Mechanism of formation of doubly charged fragments from bis-benzyltetrahydroisoquinolines under electron impact

Some bis-benzyltetrahydroisoquinolines [α,α′-di-N,N-(1-benzyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline)-p-xylene and various substituted analogues] give rise to very abundant doubly charged fragment ions under electron impact, corresponding to the loss of the two benzyl groups. Substituent effects, ionization and appearance energy measurements and metastable transitions show that these doubly charged ions are formed (at least in part) from singly charged precursors by a heterolytic cleavage (charge separation).     

Diagnostics of dielectronic processes in laser produced samarium plasma

Spatially-resolved time-integrated X-ray spectra of laser produced samarium plasma were recorded, in the spectral range from 7 to 10 Å. The spectrum of samarium is characterized by the prominent pattern of transitions 3d – nf (n = 4–7) belonging to Co-like (Sm³⁵⁺), Ni-like (Sm³⁴⁺) and Cu-like (Sm³³⁺) ions. Spectral lines of Mn-like (Sm³⁷⁺) to Zn-like (Sm³²⁺) were identified. The appearance of these ionization stages as a function of distance from the target was measured. Transfer of the dominant ion stages to lower stages with increasing distance from the original target surface was demonstrated, probably indicating dielectronic recombination. The Hebrew University Lawrence Livermore Atomic Code was used to generate emission spectra for comparison with the experimental ones.A radiation-hydrodynamics code coupled to three non-Local Thermal Equilibrium ionization and equation of state models with different approaches for dielectronic processes was used to model the plasma. The simulated plasma ionization and electron densities and temperatures were found to be consistent with the experimental results.     

Semiclassical analysis of edge state energies in the integer quantum Hall effect

Analysis of edge-state energies in the integer quantum Hall effect is carried out within the semiclassical approximation. When the system is wide so that each edge can be considered separately, this problem is equivalent to that of a one dimensional harmonic oscillator centered at x = x_c and an infinite wall at x = 0, and appears in numerous physical contexts. The eigenvalues E_n(x_c) for a given quantum number n are solutions of the equation S(E,x_c)=π[n+ γ(E,x_c)] where S is the WKB action and 0 < γ < 1 encodes all the information on the connection procedure at the turning points. A careful implication of the WKB connection formulae results in an excellent approximation to the exact energy eigenvalues. The dependence of γ[E_n(x_c),x_c] ≡γ_n(x_c) on x_c is analyzed between its two extreme values as x_c ↦-∞ far inside the sample and as x_c ↦∞ far outside the sample. The edge-state energiesE_n(x_c) obey an almost exact scaling law of the form and the scaling function f(y) is explicitly elucidated.     

SEMILLAC: A new hybrid atomic model of hot dense plasmas

SEMILLAC is a fast, yet highly accurate method to calculate ionic population distributions in plasmas at a given electron temperature and density. SEMILLAC solves rate equations for non-relativistic configurations population distributions. It considers electron collisional, radiative and autoionizing atomic processes. The code is designed to be highly versatile so it can be used for modeling a wide range of laboratory plasmas. The population distributions can be calculated for steady state or time dependent conditions, with or without the presence of a radiation field. SEMILLAC is designed to be used as a tool for population distributions calculations and spectroscopic modeling of plasmas. Our aim is to get high accuracy while keeping the code fast enough to be used for standard PC calculations. At the heart of our method, average transitions energies and rate coefficients are calculated for a restricted set of simple non-relativistic ionic configurations using the HULLAC code. We then use this basic set to calculate energies and rates coefficients of more complex, multiply excited configurations.     

Intramolecular Cross-Linking: Addressing Mechanochemistry with a Bioinspired Approach

Many of the attractive properties in polymers are a consequence of their high molecular weight and therefore, scission of chains due to mechanochemistry leads to deterioration in properties and performance. Intramolecular cross-links are systematically added to linear chains, slowing down mechanochemical degradation to the point where the chains become virtually invincible to shear in solution. Our approach mimics the immunoglobulin-like domains of Titin, whose structure directs mechanical force towards the scission of sacrificial intramolecular hydrogen bonds, absorbing mechanical energy while unfolding. The kinetics of the mechanochemical reactions supports this hypothesis, as the polymer properties are maintained while high rates of mechanochemistry are observed. Our results demonstrate that polymers with intramolecular cross-links can be used to make solutions which, even under severe shear, maintain key properties such as viscosity.     

Nonhomogeneous geometric distributions with relations to birth and death processes

In this paper we introduce and study nonhomogeneous geometric random variables and their representations. We relate these to standard probability mass functions and to representations using birth-and-death processes. This facilitates comparison of various queueing models by birth/death models. We examine different queueing models with the same limiting distribution.      

Dielectric response of aligned semiconducting single-wall nanotubes

We report measurements of the full intrinsic optical anisotropy of isolated single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). By combining absorption spectroscopy with transmission ellipsometry and polarization-dependent resonant Raman scattering, we obtain the real and imaginary parts of the SWNT permittivity from aligned semiconducting SWNTs dispersed in stretched polymer films. Our results are in agreement with theoretical predictions, highlighting the limited polarizability of excitons in a quasi-1D system.     

Magnetically tunable Kondo-Aharonov-Bohm effect in a triangular quantum dot

The role of discrete orbital symmetry in mesoscopic physics is manifested in a system consisting of three identical quantum dots forming an equilateral triangle. Under a perpendicular magnetic field, this system demonstrates a unique combination of Kondo and Aharonov-Bohm features due to an interplay between continuous [spin-rotation SU(2)] and discrete (permutation C3v) symmetries, as well as U(1) gauge invariance. The conductance as a function of magnetic flux displays sharp enhancement or complete suppression depending on contact setups.     

Comparative measures of single-wall carbon nanotube dispersion

Model composites of DNA-wrapped single-wall carbon nanotubes in poly(acrylic acid) are used to evaluate metrics of nanotube dispersion. By varying the pH of the precursor solutions, we introduce a controlled deviation from ideal behavior. On the basis of small-angle neutron scattering, changes in near-infrared fluorescence intensity are strongly correlated with dispersion, while optical absorption spectroscopy and resonant Raman scattering are less definitive. Our results represent the first systematic comparison of currently accepted measures of nanotube dispersion.