity variations. Omnidirectional (greater than ~20 MeV) proton-dominated measurements show up to a 3.8% intensity reduction. Bi-directional (greater than ~70 MeV) proton-dominated measurements taken from various spacecraft orientations provide insight about the depletion region's spatial properties. We characterize the anisotropy as a "notch" in an otherwise uniform pitch-angle distribution of varying depth and width centered about 90 degrees in pitch angle space. The notch averages 22-deg wide and 15% deep - signifying a depletion region that is broad and shallow. There are indications that the anisotropy is formed by a combination of magnetic trapping and cooling downstream of solar-induced transient disturbances in a region that is also likely influenced by the highly compressed fields near the heliopause.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2018

Measurements in Interstellar Space of Galactic Cosmic Ray Isotopes of Li, Be, B and N, Ne Nuclei Between 40-160 MeV/nuc by the CRS Instrument on Voyager 1

In this paper we report a study of the isotopic composition of Li, Be, B and N, Ne nuclei from a 5 year time period beyond the heliopause using the CRS instruments on Voyager. By comparing the isotopic ratios, 15N/14N and 22Ne/20Ne outside the heliosphere as measured at Voyager, and which are found to be significantly lower than those measured at the same energy inside the heliosphere, we have provided strong evidence that cosmic rays of this energy have lost as much as 200 MeV/nuc or more in the solar modulation process. This is in accordance with the so called force field description of this overall modulation by Gleeson and Axford. The measurements at Voyager confirm that the unusual 14N and 22Ne cosmic ray source abundances relative to solar abundances made earlier inside the heliosphere extend to the lower energies not accessible from near Earth measurements. The low energy Li, Be and B nuclei, which are believed to be purely secondary nuclei, are found to have a (previously unobservable) peak in the differential intensity spectrum at ~100 MeV/nuc. This is in agreement with propagation predictions. The intensities of these nuclei are ~10-20% higher than those predicted in a propagation model with a matter path length lambda = 9 g/cm2 at these low energies. The isotopic composition of Li, Be and B nuclei is also consistent with that expected from propagation through interstellar matter.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2018

Cosmic Ray Electrons and Protons ~1 MeV - A 40 Year Study of Their Intensities from the Earth to the Heliopause and Beyond Into Local Interstellar Space by the CRS Experiment on Voyager 1

Studies on Voyager 1 using the CRS instrument have shown the presence of sub-MeV electrons in the interstellar medium beyond the heliopause. We believe that these electrons are the very low energy tail of the distribution of galactic GeV cosmic ray electrons produced in the galaxy. If so this observation places constraints on the origin and possible source distribution of these electrons in the galaxy. The intensities of these electrons as well as MeV protons and other higher energy electrons and nuclei have been followed outward from the Earth to beyond the heliopause during the 40 years of the Voyager mission. Among the other new features found in this study of the radial dependence of the electron intensity in the heliosphere are: 1. The heliosheath is a source of sub-MeV electrons as well as the already known anomalous cosmic rays of MeV and above, none of which appear to escape from the heliosphere because of an almost impenetrable heliopause at these lower energies; 2. Solar modulation effects are observed for these MeV electrons throughout the heliosphere. These modulation effects are particularly strong for electrons in the heliosheath and comprise over 90 percent of the observed intensity change of these electrons of 10-60 MeV between the Earth and the heliopause. Even for nuclei of 1 GV in rigidity, over 30 percent of the total intensity difference between the Earth and the LIM occurs in the heliosheath; 3. The 2 MeV protons studied here for the first time beyond the heliopause are also part of the low energy tail of the spectrum of galactic cosmic ray protons, similar to the tail noted above for sub MeV galactic cosmic ray electrons.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2018

The Spectra of 2H and 3He Secondary Cosmic Ray Isotopes from ~20-85 MeV/nuc as Measured Using the B-end HET Telescope on Voyager beyond the Heliopause and a Fit to These Interstellar Spectra Using a Leaky Box Propagation Model

We have measured the intensity and spectra of the cosmic ray secondary isotopes 2H and 3He and the primary isotopes H and 4He between 20-85 MeV/nuc during a 5 year time period after Voyager 1 (V1) crossed the heliopause. The data reported here is from the B-end high energy telescope. The ratios of the intensities of the secondary to primary spectra of these nuclei at low energies are sensitive indicators for determining the amount of matter traversed at these energies by their galactic cosmic ray progenitor nuclei, after acceleration, in this case mostly 4He nuclei. The measurements of secondary 3He abundances indicate that cosmic ray 4He of energies between 30-100 MeV/nuc have traversed between 7-9 g/cm2 of interstellar matter (90% H, 10% He) in a Leaky Box propagation model. This path length is also consistent with the production of secondary 2H nuclei between 20-50 MeV/nuc, which is also produced mainly by 4He in a LBM. The Boron abundance, studied in separate papers, is also consistent with this path length at energies >30 MeV/nuc. These secondary intensities imply that the interstellar cosmic ray path length may be described in a LBM in a manner consistent with a mean path length,gamma= 20.6 beta P-0.45 at rigidities above ~0.5 GV (30 MeV/nuc for A/Z=2 nuclei). Both 2H and Boron have an excess intensity vs. the predictions for path lengths of 9 g/cm2 below 30 MeV/nuc.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2017

