Coexistence of spin glass and antiferromagnetic orders in Ba3Fe2.15W0.85O8.72

Ba(3)Fe(2.15)W(0.85)O(8.72) has been grown as large single crystals using the floating-zone method, permitting very precise characterization of the nuclear and magnetic structures by neutron and synchrotron diffraction methods. The results of our structural investigation are combined with dc and ac magnetization and heat capacity measurements to give an unusually complete and detailed picture of a complex magnetic system. The compound crystallizes in the hexagonal perovskite structure (space group P6(3)/mmc) and reveals antiferromagnetic order below T(N) = 290 K. Frequency-dependent ac susceptibility and the presence of magnetic viscosity suggest the onset of a spin glass component in this material below T(f) = 60 K. These findings are discussed on the basis of detailed analysis of the crystalo-chemical properties, supported by ab initio (density functional theory) calculations.     

Production and validation of model iron-tannate dyed textiles for use as historic textile substitutes in stabilisation treatment studies

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: For millennia, iron-tannate dyes have been used to colour ceremonial and domestic objects shades of black, grey, or brown. Surviving iron-tannate dyed objects are part of our cultural heritage but their existence is threatened by the dye itself which can accelerate oxidation and acid hydrolysis of the substrate. This causes many iron-tannate dyed textiles to discolour and decrease in tensile strength and flexibility at a faster rate than equivalent undyed textiles. The current lack of suitable stabilisation treatments means that many historic iron-tannate dyed objects are rapidly crumbling to dust with the knowledge and value they hold being lost forever. This paper describes the production, characterisation, and validation of model iron-tannate dyed textiles as substitutes for historic iron-tannate dyed textiles in the development of stabilisation treatments. Spectrophotometry, surface pH, tensile testing, SEM-EDX, and XRF have been used to characterise the model textiles. RESULTS: On application to textiles, the model dyes imparted mid to dark blue-grey colouration, an immediate tensile strength loss of the textiles and an increase in surface acidity. The dyes introduced significant quantities of iron into the textiles which was distributed in the exterior and interior of the cotton, abaca, and silk fibres but only in the exterior of the wool fibres. As seen with historic iron tannate dyed objects, the dyed cotton, abaca, and silk textiles lost tensile strength faster and more significantly than undyed equivalents during accelerated thermal ageing and all of the dyed model textiles, most notably the cotton, discoloured more than the undyed equivalents on ageing. CONCLUSIONS: The abaca, cotton, and silk model textiles are judged to be suitable for use as substitutes for cultural heritage materials in the testing of stabilisation treatments.     

Floer cohomology and geometric composition of Lagrangian correspondences

We prove an isomorphism of Floer cohomologies under geometric composition of Lagrangian correspondences in exact and monotone settings.     

Entangled and sequential quantum protocols with dephasing

Sequences of commuting quantum operators can be parallelized using entanglement. This transformation is behind some optimal quantum metrology protocols and recent results on quantum circuit complexity. We show that dephasing quantum maps in arbitrary dimension can also be parallelized. This implies that for general dephasing noise the protocol with entanglement is not more fragile than the corresponding sequential protocol and, conversely, the sequential protocol is not less effective than the entangled one. We derive this result using tensor networks. Furthermore, we only use transformations strictly valid within string diagrams in dagger compact closed categories. Therefore, they apply verbatim to other theories, such as geometric quantization and topological quantum field theory. This clarifies and characterizes to some extent the role of entanglement in general quantum theories.     

First-principles optical spectra for F centers in MgO

The study of the oxygen vacancy (F center) in MgO has been aggravated by the fact that the positively charged and the neutral vacancy (F+ and F0, respectively) absorb at practically identical energies. Here we apply many-body perturbation theory in the G0W0 approximation and the Bethe-Salpeter approach to calculate the optical absorption and emission spectrum of the oxygen vacancy in all three charge states. We observe unprecedented agreement between the calculated and the experimental optical absorption spectra for the F0 and F+ center. Our calculations reveal that not only the absorption but also the emission spectra of different charge states peak at nearly the same energy, which leads to a reinterpretation of the F center's optical properties.     

