ALBERT

Description: Voyager 2 images of Neptune reveal a windy planet characterized by bright clouds of methane ice suspended in an exceptionally clear atmosphere above a lower deck of hydrogen sulfide or ammonia ices. Neptune's atmosphere is dominated by a large anticyclonic storm system that has been named the Great Dark Spot (GDS). About the same size as Earth in extent, the GDS bears both many similarities and some differences to the Great Red Spot of Jupiter. Neptune's zonal wind profile is remarkably similar to that of Uranus. Neptune has three major rings at radii of 42,000, 53,000, and 63,000 kilometers. The outer ring contains three higher density arc-like segments that were apparently responsible for most of the ground-based occultation events observed during the current decade. Like the rings of Uranus, the Neptune rings are composed of very dark material; unlike that of Uranus, the Neptune system is very dusty. Six new regular satellites were found, with dark surfaces and radii ranging from 200 to 25 kilometers. All lie inside the orbit of Triton and the inner four are located within the ring system. Triton is seen to be a differentiated body, with a radius of 1350 kilometers and a density of 2.1 grams per cubic centimeter; it exhibits clear evidence of early episodes of surface melting. A now rigid crust of what is probably water ice is overlain with a brilliant coating of nitrogen frost, slightly darkened and reddened with organic polymer material. Streaks of organic polymer suggest seasonal winds strong enough to move particles of micrometer size or larger, once they become airborne. At least two active plumes were seen, carrying dark material 8 kilometers above the surface before being transported downstream by high level winds. The plumes may be driven by solar heating and the subsequent violent vaporization of subsurface nitrogen.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Smith, B A -- Soderblom, L A -- Banfield, D -- Barnet, C -- Basilevsky, A T -- Beebe, R F -- Bollinger, K -- Boyce, J M -- Brahic, A -- Briggs, G A -- Brown, R H -- Chyba, C -- Collins, S A -- Colvin, T -- Cook, A F 2nd -- Crisp, D -- Croft, S K -- Cruikshank, D -- Cuzzi, J N -- Danielson, G E -- Davies, M E -- De Jong, E -- Dones, L -- Godfrey, D -- Goguen, J -- Grenier, I -- Haemmerle, V R -- Hammel, H -- Hansen, C J -- Helfenstein, C P -- Howell, C -- Hunt, G E -- Ingersoll, A P -- Johnson, T V -- Kargel, J -- Kirk, R -- Kuehn, D I -- Limaye, S -- Masursky, H -- McEwen, A -- Morrison, D -- Owen, T -- Owen, W -- Pollack, J B -- Porco, C C -- Rages, K -- Rogers, P -- Rudy, D -- Sagan, C -- Schwartz, J -- Shoemaker, E M -- Showalter, M -- Sicardy, B -- Simonelli, D -- Spencer, J -- Sromovsky, L A -- Stoker, C -- Strom, R G -- Suomi, V E -- Synott, S P -- Terrile, R J -- Thomas, P -- Thompson, W R -- Verbiscer, A -- Veverka, J -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 1989 Dec 15;246(4936):1422-49.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17755997" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉

Description: Quantum entangled states can be very delicate and easily perturbed by their external environment. This sensitivity can be harnessed in measurement technology to create a quantum sensor with a capability of outperforming conventional devices at a fundamental level. We compared the magnetic field sensitivity of a classical (unentangled) system with that of a 10-qubit entangled state, realized by nuclei in a highly symmetric molecule. We observed a 9.4-fold quantum enhancement in the sensitivity to an applied field for the entangled system and show that this spin-based approach can scale favorably as compared with approaches in which qubit loss is prevalent. This result demonstrates a method for practical quantum field sensing technology.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Jones, Jonathan A -- Karlen, Steven D -- Fitzsimons, Joseph -- Ardavan, Arzhang -- Benjamin, Simon C -- Briggs, G Andrew D -- Morton, John J L -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 2009 May 29;324(5931):1166-8. doi: 10.1126/science.1170730. Epub 2009 Apr 23.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Centre for Advanced Electron Spin Resonance (CAESR), Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19389997" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉

Description: The cameras aboard Voyager 1 have provided a closeup view of the Jupiter system, revealing heretofore unknown characteristics and phenomena associated with the planet's atmosphere and the surfaces of its five major satellites. On Jupiter itself, atmospheric motions-the interaction of cloud systems-display complex vorticity. On its dark side, lightning and auroras are observed. A ring was discovered surrounding Jupiter. The satellite surfaces display dramatic differences including extensive active volcanismn on Io, complex tectonism on Ganymnede and possibly Europa, and flattened remnants of enormous impact features on Callisto.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Smith, B A -- Soderblom, L A -- Johnson, T V -- Ingersoll, A P -- Collins, S A -- Shoemaker, E M -- Hunt, G E -- Masursky, H -- Carr, M H -- Davies, M E -- Cook, A F 2nd -- Boyce, J -- Danielson, G E -- Owen, T -- Sagan, C -- Beebe, R F -- Veverka, J -- Strom, R G -- McCauley, J F -- Morrison, D -- Briggs, G A -- Suomi, V E -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 1979 Jun 1;204(4396):951-72.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17800430" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉

Description: Voyager 2 images of the southern hemisphere of Uranus indicate that submicrometersize haze particles and particles of a methane condensation cloud produce faint patterns in the atmosphere. The alignment of the cloud bands is similar to that of bands on Jupiter and Saturn, but the zonal winds are nearly opposite. At mid-latitudes (-70 degrees to -27 degrees ), where winds were measured, the atmosphere rotates faster than the magnetic field; however, the rotation rate of the atmosphere decreases toward the equator, so that the two probably corotate at about -20 degrees . Voyager images confirm the extremely low albedo of the ring particles. High phase angle images reveal on the order of 10(2) new ringlike features of very low optical depth and relatively high dust abundance interspersed within the main rings, as well as a broad, diffuse, low optical depth ring just inside the main rings system. Nine of the newly discovered small satellites (40 to 165 kilometers in diameter) orbit between the rings and Miranda; the tenth is within the ring system. Two of these small objects may gravitationally confine the e ring. Oberon and Umbriel have heavily cratered surfaces resembling the ancient cratered highlands of Earth's moon, although Umbriel is almost completely covered with uniform dark material, which perhaps indicates some ongoing process. Titania and Ariel show crater populations different from those on Oberon and Umbriel; these were probably generated by collisions with debris confined to their orbits. Titania and Ariel also show many extensional fault systems; Ariel shows strong evidence for the presence of extrusive material. About halfof Miranda's surface is relatively bland, old, cratered terrain. The remainder comprises three large regions of younger terrain, each rectangular to ovoid in plan, that display complex sets of parallel and intersecting scarps and ridges as well as numerous outcrops of bright and dark materials, perhaps suggesting some exotic composition.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Smith, B A -- Soderblom, L A -- Beebe, R -- Bliss, D -- Boyce, J M -- Brahic, A -- Briggs, G A -- Brown, R H -- Collins, S A -- Cook, A F 2nd -- Croft, S K -- Cuzzi, J N -- Danielson, G E -- Davies, M E -- Dowling, T E -- Godfrey, D -- Hansen, C J -- Harris, C -- Hunt, G E -- Ingersoll, A P -- Johnson, T V -- Krauss, R J -- Masursky, H -- Morrison, D -- Owen, T -- Plescia, J B -- Pollack, J B -- Porco, C C -- Rages, K -- Sagan, C -- Shoemaker, E M -- Sromovsky, L A -- Stoker, C -- Strom, R G -- Suomi, V E -- Synnott, S P -- Terrile, R J -- Thomas, P -- Thompson, W R -- Veverka, J -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 1986 Jul 4;233(4759):43-64.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17812889" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