Voyager 1 Measurements Beyond the Heliopause of Galactic Cosmic Ray Helium, Boron, Carbon, Oxygen, Magnesium, Silicon and Iron Nuclei with Energies 0.5 to >1.5 GeV/nuc

We have obtained the energy spectra of cosmic ray He, B, C, O, Mg, S and Fe nuclei in the range 0.5-1.5 GeV/nuc and above using the penetrating particle mode of the High Energy Telescope, part of the Cosmic Ray Science (CRS) experiment on Voyagers 1 and 2. The data analysis procedures are the same as those used to obtain similar spectra from the identical V2 HET telescope while it was in the heliosphere between about 23 and 54 AU. The time period of analysis includes 4 years of data beyond the heliopause (HP). These new interstellar spectra are compared with various earlier experiments at the same energies at the Earth to determine the solar modulation parameter, phi. These new spectra are also compared with recent measurements of the spectra of the same nuclei measured by the same telescope at low energies. It is found that the ratio of intensities at 100 MeV/nuc to those at 1.0 GeV/nuc are significantly Z dependent. Some of this Z dependence can be explained by the Z2 dependence of energy loss by ionization in the 7-10 g/cm2 of interstellar H and He traversed by cosmic rays of these energies in the galaxy; some by the Z dependent loss due to nuclear interactions in this same material; some by possible differences in the source spectra of these nuclei and some by the non-uniformity of the source distribution and propagation conditions. The observed features of the spectra, also including a Z dependence of the peak intensities of the various nuclei, pose interesting problems related to the propagation and source distribution of these cosmic rays.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2017

A Galactic Cosmic Ray Electron Intensity Increase of a factor of up to 100 At Energies between 3 and 50 MeV in the Heliosheath between the Termination Shock and the Heliopause Due to Solar Modulation As Measured by Voyager 1

We have derived background corrected intensities of 3-50 MeV galactic electrons observed by Voyager 1 as it passes through the heliosheath from 95 to 122 AU. The overall intensity change of the background corrected data from the inner to the outer boundary of the heliosheath is a maximum of a factor ~100 at 15 MeV. At lower energies this fractional change becomes less and the corrected electron spectra in the heliosheath becomes progressively steeper, reaching values ~ -2.5 for the spectral index just outside of the termination shock. At higher energies the spectra of electrons has an exponent changing from the negative LIS spectral index of -1.3 to values approaching zero in the heliosheath as a result of the solar modulation of the galactic electron component. The large modulation effects observed below ~100 MV are possible evidence for enhanced diffusion as part of the modulation process for electrons in the heliosheath.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2017

The Intensities of Cosmic Ray H and He Nuclei at ~250 MeV/nuc Measured by Voyagers 1 and 2 - Using these Intensities to Determine the Solar Modulation Parameter in the Inner Heliosphere and the Heliosheath Over a 40 Year Time Period

We have determined the solar modulation potential, phi, vs. time that is observed at Voyager 1 and 2 from measurements of the H and He nuclei intensities at a common energy of 250 MeVnuc. The H nuclei have a rigidity 0.7 GV, the He nuclei 1.4 GV. These measurements cover a 40 year time period, which includes almost 4 cycles of solar 11 year sunspot variations, throughout the inner heliosphere out to the HTS at distances of 95 AU and 85 AU, respectively at V1 and V2, and then beyond in the heliosheath. Inside the HTS the modulation potential vs. time curves at V1 and V2 show a very similar temporal structure to those observed at the Earth. During a later period of maximum solar modulation from 2000.0 to 2005.0 when V1 and V2 are in the outer heliosphere between 60-94 AU, the main temporal features of the modulation potential curves at all 3 locations match up with appropriate time delays at V1 and V2 if it is assumed that spatially coherent structures are moving outward past V1 and V2, with outward speeds of up to 700 Kms negative 1. After 2004.0 V1 and V2 are at latitudes of positive 35 and negative 30 respectively, placing lower limits on the latitude extent of these structures. Beyond the HTS in the heliosheath the modulation potential slowly decreases at both spacecraft with only a weak evidence of the unusual modulation minimum observed at the Earth in 2009, for example. A sudden decrease of the modulation potential 50 MV for both H and He nuclei occurs at V1 just before the heliopause crossing at about 122 AU. This decrease has not yet been observed at V2, which is now at 113 AU and still observing a modulation potential 60 MV.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2012