Phonon-assisted optical absorption in silicon from first principles

The phonon-assisted interband optical absorption spectrum of silicon is calculated at the quasiparticle level entirely from first principles. We make use of the Wannier interpolation formalism to determine the quasiparticle energies, as well as the optical transition and electron-phonon coupling matrix elements, on fine grids in the Brillouin zone. The calculated spectrum near the onset of indirect absorption is in very good agreement with experimental measurements for a range of temperatures. Moreover, our method can accurately determine the optical absorption spectrum of silicon in the visible range, an important process for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications that cannot be addressed with simple models. The computational formalism is quite general and can be used to understand the phonon-assisted absorption processes in general.     

A moving medium formulation for prediction of propeller noise at incidence

This paper presents a time domain formulation for the sound field radiated by moving bodies in a uniform steady flow with arbitrary orientation. The aim is to provide a formulation for prediction of noise from body so that effects of crossflow on a propeller can be modeled in the time domain. An established theory of noise generation by a moving source is combined with the moving medium Green's function for derivation of the formulation. A formula with Doppler factor is developed because it is more easily interpreted and is more helpful in examining the physic of systems. Based on the technique presented, the source of asymmetry of the sound field can be explained in terms of physics of a moving source. It is shown that the derived formulation can be interpreted as an extension of formulation 1 and 1A of Farassat based on the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings (FW–H) equation for moving medium problems. Computational results for a stationary monopole and dipole point source in moving medium, a rotating point force in crossflow, a model of helicopter blade at incidence and a propeller case with subsonic tips at incidence verify the formulation.     

Vibroacoustic characteristics of a gothic harp

The "gothic" style of harp was popular across most of Europe from the late medieval period to the Renaissance. These harps have a one-piece, longitudinally oriented hardwood soundboard, as opposed to the transverse-oriented bonded softwood structure on a modern instrument. In addition, the one-piece back is flexible, whereas the back of a modern instrument is a rigid molded shell. To study the gothic harp, one was constructed from plans created by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts from a late German model in their collection. The vibrational behaviors of the soundboard and soundbox were measured at various stages of construction. The completed instrument was subjected to modal analysis and radiativity measurements. The sound radiation is dominated by two breathing modes at 188 and 273 Hz, each with strong motion of the back, and modes around 350 Hz. Taken together, these modes function like the A0/T1 resonance pairs seen in the soundboxes of other instruments, and a comparison is made with the guitar. Also observed is that as the frequency increases, radiation is emitted from higher up the soundboard, and from higher soundholes. This feature has been observed in other harps, and is a consequence of the harp family's unique geometry.     

Aggregation and settling in aqueous polydisperse alumina nanoparticle suspensions

Nanoparticle suspensions (also called nanofluids) are often polydisperse and tend to settle with time. Settling kinetics in these systems are known to be complex and hence challenging to understand. In this study, polydisperse spherical alumina (Al₂O₃) nanoparticles in the size range of ~10–100 nm were dispersed in water and examined for aggregation and settling behaviour near its isoelectric point. A series of settling experiments were conducted and the results were analysed by photography and by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The settling curve obtained from standard bed height measurement experiments indicated two different types of behaviour, both of which were also seen in the SAXS data. But the SAXS data were remarkably able to pick out the rapid settling regime as a result of the high temporal resolution (10 s) used. By monitoring the SAXS intensity, it was further possible to record the particle aggregation process for the first time. Optical microscopy images were produced on drying and dried droplets extracted from the suspension at various times. Dried deposits showed the rapid decrease in the number of very large particles with time which qualitatively validates the SAXS prediction, and therefore its suitability as a tool to study unstable polydisperse colloids.