Front roughening in three-dimensional imbibition

We investigate the structure and dynamics of the interface between two immiscible liquids in a three-dimensional disordered porous medium. We apply a phase-field model that includes explicitly disorder and discuss both spontaneous and forced imbibition. The structure of the interface is dominated by a length scale ξ_× which arises from liquid conservation. We further show that disorder in the capillary and permeability act on different length scales and give rise to different scalings and structures of the interface properties. We conclude with a range of applications.     

Effect of various adsorbates in dephasing and population decay of the Cu(1 0 0) image potential states

A theoretical study of the electron dynamics in image potential states on Cu(1 0 0) surfaces with different types of adsorbates is presented. Scattering of the image state electron by an adsorbate induces inter-band and intra-band transitions leading respectively to the population decay and to the dephasing of the image state. We compare results obtained with low coverage (typically 1 adsorbate atom per 1000 surface atoms) Cs, Ar, and a model electronegative adsorbates. As follows from our results, Cs adsorbates lead to both appreciable dephasing and decay, while electronegative adsorbates mostly affect the dephasing rate. The effect of low coverage Ar adsorbates is small, consistent with their neutrality.     

Coupled channel description of O+Nd scattering around the Coulomb barrier using a complex microscopic potential

Angular distributions of elastic scattering and inelastic scattering from 2⁺₁ state are measured for ¹⁶O+^142,144,146Nd systems at several energies in the vicinity of the Coulomb barrier. The angular distributions are systematically analyzed in coupled channel framework. Renormalized double folded real optical and coupling potentials with DDM3Y interaction have been used in the calculation. Relevant nuclear densities needed to generate the potentials are derived from shell model wavefunctions. A truncated shell model calculation has been performed and the calculated energy levels are compared with the experimental ones. To simulate the absorption, a ‘hybrid’ approach is adopted. The contribution to the imaginary potential of couplings to the inelastic channels, other than the 2⁺₁ target excitation channel, is calculated in the Feshbach formalism. This calculated imaginary potential along with a short ranged volume Woods–Saxon potential to simulate the absorption in fusion channel reproduces the angular distributions for ¹⁶O+¹⁴⁶Nd quite well. But for ¹⁶O+^142,144Nd systems additional surface absorption is found to be necessary to fit the angular distribution data. The variations of this additional absorption term with incident energy and the mass of the target are explored.     

An extension of gap functions for a system of vector equilibrium problems with applications to optimization problems

In this paper, the notion of gap functions is extended from scalar case to vector one. Then, gap functions and generalized functions for several kinds of vector equilibrium problems are shown. As an application, the dual problem of a class of optimization problems with a system of vector equilibrium constraints (in short, OP) is established, the concavity of the dual function, the weak duality of (OP) and the saddle point sufficient condition are derived by using generalized gap functions. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10671135) and the Applied Research Project of Sichuan Province (05JY029-009-1).     

Differential operators on Hilbert modular forms

We investigate differential operators and their compatibility with subgroups of SL₂n(R). In particular, we construct Rankin-Cohen brackets for Hilbert modular forms, and more generally, multilinear differential operators on the space of Hilbert modular forms. As an application, we explicitly determine the Rankin-Cohen bracket of a Hilbert-Eisenstein series and an arbitrary Hilbert modular form. We use this result to compute the Petersson inner product of such a bracket and a Hilbert modular cusp form.     

The tetrahedron algebra and its finite-dimensional irreducible modules

Recently Terwilliger and the present author found a presentation for the three-point sl₂ loop algebra via generators and relations. To obtain this presentation we defined a Lie algebra ? by generators and relations and displayed an isomorphism from ? to the three-point sl₂ loop algebra. In this paper we classify the finite-dimensional irreducible ?-modules.     

Ordered OLPS and CF Nth numerators

Definitions, theorems and examples are established for a general model of Laurent polynomial spaces and ordered orthogonal Laurent polynomial sequences, ordered with respect to ordered bases and orthogonal with respect to inner products ·=L°⊙ decomposed into transition functional ⊙ and strong moment functional, or, more generally, sample functional L couplings. Under this formulation that is shown to subsume those in the existing literature, new fundamental results are produced, including necessary and sufficient conditions for ordered OLPS to be sequences of nth numerators of continued fractions, in contrast to the classical result concerning nth denominators which is shown to hold only in special cases.     

Scalar and axial-vector mesons

Almost thirty years ago, Penny G. Estabrooks asked “Where and what are the scalar mesons?” (P. Estabrooks, Phys. Rev. D 19, 2678 (1979)). The first part of her question can now be confidently responded (E. van Beveren et al., Z. Phys. C 30, 615 (1986)). However, with respect to the “What” many puzzles remain unanswered. Scalar and axial-vector mesons form part of a large family of mesons. Consequently, though it is useful to pay them some extra attention, there is no point in discussing them as isolated phenomena. The particularity of structures in the scattering of --basically-- pions and kaons with zero angular momentum is the absence of the centrifugal barrier, which allows us to “see” strong interactions at short distances. Experimentally observed differences and similarities between scalar and axial-vector mesons on the one hand, and other mesons on the other hand, are very instructive for further studies. Nowadays, there exists an abundance of theoretical approaches towards the mesonic spectrum, ranging from confinement models of all kinds, i.e., glueballs, and quark-antiquark, multiquark and hybrid configurations, to models in which only mesonic degrees of freedom are taken into account. Nature seems to come out somewhere in the middle, neither preferring pure bound states, nor effective meson-meson physics with only coupling constants and possibly form factors. As a matter of fact, apart from a few exceptions, like pions and kaons, Nature does not allow us to study mesonic bound states of any kind, which is equivalent to saying that such states do not really exist. Hence, instead of extrapolating from pions and kaons to the remainder of the meson family, it is more democratic to consider pions and kaons mesonic resonances that happen to come out below the lowest threshold for strong decay. Nevertheless, confinement is an important ingredient for understanding the many regularities observed in mesonic spectra. Therefore, excluding quark degrees of freedom is also not the most obvious way of describing mesons in general, and scalars and axial-vectors in particular.     

A comparative study on the interaction between tin(II) porphyrin and selected group 8B metals for potential application as reduction catalysts

We study the interaction between tin(II) porphyrin (SnPor) with platinum and non-precious Group 8B metals (iron, cobalt and nickel) by density functional theory and discuss the electronic properties of the resulting products. We also model the interaction of the resulting compounds with water where applicable. Our studies indicate that, SnPor-Ni possesses electronic properties similar to SnPor-Pt, suggesting that it may possess similar photocatalytic properties for reduction reactions, such as converting water to hydrogen gas.