At Voyager 1 Starting on about August 25, 2012 at a Distance of 121.7 AU From the Sun, a Sudden Disappearance of Anomalous Cosmic Rays and an Unusually Large Sudden Increase of Galactic Cosmic Ray H and He Nuclei and Electron Occurred

At the Voyager 1 spacecraft in the outer heliosphere, after a series of complex intensity changes starting at about May 8th, the intensities of both anomalous cosmic rays (ACR) and galactic cosmic rays (GCR) changed suddenly and decisively on August 25th (121.7 AU from the Sun). The ACR started the intensity decrease with an initial e-folding rate of intensity decrease of ~1 day. Within a matter of a few days, the intensity of 1.9-2.7 MeV protons and helium nuclei had decreased to less than 0.1 of their previous value and after a few weeks, corresponding to the outward movement of V1 by ~0.1 AU, these intensities had decreased by factors of at least 300-500 and are now lower than most estimates of the GCR spectrum for these lower energies and also at higher energies. The decrease was accompanied by large rigidity dependent anisotropies in addition to the extraordinary rapidity of the intensity changes. Also on August 25th the GCR protons, helium and heavier nuclei as well as electrons increased suddenly with the intensities of electrons reaching levels ~30-50% higher than observed just one day earlier. This increase for GCR occurred over ~1 day for the lowest rigidity electrons, and several days for the higher rigidity nuclei of rigidity ~0.5-1.0 GV. After reaching these higher levels the intensities of the GCR of all energies from 2 to 400 MeV have remained essentially constant with intensity levels and spectra that may represent the local GCR. These intensity changes will be presented in more detail in this, and future articles, as this story unfolds.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2012

Large periodic time variations of termination shock particles between ~0.5-20 mev and 6-14 mev electrons measured by the crs experiment on Voyager 2 as it crossed into the heliosheath in 2007: An example of freshly accelerated cosmic rays?

We have examined features in the structure of the heliosheath using the fine scale time variations of termination shock particles (TSP) between ~0.5 - 20 MeV and electrons between 2.5-14 MeV measured by the CRS instrument as the V2 spacecraft crossed the heliospheric termination shock in 2007. The very disturbed heliosheath at V2 is particularly noteworthy for strong periodic intensity variations of the TSP just after V2 crossed the termination shock (2007.66) reaching a maximum between 2007.75 and 2008.0. A series of 42/21 day periodicities was observed at V2 along with spectral changes of low energy TSP and the acceleration of 6-14 MeV electrons. Evidence is presented for the acceleration of TSP and electrons at the times of the 42/21 day periodicities just after V2 crossed the HTS. Spectra for TSP between 2-20 MeV and electrons between 2.5-14 MeV are derived for three time periods including the time of the HTS crossing. The energy spectra of TSP and electrons at these times of intensity peaks are very similar above ~3 MeV, with exponents of a power law spectrum between -3.0 and -3.6. The ratio of TSP intensities to electron intensities at the same energy is ~500. The electron intensity peaks and minima are generally out of phase with those of nuclei by ~1/2 of a 42 day cycle. These charge dependent intensity differences and the large periodic intensity changes could provide new clues as to a possible acceleration mechanism.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2011

Sudden Intensity Increases and Radial Gradient Changes of Cosmic Ray MeV Electrons and Protons Observed at Voyager 1 beyond 111 AU in the Heliosheath

Voyager 1 has entered regions of different propagation conditions for energetic cosmic rays in the outer heliosheath beginning at a distance of about 111 AU from the Sun. This conclusion is based on the fact that the low energy 6-14 MeV galactic electron intensity suddenly increased by ~20% over a time period \leg 10 days and the electron radial intensity gradient abruptly decreased from ~19%/AU to ~8%/AU at 2009.7 at a radial distance of 111.2 AU. A sudden radial gradient change was also observed at this time for >200 MeV protons. The gradients were constant during the time period before and after the electron increase. At about 2011.2 at a distance of 116.6 AU a second abrupt intensity increase was observed, this time for both electrons and protons. The increase for electrons was ~25% and occurred over a time period ~15 days or less. For >200 MeV protons the increase at this time was ~5% (unusually large) and occurred over a longer time period ~50 days. Between about 2011.2 and 2011.6, radial intensity gradients ~18%/AU and 3%/AU were observed for electrons and protons, respectively. These gradients were very similar to those observed for these particles before the 1st sudden increase at 2009.7. These large positive gradients observed after 2011.2 indicate that V1, although it has entered a different propagation region, is still within the overall heliospheric modulating region at least up to a time ~2011.6 (118.0 AU). In this paper we will discuss these events in more detail and consider possibilities for their explanation that have recently been suggested.

physics.space-ph↗