Physics in Melbourne

I survey highlights of the practice of physics and allied sciences in Melbourne,Australia, from the 1850s, soon after Europeans first settled in the area, to the present. I note recognizable sites of past and current physical-science activity that may be visited, as well as exhibits of historic items of physics apparatus. I trace the role of physics, in the course of a century and a half, in the evolution of a pioneering settlement into a large city embedded in a modern industrial economy.     

Metallo‐supramolecular micelles: Studies by analytical ultracentrifugation and electron microscopy

In aqueous solutions, amphiphilic block copolymers in which a polystyrene (PS) segment is connected to a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) block via a bis(2,2′:6′,2″‐ terpyridine ruthenium) complex can form micelles. Such micelles of the protomer type PS₂₀‐[Ru]‐PEO₇₀, according to the preparation procedure representing frozen micelles, were studied by sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium analysis in an analytical ultracentrifuge and by transmission electron microscopy, with different techniques applied for the sample preparation. The particles obtained were surprisingly multifarious in size. In ultracentrifugation experiments performed at relatively low salt concentrations, the distributions of the sedimentation coefficient s_20,w showed a pronounced peak at 9.6 S and a broad, only partly separated second peak around 14 S. The molar mass of the particles at the peak was around 430,000 g/mol, corresponding to an aggregation number of approximately 85. The average hydrodynamic diameter of the particles in the peak fraction was approximately 13 nm. In electron micrographs of negatively stained samples, spheres of diameters between 10 and 25 nm were the most abundant particles, but larger ones with a wide size range were also visible. The latter particles apparently were composed of smaller ones. The data from both sedimentation analysis and electron microscopy showed that (1) the studied compound formed primary micelles of diameters around 20 nm and (2) the primary micelles had a tendency toward aggregation. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3159–3168, 2003     

Excitation Cross Section for Resonance Transitions of Rhenium Atoms Excited by Slow Electrons

Excitation of rhenium atoms by electron impact is investigated by the method of extended crossing beams. At electron energies of 50 eV, the excitation cross sections of 36 resonance and competing transitions in ReI are measured. Within the energy range from the threshold value to 250 eV, six optical excitation functions are detected. The reliability of data on transition probabilities in ReI has been analyzed.     

微波法快速合成光致变色螺(口恶)嗪

螺嗪(Ｓｐｉｒｏｘａｚｉｎｅ)是20世纪70年代在螺吡喃基础上发展起来的一类具有良好光致变色性能的化合物,具有很高的抗疲劳性和光稳定性,具有潜在的商业应用前景[1-4],可用作光信息储存材料和光致变色镜片(ＰｈｏｔｏｃｈｒｏｍｉｃＬｅｎｓ)。6 哌啶取代的吲哚啉螺萘并嗪[5-11]相对于未取代的母体化合物具有更优异的光致变色性能,但是文献中的合成方法步骤繁琐、反应时间长、产率较低。本文利用微波合成了6 哌啶基(氰基)吲哚啉螺嗪,合成路线如下:1　实验部分1.1　仪器和试剂显微熔点仪(四川大学科仪厂),温度计未经校正;美国Ｐ…     

准一维电子通道中声电电流的理论计算

表面声波在GaAs/Al _x Ga_1-x As异质结表面上沿由分裂门产生的准一维电子通道方向传 播时，在通道中诱导产生声电电流.采用WKB近似，计算了只有一个电子被量子阱俘获时的声电电流；并在此基础上，详细讨论了表面声波的频率和功率，以及门电压和源漏偏压对声电电流的影响. 关键词： 表面声波 准一维电子通道 量子阱 声电电流     

Does phenazine form triplet excimer and dimer anion radical?

Laser flash photolysis of phenazine (PZ) solution reveals the existence of a stable species with a long lifetime at 380 nm in addition to the usual triplet PZ at 440 nm. The former is suggested to be due to formation of triplet PZ excimer. The triplet excimer also undergoes photoinduced electron transfer with some aromatic amines. The formation of PZ dimer anion radical and amine cation radicals are confirmed by external magnetic field effect studies. Measurement of B_1/2, which estimates hyperfine present in the system, also supports this assignment.     

Morphology and spectral properties of thin films of benzoxazole derivatives of biphenyl

We have studied the spectral properties and morphology of thin films (TVD films) formed by thermal vacuum deposition of 4,4′-bis[(E)-1-(1,3-benzoxazol-2-yl)-2-ethenyl]-1,1′-biphenyl and its substituted derivatives. We have shown that introducing bulky 2,2′-oxyhexyl substituents into the biphenyl units leads to a shift of the fluorescence maximum for the TVD films toward shorter wavelengths, a decrease in their photostability, and aggregation of the films during storage. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 74, No. 3, pp. 300–303, May–June, 2007.     

Simplified and complex modeling of self-sustained discharge-pumped,Ne-buffered XeCl laser kinetics

Two simple kinetic models of a Ne-buffered XeCl laser discharge are presented based on different simplifications of the chemical kinetics of a complex model that recently appeared in the literature. When applied to the study of a small-volume XeCl laser, the results of both simple and complex models are in satisfactory agreement with the experiments. Shifting to a larger-volume laser, both models show problems due to loss of stability of the discharge. A one-dimensional modelling is performed, and it is found that different assumptions on the kinetics of the NeXe⁺ ion in the discharge lead to completely different results as regards the effect of a preionization-triggered instability.     

Behavior of zirconium in the ZrOW(100) system at high temperature, studied by ISS, AES and work-function measurements

The behavior of zirconium atoms at the W(100) surface associated with oxygen adsorption at different sample temperatures has been studied by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS), and the relative change of the work function (Δф) measured by the onset of the secondary electron energy distribution. The results have revealed: (i) adsorption of zirconium onto the W(100) surface followed by the elevation of the sample temperature up to 1710 K in an oxygen partial pressure of 2.7 × 10⁻⁴ induces complete diffusion of zirconium atoms into the W(100) substrate; (ii) further exposure of oxygen induces co-existence of oxygen and tungsten on the surface at 1710 K, resulting in a work function of 4.37 eV; (iii) keeping the sample temperature at 1710 K, simple evacuation of the system has resulted in surface segregation of zirconium atoms to the surface to form a zirconium atomic layer on the top-most surface, reducing the work function to 2.7 eV. The results have revealed that this specific behavior of zirconium atoms at high temperature assures, with very good reproducibility, the highly stable performance and long service life of Zr---O/W(100)-emitters in practical use, even in a low vacuum of 10⁻⁶ Pa.